The sun rises for another day, sending It's rays through the window's yellow curtains against the bed, heating the bed sheets and waking Mane up. He blinked covering the sun against his face.

He went to the bathroom and took a cold shower to cool down his head. During It, he stopped while the water ran by his body, and thought of his last dream. Having Princess Luna herself in armor and weapons ready, to rescue him from one of his nightmares, was something he didn't have for years, being the last time when he was a little foal under her protection.

Mane headed to the sink and stopped by the mirror naked with the towel around his waist, and observed his body and face,looking if there was anything wrong. Nothing, all the same.

"There's always a light in the dark." He meditated in the last words the Night Princess told him before she left his bad dream.

He dressed up and observed the "Sombra" stitched on his jacket's back before wearing It.

"Mane! Are you there?" Asked Pinkamena from the other side of the room's door.

"Yea! I'm getting ready!"

He checked his pockets and hid his folding knife in the back of his pants. Mane walked out there was Pinkamena waiting for him alone with a smile.

"You're holding up, girl?" - He asked.

"Yeah, even better then the other days!" She answered with a smile.

"Why?"

Pinkamena pulled her butterfly knife and started to play with It, juggling It in one hand, opening and closing It at full speed, leaving mane silent and eyes wide open.

"I'm back..." She concluded.

"Into character I see. Good, I missed your originality."

"Hihi... thank you." She giggled.

They left the hotel and headed to downtown. Checking the map and asking directions, leaving whoever they asked baffled.
Half hour later, they found themselves in their destination: "Jade District".
That place was well known in the Crystal Empire for being problematic. Thieves were the kings there, and what would be the best place to find the responsible for the murder Pinkamena witnessed.

The streets were like exploring a city in ruins, with the difference there was always somepony looking at them, planning something. Mane kept an eye on the windows and hallways, while Diane kept the lookout on their back. The buildings were degraded and It's crystal dirty and unpolished. The sidewalk, if they could call It that, It was non-existent, just a road between streets made out of dirt and dust.

"Keep our eyes open..." Whispered Mane.

"On It... where can we find him here?"

"I don't know, and ask the locals of this place might be dangerous, but we have to risk It."

They approached a middle aged colt sitting on the floor against a building, smoking a pipe, and he looked at them without emotion, giving away he was missing an eye.

"Excuse me, old one..." Mane said politely "We are looking for somepony in these streets..."

"Haha... this crazy old fool doesn't know a thing..." He laughed in a dragged voice. "You may want to ask somepony else..."

"Excuse me sir, but..." Pinkamena handed him a coin. "This might help you, just like we need some."

"Ahh... It's still new..." He contemplated the golden bit, taking it to his mouth and bit It checking how real It was. "Alright, I'll answer the best I can..."

"We are looking for an individual. We think he might be here." Said Mane.

"Describe him."

"He's light brown, earth race, young perhaps, and he was a but strong. Wears a black beret, covering his face." Diane told.

"Hmm... there are so many around here, and they are faster than my old eye and head. Always hiding and running..."

"How is that supposed to help?" Asked Mane.

"Calm down, young one. Your generation is always on a hurry... Let me finish..." The elder coughed and kept talking. "The guy you are looking for, he usually frequents the saloon I go to... he might be there."

"Where is that saloon?"

"It's not easy to find, you see. Thieves are the rulers here, so they need their place to hide... Take the left route from here and go 'til It's end. Then you will see a ruined house without door, not hard to miss, It's the only one. Go to the right and go to the second hallway. There will be a... *cough* sorry... there will be a stairway leading under a big building. You knock the door and say these words, pay attention..."

Mane and Pinkamena leaned towards the old colt, listening carefully.

"Where the riches are guarded, It's where we head to..." He whispered to them.

"Thank you very much, elder..." Thanked Mane with education.

"Here." Pinkamena gave him another golden bit from her purse. "For the info."

"Ahh... generous. Thank you, pretty lady..." He putted the coin in his rags. "For that, an advice. Thieves here can be friendly if you don't show any way of threat for them or their guild... stay relaxed... and avoid showing your purse."

"Thank you again. Have a good day."

The duo followed the given instructions, walking the dusty streets with eyes from the dark inside the buildings observing them. They passed by the building with no door and went to the said hallway, and found the stairway down among dumpsters.
By the door, a sign with the place's name: "Fox Hole".

"Fitting..." Pinka commented without difference.

"I know right? Let's get this done..."

Mane knocked the door and a voice from another side asked who was.

"Where the riches are guarded, It's where we head to." Said Mane.

The metal door opened and a colt in a hood looked at them.

"Who sent you?" He asked.

"An old colt from the zone told us. He was smoking a pipe." Said Diane.

"Hmm... did you pay him?"

"We didn't pay. We rather say, donated from our hearts. Two coins."

"...you can enter... no fights." The colt stepped out of their away allowing them in.

They entered the saloon filled with degenerates drinking and laughing, and some playing games. The place was kind of a mess but clean in a strange way. The wheel of a wagon was the chandelier hanging in the ceiling with candles. Tables were old and every one had marks of knifes on the top, and some drink stains. The drink was beer and spirits, like whiskey and vodka. The most played game was by two, with one holding a hand open in the table, and the other stabbing the knife in the table between the other's fingers, speeding up with time. Explaining the state of the tables.

"Dangerous..." Mane commented.

Pinkamena approached a group, where the players had their hands bleeding and both taking turns. They stopped and looked at her, asking themselves what was that girl dressed in such way doing there.

"Please continue..." She said.

They resumed in silence, and in a moment, the other stabbed the other's hand by accident, and was answered with a slap in his head and losing his coins.

"Eh... I could do better." She mocked.

They looked at her with anger, and started laughing at her. The others did the same, everypony laughing at her, but she didn't mind, keeping her eyes on the thieves.

"AH! You? A city girl? Why don't you join then?!"

"Alright..."

One of the thieves stood up from the bench and she sat on his place.

"I'll risk my best hand...I don't wanna ruin your girly hands..." The thief putted his hand on the table. "Need a knife? See if you can lift It!" - He mocked on her face, offering a huge knife to her.

Pinkamena pulled her butterfly knife and showed her skills with It to everypony looking, juggling It in one hand and opening It.

"Ohh... the girl has skills! Look everypony! We got a joker here!" Everypony laughed at her again, but she didn't care. "How much you wanna bet?"

"Fifty..." She said calmly.

"Fifty?! HAHAHA!!! Get ready to lose your money!"

Pinkamena placed the end of the knife between his index and thumb fingers, and started to stab the table between his fingers in a slow speed.

"Scared?" He asked with a mocking smile.

Diane started to speed up, eventually reaching the speed the thieves were before, leaving the spectators with their mouths open. She stopped and the colt looked at her and giggled. With no warning, she took a deep breath and resumed with even more speed.

"WOA! Calm down!" He begged but she didn't listen.

Comments started to come about her skill in the knife game. She speed up even more and the thief started to sweat, fearing he would end without a finger.

"Miss! Less speed, please!" He screamed in panic, eventually starting to grab his wrist

But again, she didn't listen, and eventually she started to sing with the rhythm of the game.

"Oh, you have all your fingers, the knife goes chop chop chop,
If I miss the spaces in between, your fingers will come off,
And if I hit your fingers, the blood will soon come out,
But all the same, I play this game, cause that's what its all about,
Oh, CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP!
I'm picking up the speed!
And If I hit your fingers then your hand will start to bleed!"

She repeated It two times in an insane speed, ending with a loud stab on the table, and the thief took his hand out of the table in a hurry, looking at her scared.

"Where is my money..?" She asked seriously.

"H-here! P-please! Just take It and don't do this again please!" - He threw the satchel to the table, with fifty golden coins inside.

She grabbed and putted on a pouch in her belt, before heading back to Mane, she grabbed the guy's knife and threw at a darts target, landing It right in the center. Everypony watching stayed in silence and made way to let her pass showing respect.

"That was amazing." Said Mane letting out a small laugh.

"I told you, I'm back to my old self."

"And we made some coin!"

"No. I did, not you." She answered in an irritated way.

"Alright... I get It. I need a job... So, what are you gonna ask for?"

"What do they have?"

"Beer, whiskey and vodka."

"A whiskey."

"Yeah, me too..."

They went to the counter and asked their drinks, then taking them to an empty table. They pretended to be talking while looking around, scanning the environment for their target.

"Saw him yet?" Mane whispered.

"No... maybe he changed clothes."

"Maybe, but his light brown color, race and hat are our clues."

"Got It..."

Mane noticed a mare looking at him from the distance. She was sky blue with long dark orange hair, wearing a black vest like him and jean shorts, with a spiked bracelet decorating her left arm. He ignored and kept looking at Pinkamena and behind her.
Minutes later in the lookout and drinking, he felt a certain pressure in his body. He excused Diane and lift up from his seat.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"To the bathroom."

"What about me?"

"You stay unless you need too..."

"Alone?"

"Um... yeah..."

"Be fast then! I don't like everypony looking at me, specially old ones looking at my legs and back."

"Get over It, will you?"

He headed to the male's restroom, leaving his friend alone. She was like a pink stain in that dark place. She looked behind her for a moment, and when turned around, there was somepony in Mane's place, drinking his drink.

"Do I know you..?" She asked in a serious tone.

"Yes... we have met before..." The colt revealed his face under his hat. Light brown, wearing a dark green cameo shirt, revealing his muscles.

"You..." Her face got twisted in anger, turning her ears down in signal of rage.

"You changed last time we saw each other..." He finished Mane's whiskey, while one hand was still under the table. "Tell me... who was your friend?"

"My associate."

"Associate? Eh... your boyfriend?" He giggled in an evil way.

"Erm... no..."

"Can't wait to my friends there to kill him in that bathroom, with a knife to the kidneys." He looked at his group heading towards where Mane was. "And then, I'll take you to my place, and you will know what a true stallion is..."

"You. Fucking. Pervert!"

"Ohh, the kitty is a tiger..." His arm under the table started moving. "Tell me, why don't we make a deal, and you and your boyfriend live..."

"What is It?" She showed her anger.

"You know... we go upstairs in a room..." He looked at her cleavage under her top tank. "You let me do you, and then-"

The bandit got interrupted with a kick in his legs, he didn't flinch and a sound came from under the table.

"You are not making things easy for you and your guy..." He pointed to an inside balcony, where three more guys were, looking at their table. "You see them? Friend of mine, in case you decided to fight back my suggestions..."

"Mane, be fast please..."

Author's Notes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBZH8xxCHro

Made a small change into the lyrics for obvious reasons.
(changed the "my"s and "I"s into "you"s and "yours")