Author's Note

A fair warning before you go into this story: Contains copious amounts of Manehattan accent, some of it very thick!
It's mostly a matter of spelling; there are dropped consonants at the end or in the middle of words and, in rarer cases, an added "r" at the end of a word.
The "aw" sound should be easy to read in any case, it's just like you combine an "o" with a "w" and stretch out the vowel.
If you pay attention to the letters and don't attempt to read this too fast, you should be fine.
In case the accent is too much for you, I'll add a version with reduced accent to each chapter. Here's the link to the accent-reduced version of Chapter 1:

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/421752/2/aegis/hide-accent-reduced-version

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Aegis

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“1”

“2”

“3”

“4”

The numbers found their way into the ears of Fast Bun, but the little filly did not listen. Her eyes were fixated on the sight in front of her, on what she clasped tightly with both of her hooves, to ensure it wouldn't go anywhere. She squeezed it tighter and a thick liquid began to leak out of what was left of it. Fast Bun's eyes gleamed with fascination as it trickled over her hoof and sullied the short hairs on it. Full of delight, she leaned forward with her head, finally ready to take the last bite of what she valued so much. Her mind was so enthralled by the experience, so eager to taste the delicacy that was still slightly warm since she took it from the pony minutes ago, that she did not pay attention to the hasty, thrusting hoofsteps that began to approach her. No, only her price, her precious possession, counted now. Opening her mouth wide, she moved the warm bit to her lips and readied her teeth to chew it to tiny shreds.....

“Bun, what're you waitin' for?!”
A hoof got thrusted onto the back of Fast Bun's head; not enough to hurt, but enough to let her face become planted into the delicious treat that was right in front of her mouth. Her face glistened and the same liquid that was supposed to find its way into her stomach was smeared all across it now. She growled as she looked after her assaulter.

“Babs, you're crazyr?! I bawgh' dis fraw' m' las' pawcke' money, your gawnnar pa' mer backr!” Fast Bun snorted angrily.

The other filly skidded to a halt and turned around. “Fawget about youh caro' dawg, Bun! Curtain Call's countin' already!”

“Seer how I care! Curtain's slo' anywa' an' dis caro' dawg is–” Before she could finish her sentence, Bun felt pushed off her seat by Babs, who had quickly dashed behind her.

“Now isn' time for dis! You can bea' me for it lata, now we need a place to hide!”

Fast Bun growled more, but let herself getting pushed reluctantly. After a few steps, she finally set herself into motion and galloped down the hallway, Babs following in her tracks. Behind them, the numbers kept getting counted.

“8”

“9”

“10”

Both fillies twitched, as the phrase they dreaded sounded through the mall. “Hidde' aw' nawt, I'm comin' for your!” the colt yelled at the top of his lungs. They heard him laughing in delight, faintly.

The fillies increased their tempo and took a sharp turn to the left, entering another hallway. Shops rushed past them left and right, until Fast Bun pointed at one in the distance. “How abou' wer hide, like, dere, Babs? Wer can hide between da clawtes!”

But Babs shook her head. “Uh-uh. Bad idea. The shawp's about to clawse already!” Instead of running further down the hallway and towards the boutique, Babs turned right and pulled Fast Bun with her. The orange-maned filly saw the mare inside the boutique wave at them with a smile for a moment, before the lids rolled down and covered her face.

“Let's get up the escalata!” Babs huffed, now slightly out of breath. She loosened the grip around her friend and stampeded up the still metal stairs. Bun followed her.

On the top of the escalator, they found themselves greeted by dim lights. “Pehfec'!” Babs shouted. “Dat'll make it hada for Curtain to find us!” She pointed down another hallway, just opposite of the direction they had come down a floor below. “Let's hide ova dere!”

Fast Bun ran after her not knowing what her friend meant, but then she saw Babs jumping between the thick leaves of a large plant situated in a plant box between two benches and her mind became clear. Not wasting a moment, she followed Babs' example and dove into the leafage.

Inside, the two fillies fell into silence. Bun rubbed over her face to clean it, helplessly, but only ended up making it worse. Sighing, she ripped off one of the leaves of the plant, flashing a guilty expression. She gave Babs a cold glare as she rubbed the mayonnaise and the fat off her face with the leaf.

“I wan' da money I spen' on dis caro' dawg backr,” she whispered.

“Why?” Babs looked at her, honest cluelessness in her face. “You could've still eaten it.”

“No, becawse I tre' it awa'!” Bun huffed.

“Youh faul' den..... Should've kep' it.” Babs shrugged.

“It's nawt m' faul'.....” Bun's glare increased. “Your destrawyed dat caro' dawg!”

“Destrawyed?” Babs blew her bangs. “Why? Would've been fine if you jus' ate it, no big deal!”

“No big dea' for your.....” The voice of the other filly increased slightly. “I awnl' eatr fas' foo' if it's in a pehfec' cawnditio' an' unhamed an' your–”

“Come ou' whereva your are, I'm goin' tor fin' your anywa'!” the high-pitched voice of the colt cut into their eardrums. Instinctively, Fast Bun pressed both hooves on her mouth. Her eyes darted over to Babs, fear in them. “Come oooooooou'!” the colt shouted again. “Your kno' I wi' ge' your!”

“Jeepas.....” Babs said. “Does he have to do it so creepy?” She shuddered.

“W-Where is her?” Fast Bun asked, teeth clattering slightly.

“HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!” Curtain Call's voice shook them once more.

Babs pricked her ears. “Sounds like he's righ' below us..... Quie'!” she whispered sharply.

“Um-hm.” Fast Bun nodded her understanding.

The faint clops of the seeking colt's hooves invaded their ears as he trotted over the tiled floor in the hallway under them.The lamps on the second floor were still dim and barely any light found its way into their hideout. Combined with the hoof clopping and the occasional shouts by the colt, it created an eerie atmosphere that made Bun start shuddering.

Babs flashed her a look. “You okay?”

“Um..... Um-hm!” Fast Bun's head bobbed up and down. “I-I a'. It's jus', like, so creepyr righ' now.....”

“Yeah,” Babs agreed. “He's tryin' to scare us so we reveal ouhselves, bu' no chance! He's gotta try hada!”

Another nod by Bun, which she followed up with a smile.

The fillies lapsed into silence again. They listened to Curtain Call moving away and trotting down another hallway on the first floor. As they couldn't hear his hoofsteps anymore and his voice had become a very faint sound in the distance, a creaking noise made them twitch.

“Jeepas, what was dis?!” Babs said, a little louder than it was wise in their situation, and looked up. Between the leaves above her head, her eyes found only darkness. “Sounds like it came from the uppa flawrs, bu' I can' see a tin' up dere!”

“Prawbabl' a dawwh gettin' awpened,” Fast Bun suggested. “O' mayber Curtain Call too', like, a' elevata. Your kno' her hate' climbin' u' stairs.”

“Maybe,” Babs answered. But she cocked her head and her mouth twisted slightly.

More minutes spent by the two fillies in silence passed. This time, it was broken by Fast Bun.

“I a' wawnderin', like, how Corn Pops is doin'.....” she whispered, eyes darting around in the near darkness once more.

“Maybe found ahready,” Babs guessed, looking out between the leaves. “If no', he's lyin' unda a bench and cryin' for his mom.”

Fast Bun nodded silently. “Dis time I can' blame hi'..... The maw' is scar' to-dey.”

Now it was Babs who just nodded. “I'm sure he's found. Knowin' Pops, he tawld Curtain where he is jus' so he won' have to be alone any lawnga.” As if something wanted to confirm her words, she could suddenly hear hoofsteps approaching them. “You heah dis?” she turned towards Fast Bun.

“Um-hmm. Sound' like twor paih awf hooves. Where dey come fraw'?” Bun looked around, trying to identify the source of the clopping.

“Clawse,” Babs whispered. She held a hoof at her mouth. “Same flawwh” she added in an even quieter voice.

Seconds went by and the hoofsteps became louder. The two fillies could discern them now; one pair of hooves sounded firm and confident, the other one made only soft sounds, like somepony was putting their hooves down very carefully. It was also unsteady, like the pony was unsure about continuing.

Babs' eyes narrowed. “Curtain Call and Corn Pops,” she whispered to her friend.

“Where?” Bun inquired, now gulping. She inched a little closer to Babs, careful to not make any sounds.

“Righ' dere.” Babs pointed her hoof at a small opening between the leaves. Corn Pops and Curtain Call trotted past them, their silhouettes visible in the window light of a bakery. Curtain looked around and scrutinized his environment, while Corn Pops trotted slowly behind him, his head low. Holding their breaths, the two fillies watched them. They observed each of their steps and did not let them out of their eyes.

As the two colts had disappeared behind a corner, the translucent signs at the ceiling above them showing illuminated shapes of a mare and a stallion and an arrow to the left, Babs and Bun relaxed. They did a last, observing glance at the corner under the fluorescent, blue lights of the signs, then leaned back with a relieved sigh. Just in case they retreated a little bit further into the leafage, but both of them felt more relaxed now.

“Looks like we found a really good hideou'!” Babs said triumphantly. “He's neva goin' to find us!”

Fast Bun grinned. “Yea', like, nor chance!” She lifted a hoof and bumped it against the one of her friend.

More minutes passed. It was once more completely silent around them but, unlike before, this circumstance didn't last long. Curtain Call and Corn Pops soon came back, the former flashing an unsatisfied expression.

“Notin'.....” Babs and Bun heard him say. “An' I wa' sure I woul', like, fin' dem dere!”

Corn Pops, who still trudged after him, looked up. “I told you dey won't be in the fillies' toilet. You shouldn't have gone dere, Curtain.” His voice was quiet and his face showed discomfort.

Curtain Call turned around at him. “Bu' it wa' ar goo' gue'! Twor fillies hidin' in da fillies' toile' while ar cawl' searche' for dem, dat's cleva!” he countered while they trotted past the plant boxes.

Babs' and Fast Bun's eyes shrunk and they cringed a little. “Her seached in da toile' for fillies, disgustin'!” Fast Bun said, almost spitting out but quiet enough to not be heard by the colt.

They could hear the hoofsteps of the seeker and his companion become quieter again, as they left the plant boxes behind them. Just as both of them wanted to breathe another sigh of relief, though, Curtain Call unexpectedly turned his head around. Narrowing his eyes, he scanned their hideout.

Alarmed, Babs and Bun retreated a bit, watching him anxiously. As Curtain turned around completely and began to trot into their direction, not leaving the eyes off the large plant, the fillies lied down and pressed themselves flat against the soil. Their hearts pumped blood through their veins twice as fast than normal as they heard the colt approaching and eventually stopping in front of the plant box. Agonizing seconds of silence went by, then his voice rang out loudly.

“AHAR!” they heard him shout and twitched. Leaves rustled, then Fast Bun felt grabbed by hooves and lifted up. Gasping, she found herself looking into Curtain's face.

“Foun'!” he cheered. “Now I jus' nee' tor fin' Babs an' I have almaws' wo'! Is sher in dere wit your?”

Fast Bun did not reply and looked to the side trying to conceal what she knew, but her face betrayed her. Curtain Call grinned in response, then he let the filly down and reached into the leafage once more. After a few seconds of tapping around, he pulled out Babs. The filly gave him a smirk.

“Nice!” she said, her tone a little teasing. “Bu' no' ova ye'!”

She climbed out as Curtain had loosened his grip around her and joined Fast Bun's side, who was already standing in front of the plant box, busy with brushing the dirt from her coat. Babs followed her example. There were four of them now, but Curtain Call was not pleased just yet.

“Ahrite, now time tor fin' Star!” he exclaimed, stretching a hoof into the air in determination. “I'm goin' tor wi' dis time!” He set himself into motion and the other three foals followed him.

Fast Bun joined his side. She was wearing a slightly disgusted look and a faint blush on her face. “Curtain,” she addressed him. “Loo' evehywhere, bu' don' gor intor, like, anoda fillies' toile' agai', oka'?”

Curtain Call turned round at her and raised an eyebrow, confusion building on his face. “Wh' naw'?” he asked. “It's sor awbviou'.”

“Yea', bu'..... Your kno' wh' your shouldn' gor dere. It's for fillies.” She emphasized the last word. Behind them, Babs and Corn Pops just frowned at Curtain Call.

He rolled his eyes. “Yea', I dor..... Bu' wha' if, like, your an' Babs woul' have hidde' in dere? Wha' if Star doe'?”

“Den your don' gor inside anywa'!” Bun clarified, stricter. “It isn' righ' tor dor dat. An' I don' tin' Starlet woul' hide, like, dere awf a' place' if ar cawl' is da seeka, nor fill' woul'.” She gave Curtain a caring, but stern, look.

“Your reall' tin' so, huh?” he asked. Then Curtain shook his head. “Bu' mayber sher doe', because I wouldn' expec' heh dere!” Then he increased his pace and marshed ahead, eyes already fixated on the next, blue-glowing signs in the distance. Fast Bun stayed behind, hanging her head.

Unfortunately for the determined seeker, his guess turned out wrong again. The door of the second fillies' toilet on this floor got flung open in front of Babs, Bun and Corn Pops, a visibly frustrated Curtain Call stomping out of it.

“Cra'!” he yelled and kicked the wall. “Wh' is nor fill' hidin' in dere, I ha' such ar cleva idear!”

Corn Pops and Babs stared at him, their disapproving frowns even deeper than before, but Fast Bun trotted up to him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “I tawl' your, nor fill' woul' dor dis if ar cawl' is seekin'.” She gave him a smile, feeling compassion for the frustrated colt.

Curtain Call closed his eyes and sighed deeply. “Mayber you're righ',” he said, then looked into the face of his friend, lip quivering.

Fast Bun wrapped his hooves around his neck and gave him a quick squeeze. “Now let's seahch somewhere else!” she chimed. “Dere are, like, sor man' mawe place' sher coul' hide in lef'!” Bun nudged him, which earned her a grateful smile, then they joined their two friends to continue the search.

The group of foals explored the second floor of the mall diligently, all of them focused and concentrated on Curtain's task, while Curtain Call looked under benches, squeezed himself behind soda machines, checked inside a colts' toilet (earning a facehoof by Fast Bun), crawled into more plant boxes and overall sniffed around in every corner of the floor. Time began to drag on and half an hour later, the colt sat down and let his head hang. He breathed strongly now, sweat trickling down his coat. “I give u',” he whispered dejectedly as he had some of this breath back.

Fast Bun approached him and put a hoof over his shoulders, sitting down at his side. “Your di' grea'!” she complimented him. “Naw', like, pehfec', yea', bu' a' leas' Starlet didn'', like, come ou', hersel' becawse it too' your sor lawng, like da las' time your were seeka.” She nudged him again. “Tree ou' awf fouh isn' ba', Curtain!”

He sniffed and wiped over his nose, then he flashed his friend a smile and crushed her with a hug.

With their game now over and their last friend still hidden, they concluded it was time to call her. Babs put her head back. “You can come ou' now, Starlet! Curtain gave up!” she shouted at the top of her lungs, sending her voice through the empty hallways of the dimly-lit mall.

After a few seconds of silence and without a sign of the missing filly, Babs repeated her call. “Starlet!” her voice rang out once more. “The game's ova, now come ou', we need to go home soon!”

Silence answered her call and as they did not get a response after another few seconds, the four foals looked at each other, confused and dumbfounded. They swarmed out, shouting their friend's name over and over again while amplifying their voices with their hooves around their mouths.

After a few minutes like this, their voices got interrupted. A clopping sound rang into their ears, faint like it was far away and at the same time graceful. The clopping became louder and louder with each second that passed and, finally, their missing friend stepped out of the shadows.

Starlet Radiance held a hoof at her face and yawned, then she looked at her friends sleepily, rubbing over one of her eyes. “I'm sorry,” she said. “I fell asleep while I was hiding, so I couldn't hear you calling me.” There was a noticeable, drowsy tone in her voice, but it still sounded elegant.

“Star!” Curtain Call shouted in relief and rushed over to the filly, his friends following closely behind. “Wer thawgh' someting's wrawng.....” he said, face full of concern.

Starlet Radiance yawned again. “Nothing is wrong, I'm alright.” Now she finally flashed them a charming and adorable smile. Before anypony else could say something, it had eased their worries and calmed them down.

Babs stepped up. “Ahrite, now we're back togeda, let's leave! It's gettin' late!”

The words got met with broad approval by the other foals and so, they began to head for the exit.

“He', where di' your hide?” Curtain Call asked Starlet, as they trotted down another still escalator.

The filly turned around, the dark, pink streak in her steel-blue mane coming into the colt's view as her long mane waved around her neck, and she gave him a proud smile. “In one awf the fillies' toilets on the third floor.”

Fast Bun stopped dead in her tracks. “W-Wha'?!” Her face fell apart as disbelief took it over.

“An' I tawl' your it's ar cleva idear!” Curtain Call shouted and pointed a hoof at Fast Bun, feeling triumph.

Starlet Radiance trotted past the shocked filly and stuck out her tongue, then a high giggle escaped her which soon turned into laughter. It eventually spread to Curtain Call, then to Babs and Corn Pops. All four of them were laughing loudly about the unexpected reveal.

“Dat's, like, toor wrong tor ber troo.....” Fast Bun mumbled as she trudged after them with a red face.

The next minutes were spent with laughing by most of the foals, then with the subsequent slow recovery from their fits. As they had reached the exit of the mall, though, it was ultimately something else that stopped their laughs:

A massive metal shutter, coming from the ceiling and reaching all the way down to the floor.

It took the five little foals a minute to realize what this meant while they stood there and stared at the shutter, their mouths opened in surprise. As it dawned on them that they couldn't get out, their ears flattened simultaneously and they turned away from the door in hesitation.

They looked around in the hallway; from the floor to the ceiling, over the various shop windows and their pale lights and then into the darkness that sprawled out in front of them. It was only now that they noticed just how dark it was in the mall, a fact that came crushing down on their young minds together with the realization that they had completely lost track of time during their game.

“We are locked inside the mawll.” It was Corn Pops who first found his speech. The face of the little colt immediately broke out in sweat. “W-We can't get o-out. M-Mommy.....” Corn Pops lied down on the floor and covered his head, then started to shake. High-pitched whimpers escaped his throat.

Fast Bun gave him a look filled with concern, then she shot an angry glare at Starlet Radiance. “Now Corn Pops is upse' an' it's aw' becawse awf your!” she shouted.

“Me?” Starlet asked puzzled, placing a hoof on her chest. Confusion was all over her face.

“Yes, your!” Fast Bun huffed. She trotted up to Starlet, her hooves pounding on the floor. “If your wouldn' have insiste' dat we shoul' le' Curtain Call ber seeka, wer woul' ber ou' awf da maw' now! Your kno' how slo' her is!”

Behind her, Curtain Call flattened his ears and looked to the ground.

“And, so what? I gave him a chance to show dat he can finally win a round of hide and seek for awnce! Dat we are trapped in here now is not my fawlt, it's his, because he didn't even try to move his fat legs faster!” She gave Curtain Call a look full of disgust.

Fast Bun gasped and a hurt expression appeared in her eyes. She looked over her shoulder at Curtain Call, seeing him creep away and then sitting down on a bench, where he started weeping.

“Seer wha' your di' now?!” Fast Bun shouted at the other filly again, even more angry than before. “It isn' oka' tor hur' his feelings like dis!”

“B-But Starlet is right,” Corn Pops suddenly interferred. He was still crouching on the floor, but looked up at them now. “I mean..... I wouldn't say it so nasty, but..... S-She has a point, Curtain really slows us down very often.” He lowered his eyes, afraid of Fast Bun's response.

The filly gave him only a brief and sad look, though, before her attention got drawn back to Starlet.

“See? Corn Pops understands! It's Curtain Call's fault, not mine.....” She sniffed a little and glanced away, now looking hurt herself.

Out of words, Bun looked to the floor, her eyes darting around as she followed the pattern of the tiles. She bit her lip for a moment, then her head shot up again. She was glaring at Starlet Radiance once more.

“No, it's naw'! Your shouldn' have le' hi' dor sometin' your kno' her can!” She put a hoof on Starlet's chest and pushed her a bit.

Starlet didn't budge an inch and looked up at her challenger with a cold stare. “If you say so..... But you're outvawted, it's two against one. So what are you going to do now?”

Fast Bun showed her teeth and started to growl. “Your.....” She did a step forward and came umcomfortably close to Starlet's face. “I'll show your, I'm goin' to–”

“HEY!” Babs stepped between them, gently pushing Fast Bun away from Starlet. “You're crazy, o' wha'?! You're friends!”

The intervention worked. Fast Bun did a step back and looked to the floor once more. There was still anger in her face, but traces of guilt slowly got mixed with it. Starlet Radiance crossed her hooves in front of her chest and looked to the side, eyes closed.

As Babs was sure that a fight was averted, she breathed out sharply. “Ahrite,” she said then. “We aren' trapped hea.”

The foals looked up in surprise. Curtain Call even stopped his weeping and Starlet Radiance stared at Babs, big-eyed.

“We jus' need to go to the night guard and tell him wha' happened, he will le' us ou'!” Babs explained.

The other four foals gasped simultaneously. Corn Pops got up from the floor and gave Babs a sheepish smile and Fast Bun rubbed over her foreleg, blushing. Only Curtain Call and Starlet Radiance didn't show any reaction aside from their initial surprise. Curtain just sniffed and dried his eyes and Starlet trotted past Babs, not paying any more heed to her.

“Fine with me,” she said taut and kept trotting down the dark hallway, not turning around.

The other foals followed her swiftly.

After just a few minutes, Corn Pops, Fast Bun, Starlet Radiance and Curtain Call had forgotten the ruckus at the mall's exit. They all followed Babs, who took the lead on their way to the night guard's office, quietly. The darkness around them, the silence in the mall that they knew as such a loud place, how the sounds of their hooves echoed through the empty building, it all drove the agitation out of their minds and replaced it with fear.

A few times they saw shadows skirring around in the corner of their eyes, only to disappear when they looked straight at them. And sometimes there was a creaking sound coming from an unknown direction, not unlike the one Babs and Bun heard while they were hiding. The other three foals had heard it, as well, and it made them equally uncomfortable in this situation.

As Fast Bun couldn't take the anxiety and fear anymore, she decided to distract herself by finally doing what had been on her mind the entire time since they had set out to find the security guard. Her heart bumping fast, she carefully approached Starlet Radiance. “He',” she began. “I..... I'm sawr'. I shouldn' have blamed evehytin' awn your, Starlet. I jus' gaw' wawried whe' I saw dat wer gaw' locked inside da maw' an' whe' Corn Pops starte' to pani', I fel' sawr' for hi' an' I panicked a little, toor.....” Her eyes took on a pleading expression. “Bu' I shouldn' have sai' a' awf dese tings, Babs is righ', wer are friends. Can your fawgive mer?”

For a few, painful seconds, Starlet did not respond and just stared coldly into the distance. But then she sighed and looked at Fast Bun, setting up a sympathetic look. “I am sorry, too,” she spoke quietly. “It hurt when you gave me the fault for everything even though I just wanted to help Curtain..... But I shouldn't have talked about him like dis, I know how much awf a good friend he is to you.” Regret spread out in her face. “I should have guessed how much it would hurt you to say dat and kept my mouth shut.” She sighed again, deeper this time. “Can you forgive me?”

“I can.” Bun nodded. “Wer a' have bee' sill'.”

The acceptance of her apology cast a broader smile on her face and a gleam appeared in her eyes. “You're right.” She nodded in return. “We are all at fault for it. I'm at fawlt, because I wanted Curtain Call as seeker. Curtain Call is at fault, because, well..... because he wasn't fast enough at finding us.” She whispered the last part of her sentence. “And all of us are at fault, because we didn't notice dat the mawll was about to close..... We are all to blame for dis.”

“Um-hm. Bu' wer don' nee' to wawrr' abou' it, Babs knows a wa' ou'.” She wiped a hoof over the back of her mane. “So, uh, are wer sti' friends, Starlet?”

“Of course! We never stopped being friends.” Starlet gave Bun one of her special, adorable smiles.

Happy that the dust has settled, the two fillies exchanged a relieved grin. Smiling, Babs watched the scenery from the top of the group, before something caught her attention and she looked ahead again.

“Hey! Dere we are!” she shouted to alert her friends. In front of her, they could see a wall with a large glass window embedded in its middle. A plain, grey metal door was situated to its left. Most importantly, though, the room behind the window was brightly lit and a brown stallion in uniform sat on a chair behind a panel that was filled with buttons in a variety of colors. On the left side was an assortment of monitors. Their backside faced at them, so they couldn't see the screens.

Excited, the five foals rushed closer to the window. Babs reared up, placed a hoof on the narrow edge before it and knocked on the window with the other hoof. “Hey, mista! We go' lawcked in hea when we played hide and seek, could you le' us ou'?”

The guard didn't respond. In all their excitement, they had missed a crucial detail about his appearance: His eyes were closed.

“Awesome,” Babs said, voice ripe with sarcasm. “The night guard hea likes to sleep trough the nigh' shif'.....” She turned to the others. “We gonna have to wake him up!”

Babs began to pound her hooves against the window and Starlet and Corn Pops joined her. The heavy glass produced a dull sound as the tiny hooves thudded on it, but the guard did not move. “HEEEEEEEEEY!” the three of them shouted. “We can't get out, wake up!” There was no reaction from the guard still.

Corn Pops broke out in sweat again. “C-Can he even hear us?” His teeth started to clatter.

“He should,” Babs responded. “The glass is tick, but he needs to be able to hear wha' happens outside.”

“If he can still hear.....” Starlet suggested, now speaking in an ominous voice.

“Huh?” Babs stopped pounding on the glass and turned around. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Starlet confused.

Starlet lowered her eyes. “Does he still breathe?” she asked, sporting an expression that gave them all shudders.

“Not funny!” Babs scolded her. “Awf cawhse he's breatin', jus' has a deep sleep, is all.”

“Fiiiiiiiine,” Starlet retracted. “Sorry, dat was a dumb joke.” She tried to appear serious again, but couldn't stiffle a giggle.

To their left, Curtain Call approached the door. He turned around, bent down and thrust his hindlegs against it. The impact they made on the metal sounded like an explosion as it echoed throughout the mall. Buck after buck, his hooves came down on the door, but neither the metal, nor the lock gave in. After his tenth attempt, Curtain gave up and sat down, panting heavily.

The other four foals looked at him, then back to the guard, who still didn't move. They sighed.

“So, wha' now?” Fast Bun asked, looking at her friends.

“We can ty wakin' him up again lata. For now, we have to stay hea,” Babs concluded.

“S-Stay here?” Corn Pops started to shake. “T-The entire night?” His face showed terror at the imagination.

“No, jus', like, unti' he wakes u',” Fast Bun answered his question, trying to calm him down. “And dere are mawnitaws in his awfficer.” She pointed at the monitors behind the glass. “Mayber we're lucky an' her wi' seer us whe' wer are, like, in frawn' awf ar camerar.”

“Exactly!” Babs agreed. “We jus' need to make the bes' awf the situation.”

The other foals grouped around her. “But what should we do now?” Starlet asked. “The shops are awll closed. Should we play more hide and seek?”

“WITHOUT ME!” Corn Pops yelled. “I'm not playing any games in the dark!” He crawled closer to Babs, the shaking of his body increasing. “I just want to go home!” the colt whined.

Before Babs could give an answer, though, a deep and loud growl that suddenly surfaced around them took care of this for her. The foals twitched and Corn Pops finally crouched down under Babs in an attempt to find protection. As they realized what had caused the growl, they gripped their stomachs.

“Maws' awf u' haven' eate', like, since lunch,” Fast Bun said, grimacing. “An' I'm statin' tor ge' hungr' agai', toor.” Her friends nodded, all of them wearing similar, unhappy expressions.

“Okay, den let's go find sometin' to eat!” Babs decided.

“A' dis time?” Curtain Call asked slightly out of breath, his voice sounding worried and somber.

“We have to see if sometin' was trawn away. Come!” She waved after her friends, then set herself in motion, pulling a still shaking Corn Pops with her.

Hesitant to leave the lights behind the window, but the hunger forcing them, Curtain Call, Fast Bun and Starlet Radiance followed Babs and Corn Pops into the darkness of the deserted building.