Lights! Camera! Porn Star!  Season 1: Nightmare Naughties! (Private)

Sugary thought to say something to Theodore regarding his experience about long distance travel and apparent changes, but then he spotted something he'd been desiring for some time as well when he was Photo right before him. He gasped mildly dramatically as he pointed at her. "Y-You're here!?" He then teleported right in front of her, still pointing as if accusingly, and spoke with pleading eyes. "That job you gave me has the city guard looking for me...! Please tell me you have my paycheck...?" He could endure being subtle until the heat died down, but not getting paid for work done was insulting and demoralizing for him.

Vhy sare you so paranoid about zee guard? Photo said, "Zhey knew about zhe photo shoot long before. Zhey are only out and about to keep the citizenz kalm. She hands over the paycheck, which looks to be easily ten times the originally agreed-upon payment. "Zhe photoz shall be printed shoon. And I must comment you on having 'DA MAGICKS!" And with an over-the-top flair, she vanished.

Sugary suddenly beamed at the sensible realization that Photo had a point for having guards out, but that really got him wondering how she managed so much with such a gig. And then she complimented him and left him mysteriously, leaving him blinking after the unknown photo flash covered for her leave. "... Oh, she is good...! Well, nice to know the guards aren't after me then...! Now how much did she-...!?" It was then he looked at the check with shock and awe. "What!?!? This much!?!? Thank you, Miss!!" His chest was pounding and his grin was bright due to Photo, as she had given a Merc such as him a VERY generous payment for work done. He actually wondered if she added an extra zero on accident.

He then couched and calmed down while placing the check away so he could listen in on the others as he had intended, musing over the idea of working for her again to better fund his own lifestyle further. "So much in one go... Wonder if she'll take me again...?"

"Eh heh... Sorry, got a bit excited there. Very good news on my end just now... So, Mr. Theodore, I was hoping to ask about... Well, how do you feel, actually? You mentioned this isn't what you normally looked like before the jump."

"Simply put." Theo said, shifting to his 'true' form, then to a female version, then to a cat-girl, then to a dragon, then to Fem!Sugary, thrn back to normal, "Being a changeling is WEIRD..."

Sugary spent a moment helping clean up a knocked table after the sudden changes, particularly the one involving sudden growth to a larger creature, as the image of a female self was burned in his mind. "Duly noted... You miiight wanna not do that so fast if you can help it though. I know morphing can end up yielding... ugly results when abused. That said...!" He sat back down with interest, looking at the trio before him as a whole. "Mind telling me a little more about your plans now, and the others you also left with?"

Theo perks up and says, almost proudly, "I have NO idea!"

Tytanna rolls her eyes and hauls the changeling into her lap, "All things considered, it'd probably e best if we go where help is more likely to be. I like Manehattan and all but, let's face it, that place is guaranteed to be Ponyville."

"Plus, a smaller town means less that can be destroyed on accident, right?" Toriel shrugs, hoping her assumption was correct.

Sugary blinked at Theodore's answer, and shrugged as it were. He didn't expect the changeling to know all, but he also found his joviality refreshing.

He looked to Tytanna and Toriel, tapping his chin lightly. "Mm... Ponyville is a hotspot for odd things alright..." And that's when he remembered the mares back at the apartment and the kinky photo shoot, to which he once again pondered if they were all the real deal, or just very dedicated look-alikes to the actual VIPs. He blushed and coughed. "Eh heh... And we could always ask the new Princess for help, right? Someone's bound to give us clues if nothing else, so maybe the famous egghead can enlighten us."

"Waitaminute, are you saying..." Theo's squeeing was bleeding through his speech already.

"Teddybear, calm down." Toriel reprimanded.

"Yeah, no need to mess with Princess Twilight yet. not unless I'm invited, too!" Tytanna giggled, holding Haley in her arms and petting the squirrel like an oversized cat.

"Heh... Listen, whatever your plans are, just know you got my support. You all seem like a nice fun bunch, and this last job got me a sweet deal. I got more than enough to make ends meet for a while, so I'd be happy to lend you a ride on my airship to wherever it is you need to go. And even if you don't want a ride, I still wanna help, you know? So... Is there any way I can be of service to you?" He then thought to himself. "After I cash in the check at least." He meant every word, and was willing to aid the group in any sort of investigation or venture for a time. They would have his support.

"Well, we could use a drop-off in Canterlot." Theo said, It's close enough to ponyville to walk to and, honestly, you can't NOT visit Canterlot when in Equestria at least once." A sage statement from a silly changeling.

Sugary nodded happily, and though about when he could be ready for such a trip. "With pleasure... I'd need at least a full day to restock on supplies though. I'd recommend you spend time on what you wanna bring, as well as get reacquainted for that matter, so... Maybe we can leave in 2-3 days? Sound fair for everyone?"

A general murmur of agreement sounded out mong the crew as they set to relax and discuss what, exactly, they needed. Thankfully none of them forgot about Kiryuu so she won't be left behind..they hope.

((Black Mambo, Red Dandy.))

Once the agreements had been made, Sugary then made the decision to go off on his own for a while to take care of his end of things while the group got properly reacquainted among themselves after telling them where to meet him for the airship ride the next day, saying his farewells of the day to Tytanna, Toriel, and Haley with hugs, Theodore with a handshake, and eventually Varna when he saw her on the way out with a dainty kiss to her hand...

By the next day, he'd have finally cashed in his check, and made a bountiful shopping spree for supplies, having gotten things ready before the afternoon. The rest of his time was spent giving some last minute checkups to his own airship on a small open area he landed on, one with nameplates on both sides by the marking of Black Mambo. The airship itself was a mix of red hardwood and metal, roughly 2 1/2 stories high and longer still. An all purpose freighter for sky and sea, with Sugary as the sole pilot, it seemed like there was a lot to manage for one stallion. But with its Magitek installations and conduits, multiple rotors, a powerful engine, a couple bedrooms, a bathroom, a small kitchen, a storage/cargo room, and apparent aging on its surface area, the ship was one most suited to his needs as it were.

A couple ramps were available for walking on, one towards the deck and the other towards the supply area and living quarters. Sugary himself stood on the deck, dressed in a fashionably red and brown set of clothes with a matching feathered fedora, tapping his hoof on the wooden floor while observing a rotor engine up close.

Theo whistles, "Nice digs."

Toriel looks up and taps her chin, "The Nagnarok is bigger, but I like this one's style more."

Tytanna smiles, "Ya think that we can get the Langoud to fly?"

Kiryuu chuckles, "Not likely. I'm still surprised this thing does."

Sugary seemed content with the last checkups, and then looked to the group once they got close enough. He smiled and waved at them, and then noticed the newest companion by far with curiosity. "Oh my, so that's her? Quite the fancy armor... Almost looks like it's attached to her...? Odd..."

Still, he gave them all a warm welcome once he could. "Glad you made it! And the lady in shining armor is Kiryuu, right? Welcome aboard, Miss!" He was genuinely energetic in wanting them all to feel welcome, even those he barely knew by comparison.

Kiryuu nots and bows, giving Sugary a wink as the crew climbs aboard. Were it not for Haley, she and Theodore would both be the shortest in the group.

Once the group had come up, Sugary would first escort them through the interior once he could so they could start putting their things away and get settled in some comfort. He was concerned Tytanna would have a hard time moving through the ship though, in fact she might find it cramped to move in the hallway given the owner was only mildly taller than her hubby. Toriel would have less trouble though.

At the very least, the two bedrooms with multiple bunkbeds allowed for relative comfort, the kitchen and bathroom were modest, but Tytanna might be okay. And the storage room was certainly spacious for multiple needs, so there was that. "Alright, take your time picking which beds you want. The closets are over there, and the cabinet is empty. Ideally, it's one bed per head, so one or two of you may have to share space with me in my own room. That said, ANY needs you may have, please let me know. I do want my guests to try to feel comfortable after all." He waited by the door to his room, which had personal decorations and memorabilia as opposed to the guest room which had nice clean beds but little else aside from the ceiling fan and a seafaring window. In general, the ship always seemed to have a mild smell of seabreeze as well.

Tytanna, in truth, had little difficulty with maneuvering around, having had experience slipping through cramped quarters far tighter than this ship. Everyone, suitably, chose to go for beds relatively close to one another, preferring to keep close, famillial protection and all.

Sugary merely watched with a quiet smile as they chose to keep all in the same room among themselves. In any case, it was unlikely they'd have to sleep in the ship, so it was a minor issue at best. Best to be prepared ahead of time for adversity. He then moved closer to the guest room door and spoke again. "Feel free to stay here during the trip. There should be no issues making it to Canterlot in a few hours, but that aside, we can always make an emergency stop on the ground, water, or sky. Feel free to make use of the fridge and its contents as you please. I'll be up on the bridge getting started if you need me..."

And so he left the group be, and if anyone did come up, he'd be just about done working the controls, starting up all the rotors just mere moments from getting lift.

As the group settled in for the trip, things seemed to finally be looking in their favor. Hopefully....

... And the hope was not misplaced. Karma would be in their favor longer still as the group with a recent lucky streak of finding loved ones and getting much needed pay would fare well in their trip, the airship rising up with help from the rotors and an Ether field to keep afloat with ease and a smooth movement.

Higher and higher it went, and with it, Sugary spoke to the intercom with a chipper tone. "This is your Captain speaking. To our right we have a perfect view of the city as we take off, and to our left is nothing but clear skies and a pleasant oncoming breeze. Certainly calm enough for us to make a fast trip. No need to brace yourselves, this old gal flies smooth!" And he meant it, as once the rotors pointed back, the acceleration would be steady and easy despite the somewhat lack of a sleek appearance. But with Magitek at work, much was possible.

For the most part, there would be little of note happening during the trip, except for Sugary pointing out a few things about surrounding area to keep things with relative interest once in a while, such as pegasi in flight training, a stray chunk of Cloudsdale being towed, and the sight of crystal clear lakes from up high. Upon reaching the Canterlot airspace, he'd be sure to make one round trip around the mountainside so they could all observe the waterfalls around the terrain.

Moments after that, he'd be close to make landing. "Ladies and Sir, we'll be making our landing at Canterlot dock shortly. Please be sure to check for all your belongings before setting out. Either way, I'll be heading out to the deck once we land to set the ramps, so I'll about them anyway..." And shortly, they landed well once they were cleared to do so, and as promised, Sugary would be well on his way to the deck to greet the guests with service in mind.

The crew gleefully made their way to the deck, many now lacking stress and almost all with rumpled clothes and hair. Wonder how this family bonds, eh?

Regardless, they managed to make it to the deck in one piece, jsut in time to catch a wonderful view of Canterlot as they came into the airport.

Sugary could also smell a bit of the family bonding once they all got near one another. He deeply considered washing the sheets extra hard next time, or just burning them for new guests in the future. Nonetheless, he didn't mind since he expected it anyway, and got right to business with a smile by lowering the ramps as needed for them. "I take it the ride was to your liking? By the way, my services will continue to be free for a time, so I'll be here if you need me for anything before going to Ponyville; I don't particularly have any business here at the castle... Unless you'd like me to come along as well for your errands?"

"Well," Toriel began, "We had actually considered hanging around and exploring for a bit. And then continuing to ponyville on foot. Thank you for the offer, though." She gives Sugary a peck on the cheek.

Sugary smiled a bit after the cheek kiss, but then he seemed thoughtful afterwards. "Mm... Well, I did say going to see the Princess in Ponyville might fall in with my own errands, but... Does this mean we're going separate ways? I did mean what I said about lending my aid to help you find your other companions... Or is this your way of saying we should meet up at Ponyville?"