//------------------------------// // Ch.9 - So, I sit on them, right? // Story: The Witching Hour // by Chaotic Ink //------------------------------// Midnight picked up the mug of coffee and took a strong sniff of it. The smell of caffeine, milk, and flavored creamer filled her lungs and she let it out in a long sigh of contentment. It had been two weeks since Princess Celestia had visited and Midnight was finally getting used to having a housemate around. Sapphire Breeze was a nice pony, with a soft smile that she wore almost all the time and an up-beat attitude that Midnight felt would rival Pinkie’s. Well, if the pink mare was a few times calmer. And saner. Speaking of the party pony, she was true to her word at knowing everypony in Ponyville and had met and thrown a party for Sapphire the very next day. Thankfully by that time Midnight and Sapphire had come up with her cover story. They agreed that it was alright for Sapphire to tell ponies that she was there on Celestia’s orders as an aid to Midnight. It was the truth, with the reason why Midnight needed an aid provided by Sapphire. “Princess Celestia simply feels that the only kirin currently around today should be entitled to some form of pampering, even if she feels it is unnecessary. Some company and aid with her business can’t hurt either.” Midnight could admit to finding her useful. She put Sapphire to minding the store front and register while she was out gathering wood, and so far she’d proven to be a capable employee and sales mare. Just as Midnight was pulling some cereal out of a cabinet she heard a few raps at the side door. Smiling and picking up the second of the three mugs of coffee she’d made, she made her way over to the door and opened it. “Good morning Derpy.” “’Morning Midnight!” The mail mare took the second mug from Midnight and eagerly chugged some of it down. “So, how’s the route this morning?” “Fine as usual. Still nothing for you though…” the pegasus’ ears drooped. Midnight waved the news away. “Derpy, how many times do I have to tell you, all I’m ever going to expect is bills around the end of the month? ” “I know… but it still seems kinda sad…” Midnight laid a hoof on her shoulder. “I’ll consider a magazine subscription or two.” They both laughed, then slipped into talking gossip; mainly about what’s going on around town and how the new school year’s been for the foals so far. “Oh yeah, that reminds me.” Derpy passed her empty mug back to Midnight. “I’m actually going away this weekend to Filly Delphia for a mandatory yearly orientation meeting.” Midnight nodded. “Well I hope you can squeeze in some fun while you’re there.” Derpy’s smile wavered a bit. “I try. The thing is, usually Carrot Top watches Dinky while I’m away at it, but she’s had to head up to Vanhoover for a family emergency. So…” the grey mare dug a hoof into the ground a bit. “I was just wondering if it was possible if you could babysit Dinky for the weekend? I can pay you!” Midnight leaned back as Derpy practically shouted the last part at her. “Whoa, whoa, whoa Derpy! You don’t need to yell! First of all, I would never dream of asking you for money for a favor!” The grey mare visibly relaxed at this. “Second, I’m a bit shocked you came to me before anypony else. Like, what about Berry? Aren’t Dinky and Pinchy friends?” Derpy nodded. “Yeah, but I haven’t gotten to her house yet, and she runs the liquor store all by herself. I didn’t want to give her any more stress since the weekends are her busiest time. But you’ve got somepony else helping you run your store, and you said that you were going to ease up on chopping wood soon, so I figured it would be best if I asked you first.” Midnight inspected her own mug for a second. “Let me just refill first…” she said, turning back inside and heading over to the perculator. Derpy sat in the doorway nervously watching Midnight’s face for any kind of expression, good or bad. Finally Midnight came back over. “I don’t think it’ll be too much of a problem.” Derpy’s smile could have eaten her own head. “THANK YOU, THANK YOU!” “GAH! DERPY, MY RIBS!” The wall-eyed mare released the kirin from the vice-like hug. “Oops. My bad.” “The only thing is…” Midnight started after taking in some deep breaths, “I don’t have any more beds at the moment, so she’s going to need to bring a blanket or a sleeping bag.” “Oh it’s okay. I’ve got a set of cots left over from when Carrot fixed up the house, so I can bring one of them over!” “That’s okay Derpy; I think the couch is a bit bigger and better to sleep on. Besides, if you need to pack I don’t want you wasting time bringing a cot all the way over here.” Derpy nodded. “Alright, but I’ll still bring her stuff over though so she doesn’t have to bring it all to school with her.” “Okay. I’ll see you later then. Have a nice shift.” “Thanks Midnight! Bye!” The pegasus mare waved and flew off to her next stop. Midnight waved as well then turned back inside in time to see Sapphire enter the kitchen. “What was the yelling about?” she asked, which was quickly followed by a yawn. Midnight had told her she didn’t need to wake up at the crack of dawn, like herself, and that she could sleep until around 7:30 since the front opened at 8:00. But, Sapphire had been insistent that she rise around the same time as her in case she was needed for any reason. “Just Derpy. She’s heading to Filly Delphia this weekend for her job and Carrot Top’s out of town as well so she asked if I could watch Dinky this weekend.” Sapphire raised an eyebrow as Midnight placed a filled mug on the table in front of her. “And what did you say?” Midnight raised the box of cereal up as well as an eyebrow and Sapphire nodded. “I said that I would do it. Dinky’s a good foal and I don’t think she’ll cause to much trouble, if any, around here.” Midnight filled both bowls with cereal and milk, then placed them on the table with spoons for the both of them. “I told Derpy she needs to bring either a sleeping bag or a blanket with her since the only place we have for guests to sleep is the couch.” She took a bite of her breakfast and chewed slowly. “What about getting beds for the other guest room? I’m sure your pay tomorrow could cover the cost.” Sapphire suggested. Midnight nodded as fast as she chewed. “I should start doing something with those rooms since the storage space is done.” It had taken almost two weeks to complete and almost all of the money she had gotten from the princess, paid mostly to the workers she hired, but a storage space had been cut into the cliff side next to the house. She’d even saved some bits by using the rubble to extend it out some. “Anyway, Derpy’s coming by later this afternoon to drop Dinky’s things off so she doesn’t have to lug it all to school tomorrow.” Sapphire nodded. “Well, I sure didn’t peg you as the kid-friendly type. I can’t wait to see how it pans out.” Midnight looked up from her cereal and at the blue pegasus. She expected to see a look of challenge or contempt there, as if to say ‘I can’t wait to see how this blows up in your face’. What she saw was an honest, hopeful smile which instead said ‘I sincerely hope this will be a good experience for you both’. It was a bit off putting, and Midnight began to dig into her bowl with a bit more gusto. ------------------------- The morning passed quickly and without interruption. Midnight got one tree down, chopped up, and by lunch had another laid out and ready to be turned into firewood. Sapphire had diligently managed the store front, which was slowly becoming busier as the temperature was taking an equally slow dive. At 12:30 they broke for lunch, but when they finished making sandwiches Sapphire noticed that Midnight had placed hers on a napkin instead of a plate. “Where are you heading off to?” “Berry just got a shipment of Mareabu Coconut Rum today and I wanted to get a pint.” Sapphire raised an eyebrow at this. “Don’t you think it would be better to save what money you currently have for guest beds?” Midnight shrugged. “I figured trading a bundle as part of the payment’s alright. I’ve set enough aside for us that we can replace it, no problem.” Sapphire’s smile curled into a slight smirk. “It’s ’us’ now?” “As far as I know you’re staying the winter,” Midnight said a bit sharply, her eyes locking on the pegasus’ “so for the foreseeable future I’ll be using words such as ‘we’ and ‘us’. When you’re done with lunch you can go back out front.” With that the kirin picked up her sandwich and walked out into the front, grabbing a bundle on the way and slamming the front door on her way out. Sapphire giggled and took a bite of her food. ------------------------- “For the future I suggest paying the whole thing in bits rather than trade,” Berry told Midnight as she passed her the bottle. “When customers start doing that it’s a sign of alcoholism, which I refuse to feed.” “I’ll keep that in mind. I’m surprised that you’d keep a tab on something like that; I’d think they’d be your most valued customers.” Berry’s eyes tabled. “I need bits, not the deed to a house, and it ruins lives, which I want no part of.” “That’s pretty noble of you.” “The hoof needs to come down somewhere.” Midnight smiled. “I’ll toast to that next time we get together for cards.” “By the way, how is that Sapphire Breeze working out for you?” The kirin shrugged. “She works the front just fine, and since she still gets a paycheck from the princess it’s no skin off my muzzle.” Berry’s face fell slightly. “Speaking of Canterlot, they’re having the annual Wine & Liquor Festival this weekend.” “Are you going?” Berry shook her head. “Me and my dad make it every year, but this time all of Pinchy’s sitters are doing something and can’t watch her. I did a quick run over to Derpy and Carrot’s, but Derpy’s still out on the job, and Carrot wasn’t home.” “Well, Carrot’s out of town for a family emergency, and Derpy’s heading to Filly Delphia for her annual orientation.” Berry face-hoofed. “Great, now what? … wait, if they’re both out of town, who’s watching Dinky? I know Derpy doesn’t take her to the orientation, and how did you know all that?” “Derpy told me over the morning coffee.” Midnight said with a shrug. Berry face-hoofed again. “Right, you two do that. What about Dinky?” “I’m watching her this weekend actually. Derpy said she couldn’t get any sitters either and asked if I could do it. She said she’d have asked you, but you’re not usually up when she gets here, and she didn’t want to bother you during weekends.” Berry gave a long nod in understanding followed by a long pause. “Well, I guess I’m staying home then this year. If I could take Pinchy with me believe me I would, but since only adults are allowed in…” While Berry mulled over any other possible avenues Midnight was doing her own thinking. She’d never baby-sat before, and while Dinky was well behaved, Midnight doubted she’d be content with sitting around the house with practically nothing to do. Midnight didn’t have any toys or games, not to mention she and Sapphire would be working most of the time, so Dinky really wouldn’t have anyone around to play with. But… “You know Berry… I could watch Pinchy as well, if you want.” Berry waved a hoof. “You’re already watching Dinky and Pinchy can be a… hoof-full at times. I don’t want to over-whelm you.” “Well, to tell you the truth while I can give Dinky a place to eat and sleep for the weekend, I’m not so sure I can give her a good time while she’s staying over. I don’t have any toys or games and even if I had them, I don’t know if Sapphire or myself would be good playmates. But, she and Pinchy are best friends, you need to go someplace, and two foals can easily entertain one another…” “More want than need in all honesty and two foals can also get into a lot of trouble." “Look, Berry, I know it seems weird that I’m pushing this, but I think this helps everypony, and I really don’t think the two of them will be a problem.” Midnight gave an encouraging smile as Berry continued to sit and think. “Let me think on it a little longer.” The larger mare nodded. “Alright. If you’re okay with it, Derpy is dropping off some of Dinky’s things at my place this way she doesn’t need to bring them to school. You can come by then if it’s okay.” “Okay. I’ve got things to sort through, so I’ll see you later Midnight.” “See ya.” With the bottle safely tucked into her saddle bags Midnight left the store as Berry went into the back area. ----------------------- “Are you still sure about this?” Sapphire asked, her normal smile replaced with a worried frown. Midnight, who was in the front with her watching the school, which would soon let out, waved a dismissive hoof. “Even if I wasn’t, it’s too late now. Pinchy and Dinky will be here in a few minutes and both Derpy and Berry are already out of town.” Berry had indeed come by with Derpy to give her okay and to also drop off some things, including some games and toys Pinchy had picked out. “Well, I hope everything goes smoothly then.” ‘Me too’ Midnight thought. Soon enough both fillies were bounding up the road with smiles the size of their overstuffed saddle bags. “Hello girls” Midnight said as she held open the door for them. “Hi Midnight!” Pinchy said as she barreled inside, stopping just short of running into the counter. Dinky was a bit more subdued. “Hello” she said in a much more reserved voice, calmly walking inside. “So what game should we play first!?” Pinchy practically yelled. “I’ve got Trouble, Sorry, and I think mom brought Mareopoly over last night-” “Unfortunately Pinchy, all the boring stuff needs to be done first before anything fun.” The pink filly practically deflated right there. "Awwwwwwww! But Midniiiiiiight!" “No ‘buts’ young filly. Both your mothers told me your homework needs to be done tonight and not Monday morning. We also need to go over some rules about staying here.” “UGH!” Pinchy flopped backwards, almost spilling whatever was in her bags. “First, however, you may have said ‘hello’ to me but not to my new house-mate.” Midnight indicated the mare behind the counter, who gave them a small wave along with a smile. “Hello, I’m Sapphire Breeze. It’s nice to meet you.” “Hello Miss Sapphire” both fillies rang out. “Just Sapphire will do girls.” Both of them nodded. “Is it true that you worked for the princess before coming here?” Dinky asked. “I still do. You could say both princesses and Midnight are my bosses.” “Got any good dirt on them?” Pinchy asked. Normally such a question resulted in her name being exclaimed, a gentle smack to the back of the head, and an undetermined threat for the future. In this case she got laughter from both adults. “I may, but if I told you we’d BOTH get arrested.” This time all four ponies laughed. “Alright, time I bring you inside so we can get on with work.” Midnight led them around the counter and held open the door to the kitchen for them. Both fillies filed inside, Pinchy once again wearing a frustrated look. “Once I get them settled in I’m going to finish up that tree and start dinner, so if you need me you know how to get me.” Sapphire nodded. “Good luck.” “Thanks.” With that the kirin walked inside. ‘She actually handled that all very well. Maybe this will turn out alright.’ ----------------------------- “Alright, now for those rules.” Midnight and the girls were seated at the kitchen table with their homework laid out in front of them. She had already explained the sleeping arrangements and set them up in the living room. “Before you can do any of the following you must have permission: going into my or Sapphire’s rooms, leaving the house, or taking things from the fridge or cabinets. You can play with the fireplace but only if me or Sapphire is there to watch, and you are NEVER to go into the freezer or the shed. Oh, and if you need to go into the front for any reason make sure there are no customers first. Any questions?” Pinchy raised a hoof and Midnight nodded towards her. “Why can’t we go into the freezer or the shed?” “Well, the freezer is too high unless you climb on something or use your underdeveloped magic, both of which have a good chance of hurting yourselves or breaking something. On top of that things tend fall out whenever we open the door, so there’s also that bit of danger.” Midnight demonstrated by opening the freezer and a frozen bag of soup flew out and nearly smashed her tail. “You don’t want that hitting your head” she told them as she put it back. “As for the shed… let’s just say I don’t even allow Sapphire in there, so pretty much it’s out of bounds for everypony, not just you two.” “Well, what’s in it?” Pinchy pressed. “Homework!” Midnight exclaimed cheerfully. “Try to have it done by dinner you two!” With that she went out the side door. “So, what do YOU thinks’ in there?” Pinchy asked Dinky. “Something that can get us in uber-Nightmare-Moon-level trouble if we look.” “Aw, c’mon Dinky! It’s gotta be more exciting than this!" Pinchy waved her hooves at the sheets in front of her. “Well, what if it’s really important to Midnight and she doesn’t want anyone else to see it? You wouldn’t like it if anypony found out you still sleep with a blanky.” Pinchy’s eyes narrowed. “You said you wouldn’t tell anypony!” “I just said it back to you! Nopony else is here!” Pinchy snorted but had to agree. “C’mon, there’s only two sheets here. It can’t be that hard to finish up.” The pink unicorn looked down at the paper. “This is going to take all night.” ------------------------- Despite Pinchy’s prediction the homework didn’t take all night, but she was just finishing up the second sheet when Midnight came back in to start dinner. “Alright girls; how’re we doing?” “I’m finished” Dinky said, giving Midnight both sheets to look at. A quick run through showed that Dinky was not only finished but also had all of her questions correct. “I’m done too!” Pinchy said with a final scribble. “Um, can I look it over first?” Midnight asked as the filly began to stuff her work into her saddle bags. “Well, I’m sure I got them all right, so you don’t need to waste your time.” She put on what she hoped was a winning grin. “Oh, but I love wasting time! It’s my favorite hobby!” The filly’s smile vanished, and for a second it looked like she was going to argue some more, but then she pulled the papers out and handed them over. To be honest most of them were right, but there were some glaring mistakes. “Well Pinchy, most of these are right, but,” Midnight flipped the sheets around for her to see, “six times eight doesn’t equal thirty-eight, nor is beach spelled B-E-T-C-H.” “But we learned that rhyme in school! Six times eight is thirty-eight!" Midnight shook her head. “Actually it’s forty-eight. Now, before you get too frustrated,” because the filly was going into pout-mode again, “why don’t you tell me how you solve problems like this, because you got almost all of them right.” The kirin pulled out another piece of paper from a nearby drawer and laid it out on the table. “Well, for problems like this one,” she pointed to an equation that said 5 x 5 = ?, “I picture a row of five dots, then keep adding rows of five until I have five rows. It’s when I get past six dots and six rows that I have problems.” “Well, that is a lot of dots, but I think I might know how to help. First, what is six times four?” Pinchy thought for a second. “Um, twenty-four, I think.” “No, you’re right. Now what is twenty-four plus twenty-four?” Then Pinchy caught on. “Forty-eight! I see, so you just split six times eight into six times four plus six times four!” “Pretty much. Actually another way to put it is twenty-four times two, but I find if you can break it down into addition it becomes a lot easier. Just keep in mind that it doesn’t always work." Pinchy nodded then picked up the other sheet. “What about spelling?” “Well, do you know how to spell ‘each’?” “Yeah, E-A-C-H… oh.” Midnight nodded. “A lot of times you can break down words into smaller words or two-to-three letter segments. Take the word “beautiful” for example. Start with “beau” which is B-E-A-U, then “tee” which is T-I, and finally “full” which is what it sounds like only with one less L.” Pinchy nodded again in understanding, then went over both sheets and, using Midnight’s advice, fixed the rest of her errors. “Good. Now it’s time to start making dinner.” “What are you making?” Dinky asked, standing next to Midnight and looking like she wanted to help. “I was thinking home-made potato fries and brussels sprouts.” Immediately there was an “ugh!” from the table and even Dinky backed away a bit with a look of disgust on her face. Midnight raised an eyebrow. “Well, I figured fried with butter and garlic, then drizzled in cheese would at least make them a little appetizing.” After a second Dinky moved forward a bit. “Do… do they taste good that way?” “Hmm… I seem to find them a lot better that way then simply steaming and eating them nekid." That got both fillies to laugh. “How about I make a deal with you two? If you don’t like them even covered in butter and cheese and with potato fries, I’ll buy you something from Sugarcube Corner for each meal.” Both girls nodded vigorously. “And I want truthful answers!” The kirin held out both of her font hooves and the girls shook them. “Good, now, I need you two to get the following out of the fridge while I set up the stove…” With that the three ponies began making the evening meal, and soon the kitchen was filled with the smell of good, home-cooked food. As to if the girls liked the little green balls of plant matter covered in butter, garlic, and cheese; Midnight went to bed happy in the knowledge that all she’d be going out for the next day was a couple of beds. ----------------------------- Saturday morning passed quickly for everypony. Midnight was up at dawn like usual and brought back a tree before heading into town to get the beds. Sapphire was up just as Midnight left to get the tree and after breakfast was in the front with a magazine. The girls were the last to wake up and after some cereal waded into the many board games Pinchy brought over. By the time lunch had come and gone the beds in the second guest room were set up and the girls’ things moved up there, and Midnight had finished cutting up the tree and was now sitting in the kitchen with The Detailed Guide to Mythical and Rare Creatures open on the table. Just as she got done reading the entry for parasprites, something she wished she had run across earlier, Pinchy and Dinky walked in. “Hey girls, what’s up?” “Well, we’ve already played through all the board games I brought.” “So you want to go outside?” “Actually, we were going to ask if we could use some pillows for a game.” “What kind of game?” “Pillow Fort!” Dinky said excitedly. Midnight tapped her chin for a second. “Huh… I don’t see why not.” As the girls cheered Midnight got up from her seat and headed for her room. Both fillies followed, and not a second after Midnight opened the door it started raining pillows. “Just be on the lookout for one of them; I think I drooled a bit last night.” “We’ll keep a look out for it.” Pinchy told her as she began shaping the fort, using the couch as the back wall. “Oh, can we also get some string?” Midnight raised an eyebrow. “Sometimes we make towers, and string holds the pillows together.” “I think I’ve got some in the kitchen.” ----------------------------- “Our fort is finished Sir Dinky!” Pinchy proclaimed as she placed the last pillow on top of the couch. “Indeed Sir Pinchy! Our most extravagant yet!” “Well, we don’t usually have so many pillows.” Pinchy jumped down and stood next to Dinky to admire their work. Both fillies also had pillows tied to their stomachs and backs to act as armor, a pillow each on their heads for a helmet, and they each held a pillow as a weapon. It was a testament to just how many pillows Midnight had that they could have armor and weapons and still have enough for a nice sized fort. “And now that our mighty fortress is complete, what is our next task?” “I believe the only worthy action for completing such grand work is to fill it with loot Sir Pinchy!” “A quest then Sir Dinky! But what shall we quest for?” Both fillies fell silent as they tried to think of something worthy enough for their grand abode. Then Pinchy got an idea. “Sir Dinky, have you heard of the fierce dragon that lives in the mountains beyond our noble valley?” At Sir Dinky’s questioning look Sir Pinchy pointed towards the kitchen, which was actually a step or two above the living room. “It is a well known fact that dragons horde treasure! Our quest then is this: we will go and defeat the dragon and make it give us its horde!” “But Sir Pinchy, nopony as ever faced the dragon and come back alive!” “Then we shall be the first! Come Sir Dinky, glory and treasures await!” With that Sir Pinchy raised her weapon and charged towards the distant mountains, Sir Dinky in hot pursuit. ----------------------------- After many trials and tribulations (the cave of fire and the steps of horrors were especially bad) the two brave knights finally made it to the mouth of the dragon’s cave. “Do you have a plan, Sir Pinchy?” “Indeed Sir Dinky! I will go in and scout about, while you stand guard over the cave entrance!” With that Sir Pinchy ducked into the cave. ----------------------------- Midnight didn’t so much as look up when Pinchy came crawling into the kitchen, but there was a large smile on her face. Hearing the girls play (how could somepony not hear them?) and deciding what to do next was just too amusing, and she’d actually given up reading to listen to them exclaim exposition as they moved around the living room. The only thing she was concerned about was what she was going to give them (spoilers!) when they defeated her. Perhaps she would bribe them with a trip to the Kingdom of Sweets (Sugarcube Corner) if they promised not to spread tales of her most humiliating defeat. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as the small unicorn knight from Pillow Valley crawled under the table. ----------------------------- Sir Pinchy was beginning to think scouting was a bad idea. Sure, the great and terrible dragon was just lazing about with a book, but it was probably a cook book on how best to cook knights. She was underneath the rock face the dragon had propped the book on, not a stone’s throw away from one of her rear legs with a perfect view of her tail with an axe-like blade on it. Neither her armor nor Sir Dinky’s would be able to withstand a direct hit from such a weapon, nor could they hope to stand against the great beast’s fire, but it was distracted, and that was the key to victory. As slowly as she had entered she snuck back out. Thankfully no other evil creature had come by and taken Sir Dinky away from her guard duty. “What have you discovered Sir Pinchy?” “The dragon is distracted with a cook book! If we move quickly and carefully we can ambush her!” “Brilliant Sir Pinchy! Lead the way!” Bravely, yet quietly, both knights marched into the cave and soon they were back under the rock face. “She is even bigger and more ferocious than I imagined Sir Pinchy!” “Indeed Sir Dinky! But we still have surprise! On the count of three we will rush her and defeat her! One… two…” *Thud*Both knights halted their attack when they heard the book slam shut. “I smell something…" a deep, ominous voice said, which was followed by the sounds of somepony sniffing. Sir Pinchy turned to Sir Dinky, who blushed slightly. “I thought the Garlic Muffin of Power would help Sir Pinchy.” The nose of the dragon appeared below the rock face. “Quick, under these large, flat, surprisingly light rocks Sir Dinky!” “I smell… PILLOW KNIGHTS!!!" The dragon roared as she stuffed her head under the rock face, but was met with only the flat rocks she kept under there. She snorted in anger. “I know you’re there pillow knights." “What are you doing?” ----------------------------- Midnight looked up from under the table to see Sapphire looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Midnight motioned to the two fillies currently hiding behind the seat cushions and winked. It took a few seconds but finally Sapphire caught on. Thankfully Pinchy decided to give some more exposition. ----------------------------- “Sir Dinky, the dragon has captured Lady Sapphire of Snack Land!” “We must rescue her Sir Pinchy!” “Quick, while the dragon is distracted again, CHARGE!!!” The great dragon roared in surprise as the two knights leapt from their hiding spots, weapons flailing. However her roar of surprise soon turned into an evil chuckle. “Foolish Pillow Knights, your pillow-made weapons cannot harm a beast as powerful as me! I am the Storm Dragon! I raze kingdoms to the ground for fun and pick cows out of my teeth with trees! What can you possibly hope to accomplish!?" “We are the Pillow Knights! We have braved many dangers and evils to get here! We are not afraid of you, right Sir Pinchy!?” “Right Sir Dinky! We will defeat you, claim your horde as our prize, and rescue Lady Sapphire so she may once again make snacks for all!” “Yes, please save me Pillow Knights!” Lady Sapphire called out. “I have been held captive here so long that I’ve almost forgotten how to make my precious snacks!” At the thought of no more snacks, ever, both knights redoubled their efforts to slay the dragon, but it was all for naught. The beast’s tough skin was just too much for their weapons to do any damage to. Eventually the great beast grew tired of their efforts. “I grow hungry." In the blink of an eye she smacked (gently bumped) Sir Dinky away with her wing and pinned Sir Pinchy with a claw. “Tonight, I will feast on your BONES!!!" Sir Dinky looked up to see her fellow knight and friend pinned and about to be eaten. Summoning her strength, she got to her hooves, grabbed her weapon, and made a final, wild charge at the Storm Dragon. With no better target in range she hit the only thing she could: the base of the dragon’s tail. The effect was immediate and unexpected. The Storm Dragon howled in rage and pain. “NO! The base of my tail! My only weakness!" Quickly recovering from her shock Sir Dinky began wailing on the weak spot, eliciting more cries of agony from the beast. Soon enough Sir Pinchy was able to free herself and she too began attacking the vulnerable area. Soon the dragon laid helpless on the floor of the cave. “Please, I beg you, no more!” “Do you surrender!?” Sir Dinky yelled. "Yes! I will give you anything, just don’t kill me or let others know of my weakness or any mean thing will just come in here and hurt me!" Sir Pinchy tapped her chin as she thought about it. “What will you give us in return?” “I know how to get to the Kingdom of Sweets! Spare me, and I will take you there!” The two knights discussed this idea between themselves. “We deem this idea worthy. You shall take us there immediately evil-doer!” Sir Pinchy crowed. “If I may, my pillow-y saviors?” Lady Sapphire asked as she walked up to them. “I thank you for saving me, but I fear Storm Dragon won’t be able to take you to the Kingdom of Sweets just yet.” Both knights’ faces fell. “But, why can’t she? We already defeated her!” “Yes you did Sir Dinky, but you defeated her too well. I’m afraid Storm Dragon will not be able to move for quite some time. I will tend to her until she’s better, then we can all go to the Kingdom of Sweets.” Both knights looked at each other. “What do you think Sir Dinky?” “I suppose Storm Dragon has learned her lesson Sir Pinchy. We will return to Fort Pillow and await your arrival Lady Sapphire. When do you think Storm Dragon will be able to take us?” “I believe tomorrow afternoon is when she’ll be good enough to fly.” “Then we shall await for thee on the marrow! Back to Fort Pillow Sir Pinchy!” “To Fort Pillow Sir Dinky!” ----------------------------- Midnight and Sapphire watched the fillies run back into the living room. “Well that was fun,” Midnight noted as she picked herself up from her ‘defeat’. “That was really nice of you Midnight.” Sapphire said, giving the kirin a warm smile. “Just because I’m an incurable grump doesn’t mean I can’t be nice.” She gave the pegasus a playful push. “Now I believe ‘Lady’ Sapphire has a job to do.” Sapphire gave her a flick with her tail as she headed back out front. “You’re a slave driver ‘Storm Dragon’.”