Sea

"Alright, ye ugly marauders!" the old stallion said, rallying up a number of young colts. "Our good ol' friend Watcher's moving his sorry bum down to the docks at this moment, and he needs the lot of you to be there waiting for him." He looked over the group of colts in front of him. A ragtag band of misfits and outcasts, most orphans and all victims of the rise of industry. "Follow whatever he tells ya to do, but don't forget to bring your old pap some of the good stuff." He chuckled. "And by that, I mean money," he said, shaking his hoof in front of a colt's face. "Just so you're clear."

"Yes, father!" the colts all said in unison.

"Now go, you little delinquents!"

The colts all scampered out of the room, nearly climbing over one another as they rushed through the door. The stallion just leaned back and sighed, before looking over the massive pile of assorted coins and trinkets - everything from standard small-denomination copper to solid gold to necklaces made solely out of diamonds, and everything in between. He put on a pair of old reading glasses and started sorting through the pile. "Where was I?" he muttered under his breath. "Ooh, pretty." he said, quickly taking a small golden locket and putting it in a small box next to him. He was about to put something else away when a certain red gleam caught his eye. "What in the..." he said, looking at it more closely.

"Follow me, lads! I know the quickest way!"

"Oh, can it Wimble! Your sorry arse'll git us all lost again!"

"Ay!  That was once, you nimwit."

"Don't call me a nimwit, dumbarse!"

"Guys!" A third colt ran in between the two bantering older ones. "Aren't we s'posed to turn in here?" he said, pointing his hoof to an alley on the right.

"Good chap!" Wimble said, running to the right. "Rem, go 'round and make sure them constables don't get a track on us."

The second colt just sighed and turned around, running back past the group of colts running down the mostly-deserted edge alley. It was completely empty, he reckoned; there was only the sound of hooves behind him. From somewhere far-off ahead of him, an explosion rumbled. He thought nothing of it; just another industrial accident. He turned around and began following the rest of the group once more, sprinting desperately to catch up.

Watcher sighed as he leaned against a wooden pole next to the entrance to the dockyard, looking over a fairly empty, large plaza. There were a few market stalls, and a small number of ponies walked across, but he paid them no mind. He'd been set back a bit from when he planned to arrive here by having to wait for the police to go away, but he reckoned he was still on time. He checked one of his many stolen watches to be sure; indeed, while everypony else was supposed to have arrived by now, there was still almost five minutes before they'd be late. Sure enough, after only a bit of time, he heard the sound of hooves against cobblestone and looked up only to see a veritable mob of colts heading straight for him.

"Oi!" the one in the lead shouted to the colts behind him. "Stop, ya dirty bilge-rats!" The colts all seemed to skid to a stop in unison behind him as he slowed down, walking straight towards Watcher.

"Well, well, well. If 'taint ol' Wimble." Watcher cracked a small smile. "Late as usual, eh?"

"I ain't late!" Wimble said defensively. "We got 'ere right on time."

"Sure. Ay, where's Rem?"

"Comin'." Wimble said, looking out at the sea of colts. "Had 'im watch our back to see if any of them coppers 've been following us."

Watcher lowered his head. "Dammit. I need 'im 'ere yesterday. Ain't none of this'll work without 'im."

"Well, what d'ya need us to do 'til then?"

"Looks like you won't need to do anythin'," Watcher said as he looked up. "Here he comes now."

"Ay!" Rem trotted up to the group. "Miss me?"

Watcher nodded. "You've got the most important job 'ere. 'Sides me of course." He leaned in to Watcher. "You's going to grab the Prophet."

"Ay!" Rem said. "I'll get shot!"

Watcher smiled. "That'd be nice." His smile dropped. "You take some of them younger colts with you, use 'em as bait. All you's got to do is get 'er past this door," he said, gesturing at the door besides which they sat. "Get 'er through here, and we'll grab 'er and take here to ol' Pa. Gonna get us a nice bit of profit, eh?"

Rem smiled warily. "You's sure this is a good idea?"

"The best." Watcher nodded. "Right, that ship'll be coming in soon. Ain't no time to re-hearse." He looked at Wimble. "You's got a bag, right?"

Wimble slowly shook his head. "We needed one?"

"Ay, you idiot!" he said. "Whatever. We'll just have to keep her hidden under all the young ones, then."

Wimble was about to relax when, in the near distance, a ship's bell rang across the waves. "Ay! You's hear that?"

"Positions, ponies!" Watcher said, jogging to the ponies on the other side. "Rem, you sure you got this?" He was answered only with a nod. "Right. Let's get this over with."