//------------------------------// // It begins. // Story: Hard To Find The Right Words // by Nameless Narrator //------------------------------// *Curious sniffing.*   “Mhmmm?”   *Hesitant sniffing.*   “Auuuaaahgh?”   *Careful, worried sniffing.*   “Crest, did you take being a little bitch too literally?”   “Woof?”   “Yes, you did. Excellent. Remember, accepting your true nature is the path to happiness.”   “Woof woof?”   “Of course it’s me again, and this time I actually can bite your head off. Where have you been all this time, you little toilet scrubber?”   “Woof, vrrrrr...”   “Huff, was it?”   “Woof woof woof woof!”   “You’re worse than the alarm clock.”   “Woof.”   “I’m getting up. Fine, fine. There, standing, not on the bed anymore. See?”   *Excited panting.*   “You know that some changelings can communicate with animals?”      “Woof?”   “The animal has to be somewhat intelligent, though.”   “Woof woof woof.”   “No, I can’t, and you’re dumb as a brick. Two points for Fury, zero for the mutt. Now go away and find Puff or whatever you normally do. No, no- I said go away, not lick my forelegs.”   “Woof woof.”   “Hmmm, am I actually that likable? No, I’m not. I’m scary. Raawr, yeah totally.”   *Tiny pawsteps skittering off.*   “Still got it.”   *Tiny pawsteps closing in.*   “Spoke too soon.”   *Clink.* *Excited panting.*   “Woof woof woof.”   “Uhh, what did you just drop in front of me? Let’s see… a leash?”   “Woof woof!”   “No, I refuse your peace offering, you’re still a disgusting little critter barely worth eating. Plus, I have my own collar and leash, far better than this simple old thing.”   *Chotic skittering.*   “Why are you running back and forth like that? Did you hit your head and can’t remember where anything is? That actually happened to me yesterday, but if you tell anypony I’m ripping you in half, slowly.”   *Woof!*   “Or it could have been hangover just from sniffing the liquor cloud around Crest. Speaking of the idiot, I haven’t heard of him yesterday at all. He must have slept with his new changeling owner and gone straight to the station in the morning. Unless I severely underestimated their influence, they still can’t just make the chief of the police disappear.”   “Woof?”   “No, that’s really beyond your ability to handle, dog.”   “Wrrrrrr!”   “Let my leg go! I swear if you bite down I will FLAY YOU!”   “Wrrrrr... woof!”   “Stop pulling me. Gee, I’m coming, I’m coming. Heh, can’t even say that without thinking of Crest. I mean, the words least likely for him to say. HAH, Fury million, imaginary Crest still zero.”   “Wmmf wmmf!”   “You want me to… walk you? I’d rather, ah screw it, you’re worse than the ponies. Now stay still, you braindead blob of flesh so that I can put the leash on you. Puff would kill- be upset if I lost you and for some reason that bothers me.”   “...”   “Good to know you can obey if you want to. Now, I’ll take you around the garden, that’s all. I think the last two days of digging in the dirt gave me a good idea how the place looks. If we went further away then you’d be walking me.”   “Woow woof woof woof woof!”   “No, that’s a horrible idea, you furball. Now, leash in hoof, bare idea of where I am and where I’m facing, urge to stomp the irritating creature rising. I think I’m ready.”   “-ten, eleven, door to the hall. Off by two, damn!”   “-thirteen, fourteen- ow! Stupid door. Off by one. I should have gotten the hint when the dog stopped.”   *Click.*   “Let’s go, but if you try to drag me I’m turning back instant-”   *WREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!*   “Wha- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”   *-WREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-*   “W- ts- g- ing o-?”   “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”   *-WREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-*   “O- no! I’m s- s- ry.”   *-WREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-*   *Click.*   “Grrrrngngg… ahhhhh haaah ahhh haaah...”   “I’m SO SORRY, miss Fury!”   “P-hnngh-ff...”   *Click.*   “I took the collar off. Just lie still, it’ll be okay soon. It’s just pain, nothing worse. I thought mister Crest told you how your collar worked.”   “Aaaah… I… I… forgot… wait no… he didn’t...”   “Alright, just lie here and breathe, miss Fury. It’ll be okay.”   “My… chitin… is crawling away from me...”   “It just feels like that, you’re alright.”   “Fire ants eating my leg holes...”   “Shhh, your only problem is a bit bruised muzzle from when you hit the ground. Everything else is just the collar.”   “Fuuuuuck that hurt. Aaaaahnnng...”   “That sounded rather… lewd. Nice stretch, though.”   “The aftereffects are curious. Maybe we could try all that again with the collar on the lowest setting? Does it have settings?”   “I’m… not sure...”   “Phew, no ringing in my ears, no more acidic fire in my veins, muzzle hurts only slightly. Wet like a river. What’s wrong with me? I’m not a warrior because I enjoy the pain, am I? No, definitely not. Agony is freaking agony. When it hurts a bit less, though...”   “I’m still here, miss Fury.”   “You heard NOTHING.”   “I’m pretty sure I-”   “You will forget what I said just now.”   “Yes, miss Fury.”   “Good, still under control when I need it. Should I refill you a bit? Nah. Normal Puff, activate!”   “Huh? I blanked out for a second there. Do you want me to go and get something for your muzzle, miss Fury?”   “I’ll be fine. Thanks.”   “Woof woof woof woof!”   “I WILL GRIND YOUR BONES TO DUST SO THAT YOU’D FEEL THE TINIEST BIT OF WHAT I DID JUST NOW!”   *Fearful whining.*   “Miss Fury, please, he can’t have known. He’s just a small pet.”   “If you felt a fraction of what I had, Puff, you’d be hanging the creature by the neck yourself.”   *Whining.*   “Please… he’s a good doggy.”   “...why do I cave whenever this dummy asks for something? That has to be magic...”   “Fine, I’ll walk your stupid dog around the yard, but if he as much as tries to drag me somewhere...”   “You can even take his collar off and he’ll just run around. I forgot to walk him earlier before my practice so he must have been antsy.”   “Tsk tsk tsk, that deserves a punishment.”   “I’m sorry, miss Fury.”   “That doesn’t cut it. I want your mouth, Puff. No, actually, I want a lot more, but this is what I’ll settle for. Come here.”   “You’re really soft despite that chitin, miss Fury.”   “And you taste better than any other pony I’ve had. Mhmmm...”   “Mhmmm.”   “Hmm, you learn quickly, Puff.”   “Heheh, thank you. If I learn slower, will I get more lessons?”   “If you learn faster, we’ll move onto the advanced ones.”   “I’ll do my best.”   “I don’t doubt that. So, you’re doing your gardening again?”   “Mhm, and a bit of watering. The pegasi scheduled today to be sunny. Speaking of which, I can bring you a folding chair if you want. The fresh air will do you good.”   “I have some things to think about so why not?”   “Great, do you want it immediately?”   “Hmmm, nah. I’ll walk around a bit with the furball DELIBERATELY TRYING TO HURT ME!”   “Miss Fury-”   “I didn’t mean it, Puff.”   “He he he, Half-hearted?”   *Sigh.*   “I guess so. Huff, come here.”   “Woof woof woof.”   “Come, but if you make me trip I’ll crush your skull.”   “Woof?”   “You better believe it.”   ***   “Fury. Fury!”   “Mhmm… Crest? Damn it, can’t you check up on me BEFORE I go to sleep?”   “Guess who’s just been called a real zebra barbarian in bed?”   “High warlord Mugumbe?”   “Ha ha, very funny. I just made a mare’s world tremble.”   “Yeah, mine. I’m shaking half from trying not to laugh and half from the effort of stopping myself from punching you.”   *Sigh.*   “I don’t know what I was expecting...”   “Look, Crest. I’m happy you finally had some action, I really am. The thing is that if you really needed it that badly then I offered myself enough times.”   “It’s not about that! Well, ONLY about that. I’ve got a shot at something more. At my age, I can’t just go and pick up mares whenever I want. Whizzy is thinking about something deeper as well.”   “You know what, Crest? Good for you. I’ll be happy to listen to you blab about everything tomorrow including the nastiest details. You know what? Leave out the mushy stuff, just write down the smut. But for now, please, PISS OF AND LET ME SLEEP!”   “Alright, alright. Heh, Fury, you know… I might get mad at you sometimes, but you’re a good friend. I never expected things to come to this when I found you in Star Trail’s basement.”   “What, me beating you to death with your own ripped off leg because you don’t let me close my eyes, metaphorically?”   “Hahaha, right. I get the hint. Good night, Fury.”   “Night, Crest.”   *Leaving hoofsteps.*   *Click.*   *Silence.*   “Damn it, get up, Fury, now! That doll sounding like Crest is your timer ticking down. Alright, you can’t see a thing and you’re inside enemy territory. Time to see if you’re right and and ready for the grinder, or if the stupid ponies are right and you are still worth something.”   “Stop! No panic! You knew this was a thing that could happen. Crest is completely under their control, and they know about you. There’s no way this ‘Whizzy’ didn’t squeeze everything about you out of him.”   “Now, if you panic, you’ll just get lost in the darkness. Think and remember. It’s fourteen steps straight to the bedroom door. Eleven through the living room. Nineteen if you hug the left wall.”   “Good, I can still count. Now it’s twenty-ish to the main door and- oooooh crap! It’s unlocked. Crest could have forgotten, but in his state I doubt that. I’m pretty sure he’s obeying his mistress’ commands to the letter. So, someone will be here shortly, with no alarm to stop them. Crest checked up on me, they’ll wait until I’m asleep, and then… then what?”   “The infiltrator wants me dead for his personal reasons, and he’s the head honcho here in Riverside. If the other changelings aren’t directly in league with him, they might want to rescue me from the police.”   “Yeah, right. They know what my relationship with the police squad is.”   “Heh, then they know more than I do. What now? Plan B is out of the window. Time for plan A? Time for plan A!”   “Puff?”   “Hmm… he must be sleeping in the house, I can sense my influence over him. Let’s explore… quietly. Every minute counts.”   “Nine, ten, ow- crap! Stairs? This place has more floors?! Just my luck...”   *Creeeeak.*   “That was actually easier than I thought. Now, I don’t know anything about this area, and I doubt I have the time to map it.”   “Heh, Puff feels like exactly the type to sleep with his dog in the same room.”   “HUFF!”   *Skittering incoming from the left.*   *Sniffing.*   “Come, fleabag. We need Puff.”   “One, two… ten, eleven, door cracked open. Yeah, he’s inside.”   “Puff. Puff!”   “Whhzhwha? Miss Fury, what are you doing here?”   “No time. We’re in deep shit now, and so is this entire city. Present neck, now!”   “Yess, miss Fury.”   *Chomp.*   “Whuh, wha? You’re not feeding?”   “No, I’m pumping you full of my venom. I need to have complete control over you in case you get bitten or afflicted by a mind-control spell. For all intents and purposes, Puff, you’re my doll now. You have no free will… and… I’m really sorry, but you won’t have it anymore. I filled you with too much over past few days. If I call, you will obey no matter what.”   “I understand, miss Fury, but I’m scared.”   “I know, I know. Your life is completely in someone else’s hooves. Trust that I know. But you’re in luck, Puff.”   “How come?”   “Just like with mine, your life is in the best hooves available. Now we need to find the police members.”   “Of course, but what’s going on?”   “Changelings are making a move on Riverside, and I’ll be damned if I let my lunchboxes be taken away.”