Synch

by sunnypack


94 - Are You a Spy?! a.k.a Underground

Gruff knew that the Canterlot Underground was well and alive. Celestia knew too, however the Underground was a relatively harmless trade. Perhaps alcohol to those who have a thirst for it, perhaps esoteric magical knowledge restricted by the Royal Archives or even dangerous artefacts. Rarely though, are any ponies hurt, often it would be eccentric mares or stallion willing to get their hooves on something rare or nobles building an ancient collection or an obsession with a master of their art.

Reasons varied, but there hadn’t been any outstanding incidents. In fact, Celestia, quite wisely hadn’t overtly banned or cracked down on the Underground, she simply tasked a number of government ponies to infiltrate the ranks of the Underground and siphon the information back to the Crown.

Which is why it came as such a surprise to both Gruff and Celestia that cyanodextrinothaumica had leaked out. If that thaumochemical product was available on the Underground market their agents would have immediately known and the operation shut down with extreme prejudice. Some things could not be compromised.

Somehow, the formulation had been leaked out and easily too. There was an inside man and the cover up had been pretty thorough. What a conundrum.

-----

Gruff signalled to Hardy in the darkening light.

“Hardy, I need you to fly back to Canterlot”, Gruff ordered, eyeing Sharp with the corner of his eye.

Hardy opened his mouth to argue but Gruff held up a paw.

“There’s been a leak. Source unknown. I need you there”, Gruff pleaded, his expression absolutely stone cold serious.

Hardy could only nod at that.

“Mage stick?”

Gruff confirmed Hardy’s suspicion with a wave of the crystal artefact.

“Take care of Solid for me”, he growled before taking off in a burst of wind.

Gruff scratched the back of his ears. It always felt nice behind there. Sharp sinuously sidled up to Gruff, draping herself on a rock nearby and fanning herself in the sun.

“Art thou sure of this, young one?”

Sharp was one of the few creatures of this land that Gruff would trust his heart to. He turned a vulnerable pair of eyes to Sharp that was broken into small drops of determination. His demeanour became a torrent of resolve, right before her eyes. A moment of weakness was no more.

Sharp regarded Gruff with a pleased eye.

“I see you will not be deterred from this path.”

Her gaze turned desolate.

“But this path is filled with trials that has broken even dragons.”

Gruff folded his arms and spoke succinctly.

“There is only one path left”, he croaked, staring into the distance.

Sharp’s eyes filled with a clear liquid that overflowed and fell onto the rock below.

“There’s always another path, Gruff mine friend”, she whispered. “There’s always another path.”

Gruff gave her a smile tinged with hopelessness.

“I must press on, this is the only course of action left to me, else the world burns”, he replied, he gazed at the stars wistfully.

They both contemplated the myriad of stars that danced in the night sky. Some say Luna placed each star in the sky individually, an artist that crafts the night canvas with the brush of her imagination. That is an ancient magic that beats through the heart of this world itself.

Gruff did not know if this to be true but he found the notion romantic.

To be able to paint the night sky itself?

Marvellous, such things he never dreamt of in the small confines of the diamond dog cavern. Such things he never contemplated in his small worldview. Such things he never would have experiences if it weren’t the elevating hand of his self-proclaimed master and teacher. A person Gruff was convinced needed his help now more than ever before.

Sharp reached out with a timid claw.

“Be safe, mine friend. That is all I can ask”, she parted, flexing her powerful wings in preparation for flight.

Gruff gave Sharp an appreciative look.

“I will try Death Wing Sharp”, Gruff replied, giving her a hug. Sharp tensed slightly before giving in with a small smile on her muzzle. Some would say it was the first smile to grace her lips since she had been reborn.

“Warm Heart”, she whispered, shuffling back.

Gruff tilted his head.

“Warm Heart Sharp is mine real name, dear one. At least to mine friends”, she explained, giving Gruff a nudge with a wing. Gruff grinned at that.

“Warm Heart suits you, Sharp”, he chuckled stepping back.

Sharp smiled, wider this time.

“Fare thee well”, Sharp ended, lifting to the skies. Gruff felt the wind whip a loose strand of hair into his eyes, he blinked rapidly at the sting but when his eyes cleared of sympathetic tears, Sharp was gone.

-----

Twilight anxiously paced the carriage, the barrier dismantled as the noxious fumes had faded. She had teleported to the nearest town; it wasn’t far only a few miles. She had run into the town frantically searching for a pegasus delivery system. She paid an exorbitant price of over a hundred bits to a contrite pegasus to deliver express confidential mail to Canterlot.

She knew that even if the pegasus left and made no stops it would still take the better part of the day to reach Canterlot. She was torn between heading out to follow the foalnappers or to stay in the train and watch over the guards and the train staff. She knew that the gas was probably a fairly harmless knockout gas, not designed to kill however leaving the ponies on the train risked danger from the surrounding forests nearby. Equestria was not safe everywhere.

Twilight had deliberated on her way to delivering the letter and on the way back to the train. She came to the conclusion that she would wait for the occupants to wake up on the train and perhaps word from Princess Celestia as to how to handle the situation.

Twilight had moved all the unconscious guards and the conductor into the same carriage.

“Okay the five guards and…” she paused when she saw a pony missing.

“Oh my gosh! I forgot all about Little Hoof!”

A chuckle interrupted Twilight and Little Hoof appeared out from the side, staggering a little.

“Yeah, they got me but I managed to whip out the old bath towel trick” she called out, stumbling towards Twilight. Twilight quickly lent Little Hoof her back to lean on.

“Thanks, mare”, Little Hoof coughed, dropping the bath towel she held in her hoof on a table.

“How did you stop the cyanodextinotaumica?” Twilight queried as she helped Little Hoof into a train seat.

Little Hoof chortled until she started coughing.

“I pretended to be knocked out but they were around a little too long and I inhaled a little before I could screen it through my bath towel.”

Twilight cocked her head.

“You just carry bath towels with you?”

Little Hoof nodded, giving Twilight a look.

“You always carry a bath towel when you’re travelling. Always.”

Twilight groaned and shuffled over to the guards, checking their vitals again. There was no change.

“Seems like the drug has a very long effect. They’ve been out for hours now.”

Little Hoof tapped the desk thoughtfully.

“Probably the magical component”, she commented. Twilight gave her a quizzical look.

“Hey! Just cause I’m an Earth Pony doesn’t mean I don’t know my way around magic”, she growled, giving Twilight a glare.

“Oh I didn’t mean to-“ Twilight began but was cut off when Little Hoof waved a hoof in dismissal.

“Oh I don’t give a tail about it. Let’s just concentrate on a plan to get the Tartarus out of here.”

Twilight gave Little Hoof a glare of her own.

“I do not leave friends behind”, she said in a dangerously low voice.

“Fine by me, just teleport me to the nearest town, I’ll make my way from there”, Little Hoof shrugged.

Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Aren’t you paid to handle danger?”

Little Hoof gave a snort.

“I’m paid to handle danger not get my neck broken going after professionals”, she retorted, eyes blazing.

Twilight shrunk back.

“Okay, sorry”, Twilight mumbled, scuffing a hoof.

Little Hoof’s expression softened.

“Listen, Twilight. I like you so I’ll give you some advice that I should have gotten long ago. Let the authorities handle this and don’t get involved. Friend or not those ponies are trained and deadly good at what they do. Don’t get chewed up.”

Twilight’s gaze bore into the floorboards of the carriage.

“I can’t leave them behind”, she said in a small voice, her posture wilting.

“Trust me, you’ll just get in the way”, Little Hoof mumbled, lying stiffly on her side.

Twilight had no answer to that as she stared at the deceptively peaceful scenery outside.

She thought it should be raining to reflect her mood.

Maybe it was raining.

Just not outside.