It is four forty-five, fifteen minutes before the last show of the weekend. We always do our last show of a weekend early; it fits with most ponies’ schedules, and gives us a much needed break. I am up in the technician’s booth once again, watching Soundwave and Camera Eye do their final preparations before the show starts.

I can see Ace of Diamonds down on the floor. He’s situated himself in a corner off to the side where the lights don’t touch him; I have the slight feeling he asked Lens Flare to do that ahead of time. He’s standing up and leaning against the wall, looking around almost indifferently at the guests coming in and nopony seems to pay him any attention. Half of me wonders how he can do that, stand in plain sight to me in the booth and never be seen by a soul in the main auditorium.

I see the faint outline of his muzzle as his attention shifts to one of the boxes, eyes brightening for just a moment. Baltimare’s theater has six of these boxes, situated close to the front of the theater in full view of the stage. They hold about ten seats each and are often manned by a special attendant that can get the patrons anything they need. I try to follow his gaze, but I can’t see where he’s looking; his eyes are too hidden in his face in the dark corner.

“Who are you looking at?” I ask him through my headset. “Someone important?”

“A couple of old friends of mine,” Ace responds quietly. “I had no idea they were in town.”

“It’s nearly summer, isn’t it? I expect this place is popular during the summer, being so close to the sea.”

“Must be at his summer villa,” Ace muses. “Wonder if he’ll stick around afterwards. Oh, and Janus is with him, apparently.”

I look over the boxes, but I can hardly see anyone that looks familiar.

Ace seems to read my mind. “Caramel, look to the second box on your left hoof side.”

Obediently, I look over to where Ace has directed me and I see Janus’ orange coat and brown mane coming out of a white collared shirt. He’s directing a group of four ponies to a seat in the box. One looks like a tan earth pony with a light-brown mane and a scraggly mustache, a scar just over his top lip and one across the bridge of his nose, dressed in a simple black vest. Another is a zebra, light grey with darker grey stripes and boasting a large gold hoop in each ear with striking gold eyes that I can see from the darkness of the box, and wearing a thin beige shirt seemingly tied at his waist by a cord of some sort.

Finally, in comes a large, pale grey unicorn stallion with muted red eyes and wearing a fine burgundy shirt. His arm is wrapped around a young earth pony mare with a rose-colored mane and more natural-looking green eyes than the stallion does comes in. Janus sits between the tan pony and the pale grey one, and the mare sits between the pale grey unicorn and the zebra.

“Seems he’s got himself a new girl,” Ace says almost without interest.

“Who are they?” I ask him again.

“The pale grey unicorn is a restaurant and casino owner by the name of Blackjack,” Ace says. “The tan pony must be his lawyer, Fine Print. I have no idea who the zebra or the mare are.”

“She looks pretty,” I comment.

Ace gives off a rather scornful “harrumph”. “He’ll probably dispose of her for someone else within the month if he’s anything like I think he is.”

I look at my watch. Time has passed. “One minute,” I call out, not only for Ace’s benefit but for Soundwave, Camera Eye, and Lens Flare as well. “Time for the show to start. Lens Flare, focus lights on the stage. Soundwave, get the CD started up. Camera Eye, be ready to start filming and recording.”

“Got it,” Camera Eye responds.

Ace gives a short nod then disappears behind a nearby door marked “Staff Only”, the light from the backstage halls illuminating him only for a moment before he disappears.

The pre-recorded introduction starts playing.

“Thirty seconds, Ace,” I remind him.

“Caramel, tell Soundwave to pause when this track is done,” Ace says softly and firmly into my ear. “I need to make a proper introduction. And Caramel, keep your eyes off that mare for the rest of the performance; I can’t have you distracted.”

I wait until I’m sure Ace is finished speaking before relaying the information to Soundwave. She merely nods and waits until the track has finished and the applause has died down before pausing the CD on the computer.

“Welcome, welcome, fillies and gentlecolts,” Ace says in his commanding, mesmerizing stage voice. “My full name is Ace of Diamonds, but I am usually known both on and off the stage as Ace. What I am going to do tonight will shatter your expectations, bust down your knowledge of the world, and will fill you with wonder.”

He takes a long look over the audience. “But first, it has come to my attention that a special guest is here tonight, one who is himself partly responsible for the construction and upkeep of this fine theater. Fillies and gentlecolts, would you please give a warm applause of thanks to Blackjack!” With an over-dramatic gesture, he points both of his hands towards the booth.

For a moment, the lights stay still. “Go with it, Lens Flare,” I tell the stunned pony. “We’ll get back on the normal program in a minute.”

Lens Flare snaps to attention and a single light goes over to the box seat. Blackjack stands up and I can hear a light applause come over the auditorium as thought the audience is perplexed as much as we are. Blackjack waves slightly before settling himself down and the lights refocus on Ace.

Ace looks directly up at me and mouths two words. Nothing is even said, but already I can understand the command.

“Soundwave,” I say, “continue with the next track. Show goes on as normal.”

Two hours once again pass by without incident. Ace goes through his show almost flawlessly and without any other changes besides the small introduction of Blackjack, and once again holds the attention of the audience captive; their trances, almost broken by the strange appearance of the pale grey unicorn, are reinstated quickly as the magician begins his opening act.

While I obey the command not to look at the rose-maned mare, I do not, however, extend that to the others up in the box. A cursory glance shows that the tan pony – Fine Print – is slightly small and slightly twitchy but almost always has a smirk plastered on his face. The slightly muscular zebra smiles and nods slightly in Ace’s direction every so often as though approving of what he says.

Blackjack himself looks cool and composed, smoking a cigarette and drinking a bottle of water while discussing things with Janus, and looks as though he’d be a head taller than Ace or I standing upright. He seems to command as much attention as Ace does; granted, if he owns a casino and a few restaurants he probably has a fair amount of bits somewhere and might be within some of Baltimare’s elite circles.

When the show is over and I’m done in the booth, I’m treated to a more up-close view of the four in the theater’s lobby. The tan pony is almost as tall as Ace or I are yet walks with a slouch, the zebra walks with a surprisingly fluid and mesmerizing gait that reminds me of Ace’s on-stage, and Blackjack is rather large with a fair amount of muscle. The rose-maned mare is wearing a faded red dress similar in color to Blackjack’s eyes, and seems quite a bit more delicate than the rest of them.

Ace appears from the doors leading into the auditorium and Blackjack walks over to him, a hand extended almost lazily towards him.

“It has been a while, Ace of Diamonds,” he says with a deep, rough voice that probably is stained from years of cigarette smoking; the current one is nearly spent. “I am glad I managed to catch you perform.”

Ace extends a hand of his own and shakes with Blackjack. “I’m surprised you’re already down,” Ace says. “Usually, you’re not in from Las Pegasus until a month from now.”

“Nasty heat wave rolled through,” Blackjack said. “There are some years I swear Celestia is trying to push forward the date for summer to start. So I decided I’d skip town for a while and come to Baltimare early.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad you could make it out tonight,” Ace said. “Are you here for good or are you moving up to Manehattan soon?”

“Well, I should check there at some point, but I’m trying to lay low for a while. I hear there’s still a snowstorm going on there, so maybe in a week I’ll head up there.”

“Perhaps we could stay in Baltimare a little longer?” the rose-maned mare says. “I’ve never been here before, and I rather like the weather around here at this time.”

Blackjack laughs and gently presses the mare to him. “Of course, darling. Anything for you.”

I approach them as Blackjack is still talking and wait; the CDs and the recordings are in my hand and, while I am interested in seeing who exactly these old friends of Ace’s are, I’m more interested in what else Ace needs me to do to close up for the weekend.

“Ah, I see you’ve finally found yourself an assistant!” Blackjack says, taking notice of me standing politely behind Ace.

“So have you,” Ace says, motioning to the rose-maned mare with his head. He turns around and beckons me. “Caramel, come forward and introduce yourself.”

I nod and step forward. “Good evening,” I say politely. “My name is Caramel. I’ve been Ace’s assistant for about a year. He picked me up at the end of his last tour. I trained under him for a while and now help with the behind-the-scenes work at his shows.”

“Well-spoken, well-mannered, and proficient at his job,” Blackjack says with a laugh. “I must say, young colt, that was quite a fine performance and went off without a hitch. The last time I saw one of Ace’s shows, it felt kind of disjointed since he was the one running everything.”

I bow politely to Blackjack. “Thank you,” I say. “It’s not easy, but it is quite satisfying.”

Blackjack nods and turns back to Ace. “Now, I don’t know about your current predilections, my dear Ace, but are you two close?”

“Rather,” Ace says simply. “And what about you and that mare?”

“Rather,” Blackjack replies with an almost sardonic grin.

Ace laughs. “Well, we’ll see who rusts first.”

Blackjack laughs. “So we shall.” He gives another chuckle before calming himself down. “Now, I’ve only come in yesterday, so I’m afraid I’m unsuited for company at the moment, but how about coming down to my villa tomorrow for dinner, Ace? You and Caramel, if you so desire.”

“But of course,” Ace replies pleasantly. “Will we be enjoying the fine company of your entourage?”

“It depends,” Blackjack says with a shrug. “Fine Print has business to do here regarding my restaurants and their end-of-term financial reports. But, Roseluck and Untakhan” – Blackjack motions to the mare and the zebra in turn – “are staying with me, so they at least are here and will be present.”

“Very well,” Ace says. “What time?”

“Where are you staying?”

“The Salt and Sea Hotel and Suites, about a mile from the harbor shops.”

“Right. I’ll send Untakhan around in a carriage around four. We’ll be able to have drinks and catch up before dinner actually starts.”

Ace nods. “And that will give me some time to settle in myself at the suites. I’ve had no time since arriving last Thursday. Until tomorrow.” Ace extends his hand towards Blackjack.

Blackjack smiles approvingly and shakes Ace’s hand. “Until tomorrow,” he says. Then he and his group walk out the door.

Ace motions towards me. “Come,” he says. “We need to pack up and bring some of the cases back to the hotel.”

I nod and follow Ace back into the auditorium. I do not wish to talk to him quite yet and wait until I’m sure he’s both calmed down from the show and not going to say a word about Blackjack and his group. I end up waiting until we had packed the cases and Janus had given us a wheeled trolley to stack the bags on before speaking.

“Where do you know Blackjack from?” I ask Ace.

“My first shows were working under him,” Ace responds. It’s one of the few moments of fondness I’ve seen from him; he recounts it as though it’s a pleasant memory. “I was just learning the trade when I was in Manehattan. Blackjack saw some of my potential and hired me. I didn’t recognize the zebra because it’s been seven years, but he was my tutor for a year or so, specifically the card tricks and the hypnotism.”

“What does he do? I mean, he’s a zebra, it’s not like he has the special powers that even someone like an earth pony has.”

“Don’t talk that way,” Ace reprimands me gently. “Untakhan is brilliant. He was a dealer before helping Blackjack with his more personal affairs. He occasionally still does more practical magic tricks at his casino.”

We had said goodbye to Janus and were walking along the streets of Baltimare before I spoke again. “Forgive me, Ace, but, um… I know they’re your friends, but I didn’t particularly trust any of them. That Fine Print seemed twitchy and nervous, Untakhan was looking at me strangely, and Blackjack was… kind of demeaning for someone who supposedly is an old friend.”

“Yeah, they’re all a bit rough around the edges,” Ace admits. “But I’m rather fond of them. Perhaps give them a night over at Blackjack’s villa and you’ll get to understand them better.”

“Yes, but… I just can’t shake the feeling that I don’t trust them. They may be your friends, but it doesn’t seem like the best group of friends you could have picked.”

Ace lets go of the trolley and let it roll a little down the street. He turns to me and places both his hands firmly on my shoulders. He’s staring into my eyes, his face so close to me I almost can’t see anything but his blue eyes piercing into mine.

“Do you trust me?” He’s not asking, which is different. It’s almost like he’s pleading. His eyes turn down at the edges and he’s looking over my face frantically as though he’s looking for something. He’s also speaking very fast as though it’s erupting from his mouth, and his voice is rising as though in panic. “Caramel, I need an answer: do you trust me? Do you trust me!?”

“Yes!” I find myself shouting. “Yes, I do trust you! After all you’ve done for me and all that you do to me, what in the world makes you think I don’t trust you?”

Ace is frozen but his grip on me is still firm. We stay there like that, me looking worriedly at him due to his sudden change in demeanor and he looking at me almost desperately. Eventually his arms slacken and fall to his sides like a rag doll and we’re going back down the street, picking up the trolley and continuing.

“Caramel…” Ace begins as we approach the hotel. “I need to know if you want to go back to Ponyville.”

“Why?” I ask him. “I’m really, honestly, enjoying going out to all these new places. I like seeing all these places and things I never could have seen before, I like working with all the ponies we meet, I love watching your shows as much as I do working on them. Ace, this job is almost a dream.”

Ace is only momentarily satisfied by that answer, but it’s enough. He’s quiet until we get back up to the room and doesn’t speak to me until after he’s ordered room service and opens the window, letting in a cool sea breeze. At which point he takes off his vest and shirt, pours himself a whiskey with ice, and sits down on one of the chairs as I go into the bedroom.

I’m still in the bedroom, thinking about taking a shower, when I hear him calling me. “Caramel, come here and sit down with me for a few minutes.”

While I do what he says without resisting, I still dread what could happen. Obviously something’s set him on edge, but I don’t know how closely it is related to my comment on the appearance and the feeling I gained from Blackjack and his companions. I sit down on the couch and avoid looking at him.

“Caramel, I want you to look at me.”

I look at him. His chest, looking even more toned with his white coat and black, spiraling tattoos is glistening with little beads of sweat, slowly disappearing as he cools off. His red mane is messy and he runs a single hand through it, trying to straighten it out and wiping sweat off it, which he wipes on his pants. He is leaning back, but soon sits up then leans forwards towards me.

“Caramel, I probably should remind you of what you’ve gotten yourself into.”

I look at him and shrug. I’m still unclear as to why we were having this conversation.

“Caramel… when we met that one day in Ponyville and I offered you a job… I told you that I would have to place you under a hypnotic trance. That I needed absolute trust in my materials, and that was the only way I could be sure.”

I nod. It was something that had been stuck in my head since day one. And, ever since seeing his shows in progress, I’ve understood why that was necessary. I did things that Ace could not do on his own, things that made the shows run smoothly.

“But hypnosis is not infallible,” Ace continues, voice shaking. “I have to re-perform my induction once a week because of that. Because I’m afraid that if I don’t, then you won’t perform as effectively and you would want to leave. I can make you come back, but I can’t make you stay.”

He’s suddenly silent. He dips his head down so that I can’t see his face, but not before I see his eyes glimmering as though with tears.

“Do you remember what happened at our meeting?”

Ace looks up at me.

“Do you remember what happened when I tried to leave the room?” I ask him. “You told me to stop, to turn back around, and I did. You told me, when I realized what was happening to me, that it only worked if I was willing.”

Ace stares at me for a while longer before lunging at me, the glass of whiskey dropping on the floor and spilling all over the place. His arms are wrapped around me and he’s burying his chest into mine, something which is strange because I’m used to it being the other way around.

“There is one thing,” I say.

Ace releases me and sits back in his chair again. “What? Anything. You say it, I can help do it for you.”

I’m reflecting about it for a minute before I respond. “I know… almost nothing about you. You take me all these places and show me all these things, but I know nothing about you besides the fact that you are a magician, you go on tour, you are a hypnotist, and that you are momentarily a jerk when you’re stressing out over the shows.”

Ace sat himself up in his chair a bit. “Alright. I suppose we could start simple. I could… elaborate on something, or I could say something new.”

I shrug. “I suppose elaborate on you being a magician.”

Ace nods. “Alright. I did my basic schooling, then I went into a magic academy the year afterwards due to being able to do magic despite being an earth pony. I was there for three years and achieved above average marks, graduating within the top twenty percent of the class. I did street magic for a bit before Blackjack and Untakhan saw me and Blackjack hired me. I spent a year tutoring under Untakhan before heading out on my own. This is my seventh year touring since then.”

I nod. The soft tenor of his voice is slow, methodical, mesmerizing, and I find myself listening to him with rapt attention. “So that makes you two years older than myself. Have you ever had an assistant before?”

“I was told the value of one,” Ace replies, emphasizing more as he slowly realizes that I’m paying attention to him, a slight grin coming across his face like that’s what he’d been wanting. “But, I never got one. The theaters always had enough hands on deck that I never needed one.”

I nod again. “What did Blackjack mean with what he said about not being certain of your ‘current predilections’?”

Ace is now genuinely smiling. He enjoys the attention he’s getting, but I also imagine this is something that’s rarely passed his lips. “I’m flexible. I’ve lain with mares and stallions alike, whoever suits my fancy at the time.”

“So how come I’ve stayed on so long?”

Ace’s smile fades as he sighs. “Because I am lonely. Seven years without a single familiar face going into a new tour, a new show… I might seem a bit of a jerk, but often I need to be reminded I’m not doing it alone anymore. I hired you more for the company, though it certainly does take a load of my mind if I have an extra set of eyes.”

There is a sharp rapping at the door. Ace leaves for a moment and comes back a minute or two later.

“Room service,” he said. “Our order is going to be a few minutes late.”

“Do we have any drinks?”

“Well, I have whiskey. But… were you thinking something to share?”

“Perhaps a bottle of wine. We could run down to the liquor store on the premises and grab something like a merlot or a pinot noir and sip it while we continue this conversation over dinner.”

Ace’s smile widens a little bit. “I think I would like that. A pinot noir would go well with what I ordered with us. Come, there should be a decent vineyard to supply us a wine with our meal around here.”

Ace and I went down to the liquor store and found bottles three-year-old pinot noir. We continued talking about wine – and found we had similar tastes – as we bought two bottles and wine glasses, came back up to the hotel room and found our room service waiting on a rolling trolley: green salad with carrots and red cabbage in a balsamic vinaigrette sauce; penne pasta in a creamy tomato sauce seasoned with garlic and basil and mint leaves; a mixture of broccoli, mushrooms, and eggplants; a vegetable soup in a savory broth; two whole loaves of a garlic toasted sourdough bread; and, for dessert, two slices of a rich chocolate cake.

We ate everything and drank through both bottles of wine through the rest of the evening before sitting down to watch an old black-and-white thriller movie about a jury trying to decide if a pony was guilty but one thought he was innocent. I recall it as being one of my favorite movies, but I don’t remember the end.
Although we had been eating through most of our drinking, two whole bottles had still produced five glasses each. By the time we were at the couch, Ace was very touchy-feely and insisted on sitting and leaning on my shoulder the entire time and I was desensitized enough not to care. At one point or another, Ace said “Caramel, kiss me” and soon my shirt was off and we were making out on the couch before I realized what happened.

By the time I realized what was happening, I was too far gone to care.

The next morning, I found myself regretting the actions of the previous night. Both Ace and I were in the bed, holding each other tightly to one another and refused to let go. My head hurt and I didn’t want to move and Ace refused to do the same thing.

Ace groans. “What happened…?”

“I… I think we made out.”

“Oh… that’s nice. Ow… my head… how much did we drink?”

“Two bottles of wine. And you had your whiskey.”

Ace coughs. “Oof… what time is it?”

I look over at the alarm clock on the nightstand on the other side of Ace. “Uh… I think it says it’s almost ten o’clock.”

“Oh, good. We can go to the store before getting ready to go to Blackjack’s.”

I slowly shuffle around in the bed. “…Ace?”

“Yeah?”

“Can we get a bottle of aspirin at the store?”

Ace arches his back and groans again before falling onto the bed. “Yeah. We’re gonna need it.”

Breakfast is simple; Ace orders a plate of danishes and a pot of coffee and asked if they had a few aspirin. They manage to bring all of it up, and we each ate three danishes, half a pot of coffee, and one aspirin. Afterwards, Ace and I take turns in the bathroom cleaning ourselves up but not showering until later.

The Monday after the first weekend in a place is a very lazy day. Pretty much all it consists of every time is going to the store; Ace likes napping afterwards and I sometimes sleep but otherwise do almost nothing. We go to the store and stock ourselves up for the week before Ace goes to the bedroom and lies down on the bed; he’s snoring within minutes.

For a strange reason, he’s only asleep for about an hour today. It’s nearly one o’clock when he comes out of the bedroom.

“What are you going to wear?” he asks me.

I am not quite sure what he means. “Wear to what?”

“We’re going to Blackjack’s for dinner this evening,” Ace reminds me. “Preferably you wear something nice.”

“I have a white shirt, a vest, a pair of black slacks, and a nice pair of shoes. Will that work?”

“Hopefully. It’s… in a rather nice part of town.”

I stare at him for a while. “I have a feeling that’s an understatement.”

Ace nods. “A bit of one, yes.”

“But what will he be wearing?”

“Something casual. Reminder for next time: when invited to dinner, remember to ask about the sort of attire necessary.”

“Do you want to get in the shower first or me?”

“You. But if you don’t mind, I’ll be using mouthwash at the same time.”

“Fair enough. Just wait until I’m in.”

We take our turns in the shower and dress in simple clothes as Ace makes some sandwiches and some instant tea. Dinner at Blackjack’s is expected to be rather large, but Ace doesn’t want to go the whole day without eating. We eat our lunch and make sure our wardrobes are in order before carefully dressing. By three forty-five, Ace and I are fully dressed and we make our way from our suite down to the main lobby.

Untakhan comes a few minutes before four. He approaches Ace with open arms and hugs him as soon as he gets close enough. Ace is also rather pleased to see Untakhan and returns the gesture, each giving each other a few pats on the back.

“It’s been a long time since we last met,” Untakhan says to Ace as he releases him. His voice is slightly deeper than Ace’s and almost nearly as magnetic and hypnotizing with the rhyming common of zebras. “You should have many stories, I bet.”

“All in good time, my friend,” Ace says. “We shall have an entire evening, as I’m sure Blackjack would like to hear the whole thing as well and I don’t like to repeat myself. Oh, and let me introduce you to my assistant and partner, Caramel.”

“’Tis a pleasure to meet you, dear Caramel,” the zebra says, looking me in the eye as he shakes my hand. “You handled the backstage management well.”

I find myself attracted to the zebra almost immediately. I can’t look away from the striking gold eyes and the shaking is almost rhythmic in its execution. I try to come up with something to say but everything gets stuck in my mouth. It’s only when the zebra’s shaking seems to rise a little higher than normal that Ace steps in.

“Caramel, look at me.”

I follow Ace’s instruction almost immediately. It’s only when I turn around to look at him standing slightly behind me that I feel the zebra’s hand, still in motion, rocket down and pull me with it. Ace is looking disapprovingly at the zebra.

“Must you try and use rapid induction on him?” Ace says.

“Had I known he was yours, Ace, I’d only do it in good fun,” Untakhan says with a playful smile on his face. “Then he’d still be yours when all’s said and done. Now, it’s time to go; why don’t we move along? I do not wish Blackjack’s wait to prolong.”

We follow the zebra to the car, a long, black thing with a chauffeur up front. Untakhan opens the door and we all step into a large back seat; the two seats are facing each other with three belts each. Untakhan takes the side closest to a window separating us from the chauffeur and me and Ace step into the opposite side. The door closes, Untakhan taps his knuckle on the window three times, and the car pulls away from the hotel.

“The villa’s on the other side of town,” Untakhan says. “And a major road has been shut down.” He turns to me. “As we go, I’m sorry I tried rapid induction; I wasn’t yet aware of Ace’s seduction.”

“Um… that’s alright, I guess.”

“You don’t understand? Then let me explain: if I’d gone and tried, it would be in vain. Oh, I could still do it, but not quick and not here. It requires full attention, and tools for your mind to clear.”

I was still confused, but Untakhan wasn’t going to explain. Ace leans over and whispers “He can still do a long induction.”

“Ah…” I say. I have the faintest feeling like I’m caught in some trap with both a mesmerizing stallion and a hypnotist zebra in the same car. Like the only safe place to be is outside the car or back at the hotel but I can’t bring myself to even try to leave.

We’re a little outside the main center of town, following the train tracks. I’m kind of an outsider, so I leave most of the conversation to Ace and Untakhan. Now that he’s not trying to pull a fast one on me, the zebra is actually quite pleasant company and seems to have heard of some of the strange events that happened in Ponyville. I tell him all that I know, and while Ace initially looks at me with a tinge of disdain, it soon fades as he listens to my own stories; even as an outsider, the numerous incidents are enough to keep them satisfied.

“Your life at home sounds quite exciting,” Untakhan says with enthusiasm after I finish a story about a pair of brothers trying to sell a cider machine. “I have never been privy to such a sighting. And you say there’s a zebra that lives among you? I must come down to see what she can do.”

“Do all of you rhyme like that?” I ask him. “The only zebra I’ve ever heard spoke in rhyme.”

Untakhan gives me a smile. “Not always.” His voice no longer has the mystic quality, but he’s still quite exotic. “I grew up learning shamanistic magic, of which hypnotism is a skill I’ve passed on to Ace. I can speak in the normal tongue, but Blackjack is… rather fond of it.”

“So that must mean that Zecora back home also must have shamanstic blood. Admittedly, I’ve only known her sparingly and never saw her home nor spoke to her often.”

“It is a rare thing. Take great pride that a zebra shaman has come to visit you. Tell me more about your home.”

“Well, I’ve been out for a year,” I tell him. “I’m not as familiar with what goes on around there. And I think I’ve enjoyed it more being with Ace; I never was part of the events back home, but here I’m actually doing something.”

Untakhan nods and closes his eyes sagely. “’Tis certainly a pleasure to use one’s body and mind in pursuit of knowledge. I’m surprised you’ve finally listened to my words, Ace. Might you tell me the circumstances which this whole thing came about?”

“I should have listened to you earlier, my old teacher,” Ace says, partly reverently. “I was rather lonely and needed someone to help. I found both in Caramel; he’s excellent in his work and rather nice to have in the same room.”

“Have you enjoyed any… carnal pleasures?”

Ace and I respond at the same time. “What? No.”

I continue. “I do believe we had our first actual conversation last night.”

“It did end in a makeout session,” Ace reminds me.

Drat. He does still remember. “Yeah, but it actually had buildup this time.”

Untakhan laughs. “Ace, my friend, Caramel here is quite the treasure. Remember he’s not just for show, but take into account the wealth that he’s given you.”

“Is that another tenant you’ve yet withheld from me?”

“Recent personal experience led to strict adherence. But for now I must return to rhyme, though I’d like to talk more sometime. I’m afraid that we must stop here; Blackjack’s villa is very near.”

Ace and I both look out the windows of the car. Ahead of us is a rather luxurious-looking pale yellow mansion that had some basis in ancient Greek architecture with a massive courtyard boasting a white pegasus fountain statue and lined with intricately-designed columns around a central, almost garden-like area. The chauffeur pulls up into the courtyard in front of a wide portico with stairs leading up to a set of double doors, finely-polished wood with intricate designs in the glass that reminded me of the four card suits: diamonds and clubs on one door, hearts and spades on the other.

Untakhan steps out and holds the door open for us as me and Ace walk into the villa’s foyer. It’s a large, square room with a glass ceiling to let in natural light and a few lights by the doorways. There are three doors out of the foyer; Untakhan takes us to the door on the left, where we are led into a large sitting room. From there, we head out another door and find ourselves in a garden atrium, and are led across that out onto a large stone porch looking out to the sea.

It’s evening now, the sun beginning to lower onto the horizon, as we approach Blackjack in a deep blue suit, standing with a glass of wine in his hand, leaning on the bannister around the porch and looking out to sea, and the rose-maned mare in nothing but a bikini sunning herself on a lounge chair.

“Ah, the early winter evenings,” Blackjack says as we approach. “It’s only five o’clock, but I’m already prepared to eat, do a few last-minute things, and go to bed. What do you think, Ace?” he says, turning around and motioning to the villa. “Fine piece of architecture, isn’t she?”

“Quite the property,” Ace admits. “If I wasn’t moving around so often, I’d half be inclined to find one myself.”

“Ah, but it was a rather troublesome business.” He motions to the rose-maned mare; she gets up and comes over to his side. “It was supposed to go to someone else, originally, but then they found him out for fraud. Had to repair the damage he did to the place before I even set foot on it. Roseluck, why don’t you go put on that dark green evening dress of yours for dinner?”

“Of course,” the mare says, and walks off. She passes by me with a wink and a rather coy smile before retreating back into the house.

“Untakhan, please go and check with the kitchen. See if dinner’s ready.”

The zebra merely nods before he goes back into the house.

“In the meantime, would either of you like a glass of wine? I have a wonderful claret from 2009 or an excellent fruity Dom Ponygnon champagne from 2005, though I would like to save that for the dinner.”

“I’ll take the claret,” Ace says.

“So will I,” I respond.

Blackjack motions and I see a young Earth pony in a white jacket come over and pour two glasses of wine from a bottle before handing one to me and one to Ace.

“Where did you say you come from again?” Blackjack asks me.

“Ponyville,” I reply. “Admittedly, I’m not used to such events.”

“Well, you seem to have a fine taste in wine,” Blackjack says with an approving nod. “Is there a vintner nearby in Ponyville?”

“We have Berry Punch. She specializes in fruit wines but her Syrah and Pinot Noir have recently won awards at a Canterlot competition.”

“Ah, yes. I was one of the judges last year. She thoroughly trounced that one from the Crystal Empire. What do you think of the claret?”

“Certainly beats whatever Berry’s made, but I’d prefer a Cabernet Sauvignon; plus, the claret’s a bit dry for my taste.”

Blackjack sets down his empty glass and gives a rather excited clap. “Excellent taste, Caramel! Perhaps you could teach Ace a thing or two. I’ve not been able to get him off the Rieslings ever since we met.”

“I had a pinot noir last night,” Ace replies. “I’ve been learning things on my own without Caramel’s help. As a matter of fact, it is only recently that myself and Caramel have discovered a similar taste in wines.”

“Ah, so you have been learning!” Blackjack lets out a loud laugh.

There is a rhythmic set of footsteps and Untakhan has joined us out on the porch again. “Fifteen minutes,” he says simply.

Blackjack stops laughing and looks at glares at the zebra. “I’m sorry…?”

Untakhan sighs. “Fifteen minutes to breathe the champagne. Dinner will be served when sunlight begins to wane.”

Blackjack smiles patronizingly. “Thank you. You may change and join us tonight if you so wish, but first make sure Roseluck is ready.”

Untakhan nods and leaves again.

“Tribal background,” Blackjack said. “Supposedly knows some powerful magic. It helps being a unicorn, but he knows some old zebra spells for good luck. I swear it’s how I’ve been gaining so much profit from my business investments.”

“Has it grown at all?” Ace asks. “Last I heard it was the one casino here and a restaurant in here, Manehattan, and Las Pegasus.”

“I have added two more restaurants; one in Canterlot and one in Vanhoover. All working quite splendidly; I only hire the finest to serve in the restaurant; must have five years’ experience elsewhere at minimum, and even then ninety percent of applicants don’t enter.”

We sip our wines quietly for a while. Blackjack goes for a second round, but I hold off on the pretense of not wanting to spoil the champagne; I get a glass of water to sip to rinse my palette.

“Are either of you opposed to meat?” Blackjack asks once I’ve got my water.

“What sort?” Ace asks suspiciously.

“Fish. I managed to order a fresh catch of sea-bound salmon.”

“I eat it on rare occasions,” Ace replies, not as on-edge. “I stick to it about once a month.”

“What about steak or chicken?”

“Doctor told me once a month of seafood and farm meat; I’m missing a few proteins I otherwise can’t make naturally.”

“Good, so fish will work?”

“Just so long as it’s not sentient,” Ace comments.

“All living things are sentient, Ace,” Blackjack says. “What you mean is that it’s not sapient. It’s not as wise as we are to have created things like civilization. Take Untakhan for example. Some members of his species are sapient and have created culture, music, dance, literature. But some members are merely sentient, and hunting them is treated like sport.”

“And how would you ultimately define that?” I ask Blackjack.

“If it speaks, I can’t eat it,” he says simply.

Untakhan returns to the porch and nods.

“Ah, it seems dinner is ready. Where is Roseluck?”

“She needed the toilet before wearing her dress. She’ll be down in just a minute, I’d guess.”

“Excellent. So long as she comes quick; I’m not keen on waiting for her all evening.” Blackjack turns to me and Ace. “Come, come. The dining room is right off the main sitting room. We’ll still have our ocean view.”

We followed Untakhan back through the atrium and into the sitting room before veering off and entering a large dining room with a table set for five; one at the head and four seated around. Blackjack took his space at the head; Ace and Untakhan sat on either side of him, and I sat next to Ace across from an empty space.

The empty space was soon filled by the rose-maned mare, wearing a green evening dress, rose-shaped earrings, and a pair of black hoof-covers that looked to be made of leather. Blackjack sighs as she takes her seat across from me. She extends a hand.

“I don’t believe we’ve been introduced,” she says. I shake hands and she soon repeats the gesture with Ace. “The name’s Roseluck. I’m a florist; most of the plants in the atrium are mine that I’ve grown. I sell them and do flower arranging at his restaurants.”

“Quite the position,” Ace says.

An attendant pours us all a glass of the Dom Ponygnon – a sweet, fizzy drink with a sharp bite – as Roseluck continues. “Yes. I used to come from a smaller town in Equestria, but once Blackjack made me the offer of staying with him in his villa and being his own companion, well, I couldn’t help myself.”

The meal comes out. First comes the salmon, cooked and seasoned with garlic, herbs, and butter and finished with a honey mustard demiglaze and served with a pile of creamy mashed potatoes and asparagus covered in a white sauce. Next comes a small bowl of peas, corn, and carrot pieces, followed by a plate with a slice of pineapple, in the center of which is a medley of strawberries and blueberries. Finally, there’s a rather large serving of a toasted sourdough with a small dish of something that reminded me of blackberries on first sight except they’re both shinier and smaller.

The meal is expensive. Moreso than anything I’m used to. Ace orders big occasionally but never fancy. The others dig in almost immediately as though they’re quite familiar with the food and order, but I notice Roseluck seems to be having almost as difficult a time as I am in deciding which should come first.

Blackjack pulls out a slice of the buttered sourdough and immediately places some of the beads on it.

“What is it?” I can’t help but ask.

Blackjack looks over to Ace and smiles. Roseluck is taking a bite of it as well and seems to enjoy it. Ace and Untakhan refuse to touch it.

“Try it,” Blackjack says mischievously.

I take a bit of the sourdough and mimic what I saw Blackjack doing; taking the smaller-than-usual knife and spreading them on a small piece. I bite into the toast; the beads themselves are slightly salty and slightly fishy in taste, but it’s soon melded into the flavor of the sourdough. It actually tastes good.

“I quite like it.”

“It’s Sevruga caviar,” he says. He waits for me to take another bite before continuing. “Fish eggs.”

I’m surprised that I don’t immediately spit it out. Instead, I wash it down with a gulp of the champagne before moving onwards to the salmon, which everyone else has started on. Blackjack laughs for a while before calming down enough to speak.

“Well, at least you have your manners. You say you come from Ponyville? You act like you come from a higher background.”

“Ace has been teaching me,” I say, pointing to the white stallion with my fork.

“Indeed,” Ace says. He takes a bite of the caviar without incident. “Some of the first four months he’s been with me were edicate. I told him we’d be out on the town at least somewhat frequently and he needed to learn how to behave in higher-end establishments. Caught on quite well.”

“Quite so, quite so,” Blackjack mused. “Oh, and how’s the old wound doing?”

“Still hurts every once in a while,” Ace replies casually. “The surgery resulted in quite the bump on my forehead, but I don’t think too many paid attention to it.”

“What happened to you?” I ask him.

“Rather nasty incident with a fall,” Ace says. “Split my head open a little. Needed stitches and a skin graft from my thigh.”

“It’s healed up well, though,” Blackjack says. “I made sure he had the best treatment. It happened at my casino; bad fall down some stairs when he was late one time.”

“Surprised it didn’t knock the magic out of me,” Ace comments. “I was kind of scared for a while I’d be fired almost as soon as I was hired.”

“Oh, I could have picked you up as a dealer,” Blackjack says with a wave of his hand. “You were good with the cards even then. Remind me how you earned your cutie mark?”

“Won a game of baccarat,” Ace says. “I was just taught how to play; father was a big fan of it and taught me every game he knew – blackjack, hold ’em, baccarat, bridge, you name it. He had a seven and I had a seven. I drew one more and it was the Ace of Diamonds. I trounced him when he got a four and had his score reduced to one. Been my specialty to work with cards ever since.”

“You could still have learned my technique,” Untakhan spoke up. “Even among your magicians, it’s quite unique.”

“True, true,” Blackjack replies. “We’d have found a spot for you somewhere.”

They got to talking about magic. I quickly bored of them and turned to face the mare looking at me with interested eyes.

“So, what do you do?” Roseluck asks me.

“Well, I do a lot of technical stuff for Ace’s magic shows. I manage the sound, camera, lights, and help set up the stage beforehoof.”

“Well, that sounds exciting,” Roseluck says, genuinely interested. “Certainly much more so than my job. I’ve always wanted to go backstage at some of those events.”

“It’s quite hectic, and Ace always has me working to the last minute. I imagine you have much more time available than I at work.”

“It depends,” Roseluck says. “I have to pick flowers, arrange them, and make sure the arrangements compliment the establishment I’m working for. And sometimes I have to come in every other day to give them water and fertilizer.”

“Do you… sleep with Blackjack?”

“Oh, not in the literal sense. I have my own room here. Every once in a while, he calls me in and we have a few hours passion, but then I’m in my own room.” Roseluck debates another bite of the caviar, but soon pushes the dish away. “What about you?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t gone that far with Ace.”

“So, what does that make you? You certainly don’t sound as effeminate as I’ve heard Ace likes them.”

“A partner. Just… not as intimate.”

“Ever tried it with a mare?”

“A few times. But all the relationships ended badly.”

Roseluck nods. “Fair enough. I suppose I can understand why you’re around Ace. Such a… charismatic fellow. It’s too bad he doesn’t on the whole prefer the female persuasion, though I’ve heard he’s had a few flings.”

“You’re almost as easy on the eyes.”

Roseluck laughs and I can see her blush. “Well, thank you, but I’m afraid I’m currently spoken for.” She eyes Blackjack adoringly for a moment before looking at me out of the corner of her eye. “Though, if things don’t work out, I might be more willing to take you up on that offer. Honestly, the only thing I don’t like about this is that zebra.”

“Why’s that?”

“Well, he certainly comes in handy. He knows some magic that helps me go to sleep at night and lessens my anxiety. But occasionally it feels like Blackjack has him watching over me like a hawk.”

“Like when?”

“Well, he had a meeting with a few people in black suits. Told Untakhan to keep me out of the study. Every single time I wanted to go ask him something about what was going on, he was already there telling me to hold on and wait. I’d listen because I didn’t want to disturb him, and we’d be back to normal.”

“Well, he doesn’t seem too bad to me. Either Blackjack or Untakhan.”

“No, not really,” Roseluck admits. “Blackjack’s nice when not dealing with business and Untakhan is rather helpful whenever I need him to do something.”

“He seems an intelligent sort,” I comment.

“Yes, but I’m not allowed to speak to him unless I need something. Something about powerful magic that could mess with my head.”

I had nearly experienced that magic back at the hotel. It was not hard to believe.

A short while later, when dinner was finishing up, Blackjack was talking about his casino and Roseluck and I rejoined the conversation.

“Oh, you should come on down and see it,” Blackjack said. “I’ve been renovating the game room and recently placed all new tables in it. We could have some lunch, play a few games of baccarat or Canterlot Hold ‘Em, and end the night with a drink at the club. What say you, Ace?”

“I’d say it sounds excellent,” Ace replies, “so long as it’s not a weekend.”

“Well, I have some business ventures to attend to while I’m here, but next Monday should be sufficient. I could have Untakhan come around and bring you again.”

“That would be excellent.”

“Now,” Blackjack says as he pads his mouth with his napkin before an attendant takes it and the plates away, “normally I’d invite you to stay for a little coffee, but I think I’m rather in need of a good soak in the tub and a swim before bed. These early winter evenings throw me off somewhat.”

“Probably it would be a good time to head home anyways,” Ace says, checking his own watch. “We’ve stayed quite long; it’s nearly eight o’clock already and I don’t wish to intrude on your hospitality.”

“Nonsense!” Blackjack says jovially. “I should invite you around more often.”

A few minutes later, we were at the doorway of the foyer. The lights were on all over the villa and the chauffeur was bringing the long black car around again. Untakhan once again motions for us to get in the car and the three of us speed off into the night back to our hotel.

“You should write us more often,” Ace tells the zebra as we step out at the hotel.

“Ah, I wish I could,” he says mournfully. “But writing among us shamans is a very powerful and sacred act. Whatever we write usually comes out as either a blessing or a curse. I do not wish to accidentally curse you when I simply mean to tell you of what I’m doing of late.”

“Still,” Ace says. “We should be in contact more often.” He shakes his hand. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“I’ll try not to.” Untakhan pulls Ace into a hug, which he willingly returns, and releases him before turning to me. “You couldn’t have found a better or more intelligent companion, Caramel,” he tells me. “Remember that.”

I nod and we shake hands before Untakhan gets back into the black car and leaves.

“So, what do you think of them now?” Ace asks as we near our suite.

“Quite the expensive company,” I tell him. “Eh… I don’t know about him. He’s better than I would have pinned him for at first sight. But I like the zebra fellow and Roseluck was particularly nice. Didn’t talk to her too much; but I got a feeling for her.”

Ace suddenly goes deathly silent and I can’t even hear his breath. He stays that way until we’ve entered the suite and gone to the bedroom, wherein he shuts the door with both of us inside and strips off in front of me.

“Caramel,” he asks, “come to me.”

I go, my own shirt off, until I’m inches away from him. He stares at me for a while, holding me in his gaze that I can’t look away from, then pulls me in for a kiss. When we finally pull away, his eyes are locked on mine and I’ve lost sight of everything but him.

“Forget about her, Caramel,” Ace says slowly and soothingly, hand gently caressing my cheek. “To me, you’re much better than any of them are.”

The next few hours before we go to bed are a blur. By the next morning, I’ve pushed everything I know about the previous night at Blackjack’s to the back of my head. The only one I’m interested in right now is Ace and how sweet and tender and gentle he is to me. I cuddle up closer to him and fall back into a half sleep as I feel his arm reach around me and gently massage my back.

“My sweet, sweet Caramel…” I hear Ace muttering. He chokes and clings to me a little while, but I don’t mind. I wrap my arms around him and let him quietly cry as he buries his head in my neck and strokes my mane. Probably the stress of seven years is only recently catching up.

Author's Note

large blind = forced bet played by the second player to the left of the dealer, usually equivalent to the minimum bet of the table