The Un-Named Foal

"Those lucky foals in the orphanage" I said to myself under my breath while walking through the slums. "Why did I have to be so overly sensitive and run away...?" It had been the third month after running away from my abusive orphanage. I have been starving for so long, I can clearly see my ribs. I guess I have it better than some, seeing as how I have been able to find places to get drinks of water and bathe. But I feel as though if I don't receive some food soon, I may perish...

Talon was leaning against a dirty wall as she bite into a thing of bread. "Damn this bread is good."
It steamed lightly as he would take animals bites, tearing off it's loafy goodness. She had nothing better to do after clobbering though dumb-dumbs on 8th street. She hated those gangsters that let them hire themselves out for for Crimelord and those kinda fools.

Gangs were made to defend your turf and show your the toughest. Not to get a quick buck to pay for lap dance and bag of candy.

As I continued walking on, not knowing where I was going. I noticed the mare enjoying her bread.

"uhhh...e-excuse me, ma'm..." I studdered. "I...uhh...d-don't mean to be a bother...b-but would you be willing to...to spare a piece of bread...?

Talon looked down at the barely alive foal as he looked up with his puppy dog eyes and his exposed ribs. "Sure kid. I'll give you some bread."

Talon stood up as she bend down to be eye to eye with him. "If you can take my hat." She tapped the bread on the brim of her hat as she smirked.

"That is a nice hat..." I admire. "Would you mind simply giving me a closer look before starting this competition...?"

She laughed and it was a honest one at that as she stood up. "Your growing up to be a swindler you know that kid?"

Talon gave the kid credit for the idea of abusing his young and innocent demeanor to try getting the hat off her. She might of fell for it had she not been a slum foal on the streets and knew all the tricks in the book. "Anyway. Let's get started shall we?"

"One second, n-not sure if I wan't the hat anymore..." I said with a terrified look on my face and pointing at the hat. "'C-cause that is one of the largest spiders I have EVER seen!"

Talon slaps a hoof on her face with a smirk. "Your killing me with theses old school ticks kid."

Talon was just floored by how this kid was playing this game. She'd give him the bread for the entrainment he was providing if she hadn't already made the challenge. She never backed on of a challenge. At least the foal had some power to talk, maybe he'll grow up to be something better then street dirt like her.

"Hey, just because i'm young doesn't mean I don't appreciate a golden oldie." I laughed. "But in all seriousness that is a pretty big spider. I mean, you could put that thing on a leash and call it Fido!"

I point towards the spider which is actually on Talon's hat.

"His name ain't Fido kid. It's Morse and his last name is Code because it's funny." She lifted her hoof up to let the spider crawl off her hat on to her hoof. She had come up with the name on the spot, but hey she thought it was a good name.

She got a wicked smirk as she set it on your face.

"...W-would you mind t-taking 'Morse-Code' off of me...?" I ask, obviously scared by the spider.

"Kid. Nopony ever gonna do anything for you." She adjusted her hat on her head as the spider crawled on you and started digging into your mane to either A: Lay eggs, or B: Sleep. Maybe both if your lucky.

"I'd hate to be the exception or the one who gives you false hope." She smirked as he tapped her hat. "Makes this game funnier. You gotta grab my hat and hope you don't get poisoned by a spider."

After hearing Lay eggs, I quickly brush the spider of out my mane, on to the ground and stomp on it a good 50 times.

"Y-you're enjoying this, aren't you?" I asked while letting out a sigh. "Look, i'm not in the mood for this...I would rather starve than just be some toy."

Talon slapped the kid across and face as she lifted him front the scruff of his neck. Her angry was absolute. "Oh looky here. We got a murder. Think that was right kid what you did? Here is a tip." She shook him a few times before. "In this city, your life and mine are worth as much as that spider's. You just snuffed out a life. Was it yours to take punk?"

Talon couldn't believe this damn kid. "How about I snuff you out like that spider eh? Seems fair right, cause me and that spider were closer then you and me."

"I...I didn't mean to..." I sniffed. "I...I was afraid of the spider eggs, there are rumors floating about that they burrow into ponies brains and eat them..."

I start to cry hysterically.

"I-i'm sorry..." I apologize sincerely. "I-i should have just brushed the spider out..."

"Your not sorry. Don't be a liar to kid." Talon toss him against the wall with a disgusted look. "You stomped on that spider at least 40 or so times before you checked to look. Talon pressed her hoof on his face. "How many times do you think it would take me to mash you up like that spider huh? 10? Maybe three good hits."

Talon put her other hoof to her chin as she debated what would be the right amount. "You and me are scum of the city. They already look at us like were stealing air and taking space. We gotta be decent ponies if we want to be able to prove them wrong, but it seems you and me are damn good at doing." Talon was picking on a kid who didn't know anything and that kid had no understanding of the value of life.

She growled as she stuck the bread in his mouth. "Eat it."

I quickly obeyed, eating the bread. Looking dissapointed in himself

"I...th-thank you..." I sniff. "If...if it makes you feel better...th-the guards have been planning on decapitating me if I get caught looking at them one more time...a-and I have been slashed by a butchers knife multiple times..."

"A-and...I really want you to know...I am sincerely sorry a-about morse..." I apologize. "I-i had no clue that th-the spider was your companion...i-it looked like one of the spiders who lay their eggs in ponies manes so their babies can eat their brains..."

"AHHaha. Wow your lucky kid. Real lucky." Talon lifted up her sleeve to show a faint line down her leg. "Got this when I was your age. They were a gang that liked making special marks on their victims. Long lines so you have to wear long sleeves to hid your shame. Also I have been beaten up crooked gurad left and right at least every couple of months.:

Talon pointed to the alley down the way. "They use to take me and friends and kick as till we cried like newborns. So shut up. No one wants to hear you sob story." She put her hooves to her eyes. pretending to wipe her eyes, making boo-woo noises. "Also get with the program kid. I didn't know the damn spider. I made it name and we were out friendly terms."

Talon wouldn't of minded having pet spider. Would be neat to have a ready friend with in a jam. "Also spiders don't lay eggs in your brain. Your stupid kid. Real stupid." She lifted from the scruff of his neck and set him down. "All you do is cry about how awful your life is. They cut me, they hurt, I don't have food and my life is awful. Stop being that pony."

Her glare was piercing as slammed her hoof against her red tie, poking out from her black suit. "You can't live in fear kid just cause you think you aren't strong, or something stupid bull like that. They only beat you down in fear of what you can be." She tapped her hat with smirk. "So kid, what will it be? You gonna run around being garbage or to you want to become something they fish out and make into art?"

I compose myself, feeling like a moron for crying.

"You think i'm seriously going to be garbage?" I snicker, wiping tears away from my face. "Look lady, I break down emotionally and make up lies to avoid getting a beat-down. in all honesty, if you thought for half a second I was scared it would plant eggs in my brain. You are a lame-brain."

I look down at the spider's squished corpse and back away from it.

"But to be honest, I do have a slight phobia of spiders." I admit. "But not because I think they will eat my brains, but because I am usually attacked by them. I only killed that one spider, and thats because I felt it trying to bite me."

I look back up at Talon.

"You know what, you seem tough." I compliment. "I hope we can some day be friends, but that will have to be some day in the future."

"You're a swindler to the end, huh, punk? Can't actually even be a real sad little kid trying to live on the streets. What a joke. A real guy buster." Talon huffed a laugh as flicked the air with swift movement of her cloven foot. "Lying gets you killed on these streets. I should break a bone in your spine or something for lying to me.."

The neon sign across the street flicked slightly as ponies of all shapes and sizes trotted by in the big city. Talon could of been beating the kid with a brick and likely no one would stop her, or even look so they didn't have to stay around to be a witness. The slums looked out for their own and nopony else. A kid walking the street is a everyday thing here.

She turned a eye with a daintier expression then expected. "But your a weakling. Weaklings aren't fit to fight someone strong. The strong need to destroy the strong and watch over the weak. Natural order of things in my opinion." She leaned down with smooth, flowing movement with abstemious in her look over the kid.

"Survival of the fittest is stupid. Makes it so the ending is one is prey and one is a predator. A endless cycle of cheap tricks like hiding and running, while the other creatures gets teeth and claws." With a fluent movement she made a crack in the wall. "That's why I don't use weapons when I take garbage like your gonna be if you don't shape up kid. You see I'm already dragged down and I have to crawl out. You still got a chance."

Talon only had only the next fight to look forward too, and even that gets boring. "Also forget about being friends. You can trust friends and normally there the same age as you." Talon adjusted her immaculately clean, black velvety fedora as she eyed the bread. "You did personality change right before my eyes. Meaning your a walking lie." She smirked for a moment as she thought of something fun. "So the real question I have for you. Is what can you do to prove to me that I shouldn't break every bone you like using in your body and take that bread back?"

"Well, seeing as how you dislike my 'sad-sad child living on his own' trick, I guess its time I won't bother with the whole crying, break down and kissing up to ya sorta thing." I say. "But, if you want the reason you shouldn't murder me, I don't have any."

I look up and smile at Talon.

"Just a highly-charismatic young colt who can usually swindle ponies no problem." I say, starting to get an insane look in my eye. "So just go ahead, make my day. Break a bone! Smash a rib! Avenge the spider!"

I'm starting to look extremely insane now.

"It's not like you have anything to lose! Just a young child, too young to even attend school." I smile. "Who in Equestria would care if I was simply mangled up and left to die?"

An insanity twitch is now developing.

"Wow." Talon laughed as he manhandled him up. "Could of took my hat so many times it's almost sickening. And here you call yourself a swindler."

Talon shook her head with disappointing eyes at the waspish foal. She lifted her hoof, looking ready to strike the first hit, but stopped and simple knocked on his head. "That punch would of ended your life. So technically speaking that 'highly-charismatic young colt who can usually swindle ponies no problem' is died now. He was killed by Talon Nor, The Counter in the 8th street slums. Which means your life is mine now kid. Also your name is kid now, cause that's all you are."

Talon rubbed her eyebrow as she looked across the street with displeased look. "Now come on Kid. Your mine now and I feel like getting pizza. I'll break your bones tomorrow, or next week. Sometime." She waved her hoof at the idea so it went away as she looked both ways before crossing the street. Expecting you to follow.

I laughed as I followed along.

"Alright then." I said. "I guess I could tag along with you for awhile."

As I continue over to you.

"Oh, two things before we continue on." I mention. "First of all, How'd you like my insane act? Used it to get away from a guard once."

"And second, if i'm not such a highly charismatic young colt, why didn't you simply end me?"

"Kid. What your doing is called a lot of talking. When ponies do a lot of talking to me I break them in two, because when you make your mouth a road-runner. I trip you." Talon pushed open the door to the pizza shop as she sat down at one of the red and white checked tables and sits on the stump looking bored.

Talon hadn't saved the colt cause he did anything to impress her, in fact she sort of hated him. She had a few reason why she decided to take the colt in. As to what they were remains to be seen. "Large pie! The works!" Talon banged the table as she checked to make sure no one had pick-pocketed her. She set the money on the table as the cook got to work. His accent made him sound flamboyant, yet gruff.

"So how old are you Kid?" She asked as she looked him over. Only now did she notice the dark brown coat with the coarse black hair. Also his coat was surprising clean for living on the street considering he lived on the street. Bet he washes himself in fountains or something stupid like that twice a day.

"Ehehehe...I...I honestly don't know..." I laughed half-heartedly. "I think i'm in the...four to five years area...?"

I then put an obviously sarcastic flirty face on and say in a pseudo charmed tone "Why ya askin'?"