• Published 22nd Dec 2016
  • 5,490 Views, 1,260 Comments

Perchance to Dream - David Silver



Linda settled for bed, only to awaken in the middle of a garden of statues of horses. She was one of them, only not so stone. When she eventually slumbered there, she returned home. Living two lives, can she make sense of it all? Fix it, or enjoy it?

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49 - Group Huddle

I moved for the door, half expecting it to be locked and a crackly voice to mock me for thinking I could leave, but, no, it opened easily. I walked down a hallway without opposition. My boss clapped me on the shoulder as I staggered past. "I don't know what you told them, but they ate it up! They said they'll be back next week. That's your job until then. You close this client like I know you can."

I looked at his smiling face. He really had no idea, or he was a far better liar than I ever gave him credit for. "It's my number one priority," I said truthfully, having a hard time imagining focusing on much else.

"I knew it wasn't a mistake to bring you here." He turned away. "I have to get this office in order. If it wasn't for that client, I wouldn't have bothered. The damned valley is too competitive on space alone, forget the rest." He was mostly talking to himself at that point, wandering off and stressing about logistics.

Ah, logistics. I missed wrestling with them. Could I get the office in order instead of... this? No? Damn...

I retired to my office, slumped into the chair, and rested my head in my hands. Everything felt thick and horrible. I tried to take slow and measured breaths. I had to get a grip on myself.

I don't know how long I sat like that, but the most timid knock came from the door. I glanced up. "Who's there?"

"'s me." came Kevin's tiny voice.

Did they do him over too? "Come in." My voice became more confident. Somehow I felt better. I could be strong for Kevin. He sounded like he needed it. As bad as I felt, I knew what options I had. He wasn't a lawyer. He had to have been scared witless.

Kevin scooted inside and pressed the door shut silently behind him. "Tell me they talked to you too."

"They didn't request I not disclose that, so, yes, they did." I sat up. "I got the impression being indiscrete about it would be being a poor sport, but you're involved."

"Are they going to grab Starlight?"

I felt a fresh wave of cold run through me. There I was, lamenting my own life, and I hadn't even thought about our guest. "I didn't get that impression. If she stays in the house, she's fine." Okay, it was time to take stock. "They have us. The only 'out' is to say we were forced, somehow. If we made Starlight out to be a monster we were afraid of, everything we did was, basically, in defense. It also throws Starlight to the wolves. I couldn't sleep with that option."

Kevin shrugged. "Not that they'd believe it. We weren't looking menaced, or acting it, or anything."

I waved it away. "She's a magical pony. If we wanted to, we could say she mind controlled us, but I don't want that. So we're guilty. If we fight hard enough, it gets worse."

"Worse?" He raised a brow. "How does it get worse?"

"Easy. Add smuggling. One for every state border. One count of lying to the California border patrol. No, we go that way, we lose. I could make it a huge mess." I gestured wildly, it helped calm me. "I could call newspapers and stations and be as loud as I can. Then they drag us away. Best case scenario, a combination of appeals and public pressure eventually gets us out. We'd still be spending time in jail. Our lives would be dashed. Depending on how they interpret it, they could take most of our things along the way. Smuggling's a nasty charge." I was speaking the facts, but it wasn't helping Kevin. He was going more and more pale.

I raised a finger. "Or. We move with them, and take them for what they're worth."

"W-what?" He put his hands down on my desk with a slap. "They don't want anything out of me but answers to questions. What am I getting?"

Ah, he wasn't as valuable... "You're mine." I reached and grabbed his hand. "They won't hurt you."

The shock of the contact seemed to upend his thought-train. He went a little rest, but mostly looked confused. "What?"

"First, they either have both of us or neither," I stated firmly. "Secondly, they need to pay more. A lawyer does not work for $70/hour."

"They offered that?!" It was clearly a very satisfying number to him. "Wait, for what? Linda, don't leave me in the blank here. They're giving you a job?"

I put a hand on my chest, the other still holding him. "I'm a dual-citizen, and a horse some of the time. They want what I know, and they want me to act as a go-between."

"You're an ambassador?!"

I blinked at that. "I'm not relaying messages from either government, so no. More like a friendly face at the border. Apparently ponies ending up here is not an entirely new thing. There's at least one more."

"Did they show you a picture?" He sank down to a knee to be equal with me. There wasn't another chair in the room.

I pondered a moment if I should give away Simulacrum. It seemed... rude. "I saw him. A blue pegasus. Not one I saw on the show before. Forget that. It's a serious proposal. We've shoved a foot into this, it's not coming out clean."

The door suddenly swung open, revealing the boss man. The words he was about to say were aborted as he surveyed the scene. There was Kevin, on a knee. We were holding hands.

He suddenly started to back away. "Excuse me..."

I let go of Kevin's hand and threw up both of my hands. "It's not... Look, I need him."

That was so the wrong phrasing. He looked mortified. "Um..."

"For the case," I amended. "I need him to close the deal."

Kevin scrambled up to his feet. "Y-yea. We were just going over some of the emails and there aren't any other chairs in here."

"Oh!" Boy did he look relieved. "We have plenty. They're just all in the damn closets. Kevin, with me." He waved away and led Kevin off to fetch a chair.

I slumped back a moment before I waggled the mouse and went to check my mail since I had said I was checking on it. There were new emails from the director waiting for me. She hadn't waited long.

It was a pleasure meeting you today. I apologize if I ended on a sour note. I'm used to dealing with far less savory characters than you. Allow me to re-emphasize that I wish to work with you and that you would be a valued member of the team.

PS: Kindly keep the sensitive details to yourself. You are permitted to mention you've been offered a position with us, and that it will not interfere with your current position.

I frowned a little at the email, and moved to the next. It had an image in it, and instructions to promptly delete it after viewing it. Some security. I was far from IT, but I knew the setup we had wasn't rated nearly high enough for government secrets.

With a soft grumble, I pulled up the image.

It was a foal. He or she, I couldn't tell from the quality of the picture, sat beside a window, looking out. There was pain in those eyes. They didn't look starved, and they weren't chained.

They were still a kid, stuck on a world that wasn't their own. The reason for giving me that picture seemed obvious. This was exactly the kind of pony I would be helping.

It wasn't fair...

That didn't mean I had to accept a demotion in salary over it.

I hit the reply button and got to typing.

Director Swanson,

You seem to be a professional, but you lack a bit of, shall we say, bedside manner? Along those lines, I have a request. If I agree to join your endeavor, I'm bringing someone with me. Kevin, to be specific, who I'm told you already met. He knows ponies about as well as I do, and would be quite eager to help them. He is willing to work at the agreed-upon rate of $70/hr, 10 hr/wk.

Onwards to the second matter. My education and experience commands more than that paltry sum. I'm afraid I must ask for at least $140/hr. Should you agree, I will bring my full legal experience to the table. Otherwise, I'm afraid we have little to discuss. Special circumstances or not, we are both professionals and I imagine you would not accept an offer for less than you know you could accept in good conscience.

Dutifully,
Linda Froehein

The rest of my usual signature was ready, and I left it alone. I smacked the send button with a sense of satisfaction. They'd either pay up, or I'd be off the hook, likely without too many hard feelings, or so I hoped.

Kevin and the boss returned and a chair was set across the desk from me.

I waved the boss closer. "I have some news."

"Oh? Is it about the client?"

"Exactly so." I smiled. "I think I have them in the right position. I went ahead and asked for the sale. If they take me, they're going to want both of our services." I gestured at Kevin. "It shouldn't get in the way of our usual business."

"Close the sale," he said firmly. "You do what it takes. If we have to let you out once in a while, so be it."

I wanted to know so badly exactly what they were offering him and the business. What deal was I closing as far as he saw it? "You got it. Kevin, you're with me on this."

"Right." He nodded firmly. "Let's go over the details."

"I look forward to hearing how it went." He tipped the hat he wasn't wearing and slipped back out.

"So..."

I turned the monitor towards Kevin, showing that foal whose picture I had not yet deleted.

Kevin gasped in surprise. "If that's a photoshop, it's a damned good one."

"That's who we have to help. You'll take $70 an hour, right?"

He sputtered.

"I thought you would."

He suddenly grabbed my shoulders. "I thought I was going to jail forever, and you're telling me I'll be being paid obscene amounts to help ponies?"

Obscene? Hardly... "They haven't accepted my proposal, yet. We have to wait for that. If it goes well, you become a government employee. You can keep a secret, right?"

"We just took a cross-country tour with a magic talking alien."

I lifted my shoulders. "I'm just saying. No talking about it, ever, unless we're told to. This is not for fame."

"I'll take the money," said Kevin with a smile. "What's up with the pony kid though? They look sad."

That I didn't know...

Author's Note:

Panic levels are lowering. How many typos lurk in her proposal?!

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