//------------------------------// // Wake-Up Call // Story: Manehattan's Lone Guardian // by Curtis Wildcat //------------------------------// True to Knight and Gargoyles' words, the sedative Drama Heart was injected with began to fade around the time Celestia's sun began its rise. A half hour later its effects were gone entirely, and shortly thereafter she woke up feeling remarkably well rested. That's the best sleep I've had in a while. Drama clambered out of bed and reared up just enough to stretch her forelegs a little. Hm, feels pleasantly cool in here. I must have left the window open last night without meaning to. I'll have to look around for bugs in a bit, but I don't think it'll hurt to leave it as it is until after I'm done with breakfast. Not suspecting anything, she left to get cleaned up without checking behind her bedroom curtains first. ... When Drama left the bathroom a half hour later, she felt refreshed and ready to tackle her first full day as a caretaker. Her mane was in the frizzy style she preferred, though she knew it would settle into something more "normal" as the hours passed. She didn't place her bow in her mane, instead stashing it away for now. With her hygiene and such taken care of, breakfast became her main priority. En route to the kitchen she stopped when she reached the living room, and she stepped in to check on her guest. Leviathan was still where she had left her on the couch, but she had shifted positions during the night so that her face was all but buried in the hoofrest. One arm hung partway off the couch, the back of her hand resting against the floor. The blankets she was covered with seemed a bit marred and oddly rumpled, though Drama didn't know what the causes of those were. What she understood from yesterday's explanation told her that the living machine needed as much rest as possible in order to completely regenerate, so Drama decided to just leave her alone and go about her day. Let's see now, checklist. What do you have to offer me? Take a quick look at my accounts and double-check to make sure they're in order. Brainstorm ideas for another performance. Take Leviathan out shopping in the afternoon and see if any of the stores have more of those Heartbreakers available, maybe take her to the fashion district and see if there are any boutiques that cater to bipeds... she at least needs something to hide those wounds. I don't think she'd like it if I tried mummifying her. She had just finished a light breakfast--carrot juice and a blueberry bagel--when the door chime sounded. As the facsimile of a dragon's laughter faded, Drama stared through the floor in the general direction of the theater's front door. I'm not expecting anypony, she pondered as she left her dishes in the sink to wash later and trotted out of the apartment. Who is it? Gray or Turkey checking to see how Fairy's feeling today? Her curiosity grew as she made her way down the stairs, and she opened the door that led to the theater lobby. ... Those few ponies who lived on the block and slept soundly through the Reploid Vs. Midnight Castle scuffle jumped awake as a rageful shriek rattled the air. I'm inside a computer. There are floating arrows with eyes throwing blocks at me. What's that catchy tune playing...? "FAIRY LEVIATHAN!" Mmph. What's that noise? ... Don't care, trying to rest. "GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW, YOUNG LADY!" Not young, not a lady. Go away, voice in my head. Bring me Zero. I'm bored. "DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE AND GLOMP YOU AGAIN!" Don't know what that word means. Don't care. Good-bye. I'm running on a treadmill. Not on it long enough, platforms are disappearing--- What's that pressure I'm feeling?... ... ... Power Output: 33% of capacity. Cannot exceed 41.3% at the present time. Coolant Levels: 86.5%. Ice Manipulation: 45%. Main system undamaged. Low-medium efficiency due to reduced power output. Energen Levels: 100%. Reserve bank: 2%. Structural Integrity: 61.9%. CPU cancels sleeping: hugged by a horse. Mmff. Wish I could've slept longer. As my systems boot up, rouse me from the weird dream I was having and list off my system statuses, I can immediately tell there's something pinning me to Drama's couch. I can dislodge it easily, but I might as well make sure of what it is first. It's positioned on my back, it doesn't seem to care that my helmet's fins are in the way, and it has its hooves wrapped around my neck-- Wait. Hooves? I open my eyes and shift my head enough to see what's weighing me down. There's a pony-shaped face mere centimeters from mine--- ...! Just before an undignified scream vacates my throat once again, the thought flashes through my mind: Oh. So that's what that word means. "KYAAAAA!" Drama Heart didn't flinch from the high-decibel screech going off right in her ears. She'd dealt both with worse and from more voices at once. She hung on tight as Leviathan practically spun off the couch to the floor, both blankets flying away as she tried to get the unicorn off of her. "Miss Drama, let go of me! It wasn't funny the first time you did that!" Drama wasn't impressed. "It got you to wake up, didn't it?" All the same she let go and climbed off, immediately charging for the door. "Now c'mon. You're going downstairs with me!" Leviathan blinked, her face a writhing mass of confusion. "...What? Why?" The Reploid pushed herself away at Drama's raging fury. "Because 1), what did you do to my theater? 2), why is there a journalist from the Manehattan Minutes at the door? And 3), why is there a Royal Police officer at the door?!" "...So that's what this is about. Before you start accusing me of anything," Leviathan answered calmly, getting to her feet, "you did notice a speck of blood on your neck when you woke up, didn't you?" "Yes, but I assumed it was from a spider bite," Drama said, voice cooling down towards normal. "I treated it while I was getting washed up. Why?" "That wasn't a spider bite," Leviathan told her dryly. "That was a sedative." Drama's brain flatlined for a split second before getting its act back together. "...What?" "I imagine that you'll probably be getting the full story from that officer downstairs, if this is what I think it's about," Leviathan said, her confidence back in her voice. "You can stand here and lambaste me, or you can hear them out. Your call, but it's best not to keep them waiting." A displeased nicker. "This had better be a good one, dearie," Drama warned, turning and trotting for the door. Leviathan smiled as she followed her into the hall beyond. "I'm certain this qualifies as 'good'. Trust me. In fifteen minutes you'll be wondering why you were angry at me in the first plaaacceeee---!" Already halfway down the first stairway, the horror-savvy Drama didn't bother trying to turn around when Leviathan's voice unexpectedly rose in pitch. Instead she pressed herself as flat as she could against the stairs, ducking her head. This action prevented her from accidentally getting brained as Neo Arcadia's aquatic Guardian fell past her, tumbling down the flight and smacking into the wall at the bottom. "Fairy!" Drama straightened and hurried down the remaining stairs as quickly as she dared, concerned. "Are you alright?" "Ergh... wall's probably more damaged than I am." Leviathan made no move to get up beyond rolling onto her side, grimacing. "I misjudged that first step. Maybe I should just come in through the window from now on. Less chance of embarrassing myself that way." Drama skimmed over the thankfully undamaged wall before looking over Leviathan. "Dear sweet Celestia," the unicorn murmured as she satisfied herself with her companion's condition. "You're just going to be hopeless with the utterly mundane, aren't you?" "I was once told that I should keep my helmet on at all times," the disgruntled Reploid groused as she stood up and dusted herself off. "At first I thought it was because I'd never know if I needed to fight something at any time, day or night. I think now I'm getting the true reason why." "And that ridiculous footwear of yours isn't doing you any favors," Drama added as they continued on down the second flight. "I spent most of my time underwater, alright? Sheesh." ... As Drama stated, there were two ponies waiting outside the theater doors. The journalist she was talking about had a fairly bushy mustache, a nicely-trimmed mane that was just beginning to gray at the back, looked like he took everything more seriously than most, and had on a rumpled white dress shirt. For reasons Drama could only guess at, he seemed uncomfortable being at the Pyre. His pencil-and-notepad Cutie Mark indicated his occupation. The officer next to him didn't have the light armor that the ones on the night shift had worn, instead just sporting an R.P. cap and blue shirt with a tie. Her Cutie Mark was a plain coffee mug that was filled to the brim. She nodded in greeting when the door opened. “Miss Leviathan and Miss Heart, correct? Officer Coffee-and-Cream with the Royal Police.” “Good morning, officer,” Drama greeted her warily, hooking the door to a wall-mounted latch to keep it open. “If this is about Leviathan she only just arrived in town, so she doesn't have an ID card yet...” "Actually, I'm just here to escort her to the police station," the officer corrected, smiling cheerfully in an attempt to offset Drama's caution. "The reward money's waiting for her." “Reward money?” Drama echoed. “What are you talking about, ma'am?” "You didn't know?" Coffee-and-Cream pulled out a wanted poster and presented it to them. The picture on it was an artist's rendition of two earth ponies, one thin and wiry with a very buckable face, the other bulky and powerful. Both wore dark blue outfits that blocked their Cutie Marks from view, though the marks in question were etched over their heads. "'Wanted for multiple counts of thievery, breaking and entering, misuse of magic gemstones, and illegal ownership of Royal Guard weaponry: the Midnight Castle gang'," she recited. "'Leaders: Iron Gates and Bastion. Group totals seven ponies in all: three earth ponies, two pegasi, two unicorns. 2,600 gold bits for the capture of both leaders, 3,500 for the entire gang.'" Drama rounded on Leviathan, her mouth having fallen open long before she got any words out. "You got up and went bounty hunting while you should have been sleeping?" "Not intentionally," Leviathan answered, not missing the journalist hastily scrawling everything down. "They were raiding the theater. I couldn't sleep as long as they were here, so I decided to catch them and turn them over to the Police." This did nothing to calm the unicorn down, instead worsening her mood. "Somepony tried to steal from my theater?" she intoned in a voice she typically reserved for her 'ghoul' imitations. How dare they, how DARE they---! “Calm down,” Leviathan told her, her tone as serious as pickles on hay burgers. “I don't think the police would appreciate you trying to lobotomize their prisoners.” Drama turned to her, scandalized. “Oh, I wouldn't do that. That's too lowbrow!” A thin, devious little smile. “On the other hoof, removing all of their nose hairs with my tail trimmer---” “Miss Drama Heart, have a little class!” the journalist cut in hastily. “We have standards! Get yourself under control!” “...Good to know that controversial brain operations are on the same level as improper use of nasal scissors,” Leviathan commented, eyes half-closed. “And if someone told me a year ago that I would be saying that sentence, I would've had them committed.” She nodded at the journalist. “So you're with the news, then?” “That I am. Buried Lede. I'm a reporter and editor with the Manehattan Minutes.” He raised an eyebrow and gestured at the theater, Reploid, and ponies alike. “Somepony at the office wanted me to find out more about a disturbance that was taking place in this neighborhood yesterday, but it looks like something much bigger's blown through here. Anypony mind helping me get the full picture? ...A word picture, mind you. Not an actual picture.” “I would say that I'd need to clean this mess up first,” Drama mused a trifle irritably, glaring at the pile of items that Leviathan had left in the back of the lobby, “but that could take a while. Do you need to talk to Fairy right now, or can it wait?” Leviathan regarded Drama suspiciously, but it was Lede who answered. “I can always chase her down later, as long as I know where she's going to be. The story's not complete without every angle.” “Good. Fairy, while I'm giving Mr. Lede his interview, go on ahead with the nice officer to the station and pick up your money.” The unicorn ignored Leviathan's puzzled face. “Get yourself more of that candy if you like, and do scout the fashion district for a suitable boutique. I'm not going to let you wander around looking like something Gray Ghost dragged in!” Leviathan had been caught by surprise a number of times in the past twenty-four hours already, but having somepony make her decisions for her did a good job adding to the collection. She raised a finger to protest. “But---” “If you don't know where to go, just ask somepony for directions.” Drama patted her hand. “You're a grown machine. I'm sure you'll be fine! And please, take your time. I'll be busy today.” “But I---” “And before you say anything else, no I'm not interested in your reward money,” Drama interrupted, turning away with an air of 'this conversation is over, I have a journalist to talk to'. “You're the one who caught the thieves, not me. Spend the money as you will, and I'll see you when you get back!” She beckoned for the journalist to follow her in as she walked away towards her office, grabbing a few stray items in her magic as she went. ... Leviathan looked helplessly first at her departing form, then at the officer who was trying her hardest not to laugh. “I don't suppose there's some way I can get out of this?” “You could, but unless you have a very good reason, it shows a lack of appreciation for our generosity and makes you look rude,” the officer replied in the negative. “And you were acting alone in this, so we can't just give it to somepony else. You could do that yourself after we give you the money...” “And if I find out you did that, I will pin you to my couch and give you all the love and attention you could ever hate!” Drama Heart hollered from her office. A bead of sweat trailed down the officer's temple. “...but it doesn't look like that's an option either. How in Equestria did you get yourself saddled with such a creep?” Leviathan's hand pressed against her face, dropping off of it slowly. “I'm sure the local news will tell the city about it soon enough. Can we just go, please?” “I thought you'd never ask.” The officer led her out the door to the parked carriage nearby. “Come on, Miss Leviathan. Let's go.” ... I look around outside the carriage as we rumble down the street before addressing the vehicle's source of horsepower. “So,” I ask in what will probably be a vain attempt at conversation, "is 'Coffee-and-Cream' your real name?” “It's short for 'I-Like-My-Sugar-With-Coffee-and-Cream',” the officer explains in a tone that suggests that she's been asked this a hundred times before and is absolutely sick of it. “I'm told my Mom was out of it when I was born. The less said about that, the better.” Figured I wasn't going to get anyplace. “Fair enough.”