Ponies & Dragons - Episode 1: A Tail of Two Cities

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble Rose felt a faint chill at the words from below. That'd been Curtain Call?! And Ironmane was there? Hearing him sing?! He felt a bit of jealousy at finding out they were in the garden together ... had he been singing to Ironmane? Nah, they just met so recently ... sure, he was dashing, and handsome, and all that ... but ...

He was having problems finding a but.

Ack. Just leave. Stop eavesdropping. He turned and hurried back inside, trying not to fret too much.

(( I'll leave you two to RP back and forth for now! ))

[Trilobite]

Ironmane opens her mouth, pauses, and then closes it. "That's...an excellent idea, Curtain Call. And very generous of you." She smiles, an expression of honest joy. "May I impose on you to take the next watch then? I hear our friend Bramble Rose is awake, so perhaps he'd be willing to take the shift after yours."

[Kirby Krackle]

No moral? No silver lining? No gospel or third degree? Was he imagining things or was Ironmane a Paladin with tact? Come to think of it, Curtain Call could not imagine could not recall a single instance of Ironmane not on her best behavior. Darn it all, he silently grumped, stop being so... is nice an appropriate word? Her smile was genuine, giving him a warm tingle in his gut; the kind you get from receiving gratitutde. He like this feeling. Maybe there was something to this hero gig after all.

"[colour=#006400]I'll relay the shift schedule as soon as I run into him.[/colour]"

He suddenly felt a twinge of jealousy for Bramble Rose. He actually knew this mare. Personally. Recalling how friendly they were at Filt Firehorn's left him bitter. More-so when his conscience chastized him for these unjustified feelings. But still! The runt could hold a conversation with her. They clearly have history. What Curtain-Call-related topic could he bring up that isn't a confession of some kind? Be it part of his rap sheet or... unmentionable delusions.

"[colour=#006400]So. You heard the song, huh?[/colour]"

Pathetic. I really need a girlfriend.

[Trilobite]

Ironmane nods, sitting down comfortably next to Curtain Call. "You are a lovely singer," she says. "I had never heard the song before this evening, believe it or not." A sharp pony, such as Curtain Call, would catch the implied question in her tone.

[Kirby Krackle]

Theater. Fine. I can handle that, he thought.

"It's an old one. From when my parents were young. They didn't so much teach it to me, instead I just heard them sing it constantly, growing up a stagehoof and all. Besides, those two were a romantic set." 'Stagehoof' happened to be Curtain Call's go-to lie to tell about what he really did. Is it true that he assisted in production and lighting and tasks of that sort, but only until the curtain went up. After that is why he lies to strangers. "Were you taught no songs at the... I suppose, monastary? No rousing battle hymns? Oh, and thank you but no, my voice isn't that special."

[Trilobite]

Ironmane laughs, a gentle, musical sound. "I would disagree...a singer's heart, and not her voice, makes a song a song. But in answer to your question--" she purses her lips and delicately blows away a firefly landing on her nose "--I learned all manner of things in the order, from singing to sewing to formal dance. A Lady must be fully prepared for all eventualities--or at least never give others cause to suspect that she is not," she finishes with a wry grin.

The big mare clears her throat softly, gives a few test notes, and then sings in a clear, strong contralto (20 on a 'perform' roll!):

Forgive the past, put away your anger

And look beyond the coat and cutie mark

We have all been alone, alone in the dark

And we share each other's sins

We all know what it is like to give up the fight

We have all been ashamed at one time or another

We all have dreams and nightmares too

And in times of need we must care for one another.

And come cold or dark,

Come pain or thirst,

If Discord comes to claim your soul

He shall have to fight me first

For I shall never give up hope

No, I shall never give it up

I shall never give up hope

No, I shall never give it up

But I have not the strength to hold out for long

If we all hold on together we can make each other strong

We are more than flesh and blood

We are more than flesh and blood

We are more than flesh and blood

Every cloud has a silver lining

And every soul is tender to the touch

We are made of stone, we are made of steel

We are all the same when we return to dust

I shall heed your call,

Come pain or thirst,

If Discord comes to claim your soul

He shall have to fight me first

For I shall never give up hope

No, I shall never give it up

I shall never give up hope

No, I shall never give it up

But I have not the strength to hold out for long

If we all hold on together we can make each other strong.

She rises, stretching. "Thank you for indulging me, Curtain Call, and...thank you...for your kindness and bravery today. I am away to bed, per your excellent suggestion. Be well, my friend."

[Starburst]

( In the future just say you're making a perform check and I'll roll the results. Dice rolls are easy to fake when there aren't any logs of them. )

[Kirby Krackle]

"Good night, Ironmane. Sleep well. I'll see you in the morning. "

Maybe it was just the stars in his eyes talking but Curtain Call could not find a single trait of hers that wasn't beautiful. She was fantastic strength hidden behind grace and poise. She was hope and devotion. And oh goodness, when she stretched... Nevermind. That was the stars talking. As she retired for the evening, he did wish that life's bitter flavors not ruin the mare.

Oh well. It was back to work with him, putting his schoolboy crush aside. Favoring his joints with a few refreshing pops to chase the sleep away, as well as stealing a daisy fr the garden to munch on, he was awake enough to perform his first guard duty.

His second tour through the house was easier than the first. As a bonus, his thief's mindset meant prioritizing. Bless Ironmane's heart but she would have exhausted herself checking every last nook and crannie until the sun came up. The rogue new better; checking corners and curtains and in general hiding spots surrounding points of interest. The study had magic books, dining areas had fine china and silver, random hallways had paintings and then there was the safe. As a service, he did make sure to check up on Bramble's mother and the help.

The first two hours worth of sweeps were uneventful. This family deserved its peace tonight but some chaos would be helping him stay awake. After yawn twenty three (he counted), Curtains decided to find Bramble Rose and discuss a shift change.

[Bramble Rose]

The dream was a confused jumble of images and sounds ... but it centered around the leader of the bandits from earlier that day. Alive. Dead. Undead. Standing there with his wounds oozing with clotted old blood, staring accusingly at Bramble. Except he was smaller than he had been, and Bramble had sharp teeth, and sharp claws ... he was a timber wolf, and his jaws was seeking the bandit's flesh...

Bramble's room was done in purples, rich purples, as many old Canterlot residences were. At some time, though, green cloth had been draped all over the room - green tapestries, green table cloths, green bed drapes, and green silk sheets, but the purple still showed through. As Curtain Call cracked the door open, the light fell across Bramble's face, and he blinked his green eyes open, sitting up and clutching the silk sheets to his delicate purple frame, his silvery mane falling in a mess around his face, his eyes blinking rapidly as he held up his hoof to shield his eyes from the lamps in the hall.

The look on his face was full of pain, and fear, and guilt, and it took several moments for that to clear.

[Kirby Krackle]

It is the dream of every thief for hire to encounter the following scenario: It's before dawn. Security is light. While on the prowl, the hero stumbles upon the house's bedchambers. Behind the doors, clutching to the thin silk sheets is the fair maiden. She's petite with bright eyes and a gloriously long mane that shines in the moonlight. She's in shock from a bad dream and it's up to the daring outlaw is just the pony to comfort her.

So what is Curtain Call's luck when he find such a stage set for him, except the leading lady is no lady? Clearly Discord is alive and well and is having a grand old time at Curtain's expense.

How do I get myself into these things, he thought while measuring his empathy against his growing fatigue. What would a good friend do right now?

"Bad dream, right?"

He walked in and sat beside the bed, really wanting to yank the sheets off and give this colt a decent haircut.

"Been there. Feel like venting or do you just want to go back to sleep and try again? Your call."

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble let out a soft sigh, his eyes closing as he pressed the tip of his hoof down between his eyes. "Yes. I mean, no. I mean ... I'm not getting back to sleep anytime soon. I always sleep ... badly ... after I have to kill somepony. Bad dreams, indeed." He ached with physical and mental exhaustion after the day's exertions, and as much as he desperately wanted sleep, he knew it would be slow coming, if at all, with the way his heart was racing and his mind was spinning its gears.

He let out another soft sigh, and opened his eyes, looking up at Curtain through his lashes and the curtain of his shining hair. "I'm not sure there's really anything to say ... or what you could do to help ... it's just ... there." His lips pressed together with weary regret and uncertainty.

He kind of wanted reassurance, but he'd just met his new friend... and it was a bit awkward. Why couldn't ... why couldn't it have been Ironmane who had come to check up on him? And as his sleepy brain fought through its somnalescent fog, he realized how stupid he sounded... some hero he seemed. Torn with this sort of self-doubt and self-absorption ... he was sure Curtain never felt bad about fighting the good fight. There was a stallion built to be a true hero - valiant, unflinching, handsome as anything ...

He straightened up quickly, giving a wan smile. "I'll be fine - it's nothing I haven't dealt with before. Um. Was there something you wanted?"

[Kirby Krackle]

"Honestly", an ironic opening for Curtain Call to be sure, "that dream of yours is a blessing. No it doesn't feel like one but you losing sleep over a guilty conscience means you're not a monster yet, despite any 'dirty work' you do. Look, I'm not Ironmane. In fact, I'm the last pony who should be giving a lecture on morals. But I bet you're in this business because you want a day where you never have to do it again."

The rogue stood and tipped his hat to the stallion far too pretty for his own good. He knew the need to brood when he saw it. Time to leave Bramble to his thoughts.

"Before I go, I talked to Ironmane. She just finished her shift for tonight's watch. I'm taking over until dawn so relax."

He shut the door behind him wondering how long it takes each lie to catch up to him. Some more than others, it seems.

[Trilobite]

In Ironmane's dream, she and Curtain Call and Bramble rose were walking down the street in the bakery while on barstools, drinking firebrew's ale from the loaves of fresh hot bread that floated by, playing music in nightingale voices. Beams of warm sunlight came down on them as they tried to stay ahead of the rain coming from the dark castle overgrown with thorns...

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble blinked in surprise - glanced out the window, at the moon. It was early in the morning, at least two shifts had already gone by. Had Ironmane taken double shifts again? But before he could ask anything, Curtain was gone.

Bramble would have thought he'd be stranded awake for the rest of the night, anyway ... but somehow, even though it wasn't anything new - having curtain reassure him made him feel better, calmer. He curled up in his bed, and fell asleep for the rest of the night, his dreams brief, curious, and unmemorable till he woke again in the morning.

He woke bright and early to greet the morning, stretching out lazily... he desperately needed the feel of dirt under his hooves, as the sun peeked over the horizon. briefly, smiling to the sun, he silently spoke a prayer of thanks to Luna for the restful night, and to Celestia for the dawning day ahead of them as he made his way down the back stair to the garden below.

[Kirby Krackle]

Dear Princess Celestia,

Darn the sun, darn you and darn morning ponies.

Sincerely,

Your friendly neighborhood backstabbing scumbag,

Curtain Call

* * * *

Ironmane's constant vigilance bordering on the obsessive-compulsive deemed sunrise as the time to not be vigilant anymore. And if sunrise is good enough for her, it's good enough for him. So Curtain Call stayed up and patrolled. All night. It was excruciatingly uneventful. A break-in would mean something to do. Instead he pondered the ethics of self-injury for the sake of keeping his eyes open. Eventually, he was too tired to ponder and made certain to knock his own head against the wall every five minutes or so. Finally, with Celestia's gift of a new day, Curtain Call dragged himself back to the tree he had picked as his napping spot. He collapsed, faced west, smashed face to hat and fell into sweet unconsciousness.

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble blinked as he looked down at the still, softly breathing form of Curtain Call, one eyebrow lifting curiously. A few things started to click together in his mind - how tired Curtain had looked last night, the slight hesitations, and why Curtain had been in his room in the first place. It hadn't been Curtain's turn to take a shift ... it had been Bramble's. And Curtain had kindly stayed up all night just for Bramble's sake. Or at least, as long as he could.

Bramble nosed lightly at Curtain's shoulder. "Hey, comon," he murmured. "Let's get you to a bed..." He pondered. Which of the guest rooms were even made up? the place had been a horrible mess ... well, he knew his own bed was tidy enough. "Don't have to lay your head on a rock out here, when there's a whole bunch of soft pillows calling your name."

[Kirby Krackle]

Curtain Call has a tendency to snap at those who attempt to wake him before he's due. Sometimes, as his Ma used to joke, literally. One nudge too many and he has, in fact, attempted to clamp his jaws on the nose of his dear old Velvet Cloak, barking like a wild dog. This is just one of many irrational behaviors brought on by the fact that Curtain Call is not a morning pony. And, while on the subject of irrational behavior, once risen but not shining, the usually strong willed stallion becomes a strung along patsy, easily manipulated into doing something stupid. The best part? He has no recollection after the fact.

Bramble Rose meanwhile must have amazingly good fortune. All he received was the furious blind swatting of Curtain's fedora, as if he were some four legged furry mosquito. And then the rogue heard the word "pillows", which calmed him down immensely and he followed the smaller pony in a daze, submissive and bewildered.

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble Rose smiled fondly ... no matter circumstance or anything, he could not deny the conclusion that this was absolutely adorable. Carefully, Bramble led Curtain Call on up the stairs, taking great care to make sure his friend didn't stumble or fall, and led him to the bed with the green silk sheets. With hesitation, he paused, and then moved to help Curtain out of his armor - knowing from experience that sleep in armor is generally a very bad night's sleep.

It was awkward, to be sure, as he'd never helped anyone out of armor before - but it wasn't too dissimilar to handling his drunken fratmates back in his university days. Curtain had the strangest tendancy to keep trying to put bits and pieces back on ... backwards... and upside down ... but the gesture and murmur of "Look, pillows," seemed to consistently distract the sleepy rogue. Finally, he had his friend tucked away under the sheets, ruffled his hair, murmured "Sleep well," and slowly stepped out the door with exaggerated slowness, closing it with the most careful of soft clicks.

[Trilobite]

"o/`Goooood morning Bramble Rose! o/`" Ironmane called as she came up the stairs. "I trust your shift was uneventful last night?" Ironmane was certain this was the case, otherwise she would have been awakened at some point. As it was, she had taken advantage of the extra sleep to rise early, stretch thoroughly, do her morning exercises, take a bath, brush her coat, and comb her mane. Given their surroundings, she has opted not to wear the armor--acceptable in some circumstances but certainly not as an ordinary guest in Canterlot--and instead is wearing her holy symbol, beautifully wrought in silver and much more appropriate for civilized environs.

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble jumped just a bit at the loud voice cheerfully greeting him, behind him, while he was trying so hard to be quiet! He quickly turned around and lifted his hoof to his lips, whispering, "Shhhh!" He nodded back over his shoulder towards his room, as he finished closing the door, and Ironmane would have gotten the briefest of glimpses of Curtain laying restfully in Bramble's bed.

"Curtain's still sleeping," he explained quietly, as he stepped towards Ironmane, "I don't think he got much sleep last night... " He gave a bashful little 'heh', "I, um ... never took my shift. He came to my room, but .. ah ... never got to telling me that it was my turn ..." Gah. How could he tell her that it was because he was having nightmares like some little foal? Though Curtain had certainly been understanding, last night. He just hoped she didn't think he was shirking his duties.

Bramble had never had much of an opportunity to see Ironmane out of her armor - often their jobs had ended up being over the course of a day ... sometimes, over the course of several, but always out in the wilds where armor was donned immediately upon waking. Come to think of it, he didn't think he and Ironmane had ever slept in a town during one of their missions, before. Not that she made any less intimidating a figure! But it did feel more open. Bramble smiled a bit. "You look very nice this morning," he said quickly, before he could screw it up at all. That was a *perfectly* polite thing to say to a lady.

[Kirby Krackle]

While still too early for Curtain Call to perform any activities more complicated than flipping his pillow to the cool side, a sweet and tender voice did manage to coax one eye open. It was familiar, though he couldn't attach a face. Maybe once he scratched the crust out of his eyes. But that can come later. Let the world burn, cocooning in his blankets was more importa- Wait just an apple bucking minute here. This is not his beautiful bed. And this is not his beautiful house. He snapped up in an instant, now too paranoid to fall back asleep. That was Ironmane. She was calling for Bramble. Which means this is his room, his bed. He raked his tortured mind, trying repeatedly to recall just what in the hey he did last night. While sweating and grinding teeth, he could recall most of his graveyard shift and, eventually, finding a tree to sleep under. Then Bramble saying "Look, pillows". Then the little weasel undressing him!

"He didn't! I didn't! We didn't!", he muttered and spat, "Oh Sweet Celestia, let Bramble Rose secretly be a cross dressing mare! I'll kill her! Him! I mean him! I will actually kill him and feed him to his dog!"

His gear could wait. He stormed out, ready to make a hay-bacon, lettuce and Bramble Rose sandwich for breakfast, and then bumped into something fuzzy and much larger than he. Ironmane.

"Ow! I mean good morning!"

[Trilobite]

Ironmane looked at Bramble, and then to the door. "Oh." Then back to Bramble. "Oh..." Then back to the door. "Oh!" Just as Bramble is complimenting her, Curtain Call opens the door. "Well, thank you very much, Bramble Rose; coming from a gentlecolt of your standing that is quite a compliment. And may I say I think this is simply wonderful." With that last she rose up to wrap Bramble and Curtain is a strong, lilac-scented hug. "Now, I will leave you two alone and see what can be done to help the lady of the house. You two take your time getting ready!" She calls back sweetly as she heads down the stairs, looking quite pleased about something.

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble found himself swept up in a grand, breath-stealing, rib-creaking hug - generally an enjoyable thing! Except that he was so darn confused. For a moment, he thought she meant it was so very wonderful that he said she looked nice. Did a simple compliment really have that sort of result? He'd have to try that again ... very soon ... like once he had air again ...

Except ... it really seemed like she was talking about something else.

Ah! Air! He wheezed and sucked in a greateful breath, but before he could say a thing, she was off, skipping along like a giddy schoolfilly with gossip. He scratched confusedly at his head with one hoof. "What... the ..." Ugh. This could be figured out *after* breakfast. Once his brain got some sunlight and his thoughts sprouted out to peek up cautiously at the day.

He sighed, shook his head, glanced sideways at Curtain. "I'm sorry, I tried to be quiet about it ... If you got more than an hour's sleep after taking my shift, I'll eat my pillow. Why don't you try to get a little more rest?"

[Kirby Krackle]

Oh, you'll eat your pillow all right. When I feed it to you, he thought.

"I suppose more winks couldn't hurt. Tell you what. Wake me in... I think three hours should do it."

Curtain Call gave the biggest and warmest and downright fakest smile and ruffled the mane of the accused a bit too rough before heading back to his room and his bed. And by 'his bed', Curtains meant his bed. Because in three hours, Bramble will be killed and the bed will be taken as a trophy. He rested in it to be sure, and had pleasant lilac-scented visions of Ironmane and he retired, living in a Canterlot mansion much like this one. But only for two of the three promised hours. The last sixty minutes of privacy was spent building a trap.

The blinds wee drawn to keep light to a minimum. The bulk of his gear along with an extra pillow were all rolled up and stuffed under his blankets, giving the illusion of a still sleeping stallion. He even went so far as to chop off a peice of his own tail, slipping it under the edge, barely visible. The devil is in the details.

His stage now set, the nimble rogue hopped atop the wardrobe (also his now), sank into the shadows and waited. There would be no blade. No quick death. Instead he would choke the life out of him with bare hooves. A fitting end for the touchy feely little rat.

"Vengence."

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble took a little extra time getting ready that morning - getting clean, neat, and tidy. The first morning shower after a long trip was always the best, so refreshing - plus he had guests to impress. Careful consideration over the shampoos and conditioners, and he picked the same choice he usually did - the rose scented ones. It *was* his namesake, after all.

Finishing off, he swiped his hoof across the fogged mirror and considered himself. Not for the first time, he pulled his mane back, and out of the way, looking at how he'd look with a short mane ... and he sighed. Still looked *more* feminine that way ... at least with the hair, everypony could blame it on the hair. Well, you live with what you have. Maybe he still had a growth spurt coming... maybe he could figure out how to alchemically cause a growth spurt...

He left his armor. Even glamoured differently each day, there was a wearying mental effect to wearing it over and over and over again. It'd be nice to be able to just go without clothes for a little bit, not have to worry about stuff trying to kill him. He strode down to the kitchen, smiling softly, a little spring to his step. He felt refreshed, and finally awake. Wasn't there something he was going to think about once awake? It escaped him.

He found Ironmane in the kitchen, with the maid and his mother - he tried to remember if he'd warned his mother not to let Ironmane cook anything ... give her a blade, she can cut the vegetables... ah well. He was sure it would be all right. "A bright and Celestial morning to you all!" he said cheerfully. "Mother, I pray you slept well?"