Prey and a Lamb

by Lambs Prey

23.1 A Day at the Market

Floating in the ocean depths, a dream memory swirled past...

"-Sour Pickle raised the ghoul from the poor remains of his recently expired father. How Sour Pickle performed this foul act of sorcery is still unclear. The most likely method is a twisted spell of intent fuelled by his own dark desires. Likely even Sour Pickle would've been unable replicate his black magic a second time. In an act of jealousy, Sour Pickle set his creation on Black Berry and her new fiancé; Hay Hammer. In the tragedy that ensued, Hay Hammer was murdered as he valiantly defended Black Berry."

"Sour Pickle attempted to flee into the Everfree to escape justice. The Royal Guard found the remains of a unicorn matching Sour Pickle's description, half buried under the extinguished ghoul's corpse. It was concluded that his foul creation had turned on its creator. The remains were later positively identified by a distraught Black Berry. May Hay Hammer rest in peace - 15th May."

Prey tossed the crumpled page away. It had been one of a number of loose pages clumsily bound into a makeshift book he'd stolen, "Worthless." He hissed.

There was nothing in there that could help him kill Border Guards. Why was that even counted as forbidden knowledge? Simply because it mentioned death and violence? Ponies were cowards, pathetic cowards, they thought if they hid from the cruel reality, the world would change to match their perspective. Anything that didn't fit into their ideals was forbidden, ostracised, or destroyed.

Like him. Well, not if he destroyed them first.

Prey pulled on his mask and snuck out from the thorn bush that hid the entrance to his tiny cave. He sniffed the wild air of the Deeper Green, alert for danger.

"I'll get you yet Captain Fire Strike. Just be patient." He whispered to himself.

As Celestia's sun rose over her capital city, with the warm early morning light chasing away the night's shadowy chill, Canterlot began to resume its normal life. Servants could be seen exiting various noble's mansions onto the pristine streets. Their destinations were the bakeries and fresh produce stores in the lower city, where the door signs had just been flipped to 'Open'.

Fruits and vegetables which had arrived on the night train were barely put on display by sleepy shop owners before their wares were being sampled by these early birds. Pegasi couriers flitted overhead with their urgent deliveries as the enchanted crystal street lamps smoothly dimmed themselves, now unneeded. Spires and towers began to glisten and shine as the sun reached just the right height in the sky.

To anyone who knew anything about this fine city, this was all the norm. It would still be some hours before the normal Canterlot population arose and everyday business began, but it already looked like the start of another perfect day in the heart of Equestria.

What would have gone unnoticed to the casual observer were the Night Guard patrols finishing their shift and slipping back in through the Guard Compound entrance, their nightly job having been carried out and accomplished unobserved. Royal Guard patrols would soon replace them for the day shift, their well known and resplendent gold armour easily recognised and respected by all.

At the Palace's gilded gates, fresh Royal Guards unlocked the golden gates and prepared to receive the early Day Court petitioners who were hoping to beat the rush for a chance to meet their princess.

What also might've gone unobserved was the exit of three individuals from the Guard Compound entrance. It was a bit unusual for these individuals to be leaving from this gate, as none wore Guard armour. But then again, they were an unusual group.

A red pegasus, a thestral disguised as a grey pegasus, and perhaps most out of place, a small lamb.

"We should have stayed for breakfast." Prey protested.

"No. It's always disgusting." Gloom said, adjusting the saddle bag on his flank.

"It's free. Never pass up free food." Prey insisted.

"Just because it's free doesn't mean it's worth eating."

"When the alternative is not eating, then yes it is."

"Then you've no need to worry, we're still going to get breakfast to fill that little hungry belly of yours." Gloom responded with an eye roll. Under the effects of the dusk pony amulet, his eyes just appeared yellow instead of additionally slitted, now matched Crimson's. He also wore a lanky black scarf draped over his neck and down his chest to cover the scar tissue.

"Breakfast in the mess hall is free. Food in Canterlot is not free. We have no money, therefore, we cannot buy food. Sir." Prey pointed out.

"I'm just Dusky Gloom today," Gloom corrected Prey absentmindedly, stopping at a intersection to check the sign for directions, "And you do have money. Did you forget you get paid for working in the ISND?"

"That as it may be, but there is no money in that saddle bag of yours. We can't buy food with what we don't have."

Gloom paused and looked back at his well worn saddle bag, "How did you know that?" He asked.

"We were all in the same room when you packed it." Prey shrugged.

"Ah, of course. Anyway, that's not quite right. Here, let's stop for a second." Gloom said, stepping to the side of the marble street, under a potted tree.

He pulled open his saddle bag with a wing and fished around inside. Because of the dusk pony amulet, the illusionary wing seemed to impossibly hook the flap open, as the blunt claw on the end of the thestral's wing joint was hidden under the illusion. Luckily, there was hardly anyone out on this small street yet, not that anyone would've been watching that closely anyway.

"Here you go." Gloom said, distributing a brown envelope each to Prey and Crimson.

"What is this sir?" Crimson asked, examining the clerical office's seal stamped on the back.

"Not sir, just Gloom today Crimson, and these are your payslips," Gloom explained, "First stop is the bank and getting you each set up with an account. Then they'll deposit this money into that account."

"Bank sir? Err-Gloom sir?" Crimson asked blankly.

"Just Gloom. And the Royal Canterlot Bank is an institute that was set up Princess Celestia, in the last hundred years I understand. It's a place where they hold and store your money for you, it's like..." Gloom hesitated, a bit unsure himself, '-how do you explain a bank?-' He wondered. Evidently, the clans didn't have banks.

"See, so a bank works like this..."

"So this bank keeps your money, and then you have to go and ask them when you want it back? And this bank is only in Canterlot, so everyone-"

"-Everypony."

"-Has to either make payments to other people-"

"-Ponies."

"-within the same bank, or else has to go in and withdraw the money themselves first. Is that correct?"

A pause.

"I think that's more or less how it works, yes."

"....Just so you know, I can think of at least three ways to defraud the bank off the top of my head."

*Sigh* "Prey."

"Sir, I mean no offence, but why is this a good idea?"

'-Tarturus if I know-' "It's how all of the Guard is paid. Just fly with the wind and don't question the craziness of it."

Pause, "And it's just Gloom."

So here they were, inside the Royal Canterlot Bank.

The bank's solid ebony doors had barely been unlocked for more than fifteen minutes when they'd arrived. Only one of the marble counters had been open for service this early, but they hadn't even needed to queue in the designated braided gold rope line because there were no other non-staff here yet.

Now they were sitting in a bank clerk's office, setting up accounts for Crimson and Prey. Technically, since there were only two free seats available, Gloom was standing. Prey's height had necessitated him having one of the chairs so he could actually see the confused clerk over the desk, and Gloom had insisted Crimson take the other. It was a bit cramped with all three of them in here plus the clerk.

Gloom already had his bank account that had been set up when he first arrived, as did the rest of the thestrals joining Luna's service (it hadn't made much sense to the clanners then either), so now Gloom was taking them through the arduous process of setting up an account for themselves.

The thin clerk cleared his throat, "Well, this is a bit irregular, but-" He looked down at the two payslips, "-It can be done."

His eyes darted to Gloom, who he'd been informed was an off duty Sargent in the Night Guard, which had also prompted the clerk into being much more helpful. '-reassuring to see that it's not all run by those bat ponies-'

"But, um, the foal, err, lamb is a minor Mr. Dusky Gloom. She needs a legal parent or guardian to be present and sign for-"

"I'll do it. There's no problem with that, is there?" Gloom asked. He kept his tone polite, but the nervous clerk didn't take it that way and swallowed.

"No no, that'll be fine, you don't have to worry about it. Ehem, I just need to take down a few details and then we'll be able to issue these two fine ponies, err, pony and sheep, with their bank account details and you can be on your way." The clerk hurriedly assured Gloom. Prey was doing his 'innocent little lamb' act, and wasn't contributing to the conversation, and Crimson evidently wasn't completely sure what was going on.

The clerk shuffled his papers, "Right, may I please ask the name you wish to start the account under?" He asked, addressing the question to Gloom.

"They're in front of you, ask them." Gloom shrugged.

"Oh, right." The clerk blinked, shifting his posture, "Name please?" He asked.

"Crimson Trace."

"Thank you. And yours young miss?"

"Prey."

"P-Prey?" The clerk stuttered for a moment at the unfortunate name, "Ehem, excuse me, um, Prey...?"

"Just Prey."

"Umm...A second name is usually a necessary step in-"

"It's just Prey. Also, I'm a Mr."

"Ahh...err...*cough* Would you excuse me one minute while I go and double check if that's acceptable-"

"What? You mean I have to be a ewe?" Prey asked in pretend puzzlement, tilting his head quizzically, making sure to get the wide eyed confusion just right.

"No no, I mean, that's not... *Ehem* No, I meant a second name is usually necessary for our policies..."

"Prey, don't play with the poor clerk," Gloom chastised. "Sir," He said, speaking to the clerk now, "If you could please just set up some normal accounts, that'll be fine. As long as they can both withdraw money, I doubt they'll care about the investment stuff and all that."

"Actually Gloom sir, I would like to hear everything explained in full before I give my word to anything." Crimson spoke up, blowing a strand of mane out of his face so he could more fully fix his bright yellow gaze on the unfortunate clerk.

"My word is my bond. I want to make sure I know what I am swearing to." Crimson said.

'-and it was looking like the start to such a perfect day-', The clerk thought to himself unhappily.

Surprisingly enough, they were out of the clerk's mane within ten minutes, Crimson and Prey both with brand new bank accounts in their names, a sheaf of official papers, and a bank book to go along with it.

Thankfully, Gloom offered to put it all in his saddle bag for now. Prey didn't own a thing to his name and thus hadn't ever needed a bag to carry anything in before now. He planned to throw all those papers off the side of Canterlot later anyway. Everything he needed to get money out of the bank he could recall without even having to try. His own name, the account name, account number, and password.

Really, it was a wonder someone hadn't robbed this place bank already. There were so many loop holes that Prey could see in their system, and he hadn't held his account for more than ten minutes.

'The Royal Canterlot Bank...' Prey looked back to consider the tall, ornate building as they left.

'Just another way of Celestia keeping everyone in line.' He decided.

From his understanding, the Royal Bank had been instituted by the Sun Princess, combining many tasks that the former common mint and treasury used to oversee. Prey did notice that despite its name of the Canterlot Royal Bank, the Royal Treasury funds were still kept private and separate.

By instituting the law to make all her Guards receive their pay through the bank, Celestia was effectively enforcing the use and support of said bank. The Royal Guards usage wasn't enough to keep the bank running by itself, but Celestia also now routed most of her official policies that involved money through the bank too, and the citizens of Canterlot were slowly following suit. In their minds, if Princess Celestia thought it was a good idea, then it must be.

They didn't seem to realise it meant that the bank held all their wealth, and if something went wrong, then they would lose everything.

It also meant they could now tax you more easily. As Prey understood it, if they wanted to, the tax pony had the power to go to the bank and withdraw gold from your account to pay the tax. That could so easily be abused by any unscrupulous tax pony.

Mentioning tax, it had already been deducted on what Prey had earned, with the bank taking another small fee for itself, because why not? If Prey cared more about the money, he might've been a lot more vocal about paying tax to the Sun Wolf. He despised Celestia and everything she stood for. She wasn't his princess, and she'd never done anything for him, so why should he pay her tax? But since money didn't hold any real value to Prey, he didn't make a fuss.

Prey currently had one hundred and forty three bits in his bank account after the tax pony took his cut. He still found it incredible that he, a conscripted criminal, was getting paid. Incredibly naive and idiotic that is. But if that's how they wanted to play it, who was Prey to argue?

Even if he didn't place much stock in money, it was better to have it than to not.

Gloom cleared his throat, a bit stuck for how to say his next point, "Prey, Crimson, not to tell you how to spend your own money, but you need to leave one hundred bits in your account, and a hundred in following weeks too."

Prey's eyes went wide, 'What? You mean this is just one week's pay?'

He'd thought that this was at least a month's payment , probably several, paid in advance. But it was just one week?

"Why sir? I mean, that's fine, but what's the reason?" Crimson asked. Prey already knew the reason, because he could read people's thoughts, but there hadn't been any mention of the size of the sums of money involved, which was why he was so surprised.

"You're going to need it for a deposit on a flat. Eventually." Gloom said.

"A flat?" Crimson blinked.

"Yes, you didn't think you were going to be stuck bunking in the barracks forever, did you?" Gloom answered, giving them that lopsided grin. It wasn't quite the same without the fangs though.

"What I think Crimson means is; why are you letting us out of your sight? Because of, you know, this and all that?" Prey asked, pointedly lifting one foreleg to show off the golden tracer band.

"Prey, this isn't going to be like some prison or community sentence. You don't want that, and I hope you know that I don't either. You were given a second chance by Princess Luna, and as you prove you can responsibly be granted freedom, more will be given to you. Not quite yet I'm afraid, but you're working towards it. The time when you can walk freely by yourself isn't as far away as you think." Gloom told them both.

"What, completely freely?" Prey asked, shocked.

Gloom's yellow gaze looked sympathetic, but he was resolute, "Within reason, and with some restrictions still in place. Just to be safe, you understand." He answered, looking at the golden bands on their legs.

'Of course not, it could never be that simple.' Prey thought bitterly.

For a moment, Gloom's words had wildly raised his hopes of such a simple solution. Just play along and be obedient for long enough, and you'll be set free. But that would be too easy, wouldn't it?

Gloom was still speaking, "-But eventually, you'll need to each get your own flat. I'm told rent for a single bedroom is about 50 to 60 bits a week, but apparently you'll also need a deposit. A deposit is sort of like a lump payment up front. Saving a hundred bits each week is getting ready for that."

Fifty to sixty each week? Prey sucked in a breath. That sounded extortionate. On the farm, Gossamer, Fleece and their mother had barely earned about three hundred bits a year from selling all their crops, and almost every single coin of that went to taxes, paying off the lease, or seed crop for the next season.

Evidently, the value of money vastly differed on this side of the mountain range, since he was fairly certain that the value of gold hadn't suddenly dropped that much in fifty seven years. That and he had one hundred and fifty three bits from just one week's work.

It made Prey realise just how poor they'd really been. Not Green Fields and the other Earth pony landowners, but him and the other villagers who'd had to survive under their hooves.

"Why will a flat be necessary, would it not be better to sleep in the bunk rooms to be closer to our posts?" Crimson asked.

Gloom gave his head a half shake, "You could do that," He allowed, "But I feel it would be bad for you, for your development let's say, in the long run. Do you not want your independence?"

"I... if that's what you think would be best sir."

"No, it's Gloom. I'm giving you this advice as your friend, not as Sargent Gloom. It's..." Gloom waved a hoof about as he looked for the right words, "I mean, I am doing this because it's my duty, but I'm doing it more because I think it'll be good for you. For all of us, actually."

'-we are a team, and need to develop together. It's a tough decision to split us up, but my cutie mark feels we'll develop more if we do it this way. Probably. At least it's not for a while yet-'

Gloom was looking at Prey. "What?" Prey demanded.

"No protests?" Gloom asked.

"Why would I protest?" Prey asked.

Gloom looked up at the sky instead of meeting Prey's eye, then winced as the sun light struck him and looked back down instead. "Because you're stingy. You keep saying free food is better and all that. So I'm waiting for your protests about not needing to pay for a flat when there's a perfectly good bunkhouse." Gloom said, deciding just to give the blunt answer.

'Shows how much you know.' Prey thought.

Being allowed to escape from under anyone else's watchful eye for any length of time was a win in Prey's book, so he could work and scheme in secret. It would make life so much easier if he could spend the nights unmonitored, there were still so many secret tests he needed to run. And now Gloom was naively offering him that chance? Of course he wasn't going to protest.

"A flat to myself sounds great. Why would I protest that?" Prey asked.

"Oh, well, good then." Gloom said, a bit caught of guard. '-am I missing something? Wait, does that mean the kid can't wait to get away from me?-'

"Actually, I've just realized that it might be a bit difficult for you to get a flat Prey, because, well..." Gloom cast a meaningful eye over Prey.

"Because I'm a child runt, and a lamb to hoof in a city full of ponies?" Prey guessed sarcastically.

Gloom pulled a face and nodded.

"Just do what you did at the bank and order them to do it. Yes, yes, I know we have no authority over civilians, but just throw your weight around a bit, mention you're a Sargent in the Night Guard, take off the dusk pony amulet, and I'll bet the landlord will be falling over him or herself to give us, me, the room." Prey suggested, already knowing the Sargent would not approve.

"This is a conversation we can have closer to the time. It's not a problem for now." Gloom said, putting it off. Although secretly he was considering Prey's suggestion, if only because it sounded much easier than having to try and find the correct paperwork.

Gloom cleared his throat briskly, "I believe the point of getting sidetracked to the bank was so that we could finally get something decent to eat, for at least one morning this week. Let's go and do that, shall we?"

Crimson looked around where they stood on the street corner, "Where would we be allowed to go?" He asked, considering the upscale and posh buildings all about them.

"We're allowed to go anywhere, you know. There's no law saying, 'rich ponies only'." Gloom told him.

"Yes si-Gloom. Where should we go then?"

Gloom checked out the street too, looking at some of the fine restaurants, '-I bet they cost a fortune. Don't feel comfortable anyway-'

"Not here." Gloom decided.

"Then to lower Canterlot we go. That's where you planned to go all along anyway, right?" Prey put in.

"How did you know that?" Gloom asked, but without much surprise that Prey would somehow know. '-just seems normal by this point-'

Prey gave Gloom a bored look and explained, "This place is only for pony elite and nobility. None of us live in Canterlot, we don't know the social rules, and since we don't want to make a scene, lower Canterlot is the only alternative. We may be walking out here with everypony else, but we're still nothing but outsiders."

Prey had a point, but Gloom still felt the need to try and improve the lambs negative attitude.

"They're all still just normal ponies like you and me with their own lives. There's nothing wrong with that." He chastised Prey.

Prey raised an eyebrow up at Gloom, then looked pointedly at the dusk pony amulet around the thestrals neck.

'Oh really? Then why do you feel it necessary to wear that then?' His look clearly said.

Since Prey didn't say anything out loud, Gloom copied him back and didn't either, choosing to take the moral high ground and move on. He cleared his throat and looked forwards into the city again.

"Anyway, breakfast. There's a small all day and night...cafe? I think that's what such places are called. Anyway, a few Night Guards have been there before. I say we go try it." Gloom paused, "And yes, it just so happens to be in lower Canterlot."

Prey and Crimson both stood waiting.

"Well?" Gloom asked them after a pause.

"Well? Well what?" Crimson repeated blankly.

"Do you want to try it?" Gloom asked.

"We're just following your lead. You're the one carrying the bits." Prey pointed out.

"If you don't want to go, just say and we'll go somewhere else." Gloom said.

"Go where else?" Crimson asked.

"Is there some reason you know of for we shouldn't want to? Did you have any alternatives in mind if that's the case?" Prey joined in.

Gloom threw up his hooves, the normally easy going but firm thestral moved to wordless exasperation. He was hungry, he'd already dealt with one annoying clerk this morning, he wasn't on duty, and he just wanted to get some breakfast, "Never mind, let's just go to the cafe."

The cafe that Gloom had heard about from another of the few Night Guards who'd ventured out into Canterlot was called, rather drolly, The Happy Customer.

Prey didn't approve of the place, but he supposed it could've been worse.

The cafe wasn't on the main street. The outside dining area was actually in a small courtyard, with chairs and tables set out with sunflower patterned table cloths. 'Courtyard' was perhaps a bit of a strong word. Think more an open square of paved slate, that just so happened to be formed by interconnecting buildings on three sides.

The only real redeeming quality of The Happy Customer (as far as Prey was concerned), was that it allowed guests to sit so they could watch the street and entrance to the impromptu courtyard, while keeping a solid wall to their back.

Being some of the first customers of the day, they had the small dining courtyard all to themselves. The Happy Customer only seemed to have two staff, a cook and a waiter, both Earth ponies, which Prey supposed counted for another point in the eatery's favour. It made them less of a potential threat.

Plus, he'd been within five meters of both of ponies, and seen that they weren't thinking about poisoning the three of them.

He wasn't being paranoid.

Prey hated a lot of things, but he was actually very easy to please. Just leave him alone, and don't try to kill him. That was an honest desire, just to be left alone and be safe. That was all he wanted. There was no grand scheme of world domination or the like. His biggest desire in life was to be safely left alone.

It was kind of pathetic, when you thought about it like that.

"Tomato and cheese grill with the zucchini salad please." Gloom informed the blue Earth pony waiter mare.

"I will have that too please miss." Crimson said tonelessly. He was sitting straight and correctly postured in his chair, and hadn't even picked up the battered menu. Evidently he'd planned to order whatever Gloom ordered from the start. He certainly looked like he could use the food after skipping breakfast in the mess hall.

"Certainly." The mare said, making a quick scribble on her note pad, "And what would you like for her?" She asked, nodding and smiling at Prey. The Earth ponies had been thrown by a sheep in Canterlot, but had smiled and greeted their new customers anyway, even if privately they thought it was very out of place for a non-pony to be in Canterlot. Not so private with Prey around.

"Her?" Gloom asked blankly.

"Your ah, lamb?" She asked Gloom after a second's uncertainty.

Gloom took a moment to catch on, "You can just ask him." He shrugged

The blue mare blinked, '-oh, right, duh. I'll make a suggestion from the foal's menu if she can't read, wait, she's a he? Oops-',

"Well little colt, ah, ram, do you need more time to decide or some help choosing?" She asked, smiling again.

Prey smiled back with his 'number two angelic innocence' smile while thinking, 'I could make you cry. All I would need to do is start asking questions.' But he wasn't seriously considering doing it. Gloom and Crimson were both present, and it would be nothing more than petty vindictiveness on his part.

So he just kept up the sweet smile and answered her in a voice filled with childish happiness, "Can I please have the leek and potato salad? It sounds great."

"Of course, coming right up." The mare chirped, bobbing a quick acknowledgement and heading back for The Happy Customer's kitchen. The moment her back was turned, Prey's smile dropped.

Gloom didn't offer one of his usual comments.

'-it's my day off, I'll deal with the kids behavioural problems after breakfast-' He decided. Crimson just flicked his wing and sniffed at Prey.

That left the three of them sitting in the courtyard amid the empty tables, waiting for breakfast to arrive as the sunlight continued to strengthen.

The courtyard walls provided some limited shade, and it wasn't in direct sunlight either, but Gloom was noticeably having to squint. Crimson too, to a lesser extent.

When ten minutes had passed in discomfort, Gloom finally stood up, "Let's move tables." He said, gesturing to one in the far corner of the courtyard and the most shielded from the sun. As a matter of fact, the chosen corner would've been dim to a normal pony, and certainly not a desirable spot to sit and eat breakfast on such a perfect morning.

It suited one thestral and one thestral clan exile just fine.

Prey didn't want to move, this seat provided a good seat to surreptitiously watch anyone coming or going, but he couldn't just state his reasons to Gloom, because that would upset the Sargent. So he just sighed and hopped down off his chair.

"Much better." Gloom mumbled once they were in the shade.

When the waitress came back out a minute later with their food balanced on her back, she was surprised they weren't sitting where she'd left them, but over in the corner instead.

"Was there a problem with the other seats or the table?" She asked.

"Not at all, we just wanted to sit over here." Gloom assured her.

"Are you sure? It's much nicer over there in the sun, and if the seats were uncomfortable or something I'm sure I can-"

"No really, it wasn't a problem. We just want to sit here, thank you.

"Oh I understand. But these really aren't the best seats, you should sit over there if you want, it's no trouble-"

"Thank you, but we want to sit here."

"But I could always-"

"-Here is fine. Thank you." Gloom interrupted, finally succeeding in getting the mare to leave them alone. '-moon send me strength, why must she be so pushy?-'

The problem was, that was how ponies behaved. They felt it was their right, and in many cases their Celestia given duty, to ask questions and try to be helpful to their fellow pony. However, that open and helpful nature only extended to other ponies and those who fit in. Prey was 99 percent certain that if Gloom hadn't been wearing the dusk pony amulet, they would've struggled to get the mare to even serve them.

"Finally, something not ruined by Cookie." Gloom sighed, taking a deep whiff of his grilled cheese and tomato. It certainly looked like it tasted good, and Prey's potato and leek salad did too.

This was the first time in his life Prey had eaten at any establishment. The Deeper Green and Dreverton had been distinctly lacking in cafes. As a result, it was a bit of a surreal experience to sit at a posh table, and pay someone to cook and present his meal to him, like some sort of lord.

'Is this what Canterlot ponies do everyday? Is this is what is considered normal?' He wondered.

He snuck a glance at Crimson, knowing the red pegasus wouldn't have experienced any of this before either. Crimson was just blinking down at his steaming food, his thoughts obviously miles away.

"There's no need to wait," Gloom said, having already taken a large bite of his toasted sandwich, "Hoooh, still hot." He gasped.

Prey checked his food for poison (as always), while Gloom continued to eat despite having just said his food was too hot. Crimson was also almost gingerly considering his own food. Evidently, it wasn't what he'd been expecting.

"This is...normal food for a citizen in Canterlot?" Crimson asked.

"Not too sure. Maybe? Perhaps when eating at a cafe? Food is much more diverse and readily available than it was back in the clans, and especially in Canterlot. Trade comes in from all over Equestria, things like mango too." Gloom took another large bite.

"Mango?" Crimson asked, sounding vaguely interested.

"Haven't seen any yet I'm afraid. This is good though, eat up." Gloom answered through his mouthful.

With Gloom's encouragement, Crimson did so, digging into his toasted sandwich with at first reluctance, then increased willingness as he discovered it tasted far better than the mess hall meals.

Prey's potato salad wasn't bad either. He wasn't concerned about taste, only that his food wasn't poisoned and that there was plenty of it. Originally that is.

Prey hadn't had a potato leek salad before. In fact, he'd never eaten a leek in his life. Some of the herbs in the salad he wasn't so sure about, but they hadn't tasted bad. It was...tasty actually. Tasty. Enjoyable. Not just eating for the sake of survival.

Prey looked down at his empty bowl, all but licked clean, 'I've never really had that privilege before.' He thought. He remembered the cupcake that the Solar Guard Sunshine had shared with him. To have such choice and luxury available...

Gloom fished the bits out of his saddle bag, removing an equal amount from each of the three bags to pay for their meals, '-that was completely worth sitting in the sun for-' Gloom thought, looking satisfied, '-but then, eating grass is preferable to Cookie's witch brews-'

"That was certainly good." Crimson opinioned.

"So, would you say it was worth it Prey?" Gloom asked.

"Food is food. The taste is appreciable certainly, but as long as I am not starving to death, I shan't complain." Prey shrugged.

Gloom sighed, "I give up." He said, leaning back leisurely in his seat.

"What happens now?" Crimson asked after a moment, looking around the dining courtyard.

"Now? Now it's our day off." Gloom answered.

"Oh. So what do we do?" Crimson asked.

Gloom shrugged, looking unhurried, "It's our day off. That means we can do whatever we want, within reason of course. The day's only just begun."

A moment of silence passed as they all looked around again. Prey spotted the waitress through the window of The Happy Customer waiting for them to make a sign that they were finished so she could come out and take the money.

"What now?" Crimson eventually asked, watching a pony couple walk past the courtyard entrance.

"Now we go and do our stuff for the day." Gloom answered simply.

"What stuff would that be?"

"Stuff we need to do. A day off is a respite period to get your affairs in order so you can more effectively perform your duty during the rest of the week." Gloom said.

"Ah, that is wise. Duty comes first." Crimson nodded.

"True, but this is still a day off. There will be time to relax after we're done. That's important as well." Gloom told him.

Crimson digested those words, "Relax?" He asked.

"That's what I said." Gloom agreed, still seemingly quite content after the good food.

"I'm not....This is not the clans. What do ponies do in Canterlot to relax?" Crimson asked.

"You know, stuff. Whatever they want." Gloom answered vaguely.

Crimson paused, "And what are we allowed to do?" He asked.

"We're not- We are allowed to do what everypony can, we're all citizens." Gloom said, then remembered he was talking to two people who could be considered ex-convicts in many ways. "You're free by law. Nopony's going to stop you or forbid you from going somewhere everypony else is also allowed to go." He assured them.

"So...What shall we do?" Crimson asked, bringing up the important question, "Once we have seen to our other tasks, that is."

Gloom realised he didn't have an answer, '-how should I know? I just brought us out into Canterlot because that's what you're supposed to do on your day off-'

Prey gave Gloom a shrewd look, "You don't know Canterlot life, do you? You're like both of us. We're all outsiders, trying to act normal and fit in, unsure of just how the average pony lives in Canterlot." He said, waving at the city outside of the courtyard.

Over the course of their meal, many more ponies had emerged as the morning started to progress, and were now trotting happily up and down the open street. Despite this being the lower middle class area, the ponies walking past still all appeared well off. Almost everyone of them wore articles of clothing anyway.

Prey's words were true. None of them fitted in, or even vaguely felt like they fitted in. They were part of the Night Guard, serving under the recently returned Princess Luna, and officially citizens of Canterlot. That didn't make the blindest bit of difference, they were still; '-all outsiders-'. However, only one of them was willing to admit that.

"You're choosing to only see the negative and giving up too quickly Prey. Not everything is against us you know." Gloom criticised him, sliding off his seat and standing up, "And I'll prove it. Come, we'll do what we have to, and then you are going to go and find something fun to do. I don't care what, but we're not going back until we've each done something fun."

Once they'd paid the bill, Gloom made a list of what they needed to do today. There was quite a lot of it. All those things that couldn't be done while constantly working overtime in the ISND had started to stack up.

Of course, there was a big difference between what Prey would class as essential and what Gloom classed as essential. However, there was an even bigger difference between what the three of them would call a necessity, and what the citizens of Canterlot called a necessity

Having each come from an austere life style, living with very little and often in some real form of danger of one kind or another, Prey, Gloom, and Crimson all had very little regard for the trappings of life that they passed on the marble streets.

For instance, the latest hat fashion was of zero concern to them, even if the hat store they passed aggressively advertising their wares obviously thought differently. Frilled hats, gold, silver or ribbon laced, cocked hats, wide brimmed, peaked, peacock feathered, russet red, topaz blue, and emerald green to name a few. Who cared?

Apparently, the 'fashionable' ponies of Canterlot did.

All three of them gave the hat stand a wide berth, but it was just one of many such stores. Fashion, paintings, silverware, jewellery, rich cloaks, mosaics, plush furniture, silks, exotic foods, wines, it was everywhere, and the ponies of Canterlot were happily partaking of the abundance of choice provided.

"...and let me tell you dear, I told him I absolutely, positively could not appear at his party if Goldie was going to be in attendance..."

"...and do you know what he said? Well, let me tell you dear..."

"...this is outrageous, I mean, look at this. See what Photo Finish has done again..."

Prey had some very choice thoughts about what they saw and heard, but he kept them private. Such things were not for 'polite' company.

Canterlot city was well known for its many statues and monuments, which they got to see ample evidence of first hoof.

The things seemed to be set up on every street corner, sometimes with flower beds planted around them, in materials ranging from brass to stone, all the way to gold plated in some cases. They passed one of a unicorn, cast in a scholarly pose with a scroll made of marble, and set in the middle of a tinkling, crystal clear water fountain.

Prey got a look at the plaque as they passed, 'Dancing Sunlight - Founder of The Unicorn Society of Chairs.'

Prey took it that it didn't meant actual chairs. A mare and stallion were pointing it out to their two young foals as the ISND went past in the background. Prey saw Crimson's eyes resting long on the young family even once they'd passed.

Prey silently copied him, peering through the legs of the crowd at the two happy foals. He was glad when Gloom turned the corner and they were lost from sight.

Gloom took them off the more main streets and away from the "Shopping district of Canterlot", as it was called. None of them had been comfortable there. It went without saying that they didn't hold any plans for venturing into upper Canterlot either.

Which just left the lower district levels of Canterlot, more commonly known as just 'Lower Canterlot'. As long as you were walking away from the Palace, you'd eventually find it near the city's vaulted edges over open sky.

Said levels were the same as where Jumping Jack and Holly Berry's house resided, the ones who'd been taking care of Tulip Bed. While their house was certainly beyond extravagant compared to Prey's old cabin, when held up against the mansions and big houses they'd passed on their way here, such an ordinary house could almost be called shabby.

A daisy is a perfectly nice flower, but it can hardly be compared to a rose, could it?

Prey supposed that by Canterlot's snobbish standards, this really was the back end of town, albeit a very large back end of town, a whole third of Canterlot at a rough estimate. And every single house here was of better make and finer construct than any he'd seen in Hay Steam.

Still, in the lower district, the pomp and fluttering banners were gone, replaced with more normal terracotta tiled roofs, narrower but still perfectly cleaned streets, less trees but more window flower boxes, and that sort of thing. The statues that'd been scattered everywhere in Upper Canterlot like a pox were mercifully absent too.

Who needed another garish statue of some long dead mayor or archmage anyway?

Canterlot was commonly acknowledged to be unofficially split into four sections, North, South, East and West. Not exactly creative, but it got the point across. Some disagreed or had their own terminology for how neighbourhoods and districts were divided, but if you thought of it in those four basic directional terms, you couldn't go far wrong.

In the middle of the lower district in the East quadrant, or there abouts, the trio of them came upon the 'lower shopping district'. When compared to the opulence of the upper district they'd recently vacated, it was more akin to a village market day, but only if it was a market day being held in somewhere like the richest capital city of Equestria. Oh wait.

So while it was a step down from the Upper Canterlot's market, it was still five steps up from anywhere else.

There were still many high end good's being sold down here, but there were also stalls more styled after the traditional market stalls set up in the square, brightly painted signs advertising their wares to the passing crowds.

Gloom looked around the bustling market square and nodded.

"I knew I had a good feeling about coming this way." He declared. '-this is much better-'

'Or in other words, your special talent hinted to bring us this way.' Prey thought, eyes darting about as he tried to be constantly watching for potential threats or opportunities. He wasn't looking forward to stepping into the square, his physical ears were already getting enough abuse from the noisy crowds without adding mental noise to the mix.

Mentioning ears, Prey was confident that his left ear would be back to full working order by tomorrow.

"What is it that we need to do here sir? I mean Gloom." Crimson asked, eyeing the crowd with much the same expression as Prey.

'-oh right, I'm supposed to be leading us to do something productive-', Gloom gave himself a mental slap on the forehead.

"Well, how about we get some cloud steel horseshoes for you Crimson? Remember we spoke about that?" Gloom suggested.

"If you think getting a set would benefit me, then I agree." Crimson answered.

"They're expensive, but well worth investing in. Especially if we're going to be travelling around a lot more on hoof with Prey. Or getting into fights. Not with Prey, but the walking bit." Gloom clarified.

Horseshoes would definitely help reduce the wear and tear on Crimson's hooves, especially in places with solid stone streets like Canterlot. Too bad for Prey he had cloven hooves then.

"I know there's at least one pegasus farrier who works cloud steel in lower Canterlot, we've just got to find his shop." Gloom said, looking around. "There's a metalworking and blacksmithy street somewhere here. I'll bet they'd be able to point us on the right flight path."

"I would very much like to stretch my wings today," Crimson said, "Very, very, much."

"Me too." Gloom agreed wholeheartedly. As winged ponies used to the freedom of the sky, being confined to the ground all the time was no doubt miserable. Both fliers had gone an entire week almost completely flightless, so now that it was their day off, they meant to reacquaint themselves with the joys their respective pony species granted them.

'-wish I could be out on night patrol over Hay Steam with the other thestrals tonight. Never any time for a proper night flight anymore-', Gloom thought wistfully, a gleam of anticipation in his eyes.

When Prey looked over and up at Crimson, he caught the same gleam there. Prey would dearly have loved to have wings like them, almost as much as he wished he had a horn so he could cast magic. It was a dark, personal little wish, one that originated in the hopeless misery of the Deeper Green, when survival was the only thing on his mind. He would never have admitted it to Crimson or Gloom, but he was jealous of their wings.

With wings, he could've been free.

Prey easily spotted the moment of annoyed realisation as they both remembered that he, the flightless sheep runt, was with them.

Prey gave a dramatic sigh at their reaction, "Oh, woe is me, I am forever bound to the cruel earth. Would that I might soar on Eagle's wings with you amongst the clouds." He rolled his eyes, "Just go flying already if you want to go flying."

Prey wasn't saying this to be nice or cooperative, but because if they flew off, then they'd have to leave him to his own devices for a while. He couldn't escape, but some time unobserved was the next best thing.

"We'll go flying later, once we're all done here." Gloom said to Crimson, not sure what he should answer to Prey, who couldn't fly, and so deciding it was best to not answer at all.

'-what would I say anyway? Thank you for letting us fly? Sorry that you can't fly?-'

"Who will stay with Prey then? If we are off on a flight, I mean. Because he cannot fly." Crimson wasn't as polite and asked the obvious question.

'-I should really talk to Crimson about tact soon-', Gloom thought, '-but who is going to stay with Prey? Take turns flying? No, that's just stupid-'

What option was there that Gloom could choose that wouldn't leave Prey unattended?

'-it would only be for a little bit though. But it's my duty to watch over him at all times. Him and Crimson-', Gloom corrected himself. He tapped his hoof on the pavement, caught up in thought.

'-him and Crimson. I have to look after them both. My duty is to watch them and their development, those are my orders. Make sure they don't waste their second chance, not that I think they will. Hmm, so the real question is, will Prey will be alright if we leave him for a little while?-', Gloom thought, looking out at the lower district market.

Gloom became aware that he'd been standing there for two minutes in silence in the shade of the alleyway. Neither Prey nor Crimson had moved or interrupted his chain of thought, both were just quietly waiting to hear his decision.

Gloom sighed to himself, '-even off duty, they still see me as somepony they have to follow orders from-'

'Oh yes, I'm sure it's all out of respect,' Prey thought, his patient mask on, 'And not because your thought chain is leading you to the exact outcome I want.'

Gloom decided to test the waters before he made any decision, "Prey, how would you feel if we left you alone while we took a flight?"

"Didn't I say if you want to go flying, you should just go flying?" Prey pointed out.

"Would you be fine by yourself though?"

Prey looked over the bustling market district, "Is there some hidden danger around here that I'm not aware of?"

Gloom flicked his ears, "No."

"Then I'll be fine. I imagine that I can survive without adult supervision for an hour or so." Prey said airily.

"Hold your hooves, we're not going anywhere just yet. We still have stuff to do, remember?" Gloom reminded him. Unnecessarily. Prey's memory was far superior to Gloom's, so if anyone needed the reminder, it wasn't Prey.

"Right, find the metalworks street, find a blacksmith, and then find a farrier to get cloud steel horseshoes for Crimson." Gloom said, leading the way out of their little alleyway.

"Where should we start looking?" Crimson asked, following.

"It's got to be close by. This is the market district after all, it should be easy to find." Gloom answered confidently.

"So you've no actual idea then?" Prey sighed as the three of them entered the bustle of ponies. He had to fight not to grimace in discomfort as he stepped into the crush of thoughts.

"I'll have you know that I have a very good idea which path to follow," Gloom replied, having to raise his voice slightly to be heard over the babble of voices, "It's this way." He announced confidently.

Gloom's cutie mark had directed them to an information board.

Technically, Gloom hadn't been wrong. His special talent had indeed pointed them in the direction they needed to go. But only to get further directions to where they actually wanted to go.

Gloom didn't say a word as they stopped to read over the map with its list of streets and 'You Are Here' marker.

The map was set a bit too high for Prey to see the outlined street routes, so he instead joined Crimson in reading the facilities and services listed lower down on the sign post. It would be a good idea to know what was in the area, as it might turn out to be exploitable. If there was somewhere dealing in magical texts or the components to mix bone rot, he would very much like to know. He could pass it on to Lemon Pink later.

Tuppence clock tower, Baker's Street, a foal nursery, a few jewellers, Hardy's Roof Repairs, a news agent, varied grocery stores, flower shops, even the city morgue listed in small, unassuming letters right near the bottom. No fancy name or title for that place, just 'The Morgue'. Ponies liked to keep any reminders of grim reality out of sight and mind as much as possible. Prey bet the morgue was probably understaffed and overworked too. People died. That's life. Or rather, death.

"There," Prey said pointing, pulling Crimson's gaze up to the correct spot in the list, "Iron street. Metalcrafts and artisans. An unimaginative name for the street, but at least it's informative."

"Ah, well spotted. Let's get moving." Gloom said, double checking the map before setting off at a brisk pace. He didn't mind the crowds quite as much as Prey, but still...

'-far too noisy-'

They managed to find Iron Street with little effort, despite the lower Canterlot district only having 'brass' street signs instead of 'gold' ones like in upper Canterlot. Seriously, the nobles and rich really went the whole nine yards to emphasise the difference between them and the 'lower classes'. Was there some local myth about gold street signs somehow being easier to read or something?

The signs were almost certainly just gold leaf anyway, since solid gold street signs would've just been plain impractical. So why bother trying to show off in the first place?

But never mind, that point was neither here nor there. Once they found Iron street, it was much like the information board had described. Metalcrafts and artisans, meaning a lot of decorative and curly metalwork sculptures on display in the shop fronts, fence post samples, black smithies and just what they were looking for, farriers.

Finding one which dealt in cloud steel horseshoes was a bit more difficult, but they managed to track down a pegasus one in the end.

Prey hadn't seen many pegasi in Canterlot, outside of the Royal Guard that is. He'd seen them flying messages and out shopping, but few that actually lived here. More likely, they chose to live in cloud houses. The dark blue pegasus who worked this forge didn't really have a choice in the matter, at least not if wanted to pursue his career in metalwork.

Anvils didn't do too well with only clouds for support, Prey imagined.

Prey waited outside, taking the opportunity to sit and rest his hooves while Gloom and Crimson talked to the farrier inside. To be accurate, Prey'd been told to wait outside, but that was fine. Trying to keep up with Gloom and Crimson over Canterlot's hard streets wasn't an easy endeavour for him. Crimson had again offered Prey a ride, which Prey had paid all the due consideration such an offer deserved. Meaning none.

There was a cheerful newspaper seller across the road on the corner of the street, trying, and succeeding for the most part, in attracting passerby's attention. Prey of course couldn't read the article from this distance, but he could make out the headline and the big, black and white front photo.

'Princess Celestia in Fillydelphia: Quells Parasprite Invasion!' and the picture was of a posh city square, presumably this poorly named Fillydelphia, full of cheering ponies, ridiculous flags, glitter, pomp, and ceremony.

Prey knew parasprites. They'd been everybody's fear back in the village. That a sufficiently big enough plague of them would descend and devour the crops before enough people could be gathered to sing and make enough noise to drive them off.

Here in Equestria, that would be a set back to any farming community. Out there, a parasprite swarm could mean starvaion for the whole village and death.

A yellow unicorn mare wearing saddle bags and a ridiculous sun hat went past close by, her head turning to regard the lamb in interest, but she didn't say anything and merely smiled at him as she passed. Prey stopped fiddling with the gold band on his foreleg and thinking about parasprites to nod politely back, playing the sweet little lamb.

Much like in upper Canterlot, Prey drew a lot of curiosity from those ponies who noticed him (not necessarily many. Prey was good at remaining unnoticed). Really, the only difference Prey could see between upper and lower class ponies was how much money they had to waste and how big it made their heads. On every other level, they were exactly the same.

Just as proud, blind, racist, and annoyingly cheerful as each other.

Much as Prey already knew, cloud steel was expensive.

It took a lightning forge and someone skilled in its use to create the metal with the correct cloud walking capabilities. Obviously, it was less useful to someone like Crimson who could already do that, but the real value lay in its incredible light weight durability. Unfortunately, (for Crimson), not just anyone could craft with lightning without frying their insides, so the price of a blacksmith who could was relatively high.

Seeing as how Gloom had instructed them to set aside a hundred bits out of their weekly earnings towards a flat deposit, his previous insistence that Crimson invest in a set of these horseshoes came across as a bit contradictory.

Fortunately, it was the farrier's policy not to accept payment until you were satisfied with his work, and seeing as how he wouldn't be making the shoes today anyway (needed the correct storm clouds for the lighting forge apparently), the problem of payment could be put aside until next time. After taking Crimson's hoof measurements and agreeing a price, they bid farewell to the farrier and left his establishment.

Prey looked up as the two of them emerged, their eyes narrowed against the sun.

"You know," Prey began, " I imagine that cloud steel, although difficult to make, isn't a high demand good. If he doesn't take payment in advance, it must also mean he sometimes ends up with spare horseshoes lying around that no one's ever paid for."

Obviously, his sharp ears had picked up the whole conversation.

Crimson tilted his head at Prey, not seeing where this was going, "Okay, that might be the case. But what of it?"

"I think you could have gotten a better deal is all." Prey commented blandly, pushing his ears back as he stood up.

Gloom shook his head in disagreement. "Twenty five bits per horseshoe is a fair price. That's more or less what my own cost, although they were from a different farrier." He said.

'-although, he didn't know I was a thestral then, but then, neither did this one-'

"I don't know much of the currency value in Canterlot, but I thought one hundred bits was a fair and balanced offer." Crimson said.

"You could probably have gotten him down to seventy bits total." Prey said.

"The price was fair on him as well Prey. Cloud steel can't be made by just anypony after all. We don't try to cheat ponies, Prey." Gloom remanded him.

"Sure, if you say so. You and Crimson going off for your flight now?" Prey asked, shifting the conversation.

"Play can come after work. There's still a number of things we've left to do, and we need to be back at the Guard compound by six don't forget."

'Doesn't really count as a day off if you still need to get back in time to cover a guard shift.' Prey thought. With the thestral teams starting their observation of Hay Steam tonight, everyone else in the Night Guard was no doubt working double time to cover their shifts.

"Alright then, off-duty Sargent Gloom sir, what's next on our agenda?" Prey asked, smiling up at the disguised thestral.

"I'm glad you asked."

Preys smile slipped a couple of millimetres.

It came as a great annoyance to Prey, that Gloom remembered his theft of that pathetic napkin, and was following through on his insistence that Prey write the shop a letter of apology, as well as send them the money. Prey had taken the cloth napkin to use as a bandage for his ear, and from his perspective, no apology was necessary. But Gloom was insisting, and his tone brooked no argument.

So it was that Prey found himself perched on a table top, in the back of a small post office, a quill in his hoof, writing the letter. He was sitting on top of the table because there were no chairs, and he couldn't have reached otherwise.

"There," Prey said, slotting the quill back into the inkwell and pushing the letter towards Gloom, "Does that satisfy you?"

His words might've sounded petulant, but in reality he didn't care about being forced to apologise like a real child might've been. However, some petulance was expected of him. What was annoying was the waste of his time.

"If you hand't broken the law and stolen, then you wouldn't be having to do this now would you?" Gloom returned, unmoved.

Prey didn't deign to answer.

Gloom hid a sigh of frustration and quickly read over the letter to make sure Prey had actually written an apology. If he was hoping to catch Prey in making a halfhearted apology, or perhaps a sarcastic one, he was in for a surprise.

The letter was a short, but heart felt apology, openly admitting to stealing from the store for selfish reasons. Included was regret at having done so, a promise to not do it again, and a hope that the bits enclosed would go some way towards making up for the transgression. Prey'd kept the language basic, to match with what would've been expected from a child.

Gloom read it and blinked, "Huh."

'-he actually wrote a proper apology. Thought for sure it would've been condescending or at least a bit sarcastic-'

Gloom obviously still failed to grasp a basic principle about Prey; which was that his sense of pride was his own.

Prey was willing to lay down in the mud and let people walk all over him, and even thank them for it, if it meant emerging otherwise unharmed. He'd literally been forced to do exactly that once before in the Resistance.

Making a fuss would only spark conflict between him and Gloom, something he wanted to avoid. Making sarcastic remarks between just the three of them was fine, Gloom was prepared to let that go. In fact, it was almost expected of Prey by now, and thus a requirement of the perceived personality he'd established. It wasn't far off his true one anyway, or what he thought was his true one at least. Wear a mask long enough and it becomes your real face.

But anyway, the point was that Prey could see Gloom wouldn't let this apology letter go so easily, so he didn't fight it.

"Do you know where to send this letter?" Gloom asked, unawares of Prey's musings.

"Bunt's and Burn's apothecary, seventh street off the main street, in Hay Steam." Prey promptly answered.

"You remember that? Even for a place we were just walking past?" Gloom asked, eyebrow going up.

"Will that be close enough for the mail pony to deliver do you think?" Prey asked in response.

It was Prey's understanding (from his five minute observance of the small post office), that as long as you got the general destination right, a description of the desired house was good enough for delivery, although he might be wrong. He'd never actually used the equestrian postal services before.

For some reason, it hadn't been one of the two privileges on offer in Dreverton. Those had been breathing, and the right to go insane.

"It should be good enough I think," Gloom said, already folding up the letter and tucking it into the envelope for Prey, "And without sounding patronising, owning up is the right thing to do Prey. Well done."

'Owning up was the stupid thing to do.' Prey mentally corrected.

He was annoyed by this waste of time, and the longer they spent in this small post office with ponies coming in and out, combined with the nosy worker behind the desk who was trying to listen in on the strange conversation happening between the small lamb and two pegasi (one of whom had yet to display any facial emotion), at the back of the store, the more annoyed Prey got.

"Now where are we on to? What's next?" Prey asked impatiently.

Gloom made to hoof the envelope back to Prey, and then paused midway as Prey's question started him down a parallel avenue of thought.

Gloom looked down at Prey's letter he had in his hoof, and had an idea, '-I should have done this already. It's unfair that they've had to wait this long-'

"Actually," Gloom started, placing the envelope back on the table top instead of hoofing it to Prey, "I think you should take the time to each write a letter to your family."

'No.' Prey thought, anger stirring in his thin chest. 'No.'

Crimson's jaw also clenched momentarily, "Sir, I have no family left." He stated, completely falling back on using Gloom's title in his moment of upset.

Gloom's ears went flat and he face hooved at his own thoughtlessness.

"I'm sorry Crimson, I... Forgot for a moment. That was a very poorly thought out suggestion on my part and I apologise. Will you please accept my apology?" Gloom said, actually bowing his head and holding it there as he waited for Crimson's response.

"Yes I accept. It was just a mistake. I mean, I know you didn't mean any offence by it." Crimson quickly said, wings ruffling up on his back. It seemed he wasn't used to getting apologies, or likely compliments either for that matter.

"Thank you Crimson, I should've only spoken to Prey. Will you excuse me while I continue to speak with him about sending a letter to his family?" Gloom asked politely and quite formally.

"Yes of course sir. I mean, that's only fair."

"Thank you."

Formal exchange done, Gloom finally turned back to Prey, "So, what would you like to write about to your family? It can be anything you want." He prompted.

Prey didn't move or give any indication he'd heard the thestral. Gloom misinterpreted Prey's silence as something else, because he moved closer and lowered his raspy voice.

"Come'n Prey, you know you should write to them. You don't have to be scared, your mother and brother still love you too, and they'll want to hear from you, no matter what you've done. Now's your chance to start over again and say sorry. Then you won't have this hanging over you head anymore, and, if nothing else, you'll at least know you tried. Won't that be worth it?" Gloom cajoled.

Prey had no words. He just continued to stare blankly up at Gloom.

And Gloom mistook that for vulnerability, and saw only what he thought he knew; A lamb, isolated from an early age because he didn't fit in, and so grew up too fast without having the proper moral grounding, yet underneath it all was still sometimes very much just a young child.

'-that makes it even more important he writes this letter. It's an opportunity that he cannot afford to miss-', Gloom thought, growing that much more determined in his misguided resolution.

"Come on Prey. Here, I'll write my own letter while you do yours. I won't ask or read it if that's what you're worrying. You can say whatever you need to them. Here, start writing it." Gloom urged, forcing the quill back onto Prey.

What else could Prey do? Slowly, he picked up the quill.

Gloom and Crimson still firmly believed that he'd recently lost his father, but still had a mother and a brother living somewhere in a village beyond the Ridgeback mountain range. And now Gloom wanted him to write them a letter.

Luna had been deceived by the dream he'd shown her. She'd obviously thought he'd been unawares of her presence in his dream, and along with whatever misleading reports the Night Guard had dug up, it had mislead her to this conclusion. Prey needed them to stay ignorant. If not, they might start asking questions. Or worse, Luna might start asking questions. If that happened, Prey was dead.

So he wrote the letter.

He didn't stop or pause until he'd finished.

When Prey was done he blew the ink, then folded it up and stuffed it into an envelope without letting Gloom or Crimson catch a glimpse of its contents. He wrote a false address on the back, and sealed it. If anyone intercepted or read the letter, they would only find a quiet apology to 'Dear Mother' and 'Big Brother', along best wishes for an upcoming birthday that didn't exist, and a hope to see them soon. No names, dates, or verifiable details.

Prey was calm. It was just a fake letter. It wasn't like he was writing to Gossamer's real mother or real brother.

He still wanted to rip the letter to shreds.

Gloom had also finished writing his letter to someone back in his clan, some stallion named Sharp Tooth, who from Gloom's thoughts sounded like a blood relative of some kind back in his clan. Crimson was meanwhile reading some poster on the notice board about an under attended astronomy club.

"Are we done now?" Prey asked calmly.

Gloom looked both over, taking in Prey sitting out of reach, just looking back at him with a closed expression.

'-that's enough progress for today-', Gloom decided.

"Alright, I think we can leave the rest of our tasks until later. Now seems like a good time for that flight before midday and it gets too bright and hot to fly."

"And me?" Prey asked.

"Hmm. How'd you feel if we left you in the shopping district while we're gone? You'll be safe enough there, and we should be gone no longer than an hour at most."

"I'll be fine."

"Great. See if you can't find something in the shops you like, provided it's small. Just, just don't wonder off or something."

Gloom wasn't entirely satisfied with leaving Prey alone, in lower Canterlot too, but this wasn't Westfallow Hollows or the wilds. Nor was Prey a typical foal who'd get lost or wonder off, and besides, he still wore the unremovable tracker bands if it came down to that. And the idea that the ponies of Canterlot themselves might pose a problem was almost inconceivable.

A normal citizen of Canterlot wouldn't have dreamed of leaving their child unattended, but Gloom didn't have any children, and in the thestral clans they did things a little differently.

The thought did occur to Gloom that, '-there's still the foalnapper who took Rocky Bed out there somewhere-', but again, Prey wore the bands, and he was going to be in a public place at all times. It would be fine.

"Sure, whatever. I can do that." Prey shrugged. He just wanted them to leave him alone for a while.

Prey held up an ear above his eyes as a sort of sun shade, and squinted to avoid any dust as Gloom and Crimson took a running start and jumped into the air. One pair of feathered wings, and one freshly un-illusioned leathery set powerfully beat the air as they gained height and rose up above the open shopping distinct.

The two of them had easily been able to gain enough space for take off by dint of the fact that Gloom had ducked into an alley and removed the dusk pony amulet. The thestrals wanted to keep the amulets a secret, hence removing it out of view, and the illusion wouldn't have held up under observation once Gloom was in flight.

With Gloom's normal slit eyes and leathery wings restored, everyone had given them plenty of room, like a pike swimming through a shoal of minnows. It wasn't hard to spot the laughably horrified glances that were shot at Gloom's back when ponies thought they weren't looking.

Not many of them noticed Prey, the lamb's small stature letting him mostly stay under everyone's line of sight, and Gloom had served to draw most of the attention anyway.

Prey let his ear flop back down and weighed the small draw string bag in his other hoof. Gloom had given it to him before they'd flown off. Prey estimated from its weight that it held about thirty bits. He emotionlessly watched the two dwindling figures settle into their flight, a long loop that would take them around Canterlot.

'Good riddance.'

Wrapping the bag up tightly to prevent any clinking, Prey held it in his mouth and slipped away.

'This place disgusts me.' Prey thought as he snuck past the shops and stores. He watched ponies milling about, talking, haggling, laughing, and gossiping. For them, just another average day. This was the norm in their safe little lives, and Prey was an outside observer.

The lamb Gossamer used to really enjoy doing this sort of thing, going around the village watching other people live their lives and wondering what made them tick. They all had their own stories, motivations, worries, and joys.

Prey did neither. He didn't wonder nor enjoy it. Besides, he already knew the answer. He could hear it all their thoughts, see it in their actions, read it in their body language. They were just...normal Canterlot citizens. Normal ponies. So completely different from his own sphere of life and experiences.

'Like chalk and cheese.' He thought, ducking into the narrow alley way behind some superfluous clothing store.

Prey double checked his surroundings as he proceeded down the short alleyway, before taking a seat against an empty wooden crate that looked like it had been sitting there for months, making himself comfortable on the cobbles. Even the alleyways in Canterlot were properly paved it seemed.

Inside the alley it wasn't that dark, Gloom and Crimson would have probably found it perfect actually, but the difference would still serve to temporarily sun dazzle anyone who stepped in out of the sunlight. A useful feature.

A shadow fell over the crate. There'd been no clatter of approaching hooves on the cobbles. The yellow unicorn mare from earlier with the ridiculous sun hat and saddle bags stood there.

Prey nodded up at her, "Lemon Pink. You can take off the hat." He said.

The mare removed the floppy sun hat, revealing the sharp horn of Lemon Pink, which was aglow, "Master Prey." She greeted him blankly.

"Just Prey," Prey reminded her, feeling a lot like Sargent Gloom just then, "How difficult is that illusion to maintain?" He asked, back to business.

"Reasonably difficult. Maintaining it is quite a drain on my magic more than anything else." Lemon Pink answered, just the tiniest bit of strain in her voice.

"Stop then for now, save your magic for later. There's no one else here who might see us." Prey ordered. Having created the being known as Lemon Pink and trawled through her memories, Prey knew where Lemon Pink's magical talents lay. Illusions were not one of them, but neither was it on a completely opposite branch of magic.

Magic came in many flavours and types. Many unicorns only used telekinesis and spells from their attribute, or alternatively magic that was tied to whatever form their special talent took during their whole life. Spells too different to their normal attribute were far more difficult to learn and use, not to mention more magically taxing than those they were good at or granted special skill with by their cutie mark.

A simplified explanation would be those who knew ice magic would find it very difficult to learn or use fire magic, and vice versa.

Wordlessly, Lemon Pink let the magic drop, returning her appearance to that of her real pink coat and wispy three tone mane. Her stance immediately looked less tense, although her illusion had been doing a good job of hiding that stress in the first place.

Lemon Pink's magical strength lay in mind magic. Illusion wasn't too dissimilar, but that didn't mean it was easy for her to use.

Actually, the illusion spell Lemon Pink had been using had originally come from Prey's own memory, which he'd imprinted into hers. Prey'd never cast a magical spell in his life, but he'd read and memorised the spell matrixs and casting sequences for quite a number.

Most of the magical spells Prey knew came from texts he'd raided from the Border Guard. That meant the books had been under lock and key, which also meant those magical texts had almost all been outlawed or forbidden in some way. And now he'd given all them to Lemon Pink to learn and practice. Unfortunately, the powerful spells (and indeed even many of the middle tier ones), would be outside of her capabilities.

Following her creation, Lemon Pink's magical reserves and talent were now below average, but Prey was eager for Lemon Pink to master the spells that were still inside her capabilities.

"What do you have to report?" Prey asked.

He didn't question how Lemon knew he'd be here, since he'd been the one to write it on the note after all. As for finding them amid the crowds and streets, that was hardly an issue for someone with a copy of Prey's memories. This face to face meeting wasn't strictly necessary, but the opportunity had presented itself yesterday when Gloom told him they'd be having a day off today.

"Little progress has yet been made with the the list of tasks you gave me. I have not had enough time yet." Lemon Pink answered. She didn't say it as an excuse, just a statement of the facts.

Prey waved it off, "It's only been a few days, and progress will be slow regardless. The tasks on that list are not easy ones, but continue following it to the best of your abilities. Prioritise from the top down. As for the names, I don't expect much to come of it, but if you do come across one of them, you know how to proceed."

"Have you learned anything more about the Mistress of the Night's gifts?" Lemon Pink asked, motioning to the gold bands on Prey's legs. There it was once again, the one thing that Prey didn't like about his new creation. Her respect for Luna.

"Nothing new. I will continue to create different runic arrays to help study them. If or when the time comes, a place sufficiently prepared to remove the bands will be required." Prey said, turning his foreleg this way and that to examine the alicorn made gold band. It still made his skin crawl if he thought about what he was wearing too hard.

"Fourth on the list." Lemon Pink agreed simply.

"There will be other..." Prey went quiet and cocked his head, listening, "...Hoof steps nearing the corners, two sets, separate directions."

Nabbing up the drawstring purse, he and Lemon Pink both stepped closer to the wall, and Lemon's horn started to glow as she cast an illusion over them. No orders were necessary, they both knew what to do.

Without a sound, both of them vanished from view, leaving the alley looking exactly as it had before they arrived.

As long as they didn't step out from the illusionary veil separating this end of the alley from the next, they should remain unnoticed. As long as they refrained from making any noise, and the alleyway was out of direct sunlight so they wouldn't cast any tell tale shadows.

Prey and Lemon Pink watched as the two ponies came into view. The word, 'shady', or the phrase, 'up to no good' came to mind without much effort.

The two ponies, both unicorns, were making it painfully obvious by the way they kept looking over their shoulders and trying to move stealthily that their business was less than savoury. Key word being tried. Prey had seen stealthier inanimate plants.

The one approaching from the left, a coal furred stallion wearing a long coat, spotted the other unicorn first. Out of the two, he was the less conspicuous one.

"You're here?" The stallion asked in a low voice, making the other one jump and glance around wildly before settling down once he spotted who'd spoken. Prey and Lemon weren't too close by, but there was little other noise and Prey's hearing was excellent, so he could hear the two dodgy characters just fine.

"Oh, good, it's just you. Celestia, you made me jump there for a second." The stallion sighed, a nervous twitch in his ear as he tried to smile. This unicorn was a light red colour, with a snub horn on his forehead.

"Sorry about that, but you're here now, so it's all good." Coated unicorn answered.

The illusion separating Prey and Lemon Pink from the two unicorns didn't make them individually invisible. Thus, when Prey raised a questioning eyebrow up at Lemon Pink, who was squashed in beside him, she saw the gesture.

Lemon swivelled her eyes up to look at her horn and then nodded, indicating she was fine with maintaining the illusion for now. Then her eyes turned back to the two stallions talking in low voices, and made a tiny motion that could've been a shrug, signalling she didn't know either.

Prey was standing closer to Lemon Pink than he was willing to do with anyone else, and definitely any other unicorn, but there was none of the usual irrational fear that plagued him. And even if there had been, Prey wouldn't have risked moving anyway. He might have no fear of Lemon Pink, but there were two unicorns just down the alley who looked like they would react poorly if they became aware they were being observed.

So he and Lemon stayed completely still and silent as the unicorns continued their exchange. After a few minutes quiet but intense looking talking, with the red unicorns jitters not going away, they finally reached the reason for their meeting.

Red unicorn hurriedly whisked out a bag of bits and magically passed it over.

Coal stallion wasn't in nearly as much of a hurry and patiently counted through the money as the other unicorn kept shifting nervously and looking every which way.

"Relax junior, nopony's going to come this way." Coal told him, putting the bits away in his long coat and taking out a sealed brown paper bag. By this point, Prey would've had to have been mentally impaired not to realise what he was watching. The red pony's eyes snapped onto the bag.

"Uh uh, first we need to talk, pony to pony." The coat wearing stallion said, floating the paper bag out of reach when the other unicorn eagerly reached for it.

"I've already paid you." He protested.

"Yes, and you'll get what's yours, don't worry. I'm just trying to do you a favour here and warn you about next time before you take off." The darker unicorn reassured him.

"What warning?" The other demanded, eyes flicking back and forth between the bag and the pony levitating it.

"Don't worry, the price of salt isn't going up if that's what you're thinking. We're friends, you know I wouldn't do that to you. But demand is going up, but my supplier can't get it in any faster. I got other ponies depending on me too you know, junior. Just to warn you, you might want to think about getting some more soon before somepony else does. You know, so you have an emergency stash." Coal coat warned, finally passing over the paper bag of drugs.

The red unicorn stuffed it away into his saddle bag without even checking its contents, "Thanks...But, do you have any more on you right now?" He asked, restlessly shifting from hoof to hoof.

Coated stallion tapped his chin and waggled his ears back and forth and pretended to think.

"Hmm...I got that one, and another for her...oh, and two for them...Hmm, I think I got another bag to spare on me actually. Want it?" He asked.

The other unicorn hesitated briefly, tail swishing nervously, "Well if it's like that...and its going to be hard to get more any time soon...okay then, I'll take it." He decided, pulling out another bag of bits and started to count out the correct amount into the other stallion's waiting hoof.

'This is mildly amusing.' Prey thought as he watched.

Here he was, a member of the ISND, and there was a salt deal going on not fifteen paces away. And he didn't care.

Another questioning look at Lemon Pink, and she confirmed that she was still good to hold the veil, despite the light sweat that'd begun to bead her brow.

She would know her own limits though, so Prey trusted her judgement. The two of them continued to wait as the other unicorns concluded their business and exchanged goods, before the light red furred one made a hasty exit. That just left the drug dealer.

Now that it was just one of them, Prey and Lemon could've made a move on him, but what would be the point?

Their drug trade didn't affect or threaten Prey, so why potentially put himself in danger trying to stop just this one instance if it? Crimson and Gloom definitely would have, no doubt about it, but he wasn't a fool like them.

The coated stallion double checked he was alone, then removed his coat and flipped it inside out, turning it from carkey to a much more fashionable and smooth green colour. He then pulled out a pair of wire rimmed spectacles and pushed them onto his muzzle.

Disguise complete, the stallion left in the opposite direction to the one he'd arrived.

Prey was mildly impressed, but only mildly. The disguise only rated as second best at most, and wasn't the stallion a unicorn anyway? Why not learn the magic necessary and invest the energy for a proper disguise? 'Lazy, sloppy, and amateurish.' Prey thought, passing his judgement.

"You can drop the veil now." Prey said, glancing up at Lemon Pink who'd been waiting for his order.

The magical illusion over them winked out of existence without any fanfare, making it look like they'd just appeared back in the alleyway, not that there was to anyone around to see the effect.

Lemon Pink took a moment to catch her breath. Maintaining a veil was harder than just an illusion covering herself. Having to project on a larger, non-solid surface area, and not one that was already circulating with her own familiar magic, was quite difficult Prey understood. He didn't offer any praise or thanks, Lemon had just done what needed to be done. Both of them understood that, and so there was no point in mentioning it.

"There will be other lists and instructions left in the place I showed you," Prey started, picking up from where they'd left off before the drug dealer and his client had interrupted them, continuing on as if nothing of consequence had happened.

"And at some point, Gloom has determined that I and the pegasus Crimson are to hire rooms outside of Canterlot Palace. That will be an excellent opportunity, but it's not going to happen right away. It will take at least another two weeks as it currently stands, with a three out of four chance it's actually three weeks. But be ready." Prey instructed.

"Yes, Prey." Lemon Pink acknowledged.

"Good. Next contact will be the same as last time."

"Yes, Prey."

"You may go now." Prey didn't need to ask whether there was anything Lemon wanted to say. If it was important, then she would've already brought it up.

No goodbyes were exchanged.

Lemon Pink just put the floppy sunhat back on, recast her disguise, and departed without delay. It was just Prey left, standing next to an old crate in the empty alley way.

Prey looked back towards the alley's far end, opening back into the shopping district. He still had the bits that Gloom had given him, and he had no real use or want for them. He could go find something random to spend it on. He'd never had spending money before. There had never been enough back on the farm.

'Back on the farm.'

Gloom had made him write a letter to a farm that no longer existed. To a family that was dead. It hadn't been done maliciously, nor had it done him any physical harm, but it still rankled.

'Nothing to be done about it.' Prey thought. Gloom and Crimson would be gone for a little while longer. He should take this opportunity to continue to look around.

Picking up the little draw string bag, Prey left the alleyway.

"...perfect day to go up, I'll be taking my two colts to show them the new..."
"...twenty two bits? Which pony would pay twenty two bits for..."
"...one copy of the Canterlot Times please. Thank you."

Prey wove his way through the crowd, passing unnoticed through all the clamour of and conversations taking place. But as usual, that was only half the noise.

'-Trotites need to win their next hoofball match. Should I bet on it?-'
'-all that Crop Sharer nonsense in the papers. Glad they live outside of Canterlot-'
'-pick up some lemon sherbets for Gumdrop on my way through-'

The mention of 'lemon' made Prey back tracked for a moment to catch that last thought again, but found out that the thinker had just been referring to a type of hard candy with a fizzy sour filling. Prey obviously couldn't listen to and process the multitude of thoughts he overheard from the crowd, so instead he listened out for key words or phrases. Lemon could have meant Lemon Pink, but no, it had just been a stray thought about some sweets.

Prey wondered what lemon sherbets tasted like. He'd never had one before. There'd never been the chance before.

Prey remembered that vanilla cupcake the Solar Guard, Sunshine, had split with him. It'd been really good, deliciously sweet and wonderful, so unlike anything he'd ever gotten to eat before. Maybe lemon sherbets also tasted like that? Should he acquire some?

'Well, they're not likely to be poisoned, Gloom did tell me to find something to buy, and it's unlikely there will be a hostile confrontation I might be caught up in inside a candy shop, and I don't particularly care about this money... So there's probably no harm if I try one for myself.' Prey thought, completely over analysing the simple decision to sample sweet confectionery.

'First step, find a shop or store which sells lemon sherbets.' Prey decided.

Prey carefully undid the twist of paper and popped another lemon sherbet into his mouth. He'd eaten eleven already, and the colourful paper bag next to him on the steps was now only half full.

The taste was...not anything that he could have predicted.

Candy simply hadn't existed in the village. Actually, the Earth pony land lords foals might've had candy, but certainly none of the actual villagers had ever tasted the brightly coloured sweets.

Prey liked them, these lemon sherbets. He wished Gossamer and Fleece could have enjoyed them together, that sharp, fizzy sweet and sour taste you got to once you broke through to the candies interior and the sherbet bubbled out onto your tongue. Absentmindedly, Prey neatly folded up the twist of grease paper the candy had been wrapped with into a small square, before putting it back in the bag.

It wasn't that he didn't want to litter, but leaving no trace was second nature to him.

Prey was sitting on a disused step at the far end if the shopping district where few would notice him, in the shade and out of the way. No one was going to come by and want to use these steps, because they didn't lead anywhere. Just up to a decorative stone alcove in which a statue had been erected, the display area overshadowed by the buildings around it.

The sweet shop he'd bought the lemon sherbets from had been one of four, named Candy Canes n' Sweet Stuff, and the only one run by an Earth pony, which was why Prey had gone in there.

The Earth pony was a mare, called Sweet Stuff. Easy to see where the sweet stores name came from. Anyway, she'd been quite shocked to see a sheep in Canterlot. Prey'd had to address her three times before she snapped out of just staring stupidly.

Following that, he'd had to convince her, (by pre-emptively answering the unvoiced questions he read in her thoughts), that there wasn't anything amiss.

It was the same concerns as always, she just saw a little ewe by herself, out of place, not where she was supposed to be, and thought that somepony (meaning herself), had a duty to stick her muzzle in and try and sort out what she thought was 'a problem.'

Prey had gritted his teeth, smiled brightly with number seven, bright bubbly innocence, and wasted the two minutes necessary to convince her:

"No miss, there's nothing wrong, don't worry, my daddy's gonna' be back in five minutes. Oh he's not my real dad, dads over at nanny's, I mean Daddy Uncle, and I really like him cauz' he's nice to me and let's me buy treats and brings me to Canterlot on his week off. Isn't Uncle Daddy great?"

With her sense of propriety and civic duty satisfied, Sweet Stuff had finally gotten over herself and done as Prey had wanted and sold him a bag of lemon sherbets. Five bits for the bag of sweets. Decadent.

Prey now wondered if he should've bought more.

'There were many other candies in there. Strawberry drops and ginger snaps sound nice. Perhaps I should try some of those next time. If there is a next time.' Prey thought, switching the lemon sherbet from one cheek to the other.

Prey wasn't sure how he felt about this. Buying candies and enjoying them was out of place, unnatural, wrong.

Nice things like this didn't happen. War criminals didn't sit on the steps and eat lemon sherbets. At least they shouldn't.

'But hey,' Prey thought with a mental shrug, 'This is the heart of the pony kingdom. Where privilege and entitlement go hoof in hoof with weakness and naivety. It's hardly the strangest thing that's happened in my life.'

This was...nice, in a way, even if it was only going to be for a brief while. Not being in Canterlot, or around ponies, that wasn't nice. Sitting by himself, with no one trying to assert their authority over him, just eating sweets, that was nice.

It was a shame that the statue behind him spoiled it a bit, giving the feeling it was staring imperiously down at him while his back was turned. If he'd come across something like that out in the Deeper Green, he would've run a mile. A statue that was looking at you wasn't something to be laughed at. You might wake up in the middle of the night and find that fire had gone out and the statue had followed you back to your camp.

But this was Canterlot. It was ruled by the Sun Goddess, who jealously safeguarded her little ponies from reality. There was no way the Sun Wolf would let something dangerous like a monster disgusted as a statue inside her capital city. She would know straight away, and like a mother wolf, would reek swift retribution on the unfortunate creature suicidal enough to set claw inside her den.

That, and Prey doubted the statue of Luna behind him was secretly the petrified remains of Nightmare Moon waiting to resurrect. That being said, the statue over his shoulder was still of his second most hated alicorn in existence.

Prey pulled another sherbet from the paper bag, and shot a glance over his shoulder at the statute. It was the only one in the whole city of Canterlot that he'd seen so far of the Moon Goddess.

Just passing through upper Canterlot on the way down here, Prey had counted twenty three different statues depicting Celestia in some fashion. Just another way to subconsciously influence her citizens and inspire loyalty.

But there was only one statue of Luna, set here in the lower district, off to the side in this alcove. It was unattended too. Prey'd been sitting her for the last fifteen minutes, and no one had even given it more than a passing glance. For Celestia's statues, many had looked, even if they didn't stop, up at the Sun Wolf's carved likeness with smiles.

'She certainly likes to keep them blindly loyal. They never see the fangs she turns on the outside world, all wrapped up safe under her wing' Prey condemned.

True, Luna had only recently returned, and hadn't had a millennia present in the city to have scores of memorials dedicated to her, but this still reeked of a very half hearted effort to even the scales at best.

The graffiti on the base of the statue hadn't gone unnoticed by Prey either. It wasn't obvious, but someone had still scratched on there; 'Nightmare's Pet'.

That no one had removed the graffiti also told a story.

Prey noticed Gloom's gently sloping approach coming in from above the streets, and stood up. It wasn't a surprise, he'd been watching the sky, and the bat wings made it easy to identify the thestral. Prey hadn't been hiding either, or rather he'd only been avoiding ponies at ground level. Didn't want Gloom thinking he was trying to run away or something. Gloom's special talent probably gave him a clue which way to fly anyway.

That did leave the question, where was Crimson? Which was exactly the question Prey asked once Gloom had landed.

"He wasn't quite done with flying yet. He wanted to stretch his wings a bit further." Gloom filled Prey in. "What'd you get?" He asked, looking at the bright paper bag.

"Lemon sherbets. It's a kind of candy." Prey said challengingly, waiting to see what Gloom would do.

"Oh. Never heard of them." Gloom shrugged blithely. He was looking at Luna's statue and contemplating how much had changed in the last three months.

'-it's still unbelievable that the Lady of the Night has been returned to us after all these years-'

Prey gave himself a mental slap, his mental expectations had slipped back into the time of the Resistance. Why would Gloom care if he ate sweets? He'd probably never tried a lemon sherbet in his life either. That didn't mean Prey was going to share. These were his.

"I take it Crimson will be returning soon then? Fifteen to twenty minutes?" Prey checked.

"Yes, he asked if he could take this chance to make up for all the flying he's missed." Gloom answered half listening, thoughts still on the past and the changes Luna had brought to the clans.

"And you didn't join him because the sun was growing too bright for your eyes." Prey guessed, although it was hardly a guess.

"Right." Gloom rasped in reply, still not really listening. Something had put the Sargent in a contemplative mood, and in the shade of Luna's alcove was apparently a good a place as any to reminisce while waiting for Crimson to finish his solo flight.

Prey returned to his step and sat back down. He had a bag of lemon sherbets to work his way through.

He wondered when Gloom would notice the graffiti on his goddesses statue and how well that would go down.

The answer was, seven minutes and forty two seconds. It probably should have been sooner, but Gloom wasn't looking for any graffiti, so he didn't notice it until now. Then, he silently fumed about the defacement.

Prey sat on his step and ate his candy, completely oblivious to Gloom's outrage. On the outside anyway. Privately, Prey was laughing at him.

When Crimson finally swooped down to rejoin them, Gloom didn't say anything about the graffiti either, although he resolved to, '-speak with somepony responsible and have them do something about this disrespect-'

Crimson had a strange look on his face, staring right through Prey without seeing him, his tufted ears back. His mental walls were in an odd state too, locked down tighter than Prey had ever seen from the red pegasus before, and his expression looked like he was trying to suppress a grimace. Or possibly heaving.

"Enjoy your flight?" Prey asked, smiling.

Crimson didn't even notice he'd been addressed, eyes still focused a million miles away.

"Enjoy your flight?" Prey repeated, this time waving a hoof in front of him.

Crimson finally blinked and turned to see what Prey wanted, "Pardon?"

"I take it you enjoyed your chance to take an extended flight after all this time confined to the ground yes? And nothing went wrong it seems." Prey said, easy smile still in place.

Crimson's wings spasamed, but only for a second. He turned to fully face Prey and Gloom, "I crossed flight paths with the Royal Guard, Feather Nimbus, on the way back here. He was off duty." He told them.

Gloom's ears went up, "Did something happen?" He asked.

Crimson gave a slow nod, "Yes." He answered distantly.

"What happened?" Gloom asked, frowning now.

Crimson finally seemed to fully return to himself, and he gave his head a shake, lanky mane mussing up.

"I have been invited to play hoofball," Crimson said blankly. He turned his gaze to Gloom, "What is hoofball?"