As The City Sleeps

Chapters

The Job
Betrayal
Skipping Town
The Library
Hostage Situation
Red-Hoofed

The Job

“Wake up, Shift. Time to go.”

I responded with a practiced tone of disinterest. “Fuck off. Let me sleep.”

A soft jab in the ribs rousted me from my semi-conscious stupor and brought me into full awareness of my surroundings- the dingy, dank room that I called home. I rolled off the straw-lined mattress I had been sleeping on and shuddered at the cold surface of the stone floor.

“We’ve been planning this for too many months for you to blow it off now. Grab your stuff and get ready. Lifter will be pissed if you put us off schedule.”

“Whatever. Now get out of here while I get ready, I’ll meet you upstairs.”

Slink rolled his eyes and left. I chuckled. My “apprentice” of sorts was always eager, sometimes too much so. I opened the drawer of the splintery old cabinet and withdrew my clothing of choice for missions such as these, solid black and composed of a material that didn’t make noise as it rubbed against itself- excellent for stealth.

Which, if our target had not changed, was imperative.

I finished getting dressed and made my way up the spiral staircase to the top level of the underground hideout my Organization had established for itself. The tunnel network had once served as a clandestine escape route for local government figures, but had long since been permanently sealed off- that was until The Organization discovered a way to reopen it. Those who had knowledge of the tunnel network had long ago written it off as inaccessible. And were also completely ignorant of the several modifications the Organization had made to it. Such as an access to the city sewer system. The residents above had no idea that we had direct access to most of their homes and municipal buildings.

I groaned. Although the Organization had developed an efficient and somewhat sanitary method for traversing the sewer system, I still thought it difficult to stoop to such lows, especially for operators of our caliber.

I passed through the common area, where several of my “associates” who would not be accompanying me on this outing sat, either eating, consuming alcohol, or both. Several of them were passed out in drunken stupor, and I may have joined them if not for the importance of this mission.

I reached the heavily barricaded main entrance to our section of the tunnel system. Several of our burliest members stood watch there, ready to knock out any who were unfortunate enough to stumble upon our hideout, and drag them to a chamber deep in the tunnels for an advanced round of questioning. Most of them were just homeless, but we had caught several individuals who eventually spilled the beans that they were sent to investigate us by the local government.

After some persuasion.

We had drawn their interest, sure. We had pulled too many jobs not to. But they didn’t know our size, strength, and more importantly, our exact location, yet. It was paramount that we kept it that way. Which would be even harder after this next job, no matter which way it went.

Lifter and the others waited near the gate for me. “Took you long enough” he snorted at me with feigned disinterest.

“Don’t start with me. If you bothered waking me up, it’s obvious you’ve got something for me to do that you can’t do yourself.”

“Oh, please, Shift. You’ve sat through my briefings. You know every detail of this op. So stop fucking around with me.”

“Whatever. Let’s get this show on the road so I can get back in bed.”

With that, Lifter motioned towards the guard, who turned a massive crank, manipulating a pulley system to lift the heavy, solid steel gate. The gate had a strange shimmer, a product of the enchantment put upon it, which would deliver a massive electric shock to whoever touched it. Quite an impressive security system.

We walked through it. Five of us- Me, Lifter, Slink, Tumbler, our specialist safecracker, and Deadbolt, the muscle. So named because he had once kicked an iron door right off its hinges. Knocking out the guard behind it in the process. I had to consciously go against my nature not to make fun of him- although Deadbolt probably wouldn’t retaliate in a way that was physically detrimental to me, I didn’t want to push my luck.

Our party emerged from the manhole into the dingy cobblestone alleyway. Lifter poked his head slowly above street-level, ensuring the coast was clear. Then, he motioned the rest of us up. We emerged into the cool night air, a light misting of rain coming down around us. The torchlit street flickered as a cool breeze swept down it. We donned black balaclavas that complemented the rest of our dark clothing nicely- Every member of the party wore clothing similar to mine. It clung to our forms nicely, and concealed our identities by obscuring our marks and facial traits. Nothing could sour a job faster than pulling it off, thinking you had gotten away without a hitch, and then being taken in by the Guard because you were identified by your unique and unmistakable mark.

With no further word we followed Lifter as he dashed off into the shadows, being careful to not make a sound. Normally, I liked to immediately get airborne, but our particular target tonight was well-equipped to deal with assaults from the air. Such as a barrier covering the entire place, which if some unfortunate soul were to fly into, would deliver a paralyzing shock, and a subsequent fall from however high he happened to be. So, low and slow was the name of tonight’s game.

We kept enough space between us to stay inconspicuous and to make sure any threat would be unsure of our numbers. Eventually, our group arrived in the shadows of a large gothic building, it’s tall spires reaching into the skies. The Institute. The city’s oldest center for Magical studies. And as such was home to some of the world’s most impervious security measures to protect its numerous secrets, not to mention it’s numerous riches.

That’s what we were here for. This operation had been on the planning table for a long time, and most folks thought Lifter was crazy for even attempting it. Me, I was just in it for the pay. And the pay for this job would be bountiful. I could quit the life forever on the back of this. Not that I was likely to do that. I loved it too much.

See, these missions gave me a thrill like nothing else in the world could. There was no adrenaline rush to rival intruding into a highly forbidden place, defeating barriers both magical and conventional, not to mention security who would have no qualms about killing interlopers like me on sight. It was exhilarating. And that feeling of exhilaration came rushing in full force when I stood in the looming shadows casted by that building against the milky light of the moon above.

We assembled in the alley of the building across the street, keeping our voices low.

“What do you think?” Murmured Lifter. “Easy as pie, right?”

I sized up the fortress with a practiced eye. “If the shift schedules haven’t changed, the guards should be moving in five minutes. And if the blueprints you stole are accurate, and i’d be inclined to think that they are, given that you stole them from the offices of the city’s master architect, and that this building hasn’t had a renovation in over a thousand years, and if Slink doesn’t fuck this up again-”

That caught me another jab in the ribs. I had to stifle laughter so as to not blow our cover.

“-Then, yes, it should be easy as pie..”

Lifter grinned. “Happy we dragged you out of your cave now? Come on, let’s be back in time for drinks.”

I nodded. “Drinks sound nice right now. Okay, everyone knows the plan, eh? Bolt, you just stay here and look pretty, and be ready to take out any pursuers when we go hightailing outta here.”

Deadbolt nodded. “I’m getting bored of the punching bag. I’m all for that.”

“Alright, gang, let’s get rich. Well, rich-er...”

We crept up to the front gate. We knew that this particular area was a blindspot to the guard stationed in the spire hundreds of feet above- a design flaw that had so far remained unnoticed throughout the centuries.

“Slink, you’re up.” Said Lifter. I could tell Slink was grinning under his mask- another opportunity to practice his de-enchantment abilities. Magic users were incredibly foreign to me. It was a very complex and shadowy ability, but then complex and shadowy were two words that very aptly described my lifestyle. Moreso it was the inner channeling that magic users had to undergo in order to do much more than levitate an apple. Slink, despite his youth and inexperience, was shaping up to be a formidable asset when it came to dealing with magical barriers. And, in this world, there’s a general rule of thumb- if something’s worth a fuck, it’ll be protected by a barrier.

Slink grunted with exertion. His horn shimmered with a dull silver light, which we huddled around him to conceal. “There’s a hole. Go!”

Without pause, we all belly-crawled through the patch of air that was no longer shimmering. This was an active barrier- as in, there was a full time mage somewhere consciously keeping it up. A passive barrier would have been far too easy to break into. As it was, Slink had to make sure not to open a hole too large, or the exertion would be enough to notice on the other end.

We were in the courtyard. We kept to the carefully mapped-out blindspot route, and eventually found ourselves huddled against the wall. I stole a glance upward and marveled at how the tall spire above towered into the murky heavens.

“Hold up. Thirty seconds to guard change..” Muttered Lifter, with a glance at his pocket watch. The timepiece was originally made by one Master Sundial, the city’s pre-eminent watchmaker. It found its way into the possession of my associate Lifter by… well, you can guess. Lifter treasured it, for it’s enchantment kept precise time that couldn’t be matched by any plebeian wind-up piece. The kind of precision necessary for an operation like this.

“Go!” hissed Lifter. We sprinted around an abutment, in full view of the watchtower above. In full view of the guard, should he happen to be looking. However, during our careful observation in the preceding months, we found this guard in particular to be very habitual, and with an obsession for coffee. A weakness, if you asked me. Anyway, this guy liked to cut and run the second his clock indicated shift time, even if that meant his replacement was still on his way up the stairs.

I cursed our organization's shady nature. We hadn’t been able to cut in a mage who’s abilities were sufficient to maintain a high-level illusion. For now, careful planning, quiet movement, and dark clothing would have to suffice. Just the way I liked it.

“Here, third window!” said Tumbler. I didn’t like Tumbler much. He just wasn’t the burgling type. No feel for it- just too mathematical and precise, not apt to listen to his instincts- or maybe they weren’t there. But he was the best safecracker in the city, and where we were heading, we’d need the best.

Here’s where I come in. The third window had a wrought-iron grate that would allow access to a drain-pipe extending down from a roof peak. I unfurled my wings and shot up the side of the building. I had mastered the art of quiet flying and was able to ascend the thirty or so feet to the roofline without a hitch.

I crept along the clay roof, keeping my weight low so as not to make noise- if I cracked one of the tiles under my weight, someone was sure to notice.

I made my way to a dormer, and with a hint of triumph found that our careful observation from a neighboring building with a stolen telescope had not been in error- this window was ajar a crack. Slink had noticed that. I had to give him credit for it.

I slipped a small oil tin from a pocket and laid a bead of it along the window track. No need to blow our cover on something so silly. The window needed a bit of grunt to budge, but once I got it moving, I was able to open it enough to slip in.

I found myself in a dark room, the moonlight from the window only affording some visibility. A mage might conjure up a light, but I had to resort to striking a match. The room was adorned on three sides with expansive bookshelves. The ancient tomes could be worth something, but our intended prey was much better than a couple old books. I resisted the natural urge to rifle through the drawers- I had three minutes to make my way downstairs and let the others in through an ungrated window. I had studied the blueprints enough to make my way downstairs from here, and I crept out into the hall. The carpeted floor provided for easy movements, and the stone floors wouldn't creak like the rickety timbers of a townhouse- still though, I instinctually crept forward, keeping my weight on my front hooves, like a cat ready to pounce on its prey. Except, my prey would be a lot more appetising than your garden-variety mouse or shrew.

A tell-tale noise shook me from my money-crazed imagination. A guard approaching. I could see the torchlight flickering up the stairs. “Fuck!” I hissed, and slunk back into the room. No time to make it back out the window. I flattened myself against the wall behind the bookcase and held my breath. My heart pumped, coursing what felt like pure adrenaline through my veins. This was what I lived for, after all, but in the moment I just tried not to imagine what would happen if I were caught. I carried no armament, and the guard no doubt had a double-edged short sword that may even carry a deadly enchantment- as if the sword alone wasn’t deadly enough.

Mercifully, I heard the jingling of keys as the guard passed me. I watched from the shadows as the torchlight receded, and ventured back into the hall.

Making it down the stairs, I crept through the wide halls, flattening myself against the wall, until I reached the target room- the kitchen pantry. The place was adorned with various cans and jars. I have to admit, I occasionally pilfer some foodstuffs along with the valuables when i’m turning a place over. Of course, the shit floating in green liquids contained in these jars were… less than appetizing.

I opened the window, and without further pause made my way back to the door to keep a lookout. Lifter’s voice came from beside me. “What took you so long?” he hissed in a slightly accusational tone.

“Guard. Just relax, will you?!?” I shot back.

I glanced back. Tumbler was just making it in through the window.

“Close that, Tumbles.” I whispered.

“Never fucking call me that again.”

That elicited a grin from me. “Alright, Lifter, I assume our plan remains unchanged thus far?”

“You assume correctly. You and Slink get moving towards the headmaster’s office. We’re going for the safe room.” He examined his pocket watch. “We have six minutes. Move!”

Slink and I moved out of the pantry and turned left in the hall. The headmaster’s office was smack-dab in the middle of the building, and we had to take our best guess at what guard patrol routes might be from the blueprints.

We crept through the halls. Slink examined his copy of the blueprint. “Headmaster’s office should be right… here.”

A heavy walnut door with ornate carvings stood before us. This door no doubt carried some form of passive barrier. “Slink, take care of it. I’m going around the corner to watch for guards.”

“Gotcha. This shouldn’t take long…”

I crept back around the hallway corner. This would give me a perfect vantage point to see a guard’s torchlight in time to warn Slink. Otherwise he could get right on top of us without us even knowing it. Until it was already too late, anyway. The punishment for being caught in here was unquestionably death on sight. No frilly, publicized banishments or prison sentences. You would be impaled, vaporized by a detonation spell, or simply beaten to death, and then never heard from again. All your public records would be expunged, and you would be dead to the world, not just… well, dead.

“Done. Let’s go!” I heard Slink’s voice beside me. Perfect. Now comes my favorite part.

I scurried back to the door and tentatively pushed it open. The spacious office was completely dark. “Light?” I asked. Slink responded by conjuring a small, glowing orb that floated at around head-height. I blinked my eyes to adjust to the light, and when the room came into focus, I immediately moved for the glass display case on the far wall. I pensively approached it, listening and looking for the tell-tale signs of any further enchantment. As I peered into the glass, I grinned with the cheeky expression of a thief who knew he just struck it big.

Inside the case, in a bed of pillowed velvet, sat a runestone about six inches in diameter. The polished, tawny orange stone was meticulously carved into the shape of the sun. Gemstones were embedded into the tips of each sunray, and as I looked closer, I could see some sort of engraved scripture, sigils that gave off a dull aura. This was what we came for.

It was rather un-creatively called the sunstone, and I had skipped over most of it’s extensive and ancient history in my readings of it. I went right for the goods- it’s powers, and, more enticingly, it’s value. It wouldn’t be tough to fence this one off. A great many organizations could further their goals using the magical abilities of this rune. We’d just have to find the highest bidder.

As I studied the design of the case, I pondered another intricacy to the whole thing. The Institute that we’re stealing from is run by a corrupt local government that in turn is operating under a diarchy that some would argue is equally corrupt. However, they may have been doing a good thing by keeping this stone locked away. There were organizations out there that would have both the means and motivation to do great -perhaps irrevocable- harm should this stone come into their possession.

Aw, what am I talking about? I’m gonna be fuckin’ rich! I thought with a grin as my practiced eyes crawled over every square inch of the case, looking for a weakness.

“Well, slick, I don’t see evidence of any magical fuckery in this here case. How about you?” I muttered to Slink.

“Me neither. Perhaps they thought the door’s barrier would be enough?” He pondered aloud.

I shook my head. “Not a chance. There’s something else at work here, I’m just not sure what else. You know what a honey pot is, junior?”

“I’m going to assume it’s not what it sounds like.” he muttered.

“A honey pot is a trap laid by a knowledgeable and crafty individual, made to ensnare an unwitting thief into thinking he’s just gotten the best catch of his life.”

“And?”

“Um… well, whatever happens next isn’t important. Just know that it can’t be good. Anyway, that aside, I don’t think the Institute is gonna use their most treasured magical artifact as bait. Wait by the door while I pick this.”

Slink nodded and withdrew while I went to work on the lock. I withdrew my picks from a specially-tailored sleeve on my bodysuit and inserted them into the lock. Gripping the rake between my lips, I closed my eyes and visualized the pins inside. One, two, three….

Okay. I pushed the torsion bar just slightly forward, and gently set the first pin, then the second. The third gave me a little trouble, but with the application of just slightly more force, it too fell into place. I held my breath as I rotated the torsion bar the rest of the way, and had to resist not letting out a triumphant whoop as the lock cylinder rotated into place.

Ever so slowly, I lifted the glass lid, Holding my breath in case any toxic gas was contained within. After waiting for a second for the air to clear, I leaned in and withdrew the stone. They say that we all have magic coursing through us, even though only a unicorn can actively use it. That’s probably got some validity because I felt an intense heat coursing through my veins as soon as I touched the stone. I felt immensely impowered and time seemed to slow around me. And I heard a loud thumping like a hoof rapping against the floor.

“Slink, can it! You’ll blow our cover!”

“What are you talking about?! I haven’t moved!”

It was then I realized- I could hear his heartbeat. This thing was elevating my senses to an incredible level. Now I understood this artifact’s true value.

“Never mind. Do you have the case?”

Slink, somewhat angrily, withdrew a black wooden case from his bag, perfectly fitting the stone’s dimensions. I gingerly laid it inside, sighing almost disappointedly as the rush of energy left my body. Slink closed the case and placed it in his bag. “Don’t fuck up. You’re holding the most valuable take in the history of our organization.” I said with complete seriousness, eliciting a determined nod.

We made our way out of the office. Slink closed his eyes and grunted with the exertion of reconstructing the barrier. He wobbled a bit and I moved to stabilize him. “Easy tiger. You’ve done enough tonight. Let’s get outta here.”

We moved through the halls, making it back to the pantry and scrambling out the window. Lifter and Tumbler were already there. Tumbler’s bags looked notably fatter, no doubt teeming with riches from the safe.

“Do you have it?” Demanded Lifter.

“Nope, I had to leave it there. I figured it was a waste of my time.” I deadpanned. Lifter remained looking serious for a second before chuckling. “Alright, asshole. Let’s scram before someone notices we’ve been here.” He checked his watch. “That guard is going nowhere fast. Looks like we’re gonna need your skills again, Shift.”

I nodded. I took no pleasure in hurting others, but sometimes it had to be done. The guard wouldn’t hesitate to kill myself or my associates, and there’s no way we could stay huddled under the window until the next shift change. I went aloft, scaling the side of the tower. My wings beat with a practiced silence, carrying me up along the side. The guard’s perch was open to the air on four sides and I approached from behind. I softly lifted myself through the opening, seeing him there. His golden armor reflected the moonlight, and he sat on his haunches in a wooden chair. I couldn’t see his face but naturally it must have been one of extreme boredom. After all, staring at the same courtyard night after night, year after year could wear on one’s soul. All the same, these guards were elite and were made well aware of the paramount importance of the artifacts they were protecting.

I sucked in a breath. His helmet would protect him from an instant knockout from behind. I’d need to hit him in the face, hard.

I did the only thing I could think to- I just tapped him on the shoulder. He whipped around, jaw agape, and stared blankly. “Sorry about this.” I said with a hint of apology. Just as he snapped from his stupor and attempted to draw his blade, I whipped around and delivered a solid kick to his unprotected face. He crumpled to the floor in a heap. Blood dribbled from his broken nose and split upper lip and I let out a low whistle at the sight of it. As a precautionary measure, I withdrew a length of my cordage- an incredibly high-strength weave made by a renowned artisan weaver- and bound his legs with it. A rag and another length of the cord made a suitable gag. I doubted he’d wake up before we were out of here, but in this business it pays to take every precaution.

I dove headfirst out of the window, the rain whipping my face as I picked up speed. At the last second, I flared my wings, grunting at the sudden strain. I landed silently right next to Lifter. “Is it done?” He asked me.

“I’d be dead or captured it it wasn’t. That guy’s out of the picture. Let’s book it.”

We sprinted across the courtyard as slink prepared to open a hole in the barrier once again. This was worrying me- he was still young and we had asked a lot from him tonight. Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and went to work on the barrier again.

“Go.” he grunted, the strain audible in his voice. We scrambled through and he followed, collapsing the hole in our wake. We sprinted across the street to the gutter, where Deadbolt was waiting for us. “Were you followed?” He asked in a blunt tone.

“No. Actually went off without a hitch.” Said Lifter. He was about to speak again but was cut off by the noise of Slink collapsing to the ground behind him.

“Aw, fuck, what happened?” He asked. I shook my head. “Guess we overworked him. Haven’t I told you about fifty-thousand times to cut in another mage?”

“Just can it! Priority one is making sure we stay alive. He’ll be fine, he just needs to rest. Bolt, can you carry him? We have to get out of the streets.”

Deadbolt shrugged Slink’s limp body onto his shoulders with little effort. Lifter withdrew the case from Slink’s bag.

“Shift, get this back home. We’ll move Slink to a better spot and meet you there when he wakes up.”

I took the case. “Alright. Just make damn sure you’re back by morning, okay? As soon as the headmaster gets in tomorrow and sees that he’s missing something, the fucking Royal Guard will be swarming like ants.”

Lifter grinned. “Like always. Now get going. And save me some damn beer!”

I took off, ascending to an altitude that would put me above the cloudlayer. Best to be inconspicuous, even in flight. No one else would be flying this late, as it was in fact illegal, but there was always the off-chance some eagle-eyed civilian down on their balcony for a late-night smoke would glance up and happen to notice me.

After landing outside our alleyway, I ducked inside and leveraged the manhole from it’s closed position. I took a deep breath and descended the stairs into the murky depths.

Coming upon our hideout gate, I knocked out the code on the brick wall. A confirmation knock came from the other side, and slowly the gate wound up.

“Where’s the others?” asked the guard as I stepped in. “Well, our rookie overexerted himself and dropped like a stone. They’re on their way, I’m just delivering my precious cargo.”

The guard nodded. “So you got it then. I can’t wait for my pay raise.”

I scoffed. “Dream on, freeloader. You just keep turning that crank.”

I made my way into the hideout proper. No one was still awake, and I was too tired to drink, despite our earlier plans. Instead, I went to the vault room, turning the combination into the dial and stepping inside. I took a moment to admire the evidence of my work, contained within. There were golden chalices, medallions, and jewelry. Weapons with high-level enchantments. Low-level magical artifacts. Elegies, statues, and religious effects. And, my personal favorite- a chest, spilling over with thousands of bits. For some reason, despite the intricate stonework and jewelry in the rest of the room… cold, hard cash always did it best for me. I laid the case on a bare spot on the table and retreated from the room, double checking the lock on the heavy, wrought iron door.

I retreated to my chamber and stepped inside. My strawlined mattress beckoned to me and I didn’t even bother taking my thieving garments off before flopping into it’s lumpy, uneven embrace. Someone less fatigued than I might complain about the mattress’ quality, but at that moment, I couldn’t care less. I could buy every top-quality mattress in the entire land with the money I was soon to have.

Before sleep whisked me away to the land of subconsciousness, I grinned. I was happy I had gotten out of bed for that.

Betrayal

I awoke and shook off the grogginess that always accompanied a forceful ripping back into the conscious world. I rolled over and groaned at my sore wing, a memento of last night’s tower-dive stunt. Things never hurt in the moment with the adrenaline pumping, but they sure caught up with me the next day. I checked the wall-mounted timepiece and saw that I had slept for eight hours- a healthy outage for me. I recollected the events of last night’s caper.

I immediately discarded my clothes -they sorely needed a wash- and strolled leisurely from my chamber into the hall. I stumbled slightly as I made my way towards the common area. Strutting my way inside, I was immediately greeted with an applause from my comrades. I grinned- my ego was well deserved. I took an exaggerated bow and then plopped down in my seat at the long table. Slink and the others had made it back sometime in the night, and he dejectedly stared down at his oats while he chewed. I nudged him, and gave a reassuring grin when he looked up. He seemed to perk up a little.

Lifter spoke up from the head of the table. “Well, gang, now that the dragon has awoken from his deep slumber, we can discuss the fruits of our labor.”

I grinned and nodded enthusiastically. “Did you talk to a fence? Did he quote a price? Holy fuck, we’re gonna be drowning in bits!”

Lifter returned my grin with a touch of slyness. “Well, you’re certainly right on the second count. But this particular take, we’re not going to give to the fence.”

I cocked my head. This took me aback. “Well, who are we gonna sell to?”

Lifter took a dramatic breath. “I don’t even know the name of their group. In fact i’ve never seen an organization quite like theirs….”

I took a breath. Selling an item like this to someone we didn’t already know was risky. Typically we liked to let our fence, a shadowy character who’s real name we didn’t know, act as the middleman. Our Organization had made it a standing policy to not directly deal with buyers. A policy that I hoped Lifter did not intend to break.

“Well, don’t keep us waiting.” I said with interest.

Lifter cleared his throat. “There’s no simple way to sugar-coat this so I’ll just come right out with it. The buyer is a group of mages who say that they wish to procure the sunstone for scholarly reasons. They say their order was estranged from the institute many centuries ago and the stone was stolen from them.”

“And now they’re willing to pay for it? What’s stopping them from just taking it?” Asked Squall, a pegasus with a knack for weather diversions.

“What’s stopping them is us. They’re not getting in here without all eyes on them and there’s going to be no more than five of them. They may be powerful mages but we’ve got numbers. And they have the bits. I’ve seen it.” Said Lifter, a glint in his eye. Lifter’s pleonexia was shining through just as gold might. Lifter was legendary for his planning and careful execution, a fact I took solace in. However, the size of this score might be clouding his judgement. Might be clouding all of our judgements.

The conversation at the table shifted to other things- namely, what members would be doing with their substantial pay cuts. Mostly they talked of extravagant houses or fancy diamonds. Me, I would be reinvesting my cut. I wanted to move our Organization out of these dingy tunnels and give it a home it properly deserved. Then we could really start raking it in. That was if the deal didn’t go sour. I couldn’t shake my feeling.

As breakfast adjourned and everyone went about beginning their day, Lifter caught up with me and took me aside.

“Shift. Listen to me.. I know you’re apprehensive about this deal. I can sense it. Just… listen, okay? I know this is risky. I’ve thought it over… There’s something I haven’t told you. This job, we did on commission.”

This took me aback. “Commission? You’re saying these wizards paid you to get the stone? Why couldn’t they do it themselves?”

Lifter sighed. “They told me their magical auras would be detected by the mages at the Institute. There’s a reason they haven’t managed to get it through all these centuries. As for common thieves like us.. Well, there’s never been anyone like us, has there, Shift?”

I mulled that over. He was right. We had done something new. Something great.

“Well, if it’s a job on commission, they must have paid a sum in advance, right?”

Lifter nodded enthusiastically. “Five hundred thousand. These are high-rollers, Shift. They threw out five hundred large on a gamble. They had no guarantee we’d be able to rip off the institute. But they did it anyway. And that’s scratching the surface. They’re sitting on a dragon hoard, Shift.”

I whistled. Lifter placed a hoof on my shoulder. “Trust me, partner. We’re going to make it big. I know you want to get out of these tunnels. Me too. We can do that, and much more. All we need to do is pawn off this stupid rock and our dreams become reality!”

I was about to agree but something else tugged at my mind. “Back in the Institute, I had thought about the repercussions of selling this to the wrong group. Maybe it was kept so closely guarded for a reason, you know? What if this group turns around and fucks something up with it?”

Lifter’s face turned grim. “What could they possibly fuck up that we care about? Face it, Shift, this world is advancing nowhere quick. We know first hand that the government is corrupt, and that’s corrupt in the eyes of a thief. This group we’re selling to has a bone to pick with the Institute, and we both know that the Institute is government-run. Besides..” -he said with a dismissive roll of the eyes- “..we both know that a frontal assault on the Institute would be like ramming your head into a wall, fancy stone or not. Just let them give us their money and they can worship their stupid rock, okay?”

Stupid rock. The power that thing had… I thought. But there was no use arguing further. Lifter was right. They had no reason to fuck with us and whoever they did have a reason for was our enemy too.

I squeezed the thoughts from my mind all day. I went above-ground to the city marketplace, blending with the crowd while I bought more wheat for the storeroom. As the day trundled on and my mundane tasks occupied my imagination, I forgot the troubles plaguing my imagination. And at the end of the day, I sunk into my strawlined mattress and settled in for another well-deserved rest.

I awoke from my shallow sleep with a start. As I shook my head to clear the grogginess, I heard a rapping on the wall outside my door. Pulling back the sheet I used for privacy, I saw that Slink was standing there. “Buyer’s here. Lifter wants everyone upstairs.” He said before turning and heading for the staircase.

Good thing, too. I thought. For an exchange like this we’d want maximum security. I was about to head for the staircase too but paused for a moment. The nagging feeling was coming back. I stopped in my room and quickly donned my stealth clothing before heading upstairs to join the others.

I made my way into the common room. A dull murmur could be heard as I approached it, and when I stepped inside, I could see the buyers- a group of five unicorns. They each wore robes- an uncommon sight- but then any group that had resources enough to buy this rune would be uncommon. Four of them hung back near the entrance while one, who I assumed was the leader, conversed with Lifter. I stood in with the rest of our group as I listened.

“Yes. I can make complete assurances as to its authenticity. The hurdles we had to overcome to possess it make sure of that. It’s dimensions and characteristics are an exact match to those recorded in the lexicon.”

“I will need to observe it personally, of course.” The unicorn spoke in a cool, level tone. His voice was icy and I had to resist gritting my teeth. I didn’t like him.

“Of course” said Lifter, with a cordial smile. He motioned and one of our guards brought forth the case. Placing it on the table, he backed off while Lifter opened the case, spinning it around to display its contents.

The unicorn eyed the stone closely. He produced a magnifying glass, carefully scrutinizing the stone’s polished surface with it. Finally, he withdrew and spoke again.

“It appears to be authentic. We shall proceed with the deal.” He motioned behind him, and one of the hooded mages came forth, a magical hold on two large bags. He placed both bags on the ground beside Lifter and withdrew.

Lifter made a motion of his own and Tumbler approached him. “Weigh it.” murmured Lifter.

Tumbler and Deadbolt took a bag each and dragged them to the scale in the corner of the room. Placing each bag on one end, and then placing one bag against weighted lead bars, Tumbler did the math on a piece of paper.

Finishing his equation, his eyes went wide. He drew a shaky breath before calling out “Looks like five-point-five million, give or take.”

I noticed our group stirring excitedly. Lifter wasn’t lying- this was massive. You could put all our other scores together and only barely come close to that amount.

Lifter nodded. “So it is. A pleasure conducting business. Bolt, see them out, please..”

As Lifter turned away from the table, I noticed something- the Unicorn had levitated the stone. I remembered the surge of power I had felt from touching it. I was stepping forward to speak up when all hell broke loose.

In a flash, the Unicorn’s magical aura tripled in luminosity, the dull glow becoming as bright as the very sun itself. The Unicorn, I shit you not, hovered into the air. His eyes shined with an orange intensity. And then, he released a pulse of energy that flung every one of us against the wall like ragdolls. I blacked out as my skull smashed against the cobblestone and could do nothing as the darkness of unconsciousness instantly overwhelmed me.

As I regained consciousness, I could hear pandamonium unfolding against me. Shouting, screaming, and the thunder of detonation spells. I shook my head, letting out a groan at the pain.

My vision began to reclaim it’s domain over the blackness. As I became able to perceive what was once my organization's meeting room, a feeling of sheer dread came over me. The bodies of my compatriots lay broken in the rubble. Amongst the debris, glints of gold shimmered against the light of flickering fires- the bits that were supposed to be our prize.

They had slaughtered us. The hooded figures had retreated to stand by the entrance again, since no opposition remained.

And in the center of the room, Lifter’s body was being suspended in the air. He struggled for breath against the magical hold in which he was trapped. A large wooden splinter stuck out from his abdomen.

“Can you see now the price of your hubris, young foal? Your entire clan, reduced to quivering leaves beneath our hoof..When you released this treasured stone from it’s prison, did you believe you could pawn it off as though it were some trinket? You know not what you have done. By desecrating it in this manner, you have incurred a debt.. A debt that shall be paid with your life!”

Holy. Fuck. The Unicorn mage’s voice, while icy and unnerving, was now physically painful. It had a booming distortion- like many voices talking as one. Lifter gasped for air as he spat out his words. “You bastard. You think you can come into my place and rip us off? You are going to pay for this, asshole…”

The mage let out a laugh- a terrible, nauseating laugh. As I struggled to my hooves, the mage intensified his spell, and I heard a crack like dry sticks breaking. Lifter’s body went limp. As though a pebble is kicked aside on a leisurely stroll, Lifter was flung against the wall, collapsing to the ground in a heap.

Immediately, I felt a primal anger building within me. It felt like my blood was boiling. Immediately the pain left to be replaced with sheer, unbridled rage. I sprang up, braced against the wall, and charged with all my speed. I couldn’t hope to contend with this...creature... head-on, but I could catch him off guard, or so I hoped.

My hopes were quickly dashed. I felt a strong wave of G-forces as I was stopped dead in mid-air. He had me in his magical grasp, just as he had Lifter before. The mage spoke again.

“Another wishes to die so foolishly? Can you not see the devastation your arrogance has wrought around you?”

“FUCK YOU, MANIAC!” I screamed, my rage finding an avenue to escape, in lieu of reducing this fucker’s face into griffon food.

“The stone has touched you. I feel it in your aura. Did you feel the power? That was only a fraction of the stone’s abilities. You are chosen now. And thus, I will allow you one chance. I have another job for you. And should you complete it, I will allow you to live.”

My heart pumped as I tried to contemplate this. When in a dicey situation, I would usually try to come up with some insulting one-liner or another. But this pile of shit had just killed Lifter. My mind was incapable of thinking rationally. So instead, I simply growled-

“I. Will. Kill. You.”

“A foolish choice. It is regrettable that you were not more intelligent. Perhaps a swift end will serve as a final lesson.”

I closed my eyes. This was it. After everything I’d done- countless heists in every city on the map. I’d ripped off peasantry and royalty. Stolen illustrious diamonds and ratty old books. In massive mansions formed of cloud, high in the sky, and in simple shacks. Lifter and I had taken a crew of petty criminals and formed the city’s most feared criminal organization. And here it all ended.

But death did not come. Instead, a detonation spell erupted seemingly right in front of my face. The spell suspending me was released and I fell from the air. The mage let out a roar of indignation- a sound more terrifying than any dragon in existence could hope to produce.

I whipped my head around. There stood Slink. A trickle of blood dripped from his forehead, and his magic held several chunks of rubble, ready to be hurled. “SLINK, NO!”I shouted, hoping he’d come to his senses and run before it was too late.

He obviously had no intention of running. He fired off another detonation, this one striking a barrier hastily erected by our enemy. With the mage’s attention momentarily diverted, I whipped around and delivered the most solid buck of my life directly to his jaw.

The mage’s head snapped back, his magic faltering, allowing another detonation from Slink to strike him directly. Now his cohorts were stepping in. Firebolts whizzed past my head as I ducked to avoid them. This was not going well for us. As fast as I could move, I tackled Slink to the floor before a fiery blast could impact him. “Let’s go- now!” I grunted as I hauled myself up. We made for the back door, Slink’s horn still glowing as he repelled the magical attacks being hurled at us. The leader was still down, but I could see his eyes beginning to glow again- soon he would be back in the fight and there would be no monologuing this time. As we dashed through the halls, making for the escape tunnel, the gravity of the situation started to hit me.

No, no.. It’s gone, it’s all gone….

I could hear the hoofbeats of our pursuers behind me. No time to think, just run!

I had to slow myself down considerably for Slink. As I made it to the library, I toppled the rearmost bookcase as though I were ripping down a curtain. We stepped through the opening. “Seal it, hurry!” I shouted, the urgency in my voice not necessary given the circumstances. Slink fired off one more detonation at the ceiling, sending rocks collapsing down over the tunnel. I knew that wouldn’t stop them for long.

We hurried through the cobweb-filled tunnel by a conjured light before reaching another branch of the sewer proper. Bracing myself against the smell, we reached the exit stairs. I resisted the urge to burst through the manhole cover into fresh air- although there was no secrecy left to protect, I didn’t know if more of those crazy unicorns could be waiting. Slowly, I popped the cover open, taking a look around. This one was in another back alley. We really had done a good job with mapping out those tunnels.

I hoisted myself out, followed closely by Slink. I cursed our racial differences- every instinct was screaming at me to head to the clouds for refuge. Slink didn’t know any cloudwalking spells otherwise I’d have hauled him up there myself. Instead we sprinted as fast as our legs could carry us through the dark streets. A driving rainstorm was dousing us with water and I silently cursed the weather service for scheduling it tonight, of all nights.

After an all-out sprint for what felt like forever, we ducked into an abandoned tenement building. Slink collapsed in the corner while I watched out the window for signs of pursuit. After we caught our breaths, I began to assess the damage.

“Are you hurt?” I asked.

“My head took a whack. I’ll be fine. Shift… what the hell happened?”

I shook my head. “We got into something over our heads, kid. Our luck ran out. Maybe we were set up… I really don’t know. Did anyone else get out?”

Slink looked away. “I blacked out… I couldn’t really see…”

I could hear him starting to choke up. I remembered the sight of Lifter’s lifeless corpse being flung aside and I honestly felt like joining him. But there was no time. Right now we needed a plan.

“They’re gonna be looking for us, Slink. They’re gonna want to tie up the loose ends. We need to get out of this city. Tonight!”

“I...I know, but… the others! What if somebody is still alive in there…?”

My face took on a grim expression. These were my friends. I couldn’t abandon them, not after all we’d been through. But I knew I couldn’t hope to contend with that mage head-on.

I went to sit beside Slink. “Listen, kid. I don’t know what that stone is capable of and I don’t know to what lengths those fuckers are gonna go to track us down. All I know is that there’s nothing we can do tonight.”

“Shift….we’re not going to let them get away with this, are we..?”

I nudged Slink. “Look at me, kid.”

He looked up. I saw tears welling up in his eyes.

“That was my best friend they killed in there. That was everybody I cared about in the world. That was my life’s work. Fuck the loot!....” Slink recoiled as my voice began to pick up in intensity.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. “No. No, there’s no way they’re getting away with this. The Organization was all I had and they took it away from me. Now all I have is revenge. And you had best believe i’m going to get it.”

Slink wiped his eyes. “I’m in. I’m coming too.”

I gave a half-hearted smile. “You’ve got a lotta heart, Slink. That was some real bravery in there.”

“I’m going to do far worse when I see him again. He took everything from us. The Organization was all the family I had…”

I nodded wistfully. I had plucked Slink out of a gutter when he was a foal. I was pulling a job and something stuck out about him- namely that he had attempted to levitate my bit-purse right out of my saddlebag. It would have worked, too, if I hadn’t noticed a reflection. When I whirled around, I had expected a drug-addled hobo who’d be violent, but he was just a scared, hungry kid. So I offered him a chance to use his skills towards a greater good, in exchange for food and shelter. I brought him back to the Organization and the rest was history.

Remorse hit me again like a gut-punch. I had been so caught up in my own sorrows that I hadn’t considered his. Lifter and I had devoted years to building the Organization into what it was, but for Slink, this was all he had ever known.

It would take some time to readjust. But we had a new mission now.

Skipping Town

Slink

I woke up screaming. The nightmare had been as vivid as an event that had just happened yesterday- because that’s exactly what it was. My head pounded where the debris had impacted it, and in feeling it I found the gash had scabbed over. Caked blood covered my face, causing an uncomfortable itch. I took in the surroundings- the tenement Shift had brought me to after we escaped the tunnels. I was used to waking up in my normal room and so it took me a second to remember where I was.

Shift was gone. I cautiously explored the dingy, cobweb-filled rooms looking for him. “Shift?” I called out nervously, on full alert in case the mages from before had found us again.

I was relieved to hear his voice behind me. “Right here, Slink. Breakfast is served.”

I turned to see him standing beside the window, having just flown through it. He set down his saddlebag and opened it, revealing a loaf of bread. I took hold of it with levitation and split it in half, offering one to him.

He shook his head. “All for you. Already ate.”

I began gnawing on the bread hungrily- yesterday had taken quite a toll on me. I’d been pushing myself hard lately as it was- and then I had to ward off several older and more skilled mages, one of which was under the power of a runestone that we had obviously gravely underestimated.

“What’s the plan?” I asked between bites.

“We’re going to go to a drop location and pick up some money we had stashed away. It’s nowhere near what was in the vault but it’ll keep us alive for a while. Then we’re outta town. I still haven’t decided where we’re going but it’s not going to be here. The noise we made last night, those evil fucks aren’t all we should be concerned about. The Royal Guard is probably prowling through the tunnels as we speak. That means all our resources are compromised. You see any of our associates, you do not approach them, got it?”

“Got it. How much is in the drop site?”

“A hundred thousand, give or take. Lifter’s rainy day fund. That’ll be enough to start collecting some resources to go after mister glowy-eyes and his posse of hooded shitbags.”

I nodded eagerly. The thirst for revenge was overwhelming.

Shift shook his head. “We need to be smart about this, kid. We already found out last night that going against them head-on isn’t such a great idea. We’ve gotta catch them unaware and hit them hard. But first, we need to find them. Are you ready to go?”

I swallowed the last of the bread. “Yeah. Where’s the place?”

“Outskirts of town. It’s hidden in a well. Speaking of, you need to wash up. You’re covered in blood. There’s a bucket of water in the corner there. One last thing-”

Shift withdrew a bottle of ink and a brush from his bag. “Cover your marks. We don’t need to be pegged by anybody on the street.”

I took hold of the brush and applied a thick coat of the ink to both flanks. The ink contrasted nastily against my light grey coloration, but I would accept it in the name of anonymity. I went to the water bucket and washed the blood from my head, then headed down the stairs. I met Shift beside the front door, and followed as he headed down the street, keeping to the sides.

As we passed others we kept our heads down and avoided eye contact. Shift usually kept a casual posture when moving in broad daylight but he was noticeably more tense today. A beggar stepped into his path to panhandle and was immediately roughly shoved aside. I gave him an apologetic look- I had been in his position before.

After a good deal of walking, the buildings becoming ever-more run down and dingy, Shift turned into a courtyard, overgrown with weeds and obviously in a state of disuse. The well was located in the center, and Shift approached to remove the cover. “I’ll be a minute.” he said simply.

The width of the well permitted him just enough room to fly in it, and he descended down out of view. I heard the sound of stones scraping and the impact of water as something fell into it. And then Shift reappeared, gripping a purse in his teeth. He dropped it and pulled the drawstring, revealing the familiar golden sheen of bits.

With a satisfactory nod, he drew the bag closed and placed it into his saddlebag. “Let’s stop here for a moment, Slink. We need to discuss the next move.”

We sat against the well. “Where are we going to go?” I asked. It didn’t matter much to me- my entire life here was gone anyway.

Shift shook his head. “That’s the topic of our discussion. More broadly, we need to determine where to pick up a lead on these fuckers.”

“What was it that Lifter said about them? That they were seperated from the institute?”

“Yeah. Of course, there’s no telling if it’s bullshit or not. And going back to the institute is out of the question- can you imagine how much attention is on that place right now? They’re probably swarming in there like flies on shit.”

I shook my head dejectedly. He was right. It took everything I had just to get us in that place. And that was before we stole their most treasured object from them.

I thought about this problem. Where could we pick up information on a centuries old secret society of high-level mages?

“We need a knowledge base. The Canterlot Library?”

Shift shook his head. “Canterlot is risky, kid. There’s a Guard on every corner. There’s a lot of posh, pompous, assholes there who’s valuables need protection. Not to mention our dear leaders, of course…” said Shift with his usual thick layer of sarcasm.

He continued- “Besides, the kind of research we need can’t just be done from the public check-out desk. So that means a heist. And with just the two of us, we don’t have the resources to pull off something on that scale. Fuck, I miss Lifter..”

I averted my gaze as Shift trailed off.

He spoke up again. “Any other ideas?”

I stared at the ground. “No…”

Shift sighed. “Alright, let’s head for the train station. We’ll pick up a copy of the directory book there and plan our next move.”

I further reflected on events as we trundled through the dismal streets. I remember watching that… freak… pick up the stone and just start glowing. And then all hell broke loose. He let out a pulse and knocked me out cold. I woke up surrounded by debris. Just in time to watch Lifter die.

Lifter was like a father figure to me, just as Shift was like an older brother. I never told them that I felt this way, but they were my family. The only family I had, anyway. We had taken an act that was reserved for society’s most lowly and destitute and made it an art form. With our diverse skill sets we had honed our craft until we had become a force to be reckoned with. And it allowed me to strike back at the society that had wronged me. It was an amazing feeling of accomplishment for a ‘worthless gutter rat’ like me.

I shook off these feelings as we approached the train station. This area was heavily populated and I noticed Shift acting particularly…. Well, shifty, as he scanned the crowd. I noticed his wings flex, a tell-tale sign among pegasi of high alertness and stress. A Guard stood near the corner and Shift kept his head down as he moved past. I followed his lead. Fortunately, our disheveled appearances did not stand out too heavily amongst the crowd.

Shift stopped by a kiosk. He placed a copy of the latest directory on the counter and forked over three bits to pay for it. Then he motioned me to follow as we made for a secluded back hall in the station.

We sat on a bench as Shift flipped through pages.

“Okay. We’re looking for libraries, colleges, any place that would have ancient history. Preferably far away.”

“There’s the college of Las Pegasus.”

Shift shook his head. “Doubtful. That place was only established a hundred years ago.”

I scanned the map and studied the various towns dotting it. I flipped through the directory, scanning ‘L’ for ‘Library’.

No..No...No…. I thought as I looked through the listings. I recognized some of the places- I had broken into several of them- and knew they wouldn’t have it. Maybe we should just take our chances in Canterlot. You can’t get more ancient than that.

I noticed one entry. Ponyville library. Located, naturally, in Ponyville.

“What about this one?”

“Which?” asked Shift, diverting his gaze from his lookout over the hallway.

“Ponyville. The library there.”

“Where the fuck is that?” Asked Shift.

“It’s right on the edge of the Everfree. You can’t get much further away from here than that.”

“What makes you think the info we need is there?” He asked dismissively.

“This says it’s got an, I quote, ‘Impressive’ resource base on all topics, including ancient history.”

Shift mulled it over. “Risky, that far out. We get out there and find nothing, then what?”

I shrugged. “There’s always Canterlot. I don’t see another option besides going straight to the princesses and asking nicely.”

Shift rolled his eyes. “It’s a plan. Let’s get the tickets. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. Before the Guard picks up our scent, if they haven’t already.”

We milled back into the crowd. Shift headed towards the ticket booth while I hung back to watch the crowd. I gazed out at the city, not being able to help a feeling of apprehension about leaving. But I quickly shoved that aside. It needed to be done.

Something caught my eye as I scanned the crowd, and I had to take a second look to identify what it was. There. A guard was standing by the corner across the crowd, scanning it. We had no way of knowing if they could identify us on sight and we probably didn’t want to have to find out.

I went back to Shift, who had gotten the tickets. We headed towards the platform, the coal dust hanging in the air and casting everything in a dark haze. Shift had bought first class tickets for the private booth and we stepped into the car, trying not to expose our faces too much to the conductor as we presented him with the tickets.

As we sat down in the booth and Shift slid the door closed, I peered out the window. I heard the engine begin chugging as the train started to inch forwards, ever so slowly. And then I spied a pair of guards on the platform. These were not guards on some routine patrol or just killing time- they moved with intent. I saw them shoving through the crowd, sometimes stopping to ask questions.

It could be a coincidence, or maybe not. But I felt an immeasurable wave of relief when the train finally cleared the platform and we were on our way.

The Library

I slept again on the ride. The same dream as before, where I was trapped in place and unable to move while the mage slaughtered all my friends. This time I watched as Shift stumbled towards me, covered in blood, one wing dangling limply. He reached out for me but the mage cast a hellish immolation spell at him, consuming him in fire. The mage cackled as Shift screamed.

I woke up immediately alert and smacked my head on the booth’s table. Shift looked at me with concern. “Dreams?” He asked.

I nodded, still sweating. The dream had been so vivid. The actual event was a blur but these dreams were horrific.

Shift gave me a sympathetic look. I wondered if his mind had been plagued by nightmares, too.

I shook my head and sat up in the bench. “Where are we?” I asked, looking out the window.

“Middle of nowhere.” Said Shift as we looked out at the fields and woods going past. “But I think we’re almost there. You were out for almost eight hours.”

I nodded. “I feel like I could sleep eight more. But I don’t want to experience that again.”

Shift nodded. “It’s going to be tough for a while. But you’ll get through it. We’ll have our retribution.”

I gazed out the window as the train chugged through a patch of farmland. I had never left the urban sprawl, so this new scenery was completely foreign to me. I saw several laborers out there, pulling plows and harvesting crops. Everything was so green.

My mind was pulled away from the scenery as Shift started giving more instructions. “Okay. Now, these small towns work a lot differently from the big city, kid. Everyone there knows one another. So we’re going to limit our movements in the daytime. And, this should go without saying, but don’t talk to anyone.”

I scoffed at that. It annoyed me to no end how Shift still treated me like some stupid foal. I had been with him for some of our biggest jobs.

He continued. “We’re here for one thing only. Tonight we’ll scope it out, find out what this place has got for security, and hit the planning table. If all goes well we should be able to pull the job by tomorrow night and be out of here.”

I nodded. “Makes sense to me. Figure there’s going to be barriers?”

I didn’t want to let it show, but I was not exactly in tip-top shape, as my eight-hour power nap had not done much to quell the constant dizziness and exhaustion. The barrier stunts from the Institute job had taken a lot out of me, and the explosion-filled bonanza the following night hadn’t done me any favors either.

Shift shrugged. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I’d love a week to case it, or at least enough time to determine habits, but that’s time we don’t have. If the Guard has caught onto us, they’ll eventually find out we boarded this train. The town doesn’t have a garrison but they could easily send out a detachment for us.”

The sun was being set as the train pulled into the station. As we stepped off I was taken aback by several things- but mostly the air. It tasted good in a way that I never imagined was possible. I could have stood there for a while just breathing but Shift immediately herded me away from the platform.

“Remember what I said, kid. Stay sharp. We’re going to wait until everyone goes to sleep and then go find our target.”

I looked around- this sleepy town didn’t have much of a nightlife. Back in the city, some unsavory characters tended to come out after dark. Like us. I thought.

Not that we really compared. While our entire mission was taking things that didn’t belong to us, we did have a certain code of conduct that your average street thug wouldn’t abide by.

Shift had studied the map on the way and we snuck through the streets, headed for the target. I wished I had my stealth gear. Even with that disadvantage, I found my spirits slightly raised by the thrill of another heist underway. I didn’t like the planning stages much- Lifter was the one who always took care of that. Shift and I liked to do the actual thievery.

There was little in the way of cover- the ramshackle houses were spaced erratically, leaving no room for alleyways and shadows- our forte.

Shift nudged me. “That’s it.”

I scanned the buildings. “Which one?”

“The tree.”

Holy shit, he wasn’t kidding. The library was built into a tree. I had never seen anything like this, so I was forced to stare at it for a few seconds.

“We’re breaking into a tree?!?” I asked, incredulous.

Shift grinned. “I’ve never seen anything like it either. Welcome to the sticks, junior. Miss the city yet?”

I mulled that over. Here, the air was fresh and the citizenry was unassuming. In the city, you choked on smog and anyone you met on the street was liable to stab you for your coin purse. Nah, not missing it so far.

Typically we’d post up in an adjacent building for days on end, observing the target, and finding out the habits and idiosyncrasies of its inhabitants. I couldn’t stand that part. I want to get in there and get it done. I knew Shift was that way, too, but he’d never admit it. But as it was, we had no way to do any recon except for hugging the wall of a house and trying to stay in the shadows.

Shift watched the windows, trying to make out movement, while I gazed out at the starry sky. I wish I knew invisibility. I was already extraordinarily talented given my background, thank you very much, but the complexities of these expert-level spells escaped me. Even simple barrier breaks. I still couldn’t get over the embarrassment of fainting that night.

Not that it matters now. I thought grimly. Everyone that saw that happen is gone now.

Well, everyone except for the one next to me, watching the library. But I had my doubts that he’d care.

“Movement” Hissed Shift, drawing my attention to the second-story window. A silhouette moved past the glass, and the room went dark.

Shift looked up to note the approximate position of the moon and jotted it down on a piece of paper. “Looks like bedtime is right about now” he mumbled.

I continued staring at the place. It was so easy looking. Nothing compared to what I was used to. We should just move in now and get this over with.

“Why the hell don’t we just turn this place over right now and get it done?” I said.

Shift caught the impatience in my voice. “What, you just want to go blundering in there like some first-year thief? We have no damn idea what’s waiting for us in there.”

“Come on, Shift! It’s just some shitty small-town library! I doubt they’ve invested much into security.”

“Cool it, will you? We haven’t gotten this far by being careless.”

“Yeah, well, we usually go for banks and government buildings. Not two-bit bookhouses. Why don’t we just get it over with?”

Shift let out a long sigh. “Damn it, kid. You’re gonna get us in a bad situation…”

I snorted. “By who, the librarian? Let’s go take the damn books already!”

Now I had gotten myself fired up. Before Shift had a chance to protest further, I started moving towards the tree. I kept to the shadows and found myself at the base of it.

Shift appeared next to me and hissed with a tense whisper- “Damn it kid, don’t go taking off like that!”

“You said it yourself, we don’t have long. Let’s go!” I fired back.

Shift shook his head. “Okay, since you don’t have any stealth gear on you’re gonna stay by the window and keep a lookout once we get inside. There’s no barriers, right?”

I studied the window above our heads. I felt no magical energy coming from it- and I didn’t see the tell-tale shimmer either. I shook my head.

Shift ever-so-slowly leveraged the window open. I noticed a look of surprise on his face when he noticed the ground-floor window wasn’t even locked. In fact, it was already ajar slightly. He made it in without a sound, and then stuck his leg out the window, giving me something to hold onto as I hoisted myself inside, too.

The moonlight shining in gave me a rudimentary view of the room- it was larger than I thought it would be. Tall bookshelves lined the walls and I could tell whoever organized them was pretty uptight- they were categorized and sorted with precision.

Shift made for the ancient history section. He began looking through them, struggling to make out titles in the low light.

I watched out the window. Not a soul out on the street, and every light was out.

Shift made a psst noise, drawing my attention. I silently moved over to where he was.

“I think we’re wasting our damn time here. I don’t see anything.”

Fuck. There had to be something…!

I started looking through the tomes myself. A collective history of Magic, no… Ancient History, Volume Three, too general…. Magical Organizations of the Eastern Territories?

I withdrew that one and opened the cover. There was no date but I could tell it was old. Hopefully it was old enough. I flipped to the middle and struggled to make out the text. There!

“Manehattan Institute was established in the second age as the first official college for magical studies. It has been in possession of several artifacts of immense importance, including several that pre-date written history.”

“Shift, I think this is it!” I said excitedly, happy that my plan had worked.

Shift looked anxious. “Bag it, and take whatever else looks like it could be the one. We’re spending too long in here..”

I returned to the shelf, stuffing volumes into Shift’s bag- anything that looked important and old.

I was just noticing how sizeable a dent I had made into the shelf when I heard the one thing you never want to hear on a job.

“What are you doing in here?!?”

Hostage Situation

Shift

“What are you doing in here?!?”

Every curseword I knew flooded into my mind and I had to make a serious effort that none escaped through my mouth. I whipped my head towards the source of the noise, fully expecting a knife to be shoved at my throat any second. In my peripheral vision, I saw Slink whip around too.

But, instead of an angry, armed librarian, we were greeted by a little green and purple..thing.

“Is that a… Dragon?” hissed Slink. I nudged him to get him to shut up.

The dragon repeated his question. “What are you doing? You know it’s past closing, right?”

Options, options… I thought frantically. I hadn’t been in this situation in a very long time. Damn it, Slink…

Could I talk my way out of this? Not likely. I was in the middle of a burglary and was wearing a black mask as someone else was in the process of shoving stolen items into my bag.

This little dragon couldn’t be the librarian. I had seen an equine silhouette in the window earlier. There was someone else in here- if they weren’t already alerted, they would be if any shouting were to happen.

I noticed Slink moving back, towards the window. Hopefully, he had come to the same conclusion as I had.

I approached the dragon, who realized too late what I intended to do. I saw his green eyes go wide as he started to scream.

“TWI-” was all he got out as I socked him in the side of the head. I didn’t know a thing about dragon biology but luckily, it seemed, they are capable of being beaten into unconsciousness just like anyone else.

No time to do anything else- our cover was already blown. I turned to head for the window, which Slink was already halfway out of.

I was almost to the window when I found myself unable to move. A familiar feeling that I recognized as a telekinetic hold. I hadn’t felt it since… well, two nights ago. And damned if I still didn’t hate it.

Now comes the angry, armed librarian.

I struggled against the hold as I grunted in exertion.

“What did you do to my dragon?” I heard an enraged voice behind me scream. I was pivoted around to face an enraged mare, who’s purple eyes glared at me in anger.

Slink didn’t waste time. He grabbed something of his own- namely, the dragon. He levitated it into the air in front of him, and spoke in a voice that seemed to be his best effort at sounding tough.

“Let him go or your freaky pet gets it!” Shouted Slink. He glanced at me before adding “...bitch!”

Despite everything that was happening I still had to roll my eyes at that. I sorely needed to give him a lesson on insults for effect.

A tense air hung in the room as the hostage situation developed.

The mare seemed utterly confused as to what to do. I bet she didn’t expect her evening to turn out quite this way.

Finally, rationality seemed to take over. She dropped me to the ground. I landed in a crouched position, wings flared, ready to charge. Slink, to his credit, held the dragon right where it was. We slowly backed towards the front door, and I kicked it open without taking my eyes off our adversary.

Slink dropped the dragon in a heap before following me out the door. We took off at a dead sprint for the second time in as many nights.

As we pounded down the cobblestone I shot Slink an agitated glance. “See why we do recon now, dumb-ass?”

Slink puffed as he struggled to keep up. “That’s a funny way of saying thank you!”

The unlit houses became a dark blur as we continued our run. Damn these small towns- I had no idea where I was going. An integral part of every job is a getaway route- why the fuck had I let him talk me into this?

We neared the outskirts of town before ducking into an unoccupied shed. I peered around the corner, looking for signs of pursuit.

Finding none, I turned back to Slink, who had a sheepish look on his face.

“Um…. that went well!” He offered. I just shook my head.

“Hey, at least I saved you from the clutches of the evil librarian! That broad looked about ready to snap!”

I had to drop my facade of anger and have an honest chuckle at that. “Yeah. Have you ever seen a real dragon before?”

Slink shook his head. “Can’t say I have. I expected them to be a bit more...ah, menacing?”

I grinned wide. “Well, menacing or not, I bet i’m the only one in this town who’s ever knocked a dragon out cold!”

Slink shook his head. “Okay, Captain Ego. How about we look through our spoils?”

Slink and I spent the next ten minutes looking through the books. Most of them turned out to be junk, so I tossed them in the corner. Some of them might be valuable, but now I had no connections and I wasn’t going to lug fifteen pounds of books around until I found a new fence.

I could tell Slink found something because his conjured light grew brighter with his excitement. I nudged him sharply so he’d dim it again, and he showed me what he had found.

Early in the third age, a splinter sect of the Institute broke off from it. This group, called The Order of the Sun, attempted to usurp power through control of the Sun Stone, a powerful runestone said to have been forged in the sun itself. It was enchanted by the first Alicorns as a means to combat nature spirits, and was the only item powerful enough in that regard. It is said the stone grants it’s wielder immense power and unparalleled connection to the magical realm.

The Order of the Sun worships this object as the centerpiece of their order, and the war they waged with the Institute was said to have destroyed the city. Only through the intervention of Arch-mage Nightshade was the stone recaptured and sealed away in the Institute. The Order of the Sun vanished, never to return.

“Well, looks like they returned.” I said, concluding the paragraph. “Too bad this fucking thing doesn’t say where this ‘Order of the Sun’ can be found.”

Slink shook his head. “That’s not the good part. Read on.”

In the following years, unsubstantiated evidence emerged that the Order of the Sun was a personal force of Celestia and that they had acted under her orders when they carried out the attack. Such rumors, though, are undeniably false and treasonous.

I scoffed at that. Treasonous, my ass. I wouldn’t put it past the sunraiser to have a personal army responsible for destroying a city. And, now, responsible for destroying my organization. As if I didn’t hate our dear leader enough already.

“Wow. This thing goes deep.” Said Slink, taking in the repercussions of this.

I nodded grimly. “All the way to the top.”

I pondered the situation I found myself in. Despite having lived an adrenaline-filled, high-stakes lifestyle for quite a while, it all seemed totally mundane in the face of the conspiracy I found myself in the middle of. You couldn’t go much higher once royalty was involved.

I slumped my head. Why couldn’t it just be some street gang that’s easy to track down? Not some stupid cult called “The Order of the Sun” or some other fancy shit that’s shadowy and potentially tied to the highest power in the realm. Our revenge was shaping up to be no easy feat.

“Shift, if this really does involve the princess… what could we possibly do?”

I smiled. “You mean, what could two lowly street thugs do against the sunraiser? Probably not much. But we can sure as hell take out her cronies. And If I go to Tartarus in pursuit of that goal… well, fuck it. No more exciting way to go than that, if you ask me.”

Slink nodded in agreement.

“So, where do we start?” He asked.

I shook my head. “Well, first things first, we get outta this shitty town before we’re caught. Miss bookworm back there is probably out alerting some local authority right now, and that authority will subsequently alert the nearest guard garrison, probably by sending a pegasi messenger. So that gives us roughly till morning to get the fuck out of here.”

“And go where?”

I pulled the map from my bag. “The Everfree. They’re not likely to chase us in there. We’ll lay low in there tomorrow. That librarian might have gotten a look at you and circulated your description, so if the Guard shows up tomorrow they’ll put up wanted posters for a gray unicorn. In the city, that wouldn’t be a problem, but in podunk towns like this one they all know each other and we’ll stick out.”

Slink considered that. He looked at the floor as he spoke.

“Shift, if the guards are on our trail, they’ll know it was us once they find out that two shady fuckers burgled the local library. And it’s not easy to blend in out here…”

“What are you proposing?”

Slink looked up.

“Well, you’ll have to make sure they don’t find out about it.”

Red-Hoofed