Silhouettes of trees and mountain sides briskly glide across the distant sun-setting scenery. Cobalt Coral, a self-proclaimed treasure hunting hippogriff, peered through the glass window as she laid back in the abundantly colorful train cabin reserved for passengers. A sigh broke loose her beak, accompanied by the occasional bump rocking the bulky locomotive. Her plucky pony partner, Cornfield, was comfortably seated next to her. He didn’t inherit magic or flight capabilities, but made up for it as a “lucrative photographer” endowed with survival instinct. Even lugging additional equipment in his bags proved to be a vital convenience.
The mutual silence between them and the incoherent chatter that permeated the car was shattered for Coral when he curiously inquired, “So when we get to Baltimare, are we seeing the sights? Maybe grab a bite to eat?” He rubbed his stomach, further signalling his desires.
Gazing longingly outside, she experienced how the sun was nearly swallowed by the winding landscape. This trip turned out rather lazy as time would further elude them. A girl like her could appreciate the beauty of the twilight sights if matters weren’t so pressing. “At the moment, I think it would be best if we were to secure a hotel room,” she said as she reached under her seat, diving into her saddlebags, and pulling out a clawful of bits to count them. “I don’t know if I can afford a room for two, though...”
“Right now, I’m just hungry for an actual meal than the snacks they’re serving. Maybe we can find a cheap enough room... yeah?”
“Hopefully.” The hippogriff’s shifting hawk vision darted around in search of adequate unsuspecting prey. Numerous ponies were on board, itching for the upcoming Harvest Festival, while she and her partner sat undisturbed in seclusion. Deviously, she whispered suggestive intentions in the colt’s ear, “The last thing I want to do at the moment is to take something on this train and fence it somewhere. But, if I don’t have the money...”
Tripping a mental siren, Cornfield rebuked the thought out-loud. “Stealing?! Can’t you at least wait until we exhaust all other options?”
“SHH!” As Coral commanded him to shush up, firmly signaling her claw upholding the tip of her beak, she detected a couple ponies across the aisle glancing in response. She just smiled and waved sheepishly to save face.
“It’s one thing to steal from hapless villagers but, if we get caught in a city like Baltimare, they’ll probably lock us up and throw away the key,” he continued softly. “Not that I’ve been there before.”
“Rrrgh.” Crossing her forelegs in a huff, she folded to his protests like an unlucky poker player, even shielding away from the piercing judgmental glare he threw. “I know... That’s why I gotta keep my cool and not draw attention to myself. If I’m arrested and jailed, who knows what will happen to Mount Aris then?” She slumped forward and entered a deep state of tranquil meditation. “But... Money is needed to go anywhere and, as I’ve told you before, I want to avoid using my gems to pay for anything, especially the Puppy Peridot.”
“Yeah well, either way I’d hope, worst comes to worst, we use your valuables over somepony else’s.”
Then, the jewel hunter unexpectedly sprang an accusing claw at her sidekick. “Wait a minute, don’t YOU have some money with you? Surely you didn’t think that I would be paying for the whole trip!” Unbeknownst to Coral, the young photographer was caught pressed from the subject of finances. It’s true he did have money given generously to him by Zecora, but she instructed him to use the spare cash to treat his travelling buddy for a special day. Saved by the bell, an unknown voice interrupted.
“Aww, a couple arguing!” Some young mare blurted, giggling one seat over and lauding the comical commotion. “How adorable! Sounds like you got a gold digger on your hooves, cutie!”
Cornfield blushed while the irate avian yelled over the seats. “I don’t remember you being part of this conversation, lady!” While targeting the chuckling mare, her peripheral vision discovered a carelessly ajar suitcase beneath the care-free pony. “You know what, never mind.” Feigning dismissal, she scoffed and turned her head away.
“Cool it, Coral!” the colt ordered. “First, we get to the city, then we’ll play it by ear. ok? At least we’re not in any immediate danger.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Meanwhile, the Heart of Nature, a hard-earned artifact the duo risked life and limb for in a forgotten section of the Everfree Forest, dimly glowed as it was affixed in its new host; from within her chest. Energy rushed through her veins into her claws, causing a magical transformation as they suddenly converted to green free-flowing vines. She slipped her unnaturally powered talons discreetly under the radar as the plants wrangled and writhed below the seats, traveling on the floor. “I think our money troubles are going to be solved momentarily, though.”
“Huh?” Then, Cornfield paid attention to the low key action, the greenery burrowed, concealed in the canopy of carpet. Then the guided flora fished through the suitcase’s innards to reap the rewards. The mare’s naivety had her completely off-guard. “Ah, ok. Help yourself. She asked for it.”
“Glad you can see it my way...” Coral yanked a lonely wallet full of cold hard cash likely saved up for souvenirs at the tips in her long stems. Slowly, the vines snuck the wallet under a layer of carpet like a snake dragging a mouse with its jaws, soon finding itself in the greedy grip of her claws unseen. “This Heart is already paying for itself.”
The colt made roundabouts with his eyeballs. “Ah, Coral, you never change.” He noticed the phenomenon of her digits reverting to their original shape. “I suppose you’re getting more acquainted with it, yeah?”
“Zecora’s teachings, as quirky as they were, seemed to be a big help.” She freely pocketed several bits before gliding the wallet, ensnared in plant-life, returning via the same route it came about. “Gotta give the walking nursery rhyme book some credit.”
“I just hope nopony saw that,” he mumbled with clarity as he double checked the ponies surrounding them.
“If they did, we’d be kicked off the train already.”
“So, we’re gonna fetch a boat at Baltimare?” Pondering as he rested on his foreleg, a concerned expression donned on his face. “That could be a little pricey…”
“I have a couple ideas for a ride, but it might involve a few favors,” the sly thief informed as she returned to spectating the land beyond the train. “I just gotta pray to whatever’s watching us that luck is on our side.”
“Ok, so, do we grab a bite to eat, get a room to sleep, then find a boat? Did you have a plan in mind?”
After shaking her head, she gave a smirk supplemented by a condescending stare. “You don’t know a lot about the wheeling and dealing that happen in these cities. Piers are a hotbed of illegal agreements made where authorities look the other way.”
Cornfield could not resist the shudder reverberating in his soul. “Please tell me we don’t have to work for the mob. It’s bad enough I had to witness... You know…” He sweetly nudged Coral on her side.
“No. I’m not going to ask a favor of any mobs, especially an infamous thieves guild rooted in Baltimare, The Onyx Syndicate.” In response, she gave the young colt a simple boop on his nose. “Just follow my lead when we get there, and you’ll be fine.”
Humbled by her gesture, his hoof cushioned his snout feeling embarrassed. “You’ve dealt with them before?”
“Unfortunately. I’m really hoping that they don’t remember a certain job I bounced from a year ago.” She returned to reflect in the window, seeing a spectral version of herself casting memories of a time that lead to the present. “A simple job. A diamond was to be stolen from a noble visiting and, in exchange, I got more information on a certain far off hotel that would lead me to info about The Gems of Creation.” It was more like the subtle Coral in the glass was the one talking; reminding herself who she once was.
Cornfield’s head slowly bobbed as he nods off. Seamlessly, the hippogriff continued. “But, this was a very nice diamond and travel expenses don’t come cheap. So, I took the diamond AND the information, and left them dry.” She let out a half-hearted laugh to herself then sustained her view, seeing the hippogriff cloaked with darkness. In tune to herself, Coral spoke very briskly “Let us both promise for a better tomorrow” as she matched the claws with her clone reflection; integrating her inner psyche. Before getting too emotional, she snapped out of it and re-calibrated her confident persona. “But, that’s in the past. Back then, I wasn’t one to make friends, was I?” She cockily grinned before discovering her only trusted friend in all of Equestria sleeping like a foal drooling on the seat cushions.
“Oh, son of a b-” A whistle blew with a blaring screech flooding the cabin and cut off the thief’s expletives, signaling the final destination. In the corner of her view, the reflection drowned in the shining light of an epic cityscape. The metropolitan setting itself wasn’t as delightful, big, or glamorous as Manehatten, but it was no less bustling. Lamp posts dotted across the street emitting cones of illumination as the nightlife surged with ponies going in and out of tall robust brick-layered architecture.
Startled awake from the piercing whistle, Cornfield joined his friend, now witnessing the reality of Baltimare’s presence for the first time in his life. “Whooooa…” he whispered in awe. “Such a big place... We better stick together.”
“I’m guessing this is the first time you ever walked into a city?”
“Yeah... It’s kinda overwhelming. Look at all those ponies... Where could they be going at a time like this?”
“Same as us. Getting a swanky hotel room. Only for the festivities, though. We’re here on business.” With her claws balled in a fist, she bumped him in the shoulder. “Buckle up, buck-a-roo. You’re gonna see both the highs and the lows Baltimare has to offer.”
Eager to disembark, the colt then ensured his saddlebags were secure under his seat. “I wonder if they serve any delicious vegetables from under the nearby sea? Perhaps there are some restaurants on the harbor we can go?”
Getting up after sitting so long and strapping her own saddlebags on, the hungry bird licked her chops. “I could go for a kelp wrap right about now. Though, nopony makes it better than my mother.”
Other ponies on the train unusually saw her rise up and approach the aisle. “Uh, Coral,” chimed her friend, “You’ve been on trains before, yes?”
“What about it, Cornfield?” she responded impatiently.
“It’s just this train has a record of-” Without warning, certain passengers were violently tossed over like ragdolls as the train inexplicably halted so fiercely, the car almost catapulted. Coral found her helpless body crumpled on the carpet and Cornfield awkwardly laying on his back on top of a seat. “...Suddenly stopping...on a dime. Ow!”
The enraged hybrid growled as she angrily lifted herself up. After brushing her feathers off, she headed back and offered Cornfield assistance, who slipped off onto the floor. “I. Hate. Trains,” she declared before pulling him up by the hoof. “Let’s just get out of here already.”
“Hold on…” He retrieved his saddlebags and buckled it around his waist. “Ok, let’s head out!”
The end of their trip was marked by doors swinging open to one side of the platform, in conjunction with an announcement to disembark. Our duo stood by as the train emptied into a mere husk before following suit, keeping to themselves. “After you, Cornfield,” cautioned his friend. “Watch your step.”
With an energetic hop, the colt began absorbing the expansive sights of the densely stirring city. His fur breezed in the cool damp atmosphere, and sounds of nightlife echoed throughout. The hippogriff accompanying him could smell the seasalt not too far off in the distance. Flashbacks of her home and childhood taken away occurred in unstoppable reflex. Then, like ants to a fallen sugar cube, ponies were clearly seen harassing a bulletin board on the station.
“Well, Coral, where should we get started?” he enthusiastically asked like a happy tourist. “I think we should check if there’s a good cheap hotel by the harbor with a view of the sea.” He anticipated her answer, only for the lack of a response to rudely register to awaiting ears. “...Uh, Coral?”
Intrigued, she waded behind the ponies, her height accessed a visual scoping above the chattering crowd. Fliers and posters tattered the board about the Harvest Festival. She squinted and read the distant print. It testified that tomorrow, city officials from all over Equestria would arrive at a ritzy hotel. Among them was Princess Celestia herself, to prepare for the actual event happening the next day.
As Cornfield moved up to find what’s what, he struggled to see anything the populace kept murmuring over. The gem-thief checked the bounties below the fliers, seeing familiar ne’er-do-wells on wanted posters. Instructions desired information on the scummiest sleazebags the city ever had the misfortune of suffering and pleaded to contact the nearest official if one surfaced. As she delved into the complete list of lowlives sketched out in shaded detail, one poster robbed her breath as she grew exceedingly paler with each passing second.
“...Shit...” she uttered in a panicked exhale.
Cornfield silently wondered what got her so flustered. The dull prick of a hoof pressing in her side startled the poor hybrid as she violently squawked from unwelcome contact. He backed off without a word, but that display won her all the attention in the station, changing her from an unknown visitor to the most-wanted criminal in the blink of an eye. They watched as Coral remained stagnant while her sidekick frantically scanned the alarmed audience. Then, one stallion spoke up amongst the frightened patrons. “T-That’s her!” he cried out. “Cobalt Coral! She’s here to mug us!”
The poor colt found himself getting dragged down into Coral’s infamy. The hippogriff shouted “RUN!” as loud as she could before rushing urgently down the stairs off the busy platform.
“You don’t have to tell me twice!” exclaimed Cornfield as the two vagabonds abandoned the station and pounded through the cobblestone streets, escaping the mist of the public. Fleeing as fast as their legs could carry them, the colt strained just to keep pace, shouting “Where are we going?!”
“Just... follow me,” she huffed, stopping to catch her breath. “We can’t stay at the usual hotels anymore. Something tells me that, with the-” She gasped. “-The princess and city officials coming, the city’s police will be looking for us...”
“But why!?”
“Because the city is on high alert for thieving creatures like me, and I don’t want you to be pegged as an accomplice! We need to find somewhere to hide! Now!” She searched with utmost urgency for an escape between the neighboring buildings.
That news didn’t settle well with the young pony as he certainly didn’t want to be haunted by a criminal record. In the hollows of a dark foreboding alley, Cornfield came across a steel-plated door while Coral sprinted ahead. Its appearance spoke of secrecy and solitude. He grasped the flimsy handle and though it was locked, the worn down mechanics would clearly give in to pressure. Behind the door laid the freedom from possible incarceration. “Over here!” he called out. The escaping crook stopped in her tracks and pulled a one-eighty to backtrack with faith in her bold partner. “COME ON! COME ON!” he shouted.
With the loose handle primed up, Coral had just arrived behind him. “Just pull on it as hard as you can. It’ll open I swear!” he insisted. Getting a clue from the small bars fixed along the face of the industrial door, she grabbed tightly and pulled. “C’mon! Harder!” His voice spurred his rogue partner to dig deep. They swore it gave an inch and, as they summoned all their grit, the iron gate flung open! Coral only recoiled from the forelegs while the colt sputtered on the grainy trash-riddled ground.
Not knowing what led beyond but figured it’s better than a cell, she dived inside and he followed suit, shutting the door behind. “Ok,” she sighed and released an exhausted breath. “Ok, I think the scent is off our trail.” Zeroing in on the sirens wailing from a distance, gradually the noise was drowned out by common urban ambiance. The room was so dark, only the whites of their eyes were left opaque.
“Hold on, lemme find a lantern or something,” said Cornfield as he felt around the walls. Then, his hoof knocked into something that wobbled a bit before settling. “Oh wait, I think this is it.” With a clink of a button, the lantern lit up in a burst of flame that nearly singed him. Overwhelmed by the flash of energy, he stumbled back with a yelp while the bird explored the room with her sharper perception. The rudimentary flicker of fire could scarcely shine in the dark, yet her senses still cut through the veil of black shadows. The table, posters, and empty fridge fit the setting to the break room of a once active workplace.
Bringing in new activity stirred the dirt and dust from the floor, causing the young stallion to cough. “It’s dusty in here…” he complained as he fanned his hoof for fresh air.
“It’s something, though,” Coral optimistically noted. “Not a bad place to camp out.” She crept around the room, investigating if this was any place decent enough to sleep for the night. “I hope this dump has a couch.”
Pushing his foreleg across his muzzle, a relieved grin creased his snout.“Good thing that lantern had just enou-” As if fate wanted to play a prank on the poor colt, the flame suddenly went out in an insulting puff. “AH, BUCKING DAMMIT!” he cursed as he fumbled about in the dark. “Coral! Coral!... I think we may need a torch or something!”
“Ugh… I can usually navigate through the night, but this is too much!” she called out. “I’d use my old lantern if we could, but it was taken away by that stupid BUCKING temple!”
“You think maybe the police are looking for me, too?”
Coral contemplated his concern thoughtfully, scratching under her beak with consideration on what witnesses may have discerned. “No, I don’t think they will. The ponies at the station didn’t get a good look, and I’m sure that any onlookers on the way over didn’t see anything other than you behind me. For all we know, you could have appeared like you were chasing me.”
“Can you at least explain what’s going on?” he calmly asserted.
The hippogriff approached his voice. “I saw myself in a-” Distracted by the conversation, the poor bird-mare banged her talons on a solid table leg. “OUCH! SON OF A-” She growled and shook her claws before sighing. “...I saw myself in a wanted poster on the bulletin board. That’s NEVER happened to me before. Worse yet, it’s a high bounty.”
“WHAT?!” Cornfield reacted strongly in disbelief before slamming his hoof flat on the hard floor. “How? Why? What did you do this time?”
Recalling her past exploits gravely, she hung her head. “If I had to wager a guess, I think I made a big mistake pissing off the wrong ponies.” A heart-heavy sigh exerted from her beak. “The guild granted me protection when I worked for them. Now, I think that maybe the diamond I stole soured their relationship with me.”
“You stole a diamond!? And when were you planning on informing me about it?”
His defiance perked Coral up, making her increasingly irritated from this interrogation. “Well, if your whiny ass stayed awake for more than two seconds on the train, you’d know what I’m talking about!”
The young stallion recalled falling asleep when it seemed she started prattling on with her life’s story. Scratching the back of his neck, he let out an embarrassed chuckle. “Oh, yeah... Anyway, what should we do now? I don’t know if you can venture out with the cops looking for you.”
“I can’t, but you can. We’ll need a couple things to make our stay a little more comfortable.”
“Well, obviously, we need light.” The colt stretched his hooves where he believed the door existed. “In any case, I suppose I have to get more oil for the lantern.” Once cold steel gave his hoof a sign, he grabbed the handle and opened the door, allowing the combination of nearby lights and the moon’s illumination to intrude. Then, he peeked both ways to confirm nopony happened to be lurking around. The sounds of far-off sirens persisted, but still not a soul in sight. Then, he looked back with the pressure from uncertainty of being alone in a place he’s never been to. “Hey, Coral. Don’t birds have like, you know, enhanced night-vision or sumtin’?
“I’m not an owl, twerp!” she snapped back in a mockery of his uneducated guess, as she unlatched the saddlebags off herself and dug blindly in them. After clutching as many bits as she could, she followed the faint light to him and placed it in the safe confines of his saddle bag. “Lantern oil, food, water, blankets, pillows. Got that?”
“Yeah, sounds simple enough.” Before making his final exit, he called back in on Coral thru her eyes gleaming in the aura of dim illumination. He never had comprehended the beauty of her shining sea-blue irises until that very moment. “...Uh, what do I say if anypony gets suspicious? I imagine somepony could be looking into your whereabouts.” Then, something clicked in his mind and his head fell crooked with pupils of fret. “OH SHIT! Are we already in danger? Are there bounty hunters after us?” The Colt’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest as a million worst case scenarios played in his imagination.
Sensing his distress, the avian gently placed her talons on his shoulder and attacked his fears with a soft assuring tone. “Listen to me and stay calm. No bounty hunter is out to get us. Baltimare is too sleepy of a city for that. Now, if you are held up along the way, follow my advice. If it’s cops, tell them you were at the train station and tried to chase after me, but lost me. If it’s a thief and you are being robbed, say this: ‘You steal the sun, you steal the shadows.’ That will get them to stay away from you, got it?”
“You...steal...the...sun, and all you got are shadows?” The statement befuddled Cornfield to which he flailed one of his forelegs frantically. “Dammit, Coral, this is no time for jokes!”
The half-witted remark vexed her, leading to a claw snatching his nose and enforcing her harsher convection. “You. Steal. The. Sun. You. Steal. The. Shadows,” she reiterated, then releasing applied pressure. “It’s a code-phrase that shows you are affiliated with the Onyx Syndicate.”
“...OOOOOOOHH! Ok, I guess.” Considering the nature of that intricate phrase, he gulped upon the idea of what pony types involved with such an obscure gang. “Uhhh... So, these Onyx Syndicate guys... Are they the type to kill an unarmed stallion?”
After shaking her head, Coral slowly crept behind him as she delved further. “The thugs that are under their syndicate know never to harm a fellow thief, while those that aren’t are probably smart enough not to mug somepony under their protection.” Without warning, she slapped his flank to spur him.” Now go out there and enjoy the big city, young colt! Get me something good to eat!”
“Ouch... Not so hard! Jeez.” He finally stepped out briefly before stopping to ask one more thing. “What are you gonna do?”
“Keep watch. Don’t worry, I’ll sit by the door and open it if you say my name.”
“All right…” The colt tapped upon his forehead to once again recall the line. “Let’s see, ‘You take away the sun, you take away shadows’, right?
Coral rolled her eyes prior to throwing her head out the door. “Replace ‘take away’ with ‘steal’ and you got it. Better memorize it, because it’s your neck if you get it even slightly wrong.” Swinging her foreleg, she pointed with an order to hit the streets. “Now, git!”
“Ok, ok!” Reluctantly, he trotted off, looking to slip into the public inconspicuously as his partner closed the door, echoes reverberating along the sediment walls. Once on the sidewalk, lamp posts seemingly shined the way forward for the lone colt as he traveled deeper down the block. He managed to make up some distance from the way they came prior as he got lost in this forest created by tall incandescent lit apartment complexes, white-dotted company buildings, and smaller brightly glowing convenience stores all ganging up on him. However, as he trekked through the dense jungle of concrete and bricks, he failed to see a carriage with the famous blue and black colors of Baltimare’s finest before it was too late. Two scruffy looking stallions were stalking about in the streets.
Before he stood a chance of evading them, one officer spotted Cornfield and took special note of his presence. Then, he trotted over where the young country colt was stationed to question him. “Buck!” he kept to himself in frustration.
The cop in question was a bit thicker in girth than most ponies with a crew cut, bushy mustache, and shaved tail. His light grey fur coat and black mane melted with the nightlife. “Well, now. That’s the look of ‘I don’t know where I’m going’ if I’ve ever seen one,” he spoke with a friendly demeanor, but delivered with a penetrating glare. “What brings you around here? Tourists usually make their way to Central Square.”
“Oh... me?” The young stallion chuckled as he pointed to himself. “I just got here, sir. I’ve never been to a big city before... or any city for that matter. Why? Is there a problem?”
“Oh, no problem, sir. If you’re lost, I can help direct ya to a hotel, maybe a department store, if you’d like.” The police pony swiped his hoof back to represent the general direction of the plaza. “Gotta respect the employees in that store. They love Luna’s moonlight as much as I do, working the night shift.”
“Ah, if you could point me in the direction of said store, I’ll be on my merry way, sir.”
Cornfield took nary a few steps onward before the pony in blue got in the way. “Ho, now. It’s not that simple! Here in the big city, we have a little bit of a ‘back-scratching’ system, if ya catch my drift.”
Letting out a sigh, he thought to himself “Of course there is”. He braced for the worst. “What is it you want?”
“Now, now. I’m just asking a simple question.” The gruff stallion glanced behind and nodded his head to another cop. He came over after digging out a wanted poster from the carriage, clenching it in his mouth. “Take a good look. Do you know this creature?”
Cornfield squinted at the poster, acting like he’d never seen a hippogriff displayed before. Of course, the reality was he’d never mistake Coral’s feminine face carefully sculpted with pencil etchings even if he wanted to. Slated beneath the portrait was a description for the capture or kill of the target for 75,000 bits. “W-WOW!” he shouted over-enthusiastically. “75,000 bits! For a peacock? What’d he do?”
“She goes by the name of Cobalt Coral,” the cop corrected. “Some ponies saw her run by with some stallion. But, the dark didn’t give us a good look who. Anyways...” The pony of the law went muzzle-to-muzzle, facing him down with authority. “Do. Not. Pursue. Her. Not only is she wanted for multiple proven counts of grand larceny, but we also got anonymous tips from ponies that she is also responsible for the fire that burned down a storehouse near the docks and the murder of innocent bystanders.” Content he got the point firmly across, he relented with some room for the colt who overflowed with pure stress as the other copper rolled up the poster. “Just come to us if you see her. Ok?”
Cornfield knew his hippogriff associate had a sketchy history, but even murder certainly extended well past what was morally objectionable. “WHAT?! But... who... why...” He anxiously rechecked his standing as a lot of scenarios played in his head with varying results. However, his attachment to Coral saved him from overdoing it. Sweating, he bluffed his ignorance, nodding to the officers. “Uh... Yes, sir.”
“Good boy. Now, if you make your way down this street,” the police pony directed his hoof over his own shoulder, “Head straight thataway, take a left, then make another left as soon as you find a big archway that says ‘Central Square’. Can’t miss it. Much faster that way. But if you do miss it, just go to the train station not far from here and grab a map from the info kiosk.”
“Got it, thanks!”
“Mmhmm.” Their business concluded, the cops returned to their patrol cart, finished with the bystander.
The colt did his best to slip away like a bold tourist, following the flathoof’s instructions. He trotted down the sidewalk until crossroads stood in the way of progress, forcing him to make a choice between right and left. “Alright, now I make a left here…” he noted under his breath as he continued ever forward. Despite the simple directions, all of the buildings blended in from one another.
As he passed each alleyway entrance, he shot a glance down, then kept moving. Picking up speed as his saddlebags rattled with Zecora’s pouch of bits and his camera, he felt alienated from the safety of shelter. “Damn,” he cursed to himself. “With all this noise, I’m practically begging to get mugged.” Cautiously trotting down the messy sidewalks, a glowing white illumination shone in the horizon, like a proverbial light at the end of a tunnel through enemy territory. “Ah, that must be it!” Coming across a sizable conglomerate of ponies treading under a gateway arch, in and out of the square, he fell within the crowded walkways.
Amongst the hoof traffic, one beautiful white maned mare passed by him wearing a colorful festive dress. The jingle of his saddlebags attracted the pony with fur as black as midnight to double back and keep up alongside him. He didn’t anticipate her, wandering aimlessly as he was under the unrelenting light of bright towers built with brick and glass, astonished how the square was insurmountably busy. Even if it weren’t for the Harvest Festival, the traffic would merely equate to a similar mauling of pedestrians.
“Well, hey there, cutie!” the lovely girl flirtatiously called out to him.
The country stallion faced her and stopped in cold blood. “Oh... Excuse me?” he asked politely. Then, a whinny quietly seeped out of his lips with cheeks blushing beet red as he gazed upon a sensational equine of the opposite sex looking back at him with a smile. Her long lustrous mane covered almost half her face thanks to her horn diverting the hair to one side, leaving a single emerald-green eye to reflect his image in her pupils.
“Is this your first time here in Baltimare?” she inquired with the charming flutter of an eyelash.
.
“A...um…” Cornfield sputtered and stalled, trying not to undress the hot female with his pseudo x-ray vision. ”Well I, uh... Yes. Yes, it is.” Before he could start drooling over her, he jerked his head and gave it a few smacks across the cheek. “Gotta remain focused. For Coral!” he reminded himself.
“Oh my gosh, this is so mine, too! I’m a little lost in such a big city and I couldn’t help but notice that you have your mind set on where you are going. What’s your name?” She moved in for the kill, throwing the stallion a ‘come hither’ glare.
Just before he made convictions that city mares weren’t so bad, the scars from an identical situation prevented him making a deal with the devil. When the young colt first met Coral, it was over ill-intentions as she toyed with his heart like a filly and her soulless plaything, pulling his strings to get what she wanted before her sympathies steered her right. He deduced that this unicorn disguised her intentions, so he distanced himself at first. “...Well, my name is Cornfield. What’s yours?”
All too happy to get a little closer to him, she put on airs as she replied, “Oh, you can just call me Ms. Night.”
Taking note of the overemphasis on “Ms”, he begun to resume his duties, taking a step away while he thought up an excuse. “Well, ‘Ms.’ Night, I really need to get a few things before they run out... or something. So, I’ll just be on my way.” Just as he nearly left her amidst the sea of ponies, the mare quickened her pace to prolong the opportunity.
“Oh, come on, now. Don’t leave a lonely girl behind like that. You won’t mind if I just tag along, right?”
Quickly surveying around upon entrance, he learned that Central Square was defined by a vastly open park with a fountain staged in the middle and many commercial landmarks encircling it. Through the gap in the thick band of tourists, he discerned a building on the left with a showy sign bragging about three-hundred different type of home necessities. “Uh... Actually, I would,” he refuted and dashed, side-winding between the other ponies obstructing his destination. The black mare glared away with defeat, losing the colt to the crowd. Flustered, she harshly stomped her hoof on the cobblestone ground before drifting once again into the night.
Squeezing into the rushing customers feeding the constantly revolving door, he entered the noisy lobby filled with self-contained ponies glancing at quick practical wares, climbing the stairs to and fro different floors accompanied by a greeter to his right. The tired-looking old stallion occasionally muttered the words “Welcome to Princess Promenade, where you shop like royalty everyday.” A complex like this perplexed his expectations. How was he going to find the things he needed around here? A sign hanging to the left that read “CUSTUMFR SEPV CE” caught his attention. Obviously some letters had deteriorated due to negligence.
He trotted over and snagged the attention of an employee mare lazily chewing gum with her head resting in her hoof on the counter. “Excuse me,” Cornfield asked with his best smile. “Where can I find...uh, lantern oil and bedding?
Her bubble gum swelled to a loud pop, blasting a face full of rancid taco breath. “Camping supplies are floor two, bedding and mattresses are on floor five. Don’t forget to sign the survey saying how helpful I was today,” she recited as quickly as she could and dismissed him as any other customer.
Disgusted, he left and mumbled to himself, “I’d sign it if you didn’t give me a free sample of your halitosis.”
The young colt carried all he could in his saddlebags, not saving his back from some lifting either. Although his legs were struggling, he still successfully obtained reserved amounts of food and water, blankets, pillows, and a container of aforementioned oil. After the typical zoned-out employees assisted minimally with his purchase, he made the journey home under the pale moonlight, searching for the alley in which they were currently squatting. All the while, Coral resided in the back of his mind. Stressed over any danger rearing its ugly mug by leaving her alone.
Suddenly, his gut could sense a looming threat nearby. Though he was unable to see who or what, a chill invaded his spine sealing in the warning as he clocked the pace up a notch. Doubt built up in himself for whether he was going up the right street or not. It was almost a relief when he spotted the familiar cop carriage nearby, but the police were nowhere to be found. The roads were dark, grey fog erased the normally dense sidewalk of traffic, and now it was a hollow lifeless part of the city akin to a ghost town nopony belonged in. How in Equestria a city could lose its population on a head left Cornfield flabbergasted. Either way, the familiar scenery sent him back from whence he came; to the red brick walls of the abandoned decrepit old building. The recognizable alleyway and iron door greeted the shivering pony, eager to put the frightening ambiance behind him. Just before knocking on the door to signal his feathered friend, a voice announced its presence from behind.
“Well, hello there, cutie!” There was a pattern to her tone, making him recall the mare that hounded him down at the square.
“Damn!” he thought. “Does she ever give up?” More annoyed than scared, he begrudgingly chose to face the music.
“Look lady, what part of-” A sharp dagger pointed just inches away at his snout held in a telekinetic force via the tourist, who ditched her festive dress in favor of a simple pair of her own saddlebags. Though he was more focused on the blade threatening to skewer him, he senses confirmed the black mare had a braided long white tail and a cutie mark of one big white diamond with four smaller diamonds in the space of its corners.
“You shouldn’t turn a gift mare away! Money or your life, little colt,” the unicorn demanded with a sadistically sweet tone.
“AH!” Cornfield blurted as he flinched away from the carbon metal that urged to puncture his pretty young face. “Uh... You steal the sun, you steal the shadows!”
In pure disbelief, she lowered the knife a little, wondering if the scared little foal presented before her really was a syndicate member. The frightened expression on his face told a different story, as she felt desperate enough to take the chance. “T-That won’t work on me.” she declared as her friendly tone diminished. “You’re practically a child! They wouldn’t have a kid like you as a member!”
“H-Hey now, take it easy there, missy.” As he carefully inched from her, the door revealed a weakness in his assailant’s position and he decided to gamble on this split second idea. Crafting a facade, he flashed a smug grin and pointed behind her. “Thing is, I wouldn’t be, if my superior wasn’t waiting to ambush you!”
In fear of being jumped, the mugger looked back with glowing gullibility. “What?! Where?!”
“CORAL!” The colt mightily yelled as loud as he could. Distracted, his attacker returned her head only to receive a face full of cold hardened iron at full impact. The resulting explosive bang sent the female fading straight into unconsciousness as she lethargically collapsed onto the concrete.
Coral, fueled with adrenaline and the drive to defend her partner, swung her head to his location and blurted in the midst of confusion “WHAT HAPPENED!?” Saved through her convenient timing, Cornfield pointed out the thief’s stone cold body, who developed a rather sizable bump on the head. “Oh, another fling of yours, Cornfield?”
“OH! That’s GOTTA HURT! Hahaha…” he mockingly exclaimed before treating the gravity of the deadly encounter more seriously. “The city’s more dangerous than I thought. What should we do with her?” Nervously rubbing the back of his head, he regained his composure from the resolved situation.
Examining the options in their environment, an old trash can in the corner fetched her attention at the end of the alleyway. “I have some ideas.” Her vines got to work as she ensnared the mare up overhead, then dunked her face first into the can leaving the lid balanced on her hindquarters and her rear hooves sticking out. “There. Right where she belongs. Get inside.”
In mutual agreement with her orders, he finally made it back inside the sanctuary of the empty room with the door jutted, allowing minimal light inside. Cornfield hoofed over the lantern oil from his saddle bags and hoisted the bedding off his back. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” Taking the old dusty lantern, she precisely poured enough in the bottom casing and lit it with a push of a button. Candlelight gleamed all over the room, enabling much more capable traversal. “Ah, much better!” She engaged Cornfield with a slightly concerned look donning her expression. “Other than that blunder outside, did anypony else give you trouble?”
“No,” he said, taking off his saddlebags. “Although there were some cops out there when I first left. They say you burned down a house on the docks or something. And that you murdered ‘innocent bystanders’.”
Gradually, the gem hunter’s face transitioned to horror and the hue of her body became a lighter shade of white. Her jaw hung open like she dropped the most perfect diamond down a canyon, processing the unwelcome information shared with her.
“Something wrong, Coral?” the piqued colt asked with a brow up. As swiftly as she could, the hybrid sprinted to shut the door tight and latch it, locking with a click. “...Oooook, so something IS up.” he braced for the worst, figuring he may had followed a mass-murderer all this time. “I hope it’s not another secret I should of stayed up for…”
Hanging her head, she faltered over on her hindlegs as she closely monitored the exit, trembling. “...Cornfield... Do you remember the promise I made to you?”
“Yeah, I do.” As he recalled the promise that both of them would no longer keep secrets from each other, he instinctively stepped away from her in self-preservation. “Did...did you actually murder some ponies?”
The side effect of a heavy sigh due to past transgressions, she realized that the unfortunate events taking place now added up as she spun towards him. “Cornfield. I’m still keeping that promise to you. I haven’t lied to you ever since.” Her claws laid on her chest and leaned muzzle-to-beak with him. “I’m a thief. I’m a punk. I’m a deceiver. I’m all that and more, but you have to believe me when I say that I’m NOT a murderer!”
“Ok, ok!” Witnessing her actively defending herself, he put his trust back in her as he attempted to calm her down. “So, are you gonna tell me what that’s all about? Is it a setup? The anticipation is killing me… DAH!” He jammed both hooves in his pie hole upon his poor choice of words, then relieved his gagged mouth. “Er, no pun intended.”
“Yes,” the bird answered blatantly while she massaged her temples with her talons. “Oh, Novo, yes...”
The young stallion looked on, confused on how his friend unknowingly landed them in the middle of a city that was out for blood.