Giggling wildly, Yuki corkscrewed out her pre-opened escape window. Her new roomie sure looked like he would be a ton of fun to tease. With a few quick flaps, she took wing and crested through the air. The grounds below her were a beautiful banquet of autumn colors. Seasonal rotation assured that at least some of the greenery would be in bloom at any given time.
As a pet, Yuki couldn’t have possibly asked for a bigger or better backyard. House-arrest almost ceased to be a punishment when she had this much room to fly around in. The view from the hilltop castle of a mansion was already remarkable, yet the awe was somehow multiplied by merely adding a few dozen meters of elevation.
It had taken the sacrifice of a temptingly placed stack of tea leaves to reveal how extensive her herbivore palate was. She couldn’t get enough of the green stuff; a whole realm of flavors existed that couldn’t even have conceived of. Once d’Atlanta had learned of it, they had struck a tenuous agreement.
More like an ultimatum, Yuki thought.
True, it had been economical to offer her whatever flowers and exotic grasses had been trimmed by the groundskeeper. Admittedly, the flavor didn’t differ too much from their fresh counterparts, which she knew because naturally she had sampled nearly everything in the garden by now. She figured it was the best way to foster a working understanding between herself and the “comprehensive” surveillance system.
After stashing the wallet for safekeeping, she helped herself to some of that yellowish African flower she had stopped trying pronounce correctly. It had a creamy honey-like sweetness with a tart aftertaste that left her with a well-nourished feeling. She was careful to eat only from crowded or out of sight areas; after all, there’s no better mark than the one that isn’t missed.
At the same time, the openness of the space somehow felt like a different sort of cage. She felt so free like this, yet there was also a longing for the cramped one-bedroom apartment she had shared with her family of four.
Maybe I should look for someone to play with?
Since she was doing such an upstanding job as a pet—up to and including the misbehaving—it wouldn’t be unusual to want some company. Perhaps she could get “master” to get her another pony thing to roughhouse with. For now, however, the servants would have to do. Her weaponized cuteness had already promoted her from prisoner to pet in what would be only the beginning of a rampage through the hearts of most of the live-in staff.
She landed at the base of the towering steps and took a running stance. With a flurry of harmonious hoofbeats, Yuki happily bounded upwards. It had taken plenty of practice to get a hang of hooves on stairs, but much less than she had expected. Running brought its own set of unique joys—the satisfying rhythm of her every step on the fine stone, the blurred escalator of colorful flowers framing her ascent, the surprising power of her stumpy pony legs. Truthfully she had to stretch her imagination to come up with any downside to her new form; reams of new experiences were still waiting to be unlocked.
Besides, Yuki thought to herself, no use worrying about the tough stuff when I can handle anything that comes my way!
However, an injunction to joy stood by the door, boring it with his very presence. As usual, Luigi wore the same custom-tailored ash suit. He alone seemed immune to her petite pony charm, always looking for the slightest misstep to tattle on her about. As if to torment her with overflowing pomposity, the one thing he seemed enthusiastic about was the suit. It was the same one he wore every day, and Yuki would not have been surprised if he washed and ironed the same clothes every day. He did seem like the type. However, a quick sweep through his room revealed a closet full of identical suits. She didn’t know whether to be impressed or repulsed.
He seemed to gaze through her, tensely strumming the tips of his fingers against one another. He had the look of business about him, but it was as if he was daring her to make the first move. Resigning herself, she made a point to drag her hooves to the door as slowly as ponily possible.
Unfortunately, his patience far outweighed her own.
“Yes, Jr.?” Yuki teased.
“Miss Araoka, your package has arrived.”
The pegasus perked up. “Cool!”
She buzzed inside to grab the small box that had been placed by the front entrance. There was probably a slight somewhere in his refusal to hand it to her personally, but Yuki didn’t care as she unship-and-handled the box, making a point to not tear a single scrap of the paper. She was still a bit slower than she’d like, but two semidextrous hooves and creative use of her flexible primary feathers promised to equal her infamously nimble fingers given time.
Luigi grimaced as she held up her prize for him to see: a light-green cat collar with a fish-shaped charm simply engraved with “Yuki.” Fake jewels and glitter adorned its entire circumference, as if it had been designed by a preteen girl. The pony made a point to exaggerate her satisfaction for her audience’s benefit.
It was completely perfect. It was simultaneous adorable and ridiculous, ensuring that nobody at all would be able to take her seriously. More importantly, however, was the GPS functionality, ensuring that her master could track his pet cat burglar wherever she may go. True, the magnetic lock was far from beyond her ability—in fact, she’d come up with three new ways to break it before breakfast. Still, even if d’Atlanta were to recognize all of this consciously, it would inevitably drop his defenses a little. As long as she appeared to be more under his control, he would relax, a psychological edge the likes of which she hoarded jealously.
Luigi had scrutinized her every movement until he seemed satisfied.
“If that is all, I will take my leave.”
“Hey, you kind of have a pencil-neck. Maybe I can get you a matching one,” the hyper mare said, raising it to his neck to compare. “I’m sure I can find one in conformist black for you.”
The butler gave no reaction beyond walking a little faster, but she hadn’t had her fun with him quite yet. As the butler moved to leave, Yuki flew as if being blown backwards at walking speed. “I saw your happy reunion with your little brother. Those Colvi family Christmas parties must be a blast, or do you mix things up with a slightly crooked bowtie on special occasions?
He subtly raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing.
Looks like I’ll have to work for it this time, the pony thought, grinning at the challenge.
“You and your brother really have something going there, don’t you? I bet there’s a story there. Did you have a fight? Was it a girl? Did he delete your save files? Wreck your car? Criticize your wardrobe?”
Luigi’s face was wooden as he turned and unexpected corner. Yuki put on a little speed as the two of them entered the main parlor. Enough tables to serve as a small restaurant were spread out, while an enormous, crystal dining table occupied an entire wall on its own. Shelves full of aged books—selected presumably just to look prestigious—framed an open space with enough red-leather sofas to seat a hundred. At the other end of the room, priceless treasures filled display cases and stocked shelves. It was one part Victorian and another part small museum.
While the other rooms were already a gray area, the master had made it clear in no uncertain terms that there would be no flying in his “look at me: I’m rich” room. Luigi was heading towards the staircase to his room, so she only had a few hundred more metres to try and get under his skin; she had to make them count.
The purple pegasus let out a sigh, trotted around in front of Luigi and sat on her haunches.
“Look, I think I owe you an apology, Jr. This whole time, I’ve treated you like just another servant to cozy up to, when in reality you’re more than that. Signore d’Atlanta chose you as his successor for a reason.”
Snapping to attention anticipation of further stroking of his ego, Luigi stopped, straightened his entire body and regarded her intently.
“You don’t like me, and I don’t like you. But even so, I suppose I owe you more respect. I suppose that starts with how I address you. Given our relative stations, I should have realized all along that…”
Yuki let him hang on her words.
“That it’s Mama Luigi to me!”
Yuki tumbled into a coma of laughter as the butler stormed out of the room. She could see him grow angrier at himself for falling for such a puerile trick. Despite his best efforts, he looked more like a disgruntled toddler than an aghast elite.
That expression was unbelievable! I didn’t even know his face could show that much expression! His eyebrows looked like they were going to pop off his head!
With a victorious hoof-pump Yuki noted that stale internet memes he probably didn't get could be a most effective weapon. Pleased with herself, she ducked into the main corridor and took the red spiral staircase to the third floor. She supposed someone else had to have shown the new arrival to his room by now. The third floor where it resided was mainly reserved for servants and groundskeepers; though it also included more spacious accommodations for people such as the owner’s personal assistant. Though well-maintained, with a modern décor, it was the only area of the mansion that didn’t give the immediate impression of obscene wealth.
She popped into her now-shared room, only to find it devoid of the mustached mafioso. Curious, she perked her ears up for any obvious clues. Yuki found Giovanni in the office of d’Atlanta’s personal physician.
“—could have died on the spot! Quite frankly I don’t know what you were thinking,” came a shout from downstairs.
Recognizing the voice, Yuki scurried down the stairs and followed the voice to its source. She pressed her tiny body to the door and peered in through a crack.
“I did what I had to do. You wouldn’t understand,” said Giovi. “It was a bad option, but it was my only option. The risks were irrelevant at that point.”
D’Atlanta’s personal physician, a lean, middle-aged blonde-haired man, let out a sigh, scratching his chin. “You were lucky that you correctly assessed the risk of bleeding out as low, but you were still entirely reckless,” the man scolded. “It could have easily become infected, especially since you didn’t think to change your bandages even once. Not to mention the fall that left you unconscious.
Even if you were out for less than fifteen minutes, you should have sought immediate help; blows to the head are not something to take lightly!”
Giovi crossed his arms and briefly lowered his gaze. “But everything checks out okay?”
“Yes, you should be fine. Like I said, it would be riskier to leave the bullet where it is—though it does exclude you from MRIs and it may mean you get stopped a few times at airport security. At any rate, all I can offer you is hackneyed advice: get some rest, keep the wound clean, and avoid any undue—“
Hiya!” Yuki said, barreling through the door, catapulting herself onto the patient’s shoulder. Giovanni jolted out of his seat, and his left hand was halfway to his gun before he registered and glared at the annoying, non-threat.
“—stress.”
“Hey, Doc!”
“Hello, Catarina,” the doctor said, barely suppressing his subtle smile of approval. “Any changes in your condition.”
“Nope, I’m still small and equine! Though for some reason, I have this weird craving for cider.”
Meanwhile, Giovanni had finally managed to verbalize the shaking of his fists in a most concise and eloquent matter: “You! You…”
“I got you with the same jump-scare twice, isn’t that shame on you?”
He looked to the doctor for sympathy.
“Get used to it. She’s like this to everyone. It may even be a symptomatic of her condition.”
“If being me is a disease, I don’t want to be well,” Yuki said, earning a scowl from Giovi. “Don’t worry, I’m not contagious, but wouldn’t that be fun!”
“She’s not. I ran every test I know, and I couldn’t find a single known pathogen,” the doctor said.
“For all we know, she could be completely immune. It really is a shame all of this is under wraps. It could revolutionize our understanding of medicine.”
“Well find somepony else. I’ve had more than enough of being a test subject, thank you.” She turned to Giovanni. “Come on, let me show you around.”
He looked at her unpleasantly before nodding resignedly. “Thank you, Doctor Hansen.”
“Don’t mention it.”
With a spring in her step, Yuki led Giovanni back up the stairs. “As you can see, the manor is effectively divided into two halves: the front with most of the public opulence for entertaining most of his business associates, and the back, where he houses the servants as well as unpleasant secrets like us. You know, it’s kinda like the guy himself, now that I think about it.”
The “new -hire” nodded in appreciation. “I understand the general idea of what we will be working on together, but what should I expect exactly.”
“I actually don’t know much either. I was just told to keep practicing my flying. Whatever it is, it’s something he’s apparently been working on for a while, so I’d expect our first assignment any day now.”
Flying up the stairs with a single haughty flap, she looked down at him with a perky grin.
“So what’s your story?”
He looked up at her with a stone gaze. “What do you mean?”
“You know, anything, since we’re now roomies. I was watching from above earlier. I didn’t hear a word, but I could tell you’re not on the best of terms with your brother. Do you have other siblings, or is he your only brother?” Yuki asked, figuring the innocuous question would deflect suspicion from her real motives.
Giovanni grimaced and narrowed his gaze at her. “Look, Catarina, I—“
“Yuki.”
“Fine—Yuki, I don’t know whom you’re trying to fool with this childish act, but let me make things clear: I will accept you as an associate—no more, no less. I will not be your friend or let my guard down just because you’re less than half my size and furry; if anything, it makes me trust you less. All I need to know is what you can do, how you can help me do my job and vice-versa.”
Yuki nervously tugged on one of the blue strands of her mane. Damn, that backfired.
No, it’s good that he’s sharp, or maybe the geezer tipped him off. Either way, nothing lost, so why is this bothering me so much?
He passed her and entered the third-floor corridor, a short stretch of hall with two-rooms on each side. Most of the wall was occupied by a large tapestry depicting the Napoleonic wars.
Yuki always thought it was stuffy and paid no mind to it as she trotted to catch up.
“All right, all right, you got me,” Yuki said sarcastically. “Sheesh, I thought the sort of guy who’d limp here half-dead with a bullet still in him would be a bit more fun, but you’re another stiff, just like your brother!”
“I’m sure most things are boring to you when compared with dive-bombing unsuspecting strangers while they’re trying to enjoy a fireside chat,” Giovanni responded, his banter as lifeless as he could make it.
I guess I have to give up for now. He's not giving me anything useful.
They turned to the left and walked past half- a-dozen other rooms before arriving at their destination. The corner room was ideal due to the large window high on the back wall, which provided her with easy access to the open skies. Despite having the room to herself for the past two weeks, she had confined her belongs to the one side. It was probably a Japanese thing. Sharing space with her first-generation parents and younger brother, they had customarily slept on tatami mats in the same room together. She simply wasn’t used to having so much room for herself. Perhaps she hadn’t outgrown that feeling.
“This is our room, as I assume you know. The shower is two doors to the right; the room next door also uses it.”
Giovanni rolled his eyes.
“So I have to share a shower with you? At least I’ll know who to blame when the drain’s clogged with a huge hairball.”
Yuki shook her head, wearing an amused grin.
“Nope, I use the big birdbath out front!”
Giovanni looked frazzled. The sheer absurdity of what she just said must have caused him to blow a fuse. Yuki supposed he was like his brother in that respect. If so, she would have a ball assaulting his logic with pony.
“You… use… a birdbath?”
Giovanni inched closer.
“Yup! Sometimes I even sing!”
“Ugh, fine. I guess I should know better than to let you surprise me anymore.”
Giovanni deliberately shrugged, and then, without warning, dove on Yuki, wrapping his arms around the small pony’s barrel.
“All right, I’ve got you now, and I’m not letting go until you give me my wallet back. Where is it?”
Yuki let out a high pitched snigger. “My pockets would be a good first place to check.”
The mustached Sicilian just glared.
She could probably toy with him a bit more, but the answer was too funny to hold back on any longer.
“It’s in my nest!”
“Your… nest…” Giovanni said. He sounded almost bored by the idea, as well as dumfounded by the one-two punch of eccentricity.
His grip on her relaxed.
The pegasus immediately seized her opportunity and threw all her weight against his arms. He yielded far too quickly, and she ended up rushing towards the wall at full speed. Thinking quickly, Yuki sprung off her hind legs, spread her wings and funneled her momentum into a backflip. She supposed he had done that out of spite, so Yuki, still upside-down, flew close to him and blew a raspberry. She then righted herself and continued on as if nothing had happened.
“It’s in that really tall tree in the southeast part of the garden. It’s doesn’t boast much floor space, but boy is it cozy! I’m still working on the furnishings, though. All I have right now is some twigs, a plastic cup, some old manga, a half-eaten donut, your wallet, my pet rock—or should that be petpet rock?—Luigi’s nosehair trimmer, some paper clips, and a Subway coupon! I’m thinking it needs a bit more touch of home to it. Maybe I could track down the world’s smallest kotatsu… I’ve also been in the market for some used kitchenware—oh and eggs; can’t forget about eggs”—Yuki blushed—“Though those are probably more trouble than they’re worth in my case.”
Giovi nodded and then seemed to snap into focus. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that. I take it you said nothing important?”
The pegasus pouted briefly before she hatched her next diversion. “I guess I can give your wallet back now…”
Giovanni’s stern expression didn’t abate, and he merely extended an open hand.
“Buuuut, only if you can catch me again.”
Again he gave no reaction, but then dove at her again. However, this time she was ready.
She waited until he was back on his feet before sticking out her tongue, saying, “meep meep!” and flying away. She let him chase her three times around the oval-shaped hallway. She effortlessly kept ahead of him, sometimes letting her tail dangle enticingly in front of his nose before moving it just out of reach.
When her new friend looked like he was ready to quit, she landed several metres away and said, “Well tag doesn’t seem to be your thing, Giovi. Since I’m feeling generous, how about we make it hide n’ seek instead?”
Giovanni was panting. Either he was really exhausted, or he was red with anger. His countenance then became a sort of perturbed that suggested he had just realized the absurd truth that he was playing children’s games with a purple pegasus pony.
“Yeah, right. All you’d have to do is never land.”
“Nope! Once we start my cute little hooves won’t stray far from the ground. In fact, I won’t leave this floor, go into any of the rooms even.”
“Well, I take it there’s a catch?”
“Nope. But then again, we haven’t quite started yet, have we?”
Yuki hovered two feet off the ground, stretching her wings wide. She took a deep breath and guided them in a motion that had seemed strangely natural from the onset of her transformation. The air flowing past her wings seemed to thicken and become visible. She picked up the pace and the thin layer started to rise, as her wings had an unseen faucet filling the room to the brim. In no more than twenty seconds, the room was overtaken by a dense, mist-like fog.
Her newfound ability suited her perfectly—ultimate stealth. She could stick her nose in front of Giovanni, and naught but her breath on his face would announce her presence.
The hired gun’s arms crossed arms dropped to his sides.
“What… on earth?” He said with childlike awe.
Well look at that: he comes in flavors other than total-stiff and bland surprise, Yuki thought.
“Yup. I have special fog powers. I can see you, but you can’t see me! The only disappointing part is that I discovered it just after I named myself Yuki for my snowy mane. Then again, I suppose I can’t expect my new talent to conform to the name I chose!”
Her captive audience groped around trying to feel for anything at all. His hand first landed on a glass display table holding an expensive flowerpot. The whole structure rattled, and he flinched backward.
“I’m done! I’ve had enough ‘fun’ for one day, thank you.”
“Oh come on! We haven’t even started.”
“Just point me to the stairs,” Giovi ordered.
“Fine!” Yuki said with an added hmmph. “They’re behind you.”
He took a few steps back, hanging to the right side of the room to avoid tumbling down said stairs. He shot way past them, and Yuki stifled a giggle.
“Am I closer?” Giovanni asked, taking another step back.”
“Cold!” Yuki said.
“What!?” he took a few paces forward to better hear her.
“Warmer!”
“DAMMIT! Stop goofing around, you—you pesky fuzzball.”
The pony did a double take at his dimwitted choice of insult before collapsing into laughter on the floor. Oh
yes, she was going to have a lot of fun with this mook.
Silence at the d’Atlanta mansion was a welcome arrival. For the first time in several hours, it seemed, Giovanni could hear himself think. He lay on his back, head on his perfectly centered pillow. Nonetheless, he still couldn’t sleep.
Rolling to his side he reached to the side-table once more. Finding the pre-paid phone Domenico and he had agreed he use, he flipped it open. The number was still dialed, but he had hesitated in pressing send.
After all, Giovanni thought, what good is it when he has no way to tell if I’ve been compromised by the enemy?
Dammit, no way around it. I’ll have to think of something in the morning.
He lay back down, hanging listlessly on the edge of the bed, as if rolling back over to the center would be too committal. It didn’t help that moving would mean briefly parting with the sillky smooth sensation of the pillow under his head. D’Atlanta’s accommodations had been top-notch for sure. Giovanni wondered how much this pillow had cost. Surely it must be a pricey imported fabric. He couldn’t help but run his hand along it self-consciously, feeling it massage his skin.
The pain of loss still weighed heavily on him, but through force of will he had temporarily pushed it to the background. That said, he felt a bit guilty for enjoying such amenities, while Domencio was out there alone—or worse, dead.
Still he was further tempted into rubbing his cheek on the luxury pillow. It felt even more amazing on his face.
Giovanni froze.
Wait a minute, there was only one pillow on this bed!
He slowly lifted his upper body into a sitting position.
“Get in your own damn bed, Yuki.”
“Hehee. Took you long enough. With all your tossing and turning, I figured you could use a pony cuddle to help you sleep. So what’s on your mind. As a certified pony psychologist your secrets are safe with me.”
Don’t take the bait. She’s like an attention-hungry child, she’s just after your reaction.
With as little energy as possible he rolled to the center of the bed and found his real pillow.
“Good night,” he said decisively.
Predictably, Yuki wasn’t to be deterred that easily.
“Ohh, what’s this? Calling your girlfriend? Is this a late night booty call?” Yuki asked, holding the flip-phone.
“You got me,” he said ironically, hoping to defuse her amusement.
Yuki gave a wry smile.
“Well, whoever it is, I’d say you should stop beating around the bush and just do it. Here you go!”
She pressed the top of the phone to his ear. The dial tones sounded, and his heart rate picked up as he endured the chasm of silence in between each ring. He closed his eyes, praying.
The ringing stopped.
“Hello?”