Here is something I have started. I don't know when I will have time to work on it. 

Down by the dock, the fog rolled in thick off the water. It was night and the temperature was dropping, which caused the humidity in the air to condense into water. The ports of Manehatten were often busy late at night. After all, ships might come into port at any hour. However, ships usually waited until morning to unload or leave port. Therefore, while it wasn’t unheard of to see ponies at the docks at night, it was not common either. Most ponies avoided the docks at night in any case, due to the underhooved activities that went on there.

Daring Do pulled her trench coat collar higher and her large fedora hat lower. Not that any pony would recognize her. She was supposed to inspect some incoming cargo, keeping in mind that “cargo” didn’t have to be legal. That was why it was best to not ask too many questions. Do learned early in her career as a freelance archeologist that sometimes knowing too much was a bad thing. Some of her contacts had informed her that a certain object was arriving and that she could purchase it.

Do tried to keep to the shadows as much as possible, avoiding the street lamps. She listened to the waves lap against the dock, the creaking of the ropes that kept the boats tethered, and, in the distance, the occasional late night delivery truck. She took a circuitous path between warehouses, eventually coming to a port near the end of the dock. Sticking close to the corner of a building, Do watched the shadowy figures as they unloaded crates from the docked ship. Two ponies carried the crates from the gangplank while another pony took inventory.

She slowly approached the figures. When she stepped into the circle of light cast by a nearby street lamp, the pony taking inventory saw her and called to the others. The other two ponies put down the crate they were carrying and all three came to her. “Who’s that?” the first one said, as he hefted a pry bar in this forehooves.

Never one to show fear, Do stopped and cleared her throat, “I was told you ponies might have an item for sale.”

“These items aren’t for sale. Check one of the shops in the morning,” the first pony said. The other two ponies tried to flank Do, trying to be intimidating without looking like they wanted to attack her. They wanted merely to scare her off.

Daring Do slowly pulled a small bag from inside her coat and showed it to the characters. She opened the bag and revealed a wad of money. The first pony came up to her, stepping into the light as well. He was certainly a rough looking pony, with a few days’ worth of beard and a tooth pick in his mouth. He looked at the bank notes, then at Do, trying to see her face hidden under her hat. “Mm, yes, perhaps we can make a deal here.” He motioned for the other ponies to keep an eye out for others while he directed Do to step up to the crate. “Looking for anything specific?”

“Yes,” Do said, keeping her voice low, “A map.”

“Yes,” the pony harrumphed. “You were the one I was to meet. Here,” he took his pry bar and opened one of the crates. Inside, on top of the other items, was a wooden case. He opened the case and showed it to Do. Inside the case was a stack of old papers, specifically, maps. She reached out to examine them but the pony that showed them to her snapped the case shut. “This isn’t a library. Take it or leave it. I ain’t got all night.”

“Fine,” she said and hoofed the bag of money to the pony. He quickly counted the money and nodded. Daring Do was about the take the case when she was stopped by a shout from somepony.

“Everypony freeze! Keep your hooves where we can see them!”

“The police! We’ve been had,” said one of the ponies who had been moving the crates.

“Relax,” said the first pony, as four officers surrounded the group. “There ain’t no crime in moving cargo at night.”

“But there is a crime against smuggling ancient relics without going through official channels,” said the lead officer as he produced a badge. “Now everypony back away from the crates and sit down.”

Daring Do didn’t like the situation. She could plead ignorance. She could simply deny any involvement. There was no evidence against her. The maps weren’t yet in her possession. On the other hoof, these alleged smugglers would probably implicate her in their activities. Would they confess to taking her money, thus admitting to selling contraband? Did they have more to lose or more to gain by admitting that? Do didn’t want to take any chances. She saw the pry bar on the dock and stomped on it as hard as she could. Like stepping on a rake, the pry bar flipped up into the air. Do’s aim was perfect. The pry bar flipped end over end and struck the light above them, breaking it and casting the area into shadow.

The other ponies began speaking all at once. The police were yelling orders and the alleged smugglers were scrambling to escape. Working on the memory of where the crate was, Daring Do ran to it, opened it, felt inside for the wooden case, grabbed it, and attempted her escape. As she ran, she placed the case in her bag and snapped it shut. Somepony, presumably one of the police, made a grab for her. She slipped out of her coat leaving the officer with a hoof full of empty jacket.

Luckily for Do, the police were too busy trying to apprehend the others. Perhaps they were expecting only the three alleged smugglers and weren’t prepared for her arrival. In any case, she ran to the edge of the dock and jumped off. She could only guess at how far the surface of the water was. She spread her wings and glided above the water. It was too risky to go higher, in case there were pegasi covering the air. She heard the police shout after her.

A pegasus pony took off after her. Do could hear the officer’s flapping wings. She flew around the back of a ship and then circled around to its front. When she got there, she circled around the front of the next one. This was the last ship on this end of the pier. She flew out over the open water, hoping to get lost in the dark. She flew as fast as she could and didn’t look back. It felt like she was flying for hours, but it was probably just a few minutes. To her left, off in the distance, she saw the lights of the city. She pulled up and stopped, hovering in the air.

Panting heavily, Daring Do caught her breath. She had no idea that she had flown so far away from land. Looking around, she couldn’t see anypony following her. It seemed that she had shaken the police. She felt her bag to make sure the wooden case was still with her. Sighing in relief when she felt the bulge of the case, she started flying back toward the shore.

Despite the cool night, Do had worked up a sweat. Now that her pulse was slowing, she began to feel chilly. She was exhausted by the time she made it to the shore. This part of the shore was near the edge of town. Do found a road to land on. At this hour, there was no traffic.

She walked back into the city to her hotel. Lucky for her there were no police waiting there. Apparently the police had been staking out the docks for the smugglers, and weren’t looking for her. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She went inside, ignoring the pony at the front desk. Her room was on the second floor. The stairs reminded her of a lost temple. Her mind was already thinking about where her map would lead her. But for now she was too tired. She entered her room, locked the door, collapsed onto the bed, and fell asleep. The dawn would bring a new day and the start of a new adventure.