-Party Load Out and Materia-

Tifa: Human (Displaced)
Armored Grand Glove- Fire, Ice, Gravity ---- Shinra Beta (Bangle) - Time + Added Effect
Other: Enemy Skill+Mime (Absorbed), Rude’s Sunglasses

Rarity: Unicorn
Silken Dream- Restore, Esuna, Ice ---- Shinra Beta (Bangle)- Barrier, Lightning
Other: An undecided rotation of outfits (--Current--), Earrings

Pinkie: Pony?
Sparkly Megaphone- Lightning, Earth, Fire --- Carbon Bangle- Transform, Manipulate
Other: Red Cape, "Moggy"

Spike: Sapient Dragon
Claws and Teeth, Materia Band- Water, ATK up --- Carbon Bangle: Sense, Restore
Other: Natural Fire Magic, Hardened Scales

Fluttershy: Altered Pegasus
Trooper Machine Gun- Deathblow --- Carbon Bangle- Aero, Poison
Other: Enhanced physique, Improved healing, “Unnatural Abilities”

*Pluck*

“HMN!”

*Pluck*

“GHN!”

A brunette laid across the back of the vehicle, the seat folded down to let her stretch out. Minus the driver, the party sat hunched over the martial artist with her face buried in her arms.

*Pluck*

“AHH! Nooohohooo…”

“Sorry Tiffy, we gotta try ta get ’em all out before we heal you if you don’t want slivers stuck in you for days” Pinkie consoled the woman.

“Fucking dancing cactus bastard…” Tifa groaned into the upholstery.

After the group managed to dig the car out of the sand, they started their way into the desert toward the towering amusement park, the only landmark to follow. A day later they had to change a tire and were ambushed by a cactuar, the ‘dancing cactus bastard’ trying to spray the party down with needles. Thankfully the group’s trigger happy pegasus blew one of its arms off before it could launch all one thousand.

Unfortunately it did still get off a few hundred with a good portion finding their way into the back of the unaware Tifa.

*Pluck*

“NNNnnn... can you be a little more gentle?!” she shot at the winged woman through a clenched jaw. Fluttershy simply returned a blank look and-

*PLUCK*

“GRRRrrr…”

‘At least she’s helping’

‘Oh yeah, we’re practically besties now!’

Still, the sooner the needles were out the better and at least Spike and Pinkie were being more tender with it. Spike’s dexterity might not be as bad as he told Rarity when she was helping him equip his gear, raising questions about his claim to not like bipeds. The small mare on the other hand had to use her teeth.

A fresh blush rose to Tifa’s cheeks as the pony’s nose brushed the hem of her hiked up skirt and another hot breath caressed her backside before another pinch immediately dispelled it.

“Well,” Pinkie gave before spitting out the needle “At least you picked up a skill that punches right through defences… though I guess you learned that part when it caught you from- oh, um-*snrk*”

“Behind?” Spike finished with a smirk. Pinkie failed to suppress a giggle as Tifa just rolled her eyes, even catching a ghost of a smile on their pegasus gunner’s lips. It was just a glimpse however, quickly replaced by her usual scowl. A sudden bump jostled the group huddled in the back and the Humvee began to rumble worryingly.

“Oh come on” Rarity moaned quietly from the driver’s seat. Their ride hadn’t taken to being driven off a virtual cliff and half buried in the desert very well. It took more and more cajoling to get it to start and it shuddered intermittently, growing worse each time “At this rate we won’t reach the base.”

The shuddering thankfully quieted after a moment and the golden trunk of the amusement park continued to grow closer. Nearly an hour passed before Pinkie declared Tifa’s back side clean and they were finally able to complete the cure spell without lasting consequence. She sat up to allow the others more room to stretch out themselves, rubbing her still unfortunately sore behind. Time passed a bit more slowly with their task done and it was starting to get dark before Rarity called from the front.

“I believe we’re reaching the edges of the prison proper, there are some buildings up ahead” they saw what Rarity was pointing out, though calling some of the structures ‘buildings’ may have been a bit generous. Several were missing walls and roofs and even those that still had them would be classified as unsound at best. They slowed to a stop as they reached the ‘road’ through the small patchwork shelters, stepping out to have a quick look around.

They didn’t see anyone. Or anything either. Just the sun bleached ruins and more sand.

Now that Tifa looked, they were still a fair way from the Saucer’s trunk, at least another half a day if she had to guess. They did a quick search of the area but didn’t find anything useful, not that they expected to. All there was were some occasional tattered remains of broken furniture and old empty picture frames. People used to live here at some point, but that was a long time ago. A sigh escaped the party’s former Turk as she regarded the others.

“Well, do we make camp and hope the car works in the morning or keep-”

“Wait.” Fluttershy interrupted but didn’t continue right away. Her hybrid wings spread slightly and ruffled as her brow furrowed. They watched as she looked around, a searching look on her face as the wings continued to subtly twitch into different positions. “Strong winds building… sandstorm… We need to get inside.”

“You’re certain?” Rarity asked, receiving a dull stare as a response. She sighed and continued “Alright, I think I saw a building we can fortify enough to wait this out.”

Their transportation thankfully didn’t give them any more trouble as they drove it through an opening in one of the larger ruin’s walls, one quickly filled with a rough replacement courtesy of Pinkie’s earth materia. They piled out in the room now only illuminated by the vehicle’s headlights, thankful to see the wall was the only part missing. Tifa ambled past the remains of a couch half buried in the sand as Fluttershy moved through a tattered curtain. The rattling of a door followed before the pegasus returned and looked around the rest of the room, nodding lightly to herself.

“This should work” was all she said before climbing to sit atop the hummer’s trunk without a second glance. The rest shared a shrug before settling in themselves. It wasn’t long before they heard the wind did indeed begin to pick up, continuing until the dull roar of a sandstorm filled their surroundings. A brief darkness engulfed them as Rarity cut the lights before summoning a simple ball of light from her horn to hover lazily above them.

Time passed slowly and quietly as Tifa started ambling around the room again, not that there was much to see; half the room was buried under a mound of sand, leaving no way into the rest of the building to explore. She glanced toward Pinkie and Spike in the truck, the pony watching the dragon swipe at the screen of the new burner they got him. It was nothing special, but it could fit a couple games on it, and Pinkie even came up with a rubber nub to keep his claws from scratching it. He seemed to appreciate it. Rarity had summoned her travel trunk and was currently reorganizing the contents. Fluttershy was reloading magazines.

“So how’d you know?” Tifa tried, looking up at the winged woman “About the storm, that is.”

“I’m a pegasus.” she answered curtly, clearly irritated by the question. The brunette sighed and left the gunner be. She decided to find a soft patch of sand and leaned against the side of the car, figuring she could try to get some sleep while they had nothing but time. Trying unfortunately being a keyword, the roar of a sandstorm wasn’t exactly white noise. She wasn’t sure how long she rested but a sudden bang jolted everyone to their feet. The door slammed open behind the curtain before a figure cloaked under a ratty blanket stumbled through the cloth coughing and shaking off copious amounts of sand.

“Woah!” a masculine voice exclaimed as he finally looked up to see a pair of firearms aimed his way, hands thrown up in surrender “Easy now! Easy there… Ladies.”

The figure let the cloth drop, revealing the surprising feline form of a Ronso beneath. Also, while still taller than the women present, he was notably shorter and slimmer than most would expect of the typically imposing race. He lacked the trademark blue fur as well, instead bearing a more orangeish brown. His long red coat swished as he took a step forward despite the weapons, a smooth tenor escaped his now smiling conturance.

“I must say, I wasn’t expecting anyone to be home. Especially such lovely sights as yourselves...” he cleared his throat and moved to take another step before Rarity restedied her aim. He smartly stopped and even offered a step back without even a flutter in his smirk “How did such a fine and… clean group find themselves out in this dry expanse so far from the villa?”

“We could ask the same of you Darling” the pale woman pointed out.

“Some of my fellow… neighbors grew envious of my status in our little community and well…” the bipedal feline waved a raised hand dramatically “I thought it best to take a brief vacation until tempers cooled a bit.”

“So you got run off” Spike snickered from next to the truck.

“And you fell in a hole” the atypical Ronso countered and cleared his throat again “You’re clearly not from around here, not with that ride; especially if it works. Now you think we can have the rest of this conversation without the guns?”

“You clearly are from around here. Why should we trust a prisoner?” Rarity returned.

“Because no one else will care that you don’t belong here. I assure you that even if I weren’t woefully outnumbered, I’m hardly a threat.” he gave and opened his coat, doing a spin to show he was unarmed “See?”

Rarity glanced back at the others, receiving mostly shrugs before slowly lowering the weapon back to her hip. Fluttershy took an extra moment before raising her gun cautiously, though unlike the former Turk, she chose to keep it unholstered. The Ronso dropped the hems of his coat and stood regally.

“Now that we’re all friends, I must ask; do you ladies and gentle… lizard have any, well...” he cleared his throat much longer than before as his voice grew notably more hoarse “Water?”

Incredulous looks and scoffs answered the request as Pinkie pulled a bottle from her poofy locks and tossed it to the feline. He arched a brow at the container.

“Fortunately, I’m used to hairballs” he quipped and drained half of it at once. A sigh of content preceded the return of his silky tone “Now then, without further breach of etiquette, allow me to introduce myself; Capper’s the name, information’s the game.”

“Charmed” Rarity returned not without some genuineness, as the feline offered a bow.

“Charming’s also my game love, among other talents. Talents no doubt you lot will need now that you’re stuck here, not to mention connections” he rose.

“We’re not really planning to be here long enough to need prison connections” Tifa interjected.

“Few plan on being here at all beautiful, but it’s not often their choice. It is however, to a degree, mine” he explained confidently “My connections stretch up the golden tree to the fun above. While misunderstanding the crime I’m accused of, Mr. Dio is still a man who can see opportunity. By helping keep the bigger players down here in check and weeding out undesirables from the labor pool, I’ve earned a rather presteous position in the eyes of those in charge.”

“You’re a snitch” Rarity summarized “One that was found out, else you wouldn’t be here.”

“I prefer the term informant” he corrected without a hint of offence “But alas, No. I fear my rival in acquisitions is the issue. He’s grown tired of competing with my superior products and has demanded my tail in compensation. But that’s where you come in.”

“You want us to kill him?” Fluttershy offered.

“Oh no, I’d hate to have you commit a crime that’d make you deserve this sandy prison. But you’re clearly not the delicate sorts... fine grooming not-with-standing” He winked at Rarity, earning a smile “I just need the appearance of enough muscle to keep his goons at bay while I talk to the man.”

“And then, Darling?”

“And then I reconnect. A good word here, a favor called there and…” he paused and flashed them a winning smirk “I’ll be just the friend you need…”

The storm passed and the party was on their way toward the Saucer again, going over the finer details of the plan. Not that there was much to go over; Drive up to the big building near the elevator, stand their ground and escort Capper to the ‘boss’. Beyond that he was rather mum on just how he was going to make peace. It was just after sunrise by the time they reached the makeshift village at the base of the tree, what Capper affectionately called “The Villa’. It reminded Tifa of the Undercity, if you replaced the cave with desert and all the sick people with surly thugs.

Speaking of which, they were gathering an awful lot of attention driving through the town. Some looked on confused, some ran off after seeing them, and others began to follow. They never got too close but with how slow they were forced to go in the narrow ‘street’, they were never too far behind either.

“Nevermind the rubberneckers” Capper consoled as he leaned forward between the seats “Not a lot of working rides around here. Guns either. They’ll keep their distance with your angry friend aiming at people.”

Tifa looked over her shoulder past their new ally, seeing that Fluttershy had indeed stood up to hang out the gunner’s hole. She opened the window and poked out to see the barrel of the pegasus’s rifle sweeping the area. A small huff escaped her but she didn’t say anything. They were in rather hostile territory, going to meet a man that put a hit on Capper’s head. So long as they didn’t start the shooting she supposed it was for the best to put up a strong front. Prison rules for whatever the popular media depiction was worth.

“Is that it Darling?” Rarity nodded ahead to the most solid looking building in the area, sat just beyond the gates surrounding the elevator up to the amusement park.

“That it is, it’s showtime” he confirmed and fell back into his seat. The truck rumbled to a halt before a quartet of door guards armed with makeshift melee weapons. Fluttershy stayed poking out the roof as the rest exited, the guards tensing as they saw the feline. One took a step toward the door before Fluttershy’s aim snapped right to him “Now now Jeff, I’m capable of announcing myself.”

The men stepped aside as they made their way to the short set of steps and through the door. They entered a large, mostly empty space save for a set of filing cabinets and a desk at the other side of the room. Another pair of guards with actual guns raised their weapons against the intruders, confusion dominating their features until Capper strutted forward from the back of the group.

“VERKO!” he cried jovaly as he walked ahead completely unconcerned. Tifa held her breath as she focused on the guards; a heavyset gryphon from the looks of him and a tiger striped Ronso. He wasn’t blue either but, unlike Capper, he wasn’t lacking the typical Ronso muscle or stature at all.

“CAPPER!” an ugly little rat of a man sprung up out of his chair. Sprung right up onto the desk in fact. Little wasn’t an understatement “You got some balls-”

“Ahhh!” Capper groaned languidly, arms wide in a twirl as he approached the desk “Nothing like a few days in the dunes to make you really appreciate AC.”

“You really think you can just walk in here without a care huh?” Verko stood tall with his hands behind his back, matching the alley cat’s stare as he sauntered up “You think a pack of women and a... lizard dog can take the whole prison for you.”

“I don’t have to take the prison Verk, just you” Capper answered and leaned in close to the man with a truly unhealthy amount of confidence. The miniscule man chuckled and shook his head.

“You’ve been here what? 6 months? Already thinking you’ve got it all figured out, everyone on your side” he sneered before a blade as long as the man was tall flicked out from his sleeve and hovered an inch from the smooth talker’s throat “I can kill you right here and the only one who will care will be whoever I have clean it up.”

Capper’s smile grew wider just before a deafening boom filled the room and Verko slammed against the back wall. The heavyset guard swept his weapon but found a sawed off aimed at his gut, held aloft by the Ronso’s tail. A burst of fire shattered against the steps outside to confirm Flutters was still keeping them covered.

“What are you doing!?” the boss screeched clutching his gut, his protective bangle’s enchant the only thing that saved him. His own feline bodyguard meanwhile was standing utterly nonplussed at the events, “KILL HIM!”

“Now why would he do that?” Capper posed “Chummer and I are old friends. Sure we had our falling outs but that’s all behind us, right Chum?”

“Sorry ‘Boss’” the taller Ronso shrugged down at the bleeding man and looked up to his fellow guard, who promptly dropped his weapon and backed off. Verko scrambled across the floor away from the two, making for a window.

“Mind taking care of that Chum?” Capper asked as he strode around to the other side of the desk and flopped into the chair. He kicked his paws up onto the wood before the tiger striped double agent caught the rodent of a man… and a spine chilling crack filled the room “NOT WHAT I MEANT CHUM!”

“Sorry” the Ronso shrugged again, dropping the remains out the window. The party stood aghast as Capper pinched the bridge of his snout.

“Geez, you really have been in here too long.” With a heavy huff he turned to the other guard with an expectant stare.

“Uh… Orders Boss?” he gave an uneasy smile, earning a smirk in return.

“Go tell the boys outside ‘the plan’ worked, and start spreading the word there’s been another change of management. The angry woman outside can come inside now too… also have someone clean...THAT up” he waved squeamishly toward the window. The man nodded and rushed outside “And don’t let anyone mess with that ride!”

“Why’d we have to watch the door guys if they work for you?” Spike was the first of the party to speak, a rather queasy looking Pinkie swaying back and forth on his back.

“Only two of them were in on it” he explained as Fluttershy quietly saddled in through the door “None of that is to dismiss you lot’s part in this of course; We’re WAY ahead of schedule thanks to you!”

“So happy to be an accessory to murder” Rarity sneered back “Now we had a deal.”

“Hey now, Ol’ Capper’s a cat of his word. And believe me, I really did have other plans for him” he held his hands up defensively before slowly lowering them “Of course I’m not gonna say it will be easy smuggling Shinra’s Most Wanted out of here… or necessarily quick, Ms. Rarity.”

The party tensed. They hadn’t even told him their names, Rarity even pulled the party aside to tell them not to use them. It appears their reputation preceded them. Rarity rolled her neck slightly and regarded the Ronso.

“You are well informed...”

“Wanted posters aren’t hard to come by, even here” he returned evenly, staring seriously back at the horned woman… before snorting, failing to suppress a laugh “Please, un-clench ladies! I’m not planning on turning you in.”

“No?” Rarity asked cautiously.

“While I’m sure it would be more than enough to immediately end my stay in this hole and learn just how deep Shinra’s pockets really are, I’ve learned they’re also not the best at repaying favors. Besides, I would so hate to see such lovely women behind bars, more than they already figuratively are at least” he assured them, leaning back to put his feet up again “Though I’m afraid I wasn’t lying about getting you out. Normal folks falling in the hole would be tricky enough, but keeping them from recognizing you as quickly as I did-”

“We have disguises!” Pinkie piped in cheerfully.

“You got IDs? Passports? Money?” He countered “Now I know what you’re thinking; Why would the first two matter? Well, I’m afraid you picked a pretty bad time to get stuck here. Shinra’s got some kind of convention going, or so they say, and their security is swarming all over. No one’s getting on those ropeways without getting checked and there’s no way to force it, they’ll just shut them down on ya.”

“What makes you think it’s not a real convention?” the former Turk posed.

“Dio found something, something big that he’s keeping under his hat. And you know Shinra, they like being the only big thing in Equestria. Whatever he found, they want it” he clarified before waving the matter off “But don’t fret. Things will take a little longer but we can still pull it off with some doing.”

“We?” Tifa asked, eyebrow arched ”What can we do?”

“Work” he answered simply “Like I said, I also help with ‘Labor Acquisition’.”

“You want us to work up in the park?” Rarity asked incredulously while Pinkie seemed overjoyed at the idea, bouncing excitedly on Spike’s back.

“You said you had disguises” he smirked “Workers don’t get checked and while I can probably arrange a window in which you won’t need credentials, it’s gonna cost a bit. And while I’d love to cover you, I am a businessman and we did just have a change in management you understand. Also, I just don’t have it.”

“What kind of work?!” Pinkie squeaked out.

“Oh all kinds my little cotton candy! I’m sure I can find a use for all your particular talents” he grinned winningly as (most) the party lamented. He cast a particularly pointed smile at Tifa. “In fact…”

‘I have a bad feeling about this…’

“I know of a position that just opened that a woman with your assets would be perfect for…”

Rarity glided between her tables, her roller skates clacking with every subtle crease in the floor. It wasn’t exactly ice skating but it was hardly her first time on wheels, and a little magic helped keep her trays upright for any slips. She weaved her way through the diner’s “outdoor” seating and toward the silver double doors.

“Corner” she called before rolling through the ‘in’ side of the opening, bin of dirty dishes in tow. Depositing her burden at the sinks, she quickly rolled on before she was called on past her shift to clean them. She gave a quick wave to the manager on her way to the terminal, clocked out, collected her tips and got the hell out of the retro grease factory for the day. She didn’t even stay to change out of her skates, stopping at a bench in the Round Square’s park area on her way back to the hotel instead. She worked a double and she’d be damned if she was going to stay a moment longer than she had to.

She winced as the stiff leather scraped at her heel before it completely slipped off. She took a moment to rub her feet, the poofy skirt of her uniform making it all the more tiresome. She flinched again as she hit a particularly tender spot and ran her finger over a small lump.

“A blister… just fabulous” she grumbled to herself before the rollercoaster roared over her head for the millionth time that day. A small whimper escaped her as the laughter of a small crowd drew her gaze across the space to a small throng surrounding a pair of performers: a large stuffed lion perched on a ball as a moggle balanced on his nose waving sparklers around “At least they’re having fun.”

She replaced the skates with a pair of slip ons and shuffled her ways towards the trams, squeezing into the first one to the aptly named Ghost Square. Their first couple days after helping their feline friend’s coup were spent down in the prison, an uncomfortable affair to say the least. They however finally coaxed Fluttershy into working at the hotel after her request of working at the stables was turned down. The free room was even worth the angrier than usual stares she leveled at them in the meantime, no matter how gaudy and undersized it was.

“Hello Miss Diamond…” the doorman croaked in the ‘spookiest’ voice he could muster. She paused as he opened the door to the ‘haunted manor’ “Good shift?”

“Good to be done with it, thank you James” she smiled tiredly, passing the costumed attendant who seemed to just love being in character, keeping it up even when he didn’t need to. She entered the elevator and pulled off the scrunchy, letting the ponytail of her currently black coiffeur fall free. Still fluffing her hair as he exited the lift and slid her key card at their door, she stepped in, ripped the oversized frames off her face and slumped against the door.

“I’m not going back there!” a muffled voice came from the bed, a curled form holding the sheets tightly over its head. Rarity rolled her eyes, she really didn’t want to deal with this right now.

“Tifa dear you make more than almost all the rest of us combined” she argued “I know it’s not the most glamorous job-”

“It’s Humiliating!” she growled as she sprung up in the bed with a scowl. Her currently blonde hair and blue eyes did little to mute the frustration “And the customers! I thought Hop’s was bad but this…”

“I know Darling, I know” she sat on the bed, putting a consoling hand on the deeply frowning girls arm “Go take a shower.”

“I already did” the martial artist mumbled.

“Well then go get changed, you don’t have time to dawdle” Rarity gave gently, causing Tifa to pout and stomp off to the bathroom. She moved to the wardrobe herself, slipping out of her uniform and into a simple bathrobe. She sat and began brushing her hair, hearing her comrade grumbling on the other side of the door “Look at the bright side Darling, at least you don’t have to wear my horrendous uniform!”

Said door swung violently open, revealing the buxom fighter with her assets enhanced in all the right ways by the Stylized, Black and Yellow Leotard now hugging her form.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she demanded with a glare “I got pinched and slapped FIFTY-SIX TIMES yesterday! It was only a four hour shift! MY BUTT IS STILL RED!”

“Yes Darling, I’m kidding” she huffed exasperated “Now come here so we can do your makeup.”

Tifa twisted uncomfortably, pulling at the fishnet stockings as she stepped forward and kneeled in front of the bed. A dejected look crossed her face as the former seamstress pulled out her kit and went to work.

“Sorry…” the blonde muttered. Rarity returned another tired smile.

“It’s okay dear, I know it’s hardly dignified. This hasn’t been easy on any of us” she applied a layer of eyeshadow as she spoke “At least you’re just serving drinks and not… anything else. You’ll probably make more in tips tonight alone than I did this whole week.”

“Guess these blobs are good for something” she quipped half heartedly, even shaking her chest a little.

“You look phenomenal Dear. I’m quite proud of my figure and still don’t think I could pull this off half as well as you” the horned woman offered. The corner of Tifa’s lip tugged; it wasn’t a smile but it was something. With a few last finishing touches, the martial artist’s makeup was done “There we are, now you look even better. You want help with your stinger?”

“No, one of the girls will help when I get there” she answered, picking up the striped bulb and moving to the door with a heavy sigh “Thanks though, enjoy your shower.”

“Oh I fully intend to Darling” Rarity purred and watched the martial artist solemnly plod out the door. The depression faltered as she stood and made her way to the bathroom, kicking her own uniform into the corner along the way. In truth she really hadn’t been kidding; she hated the dress with a passion. Not that there wasn’t any appeal in that era’s fashion, far from it, but that over stylized rag was not it. That and Tifa really did look good in the outfit, and at least it wasn’t one of the bikini versions.

‘Though I’m sure she’d cause some heart attacks in that too, if she weren’t so closed off…’ the unicorn woman noted absently before stepping beneath the shower’s warm embrace and let the day wash away with a contented sigh.

Tifa trudged her way towards the tram, trying to ignore the glances and blatant stares of those she passed, when a shadow descended in front of her. Her eyes rose to meet a dark toned thestral woman with grey hair before her.

“Um… here” the disguised Fluttershy handed her a plastic bag, not making eye contact before taking back off. Tifa watched her form shrink on its way back to her stall before glancing in the bag. Ointment. She actually got her the ointment she asked for. Fluttershy was paradoxically the one among them that blended in the best at the saucer; people just figured she was from the Ghost Square. The fact no one really knew her face and her not being a small horse or talking dragon also helped limit any risk. As such she was the one now doing most of their shopping, albeit rather begrudgingly.

‘Well, maybe she’s starting to not hate us… as much’ Tifa thought before noting she also wasn’t glaring at her so much lately. ‘She is glaring at the others even more though…’

‘Maybe she just glad she’s not dressed as a bee too’

The brunette nodded to herself as she boarded the transit, holding the ring above her as it took her toward her new daily fate. Fluttershy wasn’t exactly lacking 'assets' of her own, something even her large cloak couldn’t entirely hide. Something Capper even noted when trying to find her a job placement, suggesting she work with Tifa. She met him with a stare she had never laid on any of them before, teaching them the woman had been holding back with them this whole time.

The martial artist thought she heard her muttering something about ‘scars’ afterward too.

The jostle of the tram stopping jarred her out of her thoughts. She stepped off and, with a sigh, made her way to the large yellow and black building covered with neon down the way. From humble beginnings in a Midgar slum, the Honey Bee Inn grew into a wide spanning franchise entertaining people the world ‘round. Yes, even Spira now had a couple locations. So of course “The World Tree of Entertainment” would have a location.

‘Lucky me’ the brunette made her way through the lobby and skirted the edges of the main theater to the changing rooms. Madam Jubilee herself helped with Tifa’s stinger before affectionately shooing her out to the bar. If there were any positives to the job it was that the girls and her boss were all very welcoming and nice. The Madam could have made her a dancer or… worse. But no, she was just making and serving drinks, which… limited the groping. For as progressive as Equestria was as far as gender equality, here it mostly just meant that sometimes she got pinched by women too.

Her shift dragged on before long, most orders coming from the tables while the bar stools were either empty or occupied with people more interested in each other than talking up the bar girls. Not that conversation was easy with the music and shows but if she was gabbing with a customer she could get away with hiding behind the protective counter easier. Plus they sometimes tipped better after chats. The bar head nudged her, jerking his head toward one of her tables.

“Yeah, sorry…” she offered before loading up her tray and making her way back over to the small groups of Shinra employees. She was nervous at first but after a day she realized that not only would her disguise hold up well in the bar’s lighting, but that her chances of running into any of the few employees she had actually met personally were pretty slim. That and the customers weren’t usually looking at her face most of the time. Not that all her customers were bad, most were surprisingly respectful; but they knew why they were here and some were still worse than others.

‘Speaking of decent customers’ she smiled slightly more genuinely as she brought the last of her tray’s load to a quartet of Shinra security. A first class SOLDIER drinking with a second class and a pair of troopers while a bee the martial artist was pretty sure named Blossom played hostess. She was currently giggling at the gryphon female currently trying to egg her fellow SOLDIER into getting a lap dance.

“AERITH!” three of them cheered as she approached, the last smiling gratefully at her for the distraction. They’d been here most of her shifts so far and were almost always in her section, having grown fond of the ‘busty blonde’. The gryphon woman smiled cheekily “Here I was just trying to get the boss a dance and up walks the perfect girl for him!”

“I’m not a dancer” Tifa reminded her gently “Besides, if I’m stuck dancing, who would bring you your drinks?”

“That’s a good point! Still though!” the SOLDIER yanked the normally brunette girl into the booth, an arm draped around her shoulders “Your company would be hard to beat, even in this crowd!”

“We can’t keep her from her work Gild'” the ‘boss’, a white unicorn who’s name she’d yet to catch, admonished lightly.

“This is her work! She can still sit with us a while” ‘Gild’ protested and looked to Blossom “Right!?”

“She most certainly can” the senior bee answered eloquently, and rather pointedly at Tifa. She suppressed a sigh and forced a smile. Still, she supposed it could be worse; her butt was under her and for as boisterous and crude the second class SOLDIER could be, she’d been harmless so far. The woman in question cheered and downed her old glass before starting on her new one.

She found herself sitting with them a good while longer; watching shows, retreating and returning with drinks and following Blossom’s lead playing hostess. In all honesty, it actually wasn’t too bad. She knew she didn’t want to be a hostess, not with their typical clientele. But with this group, it was actually kind of… well, fun. The three were playful and funny while their ‘boss’ kept them in line without being a stick in the mud. This obviously wasn’t his regular kind of scene but he seemed cool enough to go with it for his comrades.

“So…” Blossom broke in “What’s Shinra really doing here?”

Tifa perked up. She of course tried to butter up an employee or two for answers but was either too subtle or not smooth enough to really get anything. Blossom meanwhile just out and asks.

“It’s a convention” the second class answered with a shrug, the blush of ol’ Mr. Booze coloring her cheeks.

“I don’t think so many troopers, let alone SOLDIER, would be here for a business convention” Blossom snarked playfully.

“It is a convention…” Gild repeated and gave a shrug “It’s just not only a convention...”

“Gilda” the senior SOLDIER warned seriously, glass stopped half way to his lips to side glance the woman.

“Who’s she gonna tell?” the winged second class waved him off “Dio found something, we’re just here to protect it ‘till a deal can be worked out.”

“What did he find?” Tifa found herself asking before she could stop. Thankfully it came out innocently enough and no one batted an eye. Gilda leaned in with a drunken smirk to share her little secret with the smug glee of a six year old.

“Materia.”

“That’s it?” Blossom asked incredulously, a skeptical smirk of her own shot back “Must be a rare one to cause all this. He find the Knights of the Round itself or something?”

“Nah!” Gild rasped out “It’s just big.”

“What, like the one made for Cloudsdale?” one of the troopers asked before Blossom started fussing.

“Hey hey now, none of that. Only happy thoughts here at the Inn!” she tried to redirect the tone the question threatened to bring.

“Naw, this one-”

“Alright!” the horned SOLDIER elite stood abruptly, running a hand through his spiky locks before starting to shove the gryphon woman out of the booth. Tifa quickly saddled out to make way for the pair. “I think we should get some rest before our next shift.”

“Oh come on boss, we’re still having fun!” the second class protested as he took her arm. She cut her voice to a harsh whisper “You’re making us look like dweebs.”

“And you’re running your mouth like an ass. Now go sober up before you cause any real trouble” he snapped back and let her go, nudging her toward the exit. He looked to the troopers “I suggest you two do the same while conveniently forgetting this ‘drunken haze’. Understood.”

Subdued yes sirs escaped the pair as they ambled out. The elite sighed and turned back to the bees.

“Sorry Blossom, Aerith” he offered genuinely, shifting uncomfortably at the attention the little scene caused “Still, this conversation-”

“Oh honey no worries about that” Blossom slapped his chest playfully “With everything that comes out of the mouths in this joint, mum is always the word.”

“Didn’t happen then?” he confirmed all the same.

“Just more drunken nothings'' Tifa chimed in. He seemed satisfied and left them with a nod to settle the bill up front.

“Drunken nothings, I like that” Blossom nudged her affectionately.

“Feel free to it” the brunette chuckled back.

“Well I got a new phrase and you got to be a hostess for a bit, looks we both learned something tonight” the bee winked and made her way to another table, quickly earning herself a seat.

“Yeah” Tifa muttered softly “We certainly did…”

“You sure it’s a huge materia?” the drake posed.

“No, but based on what else was said it seems most likely” the martial artist concluded. As soon as her shift ended, Tifa called everyone back to the hotel room. Fluttershy was the only one still on shift but didn’t much seem to care if she lost her job. The others were, as it would mean losing the room, but with this news and a little luck, they may not need it that much longer.

“And you’re sure she said it wasn’t artificial?” Rarity asked next.

“She told the trooper that asked no before she got cut off” she clarified “Look I know it’s not a ‘we have exactly what you’re looking for’ but what else could it be?”

“I’m not saying you’re wrong dear, and a huge materia would certainly explain the large presence of troops at a convention, but if he does have it then why hasn’t he just sold it by now? Or put it up in his little museum?” the former Turk proposed.

“Leverage?” Spike offered “Maybe he’s holding out for more?”

“Shirna isn’t exactly sparing any expense in this search, they’d meet his price” Rarity shook her head “And if it was really that ridiculous of a price they’d just take it, even if it did burn such a lucrative bridge.”

“Maybe they’re planning to” Tifa cut back in “There is a lot of fire power walking around this park right now.”

“Maybe it’s the grand prize” Pinkie spoke up, earning confused looks from everyone save the dragon nodding beside her “...What?”

“Grand prize for what?”

“Well, for the race of course” she answered to the same faces “...The big chocobo race at the end of the week? There’s ads for it all over the place!”

The group exchanged glances all around, the mood growing hopeful.

“Does anyone know how to ride a chocobo?” Rarity began.

“I do” Fluttershy spoke up.

‘Wait’

“Really?” the pony exclaimed “Like how to race?”

“I haven’t raced them” the winged woman scowled “but I know how to ride.”

“Better than the rest of us I bet” Spike pointed out.

‘No’

“Do you think Capper can get us in?” Rarity asked.

“Do you think he can get us a chocobo?” Pinkie returned.

‘Stop’

“And we’d still have to get out even if we do win-”

“STOP!”

The room fell silent as the pugilist called out. They stared at her, wide eyed and not a little bewildered. Suddenly aware of herself, Tifa cleared her throat and rolled her shoulders.

“Okay... simpler plan:”

Dio, the glistening god of the golden saucer, stood in his private booth above the battle square watching a squad of Shinra Troopers trying their skills against the first stages. They weren’t nearly the spectacle that drunken SOLDIER woman offered him the other night but they were not nearly so costly either. He wouldn’t lose as many monsters to this group, though he did lament the lack of entertainment. That gryphon could really put on a show when blowing off some steam. Still, she did bring in a lot of viewers so maybe he’d still make a profit. The sound of the door drew his attention to his secretary now striding in.

“Mr. Dio, Mister Capper says he has some information you need to know” she informed him “He’s waiting for you in the museum. Shall I escort him here?”

“No, this fight is dull anyway” she returned and made his way to one of his favorite places in the park. With only the heavily armed guards at the door and a few patrons that were milling aimlessly about the displays present, the lanky Ronso wasn’t hard to spot.

“As sharply dressed as always boss” Capper gave, ignoring the flat look of the man looking more wrestler than manager as he glanced toward the muffled sounds of battle behind him “Still don’t get the allure of that place, I’ve never been one for violence myself.”

“Would you have me believe your recent return to prominence below was done with silvered words alone?” the statuesque owner returned as he approached. Normally his conversations with the cat were more private, but he had little fear of being overheard here.

“That… wasn’t planned so much as a misunderstanding” the feline articulated carefully.

“Please Capper, I don’t care what you dishonorable criminals do to each other in that desert so long as it stays down there” he gave with some disdain “And so long as the ones you send up aren’t causing trouble. I'm getting a lot of complaints that one of them is scaring people in the Ghost Square.”

“Isn’t that the point?”

“Genuinely scaring them” the manager's impressive mustache twitched as a sneer reached his lips.

“Well wouldn’t you know it, they’re why I’m here” the ronso clarified with a smirk “It would seem some of my recent picks may have stumbled onto some tempting information they just couldn’t resist.”

“As much as I appreciate a fellow showman, I will ask you to get on with this Capper” Dio delivered calmly. Capper simply gave a slight bow, his smile unwavering.

“Of course boss. It seems they learned from some loose lips about that huge materia you dug up” Dio froze. His poker face was commendable but didn’t prevent a quick, nervous glance to his secretary “Oh not to worry sir, I wouldn’t dare spill the secrets of the man holding my freedom. But I am afraid they have ill intent of their own.”

“I’m afraid their information will do them little good” Dio’s secretary interjected, “We intend to announce the race’s grand prize tomorrow afternoon. And we have little intention of allowing any prisoners to race.”

“I thought you were letting previous champions race” the ronso noted.

“The champions aren’t prisoners anymore” Dio countered.

“Fair enough, but with what they asked me to help with I’m not sure the race will be their only consideration” the feline elaborated. The bare chested man simply chuckled.

“Come with me” he smirked and led the way to the back of the hall to a large and heavily reinforced door. He reached to a covered keypad, all angles blocked from sight as he put in a long and rather complicated seeming code. Capper was politely looking away anyway. The door hissed and opened to reveal the owner’s private collection. Capper had actually been in here before, during a similar chat, but a new addition demanded his attention. He let out a low whistle at the large, high tech safe built into the back wall. “See? I doubt even a trickster like you could get into this baby.”

“Not without a good hacker and at least a few hours, more time then I’d ever get” he stroked the man’s ego without sacrificing all of his own.

“Damn right. Not to mention that without the code that door isn’t opening for anything. It could stop a behemoth in its tracks, and I’ve tested that” Capper wasn’t sure if the man was joking. There were rumors he actually had some in the arena’s lowest levels. He led the feline back outside “So you see, I’m hardly concerned about these other considerations.”

“And here I thought I could earn some more brownie points” Capper lamented dramatically.

“And so you shall!” Dio exclaimed boisterously, slamming a heavy hand on the ronso’s shoulder “Just because I have nothing to fear doesn’t mean this wasn’t important! I assume you have pictures of these malcontents?”

“Sure do boss” a folder emerged from the folds of the red coat.

“Splendid! Robin, if you would”

“Of course sir, I’ll have security track them down immediately” the secretary took the folder and swiftly made her way out, leaving the pair.

“I do hope these rare bad picks won’t shine too unfavorably on me” Capper addressed the theme park owner again.

“As long as you point them out afterwards like this they won’t” Dio assured him “Why you keep this up and you’ll be free before I know it! Maybe even with a bit of honor to boot.”

“We can only hope.”

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome! I’m so glad you could join us today for the grand announcement!” Dio’s voice boomed over the museum speakers and over the crowds gathered. The displays had been smartly stored away to accommodate the throng of jockeys, managers and press fluttering about.

“You finally tell’n us what I’m gonna win?” a jockey called out, earning a wave of laughter.

“I wouldn’t count your chocobos before their hatched champ, you got racers from all over the world here for this. And I promise you, this prize is one for the ages” the entrepreneur returned before nodding to Robin, who disappeared into the private collection hall “But yes ladies and gentlemen, here we reveal the prize of this year’s great race!”

The audience stood with rapt attention.

“Something so special even Shinra’s been clamoring all week to get their hands on it. But this is not a treasure to just be sold. Something like this must be earned! No offense Madam President, but if you want this prize, you're going to have to win it!” He delivered dramatically to one of the cameras with a mighty grin. He took a breath to continue but was interrupted by his secretary hurrying back out anxiously. She whispered quickly to his ear “What?!”

“Sir, the safe is missing” she repeated quietly.

“That’s impossible! That the best safe money can-” he hissed before readdressing the crown “Ladies and gentlemen, just a moment please.”

“That safe can’t be cracked, not without setting off every alarm in the park” he grumbled as he and several security guards followed.

“Sir I didn’t say the safe was cracked” Robin clarified and gestured to the back wall, a gaping hole where the safe should be “I said it’s missing.”

“But… But HOW!?” the boss roared “How’d they disable the security!? How’d they get through the DOOR?!”

“I have two entries logged for yesterday sir” a tech announced by the door.

“Two?!” Dio repeated. He looked to his secretary, not accusingly, but certainly confused “Did you come in?”

“They’re both your code sir, no one else’s have been used for over a week” the tech continued.

“Is it possible Mr. Capper somehow memorized your code?” Robin suggested.

“He wasn’t even looking at me...” Dio shook his head, brow furrowed “Still, call him up.”

“Sir” another aide poked his head in “The crowd’s getting restless out here.”

Dio looked around. To the hole, the door, the tech, the aide, his secretary and finally just up.

“HOW?!”

The group stood gathered around the Ronso and Pony working on the safe. Pinkie was doing something clever with a laptop, even more clever than somehow typing with hooves, as Capper listened intently with his ear against the metal. Tifa looked around nervously. They were more than far enough away from the railway station and the outcroppings of rocks and weeds giving them more than enough cover but she bounced nervously all the same. It didn’t help that they had to wait down there a whole day for Capper to show up with the safe, wondering if the plan to smuggle it out as one of the relocated museum displays would actually work.

Or if their feline ally would honor his end of the deal.

“Oh!” Capper exclaimed happily after a twitch of his ears “Good work cotton candy! Now it’s Capper’s turn again.”

He pressed his ear closer as he twisted alternatingly between three dials. They’d been going back and forth like this for almost two hours now. Two long, quiet hours. The second part being from them shushing the moment anyone spoke, and the first from having to start over when either one made a misstep on their respective parts. To have to jump back and forth between a digital lock and a triple dial… Mr. Dio really didn’t want someone in his safe.

A click loud enough for everyone to hear sounded, followed by the heavy thunk of the safe’s lever. With a smile and showman flare, Capper slowly opened the safe, revealing a rough crystal the size of a watermelon glowing a bright red on the center shelf. A low whistle escaped the feline.

“Oh that is a pretty sight, a pity to see it go” the now former prison snitch delivered “But a deal’s a deal, plus I have no idea what I’d do with it anyway.”

He lifted the nexus of magic and handed it to the martial artist before diving back into the safe.

“Looks like you were right Darling” Rarity offered as they took in the sight.

“Feel anything?” she asked the former Turk.

“I don’t think so... but then I’m not sure if I should” the unicorn woman answered hesitantly.

“You’d feel it” Fluttershy stated simply.

“So this one is for a different bearer, assuming it’s attuned to a current”

“Aren’t they all?” Tifa asked quickly.

“Not necessarily. Shinra has found master types before, attuned to the different varieties and not a current. This could actually be a master summon...” she pouted briefly before brightening “But either way this will certainly give us an in with AVALANCHE.”

“How do you know they want it?” Spike asked, walking around the Ronso sorting through the rest of the safe’s contents with Pinkie helping organize.

“Because it was what they were after at the tower” the former Turk answered grimly “Those weren’t fodder troops they sent to the lab. I don’t know where they stand in the group but you don’t send firepower and experience like that unless you know there’s something to get. They knew the materia was there. And if they wanted that one, they’ll most assuredly want this one.”

“Either way we don’t want Shinra to have it” Tifa concluded “And if AVALANCHE can deal with the trouble of protecting it instead of us, all the better right?”

“Ummm…” the trio’s attention was drawn back to the safe where a reluctant Capper was looking up at the party's pegasus. She was holding up a rather large pistol, examining it closely. The deal was they got smuggled out and would keep the huge materia while Capper was free to whatever else was in the safe. Apparently the gun was in the safe. Fluttershy gave the inquisitive cat a single glance before he smiled uneasily “Suits you!”

She gave noncommittal hum before simply grabbing the weapon’s spare magazines and a box of what looked like a very large caliber of ammo and walking a little ways ahead. He looked back at them perplexed.

“Can any of you get an actual read on her?”

“Yes, angry” Rarity answered bluntly, earning a giggle from Pinkie.

“Well then!” Capper sprung up and simply swept the rest of the safe’s contents haphazardly into a bag, now earning a huff from the pony. “I suppose this is where we part ways. A sad thing to see you all go.”

“Yeah, thanks Capper” the martial artist shook the ronso’s hand.

“Yes, I dear say we’d be lost without your help” she offered her hand as well, to which Capper regally bowed to and kissed “Charmer.”

“It is my game… though speaking of” he straightened and looked back to Tifa “While it’s not an uncommon trick of the trade, you don’t exactly strike me as the thieving type. What made you think to take the safe to crack it later?”

“Saw on tv once” She admitted and followed with a paraphrased quote “Safes have advanced beyond simple clicks and tumblers over the centuries. They’ve gotten a lot harder to break. But walls? Walls haven’t changed much.”

“Yet people still trust them” Capper chuckled “And the code?”

“Mime” Tifa answered again “I have the mime materia. That’s why I just had to see him when he put in his code.”

“Really?! Those are a rare prize…” the feline marveled. He looked at his bag of loot before giving it a jostle “I don’t suppose you’re interested in a trade?”

“I... can’t really part with it” she fumbled out less easily.

“Well, can’t blame a cat for trying. Anyway as I was saying; Sad to see you go but I have I feeling parting would be better for my health. Ladies” her purred to the trio still present before nodding to Spike “Gentle lizard”

“Alley cat” Spike returned with a smirk matched by the ronso, who gave one final bow before absconding with his haul. They released a collectively held breath as he left sight. It had been a week, that was for sure. They looked to one another and to the pegasus waiting ahead.

“To Ponyville?” Pinkie asked.

Rarity nodded with an unhappy sigh.

“To Ponyville...”

Author's Note

Okay, so before you all start rolling your eyes thinking "Well there was Thisguy's yearly update" I am happy to inform you that the next three chapters are actually already written! I know right?! They just need another pass or two in editing and they'll be up in relatively short order- only days apart AT MOST, if not notably less.

Also, at the moment my inspiration and, perhaps more importantly, motivation seem to be holding up so I should hopefully still be writing more regularly after their release too. I'll be aiming for a chapter every couple of weeks, though more often would be nice too. There WILL be more chapters, I've just learned not to make promises about this the timing...

But for now, as always, Thanks for reading and have a good one!