Maya went through the opening rituals with Skydust the next morning, taking her place behind the bar. Azrael was suspiciously absent, leaving Maya to double as bouncer while he was gone. Kind as she is, she would make a very dangerous guard. Her property was not to be stolen, and nopony would break down her door without getting bucked across the street.
"Quite a shame. We may need a four hundred pound intimidating presence to keep ponies from doing dumb things." He leaned back against the counter. "Oh, well."
"He's half earth pony, and earth ponies are heavy. On average, up to three hundred fifty. He just so happens to be... well, *squee!*ing huge."
"Depends on what world you're in," Nightshade said. "A pound in Equestria isn't the same as a pound on Earth." She paused. "Am I supposed to say that? I can never remember who knows about this stuff."
"My dad told me stories about many places. Earth happens to be one of them. Sad how they have so much war."
"Real shame, that place," said Maya. "Azzy took a trip there, told me all about it. How'd he describe it? Oh yeah, jaw-dropping natural beauty and technology laced with greed and extremism."
