Fallout: Equestria: A Cut Above
Ch 11: Running up That Hill (A Deal With Gawd)
We streaked across the beaten earth of the Wasteland. Overhead, Hellen was a speck only occasionally visible. Closer in, Engineer powered through the swiftly darkening sky. On the good ground, I pushed in the center of our makeshift herd. Big was on one side of me, and Lyrical the other. Ahead of us, the twins poured on the speed, flecks of foam flying off their pounding flanks.
We had almost launched from the scene of the fight, Engineer’s urgency infecting the rest of us. Blinky clung to Lyrical’s saddlebags, both her hat and mine flapping and flopping around on his pink bullet head. The miles poured away under our hooves, and the calm of running overtook me. As always, the physical activity freed my mind to think. Scouts were a bad sign, as weak as we were. Even if I ignored the fact that they couldn’t be trusted and counted the three earth ponies, we would still be vastly outnumbered and overpowered by any significant force. Not a happy place to be. Shattered Hoof offered safety and numbers.
Not ‘Safety in Numbers’, no. That would have applied if I was in a charge towards home, sure. It might even apply to Shattered Hoof if the Talons as a whole proved more loyal - and more worth my loyalty - than had the group of them at the desalination plant. Even if they weren’t my bestest of friends, the Talons needed to know about this force on their flank. That was what was pushing Engineer, I was sure. I just wanted to spend a day or two without something going pear-shaped. Between the chaos at the plant and the fighting since, I was worn thin.
This was a big contrast to the fight that had preceded it, or the running battles in the plant. A long run was wearing in a whole different way. I felt the heat rising in the long muscles of my legs, and tossed my head. A whinny caught the attention of Engineer, who screeched into the sky and slowed. I pulled my gait down, easing from the headlong gallop into a more controlled trot. Lyrical matched my gait, but Big held his, streaking ahead to nearly tackle the twins. This got their attention at least, and the six of us cooled off at a walking pace, Engineer flumping to the ground and joining us in walking.
We paced in silence, our heavy breathing counterpoint to the clopping of hooves. Engineer’s tread was silent in comparison. Our breathing was slowing and normalizing, and I was starting to worry again. Lyrical was still blowing long controlled breaths, but harder and deeper than any of the rest of us. Another thing to worry about. I was OK, Engineer was OK, surprisingly the slaves were doing good, but Lyrical showed signs of exhaustion already. Hellen thumped into the ground next to me and paced alongside, her tail lashing.
“Wicked.” She said.
“Hellen.” I replied. That was the extent of our conversation, an odd tension lingering between us. I stifled a groan, another thing to worry about. Lyrical’s breathing slowed, and Hellen favored her with a sharp look.
“Watch her.” Hellen said to me, then sprung into the air. I followed her as she disappeared into the sky, looking at Lyrical as the black and brown griff disappeared from my vision. Lyrical was craned around examining her tail, tugging at the Talon armor with her magic. I looked closer and scowled. There was a thin red line in the hide at the base of the armor, just above her tail. I trotted closer, nudging her to get her attention.
“Hey.”
“Hey, Wicked. Armor’s chafing some.” Lyrical said. She sounded tired, but still game. I looked closer at the red mark.
“Yep. I think it’s worth the risk, you should take it off and store it. We’ve got to put some miles on.”
“Yeah... I think you’re right. Help me with the straps?”
I assisted Lyrical as she stripped her armor off. Big watched curiously as we worked together. Engineer looked up from where he was talking to Leaf and Sky, pacing over to me and Lyrical.
“Good call. She doesn’t have the endurance of you or the former slaves, she needs to be as light on her hooves as possible.” Engineer said. “If it’s OK with you, we’ll bundle the armor up and have Big carry it, he’s holding out great. All of them are.”
“That’s just weird, Engineer. They were slaves, why are they so healthy?” I asked. Big was in close conversation with Leaf and Sky, gestures and grunting noises abounding.
“I dunno, kid. I just want to get them back to the Hoof. This is bigger than me, I want advice from higher.”
Engineer’s reply made sense. While I was on my own out here he had a structure to lean on, the Talons. I grumbled as I bundled up the armor, carrying it to Big. The big tongueless earth pony combined with the unicorns keeping him, had reminded me of Strongback. The mute unicorn led me inexorably to the rest of Our Tacksworn. I missed my home. Every day the ruins were getting a little less ruined, the Wasteland was pushed back a little bit more. My people were there, my father and my sister. My father...
Would he be happy with what I had done? It hadn’t been a month, even. Just a hoofful of days, and I had fought for my life, taken orders, given orders. I had dodged gunfire and made a pet, and a friend. I had lost someone who could have been a friend.
It had been a busy time, to say the least.
Big was amenable to carrying the armor, which strapped easily onto the earth pony’s broad back. I thanked the larger pony and returned to Lyrical, who was pacing idly in a wide circle. She smiled thinly, tossing her head at Engineer. “If the big bird’s ready, let’s get going.”
“You sure you’re holding up ok?” I asked, forcing a smile onto my face.
“I’m sure I don’t have a choice. How much longer is it to Shattered Hoof?” Lyrical replied. Her smile broadened under my teasing, and mine widened in return.
“Not sure. Probably the rest of today, and one more push after some sleep. Running like this, we’ve got to be far ahead of their patrols.”
“Sure... if their patrols are headed to Shattered Hoof, and aren’t just securing area they already hold.” Lyrical replied. My face fell. We had assumed that Big and his buddies were the vanguard of an upcoming force, and we were fleeing across the Wasteland ahead of them.
That assumption crumbled in the face of Lyrical’s casual thought. This mare was sometimes scary smart. Scary smart and moving, Lyrical had taken off and was loping away. Big and the twins tracked in behind her, and Engineer screeched into the sky as he took off. I hastened to follow, kicking up gritty dust as I tore into a gallop.
The rest of the day passed like a particularly boring torture. Lyrical was blowing and streaked with sweat, moving slower and slower as the sun arced towards the horizon. I almost tumbled over my own hooves as Big made a complicated grunting call. Leaf and Sky bent their courses around, putting Lyrical between them and Big. With another grunt, they both surged in and boosted Lyrical into the air. She yelped as she was flipped over, shrieking as she landed...
With a thump, on Big’s waiting back. I shouted in alarm myself, powering forward to stop them by any means necessary. Lyrical struggled to stabilize herself, and Big shifted into a faster canter. As his gait smoothed, Lyrical found a secure position and laughed.
“OK, ok, I’m ok!” She crowed. “Can you keep this up, Big?”
The blue pony tossed his head, laughing. Even without a tongue, his energy and happiness rang in the sound. With Lyrical situated, we increased our pace, and positively flew into the looming dark. The plains we were streaking across did nothing to attenuate the sun’s light, and darkness fell like a blade. We continued on, Lyrical’s horn casting a weak beam of light in our path.
Suddenly, out of the darkness a shape loomed. Big, having taken over the lead, reared in panic, Lyrical tumbling off his back and Blinky rolling into the night. The light from Lyrical’s horn spun crazy shadows as she tumbled, screaming. It winked out, and all was shadow and chaos. I dug in and skidded to a halt, Leaf (Sky?) bumping off of me and falling out with a grunt. The low mutters of the boys fell silent as I sucked in a gasp of air to yell.
“Shit.” Hellen said in the darkness.
“Young lady, you could have handled that better.” Engineer’s acerbic voice came. “Miss Lyrical, are you OK?”
“Yeah, Engy, I’m just a little shaken up.”
“I’d prefer not to burn off a flare, can you manage a few more minutes of light?” Engineer asked. I began fumbling in the darkness. Lyrical’s hornlight had been brighter by far than the absolute shadow we occupied now. Shakily testing each step as I moved, I made my way to where Lyrical’s voice had come from.
“Sure, I think.” Lyrical said, her voice thick with exhaustion. “It is time to rest, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, we need at least some downtime.” Engineer replied. Lyrical’s voice was right in front of me, and when her horn flared to life, it almost blinded me. I squawked in dismay, ducking my head to rub at my eyes with a hoof. A sharp pain in my fetlock made me yipe, and I fell over as I jerked that leg up. I landed heavily on my side, and stared into Blinky’s eyes. The molerat hissed, then crawled grumbling onto my withers, where he hung on my armor.
I shakily got back to my hooves, blinking at Lyrical. She sat demurely, hiding her giggles behind a hoof. I stuck my tongue out at her and blew a raspberry. She gave up hiding her giggles and laughed. Leaving her, I checked the others. Big and Leaf were OK, smiling at my discomfort. Engineer was talking quietly to Hellen, and Sky was already sprawled out asleep,snoring quietly.
With everyone present and accounted for, we bedded down for a cold camp. Hellen curled into a ball of fur and feathers and immediately obtained a comatose state. Engineer wasn’t far behind her, and I sat watch with Leaf as Lyrical shoved a cleanish spot in the dirt before curling up herself. Her horn light flickered, dimmed, and doused itself as she nodded off.
“Oooo arrrree a ood poooomy, wigged” Leaf forced out.
“Thank you, Leaf. You guys are alright, too. Get some sleep, I’ll wake you up for the next watch.”
“Oh gay”
The soft sounds of sleep came from Leaf, then, and I watched into the night.
---
Sky nudged me awake the next morning, the barest hint of light revealing his silhouette. Lyrical was stretching, arching her back in the gloom. I took a moment to admire the sight. It wasn’t...
It wasn’t sexy, really. But it was pleasing at a whole other level, Lyrical was growing into a sturdy survivor of the Wasteland. Whatever was coming, I felt better about my chances if we were working together. And her chances, for that matter. That mare had proven herself to be a smart, clever pony, but all the intelligence in the world wouldn’t protect you against a mad ghoul.
I shook myself awake and walked off the night’s stiffness. We had passed out in poor order, sprawled in loose clumps on the cold ground. Morning found the lot of us stiff and sore, working our muscles loose and eating trail rations from our saddlebags. Big caught my eye, rolling and wiggling on the ground before sprawling like a rug, every leg at maximum extension. He heaved a deep sigh and surged to his feet.
I stood silently as Big stared down our backtrail. I flashed back to the green mare, the look of resignation on her face as the point of my weapon entered her chest. A single tear rolled down Big’s face, which he wiped away with a hoof. I winced as he turned and walked to me. I searched his face for anger, for any sign of the pain and rage I expected from a pony in his situation. All I saw was sadness, and something I couldn’t read.
Big dropped a foreleg over me and leaned in, pulling me into an embrace. I was completely clueless as to what was happening. It was all I could do to stay standing under the weight of Big, who was... Sobbing on my shoulder. I returned his hug, stroking his stubbly shaved head awkwardly. “I’m sorry, Big, I’m so sorry.”
We stood locked in an embrace for long moments, until Big broke loose and pushed me back. Looking into my eyes, the stallion’s expression was unreadable. I couldn’t break loose of his gaze, just as much as I couldn’t have broken his embrace. Big nodded once, then turned and trotted away. Leaf and Sky helped him into the strapped bundle of Lyrical’s armor.
I checked my friends. Everyone stood ready, looking to me for guidance. I tossed my head at Engineer and Hellen. “Get on up and keep your eyes open. We’re not home safe yet.” I looked across the pony members of our group. Blinky was curled up on Big’s back, tucked into Lyrical’s armor. Leaf and Sky stood stolidly, watching the griffs as they curled into the sky. Big was peering curiously at Blinky, who ignored his gaze. Lyrical smiled brightly at me and I smiled back, throwing a wink in. “If Engineer’s right, we should make it to the Hoof by noon. Follow me!”
Off we went. The morning sun peeked up over the horizon, and in minutes we were moving through the light of day. As the air warmed under the gaze of the sun, we streaked across the Wasteland. I felt sweat spring out on me almost immediately, and hit my canteen hard. We were running low on everything, but it shouldn’t matter. Enough water to carry us through to the Hoof, and everything would be handled from there.
Or so Engineer had said. Our course merged with a path, hard-beaten dirt barely distinguishable from the untouched Wasteland. The small difference in feel under hoof was strange, unknown.
I was too involved in breathing to actually sigh, but I felt a sigh as I ran. The Talons as a whole were still an unknown quantity. With my experience of the detachment in the plant, I was fairly sure that we would survive the initial encounter. What happened after that depended on... Too much for me to make a guess.
It would be complicated.
The sun crawled up the sky, sweat poured from our bodies and our canteens grew empty. Shattered Hoof popped over the horizon, suddenly. I had barely understood the strange lump on the edge of vision as a wall with the string of cloud over it as a plume of smoke, when Engineer swooped out of the sky, gyring in front of us and landing in a plumpf of dust. We curved out around him and wore our way down to a stop, gathering in front of his feathery form. Engineer blinked at the sky as our dust settled, then chuckled. “Hellen’s going on ahead. We’re going to proceed slowly in, so they have time to get a look at us. If anyone shoots, just stop and kneel - they’ll be warning shots. We should be OK, though.”
We rumbled our acknowledgements and resumed our trek at a walking pace. The home of the Talons crawled towards us, revealing a stout wall studded with details. I could make out slots of windows and the occasional lump of a turret breaking up the tan monotony of the visible structure. It became clear that there was a gate set into the wall, just as Hellen soared over it and dropped out of sight inside. The path drew us along to the compound wall, and I started to get seriously impressed by the Talons. The wall was new construction, well built and solid. I figured it was mainly local stone, which gave the impression that the whole place had grown out of the ground.
Flickers of magic glow shone through the horizontally slotted windows. The occasional glint of sunlight on glass came with them. “Careful now. The Hoof is watching us.” Engineer muttered. It wasn’t a half dozen more steps before his words were underlined.
A unicorn popped up over the top of the wall, a horn of some sort held in front of him in his magic. Eying us, he placed the horn to his lips. “You there, halt! Engineer will come in last, the rest of you approach the gate one at a time.”
We passed a look around the members of our group. Engineer winked at me, then settled down on the path. I shrugged, maneuvering my way past the others and walking towards the gate. I kept my pace slow, and my head up. The various glints and glows resolved into unicorns with rifles, some following me and some staying fixed on the rest of the folks waiting. The gate was massive, easily a half dozen ponylengths tall and almost that wide. There was a smaller door next to it, just right for a pony or griffin. This stood open, revealing a short passageway with slotted windows.
The passage immediately angled away from the main gate, and I made my way through it, cautiously watching the staring eyes looking in those slit windows. There was another door at the end of the short hallway. I suddenly realized what I was in. So long as the big gate stayed closed, the only way in was through this little slot - or over the walls. And while I was stuck here, they could fire in. I couldn’t fire out. Not easily.
That was not a pleasant thought.
“That’s far enough, youngster.” A gruff voice said, its owner staring through the thin window. “You got any guns on you?”
“Sir, I think I may have a small one in my saddlebags, but I’m not sure.” I said immediately, carefully flicking just an ear to indicate the bags bulging on my back. The eyes blinked at me, and narrowed to slits.
“How in Celestia’s resume does that work?”
“We had to pack in a hurry, sir. My companion Lyrical has picked up a couple pistols along the way, and I think one of them might be in my bag. I don’t know for sure, sir.” I replied. It was increasingly difficult to keep my breathing calm and keep myself still. I wasn’t a griffin, meant for the skies and the air, but I was starting to feel awfully cramped in here.
“Alright. I want you to stand still, I’m gonna pop your saddlebag off and move it back down the hall here.” Gruff-voice said, and my ears flickered madly as his magic undid the straps of my saddlebags and floated them off. I kept still, watching the stranger’s eyes as best I could. Shortly I was without my bags, standing in my armor, with Stickbird at my side. “That stick of yours a weapon?” Gruff voice asked shortly.
“Yes it is.” I said with a sigh, my ears pinned back with agitation.
“OK, lad, I know it’s a trouble, but the Talons can’t afford to play risks. Go ahead and turn around, then huck that weapon down there with your saddlebags.”
I did so, making sure to keep my movements slow and obvious. Stickbird slid out of its straps easily, and I ‘hucked’ it gingerly to thunk into the floor next to my saddlebags. The weapon stuck in point first, and wobbled over to lean on the wall. I turned my head a tiny bit to shoot a look at Gruff Voice, not bothering to hide the irritation in my expression.
With a chuckle, Gruff Voice instructed me to come into the main compound. Two griffins waited just past the inner door, and I couldn’t help but smile at Hellen, dusty and damp with sweat. “Hey Hellen. I’m glad to see that was a beast of a run for all of us, not just us ground types.”
“Ha. Wicked, that was a beastly run for anyone, make no mistake.” Hellen said. “Wicked Cut, this is Briar Weed- ow!” Hellen was interrupted by the second griffin, a rangy long-limbed male in nearly identical colors and patterns.
“What my sister means to say is Briar _Thorn_. I’m an inside security griff’ for the Talons, and today I’m your watcher.” The larger griff said. Hellen stuck her tongue out at him, snapping it back into her beak when he shot her a look. I started to relax, just a little bit. “First thing first, we’re gonna get you watered and fed, then we’ll talk about what happens next. Please head East, I’ll follow you.”
“What about the rest of my friends?” I asked, standing firm. Hellen’s brother shrugged and gestured East.
“We’re splitting you up, for now. Aside from Engineer and Hellen, you’re complete unknowns, and there’s five of you. After your initial briefings, you should be free to move about on your own or together.”
I grumbled, but turned and trotted off. With a snort and a fluttering of wings, Hellen landed in front of me. The dark griffinne led me out from under a walkway and across a compound. I’d used the word before, referring to the desalination plant. Here it actually applied. The first thing to catch my eye was a pair of forts. Low walls, studded with chunks of girder. Tucked behind them were two squat buildings. Their flat faces glared at the gate, ponies and griffs watchful in the upper windows.
Hellen trended away from the outer wall as we cleared the forts, passing a blocky building on our right. I gaped around as we proceeded, soaking in every detail. The buildings were nothing like Our Tacksworn. We cleaned and repaired and made as right as we could, helping buildings shrug off the hard wear of time. Shattered Hoof was.. New. The weight of time sat lightly on buildings that were built to be exactly where and what they were. We went by two more long buildings, and approached a largish block of a structure.
The building was almost featureless, a bland stone structure the same color as the walls and the rocks. The only thing that kept it from being boring was brightly painted designs. Brightly colored ponies and griffins cavorted in paint on the side of the building, giving it an almost playful appearance. I shot a glance over my shoulder to see what Lyrical thought of it. I turned back forwards scowling. The Talons reasons for separating us seemed legitimate, but I certainly didn’t like the idea.
Hellen opened one of a pair of double doors set into the building, and I followed her inside. The floor here on the ground level was packed earth, with grass happily growing in the lights hung from the ceiling. A short walk down a hallway, and Hellen stopped at the base of a stairwell. Her brother stopped me with a taloned hand on my shoulder, and Hellen went into a door marked “Cafe”. I heard her talking to someone on the other side, but only had enough time to shoot a confused look at Briar before she reappeared, paper bags held aloft in her talons.
“Lunch!” Hellen said, heading up the stairs with a spring in her step. Briar nudged me, and I followed. I was feeling the drag on my limbs by the time I made the top of the stairwell, and it was with a sigh of relief that I followed Hellen into a small room. There was a small table with multiple seats. My eyes were drawn to the seat nearest the door, hoofcuffs dangling from bolts set in the table and floor. Here on the second floor, that surface was concrete. I paused in the doorway, eying the hoofcuffs warily. Hellen dropped the bags on the table, plopping into the furthest chair with a sigh. I sidled past the hoofcuffs, noticing that the chair itself was bolted to the floor. The side chair was my destination, and I slid into it gratefully.
Briar grinned at me in that griffish way, and I returned it as confidently as I could. Making himself comfortable in the bolted-down chair, the griffin’s grin widened. “naw, this one’s not for you.” He offered, reaching into the bag in front of him. “Aww, this one’s pony.”
Briar shoved the bag over to me, and dug into another one. Hellen followed suit, and I nosed into mine. Hay fries and a box of salad! I made swift work of the chow, watching Hellen and Briar. The siblings were relaxed, chatting idly about goings-on at Shattered Hoof in the last weeks. I finished my lunch and tucked the garbage away in the bag, looking up to see Briar watching me intently. I slowly pushed the bag to the center of the table as Briar’s grin widened.
“I like you, kid. You’ve got balls, but you’re not a dick about it.” Briar declared, sitting back in his chair. Hellen let out a gusty snort of laughter from where she was sprawled in her chair, staring at the ceiling.
“Thanks, Briar... I think.”
“So, let’s start the debriefing. The first encounter you had with the Talons was... “
“When Four-Claw shot me.” The silence that met that little remark was precious. I was starting to get a little twitchy about putting myself under the power of the Talons. Sure they had the upper hoof, but their attitude about it was frustrating. “Well I suppose it was a warning shot, but really...”
It didn’t take that long to be ‘debriefed’, which turned out to mean telling them my story. Briar was very interested in any of the interactions between Brick and the leadership of the Collegiate. We only touched on Hellen, who had fallen asleep in her chair. Briar said someone else would handle that.
Someone else would handle my attempted murder.
The tips of my ears went cold as that sunk in. I felt my smile pull back from my eyes. Briar trailed off in the middle of his question, something about the ghouls.
“Briar... “ I said. It was my turn to trail off. I shot a look at Hellen, face up and snoring in a tangle of limbs. I rubbed my eyes, taking slow deep breaths. I carefully placed my forehooves on the table, lifting my head to look Briar in the eye. He looked confused at my sudden change of attitude. “She tried to kill me.”
“...And you defeated her.” Briar managed, blinking. “I don’t see the problem...?”
“Briar, what rank do you hold in the Talons?”
“Decurio - I run the center claw unit.” Briar replied. I held his gaze as he looked between me and Hellen. “Why?”
“Are there any ponies that have that rank, or higher rank.” I paused to draw a breath. “Available?”
“Ahhhh... “
“Briar. Take your sister, and go get a pony. We’re done here.”
Silence reigned as Briar woke Hellen and ushered her out of the room. I made myself as comfortable as I could in the strange chair. I craned my head to watch through the crack of the door as it drifted shut. The click of the latch was followed by the clack of a lock, and I smiled and looked up at the ceiling. I felt my tension pulsing in my temples, staring at the boring flat surface of the walls. There were hanging lights in the center of the room, and I passed the time examining them. It was amazing how simple the lights were, bowls of metal with big glowing bulbs in the center of them.
Flexible cables were tied to the chains that held the lights, and they ran along the ceiling to a metal box. Piping from the box ran to the wall, and down to a switch. It disappeared there, which most likely meant -
The click of the door unlocking pulled me out of my daze. I shifted in my uncomfortable chair as the door swung open, revealing a stout earth pony, grinning in a well worn suit of black Talon armor. He strode into the room as if he owned it. I suppose in a sense of the term, he did. The muscular brown pony propped a foreleg on the bolted-down chair and grinned at me. All I could detect from his expression was happiness.
Wow. That was worrisome. I kept my expression flat and returned his look.
“Would you mind explaining why I just put one of my more promising griffins into a jail cell, and her brother in a different one, at his request?” The buck asked. I blinked, thinking fast.
“Because she tried to kill me, he was slow to admit it, and apparently he’s rather concerned about it now that he’s realized it was serious.” I replied. “How’s Hellen?”
“She’s good, actually. Not happy, but that’s understandable.”
“Good, good. What’s your name and rank, Talon?” I asked, stretching back and adopting a relaxed pose.
“Tesserarius Top Shelf, Left Hand of the Talons.”
We sat in silence for a long moment, staring at each other. I forced myself to stay casual, to blink and breathe casually. Top Shelf maintained his grin, comfortably propped against the back of his chair.
“So, let’s start over. Brick threw you in, why?” Top Shelf threw out. His words plopped out and landed on the table with a dull thud. The grin never so much as flickered.
“In?” I sputtered. That grin widened, if anything.
“Into service. Into the tunnels. Into combat. Take your pick, kid.”
The pony’s grin was frustrating. The tables had been turned on me, and I didn’t like it. Also, what did I know of the motivations of the Talons staffer?
“‘Cause I followed orders and I’m awesome?” I had to get control of the situation back, or at least get my hooves under me. Top Shelf brayed laughter, throwing his head back and getting his gut into it.
“Oh wow, yeah... OK. Seriously, though, Wicked. I know I’m asking you to see inside another pony’s head, but what do _you_ think Brick’s reasoning was for putting you on the team?”
“Melee support. He mentioned that he was short enough on melee fighters that he couldn’t put together a group to go down, and still protect the eggh- Collegiate.”
“The Eggheads wouldn’t let him leave the top uncovered?”
“Yes, sir.” I cursed myself internally, but Top Shelf’s whole being demanded respect. His Talon armor was worn, but perfectly clean and maintained. His gaze was direct and unwavering, and his body language was relaxed but alert. It would have been intimidating, even if he wasn’t almost absurdly muscular.
“Interesting, interesting. Do you remember anything else about Brick’s interaction with the Eggheads that sticks out?” The grin was mostly gone, hovering around the corners of Top Shelf’s mouth and in his eyes. I wasn’t getting my hooves under me in this conversation, and I was starting to get more and more confused.
“Uhm, well. They were threatening to call the contract void, especially after Chalice got killed.”
“Ahhh, Chalice. She died to ferals, right?”
“Yessir, there were a dozen, maybe 15. I was staying behind as a rear guard, and one ghoul made it past the Talons.” I paused to wipe my eyes. Between Top Shelf and the topic at hand, I was starting to get rattled. “I got that one, but there were two behind it, and I messed up, let one through.”
“What could you have done differently?” Top Shelf asked. His green eyes were kind now, no humor on his face.
“I don’t know, sir. I tried to delay one with a shoulder block, but he knocked me over instead. Everything went south from there.”
“Hmmm... “ Top Shelf said, dropping off the back of the chair and moving over to me. I put my head on my forelegs, closing my eyes.
“Yeah. By the time I got to my hooves and dealt with the one that I tackled, the other was already... In Chalice. There was nothing I could do but kill it. And I killed it a lot.”
“Didn’t bring her back though.” Top Shelf said, patting my shoulders kindly. I drew a deep gust of breath, letting it out in a sigh. I straightened, to find Top Shelf considering me. “That was the first real combat you’ve ever been in, wasn’t it?”
It wasn’t a question. I nodded in response, and Top Shelf shook his head.
“Puked your guts out, sucked it up and handled it. Figured you would deal with it later, when you had time?”
Again, it wasn’t a question. I nodded, gesturing with one hoof uncertainly. Top Shelf patted my shoulder gently, then moved to the seat across from me, dropping into it without ceremony.
“That is a completely normal reaction. I’m surprised, I must admit. From what Hellen and Engineer have reported, I expected you to be a salty veteran. Brick’s initial report talks of you in glowing terms, too.”
“I... I just tried my best. You Talons are alright, and Lyrical and Chalice...” I trailed off, flopping my forehoof in an uncertain gesture.
“Heh. Let’s leave that for a bit, focus on something different. Tell me about Hellen.” Top Shelf asked, and we were off to the races.
I warmed to this new topic, more than willing to move past things I wasn’t comfortable with. I told the story again, trying not to exaggerate any of the details or my actions.
“Wait, wait, you pissed yourself?”
“Well, I wasn’t wearing anything, so I just.. pissed. Most of it got on her.”
“Wow.. I just.. wow.”
The whole story seemed to make Top Shelf very pleased. He was kicked back in the chair, relaxed and watching me. “So, I think I’ve got the facts of the matter straight. Really, there’s only one question. What do you want to happen to Hellen?”
What did I want? Hellen had been pretty soundly yelled at, and punished. I considered the aggressive young griffin. Young griffin.
That made the decision easy.
“Hellen’s not all grown up yet, Top Shelf. She’s been corrected, and punished. All I think needs to happen now is that she be taught.”
“Taught?”
“Well, yeah. She’s not a bad griff, just... intense. And she doesn’t read pony body language or customs very well. She needs taught how to interact with people outside of...” I trailed off, waving a hoof in the air. “Outside of being a Talon.”
“Huh.” Top Shelf trailed off into silence, staring at the ceiling. I could just follow the rhythm of his thoughts by the bouncing of his gaze. I waited patiently until he leaned forward, pushing himself off his chair. “Alright then. Let’s go see Gawd.”
Who?