Chapter Twenty-Three: Haven
It was done.
Varti hated the fact that he didn’t know the outcome, but Pick Shield’s condition would remain in limbo until the magical currents settled. The Yak, as per the unicorn’s wishes, would only be informed with a yes or no of the eventual success to avoid any potential confusion (or overthinking, for that matter). Pick had already spoken to his parents, but been quite adamant before the procedure to go through with it.
Having his brother stolen had struck a nerve, and Varti had never seen the unicorn so determined.
In a world where love, friendship, emotion can be harnessed, determination to save a family member may well turn the tide. The Yak mused, running through the standard checks on the Organization’s main reactor.
Things were starting to settle down thankfully, even if but a few days after the attack. Within two months, they’d have a good portion of their strength, the various trainings completed. Before that, they-
“How does it work?”
Varti nearly activated the internal defense grid, but the Yak paused on pressing the concealed button attached to his long furry coat.
“Come again?” he asked, looking over to the lanky, now armored mare who stood staring at the leyline reactor. Apparently, the Entity had been busy in the wardrobe department since her first appearance during the attack on the Organization.
“How did you overcome the arcane resistance? It should have blown this machine apart,” the mare asked, voice rough and wavering, but not with fear. It was as if she was not used to asking questions, only answering them.
“Nice to meet you again too,” Varti huffed. “I’m hesitant to tell you about anything until I know more, quite frankly. But you clearly handled yourself in saving this island, so you have my thanks.”
The mare actually winced at that, as if suddenly recalling what you should do when talking to another creature.
“I…” she paused, letting out a grunt of frustration. “My name is Fidelia. Or Fide for short.
“A version of the old poneish name meaning Devotedness. Interesting,” Varti replied calmly. “Well, nice to meet you, Fidelia. My name is Varti. So, you are Clari’s sister? I admit I do not know much about her, and therefore you.”
Fide let out an almost annoyed snort at that.
“I am very different from my sister. Knowing about her would do you no good,” she said roughly, ethereal ears then flattening. “I apologize. I am not used to dealing with mortals. Or anyone for that matter.”
“Forgiven. We all have our quirks. I have been called a mad scientist by more than one creature, so you’re in good, odd company,” Varti said cheerfully. “To answer your question, the reactor was actual able to work all due to Toxic. I originally followed Nicki Tesari’s designs, but that would have likely blown up in my face.”
“It certainly did for him,” Fide said.
“Toxic then had an idea. What if, instead of forcibly tapping into the leylines, it acts a miniature dam?”
“A dam?”
“Well, a hydroelectric one! There are a few in Equestria that I know of. The resistors are not used to control the leylines, only guide them through the crystal chamber,” Varti said, quickly losing himself in the excited explanation as he gestured to the device.
“Toxic was right. You can’t control leyline energy, not by brute force. It’s an emotional energy. So, we don’t even try. We let it pass through the interior naturally, only tweaked out into our plane for a brief moment. The natural bleed-off of such energy could power this island ten times over! The only thing limiting our power output are the resistors, which make sure the entire thing doesn’t melt.”
The expression of surprise on Fide’s face was rather endearing, the previous stoic mask shattering for a few moments.
“Toxic Shield thought of that?” she mused, the mask quickly settling back in place, the mare looking back at the reactor. “And then you built it? Interesting. My sister is not as reckless as I thought.”
“You almost sound impressed,” Varti huffed, waving a hoof at her.
“Almost.”
Varti had to stifle a chuckle at that. For being rather monotone and serious, the mare apparently did have a sense of humor.
“I do have to ask, what can I help you with? Obviously, you’re here for a reason.”
“Not entirely. I was primarily curious,” Fide replied. “My sister is in need of assistance without her knowledge, apparently. So, I would prefer if you not speak of anything I tell you. Well, aside from this.” She then turned to look at the yak, and he was surprised that her eyes were an actual soft green, a different shade from the rest of her body. “Toxic and Gelliana are free and safe for the moment. I cannot say more than that.”
“Wait, what?!” Varti exclaimed, “what do you mean you can’t tell more? That’s a bit of a bombshell. I need to let at least Celestia and-”
“You can,” Fide interrupted. “But you must understand. The less I intervene the better. What I tell you only confirms what Celestia already suspects if not knows. There is a balance that must be preserved. If I or my Sister help you, Toxic, the mortals; that means He gets more leeway to help his own causes.”
“The King of Shadows.”
Fide’s eyes narrowed at that.
“You have been busy. The Shadow pony figured it out already?”
“Apparently. So, we’re in a proxy war then? The more aid you give to our ‘side’ the more the other ‘side’ has leeway to change things to their advantage?”
“A crude but apt description.”
Varti let out a snort, trotting over to examine a nearby crystal display.
“We’re mortals. I imagine we’re all rather crude to creatures like yourself, assuming you are from the leylines.”
“Some more than others,” Fide admitted, looking back to the reactor. “And some less so.”
Raising an eyebrow, Varti adjusted a few settings before walking back towards her.
“Was that a compliment?”
“And observation.”
This Yak was very quickly starting to enjoy this individual’s company in an odd way.
“Well, I will only let Celestia and the others know of Toxic’s condition. Nothing more. I assume I can’t say who informed me?”
“That is preferred. Equestria is a sieve of information.”
“As in, the enemy has eyes and ears?”
“Correct. None on this island, hence why I show myself to you. Well, none that won’t be dealt with shortly.”
An almost-annoyed glare from Varti didn’t faze the mare, the Yak rolling his eyes.
“Let me guess. Less we know the better?”
“Correct.”
Varti couldn’t resist a grin at that, turning to look at her-
And only saw air.
“Is this your daughter?” Fide asked; surprisingly talkative for such an abrupt initial appearance. The mare was looking at the main control panel, a simple framed photo on the side.
“Yes. She’s thankfully safe on her distance learning program,” Varti replied. “I love her to death, but she needs to have her own life. I was about to have a way to let her actually have a home to come back to, but then things spiraled. She’s safer the less she knows.”
Fide didn’t say anything at first, simply nodding once in…approval?
“She is adopted,” the entity mused.
On seeing the data flowing across a nearby monitor about ‘someone’ accessing data files, Varti nodded in reply.
“Yes. But you could have asked me that instead of accessing the personnel files. So much for magical and coded firewalls I suppose.”
Another wince, the mare appearing genuinely apologetic.
“Sorry. I am not used to…this.”
“Talking? Or asking questions?”
“Yes.”
That elicited a chuckle from the Yak, Varti continuing to run his usual checks on the reactor.
“Well, if Toxic trusts you, even if it’s through Clari, I can to. Not much I’d be able to do to stop you, I doubt. But yes, she is adopted, only at a year or two.”
The silence from Fide was rather telling, the Yak seeing her open her mouth a few times and then close it. For being standoffish, it was clear that was partially due to not knowing how to talk to others, not just being naturally aloof.
“I assume you’re curious as to why? How?”
That was when Varti learned leyline entities could blush in embarrassment, the mare nodding.
“A freak accident, actually. An avalanche overtook a caravan through the mountains. She was one of three survivors. Unfortunately, her parents were not among them. The orphanage was already over-worked, and she was displaying some very ‘non-yak’ tendencies, so that sparked my interest,” Varti explained. “I had wanted to be a father sometime; that much I knew. And so, it was an easy decision, especially when I saw her curiosity for the world, for things outside what most Yaks were content with. I saw a portion of myself in someone that I could be family to, even if not by blood.”
The look on Fide’s face was conflicted; as if she both understood but at the same time did not. There was something else there though, something deeper that most wouldn’t have picked up on.
A vulnerability?
Working around Toxic had taught Varti quite a few things about noticing small hints, and this mare had quite a few. He wasn’t about to push his luck though, odd first meeting aside.
“Thank you,” Fide said slowly, as if not entirely sure what else TO say. “We…will talk again.”
The mare vanished with an abrupt *SNAP* of magic, leaving Varti to shake his head.
“Pleasure talking with you, Fide.”
To his surprise, the reactor pitch changed slightly; a soft hum of acknowledgment.
Gelliana’s dreams were the stuff of nightmares. Her entire body pulsed with a strange ache, like she had worked out in all the wrong ways at a gym. Flashes of images in-between stints of extreme exhaustion. The last thing she remembered was-
Toxic.
The gryphoness awoke with a start, simply lying still and breathing, which was an endeavor in and of itself. Her stomach was in knots and a cold sweat plastered her body.
We were captured- I was drugged? I don’t remember anything after that. Flashes of a cage…
Things started to become clearer after that. A voice saying things that made her sick to her stomach, a flash of light…
Being carried on somecreature’s back, a soft voice pleading with her.
I know that voice.
After forcing her eyes open, Gelliana immediately regretted the decision, her stomach doing flip-flops. Her limbs were stiff, and it felt like she had gotten kicked in the chest; why couldn’t she move her left-
Eyes slowing moving over, the gryphoness drew in a surprised (and painful) breath, Toxic completely asleep at her side, the gryphoness’s claws clutched in a tight grip. Dried tears matted his cheeks, and it was only now Gelliana saw the two IV leads into both her and his arms, defibrillator wires leading to pads on her chest.
What happened to me?!
It was at that point Gelliana’s stomach determined the contents needed to get out NOW, and the gryphoness scrambled off the dirt bed with a *hurk*, the IV and pads disconnecting with quick release mechanisms. It only took looking around for a few seconds to spot a hole in the floor off to the side, and Gelliana promptly threw up every lunch she had ever eaten for the past two years.
Scratch that, every meal her ancient ancestors had ever consumed as well.
What was a bit more disturbing was that she did throw up a lot more than she ate; odd, multi-colored liquid that both tasted like anti-acid medication and gone-bad orange juice. And there was a lot of it. By the time she was done, the gryphoness’s stomach ached and a cold sweat dotted her feathers and fur. Gelliana staggered back to the ‘bed’, looking around as Toxic stirred.
They were underground and an odd translucent shield made the dirt room shimmer slightly, barely visible between the cracks in the rock and thick roots. The discarded medical equipment and large crates let the gryphoness know Toxic had indeed been busy, his armor dropped in a pile next to the bed. The large, empty syringes gave a clue of where all the contents of the gryphoness’s stomach came from, a shudder running through her body.
How that worked biologically she had no idea. ‘Magic’ most likely. A bit of logic told the gryphoness that the excess fluid had been shunted to her stomach primarily; a shorter route than having it leave other ways.
Her limbs then gave out, and Gelliana flopped to the ground with a grunt. She certainly didn’t feel one-hundred-percent, but at least she didn’t feel like vomiting anymore.
“Hello, Patient One.”
Letting out a less than dignified squawk, Gelliana scrambled half-upright, then pausing as the artificial mare looked at her calmly.
“Apologies. My social conduct programs are not complete. I am the Supplementary Magical Assistant Lexicon or SMAL for short. I was last instructed to monitor you and the Director. I am pleased to see you recovered faster than anticipated.”
Gelliana blinked, settling down at that.
An artificial nurse? Magical Assistant?
“So, you’re not real?” she asked, the mare shrugging.
“That depends on your definition. I am not capable of independent thought. I run off of pre-programmed responses with added adaptation. I am capable of learning, but only within certain parameters. I am as ‘real’ as you are, in a magical or physical sense, but lack sapience.”
“You’re not alive?”
“Correct. I am, however, programed to simulate all the aspects of life. Despite acting alive, I will never be such.”
Gelliana nodded at that, digesting the information as Toxic continued to stir, prompting the Golem to scan him with a magical beam.
“Would you like a situation summary?” ‘she’ asked, the gryphoness nodding.
“Yes, please.”
“Some of this is conjecture from what I observed. I was activated when you were near death. The Director secured this location as a safe haven from an unknown threat. Shields are deployed to counteract any attempts at locating you or the Director and shield this shelter from external threats. Outside air reads breathable and free of toxins. There is an odd magical energy signature permeating the outside environment. However, I am unable to identify. The Director aided me in treating you, and you will make a full recovery. I am uncertain the status of the Director; his bloodwork and scans are inconclusive but show traces of the toxin that was in your blood.”
“Wait, I almost died?” Gelliana asked, forcing herself to take deep breaths to head off any anxiety, or as much as she could. It seemed so surreal.
“By some crude definitions you did die. Your heart experienced an abnormal rhythm which would have led to death within minutes, but defibrillation was successful,” SMAL reported. “That was due to the toxicity in your blood and the reaction to the antidotes administers. Such high levels of antitoxic has never been administrated to patients before, but did achieve a ninety-one-point-two success rate in all simulated trials. If not for the treatment administered, your death would have been assured. Normal side effects were counteracted, thankfully, due to the high doses involved.”
Not saying anything for a time, the gryphoness stared at the discarded medical supplies, then looking over to Toxic.
“Is he going to be ok? You said things are inconclusive?”
SMAL nodded, proceeding to organize the supplies as if finally recognizing the mess.
“Correct. He is waking from sleep now. I will continue to monitor both of you but must power down to process the current data as soon as the Director is fully conscious.” The entity seemed to think for a moment, demeanor shifting slightly. “I believe your present condition will aid in his mental health. He was most distressed when we were treating you.”
That made Gelly’s ears flatten, her beak quivering slightly.
I can only imagine.
“Do you know what happened here?” she asked.
“Not until the moment of my activation. All I am aware of is the treatment you received.”
As Toxic began to blink sleepily, Gelliana couldn’t help but reach down and wrap him up in a tight hug, tears brimming in her eyes. The memories slowly were becoming clearer; a certain stallion having most definitely saved her.
What did you go through for my sake?
“Gelliana?” Toxic asked, voice hoarse even with the amulet blinking. He pulled away to look at her face in shock, and Gelliana felt her heart crack. Her stallion’s eyes were filled with turmoil; surprise, joy, shock, and fear as he reached a shaking hoof up to gently rest against her cheek. One emotion shone through though, something much deeper than affection that made Gelliana’s face immediately warm. It was a look nocreature had ever given her before…
No, I’ve seen that look before, in some of my dreams.
“You’re ok?” he asked with a quavering voice, Gelliana nodding.
“T-thanks to you. Are you alright?” she replied, still captivated by the tender affection in those two green eyes. Something then changed, a tension settling on Toxic’s shoulders.
Then the look was gone, and Gelliana then saw something abruptly break in those green depths, some dark fear deeply hidden and tucked away. Toxic buried his muzzle into her feathers as he started to cry, holding onto the gryphoness tightly as if she could vanish at any moment.
“G-gells…”
“I’m here Toxic, and I’m ok,” she whispered.
Gelliana didn’t say anything else only held him close as Toxic cried. Her own tears traced down her cheeks; the gryphoness not fully understanding what pained the pony so, but knowing it was something much deeper than she initially thought. A choked sob clued her in on what tore at the stallion’s heart, however, in addition to the raw fear she had seen.
“I’m s-sorry.”
Toxic simply held his gryphoness close, reveling the simplest aspects of life; the fact she was breathing, conscious, and here. As his breathing escalated to almost hyperventilating sobs, Gelliana only held him all the tighter, tears brimming at her own eyes at seeing the stallion so distressed.
Oh, Toxic.
Using a trick her own friend had deployed a few times during her own anxiety attacks, Gelliana matched her breathing to Toxic’s, and then began to slow it ever so slightly. His chest expanding against her own feathers certainly aided the gesture, and soon the stallion was breathing normally, no more tears left to cry as she held him close.
I won’t dare let him start to be sorry about all this! Not after what he’s done for me!
What he’s already been through.
“Tox?” Gelliana asked softly, pulling back so she could look him in the eyes. “Can you just listen to me for a second?”
He nodded at that, still not able to speak clearly.
“S-something isn’t ok, and I don’t mean this mess w-we’re in,” she continued to stammer, then reaching out to poke the pony’s chest. “In h-here. Y-you said you were sorry, but what f-for? I’ve never s-seen you so scared.”
Her words trailed off, Toxic then hanging his head. He couldn’t-perhaps part of the truth?
No, all of it.
“I can’t tell you everything,” Toxic whispered. “It’s still too fresh. But the apology I can.”
Gelliana smiled, the gryphoness’s beak quivering. The fact she could see that something was wrong outside their immediate predicament was touching on a level Toxic couldn’t fully grasp.
“You’re here because of me,” he admitted, “if not for being close to me, I-”
“Oh, don’t you dare!” Gelliana hissed, glaring at him with a fierceness that made Toxic almost take a step back and it seemed to surprise the gryphoness herself. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this!” she poked his chest with a talon, a few tears in her eyes as the weight of what had just happened seemed to settle on her shoulders. “Y-you defend me against those creatures, save my life, and then blame yourself? You wouldn’t be here if not for me!”
“What?” Toxic sputtered, Gelliana setting her beak firmly with a nod.
“I remember you stopping after they grabbed me when I got stuck by that dart! If not for that, you probably could have escaped! You stopped to save me.”
Toxic opened his mouth to object, and then promptly shut it under the glare of the gryphoness.
“T-tox, you killed to protect me,” Gelliana whispered, a few thankful tears in her eyes. “And if not for how much you care about me, you could have gotten away. S-so how about we call it even?” she asked, tone softening as her feathers fluffed, the gryphoness now seeming to realize her previous intensity.
“I j-just, I can’t have you blaming yourself. Please don’t.” She then leaned forward, resting her cheek against his with a sniffle. “You have enough stuff to deal with as it is. From what I remember, I think my thank-you outweighs it all. And I’ll argue that point forever and ever.”
The surprise at having his special-somegriff rebuff the beginnings of his guilt still lingering, Toxic could only nod, gently pressing his cheek back against Gelliana’s.
“Alright, I think I can do that,” he whispered. “And thank you, Gelly.”
She couldn’t help but giggle at that.
“Anytime.”
Toxic’s eyes widened as some of Gelliana’s words began to register, the stallion quickly scrambling away from the gryphoness towards the deep garbage hole the SMAL had wisely dug for them.
I killed.
His stomach heaved, the stress making the stallion wanting to throw up- but nothing came. The pony simply leaned over the hole, dry-wrenching for a few moments before letting out a soft growl, the nausea being burned by the fire that ignited in his chest.
I’d kill again for her.
“Uh, Toxic? Your eyes?” Gelliana asked, the stallion noticing the wisps of dark magic starting to bleed from his pupils, easily dismissed with a shake of the head.
“Sorry,” he muttered, now sitting down on the bare dirt. “The killing thing. I’ve never done that.”
“Wait, you haven’t?” The gryphoness seemed genuinely surprised. “I’d never ask if you had, but…”
“I’ve come close, but I stopped myself. I suppose I can tell you sometime, just, not now,” Toxic admitted. “I’m just a bit frightened at what I did. How easy,” he then winced, ears flattening to his skull. “I’m surprised you don’t think of-”
“Oooooh no you don’t. No more of that,” Gelliana said flatly. “Unless you’ve forgotten, I left my best daggers stuck in one of those creatures that attacked us, and I have no qualms about that! Don’t you dare ask if I see you differently in a negative light because of what happened! We’re in the same boat. I’m surprised you’re not a-afraid of…” her voice trailed off, the gryphoness’s eyes widening as her own actions began to resonate.
“I mean, I’ve only killed small animals when hunting for other gryphons. Learning how to skin and stuff, even if I didn’t eat it; but others always did,” she whispered, tone then growing a bit bolder. “But I’ve thought about what I’d do if I had to defend myself, and they attacked us. So, I don’t regret it, do you?”
Toxic let out a huff, shaking his head firmly.
“Not in the slightest,” he admitted. “But I think we’ll have to deal with this new mindset in time.”
“But together,” Gelliana said with a smile.
“Together. Now, let’s figure out what in the world is going on. What do you remember?”
“So, you watch the crops?” Icait asked cautiously, the Thestrel across the table rolling her eyes as she bit into a mango.
“Yes, and unlike some of the bugs here, I won’t bite, Icait,” Knife Twist sighed, Luna stifling a laugh. “I know you’re uncomfortable around me, but I’m not going to yell at you.”
The fact the Windigo dissolved into mumbles seemed to please the Thestrel slightly, the mare calmly reaching over to poke Icait’s shoulder with a hoof.
“Seriously, relax. I’m not exactly at ease around you either, but if we’re going to see each other on the island I’d rather it not be when glaring at each other. To be fair it was my coltfriend’s idea to have these lunches. I swear he can sense grouchiness from a mile away…”
Knife Twist had to stop herself from choking on a bite of mango at seeing Icait’s ears perk up at that. “Ohhhhh, right, that’d be a new thing for Windigos? The opposite of hate?” Knife suggested with a grin, Icait nodding.
“It’s…uh…yeah….”
Oh. This is too good.
The Ex-captain couldn’t resist. It was an icebreaker after all.
“Somepony is flustered,” Knife teased, not able to help herself. It was nice now viewing Icait as just another creature; not some hate-filled entity that had been poisoning the Thestral’s’ mind. It made her different, able to be separated from those other creatures. Just the fact it wasn’t Knife that was nervous put her at ease, and she found herself pleasantly surprised how easy it was to just look past their shared history, at least the unsavory parts.
“I mean, I liked watching A Queen Betrothed with Gelliana,” the Windigo mare’s ears flattened, demeanor shifting as she took a shaky breath. “I hope she’s ok. I know something happened, but nothing too detailed yet.”
“Well, if it makes you feel better, I have a copy if you want to watch it here,” Knife then sighed, rolling her eyes. “Or rather, my coltfriend does. I swear he says ‘Inconceivable’ every other dinner date we’ve been on. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it, but I like the fighting scenes more. He’s the more….” She waved a hoof as the mare searched for an appropriate word.
“Romantic one?” Luna interjected with a grin, Knife rolling her eyes again.
“Hey, I have my ways! But he’s mushier than me; what is that look for!?”
Knife Twist was suddenly subjected to Luna struggling not to cackle while Icait tried to suppress a grin.
“Oh yes. Knife Twist. I do agree he is definitely the ‘mushier’ of you two. And yet, what was it last Nightmare Night? What did you two dress up as again?” Luna asked.
Knife Twist’s face went beet red, the mare angrily biting into a pastry as Icait giggled.
“Oh, now I want to know!” the Windigo asked excitedly. “Maybe I can convince Onyx to wear something! There’s so many holidays I can’t wait to experience!”
“Oh, it was adorable! She and Barley-”
“DON’T YOU DARE!” Knife Twist hissed, still pouting but struggling to keep a grin off her face at the same time.
Thankfully, Icait had just given Knife a new topic of conversation.
“Onyx? That’s the shadow pony, right?” Knife asked, still feeling her face burning but now quite eager to change the subject.
I need to have Barley burn those pictures.
…after I save copies.
Maybe.
Icait nodded, testing one of the dozen or so bite-sized portions on her plate. Apparently, she didn’t need to eat that much; but sampling was ‘on the menu’ per se.
“Yup! He’s interesting. Kind of a grump, but he’s my friend, so I still like seeing him happy,” she explained.
What Icait either didn’t know or couldn’t control was the lightening of her cheeks and the ever-so-slight aversion to any pony’s gaze when she spoke about said shadow-creature.
But in this case, Knife knew when not to press.
…mostly.
“From what I understand, he helped out during the invasion, right? Big knife-arms or something?” she asked, Icait replying with a nod.
“Uh huh. He’s a really good fighter and be really scary. But that’s only some of the time.”
“Oh?”
“He really likes reading books on that sofa. I guess they didn’t have such a thing as ‘comfy’ in Limbo? I’ll bet there will be a mold of him in those cushions after a time!” Icait replied, all three of them chuckling.
Luna’s gaze briefly met with Knife’s, and the mare couldn’t help but smile. There was relief behind the Princess’s eyes. Three what could have been, and once were, enemies, eating lunch and joking.
It felt good.
“I suppose I’ll have to meet him sometime,” Knife mused. “He seemed pretty protective of you when we first talked.”
“Oh, yeah, that. He does that sometimes,” Icait said far too quickly with a wave of her hoof.
“Sometimes?” Knife decided to press with a grin.
“I dunno. He has looked out for me from the start. It’s kind of nice in a way,” the Windigo said, tracing circles on the table with a soft smile. “He’s the reason I’m here, and vice versa.” She then looked up and saw the two smiling faces looking at her. “What?”
“Well, you obviously like him. It’s rather cute,” Knife remarked with a grin, thoroughly enjoying Icait now blushing as she shrugged.
“I mean, yeah? I’ve always thought of him as a friend, and he only recently told me the same. So, it’s nice.” The Windigo was then the one to roll her eyes as she matched Knife’s gaze.
“I’m still learning what it’s like to have a friend. We’re still learning about how to do that, much less anything else, for now.”
Knife couldn’t help but nod with a rather surprised but respectful huff. She had written of the Windigo as a bit of an airhead. Apparently Icait was a lot more aware of things than the Thestral gave her credit for; she could respect that.
“Fair enough,” Knife chuckled, “maybe you can watch the movie with him. I’m sure my coltfriend can live a few days without seeing it.”
“Inconceivable!”
The loud voice next to Knife’s ear made the thestrel nearly jump out of her chair, letting out a very undignified yelp as Barley laughed, Luna wiping tears of mirth from her eyes, the alicorn having seen Barley sneaking up on his marefriend. Icait couldn’t help but join in, the Windigo seeming to forget her anxieties as she laughed along.
“BARLEY!” Knife yelped, voice cracking slightly as the stallion wrapped her up in a laughing hug.
“Knifey!”
The rest of the table continued to laugh, the grumbling thestrel hardly able to pout- but she could try.
How long has it been since I’ve had friends?
Knife’s gaze drifted to the Windigo, the other mare seeming to be genuinnly enjoying herself.
Even if it’s not a normal start, a new job, new friends…
It’s my life.
Icait looked over to the Thestral, a bit of uneasiness entering into her expression, still clearly a bit nervous about how she was seen.
Maybe I can move on and build something better.
To that end, Knife made sure Icait was looking at her before smirking, nodding once. The Windigo seemed to get the hint, relaxing as Luna began to chat with Barley about his new position.
Maybe we all can build something better.
Gelliana rubbed her eyes, the twinges of exhaustion eating away at her body and mind. Toxic had explained it all as best he could, but it all seemed so surreal; especially since they were ‘safe’ in this cave.
“And that about sums up what happened after you were unconscious. We’re near the dragon-lands, as best as I can tell, and these attackers want to modify the clouds, if I can guess,” Toxic explained. “The top of their mountain had a weird stone formation where it pulled in the clouds and pushed them out the other side before something shattered it. I’d like to think that was Celestia, but I don’t know. This continent would be the best for a rogue group to try something; the dragons don’t really care, and this is unclaimed land, pretty much wildland like the Everfree forest,” he let out a huff at that.
“Of course, that’s a bit of speculation. But the air is breathable outside, and there’s still a magical suppression field this far from the mountain. I am only assuming that’s going to be projected over their ‘domain,’ so all we can do is wait, because they’re certainly going to be searching for us. Hopefully the locator runes alerted Celestia and Luna. If not, we may be on our own. But for now, we stay put.”
The steady tone of Toxic’s voice let Gelliana know two things; first, this scenario was not nearly as shocking in terms of new information to him than it was to the gryphoness, and two, that Toxic had thought about this sort of thing before. But first things first.
“So those dream-like flashes I had, those were real,” she muttered. “Captured, and they were going to try and extract your cutie mark?”
“As best as I can tell,” Toxic said with a huff as he examined the large crates in front of them. “It would make sense for a group developing chemical weapons to try and get an immunity to them or remove the one pony who IS immune. They were going to kill you when they realized that I couldn’t be bargained with, which is the reason they captured you if I had to guess.”
Gelliana did remember that moment, at least what happened after. Her feathers fluffed out slightly, the gryphoness walking over to the stallion and planting her head against his shoulder as her limbs began to quake slightly.
“They were going to do quite a bit more before killing me,” she whispered. “Thank you for…”
Toxic simply nodded, the stallion gritting his teeth as he took a few deep breaths. The gryphoness pulled back slightly, seeing dark magic seep from the unicorn’s eyes briefly.
“I’d never let them hurt you,” he replied, voice shifting to a rather unnatural growl, the stallion clearly fighting an inner turmoil as he shook his head. “Sorry. Still learning to modulate dark magic and emotions. It’s tricky.”
“I thought dark magic was banned for unicorns?” Gelliana asked, sitting down on the dirt ‘bed’ with a curious tilt of her head. “For that matter, Toxic, I think there’s a lot you haven’t told me. You didn’t fight like some untrained pony, and all this stuff?” she paused, gaze drifting to her claws for a moment as the shyer part of the gryphoness surfaced. “I k-know there’s top secret things you can’t tell me, but there’s s-so much I don’t understand about you right now. Can you tell me anything?” she asked softly.
“I can tell you quite a bit, as a matter of fact,” Toxic replied with a sigh. “I couldn’t tell you before because you weren’t directly affected by it; only I was. But now? Security clearance is out the window if it helps us survive.” He trotted over and sat down again with a wince, blowing out a tired breath as the pony gathered his thoughts. “You’ll have to forgive me though; I haven’t really talked about this stuff before. Not even to my parents, just Varti. And even then, he was on a need-to-know basis, even if he figured it out on his own.”
“Huh?”
“The less creatures know about what I do, the better. The safer they will be. My parents didn’t even know I got attacked by an assassin; just a random mugger. That removes them from being potential information leaks. Seeing as how they already came after you, we’re past that point.”
“Oh,” Gelliana said, eyes lowering to her claws, “that makes sense, but must have been hard for you.” The gryphoness was clearly holding back a flood of questions, her eager energy nearly palpable despite the seriousness of the matter. Toxic seemed pick up on that but was fighting a battle of his own. He seemed to be tussling with what to say; but finally seemed to just let the words flow. If anything, he seemed tired of holding all of the secrets in.
“It goes without saying that all of this is top secret, so you can’t tell anyone. So…”
“I had security clearance for a time after you got attacked; I’ll treat everything you say just like that situation,” she said immediately. “I promise. If you have a form, I’ll sign it.”
Toxic managed a slight smile at that.
“Fair enough. Where do you want me to start?”
“How about how you escaped? Like, weren’t you tied up? Did they even bother to suppress your magic?” Gelliana asked immediately. “And what about all of,” she gestured around to the gear and supplies. “And all that fighting? Uh, if you want to start there?” she asked, an adorable blush on her face as Toxic couldn’t help but smile.
“In that order? They did have me fitted with a magic suppressor- but that was easy enough to break. The ropes they tied me up with were pretty standard to slide free. Other than that, I assume they thought the metal cages and the general magic suppression field would keep me placated. They also assumed the tranquilizers worked; which they didn’t,” Toxic explained. “The reason they got the tranquilizers wrong is the same reason I have various training to break out of those suppressors. Secrecy in case things go bad; maybe this will make more sense. You remember Hammer?”
“Yeah, the Legionnaire?”
“Remember when I said that I helped him during his training? Kind of a study buddy?”
“Uh huh.”
“That was only a half truth. I was mentoring him through various classes. Particularly, the escape and evasion courses.”
Gelliana pulled back and stared at Toxic in surprise at that.
“You’re a legionnaire?!” she asked, the pony then shaking his head.
“No, I’ve just gone through a decent number of their courses and other, hybrid ones. Escape and evasion, combat, and so forth. That’s how I learned to fight, break the restraints, and all that. There’s an added magical boost I can’t talk about just yet though…” his voice trailed off at that, Gelliana giving him a nudge with her shoulder.
“Hey, I won’t press things. All you say is that; and I’ll drop it. But how did you get the training? I thought that was super-secret and stuff?”
“I demanded it from Celestia.”
Gelliana’s jaw dropped, Toxic having growled that statement with no small amount of lingering anger before it faded quickly, the pony’s demeanor shifting abruptly and making the gryphoness’s curiosity flare. She had seen him like this before, brief flashes of something hidden.
“Something happened between you two, didn’t it?” Gelliana asked. “Celestia, I mean. I’ve seen it before. When she comes up in conversation you change, become more cold and abrupt. You don’t see her like everycreature else, do you?”
Toxic was quiet at that, but the fact his ears flattened and didn’t meet the gryphoness’s gaze told her enough.
“I didn’t know it was that obvious,” he muttered.
“Well, it isn’t. But I can hear your heartbeat speed up when she comes up in conversation. And I happen to like you a lot and notice when you’re not feeling good. So, I kinda have an advantage.”
Toxic smiled at that, shaking his head as he gathered his thoughts again. Gelliana’s sharp hearing picked up a soft, barely-audible whisper that hitched slightly as the stallion leaned over to nuzzle her cheek with his tenderly,
“I like you a lot t-too…”
After then pulling back and thinking for a time, Toxic finally spoke. It was in a subdued tone, the emotional weight present even with the slight monotone of the amulet.
“Celestia was once forced to choose her own life, Equestria’s well-being over keeping a promise to me, Gelly,” he said finally. “When I was first asked to help, not even a legal adult of age, Celestia promised me that she’d keep me safe, no matter what, even on simple tasks. So, when I was asked a little over a decade ago to go into a collapsing laboratory and activate the emergency relief valves on some chemical tanks, I said yes. It was my first real assignment, actually doing something other than poking buttons or switches when the air was contaminated. But this was very different. I don’t think Celestia realized that some chemicals can kill her too, or didn’t want to admit it to the public or herself for that matter. So, when the laboratory began to crumble around me and I was pinned under some rubble submerged in a toxic cloud, she had to make a choice. To save me and keep her promise while possibly dying, or to not, and ensure Equestria continued to have a ruler.”
Toxic took a deep breath, staring at the floor as a few shivers ran through his frame.
“She made the correct call, and put the nation above the one pony in distress,” he said finally. “But that pony would never trust her with his life again, nor anything else he held dear. A ruler always has to put the many above the one, the nation above the individual. But when you’re the one begging for help, stuck under a mountain of rock and steel with no way out...”
Gelliana looked over and saw a few tears tracing down Toxic’s face, the gryphoness leaning on his shoulder to offer as much comfort as she could.
“That’s why I talk to Luna,” Toxic continued, swiping the tears from his eyes as though annoyed by them. “Because that’s when I realized how much I was being used, being seen as just another pawn, a cog in the machine. Celestia may not have intended that at first, but that’s how I was treated; and that hurt. She realized it eventually, but the damage was long done. I once held her in such high regard, but now am among the few who realize how very imperfect she is. Unfortunately, now you know too, for better or worse.”
The pair were then quiet for a time; what more could be said? Gelliana herself couldn’t formulate any words to counter Toxic’s view, nor add anything of her own.
“I can’t say I’m that surprised,” Gelliana finally said. “I had lunches with Celestia every now and again and got to see her outside the ‘all-powerful-princess’ roll. So, I guess it’s not really a shock to me at all. I mean, even though my parents had a bit of that view, I never really believed it. Knowing what I do about Griffinstone, how much suffering was going on there before Equestria finally reached out; I never really could understand how a ‘perfect’ Princess would allow such a thing to happen even beyond her own borders. And then there’s the cruelty within Equestria. The ponies that look down on other creatures just for not being like them. But getting to know her, I know she did the best she could, just like all of us do. She really does care, but makes mistakes like anyone else. I can’t hold that against her.”
Toxic nodded, then shaking his head slowly.
“Despite the flares of anger, I really don’t blame her for the choice, not anymore,” he admitted. “I have forgiven her, funny enough, but that breaking of trust, of having her make a promise she must have known she couldn’t keep; that still hurts. The more I’ve thought about it, the more I wonder if Celestia even knew she’d need to break it. But at least now I know how I am seen, whether she wanted to indicate that or not, and is why I won’t trust her with my life. We haven’t talked about the issue since, and there have been a few times in getting my Organization ready that various boundaries have needed to be enforced. So, there’s trust issue number one, and a doozy at that.”
“There’s a number two?” The gryphoness immediately winced, shaking her head at her words. “S-sorry, that was a bit too…”
“Personal?” Toxic chuckled sadly. “I don’t think so. I’ve made it no secret my issues with trust, and you have been honest with yours. Number two is much simpler. Just a special-somepony I thought liked me. Turns out I got used again as a social stepladder, and when she spread lies about who I was after I found out her real intentions, the majority of my ‘friends’ believed her accusations and turned their backs on me. Hammer and Varti are the only two who knew otherwise, who cared enough to ask what happened from my point of view. They’re also the only two who didn’t mind certain things…” His hoof drifted to poke the amulet on his chest, eyes not meeting the gryphoness’s.
Gelliana turned to stare at Toxic, jaw dropping in absolute shock. She hadn’t expected such a blunt explanation; nor an explanation at all.
But it made sense, more pieces of her interesting coltfriend starting to be tied together.
“Still a bit bitter about that, but it was for the better. Friends who do that, creatures who ‘like’ you don’t really act that way. Would have learned it sooner or later. I’m glad it was the former rather than the latter.”
“I…uh…” Gelliana stammered, “I’m rather shocked you’re able to be so casual about this.”
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about it,” Toxic admitted. “I swore off trying to get close to anycreature after that, at least for a few years. But then you decided to waltz into my life, and here we are.”
“Nowhere else I’d rather be, even if it’s in some crazy jungle in a cave,” Gelliana said with a chirp. “Speaking of which, as lovely as this place is, you said the plan is to stay put for now?”
Toxic nodded, the weight of their previous topic now being shed, the unicorn clearly having been bothered by such secrets beyond even what he consciously knew.
“Stay put for now until the search parties start to get bored. They can only sustain intensive searches for so long, then they’ll get lazy. That’s when we try to keep moving,” he then smirked, gesturing to the cave. “I’m surprised you’re so excited to leave, however.”
“Huh?”
The smirk really should have been a clue to Gelliana. It really should have.
“It’s such a lovely honeymoon destination!” Toxic crowed, gesturing to the walls. “Natural earth interior,” he then pointed to the area around a slight bend where ‘the hole’ was located, “five-star bathroom facilities,” then to the large military crates “ample provisions.”
At this point Gelliana couldn’t help but giggle, a blushing, half-tired gesture she couldn’t help but embrace, even as a few tears gathered in her eyes that weren’t entirely from mirth. Toxic seemed to pick up on this and reached up a hoof to rest on her shoulder.
“We’ll be ok, Gells,” he said softly, the gryphoness sniffling as she nodded.
“J-just a little overwhelmed,” she admitted.
“But we are safe, at least for now. Varti built the S.M.A.L and most of this equipment himself; I trust him with my life,” Toxic explained. “We have everything we need to stay hidden for a long time until rescue comes, if necessary. Unlike my situation, this is an attack by an enemy. Equestria won’t ignore that, can’t ignore it.” He then paused, the gryphoness seeing the flickering of a confident grin.
There was quite suddenly a fire behind the stallion’s eyes, Toxic seeming to know more than he let on. Gelliana could have sworn that the larger piece of the stallion’s discarded armor started to glow.
“And if they do, for whatever reason, leave us on our own, I have plans for that,” he then let out a frustrated huff, “if not for the suppression field, I’d teleport us out. It has to be powerful to block so much of my magic.”
“W-well, we’ll just stay put then,” Gelliana agreed. “Are you doing ok though? The Nurse said you have some weird readings.”
Toxic shrugged, gesturing to the hibernating SMAL.
“It’s not too much to worry about. I imagine they hit me with the same dose of whatever you got. But as my cutie mark says, I’m immune, so far at least,” he said. “I do think we need to eat something though, even if we don’t want to.”
Gelliana reluctantly agreed, and wasn’t surprised to find that there was an ample supply of Toxic’s favorite fruit-and-nut jerky, among other things.
“Gonna get rather boring in here,” she admitted, letting out a soft, tired laugh. “But I guess that’s probably the best thing to complain about.”
Toxic agreed with a chuckle.
“Indeed. I’ll take boredom any day of the week over dealing with those freaks again. The cloaking and deflection spells will hide us even if they stand directly on top of this hideout. As a bonus, it filters any air coming in, so they can’t even smoke us out! Boring, but effective. But hey, we’ll become experts at cave painting!”
Toxic’s upbeat mood was infectious, Gelliana not able to resist a smile.
Maybe they would be ok.
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Huh, you're not dead. About the best you could ask for really.
Except in the case of independent verification, believe no AI that tries to sell you this spiel.
You did.
Good. If you wouldn't I'd say you weren't worthy of her. A stallion who won't fight to protect those he loves is no stallion at all.
You can never go wrong with heavy chains welded to the floor and a bloke sat four feet away with a ten-gauge shotgun.
You know I'm pretty sure they won't...
AI can be tricky indeed.....
Very true. But looks like Toxic is certainly steadfast in how much he cares, and what lengths he'll go to in terms of keeping Gelliana safe.
Ooo we get to learn more about Fidelia! Interesting conversation she had with Varti. The Gelliana and Toxic parts were good. Glad they are getting in meaningful conversations. Just hope there relationship can move along with it!
and also some progress with Icait and Onyx? Love that
10475328
Fide is an interesting one. And progress on all fronts! Hopefully they can navigate their relationship during this crazy time!
And looks like Onyx and Icait are starting to fit in a bit!
Non-yak tendencies? I'd be curious too.
I don't know much about grammar other than spellings but just out of curiosity is defend correct here or should it be defended?
D'awwww!
Looks like Onyx isn't the only one with a crush.
I hope Knife Twist finds true closure by the end of this.
This particular chapter seemed to be all over the place emotion-wise. Can't wait to see what happens next, maybe Celestia will blow half the mountain apart since Fide has let someone know that Gelliana and Toxic are both still alive and have pretty much escaped. 🤣
I do believe this is another ship happening
Nooo, she's here because some people decided to be jerks
How about you don't, and just place all the blame on the jerks that attacked you instead
Why Gelly, why
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Quite a few jerks...but hey, they're making progress!
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Non-yak for a yak is a curious thing indeed!
I honestly think it can be either; depends if it's being referred to in the present tense (what I have) or the past. I COULD be wrong though.
Onyx and Icait are making SOME progress! I mean, everything is new to them,
Looks like Knife Twist is well on her way though, slowly coming to terms with being able to move on
Yep, this was an emotional-heavy chapter! And don't think that everyone will stand idly by!
looks like Fidelia or one of the others briefly used the SMAL golem to look in on them last chapter.
The cave isn't a hobbit hole, but at least it's dry.
and despite taking place in a cave, its still a surprisingly (or not, given whos writing this story) cute and fluffy chapter.
10475713
Sure seems that way...
THE FLUFF TRAIN KNOWS NO BOUNDS!
Wait given what just happened the last episode then aren't they basically stuck? That is unfortunate there, still it is one of the best places that they can deal with being stuck in a siege. Though maybe Toxic should do some system upgrading to deal with waste material better.
10475911
Oh, they're still very much stuck. They're underground with a shield over them camouflaging them as a bolder while an entire army searches for them.
So...definitely still stuck!
Last chapter involved Toxic frantically searching for a cave or somewhere hidden so he could treat Gelliana.
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With Celestia stuck not being able to go in with a stalemate. Those two are in an absolutely wonderful position.
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I mean, in many aspects, not the worst thing!
the breathing trick was rather interesting! for some reason I really liked that
10866953
found one, The ever-present typo bane of authors everywhere. Chapt 23 Gelle first talks to SMAL.
I will continue to monitor both of you but most power down to process [ must ] ?
11145417
There's always a few that sneak through! Thank you!