Chapter Fifteen: Tosses, Turns, and Plans
The following day was fairly normal, and that was what made Astral on edge. If he ignored some things, such as just staying in the apartment, then he could almost forget there were pony-eating Skitters outside or a thousand lengths of concrete and rock above his head.
With Sassi around it was almost like having a roommate. He was used to that, at least, back before he took his previous job.
After school and the Guard training, bunking with other stallions was not on his ‘to do’ list in the future ever again. Astral had mentioned to Gabbro that the next time he had a roommate, they’d be a lady, and it’d be a permanent situation.
I didn’t mean that in the sense of being stuck underground with an armored princess, but here we are.
The day passed fairly swiftly; the aches and pains Astral had accumulated now fading. He busied himself with exercises and continue to organize their supplies (with Sassi’s permission of course, since she had accumulated most of them.) The FRE challenge was postponed. Apparently, anyone not familiar with them could have some bad reactions as their digestive system adjusted.
And by ‘bad reactions,’ Astral assumed biochemical warfare, at least from the story Sassi had told him as she laughed hard enough to have tears streaming down her face.
The stallion hadn’t known it was even possible to cause plumbing to detonate. Evidently, it was.
The mare had spent quite a bit of time monitoring the cameras, occasionally showing Astral areas of the Silo they covered (mundane as it was) but he appreciated the time she spent helping him learn the layout. However, the troubled look on her face around dinner had Astral worried.
“Tomorrow we need to do some scouting, that means you too,” she said firmly with a shake of her head. “Maybe we can get some combat training while we’re out and about. But there are some weird readings I want to investigate in Silo One.”
“What kind of weird readings?”
“I don’t really know. Cameras offline, heat signatures that come and go, and electrical surges which indicate something is shorting out.”
Astral must be getting used to the idea of being on the run because his anxiety only spiked to a medium level. He had childishly hoped maybe they could just hole up and not ever go out again.
A foolish notion, but it had been easy to accept for a few days. He tossed and turned that night trying to get to sleep.
He couldn’t move.
It felt like Astral’s legs were encased in mud, a grey-colored Skitter creeping along the floor towards him. Red eyes locked onto his, fang-filled mouth opening-
And then it was abruptly gone, Astral blinking. As a familiar scene resolved itself, he briefly wished for the Skitter to return.
A familiar mare looked at him, the stallion’s forelimbs bound in bandages as he sat in a hospital room, guards outside the door. The mare didn’t say anything, but her look spoke volumes. There was a brief whisper of genuine thanks, but the expression on her face radiated one thing.
Fear.
Astral woke up with a gasp, a cold sweat dotting the Thestral’s frame. He had a feeling telling Sassi about the incident yesterday would churn things up, even if the details weren’t explicit.
He hated that memory.
Washing his face briefly, he briefly noted the clock indicated it was in the middle of the night (or day, in his case). Returning to his room, the bat-pony stood in the door and shook his head.
It just felt so cold. A room with nopony there. The thought of curling up in the bed simply ate at Astral’s mind. With a sigh, he snagged his pillow and softly trotted to the couch where he flopped down on the plush cushions.
I can still see her face.
That knowledge ate at Astral more than anything. He could logically explain away everything else that happened. Powerful ponies protecting their children, media loving a juicy story.
But that, how someone saw Astral after he tried to help, when all the stallion had wanted to do was help, to do some good in a world.
She had been afraid of him, genuinely terrified as he had beaten the two would-be assailants to a bloody pulp. The mare hadn’t looked him in the eyes after that aside from a brief thank you. But even at that moment, she had radiated nothing but fear. He hadn’t been seen as a good pony; just an unhinged one in the right place.
Helping others was something that came naturally, hence why joining the Guard had been logical on some level. It had felt right. The feeling in his heart when pulling the scared ponies from the rubble of the collapsed building had made him even more sure that the path of a Guard was the correct one. Lots of his family was like that, most of his family.
But in this case, he hadn’t been a hero.
It had happened in an odd shift that Astral still didn’t fully understand. A blur of action and willpower as he tore into the two stallions as a cold, calculated calm had taken over his thoughts. He hadn’t regretted a single blow, even as one of the stallion’s forelimbs had been snapped over a shoulder. Even as blood dripped from his fangs after sinking them into an arm that would have broken his jaw, Astral didn’t regret it at all.
That was what made Astral’s stomach churn. The stallion didn’t even know such things had been inside him all this time, lurking so close to the surface. Aside from his interest in combat and sparring programs, the Thestral had never even been in a fight, never hit anyone or anything out of anger.
Yet every time he froze in the years after that, he could then feel it. A bubbling cauldron of something just beneath the surface that had previously been invisible. On that day, it had been laser-focused anger and a desire to be the one good pony on someone else’s bad day.
And yet it had gone so wrong.
Maybe it had always been there. Perhaps it was the reason why his family always went into the Guard profession with such zeal. But now it was nothing but a tormenting beast that was lying in wait. He certainly hadn’t dealt with the frustration and utter helplessness well, that much was quickly becoming apparent.
As a few tears welled up in Astral’s eyes, the stallion hugged the pillow close as he curled into a ball, begging his mind to shut up and let him sleep. The cruel facts refused to let him rest, however. Thestrals still had a somewhat malevolent image among many creatures, and his court case had proved every uneducated naysayer correct, even if he had been overwhelmingly exonerated. A single thought, even if he knew it was logically incorrect, still ate into him.
It was born from the dozens of articles calling him such, his parents refusing to look him in the eye as they slowly lessened their contact. From his siblings cutting off contact to his friends abruptly being busy for years on end.
I don’t blame her for seeing me as a monster.
The only comfort Astral had was Gabbro’s words. The cheerful hippogriff had been the only one of his friends to believe him, to say the words the Thestral had been begging silently to hear.
“Dude, you’re a lot of things, but that isn’t one of them. I’d have done the same thing. Monsters already exist in Equestria and everywhere else, that’s why we have the Elements of Harmony. And I don’t see any rainbows headed your way.”
Astral just wished he could believe the jovial hippogriff so easily. When thousands of voices told you one thing, how long could you deny the fact they might hold a shred of truth?
Sassi yawned, her clock reading the usual early numbers. It was rare she could sleep in, especially with a planned mission today.
Glancing over to a meshed-metal square area of her room, her eyes flickered over the various armaments stored there, the mare opting to wait to put on the restrictive armor suit. There would be enough of that today.
Her door’s security system disarming, Sassi then walked out, noting the cracked door across the hall. Astral was probably still asleep.
I still feel a bit bad about being so suspicious. I still am, but…
A thought had occurred to her, one that made the Thestral want to groan. If she didn’t give Astral a chance, she’d be a hypocrite of epic proportions, well, in a sense.
It all comes down to time. He still hasn’t given me any reason to not trust him.
She had to admit, Astral was rather likable. The stallion had livened up her usually-stale apartment in a rather comforting way the past few days, even if it was amid a crazy emergency. He provided an odd sense of normality when her past interactions with ponies had always been soiled. It was nicer still to have his words counterbalance the ‘nice pony act’, a thought lurking in the more paranoid parts of Sassi’s mind.
No, not paranoid. Realistic for down here. Being nice was a means to an end, nine times out of ten.
As she trotted out, some movement caught her eye. Her hoof nearly yanked out a blade before her ears twitched, a soft mumbling reaching Sassi’s ears. Curled up on the couch, Astral held a pillow tightly between his hooves, legs twitching occasionally as an almost pained expression was drawn across his face. He shivered occasionally, head burying into the pillow.
Sassi found herself staring; the mare managing to snap out of it fairly quickly. She wasn’t used to caring about ponies like this. There were co-workers, and then there was family. Friends were few and far between down here.
That didn’t mean she didn’t want to care. Things were just…different here.
Well, they had been different, because Sassi found herself indeed caring about this curious stallion, her heart being pricked at seeing him clearly in discomfort. She reached out a hoof, then briefly drawing it back with a shake of her head, eyes narrowing in confusion.
Is that what it’s like to comfort someone? To want to?
Those questions went only partially answered, a tugging in her chest refusing to let Sassi be at ease. She had felt it before but only in times she knew she was unable to help. But now…
Trotting into her room, the Thestral tugged out a spare, blue-spotted blanket before returning, draping it over Astral briefly. Seeing him immediately relax, the mare nodded in approval. She couldn’t help but smile at see the other Thestral curl up, snuggling into the pillow contentedly. It was the oddest thing. At that moment, Sassi realized she hadn’t even remembered the tossed-out charges. Astral had simply been a friend in need.
And perhaps that’s how it should be.
She decided to operate on that thought, another one making her smirk as she meandered up to check the security feeds.
You are an odd pony, Astral. But I think that’s a good thing. Odd, but good.
And kind of cute.
The last thought made the Thestral’s wings flare, the mare shaking her head and letting out a rebellious huff.
Definitely not the time.
They had to go on a supply run today, and that was not a distraction she needed.
Of course, not that she could avoid it. He was a nice balance between the string-bean eggheads who mostly worked on the lower floors and the muscle-bound stallions who served as glorified bouncers. He even had a bit of extra fluff. Not a ton, but enough that would make hugs juuuuuuust perfe-
She shook her head at that, a tinge of regret eating at the mare’s thoughts. Thinking that way just wasn’t productive, not now.
That said, Sassi hadn’t missed how the stallion had first looked at her. She had to admit, it was nice to be noticed as a mare every now and again, even if she wasn’t the most attractive Thestral. Being noticed for something normal, something as simple as being noticed by the opposite sex in a non-creepy or invasive manner…
That thought made the Thestral’s ears pin back, but a bit of hope surged in her chest as she drew out the childhood picture of herself and Flask.
Normal. I’d have paid any price for more of that in my life over these years. I guess I still would. And I guess ‘normal’ found me, and now we get to help each other.
Flask really trusts him that much. I have to at least take that for something.
Sassi found herself checking in on Astral again the next hour or two, her gaze softening at seeing him still slumbering peacefully. One thought dug into her mind as she prepared things for the upcoming venture.
Is this what it’s like to just interact with somepony? Without all the history and background muddling things?
He just sees me.
The fact that such a thing was so new to Sassi was unsettling, but she didn’t mind it too much. If this was a general glimpse at what life could be like above ground, just talking with a friend and caring how they were doing, she’d fight all the Skitters in the world for it.
It felt right. And that was a feeling that had been absent for almost her entire life.
I want to believe you Astral, just give me a bit of time.
Letting out a yawn, Astral woke up with a grumble, only then realizing there was an additional blanket on his body.
I didn’t grab that, did I?
Judging how it smelled like a combination of gunpowder, fresh rain, and a bit of fruit, that was a definite no.
If this is Sassi’s, what in the world did she wash it with? I need to buy that soap.
Reluctantly setting it aside, Astral stretched, noting how the usual nightmares had faded after waking up in the middle of the night.
He was busy fixing a basic breakfast (with some preserved fruit of course) when Sassi trotted down from checking the cameras.
“Ah, good! You’re up,” she remarked. “We’ve got a fun day ahead of us. Nothing too crazy.”
He let out a huff at that, Sassi walking into the kitchen and snagging some of her own breakfast. She was close enough that Astral quickly realized where the blanket smell came from- and that caused his cheeks to heat up.
A mare that smells like gunpowder and fruit?
Even as a friend, it was nice knowing such mares existed.
“Hey, Sassi?” Astral asked, breaking free from his stupor, “for last night, thanks,” he said, voice a bit softer as he gestured towards the blanket.
The mare’s usually rather ramrod-straight posture relaxed, the Thestral smiling kindly in a way that seemed to genuinely reach her violet eyes.
“No problem. Looked like you were having a rough night,” she averted her gaze, left forelimb rubbing her right one in thought. “I’ve had my share of those. So, yeah. Blanket is yours if you need it.”
He nodded, returning to his breakfast as Sassi remembered something
“While you’re making that, I’ll get the ammo for your saddle-guns,” Sassi said, a confused look on Astral’s face. “Yeah. I unloaded them when you weren’t looking a few days ago. Sorry. Had to be safe until I cleared stuff up,” she admitted.
“You are a deadly mare,” Astral said, clearly a bit miffed but not about to argue against her actions. It made sense. “Uh, where are all the ammo and weapons stored by the way? They’re not in the supply room.”
Sassi trotted happily down the hall, calling back briefly.
“Oh. The armory with all that stuff is also in my room. Be right back.”
Astral stood and stared for a moment, the stallion swearing he saw hearts dance in his vision for a moment.
“That mare has an armory in her room? Somepony pinch me, I think I’m in love.”
“You say something?”
“Urp- um…nothing important!”
The odd look (and ever so slight blush) on Sassi’s face when she returned indicated that maybe she had heard him, but the mare didn’t mention anything.
“So, today is a simple one,” she explained, “we need to try that code of yours at a supply depot a floor or two down. That’s after we investigate the weird readings.” The mare then paused, looking at him with a surprisingly serious gaze. “Are you up for this? I could use the help, but not if it means you get killed.”
Astral swallowed nervously at that, his jaw clenching slightly.
“I can’t just stay here and let you do all the work,” he said slowly as if thinking it through out loud. “If we are getting out of there, it’s together. You said you needed my help, and Flask said that I could, should help you. He trusted me with that. I’ve gotten this far, and I have to learn how to survive sooner rather than later.”
Despite his confidence in flux, a rather roguish smirk slid onto his features, Astral glancing over to the surprised mare as he reloaded the revolver-like chambers.
“Besides, I’d be a sad excuse for a friend, gentle-colt, and an almost-Night Guard for making the pretty lady do all the heavy lifting.”
As he locked the chambers back into position, Astral almost had to stop himself from laughing. Out of the corner of his vision, Sassi looked almost flustered, her cheeks tinged a bright pink, genuine confusion swimming in her purple eyes.
It was a rather attractive look, but Astral wasn’t about to push his luck in any respects, especially not with a mare who could bench press him with her eyes closed.
“So, what’s the plan?”
His words snapped Sassi out of her daze, the mare grinning with genuine anticipation.
“We check a supply room, get you more familiar with combat when someone else is at your side, and maybe blow the heads off a few Skitters.”
When she put it like that, the night didn’t sound half bad.
Hmmm. Some more developments indeed. 
Stats
Page generated in 0.037 seconds
Total duration
1,034 users online
284,630 hits today, 2,156,967 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Noice
11014274
This is a very odd place for a ship to sail. I mean I doubt there's much water.
11048453
Odd? Perhaps.
But some oceans are surprisingly deep.
It would be a genuine tragedy if this doesn't work out for any reason.
11080782
ah, I knew it. loves brewing. its always in the most precarious situations
11228061
I think Astral is forgetting what she said about being enhanced. No way she didn't hear.
She seems quite unused to hearing that she's likeable and attractive, though that may not be all that surprising given the environment she's lived in and had to work in.
Odd place for a potential ship to sail, lol. Enough blood around to make it float though.
11680973
Enough blood to make the ship sail...that's a new one!
Astral and Sassi sitting in a bunker K-I-S-S-I-N-G!
11879587
