//------------------------------// // Saltando // Story: Ace of Hearts // by blowngasket //------------------------------// Chapter 12: Saltando "I always loved the stars. Luna does such a wonderful job with the design." "I guess. Not much for stargazing." Twilight and Catacomb made their way through the town, the bon fire long over with. After the fire burnt out, and their trash was cleaned up, everyone said their goodbyes. Spike was thrilled to discover he would be home alone for the night, though the promise of a busy tomorrow didn't excite him nearly as much. Still, he managed to survive disaster twice and was feeling good. Twilight and Catacomb said their goodbyes and Spike narrowly avoided getting struck by lightning when he started to make kissy faces at Twilight. Catacomb, again to Spike's aid, got her to calm down and start heading out. They have been walking since, talking about nothing important. Looking over at Catacomb, Twilight gave a curious stare towards him. "Why not?" she asked, looking at the out there face of Catacomb. Catacomb shrugged his shoulders, looking upwards. "All look the same to me." "I don't think so. Each and every one may look the same, but each one has its own color, shine, and brightness." Twilight explained, looking back upwards. "I guess...how did we get into this topic to begin with?" Catacomb asked, looking back down at Twilight. "I could have sworn we started talking about cabbages...hey Twilight?" "Yes?" she responded, looking back down towards Catacomb. "Why the hell were we talking about cabbages?" Catacomb asked, straight faced. "I don't remember. It's funny how conversations can go in random directions." Twilight responded happily, smiling towards him. He grinned and chuckled. "Can't say I disagree." Catacomb responded. "Anyways, here we are." he said, pointing to the familiar bar. "So, I only need one, and you will tell me more about your kind." Twilight said, looking slightly nervous. Catacomb laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Relax, Twi. You look like you're committing a crime." "Sorry, it's just I have read so much about the effects of alcohol. It is supposed to be damaging to all of the internal organs, as well as cause nerve damage and..." Catacomb quickly, but softly, placed a finger on Twilight's lips, getting a bright red blush from her. "You're only having one. In fact, a drink every now and then is actually supposed to be good for you." He smiled and removed his finger. "Don't worry. I will stop you if you turn out to be a raging alcoholic." Twilight remained silent and nodded. They walked towards the entrance, but were quickly stopped by a larger man blocking the door. He was taller than most people they knew, and his gruff appearance, bald head, and manly looking beard, gave him the look of someone to not mess with. Most noticeably were his nice clothes. A dress suit and tie, with matching pants, all colored black. "Private party, the place is closed for the evening." He said in a low demanding voice. Twilight was more or less intimidated by the man, but Catacomb was a whole different story. "Come on, man. I am sure two more won't be a bother." Catacomb said, walking closer to him. He simply grunted, scowling at Catacomb, who knew to back away slightly. "It's fine, Cata. We can go another night!" Twilight said, smiling nervously. "She can stay, though. The boss said to let any lookers in." The door man said, giving a creepy smile towards Twilight. "Yeah...no." Catacomb responded. "We are a deal package." "Cata, it's fine. We will go another time. I promise." Twilight said, backing away. The door man moved in closer to her, but was blocked quickly by Catacomb stepping between them. His scowl grew, looking down at Catacomb. "I agree, Twi. Let's go." Catacomb said, looking up towards the man. "You can go, but she stays, unless you want to be hurt, little man." The door man said, glaring down at Catacomb. Twilight looked nervous, maintaining her spot behind Catacomb. "Cute, scaring the girl to try and get her to go into a place probably filled with scum." Catacomb said to the door man, grinning. This obviously struck a cord with him, as he threw a fist towards Catacomb. He grabbed his wrist mid punch, and shifted his weight slightly, throwing the larger man off balance. Pulling the other mans fist towards the side, Catacomb stepped forward, sticking his foot to the side of the man, causing him to fall towards the ground. He hit with a thud, and Catacomb brushed off his hands. "Come on, Twilight. Let's go." He said, turning around to look at her. She stared slacked jawed, muttering out incomplete words in confusion. Catacomb shrugged and walked away from the bar, arm wrapped around Twilight yet again. "Hold it..." Catacomb heard the door man say, and turned around. The door man reached into his jacket and pulled out an object, similar in shape and design to his own rune guns, minus the runes. "Your funeral, pal. No body humiliates me like that." Twilight turned around now, staring at the object in question. "I..Is that a Griff and Western PSA model five?" She asked nervously. He stared slightly, kind of confused and looked down at the gun's side. Catacomb took the moment of distraction and quickly pulled out one of his guns, placing the barrel against the door man's forehead. His eyes went wide as he stared. "Nice piece you have there. Tell you what, why don't you slowly drop it onto the ground, and I will not paint the side of the building red...kapeesh?" Catacomb said, grinning like a mad man. He looked nervously at the gun and decided to do as instructed, letting the gun go. "Twi, could you lift that up and hand it to me please?" "Um...sure." Twilight raised a hand, surrounding the gun in a lavender glow. It lifted up towards Cata's free hand. He grabbed it and held it up against the door man's head as well. "Concealed firearms are prohibited within towns and cities. Any such ownership must be within the confines of the owners residence, or at a designated practice zone." Catacomb said, citing a law he knew all too well. "What are ya, one of the guard?" The door man asked, glaring at Catacomb. He laughed and grinned. "Me, one of the guard. That's rich. Now, my turn to ask a question...who are you and what the hell are ya doin' in my town?" Catacomb asked, putting pressure on him with the guns. Twilight stayed back, speechless. "Trust me, you don't want to mess with them...now why don't you leave, and we just might let you live..." The door man responded, looking down at Catacomb. "Tough words coming from the one with a gun to his head." Catacomb maintained his gaze, but shifted his attention. "You ok, Twi?" "I...I think so. Just shaken up." she responded. "What exactly should I do?" "Here..." Catacomb took his rune gun and bashed the man on the head, dropping him to the ground like a rock. Twilight gasped at the display of violence, wanting to rush over to help the other man. "Sorry bout that." Catacomb handed the normal pistol to Twilight. "I need ya to head back and send a letter for me. Seems we might have a bit of a problem. Diavolo di Stallone has made its way into the town." Twilight gasped slightly. "Wait, you're not talking about the criminal group, right?" Twilight asked as Catacomb was busy searching the door man. "Seems you're well informed." Catacomb said, not turning to look at her. "Yeah...I recognize these goons from anywhere. Worked for them for a few years. Odd jobs and such." Catacomb got up and loaded a shell into his rune gun. "Man this guy would kick himself if he knew it was unloaded." "What are you going to do?" Twilight asked nervously. "Nothing at all." Catacomb said, grinning. "Though this man..." Pulling out an I.D. "Tiny...Tank..." Catacomb couldn't help but snicker at the name as he stared at the I.D. "Will continue to keep watch. Hurry up, and be careful. Stay indoors for some time until this gets sorted out. Catacomb shifted his appearance, taking on the look and voice of the man. "Go now...trust me, I do this kind of thing for a living." Catacomb said. Twilight looked at him and nodded. "Be careful, Cata." Twilight said as she quickly teleported away. He continued to load his guns, detainment shells in one and a red one into the other. He snapped the barrels back into place and pointed the detainment one at the original Tiny. Pulling the trigger, the usual loud crackle could be heard, followed by the bang. Tiny was sealed into a glass orb, which Catacomb quickly pocketed. As expected the door opened up, as a smaller, skinnier man in a black suit looked out the door to check the commotion. "Hey, Tiny. Is everything alright?" he asked, looking towards him cautiously. "It's fine...just some punk kids playing with fireworks. Want me to set an example?" Cata Tiny responded, looking towards the other man. "Forget about it. Just keep your post for now, alright." he said. "What the hell are we doing in this back water town anyways. Seems like a waste of time." Catacomb said, taking on an annoyed look. "Are ya stupid? Those girls live here, what are they called...Harmony Elements or something like that." he responded. Catacomb grinned on the inside. 'wow...this is almost too easy.' "Oh yeah, someone wanted to buy them, right?" Cata Tiny asked, getting a nod from the other man. Having worked for them before, he knew that Diavolo di Stallone had involvement in certain devious underground affairs, including human trafficking. "Well then, tell the guys to hurry up then. The people here bother me...too damn friendly." "Yeah, I hear ya. Though with the way they are, we might as well be handed our prize on a silver platter. I mean, come on. One pretty much jumps into our arms with a sign that said take me." He laughed, though Catacomb's insides felt a bit nauseous. 'Shit...probably Pinkie.' Catacomb thought to himself, wanting to smack the girl for being so damn friendly. "She was a squirmer, I'll tell ya. But damn is she smokin. Wouldn't mind testing the product for quality if you know what I mean." He continued, nudging Catacomb with his shoulder. "Heh...yeah. Should I go get her for ya?" Cata Tiny asked, trying to maintain a calm face. "Nah, I'm good. She is near anyways, so no need to leave the..." Before he could finish, there was a familiar crackle and bright light. Before he knew it, he was in a glass orb as well. Catacomb shifted back to his usual face, though no usual signs of Catacomb were there. He was pissed off. "I hope back up doesn't show up soon, cause I am going to enjoy this..." Catacomb said, pulling out his leather case. ---------- ---------- ---------- Twilight popped into her place. Spike, who had been listening to rock and roll, dancing in his underwear, and holding a tub of ice cream, was, needless to say, more than shocked. He was even more shocked to find Twilight completely ignoring that fact. She ran over to her desk and quickly scribbled out a letter. Spike quickly threw on his pants and killed the music. He walked over curiously. "Hey, Twi. How did your date go?" Spike asked, grinning slightly. "Terrible!" Twilight responded without thinking, though in her state of mind, she wasn't exactly focused on what Spike said to begin with. "Terrible? He didn't try and do things to you, did he?" Spike said, looking slightly pissed off. "What...No no, Catacomb was himself, but we got another problem." She responded, quickly filling out the letter. "Another problem?" Spike asked, looking down at the letter. He didn't have time to read it, however, as Twilight quickly rolled it up and handed it to him. "I need this sent to Celestia, please." Twilight said, handing the letter to Spike. He nodded and blew out a small green flame, which quickly disintegrated it and sent it into the air. "Ok, now tell me what's going on. You're making me nervous." Spike said. Twilight got out of the desk and hugged him. "I am sorry, Spike. A lot has happened, but now I need to go get help. Stay here and go rest. I will be back soon." Twilight quickly popped back out, causing Spike to take a seat, and start to think about what just happened. With all of this, his ice cream dance routine was over and done with, not able to enjoy the alone time anymore. He went and got dressed, not wanting to sit around and do nothing again if there is trouble. With a look that screamed determination, he made his way out the door. ---------- ---------- ---------- Perry sat on the couch, having a staring contest with a small white rabbit. The rabbit stared back, though Perry had the advantage of wearing a mask, so it couldn't tell if he was cheating or not to begin with. They were in Fluttershy's cottage, a nice nature décor inside the living room. "Angel...the deal is up. I shall be your servant no more." The rabbit, Angel, glared disapprovingly at him. "Don't give me that look, you. It has been a rough few weeks for both of us, but everything is finally back to ..." Perry's sentence was interrupted by a loud pop, quickly causing both him and Angel's attention to shift. "PERRY...CATA...BIG GUYS...HELP..." She quickly spurted out between breaths, tired from teleporting everywhere. Perry looked at her, somewhat confused. Angel, on the other hand, was pretty much scared out of his wits and has jumped ship, hiding who knows where. "Calm down for a second, Twily. What happened now?" Perry said, getting up from his spot on the couch. Taking a few deep breaths, Twilight managed to calm down enough. "Catacomb and I were going out to the bar..." "Let me stop you there for a second...what?" Perry asked, more concerned now. "I'll tell you later! Right now, Catacomb is possibly doing something really stupid..." "No surprise there." Perry interrupted. "WILL YOU SHUT UP FOR ONE SECOND!" Twilight flipped, causing Perry to back away slightly. Whatever this was, this must have been serious if even Twilight was losing it. "There are members of Diavolo di Stallone here, do you know of them?" "Twilight...what the hell happened?" Perry asked, his tone getting dark and serious. "I don't know...We went to the bar, but were stopped by this man. He said that the bar was closed to a private party, but tried to drag me in. Catacomb stopped him, and took this." She held out the gun that Catacomb managed to get from the man. Perry took it, examining it closely. "Catacomb is there right now, doing whatever his job is." she responded, obviously quite upset. "Did you..." Perry was quickly interrupted by Twilight. "Send a letter to Celestia? Yes. Catacomb asked me to, then I made my way here, seeing if you could help. I am worried about him, what if...what if something happens..." Twilight said, almost crying. Perry walked up to her and gently hugged her. "Shh...don't worry. Why don't you stay here. If Flutters needs anything, just let her know I went out on an errand. No sense in worrying her." Perry said. "Before I go, I must asked." he looked down at Twilight, who was still slightly nervous. "Do.." Perry gulped, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. "Do you..." "Perry, is everything alright?" A voice from upstairs interrupted him. He looked at Twilight and patted her hair. Letting her go, he walked up to greet Fluttershy, who was resting in her room. "I heard another voice. Is someone else here?" she asked. Perry nodded, sitting down next to her. "Twilight is. I wanted to keep it a secret, but I could never lie to you. Catacomb might be in trouble, so she came here to ask for my help. She is going to stay here, so you just call her if you need anything. Is this alright?" Fluttershy nodded, though she did look worried. "You will be careful, right?" she asked softly. Perry nodded. He took his mask off, smiling softly. His gaze was confident and full of the strength that he possessed. His eyes, one a light blue, the other a blood red with a black iris, told her everything was going to be fine. He bent down and kissed her forehead gently, and smiled. Fluttershy smiled back, nodding in agreement with his answer. Perry turned around to leave, but was slightly stunned by Twilight, who was standing at the door. She stared at him for a second, her gaze slightly frightful at seeing him normally. Perry, who normally would have jumped and tried to hide his face, simply chuckled instead. "So...that is the real you?" Twilight asked. "Yes, I guess you could say so. To be fair you're the only other person besides your teacher and Fluttershy to see me like this." Perry put his mask back on, walking past Twilight as he started to leave. Seeing him, she felt reassured. "Be careful, Perry." Twilight said as he walked down the stairs. "Do not worry, Twilight. It my have been some time, but I feel as if tonight is a good night for a good old fashioned massacre..." She could have sworn she heard him laugh as he left. Looking over to Fluttershy, she noticed the light smile on her friends face. "Aren't you worried?" Twilight asked Fluttershy. "Of course, but after everything that has happened, I know that he will be fine." She smiled softly. Twilight nodded. "To be honest, I am more worried for those poor people. I hope he doesn't do anything too bad." Twilight couldn't help but laugh slightly. Here he was walking into the lion's den, and Fluttershy was more concerned for the other men's safety. Perry was definitely something else, and Cata too. If he could hold his ground against Perry, things were definitely going to be fine...minus the probable property damage about to be inflicted.