"Stop, you little thief!" A stallion called as a young colt raced through a village in Saddle Arabia.

The colt was a young grey unicorn with a silk pouch for a cutie mark. He wore a red hearted-shaped gem and a small battered saddlebag that contained a small amount of jewels and a rolled up map. It was very clear that the items he had didn't belong to the young unicorn, but he had taken them on a dare from some other young colts. It's one thing to steal from some merchant, but it's another to steal from a very powerful and dangerous stallion like Sharp Edge.

However, the stallion chasing the young colt wasn't Sharp Edge, just one of his henchponies.

But, Sharp Edge isn't someone to take lightly. He was strong, mean, cold-hearted, and possibly the worst pony one could meet. He was a very rich stallion and had connections in certain places. If something was wrong and it involved him or his organization, he wouldn't hesitate to handle the problem. But, most times, the problem usually lead to someone in his employ. And usually, those ponies are never seen again after Sharp Edge has spoken with them.

Now, there was a rather different situation. The young colt had managed to break into his home and into a safe, taking a map and his prized jewels. Both were very valuable to him. But the map meant the most to Sharp Edge. Why a young unicorn colt would take it, he didn't know. But, one thing is for certain, he had no intention of letting it slip away from him.

Quickly, the colt rounded a corner and dashed into a busy market place. The stallion struggled to follow as the colt zipped between other ponies and merchant stands. The colt finally found his way to the other side where the port was.

In front of him were sailboats, rowboats, steamships, and airships. Cargo and passengers crowded the busy area, but that just played more to the colt's advantage. He knew a thing or two about ships and knew that an airship was faster. But, at the same time, a steamship can hold far more cargo or passengers, making it harder to find him.

"Where are you?!" The stallion called, barely heard over the overlapping conversations.

Quickly making up his mind, he darted towards an open crate that was about to be loaded onto an airship and climbed inside. The crate was full of colourful fabrics, which the colt buried himself in. There was a small hole in the wood of the crate, which allowed him to look out.

"I know you're here somewhere, brat!" The stallion seethed, finally emerging from the crowd, "You can't hide forever."

Thu-thunk!

The colt felt the crate shake a little as the lid was being put on top.

"Alright," a voice said as the crate was lifted and carried onto the ship, "this'll be the last one."

"Aye, sir." Another replied, "Prepare to cast off!"

As the crate was set down on deck, the colt watched as the stallion climbed aboard to search. However, he didn't make it very far onto the airship as one of the crew stopped him.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The crew member said, holding a hoof against the other stallion's chest, "You're not allowed aboard this vessel."

"Get out of my way!" The stallion growled, glaring at the crew member, "Or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Another crew member asked, being flanked by several others.

The stallion looked at the ones around him and they looked right back at him. He knew he was well outnumbered, but he was also fairly big.

"Hmph!" The stallion snorted, choosing to obey, "Fine then. I'll leave your poor excuse for a ship."

Before he turned back toward the boarding plank, the stallion managed to catch a glimpse of a small eye looking at him through a hole in a crate. Flashing a chilling smile at the little pony watching, the stallion walked off the airship and headed back through the port.

The colt breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the stallion disappear back into the crowd. But, he knew that it still wasn't safe to come out, since the crew were on deck and preparing the ship to leave.

"Cast off!" A voice called, "Make our heading west and secure that cargo. It'll be a long voyage home."

"Aye, sir!" Another voice called, "Half-power to the engines. Elevation to six hundred feet."

"Aye, aye."

With that, the colt knew that it was too late to try and leave. Now his only option was to go wherever this crate went. However, he didn't mind. He had nowhere to call home and no one to go to. And the thrill of adventure was too tempting to pass up.

If only he knew what kind of adventure he was on...

Author's Note

Hey, everyone.

It took me a while to come up with a good idea for a story. But, I think I found one that might stick. I hope you enjoy it.