Chapter 7: Acceso
"Alright...here I go..." Catacomb said nervously. He had rarely done this before, and was more than nervous about revealing himself. He was even more nervous of what Twilight would do in the pursuit of knowledge, so he could justify doing this in the long run.
As Catacomb was about to shape shift though, a quick knock came from the front door. Both Catacomb and Twilight turned quickly to face the door. The door swung open to reveal an ecstatic looking Rarity, panting slightly. "Twi...light...he's...awake..." She took breaths between each word, obviously making a beeline here from the hospital. Twilight smiled happily and got up quickly, grabbing a jacket. Catacomb got up as well, guessing that they would be leaving rather quickly. Catacomb grinned and walked outside as well, waiting for the other girls to come outside. Feeling it still somewhat necessary, he looked over to Twilight and Rarity.
"Guess we are making our way to the hospital, then?" Catacomb asked.
"Why, of course." Rarity said, still panting slightly from running. Catacomb looked over Rarity, and chuckled slightly.
"I always have wondered how you ladies can run in those things." he asked as they all made there way at a brisk pace to the hospital. "I mean, I tried it once, and it was harder than bowling blindfolded, and don't even think to doubt I haven't done either." Catacomb grinned, gaining an odd stare from both Twilight and Rarity.
"Umm...story for another time, perhaps." Rarity said, smiling awkwardly as she tried to push the image of the Catacomb she knew, in a fancy dress, out of her mind. Twilight laughed lightly instead.
"Sure, why not. Now come on and hurry, patience isn't a strong suit of mine." Catacomb said as he increased his pace. His natural speed was above the girls with him, moving him ahead of them at a quick pace. He looked back and noticed them having a hard time keeping up, especially Rarity, who had only recently ran to get them. He sighed and slowed down, allowing them to catch up. "Ok, you two are slow...so if you will excuse me." He gave an almost maniacal laugh, making both of the girls with him nervous. He picked up Twilight and threw her over his shoulder, and before she could complain, did the same for Rarity.
"What is the meaning of this?! Put me down!" Rarity yelled out, flailing slightly.
"Catacomb...what are you thinking?" Twilight asked nervously. Before he answered, a large pair of black wings shot out of his back, causing both Twilight and Rarity to gulp. "Cata...don't do it..."
"Cata, please think this through." Rarity and Twilight were getting nervous, trying to dissuade Catacomb from takeoff.
"Think it through? Life is more fun when it's...Unexpected!" With that, Catacomb flapped his wings while jumping into the air, both girls screaming as he took off, sailing quickly over the town with each heavy flap of his wings. "Relax, you two. I got ya. Just enjoy the view." He smiled as he sailed closer to the quickly approaching hospital.
"CATA!" Both Twilight and Rarity were yelling in unison, too terrified to even open their eyes. "PUT US DOWN!!!"
"Fine." Catacomb said, slightly disappointed. He landed and set them both on the ground. They quickly shot their eyes open, and set them on Catacomb, glaring intently. Both Rarity and Twilight slapped him across the face at the same time, each hitting a different cheek. His face getting suddenly scrunched in, he fell forwards. Twilight and Rarity, now looking forward, seen that they had indeed landed in front of the hospital. They stormed off, leaving Catacomb there groaning. "Totally...worth...it..." he chuckled, getting up and rubbing his sore face. He made his way towards the hospital, looking forward to seeing Spike. The kid was much stronger than he must have let on. He might of even been able to handle that man if circumstances were different. Catacomb was intrigued, and wanted to know more about him.
"What do you mean we can't see him?!" Catacomb heard Rarity yelling as he walked in. "I was just here not half an hour ago!"
"I am sorry, but visiting hours are up." The receptionist at the front desk said to her. "We made an exception then, because you were so...insistent on staying, but we need to follow procedure."Catacomb sighed and walked back outside.
"I understand, but please make an exception. I have been worried all day about him. Just a quick visit...please." Twilight begged with the receptionist.
"Please understand that I do not want to be the bad guy here, but rules are rules." The receptionist said, trying to keep the situation calm.
"Would it be so bad to just let these girls say hello." A soft womanly voice spoke up from behind them. The receptionist look stunned to say the least. Twilight and Rarity turned around slowly, gasping at where the voice was coming from. Behind them stood Celestia, her long white wings folded against her back, partially covered by her constantly flowing spectral hair. She was in a beautiful white dress that practically glowed on its own. She smiled warmly towards the receptionist. "That young boy is close to me, and I would like to visit him, please. I will accompany these girls as well. I promise that we will be quiet." She spoke serenely.
"O..of course, Princess. You know the way, so go ahead." The receptionist said quickly, staring still. Twilight and Rarity could only watch, unsure of how to react to this sudden turn of events. Almost both coming to the same realization as they looked at each other, the looked at Celestia and gave a slight chuckle.
"Let us be on our way, Princess" Rarity said, trying to hold in a laugh.
"Yes, Princess, we have a lot to talk about as well." Twilight added. Celestia smiled back at them.
"Well, no need to keep Spike waiting then." Celestia said to them. Rarity began to lead the way, Twilight and Celestia following. When they were out of earshot, both Twilight and Rarity smiled, laughing out loud now.
"That was perfect!" Twilight said, turning to Celestia. "I can't believe that you did that."
"Absolutely perfect, even down to the dress. I had no idea you were so skilled." Rarity said to Celestia. She looked at the two younger girls and smiled.
"I do appreciate your liking of my dress, Rarity." Celestia said, causing both Twilight and Rarity to laugh. They kept looking back at Celestia and chuckling every step of the way, until they made it to the entrance of Spike's room. They opened the door slowly, and looked at Spike. He was sitting up, and talking to someone. They looked at the other person in the room and went silent.
"Hi twilight, hi Rarity. Catacomb said you would be here. We were just catching up. Thanks again for visiting." Spike said, though still slightly bruised, he looked much better.
"Hey Twilight, hey Rarity. Glad to see you were able to visit as well." Catacomb said, sitting in a chair by Spike's bed. Both Twilight and Rarity turned around, still seeing Celestia standing there, smiling somewhat mischievously. The two did several double takes, confused beyond belief.
"Hey Princess, told ya this would happen." Catacomb said chuckling slightly.
"Yes. It would appear that you knew this would happen." Celestia said, trying to hold in a laugh of her own.
"Wait...so your..." Twilight started. Celestia nodded, causing Twilight to go completely white. "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry if I insulted you!" Twilight quickly apologized.
"Your not mad at us, are you Princess?" Rarity asked, turning slightly white. Spike looked over at Catacomb, slightly confused.
"What are they talking about?" he whispered to Catacomb.
"They thought that Celestia was me in disguise, so I am guessing they said some fairly interesting things to her." Catacomb responded, causing Spike to laugh slightly. Celestia smiled and looked at the girls, walking past them to go to Spike.
"Perry sent me a letter explaining what happened. Since I am usually busy during the day, I figured I would wait until setting the sun to head over to visit. I saw Catacomb walking outside of the hospital, had a quick talk with him, and he went to sneak in through the window." Celestia explained to the confused girls.
"I can't take Celestia's form. She has an interesting enchantment that alerts her of the location that a changeling assumes her form at. I am no exception, and am not allowed to do so. She thinks that I will 'abuse royal power'." Catacomb said the last bit sarcastically.
"Are you saying you wouldn't, Cata?" Celestia asked.
"Oh no, I would totally abuse it." Catacomb smiled innocently, causing Celestia to laugh.
"Still honest to a fault. It is nice to see you again, Cata." Celestia said to Catacomb, who just gave a subtle wave back. She turned towards the young boy and had a slight frown. "I am sorry to find you in here, but from what I was told, your bravery is something to be commended." Celestia took out the glass orb, similar to the one Catacomb used to hold the mugger from earlier. "He will be locked away until he has paid for his crimes, so don't you worry." Spike nodded, and leaned back. Celestia smiled and turned around, looking at the still petrified girls, and chuckled. "I must be on my way, you girls take care. It is always a pleasure, Twilight and Rarity, and Cata?" He looked at Celestia. "Play nicely." He laughed at her comment.
"If you insist, Princess." Catacomb responded. Celestia walked out of the room, leaving the girls to still just stand there. "Twi, Rare, you ok?" Catacomb asked. The two quickly snapped out of it, nodding quickly.
"I can't..."
"I know..."
"She was..."
"And we..."
"This is..."
"The worst possible thing!"
The two girls quickly spoke, staring at each other, panicking. Catacomb and Spike sat back and just watched them freak out. "Think we should help?" Spike asked, slightly concerned.
"Nah, they'll be fine." Catacomb smiled. "Just give them a minute." Just as he said, after a minute, the two started to calm down, finally making this into a normal visit. They talked with Spike, Twilight asking him several questions, some which caused both him and Rarity to blush. Catacomb lazily laid back in the chair, just enjoying the subtle happiness that was coming from what started as a grave situation. Before they realized it, midnight was almost apon them, so they figured they should head out and let the young boy get his rest. Twilight and Rarity walked out the door, while Cata flew out the window towards the front entrance. It took a minute or two, but soon enough, both girls started to walk out, smiling happily.
"I still can't believe that was actually Celestia." Twilight said, talking to Rarity.
"I know, I could have sworn that it was Cata's doing." Rarity responded. Cata walked up behind them. Placing an arm on each of their shoulders.
"That was still too perfect. The timing couldn't have been better." Catacomb laughed. Twilight and Rarity blushed slightly, still embarrassed at the entire thing. "Don't worry, we both figured that would happen, so she isn't upset or anything. More likely she has a funny story to tell at the palace now." He grinned, causing both girls to giggle. "Care for another ride home?" Catacomb asked, causing both girls to stop laughing and glare at him instead.
"NEVER AGAIN!" both said in unison.
"Fine, I get it. You two can be so not fun sometimes." Catacomb sighed. They walked back, dropping Rarity off first, her place being closer. She said her goodnights to Twilight and Catacomb, before heading in to get her rest. Twilight and Catacomb after some quite walking made it back to the library. Twilight was about to walk in before she turned to Catacomb.
"Are you still alright with me examining you?" Twilight asked, somewhat shyly.
"You mean like now, this late at night?" Catacomb asked. "What if someone sees you taking me in, and spreads dirty rumors about your late night meetings with a sexy man." he said with his usual sly grin. Twilight sighed, shaking her head.
"I doubt people will assume that. There isn't even anyone out. Besides, my nap earlier is going to prevent me from sleeping until later anyways, so I might as well do something constructive with the time."
"Well, I don't see a problem then. Mind if I spend the night then? I promise I will behave." Catacomb said, giving the most innocent smile he could muster. Twilight couldn't help but laugh, as she walked inside, holding the door open. They both entered, Twilight locking the door behind her.
"Would you like some tea or coffee before we start." Twilight asked as Catacomb went back to his seat by Twilight's desk.
"Coffee, black please." Catacomb said, leaning back in the chair. She walked into the kitchen, and started to brew a pot, while Catacomb tried to collect himself. "Get it together, Cata. It will just be an arm, nothing more. You don't have to do this, but you want to, so that is your motivation." Twilight stuck her head out of the door, looking slightly concerned.
"Who are you talking to?" She asked.
"Just myself, Twi. Figure it would help to make it easier for me to do this." Catacomb responded.
"You don't have to do this if you don't want to." Twilight said to him. He shook his head quickly and smiled.
"It is fine, really. Just something I am not used to doing, that's all. I don't mind." Catacomb said. Twilight nodded and went back into the kitchen. After a minute, she brought out a cup and set it on the desk in front of Catacomb. "Your not having any?" he asked. She shook her head and smiled.
"Spike says I shouldn't drink coffee. It tends to make me paranoid." Twilight responded. Catacomb took a few gulps from the hot beverage, and set the cup down.
"Well, I guess it is about time then. Are you ready, Twilight?" Catacomb asked, still a bit nervous.
"Whenever your ready, Cata." She responded.
"Here I go then." Taking a deep breath, Catacomb moved his arm towards Twilight. It was now or never, and as much as he was afraid of showing his true self, He felt like it would be all right. In a seemingly slow action, all the cloth and skin receded into his arm, the appendage starting to turn black. Holes started making their appearance all across the forearm, four in all, and one in the palm of his black clawed hand. He looked at Twilight, noticing her staring with an odd combination of amazement and fear. She may have been well aware of what he was, but that doesn't make it any better. Especially considering the events at her brothers wedding. She didn't have the most pleasant run in with changelings.
Catacomb watched as Twilight slowly poked the skin, feeling the hard armored exoskeleton that was present instead of normal skin. "What does it feel like?" Twilight asked, still poking the arm.
Catacomb raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out exactly what she meant. "Ummm it feels like your repeatedly poking my arm. I am not sure how else to answer that. It is how it always felt." Twilight nodded. Looking over the rest of the arm, she was tempted to stick a finger through a hole, but Catacomb's stare kept her from doing so.
"What happens when you shift?" Twilight asked, still examining the arm closely.
"Well, umm. I need a second. I never thought I would have to explain it." Catacomb said, chuckling slightly.
"Take your time then. Also, do the holes in your body serve a purpose?" Twilight asked, still eyeing one of the holes in his arm.
Catacomb looked at her and sighed. "Go ahead..." She looked up at him, almost as if saying 'really?!' He smiled, showing her he was okay with it. "The holes act as a storage for extra chitin, my hard shell, when I shift. I turn my outer skeleton into clothes, and I can remove it and put it back on as I please. I just shouldn't shift back into my original body without them, as it could cause damage. The holes are just storage for any leftover chitin that doesn't need to be turned into things like hair, clothes, or even some accessories. Even though the location's are different, we all have about the same number of holes." Twilight was absorbing all the information as best as she could. She felt inside of the hole, finding the shell extending inside as well, she felt all around the inside, causing Catacomb to giggle slightly. "St..stop, it tickles!" he said, trying to keep his arm steady.
"Sorry!" Twilight quickly removed her finger.
"It's fine, just kinda sensitive in there." Catacomb laughed slightly. "Any more questions?
"A few, still. Thank you again for letting me do this. It really is something new to me." Twilight said. Catacomb shrugged.
"It's fine, I guess. Feels weird, folks taking an interest in me like this."
"My next question is how do you shape shift?" Twilight asked, still looking at the arm curiously.
"Well, it's like a form of advanced transmutation magic us changelings are born with. Some can do it easier than others, and there are even a few who can't do it at all. I happened to be skilled at it from a young age, but my presence of free will made me an outcast." Catacomb looked slightly sad, thinking back to his childhood.
"Why is having free will bad?" Twilight asked, noting his frown.
"It's not, when your anything else. But normal changelings work on a hive mind level. Connected directly to the current queen, they follow every order without question. She is the one with the free will, and we are just the servants. Depending on the queen, it could mean hiding, migrating, or in the unfortunate case of that psychotic bitch, an attempted takeover of the country." Twilight was completely engrossed with Catacomb, listening to his every word. This was something beyond knowledge now, as she wanted to know more about him.
"How long did you stay?" Twilight's question looked like it hit a wall, though, as Catacomb went silent.
"How about we wrap this up, Twi." Catacomb said, shifting his arm back into its normal form.
"Um...sure i guess. I am sorry if these questions are bothering you." Twilight said, getting up from her chair and collecting her notes together.
"No worries, Twilight. I can relate to wanting to understand a different species." Catacomb chuckled slightly. "Your okay, for an egghead." Catacomb grinned.
"Thank you...I think." Twilight said, unsure of how to take the comment. She decided that it was Catacomb being himself, and left it at that. "Do you think that maybe we would be able to do this again some other day. There are so many things I would like to learn about you." Twilight said enthusiastically.
"I didn't know you were that interested in me, Twilight." Catacomb smiled, causing Twilight to blush.
"I mean changelings in general!" she quickly corrected herself.
"Relax, Twilight. I get it." Standing up, Catacomb slyly wrapped an arm around Twilight while standing next to her. "Sure, why the hell not. But no more libraries, this place is to...booky. How about somewhere private where no one can bother us...I'll teach you all about Changeling anatomy." Twilight looked over at Catacomb, giving a blank stare for several seconds. It was hard to tell what was going on in her head at the moment, as she tried to process his words. Catacomb chuckled and let go, walking towards the couch. "You should see yourself, Twi. Your face is priceless!" Catacomb laughed as he looked at her. He quickly had to dodge a paperweight being magically hurled at his head.
"You jerk!" Twilight yelled, blushing and levitating more heavy objects.
"Touchy, aren't we. Relax, though. Just a joke, so no need to be embarrassed." Catacomb said. Twilight slowly put down the objects, and started to walk upstairs.
"I know, it is still rude, though." Twilight responded from atop the stairs. "Don't bother me unless it is an emergency, please." She asked Catacomb, who simply smiled and nodded. She then walked into her room and shut the door, leaving Catacomb all alone. In a sexy girls house. While she was trying to get some sleep. Catacomb sighed at all the missed possibilities, but figured it would be safer to just behave. He shifted his body to hide the wings he had, and his clothes were now a simple pair of sleep pants, with nothing more. He laid back on the couches pillow and chuckled, slowly falling asleep.
--------- ---------- ----------
Twilight laid back in her bed, having changed into her purple nightshirt and pants, trying to read herself to sleep. She didn't mind her male guest, but it just seemed to intimidate her somewhat, listening to the way he spoke and how he acted. He was a strange man, constantly finding the easiest way to dig into her mind deeper, until even now, reading the simple romance story about two scientist who fall in love while working on a way to convert Celestia's sunlight into a new form of energy, she imagined him and herself as the main characters.
"It is because he is the last man you have had contact with, nothing more." She told herself, reading the book more nervously. She was reading, a romance with science, so who couldn't she enjoy herself like normal. This was the perfect time to read it too, no distractions. She just couldn't stop seeing him in her inner fantasy world there, and it only continued to bother her. She sighed and gave up, putting the book down after a few chapters. It was no use, so she decided to just try and sleep instead, feeling sure she would be able to relax with no outer stimulus keeping her thoughts from embarrassing her. She slowly fell asleep, her dreams deciding to do little to help her with her problem.