Ace in the Hole

Chapter Two - Place for my Head

“I’m sick of the tension, sick of the hunger, Sick of you acting like I owe you this… -Linkin Park”

The coronation was the only thing ponies talked about for days.  When we came back, I asked one of the older ponies about Smoothtongue.  Apparently, she had posed as everyponies spy during the power struggle and later betrayed all of them.  Well, I guess it does make sense; she certainly didn’t seem to be the friendliest pony I had ever seen.  Anyway, almost everypony from our guild came away with more stolen goods then we had ever seen in one place before. Scratch, one of the younger ponies, hadn’t been so lucky.  He had been caught by a guard and was now in jail awaiting his punishment.  I felt bad for the kid. I mean I know that stealing is bad and all, but when that’s the only way you’ve got to stay alive and now he might not get to see another day. It’s a tough life here in the Drudge and the only way out is to get a job.  Now though, with some of the new machines that are being developed, it’s harder than ever to get a job and most people are losing their work.  It’s not that getting a job is that much better (the employers rob you blind), it’s that it doesn’t eat at your consciousness.  Most of the ponies we steal from had to work hard do get what they’ve got, and who are you to take that away from them. But to survive, I will do anything and that’s all that’s stopping me from going mad with guilt.

“Shrimp!” yelled one of the gryphons that helped run my guild. “Come show me what you’ve got so we can determine how long you can spend nights with us.”

I was excited. This was the biggest haul of loot I had ever brought in and I might actually be able to take a day off. Days off in the Horseshoe guild only came once a year on a pony’s join date, kind of like a benefit for choosing to be in this guild.  The relief that you feel when you realize that nopony wants to kill you is unbelievable.

“Shrimp! Are you coming or are you to embarrassed to show everypony that those short stumps of forelegs you have are completely useless?” the gryphon asked.  The ponies that heard laughed and made a point to make fun of my short build. I ignored them and quickly hurried over to show him that I had, in fact, been able to get a bunch of jewelry and even a new knife (Which somepony had dropped, but I forgot to mention that.)

“That will get you a week in the shelter. Not bad Shrimp.” The gryphon handed back the knife I had found.  “Keep this either for yourself or save it for some food and take a day off.” The gryphon winked at me and started calling for Scarlet. I guess this was just his way of apologizing for making fun of me. Interesting, I never knew that gryphons could have sympathy.

As I headed to the back of the squat building everypony slept in, I heard Scarlet begin to sob.  I quickly rushed over to her to see what the matter was; after all, I had been her partner in crime today at the coronation.  Scarlet was being told that she was going to have to spend the night outside.  I quickly jumped into the conversation.

“What do you mean she has to spend the night outside?! She got even more loot than I did today. Did you not see that jeweled gold watch?” I yelled.

“No Shrimp, they didn’t see it,” Scarlet said.  “Somepony must have stolen it and everything else I had along with it.  All I have now is a this lead filled bag.” With this she began sobbing. “And now, I’m going to have to spend the night…,” with a heaving sob she screamed “outside.”

See this is the problem with being in a thief’s guild.  Things got stolen.  While, most of the time, the other ponies were at least decent enough to only steal from ponies that could live without it, other ponies enjoyed stealing and watching ponies suffer.  This is what makes me mad. If I could, I would beat anypony that lacked the empathy to realize that what they were doing could kill the other pony. And these are ponies that know what it feels like to have nothing to give to the gryphons that run the guild and know the horrors night’s hold in the Drudge.

‘Damn,’ I thought to myself, ‘I thought I could finally catch a break.’  I walked up to the gryphon that had given me back the knife and I gave him the knife.  “Can Scarlet sleep the night with this?” I asked him.

“No, but I can take one of those rings you gave my from your account and Scarlet can stay the night. In that case, you would also be down to four nights.” The gryphon replied.

“Wait, that means I have to pay over three days’ worth of sleep for her one? Isn’t that unfair?” I asked. ‘So much for sympathy.’

“You want the deal or not kid? This is your only offer and,” he pulled me close. “It looks like your girlfriend over there is going to cry if you don’t.” Damn, it did look like Scarlet was about to let loose another one of her racking sobs if I didn’t agree.

“Fine, Damn you. Do it.”  With that I turned around and walked away with Scarlet.

“Thank you so much Shrimp,” she said hugging me.  “I don’t know what I would have done all alone at night. I doubt anyone else would have done the same for me. You’re a real hero.”  With that, Scarlet kissed me and ran off to talk to her friends.

'So I just payed a ring and a knife (which would have meant a free day) for a kiss?' I don’t know. I just expected something more for possibly saving her life.  It would have been nice to cuddle with her and feel the warmth of another pony’s body next to mine, but I guess I wouldn’t want to be seen with a pony that goes by Shrimp either.

I know that life is rough in the Drudge and chances are, in my place, Scarlet wouldn’t have done the same for me.  Still I felt good about what I had done and it showed that even in this rundown place we call the Drudge; there were still ponies that were willing to sacrifice something they had for the good of another.

Who knows, maybe tomorrow I can scavenge enough to still be able to get a day off this week.