Chapter 1
Seven feet beneath the lavish gardens of lilies, white roses, marble steps, a hot sweaty body, and muscled legs boldly bounded with water splashing over big black boots. Striding across the metal pipes, Strongpony Bulk Biceps rushed through the drains, hooves pushing a metallic cart holding a dark box. He focused on his view as he called in with the Operator. "How is everything?" He huffed, looking behind and almost swearing he saw a ghost.
Back on the street level, the Operator confirmed from his binoculars across the block. She ensured everyone’s locations with trackers. "Everything is smooth thus far." she stated as she crouched lower, "We've successfully replaced the real diamond with a replica. And our thief has managed to use her hairclip to escape the office."
The guards stood in front of Spoiled Rich's iron-doored mansion, softly exchanging ideas with each other. A shadow passed by the wind, causing a breeze and an unusual chill in the area. "It's getting a bit cold isn't it?" One of them asked. The other nodded in response, their breath rising in the frosty air. As the peaceful moon shone upon them, they nevertheless felt on edge, as recent thefts had always made them worry they would be next.
How ironic that they were right. Up above them, a hooded figure wearing a leather latex suit skillfully leapt off the ledge with a zipline, using one of her acrobatic tricks she learned long ago. She avoided using her wings, as it would attract attention with loud noise. She left smoothly and just as mysteriously as she arrived. Meanwhile, as the strong pony continued onwards, confident in the plan, he thought over how this had come to fruition.
A month ago, they had realized the issue as they interacted with one of the Operator’s past acquaintances. Granny Smith was well respected in her farm and was planning to rest in peace, but someone had discovered she owned a priceless diamond. And so one defenseless night they snatched it from under her nose. As the traders continued selling the diamond at higher and higher prices, they abused their power and wealth to flaunt their prize. The offers were getting ridiculous, and transference of power along with fame boosted their status, especially the current owner, Spoiled Rich.
When Granny Smith learned of the news, she was beyond appalled. They recalled Granny Smith wrinkly hoof forming a fist, trembling mouth, and worried face. "Those bastards..." Her brows crushed together fiercely, "It was a priceless religious artifact. They had only sought to gain profit." But the Operator knew different. She had to repay her kindness and her lessons -- it was precisely this professor that broke him out of her originally uncaring and callous personality. She had known that this old lady could hardly win in some court case. Granny could hardly protect and much less prove her ownership.
And so the boss convinced the others to join. She put together a plan to smuggle the diamond out of the building and into a drain, past the guarded front gates and successfully retrieving it back to its truthful owner. Getting past the security was the easy part; learning the guard patrol and building layout was trivial for some pony like the Operator. She only had to find the right moment to send Rainbow in and climb to the office’s window. Even though there was only a fifteen minute time window, that was more than enough for her plan. As Rainbow snuck in with the fake diamond, she had to replace the real one so as to avoid the pressure plate censor. Getting to the diamond was slightly trickier, but the Operator dabbled in enough hacking to gain enough time to fool the security system. After the Operator disabled the firewall, Rainbow managed to open the glass chamber and quickly exchange it. And so only the final obstacle was left: getting out without getting caught.
"But something's wrong..." The Operator warned, seeming to notice something shuffling in the background, "I’m monitoring activity and it's too peaceful." She grew suspicious as her hound-dog eyes darted left and right. "Turn left up at the intersection ahead."
"Will do," Bulk Biceps said, shifting his weight to heave the box over. It was at that moment when he heard a loud sound in his ears as he winced. It sounded like a door crashing open -- similar to ones he had broken before.
"Dammit! I should've known!" The Operator stated, with the sound of the window opening and the clack of formal shoes. "Spoiled Rich's resources were better than I thought... they found me. I'll have to meet you up later. Follow the path like I given, and meet up Rainbow at the point we talked about."
Bulk Biceps’s strained face showed stress as he gritted his teeth. He just hoped the plan wouldn't fall apart. He desperately worked through his mind, remembering how the Operator had compared the plans to fighting to remember the parts. He had always had trouble learning and retaining information, but the Operator seemed to know what was best. "Uppercut" through the long drain. "Elbow hook" going left. As he worked his brain, he finally made it to the exit, with the familiar face greeting him, the slick and mysterious Thief of their plan. Relieved, he delivered the diamond into their getaway car.
But as they were smoothly driving back to our headquarters, they heard some static on their headphones. Uh oh. That can’t be good. Bulk Biceps thought. They heard the Operator shout as she was wrestled to the ground. "Hahaha... we got you now, Operator. You had no chance of escaping our grasp. But we'll give you a choice here -- join us, or die here."
They weren't certain what the operator was going to say. Her true intentions were hidden, and she always kept a part of her plan to herself. Indeed, they heard her shudder and struggle, only to finally spit out the words: "Fine... I'll help you with your project."
The thief and the Strongpony gasped in astonishment. They didn't think that she would so easily give up without a plan. Gripping the steering wheel tighter, the thief nevertheless continued driving, uncertain what to do next. As the earpiece went out completely, even the Strongpony had a darkened expression. The operator had been forced to cut her ties due to her enemies. And they no longer had a brilliant mind to guide them. While Rainbow was smart in her own right, this seemed like it needed much higher guidance, one with a more overarching view. As they arrived in silence, the two sat in thought about what they would do. The thief tapped her chin and her eyes brightened with inspiration, suddenly remembering a seemingly trivial fact. “Ah! Didn’t the Operator had a past lover? She might be able to help us.” Her memory was remarkable. She had only mentioned it once but, they had broken up a while ago due to his sneaky nature and surprise in their date which backfired. Even so, she seemed to have trouble getting over the mishap. If anyone knew the Operator, it had to be her.
As Rainbow explained to Bulk Biceps, he nodded in agreement. “It seems like the most reasonable option.” He replied. And so, with diamond saved in the headquarters, the two drove off once again, to find Operator’s ex. It took only twenty minutes to reach her home, which was a surprisingly short amount of time. But as they knocked and called out, they heard no response. With Dash’s ears pressed to the door, she heard a ruckus going on inside. Just what was happening? Fearing the worst, Dash begun taking out her lockpicking tools. But with his previous anger unrelinquished, Biceps impatiently delivered a strong kick, breaking down the door.
His eyes widened in horror to see the owner’s furniture ripped, scattered, with broken glass on the ground. The mare was sprawled out with blood splattered all over her. He took a step back, trying to block Dash’s eyes, but it was too late. The thief felt dizzy as she fell to her knees, overwhelmed by the scene in front of her. And the prepetrator was nowhere to be seen.