Let me take ya to him (Patreon)

While AJ and King Trafalgar Maximilian Augustus Leopold the III ended their evening together on high note Link in my Equestria dreamscape elsewhere other folks in the Dream Realm were having a less pleasant experience.

     Holly Wood looked up from organizing the glassware. It had been windy since she'd arrived in the late afternoon. Not an unusual occurrence in this dream shard, but in the last few minutes it had really picked up and was now moaning and howling in way she'd rarely heard.

     It was well after midnight and Bombay Bombastic's Barbecue had been closed for a couple of hours. However the staff was still cleaning up from the evening festivities. Meanwhile some of the staff were already making preparations for tomorrow when once again they'd be open for business.

     When open for business the place was loud, vibrant and boisterous space, but now it was oddly quiet inside except for the muffled sounds of a radio back in the kitchen and the howling wind outside. Holly looked over at Rex who was checking the inventory at the bar.

     "I swear Rex it's howling like a banshee out there! Hope it lets up befer we're supposed ta leave or we might be sleeping on the floor here tanight!"

     Rex didn't look up from his counting but he responded to the waitress. "This wind ain't natural! Lived here my entire life, and I can gauge the weather on this here shard with the best of them. Something messing with things around here!" He grumbled. "Don't like it."

     Holly was starting ask for a more clearer explanation when the front doors of the roadhouse flew open. This caught both Holly and Rex by surprise. They'd watched Bombay lock the door and secure the wards upon closing. Bombay was no master class spell crafter, but his wards were nothing to laugh at and the doors and their locks were stout things. A gale force wind was now blowing in a steady stream of dust, random debris, and gravel into the restaurant.

     Rex quickly came around the bar and headed for the door as he passed Holly Wood he muttered. "Stay back." However as he approached the doors the wind subsided, although he could still hear it moaning outside. A very unpleasant odor that reeked of decay filled his nostrils. The other thing he noticed was the utter and complete darkness just beyond the doors. Rex was familiar with how dark the night could be once one left the lights of the parking lot, but this darkness had an almost tangible viscosity to it. His steps faltered about 20ft from the door.

     The horny toad was still trying make sense of this when the darkness seemed to part like curtains and single figure stepped into the restaurant. An adolescent female mouse apparently in her early teens strolled confidently into the establishment. As she did the doors slammed closed behind her. The newcomer was dressed in an outfit of crimson red leather that in the dim light of the restaurant glistened like pools of fresh blood in the moonlight. Her fur was buttercream yellow and she had long deep rose red hair and a matching tuft at the end of her tail. Perched in her hair was large bow of crimson neck. Encircling her neck was a large collar of rough, blackened iron studded with what looked like pearls. In the front collar was a jagged star-like inset that glowed like it was filled with fresh lava. It seemed to give an unnatural glow to her hard brown eyes that were now staring at Rex.

     Rex's stared at the silent newcomer for several seconds. He wasn't technically the bouncer, but his stature and tough scaly hide meant he could handle many of the issues that often came up at the bar or out on the restaurant floor.

     At that moment he felt out of his league. After a few seconds he finally spoke softly.

     "Sorry ma'am, but we're closed fer the night."

     The newcomer arched an eyebrow. "Yeah I git that, but have business with yer boss, and it won't wait till the morning. So. Could ya tell me where he is on this property?"

     Rex was about to reply when Holly spoke up first. She was standing about 6ft behind the bartender. She'd stayed back. Just not as far as Rex had hoped for.

     "Dear who brought ya here at this hour and in weather as ferocious this?"

     The newcomer tilted her head to one side causing the bow to flop a bit as she looked at the waitress. "Brought myself."

     "Ya came here by yerself on a night like tanight?" Holly started walking toward the doors when the newcomer spoke again.

     "If ya know what's best fer ya. Ya won't open them doors." The mouse glared at the rat. "Ya won't like what's out there.

     At that moment the moaning and howling increased in volume and intensity. For Rex and Holly they realized that they could only almost make out voices, but there must've been thousands and thousands of individuals wailing and crying just beyond threshold of the doors. The horny toad swallowed.

     "Ya said ya wanna talk to the boss?"

     The newcomer stared up at the horny toad. She didn't evening come up to his mid chest. She glared at him.

     "Didn't I just tell ya that?"

     Rex shivered slightly.

     "Let...let me take ya to him."

To be continued.