"Gild. The weekly report is in."

"Do tell."

"Crime seems to be falling in some areas of Canterlot, but..."

"But?"

"Theft has hit an all time high. Seems the thieves of Canterlot have formed a guild. Perhaps. It's the theory around the guards. They leave little trinkets behind at each place."

"What trinkets are those?"

"They vary, but they all seem to have a piece of fruit in their hooves."

"So... They're figurines?"

"Yes Captain. We've got the tracker's on it now. Hopefully we can find them by the end of the fortnight."

"Good... Bring me one of these figurines. I want to see one."

"Of course Captain."

"Dismissed."

"Swift! Status report."

Swift rushed into the room, seating himself before Ambrosia. The pair were in a small warehouse not far from Swift's own base of operations, although he'd found himself here more than anywhere else recently. He'd been taking valuables left and right with the help of his team, and their coffers were growing.

"Yes!" He said, trying very hard not to use his affectionate mannerisms, "Theft of the Medium Class ponies is going as planned," he continued, "We're steadily filling the coffers with gold. However, I still maintain it would go much faster if we go after the Nobles and Royalty rather than the working class. They're a little harder, but they're much more rewarding."

"And if we do that," She replied sternly, "We risk bringing the guard down upon our heads like a tonne of bricks. No, we start small. How's recruitment going?"

At this, swift hesitated.

"That is a bit more of a problem. My people are trying Amber, but it's hard to get thieves that aren't entirely paranoid and don't believe us. Informants, on the other hoof, are much easier."

"How's the informants going then?"

"Very well!" Swift said proudly, "We haven't gotten the best eyes yet, but we have a few. Prostitutes around Canterlot have agreed to help us for a fee per piece of information, and several of my ponies have figured out a few secrets, as per your orders. We haven't started on the possible workers just yet, but we do have some dirt on a few nobles,collected from their own servants, that we could use as leverage."

"Nobles?" Ambrosia asked sharply. Swift flinched back, "Nobles? Didn't I say we start with workers? Not Nobles?"

"Workers are almost impossible to blackmail!" Swift replied heatedly, "Ain't no way workers'll get any info either! Nobles have influence, Nobles have power. This ain't my first Rodeo love, and it won't be my last. Might be the first of this size, but still."

Ambrosia glared at Swift for a long moment, thinking about his words. He had a point, she surmised. Most of the most influential ponies in Canterlot were bound to have some dirt on them they could use for blackmail.

"Alright then," She said demurely, raising a brow at him, "You may proceed to blackmail the nobles, but don't mention my name. Blackmail them, but keep it simple. Make sure you get some workers though, especially employees in Economics and construction. I want to know what's going where and when, and I want to know how Canterlot ticks. Understood?"

Swift looked quite pleased with himself and was almost smiling.

"Yes Amber, we'll get right on it. I'll write the letters myself!"

"Do so. And hurry about it."

Swift nodded swiftly and ran out, Ambrosia was only alone for a few seconds before Hood walked slowly in from a hidden room on the lefthand side.

"He's going to try and betray you you know," He said in his lilting accent. Ambrosia nodded.

"I know."

"It will most likely be soon after you have given him more informants. 'E likes his information, it makes theft easier."

"I know... I just need to outsmart him," She replied simply, "He simply must remember, you can't outfox a fox, and certainly not a vixen."

Hood chuckled under his breath.

"Be careful your confidence does not escalate into arrogance, Amber," He said with a smile. Ambrosia laughed gently.

"Don't be absurd. Now, when is this muscle of yours coming? You promised him ages ago you know."

Hood swallowed a little.

"Yes... He should be coming round about now, actually. He had a few drawbacks in his hunt, so things took longer than planned."

"I'm starting to think I won't even need him," Ambrosia said with a shrug, "I've started without, why bother now?"

Hood seemed about to answer, but a voice echoed through the room and made them both look to the door.

"Because sometimes threat of force is the only thing that will move a pony."

In through the door walked one of the biggest equines Ambrosia had ever met.

His name was Zubari. Covering his body were scars of past encounters. As a seeker for the Shadowstripe tribe, he had a lot of free time. So in this free time, he took the time as a Bounty Hunter. He stood easily head and shoulders taller than anypony else in the room, and twice as broad. Around his neck was a tribal necklace, with a crescent pendant in the center of the other decorations. He was big, he was imposing, he was powerful.

"Zubari?"

He was also a frequent patron of Ambrosia's Golden Star Brothel.

Zubari blinked in confusion and looked closer.

"Amber? Well I'll be damned."

"Zubari! When did you get back in town?"

"A few hours ago," He answered with a grin, trotting over to the seated pony and letting her hug him, hugging her back, "Had a bit of trouble with a few larger than life lizards, had to take care of it for a payday. What're you doing here? What about the star?"

Hoodlum, who'd been watching the entire thing in utter, utter confusion, finally found his voice.

"You two... know each other?"

Ambrosia and Zubari both looked at Hood, Ambrosia in mild amusement, Zubari in obvious disgust.

"Who, Zubari and me? Of course!" Ambrosia said with a giggle, "He's one of my best patrons. Every job he does, he comes back here and spent some of his money at the star, a new girl almost every time and sometimes a meal. He's always welcome in my house~"

"Unlike certain bastards," Zubari spat venomously, "I am actually welcome wherever I go, Zukra."

"Zukra?" Ambrosia asked, her turn now to look confused, "Zukra? No, that's Hoodlum."

"His name is Zukra," Zubari continued, ignoring Hood's sigh, "He's a fugitive from the Zebra tribes, accused of practice of Necromancy and high level forbidden Voodoo magics."

"I am not a Necromancer," Hood muttered quietly. Ambrosia didn't hear him, but her face had paled.

"Necromancy?" She asked, obviously scared, "Like, real Necromancy? Bringing dead ponies to life type stuff?"

"I'm not a Necromancer," He uttered again, once more ignored as Zubari spoke over him.

"Yeah. He was ratted out by his apprentice. Stupid if you ask me, trying to bring your apprentice into Necromancy."

"I am not. A Necromancer."

"But... that means he's a fugitive here as well!"

"I AM NOT A BLASTED NECROMANCER!"

The pair of equines, previously ignoring the slowly steaming Hoodlum/Zukra, turned and looked at him in shock, Zubari actually turning his whole body and settling into a defensive stance. Hoodlum glared at Zubari and Ambrosia both, a dark power in his eye that was not to be ignored.

"I never practiced the foul art of Necromancy," He spat angrily, "I will not touch it, nor would I condone my apprentice touch it. I will not deny the use of Voodoo arts considered forbidden, but never would I stoop to such a level as necromancy. My former apprentice is a liar, a fool, and a charlatan. Dis conversation is over! I will not allow my already tarnished name from Zebrica be fouled further by an ignorant bounty hunter with a fetish for liars!"

Zubari's face went flat and he shifted in his stance whilst Ambrosia looked at Hood, stunned and silent. Dead eyes stared soullessly at Hoodlum as Zubari readied to attack.

"You speak one word, Shaman," He said, "And you will be dead before you hit the floor."

"Inhlupho phezu kwakho, Zubari," Hoodlum spat, "Everything special about you came out of a bottle!"

There was a split second of silence before Zubari blurred into a black and white line of movement, racing towards Hoodlum. Hoodlum, it appears, had anticipated this and threw himself to the side as Zubari threw a punch at his face, glancing off of his cheek and Hood rolled and stood, body beginning to swirl with energy as he started to speak. Zubari, however, wouldn't have it, and hurled himself again. Hood tried to dodge, but Zubari caught him full in the chest and left Hood gasping for breath Zubari went for a second strike to the face, but this one Hood blocked, catching the big zebra. That too, however, ended up being a mistake, and Zubari made an advantage of being countered, throwing the other zebra over his shoulder. Hood hit the floor hard, but seemed to be mostly okay, a miracle for one so much slighter, and he barely dodged a hoof thundering towards his face.

"Gwthiwch galetach na'r byd yn gwthio yn ôl. Ysbryd!"

Zubari had barely any time to react as, with the completed incantation, Hood blasted out an impression of himself, hitting Zubari full in the chest, neck and head and sending him through the air, crashing into the ceiling, and falling back down. This, however, only seemed to focus him further, and he lunged again, this time seeming much more aware of Hood's swift incantations. But Hood was already halfway into his next incantation.

"Troelli'r fagl o fil llinyn-"

"ENOUGH!"

The powerful, authoritative voice of Ambrosia burst through the halls, destroying Hood's focus and making Zubari pause. Both of them looked back at Ambrosia.

"You will not fight in my house!" She snarled, stomping her hoof with a note of finality, "It is my house! And you WILL follow my rules! Combat is to remain strictly outside of any safehouse, and what's more, any combat hence forth, even if it's somepony slapping somepony else, with the exception of my girls when I get them back, Punishment will be swift and severe."

Zubari frowned, and looked back at Hoodlum. Hood glared back at Zubari, but did slowly sit down, clamping his mouth shut. He still looked pissed, but he didn't speak. Following his example, Zubari backed down from his target reluctantly. Ambrosia glared at them both for a long moment, making sure they had the point, and weren't going to keep fighting. When they were silent and unmoving for a while, she huffed.

"That's better. We have a bigger threat to fight, and his name is Gild. It's name is the Royal Guard. It's name is corruption. We are a criminal organisation, I won't deny that. But we have a reason to fight, and that's to get back my home. A home for my girls. Do you understand me?"

Both stallions nodded. Ambrosia huffed again, as though she didn't believe them, or was unimpressed.

"You'd better. The moment you start questioning my authority again, I'll have you both thrown out and given up to the Royal Guard, you understand me?"

This made them both pause and look at each other. Give them up? to the guard? That was new. Hood shrugged. He hadn't seen such aggression in her before.

"I understand," He said in his lilting accent, "But I do not approve."

"Duly noted, Zukra," She snapped harshly, making him flinch. She turned her red hot gaze upon Zubari, and even he shied back.

"Do you accept employment, Zubari?" She snarled, "Or am I throwing you out now?"

"No Princess," he finally chuckled, raising a brow through her newfound respect for her, "I accept."

"Good," She snapped, "Then you're now my escort. You and Hood better learn to get along, because you're both with me. Whenever I leave this place, you will be with me. You will learn to be unnoticed, you will learn to be ready at a moment's notice. Do you understand me?"

"Naturally," Zubari said, "Anything else?"

"Yes, actually," She responded, "You will do as I say, when I say. If I tell you to threaten somepony, you threaten them. If I tell you to beat them, you do so. If I tell you," She paused to glare at Hood, "To curse somepony, you will damn well curse them. Do you both understand me?"

They both accepted, although Hood a bit grudgingly.

"Good. Now fall in. Our first raid on Gild's forces start tonight. We'll either destroy his reputation, or destroy him."

~*~

"Sir, I got you one of the trinkets, as you requested."

"Excellent. Let me see it guardspony."

There was a quiet clinking sound as something hard met Gild's desk and a moment of silence.

"Hmm. Cheap little thing, isn't it?"

"Yes Captain, it is. We assume it's so they can be purchased in bulk. As a result, we have come to the conclusion that whomsoever has been stealing these things must have a large amount of them stashed somewhere in their home, or safehouse."

Gild looked at the soldier skeptically.

"And you think ponies capable of stealing what these ponies have been stealing are simply going to leave these things lying around the house?"

The guard shifted uncomfortably.

"W-well no sir... We just surmised it'd be easier to find our mark if we got warrants to search warehouses, derelict buildings and other popular hideout like buildings. If we can look through the buildings most likely to hold up thieves, it might make our search easier, and use less of our forces."

Gild glared at the soldier for a long moment, before setting the figurine, which he'd just picked up, back on the desk. It was a little black model of a mare holding a piece of fruit in her hoof.

"It's Ambrosia, I know it. Nopony else has an ego big enough to leave a calling card behind after theft. 'Cept that bloody Dark Fox. We caught that bastard yet?"

"No sir. He keeps evading us."

"Damn... Well, when he pokes his head up again, I want him found and locked up. I won't have another thief running around Canterlot if we've got a guild to handle. You understand?"

"Yes Captain, clear as crystal."

"Good. Dismissed."

"Yes Captain."

Author's Note

Rough Translations (I say rough because it WAS made with Google Translate)

Inhlupho phezu kwakho, Zubari! = A plague upon you, Zubari!

Gwthiwch galetach na'r byd yn gwthio yn ôl. Ysbryd! = Push harder than the world can push back, Spirit!

Troelli'r fagl o fil llinyn = was leading into roughly 'Spin a trap of a thousand strands'

Anything I missed? Zubari belongs to Jay, as I think I've already said.