Chapter One- I Think I Messed Up
“Move it!”
“Quit shoving me!”
“Out of my way!”
“How much is this?”
“Where to next...?”
I sighed as I moved through the bustling marketplace, walking the same route I always did. As usual, most of the denizens of Baltimare were either on edge, in a hurry, or completely casual. Honestly, I envied all of them, though I still don’t appreciate their looks of disdain. My shaggy brown mane, dingy gray coat, and I’m sure the smell I was giving off didn’t help much either. But hey, for a stallion who couldn’t afford soap, or even a shower for that matter, it could have been a lot worse. I should probably introduce myself… my name is Sky Streak, and I’m a beggar here in the “wonderful” city of Baltimare.
I’m still not entirely sure where it all went wrong for me… I can make some guesses though. I used to live a pretty normal life back in Trottingham. It was nice, quiet, and predictable. Which is exactly why I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted adventure, excitement! The kind of lifestyle one could only achieve in the big city. I had a few options, too. As a pegasus, Cloudsdale was always open to me, but I kind of wanted a more… diverse populace. I almost went to Manehattan, but I wanted to avoid that cliché. Same with Canterlot. All in all, Baltimare was my only real option. So I quit my job at the general store, grabbed all the money I had saved up and headed out.
My father was, of course, furious. Ever since my mother walked out on us, he had gotten a little bit of a drinking problem. I never really liked him much, and his cider fueled rages didn’t improve my image of him at all. In his eyes, I was a “worthless pile of manure”, and did nothing around the house but get in his way. Now I was a little lazy, yeah, but that was taking it a bit too far. Besides, who was he taking money from to fuel his addiction? It’s not like he had a job, he lost it shortly after mom left. Long story short, I was sick of Trottingham, and I was sick of my father. One long argument and a couple of vague threats later, I was out on the road, trying to find my “big city adventure”. If I had been smart, I’d have turned around right then.
My trip there had been completely uneventful. It took three days, and I only had to stop twice for food and rest. At long last, I found myself gazing out at the port city of Baltimare. The market stalls had just opened when I arrived, giving me the perfect opportunity to watch the city “wake up”. Ships started getting ready to sail in the harbor, some early morning fog still clinging close to the water.
Now, my plan was to get to town, find an apartment, and then start looking for a job. You’ll see how well that worked out in a minute. I trotted down Mane Street, looking into shop windows and market stalls, just general curiosity at just how different from home the big city was. After a while I got pretty hungry, so I stopped at a nice open-air café. About halfway through my meal, some strange earth pony walked up and sat with me, watching me eat. I got really uncomfortable after a few minutes, so I finally decided to confront him.
“Excuse me, can I help you?”
“…not yet.”
“Um… yet? What do you mean by yet?” The stallion stared at me for a bit.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” I shifted nervously in my seat, brushing my mane out of my eyes and starting to sweat.
"How...how did you know?"
"Simple," the stallion replied with a smile. "You've got that classic small town look of wonder about you. Now, I'll hazard a guess and say you've come to make your way in the big city, right? Live out some dream of yours?" I gulped. How could I not? He hit the nail right on the head with that guess.
"Uh... well..." The stallion chuckled.
"I knew it. You're not the first, nor will you be the last. I've seen lots of kids just like you show up just to fall flat on their face. But you know what? I like you. I'm willing to help you get your start, if you'd be willing to do something for me first."
A dark feeling formed in the pit of my stomach. Something was wrong with this stallion, he was either a con-man or a mugger, possibly a theif. I knew I couldn't trust him, but... what choice did I have? I needed a guide to get me up on my hooves, and here was one practically throwing himself at me. Sensing my hesitation, the stallion picked up the conversation once more.
"Come on, kid, I seriously doubt you've got another option. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. That's how this city works. Now are you in or out?"
"...I guess I'm in. What do I have to do?" The mysterious stallion smiled.
"I'll let you know when we get there. I think this job will teach you a valuable lesson, too." He stuck his hoof out. "By the way, my name's Skip. Who might you be?"
Slowly, I put my leg out to meet his. "S-Sky Streak."
Skip laughed. "There's no reason to be so nervous, kid! Now come on, we need to get going." He got up and started a brisk trot down the road, and I hurridly paid for my meal to go after him. Every now and then, I noticed Skip staring at my (admittedly large) bit bag. Whenever he was caught, Skip just gave me a sly smile and continued walking. As we headed to our mysterious destination, I couldn't help but think one thing: I think I just messed up.