Overture
Lyra's hands trembled slightly as she cut lettuce. In a relationship, communication is key. But there are things that go unsaid, things that are implied, things that are kept away deep inside, things that she came to learn about Adrian. Simple things like how he liked his coffee, or the reason behind the calluses on his hands. Things like how he had gotten the scars on his back during their lovemaking, or what folder he hid his Internet pornography in.
And sometimes, life throws you a curveball. This side of Adrian, she did not see coming.
He didn't hear her shout at him. He ignored her, and not just her, but all of them. And the worst part of it all was that he seemed oblivious to how frightening he was. His soft, mellow voice had become something bordering unstable and utterly psychotic as he wore down Pinocchio with each word. The violence he was capable of committing horrified her, justified as it was. She shivered, squirming as she remembered how his smooth hands had run over her skin, gently caressing her in the night, stroking her flesh. How could hands capable of such love be used for something so awful?
This was not the calm before the storm. This was the foreboding drumroll of rumbling thunder leading up to the inevitable. Lightning lanced through the black night sky. Hard rain washed down his windows.
His body seemed relaxed. His expression, dazed. His breathing, slow and lethargic. Adrian leaned his head against the window, his glazed eyes watching droplets of rain slide down the glass.
For a while the strawberry-haired shrinking violet was tending to Pinocchio's wounds. She fixed the changeling's broken nose with a butterfly plaster, bandaged up a few of her cuts from when he'd tossed a vase at her, stitched up her split lip, and gave her a few painkillers. He stood, towering over Pinocchio, who sat up against the wall while Fluttershy crouched next to her. And Adrian had half a mind to undo all Fluttershy's hard work.
He was sorely tempted to kick in her teeth down her throat.
"Thank you," Pinocchio said quietly, still a little sickly-looking.
"It's no trouble," the pegasus replied with a blush.
As a matter of fact, the changeling was looking better and better with each passing moment. Her pale, sickly skin wasn't so pale as it used to be. In fact, some of her bruises were fading. Her icy blue eyes seemed more alert. It clicked in Adrian's head.
His fist clenched around the grip. "Are you feeding off of her?" he snarled.
"Um, it's alright," Fluttershy said. "I-I don't mind, really."
Pinocchio was eternally grateful.
"Don't try anything stupid."
"If...If I'm going to help you, I need to be in the best shape I can be," Pino shot back weakly.
Lyra was busy helping Applejack and Pinkie make dinner. He came up from behind and gently touched her shoulder. He felt her tense up. She froze.
"You need any help?"
Lyra shook her head. It took her a second to actually use words. "N-no, we're okay." She was pulling away from his touch.
It wasn't even that kind of touch.
Adrian bit the inside of his cheek and stormed away. He shoved open the front door and let it close. Gilda was outside underneath the balcony, reclining in a chair with her feet up on a table and watching the rain trickle down from the drainpipes and the occasional car speed by, contemplating another cigarette. He wrapped himself a little tighter in his windbreaker and pulled up a second chair and wordlessly sat down, exhaling.
"You pissed?" Gilda murmured, brushing a bang behind her ear.
"No."
"Okay."
Adrian flinched, hearing thunder erupt. It sounded like a gunshot.
"You cold?" Adrian inquired.
"Nah."
Lightning flashed. He swallowed, breathing a little harder. The muzzle flash of the gun.
Adrian took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of rain. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Pino's DROID phone. He had deactivated it as soon as he realized that Chrysalis could track them. He chucked the phone as hard as he could off his front porch into the street. A car passed by and crushed it underneath its tires.
He reached over to the pack of cigarettes and the Zippo sitting on the table.
"You mind?" He took it anyway.
"You smoke?"
"Depends," he answered, popping open the top and shaking one out and pursing his lips. With practiced hands he used a palm to cover the flame from the wind and flicked his thumb, striking a weak flame. It ate away at the paper. He took one, two puffs.
Gilda arched an eyebrow. Adrian choked, suddenly coughing up a storm.
"Okay, a little different from pot."
"That's what I thought," Gilda smirked. She took one for herself, trying to light it several times. The sparks refused to ignite. "Gimme a light."
Adrian took a drag. "Don't have one."
Gilda rolled her eyes, keeping her cigarette in her lips. "Right here." She leaned in, cupping his face, and pressed her cigarette to Adrian's lit tip, their eyes locked and their faces in close proximity. He blushed faintly. Seconds later she pulled away.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Yeah. Of course. Nothing like Jägermeister and dubstep to keep a migraine off."
"You change pretty quick."
"Excuse me?"
She lazily waved, flinging ashes everywhere. "One second you're shy and quiet and then bam, you're vicious."
"I wasn't."
"You were," she insisted. "You should have heard yourself. Your voice was deep and low and it was like you were growling."
"I...don't know," he admitted.
"That's not an answer."
He shrugged. "I don't know. I was mad."
"Clearly."
He glared at Gilda. "I was mad and all I could see was Pinocchio. I wanted to do even worse things to her. Maybe if you guys weren't watching, maybe I would have."
"Killed her?"
Adrian stiffened. He remembered holding the gun to her head with one hand. Holding her life in his hands. God, he felt so powerful.
Like a God.
"I was just doing it to scare her. Wasn't gonna shoot."
"Did you want to?"
"No." Adrian extended the H&K USP45 off to the Gilda, grasping it by the barrel, the grip facing her. "Listen, maybe you should take this." He added, "You know how to use it better than I do."
Gilda's golden eyes flicked down at the firearm. She grasped the grip and tucked it away. "Sure," she smirked, tucking it in her leather jacket.
Adrian's head snapped to her. "Screw you," he said cooly.
"I didn't say anything."
"I said I wasn't gonna do it. I mean what I say."
"I believe you," Gilda said earnestly. "Total freaking silence, okay?"
They relaxed, resigning themselves to feel the bitter chill of the wet wind on their faces. Adrian wrapped himself a little tigher in his jacket.
"You ever get bullied?" Adrian piped up.
"I thought we weren't talking."
"Shut up," he murmured.
Gilda chewed her lip. "Nah. Never got bullied."
"Not even once?"
"Once," she quickly said. "But that was the first time." She took a drag on her cigarette, blowing smoke. "And last time."
"Were you a bully?" Adrian said, his tone darkening.
Gilda was choosing her words carefully. "Maybe."
"I hate them." His cigarette was almost a stub by now and he hadn't even taken more than three drags. He kept it between his lips, not daring to breathe in. The ashes fell off. "I hate them so bad."
"Hate's a strong word."
"Sometimes, there were times during high school, just one of those days where I was just ready to snap. I thought there was something wrong with me. Just walking to my next class and I was thinking about just punching the person in front of me for no reason."
"Not too crazy."
"No reason. But there was this one guy I wanted to do some serious damage to. Straight up sneak up and punch him in the throat and just stomp on his face in front of everybody. Kick him in the ribs a few times." He let out a laugh. "And I thought...if I had the guts to do that, no one would ever mess with me again."
"You got bullied?"
He paused for a while. "Yeah. It got better. People grow up. I'm friends with them now. And all of a sudden," he swallowed, "all that...had nowhere to go. I was so focused on hurting someone. I'm not a closet psychopath. I was just mad." He took a breath. "And one day, I wasn't mad anymore. Life was great. Had a car." He shrugged. "Had a girlfriend. Got accepted into uni. Life was good."
"Sucks."
"I was just...I wanted to know, you know? What it felt like to—to hit someone, kick someone, hurt someone."
"Curiosity killed the cat." She titled her head. "You ever been in a fight?"
"Does it count if it's one-sided?" he snorted.
"Well, you won your first one." She nodded. "So. How do you feel?"
"Pretty shitty," he admitted. "I thought that was how the other guy was supposed to feel."
"Did you like it?"
He gaped. "What?"
"Winning," Gilda said, tapping the ashes off her cigarette. "Getting to whale on her after you beat her."
His jaw dropped. He shook his head. "W-what? I-I wouldn't do that. I didn't."
"I'm not stupid."
He bit the inside of his cheek and shook his head furiously.
"You had her by the collar and kept hitting her. I saw her face. No one has aim that good."
Adrian was adamant.
"Did you like it?"
His jaw dropped. "I...no! Of course I didn't like it."
"Adrian, no one's saying that it's wrong to feel like that."
He shook his head. "Lyra's scared of me." He chewed his lip. "She's scared of me. I'd never lay a finger on her, but...but when I touched her, she pulled away. I feel like an asshole."
"She understands."
He let out a scoff.
"Pino started it," Gilda continued. "You finished it. It's alright to win. You hit her after she was down, didn't you?"
Adrian breathed hard and closed his eyes. "Seriously, Gilda."
"It's cool. Anyone would have done that. Pretty dirty," she mused. "Even after that you were pretty scary."
He laughed bitterly. "I never thought someone say I was scary. I'm the least scary person ever."
"That's what made it even worse," Gilda said. "How unpredictable you are. It was like—like the flick of a switch."
Snap.
Adrian idly rubbed his bandaged hands. "Well, when someone tries to kill you maybe that's what happens. Maybe when humans feel threatened we do things we wouldn't normally think of doing. Things we never thought we could do." He snorted.
"Maybe," she shrugged.
"You kill someone before?"
That wasn't a question you asked anybody. Gilda paused, as if she had to think about it. She turned towards him and opened her mouth. Before she could answer there was a knock behind them. Twilight peeked from the door.
"Dinner's ready."
Gilda and Adrian gave each other a look.
Was she eavesdropping?
Dinner was a silent affair. Lyra's cooking, combined with the efforts of Applejack and Pinkie Pie, was in short, amazing. It began with a salad and balsalmic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil dressing with freshly baked croutons, canned corn, and tangerines. Then came the garlic and onion pasta garnished with mint leaves, pepper, and a dash of spice. And for dessert, cupcakes.
And it was for that reason it hurt to think about how dinner was once an affair only between them. Their dinners always began with fresh groceries and music and would end with both of them full and exhausted from having to clean the dishes. And despite all of the burned meals, the mishaps, and occasional grease fire, it was hopelessly, pathetically romantic.
Everyone sat at the table. He relocated himself to the couch. The food was probably delicious, but at the moment, it hurt to swallow. It was silent, save for the sound of utensils and plates clinking together. He liked to think that they were communicating telepathically, probably about him.
Pino suddenly planted herself down next to him on the couch. Adrian flinched, nearly taking a steak knife to her throat.
"Hello."
"Hey," he said as pleasantly as he could, scooting away from her.
In a flash of green fire, Pino reemerged as Lyra. "If you could change anything about her, what would you do?"
It took a moment for him to register that the question was directed towards him. "What?" He peered over his shoulder.
The real Lyra looked positively green in more ways than one. She glowered at the changeling and huffed.
"What would you change?"
Pino stood up and did a little twirl.
"I can change anything," she said in Lyra's voice, only with a much more sensous lilt and tone.
"Lyra" winked, batting her golden eyes, tossing her green hair back. She leaned forward, her bust much larger than the unicorn's. She squeezed them.
"Nice new tits?"
Adrian's lip twitched. "Lyra's are better."
"They're small," Pino pointed out.
"Hey!" Lyra huffed.
"Much more perky," Adrian said.
His answer seemed to placate the girl.
Physical attraction plays a part in a relationship, but alone it was nothing. There is emotional attraction, spiritual attraction. Call it what you want. It is impossible to love every single inch of your lover.
Pino turned around, bending over a little. Twilight choked on her pasta.
"A nice ass?"
"Already perfect." Adrian stabbed a piece of pasta. "I like Lyra just the way she is. She doesn't have to look like an airbrushed model." He snuck a glance.
Lyra's eyes widened and her heart soared.
Pino frowned and changed back. "Hmph. No need to be so serious."
A beat.
"Okay, maybe her boobs could be a little bigger," he admitted.
Adrian felt the need to indulge himself in America's favorite past-time after dinner. He rubbed his head with a smirk, still feeling the sting of Lyra's slap after his comment on her cup size.
Everyone lazed around the living room in various stages of lethargy. Rainbow plopped herself on top of Gilda, who was reclining and hogged an entire couch. Fluttershy and Rarity and Pinkie Pie sat at the dining table, sipping away at some tea and some treats. Twilight and Lyra sat next to him on the couch. Applejack watched Pino closely with the both of them in a loveseat.
"Dash, get offa me."
"Nah," Rainbow said.
"Dash, get off."
"So this television," Twilight said. "You can watch up to hundreds, even thousands of plays?"
Adrian nodded. "Sure. Plays. Shows. And sometimes there are commercials."
"Like advertisements."
Adrian nodded, eyes glazed over, the flicker of the flat-screen on his face. "Talk shows and news."
"Wow," she uttered, absolutely baffled. "That's amazing."
An obnoxious laugh track rang from the TV. Big Bang Theory was his go-to when he needed to feel stupid for a little bit.
Applejack gave a little chuckle. "This Sheldon is a lot like you, Twilight. Uses lotsa big words, awful smart, awkward."
Twilight gasped. "I am not awkward!" She looked around. "Right?"
Adrian cleared his throat awkwardly, flipping the channel.
"Today, the killer of a Seattle man in a warehouse district has been arrested. He was found carrying the victim's empty wallet and a gun after a car chase and a standoff. For what seemed to be hours, police cruisers surrounded the building shown here."
"How can she be so matter-of-factly about it?" Rarity said.
"That's awful!" Twilight exclaimed.
Adrian found himself saying, "So?"
"So?" Twilight was taken aback. "So someone's been killed!"
He stared. "I'm guessing murder doesn't happen very often in Equestria?"
She shook his head. "But you don't even care!"
"I don't," he shrugged, getting up to get a drink. "I mean I do. My condolences to the family, but what can I do?" He gestured towards Lyra, who had been staring blankly off into space. "You've been reading those history textbooks. Notice a trend?"
For the first time in a while, Lyra actually replied, "Yeah. Lots of wars," she remarked with a hum. "Lots of killing."
"There you go," he said, opening the fridge. "We're really good at that. Isn't it amazing?"
"'Amazing' isn't the word I'd use," Twilight said slowly. "What's your point?"
"It's amazing how a million deaths is a statistic, but one death is a tragedy," he said. "You read those numbers. How come you aren't mad? I'd be foaming at the mouth."
"I am mad. It's terrible," Lyra agreed.
"It is. It's absolutely horrible. But one guy you don't even know dies," he said, gesturing towards the TV, "and you're up in arms."
Twilight paused. "You're right."
"I know," he said.
"That's so weird." Lyra bit her lip. "Doesn't it make you mad sometimes, the things we do?"
"We?" he snorted.
"Humans. How we can do such bad things toward each other?"
"It does. That's why I hate watching this," he said. He shrugged. "But you and me aren't 'we'. We don't represent humanity." He cleared his throat, shifting over. "Well, at least I don't. I'm not saying that we're perfect. People aren't perfect. But sometimes people seem to forget that people can do good things too. And we do do good things. It's just that the good gets lost in all the bad, so those people just talk about the bad and never the good."
"I guess you're right," Twilight sighed.
Adrian turned the volume down, sighing a bit. "Sparkle, humans aren't all the same. It's just too easy to group us all into one group and call us 'bad'. We're a diverse species. We're all different, each and every one of us."
Lyra mused, "Sometimes it just feels like there's so many bad people out there."
"The world is full of bad people," he said cynically.
When he saw her distraught expression, he did the unthinkable and touched her hand. She flinched just a little, but let him hold her hand. He gently squeezed her.
"And good people too. And some in between."
They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the weather.
"But does it not make you want to change things?" Rarity inquired.
"Make the world a better place," Fluttershy added. "A little kindness goes a long way."
"Look, I try and give money. You know, charity and stuff like that, within my means." He shrugged. "I'm young. I'm handsome. I could be one of those liberal arts activists." He snickered. "You know, save the trees, save the whales."
Lyra noted, "You saved me, didn't you?"
He faced her. "I can't help everyone. I can try. I helped you because I was the only one there."
"But when it comes to all that other stuff, you expect someone else to do it."
He rubbed at his chin, listening to the scratchy sound of his fingers rubbing against his hair. "Huh," he finally said.
"Just some food for thought," Lyra said.
She squeezed his hand, her thumb lovingly caressing his skin. She smiled just a little.
Midnight. By then everyone had dozed off. Applejack pointed out how Rainbow and Gilda slept soundly together, with the Pegasus laying atop the gryphon in an intimate manner, her face shoved into the biker's bosom. The farmer took the other couch. Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight took the guest room with a few sleeping bags.
Adrian dangled a set of plasticuffs in front of Pino's face.
"Gimme your wrists."
"Kinky," Pino leered. "All we need is a riding crop and we're set."
"Shut up," Adrian snapped.
He pulled the cuffs taut, giving little room for movement. He moved a little lower, down to her feet.
"Isn't this a bit excessive?" Pino asked as her ankles were also bound.
"The blindfold and gag are optional," he deadpanned.
"Yeesh."
"The floor is optional too, if you don't like the couch," he added.
Pino nodded, trying to get comfortable in the loveseat, her feet dangling over the edge.
"I'll be watchin' you, you hear?" Applejack told the changeling.
Satisfied with the living arrangements, Adrian looked for Lyra. She was in the kitchen, finishing up the last of the dishes.
He approached her. "Lyra, you don't have to do the dishes."
She didn't answer for a while. She scrubbed at the last dish and placed it in the washer. "And done!"
He jerked his head. "C'mon. Time for bed."
She yawned. "Called the couch—"
"Taken," Applejack piped up.
"The other couch—"
Gilda and Rainbow mumbled.
"The loveseat—"
"Occupied," Pino butted in.
Lyra glared. "The floor."
Adrian shook his head. "No you're not." He put his hand on her back, leading her.
"It's alright." She pushed his hand away.
"C'mon." He tested the waters, gently grabbing her hand. She made no move to snatch it away and only tensed up. "You can have my bed."
Without asking he dragged her upstairs. Lyra trailed behind like a child.
"Then where are you going to sleep?" she asked, protesting.
"The floor," he echoed with a smirk.
"No you're not," Lyra said.
They were at an impasse. Neither said anything. Adrian moved first, not willing to pursue the issue any longer, and began slipping beneath the covers. A moment later he felt Lyra join him in bed, back to back with him. They faced away from each other, uncomfortably aware of each others' presence and warmth.
"Night," Adrian said.
Lyra echoed his words.
And just like that, all his troubles seemed to melt away for those precious eight hours.
Until morning. The sun did not rise. A pale yellow light streamed through his blinds. There was a faint trickling sound from the roof. Adrian peered outside of his blinds. It was your typical Seattle overcast, misty and wet.
When Lyra opened her eyes she expected him to be by her side. She shifted, and felt emptiness. Only his lingering warmth remained. She moved towards his side of the bed and wrapped herself tighter in the blankets.
Adrian cleared his throat, thinking of his words. This was no proper way to say goodbye. But he dialed the number on his home's cordless phone, standing outside in his background. He didn't wait for the ring. He went straight to voicemail.
"To leave a message, stay on the line."
Adrian's jaw clenched.
"Mom? It's uh...it's me."
He thought about his parents.
"Hope you're having a great time, wherever you are."
He thought about his mom, tearfully saying goodbye to her "baby" as he went off into the big bad world of college.
He sat down, finding his words. "L-Look, I know you and dad want to see me off to uni, but I just got this i-invitation from my dormmate and I wanna meet him, so..."
He thought about his dad. The good times, the bad times.
"I'm gonna pack all my stuff and take the car. You already paid for parking so that'll be okay. I-I can't promise I won't start drinking, hah. But, I guess, this is goodbye for now."
He paused.
"Bye. I'll pick you up from the airport."
He hung up the phone, putting it back in its charger with a click and heaved a sigh.
"We need to leave now."
"Adrian—" Lyra started.
He faced her with a steely gaze. "No, you listen to me. The longer I stay here, the more danger my parents are in and I am not going to risk that!"
There was no longer any fear in his eyes. He wasn't some scared little boy anymore; he was eighteen years old and it was about time he took control of his life. His parents couldn't be responsible for him any more. They couldn't pay for his mistakes.
"I know," she said softly. "I'm sorry."
"What's done is done. We need to go someplace safe. Get off the streets, stay under the radar." Jesus, it sounded so cheesy. "For now. Until the deal."
"A motel?" Gilda suggested.
He rolled his eyes. "I said safe, not completely exposed with no security." Adrian thought for a moment. "Marriott Hotel should be good."
"But first, we need to make a stop," Pino said.
"Turn here."
Chrysalis clearly had no sense of location, judging by her choice of real estate. The neighborhood was...a bad one, in a place that could have been a war zone by itself. The apartment was, in a word, "sketch". It was a dark, dank, decrepit studio apartment with a narrow hallway into a place with only a mattress and a coffee table with a laptop on it. The paint was peeling on the wall.
Pino had been given her share of armaments and funds. "In there."
Adrian slid open a sliding closet door.
"Oh man, look at all this gear!" Gilda said eagerly.
Semiautomatic handguns, a rifle, and a shotgun from every corner of the globe lay strewn out on the coffee table with assorted magazines and ammunition, none of them having any serial numbers. There were half a dozen stun and smoke grenades as well, and Adrian swore that he saw a few blocks of C4. Seeing all of these made it that much more real to him, hammering home the gravity of the situation.
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Gilda grinned. She hefted a match-grade AR-15 rifle, aiming down the telescopic sight.
"Are these firearms? Like flintlocks?"
Adrian nodded. "Something like that." He looked at her. "You guys have flintlocks in uh, Equestria?"
"Not us," the wizard said. "The gryphons. They use them for hunting and sport." A bit later she added tentatively, "And for...self-defense."
"Are we going to kill them?" Fluttershy asked.
Adrian froze. This was the same boy who felt guilty for returning washed clothes to the department store, for coming up short on a tip at a restaurant. Now he was contemplating murder. In his mind, he tried to call it something else, call them something else. They weren't people, they were bugs. It wasn't murder, it was pest control, or self-defense.
"Why can't we just go hoof to hoof?" Rainbow asked. "Err, hand to hand. We fought them last time."
"Rainbow, last time we lost," Applejack pointed out. "They all transformed to look like us. It was hard telling who was who."
"And barely held our own before being captured," Rarity added.
"You guys fought them before?" Adrian asked skeptically.
"There were a lot of them," Rainbow said, puffing her chest. "But we kicked bug butt."
He was not entirely convinced. "You girls fought an army of changelings."
"What's so crazy about that?"
"We're going up against changelings," Twilight explained when some of the others were reluctant to touch them. "It couldn't hurt to defend ourselves with something more than our bare hands."
Five heads nodded in agreement. Everyone began loading things into black duffel bags. Things that were needed, things that could be useful. Appropriate ammuntion for specific weapons, holsters, magazine pouches, vests, et cetera.
Rainbow Dash opted for the Beretta PX4 Storm as a sidearm and Applejack equipped herself with a Colt M1911 .45. Gilda kept the rifle and took a Jericho 941 "Baby Eagle".
"You a good shot?"
The gryphon nodded. "Heck yeah. They don't call me 'Hawkeye' for nothing."
"They call you 'Hawkeye'?" Rainbow snorted.
Lyra already was carrying her olive-drab Glock 26. Twilight took a Taurus PT92 and Pinkie happily took up the explosives, juggling a few grenades. Fluttershy and Rarity refused to arm themselves.
And Adrian kept the H&K USP45, much to Pino's chagrin. It would have been cliché to mention that it was heavy and felt like a brick in his hand, but it was. There was some serious weight to it and it was bulky, yet slim. He thumbed the magazine release.
Twelve hollow-points in a clip. Not much.
He found a good holster and dual magazine pouch, securing them on his belt. He felt like a gunslinger.
"You know how to use it?" Gilda inquired.
His use of firearms extended only to last summer at a shooting range where he plinked away with a .22 peashooter at a paper target less than seven yards away wearing hearing protection. He understood how to hold it and a proper stance, but absolutely none of that extended to actual combat training where he was moving, ducking, dodging, or diving for his life.
So basically, he knew about as much as anyone how to pull the trigger.
"It's like a camera, right?"
He racked the slide, chambering a round.
"Point and shoot."
Adrian took a deep breath. He let it out. He closed his eyes and let the sour smell of rain fill his nostrils.
Sour. Decay. Destruction. Pollution.
He stood, elbows against the balcony of their hotel suite. They were lucky to get three rooms on such short notice, seeing as it was summer. Then again, a little money went a long way in terms of securing a safehouse. In terms of security, there was little that could stop creatures that could transform at will to look like anyone and seemed to have endless resources and finances. How much of that was true was anybody's guess.
"We need to stay here, where it's safe," Adrian had said. "Don't go outside unless you have to. They know our faces and they'll recognize you too."
The guns were hidden beneath the bed. He'd specifically requested that no maids were to enter any of their suites, and he had given the woman a wink and a promise to keep things clean.
The look on her face!
"Mm. What a view," Lyra said, joining him by his side. She wasn't quite as touchy, but that was alright by him. He wasn't ready to forgive her yet.
"Yeah," he croaked.
For a moment he thought about how easily someone could snipe them from where they were standing.
Morbid, much?
The rain during the day had stopped for the most part, the sound of faint trickling only heard from the balcony and drainpipes. There was a faint mist in the black night. Seattle was lit up like Christmas, like a metropolis should be.
Adrian turned around. Everyone joined together in Adrian and Lyra's suite to listen in. He handed Pino a Nokia burner phone. "Call her."
Pino stared. "Okay?"
"We call her using a disposable. It's obvious she can track us. Let's get out stories straight. Gilda and Lyra are dead. The Elements of Harmony don't exist. The less Chrysalis knows, the better." He nodded. "Make the call."
Pino nodded. She dialed the numbers in hesitantly before handing it to Adrian. It rang three times.
"Hello?" Chrysalis asked.
"Excuse me ma'am, is your refrigerator running?"
"BAHAHAHAHAmmgh!"
Thud!
"Pinkie, be quiet!" Rainbow Dash hissed.
All of the other Elements had to wrestle Pinkie to the ground to contain her outburst. She could barely contain her laughter, her eyes watering as she thrashed. Gilda raised an eyebrow, snickering.
He frowned. "Hello?"
Moments later Chrysalis answered, out of breath, "Yes, in fact, it is running."
Adrian's jaw dropped. Gilda was doubled over, on the floor, shaking silently. Pino slapped her forehead and buried her face in her hands. Talk about embarassing.
"Hello? Is this some kind of a prank?" Chrysalis snapped.
He returned to his normal speaking voice. "Remember me?"
Chrysalis had taken at least thirty seconds to respond. Stunned silence.
"And here I though ghosts didn't exist. Adrian Ross," Chrysalis said. "How did you get my number?"
Adrian tilted the phone towards Pino.
"H-hey mom," the changeling said weakly.
"Pinocchio?" Chrysalis' composed, menacing tone changed. She sounded...frantic. "You listen to me, you little shit! You will let my child go—"
"Or what? You'll shoot me again? What's it gonna take for you to leave me alone?"
"I am willing to...negotiate. In person," she said.
"Gimme a time and place," he said cockily.
"Trinity Nightclub, eleven o' clock. Do you know of it?"
Depending on your defintion of a good time, it could be said Adrian had had a good time during his stay in the prestigious, exclusive nightclub of downtown Seattle. It was a discriminatory venue, and as such, baggy jeans below the waist and oversized hoodies wasn't going to cut it for dress code.
Adrian had gone all out with his wardrobe with a fitted three-piece suit and brown wingtips. It was step above your typical dress shirt and dark wash jeans combo and was guaranteed to get him in. There was no time to slip the bouncer a bill or argue. As for Pino, a little bit of leg would be enough to get past the bouncer.
He stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the cuffs of his French dress shirt tucked into his navy slacks.
"You look good," Lyra murmured from the doorway.
Adrian smiled at her reflection, looping his pink silk tie around his neck. She saunted up to him, tying it for him. His eyes met hers. She blushed and looked away, holding the knot and securing it around his neck like a noose. He began buttoning the matching vest. Lyra helped him put his suit jacket on.
"You ready?" Gilda asked. She carried a black duffel bag around her shoulders, presumably filled with a dismantled rifle and ammunition.
"Sure," Adrian said, Pino by his side.
"I'm coming," Twilight insisted. "A sniper always needs a spotter."
There was no arguing with that.
"Adrian, I want you to know something," Pino started.
A slight tilt of the head was the only sign of him even remotely paying attention to the changeling.
"Chrysalis." Pino paused. "Despite what you think of her, she doesn't want to hurt anyone. We don't want to hurt anyone."
"Except me."
"You're the exception. The Elements, Lyra, Gilda. But hurting other humans, how does that benefit her?"
"So she's not a complete sociopath, great. What is your point?"
"The point is that Chrysalis and the changelings won't harm innocent people, which means we can use that to our advantage," she murmured. "If we need to make a getaway, we can run through right through the club and they won't fire a single shot."
He nodded faintly. The rest of the ride was filled with silence.
"We meet again," Adrian murmured as they pulled up to the sidewalk.
Across the street was Trinity Nightclub. He scanned the line of people winding around the building, the smoky windows, and neon lights.
"Looks like they're patting people down good tonight," he noted.
"You can't go around carrying a full-sized .45," Pino reasoned. She handed him a holster clearly meant to be strapped around his ankle.
He pulled out the revolver, flicking the cylinder out. Five chambers loaded with .38 Special.
"Ruger SP101, .38 Special, snubnosed. Easy to hide and easy to shoot."
"It won't be easy," he grunted. He flicked the cylinder shut with a snap of the wrist.
"Nothing ever is."
Gilda and Twilight climbed the stairs of the warehouse opposite of Trinity Nightclub, with Twilight trailing behind as they reached the rooftop. They'd followed the BMW on motorcycle. The VIP area was on the top floor of the establishment, and their vantage point was at least a block away. From there they had a full view of the site and more importantly, a shot of where the meeting was going down.
"Ya know, you don't have to be here," Gilda murmured.
She began assembling the AR-15. She kept several loaded twenty-round magazines within reach. She affixed the scope atop the rail, and chambered a round. She popped the bipod open and shouldered the rifle.
"Do you think Chrysalis is gonna be reasonable? Leave Adrian and Lyra alone?"
The gryphon snorted. "If she was reasonable, we wouldn't have to do this."
"You're not gonna shoot her, are you?" Twilight asked. "Do you see them?"
"Not yet. I don't know which floor. " Gilda smirked. "She shot me."
"Still." Twilight scanned with her binoculars. "There. I think that's them. Third floor."
"Looks like it." She took the safety off with a click. "Payback, baby," she muttered.
"We're here to negotiate, not assassinate," Twilight stressed. "If you shoot, even if you kill her, Adrian's life is over."
"I know."
"Only if things go wrong, right?"
She didn't answer.
"Can I see some ID?"
Adrian's heart sank. He looked at Pino, and reluctantly reached into his back pocket to hand him his license. The bouncer traced a finger down the list, scrutinizing both the guest list and his false driver's license carefully. Pino made sure to act especially flirty, hanging off Adrian's arm in a manner that was eerily similar to Lyra.
He gulped.
After a moment, the burly man nodded and handed him a card with a magnetic strip on it.
"Looks like you're a VIP tonight."
They strode through the doors. Adrian was already sweating bullets. Perhaps it was his nerves, or maybe it was just summer. It was disgustingly hot in the nightclub.
"Coat check?"
Adrian handed off his navy blazer off with a folded dollar bill. He fiddled with the cuffs of his shirt, rolling up both of his sleeves, wearing nothing but his navy vest and slacks.
Shadows danced in the blackness of the room, with lights flashing fast enough to induce epilepsy. The smell of sweat, alcohol, and cigarette smoke filled the nightclub while house music played. Adrian began to tune it all out.
"There's the VIP lounge," he shouted over the music, pointing towards a set of double doors that led upstairs.
He swiped the card, leading Pino inside and closing the doors behind him. Adrian reached down and drew the Ruger .38 revolver from his ankle holster, holding it to Pino's back.
They began ascending slowly.
"You ready?" she asked.
Each step made his stomach lurch. He didn't answer.
She opened the door to the VIP lounge, revealing two Praetorians standing at the ready and Chrysalis lounging around on a comforter, a cigar between her fingers. One of the Praetorians at the door made a move.
He pointed the gun right at it. "Back up!"
The guard moved back, hands up.
"Adrian Ross," Chrysalis hissed with a wide grin. "Back from the dead!" She spread her arms wide theatrically.
He held the gun tight to Pino's neck. Pino tried her best to look agitated at having a gun to her head. They stepped forward slowly, with Adrian using her body as cover.
"Any of your goombas try anything funny Pino gets a bullet to the brain stem!" he shouted.
He tried to sound intimidating but he felt cheesy. And he was pretty sure his voice cracked.
"Come now," Chrysalis said cooly. "We can be civil, can't we? Sit."
Adrian complied. Ever the gentlemen, he pulled Pino's seat out for her while simulteanously holding a gun to her head. They seated themselves around the round table. Dim red lights served as ambience, casting harsh shadows across their features. Half of Chrysalis' face seemed to be shrouded in blackness.
The noise of white noise filled Adrian's ears. He felt cold.
"Are you hungry? Thirsty, perhaps? I can have Klaus whip you up a cocktail, maybe a martin—"
"No," he said harshly. "Nothing to drink. Are we gonna talk, or what?"
"It's all business with you, isn't it, boy?" Chrysalis sighed, downing her glass. "You know, it's important to enjoy life." Her eyes flashed. "While you still can."
He gulped, never breaking eye contact. He wasn't going to show his fear. Somehow, he knew that she could smell it. She could see it in his eyes, see it in the way the barrel of the gun twitched as he held it. Chrysalis stared at him. He stared at her. She stared at Pino. Pino stared back.
"So!" Chrysalis said. "How...did you two meet?"
The way she spoke, she enuciated every word, every syllable, as if holding back. Adrian didn't humor her with a response.
"Did she fuck you?"
Adrian choked.
"God, I love her so, Adrian. She is one of my many children," she said. "Sometimes it's hard to keep track but God, do I try."
His left eye twitched.
"It's just that sometimes I get a little frustrated is all, I'm sorry, Pino," she said, putting a hand to her chest to excuse herself. She tossed her blue locks over her shoulder, wiping her brow of imagined sweat. "I love them all equally, but Pino was the wrong one for the job."
Pino said nothing.
"In all honesty, if I had sent Klaus here—Klaus, do be a dear, won't you?" Chrysalis held a cigar between her lips. Klaus, ever so loyal, leaned down to light it for her. She puffed a little. "Where was I—yes, Klaus. If I had sent Klaus to kill you, he would have brought me your head on a fucking platter!"
She slammed her hand down. Adrian and Pino nearly jumped out of their skin.
"You disobeyed me, Pinocchio," Chrysalis hissed. "I told you to stay put."
"But Mother, I—"
"You have made things very complicated for me, Pinocchio!" the changeling queen snapped.
Adrian recognized that tone of voice. It was a tone his mother would frequently use on him when reprimanding him. And he realized that Chrysalis was a mother. She was scolding her child. At the end of the day, there was one thing Adrian could be certain of. Chrysalis truly cared for her children. They weren't disposable mooks. She was Mama Bear and Pino was her cub and Adrian was in the way.
"But I digress, Pino has done well. After all, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't know that you're still alive." She gazed at him. "And as I say, the right pony in the wrong place," she hissed, her eye twitching, her claws digging into the table, "can make all the difference in the world." She gripped her glass a little harder. "Change the course of history. Ruin your plans."
Crash!
Chrysalis' hand was bleeding. The shattered remains of her glass littered the table, shards of glass stuck in her flesh.. She used her claws to pick a shard of glass embedded in her skin, flicking it away.
"Forgive me. I've made a mess."
"What are we waiting for?"
"If you'll be patient," Chrysalis sneered.
Lyra hummed a tune. She turned the shower knob with a squeak, grabbing a towel. It was a familiar tune that she played on her lyre back in...
God, it seemed like so long ago that she was in Equestria.
She toweled her naked body. She stepped out, wrapping her hair up in a little towel turban while dressing herself in panties and a shirt.
Knock knock.
Frozen. Lyra froze.
Two more knocks.
"Room service," a false falsetto voice chimed in.
Lyra froze. She grabbed her Glock, clutching it close to her breast.
The door knob was jiggling. As if someone was fiddling with it.
Crash!
The door was shoved open. Lyra fell backwards onto her back in a prone position, her Glock already drawn from her hip. She squeezed the trigger. There was no click. There was nothing. She pressed against the plastic trigger and it didn't move. It was a short moment. The moment Lyra realized she was stupid enough to not rack the slide and actually chamber a round in her gun. How stupid she was, unable to use a Glock that only needed a round in the chamber and a finger to pull the trigger.
She yanked the slide back, but it was a mistake that cost her. The changeling was on her in a flash, one hand grabbing at her wrist and wrestling the gun away from here, the other making a grab at her neck, succeeding in grabbing her shirt. Lyra fell backwards and flipped, throwing the first changeling over her head and across the room.
She stood up, making a run for it. Lyra knew when to fold them. She was no Royal Guard.
Lyra bumped into a second changeling. It smiled at her. She cried out, whirling around, until it wrapped its arms around her in a tight bearhug. The first changeling had swiftly taken her Glock pistol apart, separating the slide from the frame after dropping the magazine. Useless, now. The first changeling approached her, a yellow device in its hand.
The girl screamed, kicking her legs out and landing a hit. Her arms were pinned. She thrashed wildly, throwing her body left and right in the cramped hallway, slamming the second changeling holding her a few times until its grip loosened. She shoved the changeling down and ran for the door until it grabbed her ankles. She fell forward onto her belly with an oomph. She got onto her back and her eyes widened when she saw the glint of a deadly syringe. She tried to scream, falling limp as the changeling fell on her, pinning her down. She felt a prick in her side. Then, she lost all feeling. She couldn't even struggle.
Her arms were roughly twisted behind her and her wrists bound by plasticuffs. Her mouth was duct-taped shut and her eyes blindfolded. Lyra felt herself being hefted over the changeling's shoulder. She could see nothing, and only feel the changelings descending. Stairs. The emergency stairs?
Then she passed out.
And still, it was business as usual at Marriot Hotel.
Adrian swallowed. Imagine that feeling of butterflies in your stomach. Multiply that by a hundred. Chrysalis was even more terrifying sipping a martini than shooting at him. What scared him more was how Chrysalis was being completely nonchalant about the situation. It bugged him.
Her phone rang. It penetrated the silence with two errant rings.
"Excuse me. Hello?" Chrysalis said. "Oh? Oh my. Perfect."
He didn't like how smug she looked. Chrysalis smiled a bit too widely. Her body language changed from prim and proper to almost euphoric. She leaned back in her chair, swirling her class playfully, watching Adrian like a hawk.
"Is the radio dead?" Twilight asked, putting an ear to the device. "I'm not hearing anything."
"Me neither," Gilda grunted. "How long has it been quiet?"
"Fifteen minutes. What do you see?"
The gryphon lined the crosshairs up to Adrian's head, then shifted over to Pino's. Adrian still was holding Pino close, probably keeping a gun pressed into her side. Chrysalis was still sipping her drink.
"They're just sitting there."
Fifteen minutes passed. It felt like hours. Adrian was periodically checking his watch, sneaking glances, but Chrysalis seemed more interested in her cocktails.
Crash!
Chairs toppled over. Adrian turned around. He saw two changelings. A shock of green hair.
"Son of a—"
They had brought Lyra through the back alley entrance up all the flights of stairs. In his brief moment of panic, Adrian turned his back to Chrysalis. He turned around, and felt his face go cold as he looked down the barrel of a SIG Sauer. Chrysalis had stood up and closed the distance between them in less than a second.
"Ah ah. Don't move, boy."
He could see the bullet nestled in its chamber, ready to blow his head off. He heard Lyra sniff.
Bastards!
"Shit!" he muttered.
"Now I have a bargaining chip," Chrysalis said. "Put. The gun. Down."
Adrian's fingers loosened around the grip of the revolver. It fell to the floor with a clatter.
"How stupid do you think I am, boy?" the woman spat. "Did you really think I couldn't find you?"
How...?
A changeling guard crept up behind him and grabbed him by the shoulder, jamming a foot into the crook of his knees. Adrian let out a grunt as he was forced down.
The earpiece was ripped out of his ear painfully, and the cord unjacking itself from the radio at his hip.
"What's this?" it hissed. It held up the transparent cord up for Chrysalis to see.
"Who are you working with?" she asked.
Static.
"Adrian?
Chrysalis' eyes widened. "That voice..."
There was a faraway look in her eye. Like a hunter she began to approach him in slow, halting steps. He took a step bac—
"Don't move, don't move," she whispered. "I-I know that voice. Ha...Haha."
"Adrian! What's going on!" the radio screamed.
She loomed over him. The boy reached down the try and silence Twilight on the radio—
"YOU MOVE, YOU DIE, CHILD!" the queen bellowed, snagging the collar of his shirt.
Her claws nearly pierced through the silk fabric as she reeled him. Her face was inches away from his. Her other hand roamed down to his waist.
"Come in!"
She ripped the radio from his belt and screamed into it. "TWILIGHT!" Chrysalis turned her back, livid. "TWILIGHT SPARKLE! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Adrian flinched.
"WHERE!" She faced Pino and Adrian. "Pick up the gun."
"W-What?" Pino stammered.
"PICK! UP! THE GUN!"
Pino seemed out of touch with reality. The way she moved, it was less confident, less sure of herself. The changeling crouched down, almost stopping halfway, before picking up the Ruger. She whirled around, the gun extended in a shaky grip, her thumb cocking the hammer.
Adrian slowly raised his hands, closing his eyes.
"Kill him."
It was all a ruse. Pinocchio was no changeling assassin, no elite Praetorian guard of Chrysalis' army. She was nothing more than a lowly "civilian" in the changeling's world. Trained? Maybe.
"You are going to redeem yourself, my child. Kill him, Pinocchio," Chrysalis bellowed. "Right here, right now."
He lowered his hands a bit.
Pino's grip relaxed. "N-No..."
"Excuse me?" She sounded less...menacing, and more like a mother.
"No."
"Did I stutter? Pull the trigger!"
Pino's finger tensed around the trigger, as if she was having second thoughts. But she set her finger against the side of the gun, wiggling her finger and showing it to Adrian. He could barely squeak, let alone nod, acknowledging that at the very least, her gun was the only gun not ready to put a slug in his head.
"PULL THE TRIGGER!" Chrysalis screamed in that voice Adrian would never forget. It was the voice of instability.
"Then you'll have to shoot me," Pino screamed back.
And Pino raised the gun. She leveled it right at her mother's head. She backed up, making sure that she stood in front of Adrian.
"This isn't right! This isn't fair!"
"W-What?"
"HE DOESN'T DESERVE THIS!"
"Pinocchio, I am done playing games." She raised the gun at her own flesh and blood. "Either you shoot him or I shoot you."
Pino's jaw dropped.
"Pull the trigger."
She choked back a sob. "W-What?"
"PULL THE TRIGGER NOW!"
"Egghead, shut up!" Gilda disconnected her mouthpiece from the radio. "This is bad." She flinched when she saw a shot go off in the VIP lounge.
"Gilda?"
"Shit," Gilda muttered, shouldering her rifle.
The situation was going south fast.
"Gilda, you can't shoot all of them."
"I know," the gryphon hissed, her crosshairs hovering over the changeling queen. "Just tell me how far."
Pino was aiming at Chrysalis...protecting Adrian?
"Just wait for the wind to stop."
Her finger twitched.
The sound resembled the crack of a rifle. No, not a crack. More like an explosion. Did you know that bullets travel faster than sound? So first came the bullet tearing and slamming into the glass. Cracks spread across it like spiderwebs. Then there was an echoing roar of the gunshot screeching. The instant the sound reached the yard everyone seemed to freeze, as if trying to comprehend the situation. Muscles tensed. Hearts stopped. In that split-second, everyone hit the floor.
A second shot. The glass disentegrated.
One of the guards opened fire, firing three shots from his SIG P220 .45. All of the shots missed, slamming into the painted wall behind him. With the music cranked up in the mosh pit on the dance floor, the report of gunfire barely registered as an offbeat in the club.
Pino grabbed Adrian's wrist and dragged him downstairs.
"We have to get Lyra!"
"Are you kidding me right now?" Pino shouted. She handed him the gun. "Okay. Fine. Go and get Lyra. No, seriously, go ahead."
They scrambled down the stairs, Adrian shoving the double doors leading to the dance floor in a rather dramatic fashion, the once muffled house music kicking up a notch.
Just because Chrysalis and her Praetorians weren't going to hurt innocent people didn't mean that they were safe. If they cornered him and Pino, they were done for. They shoved their way through the crowd.
"Hey!"
"Who the fuck is pushing?"
A hand snatched Pino's arm. Pino let out a cry. One of the changelings had grabbed her arm forcefully. Using her gender to her advantage, she began to make a scene.
"Hey! Let me go! I told you I already have a boyfriend, you creep!" she screamed.
Already some of those at the bar had noticed, with some of the dancers giving them space. Adrian acted quickly. In the typical drunk alpha male role, he shouted,
"Don't touch my girlfriend, asshole!"
He punched the changeling right in the nose with a crack!. The suited changeling fell back into the crowd, nearly getting trampled by clubbers. There was a resounding scream as people were knocked off balance.
"That fucker touched my girl!" Adrian pointed out. "You got knocked the fuck out!"
"I don't care what he did. Get out!"
Gilda collapsed the buttstock of the rifle and folded the bipod, detaching the scope and removing the magazine and stuffed it into the black duffel bag. She threw it around her shoulders.
"Egghead, let's go!"
It was a race to descend the staircase. They hopped down and skipped steps and sprinted over to the parked motorcycle. They both put on their helmets. Gilda kickstarted the engine.
"You know how to use a gun?"
Twilight drew her Taurus. "Not a clue!"
"Great," she muttered.
"Shitshitshit!"
Adrian turned the key. The engine jumped to life, revving loudly.
"They're coming!"
Adrian floored the throttle, screaming with frustration before he realized he had to stomp down on the clutch. He shifted the car into first gear, the wheels screeching as they sped away. Thunder boomed, follow by a flash of lightning. The windshield was battered with rain. In the rear-view mirror he spotted three black Mercedes-Benz approaching in a squad.
He narrowed his eyes, focusing on two changelings riding a motorcycle, both clad in raincoats and motorcycle helmets. The passenger one extended a gloved hand.
"DUCK!"
The round slammed into the rear windshield. The motorcyclist shot forward. He turned his head for just a moment and paled, seeing them rapidly approaching from his side.
"Pino, take the wheel!"
The changeling reached over and held it steady.
The barrel of a gun was shoved in his face from the other side of the window. Adrian popped open the driver's side door and kicked it into them as hard as he could, knocking them off balance. One flew off, tumbling into a ditch. The other hit the trunk of their car with a sickening thud before bouncing off.
Adrian took control of the wheel.
What do you think when you hear "car chase"? Fast and Furious. Hollywood. Loud screeches of tires burning rubber, drifting around corners, crashes, and occasionally driving the wrong way down a freeway.
Adrian yanked the steering wheel. With the streets slicked with rain, the sharp turn made the car oversteer, drifting around the turn. He held down the throttle, the pitch of engine going higher and higher before shoving the stick and switching into the next gear.
This was a real car chase, literally "defensive driving". The rain-slicked streets of downtown Seattle were largely empty in the dead of night, and luckily, very wide and spacious. It was a game of cat and mouse, if you will, where Adrian was trying his best to obey traffic laws and simultaneously drive like an idiot, cutting across lanes and signaling in opposite directions, trying to get away from convoy of three Mercedes-Benz automobiles giving chase. Maybe in Hollywood speed was valued above all else, but in the real world, maneuvering was everything.
His right hand gripped the stick tightly, his knuckles white, his left hand clutching the steering wheel at a 10 o'clock position. He had just run a red light.
He was going to have a hard time explaining things to authorities.
The BMW fishtailed around the corner as he wrestled the car back into control. The front of the Mercedes connected with the back of the car in a PIT maneuver. He shouted. Pino gritted her teeth and held on as the car spun around. He was directly facing them now.
Without even thinking his right hand shot forward and put the car into reverse, driving backwards down the road. They were catching up, having realized what he was doing.
Adrian reached down and pulled the handbrake, yanking the wheel, and turned the car around in a 180-degree spin. He stomped down on the clutch, shifted the car back into first gear, and sped forward.
Pino stared. "Where did you learn how to do that?!"
"Grand Theft Auto! Where's Seattle's finest when you need them?!"
In the rear-view mirror he saw Gilda and Twilight on their motorcycle, hot on the trail of the cars behind them.
"C'monc'monc'mon!" he growled. "C'MON!"
"Faster, c'mon! They're gaining on us!"
"Shut up, shut up..."
The motorcycle shot forward. Twilight shakily took aim, firing at the rear wheel, missing. Gilda suddenly swerved, cutting the Mercedes off. Unable to go any further, Twilight fired, emptying her entire magazine into the windshield of the car. Granted, her eyes were closed shut, but it was good at suppressing them for just a bit. Their windows were bullet resistant, and stopped the rounds, leaving cracks in the glass that looked like spiderwebs. In the distance he heard car alarms go off, the rattle gunfire echoing through the skyscrapers. Her slide locked back and Gida turned the motorcycle around and sped off in another direction, disappearing. One Mercedes-Benz trailed off from the group, chasing after them.
"Not bad, egghead!"
"You too!"
Now, they only had to deal with two cars.
Pino commanded, "Rightrightright! Here, here. Back up."
Adrian put the car in reverse and backed into an alleyway. He killed the engine, his right hand hovering over the key. His left hand twisted the knob, killing the headlights. He could hear his heartbeat pound in his ears.
Tactical driving was a combination of not only speed and maneuverability, but also stealth. Of course it was just common sense, but it was definitely a tactic used by special forces in urban warfare.
He saw the flash of a black sedan pass them. He waited three seconds. A minute. Two.
A collective sigh was released. He got a call from Twilight on the disposable.
"You guys okay?"
"Sure," he snapped. "Define okay."
"Let's meet up at the hotel."
When Adrian and Pino pulled up to the hotel, the valet didn't even bother with any questions. Adrian looked furious, surely. His sleeves were disheveled, his vest unbuttoned, and his tie loosened. Tired, ragged, angry. It was the dead of night. Actually, more like two in the morning.
He knocked on the door of the suite down the hall.
"What the hay happened?" Rainbow asked, incredulous.
"Chrysalis found Lyra. Sent them to snatch her."
"We didn't hear anything!" Applejack said. "I'm sorr—"
"It's okay," he snapped. "They came in quiet."
"What happened?" Fluttershy asked.
"C'mon."
Adrian pulled open the door to his and Lyra's suite. The door swung open with a creak. The entire room was plunged into darkness. When he flicked the switch, he heard Rarity utter an,
"Oh my."
The entire room was destroyed. It was obvious a struggle had taken place there.
Adrian flicked his wrist.
"Take off your clothes."
"W-what?" Pino sputtered.
"Take off your clothes."
Pino was no stranger to being naked. It was an odd request, however. She stripped down to her bra and panties.
"Everything. Take it all off."
"Is this really the time?" Applejack inquired.
Adrian was unfazed as she stripped down to nothing. She didn't bother covering her exposed breasts. Adrian put a hand up for her to shut up. He felt along the seams Her bra, her panties. He sliced the clasps of her bra and examined them closely.
He turned his head and saw Pino's black pea coat hanging on the corner of the bed.
"What are you doing?" Twilight asked.
He picked up the wool coat. He had searched her pockets earlier and came up with only her knife, her keys, and phone. He checked them again. Empty.
Then he checked the buttons.
He sliced all of them off, one by one.
"Hey! I like that jacket!"
There was a small translucent capsule the size of a grain of rice glued to the back of one of the aesthetic buttons. He held it up, squinting, and held it up for everyone else to see.
"Sonofabitch," he muttered.
He set the tracker down calmly.
"Sonmahbitch," he repeated, his word slurring incohrently eyes shut tight. "Sonofa..."
He stomped down on it, crushing it.
"BITCH! TRACKING! BITCH!"
Stomp.
"Shit—"
Stomp. Stomp.
"—shitshitshit—"
STOMPSTOMPSTOMPSTOMP—
"—fuckshitshitshitfuck!"
"Adrian, stop it," Gilda said.
"BITCH!"
He didn't care if he was scaring them. Adrian pulled out the revolver. He flicked out the cylinder out, checking the load. Five rounds.
"I thought you said you weren't being tracked," he whispered. It was his cool, calm voice that barely masked his unbridled rage. "Bitch."
"Adrian, put the gun down," Twilight said. She was reaching for her gun.
"Bitch, I thought you didn't have a bug on you." Monotone. Emotionless.
He had a new favorite word. Pino suddenly seemed so very small.
Adrian lashed out with a vicious slap, knocking her to the ground. He grabbed at her throat, the barrel of the Ruger pressed against her temple.
He seethed, spit flying from his clenched teeth. "I THOUGHT YOU SAID WE WERE SAFE!" he screamed.
"Adrian put the gun down—!" Twilight threatened.
"SHUT! UP!" he spat. He added, "BITCH!"
"HEY! Leave her alone!" Fluttershy yelled. But she didn't dare approach.
Adrian's hand was poised in a position to smack a bitch.
"I didn't know that they had put a tracking device on my jacket!" Pino cried. "How was I supposed to know?"
She wasn't. A pea coat had several buttons sewn into the lapels that served no purpose other than aesthetics. Even if Pino had been buttoning and unbuttoning her jacket like a normal person, there was no possible, conceivable way she would have bothered to check the other fake buttons.
He didn't care.
"You..." he hissed through gritted teeth.
Adrian's hand was clenched so tightly around Pino's throat his knuckles were white and his hand was shaking. His finger was on the trigger of the gun. He thumbed the hammer.
Click click.
"I'm going to kill you."
"Killing me won't fix this," Pino rasped.
He wasn't going to.
"SHUT UP!" he spat. "Just SHUT UP!"
There was a loud crack. No, more like a zap. It sounded like a taser. Electricity lanced through his body. He gasped, falling limply to the ground.
"Stop it," Twilight snapped, her hand aglow with a purple aura.
"This is getting us nowhere," Gilda spoke up for the first time since they'd retreated. Her foot kicked the revolver away.
She had stunned him. Adrian frothed at the mouth, paralyzed.
Bitch!
"Are you calm?" Twilight asked.
He thrashed. "Sure," he sneered,straining to work his jaw. He glowered at Pino. "Why didn't you...shoot...me? You could have won. It would have been...over."
"I don't know." She began dressing herself.
He narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean you don't know, you kno—"
"I don't know, okay?!"
Adrian fell silent. Then, he said, "When you said I didn't deserve this...Were you lying?"
"I'm a changeling. Lying's our nature," Pino said.
"Answer the question."
"I wasn't lying," she sighed.
"So you had a change of heart?"
Pino faced him with a steely gaze. "I figured it was a good time to stop lying and start telling the truth."
The phone rang. Everyone looked at everyone. No one moved to take the call. Adrian did. He didn't even say a word.
"Room service," a chilling voice snarled.
"Chrysalis." He paused. "Bitch."
"I know where you are. I want her. I want Twilight Sparkle. And you're going to bring her to me."
Adrian thought of all the things he could say a such a time. He could have played it cool, acted cocky. But he kept his mouth shut. He listened.
"You have a day."
"I need more time. Give me a wee—"
"THIS IS NOT A NEGOTIATION!" Chrysalis bellowed before delivering an ultimatum. "Don't speak! Think very hard. The only reason you and your friends aren't dead yet is because I don't know where Twilight Sparkle is. If I did, I would have raided that very hotel suite and put a bullet in your head. This is my negotiation. You have twenty-four hours. You come alone, unarmed, with Twilight Sparkle in the trunk of the car."
She didn't care anymore about Lyra, Gilda, even him. She had assumed that he was smart enough to retreat, and even knowing where he was staying, had no way of knowing how to get her claws on Twilight. If anything, he felt as if she had overestimated his intelligence. If he was smart, he would have told said girl standing in front of him to skip town ASAP. But Twilight was standing right there.
Chrysalis didn't know that.
Adrian's gaze flicked to said girl. He looked away.
"If you give her to me, all of this...goes away," she said. She paused. "If you don't do as I say, if you run, Lyra dies."
He clenched his jaw.
"You'll never be safe, you do know that, don't you?"
There it was, her arrogance rearing its ugly head again.
"You can run. You can hide. But I'll find you. I'll get you all. I'll hunt you down...and kill you. Your mother. Your wife!"
His blood ran cold.
"If you're a second late, she dies. If you so much as breathe a word of this to the police, if you contact anyone, she dies."
Adrian closed his eyes.
"Do I make myself clear?"
He swallowed, licking his dry lips. "Fuck you. Now you listen to me," Adrian growled. "If you touch her...If you hurt her, if there's even a single strand of hair out of place?"
He paused, his mouth half-open.
"I'll kill you."
Silence.
"Bitch."
The call ended.
"Adrian?"
He remained silent, facing away from them.
"Adrian? What did she say?"
He turned around.
The gun was still there.
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If you've ever written a story, I'm sure you've hit that point in a story where you just don't know how to move on. That little streak of inspiration has stopped and now you're stuck. I hit that point in My Roommate is a Vampire with the Halloween chapter and I hit that point in this story about, I dunno, a few months ago. I had a few excuses like exams, but for the past three months I had none.
So this chapter might or might not go over well. I might or might not alienate some readers as I usually do in my stories at the moment before the climax.
I'm not even sure if I missed anything.
Finally... Took you long enough :[
Well... fuck. Nothing seems to be going right for him, does it?
Think that's meant to be Twilight there...
Fucking Christ this chapter was a gorgeous piece of WORD. This was the perfect chapter, in all honesty, at least to me. Everything just seemed... right. Perfect. Not a detail off, not a detail left untouched... just... perfect. My eyes are glistening right now, because this chapter evoked emotion from me, because it was just *that* good. Dennis, you... you've done the impossible, and have done it above and beyond all expectations. I can't tell you how much I needed this, and how much this has changed my day, and how much this has done for me. Thank you. Thank you, Dennis.
God bless...
Flames. (AKA Artorias)
3186526
You're giving me too much credit
3186572 I know you seem to think that, but honestly, I can say from the deepest parts of me... Thank you. You deserve all of it, as well as any more that comes along your way. You've earned it...
Again, thank you!
Have a wonderful night, Dennis!
Flames!
This was quite a satisfying chapter to me, it's really playing out like a real life action movie especially in this section. I'm starting to get a feel in how Adrian is reacting to the events and I'm really looking foreword to the next chapters to see how he sorts it out.
Glad to see your back Dennis, coming in all guns blazing. (Bad pun not intended
)
Awesome another chapter
Was it just me or did he make Pino stripe and then grab her by her clothes while she was naked? Also the there were a few points in the chase seen where Rainbow was riding with Gilda on the motorcycle. Or at least that's how it read. I liked where things went for the story but it just didn't flow logically. He left Lyra behind in the escape, he didn't even think about if he could take her with him or not.
Everything else though flowed really well. Adrian definitely feels like he is in a high strung situation and he isn't exactly able to handle it properly. And the stakes to feel appropriately set. We weren't just told they were high, they feel high. Can't wait to see what happens next.
3186951
"Adrian"
I fixed that.
Well...hmmm...that went south quickly.I have to agree with Flames, I loved every bit of his chapter; the characters were all in character, the scenes were edge of your seat intense, and I absolutely LOVED Pino's growth and development. Her interaction with your cast and then with Chrissy was just about perfect.
.
... And poor Lyra. Poor, poor Lyra. C'mon Adrian! What's one Element compared to your one true love? Sorry, I went there
3187340
Start apologizing. Cause I don't watch any of those animes.
Jormungand, Black Lagoon, Psycho-Pass, Gunslinger Girl, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo are the animes I really like.
And I still haven't taken any inspiration from them.
Extra capitalistion.
Shouldn't this be Sketchy?
Doesn't.
Wait... Who was supposed to be with Applejack in the BMW?
Time jump? Err...
3187378
Ty.
I did mean "sketch" though.
Whoa, shit seriously just get real.
Just read this whole story in one sitting. Really good. Even the clop was good, on the separate story. You're actually really good at writing erotica, by the way.
Was surprised by how easily it turned from romance/cute to serious/thriller. The best part about it is that it doesn't feel forced or anything.
Really good, fav'd and liked, waiting for next chapter, even if it's going to be a while.
Not all bullets travel at supersonic speeds, and not all guns can reach supersonic speeds.
That said, bullets that are specifically subsonic are generally intended to be used with silencers.
The moment Chrysalis said "Goodluck." I yelled TAKEN REFERENCE!!! The only problem is its 30 minutes after midnight here and my mom is in the next room
3186393
I think is good. However, in my humble opinion, Adrian's development feels kind of unnatural and a little forced.
Beautiful. Glorious.
Just.
F*ck me. The greatest read I have had in literally MONTHS. God damn, I've been watching movies like an addict, and I've seen more than a fair share of hair raising scenes, but THIS had my back and hands SWEATING.
Right now, if I could, I'd be on my knees clinging onto the back of your shirt just begging for more.
3188083
I imagine after such a long wait some would feel like that
>clip
Yeah, I'm one of those guys. But it's still a magazine. Clips hold ammunition to make it easier to load a magazine, like this: upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/303_British_stripper_clip,_civilian_sporting_rounds.JPG
3188222
Yeah, I'm one of those guys too. But you know what? It wasn't accidental.
I specifically used the word "clip" in Adrian's thoughts to show that he was inexperienced. And if you'll notice, every other time I used the word "magazine." His thought was the only time I used the word "clip."
Authors do things on purpose too.
Next chapter ASAP please.
Will we get michael bay levels of explosions?
3188711 I f#cking hope so ~C.Spirit
This was an awesome chapter, but I think this story is due for the "Dark" tag right around here.
If you think you have hit a writers block you are wrong - surely you must be wrong. This. was.
!
Can't wait for the chapter to come - all kinds of encouragement!
Hm... There have been those who have said Adrian's change is a bit forced... I agree, but to be honest that's the only way it could have been in such a situation. Things are simply moving too fast for him to change at his own pace. Change or fall behind; adapt or die. He needed to change so fast, or otherwise he and several others would be dead.
Hmm. Adrian is gonna need more than that USP.
PLEASE OH PLEASE GIVE HIM A G36C
OR EVEN A UMP45
*spaz out over*
I'm very curious as to how you plan on continuing from this chapter.
I love how Chrysalis fell for the oldest phone prank in the book.
And who thinks Pino is going to be spending time as Twilight in the near future.
3188341
Very clever; I'm both impressed with your writing skills, and disappointed in myself for not picking up on it, essentially meaning your skills are put to waste when I read.
Also, dat comment number.
I'm about ready to murder Chrysalis...
3188711
We will get them when Pinkie arrives...
What's this? My favorite fic has been updated.... *freak out*
I agree with Flames, this was bloody fantastic! And 12,000 words long! Amazing! Also, there were so many references! I especially loved the "Grand Theft Auto" one from The Other Guys. Which reminded me that Grand Theft Auto V comes out on Tuesday! This day just keeps getting better and better!
Also,
is officially the greatest line ever...
Prediction: Pino is going to transform into Twilight for the deal, possibly without us even knowing until it is revealed to Chrysalis.
when a story can make someone pissed off as the protagonist, because we put ourself in his shoes while reading this story, then the author is doing something right
. or im just too easily immersing my self to the story 
"It's amazing how a million deaths is a statistic, but one death is a tragedy,"
Been listening to some Marilyn Manson, huh?
Seriously, no one has mentioned this yet?
With Adrian useing 'Bitch' so much... he reminds me of Jesse from Breaking Bad xD
So is Adrian going to pull a John Crichton?
Walk into Chrysalis's lair with a nuke strapped to his chest?
That would certainly get her to halt her plans and seriously reconsider antagonizing the humans.
3197670
I might have done that accidentally
Oh, for the love of-
Just blow the bitch away as soon as she strays into your crosshairs, you morons!
Or if you don't feel you possess the skills, experience and mindset to play Mission: Impossible - which you don't - just take the live changeling as proof, expose their existence to the world at large, grab some popcorn and watch the fireworks as the entire human species comes down on them like a horde of viking berserkers. There was no need to make any deals with her! Gah!
My favorite thing about this is that it delves into the inner mind and psyche.
I'm surprised that I haven't seen an amass of spin-offs.
Why no meat?
3215601
Tis a shame. I thought I would start the new "PonyFall"
3222132
I am both hoping so, and hoping not.
There's still time.
5 bits says he takes twilight
3198507 the problem with that plan is where is he going to get a nuke he can carry in 24 hours?
3222132it's glad to see this story updated, I thought you were dead?