A human thief living in Ponyville must save his pony friends one more time and possibly the last.
Sebastian is back with a new life and new enemies. He's discovered a quiet new life in Ponyville where he can work for a living instead of stealing. Yes things seem to be going quite well for the old thief living among brightly colored ponies. However, trouble lurks in paradise and it isn't just the ponies who discriminate and hate him for the war he brought upon their lands. Sebastian will need all his cunning and his strength to save his friends and his new home, even if no one wants his help.
ATTENTION ALL HONOR AMONG THIEVES FANS; I am REWRITING this story! i've decided I HATE the direction these current chapters have been going, this is the reason i haven't been posting (among other reasons) and I greatly apologize for that! So what I am going to do is delete all the chapters of this story, re-name it and start out fresh. I know many of you won't like this but I think you would prefer I finish a story I enjoy writing, rather than finish one I hate. I am very sorry for this, but I hope you enjoy the new chapters much more. This version, I feel, will be less clunky, smothered and messy than the story i'm currently writing. It'll be cleaner and have a more straight forward and less complicated story line. I thank you all for your understanding and hope to win back your hearts with this new version that will be called Honor Among Thieves: Stray
The quaint little town had quieted in the six months preceding the war. The peaceful, village had a sense of normalcy again and continued life as it had before the humans had invaded. However, things could never be the same again, not as long as he lived there. Sebastian Crawford had settled in Ponyville shortly after the war. His injuries had, for the most part, healed, and he even had a job as a blacksmith’s apprentice. He worked long hours in front of a blistering hot furnace while pushing his muscles to their limits, pounding heavy hammers against hot steel to create horseshoes and one-of-a-kind railings with decorations unlike any others. He preferred it that way; the long hours gave him something to do since going into town was a rare adventure for him, and the exercise kept his all but broken body toned and fit. The furnace was in full heat as he and his employer, a gruff earth pony with a shaggy brown coat and a cutie mark of an anvil, worked hard to fulfill an order of spears the royal guard had requested. Sebastian wiped some sweat and soot from his brow, pushing back the drenched strands of brown hair that fell in his face as he worked. His green emerald eyes reflected the fire of the furnace. HIs metal arm whirred and groaned against the weight of the hammer but he didn’t seem to notice it, or didn’t care. He brought the hammer down on the burning hot tip of the spear head, each strike reminding him of the scar on his belly. He took a moment to lift his dingy shirt up to look at it laying on top of the ab muscles he’d formed from his hard work. It was a star of milky white on his stomach, though it nearly blended in with his complexion. His back had a matching scar, which still ached every once in a while. He had a hard time bending over as well sometimes but he was still quite flexible despite the scar tissue. He finished the spearhead and dipped it into some water, hardening it and cooling it off so he could toss it in the cart with the others. The blacksmith pony walked a spear over as well and tossed it on top of Sebastian’s.
“Alright, I need a breather!” The pony huffed in defeat. Sebastian stood to grab another spear staff but the pony stopped him. “You too Seb, don’t want you collapsing on me like the first time.”
“I’m fine Mr. Soot.” Sebastian said. His voice had changed slightly. He was more soft spoken, a trait he’d picked up from trying not to disturb ponies with his harsher tones.
“Sit down boy.” Mr. Soot said. Sebastian relented and sat down across from him on a crate. He lifted his shirt away, revealing more scars and injuries, as well as the harness for his metal arm, which he loosened and took off, resting it on his lap. He groaned in relief and rubbed the shoulder where the base of attachment mechanism rubbed against bone and skin and muscle. Mr. Soot said nothing about it but continued on with a different conversation. “We’re almost done, just thirty more spears to go. Royal Guard must be getting some new recruits or something.”
“Maybe.” Sebastian said as he fixed a loose bolt in his arm. “It doesn’t really bother me I guess.”
Mr. Soot watched him breathe heavily and shift around, trying to find a position that made his entire body comfortable. “Seb, how long have you been working for me?”
“Six months Sir.” Sebastian answered. He’d begun saying “sir” and “ma’am” a lot more since living in ponyville, sometimes he felt like he was going too soft because of it but decided as long as it didn’t cause trouble no one would mind.
“Haven’t you had a day off since?” Mr. Soot asked. Sebastian thought before shaking his head. “Then tomorrow you’ll get one. I want you to take the next two days off, give yourself a break.”
“But I-”
“No buts” Mr. Soot interrupted. “Get some water then we’ll finish these last spears and you can go home.”
Sebastian sighed heavily and forced a fake smile. “Yes sir.” He said. He stood up, then dropped back down holding his chest in agony.
“You okay son?” Mr. Soot asked
Seb nodded, a grave mistake as he felt his head spin. He coughed, flinging droplets of blood to the dirt floor, causing the dry dust to turn into mud. His vision blurred and he fell forward. He could hear Mr. Soot calling to his wife, and feel his body convulse with each cough. The world went black and silent.
When he opened his eyes again, he was laying on a bed looking up at a ceiling. A cold, wrought iron foot board pressed against toes, making him pull them back and shiver. He groaned and rolled his head to the side, a nightstand made of wood and more iron sat beside him, a glass of water on top of it. Most of the furniture in the room was made from wood and iron as well, letting Seb conclude he was somewhere in Mr. Soot’s home. He started to sit up as the door opened and a red mare with orange and red hair came in, with a young brown colt at her side. He carried a tray on her back with a hay and oat sandwich with a side of carrots and apple slices.
“I was hoping you’d be awake.” Mrs. Soot said as she set the tray down. “Gave us all quite the scare there.”
“What happened?” Sebastian asked as he rubbed his head. He searched for his arm as he realized it wasn’t moving. Mrs. Soot brought it out from a drawer in the dresser.
“You started coughing up blood and passed out.” She explained as her son jumped up on the bed.
“Been a while.” Seb mumbled and looked down at the colt. “Hey Barley, hows my favorite colt?”
“Uncle Seb you scared me!” The colt pouted. “I wanted you to try my newest bread recipe.”
Unlike his parents whose talents surrounded the art of blacksmithing, young Barley prefered baking bread. He hadn’t received his cutie mark yet since he didn’t really know if he wanted to bake for the rest of his life, considering his dad wanted him to continue the business for him. Sebastian seemed to be the only one who wanted him to become a baker so he was constantly the test subject for Barley’s recipes.
“I told you kid don’t call me uncle.” Sebastian said.
Barley grinned. “I know, I just call you that to tease you.” He laughed. Seb smiled as the kid ran off to bring back his newest loaf of bread.
“Here Sebastian.” Mrs. Soot said as she set the tray on his lap. “Something to eat before he stuffs you full.” She laughed.
“I’m fine Mrs. Soot re-” He was cut off again, which seemed to happen often when he tried to defend himself from their excessive kindness.
“I don’t want to hear it young man. You need to eat, you probably passed out because you don’t eat. Look at you, you’re a twig!” Mrs. Soot said sternly. Her demeanor softened as he started to eat. “Sebastian, have you been eating?” She asked. He stopped mid bite and turned his head away. Before Mrs. Soot could say anything else, her husband stomped inside.
“I heard you were awake son.” he said. “I’ve been working you too hard haven’t I? I’m sorry kid” He said, looking dreadfully sorry.
“Mr. Soot it’s not your fault. I ran out of my medicine that’s all.” Sebastian said. It wasn’t a lie, he had run out of the medicine Cornelius had given him but that had been almost two months ago. He’d been trying desperately to hide it since then to the point where he would swallow any blood that came up if he were in front of other ponies.
“You need to get more then.” Mrs. Soot said.
“I know I just don’t feel like going back to the human world that’s all. Look I appreciate your kindness but i’m fine, really.” Sebastian said as he started to feel uncomfortable.
Barley walked back inside. “Why don’t you go see Zecora?” He suggested. “There’s this girl at school named Applebloom, and she and her sister and her sister’s friend’s are good friends with her.”
“Barley don’t say such silly things.” His mother warned. “Going into the Everfree Forest is fine and all for crazy ponies but Sebastian is a sensible stallion-er..man.” She corrected.
Sebastian reattached his arm and cringed at the pain. “Actually,” he coughed. “I’ve been there before. In the forest anyway. It’s ten times safer than where I use to live”. Mrs. Soot sighed.
“Promise us you won’t do anything foolish?” She asked.
“I promise.” Sebastian said.
He finished the meal, purely out of politeness, and ate some of the blueberry and walnut bread Barley had made, which was actually quite good, then was on his way. He decided to take a detour home, which wasn’t much of a detour considering he lived on the outskirts of town in a small one story home. It had all the comforts of a small apartment; a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room but was rather bare since he never truly personalized the place, save for a few knick knacks and a picture his friends had given him as mementos. His detour lead him to the dank forest that most of the ponies feared even getting near. A few miles away, he could just catch a glimpse of Fluttershy’s cottage. his own home was a couple more miles in the other direction so he rarely saw the pegasus’s house. He made a mental note that he should at least let her know he was still around, feeling a little guilty that he hadn’t shown himself to his friends for a few months now. He stepped into the forest and tried to remember the path Fluttershy had told him to get to the Zebra’s house. He’d never actually met Zecora, but Twilight had said he was welcome any time and had been warned of her unusual speech pattern. He walked past small patches of blue flowers, being careful not to step on them and bring on their joking wrath. He continued walking, stumbling a little as his vision tried to blur again. For weeks now, he’d been staving off the wobbling and the coughing but steadily it grew stronger and at night he’d sweat and overheat even in the thinnest of blankets. He needed a fix and needed it now. Finally he reached the hut in the middle of the forest and tapped on the door. A moment later a Zebra with gold bracelets on her front legs and earrings in her ears answered the door. She seemed shocked at first but after closer inspection, she smiled.
“Come, come, your limbs must be cold, your being, I've been told. Strange one, I will not shun. You are weary from the long road, welcome to my humble abode”. The Zebra said. Sebastian blinked, not fully prepared for the rhyming, despite having been warned about it.
“Um, thank you.” Sebastian said. He followed her inside the hut, looking around at the trinkets, masks, bottles and furniture of the room. “My name is Sebastian.”
“This name I know, mine is Zecora, and I say hello.” She smiled. She used her tail to wave the fire under a large cauldron on, making it grow hotter and a little larger.
“Nice to meet you. Twilight said I could come to you if I needed any like, potions or something.” Sebastian said nervously.
“A potion I can brew, now tell me what I can make for you.” Zecora said. She nudged a stool over to the human to let him sit down. Once he was relaxed, she began to take down various containers and a bowl.
“See,” he began but stopped. It had taken a drastic change in environment and a crazy human seeking his life for him to open up to his pony friends, how could he just say what was wrong to some zebra? He sighed and cleared his throat. “I have a disease that makes me cough up blood, and my injuries still cause me pain.”
“Ah, a pain remedy I can make, but there is much at stake.” Zecora said.
Sebastian tilted his head. “What do you mean at stake?” Zecora took on a grim look as she began to bring out some ingredients, including some golden seeds and herbs. She placed them into a bowl then began crushing them with a stone spoon.
“I am sure you understand the consequences of addiction, this is merely a quick fix, not a cure for your infliction.” Zecora said.
“I know addiction... back home I use to be addicted to street morphine until Trisha got me out of it.” Sebastian said. Zecora nodded, despite knowing nothing of what he was talking about. She finished mashing up her ingredients and placed the off white powder into a vial then placed a cork on it.
She handed it over and looked him up and down. “You may come to me any time you need, but I cannot help you if you let your desires turn to greed. This medicine is for those with strong will, if you are not careful, the addiction can kill.”
“I understand Zecora, thank you.” Sebastian said and looked down at the vial.
Zecora began to clean up her work station as she began to explain how to use the drug. “When you are feeling unbearable pain, place a little on your tongue and the feeling will be detained.”
Sebastian nodded and looked around on his person. “I’m sorry I don’t have any way to pay you.”
“Your good health is payment enough, I know asking for help can be rough. You look tired, you should go home and rest. Why don’t you put that medicine to the test?” Zecora smiled.
Sebastian nodded then stood, leaving the hut after thanking her again. He made his back to his small home. The ex thief set the vial down on the table next to the bowl of apples, and moved to the kitchen. It was bare, like the rest of his home. It had a simple sink, an oven, a fridge and cabinets with a pantry to the right of the fridge. All of the items were almost completely empty. The fridge had only a few pieces of fruit the pantry had some flour and a small bag of oats. The cabinets were half filled with kitchen utensils but little else. He twisted the faucet on the sink, letting the cold water rush across his metal fingers. He splashed the water on his face and spat out a few specks of blood. His chest began to tighten again, making him drop to his knees. He didn’t want to actually try the medicine so quickly, but slowly he felt himself blacking out. He stumbled back to his living room, finding the vial. He ripped the cork off and dabbed his finger on his tongue, then into the vial, then back on his tongue. The powder was bitter, but dissolved quickly. He sat down on his couch, bending forward to keep himself from getting too dizzy.Within a minute, he felt his body go numb. His chest loosened, he felt air waterfall into his lungs. He leaned back against the couch and tilted his head back, taking in a slow deep breath . The hairs on his arm bristled, his toes curled inside his shoes and his tongue slid against his lips as he felt them go numb as well. He laid down on the couch to let his body relax. He felt his muscles release their tension. The wave of pleasure made his back arch, then forced a moan out of his mouth. He squirmed slightly, feeling every fiber of his couch coddle him. He closed his eyes and as the initial numbing began to wear off, he felt parts of his body that he thought weren’t flexible anymore, move and twist.
He rode out the high on the couch, slowly coming down at the end of the hour. He was still feeling euphoric when he heard a knock on the door. He debated answering it but as he tried to stand up, his legs wobbled and he laid back down again.
“Come in.” He said hoarsely. The door opened, showing a buttery yellow pegasus with long flowing pink hair. A splash of white on her chest outlined the small scar of a bullet wound under the fur. Sebastian frowned as he saw it. He hated looking at it, every time he did his chest ached and he felt like crying. He didn’t feel the pain in his chest thanks to the drugs, but he could almost feel the tears welling up behind his eyes.
“Hi Sebastian” Fluttershy said softly as she walked in. “We haven’t seen you in a long time so we decided to come see you”
“We?” Sebastian asked, sitting up slowly. Behind her, five other ponies came in, smiling brightly at him. Sebastian took in a deep breath, then forced a smile.
“Hey Sebby” A bouncing mass of pink said as she bounded over and jumped on top of him, her mane exploding with confetti. She threw her front legs up and balloons rose to the ceiling. “We’re throwing you a party!”
“A party?” Sebastian asked, sitting up.
“Yeah, we thought a party would remind you how awesome we are, you know, since you haven’t been around to see it.” Rainbow Dash said grinning.
Sebastian chuckled a little. “How could I forget that?” He asked.
“Oh, did we wake you? I’m sorry.” Fluttershy said.
Sebastian shrugged a little. “Just, took a small nap.” He lied. “I’m fine though, I was going to wake up anyway.”
“Great cuz we gotta party!” Pinkie Pie laughed as she dragged out a cannon from a corner of the room, then fired it. The room was instantly covered in party supplies.
“Oh, um, guys I don’t think I can.” Sebastian said nervously, Pinkie Pie seemed to deflate.
“Why not?” She whimpered.
“I..well..” Sebastian mumbled and squirmed. “I’m, not feeling all that great.”
“Are you okay?” Twilight asked as she walked over to him.
He nodded quickly. “I’m fine, just need to rest.” He told them then laid back down. Fluttershy was quickly at his side, pulling a throw blanket over him. He was about to protest but as he was surrounded by the caring ponies, he found himself speechless.
“I’ll make y’all some dinner then.” Applejack said as she made her way to the kitchen.
“Oh i’ll help Applejack!” Rarity said as she trotted after her. Sebastian opened his mouth to protest again but before he could, Applejack opened the cupboards, seeing that nothing was there. She looked around some more, but found nothing.
“Sebastian, what’s going on? where’s all your food?” Rainbow Dash asked as she went to look as well.
“I haven’t gone to the market yet.” Sebastian tried to defend.
Twilight caught the lie instantly. “Seb tell us the truth.” She said sternly.
Sebastian sighed heavily and pulled a pillow behind his head to sit up “I don’t have any money.” he admitted.
“No money? don’t you have a job darling?” Rarity asked.
“I do.” Sebastian said, rolling onto his side, facing away from the ponies. Fluttershy frowned and placed a hoof on his shoulder to comfort him.
“Then where does your money go?” Rainbow Dash asked as she continued to look around. Sebastian didn’t answer.
“Sebastian you can tell us.” Twilight said. “We’re your friends.”
He stared at the back of his sofa for a few minutes. The room was still as the ponies waited for the answer. He finally sighed and wiped some drool from his mouth before it could spill out.
“I give it up” he admitted. “I send it to Celestia to help the families that lost loved ones in the war.”
“Doesn’t Princess Celestia know it’s all your money?” Twilight asked.
Sebastian shook his head a little. “Never told her.” He said. He began to feel dizzy again and rolled over to reach for his new medicine. Rainbow Dash blocked them.
“How are you suppose to eat then?” She demanded.
“I have food.” Sebastian defended, nodding to the bowl of apples on the table.
Twilight and Rarity looked at each other, as if asking the other what they should say. Twilight decided to speak her mind. “Seb, maybe you should come with us.” She suggested. “we need to go shopping.”
“Oh I love shopping!” Rarity squealed. Sebastian sighed and sat up, finally grasping the bottle in his hand,
“Fine just give me a minute.” Sebastian grumbled and took some of the dust before standing up. He found a new shirt and some jeans, then followed his friends outside into town. Twilight lead the way, going directly towards a stall where Applejack’s older brother and younger sister were selling apples.
Applebloom ran up to them. “Hiya big sis! Hi Sebastian!”
Sebastian bent down and lifted the filly into a hug then ruffled her hair, messing her red bow up in the process. “Hey there kiddo.” He said, then set her down. Applebloom fixed her mane and bow quickly before taking an apple out of a barrel.
“Here to buy some apples?” She asked, tossing him one. He caught it and took a quick bite.
“Now why else would we be here half pint?” Rainbow Dash asked, landing beside the barrel.
“Oh..yeah.” Applebloom chuckled. Big Macintosh nodded then passed a bucket of apples over to Sebastian.
“On the house.” He said deeply.
“You sure?” Sebastian asked, looking between the three Apples.
Big Mac nodded. “Yup”
Sebastian smiled slightly. He started to turn around to set the bucket down while Applejack talked to her siblings. As he turned, a flash of red and dense pressure hit his face. It exploded on impact, sending seeds and juice everywhere from the slightly rotting tomato. He wiped the mess from his face with the back of his metal hand.
“Hey! who did that!?” Rainbow Dash yelled, jumping in front of Sebastian, snorting angrily.
A couple of ponies to the left of her were laughing and pointing at him. Another threw a second tomato. “Go home freak!” It yelled as the tomato landed on it’s target.
Rainbow Dash began a mad charge towards the ponies. Twilight’s horn glowed to catch the pegasus to hold her back.
“Don’t engage them Rainbow.” Twilight said.
Sebastian finished wiping himself clean then set the bucket of apples down beside Applejack. “How about you girls meet me at the library okay?” He suggested. Twilight got the message. He didn’t want them to see what was going to happen. The others understood as well, leaving the area with Twilight, only Fluttershy stayed. “I said get going Flutters.”
“No, i’m staying.” She said and stood firm. She wanted him to know she would be there for him, even if it meant seeing him get injured.
“Your choice.” He muttered. Most of the market had abandoned the street, leaving the three ponies that had attacked Sebastian, and the human alone, save for Fluttershy. “You wanna go punks?” Sebastian called out to the ponies. The leader, a unicorn stepped forward and scratched his hoof at the ground. His head bent down, pointing his horn to the human’s gut.
The unicorn charged. Sebastian put his right foot behind him and held his fists up. it was the first time in a long time he had to fight in a street fight, but what these ponies didn’t realize was that this was his specialty. The world slowed around him, he heard the hoof beats of the unicorn running to him and the beat of his own heart matching. His vision focused on the unicorn, but his mind remembered each and every building around him.The hoof beats got louder as the whirr of magic interrupted their pattern. He leaned left, slowly at first then dashed away at a surprising speed. He lifted his foot up to catch the edge of a building then used the force to propel himself back to the pony, slamming his elbow into the side of the unicorner and sending him to the ground. Sebastian skidded to a stop, nearly stumbling forward.
“Want some more bitch? get the fuck up!” Sebastian snapped. The unicorn struggled to stand. It was Fluttershy’s sweet, gentle gasp that made Sebastian turn around. She had been shocked by the ferocity of his attack and his words, though she didn’t fully understand what they meant.
He turned around, suddenly realizing the unicorn was charging him again, this time he stopped short and a blast of magical energy hit Sebastian in the chest, sending the human flying back.He skidded across the ground and slammed into the side of a house. He gasped in agony, spitting up some blood between his parted lips.He took a moment, then stood back up, wiping the blood away. That was all he needed. He forgot all about Fluttershy’s feelings or the fact that he would still be nothing more than a demon in the eyes of the ponies. He wanted revenge. He rushed the unicorn, dodging another blast, then tackled him to the ground. The unicorn’s shoulder crunched under their combined weight, then they rolled a little ways before Sebastian had landed on his back and had the pony in a headlock. He began to slowly crush his throat as other ponies watched. The unicorn struggled, thrashing wildly as he tried to cry out.
“Stop it!” Fluttershy screamed, snapping Sebastian out of his rage. He realized what he was doing and let go of the pony, letting him run off to his friends, a deep bruise lined his throat. Sebastian sat up slowly and looked to Fluttershy. She ran up to him, checking on any injuries he might have.
“You’re crazy!” One of the unicorn’s friends yelled as they began to rush him off to the hospital.
“I didn’t mean to hurt him at all.” Sebastian defended to Fluttershy.
The gentle pegasus smiled softly. “it’s okay, I think he’ll be fine.” She said. She helped him up then dusted him off.
Before they could leave the area, two pegasi in heavy armor dropped from the sky and landed in front of them, their wings held out in a blockade. Sebastian quickly pushed Fluttershy behind him. Another pony walked up, another unicorn clad in heavy armor. His blue mane was hidden by the helmet he wore but his blue tail swished confidently behind him. Sebastian glared slightly at him.
“Shining armor.” He said in greeting.
“Sebastian, you’re to come with me to Canterlot.” Shining Armor said.
“And if I refuse?” Sebastian asked. Shining Armor lifted some handcuffs up with his magic. Sebastian sighed and nodded. “I’ll be back soon.” He told fluttershy and began to walk with the guards and shining armor. Fluttershy flew off as quickly as she could.
