Author's Notes:

Took a bit longer than i wanted, but here it is.

Have a good read.
Also, Huzzah for 2K views!

Kestral stood tall, leaning out the window of the short wooden building. He looked over the small garden placed before him, with a pair of guards walking along a stone ledge just passed it. Right at the ledge was a small airship, akin to a blimp, parked with only a few feet between the hull and the earth. The ground was dug out enough to let the main level of the ship be level with the ground.

Kestral turned around, looking at the leather-clothed Sliver, who was just looking at him with a bored expression. “So this is the only target, and I’m good?” He asked.

“No.” She said, taking on a slightly accusing tone. “This target, and one other.”

Kestral nodded, moving his foot to the window sill, ready to start.

“Where are you going?” She asked.

“To the ship?” He asked. “Don't I need to be there to steal anything?”

She rolled her eyes. “Listen to your instructions before you go, or there's no deal.” She threatened.

He slowly put his foot down, eying her. “...and what are my instructions?”

She cleared her throat. “First: Under no circumstance do you let your presence be known before you're already gone. If you're anything less than a ghost, you've already failed. This applies to every job to perform for us.” She took a deep breath. “Second: You go in, you find a way to open the safe, you take the contents of the safe, and you bail. Don't grab anything else. This rule really only applies to jobs we do on Blueblood.”

“What?” He asked. “Why not take anything else?”

“Blueblood is extremely paranoid about thieves.” She explained. “He counts all of his valuables every time he loans the ship to a family member. He gives them some money, to restock the food and such, and tells them to dump what's left in the safe. He grabs it every so often, but has no way of knowing how much is supposed to be left. So grab the safe's contents only, and he'll never know we were here.”

“But, why bother keeping him from knowing? What makes him special?”

She rolled her eyes. “He's personally funding a portion of the guards to come out and hunt thieves in the lower district. Not that it's legal, but he doesn't care. If he knows we stole from him, he'll jack up the payments to get more guards down there.”

Kestral nodded, understanding the circumstances.

“Good. You know the rules, so just one last thing.”

“And that is?” He asked.

She looked him in the eyes, making a silent threat before she spoke. “The boss spoke to you about your pay arrangement, right?”

“Yes.” He said. “I give everything I get through the guild's jobs, and I get to keep what I steal without you guys.”

“Good. So, once our deal is up, you can walk away, no strings attached.” She said.

He waited a moment, waiting for her to continue. “...is that it?”

“That's it. Now hurry up, we don't have all night.”

“See you in a few.” Kestral heard no argument. He hiked his leg up to the window again, waiting for the two guards to make their way to the other side of the vessel, before he hopped out into the clear moonlight and brisk air, landing behind a hedge.

He hopped over the hedge, bolting to the bushes at the other side of the garden. He stopped, and listened for a moment, deciphering where the guards were. He didn't see them, so he ran up to the side of the vessel, and slowly crept along the wall, listening for any signs of them.

He continued along the hull of the cabin, edging towards the front. He got up to the corner of the cabin, and he slowly moved his head, looking at the top deck, along with the other side of the vessel. Just as he saw the tails of the two guards, they had rounded the other corner, leaving the only door to the cabin exposed.

He grabbed the rail and hopped over onto the deck, magically removing his boots before he landed. Since he was out of sight from anyone, he teleported up to the door, tried the knob, and instantly began picking the lock. With a few, short clicks, all the cylinders were in place, letting the handle turn freely. He put away his tools and entered as silently as he could, closing the door on his way in.

A wall greeted him, making his only option to go down the hall to his right, until he turned the corner. As he went back through the cabin, he saw an open kitchen to his left. After he passed the kitchen, there was a small room with two sets of stairs leading down at the sides, and a large door in the center.

He put his hand on the handle, testing if it was locked. It gave way, giving him some surprise. Well he can't be that paranoid. He didn't even lock all of his doors.

He pushed the door open, revealing a master bedroom, full of décor. To the side was a large safe, with a piece of paper on it, although he couldn't read it from that distance. Further along the wall was a life sized portrait of who Kestral assumed to be Blueblood, with glistening white fur and wavy blonde hair. He scowled at the picture, seeing the similarities between Blueblood and his own nemesis.

He continued scanning the room, looking for anything else of interest. There was only a five-foot mirror, and a wardrobe, neither of which he particularly cared about.

His eyes went back to the safe, scanning it as he walked towards it. He looked at the note, reading it to himself.

“Remember: When a Blueblood is behind you, your past and path ahead is safe! The code is 0976. Don't tell anyone, or I’ll have to change the code....again.” God, this guy's obsessed with himself. And apparently no one calls him by his first name.

He shook his head, moving his hand down to the numbers. He memorized the position they were in, then rearranged them to unlock the safe. He pulled the handle, opening the door of it wide open. He flicked on a flame to get a good look at the contents....

...which was nothing.

Okay, what the hell? He thought.

He looked up and down the safe, looking for any kind of panel, false back, or switch, but found nothing. He felt over everything with his hand, but nothing but cold steel met his skin. He shook his head, closing the door of the safe. He moved the numbers back into their original position, and looked at the note again.

This guy really isn't that paranoid. He has one locked door and left me a note with the code. It was so easy to get into here, it's like it was a decoy. At least the other guy back in Ponyville had a secret switch......wait a second....

He looked over the note again. He thought about what Sliver had told him, and realized that it really didn't add up. Anything valuable that he could think of simply wasn't on that vessel aside from the picture, but judging by Blueblood's reputation, it's probably not worth anything either. Unlike many other safes, this one was in plain sight. Sliver obviously knew what she was talking about, given her apparent experience in the guild. So, if he removed everything else, why wouldn't he remove the note, too?

...shit, this is a decoy.

He looked around, thinking of places where another safe could be. He teleported to the bed, carefully peeling back the covers to look under it. Nothing was there, so he put the covers back. He went to the wardrobe, feeling over the empty wood for any kind of switch, or panel. Nothing was there either, so he went to the mirror, making a desperate attempt to find it behind the plate of glass and silver. Another failed attempt, and he stood back from the mirror, trying to think of any place it would be.

Let's see... nothing in the wardrobe.... or under the bed.... He thought. He looked in the mirror, looking over it as he was trying to think. His eyes went over, scanning over anything he could have missed.

Something clicked in his mind. Kestral pointed at the painting, reminding himself of what the note said. 'When a Blueblood is behind you, your past and path ahead is safe'. He made an about face. The painting!

He teleported to the painting, pulling on it lightly. It didn't pull off like a nail-hung painting would, but instead stayed stuck against the wall, only jiggling slightly. He moved his fingers over the edge of the painting, feeling for any switches. His hand passed over a metal extension, and he fiddled with it until something from behind the painting clicked.

Ha! He pulled the painting back, swinging it out to the side. It revealed a safe, with a set of numbers identical to the decoy safe. These guys think they're so smart, hiding shit like this. He arranged the numbers into the correct sequence, and pulled open the safe.

Kestral put his backpack on the ground, opening it wide. He grabbed the gold bar that was in the safe, along with the large leather sack of bits. He would have just magicked it all away, but he wasn't counting on just being able to pull the right money out the first time when he got back to Sliver.

He picked his bag up, putting it back on. He closed the safe, setting the numbers to their original position, then pushed the painting back against the wall, ensuring every detail was set correctly.

He moved to the door, closing it on his way out. He made his way down passed the kitchen, and rounded the corner, stopping at the door. He grabbed the knob, and cracked the door open as slowly as he could. With only a slim gap between the door and the frame, he peered out into the night.

He shifted his eyesight from right to left, scanning for the two guards. He spotted them coming down the side to his right. He closed the door again and counted the seconds in his mind. When he imagined the two had made it to the side of the cabin, he cracked it open again, slowly making his way out the door.

He closed it, entering the brisk wind again, trying to listen for the hoof steps of the guards, or any kind of chatter. Kestral followed along the wall, watching for the shadow of the guards as he caught up to them. He put his hands on the rail, looking around the corner. He barely saw their shadows go behind the cabin.

He magicked his boots back on as he hopped over the rail, and quickly tailed the guards, but made sure he stayed out of the line of sight. Soon enough he was able to make it to the bushes without risking being spotted, so he hopped over and bolted towards the building. He hopped over the final hedge and moved to the window. He threw his boot on the sill and propelled himself upwards, grabbing the second story's window.

He pulled himself up and into the building, where Sliver greeted him with a raised eyebrow. He put his bag down a opened it up.

“Less than twenty minutes.” She said factually.

“Is that good?” Kestral asked as he pulled out the money from the safe.

“It's acceptable.” She said. “But it's more important that you didn't get caught.” She looked at the money. “Is that all of it?”

“That's all the money. The trick safe had nothing in it, so I went for the real one instead.”

“Good. At least you know how to search for those hidden valuables.” She said, grabbing the money. “But that was an easy test. The next target will be a little more challenging, so you should prepare yourself.”

Sure. Whatever you say, princess. “Yeah. Let's go. I might have enough time to go eat dinner after we're done.”

She nodded. “Do you know where Canterlot University is?”

Kestral nodded, having seen a sign somewhat near the Library.

“Go meet me just inside the front gate. I'll be there as soon as I can. I have to run this loot back to the guild.”

He grabbed his backpack again, lifting it in position as he went back to the window. “Gotchya. I'll see you there.”

He didn't hear a response, so he assumed she had nothing to say. He went out through the window again, dropping down to the ground in a crouching position. He quickly made his way around the building, eying the two guards that circled the aerial vessel as he did. With a burst of energy, he ran down the alley between the two small mansions, thinking only one thought as he did.

Now why would we need to steal from a school?

Sliver nearly growled as she watched that filthy human run away through the alley. He wasn't a thief, and she knew it. He was a killer, a murderer. He left a string of bodies in Ponyville, and anyone that read the newspapers knew he was starting it up here in Canterlot, too. He even had a knife against her throat, for Luna's sake!

She leaned out the window, twisting the knob on the lamp fast enough to light the oil that was present within. It quickly caught flame, giving the signal to the two 'guards' she overlooked. They noticed, and saluted as they entered the cabin, giving it a once-over of every detail.

...So why was Dust even thinking about trusting this guy? When she told him of how the human had threatened her, Dust had the audacity to say it was 'a healthy amount of distrust'. What a load of crap! That guy was just waiting to stick a knife in someone's back!

But then, oh, Dust went off on how amazed he was that the human could get the drop on her. It pissed her off, how he was just talking to her, saying 'we could definitely use someone like that'. It was salt in the wound! He spoke like he didn't already have the best of thieves by his side!

Maybe it was the fear. Yes, that was it. It was the fear that the human brings with him. Kestral didn't know it, but his presence unnerved so many of the people at the guild. A few of them would have bolted if their food wasn't being handed out there. But they knew the guild would protect them. They trusted Dust. They trusted him with all of their will, because he was one of the last things they could believe in.

She heard the sound of someone's hoofsteps behind her, so she whirled around and saluted her leader. “Sir!” She proclaimed.

Dust nodded, letting her know that she could take a more comfortable stance. “How did he do?” He asked.

Sliver snorted, not wanting to admit the exploits of the human. “He found the hidden safe, and returned the earnings to us.”

“All of them?” Dust asked curiously. “Not a single bit gone?”

“I haven't quite counted the bits, yet. But the weight feels the same, so if he did take any, it was a very small amount.”

Dust smirked slightly, probably thinking of more compliments for that petty thief, Kestral. “Well, now we know that he's serious in his deal, and not trying to rip us off for good locations to hit.” He breathed deep, meeting her eyes. “But how good is he? Did he get caught?”

She snorted, rolling her eyes. “If he did, our 'guards' didn't give chase. They should be up here any minute to tell us how he left the place.”

Dust nodded, and they waited. In the meantime, Sliver looked out through the window, idly staring into the night sky. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself from her previous frustrations about Kestral.

She knew he was hiding something -something- ...but she couldn't figure out what. It ached in her mind. She knew he wasn't the thief she was. He wasn't like any of them, for that matter. He stole for himself. The guild stole to help the poor, because the poor of the city was made up of brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles. It was also full of the helpless and.... the abandoned.

She perished the thought, realizing that the guards had made their way into the building, and were only seconds away from meeting with them. She turned around just in time to see the two 'guards' take of their helmets, revealing two familiar faces. “Hey girls.” She said nonchalantly.

“Hey Sliver.”

“Hey.”

They looked towards Dust and saluted. “Boss.” They said together.

“Ladies.” He replied, to which they dropped their salute. “How did he do?”

One of them shrugged. “The guy's pretty much clean.” She said. “We didn't know he even came, until Sliver popped the signal.”

The other one pitched in. “Yep. Almost everything was in place, too.”

Dust nodded again. “So he listened to the special rule on Blueblood, at least. That's good. What was out of place, though?” He asked.

“The door was left unlocked, and the bed covers were slightly ruffled. Everything else was perfect. He even bothered to set the code back on the safes.”

Dust smiled a little. “I'm pleasantly surprised. For a being of such stature, I expected him to be less ...well, subtle.” He admitted.

The duo just shrugged, then one of them turned to Sliver. “Maybe he really is a m-”

“Don't finish that thought.” She growled.

The mare silenced herself, while Dust looked at her with a little concern. He cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention. “In any case.” He said. “It seems that our new ally is very willing and capable of doing as we ask of him. So let us go and observe his second test. I have high expectations of him, now.”

The two mares before Dust and Sliver nodded and left through the door. Sliver took a single step towards the door before she was stopped with a hoof against her chest. She looked over into the eyes of Dust, wondering why he had stopped her. She adopted furrowed brows as she stared on into his pupils.

“Sliver, I want to talk to you about something.” He said.

She hesitated, even though she already knew what it was about. “...yes, da-” She caught herself, although in the privacy of the room she could have called him as she wanted. “uh- Dust?”

Dust exhaled, gently wrapping a hoof over Sliver's shoulder. “Sliver, I know how much you're not liking this guy...”

She opened her mouth to speak, but kept silent, realizing that she had nothing to add.

“... but I think he can help us.”

That was just what Sliver didn't want to hear. “But, Dust!” She pleaded. “Kestral doesn't give a crap about helping us! Once we get him those eggs or whatever, he's going to cut and run!”

He nodded ardently. “And maybe he will.” He agreed. “But he won't be leaving without those ornaments he wants. And if he wants them, he has to live up to his end of the deal. And if it makes you feel any better, we actually already have one of them.”

She groaned, letting him know that she still didn't feel happy.

“Besides.” He continued. “If he does cut and run, that just means you won't have to see him again. Huh?” He nudged her, trying to elicit a smile.

She broke, and cracked a grin. “Okay! Okay.” She shook her head. “I get it. I'll just... wait it out.” She wrapped her head around his neck, and pulled him into a firm, warm hug. “Thanks, dad. You always know what to say.” Whoops. She let the word slip.

He eyed her carefully, then snuggled her back. “I'm glad you're fine.” He kissed her on the forehead as he broke the embrace. “If you want to, though, I can take over from here.”

She wanted to say 'yes', but that would have meant she caved in. If she kept with it... it would show that she's the better mare! Yeah! She could prove that she was above his crappy pride! “Nah, I’m fine, Dust.” She smiled. “I can do this.”

“Glad to hear.” He said. “Just, try to give him a fair chance, okay?”

She gave a curt nod, although the smile on her face lessened.

“Okay, dad.”

“Where the hell are they?” Kestral asked himself.

He rubbed his hands together, breathing warm air over them when he felt the need. He ducked behind the wall of vine that grew over the fence, dodging the wayward view of pegasai that strayed too close to the university grounds. When the skies were clear, he occasionally popped his head up to see over the hedges that dotted the short path to the massive building ahead of him.

It was four stories tall, and had a Gothic architecture to it. Gargoyles were perched on the corners of the roof, staring out into the horizons, acting like guardians of the grounds. The soft moonlight painted the building, with just a subtle reflection off the windows.

Suddenly, Sliver burst around the corner, coming to a halt next to Kestral. She took a few deep breaths, trying to slow her heartbeat down. After a moment, she caught her breath.

“Decide to go for a run?” Kestral asked.

She panted. “huh...stupid guards...huh...recognized me...huh”

He nodded. “Really?” He asked, warming his hands again. “I didn't think you were one to get caught in anything. What was the gig?”

“Oooohhh...” She trailed off. “I slept with their herd's stallion, posing as one of them on a dark night. At the end of round three, one of them walked in.”

Kestral raised an eyebrow far beyond human limits, taking a mental note to always double check the face and name of who he was with from then on. He refused to make a comment on what she said, but a distant voice made one for him.

“...fan out and find that bitch!”

He motioned to the school. “Should we head in before we start?”

She smirked. “No. You told the boss that you do jobs alone, so you get to practice alone. Problem?”

“No.” He said plainly.

“Good! So here's the job; You go in, you find a crystal ball from the psychics department, and meet back at the guild. This'll count for a thousand towards our deal, so you're not getting screwed for a free job.”

He nodded. “Sounds good. I'll be back ASAP.” He took a step towards the school, but Sliver already stopped him.

“But-” She said. “-here's the deal.”

Kestral sighed. “Let me guess. Blueblood practically owns this place?” He deadpanned.

“Nope. This place is clean of the 'bloods.” She cleared her throat. “What I’m saying, is that there are guards all over the place at night. There are a ton of artifacts in there that no one wants stolen. Some of them are even illegal to take off government property.”

“And all you want is a crystal ball?” He asked.

“Hey, a lot of that crap is locked up for a reason. Besides.” She said. “This is a test to see how you do if and when you break rule number one.”

Kestral's face went blank. “Never get caught.” He recited. “So, I’m set for failure on this one?”

“Everyone is. And it makes no difference if anyone knows ahead of time. No one has made it through this place on the heist test without being caught.”

“Well that's.....heist test?” He asked. “What other kind of tests are there?”

“Just the infiltration test.” She said casually. “We only operate on two things, in this guild. Face in the crowd, or no face at all.”

“That's... great.” He surmised. “Whatever. I'll just go get that bowling ball and get out of there. See ya!” He went away as fast as he could in a crouching position.

Kestral moved quickly, staying near the bushes in case he needed to duck again. He made his way up the short path, until he got to the side of the building. He was tempted to go in the front door, but thought better of it, deciding that if there was a guard just outside of it, there was probably one just inside of it instead. Not that the same couldn't be said for the side entrances, but he felt they were safer anyways.

He got up to a door that was slightly shorter than him, and silently tested the knob. Unsurprisingly, it didn't move, so he pulled out his lock-picking set and began to work. He fiddled with the tumbler for a moment, before it clicked. He put his tools up, and slowly pushed open the door.

Bingo. He thought.

He went inside, and closed the door, seeing not a single guard down the long stretch of hallway.

This is going to be too easy.

Why the hell is this so GOD-DAMNED DIFFICULT?!?

Kestral pulled back the pouch on his slingshot, then released, letting another steel ball fly through the air. The projectile hit against an unknown metallic object, letting out a loud ping. He quickly ducked back behind the display case full of trophies.

“There's that sound again!” One of the guards called out. “I'm telling you, somepony's screwing with us!”

“I think we're already past that point!” Another called.

The clopping hooves went on, until they stopped at the end of the hallway, giving Kestral just enough time to get around the corner. He teleported to the door marked 'artifact closet', and pulled out his lock-picking tools. He looked down at the lock, and shoved his tools in, trying to work as quickly as he could.

In his haste, he released a pin by accident several times, only serving to both slow him down and cause him more anxiety.

“Check back in the lobby. In fact, check with the guards in the other departments, see if they saw anything.”

Son of a shit.

He kept looking to the side every few seconds, waiting for the sight of a torch to come into view. It made him wonder why they didn't use the crystals hanging from the ceiling to light up the school, but he didn't want to look a gift p̶o̶n̶y̶ horse in the mouth. At least their use of torches left a good portion of the school dark.

CLICK

Finally. Kestral thought. He continued to twist the knob, but it still wouldn't budge. He pressed harder, but nothing happened. No! Damnit, I turned it the wrong way!

He looked to the side, and saw the light of a torch approaching from around the corner. No no no! He looked up and around, trying to peer around the darkness for any good place to hide. He saw a ledge, courtesy of the entablature that expanded from ornamental column to column down the hall. He teleported up onto the ledge, trying to keep his feet on it.

He watched as the guard rounded the corner, and began making his way through the hall, steadily going down the corridor. The mare kept going, with the golden armor she wore giving off a mild glisten. She passed under him, completely unaware of his presence. He moved his foot to adjust himself, but immediately regretted it as he felt an object bounce off his boot.

CLACK CLACK CLACK CLACK

Okay, why the FUCK is there a rock just sitting up here?!?

He looked down, and saw that the mare had snapped her head around. She scanned the hall for him.

In fear of her looking up and directly at him, Kestral teleported just behind her, standing tall. He slowly reached a hand into his coat, and pulled out a glass syringe, preparing himself for what he was about to do.

He watched her head go up towards the top of the hallway, scanning for him. He walked up just behind her.

In a split second, he cut off the fire, leaving them in the dark. At the same time, he threw out his hand, and peeled off the helmet from the guard. Just as the mare took a deep breath to call something out, Kestral forcefully covered her mouth with a hand, and stabbed the syringe down into her then-exposed neck.

He straddled her back, trying to keep her from flailing. It took a small moment, but the anesthesia kicked it, quickly making her drowsy until she collapsed altogether.

He breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that he was fairly close to alerting the whole place. He put the helmet back on the mare, then picked her up. He grabbed the torch, and moved them both to the door. He pulled out his tools again, ready for another try a the lock.

A minute later, the lock clicked, finally letting the door open. He pushed it open, and grabbed the torch, tossing it just inside. He looked at the mare, who was peacefully unconscious at his feet.

Ya'know....i wonder if I can lift her with my magic. It would really save my back.

He focused on picking up the body with his telekinesis, and it responded. As she was up enough to look like she was just sitting on her haunches, Kestral began to get a headache. He tried harder, but it only caused more pain within his skull. He stopped entirely, catching the body with one hand, while massaging his temple with his other hand.

Well great. At least I know that I can't just lift people away. I wonder why my magic is so damn limited compared to unicorns?.... whatever. It's still better than no magic at all.

He pulled the mare into the room, and leaned her against the wall, closing the door as he finished.

Kestral flicked on a flame, gently lighting up a small area around him. He looked around, seeing nick-knacks and objects of mild interest. He looked through the jars of carefully labeled ingredients, tools, and others, trying to find his target object. It didn't help that the entire room seemed to be organized in such a way that it lent no real method to find what he was looking for except by looking at everything.

Okay....ginger...rose petals....blood of a pariah, whatever that is....demon root....holy wa- Okay, why the hell would they need holy water?....raven feathers...staff of a priest.... a shit-ton of migraine medicine... pillows? What, does everyone fall asleep in class for practice?

He shook his head, then spotted a reflection in the corner of his eye.

“Bingo.” He said.

He grabbed the crystal ball, and made it disappear into his rift. With his objective complete, he made a confidant walk back to the door. His mind wandered, though, on the circumstances around his ordeal. He walked in that building, so sure of himself in getting through the place without a single screw up, but eight slingshot distractions, two close encounters, and a broken vase in the atrium later, he was sure that he was bound to get caught. It cost him his last two syringes, and more of his ego than he was willing to admit.

Whatever. I can just get this thing out of here and be done.

He slowly turned the handle, cracking open the door.

CREEEEEEAAAAAAAK

Son of a...Uh oh.

His mind wondered why the door was suddenly so creaky, when it wasn't earlier. But that wasn't his sudden worry. His sudden worry was that he saw the light of a torch reach through the crack he created.

“Who's there?”

NOPE

Kestral grabbed the unconscious body, and teleported to the other side of the door, next to the hinges. He laid the body down, just in time for the door to open far wider. He looked down at the body, seeing the glisten off a handle.

Okay...I got one shot at this...

He grabbed the hilt, and teleported just outside the door. He looked down the hall, making a break towards the nearest exit. Just as he reached the staircase, he heard the shrill voice of another guard.

“Mare down! Somepony get over here; there's a MARE DOWN!!!”

That's my queue!

He bolted down the stairway, losing his care to be silent. Right as he hit the bottom, he tripped, sending him forward into a small, stone pillar. It must have been very light stone, because it rocked to one side pretty easily. It leaned over, and nearly fell on him, but he caught it in time with his hands.

“Phew....no, shit!” He spoke to himself quietly.

A vase tilted over from the top of the pillar, until it fell over out of his reach. In a split second decision, he grabbed the object with his magic, only barely keeping it from hitting that ground.

He silently thanked whatever deity was watching, and silently put everything back in place. Right as he did, he heard the deep voice call out.

“There he is!”

His head snapped to the side, seeing a guard charging at him from down the hall.

“Oh god dammit!” He yelled. He turned around and burst towards the double doors. He closed them forcefully, and jammed the sword he nabbed into the two handlebars. He was already running away in the cold air when he heard the guard try to ram through the door.

“Find another way out! He blocked the door!”

Kestral kept sprinting, hopping over the fence as soon as he had come to it. He was met with an alley, so he turned and ran into it, occasionally looking behind him for any guards. He quickly saw a group of pegasai and bat-ponies fly up and scout around, but he kept behind buildings as must as he could, until he was clear of them. Since there was no one following him, he eventually just started walking, but not letting his guard down.

“Man.... I really hate that place.....”

Kestral walked through the entrance of the thieves guild, which was rather easy, considering anyone without a sword seemed to stay at least ten feet away -at least, those that were awake, rather than sleeping along the walls- giving him plenty of walking room. He was sure it was out of fear, but he didn't care to correct them. It did give him an unusually commanding presence, and he felt that it was potentially useful effect of his being human.

He walked through the covered area, going straight to the desk in the center, which was lit up with several large candles. The stallion sitting there looked up to Kestral, and stopped writing whatever parchment he had before him. He motioned for him to sit down, which Kestral followed.

He stuck a hand in his bag, and made the crystal ball appear. He brought it out and set it on the table, looking at Dust with just a small smirk.

Dust grabbed it, turning it over idly before he spoke. “Well. It seems you got it.” He said factually.

Kestral nodded. “It wasn't my best job, to be honest.” He said. “I swear that place is cursed.”

He gave a curt nod. “It is.” He said.

He smiled, giving a small laugh. “Heh heh heh....wait, you're serious?”

Dust nodded again. “ Completely. It's just a small curse; Causes bad luck to anyone without an immunity sigil on them. We use it to test anyone that passes the first test with flying colors.”

He listened to him eagerly, drinking in the information. “Okay. I hope you have a cheat sheet of all the useful magic symbols you guys use, 'cause I'd love to not go through that again.”

He smiled. “Very well. We'll give you some basic stuff tomorrow evening, although it's quite ill-frequent to have a real need for it. The only place in Canterlot that uses area of effect spells like that is the university. Not even the castle likes using them. In any case;” He continued. “We'll start your jobs tomorrow. See you then.”

It took a second for Kestral to realize that it was the end of the conversation. He hesitantly stood up, making a comment as he took his leave. “Wow, uhm. Okay. See you then.”

He walked away, deciding suddenly that he really wanted a drink. As he trudged out into the wind, he heard the tune of a clock tower, followed by three short chimes. As the arid air etched at his skin, his mind went back to the bar.

A good drink, maybe something to snack on, even a good book to read...... then I can just call it a night. He thought.

I wonder if barkeep is still there.....