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>>143776Amber blinks in surprise.
"Oh. Uh, this is the first time I've ever come here. I was invited, you see...and, um, an invitation so late at night made me kind of nervous, so I had to let somepony know where I was going and you were the only pony around I could trust. In case, you know, I was foalnapped by changelings." She says the last word almost in a whisper, as if uttering it too loud might cause one to burrow out of the floor.
>>143777If any changelings are sharing the room with Amber, they haven't made their presence known.
He smiles again, and this one is a bit more expressive of pleasure
"Heh. I see. Well, I'll keep those changelings away as best I can." There is a pause, and he adds "Who invited you?"
>>143778Amber looks around, then leans in, as if to share a close secret.
"The owner of this club, Dark Denizen. I was invited on 'special business.'" >>143779Is Amber going to do anything with the summoned waiter?
"Oh" Mustard Trim says, moving his head up in a nod as he says that.
"Can I... ask what's special about it?"
>>143782She looks at Amber, and then back to Mustard Trim
"What do you want to drink?" She asks
"Uh, just water will be fine." He answers. She accepts this answer, and walks away
>>143783Inwardly she breathes a sigh of relief. No more debt for today, at least....
>>143781He looks at Amber, raises both ears, and tilts his head
"What?"
Then his head returns to normal position
"Well I read that the city is taking a stand against fire hazards in nightclubs, bars and other places. So maybe it has something to do with that."
>>143784Small victory!
>>143785"No, she told me that's just an excuse they used to distract from some bad things they did. She wants me to deliver some sort of package to them, I think. I don't know why, I've never been a mailmare before...." She takes another gulp of the drink. Although its peculiar taste is probably better cold, Amber doesn't know why anypony would drink something that chills one's stomach like this. Despite the frigid temperature of the drink itself, she feels a pleasant warmth along her nose, ears, pasterns and even tail.
>>143786Strange magical drinks. Hopefully they don't deduct too much from Amber's pay for it.
"Oh. Well that doesn't sound too bad. They probably want you to deliver a present to a foal's birthday party or something. It's good that you're able to get little jobs like that. I used to be able to do little things like that back home."
>>143788"Well.... Maybe they'll play it again." He says
After a moment's pause, he adds
"This isn't really what I was expecting. For the music, I mean."
Think we have time to continue today?
>>143792The last reply to Spark was
>>143563 >>143563"Then you must know that things one day will be back to the way they are supposed to be, or at least close."
>>143794"Well... I don't know about that. But I am glad to see that Makade is here and safe."
>>143795"I heard you call him another name. What's the story behind that?"
>>143796Ply Press probably should have referred to him as "Lyka" in >>143795 rather than "Makade""Well... When we took him in from the Pratt Wolf School in Riverside, he was called by his Celestial name, 'Lyka.' It's from mythology... I think. But we knew his birth mother named him 'Makade,' which I think has to do with his dark colored fur."
>>143797"Neat. I never heard of a wolf school before."
>>143798"Well, they mostly exist in the North and the West. You see, tension between the wolves and ponies has been a problem for, well, centuries, really, so the government made a program to try to integrate wolves into Equestrian society. Let them learn the language, the culture, and grow up to use trades. Get them young, so Equestrian culture is the only one they know. So they made boarding schools for many of them, especially orphans, or those in broken families. That's where we found Makade."
>>143799"So, what made you decide to adopt from the school?"
>>143800"Well, after our son Mild Mirth... well, we were older and it was hard enough having a child the first time... we decided to adopt. It was Petal Dew's idea to try for a wolf. Special challenges, special reward and all. Our ranch would be perfect to raise one. We had been thinking about selling it but that changed that. Lyka was older than they usually recommend for adopting. He had been living at the Pratt school for a while. He was known to be precocious. Very intelligent, rather strong and capable. Strong willed, other wolves would follow him. But he was becoming a bully. We figured we could guide him, put him in a family. And so we took him as our own."
>>143802He smiles
"Well thank you."
Elsewhere, Petal Dew seems to be trying to talk to Waabishki as Makade sits and listens
>>143804Petal Dew:
"Yes, Cyananthus got deathly ill a few years ago. We all thought she was done in. Had to stay down here at the general hospital. But she pulled through. Almost couldn't believe it....."
>>143805Spark wonders who this Cyananthus is.
>>143806They continue talking, with Waabishki displaying anxiety, and nodding occassionally
>>143807Spark turns back to Ply Press.
"Who is Cyananthus?"
>>143808"Oh, she's a pony Petal Dew knew at the mane salon back up north."
>>143810"Close friend isn't quite how I would describe it. But you get to know everypony around pretty well when you live out in the wilderness. She's a pony we knew in town."
>>143811"Ah. Then it must have been pretty lonely moving to a place like this, with no familiar faces."
>>143812"Well" He forms a smile that nears a wince
"Kind of..."
>>143813"Well, I know I'm just a stranger, but I hope you will come to find me a friend."
>>143814He smiles
"Well for now, make yourself comfortable. Why don't you join us for dinner?"
>>143815"Of course. Thank you for your generosity."
>>143816"Oh it's the least we could do. Do you need any tea, coffee, hot chocolate, cider?"
>>143817"Cider does sound pleasant. I'm going to have to fetch you some more supplies after all of this hospitality though."
>>143818"Oh, don't worry about it." He answers
The doctor asks
"How do you have chocolate and coffee?"
Receiving the answer
"We still have some stocked up from before the partition. We can spend it on special occasions, like guests."
>>143819Spark nods, but will get some more if he comes across the supplies.
>>143820Ply Press goes towards Petal Dew,
"Let me get some cider for our new friend here."
Petal Dew:
"Oh! And get out the salmon for dinner."
"Sure thing, honey."
Ply Press leaves, while the other creatures remain
>>143826Not mine, but I'm glad you like it.
>>143823>>143824Neat!
>>143825The waiter returns with the water, and almost under his breath, Mustard Trim says, "That was fast..."
And then he says to Amber
"A viol? Is that what that thing is?"