Once a Crook, Always a Crook

Vanhoover

It was past midnight, and most of the ponies were at home, sleeping in one of the many houses or apartments. Few ponies were ever out this late, except for those that worked graveyard shifts, or enjoyed the night, not to mention those that were up to no good. Gallop Crush, the pudgy, middle-aged pegasus, was nervously waiting at a street corner in downtown Vanhoover. He couldn’t take the Pegatrain if he wanted to, because they were closed at this time of night. He was deep in thought when he saw a limousine pulled by a tough looking dark furred earth stallion. When the door opened, a dark blue dragon with red spikes, about as tall as Gallop, stepped out of the limo.

“Gallop Crush,” he said in a deep voice, with an accent that could blend in well with the inhabitants of Canterlot. “Get in,” he ordered.
Gallop entered the limo, and the dragon - named Megabite - followed suit. He realized that they were both not alone, as he could smell cigarette smoke. Big Boss was here and his face was covered in shadows from the dark limo. He was the one that led the Vanhoover Mafia, which committed organized crimes that spanned from the Vanhoover Region all the way to the backstreets of the Island of Neighpone, selling drugs and stolen gems.

“We have some things we need to talk about,” Big Boss stated. “The law enforcement are starting to crack down on our operations. They are sticking their muzzles where they don’t belong.”
“What do you suppose I do about that?” Gallop nervously asked.
“Many things actually. Perhaps when those particular cops visit your Crêpe shop, you could lace whatever they order with poison. I have several types if you need any.”

For the first time, Gallop truly felt frightened on the inside, having been asked to kill somepony. He had promised himself that he would NEVER do that. But he knew that refusing the ‘suggestion’ would cause Big Boss to order Megabite to either seriously injure him or outright kill him.
“What’s wrong?” Megabite asked tauntingly.
“Are you sure killing cops is necessary? We might just be giving them more reasons to come after us.”
“Finally gettin’ cold hooves, are ya?” Megabite said, cracking his golden claws threateningly, “Perhaps I should-”
“NO! I’ll do it. Just give me a few days and those cops will be history.”
“Good colt.”

Big Boss inhaled his cigarette, causing the front end to flare brightly, thus brightening up his face.
“When everything goes as I want it, the police will be the least of our worries. I’m more worried about what’ll happen if the Princesses find out about who runs this mafia. If my identity is revealed, I will be history.”
Megabite and Gallop stared at each other, they were both noting how Big Boss was thinking only of himself; but as long as they were being paid, it did not matter. However, one thing was still on Gallop’s mind.
“How can you be sure that this mafia will survive after practically donating thirty million bits?”
“A small fraction. I imagine Talzotl, like most teenagers, is spending all those bits on crap he doesn't need, and if you’re thinking that he’ll be a threat somehow, I should let you know that he’s only one pony. Who would even dare try to help him take us on?”
Gallop sighed. “I guess you’re right, boss. He is just one.”

The limousine hit a slight bump, causing Gallop to yelp in surprise. Megabite snickered at this until Big Boss glared at him and he stopped.
Big Boss continued. “Even if he dares to try, he made one mistake when dealing with us, he accepted the delivery at his mansion. Megabite, do you still remember it is?
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. I doubt that he would risk the life of his poor, defenseless old mother, unless his heart is truly black.”
“Like yours?” Gallop retorted, surprising the other occupants. Megabite cracked his knuckles and prepared to punch him, but Big Boss silently signaled him to stop with a wave of his dark hoof.
“Yes. Like mine. But I must remind you not to insult me again, or I won’t tell Megabite to back off again.” To his delight, he saw Gallop tremble.

The limousine pulled up at a large house near Bit-silano Beach. Gallop’s house, to be exact. Almost eagerly, Gallop attempted to leave the limo but was blocked by Big Boss’s hoof.
“Remember, do whatever you can to deal with those cops, and make sure it is not traced back to me.” He shut the door, and the stallion pulling the limo trotted off but not before giving Gallop a stern huff and letting him exit.

Gallop entered his house and put on his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and hopped into bed. However, he could not sleep, as his mind wondered once again to how he had ended up in this heinous lifestyle.

Twenty Years Ago

He was once extremely poor, and forced to live on the streets. He ate whatever was edible from trash cans that he found outside of restaurants. There were no shelters for him to stay at during the night, so he often slept in old, abandoned houses or factories.

During his stay at what he thought was an abandoned factory, he was roughly shook awake by a group of tough-looking ponies wearing black beanies. He feared that very night would be his last, until the ponies were stopped by the stallion called Big Boss. After begging and pleading, he managed to convince him that he would be valuable to his organization, as he had skills in breaking into houses. Big Boss agreed, and at this point, he often assigned him to steal from rival gangs with remarkable success.

After ten years of this, Big Boss bought him a suite where he started his Crêpe restaurant as a front for his crimes, which was a part of the deal when Big Boss secretly gave him the funds required to start it up. On that day, he was the happiest he had ever been in his life.

Present
Now he was not happy. In fact, he was far from happy. He couldn’t even be happy if he was shit-faced. He had been a witness to countless murders and thefts from innocent ponies. Gallop wondered how long he could keep it up before he ended up having a heart attack from the stress.
So many times he had wanted to betray the Mafia, but he never had the guts. As far as he was concerned, he would be serving Big Boss until the day he died.