Gatling Rain on a Steam Filled Morn

Night wasted no time at all getting into the most valuable places, the best places to loot. Especially the very home of the emperor of Gaochang. Long story short, the treasure there was enchanted. No one wants to fight a golem made out of gold coins. That's the equivalent to getting slugged by a lead rock golem. Nah, it's not as bad, gold isn't as heavy, but the difference is just about the same as the width of a hair, so, still, Night isn't even gonna bother with the richest person in the city.

Next stop, though, bad end of Gaochang. Oh, the things she could steal. Hell, the first thing she did when she got into the criminal district was steal someone's bit bag! A hefty bag of coin, that bag. Stashing said money in her own pocket, Night practically weaved through the thick collection of residents until she came to a halt...Her person seemed a tad lighter...In fact, she knew exactly how much lighter. The money was gone! She turned around. All about her, people were right next to her, but not just standing around, no. Moving. Shuffling. The crowd were thick and it would be impossible to find a thief in this commotion. Hell, that's why she was already picking valuables off of people. So, she quickly stashed each of her own valuables in places only she could get to, held her rapier in hand, and began scanning the small gaps in people.

Off a short distance, she watched as another thief swiped coin off of another person, and she bolted at that opportunity, passed through about six people, then came to that exact spot, being put in...a small oasis of room. People shuffled around her. Another gap, same thief, and she followed again. this time, the crowd intentionally moved away from her.

Taking that as a sign, Night laid her hand on the grip of her rapier, slowly pacing to the edge of the small clearing. And came face to face with a very large stallion. Very. Very large. Twice her size, quite literally, four times as big. He looked down at her with a permanent scowl.

"You look lost."

"It's my job to get lost so no one can find me.", she drew her weapon, holding the tip to him. "What do you want?"

He crossed his arms, and Night twirled around, parried one individual, then ran him through, stabbing him straight through his shoulder. She spun around the newer character and grabbed the handle of her rapier with both hands, ripping it straight through his side, right underneath his arm, severed quite a bit of tendons, had to have cut through a few bones, and the stallion didn't scream, least not at first, but he definitely let out a sound of agony and fell to the ground.

Night took this moment of pause to put herself in the center of the clearing of people, and flung her rapier outwards, flinging most of the blood off her white blade.

"Looks like we got a fighter.", the large stallion spoke up, picking up the injured second. He threw the smaller stallion into the crowd and advanced on Night, drawing a sword of his own, along with six others. "Don't struggle, it'll make it worse."

"Worse? Heh. That's my cue to exit, then.", she chuckled, taking off at a run towards the burly stallion. He swung at her with his first strike, and Night deftly slid his blade away from herself, hopped over a second blade, grabbed the bag of money at the stallion's side, and then darted past him, vaulting over the ring of people surrounding them, cutting a few front flips as she did so. The first thing she landed on wasn't the ground, it was another person, and she bounced off of their shoulders, using the extra leverage to put herself above the crowd, giving her the perfect opportunity to exit the scene all whilst pissing off as many people as she could.

First building Night grappled, she climbed immediately, flinging herself over the edge of the roof in a hand stand and landing on her feet stably. Night didn't hesitate to take off again, using the rooftops as her advantage to leave the area.

When Night finally came to a halt, she were just outside a much more docile and less trafficked area, devoid of almost anyone. She were out of breath, panting heavily, and sweat soaked part of her nighttime thieving outfit. As she rested against the brick wall of...wherever she was, she watched both sides of the dark alley, making sure to keep her hand on her rapier.

Night looked left. Then right, narrowly dodging a fatal strike. It was a throwing knife. And the odd pungent smell it gave off, even at her feet screamed poison. If she weren't wielding the rapier of Celestia herself she would have been dead if it touched her. Three more flew out of the shadows, and she knocked them aside deftly, bolting the opposite direction. Right into a group of city guards.

Dressed up and calm as they were, their first response was to aim their weapons at Night.

Night put herself on the nearest wall to her side, keeping herself out of the alley and out of range of whomever were trying to kill her.

"Halt! don't move! Lest you want to be arrested!", one of the four guards announced. He raised his spear from Night to reach into his coat and pull out a ball of light which he tossed up. It illuminated the immediate area with sunlight.

"Look, I'll be blunt, someone just tried to kill me. Twice now. So, if you wanna say something, say it quickly, cause I don't wanna be here any more than you do."

The head of the group grew wide-eyed, then took a knee, bowing to her. "Forgive me! I had not known that I was in the presence of an envoy of the goddess of the day!", he said breathily.

Night stood stock still as confusion wracked her brain for a solid moment. She glanced down at her rapier as the other three bowed before her, then swiftly cleaned the blood from her blade with a loose piece of cloth she had on her outfit. "So, uh...Yeah, I'm totally a thief and I stole this rapier, bye!!", she bolted.

"What?!", the head of the group of guards snapped his attention upwards, then clambered to his feet. "Oh, that flying rat, get that little witch!!!", he bolted after her.

"I looooove Gaochang city!", Night laughed aloud. She then climbed up makeshift steps made of stacked crates, grabbed an overhanging lantern hook, flung herself upwards even higher, and with one hand, grabbed the ledge of an open window. She quickly climbed inside, and put herself, yet again, against a wall to catch her breath. She panned her ears forward and froze stock still as she locked awkward gazes with the other two people in the room. The mare covered herself up, the stallion sat up, they were both out of breath...you could tell what it was they were up to.

Laughing nervously, Night rounded the windowsill out of sight, bringing herself back out into the open night air. The moment she did, a spear embedded itself into the stone wall right beside her head.

"There she is!"

Turning around on the narrow ledge, she quickly clambered to the rooftops yet again, weakly rolling onto her back as she crested the edge, and gasped for air. She's light, she's fit, but tons of running and parkour takes a lot out of you, no matter how prepared you are. The night air was chilly and delightful, the night sky was beautiful, but from where Night was, beauty isn't in the eye of the beholder. Only slight tranquility. And tranquility doesn't help you get to safety. She rolled onto her hands and knees, slowly standing up. As she began to pick up a jogging pace, her body began to protest, slowing her down. Now she were fatigued and definitely needed a rest.

A very noticeable sound at the opposite end of the roof brought Night to turn on a dime, drawing rapier and all, pitting her face to face with...

"No...no, I escaped the Dutchman once, already! You agreed to let me go!!", she shook visibly. It wasn't a chill, it wasn't fear, it was exhaustion.

The...disfigured individual, shrouded in darkness, only advanced further. Several more began climbing over the edge of the roof, and Night took off. Impossible. Impossible that the whole crew of the flying Dutchman would find her here, on a rooftop, leagues away from where she last met them! On a night like this, too! She took two steps. And fell flat. The many disfigured crew of the Dutchman advanced upon her. Gyros clicking and clacking, steam hissing from mechanical body parts, pistons moving on their own. As she turned over to fight against them, they blocked the whole night sky out, and as they reached down to grab her, her world sunk into a pit of pure darkness as those red eyes and shadowy figures disappeared.

Night shot up in her bed, covered in a layer of sweat, dampening and matting her coat all over. She threw the covers off immediately, gasping for air.

"Whoa, calm down."

She would recognize that voice anywhere, especially in her panicked state. "Waltz!", she turned sharply to the pegasus.

"None other.", he grinned. He looked like a radiator, exuding heat and steam visibly.

"What's with the get up, hero? You jump into a volcano or something?", Night asked.

"Heh! You're one to speak. But no. I'm stressing my mana pool, as Lilac had said. All of this infinite magical might bound under my own hide, it's not good for my body. Thusly, I exude heat like a radiator."

"That's exactly the term I linked that to."

"Great minds think alike.", he laughed. "But seriously, though, we need to get to business immediately.", he deadpanned.

Night quickly scanned the room. A clock tower, but not the same one as from before. A newer one. As she looked around, even grasping for the side of the bed, she felt something. Or rather didn't. Her gaze shot towards her right arm and she froze, heart sinking with pure fear as she looked upon her, now, artificial limb. "W-what...what happened to me?", she stuttered.

"I rescued you. Again. Lilac helped, and you wouldn't have been alive if she hadn't intervened. You were poisoned. With Nightmare Venom from a shade snake. Lilac already had an antidote brewed."

"H-how did you find me?", she asked.

"You screamed. I imagine it was when you got impaled."

Night grabbed her stomach, immediately feeling pain shoot straight through her abdomen. Dead center. "Goddesses...."

"Here's your equipment.", Waltz set the outfit on the bed.

"What happened to me?!", night demanded.

"The Flying Dutchman happened. I've saved this damsel in distress twice. One from royalty, one from cursed pirates of the skies. The Dutchman herself coasted into Gaochang, neglected to dock anywhere, and stopped in one specific location. I spotted her from a distance, decided to check it out. Needless to say, they all dropped onto a rooftop, then hurried to the next over. I devised that they found their...prey, so to speak. They converged, and then you screamed."

"Then you came to my rescue..."

"Immediately. I grabbed four elements at once physically, then pulled them down with me, unleashing a fury of flurry of the elements on your attackers, drove them away, but...They already took your arm. You were unconscious by then, and one still had you in his clutches. Took seconds for him to grab your missing limb, eat it, then start weaving a mechanical replacement over the cut bone."

Night shivered, holding her artificial limb.

"You didn't have an arm. That would be my work. Lilac offered the money, I offered the connection, got you a black market artificial limb replacement. Had to sever more of your arm to remove the cursed brass of the Dutchman."

Night shivered even harder, clutching her arm tightly. Her face contorted into that of sorrow, and she turned away.

"Night, you're lucky."

"Lucky does not say enough! I wasn't lucky! Far from it! It's an insane impossibility that I narrowly escaped the clutches of the Dutchman a second time!!", Night barked. Her voice cracked, wavered. She were on the verge of tears.

"Listen.", Lilac spoke up. "We saved your life, the least you could do-"

"Not now Lilac. Have a heart, mare. You don't know what she just went through."

Soft sobs never came out of Night's throat, but she still huddled herself close and shed tears. When Waltz put a hand on her shoulder, she jumped, turning sharply, eyes red and tears streaking her matted cheeks.

"I have nothing else to say, but take your time to-"

"Don't leave my side. Never again. She came for me once, and I bargained my way out. Such is the rules of Davy Jones himself. She came a second time, and I was stolen from her clutches! I would have died, even if she took me in...And then risen from the dead, same as every one of her crew on board...maybe it was a blessing...The Dutchman would have saved my life if you had not...If you leave...She will come for me again..."

Waltz lifted the rapier, scabbard and all, and held it in her view. "This sword belonged to Princess Celestia herself before she married and became Queen of the Day. She used this very sword for three hundred years, never let it leave her side. If anyone ever threatens you, this blade is your life link. They must perform in the art of sword play far better than Celestia herself, all three hundred years and more which she held this blade. The Dutchman can't take you if you fight back."

"They can and will. The Dutchman calls to people. In their dreams. She sailed out to me once. I had the most hellish nightmare I'd ever dreamed, and woke up to find none other than Davy Jones himself in my doorway. Complimentary lightning made it that much more terrifying. Nightmare made reality, it's one of the most terrifying things you could ever go through..."

Lilac approached, grabbed Night by her surviving hand. She pulled her up forcefully, put them toe to toe as Night stood up, staring at her wide-eyed. Night covered her chest, finding wrappings adorned. As she locked gaze with the mare, magical symbols danced in the mage mare's eyes. Then they leapt from her gaze, growing infinitely bigger in Night's own.

Waltz watched as Lilac traded...something with Night. Magic danced between their locked gazes. After a moment of magical transfer, Lilac broke the stare first, tossed Night back down, then voiced her agony, pressing her hands to her sockets. She grabbed something that glowed a dark, deep hue, and pulled it from her open eyes, as if pulling the skin off of her eye balls. She let out a fairly terrible scream of agony as it finally tore loose, and then looked away, blinking.

"Ugh! In my hand I hold a curse!!", she held her clenched fist up. "The curse oft he Dutchman! And this is one hellish magic!", she opened both her hands, holding the blob of erratic magic suspended before her. "This will keep the Dutchman from hunting you down, but it won't stop them for looking for this curse!", she contained it in an orb of white magic. "We need someone to be victim to this curse, and need to make that happen immediately.", she approached the one open window to the clock tower, held the ball of light with both hands, picked one leg up, straightened it, pulled her arm back, then threw that curse out the window, flinging it outwards as hard as she could into the crowd below. She close the window.

"You witch!", Night retorted. "You have no idea what you've just done!"

"I have every idea of what I've just done. I've dealt with the flying Dutchman before, and I've escaped her clutches before!"

Night fell into shocked silence.

"Yeah! News flash. You're not the only one! But I didn't lose a limb."

"Alright, the both of you.", Waltz stood between them. "Lilac, calm down. Night...turn your attention elsewhere."

"I just did you a favor.", Lilac sighed, crossing her arms. "I don't want a thanks, and I don't want anything in return. I did it because I know exactly who and what the Dutchman and Jones are..."

"Thank you...", Night curled back into a ball.

"Once and twice you've saved her life. Thank you for both. Maybe having a magic user in the group is a great idea.", Waltz smiled.

"And I wouldn't be here if you hadn't sealed my magic!"

"You wouldn't have had another school back if you hadn't helped her in the first place. Debt well paid."

"Thank you.", Lilac hmphed, turning away.

"Night.", Waltz turned to the curled up, scared mare.

"Thank you for saving me. I am eternally in your debt. If I didn't admit it before, it was because you didn't save me from the Dutchman..."

"You owe me nothing.", he knelt before her. "I saved you out of the kindness of my own heart I also hadn't expected to see you so soon, so two positives as apposed to one."

"Well, I'm not satisfied until I have done enough to pay you back."

"And Lilac isn't getting another school of magic until she grows your arm back."

"Oh screw you, my white magic is shit!!", Lilac snapped. "I'm going outside!!", she stormed through the closed window.

"You are too nice to me.", Night looked down. "I don't deserve this."

"I beg to differ. You are my friend, I care about you, and I still have hopes that we can be something together.", he held his hand to her as he stood up.

Night looked up at him with a pout. "This is so wrong, but I'm gonna take it anyway.", she grabbed his hand. He helped her stand.

"Time to get serious, Night. You've been in Gaochang for about a day, now. You've lost an arm."

Night didn't respond, instead looking at her own artificial limb grimly.

"Are you going to be ok?"

Night sat back down in the bed. Then covered up, and laid back down. "No."

Waltz pursed his lips, then nodded. A gesture he knew she didn't see. "This tower is enchanted. Thanks to your savior, Lilac. No one will be able to find you with magic while you are here. Take as much time as you need."

No response.

"Lilac!", Waltz turned on his heels, leaving the tower.

Night shook once, then curled up tightly where she was. She didn't need to think, she didn't need to sleep. She needed to relax, needed to try to forget, despite the constant reminder that is her own hand. Night clenched her eyes shut and thought of blank darkness.

"Lilac.", Waltz rounded the clock tower to it's north face.

"Yeah?"

"I'm liking the idea of working with a group."

"Uh-huh."

"Magic user, sneak-thief, and me, which I don't really know what role I play. Aside from swordsman."

"Hero."

"Yeah, I guess that's the best title I could be given."

"Hero."

"Yes?"

"Look."

Waltz turned his attention to the ground before them, same as where Lilac was watching, and a single stallion amongst a crowd were just...killing people!

"Does it infuriate you?", she asked.

The ring of Waltz drawing his blade was enough indicator. He dragged his hand along his blade, coating it in blue plasma, then leapt from the tower hard enough to make it rock slightly. When he landed, he cracked the masoned stone below him, diffusing the scene before him by simply grabbing everyone's attention. Including the murderer he were after.

This stallion were about Waltz's height, same physique, large wings (but not as big as Waltz's), and a solid green coat. He wore heavy armor and carried a longsword, well decorated.

"Oh? A look-alike?", the stallion turned to Waltz completely.

"You got some real nerve attacking people in broad day-"

It wasn't even a split second, there were no blur. No, this stallion had his blade pressed against Waltz's throat in the next instant.

"Who are you and what do you want? And don't say you're a hero, because you're defending the wrong people. These people are murderers. Hence why there is no chaos or people screaming. Or guards."

Waltz were silent.

"Uh-huh. Figures."

Next instant, he had his blade embedded in the dead center of another unarmed stallion's back. He twisted it, then pulled it free.

Waltz coated himself in ever burning white flames. "And if I disagree with what you are doing, regardless?"

"Then you are a fool for defending murderers and rapists, and an idiot for challenging me. I've already spared your life, don't make me take it. And no matter what element you where as a cloak, nothing can stop me from killing you right now."

A wall of translucent purple light erected between the two. Then wrapped around Waltz.

"Yeah, well, it's two on one.", Waltz smirked.

The armored stallion sliced clean through the barrier, putting himself face to face with Waltz. He grabbed Waltz, yanked him out of said barrier, and threw him to the ground, sending him tumbling. Waltz lost grip on his blade, it were sent scattering across the ground. Next moment, Waltz cam to a skidding halt, commanding fire, ice, lightning, and pure darkness to strike the individual before him. And all of it. A stream easily big enough and powerful enough to level a building, were funneled into a single point...in the guard of his blade.

"You done?", the stallion asked.

Waltz stood his ground. Literally. He stood up. "Who are you?"

"Same thing as you, kid. Your every day hero. Except I gave up heroics a long time ago. You are a hero, right?"

"You don't look like a hero."

"That's because I found out what it is to be a hero and to have the most powerful villains in the world put you on the top of their shit list! Keep playing hero, kid!! You WILL find out first hand what it's like to be a hero, and here's a hint, you're going to regret ever calling yourself a hero!"

Waltz silently began walking to retrieve his blade, and the armored stallion sheathed his. Waltz picked up his claymore.

"They say heroes get remembered, but legends never die. So I gave up on heroism and decided to live the lonely life of a legend."

"Give me one reason why-"

"Get it through your thick skull right now that you cannot kill me! I am LITERALLY a damned GOD!! Now, does that confuse you in any way?"

As much as Waltz would hate to put his blade down, he really had no choice. Fighting a god? He's never even met one. Let alone, knew there were more than two!

"Why do you play the hero? Huh?", the stallion approached. "Is it for fame and fortune? To be remembered? Or is it on someone else's whim? What's your reason, kid?"

"To be a hero, protect people, save lives-"

"Shut up, I've heard enough.", he stood in front of Waltz. "Have you ever lost anyone?"

"No."

"Someone close? Anyone?"

"I've lived with my adoptive father for most of my life. I've not really known very many people as friends or family. I tend to work alone. Until as of recent."

"Oh yeah. That magic user. Kid. I'll do you a favor. Make a choice immediately. Choice A. Send them home, tell them to never talk to you again, continue being a hero. Choice B. Give up heroism and keep your new friends. Because the moment you piss off the wrong person, they are dead. You're going to come back home one day, and they will be dead, probably slaughtered, probably taken and tortured to death, or raped until dead, the list is long, and there are no exceptions for any way to kill them. These are criminals and villains we are talking about. They only car about themselves, and most of them are ruthless. No remorse for anyone. So. If you care about the people you hold close, you will put your sword down permanently. I've already paid the price for pissing off the wrong people. I lost an entire family. Two sons, a daughter, a wife."

"Whats your name?"

"Latin-Equestrian. Smaragdos Frangoventus. Translated to Emerald Shatterwind."

Waltz nodded.

"Who are you?"

"Cloud Waltz."

The stallion nodded. "Hmm. I didn't expect to ever meet you, son. I'm impressed that your wings are bigger than mine. Don't say anything, don't ask questions. Too many dangerous people are after me. Just take this letter and go. It's from your mother.", he reached into his armor, pulling a crumpled letter from it's contents. "Waltz. I am your father. Don't follow me. Don't do what I do. Even if the urge to do so is incredibly overwhelming. I have to go collect my bounties. I will never speak to you again, even if you find me. Good luck, son. This world is dangerous.", Smaragdos drew his blade, drove it into the ground, and then disappeared in a short flash of white light.

Waltz, doubling over the scene which played out before him, blinked a few times to drag himself back to reality, and double checked the object in his hand. The letter. It's real. So that stallion was real. And...apparently his father. While silence crept in around him, Lilac appeared beside him.

"Hey! Hero! what the hell? you let him go!", she fussed.

"That was my father."

"Your saying that your dad showed up and killed a bunch of random people?"

"Showed up, slaughtered murderers and rapists, then gave his son a letter from his mother.", Waltz turned his attention, and both hands to the letter, tearing it open. He paused before beginning at the top.

Dear Waltz,

The handwriting were ragged.

I'm in jail. In the heart of sky pirate territory. I pissed off a lot of people, killed the pirate king. Now I'm set to be hanged sometime within the month. I hope this gets to you in hopes that I could, at the very least, see my own son before I bite the dust.

Waltz paused, then kept reading.

I am in the Great Eastern Rift. They have me under heavy lock and key. I'm sending this letter to your father in hopes that he would find you, but he said the chances of him even thinking about you were nonexistent. Something about being a hero. There is a ship. A beautiful treasure I stole a long time ago from a king. The pirate king. Her name is the Brass Beauty.
Find her roaming the high sky seas. She is forever enchanted to fly amongst the sea of clouds until her captain returns. Heh. It just means you need to steer her out of the clouds. On a night of overcast, coast above the clouds. Moonlight will glimmer off of her hull, and you can spot her for miles. Once you find her. Please. Come find me. I don't care if it's just to see your mother once more.

Signed, Your loving mother,

White Rose.

Ragged but legible.

"So, whats it say, hero?"

"It says I'm going to save my mother if I have that chance."

"Wow. Mother and father come out of nowhere. Like a storybook, hero. Wouldn't this put a smile on your face or something?"

"Short version, no. My dad just left because he found his son. He never wanted to see me. Apparently being a hero puts the people the hero loves, in danger. Fair enough, dad. My mother, on the other hand, is locked up in the Great Eastern Rift. She killed the pirate king and is set to hang sometime soon. I just hope it hasn't been a month since my dad got this letter, elsewise..."

"She's dead already."

"And then I will take my vengeance out on the entire Easter Rift."

"Whoa whoa, hero. Starting to sound like a villain with a vendetta."

"That's my mother. The mare who brought me into this world, and I've not even seen her once. Ever. I will murder people without hesitation whom would take that liberty from me. Wouldn't you?"

"Uhm...well, kinda, I don't know. I've seen my mother countless time. She taught me magic."

"I've never met either of my birth parents until today."

Lilac sighed. "Alright. I'll help you. Even if you wanted me to, blah blah, I don't care if this gets me more magic, I'll do this out of the kindness of my own heart."

"Thank you. Return to the tower. Stay with Night while I book it back to the Mid-islands. I need to find Eldritch, find the brass Beauty, then head to the Rift. I'm not going to stay by Night's side.", Waltz spread his wings. "My father is a god. That feels pretty great.", he beat his wings once, launching himself into the air. He took off from there, flying faster and faster, gaining speed as fast as he could, then gripped the element of fire, using it to give himself a major speed boost. He were screaming across the sky at sonic speeds in seconds. Gone.

Lilac shook her head. "Good luck, hero. Hope you're victorious.", Lilac spread her ethereal wings, returning to the tower. When she arrived, Night were still in bed, same position. "Night. Got some news. Waltz left. He bolted back to the Mid-islands. He just met his father, got a letter from his mother, now he's saving her from certain death. His father is a god, and his mother is under lock and key in the Great Eastern Rift."

"Why are you telling me this?", Night asked.

"Yeah. Be bitter you flying rodent. You care for him, don't you? At least that's what I gathered."

Night's grip on the blanket tightened.

"He's already probably a quarter of the way there."

Night threw the covers off of herself immediately, putting them on the floor, got up hurriedly, ripped her wrapping off her chest, then dropped all clothes she wore.

"Well, whats gotten into you to strip like a child?"

"I'm gonna help him."

"Why. He left."

"I owe him. Screw luck. Screw being a thief. Screw working with you.", she pointed at Lilac, picking up a bundle of clothes and tossing them on the floor, pulling a select few out. She put them on, then adjusted them accordingly. Ripping them, tying them, making them fit rather comfortably for her small form. Then she retrieved her own leather outfit, pulling pieces off. She looked like a leather clad female captain meant to fly an airship. Gripping her metal hand, she froze to stare at the new limb before turning to Lilac. "I need a spell. Something that will bind someone so they can't move."

Lilac held her hand up, conjured a blue ball, then red bled into it, turning it purple. She tossed it to Night. "Just throw it at someone."

"Thank you. Seen the Dutchman?"

"The- Night, what the hell are you thinking?"

"Davy Jones was clear. You should know this already. If you're picked out of the crowd, and you give someone else to them in return, you walk free. And. If you give them someone extra, you get one free ticket aboard the Dutchman. No catches, no imprisonment. One free ride to a location of choice for giving them two new crew mates."

"That...I did not know."

"Uh-huh. How short was your interaction with the Dutchman?"

"Met Davy Jones, he came for me, I handed off my servant as payment, he left."

"Uh-huh. Witch."

"Flying rat."

"Thanks for the spell. Do whatever you want. It's Gaochang. I'm not gonna be here by nightfall."

"Same thing as I told Waltz, Good luck."

"I don't want your luck, but I'll take it any way."

"So, before you leave, just a shot in the dark, you think I'm hot? Cause I think you're hot."

Night paused. "Never thought I'd like the idea of looking at another mare that way. I gotta go. Business before pleasure. And my hero needs my help.", Night stood in the open windowsill.

"Wait. One moment.", Lilac approached her, grabbed the joints of her wings, and began rubbing her thumbs along the center of her back. Night immediately convulsed, arching her back to try to get her to let go, but no, it did nothing. Then Lilac put her boot to Night's back and, oh so painfully, tore her wings off. Before Night could scream in pain, a new pair grew back immediately, practically snapping erect out of her back.

"The hell?", Night looked back at her wings. She gave them an experimental flap, then smiled. "Whoa! You did this?"

"Yeah. It's...my last attempt. I'm gay. And I like you. If it doesn't work, then hell, I helped a girl out.", Lilac sat on the bed.

Night bounced back inside, planted a quick kiss on the mare's lips, then bounded back out, taking her new wings for a spin. It was almost disastrous. First few flaps were uncoordinated, then she fanned her wings before hitting the ground, breaking her fall. She practiced then. Beat her wings in time, then kicked up into the air as Guards began approaching. She took off, taking flight. Cool. In the air, so she can practice better. Next was climbing above the city. She needed to located the Dutchman. And she knew exactly what she looked like.