Author's Note

I'll put this here so anyone who sees this will (hopefully) read it.

If you can provide me with an artistic picture of a six barreled chain gun or gatling gun being fired, complete with shells being spit out the side, ammo belt, etcetera, Then please, help me out. It would better fit the cover photo of this story.

Meeting Fate

Her name was Nightmares and Sweet Dreams. All four words. Rather lengthy. She is a bat mare. With especially small wings. She can't fly, like most bat equestrians. Right now, she's a thief. And currently running from law enforcement. Her haul? Luna's very own regalia. Sneakthief like herself had the perfect opportunity to nab such a priceless artifact. The very personal clothes and armor of Luna herself.

Well, it's proving rather difficult to run away from law enforcement.

As Night ran through the streets, simply weaving through and around people, she quickly packed away the objects in her hands, and then continued onwards, sprinting, picking up speed. The way ahead were a market. Perfect. She could lose them in the crowd.

"Oh no you don't!", one of the guards called behind her. A gunshot cracked the air and a round whizzed past her, missing her, but hitting another target ahead. A defenseless citizen. Everyone scattered like ants, scurrying away as fast as they can. Some screamed, some simply ducked and waited. Night sprinted onwards. To the docks.

The docks, as they were, were being cleared very quickly. Magic were being used to push the ships away from the docks, snapping lines that held them secure, and every chance to break line of sight were robbed from the lowly bat thief. She were already struggling to get air in her lungs, and every breath she took was not enough. She needed to breath, needed to stop, catch her breath, but that luxury were not coming any time soon. An elite captain of Luna's personal guard appeared at the opposite end of the docks. As he flared his wings crafted from weaved magic and beautifully carved metal, he hovered along the docks, closing the gap between him and the soldiers behind Night.

She halted. At that moment, her lungs were panicking on their own, practically exhausting her with how much they demanded. The captain and the guards were close, now. Just another moment, and they'd have their hands on her. She bolted to her right. Down the dock, and to a dead end. As she came to a halt at the end of the floating wooden planks, she found herself at, literally, her wit's end. There is nothing else she could do. Nothing. She can't fly, can't even break her own fall if she slipped. Swords were drawn on her, the captain readied a crackling spear coated in lightning.

And then the whole dock wobbled and shook as something weighty landed on the floating wood hard. The object were a figure, and as he stood up, drew a claymore from it's place on his back. A full sized greatsword, and impressive in craft. He swung the blade about deftly like it were a longsword, then put both hands on the grip, wrenching one free just to pull his hood off.

He were Cloud waltz. Stock grey coat, charcoal grey mane, flowing backwards and voluminous, and his attire looked like tattered old rags, but Night caught a glimpse of expertly crafted armor underneath. If just barely a hint.

The guards didn't question who he was, only advanced upon him with intentions to fight over the fact that he stood between them and Night. First one into combat were the captain with his electrified spear and over glorified visage of might and power. He charged at Quinn, spear held at the ready, and it were a very quick ending for him. Waltz's blade came up and straight through the spear's middle, snapped it in twain, and in the same move, he spun around, cut the captain down, and his body flew to the ground at the feet of the guards.

Guns were immediately drawn on Waltz.

Taking that as his cue, Waltz turned around, grabbed Night, and threw them both over the edge. They fell. To the guards, they simply watched one stallion jump to his death and take a thief with him. In the next moment, they were dumbfounded to see that not only did they fail at their mission, but the sight before them were like a taunt. Waltz had taken flight with wings of massive span. Big for any pegasus, gryphon, anything with a set of feathered wings.

"Ok! Ok! You can put me down! Please!! I"m safe now! I'm not going to jail, nor turning myself in, just please take me to the ground!"

Waltz obliged, gliding down past one of the many dunes of the desert so to put them both out of sight of the city sky island while he put her down. Night breathed, falling to her hands and knees in the sand.

"Oh, thank the....oh right, I stole from the goddesses. Huh....", she breathed, standing up. "Alright. First question, hero, who are you?", she turned to the mysterious pegasus.

No response. He sheathed his claymore.

She made a face, raised a brow. "My name is Night. What is yours?", she tried again.

Still no response.

"What? What do you want? Money? Is it the regalia?"

He shook his head.

"Really? Then what do you want?"

Still. No response.

"Whatever, then. Don't talk to me."

He pulled a small book from a pouch on his belt, and opened it up to a blank page, pulled the pencil from it's binding and wrote in the frist page. I can't.

"...So you can't speak. Meaning you're a mute."

He nodded.

"Thennnnn....what? What do you want? Why did you save me?"

He whisper chuckled. Then wrote more in his book, turning it to her. To be a hero. He wrote directly under it. Thief. He whisper laughed.

"Uh-huh. I guess that's as good a reason as any. But uh...now I'm in a predicament. Mind helping me out? See that island we just left? I need to be there. To hide. If I trek in the sand for five minutes, they're going to find me."

He nodded.

"Does that mean you'll help me?"

He shook his head, holding his open hand out. He then gestured for her to either move closer, or give him something. He then adjusted his hooded rag cape, covering the majority of his body, even his massive wings.

"What?", her hand fell to her rapier. A gold and white metal object set at her waste. Contrasted highly against her attire, which were leather armor.

He slid his fingers together in a gesture known all too well to Night. Money. He wanted money.

Night sighed. "I thought you did it just to be a hero."

He pointed at her, pointed at the city behind them, spread his wings, then held his hand out.

"I'll pay you, but I don't have gold."

He shrugged, smiling. Night hmphed, pulling a decorative knife from a pouch concealed along her waist. It were a balanced blade, simple dagger or throwing knife, but were carved into and inlaid with gold. "Stole these from the personal armory of Celestia herself. Each of these is worth a small fortune. I keep them as my own weapons. Will this be enough?"

He nodded. She set the blade in his hand, then he readjusted his cape, covering himself again. The only thing Night could see is his rags. Not even movement.

"Ya know, it's a badass otufit and all, but I think you're over playing it."

Waltz fanned his wings open, startling the mare a slight, and then he grabbed her, leaving the ground in the next step, taking flight just as three ships began their slow depart from the docks. As Waltz closed in on them, they readied cannons, guns, muskets, revolvers, flintlocks, anything ranged to shoot him down. With a swift move, he barreled to the side of one ship, flew under, over it, then had his fun, playing with the armed ships before slipping off at such a high speed that each turn practically threw Night's head for a spin. Curling over stalls, looping around pillars, disappearing below the sky island, looping over it, closing his wings, fanning his wings, then finally, he leveled out, gliding smoothly along.

Night breathed. Finally able to rest after such a strenuous activity. "Ugh. that was...crazy."

Waltz angled down and slowly backwinged before flapping his massive wings once really hard, stopping them just above the ground. He set her down.

"Where'd you learn to fly like that?"

Waltz smiled, shaking his head. He then pointed at himself.

"Oh. Right. You're a mute.", she sighed. "Thanks, stranger, for being a hero. And then getting me to bribe you to finish saving my ass.", she squinted at him. Waltz handed her a folded thick piece of paper, gave her a wink, and then turned away, walking off. Night opened it. It read...

All in a day's work

She chuckled at it, then lost her smile. "Hey, wait!", she hurried to catch up with him. "Before you go...It's cool and all that you wanna remain mysterious and what not, but uh...can I at least get a name? You...may have saved my life and what not. I don't know. I really don't. But I did steal from a goddess..."

Waltz held two fingers up.

"Yeah, twice."

He then pulled his book from it's pouch on his side, turning the cover to her.

"Cloud waltz." She nodded. "Alright. I won't forget that name, and thank you for your help. Good fortune to you.", she waved him off, walking the opposite direction.

Guards were quick to recognize Night. She were rigth outside the very place she robbed. Slinking into the crowd proved far easier this time.