//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 // Story: Old Records and Spray Paint // by Dunglord //------------------------------// [Music] The moment I exited the ballroom, I bolted into a sprint, the destination being my room. I ripped off the blazer and flung it to the side as I neared my destination. If I was lucky, Celestia would be way too pre-occupied with nobles to even try and apprehend me herself. And the guard would deliberately drag their hooves attempting to apprehend me, because I paid them off. I threw open the doors to my room and slammed them shut, stripping down to my underwear before quickly throwing on jeans and a hoodie. I grabbed the duffel bag near the door to my balcony and turned back, eyeing something on my desk. I Dropped the bag and looked over, On it was a necklace of some kind on top of a piece of parchment. "If you are reading this, then I have a feeling this might be useful to you. For now, just know that the necklace can turn you into a pony for as long as you wear it. I recommend that you wear it as soon as you exit the castle grounds. The rest is not important right now, read the rest of this letter on the train. Stay safe, and stick in the shadows." My eyes shot to the bottom of the letter, where Luna's signature was proudly displayed. "Clever girl." I whispered to myself, dashing back to the bag and throwing the necklace and the letter inside. I heard a loud thud come from the door. "Maxwell, step out of the room before we drag you out!" An authoritarian voice said, probably was a guard. I should have paid them more. I bolted to the porch and looked down, it was about a one-story drop from here. I dumped the bag and hopped over, I hit the ground as the door opened, and hugged the wall. "Crap, he's not here. Report back to Princess Celestia, he's escaped, and initiate lockdown protocol, no one out unless they've been thoroughly vetted and searched." "Yes, sir!" Another pony said. They left the room and I bolted towards the perimeter, I had maybe a couple of minutes before the lockdown went into effect, just barely enough time to escape. I ran as fast as I could to the fence and threw my bag across before vaulting over it, running like the wind as pegasai deployed from the castle, I ducked in a nearby alleyway as I heard wingbeats above my head. [Stop Music] I crouched down and opened the bag, pulling out the small golden necklace and throwing it over myself. I felt my field of view warp to become lower to the ground as I felt my limbs morph, The pants I was wearing slid off, but I was still able to wear the sweatshirt. No wing or horn, peach fur, and a black mane, I can work with that. "Nice" I muttered, tucking the necklace into my sweatshirt. I was somehow able to manipulate the bag, and I threw my jeans inside of it before zipping it up and throwing it over my back. I slowly walked out of the alleyway and onto the street, making my way to the train station. From here it would take me around 15 minutes. And I have a feeling the guards won't bother me because I don't look like a human. The walk was mostly uneventful, except for the fact that guards were stationed at every corner of the city on the lookout for the sole human who had escaped their clutches. I silently giggled to myself about that as I walked onto the platform and boarded the train. The sun would be rising in the next few hours. I dropped my bag to the ground, took a seat and handed my ticket to the conductor. Making sure the car was empty, I pulled out the rest of the letter. "If you're reading the rest of this, then congratulations, you have managed to evade the guard, and have secured a way out of the city. But I assume that you'll need a place to stay once you do get out, as such, I have set up an account with the treasury that only you and I have access to. It should cover all costs needed in order to rent a hotel room and food. Once you do make a transaction on the account, I will be able to locate you and will come to assist you. Now The necklace you are wearing should allow you to be able to consume most, if not all, pony foods. But since it is largely untested. I would recommend only sticking to just fruits and vegetables for now. I have also set up the account under the name, 'Paint Can.' So when asked, that should be the name under the account, and your new identity for now. Other than that, I hope to see you soon, stay safe and well my friend. -Luna" I turned the note around and saw a few notes on the back. The account number was there but more importantly, there was another number there that I could contact in case of emergency. Celestia should calm down after a few days, give or take, and my face would be plastered all over the news by the time the sun rose. This is gonna be fun. ============================= As I stepped off the platform of the bustling station of Manehattan, I walked over to a small vendor. "Hey there, how much is a newspaper?" I asked. "One bit, always has, always will be." He said in a thick accent. I slid a bit across the counter and took the newspaper. "That's a strange getup you got there, you outta town?" The stallion asked. "Kinda, just came in from Canterlot." "Did you hear the news yet?" "About?" "The Human. It's on the front page, apparently, he made a ruckus at the gala." I looked down. Human Sings Extremely Raunchy Song at Grand Galloping Gala. Princess Celestia Furious, Nationwide Ponyhunt Underway I grinned a bit. "Yeah, that sounds like something he would do." "You know him?" "Oh, we've met." I looked over and gave him a knowing wink. He seemed to get the message as his jaw dropped. He quickly picked it up off the ground and looked with a rabid grin on his face in an attempt to find any eavesdroppers. "Whydya do it?" He asked in a low whisper. "Because why not." I whispered back. "Got anything else planned?" "Can't tell yet." I responded, walking away from the stand and out onto the street. I hailed down a cab and hopped in. "Where to?" "Take me to a fancy hotel." "There are plenty of fancy hotels in this city son, which one?" I smiled a bit. "Surprise me." Was all I said, the stallion shrugged and began trotting towards the destination while I took the newspaper and began to read it. 'Last night the human known as Maxwell sung an extremely raunchy song for the entertainment of those at the Grand Galloping Gala. Princess Celestia was not informed of this prior to its delivery, and is reported to be furious by what seems to be the humans latest attempt at getting himself into trouble.' I chuckled at that 'Shortly after, the entire castle went into lockdown, and not long after, a pony hunt was started in order to search for the Human, who is reported to have fled the city in order to avoid Princess Celestia's wrath.' Damn right. 'However, the Princess stresses that this is not an ordinary manhunt. If the Citizens of Equestria do feel like helping the human escape, they can do so without repercussion should they choose to do so.' Nice to know. 'One major piece of information is that Princess Luna is apparently assisting with the escape of the Human. Right now his whereabouts are unknown, but personally, we at the Equestrian Post can't wait to see what he cooks up next.' Looking down at the paper, I noticed the author as one Ink Quill Fantastic, not only is the whole of Equestrian youth probably on my side, but I think I might have free reign in order to create more art. If all goes well, this might strongarm Celly to get my contract with the Musem back. The carriage slowed to a crawl. "We're here." "Where did you take me to?" "The Ritz-Marington" "Damn, good choice." I stepped out of the cab and paid the fare, along with a nice tip. As I walked into the hotel, the bellcolt opened the door for me. I noticed many species loitering around the lobby, many ponies, a few zebra and horses and minotaurs, and even an adolescent dragon. Walking up slowly to the desk, I shifted the duffle bag around my back and pulled out the note Luna had left me. "Hi, how can I help you?" "Yeah, I would like to rent out a one pony room please?" "Alright, do you have an account you can pay from?" "Yes, its this account right here." I provided the number. "Alright, and what is the account name under?" "Paint Can." The Front Desk Associate walked over to a nearby terminal and punched in the number before walking back. "Everything checks out sir, Your room is on the fifth floor, room 537, the elevator is in the back. Thank you." "I should be thanking you." I replied as I trotted away from the elevator, key in hand. As I slowly turned open the door to my room, I looked around to make sure no one had followed me. It was highly unlikely, but then again with Celestia leading the helm, I can't be too careful. I set my bag back down on the ground and looked around a bit before walking out of the room, and into the city once more. I had a bit of scouting to do, Didn't matter if I was tired or not, I needed to do this. =========== Yeah, this seems like a decent spot. I thought to myself as I looked over the bridge, Carriages zipped past me as I looked over the edge and down into the water below. If this went right, then ponies would wake up with something fun one morning in the near future. I grinned and began walking back towards the island of Manehattan. ========== Pay phones are useful and good for covering your tracks. In this case, I wanted a bit of publicity. So I dialed a number leading to the number to the Equestrian Post Canterlot Branch. "Hi, this is the Equestria Post tip-line, how can we help you?" "Hi there, I would like to speak to Ink Quill please?" "May I ask who is calling?' "Maxwell." The line went silent. "As in-" "Yeah, I need his help, can you put him on?" "Certainly, please hold." It took about a minute before a voice on the other end spoke "Who is Ink Drop?" "Uh, Director of the Canterlot Art Museum?" "Oh sweet Celestia, it's actually you." "Wait, are you two related?" "Yes, but that's not important. Why the Tartarus did you call this number, and more importantly, why the Tartarus did you call me?" "Saw your article, considered your corporation an ally, and I need a bit of help." "Isn't Princess Luna assisting you?" "Yeah, but I need help outside of the royal family, something from a reporter for a project I need kept under wraps." "First off, where the buck are you?" "Manehattan." "Manehattan?" He echoed. "Manehattan." I repeated "Unbelievable, how did you escape?" "Can't tell, would give too much away, all you need to know is in around 36 hours, say around 2 AM, if you have one of your crew at the Manehattan bridge at the City end, I will meet them there and show them a special project that will be completed by Dawn. Codeword, blueberry. Gotta go, sights to see and things to do, take care." "Wait, wait a minute!" "What." "Why are you doing all of this." I paused, before finding the right words with a smile. "To annoy the fuck out of Celestia." Was all I said before hanging up. ===== As I turned on my lights to the hotel room, I jumped as I saw a Dark Blue pegasus lying on my bed flipping through a magazine. "Luna?" I asked. She turned to me and gave a warm smile. "Maxwell." She responded back. "How mad is she?" "Pretty mad." "I thought so. So why the hell are you a pegasus?" I finally blurted out. "Perception filter. Changed my size and decreased visibility around my head where the horn should be." "Magic, right, forgot, but why?" "Because I can't be seen in my normal form without potentially giving away your position." "Oh." "So, knowing you, you have something planned by now." "Maybe, maybe it involves the Manehattan bridge, maybe it doesn't." "Oh sweet Faust." "I said maybe." "And we both know what that maybe actually is." Finally unfreezing, I walked over to the bed and laid down on it, draping my head over her back. "So you game?" "Somepony has to keep you from accidentally killing yourself." We sat in silence for a few moments, before she spoke once more. "You know, when I originally had the goal of getting you outside of that room, I didn't exactly mean it like this." "Hm?" "Like this, you having to escape Canterlot and become a 'Criminal' of sorts." "It just seems so absurd." "Because it is." More silence. "Oh by the way, do you have the crystal?" I asked I heard the faint shimmer of magic as a crystal was levitated into my view. "Nice." I grabbed it out of the air and tossed it towards my duffle bag. "That should come in handy later." "I still feel like that song, in particular, is extremely jarring, especially to such a new audience." "Oh lighten up, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs." "And what, pray tell, is the omelet in this scenario." "Can't tell you yet." "Will it be grand?" "Grander than you can possibly imagine." "Should I be worried?" "A bit." "Do you need anything else." "This time tomorrow, come back with all of my painting gear. I think I'm gonna ride it as a pony for a week or so, take a majority of the clothes with you back to my room. Come back at night around this tomorrow near the Manehattan bridge and I should be ready." "You sound tired." I closed my eyes. "I've been up for over 36 hours now." I said with a yawn. "Couldn't sleep on the train?" "No was too nervous." I felt myself slacken. Luna noticed, and positioned my head on the pillow as she enveloped me with a wing. "Then sleep." I felt my eyes close my body relaxed into a dreamless slumber ======== Luna POV: As I warped back to my chambers, I removed the disguise and crashed onto the bed. That damn human somehow roped me into his scheme to defile the cities of Equestria, and by Faust it was the most fun I have ever had since the wars of the olden days. I grabbed a pillow and held it tight as I pondered what exactly he had in store for tomorrow. THUD THUD THUD I looked over at the door. "Yes?" "It's Princess Celestia, She would like to talk to you." One of my guards said. "Send her in." I replied, launching myself off the bed and trotting slowly towards the door. As my sister walked in, I saw she had a knowing smile on her face, something that made me visibly stiffen. "Hello, Lulu." She said softly as the door closed behind her. "Mind explaining to me why an account was created with the treasury that only you and a pony by the name of 'Paint Can' have access to?" Her smile turned into a smug grin. "Well, you see." "Don't. Keep your secrets. I won't pursue this avenue of capture, that'll just make it boring. Besides, your reaction just confirms my beliefs." "Truly?" A grin began to form on my face. "Yes, sister. I'll just increase the number of guards roaming in Manehattan for the time being." And just like that my grin fell. "Really, sister." "I can't let him get away scot-free for just leaving like that, at this point he's probably under the assumption its a game of some kind, and what kind of pony would I be if I didn't keep the game going." ======== When I woke, Luna was gone, and the sun was streaming in through the curtains. Looking down at my bag, I noticed that a majority of my clothes were gone, save for one full set. I noticed an object on the desk and walked towards it, it was a blank sheet of parchment with a bunch of markers. Just in case I wanted to brainstorm. I already had something in mind though. I mostly stayed in my room that day, ordering room service for my meals. Then, when the moon was at its highest, I left. I grabbed my bag, and other belongings, and stuffed it all into said bag before leaving for good. As I walked to the front desk in the lobby, I looked around to make sure that no one was following me. "I would like to check out please." was all I said, handing him the room key. It didn't take me long to reach the bridge, I saw what seemed to be a unicorn mare with a pegasus stallion holding a camera of some kind. Perfect. I dipped into an alleyway and changed back into human form, throwing on some clothes before anyone saw me naked. I threw the bag over my shoulder and left the alleyway, sticking to the shadow of shops that had closed down for the day. Once they were in earshot, I listened for a few moments. "Are you sure he's coming? He seems late." The stallion asked. "Ink Quill said he would be here, and he verified that it was the human that contacted him." The mare responded. "I dunno it just feels off." "Good instincts kid, only a madman would meet someone on the run." I said, their heads whipped to me, along with the camera. "Codeword." "Uhh, Blueberry?" The mare responded. "Good enough." I stepped out of the shadows and extended my hand. "Maxwell." "Anchor Mare." the Mare said, bumping my hand with her hoof. "Snapshot." The Stallion chimed in repeating the same actions as his partner. "Lower that camera kid, the last thing I need is for the guard to be tipped off about a camera crew following a bipedal figure." He obliged, but still kept the camera pointed at me, Good enough. "Come along now, we don't have all the time in the world, but it should be just enough time for me to complete this. "Uh sir, if you don't mind me asking, where did you keep all your paint." "It's not with me at the moment, but it should be here right about now." I said, hearing wingbeats above my head. I saw a disguised Luna land right in front of me, a crate on her back. "Bout time you showed up, I would have been in a heap of shit if you hadn't got here in time." "Well, I'm here." She peeked over my shoulder and spotted the camera crew. "Who are they?" "They're tagging along, I have a plan for them." "Excuse me? Who are you?" The mare asked. Luna just blinked before she facehoofed. "Right I'm in disguise." She lifted the disguise and immediately the camera crew gasped. "Don't bow, the last thing we need is to attract attention." She redonned the disguise and dropped the crate on the ground. "That should be everything, a large amount of paint, and a long string of rope, and should you fall I'll be there to catch you, along with assisting you as well." I had already begun tying myself up to one of the railings on the bridge. "Good to hear, now make sure they can see what I'm working on while I do it. I vaulted myself over the railing and dropped down to the wall. ======== The Camera crew followed me the entire time I worked, throwing questions here and there about what exactly it was I was doing, and what my plans were, I was tight-lipped about that second thing though. As I hoisted myself back onto the bridge, I turned to the news crew. "You know, all things considered, you guys are better than what I was expecting, so I'm gonna extend an offer to you." "And?" "You can come with me, I have two more pieces planned, both in different cities, you'll have to stick by my side for a majority of it, but other than that, I can pay for your living costs and food costs." "And the other option?" "You can leave now, publish your story, and I'll go back to Canterlot to turn myself in." "I say we take what we have and go." The Camerapony said "Wait a second though, this could be the scoop of the year, following around a pseudo wanted individual while he commits crimes of some sort that are partially sanctioned by the crown." The mare blurted out. "In fact, this IS the scoop of the year, we would be fools not to take it." "What in Tartarus are you doing." Luna whispered in my ear. "Causing mayhem" I replied. I turned back to the duo and spoke. "So, have you made your decision?" The stallion looked at the mare before speaking once more. "Buck it, if this gets us arrested I quit." "And I'll hand down a pardon." Luna replied. "Tartarus yes we're in!" The mare nearly yelled. I just grinned. "Well, let me find an alleyway and change. First stop Las Pegasus" ==================== I stepped off of the train station in Canterlot, Luna had already teleported back to the Castle, and I had left the news crew back in Manehattan. I looked at my watch, 5 minutes till 8. Perfect. I walked down the street relishing in the stares of bewilderment as I seemed to casually walk in the direction of the palace. But I wasn't going there, I was going to a small electronics shop near the castle. Or more specifically, the display case that was viewable from outside. "I stared at it as I waited, the news was on, and with my luck, it should be just in time." "Sir Maxwell?" I heard a voice behind me. "I'm under arrest yeah yeah yeah just hold on a second." Then, it began. ================== "We start tonight, with a special segment from our Studio in Manehattan." The Anchor on the TV said. "One of our correspondent, Anchor Mare, had the rare opportunity to follow a creature on the run from the law. You may know him as the Defacer of Canterlot, or even the Creature with No Filter, but his name is Maxwell. And he provided The Equestrian Post with a rare opportunity to watch him work against the law." [Begin Music] The studio cut to a clip of Maxwell rappelling down the side of the Manehattan bridge. "When I first met Maxwell, I didn't know what to think, he seemed to be extremely uptight about his work, the fact that he allowed us access to see him and Princess Luna work in such conditions was for lack of a better word, unprecedented." Anchor Mare said in a voiceover. "Hand me that black paint." Maxwell was heard saying. "What do you need black paint for?" "To create an outline." "But it was clear that he did have a goal set out when he created each and every single one of his pieces when we were with him." The camera zoomed out to show that of a mare in a police hat, winking. She had a doughnut in her mouth, and her baton resting across her shoulder. "When asked why he created this piece, his response was, 'I just thought it looked cool.'" "It was on the trains and during the scouting missions that we got to know him better, and he opened up about why he vandalizes public property." "I dunno, the thrill, the loneliness, the nostalgia, maybe I'm insane, maybe it's all four." A pony version of Maxwell said, he was eating a pizza while he stared in the distance. "That is a nice wall." He muttered. "It was only during his third mural, in Vanhoover, that we discovered why he worked alone." "I had a partner once, before Luna." "Really?" "Yeah. Always told Luna she was the first. Here, she is, but back home there was someone else." "What happened." He continued to paint. "It was a normal night, just him and I roaming around town, tagging every wall we could find. Little did we know, we stumbled on gang turf." "What happened." He just continued to paint. "We got caught. I ran, he fought. I heard gunshots, and the next day his corpse is floating down the river. It was my fault he died, I led us there, I should have left earlier, but we didn't. I don't take partners anymore, No one else is gonna die if I fuck up, only me." "Is that how you've always felt?" He stopped painting and looked off into the distance. "Yeah. I should have died that night. It was my idea to tag until the break of dawn. But here I am instead." "But you let Luna help you with your work, why?" Maxwell looked over to Luna and smiled slightly. "She was insistent and threatened to leak my plans if I didn't." He said with a slight chuckle "She and her sister helped to bring me out of my shell, got me an actual job. And this is how I repay them." He continued to paint. "What are you gonna do after this?" "Turn myself in." "That's it?" "That's it." "No caveats." "Nope, just take my punishment and move on. If I'm allowed to continue to create art after this crime spree, then you already know what to expect." The camera panned over the last mural, One of both the solar sister with their respective planetary body behind them before zooming in on Maxwell signing at the bottom corner with an M&L "Is there anything you would like to tell the audience before you go back to Canterlot?" "Yeah. Follow your dreams, but have a backup plan in case [censored] hits the fan." The footage cuts to Anchor Mare, standing in front of a video screen staring into a camera. "When I first met Maxwell, I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew he had no filter, but even then I wasn't expecting to get much out of him other than how he conducts his work. But as time grew on, I learned more than I was expecting. I learned about a creature that loves the thrill of creating art where he shouldn't. Whether it could be classified as a coping mechanism or just a way to express himself, or maybe it just being a combination of them both is up to you to decide, and for him to reveal if he so chooses." ===== Maxwell POV: I felt a wing envelop me as I stared at the TV. glancing to my side, I saw none other than Celly, looking at the TV alongside me. "I think they did a good job, what do you think?" She asked. The impromptu crowd that had amassed to watch the broadcast just stared at us, I leaned into her a bit and wrapped my arm around her neck. "Yeah, I think they did." I said in a low voice. we stared a the television a bit longer, which panned over my most recent works. "Let's go home, Maxwell." Celestia said. "For once, I agree with you." I replied. And so, we slowly walked back towards the castle, where my punishment awaits.