//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Friendship is...a Contract? // by ShinigamiOkami //------------------------------// Swinging open the door, Pinkie eagerly greeted the guest and welcomed them in, despite the fact that it wasn't even her home they were in. Fluttershy didn't seem to mind, though, greeting the newcomer in a cheerful tone. Ciel couldn't really hear much of what they were saying, but he assumed it was about him. "Yeah, he's right in here! I figured you would be interested, but it would've been a bit predictable taking him to see you..." pinkie explained to the visitor, leading her into the living room. "Now let's see...Oh, Phaaantoom~! I wantcha to meet somepony!" Ciel sat up straight, or rather, straighter, as his status and nobility had taught him to sit upright at all times. The new pony, this one sporting a horn, merely gasped at the sight of him. "A...Amazing...I've never seen anything like it! I mean, it's not in any of my books, so..." she grinned, "It must be an entirely new species! Tell me everything you know, girls." She began studying him, as all the others had before, firing off all she could ask in one breath. "Does it walk on two legs? Looks like it. And why isn't there any fur? Well, except this bit on its head...Sweet Celestia! Whah happened to its eye? Is it injured? Is it recent? Where did you even find this creature? Does it have a name?" The boy stopped her right there, shoving her away. "My name is Ciel Phantomhive. My species isn't new; I'm a human, classified scientifically as Homo sapien. And, for the third time, I'm blind in my right eye, the result of an accident a while back, and I'd rather you not pester me about it." He had stood up sometime durng her speech, making himself at eye level, his voice quite audible at the end, as it has risen during his response. The pony had shrunken back, and it looked like he had actually spooked her some. "You...t...hu...?" She mumbled, then her face lit up. "You're capable of speech as well! Oh, this is great. Pinkie, do you mind if I take him back with me? I've got loads of tests to run on this...human, and I'd like to do it as soon as possible. Oh," she turned to him, "I'm Twilight Sparkle, by the way." Ciel was about to argue that he wasn't going back with her, but she had already produced a collar and leash, seemingly out of nowhere. It was also levitating in some orchid aura, and, before he could get away, it was wrapped around his neck. He tugged at it, but it didn't budge a bit. "W-Wai-ack!" He got a gentle nudge by the rope, leading him out. "Well, I guess you can take him," Pinkie said, completely ignoring his say, "Just before to have him home by curfew; I wouldn't want the little guy staying out past his beddy-time~!" The party pony pinched his cheecks, which he again couldn't find how she managed to do with hooves. He ignored that fact though, instead havng to get dragged out by this Twilight pony, fuming and swearing under his breath. ~//////~ Sebastian stared questioningly at the job they's done. The three had patched him up, so to speak, but it was more like wrapping it up as tight as they could until the blood stopped flowing. They had also decided to step out to catch their breath, the white one, Sweetie, actually fainting at the sight of such an amount of blood. He got up, able to walk now; it had only taken a few minutes to heal enough, but the "operation" had actually opened his wound a bit more, delaying his departure by about half an hour. He reached the door and peered out, calling down to the fillies. "I believe I'm ready to leave now. I really must get back to my master now." The cowgirlish one, Apple Bloom, broke from their group discussion and trotted to the base of the tree. "Uh, Sebastian? You know you just got fixed up a few minutes ago, right? You're still not fit t' be goin' anywhere. But don't worry, the CMC's thought-a sumthin' fer ya! You can stay in the barn; it's much more comfy than the clubhouse, and it's not too far." "Wait, I thought we said we'd take him to my lace!" Sweetie said, getting a scowl from her friend. Applebloom stood her ground, arguing, "Look, yer place is all the way 'n the middle o' Ponyville! There's no way we can sneak him there, 'specially with that inj'ry of his. Ah know his clothes are a little ripped, but I'll find him somethin' instead; we don't gotta get him some fancy-pantsy stuff from yer sis, y'know." "I can sneak him there easily," Sweetie rebuttled, "I know my way around. And besides, what if your sister or brother finds him in there? At least I'd have a decent place to hide him. There's this back room that Rarity, like, never goes in! Even I'm not sure what's in there! But it's big, I'm sure, since it's probably just for storage, so there'll be plenty of room for him." The two glared each other down, with Scootaloo unable to take a side. Sebastian hopped down, landing just as well as always. His injury ddin't impair him too much, and he couldn't even feel the pain. "Look, I appreciate your help, but I--" "HE'S STAYING HERE!" Apple Bloom interrupted, ignoring him and focusing on her fellow crusader. "NU-UH," Sweetie fought back, "HE'S GOING WITH ME!" Sebastian sighed, kneeling and taking them both by their manes, gently pulling them apart from each other. They stopped and looked at him, both with the same idea. He started to speak, but they got their pieces first. "Ah've got lots of good eats here," Apple Bloom started, "and the hay's like a bed, so you'll still be comfy. I'll bring out blankets, too." "Well, I've got even better food, and a REAL bed," Sweetie interjected. Sebastian was about to stop her, but he lost his train of though at what she said next. "And...I-I've got..a CAT!" The little farm filly scoffed, as she didn't think having a cat mattered. She started to state so, but Sebastian's voice cut over hers, focused on the little unicorn. "A cat, you say? I've...always been fond of felines..." He admitted, imagining the silky blanket of fur, the squishy pads of their feet, their slitted eyes not unlike that of a demon's. Sweetie smirked at her opponent, victorious as she saw the light in the being's eyes grow. Sebastian weighed it over. He could easily go after his master now; he'd felt his prescence since he'd awoken. However, going with this little one meant getting all the pleasures of whatever beautiful breed of cat they had. He reached out, sensing the earl's soul. The master was in no danger, he concluded, aside from an odd fashion statement. He would survive a few more moments without him; besides, he thought his bocchan looked rather nice in a collar. He stood, dusting himself off. "Alright, I suppose my caller can wait," he inwardly grinned at his play on words, "I'll go with you, miss Belle." The young filly smiled and lead him off, the other two trailing behind. ~//////~ Luna wandered around the halls, waiting for the hours to pass so she could raise the night. She would've waited in her chambers, but there was too much on her mind. The strange creature that had come in--a "shinigami", it had said--was keeping her up. Not to mention, she couldn't figure out if it was male or female; it claimed the latter, but that just seemed too odd. As she trotted, pondering the gender and intentions of the creature, said guest came strolling down, humming some tune. It waved upon seeing her, coming at her at a quicker, skipping pace. She still thought it unnatural that it walked on its hind legs, but, then again, it was also furless, save its hair and clothes. "Hey, I was just looking for you. Celestia-sama said you'd be around here." She disregarde the added suffixes to their names and tried to think of something to say. Luckily, she'd been practicing keeping her voice softer and more informal. "Greetings, Grell Sutcliff," she said at a moderate level, "Wh-What is it you wanted to see me for?" She stood there with a half-smile on her face, trying to act like she didn't think he was up to no good. He grinned back, his sharp, carnivorous teeth making her shiver inwardly. "Oh, well...It'll be getting dark soon, and Celestia-sama said you could help me look for that boy and Sebas-chan~! Plus...well, I'm missing something else, too..." He scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrased. "I seem to have misplaced a very important item. It's something every shinigami needs, and I'd be out of the business if I lost it! I mean, I already got it taken from me once...I would just die if I had to go without it again!" Curiousity overcame the moon princess, and she asked, "What is this...special item?" He started to answer but paused, "Well...I'll tell you if you promise to help me look." She sighed and nodded, "Yes, I swear by the moon I shall help you...Now, prithee, what is it?" Leaning in, he replied, "My Death Scythe! It's only the most important instrument in a shinigami's job, and mine is so wonderful. It's red, and works so nicely, and it's an original design~!" He winked and waited for her reply, but she was stuck on the whole "death" part. What is it this "shinigami" did? She put that question aside and nodded, settling to wait until they went to search. If it was dangerous, then she'd just have to stop him herself. ~//////~ Twilight continued down the streets, heading for her home. The creature had given up trying to escape, as she wouldn't ever let such a scientific oppurtunity like this one get away. Sure, she'd gotten a few stares and queries, but her long, scienc-y answers easily drove them off. "So," she decided to start up a conversation, "I figure I'll start out with a few simple things, like temperature, blood pressure, things like you'd get in a doctor's check-up. Next, I'll go on to running tests on your chemical makeup, like blood samples, hair samples, etc. Oh, and I'd love to check out what's under the patch." He growled, stopping and pulling her back. "I already told you I don't wish to have that meddled with." She yanked on the leash, egging him on, "I know, but maybe I could cure you of your blindness. After all, I am a unicorn, and I'm also a bit skilled at medicine." Pulling back again, he protested, "I said, 'no!' and I meant it. If you're going to do anything that involves my injury, then I refuse to go back with you." He resisted the light tugs even more, even yanking back on the leash. The aura surrounding it felt a bit tingly, but he ignored that and tried to get some slack between his hands and the collar. If he could pull it back far enough, he could undo the knot and slip away Scot-free. He hadn't realized he'd actually been putting up a bit of a fight for the unicorn, considering he wasn't very strong physically. He;d made his way onto the dirt road, puddles still here and there from a previous rain. With another forceful pull, he managed to step into the way of traffic, namely a random grey pegasus zipping by on her mail rounds. He was knocked back, landing a pool of mud. He stood, slipping on the dirt and making his way back over to Twilight with a very unhappy look. "Great," he clenched his teeth, "Bloody great. Now look what you've done!" He gestured widely to his person, which was completely caked with mud. "I'll have to have Sebastian come and bring me a new..." He halted, remebering he had no clue where his butler was, or if Sebastian knew where the young earl was. Twilight saw his expression change, first to one of a loss for words, then to a sorrowful remmbrance. "Um...l-look, I'm sorry. How about we get you a fresh change of clothes, alright?" She saw his few seconds of grief vanish again to expressionless. "No," he exhaled, "Let's just go." He felt a tug at his neck, and saw she was eading him in a diferent direction now. "It's fine. After all, I guess this is kinda my fault," she blushed, "I'll take you to somepony I know personally. She'll be more than happy to fix you up, trust me." ~//////~ "What IS this thing?" Rarity exclaimed, backing away. "And why on EQUESTRIA did you bring it HERE? This has got to be your WORST POSSIBLE idea ever, dear." She stared down her fellow unicorn, who lowered her head in embarrasment. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't think you'd be this upset..." Rarity looked ready to blow, but calmed herself down at the last moment. "N-No matter, darling...I'll just..." She tried to think of something, then graoned in defeat. The being was about to reassure her that he'd be leaving shortly, but was distracted by her pet, Opalescence. "This cat...it's..." he picked it up, admiring it, "...luxurious. The pelt is like so plush, the paw pads so pink and fleshy, the purr reverberating from is a perfection of smphonies...and what a name for such a gorgeous feline...named after a finely cut gem, is she not?" Rarity just dropped ehr jaw, awe-struck. "Y...yes...she is..." The man smiled, stroking the pet in his lap. In all her days, Rarit and never seen her cat so relaxed. Her little sister snapped her out of ehr thoughts. "So," she chimed, "Can we keep him here for just a bit?" The older sibling looked to her younger, then to the creature. "Hmm...well...Sebastian, right?" She checked his name, getting a nod. "...Well, I guess--" A customer knocking put her answer on hold. "'ll be right back!" She called, already galloping for the door. She slowed her pace, wondering what her little sister and friends were evne thinkng. She was amazed they'd managed to get him all the way from the acres to her home, but what she couldn't belive even more was that they'd thought they could hide the thing storage area she reserved secifically fro all her rarest jewels. If she hadn't have needed that silver rupee for Fancypants' new belt, she never would've seen the injured, tall-as-Celestia-herself creature. She opened the door, a bit surprised to see Twilight. She was about to make up some excuse to "please hold on a moment" while she hid the unusual thing, but saw her freind had found something similar.At that moment, she could think of one exclamation to sum up her emotions: "Not another one!" ~//////~ Ciel stared at the other unicorn, processing her words. There was another human here, one who just might be able to help him. Quickly, he pushed his way past and asked, "Who else is here?! Is it--" "Ugh, absolutely filthy, this one. Twilight, whereever did you find this?" Twilight quickly stated Pinkie found it, which is where Rarity held up a hoof and continued on. "Oh, whatever, I need to get him cleaned up. Come on, little, eh...thing...let's get you into some other clothes..." She led him back, taking the leash from Twilight via another glow of magic. Ciel didn't spot any other human, but he didn't get much chance to look as he was put into a changing room. "Now, let me see..." the unicorn strted taking measurements, being the umpteenth one to have to get a close look at him. "Hmm...well, since the anatomy is completely different, I'll have to adjust all the ratios, but I should be able to put something together...be right back. Umm...Stay." She left with that command to make him a new outfit. After only a matter of minutes, she reentered with a black button up shirt, a royal blue jacket, and some black pants. The only oddity is that the entire emsemble was sparkling brighter than the cutlery once Sebastian ahd finished polishing it. It was literally covered in glitter and gems. "Now, let's just get you undressed..." She lifter off his muddled overcoat, next going to undo the shirt. "Ah, th-that's just fine, madame. I can change alright without assistance." He shoved her out, not wanting to have his clothes taken off by yet another pony. He finished geting off the shirt and pants with only minor difficulties. Slipping on the trousers was easy, but he struggled to get the shirt on right. He'd been having his butler dress him for the past years, and now the whole affair of getting his arms throught the right holes seemed to be quite troubling. He stumbled back and into the wall, resulting in an audible thud. "Everything alright in there?" Rarity called, about to poke her head in. Ciel took a peek in the mirror and saw the scar on his back showing up quite well. "Yes," he replied, half-lying, "Just...b-bloody peachy...ah..." He stammered as he tried to pull his arm through the sleeve right, ramming his elbow in the mirror int he process. Rarity burst in, exclaiming that he better not have broken anything. He immediately pushed her out again, covering the scar. "I said I was alright," he assured. The unicorn ignored him and used her magic to open it all the way. Ciel knew what was coming; this was going to be just like when he was getting fitted for another certain event, and Lizzy nearly saw the mark. Only his time, his butler wouldn't be there to save him. He was ruined. "My...my word..." the unicorn gasped, and the earl knew what questions and events would unfold next. What he didn't expect was her to touch the scar. He went to move the hand away, but stopped as he realized whose it was. "Sebas...tian...?" He looked up to see his butler there, hiding his secret for him with a smile. "Yes, my lord?" ~//////~ Hopping in the chariot next to the night princess, Grell eagerly cheered about finally getting to set on his search. Luna had already raised the moon for the night, so it was just he and her, ready to fly down to their first destination: Ponyville, a personal suggestion of Celestia's. "Oh, Luna-chan! This view is amazing!" He looked out ove rthe night as the soared downwards to the town. "And a full moon, what a perfect setting! You know, the moon was shining this brightly that day I found Sebas-chan...ah, what a lovely reunion that was..." His thoughts drifted into nostalgic images of that night when he'd fought as Jack the Ripper against the butler, seeing his deep crimson blood raining down on him as he nearly sawed him to bits...It was one of the most lovely nights of his life. "We shall be landing soon, Grell Sutcliff," Luna interrupted his thoughts, gesturing to the incoming outskirts of the villa. "Shall we start our surveying there?" She pointed to her left to a bright section of the town, a few lights on. Grell nodded, still fantasizing about he and Sebastian's next meeting. The chariot parked near a bakery, letting the passengers out. He took a few steps, only to be stopped by a shout from above. "HIIII THERE!" Another pony, smaller than Luna, waved at them from the window of the bakery. She started to fall, but was caught by another, this one a pegasus. "Thanks Dashie," she said as the two touched down next to them. "Ah, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, we bid you a good evening." The moon princess stepped in front of the shinigami, who had been waving back the whole time. She hoped the short attention span of the party pony would stop her from asking anything. Her nerves had her speaking a bit louder with the royal voice. "We wonder, h-how have you been faring?" She grinned, hoping in the name of...well, anypony, that neither of them noticed. Dash peered around, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, Princess Luna...what the hay is that?" Luna was about to respond, but Pinkie beat her to it. "Oh, that's another human, I think," she explained, "Remember I was just telling you about the one I found? Well, Twilight's borrowing it right now, but she said she'd bring him back soon. So, what's your name, mister human?" Luna stared at the laughter element, dumbstruck. She didn't think there'd be more; this was getting out of hoof. "Oh, I'm Grell, a pleasure to meet you!" The shinigami thought nothing of the situation; then again he had been searching for a couple others, although she wasn't sure they'd ever find anything else like him. "You say you met a human, hmm? Please, tell me more!" Pinkie nodded and invited them in, "Okie dokie Grell-lokie~! We can talk about it over some fresh extra-red velvet cake I made!" The shinigami's eyes lit up at the color red, skipping after like the party pony was the pied piper. Luna sighed and followed, getting a shiver up her spine. She looked up at the moon, her celestial self. The shinigami had complimented it, but that just seemed to make it seem more ominous. A call from Pinkie inviting her in snapped her out of her thoughts, the gleam of the moon staring after her as she went in.