//------------------------------//
// Chapter VII - Grand Larceny 
// Story: Grand Larceny 
// by Waiting on my 20s 
//------------------------------//

9 DAYS TO MIDNIGHT
"A cold?! Are you serious right now, Century!? Trixie put on that astonishing display of magic, only for Sun Butt to come down with a cold?!"
"...Yeah... I'm serious..."
"...Y-You... Y-You seriously expect me to believe there wasn't s-some kind of, uh, uh, m-magical spell to get her from under the weather?"
"...I'd imagine the Princess is using such as an excuse to not come. She's gone to virtually every other Gala in the past."
"Wonderful."
Trixie, Century, and Spirit all rested and gathered their thoughts outside the Royal Castle. Overlooking the first falling of the waterfall outside the castle. Using it to omit their voices to any third parties that may be listening in.
Spirit was repeatedly knocking her head into the nearby wall. Not enough to seriously hurt her, but the pain was unmistakable. The keycard she swiped off Starboard had fallen out of her pocket, and was now a bit chipped. Usable; but chipped nonetheless. Trixie rested on her side. Tears ran down her cheeks. Ruining her mascara. And Century sat at the very edge of the platform. The waterfall to his right.
The trio was devastated.
Their greatest—and possibly, only—opportunity to steal the crown had been taken from them. After all that planning and preparation. The trips across the kingdom, the thousands of bits spent. All for nothing. All for Princess Celestia to get a 'cold'.
"B-But still, how?" Spirit inquired. "How did she get a cold? D-Did she just, I-I, w-wha- She just bathed in cold water?! Stood outside in the rain too long- Alicorns get colds?! Seriously?! Aren't they immortal or something?!"
"Trixie doesn't think that's how that works..." Said the magician. Fidgeting with pebbles next to her.
"T-Than how does it- H-How does it work?! I-I, what is the... I don't-"
"We don't know everything Spirit," Trixie replied, sniffling. "Maybe... Maybe, we... Aren't their bodies just like ours? A-Alicorns are immortals, yeah, but their skin's still soft a-and, and, and, and, uh... Uh, f-fleshy inside. So like, their cells and nostrils and blah blah, wouldn't it just be like ours-"
"Sounds like a load of crap," Spirit snapped. "Wouldn't like... Wouldn't there be some potion? O-Or, or, or, a spell?! 'Cold-be-gone?' I just... How could this happen?!" Spirit turned around, revealing her own tears.
She continued, "W-What do we do now!? Our only, only opportunity was just robbed from us! B-By nature! Or worse, by her just being tired or some dumb crap! I... What do we-"
"Trixie doesn't know; perhaps this is just the way it is!"
"Really?! That's coming out of your mouth?!"
"W-What's that supposed to mean?!"
"I don't know, you tell me! What's it mean, Trickshow?!"
"How dare you! Taking out your pathetic anger on Trixie!"
"Doesn't matter now! The world's gonna end in nine days; What's the issue with taking out my anger on the wannabe magician?!"
"Wannabe!?"
"Enough!"
Century shouted at the top of his lungs. His voice echoed into the night. Trixie and Spirit flinched at the sound and snapped out of their argument. Trixie took a step back and wiped her tears. Spirit doing the same, only in a frustrated manner.
Century had stood up from the edge and was facing the both of them. Although, his face was attracted to the ground. He stared at it. His eyes shot back and forth between the pattern and the pebbles. Thinking of what to say.
"...We're not giving up."
"Oh for Celestia's sake, are you kidding me?!" Spirit replied. Her anger returned in full. "Don't you see, Century? It's over! Celestia wasn't there. She's at the top floor of this flippin' two hundred foot castle catching a crap-ton of zs' from a ‘cold’! W-What are we supposed to do now?!"
Trixie sniffled and spoke through her tears, "Trixie hates to admit it, but Spirit is right. Our whole plan has been torn to shreds. There's nothing we can do now. Like, literally Century. There's no other option. We spent all our time preparing for this."
Century raised his head, "I know, but there's still a Plan B."
Spirit scoffed and wiped her tears, "W-What, Century, I-I-I, w-what, you, w-what Plan B?! We, uh, we infiltrate the, t-the, the most secure building in the kingdom, protected by guards a-at every corner, enter the room of possibly t-the, uh, t-the most powerful being on the planet, steal her crown, a-and then, s-somehow escape?!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...You're insane."
"What choice do we have?"
Trixie shot up, "Century, you can't be serious! The chances of us making it out of that are below abysmal at best! Think about what's at stake!"
"You think about what's at stake!" Century shouted, pointing at her. "If we don't do this—i-if we don't at least try— it's all over for the planet. Even if we fail and get imprisoned, the apocalypse is still coming! But if we... I-If we succeed. If we get the crown, it's not over. Then we just have to follow the original plan and get to the hypercarrier. We can't give up now.”
Spirit shook her head, "B-But, we-"
"There is no but, Spirit! Trixie! This is it! These are the cards we've been dealt! We can't just mope and sob and sigh, standing and laying around. We need to act, and we need to act now! ...And if that's not enough... I'll do it myself!"
Spirit and Trixie winced at those last words. Century was daring to infiltrate the Royal Castle and steal Princess Celestia's crown all by himself. The notion was rather insulting to them, yes. But more than that, it brought about a pang of guilt within them. That they would abandon their partner, their friend, in such a desperate hour of need.
Century stepped closer to the two and glared at them. Scorn and resolution in his eyes. "Are you with me, or not?"
Spirit peaked at the night sky. She realized this might be the last time she ever sees it. The moon. The stars. The beautiful, gorgeous dark blue. Then again, if she refused to act at all, she'd only get to see them a little while longer. Stuck between a rock and a hard place. But one of them would have to give.
As she picked up the keycard, Spirit looked to Trixie, who had stood up. Although, her head hung low with both fear and guilt. The magician's mind was racing faster than any Wonderbolt could ever dream of matching. She thought of how little she had. She thought of her best friend Starlight, and how she'd react. She thought of her career as a magician. As barren as it might be, she cared for every step she took. And now, more than ever, it was all on the line. She took a deep breath and exhaled.
"...What do you have in mind?"


 
"This is as high as we're gonna get, you guys!"
"Don't shout so loud, Spirit! Somepony will hear us!"
"Trixie, you're doing the same thing!"
"Both of you, shut up!"
Spirit—using the same levitation spell from the warehouse, assisted by Trixie—landed on the second highest tower of the castle. As Century stabilized his footing, he approached the edge of the roof and looked over the tallest tower.
He sighed, "For the love of, the Princesses' tower is almost a quarter-mile away! We seriously can't get any closer?"
Spirit shook her head and approached him, "That spell is hard enough to do. Even with two unicorns working in conjunction, this is the highest and closest we're gonna get."
"Couldn't Starlight do it?"
"Do either of us look like Starlight?”
Trixie trotted over, "So what now, then?"
Century examined the sight below the edge. Below them was a catwalk that led to the taller tower. Said catwalk was at least two stories down, and patrolled by two guards walking back and forth. Along with two guards standing at each entrance.
He bit his lip, "Well... We're gonna have to head down to the level of this catwalk and somehow get across. There are six guards on it, so I don't know how we're gonna get past them. Any ideas, mares?"
Spirit rubbed her chin for a moment, "... I've got an idea, but it might cost whatever's left of Trixie and I's magic for the night."
"Hit me."
"We can use an invisibility spell. With Trixie's help, we'll make ourselves transparent. Then, we can just walk across the catwalk while avoiding the guards as best we can. What do you think?"
Century shrugged, "Sounds good to me. Trix?"
Trixie tilted her head, "So if this zaps the rest of our magic, how are we escaping?"
Spirit put a hoof to her chin, "I think I've got an idea, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there."
"Trixie doesn't like the sound of that."
Century nudged her, "Well, Trixie needs to put on her big mare pants and get it together. So Spirit, how y'all doing this?"
Spirit waved to Trixie to come near her. Igniting her magic from within her horn. Trixie raised a brow before reluctantly approaching her. She tilted her head, "So... what are we doing?"
Spirit smiled, "You look so confused, never done this before?"
"Done what?"
"We're going to combine our magical powers to increase the strength of the invisibility spell. It'd be impossible for me to make all three of us invisible. But if we combine our magic, we can do it easily… Wait... You do know how to do this, spell... right?"
"...Trixie will follow your lead. She's a good follower. Er, student. Whichever works in this context."
Century sighed, "Spirit, are you sure this will work?"
Spirit rolled her eyes, "Hey, Starlight Glimmer isn't the only unicorn well adept with her magic, okay? I-I may not be on her level, y'know, duh, but... Just, shut up and trust me, okay? You convinced us to come up here in the first place, and we all put our faith in you."
"Alright, alright, jeez," Century replied. Raising a hoof to calm her down. "I trust you, Spirit. Now let's do this. Trixie?"
The Great and Powerful nodded, "Let's do this Spirit. The Great and Powerful shall lend you her aid."
Spirit smiled weakly, "Spectacular."
She stepped closer to Trixie and held her head somewhat low. Trixie did the same, recognizing the movement. She chuckled, "Oh! That's what we're doing! Why didn't you just say so?!"
"Trixie shut up!" Century whisper shouted, and Spirit giggled. After quietly apologizing, Trixie rested her horn on Spirit's and ignited her magic. Spirit spoke, "Okay, Trixie, since you don't know the spell, that's gonna make this a little harder. So what you're gonna do is transfer most of your magic to me. You're gonna feel a lil' woozy and weak, but you'll be fine in like two minutes... Maybe."
"Trixie is starting to feel hesitant."
"Trixie will live."
Spirit then closed her eyes, and Century watched as her horn glowed twice as bright. He got a little worried at just how bright, in fact. The guards below on the catwalk might see them if they weren't careful. He expressed this to Spirit.
"Hey, Spirit, maybe hurry this up? Y'know, in case the guards below see us standing up here-"
"Done."
Spirit lifted her head in triumph as a massive portion of Trixie's magic found a new home within her horn. Trixie, on the other hand, fell to her hooves. Spirit was right. She felt like she'd just stayed up for a week straight.
"Ah jeez," Century remarked as he helped the mare stand up straight. Annoyed, but far more concerned for her. "Spirit, she's gonna be okay, right?"
"Of course," the unicorn replied. "That's what I said. Now c'mon. We're gonna head downstairs and activate this spell. Time's wasting. We can't miss that train to Manehattan."
"Alright, we'll be down shortly. You head on without us."
"Gotcha," Spirit replied before entering a door leading to a spiral stairway that reached the same level as the catwalk. Century nudged Trixie's cheek while holding her up. "Hey, you're gonna be alright, right?"
Trixie shook her head like she was trying to stay awake. "Of course. Trixie knows how important this mission is. Just give her a few seconds."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
"...Need me to walk you down?"
"...It'd be greatly appreciated."
"Lovely," Century responded before the two of them began for the stairwell. Century couldn't exactly hold onto her, but he had her up against the wall as he walked beside her. He noted how low her eyelids were. Like she was gonna fall into hibernation any second. He couldn't help but feel that there might've been another way to go about all this. But he nodded the thought off. It was too late, now.
They reached the bottom of the stairwell, and almost instantly, they were made invisible. Taking Century aback, and waking Trixie up a bit.
Century's eyes bulged as he looked down to see nothing of his former body. "I, uh, didn't think we'd be getting right into it, Spirit."
Spirit giggled, "Like I said, no time to waste. By the way, we can't see each other while like this, so let's be careful not to screw up. I'll go first down the catwalk. Then Trixie, then Century."
Trixie raised an invisible hoof like a filly, "When does it wear off?"
"When I decide to drop it. That, or, I can't hold it up for long, and it drops unexpectedly. But I've got plenty of magic, so we'll be fine. Now then, we have a catwalk to walk."
"That was corny," Trixie and Century replied, simultaneously.
"Yeah, well, shut up," Spirit replied. "I'll be going now. Wait ten seconds Trixie, and then you can begin walking down the catwalk too. Frankly, I'd prefer it if you, y'know, trotted. Before you ask, no, they can't hear our footsteps. But they can feel them, so... Don't stomp or whatever... I'll be going now."
And with that, Spirit's invisible body began trotting down the catwalk. Jovially passing every guard in her way. It would seem the magic from Trixie empowered more than just her own magical prowess.
After ten seconds, Trixie did the same. Than Century. They were lucky that most of the guards weren't patrolling the catwalk at the time. And that those who remained weren't exactly on top of their game. They'd rather be down at the Gala, sipping Cider and the like. Hanging out with the legend himself, Admiral Douglas McHoof.
After passing the last guard, Century arrived at the tower. He whispered for the other ponies, but he heard nothing. Confused, he surveyed his surroundings and observed two gorgeous and expensive stairwells.
One stairwell, sitting on the far right, was covered in dark and luminous gems and paint. A beautiful sign hanging above the stairwell showed a moon. Meaning that stairwell led to Princess Luna's room. The stairwell on the far left was the exact opposite. Bright, yellow, and a sign holding a sun. Princess Celestia's room.
He called out to them again, and this time, he got a response from Trixie. "Up here," She whispered. Coming from the top of the far left stairwell. Century nodded, not realizing she couldn't see him, and began up the left stairwell. Lucky for her, she heard his hoof steps.
As the two reached the top, the spell of invisibility fell, and they could see Spirit standing at the doors leading to Celestia's room. Trixie shook her head, "Trixie is never doing that again. She feels like hibernating for the winter."
"Well," Spirit began, "Luckily for Trixie, I've figured out our escape plan. And I've got just enough magic left to execute it. But first, we steal the crown. Century, if you'd be so kind?"
Century squinted his eyes, "I-I'm sorry, what? What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. Trixie's too tired to do anything, so she's gonna sit here and rest while I keep a lookout for any guards. And you are gonna infiltrate her highness' room for the crown."
"W-What, but I'm not a super sneaky thief!?" Century whisper shouted. "That's not something I can pull off! Why can't you do it?!"
"Century, you used to sneak and steal candies and whatnot from your parents' room all the time when we were younger. Same for my parents’ room. I think you know exactly what to do here. Just dust off that part of your brain, you'll be fine!"
"Can't you use some super secret stealth spell?"
"I used most of my magic making the three of us invisible. And our escape plan is gonna need everything I have left. So unless you've got any brighter ideas..."
Century didn't want to give in so easily, but her reminding him of his foal hood days of thievery, he also remembered how bad she was at it. If she screwed up just once, she'd alert the whole castle. And so he agreed, reluctantly.
He looked at the doors and sighed. "I'll... Uh, I'm gonna regret this so bad, I'll be back." And with that, quieter than a mouse, Century crept open the door by centimeters at a second. Meticulously inserting his back left hoof through the door.
After a minute, he was able to slink half his body through the cracked door. Where he beheld Celestia's room. It wasn't as grandiose as he anticipated. Small, even. Straight ahead past a large pillow was a fireplace. He could smell the burning wood as soon as he laid eyes on it. It was encased in a strange purple shrine. Its color was a shade of purple. Similar to Twilight's, only darker. With a pattern of loops and scribbles inscribed all over. In fact, that same pattern matched the carpet he stepped on.
But before the fireplace was something strange and unknown to him. It was a large yellow pillow with accents as brown as the stem of a banana. It surrounded half of what looked like a mattress on the floor shaped like an incredibly fat L. Like, so fat you wouldn't know it was even supposed to be an L. And the mattress was encircled by a fluffy magenta outline in the shape of several Os overlapping each other all around the mattress. It reminded him of feathers, but far softer. Outside of the balcony and the dark blue walls, everything else in the room however became a blur as he spotted her highness. 
Princess Celestia rested on the weird mattress, futon thingy like a foal. As he ever so slowly rounded the mattress, he could see her stomach rise and fall. He was almost jealous of how peaceful she was. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to feel that peace for a long while. If he ever does, that is. He was also surprised to see her mane still flowing. Must've been on autopilot twenty-four-seven.
This was unbelievably risky. Incomprehensibly risky. Here he was, a simple Earth pony politician, sneaking into the bedroom of the highest leader in all of Equestria. His commander in chief. The unrivaled ruler for tens of thousands of years. Intruding into her most sacred area. Now that he thought of it, one wrong move, and he may find himself somewhere worse than just some Equestrian prison.
But then he spotted it. His target of the night. Celestia's crown sat just inches away from her face. Some of her hair lay next to it. Looking around, troubled out more than he's ever been, Century took a deep breath. His goal was simple. Kneel down, grab the crown with his teeth, secure it in his satchel, and then sneak away. It would take just a minute. One minute of the most stressful, profound, and treacherous act he's ever committed in his life. He swallowed, and took a deep breath. The deepest breath he ever took in his life.
With the utmost cautiousness, Century began to bend down to Celestia's level. Baring his teeth, and holding his breath. He got closer. And closer. And closer. His air, surprisingly, was still in high reserves. While the heat of the fireplace burned against the side of his face, and the wind from the balcony began to blow into the front of his face.
He opened his teeth gradually and positioned his mouth directly over the top, sharp arch. More like a flat spike, in his eyes. With less force than a parasprite, he delicately bit down on the crown enough to get a grip. The metal was much harder than he anticipated; Hurting his teeth immediately.
He waited a moment and looked at Celestia. She slept just as soundly as before. Half of him had no doubt that she was on her millionth sheep and counting. While the other half believed she was actually staring him down from a corner, and this alicorn on the bed was merely a decoy.
Erasing the thoughts, Century began to lift the crown up from the mattress, along with standing up. Even slower than he did bending down. The heat and the wind only began to push and beat against him harder. Like they had some grudge against him.
And with a final steady movement, Century stood up from the Ground and inched his face over to his satchel. Which waited open like the face of a monster. Eager to devour the most ludicrous, yet delectable meal of its life. He lowered his head and placed the crown safely within his satchel. Letting go with his teeth once it was firmly set down. He then lifted the latch and locked the satchel down, still slow as a snail, which began to hurt his neck, in fact. But at last, the crown was safe and secure.
With that, Century began to move to the exit faster than he did entering. His front still facing the Princess as he rounded the mattress and approached the door. But just before he was about to turn about, he spotted something. It laid on a dresser just next to the doorway. It was a book.
Century cursed himself a hundred times over internally as he stared at it. 

     What are you doing, Century? 

     You have the crown, Century. 

     You need to leave, Century. 

     Stop wasting time, Century. 

     What if a guard is coming, Century? 

     What will you do then, Century?

But against his better judgment, Century approached the book. Taking his chances and tip-toeing just a tad bit faster. As he got a better look, he was able to analyze the cover. He was befuddled at it. It must've been ancient because he couldn't read the title, the author's name, if that's even what the subtitle was, and it was covered in strange permanent dust. It didn't make sense to him either. He thought for a moment, looking back at the alicorn.
Celestia will come after him.
She won't just send the Elements of Harmony after him. This wasn't the kind of situation where their involvement was needed. Then again, the extra help wouldn't hurt. She might even bring Starlight along too. And of course, she'll send guards. Seeing as there are other hypercarriers across Equestria she might use one or three to transport an entire legion of troops. Nah, he thought. Definitely not that much. It's not like the crown is magical. But she'd still send more than the trio could handle. Not to mention her connection to Meridio. They'll engage in a nationwide search for the trio. And who knows what kind of technology a highly advanced nation like that has at its disposal. Especially when it wants to capture somepony.
In other words, all the trio had was their wit and their will. They were outgunned, outnumbered, and probably even outplanned. Celestia had a massive advantage, and it wasn't even her home field. So maybe, the trio would need all the help they could get.
He tried to read the cover again. If Celestia has this ancient book so close to her, it's bound to have some magical spells or something inside. But he was confused as to why it was just laying there. Perhaps she was going through it. For old memories' sake, or something. Maybe it was more important than he realized. But he quickly made up his mind.
Opening his mouth again, Century swiped the book up from the dresser and tip-toed to the door again. With how well his infiltration had been going, he was getting rather full of himself. Perhaps cake butt here was an especially heavy sleeper.
Taking one last look back at the resting Princess, Century sighed. "Forgive me," he whispered, before inching the door open yet again, and slinking his way out. Carefully closing it once he was completely out the door frame.
He looked to his left and spotted Trixie napping. Placing the book down, he shook her. "Hey, Trixie, wake up. We gotta move, I got the crown."
Trixie mumbled to herself before one of her eyes flickered open. She turned to Century before standing up. "We... We're done here? We can... We can finally go home?"
"For like, five seconds. But then we gotta leave for the train. Where's-"
"You got it?" Whispered the unicorn in question. Spirit snuck back up the stairs she was watching from and approached the two. Century turned his side to face them and unlocked his satchel. The two unicorns stared in awe. Their mouths agape, with no sound escaping.
Century chuckled, "So, what do ya think?"
"...Trixie thinks we're dead ponies walking."
Spirit nudged her, "Nuh uh, Miss Great and Powerful, we're saved!" She silently shouted. "Lock it back up, Century. I know how we're getting out of here."
Century locked up the satchel, "And how's that? It's not as crazy as the last one, right?"
"Don't worry. I'm gonna use the magic I have left to levitate us down to the ground through that window at the end of the hall. Then, we're gonna book it to our carriage and get home. Sound good?"
"Sounds fantastic. By the way, you should take this," Century stated, pointing at the ancient book he had set down. "I took it from Celestia's room. With what we've got coming ahead, I figured it couldn't be all that bad to have something to help us."
Trixie lifted the book with some of her returned magic and levitated it over to the two unicorns to read. Spirit shook her head, "Uh... What is this? I feel like I've seen it before, but... I don't know. Trixie?"
Trixie shook her head as well, "Trixie has no idea. But, it's not a great idea to just put it back now. Trixie agrees with Century in taking it. Spirit?"
The unicorn shrugged, "Alright, fine, I'll take it. But I'm blaming you, Century, if I get caught with it."
Century waved her off, "Yuh-huh, look, I've done the most dangerous thing in my entire life today, get us out of here already."


    
"Trixie wonders about something, Spirit. How come we didn't enter the castle from that window?"
"...Because the window was locked from the inside?"
"Ah."
The trio sneaked onto the path leaving the Gala. The gathering had concluded, and everypony was on their way home as the castle closed its doors. Century spotted a number of ponies he'd seen before. Most of them being from Canterlot. Except, of course, for three other ponies. He cursed himself when he saw the alicorn spot the three of them.
"Century?" Twilight called out, the two ponies next to her also looking in the trio's direction. Rainbow Dash and Rarity. The pegasus raised a brow while Rarity trotted over to Spirit, delight and wonderment in her eyes.
"Oh Spirit!" Rarity began, stopping in front of the unicorn. "I know I've already seen you in this outfit, but I can't help it! You look absolutely enchanting, darling! Did it suit your needs for tonight? Everything going according to plan and whatnot?"
Spirit's eyes peaked at Century and Trixie. Who's eyes stared back. Spirit nodded, "Yeah, sure."
"Century," Twilight began, "I wanted to ask why you ran away after I told you about Celestia. You seemed really distressed about it. Everything okay?"
Century put on a lazy grin, "Yeah, yeah, we're all good. It's just... Uh, had something I wanted to talk to her about. Politician talk and whatnot. Nothing major."
"Are you sure? That reaction told a different story."
"And why do you look so disheveled?" Rarity added.
"And why are you sweating so much?" Rainbow Dash also added.
Trixie stepped in front of Century, "You three are asking way too many questions. What we did today was stressful, and also a little fun, but none of your business. Perhaps we will tell you some other day."
"Well now you just sound suspicious," Rainbow Dash replied.
Spirit cleared her throat, "Wow! Would ya look at the time!" She responded as she glanced at her nonexistent watch. "Trixie's performance took a lot out of her in case you couldn't tell by her droopy face. So, we're gonna head home now. It was a fantastic Gala! We have to do this again next year!" With that, the trio began to exit the conversation. Putting on weak smiles all the while.
"...What's in the satchel?"
Rainbow Dash's words echoed in Century's ears as if he was on the edge of a canyon. He stopped in his tracks, and so did the unicorns. Equally petrified. He turned around, "The satchel?"
"Yeah, what's in it? I was wondering why you brought it in the first place, actually, back at the plaza."
"Uh... Y'know, just some...Boxed biscuits? I liked them a lot."
Rarity's eyes shined, "Oo! I loved those biscuits as well." She neared the satchel, "Can I have-"
	"NO!"	
Rarity jumped back at Century's yell like a scared filly. All of them did. Flinching at Century's surprising bellow. In fact, all of the ponies leaving the Gala stopped and turned to him. It was rare, extremely rare to hear a pony yell like that. It was as if Century had spoken his last word before something truly vile or painful.
Century's eyes darted left and right at all the ponies staring at him. He'd gone and lost his cool at one of the worst possible times. He glanced at Rarity, and it looked like she'd seen a ghost. Same with Twilight. And if Rainbow Dash wasn't suspicious before, she was positive Century had done something wrong.
He stammered, "I, uh... Sorry Rarity... I just... Um, I-I-I, these... I was saving these biscuits for, uh, Mayor Mare, yes! She... She, uh, she couldn't come tonight, so, uh, um, I was gonna bring some back for her! Biscuits are her favorite snack! And I... I, uh, forgive me, I've only got four inside. So... yeah. Sorry for freaking out at you like that."
Sweat beamed down his forehead as he looked toward the crowd of stopped ponies. "Uh, nothing to see here, everypony! You can all head home now! I apologize for my outburst!"
Some stood around for a little while longer, but eventually, everypony moved along. Century looked back at Twilight and her friends. "So... If you'll excuse me, I... I have to get going. I'll, uh... We'll see you around. Have a lovely night, you three."
With that, Century turned right around and began trotting away. Spirit and Trixie hesitated for a moment before following him. Leaving Twilight and her friends in stunned silence. They all glanced at one another, unsure what to say next.
Twilight cleared her throat, "I'm... I'm sure it's nothing crazy, you guys. Can't imagine anypony doing something nefarious or whatever."
She looked to Rainbow Dash, "...Right?"
...
Century helped Trixie into the carriage from outside while Spirit helped her in from the inside. Once she was in, she plopped down on the seat opposite to Spirit. Century hopped inside and sat next to the tired unicorn. Knocking on the carriage window, signaling they were ready to go.
"Hey," Spirit piped, "...Let me hold it. Please?"
Century thought for a moment. They were all secure in the carriage, and the driver was focused on the road. Against his better judgment, he moved over to Spirit's side of the carriage and opened the satchel.
In pure, unbridled astonishment, Spirit carefully lifted the crown out of Century's satchel and just stared out it. Century chuckled and leaned back against the seating. "Crazy, right? Just downright insane."
Spirit wore a rather maniacal smile, "I... I-I can't believe I'm holding this right now. This is madness. Princess Celestia's crown, in my magical grasp. How is this even real? Am I dreaming?"
"It's real, bum."
"So, now all we have to do is get back to my house, grab our stuff, and hop on the train to Manehattan, right?"
"Provided nothing goes wrong, yes."
"...Okay, let's get it over with. Because I'm losing my mind."
Little did Spirit know that the past hours were merely the easy part of their grand journey. In a maddening act of theft and intrusion, the trio had successfully infiltrated the most important building in all of Equestria and stole a crown belonging to the highest authority, her Highness Princess Celestia, and escaped in one piece.
That was not a feat anypony could just brag about. But now, they needed to escape Equestria. Board an advanced ship and sail thousands of miles away to a distant land. And now that the crown was no longer in its rightful place, it wouldn't be long until the alarms went off all across the kingdom. Making escaping hundreds of times harder.
But the hardest was still yet to come.