Money Is Everything

Stone brick walls on all sides isn't exactly a welcoming sight, come to find out. However, it wasn't me who was being contained here, and for that I was grateful.

"You're free to go, inmate." The officer pony who stood before me stopped and spoke into a jail cell, before fidgeting with a bundle of keys and unlocking the cell door.

"So, are you finally going to tell me who bailed me out?" Shadow scoffed and stepped out of the cell.

Almost immediately, he turned to meet my gaze. The look I received from him was a disappointed one, and was followed by an eye-roll to top it off.

"Says he's a hometown friend of your sister's?" The officer questioned, and Steel responded with a sigh.

"Yeah, yeah he might as well be."

The officer nods forward, back down the way we came. "Alright then, move it. We'll get you out of those rags and you'll be good to go. As for you, sir (referring to Cross now), head back up to the lobby."

With a nod I turned and started trotting. Behind me, as I grew further away, I could hear Shadow complain, "Don't you dare try to assist pulling this off me," in his typical asshole attitude.

Once we were out of range of the city, trotting along dirt trails back to where I had left my stuff, Steel snapped at me. He had looked visually aggravated since we left the station, and I knew that it was coming. His anger was building up, all the way up until nopony else was around but me.

"Care to tell me what that was about!?" Steel turned his body into the shout.

I ignored him and kept trotting, which only pissed him off more.

"I fuckin' told you not to bail me out! Did you even go back to the camp?" He remained where he stood until the realization hit him that I wasn't slowing down.

Steel slowed down from a sprint at my side, and snarled again. "Are you brain dead?"

With a deep sigh, I stopped and looked at him.

"I couldn't get all of it. I took what I could carry, and buried a little bit of it too. I'm not as tall as you are, even though I'm above average height; I think you keep forgetting that you're practically among the tallest stallions in Equestria... At least for a pegasus. I literally couldn't reach inside that tree enough to get the whole bag out, and with my busted up side, it was hard enough to get what I did manage to. Otherwise, I'd have been able to get more than what I did, as well as carry more than I have been."

Steel exhaled deeply and relaxed his eyes. "Why did you bail me out, Cross?"

"Can we just go and get everything first, and I'll explain then?" I grunted and started down the dirt path again, wanting to gather my thoughts calmly before trying to make him understand.

He grumbled, and followed along next to me.

After my things had been moved out of the underbrush, I unwrapped the torn bandage on my head (which I discarded), and untied my eye-patch bandana (which I put back into my duffle bag, rather than the rolled up tent). Steel had taken a good look at my bandana and I wasn't aware of his focus on it, until he had said something after I put on the duffle bag.

"It's not like you to tear a bandana." He pointed out.

"Yeah, well.. You don't know me like you think you do, Steel. I'm not a criminal." My chest lowered as I exhaled, literally having got that off of my chest.

Steel sneers, and takes a step back. "Are you telling me– you're a rat?"

"What I'm telling you, is that I didn't bail you out because you're a former accomplice, and I didn't bail you out because I liked you... I bailed you out because I need your help. I didn't ask to get stuck up in all of this—"

"You didn't ask to get into all of this? You helped Dwight plan this all, if I remember hearing correctly!" Steel planted his hooves firmly into the ground.

"I was a homeless colt picked up by a thieving, murdering, criminal mastermind. I had no choice, Steel!" I retaliated, raising my voice.

He got up into my face, and spoke in a low hiss. "I went into it with the idea of making money for Rose to live a life too. The last thing I expected, was to accidentally find somepony who'd do just that. You want to talk about choices? Why did you wait so long to get out, then."

Steel backed up again, thinking he would let me stop and contemplate it.

"Don't try to guilt trip me," I growled, "Do you know what I had to tell myself everyday? Money is everything. But guess what? It's not!" My voice began to escalate and eventually it got to the point where I was so angry, that tears started welling up.

"It only mattered to you, and to Dwight! I kept telling myself this, because getting you and him money, was the only thing keeping me from living my own fucking life!"

Steel looked at me for a second, almost stunned. "I didn't mean to strike a nerve like that so badly–"

"Strike a nerve? Rose has been foalnapped by Princess Luna, Steel! I got her pregnant, and now she's being used against me. Who's to blame, huh? Who? Me, for wanting to live a life worth living."

We were both silent for a minute, and then Steel let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry. Come on, Cross," He patted my shoulder gently, "You're gonna tell me everything you know about this foalnapping, or I'm going to break your legs... Which, now that I think about it, I should have already done since you knocked up my sister."

I nodded lightly and started trotting with him, but before I got to telling him any details, a thought hit me.

"Wait.. Do you maybe think we should go back and get the rest of that gold, now that you're here to help carry it?"

Steel looked at me and shrugged. "Ehh, why the fuck not. But you're still gonna get your legs broke if you don't start talking."