//------------------------------//
// Off the Streets 
// Story: The Spy who Ran 
// by Fluttershy Auditore 
//------------------------------//

A glaring neon glow illuminates the streets of Manehatten. In the bright of the fancy light, high-class ponies strut along, ignoring or ignorant to the shadows of the alleys and the lost, crushed, cold and dying ponies within them. Muggings are common for those who stray too close to the darkness…
“Give me your bits now, rich guy.” The young mare held a knife in her hoof, brandishing it at the colt in front of her. She was probably once colourful and strong, but dust and snow had covered her in white and sapped the strength from all but her brain and her hoofs. The pony before her was dressed in surprisingly simple clothes for a resident of Manehatten, a simple shirt covering his off-white fur. His eyes were black, and, bizarrely, underneath his right eye, something disturbed the creamy fur, something resembling a metal bar underneath the eye and sliding up in a diagonal line to his eyebrow before just stopping. It looked familiar...
To her great astonishment, he gently stepped forward and softly pushed the knife away. “C’mon now,” he began, his voice slow and deep. “There’s no need for violence. And what good will just money do you if you still sleep in the cold. Wouldn’t you prefer to stay with me in the warm? I know what you’re thinking,” he began as her expression flared. “Believe me, it’s not that. If you so wish, if there’s anypony else, they can stay too. I don’t have a large place, but I can accommodate two or three others. You may have my room.”
“Uh…” she began. “Why should I trust you?” So many of her friends had been tricked and abused when they accepted help from somepony. In response, he pulled a small device from a saddlebag, pressed something on it and spoke clearly.
“I, Flaming Sapphire, unicorn, stallion, 23, resident of Manehatten hereby promise that if I abuse the pony before me…” He gestured for her name.
“Mandarin.”
“That if I abuse Mandarin or anypony with her in my house or at all, that she or they shall immediately be in legal possession of my house and belongings. As a pony of my word, this audio tape will serve as evidence in a court of law should it come to that,” He clicked off the tape. “Happy?” His tone was joking, light hearted.
“As a lark,” she deadpanned.

His house was a simple affair, again, a surprise for Manehatten. The two stories were neat and clean, Mandarin noticed, not counting the moments where the hallways were covered in cardboard boxes. “I’ve just moved in, you see. Moved in earlier today actually,” he commented. “My first day in my own house and I’ve brought in a mugger from the streets.” He began to laugh. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. C’mon, my room’s up here,” he called, trotting up the stairs. Mandarin followed uneasily.
“I mean no offence, but I still don’t think I can trust you,” She began, but he turned and interrupted her.
“I promise you, you can. I used to live on the streets myself; I was born and raised on the streets. I know what it’s like, and it was awful…” His voice trailed off, he seemed to be gazing into the distance as the memories took hold. Mandarin coughed, bringing him back to the present.
“Okay, I get where you’re coming from. Still not saying I trust you though. Where am I sleeping then?”
“Here,” he answered, arriving at a door and opening it with his magic. The room inside was less tidy than the rest of the house, boxes and bits and bobs scattered everywhere on the floor. The wardrobe was open and half-full, the bed only partially made and missing pillows. To a pony off the streets, it was close to heaven, Mandarin had to blush and hope that Flaming Sapphire had not noticed the small orgasm she had produced.
“Oh buck,” he murmured, trotting to the bed and quickly finishing it off before turning to Mandarin. “I’ll sort out the room for you now; you go to the bathroom and have a shower. No doubt you’ll appreciate having had one, I certainly did.” His eyes began to glaze over at the memory.
“Oh, sure. Where’s the bathroom?” She enquired.
“Next door. There’s a toilet there too if you need it.”
“Thank you Flaming Sapphire.”
“Call me Saph.”
“Okay,” She laughed, surprising both of them. It had been so long since she had last laughed, she had forgotten what she sounded like when she was mirthful. She quickly left for the bathroom.