//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: A way out? // Story: The Chaser: Secret of Golden Oak Library // by FaithRomeyer //------------------------------// "Wait! Don't do it yet!!" "Why nnnot??!!" "You girls can be flying champions and go ahead if you want, don't bother yourself with me. But first let's be sure about this." I puff my lungs in prepare to hear myself talking. "About the most obvious way with your feathers and magic. Because of cloud army blocking your views, no indicating. This is going to be a major problem if you girls grabbed Lode out of here...you might get lost in a middle of nowhere. Who knows? You might be thrilled about hitching a ride on your cloudy friend. Yet one thing though, it's too high up to hit the dirt and it might be a pain to navigate at this icy hour, too dark and too cold. Trust me, you're gonna have the best work-out you've ever had, kiddies." "Hnn.." McFlurry, still doesn't look satisfied. Right now she's floating over to the hanging icecap herself to lean over the rail and let the frosty breeze ice her beautiful mane. "Brrurrrr~!!" "Come on now." I come over to pry the pony away from her exit before shutting its door. "You are still a filly, don't risk it. Just take it slowly and sit still for now, okay? I'm not saying it's impossible. We've already got ourselves a way out and it's not going to disappear. Doesn't hurt to search for another, don't you think?" ... "..." Good logic, so good that it's making them challenge me on The Stare contest again. Tch-! those kids sure can push me through some levels of hell when they want to. Chill out, my little gingers! I want to pack my bum and leave this dump as much as you do but there is still more crap coming out of it. "This is shady business alright, but sometimes the dark is discarded as grey. Not long ago you told me this ship is legal, which means sooner or later it has to pass some kind of security check, am I right or wrong on that?" "Security check?" Have mercy, Flurry. You gotta give your friends a moment to talk too. "Some place to load the fuel, trade the papers, gather crowds, something-something.... They're gonna get over to checkpoints by air or by land. Have you guessed it yet?" "Ohhh! I understand!" Miss Buns warms my heart good. "Somepony is bound to find us if we can get to them." "Precisely." I nod, braking myself for their incoming armageddon with my next piece. "Unless they're planning to make this ship disappear, which is very likely to happen." "What?!!!!" "Huhh!!" "D-d-disappear?" "..." I love silent type because their expression always sum up the entire room when they get petrified and scared. Maybe I shouldn't have been too direct. "What do you mean, miss??! They want Aero to go where??" Lode and Loft, L for laziness, now are just waiting for their energetic friend to speak for them. Whatever, I'd better be glad they learn not to bombard me at once. I give them a fleeting detail of how unsecured this place is but instead of mentioning about the cops not batting an eye, I spin them into another theory. These foals are from here, can't spit on their heroes and Equestria stories after all. First and foremost is the discussion about idiotic cheese-loving macho who couldn't keep his hand on the prize, to which Flurry and her co agree whole-heartedly, disecting every little thing from me to throw insults and colorful remarks. "Stinky breathed warthogs!" "Trash!" "Worms!" "Potty head!!" "What a fruitcake!" Half the chat is like being ruled by a bunch of burnouts who totally forgot what I just have told them minutes ago. "A ha ha...ha-ha... Uh, miss Hawk?" Except for Storm, girl's been keeping quiet and good. "You said that the bad ponies are going to make their ship disappear. But, how can they do that?" "Good question, Storm. I'm getting to it right now." I sigh. "I got a hunch that someone nicked this ship out of the blue and is now on the run, blowing dust and steam to the guards with you. I know this sounds nuts but imagine if they did intend to run away from outsider's eyes, it'd be a long road away from home for real..." Got them all cuddled up and frighten once again. Tactful as always, Hawk. Better shut my yap and think of a positive outcome for a change. Last thing I need is a Hollywood drama flick happening inside their watering eyeballs. "But h-how do you know that?" "Guts feeling. Supposingly with us being the lost cause here, they got the match to blow a fuse if anyone dared to lock their gaze onto them. The Princesses probably aren't the type for dealing with heart attack so I figure the big boss behind this pulled us over the curtain to cast them aside...and he wasn't very bright to leave his hostages unattended. You wanna know more about my take on this matter?" "Yes! Yes!!!" "Please!!" Nice Night Lady and Mama Sunshine have been poisoning young mind for a very long time and they do a pretty damn good job. Doesn't get anymore chirpier than this. Time to make a break. "There is no reason for them to be up and gone from their watch like that." Sweeping the itch out of my ear, I lift my weight off the floor to stretch my front leg upward. "Something big must have happened up there and I think I'm gonna have a look." "Haahh???!!!" "You wait here. I'll be back when I know where we're off to." Saying, I make my way to the window. "Uh?! Miss!" Apparently I made Loft care enough to be stopped by her. She's fast alright. "You're going to go out there, by YOURSELF?!" "Yep." "But didn't you say it's too cold to go?!" Flurry, you comes for me!!...You're the judge of that, my obnoxious little pal. "Don't underestimate adults, squirt." I lie. "I did it once I'll make it twice." !!! Then without any warning, she pitches her nose to my belly and traps it into her embrace, holding me tenderly...Feels nice, getting a hug by a worn patch of blue grass has never been this warm before. And here I am expecting to have a pleasant retreat, dealing with kids and especially with girls back home gave me a fair share of bother but this? This burns the cake and springsprays it with ponies, leaving a big mess that I don't know which one should I start first to do the clean up. Honest to Lord! Flurry, if you don't quit crushing my flat stomach with your hooves then I'm seriously gonna puke! "Please...Don't go!" Her eyes go to me, which I'm not sure if they're tearing up or not. "If you go then what are we supposed to do?!!" "..Huh?" "I-I can't..I don't know what is happening anymore!!!" Easy to chat and easy to snap, she is? "It's dark and scary in here, I don't like it! And you told me I couldn't get out..." "Please, miss." Loft, Storm,...Lode, you guys planned this, didn't you? Ganghugging me to chill out and have a good time. Dammit! How the hell did it turn into this?! "Those badponies, I-I'm scared... They'll do terrible thing to you and to Flurry, to Storm and to Lode too." ... Move it, brats!! Goddamn! It's so hard to blurt it out sometimes. "Come on, you're giving me the tissue here. Trust me, kids." They gather up to my height as I lay one of my leg. "I'm going to pull us out of the gutter, I got a chance." "...You do?" Guess who's taking the bait. "I've been around, felt a little rough, just to come out realising what sort of a fool I am." Lightly pull their hooves away, I put on my creepiest smile and take ahold of one messy mane that is belonged to a certain tomboy. "There comes a time when we have to learn it the hard way, always the best lesson for our life where trouble follows each and every step we take. Only when we stand up and tell it we mean bussiness that 9 out of 10 it goes away, leaving the rest to build the character of us growing up. So face it, kick it and give me your best shot, okay??" Prep talk, weird and out of place until you find the right time to say. Used to shove it down my brothers' throats when they scraped their kneecaps. Little boys being junkyard puppies, trying to keep the waterwork in control only to break it down into river later. "..Miss.." "What now?" "How do we know you'll come back?" Recover quicker than I thought, good to know Pegasus is no joke to mess around with. "Want it fast, wait here and I'll try my best." About damn time I take a check at time and crap. "Like I've said, once I got some dirt on where we are, I'll come straight back here, be it good news or bad news." "But how're you going to do just that, miss?" Good question again, Stormy. "Don't worry, I got my method." My fists are reacting strongly to this, I fear I may have anger issue. "Don't you worry your pretty head about it." "I-I-I see..." "But what if somepony comes in here??!" Loft, you need a round of applaud for that. Finally someone with a sense of alert around here, that eases my mind. "What're we gonna do, miss Hawk?" "Play hide 'n seek outside and don't run off to oblivion." I say. "Same if you hear someone outside this place, that's my cue to do that too." "Uhh...?" Doesn't understand? "I can't risk getting by in plain sight, you know? Gotta need to work my legs when I hear somepony nearby, tip toeing to the closet or something. Let's hope it doesn't come to that."