Red Hearts and Crossed Strings

“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.