-Three Years Ago-
I rubbed my hooves together, rubbing the chalk powder all over them. It was important that I got the white dust into every nook, as the tiniest bit of sweat could send me hurdling to my death. I sighed, I hated the fact that I couldn't fly but I knew that if I did, I would be picked up almost instantly by the thermal reader. You see, all pegasi leave behind trails when they fly. Some ponies leave behind pure pigment, and some ponies leave behind trails of smoke. I left behind heat, and faint orange sparks. This would not be a problem if it weren't for the multiple thermal cameras watching my partner and I. We were on the outskirts of Fillydelphia, behind the National Equestrian Museum. Her voice broke the silence, " Are you ready yet? It's almost time." I nodded and began my climb.
I gripped onto the windowsill, testing its durability. It seemed like it would hold my weight, and it was only a couple feet off the ground. I heaved my arms onto it, and pulled my torso into the empty space. I braced my back against the wall and looked for a new foothold. I saw a loose cobblestone only a foot away. I leaped onto it and shifted my weight to the top. I scampered over to another window, finding it suitable. It held, and there was an open railing just to the right of it. I swung over and shifted onto the concrete panel. I exhaled sharply as my weight collapsed onto the hard floor.
I signaled for my partner to fly up. She did it seamlessly, and giggled at my predicament. I was caught in the metal grate that suspended the balcony. I yanked myself out and stumbled to my feet. She snickered and muttered, " Need some help there Flash?"
" No, I'm fine," I sighed out. She yanked her hat out of her bag and tossed it on her head. I cracked my knuckles and examined the empty building. As she had timed, only one guard was awake. He patrolled the bottom of the museum, not bothering to look up. I signaled for my partner to come over, pointing to the security cameras. She grabbed a device that looked like a gun, and aimed it at the security camera. It launched a projectile that covered the lens, and blocked the cameras view.
We crept along the floor, being extremely careful not to make any noise. I whispered, "I'm going to cut the power. You get the artifact." She nodded and darted away. I crept along the wall, hiding among the shadows. I folded out my map, scouring for the generator room. My focus was shattered by a loud crash. I sprinted to the source of the noise, the Zebrican exhibit. I charged into the room; greeted by the sight of my partner wrestling with the guard. The guard backed up, and drew his gun. Without hesitation, I flew into the guard, crushing him. His gun fell out of his hand, discharging as it hit the ground. The bullet whizzed out and slammed into the glass display of the Voodoo amulet. I barely recovered from the shock before I was punched in the face.
The impact knocked me to the ground and caused my ears to ring. I tried to crawl away, but I was yanked back over. I turned around and tried to swing at the guard. He simply stepped to the side and grabbed my hoof. My partner punched him in the back of the head, causing him to loosen his grip. I took the opportunity to grab around his neck and slam him to the ground. He collapsed and I punched him in the face, knocking out one of his teeth. He spat out the tooth and threw my partner off of his back. She landed near the gun, and began to limp over to it.
The guard fumbled at his belt, eventually unsheathing a large knife. I immediately backed off and drew my own knife. He scoffed at my tiny switchblade, as he slashed his sword at me. I dodged the blade and backed away, stumbling and falling into the potion display. I grabbed the object of our efforts, an ancient vial of dark green fluid and stuffed it into my bag. I turned around to face the guard; He was standing right above me and had his blade in the air. I raised my hooves to block the knife, bracing myself from the impact.
Instead, the blade never came. I heard a gunshot, then silence.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading, please enjoy the full story and post any criticism below. Thanks!
-Present Day-
I slammed the empty shot of whiskey onto the table, signaling for another. I tossed some bits on the counter and sighed. I took a sip from the dark alcohol and began to relax. Just before I was about to walk out, I heard the bells above the doors ring, and a massive stallion walked in. He loudly shouted for a shot and sat down next to me. Upon receiving his shot, he gulped it down and smashed the glass on the table, causing shards of glass to rain on the mare next to him. He laughed at the sight of her scrambling to get away from him. I tapped him on the shoulder, eliciting a chuckle. I politely stated, " Please try not to scare everyone away. It's working."
"Do you know who I am?"
"Yeah, an asshole," I spoke out, instantly regretting it. He cocked his hand back and got ready to punch. I leaned out of the way, dodging the blow. He swung again, this time connecting with my shoulder. I calmly attempted to walk away from him as I rubbed my injured shoulder. He tackled me to the ground and I could faintly hear him undo a switchblade. I reacted by smashing one of the bottles on the counter into his face. It smashed his nose and bruised the area around his eye. I slapped the knife away and bobbed away from one of his punches, feeling the air move across my mane. I grabbed his hoove and twisted as hard as I could. I was briefly assisted by two other patrons, who promptly shoved him to the door.
He spat at me and walked out of the door. The bar was completely silent as I got up, grabbed my coat and left.
