//------------------------------//
// To the Bank and Back 
// Story: Bombshells 
// by 007Delta 
//------------------------------//

	I re-entered town, weighing the bag of bits I won from Rainbow Dash in my hoof.  I didn't really need the money, I was loaded.  One of the upsides to being a celebrity, was that a seemingly endless stream of cash would come from the various endorsement deals, ads, and other media that used my image for profit.  This small sack of change would be of little to no use to me, so I decided to give it away.

I looked around, searching for someone to give the bits to, before spotting a cream colored earth pony with blue and pink hair.  She was talking to a mint colored unicorn.  They were both ogling at a beautiful silver necklace, with a bright, cerulean colored jewel for a charm, which sat in a decorated showcase in the display window.  I could hear them, talking to each other.

"It's so beautiful,". Said the cream colored one dreamily.

"I know Bonnie, I know."  Said the mint one tiredly, as if she had been talking about this for a very long time.  "We just don't have the money right now, I mean, look at that pricetag!"

I couldn't make out the tag from here, but I was guessing that it was quite a large one.

The cream colored one put her head down in sadness.  "Alright, I'll forget about it for now.  It's so beautiful though.  Can we save up for it?"

"I suppose, but it would take us a really long time.  It might be gone by the time we have enough,"

The cream colored one sighed before they both walked off.  The cream pony looked at the necklace longingly as she trotted off with her friend.

Out of curiosity, I walked up to the display case, wondering how much this necklace cost.  I searched the case, and found a Manila colored tag that read, "$3499".

To the common pony, this was a farcical amount of money... But I could buy that necklace, along with every other piece of jewelry in that store 30 times over, with just the money I made in the last month alone.  

You know what, I'm going to buy it.  For that mare.  It saddens me to think that I get paid all this money that I never use, and there are ponies out here who could fill a book with the things they'd do with cash.  However, before I could actually buy it, I would need to take a trip to the local bank, as I didn't have enough bits on hoof to just waltz in and grab it.  

Some of you might be wondering how I might be living my life under a false alias, without anyone questioning my access to Fleetfoot's bank information.  I asked myself this very same question, and it didn't take very long to come up with an answer.  Before I left for Ponyville, I created a bank account under my false name, and wired a large portion of Fleetfoot's account into Tradewinds, assuring that I would have money, should I need it.  And now was just the time.

I smiled at the gem in the window, my hooves pressed against the glass.  Now to find a bank!

After fumbling around the streets for ten minutes or so, I managed to locate Ponyville's local financial institution.  It was a small, commercial looking building, with a grey door, grey walls, and a white floor.  I pushed open the boring door and entered the bland building.  The bank was deserted, save for a single, bored looking teller, who sat tapping away at a machine I couldn't see.  I walked up to the stallion.

He was a dim shade of brown, and his hair was a grayish chestnut.  His eyes were half closed with a few bags underneath.  His hooves were operating some sort of typewriter behind the desk

"Hi, I'd like to make a withdrawal please?"

The pony behind the desk didn't even look up at me.  "Name?"  He said flatly.  I could tell he had done this thousands of times.  His personality was vapid, just like the bank.

"Tradewind Potluck", I stated, taking special care not to mess up like I did with Dash.

"Amount?"  Came his bored response.  It sounded like he wasn't even listening.

"4000 bits, please."

"PIN?"

I leaned in closer, despite there being no one else in the room. "5, 8, 3, 1" I whispered.

He tapped the information into the machine he had been operating, before a loud ding could be heard, signaling my request had been approved.  He casually wiped his eyes before pulling out four rolls of coins from behind his counter and slid them haphazardly to my end of the desk.  If I hadn't stopped them with my hoof, they would have gone crashing into the floor.

"Thank you for coming to Bank of Equestria, come,". He opened his mouth in a wide yawn.  "again soon." Not once during the whole transaction did he look at me.

I examined the four rolls, making sure the coins were of the right denomination, and that I had gotten the right amount.  Once I verified the bits, I walked towards the door, before I stopped in thought.  suddenly, a mischievous smile stretched across my face, as I hatched a plan to take advantage of this pony's absent mindedness.

Before you go calling the police to report a bank heist, rest assured that I only intended to prank the pony. I wasn't going to try and scam this guy into giving me money that wasn't mine, not like I needed it anyway.  

I walked back to the teller, a smile on my lips as I trotted towards the desk.  I purposefully changed my voice and spoke to the clerk.

"I'd like to make a deposit,"

"Name?"  Came his same, bored response.

I smiled to myself.  "Princess Celestia."  

"Amount?"

I almost blew my cover with a fit a giggles.  He didn't even notice! How bored was this stallion?

"Sixteen trillion, eleventy seven.", came my bogus response.

The teller began to tap away at his machine before he stopped, a stupid look in his face, and glanced up, only to see me fall on my back laughing.  I couldn't help it, he was just so easy to mess with.  I finally picked myself from off the bank floor, only to find him staring at me, obviously unamused.  "Get out of here, you little troublemaker,". He said to me with an irritated scowl.

I giggled all the way out of the bank.

I stuffed the four rolls in the bag with the bits, taking the string and tying it to my left wing, before running off in search of the jewelry shop.

It took me only a few minutes to find my way back to the store, and as I stopped in front of the window, I smiled.  That pony was going to be really happy when she gets this, and a part of me couldn't wait to see her reaction.  I walked inside, greeted immediately by the smell of precious metals and wide smile of a silver unicorn.

There were stands and display counters crammed everywhere.  There was hardly any room to walk through, but I managed to squeeze my way through the displays.

"Hi,". I said as I walked through the door.

"Welcome!"  He greeted.  He spoke with a slight Greek accent.  "You come to buy jewelry, yes?"

I nodded.  "I would like the piece you have in the window."

"Which one darling?  I have quite a few up there."

"The silver necklace.  The one with the sapphire charm."

The jeweler looked taken aback.  "You have that kind of money?"  I nodded once again, plopping the four rolls on his counter.  The unicorn clapped his hooves together and let out a joyous laugh.  "Excellent! I will retrieve the piece for you.  Hold tight!"  His horn lit up in a deep gold, and immediately the necklace flew from the window, before stopping, opening up and sliding around my neck.

"Oh no no, this isn't for me," I said with a smile, "This is for somepony else."

The jeweler's eyes lit up with surprise.  "Oh, of course!  How silly of me not to recognize a face as generous as yours.  Allow me to package this for you."  Suddenly, a black box flew from under his counter, and the necklace jumped from around my neck, landing neatly inside.  The box closed itself, before flying into a jet black, unmarked plastic bag, which I grabbed with my wing.

"One thousand thanks to you, my good friend!  Come again real soon!"

I gave him a wave as I left the store.  Now I just had to find that mare, wherever she was... Where was she?  I should have thought this through a bit better, how did I expect to find her?  She might not even live in Ponyville!

My train of thought was interrupted when the jeweler came galloping out his store.  "Hey!  You overpaid, by... A lot!  You have 500 bits in change!"

"Keep it,". I said casually, before continuing my walk down the street.

"One thousand more thanks to you!  Haha!"  He shut the door to his shop, and I could hear him laughing and singing inside.  Well at least I made somepony happy today.  I guess if I see that mare again, I'll make sure to give her the gift.

It had been about 50 minutes since Photo said she would come for me, and I was starting to get a little nervous.  In the back of my mind, I felt like I was being tricked by that Steuropean Paparazzi.  Dear Celestia, please let her keep her promise...

But if she didn't, I would have to run from Ponyville, just as I did from Canterlot.  Where would I go after this?  Perhaps further south, like Apploosa, or maybe I could hide out in Los Pegasus for a while.  I'd have to go home and plan it out, just in case things didn't end up well.  Shoot, I was really warming up to this place.

But first, I should wait to see if Photo Finish would really send for me.  In order to do that, I'd have to be somewhere she would expect me to be.  I thought, wondering where she would search, before I had an idea.  I would wait for her in the café, where she first found me.  It seemed like the most logical thing, especially since she didn't give me directions in the first place.  I made my way back to the café, the necklace still in it's black bag, which hung securely around my wing.  

Well at least I have an excuse to drink more coffee,