Coster Alley
One step was all it took for that single moment of fearlessness to become completely overshadowed by the sudden quieting of the noisy din of the London street and the dozens of eyes locking onto her like birds of prey seeing their next meal. Twilight's moment of defiance against the fear and loneliness that gripped her since coming to this strange place was quickly crushed under the weight of those curious eyes. With a wimpier of fear she tucked herself behind the blue clad legs of her odoriferous savior with only the sounds of the people, whose visions were thankfully blocked by the impromptu crowd watching her, passing by on the street.
In the back of her head she couldn't help but feel that this must be what it feels like to be Fluttershy. The feeling of a weight in her gut and the hope that maybe if she didn't look at them and kept quiet they'd all go away. But no, their eyes wouldn't leave her. They gawk at her like some carnival freak... 'Please stop staring,' she thought to herself, 'please someone just make them stop staring at me.'
“Oie, quit yer gawkin',” O'Moony shouts with a wave of his club as if answering her silent prayers. “Waat none av ya ever see a poorpil magic unicorn before? Well come on now, go aboot yer business before oi 'av ta make ya!” He punctuates this threat with a crack of his club against the side of the building. Twilight watches as the crowd slowly disperses. Some still giving her glances as they walk away but not wanting to contend with the O'Moony or his billy-club. “You doin' alright lass?”
“Y-Yah,” Twilight manages to stutter out in a whisper trying to hold back some tears, “I'm fine... Thanks.” She gives O'Moony a grateful smile before the sudden noise of her stomach reminds her that she hasn't eaten yet. With a blush she holds a hoof to her complaining gut and chuckles. “S-Sorry... I haven't eaten for a while.”
“Aw naw, that won't do at all,” he says with a huge grin and a pat on Twilight's head, “lucky for ya Oi know dis part of town like de back of me 'and! There's a wee place nearby where de costermongers loike ter set up dis time of day.” He takes a few steps before looking back of the little unicorn. “Well come on now.”
Twilight quickly catches up to O'Moony, sticking to his side like a young foal to their mother. Her eyes darting around the passing people with fear and curiosity. Every so often one would glaze a little too long at her or make a move to walk up to the pair but a glare from her protector and a threatening grip of the club on his belt would make them think twice.
She knew that she probably looked horrible with her dirty mane and matted fur. While she clung to the side of a constable like some sad lost puppy hoping for safety. She did not really care though, because that is pretty much exactly what she was. A sad lost little creature in a scary and cold place and her only source of safety being a creature that could probably easily kill her if he was so inclined. She tries not to dwell on that thought for long.
After a few minutes of walking with no words exchanged between the two, Twilight suddenly found herself with her face full of O'Moony's rear end with a yelp of surprise from both involved. “Gee lass, watch where ya stickin' dat 'orn of yers why don't ya,” says O'Moony with a slightly annoyed look on his face.
“S-Sorry...”
“Ah you're gran',” he says giving Twilight's mane a good rub,“we're 'ere by de way.” O'Moony's definition of here is a some ally, or perhaps side street, that is far more well traveled then the one she had come from. The sound of loud voices drifting from down the way queue her into the fact that there was indeed people down there doing something.
“Where is here?” She asks, apprehension in her voice at the prospect of walking down the dark narrow street to who knows where.
“Well, not quite sure waat the street used ter be called... But 'tis de closest place dat ya can proobably buy somethin' to eat.”
“Probably?”
“Depends on who's set up today,” he says with a shrug as he walks down the shadowy street past a wild eyed woman clutching her coin purse to her chest carrying a satchel full of something as she rushes by without giving Twilight a second glance.
'Set up?' Twilight thinks to herself watching the odd women rush down another alley before following O'Moony. 'Oh! It must be some kind of open air market like the one back in Ponyville... but why have it down such a narrow street.' As she starts to voice the question, the promise of food at the end of the road makes her gut gurgle once more silencing her with embarrassment.
“Tell yer gut to 'ush up, we're almost there.” He almost sings out with a jovial tone to his voice. Twilight can only give an embarrassed chuckle at his antics as she follows behind closely. “Well 'ere we are. He says standing aside and presenting a smallish open square surrounded by buildings with many openings leading into the area.
While many people mill about small pull carts as merchants shout out their wares to whoever is listening while watching out for anyone who tries to sample them without paying. The market has an air of an unorganized mess with carts set up wherever there was room around the edges of the square. “Well go on,” O'Moony says, patting Twilight on the back before leaning against the wall near where they came in, “Go find yerself somethin' to eat.”
“W-Wait, you're not coming with me?” Twilight says, fearful at the sudden thought of walking into the large crowd alone.
“Waat, ya want me to hold yer...” He pauses as he looks over Twilight quickly searching for a word, “Hoof! Ya want me to hold yer hoof?”
“No bu-” she began before she was cut off by a wave O'Moony's hand.
“Now lass Oi can't be roun ya all de time, yer gotta learn ta walk on yer own if ya want ta survive in this town. Ya got some Echos so go an' find yerself somethin' ta eat.”
“B-But what if some-man tries to take me or hurt me like those other ones,” Twilight says with a shaky voice. She couldn't help but think back to the two she met on the river side and again of the men who chased her down the alley.
“Ah. Yer worried they'll tink yer sum animal an' try ta cage ya, or club ya off wi' a stick?” He hums to himself looking about before his eyes settle on a fat man slumping against a half rotten barrel with an empty bottle laying next to him and snoring loudly. “Oi've jist de thing.” He shuffles over to the slumbering drunk grabbing a hat off his bald head before plopping the thing on Twilight's own. Looking over his work he smiles smugly to himself. “Dare ya go. Now don't ya look civilized enoof ta go shopping withoyt people tinkin' yer someone's mangy dog lookin' for table scraps.”
Lighting her horn she takes the hat back off her head and holds it back to him, “Mr. O'Moony, you can't just take that man's hat.”
“Sure Oi can... an' Oi did. Besides Oi think ya need it more den 'e does. Now 'ush up an' put on yer bob 'at. Oi went though a lot of trouble ta git it for ya lass.” He finishes with a condescending waggle of his finger and a grin that made Twilight want to hit him in the face ever so slightly.
Twilight stares down at her 'bob' hat. It was a messy thing made of a heavy black felt with a rounded crown. The felt was worn down in a few places and the rim had a few nicks, but she guessed that it looked nice. It comically small for the man who O'Moony 'acquired' it from, but just big enough for her own head.
With a sigh Twilight slipped the thing back on her head just behind her horn. “You really think that the hat will work?”
“Sure let's go with that,” he says before taking a pull from his flash as he leans against the wall. “Now take yer Echos an' buy somethin' to eat before ya starve ta death.”
Twilight takes a deep breath and turns to faces the little market. Right away her eyes pull her to a group of bystanders watching her and whispering to each other. 'Come on Twilight you can do this,' she reassures herself mentally before taking her first step. 'Good, one step. Just an unknown number to go until I can eat.' One hoof in front of the other she makes her slow pace into the mildly crowded market. The bodies in front of her part aside as they watch her in curious awe. Their idle gossip and conversations turn from their mindless babble to her.
“Blimey is that a unicorn?” Came a voice somewhere to her side. “Gee get a look at that thing,” another voice says from elsewhere. “I 'tink I 'eard it talking.” “Who let that horse down here?” More comments of the like slowly filtered through Twilight's ears.
“Ignore them Twilight,” she whispers to herself, the shake in her voice betraying her growing apprehension of the situation. “Just pretend that they’re not there.”
Twilight looks about the market as she walks, trying to take her mind off of the voices around her by paying attention to the merchants and what they are selling. She only stops to lean up to see what they were selling when she could not see into their bins and baskets. The merchants for the most part didn't treat her like an animal. They only give her cocked eyebrows and curious glances. Maybe the hat was working, or maybe they were not selling anything an animal would want. They seem more worried about people snatching their wares to gawk at her like the rest.
Before long, her worry melts away as her curiosity slowly grew at all the things for sale. A cornucopia of data sat before her to teach her more about the place she has found herself. She notes the, as the merchant kept describing it as to anyone who would listen, fresh fish. 'Fish... A staple food source of many species. Would that mean that they're carnivores? Maybe piscivores? No... unlikely. At least... I hope it's not either of those. Be hard to find something for me to eat if they only eat meat.'
She chuckles quietly to herself before wandering close to the fishmonger. 'If nothing else I guess I could try some fish... I tried it before at that griffin restaurant in Canterlot... but it didn't really agree with my stomach.' She quickly stops in her tracks as she draws close to the stall as the scent of the fish hits her nose almost making her gag, 'Oh Celestia! No way in Tartarus that is “fresh” fish.'
“What, don't like fish?” The fishmonger chuckles at Twilight's face, “Well I don't sell to horses anyway.”
“Well I didn't want to buy your nasty fish anyway.” Twilight retorts. Turning her nose up she stomps away forcefully in her best impersonation of a Canterlot noble leaving the gobsmacked merchant and one man bursting into laughter behind her.
'Good job Twilight.' She assures herself with her head held high. 'Don't let them get you down. You are a proud intelege-' Twilight's thoughts were quickly stopped as she ran face first into a body. A body that happened to belong to an angry looking drunk.
“OIE! Watchs whar yer going y-you f-fucking 'oers.” He stutters loudly at causing little flicks of spit to hit her in her face. The stench of hard liqueur surrounding him is like a cloud of sickness.
All at once Twilight's short burst of bravery melts away as her ears droop. Holding back a whimper she utters an apology and quickly rushes away from the man before he could yell at her more. With her head low and ears drooping, she slinks her way through the market hoping just to find something to eat before anything else bad happens.
Suddenly a voice caught her attention. It breaks through the din of the small market: “MUSHROOMS! GET YER FRESH MUSHROOMS 'ERE!”
'Mushrooms,' she thought to herself as her ears perk up and eyes search for the source of the voice. Quickly she moves through the crowd in search of the promise of something edible and then there it was. In front of her is a small cart with several baskets full of various hopefully edible fungi.
Walking up to the cart, her eyes glue to the cornucopia of fungal treats. Visions of eating were snatched from her mind at the voice of the salesman deep voice, “Shoo! Shoo! Go away before I gotta belt you one.”
“B-But I'm hungry,” she stammers out at the angry merchant. It is the only thing her stomach would let her say in response. Though to her stomach's defense it did make the merchant stop shaking the stick and grow a confused look on his face. Though he quickly recovered.
“I don't serve dirty animals,” he says in a low and malicious growl as his eyes narrowed at her.
“B-But but,” Twilight stutters out. Her mind quickly searches for anything to say to make him serve her. Her mind churns over anything that could help her get the food. Finally something that O'Moony said worms its way into her head. Putting on her most winning smiles and giving her new hat a friendly tip, “I-I'm not an animal. I have a hat, see? A-And I have money.”
“A horse with money that'll be the day. Go away before I have ta make ya.”
“N-No please! I-I'm hungry, please sell me something,” Twilight begs, lighting her horn and taking everything out of the little pouch around her neck in the dim glow of her magic before holding right in front of the merchant.
The merchant merely stares at the currency for a few moments before moving past his trepidation over the show of levitation and snatching the money out of the air, “Fine, I'll serve ya.” He counts the money with a sneering grin before looking back at Twilight. “Not much here is there?” He says, his voice sounding almost like he is testing her.
“N-no I guess not...” She mutters letting her ears droop. 'Please be enough for something. Anything. I'm so hungry.'
“I tell ya what, I'm a generous sort,” he says with a grin that says anything but as he held out one white bulbous mushroom to Twilight. “'ere ya go. One tasty mushroom.”
“T-Thank you sir.”
“No thanks nessary.” He chuckles out as Twilight slinks away with her measly meal with a sigh. The sleazy merchant watches the poor unicorn leave as he mutters a single word under his breath, “What a stupid horse...”
With her prize in her magical grasp, she quickly rushes back through the crowd. She still garners some attention but less so than before now that most have had their fill of her oddity or were too engrossed in whatever else they were doing. Finally breaking away from the crowds, she spots O'Moony still leaning against the wall where she left him with his eyes closed.
“Find anythin'?” O'Moony asks opening one eye to look down at her.
“Just a mushroom...” She replies and takes of bite of her little morsel of food with a slight bit of sadness in her voice. It is dry and a little bland with a musky aftertaste. She coughs on the taste of it a little silently thinking that maybe it would taste better in a stew or grilled.
“That's it? That's al' ya got?”
“Yeah,” she says after swallowing her first bite, “you didn't give me that much money.” Slowly she takes a second bite, hoping that if she eats it slower it will make her think she had more... but deep down she knows that will not work.
“Shud 'av been able ta get more then that lass.”
“Well I gave him my money and this is all he gave me okay! He wasn't even going to serve me until I practically threw my money at him!” O'Moony stares down at Twilight with an unreadable expression on his face. 'I must look pathetic,' Twilight thinks to herself, 'A pitiful dirty pony with a stolen hat, no money. Hungry, lost and lonely.' Her vision blurs as she raises her leg up to wipe the forming tears from her face. The sound of O'Moony's heavy bootsteps slowly leave her. “S-See Twilight,” she mumbles quietly to herself, trying not to openly sob, “you so pitiful that no one wants to deal with you. M-maybe I would have been better off just letting those two mans take me...”
She quietly sniffles and wipes her eyes off again. Sitting there and eating her little morsel of a meal hoping to melt into the brickwork as she ignores the world around her. The sounds of angry shouting do not even phase here anymore. To her, it is just the sounds of the hell she has found herself in.
“'ay lass,” O'Moony wispered, softer and more caring then she has ever heard him speak in the short time she's known him. “Stop cryin'. Oi got somethin' for ya little lass.” The little unicorn looks to the big man kneeling down next to her holding a bag in his hand and wearing warm friendly smile on his face.
“W-What did you get me?” Twilight stares at the bag he's holding as he slowly opens it revealing an assortment of mushrooms. “M-mushrooms? Y-You didn't spend your own money to get them did you.”
“Oh no of course not. That langer ‘av a merchant swindled ya, so Oi went and talked to 'em about it. Took a minute ta find 'em but lucky 'e was the only one sellin' any mushrooms te-day so that was actually easy.”
“R-Really?”
“Aye deary. Oi quietly told 'em waat 'e did ta ya was wrong. He practically broke down cryin' right then an' there when Oi came a callin.’ Even beggin' forgiveness for waat 'e did.” O'Moony gives Twilight a mirthful smirk as he places the bag down in front of her and takes an echo and a some coins out of his pocket. “He was so sorry that 'e gave me yer Echo an' then some back. An' also this nice bag o' mushrooms for ya. Now let me see a smile little lass.” Twilight can't help but smile as the sadness melts away from her mind as the thoughts of a nice meal enter it. She does not even care as he places his hand on her head and messes up her hair, it actually feels nice.
Twilight can't help herself as she practically jumps ups and hugs O'Moony, “Thank you! Thank you!” Twilight cries, but they are not tears of sadness anymore.
“Aye now calm down, it wasn't really anythin'. Jist promise me you'll be more careful with yer Echos from now on, aye lass?”
“I... I'll try.” She says wiping the tears from her eyes once more.
“Gran'. Now come on lets get out of 'ere.”
“Okay.” She nods with a smile as she hops back to her hooves and O'Moony picks up the bag of mushrooms for her as they walk side by side back the way they came.
“Ian?”
“Yah Twilight?”
“You threatened that merchant didn't you...”
“Oh naw lass. Oi didn't threaten 'em at all.”
“Oi skipped that part...”
Before any of your lore aficionados point out. Yes I did in fact make up this area featured in this chapter just for the story.
And for those of you who are most likely wondering what kind of hat I gave Twily (because describing a hat in great detail is actually hard) it was a victorian bowler hat:
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Cheats get beat...
was about to say, im pretty sure echoes are worth quite a bit more than a single mushroom. like, a lot more.
Threatening is all good and dandy... except in this version of our world. After all, what good is threatening when people don't want to stay dead?
7934612 its all about status, they may not be dead but their bodies still stink, and who would want to deal with a stinking walking corpse?
7935572
Usually they'd get shipped off to Venderbight before the smell got to bad.
7935636 i would bet a desperate few would use a lot of makeup and perfume to prevent that as much as possible
though now im looking forward to twilights first encounter with a tomb colonist
Twilight better learn how much an echo is worth down here pretty quick. Maybe she could work as the headlamp of a ship later, eh?
Hmm, I have to wonder what Twilight would think of the Jovial Contrarian. Probably lots of frustration.
Oh much like whut that collector has
Until this chapter, for me this was a story I was interested in but not sure I wanted to commit to yet.
Then those last few lines happens, that was great.
Please tell me this isn't dead...
8301804
It's not dead I'm just working on some other stuff right now... sorry.
8303428
That's a relief! Hope you're able to get back to this at some point.
Source on that cover art?
9267530
https://www.deviantart.com/akurion/art/I-Saw-Your-Ship-528064421
Hope everything’s going good my dude
May all manner of things be well
Mor plz? Is good.
I wonder what she'll do?
Benthic would be welcoming, possibly too welcoming.
She could go work for the rats under The Blind Helmsman, they don't judge even if they're pretty touchy.
11478678
From beyond the dark veil of reality, I have been called!
...don't know if I will ever return to this story. I haven't written for it for years. I've been out of the fandom proper a long time now. Haven't even played Fallen London or Sunless sea in years.
Maybe one day I will return to this if the inspiration hits. I am actually sitting on a mostly completed chapter I never released. If I did return I don't think I'll ever finish it how I wanted to... maybe just finish up the first arc of the story so at least there is some closure. But I do not know.