Seven years ago...
Sal Mander groaned and rubbed in between his eyes. “When are you gonna learn, Neon?”
Neon Dream stood next to him as they exited the building, the bright pink markings on her face now just the faintest traces of graffiti paint, and the dark jacket she wore adorned with various markings from different groups. She shrugged and looked away. “Beats me,” she stubbornly said.
The dragon grunted and marched across the street, letting the teenage filly trot to catch up with him. “Listen Neon, this Cherry Bomb is bad business. You keep hanging out with her and I can’t keep bailing you out like this.”
Tensions had been high between the pair of them for a while, and arguments between them were commonplace nowadays. A few weeks ago, a lawyer from GlowCorp visited them and informed them of a libel case the company was filing against Loose Cannon’s and the police precinct claiming that he had been unlawfully investigating their client.
Sal raised hell, of course, as expected, but quickly fell silent when the matter of Neon Dream was brought up, and eventually settled for a lump sum of karma in exchange for testifying against his former partner. He did and sat back as they ripped the entire department apart. Once the dust settled, Megacity Security was formed out of who was left, which led to the abolishment of officers and police departments altogether, in favour of one unit, one private army owned by the corporations that ran the city.
Neon, meanwhile, raised her own kind of hell, thinking Sal a coward and complacent to stand by while they tarnished her dad’s memory. She quickly fell in with the wrong sort of crowd and became a rebel, a ‘free-thinker’ anarchist alongside her friend, the elusive Cherry Bomb. After getting arrested and bailed out several times, she repeatedly made sure he knew where she stood.
“Sure, Sal. I don’t need you anyway,” she muttered at him and sauntered on ahead, not giving him a second glance.
Despite this, and the tension at home, Sal was happy she lashed out at him, thinking that if he had lost the fire then at least she had something to keep fighting for, even if it was for the wrong reasons.
He looked on at her sadly and rustled his wings. “Kid, I’m only trying to look out for you.”
Neon snorted and paused, turning to look back at him disdainfully. “Like you were trying to look out for my dad?”
Sal said nothing in response. They never talked about her dad much, and when they did it was usually in an argument, about how the dragon never did enough, about how he never investigated his murder. He did, multiple times in fact, but he never found anything, and then they canned all the cops meaning he had to get a desk job somewhere in the dragon district, something meaningless but paid enough he could provide for them both.
The crowd passed them by without any second glances. Pony and dragon stared at each other, one old and grizzled, the other young and impetuous. Sal shook his head and stepped forwards towards her. “Listen, Neon. I-”
An explosion rocked the street, sending them both sprawling. Fire and debris rained down upon them, and the crowd scattered.
Sal landed face down in the street, and vaguely heard somepony shouting for Neon. He raised his head with enough strength to see who, and spotted none other than Cherry Bomb herself. Wild eyes, wilder hair singed at the ends and a matching coat to boot, the pegasus was driving a red hovercar that looked expensive, and no doubt stolen. The old detective instinctively reached for his gun, then remembered he was long since ‘retired’ and gave up, letting his claw drag loosely on the ground beside him. He couldn’t feel anything below his waist, and his wings felt strange. Something warm trickled out of his mouth. He saw Neon staring at him with wide, scared eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, then began to charge towards him.
Time seemed to slow as she moved, and then everything turned black.
***
The present day...
The dragon district, or the Crag as the lizard inhabitants called it, was a maze of twisting turns, foreign architecture, cramped buildings and narrow alleys. Originally constructed to resemble the old dragon lands of ancient Equestria, to make the dragons feel more at home, the Crag was a shining example of how far Equestria had come in terms of acceptance.
Unfortunately all good things come to an end, and the Crag soon became home to various gangs of unruly, disillusioned dragons. A few, like Detective Sal Mander, remembered the old days of progress and strived to be an example to the rest of their kind, but their words and actions typically fell on deaf ears.
The dragons of the Crag were notoriously hostile to any outsiders, and after being repressed for years by Megacity Security and the gentrification of their neighbourhoods, many dragon youths enjoyed the idea of raging against the system, finding solace in the casual brutality of their actions like their ancestors had centuries ago.
It was not uncommon to see ponies venturing into the Crag, but neither was it a good sign. Most ponies who did were usually representatives come to hire some bodies for a twisted science experiment their corporate overlords were conducting, or, alternatively, were ponies on the bad side of security. One such pony currently argued back and forth over the pricing of some simple cups of noodles.
“Two!” she grunted. “I want two. Not four.” Neon Dream’s mane clung to her neck in the torrential downpour. Water dripped off of her horn and onto her nose, making it itch. She was hungry, and for whatever reason Dust hadn’t declared her fired yet, so she thankfully still had some karma.
The dragon behind the stall, a large brute of a thing, spotted green and yellow with short ragged wings and cruel looking, twisted horns, shrugged his shoulders at her and cracked his knuckles. “It comes as a packaged deal. The price of four or nothing,” he barked.
“Ugh. Fine, whatever, make four cups, I’ll take two.” The unicorn was growing increasingly irritated with him. The hustle and bustle of the Crag’s markets were something Sal had told her about, but she had never expected to visit them, let alone shop for her and a princess. A nearby dragon wheeled a massive cart full of meat wrapped in plastic sheets, which ravenously hungry dragons greedily snatched up, making her shiver in disgust.
“What am I supposed to do with the extra two?” the noodle dragon muttered at her.
“Put them up your ass, I don’t give a shit,” Neon snapped, eager to leave. She tapped her hoof in the puddle she stood in. ”Should have borrowed that tarp from Twilight,” she thought to herself. She was drenched, and looking similar to a drowned rat. Her tail flicked away like a whip, sending a splash of water onto another puddle, earning the glares of several dragons moving behind her.
The dragon behind the cart shrugged again. “Fine. That’s K10.00.”
“K10.00?!” Neon cried with a scowl. “That’s overpriced as shit for four cups of noodles!”
He gave her a toothy grin and a knowing look. “You look familiar. You been on the news lately, pony?”
The unicorn glowered at him. She sighed and raised her hoof to the checkout pad in defeat. “Fine. Whatever. Take my last karma, not like I needed it. Bastard.”
“Pleasure doing business with you.”
The dragon forked over two cups of noodles, not even bothering to make the extra two she paid for. She glared at him, wishing she wasn’t pressed for time and could give the bastard what she wanted to give him. As he turned away to serve another customer, she turned too, holding the two cups as close to her as possible and retreated into an alleyway close by where the princess waited in the shadows.
“Here,” Neon grumbled and levitated one of the cups over to her. “Eat. They should keep us going for a while.”
Twilight took hers in her own magic and gave it a suspicious sniff.
“It’s not poison,” Neon mumbled through a mouthful. She was starving, cold and wet, and didn’t have time to explain what noodles were before she ate them. “They’re food. Eat.”
The princess’s stomach grumbled. She hesitatingly lifted some into her mouth and forced herself to chew them. After a few moments she began to enjoy them, and sooner still she practically wolfed them down, happy to be eating something finally.
After a few moments of silent eating Neon sighed.
“This is pathetic,” she muttered.
Twilight nodded her head in agreement, slurping the last of her soggy noodles. “Thank you for these,” she said with a burp. “Pardon me.”
The unicorn grumbled something under her breath and cast her empty cup away. They had at least acquired a map after she hacked into one of the terminals dotted around the Crag. Unfortunately, an alarm rigged into the terminals had sent an alert across the city that it was being tampered with, and security descended upon them like a pack of hungry wolves chasing their prey. One good thing about the dragons that these two ponies agreed on, was that security wasn’t very welcome in this part of the city. As such, they made for a handy distraction while the unicorn and the princess slipped away.
Neon glanced down at the holopad containing the map and brushed her wet mane out of her eyes. “Okay so... we should be...” She murmured and glanced up. The buildings around her looked unfamiliar. Not that it mattered--she could barely see Twilight standing in front of her the rain was that heavy. “I don’t... I don’t know where we are, Twilight,” she confessed. She kept glancing down at the map and then looking up around her, growing irritated and frustrated, both at herself and their predicament.
The princess watched her quietly as she whipped her head around, sending droplets of water splattering against the wall. “Relax, Neon,” she said, repeating her words from earlier, still speaking like a teacher, and set the empty noodle cup gently down on the ground. “We’ll get there soon.”
Neon opened her mouth to snap back and say something snarky. She couldn’t think of anything, and just snorted. Her tail, as drenched as her mane, flicked away like a whip. “Sal’s should be close by,” she stated. “He doesn’t live that far into the dragon district, but, this place is...” She looked around and grunted in irritation. “Damn dragons and their Crag.”
She was cold, grumpy, starving and wet, and longed for some proper food.
Twilight stepped away and squinted at the wall silently. Neon turned and continued to look at the map, and look around, then look at the map, and look around in a repeated cycle of growing frustration. “For... ah to hell with it,” she grumbled and rested against the wall. “I say we just start knocking on doors, can’t be much worse than stumbling around in the rain can it?”
“Neon,” the princess said, still squinting at the wall.
“I mean, if any dragon calls security, they’d out themselves as a ‘collaborator’ right? What’s the worst that could happen?” Neon continued, not paying attention.
“Neon,” Twilight repeated, in a sterner voice.
“And if it’s some jumped up gang that answers the door looking for a fight, well, I’m good with magic I guess. A quick blast or two and-”
“Neon Dream!” Twilight yelled, finally catching her companion’s attention.
Neon glared at her amidst the rain. “What?”
The princess simply pointed to a metal plate embedded onto the wall. “What was the name of this dragon did you say?”
“Sal Mander. Salazar.”
“This says he lives here.”
Neon jumped to her hooves and marched forwards, squinting at the small metal plate. Sure enough, there was his name, just under ‘Apartment 97-32’. She groaned and smacked her head. “Oh for...”
Twilight couldn’t help but grin and stifled a small giggle.
“Shut up. Buzz us in--wait!” The unicorn shuffled and stepped forwards, just as the princess raised her hoof. “Actually, I should do the talking.”
The princess stepped back and nodded wordlessly.
Neon licked her lips and pushed down on the intercom. It buzzed quietly amidst the sound of heavy rain hitting the tarp Twilight wore to hide her wings.
“Yeah?” came a gruff voice after a short while.
“Sal? It’s Neon. Can you buzz us in?”
The two ponies held their breath as silence answered them. Neon glanced back at Twilight and smiled. “He’s old, give him a minute.”
Twilight said nothing but raised her eyebrows.
Neon pressed down on the button again and winced. “Sal, please, we-”
“Door’s open.”
The door swung open. The two ponies glanced at one another and quickly stepped inside, glad to be out of the rain. The apartment block was quiet, and smelled vaguely of burnt toast. A dim pair of lights flashed down the corridor, showing the disrepair and neglect the building had fallen into. Twilight wrinkled her nose and frowned. “Why does it smell like that?”
Neon didn’t answer. She hadn’t seen Sal in weeks, and from the sound of his voice he didn’t sound great. ”Maybe smoking so much has finally caught up with him.” She shivered.
“Neon?”
She turned to the princess, who smiled at her and placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, Twilight. I’m... fine. Doesn’t matter. Come on, we’ll take the elevator.” Neon set off quickly, heading down the corridor to a pair of steel metal doors.
“Wait,” Twilight said. The unicorn turned to look at her as her horn ignited, and a warm magenta glow surrounded them both.
Neon frowned and looked around. “What’s happening?”
“Just a simple drying spell,” the princess said. “Hold still, it’ll be over soon.” Their manes and coats quickly dried out and stopped dripping. Satisfied at her work, Twilight smiled at her companion. “There. Much better.”
The unicorn felt a smile twitch at the corners of her mouth. “Much better,” she repeated as she hit the button to summon the elevator.
“You said this dragon was your dad right?” Twilight murmured while they waited.
“That’s right.” The unicorn nodded and inspected her hoof. “Well, he adopted me. My real dad...” Her voice wavered and she fell silent. Twilight gave her a sympathetic look as the elevator doors opened. Though before she could say anything, Neon stepped forwards into the cold metal box and turned around.
“Well come on then, we’re not getting any younger here.”
Twilight inspected the box suspiciously and cautiously. “What’s an elevator?”
Neon realised the princess must have never seen an elevator before as they only came about because of the megacities, well beyond her time. “It goes up and down. It’s faster than the stairs, but feel free to use them-” Neon grinned and pointed to the nearby stairwell. “Sal lives on the ninety seventh floor, so it’ll take you a while.”
Twilight frowned and gingerly stepped forwards. The ground wobbled under her weight, and she quickly stumbled to her associate’s side, standing flank to flank with her. “Tight fit,” she murmured with a goofy smile.
Neon hmphed and pressed the button. The elevator door’s closed, and up they went.
***
“There it is, Apartment 97-32.”
They finally stood outside of Sal’s apartment after striding through seemingly endless corridors and a long elevator journey later.
The dimly lit, cramped hallway still smelled strongly of burnt toast like the entranceway, and various scorch marks and graffiti lined the walls. Neon stood in front of the door and felt her heart thump in her chest. She was nervous, both about meeting Sal and what he would say about Twilight. ”Would he understand? Would he believe me? He had to, right?” Her mind raced with questions.
Behind her, Twilight rested against the wall, still feeling her stomach perform somersaults after the g-force of the elevator. She shook her head and groaned. “Aren’t you going to knock?” she asked, trying to steady her breathing.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m just...” Neon paused. She took a breath and exhaled slowly, then rapped her hoof on his door.
The sound of heavy footsteps could be heard. The door swung open to reveal a metal pony with piercing blue eyes. Both ponies stared at it with wide, fearful eyes. It stared back at them, bringing no small amount of dread and anxiety with it. It had no mane, or tail, no features on its face beyond its eyes, and two strips of metal where ears would normally be. Wires replaced where muscle would be, and its metal plating looked worn out and faded, signifying its age.
“Neon?” Twilight hissed quietly. “What is this?”
“It’s, uh... a droid.” Neon swallowed nervously. She had never liked droids, even as a filly. She found their eyes entirely too unsettling, never blinking, always staring, always recording information. She visibly tensed as it raised a hoof to her and began to speak in its unnerving robotic voice.
[Greetings Neon Dream and guest. I am a personal service and medical droid, designated: Blue. Can I take your coat?] the droid said, addressing Twilight and startling them both with the sudden volume. The princess bashfully shook her head, thinking it must have been mistaking the tarp for a coat and smiled awkwardly at it. Without a mouth it was hard to say if it was smiling, but its tone of voice was friendly enough, despite its wholly unponylike appearance.
“Let them in you stupid machine. Neon? That you?” came a grumpy and old voice, wracked with disease. The sound of a motor approached them, and soon enough an old dragon with machinery for a lower half rounded the corner. He regarded Neon with warm, lizard eyes and gave her a toothy grin. “There you are. Come to see this old rust bucket before he dies?”
The two ponies were ushered in by the droid. It pulled the door close and stood to one side, quietly watching and listening.
Neon felt cold as she looked at her dragon dad. Her worst fears began to come true as she looked at him. She stepped towards him, pushing past the droid and ignoring Twilight’s quiet amazement at a technological feat of fusing metal to flesh. “What do you mean?” she asked.
Sal continued to grin at her. “What do you think, kid? My lungs just aren’t what they used to be,” he wheezed as if to emphasise his point. “You always said smoking would be the death of me.” The motor sounded again as he moved forwards, claws outstretched.
Twilight felt awkward as the two embraced each other. She turned to curiously look at the droid, fascinated by it and undeterred by its unblinking stare. It lowered its head and bowed to her, seemingly out of respect. Sal released his daughter and turned to the alicorn. The smile on his lips and warmth in his eyes faded, replaced by cold suspicion and a frown.
“Sal, this is-” Neon began. She fell silent as he waved a claw and gestured for Twilight to introduce herself.
“Hello Mr Mander,” Twilight said, extending a hoof in greeting. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. Neon saved my life.”
Blue’s eyes fizzed and seemed to brighten. It turned around and moved away towards the wall, it’s metal hooves leaving heavy hoofsteps on the carpeted floor, and remained dormant, waiting until it was next called for.
“Just Sal, no Mr Mander needed.” Sal replied, extending his own claw. He shook her hoof and thumbed towards the droid. “That’s Blue. I figured Neon was in some trouble after seeing the news,” he muttered dismissively. If he was aware of Twilight’s nature he didn’t let on. The princess rustled her wings underneath the tarp.
Neon’s ears flattened and she lowered her head in shame. “You saw that, huh?”
“Neon, if anypony didn’t see it they’re either blind or lying.” The dragon turned around and wheeled away from them, moving through his apartment. “So, what do you need from this old dragon? Come to ask for karma? A place to lie low and plan your terrorist schemes?” he joked.
The pair of ponies trotted after him.
“No, no, nothing like that, Sal, um...” Neon avoided his gaze as he turned back around and scrutinized them both.
Twilight looked between him and the unicorn and frowned, sensing her associate’s apprehension. “I’m sorry to impose on you like this, sir, but we need to find the Children of the Sun. Neon thinks you could help us get there,” she said, earning both a look of desperate pleading from Neon and a joyless grin from Sal.
“Does she now?” the dragon laughed hollowly. He straightened up and looked at Twilight carefully. “Do you know why I’m half a machine now, Twilight Sparkle?” he growled.
The princess shook her head. “No, sir.”
Sal reached down to the beginnings of his machinery and extracted a small packet. “It’s because back in the day, my little Neon was a hellraiser in her youth, chasing after wild dreams and fantasies. Got a metal rebar shoved through my back. My wings haven’t worked in years. My legs died and in order to save my life I got my legs replaced by a machine.” He glanced at the droid and raised a cigarette to his mouth. “I’m lucky to be alive, if you call this living.”
Blue walked up to him and raised its hoof. A small lighter came out of a compartment on its faded and rusty leg, and lit his cigarette for him. He inhaled it deeply and started coughing almost instantly. Twilight waved the smoke away from her nose and gave Neon a worried glance. The young unicorn’s face said it all, really. A mix of pain and guilt.
Neon lowered her head. “I’m still sorry that happened, Sal,” she said quietly.
“Ah, kid, it’s not your fault, I told you to stop beating yourself up about that.” He took a long drag from his cigarette and exhaled, sending smoke into the room. “You didn’t know your anarchist friend was going to blow me up.”
Twilight gave Neon a startling look. “Come again?”
“Oh yes,” Sal chuckled. His laughing soon turned to wheezing again, even as he puffed on the cigarette hanging limply out his mouth. “That one they mentioned on the news, Cherry Bomb. An anarchist through and through, I’m surprised you didn’t go looking for her, now that you’re one too.”
Neon stamped her hoof, bringing attention to herself. “It’s a lie, Sal. I’m not a terrorist, you know that.” She pointed at Twilight, growing bold for the first time since they entered his apartment. “You know who this is? This is Twilight Sparkle--Sparkle. You know? The one they taught us about in school. The princess who died hundreds of years ago? She’s alive, Sal. She’s here. What else do the corporations know hat we don’t?”
Sal puffed on his cigarette and took one last final draw of it. He sighed and exhaled. Smoke filled the room again, making the ponies’ eyes water. “I know who she is, kid,” he said after a few moments, and waved a claw at the tarp Twilight still wore. “Take off that damn thing, you must be getting tired.”
Twilight glanced at Neon as she removed the tarp, sheepishly leaving it on a pile on the ground and let her wings unfurl, glad to stretch them. Sal’s cold lizard eyes regarded her quietly, and seemed to flash as he saw her wings and horn.
“Uh, Sal?” the unicorn asked carefully and swallowed. Sweat dotted her brow and her throat felt itchy again. “How do you kn-”
“Twilight Sparkle. The Last Princess of Equestria.” Sal doubled over as a coughing fit wracked his body again. “I know,” he wheezed. “COTS has been trying to recruit me for years.” He laughed and took the cigarette from his mouth, ignoring their looks of amazement. He cast it onto the ground and proceeded to wheel over it, heading into the next room. “That boss of theirs is very persuasive you know? They even managed to get a dragon to come visit me. Spite. Spook? Something like that.”
Twilight’s wings fluttered and her eyes widened. “Spike?” she murmured.
“Tall, purple and green? Yeah.”
Neon remembered the strange dragon she had seen a few hours ago. She never would have thought he’s as old as Twilight, or had anything to do with her.
“Spike’s alive?” Twilight whispered. “After all this time...”
Sal chortled as he came to a stop in front of a large steel desk. “Yeah, yeah, he’s a decent dragon. He’s a lot like a pony. Your doing I take it, princess?” he said. He reached over and grabbed open one of the drawers, flinging an assortment of items over his shoulder, until he found what he was looking for and cried out in victory. “Here.” He held up a small flash drive. “This should explain everything.”
Neon’s eyebrow twitched. “This doesn’t add up, Sal. You were a cop. COTS are the bad guys. Were, the bad guys. I think. Why have they been trying to recruit you?”
The dragon looked at her like he was wrestling with something. “Kid... I never knew how to tell you this, but your dad, he...” He ran a claw over his spines and wheezed for air, motioning for her to come closer. Neon obeyed silently, eyes wide and ears fully cocked forwards, listening intently to what he had to say.
“Your dad was working with COTS, in the end,” he said quietly.
Neon’s already wide eyes grew wider. “What?” she whispered.
“Their boss gave him a credible source to begin an investigation. He followed it. He found something, wouldn’t tell me what, only that it was bigger than any of us put together. Take this data drive, it’ll have everything on it you need to know. He wanted me to give it to you when the time was right.” He pushed a small device towards her. She took it in one of her hooves and turned it over.
”Neon.”
“What is this, Sal?” she murmured, reading the tag on its side.
Before the old dragon could elaborate he was wracked with another cough. A buzz came from the intercom. His droid approached it and responded in Sal’s voice. [Yeah?] it grunted, imitating his gruffness and surliness perfectly.
“Megacity Security,” came a heavily doctored and distorted voice. “Sal Mander, you are under arrest for harbouring a fugitive.”
Twilight started forwards and flexed her wings. “I think that’s our cue to leave, Neon,” she said with a glance at the door.
Sal nodded in agreement. “I think so too. Blue, stall them.”
Blue nodded its head in understanding. [Get lost, I don’t speak to the bastards who took my job,] it said to the intercom, still imitating Sal’s voice. The distorted voice repeated itself on the other end.
The dragon’s motor started again as wheeled himself forwards towards one of the windows and thrust it open. “You two. Outside before they get you.”
Neon stood silent and stared at the drive in her hoof. She vaguely heard Sal and Twilight shout at her to get her to move. Her lower lip trembled as she thought of her dad, the supercop, working with ponies he himself deemed no good dirty rotten so-and-sos and wondered what else she didn’t know.
“Neon!” Twilight yelled and stormed up to her. “We gotta go!” The voice on the intercom went silent as a loud explosion was heard from the street. Neon lifted the drive up with her magic as her horn ignited and made to move.
Blue turned away from the intercom and looked at them all. [It would appear they are done conversing,] it said, almost humorously. Its eyes flickered as its head did a three hundred and sixty degree turn. [My scanners detect hostiles rapidly approaching from all sides.]
Sal grunted and reached into the desk again. He retrieved his gun, an old relic used mainly for reminiscing, his only friend remaining after his time as a cop. It felt good to hold it again. Natural. He stroked the barrel and grinned to himself, and waved a claw at Neon. “That drive will take you right to COTS. Keep it safe. Take Blue with you, it can play it for you.”
His adopted daughter gaped at him and felt tears well up in her eyes. She rushed forwards and thrust her head under his chin, pressing herself against him. “I’m... I’m...” she mumbled. She wanted to scream, to tell him to come with them. She knew it was no use. Her mouth moved feebly as words failed her.
“Shhh, kid. I knew this would happen eventually.” Sal comforted her and wrapped a claw around her back, pulling her in close. After a brief moment of solace he gave her a hard shove towards the window. “Now go. Princess?” he said, addressing Twilight.
The princess looked at him sadly and raised her head. “Yeah, Sal?”
“Make it count, alright?”
“I... I will, sir. Thank you for helping us.”
Sal extended a claw towards her. “It’s been a pleasure. Hopefully COTS can help you begin to make things right in this damn city.”
Twilight nodded and shook her hoof with him. She turned towards Neon and looked outside, peering out the window at the ground far below them. Red and blue flashing lights met them, and several vehicles started to approach from the skies themselves.
“What do we do?” Neon asked quietly.
“One of you has wings,” Sal chuckled. “I think you can take it from here, princess.” The sound of something pounding on metal came from across the apartment, security already banging at the door. “Go, now.” He put another cigarette in his mouth and wheeled himself forwards, aiming his gun just like he used to. “I always wanted to get back at these freaks,” he chuckled dryly. He glanced back at the droid. Blue. “Keep Neon safe.”
Blue paused for a moment before nodding its shiny head and turned to the window. Twilight braced herself for a flight, and wrapped her hooves around the unicorn.
“Don’t look down,” she said. “And hold on.” Neon obeyed and grasped the legs wrapped around her and held on for dear life. She glanced back at Sal sadly. He wasn’t looking, instead wheeling himself away, eyes focused and teeth grit.
And then all Neon saw was buildings. She gasped and struggled for air as she and Twilight hurtled towards the ground. The droid followed closely behind, initiating its flight protocols and taking to the skies alongside the alicorn. Her wings spread and carried them onwards, soaring like a majestic eagle, narrowly escaping with their lives just as security pulled up to Sal’s window.
Neon twisted her head around to see if she could get one last glance at Sal’s place, just to see a series of flashes and hear the gunshots ring out through the sky. The drive she held in her magic remained clutched at her chest, a precious treasure brimming with secrets.
“Goodbye, dad...” she whispered as sorrow wrenched at her heart. She clutched onto Twilight’s legs underneath her and remained silent as they flew.
Sirens filled the city with sound. GlowCorp’s private army descended en masse, and quickly began to gather up any dragon or otherwise suspicious personnel who might have seen the tiniest shred of something suspicious in regards to public enemy number one: Neon Dream.