//------------------------------// // Chapter V // Story: Basso Scale // by b00_j3nnn //------------------------------// The morning light slowly seeped through the curtains of the guest bedroom, which roused Ash from his slumber. Stretching his limbs and rubbing sleep from his eyes, he saw Killjoy nearby, still fast asleep. Smirking, he decided to play a little trick on her. Putting his sling on and taking the glass of water on his table, he dipped his fingers into it, and slowly let water trickle onto her face.  As she soaked in the warm rays of the morning sun, a ticklish sensation grazed her face, making her flail her hooves and flap her wings in panic, "AAHHHH SPIDER!!! SPIDER AHHHH!!!", the frightened mare yelped. Ash burst out laughing, "HAHAHAHA!!! Got you! Good morning Killjoy!" As realisation hit, the pegasus chuckled, "I sure am rubbin' off on you huh?" the mare stretched. "How do you know I've not always been like this?", Ash smirked as he looked in the mirror, giving his horns a quick buff with some flame to burn off any dirt. "Then it must be fate! Oh Celestia, we're gonna be insufferable together!", Killjoy chuckled as she hopped out of bed to brush her mane, which looked significantly curlier and messier than yesterday, "Damn it, didn't think we'd stay outta town for the night and didn't think to pack my mane products..." she muttered to herself in annoyance. "Yeah... this whole trip was a bit impromptu… we should probably get back to Manehattan. I got time off work though, the hospital called my boss, I have all the time off I need until my wing is less sore. Won't affect my job though, all I really do is just sit there making fire underneath a giant vat. Decent pay though.", Ash looked at his mouth in the mirror, using one of his claws to pick out a shard of ruby from his teeth. "Yeah, let's go thank Vele and catch the express train back" Killjoy replied, putting on her beanie. The two rushed downstairs to be greeted by the creamy white unicorn, her mane meticulously styled with not even a strand out of place. "Good morning Killjoy! Good morning Ash!", the peppy mare greeted with some warm apple dumplings spread on the table.", Reinette dropped by early this morning and gave me some apple dumplings! We have enough for all three of us." the mare smiled, "I found some topaz and opals in my barrels for you Ash", the mare added, addressing the wyvern. "Ooh, thank you Miss Rosenberg!", Ash crunched down on the gems, feeling his magic stores replenish, as happy as a dragon could be. Velebeth nodded as she bit down on the sweet pastry. Killjoy joined in and scarfed down the dumpling, "Mmm! Reinette's still got the best apple dumplings! Better visit her some time too!", the pegasus exclaimed between bites. As the three finished their breakfast, Velebeth levitated a saddlebag toward Killjoy, filled with the promised stamina potions and healing elixir.  "Aw, thanks Vele! I'll make sure to come back sometime soon! I've missed you heaps!", and the two mares embraced, happy to have spent some time together as they used to.  Ash stuck out his good hand for Velebeth to shake, "It was very nice to meet you Miss Rosenberg, thank you for everything, it really means a lot." "Of course, Ash! It was a pleasure to meet you, just follow my instructions, your wing should heal nicely. I wish you both a safe trip back to Manehattan!", the unicorn shook his hand and bid farewell.  As the pair walked down into town to get to the station, Ash couldn't help but ask a question,"So... I noticed your ears have some tufts on the tips. Do you have any bat pony genes? You have regular wings but I've only really ever seen those tufts on bat ponies." "Hm? Oh yeah, my grandma from my dad's side is half batpony and I guess after a few generations, I only got a few of the traits. My ears are a lot more sensitive than other ponies and have those tufts you were talkin' about. Oh and I have fangs too!", Killjoy bared her teeth at Ash, the long, sharp fangs becoming evident. Ash bared his own teeth at Killjoy, "Heh, mine are still better. I'm surprised you'd go into a career involving loud music, if you have sensitive hearing." Killjoy chuckled at Ash's comment about his teeth, before elaborating about her hearing, "Oh and when we perform, I always have my earpieces in to protect my hearing and to not miss any cues" the pegasus continued "and my sensitive hearing helps me differentiate pitches!" "Ah I see, like the cue not to jump into a crowd of creatures and crush a guy's wing by any chance?", Ash smirked, making the joke lightheartedly, he had already long-forgiven Killjoy. "Ahaha... yeah...", Killjoy chuckled, slightly embarrassed and remorseful.  Ash elbowed Killjoy's head lightly, "Ahh, it's okay, it's in the past now. So... I know you kinda felt a bit repulsed by me eating meat... I kinda need some now, dragons need to eat it every day. I heard there's a stand here run by a gryphon for the meat-eating students of the Friendship School. I haven't had any since a few bites of chicken yesterday. You don't have to come, I won't be long, I just need a bite before we go on the train so I don't... well... pass out." "That's fair, I'll go get some snacks for the train ride and maybe visit some friends down at the markets while I'm at it. Meet you at the train station at 12?" "Sure! See you there." Killjoy flew into the markets and picked up some food, meeting up with Reinette and thanked her for that morning's breakfast, the two old friends caught up until the pegasus said her goodbyes and continued to buy more food and trinkets in the markets, occasionally stopped by some fans for autographs and photos. At the other side of the square, Ash bit into a pork sandwich he got from the meat vendor and looked around him. Some ponies looked a bit repulsed but at least there were other carnivores near him to make him feel a bit less self-conscious. Ash saw Killjoy signing a few autographs, and wiping the last of the meat from his jaw, he walked back up to her, "Hey Killjoy, what's happening here?" "Oh hey Ash! Just a few fans is all" Killjoy said, patting one of the fans' heads lovingly. "We still have 20 mins till our train comes, what else do you wanna do?" Ash can't really think of much to do, "Hmm... what about the pond over there? Just relax by it, feed some ducks?" "Sure!" Killjoy excused herself from the fans and flew next to Ash. Ash got a bag of peas from a nearby grocer for the ducks, "A lot of creatures don't know this but bread is really bad for ducks, they really love peas." "Oh yeah! I've heard that from Rosella! I remember feedin' some ducks bread this one time and she went and smacked it outta my hooves! It would've been nice if she was more like you and just told me instead of all that…", Killjoy grumbled, throwing peas into the lake The ducks quack happily and attack the floating peas, "See, they absolutely love peas! Kinda like me with a nice bag of rubies..." "Heh, thought you'd say that. You forgot that big sack of gems Vele have you last night! Good thing I packed it this morning huh?", the pegasus said, heaving the heavy sack out the saddlebag. "Oh damn! Thanks! Here, I can carry that now." "Phew, thanks", Killjoy said in relief, not needing to carry it anymore. Ash slung the bag's strap over his left shoulder, continuing to throw peas for the ducks while munching on a gem every now and then, "This has been real nice... thank you so much." "Hehe, you're good. Thank you too, I haven't had this much fun in a while", Killjoy sighed, laying on the soft grass. Ash sighed contentedly, "Yeah, me too. My life is nice but it can get a bit repetitive. Me going to that concert was just me trying to break a streak of monotony I've been stuck in for a while now. It's just something dragons have to get used to with our very long lives, but that also means there's more opportunity for us to see and try new things!" Killjoy smiled back, "Can't say I'm the same but taking a break from touring has been pretty good, as much as I'd hate to admit… we should probably start heading to the train station now, getting close to the time.” Ash looked at the town square clock, "Crap, you're right, let's get to the station quickly!” Ash threw the remaining peas into the water, laughing as the ducks went crazy for them. Killjoy snickered along as she glided above Ash. As the two made it to the train station, the express train to Manehattan had just arrived, screeching on the rails to a stop. The two shuffled their way in alongside a crowd of other ponies and made it to their seats. "Phew, good thing we left when we did" Killjoy panted as she slumped into her seat.  Ash sat down and let his legs rest a bit, "Yeah, I don't think I'd be able to stand the whole journey, the idea of rocking around on a train with only one hand to hold makes me feel a bit uncomfortable… do you usually travel coach? I imagine a star like you would be travelling first class everywhere!" "When we're on tour and when I'm with my band yeah, but other times when I get to get back home and relax, I take public transport like any other creature y'know!" "I suppose, but what do you do to stay low-key? I imagine it's hard when anyone can know you at any time." "Oh y'know, get rid of my earrings, rosary, put on some sunglasses and a beanie to cover up my ears and ponies surprisingly dont recognise me!" Just as the two began to settle down, ponies in surrounding seats began to stare and whisper. Ash began to remember what happened on the outbound journey and spoke quietly to Killjoy across the table from him, "Ah fuck, not this again... what do we do?" Killjoy groaned in frustration, "I really don't wanna deal with this again…", she heaved, slumping onto the table, "But don't you worry, I won't stray from you again. I brought enough food and drink for both of us, so I'm stayin' here till we get back to Manehattan", the mare reassured. Ponies still continued to look and whisper, much to Ash’s annoyance, "I'm still feeling uncomfortable with this... but thanks for your concern." The pegasus' ears drooped seeing Ash's discomfort. The mare then shot the ponies with a glare which seemed to silence them for a while. Ash breathed a sigh of relief, "I just wonder if they're expecting me to hate you or something, or if you're doing this as some sort of public stunt. I know you're not doing that, but I wonder if that's what they're thinking." “Honestly, I really don’t care about that right now, what the presses have in store for me when I get back is enough for me to worry about..." A pegasus mare pushed a small cart carrying newspapers for sale down the central aisle of the train. "Daily paper, anyone? Daily paper?" Ash nervously chuckled, "Like that?"  "Oh no...", Killjoy mumbled, face planting onto the table. Ash took a paper off the cart and tossed a few bits over. He flicked through a few pages until he came across the entertainment page, "What kind of horseshit title is this?" Killjoy looked surprised seeing the normally relaxed and carefree wyvern so angry and worked up. She took the paper from his claws and flicked through it herself, until she got to the offending title. She immediately gasped in shock. The paper showed a series of out-of-context photos of Killjoy at the concert in Manehattan after she had hurt Ash, from her stage dive all the way to them leaving the hospital. The title was plastered in massive letters at the top of the page. “Valediction Lead Cripples Hapless Fan At Disaster Concert In Manehattan!”  Reading through the lie-riddled sensationalist article, padded with baseless rumours and gossip, Killjoy's face grew redder and redder. Ash didn’t even know ponies could get that colour! "What in Equestria is this article talking about?! That never happened! That’s just wrong!" Killjoy heaved, her small frame positively shaking with anger. "Can't believe they say all of this when they only saw like what, 30 seconds of what happened yesterday" the mare huffed, flapping her wings as she seethed. Ash took the paper back, growling aggressively in an uncharacteristic fashion, and igniting it with a blast of fire emanating from his left hand, throwing the burnt newspaper out the window before sitting back down, crossing his wings, “Absolute garbage paper! The article mentions me by name! How would they even know that? Is this what ponies think journalism is?" "Don't worry, I'll talk to my manager and try to get interviewed so I can explain... And do that pop up gig and-" the mare scrambled with ideas, trying her best to solve the situation while reassuring Ash, staring at some burnt bits of paper still present on the table. Ash took a deep breath before calming down, his inner fire subsiding with his anger, "Hey, it'll be fine Killjoy, I mean every musician has to deal with crappy newspaper lies right? I'm sure your manager has already seen the paper and is planning something as we speak.", taking the role of the reassuring one for once. "Yeah... probably not the best idea for me to skip town after what happened..." Killjoy slightly regretted her actions, but not quite as much as she had enjoyed the day. "Don't think I told anyone, not even Rose and Blast..." the mare said with a worried expression. "I doubt they would have told the media, you all seem pretty close, maybe someone at the concert saw it, or someone saw you with me at the hospital?" "Yeah, true, I trust them... welp, I'll just do my best explaining to my manager first. But I won't need to worry where he is cos he'll probably interrogate us the moment I step into the studio." Killjoy stifled. "Yeah he probably wi- wait, us? You need me there?” Ash looked worried, was this ordeal going to cause him even more trouble? “I'd wanna discuss with him about that pop-up gig in the bar you were talkin' about!” "Okay! Maybe we meet with him first when we get back to Manehattan, then later tonight we go to the bar?" "Sure, sounds great!" Killjoy said enthusiastically, her wings fluffing up. The rest of the journey went very smoothly all things considered, the train steaming through the picturesque Equestrian countryside before pulling into Manehattan station some hours later, the duo getting off taking several lengthy detours in the streets to avoid any potential photographers or journalists. Ash had never seen this particular part of Manehattan before, and was feeling a bit lost, "So, where is your manager's office?" "Just down here, follow me" the pegasus beckoned, flying a little further in front. Ash followed Killjoy down several more roads before approaching a rather tall looking building downtown, and the pair headed into the building, trotting up the flight of stairs. As the two stood outside the studio, the mare knocked and a unicorn stallion swung the door open and snatched the pegasus, dragging her inside forcefully. Ash managed to rush inside before the door slammed shut in his face. The red-faced stallion looked ready to explode as he turned to Killjoy. "WHERE IN EQUESTRIA HAVE YOU BEEN?!"  Ash watched in amusement as the stallion shook Killjoy, before he too became the subject of the stallion’s anger, the manager giving him a suspicious glance, looking at him up and down before his gaze fixed on the broken wing. The manager put down Killjoy, who staggered dizzily to a chair, and walked up to the wyvern. Ash was getting used to ponies giving him dirty looks, and simply matched the stocky stallion’s stare, unintimidated. The manager cleared his throat and straightened his tie before politely addressing Ash, switching tones in an instant. “Well then, introductions I guess. My name is Golden Record, and you must be that dragon that Killjoy got messed up… Ash wasn’t it? I’d like to formally extend our apologies on her behalf. We already got the bill for your treatment, that will be taken care of. That being said… I think we all need to have a little chat…” Golden Record pressed a button on his desk, and the main door opened up, revealing an irate looking pair of unicorns, immediately recognisable as Killjoy’s bandmates, Rosella and Blast. Ash sat down on a chair that Record gestured to while everyone else also took their seats, and thought to himself that this was definitely going to take a while, but could be interesting. The stallion’s look towards Killjoy turned from anger to disappointment as he took a deep breath. “Okay Kill… I’ll cut to the chase, we will have to pay for all damages and outstanding fees from your paycheque. Everything from Ash's hospital fees, to the broken camera from that little jaunt you two took to Ponyville. Oh yeah, I heard about that, news travels fast around here." Record turned to Ash and looked him over with interest, “And you, I thought you’d be… well… angrier about all this, threatening to sue us and all that, what gives? I thought you dragons were more boisterous than that.” Ash rubbed the back of his head, “Well sir, I really just don’t want to conform to any stereotypes ponies have of me or give them any more reasons to dislike me, and I really don’t have that much to complain about, it’s only a broken wing, it’ll heal soon enough, and I got a new friend out of it! Plus us wyverns are kinda outcasts in the Dragon Lands, we’ve always pushed for being friendlier with other species, but the other dragons just want to stay isolated.” Golden Record took in the information and nodded before turning back to Killjoy and continuing his disappointed look. Killjoy looked down in shame, twiddling her hooves as Golden Record continued, “Along with that, I will have to book you in for some interviews to clear up any misunderstandings. As for your tour, however, we will continue, as to not feed into the notion that you are as guilty as they make you out to be”. Killjoy looked up and stammered, "I understand, but I don't regret yesterday and I am willing to pay for everything with my own bits. I need to fix this, I caused it!" Rosella snorted and hopped out of her seat, trotting straight over to Killjoy and looking down on her, the unicorn’s piercing gaze causing the pegasus to shrink into her chair, "For heaven’s sake Kill! It's not always about you! Do you know how much this is gonna affect the band? Why in Equestria did you destroy that pony's camera for instance? You know that would only make you look worse! I swear, you always end up causing some mishap when you’re not being supervised like a foal! You need to grow up!", Rosella berated the pegasus, storming out of the room, her twin following her heels apologetically as the door slammed behind them.