//------------------------------//
// Chapter 61: Mister Gilmore's 'Angels' 
// Story: Marshmallow Dreams 
// by Halira 
//------------------------------//

I sat with Jordan and Jackie in Lántiān's living room. Jackie was excitedly telling Jordan about all the things she had seen, and Jordan was doing her best to sound interested in flight team stuff, even though the young unicorn probably felt even less enthusiastic about that subject that Drizzle felt about China. I wasn't paying much attention to them. I was waiting for Lántiān to come out and tell me whether I had done something wrong; she didn't want me foalsitting anymore, cussing me out, or all three. 

I needed a distraction.

"How are you two getting home?" I asked the two younger teens. 

"Our dad is going to come to pick us up. Our parents both drive," Jordan said. 

"I already called him when I landed here," Jackie said and spread her wings. "I could fly back on my own, but he doesn't like me flying around town by myself. He says I have to fly with an adult or group of two or more friends if I leave the neighborhood."

"And I don't have a license to teleport that far yet," Jordan added in. "I'm only licensed to blink teleport."

Jackie went over to a window and peeked out. "Dad should be here any minute. We don't live that far away."

"Oh, your mom isn't coming too?" I asked, just making conversation. 

Jackie shook her head. "She teaches, and she keeps busy with school stuff. She runs some clubs and stuff for students. She'll get home after us. Dad usually cooks dinner. He works from home. He helps people figure out why their internet isn't working and stuff."

I remembered something. "Didn't your dad used to be married to Sunset Blessing?" 

Jackie shrugged. "Yeah, he divorced her around the time I was born. They aren't really much alike… at all. Dad's just a regular guy. I'm perfectly fine having a regular dad. We have enough crazy weirdos in the family. Being a regular person in this family is like being a superhero. When almost everyone is super, those who aren't are."

"I don't think that's the way the expression goes, Jackie," Jordan chided. "And we are regular people, and so is Mom."

Jackie laughed. "Jor, Mom is a regular pony too, I'll give you that, but you and I have been trained since we were little by a Dreamwarden's personal bodyguard. How many kids get trained so they can effectively fight off a marine by the time they are twelve?"

Jordan looked down at the floor. "Well… it depends on what marine you are talking about, and I wouldn't hurt them. Just annoy and delay them till they gave up on trying to get me."

My ears flattened. "What was that about fighting marines?"

Jackie strutted away from the window. "Yeah, I'm pretty tough and can do some fancy flying techniques; that's why I am going to be the best filly on my flight team this year."

Jordan gave her sister a flat look. "Charlotte and Arachne could still each beat you up, even if they were hog-tied."

That brought Jackie's strut to an end and made her fluff her wings. "Yeah, well… the freaky Terror Twins just prove the point that this family is full of weirdos."

"You shouldn't call them that. They are our friends," Jordan scolded. 

Jackie shook her head. "Charlotte might be our friend, but Arachne doesn't care about anything but her siblings, her monster spider, and herself. Arachne doesn't like us; she tolerates our lowly presence. She even tries to lord over her siblings."

There was a knock at the door, and Jordan jumped to her hooves, trotting to the door. "Daddy!"

Jackie flew ahead of her sister and cut her off. "Jordan, you know better than that. Never rush to open a door, even if you are expecting someone. Aren't you here to bodyguard in addition to foalsitting? If Tempest heard about this, she would put you through the wringer."

Jordan stopped and sighed. She then lifted her leg and dialed her phone with her magic. "Hey, Dad, is that you at the door to Lántiān's apartment?"

"Yeah, it's me," the phone answered. "You know you could have just answered the door. I knocked."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Jackie is being a pain."

Jackie spread her wings. "Hey! I'm trying to protect you! You know Tempest will grill you about every detail of today, and for everything she thinks is a mistake, she will demand you do some sort of exhausting training to correct. If she thinks you did something extra sloppy, she might have you do a round with one of the Terror Twins."

"Jackie! Don't call your nieces the Terror Twins!" their dad yelled from the other side of the door. 

Jordan gave her sister a smug look and giggled. "Yeah, Jackie, don't call them names."

As Jordan went to let their dad in, I tried not to be jealous. I didn't have a big family. It was just my parents and me. I didn't have siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, or nephews. All I knew about my grandparents was they kicked my mom out of the house and cut all ties to her when she got pregnant with me. 

I was adamant that I didn't want foals. I couldn't put them through the stuff that came with me being a Dreamwarden, but that only came into effect if I became a Dreamwarden. I wasn't the only one in the running to be the next Dreamwarden. Sunflower could be Dreamwarden instead or someone else. I could refuse to become one as well; it wasn't like I didn't have the right to refuse if they chose me. 

Urgh, but then I wouldn't be able to do all the cool Dreamwarden things I wanted to do; being able to inspire creativity with access to everyone, help out foals that need a friend, cheer up the outcast who needs to understand they are special and don't need to conform to other's definition of normal. I could be a great Dreamwarden that helps make people happy and feel better, and I could help so many more people than regular old me could ever do. 

I knew it was me forcing this to be a choice, but the fact that any foals I had would be in danger was something that had occurred to me not long after I first entered puberty. And… oh no, even someone like Russell, who I was just dating, could be in danger. I got so caught up in the moment and got in a relationship. What the heck was I going to do?

Jordan and Jackie's dad was an old green unicorn with a heavy amount of grey in his blue mane. He had some deep lines on his face. Wasn't he supposed to be around the same age as Sunset Blessing? He looked older than her for some reason. She looked old, but not this old. I suppose she could have married someone much older than her. 

He smiled as he hugged his youngest. "So, how did your first day as a working mare go?"

Jordan hugged her dad back. "It was okay, but not very exciting. No villains showed up."

He blinked. "Um, I would hope not, not for foalsitting."

Jordan broke the hug and raised her head proudly. "I'm not a foalsitter. I'm a bodyguard."

Jackie fluffed her wings again. "Dad… you did know that Wild Growth and Sunset Blessing hired Jordan to bodyguard the filly and the foalsitter, right? Because Drizzle is a person of interest?" She pointed a wing at me. "I mean… look at her. The foalsitter is so out of shape that Jordan is more intimidating than her." She turned her head to look at me. "Um, no offense."

I touched a hoof to my gut. "None taken. I'm a butterball. Old-timey humans see me and want to put me on a Thanksgiving table."

The old unicorn shivered. "Please, don't compare yourself to a Thanksgiving turkey again." He looked sternly at Jordan. "And you, you're a person of interest too. You need protecting, not the other way around. You're a kid!"

Jordan laid her ears back. "Dad, I'm a young mare. I've been fighting bad guys since I was six. I can do this."

"Dad, It's not like they think there's a major threat," Jackie interjected. "They've been letting Drizzle go without bodyguards till now. Auntie Sunset and Wild Growth just got a sudden need to start caring for some reason, and they still aren't putting much effort into it. This can't be dangerous."

He facehooved and shook his head, then looked at Jordan. "You were not fighting bad guys at six. You were stuck in a locked building with a pair of crystal ponies that were out of their minds, and you did a whole lot of running for your lives. Wild Growth had to save you, and even after she saved you, you needed to be saved again by Jessica. I love you, but you aren't some action hero."

"Auntie Sunset has been teaching her magic," Jackie said helpfully. "And we train with Tempest all the time."

"Self-defense courses," their dad said as he turned to his other daughter. "I'm fine with the two of you getting self-defense classes. They aren't for you to go looking for trouble. Also, Sunset is stuck in that mansion of hers in Denver because she got herself hurt defending that filly."

Jordan and Jackie looked at each other before turning back towards their dad. 

"You don't know?" Jordan asked. "I was sure you would know."

"I'm shocked too," Jackie said in amazement. "Auntie Sunset is ghosting dad."

I pointed a wing at the door. "Should I wait outside while you guys discuss this? This sounds like family drama."

"Yes," Jackie said. 

"No," Jordan said right after. "Rebecca knows about Auntie Sunset."

Jackie turned and gaped at me. "The Thanksgiving turkey knows about Auntie Sunset, and Dad doesn't?"

"I don't know what?!" their dad yelled. "Are you telling me that Sunset is getting you both involved in her crazy bullcrap?"

I inched toward the door. "This sounds like a family discussion. I really should go."

"Rebecca Riddle." I turned and saw Lántiān standing behind me. "If you run off now, you don't get paid. Further, I want to have words with you."

"Hey! I want to talk about what my daughter is doing here," Jackie and Jordan's dad protested. 

Lántiān gave him a tired look. "Look… Thomas Gilmore, was it? Your ex-wife and Wild Growth are overprotective. Jordan is in no danger. My next-door neighbor and the pony across the hall are secret service agents tasked with protecting my daughter and me. If anything were ever to happen, there would be an army here within minutes. Jordan is just an extra layer of what is already excessive security."

"WHAT?!" Jordan yelled in outrage. 

Jackie burst out laughing. "Tempest had you out with training wheels on!"

I looked at Lántiān in confusion. "Why do you need to hire foalsitters if you've got them? And where were they earlier when Wrinkles almost pulled Drizzle out into the street?!"

Lántiān covered her face with a wing. "Again? I need to get that dog some obedience classes, but I'm already near bro— never mind. Our neighbor would have teleported her and Wrinkles to safety. And they aren't paid to foalsit… I asked before."

"But my daughter is still getting wrapped up with all this stuff," the old unicorn growled. "I can't help that my eldest is up to her head in all this craziness, but I try to keep my younger two out of worrying about bodyguards and whatever other insanity that is going on. And are you telling me that Sunset is out galavanting around instead of sick at home like she claims?"

"Yes, Ma'am is galavanting around, and I don't know what she gets up to or do I care," Lántiān answered. "However, I do know that your house is watched at all times, just like my apartment. You're Phobia's father; they are her sisters. Do you honestly think the authorities would leave you unguarded? This is Skytree. It hosts most of the Warden of Fear's family and has the most powerful magical artifact on Earth, sitting dead center in the middle of town for everyone to look at. You can't take three steps in this town without tripping over someone who is guarding something. It is probably the safest city in the USA."

"I'm sure you're exaggerating," the old unicorn replied. 

Lántiān sighed. "I can go down to the local mall, sit in the food court, and start picking out bodyguards and who they are bodyguarding. Wealthy people from everywhere send their kids here to keep them safe because it is practically part of the city's industry to do that. Add in the CEOs, the other random rich people, important people like Wild Growth, and we are just overrun with people that need protection. Rebecca Riddle probably has no shortage of bodyguards. Am I right, Rebecca Riddle?"

"Um… I have a few," I said as I tried to make myself look small, not an easy feat. 

Jackie raised an eyebrow at me. "Why do you have bodyguards?" 

I had to think of a good answer fast. "My mom is a big executive at PonyCo, so, maybe that?"

Nailed it. 

Jordan flopped on the floor. "I feel like I was lied to about what I was doing."

"You were bodyguarding," Lántiān confirmed. "You just weren't the only one bodyguarding."

Jordan lifted her head then flopped it down. "Then why even bother with me? I'm extraneous."

I knew the reason, but I wasn't going to say it. They had me and Drizzle together in one place. 

Lántiān shrugged. "Ma'am and Wild Growth wanted someone closer. If someone did try something, unlikely as that might be, you would make a nice little speed bump."

"My sister is at least a big speed bump," Jackie said defensively and sounded mad about it. "You should be nicer to my sister. She came out here to watch your kid and did her job without complaint when she could be doing anything else with her Saturday. I've seen you be nice to people before, so I know you know how not to be a condescending bitch."

"Jackie, language!" their dad shouted. 

Lántiān frowned and flicked her ear. "I didn't intend to behave like...that. I was just clarifying the situation because your father seemed concerned. Jordan is in no danger. If something did happen, I expect she would prove to be an annoyance to any would-be foalnapper that would delay them long enough for authorities to arrive. I also don't find the position of bodyguard an awe-inspiring one in this town, but I am grateful for the safety that it provides."

You know, if it weren't for the fact that Lántiān had made it abundantly clear she didn't like me, I could almost blow off her behavior towards me as her having really bad social skills.

It wasn't my place, and I would probably get yelled at, but I was going to step in. 

"Lántiān doesn't have any issues with Jordan, and I'm sure she is happier knowing Jordan was here today with Drizzle and not just me," I said in her defense. "Jordan, I was happy to have you helping today." Most of the time, anyway. Lántiān wasn't the only one who needed to work on some social skills. Seriously, that whole last bit with Drizzle about her Chinese heritage was a disaster on Jordan's part, but Jordan was my friend, and she was trying her best. "I look forward to you helping in the future."

Their dad rubbed his head. "Well, I suppose she isn't likely to be in any danger doing this job. I won't object to her continuing. She and I are going to still have a long talk about this whole business, when and where she has been talking to my ex-wife, and what Sunset has been teaching her."

Lántiān's eyes narrowed. "In that case, you might wish to discuss her having learned Ma'am's secret technique. It is extremely dangerous, not something any adult, much less a filly, should learn."

The stallion scowled. "What's she talking about, Jordan?"

Jordan gulped and stood up. "I don't think I could actually pull it off, so you don't have to worry about me trying."

"What is it, Jordan?" the stallion repeated. 

Jordan stepped back nervously. "I really shouldn't be giving away Auntie Sunset's secrets."

"Jordan! Tell me immediately, young filly, or you are grounded for a month," he snapped. 

"Wow, Jordan never gets in trouble," Jackie said in awe. 

Jordan gulped. "Okay, I'll explain it in simple terms, but it is much more complicated than this, okay?" 

Her dad continued to glare at her without saying anything, and she gulped again. 

"Alright…" Jordan said slowly, cantering in place nervously. "Every bit of magic anyone does is a spell, whether they think about what they do or not. Every spell is like a code, like a program in a computer. Each rune is a segment of that code."

"I understand that much already," her dad interrupted. "I might not be a mage, or know as much as you, but I understand the elementary-level stuff."

"I have to make sure you understand what we are discussing," Jordan said quickly before continuing. "Normally, when someone is thinking about casting a spell, the code is tight and well-formed. However, if someone is emotional or sloppy with their spell casting, that code gets looser, and there is space to insert other runes into the code. Most unicorns try to overpower a spell when fighting magic; it is an instinctual way of fighting with magic. Auntie Sunset isn't going to be overpowering anyone with her magic; she isn't strong enough."

"And just like you aren't strong enough yet," Jackie added in. 

Jordan gave her sister an annoyed look, but nodded. "Yeah, so since overpowering is out of the question, Auntie Sunset falls back on what makes her a great mage. She might be famous for knowing a lot about transformation magic, but her big strength as a mage is her ability to amalgamate spells—that's combining spells to make something else. Normally, this takes a lot of power too, more than she has. That's why she does more designing than casting, but with her technique, she can take the power of another pony and use it to fuel the amalgamation. She basically hacks the other pony's spell."

The stallion's eyes narrowed. "And what happens then, and why is this so terrible?"

Jordan gulped. "In theory, Auntie Sunset could completely hijack their spellcasting for a few seconds and make them cast something utterly different of her choice. That isn't likely, given she has only a split-second to think about it. So instead, she creates an infinite feedback loop and depending on how strong the caster is that she just hacked, the stronger the result will be. For a weaker caster, the spell will do a minor backfire and give them a headache while knocking them senseless—in theory, anyway, but for a stronger caster, the spell can blow up upon completion—I'm talking about fire and brimstone explosion. She said she did that kind of thing only once. It killed the unicorn she hacked, and the blast from the explosion scarred her for life."

"YOU ARE NEVER TO DO THAT!" the stallion yelled at the top of his lungs. 

Jordan cringed. "Daddy, I don't think I could if I wanted to! You have a split-second to recognize what the other pony is trying to do, find the vulnerabilities in their spell, and know precisely what to insert based on the situation. Do you have any idea how unimaginably hard that is? Do you know how many ways you have to know off the back of your head to make a spell go wrong based on the situation? I understand the theory, but I have no idea how Auntie Sunset managed it. It's fu— um, insane."

"Nice saving throw to not cuss," Jackie chuckled. 

I wanted to help Jordan out some more. "You know, sir, Jordan seems like she's pretty talented and intelligent. I'm sure she knows how to keep herself, and us, out of danger. She didn't explain that like a kid, but like a magic expert who knows what they're doing and recognizes and respects how dangerous this stuff can be. You should be really proud of how mature she is. You did a great job raising her to be a capable young mare."

He gave me a raised eyebrow, and I gave him my best smile. He then shook his head and looked at Jordan with his ears sagged. "Fine, I trust you know what you're doing. It's hard not to look at you and your sister and see my baby fillies who need their dad to take care of and protect them. Your friend is right, you're starting to transition into young adults, and although you might not be adults yet, I need to stop treating you both like helpless foals."

"Or innocent ones," Jackie chimed in. "Have you seen Jordan's porn stash?"

Jordan's fur went from lavender to a very dark purple. "Jackie! How could you rat me out like that?!"

Their dad's face darkened slightly as well. "No, but your mother talked to me about it and says she is taking care of the situation—as well as yours, Jacqueline. Don't try to hide what goes on with you by pointing a hoof at your sister. It was an effort not to storm in and get involved when I found out, but your mother convinced me I might be too restrictive in my approach and counterproductive if I got involved. I trust her. Just don't bring it up around me. Let me have some fatherly illusions about you two being my innocent little angels who would never think about that stuff." He paused and smirked. "Oh, but you are getting grounded, Jackie."

"What?! For what?!" Jackie whined. 

"Trying to deliberately embarrass your sister," he said with a stiff nod. "I don't mind you tattling about things when Jordan might be putting herself in danger—I actually hope you do in those cases, but trying to embarrass her is not a good reason to tattle. Have some more loyalty to your sister. I expected better of you. You know it's your job to watch your sister's back."

Jackie hung her head and looked at Jordan. "Sorry, Jor. I shouldn't have done that." She then turned and looked at her dad. "So, what's the damage? How long am I in for?"

"Early bedtime for the remainder of the weekend," he answered. 

Jackie shrugged. "Okay, it could be worse. I was expecting worse."

"And I am going to tell Tempest," he tacked on. 

That made Jackie's head shoot up. "What happened to tattling is wrong!"

"She can drive home the lesson better, and since it's part of your self-defense training, it will be more productive than me just restricting you from some things," their father said. 

"Sorry, Jackie," Jordan said in a low voice. 

Jackie gave her a little smile. "Don't be. It's my fault, not yours."

Lántiān cleared her throat to get their attention. "If you are done. I can see to it that Jordan gets her wages. Will she be returning tomorrow to continue her job?"

Jordan looked at her dad. He sighed again. "Yeah, she can continue doing the bodyguard-foalsitter thing."

Lántiān nodded. "Good." She then briefly looked at me. "Stay here. I still need to discuss today with you, and see you are paid. I prefer they are all gone first."

I saluted. "Yes, Lántiān, ma'am, sir!"

She grumbled and went to go pay Jordan while I waited nervously for whatever chewing out was coming.