//------------------------------// // Chapter XIII - Meetings // Story: Collateral // by Ogopogo //------------------------------// "Can you feel this?” The head of a rubber mallet hit my foreleg gently. “Yes,” I answered. Another tap. “Yes.” Another. “Yup.” “How about here?” he asked. “Nope, nothing.” “Really?” “No,” I deadpanned. I sat in a room filled with scientific equipment, surrounded by four ponies who were apparently some of the best scientists in their fields. Apparently. Following our little revelation, Ocean Wind had led me and Starlight to a room by the side of the kitchen to get our lunch. Halfway through our meal, Luna had dropped in, informing me that I was to report to this room once I was done. It was time for them to study me. So what was the problem, then? I had agreed to this, after all. They wanted to study me, not as a living being but rather a specimen. Starlight and Ocean had already intervened twice to slow them down before they cut me in half. The first instance was when they wanted to take a sample of my chitin to study. I suppose it would have been fine had it been just a small piece, but they wanted a chunk larger than my hoof. That would hurt too damned much, but it would also basically put me in bed, or least special care, for a few weeks at least as it grew back. The other things they wanted to check wasn’t so much as painful as it was awkward. How to put this politely... When I had mentioned I was a stallion, they wanted to take a look to see if we reproduce differently from ponies. Somehow, saying “no” hadn’t been enough for them. Like I mentioned, both times Starlight and Ocean Wind had stepped in and stopped them. At this moment they were knocking on my chitin, trying to gauge if it had its own nerves, or if it was the flesh below that felt everything. I could feel things with my chitin, and I guess that means there were nerves, but my word wasn’t enough for them. In fact, everything so far I had told them the answer to, but they had insisted on testing, only to wind up a conclusion identical to what I had told them. And somehow, despite me pointing this out, they still had no trust in what I said. Procedure, they said. After four hours of it, I had finally had it. I felt like we had made as much progress as a foal trying to carry home water with a leaky bucket. At this rate, we would have finished sometime within the next decade. “Ok, I’m done,” I declared, rising from the chair, tearing the wires loose. Sweet Fields, a pink and green pegasus with a microscope for a cutie mark, looked taken aback. “Hold on a moment, where–” “Away,” I interrupted. “We’ve been going on for long enough, today.” “Princess Luna–” began a yellow unicorn with a saffron mane, a fellow called Inspect. “–said nothing about having to stay here until you were finished with me. This is my choice, not her orders,” I said, earning a look of annoyance from him. “It still doesn’t mean you can just walk out,” he replied. “Actually,” I scoffed, “yes, it does.” Doctor Swath moved to block my path to the door. He looked quite cross with me. “Please sit back down. We are not done yet. You have yet to show us any magic.” Rolling my eyes, I focused my magic over myself, taking shape of the black unicorn I so often took the shape of. Doctor Swath flinched in surprise, and actually yelped in fright when I summoned the snarling image of a timberwolf. Teacher would kill me if she saw how sloppy it was. “Happy?” I asked. Though he was too busy staring into space in shock, Doctor Caring was busy scribbling away at her notebook. She had been the only with a lick of sense out of all of them. She had recorded everything I had said, almost religiously penning it down into the book. Procedure. Still, neither her nor anyone else offered any objection, and with that, I walked out. “Was that really necessary?” Starlight asked once the door closed behind me. I shrugged, “Sure, why not?” She sighed. “You really think it was, don’t you?” “Yeah, I do.” “One of these days, perhaps you will learn that it is better if you don’t antagonize everypony you meet.” “I’ll get right on that,” I replied, picking up the pace. The lunar guard muttered something under her breath, trotting to catch up. “So have you decided what you are going to say to Lemon Marmalade?” Starlight asked. The question caught me off guard. “Well... You see...” She saw through the whole sham in a second. “You’re going to lie to her, aren’t you,” she stated. “What!” I exclaimed. “No, I would–” She gave me a flat stare, which I could not help but wilt under. “Amethyst, I hope you know what you are doing, otherwise Marmalade will be very pissed off when she finds out.” And that’s the thing: only if she found out. Perhaps I might break it to her, but ever so slowly, and only after I constructed a story. It would be a whole lot more believable if I told her some tale about some residual energy which affected us both, taking time to fade away. Perhaps two weeks or so? As if sensing my thoughts, Starlight gave my cheek a slap. “What the hell?” I exclaimed. “Amethyst, let me make you a deal,” she said in a low tone. “You tell her the truth, and I won’t tell her myself.” “But you don’t even know about it!” “Then I will tell her what I do know. And what I do know is that you are being a self-centered jerk. You simply don’t care about her enough to trust her to understand.” “The hell I don’t!” I shouted back. “Prove me wrong,” she replied coldly. I didn’t have to answer, and I stormed past her, finally shedding the disguise I had taken in the laboratory. “Amethyst!” Starlight shouted. “Come back here now!” I stopped at an intersection of two halls. “Forget it!” I spat. At the sound of a shriek, I turned my head to look down a hall just in time to catch a glimpse of a blue bolt of magic. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A few minutes later, I awoke, pulling myself up from the base of a wall. Oh, masters, my head rung. Through the numbing throbbing throughout my body, I could make out voices arguing, but looking around yielded nothing but blobs of colour. It took another few seconds for some of the fuzz in my head to clear up enough to distinguish voices. “Sir,” Ocean protested, “please calm down.” “No!” another voice- male -shouted out. “I want to know why there is a changeling wandering about the castle!” “Dear, I’m sure there is an explanation.” The voice was female, and would have sounded lovely if not for the tension in her tone. Whatever was said next, I lost in the sound of a spell forming around me. Magic sheathed the world in a purple glow. The muffled conversation continued without me as I slowly recovered my bearings. Thankfully, I hadn’t hurt myself any further when I hit the wall. I probably bruised something though. Sure felt like it. But when I finally was able to see who it was, I cursed my luck. Of all the ponies I could have bumped into, I had to find the two who probably hated the changelings most of all: Shining Armour, and his wife Princess Cadence. Currently I dangled in a purple sphere of magic, thanks to Shining Armour, and he looked content to keep me floating in the air for the time being. As their argument continued, I took a seat in the bubble, watching patiently. It quickly became obvious that Shining Armour did not agree with what Ocean Wind and Starlight was trying to tell him. He turned, dragging the bubble along with him, ignoring their protests. I figured out where he was taking me after the second turn. Obviously he couldn’t do anything without the princesses’ permission first, so he was going to try and get it. This whole deal was really giving me an appreciation for sound; without it, it was so boring. It was already a three minute trot to the throne room, but it would be even longer with the pace we were going at. Still, when we got to the throne room, all it took was one glance for Luna to gasp and dispel the bubble holding me. “Shining Armour, explain yourself,” she demanded. “Princess!” he exclaimed, readying his magic to contain me again. “What a–?” Luna slammed a shoe-covered hoof onto the arm of the throne. “I asked you to explain yourself, Captain! Why did you capture Amethyst and bring him here? He is our guest.” “Your guest!” he sputtered. “Yes, he is. Sergeant Ocean Wind and Corporal Starlight are supervising him.” “Luna,” Cadence cut in, “We cut our honeymoon short when we heard the news. We just did not expect to see a changeling in the castle.” “If you had given notice of your return, we would have met you at the entrance and explained the situation to you there.” “Where is Princess Celestia?” Shining Armour asked, some of the tension disappearing from his body. I had a feeling, if Luna had come out and said it, I would have been back in that bubble again. “She is... indisposed at the moment. For the time being I have taken over her duties.” “What happened?” “I will explain later.” “So, can I go now?” I asked. Both of them acted as though they didn’t hear me. “I am not comfortable with this,” Armour said, firmly. “What part of it?” Luna asked. “Letting a changeling wander through the castle. I don’t trust him.” “Well, fuck you too,” I muttered, yet still loudly enough for everyone to hear. The glare I got from him was worth any following trouble. “As a citizen of Equestria, Amethyst is entitled–” “Citizen!” he exclaimed. “But– “Please do not interrupt me,” Luna said testily. “Yes, Amethyst is a citizen of Equestria. I have checked, and found he is registered in all applicable government records. If you would let me continue–” I sure as hell wasn’t going to. “So, can I go now?” I interrupted. “I have things I want to do.” The alicorn sighed heavily. “Yes, Amethyst, you may leave.” “Princess,” Shining Armour objected, taking a few steps towards me, “I would like to ask him a few questions before he goes.” “Last I checked, I hadn’t done anything wrong,” I replied, my tone souring. “So kindly piss off.” I tried to push past him, but he held a leg out, stopping me. “Just wait–” Finally, I gave into the urge. Rearing up, I slammed a hoof into his muzzle, knocking him over. “That,” I spat, “is for earlier.” He leapt right back up. horn glowing, but Luna’s command reached him first. “Enough, both of you!” she called out. “Shining Armour, I very much appreciate your commitment to your duty, but I would like you to refrain from dealing with Amethyst. Avoid him, even. We shall take care of the matter. Amethyst, you may leave, but I suggest you do so quietly, or I will be following the captain’s recommendations.” He threw me a bitter look over the hoof held to his bleeding nose. As I walked towards the door, Cadence shied away my path, taking two shuffling steps to the left so I would not brush past her. With what she went through, I could forgive her a little for reacting to me as she did. The minute the door shut behind us, Ocean Wind grabbed my tail, and dragged me off to the side. “Let’s make one thing very clear, Amethyst,” he growled firmly. “You need to stop acting like a spoiled brat if you hope to get anywhere.” “Spoiled brat?” I exclaimed, “What–” “What made you think hitting Shining Armour was a good idea?” he demanded. “That, and the other things you said?” He was really going after this, wasn’t he. “And he blasted me into a wall, call us even.” “You don’t get even,” he spat. “What you think is even, he will see as in your favour. The only way to make this situation better is to simply grow up and deal with it.” “Perhaps now would be a good time to return to your room,” Starlight interjected. “It would give you a chance to cool off, and avoid anymore run ins with ponies you don’t like.” I winced at the suggestion. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to face her; I just wasn’t ready. I hadn’t set out a story in my mind yet, at least one she even had a chance of believing. “Yeah, I really rather not.” “Well, thankfully it isn’t up to you,” she replied. “Ocean and I are set for a break now. Orders are to take you back to your room when we aren’t with you.” I rubbed at the fin along my head. Well looks like I’ll have to finish it fast. “Alright, fine,” I sighed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Holy shit, was I ever glad Lemon Marmalade had decided to step out when I was gone. Though Starlight didn’t show it, I could feel her annoyance as she looked in the room and realized Marmalade wasn’t there. I didn’t say anything to the corporal, nor did I need to. However, the look she gave me made it perfectly clear. Is she found out I hadn’t explained last night, then I was chicken-feed. As the door shut behind me, confining me to the room, the initial relief shifted to worry. Where could Marmalade be? In her state of mind, I barely could trust her to be alone by herself walking around the castle. For a moment, the image entered my mind of her lying crumpled and motionless, beneath an open window many stories up. Before they could take hold, and worsen my fears, I shoved them from my mind. After last night, as perverted as it might have been, she would most certainly not be thinking of committing suicide. Still, I thoroughly searched the room, looking for some sort of indication as to where she had gone. She hadn’t left me a note or anything. I found myself pacing in worry when my search turned up nothing, stopping when I stumbled over the leg of a chair. Sighing, I took a seat at the table, trying to find something to take my mind off it. Though I hated the idea, my thoughts turned to what Starlight had demanded I do, and soon I lost myself in thought. And lost I thought I was. I didn’t even realize Marmalade had returned till she tapped me on the shoulder. I swear I almost shed my carapace in surprise. “Jeez, Marmalade,” I wheezed. “Give me a little warning.” When I looked up at her, my eyes drifted to hers. I wanted to be sure of it, and the only way to be sure was to see it for myself. Thankfully, there was no purple fire burning in her eyes. She was acting on her own will, which surprised me even more when she leaned forward to give me a kiss. I struggled to prevent myself from recoiling. Alright, so perhaps this is going to be a little difficult then I thought. “Hey Amethyst,” she murmured, finally ending the kiss. “Hello Marmalade,” I said, smiling weakly. “Pretty good,” she said cheerfully, taking a seat alongside me. A shiver ran by my back as she leaned into me. “I was out helping Pastel clean some rooms.” “And how was that?” I asked. “Oh fine, I’m used to that sort of thing. Even got to meet the minotaur ambassador.” “Good to hear.” She withdrew a little so she could look at me. “And how has your day been?” I grimaced. “Not the best.” It felt sickening to sense the sympathy she offered me, and the love carried in it. “What happened?” Though it took only a few minutes to explain, it offered a welcome distraction. She sat there and patiently listened to everything I had to say. “So you met them?” she asked, just as I began to mention meeting Shining Armour. “Yeah.” “What were they like?” “Well, he’s a complete ass and Princess Cadence is scared of me, so I really don’t know with her.” “She’s scared of you?” “Think about it; it’s not that hard to see why.” “Then we should introduce you to her.” “I don’t really think that’s a good idea,” I muttered. “And why not?” she asked. “Well, I sort of punched her husband.” I admitted. Marmalade looked at me for a moment, then broke out into laughter. “You punched the Captain of the guard? Why the heck would you think that would be a good idea?” “He shot me into a wall,” I grumbled under my breath, looking down at my hooves. “But still...” “She also probably knows what I did to Celestia now too.” The lack of response was deafening as Marmalade choked on her words. I resisted the urge to slap myself as I realized that she still didn’t know. “Amethyst...” Marmalade began. “What did you do?” How should I put this gently? “I may have gored her eye with my horn when she took my locket from me. Don’t worry, she’s going to recover fine.” And that right there, is not how to break something gently. Marmalade swung out a hoff, cuffing me upside the head. “You attacked the princess!” she shouted. “... Yes,” I admitted weakly. For a moment it looked as though she was about to explode. Thankfully she took a deep breath and calmed herself. The anger clouding around her faded gradually, but never dissipated entirely. “Amethyst, what am I going to do with you. I love you, but–” Whatever she said to me after that was lost at that point. Those three words carried the weight of the world, yet were so simple to say. She loved me. Nothing more, nothing less. What do I say to that? She wasn’t under my spell, so was explaining last night truly worth it? Would anything be lost if I didn’t? “Amethyst, are you even listening to me?” she questioned irritably. No point in denying it. “Sorry,” I sighed. “Just a lot on my mind at the moment.” Her expression softened, then her mouth curled into a sly grin. “Like last night?” she practically purred, intertwining her tail with mine. Blood rushed uncontrollably to my face, and I sought to stammer out a response. Her laughter washed over me like cold water. “Oh relax, Amethyst; I’m just teasing you. You need to learn to loosen up and roll with the punches.” She held up a hoof when I sought to protest. “I know it’s hard, but I know you’re better than that.” “Maybe...” I muttered. “No, Amethyst, definitely.” She tapped my chest to emphasize her point. “Promise next time you get angry, or do anything that you might regret, you’ll take a moment to calm down and think it over. Alright?” “Alright,” I answered. “Thank you,” she said, leaning in to give me a kiss on the cheek. Eager to keep the conversation on a positive note, I glanced around for an idea to continue on about. “Did you enjoy the work you did with Pastel?” “Sort of,” she admitted with a shrug. “Part of it was just getting my mind off things, but I enjoy making others comfortable.” “I don’t mean to rain on your parade,” I interjected, “but many of the ponies here hardly give thought to that. They’re spoiled rotten and think they’re entitled to what you do for them.” A look of disgust sprouted on Lemon Marmalade’s face. “Don’t remind me,” she said coldly. “That’s why it’s mostly a distraction. I could have partnered in opening a fancy hotel just outside the castle, but where’s the enjoyment in that?” I blinked. “You could have what?” She waved me off with a hoof. “My old coltfriend wanted us to open one together. We had the money, even the place picked out, but last minute I backed off when I realized it wasn’t what I wanted.” “What did he do?” “More or less, he told me that if I didn’t want to die an old maid in my grungy old home, I would help him.” “He said that?” I gasped. Marmalade shrugged. “In more words, but basically.” “Wow, he sounds like a–” “Jerk? Asshole? Egotistical maniac? A pompous sleazeball who could only see what he wanted to?” “All of the above?” I guessed. She chuckled. “Sounds about right.” A knock interrupted any further chatter. A moment later the doors were opened, and a cart trundled in. Ushering it along was Pastel. “Anypony hungry? she asked, her eyes quickly surveying the room, finding nothing amiss. “Ravenous,” Marmalade replied. Pastel smiled warmly. “Glad to hear it,” she said, carrying a platter over to the table and lifting the lid. Inside each was a steaming meal, though mine.... How should I put it.... “Is that fish?” I blurted, taking a step back. I thought I had made it clear to them I didn’t want to eat any sort of meat. “Yes it is,” Pastel confirmed. “Apparently, when Luna told Doctor Sweet Fields you could eat meat, but choose not to, she got a little concerned. You need a balanced diet, and for you, a balanced diet likely includes things like fish.” “I’m not eating that,” I stated. “Have you even tried fish before?” Pastel asked. “No, but–” Pastel raised an eyebrow, and somehow, it managed to have the same effect as if she had stuffed a hoof in my mouth. “One bite, that is all I am asking for.” “But–” “One bite,” she repeated. “If you don’t like it, I will get the chefs to make you whatever you want.” Sighing I walked over to the plate. It would seem I would have no choice in the matter unless I was keen on starving. I couldn’t deny that it smelt good, but the problem was, I could also see it alive in my mind. The thought of eating a living creature’s flesh is what sickened me. Still, I cut a piece, gulping as I brought it up to my mouth. I looked to Pastel, and the mare gave me an encouraging smile. Steeling myself, I took a bite. ... Holy crap. ... This was really fucking good. I had never considered it, or give pause to the notion that what I thought I would hate would be delicious. It must have showed on my face as both Pastel and Marmalade chuckled at my expression. “That good?” Pastel asked, placing another tray on the table. “Yes,” I moaned through a mouthful of fish. Pastel lifted the lid, revealing the second plate of food. “For you Marmalade, I had a berry salad prepared,” she said. “Looks delicious,” Marmalade said, offering praise. Another knock at the door sounded, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out who it might be. “Come in!” I shouted. “Normally it’s polite to greet a pony at the door,” Pastel chastised. I shrugged in response. I was too busy stuffing my face at the moment to care. Although I knew I would have serious problems with having eaten the fish later, it was too good to pass up. Pastel and Marmalade rushed to bow low to the ground when they saw who it was. When I turned, I choked on the food, coughing a few bits onto the floor. “Princess Cadence,” I wheezed, hastily swallowing the food. Still, it was hardly a good impression for someone who was already wary of me. Cadence shifted uncomfortably, eyes quickly shifting away from my plate once she realized what it was. “May we talk?”