Another day down, and another exasperated sigh.
With a pair of saddlebags on his back, Guise stepped out of the building where Tapioca's apartment was—an unsurprisingly posh place and no doubt expensive if her swanky and spacious flat was any indication. He was disguised as the mare himself, of course, since he needed to keep up appearances. Tapioca didn't seem to have many friends outside of Rocky and Chips—if they could be called "friends"—not that Guise was expecting any less. So all he really had to do while taking her place was go to work at Rocky's and pay a quick, daily visit to her apartment so that nopony there noticed she was gone.
The disguised changeling found a suitable place around the forested outskirts of Canterlot to shift back to his normal body, buzzing his wings and taking off up the spire of the mountain. He landed outside the cave near the summit, taking a quiet moment to wind down, not that his day to day was terribly stressful or anything. Inside the cave, he spotted Tapioca building a small castle using the empty takeout containers that had built up over the past two weeks she'd had to live there. She didn't exactly have much to do while waiting for Guise to show up, so she had to do something to entertain herself and stave off the boredom of her isolation. Cleaning out the animal bones had been one of the first things she did, and she had even made a makeshift bed for herself out of grass and flowers she'd plucked from the ridge outside.
Boredom wasn't the only thing she had to deal with, though. After two weeks of living in a cave, Tapioca was having a great deal of difficulty maintaining her precious good looks. Her creamy white coat had started to darken, and her usually bouncy mane had become quite unkempt. Given how her attractiveness was one of her defining traits, it would certainly be a little jarring for people to see her in this condition, practically unrecognizable with flat and frazzled hair and her lack of makeup. If there was one major complaint that Tapioca had voiced in the first few days of her imprisonment, it was her physical condition. Guise eventually got fed up enough with her bitching and moaning about it that he offered to fly her down to a nearby stream running down the mountain every few days to at least clean the dirt and grime from her coat and mane, and to clear up her clumped and runny makeup. Guise thought that she actually looked slightly less repulsive without all that gunk on her face anyway, not that he'd ever say so out loud—he didn't want to do or say anything to encourage her amorous behavior toward him, especially considering he was the only person she was able to interact with now.
Guise wandered inside, his hoofsteps grabbing Tapioca's attention. She was always quick to get up and greet him whenever he showed up, eager to finally have somepony to be the recipient of the inane and idle musings that randomly popped into her head while she was alone.
"Hey!" she greeted with a chipper lilt. "You bring supper?"
Guise held up a brown paper bag with the Hayburger logo and tossed it to her. Tapioca deftly caught it and quickly removed the contents. Without any hesitation, she bit into the greasy burger he'd brought her. She had reversed her opinion on Hayburger pretty quickly after about the first week and now anticipated it as though it were a treat between the takeout noodles and toasted sandwiches.
The changeling watched as she enthusiastically dug into her meal and took a loud slurp of her cola. Tapioca was surprisingly content for somepony being kept against her will in a dark cave. And with that in mind, he removed his saddlebags and tossed them to the ground in front of her.
"Here."
With cheeks packed with burger, Tapioca eyed the bags quizzically. "Wuzzad?"
Guise broke eye contact, rubbing his neck awkwardly and hoping the slight blush on his face wasn't noticeable in the darkness of the cave. "You've been pretty patient through all this, so I figured I'd bring you a little something extra."
Her curiosity piqued, Tapioca opened one of the flaps and peered inside. Her eyes widened, a twinkle appearing in her sky blue irises. She removed several small objects, including, but not limited to, lipstick, mascara, eyeliner, blush, and a whole assortment of other makeup and cosmetics. She turned her eyes up at Guise, a shaky smile on her face as she appeared to be on the verge of grateful tears. "Crimsy..."
Guise promptly raised his hoof before she could say anything. "Don't read into it. All of this is going to be easier for me if you're not whining and complaining. I just figured this was an easy way to keep you quiet."
His reasoning didn't diminish Tapioca's appreciation. She just continued smiling as she looked over the products her captor had brought her. "They're all my favorite brands, too."
"Well, yeah. I just swiped all this stuff off of the vanity in your apartment."
"Oh..."
Guise took notice of her sudden disappointment and cast her a corrective sneer. "What, did you expect me to go out and buy makeup for you? I can't afford to be buying frivolous crap like that right now."
Her appreciative smile returned regardless. "Still, it was nice of you to bring this stuff, Crimsy. Thanks a bunch."
"Yeah, whatever," he responded dismissively, sitting down to eat his own takeout.
Tapioca swiftly finished off her burger, eager to get started on prettying herself up for the first time in two weeks. The first thing she decided to address was her messy mane, taking out a hairbrush that Guise was generous enough to pack and starting on working out the knots in her hair. While she was at that, she glanced over to the quiet changeling as he ate. "So, how was work?"
Guise shrugged. "Same old, same old. Things are getting a little slow, though. Like, slower than usual."
"Makes sense. We're getting near the end of summer. Ice cream's not exactly a hot item in the fall."
The changeling quirked an eyebrow at her. "Pun intended?"
Tapioca blinked. "What pun?"
Guise shook his head. "Nevermind."
The mare grunted as she worked out a particularly nasty knot, letting a out a sigh. "I might be able to work out the kinks, but I'm not gonna be able to get it back to its usual bounciness without my conditioner." She cast a pleading grin to Guise.
The changeling scoffed at her passive request. "Forget it. I might be an asshole, but I don't exactly want to poison the water around here. I might want to eat those fish at some point."
"Changelings eat meat, right?"
Guise stared bemusedly at her. "I feel like you've seen enough evidence to not need to phrase that as a question."
"So how come I never see you eating any meat? You always eat takeout with me."
"Let me answer your question with a question: do you want to see me eat meat? I could go out right now and catch a cute little bunny so you can watch me snap its neck and tear out its throat. I'd have no problem with that."
Tapioca grimaced uneasily. "Uh, n-no thanks."
"Exactly. Maybe don't ask questions you don't want the answer to."
"You know what I could really go for right now? Some of Minty's ice cream. Think you could sneak me some sometime?"
Guise rolled his eyes. "I'd rather not do anything suspicious around her, like sneaking off with a tub of ice cream for no reason. She was wary enough when I started coming home later than usual because I have to come up here to bring you supper. Now she thinks I'm working more hours, but she might notice that something's up if she finds out I'm not bringing home extra cash."
"How's that going anyway? Is she any closer to opening her own place yet?" Tapioca asked as she removed a small, folding mirror to start applying her eyeliner.
"It's only been two weeks. We're nowhere near close to that yet. She's been running over the plans and everything, but we can't exactly do much with that until we have the money."
She flashed him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure you guys can work through this."
Guise stared at her genuine grin as he took a sip of soda. They're conversations over the past two weeks have been pretty similar to this. Whether it was her lingering desire to apologize to Sweetmint, her continued attraction to Guise, or simply her want to get this whole thing over with, she was being unusually supportive of Guise and his goals for somepony being held against her will. It could have also been that Guise was the only person she was able to talk with now.
And that was an aspect of all this that Guise hadn't really thought about at first, but as time went by, he found himself often engaging in conversation with Tapioca, despite his complaints about how annoying she was and how grating her voice was. A part of him had hoped that maybe he'd rub off on her and she'd grow a little more common sense through intellectual osmosis. He wasn't sure how well that was working, but he had noticed that some of her verbal ticks were becoming less frequent.
Tapioca stared into her small mirror as best she could, walking over to the entrance to get a little more light and look herself over now that her makeup was reapplied. "Well... It doesn't look right without having my mane styled, but it's something."
She snapped the mirror shut. Now that she was outside, she looked down at the city below them; a portrait of whites, purples, and golds and the majestic spires of the castle by the cliff's edge. A wistful sigh escaped her lungs and she looked back at Guise. "Do you miss home sometimes, Crimson?"
The changeling scoffed at the question. "Miss the biting winds, lack of food, and stupid, self-centered drones? Yeah, right. I left the Changeling Kingdom because that place is a shit hole. I might be in a bit of a bind right now, but even if everything got royally fucked up for me here, I wouldn't even consider going back there."
"You don't have any friends back home?"
"Nope. Changelings don't have friends."
"But what about—"
"Those two are obviously different. Don't lump me in with them."
Tapioca went silent. She'd had a few questions about changelings and their homeland during her imprisonment, but Guise elected not to divulge his connection with Shade and Chamella. She didn't need to know his history with them, and he hadn't so much as even revealed his real name, and had no plans to do so.
Guise noticed the way she was staring longingly at the city. "You miss your family?"
"Uh, yeah, a little," she said quietly. "I didn't really visit Mommy and Daddy much after I moved out, but now that I can't, I kinda want to see them more. It's hard knowing it might be a long time before I can see them again."
"I'm working on that as best I can. Believe me, I want this to be over with just as much as you, but I haven't figured anything out that works for everyone involved. Even if I trusted you to keep my secret, Chips might go and tell the royal guards the moment he finds out you're out of danger."
"I get it, and I really do appreciate you taking care of me during all this, Crimsy," she expressed, sitting down beside him, though keeping a little distance between them as she knew by now he preferred. "But isn't there, like, anything you can do to speed this up?"
"If there was, I feel like I'd've come up with it by now," he grumbled in frustration. "I know you miss your family, but if it means anything, they don't even know you're gone."
"It's a little weird to think that Daddy's still paying for an apartment that nopony's even using right now."
"Does seem like kind of a waste. Me and Mint could really use that cash right about now."
"Oh, Daddy has plenty of money. He owns a company that makes and distributes pudding. Like, really good pudding. I think we're, like, um... maybe the... eighth richest family in Canterlot? Something like that? Eighth or ninth, I think Daddy's business magazines said. And that's not counting the princesses."
Guise stared at her somewhat incredulously. "Really? I knew the people of Canterlot were all high society snobs, but I had no idea you were that loaded. So why are you working at a place like Rocky's if your family has that kind of money? Seems like you're already set."
Tapioca scoffed, tossing her partially styled mane. "Ugh, because Daddy kicked me out. He says I have no work ethic and no appreciation for the value of a bit. He said the only reason he's paying my rent is to just make things a little easier for me, but if I lose my job, I'm on my own until I get a new one. I mean, come on. A bit is worth a bit, right? I might not be a mathemagician, but I know that much, duh."
"Guess that does answer a lot of questions about you," Guise quipped somewhat contemptuously. "Sounds like you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You don't really know how harsh the world can be when you've got your daddy's money to fall back on."
"I'm starting to get the idea..." she responded, glancing around sullenly at the cave they were sitting in. "Is this how you lived back home?"
"Not even close. I didn't have anypony delivering me burgers and fries. I'm sure I've gone over this before."
"Yeah, it sounds rough out there," she said, staring at him sympathetically.
"And that's why I'm doing what I'm doing. I just want to be able to say I'm comfortable with the way I'm living my life. Mint once said something along the lines of, having not just the things you need, but the things you want, is the difference between living and surviving. I've spent my entire life 'surviving.' I just want to be able to live."
Tapioca smiled fondly. "Well, I think you deserve the life you want."
Guise looked back at her. "Even after all the stuff I told you I did? By your pony laws, I'm already basically a criminal."
"But if they don't know about that stuff, does it really matter?"
Guise didn't immediately reply. From anypony else, that would have been a rhetorical question, but the way Tapioca's head was tilted, he could tell she was genuinely unsure. Unfortunately, he didn't have an answer for her, so, out of sheer curiosity, he decided to flip it back on her. "What do you think?"
She turned her eyes up, tapping her chin as she pondered it. "Well, you haven't done anything bad since you got here, right?"
"Except kidnap you."
"But you've been taking care of me," she said with a smile. "And I know you've been making Minty happy. She gets pretty defensive when I talk to you."
"Specifically, when you get all flirty," he reminded her sternly.
"I just know she really likes you. And I can tell you really care about her. I mean, isn't that why you're doing all this? For her, and helping her open her own place?"
Guise just stared off at the opposite wall, silently thinking to himself.
"You might be kinda prickly sometimes, but deep down, I know you're a nice guy, Crimsy. Maybe you just need to, like, give yourself more credit or something."
Again, Guise said nothing. It wasn't like he hadn't heard anything along those lines before, but he never really put much stock in it until now. Guise had always been out for himself, ready to stab anyone close to him in the back if it would help him get something he wanted. But could his actions actually be considered selfish if they actively benefited the people involved? He certainly wouldn't call himself altruistic, but maybe he wasn't quite the parasite he'd pegged himself as. But, again, these weren't questions he felt like he should be concerning himself with right now. He introduced himself to Sweetmint as a problem solver, but it was his own problems that he was having difficulty resolving.
***** ***** *****
Two weeks felt like a long time when you had to regularly check up on your kidnapping victim. Guise was pretty stressed out when this whole debacle started, but over time, things had leveled out somewhat. And that was in part due to Tapioca's surprisingly compliant attitude, which only got more tolerable with time. With how little she was complaining, her annoying mannerisms becoming more subdued, and even her attempts at being supportive and helpful, Guise almost felt like he was training a pet.
As bizarre as the notion was, Guise couldn't say he disliked it. As long as things were under control, there wasn't too much reason to worry. He didn't want to be taking care of Tapioca forever, but he was currently in a position to at least maintain the status quo. Work at Rocky's was easy enough and Tapioca's paycheck was respectable thanks to Frosted Chips's biased reports. And as he'd said to Tapioca, Chips himself wasn't really an issue; the ever-present threat to Tapioca's well being—as empty as it was—kept his lips effectively zipped, although the kid has gotten uncharacteristically talkative out of concern for his crush.
Home was really the only place where Guise decided to set these issues aside temporarily so he could just relax and unwind. Usually, sitting at home was when he and Sweetmint would discuss plans for her ice cream parlor for whenever they actually got the money to go ahead with that, or to talk about how her day was going, which has been an interesting topic to say the least.
As Guise got back to the apartment, he anticipated being the subject of Sweetmint's venting at her situation; that was pretty much how things went since she lost her job. So, with that in mind, he braced himself as he walked inside.
"'Eeeeey, there he is..."
Guise paused at the threshold. Sweetmint was sprawled out on the couch with a lopsided grin, leaning her head over the arm of the couch to watch her boyfriend come home. This was an unusual sight given how the last two weeks have played out for her, but once Guise noticed the red tint on her green cheeks and the half a dozen or so beer bottles on the coffee table and floor, he could hazard a guess as to what was up.
"Are you drunk?"
"Getting there..." she claimed, propping herself up to take a swig on her current bottle. "Wanna join me?"
Guise grimaced at the offer. "No thanks." He dropped his bags on the kitchen table and walked over to the buzzed mare. "Didn't you just get off work? How are you this wasted already?"
"I'm not wasted..." she argued, though her voice was betraying her words with the way she trailed off. "I only had a few drinks."
Guise glanced at the coffee table again, and the bottles scattered around. "How many is 'a few'?" he asked sarcastically as he went to prepare himself a cup of coffee.
Sweetmint looked around at the mess she'd made. "Do the blurry ones that keep moving around count?"
The disguised changeling rolled his eyes. "Why are you even getting drunk in the middle of the week? I thought you hated going into work with a hangover."
Sweetmint let her face sink into the couch cushions, her reddened cheeks flushing even deeper. "Hrmm..."
Guise arched an eyebrow at her evasive response. It didn't take much guesswork to figure out what had happened. Guise groaned in annoyance. "You quit again, didn't you?"
"They're all douchebags..."
Guise leaned on the counter, running a hoof over his face in aggravation. Sweetmint had been actively searching for a new job since she got fired, and hadn't actually had much difficulty landing one. The problem was, nothing seemed to be good enough for her. Either the job was demeaning and lame, or her coworkers were insufferable, or a combination of both. It was almost like she was looking for things to complain about and use them as an excuse to quit. This was the third job she'd quit in two weeks.
"How exactly do you plan on saving up money to open your own place when you keep quitting every job you manage to get?" Guise scolded her. "You think my income is good enough? I thought we went over this."
"I still get paid for the hours I worked."
"But now you've gotta spend another day looking for a new job, maybe more. Not exactly what I would call 'efficient.'"
Sweetmint rolled over onto her back, kicking her legs out in frustration. "But it's just soooo dumb! Being bossed around by not just my coworkers, but even the customers who think they know better than me!"
"I've seen you treat cashiers pretty poorly in the past, too, you know. You sure you want to be labeled a hypocrite?"
She leaned her head backwards over the arm of the couch. "C'mon, you wash dishes for a living. You know what it's like to be on the bottom rung."
Guise walked over to the couch with his coffee, continuing to scowl with authority as he looked down on her. "The difference is that I grit my teeth and push through it. Honestly, I thought you were the same way. You complained all the time about working at Rocky's, but you were there for three years. What happened to that patience and willpower?"
"I dunked it all on Tapioca..." she mumbled.
Guise stared at the pitiable mare trying to bury her shame in the couch cushions like a child being scolded. He had accused Tapioca of having no work ethic, but the longer this was dragging out, the more Sweetmint was starting to remind her of Tapioca in that regard. She just seemed to have no will to persevere anymore and spent all her time grumbling and groaning. "If you keep this up, you're eventually going to develop a reputation and nopony is going to want to bother hiring you, you know that, right?"
Sweetmint stared back up at him silently. With no lack of effort, she lifted herself up into a sitting position, tapping the spot next to her. Guise rolled his eyes, but placed his coffee cup on the table and sat with her. He was immediately pushed down onto his back, his girlfriend laying atop him and resting her head against his chest with a soft moan. Guise had a vague, blurry memory of the two of them being in a similar position before. He seemed to recall her getting a little emotional and serious back then.
"It's not what I want to do..." she mumbled into his chest fur.
Guise didn't respond. As much as he should be reprimanding her, he figured he'd let her get whatever was bothering her off her chest.
"I want to make ice cream. That's what I'm good at, and that's what I enjoy doing. That's why I was able to suffer through working at Rocky's for three years. It kept me sane. Now I don't even have that... I know I should just grin and bear it because I need to save up money for my own business, but..." Sweetmint sighed, her warm breath caressing the fur of Guise's chest. "It's hard... I know what I should be doing, but actually doing it is difficult when I don't have anything to focus on that'll help me keep my temper in check. Do you know how many people I cursed out on just my first day at these new jobs? I knew that my old job was what gave me my limited patience for putting up with the shit around me, but maybe I never realized just how much until now."
The apartment went quiet for a short time as the two of them just laid there. Guise really felt like it was his job right now to keep her on track so they could continue moving forward. If Sweetmint kept doing this, it was just going to inadvertently extend how long he was going to have to keep Tapioca in captivity and how long he'd have to continue impersonating her.
"I miss working at Rocky's..."
Guise glanced down at her as she sighed again into his chest, kneading her hooves softly over his fine coat. He never thought he'd hear those words from her, but like a lot of things that had happened to Guise lately, it was all about perspective. At this point, he had to decide whether it was more important to be tough with her so she'd get her act together, or be more supportive to give her the peace of mind and will to endure. Either way, they both needed to figure out the best way to get out of this slump they were in.
***** ***** *****
Wiping down tables and sweeping the floor was really all Guise had to fill time at Rocky's until the end of the day, though even that was just for show; how could the tables and floor get dirty if they had no customers? And that's how many people came in looking for ice cream today: a big, fat zero. Obviously it made Guise's job easier, but it was boring as all get out and made the day feel like it was dragging on for eternity.
But even with all this free time on his hooves, he couldn't manage to think of any solutions to the multitude of problems he and Sweetmint had. No matter what he came up with, there was always a drawback that he couldn't find a fix for. He was going to have to face facts: if he wanted out of this situation as soon as possible, he was going to have to accept the fact that there were going to be permanent complications he would have to deal with. So the problem now became which of those complications was he most willing to suffer through?
Guise set the broom aside for a moment to take a breather. Not that he was exhausted or anything, but he just needed to stop for a second to think a little more clearly.
"How's Tapioca?"
Guise shot a sidelong sneer at Frosted Chips. The kid never had the balls to say so much as a word to the girl he had a crush on, but he was concerned enough to risk ticking off the guy holding her captive. "You ask me that everyday, and everyday I give you the same answer: as long as you keep quiet, she's fine," Guise snipped.
Chips always seemed a little conflicted whenever he'd talk to Guise. The changeling couldn't determine whether or not that was the shock of hearing Tapioca's voice snarling at him, or if he was fighting with his desire to try and do something to help her. If it was the latter, then Guise knew the guy was a total pansy. A real man would accept the risks and put everything on the line to defend his ideals or things he cared about. Chips was too much of a wuss to even think about throwing a punch at the risk of endangering his beloved, not that Guise thought a punch from him would even leave a mark.
And if there was any joy Guise got from this whole predicament, it was making Chips his verbal punching bag. With all the stress and frustration he was dealing with, it felt great to have somepony to take it out on. And it gave Guise a chance to be the changeling he always said he was; ruthless and threatening. Granted, it didn't give him the same rush of adrenaline as actually brawling with somepony who could put up a fight, but it was better than nothing, especially since he had to offset the nice things he was doing for Tapioca in the meantime. And that was actually a boon to having Chips know he was a changeling; not having to be nice or act like Tapioca as long as there were no customers and Rocky was in his office.
"When are you going to let her go?"
Guise groaned, growing irritated at Chips's persistence. "Who says I will?"
"What do you need her for? She doesn't have a boyfriend or anything."
Guise pursed his lips in thought. Chips was under the assumption that Guise was mimicking Tapioca for the purposes of acquiring love—a perfectly reasonable guess, of course. The notion was actually rather interesting considering how strongly Chips felt about Tapioca. The problem with that was he knew he was a changeling. Guise wouldn't be able to get any love from Chips under these circumstances, not that he wanted it; his love would probably taste greasier than the food at Hayburger and would overpower the sensation and taste it should have.
The changeling shook his head. He didn't want to divulge that Tapioca's kidnapping was simply a result of unfortunate timing since he needed the threat to be present to keep him quiet. But he also couldn't think of any other legitimate reason to kidnap her. "I've got shit I need to sort out, that's all, but who knows how long that'll take?"
Chips turned away for a moment, seemingly thinking about something before looking back at Guise. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Guise quirked an eyebrow. Tapioca he could understand wanting to help where she could since she knew her kidnapping was incidental, plus she had a thing for Guise. But Chips? Sure, he wanted to help Tapioca, but wouldn't he rather try and think of something that didn't benefit Tapioca's kidnapper?
"Look, kid, I'm sure in your fantasies you think you can be her knight in shining armor, and she'll shower you with praise and affection for your 'bravery,' but the fact of the matter is, you're a snot-nosed loser who couldn't help even if you wanted to. So, why don't you just leave these grown-up matters to the grown-ups and butt out?"
Chips shrunk back slightly, but still had a defiant look in his eyes—albeit rather weak. "I'm twenty-three..."
"Do I look like I give a shit?"
Their brief discussion was interrupted by Rocky returning from the back, so Guise had to quickly get back into character, putting on a painted smile and adjusting his pink mane.
"Hey, Rocky," Guise sang. "Are we all done today?"
Rocky didn't answer right away, which Guise immediately recognized as odd. Compounded by the lack of Rocky's usual carefree grin, Guise could tell something was up.
Rocky did eventually smile, but not with as much energy as he was known for; his expression was a mixture of sympathy and acceptance. "Sure are, Tapi. And not just for today either."
Guise and Chips exchanged puzzled looks, the latter shrugging in confusion. Guise tilted his head at Rocky. "Uh, what's that mean?"
Rocky sighed, scratching his head and looking around awkwardly. "Well, y'see... Uh, how do I put this? We're done."
That only served to confuse the two employees further.
"'Done'?" Guise echoed.
"Yeah, done. As in, finished, finito, kaputsky. I'm closing up shop for good."
"What?! Why?!" the changeling blurted in shock.
"We're all used to working shorter hours during the fall and winter, right?" Rocky explained in a surprisingly nonchalant tone given the circumstances. "And things tend to slow down during the tail end of summer. But not like this." He gestured to the empty parlor, indicating that they had not a single customer all day, and that they were lucky to get one or two a day in the past week. "If this is how summer is going, I've got little hope for the seasons ahead of us. So, I'm just cutting my losses and moving on."
Guise stepped forward in a panic. "You can't! I need this job!"
Rocky smiled sympathetically, placing a hoof on Guise's shoulder. "I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about, Tapi. A pretty, talented girl like you could probably land any job she wanted in this city."
That didn't really give Guise much comfort considering that that wasn't quite the issue. But he couldn't exactly explain what the real issue was.
"Anyway..." Rocky continued with more enthusiasm than one would think for somepony who just decided to give his business the axe. "It's been a slice working here and everything. Here's your final pay..." He dropped two sacks of bits on a table. "And you guys can clean up and close up one last time."
Rocky started toward the door, but Guise wasn't about to drop the issue just yet, grabbing Rocky by the leg and dragging him back. "That's it?! Just like that?! Are you insane?!"
The burly stallion sighed remorsefully, but looked a little annoyed. "Look, Tapi, it's not like this was just a spur-the-moment decision. I've put a lot of thought into this. From the start, this was just something I wanted to try out, and, to be perfectly honest, I never expected it to last. I'm surprised we made it three years. I'm somepony who likes to try new things, and I get disinterested doing one thing for too long. But you know what I'm thinking now? Tiki bar."
Guise blinked, staring with mouth agape at what he was hearing.
Rocky looked around at the place one more time. "Gonna need more space than this, though. I just gotta sell this place off to get me started. And, hey, if you're that concerned about your job, just hit me up when I open my new place. I'll probably need waitresses. Might be awhile, though, so don't hold your breath. Anyhoozitz, I'm gonna head out. Chips, see you back home. Tapi, I'll see you... Huh, I was about to say 'tomorrow,' but, you know... See ya when I see ya, I guess."
Guise could only stand there, bewildered and shell-shocked by how suddenly this had happened. Just when he thought things couldn't get any more complicated...
"Wh-... What's going to happen to Tapioca now?" Chips asked with concern.
Guise glanced over his shoulder. "Fuck Tapioca. What the hell am I supposed to do now?! My whole plan was predicated on holding this job until I came up with an effective solution or had enough money to move forward. Now shit creek is flowing out into excrement ocean, and I don't have a boat, let alone a paddle." He threw his head back in frustration, his annoyed groan practically an aggravated shout. "I need some space to think..."
With that, Guise grabbed his bag of bits off the table and took his leave as well, leaving a confused and concerned Frosted Chips behind to clean up one last time.
***** ***** *****
Guise had made a brisk pace back to Tapioca's apartment building, barely even acknowledging that there were other people walking the streets and almost bumping into a few of them. He'd received a few disgruntled looks and huffs from passersby, though he didn't even notice given everything on his mind.
Tapioca's building was swanky as all get out. It was only three floors, but considering how fancy the place was, there probably weren't a ton of people who could afford to live there. But Guise had never really taken the time to observe the scenery of the lobby, only noting the water fountain in the center simply due to its size. The only reason he ever went there was so the people there could see "Tapioca" coming and going. Although, the receptionist was really the only one he usually encountered; he had started his visits by offering chipper greetings, but it became increasingly obvious as the days went by that the snobby and inattentive receptionist didn't give two shits and would rather sit there and file her hooves, so Guise didn't bother with her anymore.
It wasn't like he had the time to deal with her anyway. Right now, all Guise planned to do was step inside Tapioca's apartment all the way up on the third floor, drop off her saddlebags, and then head up the mountain to break the news to her. In his haste and his current predicament, he'd even forgotten to pick up something to eat. He'd need to try and remember to do that when he left; Tapioca was likely to be whiny if he didn't bring her supper, though he couldn't imagine either of them having much of an appetite with this situation hanging over their heads.
A part of him wanted to sit around in Tapioca's spacious and well-furnished apartment, if only to give himself some time to absorb everything and hopefully level out his head enough to think calmly and logically. But Tapioca deserved to know about this as soon as possible. If she was going to eventually return to her normal life, a job was something she was going to need, so the least he could do was give her as much time to think about what she'd like to do now that she didn't have one anymore. Alternatively, the two of them could discuss what job Guise could go for in the interim that Tapioca might be willing to work when she was free. But then there was the issue of his own employment, and that was a different set of problems entirely.
Guise just shook his head with a loud groan. There was too much to think about right now, so he decided to focus on one thing at a time, the first being Tapioca. So he headed back downstairs and left the building.
"Tapioca."
Guise only briefly acknowledged the presence of the middle-aged unicorn stallion approaching him with a stern expression as he stepped outside. He looked vaguely familiar with his light brown coat, slicked back, forest green mane, and spiffy business suit, but he just decided to keep walking, hoping that his own disgruntled expression was enough to discourage any further harassment.
"I'm not in the mood right now. Buzz off," was all Guise said as he brushed past the stallion.
The older pony looked more than a little miffed by Guise's attitude. "Excuse me? You have a lot of nerve to speak to me that way given your situation, young lady."
Guise groaned, turning back to face the guy. "Look, I said I'm—"
But he paused, a sudden realization hitting him. There was a slight niggling in the back of his mind that he recognized this stallion from somewhere. But considering the authority and specific words with which the stallion had addressed him, Guise may have pieced together with whom he was speaking.
Oh, shit. Is this her dad?
Thinking harder about it, Guise now recalled seeing glimpses of this guy when he had looked through Tapioca's memories using Glory's spell. He may have made a mistake by acting dismissive and grouchy. Guise had to backpedal fast.
"Oh, uh, sorry..." He hesitated, swallowing his pride once more for a moment. "...Daddy... I, um... I wasn't paying attention to who was talking?" Hopefully that was believable enough for the airheaded Tapioca. Although, now he was recalling exactly what the guy had said. "Uh, wait... What situation are you talking about?"
Tapioca's father lifted his nose sternly. "You know very well. I believe we had an arrangement when you moved out. I would provide payment for your accommodations so long as you were employed to ease some of the stress of living on your own."
"Huh?!" Guise balked in surprise. "H-How do you already know about that?! It literally just happened!"
"I requested after you were hired that Mr. Road inform me if your employment at his establishment should ever be terminated. He did so immediately."
"That was, like, ten minutes ago!" Guise didn't even have to summon up the willpower to add Tapioca's mannerisms to his speech given how flustered he currently was.
"He's a prompt fellow. Reminds me somewhat of myself in my heyday. In any case, I shouldn't have to inform you of why I'm here, then."
As if Guise wasn't already in a state of near panic over all of this, now Tapioca's father had to show up out of nowhere and pile on without giving him any room to breathe or think. "B-But it's not like it's my fault! Can't you at least give me a bit of a buffer period here?! I shouldn't be punished because Rocky has the attention span of a goldfish!"
The stallion looked down his nose at his "daughter." There was a hint of guilt in his eyes, but his expression remained strict. "Our arrangement was clear, dear. We made no stipulations regarding the circumstances of your dismissal. Besides, hardship such as this builds character. Do you believe that I had a safety net to fall back on when I was starting my pudding empire? Perhaps this will grant you proper motivation to find something you particularly excel at. You may have your cutie mark, but that does not limit you as to the things you can accomplish. I'm hard on you because I want you to succeed, Tapioca. Do you understand?"
How was Guise supposed to respond? How would Tapioca respond?
Guise lowered his head, ears folding back submissively. "Yes, Daddy..."
Tapioca's father smiled, placing a compassionate, yet firm hoof on Guise's shoulder. "You'll bounce back, dear, I'm sure of it. I love you. Good luck." He gave his "daughter" a tender kiss on the forehead, belying the authority with which he'd previously spoken, and took his leave again.
Guise just stood there, watching until the stallion was no longer in view. He ran his hoof through Tapioca's silky, pink mane with a sigh.
Well... I just ran out of time, didn't I?
***** ***** *****
Guise touched down outside the cave, his hooves hitting the grass rather heavily. As usual, Tapioca was inside, her own hooves clacking against the stone as she jogged in place. It was a ritual she'd taken up in order to get some exercise and work off any extra weight she might gain from all the fast food Guise had been bringing her. She never struck Guise as a particularly fit pony—slender, yes, but not exactly toned—but she seemed to have some endurance at the very least.
However, any satisfaction she would experience from a good workout was about to be demolished once Guise broke the news to her. He had found himself feeling pity and even sympathy for Tapioca in more recent weeks. She had genuinely wanted to be friends with Sweetmint, but Chips's biased feelings lead to Sweetmint developing an unjust distaste for her. And now Guise had to put her through all this simply because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Guise didn't have any disillusions about how much he'd changed in the past few months; he'd softened up, and he knew it. It took talking to Chamella to make him realize that. Maybe he wasn't a marshmallow like her and Shade just yet, but his heart was starting to bleed just a little.
Which meant that he wasn't just concerned about how today's revelations were going to affect himself, but Sweetmint, and even Tapioca as well. He genuinely felt bad about what he was about to do.
Tapioca ceased her jogging, panting lightly from her exercises. It was only now that she noticed Guise standing at the entrance with their bagged lunches, though judging from her peppy grin, she hadn't noticed the remorseful look on Guise's face. "Hey, Crimsy," she greeted breathily. "Just in time. I just worked up a killer appetite."
Guise walked inside, silently passing her her meal. She was quick to remove the cup of cola and take a long swig to quench her thirst. Her enthusiasm in the face of her circumstances was just another thing that made Guise feel kind of guilty. It was astonishing to him that she trusted him so much despite knowing the horrible things he'd done. But he was about to dash that pretty soon.
The changeling rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Hey, so, uh... Bit of bad news..."
Tapioca looked up as she took a bite of her hayburger. "Hm?"
"You, uh... Might not have a job anymore."
The mare coughed and gagged suddenly on her food, pounding a hoof against her chest to force the mouthful down her throat. She stared with panic in her eyes, her mood shifting instantly. "What?! You got me fired?!"
"No, of course not. If anything, I've been doing your job better than you ever did." Guise groaned, running a hoof over his spiky mane. "Business has been tanking lately, so now Rocky's suddenly lost interest in selling ice cream. He's shutting the place down to open up a... 'tiki bar' or something, whatever the hell that is."
"Crimson! You gotta find me another job, fast! If Daddy finds out, he's gonna cut me off!" Tapioca demanded.
"Yeeeeah, about that..." Guise continued with a sharp inhale through his teeth. "He already knows."
Tapioca's jaw dropped. "What?!"
"Which effectively means neither of us has a source of income right now, and neither does Sweetmint at the moment."
The panicked mare began to hyperventilate, grabbing the paper bag her food had been in and breathing in and out of it. "Wh-What am I supposed to do now?! I'm gonna be homeless without a job!"
"You've been homeless for the last two weeks," Guise reminded her. "And you don't have to do anything anyway. I'm the one who's got to come up with solutions to these problems. But now I don't even have time to think about that! I've got to find another job for you, or we're all going to crash and burn!"
Tapioca attempted to steady her breathing, holding a hoof to her chest and staring at Guise with just a little bit of hope. "Please tell me you know what to do."
Guise growled in frustration, scuffing up his hair as he tried to wrack his brain over this. "I've been trying to figure this out for the past two weeks, but I've got nothing. The most ideal answer to all of this would be if I could somehow just get my hooves on a buttload of money so Sweetmint can just open her damn ice cream shop already."
Tapioca's ears folded back sympathetically as she watched Guise practically tearing his hair out over this. "If it means anything, I'd give you some money to help out... You know, if Daddy would let me. My family might be rich, but I don't actually have a ton of money myself."
Guise's eyes widened suddenly, a spark igniting in his mind. Just like that, he had an idea. It was risky, to be sure, but it might just be crazy enough to work. He turned to Tapioca with a toothy, maniacal grin, the mare shrinking back slightly at the unsettling expression. "Hey, Tapioca... What kind of situation would you say you're in currently?"
She hesitated, caught off guard by the menacing smile on his face. "Um... A financial situation?"
Guise chuckled darkly. "Nope. A hostage situation."
Tapioca tilted her head. "Huh?"
He took a step toward her, his slotted pupils narrow like a predator on the hunt as he flashed his fangs. "It's such a simple solution, I can't believe I never thought of it until now! Your family's loaded, and you're at my mercy. All I gotta do is hold you for ransom! I get the cash I need, quick and easy, and you finally get to go home. It's win-win!"
"Wait, that's totally bonkers!" she argued. "You'll get in soooo much trouble! They'll throw you in jail! I thought you wanted to go unnoticed!"
Guise wasn't fazed by the assertion, his cocksure grin holding fast. "Did you forget who you're talking to—or rather, what?" He refuted her point by quickly shapeshifting between several different, unfamiliar ponies before returning to his natural state. "Nopony has to know it was me."
"I-I don't know," Tapioca said with deep uncertainty. "It still seems kinda risky."
"I'll admit, it might not be the most elegant solution, nor the safest, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, what are you complaining about? I just said you get to go home. What, you wanna live up here for the foreseeable future?"
She hummed quietly, clearly conflicted about this as she twirled her mane with her hoof.
"Look, you said you'd be willing to give us money if you could, right? So this isn't really much different than that, 'cept it's your dad's money. And you wanna see you're family again, don't you?"
At the mention of that, Tapioca managed a weak smile. "Yeah."
"You don't have to worry about anything," Guise assured her confidently. "I'll handle everything, and you just gotta sit back and play the victim, alright?"
"Um, okay, but..."
"What?"
She hung her head sheepishly. "I thought you didn't trust me to keep your secret. Are you really okay just letting me go?"
Guise stared at her quietly for a moment. She could have just kept that to herself and hoped Guise had forgotten about that aspect of the situation. But she was really worried about what was going to happen to him after all this. She was thinking about him when she should have been more concerned about herself. Guise was starting to think that, despite how he felt about her since he'd known her, he was lucky that it was her that had stumbled upon his secret and not somepony else.
"The fact of the matter is, you were always going to be a variable I couldn't work around," Guise admitted. "There's nothing I could do to absolutely ensure that you wouldn't blab without killing you, to put it bluntly, but that would create its own problems. So..." He sighed in resignation. "I'm just going to have to trust you. I don't have a choice."
Tapioca's ears drooped. "Then doesn't that just mean that all of this was pointless? I was always willing to keep your secret, Crimson."
Guise grumbled, a very slight hint of red in his cheeks. "Well, to be honest, the time we've been forced to spend together has kinda helped me shift my stance a bit. You're not really as much of a pain in the ass as I first thought."
The mare blushed with an appreciative smile. "Aww, Crimsy..."
Guise quickly deflected the topic in another direction. "Plus, it wouldn't have solved our money issues. Sweetmint would still be out of a job, Rocky would still close his place down and you'd be jobless. I guess the only difference is that I'd still be working at The Soup Spoon." He shrugged. "Eh, nothing for it now. At the very least, a big payout like this'll speed things along."
He stared at Tapioca. Under normal circumstances, this would be where he would intimidate her to do as he asked, but instead, he gazed at her pleadingly. "Now, Tapioca... Can you please, please not mention my involvement in all this to anypony? If I have to put my trust in you, I want to know that my trust is not misplaced. You can't tell anypony I'm a changeling, and you can't tell anypony that it was me who kidnapped you. Can you do that for me?"
Tapioca didn't answer right away, she simply sat there with her lips pursed as she thought about it, earning a disgruntled glower from Guise. Her ears perked up suddenly, her eyes lighting up. "Oh! What if... Um, I promise to keep your secret if you promise to get me a job at Minty's place when she opens?"
Guise blinked, a little miffed, but at the same time, a little impressed. "What, now you're blackmailing me? Geez, I never expected you of all people to be so underhoofed." He smirked at her. "I'm almost kinda proud."
She giggled bashfully at the compliment. "So, you'll trust me?"
He flicked a hoof dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, not like I have a choice anyway. But don't get your hopes up. Mint's the one who's gotta make those decisions. I'll throw your name out there, but I can't promise anything."
"That's fine," Tapioca agreed with an elated grin. She bounced gleefully in place. "Yes! I finally get to go home!"
"Whoa, hold up for just a minute," Guise interrupted.
Her mood instantly dropped, her expression falling again as she waited for Guise to rain on her parade.
"You're gonna have to stay up here for another few days at least while I work out the details of this ransom thing. As far as everypony down there is concerned, you're still fine and dandy. Your dad thinks he just saw you, so if he got a ransom note tomorrow, he might get suspicious and they might start to think that changelings are involved. So, think you can hold out up here a little longer?"
Tapioca looked a little disappointed, but all things considered, she held strong. "Oh. Well, I guess so."
"Great," Guise said with a smile. "And since you're about to 'disappear,' that also means I don't have to pretend to be you anymore. Although, that means I'm gonna have to find something else to occupy my time while Mint thinks I'm at work."
"You can hang out with me more," Tapioca suggested eagerly. "It'd be nice to have company all day."
Guise chuckled inwardly. A couple of weeks ago, or even a couple of days ago, Guise might have shuddered at the thought. But now, the notion didn't really seem all that bad. Who knows? Maybe planning this whole "kidnapping and ransom" thing with her could be kind of fun.