The Pearl Past

The town was quiet. The dirt roads that had been alive with ponies and buffalo before were now vacant and peaceful. Rarity stood behind the saloon as instructed in the warm night. The scroll was stored in her flank pocket, ready to be delivered.

A warm breeze brought the scent of the ripening apples to Rarity’s nose. She closed her eyes, savoring the scent. It reminded her of home. She filled her mind with thoughts of Ponyville. It will all be over soon, it will all be over soon. She repeated the mantra over and over to herself.

Her repetitive thoughts were interrupted when she sensed it. When she sensed her. Her presence thickened the air, curling around Rarity like sticky black tendrils. Rarity slid her eyes open and was met with the sight of a silver Pegasus. Her fur glistened in the moonlight as she sent a sugar sweet smile Rarity’s way. She was just as Rarity remembered her. There were her pale grey eyes, silver fur, long silver-blue mane and tail, and the ever-present silver pendent that hung around her neck. But what disturbed her the most was the silver pony’s blank flank. There was no cutie-mark to give a physical token to her special talent. Rarity fought the urge to run away from such an unnatural sight. Of all the things she had witnessed and done in her past, this mare had always frightened her.

“Rarity, it’s been a long time,” she crooned. Her voice rang like a silver bell in the warm night. It was an eerie sound. Somehow for all the beauty this mare possessed, she brought an air of evil wherever she went. Rarity took a moment to compose herself before answering.

“It has indeed Sterling.” Sterling’s smile grew wider and she tossed her silver-blue mane. As she did, the pendent around her neck tinkled, mirroring the sound her voice made. Rarity remained silent. Even though she was no longer a part of their organization, she still had a certain respect for Sterling.

Sterling was not the leader but she may as well have been with the power she wielded over the others. Not to mention her skills and cunning. She was one of the best at what they did and if she had one, her cutie-mark would surely be a physical show of it. But it was not only that, which warranted Rarity’s respect. Rarity had known Sterling and the rest of the ponies in the organization since she was a tiny filly. It was Sterling that raised Rarity. At one time, Rarity considered the silver coated mare before her something like a mother. That was all before she found her real family. Before she knew her real mother and father and baby Sweetie Bell. She inwardly smiled at the memory of first seeing her little sister. It was she that really brought Rarity over to the light.

Sterling cleared her throat and Rarity jumped slightly.

“I apologize,” Rarity said, dipping her head. Sterling’s smile had melted away.

“Didn’t I teach you better than to space out when speaking to somepony? Has living in that country town dampened your manners?” she snapped. Rarity was of course appalled by her words but didn’t let it show.

“Again, I apologize. Please excuse my rudeness,” Rarity apologized again. Sterling set her pale grey eyes on Rarity and scowled.

“Well, while you were daydreaming, I invited you onto my train,” she explained, gesturing to an unfamiliar train parked in the Appaloosa station. Rarity had expected something like this and had spent the day coming up with excuses that Sterling could not get around. She smiled politely and said,

“I’m sorry but I’ll have to decline. The train leaves very early tomorrow morning and I don’t want to oversleep.” Sterling’s sugar sweet smile returned. Rarity’s ears twitched.

“Oh I can easily cart you back in my train,” she offered. Rarity’s smile widened.

“I paid for a round trip ticket and I’d hate to waste all those bits,” she reasoned, with the knowledge that Sterling hates to waste money. Sterling seemed to know what Rarity was doing and flipped her silvery mane.

“Of course of course! I will pay you the price of the whole ticket. Think of it as some compensation for your trouble,” she crooned in her too nice voice.
“All of my things are in my room in the inn and I paid extra to keep my name off the books,” Rarity countered, growing annoyed.
“I’ll pay you for that too and have somepony grab your things for you. I trust you have the scroll in your pocket?” Sterling’s eyes flashed as she asked the question. Rarity nodded and found that she couldn’t think of another good excuse. She cursed inwardly but retained her polite smile to Sterling.
“Well alright, if you insist,” she agreed, waiting for Sterling to move. Sterling turned slowly and glanced back at her pointedly.
“I always do.” Sterling led Rarity over to the station and onto one of the larger cars.

As soon as she entered, Rarity stopped dead in her tracks. A rank stench filled her nose and the sound of steady breathing echoed in her ears. Before her, gently rising and falling with the sound of the breathing was a pile of sticks and logs. Sterling was already past the creature and looked back to see Rarity staring at it. She laughed.
“Oh that’s just Twig, Jaeger’s new pet. He’s harmless, unless given an attack or kill command. Excuse the smell,” Sterling assured.

Rarity remembered Jaeger, a light brown unicorn with a talent for bending animals to his will. She knew his ability was rock solid but still tiptoed around the beast.

Sterling was seated at a dining booth. She gestured for Rarity to take the seat across from her. Rarity did so without question. She cleared her throat, knowing that she would be expected to initiate the conversation.
“How have you been, Sterling?” she asked, shifting her hooves so that she was more comfortable. Sterling nodded to herself as she answered,
“Very good, very good. Everything has been working very well.” She smiled sweetly at Rarity. “And with the scroll and music box, we’ve made much progress on our latest project.”
“Latest project?” Rarity knew she wouldn’t receive an answer but asked anyway out of politeness. Sterling waved her hoof in dismissal, as expected. Rarity made an effort to keep her reactions to herself. Maintaining a polite smile was one of Sterling’s rules. Sterling leaned back, her eyes dancing as she asked,
“Speaking of that scroll. I’d be grateful if you’d give it to me. Now.” Her words were kind but her tone was a command. There was no denying her. Rarity used her magic to take the scroll out of her flank pocket and set it in front of Sterling. As she was doing so, Sterling’s sugar sweet smile turned into a deathly glare. Rarity knew the reason for her anger. She had broken one of Sterling’s rules and this particular rule was one Sterling took personally. Rarity wasn’t sure why she did it. She certainly didn’t want to provoke Sterling. She knew exactly what she was capable of. Rarity held her head high. It was pride. She wanted to show Sterling that she was her own pony and her rules didn’t apply to her. Sterling used her wing to pick up the scroll and tucked it underneath. Rarity’s ears flicked.
“Living in that country town really has dampened your manners,” Sterling hissed. Her usually tinkling voice took a dark tone. Rarity’s ears hurt as she struggled to keep them up. She flipped her mane and sat back.
“I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re going on about, Sterling,” she lied, not meeting Sterling’s cold gaze. The silver pony’s glare intensified.
“You know how I feel about magic,” she growled.

Rarity pondered to herself as to why she was suddenly filled with a desire to defy Sterling. The silver mare had always loomed in her memories as a force that should not be provoked. Rarity felt that if she openly defied her, she would be making a name for herself. The pony that defied Sterling. The rest of the organization would certainly be impressed. But she had no desire to impress them. It must be her friends. She was standing up as the pony she had become in the influence of her new life. With that thought, Rarity returned Sterling’s glare with a simple condescending look.

“I very well do,” Rarity responded. The urge to lower her ears was gone and she held her head high. Sterling detached herself from the booth and Rarity followed suit, expecting a fight. Physical blows wouldn’t come from Sterling herself but the slumbering Timber Wolf behind Rarity was almost certain to have been ordered to protect Sterling at all costs. Rarity’s horn pulsed with potential magic that did not even surround her horn with an aura. Sterling’s eyes were flashing with anger.

Rarity found herself in a staring match with Sterling. There were no words, no threats, and no motion at all. Just the occasional blink from the both of them. Rarity made a point not to overthink the situation. This would all be over soon. Or so she thought.

Sterling flipped her mane and regarded Rarity once more with a flashing gaze.

“I didn’t want it to come to this Rarity, I really didn’t. I was hoping for more of a formal invitation but it seems you just aren’t worthy of that,” she fretted. There was obvious fake hurt in her voice. Her necklace tinkled as she turned away from Rarity. Rarity hadn’t the slightest clue what to make of the words and actions from Sterling but she didn’t have much time to think about it. Suddenly the train pitched forward and Rarity had to take a step to keep her balance.

The train was moving at an alarming rate. Rarity could see the station turn into the wilds that surrounded Appaloosa within just a few seconds outside the window. Sterling was unfazed and looked at Rarity over her shoulder with a look that Rarity very much recognized. Sterling had just succeeded in carrying out a job and by the looks she saw now it was a big one.

“What’s going on Sterling?” Rarity demanded. Her horn was surrounded by her light blue aura and she flipped through the offensive spells she knew in her mind. Sterling’s tinkling victory laugh filled Rarity with dread.

“I’ve just succeeded in capturing the elusive Pearl,” she chuckled, seemingly to herself. Rarity was red hot with anger but held in place by confusion and fear. She didn’t even think to correct Sterling.

“I can easily get free,” Rarity spat. Everything was sinking in. Of course they wanted her back. Why else would they have wasted time contacting her for the job? What had she been thinking, that they couldn’t do it themselves? Ridiculous! But luckily her statement was true. She may be a bit rusty but she still had all her skills from the crime trade. It wouldn’t take too much time to get loose from their grip. Sterling laughed again, this one sounding a bit crazed.

“I don’t doubt that one bit, Pearl,” she said, turning back to Rarity with her sugar sweet smile. As she did, the door to the next car opened revealing two earth pony stallions struggling with a squirming pink blob. They threw in the blob and Rarity realized that it was not a blob at all.

“Pinkie Pie!?” she cried, rushing over to her friend that was bound in tight ropes, gagged with a white cloth and blindfolded with another. She shot a hateful glare at Sterling who was smiling wider at her.

“You always were a lone wolf. Try getting out with her in tow. I’ll bet you five bits you can’t do it,” Sterling hissed with satisfaction. With that, Sterling was out the door. Rarity rushed to the door, banging against it with all the force she could muster. She bounced off, landing hard on the ground. When she looked, the door was surrounded with a red aura. She looked back at her whimpering friend and had to catch a sob in her own throat. She realized with a great amount of weight that they were trapped.