The Journalist

by redspark

The Lower Canterlot

The cold night wind caused Nimble Hoof to shiver. Day walked beside her as they went through the city of Canterlot. The silent buildings stood dark on the light moonlight. Nimble Hoof had her notebook on a small pocket in her cloak, along with a pen with which to write. She thought excited about how the stories would go in lower Canterlot. Maybe she would get more than one story! She smiled at the thought. Her boss would never bother her again with her horrible stories, at least not after what she expected to get.

They passed a tall building which Nimble recognized as a Royal Guard base. On these parts of the city there was (which was something that intrigued Nimble Hoof) a lot of security. She had never actually walked on these parts. They were a bit unsettling, at least to her. As for Day, he barely managed to remain in control of his fears. He was shivering, not at the cold, but at the thought of going to lower Canterlot. He had tried to talk Nimble Hoof out of his idea. He now regretted having told her that. It made him feel responsible for whatever happened, so he had decided to accompany her. Great, now he was also going to the most dangerous parts in Canterlot. He was concerned to the point that he had tried to make Nimble Hoof go the wrong way, but somehow she had managed to get back to the right way. He sighed. Terrible idea he had come up with.

Slowly as they walked, the buildings stopped being magnificent as Nimble Hoof thought of Canterlot and began to turn to dustier and less cared for houses. They made Nimble Hoof shiver slightly. After they had passed the last Canterlot police office they had begun to see that the city changed faster. Soon there were no more beautiful white marble buildings decorated with vivid colors nor buildings with purple roofs, but instead, there were dark building covered with dust and decay. She gulped and continued walking forward. Even when Canterlot was under the night, there where ponies doing things, but these parts where empty. She looked around.

“Welcome Nimble Hoof, to lower Canterlot, where the most dangerous of outlaws live and work.” Day said. He then approached his mouth to her ear. “Are you still sure about this?” he said with concern. Nimble Hoof stared at the black buildings and nodded.

“I need to do this, or else I will lose my job. It´s worth trying.” And she began walking towards a house that didn´t looked so pretty. “How do I begin?” she asked herself. She stopped and looked around again. The black houses sent chills down her back. She stared at a dark alley. Maybe that was a good place to begin. If trouble didn´t came for her, she needed to go to the trouble. She began walking towards it. Day took a step back and looked to where they had come from.

“Nimble, we should get back.” He looked at where she was heading. “What are you doing?! Do you want to get yourself killed?” and he walked towards her. She only ignored him and kept walking. It was a really dark alley, and she began to question herself. Was it worth her risking her own safety to get a simple newspaper story?

Too late to turn back now, she was already there, and if she didn´t did it this time, her chance would be lost. She advanced slowly but decidedly at the alley. Soon, she was out of sight. Day stopped in the entrance to the alley. He gulped at the shadows and the darkness. He couldn’t go in there. He had never before gotten himself into such a situation before… Oh, he was with Nimble Hoof; that explained much. In school the only times he had ever got in trouble was with that mare. He smiled slightly but it faded away quickly. He couldn´t let anything happen to her. He walked inside too.

* * * * *

The alley went on for quite some time. Nimble Hoof walked soundlessly, which made her feel good. She had a kind of gift on which she could walk without making any sort of sound. Nimble Hoof, that was her. She looked around. There were trash bins and bags and cardboard boxes… What a normal alley would have. There was nothing else, no story to write about. She sighed and sat down on the floor. She looked around and then at the sky. Was she really supposed to make stories, to be a journalist? She looked at her notebook and smiled sadly. She had dreamed of becoming one since she was a little filly, but now, in the middle of her most important task, she doubted herself. How could she ever be a journalist if none of her past stories had been good, at least to her boss´s eyes. It was something that made her feel bad.

She heard the sound of hoof beats approaching her slowly. She looked at where the sound had come and stood up. “Day, is that you?” No response. “Day, this isn´t funny, stop it.” She said, now not sure.

From the darkness a pony approached her slowly. She gasped and prepared to run. The pony was covered in a black cloak that covered all his body, and his mane was a metal color. The pony was blue, though. Obviously he dressed that way to scare ponies, Nimble didn´t knew how to react, scared or surprised. Either way, she didn´t thought this was something good.

“What do we have here?” the pony asked, walking around her and smiling mischievously. “A young mare, obviously from the high society, I guess. We don´t get to see much of your type around here much, you know, I´m actually kind of surprised.” He laughed slightly. Nimble Hoof gulped and turned to the stallion, who was now behind her.

“My name is Nimble Hoof, and I come from the newspaper “The Daily Hoof”.” She said. The pony stopped and stared at her. Nimble Hoof couldn´t read the expression on his face. It was not blank, but somehow it still hid his feelings.

The stallion smiled. “A journalist then. You know, we don´t usually get journalists around here either. Well then, what do you think of our neighborhood?” He said in a mocking tone. Nimble Hoof shifted her weight to one hoof to make herself more comfortable. She smiled a little.

“Mmm… it´s actually kind of, dark, I guess.” She shook her head. “Why do you talk as if there were more around? Why do you say we?” The stallion laughed, this time making a smile of enjoyment. Did he liked seeing her confused?

“I talk using we because this is a place that belongs our ponyhood. We are more than one, but I´m the strongest and the leader.” Nimble Hoof took her notebook and began writing in it. “What are you doing?” He asked, estranged at her writing when he was talking. “Why do you write?”

Nimble Hoof finished and closed her notebook. “I am writing about the ponyhoods. You know, that would be for a good story, if you could tell me more, please.” The stallion shook his head. “Enough chatting. I didn´t came here to talk, but to make business. You see, I have a lot of work to do. I will request that beautiful cloak you are wearing, along with your notebook… Is that all you carry?” he asked surprised. No pony walked with so little, not in Canterlot at least.

Nimble Hoof took one step back. “Why do you need them? They are mine.” Now her voice was shaking. The stallion smiled. “Back off!” she shouted. The stallion kept getting closer. “Get off me! Help!” she shouted. The stallion was about to take her when suddenly he went rolling to one side along with other pony. “Day?” but she immediately shook her head. This pony was a lighter brown, almost cinnamon colored. The two ponies rolled for some more feet. The new pony stood up fast and ran at Nimble Hoof.

“Quick, follow me!” he said and ran off. Nimble Hoof looked for one second at the stallion that had just tried to steal from her and ran after the strange pony. They ran for some minutes until they arrived at an abandoned house. The pony broke the hinges of the door and entered. Nimble Hoof followed him inside, panting. The pony looked at her as he turned a candle on. He had blue eyes, a brown mane with a single white stripe and a key as Cuty mark. He didn’t look older than Nimble Hoof, maybe even the same age. He looked at her for some seconds and then said:

“What are you doing in a dark alley in the middle of the night?” His voice was soft, but still sounded accusing. “You know what could have happened? You´re lucky I found you, ´cause if not, Metal Mane would have…”

“So that´s the stallion´s name.” Nimble Hoof interrupted. She took her notebook and wrote the name. The pony looked at her incredulous. “You were saying?”

The pony shook his head and said. “What do you want in a dark alley?”

She dropped her ears. “I work for the newspaper ´The Daily Hoof´, and I need a good story, so I came here to find one.” The pony stared at her blankly. Then he smiled, although she could see some anger on his eyes.

“A story, you say. Well, lucky you. You just became an enemy of the most dangerous of ponies in Canterlot.” He sat down and calmed himself. “My name´s…” he shook his head. “My name is Silent Mane.”

Nimble Hoof looked confused at him. There was something strange on that name. “Why does the pony who tried to steal from me also had “Mane” on his name? I mean, not that I don´t like that, but it´s a curious coincidence.”

The pony nodded. “It´s not my real name, nor Metal Mane is his either. That is the way the ponyhoods name the ones in them. When you are especially good at something, they name you like... What are you doing?” He asked as he saw Nimble Hoof writing down.

“Well, don´t look at me, keep talking.” She said innocently. Silent Mane groaned.

“You know, you are such a careless pony. Walking to a dangerous place by yourself to write a story for a newspaper? Whoever does that?!” Nimble Hoof stopped writing.

“Oh no, where is Day?” she said loudly to herself as she looked out of a window. Silent Mane stared at her. “I need to go and find him.” She said. Silent Mane shook his head.

“You didn´t came alone, did you?” Nimble Hoof shook her head. “Well, I guess we should find him and then get you out of here. This is no place for a journalist.” He stood up. Nimble Hoof looked down and placed his notebook on the cloak´s pockets. We should find him before light´s up. It won´t take us long, finding a pony from the high society of Canterlot is easy.” And he walked outside. Nimble Hoof followed him without saying a word. The two walked slowly, scanning the road for ponies. Suddenly, Silent Mane ran at a building and climbed it. He stopped when he was up. “Aren´t you coming up?” He asked with a smirk on his face. Plainly he didn´t believed she could climb that. Nimble Hoof sighed and walked to the base of the building. She placed a hoof on the cold stone of the building and started climbing. It was really difficult and she almost fell twice, but she finally managed to get to the top, to Silent Mane´s surprise. “Okay, let´s go.” He said, and he began running in the roofs of the buildings.

Nimble Hoof tried to follow Silent Mane on his pace, but as much as she tried, he was winning distance. He was obviously used to running in buildings. She stopped when he jumped from one building to another. She gulped and looked at Silent Mane, who was slowly going farther away from her. She walked a few steps and then ran. She jumped and fell a few inches from falling off the building. She sighed in relief and ran again after Silent Mane. Was she going to need to run like that all the way until finding Day?

“Found him!” came from Silent Mane´s voice. Nimble Hoof ran and soon caught up with Silent Mane. “He´s probably worse than you, look at him. How many things do you think they stole him?” Nimble Hoof looked to the street below. Day was there. He seemed tired and no longer had a cloak she had given him after leaving the house. He had not been as lucky as she. “Let´s go for him now.” Silent Mane said, and he began descending the building through the side. Nimble Hoof looked below and felt a sense of vertigo. She didn´t hated high places, unless she was supposed to go down off a building with nothing of a safety gear around. She saw stairs and used them. It took her longer than Silent Mane, but she finally reached him. Together they approached Day.

“Go thieves! I´ve got nothing else!” he shouted. He looked at them and saw Nimble Hoof. “Hoof! I thought something terrible had happened to you! I went searching for you, but…” He didn´t finished the sentence. That was when he saw Silent Mane. “Who is he?”

“Day, this is Silent Mane. He helped me and rescued me from an assailant. He has offered to guide us out of lower Canterlot.” Day looked at Silent Mane suspiciously. “He´s not bad. Come on, let´s go.” She said. Day nodded still looking at Silent Mane.

“Alright, just keep my pace and we should be at a safe place in no time.” And he was off again. Nimble Hoof smiled faintly. She could get used to that. She ran after him, with Day a few steps behind. This time they climbed the buildings through an easier part and soon they were in the Canterlot Nimble Hoof knew. She turned to face Silent Mane.

“Thanks so much. I don´t know what would have happened if you would not have appeared.” Silent Mane smiled and nodded. Day said nothing.

“Just don´t come back again, less at night. It´s not safe for you.” He said. He was about to run again when Nimble Hoof touched his back. He turned around.

“I was wondering if you could teach me more of those moves you do in the air, and if you can help me get the story. It´s something very important in which my career depends on. Please.” She said. Silent Mane stared at her, surprise on his face.

“No, you must not return. Metal Mane will never forget that you escaped.”

Nimble Hoof shook her head. “You are in as much danger as I. I need that story, and even if you don´t help me, I will go back there again.”

Silent Mane closed his eyes in thought. He then looked at her. In the back, Day was staring alarmed at the two of them. He was shaking his head, obviously against that. Silent Mane smiled. “Very well, I´ll help you if you don’t change your mind. First, before you can do anything in there, you will need a ponyhood. I will present you to mine and they will decide if you can join us or… or if you must leave. That is what I can do, and if they accept you, I will teach you to move in the buildings as I do. You can get stories from you own personal experiences, but think it deeply.” He turned around and walked slowly away. He then turned around again. “If you accept, I will meet you here tomorrow morning. If by midday you have not come, I´ll leave.” He was starting to turn around again but he stopped.

“I suggest you to reconsider about this, because the second you enter my world there is no turning back.” and he was off again, running.

Nimble Hoof smiled and turned to Day, who was looking in shock at her. “Come on, it won´t be that bad. I have an idea, and I believe it is a great idea.” The stallion shook his head.

“I hope you know what you´re doing, Nimble Hoof, because if you don´t I´m afraid I won´t be able to help you.” Nimble Hoof smiled and began walking to her apartment.

“Believe me Day. This will be the best story ever written, and I will be the one that writes it…”