Dark Alleys, Bright Hearts

I knock on Mark’s door, smiling as he opens it. I shove the black cloak towards him, “Mark, thanks so much for lending me this cloak yesterday.”

He takes it, “No problem, Love. Wanna come in?”

I nod, “Of course. I take it you have plenty of cider to share.”

He walks back into his house, “Of course, like always.”

I follow him inside, closing the door, and lounging on his sofa. He brings back two bottles of apple cider, and I open one up, “Wonderful. So, any plans tomorrow?”

He nods, “The Princesses invited me to the palace.”

I smile, “Think I could go with you?”

He shrugs, “Might as well. After all, it’d be nice to have a friend with me.”

I nod, and my horn lights up, “There, now those damned spies won’t be able to hear us.”

He stands up, and draws all the curtains closed. He moves back to his seat, and places the book down on the coffee table between us, “So, Love, you’re a thief?”

I nod, “I was tonight.”

He sighs, “So you aren’t a career thief.”

I shake my head, “No, though I do steal quite a lot. You see, Mark, I’m a good looking mare. So stallions are easily seduced by me. I give them a good time, and I take their coin in payment. I don’t know if that makes me a thief. But this was the first time I’ve broken in someplace.”

He shakes his head, “No, you have experience. I didn’t see you, somehow, and that means you must have experience.” He narrows his eyes, “Love, we are both criminals around now. Breaking into the restricted section, let alone attacking a guard, could land us both in prison for a long time. We could both easily run to thr Guard and report the other, but I won’t do that. We need to establish trust, and that means you need to tell me the truth, Love.”

I sigh, “Fine. You want the truth? I’ve sneaked into many places in the past. I’ve broken in to places so I could assume a false identity, and I’ve broken into places to steal things I need. My family are known for their skills at disguising and sneaking. What about you?”

He frowns, and takes out the mask from a pocket. He holds up the black mask, “This right here is a symbol of my Guild. Nottingham’s Thieves Guild we were, and we were the best thieves. There were people who picked the places to rob, those who wrote down patterns, and those who robbed the places. I was a robber. I’d sneak in, knock out any people, and steal their shit. It was a good life. Until I got brought to this shit hole.”

I look at the book, “So, I imagine you probably are going to try and use the time magic to go back home, before you got summoned here?”

He nods, “That was my plan. Why did you want it?”

I sigh, “I once had children, Mark. But then I made a dumb decision, and they died. I want to stop that decision from ever happening.”

He leans back, “Well, the path forward is rather obvious. We need to help each other.”

I nod, “Yes, we do.”

He points to the book, “I looked through it before you arrived, and I saw something interesting. There’s an artifact mentioned within, and we’re gonna ask the Princesses about it.”

I nod, “Alright, sounds like a good idea.” I offer my hoof, “Partners in crime?”

He grins, and bumps it with his fist, “Partners in crime.”