Chapter 1
It was the middle of the night in Manehattan, and everything was quiet, just as it always was. The city wide curfew had begun only a few hours ago and while most ponies stayed in their homes and apartments as they were supposed to, there were those who used the opportunity to get where they needed to be undetected.
The darkness of the night fell over the city like a shroud with the only thing acting as a buffer between the building rooftops and the blanket of blackness being the glow of the street lights and windows. The shadows that were cast by these made it perfect for moving through the streets in a stealthy manner.
This was exactly what one thestral was doing, moving from shadow to shadow, avoiding each guard patrol with patience and knowledge of where to hide to stay out of site. Nightfall was very good at this by now. He had done it his entire life, sneaking about to take part in whatever nefarious deeds were required of him by whoever had the bits to pay him.
He moved quickly and quietly through the night as he always did, before coming across a darkened storefront where the street lights had momentarily been switched off by some unseen pony. Nightfall stopped at the door and knocked a series of repeated patterns. He waited a moment as he scanned the streets, making sure no curious ponies had followed him. His attention was caught by a faint noise. He turned back to see that the door was slowly opening, granting him access.
Nightfall stepped into the dark store where a shadowy, silhouetted figure welcomed him.
"The boss is waiting for you in the back," the figure informed. "Go on in. He'll be happy to see you."
Nightfall nodded as he walked passed the pony in the dark and continued to the back of the store. The place was a jewelry store, selling some of the finest merchandise in Manehattan to mostly the higher classes. The ponies that shopped here were of higher morals than many and it only made it ironic that everything they bought from this establishment was obtained by illegal means.
As the thestral walked passed the display cases, he recalled the times long ago when he used to rob places like this one. The jobs were always challenging and had high stakes with even higher rewards. That was he liked about his line of work. There was always some risk, at least, he used to like that part of it. After recent events he began to wish that he could get normal job and live a normal life, but thieving was all he knew. Besides, it wasn't like any honest employer would hire a thestral anyways. That was just the way it was. And so, life went on.
"Nightfall, it's good to see you again," a stallion said in a thick Canterlot accent after Nightfall had entered the back room. "I'm guessing that you have what you were assigned to obtain." The stallion was an older earth pony who dawned a large white beard, mustache, and eyebrows. He also wore a high end suit vest and a spotless monocle on his left eye.
"Yeah, I got it," Nightfall replied in a tired voice, his eyelids feeling heavy as he spoke. He took off his two heavy saddlebags and carefully placed them on the table in the center of the room. He undid the old cloth straps and opened the tops to reveal a multitude of large, raw, gemstones, each uncut and ready to be shaped into something beautiful.
The older stallion smiled. "Excellent," he said as he placed a sizable coin purse down on the table. "And of course, the agreed upon amount."
Nightfall took the pouch of bits in his hooves and toyed with it for a moment, testing its weight before opening it and observing the money inside. He retied the knot keeping it closed and stashed it in one of the many pockets in his tattered cargo jacket. He looked up at his employer. "Same time next month?"
"Indeed," the older pony confirmed. "Nightfall before you go though, I want to be honest with you. Before you came along, I was very nervous in hiring somepony for this job, what with the fiascos before this. I just wanted you to know that I'm very grateful for what you have done, and that if you ever need anything..."
"I did this for the money," Nightfall interrupted in a very neutral tone, not even bothering to look at him with his weary green eyes, "not to make friends."
"I know," his boss assured, "but I still believe in taking care of my employees and that loyalty should be rewarded. If you ever need to call in a favor, you know where to find me."
By this time, Nightfall had already begun walking away. He put a hoof on the door that was now directly in front of him. "I'll consider your offer," he said just as tiredly as he had spoke earlier. He then pushed on the door and left the building.
Nightfall walked through the darkened city carelessly. A small cluster of gray clouds had moved in and it was now raining. He didn't care though. The rain was light and gentle, but if the wind were to pick up, he would risk getting a cold. Still, Nightfall didn't care. He just kept walking calmly allowing his now soaked coat to become plastered against his body and his mane to hang heavily from his head.
He was now in an old factory district, which meant that he could walk around freely. The curfew still technically extended to this part of the city, but it was never enforced. This was when the thestrals came out. They were nocturnal after all and the Royal Guard had given up all hope of controlling this area. They also didn't like to send patrols to this district because of a lack of working street lights. A small patrol of guards was a perfect target for even a small gang of thestrals. For this reason, the streets remained unguarded.
Any and all ponies that were up at this hour were either inside or in one of the open air markets that had been set up in the alleyways that were now covered with makeshift roofs constructed from tarps that were easy to set up at anytime. As Nightfall walked he would see these every so often and at times even a few fillies and colts playing in the streets, jumping hoof first into puddles to see who could make the biggest splash.
Upon coming to the front of an old apartment building, Nightfall stopped. The building was actually very old, built sometime during the Equestrian Industrial Revolution some three to four hundred years ago, back when labor laws weren't exactly a thing and factories would pump out whatever goods were required like gumballs. It was often textiles. These building no longer functioned, instead laying barren and lifeless. This building was different though. From the outside it looked just like any other abandoned apartment building, with its crumbling bricks and rotting wood work, but what it hid was something entirely different in nature.
Nightfall opened the door and stepped inside, feeling a wall of warm air hit him. The inside of the building was nice, with hardwood floors that somepony could see their reflection in. The booths were soft green fabric that sat back to back in between wooden tables just slightly darker than the floor, matching the table and chairs that sat in the middle of the room. A long counter, lined with stools, lay at the back of the room. Behind that was a large shelf that extended to the ceiling, containing just about every kind of liquor imaginable.
By now, one could guess that this place was a bar, one that Nightfall had helped build as a matter of fact. The whole place was thriving with ponies of all kinds. Unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies, and of course the thestrals were all welcome. There was just a couple of rules that had to be followed. One, everypony was equal no matter what their race; by extension this meant no racial slurs were allowed, and two, if anypony had a problem with someone else, you had to take it outside. No exceptions. If you could follow these simple rules, then you were welcomed. If not, then you would have to find somewhere else to get a drink.
It was also sort of an inn, but not really. The extra rooms upstairs were mostly used as storage and a place for members of a small circle who knew the owner, and VIPs. Nightfall happened to be on both of those lists. The owner, Scotch, who was also the bartender, was one of Nightfall's life long friends. Ever since they had met, the two had worked to build the bar up. Sure it may have come at the expense of more than a few ponies who had been robbed blind, but in the end it was all worth it, and Nightfall wouldn't have had it any other way.
The bar was very dimly lit. There was enough light for any day pony to see where they were going without bumping into tables and chairs, but it was also easy on any thestral's eyes. Originally, there had been no lights at all, but just as more and more thestrals found their way to the establishment, so did all the other outcasts of Manehattan. This forced lights to be installed after a few months of going with nothing but candles.
Ponies of higher, more honest wages, tended to avoid the bar, dubbing it "The Hideout." Because of its location in the old, nearly abandoned factory district, they had come to believe it to be a place of common thieves, murderers, and other criminals. And while this was partially true, any attempt to get it shut down by any stuck up noble pony was unsuccessful.
After only a few months of being open, the name "The Hideout" eventually stuck. Grey, a friend of Nightfall's who was also a popular graffiti artist, even made a sign for the bar as a way of taunting all the nobles who had made life a living hell for them in their attempts to stay open. And so The Hideout gained popularity until it finally became what it is today, a semi honest business full of thieves and vagabonds, never questioning the legitimacy of a customer's coin and always taking care of its allies.
This was where Nightfall knew he belonged. It was more of a first home to him than a second. After drying himself off and hanging his now soaked cargo jacket on a coat rack, he walked passed several groups of ponies, each sitting at a different table discussing whatever, until he found his way to the bar itself.
"Good to see you again Nightfall," the bartender said as he passed the weary thestral a cold drink. "How long are you in town?"
Nightfall took a drink from his bottle before answering. "Just the weekend as usual, Scotch. How are things going? Any trouble from the guards lately?"
"No, not here at least," Scotch said as he cleaned out a mug with a cloth. "Grey got arrested for vandalism... again. They let him go after a night in the pin."
"I'm not surprised," Nightfall replied. "He never was very fast." Nightfall thought for a few moments before speaking again. "What about Bastion? He done anything note worthy lately?"
"Actually yes," Scotch answered without hesitation. "He got into another fight, this time with some royal guards. As usual he kicked both their arses, but the weird part is that he disappeared afterwards. We know he wasn't caught though."
"What makes you so certain?" Nightfall asked, all of a sudden taking great interest in the story.
Scotch leaned down and shuffled through a few things under the counter. When he rose, he presented Nightfall with a slightly crumpled piece of white paper. At the top in big, bolded black letters read "Wanted." Below was a picture of Bastion. "We've been finding these all over the city. According to my sources, the guards were dragging some poor guy out of his home. Bag over the head, with his wife and kids crying and everything. According to the newspaper article I read, it got messy."
"He killed them!?!" Nightfall exclaimed in shock, nearly dropping his drink.
"No, no, of course not," Scotch assured, "but both guards ended up in the hospital with broken bones. I know that much."
"Have you looked for him?"
Scotch simply shrugged. "Don't know where to look," he answered. "I did stop by his apartment though. Had to pick the lock to get in, but he wasn't there. There weren't even signs that he had packed up at all. Everything was still in place. The radio was even on. He just vanished."
Nightfall sighed after finishing his drink. "Well, I wouldn't be too worried. Bastion is nothing but a wall of muscle. If there was ever a pony who knew how to handle himself, it was him."
"Yeah, you're right I guess," Scotch agreed. "What about you though? You still going to go across the bridge to see Specter and Snow, or... do want to see what work I have available?"
"Sorry, Scotch," Nightfall replied, "but you know my visits take priority."
"Well, it never hurts to try."
"Speaking of Snow, I should probably get to bed. She may be part thestral, but her school schedule means that she's only awake during the day. So I should probably hit the hay." He stood up out of his seat and headed for the coat rack to grab his coat. "I'll see you around," he said upon returning. Scotch replied with a simple nod. Nightfall then made his way to a door to the left of the bar and headed up a flight of stairs to a bedroom.
Darkness surrounded Nightfall. He could usually see in the dark, being a thestral, but this was different. No matter where he looked, there was nothing back black. After wondering aimlessly for a few minutes, he looked down at his own hooves only to discover that he could see them bright as day. Indeed, he was surrounded by nothing but a darkness that strangled all light, and yet some unknown source made him visible.
This was not the strangest part of his situation though. In the void, there was a voice. It was feminine and faint, but Nightfall could here it calling to him. "Help me," the voice said more clearly but still in a whisper, coming seemingly from nowhere.
Nightfall looked around frantically. "Shady?" he called out in desperation as he thought he recognized the voice. It called out again, but this time he realized that it was not who he thought. It couldn't be. There was too much of a Canterlot accent. Who was calling out to him?
He turned to see somepony in the dark. The figure was larger than him and of much slimmer build. It stood, staring at him without eyes of its own. The figure was silhouetted black, being nearly invisible against the back ground, with a faint glow radiating off of it.
"Who are you?" Nightfall asked upon noticing the pony. "Answer me dammit!" he yelled when the pony offered no reply instead remaining silent.
Before Nightfall could say anything more, there was a great flash of blinding intensity. Nightfall felt the entire world shake as everything burned away before him. White engulfed all of his surroundings, first the void, then the mysterious pony, and finally him. He raised a hoof to shield his eyes, but immediately found himself being overcome by the light. He tensed up as a wave of energy hit him head on.
Nightfall suddenly woke up. His entire body tensed as he hit the floor, landing on his back. He gasped loudly before coughing violently, choking on air or rather the lack of. He pounded a hoof against his chest, trying to get his lungs to work as the world faded in and out of black. Finally, he felt air rush into his lungs and he coughed again before going limp on the floor.
He breathed heavily, staring at the upside down room before him. He rolled over and sat up. He continued breathing heavily as his lungs burned. He held a hoof to his chest as he continued to breath. He could feel his heart beating faster than he thought I ever could. He had a splitting headache and he was drenched by sweat as well. He looked around the room as if making sure that this was all real. And sure enough, it was, all of it. This only left him with one question. What in Equestria did he just experience?