Late Night Mangoesby ForgetfulChaptersStarting The Shift, 12:00 A.M - 12:30 A.MThe Oddballs, 12:30 A.M. - 1:00 A.M.The Fray, 1:00 A.M - 1:30 A.M.Rawr, 1:30 A.M - 2:00 A.MStarting The Shift, 12:00 A.M - 12:30 A.MLate Shift stretched her slender legs with a monotonous yawn. Long dark lashes fluttered in front of vibrant orange eyes, that glowed hauntingly in the dim light of her workplace. A tiny radio station on the outskirts of the nearby city of Birmingham, her work area claustrophobic to be put bluntly. The room cluttered beyond repair as she took off her flowing black cloak, dark ocean blue hooves allowing it to hang off the nearby wall. Trash of the dayshift scattered across the shelves and floor, apparently she was the only clean creature at this business. A short silvery mane framed her delicate features in a congenial way, the petite bat pony quick to pounce up onto her nearby stool in the soundproof booth. A smile slowly crossed her narrow muzzle, a large coffee cup in the shape of a mango sat waiting beside her oversized microphone, steam wafting into the air lazily. Sarah must've been kind enough to fetch a coffee before she arrived. Not all humans in this odd world were complete selfish mules, just most of them. With a glance towards the call booth, she made out the silhouette of Julie on the ready. A colorful line of buttons shining bright in the darkness as calls came in from all over the city. Seconds away from midnight, she knew her night was just about to begin. Late Shift nestled her headphones atop her head, nodding to Julie who switched the sign above the booth to "On Air". A night full of BS surely on the horizon, humans were reliable like that. "Welcome to Late Night Mangoes!" Late shift rolled her eyes sarcastically. "I'm your lovely hostess Late Shift, we're here to chat about how the dayshift just doesn't understand us." She winked towards Julie who just snorted aloud. The caller on one flashed to attention as Late Shift groaned, knowing it was time to hear some nonsense. "Caller One, you're on the air!" She yawned extra loud to be heard over the phone. "Yes, this is Trevor." The caller felt the unknown need to introduce himself this dark night. "Hello Trevor, how may I keep you company on this night?" Late Shift quirked her brow. "Well, I'm curious about how you eat!?" He asked his question in a serious tone. "Like most creatures, I was born with a mouth." She giggled behind her hoof. "No, I mean you drink blood! ~ Like at what a blood bank or something!?" He snapped back a bit angry. "Rawr, settle down! ~ Just because I'm a bat pony, doesn't mean I'm a blood drinker." She popped her lips softly towards the microphone. "Huh, but all bats drink blood!?" Trevor seemed very sure of himself. "Actually most are fruit eaters, if not then bugs! ~ I insist you do a tad more research if you're going to call in cutie!" The clicking sound of the phone hanging up echoed across the room. "Caller Two, talk to me, baby!" She sighed as a young woman spoke up. "Actually I thought you sucked blood too." The second caller spoke up in a ditzy manner. "Hon, the only thing I suck life from is a pack of menthols." Late Shift flashed a lackluster gaze towards her cigarettes that hung out of her cloak's pocket. "At that, they give me the same courtesy." Julie was quick to hang up the caller as the bat pony finished her sentence. Two calls in and she was already annoyed. The bright green flash of the board, telling her that another slew of annoyances was quickly approaching. "Caller Three, what will it be!?" Late Shift forced herself to be polite. "Politics." A man's voice spoke in a gruff but collected tone. "Hate them." She replied with a scrunch of her muzzle confused. "No, I mean that the only reason Radio-M hired you in was politics!" The man snapped as if annoyed by her presence. "Actually they needed a host who totally didn't need sleep." She blew a loud raspberry. "As if, dumb ponies are the stylish thing right now! Face it, you have no personality and are completely boring!!" He chuckled as Julie gave a silent nudge to the hang-up button. "Wow, somebody sounds constipated." She giggled as her hoof shook up and down in the air, this guy was a complete jerk off. "And you're a token bi…" The air went silent as Julie stepped in and pressed the bright red button. "Oi, if you call in please be civil!" Late Shift tilted her head back in defeat. "Caller Four, thinks you're a human," Julie spoke from her tiny booth of isolation, the screening process had already begun. "Is that right, Caller Four?" Late Shift spoke in a flirtatious little voice. "Yeah, your voice is way too elegant for an animal."A young male chuckled from across the line. "What if I said, I was drinking coffee from a mango mug right now?" She giggled and wrapped hooves around her novelty cup, taking a long deep drink. "Ha, still not convinced! The last guy was an asshole, but he was right about one thing." The caller playfully nudged the conversation along. "Ponies are popular?" Late Shift sighed with a delicate eye roll. "Totally, I bet you're just a cute girl pretending to be a pony for ratings." He quipped. "We shall never know, but if you think I'm one of the shaved primates." She shook her head playfully. "I do." He chuckled. "Well, from a Homo I'll take that as a compliment." Late Shift couldn't help but giggle aloud as the call ended. "To all those out there, who don't believe I'm an equine!" She rolled her tongue softly over her lips in deep thought. "Meet me at Jill's Sandwiches on Tuesday nights, I always go there for a snack around eleven." The pony placed her hoof on her cheek with a sly smile. "Find me, we'll take a selfie together. ~ Happy hunting!" Late Shift flicked her headphones off with a feminine flaunt of her hoof. "Really think that's smart?" Julie flashed one of those deadpan human stares. "Meh, I don't care! ~ Jill needs the business, the walls are closing in on the poor girl!" Late Shift let her wings stretch out behind her, it was barely half-past midnight. Tonight was going to be a long one. Thank Luna for… Mango Blend Bold. The Oddballs, 12:30 A.M. - 1:00 A.M.Author's Note Tonight's Callers! Caller.1. UndeadSketches Caller.2. LonePigeon Caller. 3. Dj-pon3fan Caller. 4. My Little Epona The Oddballs, 12:30 A.M. - 1:00 A.M. Late Shift swayed her tail in a casual carefree manner. Julie had skipped out during their music block to acquire a box of various fruit-filled donuts. Indeed only the essentials were needed to survive the night, the slender bat pony plucking a mango filled pastry from the insecure box with a smirk. She was a predator of fruit and these helpless donuts were her prey. Fangs piercing into dough flesh, she began to slowly suckle the sweet nectar from within. Julie watching from her booth with thin arched brows, her messy Raven hair a nest of tangles. Without missing a beat she flicked the "On Air" button with a thin finger, back to the grindstone once more. "Om-nom! ~ Caller you're on…" Late Shift lapped the sweetness from her hoof in a dream-like trance. " Evenin', Miss Shift." A polite but professional voice spoke up. "And evenin', to you darlin'." Late Shift flashed a fangy smile to nobody in particular. "I'm a beat cop* who gets the night schedule." He chuckled. "Always a delight to have our humans and ponies in blue, on the show!" She smirked, slowly plucking another donut from the box at her side. "I'm partnered with an Earth Pony from the Apple Family. ~ The guy says that he has family all over and claims that you're an Apple. ~ Can you confirm or deny that?" The mysterious voice asked a playful question full of curiosity. "Me an apple!?" Late Shift lifted both hooves to cup her cheeks in surprise. "Sorry darlin', I might have some cousins out that way in Equestria. ~ But unless raiding their orchards at night for fruit makes us kin, I'd say no." She giggled aloud as a donut twirled atop her blue hoof. "I knew he was making stuff up, also that's sort of a crime." The officer suddenly got extremely serious. "We're breaking up….sssshhh!" Julie quickly hit the disconnect button laughing. "Cousin Skree, if you're listening! ~ Keep an eye out, the fuzz might be looking for you!!" Late Shift gave a quick shift of her eyes. "Caller Two, talk to me!" She switched to the next caller on the line. "Late Shift, short time listener, first-time caller." A voice full of concern spoke up from the white noise. "Oh, cherry hunting! ~ Consider yourself popped darlin'." Late Shift grinned wickedly within the dark. "How are the ergonomics at the radio station? ~ Have they made everything easily accessible and comfortable for you?" The caller asked multiple questions with a voice that seemed to be in search of an honest answer. "Hmm, a caller with an actual soul? ~ Wow, now this is a rare find." She stretched in place as her eyes glanced at Julie slyly. "Just curious." The voice seemed to relax a bit more. "Well, it's actually pretty sweet! ~ When I arrived they were quick to replace the giant chair in the studio with a miniature stool, the chair was the size of a mountain!" She flicked her tongue over her lips with a smile. "We still use the chair during the day, that stool was found in the broom closet," Julie spoke up from her tiny booth giggling. "Thank you, Julie, you officially killed my faith in humans!" Late Shift blew a loud raspberry. "But seriously, tons of areas were lowered for my benefit around here. " Her dark orange eyes flashed to a tiny miniature coffee station set up in the corner. "They even added fruit selections to the vending machines, in all I think they did alright!" Late Shift giggled switching to the next caller on the line. "Caller…" Late Shift could hear an excited squeal from the other line. "Hello Late Shift, you can call me Kitsune. ~ I was wondering if you like apples!?" Kitsune screamed in a high pitched voice, the bat pony cringing as a loud ring sent chills down her body. "Hehe, Kitsune! ~ What bat pony doesn't enjoy a good apple?" She lifted a hoof to click to the next caller. "Sweet or Sour!?" The voice quickly asked. "Um, sweet I mean sour!" She replied caught off guard. "Awesome, favorite color of apples?" Kitsune simply pushed the subject further. "Julie, I thought we were scanning calls!?" Late Shift scrunched her muzzle into a tiny pout. "Also if you could only eat one apple forever, what would it be?" Kitsune was still asking odd apple-related questions. "Uhhh?" Late Shift looked lost as Julie was laughing behind soundproof glass. "Which apple would you marry?" The madness wouldn't halt. "Grr, the old gold one!!" Late Shift slammed the button to her right switching the call. With both hooves massaging her temples, she waited for the next caller to probably ask a weird question about fruit. "Caller Four, please tell me your question isn't about apples!?" She yanked a mango-flavored donut from the box at her side a tad annoyed. "Heyoo, Late Shift. ~ Actually is it true all bat ponies have an insatiable hunger for mangoes?" The newest caller spoke with a voice dripping with sarcasm and laughter. "Om-nom! ~ No, do we look like some mango crazed equines all the time!?" Late Shift ripped a large bite out of the mango donut, her muzzle coated in the bright orange filling. "I mean mangoes are good and all…" She lifted her mango shaped cup to her lips, enjoying a deep drink of her favorite blend. "But my life doesn't revolve around it!" Late Shift burped with a smack of her lips, confident she put that old rumor to rest once and for all. With a soft click, the sarcastic call was put to an end. The night was still young yet the oddballs were already out by the dozens, which was absolutely fantastic. After all, these were her people. And ponies of course. As the clock hit 1:00 A.M. the board lit up even brighter. Time to return to the fray. The Fray, 1:00 A.M - 1:30 A.M.Author's Note Tonight's Caller. Six String ( Hope all is well on your end. ) The Fray, 1:00 A.M - 1:30 A.M. Late Shift allowed a gangly brown tarantula to slowly walk his way up her hoof without a care in the world. Her glowing orange eyes locked on the creature with care and patient silence as both pondered their life choices. "You entered my web in search of sanctuary, but alas only found desolation." Late Shift spoke barely above a whisper as she guided the prey towards the tip of her elegant hoof. "I search for a meaning to it all, but I suppose it's not meant to be." She clutched the creature by one of his legs and dangled him helplessly over her open mouth. "Life's not fair, is it? You see, I... well, I shall never find peace amongst the chaos. And you... shall never see the light of another day. Adieu." Late Shift savored the fear of her snack curling into a frightened ball, as she lowered the spider towards her waiting jaws. "Ahem!" Julie coughed loudly into her speaker, a loud static hiss filled the air as the bat pony accidentally tossed the spider across the room. "Grrr." Late Shift hissed with bared fangs, her snack scurried into the shadows to never be seen again. "We have a new caller, Six String." Julie yawned before unfolding a cosmopolitan magazine, her attention on the matter elsewhere. "Hello String, you owe me a snack! But I guess a question shall do…" She hissed playfully into the microphone with a sly hint of devious intent. "Hey, Late Shift. This is Six String, Guitarist & Vocalist for "The Pones". My question is, Was it difficult adjusting to working with hoomans & working in the hooman world?" Late Shift arched a thin brow in curiosity. "I'm still adjusting if we're being perfectly honest, these hoomans just don't seem to understand poor little me." She lifted her hoof over her eyes in a dramatic fashion. "As if." Julie lowered her reading material with a loud snort. "Why won't you carpool me to work then?" Late Shift chirped. "Because we work at midnight, besides you can fly!?" Julie narrowed her eyes to the overgrown rat with wings. "See Strings!? The hooman experience shall forever elude me, as long as people like Julie exist." Late Shift grinned with a teasing flick of her tail. "You want to fit in!? Take a pay cut with me then." Julie popped her lips sarcastically. "Moving on! You spoke of a band?" Late Shift quickly switched subjects with a frantic gaze. "Yeah, we're searching for our next gig now! By the way, Underlying Bassline, Pounding Percussion, Melodic Rhythm & I really like your show." String chuckled with a proud tone over the radio waves. "Why thank you, I used to be part of a band myself." Late Shift pushed her chest floof outward as memories of thrashing hotels came flooding back. "What!?" Julie scrunched her nose, not quite buying that as fact. "Believe it! We were called "The Batz", and our music was fluid as it was contemporary!" Late Shift stole a sip from her mango sized mug. "We even raised the dead for one of our music videos, though we couldn't get them to die again." Late Shift scrunched her muzzle remembering how her bandmates were dragged away by the undead. "Uhh?" Julie wasn't sure how to respond. "Fun fact, two weeks after my band vanished "The Gorillaz" dropped Clint Eastwood." Late Shift flashed the frightened Julie a stone-faced expression. "Can I ask another question?" String spoke up to break the awkward silence. "Sure, I'm liking your style." Late Shift flaunted her hoof. "Was there any discrimination, or any stupid thing like that?" String decided to become more serious with his next question. "Discrimination? I'd say a tiny bit." Late Shift folded her ocean blue ears back sadly. "How so? Everybody here treats you like a plushie." Julie snorted. "Not here but out there." She spun on her stool towards the room's window. Late Shift lifted her large orange eyes towards the glowing pale moon. Thoughts of how humans treated her on the streets flooded back, she wasn't allowed to eat in certain restaurants due to health violations. She was ticketed for disturbing the peace, by simply walking around her neighborhood enjoying the night's beauty. How for the longest time she was jobless until this station needed a token creature for amusement. Is that all she was? A token? "Is everything ok?" String asked in a comforting tune. "We all face our personal struggles, the trick is to never let it define you." Late Shift let her voice switch to something far less sassy and more mature. "Should I switch callers?" Julie spoke up as her face softened to an expression of concern. "Nah, String tell me about this band!" Late Shift giggled, shaking off the yearning for her motherland in a swift motion. "Well Melodic is a Bat Pony too, while Underlying is a Unicorn, Pounding is an Earth Pony & I'm a Pegasus. All we need is an Alicorn who plays piano & we'd have all five Pony races in the band." String introduced his bandmates as his voice beamed with pride. "Righteous! Creatures out there seem to forget about unity, especially nowadays when we're no doubt stronger together than divided." Late Shift flashed a fanged smile to her friend behind the glass, her right fang chipped at the tip. "Absolutely agree, they're more than just friends…" String spoke as the bat pony perked her ears upward excitedly. "They're family." Late Shift let a squee escape her muzzle. "You're more than just a Bat Pony, don't forget that." String reassured the radio personality with such a warm presence of kindness. Late Shift smiled, knowing no matter how far she was from home. That she wasn't any less of a spirited soul for it, that deep down everybody mattered and brought forth their own unique flair. Her eyes spotted the poor spider off in the corner still frightened, a sigh escaping the muzzle. "Indeed, too true." She pointed to the spider with a look of regret. "Big or small, human or pony. We all deserve to be given a chance, thank you so much for calling in tonight, it was actually a delight." Late Shift leaned forward to speak happily into the microphone. "It wasn't a problem at all." String laughed as the call ended. "This is Late Night Mangoes, to all those feeling alone tonight." Late Shift tapped her hoof on the music board to her left, a guitar rendition of Midnight Sonata began to play over the radio. "This one's for you, remember we're all in this together." Rawr, 1:30 A.M - 2:00 A.MAuthor's Note A/N : Sorry for the delay in updates, car broke down so I've been dealing with that headache, but please I hope you enjoy tonight's show! Tonight's Callers. Caller. 1. Auburn Winter Caller. 2. Nature Pastel Caller. 3. Albus Nox Caller. 4. Fetch Rawr, 1:30 A.M - 2:00 A.M Late Shift grooved to the music while lost in her personal thoughts, she didn't quite see herself as a radio personality in the human's world as a filly. But here she was spending her nights in a claustrophobic room of her own design, part of her did miss the late nights of mischief and mayhem. With Julie still out of her booth, Late Shift decided to pluck a menthol cigarette from her now empty pack. Flipping the cancer stick into her mouth, she crushed the cardboard package under the weight of her hoof. Without a second to lose she leaned towards an apple scented candle burning on her workspace, an orange flicker of light soon birthed into this murky dark night. Orange eyes narrowed enjoying a silent moment of bliss, both ears folded back as she exhaled a creamy stream of smoke. "No smoking inside!" Julie returned to her booth with a scoff. "What are they going to do? Fire me!?" Late Shift rolled her eyes a hoof dismissively waving towards the human. "You're not immune to the rules, anybody can be replaced." Julie shot back with a snarky remark. "Need to hurry and replace you." Late Shift blew another long stream out into the air sarcastically. "Next caller is another flying rat." Julie pursed her lips with dissatisfaction. The bat pony replied by simply lifting her hoof into the air. "Does that mean you're ready?" Julie looked confused. "I'm sticking you the finger, asshole!" Late Shift flicked the cigarette onto the table with a thud. The human woman never said a word, her finger pressed an orange button as the caller was allowed through. "Good evening, Late Shift. Auburn Winter here. If it isn't too personal, I was wondering what your cutie mark was and what inspired you to become a radio personality." Late Shift lowered her slender hoof over the lit cigarette as she extinguished it with a satisfying crunch. She allowed her long silver tail to sway side to side to the fading beat of the music before she cleared her throat with a playful giggle. "Nice question, Auburn." Late Shift flashed a quick glance towards her cutie mark. A rustic clock surrounded by a half-moon and stars. "Well curious one, it's a lovely little clock surrounded by the beauty of the night." Late Shift gave a playful growl under her breath. "As for what inspired me, I'd say bits." She bit down on her lower lip with a sarcastic eye roll. "Romantic I know!" Late Shift let a sly laugh escape her muzzle. "You see in Equestria, I was part of a group of scavengers. We'd raid orchards and other easy targets under the protection of the night." She planted a single hoof on her cheek out of boredom. "But after a while, that became sort of tiresome, so I said my goodbyes and decided to start over on Earth. Needless to say, not many humans were keen on hiring the equivalent of an ex-con." Late Shift lowered her gaze towards the desk in front of her solemnly. "I tried Baskin Robbins, but they found out about my past like in a day… they always find out." She flashed a half fanged grin. "Lucky for moi, this nice human Jill, had heard that this station was in search of a pony for a late-night slot." Late Shift popped her lips with pride. "Once they heard this seductive little voice, I had them eating out of my hooves!" "I personally think you don't sound special." Julie threw her two cents into the ring. "You're just mad that people mistake you for the animal and me for the human." Late Shift winked towards her sassy companion. "Grrr!" Julie grumbled. "Thank you Auburn for calling in, may the night guide you brother!" Late Shift flicked to the next caller. "Hey, Late Shift! You know, I once met a Bat Pony who works in an apple orchard. He doesn't like mangoes or bananas. What would you like to say to them?" The mysterious caller spoke in a bored monotonous voice. "Well we each have our personal tastes, I for one enjoy a good pumpkin over all else." Late Shift traced her tongue softly over her lower lip. "I don't think he enjoys pumpkins too?" The caller added with a chuckle. "His loss, now if you find out he doesn't like any fruits at all." She narrowed her eyes with a soft smirk. "You might be dealing with the rare blood drinker, in that case, watch out for late-night hunger pangs!" Late Shift mustered her most over the top evil laugh, playfully hitting the button for caller three. "Feed me!" Late Shift blew a loud raspberry. "Is there any other species you would like to meet?" The caller spoke with interest. "Would a Kind Human count?" She gave a hiss filled snicker before flicking to caller four. "What is your pleasure?" Late Shift questioned like a demented merchant. "Night Shift, I think there must be some bat ponies in my family tree, as I am awake more often under the Moon than the Sun." A worried caller spoke in an uneasy tone of voice. "Consider yourself lucky then, nothing wrong with a bit of bat heritage sprinkled amongst the branches!" Late Shift cooed cutely as she spoke with much reassurance. "Insomnia, what an inheritance." The voice replied with a light-hearted laugh. "You're only restless because you're bored. Tell you what, add me on Facebook and I'll totally show you how the night puts the day to shame." Late Shift replied with a hint of devilish intent to her soft soprano voice. "Sounds..scary." The caller laughed. "Fear just means you're alive." Late Shift hung up the call with her own mischievous giggle. "Speaking of fear, I fear it's time for a break." She motioned for Julie to take over. With a loud sigh, the pony slumped down onto her desk in defeat. She let her mind wander to the other ponies working an all-nighter this dark night, did they think of home as well while amongst the humans. Or was she just being foalishly sentimental?
Starting The Shift, 12:00 A.M - 12:30 A.MLate Shift stretched her slender legs with a monotonous yawn. Long dark lashes fluttered in front of vibrant orange eyes, that glowed hauntingly in the dim light of her workplace. A tiny radio station on the outskirts of the nearby city of Birmingham, her work area claustrophobic to be put bluntly. The room cluttered beyond repair as she took off her flowing black cloak, dark ocean blue hooves allowing it to hang off the nearby wall. Trash of the dayshift scattered across the shelves and floor, apparently she was the only clean creature at this business. A short silvery mane framed her delicate features in a congenial way, the petite bat pony quick to pounce up onto her nearby stool in the soundproof booth. A smile slowly crossed her narrow muzzle, a large coffee cup in the shape of a mango sat waiting beside her oversized microphone, steam wafting into the air lazily. Sarah must've been kind enough to fetch a coffee before she arrived. Not all humans in this odd world were complete selfish mules, just most of them. With a glance towards the call booth, she made out the silhouette of Julie on the ready. A colorful line of buttons shining bright in the darkness as calls came in from all over the city. Seconds away from midnight, she knew her night was just about to begin. Late Shift nestled her headphones atop her head, nodding to Julie who switched the sign above the booth to "On Air". A night full of BS surely on the horizon, humans were reliable like that. "Welcome to Late Night Mangoes!" Late shift rolled her eyes sarcastically. "I'm your lovely hostess Late Shift, we're here to chat about how the dayshift just doesn't understand us." She winked towards Julie who just snorted aloud. The caller on one flashed to attention as Late Shift groaned, knowing it was time to hear some nonsense. "Caller One, you're on the air!" She yawned extra loud to be heard over the phone. "Yes, this is Trevor." The caller felt the unknown need to introduce himself this dark night. "Hello Trevor, how may I keep you company on this night?" Late Shift quirked her brow. "Well, I'm curious about how you eat!?" He asked his question in a serious tone. "Like most creatures, I was born with a mouth." She giggled behind her hoof. "No, I mean you drink blood! ~ Like at what a blood bank or something!?" He snapped back a bit angry. "Rawr, settle down! ~ Just because I'm a bat pony, doesn't mean I'm a blood drinker." She popped her lips softly towards the microphone. "Huh, but all bats drink blood!?" Trevor seemed very sure of himself. "Actually most are fruit eaters, if not then bugs! ~ I insist you do a tad more research if you're going to call in cutie!" The clicking sound of the phone hanging up echoed across the room. "Caller Two, talk to me, baby!" She sighed as a young woman spoke up. "Actually I thought you sucked blood too." The second caller spoke up in a ditzy manner. "Hon, the only thing I suck life from is a pack of menthols." Late Shift flashed a lackluster gaze towards her cigarettes that hung out of her cloak's pocket. "At that, they give me the same courtesy." Julie was quick to hang up the caller as the bat pony finished her sentence. Two calls in and she was already annoyed. The bright green flash of the board, telling her that another slew of annoyances was quickly approaching. "Caller Three, what will it be!?" Late Shift forced herself to be polite. "Politics." A man's voice spoke in a gruff but collected tone. "Hate them." She replied with a scrunch of her muzzle confused. "No, I mean that the only reason Radio-M hired you in was politics!" The man snapped as if annoyed by her presence. "Actually they needed a host who totally didn't need sleep." She blew a loud raspberry. "As if, dumb ponies are the stylish thing right now! Face it, you have no personality and are completely boring!!" He chuckled as Julie gave a silent nudge to the hang-up button. "Wow, somebody sounds constipated." She giggled as her hoof shook up and down in the air, this guy was a complete jerk off. "And you're a token bi…" The air went silent as Julie stepped in and pressed the bright red button. "Oi, if you call in please be civil!" Late Shift tilted her head back in defeat. "Caller Four, thinks you're a human," Julie spoke from her tiny booth of isolation, the screening process had already begun. "Is that right, Caller Four?" Late Shift spoke in a flirtatious little voice. "Yeah, your voice is way too elegant for an animal."A young male chuckled from across the line. "What if I said, I was drinking coffee from a mango mug right now?" She giggled and wrapped hooves around her novelty cup, taking a long deep drink. "Ha, still not convinced! The last guy was an asshole, but he was right about one thing." The caller playfully nudged the conversation along. "Ponies are popular?" Late Shift sighed with a delicate eye roll. "Totally, I bet you're just a cute girl pretending to be a pony for ratings." He quipped. "We shall never know, but if you think I'm one of the shaved primates." She shook her head playfully. "I do." He chuckled. "Well, from a Homo I'll take that as a compliment." Late Shift couldn't help but giggle aloud as the call ended. "To all those out there, who don't believe I'm an equine!" She rolled her tongue softly over her lips in deep thought. "Meet me at Jill's Sandwiches on Tuesday nights, I always go there for a snack around eleven." The pony placed her hoof on her cheek with a sly smile. "Find me, we'll take a selfie together. ~ Happy hunting!" Late Shift flicked her headphones off with a feminine flaunt of her hoof. "Really think that's smart?" Julie flashed one of those deadpan human stares. "Meh, I don't care! ~ Jill needs the business, the walls are closing in on the poor girl!" Late Shift let her wings stretch out behind her, it was barely half-past midnight. Tonight was going to be a long one. Thank Luna for… Mango Blend Bold.
The Oddballs, 12:30 A.M. - 1:00 A.M.Author's Note Tonight's Callers! Caller.1. UndeadSketches Caller.2. LonePigeon Caller. 3. Dj-pon3fan Caller. 4. My Little Epona The Oddballs, 12:30 A.M. - 1:00 A.M. Late Shift swayed her tail in a casual carefree manner. Julie had skipped out during their music block to acquire a box of various fruit-filled donuts. Indeed only the essentials were needed to survive the night, the slender bat pony plucking a mango filled pastry from the insecure box with a smirk. She was a predator of fruit and these helpless donuts were her prey. Fangs piercing into dough flesh, she began to slowly suckle the sweet nectar from within. Julie watching from her booth with thin arched brows, her messy Raven hair a nest of tangles. Without missing a beat she flicked the "On Air" button with a thin finger, back to the grindstone once more. "Om-nom! ~ Caller you're on…" Late Shift lapped the sweetness from her hoof in a dream-like trance. " Evenin', Miss Shift." A polite but professional voice spoke up. "And evenin', to you darlin'." Late Shift flashed a fangy smile to nobody in particular. "I'm a beat cop* who gets the night schedule." He chuckled. "Always a delight to have our humans and ponies in blue, on the show!" She smirked, slowly plucking another donut from the box at her side. "I'm partnered with an Earth Pony from the Apple Family. ~ The guy says that he has family all over and claims that you're an Apple. ~ Can you confirm or deny that?" The mysterious voice asked a playful question full of curiosity. "Me an apple!?" Late Shift lifted both hooves to cup her cheeks in surprise. "Sorry darlin', I might have some cousins out that way in Equestria. ~ But unless raiding their orchards at night for fruit makes us kin, I'd say no." She giggled aloud as a donut twirled atop her blue hoof. "I knew he was making stuff up, also that's sort of a crime." The officer suddenly got extremely serious. "We're breaking up….sssshhh!" Julie quickly hit the disconnect button laughing. "Cousin Skree, if you're listening! ~ Keep an eye out, the fuzz might be looking for you!!" Late Shift gave a quick shift of her eyes. "Caller Two, talk to me!" She switched to the next caller on the line. "Late Shift, short time listener, first-time caller." A voice full of concern spoke up from the white noise. "Oh, cherry hunting! ~ Consider yourself popped darlin'." Late Shift grinned wickedly within the dark. "How are the ergonomics at the radio station? ~ Have they made everything easily accessible and comfortable for you?" The caller asked multiple questions with a voice that seemed to be in search of an honest answer. "Hmm, a caller with an actual soul? ~ Wow, now this is a rare find." She stretched in place as her eyes glanced at Julie slyly. "Just curious." The voice seemed to relax a bit more. "Well, it's actually pretty sweet! ~ When I arrived they were quick to replace the giant chair in the studio with a miniature stool, the chair was the size of a mountain!" She flicked her tongue over her lips with a smile. "We still use the chair during the day, that stool was found in the broom closet," Julie spoke up from her tiny booth giggling. "Thank you, Julie, you officially killed my faith in humans!" Late Shift blew a loud raspberry. "But seriously, tons of areas were lowered for my benefit around here. " Her dark orange eyes flashed to a tiny miniature coffee station set up in the corner. "They even added fruit selections to the vending machines, in all I think they did alright!" Late Shift giggled switching to the next caller on the line. "Caller…" Late Shift could hear an excited squeal from the other line. "Hello Late Shift, you can call me Kitsune. ~ I was wondering if you like apples!?" Kitsune screamed in a high pitched voice, the bat pony cringing as a loud ring sent chills down her body. "Hehe, Kitsune! ~ What bat pony doesn't enjoy a good apple?" She lifted a hoof to click to the next caller. "Sweet or Sour!?" The voice quickly asked. "Um, sweet I mean sour!" She replied caught off guard. "Awesome, favorite color of apples?" Kitsune simply pushed the subject further. "Julie, I thought we were scanning calls!?" Late Shift scrunched her muzzle into a tiny pout. "Also if you could only eat one apple forever, what would it be?" Kitsune was still asking odd apple-related questions. "Uhhh?" Late Shift looked lost as Julie was laughing behind soundproof glass. "Which apple would you marry?" The madness wouldn't halt. "Grr, the old gold one!!" Late Shift slammed the button to her right switching the call. With both hooves massaging her temples, she waited for the next caller to probably ask a weird question about fruit. "Caller Four, please tell me your question isn't about apples!?" She yanked a mango-flavored donut from the box at her side a tad annoyed. "Heyoo, Late Shift. ~ Actually is it true all bat ponies have an insatiable hunger for mangoes?" The newest caller spoke with a voice dripping with sarcasm and laughter. "Om-nom! ~ No, do we look like some mango crazed equines all the time!?" Late Shift ripped a large bite out of the mango donut, her muzzle coated in the bright orange filling. "I mean mangoes are good and all…" She lifted her mango shaped cup to her lips, enjoying a deep drink of her favorite blend. "But my life doesn't revolve around it!" Late Shift burped with a smack of her lips, confident she put that old rumor to rest once and for all. With a soft click, the sarcastic call was put to an end. The night was still young yet the oddballs were already out by the dozens, which was absolutely fantastic. After all, these were her people. And ponies of course. As the clock hit 1:00 A.M. the board lit up even brighter. Time to return to the fray.
The Fray, 1:00 A.M - 1:30 A.M.Author's Note Tonight's Caller. Six String ( Hope all is well on your end. ) The Fray, 1:00 A.M - 1:30 A.M. Late Shift allowed a gangly brown tarantula to slowly walk his way up her hoof without a care in the world. Her glowing orange eyes locked on the creature with care and patient silence as both pondered their life choices. "You entered my web in search of sanctuary, but alas only found desolation." Late Shift spoke barely above a whisper as she guided the prey towards the tip of her elegant hoof. "I search for a meaning to it all, but I suppose it's not meant to be." She clutched the creature by one of his legs and dangled him helplessly over her open mouth. "Life's not fair, is it? You see, I... well, I shall never find peace amongst the chaos. And you... shall never see the light of another day. Adieu." Late Shift savored the fear of her snack curling into a frightened ball, as she lowered the spider towards her waiting jaws. "Ahem!" Julie coughed loudly into her speaker, a loud static hiss filled the air as the bat pony accidentally tossed the spider across the room. "Grrr." Late Shift hissed with bared fangs, her snack scurried into the shadows to never be seen again. "We have a new caller, Six String." Julie yawned before unfolding a cosmopolitan magazine, her attention on the matter elsewhere. "Hello String, you owe me a snack! But I guess a question shall do…" She hissed playfully into the microphone with a sly hint of devious intent. "Hey, Late Shift. This is Six String, Guitarist & Vocalist for "The Pones". My question is, Was it difficult adjusting to working with hoomans & working in the hooman world?" Late Shift arched a thin brow in curiosity. "I'm still adjusting if we're being perfectly honest, these hoomans just don't seem to understand poor little me." She lifted her hoof over her eyes in a dramatic fashion. "As if." Julie lowered her reading material with a loud snort. "Why won't you carpool me to work then?" Late Shift chirped. "Because we work at midnight, besides you can fly!?" Julie narrowed her eyes to the overgrown rat with wings. "See Strings!? The hooman experience shall forever elude me, as long as people like Julie exist." Late Shift grinned with a teasing flick of her tail. "You want to fit in!? Take a pay cut with me then." Julie popped her lips sarcastically. "Moving on! You spoke of a band?" Late Shift quickly switched subjects with a frantic gaze. "Yeah, we're searching for our next gig now! By the way, Underlying Bassline, Pounding Percussion, Melodic Rhythm & I really like your show." String chuckled with a proud tone over the radio waves. "Why thank you, I used to be part of a band myself." Late Shift pushed her chest floof outward as memories of thrashing hotels came flooding back. "What!?" Julie scrunched her nose, not quite buying that as fact. "Believe it! We were called "The Batz", and our music was fluid as it was contemporary!" Late Shift stole a sip from her mango sized mug. "We even raised the dead for one of our music videos, though we couldn't get them to die again." Late Shift scrunched her muzzle remembering how her bandmates were dragged away by the undead. "Uhh?" Julie wasn't sure how to respond. "Fun fact, two weeks after my band vanished "The Gorillaz" dropped Clint Eastwood." Late Shift flashed the frightened Julie a stone-faced expression. "Can I ask another question?" String spoke up to break the awkward silence. "Sure, I'm liking your style." Late Shift flaunted her hoof. "Was there any discrimination, or any stupid thing like that?" String decided to become more serious with his next question. "Discrimination? I'd say a tiny bit." Late Shift folded her ocean blue ears back sadly. "How so? Everybody here treats you like a plushie." Julie snorted. "Not here but out there." She spun on her stool towards the room's window. Late Shift lifted her large orange eyes towards the glowing pale moon. Thoughts of how humans treated her on the streets flooded back, she wasn't allowed to eat in certain restaurants due to health violations. She was ticketed for disturbing the peace, by simply walking around her neighborhood enjoying the night's beauty. How for the longest time she was jobless until this station needed a token creature for amusement. Is that all she was? A token? "Is everything ok?" String asked in a comforting tune. "We all face our personal struggles, the trick is to never let it define you." Late Shift let her voice switch to something far less sassy and more mature. "Should I switch callers?" Julie spoke up as her face softened to an expression of concern. "Nah, String tell me about this band!" Late Shift giggled, shaking off the yearning for her motherland in a swift motion. "Well Melodic is a Bat Pony too, while Underlying is a Unicorn, Pounding is an Earth Pony & I'm a Pegasus. All we need is an Alicorn who plays piano & we'd have all five Pony races in the band." String introduced his bandmates as his voice beamed with pride. "Righteous! Creatures out there seem to forget about unity, especially nowadays when we're no doubt stronger together than divided." Late Shift flashed a fanged smile to her friend behind the glass, her right fang chipped at the tip. "Absolutely agree, they're more than just friends…" String spoke as the bat pony perked her ears upward excitedly. "They're family." Late Shift let a squee escape her muzzle. "You're more than just a Bat Pony, don't forget that." String reassured the radio personality with such a warm presence of kindness. Late Shift smiled, knowing no matter how far she was from home. That she wasn't any less of a spirited soul for it, that deep down everybody mattered and brought forth their own unique flair. Her eyes spotted the poor spider off in the corner still frightened, a sigh escaping the muzzle. "Indeed, too true." She pointed to the spider with a look of regret. "Big or small, human or pony. We all deserve to be given a chance, thank you so much for calling in tonight, it was actually a delight." Late Shift leaned forward to speak happily into the microphone. "It wasn't a problem at all." String laughed as the call ended. "This is Late Night Mangoes, to all those feeling alone tonight." Late Shift tapped her hoof on the music board to her left, a guitar rendition of Midnight Sonata began to play over the radio. "This one's for you, remember we're all in this together."
Rawr, 1:30 A.M - 2:00 A.MAuthor's Note A/N : Sorry for the delay in updates, car broke down so I've been dealing with that headache, but please I hope you enjoy tonight's show! Tonight's Callers. Caller. 1. Auburn Winter Caller. 2. Nature Pastel Caller. 3. Albus Nox Caller. 4. Fetch Rawr, 1:30 A.M - 2:00 A.M Late Shift grooved to the music while lost in her personal thoughts, she didn't quite see herself as a radio personality in the human's world as a filly. But here she was spending her nights in a claustrophobic room of her own design, part of her did miss the late nights of mischief and mayhem. With Julie still out of her booth, Late Shift decided to pluck a menthol cigarette from her now empty pack. Flipping the cancer stick into her mouth, she crushed the cardboard package under the weight of her hoof. Without a second to lose she leaned towards an apple scented candle burning on her workspace, an orange flicker of light soon birthed into this murky dark night. Orange eyes narrowed enjoying a silent moment of bliss, both ears folded back as she exhaled a creamy stream of smoke. "No smoking inside!" Julie returned to her booth with a scoff. "What are they going to do? Fire me!?" Late Shift rolled her eyes a hoof dismissively waving towards the human. "You're not immune to the rules, anybody can be replaced." Julie shot back with a snarky remark. "Need to hurry and replace you." Late Shift blew another long stream out into the air sarcastically. "Next caller is another flying rat." Julie pursed her lips with dissatisfaction. The bat pony replied by simply lifting her hoof into the air. "Does that mean you're ready?" Julie looked confused. "I'm sticking you the finger, asshole!" Late Shift flicked the cigarette onto the table with a thud. The human woman never said a word, her finger pressed an orange button as the caller was allowed through. "Good evening, Late Shift. Auburn Winter here. If it isn't too personal, I was wondering what your cutie mark was and what inspired you to become a radio personality." Late Shift lowered her slender hoof over the lit cigarette as she extinguished it with a satisfying crunch. She allowed her long silver tail to sway side to side to the fading beat of the music before she cleared her throat with a playful giggle. "Nice question, Auburn." Late Shift flashed a quick glance towards her cutie mark. A rustic clock surrounded by a half-moon and stars. "Well curious one, it's a lovely little clock surrounded by the beauty of the night." Late Shift gave a playful growl under her breath. "As for what inspired me, I'd say bits." She bit down on her lower lip with a sarcastic eye roll. "Romantic I know!" Late Shift let a sly laugh escape her muzzle. "You see in Equestria, I was part of a group of scavengers. We'd raid orchards and other easy targets under the protection of the night." She planted a single hoof on her cheek out of boredom. "But after a while, that became sort of tiresome, so I said my goodbyes and decided to start over on Earth. Needless to say, not many humans were keen on hiring the equivalent of an ex-con." Late Shift lowered her gaze towards the desk in front of her solemnly. "I tried Baskin Robbins, but they found out about my past like in a day… they always find out." She flashed a half fanged grin. "Lucky for moi, this nice human Jill, had heard that this station was in search of a pony for a late-night slot." Late Shift popped her lips with pride. "Once they heard this seductive little voice, I had them eating out of my hooves!" "I personally think you don't sound special." Julie threw her two cents into the ring. "You're just mad that people mistake you for the animal and me for the human." Late Shift winked towards her sassy companion. "Grrr!" Julie grumbled. "Thank you Auburn for calling in, may the night guide you brother!" Late Shift flicked to the next caller. "Hey, Late Shift! You know, I once met a Bat Pony who works in an apple orchard. He doesn't like mangoes or bananas. What would you like to say to them?" The mysterious caller spoke in a bored monotonous voice. "Well we each have our personal tastes, I for one enjoy a good pumpkin over all else." Late Shift traced her tongue softly over her lower lip. "I don't think he enjoys pumpkins too?" The caller added with a chuckle. "His loss, now if you find out he doesn't like any fruits at all." She narrowed her eyes with a soft smirk. "You might be dealing with the rare blood drinker, in that case, watch out for late-night hunger pangs!" Late Shift mustered her most over the top evil laugh, playfully hitting the button for caller three. "Feed me!" Late Shift blew a loud raspberry. "Is there any other species you would like to meet?" The caller spoke with interest. "Would a Kind Human count?" She gave a hiss filled snicker before flicking to caller four. "What is your pleasure?" Late Shift questioned like a demented merchant. "Night Shift, I think there must be some bat ponies in my family tree, as I am awake more often under the Moon than the Sun." A worried caller spoke in an uneasy tone of voice. "Consider yourself lucky then, nothing wrong with a bit of bat heritage sprinkled amongst the branches!" Late Shift cooed cutely as she spoke with much reassurance. "Insomnia, what an inheritance." The voice replied with a light-hearted laugh. "You're only restless because you're bored. Tell you what, add me on Facebook and I'll totally show you how the night puts the day to shame." Late Shift replied with a hint of devilish intent to her soft soprano voice. "Sounds..scary." The caller laughed. "Fear just means you're alive." Late Shift hung up the call with her own mischievous giggle. "Speaking of fear, I fear it's time for a break." She motioned for Julie to take over. With a loud sigh, the pony slumped down onto her desk in defeat. She let her mind wander to the other ponies working an all-nighter this dark night, did they think of home as well while amongst the humans. Or was she just being foalishly sentimental?
