-=-=-=- Ragdoll Book Two: The Ladybug -=-=-=-
-=-=-Prologue-=-=-
“Uncle, we don’t have anywhere to live!” She’s adorable. She’s everything to me. “We’re basically homeless!”
“It took days to get above ground, little bug.” My smile is supportive… or not… it’s kinda of sewn onto my face. “This isn’t even the second time I’ve seen you sleep outside.”
“This is different, Uncle! The sky is right there!” Of course that scares her. It’s not that we don’t have a place. The sky is an alien thing that hangs over her.
It breaks my heart, because she’s being punished for doing the right thing. She returned the doll. Of all the paths I could have opened for her, she chose the one way path that returned me to Gloomy Sonnet. I can support her, I can advise her, but I can’t open a path for her without striking a deal. And we both know the steep costs of dealing directly with the narrative. We’ve both seen the best and worst of the people who’ve carried me. Because that happened yesterday. And then Gloomy just left. And I’m kinda proud of her for that.
“Uncle, we don’t have any money! We don’t have a place to sleep! I’m hungry, and I’m tired!” I’m drawn out of my introspection by her very real needs and wants. A teenager is still a child.
“Right.” I only have one loyalty, and that is my loyalty to my bearer. This isn’t an excuse, this is simply an overriding law. “I need you to disguise as a unicorn toddler… let's say some combination of pink and orange. Then we’re gonna run over that street cart, grab all the snack cakes we can carry, and you run off laughing into that alley off to the left.”
“Uncle! That’s robbery!” I expected this, she’s a good filly. Unfortunately she’s also a hungry filly.
“That’s why laughing is important, if a laughing toddler does it, it’s just a prank.” I explain very rationally.
“Stealing is wrong, Uncle!” I admire her principles. I won’t lie to her.
“Yes, it is. And so is trespassing, but you need food and a place to sleep.” I won’t sugar coat it, she deserves to know the truth. “And I promise that when you wake up tomorrow, We’re going to work to make it so we don’t have to do this, but tonight you have to eat, and you need a place to sleep. So we are going to rob a food cart, and break into a warehouse.”
“But Uncle, what if we get caught?” The filly asks a legitimate question. I owe her an honest answer to this.
“Then we will have a place to stay and I’m pretty sure they’ll feed you. Either way the immediate problems are solved…”
-=-=-=-=-
“Wow! These apple cakes are delicious!” The lady bug pony proclaimed joyously as she stuffed another into her mouth whole.
“OC, if you eat all those apple cakes, you gonna get a wicked bad tummy ache!” The doll chuckled from his corner of the vacant warehouse.
“Buck you! I’ma eat ALL these apple cakes!” The filly rolled into a semi closed ball kicking her six stubby legs in mirth.
“Wait minute!” The doll wobbled, as it spoke. “Have you been drinking? Is that why this is only a four pack of beer?”
“I only drank one!” The insectile filly rolled her compound eyes.
“It comes in six packs.” The doll crossed his arms in his best attempt to look stern,
“That’s how math works uncle.” The filly staggered about. “What’s the big deal, anyway? I already stole the beer, why shouldn’t I be allowed to drink two beers? I’m not a foal. Besides, you literally bathe in alcohol, I’ve seen you do it.”
“You’re a young adolescent whose the size of a small pony foal.” Ragdoll glared at the underling filly as best as his limited ranged of facial expression allowed. “Where as I am a grown ass cursed magical construct with no physiology to speak of whatsoever. I didn't say anything about the beer before because I thought you just stole it for me... which is a pretty dubious defense now that I think about it. I'm only looking out for you, OC.”
“I’m kinda dizzy…” the ladybug spun around in a sad circle.
“We’ll talk about it in the morning.” Ragdoll heaved a sigh and a yawn. “Tyrek’s flabby flank, yer mom is going to kill me.”
“Do you like my mom, Uncle?” Ocellia asked absently with a yawn.
“Your mom is an eldritch abomination that terrifies me.” The doll grunted.
“I just met your ex-mare friend… like, yesterday…”
“Good night, OC…”
“Good night, Uncle…”