Twiastasia

Study was conducted and search was made alongside the usual ‘work’ the friends partook in, whilst remaining in the city of Orche. It was a common courtesy for winged creatures to not fly too low over the streets in most places, so the taller Anon did most of the searching, whilst Gile visited one or two of Ochre’s libraries for info on Equestria. Both yielded exceedingly diminishing results, with the passage of time. Though Ochre was an affluent city, agriculture came first– and the libraries held little knowledge of the far off foreign land.

It had been the routine nights at the taverns dotting the streets that were bore the best fruits. Some ponies had their own tales to tell of Equestria; with much of their words matching up with the old stallion's that the pair had encountered weeks back– though it was often hard to sift through the fluff and tall tales for those kernels of truth. Many of those stories were handed down from others prior met, so the wear of time and the desire to please a listening crowd roused in many whom Anon and Gile listened to embellishment. Though the search was often tedious and unrewarding, Anon refused to relent, and Gile would not let his best friend down.

Once the well seemed dry in Ochre, the pair collected their fair share of ill-gotten gains and hit the road once more. Soon enough, the stone paths out of Ochre turned back to dirt, and the wandering bandits found refuge in a small, un-noteworthy village known as Jamber... They were subsequently run out of Jamber when Gile was caught attempting to roll a massive keg out from behind the village’s only bar– back to the small three-room Inn he and Anon were staying at... after having been kicked out of the bar for so-called “disrespectful comments” towards the “mayor’s” wife, whatever that means. Gile still doesn’t know what he did wrong.

Deeper into the mainland from there, situations similar and not so similar would continue to occur across the many towns and larger cities that dotted the nearby area of the continent. Days turned into weeks– and though the friends (or at least Anon) kept their resolve... they were running out new places to visit without going further West, further away from the Equestrian continent. On some nameless road, to some unknown city, mentioned by a friendly face at the last nowhere hovel the friends had visited– Gile spoke his thoughts.

“We’re running out of options, you know.”

Anon kept his eyes on his worn, ill-fitting shoes as he walked; the soles both weathered and cracked from all the travel. “... I can feel it, Gile. Every place we visit, we hone the search down that much more.”

“Anon, it’s not like we see every pony that lives in any one city when we bust down the doors: We drift in and out before even two days have passed, most of the time. We’re more like adventurers than bandits now, and our ‘adventure’ hasn’t even started yet 'cause we don’t have the mare.”

Anon kicked a rock along the dirt path.

“Like, the lifestyle hasn’t changed much, so it’s whatever ultimately– but… I know you’re getting antsy. Tartarus, I am too– it’s just…” Gile trailed off.

The human wrestled with his thoughts of doubt. There had to be an answer. This was their ticket out of the gutter of poverty– and off the dying continent Echidna. When would another chance like this come? He was desperate.

There had to be an answer.

“Let’s go to Cabaluus.” Anon suddenly spoke up. “There’s thousands of ponies in Cabaluus– if she’s lost somewhere on this landmass, she’s probably gonna end up in Cabaluus.” He spoke frantically now, as if all the pieces were coming together in his mind. “Plus, it’s a coastal city, like Bowline. If she’s looking for a way back to Equestria, chances are it’s gonna be through a Cabaluus trading fleet. Hell, it’s the only way.”

Gile, a little intimidated by his friend’s outburst, still let his concerns be known. “Why not through Bowline then? Cabaluus is huge, which doesn’t help the search any, mind you– but Bowline probably sees just as much trade from Equestria as Cabaluus does.”

Anon was quick with another retort, “unless she left with one of the trading fleets before the storms came, there’s no way she could’ve left on a Bowline ship. I mean, c'mon Gile– you saw that shit show: And it’s not like either Bowline or Cabaluus have an intercontinental ferry boat market. The only way she could feasibly get back to Equestria is to find work on a Cabaluus trading ship in a fleet, then just drop the crew and leave for her home once they reached Equestrian shores.”

The griffon was a little shocked. He had originally expected Anon to continue just going off on blind, hopeless faith until he came to his senses and dropped this Twilight nonsense; but now it appeared as though Anon was back at peak morale. Gile closed his eyes and exhaled, defeated in knowing that there was a lot more walking in his future still.

“You’re so lucky you’re my only friend, you know that?” He pulled a map out from his bag, one they had bought some time ago after the old one dissolved to pulp from the rain, and started charting a course for the marbled city. “Money’s good in Cabaluus too…” Gile mumbled under his breath.

“What would I do without you Gile?”

The griffon snorted. “You’d wander off to Cabaluus and get thrown into the dungeons for trying to knick the crown off of the King’s stupid head.”

“Hah, the hell would I do with a crown? No, I’d infiltrate the royal treasury and steal everything by the first night.” Anon smirked. “Kinda like we’re planning to do with Equestria.”

Gile rolled his eyes. “Mhm. Don’t get too ahead of yourself, buddy– we’re still not even out of phase 0 of this ‘master plan’ yet.”

“Oh– and you know: The royal library in Cabaluus has gotta be huge, too. If they don’t have any books on Equestria, then I’m certain the place doesn't exist at all.”

The griffon just grumbled and continued walking.

Somewhere a little over halfway to their destination, Anon and Gile sat under a crooked apple tree. It stood bent from the colossal weight it’d held up over lifetimes, its fruit still ripening every Spring.

The griffon spoke through a beakful of fruit. “S’ho… What’s our game plan if we find the Twilight mare in Cabaluus? If she can’t take a tradeship to Equestria– how’re we gonna get there?”

Anon looked down at the apple he held in his hands. “Um… maybe we’ll go North? Travel up the Western coast and see if there’s anywhere that’ll get us closer by foot or cart? Or maybe there’ll be a city or nation that’s friendly to Equestria and we’ll have easier passage than across the Typhon Sea?”

“Ugh, fuck me, man… I want something more solid than maybe!”

"It’s all either of us can manage right now! Look Gile, I get it: There isn’t a second that goes by in my head where I don’t think about just dropping this stupid idea and going back to wherever the bits are easiest to steal! That’s not what this is about, though! We could scrape by stealing until we both either get caught and die in a prison cell, or go insane and actually decide to get real jobs–”

“How DARE you say something so stupid!?” Gile spat.

“That’s what I mean! This plan saves us from either of those horrible fates! I don’t want to be hungry anymore, man... We find Twilight, bring her home, be paraded as heroes forever, and get a ton of money! That way, we can still actually get hot wives, have kids, buy fancy shit, eat good food, whatever! Like you said before: Besides all the walking– what’s really changed between now and what we used to do?”

Gile’s anger faded as quickly as it had came... and astonishment was all he had left.

“... You’re thinking about hatchlings, man? You told me humans live for like, 100 years if they’re lucky– and you’re only like… late twenties, or something. You’ve changed.”

“Ugh... I dunno, man… It’s this bounty. It keeps me up at night– thinking about it. I curse its existence and how it’s gotten me dragging us both across the continent by day– and I dream about it while I sleep… I think I’m…” Anon thought for a second. “It’s like I’m addicted to the idea of it; and now here it is, being dangled in my face– taunting me.”

Gile took pause. He hadn’t meant to upset his friend so. Honestly, all the aimless wandering had gotten to him hard, sure, but this was a side of Anon the griffon rarely saw. He did not like seeing it.

Anon broke the silence once more, the words coming to him easier now– the epiphany. “I know you want to do it too– and the reward is too good and the road too dangerous to go it alone without you. I want to be able to look at this world and say a big ‘FUCK YOU!’ because of all the shit it’s thrown at us... I want us to be able to have withstood it all and still come out on top– because we’re stronger than it.”

Now it was Gile’s turn. “... And fuck anyone who says otherwise.”

“Damn straight. I think that, above anything else, is what keeps me walking.”

Gile nodded, looking off in the direction of Cabaluus. They were still way too far off to see the city– but see it they would, soon enough. “Well... not that I would’ve stopped and left you in the dust regardless– but know I’m still walking if you are.”

The pair smiled at each other. “Walking? Fuck that. We’re gonna have to start running if we wanna find this pony first. As far as I know, Cabaluus isn't any closer to Equestria than anywhere else we’ve searched so far– and I doubt any other bounty-hunting clown started as far inland as that fucking shit-hole Tamar. We gotta make up for lost time.”

Gile snickered. “Don’t push your luck, asshole.” The two laughed and the conversation ventured back onto other topics whilst they lounged upon the apple tree’s ancient roots, filling their stomachs with its bountiful harvest.

A diseased, foul cough echoed through the foggy caverns that dug ever deeper through the rocky underground of the Bad Lands. So distanced and detached were the mouths of these caves that protruded from this husk of a mountain, that Canterlot and the Royal Diarchy’s light had only just recently became aware of their existence. How humorous, that the Sisters still did not know just how sprawling those caves really were. How pitiful, that those figureheads had only an inkling of just what exactly had created them, too. In the darkness of those caves, where even Celestia’s light could not shine, a primordial force clawed madly at the underground rock, ever widening their influence and the scope of its plan.

… But the knowledge was out there now. Only two months ago, six ponies of immense power had come to try and halt its progress. The smoke that burrowed ever further under Equestria thoroughly ended their assault– but the time that victory had won could only be utilized for so much longer until they came back.

“Very nearly, they had stopped me…” Evir groaned out, choking on his own miasma. “I must be more.”

Throughout his entire collection of cave systems, the smoke filled the empty– and sought to create more room. They clawed onward.

“Is it just me, or is this place shittier than it was last time?”

Hundreds of miles, the two friends had walked to reach the marbled city.

“Shut it and keep your eyes and ears peeled. You hear the word ‘Twilight’ and you bolt towards it.”

The ivory towers of Cabaluus nobility and the Onyx Castle of King Gavard pierced the sky, illuminated by their opulence and size, easily seen from the city-state’s outer borders.

“I’m just sayin’, Anon: This part of town is a dump.”

Main Street, this was not, however– as the thieves walked along a dingy road of cobble, weary creatures trudging alongside them to wherever weary creatures go to stave off their envy of the rich gods looming over them from deeper within the city. Cabaluus was a place of gold and luster, but the real thieves in this city preferred the crime be done in fancy suits– with lackeys to do the dirty work when sabotage alone wouldn’t cut it.

“The slums, Gile– we’re in the slums. ‘Course it’s gonna be a dump.”

Even in the worst Cabaluus had to offer, proof of the city’s wealth could be seen reflected clearly. Guards roamed the streets, and some establishments had that gold-trimmed flare that was so often considered the cornerstone of the Cabalaan culture. After all– the nobles did have to live alongside these undesirables, even if begrudgingly.

“Well let’s hurry up and get away from these suckers and into the big money. I’m starving."

The human sighed and motioned around himself. “She could be anywhere here, especially. Lost weirdos who wind up in a strange land with nothing to their name don't end up on the rich side of Cabaluus streets, I'd wager. They end up in the slums– either begging, doing menial labor, or–”

As Anon spoke, a lavender hue illuminated the buckle of Gile’s fitted backpack. The locking mechanism came loose, and the bag was flung through the air, into a nearby alleyway. In awe, the two watched as the thief’s bag was magically carried off by a pony, galloping away.

“ –Stealing.”

Gile was aghast.

“Are– are you fucking kidding me? Did I just get stolen from? Me?”

Anon’s shock gave way to anger.

“We. I was keeping my bits in there! Fucking AFTER that bastard!”

“Wha- hey! Are you kidding? You used me as a pack-mule!?”

The human broke into a heated sprint before he had to answer that question– Gile coming to his senses and following in hot pursuit down the alley.

“I– I just can’t believe it, Anon! Someone tried stealing from– from us! The stealers! They can’t do that! That’s so fucking rude!”

“Not now Gile, just keep on her trail! Fly, or something! We did NOT come all the way to the richest fucking city on this damn continent to get all our bits stolen!”

The griffon took flight. His huge wings, now unheeded by the constant prior weight, allowed him to fly much faster than what would've normally been possible. Gile made quick work in catching up to the pony– trailing just behind them, and shouting obscenities. He would’ve caught them by now, had the many alleyways of the Cabalaan slums not been so hodgepodge and labyrinthine in their design. The two chased the thief until, after a lot of sudden turns and even more swearing– Gile saw his opportunity to swoop down and tackle the pony.

“Anon! Anon over here! Hoo, shit– what a rush…” Gile managed between huffs of breath. The human took huge strides before coming in to a stop just before the two, kneeling down to get a look at the bandit.

“You got some fucking nerve, pony… picked the wrong friends to steal from.”

The mare struggled against the burly griffon’s hold in vain, thoroughly exhausted. “W-why didn’t it work? It always worked before, why didn’t it now…”

“Hah! Like my friend said: Picked the wrong friends to steal from… Now, we’ll be taking our things back– along with anything else you might’ve stolen today... to, uh– give to the Guard! You’re lucky we don’t turn you in right now! We’re just, um, that nice of creatures.”

Anon shook his head. “Yeah, you’re a real good liar Gile... Look filly– stop sputtering to yourself. We’ll be taking whatever else you have along with us... Can’t believe someone tried stealing from us– what is this world comin’ to…” He muttered that last sentence under his breath. The mare, meanwhile, broke from the circular stupor of her post-failure analysis, looking up wide-eyed at the human.

“What are… Wait! No no no! You can’t take my stuff! I-I have nothing else! Please, I’ll do anything, I’ve been living in this city my whole life! I can show you where the best spots to steal are! Or–”

“I don’t care. Gile, make sure she can't kick at me while I go through her saddlebags…”

“I’m serious! M-my name is Twilight Sparkle, w-we can be friends!”

Twilight.

Hearing the word from someone else, a pony, no less– stopped Anon dead in his tracks. He felt a new rush of sweat break out across his face. He felt cold and clammy. Gile almost let loose his grip on the mare.

Anon spoke slowly. “What... What did you say your name was.”

The mare seemed thankful to have stopped the shakedown, even if for a moment. “Twilight. Twilight Sparkle. I-I’ve never seen whatever species you are before, so you must be new to the city– I can show you where the good spots to steal are! And–”

Anon held a finger to her snout, the universal sign to shut up. “Holy fuck… Wait, you said you’ve lived in this city all your life! Damn it all! I thought we had finally done it, Gile!” He slammed his hands against the constrictive alleyway wall, yelling out to uncaring gods. Gile was… in a different mood. His eyes read a whole host of emotions: Blind sided, betrayal, and… lost in thought. Be it due to the desperate desire for the dream or something else entirely, he pieced together a plan in his head.

“Anon… This can work. This is our mare. This can–”

“Fucks sake! No it isn’t! This is just fate, spiting us yet again! This fucking close, man!” The small pony recoiled at the human’s outburst, feelings of fear welling up in her throat once more.

“P-please, Sirs! I um– I can be the mare you need if you’re needing help for a job! I’ve used a dozen fake names before all around the city– but that’s my real name! Few ponies know my real name! If it’s a robbery or a heist, I can do it! I can–”

Defeated, Anon slumped to the dirty cobblestone floor of the alleyway up against the nearby walls. “Not just any mare off the street will do… Especially not a damn thief. Ugh… Just let her go Gile. You were right. This goose chase has been a massive waste of time.” He sounded tired, devoid of emotion.

Gile, still unsure, did so.

The purple unicorn stumbled a bit, the physical exertion from the run having floored her. She laid, tense, among the two– before her curious nature got the better of her. “So… You’re looking for a mare named Twilight? You’re not... gonna do anything bad to her, are you?”

Anon shook his head. “No. We were going to save her and take her someplace she’d be safe. Not that it matters now.”

Twilight’s eyes shined. “Are... a-are you two heroes!? Adventurers!?”

Gile’s voice was bittersweet. “Heh. Yeah. We were– until we realized we wouldn’t be able to fulfill our grand rescue mission. Not even a reward for it, can you believe that?”

“Wowwww…” Twilight cooed, apparently... totally convinced. Anon and Gile shared a look, silently asking each other ‘this mare serious?’

The unicorn spoke up again. “I… I’ve been almost everywhere in this city. The good, the bad… I only really started exploring the past few months, actually. Heh, truth be told... I don’t remember much before that. I think I got bonked on the head in a robbing gone bad or something– but I’ve never met another mare named Twilight in this city… I’m sorry.”

“Twilight,” Anon nearly spat the word, “there are thousands of ponies in Cabaluus. It doesn’t matter who you’ve met, you haven’t met them all.”

Her past fears gone, the mare answered matter-of-factly “Actually– I’ve broken into the more… official offices of Cabaluus before! Teehee, you wouldn’t believe how in-depth the records the Census Bureau keeps are! It’s a great read actually, and I mayyy have re-categorized their files to be more efficiently organized– but before that I read through almost all of them. Not a single Twilight in there though– not even me, funnily enough. Not that I was complaining, since… yaknow, my uh, line of work... “ She gigglesnorted after that line about reading census data, of all things.

“... You seriously read through the files of almost every creature in Cabaluus?” Gile asked, more surprised than disbelieving.

“I, um, really like reading. If the royal library would’ve taken me on as a librarian, like I tried to apply for many times, I wouldn’t have to steal from creatures like a badpony, but noooo: ‘Non-citizens can’t hold such important jobs,’ and ‘our citizenship system only takes five years to MAYBE get through, go find work in the slums…’ "

The griffon started to piece together the puzzle in his head again. Something was off.“Wait: You said you lived here all your life, but your files weren’t in Cabaluus’ official census shit?” Twilight flinched at the curse word. “And you claim that you don’t really remember anything past a few months ago? Your story is either fake, and you’re lying– and I don’t think you have any reason to anymore, or… something else. Where is your family?” Anon, despite his hopelessness, turned to look at the unicorn– a peculiar expression on his face.

Twilight could feel tears welling up. “I… I don’t remember. Honestly, I don’t. I try not to think about it because it’s so… horrifying. I scavenge for whatever bits I can during the day, then try to find somewhere clean enough to sleep at night. I... “

Anon and Gile watched each other uneasily as the mare began breaking down, crying in front of them. The thieves were good at reading faces and the facades they sometimes try to hold– a perk gained through many shady deals and shadier gambling games. These were no crocodile tears, and the two seemed to be in mutual agreement that this mare couldn’t lie her way out of a wet paper bag if she tried. Which meant…

While she sobbed, Anon leaned over and whispered into Gile’s ear. “Dude I’m sad too but this is awkward as hell.”

“Yeah it doesn’t make any– what? Dude! Don’t you see? This pony’s name is Twilight, she’s a fuckin’ pony, she’s in Echidna, and she only remembers, like, the last two months maybe. Remember when we first heard about the bounty in Tamar? How long ago was that?” Gile spoke in a frantic whisper. It was all coming together in his head, but he needed to make Anon see it too.

“... Like, two months ago… ish.”

“Dude. This is her. We fucking found her! And she tried to steal from us! Can you believe it!?”

Anon... did not hold his friend’s same enthusiasm. “This weirdo is also a thief and potentially still a liar. This could be a trap she came up with on the fly after hearing we were heroes looking for a mare by the same name. Good going on that by the way, dick– she’s probably trying to escape her shitty life by making us think she’s the one.”

“Her whole situation reeks of memory magic.”

“Mem- what?”

“Anon, c’mon man– think about it! She’s a super important pony in Equestria: Someone set her up, knocked her out, sent her far away, and implanted the memories of a fake life in her head so she wouldn’t just come right back. It’s really high-level magic, I’ve heard, but someone looking to do something big would have capabilities like that! That’s why there’s such a huge bounty on her safe return! We’re still in the fuckin’ money, man!”

Anon was conflicted. Here he was, finally ready to throw in the towel and give it all up after life fucked him and Gile over again– and now it was Gile trying to convince him to get back on the ride. At the same time… This was the biggest lead they had found so far– and also their only lead... But still huge!

Meanwhile, Twilight dry heaved on the ground.

“Gile… Ahh– motherfucker, man!”

Twilight looked up, her weak smile betraying her bloodshot, teary eyes. “T-thanks you two… I really needed to get that out of my system. You really are brave heroes. I-I-I just… j-just…” She went back to sobbing.

Anon jumped up to a stand. “Alright! Well! Twilight Sparkle! Shut-” he gave a cough, lowering his voice to an octave more suited for consoling an emotionally unstable horse. “Erm, calm down and listen up, okay? After witnessing… all this: We have reason to suspect that you are the Twilight we’ve been looking for, and uh, we gotta tell you some stuff.”

Surely, Anon thought, looking down at the weeping million-dollar mare in front of him, in some seedy alleyway deep in the outer slums of Cabaluus, everything would be fine.