Enigma continued to run until his lungs burned and his legs were about to collapse. Even then, he continued to run, going for what felt like miles before finally stopping outside of a fancy restaurant. He sat down in front of a window, trying to catch his breath. “...that was scary...” He chuckled softly to himself, trying to distract himself from the terrifying event.
He leaned back against the building, closing his eyes to help envision more pleasant thoughts. He swiveled his ears, trying his best to monitor his surroundings. He didn’t want that freaky stallion coming after him, after all.
Bumpt.
His eyes snapped open, glancing around in confusion. “...it’s definitely not him...he’d try to be quieter...so where...?” The sound repeated, coming from a shadowy alleyway nearby. “...I don’t trust this...” He pulled the wooden sword out of his bag, hoping that it would help him.
He carefully trotted into the alley, finding the source of the noise rather easily. Though, if he was completely honest with himself, he did not expect it at all.
A little white filly flapped her wings, trying to burrow father into a dumpster and messing up her wavy red and blue mane and tail.. “There’s gotta be something good in here!” she screamed as her stomach rumbled.
Staring in surprise at the scene, Enigma put the wooden sword away and considered his options. Deciding that he really didn’t have any others that weren’t nonsensical or childish, he gently tapped the side of the dumpster to get her attention. “...excuse me, little filly, but are you alright?”
"What's it to you!" she hissed as her head poked up from the dumpster.
He leaped back, shocked at the surprisingly fierce tone in her voice. Trying his best to recover, he held out a hoof. “...I’m sorry...I...I didn’t mean to upset you, or anything...” He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing away. “...I was curious about why you’re rooting through...well...” He gestured to the dumpster, which, he noticed, was full of empty food containers.
What he didn’t realize, though, was that his other forehoof was still on his neck. Lacking any support for his front half, he fell flat on his face.
She chuckled a little and flew out of the trash. “It’s fine. You okay though?” She held out a hoof to help him get up. “My name’s Broadway Bound by the way, ma’am.”
Enigma grumbled choice words into the ground, slamming one of his hooves to vent the illogical anger he felt. ...be nice...she’s a just filly...be nice... Eventually, after reciting the mantra a few times in his head, he accepted the hoof, getting up easily with her help. “...it’s ‘sir’, Broadway Bound...call me Enigma...” He considered her for a moment, then, thinking about how she was digging in the dumpster, realized she was hungry.
He pulled his saddlebag off, digging through it for something edible. He didn’t realize it, but by removing his saddlebag, he revealed to the little filly that he didn’t have a cutie mark.
Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh. Don’t do it... No... “So you look like a mare, and you don’t have a cutie mark? No offence sir, but your life sounds terrible!”
He pulled his head out of a saddebag, frowning around the bag of chips in his teeth. “...ye know, I don’ ha’ t’ gib ye dis.” Realizing he just essentially spoke jiberish, he set the snack food on top of his pack, looking at the filly. “You know, I don’t have to give you this.” He sighed, sitting himself down. “...I know I seem like I have it bad, but I was told to never give up...never surrender...” He thought about that for a moment, chuckling softly. “...now that I think about it, that sounds like a cheesy line from a movie. Still, words to live by...within reason, of course.”
The filly slowly opened the chips with her teeth and nodded. “I hear ya!”
Soon, she finished the bag and looked up. “I better get going. If I don’t get to Briddle Street before five, then there won’t be any good boxes left for me to sleep in tonight,” she sighed pitifully. “Thanks for the chips! They’ll probably be the last thing I’ll eat in a week!”
She slowly began to walk away, sniffling and softly sobbing. Take the bait, Take the bait....
He narrowed his eyes at her. Her actions seemed suspiciously familiar, and the feelings her actions were bringing up cinched it. “...you’re trying to get me to invite you to stay with me, aren’t you?”
“Dang it, I was told I was a good actress!” She chuckled, turning around. “Only if ya got a place though, mister.”
“No offense, but dramtization doesn’t really...pass...in the real world. Plus,” he pulled a book out of his saddlebag titled ‘Body Language, Sarcasm and You’, “I’ve been doing a bit of studying.”
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Listen, I know you were trying to manipulate me, but...I can’t let a filly stay out in the streets.” He quietly repacked and hefted his saddlebag onto his back before turning away, smiling back at her over his shoulder. “It’s not that far; just around the corner, in fact. I bought it before I arrived here.”
“Coolio! Let’s go!” She smiled flapping her wings.
“Umm... What was that book called?”