//------------------------------// // Nickname Basis // Story: My Little Caboose: Blue is Magic! // by DarkWing //------------------------------// O'Malley kicked open the front door and smugly strutted into the kitchen where Sarge, Applejack and Delta were standing in. They were in the middle of a conversation when he entered. He didn't care. "Evening, fools!" O'Malley said as he stood next to Delta. "Hello Omega, how was your day?" Delta asked. "It was wonderful!" O'Malley boomed. "You should have seen it. I asked for their taxes, they stalled and said they didn't have it. I mess up the place, suddenly they have bits pouring out of every orifice. Including the ones they feared I would make! Oh, let me tell you about the one that owned a pet store with many aquariums! You see, I went in there with my glasses over my eyes, trying to look as intimidating as possible, when this couple walked in from the store room. When they came out they asked who I was. I told them. They didn't believe me, said they were all paid up, so I grabbed a metal rod that was used to put together a cage and I began tapping on one of the aquariums. I slowly started tapping faster, until I was hitting the aquarium and began to crack. At that point they were already giving me what they owed, but Iw as having too much fun. I hit the glass harder and it cracked even more. Now they were worried, so they emptied their cash register and begged for me to leave and never come back! Oh how I wish they didn't pay me. I wanted those fools to discover where I'd put the fish if they didn't! Muahahaha." "Sounds like extortion, which ah'll have ya know ah don't appreciate." Applejack grunted, angry at what O'Malley had done that to some of the ponies in Ponyville. "As if ah needed any further proof that ya can't be trusted..." "Call it what you wish, I call it a job well done!" O'Malley laughed. "C'mon Delta, you're smart, tell him he did them wrong." Applejack said, turning to Delta in hopes he would agree with her. "He did nothing wrong." "What?" Applejack asked dumbfoundedly. "He did as he was hired to do." Delta nodded slowly. "Don't tell me you support that sorta behavior." Applejack said slowly, eyes narrowing at Delta. "Not at all, what I support is irrelevant. He is just performing in the way he was trained to." Delta sighed, instantly thinking of a way to make it easier for her to relate with O'Malley. "Much like you and harvesting apples, he didn't just learn it over night. He used his skills to adapt. I understand there is a large gap between kicking trees and kicking ponies, but you must know that whenever an agent was taken on a mission, they were given a set of goals. It didn't matter how they managed to do it. Just as long as it got done the Director was happy and they were rewarded." "That is exactly it!" O'Malley nodded viciously. "By fragment standards I did the job exceptionally well." "Speaking of jobs, when are you going to pay us back for that tree you destroyed?" Sarge asked sternly. "Oh Sarge. Do you really think I'm going to replace it?" O'Malley chuckled. "I told you I had no aspirations of being a apple farmer, and since you didn't appreciate my methods I felt you wouldn't appreciate my ways of fixing it." "You might be able to get away with that stuff in Ponyville, but here you're living under the Apple family's roof. You listen when they talk. You jump when they ask, got it?" "I knew you we're a fool, but I didn't know you were a complete idiot. Need I remind you about the sum of money they owe?" O'Malley asked seriously, making Sarge's eye twitch in frustration. "You punish me, I punish you. An eye for an eye and all that jazz." "An eye for an eye?" Sarge asked angrily, taking a step towards him. "Are you trying to tell me you think that making you pay for a single tree is as bad as taking away thousands more trees from them?" "Yes." O'Malley smiled. Sarge began walking towards him, wanting to put him in his place, but Sarge found himself stopped. He glanced around, expecting to see Applejack holding him back, but instead he saw a thin, green mist surrounding his hooves. He glared at Delta who stared impassively back at him. "Don't worry about it Sarge." Applejack said quietly, helping Delta take control of the situation. "Most of the trees around th' edge of the orchard need replantin' anyways." "Why? They look perfectly fine to me." Sarge muttered. "We use th' wood of those we fell t' heat our home durin' th' winter." Applejack promised, gradually making Sarge relax. "It ain't a big deal." "I still don't like that he did it..." Sarge grumbled as Delta released him. "Cry me a river. Preferably one of the blood variety!" O'Malley chuckled savagely. "Come O'Malley, we must plan who you will talk to tomorrow!" Gary called from outside. "As much as I'd like to stay and chat, I have other business to attend to... fool." O'Malley said as he trotted out of the room. Delta changed from looking at Sarge to looking at Applejack and coughed. "What's wrong?" Applejack asked. "I hope you are not angry at me." Delta said quietly, looking away from her. "Why would ah be angry with ya?" "For technically siding with O'Malley. I understand that you-" "Ah'm not angry at ya for that." Applejack said, smiling awkwardly at him. "Only one ah'm really angry at is Sarge." "What did I do?" Sarge asked, offended. "Oh ah don't know, how about swearin' in front of my lil' sister and her friends?" "We've already been over this, I can't help it." Sarge shrugged. Applejack turned to Delta and raised her brow, asking him to give his two cents. "I believe you could at least try to act more open minded when the young ones are around." Delta bowed his head. "Thank ya kindly." Applejack nodded, then turned at Sarge and smirked. "Why can't ya be more like Delta?" "You want me to be like a fragment?" Sarge scoffed. "Well his fragmented brain seems t' work better than your full brain." Applejack chuckled dryly. "Ha ha ha, very funny." Sarge said sarcastically. "If I recall correctly, you said that the fragments couldn't be trusted." "Ah never said all of them weren't t' be trusted." Applejack muttered. "Just, y'know, th' ones that are goin' out of their ways t' annoy us. It ain't that hard to try an' set th' girls right." 'Whatever you say, boss." Sarge said with a firm, albeit mocking salute, then bega walking away. "I'll go make sure those two untrustworthy one's aren't up to anything usual." "Usual?" "Usual for them." "Gotcha." Applejack nodded. Sarge then left the room, leaving Applejack with Delta. Delta looked around the room, taking in every last bit of detail, from the scratch on the wall to the dent on the right most cupboard. "Whelp, ah think ah've had enough of sittin'." Applejack said happily as she walked towards the cupboard. "Are ya hungry?" "I suppose a bit." Delta said, fidgeting in his chair. Applejack opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but shrugged. If he wanted to let her know something he would. She quickly threw together a small snack and put it on a plate, then put it on the table in front of Delta. Delta stared at it and tilted his head. "It's just a sandwich." Applejack chuckled as she made one of her own. "I see." Delta said quietly. "Applejack, may I tell something to you?" "Uh, okay." Applejack turned back to him curiously after finishing her snack. "What is it?" "I just wanted to let you know that I would not mind if you call me D." "D?" Applejack raised her brow. "Yes. It is a name agent York gave to me while I was with him." Delta nodded, and smiled when Applejack frowned. "It is what I like my friends calling me."