Rough grabbed a handle, pulling a large glass door open and motioning for me to walk inside first. "Hey, remember: No talkin'." Rough whispered as I moved past. A small bell chimed as the door opened and I was struck with the smell of cooking food and the sounds of casual conversation.
The restaurant was warmly lit by orange lighting, deep red wood accented with strips of metal for flooring. There were a lot of couches with tables between them with lights dangling from the ceiling. There were only a few not-minotaur in the room, some of them large, some overly dressed and minding their own business while being hunched over their drink or some kind of paper. A very flashy metal box with a great many buttons was sitting in the corner, drawing my attention. I quietly maneuvered over to said thing and wondered at it for a moment before I felt two large hands wrap around my middle and lift me into the air.
I tried not to squeak in surprise when a voice said "Ooh baby, Lookit you!" They turned me around to face a darker colored not-minotaur, more heavyset and wearing a uniform that said 'Alice' on it. Their voice was happy, but also slightly deep... soulful? I'll call them Soul. "This your dog, Ricky?" They asked Rough, soon flipping me upside down and cradling me in their arms. Soul was a fountain of joy, affection and nurturing. It was enough to make me want to get closer to them involuntarily, digging my nose into their side and wiggle. "She's just precious!"
"Hey Alice!" Rough replied, "Haven't seen you in a while; thought I'd drop by and have ya meet Blue."
Soul looked back to me, meeting my eyes. "Woo! Those are the prettiest blue eyes I ever saw. Is she one of Maria's new strays?"
Rough looked at me and smirked, "Yeah, I guess you could say that. Picked her up just last night from the side of the road."
"The roadside? Shucks; she's so well mannered for a stray, and no collar neither!" Soul chuckled, scratching my belly. This not-minotaur was growing on me fast, both from the compliments (Even if directed towards myself as a dog) and from the lake of never-ending positivity that seemed to be the core of their being.
"Maria went off to college n' I thought it'd be nice for Blue to get out of the house. You have any specials today?" Rough asked, taking a seat on one of the couches next to the table. Soul moved closer to Rough, giving me a final scratch before setting me down carefully on the opposite couch to Rough.
"Well, we got that Eggs Benedict like always, that pancake special with eggs you like so much, and for today I'll throw in a bowl o' dog food for free, too!" Soul happily replied, taking out a small square of paper and something to write with while waiting patiently on Rough.
Rough looked at me and smirked for a second before facing Soul. "I fed Blue just before we went out; didn't want her to get sick or anythin' while she was walkin' around with me."
"Oh, bless your soul Ricky. But what about you? You're so skinny! You need more'n a big breakfast to help you get big and strong, don't ya?" Soul replied jokingly, a warm smile on their face.
"Alice, you've been tryin' to make me bulk up since we met. Remember that time you gave me three platters of french toast with eggs and syrup, and sausage? I didn't get a single pound from that!"
The two seemed caught up in conversation so I decided I would be able to slip by and examine that metal box with all the buttons again. The moment Soul adjusted their stance to face a tiny bit away from me, I made for my escape and hopped off of the smooth couch towards the box once more. The thing was giant, like so much else in Earth. Some kind of mesh was in the center and scratching it lightly with my paw didn't give me any hint as to what it actually did. Was it just decoration? Maybe it was like a painting, except just... a box. It's nice looking, and the not-minotaur are strange already...
"What'chu doin' with that Jukebox, Blue?" I heard Soul ask in good cheer behind me, like I was an ornery nymph getting caught outside of the nursery. My ears shot up in surprise as I looked up to the looming figure of Soul, smiling down at me. "Think she wants some music, Ricky?" Soul asked, turning their body to speak with Rough.
"I dunno, you could always try somethin'. Maybe let Blue choose?" Rough shrugged.
Soul gently picked me up once more, bringing us closer to the 'Jukebox' and revealing even more shiny buttons, a row of black discs and some kind of needle on a lever. They then reached into their pocket with a free hand and pulled out what looked like a smaller, flattened silver bit and slid it into the box, causing it to come alive with the buttons flashing and beeping.
"Please select a song." A cold voice stated from within the box. I couldn't feel anything from it, and it gave me the 'Eugh'.
"What you wanna listen to, Blue?" Soul asked, holding me by the chest as my hindlegs dangled beneath me. My forelegs were free to choose any button, but from the lack of emotion in the metal box despite it speaking, I was hesitant to touch it. Since the two were waiting on me, I decided to press a button at random. With a click, what looked like lettering quickly scrolled across a shining blue face.
"Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata in Full: Selected. Please Enjoy your auditory experience."
"Dang, Blue! I haven't heard that song in forever!" Soul coyly praised me, not really expecting that I had any idea what I was doing. I really didn't.
After a short pause, A song began to play. Mostly instrumental and reminding me of Canterlot just before the attack. I had seen a grey mare playing a very large device that sounded like this and it brought me into a memory.
A very large hall, marble tile and white walls. A large golden chandelier hanging above with magically lit candles. Noble-ponies everywhere, conversing idly about nothing important. Mostly gossip about whom was dating whom, theories about what Princess Celestia did with her free time, scandals about affairs, that sort of thing. The music playing wasn't exactly the same, but the mood was similar. It was calm; relaxed.
It wouldn't be for long.
It was the moment right before the main hive was to break down the barrier between Canterlot and the outside world. My role was to provide distraction for the Royal Guard and lead them into an ambush for the stronger Warriors. All I would have to do is shout around a corner when I had spotted guards, and the warriors would subdue them. There was no reason to kill anypony; We can't harvest love from the dead. That's what the chrysalis' are for. They allow the queen to siphon love from a pony's memory, eventually draining them entirely.
I was nudged by a fellow disguised changeling. "It is time."
Blinking, I woke from my trance. I was still in Souls' arms. "There she is!" Soul coo'ed, "You must really like Beethoven, huh?"
"What do you got Beethoven in a Jukebox for, anyway? You don't got any swing or rock?" Rough commented, walking over to the both of us and examining the Jukebox. "You got Beethoven, Twenty-One Pilots, Bob Marley and Metallica?" Rough asked, surprised. "Didn't know you liked all that, Alice."
"Hey, a girl can have taste in music too! Ain't like I gonna listen to Beyonce' all day." Soul sassed playfully. "Here, I gotta get your order in." They said, handing me over to Rough.
"See ya soon, Alice." Rough called after Soul, whom waved behind themself and dissapeared around a door to the back. Walking back to our couches with table, Rough placed me on one of them and sat opposite to me. "So, how do you like Alice? Get some love?"
I was about to speak, but remembering the amount of not-minotaur around, I nodded instead. The music from the jukebox was still playing, now increasing in tempo as it switched to a different portion of the song.
The bell to the door chimed again, a familiar voice announcing themself. "Hello, everyone!" Kind said, taking off their hat and resting it on a stand. "How's everyone doing today?"
Rough turned around, resting their arm on the back of the couch. "Officer Brady! Nice to see you here." Rough was casual in his tone, but his emotions spiked with intense worry and nervous energy.
"Ricky? Haven't seen you here in a while." Kind commented before looking to me. "Wow, those eyes are really blue! Just gorgeous." They smiled, walking closer to me. With a hand waiting above me, Kind paused and looked to Rough. "Do you mind if I scratch their ears?"
Rough pointed to me. "That's Blue, n' it's up to her." they smiled, though I saw sweat beginning to form on their forehead.
"Blue, huh?" Kind asked rhetorically. They looked down at me. "So, Blue. Mind if I scratch?"
I looked between Rough and Kind, but despite Rough's nerves, Kind didn't seem to be malicious. I sensed affection and... sorrow coming from Kind. That was very odd. In any case, I looked up at Kind and nodded.
Kind seemed impressed by this. "Well, smart dog you got here, Ricky!" Scratching behind my ears, they continued to speak with Rough. "Where'd you find her?"
Rough shrugged. "It was last night, after you stopped us. Maria spotted her walking along the road and just had to help. You know how she is with animals n' all."
"Where is Maria, anyway?" Kind asked, scratching the top of my head.
"She's off at college today. I think she mentioned somethin' 'bout a test, too." Rough replied casually, looking towards the back of the diner where Soul had dissapeared.
Kind seemed to notice Rough's look and asked, "Hey, have you seen Alice today?"
"Yeah, she just went in the back to place an order."
Kind looked to the back room and sighed. They then took out a square of paper and a pen, writing down something on it and then handed it to Rough. "Give her this for me, would you?"
Rough took the note without reading it, placing it face down on the table. "Don't worry 'bout it, Officer Brady. I'll get it to her." They smiled.
"Thanks Ricky." Kind smiled, before pausing and looking towards the Jukebox. "Really? She has Beethoven on that thing?"
Rough gave a polite laugh. "I know, it's crazy. It fits her though, for some reason."
Kind nodded and moved towards the door again, picking up their hat from the stand. "It was nice seeing you, Ricky." They paused, then looked at me and nodded again, "Blue." before leaving the restaurant.
The moment the door swung closed and the bell chimed, Rough let out a huge sigh and practically melted in their seat. "Whew! That was way too close!"
I noticed moment and saw the door to the back room open once more, Soul holding a large platter in their hands with steaming food on top of it. They gracefully maneuvered around a few tables and customers before reaching our own table, setting the food down. Soul then noticed the note on the table, raising an eyebrow at Rough.
"It's from Officer Brady. He left it for you-- an' I didn't read it." Rough explained, handing the note to Soul.
After a moment of reading it, Soul placed a hand on their chest, smiling. I was blasted by a wave of affection, concern and most importantly, love. For some reason, the emotions of not-minotaur is intensely strong... strong enough to knock me over and cause me to flop onto the couch. Thankfully, this didn't cause concern. Instead, Rough and Soul looked at me with surprise before laughing, their affection washing over me on top of their other emotions.
"Blue is just precious, you know that Ricky?" Soul chuckled.