Title:           Close to Home 14
Author:          Fillydelphian
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/1YQQKmDc
First Edit:      Wednesday 27th of February 2013 09:40:21 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Wednesday 27th of February 2013 09:40:21 PM CDT

>”Anon, wait!” Celestia calls from the far end of the hallway. You slow your determined pace and look back at the Princess. “Why are you walking so quickly? The Nightguard are combing the castle. You don't need to stalk around like this.”
>You reach into your pocket and pull out your box of cigarettes. After peering into it disappointed, you crush the empty package in your hand and toss it to the ground.
Nightguahd's lookin' in awl the wrong places. I know where Granite is an' I'm gonna get 'im.
>”Wha- You had Luna order the search yourself! Just give them some time!” Celestia yells, exasperated.
I'm nawt waitin' around. They'll probably turn summin' up, but I know wheah I'm checkin' first.
>”You can't just storm into a member of the Royal Family's chambers, Anon! What if he's in there?”
Then I'll have a chance ta crack 'im in th' face 'fore I blow the lid of this whole fakkin' charade. Follow me aw don't. I'm goin' eithah way.
>Celestia huffs and rubs her forehead.
>”Fine,” she says, “But I'm making sure you don't do anything rash.”
Fine by me.
>”...And slow down. You look like a crazy person rushing all around.”
Aight, Celly.
>You slow your pace and allow the Princess to catch up. She walks alongside you through the empty castle halls.
>After a minute of silence, you turn to the mare.
Yuh know, Luna told me about what happened way back when. Sounded like a tough time.
>She looks back at you without a word.
How come you nevah told me about it?
1/
 
>Celestia's wings seem to sag a little.
>”A tough time...” she says quietly. “You could say that, yes. What did Luna tell you?”
I gawt the gist from 'er. She was a Tory, di'n' get the recognition she wannid at home, lotta stuff just addin' up. Sounded ta me like it was just a mattah uh time 'fore somethin' snapped.
>”I suppose it seems that way, but there's more to the story than that.”
Isn't theah always?
>You run your hand along the wall.
She said yuh gawt a big head 'bout the Revolution once New Yawk went ta yaw side. Said that the two a' you couldn't have a convuhsation without it breakin' down aftah that.
>”It's true,” Celestia replies. “I was young. Still getting used to ruling. I wanted to follow in the footsteps of the men I looked up to, but she was always there telling me I was wrong. You know she first set  up the Nightguard as a Secret Police?”
Yeah, I heard.
>”Still, it's my fault what happened...I had so many chances to fix things and set her right but I just kept pushing it down and letting it fester.”
>The Princess looks at the night sky and sighs.
>”So a young Princess, barely out of her childhood years, banished her sister for nearly an Age and let history forget.”
We all make mistakes.
>”Not like this. I saw the stars were right that night and I banished her in anger instead of stopping her. I didn't even realize what I'd done until I felt the connection close and by then it was too late. A hundred years I spent trying to re-open that connection. A hundred years after that I spent trying to bury the shame.”
2/
 
>Celestia bites her lip and tries to keep herself composed.
>She almost pulls away when you put your arm over her shoulders, but you hold her where she is.
Don' make that face. 'S in the past. You wuh young-
>”-Too young for that kind of responsibility.”
Cut that crap out. What kinda Princess'd yuh be if yuh nevah made a mistake? What kinda mare'd yuh be if yuh couldn't face yuh screw-ups and own up to 'em?
>You pull her towards you as you walk down the hall.
So why'd yuh keep quiet 'bout this 'till now?
>”I suppose I just could never think of a way to tell the story that didn't make me sound horrible.”
Yuh gotta let go a' that guilt. It'll eat yuh.
>”I can't just forget something like that.”
That's nawt what I'm sayin'. Don't fuhget, but don' keep pokin' at the cut eithah. Yuh gotta let it heal, Celly. Now hurry up. I wanna get ta' Granite 'faw Blueblood catches awn what's happenin'
>Celestia lets out a yelp as you tug her around a corner towards the Prince's chambers.
3/
 
>Blueblood's door is locked when you arrive. You put your ear to it and, hearing nothing, take a step back.
>”What are you-” Celestia starts. Her question is cut short when you slam your shoulder against the door.
>You thought you could break in.
>You erred.
>Celestia rubs her temple as you slide down the unyielding wood, clutching your shoulder.
That was a mistake...
>”Why did you think that would work?”
They do it on Law 'n' Awdah all th' time! It looked badass! I call bullshit!
>The Princess steps over you and lowers her horn. You look up at her face. She wears a look of concentration and before you know it, the lock clicks and the door swings open.
>Celestia looks down at you and points at her horn. “Maybe leave the finesse to me?”
>You rise to your feet and rub your sore shoulder.
Sounds like a plan.
>The Prince's room is as ostentatious as you imagined it would be. The walls are covered in tapestries and paintings. The moldings are adorned with gold leaf and you swear the chandelier is made entirely out of jewels. You make for the tapestries first.
>Part of you feels a sense of petty satisfaction hearing the cloth rip when you tug the first one down.
>Rarity would probably have a fit, too.
>”What are you doing!?” Celestia cries. You move to the next tapestry and grasp the silken edges.
>”Those are family heirlooms! They're worth a fortune!”
Perfect covah fer a secret daw!
>”What!?!” You're about to go for a large painting of Blueblood when she grabs you.
>”Stawp it! Jesus! Secret daw? Ah you nuts?”
>You wriggle out of her forelegs enough to kick the painting. It falls to reveal a small door.
>”Well I'll be damned...”
4/
 
>You walk to the wall and throw the door open.
Sorry, that was rude a' me. You wuh just sayin'?
>”...What the hell is this?”
This...
>You start walking down the corridor which leads to a set of stairs going down.
...is some supahvillain shit. How much yuh wanna bet Blueblood's gawt some kinda creepy dungeon down 'eah?
>”I would've been told about any new construction...why di'n' I know 'bout this?”
>The stairs split off in two different directions. One path levels off and the other continues into the depths. You look at the Princess for a second.
I'm goin' down. You wanna take this way aw should we check it out when we come back up?
>”I'm nawt lettin' you go awf on yuh own. We'll circle back.”
>The two of you continue down the winding stairs for what seems like an hour, picking up your pace when you hear the sound of dripping water.
>”Is that an echo?”
>The stairway finally ends with a short hallway and another door. You open to see a glimmering cavern filled with huge crystals and a webwork of tracks and lights.
The hell ah we?
>Celestia steps inside and looks around.
>”The Crystal Caverns. Why does Blueblood have a tunnel here?”
Mining, looks like. He musta' figured it was a good way ta make some extra bits.
>”I don't see any workers.”
Would you keep a buncha employees around if yuh had a high-level hostage down 'eah?
>She scowls. “No. But it'll take ages ta find 'im without help. These caverns go on fuh miles. We stawped usin' 'em when too many ponies stahted gettin' lost.”
Celly, if my hunch is right, we ain't dealin' with a tactical mastuhmind. I bet anythin' we just hafta follow the tawches.
5/
 
>”Ah you positive this is th' right way?” the Princess asks you when you round an eighth corner.
Yes I'm positive. It can't be much fahthuh. Blueblood's anythin' like I think 'e is, 'e's gawt Granite where 'e can gloat.
>You stop walking when you hear Granite call out from down the tunnel.
>”Hey! Hey! Is somep0ny there? This'd better not be another joke! I swear to Ce-” the stallion's eyes nearly bug out of his head when he sees you and the Princess round the corner. You whisper to Celestia.
Told yuh so.
>Granite looks between the two of you quizzically from behind a set of crystalline bars.
>”Why don't we get Granite out of here before we get full of ourselves?” Celestia remarks. Her horn lights up and the bars give way, crumbling as they are bathed in light. Granite takes a few steps back and stares at her work.
Let's go. Now we've gawt you we can go aftah this guy fuh real, right Yuh Highness?
>”Luna's Nightguard can handle it. Until we know how deep Blueblood's hooves are in the Royal Guard, that's all we're dealing with.”
You good ta walk, Granite?
>”Of course I am. All that pompous stallion ever did to me was talk my Tartarus-damned ears off about how it was all 'going according to plan,'” he says.
>Your eyes snap to him.
What plan? Did he say anythin' 'bout what he's up to?
>”No. Just kept saying he's glad all the pawns have been playing their parts.”
Aight. Well let's go. Whatevah th' bastid's gawt planned, it's about ta get cut shawt.
6/
 
>After you lead Granite out of the tunnels and into the hooves of the Nightguard, you follow Celestia back up to her room.
So what now? We lay the heat on Blueblood, right? We've fakkin' got 'im now.
>Celestia comes over to you and rests her head on your shoulder.
>”We shuah do. Luna'll have Granite give a full depisition tonite. He'll be reinstated tomorrah. You too. Hope yuh gawt yuh suit washed in yuh unemployment.”
Why don' we just go aftah the guy now?
>”We don't know wheah he is, fuh one. I've already had a checkpoint set up every way outta Cannalot an' the Nightguahd ah combin' the city to find Blueblood as we speak.”
I should be out theah helpin'
>You feel her wings encircle you.
>”Yuh've done enuf.”
I ballsed this operation up ta begin wit-
>”An' yuh did everythin' in yuh powah ta make it right. Let the Nightguahd do theah job. YOU found Granite, Anon.”
But Blueblood's still out theah an' I know he's gawt summin' planned fuh this.
>”An' we'll deal widdit when 'e tries. We've gawt his main advannige cut off now. Council's nawt in session till mawnin' an' Granite'll be back wit' you then.”
>You lean your head back against her.
I guess...So then waddaya suggest we do?
>She lets a devilish grin play across her lips.
>”I think I have an idea.”
>You raise an eyebrow in response.
Oh yuh do, do yuh?
>”Come with me,” she says softly, leading you across the room.
>Before you're fully aware of what's happening, she's plopped down next to you on the floor and turned on the crystal ball.
>”Bruins Penguins stahted like five minutes ago. Grab us some beahs?”
End.