Ace in the Hole

Chapter One - A Celebration to Die For

“Kings and Queens and guillotines, taking lives denied…-Aerosmith”

Today is going to be a big day for all of the guilds in town. Though the coronation of Hammerhead is only mandatory for the richest of ponies, nobody would want to miss this once in a lifetime event.  This meant that the thieves like us would be looking to steal enough goods to secure us a place to sleep for weeks. That's the way guilds work around here. You pay your daily dues and you have a place to sleep for the night, you don't and you have to survive the night alone.

Spending the night alone in the Drudge, the part of town with the factories and homeless ponies, is like playing Russian Roulette. You could get lucky and hide from the hood ponies that roam around the Drudge looking for stragglers. If you don't get lucky though, the screams of those found haunt the dreams of the young and old ponies alike. Even though the heads of the Guilds charge ridiculous fees for staying in the shelters, nopony wants to be left alone at night.

“Oh sorry,” said Scarlet, bumping into one of the market stands selling jewelry.  I quickly went to work “helping” the vendor pick up her spilled goods.  This was the third vendor we had hit that day and by the time they found that something was missing, it was too late for them to find us the growing crowd.

“I got two gold rings and a ruby pendant,” I told Scarlet. “What did you get?”

“Oh just this,” she said pulling out a jeweled gold watch.

“This is enough to get let us stay in the shelter for a week and get a decent meal for once,” I said enthusiastically.

“Good job Shrimp,” Scarlet said. “Let’s go see if we can get a caramel apple and watch the coronation.”

The ponies in my guild, the Horseshoe Guild, call me Shrimp because I’m tiny. I don’t have a real name because I never knew my parents.  Unlike the other orphans in the guild, I don’t try to think of my parents as noble heroes that were forced to leave me at birth.  The only reason I made it as a child was because of my small stature and my night black coat and dark red mane.  I escaped from the feared hood ponies by hiding in barrels.  After a few close run-ins, however, I joined the Horseshoe guild.  They accepted me because they saw my potential as a great thief.  A small stature and a dark coat the renders me close to invisible in shady areas was sure to be beneficial.  Some of the other guilds rejected me because they reasoned that I would be a hindrance because I wouldn’t be able to hold my own in a fight.

The ceremony was beginning. I'm sure that the other ponies in our guild would make the most of the distraction to pickpocket unsuspecting victims, but I was more interested in the ceremony. Unlike the some of the other ponies in my guild, I was too young to have seen the queen before her and her advisers were killed by the usurpers.

The coronation was to take place in the town center where a large viewing platform had been erected in the middle of Bastion, one of the largest cities in Equestria, where magnificent marble buildings have been erected and the roadsides didn’t stink of manure.  Where we are right now is the town square, where most of the rich ponies do their shopping.  For today’s special occasion, however, the vendors market stands have been moved to the sides for the large platform.  The coronation was to start just before noon so that when the crown was presented, the sun would shine at the perfect angle and all the light would fall on our new king.

‘Who is that?’ I thought to myself as a saw a lovely pink unicorn with a grey mane come to address the crowd.

"Ponies of Equestria!" the mare yelled, silencing the crowd. "I regret to inform you that Hammerhead will be unable to attend this coronation." Confusion spread throughout the crowd like wildfire.

“What does she mean that Hammerhead can't attend?” somepony in the audience said.

“What a fool. Late to his own coronation,” another pony chimed.

Somepony in the crowd yelled "Who are you and what have you done to Hammerhead?!"

The mare smiled. "I am Smoothtongue," she began, "and now I am also your queen."

With this, Smoothtongue levitated the ornate crown, which she had been carrying on a pillow, onto her head. The crowd responded with an uproar. Some shouted obscenities at her while others rushed onto the platform in an attempt to subdue her. A blinding flash of light erupted from the end of Smoothtongue's horn. When everypony's vision returned, nothing made sense. The attacking ponies were all chained to the ground with ropes of pure magic that resembled obsidian.  Also the important ponies that had been required to come were now likewise trapped in a cage made of the same material.

"Guards please escort Blue Bell here. And be quick about it," Smoothtounge snapped.

I was utterly confused at the proceedings. Is this what rich people considered entertainment? What could possibly cause Hammerhead to miss his own coronation? If the gossip of the other ponies in the guild was anything to go by, then Hammerhead was supposed to be one of the strongest ponies in Equestria. Nothing should have been able to stop him.

"I regret to inform you all that Hammerhead and the rest of his family and his advisors have died. Unexpectedly. Well everypony except me and Blue Bell, his daughter, that is.  Now is the time to correct that.“ Blue Bell was brought whimpering before Smoothtongue. "You see," Smoothtongue continued, "I was going to kill everypony with the poisoned cider. However, I think that everypony will remember this example much more... vividly."

If everypony hadn't been dumbstruck by Smoothtongue's speech, then they were still in for a surprise as an ornate knife, lifted by Smoothtongue's magic, flew out from underneath the pillow that had held the crown. With a precise cut, the knife slashed across Blue Bell's throat, spilling her lifeblood across the platform.

"Guards please bring everypony that was involved in the plot to overthrow the monarchy onto the platform." The guards did what she asked, though whether out of fear or loyalty it was hard to tell. Once all these ponies were rounded up, Smoothtongue said that she wished to honor their contribution to helping her take control of Equestria. Intrigued by the offer, the ponies stood listening attentively to hear the reward they were to be given.

"All of you," Smoothtongue said almost cheerfully, "will be used as an example to show that I need nopony’s help and all who side against me shall face death." The ponies tried to bolt away to save their lives, but the guards stopped them before they could escape. A guillotine was procured and the executions began. Someponies begged for mercy, while other ponies cursed Smoothtongue's name with their last breaths, but in the end, everypony that Smoothtongue wished dead was dead.

"You are now free to leave," said Smoothtongue with a smile and a wave. The crowd remained dumbstruck and unmoving as they tried to comprehend what had just occurred.

‘Damn,’ I thought, ‘that is one mare I wouldn’t fuck with.’