//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Tales of a Hidden World: Book 1 // by Braininthejar //------------------------------// “So, you think feeling guilty can change anything?” Pin shuddered. He’d expected a quick death, not moralizing. He looked Squall in the eyes. “No, I don’t think it can change anything. But it can stop more of the same from happening ever again.” The pegasus smiled with sadness, his stance relaxing. “You’re so wrong, it’s almost funny.” *** ONE MONTH BEFORE… “Give me the usual,” said Pin as he approached the counter. The Strawberry Jam pub was full of patrons, as was usual at this hour, the working class of Manehattan relaxing after a busy day of catering to the needs of the wealthy. “Me too,” said Smarts, Pin’s companion, as he stopped next to him. The crowd had parted to let them through, perhaps instinctively recognising that standing in their way would be unwise. They were two young stallions, one a grey unicorn, the other a minty green earth pony, their cutie marks covered by the dark coats they were wearing - a universal sign that they had something to hide. They both made an effort to look classy, with mixed results. Pin was wearing a very nice fedora that would make him look cool if it was ever designed to be worn over a horn; as it was it had to be tilted back slightly, spoiling the whole effect. Smarts, meanwhile, was wearing dark sunglasses, which now rested on his forehead, as wearing them in the dimly lit pub would have made him effectively blind. As the bartender, a pudgy pink stallion with thinning mane, turned to get his order, Pin looked around the room. He recognised several regulars in the room. The couple new faces he could see, an old unicorn stallion, a pair of tourists and a griffon messenger who just stopped for a quick coffee, were watching the two of them with curiosity. Deciding to ignore them, he turned towards the barmare walking among the tables and sent her a smile. To his surprise, she didn’t return it, instead looking back at him with a frightened expression. “Here you go,” said the bartender, putting a pair of salt licks on the bar, along with a pair of full glasses. Pin noticed that he too wasn’t wearing his usual smile. “Something’s the matter, Jam?” asked Smarts. “You don’t look like your usual happy self.” The bartender squinted at him, then reared and leaned forward, putting his front hooves on the bar. He spoke in a low voice, putting emphasis on every word. “Candy’s boys were here. They want a cut too. Isn’t protection what I’m paying you for, guys?” Pin was about to comment on the tone in which he was spoken to when the full meaning of the words hit him. His nostrils flared and he instinctively dug his front hoof into the floor. “They did what? Here?” Smarts looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. “They know it’s our turf. They usually go only up to Daisy street. That’s full 4 blocks from here.” Pin leaned towards Jam, stopping face to face with him, completely forgetting his order for the moment. “You sure it was them?” “Candy Wrap and Candy Floss,” sighed the bartender in irritation. “You think I don’t know them?” “In person? The gall of some ponies…” Pin clenched his jaw, teeth grinding. “And when did they say they’d be back?” “Three days from now, at sunset.” Having got rid of some steam, Jam was now speaking in a matter-of-fact tone. “They said you guys don’t rule here anymore.” Pin’s horn flashed briefly. Something small and sharp flew out of his coat and embedded itself in the bar between the glasses, vibrating slightly - a thick metal needle. “Well then, we’ll have to prove them wrong, won’t we?” whispered the unicorn. He looked over his shoulder, but none of the patrons seemed to have noticed the small projectile. With a touch of telekinesis he pulled it out of the wood and back into his inner pocket. Then he pocketed the salt lick and emptied his glass with one swig. “Business as usual, until further notice,” he said to the bartender before turning and leaving. Smarts smiled apologetically before finishing his drink and following suit, catching up with his companion just as he was walking out of the door. “The boss won’t be happy when he hears that,” he said in a cheerful tone. Pin resisted the urge to dope slap him. “Have you been snorting pixie dust or what? This is serious! It’s practically a declaration of war!” Smarts lowered his head, the sunglasses falling over his eyes. “I know it’s serious. 8-ball will be furious.” He hesitated. “Actually… could you be the one to tell him? There is one more thing I need to do in town this evening.” Pin stopped, sighed and rolled his eyes. “That new girlfriend of yours, isn’t it? I can smell the perfumes all over you…” He sniffed at the earth pony, his nose catching one more scent. “How can you drink cider with salt licks? It makes me sick just thinking of it.” “So can I?” smiled Smarts. “Just go.” Pin nodded in irritation before galloping off down the street. *** The penthouse of the Sunny Side hotel was alive with the sound of conversation. Pin exited the elevator and looked around the room. There were three ponies inside, gathered around the pool table that gave The Pool gang its name. The two playing were Fish, a scrawny pegasus with sea-weed green mane and light blue coat, and Chip, a large, brown earth pony stallion with a short blond mane that resembled a packet of fries - the reason for his nickname. It was Chip’s turn to play now and he was leaning over the table, the horseshoe on his cutie mark swaying slightly from side to side as he prepared to strike. The third pony was a round, chocolate brown unicorn with an 8-ball cutie mark, the one Pin had to talk to. Pin pulled the coat and hat off, throwing them onto a nearby rack, and approached the table. “Boss, there’s trouble brewing.” 8-ball stopped whatever he was saying to Fish and turned with a sour expression. “So I heard. Squall’s been here an hour ago.” “What did he say?” asked Pin. “He said that somepony’s seen Fudge selling pixie dust just two blocks north from here.” “Then it gets worse,” answered Pin. He passed the pool table and reflexively picked up a couple of darts, launching them one by one into a nearby dartboard. “They showed up in Jam’s pub demanding protection money.” Chip spoiled the strike, nearly tearing the fabric. 8-ball’s eyes widened. Fish whistled. “That’s more than just getting on our turf. They want a fight,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I thought they played by the rules,” added Chip. “They got rid of Gumdrop after what she did.” “They did,” answered 8-ball in a tense voice. “But now they got greedy and careless. I don’t care if they sell that stuff to rich idiots on their side of the city. But trying to challenge us like that…” He turned sharply towards the table. “Fish, take wing. Chip, go downstairs and get a couple messenger colts. I want everypony here in an hour. Pin, where’s Smarts? Wasn’t he with you?” Pin removed the darts from the board and started throwing again. “Meeting his sweetie. Should I go look for him?” 8-ball paused, then noded. “Do it. I can’t have absences now. We need discipline.” *** Pin walked through the brightly lit streets of Manehattan. He was wearing his hat and coat again; he knew his cutie mark, a metal pin across crosshairs, was quite memorable, and he didn’t like the idea of dyeing his coat to make a fake one like some of his friends did. Despite the hour the streets were still crowded. Manehattan was a city that never slept and the evening air was filled with the sound of hooves and the voices of ponies. The rich attending high profile events, the poor trying to use the last occasion to earn a bit or two, the tourists amazed by silliest things, their cameras clicking. As it often happened when he walked the streets, Pin couldn’t help but think of how different the city must have looked to each of those ponies. Some of them could go their entire lives without witnessing a crime. For the tourists, Manehattan would be just like it was shown in the guidebooks and travel agency, a center of the fashion world and a city of modern wonders. Perhaps they were better off not knowing what was lurking just behind the facade… Breaking his train of thought, the unicorn refocused on the task at hoof. He had already tried three restaurants to no effect. Where else could Smarts have gone? He mentally revised the map of the surrounding streets, thinking of all the places his friend liked. Unless he decided for one of the expensive places. He could afford it after all, if only from time to time. Between smuggling and racketeering they were all pretty well off… Pin stopped as his peripheral vision caught something familiar. He turned his head and saw an old unicorn stallion. After a moment he remembered seeing him among the patrons at Jam’s. Was he a tourist too? Just at that moment the old pony started limping away, and from behind him Pin caught a glimpse of a minty green mane. He looked at what turned out to be a window of a cafe and slapped himself mentally for not remembering it earlier. Quickly he went towards the door. There was Smarts, sitting at one of the tables. He was wearing a vest rather than the coat he had worn earlier, exposing the four-leaf clover on his rump. He was also wearing a rather silly grin that went surprisingly well with his sunglasses. And opposite him… Pin groaned inwardly. The girl was a tan earth pony with a brown mane styled into something that might have been her idea of stereotypical Manehatten hairstyle, but in fact was some 40 years late. She was covered in a beige dress that almost matched her coat and was longer than Manehattan mares would wear. In fact it looked like all she was missing was a bonnet. She was sitting there with a dopey grin that matched Smarts’. “And then the boss said ‘Smarts, dear boy, there’s a great future ahead of you.’” said Smarts, apparently in the middle of some story. “Why do they call you Smarts?” interrupted the girl. “I’d expect them to call you Lucky.” Smarts chuckled. “Well, even if I’m actually named Lucky Break, calling me Lucky would make the luck go away, wouldn’t it? They had to come up with something else.” “Why Smarts then?” asked the girl curiously. Smarts looked at her with mock annoyance “What, you don’t think I’m smart? I only make a fool of myself in your presence.” The mare blushed. “Sorry, or course you are. That’s why you’re such a good salesman.” “There is actually a story behind the nickname,” said Smarts. “You see, it’s my cutie mark.” “The girl gave him a confused look. “Your cutie mark? But what does it have to do with…” “Well, some of my colleagues have bad sense of humor,” answered Smarts, shrugging. “When I first got the job, one of them started calling me ‘Clover the Smartass’. I was really lucky they shortened it later.” “Well, duh. That’s a girl’s name and… well, that was very mean of them,” said the girl. “Ouch.” Something stung Smarts in the ear. Shaking his head he noticed a tiny piece of grit falling out of his mane and onto the table. He knew what that meant. He looked around until he noticed Pin standing near the entrance, looking at him intently. “Argh,” he said, shrinking visibly on his stool. “I’m very sorry, darling. I just remembered I promised to help a friend at the office. I’ll make it up to you, I promise!” Pin turned to leave, not willing to witness the rest of the conversation. He stood outside and waited until Smarts showed at the door, walking at a brisk pace until he almost collided with another pedestrian, at which point he stopped and pushed his sunglasses up onto his forehead. “What is it?” he asked. “Boss wants to see everypony,” answered Pin. “There’s more trouble brewing.” They headed for the hotel, moving at a brisk pace. “More Candy’s boys?” asked Smarts as he did his best to keep up with his friend. “Yes,” answered Pin, still moving forward. After a couple more steps, he glared sideways at the earth pony. “That girl. Where did you get her?” "Mcintosh Hills. She came here to learn engineering. She's smarter than she looks," answered Smarts. "Her name's..." "I don't care what her name is, Smarts," interrupted Pin. "I heard you talking to her. You know the rules. How much did you tell her?" Smarts rolled his eyes. "You think I'm stupid? I didn't tell her anything. She thinks I'm a salesman, using my charisma to get my boss new clients." "Technically true..." nodded Pin, sighing. "Listen there, Smarts. If you..." He ground to a halt. "Did you see what I just saw?" The earth pony hesitated. "Was that Candy Floss and Chocolate Candy..." "Entering Silver Horseshoe," finished Pin. He made a 90 degrees turn and trotted towards the bar, his coat billowing as he used his magic to check the contents of his pockets. *** He entered the bar just in time to hear a bottle breaking. All the guests turned to look towards Candy Floss, a pink pegasus with a white afro that was responsible for her nickname, wearing a short black dress designed for somepony more enticing. She was leaning over the bar, right in the face of a terrified owner. "How clumsy of me," she hissed in theatrical whisper. "Now, as I was saying..." "If you don't have the manners to be here, Flossy, you should stay at home," said Pin, walking into the center of the room. Smarts went past him to the left hof end of the bar. "Once cider to go?" he asked the owner. The pony, white and thin with a neatly trimmed moustache, pushed a bottle his way with a shaking hoof. The mare turned towards him with a cat-like smile. "Oh, look who's decided to visit. Does 8-ball think that the two of you can do the bouncer job here?" She turned towards the stallion at the bar. "You've really been paying them too much for such lousy protection." Pin's horn glowed with faint silver light. "Lady..." he paused and turned towards the room which was quickly getting empty, except for a couple curious fools and some ponies too old to leave in a hurry. "Apologies to all ladies for that. Anyway, I think I'll have to ask you to leave. Now." Candy Floss stepped back, an expression of mock fear on her muzzle. "Oh no, you brute would hit a girl? Whatever shall I do?" She extended her righ hoof and scraped it in an arc in front of herself. There was a glint of metal as a small curved blade screwed to the underside of her horseshoe emerged from under her hoof. Beside her Chocolate Candy, a coal black earth pony with a bowler hat, who had up to that point stayed silent, moved in to stand by her side. He didn't seem armed, but he glared daggers at Pin all the same. "So, guess it's a failure of communication then," said Smarts, standing next to his friend. "You guys really think you can take the Pool Club in a fair fight?" Candy Floss responded with a smile that he really didn't like. "Whoever said about fair, kid? You thought we'd come here without a backup plan?" There was a loud thump at the door. Pin turned to see another earth pony, creme with a short yellow mane and a striped red and white shirt on his bulky chest. He was even bigger than Chip and his cutie mark was a horseshoe with a red outline. Candy Floss grinned. "We'll show you Pool Club guys that it takes more than just balls to rule the city." Pin turned, trying to keep all three ponies in his field of vision simultaneously. He realized that the new guy must have been standing near the entrance since they walked in – he was one of those big guys you tend to overlook until they move. Smarts turned stood with his back to Candy Floss, facing the newcomer. He smiled from over his sunglasses. "You would be... let me guess... Hard Candy?" The huge earth pony reared, clapping his front hooves together before bringing them both down onto the floor. The horseshoes, thicker and heavier than necessary, left prints in the floor. "Close," he grinned. "It's Jawbreaker." Candy Floss opened the blade on her other front hoof, then hopped into the air and spread her wings. Smarts grabbed the bottle of cider in his teeth and threw it up over his back before bucking it hard, sending the weighted piece of glass square into the mare's face. It connected with a dull thud. The other two ponies charged. Pin's horn flashed as he pulled a metal needle from inside his coat and sent it into Jawbreaker's shoulder, while bucking with his hind legs at the approaching Chocolate Candy. He heard the satisfying thump from behind him that told him he hit, but just then he realized, a second too late, that his projectile did little to slow the larger earth pony down. A heavy front hoof connected with his face, throwing him against the bar. "I'm gonna..." He tried to stand up, reaching for another needle. Jawbreaker moved towards him to finish the job, but before he could reach him, Smarts broke a chair over his head. More angered than hurt at the blow, he turned towards the smaller earth pony and tried to crush him. Pin looked for other opponents. Chocolate Candy was still getting up after the buck in the chest he had taken. Candy Floss had recovered from the blow to the head, though her muzzle was bloodied and her features an image of fury. She flew straight at Smarts. Straining to focus despite his swimming vision, Pin managed to shoot the needle through her wing. She swayed off course, colliding with a wall near the coat racks, causing a large mirror on the wall to fall down and shatter. Pin jumped to his hooves to help his friend, just in time to hear a grunt of pain. Smarts was backed into a corner, but his opponent had ceased pushing at him. Instead Jawbreaker was standing in an odd position, as if trying to fight, keep his balance and keep one of his front hooves off the ground at the same time. With Chocolate Candy preparing to rejoin the fight, Pin wasted no time. He pulled a salt lick out of his pocket and shattered it against the floor, then launched the small bits of salt into Chocolate's eyes. Then he charged Jawbreaker from behind, knocking him from his odd balancing position into a full face plant before pulling another needle and shooting it down, pinning the earth pony's ear to the wooden floor. Then he reached with his magic, pulling two large bits of the broken mirror towards himself and levitating them menacingly. "Enough of this!" he growled, glaring at the two still standing candies in turn. After a moment of intense screaming, Chocolate Candy was now keeping his distance, wincing in pain and rubbing his face as he tried to get rid of the rest of the salt. Candy Floss had already gotten up and tried to fly. She was standing on rigid legs, holding the injured wing close to her body, daring not to pull the needle out with her teeth. All the spectators had already left, except for the owner and a couple of waiters, all huddled behind available cover. Pin spoke through clenched teeth, doing his best not to slur – he was still feeling the effects of the blow to the head. "That's enough. We can continue if you like, but then you’ll all die. Do you want to die?" One glass shard lowered itself dangerously close to Jawbreaker's eye. There was a moment of hesitation. Then Candy Floss spat some blood onto the floor. “Fair enough. We’re leaving.” She walked to the door, as nonchalantly as she could manage under the circumstances. Chocolate Candy followed her, muttering curses under his breath. Pin leaned closer to Jawbreaker. “I’m going to remove that needle now and let you go. You can wear an earring in the hole if you like. But if I see you here again… Candy will find your head in her bedroom. Do we have an understanding?” The huge pony nodded, as much as he could without causing himself more pain. Pin pulled the thick needle free, wiping it against Jawbreaker’s coat before putting it away inside his pocket, then stepped back, giving him the space to get up. Jawbreaker stood up and limped away in a hurry, constantly keeping one front hoof in the air. “Good,” nodded Pin as he saw him disappear through the door.”We’d be poor protection if we turned this fine establishment into a murder scene, wouldn’t we?” Smarts nodded. The owner, still hiding behind the counter, nodded vigorously. It was obvious from his face that he wanted them out as soon as possible. “We’ll be leaving for tonight,” said Pin, trying to bow and almost falling over. Smarts rushed to hold him up. “You ok?” he asked in a worried voice. “No,” answered Pin. He then looked his companion in the eyes. “Are my pupils even?” The earth pony squinted. “I… think so. Half your face is swelling, so it’s hard to tell.” “I should live then. What did you do to the big guy?” Smarts smirked. “Nothing. He tried to stomp me and stepped into glass from a bottle Candy Floss knocked over when we entered.” “You lucky bastard.” *** Pin was sitting on the sofa in the hotel penthouse, a bag of ice pressed to his face. Behind him Fish and Chip were playing pool. 8-ball, Smarts and Squall, a light blue pegasus with navy blue mane and a stormcloud cutie mark were sitting around the table. “So…” started 8-ball. “Either this will halt them or we will have an open war.” “I couldn’t let them have their way. This is no city for the weak,” answered Pin, looking his boss in the eye. 8-bit chuckled. “Of course not. You taught them a lesson. And we would likely have had a war anyway. Just when I began to think of retiring.” It was Pin’s turn to chuckle. “You always said you can’t retire from this job.” “No,” said 8-ball, reaching for a glass of water to wash his mouth from the salt lick he was having. “But you can quit being the boss, IF you find somepony competent to replace you. I could run the hotel instead and leave the headaches to one of you guys. What do you think?” “I think we should strike first and strike hard,” said Squall. “If there’s going to be a war, we can’t let them have the first blow.” “Typical pegasus thinking,” said Smarts. “Can’t we just get along? We did for so many years.” “Candy is a pegasus, Smarts,” said 8-ball. “It may turn out that Squall is right. So just in case, we need to learn as much as possible about them. How many there are, do they have any new muscle, where do they sleep, where do they smuggle… or brew pixie dust. This will be your job until further notice.” “Oh, almost forgot,” he continued. “Pin, you’re supposed to be big and scary. You can’t walk the streets with a huge black eye. Find something to cover it with. Smarts’ sunglasses maybe? He could have your hat in return. It would fit him better than you anyway.” Pin turned towards Smarts, only to see him flinch away. “No way are you taking my glasses! They’re expensive and you get into brawls. Buy your own.” Pin chuckled, then winced in pain. “Eh, it’s weeks like this that make me regret I didn’t become a doctor like my mother wanted.” Smarts raised an eyebrow. “You, a doctor? Seriously?” Pin glared at him. “What’s so weird about it? Half of my family does acupuncture. Where do you think I learned to be so precise with my horn?” “So why didn’t you become one?” asked Smarts. Pin smiled. “Bad company.” 8-ball shook his head as he watched them all laugh at the joke. He wished he still had that youthful enthusiasm for everything.