Kindness and Cruelty Book 1

Chapter 6 – Schadenfreude.

When Fluttershy finished telling him about her awful day, Sadie took a moment, stroking his chin as if there was a beard there. “Fluttershy,” he spoke calmly, “if you had the power, what would you do to the business stallion?”

“Huh?” Fluttershy was taken aback by the question. “Whu...what do you mean?”

Sadie just looked at her, waiting for her to answer. She blinked twice, “Uhm...I uh...”

Sadie was beginning to feel uneasy at Fluttershy's lack of assertiveness. But as he looked at her, he perceived a change in her countenance as she turned and hid her face in her mane. She was enjoying something, or some thought. To him, it was plain as day, and he was very familiar with what she was feeling at that moment. She was savoring the feeling of retribution—of getting justice done by one's own paws. Or in her case, hooves. Whatever could she be thinking of?

She suddenly turned to him smiling. “I would tie him up to a chair, and force feed him a big bowl of alfalfa!”

“Oh...?” Sadie was taken back by her answer, craned his head backwards. He could see that she was having fun. However, this was a far cry from what she felt mere seconds ago when she turned her head and hid her face in her mane. “You would force feed him...a big bowl of alfalfa...?”

“Mashed alfalfa! Like a naughty colt!” Fluttershy grinned. “And I'll laugh at him, an evil laugh, 'Hihihihihiiii!'”

Sadie purred with amusement. “Well, at least it's a start.” He put his paw tips together and asked another question, “And what about the cabbie?”

“Ooooh, well, for him I'd...”

Outside her cottage, the day breezed by.

That 'game' Fluttershy played with Sadie, “If You Had The Power”, lifted her spirit. Because of that, she was able to more clearly think about her friends who were there for her: Applejack and Granny, Rarity, Twilight. And that filled her with gratitude, so despite the terrible day, she was able to take a nice shower, and enjoy a good night's sleep.

The next day started as usual. It was another pleasant morning. Angel did his chores and Fluttershy made breakfast. All the creatures were happily chirping and chattering about. Sadie never left his spot. He was like a living monument, like a statue. Fluttershy had never experienced a being quite like him before.

Fluttershy and Angel were in the kitchen having breakfast when all of a sudden, there was banging on the front door. The happy menagerie went silent and turned towards the door. Fluttershy looked at it, and the banging made her nervous. The thought of whoever could be doing the banging, even more so. But, Sadie was there—he'll be with her—and that gave her courage.

“Who is it?!” she asked. The banging just got more deliberate and pronounced.

“Answer it, Fluttershy,” Sadie said. So Fluttershy got up from her breakfast and trotted to the door. But she went to the window instead, and took a peep outside. It was the cabbie, and it was obvious he was angry.

“OPEN THE DOOR, MISS!” the cabbie shouted.

“Oh! What should I do?!” Fluttershy thought as she hid behind the wall next to the window. All the while Sadie looked at the door, glancing at her once in a while. The tension and panic she was feeling started to spread to the hearts of the critters, and some of them thought of retreating into their holes.

Sadie fixed his gaze at her. “Fluttershy, I am here.”

She looked at her sphinx. And that tightened her resolve.

“Open. The door. NOW!” the cabbie insisted.

“No!”

More pronounced banging.

“N-not on your l-life, p-pal!” Fluttershy said. It was something she would probably not have said, but there it is – she said it. “I know who you are! You're that cabbie from yesterday! Why did you come here?”

“You got me in trouble, you crazy mare! You're a pegasus for bucking out loud! You didn't need a cab!”

“So what if I'm a pegasus?! I had to carry heavy things yesterday! If you must know, I'm not the strongest flier!”

“WELL, THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM! Why should I get in trouble for your weak wings?! I was downgraded to pull one of our regular, non-magical cab-wagons! Pulling those things is tiring! You know, I was just trying to make a living, and that business pony offered a better deal!”

Fluttershy was never used to this kind of confrontation, this impromptu shouting match. The confrontation she's used to is the kind that she had with Iron Will. That confrontation at least had some measure of calm and logic. This one did not. Sadie could see that she was wracking her brain for meaningful things to say, and her own adrenaline was making her unfocused, breathing irregularly and stuttering.

Sadie raised a paw at Fluttershy, telling her to stop. “I’ll take it from here,” he whispered to her. Then, he looked at the door, and spoke in a perfect mimicry of Fluttershy’s voice. “S-so...uhm...you only get to use non-magical cab-wagons now?” Sadie said, trying to sound meek.

“YES!”

“Well, then that’s your problem, isn’t it?!” Sadie said mockingly – and still in Fluttershy's own voice, no less. Fluttershy was surprised to hear her own voice sounding so...maliciously confident. Sadie slowly stood up, still facing the door. “Why should I worry about your weak legs?” This was the first time Fluttershy, or any of the animals, for that matter, had seen Sadie move from his spot since he’d laid down there. His movements had a smooth, feline grace to them... so much like, and yet so unlike, her own. “You wanted a better deal? Then deal with that!”

The sudden shift in tone left the cabbie momentarily sputtering with rage. “NOW, YOU LISTEN HERE…!”

“No, you listen,” Sadie continued, walking lithely towards the door as he spoke. “How about I take my 'weak wings' and fly over to your supervisor to report what you're doing now?” He tossed his head with flair and pawed at the door. “You think you can make a living without a job?”

Fluttershy had seen this sort of behavior before, on smaller felines: Sadie was being playful. In spite of the menace in his words, it was... sort of cute, and she smiled in spite of herself. She also knew, when it came to cats, the line between 'playing' and 'hunting' was sometimes very thin. And this wasn’t just any small cat, but a sphinx larger than any pony she’d ever seen. So, was Sadie just taunting the cabbie, or...?

Outside, instinct was making the cabbie shrink into himself. On some subconscious level, he could feel the cruel, graceful presence on the other side of the door overpowering his own blunt and brutish self; all that carried over to his conscious mind was the gradual realization that coming over to this lady's house had been a terrible idea. What was he thinking? “Now, miss, let's not get hasty...”

“Why did you come here, Mr. Cabbie?” ‘Sadieshy’ whimpered. “Why? Did you think coming back to my home, banging on my door and terrorizing me would somehow solve your problems?” There was a brief pause. Fluttershy was stunned. The voice was cringing and tearful, the sound of herself at her most helpless...but each word lashed out with claws that cut deeply.

Fluttershy gasped softly as she realized what Sadie was doing. She covered her mouth with a hoof, the picture of concern, but did nothing to interrupt the interaction, only watching intently.

“You’re right, you’re absolutely right,” the cabbie said nervously as he backed slowly away from the door. “I, uh, I guess I’ll just be leaving now…”

“Uhm, ok. But before you go, uhm...” Sadie put his face right up against the door and said in a low volume but serious tone: “...make no mistake – I will be reporting this.”

“Please don't!” The suddenness of his outburst even seemed to catch the cabbie by surprise for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “Miss, I promise, you won’t ever see or hear from me again, just…” He bowed his head rigidly, a mark of humility that also put his face parallel to the ground, hiding his expression. “I...can’t afford to lose this job. Please, Miss...”

His words struck a chord in Fluttershy’s heart. She had heard something similar before... “No..no no NO! I don't have anymore bits to buy new cherries!” She gasped with the realization—she never did perceive the reason then...just like with this cab pony now. She could hear his voice and feel his pleading.

Sadie craned his neck back, raising a paw as he took a step back from the door. He did not expect...humility—or more precisely—deference, from this kind of pony. It slammed against him like a wall of hot air. The situation suddenly became so unfamiliar to him; on the one paw, he could continue with the mocking, eventually getting the cabbie into trouble. But that might turn Fluttershy off. Or, on the other paw, he could... accept the apology? NO! Why, just the thought of it made the fur on his haunches stand on end and his claws exposed. And so he found himself unsure of what to say next. Fluttershy observed him and knew that he was wracking his brain for something meaningful to say, so she took his raised paw into her hooves and whispered to him, “I'll take it from here.” Then, turning towards the door, she said aloud, “Uhm, ok then. If you mean what you say, then I won't report you...”

Sadie was quick to take his paw from Fluttershy, as if shocked at what she was saying.

The cabbie looked up, his expression grateful. “Thank you, Miss!” he said, and bowed again, softly this time. Then he ran down Fluttershy's path, onto the road and away. Once the sound of running hooves had faded, Fluttershy plopped on the floor and gave out an exhausted sigh.

“Why did you say you would not report him?” Sadie asked.

“Well, I didn't want to cause him his job.”

“But what if he wasn’t sincere?” the sphinx continued, focusing his perception on the running cabbie as he looked at Fluttershy. “You should not have let go of your hold on him.”

“My hold on him?” she asked, eyes wide open. “Hmmm...” Fluttershy sat up and thought for a moment. This was something new to her, the concept of having a hold on somepony. Like a measure of control over them, to influence their actions. It intrigued her, and Sadie perceived it. And it intrigued him that it intrigued her.

“Well, I did say that if he meant it, that I wouldn't report him,” she murmured, mulling over this concept of control. “Sooo...” She looked up at Sadie's face with a grinning smile, despite her lingering nervous shaking, and said proudly, “...I guess I do still have a hold on him. So he better watch his step! Ha!”

Sadie paused. That was a bit of a stretch… but it was one that she’d made completely on her own. It was obvious that she liked having this kind of control over those who crossed her. This was good progress from yesterday's 'game'.

“Oookay! Now that that's over, I guess the day's started.” Fluttershy said, pressing her frazzled fur back on her coat and fixing her mane.

Sadie could not help but notice the subtle change in her demeanor. “You look like you have new found confidence, my dear,” he purred.

“Why thank you. You...uhm...helped,” said Fluttershy, trotting up to him. “I would not have it otherwise...if not for your help.”

“I could be with you always...If you will have me.”

“Whu...what?!” The statement shocked her, catching her off-guard. “What does he mean by that? Like… a pet?” The thought of it made her blush. “Oh, my...well,” she said, twisting the edge of her hoof on the floor as she stole glances up at him. “Uhm...uh...I'd like that, actually.”

The cabbie looked back to Fluttershy’s house as he ran away. He was foolish, falling back on his old ways. Especially foolish now that he was trying to turn over a new leaf. He needed to lose those old ways, and he needed to do it fast. Otherwise, he may as well not have left his old life…

Without warning, a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail landed forcefully onto the road in front of him. Surprised, he sat down hard and leaned back with all his strength, digging his hooves into the dirt in an effort to stop from colliding with her. But momentum kept him skidding all the way, and he closed his eyes, anticipating the impact. But when he opened his eyes again, he was right in front of her, muzzle to muzzle. She had a tough expression on her face, her eyes narrowing dangerously as they drilled into him. “So, you’re the cabbie who walked all over the kindest mare in town! What were you doing at Fluttershy’s place just now, huh?!”

“I...uh…” How the tables had turned. Now he was the meek one. This mare was definitely one tough broad.

Rainbow Dash glanced at his cutie mark, then right back into his eyes. “I knew you looked familiar. You’re one of those punks that trashed A.K Yearling’s cottage! You’re one of Dr. Caballeron’s goons!”

“Please, Miss,” he pleaded, “ lower your voice.”

She stomped one hoof angrily and only got louder. “You’re here to cause trouble!”

“No! I’m...I’m trying to leave that life of crime behind!”

“Well, you’re not doing such a good job, accepting bribes an’ all.” She pushed her muzzle into his with a growl. “And I bet you were up to no good, coming from Fluttershy’s house, weren’t you?! What were you doing there? Hassling her?!”

“I-is that her name?” he asked, hoping against hope to change the topic.

“Yeah. And you’re Chalice Ringer, right?”

“Th-that’s right… how’d you…?”

“Listen pal, the mayor’s waiting for you back at Town Hall. She’s already sent me out to find you, so don’t make her subpoena you too, or you’ll be in trouble with not just the law,” she said, leaning in even closer and poking a forehoof into his chest for emphasis, “but with Princess Twilight herself!”

A single bead of sweat went down Chalice’s stoic face, anxiety filling him up as he dreaded the new world of trouble that he knew now awaited him.