//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Any Way the Air Flows // by Nukepony360 //------------------------------// Pixelle couldn't say she was surprised at the sight before her. Nestled tightly between two of the city's many massive towers sat a darkened alleyway with a seedy aura like no other. Uncollected garbage lay strewn about, and she swore she could feel somepony hidden watching from the shadows. Worst of all, it was a dead end! "M-Miss Airflow, are- ahem, are you absolutely sure there's a pharmacy... here?" the unicorn gulped, gesturing vaguely forward. Airflow just let out a quiet chuckle, and patted her on the withers before trotting in deeper. Having opened her wings behind her to help spread away excess body heat, the older mare was relieved to be out of direct sunlight. Feeling the already cooler air of the shadowed alley, she gently folded her wings back to her sides. Continuing on, the batpony confidently walked towards the dead end wall. Pixelle however, was not keeping good pace. She moved far more cautiously, checking every nook and cranny for potential dangers. Looking forward to check on her charge, she saw the mare quickly disappear behind a dumpster at the far end. "Miss Airflow?" she called, anxious. No reply. "Miss Airflow?!" Breaking into a sprint, Pixelle sped forward. As she approached, a dubious green glow emanated from around the corner. Her horn ignited almost on instinct, readying a counterspell. While it wouldn't do much to a non-unicorn assailant, it still held enough impact to knock somepony off-balance. Skidding to a halt as she rounded the dumpster, she screamed a fear-inducing war cry. (Her voice did not crack, that was totally part of it. On purpose! Yeah.) Airflow, halfway down a set of stairs leading to a basement-level shop, merely looked at her with concern. She started climbing back up to check on her. "M-Miss Airflow! You're.. fine??" she sputtered. "What about that green magic?! Who was that?!" The batpony merely pointed above the stairway. Looking past her, Pixelle saw a large neon sign. Bathing that corner of the alley in a soft green, it was shaped like a large medical cross. Confused at the layout of it all, she quickly realized the alley was not actually a dead end; it turned a corner, and continued back out to a neighboring street. "Oh. I uh.. oh. cough So! Phar- um.. pharmacy, huh?" she blushed. Airflow took her hoof, and patted it in reassurance. She smiled warmly, before looking up at her forehead, and giggling a little. The bat gave her a light tap on her horn, and the counterspell she still had charged fizzled out. "Hah.. whoops.." Hazel irises peered down into the darkness below, following the small scene as it unfolded. The eyes observed the way this new mare acted, and the mystery figure kept mental notes. Flighty. Paranoid. Easily tunnel visioned. Rapid caster, though. The unicorn's voice crack pierced her thoughts. The figure snorted and covered her muzzle, barely suppressing laughter. High priority: terrible war cry. We can work on that. She scanned the rest of the alleyway. Just like before they arrived, both branches of the little pathway were devoid of other ponies. Bar the occasional pedestrian noticing the shop's neon sign, little of note appeared. Satisfied at the lack of suspicious activity, she returned her attention to the odd duo. You're supposed to be looking out for her, not the other way around. She watched them like a bird of prey as they made their way down the stairs of the entrance. Stock still, she would easily be mistaken for a gargoyle at a glance. Her ear twitched as she heard the jingle of the doors. She maintained her posture for a few moments after they made their way inside, just to make sure. The older filly released the breath she'd been holding, and unfurled her wings. She leaned over the railing she was perched on, gauging the height. With a sharp nod and a short hop, she glided her way down. A small cluster of silver bells jingled as the door was opened. They were hit with a sudden, sharp cold that nipped through the duo's fur. Airflow stood just past the doorway, content to simply absorb the chilly air of the magically-cooled shop. Her companion shivered through her uniform as she stepped in behind her, and the bells jingled again as the door swung closed. As they walked the rest of the way in, they were greeted by rows and rows of shelves. Medication, hygiene supplies, supplements, and more laid before them with an almost obsessive neatness. The batpony smiled to herself as she appreciated the exceptional organization of products. The sight had been familiar for a long time, and always put her at ease. Taking deep, slow breaths, she folded her wings back up. Looking around the rest of the pharmacy, she found that she and Pixelle were alone. It seemed even the shopkeep was absent. It wouldn't matter until she needed to pay, but it was still an inconvenience to get him to show up. Pixelle stood next to her, having dismissed her fears. Though some ponies may find the harsh whites of the floor, walls, ceiling, racks.. of everything in the shop, really - a little unsettling, and almost too sanitized, Pixelle was simply reminded of her workplace. Ovocon's offices, regardless of location or department, seemed to always be rather lacking in decorative flair. Another rush of cold air interrupted her thoughts, and she tried to sink deeper into her uniform's coat. "How are you doing, Miss Airflow?" she asked, looking down at her. "Feeling better?" The batpony nodded absentmindedly, attention focused on the medicine lining that particular aisle. "I have a few prescriptions to pick up, but I'm running low on the over-the-counter stuff too," she replied hoarsely. "Oh! You're speaking again!" Airflow stopped, suddenly reminded of one of the reasons they were here. Right, throat. Ask for forgiveness, not permission. Sorry in advance, Ducky. She turned back to the unicorn and put up a hoof to say 'one moment'. Pixelle tilted her head in confusion. She trotted off, trying to remember the specific aisle she needed. Weaving back and forth between rows, a shimmer by one of the endcaps caught her attention. Studying the display of bottles, she brightened and happily walked over. She picked up a bottle, and read the label: 'Wunderwasser - Medicated ale to cure what ails you!' Pfff, Germanes and their brews. It'd be silly if it didn't work so well. At least they're smart enough to make it non-alcoholic. She popped the cap on the drink and started trotting back to where she left her friend. Taking a deep breath, she held it, pulled her mask away with a wing, and took a long swig. She sealed her mask back on and let it settle before breathing again. The lukewarm brew's mix of herbs and honey did wonders to soothe her throat. "Oh, that's much better," she said to nopony in particular, rounding the corner back to Pixelle. "You sound better! Hopefully you won't have to have anymore long conversations like that today," her friend commented as she came into view. "Hah! We'll see. Like I said, lots of errands to run, ponies to see." She lifted her mask and took another drink. "Oh, where did you get that? If they've got Partybolt I might get me one. Or maybe a cider..." she thought for a second, looking over the shelving to the checkout counter, seeing it empty. Her brow furrowed, puzzled. "Hey, when did the shopkeep come back? And where did he go?" "He didn't," the bat flatly replied. "Wait, how did you pay for that then?" Airflow merely chuckled to herself, and moved on to the next aisle she needed to see. When Pixelle finally connected the dots, she blanched like she had just witnessed a murder. "Miss Airflow!! You can't-" she nervously glanced around, before lowering her voice to a harsh whisper. "You can't steal!" "Oh settle down, sugarcone! It's not stealing if I still pay for it!" "Well- I mean.. but-!" Clingaling Both mares' heads snapped to the front door, just in time to see it close. Either somepony had made a mistake, or was too short for them to see them from there. And yet, the bells only rang out once... and quieter than usual. Somepony didn't want them to ring at all, and had made a slip. The pair looked at each other for a second, and Pixelle's horn once again ignited with a counterspell. She stared down the aisle, head lowered. Just behind her, the batpony's sharp ears were tracking the pitter-patter clicks of very quiet hooves. She looked down at the bottle in her hoof, and for just a moment had considered breaking it open to use as a weapon. Wouldn't be the first time. Ugh, too messy. But maybe that mess would trigger... As the plan formed in her head, Airflow looked around at the floor tiles, hoping to catch the shimmer of a specific rune the pharmacist liked to use. There, on the darkest tile in the pattern, she spied an unnatural glitter. The hoofsteps were nearing the other end of the aisle. She quickly whispered her plan to Pixelle, who nodded firmly and slowly made her way back towards the front door. The hoofsteps stopped. Airflow took aim. Bottle, shattered. Drink, spilled. Rune, triggered. An alarm rang out from the stockroom, just audible enough to be heard by the ponies in the otherwise dead-quiet store. Whoever had been stalking them no longer cared about stealth, and their panicked and skittery gallop was easily heard by Pixelle. The older mare turned around just in time to watch her unicorn companion jump out in front of the next aisle, and ignite her telekinesis on the intruder. "Aha! Gottem!" the taller mare shouted. "Celestia, you're a shorty, huh? Miss Airflow! The plan worked! I caught the little scamp!" "I ain't no scamp, you overgrown stalactite!" a squeaky, distinctly Manehattan-accented voice cried back. "I'm surprised you know what those are!" Pixelle mused, having come back into view, prisoner in magical tow. "Though you're almost right - since my horn goes from the base upwards, the accurate insult would be 'stalagmite'!" "I'll show you accurate insults, you technicolor ass!" the filly raged, harmlessly punching the air next to the unicorn. "Hey! Language!" Pixelle took a moment to size up their stalker. She was a lanky pegasus filly, approaching or in her teens. It wasn't easy to tell - the unicorn wasn't the best at dealing with foals, and her captive seemed small for her age. Taking in her appearance, her fur was a striking combination of green and grey, and her feathers were almost pearlescent. Her head was topped with an unkempt ash-grey mane, the same as her short tail. "Airflow can ya tell your mutant giraffe bodyguard to PUT ME DOWN?" The batpony clicked her tongue in disappointment. "Nina, what did I tell you about stalking me and my caretakers? And so rude to her, too! I thought I taught you better manners." "But she's holding me in her magic like I'm a doooog!" 'Nina' whined, looking down. "Wha- huh? Miss Airflow, you know her?" "I do, and have for a long time. Go, introduce yourself to Pixelle!" Airflow said, before giving the filly a stern glare. "Politely, Nina." "Uuggghh... Hello, Miss Pixelle... my name is Mezzanine, it's nice to meet you.." she sighed, defeated. She held out a hoof to bump. Pixelle cautiously reached over and bumped her hoof in greeting, not quite trusting the little pegasus yet. Mezzanine gave her no trouble, though she didn't put much effort into the greeting, either. They both looked back at the elder, waiting to see what to do next. "Good! You can put her down now," she nodded. "Yeah, please. And mind the glass! I've had to hooftip around enough of that today already!" the small one demanded. "Oh! Right, we really should clean this all up before the owner comes to yell at us. That alarm is still going..." Pixelle gently set the filly down, making sure that part of the floor was clean. "Yes, Ducky will... wait. Already? What do you mean, Nina? What did you do?" "Uh! Um, n-nothing! Nothing immoral, Airflow!" the filly stammered. "Immoral and illegal are not the same, Nina. What. Did. You. Do?" Between the choice of a unicorn thrice her height and the stone-cold, 'just disappointed your mother' stare directed at her from the bat, Mezzanine chose the former. She skittered behind the pink mare, barely peeking out. "O-okay! B-but I'm staying behind your meatshield, and you can't be mad!" "Meatshield?! Oh you would not be the final girl, you little brat!" Pixelle scoffed. She stepped to the side, refusing to get in between her charge and her business. To her dismay, the feather-light pegasus had already wrapped herself around her back leg, and was hell-bent on staying put. She stared down at her, and in return met her pleading puppy eyes. Her resolve wavered. Mezzanine's lip quivered like she was about to burst into tears, and Pixelle broke. "Fine! Agh! Okay, fine. Just do as Miss Airflow says, at least?" The filly broke her facade instantly, and smiled with a heart-melting 'squee!'. "Are you done, missy? Ready to fess up now?" "Yes! Are you ready to 'fess up' as she says? Says." a fourth voice piped up. From the other end of the pharmacy, a bright yellow changeling with orange markings strode up to them, carrying a broom, dustpan, and a packet of some kind of cleaning powder in his magic. "Ohhhhh, that's why his name is 'Ducky'," Pixelle concluded. "Great timing as usual," Airflow quipped. "I was just about to get to the bottom of this little troublemaker's antics!" "My name is Pupil, actually. Actually." he clarified. "The ponies, they call me 'Ducky' because I named myself 'Ducks-In-A-Row', after the expression I like very much. My colors are just coincidence. Coincidence. So, the little one is who made the mess here, yes? Yes. I'll see that she does not bother you while you browse, Missus Airflow. Airflow." "That was me, actually," she replied quickly, adjusting her device a little. "I thought somepony dangerous was stalking me and my caretaker here, so we made a mess to trigger one of those runes you love so much." "Hah, yeah, sorry about all of this. To be fair, it was a very cool plan..." Pixelle added. "That worked! By the way." Ducky just stared at her deadpan. "Really well. It worked really... cough Yeah, uh, nevermind." "Well. I supposed the matter is settled. Settled. I will fill your prescription and check you out after cleaning, Missus Airflow. So, if you all don't mind... Mind." the bright changeling shooed them away from the glass and spilt tonic, tearing open the powder packet and shaking it over as much of the liquid as possible. From the looks of it, he managed to get every drop, and it quickly dried into easily-sweepable clumps. Airflow watched as the substance absorbed the moisture, fixated on it. She wondered if it would have any applications for her project, but quickly dismissed it. The resulting mess would hinder its performance, and make it a nightmare to clean. She would simply have to make the machine's more sensitive parts water resistant, or at the very least their enclosures. She swallowed, cleared her raspy throat, and was again reminded why she was here. "C'mon kids, lets leave our gracious host to his work," she said, shuffling the group along to the far end of the store. "Kid?! Maybe an ursa's kid!" Mezzanine guffawed, "That unicorn's a monstrosity!" "Ugh, please, I'm not that much taller than other mares!" she defended. "Nina, be nice. Pixelle, what's in the next aisle?" the bat asked her innocently. "Oh, yes ma'am!" Pixelle hardly had to stretch, peeking over the shelf into the next row. Its shelves were lined (perfectly, mind you) with vitamin supplements. "Buncha vitamins! Not seeing anything on your list from here, though." As she turned back, she was met with two stifled giggles, as neither Airflow, and especially not Mezzanine, were any close to being able to see over the top. "Oh..." "Ah, don't fret dear, there's nothing wrong with being tall," the elder mare wheezed in comfort. "Now, as for being short... Nina, aren't you short an explanation? What did you do that had you hooftipping around glass this morning?" The filly froze as the mirth left her face. "Uh..!" She glanced around nervously. "Um..." She looked back up at Pixelle, who had busied herself with the shopping list Airflow had given her. "You promised, Nina." "Agh! Okay!" she squeaked. She ruffled her feathers and shook away the fear. Taking in a big breath, she began. "ISNUCKINTOLORDBIZMUTH'SHIGHRISEFLOORBECAUSEHEGOTTHELASTOFALIMITEDPAIROFEARRINGSIWANTEDTOGETFORYOUSOICOULDPAYYOUBACKFORBEINGSONICETOMEBUTHISSTUPIDJEWELRYCASEHADANALARMONITANDIHADTOESCAPESOIDODGEDALLHISIDIOTGUARDSANDMADEADISTRACTIONBYKICKINGOPENAPAIROFGLASSDOORSLEADINGTOABALCONYSOTHEYTHOUGHTIESCAPEDANDWOULDGIVEUPANDITWORKEDANDIGOTOUTFROMUNDERTHEBEDIWASUSINGTOHIDEANDTHENHADTOHOOFTIPAROUNDTHEGLASSSHARDSFROMTHEFANCYDOORSANDTHENFLEWAWAYTOFINDYOU!" Once it was over she gasped, heaving in lungfuls of air as if she had just finished a marathon. "Uhhh... what?" Pixelle stared, confused. "You broke into Lord Bizmuth's penthouse?! For a silly pair of earrings?!" "UH, WHAT? How did you get any of that?! Lord Bizmuth?!" "Wait wait wait! I snuck in, I didn't break in! Plus his security is dumb as rocks," she corrected. "No, scratch that, I heard of a geolo-whatever mare with a pet rock that actually did some important shit, so they're dumber than rocks." "Language!" "Dumb isn't a swear, asshole!" "Nina!" Airflow hissed, "You can't do things like that! Especially not to ponies like that. You're not some daring Robin Hoof, you're a streetrat filly one misstep away from getting 'disappeared'. Those ponies will find out that you don't have any big connections and will take advantage of that!" "But I-I, I escaped! I got away! Nopony even knows which direction I flew!" "Mezzanine." The filly flinched at Airflow's use of her full name, and her ears snap flat on her head. "You are missing the point. If you keep thinking you're uncatchable you'll stop being careful. I won't be around to bail you out forever, and especially not from a pony like Bizmuth. You need to stop. Understand?" The diminutive pegasus lowers her head, looking smaller than ever. She solemnly nods. "Yes ma'am..." "Miss Airflow's right," Pixelle adds. "Lord Bizmuth isn't known to be the most rational guy, even for a high-class stallion. Definitely not a pony you wanna be making mad. What was so important that you needed to rob him, anyway?" "Not robbed, burglerered... burngle.. fuckin, whatever the right version of that word is. Pilfered! That works, same thing." "Oh, sure, you know 'pilfered' but can't pronounce 'burgled'?" "Fuck off! Words are hard. I've been skipping Ponish, I hate book reports. But uh... I explained before. A pair of earrings. For.. for Airflow. To pay her back." "Whatever would you need to pay me back for, Nina? You've never owed me anything. It's not like I charge you for saving your butt, hah!" the bat asked, leaning in a bit. Her expression was nonchalant as always, but her perked ears betrayed her anticipation. "I- uh.. y-you're.. um.. you uh.. fuck. How do I...? No, no, n-nevermind! This is gettin way too sappy for me. Here! Take em. And um... thank you.." she stammers, reaching into the small pouch under her wing. As she takes out the stolen jewelry, she looks away, embarrassed. Unable to make eye contact, the little pegasus holds them out for Airflow to take. Shimmering in the harsh white light of Ducky's pharmacy, the emerald and black opal earrings were a striking sight to behold. The green crescent moons practically glowed, and the colored splatter of the opal backdrop sparkled as bright as the stars themselves. Both mares are stunned at the prize the filly held, and one could hear the batpony's device hiccup as her breath hitched. The longer they stared, the deeper Mezzanine's blush got. As easy as it would be to tease her about it, Airflow knew it would ruin the little moment, and opted instead to very gently take the earrings into her hooves. Using the hooked thumb of her wing to hold one up to the light, she continued to marvel at them. "Nina... they're beautiful!" she finally said. She looked back down at the pegasus, who still couldn't look her in the eyes. "You said you wanted to buy them, before Bizmuth took the last pair? How much were you going to spend?" "Um.. 200 bits..." she mumbled, shuffling her hooves. "Oh! Wow, that's not so bad! I've remember emeralds going for way more," Pixelled chimed. "Not so bad for a working mare, yes. But a filly on the streets? That's a lot of money!" "I-I know, but! They were cheaper because they're lab gems! It was reachable! I could get it! I did get it!" She looked back at Airflow, whose eyebrow was raised in concern. "Ugh, yeah, legally!" Airflow looked down at the jewelry in her hoof. After a moment of thought, she sighed. "Ah, what to do with you, little one?" She put the earrings into her own wing-pouch, and ruffled Mezzanine's mane. "I know I've told you a million damn times, but try to be more careful!" She smiled warmly at her. "Well, what's done is done. Thank you, Nina. I love your gift!" Without warning, the elderly mare pulled the filly into a strong hug, being careful to avoid the equipment on her own chest. "Hrgk! Air... flow... please!" Mezzanine choked. "Hmm.. just a few more seconds!" the bat pleaded, tightening her embrace. "Strangled by Airflow, oh the irony!" Pixelle giggled. She turned away from the scene for a moment, and saw that both the mess on the floor and Ducky had disappeared. Despite the interruption, it seemed like they would still have plenty of time to get through Airflow's list. She nodded to herself. "Looks like the shopkeep's all done over there, he probably has your prescriptions ready!" "Oh!" She gently let go of the little pegasus, who took an exaggerated breath. "We forgot we were buying things, didn't we?" "Whatcha gettin' here? Well, besides your meds," the filly asked. "Some supplements, a tonic, and a few bulk boxes of muzzle masks. Now, which aisle does he stock those again...?" "Full boxes? What for? Isn't the OMBA enough?" the unicorn questioned. "Oh no, not for me, haha! For my project," she explained. "It needs an air filter, and one that isn't the size of my mattress. So I figured I would try and build one myself! I'm going to sew a lot of them together and then staple it to a fitted frame." She idly picked up and inspected a bottle of pills. "Ain't there a tailor in your building? Why not some cheaper fabric? Also, what's an 'ohmba'?" Mezzanine asked. "Its my little breathing machine," the bat wheezed, still scanning the rack in front of her. "Some acronym I keep ignoring. As for regular fabric, tried that, didn't work right." "Ovocon Mobile Breathing Assistant!" Pixelle confirmed. "Thanks, dear," she smiled, passing her a pair of the bottles. "Well, that just about wraps things up here. Let's get those masks and my prescriptions and we can get moving along!" "Yes ma'am!" her companions said in unison. They looked at each other for a moment. "Jinx!" they said, again, at the same time. They scowled at each other, Pixelle standing tall looking down, Mezzanine stretching her height as much as possible, staring back up. Before long, Pixelle snorted a short laugh, and the trio burst into a fit of giggles, continuing on their errands.