//------------------------------// // Full of Hot Air // Story: Mortality // by Aceofgods //------------------------------// Chapter 7: Full of Hot Air Ace stood outside of Mr. Frosting’s office, directly next door to Frosted Foods, as he adjusted the cinch on the sword he carried on his back, the anti-magic sleeve tied in a striped pattern against the scabbard and a fresh bandage over his head. After his twelve hours of work yesterday, he was going to collect his pay and head straight for the hot air balloon station in town. With luck, he would be back home in Ponyville by that night. I’m going to have a lot of apologizing to do when I get back… he thought to himself with a soft smile as the scene played in his mind. I wonder how long she’ll stay mad? Ten minutes? Ten seconds, perhaps? Already in a good mood as his smile widened at the thoughts of home, he shifted in his winter coat before making his way into the office, allowing himself into the central office as he disregarded the secretary, who barely seemed to notice he had come in as she read some magazine. Entering without warning, Mr. Frosting nearly jumped straight out of his seat behind the desk at the entry, followed immediately by actually leaving his seat as he stood on the opposite side. “Wh-what do you want?” he managed in a panic as he shook, pointing at Ace. “If you so much as draw that sword, your plot will be thrown in jail faster than you can say lawsuit!” Ace arched an eyebrow at the accusation before having to physically look on his back to be reminded of the weapon with a chuckle. “Beg pardon for the scare! I’m actually just preparing to leave town. If you would be so kind as to pay me for yesterday’s arrangement, I’ll be skipping town before you even throw out the remnants of the first batch.” “You mean before you take out the trash. An associate of mine, who will remain anonymous, confirmed that you were giving away my wares,” he said as he walked around to the front side of the desk, his features mimicking that of a rat who just stole a block of cheese from another. “The cost of those products has been deducted from your pay, and you now owe me thirty bits, and thus another eighteen hours of work.” “Tell me, Mr. Frosting… Do you sell trash at Frosted Foods?” Frosting was clearly appalled at the accusation. “But of course not! I sell only the finest-“ “Then I have not given away any of your wares, product nor resources. Pay me for my work, and I shall leave.” Ace’s voice was calm, level, despite the anger he kept at a simmer under his coat. “I have eye-witness accounts of three foals walking out of my store after loitering for an extended stint of time, my signature baked goods in hoof. Not only were they also seen doing your job cleaning the store, but their pockets weren’t looking any lighter, either.” The rat’s face twisted in a conniving smile, believing he had already won the argument. “So, Mr. Fenrir, what do you have to say for blatant disregard for my business?” “My argument still stands. The only way that I would have done anything wrong is if your business was that of selling trash. Truth be told, I believe you would be quite proficient in such a venture. Why, the bullshit that runs over from your mouth alone could fetch millions.” Despite Ace’s calmness, Mr. Frosting’s blue coat turned red around his face as he raised his voice in anger, a hoof slamming against the tile. “I am NOT in the business of selling neither trash nor manure! Three ponies walked out of my store with cupcakes in hoof after loitering in my establishment!” “What they held was trash. Those ‘cupcakes,’ as you called them, had not only fallen on the floor, but was also seven minutes past expiration. As you have said yourself on two accounts, they were trash.” “Until that frosting freezes or they are placed in the trash, they are not trash!” Ace’s lips curved slightly in the corner for only a moment. “I assure you, Mr. Frosting, as soon as the cupcakes enter your display shelf, they become trash.” With a terribly pitiful growl, Mr. Frosting charged at Ace, his hoof raised before sailing through the air into his side. No sooner than the blow had hit, Ace’s hoof pulled the sword free of its scabbard with a distinct metal ring before it was pressed against Frosting’s throat. “That is assault. Legally, I can now kill you under fear of life.” Ace’s voice was calm, Frosting’s hoof was still pressed against Ace just behind his shoulder. The adorned hilt glimmered in the light as the blade followed Frosting’s sorry attempt to get away from it. “If you kill me, you’ll be sent to prison and-“ “And you’ll be dead while my father will cover my bail. At least, that is what would happen if I didn’t have legal right to kill you.” Several moments passed, Mr. Frosting constantly swallowing deeply, the blade biting slightly into his throat as the lump passed it. Sweat beaded the easily angered pony’s brow. “You don’t have any witnesses, and I am thoroughbred with deep-seeded roots in the community… You’ll hang for this!” The panic was clear in Frosting’s voice. “My roots are deeper and far more out-reaching than yours. Furthermore, you have tarnished your family’s good name with your pitiful treatment of others, your sense of entitlement. I will be celebrated for what is just, and your words carry no weight if you are dead.” The sweat poured from Mr. Frosting like water from a faucet. Several more seconds passed before he backed away, fell to the ground and rubbed his throat in defeat. “Take your bits and leave. If I ever see you around town again, you’re a dead stallion.” Ace sheathed the blade and helped himself to the safe against the wall as Frosting read off the code. Knowing better by now, he voiced no complaint as Ace took 120 bits worth and a coin pouch to carry it in, though his look was clearly distaste. “You had best count your coins while you have them, miserly fool. When I return home, I’m buying your business out from under your nose and throwing your plot to the streets.” Ace stood before the door as he finished tying the pouch to his hoof, just below the shoulder. Certain it was secure, he turned a burning glare to the beaten pony. “You claim to be a part of this city, yet you do not live among its denizens. Perhaps poverty will force you to embrace the town you cling to so forcefully.” With that, before Frosting could even offer a reply, he proceeded through the door and slammed it just hard enough that it would remain on its hinges, shocking the secretary to attention as he left. “Have a nice day!” Ace turned with a soft smile and a wave, “To you as well!” before making his way out of the office and heading for the hot air balloon station on the outskirts of town. Sanctis awoke by the river with a yawn and a stretch, both her stomach and her attitude fuller than normal. She looked to the sky as she continued her lighthearted stretching, noting how early it was in the day. Three hours earlier than normal… she remarked to herself. Well, what am I going to do with all this extra time? She took a quick drink from the river before taking the last half of sweetbread from last night and nibbling on it as she wandered leisurely towards the town. Being cold season, most businesses are either still closed, or only just now opening… I could go to the Museum, but it’s on the far side of town… And the mares who watch over the library won’t let me in because they don’t know that I can speak Common… Sanctis started to sigh, but she found it hard to be sad when she had sweetbread to nibble on, her soft smile returning. When she made it into town, it was about as she expected; Most of the shops and stores and other businesses were still closed for the night, with a few of them just starting to prepare their wares for the day. Having rarely been in the town so early, she decided to just follow the streets and see where they took her. I’ve been around town for a little over a year now, but I haven’t really done or seen much… If it couldn’t help me get away from the bad ponies, keep me warm or feed me, I’ve sort of overlooked it… Looking around the city, she was flooded with memories and events. Such things as Peachy Petunia’s Perfect Pretzel Place, where Petunia first gave her something to eat when she arrived into town for the first time, or the sandbox in the park where the spoiled brats buried her in snow one night. That taught me real quick that I needed to be more careful of where I slept… She passed by a few alleyways where she practiced acrobatics, such as using the flexible lids of dumpsters to leap over fenced-off alleys to evade pursuers, and another with a dumpster close enough to a concession stand that it was where she had her first meal that wasn’t a handout. Even I notice that it’s sad those qualify as ‘good memories,’ but beggars can’t be choosers… On a corner next to a street sign, she remembered when a beggar pony was kind enough to offer her a few of his bits, the old stallion remarking, “At least I have a few rags to ward against the biting cold, but I can imagine nopony else realizes how rough you have it… They offer me coins because I am homeless, but they only see you as a child who forgot to wear a coat when she left home… It’s the least I can do, young one.” He was right, everypony sees my age and believes I am just another spoiled child who has life easy, a child who has never worked for a meal in her life… Then she passed the alleyway not far from the homeless pony where a group of teenage thugs mugged her, blinded by the shiny jingling of her few measly coins. Right, little fillies have life soooo easy… The coins had done her more harm than good as she limped out onto the street, wishing she had the good sense at the time to forfeit the coins instead of futilely trying to protect them… Sanctis had limped down the street, her eyes and cheeks freezing as tears fell to the snow, until she managed to find the hospital. She sat in the lobby for hours, nopony paying her any mind. Finally, when she was the only one left in the waiting room, the nurse finally motioned for her to come forward. Not that it did any good, because the doctors wouldn’t so much as give her the time of day unless she had the money to pay for treatment. Sanctis then started to make her way outside, her tears falling all the more, when somepony wrapped a hoof around her tenderly and proceeded to turn her head from side to side as he looked at her bruises. “I’m not sure what happened, little one, but perhaps it would be best if you avoided the ponies who did this to you next time,” the older looking pony said before taking some equipment from his bag and bandaging the worst of her injuries and applying a splint to her damaged hoof. “If you get hurt like that again, ask for Dr. Heart Scan at the desk, okay?” he said as he handed her lollipop from the bag. “Now you take care, and try to stay off that hoof for a day or two.” Sanctis sat against a building as she went over the memories that clouded her thoughts. The city itself looks kind, and peaceful… The white blanket of snow granting it an air of calm serenity… But it seems for every nice, kindhearted pony I meet, there’s two or even three bad ponies to beat a lesson about trust back into me… Sanctis rubbed her shoulders and chest to ward off the cold wind before taking the last bite of her sweetbread, the face of the beat-up Unicorn who graciously, if theatrically, gave it to her coming to mind. I can’t help but think I’ve seen that stallion somewhere before… Oh, why can’t I remember?! Sanctis was rubbing the side of her head as she fought to recall, when in the distance, towards the edge of town, she saw a hot-air balloon starting to inflate. I’ve always wanted to ride in one of those! she thought to herself as she rose to her hooves, running in that direction. Watching one take off could be fun, too! “That’ll be 80 bits, in all,” the ticket-master shouted over the loud drone of the hot air balloon inflating behind him, the material groaning as it was disturbed. Ace placed the bits on the counter and took the ticket, placing it into the coin pouch for safekeeping. “Thank you for your patronage, the balloon should be prepared in about ten minutes time.” Ace sat away from the balloon against a building, hoping to deafen the noise with distance. In just a few more hours, I’ll be back in Ponyville and all of this will be behind me… he thought before his eyes glanced up, remembering his damaged horn. Well, most of it anyway… One step at a time, I suppose. Ace’s thoughts wandered for a time, his smile spreading as he thought of Twilight. I can only imagine the look of her face when she sees what’s happened. I’ll bet she really tears into me over it, too. He started to laugh until he noticed that the noise of the balloon had been replaced with a far sharper sound. Looking up, Ace saw the air escaping from the top of the balloon as it toppled over, deflating. Ace’s expression changed first to shock, then annoyance at how easily he could remedy the situation if he had his magic, then to a sigh of defeat. Almost entirely deflated, he watched as the ponies working the station scrambled, shouting, trying to contain the situation and begin repairs. Then Ace noticed something odd with the balloon, or rather, the air escaping the balloon… It spiraled as it ascended into the air, rather than coming out in a stream and dissipating gradually. Darting to his hooves, Ace’s eyes darted around the surroundings, looking for anything out of the ordinary, or perhaps a saboteur or anyone suspicious. Po dra vydac… Why didn’t I notice it sooner?! His eyes darted across rooftops, through windows, over alleys and even around the snowfield that stretched out of the town. The balloon held air long enough to rise, so it wasn’t damaged to begin with… The air was escaping from the top, so whatever did that came from above, or was lobbed from nearby… Vydac! If it was another pony, they would be long gone by now… Then another thought dawned on him. His eyes ran across the area once more, but this time, he wasn’t looking for anything specific. Ace’s eyes roved over everything close enough to be seen, slowly, like a newborn foal. Rather than looking for a pony, or signs of a pony, he looked for differences; things that didn’t belong. Slowly, his gaze wandered – almost without direction. Slowly, he perceived each of the houses, each of the drifts of snow, all of the sets of hoofprints. Time passed, the balloon already completely flat against the snow-covered ground as the workers started to press, seal and sew a new patch over the hole. Then he found what he was looking for; something that was completely out of place: At the end of the row of houses across from him, there was a house, an exact duplicate of the one beside it. However, this duplicate had icicles hanging from the awning, where no other house had any. Also, it was the only house with an iron mount for a lantern, where the other houses had electrical lighting. Without a second thought, Ace darted for the house to take a closer look, the snow crunching underhoof as he went. When she had made it halfway to the balloon station, the balloon started leaking and fell over! I may not get to see a balloon taking off, but at least I can watch and see how they fix them, Sanctis thought to herself as she continued running through the snow to the station. Sanctis could see the station and its workers, but she didn’t want to get any closer, so she hid behind the corner of the house at the end of the street, watching silently from afar. With my luck, they’ll think I popped it if I get too close… Best to stay back here, out of the way. She watched as the ponies rolled the balloon on its side so the hole was on the ground, onto a patch of material. Once that was done, they took a few support beams and propped them up inside the balloon as a few workers came inside. Fortunately, from her angle, she could see into the balloon, where the workers were bringing in water and heated metal rods. They poured some of the water onto the edges of the hole, the material becoming saturated and clinging to the spare material on the outside. After the water had started a bonding process, they rolled the heated rods over the edges, the steam causing the material to adhere more firmly as the water evaporated. They then brought in another swatch of material and repeated the process. Fascinating! Because of the cold air, the water begins to crystallize inside of the material, loosening the bonds just enough that the other material meshes with it, then they remove the water using the electrically heated rods! Once the material is conjoined, they sew it up and its even better than new, having two layers instead of one! This alleviates the need to thicken or broaden the material to compensate for any imbalances without adding extra weight to the balloon, and since the material is sealed together, there’s no pressure points to be exploited by the hot air! Sanctis continued to watch the workers, nearly forgetting where she was until she heard the crunching of the snow in the street beside her. Her ears flitting nervously, she quickly looked to her side just in time to see a dark grey blur dance across the street to the alley directly behind her. With a gasp, she ducked behind the backside of the house as she pressed herself against it in an attempt to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible, her ears dancing as she listened for any sign of danger. “Oh, however do you always manage to find me?” came a distinctly feminine voice that was both musical and grating at the same time. “This realm has changed quite a bit since you were here last,” came a deeper, male voice that sounded somehow familiar. “Not only the realm, dearest Deus,” the musically-grating voice cooed. “You seem quite a bit different from before as well. I like what you’ve done with the horn; very avant-garde!” “Oh, but all of the most dignified Unicorns wear their horn this way now, haven’t you heard?” the male replied with a thick helping of sarcasm. “I take it you’re the reigning Draconequus now?” Sanctis wasn’t sure what was going on, but she couldn’t contain her curiosity despite the sense of danger she felt. She carefully sidled against the side of the building until she could slowly peek her nose around the corner. Sanctis’ hooves darted to her mouth to cover the gasp that threatened to give her away. Standing directly in front of the theatrical Unicorn from the other night, now with a coat and a sword on his back, was a creature beyond comprehension. It had ears that matched a cat’s, each pointed at the tip, the left one black and the other white while the hairs inside were opposite, resting over a long black mane that crowned a solid white, nodding head resembling a skinny dragon’s. Where the neck met the body, it separated into black and white, the right being black down to the end of skinny dragon’s claws with long white talons, the opposite side being white with black claws. In the center of the creature’s body was what resembled a jigsaw puzzle piece as the four squares of opposing colors were reversed for the bottom half of the beast, the right being white and the other black, but both featured slender, powerful looking dragon’s legs. Finally, the creature’s tail was patterned with black and white scales tapering to a point as it swished forward and back. “And Discord? You’ve already dispelled his residual magic?” The Unicorn asked warily as he sat across from the unique being. Discord?! Isn’t he that really big bad guy the princesses fought a long time ago? Sanctis listened intently, inadvertently leaning closer to get a better look. The creature appeared annoyed before laughing, covering her mouth before crossing her claws over her distinctly female chest and leaning against the wall as her tail ran over the stallion’s nose. “Please, Deus, you insult me; I know how to do my job better than most of my kind. I completed the transfer of power even as the ashes of the foolhardy king spread to the seven winds.” The stallion rubbed a hoof against his nose before turning a glare up at the beast, nearly three times as tall as himself. “Then why do you pester me so? Surely you have much work to do acquainting yourself with the realm and securing your seat of power.” The creature laughed again, this time with actual joy on her draconian features. “Such a silly pony you are! I have been here for months, and have visited this realm before. As you said, much has changed – physically – but metaphysically, the realm is the same. “As for my ‘seat of power?’ Such a dated term, but I will permit you that much… I am not Discord, as you know, and have no fear of my power being threatened. I have no grand schemes of realm domination, nor do I seek the demise of any foe. Just chaotic business, nothing more.” “So you say, and yet you are here throwing a wrench into my plans, as it were. If you truly are all business, as you say, then why go out of your way to hinder me?” The stallion didn’t show any sign of it, but his voice sounded quite annoyed. “Consider it a favor to an old acquaintance, Deus. Also, I wanted to see first-claw the stallion who bested my predecessor. I oft thought you were capable, but to know that you finally did it… Bravo, wolf, bravo.” The stallion sighed and shook his head. “I’d rather you didn’t call me that, and as you likely know, I have someplace very important to be. You want me to go the long way, so be it, but hinder me not, Cassie. I don’t take kindly to those who keep me from those I care about.” The creature shook its head with an incredibly wide, dragon-toothed smile as it snapped a claw, a vortex of black and white swirling into being before it proceeded into it. “Tell your little filly hello before you go, would you kindly?” “Filly? Twilight and I haven’t-“ the creature disappeared into the vortex, and as it closed, the house that Sanctis was pressed against faded from view as well, like a mirage, causing her to fall into the snow with a slushing sound as her features turned to that of fear and panic beneath the moist cover. Sanctis scrambled in the snow as she struggled to reclaim her posture, but only managed to raise her head out of the snow in time to see the stallion standing over her, his hoof moving towards her. Out of fear and panic, she covered her head with both hooves as she ducked to the ground, shaking. Seconds that felt like minutes passed until she finally looked up at the stallion, his hoof reached out to her as though he was offering to help her up. Frozen, she managed only to look up at him dumbly. “Um, hello there,” he said almost nervously. Finally, she took his hoof and he helped her to her hooves with a single pull. “You’re the little filly from behind the dessert shop, aren’t you?” The stallion sounded friendly, but with the sword on his back, the bandage covering his head under a broken horn, and the strange back-alley meeting with… whatever that other thing was, he seemed like a terribly seedy pony. Should I run? No… With him this close, he could catch me easily. He’s way stronger than me, so there’s no way I could win a fight against him… “It’s okay, I’d probably be speechless, too. You saw Cassie, right? The Draconequus I was talking to just now?” Sanctis didn’t know what to do, so she just nodded slowly. “You don’t need to be scared of her, she’s harmless so long as you don’t make her angry. She acts rough and tough, but she means well. Anyhow, it would be for the best if you forgot you ever saw her, okay?” Sanctis only nodded again, fearful of what might happen if she didn’t agree. To her left, the machine that pumped air into the hot air balloon kicked on suddenly, a loud hiss starting before the loud drone filled the air. The stallion quickly covered his ears as he looked towards the machine. That’s my chance! Sanctis ran off as quick as she could, not paying any attention to where she was going, so long as it was away from the strange stallion, not looking back once.