//------------------------------// // On the Streets // Story: The Veins Run Deep // by Thunderblast //------------------------------// "I... I can't believe Blood left." "You scared him off, you hit him!" "He hit me first!" "You hit him back! Harder, even!" Skywatcher groaned with a sigh, rubbing a hoof across his eyes. "I-I thought he would want to join the Legion..." "Sky, any decent father knows that if they want to let their colt or filly enlist in something like the Legion, or something else they are interested in, they should let them do it themselves." "Are you implying I am a terrible father, Midnight?" "Yes, Sky! You went and did something without your son's permission, and he's Faust knows where now, probably never coming back!" Midnight hissed. "You will be sleeping on the couch from here on out. I can't believe you," she sniffled and shed some tears, trotting upstairs to check on Dawn. Skywatcher sighed, then walked over to the window and stared out into the night sky. "Come back, son... I am sorry." Weeks passed, and nothing had yet changed for the better for Bloodvein, who now slept beneath a barely large enough cardboard box in an alley, luckily with the comfort of an old, filthy, raggedy blanket to keep him warm against brutal temperatures after dusk. Still, his mind denied his body to fly him back to his former home. He managed to survive on fruits, vegetables, and leftovers ponies had dropped without their knowledge, which was more often than he expected—and, on occasion, large spiders, which beyond Blood's belief, tasted significantly better than he anticipated, and actually enjoyed it. But, that could always have been his taste-buds running haywire after living in an alley for nearly a month now. He shivered as he lay on the blanket, curled beneath the same box, which had two holes for him to peek out of in case food fell within his line of sight and grasp without sparking unnecessary attention. Blood prayed to the gods he knew of that a miracle would happen, such as somepony taking him home like Specter and Glitter did a decade ago, or that his father would come and apologize and bring him back home. Though, he doubted that would ever happen, and kept the thought fresh in his mind that his family no longer cared for him after what he had done to Skywatcher. As the night grew colder, Blood shivered and trembled, even quietly sobbing to himself and hoping he would fall asleep shortly after to skip right to the following day, which he expected to be comfortably warm again that time of year. Instead, he remained wide awake, trying his best to keep warm under nothing. Not even his coat, thicker than the average pony's, helped much. Outside his box, he heard ponies talking, walking, and even laughing as some enjoyed a fancy meal across the street at a restaurant, something Blood could only wish to have. Over time, he took temporary jobs, ranging from picking up litter at parks for a few extra bits, to cleaning storefronts, and at one point, snatching bits from fountains when nopony was looking. All of those times went unnoticed by citizens and, thankfully, the city's gold-armored law enforcement. In total, it still didn't add up enough to live off of, and now he was completely broke. He was beginning to give in, hope building that one night he would perish in his sleep from the cold, silently and painlessly. But, just as he was starting to doze off, the cardboard steadily lifted off of the ground in a sparkling aura of magic. Blood opened his eyes and lifted his head shakily, staring up at a faded-brown unicorn, who smiled faintly. "You're looking for a job?" He spoke with a faint accent of which he did not recognize. Blood nodded, too weak and hungry to really talk much. "Come with me," the unicorn gently lifted Blood to his hooves and led him out of the alley, onto the streets. "Wh... where are we going? I-is it far? I d-don't want to lose track of wh-where my blanket is..." "Oh, don't worry, it isn't far. Besides, you will have a room to yourself." "R-really?" Blood shuddered coldly as he walked just behind the unicorn. "Of course!" The unicorn turned around, smiling. Eventually, the two reached a two-story building of brick construct, and the unicorn led Blood up steel stairs placed between the apartment building and a shop. They entered the apartment, which was small in size, but reasonable for a pony living alone. "I-is this your house?" "Apartment, yes," the unicorn trotted in ahead of Blood and straight into the bathroom, calling from inside, "Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?" "O-okay," Blood shivered, nodding, but began to slowly warm inside the apartment. He followed the unicorn into the bathroom, who had already started a hot bath for Blood to soak in. The pony helped Blood enter the tub, and started cleansing him as if he were a colt who couldn't do it himself. "Th-thank you, sir..." "Don't mention it," the unicorn smiled genuinely as he scrubbed Blood from ear to flank. "I happened to notice your box saying 'Need a job, will be hired for ten bits an hour.' Don't worry, I'll give you more than ten bits an hour." "R-really?" Blood smiled faintly. "Y-you don't have to... ten an hour is kind of pushing it." The unicorn suddenly stopped, furrowing an eyebrow as he looked directly at Blood. "You're kidding, right? You're in Canterlot, ten bits an hour is murder! Then again, it is like that everywhere, except Detrot." "W-well... okay," Blood warmed in the hot water, feeling as if his coat could poof from the warmth, though it couldn't since it was soaked. After the long bath, the unicorn dried Bloodvein until he was fluffier than a chinchilla, then nuzzled him affectionately. Afterwards, the two ate warm soup and crackers while watching a 'show' on a device Blood had never seen before, which was apparently powered by unicorn magic. It mesmerized him to see something that bat ponies didn't have, and it saddened him that he now knew his colony remained living in the Lunar Rebellion days. A half an hour later, the unicorn, his name being Halberd, turned off the device and stood up, taking their empty bowls and bringing them into the kitchen for later cleaning. He whistled briefly, stood at the start of the hallway. "Come, Bloodvein," he grinned, gesturing his head. Blood stood, following Halberd into his bedroom where he laid on the bed, chest-down. Blood followed in, glancing around, bewildered. "What are we doing in here?" Halberd chuckled softly, rolling on to his back and resting on his hooves above his head, "You're about to go to work," and smirked. "...I'm confused?" Blood's head cocked. "You're going to please me."