About a thousand and thirty five years ago, I was just a humble little colt. From the day I was born, to the time I was around twelve, my family and I would always struggle to survive. Even though it was just my mom, my dad, and I, life back then was rough. During the earlier years of my life, we'd move from one place to another trying to find food, water and shelter.
When I turned six, we settled in Manehatten under a bridge. Every day, we'd sit in the street, begging for spare change. We'd be lucky if we had enough to buy something to eat, which would take days, or weeks. Even to this day centuries later, I still get chills from those dark times. I remember how I would always fall asleep at night with an empty stomach. Can you imagine what it was like for a colt that age to nearly starve to death? I'm surprised I didn't.
It went that way for the next six years. But one day, my dad was really excited. He came to where my mom and I were begging and told us he actually got a job for him AND my mom at a construction site. It was the greatest thing that had ever happened to us in a long time.
After a while, we finally had a roof over our heads with food and a nice warm bed! It was as if The Princess herself blessed us!
Life was great for the next three years, until that faithful night.
The three of were heading home from a night of family fun and stuff, when suddenly; these three stallions jumped out of nowhere and dragged us into an alleyway.
"Give us all your bits, or else!" one of them said.
"Or else what?" my dad replied.
"Oh, you'll see!"
"Just do what he says dear. We don't want to get into any trouble!" my mom urged my dad, so he did just that, but while he was handing over all of his bits, one of the thugs approached my mom.
"Well aren't you a fine young lady. What are you doing wasting your time with these two, when you could be experiencing pleasure every night." the thug said in a flirty tone. My mom, however, didn't find what he said so appealing.
"EXCUSE ME! I'll have you know I'm far better off being with my husband and child then being with the likes of you!" she replied.
"Oh really? Well, we'll just see about that!" the thug said as he approached my mom. She responded, by turning and bucking him in the face. My dad saw what she did, and did he same. After that, we turned and took off in the opposite direction, with the three thugs in pursuit.
We ran past buildings after buildings, block after block, and even through alleyways. We knew the only safe place we could go to was the police station, but that was still a great distance away, but we still went after it. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side. We reached a dead end in some alley. We did lose them, but it wouldn't be long before they'd find us again.
I knew for sure we were going to die, but then I noticed that my mom was coming up with something. Finally, she whispered something in my ear.
"Longspear, on the count of three, your father and I are going to fling you up towards the fire escape over there. You'll climb up and onto the rooftops, alright?" my mom told me. I was in shock by what she wanted me to do.
"What?! Are you crazy?! I'm not going to leave you guys.” I said in protest.
"Listen Longspear, you're our little miracle! You're the light in our dark world, and I would hate it if something bad ever happened to you. It's already too late to save ourselves, but there's still time to save you! You must trust me on this one! Do it for us! Do it for me!” my mom begged. Every part of me wanted to say no, but I knew it was for the best. They don't want to see a child like me go through such abuse. So I accepted.
As I got in front of my parents, the thugs found us and were slowly approaching us. Right before we were going to put our plan into action, my mom whispered one more thing to me.
"No matter what happens, or where we are, we will always love you, and we will always be together."
My heart broke when she told me that, and to this day, I can still hear her whispering that to me.
With one final kiss, they both threw me on the ladder on the fire escape.
As I held on for dear life, I tried to climb up while trying to block out the sounds of my parents being tortured.
In no time, I was able to climb up onto the roof of the building. While I was catching my breath, I heard something. The fire escape began to rattle. That could have only meant one thing.
Without hesitating, I ran across the roof and jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Looking back, I saw three of the thugs were really close. I knew I had to lose these guys, and the only way to do that was to get down from the rooftops.
It didn't take long for me to find another fire escape. Doing what I previously did, I climbed down from the roof and onto the city alleyway. Once my hooves touched the ground, I continued running through the alleyways in hopes of losing my pursuers. Sadly though, I picked the wrong alley to turn into.
It turned out that I ran into more of those thugs, and they didn't look too happy to see me. I knew I was going to die this time, so I simply crouched down and closed my eyes to wait for the inedible.
I did hear a bolt of magic, but it didn't hit me.
Looking up, I saw that a fight had broken out. I quickly ducked behind a nearby dumpster in an attempt to avoid getting shot.
Peeking out, I saw that the majority of the thugs were either lying motionless, or were running for their lives.
The fight didn't last that long either. After what seemed like two minutes, I emerged from my hiding place and looked around. The area looked terrible. That's when I noticed the three unicorns that approached me. Two of them were stallions; one of them was a young mare. They looked as if they were part of some cult or something.
The mare and stallion's coats were gray with black manes. The other stallion looked different. His coat was like the color of obsidian, with the same black mane.
"You alright kid?" the obsidian colored stallion asked. I slowly nodded in fear.
"Boy do I hate these guys!" the gray stallion said, but was motioned to be quiet by the gray mare.
"Wh-who are you guys?" I asked nervously.
"That's something you don't need to know," the gray mare told me.
"You better be heading on home now. The streets are no place for a colt like you," the obsidian one told me before motioning the others that they were heading out. I simply stood there, confused. I thought about who they were, and why did they save me. I knew I had nowhere left to go, considering I was probably already an orphan. So I figured I knew whom to follow.
"Hey! Wait up!" I called out. The three unicorns turned and saw me running up to them.
"You can't just save me and just leave me here alone by myself,"
"Don't you have someplace to be? Your parents are probably worried sick about you!" the gray stallion told me.
"That would actually be nice, if they were still alive that is," I replied.
"What do you mean ‘if they were still alive’?" the obsidian one asked in a confused tone.
"Those thugs you just took out, they killed my parents not too long ago. So now, I have no one. I'm all alone."
The two gray ponies looked heartbroken. The obsidian one though, didn't look any different.
"Alright, that was a cute little sob story, now quit wasting our time and beat it!" he replied. That made me furious.
"Sob story?! That wasn't a sob story! I really did lose my parents to those jerks, and now I want to get back at them for it!" I replied furiously.
"Now hold on a minute Ender! He may be telling the truth! His parents could be those two dead ponies we saw back at that alleyway, and plus, we did see several of those guys
climb up that fire escape. Tell me, what other reason could they have climbing up there besides chasing him," the gray stallion said in my defense. Ender then examined me in suspicion before sighing.
"Very well then. You can come with us if you like, but you have to do EXACTLY what I say! Do you understand?" he asked furiously. I nodded nervously.
"Alright then, I'm afraid we haven't gotten your name,"
"Longspear," I told him.
"The name is Ender," Ender said, introducing himself. The gray stallion was next to introduce himself.
"I'm Archer. The best shot there is!" Archer said in a boastful tone. The mare was last to introduce herself.
"And my name is Eagle Eye! I may not be so good with my shots like what Archer claims, but I'm pretty good at spotting targets!"
"We're known as The League of Thieves. Come, we'll tell you all about us!" Ender said as we walked away from the scene of the crime.
During our walk together, they told me everything about themselves. Apparently they’re a group of thieves who would not only steal from the rich, but also from other gangs. It all started when Ender ended up like me as an orphan whose parents were killed by a bunch of thugs. He eventually took up stealing in order to support himself. Then one day, he realized that there were other ponies like him who were suffering. So he decided that whatever he stole, he would share it with the other homeless ponies without telling them where he got it. Soon, he formed The League of Thieves.
Archer told me that the reason he joined was because of something about a drug problem, and his ex-wife divorcing and leaving him with nothing, so he didn't want that to happen to any other pony, and Eagle Eye joined because she was kicked out of her home for doing "things" with her ex-boyfriend or something. I don't think their relationship lasted, so in the end, she was left with nothing and no one wanted her. I can't be too sure, it’s been a REALLY long time, but that's how they joined the bandwagon.
At one point, they had hundreds of members in their group, but after a while, they all got caught and were thrown in jail. Some received harsher punishments than others, depending on what they stole.
You'd think they would keep all the stuff they stole, well then you're wrong. They actually gave their riches to the poor ponies outside of Manehatten. At first, they did give their riches to the ponies there, but soon found out that the majority of the ponies would use the money to buy drugs, so they decided to extend their charity to the locals.
But like I said before, their numbers had been dropping in recent years. Now it was just Ender, Archer, Eagle Eye, and a few other members, including myself. It was interesting how they would initiate new members to their group. Apparently, you have to steal something valuable from any pony. What I did was I picked
Pocketed from all the ponies in the streets. Eventually they let me into their group.
Oh, and there was this part where new members would dye their coats gray and their manes black. Ender and I were exceptions because he was the one who started it years back, and I because, well, as you can see, my coat is already naturally gray, and my mane is naturally black. All they did was they dyed my flank, covering my cutie mark, which did explain why the others didn't seem to have one. It made sense considering they didn't want to be recognized.
So for the next 10 years, we pretty much stole from ponies, whether they were gang related or not. We did at some point recruit several new members from time to time. I believe we went from fourteen to forty-ish. It was great, but then I kept feeling guilty. I felt as if I became the kind of pony I despised, but I would remind myself that I wasn't like those thugs from long ago, and that I didn't kill anyone. I just simply stole from the rich and gave it to some struggling communities outside of the city.
Now, the one thing that was important to all of us was our honor, which is one of the main reasons why I'm telling you this. A thief’s honor was that he or she would look after one another, be honest, stay true to your word, like keeping a promise or something, and most of all, only steal. Never commit any other crime. Only steal what you think is valuable, which meant we could pickpocket, break into houses, and rob stores. There was this one time where all forty of us robbed a jewelry store, and didn't get caught!
Then one day, we realized that our funding was low, and we needed money. That's when Ender had the idea. In my opinion, it was the worst one ever. If he hadn't had thought of that plan, then I wouldn't be here!
Anyway, he had his thoughts on one particular place. If it would end successfully, then they would be well known throughout Equestria, and they could end poverty as we know it, OR, if it fails, it could mean the end of the league. His job was to rob the Equestrian Treasury building in Canterlot.
We all rejected the idea, but Ender was the leader, so he had the final word. He claimed that he had everything planned out to the smallest detail. That really didn't ease our continence
So it was settled. We would go and break into the Equestrian National Treasury building and steal all the bits from the vault there.
•••
After several weeks of preparation, we were all on our way to Canterlot. I remember having butterflies in my stomach during the whole train ride there. Not even Ender could ease the worry that I harbored within me.
In no time, we arrived at The Grand Central Station. What was surprising was the fact that we were the only ones there, but that was probably because it was two in the morning, which was good, considering our gray coats would blend in with the darkness of the night. Once we were all ready, we began to put the plan into action.
We were split into two groups. The first group would scout out the area and taking out any guards by knocking them unconscious. The second group would quietly make our way to the treasury building.
Now I will tell you this: when we got there, it was a real pain trying to break in without setting off the alarms, getting past several checkpoints, and sneaking past guards. It was tricky, but we managed to arrive at the vault. There, Ender, along with sever other unicorns used their magic to try and bypass the spells on it and open the door. It took quite some time, but by some fluke, they managed to get the vault door opened. What lied behind it was beyond any pony’s dreams.
It was like a sea of gold! There were bits everywhere! Not only that, but it was filled with gems, and fine jewelry. We knew we hit the trillion bit jackpot!
Without a moment to hesitate, fifteen of us would go in and load up all the loot in large sacks, while the other five would help move the sacks out of the treasury while keeping an eye out. Everything was running smoothly, until everything came crashing down.
Apparently, and to this day I still don't know how it happened, some pony accidentally tripped the alarm. You can imagine how panicked we were at the time. Fortunately, we had already stolen a very large portion of all the riches in the vault. All that was left was to take the remaining sacks and get the hell out of there.
We were able to get out of there, but it was too late. The guards had already surrounded the place. Nearly all the thieves were caught and arrested, including Archer and Eagle Eye. Ender and I were the only ones left. The guards were about to storm into the place, which meant that there was only one place left we could go, and that was the roof.
I was about to go, until I noticed that Ender wasn't following me.
"Ender? What are waiting for? Come on!” I called out to him.
“It's over Longspear. I knew this would happen, and this is my fault. You go on. I'll stay here and hold them off long enough for you to escape," he replied.
"Oh come on Ender! We can get out of this! You and I can escape, and then we can come up with something afterwards! So come on!" I urged him.
“I can't. I have to live up to my honor. I have to be there for others, and if they go down, I'm going down with them."
"Well, if that's what you're going to do, then I just want to say, it’s been a pleasure knowing ya,"
"Remember, honor among thieves!" he called out, before I left him there to fend for himself. That was the last time I ever saw him.
I quickly ran up the stairs that led to the top of the roof. Once I got there, you'll never believe whom I ran into. The Princess landed right in front of me and cast a spell upon me, making me unable to move.
Being arrested by a guard is one thing, but being arrested by Celestia herself is something far more different. That just shows that you've really done something wrong.
Every single thief was taken to the dungeons, and the bits were returned to the vault. Ender however, wasn't so lucky. As for myself, I was taken somewhere else.
I was riding on the same chariot as Celestia. We were on our way to the royal palace.
Once there, several guards carried my immobile body inside the palace. They finally placed my body in what looked like an interrogation room. What made my situation even worse was the fact that The Princess was the one who was going to interrogate me.
By the time the two of us were alone, she began to ask me questions. At first, they were simple questions, like what my name was, and where I lived. Soon enough, though, she began asking the questions she wanted to know. She asked me about who we were, what we did, and why we planned to rob the treasury.
Normally, I would keep my mouth shut, but my honor forbid it, so I had to spill the beans. When I finished, I could have sworn she was furious deep inside, but she never expressed it.
"Well, Longspear, by the looks it, it seems you've told us quite a lot, about not only your group, but yourself swell. We've tried to pull up your records, but apparently, to us, you don't exist, but don't worry, we've written down everything you've told us. Now, by the order of The Equestrian Council, you have committed the crime of trespassing on government property, breaking and entering, and attempted burglary of a federal building. I hereby sentence you to-" just then, Celestia was called in from outside of the room.
"If you will excuse me for just one moment," she said before exiting the room. I waited nervously in the room, while wondering what my sentence would be. Then suddenly, I began to hear arguing on the other side of the door, which then turned into yelling. After what seemed like ten minutes, Celestia re-entered the room. That’s when she entered my life. I stood there and watched Maxspell enter the room with such professionalism.
"Longspear, it appears that thanks to Dr. Maxspell, who was capable of convincing me otherwise, I have reached a new verdict. Your sentence will be to work for Dr. Maxspell for the next ten years, for she wishes to try and reform you, as part of an experiment she's conducting. You must do whatever she says, and you must follow her every command she gives you. She will report to me on your progress in being reformed, for if you either step out of line, or simply not do what she says, then she will report to me, and then YOU will have to deal with me. Do you understand?" she asked with a bit of a threatening tone. I replied with a simple 'yes'.
"One more thing, once your ten year sentence is complete, it will be up to Dr. Maxspell to decide upon your fate. She will either grant you your freedom, or have you continue being her assistant. I have enough confidence to trust Dr. Maxspell with this great responsibility." said Celestia. I felt like I was being cheated in my sentence.
"Well that's not fair! What if she want to kill me once my ten year sentence is up?!" I called out in protest. Maxspell was about to open her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Celestia.
"I will make sure that it will not happen," Celestia replied. That really didn't make me feel any better. Just then, I was able to move my body. Celestia had lifted the spell from me. After that, we were escorted to the castle entrance. Once there, Maxspell led me to her home not too far from the palace. She didn't say a word on our way there.
When we arrived, she began to explain how my life was going to play out for the next ten years.
"Alright, Longspear, is it? As you know, my name is Maxspell, and I work at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, which means that you're going to be there with me, helping me with whatever I need help with. I just want you to know that for these next ten years, you are going to be facing the jaws of a never-ending world of hell. Do you understand?" Maxspell asked with a bad tone. I simply nodded in reply.
"And one more thing. After your ten year sentence is over, if you disobey, or double cross me, then I will personally mount your head on the wall with my bare hooves!"
"B-but what about what The Princess said?" I asked nervously.
"She said that after your ten years are up, I would decide your fate. Now, do we have an understanding?" I nodded nervously.
"Excellent! Now go get some rest. Your first day of hell begins tomorrow!"
•••
"Oh, it was hell alright. In fact, what was supposed to be ten years of suffering turned out to a thousand years of torture? Of course, she did report to Celestia that I would continue being her slave, to which she agreed. So for a thousand years, we laid low in hiding. Obviously we had to fake our deaths to guarantee that we wouldn't be discovered.
So that's almost the whole story of my life and how I got here, and boy have they been the worst." Longspear said. Black Iron Got up and trotted up to him.
"You know, ponies make mistakes. I probably can't do anything about my mistakes, but that doesn't mean you can't either. You should start changing your ways and start doing what
you know is right, like what your honor says,"
"What are trying to say?"
"What I'm saying is that you should stop doing what she says!"
"WHAT?! She'd literally throw me in hole so deep that I will have no idea which way is up if I do something like that! You know what she is capable of!
"Not if I anything to say about it! It's time for her reign of terror to come to an end! Are you in or not?" Black Iron proclaimed.
After moment of thinking, Longspear sighed before agreeing.
"You may not be a thief, but you are my um... companion, and we should always stick together and be there for each other!"
"Honor among Thieves huh?"
"Yup, now come on, I know who we can go to for help." Longspear said before he and Black Iron left the library, and into the night.
•••
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