For all of her tough street talk before, Moonbeam simply nodded at the plan. She was about as green as her age and size suggested, and it was starting to show. The bravado being knocked off around so many unfamiliar faces taking up the actual heist.
She didn't get much sleep at the end of things. She just tossed and turned, hoping against hope that she didn't frag this whole thing for everyone. And that it wasn't some kind of trap.
Hazy woke up a couple times to Moonbeams tossing and turning. She waited for one of the calmer moments and went over to help straighten out the mess of covers and tucked her in.
As much as she couldn't care less about the princesses of old, she did remember one lullaby about Luna and sang it softly before returning to her own bed.
Tipple nodded to Kai as he tucked himself in with his music, " 'Night," and settled into their own bed, poking around on their phone for a few minutes before curling into an unnaturally tight ball, which, after a couple of minutes, began emitting a muffled snore from somewhere inside.
Darkly dawns the day, with the world stuck in a state of perpetual twilight there's little to no different between day and night. IF every creature isn't up already, they sure are when a loud, yet rhythmic knocking comes on each of their doors. Once again the dashing and dazzling disco ball DJ has made the scene. "Morning Chummers! Thought I'd help ya lot get a good start to the day with Breakfast; someplace better than the kibble they serve at most places. I got the perfect place in mind!"
The ball of blue pelt on Tipple's bed bristled momentarily, only to snap elastically at the mention of food and bound to the door. Tipple nonetheless opened the door as if in no particular hurry. "Well, we best get ourselves started then, got a lot of work to do today, lead th'way" they said with a broad smile.
Night Cap never liked reunions. The initial excitement wears off quickly, replaced by and an unspoken but palpable urge to get away from each other and not do this again for as long as possible.
Night Cap ponders these things as he stares at the ceiling, already wishing he'd just stayed in bed instead of rolling over and finding himself invited to a swift reunion with the floor.
The knocking and the voice roused Scarlet from his slumber. Bleary eyed, despite them being modified, the pegasus groaned as his stretched out as far as he could go. Then promptly slid backwards off his bed.
THUNK!
Now both colts were on the floor next to their beds.
Kai yawns, then slips out of bed, takes a moment to get himself ready before giving a nod to Tripple, then he starts towards the door. Breakfast awaits.
Forte grins as the team gets up, mostly. “Oh, I am sure it will. That’s why I want to make sure you lot have a good meal before whatever your planning goes down.” He states and leads everycreature down and out of the hotel, and into the streets. Buckingham was decked out for Hearth’s Warming, Toy Stores advertising the must have toy of the season; Holly the Hearths Warmer. The design has changed some over the decades, but was still made as cheaply and quickly as possible. Pistachio Designs advertised the latest winter fashions. Most ponies went about the hustle and bustle of the Holidays, buying all they could like the good little consumers they were.
While it wasn’t much different in other corporate owned cities, Flim and Flam had something most corporations didn’t; charisma. Even in their old age, they were still able to charm the coin purse off of most any creature, and Their grandkids, Shim and Sham didn’t fall too far from the tree, being the glam queen public faces of much of FlimFlam Inc’s events and advertising. They knew all the right words and moves to attract creature’s attention with their podcasts talking about whatever the latest and greatest thing was, and how you weren’t anycreature unless you had it. They had their hooves on the pulse of social media, and were probably more effective then their grandfather’s ever were because of how effortlessly they could reach out and work their charms and scams.
Rounding a corner, the team could see Moontrust bank, similarly decked out for Hearth’s Warming, video screens advertising deals and their just how safe your bits are with them; and right across the street from them was where Forte was headed, Pancake Dungeon; for all your breakfast needs. The place was designed to look like, or maybe was, an old jail/dungeon from before sunfall. The servers were dressed like old royal guards, though in cheap knock-off outfits. Forte requests a table for the whole group, and before long they are seated with menus.
Still waiting on Terra, but I had this pose in mind and wanted to strike while the iron was hot.
It's all just an illusion. Not just the dungeon decor, or the less than convincing Royal Guard costumes. Not, it's all the surrounding modernity. The Fake Royal Guards just accentuate it. This is a technological oasis, a false haven, in a world that is very much still wild out there.
A familiar sound cuts through the illusion. A roar most ponies have never heard, but somehow deeply remember.
IT'S THE STRATODON- wait, no it's just Night Cap's stomach.
Hazy's ear twitched and she perked up, head on a swivel. "I just heard a lion growling. Everyone look sharp. If there's a lion on the loose..." Her eyes narrowed desperately trying to find the predator.
Kai orders himself a glass of juice, a bowl of fruit salad, a bowl of oatmeal, and some hash browns, slowly bobbing his head to his tunes, seeming a bit on autopilot, maybe he isn't a morning person. But hey, he didn't burn down the hotel, so there's that!
Tipple stopped on the way to the counter next to Hazy. "A lion? Like you mean the nasty ol' monster with the head of a manticore and th' body of a griffon? I think those are a myth."
Up to this point, Scarlet had stated relatively quiet. He was, unlike his spunky, energetic mother, more like his father, in that his took a while to wake up. So dressing and getting from bedroom to Pancake dungeon had been a bit of a blur. Still, here he was, having gotten himself a full plate of fruity pancakes and a strong Coffee. And some Hash Browns when he saw Hazy had gotten somr, not having registered he could get them.
Also his hat was on backwards. Taking a long slow swig of his Coffee, the Pegasus sighed as the world refocused itself. Then he chickled.
”Not to worry Hazy. This place can make anybody stomach growl. Hehe. I guess even a mythical lion can’t say no to a good pancake in the mornibg.”
Moonbeam had been more quiet that morning. Anyone even mildly observant would also say more nervous, even if she tried to hide it. She didn't order anything. She also didn't say much of anything. She was trying to look tough and it wasn't going well. Every once in a while she'd look around at the others. Her face quickly scanning for some kind of similar nerves. But that didn't last too long. She didn't seem willing or eager to voice her feelings.
