The silence of the foals

Luster, the mayoress and her bodyguard were standing on the middle of the stairs to the entrance of the Fillydelphia Museum of Art. They were legs away from the bronze statue. They went up and stopped before the statue. Luster looked at the metallic object with wide eyes. The statue was a pony standing on his hinds; with its forelegs raised; holding what it appeared to be an also bronze-made bag full of bits. Luster was next to the mayoress. The guard accompanying them stayed behind.

The mayoress cleared her throat. She pointed at the statue with a hoof. She looked at Luster. "So, dis statue resembles de appearance of Jockey Baleboa. He was a miniature eard horse". She gestured with a forehoof. "And I say horse because he was not a pony. Anyways, Jockey Baleboa was an entrepreneur dat went from extreme poverty to success in life. When he earned his first million bits, he ordered de creation of dis statue; he, holding a bag of bits; and donated it to the museum. Dat was almost fifty years ago". She turned her head and looked past the guard to the steps that went downstairs. She pointed at it with her hoof. Luster turned her head too and looked at the steps. "Also, dose steps, metaphorically represent de road from rags to riches!"

Luster nodded as she heard the mayoress. She batted her eyes and turned her head at the mayoress. "Woah. That's all I can say."

The mayoress looked Luster in the eyes. "Tell me: you, as an alicorn dat haff been living for almost a century; do you consider your life a trip to success?" She said with a smile on her lips.

Luster lifted a forehoof and rubbed her muzzle. She looked down. "Uhm, well, to be honest, I know nothing about entrepreneurship. I've been a public servant since I reached adult age". She looked up at the mayoress.

The mayoress slowly nodded. "Oh Ah-ite. I'm sure you feel awesome that you know you are serving your country, whatever you do!" She turned her body at the guard behind them. "Hey, clop, wait for us downstairs, would ya?" The guard nodded and turned around. He started going downstairs. The mayoress looked at Luster. "Commissar, we bod know why you haff come here".

Luster, turned her body at her. She sighed. She stretched her wings and neck. "I believe so too. I've come here to get the Fillydelphian".

The face of the mayoress, became even more white than it already was . She looked to the sky, and sighed. "I'm so embarrassed, commissar. To haff you here solving our problems". She looked down back at Luster.

Luster cleared her throat. "Well, I think the faster we solve this the better".

"O-of course, commissar!"

"First of all, I'd like to go to the Stablo headquarters installed here and meet the team", Luster said.

The mayoress nodded energetically. She pointed downstairs with a hoof; at the sidewalk on where the guard was waiting for them. "After you, commissar. Let us accompany you dere.

Luster nodded once and started to walk down the steps. The mayoress followed her. When they got on the sidewalk, they and the guard followed the street on the left. They walked down Fairsteed Avenue. The avenue was a wide street with trees in the middle. It was paved with hexagonal cobblestones. On the left side they walked past minor buildings and the Eastern Stable Penitentiary. That building occupied a whole block and was surrounded by tall concrete walls and barbed wires. The space between the building and the walls was caged; so that the inmates with wings couldn't fly away.

Next to the penitentiary was the Stablo headquarters of Fillydelphia. The architecture and the color was similar to the one of the prison; cubical and light gray. After walking for five minutes since they left the museum entrance, they got in front of the Stablo headquarters. On the building's front wall was a sign: Fillydelphia Ponice Department.

The mayoress, who was in front of Luster, turned around. She was smiling. "Ah-ite, commissar! Dis is when we say: see you later!" She pointed at the building with a hoof. She walked past Luster and got next to the guard. She turned her body at Luster. Luster also turned around. The mayoress put a hoof on the shoulder of the guard and slightly shook it. "If you need anyding, you know where to find me!"

Luster nodded. "Thanks for the tour. I'll do my best. I promise".

The mayoress waved at her with a smile. Luster waved back. The mayoress and the guard turned around and started to walk away from her. Luster, stood there, on the sidewalk, looking at them getting away. Then her eyes fell on the pony two dozen legs away; the one walking on the opposite way to the mayoress. A pegasus with a caramel coat and a chestnut mane; approaching Luster. Luster narrowed her eyes. The caramel pegasus stopped walking when he was a dozen legs away from her. The mayoress and the guard had already walked past him. He was standing still there; looking at Luster. The seconds passed and he and Luster wouldn't move. "Wait...," Luster opened her eyes wide. "..., I know you!" She started to gallop towards him. The few ponies on the street stared at her. The mayoress and the guard had already gotten far away.

The caramel coated pegasus, seeing that Luster was approaching him really quick, took flight. He flew over the incoming alicorn with speed. Luster looked up at him and took flight too. "You're not getting away!" She started to pursuit him in the air. The pegasus was heading east. He flapped his wings as fast as he could. Luster casted a spell. Her horn started to illuminate. It was a telekinetic lasso. She was about to catch the pegasus with it, but he suddenly turned left and went north. Luster stopped, drifting in mid-air. Her glasses slided down her muzzle and she, with her magic, quickly fixed them back to her eyes before they fell off. They were flying over North Brayed Street. She looked north, seeing him flying past the Public School of Fillydelphia. She snorted and went after him.

She was about to out-fly him. That time she didn't cast a spell. She attempted to grab him with her forelegs. They had already passed the populated area of the city. They were a hundred legs in the air; flying over a forest next to a sandy shore.

After chasing him for a total of two minutes; performing a front flip over the pegasus; her saddlebags hanging from her girth; she got in front of him. He crashed against her body in mid-air. She grunted out of pain, hugging him as tight as she could. The pegasus had stopped flapping his wings. She was holding him in mid-air. From the pose in which they were, she wasn't able to see his face; pressed against her chest. She looked at him. "Easy there! And don't even think about biting me! I have a bucking license to kill!"

Luster, holding the pegasus tight, started to fly down. She landed near a beach. She could hear the sea waves breaking on the shore. She had landed face down and could finally look the pegasus in the eyes. She was on top of him. Her face was only a hoof away from his. They both inhaled and exhaled from their mouths; their cheeks red for the effort and their bodies shaky from the adrenaline. "Now, you are going to explain what are you doing here", Luster said.

The pegasus batted his eyes quickly. "I don't know what are you talking about! I haven't done anything wrong! I-I...!" He inhaled. "...I live here!" He shyly pointed south with his hoof.

Luster snorted. "Don't you lie, you piece of dung! You don't even have the accent! I'm telling you, I saw you in Canterlot just yesterday!" She gritted her teeth; her eyes full of fury.

The pegasus looked down and opened his eyes wide. His caramel cheeks turned pitch red. "Uhhh..."

Luster felt something slightly rubbing her belly. She looked down and her eyes opened wide too. "Ew, gross!" She jumped away from the pegasus.

The pegasus sat on the sand and attempted to cover his business with his front legs. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry...!" He repeated.

Luster frowned. She was in front of the pegasus. Her horn started to illuminate. Ready to discharge. She pointed at him with a hoof. "You degenerate! This is your last chance to explain your intentions!"

"Wait!" The pegasus lowered his head, looking down. "I swear I can explain everything!" He looked up again. He stood up; his lower business already well hidden. He sighed. "Uhm, I-I..." He started to slowly approach Luster. His eyes were locked with hers. As he advanced towards her, she stepped back. She was looking at him with eyes wide open. "I like you!" He said. "I-I think you are pretty!" He stopped walking. Luster also stopped.

Luster scratched her head with a wing. She looked up the sky for a second and then back at the pegasus. The light on her horn was turned off. She pawed the sand with a hoof. "Woah, I'm really speechless right now".

"Yes! That's the truth! I followed you here because I was looking for a chance to meet you!" He said. His whole body was shaking.

"I don't know if that's ridiculous or cute", Luster expressed. She sighed. "What's your name, colt?"

"Uhh..." The pegasus looked down, at the sand, and then behind him, at his cutiemark. He looked back at Luster. "Sorry, I thought a crab climbed on my back. I-I'm Sa-Sandbar!"

Luster narrowed her eyes. "So, Sandbar..." She started to walk around him. Sandbar followed her with his eyes. Luster's eyes stopped on his flank; on his cutiemark. She stopped walking and pointed at it with a hoof. "I see your 'mark's a chocolate bar, huh?"

Sandbar nodded. Sweat was running on his forehead and cheeks. He breathed loudly by his mouth.

"That's either you prepare chocolate or are good selling it, right?" Luster asked. She resumed walking around him.

"Ye-yes! I sell chocolate!"

Luster stopped walking when she got in front of him. She pointed at his face with the tip of one of her wings. "Hey, you have green eyes. I could swear they were blue when I saw you in that elevator, back in the Canterlot Hospital".

Sandbar opened his eyes wide. His jaw dropped. "Uhh, I-I use contact lenses!" He spat out. He looked down.

"Oh, okay. Then, take them off so I can ma..."

"No, no! I mean I don't have my lenses now!" Sandbar explained.

Luster raised a forehoof and rubbed her muzzle. "And you forgot to put them on today?"

Sandbar looked up and nodded. "Yes!"

"Oh, okay. What vision problem do you have?" Luster inquired.

"Uhh..."

"Because you could see me pretty well from afar. I suppose", Luster continued.

"Uh, it-it's up close what I can't see well!"

Luster looked at him in silence. The seconds passed and none of them two were speaking. They stared at each other. Luster looked up and then back at him. "It's okay, I understand". She smiled warmly. She put a hoof on his shaky shoulder. "You can relax". She patted him. "I don't know why you remind me of myself when I a was a filly. I used contact lenses because I was afraid I'd be apied by the other ponies if I wore glasses" She looked up to the bright blue sky. There were some hours left before the sun setted. Then, she looked back at Sandbar. "One day, I stopped caring about what others thought and I started using these, which were a gift from my mother". With the tip of her forehoof, she tapped her round glasses. "And since the first time I used them; even though I am alicorn and don't need them anymore; I simply love them!" She briefly laughed. Sandbar chuckled a bit.

They stood in silence for a few more seconds. Sandbar lowered his head. Luster cleared her throat. "Well, friend..." She was saying. Sandbar looked up at her. "You are free to go, either Fillydelphia, Canterlot or wherever you want".

"Really, may I go?!" Sandbar smiled at Luster. He briefly skipped in place.

Luster nodded. "Yes, just don't ever stalk me again and we'll be fine". Sandbar nodded at her. In less than a second later he quickly took flight. He flew away. She looked up, at him leaving. Then, she looked down and sighed deeply. She stretched her wings. "I'm too old for these encounters", she told herself. Then, she took flight off the beach and started to head south.