Chapter 73

Dave looked out of the balcony window and saw General Talon flying away with a group of gryphons, the injured one that Dave left in a potato sack appeared to be carried by two of the larger gryphons

Celestia closed the door as she heard Chrysalis walk away, muttering under her breath. The white alicorn sighed as she looked over at the distant human. “Are you ok?” Celestia asked softly, “You shouldn’t push yourself”

“I can manage,” Dave responded as he turned and was faced with Celestia only standing an inch away. “How was your day?”

“Boring but now you are here so…” Celestia placed a hoof on Dave’s chest as she smiled. “How about we use the free time we have and enjoy ourselves?”

Dave glanced at the bed before his mind began to buzz, thoughts and memories whizzed through his skull as he slowly let out a slow breath. “Do you want to? Right now?”

The white alicorn slowly stood on her hind legs and draped her hooves over Dave’s shoulders, her horn glowed as she started undoing the buttons on Dave’s shirt. “You would have already picked me up by now, but I suppose you must feel woozy from the aftereffects of your accident, so we can take it slow”

“Yeah… woozy,” Dave looked down at Celestia as his memories of Dave’s past thoughts and opinions filled his head. “Listen, can we delay this? I don’t feel completely comfortable and I would appreciate it if you could stop”

Celestia only slowed her unbuttoning as she looked up at Dave, “I just want to reward you for the good job you did with the negotiations”

“I don’t need a reward, I chose to do it,” Dave bit his lips together as Celestia began to softly touch his neck with her face. “Can we stop please?”

“I thought that you liked this?” Celestia slowly moved her lips to Dave’s ear as she hummed softly. “I’ll make sure you remember why”

“I said STOP!” Dave pushed Celestia away as he began fastening his shirt buttons again. The alicorn stumbled but recovered in time to see Dave start heading for the door a neutral expression still stuck to his face

Dave pulled open the door and stormed past the guards, he heard Celestia follow him partway before the princess was joined by the guards. The human didn’t look back as he headed for the library, his eyes remained fixed on the path ahead until he reached the door

As he pushed the doors open and made his way over to a shelf near the back of the library, Dave heard Celestia say something to the guards as she entered the library as well. “What’s the matter?” Celestia asked softly as she waited in the centre of the library

“Nothing,” Dave responded as he picked up a large tome and flicked through the pages, tearing a few sheets out and stuffing them into his pocket

Celestia slowly walked towards Dave, stopping as he placed the book back on the shelf and turned to face her. “Dave… I want you to know that I am sorry for everything… and I mean everything”

Dave could only watch as Celestia slowly dipped her head, “you shouldn’t apologize”

“But I have to,” Celestia shuddered as she turned away from Dave. “Recently I realized how demanding and controlling I have been towards you”

“You did it because it was necessary, I can’t blame you for that,” Dave sighed as he looked down at his hands. “You knew that Da… I would always do anything for you, even though you are countless years old and I am an infant in comparison, you are a goddess and I am only human…” Dave walked over to Celestia and placed his fingers under Celestia’s white chin and gently lifted her head to look at him. “You have to trust me when I say that I will make everything better… it will hurt to start with but it will be for the best”

Celestia’s eyes began to water as Dave slowly raised his hand and tore the bandage off his arm, allowing the large burn to be on show. “Why are you acting so strange? Your… accident couldn’t have done all this to you”

“I know about Tartarus, I never forgot,” Dave sighed as Celestia shuddered. “Nopony is to blame for what happened, I chose to go in and of course I suffered… but I don’t regret it for a second”

Celestia felt sick to her stomach as she listened to Dave talk. “I should have protected you, I should have made sure you never went into that prison and from the moment I met you I have done nothing but take and allowed you to give”

Dave looked up at Celestia’s horn, slowly using his hand to tap the golden wedding ring that rested at the bottom. “You give me joy, happiness, and not to mention a purpose, a purpose to try my hardest and not to just drift through life”

“Dave…” Celestia raised a hoof and placed it on the human’s face. “Because of me… because I allowed you to think that going into Tartarus could protect me… I ruined your life”

“No… you allowed me to see how I can get the life I want,” Dave leaned forward and kissed Celestia’s head. “You have to promise me that what I will do over the next few days… you can’t interfere, you have to let me do what I have to do, no matter how bad it seems or how terrible it makes you feel”

The princess of the sun slowly nodded, “I promise… I love you Dave Shield”

Dave rested his eyes as he held his face against Celestia’s flowing mane, “I love you too Princess Celestia”

The alicorn remained where she was as Dave slowly walked away, his emotionless expression struggled to return before he opened the library door and walked past the guards as he set his next destination as the barracks

Any passing maids or guards bowed or saluted as Dave passed, the human merely bowed his head before reaching the barracks and pushing open the doors. The guards looked over before they all rushed to their hooves and saluted

Dave looked around before nodding to the guards and allowing them to continue with their various tasks. Dave made his way straight to Shining Armour’s office and let himself in and gently closed the door behind him

“Knocking is considered polite,” Shining Armour sighed before looking up and going wide-eyed. “Oh, sorry Dave, thought you were a private or something”

“I need a pickaxe and some long rope,” Dave stared at the unicorn as the captain of the guard chuckled

“Not even a please?” Shining Armour rested back in his chair. “Are you feeling alright? You seem a little… vacant”

Dave frowned slightly, “I am here for items, not idle chit chat”

“Oh,” Shining Armour returned the frown before getting to his hooves and walking out into the barracks. “I need a pickaxe and some rope we use to tie down runaway airships,” He called out to the barracks and a few guards began to leave in search for the objects

Matrix was sat at a table by himself, he looked over at Dave before standing and walking over to the human. “Excuse me Prince Dave but aren’t you aware that your father is being held prisoner?”

Shining Armour flinched before giving the guard a glare, “I think Dave has more important things to do right now”

“Let him go,” Dave sighed. “I assume Flux and Battering Ram are locked up too so let them out as well”

“Princess Celestia ordered that nopony should talk to them and they are only to be released when she says so,” Shining armour sighed. “We can go find her and let her know that you want her to release them”

Dave glanced at Shining Armour before looking at Matrix, “You can go let them out, Celestia won’t mind because they are going to be staying in guest rooms”

A few guards returned with Dave’s rope and pickaxe, as well as a large bag, “This was a delivery from the gryphon general, he said it was to be delivered directly to you”

“Thank you, take the leather to Odio’s room and inform him that I will be along later,” Dave took the long, heavy rope and pickaxe. “Also, can you find that black dragon, if she is still around, and inform her that I request her presence at the western wall”

The guards saluted before leaving to attend to their new orders, Matrix took the key from the jailor and went into the dungeon to release the three prisoners. Shining Armour looked around before narrowing his eyes at Dave

“I have never seen you give direct orders like that before,” The captain of the guard hummed. “Are you sure that you feel ok? Normally you have tried to make a joke by now”

Dave looked at the white stallion before looking at the pickaxe in his hand. “I feel fine, and I will have a joke for you in a few days”

“It had better be funny,” Shining Armour continued to give Dave a curious stare as the human left the barracks and eventually disappeared out of sight. Dave remained silent as he walked through the castle, down the winding stairs before reaching the castle courtyard

The sun instantly shone into Dave’s eyes as he made his way across the smooth courtyard and towards the large gates that separated the entire city from the white castle. Dave instead changed direction at the last moment and went into the guard tower

Dave hauled his rope and pickaxe up the steep steps that took him all the way up to the wall that protected the city. The human walked past a few patrolling guards and made his way through a few watch towers as he finally stopped at a section of wall that stood at the very edge of a cliff

“Well hello Mr Royal,” Zisha teased as she flew down to Dave and draped a black claw around his shoulders. “Thanks for getting me away from that old fart Adamas”

“Adamas does what is necessary for his race,” Dave pulled the sheets of paper out of his pocket and passed them to the black dragon. “These artefacts, get them for me please”

Zisha looked at the sheets before growling at Dave, “I am not some delivery service!”

“Do this and I will ensure that you are rewarded,” Dave tied the rope to the top of the wall and threw the rest of it over the edge. “I am… sorry, but if you refuse then I will have to take action to ensure your cooperation”

The black dragon shoved the pages back into Dave’s hand and turned away. “There is nothing you can do to make me do anything!”

“Then I apologize, I hope for your sake that this is only temporary,” Dave brought his foot to the back of Zisha’s leg and caused her to fall to her knees. He dropped his pickaxe as he grabbed her horn with one hand and grabbed her throat with the other

The dragon lashed out with one of her long claws but it missed as Dave pulled his head back and threw the dragon to the floor. Zisha hurried as she tried to get up, her wings flapped but were pinned as Dave placed a foot on her chest

“You asked for it,” Zisha snarled as she lashed out with a claw and stabbed into Dave’s stomach. The human didn’t flinch, but instead he grabbed the claw and kneeled down, the claw slipping in further as Dave rested his hand on Zisha’s head

Dave’s eye twitched as the mark across his arm glowed, the mark forced itself to stay on Dave’s arm as he forced his resistance into Zisha’s mind. “Free will is only another obstacle in someone’s mind” Dave sighed as the black dragon’s purple eyes slowly turned white, her mouth agape as her breathing became erratic

Zisha finally stopped shaking and pulled her claw out of Dave’s stomach, slowly standing up as Dave stepped back and held out the sheets of paper detailing what the artefacts were and where they were

“Now, get these and bring them back,” Dave picked up his pickaxe as Zisha took the sheets. “Bring them back within two days, don’t rest until this is complete”

Zisha nodded before taking to the sky, Dave watched her fly before grabbing the rope and climbing over the edge of the wall and slowly abseiling down the wall and cliff, moving towards the opening to a cave system that ran beneath Canterlot