The Heart of Gold
The night in Manehattan was buzzing with the activity of ponies constantly moving from street to street, which wasn't too different from most days. The lights, the sounds, the energy, it definitely was a city that never sleeps.
Elsewhere, a tall stone building supported by large pillars at the front of twin doors stood with a large sign emblazoned with the words above it, MANEHATTAN EQUESTIAN MUSEUM. With it being the exception to the city's intense atmosphere, the inside was dark and quiet with occasional movement of lights from patrol ponies inside.
A light green unicorn's horn illuminated the surrounding area as he searched from room to room. The various objects of history varied from pictures of Pre-Equestria rulers, mannequins with regalia of ponies from older eras, replicas of the Legendary Six Heroes, all the way into more current history.
One in particular was a horseshoe underneath a glass case with a mono-colored picture of a unicorn performing tricks labeled. HOOFDINI'S LUCKY HORSESHOE
The unicorn paused as he saw another light and turned to see a pink female earth pony carrying a lantern. "All clear?" She asked.
"Yep, same as the last patrol. Do you really think anypony is really gonna try to steal anything from here? Even to go as far as to declare their next hit."
"Doesn't matter to me. Bits are bits." She replied. "I'll check the West Wing."
"Ok, I'll take the North."
As the two went on their way, a mannequin's shadow silently passed through the room. Its movements blending with the darkness, careful to not be noticed, patiently waiting until the patrol had passed. As soon as it was clear, they rose from the shadows and approached their target. It was a pony dressed all in black, its cloth design ment for minimal interference with movement and muffling sound, blending with their straight black mane and tail.
It walked up to the horseshoe and took a moment to eye the metal piece that shined with a pristine glow. With a slow and deliberate action, they waved a hoof over the container. As their limb passed, the horseshoe… disappeared. One second it was under lock and key and the next it was in their grasp.
With a nod of approval, they stowed the horseshoe away, they briefly looked around for any patrols and with a light French, feminine voice said. "Now it's time to start the show."
Raising her hoof, she smashed the glass cover, the sound echoing as alarms blared loudly and emergency lights flashed as black turned to red. "Oops." She placed a hoof to her lips coyly.
"A break-in!" The two patrol ponies shouted as they barreled down the corridors, spotting the burgular. "Halt right there!"
The black-clad pony gave a mock salute before bolting away.
"This is the Manehattan Museum, we have just been robbed. Send backup!"
The mare laughed gleefully as she had a clean getaway, before suddenly doubling back to charge her pursuers, catching them off guard as she leaped high over their heads, twisting her body to give them a wink before completing her maneuver to keep running back to where she came.
"Don't let her get away!" The guards entered the room and the mare was gone.
"Over here." Their gaze darted to a disappearing leg and pounced at its source, but nothing was there.
"Too slow." She giggled, now on the other side of the room. They circled around to cut her off, but again, she was gone. It was like they were chasing a ghost.
"So close, but you'll have to do better than that." She teased, now peering over a banister on the second floor.
"Return the item and give yourself up. Maybe you will come off with a lighter sentence." The stallion offered.
"I don't think so. I wouldn't want to disappoint my adoring fans. Now would I?" She rejected as the sound of police sirens could be heard approaching. "And I do love a growing audience. Better luck next time." She waved as she took off, charging full speed towards the window.
The glass exploded into thousands of shards from her body. She flew through its fragments and landing gracefully from the fall, the glass shimmering around her like diamonds. She turned to see the blue and red lights as a group of ponies were fast approaching.
"Stop Thief!" Shouted a police pony as he and several others gave chase down the road.
The blue-clad pony looked back with a smile. "Yes, catch me if you can!" She called as she slipped through the crowd. Her thick black flowing mane and tail fluttering from her full gallop. The pony reached the edge of the crowd into a busy street stuck in gridlock as drivers and passengers yelled at one another.
"We got her! She can't escape now!" The sound of the police getting closer as they forced their way through.
The mare chuckled as she crouched and leaped onto the nearest cab and nimbly jumped from car to car, easily crossing the street for all to see.
"Look it's her!" A bystander shouted, catching her attention. She stopped to look back as the police were momentarily stalled by the crowd.
Seizing the opportunity, the mare struck a pose. "Yes, it is I, Leger De Mane! The greatest thief in all of Equestria! And I have just stolen The Great Hoofdini's legendary lucky horseshoe!" She proclaimed with a grandiose display of the metal object for all to see as camera lights flashed. She looked to see the police were making their way across the street, albeit clumsily. "And now I must bid you adieu!" She leaped down before the crowd as a young freckled filly ran up to her with a wide smile.
"Can I have your autograph!" She pleaded as she pulled out a book and pen.
"Of course, how can I turn down a fan?" Ledger De Mane bit the pen and wrote on it. "There you go, petit." She returned the pad and ruffled the little girl's head. "Maybe you could use a little luck yourself." She said before turning her head to the cops. "And that's my queue to leave." She bolted again as the chase resumed.
The police had gained some ground on her and it looked like they were going to catch her as she turned a corner down an alley.
"We've got her now!" As they turned the corner… to find the alley empty.
"What? But how?" Confusion in their voices as they shined a light, revealing a dead end. "Circle around! She couldn't have gotten far!"
XXXXX
Above them, Leger De Mane looked from the tall building that she seemed to have scaled moments before. "Well that was fun, now that I've got my prize. It's time to make my exit." She turned to leave as a flutter of fabric caught her ears and she looked up to see a strange sight.
A few stories above her position perched another masked figure, only this one was a unicorn clad with black cape and armor that sparkled from the moonlight like stars in the night sky. "Leger De Mane! Your string of robberies ends tonight!" She declared.
The thief sized up her opponent for a brief moment. "Well well well. What do we have here? Another masked pony trying to make her mark in Manehattan. Of course, you had to go the vigilante route. And to whom am I in the presence of at this late hour?" Leger asked.
"I am… The Mare of the Night." The pony brushed the cape to let it flutter in the wind. "Knight Mare."
"Hmmm, not that original. At least mine is a better, cleverer pun." She critiqued with a shrug. "So what brings you into my little soiree?"
The other mare huffed with annoyance. "I go where there is trouble and you are most definitely trouble. I am making it my mission to make sure that your kind does not escape justice." The pony declared.
Leger clicked her tongue. "Non non non, 'trouble' is such a harsh word, I prefer to call it 'entertainment'. Besides, I'm practically a celebrity here and don't have time to play with you. So if you don't mind, I will be leaving now." Leger started to make her way across the rooftop.
"Don't think that you'll be getting away from me." A beam shot from her horn, which Leger narrowly dodged, leaving a smoking hole where she stood.
"Looks like you're playing for keeps. Something tells me that your justice is more of the 'permanent' variety." Leger eyed the hole where she stood.
"It's the kind of justice I'll use in order to make Equestria safe." Before another beam was fired.
Leger backflipped and galloped to the end of the roof to leap across the alley to the next building as Knightmare gave chase.
"Hold still and it won't hurt as much!" She aimed again, but Leger's reflexes bordered on precognition as she shifted and flipped away from every beam that punched through the concrete.
"Well based on how well you aim, it may be more difficult than you think ma chérie." Leger quipped as she nimbly ran along a wall and leaped across into an open window as another bolt blasted her platform.
"Pardon moi." She said politely to the surprised family as they watched her exit their front door. She turned back to run down the hallway and leaped through the window for her getaway. Surprisingly, Knight Mare seemed to have anticipated this and was standing on the building she was leaping towards.
"Try and dodge now." As her horn lit up and fired.
With the flexibility of a cat, Leger contorted her body to avoid every shot aimed for her, several actually as she landed into a roll opposite of the mare.
"How?" Knight Mare growled in irritation.
"How do you think I steal all of those priceless objects? Through the front door? Well that would be quite dramatic, maybe I should try that next time." She mused the idea to herself. "Flashy, but less tactful. I'll have to think about it some more."
"As if there is going to be a next time." Knight Mare lowered her stance in declaration.
"Oh really, and what makes you think that? So far you've missed with every shot. If this were Buckball, I'd be winning quite handily." Leger replied in kind. "Now I prefer to make clean escapes. It's part of my charm, but I am not afraid of hoof to hoof combat if need be. And considering your magic can't touch me, I doubt your hooves would fare any better."
"That's what you think." And Leger was suddenly encased in a telekinetic field. "What? No fair." She whined as she struggled to move.
"Stealing priceless objects is neither fair nor is stealing anything at all. You will pay for your crimes here and now." The horn intensified as a beam was being charged to fire.
"I guess it was meant to be then. Struck down by a second-rate vigilante." She raised a hoof to her head in a mocking swoon. "I just have but one last request before I go."
"And what would that be?" Mare paused briefly at her words.
"Just… don't blink."
"What?" The strange request took her aback and in a subconscious response to do the opposite of what was said, blinked and to her shock, Leger De Mane was gone.
"Impossible!" She ran to the edge and scanned the area only to find the busy street below qith neither hide nor hair of her could be seen. The thief was gone. Just…gone. "She must have teleported, but I didn't see her cast any magic."
With a growl of frustration, she turned back from the edge. "Next time, Leger De Mane. It won't end the same way."
XXXXX
Some time later during the night, a door opened to reveal Leger De Mane walking in the darkened room of what appeared to be a nice quaint house. She was familiar with the layout as she didn't even use the light until she found the bathroom and turned on the shower.
"Is that you, Honey?" Came a male voice.
"Yes, just got back from a Girl's Night Out." She answered.
"Did you have fun?"
"Yes, I did, Sweetie. In fact, I made a new friend."
"That's nice, there's a letter for you so come to bed when you're done."
"I'll be right there. I'm just going to take a shower." She called as she reached into her clothes, pulling out the little girl's pen. "Hmmm, another successful night for the memoir." She smiled as she placed it on the sink, where the letter was as she picked it up and skimmed its contents.
"If Equestria's Greatest Thief is looking for the ultimate challenge, then be at the Castle of the Twin Sisters by Midnight after the Running of the Leaves." She dropped the paper in shock as her head darted around, expecting an attack, but none came.
"Everything ok in there?"
"Yes, just drank a little too much cider and almost fell in the shower. Everything's fine, I'll come to bed soon." Leger picked up the letter and peered at it intensely. Who could have done this? She was always careful with keeping her identity a secret. Not only that, but they even knew where she lived.
"But why? If they knew who I am, they could have reported me to the authorities. Of course, even if they did, they wouldn't have proof of a crime since I never keep anything I steal." She mulled over the letter, inspecting it for a possible code or modification, but found nothing out of the ordinary. The only strangeness was the fact that there was someone who knew her alter ego.
"Well that's only a few days away. So I'll have to make plans." Now this ultimate challenge definitely intrigued her. "I wonder what it could be."
XXXXX
A/N
Hello fellow fans. Figured I'd take a shot at something different to expand my repertoire so I hope you enjoy it. So let me try and set up the premise.
The story's timeline is around Season 7/Post MLP: The Movie.
I am using the official map of Equestria if you're interested. Of course, travel time and the size of Equestria is a bit inconsistent within the show itself, but I will do my best to make it somewhat logical.
My current goal is to keep this as close to the show's canon as possible. However, that is not to say that the comics did not have great ideas that I may consider in the future.
Further, I seek to challenge myself by not being overt with adult themes in order to maintain the show's integrity and this story by extension. But the fun of the challenge is finding loopholes, innuendos, and maybe some pony-related swearing. Also, there may be some darker tones, but not to the level of a complete Darkfic.
