Moving the Stars

Moving the Stars

Story 2

Chapter 7: Enter the Wolver (FINALLY AN UPDATE)

By: FluttersIsAwesome

I was pulled out of my peaceful sleep by the knee continually nudging me. The grass had become a soft bed, calling for me to rest. However, I was kind of glad I fell asleep, as it made time seem to skip forward until it was time for us to leave for the theatre.

“Wake up, sweetheart. Time t’ go.”

“Nnngh... five more minutes...” I didn’t really want to keep sleeping, but I was too tired to get up for some reason. It took a few tries, but Astro finally managed to nudge me into a crude standing position, forcing me to fix my posture. “Okay, I’m up, I’m up!” After getting my bearings, we were off. Luckily, the Canterlot Playhouse theatre was only a short walk away since I was still a bit tired. I always found it odd that even after a nice long rest ponies could still wake up tired.

We were only two minutes early for the show. Astro gave our tickets to the pony at the door, and an usher led us to our seats. We were dead center and two rows from the front. The theatre itself was like a large bowl, so I was glad we weren’t in the higher seats. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember the first half of it, as I was on a constant roller coaster of closing my eyes and being nudged off Astro’s shoulder.

“Astro... did I eat something funny? I’m normally not this tired....”

“It’s not just you... I’m havin’ a hard time... stayin’ awake... meself.” In addition to Astro’s drowsiness, I noticed many a yawn coming from the crowd, and even some of the actors were sluggish. I should’ve known something was wrong when one of them fell off the stage, but was lulled into sleep myself before I could react.

* * *

I wasn’t exactly awake, but I was no longer asleep either. I was dazed enough so that the hits merely felt like light taps, but the sound of the hooves meeting my face was unmistakable.

“Take it easy, Dusk, we don’t want to kill the little tramp.” The voice was unmistakable too. The same bitch that ruined my last date had struck again.

I was still in a fog, but at least I had an idea of what was needed to form words. “Midnight Dusk (changed her name)… do you have to screw up everything I do with Astro?”

Another smack, this time from Haze. “Didn’t we tell you, Twitzie? If I can’t have Astro, nopony can. Especially not a cheap little whorse like you.”

“I said take it easy! Banging her up a bit was fun, but we want to keep her intact! If you biff it and hurt her too much, Astro won’t even want her anymore!”

“Heh, that’s nice of you to say. At least something about me has to change for him to leave me hanging.” I tried to laugh, but all that came out was a sputtering cough. Making smart comments wasn’t a good idea to begin with. I was at the mercy of these two volatile, smack-happy fools that could literally do whatever they saw fit if I made them angry enough. Sure enough, I was treated to a nice hoof in the face.

“If you don’t shut your fucking mouth, I swear I-“ Saved by the ring? A ringing began to echo through what I now realized was an abandoned shack.

“Haze, keep quiet, I’m making the call*.” Mere moments passed before I heard Astro’s voice call out.

“Midnight Dusk? What the bloody hell do you want, I’m extremely busy right now!”

“Oh I know you are, Astro. Don’t worry, I can solve all your problems right now. We have your little bitch, and if you want her back, you’ll comply with our demands.”

They’re ransoming me… I should have known. I knew how these mares felt about me. I was wondering why they kept me alive, but for some reason a ransom just didn’t pop into my head. However, the idea that scared me the most wasn’t what they would do to me if Astro didn’t cooperate, but what they were going to want from him in order for my safe return; I knew now that Astro would stop at nothing to keep me out of harm’s way.

“Alright, what is it you want?” Strangely enough, he sounded calm. A relaxed tone like that was not what I expected to hear from him, given the current situation. In fact, it almost sounded… amused, like he was about to tell a joke or something.

“Come here, alone. We’re in Glimmerstone Cave, about ten kilometers east of the bridge over Moonbeam River. We’ll be waiting for you, but don’t keep us waiting too long; we can only tolerate your little pet for so long.”

I heard a bit of mumbling before Astro’s response, and I think I even heard another voice. “I will have Trixie back, mark me words. You girls will live to regret this day.” With a click, the conversation was over. A small wave of fear passed over me as I wondered what allowed Astro to be so… laid back. However, I wasn’t given much time to think, as one of the girls approached me and laid a hoof on my head.

“Hush now, little worm. Sleep tight, and you’ll be fine.”

The wave of fear became a wave of drowsiness as I began to fade. There was no way to tell how much time had passed, but I was sure I wasn’t supposed to have woken up when I did; loud shrieks aren’t normally a good replacement for a natural wake-up. Between the frantic shouting and nervous pacing it was almost impossible to hear the extra hoofsteps echoing through the cave.

“Where is the mare?” The deep, gruff voice echoed with a frightening seriousness  throughout the cave. Whoever, or whatever it was was not in the mood for games.

My vision was blurred, and my mind was foggy, but after hearing this creature walk again I came to the conclusion that the loud clang was being made by boots. Either Astro had come armed, or I was about to be taken from the witches and taken to mercenaries. In all honesty, the latter was far more preferable.

"Your friend won't be here to back you up; we've made sure of that. Hand Trixie over now before I decide to search myself. And do believe me when I say I'm thorough when I want to find something."

The girls were foolish, but they weren't complete imbeciles. However, their thickheadedness still astounded me.

"Just who the hell are you? And what makes you think we'll just give up our catch of the day?"

Haze's idocy was the straw that broke the camel's back. "I am the Wolver." His seemingly calm, focused tone made him all the more menacing. It was as if he were holding back a primal fury that he would release in full force should the girls not cooperate. "I will tell you one last time: give me Trixie, or my special friend and I will tear this place apart."

OnceI had regained enough strength, I turned over to try and see what was happening. The figure was definitely one of us, the red horn protruding from his yellow and red mask made it clear. Other than the horn, there was no indicator that he was a pony; every feature of his body was cloaked under the helmet and fur coat. He was truly an intimidating sight, and I could only hope he was here to help me.

Suddenly, a shrill whistle came from beneath the mask, followed by a terrifying cross between a roar and a howl from outside the cave. "You have ten seconds before my 'friend' arrives. Give. Her. Up."

Suddenly, I felt myself suspended in midair, floating gently onto this stranger's back. His slow movement out of the cave must have been to avoid hurting me, and I wished I had the strength to tell him I was alright. However, his words were enough to comfort me back into a semi-peaceful sleep.

"Astro sent me. Don't worry, you're safe now."

*she used a long-distance communication spell that works kind of like a phone call.