fly hard

7:20 AM MLT, Tuesday 12th, Month of Festivals, 5CE 1001
Spire, Manehattan

Helping Hoof elbowed Wild out of his nap. “Oi, Wild, we’re ‘ere.”

Wild Card rubbed his eyes and stared at the train car. In the seat next to him were his two accomplices on his ‘vacation’: Helping Hoof, his medic; and Tumble, his trusty seducer.

They were, well, criminals.

“Awesome,” Wild stared out the window at their destination. “I’m happy we get this little rest from the law,”

“Well, Wild, the law did almost catch up to us,” Tumble said. “it’s time we withdraw from thievery for a while to let them – ah, turn away.”

It was true – on his last escapade, Wild and his gang, the Crimson Saddles, had nearly gotten caught reaping the papers of Canterlot’s private library. He wasn’t willing to almost get caught again; he didn’t realize Canterlot was such a high priority.

The sound of steam drowned out what Hoof might’ve said, and the train pulled into the station in Spire, the premier entryway to the big city.

The doors pulled open, and the gang stepped outside. “Well, I don’ think there are any wanted posters south of the River Harmony,” Helping Hoof magicked a map to Wild. “So I’m guessin’ you’ll want to head to Foundry, the factory district.”

“Long as it’s unsuspectin’, I suppose,” Wild stepped through a turnstile.

“Darn tooting,” Hoof’s Canterlot accent showed through his Western. “It’s the most unsuspecting place in all of this city.”

They walked on in silence across the Lunar Bridge, which would take them to the lower half of Manehattan. It sparkled with hues of gold, cobalt, and silver as the party walked across towards Southern Celestial.

“Tumble, could you get us a ride ‘cross town?” Wild smirked.

“With pleasure. Taxi!” Tumble flew ahead a short distance as Hoof and Wild stepped onto the cobblestone pathway.

The taxi dropped them off at a large brick tenement building in the Foundry. It was old and broken down, but it’d do for a hideout while the Saddles were out of action. But just as soon as they poked their heads in the door, a disembodied voice spoke from the hall.

“Well, Wild Card,” the voice said, in a deep, masculine robotic voice. “It seems like you were trying to catch your breath.”

Wild thought quickly. “Show yourself, or I’ll show you a gun.” How did it know my name?

The figure stepped from the shadows. It was a yellow Pegasus mare with a green and yellow mane. She was wearing a headset and a tuxedo. A government figure?

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to pick up your rifle regardless of whether or not I show myself,” she chided. “Because I’ve got a job for you.”

Hoof tensed up, head in the air. “Oh, yeah? Who are you, huh? Why should we work for you?”

“Because, I’m afraid,” the figure pulled a silver cloud badge from her pocket, marked CLOUDSDALE CITY COUNCIL - HEAD. “If you don’t, you’ll spend your last days in prison.”

Tumble was taken back. “Glazed Voice? Wh-wh-what?!?”

Voice tsked. “It’s Glaze, thank you very much. Representative of Cloudsdale is quite a long title, don’t you think? It needs a short name to accompany-“

Wild drew first but didn’t fire. “Enough chit-chat. You’re a higher-up, and we don’t work for your kind. But if it’s work you want, I’ll do it, so long as I get a break.”

“Alright, then. I’ll clear your name, just as soon as you do my bidding.” Glaze began pacing. Wild didn’t like where this was going.

“I run a political… machine, in Cloudsdale. There’s a particular thing I need for that machine, and that’s concealment.” She devoured the word, before continuing. “Now if there’s one of you vigilantes who has just that, it’s Silhouette stationed right here in Manehattan.”

Hoof spoke up. “I know her, actually. We worked out a deal a while back in Appaloosa to get out of one of our stickier situations.”

“A real miracle worker, isn’t she?” Glaze said. “Anywho, she relocated to Manehattan a small while back. There’s just one problem.”

“Something’s fishy here, Wild.” Hoof backed up, and Tumble followed suit.

“The problem is, nopony can find her. Of course, we assume she’s still here, alive,” Glaze coughed, making an awkward bzrrbt! sound from her voice transformer. “But no leads or any proof suggests otherwise.”

“A search mission?” Wild looked eager. “Well, I’d do anything to clear my name, and this sounds easy as apple pie.”

“Wild!” Tumble called out.

The word rang out around the building.

“Think of this, guys,” Wild turned to address his worried companions. “A new start! We could be normal every-day ponies!”

“But that’s not why we wake up every day to do what we do,” Hoof defended Tumble. “We bring wealth to the poor, knowledge to the unenlightened. We bring equality to this blasted hierarchy.”

“Well, Wild,” Glaze slowly approached the stallion. “You can always make this a solo mission…”

Wild turned to Glaze, then back to his assistants.

“This means more than the world to me.”

Hoof turned away and pulled Tumble with him. “I can’t believe you, Wild.”

Tumble screamed at the top of her lungs.

“YOU GODDAMN DEFECTOR! OUR LEADER!”

The pair stormed down the street, and Wild would not see them again for a long time.

“Mr. Card,” Glaze’s voice sounded happy or giddy. “You’ve got some work to do.”