Astral happily downed the remnants of the ration pack, eying the empty previously-sealed pack in hopes there were more. For a military-produced-ration that was a few years old, FRE’s were pretty tasty!
High in calories, but at least they were yummy calories.
Sassi had watched him provide commentary with an amused grin on her face, eventually revealing such internet footage of other civilian ponies doing such taste tests rather fun to observe. Apparently, there was one famous stallion who ate FRE’s that were decades old.
That was after putting them out on an equally-old but somehow immaculate tray first. It was oddly amusing from the brief clip Sassi had shown him from a partially-saved video.
Astral had then made it a point to ask her to show him more of those videos when they had a connection. The request had made a rather cute blush flare-up on Sassi’s cheeks before the subject changed.
“For stories about blowing up plumbing, those were really good,” he remarked cheerfully. “I definitely can’t choose between them. The spicy hayburger is probably way too hot for most ponies, but it’s just right for me.”
The Thestral then poked a half-eaten bar with a hoof, glaring at the item as if it had personally offended him and every ancestor in the past century.
“That said, that alfalfa and spinach bar can dive into the darkest pit in Equestria,” he said, sticking out his tongue.
Sassi was trying hard to restrain giggles at that, nodding in agreement.
“Yeah, that one is pretty bad, even for me,” she admitted.
“Y’know…” he mused, looking over the ration contents, “once we’re out of here, we could totally have a date where we see what can be cooked with these ration packs. Fancy style. I think making casseroles or other dishes using this stuff could be fun!”
Not hearing an immediate response, Astral glanced over to Sassi. He had to stop himself from laughing, barely managing to contain himself. The poor mare’s face was bright pink, wings slightly flared as she stared at Astral, violet eyes locked onto his.
“Uh, is that a yes?” he ventured to say, a squeak that did not match what he knew of Sassi leaving her muzzle.
No, it doesn’t match my version of Sassi. This is a look at who she is underneath it all.
At that thought, Astral couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Sorry. I didn’t expect that reaction,” he said, “it’s kind of like getting to know another pony, the non-military one.”
Sassi’s ears immediately flattened at that.
“Hey, I didn’t say that was a bad thing! Quite the opposite. I never expected you to have a shy side. It just takes some getting used to,” Astral interjected, Sassi’s ears immediately perking back up at his cheerful tone. “I never thought the mare who has saved me multiple times from monsters would blush at hearing about an FRE date. This is quite a change from two weeks ago.”
“It’s…nice, ok?” Sassi said almost shyly, looking down at her hooves. “Having someone take interest in something about my life like that is new. Getting to know someone, or rather, someone wanting to get to know me wasn’t common.”
“And I’m guessing you’ve never really been around ponies or creatures who are ok with being yourself? All of you?” he ventured to ask. Not the most eloquent way of stating his thoughts, but it got the point across.
“More or less. There was only one way to act down here if you wanted to survive. Physically, socially, or emotionally.”
Astral pondered that, cleaning up the FRE leftovers with a hum.
“But then having Flask be your dad, teaching you what life was really like, then the above-ground missions, that gave you a perspective that you didn’t have to just be that way.”
A soft smile dawned on Sassi’s face, the mare nodding.
“And I thought I was the one with the psychology degree.”
“You are, I’m just connecting the dots. You have a lot of them you know.”
She smirked at that, Astral not able to resist a chuckle as she still mostly looked at her hooves.
Sassi has a shy side. That is going to take some getting used to.
“Y’know, I swear you’d be hiding behind bangs if you had them.”
A frustrated grumble left her mouth at that.
“I probably would. But you had to keep your mane short for security detail. I’ve always wondered…” her voice drifted off, Astral staying quiet. It was an odd mental nudge, something telling him that these moments were a glimpse into the mare’s other side. A test on her part, even if not intentional.
“I always wanted to grow it out. Just to see what I’d look like,” Sassi let out a snort as she tossed the short, light-blue mane. “A mare who’s never had this thing grow out. It’s the simple things like that I am curious about. A long mane, learning what other mares to talk about, how to talk to other mares. I mean, makeovers? Getting pampered at some spa? Outings with their special someone? Hobbies? University classes? I don’t know what normal ponies do, stallions or mares.”
“Well, Gabbro knows quite a few ladies of many different species and is on good terms. I’m sure some of them would be willing to give you a crash course in getting a spa treatment, painted hooves and all,” Astral mused. “And there’s no reason you can’t grow your mane out to see how it looks. I promise it won’t drive me away.”
He could have sworn Sassi’s eyes started to shimmer before the mare let out a huff, shaking her head.
“I may hold you to that,” she managed to say, tone a lot softer than usual.
“Feel free to,” Astral replied cheerfully, then gestured to some of the non-sampled FRE’s. “Say, how many of those do you usually eat? You mentioned that you eat more than most, smoothies included.”
A playful glare was her response to that last bit, Sassi shrugging her shoulders.
“In total, I eat three times as much,” she mused, “give or take.”
“Wow, that much?”
The mare nodded, poking one of her forelimbs with a hoof.
“Three-point-one-four times, to be exact. That’s how much more enhanced I am compared to the average pony.”
Astral’s head tilted to the side curiously, ears twitching in thought.
“Pi?”
“Funny enough, yes,” Sassi said with a smile. “The scientists called it the ‘Pi Wall’, basically the amount they could enhance a creature without it affecting their looks or mental state. Short of permanent implants or changing how a body naturally functions, ‘Pi’ is about as much as they can do with targeted surgeries, serums, magical boosters, and that sort of thing over years of work. With just the normal injections for security forces, the most they could get is about half of that, maybe up to twice as much if there’s a good match,” Sassi then winced as she spoke.
“Regardless, the injections had to be spread out over months to acclimate their bodies. Normal ponies are put through the wringer with those injections. My treatment was a lot more rigorous.”
“Huh. Learning something new here every day.”
“So, I eat about that much more to compensate for the upkeep. Can get a bit annoying, but high-calorie meals and supplements solve that.”
“No wonder you have a great figure. You’re burning calories like a furnace,” Astral mused, “makes for really nice hugs. But you miss a meal, and you’re back down a couple pounds. Lucky.” He looked over and saw Sassi staring at him, her cheeks a bright pink. “What?”
The shy smile Astral was quickly starting to love flickered across his face, the stallion replaying his words in his mind. “Oh. Uh, sorry. I didn’t meant to come off as-”
“Astral, just quit while you’re ahead,” Sassi whispered, the mare not able to meet his gaze but still having a shy smile. “It’s not creepy or weird when stuff like that comes from you. It means a lot more since you’re being honest, even if you don’t realize it. That’s very different from the usual comments I got.”
“Really?” The Thestral asked, shrugging his wings.
“Well, yeah. You’re staying stuff without wanting anything in return. That’s new to me. I can see how it could be a problem for others, but non-filtered Astral is something I don’t think I’ll get tired of.”
“And I’ll hold you to that,” he replied cheekily, Sassi shooting him a glare. Her gaze softened, demeanor shifting rather abruptly. For a split second, Astral saw the side of Sassi that was increasingly making an appearance. A shy, hopeful look dawned in her eyes before vanishing, the mare once again looking like she wanted to hide behind non-existent bangs.
And then it was gone, Sassi cracking her neck.
“W-well, if we’re leaving tomorrow, we’d best pack and take stock of what we need,” she said, voice hitching slightly. “I have some storage crystals for my items. Pretty much this entire place can fit inside the crystals. Everything I own, essentially.”
“Huh, that’s rather nifty,” Astral mused as the mare meandered back towards her room. “We can’t take all of the supplies, can we?”
“Nope. The crystals aren’t meant for fast access, and they take time to retrieve items. We also found that organic and food items go…weird if stored inside.”
“Weird?”
Sassi shuddered at that.
“When an FRE suddenly proclaims ‘the dark harvest has begun’, it’s a bad thing indeed. We can store some ammo and medical supplies, but rations are off the table. That’s for our saddlebags. We shouldn’t need more than a few days, which is easy.”
“Want me to get all the rations into a pile then?” he suggested.
“That’d help! I’m going to get the guns and other weapons pulled out of the armor after I pack up my room and the rest of the apartment. Let’s start organizing and packing.”
“It’s a date!” Astral said cheerfully, breaking out into laughter as Sassi glared at him, pointing a hoof in the stallion’s direction.
“You are pushing it…” she warned, a soft laugh leaving her frame. “Keep it up.”
Astral counted that as a total win.
Twilight took a few deep breaths, setting aside the crystal pad for a moment. Reading through the Company’s darker dealings was not healthy, but she had to know.
Currently, however, she was needing to address a much happier topic. Due to the recent communication with the survivors, Sassi and Astral were confirmed to be alive and well. They’d meet up with Vial and the others and then head to the nearest extraction exits.
Unfortunately, the connection was haphazard at best, and there hadn’t been any more messages after that. The Princess found it quite odd, but it was a secret facility that suffered massive damage.
Currently, Astral’s parents were supposed to be making their way here. She had read their files twice and it was impressive. Both decorated Night Guards, half of their children following in their hoofsteps, the others too young to determine a path just yet.
Flask’s input, whatever it may be could turn out to be invaluable in this case; he knew Astral far more than the Princess. And the past incident concerning Astral’s trial had made Twilight’s wings flare.
To that end, she had pursued a few leads to make sure certain parties were now going to be held accountable. But what she found odd was Flask’s closing remark.
“Astral said they never really believed him. That was as much as he was willing to speak about the matter. At the very least, I’d like to shed some light on his behalf and thank them.”
This would be an interesting meeting indeed. But she wouldn’t push things; the goal was to inform them of their son’s status.
A simple knock sounded on the throne room doors; a simple gesture Twilight kept regardless of magical and digital notifications.
“Let them in, please,” she called out.
The two Thestrals walked in, Twilight not surprised to see both clad in their ceremonial breastplates.
Some of the older guards to be sure, but their reputation is well earned, from what I read. She mused. How that carried over to raising their son, she didn’t know.
“Lieutenant and Corporal Sentinel, thank you for coming,” Twilight said, the two bowing respectfully. “At ease. Aside from greeting formalities, this is very much a personal meeting rather than business.”
“We only heard something regarding our son?” Lieutenant Edge Sentinel asked, the mare’s eyes widening in surprise as Twilight calmly trotted down to sit in front of them.
“I do. And what I tell you cannot leave this room, not yet.”
The two nodded, Corporal Halberd Sentinel shrugging his wings.
“We are well versed in confidentiality, Highness.”
She smiled at that, nodding knowingly.
“Of course. But this is a unique matter. What do you know of the current situation involving your son?”
It was a carefully crafted question, and for a moment there was genuine suspicion that darkened the gaze of both the parents. That sight made Twilight’s heart fall. But then it was gone.
“We know there was an incident at where he worked? An explosion of some kind? We haven’t heard anything, so we assumed everything was alright,” Edge said calmly, Twilight keenly picking out the guarded curiosity in her gaze. Unlike other parents the Princess had met with during much lesser crisis, these two seemed oddly distant.
Or, perhaps it wasn’t so odd. Their lack of even checking in with Astral when knowing there was an explosion was telling indeed.
“That is a very basic explanation of what has occurred,” Twilight said. “In short, the facility he worked at suffered a catastrophic failure. Many creatures were evacuated. He was not, and was presumed to be dead until very recently.”
That made both the parents’ eyes widen, yellow and blue gazes registering genuine shock.
“The Company he worked with unknowingly is currently part of a criminal case that dwarfs any preceding trials in the scope of violations, deaths, and outright heinous acts. This was discovered due to an employee escaping and leaking the information,” Twilight explained, “Astral did not know any of this, along with the fact the facility was larger than originally known. Hence his presumed loss.”
“But he’s not dead? He’s alright?” Edge asked, relaxing ever so slightly as Twilight nodded.
“He is indeed alive and well. He is currently with Sassi Satin, a Security Officer of the facility. We finally got in contact with them, or rather, a secondary source,” Twilight held up a hoof at that. “I can’t explain any rescue attempts in detail, as the Company is trying to block many of our efforts from investigating but they are proceeding. We have forces at each exit we discover, and I intend on rallying significant leverage against the Company. However, as his parents, I felt you deserved to know, especially since his best friend asked about his whereabouts, and news could spread. I wanted to inform you of this personally.”
While she hadn’t meant it in condemnation in the slightest, the guilty expressions across the two Thestral’s faces on hearing Gabbro’s involvement indicated quite a few things to Twilight indeed.
“That said, this is Flask. He is the pony who hired your son, and also exposed the company. He wanted to speak with you.”
The aforementioned unicorn trotted out, sitting a short distance away.
“You hired out son?” Halberd asked, the Thestral’s eyes narrowing, “and you worked for this…Company?”
“I did,” Flask said firmly, “and I am just as guilty as those the Princess is investigating despite my efforts to expose them.”
“Then why help our son?” Edge asked, then wincing slightly, “we are grateful beyond measure, but this all still is rather confusing.”
Flask nodded at that, Twilight returning the gesture to him as he looked her way for permission to elaborate.
“I hired your son for a very specific purpose, Mr. and Mrs. Sentinel,” he said slowly, “and part of why I chose him was because he’s a good pony.”
That made the parents look at him in confusion.
“There are plenty of good ponies. Why him?” Edge asked, clearly suspicious.
“Because past behavior is indicative of future behavior,” Flask replied, “and your son, on at least two separate occasions, has risked his life to save another at the incredible risk, and expense of his well-being. There is someone very close to me that needs saving, in many ways.”
A flurry of emotions danced across the Sentinels' gaze, their eyes drifting to the floor for a split second. They clearly noticed the present tense of Flask’s words.
“My daughter is trapped in that facility,” Flask said, his voice starting to get choked by emotions, “and I was unable to help for her entire life. When I caused the systems to crash, I gambled with many lives, including your son.”
There was a flicker of anger on Edge’s face, but that faded as Flask met her gaze.
“I gave Astral a code that could help him escape, to lead him to hopefully help my daughter start a life outside that wretched place. You may not ever forgive me for endangering him, nor do I ask it. But you deserve to know.”
The two armored Thestrals were silent for a few moments, Halberd finally speaking up.
“Why are you telling us this, Flask? Are you expecting our forgiveness? Our understanding?”
The unicorn snorted at that, shaking his head immediately.
“I seek neither. I would hope for understanding, but I wanted ultimately to simply say thank you.”
“For…?” Edge asked.
“For raising Astral however you did.”
The two were once again silent on that, Edge’s ears flattening.
“We made quite a few mistakes, I think,” she said dejectedly, “and I fear your trust is misplaced. I hope it isn’t though.”
Twilight had to stop herself from audibly gasping at that. Flask had a much more measured reaction, his eyes narrowing.
“Meaning?”
Halberd shrugged almost nonchalantly, an odd gesture indeed.
“He isn’t perfect and has made some significant errors. It sounds like you know a bit about him though.”
“Oh, the military tribunal? Expunged records, a deal, slander across multiple channels? Those errors?”
That made both Thestrals stand up ramrod-straight, Flask waving a hoof.
“The Company has extensive records, many illegal. I dug into Astral’s past for days. To that end, you don’t believe him, do you?”
The two parents didn’t have an answer, only staring at Flask in shock.
“Well, I do,” the unicorn said flatly, “I put in many, many hours in researching his incident in the Guard, the deal he cut to be free from those maniacs. I even personally contacted the mare he saved and confirmed it all, same with the judge.”
Twilight’s head whipped over to stare at Flask; she hadn’t known that! An apologetic shrug was all the unicorn could offer. To be fair, she hadn’t asked.
“And now I find out that he met up with my daughter, and that they’re alive. It is…painful to meet parents that don’t believe in their son. Not as much as he deserves.”
“You aren’t in a place to ridicule us,” Edge growled, a prickly demeanor settling over her, “working for a company that has done so much evil if the Princess’s words are true. How dare you lecture us on civility!”
Her anger simply glanced off of Flask, the unicorn nodding in agreement.
“You’re absolutely right. And I will answer for my actions,” he said grimly, “in fact, I would expect nothing else. But I don’t care, because my daughter will likely be alive and free all thanks to your son.”
Flask paused, ears flattening to his skull. “He never spoke ill of you, by the way. He was reluctant to mention the later times in his training, for obvious reasons. But I could put two and two together, especially when he didn’t leave for holidays to spend with family or talk about outings with them. I grew to know your son quite well. He was, and still is a close friend.”
While there was still anger in Edge’s gaze, Halberd seemed to be more contrite, the Thestral looking to the floor.
“That’s all I wanted to say,” Flask said, shaking his head, “thank you, but I suppose I’m a bit jealous, in a way.”
“Jealous?” Halberd piped up.
“You two have a fairly normal family. For all its ups and downs, you love each other, and live a relatively uneventful life, guard incidents aside,” Flask explained. The two parents were thrown off as the unicorn brushed away a few tears. “A normal life with family is something I have only dreamed of, something I never thought I’d be able to give Sassi or have myself due to my work. But your son has given her a chance, even if I’ll be behind bars or dead. If that is the result of all this, I will be at peace, for better or worse.”
The two parents didn’t have anything to say to that, Flask taking his leave as Twilight let out a long breath.
“I wasn’t entirely sure what he’d say, but Flask wasn’t lying,” she said calmly, “from what we understand, Astral has a code that can unlock the facility. Escape should be fairly easy, and Sassi is an accomplished fighter…” her words drifted off, the two Thestrals only half-listening.
“Are we bad parents?”
Halberd’s words made Edge shoot him a glare, one that immediately fizzled and died as guilt flooded her gaze.
“Flask was right, then?” Twilight asked gently. It was Edge who nodded once.
“We want to believe him. But Astral had started to be unpredictable before joining the training program for the Night Guard. Perhaps it’s normal for children to break away from parents or family, but our lineage has always been Night Guards,” Edge explained, “clearly, we didn’t know him as well as we thought since he voiced wanting a different path. Breaking from generations of being a guard. Who knows what else we didn’t know? Surely, we made a mistake?"
Twilight waited a few moments before speaking.
“I don’t think you are bad parents,” she said carefully. “Goodness, I once created a town-wide problem with a want-it-need-it spell because I was so wrapped up in submitting reports to Celestia, I couldn’t see past the obvious ridiculousness of it all.” The two Thestrals raised their heads at that.
“I think you two are imperfect ponies trying your best, which is all any of us are, myself included. However, just because a child doesn’t follow in your footsteps doesn’t mean they’re lost. They may have just found a path that you couldn’t see.” Twilight couldn’t help but smile, recalling the moment she realized how important friendship was. “Sometimes they can’t see it themselves for a bit.”
Digesting that for a moment, Edge then shook her head.
“I wish it was that easy to believe. There was so much assurance back then, and so when the final verdict came it also seemed faked. Astral mentioned having cut a deal which avoided trouble, how could that be honorable…”
The mother’s eyes then widened in horror, the mare turning to look at Halberd.
“The deal. He tried to tell us.”
Halberd’s ears flattened, the Thestral hanging his head in shame. Edge simply closed her eyes, shameful tears running down her cheeks.
“The deal that let him escape,” Twilight said softly, “you assumed it was a plea to avoid jail time, a guilty pony trying to cut and run.”
“He t-tried to tell us. We ignored it,” Edge whispered, not looking up. “Every source, official and personal said it was a plea deal. A deal for the guilty.”
“Would you like to know what it was?”
Halberd nodded, his wife leaning on his shoulder as the two refused to raise their heads.
“The parents and individuals accusing your son were very powerful. I say ‘were’ because that will change within the coming months if I have anything to say about it. They were so adamant about their own son’s innocence that they used multiple media and political contacts to ensure the coverage of the event was absolute. The deal was a simple but not widely covered one, simply allowing Astral to not be charged and preserve certain family’s reputation. That let the actual perpetrators off with barely any time served, for now,” Twilight explained.
“Astral simply wanted out. After they planted drugs in his locker, it was clear that his resources were limited while his opponents were not, and they would go to extraordinary lengths. He was formally cleared of all charges on the heavy recommendation that he left the guard, and the accused would serve their time. Unfortunately, his innocence was hardly covered at all, along with the details of the deal.”
The two parents didn’t look up, shame radiating from every pore.
“That’s what he told us,” Halberd whispered, “but so many voices were proclaiming the opposite, of what he did, we eventually didn’t speak with him for months at a time. Longer. And now we can’t.”
The throne room was silent until Edge spoke up, her voice trembling.
“We didn’t trust our son. Just because he wanted to try something different, we didn’t trust him,” Edge’s voice trembled. “A pony we never met trusted our son more than we did, trusted his own daughter with Astral. We didn’t even believe our own…” her words trailed off into a self-loathing whisper, the mare shaking her head back and forth.
“I think you will have a lot to talk about when he gets back,” Twilight said kindly, “and if I had to make a guess, I think he’d be quite happy to speak with his mother and father again, even if some trust has to be rebuilt.”
A soft chime echoed out, indicating some sort of new data on the Stairway incident.
“While I have to see what this is about, you two are welcome to stay here as guests for a day or return to your home city. I can arrange for time off if that is appropriate, just let me know.”
The two parents were clearly in shock; their previously confident demeanor utterly shattered. Twilight gestured to one of the guards, a kind smile on her face. There was a certain individual she had asked to meet with them, anticipating this sort of thing.
“Hey, um, Mr. and Mrs. Sentinel?” a tall, colorful hippogriff asked as he was led in. “We uh, haven’t met, but since Astral is my best friend, it’s nice to meet his parents. He’s been like a brother to me. My name is Gabbro.”
That perked the two Thestrals up immediately, Edge drying her eyes as she shook the outstretched set of claws.
“It’s nice to officially meet you, Gabbro,” Edge managed to say. “We’ve heard a bit about you, but not nearly as much as I think we should have. I think you might know our son better than we do.”
Gabbro simply shrugged his wings, the easygoing hippogriff smiling kindly.
“Eh, every family has stuff to work through. I’d be happy to fill you in a bit if you’d like. The Princess is buying lunch, I think.”
Edge’s lips quivered at that, the mare finally nodding happily along with her husband, the stallion’s jaw clenched as he tried to stay composed.
“We’d like that very much.”