“So why Ponyville?”

            Trotter looked away from the moving plains outside the train window and at his brother.  It had been a week since they had escaped the bowels of the changeling citadel and the harshness of the Badland’s violent terrain.  From there they made their way to the small dusty town of Dodge City.  They had spent a couple of days there to rest before taking the train to their next destination, Ponyville.

            Sash, as always, had questioned Trotter’s decision of where their next adventure would take place.  He lacked a sense of wonder until he actually was experiencing it and it had always led him to be skeptical of the amazing places they were head to.  Trotter always wondered if Sash’s skepticism was real or if he just faked it to get on Trotter’s nerve.

            “With everything that has happened there in the last four years I’m sure we’ll get at least one adventure in by the end of the week.”

            “I don’t know…”  Sash rolled his eyes and looked off to the door of their booth.

            “When have I ever taken you on an adventure that didn’t end up being fantastic?”  Before Sash could make a response Trotter raised his hoof to his mouth and stopped him from talking, “Besides the whole Los Pegasus fiasco, which I thought we agreed that we would never mention that again.”  Trotter said slightly blushing from the memory of the events that occurred on their mess of a trip.

            “Ha, alright…”  Sash said who also didn’t want to bring up the memory of Los Pegasus.

            Getting tired of the bright sun and the rolling green fields outside his window Trotter decided to take a look around his train cabin.  They had been able to purchase their own fancy private booth towards back of the train.  It had fine velvet carpeting, walking a crossed it felt as though walking across a bed of soft wool.  There were two bright red cushioned couches on which they comfortably sat upon.  The two couches sat against opposite walls facing each other.  Above their heads was a glazed wooden shelf where they kept there saddle bags full of loot and treasures.  The air of the room was filled with cinnamon smell that was nice change from the pungent stench of the changeling citadel.  

            Trotter and Sash were a good three hours into the train ride.  According to the conductor it was supposed to take six or seven hours depending on weather, though it looked like a bright and sunny day so Trotter was confident in the six hour prediction.  For the first hour of the train ride they discussed the loot they “acquired.”  Afterwards they just discussed the usual, where they were going next.  Not necessarily Ponyville, but just the future and places they wanted to see.  The world was a big place and there was a lot to see.  It was too wonderful not to explore.  They could spend hours discussing where they could go, what they could see, and what treasures lay there.  

            “What do you think the ponies there will be like?”  Sash asked looking away from the door and scratching his head with his metal hoof.

            “Well…”  Trotter started, “I’ve heard everypony there is really nice.  They’re all really helpful and kind, basically everypony there is friends with each other.”

            “Sounds nice, but that’s not what I meant.”  Sash winked at his brother and gave him the sly grin that Trotter knew so well.

            Trotter quickly brought his face down to his hoof and sighed.  “Heh, I’m sure there are plenty of available ponies for you.  Not that that would stop you…”

            “I guess this place could be worth a shot.”  Sash stretched out across his couch, “Hey, I think I might take a bit of nap, got some dreaming I want to catch up, some mares there are waiting for me, ha-ha…”

            Trotter laid back on his couch, “Yeah…”  Trotter started with a yawn, “I think I might join you there, any mares there for me?”

"Nope!"

            Trotter laid awake on his soft cloud like couch for a few moments, pondering Ponyville.  The stories and rumors had always intrigued ponies throughout all of Equestria, of course this included the brothers.  More so, it wouldn't be a terrible place for a storehouse or a base to plan out their future journeys.  Nothing permanent, just a place they could return to if they needed to and place to keep their overflowing stock of loot.  Ponyville, having entertained the fancies of so many others, seemed like the best place to make a safe-house for themselves.  And then, of course, there were enough mares and stallions there to keep Sash entertained, that was probably the most important thing.  He couldn't have his brother getting bored, that leads to all shorts of problems.  That bastard Sash...

Trotter closed his eyes.  That bastard Sash, so obsessed with getting lucky. Ha…that was his thought before dozing off, that bastard Sash.

            The horn whistle blew, piercing the air with a sound similar to that of a tea kettle’s whistle blowing through a microphone set to eleven.  Trotter and Sash both jumped out of their couches in total shock, Sash falling flat on his back on the soft floor and Trotter siting up in his couch charging up one of his more offensive spells in fear that they were under attack from some sort of unknown foe.  Once Trotter took a double-take and confirmed there was no enemy and turned his attention to his moaning brother.

            Sash slowly sat up.  His eyes were shut tightly and he was rubbing the back of his head with his good hoof.  Trotter smiled at him.  He knew wasn’t in that Sash wasn’t in as much as he let on, he was just a drama queen.  He had been the tough one of the two of them, always running straight into danger, fighting off all the monsters Trotter couldn’t handle.  

Sash’s eyes opened and seem to shrink in confusion as he became wrapped in a crimson magical glow.  He was quickly lifted off of the ground and gently placed on his hooves.  A similar crimson glow around Trotter’s horn faded along with levitation glow around Sash’s body.

Sash grinned at Trotter, “Thanks brother!”  Sash put his metal on the back of his neck and cracked his neck, “Did we arrive yet?”  Sash turned around and looked out the window.

Outside their window a small cloud of white smoke rose from somewhere underneath the train.  It blocked out their view for a few brief moments before lifting into sky.  Behind it a small wooden building was revealed. The ticket station had a small lightish blue door and bright yellow hay roof.  There were two large glass windows in which the brothers could see three candy colored ponies talking with the ticket seller pony.  They all looked so happy, like they weren’t just buying train tickets.  It put weird feeling in Trotter’s stomach.  It wasn’t a bad feeling, it felt…good, a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time, not since his childhood in Hollow Shades.

Trotter hadn’t noticed that Sash had stopped looking.  Sash had been getting their bags of the overhead rack and gently placing them on the ground.  Obviously eager to get out there and meet the locals for…obvious reasons…

            “Gra yor tuff nd let’s get oing!”  Sash said, muffled by a bag strap that he held tightly in his mouth.  He spit it out and smiled at his brother, “We doing the usual plan?”

            Trotter nodded his head, “Yep, I’ll take my bags and find us a place to stay for a bit, you…well, try not to get into too much trouble while I’m gone.  More so than usual please, these are good ponies here.”

            Sash gave a very sly smirk to his brother, “I can change that.”

            Trotter shot him a glare and shook his head, “Don’t you dare, not here.”

            Sash shrugged and threw on his bags.  He closed his eyes and pointed his nose upward as he started for the door, “My dear brother…”  He said in an uptight voice, mocking that of a higher class pony from Canterlot, “You do give too little credit and I am quite displeased at it.”  He lowered his head and shot his brother another smiling and laughed to himself, “Come on, you know me.”

            “Heh, yeah, that’s what I’m worried about.”

            “Shut it, I’ll be fine and I’ll try to behave.”  And with that said Sash with jingling bags left his brother alone in the train cabin to sort out the arrangements they would need for the next week or so.

            A red glow surrounded two of the bags and they were levitated off the ground and onto his back.  A familiar weight was burdened onto his back, not that he minded it.  In a way it was sort of comforting to him, it gave him a nostalgic feeling.  Trotter turned to the door with a glare and smirk of determination.

            “Alright Ponyville, show me what you got.”

            Trotter found himself somewhere in the north of town.  He hadn’t gotten far from the train station, but he somehow got lost among the bustle of the large town.  All around the street there were sounds of ponies talking and laughing. A few of the ponies were doing business at makeshift stands where other ponies could sell a variety of goods ranging from food to common household tools.  It was definitely a colorfully diverse town.  Surrounding him were ponies of all different colors and breeds.

            The town itself was kind of bland in trotter’s opinions.  Besides the shape and size of them the houses were pretty much the same.  They all had same tannish color and the same hay roofing.  The only variations in buildings were the few shops on the grass covered street.  They had large glass windows advertising their products and signs above the door with a picture of whatever they were selling.  One of the buildings was probably a bakery or some sort of café because there was a sweet cinnamon smell in the air.  But with all of these buildings there was still no tavern or inn in sight.  

            Trotter looked up at the sky.  For a moment it felt like a drop of water had hit the tip of muzzle.  When he looked up he discovered that a thick layer of clouds had appeared.  He hadn’t noticed the sudden change in weather.  It looked as though dark grey sky could start pouring at any moment.

            “Huh…that’s strange…”  Trotter whispered to himself.  

            He shook it off and continued down the street.  A few of the stand’s sellers tried to get his attention to buy something, but he ignored them.  It wasn’t until a pony directly grabbed his shoulder that Trotter took notice of them.

“Sir!”  A small voice called from behind.  The voice sounded young like a colt or filly, but Trotter ignored it thinking it was directed at somepony else, but once the voice called him again with that high pitched, “Sir!”  Trotter turned and faced the young light black filly.  

            “Oh, I’m sorry.”  Trotter said giving the colt a reassuring smile.  “What do you need little buddy?”

            The young pegasus puffed up her cheeks and glared at Trotter, “I’m not little!”

            Trotter held back a laugh, “Heh, of course you are, I’m very sorry!”  Trotter ruffled the filly’s light oak colored mane.  He lowered himself to her level and looked into her glaring eyes, “How can I help you young miss…?”

            The filly mumbled something and looked off into the distance with a thick shade of blush on her cheeks.

            “I’m sorry…”  Trotter said quietly, “I didn’t catch that.”

            The filly looked at the ground and kicked it nervously with her hoof.  “Feath…Sna…”

            “One more time please?”

            “Feather Snatch…”

            Trotter chuckled, “That’s a very nice name Miss Swift Feather.”  Feather Snatch blushed some and looked in another direction.  “So Feather Snatch, how can I help you today?”

            The blush on Feather Snatch’s face faded away, instead it was replaced with a devious smirk.  She looked up at Trotter with those faded blue eyes and shook her head at him.  She flapped her wings started for the sky.  She looked down at him and laughed, “Already got what I needed from you!”  Next to her another two pegasi appeared.  One of them, the colt, had a bright orange coat and light blonde mane, the other one was slightly fatter and had dark green coat with dark pink mane.  Both of the pegasi that joined them seemed to have something that shined in their hooves.  They seemed familiar…like…

            Trotter’s heart sank.  How could he have been so stupid?  He looked at his open saddle bags for a second and then back at the spot where the pegasi had been.  They were gone just like the few artifacts they had stolen from him.  Trotter frowned for a moment than smirked.

            “Little Bastards…”

            Down in one of the darker alleys of Ponyville three pegasi admired the three objects they had just stolen from another stupid victim.  One had been a black orb that seemed to have blackish orange spiral in the center of it.  The second item had been a small stone dish with an elaborate design of some ancient pony in a massive mask, it had been carved into the stone surface of the plate so it had been a bit hard to make the association for the young foals.  And finally they had found a rather modern looking journal.  It had black front and back cover and was bound with a red string.  It looked old, almost as old as the other two artifacts.

            Feather Snatch looked up at the sky.  For a minute she thought she had heard something from the overhanging roofs above.  It was getting surprisingly cloudy, it had just been sunny a minute ago, must be a freak storm.  After determining that she was just paranoid and didn’t actually hear anything she looked back to the journal they had stolen.  The other two were observing the other objects they had gotten.  For some reason, though, she had taken an interest in the journal.  She fiddled with the strap kept it closed.

            Bang!

            The three foals turned their heads to the large crashing noise that sounded from behind them.  Over by a collapsed garbage can the foals spotted the pony who they had just robbed.  He stood for an awkward moment deciding whether or not to pick up the trash he had littered across the dirty, mud covered ally.  It had already smelt like rotting food here and trash just added onto it, but was really worth picking up?

            “Ha, sorry about that, didn’t mean to scare you guys.”  Trotter laughed.  He slowly walked toward the foals who were getting ready to flee.  “No no no!”  Trotter urged.  “I just wanted to tell you how clever you guys were!”

            The two foals that had robbed Trotter took a few steps back, but Feather Snatch stayed where she was.  Her eyes narrowed at Trotter, observing him.  He was up to something, but she couldn’t tell what.

            “The way you distracted with that innocent filly routine and slyness of you two in the back!  Even I’m not sly, you heard my dexterity levels before when I knocked over that garbage can! HA!”  Trotter was slowly getting closer to them, slowly getting within reaching distance.

            Before he could close enough to grab her, Feather Snatch raised her hoof to him.  “Not another step closer!”  She felt confident, finally understanding his plan.  “You can congratulate us from there.”

            Trotter gave careless look and shrugged.  “Sure!”  Trotter smiled at her, “No problem.  You three were brilliant.  Quite the team!”  Trotter’s smile faded, “Though I do need those things back.”

            “No chance!”  The orange colt said from behind Feather Snatch.

            “You can forget it!”  The watermelon like filly called to Trotter.

            Feather Snatch just shook her head at Trotter who just smiled at them.

            “Alright!  I’ll tell you what I’ll do!”  Trotter leaned against the dirty wall of the ally.  He quickly pushed himself off it once he felt how sticky it was.  He rubbed his shoulder how and giggled.  “I’m not from around here, maybe you guys new that, maybe you didn’t, but…”  Trotter took a pause to look at each of them.  “I’m guessing you guys have some sort of authority and I can report you to them!”  He gave a loud hoof stomp to the ground, but accidently stepped on piece of rotting fruit causing a shiver to shoot across his back.  His face showed no sign of discomfort though.  “But, I’m not going to do that.”  The foals looked confused at this, but Trotter went on.  “I’ll give you a chance to run with what you stolen and if you can get away you get to keep the stuff.  If I catch you, I get the stuff.”  He shot each of them a smile.  “How does that sound?”

            “Y-you would do that?”  The orange colt asked in a confused tone.

            “Mhmm!  Now, shall we begin?”

            The two foals behind Feather Snatch nodded at each other and took off towards the sky.  Feather Snatch stayed though, still confused to why this pony would do that.

            “What are you up to?”  Feather Snatch asked, taking a few steps toward Trotter.  She still had the journal with her, but she wasn’t worried about losing it.

            “Nothing.”  Trotter turned around and walked toward the street.

            “W-wait?”  Feather Snatch ran up to Trotter, “Melon Seed and Picker went the other way!  Why are you going this way?”

            “Because I don’t need to chase them.”  Trotter answered carelessly.

            “But…what about your stuff?”

            “You mean this stuff?”  From his bags the orb and plate were levitated out in reddish magic glow.  Trotter didn’t look down at Feather Snatch though he just made the turn onto the bustling street.

            “When-how, what?!”

            Trotter looked down at Feather Snatch and smirked.  “I’ve been at this longer than you kid, I know a few tricks.”

            Feather Snatch stood in the street a moment letting Trotter get ahead her.  After the moment passed she quickly galloped passed him, turned and stopped him from going any further.

            “Teach me.”

            “Teach you?”  Trotter tilted his head, “Teach you to steal?”

            “Yes, I want to learn to be a better thief!  You can teach me.”  Her voice sounded hopeful.

            Trotter leaned down and smiled at her.  He had always wanted a protégé and she seemed like an eager little runt.  There was something else about her, something he liked about her.  He saw a bit of himself in her.  She reminded him of himself when he was her age.

            “Alright…Four conditions and I’ll teach you what I know.”

            “Name them.”  She said in quick and serious tone.

            “One, you give me my journal back.”

            “Sure.”

            “You stop hanging around those two misfits, they’re bad influences.”

            “Okay, they smell anyways.”

            Trotter chuckled at that.  “Heh, you’re funny I like that.”

            “You can flatter me later, what’s the third?”

            “You listen to everything I have to say and follow my orders.”

            “I thought that was what teachers expect from their students.”

            “Very good.”

            “What’s the last one?”

            “You don’t steal from good ponies, they’ve done nothing wrong, they don’t deserve it.  Only steal from bad ponies.”

            Feather Snatch took a moment to process this, just like Trotter did when he was her age.  She had to think if it would be worth all the loot she’d miss out on because of this decision.

            “Fine…”  She finally agreed.

            Trotter stood up and brushed off his knees.  He started down the street leaving Feather Snatch standing there with his journal.  

            “Hold on to my journal for now.”  Trotter called back to her, “We’ll start next Monday!  Meet me in the ally.  We’ll have our first lesson there!”

            “Why not now?”  She chased over to him.

            “Eager!  I like that!”  He stopped and ruffled her mane again.  “I can’t teach you now though!  My brother has been alone too long and I don’t like the thought of that!  Why don’t you read my journal and pick up some things from that.”  Trotter started into a gallop.  He looked back at her and grinned, “Stay dry, it looks like a storm is coming!”