//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Of Catapults and Marmots // Story: Dread // by bossfight1 //------------------------------// The rest of the day was spent touring the castle, in equal parts getting a feel for the place and learning its history. Luna said that she and Celestia had once dwelled in an older castle back in what was now the Everfree Forest, but had erected and moved into Canterlot some time over the past thousand years. She said that efforts were being made there to restore it, though I had cause to wonder—why now? As the day wound to a close, Luna and I headed to dinner. Since our party had shrunk to just us, Celestia and Twilight, we opted to eat in a simple, more casual room some distance from the dining hall. When we arrived, however, Celestia and Twilight weren’t there yet, likely still in the lab. For a moment I figured it wouldn’t matter, until I realized that, until they arrived, it would just be me and Luna… At dinner… Alone. “...Well, this is… awkward…” I said. “Oh, they’ll be here soon,” Luna said as she approached the table. I hesitantly followed her in, and we sat across from one another. It’s fine, dude, chill… I thought. You’re just having dinner. It’s not even SUPPOSED to be just the two of you—Twilight and Celestia should show up in a while. RELAX. Despite my efforts to keep a civil demeanor, I couldn’t think of a damn thing to say; any topic I came up with, from hobbies to little tidbits of our cultures, was quickly designated as weak subject matter. Luna, it seemed, was struggling as well; she was biting her lip and constantly evading eye contact. “...Alright, I suppose it is a little awkward…” she admitted after a minute of silence. “We can chat easily while we’re walking, sure, but at dinner?” I gave a shrill gasp. “Heaven forbid!!” Luna giggled, but said nothing more. Another minute of silence passed; I fell into the bad restaurant habit of glancing at the door to the kitchen, hoping to spot our server. “...Okay, now they’re just trying to make us uncomfortable.” Luna stood up, a little too quickly. “I’ll go see if there’s something wrong…” She said, heading into the kitchen. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved that she’d ended the silent conversation, or concerned that she was eager to put some distance between us. I leaned back in my seat, drumming my claws on the table cloth. Seeking a distraction that didn’t involve my transmitter, I removed the napkin wrapped around the silverware, and idly fiddled a knife between my claws. My thoughts drifted towards home again. I wondered how my family had reacted to my disappearance… What could be considered my apparent death… It wasn’t like they didn’t know the risks MHAs face, it’s just… I zipped up my last duffel bag, which was full to bursting. I didn’t know why I NEEDED so many clothes; I only needed to wear them when I looked human. Everything else in my bags were basically time-fillers; things I’d have on me in my off-time. With a grunt I lifted both bags and carried them towards the door; I spared one last glance at my empty-looking home. My parents had done what they could to clean it every now and again, which I was grateful for. With a weary sigh I headed out the door. My parents and Jake were waiting in the car outside; since I had no real need for a car of my own anymore, we sold my old one and put the money towards helping Jake get into college. I loaded my bags into the trunk, then climbed into the back seat alongside Jake. “Alright, let’s go…” I said, leaning my head back. The car didn’t move. I glanced at Dad in the front seat. “...What’s up?” I asked. Dad jerked his head like he’d just realized I was talking. “Right, right, let’s… let’s go.” He pulled out onto the road in a stiff manner that only made me more concerned. I glanced at Jake, who looked like there was an elephant in the room he DESPERATELY didn’t wanna discuss. I heard a sniffle from Mom up front. ‘She’s upset I’m leaving,’ I theorized. I laid a hand on her shoulder. “Mom, it’ll be okay…” Jake quickly shook his head. I glanced between him and Dad. “What’s going on?” Dad sighed, reached over and turned on the radio. “...of San Francisco’s most prominent Metahuman Agents, Adjutant fought to protect her city for over seven years. Now, San Francisco is in mourning over the loss of one of their beloved guardians, after she was caught and killed in the detonation of a fusion-based IED, suspected to be laid by the Malefactor known as Frigate…” I blinked at the radio. “Oh, god…” Dad turned off the radio as Mom choked out a sob. “I, I can’t…” she said. “Susan…” Dad began. “No, David!!” Mom wept, pointing at the radio. “THAT’S where he’s going! Up against those sociopaths and psychos! I CAN’T be waiting by the phone every day, praying I don’t get a call from those Department bastards, I just can’t! I can’t…” She began weeping into her hands, her breathing fast and shallow. “Mom, Mom, it’ll be okay…” I said. “I’ll be careful… I promise.” Mom didn’t respond. I leaned back, a hollow feeling in my stomach. My phone buzzed. Frowning, I pulled it out; it was from Jake. I cast him a confused glance before opening it. “You really think that’ll make her feel better?” I texted back, “I can’t think of anything else to say that doesn’t involve lying.” He gave me a look before replying. “Just because YOU’VE accepted the ‘occupational hazards’ doesn’t mean WE have.” I stared at the message, rolling the words around in my head as though he’d actually spoken them. Before long he texted again. “You may say you’re fine with putting your life on the line—mainly because you’re tougher to kill than other MHAs—but what about us? Did you think about what you’d do to us if we heard you’d DIED?” “You say you’re doing this job to help people, but somehow you end up being selfish.” I turned to him and snapped, “What do you want me to say?! Do you think I’m LOOKING to die?!” Mom and Dad glanced back while Jake stared at me. “Do you think I’m gonna ‘heroically sacrifice’ myself at the first chance I get?! Do you think I WANT to leave you guys?!” Jake stared at me, so I continued. “I became an MHA because I could put this condition to good use, but also so I wouldn’t be sent to the Haven, ALL THE WAY IN AFRICA!! So it was either this, or being tossed into what’s essentially metahuman quarantine, and never see you guys again! So PLEASE, don’t remind me of what’ll happen if I die, because it’s my biggest incentive NOT to!!” My voice cracked on the last bit, leaving me staring furiously at Jake. Jake stared at me with an unreadable expression; through his eyes I could tell the gears were turning. I didn’t break eye contact, staring directly into his eyes. Finally, I noticed tears forming in Jake’s eyes. Slowly, he scooched across the back seat and hugged me, a sniffle escaping him. “I just don’t want to lose you, man…” I hugged him back. “Me neither… I know, bro…” The car pulled over; Dad put it in park, then he and Mom each got out their doors and opened the back seat doors. They each clambered in behind each of us, and joined in on the hug. If I didn’t already fear dying on the job, I certainly did after knowing just how much I meant to them. The knife dropped from my claws as I daydreamed, the clinging of metal on the tile floor jogging me out of my trance. Shaking my head, I reached down and grabbed the knife when I noticed something poking out from beneath the tablecloth; I hadn’t noticed it before since the cloth was hanging so low, but now that I was bent double I could clearly see it. The very tip of a multi-colored tail. I growled in agitation. “Really, Dash?” I lifted the tablecloth up, seeing her cast a panicked expression at me. “This is something a child would do! And why the hell aren’t you back in… Ponyville, or whatever?” “I—I…” Dash stammered. “You didn’t go because you were worried I’d do something?” I asked. “While the Princesses were around? Seriously? Even if I was planning something iffy, you really think I’d do it while they were watching?” “It’s not that, I--!!” Dash began worriedly before scowling at me. “What’s that mean??” I gave her a deadpan expression, amazed she somehow took that as a threat. “What I mean is, I think I’m being watched plenty without you ‘pitching in’.” I pointed towards the door. “Now get going to Ponyville. And if I catch you spying on me again, I’ll catapult you there.” She didn’t move. “I’m serious!! Skat!!” Finally, with a growl, she sulkily climbed out from under the table, never removing her glare from me. She stopped at the door to make it last; I responded by taking a spoon and salt-shaker, filling the spoon and launching the salt to mimic a catapult. Finally, Dash broke off the glare and stomped down the hall. I leaned back in my seat, putting my ‘face’ in my claws; I actually preferred dealing with Blueblood and his goons. At least I had no respect for him, so I didn’t lose anything by making an enemy of him. Dash and her friends, however, seemed to be held in high esteem by the Princesses; it would be good to be friendly with all of them. Even Dash herself seemed worth getting along with, seeing just how concerned she was over Applejack and how furious she was with me afterwards. Though, on reflection, threatening to launch her with siege weaponry probably wasn’t a very good call… I mused. The door to the kitchen opened behind me. “They weren’t aware we were eating in here tonight,” Luna said as she entered. “They’ll be out in a moment… What’s this salt on the floor?” Oops.                 -                -                -                -                - Celestia and Twilight joined us some time later, their eyes giving way to the exhaustion that comes with working all day; if they’d bumped into Dash on their way up, they didn’t mention it as they sat down, relieved groans escaping them. I waited a moment. “...So, your day went well, I’m guessing?” I asked cheerfully. Luna tried not to smile, though she ended up getting her lips scrunched up in the process. “A long, long day of leafing through every… single book in Canterlot that could even give us a clue…” Twilight said strainfully. I frowned. “...Is this leading to some bad news?” Celestia shook her head. “We’re not sure… We’ve found a number of promising leads, but nothing concrete…” “If we eat quickly, we can probably check over some of them,” Twilight said insistently. “If we’re lucky, Dread could be home by…” She was interrupted by a massive yawn. “Or,” I said, holding a claw up, pointedly. “You could call it a day. I’m eager to get home, sure, but not if you’re gonna burn yourselves out.” “No, no, no, it’s fine!” Twilight said quickly, straightening up. “I’m fine, I’m fi…” The mere act of talking loudly, however, seemed to tucker her out even more as she slouched again. “Okay, maybe sleep is good…” The doors opened behind us as our servers entered. “So is food.” We were given a more casual meal than last night’s—an array of fancy vegan sandwiches and what initially appeared to be french fries; once I sampled one, however, I found it to be made of hay. Making a face, I ignored that portion for the meal and stuck with the sandwiches, being careful to avoid taking any that had daisies and the like. I was pleased to see Twilight and Celestia acting more calmly around me—but I could have just been confusing civil indifference with an attempt at passive observation. They didn’t so much as glance at me as we ate, and somehow the silence seemed to deepen, even after their arrival. After a few minutes I grew tired of the silence. “So Luna showed me around the gardens today,” I said conversationally. “The statues there are impressive. I can definitely see how one could look up to those figures.” Celestia nodded. “I knew a great many of them, in their time. I felt their courage and sacrifices shouldn’t be noted in books alone. They were all heroes, in their own right.” I glanced between her and Luna. “They must’ve been good friends to you two,” I said. Luna bit her lip. “Well, I didn’t necessarily… know all of them, they were from…” Her words trailed off. My curiosity burned even more; the more little hints I got about whatever was bothering Luna, the more I burned for something more concrete. All I knew was that it happened a thousand years ago, it involved the Elements of Harmony, and it caused her a great deal of pain and guilt. I couldn’t ask either—both because I didn’t want to press and exacerbate the guilt Luna was feeling, but also because I feared Celestia would believe I’d use the knowledge for ‘insidious purposes’. Maybe there were books or something about it? Maybe I could find the library tomorrow and take a look around, though I wondered if any librarian down there would be willing to do anything other than run at the very sight of me. Celestia’s horn suddenly lit up; I tensed, but relaxed when a small, green wisp of flame flew from her horn, expanded and formed into a tightly-bound scroll. She caught it in her magic and opened it. “I’m sorry…” she said; I shrugged, not caring. Her eyes scanned the words on the scroll quickly before she smiled, amused. “Just a little something from the Gryphon Emperor, he wished to relay something that amused him greatly. Apparently, one of his generals brought up concerns regarding Equestria…” “What does he mean by ‘concerns’?” Twilight asked. “His general is concerned regarding what he believes to be our ‘gathering strength’,” Celestia said. “Between the Elements of Harmony and your coronation, Twilight, he fears we’re planning some ‘glorious rise to power’... The Emperor found the idea of us on the warpath quite hysterical, said he’d ‘sooner fear being conquered by marmots.’” “...Not sure how to take that…” Luna said, frowning. I shrugged. “Is he wrong? To be fair, you guys don’t seem the ‘warmongering’ type.” I reached out for the last remaining sandwich. A fork suddenly plunged into my claw, its end vibrating from the impact. I frowned at it, surprised, as Luna took the sandwich with a feigned look of ferocity. She smiled mischievously before biting into it; I withdrew my claw from around the fork with a surprised laugh. “But I’ve been wrong before.” We found a momentary lull in the conversation as dessert came around—a small, simple chocolate cake. “So I heard you met my dear nephew,” Celestia said casually as she took a slice. My mass rippled awkwardly. “...You could say that…” I said, not looking away from my own portion. “I’m fairly certain Discord played a part in how Blueblood confronted you, however…” Celestia admitted. “Just to stir up trouble. He thought it was hilarious.” I glanced at her and smirked. “Did you, ‘Auntie Tia’?” Celestia hesitated. “...More than I’d care to admit,” she said with a smile.