Author's Note

Re-edited the story as I found some lost corrections from my pre-readers. Flows much better, especially at the beginning. But the content is about the same, hopefully. Had to do some editing magic to get the comments to stick, so if you see weird page counts (this shell used to hold chapter 14 for instance, now it holds chapter 1) then that's why.

Chapter 1

Silver Saddle checked her work once more. All the slides were there, she remembered her elevator pitch, and she had finally calmed her nerves. This was it. This was the chance she’d been waiting for.

It had been 2 years of everyday corporate grunt work, 2 years of slaving away from 6 in the morning until 9 at night with no holidays or weekends. She had worked her tail off and was due a promotion. Now she finally had the work to prove it.

Her idea and design would revolutionize the business practices within the company. She had developed a filing process that was at least 30% faster than the current system, and would completely eliminate copy errors. It took a little bit of magic, but the magic could be enchanted into cheap, mass produced gemstones that could be bought for a few measly bits at a corner store and then would sit at everypony’s desk.

The stones would transcribe from one paper to another using locator numbers, allowing you to instantly create a perfect copy of your paperwork at any remote desk within the system, or even your own. No chance of copy errors, and instant travel time. The only work on the pony’s part would be to find the locator number for their recipient, and there was an easy way to automate that as well!

Silver smiled as she reviewed her presentation one more time. The graphs were clear, the pictures simple, and the demo units were charged. She’d gotten everything approved, and now it was her time to shine.

Somehow, she’d been booked to do her presentation for the CEO, Diamond Tiara. Best of all, it wasn’t just Diamond Tiara, but the whole board! Being a floor level office worker, she’d never been on the higher floors at all. She was going straight to the top, literally and figuratively!

Floor 73. Where all the important decisions happened. The tower went up to floor 75, but 74 and 75 were Diamond Tiara’s personal penthouse. Nopony went there except for her guests. Maybe the janitor? Diamond would never clean her own living space.

Then again, it was likely Diamond Tiara didn’t even make a mess. The mare was perfection ponyfied. She’d used her business acumen to build a corporate empire at the young age of 16. By the time she was 20, she was the richest filly in Manehattan. Even though she was still only 23, 6 years younger than Silver, she was now the richest being in Manehattan.

Silver licked her lips as she nervously pressed the bright and bold number 73 on the elevator. The intercom turned on, and a cheerful male voice rang through. “Authorization, please.”

“I’m Silver Saddle, I have a presentation for Ms. Tiara and the board in 30 minutes.”

“Oh! Hey, Silver. This is Red. I got good news for you!” The cheerful voice sounded excited to see her.

Silver smiled, blushing. She knew Red well. They’d “met up” once or twice at company parties, and then they kept meeting up. He was an administrative assistant on the upper levels, but he seemed to like hanging out with the lowly peons like her. If it wasn’t for their massive difference in jobs, they might even be close friends. As it was, they were… well, an easy hookup for each other.

Silver smiled. “Hi, Red! Today is the day. Maybe after today, I’ll see you at work more often. I’d like to hang out more than just at company events, and… uhh… Well, just more would be nice.”

He chuckled through the intercom. “Heh. Hang out, huh? Well, if you’re getting a promotion then what do you say about getting a bite to eat with me tonight? We could hang out after. Then maybe, ah, celebrate a little?”

Silver’s blush deepened. Red was a pretty great stallion. If she got promoted, maybe she could make something more permanent with him? It’d be nice to come home after a hard day at work to a hard stallion. She licked her lips, imagining his big red body just lying out for her on her bed back home. His short brown mane would be matted to his head, and his brown tail would be splayed out on her bedspread.

She’d see everything. It would start with his big, semi-hard cock just resting on his red stomach, the brown flesh slowly undulating as he flexed for her. His balls would be resting on her pink bed sheet, and he’d look nervous. No. He’d be confident! He’d invite her forward, taking her head in his strong, firm hooves, then he’d push her down… past his wide chest, past his hard abs… and then she’d taste everything.

The intercom crackled. “Is that a no? Sorry if you’re busy, I just got caught up in the excitement for you.”

Suddenly, she panicked, realizing that she’d zoned out and left him hanging too long. “Oh! No, not at all. I’d love to spend more time with you. It’s a date! Today is a date. The date…. Yes.”

“Great! You had me worried for a second. We’ll work out the details on your way down. I gotta get you to Ms. Tiara. Oh, that’s the good news, by the way!”

Silver stared as the number 73 turned off, and the number 74 lit up. The elevator rumbled, and started to rise.

“Wait, what?” She almost dropped her papers. Almost.

Red laughed. “Yeah! Diamond wanted to see you before your thing. Said she wanted to discuss some personal business with you. She’s keeping it all hush hush for some reason. You know how she is.”

“Oh…” She didn’t know what to say. She also did not know ‘how she is.’ The Diamond Tiara wanted to see her, in the flesh, alone? Silver Saddle began to shake.

“Good luck! Call me on the way down. I do love when you go down. Heh.” He chuckled through the intercom.

The joke, as always, made her smile, but did nothing for her dropping stomach. Nervously, she responded, “Bye, Red…”

Silver started to hyperventilate. This wasn’t part of the plan. She couldn’t meet The Diamond Tiara one on one. Diamond Tiara was an icon, a myth.

She’d rather meet Princess Flurry Heart. At least Princess Flurry Heart was born into greatness. Diamond Tiara had built it. From a sleepy little town, she’d turned a barnyard style corporate store into an economic empire whose funding rivaled that of the state. She owned every major outlet in Manehattan, and hundreds more across Equestria.

She was the modern day conqueror, doing battle with paper, money, and lawyers, and she had won every engagement she’d been in. Ponies feared her. Ponies looked up to her. Ponies all but worshiped her.

Especially Silver Saddle. Silver had books about her, magazines with Diamond Tiara’s face plastered on her walls, and even a few signed corporate memos she’d kept. Diamond Tiara was everything that Silver wasn’t. Strong, beautiful, rich, and powerful.

Sometimes, Silver would fantasize about what she’d do if she was Diamond Tiara. Certainly not work for 15 hours a day shuffling paperwork accounts back and forth, or making process maps. She’d go on a cruise, she’d launch a new product line, she’d bed any stallion she wanted.

Silver watched the lit numbers change with a strange sort of fear. 34, 35, 36… Slowly she was rising. Like a bubble rising up through water. She’d get a chance to see how Diamond Tiara lived. She’d step into floor 74, and see Diamond’s foyer. Maybe Diamond would shake her hoof. They’d laugh, Diamond would offer her a drink, and they’d chat for a bit about business strategies.

Silver smiled. Then Diamond would invite her up to floor 75, her personal floor, and they’d be friends. She’d work on the upper floors, giving advice and hobnobbing with the most powerful ponies in Manehattan, and slowly they’d spend more time together. Diamond would invite her on airship cruises, Silver would start a program to help recovering drug addicts in Manehattan, she’d be on magazines.

Silver shivered, as the numbers ticked up, and up.

This was her chance. She had to do her best, and look her best.

Carefully, she whipped out a small makeup mirror that she kept. Everything had to be perfect. She’d already prepared herself to give a presentation, but a little touch up wouldn’t hurt. Just as quickly, she flipped the mirror down. No, she didn’t need that. She needed to trust herself. She would rise like a star, and this was her debut.

63, 64, 65.

The numbers seemed to blur as her heart raced.

She whispered, “Diamond Tiara.”

That was who she had to channel. Beauty beyond compare, confidence and poise. She needed to radiate, and so she imagined Diamond Tiara’s gorgeous pink form in her muted gray body. She would be perfect. She would be flawless.

Silver Saddle would be as perfect as a diamond.

Diamond Tiara hated these little meetings, but knew how necessary they were. She glanced at the clock. Not even 30 minutes early. What a lazy little worker bee. The thing probably showed at the elevator at 30 minutes, figuring she’d have plenty of time to rehearse.

The foyer where Diamond sat was opulent, designed to impress. This was floor 74, her personal greeting area. It was gilded, gorgeous, and ostentatious. She hated everything about it, but it was what the peons needed to see: power, money and influence.

How much of her life did she hate nowadays? Each day seemed worse than the last. Every little moment sucked up by meetings like this. Pointless, terrible, absolutely necessary wastes of time. Diamond sighed dejectedly as she glanced over the file.

Silver Saddles. A name with potential, but the rest of her file said otherwise. Aside from this one idea, Silver had been a worker bee for the last 2 years. She worked in process improvements, doing… nothing, apparently. Nothing of note to her name, mediocre evaluations, and a few late slips.

This was probably Silver’s one big idea, and honestly the magic technology probably would have shown up without her soon enough.

Diamond snorted. She hated unicorns. They thought they ran the world, like some sort of superior tribe. At least the pegasi usually treated her with respect when they met her. Unicorns, though, always assumed she was class-less. A simple little earth pony from Ponyville who lucked into her success.

At least she could take advantage of their stupidity.

The intercom beeped, “Miss Tiara, Silver is on her way up.”

She sighed. Finally. “Send her in immediately, Red. I don’t like waiting.”

“Of course.” The intercom clicked off.

Now, Red was a different story. He wasn’t some measly worker bee just milling away his life. Well, he was, but he was at least good at his job. Red was never late, didn’t ask questions, and got things done. She kept her administrative assistants sharp, and Red was far and away the best of many. If ponies didn’t have that certain something, then she wouldn’t waste her time with them. Red had “it”, whatever it was. He also was handsome, in a stoic sort of way. Diamond appreciated having beautiful things surround her, and Red just barely made the cut.

A beep signaled, alerting her to her impending “visitor.”

Diamond shoved her disgusted emotions back, and wore her warm and welcoming smile. She stood up behind her desk, and walked around it, so she could get a better look at her peon as it came in. She didn’t need to check herself over, she knew she was immaculate. Perfect.

And if she wasn’t, Silver wouldn’t say a god damned thing about it.

The elevator door opened, and in stumbled the insect. Her coat was a dull gray, she wore a simple black suit, and had a lighter gray mane curled up on her head. Diamond fought back a frown as the peon weaved from side to side. This pathetic mare couldn’t even walk straight.

“Uh… Hello.”

The thing before her didn’t even know how to greet her. What a waste of time this had been. Diamond’s smile was friendly. Even if her thoughts were less so. “Hello, Ms. Saddles. It’s such a pleasure to see you.”

Silver faltered, blinking in confusion. “It’s, uh… Saddle, ma’am. No 'S' at the end.”

Diamond’s heart raced. Her nostrils flared as she grit her teeth, smile somehow intact as her adrenaline pumped. “Of course.”

“What, umm… did you want to talk about?” Silver blinked then stood up suddenly straight. “I mean, I brought my project for you to review.”

Diamond kept her teeth clinched. “Yes. Put those on the desk, I’ll look them over in a minute.”

She watched the mare walk slowly forward, eyeing the walls, the floor, even the ceiling. Doing everything she could to not look at Diamond Tiara. What a useless bug. They were all the same. Floored by the opulence, terrified of her, no backbone to speak of. Truly an invertebrate to its core.

As the mare walked by her, Diamond drilled into her with her eyes. The mare was soft, clearly she didn’t take care of her body. Her gray fur was washed and brushed, but dull. Not a bit of shine to her at all. Not worth the name “Silver” in any way.

Too timid to stand her ground, too dull to be a centerpiece, and too clumsy to be trusted. Diamond made her decision easily. She couldn’t let the mare go in front of the board. Not that she wouldn’t mind watching them tear the mare up into little pieces, but Diamond didn’t have time to deal with the fallout. They’d try to promote the thing so that they could have another piece on the board to play against her. Eventually, it would eat up more of her time, making her waste her precious time on things she hated.

So Diamond needed to cut that short before it happened. She needed to make sure that this little bug was squashed before the board tried to teach it to bite her.

She watched the mare put the papers and the little devices on her table, staring intently at her flank. What a boring cutie mark. Just a saddle, hardly any silver at all. She’d had high hopes when she’d seen the name, but the more research she’d done on Silver Saddles, the more her disappointment had grown.

Silver turned around, and finally looked at Diamond, noticing her gaze. “Uh… Like what you see?” She awkwardly shook her flank, apparently as a crude joke of some sort. Diamond’s eyes hardened. Had she really just tried to come on to her? Or did she have absolutely no class? It didn’t matter. That was the last straw.

“Miss Saddles, do you know why I called you here?”

Silver flushed. “It’s, uhh, Saddle. There is no…”

“I don’t fucking care.” Diamond stepped forward, glaring angrily at Silver, letting her smile drop into a scowl.

Silver’s eyes opened wide, and she took a nervous step back.

“I called you here to evaluate you. See what you were made of. You know what? You are made of nothing. You are a waste of my time, a waste of my day, and a waste of this company’s resources.” Diamond’s eyes narrowed.

Silver’s mouth opened, gaping like a fish. “But, but…”

“Pretending to be handicapped won’t save you. You have done practically nothing for the company in your 2 years, you look like an old hag, and you can’t form a coherent sentence. You have no manners to speak of, and are overwhelmed by a little gold trim.”

“The… The project…”

“The project would have happened without you. Yes, you designed the devices. We both know, however, that the underlying magic has existed for years. Any of our unicorn worker bees would have happened across this. You just got lucky. Of course, not lucky enough.” Diamond rolled her eyes. She didn’t even feel bad about this, it wasn’t like she was wasting potential. This mare had nothing anyways.

“I thought…”

“Clearly not enough if you thought that you could present in front of the board. I bet you even thought you might get a promotion from this? Ha!” Diamond laughed, enjoying the catharsis. It had been a while since she’d had a chance to tear somepony down.

“How old are you? 35? 40? Older? After all these years, this is the best you could come up with? Your life’s greatest achievement is sloppy spellwork and a phone book. I built this company before I was 18. I conquered Manehattan by the time I was 20. You really thought you could stand next to me in front of great ponies?” Diamond whipped her nose up, glaring down at the now teary eyed pony.

“Sniff...” Silver looked like she was going to cry, and Diamond had to fight back a gleeful smile. She had to stay in character.

“You don’t deserve be on the same floor as my underlings. You don’t even get to stand underneath me.”

Tears were streaming down Silver’s face as she quietly sobbed.

Diamond sneered. She knew just how to squash this bug. “Get on your stomach.”

“What?” Silver looked back up, confusion wrought across her face.

“If you don’t want to get fired, you will crawl on this floor like the insect you are.”

Silver’s sobs started to loudly heave as she slowly crouched down. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry.”

Diamond snorted. “Sorry? You should be. You wasted my time. You don’t get to waste any more of my time. You stay right there, and don’t fucking move. I’m going to review your project.” Diamond walked slowly forward, straight to Silver.

Silver closed her eyes, and covered her head with her hooves when she realized that Diamond wasn’t going to stop.

Diamond paused right before she stepped on Silver, looking down in disgust. She talked slowly, and calmly. “I said not to move. You can’t even follow basic instructions. Put your hooves to your side. Now.”

Silver looked up from under her hooves, and slowly pulled them down. She turned her head forward, and began to breathe heavily as her eyes focused on some point on the far wall.

Diamond smiled sweetly. “That’s the first correct thing you’ve done since this meeting started.”

She stepped on the mare’s head as she walked slowly forward, careful to put enough weight down that it hurt, but not enough to crush the mare’s skull. Diamond was an earth pony, and Silver was a unicorn, after all. Her next step was on the mare’s neck, then her next was on the mare’s back. Silver let out a disgusting squishing noise as Diamond pressed her hooves into the soft spot just between Silver’s ribs and her spine.

Snorting again, Diamond found out that her estimate had been correct. Silver was a very soft mare, more round in the middle than she’d looked. From here, she reached over to her table and picked up the paperwork.

Diamond began to read. She was mostly familiar with the project, but she had to admit there were a few details in here that she didn’t know. Some of the ideas weren’t terrible.

As she read, she slowly paced up and down the mare, careful to step in a new place every time. Each step caused Silver to grunt, sob or moan, and Silver’s tears were running quickly. Diamond pressed hard, just above Silver’s hips. Silver screamed.

“You’re distracting me. Shut up.”

Silver sobbed, forcing her scream down.

Diamond continued her reading. “You know, if you weren’t such a pathetic mare, I’d have been impressed by this. It’s well constructed, and your arguments are iron clad. It’s unfortunate that you are so worthless. Such a waste of a good idea. You should have picked a younger, prettier mare to be your front pony. Then I would have at least had to admit that you were clever. Obviously, you are not. You thoughtlessly put it in under your name. How stupid can you be?”

Silver didn’t say anything, instead focusing on breathing as Diamond rubbed the back of Silver’s neck ever so slightly too hard with a hoof. The threat was clear, and Silver had realized how precarious her situation was.

Diamond finished reviewing the paperwork, and rubbed her hoof across Silver’s face, smearing her makeup and tears.

“It looks like you can learn, at least.” Diamond looked at the mess of makeup on her hoof. “Eew. You got my hoof dirty. I’d make you to lick it up, but I’m not letting you touch me.” Diamond stepped off the mare, and onto the plush, gold threaded rug where she wiped her hoof clean.

Silver just lay there, staring vacantly forward.

Diamond smiled. There. It was done. “You aren’t in a state to present, so I’m going to go present your project. You stay right there. If the board approves it, and you haven’t moved a muscle by the time I get back, then you get to keep your pathetic job. Otherwise, you are free to leave at any time.”

The mare continued to stare, not blinking, not moving. Only breathing. Just like the gross little insect she was. Diamond felt a deep satisfaction, looking at the empty eyes. Silver Saddles had been shown where she belonged, and how to get there. The little bee would go buzzing back to the hive, and the board wouldn’t get their toy.

The meeting had gone well. All the members were impressed, and Diamond had kept Silver’s name out of it entirely. There was no damage done. After, she took the elevator straight to her actual room, the top penthouse on floor 75.

Finally, some peace and quiet. She hated the hustle and bustle of her company. She hated the board members. She hated all the little ants trying to climb and crawl up her to take a bite like she was a goddamned feast.

She was above that. She was Diamond Tiara, set above everypony else and at the top of the world. Smiling, she went to her cabinet. What would she have today? She was feeling like… vodka. Something tasteless. She poured herself not a shot, or a cup, but a jug, and walked to the window where she looked over the city. Her city.

She owned all of the high rises now, acquiring them through aggressive negotiation means. The mayor was in her pocket. The police were in her pocket. The fucking mob was in her pocket. She smiled, gazing at the beautiful sight.

This made life worth living. All the hassle, all the mewling peons, all of it was so she could have this wonderful view. So she could sit, watch the city with all its little bugs, and know it was hers. Finally, after a long and grueling day, she had a moment of peace.

Diamond sat in silence, sipping her cool tasteless drink, and staring at the darkening city. The sun fell, the lights turned on, and all the little ants milled about the hive. Diamond watched the carriages move, the ponies crawl, and her own reflection in the glass. Everything was moving. Every insect doing its task. Everything was as it should be.

As the alcohol in her jug ran out, she remembered that she forgot something. There was one thing in her world that might not be where it was supposed to be.

Had that little minion done as she was told? A morbid curiosity struck through Diamond. Slowly, she stood up and walked to the stairs. She’d taken the elevator up, so she hadn’t stopped on the visitor floor. She hated that floor.

Still, she should check. Slowly, somewhat drunkenly, she stepped down the stairs. The room was illuminated by the sun during the day, so it was dark now. Carefully, Diamond turned and flipped the switch, bringing light to the floor.

The room was as it should be. She smiled, wide and drunkenly, unable to stop herself from laughing. “I can’t believe you’re still here! Ha!”

The mare said nothing.

“It looks like you have some worth after all. For all your failings, you are at least obedient. I like that. You can leave, Silver Saddles. Your project was approved. I’m so impressed that I’ll even let you lead the team in charge of the installation.”

Silver turned her head, slowly and quietly, nodding at Diamond. Here eyes were wide, dry and blank looking, and the snot and smeared makeup on her face had dried long ago.

Diamond laughed. “Gods, how pathetic do you look. Go home, little worker bee. I don’t need you anymore tonight. Don’t be late tomorrow, or I’ll give the promotion to one of your co-workers. You don’t need to think about it, just do as your told. At least you’re good at that.”

Silver silently nodded again, and shakily got to her legs. Diamond watched her stumble to the elevator and laughed. She glanced at the floor, and saw that there was smeared makeup on her carpet. The tramp must have run her face across it while she was sitting there.

“On your way down let Red know that I need a janitor tonight. You made a mess in my sitting room.” Diamond didn’t wait to see her response, merely turning off the light and drunkenly working up the stairs as Silver waited silently for the elevator in the dark.

The view was serene. Perfect. Everything was as it should be.

Diamond smiled, and refilled her jug.

Red checked the clock. He wasn’t usually a clock watcher, per se, but tonight he had plans beyond work. Silver Saddle was on his mind, and he had a hard time not thinking about her. She had such a sweet little smile, her voice was melodious, and her tongue was… well, she knew how to use it. He could only assume that tonight had gone incredibly well for her. She had never taken the lift down, so she must have ridden with one of the bigwigs. Maybe Diamond Tiara herself!

Red knew how much Silver worshiped Diamond. He thought her little crush was cute. Diamond was impressive, but she was just another pony. Hardly something to get worked up for. The last time he’d been to Silver’s place, he’d noted how her walls had been plastered with magazine cut outs of Diamond.

That mare had a serious hero worship problem. It was true that Diamond was the hottest mare around, rich beyond belief, and maybe she did have a charismatic way about her that sucked you in and made you feel like you were special; but she wasn’t a princess or anything. She was just a pony who worked hard, and did what she needed. She was also kind of a bitch.

Honestly if it wasn’t for her occasional snide remarks, and cold-hearted side conversations during meetings, he’d have found her incredibly attractive. She always wore a perfect suit, her coat gleamed, and she took impeccable care of her gorgeous body. Which was impressive, considering how often he’d caught her drunk after hours. Drinking added a lot of calories to your diet.

In many ways, Diamond was a genius, but she was far from perfect. He’d seen a few moments of weakness in Diamond. She had a temper, but she managed to control it. Sometimes, late at night but before the 9 o’clock closing time, she wasn’t just drunk, she was hammered. He could see the frustration boiling under her skin when she had to deal with someone she deemed beneath her. Which was most ponies.

He could see through her facade of niceness, but it didn’t bother him. This was business. She was the emperor, and there was no way she got to where she was by being nice and caring. She’d crushed the ponies in her way, and climbed to the top. At least she was always careful to only destroy things that were some kind of threat to her. Her little act was so convincing that most employees thought she was benevolent. He respected her for that, but that was the end of it.

He didn’t really admire her, and he was far from jealous of her position. He never wanted to work his way up the board to her level. He had no further ambition within his company, since he was happy simply being a high level bureaucrat.

That was why his name was Red Tape. He loved schedules, esoteric bureaucracy, and spreadsheets. On top of it all, he could cut through a bureaucratic web with ease. It was his special talent, after all. Quite frankly, he was in the perfect job for himself, and he excelled at it.

There was more, though. Life wasn’t just work. Hopefully he could bag Silver in a more permanent fashion soon. Their little trysts were fun, very fun, but he wanted something more. Tonight could be the start of that. Tonight could be the beginning of the end of his lonely nights. He wasn’t even excited about the sex. It was the little things he wanted. He wanted pizza, a movie, or maybe just some warm cuddle time with a pony he was close to after a long day. It was looking more and more like he wanted Silver to be that pony.

The button flashed. Odd, somepony was leaving floor 74 without authorization. His heart skipped a beat. The last pony who had been to floor 74 had been Silver. There was no way she was still there.

He stayed carefully professional. It wouldn’t be the first time Diamond had gotten absolutely smashed and tried to take the elevator up a floor, being too drunk to remember her code. “Authorization, Please.”

There was silence. He tried again. “Authorization, please.”

Still nothing. He sighed. “I’m sorry, but if you don’t authorize, I’ll have to ask security to meet you at the bottom. Miss Tiara, if that’s you please let me know.”

There was a whisper on the intercom.

“Hello? Can you speak up?”

A cracked, dry voice came through. “Silv… Silver… Saddles.”

Red paused a moment in confusion. “Silver? Is that you? Are you okay?” Too many questions ran through his mind to count. Why was she still in Diamond’s waiting room? Why was her voice so cracked and dry? Why did she add an "S" to her name?

“I’m… done for the day.” She was quiet, and slow to answer. Red’s heart beat. What had happened to her?

“You don’t sound okay.” He frowned into his intercom. Had they denied her project? He’d looked it over before passing it up to Diamond; if they had, then they were idiots.

She didn’t respond.

“Look, if they turned down your project, it’s okay. Let me take you out for a night to forget things. No strings.”

“They… didn’t turn it down. It was… approved.” Her voice was hoarse. She sounded like she’d been crying.

Red paused, unsure of what to say.

“Can I get down, Red? Please? I need to get home. I was told to go home…”

He balked. Told to go home? “Did they fire you? Why the buck would they do that?” What the hell had happened?

“Just let me down, Red. I’ll be in tomorrow. I’m not fired.” She sounded like she was about to cry.

Red sighed, authorizing the lift to go down. “Well, look. If you need to talk, we can talk. I can come to your place or meet you somewhere. You know I… Well, I’d like to be there for you if you need me.”

The intercom was silent for a while, long enough for the lift to drop dozens of floors. Right before the bottom, it clicked back on.

Her voice was slow, and soft. A little of that melody he liked was back in it. “Thank you, Red… But not tonight. Tonight I need to… tell you that Ms. Tiara needs a janitor tonight.”

He froze, a warm bubbly feeling fighting with a growing fire in his gut. His breath quickened, and he blinked as he looked around his office space. He’d cheered her up a little, but something had happened. Something bad, and he was not happy about it.

Red clicked the intercom back on, as his stomach dropped. “Good night, Silver. Maybe a rain check then?”

The intercom clicked back as the lift hit the bottom. Her voice was tired. “Good night, Red.”

Red watched the light turn off, signifying that the elevator was empty. She’d left, and likely was heading home. It wasn’t quite 9 yet, but she’d clearly been told to go home. Perhaps she didn’t get her promotion?

While thinking about it, he whispered the real question that was bothering him, “Why the hell did she spend 6 hours in Diamond’s waiting room?”