//------------------------------// // Skipping Town // Story: As The City Sleeps // by KarmaPolice //------------------------------// Slink I woke up screaming. The nightmare had been as vivid as an event that had just happened yesterday- because that’s exactly what it was. My head pounded where the debris had impacted it, and in feeling it I found the gash had scabbed over. Caked blood covered my face, causing an uncomfortable itch. I took in the surroundings- the tenement Shift had brought me to after we escaped the tunnels. I was used to waking up in my normal room and so it took me a second to remember where I was. Shift was gone. I cautiously explored the dingy, cobweb-filled rooms looking for him. “Shift?” I called out nervously, on full alert in case the mages from before had found us again. I was relieved to hear his voice behind me. “Right here, Slink. Breakfast is served.” I turned to see him standing beside the window, having just flown through it. He set down his saddlebag and opened it, revealing a loaf of bread. I took hold of it with levitation and split it in half, offering one to him. He shook his head. “All for you. Already ate.” I began gnawing on the bread hungrily- yesterday had taken quite a toll on me. I’d been pushing myself hard lately as it was- and then I had to ward off several older and more skilled mages, one of which was under the power of a runestone that we had obviously gravely underestimated. “What’s the plan?” I asked between bites. “We’re going to go to a drop location and pick up some money we had stashed away. It’s nowhere near what was in the vault but it’ll keep us alive for a while. Then we’re outta town. I still haven’t decided where we’re going but it’s not going to be here. The noise we made last night, those evil fucks aren’t all we should be concerned about. The Royal Guard is probably prowling through the tunnels as we speak. That means all our resources are compromised. You see any of our associates, you do not approach them, got it?” “Got it. How much is in the drop site?” “A hundred thousand, give or take. Lifter’s rainy day fund. That’ll be enough to start collecting some resources to go after mister glowy-eyes and his posse of hooded shitbags.” I nodded eagerly. The thirst for revenge was overwhelming. Shift shook his head. “We need to be smart about this, kid. We already found out last night that going against them head-on isn’t such a great idea. We’ve gotta catch them unaware and hit them hard. But first, we need to find them. Are you ready to go?” I swallowed the last of the bread. “Yeah. Where’s the place?” “Outskirts of town. It’s hidden in a well. Speaking of, you need to wash up. You’re covered in blood. There’s a bucket of water in the corner there. One last thing-” Shift withdrew a bottle of ink and a brush from his bag. “Cover your marks. We don’t need to be pegged by anybody on the street.” I took hold of the brush and applied a thick coat of the ink to both flanks. The ink contrasted nastily against my light grey coloration, but I would accept it in the name of anonymity. I went to the water bucket and washed the blood from my head, then headed down the stairs. I met Shift beside the front door, and followed as he headed down the street, keeping to the sides. As we passed others we kept our heads down and avoided eye contact. Shift usually kept a casual posture when moving in broad daylight but he was noticeably more tense today. A beggar stepped into his path to panhandle and was immediately roughly shoved aside. I gave him an apologetic look- I had been in his position before. After a good deal of walking, the buildings becoming ever-more run down and dingy, Shift turned into a courtyard, overgrown with weeds and obviously in a state of disuse. The well was located in the center, and Shift approached to remove the cover. “I’ll be a minute.” he said simply. The width of the well permitted him just enough room to fly in it, and he descended down out of view. I heard the sound of stones scraping and the impact of water as something fell into it. And then Shift reappeared, gripping a purse in his teeth. He dropped it and pulled the drawstring, revealing the familiar golden sheen of bits. With a satisfactory nod, he drew the bag closed and placed it into his saddlebag. “Let’s stop here for a moment, Slink. We need to discuss the next move.” We sat against the well. “Where are we going to go?” I asked. It didn’t matter much to me- my entire life here was gone anyway. Shift shook his head. “That’s the topic of our discussion. More broadly, we need to determine where to pick up a lead on these fuckers.” “What was it that Lifter said about them? That they were seperated from the institute?” “Yeah. Of course, there’s no telling if it’s bullshit or not. And going back to the institute is out of the question- can you imagine how much attention is on that place right now? They’re probably swarming in there like flies on shit.” I shook my head dejectedly. He was right. It took everything I had just to get us in that place. And that was before we stole their most treasured object from them. I thought about this problem. Where could we pick up information on a centuries old secret society of high-level mages? “We need a knowledge base. The Canterlot Library?” Shift shook his head. “Canterlot is risky, kid. There’s a Guard on every corner. There’s a lot of posh, pompous, assholes there who’s valuables need protection. Not to mention our dear leaders, of course…” said Shift with his usual thick layer of sarcasm. He continued- “Besides, the kind of research we need can’t just be done from the public check-out desk. So that means a heist. And with just the two of us, we don’t have the resources to pull off something on that scale. Fuck, I miss Lifter..” I averted my gaze as Shift trailed off. He spoke up again. “Any other ideas?” I stared at the ground. “No…” Shift sighed. “Alright, let’s head for the train station. We’ll pick up a copy of the directory book there and plan our next move.” I further reflected on events as we trundled through the dismal streets. I remember watching that… freak… pick up the stone and just start glowing. And then all hell broke loose. He let out a pulse and knocked me out cold. I woke up surrounded by debris. Just in time to watch Lifter die. Lifter was like a father figure to me, just as Shift was like an older brother. I never told them that I felt this way, but they were my family. The only family I had, anyway. We had taken an act that was reserved for society’s most lowly and destitute and made it an art form. With our diverse skill sets we had honed our craft until we had become a force to be reckoned with. And it allowed me to strike back at the society that had wronged me. It was an amazing feeling of accomplishment for a ‘worthless gutter rat’ like me. I shook off these feelings as we approached the train station. This area was heavily populated and I noticed Shift acting particularly…. Well, shifty, as he scanned the crowd. I noticed his wings flex, a tell-tale sign among pegasi of high alertness and stress. A Guard stood near the corner and Shift kept his head down as he moved past. I followed his lead. Fortunately, our disheveled appearances did not stand out too heavily amongst the crowd. Shift stopped by a kiosk. He placed a copy of the latest directory on the counter and forked over three bits to pay for it. Then he motioned me to follow as we made for a secluded back hall in the station. We sat on a bench as Shift flipped through pages. “Okay. We’re looking for libraries, colleges, any place that would have ancient history. Preferably far away.” “There’s the college of Las Pegasus.” Shift shook his head. “Doubtful. That place was only established a hundred years ago.” I scanned the map and studied the various towns dotting it. I flipped through the directory, scanning ‘L’ for ‘Library’. No..No...No…. I thought as I looked through the listings. I recognized some of the places- I had broken into several of them- and knew they wouldn’t have it. Maybe we should just take our chances in Canterlot. You can’t get more ancient than that. I noticed one entry. Ponyville library. Located, naturally, in Ponyville. “What about this one?” “Which?” asked Shift, diverting his gaze from his lookout over the hallway. “Ponyville. The library there.” “Where the fuck is that?” Asked Shift. “It’s right on the edge of the Everfree. You can’t get much further away from here than that.” “What makes you think the info we need is there?” He asked dismissively. “This says it’s got an, I quote, ‘Impressive’ resource base on all topics, including ancient history.” Shift mulled it over. “Risky, that far out. We get out there and find nothing, then what?” I shrugged. “There’s always Canterlot. I don’t see another option besides going straight to the princesses and asking nicely.” Shift rolled his eyes. “It’s a plan. Let’s get the tickets. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. Before the Guard picks up our scent, if they haven’t already.” We milled back into the crowd. Shift headed towards the ticket booth while I hung back to watch the crowd. I gazed out at the city, not being able to help a feeling of apprehension about leaving. But I quickly shoved that aside. It needed to be done. Something caught my eye as I scanned the crowd, and I had to take a second look to identify what it was. There. A guard was standing by the corner across the crowd, scanning it. We had no way of knowing if they could identify us on sight and we probably didn’t want to have to find out. I went back to Shift, who had gotten the tickets. We headed towards the platform, the coal dust hanging in the air and casting everything in a dark haze. Shift had bought first class tickets for the private booth and we stepped into the car, trying not to expose our faces too much to the conductor as we presented him with the tickets. As we sat down in the booth and Shift slid the door closed, I peered out the window. I heard the engine begin chugging as the train started to inch forwards, ever so slowly. And then I spied a pair of guards on the platform. These were not guards on some routine patrol or just killing time- they moved with intent. I saw them shoving through the crowd, sometimes stopping to ask questions. It could be a coincidence, or maybe not. But I felt an immeasurable wave of relief when the train finally cleared the platform and we were on our way.