//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Six deadly Sinners 
// by Quilty 
//------------------------------//

Six Deadly Sinners.
The trick to solving a magician’s trick is to start at the reveal and work your way backwards. Along the way shadows are involved, lighting, these little titbits of information can be the keystone to many an illusion. Shadows are good for hiding something until it needs to be brought out, combined with the imperfect vision and attention of most species shadows are a safe haven unlike any other. Utilising them is the problem that many an illusionist has come across. But Blind Spot wasn’t an illusionist; he was, in the simplest sense, a thief. He was a unicorn whose family were up to their necks in debt, no thanks to their own compulsive habits, He spent day in and day out living off what he took, he had grown, from a young colt who had been caught by a crime syndicate in an air vent trying to steal a slice of pizza, to the single best thief in Equestria, not something he’d put on a CV but it was enough that he could live comfortably. He did his job and payment was a secondary issue, if they didn’t pay up he’d fleece them dry, that is if they promised him payment. He resided in Manehatten and spent a good portion of his time living life like a normal stallion, just without the input of a sensible mare. He missed the thrill he got from theft, now it felt impure, these ponies had earned what they had, who was he to question them? He wished to do one last job, something that no one would forget, something that would have the entire world in shock, asking the one question that brought a smile to every uncaught, unsuspected criminal on the face of Equestria. Who?

The sound of a letter filing into a letter box stirred Blind Spot from his sleep. The sun was now beating down on his head making going back to sleep impossible, his home was unimpressive but it didn’t have questions asked about it. He picked up the letter; on it was a purple seal with a goat like creature engraved. He read through the letter holding it in his hooves as his eyes scanned every detail. The letter simply asked him for help and gave the meeting place with no return address; Blind usually picked the meeting place to avoid being ambushed and they were only given the address when Blind had the entire place committed to memory. Alarm bells went off in his head. Was this a sting operation? Was a group of royal guards ready to pounce on him the moment he walked in? He steeled himself and decided to go to the meeting point. He spent a few hours waiting, he wanted it to be nightfall before he went so he could shrug off any stalkers, there was no such thing as being too careful.

He set off for the meeting point when the sun had set. He didn’t run until he was clear from the main streets. He reached the meeting point and parted the heavy door. There was draconequus in the middle of the room, Blind raised an eyebrow at the sight and a question formed on his lips.

“What do you want?” His voice was laced with scepticism. He knew the draconequus’s name, Discord, and he knew more than that, but his mind was all questions.

“I require a favour, I need you to steal some things for me, important things,” the draconequus stooped down to look Blind in the eye. “Here’s a list,” the draconequus showed him a piece of paper.

“You’re mad, you can’t expect me to get all these,” Blind gasped. “These are kept well protected; Celestia would gut me like a fish if she caught me!”

“Which is why she won’t catch you, I’ve picked out some other dubious characters to help out. Discord snapped his talons and four ponies and a griffon appeared. Discord caught the group’s attention with another snap.

“I want you six to do some errands for me, that guy,” he pointed at Blind Spot, “has everything I need, you have everything you need to get the things I need, goodbye.”

“Hold on a sec,” Blind Spot yelled at the draconequus, “You’re going to tell us why you need those things and we’re going to negotiate a reward right here.” The draconequus looked Blind Spot in the eye again and sighed.

“Fine, I want them because I want to reshape Equestria, Celestia wants me using my powers for good, I want to take over Equestria and I need those things out of the way,” Discord said.

“Fine, now, our reward. First, you don’t screw us over when you turn Equestria into your Chaos Kingdom, second you give us one thing each, anything, so long as it doesn’t harm anyone else directly, got it? And when we ask you give us what we want instead of twisting the wording around,” Blind Spot told him through gritted teeth. Discord nodded grudgingly, he probably didn’t like losing his toys. The five around him had smiles on their faces as they contemplated what they would get. Discord vanished with a pop and Blind Spot look at his cohorts for this mission. There was a grey Earth Pony stallion; he probably had some Diamond Dog blood in him. It was uncommon but his kind weren’t one in a million. The next member was a turquoise Pegasus with a gold mane, the next was a cream coloured earth pony with a blue and pink mane and some weird eyebrows. The griffin was nothing exceptional for her kind and there was a blue unicorn with a silver mane. 

“So what did he want us to pick up?” the earth pony asked, his voice was gruff and unfeeling.

“Couple of important trinkets, I’ll read them out. The Alicorn Amulet, the Crystal Heart, Star Swirl the Bearded’s Time Stopper, The Everlasting Flame and the Elements of Harmony,” Blind Spot read through the items on the list sounding unhealthily resigned. “Problem is, I haven’t heard of any of these besides the Crystal Heart and the Elements of Harmony.”

“I know what the Alicorn Amulet is,” the blue unicorn said proudly.

“And I know of the Everlasting flame,” the griffin said. The cream earth pony nodded as well, at this the griffin looked at her and a smile crept onto her beak.

“You’re not an earth pony, changeling perhaps?” the griffin deduced. The earth pony nodded and green flames covered her body. When the flames vanished a black creature with tattered wings, compound eyes, a fragmented horn and tufts missing from its mane looked at them. Purple veins coursed up and down the creature’s body. The griffin seemed freaked out by this and took a few steps back. Blind Spot could see why, the veins bulged unnaturally, with purple light coursing through them. The pegasus looked unsure and the earth pony stallion raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“The old coot didn’t give us a deadline, so why don’t we spend the rest of the night getting to know each other?” Blind asked innocently, his eyes fluttered to Trixie as he said it but she didn’t notice. 
The griffin was the first speak, “I’m Gilda.” She didn’t add anything more and the pegasus spoke up next.

“I’m Lightning Dust, Wonderbolt Academy dropout,” She muttered.

“Bon-Bon, changeling confectionary owner, at your service,” the changeling sounded each word carefully as though it was her first time using them.

“Rock Tumbler,” the other stallion grunted.

“I am Trixie,” the unicorn murmured.

“And I,” Blind Spot pointed to himself “Am Blind Spot, professional thief, and the leader of this wonderful expedition.”

“There’s more to most of us than what we just said isn’t there?” Lightning smirked.

“The first thing we need to do is find out what that Time Stopper is, I’m guessing it’s up north, that was where Star Swirl lived,” Blind Spot told the group, “We’ll go up there and work our way down, any questions?” No one had any questions.