//------------------------------// // 9 | // Story: Into Equestria // by TheMajorTechie //------------------------------// “Where to hide, where to hide…” Rosanne mumbled under her breath, biking past the towering buildings on each side of the road. At any rate, she’d be caught long before she could find a good place to camp out. At the very least, she needed to blend in with others; make looking for her a little harder to buy some time. Her eyes widened. The arcade! There’d be plenty of people there today, and it shouldn’t be too hard to get herself lost in the crowds. She made a turn at an intersection, swerving around a few people crossing the road. If she pedaled a little faster, she’d have enough time to maybe even play a game or two to make herself more convincing. She passed through another intersection. The arcade was coming into view up ahead, and just as she predicted, its parking lot was full; Perfect cover until she could regroup with Night and Wildcat. She could slip inside, get herself a card or tokens or whatever it was they decided to use, and maybe put her hood up. Turned around and facing a game, she wouldn’t stand out at all from anybody else! ~~~ “C’mon, just get something already!” Robert groaned. “Damian, are you seriously reading the calorie counts on greasy arcade food?” “Yes.” “Agh! Just hurry up, then, unless you want to be ditched in the food court!” Damian rolled his eyes, sliding the money Robert gave him across the counter. “I’ll take a number two medium, please.” Robert grabbed Elise by the wrist, tugging her away. “Let’s go get some cards, Ellie. Mister Study All Day over there’s just gonna sit around reading anyway.” “Hey—at least I’m getting better grades than you!” Robert blew a raspberry at his friend before dragging Elise off to the card loading station. “That was kinda mean.” “Yeah, but, y’know, he doesn’t know how to have fun anyway, Ellie!” The girl looked over her shoulder at Damian. He’d since sat down at a table and pulled out a book while he waited for his food. She felt someone brush past her on the right—the same woman they’d seen earlier. Maybe she was just really excited to come to the arcade… or something. Things felt a little off about her, though. But, she was here to enjoy herself, not worry about some random lady she saw on a bike. She could think about her later. “Come on, not you too, Ellie! Stop staring at strangers! They might try to rob you or something!” Elise snorted. “Says the person who carries a stuffed wallet.” She felt her phone buzz in her pocket. “…Hold on, lemme answer. It’s probably Lisa or something.” Of course, pulling the device out confirmed her hunch. “Hello?” “Ellie,” Lisa began, “have you seen a woman around with her hood up? We suspect she may have run from a house we busted for being the origin of the hacking last night, but we’re not sure whether or not she’s dangerous.” “Umm… yeah, she’s somewhere here in the arcade we’re in. I think I might’ve even run into her not too long ago.” “Alright. We’ll be there soon. Try to get out as soon as possible. It’s possible we may need to bring the police in as well.” Oh. Elise turned, spotting the hooded woman still making her way through the masses of people. An idea entered her mind. “Lisa, I’ll call back later. I’ve got something to do.” “Wait, Ellie, wha—” Click. “C’mon, let’s go this way!” This time, it was Elise dragging Robert. “I saw something interesting over there!” “W-huh? That’s sudden. What is it?” Elise pointed a finger. “That lady over there in the hood. You see her?” “I…” Robert made a face. “Yeah? What about her?” “Let’s go after her.”