//------------------------------//
// Episode 3-2 :: Rancheros 
// Story: Romancing the Clouds 
// by KitsuneRisu 
//------------------------------//


 


"Oh come on!" Ember yelled, flying behind Champagne. "I just... you could have said something!"
 
The precious salmon-pink pony, flitting on dainty wings, pushed ahead, eyes narrowed against the barrage of wind and words. Her front hooves were folded across her chest as she bobbled along – it was by far not the most aerodynamic of flight postures, but it was definitely one that reflected her wish to be alone.
 
"Talk to me, girl!" Ember pleaded, darting in and out, back and forth. It was only a few minutes to the zoo, which was thankfully, on the same cloud cluster, but that didn't stop him taking advantage of their time alone.
 
"No!" Champagne yelled back.
 
"Look, it's not... it ain't nothin', alright? Just tell me why you don't like me! I'm asking you straight up! I mean, I thought we were cool! We talk, right? Play games and stuff? Come on, what's up, girl?"
 
Champagne skidded to a stop.
 
"Stop that!" she snapped. "Stop calling me 'girl', alright? I have a name, one that you can't even remember. That's one of the things that... that really really bother me!"
 
"I remember your name! I just... I just call ponies things! You know!" Ember threw his hooves up to the skies.
 
"Oh yeah? What's my name then?"
 
"Bubbles?" he shot out.
 
Champagne made a little growl of anger. But coming from her it was more like the squeak of a frustrated chipmunk. She held her hooves out toward Ember's neck. There wasn't much more she had to say.
 
"No! I mean... look! I know your name, alright? Champagne Satellite! Hailstones, man."
 
"Then why do you have to pretend you don't know? That's what I don't get about you!"
 
"I... I just do, alright? Is this really the reason why you hate me?"
 
The wind swept across the sun, brushing against their faces as they hovered up there, a half kilometer above cloud. The little girl shut her eyes and shook her head.
 
"Look, I don't hate you, alright? I just... I don't think you're taking all this very seriously."
 
"O- of course I do. What are you even talking about? Why would I go through all of... everything if I didn't take it seriously?"
 
"You know, it's a bit difficult for me to believe you saying that!" Champagne raised her voice in exasperation. "Every time I look at you... you know what I see?"
 
"Yeah, what's that?" Ember said snidely, sliding into the defensive. He didn't like the accusations.
 
"Somepony who's just enjoying himself in all this nonsense. You're having fun. You always enjoy yourself playing at foolishness, but then when it gets down to doing work you suddenly change into... into a thing that doesn't want to do work!"
 
"What, you like doing work?"
 
"I just wonder if you even care, Emberkite! You don't treat me or Mister Egg with respect. You're always questioning everything he says. You're always arguing. You don't even call him by his name! And you know what, all I've been seeing these past few days is someone who's not here for the right reasons!"
 
"Oh, what gives you the right to say that, little miss mystery?" Ember yelled. "You know what, back in the base, when you said that Egg knows more than me? What gives you the right to say that about me?"
 
"Because Mister Egg is smart and... and he knows things, and I don't even know why he let you be part of this! How much did you have to beg when you came to h... what?"
 
She had stopped because Ember had let out a laugh of derision. It was a scoff at what she had just said, but she had no idea what exactly was so amusing.
 
"Is that what you think happened?"
 
"What are you talking ab-"
 
"He found me, Bubblebutt!"
 
"W- what?"
 
"Yeah, didn't know that, did you?" Ember's tone took to a mocking timbre. "I've been doing this for two years now. Egg? He's been doing it for a week and a half. Come on, girl. He came after me. Not the other way around. And he was the one who had to do the begging."
 
"That... that is not true!"
 
"Hey, you can tell, can't you? Am I lying?" Ember gave her a grin dipped in bitter acid.
 
Champagne looked downward, the weight of the truth tearing her away.

"Listen. You wanna know the truth? I know you look up to him. So do I, in a way. But you know what your problem is?"
 
"What?"
 
"You see a lot 'a things but that's where you stop. First day, I bet you had me pegged in five minutes. One look and I was already set in your head, wasn't I? Didn't even cross your mind to think that maybe I act this way for a reason, did it?"

Champagne remained silent. Obvious questions needed no answer.
 
"Yeah, so you know what? Just cause I ain't the most well brought up or whatever of ponies don't mean I ain't a good guy too, alright? Just because I don't always act serious don't mean I don't take things seriously. It's about what's on the inside, girl, not on the outside. And you know what? I read that from a book." Ember boasted.

"Then why... why do you argue so much?" Champagne spat out.
 
"Because someone has to! I mean look. Obviously, we talk different, right? I just say things like it is, and you... talk like... a brat..."
 
"Hey!"
 
"... and Egg... well, frankly, Egg scares the crap out of me any time he says anything. But do you think he just wants a bunch of ponies just sitting around nodding and saying yes to him? C'mon. When he came to me he told me one thing. He values my interwishion."
 
"It's pronounced 'in-too-ishion', you simpleton."
 
"Whatever! But look, that's the idea. I say things, you say things, he says things. This is how real things work in the clouds, alright? Not in princessland where you live, apparently. I'm just saying stuff from my... opinion, and that's what he wants! If I say things a little different it's just because I'm... I mean, let's just say I didn't have a home growin' up, alright?"
 
"You're an orphan?" Champagne asked, surprised.
 
"No! No! The gryphon's an orphan you... stupid... I know who my parents are, alright? I just decided to live... away from them for a while."
 
"Oh. I... I didn't know. Where-"
 
"Look, that's enough out of me, alright? I'm not here to give you my life story, girl. I just want you to know two things. Firstly, I'm in it all the way. I got your back, and I hope you got mine. So, are we cool?"

Champagne sighed. Nothing he said was a lie, and it wasn't only just because she could tell. She was quick to judge. She was a product of a much more sheltered upbringing. But she wasn't the kind not to try to change her point of view if necessary. Even if it was for some uncouth brute like this Emberkite pony.
 
"Fine. I... I don't hate you. Just... it will take some... adjusting. You are the kind of pony whom my father would not... appreciate me being in the company of. I have learnt to make judgements early to keep myself safe. So, I apologize."
 
"Yeah, I'm sorry too. I'll stop calling you girl, alright? If it really bothers you."
 
"I guess... yes. Thank you, Emberkite."
 
"Just call me Ember," Emberkite said.
 
"Alright, Ember. What was the second thing you wanted to tell me?"
 
"Oh, right. That I really shouldn't be the reason why you don't want to stay at the base. You can't keep using your dad as a reason for everything, you know."

"Ah, but... I wasn't lying. I... have a complicated relationship with father."
 
"Wait... what? But... then... why were you looking at me like that?"
 
Although guilty, the edges of Champagne's mouth turned up slightly as she smiled.
 
"I just really, really dislike you," she said, swinging around and flying off toward their destination.

"Wow," Ember said to himself, watching her go, eyes fixed to her tail. "Progress, I think."


 


The park was on the other side of the cluster from the base, at the edge of the megalomaniacal buildings that lined the business district. It had been constructed to ease some of the tension from the workers, but was most commonly frequented by the ponies coming off the Cirrus Shores and looking for a place to relax amongst some carvings.
 
Like all parks in Cloudsdale, this one was remarkably white. Everything was made out of shaped and carved cloud – there were specialised artisans who did it – and fittings were installed just like in every other park. In later years, the parks had been modified to mimic the ones Groundside, with carvings of trees that never died and bushes that never wilted.
 
The detail on some of them was fantastic, but of course, the problem was the colour; something they got around through the use of poles with filters stuck on them. Large beams held up tinted lenses; when the sunlight passed through them, they imparted their colour upon whatever the light hit.
 
It was a start.
 
The park, grand in its size, was also home to a spectacular fountain in the middle that burbled and bubbled and cascaded tiny little pebbles instead of water. It created a melodic sound, as rocks tinkled against rocks, stone bells chiming out in the center of the public space.
 
Statues of famous pegasi lined the borders, and shade was provided by a small gazebo in the far corner. All in all, a nice place indeed.
 
Of course, it would have been a nicer place had there actually been any ponies present. The news bulletin had worked, the word had spread, and most of the ponies had evacuated. Of the ones that hadn't, Egg made sure they knew about what was going on and made them leave with all due haste.
 
It was remarkably quiet.
 
It was still. Even the air refused to shake. The wind refused to blow. Something was very off about the silence.
 
It was of some benefit to Egg that the pegasus public had a bit of a naturally skittish mentality. When they saw a popular public space entirely empty save for one gryphon and one slightly intense-looking stallion, they tended to stay away through the power of self-preservation alone.
 
Only the absolutely crazy would dare to step up and join them for whatever reason, and for that, they remained relatively in peace.
 
They had spent the first few minutes there up high, sectioning off the area, inspecting the surroundings. It seemed that whatever it was that had escaped wasn't there yet. Or perhaps not there at all.
 
The news bulletin had only assumed at best, and had said that it was last spotted heading off into the vicinity. It was their best bet.
 
But still, just in case, and from the lack of chaos and screaming anywhere else, it was a reasonable assumption that the thing hadn't reared its head yet.
 
If it even had a head, of course.
 
The two of them remained floating above the fountain, looking in all directions. Cookie's sharp eyes helped tremendously with the effort, and as she swung her picnic basket as it dangled beneath her, she was merely waiting for the inevitable.
 
"I feel like you want to say something, yes?" she mentioned.
 
The air was stale and dry. It felt like they were sitting in a vacuum.
 
"You know I'm about to ask something, then?" Egg replied, back toward Cookie's. They faced in opposite directions to make sure they covered the widest area.
 
"I suppose so. We have only been acquainted for a very short while, Mister Egg, but in that short while I have never known you to drop things that you are interested in that easily." She smiled.
 
"And what would I be interested in?"
 
"I do not know, Mister Egg."
 
"But surprisingly, you know that I don't drop things easily."
 
"Oh, but I am... full of surprises, yes?"
 
"You most certainly are, Miss Eternia."
 
"It was a joke, Mister Egg. I am a simple baker."
 
"You want to be a simple baker."
 
"Yes. I do."
 
The dead breeze ruffled no hair, stroked no feathers. In the far off distance, they could hear the soft murmurs of ponies going about their business down the road, far away from the abandoned park. It seemed that they had no reason to be afraid. It was blind obedience – if it wasn't mentioned on the radio, it must be safe.
 
"Why do you think I didn't mention the location initially?"
 
"Am I being asked?"
 
"That is the purpose of a question, Miss Eternia, yes."
 
"If you had asked anyone, they would say you were merely testing little Champagne and Mister Emberkite as you usually do."
 
"But that's not what you think."
 
Cookie fell silent for a while, breathing off a small tinny cry like that of an eagle in the far-off distance. It seemed to Egg like that was her version of a sigh.
 
"Why do you say that, Mister Egg?"
 
"Because otherwise you wouldn't have phrased it the way you did. Do you know what I've been noticing about you, Miss Eternia?"
 
"What would that be?"
 
"You choose your words very carefully. You say things very particularly. There's something quite puzzling about you, Miss Eternia, and I have been trying to find out what that is."

"Is this an admission, Mister Egg?"
 
"Yes. Shall we speak honestly and straightforwardly?"
 
"I would very much appreciate that, Mister Egg."
 
Egg turned his head suddenly. Was there something there? His heart beat just a tiny bit harder all of a sudden. Down below, on the surface of the clouds, a small ripple waved out. In the pavement. Construction-grade. Hard stuff. It wasn't supposed to ripple. It was supposed to crack.

Or maybe it was just a trick of the light.
 
"Did you see something?" Cookie asked, gently.
 
"Tell me how you knew I had left out the location."
 
"It was obvious, yes?"
 
"Do explain. Please. Humour me."
 
"Well," Cookie trilled. As the conversation went on she seemed to have lost a bit of her spark, a bit of the joy behind her voice. Perhaps she was just getting serious. Perhaps there was something she was just trying to avoid, but was too polite to deny her interrogator. "Maybe it had occurred to me that they would not likely give a warning to avoid things without letting everyone know where to avoid it. It is a simple enough thought, and a simple enough guess, yes?"
 
"Perhaps."
 
"Or maybe the walls in the warehouse are thin and I overheard the radio broadcast from inside the kitchen."
 
"Perhaps."
 
"Are you happy with my various answers, Mister Egg?"
 
"What else do you think?"
 
"About what?"
 
"About it all. I want to know why you answered."
 
"Well. I must admit. I was not going to. I was assuming that little Champagne or even Mister Emberkite would have pointed that out. But when they didn't, you were about to move onward, and..."
 
"And?"
 
"Oh... I see."
 
Egg allowed himself a small smile. A grin, that, in his position, no one could see. But it was a slight smile, nothing that would even be considered a smile by the laypony.
 
"What do you see, Miss Eternia?"
 
"It was for me, wasn't it?"
 
"Yes."
 
"You had let it go on purpose to see if I would say anything, and like a foolish pigeon chasing after a piece of cheese, I fell into your trap."
 
"It was not a trap. It was an invitation."
 
"What if they had pointed it out, Mister Egg?"
 
"Then I would have done something else."
 
"Well... I..."
 
For once, the gryphon was mildly upset. It was a touch of irritation, but a lot more about the fact that she felt exposed. A sloping look of worry marred her facial feathers, and she started playing with the basket in her hands.
 
"Please, Miss Eternia. Believe me when I say I harbour no malicious intent. Surely you can see that much?"
 
"I do not... enjoy being put on the spot, Mister Egg. What are you trying to prove?"
 
"I just wanted both of us to see something."
 
"And what is that?"
 
"That to you, helping others is an itch that you must scratch."
 
"And what makes you think that?"
 
"You've lost a shop. Your livelihood. Did not speak a word of complaint. You've come to  live in a hole just to keep your parents out of harm's way, and you've even insisted on repaying for the kindness instead of seeing it as a trouble. You've gladly sacrificed a great deal at personal cost for the sake of keeping others safe and helping others. When a casually omitted detail is dropped in front of you, you cannot help but fill in the blanks. Clearly, you've got some drive outside of the realm of baking." Egg tapped the side of his head. "And what I am trying to understand is why you would keep this hidden."
 
"I am not hiding anything," Cookie said softly.
 
"You are hiding your brains and your selflessness."
 
"I just want to be a baker, Mister Egg."
 
"Does being a baker preclude you from being open about your intelligence?"
 
"I am not intelligent, Mister Egg. Please, let us both agree on this, yes? Truly, it is not for humility nor narcissism that I say so. You are intelligent. Emberkite is streetwise. Little Champagne is perceptive."
 
"And what of yourself?"
 
"I am a baker who realises her limits."
 
"And what limits are those?"
 
"That Cloudsdale has no place for a gryphon who wants to help."
 
They remained there, in silence, Egg trying to think. There was nothing he could discover if Eternia wasn't willing to talk, and he'd been imposing enough already. But she kept a very important part of herself covered up with a blanket. The act held fast in the eyes of Champagne, who couldn't read gryphons and didn't have the experience to dig deep enough.
 
But Egg had seen something odd in Cookie, something that he, himself, considered a mystery begging to be solved.
 
The way she acted, and talked, and behaved... it felt to Egg as if all they knew about her so far was only what had floated up to the surface, and what was left remained at the bottom of an inky, dark ocean.
 
Or maybe she really was just a baker.
 
The two of them flapped in open air, Egg thinking too hard and Cookie thinking of nothing at all.
 
But then, he'd gone and done it again, hadn't he? Perps and punks were one thing. But this approach – the only sort of approach he knew – was perhaps a tiny bit too offensive for the ones he ought to be considering his colleagues. The office was a place of competition. But this... this was a place of cooperation. Surely he could stand to treat them a little better, maybe.
 
The thought had crossed his mind. Cookie; Champagne; Emberkite; Surv- no. Not Survey. But the others, yes. A gentler approach. A bad habit. Whatever lay between.
 
Egg rubbed his chin with a hoof.
 
"Miss Eternia?"
 
"Y-yes?"
 
"I must apolog-"
 
"Be quiet, Mister Egg."
 
Egg dropped to silence. With a stern voice he was told this, and no longer was he allowed to finish his sentence. But something told him that it wasn't out of spite or anger did Cookie silence him.
 
A clawed hand lay on his shoulder and pulled him around suddenly, and the both of them stared, unmoving, as they were approached head-on by something that Egg did not want to see.
 
And the tension rocketed as it came to a stop – the horrible beast with the razor grin and the wicked smile – as it opened its mouth to claim a bite.
 
"Mister... Eggbeater," Gale hissed. "Fancy meeting you here."


 


"Idiot! Over here, idiot," Champagne called, landing in front of the gates that held back the swathes of angry visitors.
 
Just outside, the park keepers and other official-looking ponies explained and excused their way out of the sudden decision not to open that day, but most of it was based around the truth – there had been an escape, and while that was normally not grounds enough to close the whole park, this was 'special circumstances'.
 
This had only exacerbated the entire situation. Ember was hoping for a quick in, quick out, Bob's your uncle, problem solved. Clearly, they were going to have to actually put in some effort in order to get what they needed.
 
The zoo itself had been of relatively new concept. At the time it was built some years ago, it was planned as the second open-air facility that required proper entry – the first being the coliseum, of course. But without the grand funding of the stadium, the zoo didn't have the resources to post guards around every corner just to prevent pegasi from sneaking in through the top.
 
More creative measures were employed.
 
A thin gauze of sorts had been stretched over the entirety of the top of the zoo. It was anchored down at various points, and left free to billow in the wind, making the compound look like the segmented eye of an insect from above. Design notwithstanding, it actually proved to be rather effective, and a special reflective material painted across one direction made it hard for ponies to look in from above.
 
It also had the secondary benefit of keeping the inside rather cool and fresh, and out of direct sunlight.
 
But by far, this innovative feature also proved to be the most costly, and maintenance took up a prime portion of the income of the zoo.
 
The main office to the zoo lay on the border, next to the grand entrance of the compound in a non-descript greyish cloud building that simply bore the title of 'Administration' on an unpolished wooden plaque.
 
Darting through the yells and angry complaints of the general crowd, Champagne pushed herself toward the building, evading both visitors and zookeepers alike.
 
Ember followed in tow, looking around and being amused by the crowd.
 
"Here, this way, dummy." Champagne pointed, storming towards the office. She was still a little bit tilted from her earlier conversation with Ember, and it was leaking slightly into how she was conducting herself.
 
"Yeah, coming, you butt," Ember replied, equally mature. "How do you know where to go, anyway? I thought you said the last time you came here was like years ago."
 
"Yes, Ember," Champagne retorted. "Animals change. Buildings don't. I remember the layout, I just don't know what animal escaped. Stupid."
 
"Dumbass!"
 
"Ignoramus!"
 
"Butt...faced... double-butt!"
 
"Imbecile!"
 
"That's not even a word!"
 
"Be quiet," Champagne hissed, glaring at him as she yanked on the door chime. "Let me handle this!"
 
"Let yo-"
 
"Yes! You want to leave faster, right? Let me handle this!" Her voice almost went into piercingly high levels of the upper register as she squeaked her threat.
 
Ember rolled his eyes.
 
"What's your angle? What are you even going to say?"
 
"I... I have my own angle, alright? I can do this one! Just let me do it, please!"
 
"You don't have anything, do you? How are you possibly going to convince th-"
 
"Let me do it!"
 
"Fine, whatever! Hurry up, Champy, let's see what you can do. But you choke and I'm taking over, you hear me?"
 
"I will not choke! I am not going to choke!" She stamped her hoof. She raised her leg. She held it out under Ember's nose, a mouse ferociously challenging a bear.
 
The young stallion quirked an eyebrow up at the threat, more bemused than anything else.
 
The door pushed open and instantly, Champagne dropped her frown and engaged with the pony on the other side with due professionalism.
 
"Good afternoon, sir. My name is Champagne Satellite and I would like to speak with you regarding the closure of the zoo today." She smiled. An honest, genuine smile.
 
"Oh, now... now aren't you polite?" The elderly pony responded with nothing less than emerging and giving full regards to the cute little button in front of him. He was a tired, but passionate stallion, the few lines of age striking his face being supported by the extra lines of stress thanks to the day's drama. A little raggedy vest of pockets lay draped across his back, out of which many pieces of paper and quills played hide and seek from their hidey-holes.
 
He struggled with a soft, gentle smile for Champagne, fighting back the pressure of the day. But like an old grandfather, there was nothing more comforting to him than the opportunity to smile at a child.
 
It was with great sorrow that he had no good news to tell.
 
"I wish I could help you, young miss, but I'm afraid I am tied up," he explained slowly. "If you would like to proceed to the main entrance, there are many staff members who would be willing to an-"
 
Champagne raised a hoof, very slowly, very deliberately, while closing her eyes and turning away. It was something she seemed to have seen very many times herself, and she knew of its significance.
 
Shut up, it said, and listen to me.
 
"O-oh," stammered the poorly administrator.
 
"Sir, I am not here today to talk about the closure of the zoo itself. Rather, I am here on behalf of the owners, and I would like to speak about the escaped animal."
 
"Sky Reserves Cloudsdale Group?" the older pony asked with a chuckle, still with his gentle and patient voice, as ridiculous as this seemed. "Certainly... certainly they would not employ someone as young as you, young miss? I really can't give any information. But I admi-"
 
Champagne felt a stirring coming from Ember. He was getting impatient, and already his eyes were roaming away from the conversation in search for more interesting things.

Champagne herself cleared her throat.
 
"No, sir. Of course I don't work for SRC Group," she chuckled along. "I work for their owners."
 
"Ah..."
 
Champagne leaned forward, after taking a quick glance at Ember over her shoulder. He was busying himself with staring at the hordes of ponies trying to argue their way in. Now was as good a time as any for Champagne to say a few things without prying ears listening in.
 
Ember barely caught her as she pulled herself away from a hushed conversation with the administrator, once he was done distracting himself with the crowd.
 
"I... I see, yes, definitely, Miss... Miss Satellite," the elderly stallion said, his tone even weaker than it was before. "Do come in. Please. And your colleague as well. Would... would you care for some tea, or perhaps..."
 
"No, thank you," Champagne replied. "We are really short on time and would like to get down to business."
 
"Of course. This way, please." the administrator pushed back through the door and beckoned for the duo to follow.
 
Ember hopped the couple of steps to Champagne, who was already half-way through the entrance.
 
"Hey, what... did you tell him something?" Ember asked, slightly astonished at the result.
 
"I told him who my father was," Champagne replied, sweeping past.


 


"Go away, Miss Mezzo," Egg said, scanning the horizon. "We have nothing for you or the newspaper."
 
Cookie kept silent. This seemed like one of those times where she ought to.
 
"Why, Mister Eggbeater. How nice to meet you again. And this is... oh my, is this that gryphon you saved from the bakery?"
 
"No."
 
"And what is your name, miss gryphon?" Gale asked, hovering in front of Cookie and giving her a full look.
 
Cookie tilted her head down. The pegasus in front of her was rather sharp and spiky, like a cactus gone wrong. She glared with the intensity of a bothered cat but still had a rather specific clarity shining behind her eyes. Her mane came down straight in partitions, and from behind the rims of horrendously garish purple glasses, she gave Cookie a smile that was nothing more than a sneer disguised as something a tiny bit better.
 
Clearly, Egg knew this lady, and it would be best to let him handle the situation. Although Cookie would tell you she wasn't quick to judge, that wasn't something that necessarily applied to everyone she met, and she couldn't help but find Gale's aggressiveness to be rather offensive indeed.
 
Cookie remained silent, doing her best to remain nonchalant.
 
Gale swept left and right, bobbing on the still air and inspecting Cookie as if she were a statue at an art exhibition.
 
"Don't believe we have met. Gale Mezzo. Reporter for the Gazette." Gale repeated, slower, more deliberately. "And what is your name, miss gryphon?"
 
"Go away, Miss Mezzo," Egg repeated as well.
 
"Why don't you tell me about the group, hmm?" Gale asked of the gryphon, who was frantically trying to keep an eye on the ground rather than on her face, a task she made rather difficult.
 
"Gale!" Egg shouted. "Fine. Come here. Stop bothering my chef."
 
"Oh, she's your chef now, is she?" Gale tittered, swinging around, dropping focus on Cookie in an instant. She stopped inches in front of Egg's face, staring into his eyes. Two sets of yellow met.
 
"What do you want, Gale?"
 
"I just find it odd," Gale explained, shrugging, ever grinning. "That I would find you here. I believe the radio said to stay away, hmm? And here you... are... in the very place where everypony else is... staying away from."
 
"We have the right to be here."
 
"You surely do, as do I, yes? I'm here covering a story. The story of the escaped zoo animal. What are you here for, Mister Eggbeater?"
 
"That is not my name."
 
"Oh, really?"
 
"Yes. Now please leave. You're interrupting me and my companion."
 
"Interrupting you doing what?"
 
"Having a picnic. Can't you see the basket?"
 
Cookie tightened her grip on the rattan handles.
 
"Of course. Up here? In the middle of the sky above a park which just happens to be the focus of a warning broadcast?" Gale asked innocently.
 
Egg wanted, as much as he could, to rap his hoof on the clouds. Twice, even. But this was an impossibility right now, and he had to make do with tearing his eyes away from the distance to give Gale the most impatient look he could possibly muster.
 
To be fair, it wasn't any different from his regular look.
 
Strings of numbers. Percentages. Weights and chances. Potentials. Possibilities. The game. It was about what she wanted. It was about what he wanted. It was about how to get out of this with something you didn't have before. It was about how to get the best deal for both parties, because there was no such thing as one side coming up roses. It was about how to approach a keen, sharp mind that was as bloodthirsty as it was devious.
 
It was about what she wanted and what he needed.
 
She wanted a story.
 
He needed to be left alone.
 
Egg's eyelids fluttered as it closed for a few seconds, as he gave this the necessary thought.
 
He knew that the second he did that, Gale would have taken lead in this little race.
 
But perhaps that was the way to come to a solution.
 
"You win," Egg said, opening his eyes again.
 
"I... excuse me?" Gale said, the grin wiped off her face.
 
"You heard me. You win. My name is Eggbeater, and I grant you an interview."
 
"Oh, well. I... very good, then! Mister Eggbeater, could you tell me about... ah..."
 
That was the last piece he needed to know. The stumble. The trip. The one last link which allowed him full entry into her mind.
 
"Be quiet, Miss Gale," he whispered.
 
"I beg your pardon!" she exclaimed.
 
"I said 'be quiet'. I say this because you have nothing for me except the ability to listen to what I am saying right now. I know you want the story more than anypony in Equestria, and right now, your entire livelihood rides on what I have to say and what I might say to you in the future. You can stop pretending, Miss Gale, and just listen."

The mare flustered, digging into her collar with an agitated hoof.
 
"I... I will publish an article on you! This is very suspicious circumstances here in the park and-"
 
"No you won't! You won't mention our names. You're not going to... yet, are you, Miss Gale?"

"I..."
 
"And what's at risk is that if you make me upset, I just won't cooperate. Eventually, somepony else will come, and I'll sell my story to the first reporter who isn't you. A lot of wasted time and effort on your part, I dare say. But make me happy and we all get what we want. I know what you're up to, Gale. I've figured you out."
 
"I have..."
 
"Let's stop dancing, shall we? I'm a terrible dancer, anyway. The quicker you hear my proposal the better off we both will be. Are you going to drop this and listen? Ten seconds to decide," Egg declared, calm and steady as a boat in a windless ocean.
 
Gale shuddered. She shivered. Her grin returned but it was one of utter complete contempt. It was one with knives of hate and anger glinting out of each single tooth. She clutched her leg with a hoof, massaging it slowly.
 
"Mister Eggbeater. What are your terms?" She forced herself to say, quaking words over fearful lips.
 
"First of all, you tell the truth to whatever it is I'm about to ask. You lie, everything is off. Of course, you can also ask whatever you want, but don't expect me to answer whatever I don't feel like."
 
"And what's in this for me, Mister Eggbeater?"
 
"Exclusivity. I won't talk to another reporter about myself, my exploits and the team, as long as you keep to your side of the deal. And you will get the very first interview. The one that you want."
 
"That is very generous, Mister Eggbeater. Suspiciously so. What's your angle?"

"I need you out of my mane for a while, and unlike you, I believe in fair trade."
 
"Who said I don't believe in fair trade?"
 
"I just did."
 
Gale hissed in frustration. "Fine. Let's lay our cards out on the table, shall we? What do you want?"
 
"I want you to leave me alone until the time is right. Obviously, I do not know when that time will be nor do you. But let me state something very clearly. Both you and I know that there is something going on in Cloudsdale. Something to do with a group, and things, and... well. It's your job to know, so I'm not going to give you details, but we both know ought to know what I'm talking about. Speak the name of the group if you understand so far."
 
"Unity," Gale uttered.
 
"Very good. I believe the time that you are waiting for is when Unity is uncovered and defeated by myself. Until that time, you are to continue as you have been doing. Total anonymity, complete lack of names, and very few links between incidents. You are to avoid directly indicating our existence until such time, and once Unity has been dealt with, you will get your exclusive interview."
 
"Sounds fair." Gale nodded. "Is that all?"
 
"No. Stop harassing me and my team. You are to have no further contact with any of us on the topic of what has been discussed today. You are also forbidden from playing an active role in any of our investigations or work. You will write your articles on us passively only. And if you must talk to us it must not be about our work."
 
"Now... that's not fa-"
 
"Exclusivity, Miss Gale. That's what you want, isn't it?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Then so be it. Do we have a deal?"
 
"Would you sign-"
 
"I will sign nothing, Miss Gale. You have my word, and that is your guarantee."
 
Gale leaned in closer, pushing her face near Egg's.
 
"How can I be sure you're going to keep to your word?" she asked.
 
"The same way I know you will keep to yours."
 
"And how do I know you will bring down Unity?"
 
"Because you will do everything in your power to help us, won't you, Miss Gale?"
 
Gale flapped there, bobbing up and down in the stream, listening to every single word that Egg had said. From anger she turned to incredulity. From disbelief she turned to amusement. And finally she burst out laughing, a sinister, laugh of triumph, albeit triumph at great cost.
 
"You know everything, don't you, Mister Eggbeater?"
 
"Go away, Miss Gale. You have what you want. I have what I need. If you must watch, watch from far away. This place is dangerous. Go find yourself an office block to watch from or something."
 
"I'll be in touch, Mister Eggbeater."
 
"Please stop saying my name."
 
"Goodbye." Gale smiled again, still with that tinge of poison.
 
She pulled back, upright, still watching the two of them as she circled around like a shark, and with one last longing look she turned and made off for the high-rise office blocks in the distance, leaving the accountant and the baker alone with themselves.
 
The grounds remained clear throughout, and Cookie had not seen a thing.
 
But her mind, on the other hand, was buzzing with insects.
 
"Yes, Miss Eternia. I'll explain."
 
"Would you? I am ever so lost, yes?" Cookie chortled.
 
"Nothing spectacular or particular. Gale Aubergine Mezzo is a reporter for the Cloudsdale Gazette, as she said. Rather devious character, I'd say. She's been hounding us for a long time. The first time we ran into her was just before we met you, in fact. Ever since then, Ember's been noticing her following us around and being a nuisance in general. You've not seen her before, obviously, and this was the first time she's been so brazen with her appearance."
 
"What does she want?"
 
"Well, that's the thing. Before, she'd always bother us for interviews and things like that – threatening to reveal our identity in the papers. Something that I do not want. I'd always have to bargain with her, or talk her down, but then it became apparent that that was exactly what she wanted me to do."
 
"What do you mean?"
 
"She was backing off on purpose, Miss Eternia. She was making me fight to do what she wanted me to do."
 
"And what made you feel this?"
 
"When... when a rival headhunted staff from my previous job, they'd follow them around and get them to say 'yes' on the spot. They'd try to steal them immediately. They wouldn't put it off. She was putting off the interviews. She was putting off the information. Suddenly I realised that what she kept asking us for wasn't the real prize. But there was always something she shoved in our face, even from day one – the exclusive interview regarding our... shall we say, public identity. That was something she had always tried to get from us from the start, except that it was hiding amongst the lies."
 
"But why not just get an interview now? Then she would be the first, yes? And still get what she wants?" Cookie asked.
 
"That's what I thought. For a while. She's a smart one, Miss Eternia. No doubt. But today I took a risk and confirmed what I thought. I told her I'd give her the interview she keeps threatening us with. Right now. She didn't even take out her notebook. Not once. She wasn't prepared. It took her by surprise. That's all I needed to know."
 
"I do not understand, Mister Egg. She wants an interview but not this one?"
 
"Yes. She wants a specific interview. Not one as we are now, but one as we will be later."
 
"I do not understand."
 
"She is the only one who's been bothering us. Not a single other reporter from any other magazine, publication or newspaper. Why not?"
 
"Because no other reporter considers this important enough?"
 
"Yes. Precisely. This is small news. We are small news. We are no one. There's no point in springing for us. Not now. Writing an exposé about us at this time would be incredibly short-sighted. And she is not. She's fostering us, Miss Eternia. She's following us and taking note, so that when we finally do something big-"
 
"Like defeat Unity."
 
"-like defeat Unity, then she'll have something to write about, and she can also trace our exploits from day one. Also, once we are big news, that exclusive would be incredibly beneficial to her career, I'm sure."
 
"That is... an interesting method of doing things. Almost as if she were... nursing an egg, yes?"
 
"Y- yes. I suppose."
 
"I am just pulling on your chains, Mister Egg. But I think I understand. If she mentions us too early, she will risk losing the impact of the final story, yes?"
 
"Yes. I promised her the exclusive so that she now has something to work towards. Just so happens that it's also what I want. To keep ourselves out of the papers. We can't avoid having what we do written about, surely, but we can do what we need to keep our profile down. Now, Gale has an investment. She'll also work on her side to prevent other reporters finding out who we are, just so that when it comes down to it..."
 
"... she gets all the glory," Cookie finished the sentence.
 
A strange screech echoed throughout the park.
 
"Indeed."
 
"Very clever, Mister Egg."
 
"No. Gale is the clever one. I just figured it out."
 
"And when it comes to that point, you don't mind being... exposed?"
 
"It will have to happen eventually. But I think I'd like to be the one to pick the time."
 
As soon as they heard the bestial call, both of them had swung their gazes to a strange black spot in the corner. But they were casual, and professional, and had remained conversing through it, not a single beat broken. But they both knew they were thinking the same thing.
 
It was a small blob of a dark cloud – a welling of thunder and lightning that rose above the cloudfloor. It crackled and sparked and bellowed, and Egg quirked an eyebrow at the thing.
 
"Mister Egg?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Shall we not wait for the others to return?"
 
"No, Miss Eternia."
 
"Would it not be dangerous?"
 
"It's dangerous for anyone who does it anyway. Besides, I think I know what that is. It should be relatively simple to capture. Hand me the blanket from the picnic basket, Miss Eternia. I shall deal with this one myself."


 


The door flew open, swinging aside and nearly crashing into the wall. It wouldn't have mattered much if it had – both wall and door were soft – but the strength required to even move such a light object at that force was respectful indeed.

Emberkite, commandeering the door, was the one who flung it aside, and he dashed out of the administrations office as fast as he could go.
 
"C'mon, hurry!" he yelled angrily behind him.
 
"I am coming," Champagne said as she too, tore out the door and stumbled on the frame. "Oh dear!"
 
"No time!" Ember said, hurriedly, grabbing Champagne by the leg and yanking her up. "Come on, we gotta go!"
 
"Wait, wait!" Champagne pulled away, turning back toward the head administrator, who poked his head around the door. "So, you'll send a cage? And some keepers?"
 
"Y-yes, of course, Miss Satellite. Please... please send your... your father my regards and..."
 
"Yes, I'll speak to him regarding funding! Now, let's go!" She yelled, moving into a gallop.
 
"Hey! Wait!" Ember called, cantering along beside her.
 
"Oh, now you want to wait, you laggard?" Champagne cried.
 
"No, listen you dumb butt! I can get us there faster!"
 
"How?"
 
"Just... just hold on!"
 
A rough pair of legs wrapped themselves around a slender waist, lifting the poor young mare right off the cloudfloor.
 
"H-hey! Don't touch me! Don't-"
 
Ember shook his head. Stupid girl. With a sudden burst, he shot forward like a cannon, kicking up mist in his wake. It was all but two seconds before they were gone, ejected off the cloud and heading toward the park at Ember's fastest speed.
 
The administrator – the poor tired zoo manager – fidgeted with the book he nestled in the crook of one leg. It was a big tome, a reference guide to rare and exotic species. It had been opened to the section on animals of the haze tundras, where he had explained everything he knew about the creature to the girl and her rather rude companion.
 
A mare appeared by his side, another office worker who handled other matters.
 
"Was that...?" she asked, staring at the streak that was quickly disappearing.
 
"That's is what she... she had said," replied the administrator.
 
"Do you think maybe we should call him?"
 
"What, call him up and ask him if his daughter's really come to lend us a hoof? I don't think so. Nopony in their right mind would make something up like that. They would be in an incredible amount of trouble if they had. Mmmph. Besides, we have pressing matters to take care of. Please call Jaffa and Bundt. Tell them to prepare the cage and bring it over to Stormhaven Park. At this point, I'm willing to take all the help I can get."
 
"Sir, but... what of the zoo?"
 
"Well, it's been a while since I've been in my old togs! Perhaps it's time for an old stallion to suit up again," he replied with a weakened smile.


Continued in Part 3