Chapter 18
Eye twitching.
Heart rate steadily rising and lowering at an alarming rate.
Flashes of furious purple that come and go.
Champion stood on the mountain top as he stared down at the two cities below. New Ponyville and Canterlot, both easily within view for him and his super sight.
He shook violently at random, each time vibrating the mountain below his hooves.
Try as he might, he could not calm his nerves or mind.
He felt… betrayed. By his mother, and by his future Queen. The two he trusted and loved most.
His upper lip twitched as he pulled off his mask, staring straight up into the bright sky above.
“Why?” he asked aloud, eyes narrowing as he shifted into his Royal Canterlot voice, “Why?!”
No response came, not that he expected one.
Growling, he sat down hard, shaking the mountain again. He lowered his gaze back on the towns below, his eyes focusing on New Ponyville as his entire head twitched to the side. His eyes glossed over as he lost himself in thought, just staring at the town with dead eyes.
ooo000<^>000ooo
“Gate 16?” Domitor said as they drove towards a rather large wall with what looked to be a checkpoint at the base. He looked around as they drove down the road towards the checkpoint, seeing that the ground was completely barren all around the wall. The massive tree sat beyond the wall, and now that they were close he could see what looked like buildings built into the sides of the tree. “Whoa…”
Lenrick just chuckled as he watched the young stallion look up at the tree in awe. “Kid, I got to take you on a trip to some of my favorite locations. Because if that impresses you, then you haven’t seen nothing yet.”
“Will you?” Domitor asked, turning to the man with a smile.
He glanced over to the stallion and grinned, “yeah. We finish up this shit, I’m taking you to Chaz la’ Beltone. The most amazing place in all the dimensions.”
“What is it like?!” Domitor asked in an excited voice.
With a laugh he reached over and shook his shoulder, “if I tell ya, it’ll ruin it. You just gotta see it.”
“Thank you, Lenrick,” he said, smiling happily as he sat back in his seat.
Lenrick looked at him and sighed, “Dom, I’m sorry for treating you the way I did all those years.”
This caught Domitor off guard as he looked at him with wide eyes.
“We run our crew a certain way,” he continued, gripping the wheel tightly. “Lorenzo runs a tight ship, and you have to do things his way. But that’s no excuse, kid. I’ve been a real monster to you, and I’m sure the others will apologize once they get to know you.”
“What about my father?” he asked, lips trembling in anticipation.
“Lorenzo…” Lenrick muttered, glancing back to Domitor. “I’ll talk with him.”
Domitor let out a choked laugh as he tried not to overreact. “Thank you, Lenrick!”
“Don’t mention it, kid,” he chuckled. “You belong on our crew, and I know he’ll think the same way after I tell him how you’ve handled yourself.”
This brought absolute joy to Domitor as he sat there, mind racing with thoughts. “Lenrick…” he said after a moment.
“Yeah, kid?”
“Are we friends?”
This caused Lenrick to jerk a bit as he looked over at the hopeful face of Domitor. He didn’t respond right away as he stared at the young stallion, who was starting to slowly deflate.
“Yeah, kid,” he said with a smile. “We’re friends.”
A tear threatened to fall out of his eye as he turned and looked out the window, watching the barren scenery fly by. “Cool…”
“Cool,” Lenrick chuckled, slowing down as they approached the checkpoint.
“Follow my lead,” Lenrick said as he reached into his pocket dimension and pulled out what looked to be some gore and a Kejtdra’s faceplate. It took Domitor a moment to realize it was the faceplate of the Kejtdra who’d tried to shoot them as they approached the house last night.
Lenrick pulled out a charm and placed it on the gore and activated it. A light wrapped around him as he took on the form of the Kejtdra man, looking exactly like him.
He smiled at Domitor’s shocked face, turning his attention back to the checkpoint ahead.
A Ketjdra wearing a uniform stepped out of a guardhouse and walked into the road holding up a ‘STOP’ sign.
Obliging, Lenrick came to a stop right in front of the Ketjdra.
The uniformed male walked up to his window and climbed up, raising an eyebrow as he saw the two of them staring back at him.
“What are you supposed to be?” the man asked, looking at Domitor.
“Just my kid, someone cast a Thorn or something on him, so I’m coming into the city to see if I can find a cure,” Lenrick said, his voice sounding exactly like the Kejtdra he was mimicking.
“Damn Thorn users,” the man muttered, pulling out a device and scanning them. “Well you two are clear. Get in there, Hausod. I’ll tell my wife to send your wife a gift basket.”
This caused Lenrick to look a bit nervous, “Ah! Thank you, pal!”
The man chuckled and reached in, holding up his hand. “We still on for poker this weekend?”
“You bet!” Lenrick replied, taking his hand and giving it a solid shake.
He then looked at Domitor, “Is this Bel’lata, or Pulo?”
“Pulo,” Lenrick said back, looking even more nervous.
“Hang in there, Polly,” the man said, giving a nod to Domitor. “Someone in there can reverse this so you don’t always look that repulsive.”
Domitor frowned but gave a nod.
“Now hurry along you two, before my boss asks why I’m taking so long,” he said as he jumped off of the truck and waved to the guardhouse.
The gate ahead slowly opened. Lenrick gave a wave to the man as he pulled forward and drove through the checkpoint.
Once they were clear and driving towards a large city at the base of the tree, Lenrick began to laugh loudly.
“Oh fuck me! What are the odds he knew the guy I was pretending to be?!” he exclaimed as the disguise he was wearing flickered and faded away, returning him to his normal self. “That is some amazingly terrible luck, huh kid?”
“Yeah,” Domitor replied, smiling as he looked at the laughing Lenrick. “Some terrible luck for sure.”
ooo000<^>000ooo
“Thank you, sir,” Raffy said as he took back his I.D. from the border agent.
“Enjoy your shopping, Raffy,” the Kejtdra replied, giving him a smile and a nod.
“I always do, Uzztoh,” he said as he gave him a little wave and pulled through the checkpoint, passing under the massive sign that read ‘Gate 4’.
“That was simple,” I commented as I looked out the back window as we drove away from the checkpoint.
Quest Complete! 4 skill points awarded!
“I come here once a week, so they’re used to seeing me. Plus they like me, so telling them you were my niece was enough for them to not check your nonexistent I.D.,” he said with a smile as he drove down the road carefully, the base of the tree not that far from us.
There was a massive city around its base, and according to Raffy there was even more inside of the tree itself, going up the trunk and even down into the roots. A true mega city.
“So I’m going to take you to the Beltosh workshop as I promised, and I’ll be on my way,” he said, looking out the window, a frown on his face.
“Oh,” I said, realizing our time together was coming to an end. “Thank you, Raffy. I don’t know where I’d be right now if it wasn’t for you.”
“You’d be dead, twice over,” he replied, then sighed. “Just be careful out there, Shayla. This world is very dangerous, and if you’re not willing to kill anyone, then it’s even more dangerous.”
“I’ll be alright,” I said back, giving him my signature smile. “I can handle myself.”
“I was like you when I was younger,” he said with a frown, “I was the leader of the Laughing Drake’s, and they trusted me, the cocky asshole, with their lives.” He let out a sigh as he raised his sleeve, revealing a list of names burned into his arm.
I didn’t know how to respond to this as I stared at the names on his arm.
“Life hits hard sometimes, Shayla,” he said in a low tone. “And it hits those who think they’re on top the hardest. I thought we were unstoppable, and I led the Laughing Drake’s like we were. And now I’m here while they’re not.”
I let his words sink in, looking straight ahead as we began to enter the city proper.
“If anything, kid, take this one piece of advice,” he said, glancing at me, “put your friends first, and take note of their limitations. Don’t push forward if it means putting them in danger.”
“Sometimes you gotta take risks,” I countered.
He sighed, shaking his head, “while true, that will lead to the death of those you love. I may be old and bitter, but at least heed my warning and think about it.”
“I mean, I’ll think about it,” I replied, giving a small smile. “But I don’t plan to put my friends in danger. That’s why I’m here and they’re not.”
“Now, I’m not saying leave them out and do it all yourself,” he said as he rubbed his face. “There’s a balance, and you will need to find it on your own. I just hope you find it before you lose anyone.”
“I won’t lose anyone,” I said with a determined look. “That I know for a fact.”
“I hope, Shayla,” he sighed as he brought the truck to a sudden stop. “We’re here.”
“Already?” I asked, thinking it’d take longer to reach them. I actually wanted to keep talking to him.
“Yep, as luck would have it they’re on the way to the market for me,” he said, giving me a small smile. “Good luck out there. Just try and apply what you learned from me to your life, I promise it’ll help.”
“I’ll try,” I promised, feeling awkward as I didn’t know how to break contact with him. I honestly didn’t want to get out of the truck without him.
“You alright?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
“Yeah,” I muttered, looking out the window at the little shop before me. The words ‘Beltosh Armaments & Repairs’ were painted across the front of the building.
“Then on with ya,” he laughed, giving me a light shove. “Go on and continue your adventure.”
I frowned as I looked back at him. Somehow he’d grown on me to the point I’d actually miss him if I never saw him again. I wanted to say that to him, but I didn’t know how to voice those kinds of thoughts. So I did the best I could.
“Listen for me on the radio,” I said with a smirk as I flung open the door and jumped out. I turned around and grabbed the door, giving him a thumbs up.
He chuckled as he shook his head. “I’m gonna miss your attitude, kid,” he said as I closed the door.
The truck lurched forward as he began to drive away.
“I’m going to miss you too, Raffy,” I muttered, wishing I'd said that to him.
Once he turned a corner and was out of sight, I took a deep breath and turned around, staring at the workshop before me. It looked a bit run down, like it wasn’t even open. And I’d assume it was abandoned if it wasn’t for the blinking ‘OPEN’ sign on the door.
Walking over to the door I gave it a shove, causing it to open and ring a bell, announcing my arrival.
“Liles, customer!” someone yelled from within the building.
“I heard the dang bell, Liz!” someone else yelled, even further back in the building.
Hesitantly, I stepped into the dusty building, taking note of the rows of shelves covered in merchandise that lined the store's floor. In the back was what appeared to be a counter with a large register on it.
Honestly, I expected more with the way my mom talked about her family. She never told me what they did, but she said they were doing very well for themselves. This looked like they were barely surviving, with all the dust and dim lighting.
Near the back of the store an old male Kejtdra stepped out of a door and walked up to the counter. He eyed me with suspicion as I just stood there dumbly.
“Buying or browsing?” he asked, tapping his claw against the table.
“Uh.. neither?” I said, causing him to grunt and stand up straight.
“Did the Cakehurst send ya?” he asked, eyes narrowing.
“The what?” I asked in complete confusion.
He sighed and shook his head, “that answers that then.” He then looked me over, “so not a customer and not with the Cakehurst. What are you doing here then? Selling shit? We ain’t buying.”
“No, nothing like that,” I said as I walked towards him.
His eyes drifted to my legs, a look of repulsion came onto his face. “What is wrong with your legs? They’re all backwards.”
“Uh…” I muttered, not really sure how to answer that. “Do you know a Mallogory Beltosh?”
His eyes went wide at my sudden question as he looked me over more carefully. “Why do you ask?”
“She’s my mom,” I said, getting straight to the point.
“What?!” he yelped as a female stepped through the door, a half repaired pistol and some kind of tool in her hands.
“Mallogory’s daughter?!” she exclaimed, eyes wide.
“Uh… yeah,” I said sheepishly, scratching the back of my head.
“Prove it,” the man said with disbelief on his face.
“How?” I asked as I stood at the end of the aisle by the counter, looking between the two of them.
“What is the Beltosh creed?” he asked, causing me to frown. My mom told me once, but it’s not like I could remember all that.
“How the fuck am I supposed to remember all that?” I asked, throwing up my hands, “I just remember it was long winded and full of stupid self righteous bullshit. She told me once and I thought it was the stupidist shit I’d ever heard before.”
“Yep, that’s Mallo’s daughter alright,” the woman commented, causing me to scowl at her. “Oh yeah, she’s got Mallo’s glare and attitude, that’s for sure.”
“Where is Mallogory right now?” the man asked.
“Why do you want to know?” I snapped back, suddenly losing my patience with them.
Instead of getting mad at my attitude, he just smiled, “I haven’t seen my daughter in over twenty years, so of course I’d want to know where she is.”
At hearing this, I looked between them, seeing them in a new light. “Wait, you’re her parents?”
“And apparently your grandparents,” the woman chuckled, putting down her items and walking over to stand before me. “Who’s your father?”
“Yeah, who?” the man asked as he walked around the counter. “I’m surprised she actually found another Kejtdra out there.”
“Um, I actually have two mom’s,” I replied, causing both of their eyes to go wide. “And my mother isn’t a Kejtdra,” I said as I pulled back my hood, revealing my mane and ears. “She’s a pony.”
This shocked them as they looked at me completely flabbergasted.
“I do not know what a pony is… but how?!” he asked, eyes locked to my ears. “Did the Gods provide their blessing?”
I started to answer truthfully, but remembered Raffy’s warnings. “Eh… I guess so? I don’t know the details to be honest.”
“This is a lot to take in,” the woman said as she stepped to the counter and leaned on it, her old face looking very conflicted.
“Where’s Mallogory?” he asked again, not looking as taking back as his wife.
“She’s still in my home dimension,” I answered, getting a sigh out of him.
“Ah, I’d hoped she’d’ve come with you,” he said with a dejected look on his face.
“Eh…” I awkwardly held out my hand to him. “Shayla Beltosh.”
He looked at my hand, then smiled as he took it. “Liles Beltosh, and this is my wife, and your grandmother, Liz Beltosh.”
I smiled at them as I shook his hand hard.
“Quiet a grip you got there,” he chuckled as he broke the handshake.
“Is there anyone else?” I asked, looking around. “Mom said the Beltosh family was fairly large.”
“You’re looking at the last two Beltosh’s alive on Eris,” Liz said with a sad sigh.
“What?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“We lost most of the family during a recent conflict that plagued the planet,” she answered, shrugging. “Liles and I only survived because we were here setting up this new shop and not in our home town with the rest of the family.”
“She’s glossing over it,” Liles said as he crossed his arms, looking up at the ceiling, lost in thought. “Some crazy guy named Rozilius wanted to be immortal or something and caused all the Rust in the world to go crazy. Then some Halwen got in a fight with him and that somehow led to a divine serpent covering the entire planet in its body.”
“Honestly, if it wasn’t for the complete annihilation of our family, I’d say it was one of the best days of my life, seeing that beautiful creature wrapping around the sky,” Liz said with a look of awe.
“I’m going to need the full story here,” I said, looking between them.
Liles nods at me, “of course. I love talking about that day, but I’d like to talk with you more first. You up to that?”
I sighed, as I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play a game of twenty questions. “Sure, I guess.”
“Wonderful! Liz, put up the closed sign and get some snacks!” Liles exclaimed as he walked around the counter and headed for the door that led to the back.
“Get your own snacks,” Liz grumbled as she hobbled over to the front door and switched the signs.
“Coming?” he asked from the doorway as Liz hobbled right past me.
I just stood there dumbly again, smiling nervously. “Yep, coming…”
These guys may be my family, but that didn’t stop me from dreading talking about myself. Normally, that’s all I’d want to do, but not when it comes to my grandparents.
I wonder what my parents would say right now if they knew I was here with them?