//------------------------------// // The Definition of Terror - Part 2 // Story: Manehattan's Lone Guardian // by Curtis Wildcat //------------------------------// "Are you done yet?" "Hee... yes, I think I'm good. I feel much better now." "Excellent. Now if there aren't any further interruptions..." I don't know why Zeke felt like he had to do that. The hug by itself was more than enough, but to add a kiss on top of that? I just can't get my mind off of it. Did he know for a fact that I'd been fighting for too long, or was that strictly a personal opinion? Because if it's the former, he's incredibly perceptive for a child. If it's the latter, then he's just being a lovebug. I've already established that I enjoy a good fight more than almost anything. It's in the name: I'm a combat Reploid, after all. However, that doesn't mean that I'm incapable of appreciating a peaceful way of life. Every time I see the ponies around me going about their business and interacting with each other peaceably, part of me wants to smile. If Copy X and Dr. Weil hadn't gotten it into their heads to ruin everything, this would've been the pre-dominant way of life back home. The energy crisis would have been eventually solved thanks to Dr. Ciel's genius intellect, and organics and robots alike would have entered a golden age. If only... Maybe Zeke's right. Maybe I have been walking the battlefields long enough. Once I get home and help kick Dr. Weil to the curb, I'll have to think about setting aside my Javelin once and for all and focusing on what's more important. The sad thing is, that's probably not what's going to happen to me. Even without taking Zero into account, my desire to be challenged is going to keep drawing me back into the fray. Eventually something will destroy me, and no unlikely jaunts into a new universe will save me when that happens. What to do... "Miss Lee-viathan, are you home up there?" Pinny's mispronunciation of my name brings me back to reality. "Sorry. I'm awake." My arm's nudged good-naturedly. "You don't need to zonk out because of some random puppy love. He's far too young for you." "I don't think he sees me that way, Miss Lane, and even if he did he's not my type. So if we're done embarrassing the killer robot, could you get back to your explanation?" "Right. Sure." ... With that out of the way, Pinny gets back to talking. The EBL, it is explained to me, consists of fourteen teams; it had previously been thirteen, but one of the higher-ups insisted on allowing one more team to be formed to even things out (personally, I think whoever it was puts too much stock in superstition). The Ponyville team I'm seeing now was born from that insistence. "A varied-looking bunch over there..." I say, seemingly to myself. Pinny's smart enough to catch what I'm trying to ask. "I've never met any of them personally, but I know a little about all of them." She gestures at the dirty blonde-maned one who had tried to correct me on the time earlier. "That's Letrotski. He was involved in some sort of incident recently involving a rug and a rich pony with the same name as him... I couldn't make sense of it, just that the case was settled out of court. The one next to him claims to have fought in a war against the Griffon Kingdom, which makes no sense when we've been on peaceful terms with them since before his grandparents were born. Also quick to lose his temper." She nods at the third member of their team. "That one's more known by his nickname 'Donny' than his real name, and he's the best bowler of the four. He's on track for setting the league record for the most strikes in a row." She smiles, her blushing evident. "Nice-looking, too..." I've been rolling my eyes a lot since I got here, I've noticed. "Focus, Miss Lane. What about their fourth?" Pinny grimaces and lowers her voice. "I've heard some bad stuff about that one. He had to spend some time in prison because he was harassing foals. Only reason he's even allowed on the team is because he's just that good at bowling, and even then we've got everypony watching him to make sure he doesn't try anything funny. Keep an eye on him too, would you?" I'm sure it's not a coincidence that he was staring in the direction that Zeke had gone while everypony else was paying more attention to me. "Understood." The long-legged unicorn smiles thankfully, then continues at a more reasonable volume. "...And all four of them dabble in clothing manufacturing on the side. Those shirts and suit coats they have on are entirely their own make. Pretty sure it's their day job during the off-season, actually..." ... Turkey Bowl did eventually show up to greet me alongside the other two members of his team. Pinny told me that he was just getting ready, but he was wearing the same gray jacket that he had on him when we first met. I assumed that she meant that he was just trying to get in the right frame of mind for a competition. "'Frame' of mind. Cute." "Trust me, it wasn't intentional. Anyway..." After a few inquiries as to how life in Manehattan was treating me alongside general small talk, I give my thanks to Turkey and Pinny and left to find a seat that would allow me to see everything. I wonder a little if this was how it was going to be: Turkey was one of the first ponies I interacted with directly, and you'd think that after our meeting in that grocery store I'd be seeing him more often. As it stands, our interactions have been lackluster, few and far between. Maybe that's because he's more sane than Gray and Drama. The more touched in the head they are, the more likely I am to spend time with them. Turkey strikes me as being a "normal" pony, and I don't mean in terms of wings and horns or the lack thereof. He's just a pony making a living by doing what he does best, with no real quirks to be made aware of. He doesn't have any real reason to interact with me on a day-to-day basis, and doing so would probably take him out of his way. "Not true. Turkey's been at the Pyre often enough that I can recognize him easily. He's been to each new show I've put on at least once, plus a few during the day. Keep your eyes open, Fairy. I'm sure you'll be talking to him again." "If you say so..." For a time, things were uneventful. There isn't anything for me to say about the games themselves beyond them being contests of accuracy and skill. There was one more minor fact I picked up in that the team who won needed to have the highest combined score after three games, but that was just small stuff. Also, there's ponies being able to pick up large objects with a single hoof. I'd seen one of those thieves do something similar with his knife when we fought, but there's a serious difference between that and a bowling ball. It serves as a reminder that not all biology is universal. It was after the second game ended that shenanigans started happening... Pinny pumped a hoof as the pins went flying, the official scorer logging her final strike of the second game. 235 points, she mused as she trotted back to her seat. Far from my best game, but it could be worse. If it hadn't been for that 7-10 split on the 9th frame... oh, well. At least Turkey and the others are picking up the slack. According to Turkey, his special talent had to do with his unerring accuracy. Simply put, whatever he aimed at, he hit. However, in most matches he preferred instead to rely on his more natural skills in order to give the opposition a fighting chance. Against Ponyville's Donny, that wasn't an option: he needed to be counted on to bring his A-game. As such the two of them matched each other frame for frame, Donny shattering the league record for consecutive strikes in the process (and receiving a nice round of applause from all those present). In-between games there were short breaks to allow for refreshments to be served and trips to the restrooms to be made. Almost immediately the Ponyville team's 4th member got up to leave, citing the latter. Those that were suspicious of him--Leviathan included--watched as he did, and most only turned away when they were satisfied that he wasn't going anywhere near the foals within the alley. As the pegasus from the snack counter pushed a trolley full of food and beverages through the area, Pinny decided to double-check out of curiosity's sake as to where all the foals were situated. The huggy one, Zeke, and a more energetic colt that she'd seen running around were watching a game in progress at the opposite end of the alley. A third--closer to a young mare in age--was seated on a chair next to the alley's gaming room, complaining about tilt-happy pinball machines. A fourth was situated in said gaming room talking to ponies four to five times her age, and was being treated with a surprising amount of respect. Not seeing any others and her curiosity being satisfied, Pinny turned away to rejoin her team. A few seconds after she passed, the stallion everypony was wary of left the restroom and went in the direction opposite of which he was supposed to go. And from her seat, Leviathan's eyes narrowed as she witnessed this. "Well, it was nice while it lasted," one of the gamblers said to Fiver as they put the cards away, "but it's time we got going. We've got appointments to keep." "...How often are you in Manehattan?" Fiver asked after swallowing one of the potato chips she'd won. "Why? Are you interested in playing against us again?" "...I wouldn't object to that." The gambler considered this. "If everything goes according to schedule... we should be back in the city in a month, maybe a month and a half. We could meet here at Mustang Lanes again, if you like, but only if its okay with your parents. I have too much respect for Gray Ghost to go against her wishes." "You keep mentioning that name," one of his friends brought up. "Who is she?" A wistful smile. "Former police officer. Got herself hurt getting me out of a hostage situation when I was in my twenties." His friends whistled. "No kidding?" said the one who'd asked. "You've got to tell us that story sometime." "Maybe later." The gambler held out his hoof towards the foal. "Talk to your mother sometime about this. Tell her that Double Down sends his regards, see if she remembers the name. If she doesn't, it's no big deal if we call this off." Fiver tapped his hoof. "...I'll see what I can do. Have a good day." The three gamblers nodded, smiled, and departed, leaving Fiver alone. For a few minutes she tried to decide what to do next. ...Zig-Zag and Energy are cheering somepony on; maybe I should join them? ...I could just come up with games of my own to play, but Mom did tell me this was the sort of place where I shouldn't be alone... An unfamiliar stallion trotted into the room. He looked left, then right, grimacing when he didn't see what he was looking for. "Peanut butter on a Tuesday... little filly, was there a 'Double Down' here? I was wanting to catch him before he left," he said as he approached her. Never having paid attention to bowling and not being in the know like Pinny Lane, Fiver exercised her standard level of caution around a stranger instead of going on full 'red alert'. "...Left a few minutes ago," she uttered, backing away a step. The stallion snapped something that should not have been spoken within earshot of a foal, causing her ears to turn back. "This close! I was this close to getting my money back!" he barked, taking a step forward (and Fiver another step back). "One of these days, I swear!" "...Too close for comfort," Fiver complained as she tried, and failed, to get some extra space between them. "...Leave. Just because I have trouble yelling doesn't mean that I can't." "Seventy bits!" the stallion ranted as he got closer, too engrossed in what he was saying to hear her. "I won seventy bits off of him in Pinochle fair and square, and he's never once responded to my requests for payment! Do you know what that makes him? Do you know what that---" A pair of black hooves struck his side in mid-sentence, staggering him for a moment. Ebony--who was aware of his reputation--pivoted to face him, teeth in a snarl. "Stay away from my sister, creep!" Between the stallion being a tough-as-nails earth pony and Ebony only ever exercising enough to keep herself in shape, the unexpected strike didn't keep him disoriented for long. He recovered and turned his attention to her, several levels more aggressive than he had been. "You did not just do that," he growled. "Did you just buck the Haychus? Nobody bucks the Haychus!" Not feeling as brave as she had been, Ebony squeaked out an "Uh-oh". Whirling around, she galloped out of the room and hustled for the building's nearest exit. "Heee-aaaalp!" "...Wait for me," Fiver whispered, not far behind. ... The stallion would have followed them, but a wall of blue jumped in his path just as he exited the room. He gulped as the killer robot who was attending the matches straightened, her arms folded and her eyes judging him. "Those children are under my protection," she warned. "Harrass them at your own peril. You had best return to your team." "Alright, alright, okay," 'the Haychus' acquiesced hastily, slowly retreating back to where he was supposed to be. "I get it, I get it. I ain't going to bother anypony." "M-M-Mannequin!" the filly who'd struck him was heard shrieking, drawing both the robot's attention and a sigh. As soon as her attention was diverted, the stallion bolted. To me it seemed like a good thing that I'd stepped in... or dash-jumped in, as the case may be. The conversation I picked up on my way over, along with Ebony's cry for help, didn't bode well. Of course, Ebony's standard greeting for me isn't necessarily a good thing, either. "Hello to you too, Miss Ebony. Miss Fiver." "F-Fairy?" Ebony stammers, facing away from me. "Oh. It's y-you. T-Thanks." "So cool," Energy breathes, attention grabbed by the spectacle. He and Zeke are close by, staring up at me with starstruck visages. I can hear the ponies who were playing over here murmuring in the background, but I can't quite hear what exactly they're saying over the children. "...I didn't know you were here," Fiver comments. "Where were you?" "Watching the EBL games at the other end," I say, gesturing over my shoulder. "I was asked to keep an eye on that stallion to make sure he didn't try anything funny. I'm told he spent some time in prison a while back for his treatment of foals." And I have a pretty good idea of what that treatment amounted to. I don't know how that works with this species, and I don't want to know. Ebony shudders, ears turning down on hearing this. It's just now sinking in what kind of pony it was she was dealing with, and she doesn't like it. "Fairy? I-I don't want to b-be here anymore..." "Understandable," I tell her. "Do you want me to see if Gray can take you home?" Energy quickly shoots that idea down. "Not until four, not until four. Mom's still on the clock working. I don't think they'll just let her leave early." "...And we can't go to the marina where Dad works," Fiver adds. "They're okay with one of us being there. All four of us?" She shakes her head. "No." "Too much mischief," Zeke finishes, dejected. "Apparently we're menaces." Raising a hand to my chin, I rapidly consider and shoot down some ideas before deciding on what I felt was a logical course of action... "I think I'm seeing where this going," Drama cut in. "You decided to bring them to the Pyre so that you could keep an eye on them until their mother was in a position to watch over them again." Leviathan nodded. "I left a note where Gray could find it, apologized and explained to Turkey Bowl and his team why I was leaving early, and took the foals to a hayburger joint so they could get something to eat (my treat). Following that I took them to the Pyre, and I told them stories from Neo Arcadia... for all of five minutes." "Found you quickly, didn't she?" Drama deadpanned. "In retrospect, I should have just asked her if I could take them with me instead of leaving without her permission. I wasn't expecting her to immediately drop what she was doing and set out to find me. And when she did?" She grimaced. "Ugh, just... wow." "...so keeping in mind what I just said about his demeanor, you'd think he would take everything seriously," I say to the attentive foals in the lobby. Eebon's eyes are shut, but her ears are straight up: despite her fear, she's listening to me. "Then one day one of Harpuia's technicians checked the security footage, and we discovered that Zero spent half an hour trying to use a glorified pogo stick to reach an alcove in the ceiling---" An internal siren blares. I jump to my feet so quickly that it causes the foals to haphazardly follow suit, almost falling over backwards as they do so. "Threat inbound!" I shout, summoning my Javelin and whirling to face the entrance. "Hide, quickly!" The children scatter in all directions, and I brace myself to intercept something that's going to fly straight through the door--- Whumpf. "Ow!" Correction: straight into the door, prompting a mutter of "I wish she'd stop doing that" from Ebony. Gray drops to the ground, gesturing angrily at the door handle before massaging her forehead. She is not a happy camper. "...and for the record, I'd like to say that thing's surprisingly durable." "It ought to be. That's ballista-proof glass there. Ridiculously expensive and impractical for mass production, but it'll stop most anything that's smaller than the door itself." Stare. "...What." "Listen, this wasn't always my home, alright? Just keep talking and stop giving me that look." Dismissing the Javelin and knowing that I'm going to regret doing this, I reach for the door, unlock it and turn the handle. Gray doesn't disappoint me. The moment she has enough space to enter, she leaps onto my torso and gets a grip on my coat's collar, bringing herself eyeball-to-eyeball. There's so much fury filling my vision that my systems have her labeled as a Class 'A' threat: not as high as X or Zero, but still enough to be considered an equal to any of us Four. "I want you to listen to me and listen good, Leviathan," she hisses. "I like to think I can trust you enough to watch my babies if I'm somewhere close by. And maybe if you'd asked me directly if you could take them somewhere, I would've considered it. But that's just the thing: you didn't ask! "I couldn't hear Energy or Zeke anymore! I couldn't see any of them anywhere! The note you left said you were taking them here, but it didn't say why!" Oh. "I had to ask Turkey's team about it in the middle of their match! If that young lady hadn't told me you were protecting the children from a perceived threat, I would've gotten it into my head to take them back by force!" "But Gray, I---" Her rant, plus one of her hooves, stops my protest before it can really begin. "Fairy, an ultimatum. Notes are not good enough for something like this. If you want to take the foals someplace--preferably someplace safe--then you speak to me directly. Do not make me worry by taking them out of my sight without an adequate explanation, you understand?" She jabs her hoof against my mouth a few times, less to do damage and more to try and get her point across. "You even think about doing that again, I will twist that Javelin of yours into a pretzel! You hear me?! A PRETZEL! Do you understand?!" Wha... this... she just... Gray shakes me a little, my internal gibberish not enough for her. "Well? Do you? ...Answer me! Equish! Do you speak it?!" I can't think of any Neo Arcadian civilian, outside of maybe my old friend, who would have both the guts and the will to tell me off like this. Virtually everything that would make sense for me to say is flatlining before it leaves my processor. As such, there is only one word that escapes my throat. "...What?" Her dilated eyes are the first sign that this wasn't the answer she was looking for. Making a noise that sounds like a twisted union between a screech and a groan, Gray jumps off me and gallops into the stairwell. She slams the door behind her, and for a second all is quiet. What is she--- Before I have the chance to finish the question in my mind, Gray answers it. I flinch as an ear-rattling ruckus shakes the wall I'm leaning against, the carpet in the stairwell being ripped apart and the stairs themselves being torn asunder. The analytical side of my mind is wondering how exactly she's accomplishing this. The side responsible for fight-or-flight wants to... well, I'm not really sure what it wants, because it's throwing up its hands and quitting. I start to walk towards the door, but Fiver holds out her hoof and stops me. Is that concern I'm seeing in her stoic eyes? "...Nopony can talk to her when she's like this," she informs me gently. "...She'll forgive you eventually. She always will. Just not right now." "O-on the plus s-side," Ebony manages to get out in light of her proximity to me, "t-this means she l-likes you enough t-to think of you as a f-friend. N-not like that's a-always a g-good thing, w-with us..." Subdued, Energy and Zig-Zag stay quiet. I keep myself from saying anything as well, instead nodding minutely in agreement with Ebony. Gray's message has been received loud and clear: unless you have a death wish, behave yourself around her children. I've heard of the term "mother bear" before, but this is the first time I've actually seen one in any form. Poler Kamrous would be busting a gut right now if she were still alive. I'm going to have to trust that the kids can get through to her. I'm getting the sense that trying to explain my side of the story right now, while she's in this mood of hers, would just fall on deaf ears. Gray storms out of the stairwell and kicks the door shut. The fur around her hooves looks ruffled and disheveled. "Children, we're going," she declares sternly, still angry but down to an eight from a ten. "I read Haychus the riot act when I found out and he won't bother you anymore, so we're heading back to the alley. We'll talk about this after my shift ends." "...Yes," Fiver agrees as she and the others follow along, giving nothing away in her pace or voice. "...We will." Zeke looks back at me sadly, and I give him a reassuring smile that doesn't quite reach my heart. It's good enough for him, though, and he trots out the door after his siblings. ... A full minute has gone by since they left. I walk over to the stairwell and open the door to see exactly what Gray did... ...and quickly close it again. An iceberg stood a better chance of surviving being boiled than I do of successfully explaining what happened to the stairs to Drama. If I still have a roof over my head after this, I'm going to be very amazed. "...And that's why I was brooding when you walked in," Leviathan finished. "I got swept up in Gray's wake and crashed into a rocky shoreline." She frowned. "I thought I was making good headway on developing my social skills. I guess not." Drama stayed silent for a time after the account was finished, wondering what to say. Fairy hadn't outright stated it, but it was clear to the puppet master that she was hurting from the experience. Fiver had said that Gray would forgive her eventually, and if Drama had been a gambling pony, she would have bet her bow that Fairy didn't believe the little stoic. Gray's anger had that much of an impact on her. After a few minutes the fragments coalesced into something coherent, and Drama reached over to pat Leviathan's elbow. It said something about the situation that the Reploid didn't flinch at the action as she normally would've. "I've known Gray for about a year now. The day we met, she was sleeping on top of a wastebasket that used to be set up outside what would become the Pyre, and we hit it off almost right away... not because she was sleeping on the wastebasket, mind you. Given her finances she doesn't attend all of my performances, but she's still one of my biggest local fans. I know her well enough that she's on a very short list of ponies that I can safely call 'friends'. Thing is... she's also the only pony I've known who's ever made me fear for my life." Leviathan tilted her face in her direction. "Hm?" "You heard me talking about this with her once already. Once after one of my performances that she'd attended, the rest of Gray's family showed up at the Pyre to pick her up and take her out for pizza. I'd looked outside at that point and saw Ebony, saw how anxious she was, and I got it into my head to play a practical joke on her. So I took out my goblin stage prop, ignored all of the warnings that Gray was trying to give me, and positioned it so that it would be right in Ebony's face when she turned around. The resulting scream was enough to make my hair stand on end, never mind the hair of those nearby. "The next thing I knew, Gray had bowled me over. It happened so quickly that I have no recollection of the actual impact: first I was on my hooves, then a second later I was flat on my back with pressure on my neck. She was pure fury, eyes dilated and tail lashing all over the place as she told me in no uncertain terms to stay away from her family. The way her teeth were bared, I thought for sure she had actual fangs. For a fleeting moment, I seriously believed I was going to die." "Did you?" Drama snorted, not quite suppressing a chuckle at Leviathan's half-hearted attempt at humor. "If I had, I wouldn't be here, would I? Most of her family dragged Gray off of me, and their youngest explained to me in his own way about Ebony's phobia. I felt the same as you're feeling now: unsure of myself, having realized a little bit too late that I'd crossed a very dangerous line. I threw the goblin back into the lobby and went to apologize, but then I realized that the rest of her family were verbally ripping Gray to shreds for her overprotectiveness. Even Ebony was upset at her. And wouldn't you know it, she never even tried to defend her actions: she just sat there looking as if her world had collapsed around her. "I approached her, and she turned to look at me. I was clearly in the wrong for what I'd done, true, but the first thing out of her mouth was a heartfelt 'I'm sorry'. It was like all of her anger was just... gone. I told her that if she was willing to accept my apology, I could accept hers. She was fine with it, Ebony was okay with it as well, and that was that. The next time I saw Gray a week later, she was as good-natured and laid-back as she'd ever been." Drama rested her hoof on Leviathan's hands, smiling reassuringly. Her 'sanity meter' was as high as it had ever gotten. "The point I'm making, Fairy, is that I'm sure Gray is just as torn up about this as you are. It goes against her nature to stay angry at others, so you don't have to feel that you have to sulk. We might struggle to form connections sometimes, and we might be the flakiest species in the world, but not everypony is inclined to hold grudges over honest mistakes. If you get the chance to talk to Gray tomorrow, you might be surprised to find that she really does consider you to be a friend, like Ebony told you." New life entered Leviathan's eyes. "Are... you sure?" "Guaranteed. In fact, I can arrange it." She withdrew her hoof and trotted for a small set of stairs at one corner of the stage. Leviathan watched as she climbed down and headed for the exit. "Where are you going?" And just like that, the meter was spiked downward. The eye she turned on Fairy as she headed for the exit was rapidly twitching. "Oh, I just have some business to take care of. Meet me outside in about twenty minutes. I'll need you to carry me and my things up to my apartment when I get back." With nothing else to say the unicorn left the auditorium, leaving Leviathan with a hunch as to what "business" she was referring to but little else to work with. ... A little filly disappearing shortly before she was to start kindergarten. Her parents left as frantic, nervous wrecks for weeks. ... Gray had just started to drift away for the night, a faint image of something she couldn't place settling into her brain, when she heard a quiet tapping at the apartment door. Climbing off the back of the couch, she headed for the door and opened it a crack, peeking through it curiously as she wondered who'd be visiting at this time of the evening. "Hello? Guard resid---WHAA!" The feline-minded pony found herself yanked through the now wide-open door, face to face with the seething Salamandra. "I am reopening the theater," the furious unicorn told Gray in a dead-serious hiss, their eyes scant millimeters apart. "You will report to me at 10:00a.m. each day of the week starting tomorrow. You are not allowed to back out of this until you have earned every bit necessary to pay for the damage done to my theater. And no, you are not allowed to use 'but she took my babies out of my sight' as a defense." Gray's ears turned down as she realized the scope of Salamandra's anger. She knew better than to try and wriggle out of the situation, and she might've had nerves of steel, but there was still one matter that left her anxious. "I can't just leave them all alone while Ocean's at work," she protested weakly. "And I can't take Ebony with me. Not after that time you scared her." "Should have thought of that before you ripped up my stairs," Salamandra snarled. "10:00a.m. sharp tomorrow. Friend or not, if you don't show up, I will send you the bill and Mortar & Son will get on your case about it if you don't pay it." "Do you have room there for two?" a younger voice piped up anxiously, Ebony making herself known at the doorway. "I thought you were asleep," Gray chided her quietly as Salamandra freed her from her magical hold, letting the two face each other. "And what do you mean 'two'?" "Couldn't sleep. I can't stop thinking about what happened earlier," Ebony admitted. "And the more I dwell on it, the more I want to help do something about it. Miss Heart, do you have room for another part-timer?" Gray's mouth hung open, the pegasus surprised at her daughter's initiative. Salamandra, while just as surprised, was more unsure. "Why do you want to work at the Pyre, dearie? It's your mother I'm mad at, not you." "Mom's in trouble because I wanted L-L-Leviathan to get me away from that creepy bowler," Ebony explained, struggling to say Fairy's name for a few moments. "This whole thing started because of a misunderstanding that I'm partially responsible for. I'm legally old enough to be allowed to work part-time in Manehattan, and getting some work experience before school continues would probably be a good idea. Unless your roster is full, is there any real reason why I shouldn't be allowed to work?" "Your phobia," Salamandra said flatly. "My 'actors' are all mannequins and puppets of various types with my illusionary magic making them seem real. I cannot in good conscience let you work there." "Who said anything about being around t-t-those b-b-b-blasted things?" Ebony countered, shivering at the thought of it. "Is there any rule that says you can't teach me how to work in the ticket booth? Or even just to have me work pest control?" This gave Salamandra some pause. "Hmm... with the stairs gone, I am likely to get bugs and spiders crawling out of the woodwork... I'm assuming you already pay for supplies out of your own pocket?" "Always do. My goal when I grow up is to be an exterminator." "Most ponies her age burn their allowance money on snacks, games, and toys," Gray remarked, a bit conflicted over Ebony's decision. "She spends hers on things like mousetraps and roach motels." Salamandra raised a hoof to her chin as she pondered what she was told. "...Tell you what. You come with your mother to the Pyre tomorrow, and I'll see what I can find for you to do. We'll discuss the details then. Alright?" Just as Ebony agreed, Fiver poked her head out of the bedroom shared by all four siblings. Her mane, no longer held in place by her hairband, hung limp. "...Would you keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep here." "I thought we were being quiet," Gray murmured, her tone sheepish. "...You were." Fiver walked out of the room to join them. "...But I'm not a heavy sleeper like my brothers. It's harder for me to drift off." "I apologize for disturbing you at this time, little dearie," Salamandra admitted gracefully. "I'll be on my way now. Don't forget, Gray: you and Ebony, 10:00a.m. on the dot tomorrow. Be there." Fiver held out a hoof, stopping the unicorn as she turned away. "...Before you go..." She walked up to Salamandra and wrapped her forelegs around her as best as she could, surprising her. "...Give that to Fairy when you get the chance. As thanks for helping us today." She turned her head towards Gray meaningfully as she let go, her mother awkwardly looking off to the side with a blush. "...I didn't get the chance earlier." Salamandra smiled playfully. "I will pass that along. A good night to all of you." ... As Fiver made herself comfortable on her little trundle bed a minute or two later, her ears caught Ebony's whisper. "Hey. Why'd you hug her? I thought you typically stayed away from ponies you didn't know very well." "...Demonstrating my sense of humor," Fiver bluntly stated at the same volume. She rolled onto her side and pulled her blanket over her head until only her muzzle was visible, making it clear that she wasn't interested in talking further. Ebony stared at the wall, not knowing what to make of that. Her sense of humor? Wha...? "WHA?! Drama, what are you doing?!" "Passing along a 'thank you' from a foal, dearie." "I don't think hugs are meant to be that tight! Get OFF!" "Fine, fine. Little Miss No-Fun..."