Partners in Crime

Applejack crept through the alleyways of Ponyville. She made extra certain to stay out of sight. She was wanted for lying under an oath, but she didn't want to go to prison.  She wasn't the most honest mare, so no one was surprised to see her flat out lie. She remembered that day like it was yesterday.

She was accused of poisoning the apples she sold. The Apple Family was wealthy, so she didn't expect her business to be at risk. She didn't expect to be caught either, though. Nevertheless, she was taken to court. Despite her oath, she denied poisoning some of the apples. She was sentenced to life in prison, but she escaped before she ever went into the prison. Equestria never had great security, and she used that to her advantage.

She heard the sound of muffled screams coming from her right. She knew the situation was dangerous, but her curiosity took over, and she followed the screams to investigate. A white unicorn with a purple mane and tail, both curled, was seen standing above somepony else. He was a pegasus colt, and juding from his lack of cutie mark, he had to have been younger than Apple Bloom. Applejack couldn't see anything, but she knew that the unicorn held him down with her magic. Applejack hid behind the nearest trashcan for a better place to spy on them.

The pegasus finally stopped screaming, and tears flooded down his face. He only went through the ally to get to his house faster. He knew the allies were dangerous, especially at night, but it wasn't like the rest of Ponyville was much safer. The unicorn standing over him didn't seem to be a threat, but unfortunately for him, he ignored the wanted poster. Applejack noticed a wanted poster with the picture of the unicorn to her right and read it.

Rarity Belle: Wanted for robbery of Canterlot Castle and for stealing money from other ponies. Reward: 5,000 bits.

"I don't have anything!" the colt shouted in protest.

Rarity knew he was lying. the sound of bits jingling was no mystery to her. "We will just have to see about that," She used her magic to levitate the saddle bag off of the colt. He refused to give her his money, so she took his saddle bag and everything in it as a reward. the colt, still immobilized by her magic, stared at her as she greedily searched through his saddle bag. She released him from her magic, but not before using a sleep spell on him. He tried to chase after her, but he colapsed on the ground before getting far.

The unicorn put the newly aquired saddle bag inside her own. It was for a foal, so it fit rather nicely. She just needed to go home and take a well deserved bath. She didn't feel any remorse for stealing from a young colt. He should have saw it coming. She made her way back to her house, but she was stopped by Applejack.

"Hello, I'm Applejack," she greeted as she took off her hat. She didn't want to pose a threat. Rarity had money, and she wanted to get it. She wanted to get her money the only way she knew how, by conning.

"Greetings," Rarity replied. The earth pony definitely showed confidence, and her fowardness gave an aura of dominance. Stealing from her was a bad idea, so she decided against it. She couldn't help but notice that Applejack was planning something.

"I figure you have a fine taste in jewlry, so you are the best pony for my offer," Applejack began. She decided to use that story after noticing Rarity's cutie mark.

"I do love gems," Rarity confirmed, "Go on."

"Forgive my lack of knowledge in this field, but I believe I found a gem valuing at five thousand bits," Applejack explained.

Most ponies wouldn't have caught on, but Rarity was an exception. She knew where Applejack was going with this. She decided to play along with her. "I wish to see this gem."

The trap was set. "Come with me," Applejack told her as she walked to her  house. They both hated having to creep through the alleys at night time, but at the same time, they enjoyed it. It gave them a sense of excitement that neither of them could describe.

Even with the slow walking, they quickly arrived at Applejack's house, a large mansion overlooking Ponyville. Rarity looked around the place in envy. Still, she followed Applejack down the stairs into the basement. A large table with crystal cups and plates sat in the middle of the room. That wasn't where the two ponies were going, though. Applejack opened a door on the right of the dining room and  gestured Rarity to go in. She followed her.

The room was completely empty. Applejack locked the door to trap Rarity inside the room. If Rarity refused to give her the money, the unicorn was going to be in big trouble. There was no way out of it. "If you don't give me the five thousand bits, I know somepony who will," Applejack told her.

"What ever do you mean?" Rarity asked, defensively. She knew what was going on, but she had to pretend she didn't. It was the only way to keep her freedom.

"I saw a wanted poster of you promising that amount of bits. You give me the bits, and I will let you go and tell nopony of this. If you fail to pay me, though, I will report you and collect my reward," Applejack explained, grinning menancelly

Applejack wasn't the only one who was skilled with words, "I refuse to give you the money, but I do hope we get a cage close together. It's a shame we can't work together, though." The last part was meant to be a lie, but when she said it, it was true.

That through Applejack off guard, "What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that I am not the only pony who is wanted for a high sum of money," Rarity told her.

Applejack sighed and unlocked the door. Rarity got out of that one after all. Perhaps working with her wasn't a bad idea after all. "We can work together if we are not caught, right?"

Rarity smiled, "Of course!" Before she met Applejack, she refused to work with anyone. No one proved themselves to her. They were too weak and lacked dedication. Applejack wasn't the best pony to trust, but  she was worthy. She did wonder one thing, though, "Considering how you are a criminal on the loose, why do you live in a mansion."

"This ain't my mansion, Rarity," Applejack admitted, "It belongs to ponies i have close ties with. They are the only ones aware that I'm here."

"Applejack, I agree to work with you under one... two conditions." One wasn't enough.

"What are those conditions?" Applejack asked.

Rarity cleared her throat before explaining, "The first condition is that we split our work and earnings fairly. If you do most of the work, you will get most of the earnings. I will get most of the earnings if I do most of the work. The second condition is that you must always keep your end of the bargain. We are a team, and we will not lie to each other. If you haven't figured already, I knew your intentions were not honest the second you told me about the gem. Go ahead and lie to others, but do not lie to me."

"I agree." Applejack felt weird after saying those words. She said them many times before, but that time, she meant it. She was going to keep her end of the deal. Rarity definitely surprised her and was definitely a pony worthy of being her partner. Both the mares shook their hooves to seal the agreement.