Standoff
She rubbed her horn. She knew she should have gotten that coffee when she had the chance.
Why was a princess necessary for this? She understood that it’s her responsibility to uphold the peace, but the police force could handle it, couldn’t they?
When the mob saw her, they scampered to the sides, leaving a clear walkway for her.
“Princess Luna!”
“Evening, officer. I have already been informed. A griffon has taken hostages in there, correct.”
“Urm, yes, Princess.”
“Hm? Has the situation changed?”
“We think so.” He scratched his chin. “A stallion in white got in before we could stop him, and I think he fired a shot at one of the hostages.”
“An accomplice? You let a stranger simply march in there?”
“We didn’t even see him until he got past us-Princess Luna!”
She ignored him and charged through the door.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but get out.”
“Trotter?! I should have… By the stars… “
“Not you! Him!”
The figure teleported behind them. The griffon fired, but the bolt passed through and hit a window instead.
“Don’t, sir. He’s here for me.” Trotter walked up to the man. “I said get out! You can kill me later!”
The man tilted his head.
“Trotter, what’s the meaning of this!” Luna’s horn glowed. “Collaborating with another criminal?!”
“Mr. Griffon, don’t mind her or the man. This yours, right?” Trotter picked up a briefcase and walked to the vault. “I’ll get the money. Keep an eye on them. We’ll be out in three minutes.”
Luna only took a step for the griffon and the man to face her. She could use her magic to immobilize the robber and Trotter, but what about the man?
“What’s the meaning of this, griffon?”
He gulped. “Isn’t it obvious?”
“Two bank robbers in cahoots with this...man? Or is it the other way around?”
“I don’t even know what he-urk!” He hunched over and coughed into his mask.
The man turned around, silencing everyone. He walked to the door.
“Stop!” Luna trailed behind him.
The man raised his hands in the air.
“Good,” Luna sighed. “Now turn around, slowly! And…”
He opened his mouth. She could see something moving in it, but nothing came out.
“You cannot speak?”
“Actually,” Trotter said from behind. “he said something. It’s just....unpronounceable. Imagine the sound made when you put sand and glass into a blender.”
“You heard him?!”
“Yeah, but like I said, it’s gibberish.”
Luna leaned over the vault. Trotter was almost done filling the briefcase.
“Trotter, you cannot be serious about this.”
“About what? The man or robbing this bank?”
“About...all this!” Luna didn’t know what to do now. On one hoof, an immortal. On the other, an alien creature she knew nothing about. “Even if you get the money, do you think that man will stand by?”
“He has so far, and you as well.” He shut the case. “If you want to stop me, do so. If not, move aside and let us pass.”
She grabbed the case with her magic, but he wouldn’t relent. “You know we cannot do that.”
Her fur stood on end. She didn’t need to turn around to see the man right behind her, leering with his white eyes.
“Do not worry. Princess Luna.” Trotter forced the case away and passed her. “Neither I nor the man will not harm you, at least directly.”
Luna swallowed. The man didn’t let out a sound or do much, so how did he have such presence?
“We said STOP!”
That one word broke every surface in the bank, leaving everypony/griffon clutching their heads.
“We will not stand for this any longer!” Luna’s eyes turned white. “Trotter, relinquish the case! Griffon, unarm yourself! If you will not, we will force you!”
“Mr. Griffon, ignore her. We are leaving.” Trotter tapped the griffon’s shoulder. “Where to?”
“We said-”
“Princess Luna, if you wish, you can come with us.”
Luna fired a warning shot near Trotter’s hoof. “We are in no mood for jokes.”
“I am not joking.” The stallion pushed aside some glass shards away. “We, that is, the griffon and I, will come with you to the castle with the money. Dr. Milkweed still works there, yes?”
She didn’t answer. Her horn glowed until it was blinding.
“What is more important? Your money, me, or a life in danger?”
Luna snarled. “You don’t think I know what’s at stake here?!”
“If you do, do what you think you must. I do not care.”
Luna looked around. The man remained still. The griffon felt out of place. Everypony else stared at her, waiting for her call.
She heaved for air. After calming down, she rubbed her eyes. “But what of the man? You cannot say that he poses no threat after what he did to you.”
“He only poses a threat to me, when he strangled me. He had yet to show aggression towards anyone else.” The stallion looked at the man. “And if he wanted to kill me still, he would have done so. It seems that he is restraining himself for some reason or another.”
“And you believe that this...lack of evidence to be appropriate evidence supporting your claim?”
“Yes.”
She faced the griffon. “You believe him?”
The griffon looked once more at the man. He lowered his hands and walked out the entrance.
“My bolt bounced off his forehead. He’s helping me. Who do you think I’d trust?” He made his way behind Trotter, his crossbow lowered.
Trotter leaned close to him. “Alright, Mr. Griffon. Before we go any further, I need you to trust me.”
“Yeah?”
“Who is the money for?”
He froze and his eyes fixed on Trotter’s.
“Do not try to convince me elsewise. No dying man would bother robbing a building to cure himself when he will just get caught in the future.”
The griffon trembled. He leaned close enough so only he and Trotter could hear.
“My daughter, Gi-”
The stallion pressed his hoof to his beak. “Do not tell me any more. I will take the money to the castle. You get your daughter.”
“B-but how-why-”
“Because our princess here is more concerned with me and the man. Give me the crossbow.”
Seeing him, Luna immediately grabbed the weapon in her telekinesis, but Trotter held on.
“What do you think you will do with this?”
“Hold it for the griffon while he has to attend one more business. If you think he will run away, you can send your guards to escort him back to the castle afterwards.”
Luna bit her lip. “Have we not been lenient enough?”
“Do you want anymore ponies to be hurt? Does your sense of empathy not extend towards griffons? For all his threats, he has yet to harm a pony here.”
The griffon heaved again, this time, pulling the mask over his beak. A wet red smeared on his talon. The guards eyed him warily, as if afraid of catching his disease.
After a few seconds, Luna relented.
Two guards picked the griffon up and walked behind him.
“Go do what you must, Mr. Griffon. And your guards better not obstruct him in anyway, Princess Luna.”
As Trotter and the man followed behind her, she turned to face the stallion.
“Do not think we will be so permissive next time.”
“I am turning myself and the man over to your care. The griffon’s business is the least of your concerns.”
“Princess Luna!” Milkweed ran to her. “Mr. Trotter? What happened-dear heavens!”
“Luna!” Celestia ran up to her. “Are you alright? Were there any problems? Why’s the creature-”
“Sister, please,” Luna groaned. “I just surrendered to Trotter’s ridiculous plan to minimize harm. My mind is, how you say, in a tizzy.”
“Now is not the time for rest, Princess Luna. You have the man and I, do you not? And Dr. Milkweed, prepare for a patient.”
“Why? Is somepony-”
“Most likely, it is not a pony. Nevertheless, a patient is on their way here along with the bank robber.”
Celestia looked at Luna, who nodded. “Indeed. The guards are escorting him to pick whoever it is now. It’s most likely a fellow griffon.”
“If you need convincing, here is payment.” Trotter opened the briefcase. “But as if you will accept it.”
“Obviously not!” Luna said. “How do you expect us to accept stolen money when it has be robbed right before our eyes?”
“So you would refuse to tend a patient, Dr. Milkweed? Because he lacks funds?”
“Of course not!” he shouted. “I’ll alert the staff.” He ran out the door.
“Glad to hear it. He did this for nothing, then.” He dropped the case onto a table. “Is this amusing to you?”
Celestia flinched. “Not really, no-”
“Not you, him.”
She followed his eyes and gasped. Somehow, the man was standing on the ceiling, leering down at three of them.
“If you are done gawking, perhaps you could kill me now?”
The man teleported in front of him. Before anypony could react, his hand grabbing one of Trotter’s wings.
Celestia fired a beam at his hand, which passed right through. “Release him!”
“Actually, I think he meant for this.” With his wing freed, he unfurled and shook them. Broken knives, paper clips, and keys fell out from between the feathers.
“Are those for self-defense?” Luna jested.
“No. They are in case your guards needs further convincing.”
“Remind me again, why you are not cuffed.”
A pair wrapped around his front and back hooves.
The doors burst open. A guard ran to them.
“Princess! The griffons are here. They’re at the hospital wing!”
Trotter walked to him. “Lead us. The man will kill me later-damnation.”
Celestia and Luna turned their heads. The man was gone.
“Blast it!” Luna muttered. “How does he keep doing that?”
“Mr. Griffon!” Trotter walked up to him. “They made you take off your mask?”
He laughed hollowly. “I wish it was just that.” He leaned closer. “My daughter made me, said I looked lamer than usual.”
“Where is she?”
He shook his head. “The doctors have her taken to the doctor’s office. They want to diagnose her first. Where’s the money?”
Celestia cleared her throat. “You won’t be needing it. If the doctor’s willing to work pro bono, that’s his decision. Pardon me, but aren’t you the one who’s sick?”
The griffon trembled. He looked at his scrunched talons and one could see steam coming from his nostrils.
“Relax, sir. What, you’re going to force the doctor accept your money or something?” Trotter asked.
“I did all that for nothing-!” He curled into a coughing fit, peppering the floor red.
“Guard, take him to a seperate office, while the other griffon-”
“No!” He wiped his beak. “I’ll be fine, it’s her that needs the help-kuk!”
A door opened. Milkweed walked up to him.
“You were right. Scans picked up inflammations along her stomach lining. There’s some bleeding pyloric ulcers as well. If it was one or the other, it could be treated with medicine. When did your daughter show these sympto-”
“Since when did you think she’s his daughter?” Trotter asked.
“Um, she told us that he’s his “old cock”-”
“Does she know him?”
“Um, she never said anything about him more than that-”
“Do you know her name?”
“Gilda Gretsky.”
“Does she have any medical history?”
“We checked. We have her address, citizenship, and medical bio, but no other history. If she does have anymore, it’s probably kept in the griffon nation, Fertrag. It’s definitely not here.”
“Doctor, hurry with whatever procedure you must for the patient. Whatever you just described, it sounds urgent.”
He looked at the princess, as if asking for permission. They nodded, and he ran out the door.
Trotter face the griffon. “Sir, do you have any ID on you?”
“No. Never had any.”
“Impossible!” Luna shouted. “Every record of our citizens and immigrants...oh.”
“An illegal alien,” Celestia said. “But an officer reported you mentioned working for me. A citizenship is a must.”
“I was one of your privateers for protection against foreign threats a couple decades ago.”
“That explains it.” Trotter snarled. “Wouldn’t want the masses to know their benevolent princess uses foreigners like this.”
Luna whipped her head to Celestia, but both remained silent.
“I was lucky to have inside help,” the griffon answered. “I forced her, threatened her to keep me and recommend me a job. In turn, I would pay rent.”
“There you go.” Trotter shook his head. “What you gonna do now, sir?”
“Wait for her.” He walked towards the door.
“Wait!” Celestia caught up to him. “We have medical staff to spare. You sure you don’t need treatment?”
Trotter chuckled. “Does he look like he want any?”
After some walking, the four made it to the hospital wing. A red light above one of the room doors indicated its use.
“Well, it looks like she’s being worked on now.” Trotter sat next to the doorway. “Might as well relax, sir.”
Celestia gestured to several chairs. “There’s something to sit down on if you-”
The griffon sat on the other side of the doorway.
“Why do I bother?” Celestia muttered out of everyone’s hearing.
“Where’s the purple one, Twilight Sparkle?” Trotter smiled.
“Not here,” Luna said.
“A mare of few words?”
“The pot calls the kettle black.”
“Ah. You’re talking about our first time. Yeah, I don’t really talk much when I’m like that. I like personal talks more.”
“So...this is how you’re really like?”
“I don’t know. More importantly, shouldn’t you be interrogating us right about now?”
“We have sealed the doors and windows so you can’t escape again.” Luna huffed. “But for now, the griffons are more important.”
“Said no pony, ever.”
Trotter pulled out his wine bottle and passed it to the griffon.
He pushed it away. “I don’t drink.”
“I don’t either, but I told you this is watered down. And don’t worry, the girl’s not in danger anymore.”
He looked at the bottle one more time before popping its cork.
“Well, got anything else to ask us? You can ask whatever you want, although we can’t guarantee we’ll answer.”
“We’ll start then,” Luna said. “Did you plan all this, Trotter?”
“No. I wanted to leave the city tonight, but after a drink with Discord and now this, I doubt I’ll ever leave.”
“Did you see what happened to him?”
“I left him at a bar. He said you sent him to me, Princess.”
Celestia nodded. “I never thought it would take him a week to find you.”
“I have a habit of....blending in, whether on purpose or accident.” He saw the griffon hand him the bottle. He muttered thanks. After a swig he handed it back. “It also looks like I’m drawing more attention lately. What happened to him, anyways?”
“He said he saw the man.” One of Celestia’s leg trembled. “He said he didn’t do anything, but his binge drinking of chocolate milk tells otherwise.”
“I don’t think he’s lying,” Luna said. “At the bank, the griffon’s crossbow bolt passed right through him. An anti-magic bolt, to boot. Maybe he cannot touch us, even if he wanted to?”
“But he strangled Trotter with his hands.” Celestia rubbed her horn. “We’re getting nowhere with this.”
“I think you’re missing the more obvious threat.” Trotter pointed to the griffon. “The fact that he pulled a crossbow out on ponies. Shouldn’t you be more mad?”
“He didn’t shoot anypony,” Luna said. “The officer said that you shot a pony instead.”
“Yep. Some stallion tried to play hero, I shot his mother in the leg, and he backed off. All in all, this went better than I thought it would.”
Luna shivered. “Tell me why I shouldn’t toss you into Tartarus right now.”
“Lady, if there’s something in there that could kill me, just tell me and I’ll head there myself.” His smile dropped. “What are you going to do about him, then?”
“Arrest him, and-”
“-leave him for dead?” Trotter finished. “In case you’re wondering, he’s got pneumoconiosis. In case you don’t know, it means his lungs are filled with dirt, coal, and who knows what else, from working at Diamond Dog mines. Even now, his lungs are being torn apart, and instead of stealing money for his own operation, he stole it for one girl who has a higher chance of surviving than him. Now why would he work at such a remote location in the first place?”
“She said she had no place to work here.”
Everypony face the griffon. He clutched his talons around the bottle, scratching the label. “She said that she got fired in Cloudsdale, and couldn't find work anywhere else. She said that the only place that was always open was the Underground.”
“But she doesn’t have the same symptoms as you do?” Celestia asked.
“I...I made her quit when I moved in. If she died, my cover’s blown once the taxes and bills come.”
“You could have gone back to Fertrag.”
“No.” He slammed the bottle down. “I promised I wouldn’t.”
Silence.
“So after this, you’re going to lock us up?” Trotter asked. “Then what? What are you going to do so something like this doesn’t happen later?”
“This can’t be the only case something like this happened,” Celestia said. “We’ll investigate further, starting from Manehattan.”
“If you’re so sure this isn’t the first case, why haven’t you investigated before?” the griffon asked.
“Because this is the first time they’ve seen it in front of their faces,” Trotter chuckled. “It’s so much easier to handle the immediate threat, like Nightmare Moon, the changelings, Tirek. It’s all clear cut and there’s an easy and obvious target to blame.”
“And you’re giving a free operation to a griffon you don’t even know about...why?”
“You sound like you already know the answer,” Trotter said.
He took another swig. He tipped the bottle over and struck the ground, repeatedly.
“Get some rest, sir. The last thing she needs to see after surgery is an old drunkard.”
Trotter took the bottle. The griffon nodded and curled up, breathing soundly.
“He must have been exhausted. All that adrenaline and running around, with grey lungs to boot.” Trotter faced Luna. “He tried to find work outside of the Underground, you know. When he couldn’t do that, he went to the mines. You think he wanted to steal in the first place?”
“That’s enough, Trotter.”
Celestia walked forward, her eyes straight down into his.
“He will be diagnosed and treated in another room. And you will be charged as his accomplice and with assault on a pony.”
“While I don’t mind that, I don’t think he’ll like being treated much.” Trotter stood up and looked at the griffon. “Not one, but two free operations? Are you trying to drown him with your pity?”
She hoisted the griffon to a mobile bed.
“After recovery, he will be sent back to Fertrag. Without any Equestrian identification, we can’t keep him here for long.”
“And the girl?”
Before she could answer, Luna tugged his cuffs towards the exit.
“That’s enough out of you. Come on.”
“Alright, alright,” he chuckled. “I’ll play along. Let’s see how this…”
“...what? What is it?” Luna turned around and gasped. Celestia followed suit.
He body went rigid. His eyes glowed white.
“Trotter!”
He fell over, twitching like a wind-up toy.
“Get him on the bed! Hurry!” Celestia shouted.
Luna hoisted him onto a nearby bed.
Celestia looked around, looking for the man. “It’s happening again? When, where?”
“His wing! His wing was grabbed before!”
Celestia groaned. “I’ll strap him down. You get the griffon into another office with some medical staff.”
After Luna left, Celestia looked at the now-still stallion. His eyes were still startlingly pale.
She leaned in closer. It was rapid eye movement.
She looked around nervously. Cadence told her everything she saw, and it horrified everypony, but she couldn’t deduce much. She didn’t know if the dream was a vision of sorts, whether it was fabricated, or even if it explained Trotter’s past.
The image of Cadence’s disheveled face came to mind. She shivered. Maybe it would be better to leave it to the dream expert, right?
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DAy i ifnd the chapter, next oen comes out. Im in heaven right now thanks to getting two heaping helpings of trotters backwards logic.
noice mate love dis story its like cocaine I can't get enough
Eh, I see no OoC Luna here. She's boastful, quick-tempered and louder than a megaphone, but she's still a kind soul, pretty much what the show gave us in season 4. The only difference is that she's not being particularly formal.
I can't tell who is talking and to who for most of the first third of this chapter.
5139093 No offense, but have you tried reading more slowly. I wrote it so that only 2 people were talking to each other at a time.
5139129
None taken. Only two people may be talking at a time, but there are a lot of people in the room there's the griffon, Luna and trotter, and sometimes trotter is talking to the human. That's three people who could be speaking, and four who could be spoken to.
Still very intrigued by this story, and now I'm glad I came to check ff at 3 am for no reason :)
IT NEEDS MORE!
More pls