//------------------------------// // A lot to take in... // Story: The Journalist // by redspark //------------------------------// Chapter 13 A lot to take in... Nimble Hoof walked around her room restlessly. Her new story laid in her desk already finished, but something else troubled her. She couldn´t think straight at the moment, especially after just writing it. Maybe she should change the story so as not to reveal that Day was Shadow Pony? She groaned as she stopped and sat in front of the papers. She had made this one a longer story compared the other ones, but still it was much more interesting from the point of view of the reader. She knew her boss would be really pleased with her, but she wasn´t sure she should publish that story. Why? It was just publicly say that Day, her best friend, was also now her worst enemy. Nobody knew that she and Day where friends, not even the ponyhood, but still a revelation about Day being Shadow Pony… She shook her head as she took the last page of the writing and ripped it. She then threw it into the trashcan. Maybe she was a writer, supposed to give the readers something worth reading, and the truth, but sometimes truth must be hidden, right? She moved the typewriter closer and began writing the last page again, omitting all her experience speaking with Day, and also the revelation. It was something unnecessary, or so she believed. It could be taken out, and it would keep all her own feelings and troubles a secret. She didn´t wanted to reveal any of that. After a couple of minutes of writing, she stopped and looked at her work. The new last page fitted the story nicely, looking the story from the point of view of a pony out of the Shadow shield Day had conjured around himself and Nimble. She then changed the motives, making it sound like if he wanted to kill whoever was inside it, and after that she wrote about Sun Seeker jumping inside. She said nothing about what happened inside, still making the story look really good. This time she smiled at her work. It was perfect. It hid her experience, and above all her feelings. She took it and walked out of her apartment. She locked the door and walked into the busy streets of Canterlot. She walked towards The Daily Hoof´s building. She walked into the building and to her boss´s office. She stopped and knocked. “Come in!” said that rough and kind of weird-sounding voice of the Pegasus. She walked in. “Oh but it isn´t my favorite writer!” He said, obviously with a bubblegum on his mouth. “Come in, come in. What do you have for me today?” He asked. Nimble Hoof approached him and passed him the papers. The Pegasus read it slowly and carefully. Nimble Hoof sat down and looked around the office. It was now full of newspapers, most of them with her story in the cover. She sighed. Her boss was pretty strange, now that she thought of it. Just like three months ago he had been ready to fire her!” “Nimble Hoof, so far your best.” The Pegasus congratulated. “I mean, all the action! It will keep the readers hooked up ´till the end! Wait until we launch the next newspaper and you´ll see. In fact, there are many ponies wanting to meet you personally. Of course I told them that you were a busy pony and that you didn´t had time for them.” Nimble Hoof stared at him blankly. “Meet me, sir?” She asked slowly. “Yes, you´ve got a lot of fans, you know. It´s amazing, really.” He placed the papers beside him and looked at Nimble Hoof. “But this is nothing important at the moment. What we should discuss is who your contact is in Lower Canterlot. It´s been intriguing our readers, but above all, it makes me curious all the secrecy, even to me, your boss.” Nimble Hoof paled. He really wanted to know. Terrible consequences could happen if they knew she was Agile Mane, which was the name she used for herself in the stories so as not reveal herself in them. She thought of it as a precaution, and a very important one. If everypony knew she was Agile Mane, they´d be storming her house to meet her, but above all, her enemies would know where to find her. That made her shake slightly. “Sir?” She said, her voice shaking slightly. “I am afraid I can´t tell you that.” The Pegasus shook his head disapprovingly. He stood up and looked to the window. “What am I seeing, Miss. Hoof?” He asked after several seconds. Nimble Hoof looked out of the window. “Canterlot, sir?” She said more in a question than answering his question. She remembered their first talk before she became the author of her stories of Lower Canterlot and when he was about to fire her. “Indeed, Canterlot. A beautiful city, isn´t it? Well, you see, we are The Daily Hoof, which means we give this city their daily news. If they want it, we give it, right?” He said in a calmed voice. “I suppose, sir.” Nimble said. “Then, if you agree with me on that, why you refuse to tell me what all of Canterlot is asking right now?” He turned around. “Who is this Agile Mane?” Nimble looked at her boss. He suddenly looked no longer like the old, bubblegum addict Pegasus, but like a threatening big Pegasus. “Sir, I said I won´t tell no matter how much you ask.” He approached her slowly. “I can fire you.” That struck Nimble Hoof hard. She looked surprised at her boss. “What!?” The Pegasus laughed and sat down again, his friendly smile returning to his face, well, if it could be called friendly. “I am just kidding Miss. Hoof. You are free to go, but when you feel ready to tell me that information, please do.” Nimble nodded and hurried out of the room, and as she closed the door she sighed and walked shakily to the elevator. She pressed the button and the elevator began taking her down. She was shaking a little less as the elevator opened the doors, allowing her to go to the main lobby. There she walked out of the building and straight to her house. She stopped as she suddenly felt herself weak. Really, that question had made such an impression her? She couldn´t believe it, even her breath was short. She looked around and saw the cafe where she had taken Silent and Sunny. She walked towards it and entered. Slowly, the sky had begun to turn dark with clouds and as she entered the restaurant heavy rain was falling, complete with thunder and all. She looked around the building. It was almost completely empty, except for two earth ponies talking low on the other side. She then saw Serena walking towards her. “My dear Nimble! What a surprise seeing you here on this weather.” She smiled widely and stopped in front of her. “Oh, hello Serena, Yeah, mild weather, isn´t it?” She smiled also, but still she was still trying to get off the feeling of danger after the question her boss had asked her. “I was going to my house and in the way I thought it would be good to pass by and have a nice cup of warm coffee.” She thought of the coffee and felt warm inside. Yes, a cup of coffee was what she needed. “Well, of course my dear.” Serena said. “Seat where you please and I´ll have one prepared for you in a sec.” She ran to the kitchen, getting out of her sight. Nimble walked to a table with two chairs and sat down. Outside a window, the rain fell very soundly making her gloomy thoughts turn darker. She needed something to cheer herself up. She thought again in the cup of Coffee and smiled. Yes, that would really do. Serena approached her with two cups. She smiled and sat down in the table with her. “Here, drink it.” She said smiling as she passed her the cup. Nimble Hoof smiled and drank some little. “How have you been Nimble? You seem terrible!” She exclaimed. Nimble nodded. “Yes, my boss asked me something I really couldn´t answer, and I don´t know why I suddenly felt so pressured by that question. I say, my heart´s beating like if I had run a mareathon!” Serena nodded as she drank from her own coffee. Serena nodded. Her smiled had faded slowly, but still she had the same nice expression in her face. “I see. Does it happen to you a lot?” Nimble laughed slightly. “No, never before.” Serena nodded as she drank some of her own coffee. “Well, maybe if you didn´t put so much pressure on yourself it won´t happen again.” She reassured. Lighting fell, lighting the café with a mysterious light. Nimble jumped and yelped in surprise. She looked at Serena and saw her laugh slightly. “Sorry, as I said, I´m a little shaken up.” Serena nodded. “Don´t be. I know what it is to be scared for something as silly as a question. I´m sure that is something very dear to you, isn´t it, the answer to the question he asked?” She took some of her coffee. “Was it about your stories?” Nimble Nodded. “Yes, he wanted to know something about my contact in Lower Canterlot. I told him I couldn´t tell him that.” Serena nodded, looking away. “I see…” She took some more coffee. “Well my dear, I need to attend to my other clients. Don´t worry about paying for that coffee, consider it a gift, from a friend to another.” She smiled warmly and walked away. Nimble smiled. “Thanks!” She said as she drank some more coffee. Suddenly she no longer felt scared or shaken anymore. She smiled and walked out of the café. The rain was still falling, but she didn´t minded. After that talk with Serena Skye she no longer felt what she had felt with her boss. She slowly walked to her house, but what she didn´t noticed was a dark shadow walking behind her, following her footsteps. She stopped at her door and opened it, locking it right after her. As she walked up the stairs and into her living room, a faint dark magic aura surrounded the door´s lock, clicking open. Nimble Hoof sat at her sofa and closed her eyes. She smiled and laughed slightly. How had she been so scared about that silly question? Really, it had just been a simple question and by her boss, who couldn´t force it out of her. She relaxed and breathed slowly. Suddenly, the room turned cold. She shivered and opened her eyes. Everything was dark. She jumped off the sofa and retreated to a side of the room, looking around. Only one pony could do such a darkness cloaking spell, none other than… “Hello Nimble.” Shadow said. Nimble shivered as her ears dropped down and she began to shake in fear. “D… Day?” she said shakily. “Day… Well, could be Day, yes, but I am not him at the moment. You see, when someone has two personalities he really takes it serious on which he is acting at the moment. I thought you knew, being Nimble and Agile at the same time.” Nimble opened her eyes wide. Why had that question followed her all the day!? She was really tired of that. “I am Nimble, Agile is only to make the readers more interested. Using my real name, Nimble, would not be as interesting.” She said, trying to sound sure of herself. “Has anyone ever told you that you are a terrible liar?” Shadow said, dispersing the shadows revealing himself. He was standing a few feet from her, her dark and expressionless face staring right at her. He pulled back his hood, showing his face. “Day.” She repeated. “Yes, now I am day. It´s very interesting to switch personalities, you know. I take a lot of pleasure in it.” He advanced slowly at her. “I give you another chance, Nimble. See your friends and then see me. I ave the power, they don´t. Imagine what stories you would get by joining me! I told you about Lower Canterlot, now think: What else I can tell you? I have the secrets of Canterlot with me. I know them all, some not even the princesses know it. Imagine that!” Nimble stared at his eyes. She didn´t fell scared anymore, but his friend Day was really different. His old friend Day, who couldn’t defend himself at Lower Canterlot when he had showed her the way… She could not look at him the same way. “Day… I´m sorry, but you are not the Day I knew about. You are… different.” She stopped and looked at his dark eyes; If one thing revealed his Shadow Pony where his eyes. Dark as a shadow indeed they were. Day stopped advancing and looked at himself. “Really, am I that different?” He asked. “You know, I was Shadow since the moment I was born. My parents… they were from Lower Canterlot, you know. Only that they didn´t liked it there.” He looked at her eyes. “I didn´t knew who I was until I met the shadow Ponyhood. I learned who I was there. My powers are unique. Nobody except a mystical Alicorn of the times of old can do that. That is why I am the leader now. No one except me had this gift. Immediately shadow enveloped them, only letting Nimble see Shadow, and nothing else. Nimble looked at his friend. “I can´t Day. I…” She stopped. She was seeing her old friend, but she no longer felt the anger she had felt at the mission they had made when she had rescued her friends and first found that Day was Shadow. She stared at his eyes. It was confusing, to know that his best friend was her worst enemy at the same time. Day approached Nimble until they were but a few inches apart. He nodded. “I know you can’t´ Nimble but…” He closed his eyes and opened them again. “Nimble, I…” He stopped. Nimble was confused. What did he wanted to tell her? She was going to speak when Day kissed her. She opened her eyes wide, but she didn´t stopped him. After several seconds, Day stopped and took a step back, breaking their contact. “I love you Nimble. I have looked at you since we first met, and I don´t want a simple thing like this separating us.” He looked at Nimble, who looked shocked by what had just happened. “Day, I…” She didn´t knew what to say. What was going on! First, he had tried to kill her, then now he had kissed her? She was going to say something when Day placed his hoof on her mouth, stopping her. “I know Nimble. I just… Maybe we haven´t seen each other a lot, but…” “I´m sorry Day.” Nimble said, cutting him off. Day looked at her, surprised. “I mean, thanks for that, but… I don´t know you anymore you know. You are not Day anymore.” Day looked at her, pained. His face turned then expressionless. “Day, I´m really sorry.” Day placed the hood back on, his face disappearing in the shadow once more. “Well Nimble, I had to try. He walked to the door but stopped. “You have chosen your fate, Nimble. I have given you a chance, now you have wasted it another time. The next time we meet again it will be different…” His voice turned back to Day´s. “I´ll miss you Nimble, be sure of that.” He turned around to face Nimble. Shadow enveloped him and he disappeared as the shadow dispersed. Nimble Stood there, shocked at what had just happened. She fell to the sofa again, this time she was not feeling calm, but the contrary, even more troubled. She looked at where Day had stood for the last time before disappearing. Had that really happened? She looked at her typewriter, then around her house. She was a writer, but now she was even more. She was part of a Ponyhood. She was Nimble Hoof, Agile Mane, who wrote stories for the Daily Hoof, but also worked to help his friends. She thought of Silent Mane and Sunny. They were his real friends. Day had chosen the wrong way, and was now a threat. He was endangering everypony, but above all he was endangering his friends. She looked at her cloak that was hanging beside her stairs leading to the street. She stood up, grabbed a pen and a notebook and went for the cloak. She put it on, placing both items inside. She then ran down the stairs and went outside. The moon was now shining high above the night sky. She breathed the sweet, cold night air ad she raced to the nearest building, climbing it and running to Lower Canterlot, to her real friends. She was going to stay with them now, only going to Upper Canterlot to write her stories and give them to The Daily Hoof. Her life was never going to be the same, not anymore. She was Nimble Hoof, and she was going to be what she loved to do: Help her friends in their fight against Shadow Pony, and she was going to do everything in her power to help them stop him. She smiled as she saw Lower Canterlot. She then located her Ponyhood´s building and ran towards it. After s minute of constant running she arrived, stopping as she dropped from the rooftops into the streets, landing softly with a somersault and stopping in front. She walked to the door and knocked. She waited for several seconds, then minutes, yet no one opened. She knocked again, and still nothing stirred inside. She then opened the door and walked in. It was dark and there was no sign of the ponies. She then heard a soft cry. She then ran to where she heard the cry and saw Sun Seeker on the floor of a room, curled up into a ball. “Sunny, what is it?” She asked. Sun Seeker cried when she heard her voice. “Get off me!” She exclaimed. “Sunny, it´s me, Nimble.” She said. Sun Seeker opened her eyes. “Nimble, it´s you…” She closed her eyes. That´s when Nimble noticed the deep cut that ran from her belly to almost reaching her neck. “Sunny! What happened?!” Nimble Exclaimed, seeing her hooves suddenly covered in dark blood. “He… attacked.” She said. Nimble Pressed her hooves against the wound, trying to find anything to cover it with. She saw nothing, so she took off her cloak and ripped it, using it as a bandage. She made sure all the wound was aovered when she looked at Sun Seeker´s eyes. “Who?” She asked to Sun Seeker. Sun looked at her. “Shadow… pony. He tried to capture us, but I resisted. He… he threw me a knife…” Nimble looked around and sure enough, there was a knife resting not far from where they were seated. “They are… captured… need our help…” Sun Seeker said weakly. “Yes, they do. Now, stop speaking. I need to take you to somewhere safe. Please, stay calm. You´re going to be alright.” Nimble took her gently up as she raced as fast as she dared with Sun Seeker in her arms, wondering what had happened as she was gone… "Who is Agile Mane?" Talking with Serena Day and Nimble "Sunny! What happened?"