Chapter One
Solar Eclipse shook her mane and straightened her clothing; the tight dark leather was perfect for blending into corners and protecting her but was a demon to take on and off. Slinging her satchel over her shoulder, she opened the door and checked the mirror one last time. Granted it was not of much use because of the clear smash in the centre, but it did let her see that she would blend in well. Her dark grey fur and sapphire mane allowed her to do her job perfectly, it didn’t hurt that her talent was manipulation. Be it trying to convince her way out of something, staying out of sight or finding a way through a lock, she always managed to manipulate the situation at hand perfectly. Stepping out onto the cracked and cobbled alleys of Canterlot and into the moonlit world, she considered the task at hand, possibly the largest job she had taken up. The Canterlot Vaults were not nearly as big a bank as the name suggested, being a small company, it had found no way to outdo The Bank of Equus and turned to private protection, offering more in-depth and premium protection for those with the wealth to store. However, it had not taken off that well and now served as a temporary storage for royal affairs, holding the currency of visiting royalty, counts and barons. It had no history of robbery and did its job very well with a small security team and a single royal guard to put things in order, no-one had noticed it.
Despite that, her client had decided it was about time that somebody put some worry into the royals; he had hired her to make her way in and out with the prized Jewel of Griffonia, which had been foolishly left in the vault as the visiting royal had assured Celestia that nothing would happen to it. Solar grinned as she made her way, almost jauntily, to the streets that held the location. Temporary had not been on the mind of the griffon, she would be sure he would realise his mistake and her client would be one jewel richer. He had offered her something she couldn’t refuse really, a recommendation to all he knew, a nice sum of bits and a grand house in a nearby village, one she knew had transport to Canterlot which would make taking jobs there as easy as ever. Having a reputation with somebody as influential as her client was extremely useful to someone of her calibre. More jobs meant more bits in her account and that was certainly progress. Few could claim to be held in such high esteem, then again, few could claim to have her uncanny abilities. Shaking her head, she brought her mind back to reality and found herself on the street that held the establishment, now all she had to do to prepare was find a good vantage point to scope out the building with. Making her way behind the nearest building, which happened to be a bakery, she began to scale her way to the roof out of sight and out of mind of any patrolling guards or nosy citizens.
The roof tiles were uneven and brittle, meaning she had to take care not to break one off. A falling tile would be a dead giveaway to her location. Flying was also off the table, as it always was when taking on jobs, the last thing a thief would want to leave at the scene of a crime is a feather that can be conveniently used to trace them, no amount of stealth could prevent being followed by magic. Unless it applied in the same way as detection magic… She made a mental note to find a willing unicorn to test her theory later, but for now uncertainty is not the best of mindsets, so she banished the idea of flying to the structure and continued along the bakery’s roof. Reaching the end, she leapt to the Vault’s gable and scanned the tiles beneath her, if one were to come loose she would have to catch it before it fell off the roof entirely. Confident none had fallen, she made her way to the edge of the roof and looked down the building’s side. A sentry in the window beneath her, looking out over the rear of the place and a royal guard at the back door, making sure that an intruder could not pass by. She knew where the vault was, her client had told her, although she did not question where he recovered the information. Questioning such influential and important criminals was not on her to do list.
Soon, she decided on her move and slowly began to climb down the side of the building shadowed by the moonlight. Making little noise, she dropped to the dirt of the building’s surroundings and crept her way round to the back door, she knew this was the quickest way in and out from her previous observations of the location, few ponies ever came through the hallway that led to the vault and back door, it made it so easy to get in. All the trust was placed in the royal guard to raise the alarm or deal with an intruder if a problem arose, unfortunately for him, he would not get the chance. Moving through the shadow of the building towards the glow of the back-door Solar was taken aback to see that the guard was a captain. That made things slightly more complex. If he were to catch sight of her appearance he would not be dismissed if he pointed her out. The guard captains were highly respected and only the most experienced soldiers made it to the rank, few people would bring up the idea of a mistake in identity.
Solar debated with her method, would it be possible to simply slip past him? He was awfully close to the doorway, so she couldn’t help but think she had to go through him. She didn’t feel like taking her chances with fighting a royal captain, at the best it would leave her weak and at the worst she would be… Best not to think of that outcome. Besides, he would easily have enough time to call the security team and that just wouldn’t do, the job was meant to be as quiet as possible. Although she had been given the ‘go-ahead’ to kill or otherwise incapacitate anybody in her path, it didn’t change the distaste she had for such a blunt method; she couldn’t help but smile, however, at the idea of simply fighting anyone in her path until her route to the safe was untouched. No, she would have to catch him off guard and be sure to silence him before he can raise the alarm. Luckily, she had just the thing, one of her most useful and dark abilities.
Crawling closer in the shadows she crept to his side, staying silent and unseen the entire time before standing up just behind him. She clamped a hand over his mouth and opened her own, revealing four sharp and long canines that stood out from her regular herbivore teeth. Her fangs sank into the guard’s jugular vein causing a slight red glow to emanate from her blue eyes, the blood from the vital vein was sucked through the fangs and into Solar’s own bloodstream. The taste was intoxicating, she hadn’t fed in weeks; she simply hadn’t worked up the courage to bite anyone, besides it wasn’t like she required it. But the taste, it was delicious. His struggling against her hold began to falter as the energy from his blood cells transferred to her instead of his muscles. She wasn’t going to kill him, as much as she wanted to keep feasting on that nectar, she didn’t want a high ranking official to be dead on her hands, besides she wasn’t comfortable with murder.
His movements had died down to little more than shakes now, he was paler than before; quite the achievement considering his fur was white to begin with. Breathing had also died down, granted it was there but now it was just enough to survive and certainly not enough to call out. He limply leant against Solar as she lowered him to the floor, quickly gagging him just in case. Despite his horn, she knew that he would not be able to cast a spell, he was far too weak with so little blood. Pulling away, she licked her teeth, gathering any loose droplets that could remain on the outside of the enamel. The glow faded from her eyes and she turned to the hall, not letting the taste pull her away from her task entirely. Stepping forward, she made her way down the carpeted stretch, all the while checking her surroundings for any sight or sound that could be after her. Not a single soul decided to check on her, nor her activities while she knelt before a strong wooden door that led to the vault. Locked, as it should be. She slipped her hands into the opposing bracers on her arms and slid out two instruments, one a lockpick, the other a thicker metal utensil that would be used to turn the lock once all pins were held down. Lockpick number one went into the lock and the utensil placed into the lower portion; scraping in a circle while moving ever down the length of the lock, the lockpick soon slid into a small dip in the metal, one that was giving away ever so slightly. She pushed the lockpick up with little resistance and the first pin clicked into the open position, generally Canterlot locks had around three pins but with this one leading to a vault, she imagined it would have to contain more.
Rinsing and repeating the process she soon had five pins held at their most pressed position, this effectively mimicked the result given by a key. Now, she held them in place and using the larger lockpick she rotated the lock, opening the door with a quiet click. Retracting her tools, she pushed the door open and slipped inside, sliding the lockpicks back into her bracers, now she had the task of opening the safe itself. The beauty of her plan and indeed that of her client’s is that unlike most thieves, she had no need to disarm any detection magic, it all used the basic detection of life spell as a base and fortunately her vampirism meant that to all means of magic, she was already dead. Luckily, this method of detection was so effective against robbery that there was regularly no other magical defence, which made it simple for her to access the vault. The vault itself was a large and thick metal door that used a combination lock, the answer to which was only found engraved on a copper card given to the royal guard patrolling at the time. Fortunately, she had the presence of mind to pocket said card when she apprehended the captain earlier, so she drew it out. Fifty-Seven, Forty-Nine and Twelve. She leant towards the dials that held the safe shut and turned each to their respective numbers. A quick scrape sounded from beneath the door and several bars retracted from the vault door as a magical aura pulled them back, swinging the door open and revealing a room inside filled with unlocked safes and a table. The table held a modest sum of bits, around a hundred. Great, but she had orders to only retrieve the jewel, besides it would make no difference if the reward for said item was claimed.
One safe was larger than the rest and laid in the centre of the wall opposite her from the table, it clearly was the most important and while she had to hazard a guess as to the location of the jewel there was a good chance it was in there. Padding over to the safe she was sure to be as quiet as possible as she turned the circular handle on the safe’s front, her hands gripping the steel with determination. The door swung open to reveal her prize, a deep rosy jewel easily the size of her eye. Its smooth and perfect faces reflected her own in a kaleidoscope of perspectives. Picking up the gem, she almost felt regret that she would have to part ways with it eventually, the reward would be well worth the loss, however. She wasted no time slipping it into her satchel and closing the safe before making her way out the vault. Closing that as well, she swiftly made her way to the door leading into the hall. A quick glance to either side and a good listen made sure that there was no-one to see her leave.
She made it to the back door with no resistance and came upon the captain, he was still lying where she had left him, his blue-streaked mane now revealed by his helmet which had apparently rolled off him. His groans made her feel a pang of remorse, he had simply been told to stay guard, being left without blood was unpleasant and she likely took too much in her vigour. Besides, leaving such a high-ranking officer with so little blood would not go too well if the worst was to happen, it could also cause panic if anybody thought the myths and legends were true. Solar leant down and pulled some rope out of her satchel, it was meant to be used to support her in case she needed to hang while opening a window or something to that extent, but the material would work as bindings too. Wrapping it around his hands and feet she knotted the rope ensuring that he could not follow her or get to another sentry before she had gotten away, she then knelt to his neck and bit into his jugular vein again. This time rather than sucking blood she injected it into his bloodstream through the fangs, it felt strange and she disliked it, but not enough to make her stop. Once he had enough blood that it was not considered low she turned and retreated into the shadow, with her target safely kept in her satchel wrapped in cloth and her identity secret she considered the events very successful.
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Canterlot was peaceful at night, strolling along the cobbled stone paths was a gift and for a moment you could easily forget the poverty that was held behind dark alleys. The moon shone as a luminescent marble, hanging in a beautiful night sky that was lightly dusted with stars. The charming houses lined the sides of the roads, each containing its own citizens. Few people went through Canterlot at this time, but Solar enjoyed it immensely, most worried about losing their way or being confronted by thieves and thugs. It didn’t happen as often as The Canterlot Times would have you believe and frankly, it was calmer at night. The gorgeous shades from the lamps and candles dotted around the capital held a calming and enjoyable grasp upon the world. All strife and hate temporarily forgotten in this cacophony of pleasant sights and sounds. One perk of being a thief was that you couldn’t meet yourself and few competitors would dare antagonise you, there was always a sense of mutual respect between the darker sides of Canterlot. Granted there were always the rough types, ones who desired no profit of wealth but more… brutal gains. They were rarely a problem however as they did little planning and were slow, usually, they trusted their strength too much and were easily evaded. Then there were the drunks, those making their way home from the various bars around Canterlot after a long night, most didn’t notice them and still more left them to their own devices.
She felt the wrapped gem in her satchel as she walked in the darkness of the night, thinking of the meeting she would be having with her client soon. Running various conversations through her head she soon found herself at her hideaway, a tall clock tower that was regarded by most to be an empty autonomous structure that held nothing but the time. It was magically powered and did not require adjustment which meant that no-one had the need nor the desire to enter it. It was perfect and had been for a good few years now; taking on jobs to feed herself and buy the odd tool to assist with those jobs Solar had lived quite contentedly. This offer of a new house, an actual place to live that was not constantly coated with cobwebs and the sound of ticking, was an opportunity far too perfect to pass up. The Jewel of Griffonia may not be worth as much as the reward in terms of literal value, gems and minerals could be found easily in the undergrounds of Equestria, but a ruby belonging to a royal family was very desirable, quite the artefact to many. Her client would not have trouble making back his loss if he chose to sell the collectable. That is, assuming the house he had offered was not absurdly large. More than likely it was a regular but furnished house with quite high-quality furnishings. The bits would be a great kick-start to life, not only were they nice to have in general but she knew she would have to purchase all sorts of items upon moving in. It was reassuring that her client had such a large reputation for honesty, he so far had not been known to cross a deal and no deaths had been reported by those he did business with, which reassured her. She was certain there would be no double-crossing from him and he was certain that she would retrieve the jewel. And they call us the criminals. The Equestrian royals had plenty of shady dealings, most unrulier than her own and yet if it provided the façade of peace for the world it was considered fair.
Positioning her wings behind her, Solar propelled herself up the structure. Her wings well used to the weight of her body from flying and climbing all her life, she almost felt like a filly again. The adrenaline of completing a job, the freedom of having all of Canterlot available to her. Soon all of Equestria would be accessible to her. The clock tower had an open window that she used to get in and out and she clambered through it, the interior was small, around six metres by eight metres but was enough to contain a chest of belongings, clothing and a makeshift bed. The clock face itself was visible from inside the tower, it was translucent and often let in a stream of light from whichever celestial body was passing at the time. It could also be called beneficial that she had the time on hand so easily. One in the morning, she would love to get some shut-eye before returning the jewel, but her client would likely hear of the robbery and grow suspicious of the lack of such an item. Sighing, Solar simply removed the mask around her neck and the harness from her thigh. She now looked a lot less like a thief and a lot more like a citizen, she would prefer to seem less strange to any guards patrolling if she happened to mess up.
The old stone and wood of the clocktower held fast as she made her way down the side, the cracks in certain stones making a perfect handhold. Landing with a light thud, she continued her way down the streets of Canterlot towards the meeting point selected by the client, a park with a few trees and a stream running through it. Despite his doings the man enjoyed peaceful locations and was generally quite pleasant, he was her favoured employer and the two had a high respect for each other, he knew he could never retrieve the items he desired without her and she knew she would never be able to discover them without him. Turning a bend revealed the grassy area that was the park, kept in pristine condition by the unicorns that reserved the area, the park was certainly a sight. The moonlight made the gardens adopt a new hue, darker and bluer than the usual tones of the environment, the usually crystal blue stream was now darker and more reflective, distorting the surrounding light sources with ease. Upon a bench beside the bridge across the stream were three figures, two standing and one sitting. She knew them well, her client and his two protectors. They knew her as well and nodded with a slight grin as she approached from the bridge, the stallion she was here to meet stood up himself and strode towards her with arms held wide and a beam on his face.
“Solar! So glad you could make it, seeing that you are in one piece I assume you have good news?”
His certainty in her success was flattering, doubly so considering she had never done such a high-profile job before. Had she returned empty-handed however she was sure he would have been upset, angry even. Smiling she accepted his brief friendly hug and he held her at arm’s length, he always was a little unconventional, acting like a good friend or family member to all. Opening the satchel, Solar pulled out the cloth that held the jewel and held it for him.
“Of course, Syndicate, The Jewel of Griffonia, as you wanted. I could hardly refuse your deal, especially after all the job opportunities.”
She always enjoyed working for Syndicate, he was about as welcoming and honest as you could get working in his position. Quite the benevolent employer. Still, he was a unicorn who enjoyed results more than anything and disliked obstacles which prevented such things.
“Ah, as breath-taking as I’d imagined. I hate to ask this but, did you have to... dispose of anyone during your stay there?”
It was perfectly ordinary for her customers, and indeed all clients, to ask this of their employees. They usually needed to know things such as, will they have to deal with silencing deaths, backlash from the target or what method of monetary transferal. If it was obvious that an item of great value had been stolen at the time, such as the guard being alerted and alarm bells ringing, the client would likely want to wait before transferring any bits and may indeed want to dismiss bank methods entirely, preferring to deliver the money by hand. That process would likely not be necessary for this job though, the bits while generous to someone in her position would likely not seem suspicious in the grand scheme of life in Canterlot. Eight hundred bits had been promised and that sum she could easily live off, she could even take a break for a while to settle down and get the layout of the new place.
“Not permanently, no. One had to be subdued temporarily but he’s back to normal now, a little confused I would imagine. They’ll find him, tied up at the back door perfectly conscious.”
“Flawless, just one guard and the item. Impressive. We won’t have to deal with anyone knowing your face, will we? Not that it would invalidate the deal, but we would have to find more anonymous means of transferring your home to your name.”
As usual, asking questions to know their side of the events was something that a customer would usually do after a job, rarely did they enquire to the specifics, however.
“No, I wasn’t seen. Moreover, they likely won’t know they’ve been robbed until someone finds that guard. Not that he can tell them much, he was fighting to stay conscious for most of my time there. Most likely they will pin this to somebody using an interesting method of injecting poison.”
He smirked, enjoying the thought of the complete confusion the royals and Guardsmen would be in. Solar was an extremely useful asset to him and that was part of the reason for his generous deal, he didn’t want her to leave his services as he would lose a valuable asset so offering a home and some bits in her account would ensure that she would accept future jobs, while also being in good condition to complete them. Besides, the jewel was well worth the cost, that house hadn’t been used for a long time and was simply gathering dust in his name. The gem would settle any money-based issue and the blow to the Canterlot nobles would be worth the worry. No longer would they believe themselves to be as immune to him as they had been, he didn’t need them to be afraid, just humble.
“Excellent, in that case, we can get to work on the arrangements. To all who ask, however, I will need you to pretend as though you received the house from a relative as a gift. I think an uncle would do as a bluff. As usual, the bits will be in your account by the end of the day.”
One of the stallions beside Syndicate picked up a small box from the park bench and opened it, offering the inside to him. The jewel was placed inside, the box then closed, locked and kept by the stallion. Syndicate expressed his thanks to Solar in the form of a grin and a nod, then a cheery, “Goodnight, we’ll have you sorted out in no time.”. And with that, the trio began walking away and into the night.
Solar watched their departure and sat on the bench, relaxing and watching the stream. The reflections danced a dance that reflected the happiness she felt, she was finally going to be moving up in the world. No longer living in abandoned locations and back alleys, she was going to be living the life she had wanted for as long as she remembered. Her abilities made the life of a thief perfect and she had no plans to deviate from that job, but she may also need to get a small part-time job in the village, otherwise ponies may begin asking questions and that simply wouldn’t do. The flowers blew in the cool night breeze, bringing with them the smell of vegetation. The hues of the sky framed the moon and its glow, highlighting the distant dark dots that dotted its surface.
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The lack of a mare in the moon had interested Solar, she had noticed the moment it happened, the summer sun celebration had been taking place and with most drunk under a table or laughing around one she had taken the opportunity to watch the sunrise from a rooftop. She had been practising the art of the butterfly knife when she had looked up towards the moon, only to notice four starts slowly drawing closer and closer to it. Only when they had seemingly collided with the object did it happen. The shine of light crossing the moon’s surface and the dark dots removed. Immediately it had worried her, that pattern had been there for generations. Millenia if she recalled correctly. Around the same time, Luna, the latest addition to the royal family had appeared and it was accepted that she was Celestia’s lost sister. However, Solar found it strange, why would such an event happen as Luna returned, the mare in the moon tale described the character as a fiend and a villain, was it mere coincidence that the mare had vanished just as this princess had appeared. Some talked of flashes of light from The Everfree Forest which she knew laid somewhere nearby to Canterlot and bright colours resembling a rainbow, but no officials would confirm anything. Soon the princess had visited a nearby town during Nightmare Night only to be accused of being the character the night was based around, Nightmare Moon; Solar couldn’t argue against the resemblance. Something didn’t add up. Or rather it added up flawlessly, it just wouldn’t make sense. The mare in the moon, thought to be the mythical Nightmare Moon, vanishing as a princess who just so happens to be confusable with the same figure appears.
She sighed. It was nothing she had to worry about, clearly the princess was doing her job, and nothing had gone wrong yet. Granted it had only been around a month since the event but that mattered little. At this point, few remembered and still fewer cared. Standing up from the bench, she decided to get some sleep. On such a night she would be amiss not to soar back to the clocktower in the skies. Taking flight, she coasted along the wind, using hot spots to push herself higher with little effort, such a way to travel was far faster than foot and was quite enjoyable. She usually kept to the grounds when it came to travel in Canterlot at night since it was so peaceful, but flying was just as pleasant, just for different reasons. Slowing by angling her wings, Solar came to a rest on the old clocktower’s roof. She swung herself down, twisting to grab the windowsill and pulling herself into the tower’s single room. Stripping down to the essentials she laid back on her rudimentary bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking of the future. If Syndicate was as quick as he usually was then the house would be ready in a maximum of about three days.
Lying in the dark her mind turned to the reason she was so perfect for such a job in the first place. Her vampirism. Granted she had hated it at first, the desire to consume blood, the vision in her mind’s eye that showed the world in grayscale save for the red flow of blood in everything in front of her. The fangs were a pain at times as well, if ponies saw them they grew terrified as she’d learned during her teen years, after she left- No, she would not ruin the mood by thinking of that. The lack of blood was also slightly annoying, if she went too long without feeding her fur would begin to lighten, it never went brighter than dark grey but it was meant to be far darker when that happened. She would also begin to crave blood more, the ‘blood vision’ as she nicknamed it would become brighter. It was nothing she couldn’t deal with, but it did make life more tiring as she often became agitated and irritable after a month or two without nourishing. However, she was lately regarding it in a more positive light. Undetectable by life magic and indeed most magic, not to mention it had once saved her life. At the time she had been stabbed by a particularly thuggish brute, she would likely have bled out had it not been for the quick thinking to bite her attacker and draw their blood. She had barely managed to get out of that scrape, had it not been for a passing guard she would have been in a far worse situation since the ruffian had stabbed her several times when they realised what she was doing. The guard did not see the bite marks, nor did he see her in the process of doing it. He had patched her up and she had managed to convince him that the thug had been a particularly hateful stalker. Explaining that she had a home she had to go back to and that she would be fine if they arrested them, the guard had let her continue her journey. I hated manipulating him, but I am grateful to him. Eyes closing, she soon drifted into blissful sleep.
Her eyes opened to a bleak and blank room, she was lying on some table. She quickly recognised her surroundings as that of her room. Trying to raise her arm, she realised she was restrained, clearly her daily check had yet to happen. Fear took hold of her as the door beside her opened and a familiar rattling noise echoed through the room, that fucking stallion was back. She struggled against the restraints, knowing there would be no release from them but refusing to simply accept what was coming. “Calm down Solar, we wouldn’t want you hurting yourself.” That voice made her freeze in terror, the voice that had caused so much pain. Something was lifted from the trolley the stallion had wheeled in and the sound of steps made her cringe in despair. She wanted to scream as the silhouette of the figure leant over her, some form of a needle in one hand. “You know as well as I that we have to inject you frequently, I know you dislike it and frankly I can’t think why.” She knew why. That serum, filled with something that did this all to her, that made her the way she was. It hurt when it was stabbed into her. It hurt while it was coursing through her. It hurt while it altered her teeth, her mind, her circulatory system, everything. A burning feeling throughout her whole body made her want to shriek, it made her want to cry and thrash, but her restraints would not let her.
Solar’s body shot up from the bed, drenched in sweat. Her eyes glowing a soft red with wet tears around them. Those dreams, they frequented her almost every other day, if not more. She wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up from the bed, walking to the window. Looking over Canterlot allowed her to calm down quickly, she wasn’t there anymore and hadn’t been for years. It no longer mattered. The cold wind rushed around her as she glared out upon the city. Her eyes dimmed back into their usual blue, only when she had those dreams did her eyes flare up outside of feeding. It was… Disturbing. Great, now the mood was ruined. Going back to sleep after the night terrors was simple, they never came twice but they were so vivid. She hated them.
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The night passed uneventfully after that, the only sounds heard were the odd bird and the soft ticking of the clock face. Morning rose and Solar rose with it, yawning and stretching out. Checking the clock face, she read the hands. Ten in the morning. She had slightly overslept but after such a job she didn’t mind. By now the bits would be transferred to her account and she decided that she would give herself an ‘allowance’ of one hundred bits to spend during the rest of her time in Canterlot. First, however, she hadn’t eaten in twenty-two hours. Frankly, she was famished.
Hopping out of bed, she dressed in a simple pair of black trousers, a slack white shirt and a dark waistcoat. All the items were creased and slightly loose, but they looked fine and would do for a day in the city, she didn’t exactly have lots of clothing to choose from. Pulling on some socks and her usual heeled dark grey boots, she slipped her butterfly knife into her pocket. The knife itself was quite a nice one, it had a wooden handle with metal tips; the blade, although basic was very sharp on one side. Vaulting out the window, Solar scaled down the clocktower, easily finding handholds until she landed on the floor. Canterlot was almost as nice during the day as it was at night, despite the rough underbelly of the city she couldn’t deny it was a spectacle. Tall cream towers and walls shone with stained glass, the regular homes that lined the streets and the businesses with ponies flowing in and out, buying items and chatting happily.
Feelings the pangs of hunger brought Solar back to reality, snapping her attention to the idea of food. With her mind set, she made her way towards the Firelight’s Friend, a nice cafe she had visited before after particularly profitable job. They served herbivore food, as most cafeterias do in Equestria, not many omnivore or carnivore visitors travelled to Canterlot, so they rarely needed to serve anything that used meat. Besides most ponies found the idea appalling. She turned the corner, coming upon the restaurant in its modest corner of Canterlot. Taking in the patrons of the establishment Solar noticed that most of them were considered middle class, the place itself was nothing overly fancy and frankly, was more of a hangout for groups of friends who liked a bit more of a relaxed environment. The mare behind the counter nodded at her as she approached, and she returned the gesture. Pulling a chair up, she sat at a lone table and checked the blackboard which held a modest selection of foods. With her mind decided, Solar ordered a hayburger. Quite the treat considering her usual diet of apples and bread, sure it was boring and got old but at least it kept her alive.
It cost eight bits, but it was worth it for the taste. Not to mention the fact that she was getting a little bit too skinny. Scanning the customers, Solar decided that she didn’t recognise anyone, which was good news rather than a disappointment. There were few ponies she knew that she would like to run into, besides she was always more of an introvert.
With lunch out of the way, Solar decided to help herself later in life and use her remaining money to get some kind of tool. Near here there was a blacksmith that sold equipment and weaponry. Usually used by those looking for a bit of personal protection and those who plan to adventure, it had few customers and was open to all. The old sign of the shop hung from the establishment, depicting a horseshoe with two hammers crossed through it. Creatively named The Hooves Hearth, the welcoming inside of the shop greeted Solar as she opened the door. Some heat hit her fur and she met the eye of the Stallion behind the counter. He was pulling a sword out of a furnace, she imagined he was likely reforming the item. This particular shop was well known for being used by wealthier ponies to remake weapons for display or heirlooms for storage. Those with a little less cash often paid for fresh forges or old weapons, they worked well and just lacked the little flourishes and engravings the more expensive works owned. You could easily afford protection in Canterlot as long as you had either fifty-odd bits or willingness to work, a lot of shopkeepers accepted labour as payment for those unfortunate to be unable to afford their items. The earth-pony placed the sword in a bucket of water, allowing a loud hiss to emit through the shop. Solar strolled up to the counter and began speaking to him.
“Hey there Ironsights, I was wondering if you had any bows available to buy?” She requested, hoping that he would. Ironsights was pretty large and it was always a good idea to befriend those types of people than make them your enemy and he was certainly on good terms with her. She had done some jobs for him in the past and they had a good relationship, honestly, he was the closest thing to a friend she had.
“Of course lass, you don’t truly think I would let myself run out of such a basic weapon, do you?” He fired back. His accent was thick and tough, vaguely Scottish. His ash mane fitted the concept of a blacksmith perfectly and his dark brown fur matched to boot.
“Great. Have any in grey or black?” She questioned, knowing full well he would. Still, she had found it was always polite to ask, just in case. Of course, he did and a fine one at that. The bow had thin grey etchings and was crafted from ‘Phyllostachys nigra’, more commonly referred to as ‘black bamboo’, a material that was almost perfect for a bow while also being, well… Black. Testing the bow yielded good results, Solar had only ever used a bow once before and the result had not been pretty, but with some tips from Ironsights and some practice, she improved. The bow cost a hefty eighty bits, but it was worth it, and she had the bits to spend. Having acquired her new weapon, she decided to return to the clocktower to continue her plan. Killing with it wasn’t actually her intention, even inuring hadn’t been the idea. She had however decided that a way to scale seemingly unclimbable buildings without having to resort to flying, which could often be a problem due to loose feathers and noise. As such, she had come to the conclusion that a bow and arrow could be very useful, not only for the projectile opportunities it gave her, for example hitting a switch from across the room, but more importantly the opportunities that fixing a rope onto the arrow would give. Rope arrows had been a concept of hers for a while now and she had always wanted to put the idea into action but until now she had not been able to afford a bow to actually use them, or arrows to alter. Now she would be able to test her design and if it worked, her job would become a lot easier. Even if it didn’t, the arrows would be very useful when blunted. She thanked Ironsights and left the blacksmiths.
Exiting the shop, she waved goodbye to Ironsights and slung the bow over her shoulder, the string across her chest and the limbs on her back. Ironsights had graciously given her a quiver for free with her purchase of an order of special arrows and that also hung on her back, grey and held in place by the included belt. With that, she continued down the Canterlot street and stuck to the slabbed pavement, running ideas through her head for various ways of making the arrows work. Currently her idea was to fasten one end of a rope to the end of the arrow, then wrapping the rope around the shaft finally coming to a knot at the head that held it in place just enough that movements could not dislodge it and the wind could not either, while also leaving the fastening loose enough to unwrap upon the jarring piercement into her target. The arrows had also been altered to enter stone and hold her with more security, this was done by having the arrowheads themselves serrated. The idea should work flawlessly, and Solar looked forward to testing the concept. She soon discovered that while zoned out she had actually managed to find her way back to the clocktower, strange as she usually didn’t make good decisions while zoned out. That being said, she didn’t usually zone out. Shaking her head, she returned to the situation at hand and checked her surroundings to be sure no-one saw here climb the tower. Generally, most ponies didn’t concern themselves with such things as confronting someone climbing buildings, or even remembering them but you would get the odd rich teen snitch that would find a guard or even a guard themselves. There was one particularly troublesome looking young stallion, standing across the street clearly watching her, so she simply sat against the side of the clocktower, waiting for him to leave. While she could hold her own very well in a fight her stature didn’t give others that kind of idea, being small and thin did have its downsides. He soon moved off and she hoped he wouldn’t get any ideas about coming back, doubly so as she hoped to experiment tonight. It was getting late, so she doubted it. Climbing the tower was as always, enjoyable but she had a shock when a brick had broken upon grasping it. It had not proved a problem as she had simply let go and changed her hold to another position, but it did remind her that not every structure in Canterlot was perfectly safe, while the clocktower was possibly the most untouched in terms of reparations it still was a good prompt to stay on her toes.
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Altering the arrows was quite difficult at first, but after the third arrow, it became a rather streamlined process. What? Knots are hard. Soon she had made eight rope arrows that she considered functional and had made fifteen blunt arrows, the other seven she kept as regular serrated arrows, lest she was in a sticky situation. Now all that remained was to exit the tower and test them, come to think, she could combine the two into one. Swinging her bow from her back, Solar drew an arrow from her quiver and locked it into the bow’s drawstring, lining her shot up for the clocktower’s windowsill. Releasing the arrow’s fletching, it soared through the air and dug deep into the stone, embedding the head entirely. As expected, the knot of the rope came loose, and the momentum of the arrow carried through the material flinging it out of the tower and down the side. Now a convenient rope hung from the sill and Solar grinned, her idea was a success. This would be very handy indeed. She ran lightly to the aperture and vaulted through it, spinning to hold onto the edge. Then she held the rope, slowly placing her body weight onto it. It held fast. Perfect. She easily could move up and down the rope and soon she dropped to the sward beside the tower that divided it from the next building. Suddenly, she realised how dark it was. It must be night, what time is it? Eleven, well she had had a productive day in her opinion and decided that she may as well get some sleep, so she pulled herself back up the rope and coiled it into the tower. She may as well leave the rope as a permanent way in and out since this was the building she most often scaled anyway, she would just pull it into the room at night. Changing out of her town clothes and leaning her bow against the wall, she laid down onto her bed. Surprisingly, she was shattered. Closing her eyes, she thought of all that laid beyond the clock face, the open city of Canterlot, the wide world of Equus. Soon, sleep drifted over her mind like a black fog, pulling her away from reality.