535 - Good News, Bad News
“Nosey! It’s me! Open up!”
The sound of her editor’s voice, accompanied by a series of heavy knocks, made Nosey’s eyes flutter open. For a split-second she didn’t know where she was or what was happening, registering only that she wasn’t in her bed and that there was a sick sense of dread building in her gut. Had she been having a nightmare?
Then Silhouette limped into the bathroom, the sight of him bringing a rush of memory, and she recalled that she hadn’t had a nightmare; she was living one.
“Don’t try anything stupid,” hissed the black-and-white stallion, glaring down at her as though Line’s being there was her fault before he turned and crouched in the hallway, ready to pounce if Line somehow made his way inside.
Had Nosey not been sore, exhausted, and terrified, the warning would have made her laugh. What exactly was he worried about her doing? She was bound, gagged – Silhouette having shoved a washcloth in her muzzle, which was tied closed now that he was finished interrogating her – and had a rubber band around her horn, which had already gone numb from lack of circulation. He hadn’t even given her back her glasses after knocking them off her face in the initial struggle.
Another round of knocking dragged her attention back to the stallion at her front door. “Nosey!” called Line, loud enough that she could hear him clearly. “Look, I know we didn’t leave things in a good place last night, but something’s happened!” He paused then, and Nosey could almost hear him glancing around suspiciously. Line was like her, a reporter through and through, and he wouldn’t want to let a juicy piece of news slip before it was ready to be published. "Princess Luna wants to speak with you!”
That was enough to make Nosey’s ears perk up. Silhouette had spent the remainder of the night peppering her with questions about Lex, refusing to let her sleep until dawn broke. But in between telling him what he’d wanted to know, Nosey had managed to get a few tidbits of information out of him as well, one of which was that his insistence on keeping dusk-to-dawn hours was an attempt to avoid having Princess Luna stumble across his dreams; apparently she only patrolled the “dream realm” at night, when she was awake, something which Silhouette had learned during his time as part of her guard.
But she’d also confirmed that whatever madness Silhouette was struggling with was firmly centered on Luna. Just mentioning her made his composure waver, and even vaguely alluding to what Lex had done to her was enough to send him into a fit, moaning and shaking as though the memory caused him pain. While Nosey still wasn’t certain why Luna’s defeat had pushed Silhouette over the edge, she’d learned to tread very carefully around that particular subject…and now Line had inadvertently blundered right into it.
Sure enough, she saw Silhouette suddenly go rigid, his focus shattered by the sound of his fallen goddess’s name. The readied crouch he’d fallen into was abandoned a second later as he lurched forward, as though planning on throwing the door open, only to stop so abruptly that he almost fell over, his body language screaming confusion. For a moment he stayed like that, frozen, before turning and hurrying back toward her.
“Nosey?” This time Line’s voice was less certain, and she knew that it was a precursor to him giving up and leaving.
Silhouette, apparently, knew that too, rushing forward and tearing the gag out of her mouth. “Keep him talking!” he hissed. “Find out what’s going on! But don’t try anything funny, or else!”
Nodding, Nosey licked her lips, her mouth horribly dry. “Line?” she called, silently hoping that he hadn’t already walked away. “Line, is that you?”
For a few seconds there was no answer, and she watched as the anxiety grew on Silhouette’s face. If he didn’t get the answers he wanted-
“Nosey?”
The sound of Line’s voice made Nosey close her eyes in silent relief. Standing over her, Silhouette let out a breath so heavy he almost collapsed. “I’m here!” she called again, trying to think up a plausible excuse. “Sorry, I didn’t hear you! I was, um…I had the water running! I’m taking a bath!”
The intense look that Silhouette gave her then was one of suspicion mixed with frustration, baring his teeth at her in a silent threat. Whether to sound more natural or to hurry and move the conversation back around to Luna she wasn’t sure. Probably both.
But he needn’t have bothered; Nosey had every intention of indulging him.
To do otherwise risked losing her chance to escape.
At some point during her pre-dawn interrogation, the shock and terror brought on by being attacked in her own home had faded, replaced by…something else. It wasn’t outrage or indignation or anger, though all of those were there. Rather, it was like an acute sense of concentration, as though she were studying a particularly vexing problem, one that was happening to somepony else. And while Silhouette’s madness and potential for violence were still frightening, that fear no longer made her lose her ability to be rational, and because of that she’d been able to seize on the significance of what was happening now.
Most of the time, Silhouette was methodical in everything that he did. He’d effortlessly subdued her, made sure to bind her in a way that made escape impossible, and even eliminated the minor chance that she’d be able to potentially receive help in her dreams. In that respect, it was easy to see why he’d been a commander in the Royal Guard, able to overcome even a Siren back in Vanhoover.
But all of that went out the window when Luna came up. When she was introduced into the conversation, his self-control completely fell apart. More than that, he became sloppy. Nosey didn’t consider herself an expert on capers or heists or any sort of criminal activity, but even she knew that it would have been smarter for Silhouette to simply keep her quiet until the pony who’d come looking for her left. But now that Line mentioned the name of Silhouette’s goddess, her captor was suddenly willing to let her answer him, which was a huge risk regardless of how much he threatened her.
It was an opportunity Nosey had no intention of missing.
Especially since she hadn’t seen him use any spells the way he had back in Vanhoover…spells which he’d received from Luna, according to what the princess had said.
“Well get out and open the door!” came Line’s voice, laced with impatience. “I need to tell you what’s happened so you can get ready!”
“Just a second!” she called, before looking back at the two-toned stallion beside her. “I need to go to the door! I won’t let him in, but he’ll be suspicious if I keep yelling at him from another room like this!”
“You’re staying right where you are,” growled Silhouette. “Just figure out what he knows and send him away!”
Nosey took a half-second to weigh the risk of what she was about to try. Silhouette’s order was rational, and that was a problem. While it would have been difficult to get Line to tell her what was going on while she refused to even approach the door, let alone let him in, Nosey felt reasonably sure she could have done it. But that wouldn’t have gotten her any closer to freeing herself, which meant that she needed to throw Silhouette off his game…and she knew just how to do that.
Let’s just hope this doesn’t result in a black eye.
“He won’t tell me what he knows about Princess Luna if he has to yell it like that,” whispered Nosey. “He’s a reporter, he’ll be too worried about whatever scoop he has being overheard.”
Just like she’d hoped, the princess’s name visibly threw Silhouette for a loop. Instantly, his eyes darted back toward the front door, their harsh glare now filled with uncertainty. His breath quickened, shifting his weight between his legs as though preparing to spring. He raised a hoof a moment later, and Nosey tensed, but he didn’t cock it back, instead pressing it to his head, biting his lip.
When he looked back at her a second later, she could see the desperation written across his face. “If you try anything,” he murmured at her, struggling to fill his voice with the malice he’d had only a few seconds ago, “I swear I’ll bury you.”
Nosey nodded quickly, making appropriately-meek sounds of obedience, but internally she was cheering as Silhouette grabbed the scissors and cut her legs free. Biting back a groan at how stiff her limbs felt, she slowly turned over and climbed out of the tub, trudging toward the front door as Silhouette followed close behind her. “Coming!” she called before Line could ask what was taking so long. “I just had to dry off!”
“Just let me in already!”
Now came the risky part. As she walked toward the door, Nosey listed slightly to the side, putting her close enough to her fallen spectacles for one hoof to reach out and scoop them up. Behind her, she heard Silhouette give a soft snarl, causing her to tense up. But he didn’t otherwise object, likely considering her transgression too small to warrant a more aggressive response, and Nosey held back a smile as she put her glasses back on.
Now she just needed to keep Line talking about whatever was going on with the princess, while simultaneously refusing to let him in. Otherwise, this wasn’t going to work. Although the door was barely five feet away, Silhouette was closer than that, and despite the wild look still being in his eyes, Nosey knew that if she tried to make a break for it, he’d be on her before her hoof ever reached the knob. “I’m still mad at you, Line,” she called, speaking at a more reasonable volume now that the distance between them had shrunk. “You can tell me whatever’s going on from out there.”
“From out he-, Nosey c’mon! You…” Even with a door between them, Nosey could hear him sigh. “Look, I’m sorry that you feel upset, but I’m the editor of the Chronicle. That means that it’s my call, and right now the story you brought me isn’t ready for publication. But it is ready for the princess, and she wants to hear it from you, so let’s act like grownups and start preparing.”
Nosey had to force herself not to look over at Silhouette. “Princess Luna wants to hear from me?”
Another sigh came from Line, this one of resignation. “She’d like to go over your notes with you, to see if you can fill in some gaps. She wants you there as of sunset tonight.” Perhaps thinking that wouldn’t be enough to get her to stop acting so petulant, he kept going. “She also wants you to be the one to write the story on an announcement she’s going to make.”
“What announcement?” Even speaking in a whisper, Silhouette’s voice was strangled. “Ask him what announcement!”
“What announcement?” echoed Nosey.
“…it’s not my place to say,” replied Line, and Nosey could hear the puzzlement in his voice. He knew her well enough to know that dangling a tidbit like that should have been irresistible to her. Now if he’d just start putting the pieces together…!
“Make him say!” hissed Silhouette. Out of her peripheral vision, Nosey could see that he was trembling.
“I’m not opening this door if you don’t tell me, Line!” Paying careful attention to see if Silhouette noticed what she was doing, Nosey reached a hoof up to – ostensibly – adjust her glasses as she saw that the stallion was staring intently at the door, more concerned with the pony behind it than with her.
Hopefully he’ll stay that way! Carefully, she pushed the rim of her glasses against the rubber band coiled around the base of her horn.
“You know how Luna came back from Vanhoover…injured?” began Line, and this time Nosey was sure that he knew something was up. She could hear it in his voice.
But all Silhouette heard was the reference to what had happened to the mare he worshiped, and just like before it hit him like a physical blow. He doubled over, and Nosey could see him convulsing as though fighting not to retch. “Yeah?” she called, working her glasses faster. The rubber band was steadily rolling upward, causing her to wince as the blood began rushing back to her horn, making it tingle painfully.
“She’s going to tell all of Equestria what Lex Legis did to her.” The news made Silhouette’s eyes – suddenly bloodshot – widen in abject horror, his body going completely still.
“…no…”
Nosey worked her glasses faster, no longer trying to disguise what she was doing as the rubber band reached the tip of her horn and fell off.
“And,” finished Line, “she’s going to publicly declare that she’s no longer a goddess.”
“NOOOOOO!!!”
Stats
Page generated in 0.073 seconds
Total duration
1,050 users online
1,727,320 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Huh so it was words that let the cat out of the bag. Still, even if she's freed both physically and magically(though having it just released from its bonds is likely similar to the feeling one gets in their legs when they've sit down on it for too long so any magic would be pretty rough), she is still dealing with a former commander of the Royal Guard, though his emotional state might just tilt the situation in her favor in her escape since fighting him, even if his deranged state, is ill-advised.
Best outcome, Nosey and Line escape and inform the princesses though I do wonder if it will end up that way. Though the likeliest option is Line trying to be a hero and cause some minor inconvenience. Guess we'll find out.
Oh crud.
Desperate mothers and madmen have no restrictions and will destroy themselves trying to complete their actions.
Nosy will be lucky her building remains.
10527668 One thing I wanted to try and reiterate in this chapter, but couldn't find a way to, is that Silhouette currently has two negative levels. This is a result of Princess Cadance having the power to bring people back to life as per raise dead.
We actually see this alluded to right after Silhouette is brought back to life, in chapter 423 - The Revitalizing Return, when Twilight tells him:
The issue in this chapter was that it was all written from Nosey's perspective, and she didn't have much of a chance to see Silhouette straining himself, so she couldn't note that he seemed unusually lethargic or that he seemed to tire with unnatural speed. But the negative levels acquired from being brought back that way don't fade over time, so he should still be suffering from their effects.
All of which is to say that if things devolve into a fight (which seems like a distinct possibility at this point), Silhouette won't necessarily have an overwhelming advantage from his time in the Royal Guard.
10528000 Yeah, at this point Silhouette doesn't really seem to be including "consequences" as a factor in his decision-making, which makes him extremely dangerous, what with the insanity and all.
10529773
Le sigh clerics and their inane beliefs in gods wizard is the clearly superior class it seems
10529797 Lex would certainly agree. Then again, he can barely heal and could only resurrect a few ponies one time (and that was thanks to the Night Mare's largess) whereas Cadance can do both over and over without much trouble.
Also, nice to see that you're still following the story!
10529863
Sure can and level 20 cleric is busted as all level 20 class are, if he was a level 20 wizard he could literally wish for something XD
Indeed I am I'll keep my EYE on you hehe