//------------------------------// // Quiet Nights - First Impressions. // Story: The Cost of a Sunrise // by No one is home //------------------------------// “Uhhh, Slappy… buddy,” Yakko rolled a clawed hand, “I think you’re forgetting something…” “Where’s your clown face?” Wakko asked slack jawed, and worried, “You haven’t decided to stop being a clown have you?” “My little beezie would never give up on being a clown!”  Dottie exclaimed. “He knows it would break my little heart if he did.” “I-I've got a new trick I’ve been practicing,” the insectile pony stammered.  “I’ve been practicing it all week with Magpie and Daisy, and I wanted to show it to you guys…” “Yeah, new tricks are good,” the oldest wormer mused, “but without your clown face, it’s not a clown-trick, really… if you know what I mean… I mean, your magic is great and all... but that’s Queenie’s thing to teach you… we’re supposed to be working on… you know… clown stuff?” Slapstick ran a chitinous hoof across his face, drawing gasps from his fellow clowns as his clown makeup magically appeared. “Oooo!”  Wakko beamed.  “Do it again!” “Can you do any other faces?” Yakko asked with a wide grin. “Can you do a bee face?  Just once? For me?” Dottie gushed. “I’ve just got the one face down so far,” Slapstick grinned awkwardly, “But if I keep practicing I’ll get better.  Dad could turn into all sorts of things!” -=-=-=-=- “You’re doing wonderfully dearest,” Sunrise, clad in a slit-skirted stage magicians ensemble, lounged languidly across the back of the giant mutated pony-thing, running a hoof through his scraggly mane, “The perfect beast to my beauty!  The Miraculous Queen raises her subjects even as she raises forth the sun to shine upon her divine countenance!” “You’re doing great, Mister!” Magpie clopped her hooves, as Daisy chimed in, “And you look like a for real goddess, Your Majesty!” “Her majesty is breathtaking as always.”  An obscenely obese giant of an earth pony mumbled, in between stuffing what could only be described as “slop” in it’s porcine mouth hoof over hoof.  “Although I fail to see the appeal of that ugly thing…” “He is a noble beast Rollo,” Sunrise purred as she laid her head over the malformed giants, “it is a tale as old as time… the noble Beast and the maidenly Beauty.” “At least Mister has some couth!” The twins spoke in stereo unison, before Daisy broke off, “Why are you even here?  It’s not like you need to rehearse stuffing your fat face and making inappropriate jokes in front of foals!” Magpie smirked, “He’s just here to leer at me, you, and Queen Sunrise.” “I am here to show my appreciation for her majesty, as if anyone is interested in YOUR scrawny flank,” the fat pervert argued, “Last I checked, you two can’t even keep Slapstick’s eyes from wandering to her beautiful form.” “I-I…” Daisy stammered, as Magpie glared and snapped in reply, “I hope you choke to death and burn in the nine hells!” As the tandem fillies fled, the giant beast growled dangerously turning towards the fat pony, snakes fully extended.  The obese giant flinched even as his Queen’s voice rang with sharp rebuke. “Stand down, my noble beast, I will handle this myself.  Get out of my tent, Rollo, now. You are unwelcome here until you can learn to respect my other subjects.” “I’m sorry, your majesty… I spoke only in jest, and…” Rollo withered beneath the queen’s gaze. “I gave you a royal decree.”  The vain queen’s voice grew cold.  “Get out! And as a caring and magnanimus ruler, I would advise finding a place to hide before the twins find their father.  He’s already established how many broken hooves you can perform with.” -=-=-=-=- “Well,” Atlas curled the stein to his lips with his equine tongue as he spoke, “It’s been damn near ten weeks now, and we’re pulling into Turves in a couple of days for a full show… I like the big guy.” “Heh, like me or you have a say in it,” The deep blue circus master snorted and ruffled his leathery wings.  ‘Her majesty’ would throw me outta my own circus if I didn’t let her keep her new pet. Hell he’s better behaved than any of Franklin’s.” “That’s the one thing that bothers me…” Deadlift paused collecting his thoughts.  “She treats him like a pet, and he let’s her.” “He’s a simpleton,” Baylie scoffed, “He can’t speak and doesn’t even know his own name.” “Yeah, you’d think that… but I swear I’ve caught him reading more than once.”  The giant pale horse chose his words very carefully. “If he can read he can write, and if he can write, he can write his own name.  He just let’s us call him whatever.” “You say you saw him readin’? Nine hells! I say how many books and signs we got that ain’t got pictures?” The blue leatherwing guffawed.  “The other option is… what? Either he’s powerful stupid, or he’s keepin’ careful track of how we speak at him. Honestly, I’m just counting on it’s the former, because between you and me… he’s been on his own out there for a long time.  Whatever scarred him like that, he lived through it… all on his on. Nine hells! He’s damn near as big as you are. Either he’s a simpleton who’s flattered by her majesty’s attention, or he’s judging us. And I’m pretty sure you can’t take him in a fight, Atlas, and I know damn well I can’t, so he better be stupid…” “Look, if you think he’s gonna be a problem…” Deadlift let his words trail off t an unspoken understanding. “No… no… Like I said, he’s better behaved than any of the outright monsters we let Franklin keep around.” The Ringmaster waved off his own concerns.  “You’re right, hell, it’s a creepy assed thought… that he’s just letting us treat him however. Just sitting back and playing dumb to figure us out.” “I like him okay, boss, don’t get me wrong.” Deadlift cocked an eyebrow.  “I think he’s a good fit and he ain’t been shy on pitchin’ in where there’s work to be done.  All I’m sayin’ is keep in mind that he’s around. Just cause he can’t speak, that don’t mean he can’t hear.”