//------------------------------// // A busy week // Story: The Journalist // by redspark //------------------------------// Chapter 6 A busy week “Hey, did you checked the new newspaper section on “The Daily Hoof?”” asked a yellow mare all dressed up in a fancy dress on a coffee in Canterlot. The mare beside her, a light purple unicorn nodded. “Yes! I t was an amazing story. I mean, I´ve never heard of Lower Canterlot before.” She took a small sip of her coffee. “I hope they keep on getting more stories like that one.” The yellow one nodded in agreement. “Your coffee Miss.” Said the waiter. She smiled and took it. The waiter walked away. She felt the cup to see how hot it was. “I really think this new journalist that made this is either a very imaginative pony or risks her life going to those dirt holes. I mean, imagine walking there! How our shoes would get ruined!” “Oh, and don´t think of the rest of the dress.” Said the purple one. “I don´t think they clean the streets in there. My beautiful dress would get ruined beyond repair.” The yellow agreed. “But, someone´s got to go there and bring us entertainment. I don´t think I will like for the newspaper to simply stop giving this exciting… How do you call these stories? These exciting adventures. How that journalist managed to get a word with such low-class ponies, I have no idea.” The yellow pony smiled. “You really liked that story, didn´t you?” The purple mare smiled slightly. “Let´s just say that it´s something you don´t get every day. I mean, it´s just something interesting to distract from all-day things.” The yellow smiled. The purple one looked at the palace and then said. “I have to go. My dear husband is having a personal meeting with the princesses!” She smiled and ran quickly towards the palace. The yellow smiled wide until she realized something. She´d have to pay for both coffees… * * * Nimble Hoof walked slowly and silently in the dark house. Everypony inside was asleep, and she, being good at walking silently, was sure to not wake them up. Beside her Silent Mane looked to every door that was on the room, making sure no pony could get them by surprise. Meanwhile, Nimble Hoof searched for the prize they had come in looking for. Outside the house, Sun Seeker stood looking at the open window through which they had entered. She had planned the theft with perfection, choosing the most silent ponies they had. She looked at the roof, where Higtip the unicorn was making a small spell to make the inside of the house darker, so as to give the ones inside a chance of hiding if they were discovered. The earth ponies where not there. They were resting in their headquarters due to their last mission. Sun Seeker was a little angry, but still she was not thinking about that. Silent Mane raised his left front hoof. Nimble Hoof stopped and listened. She could hear the sound of ponies breathing sleepily in the adjacent rooms. Silent Mane sighed and lowered his hoof. “Nothing, false alarm. Keep looking.” Nimble Hoof nodded and began to check on a small chest. Silent Mane walked to the door of the sleeping chambers of the owner of the house. It was the house of no one else than one of the leaders of another ponyhood: the Red Ponies. The red ponies where not as strong as silent Mane´s ponyhood, but they still had a very precious gem, which they intended to steal to get some control over them. Nimble Hoof had taken some time to finally accept. It was theft, after all. She had not agreed in helping until Sun Seeker had told her that it had been stolen by the red ponies before, and who knew who was the real owner. Nimble Hoof looked around rapidly, although talking her time to check on obvious places. Silent Mane, on the other way, was merely looking without second thought. Silent Mane was pretty surprised at how Nimble Hoof had been able to adapt so quickly to the society of Lower Canterlot. Somehow, she no longer looked like the weak pony she had been when she first had stepped in there. He looked at her and smiled. He had been teaching her how to survive in these dangerous places, and she had been fine. He shook his head, trying to shake off his distracting thoughts. He couldn´t get off the job at hand. He kept searching for any sign of ponies approaching. Nimble Hoof was beginning to think the gem wasn´t there, but she noticed a curious looking metal case. She walked towards it and opened it. She almost shouted in excitement at what she had just seen; It was the gem alright, but it was far prettier than what she had imagined. She walked over to Silent Mane. “Found it” she said. Silent Mane looked at the gem, now on nimble Hoof´s hooves. He smiled at her and walked to the window. “We need to go fast now” he said, right before jumping through the window. Nimble Hoof stored the gem on her cloak and jumped behind him. She landed softly beside Sun Seeker, who was making a sign to let Hightip know that they were done. She saw the unicorn nod and stop the spell he had been holding. The unicorn jumped to the other buildings, quietly going towards theit headquarters. Sun Seeker looked at Nimble Hoof. “Do you have it?” she asked, obviously longing to see the gem. Nimble Hoof nodded and retrieved the gem from her cloak. The Pegasus pony made a wide smile. “You know how much this gem is worth?!” she asked more to the air than to the two ponies in front of her. “But now, I am never going to let Hightip sell it! We should…” she was interrupted by Silent Mane. …get going.” He said. Sun Seeker shook her head fast, shaking her wandering mind to the real world. “Yes right. See you at the base.” She then took flight, leaving Silent Mane and Nimble Hoof alone in the night. Sun Seeker had taken the gem with her, making Nimble Hoof a little disappointed. She had actually wanted to take the gem all the way to the base. Silent Mane smiled. “You should know Nimble Hoof, that you made it perfect inside there.” He said. Nimble Hoof smiled. “But now, we really should get going.” He said, laughing. He then ran away. Nimble Hoof smiled and chuckled. She ran after him. * * * “Oh my!” exclaimed the purple pony again, at the same coffee with the same yellow mare with her a week after their last reunion. She was reading a newspaper, not looking anywhere but it. “You know, this is so good! You knew that the ponies down below there have a kind of ´code´ that makes the rules for their way of stealing and acting? I mean, they even hold reunions between ponyhood leaders to discuss how it should be done!” The yellow mare smiled, taking a sip of her hot coffee. “Yes, I´ve also had been reading it. I mean, I don´t really get soooo into it like you, but still… It´s the best stories, you know.” She took some more coffee. “The Fourth story in a week, that is pretty good, considering that all the stories are probably written the second after the things happen.” The purple mare looked at her rather confused. “What do you mean by ´are probably written the second things happen´?” The yellow mare smiled knowingly. “You see with how much detail she writes them? Well, not even the best pony remembering could know all such tiny details, like the exact position of the gem, for instance in the story you´re reading, or the exact appearance of that one called Shadow Pony.” She took another sip. “I would not doubt that this Swift Mane was writing all she told the writer of this article the second it happened.” The purple pony gave her a curious stare. “You know, that is quite right, actually. I never saw it in that way!” She took for the first time a sip of her own coffee. “I am so expecting the next article.” She left the newspaper beside her in an empty chair. “And well, I am asking my dear husband to get a personal meeting with that author of these articles… what was her name?” she rubbed her chin. “something like Tinkle Stoof or something like that.” The yellow mare smiled quizzical look. “Don´t think it that way!” she said, noticing her friend´s face. “You know how much I like those stories. It is just right that I get to meet that stupendous author!” She took some more coffee. The yellow one smiled. She looked at the waiter and said. “You know, I really should be going, I have this personal meeting with an author of a certain articles, whose name is Nimble Hoof and work for “The Daily Hoof”.” She smiled and walked away, waving. “See you later!” and she turned tail and walked slowly to the busy streets of Canterlot. The purple pony had her mouth wide open, still trying to process what she had just heard. Only when the waiter brought her the check did she finally got off from her shock. “She is going to meet her!” she thought. She then stared at the check “And she left me to pay both!” Not far away, out in the streets, the yellow mare was laughing as she walked to the main building of “The Daily Hoof.”... At the café House assault