//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 - Adjustment // Story: Steady as She Flies // by Witching Hour //------------------------------// “Thank you for taking this note for me, Madam Mayfair,” Witch says as the pen clinks back into the cup among like writing utensils. The unicorn landlady simply smiles as she takes the note and puts it on her desk. “No trouble at all, my dear… I’m sorry to see you go,” Mayfair replies. “I know I’m not in a great area of town, but things did seem better for the time you and that nice pegasus girl were living here. You wouldn’t believe the caliber of applicants I’ve been getting of late.” “I can imagine. The rent was reasonable and you’re close to the hospital. These things are good and I’m glad ponies are beginning to see that,” Witch replies, smiling back at her. “If Monkey Wrench comes back and doesn’t want to live with us, let her know that rent’s covered for this month and next… And if she needs to get her things but doesn’t - Well… Just send a note and I’ll have her things moved back…” Mayfair nods, sensing the sadness in Witch’s demeanor. “You take care of that little foal now, and don’t be a stranger. I’ll always have tea and cookies for you,” she says, and her magic grabs a small bag from her kitchen. “For the road, my dear,” she adds, putting the bag into Witch’s saddle pack. “Thank you Madam Mayfair,” Witch says before leaving the landlady’s apartment on the ground floor of the building. Witch sighs, watching as the movers load the last of her things into the cart Saturday morning. Monkey still hadn’t returned since their fight five days earlier. Thank Luna her parents had been willing to take Trick Step after school so Witch wouldn’t need to cut off work early so he wouldn’t be left alone. Tricks comes up to her and rubs against her side. Despite the excitement of moving to a new place, Monkey’s departure had hurt him deeply, especially only a day after being abandoned by his parents. She sits and puts an arm around him. “Everything ready to go here, Tricks?” she asks, putting on some false cheer. He nods, looking up at her with sad gold eyes. “Yes, Witch Doctor… They put the last trunk in just now…” he answers, leaning against her for reassurance. Witch ruffles his mane slightly, smiling down at her ward. “Well… Let’s go check out our new place, little one,” she says, guiding him to the front of the carriage and putting him in the seat before joining him. Tricks looks around as the movers pull the carts and take them through the city. Witch knows the general area they would now call home, but as the area became more and more elite, she starts to worry a little. The rent in this area would be almost prohibitive, and some of their new neighbors would undoubtedly be elitist and frown upon her and Tricks; her for her mixed birth, and him for his deformed horn. She sighs, shaking her head to dispel the unpleasant thoughts. Within a few more moments, they arrived on Cadenza Court, and pulled around to a large house - a mansion really - with the number ‘9’ painted in silver near the front door. Movers come out along a path that goes by the side of the house and start unloading the moment the carts stop. Witch hops off the seat and helps Tricks down, keeping him to one side while the movers took all their belongings inside. As the commotion of moving gets louder when the movers start hauling trunks around the building, an elegant white unicorn stallion in a tuxedo top and elegantly coiffed blue mane exits the house followed by an ivory unicorn mare with a wavy pink mane. Witch blinks in surprise as the pair approach her. “Ah! I must say, good day to you both!” the stallion says, his accent refined and tone jovial. “Welcome, my dears!” he adds. “I’m Fanc-” “Mr. Fancy Pants,” Witch cuts him off, stunned. He smiles despite the fact that her action could be seen as rude. “Quite right, Doctor Witching Hour,” he replies, nodding slightly and clearly taking no offense. He gestures to the mare standing behind and beside him. “And this is my lovely wife, Fleur dis Lee.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Fleur adds, stepping forward and smiling. “Why don’t we go to the parlour for some tea and biscuits and get acquainted while these strapping lads move your things in.” ‘Cinna is going to lose her ever-loving mind when she hears this…’ Witch thinks, nodding gratefully to the elite couple and following them a few steps. “C’mon Tricks… I know you like biscuits,” she says, prompting the colt to catch up with her. Witch and Tricks follow the couple into the house, and over to a small sitting room. Despite their obvious wealth, nothing in the house seems truly ostentatious, which puts Witch a little more at ease. “Please sit. I must say, when Princess Luna asked if the guest house was available, I wasn’t certain what to expect… Say… Wasn’t there supposed to be a third member of your party?” Fancy Pants asks genially while the staff brings in tea and Fleur pours them all tea. Witch’s pleasant expression falters, and Tricks leans into her, sniffling slightly. “We had… a disagreement the day after Luna asked me to take in Trick Step here. She hasn’t come back since then,” Witch explains, putting an arm around the colt while grabbing a biscuit with her magic and levitating it before him. Tricks slowly takes the cookie with his hooves and nibbles on it. “Oh dear… I’m sorry to hear that,” Fleur responds, levitating her guests teacups before serving herself and her husband. “Will your friend be joining you eventually?” she queries, concern clear on her voice and in her face. “We, uh… We don’t really know,” Witch responds, holding her teacup with her magic while hugging Tricks with one arm. “We left her the new address, so either she’ll join us, or come to get her things…” she continues. “May we inquire as to the nature of your,” Fancy pauses, clearing his throat, “disagreement?” he finishes inquiring. “Perhaps we may be of some assistance in clearing it up…” he adds, looking to Fleur and gaining her nod of agreement. “I’m afraid there’s not much to be done,” Witch replies with a heavy sigh. “My… My friend is a pegasus, and I created a procedure to save her wings, but with the side-effect of it being rather obvious and letting her use less power to fly and maneuver… She now feels it’s cheating to compete, so she refuses to have anything to do with any competitive flying… My supervisor, after hearing this, apparently went to Captain Spitfire and the Captain in turn sent my friend invitations to tour the compound and to return to the Flight Academy… Monkey, my friend… Well… She thought I’d used my connection with the princess to secure the invitations despite her feelings, and I’m pretty sure she felt I’d betrayed her trust for telling others about her feelings on the matter.” Fancy and Fleur share a look after her explanation that Witch can’t read. Fleur shakes her head and Fancy sighs. “I see what you mean… A unicorn’s word about a pegasus’ flying capabilities doesn’t carry much weight at all. If she felt so strongly as to argue with you about the invitations, then obviously other unicorns, especially influential ones, would do nothing to help the situation.” Witch offers her hosts a shaky smiles as she nods. “Exactly… I’ve informed my supervisor about it, since she said she had some contingency in place for a bad reaction, so… I’ll just have to wait and see…” she agrees, then takes a sip of her tea. Her eyes widen, and she swallows quickly. “You get your tea from the Fine Brew Tea Room don’t you?” she asks, smiling slyly. Tricks immediately perks up at the mention of Witch’s mother. “Nana Brew’s tea?” he repeats before eagerly taking the teacup in his hooves and sipping it. He smiles broadly, recognizing the blend immediately as Fine Brew’s favorite. “Nana Brew?” Fleur repeats, blinking while Fancy chuckles, setting his own cup to one side and leaning forward. “Quite right, my boy…” he says with a smiling nod to Tricks. “Why dear, our new tenant’s mother is Fine Brew. Since she is guardian to this fine young fellow here, that would make Fine Brew his grandmother, after a fashion,” Fancy explains to his wife, still laughing slightly. “You are quite correct, Doctor Hour. We order our tea exclusively from your mother.” He easily catches Witch’s incredulous expression and shakes his head. “I’m quite aware of what others of my class may say about her, but one should not let prejudice blind oneself to quality goods,” he adds. Witch covers her surprise by taking another sip of tea. She watches as the couple exchange silent looks, communicating wordlessly until Fleur nods. “Trick Step, would you like to go see your new home? You should pick out your room and tell me if you want the walls painted a different color…” Fleur offers as she rises from her seat. Tricks looks questioningly up at Witch for permission. “Go ahead, Tricks. Anything you want,” she adds with an encouraging smile. Tricks jumps up and follows Fleur out, smiling broadly. Witch watches the pair depart before turning to her host and new landlord. “I’ll pay for the paints and-” “Oh not at all, my dear,” Fancy interrupts, waving her offer away with a kind smile. “I won’t hear a word about it. Consider it a housewarming gift from us, if it will make you feel better about it,” he goes on. “You must forgive our deception but I must ask… I noticed your ward does not use magic, and I can only surmise he is old enough to at least be able to manage a simple levitation spell… His horn, I presume?” Witch considers Fancy cautiously. “Yes… He… His horn doesn’t allow him to actually use his magic… His doctors have finally determined that reconstruction will be necessary…” she explains, still tentative about letting so much be known to someone of such great standing. “I see,” Fancy replies, nodding. “I imagine his parents did not react well to the decision…” “That would be the understatement of the millennium, sir,” Witch responds with an eyeroll. “Their fights were legendary at the hospital, even when Tricks was in therapy… We even started casting soundproofing charms on the counseling rooms as a standard procedure because of them…” she adds, her right eye twitching a few times. “And their decision has made you turn your world upside-down, I take it…” Fancy surmises, getting a harsh, dry laugh from Witch. “That’s what gravity reversal spells are for, are they not sir?” Witch retorts with an arched brow. “Oh do stop calling me sir. Just Fancy will do. After all, we are now neighbors at worst, are we not? And I hope we may amend that to friends in the near future,” he says kindly with an amused glint in his eyes. Witch chuckles in reply. “Very well… But if I must call you Fancy, then I insist you call me Witch or Witchy,” she responds. “As you like, my dear Witch,” he agrees, setting his now empty cup down on the table beside his chair. “Now I believe we should go check on my wife and your ward before they decide to redecorate the whole guest house. Shall we?” he offers with a polite gesture. Witch smiles, all uneasiness dispelled by his friendly and genial mannerisms. “Please lead the way, Fancy,” she replies. Witch sighs as she puts away the roll of athletic tape, and the large green pegasus mare (Witch had learned her name; Autumn Rain) smiles as she signs out, her wings securely wrapped against strain. “Hey Witchy! Let’s get dinner before it gets crazy!” Flash suddenly suggests, coming out of nowhere to drape an arm over Witch’s shoulders. Witch makes a small sound of surprised discomfort and her knees bend slightly as she finds herself half-supporting her coworker. With a sigh, she shoves Flash off of her. “Give me a moment here, Flash… I’m trying to clean u-AH!” she shouts as closes the cabinet to reveal that Cinna had been behind the door, making Witch recoil slightly in shock. “I got this. Go on! Save me a seat!” Cinna says, shooing the pair away from the supply cupboard. Flash helpfully pulls the reluctant and quasi-stunned Witch along, leaving Cinna to finish cleaning up Witch’s work area. Flash watches her new friend gets a simple salad and sandwich for her dinner silently, still in the distracted and morose state she’d been in since Wednesday morning. As if getting a colt dumped on you or a fight with a close friend alone wasn’t bad enough, Witch had gotten both of these slammed into her over the course of one twenty-four hour period. Flash sighs following behind Witch as they move to a table with open seats. The awkward silence reigns at their end of the table, with Flash being uncertain of how to speak to Witch, and Witch unable to fully voice her problems. When Bliss and Cinna finally arrive, Flash sighs in grateful relief. The urge to scream at Witch for just poking her food around her plate had been rising steadily since they sat down. “Still not back yet, sweetie?” Bliss asks Witch but the grey mare doesn’t respond. “Witchy,” she repeats, tapping Witch on the shoulder. Witch jumps alert, sending her salad flying. From another table, a cheerful voice calls out “Oo! Surprise salad!”, and several groans of “Surprise…” Bliss glances over at the table where the plate landed before rolling her eyes with a slightly amused smile and turning her attention back to Witch. “I asked if she still wasn’t back yet,” she says with a small amount of teasing leaking into her voice. Witch cringes. “Sorry… Yes… She’s not come back yet,” she responds with a sigh. “I left a note with our landlady, giving her the new address…” “Well that’s at least something… And First Squad has a rest day tomorrow…” Bliss replies, looking thoughtful. Witch, Flash and Cinna all turn confused looks on her but Bliss waves the thought off with a dismissive hoof. “Never mind…” “Where are you living now, anyways?” Cinna asks curiously, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hooves. “Nine and one-half, Cadenza Court,” Witch responds without thinking and then immediately cringes. “YOU’RE LIVING IN FANCY PANTS’ GUEST HOUSE!?!” Collectively, Bliss, Flash and Witch sigh as one.