GBOYHVerse—Dented Iron

by Dragonborne Fox

Chapter II- Resigned Decisions

In hindsight, such a rash decision would have made most ponies think twice about what it was they were going to do, especially when it came to current income and similar things of that nature. Family was a very close second, though only for the truly greedy and careless. But Iron Hoof was not particularly keen to settle with most ponies on that specific side of the fence. He never really was. Thinking twice was the last thing on his mind that day.

The moment he'd gotten home, he'd packed his suitcase and gathered bits for the impending trip and then ran to the first train that would take him to Canterlot. Part of him was wondering what in the bloody Tartarus his son Helping went and did to get himself incarcerated, but part of him was inclined to not know the specifics. Iron wouldn't have liked to admit it, but the turn of phrase 'ignorance is bliss' had some grain of truth after all.

And what a truth had him gobsmacked, indeed. Even so, he had his reservations. It was one thing to learn his own son got canned, but another different ball game altogether to actually go and visit him. Doubly so, since he didn't know anything having happened until three bloody months passed, and with little on the specifics thereof to boot. He made a mental note to punish Thumbtack some more when all was said and done.

As Iron settled into his cab, he couldn't help but wonder. "My son, if you really did get incarcerated of your own volition…" A scowl crossed his face, but he seized his facial muscles to prevent himself from baring and clenching his teeth. "Celestia so help me, the klink will be a lot easier on you in comparison…" His grim expression eased, however, as another thought crossed his mind. "But if you were falsely accused…"

He shuddered at the notion. Who would have the heart to do such a thing? What reason did anypony have to bear false witness; what grudge possessed them to pull it off? How successful were they, for that matter? Was he canned for life? A couple of years? Iron's mental gears began turning, and it wasn't all too long before questions began piling up in the recesses of his mind.

"Then who accused you? Why?" He felt a pang of guilt and sorrow that was strong enough to make his chest ache and cause him to wince, but it was brief. The notion that somepony would bestow such a fate on his son was enough to spark his fuse. Somepony was going to pay dearly if such a hunch turned out to be true.

His ears started folding back as the scowl returned full force, and this time his eyes flashed with a dangerous light of righteous anger at nothing in particular. "Whoever your accuser is, I'll be sure to make them wish they had never opened their mouths. Not even Celestia herself would be able to save them from my wrath…"

Little did Iron know what he was really in for. As soon as the train whistled and the wheels started turning, there was no turning back. His mind was too firmly made up at that point, too entrenched in his goal beyond reason.

He had to get Helping out of jail. He had to get answers. He had to make sure his successor could get a good hoof-hold for when he ceased to breathe. No matter the cost. No matter if he had to trot through the very pits of Tartarus to do so.

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At that exact moment in Canterlot, several armored guards had gathered before Celestia in the throne room in a single line, all of their snowy white muzzles affixed with deep frowns so thin and tight they seemed to be stuck that way. Each guard did not even flinch as a gaze of magenta fell onto them before passing over to the next stallion in line. Celestia herself was wearing a tight frown, but it was much smaller in comparison to those that the ponies in her retinue were wearing.

Finally, she spoke in a calm voice that masked all other emotions, "Have you found anything?"

One stallion somewhere in the middle of the line stepped up and bowed. "We have found nothing, Your Highness. We're still searching under every filing cabinet and desk for any other shred of illegal, shady wrongdoings," he answered, his tone low and grim.

Celestia's brow furrowed, though only slightly. "I see," she muttered, her voice just as glum as that of the guard who'd stepped up. She'd decided to change the subject, even if only a wee bit, "How much evidence have you accrued thus far?"

The bowing guard rose onto his hooves. "Not a whole lot," he muttered. "And most of what we have is… it blurs the line between legal and illegal. We're still trying to discern which of the two it falls in." His frown deepened. "If there is one thing I cannot fault Checker Monarch for, it's her impeccable penmareship."

Celestia nodded at that. "Anything on the employees?" she pressed.

The guard shook his head again. "With the exception of Helping, all of the employees do not have any black marks or criminal records to their names. There may be a few who went under the radar, but if so, we haven't found those ones yet. The employees in Monarch Inc.'s various branches are cooperative, which at least makes this whole investigation go a lot more smoothly," he reported.

Celestia smiled at that. "I see," she cooed gently, her relief at that bit of good news evident in her voice. "And how is Helping Hoof doing?"

The guard broke out into a smile that he did not bother to hide. "Just earned his cutie mark for real," he reported. "It's sad to see him earn it incarcerated, but… but it's something he genuinely enjoys doing."

"Oh?" Celestia started beaming at that. "What is his special talent?"

"Theatrics. That colt's a natural born actor," the guard answered. "Should we throw a cute-ceañera for him?"

Celestia's smile fell a little, and she lifted a hoof to idly tap her chin at that. After giving it some thought, she nodded and lowered her hoof. "Since his crimes are minor in comparison to Checker's, and he did cooperate, I don't see why not," she answered.

The rest of the retinue started grinning, and with nods and "Yes, Your Highness" leaving their mouths at once, they turned tail and trotted out of the throne room with their spirits lifted. The moment the doors opened and closed behind them, Celestia raised her hoof again to rub her temples with a sigh.

"Mayhaps I should call off the investigation, if nothing else turns up…" she muttered under her breath with a sigh of resignation leaving her mouth.

Author's Note:

While this chapter is a bit underwhelming (IMO, anyway), I strongly felt I had to end it on this note for the sake of worldbuilding and a bit of backstory.

Comments

[Alex Warlorn]

So Checkers covered her tracks VERY WELL. Or rather, played the game so her actions fell in the LETTER of the law.

And I see Iron Hoof inventing all sorts of stories due to his lack of information, nice to see that instead of leaping to the right conclusion like a Mary Sue would.

[Dragonborne Fox]

8506039 :D Then again, he got the info three months late, and not a lot of it either.

And yeah, Mary Sues are overrated these days. :3 Another reason updates are slow; I am trying to avoid going Sue (legal pun lawl) with this story.

[Jatheus]

It still leaves a bit of mystery as to what is going on. I’m still interested to see where this goes. I though Helping was older, so that was a bit of a surprise, but it was a good one