Loony

by totallynotabrony

2: Vodka and Mobsters

Tracy and Arc drove back to San Palomino in silence after dropping the lycans off in the forest. Stoically attending to their respective spouses together had forged a bond between them. Arc felt lucky to have such a friend.

Despite Tracy’s support, it would have made Arc feel better to be close to his wife. However, being anywhere near the forest during a full moon was dangerous. The pack had decided on it as a place to change because it was a protected national park that didn’t allow camping or visitors after dark. In addition, there were no hiking trails within miles of where the lycans were dropped off in the evening.

The subject of killing or maiming somepony was a topic the pack generally avoided discussing. None of them had become what they were peacefully.

Tracy dropped off Arc back at his house. Ordinarily on a full moon night, he would watch some TV and go to bed early. This month, instead, his new employment required him to visit a nightclub. However, it would have been better, Arc thought as he got ready, if the night out did not involve Hooviet mobsters.

He put on a new polo shirt. Roxy said it was a little too long for fashion, but tonight he was more concerned with perhaps making it harder to identify him through cutie mark or other means.

Collecting his keys, Arc got into his car and headed for the address he had been given. In the west, the sun hovered on the ocean, slowly dropping below the horizon. Arc’s lips drew a thin line across his muzzle as he saw it. This was the time when his love would start going through the agony of the change.

Miles away in the forest, the trees hid the fading light of the sunset, but the building tension as night approached was apparent. Roxy had to make a conscious effort to stop fidgeting. She leaned on a tree, trying to affect a casual mood. The rough bark on her skin was a helpful distraction, although in a few minutes not even that would work. Embarrassingly, the first indication of the coming change was a progressively annoying itch that spread all over her body.

A few trees away, Nita and Argyle sat together, talking quietly and scratching each other. Sketch had gone off by himself somewhere, as was his habit, although he never strayed too far.

Roxy almost prefered the burning sensation that followed the itch. She shifted her position from one hoof to the other, however her knees didn’t seem to want to cooperate, her joints stiffening. Her heartbeat picked up, pounding against her ribcage.

Breath quickening, Roxy carefully knelt. Her muscles had begun to spasm, and her spine suddenly arched involuntarily, wings flaring of their own accord and pitching her body forward. She grunted, her breath fast and shallow. The sudden spike of pain would have taken her to the ground if she wasn’t already kneeling.

Bones in her back audibly shifted and her wings twisted and shriveled. Roxy’s ribs compressed her lungs, squeezing her breath out as her bones began to deform. She endured the torture in complete silence, grateful for the change-induced paralysis that was the only thing preventing her from voicing her agony. The transformation swept through her core, the insides outpacing the skin as a lupine structure tried to force itself out of an equine shape.

Finally, she could breathe again. Her mouth opened as more teeth forced themselves out of her jaw and the others sharpened into points. Her eyes were narrowed into slits, but she was able to see Argyle and Nita nearby going through their own changes.

The last change was hair, although that was a comparatively mild prickling sensation as it took a darker, more earthy color, right down to her newly grown toes and claws.

She lifted herself off the ground, feeling slightly shaken from the experience. Her eyes turned to the two wolves nearby who were picking themselves up and shaking out aches. The male was huge. The female was much smaller, but she stood close to him, possessively.

Another wolf, an older male, emerged from the trees nearby. The four of them sniffed, reassured by the familiar smells of their fellow pack mates with whom they shared the night and the hunt.

They circled the area, noses to the ground in search of hidden scents. One of the wolves located a promising trail, and the pack moved off to follow it. The night was young, and they were hungry.

The sun was now down and the night began to move in. The sky darkened and on the highways, headlights were coming on.

In his car, driving the city streets, Arc checked the address he’d been given. Proficient and Harv had briefed him about the place. It was a newer bar, a block from the local baseball stadium. Arc had been told how to identify the Hooviet, who was rather unexpectedly named Joe. Arc had also been informed of who would be there to support him.

Tammy, the IT minotaur, was apparently coming, along with the wizard Harv had mentioned. He was named Granite. Harv described him as, “Older, skinny as a rail, and probably looking pissed about something.”

It was less description than Arc would have liked, but if nothing else he could ask ponies if they were wizards until he found the right one. Hopefully that wouldn’t cause a stir. It was a bar, after all.

Finding a parking spot a short distance from the building, Arc checked the neon sign on the outside and got out of the car. He walked slowly, his eyes moving.

It was a warm night, and front door of the bar was open. Modern music and a lot of it spilled out. As Arc walked up, the bouncer positioned at the door requested to see a driver’s license. Arc gave it to him while looking into the dark interior of the bar. On a weeknight it wasn’t very crowded, and the clientele was mostly older than the college students who probably frequented such a place on the weekends.

The décor was modern and stylish. It incorporated a lot of metal, especially stainless steel and copper. Not only did it look trendy, but it was probably easier to keep rowdy patrons from defacing it.

Getting his license back, Arc walked in. His eyes focused on a thin unicorn stallion who was two colors of grey and stood beside the bar. His cutie mark was a rather luminous, but solid-looking rock. Arc ordered a beer and went over to the pony who was almost certainly his contact.

Closer up, the older stallion didn’t look very healthy. His legs and fetlocks were bony, his shoulders and hips narrow. He might have been fifty years old, but Arc thought he looked seventy. And pissed.

Arc said, “Mr. Granite.”

Granite turned his head. “Mr. Arc.”

“I take it you’re the wizard?”

“And that means you must be the new guy. I hate new guys.”

Arc blinked. Instead of immediately replying, however, he took a sip of his beer and changed the subject. “So how’s the wizarding business? What separates that from regular magic?”

“Know-how and power. Magic just isn’t what it used to be, like back when Princess Twilight was a filly. Technology has changed things. Not that you’d know anything about it.”

Arc wasn’t sure if that was a jab at his youth or his status as an earth pony. He tried changing the subject again. “Is Joe here?”

“In the back,” Granite said. “The meeting is supposed to begin soon.”

Arc looked at him. “Is an interrogator coming to help me get the information out of him? I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Not an interrogator, just someone to drink him under the table so he’ll talk.” Granite took a sip from the glass in front of him. Arc thought it looked like water.

Arc was just about to ask about this designated drinker when the moonlight coming through the bar’s open door was suddenly cut off. A minotaur filled the doorway. Her shoulders brushed the sides of the door frame and she had to duck to get her horns under the top.

“That’s her,” said Granite.

The minotaur walked slightly stooped at she came over to them. As Arc’s eyes traveled up to her face, he realized that it was Tammy, from the IT office.

She nodded to Granite and looked down at Arc. “So you’re the new guy? Do you always bring a missile launcher with you when you visit the IT department?”

Thinking quickly, Arc replied, “Only on the first visit. I usually get quick and courteous tech support afterwards.”

She laughed and put out her hand. “Tungsten Tammy.”

They shook and Arc introduced himself. Seeing Tammy from up close, Arc realized just how much of her must have been hidden behind the computer desk. She had quite a bit of height on him, and even more on Granite. Despite her imposing presence, Arc noted gold earrings, understated makeup, and a well tailored dress that significantly softened her otherwise quite imposing presence.

Tammy gestured to the bartender and said, “The best vodka you have, the whole bottle, plus some glasses.”

Granite put down cash to pay for it. Once Tammy had her bottle, Granite gestured for her and Arc to follow him towards the back of the establishment. He approached a table where a bespectacled stallion in a brown tweed jacket was sitting.

Joe looked more like a rotund college professor than somepony who was involved with international organized crime. He looked up as the three of them approached. Despite Tammy’s imposing presence, his gaze went first to Arc before settling on Granite.

“If I’d known you were bringing friends, I might have invited some of my own,” Joe said. His voice carried a neutral accent. He didn’t smile in greeting.

Granite pulled out a chair and sat. “I wasn’t aware that you had many friends. Maybe you can make some new ones.”

Arc and Tammy followed Granite’s lead, sitting on either side of him. Tammy put the bottle on the table and arranged the glasses. With a grin, she poured each one full and distributed them. Arc decided that ordering a beer ahead of time had been a bad idea.

Granite picked up his glass and paused while Joe did the same. As Joe’s foreleg raised, Arc saw a watch slide out from under his jacket sleeve. It appeared to have a hammer and sickle on the face.

Granite and Joe took their first sip together, Joe drinking noticeably more. He lowered his hoof, but didn’t let go of the glass.

“This is about imports.” Granite put down his glass. “One turned up here in town.”

Joe gave him a hard look and raised his glass for another sip. He paused to swallow and asked, “Who?”

“Buttercup,” Granite provided.

Joe appeared to think that over. Tammy picked up her glass and took half of it in one pull. She picked up the bottle and filled her glass again, holding out the bottle to Joe who accepted a refill.

Arc took a sip of vodka. It burned down his esophagus like a shot of liquid fire. Straight out of the bottle, it was undiluted, and even properly chilled it tasted like paint thinner. None of the others had made faces while drinking it, however. Arc felt the blood rushing from to his scalp to the tips of his ears and wondered if the others could see. Having a white coat was definitely liability in this business. He had always been more of a beer drinker anyway.

“What’s Buttercup doing making deals around here?” Joe asked.

“She’s not; she turned herself in,” Tammy provided. She took another long sip of vodka. Joe matched her.

“Well, that’s interesting,” Joe said after a moment.

“What do you know about her?” Granite asked.

Joe shrugged. Tammy refilled his glass and her own.

“Any idea who she might know around here?” Granite tried again.

Tammy took another drink. After a moment, Joe lifted his glass. He paused, but then went ahead and drank. After lowering the glass back to the table, Joe said, “There’s a mare named Sisal Twist.”

Granite nudged Arc with one of his bony elbows and addressed Joe. “How do you spell that?”

Arc paid special attention as Joe managed to give the answer, although it was clear the alcohol was beginning to affect him. Despite that, Tammy refilled his glass and baited him into another sip.

“What else can you tell us about Sisal Twist?” Granite asked.

“She’s Hooviet. We’ve done business in the past.” Joe picked up his glass but then put it down again. Tammy took a sip but Joe didn’t follow her this time.

“How does she know Buttercup?” Granite asked.

“I don’t know,” Joe said. Arc couldn’t tell if his words were slurring or if a little bit of accent was starting to creep in.

Tammy took another sip. This time, she got Joe to mirror her.

Granite shifted his position slightly. “Do you know if Buttercup has some sort of warehouse or place where she keeps things?”

“No, I don’t.” Joe paused for a long moment. “Sisal might.”

“Do you know where we can find Sisal?” Granite asked as Tammy finished her glass and began to pour again.

Joe considered the glass in front of him as Tammy finished filling it, touching it with the tip of his hoof. He moved his hoof forward to embrace the drink.

“I asked you a question,” Granite prodded.

Joe looked up. There was a growing tinge of pink in his face. “What makes you think I know where to find her?”

Granite stared at him. “You didn’t say no.”

“Why do you care?” Joe’s tone rose from the subdued level the rest of the conversation had so far been conducted at.

Granite pushed himself up and leaned over the table, grabbing the lapels of Joe's tweed jacket in either forehoof. “Don't fuck with me. You know what happens!”

Joe let go of his glass, drops of alcohol sloshing over the sides. He leaned as far back in his chair as he could, but Granite held him tightly.

Granite breathed into Joe’s face, their eyes locked. After a moment, seemingly satisfied with what he saw, Granite let go of the Hooviet’s jacket and withdrew to his side of the table.

The outburst had drawn some stares, especially from Arc. He hadn’t expected the older unicorn to get physical, especially with seemingly so little provocation. He also didn’t know what Granite might be capable of, but Joe apparently did if the threat had been so effective.

Joe paused to collect himself, staring at the table for a moment. He sighed. “Sisal never gave me an address, but I once did a little searching on my own. I’ve got a phone number and a license plate.”

Granite nodded. Joe dug out his cell phone and awkwardly browsed through it. In a few minutes, he’d found the information he’d promised.

Arc realized that if he was going to have a hope of remembering everything he learned about this case, he was going to have to get a notebook. Memorizing a name, phone number, and license plate under the influence of only one drink was difficult enough.

Business finished, Granite got up from the table. “Joe, take some time to think about it. If there’s a way you can work this to your advantage, you know who to call.”

Joe’s eyes had started to glaze over. He didn’t give any indication that he’d heard. He looked at his mostly-full glass and then lifted it again. He looked up, the glass hovering halfway to his mouth.

Tammy picked up her own drink and toasted him, their glasses meeting with a clink that miraculously didn’t spill anything. They both drank what remained.

Getting up from the table, Tammy swayed. Arc and Granite quickly moved to brace either side of her and she managed to bounce off both of them several times on the way to the door.

“Does it take three of us to do this kind of thing?” Arc asked.

“Someone has to drink Joe under the table while at least one other talks to him,” Granite said.

“And I weigh like twice what he does,” Tammy muttered, gesturing vaguely at Granite. “What I drank would kill him.”

Granite didn’t reply. The three of them made it out the door and called a cab for Tammy. Getting her in the back seat when the taxi arrived was no easy task, but it helped that she wasn’t a rowdy drunk. Still, the cabby looked concerned about her horns and what they might do to the roof of the car.

When she was gone, Granite said, “Proficient and Harv said you might need to be shown the ropes.”

Arc nodded. “I learned a few things tonight, although mostly I just sat there.”

“‘When in doubt, keep your mouth shut’ is never a bad policy,” Granite said. “For a new guy, you seem to have your head on right. Just don’t screw up.”

“Thanks.” Arc reached forward for a shake. Granite muttered something under his breath as their hooves touched. A spark of magic zoomed up Arc’s foreleg and he jerked in surprise.

“You’re good to drive, just take it easy,” Granite said. He turned away.

Arc stood there for a moment. Was there really a spell to determine blood alcohol content? The magic hadn’t even come from Granite’s horn.

He tested his balance and found that it was quite good. Not that it would have been affected very much by a single beer.

Arc got back in his car and headed home. It had been an interesting evening, but a productive one. He’d have to talk to Harv and Proficient about what to do with the information that had been worked out of Joe, but that was a task for tomorrow.

He slept surprisingly well that night, although the early alarm Arc had set got him up before the sun.

Arc was habitually up early, although he’d pushed his schedule forward that morning to go for a canter before Tracy arrived to pick him up. Putting on a sweatband, he grabbed his house keys and stepped outside into the predawn darkness.

The neighborhood was quiet as Arc took off. Even the light sound of his hooves hitting the sidewalk was enough to mask the distant sounds of early traffic.

Twenty minutes later, Arc came back to the house sweating and breathing hard. His mane was dripping wet, although part of the reason he’d kept his style short was to keep it out of his eyes during exercise.

In the house, he checked the clock and hurried through a shower. He soaped everywhere that was necessary, paying attention to his positive parabola cutie mark just out of principle. He’d just gotten out of the shower and finished drying when Tracy pulled into the driveway. Arc got into the van, mane still damp.

“Good morning.” Tracy passed Arc a thermos of coffee, which he gladly accepted. He poured a helping into a travel mug that he’d brought from the house.

The two of them drove east, towards the brightening horizon. Arc measured the shadows with his eyes, mentally figuring the angle and trying to determine how long it would be until the sun rose.

They reached the forest as the morning sky finally decided to accept the sunrise, the colors shifting to a lighter shade of blue within a few minutes.

Tracy pulled to the side of the road and shut off the engine. She reached down between the seats and picked up the thermos. After pouring herself a cup, she offered it to Arc.

He nodded. “Please. It’s a good brew.”

“It’s from Haywaii,” Tracy said, filling his mug.

“The Army never saw fit to station me out there,” Arc commented.

“But wasn’t Appleoosa nice?” Tracy said. “You met Roxy there.”

Arc smiled. “True. I guess I never asked; how did you and Sketch meet?”

“Just a few local events.” Tracy paused to take a sip of coffee. “Of course, we met and were married before he was bitten. That was about two years into our marriage. We’re pretty close to fifteen now.”

“Yeah, I still remember when Roxy told me. I was down on one knee with a ring in my hoof and she said I had to know something important before I went through with asking the question.”

Arc paused, frowning. “I don’t like to think about what she must have gone through by herself. Even me just driving out in the morning to pick her up seemed to make her life so much easier. You and Sketch are lucky you had some stability before you had to deal with the changes.”

Tracy touched his shoulder and smiled. “But you figured it out. You and Roxy make a cute couple. Be sure you do something nice for your anniversary next month.”

“What am I supposed to get for the three year anniversary?”

“Crystal, I think.”

Arc nodded and took another sip of coffee. He and Tracy were silent for a few minutes as the sun continued to rise. The national forest east of San Palomino grew thick, trees dense enough to cast long shadows that slowly shrank as the morning went on.

The narrow road in the woods was little used. Arc and Tracy, passing through on a monthly cycle, might have been its most frequent travelers. For them, and their spouses, the remoteness was appealing. It certainly made for beautiful morning scenery.

Speaking of scenery, Roxy awoke that morning with a facefull of dirt and rabbit blood. She rolled over, wiping her face and blinking at the sun that filtered through the trees.

Beside her was the rest of the pack. Apparently this was where they had decided to sleep. Roxy didn’t know exactly where she was, but it usually ended up being only a short walk from where she had changed. Her animal side was surprisingly courteous that way.

Although, in direct contrast to that was the rabbit carcass that was littered across the ground in small pieces. It didn’t look fresh and smelled terrible, probably being scavenged carrion.

Roxy got up, ignoring the churning in her stomach. The other three lycans were already stirring. Like her, they were similarly covered in dirt, with leaves and twigs in their manes.

Roxy oriented herself with the sun and headed for where her instincts told her the road was. In only a few minutes the forest thinned to reveal Tracy’s van. Roxy spread her wings to brush some dirt off herself as she stepped from the trees. The flight muscles were stiff after being newly regenerated. She must look terrible, considering she’d just spent the night as a feral wolf. Every morning after a full moon Arc had to face it. He seemed to have adjusted, however.

Arc got out of the van as the pack approached, opening the side door to get a duffel bag with supplies in it. Tracy had the same for Sketch, who was a few steps to the side of Roxy and equally as disheveled.

There was a third bag in the back of the van. Arc gave it to Argyle, who opened it with Nita.

Roxy gave her husband a weary smile that cracked some of the dried blood on her lips. She wiped a careless hoof across her face and accepted a one quart polycarbonate water bottle from him. Unscrewing the lid, she unceremoniously dumped the whole thing over her head. Arc then gave her a towel from the bag and she quickly scrubbed herself dry, taking extra care with her face.

Once everypony was clean enough to get in the van, they loaded up. Nita and Argyle got in the back. Sketch sat in the front seat and immediately reached for the thermos. After pouring himself a cup, he offered it to Arc, who took it and passed it to the back seat. He’d already had his fill and Roxy didn’t drink coffee.

The ride back to the city was quiet. In fact, Roxy spent most of it with her eyes closed. She was usually lethargic after a night in the woods. Arc gently ran his hooves over her wings, straightening feathers and massaging knots in the muscles. For an earth pony, he was very good at preening, and Roxy smiled to let him know she appreciated it.

Roxy didn’t manage to drift to sleep during the ride and still didn’t feel rested when Tracy stopped the van in front of her and Arc’s house.

“See you next month,” Tracy said. Roxy smiled and waved. The van drove away. Nita and Argyle lived further north, towards Los Pegasus. Sketch and Tracy would drop them off closer to their car.

In the house, Arc made breakfast for himself while Roxy showered. She was not hungry. In fact, she didn’t feel like doing much of anything, but she couldn’t very well call a sick day on the same day every month. So the two of them had evolved a routine, a familiar ritual that reminded them both that their time apart was over, if only for another thirty days.

In the bathroom, Roxy took her time to brush her teeth and wash thoroughly. After having a shower and drying, she scrutinized her reflection carefully. Her hooves were a little heavy in applying makeup today, but she left it.

She and Arc met briefly in the hall, trading a smile and a kiss. They lingered in close embrace, scent and touch and body heat re-establishing the sense of normalcy broken by the monthly event. They only let go when they both felt the other was ready. Arc loved the little smile she gave him in that wonderful moment: it signaled they were both ready to face the day.

“Long day today?” Roxy asked.

Arc shrugged, the shirt he wore to work wrinkling slightly. “It might turn into that, with the things I’m working on.”

“I remember you telling me about the missile launchers.” Roxy’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Have fun with that.”

Arc nodded and smiled. “Oh, I will.”
Roxy pulled him close for another kiss before they both left the house for work.