To most ponies, the sun not rising at the correct time was something to worry about. For you it presented more opportunities to secure your place within the group, and there was still plenty of room in your saddlebags. A quick glance down the street either way showed that the crowds were still some distance away, giving you time to slip into the house that you knew was empty. You had just opened a ground floor window when you heard a foal crying, looking over the hedge to see a young unicorn filly in the middle of the street… and the mass of panicking ponies heading right towards her.

You acted within a heartbeat, tearing off your saddlebags and chucking them down the road, where they ripped open and spread your ill gotten goods across the cobblestones. The impromptu plan worked, the lead ponies stopping as the valuable items grabbed their attention, and you used their hesitation to leap from the garden you were in and grab the filly, just as the crowd began brawling over who was taking what.

You quickly checked the filly over to make sure she was uninjured, then drew her close and held her tightly in your forelegs as you flapped your wings and rose above the riot. It didn’t take you long to spot an open door, a unicorn mare looking under the hooves of the fighting ponies from her garden. You dropped down behind her and cleared your throat, the mare jumping around with a gasp, her eyes focusing straight onto the filly.

You let her go and nodded to the mare, then took off once more, giving a sigh lamenting your lost booty. The waters of Baltimare Bay reflected the moonlight back up at you, illuminating the whole area, and you set course for the large buildings on the other side of the bay, gaze centred on the shadows of the factories.

You were in no rush, so just took a leisurely glide, keeping just a few meters above the water, eventually landing on a half rotten pier, wings folding as you trotted towards the glow coming from around a corner, looking forward to the warm fire and hot meal.

“You’re forgetting something, Cage.”

You stopped, a chill going over your back as you looked up, seeing a ring of light in the shadows. An earth pony stallion, many years your senior stepped out, looking at your bare back before sitting down and puffing once more on his cigar and motioning to you with a hoof; you knew he was giving you a chance to explain before you got wet.

“There was a filly, not even five years old. If I didn’t do something, she wouldn’t make it to five.”

“So you dumped your score to save somepony who couldn’t save themselves?”

“I did.”

His eyes narrowed at you, then he stood up and cracked his back out, stepping to the side and giving you room to pass. “Get something to eat, Cage, then get some rest. Got a job for ya tonight.”

Three years later and you were in the same street, watching with a smile through a window as the now eight year old filly got to stay up as late as she wanted for her birthday; hanging around her neck was a small, heart-shaped locket, something you had slipped into her card. Shaking your head with a sigh, you flew up above the houses and made your way two streets over, entering a gate into the front garden of a medium size mansion. A shiver ran up your spine, and you turned around to just catch a shadow move behind a wall.

Ignoring whoever it was, you slipped up to a window on the ground floor, which was left open, and entered into the house. The place belonged to one of the rich list, whose snores you could hear even on the ground floor. She never wanted for anything, her coffers filled to the brim with bits, but still her house was missing other things…. she must have been a lonely mare. After exploring and filling your saddlebags with various expensive looking items, you slipped into the master bedroom and almost burst out laughing; lying next to the mare on the bed were several rentcolts from down near the docks.

All of the items you had purloined so far were just bonuses, stuff you’d sell to your fences, and the real target was now in sight, but hard to get at, as the mare still had it around her neck. You backed out of the room and slipped your saddlebags off, then re entered and climbed onto the bed. The mare began to stir, knocking aside a couple of the colts, and you took your chance; as her eyes fluttered open you pressed into a passionate kiss, the mare squirming and moaning happily under you.

With the good fortune that comes from having pegasi dexterity, you used one wing to cover you both from the other males, whilst the other one slipped behind her neck. Your lips pulled away and the pair of you panted for breath, then you chuckled when you felt her tongue searching for yours. Who ever said being a thief was no fun? As your prize wasn’t free just yet, you slipped a forehoof down her body and between her thighs, which locked tightly around your limb.

What would have looked like a fumbling wing finished its task, and you moved from her mouth and down her neck, the mare moaning as you nibbled your way. She was silenced by one of the other colts kissing her, and you looked up, smirking at the wink he threw you; this was the pony that left the window open for you. The mare’s legs spread wide once more as his hoof joined yours, giving you the chance to make an exit, and you took it.

Humming quietly once you left the room and slipped back into your saddlebags, you glided down to the ground floor and brazenly walked out the front door, which was not even locked. What kind of brainless pony doesn’t lock their doors at night? Well, she’d have a nice shock when she woke up the next day, by which point it would be far too late for her to recover any missing items. Letting the door close behind you, you walked down the path and into the street, trotting on your way whilst still feeling a pony watching you.

You kept going until you hit the docks, slipping into an alley between two warehouses, and as expected heard hoofsteps following you. Your breathing got heavier as you expected the Baltimare guard to come for you, but what came into the light certainly wouldn’t be arresting you.

You stepped towards the pony, now revealed to be a pegasus a couple of years older than you, in a pretty sorry state. He looked like he hadn’t eaten in days, and his lips were cracked, his eyes staring at you and not at you at the same time. You nodded your head at him and left the alley, using some wooden steps to get under the warehouse.

You dumped your saddlebags on a pile of others, then stepped closer to the fire and accepted the bowl of baked beans passed to you. The sound of a rumbling stomach caused the other ponies to look behind you, and your boss stepped closer to the newcomer. Without a word the pegasus was waved over, sitting next to you as the boss motioned for a share of the food to be passed to him, whilst the earth pony draped a blanket over the young pegasus’ back.

You might not have been part of the most honourable group, but they, and you by extension, never turned a pony in need away. Who knows, maybe you’d make a friend out of him?

“Sky Runner.” Your fellow pegasus just remained asleep in the alley where you had found him, so you gently shook him. “Sky Runner! Come on dude, the boss won’t like it if you’re not out of here soon!” He gave a groan as he sat up, cracking open an eye to see where he was. “Come on, boss has called us in.”

“Buck off, I’m a freelancer.” His speech was still slightly slurred, his breath stinking worse than the sewers. He tried to roll back over, but you stopped him with a hoof. He stood up and groaned, the noise from the busy market place pounding in making him wince. He stumbled after you whilst moaning, squinting to block the daylight that invaded his vision. “Why does he always have these meetings in the morning?”

“It’s three in the afternoon.” He just grunted at you in response, a steady stream of mumbling as he followed you to the docks, the boss spotting you as soon as you rounded some barrels.

“About time you got here! Sky, Cage, I’ve got a good one for you. Some rich pegasi have just bought a fair sized house on the east side. They’re moving in tomorrow, but their things are here now. Scout the place out and let me know what you find.”

The two of you gave him a nod, spreading your wings and heading across the river. There was only one estate of interest there, so it wasn’t hard to find the building with a moving carriage outside it. You settled onto a cloud, watching for your opportunity to get inside.

Night was falling when the last work pony left, the carriage moving away. Sky nodded over to you and he dropped from the cloud, immediately taking the highest floor. He found an open window and slipped in, whilst you drifted lazily down to the front door, which opened to reveal a glaring Sky.

“He said tomorrow. They’re here now!”

“Well, let’s be extra careful then.” He gave you a nod and stood to the side to let you in, then locked the door, just in case the ponies came down and noticed it open. The pair of you split the house into two separate halves, taking a side each and looking through the rooms. You found several trinkets, but nothing of value, except for a rather large marble statue of Princess Celestia.

She was rearing up on her hindlegs, wings mid spread ready for flight . It would be too heavy for you and Sky to move, yet the sparkling jewels in her regalia were perfect for taking. A little small, but enough to provide food for a week for the whole group. You hovered up to it and gripped the diamond shaped amethyst with your teeth, giving it a good tug.

The gem wouldn’t budge, so you placed your back hooves against the statue’s thighs in order to get some purchase, and your ears twitched as you heard a cracking noise. You didn’t have time to move as the statue’s back legs broke and the now unsupported torso fell onto you, breaking into several pieces, the largest of which had you pinned.

You heard a thud from upstairs, followed by Sky running in to find you struggling free, shaking his head at you. You were about to head back out into the hall, but a flash stopped you, a unicorn stallion standing at the front door. “Hmm, it’s still locked.” He turned your way, and Sky pointed to the window, ushering you towards it.

He managed to get it open and let you out first, then you turned to help him follow, but he wasn’t climbing out. He had in fact moved over to a desk and was looking at a photo on it.

“Fl-f-fluttershy?”

“Who’s in there? Show yourself!”

Even though he was your friend, you weren’t going to get caught as well, quickly taking wing and heading back to the docks.

Three days you had been looking for Sky Runner, yet there was no sign of him, so you changed tactics. Spotting the unicorn stallion and earth pony mare leaving their house where he was caught, you shifted the cloud you were using for cover along, keeping out of sight to those on the ground. They met up with another mare, a pegasus that shared the same coat and mane colour as the earth pony, donning a rather swollen stomach, and after a round of hugs they continued moving.

It didn’t take them long to reach their destination, one of the Baltimare guard stations. They were in there for a good couple of hours, but when they emerged there was another pony following them, his head down as he trudged along. You pushed your cloud above them for a few more blocks until Sky Runner stopped and turned around, looking up at you, so you nodded towards the docks
.
He shook his head in reply, pointing a hoof at the mare in front of him, then back towards the guard station, where a steady stream of armoured ponies was pouring from. He met your gaze again and you nodded, taking wing in the opposite direction to the docks. There was no way for you to get back and warn the boss, but you knew where the others operated. Perhaps you could warn them and get out of the city. Either way. Sky was in the clear, and you were still free.

“Cage, got one for you!” You slid off your cot in the small room, moving to the door that led into a narrow hallway. Slid under your door was a brown envelope that had no markings at all, the pony that deposited it long gone by now. This is how your drops came these days, a letter telling you what to get and where from, and had been like it for the past year or so.

Trotting over to the small desk in the corner, you picked up a small knife and cut the envelope open, letting the contents spill on the desk. One sheet contained a map of a town, several lines showing infiltration and exfiltration routes, guard stations highlighted, and the target’s home. Another contained a description of the item that was sought after, as well as where to take it after successfully liberating it from its rightful owners.

You committed it all to memory and then dumped it into a small metal bin, reaching up to open the window. A quick match strike and the files began to burn, standard procedure, whilst you collected your saddlebags. Sure, you had one target, but pilfering other goods to sell yourself was allowed in this particular thieves’ guild… as long as it wasn’t something that was ‘on order’.

Once you were set, you left your small room and headed down the corridor, nodding to the inn keeper as he went up to his room; he was on the payroll too, all you paid for was food. The cool evening air of Canterlot greeted you when you stepped out into the back yard, the sun hidden behind a high wall.

It didn’t take long to reach the train station, several guards having already clocked you as you walked through the doors. Just play the game for now, don’t give them a reason. You calmly trotted over to the ticket booth, where the mare sat inside took a few moments to notice you.

“Oh, good evening. Where are you heading to, honey?”

“Ponyville, please. Single.” You hoofed over the right amount of bits, took your ticket and headed out to the platform, to wait for your train.

Author's Note

Yeah, I know about Scorched. I had it on my RIL list for ages, but never got around to it, and it was gone when I got rid of everything.

So, only similarities, as far as I know, is it's AJ and 'you're' a thief. I've already been in contact with the author of Scorched, but haven't head back from him/her yet.