Red Hearts and Crossed Strings

Chapters

Scarlet Bonds and Bound Cuffs
Lost Bits and Rosy Tempers
Every Rose Has Its Thorns
Water Is Purer Than Blood
Red Alert (fixed)
Caught Red Handed

Scarlet Bonds and Bound Cuffs

The royal palace in Canterlot was home to the two princess sisters Celestia, and Luna. The two sisters worked together in harmony to bring out the sun and the moon each day and night. Without them, Equestria would be stuck at a standstill.

Celestia’s chamber was filled with red velvet furniture and lined with golden wall footers. The tile floor was waxed daily, insuring that the princess of the sun could see her reflection in it whenever she looked down.

The red bed cushion beneath Celestia rolled as she adjusted her position for the umpteenth time. It was only early morning, but just thinking of the strenuous day that awaited her left her exhausted. Right now, her body was free of her usual heavy armor. Sometimes she wished that raising the sun was enough for her subjects, but that was only a fantasy.

Open courts were held frequently, giving citizens from all over Equestria a chance to ask their princess for favors. Celestia enjoyed helping the less fortunate. But on most occasions it was a room filled with greed. Farmers would ask for more land so they could make a larger profit. Some even dared to ask for longer days and warmer nights. “Our crops will grow larger and healthier without the long cold nights!” They would plead.

Rubbing her temples wearily, Celestia tried to shoo the troublesome thoughts from her mind. Open court wouldn’t be for an hour or so. Maybe she could fit in an early morning flight before she was needed on her throne?

Jumping off her bed she headed towards her vanity mirror. The mirror was almost as tall as her, set up on a stand and angled upwards just slightly. The stainless glass was bordered with pure gold, and molded into swirling patterns. Staring into the glass could make anypony feel like royalty.

Celestia hid her chuckle as her reflection looked back at her. Her mane was a nest of messy stray rainbow curls, sticking out in every possible direction. Levitating a brush over with her sparkling yellow magic, she gently guided her untamed hair back into place.

Carefully, Celestia took the mascara from the table beside the mirror and guided it along the lines of her eyes. The makeup felt heavy and wet, but after wearing it for thousands of years, she was used to the way it stuck to her face and tickled her eyelids.

Finishing the last of her morning routine Celestia tucked her traditional golden body wear into place on her chest and rested her crown upon her head. Sometimes, Celestia hated the accursed thing. It was supposed to be not just a traditional object of of royalty, but a symbol of strength and compassion. And when she received the crown, she lacked those virtues. She had been ignorant and vain. Due to her thoughtless actions and the humility she had lacked, her sister had become Nightmare Moon.

All Luna had wanted was to be loved. And Celesta had taken that away without a thought in her mind. Luna had worked every night to make her belt of stars beautiful, and the moon she guided even more so. But ponies failed to see the her painting in the sky, and because of this, Luna grew angry. And Celestia, had done nothing but push her sister away.

The two regal sister’s fought with conflicting desires in their heads after that. Celestia, had tried so hard to save her lunar sister from the beast she had become, while Nightmare Moon only wanted the thrill of vengeance, and for the beauty of eternal night to envelope Equestria forever.

Eventually, with no other choice, Celestia had been forced to use her last resort. With pain, and guilt already heavy in her heart, she had locked her sister in the moon for a thousand years. All that had happened back then was because of her own selfish actions. She had believed she was the most beloved and regal pony in the land.

How could I have been so blind and thoughtless . . .

Even now, even while her sister was back and had forgiven her, Celestia still carried that same guilt. And it would forever sit like a canary in it’s cage.

CRRRRAAAAAAAACKKKKK!!!!!!

Pulsing magic penetrated the princess’s memories, pulling her back from the depths. The invisible force ripped through the silence and pulsed through Celestia’s head. It felt as if the earth had been shattered for a mere second, and then had reverted back to normal. Celestia raced out to the balcony and looked up into the sky. But there was nothing to be seen except for clouds and pegasi.

“Sister!?” The doors to Celesta’s chamber flew open as Luna raced into the room. Her blue coat was still ruffled from sleep. “My sister, did you feel the tremor?”

Celestia nodded and let her gaze rise into the sky. The great blue canvas stretched out for miles, and there was nopony who could say where it ended. But somewhere out there, something had just happened. Something had broken through the vast magical barrier that should not have. And Celestia feared nothing good would come of it.

“We have been too lax Luna. Something has entered our kingdom . . . no, our world, that should not have. Our home has been disturbed.” Celestia sighed. She put a wing over her sister’s shoulder and nudged her messy night blue mane with her muzzle. “Now go rest my sister. You only just lowered your moon.”

Luna stifled a yawn and shook her head.”No, you felt that tremor Celestia! It was close! We could be in danger!” Luna narrowed her eyes and scanned the land from the railing.

Celestia took a moment to calm herself before reaching out to Luna with a hoof. She carefully guided her sister away from the railing and met her eye to eye. “We must wait . . .”

“But sister-”

Celestia gently cut her younger sister off and continued, “I do not wish to disturb peace with something that might not be dangerous. We can’t jump to conclusions.” Thinking momentarily, she added, “I will send a letter to Twilight Sparkle.”

Luna looked down in confusion and tapped her bare hoof against the glass flooring. “But, why would you send a message to Twilight? We haven’t an idea what we’re dealing with!”

“And a princess never does. This can be Twilight’s first true task as a princess of Equestria. But if need be, we will step in and help.”

“Lisbon?”

A strange void of emptiness had seemed to have drowned Lisbon. And as she floated in silence, she felt free and at peace. It was a strange feeling really. Something she thought she could never truly have was flowing everywhere around her. She could feel something tickling her skin and brushing against her cheek. But for now, she ignored those feelings and let herself stay weightlessly in the middle of nowhere.

“Lisbon?

With closed eyes and a thoughtless mind, Lisbon felt safer than she had for a long while. She didn’t have anything to think about. She didn’t even need to think. Actually, when she tried to think, everything just felt hazy and unclear. A nervous tingle started to settle in her stomach, and Lisbon started to wonder if she should in fact, open her eyes.

“Lisbon?”

Lisbon struggled to pull her eyes open, but they wouldn’t budge. When she tried to move her arms, they wouldn’t listen to her either. The nervousness in her stomach quickly grew into a panic that burned throughout her entire body, and she suddenly wished she hadn’t let herself sink so far into the silent ocean. Am I drowning?

“Lisbon!?”

Lisbon’s eyes jerked open. The first thing she noticed was that she was warm. As her ability to process things returned, she noticed that she wasn’t just warm, but that she was being held by someone. And that someone, she knew, was Jane. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, and her head was against his. All she could see was his golden hair. Warmth spread through her cheeks as she realized that the only reason he would be holding her so tightly was because he was worried.

“Jane, you’re squishing me.” She muttered, trying to keep her usual reluctant attitude in her voice. But the strange heat in her cheeks didn’t go away.

Jane quickly loosened his grip and let her draw her head back. But what she expected to see wasn’t there. Instead, she was greeted with strange light orange, blond maned horse. The creature was staring back at her as if it was expecting her to say something. But at the moment, her jaw was hanging open in wonder. It’s eyes . . . were so big.

“Lisbon? I know what you’re thinking. But don’t panic. Just take a look at yourself.” it said, carrying Jane’s voice.

Alright . . . so Jane’s a horse . . . Lisbon just stared at him for a moment, in a daze. Then, she looked down at her arms. But they weren’t there. Instead they had been replaced by thick gray hooves. What disturbed her more was her lack of clothes. All that she wore now was short gray fur, and thankfully, her cross necklace. Nervously, she moved her hooves and batted the hair that hung down past her shoulders. It felt more course than it had before.

Lisbon shrieked and struggled out of Jane’s grip. Taking in her surroundings, she almost fainted. Everywhere she looked there were horses walking around with a disturbing aura of casualty. Many of the creatures bore coats of pink or purple. Some of them even had a pair of wings or a horn. Lisbon stared dumbfounded, before swallowing the saliva that had puddled in her throat.

“Lisbon? Just listen, okay?”

Lisbon stared back at the light orange horse that was Jane, and cracked a smile. “You’re kidding . . . You’re kidding, right?” When Jane shook his head, she went silent. Her green eyes sharpened as her mind went into overdrive. “How do we get back home? Why are we here? Why do we look like animals from some kind of little kids show? Is this a sick joke!?”

Tapping his hoof against his chin, Jane thought, “Maybe. But I think Red John wants to do more than just have fun watching us panic. I say we stay calm and collective.” As he spoke, he noticed Lisbon’s eyes slowly trailing up his head. She had completely zoned out. “What are you looking at?”

“You . . . have a horn.” Lisbon murmured.

Jane stiffened. Tentatively, his front hoof traveled across the top of his head and through his curly yellow mane. And sure enough, there was a horn. His eyes widened and he before he could do anything he’d regret, he took a long and deep breath.

“Do I have a horn?”

Jane opened his eyes and stared back at her. Her dark mane was the same colour as her hair used to be. Yet, it was somehow styled to look like she had bangs sweeping across the top of her face. He found it adorable that even as a horse, she could carry them so well.

“No, I don’t see one.” Jane said. He walked over to her and stuck his hooves into her hair, moving it to the side. He felt strangely proud that he was able to find an excuse to touch her hair. It was surprisingly soft and still carried a small trace of the smell of shampoo. “No, definitely not. But your hair is-”

“Excuse me?”

Jane and Lisbon jerked around at the sound of the new voice. Standing in front of them was a slightly tall mare with a lavender coat. She wore a small crown atop her head and carried both wings and a horn. Behind her was a paparazzi of five other ponies. As Lisbon melted under the expecting twelve eyes, Jane narrowed his own.

“Welcome to Ponyville. Are you planning on staying? I’ve never seen you before, so I assume you’re new to town.” Jane narrowed his eyes with intrigue. The mare’s voice, though happy and welcoming, was forced. What was she playing at? “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbowdash, and Rarity. what are your names? If you don’t mind me asking.”

The pure white unicorn that Twilight had called Rarity audibly scoffed before pushing up closer to her friend. “Twilight, you’re a princess now. You don’t have to ask for their names. They should be bowing and telling you them anyways.” Rarity batted at her rich purple mane and sighed. “If I were a princess, I would make sure everyone knew my name.”

At that Twilight blushed and shuffled her wings. Adjusting her crown so that it fit snugly around her horn. She then cleared her throat nervously. “So . . . your names?”

“My name is Patrick Jane, and this is my assistant Teresa Lisbon.” He shot her a wicked smirk, knowing she would have punched him if it weren’t for the restraints around her hooves. But the metal contraption didn’t stop Lisbon from giving Jane a terrifying scowl that said, “I’m going to kill you later.”

Pinkie Pie threw herself in front of Twilight and smiled widely. Jane visibly winced at her bright pink coat and curly mane. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! I can’t wait to throw a super duper awesome fun ‘Welcome To Ponyville’ party for you!” The mare bounced up and down excitedly. “But first we have to get those hoofcuffs off you Teesa! You can’t party with those on.”

“Teesa?” Lisbon raised an eyebrow and jumped as Jane erupted into a fit of crying laughter.

“That’s a cute nickname! Much better than Mother Teresa!”

“Shut it Jane!” Lisbon retorted. She turned to Pinkie Pie and tried to smile as casually as she could. “I’m sorry, but we really don’t need a party. We just want some quiet.” The pink pony shrugged without a trace of disappointment.

While Jane continued to chuckle and snort, Twilight stepped up to Lisbon and inspected the cuffs. “Why on earth are you strapped into these? Only criminals wear hoofcuffs.” Shooting Lisbon a hard stare, Twilight said, “You aren’t criminals are you?”

Narrowing her eyes, Lisbon growled. “No, actually, I’m not!” How dare this strange purple mare accuse her of being a law breaker!? She enforced the law!

Jane quickly stepped in before Lisbon could do something that they would both regret. Swiftly, he wiped the tears from his eyes before giving the ‘princess’ an apologetic smile. “As I said, she is my assistant. We were practicing a magic trick and . . . I lost the key to the lock.”

Twilight still looked suspicious, but she seemed to accept what Jane said as the truth. Her horn began to glow with a purple aura, and suddenly the cuffs around Lisbon’s hooves snapped off.

Jane stared in wonder. Biting curiosity arose in his mind and he held his lip in his teeth to hold back his questions, for he feared the answer he might get. How did she do that? What kind of world is this?

Twilight smiled on as if nothing strange had even occurred, but Lisbon shared Jane’s dumbstruck face. Only she wasn’t afraid to ask questions when she wanted answers. “What did you just do!?” She demanded. Her green eyes blazing. Lisbon wasn’t sure how to feel at that point. Every emotion seemed to be coursing through her at once. The blazing curiosity of not knowing. The dark creeping of dread and fear. And the racing adrenaline of excitement buzzing through her veins. She felt like she would explode without answers, without some kind of reassurance. She wanted it so badly it was dizzying!

Twilight seemed taken aback by their lack of knowledge, but a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane fluttered over her head and playfully messed with her once neat bangs. “C’mon Twi! Not all ponies are egg heads like you!”

Twilight merely swatted Rainbow away and tidied her hair before she started her explanation. “I simply used a strength spell. It breaks down the metal in one location, utterly weakening it, and then finally snapping it.”

“But isn’t that unsafe? Couldn’t a unicorn put into han- I mean, hoofcuffs just break out of them?” Lisbon said. She was rubbing her hooves where the confining locks had been just seconds ago, relishing the feeling of air touching her fur.

“The unicorns are put into magic restraints so that they are unable to call on their magic to use against the police, and further more, only the princesses or high up agents in law enforcement can use the spell correctly. In other words. Even if you know how to cast the spell, it won’t have effect unless you are qualified to use it.” Twilight finished, looking quite proud of herself.

“So ‘magic’ is really important here in Ponyville isn’t it?” Jane said, deciding to speak up.

“Not just in Ponyville, but in all of Equestria.” Twilight pointed out. She couldn’t stop her smile from stretching all the way across her face. But her proud expression twisted into one of confusion. “But, shouldn’t you know this already? We learn about Equestrian society in public school.”

Lisbon and Jane blushed in unison. Considering we don’t know anything about these ponies, we probably shouldn’t go telling them we came here from another world . . . Lisbon thought. The nervous face Jane had taken on informed her that he was thinking the same thing.

“Hey! Where are your cutiemarks??? Rainbowdash blurted out.

Rarity gave a dignified hmmph before turning towards Jane and Lisbon. “Don’t worry dears. I’m sure you will find your special talent some time. It’s different for everypony.”

Jane and Lisbon felt completely lost. What was a cutiemark? Was it the reason why everyone had tattoos on their flanks? If that was the reason, Lisbon didn’t want one anyways.

“Well, since you’re new to Ponyville, you probably don’t have a place to stay.” The voice came from an orange pony with a tied up blond mane. She lacked wings or a horn but she didn’t seem to mind, for she carried herself confidently without a hint of self pity. She adjusted the brown cowboy hat that rested on her head and snickered a little. “I’m Applejack by the way. It’s nice to meet yah.” Her country accent shone through her friendly tone, and Lisbon couldn’t help but smile at her hospitality.

“We never really thought of that.” Jane replied. He rubbed the back of his head guiltily before adding, “Do you know anywhere we could stay? If only for a few days or so?”

Before the country mare could answer, she was thrown aside by a yellow pegasus with a light pink mane. The pegasus had been sitting quietly in the back, watching with wonder just moments ago. But now, she was up in Jane’s face and smiling wildly. “You can stay with me!” She cried out! Her voice carried through the town. Several ponies that had been walking by turned to stare them.

“That’s nice Fluttershy. But I don’t think they want to stay somewhere with a bunch of animals.” Rainbowdash cut in. She flew over to Lisbon and snatched her up off the ground by her stomach. Lisbon yelped and thrashed her legs helplessly as she dangled in the air. “And I’m pretty sure you can’t stay in a cloud house. Neither of you are a pegasus.” Rainbow shrugged and dropped Lisbon to the ground with a thud.

“I hate to say it, but my barn is in quite the shape, and I don’t think you would want to stay in there right now. Our house is a little small as well . . . I don’t really have room.” Applejack tapped the ground guiltily with her hoof, and Jane and Lisbon’s eyes roamed towards Rarity, who looked at them with surprise.

“Me!?” She gasped. Lisbon narrowed her eyes and the pristine unicorn gave a smug grin. “I can’t possibly let strangers into my home. I have my dear sister there. Who knows what could happen to her!”

Twilight rolled her eyes and the rest of the gang did their own exasperated actions. Eventually Twilight said, “I would love to have guests, but right now I’m . . . taking care of Spike! He’s not feeling well and really needs his bed rest!”

The other ponies shot daggers at Twilight, but Fluttershy simply bounded with glee. “You can stay with me! You can!”

“There’s a spare room in the basement of Sugarcube Corner! You could stay there!” Pinkie Pie took Jane by the hoof and yanked him along with her as she trotted across the town, not even waiting for a reply. Hurrying to her hooves, Lisbon followed clumsily. She was often klutzy on two legs, but four was more than she could handle.

“Come on slowpoke!” Rainbowdash pestered.

“I’m trying! Stop nagging me!” Lisbon snapped. She focused on the rhythm her somewhat steady hooves had created and picked up her pace. Soon she was able to keep up with the herd.

As they passed house after house, Lisbon noticed that this world was much like her own. She shouldn't have been so surprised. After all, this world does have magic. On their way to Sugarcube Corner, she spotted markets, hospitals, clothing stores, and even a dentist! This place really manages to surprise you doesn’t it?

Worry wormed it’s way through her newborn curiosity as she remembered what she had to lose. What if people are looking for us back in Sacramento? What if I get fired from CBI when I get back? That brought on another thought, and she stopped mid gallop. Deep inside her chest she could feel something drop like a rock. What if we never get back?

“Teesa! Hurry up! We’re almost there!”

At Pinkie’s excited call, Lisbon threw the thoughts away and raced after the bright pink mare. Everything would work out! After all, she had Patrick Jane with her! Even if that man had a way of getting into trouble, he also had a way of getting out of it.

“Stop calling me Teesa!”

Sugarcube Corner was what Jane had thought it might be. Of course it wasn’t the exact image, but it was close enough. The exterior of the building was bright pink, and it looked to be covered with sprinkles galore. Attached to the vibrant bakery were cupcakes and giant candy canes. None of which were edible.

Pinkie Pie had left to talk with Mr. and Mrs. Cake, leaving Lisbon and Jane alone with Twilight. The rest of the gang had left to go about their own business for the day. But Twilight, for some reason they couldn’t think of, had decided to stay with them. No, she hadn’t decided. She had insisted that she stayed with them, and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Right now the lavender mare was staring at them both with hungry eyes. Like she wanted to know something. Jane watched as Lisbon shuffled farther away from the mare’s prying pupils.

After what seemed to take a year, Pinkie Pie bounced back to them and smiled. “I, Pinkie Pie, shall escort thee Teesa, and Patrick, to thees room!” she declared.

Lisbon cracked a smile and whispered cheekily into Jane’s ear. “I’m pretty sure that isn’t Shakespearian.” she said.

“Maybe it’s Pinkamenian.” Jane answered.

As the boss and her consultant followed the pink pony down the steps, they fell into a comfortable vibe. Lisbon couldn’t stop herself from holding onto a soft smile, and Jane was happy that he had actually managed to make the stubborn lady break out of her shell. Even if it was just for a few moments. But everything changed the moment they got to the bottom of the steps.

“Here’s your new room!” Pinkie Pie shouted! Streamers twirled down from the ceiling out of nowhere and the lights flashed on in an instant. Magenta walls surrounded the small group of four. The room was moderately sized, and certainly big enough for two ponies to share. To the side of the room there was door with a fresh coat of white paint that brightened the room substantially. Jane guessed that it hid a bathroom behind it. Sunshine flooded through the stainless windows, bringing a homely warmth to the foreign surroundings. There was only one thing that caught both Jane and Lisbon’s attention. There was one bed in the room, and two of them.

“And you only have to one thousand bits to stay!” Pinkie hollered!

Lost Bits and Rosy Tempers

“Pay!?” Jane and Lisbon both stiffened. It was like a boulder had crashed down on them to give them a strange and twisted reality check. It was a reality check reminding them that even though they were surrounded by strange multi coloured “ponies”, they were still expected to pay for renting out rooms and buying food.

But who would think to bring a wallet full of money to take down a serial killer!? Lisbon scolded herself inwardly. You should always carry a little bit of money! Even so, one thousand bits?

“Bits are your currency here in Ponyville then?” Jane asked. His shoulders were still tense, but his voice managed to hide the worry he felt.

Twilight, who was looking rather pleased with herself for some reason, simply stated, “Of course. Bits are the currency everywhere in Equestria. I’m surprised two grown ponies don’t know that.” Her tail twitched behind her, and Jane and Lisbon gulped.

“We’re just not very informed about how everything works here in Ponyville. Canterlot is quite a bit different.” Jane fed the lie to Twilight as if it were as easy as feeding crumbs to pigeons.

Twilight batted at her mane and frowned slightly, but her eyes were narrowed and hungry for more information. Pinkie Pie, oblivious to the building tension, grabbed Lisbon’s shoulders and playfully shoved her towards the closed white door on the left of the room.

When Lisbon was finally released from the pink earth pony’s clutch, she shot Pinkie Pie a glare that would have given anyone else shivers. But Pinkie Pie just grinned and flung the white door in front of the group open, revealing a glimmering white bathroom.

As welcoming as the bathroom was, Lisbon was almost scared to step inside. It seemed a shame to walk on the freshly cleaned floor with dirty hooves. But Pinkie led them in without a care. “We always wanted to have guests stay at Sugarcube Corner, but no one really visits Ponyville for a long while unless they are planning on living here. So it never worked out. But then you came!”

Guilt dug deep into Lisbon’s chest as she continued to stare at the sparkling, pristine walls. “This is all very kind . . . But we don’t have any money.” Lisbon said, holding out an empty hoof as if to prove her point. “We’re broke.”

“But you’re from Canterlot! You must have money!” Twilight countered, earning her a glare from the accused couple.

“We were jumped on our way to Ponyville.” Jane said. Another lie. “Lisbon and I had been carrying our money with us at the time, along with our bags. We were just coming up to Ponyville when it happened. Some colts came out of no where and threatened us. We didn’t have any choice but to hand over everything we owned.” Every syllable was filled with fake, believable emotions. Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie were both staring at them with round eyes, and Lisbon was tempted to jump in and stop the lies before they went too far. But she stood where she was. She pretended that she was bolted to the ground. It will all be worth it in the end.

“I’m sorry . . .” Twilight croaked. “I’ve only just become a princess, I’m a little on edge I guess.” The mare offered a gentle smile, straightening her slouching figure. “Listen, why don’t I help you earn some bits? I’m sure Pinkie Pie will let you pay for your rent at a later date.” She shot her friend a hopeful glance, and was answered with an excited nod. “I was going to reorganize the books at my house today. I live at the Ponyville library. Would you like to do it instead? I’d give you one hundred bits.”

“That would be great!” Jane smiled cheerfully and jabbed Lisbon in the shoulder, shooting her a private wink. He had done it already, taken hold of the entire situation and twisted it until it fit to his benefit. Part of Lisbon admired his skills, but another part feared it. He was a good liar, perhaps a little too good.

“Just let me have the bits when you are ready to pay! Until then just make yourselves at home!” Pinkie Pie’s voice cut into Lisbon’s thoughts and she quickly plastered a grin onto her face. All she had to do was play the part of a robbed citizen for a while, and then she could go home. Hopefully . . .

Golden Oak Library stood tall and firm in the centre of Ponyville. It’s extravagant branches stretched out overhead of the citizens, thriving with vibrant green leaves and topped off with a busy beehive dangling lazily underneath a thick branch. Although the book shelter was a tree, it was easily recognized as a cozy home with the decorated windows and candle baring door.

Patiently, Lisbon waited for Twilight to welcome her and Jane inside. Their helper had insisted that they wait outside so that she could insure her house wasn’t too much of a mess for them.

“Maybe she needs to scrap off old bark or something?” Jane whispered with a small snicker. Lisbon smiled and knocked his shoulder teasingly. Her green eyes sharpened and narrowed, and she was met with a wicked grin from Jane. The stallion started creeping towards her with a cocky grin, and Lisbon shuffled backwards.

“Jane, don’t you even think about it.”

He crept closer.

“Jane!”

The golden unicorn knocked her to the ground and assaulted her with a storm of unbearable tickles, leaving Lisbon writhing on the ground with no means of escape. The gray mare held her breath and clenched her teeth to try to stop the painful laughter from spilling out of her mouth, but that only led to small snorts and squeals. Soon she was trying to roll away from the determined stallion, doing her best to keep her dignity in between her giggles and waving hooves.

“Jane, this isn’t professional!” Though she was trying to be serious, the words lost all their meaning very quickly. There was no way this horse would let up unless she forced him to. So then why aren’t I just pushing him away?

“I don’t think it matters if we are professional or not right now my dear!” Jane joked. Lisbon’s cheeks were suddenly burning with a strange racing heat. Instantly, she kicked him off and pulled herself up off the grass, fully aware of the semi hurt look she was receiving from her partner.

Lisbon’s hoof crawled up to her cheek. There was a strange fluttering sensation in her stomach and it made her want to cry and sing at the same time. It was . . . uncomfortable, yet nice. She imagined herself on a cold winter night, wrapped tightly in a soft sleeping bag by a fire. Even though it was cold and frozen outside, she was safe and warm in her house.

“Tere- I mean, Lisbon. Would you like to come inside?” Lisbon jumped as Twilight’s voice intruded into her, a little too, private thoughts. “Jane’s already inside. I’ve finished tidying up, so there’s no reason for you to stay out here anymore.

“Thanks!” Lisbon stammered. She galloped quickly past Twilight, who was graciously holding the door open for the distracted mare. Only after both of the guests had entered her house did Twilight close the door. The inside of the alicorn’s home was fancier than either of the two had expected it to be. Even so, the decor was accompanied with a sense of home and belonging. Traditionally carved textures swirled around the footers of the walls, and a strong horse statue stood defiant in the middle of the library. Bookshelves were carefully cut into the walls, useful and fetching.

“I know it may seem like a lot, but it usually only takes me a few hours. With the two of you working together, you should be done in no time!”

The mountainous bookshelves towered over the group, taunting them like a bear over a squirrel. Maybe they had bitten off more than they could chew. Lisbon wasn’t even sure she could pick up a book, let alone hundreds. Even though she could feel her determination being sapped away by the daunting task, she set her face straight and stomped her hoof confidently. She was as stubborn as a wild stallion, and nothing was too much for her to handle! Except maybe Patrick Jane. “How would you like us to organize the books?” Lisbon asked, not looking away from the tightly packed shelves.

“I go by alphabetical order and topic. For example, Star Swirled The Bearded’s Guide To Magic would go in the magic section, while Equestrian Society would go in the history section. It’s rather easy.” Twilight brushed her blue bangs out of her eyes, revealing several droplets of glistening sweat, steadily snaking down her temple. “You will be careful with my books, won’t you? I don’t want them to get ripped or bent. Also, try not to misplace any, or put them int he wrong order, or-”

“We’ll be careful.” Lisbon cut in. “You can count on Jane and I. He might seem a little on the untrustworthy side, but he puts his all into . . . Actually, scratch that. He’s pretty lazy. But he does try to do the right thing, so you can bet that your books will be safe!”

“I’m not lazy!” Jane cut in. His curly blond mane bounced as he jumped in annoyance.

“And if he tries to do anything to your books,” Lisbon added. “I’ll kick his a-”

“Okay, okay, she gets it! Jeez! I’ll be on my best behavior!”

Twilight smiled awkwardly. “I’ll leave you two to your job. How about I come back in an hour? I’ll just go grab a coffee at the cafe.”

Coffee? This world had coffee? Lisbon’s heart fluttered, more so than it had when Jane had called her, Dear. What I would do for a cup of coffee!

“Alright, we’ll see you then.” Jane responded while waving a hoof in farewell. The sound of trotting followed by a closing door signaled to Lisbon that the alicorn princess had left. Lisbon turned around to see Jane staring at the bookshelves that surrounded them. His shoulders looked tense with unease.

“Why don’t we do this one step at a time?” Lisbon said, walking up beside Jane. He turned his head to face her, a small smile creeping up his face. “First we can get all the books off the shelves, and then we can reorganize them on the empty shelves.”

After a quick nod the two of them got to the task. But it was hard to remain gentle with the pieces of literature. Lisbon dropped more books than she would admit, but she wasn’t alone in her klutziness anymore, for Jane followed suit. Time and time again, the books would slip between their new hooves and drop to the floor. It took a full twenty minutes just to get the books off the shelf. And by then, the two of them were frustrated and ready to give up.

“I knew this was a bad idea!” Lisbon growled as she shifted through the multitude of books that had carpeted the ground. Hard as it was to navigate through the ocean of literature, she managed to keep the book she had collected in her hooves. Luckily, she didn’t lose it this time before she got to the shelf.

“What are you talking about? This was your idea in the first place! Don’t try to blame this one on me!” Jane barked, temper fuming.

“Well I’m sorry if I’m in a bad mood!” The new book she had picked up slipped out of her hooves and she let out a hoarse groan. “I’ve had it with these stupid books!”

Kicking one to the side, Jane snorted. Twilight’s warning had been long forgotten by this point. All that mattered was that they got the books onto the shelves in a somewhat organized fashion. Then, they could go back to Sugarcube Corner with some money.

“Once we get the rest of the books on the shelves, we’re done. Let’s just stay calm, alright? If you pick them up with your mouth you won’t keep dropping them.” Jane picked up a book in his teeth and carried it over to the magic shelf. He could only hope he had gotten the placement right considering his knowledge on magic was somewhat lacking.

“I am calm!” Lisbon retorted, snatching a book in her teeth she stomped over to the history shelf and slammed it into place with a few others that were already lazily slumped against each other. Her mouth tasted like dank paper, and her tongue felt rough and bumpy. “I hate all of this! I just want my hands back!”

Jane shrugged and picked up another book in his hooves. He quickly searched for the right shelf, only to come to a complete halt. There was no way to reach it, no way unless he used the ladder. His gaze shifted towards the ladder resting in the corner of the room. But it was too risky to try to climb a ladder when he was just learning to work with his new body. There had to be another way. And he knew exactly what to do. He threw the book on the floor in front of him.

“Lisbon, I’m going to try and use magic.” He said. Lisbon returned his gaze with a look of disbelief. She didn’t need to say anything, he could tell she was thinking, Are you nuts? You don’t even know anything about magic! But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that if he could use just a little bit of magic, then they would get their money. And maybe it could help them out in the future.

Jane shifted his hooves so that he felt as sturdy as a boulder. Focusing on the book in front of him, he clenched his teeth and strained his mind to block everything else out. A coolness stretched through his body, the lazy river of magic energy coursed through his being and he fought to force the aura up to his horn. If only he had the cool and calm control that his bossy partner wielded so easily.

Maybe it will be easier if I break it down? Jane thought, not letting his chain of thought trail too far from the writhing strands of magic.

Step 1 . . . Pick up the book.

Even though Jane was giving it his all, the lone book in front of him didn’t budge. Biting down the impatience drilling it’s way into his mind, he forced himself to keep trying.

Step 1 . . . Pick up the-

“Book!” He cried out as a blast of blue beams shot from his horn. Jane shut his eyes and cut off his magic, shutting down the blue streams sprouting from his horn. After a moment of silence, he dared to look again, and what he saw amazed him. The book was floating in the air! And he was controlling it! “Lisbon! I did it!”

Shaking herself out of her daze, Lisbon nodded in awe. Jane had somehow mastered his magic in only a few minutes, not even! How was that even possible?

As Jane boastfully picked up book after book with his magic and set them on the shelves correctly, sometimes in multiples at a time, Lisbon found herself getting agitated by the constant comments the stallion made.

“Lisbon! I can even move the ladder with my magic! It’s so strong!”

“Don’t you wish you were a unicorn?”

“Look, I can put away ten books at once!”

“I’m glad I don’t have to pick these up with my mouth! Paper tastes horrible, you know?”

“Yes, I know Jane!” Lisbon growled, spitting out the book she had been carrying in her teeth. “And you know what else I’ve figured out? Unicorns are lazy know it alls!” Stomping towards the perplexed unicorn, she grabbed the books in his magical grasp.

“You can’t take those! They go on the top shelf!” Jane barked as the books were swept from his hold. He watched as she struggled to carry the three books in her hooves and mouth while she made her way to the ladder.

“Lisbon, that’s a bad idea!”

“Shut it! I know what I can and can’t do!” The gray earth mare shouted as she shakily stacked the two books from her hooves onto her head and stepped up onto the ladder. Lisbon locked her jaws shut, making sure that she didn’t let the book slip as she crawled up the ladder on new hooves. Slowly, with the tower wobbling atop her head, she made her way up the rocking ladder. And soon, she was perched at the very top. Looking downwards, she spotted Jane staring up at her from about two meters down below. The world started swirling as she realized how high she was. Sucking in a quick breath, she began to take the books off her head. But the world tilted before she could even put on away.

Lisbon let out a yelp as her back hoof slipped and she began to fall. The ladder kicked out from underneath her, slamming into the bookshelf and causing a storm of books to follow her as she dropped and hit the floor with a loud thud!

A deathly chill crawled through Jane’s spine as he waited for his friend to emerge from the fresh pile of books and dust. What if she’s hurt?

A small mumble escaped from the prison of books. Instantly the cell exploded, revealing Lisbon sitting dumbfounded in the middle. Jane levitated the books back onto the shelf before racing over and lending her a hoof to help her up, but he nearly cried out when she shoved it aside and stumbled up on her own.

The two of them finished their job in silence. Jane cast a few glances now and again at Lisbon, but at one point their eyes had connected, and that had ended it. Finally, when all the books were put away, they were forced into a conversation by the screaming silence that rang in both their ears.

“What got into you back there?” Jane started, resting a gentle hoof on Lisbon’s now bruised shoulder. At the sight of her wincing, he pulled back guiltily. But the glare she shot him stung much more. “Come to think of it . . . You’ve been really irritable lately. Even before the transformation.”

“There’s nothing wrong Jane! I can take care of myself! I don’t need you to baby me!” Lisbon turned her head with a huff, refusing to look at her consultant. “Everyone seems to think that I can’t take care of myself because I’m a girl!”

“That’s not true!” Lisbon’s heart skipped a beat at Jane’s words. But her happiness was short lived, for his reassurance was followed by, “It’s because you’re small.”

“That’s it!” She howled! “I can’t stand you anymore! You think you’re so great because you have a horn and magical powers! Well you know what? I don’t care!”

“You’re just jealous because you’re stuck as a boring mare!”

Lisbon clenched her teeth and struggled not to slap the arrogant horse in the face right then and there. “Just stay out of my business, okay!?”

Jane was about to answer when the door to the library clicked and swung open. Twilight Sparkle trotted in with two steaming cups of coffee and a bag of bits held in her purple magic. A large smile crept onto her face as she took in the house and the neatly arranged books. “I knew you could do it!” She cheered, clapping her front hooves together merrily. “I got you drinks and collected your bits from the the Ponyville bank!”

Jane and Lisbon settled themselves down and mingled with the Twilight for about an hour, doing their best to remain polite and not show their frustration with each other. Neither of them touched their drinks as they talked to Twilight about their “magic shows”, and when the time came for them to depart, they didn’t complain.

The night sky glittered, lit by the theatre of twinkling stars placed perfectly by the princess of the night. Moonlight shone through the window and shed soft light on the dark basement.

Jane carried the bag of bits in his mouth. He was somewhat proud of their prize. He had learned how to use his magic, and Lisbon had . . . well, Lisbon hadn’t gotten much out of it. But together, they had earned one hundred bits! He set their cash on the bedside table as Lisbon entered the room. Sending him a glare, she grabbed the top cover from the perfectly set bed and threw it on the ground at his hooves. He gave her a quizzical look as she settled onto the bed and turned to face the other way.

The message was loud and clear in Jane’s ears. He was sleeping on the floor. Straightening the blanket, he set it across the ground and crawled on top. Expertly, he used his magic and wrapped the remaining material overtop of him. Even in the darkness of their room, he could see her curved shape under the covers. It was easy to tell that she was holding her cross necklace in her hooves by the way her shoulders rocked and the quiet whispering that escaped her lips. She was afraid of something, and she wouldn’t tell him what it was because of her ego. This mare would surely be the death of him.

The two knew that they wouldn’t sleep that night. Lisbon would spend another night fighting off the demons that attacked in the silence at night, and Jane would face the same. If only there was a warm glass of milk for them to run to . . .

Twilight yawned as Spike waited for her to start talking. He bore a quill in one claw, and a parchment in the other. “Twilight, are you sure that you have to report to Princess Celestia tonight? I’m tired . . .” The dragon stifled a yawn as well, and Twilight chuckled before returning to her serious nature.

“I’m sorry Spike, but this must be done. It’s very important. Based on what you told me, these two ponies are in fact the ones we are looking for.

“They didn’t seem that bad. I mean, they fought a lot, but it was mostly playful banter.” Spike said lazily, stretching his fingers before placing the quill in ready position. Then, Twilight started,

Dear: Princess Celestia

I would like to report to you about my latest findings on the ponies who broke into our world. I believe I have found them in Ponyville. Although they don’t seem dangerous, it is almost certain that they are the ones we are looking for. There is a mare and a stallion by the names of Patrick Jane and Teresa Lisbon. Neither of them have their cutiemarks, and they claim to be from Canterlot. The mare (Lisbon) was in hoofcuffs when we found them, but the stallion (Jane) said that he had tried a magic trick and lost the keys. I invited them over and had Spike listen from upstairs as they worked, believing they were alone. He tells me that they spoke of a transformation, and that the stallion learned how to use magic surprisingly fast. Spike also noted that he was very good at it. Further more, their lack of knowledge about Equestria is astounding. I will continue to watch them.

Your faithful student: Twilight Sparkle.

Every Rose Has Its Thorns

“So this is your apology?” Lisbon grunted. The partners were seated at an outside cafe just in the center of Ponyville. Casual chatter floated around them as they waited for their server. The only thing that they had done so far that day was share complaints with each other. Lisbon had a sharp tongue, that was for sure. But she only used it when she was angry. That said, she was angry at the moment . . . and most of the time.

Putting up his hooves in an overdramatic surrender to her retort, Jane said, “We couldn’t afford anything else. I’m using the money that’s supposed to go towards the rent!” His blue eyes sharpened as he saw Lisbon start to relax. This game wasn’t over yet. “I’m sorry princess. I’d take you to a fancy restaurant if I could.” He scrunched up his face and gave her a lovey-dovey pout.

“Don’t you try to feed me that crap! The only time you take me to fancy restaurants is when it’s part of one of your elaborate schemes. May I add you’ve already gotten me fired before? Not to mention suspended from my job!”

Rolling his eyes, Jane waved her bitterness away. “Yeah, but that was a whole year ago. Plus, I got you your job back anyway.”

Fighting the urge to bang her head on the table, Lisbon snarled, “Yeah, by threatening the boss with your attitude.” She tried to keep a straight face, she honestly did; but the rolling anger inside of her was sliding away and being replaced by a bubbly warmth. Imagine that, a man who could blackmail others using his annoying personality.

Sunlight penetrated the light cloud cover and shone brightly against Lisbon’s eyes. She shut them against the harsh rays, but couldn’t help smiling at the feeling of sun on her skin.

Jane’s pout gave way to round eyes and an open mouth. Lisbon was wearing a sincere smile and laughing, completely oblivious to the fluttering heart beating rapidly inside his chest. Despite his efforts he couldn’t rip his eyes away from her. Dark brown bangs sloped just over her eyes, and the bottom of her mane was perfectly curled and shining golden in the sunlight. Then, she opened her eyes. Those bright green orbs had the ability to trap anything in their beauty. They were the pure essence of nature itself.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Lisbon snapped, utterly shattering the vision Jane had carefully painted in his head.

“I’m not!” Jane panicked for the first time in a while. Usually he could always find something to say to get him out of an awkward situation, but it was different with her. She had the power to send him into a tongue tied state of humiliation.

“I swear, if you called me a princess again, I’m going to-”

“I was just thinking about how nice it is to see you happy for once. I don’t think you have smiled since we got here.”

Lisbon furrowed her brow and crossed her hooves with distaste. “What does that matter? You don’t get to choose when I do and do not smile.”

“Just be quiet and look at your menu.” Jane chided teasingly, pushing the small booklet over to her. She stared at it for a few moments, her eyes scanning over the words. Pictures of sandwiches, soups, and salads littered the pages.

The menu held plates that Lisbon had never even heard of, and not in a good way. She had to hold back a groan of agitation for not seeing this coming. The cafe served everything from an aurinia sandwich to a bowl of zinnia petal salad. The drinks weren't any better. I don’t want a hayshake!

“May I take your orders?”

So caught up in reading the menu, Lisbon hadn’t noticed the waiter stop at their table. The stallion was light blue and dressed in a white suit, complete with a puffy hat that fit snuggly on his head. The shape of the chef hat reminded Lisbon of a muffin, but she kept her mouth shut. To her surprise, Jane ordered a daisy sandwich and a hayshake. When the waiter turned expectantly to her, she guiltily shied away and closed her menu politely.

“I’ll just have a glass of water thanks.” The waiter nodded, satisfied, and used his magic to retrieve the two menus on their table. So he’s hiding a horn beneath that hat!

“You didn’t eat yesterday, and now you aren’t ordering food?” Jane narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, resting his hooves on the mushroom table.

Lisbon shrugged, a surge of defensive energy lit in the pit of her stomach. “It isn’t my fault that you dragged me out to catch a serial killer who ended up sending us into a magical world filled with talking equines.” Lisbon tried to stare Jane down, narrowing her eyes into a menacing glare, but their competition was interrupted by a rumbling sound from under the table. Lisbon blushed as Jane smirked. “I’m just . . . a little hungry! But I’m fine!”

“If we’re stuck here, we might as well try their food. Don’t forget, our bodies changed when we were transported here. Our digestive systems are built for these meals now. Not hamburgers and coffee.” Jane licked his lips at the thought of eating. Inside, his stomach churned greedily, waiting for food to devour.

Resting her head on her hooves, Lisbon lost herself in her own thoughts. But why did Red John send us here? He could have sent us anywhere with that creepy mirror right? So why somewhere as peaceful as Ponyville?

“Hey Jane, I wanted to ask you something.” The unicorn was caught off guard by Lisbon’s sudden reluctance, but leaned in respectively. His wide blue eyes did little to help her flustered state. Instinctively, her hooves moved to her necklace, and she cradled it, petting the golden cross as if it were a dog. “Do you think Red John can see us right now?” New born fear shifted in Lisbon’s eyes, and she bit he lip anxiously.

That possibility was something Jane had been considering himself. He hadn’t planned on talking about it with Lisbon, knowing it would make her skittish. Control was what she craved after all. The only time he had ever really seen her cry was when she couldn’t control anything around her as it was all crashing down. That was two years ago, and they still never talked about it.

Maybe I can tiptoe around it and drive her away from the question. I don’t know if I’m ready to answer it myself . . .

“I want it straight.” Lisbon said, cutting right through his half cooked plan. “No shortcuts, no reassurance. I just want it straight.”

Who was I kidding? Letting out a sigh that he hadn’t known he had built up, Jane said, “I think he’s watching everything we do . . . Like he said before, he’s testing how far our partnership can stretch. I can’t say I know the extent of his control over what happens here though. Maybe he can just watch, and maybe he can go so far as to interact with Equestria.”

Lisbon stared in silence for a few moments, piecing what Jane said together. Her features visibly darkened, and his beautiful angel fell. “So he’s seeing how much our friendship can take before it breaks?”

Jane nodded and they sat in silence. The sunlight had clouded over by now, and a slight breeze was whistling through Ponyville. Pegasi were bringing in clouds for the scheduled cool evening ahead of them. Some of the ponies that had been enjoying their breakfast had left, leaving only Jane, Lisbon, and one other couple. By the time the waiter came back with Jane and Lisbon’s breakfast, neither of them were very hungry.

Minutes passed without another word being spoken, so Jane settled on eating his daisy sandwich in silence. It tasted alright, surprisingly. The sweetness of the flower combined with the soft dull taste of bread created a soothing yet vibrant flavor that tasted somewhat like a lemon that had lost it’s sour.

“I don’t want our partnership to end.”

The bite of sandwich Jane had been swallowing caught in his throat at the sound of Lisbon’s mumbled words. Snatching his hayshake he gulped it down mercilessly, washing down the clump.

Lisbon watched Jane recover from his shock, not repenting the words she had said for a second. “We can get through this, right? We’re not going to fall apart?”

Jane wiped his mouth with his hoof and cleared his throat. “No, we aren’t.”

She cast the worrisome thought aside, allowing the smallest smile to pull at her lips. All Lisbon wanted to do was focus on was her apology meal, or in this case, her apology glass of water. She reached out to grab the drink, only to stop and lean back. How do you pick up a glass with hooves? Looking over the table, she watched as Jane expertly used his magic to drink and eat his sandwich without a care in the world. Maybe I am a little jealous . . .

Determinedly, Lisbon wrapped both of her hooves around the clear water filled glass. Slowly she brought it to her lips and tipped it so that the water slid down her throat easily. The wet touch of the light liquid made her stomach cheer. Relishing the icy cold, she took one more small sip before setting the cup back down and wiping her mouth with as much dignity as a horse could have. When she looked back up at her partner, he was holding back a snicker. “What?” She demanded, slamming her hoof on the table.

“You look so awkward when you try to drink!” Jane laughed, his eyes watering. Heat flushed through Lisbon’s cheeks and she lowered her head. “Oh come on now, let me help you.” The glass started glowing blue and floated up to Lisbon’s face. Pushing it away with her muzzle, she snarled, “I don’t need you to feed me!”

“I was just trying to help.” Jane muttered as the gray mare stole the cup from his levitation. “Sometimes you need to let go of your pride.” She only answered him with a grunt before tilting the glass again, only for her hoof to slip. Lisbon squealed as the glass dropped to the grass and shattered, her legs and stomach were soaked through to the skin, tinging her gray fur black.

“Well now we have to pay extra.” Jane slipped off his chair and carefully picked up the shards of glass lodged into the grass. With delicate precision, he collected the clear shards and placed them on the table in front of Lisbon. Then, he slid next to her. She shied away in protest as the stallion scooted onto her seat, but didn’t argue. “Can I see your hooves?”

“I don’t need you to baby me, I can take care of myself just fine! I always have!” Guilt and longing pricked at Lisbon’s heart like a needle. She had always taken care of herself, even when she was little. It was hard sometimes, and lonely, but she had managed to get a job in law enforcement, and even work her way up to the role of senior agent. She couldn’t have made it that far if she wasn’t able to handle herself! She had threaded her life together without any assistance! Then again, Jane knew all of this. And maybe, just maybe, it wouldn’t be so bad to get some help once in a while. So, Lisbon swallowed her pride and showed Jane her hooves. Remnants of the glass had embedded themselves in her skin, but there wasn’t any blood and the wounds were small, barely large enough to be considered as scratches.

Jane took Lisbon’s hooves in his own and slowly looked them over. His heart pulsed rapidly against his ribs, making his chest throb. Heat spread through Jane’s body as he slid his hoof over Lisbon’s as if she was made of cracked porcelain.

Lisbon decided it was best not to look at Jane as he proceeded to remove the remains of the glass. Her face felt hot as his hoof rode over her tender skin searching for the tiny fragments, and she almost squeaked as a sudden twinge shivered through her stomach. She felt ticklish and squeamish. Soon, the need to look at Jane again was unbearable. When she gave in to her foreign desire, she was taken aback by the ocean blue eyes looking up at her; She struggled not to drown in their drawing depths, but part of her didn’t think that was such a bad fate.

“I . . .” Lisbon couldn’t think of anything to say to her consultant, she couldn’t even bring herself to give him some kind of sassy remark. She was frozen, paralyzed by his touch. and appearance, and even his smell. Why did he have to be so damn good at infatuating people!

Being in this crazy town must be messing with my head!

Although Lisbon tried to cast her previous emotions to sea, she was still plagued by Jane’s smokey pine aroma. Images of forests flooded her thoughts, rising up around her like towers. Everything felt perfect, she was the last stitch in Jane’s life quilt. Together, they were the perfect team! Unstoppable! But maybe they could be . . . more?

Stop it mind! What are you doing!?

“Lisbon, I’m done.” Jane said.

Lisbon drew her hoof back and inspected it. Sure enough, all the glass was out. Looking back to Jane, her eyes wavering between his smiling face, and his blond mane. Without thinking, she reached out and let her hoof roam through the waves on his head. Was it wrong to want to know what someone’s mane felt like?

“Sorry to disappoint you, but you can play with my mane when we get back home. First I have to pay for breakfast and that glass you broke.”

Lisbon almost choked as her mind broke out of her amorous trance, she tugged her hooves back to her body quickly. “As if! I was only . . . checking to see if you had lice! I don’t want you so close to me if you’re infected!”

Jane backed away and waltzed to his side of the table, giving her a look of torturous teasing. His eyes were narrowed slightly, and he walked with a tantalizing sway that almost hypnotized her. Maybe this apology breakfast wasn’t so bad . . .

“I take it I’m forgiven?” Jane smiled as Lisbon climbed onto the double bed in the middle of their room. When she nodded, he pulled himself up beside her and his horn lit up. Lisbon watched in wonder as the box of leftovers from the restaurant floated up beside them. Flicking the cover off with his hoof, he passed her the remaining half of his daisy sandwich. Immediately Lisbon scrunched her face and tried to push it away, but Jane didn’t take no for an answer that easily. “I promise, it isn’t actually that bad. You need to eat something.” When Lisbon’s stomach growled, he only smirked and gave her an ‘I told you so’ wink.

“I swear, I’ll send my stomach to limbo after this.” Smothering the last of her pride, Lisbon took the, what she considered as a, weed sandwich from his levitation. Taking a bite, she chewed, and swallowed. It was . . . Good actually. Quickly devouring the rest of the sandwich, she licked her lips and said a swift thank you to the man that had saved her roaring belly.

“Don’t think this means that you aren’t sleeping on the ground tonight.” Lisbon snickered

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Jane said, before Lisbon shoved him off the bed.

Water Is Purer Than Blood

The day progressed slowly. Second after second ticked by, and every tick felt like an hour; Every hour, like a year. Lisbon still lay sprawled across the bed. The sun gleamed against the window and shone brightly against her eyes, making her shut them with distaste. Rolling over, she threw a blanket over her and growled an inaudible threat. A snicker from the other side of the room made her throw off the covers once again. She whirled around as Jane shook his head.

“You can’t blame the sun for your bad attitude.” He said. He held what looked like a calendar in his hooves.

“I don’t have to when I have you around all the time.” She snapped back, suddenly aware that she was being unreasonably edgy to the man that had given her his sandwich less than an hour ago. “Sorry . . .”

“What was that?” Jane brought a hoof to his ear and smirked, only making Lisbon’s bad temper sky rocket.

“Jane, I swear I will kick you and your bare flank to the moon if you so much as think about pulling that trick on me!” Glaring at him, she dared the stallion to say something, but he had already become absorbed in his own thoughts once again.

Slightly disappointed with how short their squabble had been, Lisbon departed the bed and disappeared into the washroom. Upon entering, she prepared to get rid of her clothes, but quickly remembered that she had none.

Less work on my part . . .

Sliding the still sanitary curtains aside, she leaned into the shower and started up the water. A loud hiss momentarily erupted from the nozzle before a stream of droplets poured from overhead. Remembering her not so pleasant experience with her last shower, Lisbon carefully snuck her hoof under the water and checked the temperature. Only then did she slip into the cascading warm water.

“Jane, I swear I will kick you and your bare flank to the moon if you so much as think about pulling that trick on me!”

Lisbon’s shout sounded raw in the small room. Jane quickly diverted his gaze back to his calendar as she shot him a challenging frown. Sweat trickled down his brow as his eyes tracked up and down the page meaninglessly. Don’t say, it, don’t say it . . .

The dead silence screamed at him to shoot back a sly remark, but he forced his lips to stay closed. Thankfully, Lisbon’s tolerance was far from superb, and her patience was worse. With a frustrated sound somewhere between a growl and scream, she stomped to the bathroom and slammed the door.

“I’d like to go to the moon.”

Even though no one was around to hear his witty comeback, it made him feel a bit better inside. His tense shoulders fell, and he dropped the calendar beside his bed. Why is she so grumpy all of a sudden? With a sigh, he packed the abandoned calendar into the bedside table’s drawer and walked towards the bathroom door on light hooves. Pressing his body against the wood, Jane listened carefully to the beating water on the other side. It was time.

Dashing over to the table, Jane scooped up the money bag in his mouth, wincing at the clink-clank of overturning bits. His body froze, and the rustling bag in his teeth went still. Expectantly, he stared wide eyes at the bathroom door, expecting it to burst open any second with his angry boss stomping out wearing the face of a demon.

Seconds passed, then minutes. Gradually, Jane peeled out of his cautious trance and snuck out the door. He would be quick.

The water soaked through Lisbon’s sleek gray fur. It, rather unpleasantly, stuck between her skin and short hair instead of just rolling off. Heat boiled in her cheeks, not from her recent argument, but from her situation in general. Slamming her hoof against the tiled wall, she gritted her teeth. So what if Red John thinks he can push us around! He can’t! We have everything under control! Everything . . .

Sucking back a breath, she focused on the cascading water around her. She brought her hooves up to her mane and messaged it graciously, not stopping even after her head was cleansed through and through.

I just need to calm down! I can’t let Red John get the upper hand! We don’t know if he can see us! It’s only a possibility.

Letting her hooves fall to her sides, she stood motionless in the middle of the shower on her hind legs. Here she was stuck in Equestria with Jane while the team, her team, was back in California doing who knows what. They had been in the middle of an investigation! Now, the boss, along with the most keen member of the CBI, had vanished! They could be sending out search parties!

Warm water dripped off her dark brown mane and splashed against her muzzle and cheeks. Steady drips taped against the floor and disappeared into small lake under Lisbon’s hooves. Water swirled and pulsed as it gurgled down the shower drain. She could feel her hope faltering. She tried to grab it, but it always seemed to slip away right when she was close to being happy again.

The morning sun was still fresh in Lisbon’s mind. She had felt light and fluffy while at that breakfast with Jane, and then, she got anxious again. The covers couldn’t hide her from it either, and for once, neither could being around another person, or pony in this case. Worst of all, no one knew what she was feeling. Other agents just dismissed it as her being snappy and mean hearted; She didn’t have the confidence to tell them otherwise.

“I’m pathetic.” She laughed a little at how self-absorbed and hollow she sounded. “Just pathetic. I mean really. Being beaten by something that happened when I was a kid? And now, being beaten by some little assumption that Red John is ‘watching’ us? Wow Lisbon, you really are something.”

“That’s me, cool and calm”

“Had I really said that before?” Letting out a sight, she reached for the tap and turned it down, cutting off the water immediately. But, she didn’t get out of the shower, not even when the cold shop air began to bite at her hidden skin. Instead, she collapsed behind the curtains, and pulled herself into a ball, cradled in the corner of the shower.

Disguised tears crept down her cheeks, icy cold compared to the hot trails of shower water. The screeching of an ambulance alarm pounded in her head. She could still see the flashing light that penetrated the dark city.

Medics dragged a white gurney through the crowd of curious bystanders. The bed was covered with a dirty white blanket tugged over a hidden body. Just to the side were two crashed vehicles, along with a drunk man yelling at a police officer.

The man held out his bottle of beer, leaking at the sides due to some cracks, and laughed. The officer ignored him and snapped a pair of handcuffs around his wrists before leading him to the police car and stuffing him in the back seat.

A young girl struggled through the crowd. Bodies brushed against her on all sides, throwing her in different directions. But she needed to find her dad, or mom, or anybody! She cried out hoarsely, voice lost in the crowd that piled over her. The sirens roared in her throbbing ears. She just wanted to go home!

Like a murder of crows around a body, the crowd eventually thinned out. The younger Lisbon weaved her way around the taller men and women, before she found herself at the edge of the chaos. She could finally see what the fuss was about.

The first thing her eyes were welcomed by was the gurney sitting in the open ambulance. An arm was hanging out limply, just dangling like a worm on a hook. Quickly averting her eyes, she saw the man sitting in the back of the police car. His face was contorted with rage, not a bottle of alcohol was in sight.

Heart thumping, Lisbon just stared. What was she supposed to make of this? An hour ago she was sitting at home with a blanket and pillow, awaiting her mother’s return. Now, she was standing in the middle of a disaster zone.

She didn’t know why, but when the ambulance’s doors closed, she cried.

That was the day my mother died . . .

TAP TAP TAP

Lisbon jumped. Her head turned towards where the door was hidden behind the curtain. Quickly wiping away the remaining tears she flew out of the shower and opened the door, still dripping wet. Jane awaited on the other side. For a moment his eyes looked dark, but then he was smiling.

“Hey, I was wondering when you were coming out. The water stopped a while ago.” His voice was edgy and cautious, like he was scared she would bark at him again. She couldn’t blame him.

Lisbon shuffled on her feet. “I’m done now, if you need to go in.” Stepping to the side, she gave Jane room to pass.

“I don’t need the washroom, I need you.” He said sneakily, closing the bathroom door with his magic. “Come on, let’s go for a walk. It’ll be good to get out of the room. We can’t just stay here all day.”

Lisbon watched as he headed towards the door that led to the rest of Sugarcube Corner, but she stayed put. “I don’t really want to go on a walk right now Jane. I just want to lie down for a bit.” Without looking at him, she headed towards the bed with unsteady, and still dripping hooves. She had almost gotten to her desired location when she found herself unable to advance any farther.

What?

The world around her had suddenly been enveloped in blue sparkles and waving currents. “Sorry Lisbon, but I won’t take no for an answer. Besides, if we stay here all day we won’t ever get out of this world.”

“I just want to be by myself right now! Leave me alone!” Lisbon struggled in Jane’s magic, fighting the strange energy that had engulfed her. But fighting an aura is like trying to walk underwater. She felt herself bobbing up and down ever so slightly, but it was enough to throw her off balance. Without a floor to set her hooves on, all she could do was float.

“Will you come with me now?”

“Jane, I’m your boss! Put me down, now!” She was on the verge of screaming and crying. Frustration spilled over her as Jane only shrugged in response.

“Jane!”

The magic bubble popped and Lisbon crashed to the ground. Rubbing her head, she let out a moan and narrowed her eyes. “Alright, you win. I’ll go on a walk with you.” With a lash of her tail, she lifted herself off the ground and stormed out the door. Jane frowned before following close behind. This plan isn’t off to a great start, but that was expected.

Sunlight cut through small slits in the clouds as Jane led his less than cheery boss along the river trail. He could hear the steady dragging of her hooves; And every time she growled it sent shivers down his spine. He could feel the daggers she was shooting into the back of his head, and he gulped at the thought of turning around and facing her wrath head on.

I can’t believe I ever considered her to be the voice of reason! She’s more like the voice of hot headedness! His chest tightened and he slowed his pace, behind him the sound of scraping dirt slipped into a slow thudding. Lisbon hasn’t been the same lately . . . I can see it in her eyes. They're dark and distracted. She’s been this way for a while now . . . What kind of psychic am I if can’t tell what’s wrong with her? Oh right, a fake one. Psychics don’t exist . . .

“Jane, why are we walking the speed of a turtle?” Lisbon galloped ahead, looking down at the river. Her dull eyes followed the small ripples, and gradually lightened. A faint smile turned turned up her lips. “The river is so clear here, unlike back home.” Her voice held a far off wonder, more surprised than happy. But it lit up his heart anyway, dissolving the dark worry that had started to rope around him. He would ask her what was wrong later.

Trotting up to Lisbon’s side and staring down at the water, Jane held his breath. Beneath the glimmering lazy surface rested the bottom of the river, completely visible and undisturbed by the usual wrappers and grime that they were used to. Waving along the water’s top were their reflections, staring back at them with wide curious eyes.

“Hey Lisbon?” Jane said, not breaking his gaze away from his reflection.

“What?” She continued to stare as well.

“What if on the other side of the water their is another world, but our reflections are blocking us from getting there?”

A huff sounded beside him, and then, a laugh. “Really? You actually found a way to make reflections seem creepy? Has anyone ever told you that you’re nuts?” Shoving his shoulder teasingly. Her gaze fell back to her reflection, and she slowly moved her hoof back and forth just above the water. Reflections blocking you from another world? Hah! Yeah right!

“Usually, they call me something like annoying, or . . . That Guy. But nuts? No, not usually.”

Another chorus of laughter erupted from the pair. Reaching over, Jane scooped Lisbon up in a hug. He didn’t care that she had stopped laughing as soon as he had grabbed her. He could feel her cheeks radiating heat, and her heart thump in her chest. Her front hooves rested almost defensively against his chest, separating them just enough. But he didn’t care.

“Thanks Jane. And, I’m sorry . . . .”

He shook his head and released her from the hug, letting her slide away with an awkward smirk. She rubbed her right hoof nervously, and he reached over, resting his own against it. “I’ve said this before, but I’m here for you if you want to talk. I understand that you aren’t used to letting people in, but I’m here, okay?”

Lisbon nodded, and got to her hooves. Looking ahead, she narrowed her eyes. “Jane, we should be getting back to Sugarcube Corner. The sun is going to start setting soon.”

A cold breeze ruffled Jane’s fur, and he looked up from where he was sitting. Far off in the distance, the sky had already forfeited it’s fight against the sun; The night was coming. If only he could stop it, just this once.

In the quiet, a robin chirped, leaving a vast silence in it’s wake. It felt like they had been walking for hours. The sun left the sky a while ago, and a giant moon watched as Jane and Lisbon carefully followed the river back to Ponyville.

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Lisbon muttered, shaking her head wearily. Her bangs had started to droop over her face, and the usual bags under her eyes had become much more defined.

“I know it is, trust me. We’re just tired is all. So it feels longer.” Jane replied, his voice slightly wavering.

“You don’t know how ‘reassuring’ that is to hear.” Growling under her breath, Lisbon forced herself into a steady trot. All she wanted to do was get back home, and slip into bed. Her muscles ached from the long walk, and her mind felt heavy as a dictionary.

Silence wrapped over them once again. Only the sound of their hooves against dirt filled the night.

Clip-Clop Clip-Clop Clip-Clop Cli-

The world lurched as Lisbon’s hoof caught on a hidden rock. Losing her balance, she slammed hard onto the packed ground below. Jane rushed to catch up with her immediately. his hooves pounding loud in the silence.

Groaning, Lisbon rubbed her eyes clear of the rough dirt. But something was off. She felt bare and exposed. Her hooves traveled to her neck to grab her cross, but they were welcomed with nothing. There was no cross for her to grab!

“Jane! It’s gone!”

Terror pulsed right through her body and she crawled towards the waters edge. She slapped at the water, hoping that her necklace would somehow end up in her hooves, but all she could do was make things worse. The clear water turned choppy, rippled, and completely opaque.

Pulling her away from the water, Jane set her down and squeezed her shoulder. He held her there patiently, until she calmed down enough to stop squirming. Still breathing hard, she stared shakily into his blue eyes and shifted back and forth.

“My necklace. I tripped, It, f-fell. I think it’s in the water!”

As Lisbon crumpled to the ground, Jane trotted over to the water. It had regained it’s usual splendor by now, clear and see through. Squinting his eyes and scanning the surface, he searched determinedly for Lisbon’s golden cross. It had to be around, there wasn’t anything around that. Yet, as he searched, he could feel his pulse rising. The steady thud bounced in his neck and against his ribs. Hope faltering, Jane plunged into the river and dived down towards the sandy bottom. Carefully, he ran his hoof over the soft floor in hopes that he would bump against Lisbon’s beloved necklace.

Lungs screaming, and chest aching, he franticly scoured the area. With a final shifting of his hoof, he felt something solid tap against him. Recognizing the cold metal immediately, he let the thin golden chain wrap delicately around his hoof, before pulling it up to the surface.

The calm river shattered into a shower of droplets as Jane broke the surface. With strong hooves, he paddled to shore and pulled himself up. He was cold, and dripping from horn to hooves. The night air poked at him tauntingly.

Lisbon sprinted towards him, crying, and smothered him in a tight squeeze. “You idiot! You idiot! Why would you jump in like that?”

Gently pushing Lisbon away, he showed her the necklace dangling from his hoof. “I’m fine, Lisbon. It’s just water.” He said proudly. “And guess what, I got your necklace! So you owe me big time.” Raising the hoof with the wet necklace, he smiled. “Now how about we get this back on, a little tighter this time, and go on home?”

Lisbon nodded with a smile and let Jane walk around behind her. Carefully, he set her mane to the side and pulled the two strands of gold together. While he carefully adjusted the necklace around her neck, he let himself breathe in Lisbon’s scent. It was a rare privilege, and he wasn’t about to waste it. He would savor her bold cinnamon scent as long as he could. And he knew she wouldn’t interrupt him. By the way her ears twitched, he guessed that she was enjoying this too.

“You’re mother got you this, right?”

Swallowing, Lisbon nodded slowly. “Yeah, she did. I got it from her when I was little. This was the last thing she ever gave me,” Ducking her head and letting out a cough, she stammered, “Right then, we should get going. I don’t know about you, but it’s freezing out here.” As she spoke, a cold wind broke through the air and twisted around them. But Lisbon found that her cheeks were still warm.

“Hey, I’m the one who’s all wet!” Laughing, Jane began to lead the way back to Ponyville. This time, they were guided by the faint, but warm, lights. Though their laughter filled the night, they could still hear the chirping of a robin.

The door creaked open as Jane and Lisbon slugged into the dark room, their hooves tiredly dragging on the pink carpet.

Ready to slip under the covers, Lisbon jumped onto the bed, only to find a small brown box already resting on top of the it. Grin slipping from her face, she turned to Jane who only shrugged and bounced up to rest beside her, failing to hide his proud smirk. “You should open it.” He said, impatiently poking her shoulder.

Snorting, Lisbon shoved him away and narrowed her eyes down at the box. The cardboard wasn’t thick, but there was no way to see inside. Cautiously she tapped it with her nose. Then, she slipped her hoof under the lid, and nudged it up only slightly. Nothing exploded, but a sweet smell wafted out and filled the room. It was surgery and strong, but not overpowering. Licking her lips, she threw off the lid, all apprehension lost, and squeed at her prize.

A pink cupcake, decorated carefully with candy hearts and sprinkles sat patiently in the box. Beside it was an empty ring of frosting. A sigh came from the deflated stallion next to her, “Well, I guess mine is gone.”

At his words, Lisbon felt her curiosity spark. “You knew about this!?” She demanded, glaring Jane. “Why didn’t you tell me? What’s going on?”

“Well, you see, while you were in the shower I snuck upstairs and talked to Pinkie Pie. I ordered some cupcakes and asked her to drop them off downstairs later. Then, I got you out of the room. We went for a walk, and she dropped them off while we were gone. Although I guess she ate mine . . . Happy birthday Lisbon!” Jane threw up his hooves and smiled expectantly, but Lisbon only continued to struggle with the situation.

“Birthday?”

Jane nodded and levitated the calendar from the drawer in front of her eyes, a large circle marked around the current date. Slowly, she began to realize that he was right. Wiping her eyes before they started to water, she laughed. She had forgotten her own birthday amidst the scramble of becoming a pony and dealing with her strange anxiety. But even with everything that had happened, Jane remembered.

“Thank you Jane.”

“No problem, but I think I should tell you that I spent the rest of our bits on this.”

“WHAT DID YOU SAY!?”

Red Alert (fixed)

Beads of sweat trickled across Celestia’s white coat as she levitated another stack of documents to her eyes. She carefully, but quickly, scanned each one individually before casting them into the glowing pile of bent and creased papers behind her.

A deep cough echoed from the other side of the closed door. The guards were still there They were getting antsy by the sound of it. Biting her lip, the princess turned her attention back to the towering piles of papers around her.

The Royal Archives were filled with information about magic, history, and culture. But that wasn’t the end of it. They provided Celestia and Luna with information on every citizen in every town. No matter how small said town may be. Yet, with all this information, the Princess couldn’t find a trace of the ponies Twilight Sparkle had described in the recent letter.

Running an armored hoof through her matted mane, the alicorn shook her head wearily. I shouldn’t be getting involved! I already decided to leave this up to Twilight. I need to back off and give her this opportunity. But at the same time . . .

Celestia let her hoof slip down from her mane. “At the same time, I must be able to protect my subjects from danger.” Teeth grinding, she stamped the tiled floor. A loud smack rang out through the chamber. “Why can’t the answer be simple for once!?”

“Because my sister, if answers were simple, we would not need questions in the first place.”

Celestia turned at the sound of Luna’s voice and narrowed her eyes. “I told the guards not to let anyone in.”

Luna chuckled behind her hoof and smiled as her bright eyes scanned the disastrous room. It looked like it had been hit with a hurricane. “And I told them to let me in. I’m a princess as well Celestia, or have you forgotten that?” A blue aura enveloped a pile of documents across from Celestia, and the princess of the sun watched as her sister took a seat beside her and began to read through the papers piled inside. “We are looking for the ponies Twilight Sparkle wrote about, correct?”

“How did you know about her letter?”

Discarding a sheet of paper, Luna smiled mischievously, her expression was identical to a hawk that had cornered it’s prey. “You tried hard to hide that letter from me didn’t you Tia? But as you know, I don’t give up so easily. While you were asleep I sent one of my night guards into your corridor. You can guess probably the rest.”

Sighing, Celestia shook her head. The letters and pictures on each sheet of paper were all the same. A name, an address, and a town. Everything had started to blur together, and as a result, she threw the papers away hotly, causing Luna to flinch.

“I didn’t want you involved Luna! You’ve already had to deal with enough!” tears brimmed Celestia’s eyes, her shoulders were lifeless and heavy. If only I had payed attention. If only I had acted faster!

“You can’t take care of us forever sister!” Luna’s starry mane rippled. The dark mare stood stiff and defiant, not ripping her strangling gaze away from Celestia for the slightest moment. “You can’t possibly believe that everything is your responsibility. You already said that Twilight needs this opportunity! And now what, you’re taking it away? Don’t you trust her?”

“Of course!” Celestia shouted, voice cracking painfully.

“Then why do you wish to steal this chance for her to grow!?”

“Because . . .” Celestia straightened the crown on her head, unable to look Luna in the eye. “I don’t trust myself.”

The room went silent. The quiet was chokingly tense.

“Celestia, Twilight in a wonderful mare. Don’t forget, she saved me from my own darkness once before. And, even after that, she saved Equestria from Discord. She and her friends even defeated a changeling army. You gave this mission to her, now you have to let her handle it.”

“I guess I have to agree with you there.”

“I understand the feeling of wanting to keep things to yourself, Tia.” Luna said quietly. She folded up the document she had been studying, and set it aside; Only to pick up another. “But we- I’m, always willing to listen to you when you are troubled. One pony should not have to rule Equestria alone, as you did for one thousand years.”

Celestia cracked a smile. Setting down her current folder, she leaned against her sister, blushing softly. “Thanks Lulu . . .”

Luna grinned widely and rubbed her hoof softly against her sister’s curved back. A familiar warmth floated through her stomach, reminding her of the days when her relationship with Celestia hadn’t been so tense and fractured because of their duties. It was a time before she had become Nightmare Moon, even before she had been overcome by jealousy and hatred.

“Let’s say we finish a few more folders and take a break. Maybe we can play a game of hide and seek like we used to?”

“We will see Lulu.”

“Hey, Lisbon?”

Holding back a frustrated groan, Lisbon curled herself deeper into her pillow and shut her eyes. Harsh sunlight seeped through the thin glass window and slept on her already hot cheek.

“Liiiiiissssbooooon?”

If I ignore him, he’ll shut up.

“Lisbon, Lisbon, Lisbon!”

Her ear twitched.

“Teesa?”

Lisbon’s eyes stayed closed, even as she heard Jane get up to leave, most likely to the bathroom. Over the last few days, they had fallen into a, more or less, precise routine. Jane would always get up first, and always stay in the bathroom for an incredible amount of time, leaving the edgy mare to rest her eyes just a few moments longer.

Once she was convinced Jane had left, Lisbon let her tense muscles ease into the large cushion she had wrapped lightly in her hooves. But she should have known better than to think she would get off that easy with her consultant always skulking around. A quick breath blew straight into her ear, hot and fast! Bolting straight upright, she threw off her covers and pelted the pillow across the room. Beside her bed, Jane was carrying a devious grin.

“Morning, Lisbon.”

“Dammit Jane! Why can’t you leave me alone?” Her tone was drenched with exhaustion, but it didn’t deter the golden unicorn one bit. His smile stretched farther up his cheeks, and with a bit of magic, he passed Lisbon a brush for her wild mane.

“Out of all the things you could have said as your first word of the day, you had to go and choose one of your colourful ones, didn’t you?”

Wrenching the brush through a defiant knot, Lisbon shot him a dagger like glare. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her for being so irrational and, pardon the language, bitchy. Yet the thunderous debate within her head only powered the irritation itching at her skull. Stroke after furious stroke, Lisbon yanked the brush across her head, until it flew from her hoof. The brush soared across the room, heading towards the window.

It was funny. The first thing that fired through her was, “I can’t pay for the window repair!” Then, “Ponies will come in and watch us sleep!” Luckily, Jane saved the day. He always did.

A bright light flared across the room, blinding the frazzled mare. When it subsided, Jane was sweating. Blue aura seeped from his horn, and the brush was levitating a centimeter from the glass window. He turned to her, his cheek clenched in his teeth. “Please let me help you. So we don’t end up paying more than we already are.”

Moments passed. Reluctantly, Lisbon swallowed her ever-so stubborn pride, and scooted towards the front edge of the bed to allow her consultant to sit.

The mattress wobbled as Jane climbed in and settled behind her with the brush. She tried not to stiffen as he delicately enveloped her mane in a soft glow. The brush ran over it thoughtfully. Once, twice, three times. Jane fell into a rhythm, and Lisbon eventually eased the strain on her shoulders.

“Are you going to tell me why you don’t sleep?” Jane’s voice was quiet, wary.

“I hear your voice in the silence.” Twirling a hoof lazily in the air, she exaggerated. “‘Lisbon, buy me more three piece suits. I feel simply *lost** without them!’”* She added extra emphasis on the word ‘lost’, drawing it out with a dramatic heave.

“It’s true!” Jane huffed, trying to defend himself. “Everyone else thinks it’s classy!”

Another bout of silence creeped out from under the bed, and Lisbon lost herself in the moment. Jane’s strokes were much more soothing than her insistent rips. Calming and gentle. She thought about what he had said. The team certainly did pay attention to his suits, and had an opinion on them no doubt. But classy? That wasn’t the right word.

“I miss them . . .”

Jane nodded, her words not affecting his rhythm in the slightest. “I do too.” He said, a smily creeping up his cheek. “They were always there when I needed them.”

“It’s hard to think that they are really gone . . .” Shifting closer to Jane, she felt his stomach on her back. His hooves draped over her shoulders and locked around her neck gently.

“They were always so comfortable. Especially after a good wash.”

Turning around quickly, Jane pulled the brush away with a confused grimace. “Did I do something wrong?”

“What the hell do you ‘mean they were comfortable’!? Were you sleeping with them!?”

Throwing his hooves in the air, Jane swallowed and admitted defeat. “No! I left them on my bedside table at night!”

“Wait . . . What are you talking about?”

“My suits.”

Lisbon’s green eyes narrowed. “Your suits?”

Jane nodded quickly.

Turning around with a chuckle, she sank back into him. Her soft laughter filled the room, returning the smile to his face. “I was talking about the team!” Lisbon said between laughs. “Not your suits!”

“How was I supposed to know?” His grip tightened on her as his body shook along with his chuckles. Not letting go of Lisbon, he levitated the brush back onto the table. He had snuck a small curl into her mane, something he had done with his daughter’s hair sometimes. Now her wavy hair ended with a delicate twist.

Lisbon may not have answered his question, but that didn’t matter at the moment. He would have another chance. And if he didn’t ask her again now, it only left more time to analyze her actions and try to figure it out on his own. She was happy, and that was enough for him. It was hard for her to be away from the team. Leaving them without so much as a word of warning must have been stressful for her . . .

“I’m going to get us home, Lisbon. I promise you.”

“I don’t doubt that.”

“Liar.”

Lisbon continued to laugh as Jane pulled her closer than scientifically possible, giving her the sweetest hug she had received in a long time. Warmth washed over her, cleansing her entire body of the stress she had been lugging around since long before two nights ago. Have we really fallen asleep twice since coming here?

THUD THUD THUD

A sudden knocking on their door caught the partners off guard. In sync they slipped off the bed and cocked their heads at the door.

THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD

It wasn’t their imagination. But why would anyone knock on their door? They lived in the basement of a candy store!

“Hey! It’s Pinkie! I’m coming in, okay Teesa?”

The pink pony threw open the door before Lisbon could tell her to stop. In a flash, Pinkie Pie flew into the room and jumped around merrily, followed by the entire gang. Twilight was the second to enter, followed by Applejack and Rainbowdash. Rarity, and Fluttershy, brought up the rear, looking slightly uncomfortable.

“Hey there Sugarcube!” Applejack waved to Lisbon warmheartedly. “Nice to see yah again! How have you been?”

“Better than before. I’m feeling a lot more comfortable in Ponyville now. Jane and I went out for a walk last night. The nature around here is amazing!”

Applejack nodded in agreement. “Yeah. Ponyville is a small town, but it is much better than Manehattan or Canterlot!” Shifting her gaze, the farmer clicked her tongue. “Those places are nice and all, just not my kind of environment. You know what I mean?”

“We’re excited to explore more of Ponyville.” Jane joined in. A grin was plastered on his face. He was a con man. One of the best. If Lisbon hadn’t known better, she would have bet all her money on that smile, and lost.

“That’s why we want to invite you to come to the beach with us today!” Twilight chirped from the door. “What better way to show you how wonderful this place is? Everything is already packed and ready outside!”

The beach?

“Now, hold on!” Lisbon barked, biting her lip. “Who said we wanted to go to the beach? You can’t just barge in here and expect us to follow you!” Lashing her tail, she turned her back on the large group.

Rarity narrowed her eyes and let out an impatient humph! Applejack shot a snarl in Rarity’s direction, banishing her friend’s sassy attitude. With the tension boiling, she wrapped a gentle hoof around Lisbon’s neck. “Sorry if we startled yah Teresa. We didn’t mean to drop in on you and force you to come with us. We only want to make you feel at home. Not knowing anypony is hard. Twilight here knows that. So she decided that we should take you two to the beach. I promise, you’ll have fun! And I don’t lie.” Applejack winked playfully and stuck out her tongue. “Don’t think I’m going to let you rot in this basement forever.”

“Well . . .” Lisbon gulped. “Fine.”

Applejack let loose a happy cheer and threw a hoof in the air. “That’s great! It'll be so much fun! I promise! And if you feel uncomfortable, I’m right here.”

Lisbon nodded nervously as Jane followed them out the door with a smile. She had finally had some stress relief . . . And now she was going to the beach.

Applejack stretched her back hooves out on the towel in front of her, letting loose a long and well earned yawn. Burning sunlight speckled the sand, and above their heads the clouds lazily trudged along the open skies. Lisbon pulled herself up off her back. Her own towel was borrowed from Pinkie Pie, who had claimed she would be too busy bouncing and swimming to use it.

“Well, is it as bad as you thought?”

Turning to the farm mare, Lisbon blushed. She had made such a scene about coming to the beach, yet it wasn’t actually terrible. Sure, there were lots of foals running around screaming, but that only brought a wide smile to her heart. It was nice to see kids safe and happy. That’s what I work for. “You know what Applejack, I’m having a nice time. Thanks for dragging me out of that room. Sorry I was such a pain.”

Applejack waved a hoof and laughed off herapology. “Don’t mention it Sugarcube.” Squeezing a bottle of sunscreen, she slapped it on her tanned cheeks and rubbed it in. Tossing it to Lisbon, she pointed to the mare’s gray coat. “You don’t want to get a sunburn. I’ve seen gray mare’s turn brown.”

Franticly, Lisbon’s hooves struggled to grasp the slippery bottle. It was labeled, “Celestia Block. For when our sun princess is too generous.” With Applejack’s warning in mind, she squirted the sunscreen all over her fur, only noticing how much she had taken when the bottle began farting instead of offering. “Oh, sorry Applejack!”

“Don’t sweat it.”

The two mares sat in peaceful tranquility as the sun warmed their stomachs. Lisbon listened to Jane and Twilight splashing in the not far water.

“Using magic to catch the ball is cheating!” Twilight shouted above Jane’s teasing.

“Not if you use it too!”

“So, are you and that stallion a couple?”

Shooting up, Lisbon glared at Applejack, her cheeks roasting. “No! Not even close! I hate him! He’s the most annoying, self absorbed lunatic I have ever met!”

“I guess it would be awkward going out with your boss.”

Seething underneath her frazzled fur, Lisbon tried to ignore that Applejack had called Jane her boss. “It would be very awkward.” Laying back with a front hoof pillowing her head, she slurped her lemonade. The drink was still coated with small ice crystals from the chill of the cooler. Applejack knows how to think ahead.

“If you don’t mind me asking, I’m never sure what to call y’all. You call that prancing unicorn over there Jane, but he called himself Patrick Jane. Do you just prefer his last name? Does he prefer calling you Lisbon instead of Teresa? The whole thing boggles my brain a little more than I would like to admit.”

“Don’t think too much about it AJ.” Lisbon said through the straw. “It’s just natural for us because of our work. You can call me whatever you like, I don’t mind either way.” Shooting her a smile, Lisbon went back to her drink.

The lemonade slipped down her throat, fighting away the sweat that dripped from her head and mane.

“So, where did you get your hat Applejack?”

“From my parents.” The orange mare replied, a hint of reminiscence entering her voice. Bringing the tattered leather down from her head, she pet it carefully and hugged it to her chest. “I’ve had it ever since I was a filly.”

“I bet your parents are very nice. It seems like you care about them a lot.” They must be nice if she loves her hat that much.

“They were nice. But they’ve been gone a long time . . .” Applejack sighed before slipping the hat back atop her blond head. Her bright eyes had softened and lost there usual gleam. Instead of smiling, she simply brushed off imaginary sand from her hoof. “It’s hard to believe they died . . .”

Died?

The prospect of death was not foreign. If anything, it was Lisbon’s first language. Dead bodies and sad stories was nothing new to her. But to think that death could happen in Equestria? It just seemed unnatural and twisted. It sat like a blade in her stomach, cutting deep into her gut until it made her curl in agony.

“I . . . I lost my parents too. My mother died from a drunk driver, and my father . . .” Lisbon gulped. The memory wasn’t pleasant. But sometimes, you have to rip off the bandaid and expose your scars. “My father committed suicide after he abused me and my brothers.”

“You’re kiddin!” Applejack turned towards Lisbon with so much shock that her mouth hung agape. Her eyes were as wide as saucers. Big, green, angry saucers. “There is no way that a pony could be that cruel! To hurt a family member? No, just . . . No!” Applejack threw an accusing hoof at Lisbon, the intensity of the movement stunning the mare in question. “You’re ly’in! You’ve gotta be ly’in!”

“I wish I was Applejack. I really do . . . But I’m not.” Lisbon’s voice felt strained. Each syllable coming out of her mouth felt as painful as forcing an orange out of a grape. It burned, teared, and was agonizingly humiliating.

“Ah don’t understand . . .”

“I’m sorry for throwing it on you like that . . . I just . . .” Taking in a breath, she composed herself. Why had she told Applejack? Was it because she felt sorry for her? No, that wasn’t it. The reason was something worse, something selfish. “I felt like I should tell you because I believe everyone needs another they can relate to.” Reaching out, Lisbon rested her hoof on Applejack’s. The other mare drew back slightly, but Lisbon ignored it. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Staring blankly for a moment, Applejack composed herself. Her body was torn between breaking down into tears, and smiling as bright as the sun in Appleloosa. “I think I would, but . . . Maybe another time?” Tears sparkled deep within Applejack’s eyes, and the freckled mare wiped them away before they could run down her warm cheeks. “Still, thank you very much for trusting me enough to tell me what you did. It means a lot Miss Teresa.” Her southern accent shone through brighter than the rampaging sunlight that was scorching the beach.

Lisbon nodded and released Applejack’s hoof from her gentle grip. She settled down on her blanket, and smiled. It was like a giant weight had been lifted from her chest. She could breathe again.

Pinkie Pie dived as the beach-ball headed for the sand. With a mighty huff she threw her locked forelegs upwards and slammed them into it’s base. The plastic ball shot across the tall net and hit the sand on the other side.

“That’s game!”

Applebloom’s voice rang across the net to Sweetiebelle and Scootaloo. Scootaloo rolled her eyes and propped the beach-ball between her wings. Sweetie shrugged, still smiling.

“I demand a rematch! You have a grown up on your team Applebloom!”

Applebloom puffed out her chest. “That was the third game already Scoots! And Pinkie Pie technically shouldn’t count as a grown up.”

“Don’t worry Scootaloo, we can play again another time. Alright? Besides, you did super duper fantastic!” Rubbing Scootaloo’s head playfully, Pinkie Pie winked and bumped the beach-ball towards her bag. “And next time,” she added in a quieter tone, “I’ll be on your side.”

Instantly smiling, Scootaloo raced off with the rest of the crusaders, leaving Pinkie alone to collect her bags. It’s about time I got moving. Twilight will want to get going soon.

Twilight . . . She had been acting weird lately. And so had lots of other ponies. Including Pinkie herself.

I don’t want to . . . It’s not my fault . . . Is it? Am I doing something wrong?

The earth pony could feel her puffy pink mane deflating atop her head. But what could she do? The thoughts only kept coming, it felt like a train had crashed right through her body, knocking the breath from her lungs!

I don’t want to make them pay to stay! But nopony has been coming to Sugarcube Corner lately! We need the money, or the business will be ruined! We’ll have to sell the shop!

Pinkie Pie rubbed her head throughly. A plan, she needed a plan. Maybe she could throw a party and get ponies to come to the bakery again. Or maybe she could put up a bunch of signs inviting them in for a free cupcake, or something like that?

“Why did everypony stop coming . . . Did I do something bad?”

The words were met with silence.

Lisbon plodded through the shallows, relishing the waves as they kissed her baking hooves. Fond memories of the beach flooded her mind, but none of them included her father. The brute hadn't even taught his own children the joys of swimming. And now, she was missing out.

Jane had understood her resistance and continued his violent game of Catch with Twilight. She wouldn’t be surprised if he came home with a bloody nose.

Patrick, what would you do if you lost that friendship?

“I’ve come up with one final test for you Patrick. I’m going to break you. I’ll snap you like a twig, and I won’t even have to touch you.”

Shaking her head, she spread out a map in her mind. It was a map of questions she needed answered. Why had Red John sent them to Equestria? He wants to break us up . . . Tear us apart. But how? Can he see us? Can he interact with this world? So far it doesn’t seem likely. There hasn’t been any real evidence . . . Has there?

Still, something was prodding her mind. The answer, she was so close! “Why can’t I figure this out!?”

She felt like her head was going to explode when the sound of splashing water sounded from behind her. Droplets littered her mane as Jane jumped to a stop in front of her. A quirky smile stretched up his cheeks.

“Lisbon? We are packing up the supplies. It’s time to head home.”

Lisbon gave Jane a quick nod and watched as he plundered out of the water to where the others had begun to gather the beach gear. Joining them, she wiggled a bag around her neck, it was overflowing with sand coated towels.

“Is everypony ready to head home?” Applejack called. The group nodded enthusiastically, Rainbowdash’s sweat covered body already zipping overhead towards Ponyville. I wonder what she was up to. I didn’t see her once! At the back of the group, Fluttershy had a starfish in a small bucket. Every now and again, the yellow pegasus would shoot the creature a small smile, her face positively brimming with joy. Obviously, she had been somewhere not overrun by foals.

A small ways up the road, Rarity was sitting lazily on a sun chair, letting the rays sink into her white fur. Lifting her glasses and squinting her eyes against the sun, the mare spotted her friends walking towards her. Leaping off the chair and folding it up, she trotted to join them.

“Sorry I didn’t join you girls on the beach. It’s just . . . sand.”

It was late when Applejack walked into Twilight’s library. There wasn’t any need to knock, her friend knew she would be coming. It was her plan after all. The lights were still on, and Twilight was hunched over a letter. She wore a scrunch of displeasure, or was it just deep concentration? Either way, it was quickly erased by the sound of the farm pony walking in with loud, impatient stomps.

“I did what you asked Twilight.”

“Oh, Applejack.” Twilight came out from behind her desk and gave her friend an apologetic curtsy. “Look, I know how hard it was for you. But you two seemed to really hit it off when you first met, so I thought it would be easiest if . . .”

“If I was the one that preened information out of her like a lying crow?” Applejack was steaming, her hooves shaking, her hooves restless.

Twilight flinched, the harsh words cutting deep. “Applejack, I’m sorry. I know how hard it was for you. But Equestria could be at stake!”

“She told me her parents died Twi! Her dad committed suicide!”

The words pierced the late night. Glaring at the slumping unicorn, Applejack dared her to speak. But the words that came out didn’t make her feel any better about what she had done.

“Celestia is coming to Ponyville . . . She feels it is necessary to take extreme measures . . .”

Caught Red Handed

Chilly winds disturbed the once still curtains and sent a draft into the dark room. Lisbon shivered and tugged the blankets up over her neck. Her body trembled. Locking her feet together and pulling her knees to her chest she curled up into a ball. Seconds later, she shifted again.

The cycle went on for an hour before Lisbon threw off the covers and stomped across the room. It was useless to sleep. Lying in bed provided time to think, and time to think caused Lisbon’s body to shudder.

Padding down the stairs, Lisbon slipped into her kitchen. The warm brown walls made her tense shoulders fall. With a small smile, she opened a nearby cupboard and hooked her fingers around the handle of a brown mug. There wasn’t a need to rush. Not tonight. Not when every time she tried to rest she ended up tossing and turning. Sighing, the slouching woman looked at the clock. It read 2:30am. She watched with a frown as the long hand slowly ticked around the circle. After staring the clock down for a whole minute, Lisbon walked away with as much dignity she could muster and opened the fridge. Milk. She wanted milk.

Shuffling through the contents she took a mental note to sort through her food. Almost everything she pushed aside was passed it’s date. Lisbon quickly found and swiped the milk before she could think of anything else that needed to be done. Closing the fridge door, she poured her drink and tossed it in the microwave to let it heat up. If she was going to be up all night, why not be up with a warm mug of milk?

As the microwave buzzed, Lisbon let her head fall against her hands. Her palms started messaging her temples on autopilot as she went through her ever growing mental list. Sort through paperwork, sign paperwork, deal with stupid consultant, try to keep Grace from kissing Wayne in the office . . .

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Jerking her head to the alarm, Lisbon came back to the present situation. The microwave was yelling at her quite obnoxiously, and she silenced it by yanking the door open and taking her steaming milk out.

For the past week, all Lisbon could do at night was sip hot milk from a mug. It helped her sleep. And lately, Lisbon would do anything to get a moment of sleep.

Mommy, will you sing me a lullaby?

I sang to you last night Teresa.

I know, but I like it when you sing to me.

Alright. But tomorrow you must sleep by yourself.

Okay!

Lisbon brought the mug to her lips, and as the warm liquid slipped down her throat she sighed. It would be a long night. Just as it had been a long month. As a senior agent for the Serious Crimes unit at the California Bureau of Investigation she had responsibilities, and a team that put their lives on the line for her every day. She had no time to deal with her own personal issues. It would distract her, and that could put lots of people in danger.

Dad stop it! You’re hurting him! Stop!

Almost choking on her milk, Lisbon coughed. Heaving and beating her fist against her chest, she managed to spit the thick drink out before slumping onto a nearby chair. Clenching her dark brown hair in her fists, she leaned against the table and shuddered. This had to stop. It had to . . .

The minutes ticked by. Half an hour had already passed since she had gotten out of bed. Lisbon gripped the edge of the table and held back the frustrated tears that were threatening to cloud her eyes. Her body was drooping, her hair was a mess, and her stomach felt unsettled. Maybe, she could try to drag herself up to bed again? She was certainly tired enough. Although, exhaustion wasn’t the cause for her minor insomnia. The cause was something deeper. Sometimes she was even unsure of what it was herself.

VRRRRRMMMMMM . . .

Lisbon jumped. The sound of her vibrating cell broke the silence of the room. Snorting, she grabbed the device from the table and flipped the screen to see her annoying consultant Patrick Jane staring back at her. She considered not answering it at first. In the past he dragged her here and there because of a hunch, or a “theory”. Not that he was ever wrong. But she really didn’t want to deal with him right now. On the other hand, he had limits. Jane wouldn’t call at 3:00 am unless it was something dire. At least, he had better hope he wouldn’t.

“Hi Jane.” Lisbon tapped her fingers against the wooden tabletop as she waited for her colleague to respond. Seconds passed, and nothing. “Jane?” She repeated.

“Lisbon, I need you to get dressed. I’ll pick you up in a few minutes.” Jane said after a few long seconds.

The tapping stopped. Lisbon scrunched her brow. “What are you playing at?”

“I’ll explain later.” He said.

“No, I want you to explain now please.” On the other end of the line there was a sigh. Lisbon waited patiently and leaned back in her chair. They were stuck at another pause, so she pushed him a little closer to the edge. “ I’m not going if you don’t tell me what the hell is going on. It’s three in the morning and you woke me up out of nowhere!”

“I didn’t wake you up. If I had woken you up you wouldn’t have waited to answer your phone. You would have picked it up right away instead of contemplating if I was worth answering.”

“Right now, I’m thinking it was a mistake. Now tell me what’s going on or I’m hanging up.”

Small scuffing noises sounded through the phone. Jane was pacing. “I know where Red John is . . .” He whispered.

Everything around Lisbon was meaningless after those words slipped from his lips. Red John is a vile and dangerous man. Five years ago, Jane’s wife and daughter were murdered by Red John. Even now, the man’s disturbed signature is stained onto Jane’s wall. A red smile, painted with the victims blood.

“Red John has hid himself away at an abandoned warehouse. It’s just on the outskirts of Sacramento. We can make it there by 7:00am if we leave in the next hour.”

“Hold on. How did you find out where he is?” Lisbon wasn’t entirely convinced by Jane’s story. She still remembered the day he left a living horse in her office as a birthday present.

“I’ve compiled lists Lisbon. Lots of lists. Let’s just say I narrowed it down after remembering everyone significant I have ever met.” Jane’s voice was beginning to sound impatient. The quiet pacing noise had picked up to a faster scratching sound.

“Alright, alright. I can be ready, just give me five minutes. I’ll call the team, an-”

“No!” Lisbon’s shoulders seized at Jane’s sudden outburst. “You can’t call the team. I didn’t even want to call you . . . Red John is mine.”

“Well if you didn’t want to call me, then why did you?” Lisbon grunted. Her free hand found it’s way to her hip and her brows furrowed. On the other side of the conversation there was a chuckle. Lisbon quickly let her hand slip back down in embarrassment. It was like he had a sixth sense. She wouldn’t be surprised if he was hiding a third eye in the perfect mess of blond curls atop his head.

“I called you, my dear Lisbon, because we are partners. And because if I didn’t you would surely throw me out a window the next time you saw me . . . Or punch me in the nose again. You are an abusive boss, you know that?”

“Yes, I do.”

“So will you come with me?” His voice was quiet and dangerous. The sensation it created was befitting of a slowly approaching fog. Hazy and mysterious, with no way of knowing what lay ahead without diving in head first.

“I don’t think you’ve given me an option.” Lisbon stood up and headed for her room. “I’ll be ready when you get here, just wait outside. My house is a mess right now.” She kicked a crumpled shirt that was lying limply in the middle of the stairs. Though her house wasn’t necessarily a disaster, she didn’t like the idea of Jane, the not so natural disaster, coming inside. The man was capable of much more than his cocky smile let on.

“Alright, I’ll be there soon.”

Jane closed the cell phone and looked at the red blood stain on the wall of his daughter’s room. The stain stared back at him with unblinking eyes and a taunting smile. Resting a hand on his head, he turned away to face the other direction. Why did I call Lisbon? The thought passed through his head for the umpteenth time. Even as he was talking to the woman, he kept regretting it. But at the same time, he felt something else. I feel relieved that she’s coming with me . . . But why?

He stayed there for a few more minutes, thinking. He was going against everything he knew. Red John, had always been his. Sure, the CBI helped him find the murderer, but after that Red John would be his to deal with. Now he was bringing Lisbon with him to sneak up on Red John, and kill him. Only Lisbon wouldn’t see it that way. Lisbon was a woman of justice and law. Since the two of them met, she had always been the same. She gave everyone, or at least almost everyone, a fair trial. She stood up for what she felt was right. And if you ever questioned one of her team members, you wouldn’t sleep well that night.

Jane and Lisbon were partners and, in Jane’s head, very close friends. Though they were very different, they always found a strange way to connect each other. But there was one subject they tended to fight over. Lisbon believed that she could convince him to let Red John go to court, and then be sentenced to whatever punishment the law decided he deserved. That entire prospect made Jane laugh. He would be the one to kill Red John, and not even Lisbon could change his mind. But that brought on another inner quarrel. If, no, when he killed Red John, would he loose Lisbon too?

Getting to his feet, he went to his closet and took out one of his many three piece suits. Lisbon would be waiting for him if he kept going at the pace he was. And he planned to make it be the other way around.

Lisbon finished rinsing her hair and went to turn off the shower. But she hesitated. Warm water dribbled across her back, and the sensation was almost like a massage. She didn’t want to leave yet. Taking a step back from the handle, she let the water fall across her arms and head for a few more moments. It was her therapy, and she definitely needed it.

Her legs felt weak, and her eyes were heavy. Taking a breath, she readied herself for the day ahead. So far, it felt normal. She felt a strange sensations of peace and tranquility. It wasn’t what she had expected. She was about to walk straight into Red John’s territory, and she felt fine. But she knew why. And it was a common reason that she used for almost everything she felt happy about. It was a distraction.

Lisbon shivered as the water suddenly grew cold. Her mind was flooding around her. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around herself protectively. The fears from her childhood always seemed to sneak up on her at the worst times. She could never sleep, and she could never be truly at peace while alone. She wasn’t allowed to be at peace. Not when she held so many failures on her shoulders.

Her father’s face flashed in her mind, and in a moment of panic Lisbon threw her hand forward and hit the shower handle. In mere seconds the room temperature droplets turned into a heavier stream of scolding needles. With a scream, Lisbon leapt out of the tub and turned off the water.

Lisbon quickly grabbed a large towel from her rack and wrapped it around her seething body. She bit her lip as the throbbing burns began to sting. She could feel her eyes beginning to water but blinked the tears away and escaped to her room where she had taken out her clothes. She’d picked out some usual work appropriate clothing, a white blouse and a black jacket, along with some black denim pants. She was about to let her towel drop to the floor when she heard the sound of her door opening from downstairs. Then a voice called, “Lisbon!” And she swore.

She tried to gather her thoughts, but they shattered for the second time in a matter of seconds when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. A second later, the door to her room opened and she was facing her consultant with just a towel on. She considered herself lucky that it reached down to her knees.

Lisbon’s face flushed bright red. Without thinking she grabbed the nearest thing, a bible, and thrust it at Jane. Jane yelped and ducked before the bible could slam into his face. Without another word he fled the room and kicked the door shut behind him. Lisbon stayed staring for a moment before she quickly got dressed and grabbed her bag. She made sure her gun was tightly tucked into her belt before retreating down the stairs to where Jane was sitting on the couch. His face was still red.

“I told you not to come in.” Lisbon grunted. She wrapped her arms over her chest and glared at the man. Jane looked up with puppy dog eyes and pouted. “Why did you even think it was okay to barge into my room?”

Jane smiled before standing up. Now he was looking down at her. She was a good head shorter than him, though he knew she could easily take him down in a second. “I wanted to be rebellious and enter the scary Teresa Lisbon’s natural habitat.”

Lisbon growled and kicked Jane is the knee before heading out the door and closing it hard behind her. Jane bit his lip as he realized he might have crossed the line, but quickly followed after her. Rule one about Lisbon was that you never left her waiting when she was cranky.

Outside, the air was cold. Lisbon wrapped her arm’s around herself wishing she had brought a warmer jacket. Jane came out from behind her and she saw he was doing the same. “It’s cold tonight. He said, his voice tense and shaky.

“Cold for California at least.” Lisbon looked at her watch and sighed. It was 3:30am. “You said we would be there around seven right?

Jane nodded and the two of them walked down the steps and stopped at Jane’s car. His hands dug into his pockets as he searched for his keys before he pulled them out and unlocked the door. Lisbon would usually have taken the driver’s seat, except she didn’t know where they were going, and she didn’t trust Jane’s car. It was an old blue citroen DS. She wondered where he had gotten the french car, but she was scared he might say he stole it. She wouldn’t put it past him. he wasn’t exactly a man that cared about the law.

When the engine started, both of them looked at each other. Jane suddenly looked pale, and Lisbon was shivering, but not from the cold. They were going to find Red John. They were going to catch the serial killer that had ruined Jane’s life. But they were also going to a dangerous location with no back up and no one knowing they were gone.

“It’s going to be okay.” Jane said.

Lisbon looked back to the road as the car started moving. “I know.” She answered with a hint of embarrassment. After that, there was complete silence as Jane focused on the road and Lisbon focused on nothing in particular except the anxiety dwelling in her stomach.

“”What are you thinking?” Jane asked

Exhaling, Lisbon shook her head. “I’m thinking that this was a stupid idea . . . I’m supposed to go into work this morning.” pointing an accusing hand at Jane she added, “And now I’m on a wild goose chase with you. Hightower is going to kill me!”

Jane rolled his eyes. “The boss can’t fire you. You’re irreplaceable. I’ve already made it clear I won’t let anyone else ‘handle’ me.” His face contorted into a wicked grin.

Lisbon let out a small grunt and closed her eyes as she laid back against the seat. “Yeah, I’m doing such a good job at controlling you.” Her words were soaked with sarcasm, but Jane filtered it out and accepted it as a gritty compliment.

The road was barely lit apart from the sun just rising in the distance. They were in the outskirts of Sacramento, and Jane’s palms were sticky with perspiration. Red John was close and all he could think about was what would happen if he killed him. Sometimes he was so sure it was what he wanted, and other times he just didn’t know. He could lose everything all over again. His friends, his not so much of a career, and Lisbon. He could lose his partner. Looking over for a moment, he glanced at her. She hadn’t said anything for a long while, and he soon figured out why. She had fallen asleep.

Jane let his attention rest on Lisbon for a few extra moments. He noticed the cross necklace she always wore tucked into her shirt, and how her dark brown hair draped lazily over her shoulders. He had noticed, right from the start of the phone conversation, that she was tired. In fact, he noticed every day. She would come into work with a coffee in hand and go straight to her office. Then, she would shut herself in there for hours at a time. Unless she was giving orders or out on the field, she was in her office. One day, he swore she would drive herself crazy. So he had made it his job to keep her busy, and he had to say, he did a great job.

Checking the surroundings, he realized they were almost there. In the distance, black against the bright orange sun, Jane could make out a lonely warehouse. It was steadily creeping up on them. Reaching out with his hand he gently rustled his sleeping partner. She groaned in annoyance before opening her eyes. “Morning.” Jane said cheerily.

Lisbon growled before straightening her back and peeking out the window. Sunlight shimmered against the glass from a far off horizon, and He slowed the car down as they came up to a dirt driveway. In front of them was an intimidating warehouse.

Moss climbed up the edges of the abandoned wooden walls, and the coming sunrise flooded over the barren lot. All around was dirt and stone. The smell of dust shrouded the area and could make a frog’s croak dryer than a desert. Stones dotted the dirt wasteland, and Lisbon had to wonder if they were really just in the outskirts of Sacramento, or if Jane had somehow driven them into a wasteland.

Jane was the first to get out of the car, but Lisbon quickly followed after, only stopping to draw her gun from the belt around her waist. As they neared the entrance to the rotting structure, Jane fell in behind her. Raising her gun, Lisbon led Jane into the darkness, and whatever fate awaited them inside.

It smelled of decay. The stale scent of moss hung in the air, mixed with the unmistakable tang of blood. Jane had covered his nose with his arm, but with her hands on her gun, Lisbon was left with dealing with the disturbing smells.

It was almost too dark to see, and other than the faint sunlight that dappled the room through crakes int he wooden walls, there was no light. “Jane?” Lisbon whispered sharply. The man jumped slightly before sending her a glare. “Do you have the flashlight?”

Jane’s blue eyes lightened from their short tempered anger as he dug into his pocket and handed her a small black flashlight. Lisbon fiddled with it as her fingers found the switch. A stream of light shot out of the flashlight and the twosome continued through the dank house.

“What are you going to do if we find Red John?” Lisbon whispered.

It took Jane a few moments before he answered, “I’m going to kill him. I’m going to cut him up into little pieces, and watch him squirm.”

Lisbon turned around immediately. Her green eyes were piercing and she grabbed his arm with a tight fist. Even though Jane had to look down to meet her in the eye, it didn’t make her any less menacing. “I won’t let you do that. You do that and you’re throwing everything away. You’ll go to jail Jane! Do you really want that?” She was struggling to keep her voice down. Her jaw was clenched tightly as she waited for her partner to answer her, to tell her he wouldn’t do something stupid like he always did.

But he didn’t.

Jane rested a hand on Lisbon’s forehead, Pushing her bangs to the side with his thumb. Lisbon watched him, slightly confused. His hand slipped down to her shoulder, and before she knew what was happening, he had turned her to face the other way. With a small tap on her back, he made her continue walking forward.

“I won’t let you throw your life away.” she whispered.

Lisbon had always been there for him. Jane didn’t even know why. He had done nothing for her, aside from save her life a few times. But really, she had gotten into danger because of him. She was always going headfirst into danger, she was always in the front-lines. How did I get so lucky, to end up working with her?

Lisbon dealt with lots of personal troubles. Jane could tell that much. Yet, she never talked about her problems. She never complained or tried to make others pity her. He liked that about her. He wasn’t in love with her, he could never love someone again. Not after his wife and daughter died. But he did feel devotion and-

“Watch it!”

Lost in thought, Jane hadn’t noticed Lisbon had stopped walking. Ahead of them was a closed door with dried blood on the rusted gold knob. The knob looked like it was about to fall out, only hanging on my a loose piece of metal. Putting a finger to her lips, Lisbon signaled Jane for silence. Slipping close to the door, she rested her ear against it.

There wasn’t any noise on the other side of the door. But it was the only room they hadn’t gone through yet. Red John had to be in there. Sucking a breath and raising her gun, Lisbon kicked the door. It swung open with a loud cracked and she and Jane rushed into the room.

“Put your hands on your head and get on your knees!”

A man stood in the center of the small room, unmoving. Lisbon stepped closer. The man did not move. “I said, put your hands on your head!” She said again, her voice shaking with a creeping sense of unease.

Nothing moved for minutes. And Lisbon’s arms began to hurt from keeping her gun raised for so long. Impatience nipped at her and soon she was stomping over to the man with Jane at her heels. “Are deaf?” She reached out and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him close. “I said-” She stopped. The man had no light in his eyes. She quickly let go and stumbled backwards. He was dead.

“There’s a string holding him up.” Jane said. He pulled at a thin string that held the man up so that it looked like he was standing.

“Nothing can get past you, can it Jane?”

Jane raised his head, and Lisbon whipped around. The third voice came from the open doorway. A man waltzed in confidently. He was about the height of Jane, and his brown hair was messily brushed atop his head. In his hand, he held a gun.

“Very clever,” Jane said. “You killed an innocent man and left him here as a decoy. Then, when you lured us in, you could have the element of surprise.”

The man shrugged. “Honestly, I didn't know if it would work. I thought for sure you would catch on much sooner.” The man grinned as he shut the door and locked it. “But I guess I didn’t have to worry. You almost had me with that tracker you snuck into my jacket back at the CBI though. I didn't notice it until it was almost too late.”

Jane took a step forward, but Lisbon stopped him with her arm. “Jane, I’m not letting you near that man. You’re unarmed, and unpredictable.”

Crooked laughter erupted from the man and Jane and Lisbon both flinched at the harshness of it. “Oh look, Patrick Jane, the man of wonders, has a babysitter!”

Lisbon narrowed her eyes, but refused to fall for the taunt. Jane on the other hand, began to squirm. He grabbed her shoulders, and she instantly threw herself away as his fingers dug into her burned skin. Biting her lip, she wiped her watering eyes.

Jane stumbled backwards and looked at Lisbon in surprise. But before either of them could recover from their shock, the stranger charged at them. Lisbon gasped in surprise as she felt the man’s weight slam into her back. In an instant she was curled up on the ground. A foot landed hard on her back, pushing her hard against the grime covered wood. Her back was burning and pulsing, like she was being soaked in the rivers of Hell.

“Well Jane, it looks like I won. Face it. I’ve always been one step ahead of you. Everyone told you, even your own partner.”

As Red John gloated over his “victory” Lisbon carefully collected her gun from where it had slid to the ground and pointed it at Red John. Her arms kept shaking as she tried to aim for his leg, but before she could shoot him, the weapon was knocked from her unsteady grasp.

Red John grabbed her by the back of her shirt and stole her handcuffs. He swiftly latched them to her wrists and left her on the ground.

Jane couldn’t do anything but stare. The man he wanted to kill so much was right in his reach, yet he could do nothing. He was a consultant, he didn’t have a gun. And Red John did. He had a knife, but there was no way he could get close enough to use it effectively.

Red John pulled out a gun and pointed it at Lisbon. Fear pulsed throughout Jane’s entire body and he could feel sweat forming on his forehead. Lisbon looked scared as well, but she held a defiant scowl. Red John simply laughed, “I’m just kidding, I don’t want to shoot her. I have something more interesting planned.” Red John locked eyes with Jane before moving away from Lisbon. “Go sit beside her.”

Jane narrowed his eyes and slowly walked over and sat beside Lisbon, staying on his toes. Silently, he helped her up and let her lean back against him. She wasn’t in pain anymore, she had stopped clenching her jaw, but he wanted her close. He wanted to make sure nothing happened to her. Because it would be his fault again. That was something Jane just couldn’t deal with.

“You two have been partners for years now. I’ve seen how you two have grown closer and closer. Your partnership is stronger than most.” Red John started. He was glaring at them as if he was planning on painting a picture, taking in every little detail. “You’re great friends aren’t you? You care about each other. Patrick, what would you do if you lost that friendship? You wouldn't have anything.”

Lisbon struggled with the handcuffs in an attempt to get her hands out of them. But as expected, it was no use. She glared at Red John and waited for him to keep talking, but he just stared. He had the eyes of an eagle. She could feels his eyes piercing into her and picking through every little detail.

“I’ve come up with one final test for you Patrick. I’m going to break you. I’ll snap you like a twig, and I won’t even have to touch you.”

Jane held Lisbon closer, ignoring her mutter of protest. Red John walked past them towards a closet. He pulled out a rusted mirror the size of an average door. “I’ve decided the funnest way to do this, is to send you two away.” The mirror was now just in front of Jane and Lisbon. They stared at their reflections. There wasn’t any distance between their bodies. And they were both shaking with fear.

Red John pulled out a small remote from his pocket and glided his thumb over the single button in the middle. Then, he pressed it.

High pitched ringing echoed throughout the room. It vibrated through Lisbon’s body and she tensed as everything around her turned into a mess of disorienting sounds. The mirror started shaking, rocking back and forth on it’s legs. The glass cracked, then shattered, revealing some sort of black hole.Lisbon felt her body being dragged towards the broken mirror, and she desperately struggled with her handcuffs.

“JANE!”

Jane grabbed her, but it didn’t help. He too was being dragged into the mirror. The steady drawing winds whipped up into what felt like a storm trying to consume them. Jane could feel Lisbon’s body being picked up off the ground, but it was only mere seconds before his was too. Before they could so much as scream, they were devoured by the mysterious mirror. The last thing Jane saw was the darkness consuming them.