Chapter 29

Dave shivered as he sat atop the cold table where he once laid dead, Strong Shield wrapped the blanket around his shoulders

“Dave are you ok?” Strong Shield kept a hoof on Dave’s shoulder

Dave turned his head slowly to look at the guard “Where am I?” he gasped and his breath floated through the air

“The morgue” Strong Shield helped Dave off the silver table “You must have lost your natural body heat during your… death”

Dave held the blanket tightly around him “How long was I… gone?”

“I’ll fill in the details later” Strong Shield nudged Dave to the door “First let’s find the princess”

“No” Dave resisted “I mean I just died, it will be awkward if I waltz in like this”

Strong Shield hummed “Fine I know a place where you can recover and I can tell you what happened” He walked over to the door and poked his head out “Stay right behind me”

Dave followed the guard closely as he managed to lead him through the barracks without being seen “Where are we going?” Dave asked

“Somewhere nopony has gone before” Strong Shield took Dave through the empty corridors of the castle and down into the back alleys of Canterlot

“Ok seriously where are we going?” Dave’s bare feet managed to keep him as Strong Shield’s speedy trot

He pulled a rusty key from his armour “My house” he sighed as he unlocked the door and hurried Dave inside

“Why here?” Dave as he stepped into the cold house “And why was it warmer in the morgue?”

“I never used this house” Strong Shield looked outside the door “I always stayed at the guard barracks so I was closer to work”

Dave looked around the house, there were no photos, no paintings, nothing to decorate the plain white walls

Only a chair, a sofa and a table sat in the main room “How was this supposed to warm me up?”

“There is a bath upstairs” Strong Shield stepped outside again “I will return in a minute”

Dave nodded as the guard left him in the freezing house, he walked upstairs and found the empty bathroom, void of shampoos and only had one scratchy towel

Dave turned the hot tap on, it rumbled as it shot out steaming hot water into the shallow bath

“Better than nothing” Dave sighed as he climbed in, the hot water quickly heating his body again

Dave stayed in the bath until his hands became wrinkled and the bath water became cold, he stepped out, pulling the plug out behind him

“Are you warm enough?” Strong Shield called

“When did you get back?” Dave called “I didn’t hear you come in”

“Just now” Strong Shield called “And it was me being quiet which helped me get these” the door cracked open and Dave’s clothes were thrown in

“Thanks” Dave called as he dried himself and dressed himself, he walked downstairs and was passed a bowl of apples

“Eat” Strong Shield commanded as he sat in an antique chair, Dave sat opposite in a wooden sofa with hard cushions

“Um… thanks?” Dave repeated as he began to work his way through the fruit

“Make sure you eat lots” Strong Shield leaned back in his chair “The transformation must have taken a lot of energy”

Dave did not have time to respond as he found himself stuffing his face as quickly as he could “I guess you’re right” Dave chuckled as he wiped his mouth

“Of course I’m right” Strong Shield almost cracked a smile “It is getting late, do you require a bed to be made?”

Dave shook his head “I couldn’t impose, I could find somewhere else to stay”

Strong Shield sighed, “Sleep on the sofa then”

Dave looked at the dark sofa “So long as it is ok with you”

“It is fine” Strong Shield levitated over a blanket “Will this suffice?”

“Yeah this is fine” Dave laid his head down on the sofa “thanks for everything”

“I will be upstairs if you need anything” Strong Shield trotted up the stairs, the light disappeared as he disappeared from view “Good night Dave” He called

“Night Strong Shield” Dave replied as sleep quickly took him

Meanwhile…

Celestia sighed as she released her magic, making the sun hide behind the horizon

She stepped back into the her bedroom, Pinkie was asleep on the white sofa, a blanket wrapped tightly around her

Celestia quietly left the bedroom, closing the door with as little noise as possible, she passed her guards as she proceeded the gloomy walk to the barracks

Along the way Luna stepped in her path “Hello sister” she growled with spite

Celestia sighed “Luna I know you must be angry with me but…”

“Of course I am!” Luna cut her big sister off “You took Dave away from me so he could be your plaything for a few years”

Celestia dipped her head “Luna it was nothing like that”

“When you turned him into a pony” Luna shook her head “I bet you assumed he wanted it didn’t you?”

Celestia nodded “I know you must be hurt Luna but he will live in our memories”

Luna chuckled “Live in our memories? You make that sound as if he has died”

The white alicorn stood silent as the smallest of the pair began to breathe heavily

“What happened?” Luna took a pace from her sister

“Dave is resistant to magic, his body forced a reverse on the transformation” Celestia fought back tears “It was too much for him”

Luna fell against the wall “He’s… gone?”

Celestia moved and hugged her “I’m sorry, I was going to… see him”

Luna cried ferociously into Celestia’s mane “Can I come?” she managed to sob

“Yes my dear sister” Celestia walked side by side with the grieving princess of the night

They walked into the barracks together, guards saluted around them as they headed for the morgue

The first thing Luna caught sight of was a sheet of paper lying on the floor, Celestia looked around the room in a panic

“Where is he?” she gasped “CAPTAIN!” she bellowed

Shining Armour rushed in “Yes your majesty?”

Celestia glared as she pointed at the bare silver table “Where is Dave?”

Shining Armour looked around the room “He was here only a few minutes ago”

“Sister” Luna called as she read the paper from the floor “Sergeant Strong Shield has left this half finished”

“Now that is odd” Celestia floated the document over “He would never leave things half done”

“I will search for him personally” Shining Armour saluted the princesses as he marched out of the room

Celestia and Luna gave each other worried glances as they made their way back into the castle

Shining Armour hurried into Strong Shield’s office, the smell of varnished wood moved swiftly into his nostrils

“Where are you?” he asked quietly as he scanned the office, he saw nothing different from the last time he came into the room

The captain walked over to the various files that lined the shelves, he plucked out a folder labelled ‘threats’

“Dragons, changelings…” Shining replaced the folder “Damn it, nothing?”

Shining Armour then tapped his horn in thought against the shelves, the sound of something rattling caught his attention to a folder at the end

“Sanctuaries?” Shining removed the folder before opening it and pulling out a bag of labelled keys “He has homes all over Equestria!” he gasped

A sheet caught his eye “Canterlot?” the list of various houses showing the location of each only showed one in the local area

Shining dived into the bag of spare keys and pulled out a rusted bronze key, tagged with the appropriate address

“I hope you have thought this through” Shining Armour sighed as he charged through the castle

Next morning…

Dave awoke early to the sound of a door being heavily knocked, Strong Shield raced to the door, quietly covering Dave’s mouth to stop him from talking

“I know you are in there” Shining Armour called as he continued to pound on the door “Let me in”

Strong Shield unbolted the door and allowed the captain to walk in “The reason the keys are tagged is to confuse ponies that try to use them”

Shining Armour tossed the useless key onto the table “So I see Dave came back from the dead”

“Shortly after your departure” Strong Shield kept his attention “So what do you require?”

“I need Dave to come back” Shining Armour sighed as he rubbed his eyes “The princesses went to see him”

“They know?” Dave gasped as he sprung out from underneath his covers

“Yes and they are upset” The white unicorn opened the door “So come along”

“Don’t order him around” Strong Shield said angrily “He will go when he is ready”

Shining Armour slowly turned his head “Excuse me?”

Even Dave gawped at the sudden insubordination “Its fine Shield really”

“Don’t feel pressured to go” Strong Shield stood between Dave and his captain “You can stay as long as you like”

“Why are you behaving like this?” Shining Armour advanced towards the guard “Don’t tell me you have grown attached to him because of what you told me yesterday”

Dave stepped forwards to diffuse the situation “I will be out in a minute just let me have a chat”

Shining Armour nodded “I will be right outside”

Dave smiled as the door closed then spun round the Strong Shield “What the hell was that?”

“It’s nothing,” Strong Shield returned to his grumpy mood “Go follow the captain”

“Not until you tell me what is going on” Dave sat down on the floor in front of the frowning sergeant

“Fine…” Strong Shield broke under Dave’s gaze “I am not exactly proud of it but…”

“But?” Dave raised an eyebrow

“I…” Strong Shield rolled his eyes “care about your wellbeing”

Dave thought for a moment before he retreated “You love me as well? I’m not gay”

“Neither am I!” Strong Shield spat “I have just been so dedicated about my job, when I saw you die I actually felt… sad”

“So… Wait” Dave puzzled for a minute “As in a friend?”

“More”

“Boyfriend?”

“Less”

“Symbolic brother?”

“Different relation”

“…son?” Dave raised an eyebrow “why?”

“I was charged with keeping an eye on you, as you spent time here I ended up protecting you from certain ponies” Strong Shield sat down in his chair

“Like who?” Dave sat opposite him

“One of the guards let slip to Prince Blueblood about you” Strong Shield ran a hoof through his greying mane “If I had let him talk to you…” Dave watched as the tired guard take a few deep breaths “You might have ended up being a glorified slave” Strong Shield finished “I didn’t want that for you, so I got you doing a few jobs for the princess”

“So hang on” Dave looked out the window to see Strong Shield waiting patiently on the busy road “You were the reason I fought the dragon?”

“More or less” Strong Shield’s ears drooped “My recommendation carries some weight”

“You were the reason I got to see Celestia more often?”

Strong Shield rolled his eyes “Partially”

“Well… thanks” Dave swept his fingers through his hair as they both sat in silence

“What is your father like?” Strong Shield asked out of curiosity

“I don’t know, he left when I was little” Dave fiddled with his fingers “So I can’t say I have had a father”

“Well he missed out” Strong Shield smiled “I would have been proud to have had a son like you”

Dave chuckled “And you would have made a good dad”

“That’s what I missed out on” Strong Shield looked down at his armoured hooves

Dave suddenly smiled “Listen I have an idea”

“Go on” Strong Shield was surprised at the sudden enthusiasm of the human

“If I ever need a father figure I will come to you” Dave’s smile grew as Strong Shield matched his grin

“I like that idea” Strong Shield walked over to the door and opened it “We are coming now”

Strong Shield and Dave both smiled as they walked outside and followed the captain

“What did you do Dave?” Shining Armour asked as he noticed Strong Shield’s strange smile

“Oh nothing” Dave winked at Strong Shield who continued to smile all the way to the castle

As they arrived at the gates, the guards saluted as they allowed the trio in, they stared at Strong Shield’s unusual happy face

Shining Armour stopped just inside the entranceway “Ok Dave come with me, Sergeant… do you still wish to train the privates?”

Strong Shield nodded “Yes sir I shall see to it right away”

Dave followed the captain towards the barracks “See ya later… Dad” he waved

“I will see you soon… son” Strong Shield’s smile widened than possible as he marched into the training area “Hello privates”

“Good morning sir” they all shouted in unison

Strong Shield looked at the recruits, his smile was hidden as he addressed them but he could not remove the feeling of happiness “Now I expect all of you to work your hardest or I swear to Celestia that I will come down on you like a ton of bricks! You got that you sorry sacks of manure?”

“Yes sir!”

“I couldn’t hear you! A filly with a talent in silence could sneeze louder!”

“YES SIR!”

“Better… now drop and give me one…”

The recruits all looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes

A wicked smile stretched across Strong Shield’s mouth, it sent shivers up their spines “...Thousand” he said slyly

The recruits gulped, they had totted into a world of hurt

Meanwhile…

Dave stopped with Shining Armour outside Celestia’s door “Where are the others?”

“I don’t know” Shining sighed, “Twiley is visiting Cadence sometime today, something about a favour”

Dave shook his head “I am going in alone I’m guessing” he cocked an eyebrow at the captain

“Oh yeah, I wouldn’t do something as silly as come back from the dead” he chuckled as he left Dave

“Thanks for the support” Dave sighed as he knocked on the door

“Enter” Dave heard Celestia call out

Dave creaked the door open and poked his head in “Hi” he said softly as he stepped in

Celestia stood up and began to trot over, Dave shut the door behind him

Celestia walked up to Dave and slapped him with a hoof, his head swung to the side from the force

“OW… listen ok I’m sorry about dying” Dave held out his hands but Celestia manage to swipe him again

“OUCH… ok I’m sorry about… coming back?”

Celestia slapped him continuously as he threw his arms up to protect himself, he was backed against the wall as Celestia persisted

“Ow, ow, ok, ow, stop please, ow” Dave muttered from behind the storm of swipes

Celestia finally stopped slapping, she panted heavily as she rested her hooves on either side of Dave’s head

Dave lowed his stinging arms and gave Celestia a worried look, Celestia’s eyes showed a mixture of sadness and anger

“Why did you not come here when you came back?” Celestia growled

Dave’s mouth hung open “See I err…” As Dave pondered Celestia moved forwards and slipped her tongue into Dave’s open mouth “mfmfmfmfm” Dave mumbled but wrapped his arms around Celestia

Celestia pulled back, leaving Dave half confused at her sudden switch from anger to love and also slightly disappointed see didn’t stay loving for at least another ten seconds

“I am so sorry” Celestia began to weep into Dave’s shoulder “I didn’t want to hurt you”

Dave stroked the white princess “I know, its ok” he said softly to reassure her

“I need to speak to you tomorrow morning… guard!” she called as she hung in Dave’s arms

A guard stepped in “Yes your highness?”

“Inform Twilight Sparkle and the other elements of harmony that Dave is recovering and will be in suitable shape to meet tomorrow in the dining hall, oh and no disturbances” Celestia removed her gaze from the leaving guard and back to Dave’s eyes

Dave hugged Celestia tightly “I am fine now, we can meet them today if you want”

“No” Celestia shook her head gently, her horn glowed, the curtains closed, the door locked “You are going to be a bit busy”

The dark room was gently bathed in a warm orange glow as various candles around the room sprung to life, Dave looked and saw the large bathroom also had several candles around the huge bath and a few floating in the water, the waterfall flowed gently

“Umm…” Dave looked around the room puzzled “So what exactly… am I busy with?”

Celestia pulled Dave away from the wall, she trotted over to the bed, using her tail to tow Dave along, she climbed gracefully across and smiled warmly back at Dave

Dave finally caught on “OH, are you um…” Dave gulped “Are you sure?”

Celestia moved and kissed Dave “I have never been more sure than anything my entire life” Celestia pulled him down to the bed and she climbed above him “You will be busy all day” she hinted as she leaned down