Chapter 18
I woke up feeling better than I had in a long time now.
I looked down to the bed beside me and saw the sleeping form of Dee, still asleep with a smile on her face.
Last night, Dee had come to ask me if I could help her out with her... 'Problem'. It took her a lot of convincing and begging, and I was extremely hesitant at first, with her being a pony and all (That and combined with it being my first time), but from what I remember things went pretty well considering.
Surprisingly, Halex had managed to keep quiet the whole time. That would have been so weird with him trying to talk to me.
-See. It wasn't that bad now was it?-
'No, I guess it wasn't. But I can't help but wonder where this leaves me on her friendship scale. I was only just helping her out.'
-We will find out in time.-
I climbed out of Dee's bed and looked around form my clothing. Once I had spotted them, I got myself dressed and made my way for toilet and the shower.
I really needed to go.
After I had finished up in that department, I made my way down stairs and saw Ceylon sitting on the couch still.
"Hey man." I greeted him. He looked at me slowly, as if he was sad.
"Hi" he said glumly before he looked back down again.
"Ok, what's the problem now?" I asked. Its only been a night, what could have made him depressed in that time?
"Nothing" he said in the same tone of voice. I rolled my eyes before making my over to him, sitting beside him and staring at him. "What?"
"Don't do this Ceylon, I of all people know that look. What is the problem?" I asked, causing him to look away again. "Oh come on, just out with it!"
"You have to promise me, that you will not tell another living thing that walks this planet." he said. I held out my hand. He looked at it for a moment before taking it in his talon and shaking. "Alright, I'll tell you, but not here. Lets go for a fly." he said getting up and with me following.
I transformed into my Hybrid form and we made our way outside and took to the sky's. After about 20 minutes of flying in silence, Ceylon finally opened up.
"I guess I should tell you hu?" he asked, causing me to look at him. "It's about Dee you see. I... I-I..." he stuttered out but I cut him off.
"Oh will you just out with it already?" I urged.
"I like Dee!" He shouted to me. He dropped his head and sighed. "I mean I more than like her. I know I shouldn't, but I cant help it."
"Why would that be something you have to be nervous about?" I asked.
"I know what you two did last night." he said.
"...Oh."
"I have been with her for about two months now, just taking care of her and trying to to keep her healthy for while you were gone. She wouldn't eat, sleep or even move, but I managed to convince her to do these things. I also grew fond need to protect her for while you couldn't. But now that you're back, I won't be needed anymore, and what happened last night between you two is just more proof of that fact." Ceylon said lowering his head and letting a few tears drip from his eyes.
I couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"I don't think last night should count Ceylon." I said to him, causing him to look up to me quickly.
"Why not?"
"I shouldn't tell you this, but last night, Dee sort of entered her heat cycle. I just helped her out when she was in need." I explained.
I would say that what I had just said made his jaw drop, But being a gryphon and all, he had a beak instead of a proper jaw.
"Just remember, I didn't tell you that." I said as I reached over and pushed the bottom part of his beak back up.
"Well if that is true, you have a bit of a situation." Ceylon said.
"How so?" I asked inquisitively.
"Pony mares stay in heat for about a week, so she will want you to come back 'very' soon, depending on how desperate she is." he explained, causing me to gulp.
'Uh-oh. What kind of hole did I just dig myself?' I asked myself.
-Jeez, a week. Even I didn't think it would go for that long. And by judging how she was last night, you are in for a hell of a painful week.-
"I need to think of something." I mumbled to myself. I looked over to Ceylon and a possible idea popped into my head. "Alright Ceylon, here's what were going to do. I am going to return to the palace and stay there. I want you to tell Dee that Celestia has asked me to go and see her." I explained.
"What about us?" he asked.
"'You' should be fine. Dee will just have to wait until I return. As long as she dosn't see me, she shouldn't want me to... you know." I said.
"Alright. I'm going to head back there now. I guess I will be seeing you?" he said inquisitively.
"Yeah sure, just make sure she's ok. Oh, and good luck." I said, holding out my claw.
"You too." Ceylon responded shaking my claw with his talon.
We both flew off in different directions, Ceylon back towards Dees house and me back to the palace.
When I arrived, I landed on the path to the entrance and heard a voice calling out to me.
"Sir, Orion!" I turned to face the voice and spotted a unicorn guard running up to me. He reached me and took a moment to catch his breath before seeing me. "Princess Celestia wishes to speak with you right away." he said and I remembered my plan with Ceylon.
-Well, what a coincidence.-
I ignored Halex. "I'll just be on my way them." I said to the guard. He threw me a salute before turning and walking away.
'Why the hell did he salute me?'
-... Good question.-
I shook the thought away and began to make my way through the palace towards the throne room.
When I reached the doors that led into the throne room, the two guards outside went to salute me by I caught their hooves in my telekinesis and forced them back down slowly. I then walked in between the two and kneeled between them.
"Ok you two. Why do you feel the need to salute me?" I asked.
"We were trained to salute our superiors SIR!" one of the shouted while standing at attention.
"Quietly this time, who said I was a superior to you two?" I asked quietly.
"SIR!" he began but I cut him off with a glare. "Sorry, sir. But the order came from the Captain, sir." he said at the same level of volume.
"Final question. Where is the Captain?" I asked. the guard gestured into the throne room behind the closed doors. "Thank you." I said as I stood up and pushed open the doors and walked in.
I scanned the room for any signs of Shining Armour, and I spotted him Talking with Celestia on the other side of the room.
They looked at me when I entered and I basically stomped my way over to Shining and towered myself over him.
"Shining Armour. Why is it that your guards have been ordered to salute me?" I asked him angrily. I presumed that he was jumping to conclusions with my decision.
"I-I was hopeing that the gesture might help you with your decision on joining." he said backing away.
"Well boy, it did." I said, causing him to lift his head up and smile. "I have decided that I will 'NOT' be joining your guard." I said as I turned away from him.
"No! Please, I need your help to train my guards!" he confessed. "L-Look! Just let me show you around the compound, and at minimum, you can tell me how to make some improvements." he offered pleadingly.
"Oh that's rich. You're begging a moster to help you." I said sarcastically. I looked to Celestia and she gave me a disapproveing look, causing me to laugh. "For the record Celly, That look don't work on me, just so you know." All the ponies gasped when I called her that, but she... smiled?
"Captain Shining Armour. I will have a talk about your situation with Orion later, but for now, I wish to converse with him in private." Celestia said to Shining before turning to me. "Let us take a walk Orion."
Celestia got up from her throne and began to make her way towards the doors, I just shrugged before jogging to catch up to her.
And before I knew it, Celestia and I had managed to make our way into a secluded part of the gardens.
Celestia stopped and lay down on the grass.
"Orion, something has come up that I require your assistance with." she said. I gave her an inquisitive look. "I have received a message from the Changeling lord, King Vorzakh, that he wishes to bargain for Queen Chrysalis's life. But I fear the whole thing is a ruse." she explained.
"So, what's that got to do with me?" I asked.
"I would like it if you were to come with me. If the whole thing is a trap, I would like to have someone there I can trust with me for if I get overpowered." she said.
"But how would you get overpowered? And don't you have guards for this particular reason?" I asked.
"Well... Yes, I do have guards of the purpose of defence, but I do not wish to put them in harms way if I can help it. I would also like that the help that I bring to be as capable as me." she said as she looked up to me.
"So you want me to go with you so we can work as a team?" I asked and she nodded once. I sighed as I put a claw up to my forehead.
'What do you think Halex?' I asked in my head.
-Well I think she is telling the truth, but there must be more. She just as easily take the Harmony device of even her sister, but she seems to 'want' to have you along with her.-
'Do you think I should go along with it?'
-It's your choice.-
"Alright Celestia, I guess I will help you out. But if this is a scam... I am going to make you regret it." I warned, causing her to gulp.
"W-well. It's good that this is not a scam." she said nervously.
"So, when do we leave?" I asked.
"We are to leave tomorrow morning, but for now, let us chat. I do wish to get to know you better." she said. I rolled my eyes and sat down against a tree.
"And just what is it you wish to know. Oh, and just remember, I will not pass and technological information across..." I said but realized something anyway. "Wait, you were there, you should know all about my race and its technology anyway. You should know even more than me." I stated.
"Yes, I do. But I actually do not wish to pass that information along." she said.
"...Why?" I asked skeptically.
"I agree with what you told Twilight and Rare Artifact. Technology should be earnt and not taken from others because the ones that take do not fully understand the potential danger of what they took. I love my little ponies, but I would hate to see what would happen if they got their hooves in microscopic replicators." she explained.
"So you know of them. I had never heard of them until I found them in that PDA that Rare Artifact has. But I have to say, there are far worse things in there than replicators." I said, causing Celestia to look at me with dread.
She then activated her magic and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, the PDA appeared out of nowhere and landed softly on the grass between us.
"So what do you think I should do with this then?" Celestia asked as she levitated the PDA up.
"My recommendation? Destroy it, right now. That way, I can be sure it cant be accessed." I said as I looked to her with a serious face.
"I don't think that should be done. But I will give it back to you." she said as she levitated it over to me and placed it on my lap. She smiled to me and I gave a quick smirk back.
We sat there for a moment just looking around, until Celestia broke the silence again.
"So, tell me about yourself Orion." she said. I gave her a 'are you serious' look before I spoke.
"Shouldn't you know already? You did read my mind back when-"
"I only saw a few glimpses of your past before focusing on that major one. I want to know about all the happy moments of your life." she said.
I coughed nervously.
"I hate to say it, but the first 16 years of my life, I don't remember and great moments. Just a whole lot of pain and sadness really. And for the past 7, I was technically just a science experiment to other humans." I said.
"I have a question for you. I was just wondering if you knew how us ponies came to be? My... mother never really liked to talk about it so I never knew." she said.
I picked up he PDA from my lap and typed in the password
*SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS*
'Thank god for Mary Poppins' I thought to myself.
The PDA unlocked and I opened the video that I was shown when I first found the thing before showing it to Celly.
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"I don't know how I should react to this." Celestia said confused. "If those scientists used your blood samples to create mother, that would make you like my grandfather."
"Not true." I said as I began to load up another video.
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Video log: #1624
Date: 3rd of January, 2035. 06:22 A.M.
Location: CLASSIFIED!!!
This is just an update video log.
We have officially run out of Project Orion samples. The use of his blood samples under a microscope has rendered the samples tainted for unknown reasons and made them useless, but we have gained enough information that we are able to use molecular D.N.A. gene therapy to be able to modify and blood sample to be somewhat similar to Orion's and allow us to continue our research. We will be using these new samples on future tests, and just have to hope that these new samples will work.
So from hence forth, all subjects will not biologically be directly related to the sample donor, but yes, they technically won't have existed without him.
I am also pleased to announce that I have been appointed team leaded as professor Logan has retired, we are all sure going to miss him around here.
END OF LOG #1624
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"I found this log after Luna left me in the Old Castle for an entire hour. So to answer your question, No, I am not technically related to you." I said.
"Thank you for showing me that Orion. I really do appreciate it." Celestia said.
"I guess you're welcome." I said as I locked the PDA again and put it down on the grass.
"Well, I guess I am going to head back to the throne room. Care to join me?" Celestia asked as she got back up from the ground.
"Yeah sure, I got nothing better to do." I said as I got up as well, picking the PDA back up as I did.
We made our way back the throne room, only to find that it was completely void anyone besides guards. Celestia walked up to her throne and sat down upon it.
"Well, you should probably head back tot the room that I have given you and rest up. If my suspicions are true, you might need to be well rested." Celestia said to me.
"Alright, I guess I will see you later." I said as I turned and began to walk out of the room.
I made my way back to the room and saw that everything was still the the way I left it last time I was in here, aside from the fact that the bed had been made.
I walked up to the box of clothing and pulled out a new set before making my way to the bathroom and getting changed. After I did that, I made my way back into the bedroom and looked around.
"So, what now?"