The Equilibrist, The Illusionist, The Tamer and The Wizard sat together in the V.I.P room at the ”Golden Apple Slice”. A dazed Rarity laid in a corner with bound hooves. Nopony spoke. Everypony sat quiet and looked at the Canterlot clock tower’s dial. The seconds crept forward ever so slowly, but nopony dared to look away. Even The Tamer’s twitches had subsided. The clock showed ten fifty-seven. Three minutes until the grand finale began. The atmosphere in the room felt like charged with electricity; it could practically be touched with bare hooves.

The Tamer didn’t look at the dial, per se; he looked at the lead gray sky behind it. The Canterlot weather team had secluded a major downpour tomorrow morning, and the clouds were already assembled. He saw the minute hand move. Two minute left. He felt his smile getting wider. This was going to be wonderful. It was not often he had that much cloud to work with.

”Turn us loose, let us rage, guide us, direct us,” The winds whispered in their soft, powerful voices. His left wing twitched slightly in excitement.

”Soon, yes, soon,” he whispered back. He continued to stare at the sky.

The minute hand moved.

Topsy got up from his chair and took on his old Wonderbolt’s uniform, complete with a . The fabric was torn and patched after years of hard use without replacement, but The Bearded Mare had done what she could for it. Topsy picked up the saddlebags with ’stromfood’. He went out on the club’s backyard and closed his eyes. He remembered the moment from all those years ago as clear as it was yesterday. It was like watching a movie.

The grand arena, the cheering crowds, the emerald green grass, the sapphire blue sky and bright sun on his dark blue wings. Spitfire had been in front of him to the right and Fleetfoot behind him at his left. He and Soarin had discussed something in the changing room just a minute before, some new trick they should try at the next training session. The Tamer did not quite remember what the trick was. But he did remember the winds.

When he preformed his weather stunts, he could sometimes hear the winds call to him and guide him, but that day was the first time her heard them when on the ground too. He loved it. He felt ALIVE! Other ponies could create gusts of wind, manipulate lightning, or maybe even summon a twister, but he was something else, something more.

In that moment, when he heard the winds during that show, he realized it. He could not create a gust of wind, he could become a gust of wind. He was one with the winds and sky, he underwood them like no other. He was The Twister.

The minute hand moved, and he heard the bell beginning to toll.

”TWISTEEEER!!!” He screamed as he preformed the same motions he had all those years back when he took off into the arena. He bent his backlegs and aligned his body. Smooth and agile, yet powerful and tensed, like a projectile ready to be launched. He shoot of with his hind legs and flapped with his wings in just the right moment. Before he realized it, he flew up, up, up in the sky, fast as the wind.

He opened his eyes again and forced himself to think of Ditzy. He could not afford to lose control completely. He had to direct the winds carefully, else he would spoil the whole operation, and likely half the city too. But before he had to worry about that, he had to actually create the twister.

Topsy flew away from the city, up high, around the majestic cloud, then dropped down on the amassed storm from above. It took him fifteen minutes just to get in place, but he was undiscovered. So far, so good. He closed his eyes for just a moment. He could hear the power pulse in the clouds, dormant and calm for now, but with a burning wish to break loose.

”Come to us, help us!” The clouds called with pleading voices.

Topsy smiled. The sheer power in the clouds made him feel wonderful, it filled him with life. The power of the sky itself was his, for he was the twister, the storm, the thundercloud.

He was the king in the sky. No, he was the sky.

And now it was time for some fireworks.

The Tamer picked out the first incendiary bomb and chip of flint from his saddlebag. With a practiced movement, he struck a spark, lit the fuse and threw the bomb down in the cloud. The moment after he let go he flew away to avoid getting singed.

The bomb detonated with a sharp rumble, but hardly any explosion; he could not afford to scatter the cloud, after all. He just wanted to heat it. Topsy lit the second bomb and threw. A few bombs later, Topsy dove straight through the cloud. It was pleasantly warm now.

As he got down, Topsy began to fly to and fro under the clouds, looking for the place…

Canterlot was built of a mountain wall. A mountain wall blocked winds. When the winds collided with the cliff face there was only two ways it could take; to the side or upwards. The winds that shot upwards were now cold in comparison to the clouds. Thus the hot air in the clouds and cold air in the updraft met just above the city, and the result…

BOOM!

…Thunder.

”Hey, what do you think you are doing here?” The Tamer was brought out of his patrolling and looked to his left. A turquoise pegasus in the Wonderbolts recruit uniform flew beside him. Her mane had two shades of brownish gold. ”Nopony is allowed near the clouds, so get lost, won’t you?”

The Tamer slowed down and placed himself just above the Wonderbolt recruit. ”C-catch me,” he whispered with his slithering voice. Then he pumped his wings hard again and left his pursuer behind. He could knock her down, but that shouldn’t be necessary.

”Oh, yea? That’s the game you wanna play? Then that’s the game we’re gonna play!” He heard the mare’s voice behind him, followed by wingbeats.

”Let us ripple and flow. KNOCK HER OUT OF THE SKY!” The winds screamed at him. He felt a rush of power well up within him. He was the sky, he was a god. What was this little mare to him?

He let his laughter bubble to the surface. This was just to rich. She followed him? She actually followed him? HIM? How amusing. He went into a sleek roll and twisted it into an elegant U-turn. It would happen soon; he heard it. The clouds had started to charge up with tremendous power. He dodged the pursuing pegasus’ clumsy jab and flew of towards the epicenter. All above him he felt the surging electricity within the clouds. He let his hoof glide against the cloud surface. The lightning felt like the heartbeat of some giant beast.

He closed his eyes and listened. The winds around him roared, and the electricity crackled faintly in the air. But from one direction something was wrong. There was something there, something that blocked the currents. It closed in, came at him and would reach him exactly…

NOW!

The moment before impact he rolled to the side, still with his eyes closed. He felt the soft fur of a pony glide past him and up in the seething mass of clouds. His pursuer had tried to hit him from below, but he heard her. She gave a startled little yelp when she realized she missed. She was his. The clouds were his element.

He flapped his wings and followed his opponent into the cloud. He felt the gray mass surround him, and he heard like he only could in a thundercloud. His keen ears picked up everything, every little change in the cloud. It was like seeing in all directions at once.

He pulled up and stopped. He stayed absolutely still and let the clouds speak to him in its enigmatic language. He cringed as he felt a large disturbance in the pattern, like a blot of ink in a letter. The currents were blocked and forced to take another way. He knew what it meant. She was struggling to orient herself, blinded and scared of the hostility of the cloud.

”GET HE OUT OF US! SHE DOES NOT BELONG HERE!” The cloud screamed in agony. A scowl entered Topsy’s face. He would not stand for his cloud being hurt. He kept his eyes closed and began to paddle himself carefully through the cloud to where he felt his enemy.

”Where did you go!? Come here and fight like a pegasus!” She screamed somewhere in front of him. Apparently she tried to hide her fear behind a strong facade. How stupid.

”I’m here, demoted recruit Lightning Dust,” The Tamer hissed as he pushed his wings to get up to some speed before he flew right at his enemy, grabbed her wings, went into a somersault and threw her forward into the epicenter of the storm. While she was still dazed by his violent attack, Topsy turned and began to fly around her. He was just a few ponylengths away, but in a cloud you couldn’t see a hoof in front of you. He flew in a wide circle around her and the cloud epicenter.

He felt it; this is where the cloud was about to form a tornado. Now he just had to help it a little. Slowly the cloud started to move with him. Together him and the cloud began to spin quicker and quicker. The currents became dislodged, and crackles of electricity began to shot around him. Around, but not at him. The cloud would never hurt him. Faster and faster they spun.

”H-Hey, what’s the big idea!?” Lightning Dust’s voice came from within the swirling mass of thundercloud. There was a terrified edge in the voice, not that Topsy cared about her now. He changed his trajectory a little, and began to move downwards. He had created a fine base for his storm, but to give it life, he had to create a wind funnel all the way down to the ground.

Just as he left the cloud, he felt another disturbance in the winds. Something had entered the swirling mass fought in against the spin. Topsy opened his eyes and threw a quick glance to the ground. It was far to long. His storm would be severely weakened before he could get it connected. He flapped is wings hard and returned to the clouds. Somepony was interfering with the wrong pony’s work. Somepony was going to regret it.

He was shocked by the fury within the cloud when he entered. Lightning snaked to and fro every second, followed by a threatening rumble. He closed his eyes to let the winds speak. He was overwhelmed. The cloud cried out in agonizing pain, firing bolt after bolt against the pegasi in its epicenter. Topsy could feel them. There was five ponies in the cloud, struggling to fly against his storm.

Furious, he flew towards the moving bodies. As he went, he took a piece of cloud with him and pressed it close to his body. Topsy felt the small jolt of electricity within the cloud. It was not very strong lightning, but it was strong enough, especially when it was delivered with his strength behind it. He began to compress the tiny thundercloud.

As he closed in on the flying pegasi, he ripped the cloud piece apart and placed the two smaller clouds over his front hooves like a pair of boxing gloves. He kept his eyes closed, but he could feel the lightning ripple through the clouds on his hooves.

He came closer and closer to one of the disrupting ponies and drew back his front hoof. Even closer, aaaaand…

”Feeling thunderstruck?” He snickered as he closed in. He opened his eyes just in time to see a very surprised pegasus stallion less than a hooflength away look at him. His hoof flew forward like a bullet.

The pegasus screamed as Topsy’s ”glove” hit him on the jaw. Topsy saw the pegasus’s wings cramp up and his legs twitch as he began to fall. The paralysis would probably disappear before the pegasus crashed, but a near-death experience should be enough to prevent him from interfering more with Topsy’s work.

One down, four to go. He closed his eyes and realized another pegasus were flying at him. In fact, three other pegasi were flying in a circle to counter the storm, so they would all come right at him. He readied another punch, dodged quickly to the left as his opponent came, and hit her in the side. Two down, three to go.

Topsy stayed where he was and took out another two opponents as they tried to fly past him. The last one refused to come, though. Annoyed, he closed his eyes and listened to the winds. Where was she?

…

Apparently the last pegasus had come up with the idea of forming a small twister inside his large one. Topsy scowled, for one of the best ways to kill a twister was something rotating in the wrong direction.

Then he realized something. He could use this. His old twister was more or less dead, so he might as well use the small twister as base for his new one. Quickly, he turned around and began to fly along with the last pegasus. The twister built up rapidly, dragging in more and more of the surrounding clouds and becoming more and more violent.

Suddenly the clouds broke up around him.

The wind funnel was created. He had created a twister for real. Now he just had to knock the last pegasus down, and connect the wind funnel to the ground.

It was Lightning Dust. She looked around for her comrades in the suddenly clear space, but couldn’t see them. All she saw was a multicolored streak flying around the wall that made up the funnel. She was alone in a twister with Topsy, and he laughed like a maniac. The laughter was like needles to the ears. It came from everywhere at once. Lightning Dust gave a small squeak of terror. She hovered in the middle of the Twister, looking for a way out. But every direction she looked at just held another distorted image of Topsy’s face.

”WHAT IS YOUR WINGPOWER, LIGHTNING DUST!?” Topsy screamed. ”MINE IS OVER A HUNDRED WHEN IN THIS TYPE OF SPIN! THINK YOU CAN MATCH THE TWISTER!?”

Lightning Dust’s eyes widened in shock. The Wonderbolt elite squad peaked at about fifty to sixty-five each. A hundred, if Topsy was speaking the truth, was unheard of; and yet it must be true. Eight hundred was required to build a large tornado from scratch, and while Topsy couldn’t do that, he could certainly help a twister considerably with his flying.

He was a monster.

Lightning Dust was interrupted in her thought by an incredible powerful updraft. She looked down, and she saw the ground. The twister was complete. The wind funnel was connected to the ground. Immediately a multitude of items began to dart through the air.

Whole trees, pave stones and pretty much everything not secured came flying. The items shot past her faster than she could follow, but somehow Topsy managed to stay in the wall of wind and dodge everything that came at him. He was like water, flowing around and about the items that came at him without being touched by anything.

”I’ve gotta get out,” Lightning Dust whispered to herself. She had no chance of stopping this herself, and if she stayed there was no telling what Topsy might do. She fell in the tornado’s rotation and began to fly with it. Her speed picked up far quicker than expected. She had never flew half as fast before.

”RRRRRAAAAHHHH!” She screamed in part excitement, part terror, part determination. She broke out of her circle and smacked into the wall of wind. She felt like she had hit a cliff face. Her speed dropped alarmingly fast and she barely got a few hooflengths into the wind wall. She pumped her wings as fast as she could. Long, powerful strokes that made her move just a little bit further. The wind pressed her backwards but ever so slowly did she power through.

Suddenly the world became a firework of colors and a haze of pain. Without understanding what had happened she found herself spinning and tumbling in the tornado, completely out of control. Stones and debris hit her all over her body as she was flung about erratically in the wind. She flapped her wings to stabilize herself but was struck by more and more trash. Instinctively she folded her wings over her head to protect her face.

Topsy looked at the hapless victim as he nimbly dodged the projectiles that spun in the storm. ”Should I help or watch her fall?” He thought calmly as he watched a brick hit Lightning Dust hard on the wing. He thought he heard a scream of pain, but then winds distorted most sound.

”Let us have her! She is ours! She hurt us! Now we hurt her!” The winds screamed in powerful, ecstatic voices. A tree trunk flew in the twister and smacked Lightning Dust over her back. Now he was sure he heard a scream.

Topsy hissed and broke out of his spin. The storm was powerful enough to sustain itself now. He was done with the first part of his job. He twisted his body to dodge the debris as he slowly made his way to the beaten up pony. She didn’t appear to fly anymore. In fact, it looked like she was praying.

Topsy flew faster and faster in the twister while watching Lightning Dust take blow after blow. Suddenly, he broke out of his rotation and flew directly at the Wonderbolts recruit. He locked eyes with Lightning Dust for just a moment. She looked utterly terrified, as if she saw death himself coming at her. ”Please…” she whispered. How he could hear her he could not understand.

He collided with her and forced her into the wind wall. He listened and was sure to keep away from any debris. Lightning Dust on the other hoof was getting pummeled again. He refused to let go, he pumped his wings faster and faster and more or less crushed Lightning Dust against the wind wall.

Then suddenly, they were both out. Like launched from a cannon they were flying out perpendicular to the wind funnel. Lightning Dust didn’t seem to understand what had happened, but at least she did not object when Topsy laid a foreleg around her barrel and held her closely.

With a rupturing sound they both crashed down on a rooftop. Topsy’s horseshoes cracked the tiles under him and he felt a stabbing pain shot up through the three legs he had caught himself with.

He panted for a moment before he, gentle as ever, placed Lightning Dust on the roof, picked out a syringe from his saddlebag and injected the mind numbing drug. She could not have her remembering him.

They looked at each other for just a moment. Mismatched orange and purple looked directly into brownish gold.

”T-Topsy…” Lightning Dust whispered before she fainted on the roof.

The Tamer looked for a moment. ”The winds wanted her to die…” he thought as he blasted of again. There would be time to think later.

*****

The Bearded Mare, The Clown and The Escape Artist all stood nearby the Canterlot train station when the storm broke loose. Ditzy trampled anxiously and looked around at the scores of ponies around her who were trying to get home in the increasingly violent weather. It didn’t take too long for the few night travelers to leave the station. She saw the station manager come out, dressed in a long raincoat, and put up a placard on the front door. Suri went closer to read.

”The trains from the city has been canceled due to the storm, as predicted,” she said after a quick glance. ”I think we can start now, m’kay.”

Trixie nodded and levitated up her lock picks and got to work on the door. Ditzy and Suri kept watch around the street, not that they expected anypony to be out a night like this. ”Done,” Trixie mumbled as the lock clicked open. The three ponies went inside and quickly went to the manager’s office.

Trixie took off her typical hat, reached inside and produced a small glass orb. She nodded to her accomplices. Ditzy took the doorknob and pulled open swiftly, at the same time as Trixie lobbed her glass sphere into the office.

A startled scream was all they heard of the manager before they pushed the door closed. The confused and frightened pony tried to get out, but they kept the door firmly closed while Trixie’s sleeping gas did it’s work. After a minute, the thumps on the door silenced.

”Alright,” Trixie said with a relieved voice. ”The Confident and Positive Trixie believes that should take care of our problems for now. Miss Polomare, Trixie hopes you have our… outfits, yes?”

”M’kay,” Suri said and produced three rough, pretty dirty, repair pony uniforms. ”These should help us blend in well. Let’s get to it.”

The three mares donned the uniforms and then casually made their way to the barnyard were all the trains were kept. They stopped before one of the trains.

”Okay then,” Trixie said with a spirited voice. ”Tell Trixie how much delay the steering spells need and she will take care of the rest.”

”I have The Equilibrist's calculations here,” Suri said and produced a sheet filled with numbers. Among the illegible writing, there was a drawing of the train track between Canterlot and Ponyville. The time it would take for the train to reach some key curves were marked. All Trixie would have to do was to delay her spells on the steering wheel so that the train turned at the exact right times to take the curves. Not easy, but practice makes perfect. Trixie began to work while the others kept watch.

It took them about half an hour in total. The three ponies left the station and Trixie opened up one of the passages to the sewers. In a storm like this, that would practically be the only mode of transportation. ”I will wait by the airship,” Suri said. Trixie gave her a map with the airship docks marked clearly. ”See you there.”

”And I’ll help at the castle!” Ditzy said happily. ”Gimme the map! I’ll make myself useful!”

Trixie handed the parchment to Ditzy, who immediately disappeared into the sewers. Trixie went into a side alley and hid from the worst weather in an alcove.

*****

”Alright, time to begin,” The Equilibrist said calmly. ”We all have twenty minutes to find a good position. Fire at midnight, sharp.”

”Got it!” The Wizard said excitably. He picked up the large suitcase with his weapons, and went over to Rarity. ”Come along now. This place is cold and windy, let’s find someplace warm, shall we? Like a castle?”

Rarity looked at The Wizard darkly. ”Very funny, Filthy,” She said with a, for her, rude voice.

”That’s Mr. Rich to you,” Filthy corrected. ”And, for the record, I wasn’t asking.” Rarity felt like she was blasted with a shotgun as he opened the door. Hail and rain hit her all over her front. She looked out through the door. The first she saw was a multitude of flashes that lit up the otherwise dark sky. Lightning shot between the clouds and some even struck the ground. The rumble of thunder filled the air. Rarity turned towards the castle.

The scenery had changed drastically just from the storm. The dark clouds framed the pale structure in a wild type of beauty. Lightning struck the towers almost constantly, and the trees nearby were ripped to shreds in the powerful gales.

Filthy half jostled and half led her out of the door. ”Come now, It’s not a long walk,” He said calmly. He did not seem the least unnerved by the storm. ”And don’t try anything stupid now. Remember I’ve got you covered.” He tapped his suitcase.

Rarity swallowed and began to trot towards the castle with Filthy behind her. It only took a few minutes from the club. When she came closer, the winds suddenly disappeared. Rarity looked around, surprised. The hail and rain seemed to vanish when it came close to the castle. Even the winds were dampened. She looked at the sky and could still see the rain fall, but it didn’t reach her. It was like they fell on an invisible bubble.

”Where is everypony? Where are the guards?” she mumbled to herself, ignoring the strange weather. Rarity and Filthy had no problems whatsoever to get into the castle. The place seemed deserted.

”Probably fighting of Twitchy’s tornado, or maybe The Illusionist has changed their orders a bit,” Filthy explained casually. ”This is not exactly the first time we break in. Practice makes perfect.”

”I see you don’t care at all for all the damage you cause with that twister?” Rarity responded in an ice cold voice. They turned and went up a staircase.

”Not much, no,” Filthy said in the same casual voice. ”Great art can never be achieved without great sacrifice, and everypony will speak of our escapade for years to come. Surely it’s worth a little grief?”

Rarity did not deign to answer. It echoed in the empty hallway as they went in silence.

”What made you go down such a dark path, Filthy?” Rarity asked slowly. ”you, who have everything. Why take such a risk? Was it more wealth? Is that all?”

”Mr. Rich,” Filthy corrected, clearly annoyed. ”And I have plenty of wealth, thank you very much.”

”Then what?”

”I was bored,” Filthy said simply. ”What fun is wealth? It doesn’t make your life more exciting, If you are not interested in buying pointless trinkets. No, I wanted to do something interesting, something challenging, something… something with stakes, something no pony else dared to or could do.”

”For… your amusement? You ruin pony lives for… your own amusement?” Rarity couldn’t believe her ears. Ditzy had joined because she was too kind to leave Topsy behind, and Topsy was… well, Topsy. To him it was ether The Circus or jail. Both of them had to some degree been forced to join, and then learned to like parts of what they did.

But Filthy Rich had no reason at all, he just wanted to have his little fun, and woe be those who came in his sights. ”HOW CAN YOU!?” Rarity screamed.

Filthy chuckled. ”I have had everything I ever wanted on a silver platter all my life, and it was…boring. The thrill of the crime, Rarity, thrill of the crime is what I seek…” His face became serious again. ”And don’t scream, or else…”

Rarity shot him a murderous look and kept on walking up the stairs.

”And here we are!” Filthy said happily after a few minutes. He stood in front of a large oaken door with Princess Celestia’s cutie mark. Without a care he pushed it open and entered.

They stepped into a combined bedroom and office. The large canopy bed was soft and luxurious, seemingly built inside the room. A large ebony wood desk with quills, ink and paper in perfect rows stood directly to her right. Every little detail seemed to represent the utmost perfection of its kind. The most beautiful of chandeliers, the most exquisite marble on the floors and the plushest of pillows. To her right there was a small door, and beside it the exit to a large balcony.

”Who can have a room like this? Is it Celestia’s herself? But then why are we here?” Rarity thought silently. She had yet to figure out what the Circus’s plan was.

”Out on the balcony, now,” The Wizard said with a commanding voice that sent chills down Rarity’s spine. She turned around and looked into the frost blue eyes of Filthy Rich, behind a loaded crossbow aimed at her chest.

”J-just be careful with that thing,” Rarity mumbled nervously and backed out on the balcony. The wind immediately began to rip in her mane. Filthy did not lower the crossbow.

”All the way back to the railing, in behind the door,” he said shortly. Rarity obeyed while keeping a close look at the crossbow. She felt the cold stone railing against her hind legs, and the door hid her from inside the room.

”Sit down,” The Wizard said. Rarity’s legs nearly gave out on their own. She had never been under direct threat before, and something in Filthy’s voice frightened her. There was no mercy in his voice. Just quick, cool commands. She sat down with the railing against her back. Filthy threw a rope to her.

”Tie up your hind legs to the railing,” he said. Rarity found herself obeying. Once she was tied up, Filthy finally lowered the crossbow and went up to her. He took her fore hooves in his and tied them up as well. Then he checked all knots and pulled the ones she had tied a little tighter.

”Now stay there, and you will soon be free,” he said. ”I will lave you now, but remember that I still have you covered, and your magic is easy to spot in the dark.” The Wizard unpacked something from his saddlebag. At first Rarity though it was a sack of some kind, but then Filthy began taking it on.

When he was done Rarity understood what it was. It was a wing suit. A tight costume that laid perfectly against Filthy’s sinewy body and with large pieces of fabric between the legs, almost like the wings of a flying squirrel.

”Ciao,” The Wizard said and leaped from the balcony. Rarity saw the winds catch him and send him upwards. He was swallowed by the dark in a moment. Rarity sat alone on the balcony, tied up and freezing. The darkness felt threatening, for she knew that somewhere out there, a crossbow was aimed right at her.

*****

The Equilibrist stood on the wall around the castle with a small crossbow on the hip, courtesy of his friend Filthy Rich. He scoured at the giant castle and tried to find the Princess’s room.

”There,” The Equilibrist said and pointed.

”Right you are, as always,” The Equilibrist said. ”Well then, see you there.” He deftly leaped from the wall and crossed the castle garden. A few birds sung in the bushes, but they silenced when he passed. He placed himself under one of the towers and looked up. It seemed far higher from here.

”Well, might as well get to it,” he said to himself. He looked around and tried to plan his course. It took but a few moments, the rest he would make up as he went. With his plan in mind, he pulled out a rope and threw a lasso around the branch to an old willow tree with a practiced move of his hoof. He tested the rope, was pleased, and climbed up. After untying the rope, he proceeded to throw it at a gargoyle at the castle wall. He tied the rope around his branch and tested again.

Pleased, he quickly ran over the rope to the wall. There he grabbed the gargoyle for stability and used his magic to untie the rope in the tree and levitate it to him. He rolled it up and slung it over his shoulder.

”So far so good,” he mumbled as he slowly went along the castle wall on a thin ornament shelf. It took him nearly five minutes to move the quarter circle around the tower. Now he was directly under Celestia’s balcony, and had another tower directly ahead of him. He spotted The Equilibrist making his way up by letting Prankster fly with a grappling hook to different outcroppings and balconies.

The Equilibrist proceeded to throw the rope to the other tower, gallop over, and then repeat the process until he found himself just below a window at the tower beside Celestia’s. He perched himself on a small outcropping, probably once built for hosting a gargoyle. The Equilibrist picked up his saddlebag and levitated out his wing suit. He would have to glide a short distance up to the balcony, but that wouldn’t cause any problem in this updraft.

Changing clothes was not the easiest thing to do on a tiny outcropping with a deadly fall at three sides, but he managed. He folded his normal clothing neatly and put it in the saddlebags, along with his trademark hat.

Once properly dressed, he paused for a moment and calculated the time he should have left. ”Should be about four minutes or something?” he mumbled to himself. ”I should get ready…” The Equilibrist armed his crossbow with the strongest sedative money could buy, and sat still on the outcropping. Every fiber in his body listened for the toll of a bell.

He nodded to The Equilibrist when he saw him perch himself on a similar spot on the tower beside him. Prankster sat on his shoulder. They were ready and waiting.

*****

This was by far the worst weather Twilight had ever experienced, and that included the chocolate milk rainstorm. If she had her wish, she would lie in her bed, snug and warm under the blankets and watch the storm from her castle, preferably while swapping ghost stories with her friends.

Unfortunately, she did not have that wish, and was forced to experience the storm on a much more personal level than she would have wanted. She was soaked and freezing as she trudged towards the castle entrance. The rain made the streets slippery, and the thunder made Twilight look up at the sky every few seconds. She hardly noticed the violent display, to preoccupied with thoughts to care.

Everything came down to this. Now she would get Rarity back. Now she and Bon-Bon would capture the elusive Circus. And now she was on the way to meet the Illusionist and finally learn what they wanted with her. They had gone through a whole lot of trouble to get her to cooperate, so it must be something very special. But what?

The clock was eleven thirty-five when she left Bon-Bon’s agency, so it was almost time for the meeting. She stepped into the castle’s protective barrier and trotted up to the main entrance. It was deserted. Confused, she looked around. Even if it was not time to meet the Illusionist, there should still be guards here.

”They are off fighting The Twister, literarily and figuratively,” A lazy, aristocratic voice came from behind her. She quickly turned around and found herself looking into the sinister, ice blue eyes of Prince Blueblood. ”Why are you here, Princess Sparkle? Nopony should ever act alone, after all. I don’t.” Blueblood smirked.

Twilight choked on the words. She had expected The Circus to have some contact in the castle, but not Blueblood. He was the highest ranking pony in the Canterlot aristocracy, second only to The Princesses themselves. He could trace his lineage back to Princess Platinum. HOW did The Circus gain an ally like him? And, more importantly, what had inspired him to actually work? Blueblood was infamous being lazy and generally useless.

”What’s the matter, princess? Stunned by my limitless charm?” There was no irony in Blueblood’s voice. To him it was a legitimate question. ”Most mares are, but I’m afraid you are far below my league. Nothing personal.”

Twilight shook all the questions out of her head and forced herself to concentrate on the matter at hoof. ”What do you want?” She asked curtly.

Blueblood looked insulted, but didn’t object. He tilted his head to the left and started to walk down a corridor. Twilight followed.

”Where is Rarity?” Twilight asked as they climbed the stairs.

”What does it matter? Annoying mare can be in Tartarus for all I care,” Blueblood replied with a bitter voice. ”And why are you interested in her when we can talk about my favorite subject, me?”

Without waiting for an answer, Blueblood continued. ”I went to Hoity Troity’s shop the other day, but not even he had anything worthy of my grandeur. So I went to eat instead, at… somewhere, I don’t recall. But the place was pretty bad. Don’t go there.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. Something told her trying to silence him would be a lost course, so she let him ramble on.

”Ah, here we are!” Blueblood suddenly said. He had stopped just behind a corner at the top of a stairwell. ”Look away, if you please.” Blueblood removed his cravat. Before Twilight had any chance of turning around he had produced a white, incredibly tight suit. Twilight looked at it without understanding as the Prince took it on.

”Looks horrible,” Blueblood said with a displeased voice. ”I will speak with The Equilibrist about this, mark my words.”

Twilight was not sure what she was supposed to say to that, so she remained silent.

”Now, Sparkle,” Blueblood said with a cold, commanding voice, ”Be silent and stay back. We will begin soon, and you are not going to get in my way.” Out of the saddlebag he levitated up a small crossbow. Twilight saw a dart glint dangerously in the barrel.

Blueblood Stood silent and still, seemingly waiting for something. Hoof steps made him look up. There was a slightly metallic clang with the steps, one that Twilight associated with Celestia’s golden hoof guards. She heard a door open with a small creak. Blueblood held his breath.

The door closed with a small thud.

Blueblood exhaled beside her, and smiled a predatory smile. He was excited for something. ”Soooon now,” he said, drawing out the word to fill the fateful silence.

And far away, almost inaudible over the storm, a bell began to toll.

Author's Note

As I have mentioned, I did not have a proofreader for this, so if you spot anything sloppy I would very much appreciate it if you could point it out. Constructive criticism and comments in general are very welcome.

Now I'm done with the boring stuff. Time to begin The Canterlot Caper for real.

Also, have you figured out The Equilibrist yet? I will reveal him in the next chapter.