Chapter 14

Dave yawned as he opened his eyes, his hands moved to rub his eyes but were blocked by a pair of white hooves. He looked down to find Celestia holding onto him, both her hooves wrapped around his chest as he laid on the sofa, his feet dangling off the edge

“Uh… how did I get here?” Dave looked around quizzically as Celestia looked up at his confused face. He did not have time to repeat the question as Celestia slammed their lips together

Twilight entered the room and let out a small sigh of relief “After you had the books fall on you we made you more comfortable” she allowed Celestia to release Dave from her lips before continuing “Did you see what attacked you?”

“Attacked?” Dave scratched his head “All I remember was dropping Nox off at school before Celestia suggested we come here” The human ran his fingers through his hair “I don’t remember any attack”

Celestia shared a worried look with Twilight before she resumed nuzzling Dave’s head “It’s alright now, whatever it is that attacked you has gone” she whispered reassuringly whilst Dave hugged her uneasily

“OK, I am fine now” Dave sat up and got to his feet “When does the school day end here anyway?” He looked at Twilight as she suddenly snapped out of her own thoughts

The purple unicorn looked at the clock that rested on her wall “School ends about two… but I am sure Miss Cherilee won’t mind you taking him out half an hour early” She nodded as Dave and Celestia said their goodbyes and made their way to the school outside of town

As Dave happily walked down the street, he continued to reassure Celestia that he was fine. The princess of the sun still had a worried look on her face as they reached the school gate. That is until the school door opened and Scootaloo leapt at Dave

“Nox is hurt!” She called in a frantic tone as she reached the couple. Celestia’s concerned face turned to horror as she darted for the school whilst Dave’s laid-back attitude disappeared as he grabbed Scootaloo

“What happened?” He growled as he held the filly “Was there a large earth pony or a purple Pegasus? Tell me!” He growled as Scootaloo shied away from the angry human

“He started yelling at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon before he just… passed out” Scootaloo shuddered as Dave’s lips curled into a murderous snarl “I’m sorry if it was our fault, we didn’t mean to do anything”

Dave released Scootaloo as he hurried into the school and pushed past the schoolchildren to kneel by Celestia. He let out a sigh of relief as Nox’s eyes shot open and he wiggled free of his mother’s grasp

“Where am I?” He looked around at the classroom and the crowd of students, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were both sat next to him as he looked back to his parents “Is this that school you talked about?”

Celestia looked at Dave “He seems to have forgotten things as well” She sighed as she looked at the Cutie Mark Crusaders “Did Nox do anything strange?”

“No… but his voice got really loud, like Princess Luna did during Nightmare Night” Applebloom pointed to the broken glass that was swept to a corner of the room “And when he was yelling he just flew across the room and collapsed”

Dave scratched his chin “It sounds similar to my attack… maybe it was because he went all megaphone that we were both knocked out” he shrugged as Celestia hummed “I mean a lot of weird things happen to me so maybe Nox and I are connected in some way”

“Maybe” Celestia muttered as she continued to scan her son for any signs of injury, when her search revealed nothing she finally allowed herself to relax

The already uneasy group inside the school jumped as the door slammed open “Dave and Princess Celestia, come with us, we have a problem” Strong Shield stood in the doorway, Adamas’ large eye was visible behind him

“Urgh, what now?” Dave groaned as he looked at the serious unicorn “I am already dealing with one mysterious problem, I’m not sure I could actually handle two”

Adamas moved his head closer to the school “The changelings have called for a meeting with the gryphons, I need two beings to accompany me” his eye hovered over Dave until he groaned again

“I’m guessing that is why you brought my dad along” Dave shrugged as he looked at Celestia “You don’t mind if I go play ambassador do you?” he smiled as Celestia gave him a light kiss

“Not at all, just make sure Strong Shield and Adamas fill you in on the details” she held Nox close to her as she gave a reassuring smile “I will see you back at Canterlot?”

“Of course” Dave hugged Celestia and Nox before hurrying outside and climbing onto Adamas’ back, Strong Shield found a way to sit on the dragon’s back as they took to the skies. Dave looked around to Strong Shield as the dragon levelled out “What are we expecting?”

“Each speaker in the talks can bring two beings to accompany them, to assist or for intimidation purposes” Strong Shield pointed to Dave “You will be filling the latter role”

Dave opened his mouth to complain but was cut off by Adamas “Queen Chrysalis normally brings two random changelings whilst General Talon will be accompanied by Bishop Ruffles and Elite Vix”

“Bishop Ruffles?” Dave sniggered

“Vix?” Strong Shield rolled his eye “You mean that birdbrain is still holding the title of elite?”

Dave put his private giggling aside “It seems your past keeps cropping up” he sighed

Strong Shield shot Dave a glare to remind him not to talk about Battering Ram or Flux before relaxing again. “Vix was a young, brash but very talented soldier in the gryphon special forces” he avoided looking at Dave as he hung his head in shame “It wasn’t one of my better moments as a guard, needless to say my reputation took a dip”

“So I take it her went all super soldier on you” Dave shrugged “I mean we all lose a fight now and again, don’t beat yourself up”

“I didn‘t lose” Strong Shield sighed “He attempted to hit me so I may of accidentally burnt his face and made sure he has to wear a mask for the rest of his life” the black unicorn shrugged “He never got over it so he became a ruthless… what’s that word?”

“A dick?” Dave suggested “Either that or a douche”

Strong Shield shook his head “I was thinking of warrior because he went to every extreme to gain the title of Elite, the best in the gryphon army”

“But the gryphon army are mainly private security or border patrol” Adamas smirked “I guess it wasn’t hard because he doesn’t seemed to have changed much from your description” the diamond dragon turned towards a large circular cloud “But I am still confused on why the changelings have called for another meeting”

“Well I am flattered that I have been brought along but I don’t see how much help I can be sitting on your back” Dave nervously looked down at the ground far below “I can’t walk on clouds and I don’t want to turn into a pancake”

Adamas slowed his approach to the cloud as he perched himself on the edge, his tail dangling over the edge “The cloud has magical properties, your body rejects magic so you should be able to walk on it”

Dave groaned as he slowly slid off the dragon’s back and landed on the spongy cloud. He bounced a bit to reassure himself before finally sitting down next to the dragon. Strong Shield sat down the other side of the diamond dragon as the sound of wing beats slowly grew in intensity

With a loud roar, three gryphons landed on the cloud and took their positions. The one that sat in the middle was obviously General Talon as his large red sash was coated in small pieces of decorative medals. The one on his left wore a large golden mask that stretched around his head, his amber eyes were fixed on Dave. Finally, the one to the right was adjusting a silk cap that was attached to two long, white strips that floated in the air, his slightly thicker feathers gave the impression that he was soft and gentle

“Why does that blasted bug call for a meeting then fail to show her face?” Talon growled as his tail swished from side to side. His eyes moved over to Adamas and his two accomplices “Ambassador Adamas, would you mind introducing these two?”

The dragon nodded “This is Strong Shield, former guard and this is his adoptive son Dave, partner of Princess Celestia” Adamas watched the change in reactions from the three gryphons. Talon and Ruffles both Smiled at Dave whilst Vix turned his head away

General Talon marched over and shook Dave’s hand “Well it is certainly an honour to meet you Dave” the gryphon grasped Dave’s hand as the human gently attempted to pull away “I thought you were dead or has rumours became even more ludicrous?”

“Yeah I was dead but… to got a bit boring so I decided to come back” Dave chuckled as Talon nodded understandingly

“Death is for those that have found every way to kill their enemies” Talon sighed, “I believe that you were brought back for a greater purpose than to deal with the squabbles of bugs and beasts,” the gryphon returned to his seat before whispering something to Vix

Dave looked down at his numb hand “Yeah well if I get dragged into another adventure that ends badly then I will be pissed” The human looked over at Strong Shield “Will everything be alright?”

“It will be soon Dave” Strong Shield frowned as a dull buzzing noise became suddenly apparent “We just have to deal with this first”

The changeling queen appeared and landed on the cloud, she took her position as she glared at the Gryphons opposite her. Dave tried to look away but was surprised when Chrysalis gave him a wink

The buzzing continued until Princess Larva joined her sister, her yellow mane was neatly combed and looked like she had tried to make herself presentable. She snarled at the gryphons that were responsible for the deaths of her children, when her gaze swept across to Dave she suddenly gave him a warm smile

Dave rolled his eyes at the royal changelings, he caught a glimpse of the gryphon general giving him a curious stare. However, everyone's jaws dropped as the final changeling landed on the cloud, its size made Adamas give it a cold stare whilst the gryphons whispered amongst themselves

The different form of Changeling unsettled the gryphons, its larger size would mean that it was stronger and could be a potential threat. Dave chuckled to himself whilst Adamas looked down at the creature that was twice the size of a manticore

“There was a film on my world called Aliens,” Dave whispered to the dragon “That one looks like a more badass version of the xenomorph queen” Dave sighed as he reminisced about the classic films and allowed the group to start the negotiations

"Now that we are all gathered I think that some introductions are in order" Adamas swept his claw at the new faces "the gryphons remain the same but why did you feel the need to bring your sister?"

Queen Chrysalis stood as she addressed the dragon "My sister has as much right to be here as I do, she asked if she could accompany me as the egg sack has been damaged"

"What a shame" Talon sighed sarcastically "it will be hard to sleep knowing that you roaches are suffering"

Princess Larva growled as she stood and marched into the middle of the cloud. "How dare you! If you weren't so selfish to try and impress everyone then you might actually do something good!"

Vix stood and positioned himself in front of the princess, his cold eyes matched hers as he growled in an effort to intimidate her "Don't talk to the general like that," he snarled from behind the mask

Adamas groaned "peacekeeper, can you diffuse this situation?" he rolled his eyes to Strong Shield as the unicorn made his way to the middle of the cloud

"Elite Vix please return to your General's side" His calm attitude was met with a short roar before the gryphon returned to his seat, his eyes fixed on the hulking changeling that sat beside its queen

Princess Larva returned to her sister's side and whispered in her ear. All the changeling's eyes moved over to Dave before Queen Chrysalis stood and walked in front of the diamond dragon

"Ambassador Adamas, my I call for a short break? My sister is feeling weary and being intimidated by a thug isn't helping" the queen looked at the dragon's companions "if you feel the need to send your... Assistants then please make sure that they do so without a vile tongue"

Adamas nodded "if the gryphons have no issue with taking a few minutes of privacy then I will allow it"
General Talon snorted before taking his two followers to another cloud. The behemoth seemed to fall asleep as the queen and princess moved to the far end of the cloud

Strong Shield looked across to Dave “Would you like me to check on the changelings?” the unicorn moved to get to his hooves but Dave beat him to it

“Nah I got this” Dave smiled as he walked past the resting giant and approached the queen and princess “Is everything alright?”

Queen Chrysalis turned to face Dave “Well I hoped that my sister would find some answers by coming to these talks but obviously the gryphons just like to kill” the changeling glanced at her sister before frowning at Dave

“Well I am sorry that the gryphons are brutes but I’m sure that there must be some way for you to coexist with them,” Dave indicated to Strong Shield “They get on alright with ponies”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes “Because the ponies have a modern society, live in houses and have schools means that they are worthy allies” The tall changeling glanced at the sleeping changeling “But if we were to obtain a large enough force then they would back down”

Dave shrugged “Well it sounds like a problem but I am sure that you will figure something out, I mean you both have HEY!” Dave gasped as Princess Larva grabbed him and pulled him behind the large changeling, using it as cover from the dragon and unicorn

Adamas snarled, “What do you think you are doing?” The dragon frowned at the only royal he could see “Are you alright Dave?”

“Yeah I’m fine!” He responded from behind the large changeling “They just wanted a private word!” he said in a happy tone before his voice dropped to a whisper “Ok why the hell are you on top of me?” he growled to the princess sitting on his chest

Larva placed her hooves on Dave’s chest as Queen Chrysalis moved her head above his “We know how to get the gryphons to leave us alone but we need love” The changeling queen kissed Dave’s cheek “We recently discovered that your love for Celestia is very…” She glanced at the behemoth “Potent”

Dave shook his head “What? So you want me to give you love?” he chuckled when the queen and princess nodded in unison “Well then you are fucking crazy if you think I would cheat on Celestia!”

“How’s your son?” Larva sighed, “We managed to get a changeling into Ponyville, he knows about your son and is waiting for us to tell him what to do” she dipped her head sadly, “I’m sorry that we have to do this but we must survive”

Dave sat up and pushed Larva aside “If anypony or anything harms my son then I will help the gryphons burn you all alive!” he snarled. His low growling only grew louder as Chrysalis wrapped her hooves around Dave’s neck

“We will be forever in your debt if you just allow us to take what we need” The queen whispered soothingly into Dave’s ear “Don’t you remember how good it felt the last time you allowed me to grace your being?”

“I choked on a five foot tongue” Dave released himself and turned to face the queen “Why would I want to let that happen again?”

Chrysalis moved forwards and stopped a few inches from Dave’s face “Nopony truly gets over us” She whispered as she moved closer “Besides, technically it can be either of us that enters the other” she gently pressed her lips against Dave’s. The kiss lasted for a minute before Dave shoved the Queen away

“Ok now I know you are crazy” Dave poked the queen “I am never going to sleep with you” He glared at Larva “And I am never going to sleep with you either! NEVER!”

Queen Chrysalis laughed as she sat up again “Then why did you let me kiss you if there was nothing?” she smiled as she approached Dave again “If we truly didn’t have feelings then you wouldn't have told Ambassador Adamas that you were ok”

“Well I was wondering if…” Dave fell silent before frowning “I don’t like you, love you and I certainly don’t want any interaction with you” he folded his arms as he looked away

“Not yet” Chrysalis smiled “But we both know that what I can offer you is greater than anything Celestia can give you”

Dave snarled as he grabbed Chrysalis’ throat “Don’t you dare say her name!” He growled as he watched the queen smile again, “What is so funny?”

“Where is your other hand?” She smirked as Dave looked down and saw his other hand reaching around the queen’s back “Changeling royalty…” Chrysalis and Larva smiled at Dave with a mix of desire and arrogance “We are irresistible”