The Honest Thief

Chapters

Last Chance
The Last Heist
Left for Dead
The Breaking Point

Last Chance

“Oh what has he done now? Pickpocket another miner? Take some jewels from the mines?” said Mr. Spur.

The police pony looked down at the young white unicorn that he had apprehended, “I’m afraid your boy was stealing from the general store. Colt nearly got away with it too if it hadn’t been for his path of dropped bits through town.”

Mrs. Spur chimed in, “Will he be taken to jail this time? Can you please give him one last chance?”

“Well the town of Gold Gorge is really getting sick and tired of your colt thieving around and swindling; I guarantee if he does this again the townsfolk will surely run him out and keep him out for good.” The white colt gave a look of desperation and fear.

“Well with the town being so ruthless and dangerous these days it’s no surprise our colt has turned into another common thief.” The police pony scoffed at Mr. Spur’s reply.

“Look here, if your colt keeps this thieving up I’m certain the town will force him out and if they don’t I’ll take him to jail myself!” The tension between the police pony and Mr. Spur was boiling over.

Mrs. Spur cut in between them, “Please officer, he’s just a colt! He couldn’t go to jail, he just couldn’t!”

The police pony looked at the colt with a displeasing look, “yeah, we’ll see about that one.” He then shoved the white unicorn over to his parents, gave a harsh look and turned away.

The Spurs’ gave their son a hug; however this was soon met with an angry look on Mr. Spur’s face. “You’ve really done it now Silver Spur- you are on your last thread around here. I can’t understand why you’ve wanted to become a thief! It’s dirty business and all it leads to is a life of shame and desperation! You should be ashamed of yourself for ever wanting to become a low life thief!”

Silver began to tear up and ran off into the meager home of the Spurs. “Golden, you really should be more consoling to him; he loves you so much and when you reprimand him like that it makes him so sad.” Mrs. Spur seemed to be more understanding than Golden was.

“He’s nothing but trouble! I wish I knew why or what compels him to do this but he always gets caught and always gets more hated by the town! I live an honest life working in the mines like everypony else but he refused to do it! His cutie mark is of four silver sparkles for pony’s sake! He was meant to be a miner like me and my father, and my grandfather; this thieving business is the worst thing he could do.”

Mrs. Spur turned away from her husband and walked inside to the small shack of a home to find Silver quietly sobbing on his bed mat. Mrs. Spur felt a wave of compassion flow over to her seeing her son in such a depressed mood.

She gently laid her hoof over the colt and rubbed his coat softly. “It’s okay Silver- your father is just upset because you don’t want to be a miner like him. He can be ill tempered at times.”

Silver spoke while sobbing, “The reason I steal is for you and pop. I look at how little we have and how much we need and I can’t help but wanting to do something. If I became a miner we would still be poor and I would just continue the cycle. I know I’m more than that!” Silver looked up to his mother, “You know I’m more than that.”

Mrs. Spur lowered her eyes and hugged her son, “Yes Silver, I know you are. I wish we could give you a better opportunity but we just can’t; there isn’t enough money to move you to a better town where you could grow up decently.”

Silver wiped the tears off of his cheeks and smiled at his mother. “I love you and pop, I just want to be more than what pop wants me to be. I wish he would understand.”

“One day he will, but until then I would try and cut back on the thieving. The town really is starting to dislike you and the trouble you cause.”

“Okay mom, I will. I’ll work with pop from now on.”

Mrs. Spur smiled and hugged her son again and was glad to have the conflict resolved. The two came back outside to Golden who was sitting in his rocking chair silently.

“I’m sorry pop, I promise I won’t ever thieve again and I’ll work with you in the mines from now on.” Silver said with a sighing tone.

Golden lit up with a grin, “Well good! Work starts at 5am tomorrow morning so make sure you’re packed and ready by then; better than all that thieving nonsense isn’t it?”

Silver reluctantly shook his head and tried to produce a smile on his face. He wasn’t sure which was worse, working in a place he hated or being thrown out of town.

End of Chapter 1

The Last Heist

Silver lifted his mother’s chin up and spoke to her, “I know what has to happen. I’m going to rob that filthy scum, when he suspects us I’ll take the blame, pretend I have the money and leave the actual money with you.”

“Silver no! You shouldn’t, you can’t! I can’t bear the thought of having you wander out into the desert without a sense of where you’re going; you’ll surely starve or die of thirst!” Mrs. Spur was now worried about her son more than ever.

“And I can’t bear seeing my parents face a life of extreme poverty at the hooves of that evil stallion. He deserves this and it has been overdue a long time now.”

Mrs. Spur could see there was no changing Silver’s mind yet she was still saddened at the idea of her son being a wanted pony. “Silver,” she breathed deeply, “be careful out there, please be careful.”

“I will, but promise me you or pop will never step hoof in that mine again.”

“I promise Silver. But make me a promise as well- promise me you’ll see us one last time. I will miss my son more than you can ever imagine.”

“I promise. I love you mom.” Silver leaned in and hugged his mother for what would be the last time.

Silver didn’t tell his father about his plans and after his parents went to bed, Silver crept out and began his last heist. Silver sneaked up to Sapphire’s estate near the edge of town and looked through the windows to check if the stallion was asleep yet. All the candles in the home were out, giving a clear indication it was time to begin the robbery. Silver headed to the back of the mansion and used his old lock pick to open up the back door. He cautiously entered the home, looking around for a secret place Sapphire would hide his savings. Silver couldn’t find any place in the home that would indicate a normal hiding spot yet he was determined. Silver thought of every place he couldn’t seem to find anything. However Silver noticed a peculiar sound a couple of the floor boards made in one area when he stepped on them. He tried lifting the boards with some force and the loosely planted nails soon rose up. Silver discovered a large chest containing a treasure trove of bits, gems and jewelry; Silver used his magic to levitate the chest out of the hole and set the boards back into place. Nearly silent, he made his way out of the mansion and quickly back into town. He then hid the chest in a nearby hole he had found in a large rock. Returning home, Silver looked at his home one last time; the ramshackle exterior, the dirt floor, the ancient cookware and tools, this life was no life at all, it was a prison, a prison he would sacrifice himself to take his parents out of.

The next morning the whole town was congregating around the mine where Radiant Sapphire was yelling as to who stole his fortune. No pony confessed to it so he decreed no pony would have a job until somepony confessed. Silver knew this was the end of his old life and the beginning of a new one on the run.

“I will ask one last time! If no pony confesses I swear to Celestia all of you will starve and be out of work forever! Now, who was it? We haven’t got all day! Just tell me who is responsible and all this can end!” Sapphire was going berserk at not having someone confess.

Silver whistled atop a nearby cliff so everypony could hear him. He was wearing large sacks that seemed to have gold pieces in them. “Hey Radiant, looking for something?”

Radiant flew into a tirade and ordered the police after Silver immediately. “Get that low life thief and kill him! I want that stallion dead!”

Silver sprinted away off of the cliff yet the cargo he had was pulling him down immensely. Yet he just had to convince the police he was gone with the gold and he was home free. The police were racing up on Silver yet he soon turned into a large cave. The police followed the stallion in yet the cave was nearly pitch-black. Silver had explored this cave many times as a colt and knew where every tunnel led to; the police on the other hand trotted aimlessly around the cave and where much slower to know where to go. Silver made his escape through one of the tunnels that led about two miles outside of town. He was certain none of the police were following him so he was able to drop the heavy sacks of pebbles he had painted gold in order to appear like bits from a distance.

Radiant Sapphire awaited the return of the police ponies and yelled at the sheriff, “What do you mean you couldn’t find him!? Do you know how much gold I had saved in that chest? I want all of you to search for weeks if you have to! I want my bits back and that stallion dead!”

Back at Silver’s home, a note was left with his parents and read:

Dear mom and pop,

The chest is located in a hole on stallion’s stone under a large rock in the shape of a triangle. There is enough gold to support you both for a couple lifetimes and get you out of that horrid town. I love you both and I hope I will see you once again in my life.

Love always,

Silver Spur

End of Chapter 3

Left for Dead

Silver had been trotting through the desert for two days now and there seemed to be little hope for his survival. With few supplies and nearly no water, Silver was becoming extremely concerned as to whether or not he would have enough energy to make it through another two days. He knew there was an old town a couple miles out of his way yet it had been abandoned for years and the chances of it still having some supplies were slim. However if he kept on his path to the next real town he would be at risk of dehydrating before reaching it. Silver decided to take the gamble and go to the abandoned town in the hopes it would have some much needed food and water.

As the sun began to raise high above Silver, the temperature became a daunting problem and he desperately needed shade and time to conserve energy. Nevertheless he pushed forward and continued until he saw a faint hint of a town over the horizon. He soon started to gallop over to the town where he was met with a run down and creepy town. The atmosphere around this place was frightening and Silver was hesitant at first to enter the place. However his fear would need to be set aside for his need of supplies.

Silver looked at the various old buildings and saw a general store. ‘That’s a good place to start’ he thought to himself. Silver trotted in slowly and looked around the store, there were a couple jars, boxes, tools and trinkets to take but for the most part it was empty. Silver gathered what would be useful and went over to another building that was the town saloon. In there he found a barrel of water that seemed fine to drink. He heard some creaking around the building and looked around for a moment. The creaking stopped and continued filling up his canteen with water. The creaking began again yet it was louder and had multiple sources. Silver was now certain he wasn’t alone in this place.

He tried to back out of the saloon yet he was met with a gang of diamond dogs that popped up through the floorboards. Silver was completely surrounded; seven to one were not good odds considering he had no true way to defend himself other than his hooves.

The leader of the group stepped forward a bit, “All right pony, hand over what ya got and we might just let ya off easy.”

Silver looked at the members of the gang, there was no chance he would be able to escape. He reluctantly took off his saddle bags which contained the rest of his food and water. The diamond dogs began shuffling through the bags and became displeased at how slim the pickings were.

“You don’t have much to offer us pony,” the gang began to lurch closer again to Silver, “guess we’ll just have to use you instead.”

Silver was terrified of the idea of being devoured by these beasts and would fight until his last breath to escape. Suddenly one of the dogs lunged forward yet Silver reacted quickly and kicked with his hind legs right into the dog’s jaw. The dog was rendered unconscious yet there were still six dogs and only one Silver. As Silver continued stepping back, he eventually reached the wall of dirt behind him. Cornered, Silver thought for sure this was the end. However he and the rest of the diamond dogs heard a rumble from above on the surface and immediately a pony jumped down into the diamond dogs’ den where she was met face to face with the gang. The pony immediately bucked one in the face, then another and another.

As the remaining dogs tried to capture the pony, she swiftly eluded them and whipped out her lasso which she then was able to hogtie one yet there were still two left. Silver decided to jump back into the fight and bucked one of the dogs in the chest, knocking him into a dirt wall and falling onto the ground. The last dog franticly dug down and escaped the two ponies; as the two relaxed and climbed out of the den, Silver was extremely thankful for the mare that most likely saved his life.

“Thank you so much ma’am, I don’t know if I could’ve made it out of there alive if it wasn’t for you.” Silver said, tipping his hat with gratitude.

“Aw it was nothin’, I come by here every once in a while and I heard those dastardly diamond dogs and a pony in danger and I couldn’t jus’ stand by and let them make you their dinner.”

Silver smiled, “Well thank you Miss uh…”

“Sweet peach, but most everypony calls me dusty, on account of my coat color.”

The Breaking Point

It had been 7 years since Silver’s last robbery and had confided in working in the mines. He was now 18 and was built, strong and stone-faced. His attitude towards life had grown more and more despising over the years he had worked in the mines; how unfairly he was treated, the low pay and the endless droning cycle he lived was nearly unbearable. Get up, go dig, get home, repeat; this repetition had become a sad excuse for a livelihood and he would constantly think of the act of theft time and time again. Yet he promised his mother he would live the life of what his father wanted so the family could stay happy. He also remembered he was on his last chance with the law and if he was caught again the town would surely run him out for good.

However this ‘life’ Silver was living gave him bitterness and hatred; the idea of living this for the rest of his natural life was a fate worse than death he believed. Along with this, the mine owner, Radiant Sapphire, had begun to lower wages due to a lack in productivity. He threatened to continue this unless the workers picked up the pace and found more gems. Silver would grit his teeth when Sapphire was near him- he could barely control his anger towards him. Finally, a breaking point came.

“Well Mr. Spur, it seems you and your son have been lacking in gem count these past weeks. Now I am a tolerant stallion and appreciate a hard worker but it seems you or your son hasn’t been this.”

“Please, Mr. Sapphire, this area of the mine is low in gems and I suspect there aren’t much left.” Golden Spur seemed to be praying for his job.

“I’m sorry Mr. Spur but I have no time for worthless dirt like you and your son. Get out of my mine and stay out. The only reason I kept your father here was because he worked for nearly nothing- but you ask for a higher pay and deliver nothing.”

Silver Spur was enraged at Sapphire, how dare he talk to his father like this; after all the years of dedicated work he had given to him. Golden lowered his head and frowned deeply, he turned and trotted away.

“C,mon Silver, pack up your things, we’re no longer needed here.”

Silver gritted his teeth with pure hatred and tried with all his might to follow his father out of the mine and not beat Sapphire senseless. It was truly the final straw that broke the camel’s back for Silver; he could not tolerate this abuse without a lasting revenge on Radiant Sapphire.

Mrs. Spur was surprised to have Golden and Silver back early, “Oh you two are home early, did work let out?”

Golden sat back in his rocking chair and sighed deeply saying nothing. Silver simply walked in the shack and lied down on his bed mat. Mrs. Spur tried to get something out of either of them yet it was to no avail. She soon realized what had happened was deeply hurt. She was now uncertain how she would buy food and water for the family and how long they would last. After a couple hours, Golden finally got up from his chair and came into the house.

Silver was sitting down near his mother waiting for Golden to have dinner with them; none of the family said anything, silence told the story of what happened that day. However near the end of dinner, Golden finally spoke up.

“I worked 26 years for that pony and he just cuts me off like a used napkin. He even insulted my father, said he only kept him because he was cheap enough. I…I can’t believe this.” Tears swelled up in Golden’s eyes. “Excuse me for a moment.”

Golden trotted out of the house to hide his pain from the rest of the family. He always wanted to show no pain or weakness to Silver and would try to mask his true feelings in times of hardship. Mrs. Spur sighed, she knew without the money from the mines, the family would run out of money for food in a couple weeks.

Mrs. Spur started crying at the thought of being homeless and starving with her own son feeling such pain. Silver wrapped his hooves around her, she then spoke; “I just don’t know what we’re going to do. I… I…” She couldn’t continue speaking without crying more.

Silver felt rage unlike any he had ever felt before. He knew what he had to do.

End of Chapter 2