//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 - Slow Dance 
// Story: A Dance With Death 
// by Dee Pad 
//------------------------------//

A long yawn echoed through the empty apartment as Samba lazily prepared her breakfast—or was it lunch at this point?  Either way, she didn't care.  All she knew was that she was tired and hungry.  She just stood in the kitchen, blankly staring at the toaster, watching the filaments gradually heat up and turn red.

It was hard to focus on anything right now.  Work had been pretty hectic the previous night, and Samba—as one of The Brewery's few late night staff members—had to actually skip a performance in order to serve drinks.  Even so, she felt like she'd worked up a bigger sweat serving drinks than she would have dancing.

It certainly didn't help that her mind had been preoccupied by what those extra patrons were talking about all night.

Samba wasn't entirely surprised when she never saw Limbo again after parting ways at Mango Incorporated headquarters.  Based on everything she'd heard last night, Limbo was probably pretty tied up.  Thankfully, she was able to kill time by hanging out with Mandible after she'd come crashing down from her caffeine high.

She was a little surprised to find that the detective hadn't returned even now, though.  Samba had awoken this morning expecting to find Limbo sprawled out on the couch and Webber deliberately making a mess of her apartment with his webs to screw with her.  But her apartment was completely barren when she got up, save for herself.  Needless to say, she had a lot of questions for Limbo when she did get back.

Regardless of all the stuff on her mind, Samba still had difficulty keeping her eyes open.  A long, busy night at work, all the questions that had been raised, and even the anticipation of her plans today all added up to a rather sleepless night.  She was eager for what today held for her, but right now, her somnolence and concern over everything else made for a sour cocktail that she couldn't really stomach without something to help her detox.  A sobering conversation with Limbo might do the job.

Samba's eyes nearly drifted shut.  Thankfully, the whistling of her kettle, coupled by her toast popping up at that exact moment, jerked her back to attention.  She yawned, grabbing her jars of peanut butter and blueberry jam, haphazardly slapping the spreads on her toast, and wasting no time chomping into one of the crunchy slices.  She poured up her tea, adding an extra helping of sugar to help keep her eyes pried open.

However, before she had a chance to transfer her breakfast to the dining table, the door flung open abruptly, causing Samba to nearly spill her tea.  She watched in silence as Limbo practically stumbled her way inside carrying a cup of coffee, her heavy hoofsteps threatening to break through the ceiling of the tenant on the floor beneath them.

Limbo sauntered over to the kitchen table, dropping against its wooden surface and immediately flipping her eyepatch up.  "Out, Webber," she demanded grouchily.

Webber did as instructed and slinked out of her eye and onto the table.

Samba just sighed through her nostrils, shoving what was left of her toast aside for when her stomach unknotted itself.  She eyed up the weary detective curiously.  Limbo was just laying there with her head on the tabletop, looking like she was ready to punch a hole in the wall.

"You feeling alright?" Samba asked, though was pretty sure she had an idea of what was up.

"I'm tired," Limbo answered simply, knocking back a large gulp of the coffee she'd brought home with her.

"You're a zombie.  You don't get tired," Samba pointed out.

Limbo shot a single icy dagger at her with her bemused glare.  "Exasperated.  That better?"

Samba nodded in understanding.  "I get it, but I hope you don't mind if I ask about this."  She grabbed the newspaper that was on the table and tossed it to Limbo.

The zombie took a single glance at the front page, immediately noticing the photo of herself and Night Owl escorting Mango Career into the police station in hoofcuffs.  "How'd they get this printed so quick?  We haven't even publicized why we arrested him yet.  Is the newspaper just a glorified gossip column nowadays?  Sheesh."

"I was hearing about this all night.  Apparently a bunch of Mango Inc. employees decided to drink themselves stupid last night because they were worried about what this meant for their jobs.  So, yeah, busy night for me."

Limbo glowered grumpily at her.  "You ain't one-upping me.  I was literally awake all night because of this.  Me and Owl were drilling Career for info into the wee hours of the morning."

"Why, though?  What did he do?  I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that you don't think he's the Ghost, or else you'd be in a much better mood this morning."

Limbo just planted her face on the table, lazily waving a hoof at her dismissively.  "Do we have to go over this now?  I just spent hours interrogating a belligerent millionaire and got basically nothing out of it.  My mood is about as rotten as my innards right now."

"Well, I am your assistant.  I'd appreciate being kept in the loop."

"Then maybe you should've come with us."

Samba scowled with a slight blush.  "You know very well why I didn't."

Limbo groaned.  "Alright, whatever.  I'm keeping it brief, though."  She at up straight and cleared her throat.  "Turns out you were right on the money about the Ghost already having one of those devices.  One's been missing for, like, three years or so and Career's been too far up his own butt to notice.  Owl had enough of him dancing around the problem and blatantly ignoring the more serious issues in favor of his own interests.  And to answer your previous question, no, we don't think he's the Ghost.  But his actions have inadvertently been aiding the Ghost, and his attitude has been hindering the investigation, so he's under arrest for obstruction of justice."

"And you got nothing from him after spending all day and night interrogating him?"

Limbo shrugged.  "I don't even know what we were expecting.  We arrested him because he refused to question his employees.  He was being deliberately ignorant to protect his and his business's reputation."  She looked at the newspaper article again.  "Let's see how that goes now that he's behind bars."

"How many years did Owl give him?" Samba asked curiously and with a little worry.

Limbo rolled her eye and scoffed.  "Pfft.  Like he'll be in there for even one.  He's really just being detained because he's getting in the way.  He'll probably be released once we get enough info from his company.  That, or he'll just pay the bail money.  He can certainly afford it, but I doubt Owl will accept it until he's satisfied by where the case is going."

Samba flashed her a smile.  "Whatever the case, it's nice to see you and Owl working together instead of constantly butting heads."

The zombie narrowed her eye at her.  "What's my relationship with Owl matter to you?  I hope you ain't tryin' to play matchmaker, 'cause I ain't interested."

Samba giggled knowingly at her response.  "I know, I know.  It's just that it always seemed weird to me that you spoke so poorly of people you used to work with to make this city a better place.  I know you and Owl have a mutual respect for each other, it's just neither one of you wants to admit it."

Limbo turned away with an indignant grumble.  Samba would've expected her cheeks to be flushed if her heart was still pumping.  "I have no idea where you got that from.  Owl might be the most competent member of the force, but he's still a dink."  Despite that, an almost imperceptible smile crept its way onto her lips.  "Still, it was interesting to actually be on the same page again after such a long time.  And one thing I can say about those goons, despite how inept they are sometimes, is that they know their way around a cup of coffee.  And, not gonna lie, as exasperating as my whole day was, it was kinda fun to catch up with old colleagues again.  I had no idea that Hole Punch had a kid now."

"That's good to hear.  Maybe you can reconcile after all is said and done."

"Let's not get crazy here.  Solving the Ghost case won't instantly cure their idiocy, or make Owl any less of a knob.  I ain't going back to the precinct and begging to rejoin the force.  I can already see the smug smirk on Owl's stupid face," Limbo muttered with a disgruntled grimace.

Samba continued to grin, choosing to drop the subject so as not to agitate Limbo further.  "Whatever you say."

"Anyhoo, I guess the plan for today is to head over to Mango Inc. and shake down as many employees as possible for info.  After yesterday, Owl's finally got a fire lit under his butt, so the B.P.D. are actually doing their job for once.  Mango Inc. H.Q. is gonna be swarmed with cops like hornets attacking a beehive.  Seeing as I'm a good sport, I'm thinking we head over there and give 'em a helping hoof.  Celestia knows they'll need it."

Samba frowned regrettably.  "Um, actually, I can't go with you today."

Limbo blinked, as though the notion sounded foreign to her.  "What?  Why not?"

"This is my monthly weekend with Pira.  Rhapsody's bringing her over soon, and she's gonna be staying with me for a few days."

Limbo suddenly looked like her heart had been crushed.  "But... you said working with me was your way of making yourself a better person and a better mom."

Samba knit her brow at her.  "Yeah, but Pira's my daughter.  I know I'm not a good mom, but I still love her more than anything else.  Rhapsody got custody in the divorce, so I don't get to see her as often as I'd like."  Her expression softened again.  "Besides, this is my chance to see if I have improved.  She's too young to understand that there's a difference between a friend and a parent.  Ironically, Rhapsody might say the same thing about me..." she sighed remorsefully.  "So, sorry, I have to put my hoof down on this.  My daughter takes priority."

Limbo's ears flattened against her head.  "Oh...  Hrmm...  I just... feel like we've made such a good team, you know?  This case wouldn't be where it is now if not for you."

Samba was flattered by Limbo's words, and that gave her more confidence that she had indeed changed at least a little since meeting her.

"It just wouldn't feel right going without you."

"You went without me yesterday."

"Yeah, but all we did was get Career out of the way and confirm your hypothesis about the other missing Spellmet."

Samba observed the dejected look on Limbo's face, not unlike a child denied their playtime.  She felt bad about having to temporarily abandon Limbo after she was so insistent on being her assistant.  But, she thought she might have a solution.

"Why don't you just take a day off?"

Limbo lifted her head, arching a befuddled eyebrow.  "Huh?"

"Yeah, just take today off from the investigation, maybe the whole weekend.  Like you said, Owl and the B.P.D. are actively on the case now, right?  Just let them do their jobs and sit back and take a well-deserved rest for once.  You've been working tirelessly on this case since I've known you.  It can't hurt to just, you know... relax once in a while, can it?" she asked with a reassuring smile.

Limbo hesitated.  She'd heard the term "workaholic" used to describe her in the past, mostly by her former coworkers.  She'd always just accused them of being lackadaisical and having no work ethic, but it was Samba who was now putting that into perspective.  The idea that she was just sitting around and relaxing when the Ghost was still out there made her feel a little antsy, but Samba had a point: Night Owl and his crew were actually doing their jobs for once.  And considering that they were all on the same page now, perhaps she could just trust them to handle the situation at Mango Inc. and investigate the workers there.  Then she could just ask for an update on any new info later.

With just a little more pensiveness, Limbo managed to crack a smile.  "You know what?  Sure.  Why not?  I can't remember the last time I willingly took time off.  Even when I do, I'm always keeping my ear to ground.  Maybe I'll just shut my brain off for once and mellow out.  Just promise to keep an eye on me in case I go limp, 'kay?" she laughed

Samba giggled happily.  "Sure.  I'll just puppet you around so people'll think you're still alive."

"So, when's Pira getting here anyway?"

Samba opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.  She smiled eagerly.  "Right now by the sound of it."

Limbo briefly glanced down at Webber.  "Might wanna duck out, buddy."

Webber heeded her advice and skittered off toward Samba's bedroom to hide.

"I swear, I better not find any webs or fly husks in there by the end of the day," Samba warned the spider as she headed toward the door.

She took a deep breath.  Knowing who was on the other side of the door, Samba wanted to make sure she was wearing the most reassuring look she could manage.  She knew how Rhapsody was whenever he dropped Pirouette off at her place.  She might describe him as overbearing sometimes, but maybe it was more a case of herself being underbearing.  Either way, she didn't expect this month to be much different than the rest.

Samba opened the door.  As expected she was greeted by the rather neutral expression of her ex-husband's face, but that was partially offset by the adorable and excited grin on her daughter's face.

"Hi, Mommy!" Pirouette greeted with a chipper chirp, jumping up and hanging off of her mother's neck with a tight hug.

"Hi, Pira," Samba said lovingly, using a leg to support the filly and take some of the weight off of her neck.

Pirouette didn't hang on long, though, as she quickly noticed the forest green mare sitting at the dining table.  She gasped with glee, releasing her mother and rushing over to the kitchen.  "Lady Limbo!"

"What's up, squirt?" Limbo greeted, tousling the little filly's curly locks.

With Pirouette preoccupied, Samba turned her attention back to her ex, her smile persisting, though a little weaker.  "Hi, Rhapsody."

"Hey."

For a moment, Samba frowned slightly at his rather indifferent greeting, but managed to force her smile back onto her face.  "How are you?"

He shrugged.  "Fine.  We've got a date for Pira's entrance exam.  Two weeks from now, I'll be taking her to Canterlot."

Genuine happiness graced Samba's lips.  "That's great!  I bet she's so excited."

"Yeah, I anticipate some sleepless nights coming up," he chuckled.  "And I know she'll want you to come with us.  So, you know, if you're not busy..."

"Yeah, of course.  After all, I've got some pull over there now," Samba giggled jokingly.

Rhapsody just laughed quietly, but his mirth died down quickly, glancing toward their energetic daughter who was munching on her mother's leftover toast as she conversed with Limbo.  "Anyway, you know the drill by now, right?"

Samba nodded confidently.  "Yep.  No snacks after supper; bedtime is strictly at eight; make sure she brushes her teeth; not too much fast food for meals...  Um...  Am I missing anything?" she asked meekly.

Rhapsody stared sternly at her.  "Let me see your phone."

Samba stiffened up, suddenly realizing what he was getting at.  With a nervous gulp, she passed him her spellphone.

Rhapsody opened her contacts list, noticing only his own number alongside Luster Dawn's and, for some reason, Mango Career's—that was a question for later.  He narrowed his eyes at her.  "Where are the emergency numbers?"

"I know the emergency numbers," she told him defensively.

"It'd give me more peace of mind if you had them on your phone already.  I know what you're like.  In an emergency, you tend to panic.  I don't know if I trust you to remember a phone number if something happens to Pira."

"Even if I didn't, Limbo's here."

"You know very well that that's not the point I'm trying to make.  I'm adding the numbers to your phone.  Hospital...  Fire department...  Police...  Poison control..." he rattled off as he entered the numbers.

"Is poison control really necessary?"

"Are you forgetting the time you left your lipstick open on the coffee table?"

"She was one.  I'd like to think she's old enough to know better by now," Samba retaliated, her face rather flushed in frustration.

"I could say the same for the one who left it out with a one-year-old in the apartment."

Samba snatched her phone back from him indignantly.  "She'll be fine.  If you knew about the stuff I've had to deal with recently, you might change your tune."

He quirked an eyebrow.  "What kind of stuff?"

Samba hesitated.  She wasn't sure if she wanted to divulge the fact that she'd discovered a dead body yesterday.  "Nothing.  She'll be fine.  Can't you just trust me for once?  Limbo's gonna be with me all weekend too, so there's nothing to worry about."

Rhapsody cast an uncertain grimace toward the detective.  "Uh, I'm not really sure how I feel about her just yet.  A little brazen for my tastes.  Maybe try not to let her influence Pira too much."

Samba glowered adamantly.  "Limbo's a good person."

Rhapsody just shook his head with a sigh.  "Sure.  Anyway..."  He removed the saddlebags on his back, passing them to Samba.  "All of her stuff is here.  Toothbrush, hairbrush, her favorite blanket.  And her books.  I know you can only do so much because of your funnel horn, but I'd appreciate it if you would help her study."

Samba nodded, donning a smile once more.  "I will."

"There're some coloring books and crayons in there too, in case she gets tired of studying," he added.  He looked to the kitchen to call out to the filly.  "Pira, Daddy's leaving now."

Pirouette hopped down from her chair, hurrying over to give her father a brief hug.  "'Kay!  Bye, Daddy," she said before hurrying back to the kitchen to continue her conversation with Limbo.

"I'll see you Sunday, Samba," Rhapsody said as he waved goodbye.  "Call me if you need something."

"Yeah.  Bye."  Samba waved back as he made his way back down the hall, closing the door behind him.

With a somewhat somber sigh, Samba traipsed her way to the kitchen to join Pirouette and Limbo at the table.

Pirouette stood up excitedly on her chair.  "Mommy!  Lady Limbo caught the bad guy!"

Samba glanced at Limbo, befuddled.  "You did?  When was this?"

"I just told her about the arrest we made yesterday, that's all," she answered simply.

"I don't know if I'd label him a 'bad guy,' per se."

Pirouette tilted her head in confusion.  "But why would she put somepony who isn't bad in jail?"

Samba hesitated, unsure how to explain this to such a young filly.  "It's... complicated, Pira.  Sometimes... people do bad things without even realizing it."

Pirouette's ears drooped shamefully.  "Like when I spilled all your perfume?"

Samba had to hold back a small smile.  "Uh, kind of, I guess."

The filly turned to Limbo pleadingly.  "Am I gonna go to jail?"

Limbo pretended to mull it over for a moment.  "Eh, I'll give you a warning just this once.  But try not to let it happen again, okay?"

That was enough to do away with any guilt Pirouette may have felt.  "Okay!"

"I think I'd rather you didn't talk about this kind of stuff around her," Samba requested.  "And you're supposed to be taking some time off.  Maybe don't think or talk about work for awhile.  Just relax, alright?"

"Yeesh, you're basically asking a fish to stop swimming," Limbo grumbled.  "But, whatever.  I'll try."

Satisfied by her compliance, Samba prepared to sit down again, but spotted her half eaten toast on the table.  "Looks like I need to make another breakfast," she giggled, grabbing a couple of extra slices of bread and dropping them into the toaster.  "You want anything, Limbo?"

She flicked her hoof dismissively.  "Nah, I'm good.  My gut's still trying to break down the mountain of donuts I shoved in my gullet last night."

"Why would you eat that many?"

"Because they were there," she stated plainly.  "What, am I just supposed to not eat them?"

"Can we haff donuds for bweakfasht, Mommy?" Pirouette asked eagerly despite the mouthful of peanut butter and jelly toast already in her mouth.

"I don't think your dad would like that.  And besides, you're eating my toast right now, greedy guts," she responded with a playful grin.

Limbo observed as the little filly hungrily devoured her mother's breakfast, scattering crumbs and dollops of blueberry jelly all over the table.  "So, what do you two usually do during your weekends together?" she asked as she sipped her coffee.

"Whatever Pira wants usually.  So you'll have to ask her."

The detective flashed an interested smile at the filly.  "Alright, so what's on the itinerary, kiddo?"

Pirouette paused, blinking blankly.  "What's an... i-tir-i-nary?"

"She's asking what your plans are, Pira," Samba clarified.  "What do you want to do today?"

She stood up on her chair excitedly.  "I wanna meet Princess Twilight!" she exclaimed, beaming expectantly at her mother.

Limbo turned to Samba to see how she'd respond to such an outlandish request.

Samba frowned apologetically.  "Pira, Princess Twilight went back to Canterlot.  It was just a one-time thing."

The filly visually deflated.  "Oh..."

"You still have Luster Dawn's number, right?" Limbo reminded her, causing Pirouette's ears to perk up slightly.

"She didn't give me her number so I can hit her up whenever I fancy, especially if it's to ask to talk to the princess.  People usually have to make appointments to meet Princess Twilight.  And besides, you'll probably get to meet the princess yourself when you go to take your exam," she told her daughter.  "You can wait two weeks, surely."

Pirouette pouted, but didn't argue.

"Just pick something else, okay?"

The child took a moment to ponder her options.  "Can we watch a movie?"

Limbo grinned herself at the suggestion.  "Ooh, that sounds fun.  Whaddya think, a good slasher flick?  A murder mystery?  Zombie apocalypse?"

"Oh!  Zombie movie, yeah!"

"How do you even know what a zombie is, Pira?" Samba asked suspiciously, her stern gaze shifting to Limbo.

"Hey, don't look at me," Limbo reacted defensively.

"Well, whatever the case, no zombie movies.  Or anything else that Limbo suggests.  I don't need to give Rhapsody any more reason to chew me out.  But we can go and see what's playing.  Maybe there'll be something kid-friendly."  She reached into the saddlebags Rhapsody had given to her, removing a filly-sized toothbrush.  "Go brush your teeth and wash the PB&J off your face, then we'll get going, alright?"

Pirouette grabbed the toothbrush with her magic and a chipper grin before galloping off to the bathroom.

"She's certainly a little bundle of energy," Limbo commented.

"Yeah, it can be difficult to keep up with her enthusiasm," Samba said with a sigh as she prepared a second helping of peanut butter and jelly toast for herself.

Noting the slight exasperation in her response, Limbo mulled over her next question carefully before asking.  "Do you have any difficulty with her when she stays with you?"

Samba looked back at her, knowing what she was getting at.  "I've said before, I'm not exactly Mom-of-the-Year material.  Luckily for me, she's a smart kid for her age.  I pretty much just have to keep an eye on her and keep her fed for the weekend."

"Like a foalsitter."

Samba's expression fell a little.  "Yeah, I guess..."

Limbo, realizing what she'd inadvertently done, backpedaled quickly.  "N-Not that that's all you are to her, of course!  She obviously loves you a lot more than she would a simple foalsitter."

"I know you didn't mean anything by it, but you're still right.  I love Pira with all my heart, but I can't do much for her outside of keep her company while her dad takes a break."

"I think you're coming down on yourself a little too hard, but then again, I don't know much about being a parent.  Plus, I blame Rhapsody for putting those thoughts in your head.  Based on everything I've seen, you seem to be taking his words a little too close to heart."

"It's only because he's right," Samba sighed somberly.

Limbo knit her brow defiantly.  "Maybe I'm not the best person to be giving out relationship advice, but I think you should focus more on your relationship with Pira instead of your relationship with Rhapsody."

Samba quietly let Limbo's words swirl around in her mind as she spread her condiments of choice onto her toast, taking a listless bite as she thought about it.

But the conversation was interrupted when Pirouette wandered back out, her toothbrush in her mouth and her muzzle covered in minty, green froth.  "Mommy, there's a big spider in your bedroom."

Samba quirked an eyebrow.  "What were you doing in my room?  You're supposed to be cleaning yourself up."  She suddenly paused, her eyes widening.  "Uh, wait, what did you say?"

"There's a big spider under your bed.  A really big, hairy spider with long legs," the filly repeated calmly.

Limbo stood up rather cautiously.  "You, uh...  You didn't squish it, did you?"

"Why would I do that?" Pirouette questioned innocently.  "It looked scared.  I didn't wanna hurt it."

Limbo couldn't help but smile, her still heart melting.  "Aw, geez, how is this kid such a sweetheart?"

"Do we catch it and put it outside?" asked the filly.  "I don't want it to bite us when we're asleep.  It might poison us."

"Well...  Um, first of all, it wouldn't be poison, it'd be venom," Samba corrected.  "You get poisoned by eating something poisonous, but venom is injected through a bite."

Pirouette nodded.  "Oh, okay."

"Are semantics really the biggest issue right now?" Limbo chastised with a grimace.  "Why do you even know that?"

"I went to school.  I might be a dancer, but that doesn't mean I don't know things," Samba argued defensively.  However, her cheeks flushed slightly.  "And... I have a lot of downtime during the day.  So pardon me for wanting to teach my daughter something."

"So what do we do with the spider?" Pirouette asked again.  "Is he gonna stay here?"

Limbo arched a curious eyebrow at the filly's nonchalant attitude.  "You know, you're being surprisingly calm about this, Pira.  Most people would freak out if they found even a small spider."

"I like spiders!" she chirped with a cute grin.  "They're cool!  They got eight eyes and can climb walls!"

"That's... true," Limbo uttered, unsure how exactly to respond to that.

Samba leaned over to whisper to Limbo, "How do we handle this?"

Limbo thought about it for a few seconds, but ultimately sighed in resignation.  "I guess I don't see any harm in telling her the truth."

Pirouette leaned forward curiously.  "What's the truth?"

"That spider's a friend of mine," Limbo revealed.  "A bad person burned down my home recently, so he and I are living here with your mom for a while."

The filly's eyes widened with interest.  "He's your friend?  Your friends with a spider?  That's so cool!"

"You wanna meet him?" Limbo offered.

Pirouette nodded her head rapidly with an eager smile.

"You sure about this?" Samba asked with uncertainty.

Limbo shrugged.  "Little late to pull a U-turn now.  Might as well."  She looked down the hall, spotting Webber discreetly peeking out from Samba's bedroom.  "Come on out, Webber."

Webber hesitated, but eventually scurried over to Limbo, giving the filly a wide berth as he passed.  Pirouette watched with child-like wonder as the spider obeyed Limbo's order, the detective allowing him to crawl onto her hoof.

Limbo held the spider out to Pirouette.  "Pira, this is my buddy, Webber."

Pirouette stared intriguingly at the spider, a wide grin stretching across her toothpaste-covered lips the longer she stared into Webber's eight eyes.  "Hi, Webber!" she squeaked with excitement, the high pitch of her voice eliciting an uncomfortable wince from the spider.

"Try not to yell, Pira," Samba told her.  "I think he's a bit skittish right now."

"Nah, he's just not used to meeting new people," Limbo corrected.  "He's more anti-social than you think."

"He only knows three people now."

"Exactly.  He's got no social life."

"My name's Pirouette," the filly introduced, her attention not shifting from the spider in the slightest, and vice versa.

Webber didn't really react.

Limbo rolled her eye at her buddy's reticence.  "Look, are you really gonna let a kid intimidate you?  Relax, would ya?  She already said she didn't want to hurt you."

Webber stretched out his legs a little, shifting away from his more defensive posture.

Limbo grinned.  "That's better.  Hey, wanna hold him, Pira?"

Pirouette hopped in place.  "Yeah!"

"Limbo, I don't think Rhapsody would approve of you letting a spider crawl around on our daughter," Samba scolded.

"Who cares?  You know Webber.  He's not venomous, and even if he was, he'd never bite anypony without reason."

Samba sighed, shaking her head.  "Just be careful with him, Pira."

Pirouette eagerly held out her hoof to Limbo's.  Webber hesitated just a little before crawling onto the smaller, purple hoof.  The spider took a moment to acclimate to the child, but Pirouette stood very still, only staring in awe at the arachnid perched on her hoof.  Feeling a little more comfortable now, Webber slowly crawled his way up the filly's leg, over her shoulder, and onto her back.

"Hehe, it tickles," she giggled.

Samba wasn't entirely sure how to react.  She just turned to Limbo with a genuine question.  "Is my daughter weird?"

"Weird is good.  Nothing wrong with weird," Limbo assured her as they watched the filly giggle in amusement at the spider crawling around on her.  "Alright, I want you to promise me something, Pira."

She stared quizzically back at her.  "Promise what?"

"A lot of people don't like spiders, or are scared of them.  So maybe don't tell anypony that you're friends with a spider.  Keep it a secret, okay?  Can you promise me that?"

Pirouette didn't question the request, simply nodding.  "Promise."

Samba was now starting to notice the small pool of saliva and toothpaste dripping onto the carpet.  "Okay, that's enough goofing around.  Go finish brushing your teeth and cleaning up so we can head out, okay?"

"Okay!"  Pirouette let Webber back onto her hoof and gently returned him to Limbo before prancing off to the bathroom.

Limbo grinned amusedly at the spider.  "Maybe you're not as much of a wallflower as I thought, Webber."  She quickly glanced down the hall to make sure Pirouette wasn't watching, then lifted her eyepatch for Webber.  "Alright, get in."

After a few minutes, Pirouette returned, skipping out to the living room to join her mother and Limbo in the living room.  As they prepared to leave, she looked around curiously.  "Where's Webber?"

"He's taking a nap," Limbo lied.  "You can play with him when we get back, okay?"

"Okay!" she chirped as she skipped out the door.  "Oh, can we bring him back a snack so he doesn't feel left out?"

Limbo turned to Samba with barely restrained smile.  "How have you not had a cuteness-induced heart attack already?"


***** ***** *****


Considering that it was only a little after noon on a Friday, there weren't a ton of people taking time out of their day to go see a movie.  That night would likely be a lot busier, though, so at least it wasn't hard to find a seat during the day, and the audience was a lot quieter as a result.  So, when the movie was over, a modestly-sized group of movie-goers emerged from the theatre, either riding the high of their enjoyment, or shuffling out in disappointment depending on the individuals' tastes in film.

Samba, Limbo, and Pirouette were a mix of emotions.

"That was awesome!" Pirouette exclaimed, hopping excitedly around on the sidewalk.

"It was pretty good," Limbo somewhat agreed with an indifferent shrug.

"It was a lot more violent than I expected," Samba expressed.

"It's a superhero movie, what'd you expect.  They literally fight crime," said Limbo.

"I'm just surprised that that constituted a P.G. rating."

"Studios use loopholes and workarounds all the time to lower the ratings of their movies based on technicalities," Limbo explained.  "Movies tend to perform better at the box office when the rating is lower because it broadens the potential audience."

"Still, I thought the Power Ponies were supposed to be kid friendly.  And I don't read comics or anything, but is the story supposed to be that hard to follow?  They were talking about stuff that had nothing to do with the movie."

"Each of the Power Ponies had their own movie already that established their backstories.  You're expected to have seen those already to understand what the story is and what the characters are about."

Samba grimaced at her explanation.  "If I had known that, I might have suggested we postpone this until tomorrow.  Doesn't help that this was the closest thing to a kid's movie they were showing today."

"Well, hey, Pira seemed to enjoy it," Limbo pointed out, watching as the filly attempted to mimic some of the moves the superheroes displayed in the movie.

Samba stared at her exuberant daughter with a little uncertainty and regret.  "Maybe I shouldn't mention this to Rhapsody.  I'm not sure what his stance is on the kinds of movies Pira watches."

"You need to stop letting your ex walk all over you.  Just do what makes your kid happy."

"Shouldn't a parent balance being kind and being tough?"

"How should I know?  I don't have kids," Limbo answered with a shrug.  "I never said that you should take my advice, I'm just offering it."

"And that's the best piece of advice you've ever given."

Samba and Limbo turned to find Loose Leaf walking toward them.

He chuckled with an apologetic smile.  "Sorry, I didn't catch the beginning of your conversation, so I don't actually know what you're talking about.  How's it going?"

"Not bad.  Pretty relaxed day so far," Limbo answered.  She tilted her head to the theatre right next to them.  "Just watched a movie, so, you know, good start."

"Cool, cool."  Leaf's eyes landed on the little filly.  "That's your kid, right, Samba?"

"Hm?"  Samba followed his gaze to find Pirouette huddled behind her, staring back at Leaf warily.  "Oh, yeah, this is Pirouette.  Say hi, Pira."

"Mmm..."  Pirouette gripped her mother's tail, partially concealing her face behind the silky hair.

Samba grinned.  "Sorry, she's a little shy when strangers talk to her.  Did the same thing when she met Limbo."

"That's good," Leaf said with a nod.  "Trusting strangers can be dangerous.  She's a smart kid."

"You don't have to tell me," Samba agreed proudly.  She gently coaxed Pirouette out of hiding, gesturing to the smiling Leaf.  "It's okay, Pira.  This is Loose Leaf.  He's Limbo and Mommy's friend."

Leaf waved affably, trying to do his best to ease the child's concerns.  "Nice to meet you, Pirouette."

"H-Hi," she returned quietly.

Leaf briefly glanced at all the movie posters along the wall of the theatre entrance displaying which films were currently being shown.  "So, you just watched a movie, huh?  Which one did you see?" he asked Pirouette.

At the mention of the movie, any reticence remaining within Pirouette dissipated quickly, replaced by a toothy and ecstatic grin.  "Power Ponies!  It was so cool!"

"Oh, yeah?  That's great.  You know, I used to read the Power Ponies comics when I was younger.  Kinda fell out of it as I got older, but I still remember those stories fondly.  So, whose your favorite Power Pony?"

"Radiance!" she answered without a second thought.

"Radiance, huh?  And why's that?"

"'Cause she can make stuff with her magic, like me!"

Pirouette demonstrated her claim by lighting up her horn with dark blue magic.  With no lack of effort, a strand of magic swirled up from her horn, forming into a small, undulating ball that eventually shaped itself into an ethereal pigeon flapping its wings soundlessly.

"That's pretty cool," Leaf complimented.  "I can see why you identify with Radiance.  I've always looked up to the Masked Matterhorn myself.  As a kid with funnel horn growing up, I idolized people who were so skilled with magic."

The magical pigeon dissipated, a sudden look of concern coming over Pirouette.  "You have funnel horn too?  Like Mommy?"

"I used to.  Not anymore though," he answered.

"Can you teach Mommy how to use magic?"

Everypony fell silent for a moment, Leaf and Limbo glancing at Samba, and a regretful look came over the dancer's face.  The question sounded so innocent coming from a small child like her, but there was a genuine sparkle of cautious hope in Pirouette's deep blue eyes, as though this was something very important to her.

Leaf smiled softly at the filly.  "You really love your mom, don't you?  Well, unfortunately, it's not that simple.  Everpony's trigger for funnel horn is different."

"But Mommy's gonna help me study, so she might learn too!" the filly chirped optimistically.

"We can hope, right?" Leaf chuckled.

"Let's not get carried away," Samba insisted with doubt and defeat in her voice.  "I'm just helping her study, not necessarily practice.  Pira's already way better with magic than other foals her age, let alone somepony who can't really even use magic like me."

"You know any other spells, Pirouette?" Leaf asked.

The filly kicked her hoof against the sidewalk sheepishly.  "Mmm...  Not really.  I can lift stuff and make little balls of light."

"You're going to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, right?"

She nodded her head so enthusiastically her face was practically a blur.

"Her exam's in two weeks," Samba mentioned.  "You can probably tell she's excited."

"That's not a lot of time to learn new spells, though," Leaf pointed out.  "Is one impressive spell going to be enough to ensure she gets in?"

Pirouette's ears drooped, suddenly looking nervous.  She turned to her mother for reassurance.

Samba gently draped a hoof over her daughter's shoulder, pulling her in close with a smile.  "She's a talented filly.  I have faith in her.  And from what I understand, the entrance exam mostly gauges raw power to determine a student's potential.  From there, they teach them the sorts of spells they want to learn.  Still, though, going in with as much practice and as many spells as possible wouldn't hurt."

"Well, if you really want to help her practice, you could always just pay Mango Inc. a visit and finally try out one of the Spellmets," Leaf suggested.  "Maybe it'll work for you like it did for me."

Pirouette glanced between her mother and Leaf curiously.

Limbo grimaced awkwardly at the suggestion.  "Probably not a good time for that."

"Yeah, and speaking of which, I'm surprised you're being so peppy today, Leaf," added Samba with a sympathetic frown.

The stallion sighed with a roll of his eyes.  "Yeah, yeah, I heard all about that.  Honestly, if Mango could keep his head on straight for five minutes, this wouldn't've happened."

"You don't sound too concerned," Samba remarked.

"I'm not, believe me," he responded, disgruntled by the thought.  "I love my brother, but he kinda had this coming.  And that's not just me being bitter about familial stuff.  Besides, he can just pay his way out of this and everything will just go back to normal and nopony will have learned any lessons."

"You ain't wrong, but he's not going anywhere until Owl's done with him, trust me," said Limbo.  "And at this rate, that could be a while."

"Wait, what happened?"

The three adults jumped with a start at the sound of the nasally voice chiming in.  They were more than a little surprised to find Mandible standing right next to them, casually slurping a cup of soda.

"Jeez laweez, how long have you been standing there?" Limbo asked in bewilderment.

"Literally the whole time," she answered nonchalantly, continuing to sip her drink.  "I was in the theatre with you guys.  You didn't notice?"

Limbo and Samba just blinked, utterly baffled.

"Uh, no," answered Samba.  "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't wanna be rude.  I don't know how things normally go in pony theatres, but I thought you weren't supposed to talk during movies."

"Huh.  You know, I had considered giving you a call and inviting you to come with us, but then it just slipped my mind," Samba mentioned.  "I guess some things have a way of working themselves out."

"Well, I might head back to my hotel now anyway," Mandible said, her sight shifting between Samba and Leaf.  "You probably wanna spend time with your boyfriend."

"I told you, he's not my boyfriend," Samba corrected indignantly.

"Then why's your face so red?"

"It's not!"

"It totally is," Limbo chuckled.

Samba sighed in defeat, looking to Leaf pleadingly.  "Please tell her we're not a thing."

Leaf sighed himself, though with an amused grin.  "We're not a thing," he told Mandible.

The changeling just shrugged.  "You could've just said so from the beginning."

"I did!  Ugh..."  Samba shook her head, frustrated and exasperated by the topic.  "Nevermind.  The point is, you can hang with us if you want.  We're just taking it easy today."

Mandible quirked an eyebrow.  "I thought you guys were supposed to be looking for my brother."

"We were, but things are complicated right now," Limbo told her.  "We suspected your brother was a victim of the Ghost, we suspect the Ghost is somepony who works for Mango Inc., and now the founder and C.E.O. of Mango Inc. is under arrest."

"Hmm...  Sounds like a big spider's nest of secrets."

"So you see where things're getting all tangled up, right?"

"I guess."

"Don't worry, the cops are investigating Mango Inc. as we speak," Samba said with a reassuring grin.  "So it's not like progress isn't being made.  Limbo's just been working herself to the bone on this case lately and needs a break."

"That's all assuming that the Ghost is responsible for her brother's disappearance," Leaf mentioned.  "You don't know that for sure yet."

"Psh, you're starting to sound like Owl," Limbo grumbled.

"Look, we don't need to talk about this now, do we?" Samba interjected.  "I already told you, Limbo, this is your time off.  Don't spend it talking about work."

Limbo took a long breath, for how much it actually helped a person who didn't need to breath.  "I can't make any promises on that front, especially when we're so close to cracking this nut.  I might be a little antsy."

"I know what'll take your mind off of it," Samba asserted with a confident smile.  "How about some coffee from the vendor you like?  You know where he sets up, right?"

"Ooh, I was just thinking the same thing!" Mandible agreed.  "Maybe you and me are surfing the same measurements, Samba."

Samba felt a tug against her leg.  She glanced down to find her surprisingly silent daughter looking up at her with slight confusion.

Now that she'd gotten her mother's attention again, Pirouette whispered to her quietly.  "Wh-What does... 'surfing the same measurements' mean?"

"I think she meant 'wavelength,'" Leaf explained.

Pirouette blinked, turning back to her mother with the same quizzical look.

"It just means we think alike," Samba answered.

"So, we getting coffee, or what?" Mandible reiterated impatiently.

Samba eyed her up, recalling the last time the changeling bought coffee from that vendor.  "Um, maybe you should stick to decaf this time."

"This the same guy I've heard Limbo going on about some mornings?" asked Leaf.

"I keep telling you to check him out," said Limbo.  "His stuff will make your iced coffee taste like distilled sewer water—which, let's face it, is basically what it is already."

Leaf responded with an unfazed smirk.  "You're one stubborn dame, aren't you?"

"Just follow me.  He usually sets up near the mall on Fridays."

Limbo began to guide the group consisting of three adult ponies, one foal, and one changeling down the street toward their destination, a little extra pep in her step knowing what awaited her there.

As they trotted, Samba noticed Pirouette huddling close to her, keeping her mother positioned between herself and the unfamiliar changeling now accompanying them.  Knowing full well the reason for her trepidation, Samba addressed Mandible.  "I guess I should properly introduce you to my daughter, huh?"

"I was there when you introduced her to Leaf.  Heard all that stuff about her being good with magic and stuff.  Wish I could do those sorts of things."  Mandible peered down at the filly eyeing her up from behind her mother, flashing a friendly smile with her short fangs.  "Hi, Pirouette.  My name's Mandible, but you can call me Mandi if you want."

Pirouette looked up at her mother for assurance.

"She's a friend.  You don't have to be scared," Samba told her softly.

Pirouette stepped out from behind Samba more confidently, flashing her own cute grin back at Mandible.  "Hi, Mandi!  I'm Pirouette, but you can call me Pira!" she parroted with an enthusiastic chirp.

"Doesn't take much to warm her up to new people, does it?" Leaf commented.

"Guess she just trusts her parents' judgment," assumed Limbo.

Pirouette's exuberant gaze shifted between Limbo, Leaf, and Mandible.  "I didn't know you had this many friends, Mommy."

Samba grimaced slightly at the comment.

Limbo stifled a snicker.  "Was that a low-key burn from your own daughter?"

"I guess most of my friends are people I only met in the last couple of weeks.  Tap might be the only exception, and Pira hasn't met him."

Pirouette returned her attention to Mandible.  "You're a... changer, right?"

"Changeling," Samba corrected her.

Mandible nodded.  "Yup.  You ever met a changeling, Pira?"

The filly shook her head.  "I seen 'em around, but I never talked to one before."

"Try to be respectful, okay, Pira?" her mother warned gently.

"Relax, she's probably just curious," Mandible said with a dismissive wave of her hoof.

"You can turn into ponies, right?" Pirouette asked eagerly.

"I can turn into a lot of stuff.  Ponies, griffons, kirin, dragons, even inanimate objects."

"It's a pretty versatile ability from the sounds of it," Leaf commented.

"Yeah, but that versatility is the reason why there are strict laws in place about shapeshifting in public," Limbo mentioned.

Pirouette visually deflated.  "Aww, I wanted see her change into something."

Mandible looked a touch heartbroken by the filly's disappointment, staring pleadingly at Limbo.

The detective just rolled her eye.  "It's not that big a deal.  You're just showing a kid a magic trick for a sec."

Having received the local authority's permission, Mandible happily demonstrated her inherent ability, her body becoming momentarily wreathed in emerald magic.  When the magic subsided, Pirouette was now standing face to face with an exact duplicate of herself.

"That's so cool!  It's like having a twin sister!" Pirouette exclaimed as she stared at her own face without the aid of a mirror.

"Twice the cute.  Can't really complain about that," Limbo chuckled.

"How's it feel to have twins?" Leaf joked.

"I can barely raise one.  I'd have been an absolute wreck if I had had twins," Samba muttered.

Mandible quickly changed back to avoid receiving any suspicious looks from passersby.  She smiled herself at the sight of the wide grin on the filly's face.  "You know, shapeshifting can be pretty fun when you have a reason to use it.  Too bad I can't do it freely around here."

"Especially considering that a local kidnapper is making use of that spell to steal people away," Limbo reminded her.

"Limbo."

The detective stared at the corrective look Samba was giving her.

"What did I say?"

"I can't help it if it just comes up naturally in conversation," Limbo argued.

"That did not come up naturally."

"Whatever, 'Mom,'" Limbo groaned in annoyance.

"Don't give her too much crap," Leaf chimed in with a smirk.  "She's an old dog now, stuck in her ways."

"I'm twenty-eight, whippersnapper," Limbo bit back.  "I'm not browsing brochures for retirement homes just yet."

"Hey, I'm on your side here.  Given what my brother's going through, the topic is pertinent to me."

"Oh, yeah, you still never told me what was up with that," Mandible interrupted.  "What happened to your brother, Leaf?"

"He got arrested for hindering the investigation of the Ghost," Leaf explained with a judgmental grimace.

Limbo lifted her hoof to add an addendum.  "Just to be clear, Owl arrested him, not me.  You know, in case you were looking to pin blame.  It was his decision."

"I'm more upset with Mango.  I don't want to believe he's just another corporate bigwig who only cares about money and his business, but this whole debacle with the Ghost—and the Spellmet for that matter—has kind of exposed his façade.  Maybe being put behind bars for a bit will set him straight."

"Based on what I saw last night, I don't see that happening," Limbo muttered under her breath.

"Your brother some kinda large chunk of cheddar or something?" asked Mandible.

Leaf stared at her for a moment, a bit puzzled as to how she hasn't put it together.  "Uh, I assume you meant 'big cheese,' but, yeah.  I mean, his name's Mango.  As in, Mango Incorporated.  I'm sure you've heard of it," he assumed, gesturing to the spellphone strapped to her leg.

She glanced down at her phone, her eyes widening slightly.  "He's that Mango?  Huh.  Wait, so the guy who invented spellphones...  That guy's your brother?!"

Leaf just shrugged indifferently, not wanting her to make a big deal out of it.

"Whoa, crazy.  I wouldn't've ever guessed.  Then again, I don't think I've ever seen a picture of him, soooo..."

"Don't judge me based on him.  We're very different people, save for our interests in technology."

"I know if my brother was a big deal like that, I'd be bragging about it to everycreature," Mandible giggled.

"You close with your brother, Mandible?" Leaf asked curiously.

"Oh, yeah.  My bro's my best friend.  We were inseparable when we were nymphs.  Even as adults we're basically joined at the thorax.  You know, 'til he decided to go shoe shopping in Equestria."

"Any reason you never went with him?" he inquired further.  "If you were that close, I would think you'd want to experience this with him."

"One of us had to pin down the castle," she answered.

"You live in a castle?!" Pirouette squeaked in shock.

"I think she meant 'hold down the fort,'" Samba corrected.  "She needed to stay home to take care of the house."

"Yeah, that.  See, me and Ped lived together too.  We couldn't just both leave when we have bills to pay.  But he always wanted to see Equestria, and, as a good sister, I encouraged him to go and do it."

"What about you?" Leaf continued.  "I know you needed to stay home, but have you ever wanted to explore new places too?"

"Not as much as Ped," she responded with a shrug.  "It's definitely cool to see this place, but I've never really been one who cared about collecting buckets.  I'm more of a 'day-to-day' kinda gal.  Maybe when Ped's done with all this and comes home, I'll think about it."

"Speaking of which, considering the situation your brother's in, I'm surprised with how calm and casual you've been this whole time."

"Of course I'm worried about him, but getting all worked up and junk isn't gonna help.  Figured I'd tear up Ped's books and enjoy the sights while I'm here and let Detective Limbo and the cops take care of things."

"You're putting an awful lot of trust in them, aren't you?"

Limbo listened curiously.  She would have expected that as a snarky comment from Leaf, but it wasn't directed at her, and he sounded surprisingly serious.

"Well, who else am I supposed to trust?  I can't exactly go after a ghost myself.  I don't have anything to deal with paranormal stuff."  Mandible blushed a little.  "And I'm... kinda scared of ghosts..."

"The Ghost of Baltimare isn't a real ghost, Mandi, we've been over this," Samba reminded her.

"But what if they are?  You told me they know all kinds of magic, and nocreature's ever seen their real face.  How do you know the kidnapper isn't a real ghost?"

"Because ghosts aren't real," Limbo muttered.  "Besides, what would they need with Career's device in that case?  Can a ghost use modern technology?"

Leaf shrugged.  "Sorry if I sound pessimistic, but if I were in your position, I'd be worried sick about my brother."

"Your brother's in jail.  You didn't seem too broken up about that," she commented.

"Because he brought that on himself," Leaf grumbled.  However, he followed that up with a long sigh.  "But at least I know he's okay.  I'm probably going to go visit him later, assuming the cops are done interrogating him."  He flashed a small smile to Mandible.  "What I'm trying to say is that I admire that you can be this strong in the face of hardship like this.  I'm not sure I could keep a level head in your specific situation."

The tinge of red returned to Mandible's purple cheeks, but more in bashfulness this time.  "Oh.  I-I don't know if calling me 'strong' would be right.  Ped always thought I was just a bit of a ditz, and he's kinda right.  I was never the shiniest lamp in the crate.  I mean, I can barely dangle off of your pony idioms."

"There's nothing wrong with that," he assured her with a grin.  "Honestly, being smart is overrated.  Smart people tend to have big egos and use their intelligence to manipulate others.  That's probably how the Ghost operates.  If anything, being a little simpler makes you more relatable and trustworthy—no offence or anything."

Mandible turned away, her face turning even redder and her mouth curling into a goofy grin.

Limbo leaned over to whisper to Samba.  "What's happening right now?"

"Shush," Samba instructed, giving her a corrective nudge as she stared intently at Leaf and Mandible during their conversation.

"And if it makes you feel any better about it, I like trying to piece together your twisted phrases.  It's fun," Leaf told her.  "And you don't really seem self-conscious about it or anything, which I can respect."

Mandible turned back to him, a genuine smile on her lips.  "You're a really nice guy, aren't you, Leaf?"

"Well, I feel like we're kinda in the same boat right now, what with our brothers both being in tight spots.  Obviously yours is in a more serious predicament, but, hey, if you need somepony to help take your mind off of it until this is all straightened away, I got your back."

Mandible continued to smile, her monotone, green eyes sparkling brightly.  "I... appreciate that.  Thanks."

By now, the group had arrived at the mall, and just as Limbo said, the roaming barista had his coffee wagon set up outside.  They wasted no time ordering some drinks for themselves.  Black coffee for Limbo, obviously, milk tea for Samba, a strawberry milkshake for Pirouette, an iced tea for Loose Leaf, and a decaf latte for Mandible.  Samba also caved and bought a cinnamon bun for her daughter, even though she'd only just recently had peanut butter and jelly toast for breakfast and some popcorn during the movie—she wasn't going to mention that to Rhapsody, though.

None of them really had any interest in going into the mall, except for Pirouette, but for as much of a pushover as Samba was sometimes, she didn't exactly have the income to go on an impromptu shopping spree.  So they just decided to find a bench outside the mall and loiter around for a bit until they thought of something else to do.

"Soooo...  Anypony got any suggestions as to how to kill time?" asked Limbo.  "I usually hit the movies during my downtime, but, well..."

"I usually take Pira to the playground during our weekends together, but I'd understand if none of you were interested," said Samba.  "I don't want to make this outing just about us when we have company."

"Hey, I'm up for just about everything," Limbo replied with a shrug.  "I haven't been to a playground since I was a kid."

"I wasn't exactly suggesting that we—the adults—use the playground.  I think you're a little old for that now."

"Yeah, doi.  I just think it'd be a nice trip down memory lane.  Me and Poe spent a lot of time goofing around the playground at Waterfront."  She laughed quietly as she thought about it.  "I was a real showoff back then.  Broke my leg when I was nine trying to go as high as I could on the swing set and jumping off at the apex.  Wanted to see how far I could fly."

"Guess you haven't changed much," Samba quipped with a giggle.  "I have witnessed the results of your attempts at parkour."

"In my defense, that jump did technically get me as far as the hospital.  I just had to be carried the rest of the way.  The parkour was just a catastrophic failure all around."

"Did it hurt?" Pirouette asked with a curious twinkle in her eye.

"What, when I broke my leg?  I mean, yeah, obviously.  It hurt a lot.  But I've always been a pretty tough cookie," Limbo boasted smugly.  "Didn't even cry.  Poe laughed her flank off, though.  She never let me live that one down."

Pirouette looked expectantly at her mother.  "Can we go to the playground, Mommy?"

Samba responded with a stern gaze.  "Do not imitate Limbo, please.  And you."  She turned to Limbo, causing the detective to draw back.  "Don't encourage her.  The last thing I need is to have to tell Rhapsody that our daughter broke her leg trying to mimic your reckless stunts."

"There's nothing wrong with being a little reckless," Limbo argued.  "Builds character, toughens you up.  You should know that full well, right?"

Samba grumbled quietly.  She couldn't exactly say that her warning wasn't entirely hypocritical, but that didn't mean she wanted her daughter maiming herself.

"I can't tell sometimes if Limbo is a good or bad role model," Leaf joked with a chuckle.

"Were you gonna go with them, Leaf?" Mandible asked him.

Leaf scratched his cheek awkwardly, his face turning a little red.  "Uh, that depends."

The changeling tilted her head, curious.  "On what?"

He flashed her a smile.  "Well, maybe this is a tad out of the blue, but I was going to ask if you wanted to get dinner."

Mandible blushed deeply.  "Huh?  Are you... asking me out on a date?"

Samba observed intently, ears perked up.

Leaf's smile fell, replaced by an empathetic frown.  "Bad timing, right?  You're probably not in the state of mind to focus on a date right now, huh?  I get it.  You probably think I'm just trying to take advantage of your vulnerability for—"

"N-No, I'm not!" she assured him.  Mandible smiled bashfully.  "After everything you've said, I think that sounds like a great idea.  I could use something—or somepony—to help take my mind off it."

Leaf sighed with relief, a smile returning to his face.  "Alright, it's a date, then."

Samba clapped her hooves happily.  "That's great!  You two certainly seemed to be hitting it off well."  Samba got up from the bench quickly.  "Okay, we're going to go ahead to the playground so you two can enjoy your date.  We don't want to be a 'tricycle,'" she snickered.

Mandible cocked a puzzled eyebrow.  "A tricycle has three wheels.  It'd be more like a..."  she glanced between Samba, Limbo, and Pirouette.  "What's a word for something with five wheels?"

"A... quincycle?" Leaf suggested uncertainly.

"Whatever, just enjoy yourselves.  You both could use a little relaxation right now, I'm sure.  Come on, Pira."

Pirouette hopped down with her milkshake and cinnamon bun in tow to follow her mother toward the park, waving behind her to her two new acquaintances.  "Bye, Leaf!  Bye, Mandi!"

"Bye, Pira.  Nice meeting you," Mandible bid her back.

As Samba and Pirouette took their leave, Limbo was left standing there, a little flummoxed.  She stared at Leaf and Mandible for a few moments as if searching for something to say, but found nothing.  Eventually, she just flicked her hoof with a resigned grunt, making to follow Samba and leave the two new lovebirds to their own devices.  It wasn't like she was interested in spectating their awkward attempts at courtship anyway.