The Canterlot Caper

by Silvermyr

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Coco Pommel, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Other, Thriller, Mystery, Bon-Bon, Rarity, Adventure
Length: 66675

The Circus is a group of ponies shrouded in mystery. They are the best thieves in Equestria, and if you have money to pay, then they can get you whatever you want. Even something most ponies would consider impossible...

Circus.

To most it means a traveling fair with fun and games for fillies and colts, mares and stallions alike. A place to marvel at fantastic feats of balance, strength and wit. A time to be enraptured by cascading light shows, dazzling illusions and hilarious clowns. Whenever a circus is in town, each and every pony will want to be there.

However, there are a few to which ”The Circus” means something else entirely. After all, not everypony can be as virtuous as the princesses. Sometimes, you just have to accept that dirty tricks are necessary in order to have your way. For ponies who are willing to act upon such urges, there is The Circus. A rival needs to be taken down a notch? Call The Circus. Missing a painting for your collection? The Circus is on it.

Questions are rising. Why did they strike against Coco Pommel? Who would want to steal from Celestia? Just what is The Circus after? And, most important, who are they?

Don’t stop, don’t hesitate. The Canterlot Caper has begun.

Can you figure out who is hiding behind the "other" tag?

Proofread by Rosebug

Published 2015-11-29 22:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-04-29 20:28:24 UTC

Chapter one- Manehattan Mischief

The music was not loud enough. Vinyl looked up from the spinning records and glanced out over the room quickly from her slightly elevated position. Fancypants and his lady, Fleur de Lis, sat by the bar and looked at Vinyl’s boss, who was preparing some of his amazing drinks. It looked like Masterful Maximum Mint Madness for Fancypants and Playful Peach Powerhouse Plus for Fleur. One glass was crossed through with peppermint stripes and the other was bright orange, complete with slices of lemon and lime for the striped one and one piece of peach for the other. Her boss flashed one of his dazzling smiles and began to create two more drinks at the same time for Soarin and Spitfire.

On the floor in front of Vinyl, Rapidfire was dancing with some mysterious mare Vinyl had yet to learn the name of, and in a corner with a couple too many glasses in front of them, sat Fine Line and Vinyl’s marefriend’s friend, Beauty Brass. Fine Line had slightly reddened cheeks and whispered something while nodding towards Rapidfire.

While Vinyl could not hear the music herself due to her large headphones, she knew how real music was supposed to feel when she touched the speaker, and this was not it. She thought she might try to increase the volume just a little. She looked over at the large cage in the corner of the room, just besides the bar where Fancypants indulged in his drink.

The cage was high enough for four ponies to stand on each others backs, and even wider at the floor. Through the shiny bars, Vinyl could see a generous amount of colorful flowers framed by large leaves, along with the most beautiful parrots she had ever seen. She knew there were five of them in the cage. She had been introduced to them the first night at this gig.

There were Simon and Julia, two large, dark blue Hyacinth Macaws with gorgeous plumage. They were the largest of all parrots in the cage. There was also Matthias, a pretty small, lime-green Golden-Plumed Parakeet. He would have been Vinyl’s favorite, if she could bring herself to like the animals that forbade loud music. Finally, there were two white Cockatoos with a yellow comb of feathers on each of their heads, called Varg and Vixy. Vinyl had nearly fallen of the stage in surprise when she heard one of them speak. She had no clue birds could do that.

Vinyl sighed and dropped the thought of real music. She had tried once, and the parrots had gone absolutely bonkers. It had taken her boss a large amount of seed and magic to calm them down enough for Vinyl to hear her own music. The parrots were extremely loud when agitated and most of the guests had given her angry glances. Luckily, her boss had not fired her for that little stunt.

Vinyl looked about the rest of the room. It was what one might expect at a club like this. Red wall-to-wall carpet on the floor, except on the dancing area which was clad with the most expensive wood there was. A large shelf held some bottles of wine and champagne along with various mismatched trinkets. Vinyl was pretty sure she had seen houses cheaper than those bottles.

The room was dimly lit and gave a cozy and secret feeling at the same time. The room practically yelled ”VIP”. Only a select few ponies were allowed in here, either as guests or thanks to bank accounts that could be mistaken for phone numbers. It was only fitting that the best DJ in the world handled the music, and the master of drinks mixed up his creations here. But even the best DJ had never seen the holiest of holies, the small door with a golden sign. Inside was the VIP room of the VIP club. Only ponies hoof picked by her boss were allowed in there.

Still, no doubt about it. Club ”Golden Apple Slice” was the best thing that had happened to Vinyl since she got her cutie mark. This place was the cream of the cream of the crop, the most exclusive place in Canterlot, and her paycheck reflected that. Her boss was a nice guy too, and the guests loved her sound.

Vinyl glanced at the large design clock at the wall and saw it approached midnight. About three hours until most guests would leave, and she could get one of her boss’ special drinks free of charge. She let her tongue lick her lips as she though about the Raging Raspberry Rainbow Raider, her favorite.

”Cheers,” She whispered to herself as she switched out a record without the slightest break in the music.

*****

”Cheers,” The Equilibrist said with a peppy voice as he raised his drink, not one of the special creations, but plain apple cider. His friends all raised their own drinks towards the pink mare in the room, who looked around with smiling, slightly embarrassed eyes. She had finally done it. She was a full-fledged member of The Circus.

”From this day forth, you will be called ’The Bearded Mare’ while we work,” The Equilibrist said with an amused, but not unkind, smile. The mare sighed in mocked resignation.

”And there is no way I can have another name, is there?” she asked for the thousand time.

”Hey, it does fit your work, does it not?” The Wizard chuckled. ”The mare with a thousand faces. A beard is foalsplay, isn’t it?”

The Bearded Mare glanced at The Wizard with a dark look that broke for the wave of laughter coming from her. ”I guess it does fit,” She said. The atmosphere in the small, white room was happy, rambunctious even. For the first time in pretty much forever, they welcomed a new member into the inner circle. Even the large whiteboard that normally was filled with their respective assignments had been cleaned. Nopony should think of their jobs tonight. Now was the time for celebration.

”Well, Bearded Mare, you know of our rules,” The Escape Artist said as she lifted her blue drink and nodded towards her. She took a sip. ”Is there any old grudge you want to settle before you leave your old life behind? Last chance. Can’t have that type of thing getting in the way of our work, now can we?”

The Bearded Mare’s heart began to beat faster. This was what she had waited for. While she really liked the ponies she worked with, thought of them as friends even, it was this that made her seek out The Circus from the beginning. This was why she had wanted to join them, as she could never afford to hire them the normal way.

”Yes there is. I want you to ruin a certain mare, m’kay?” The Bearded Mare said. She knew it was an unnecessary question, but one should be polite when speaking to her equals.

”Yea, yea, whatever,” The Illusionist said with a lazy voice. The Bearded Mare looked at him. Of all ponies she had met in the circus he was the greatest shock. He was famous. Big time famous. Why would he join The Circus? He who had everything?

Then again, she would have preferred that he was not here. He was just as bumptious and self important as the rumors said. Put simply, he was one big pain in the flank to deal with. Nevertheless, nopony could deny that there was a core of skill and wit under his lazy surface. Unfortunately, he seemed to know that too.

”Coco Pommel,” The Bearded Mare said the name like a curse.

”And of course I have to do that.” The Illusionist said with a sigh. ”We geniuses have to make sacrifices for you slow ponies.” He rose from his chair while looking around the room with an air of smug superiority. He lifted up his glass, emptied it and began to walk towards the door.

”No, you don’t,” The Bearded Mare said calmly, ignoring The Illusionist’s comment. ”She lives in Manehattan at Wideway twenty-six. Besides, I have waited for years. I can wait another day.”

”F-fine, wh-what-t-t exac-c-ctly d-do you w-want-t?” The Tamer asked with his typical stammer. There was a nasty glint in his mismatched, half mad, eyes. Or, at least The Bearded Mare thought so. It was hard to read anything from The Tamer.

”Make her lose her work and her money, alright?” The Bearded Mare said slowly, ”Nothing more, nothing less.”

She continued in her mind. ”That will teach her. She would be nothing without me, but she stabbed me in the back. Well, let’s see how well generosity works when you have nothing to give! I’m doing her a favor, really! It’s everypony for herself in the fashion world, whether she is too naïve to understand it or not!”

”Sounds like a job for me and… The Clown?” The Equilibrist asked with a questioning look around the room. ”Where is she, by the way?”

”RRRRAK, Clown, Clown, RRRRAK” A large Glossy Black Cockatoo said with a raspy voice from its pin. It flapped its wings as flew through the air and landed on The Equilibrist’s back. He levitated up some seeds for the bird.

As if on cue, The Clown came through the door and looked around apologetically. ”Sorry, everypony. I had to finish some orders, and then the train was late, and then…”

”It’s not the first time,” The Illusionist interrupted with a demeaning voice. The Clown’s ears laid flat to her skull as she sat down at the table.

”No matter,” The Equilibrist said dismissively. ”We have a new member, The Bearded Mare, master of costumes and disguises.” He beckoned towards the purple mare, who looked at The Clown. She had not worked much with her during the initiation, but she could understand why they could have use for a pony like this. It was impossible to think that she was a member of The Circus.

”Hello, and welcome,” The Clown said, cheerful as ever, and heightened a glass of cherry juice in a toast. Unfortunately, she moved her glass a little to energetically and spilled half of the contents over The Wizard. ”Ooh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, really, I didn’t…” The Wizard dismissed her clumsy apology with a wave of his hoof.

”No matter. I have enough bits to buy a new tie, after all…”

The Clown immediately became happy again. She then flapped her wings, flew over the table and landed beside The Tamer, who took her hoof in his.

”By the way, we just got a job tomorrow,” The Equilibrist said excitedly as he sipped at his drink.

”Okay…” The Clown said with a somewhat tired, but submissive voice. ”I wanted to get some real sleep tomorrow night.”

”Well, that is not going to happen,” The Escape Artist said with a mischievous smile. ”But The Escape Artist will think of you as she falls asleep tomorrow.”

The Clown shot a sullen look at The Escape Artist. ”Thanks,” she said with a resigned voice.

”So, how much do you need?” The Wizard asked. He removed his tie and leaned backwards.

”Some material for the masks, and two first-class tickets to Manehattan,” The Equilibrist responded after a few seconds thought.

”They have to be first class, don’t they?” The Wizard said with a voice that was half amused and half asking. ”Fine, you will have the stuff tomorrow.”

There was silence for a few seconds.

”So, you want any proof or something?” The Equilibrist said with a smile towards The Bearded Mare.

”Just tell me how she looked, m’kay?” The Bearded Mare said with a wicked grin.

”You got it,” The Equilibrist said as he levitated up some more seeds from his pocket. ”Here you go, Prankster,”

”RRRRAK Prankster! RRRRAK, Prankster!” The parrot answered as he dove in at the seed.

*****

The moon was high over Manehattan. A lonesome carriage was the only thing moving in the grand city, trudging sleepily under the streetlight. Nopony saw the two ponies covering at the roof of a skyscraper at the Wideway street. The pegasus and the unicorn with his large parrot and ropes around his body both laid on the roof with binoculars pressed to their eyes. The looked through the window of one of the very few apartments that still was lit up.

Their target was a very cute mare. She had cream colored coat and two tones of turquoise in her mane and tail. Around her neck she wore an orchid collar with a pale red scarf. She had been sewing for the last few hours. She also had made the mistake in angering The Bearded Mare. That was pretty much all they knew.

”Curtains rise, for now the show begins,” The Equilibrist said calmly as he draped the mask The Beaded Mare had made for him over his face. He looked at a small mirror he had brought and noted with pleasure that his looked exactly like Hoity Toity with exception of the horn on his forehead.

The mask was made by some semi-soft plaster that laid perfectly against his skin. So perfect was the fit that the lips moved when he spoke. Even he had to look closely to find any flaws in it. He looked at The Clown and found Fleetfoot looking back at him.

”I’ll say, The Bearded Mare is really good,” The Equilibrist said.

”These are way better than the ones we had before,” The Clown chimed in.

”A shame to hide your face though,” The Equilibrist said with a kind smile. The Clown fidgeted a little, and it was apparent that she blushed under the mask.

The Equilibrist turned away and looked over the knot he had tied to the thick pipe just behind him. He tested it a few times, and was pleased to see that it held firmly. He levitated the other end of the rope up, tied it to a grappling hook, and threw it over the edge of the skyscraper. It had not begun to fall before Prankster picked it up and flew off. He heard The Clown rummaging through her saddlebag, probably checking everything for the hundredth time.

The Equilibrist saw his trusty companion dump the grappling hook onto Coco Pommel’s balcony railing. He looked at the rope in front of him. It was very slack and he would have to move three floors downwards. It swayed a little in the wind. Piece of cake for him, but a deathtrap for anypony else. He began to trot down the rope with The Clown flying beside him.

He looked at the rope in front of his hooves and caught a glimpse of the street far below him. He did not care in the slightest; he was The Equilibrist. The rope swayed, but he knew it would and balanced it out with his own bodyweight as he went. The two ponies had crossed the street in just a couple of seconds and stood on their quarry’s balcony.

The Clown went forward to the window and knocked. Coco Pommel looked up from her work and met the Equilibrist’s eyes. He noted that she flinched as she saw them outside her balcony door. The two ponies on the balcony looked at Coco, and she looked back like she had seen a ghost. The Clown knocked again. The mare in the room got of her chair and opened the door.

The Clown sprung from her position near the door and slammed into Coco Pommel. They both fell on the floor and The Clown put her hoof over Coco’s mouth to prevent her from screaming. She was a Pegasus, and so much weaker than Coco, but she had the element of surprise on her side, as well as decent knowledge in hoof-to-hoof fighting. Besides, she was in tip top shape due to her work.

Coco tried to shake her hoof away, but The Clown held steadily. She saw Coco heighten her front hooves to hit her. That was exactly what she had waited for. She hit Coco three times rapidly in the stomach, noted how her enemy exhaled, and then leaped off her to give The Equilibrist time to preform his signature trick.

The four ropes snaked without magic through the mess of the apartment as Coco was still trying to catch her breath. The four small lassos each landed perfectly around Coco’s hooves, and The Equilibrist pulled quickly, tying them.

The Clown hopped at Coco again and put a damp cloth over her mouth and nose. She noted that Coco tried to hit her, but the force of the blows was dampened by The Equilibrist pulling the ropes as Coco tried to fight. The Clown hit Coco in the stomach again and her opponent exhaled. She saw Coco’s terrified glance as she tried not to breath, as she knew what that would mean.

But Coco’s instinct won over her mind. She opened her mouth and breathed greedily of the chloroform in the cloth. Coco continued to inhale the strong smelling air, and became more and more dazed with every breath.

The Clown got off her now defenseless target and scooped Coco up on her back.

”Here will do, come on,” The Equilibrist called from another room. She followed the voice, and entered a bedroom. Her partner stood by the bed and nodded to her. She dropped Coco on the bed, and The Equilibrist began to tie Coco’s legs up. Before long, the dazed mare was stretched like an X on the bed.

The two ponies waited calmly for Coco to come back to her senses. After fifteen minutes, The Clown went up to Coco and clopped her hooves in front of her.

”Hello, how do you feel? I didn’t use to much, did I?” The Clown asked anxiously. ”Sorry, I really don’t know the dosing too well…” The now wide awake and frightened Coco looked at The Clown with a terrified glance.

”HEL-!” Coco began before The Clown’s hooves muffled her screams.

”Now, now, calm down, would you?” The Equilibrist said with a professional voice. ”We will not hurt you if you do exactly as we say, you understand? Just cooperate, and everypony wins.”

Coco looked at The Equilibrist with tears in her eyes, and then nodded. The Equilibrist could clearly see that she was hyperventilating.

”Good, why be enemies when we can be friends, right?” The Equilibrist chuckled to himself. He sat down at the bed beside Coco. ”First of all, I’m The Equilibrist, criminal mastermind, and this is my colleague, The Clown. Hello.”

Coco looked back at him with the same terrified look. She didn’t answer. The Equilibrist paused for a second, then continued.

”Now, The Clown and I have a small task to perform, and then we will be out of your hair. Where do you keep your money?”

The three ponies looked at each other, and Coco sighed in resignation. ”The safe in the closet in the room you entered,” She said unhappily. ”The code is ninety-six thirteen.”

”A pleasure doing business with you, miss Coco,” The Equilibrist said with an assertive voice. ”Clown, if you please.”

”Okay!” The Clown nodded in her excited way. She looked through her saddlebag and took up a foldable tripod and camera. She placed the equipment a bit away from Coco and looked through the lens. Coco’s lower body was seen in profile, her cutie mark clear in sight, but the ropes around her ankles were left out of the picture.

The Equilibrist placed his head a bit above Coco’s lower stomach and held perfectly still. The flash lit up the room five times as The Clown snapped a series of photos. She was careful to leave The Equilibrist’s horn and Coco’s tied hooves out of the picture.

”What are you doing?” Coco asked silently, dreading the answer.

”We are getting some juicy articles for the Manehattan Times and the Canterlot Courier,” The Equilibrist said with a wry smile. ”I reckon Hoity Toity will like seeing himself on the front page with you, eh? You are rather cute, actually, but I’m sure you get that all the time.”

Coco’s breath caught in her throat. Those pictures likely looked downright scandalous, and Hoity Toity was never the most forgiving stallion. He was the pony with capital P in the fashion world, and what was displayed in his boutique was going to be all the rage the next few seasons. To make an enemy out him was a sure way for a designer to kill her career.

And to pretend to have an affair with him was one sure way to make him an enemy.

If the pictures were published in the most popular newspapers there was, then Hoity would never touch anything she had made ever again. Her reputation would be as bad as Suri’s.

Coco forced herself to remain somewhat calm. She licked her lips. ”W-what do you want?” She asked silently.

”You. Ruined,” The Equilibrist said without heat. ”Now, that’s your immediate assets and your contacts taken care of, so let’s move on.”

The Pegasus who looked like Fleetfoot trotted out of the room and could be heard messing around in Coco’s studio.

Coco cried silently. Why did this have to happen to her? She noted her right leg being untied. Through her tear-filled vision she saw a checkbook and a golden pencil being held towards her. She could not see how much the check was for, but it looked like a large number. ”Sign, if you please. I am sure the Manehattan day care will appreciate your donation.”

Coco looked with tear-filled eyes at The Equilibrist. ”Please, let me go,” she begged silently. ”I have done nothing wrong, I am just a designer. Please let me go… please…”

”That’s former designer now,” The Equilibrist corrected. ”Hurry up now, or I will be forced to show you some other ways to use a rope.” A new, thin rope appeared from within The Equilibrist’s suit and he held it in front of Coco. She gasped as she saw a multitude of tiny spikes penetrating the fibers. It was more of a barbed wire than a rope. She shook with sobs as she picked up the pencil and wrote her name on the check, validating it.

”Thank you,” The Equilibrist said. He put the checkbook in his suit pocket and looked at the sobbing Coco.

”I’m done!” The Clown called from Coco’s studio. ”Ready to light!”

”Then let’s hightail out of here,” The Equilibrist said calmly. ”You are not going to mention this to the police, right? Else we simply must return and… remove the evidence, as it were,” He let the barbed rope slide over Coco’s belly as he spoke.

Coco nodded furiously and the tears sprinkled the bed around her. ”I won’t say a word, promise, just please don’t hurt me, please.” She looked with pleading eyes at The Equilibrist.

The Clown quickly snapped a picture of Coco’s crying face. The Bearded Mare would probably appreciate that. ”Light it,” The Equilibrist said as he began to untie Coco.

The Clown skipped into Coco’s studio. A zapping sound could be heard, followed by a roaring flame.

”Your sewing machine short-circuited and burnt down your store of cloth and started projects. The Clown and I were never here,” The Equilibrist explained as he rolled up the ropes and slung them over his shoulder.

The two assailants were not stressed in the slightest by the fire in the next room. They left the bedroom where Coco was crying her heart out and went to the balcony.

”RRRAK! Fire, fire, RRRAK!” Prankster said as he climbed in the grating that made up the balcony railing.

”Fire indeed,” The Equilibrist said as he leaped up on the rope, and galloped along it with The Clown flying beside him. As he left his makeshift bridge for the roof where they had spied on Coco, Prankster picked up the grappling hook and flew towards him, erasing all proof that they had been there.

”Curtains fall, for the performance is over,” The Equilibrist declared.

”Not quite yet,” The Clown reminded him. ”Hand me the check, and I will post it to the Manehattan day care and the photos to the newspapers.”

”Alright, I will alert the firefighters,” The Equilibrist said and handed the check to The Clown. ”See you at the train station in an hour?”

”Make that one hour and a half,” The Clown said. ”I saw a bakery that was still open on the way here. And was it really necessary to threaten her? Poor thing looked terrified.”

”That was the point,” The Equilibrist said patiently. ”Besides, you know I would never go through with that.”

The two ponies stood silent for a few moments. ”Get me some apple fritters, would you?” The Equilibrist said lightly and went towards the elevator. The Clown flew from the roof.

Author's Note

So there is my first chapter. Feels good to finally publish it:yay:.

Good luck with the guessing game!

On a sidenote, The Equilibrist's bird, Prankster, is a Glossy Black Cockatoo, which is an actual species of parrot, looking like this. Yes, I know they can't speak in our world, but this is Equestria:pinkiecrazy:.

I hope you find my story as fun to read as it was for me to write.

Chapter two- V.I.P Villainy

The Wizard yawned loudly as he woke up in his lavish mansion. The rest of his family, and his butler, had already left the house to go about their morning routine. This meant The Wizard had the house to himself today. That was just as nice. A pony like him had too little time for himself, so any time alone was welcome. He laid on the bed for a few minutes and enjoyed the warm, snug feeling.

After a few minutes of thinking about all and nothing, he got out of the bed and stretched, put on his silken bathrobe, trotted down to the street, and collected his newspaper. Apparently Derpy had actually managed her job today for a change. After having prepared a cup of strong coffee, The Wizard sat down and opened the financial pages.

”Due to a large Parasprite infestation in the orchards of Apleloosa, the prices of applesauce and cider are expected to rise,” The Wizard read out loud. It was not what the newspaper explicitly said, but it was what it meant if you read it properly. He made a mental note to visit Sweet Apple Acres. He could probably buy some stuff now and sell it later for a good profit.

He continued to skim through the financial pages for a couple of minutes before he turned to the actual news. He was greeted by a large picture of Princess Twilight in front of her castle. Apparently she had acted as a diplomat between Equestria and the Yaks or something, but honestly, who cares? Yaks made poor business partners. Hairballs might end up breaking half his mansion before they even read the contract.

He had to search among the notices before he found what he was looking for. There was a small picture of a meek-looking earth pony with a hat cutie mark beside a few rows of text. The Wizard knew his friends had done a good job, but he read the article anyway.

The world famous designer and fashion critic, Hoity Toity, is suing the designer behind the Bridleway musical The Wizard of Ooze, Coco Pommel. This is in response to a series of pictures published in Saturday’s Manehattan Times. Coco Pommel is unreachable for a comment.

”Excellent news, as usual,” The Wizard concluded as he closed the paper. He stretched, put away his bathrobe, donned his reserve tie, and casually went out to Ponyville. He took a deep breath and thought about what he should do today.

”The club this evening,” was his first thought. ”But before that, I really should get to Sweet Apple Acres, and probably place an order at Rarity’s too while I’m at it. I need a new tie to replace the old one… perhaps one should take a look at the store too…” With his plan in mind, The Wizard casually went towards Sweet Apple Acres.

The clock was nearing eight thirty P.M when The Wizard said his goodbyes to his daughter and butler, and went to the train station. The sun was setting and the streets bathed in an orange light. He nodded to the few ponies he saw on his way, and they nodded back to him.

He bought his ticket to Canterlot, first class of course, and sat down at a bench. He picked up the thriller he was currently reading and threw a glance at the large clock. The train would not arrive for another fifteen minutes, and then there would be at least ten minutes until it left again. Plenty of time to read a chapter or two.

He had just opened the book when he heard a train approaching. He did not really care, for it was not his train, but something made him look up nonetheless. He looked at the passengers behind the windows as they passed before he dropped down into his book again.

”Terminal station, everypony, please leave the train,” The conductor called to The Wizard’s right. The platform was quickly filled with ponies scuffing and calling for relatives, or just trying to get away from the station.

”Excuse me, sir, but do you know where Rarity lives?” A soft voice came from just in front of The Wizard. He ignored it, positive that whomever it belonged to was not speaking to him.

”Hello, sir?” The Wizard looked up with a glance of mild curiosity. He did not quite manage to hide his surprise. In front of him stood Coco Pommel, their most recent target.

”Can I help you, ma’m?” He said after a small pause while he gathered his wits.

”Do you know where Rarity lives?” Coco asked again. It was not lost on The Wizard, that Coco already looked pretty worse for the wear. Her eyes had a somber glance and were fixed on the ground as she spoke.

”Carousel Boutique. Just follow the main road through town, and you will find it to the left just after Town Hall. It is a large, round building,” The Wizard said as his mind worked furiously to analyze the fact that Coco was here. ”Actually,” he said slowly, ”allow me to show you the way.”

”Ooh, that’s very kind of you,” Coco said with a small smile. ”Thanks.”

”You are welcome,” The Wizard said as he put his book in his saddlebag. The trip to Carousel Boutique was less than ten minutes, so he would have more than enough time to get back to his train. Of course, nothing forced him to help Coco, but something told him that it was not a coincidence that she was here. In the off chance she tried something stupid, then it would be good to know quickly.

”Pardon me, but did I see you in the newspaper some time ago? A… fashionista or something…?” The Wizard asked lightly.

”Designer,” Coco answered, and her face dropped down to the ground again. ”Or… former designer… I don’t want to talk about it…”

The Wizard shrugged and continued to guide Coco in silence as he thought about his next move. ” I will probably have to monitor this…” he thought. ”Why did she have to come? How annoying.”

They were both silent the rest of the way to Carousel Boutique, and The Wizard made an inviting gesture with his hoof. ”Here it is. I am afraid I will have to leave you now, for I have a train to catch.”

”Of course, thank you again,” Coco said with a nervous voice.

The Wizard went back the way he came, looked over his shoulder to be certain Coco did not see him, and quickly hid behind a corner. He listened carefully, and heard Rarity’s voice coming from the boutique. He could not make out any words, but there was no mistaking that voice. As soon as he heard the door close he made his way back to the house.

He put his ear to the door after making sure the coast was clear. He heard nothing. They were not on the lower floor. The Wizard quickly looked up to the windows on the upper floor and dismissed the idea equally as quick. He was a decent climber, but it would look very strange if somepony saw him, and he did not want to get anypony to get suspicions of him for such a minor detail.

”I will have to look into this later…” The Wizard mumbled to himself as he went towards the train station.

*****

Rarity did not really know how to react when she opened the door. Of the ponies to visit her at a random evening, Coco Pommel was not at all who she was expecting. Not that she complained, but it sure was strange.

”Do come in, darling,” Rarity said after the initial surprise had subsided.

”Thanks, Rarity,” Coco said with a tired voice. She stepped into the combined shopping area and home, and was met with about half a dozen of ponyquins with half finished dresses. Rarity closed the door closed behind her guest.

Coco took a deep breath and turned to Rarity. She forced herself to look up from the floor and into Rarity’s eyes. They seemed surprised and a little worried. ”I… Rarity, I need your help…” Coco stammered.

Rarity gave Coco an encouraging smile. ”Yes, dear?”

”I… I need a place to live…” Coco said with an ashamed voice.

Rarity was taken aback. The fact that Coco Pommel came to visit was strange as it was, but this? This was stranger than the time she accidentally turned every street in Ponyville to gold. She was silent for a few moments while she tried to grasp Coco’s request.

”Ooh… alright, I will leave. Sorry for bothering you…” Coco said with a voice on the verge of tears and she began to back towards the door.

”Nonsense, I was just a bit surprised, is all,” Rarity said quickly and put her hoof on Coco’s shoulder. ”Come, I will make your bed.” She wanted to ask Coco quite a few questions, but her intuition told Rarity to let it be for now. Coco would tell her eventually.

Rarity guided the starry eyed Coco up to her own bedroom and opened up a closet. Her horn lit up as she levitated out a mattress, a pillow and blankets.

”Just a moment dear, I will have my own bed ready in no time. If you feel like it, you can rest now.” Rarity gestured towards her large bed. ”Or perhaps you would like something to eat first?”

Coco looked at her with eyes like a stray dog that have found its master. ”B-but… I can’t take your bed. I will sleep on the floor. I will be fine, promise.”

”Out of the question, dear,” Rarity said with a kind tone that broke no argument. ”You are my guest, so you sleep in the bed. Now, do you want a sandwich with some tea? I am afraid I don’t have much to offer at this hour…”

”Just some tea, if you would be so kind,” Coco mumbled. The flush on her face and submissive demeanor told Rarity that she felt uncomfortable by her generosity.

”Why, certainly, my dear,” Rarity smiled and went down in her kitchen. The tea was almost ready, she had put it on the stove before Coco came. She would not have her customary one and a half cups, but she would make do. She poured the tea in two small porcelain cups and magicked them onto a tray.

Coco looked at some of Rarity’s fabrics when she entered. Rarity put the tray on her desk, and sat down on the bed. Coco mumbled something that Rarity did not quite catch and sat down beside her. They drank their tea in silence.

”Soo… how long do you plan on staying?” Rarity asked. ”Make no mistake, you are quite welcome, but I need to know so I can plan my own schedule.”

”I… don’t know,” Coco said silently. ”I have no home to return to, so I guess I will have to stay as long as you let me…”

Rarity nearly choked on her tea. Coco had lost her home permanently? What had happened?

”Do you want to talk about it?” She asked carefully. It was apparent that something was clawing at Coco, and keeping silent about it would only make it worse. Rarity knew. If there was something good to be said about the whole Photo Finish fiasco, then it was that she had learned how it felt to have a dark secret.

”I can’t tell you, Rarity,” Coco said. Her cup was shaking slightly in her hooves. ”They… they forced my silence…”

Okay, there definitely was something very sinister going on here. Rarity felt her heart freeze as she heard Coco. It was not an accident? Somepony had deliberately forced Coco out on the street? Rarity swallowed her immediate anger and took Coco’s hooves in hers.

”Your secret is safe with me, dear. Nopony will know without your consent. Won’t you tell me, please? What has happened to you?”

Coco looked up at Rarity with scared eyes. ”Promise?” She whispered.

”Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Rarity said. She did mot make the typical movements, for she was holding Coco Pommel’s hooves.

Coco frowned and gave Rarity a questioning look. ”Pinkie Promise,” Rarity explained. ”Breaking a Pinkie Promise is the fastest way to lose a friend.”

Coco nodded and took a deep breath. ”Two ponies broke into my apartment a few days ago. They… stole all my money, both in the house and the bank; then they burned my apartment.”

Rarity was shocked. Of course she read about things like this in the newspapers sometimes, but she never thought it could happen to anypony she knew.

”A-and then…” Coco sobbed quietly and spilled some tea on the bed. ”And then they took…p-pictures of me… It looked like… like I had an… an affair with Hoity Toity. I… I have no work, no money, no contacts. I have nothing left.”

Coco’s dam broke. She leaned towards Rarity and cried on her shoulder. Rarity sat silent and let her. She gently stroked her back. Something told Rarity that Coco did not want to hear any encouragement right now. She just wanted to cry, to let it all out, so Rarity let her.

They sat together for more than an hour until Coco’s crying slowed down a little. Rarity lifted up her head and looked into Coco’s red eyes. ”Darling, you must go to the police with this,” she said tenderly.

”N-no!” Coco exclaimed in a frightened voice. ”They said they would return if I did. I can’t go to the police!”

Rarity nodded slowly. The burglars might very well be bluffing, but she saw that it was a risk Coco did not want to take. ”Then will you let me talk to Twilight Sparkle? She always has some good advice.”

”The Princess?” Coco asked. ”Do you think she will care about me?”

”She will,” Rarity said with a kind smile. ”I know she will.”

Coco looked at Rarity with doubting eyes that slowly gave way to just be tired and wary. She sighed. ”O-okay, we will talk to Twilight. Tomorrow.”

”Tomorrow,” Rarity confirmed. Coco broke away from Rarity and laid down on the bed. Rarity used her magic to switch off the light as she laid down on the mattress. They were both silent for about fifteen minutes before Coco spoke.

”Rarity?”

”Yes, dear?”

”Thanks. For everything.”

”You are quite welcome.” Rarity was sure to put as much warmth in her voice as possible.

*****

Fancypants had a frown on his face as he walked up to the Golden Apple Slice Club. He was alone tonight, for this was not a pleasure visit. He did not want to get Fleur roped into this if something went wrong.

According to his liege, there was an underground organization at works in Canterlot. A skilled organization, just what he and his liege needed for their plan. Apparently this club was the only way to contact them. Time to see if the rumors were true.

”The Circus, the artists,” Fancypants repeated to himself. Those two words were pretty much all he knew. How his accomplice had learned about them was anypony’s guess. Then again, his accomplice was a mare with contacts…

Fancypants licked his lips and casually went up to the door. The suited bouncer at the entrance looked at him once, and nodded. Fancypants nodded back and entered. A wave of trendy music hit him as he stepped into the warm interior. The DJ sat behind her booth, a couple of ponies sat by the bar and marveled at the creations being whipped up at breakneck speed.

”RRRAK, HELLO!” One of the white parrots said as Fancypants entered. Its yellow feather crest rose.

”Greetings,” Fancypants answered the bird. He magicked up some seeds and fed to the parrot as he went up to the bar.

”Lord Fancypants, such an honor. What can I get you?” the bartender asked in his slick voice.

”The usual, one Masterful Maximum Mint Madness, if you please,” Fancypants said. Might as well have something to drink while he tried to figure out what to do from here.

”Coming right up,” the bartender said as he levitated six bottles and a lot of mint leaves into the air.

After marveling the bartender’s process of creating the drink, Fancypants took a sip and allowed the sweet, fresh and somewhat biting taste to assault his taste buds. He sat still for a while and drank while listening to the music. The generous amount of alcohol soon made him a bit more relaxed.

”Bartender,” Fancypants said, and the unicorn came immediately. ”It seems I find myself in a bit of a predicament,” he began tentatively.

”Oh,” the bartender said with a look of polite interest. ”I’m sorry to hear that.”

”It seems I have need of some certain ponies for a very… delicate job,” Fancypants continued, hoping for some sign of recognition from the bartender. He was met with a blank stare.

”I… see,” the bartender said neutrally as he poured another drink together without looking.

”I just wondered if you have heard of some skilled artisans, lately. Your club is the meeting point for the most important ponies of their field, after all…”

”Weeeell, there are a couple of artisans who might serve adequately… very skilled… and no questions asked,” the bartender said slowly. Fancypants noted that the unicorn’s look had changed. The polite interest was replaced by a cold and analytical glance.

”Might I meet them?” Fancypants said excitedly. He might have found them, their plan might actually work.

”One Predatory Powerpony Passerby Prank coming,” The bartender said loudly. ”Sign here if you please.” The bartender slid a small paper towards the surprised Fancypants.

He looked at it. A receipt. He was just about to sigh as he saw the small words scribbled in the corner.

”Four A.M tonight,” Fancypants looked at the bartender, but he had already disappeared to serve Rapidfire his drink. A Jippiekayay Jalapeño Jumbo Jammer, if Fancypants was not mistaken. Not many other drinks had a jalapeño stuffed into the glass after all.

The hours went by slowly, and Fancypants eventually found himself alone in the bar. Even the DJ had gone home for the night. The expensive designer clock woke him up from his tired stupor. Four lonesome tones reverberated through the air. As he looked up, he found himself face to face with the bartender.

”Come,” the unicorn said with a serious voice. He and Fancypants went towards the V.I.P room.

*****

”Leave it to one fool to find another,” The Bearded Mare said bitterly. ”I am surprised Coco has actually grown a spine since last I saw her but I can’t say I like it, m’kay?”

The Wizard was still catching his breath. He had arrived somewhat late to the club, and the meeting had already begun. He missed the beginning of the report on the Equestria Games Gamble, and the whole report on the Trottingham Trap, their two active operations. Not that he cared, he more concerned with Coco Pommel.

”What do we do with this, Illusionist?” The Wizard asked nervously. ”You are the one who usually deal with this kind of stuff, what do you suggest?”

”Not much,” The illusionist said with a superior smile, as if he was explaining the simplest thing to a foal. ”I don’t like Rarity either, but as long as only she knows, then this doesn’t matter.”

”But she does have contacts with the Princess of Friendship. That might cause problems,” The Equilibrist said with a ponderous voice.

”RRRAK! RRRAK!” Prankster said from his pin. He flapped over to The Equilibrist and looked at him with expectant eyes. The unicorn levitated up some seeds.

”So, you two fools,” The Illusionist pointed at The Wizard and The Clown,” Will have to be on the lookout. That’s all there is to it. Just don’t do anything stupid for once, watch and wait.”

Everypony was silent for a moment, before The Tamer continued his interrupted report. ”As-s I w-was t-trying t-to s-say, the E-Equestria G-g-games-s b-business is t-taken c-care of. Mrs-s Ha-harshwinny’s-s l-last-t-t co-co-competit-tor has been… d-dealt-t wh-with…” The Tamer’s twitchy smile looked too large to fit on his face. His mismatched eyes darted from one end of the room to another without ever focusing on anything. They stopped at The Clown, who gave him a sincere smile.

”And the payment?” The Wizard asked.

”F-fifty t-thous-s-sand-d bits-s will be s-sent-t to the club next-t-t weeeek,” The Tamer responded quickly. He turned to look at The Wizard faster than what could be healthy for the neck.

”So that’s another job well done,” The Escape Artist said with a haughty voice. ”Was there ever any doubt?”

”None,” The Wizard said, now calm again. The Illusionist knew what to do with Coco, he just had to watch and wait. They could take care of Coco later if needed, but that was not his job.

The room was silent for a few seconds, before a knock could be heard from one of the two doors, the one that led to the club.

The atmosphere immediately shifted. The air felt like charged with electricity. I t was so thick with excitement that it could practically be felt with bare hooves. Their trusted bartender had found another potential contract. The Equilibrist got off his chair and took a small note from the table. He something down on it. Everypony knew what he wrote, just a single word.

”Who?”

He slid the note under the door. A few seconds later it came back.

”Fancypants, huh?” The Equilibrist said. ”Wizard, think you can handle this?”

”Of course,” the earth pony said quickly. With a flash from The Escape Artist’s horn, the notes on the whiteboard disappeared. The Bearded Mare slid a small suitcase over to The wizard, who opened it and began to take on the mask. The rest of the ponies left silently. The Wizard looked at the mirror in the suitcase lid and adjusted the last few flaws with the mask. When he was pleased, he took the seat across the door where Facypants would enter.

”Yes?” He said. The door opened.

*****

Fancypants was not quite sure what to expect, but this was not it. A large, round table stood in the quite small room, surrounded by about half a dozen chairs. Across the table sat a lonesome earth pony stallion. He could probably be quite dashing, but the empty chairs and large whiteboard behind him gave a more powerful than handsome appearance. The moon shone through a large window where the Canterlot clock tower could be seen. Half his face was showered in silvery moonlight and the other one was hidden in pitch black shadow.

He looked like a leader. Calm, controlled, snide, and not shy of using dirty tactics when needed. Fancypants stepped into the room and met the stallion’s glance. It looked like he wore a well-crafted mask, but he was not sure in the odd light.

”So you are The… Circus, are you?” He said calmly. He was used to deal with the most powerful ponies in Equestria, so he was not very afraid.

”I represent them, yes. You can call me The Wizard,” the stallion said. He had a rather inconspicuous accent, as if he had trained to suppress it. ”The fact that you know our name means that you know what we are. What do you want, Fancypants?”

Fancypants hesitated. He was about to speak of what could probably be called treason, and he had no idea who the stallion was. What if he was sent by Celestia?

”Don’t be foolish, she has no idea of this. I must trust my mission, and my liege.” He thought to himself. ”I trust you understand this conversation never happens?” he said.

”Of course,” The Wizard said immediately. He made an inviting gesture with his hoof.

”I… I want you to steal something…” Fancypants began.

”What?”

”No turning back now,” Fancypants thought as he licked his lips. ”Celestia’s regalia.” He noted that The Wizard seemed surprised, but not nervous or afraid.

”I will consult my colleagues. You will have our answer tomorrow,” The Wizard said calmly. Fancypants wanted to protest. He did not want to let the pony out of his sight until he was guaranteed he did not work for Celestia, but there was not much of a choice. He turned and left.

The Wizard sat for a few seconds and tried to take in the request. He shook his head and opened the door. The rest of the artists entered and listened to Fancypant’s order. The Illusionist had an amused look on his face.

”Well, I say. We might just have been plunged into a historical moment,” he said.

”Why?” The Clown said with a giddy and curious voice. ”What does the regalia matter? Isn't it hard to sell?”

”Impossible to sell, actually,” The Illusionist said with a superior and explanatory voice. ”But if Celestia loses it, she will look like an utter fool. More so than usual, that is. I imagine Fancypants and his noble friends can use Celestia’s damaged reputation to gain more influence or something.”

”That’s good for you, isn’t it?” The Wizard looked towards The Illusionist. ”You are one of his ’noble friends’ too, right?”

”Noble, yes, friend, no,” The Illusionist snickered. ”But you are right, I will probably gain from this affair in more than one way.”

”So you think we should take the contract?” The Equilibrist asked.

”Yes, of course. I won’t let you waste this chance,” The Illusionist responded.

”As strange as it sounds, The Escape Artist is with The Illusionist here,” The Escape Artist said. ”If we don’t, we will regret it our whole lives. And this will be the hardest job we have ever tried, and when we succeed… then we will all know just how good we are.”

”And think of the payment,” The Wizard said with a grin. ”I bet we could demand literally anything.”

”We will all be filthy rich, yes, no pun intended,” The Equilibrist said with a look to The Wizard, who gave a laugh.

”Liar. That was so intended,” The Bearded Mare said as she chimed in the laughter.

”Fine, you caught me,” The Equilibrist said with a resigned voice. ”The Canterlot guard will be very jealous. They have been after me for years.” More laughter erupted.

”T-t-t-wis-st-t-ter?” The Tamer said with an unsettling smile once the laughter had subsided.

”Friends, shall we take this contract?” The Equilibrist asked with a small smirk on his face. The answer was clear.

”Sure. Sounds like fun,” The Clown said.

”Yes,” everypony in the room said together.

Chapter three- Garden Game

Coco was shaking ever so slightly, and it had nothing to do with the train’s rocky movement. She was more nervous now than when she was about to have her work presented to some big shot critic. She swallowed a few times and felt Rarity’s comforting hoof on her shoulder.

She and Rarity had visited Twilight Sparkle a few hours earlier, and told her what had happened. After the initial freakout, Coco had understood why Rarity had gone to Twilight. Once the Princess had calmed down, she began to analyze the problem calmly and methodically. It had been decided that Coco should stay with Rarity until the media storm passed; that way, Coco could still work with clothes and hone her skills. Furthermore, they had the media’s forgetfulness on their side. When some new scandal hit, Coco would soon be forgotten, and then Rarity could speak with Hoity Toity. Once he knew the whole story, Coco would soon be back on her hooves.

Also, since the police were out of the question, Twilight had managed to persuade Coco to visit a higher authority: Princess Celestia.

”Hey,” Twilight said with an encouraging voice, ”it will be fine. Princess Celestia will always listen to anypony who asks her for advice.”

”B-but the Princess herself? Doesn’t she have better things to do?” Coco asked with a nervous voice. She had never even seen the Princess before, and certainly never expected to talk to her.

”There is nothing more important to her than to help her subjects,” Twilight explained. ”Trust me, she will be glad you came to her.”

Coco did not know how to respond, so she remained silent and tried to make the thought of seeing and talking to the immortal Princess of the Sun sink in. Too soon did the train slow down to stop at Canterlot Central Station. Coco and her friends got off the train and began the walk towards the castle.

Coco had only visited Canterlot briefly before, and Suri’s bags had effectively blocked most of the view, so this was the first time she really saw the city. It was breathtaking. The cobblestone paths seemed to be made for walking, not driving like in Manehattan. The houses were a lot smaller and more elegant than the skyscrapers she was used to. Despite the somewhat cozy feeling emanating from the houses and streets, Coco could see that the shops she passed had a selection of items just as good, if not better, than their counterparts in Manehattan. All in all, Canterlot gave a feel of combining the luxuries and services of a big city with the comfy spirit of a smaller town.

And towering over everything was the gigantic castle. The structure was not quite so tall as the skyscrapers, but still too big to fathom in one thought. The pinnacles and towers reached high in the sky and gave a slender, delicate touch to the otherwise massive building. The walls gave the feeling of security, but the gardens around the castle managed to make the whole structure look inviting rather than intimidating.

It was easily the most beautiful building Coco Pommel had ever seen, and she was about to go into it and meet Princess Celestia. She nearly stopped and turned around at that thought, but she found herself moving along with her friends.

”Princess Twilight,” A guardpony said at the gates. He did not seem to care for the ponies Twilight brought with her, Coco realized. Twilight could literally bring whoever she wanted into the castle.

Coco was too nervous to look around the corridors. Thus, she missed most of the castle interior’s beauty, but not all of it. As she looked on the floor, she could see the perfection in the carpet she walked on and the dazzling sheen of the marble floors. Even that was enough to make her realize just how beautiful this castle truly was.

”Twilight Sparkle,” a warm voice said in front of Coco. There was something special with it, something that could not be put into words, something inviting and friendly. She looked up at the radiant glory that was Princess Celestia, living embodiment of the sun. Coco gasped and instinctively bowed down.

Celestia giggled. ”Who is your friend, Twilight and Rarity?”

”This is Coco Pommel, a skilled designer and good friend of mine,” Rarity said. Coco immediately became aware of how she looked. Why hadn’t she dressed in something more fitting for this? She just wore her usual scarf and mane pin. She was a designer for Celestia’s sake, why was she dressed like this? Foolish!

”Hello,” Coco mumbled to the floor while hoping not to be noticed. Celestia giggled again.

”What was that, Miss Pommel?” Celestia asked with a teasing tone.

Coco blushed deeply, and forced herself to look up. ”Hello,” she said, just as meek as before.

”Hello,” Celestia said with a kind look that made Coco feel a little better.

”Princess, there is something you should know,” Twilight said in an urgent tone. ”Is there someplace more private where we can speak?”

”Certainly,” Celestia said in a more serious voice, having picked up on Twilight’s urgency. She clopped her hooves together once, and the guards lining the room left. The four ponies were now alone in the large throne room.

”Now, what is it, Twilight?” Celestia asked with a cool and composed tone.

”Ehm, it’s something that happened to me a few nights back…” Coco said with a small voice. She was now utterly convinced that she should not be here. It was just a break-in, why would the Princess care for that?

”Yes, Coco?” Celestia inquired with her warm voice and a comforting smile. Cocoe felt her anxiety melt away. She took a deep breath.

”Well, you see…” Coco began and told Celestia everything.

The Princess of the Sun sat still on her throne and listened. She did not interrupt once, nor did her expression change at all. Yet somehow, everypony knew she was listening attentively.

When Coco went silent, Celestia’s collected had smile vanished and was replaced by a tired frown. ”Do you remember their names? Did they call each other something?” Her voice suggested that Celestia knew the answer.

”First of all, I’m The Equilibrist, criminal mastermind, and this is my colleague, The Clown. Hello.” Coco remembered the unicorn in the Hoity Toity mask’s voice clearly. ”They called themselves The Clown and The Equilibrist, if that tells you anything.”

Celestia got a grim look on her muzzle. ”I am afraid it does,” she said with a sigh. ”It seems you have somehow been targeted by an organization called The Circus.”

Twilight looked at Celestia with confused eyes. ”The Circus?”

”It is an organization I have known about for a long time, but never managed to expose,” Celestia said with a tired voice. ”I don’t know much about them, for they go to great lengths to keep secret.”

”Pray tell, what do you know?” Rarity asked with an inquisitive glance.

”Rarity, this is not a mystery novel,” Twilight said with an apologetic look towards Celestia.

”The Circus is basically underhoofed deeds for sale,” Celestia said without taking notice to Twilight’s comment. ”They perform what their contractor wants them to, whatever it might be. That’s one thing that makes them so hard to catch, not even their clients know who they are.”

”And what about these Clown and Equilibrist guys?” Twilight said. She was getting curious herself. ”You know anything about them?”

”Those who belong to The Circus take the names of different artists,” Celestia explained grimly, ”and their names tend to reflect what they do, though that’s not a rule. I only know a few. There is The Clown, The Wizard, The Escape Artist, The Tamer and their leader: The Equilibrist. However, there might be others I don’t know of.”

”But why would they go after me?” Coco asked unhappily. ”I am just a designer, who would want to do this to me?”

”That I don’t know, my dear,” Celestia said apologetically, ”But The Circus does not act on their own, so there might be a jealous colleague or something like that…”

”Well, I’m going to take them out!” Twilight declared in an agitated voice. She emphasized her point by stomping her hoof on the marble floor. This ”Circus” was destroying the lives of ponies, and had gotten away with it for what sounded like quite some time. Well, not anymore. She was a Princess, it was her solemn duty to put a stop to just this kind of thing.

”Twilight, you do realize that you are going up against what sounds like the most skilled criminals in Equestria, right?” Rarity asked with a doubtful voice. ”Please keep in mind that not even Princess Celestia has managed to catch them…”

”I know,” Twilight responded, ”and I know that they are likely dangerous, but I am not going to let this slide. Please, Princess, let me look into this,” Twilight looked with hopeful eyes at Celestia, who looked back thoughtfully.

”You are a Princess, so I cannot stop you,” Celestia said, ”besides, you might be clever enough to help me finally catch them. That would be a great relief indeed…”

”Thank you, Princess,” Twilight said with a resolute smile. ”I won’t let you down.”

”I know you won’t,” Celestia said with a tender smile.

”Well, then I am joining you too,” Rarity declared loudly. ”This seems positively exciting, and I know I will be of great help.”

”Are you sure you are up for this?” Twilight asked, ”Rarity, this will not be a walk in the park. I thought you were more into fashion than fighting criminal organizations.”

”Pish-posh,” Rarity said as she tossed her hair. ”I will be perfectly fine. Coco, will you watch my boutique for me?”

”Ooh, yes of course,” Coco said quickly. She was thankful to Rarity for giving her that chance. She certainly did not want to embark on this adventure. She was not a police officer nor part of the royal guard, she was a designer. Maybe she could throw together a police uniform at the most. In either case, she wanted to stay as far away from anything Circus related as possible.

”If you are truly going to do this, then I will make sure you have the help of one of my best agents. She has been the one leading the investigations on The Circus for some time,” Celestia said. ”I will call her to Ponyville, so you can get started. I suggest you return home and meet her, she will contact you tomorrow.”

”Thank you, Princess,” Twilight said.

”Good luck to both of you,” Celestia said.

*****

The Escape Artist trotted briskly on the long stone path leading up to Fancypants's villa with a new mask over her face. This time she wore a unicorn mask with neon blue mane and golden contact lenses.

The house was probably the second largest building in Canterlot, barring the castle itself. The garden would probably qualify as a park, complete with half a dozen gazebos with pristine crystal roofs. The Escape Artist counted five ponds with fountains and eight without as she trotted up the path.

”One day The Escape Artist shall have a house like this, and servants who run it for her…” The Escape Artist mused to herself. ”Garden parties, dinner with the Canterlot elite, and fireworks every evening… ”

”Can I help you, ma’m?” A voice asked from the side of the path. The Escape Artist snapped out of her daydream, and saw a gardener mowing the grass with a sickle, each blade individually. For whatever reason he was dressed in a perfect suit.

”Will you please notify the master of the house that I have come to see him?” The Escape Artist asked with a haughty voice. She would have to speak in first-pony for now, as her normal way of speaking was too distinct.

”Certainly, who is it that has come?” The gardener asked as he brushed off his pants.

”I am expected. Just tell him the entertainment is here,” The Escape Artist said. The Gardener shrugged and left.

The Escape Artist did not have to wait long. Fancypants came walking from his house with a nervous twitch in his steps and tired eyes. The Escape Artist recognized anxiety when she saw it, and Fancypants looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown. He probably hadn’t slept at all last night.

”So?” He asked before he had even gotten up to her. ”What will it be?”

The Escape Artist gave him her most adorable smile. ”Let’s take a walk and discuss the terms, shall we?” She said.

”So then you accept?” Fancypants asked with a hopeful voice. His anxiety vanished quicker than The Escape Artist thought possible.

”If you meet our demands, then maaaybe,” The Escape Artist said as she stepped from the path and began to walk towards a small grove of trees. She liked to hold Fancypants on the rack for a little while longer. It was amusing to see one of the most powerful ponies bow to her every whim. The stallion’s anxiety returned as he scurried after The Escape Artist.

”I am sure we will come to a fitting agreement, Miss…?” Fancypants inquired with a concessive tone.

”I am The Escape Artist,” she answered. She looked at Fancypants with a look that told him to continue.

”Well, Escape Artist, how much do you want in order to do this?” Fancypants asked silently. The Escape Artist assumed there could be gardeners and butlers around.

”Fifty million bits,” The Escape Artist said casually. She noted with glee how Fancypants’ eyes became at least twice as large.

”I am sorry, I presume I misheard,” He said with a nervous laugh. ”Did you say five hundred thousand bits?”

”Times one hundred, yes,” The Escape Artist said, ignoring Fancypants. ”And you will consent to pay the way we tell you, won’t you?”

Fancypants swallowed, and looked around nervously. The Illusionist had told The Escape Artist everything. The Canterlot nobles could surely put together such a sum, even if it probably was enough money to mistake for a larger bank’s total wealth. Even Celestia could not sneeze at such a fortune.

”How do you want the payment?” Fancypants asked as he licked his lips. ”I cannot get such a sum together too quick, and it will look most suspicious if-”

”I know,” The Escape Artist interrupted in her calm voice. ”You will send five hundred thousand on ten different occasions to ten different addresses. That is a total of five million bits, two days from now at the latest. As soon as we have the money, the coup will begin. Once it is completed, you will send us the rest via other accounts when we ask for it.”

Fancypants nodded slowly. The Escape Artist knew that five million bits, despite it being more than the ten lifetimes worth of bits for most ponies, would not be a problem for the Canterlot nobles. ”Done,” Fancypants said. ”Now listen, for there is something about the regalia you must know.”

The Escape Artist looked at Fancypants, but remained silent.

”It is enchanted, so only another Alicorn can remove it. As soon as you have got it off Celestia though, it should behave like any normal piece of metal.” Fancypants gave The Escape Artist a hard look. ”I trust this is not going to cause any problems, is it?”

”Of course not,” The Escape Artist said. In truth she had no idea how the hay they were supposed to steal the regalia now, but they would find a way. They always did. For now, she had to keep the client happy and unknowing.

”Well then, I presume that will be all,” Fancypants said and turned around to leave.

”Actually, there is still one more thing we need to take care of,” The Escape Artist said with a sweet edge in her voice. Fancypants turned around again with an annoyed look.

The Escape Artist held out a small note, and Fancypants took it. She smiled at the look of utter horror and confusion that spread over his face.

”I trust you will keep our organization’s existence a secret, won’t you?” The Escape Artist asked with a mock pleading voice and nasty glint in her eyes. ”Else… there will be much grief…”

”Impossible. He is dead. It cannot be genuine,” Fancypants said, more to himself than The Escape Artist.

”Topsy is alive and well, and if you breathe a word about us, then not even Celestia herself will be able to save your sorry flank,” The Escape Artist said darkly.

Fancypants looked down on the note again and gave it back to The Escape Artist. She could clearly see the jagged twister that was scribbled on it.

”Understood,” Fancypants said in a slightly higher pitch than usual. ”Is that all?”

”Yes,” The Escape Artist said. She trotted past the shocked noble with a spring in her step. Now the only thing left was to wait for the payment, and then the show could start.

*****

”Circus … on their own… a jealous colleague … like that…” Celestia’s quiet voice drifted up to Silverwings. He was fluttering as silently as he could outside the window to the throne room. He quickly glanced over his shoulder to ensure that the small part of the garden from where he could be seen still was deserted.

”Well, I am going to take them out!” Twilight’s voice reached Silverwings loud and clear, a nice difference from Celestia’s quiet voice. He swallowed and clenched his teeth as he continued to fly just below the window. Why did his wings have to burn like that? One would think he’d be used to this type of stationary flying by now, but no.

”You are a Princess, so I cannot stop you,” Silverwings heard Celestia’s muffled voice after having missed a couple of sentences. That happened a lot due to the bad position he listened from. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

”Go on, I need more,” he whispered to himself. He had missed the beginning of the conversation, and even more was lost because of Celestia’s silent voice.

”Well, then I am joining you too,” he heard Rarity’s voice. For the first time, Silverwings was thankful to Celestia for making her guard to learn the names and faces of Twilight Sparkle’s friends.

Somepony else said something Silverwings could not make out, so he took the opportunity to look over his shoulder again. Still nopony there. He clenched his teeth to suppress the burning feeling in his wing joints.

”If you… do this, then… make sure… of my best agents. Ponyville… tomorrow,” Celestia responded in her typical quiet manner. Silverwings cursed Celestia’s way of speaking for the thousandth time. It made an already hard mission even harder.

He listened for a couple more minutes, but heard nothing else. With an exhausted sigh, Silverwings slowed his flapping and descended to the ground. He had not heard the whole conversation, but probably enough to ensure a healthy boost on this month’s paycheck. He returned to patrol duty and forced himself to remember everything he had heard.

After about two hours of walking around Canterlot’s upper district along with another guard, he retreated to his home in the middle part of the city. His house was somewhat larger than most rank-and-file guard’s, largely due to his role as informant for… whoever it was he informed.

”Hello, honey!” A white pegasus mare with kind, pink eyes and mane called as he went through the door to his home.

”Hello, sweetheart,” He said with a relaxed smile as he kissed his mare tenderly on the lips. It was moments like this that reminded him why he did what he did. Stardust, his mare, deserved the best he could give, and if selling information gave her a better life, then it was worth it.

”I have made your favorite vegetable soup, dear,” Stardust said as they broke the kiss.

”Sounds lovely, sweetheart. I just need to write a letter, and then I will be right with you.”

Silverwings sat down in the comfy chair by the desk in his and Stardust’s bedroom. He took out a pen and paper and wrote down what he had heard.

Twilight Sparkle has learned of something called The Circus. She has vowed to shut it down, whatever it is. Her friend, Rarity, has done the same. They have both received Princess Celestia’s blessing for this and will probably receive help from one of her agents. If so, they will meet the agent in Ponyville, tomorrow.

Sincerely, The Looker.

Silverwings read through the letter again and hoped the information was valuable enough. It always seemed much less when he actually put it to paper. He shook the doubts out of his mind, opened a small drawer and got out an envelope, put the small note inside it and sealed it with hot wax. He then stamped it with the seal of the Royal Guard and picked up the pencil in his mouth to write the address.

He had looked into the address when he first got his informant job, and had become even more confused than before. It was the address to Twilight Sparkle’s own castle in Ponyville. Why would she want to know what Princess Celestia was doing? Couldn’t she just ask? Silverwings actually asked the young Princess once if she received a lot of mail from the Canterlot Guard, but she said she never had gotten one. Was it true or did she lie? And if Twilight did not get the letters, then who did?

A simple guard like him did not know what this mess meant, but he understood that it probably was none of his business. Better not to ask too many questions, or he might lose his informant job.

Silverwings placed the letter on the desk, and went down to have dinner. He could post it later that day when he and Stardust took their evening walk. Once again, he wondered who would be interested in knowing everything the Princesses did.

Author's Note

I can imagine some of you have already figured out some of the circus artists. If so, feel free to post you guesses in the comment section, but be sure to mark any name with spoiler effect. Else I might remove them.

Also, who is getting those letters? Is Twilight herself in The Circus...?

Chapter four- Ponyville Prank

The Clown dashed out of the post office and fluttered as quick as possible towards The Wizard’s mansion. She held the short letter crumpled in her right hoof. Everything had gone haywire. They had a Princess on their hooves! Twilight Sparkle herself was coming after them! She had to warn the rest of her friends, they had to do… do something, anything! When she arrived to the mansion, she did not care to knock, but simply barraged into the door, giving the butler a minor heart attack. She took no notice of him, but flew up the stairs to the master bedroom.

The Wizard stood in front of the mirror and looked at his reflection with a critical eye when The Clown smashed the door off its hinges. He picked up a comb and slid it through his gunmetal colored mane. His eyes moved to meet The Clown’s in the mirror.

”I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I prefer to have my mail in the mailbox,” he said dryly. ”But now that you are here…” The Wizard turned around and held out a hoof. The Clown handed him the small note.

She thought The Wizard would flip out as well, but his face barely moved at all. He got a small furrow in his brow, but that was it. ”I shall have to look into this,” he said simply. ”But don’t you worry none, I will make sure to call in a meeting. Now, I trust you have better things to do than destroying my home? Thank Celestia that I am a generous soul and won’t demand that you pay for a new door.”

The Clown wanted to say something, but heard the butler huff angrily behind her. She turned around and left, somewhat saddened by The Wizard’s chilly dismissal. Her ears laid flat against her skull as she left.

When she got home, she sat down by the table and thought.

All in all, things were not that bad, now that she had begun to calm down. The Wizard had some way to contact their friends, so they could act soon. All she had to do was to finish the morning rounds as usual and go home. Eventually, The Wizard would contact her.

*****

The Escape Artist met The Tamer at the station. Of course they both wore masks, but they had learned to recognize each other through other means. The way you walked, your posture, your expression; it all said something about who you were. For that matter, The Tamer’s twitchy movements were hard to miss. The Escape Artist trotted up to him. Just having somepony he recognized close by helped him calm down.

They were both dressed in the fanciest suits they could afford and slowly moseyed their way to The Wizard’s mansion. Apparently something was brewing in Ponyville, so they would have to meet there instead of at The Golden Apple Slice tonight.

They both stepped into the mansion together as the sun was starting to set. A butler came and took their suit jackets and a small magenta filly looked at them curiously. Her eyes seemed to scour them for any type of flaw in their clothing.

”Who is this weirdo?” The filly asked while giving The Tamer a judgmental look. The pegasus’s right wing unfolded and folded again in rapid succession. ”Is he, like, stupid or something?”

”Forgive Miss Diamond, sir,” The Butler said apologetically to The Tamer, who took no notice of him at all. ”She is very temperamental. Mr. Rich is expecting you in the living room at the second floor.” The butler looked to The Escape Artist, no doubt unnerved by The Tamer’s twitches and strange demeanor. ”Allow me.”

They followed the butler up the stairs and were ushered into a large living room. The Wizard sat in a large leather armchair at the short end of a wooden table around which The Equilibrist, The Bearded Mare and The Illusionist already sat. On it were a couple of champagne bottles and glasses. Bookcases lined one wall and windows the opposite. Across from their doorway was a similar door, flanked by two crossbows with a fan of bolts under each. A large crystal chandelier hung over the table.

”Thank you, Randolph,” The Wizard said with a relaxed voice. ”Please leave us and make sure my little Diamond does not disturb.”

”Naturally, sir,” the butler said. With a small nod towards The Escape Artist and The Tamer, he left the room and closed the door. They both went to the table and took a chair.

As soon as the butler had left, The Wizard went up to one of the windows and opened it. With the sound of flutter and a loud crash, The Clown flew through it, and into the bookcase on the opposite wall. Prankster fluttered through the window in a more controlled manner and landed in front of The Equilibrist.

”RRRAK! SEEDS, RRRAK!” The Parrot said with expectant eyes.

”Well, of course, but be silent please,” The Equilibrist responded as he put a small pile of seeds, nuts and slices of fruit in front of the parrot. ”Else the butler might hear you, and you are a rather unique pet.” Prankster looked at The Equilibrist with disapproving eyes. The Tamer walked up to The Clown and helped her stand up.

”First of all,” The Wizard said as he looked at the dazed Clown, ”sorry for being so cold to you earlier, but I’m afraid I have to maintain my charade when Randolph is nearby.”

”Ohh, it’s nothing,” The Clown said. She was very happy that The Wizard apologized though. Few other ponies showed her such kindness. She pretended not to see that The Illusionist rolled his eyes.

The Wizard nodded. ”Now that you are all here…” He passed The Illusionist a small, crumpled note. He read it and passed it along.

”Huh, now that’s annoying…” The Equilibrist said when the note returned to The Wizard.

”Yep, it is,” The Equilibrist continued. ”we have more important business to attend to than silencing ponies right now.”

”You are aware that we have a Princess after us, right?” The Illusionist asked dryly. ”Twilight seems annoyingly persistent, based on what my sources say. We should at least keep track of what she does.”

”We should do far more than that,” The Escape Artist said with a wicked grin. ”The Escape Artist has learnt of a minor complication with the regalia.”

”Okay, and what is that?” The Clown asked in her curious way.

”Only an alicorn can remove it.”

The atmosphere fell in the room as her colleagues took that piece of information in. After a dramatic pause, The Escape Artist spoke again. ”But now that Sparkle will do us the favor of coming after us, that won’t cause much of a problem, will it?”

”I like the way you think, peasant,” The Illusionist said menacingly. ”We kidnap Twilight and then the rest of the operation will just be a simple heist.”

The Tamer cleared his throat. ”I s-suggest-t we d-do that-t as-s-soon as pos-sible. We c-c-can work out-t-t the re-re-rest of the p-plan later, b-but we will need s-some time to get T-Twilight to cooperate.”

”I agree, my friends,” The Equilibrist said as he stroked Prankster’s feathers.

”So the agent was supposed to meet up with Twilight here in Ponyville tonight, huh?” The Equilibrist continued. ”That could be an opportunity.”

The Equilibrist was silent a few seconds. ”In fact, I think I have an idea,” he said slowly.

”So you want to strike with the agent there? Sounds unnecessarily risky,” The Illusionist said with a lazy voice. He didn’t seem to be as afraid of the risk as much as having to work.

”We need to know who we are dealing with though,” The Escape Artist pointed out. ”Better to run into problems with the agent now than later in the coup. What is your plan, Equilibrist?”

The Equilibrist described his idea to the gathered ponies, who added their own suggestions. The sun dipped beneath the horizon as they talked and perfected the coup that would mark the beginning of their most daring performance, The Canterlot Caper.

”Well, well, well. This might work… theoretically,” The Equilibrist said when they finally were done.

”I dare say this might be hypothetically viable, if we are a bit lucky,” The Equilibrist clarified. ”But that will of course depend on you, Clown. Think you can do this?”

The Clown swallowed nervously. It should not be a hard mission, exactly; just as far from her comfort zone as possible. Her typical work for The Circus was either to control The Tamer, or to provide an extra pair of hooves when needed.

This mission would require her to operate alone and, even worse, there was a risk for violence.

The Clown hated seeing ponies get hurt. She preferred to run when threatened, but that would be impossible during this mission. Of course, she was not untrained in hoof-to-hoof combat, nopony in The Circus could be, but that didn’t mean she liked to fight.

”Clown?” The Equilibrist asked with a kind voice. ”I can do it if you prefer… but it will make other parts more difficult. And she might recognize me…”

”How about you pull your own weight for once? I don’t want to clean up your mess should he be recognized,” The Illusionist said with a demeaning voice. The Clown shrunk under his gaze. An angry hiss came from The Tamer who gave The Illusionist a look that could frighten the dead.

”No, don’t fight now!” The Clown said with an anxious voice. ”I’ll do it,” she mumbled.

”And you are sure you can do this without a hitch?” The Equilibrist asked, somewhat uncertain. ”If not, let me take care of it.”

”Nono, I will do it. I can do it,” The Clown said, a little louder.

”If you say so… Wizard, I trust you can get the things we need?” The Equilibrist asked as he turned to the earth pony.

”Already have them, my friend,” The Wizard said with a smile. He trotted up to the wall and took down one of the large crossbows. ”I will use this. You can have the other one.”

”Sure you can hit with that?” The Bearded Mare asked with a doubtful voice.

”Of course I can. I am quite the marksman, actually,” The Wizard said with a smirk. ”Clown?”

”Yep,” The Clown said as she picked up a small bottle and a couple of darts. ”I have never tried these, but from what I have heard from Nurse Redheart, it is very strong.”

”G-g-good,” The Tamer said. ”The more t-time we have the b-bet-t-ter.”

The ponies looked at each other in a fateful silence. ”Curtains rise, for now the show begins,” The Equilibrist said. As one, everypony rose from their chairs and filed out of the room.

*****

Rarity and Coco were chopping up carrots for dinner in Carousel Boutique. Together with Twilight, they waited with nervous excitement. They were about to meet a secret agent, the one who had been on The Circus’s hooves the longest. Even Coco had managed to put her anxiety aside for now.

”Perhaps we should turn on a Con Mane video?” Rarity asked with a swooning voice. She had to say something. She had a hard time keeping all excitement in. Was this how Pinkie Pie felt all the time?

”I don’t think so, Rarity. Let’s try to keep this professional, okay?” Twilight said with a serious voice, but beaming eyes. She seemed just as excited as Rarity.

”I am professional, I just want to have something to do while we wait,” Rarity defended. She was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. The three ponies tensed at the sound.

”Rarity, perhaps you should open the door?” Twilight suggested with a giddy voice. Startled, Rarity got up from her chair and opened the door.

”Hello, Rarity,” Bon-Bon said in a carefree way. ”Can I come in?”

Rarity opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. She had expected the agent, but instead it was just Bon-Bon on an evening walk. ”Why, yes. Of course,” she said when she had gathered her bearings somewhat. ”I was expecting somepony else…”

”Like a secret agent?” Bon-Bon asked with a smirk. Rarity's expression was priceless.

”Bon-Bon?!” Twilight asked in a startled voice that matched Rarity’s feelings perfectly. ”You are the secret agent? The one who has been tracking The Circus?”

”That’s me,” Bon-Bon said in a neutral voice. She took out a pair of shades from nowhere in particular and put them on. ”And my name isn’t Bon-Bon, it’s Sweetie Drops. I was originally trained to catch monsters, but due to an incident involving a certain bug-bear, the agency was shut down and I was then transferred to another agency that dealt with organized crime. Celestia wouldn’t waste her best agent, after all…”

”Whaaa…? Wh… when… wha… gaaaa?” was all Rarity could say. Bon-Bon was a secret agent?

…?

”Yep,” Bon-Bon said with an amused smile. ”So, Princess, you want to help me, huh?”

”Yes, I want to help you, and Rarity does too,” Twilight said with a surprised voice. She seemed to have been lost in her own thoughts.

”In that case, I just want to tell you something, let you know what kind of ponies we are up against,” Bon-Bon said with a serious voice. ”Everything I share with you now is classified, so you will have to keep silent about it, okay?”

Rarity and Twilight nodded. Rarity felt herself being filled with even more nervous excitement, if such a thing was possible. Classified information, just like in any Con Mane movie.

”There is one pony in The Circus whom I might know the real name of,” Bon-Bon said silently. ”The Tamer. I think his real name is Topsy Twitchy, former Wonderbolt.”

”Who?” Twilight asked. Rarity’s excitement died and was replaced by fright. She had expected to face the nastiest criminals in Equestria, but she did not expect Topsy, of all ponies, to be among their ranks. Wasn’t he supposed to be dead, for that matter?

”You mean The Twister? The Wonderbolt whose stunt nearly ruined half of Canterlot?” She asked while praying she was wrong.

”That’s him,” Bon-Bon confirmed calmly. Rarity swallowed.

”Hello, can somepony explain?” Twilight waved her hoof.

”Long story short,” Bon-Bon said patiently, ”’The Twister’ was one of the best Wonderbolts there ever was, and a master at weather manipulation with a special knack for storms. Some of his tricks are still regarded as the finest in recent Wonderbolt history. It was also he who worked out the wind funnel tactic used to bring water up to Cloudsdale. However, he turned out to have a few screws loose, and during one show he created a tornado so large it reportedly lifted spectators out of their seats and threw them. That is the only time spectators have been severely injured during a Wonderbolts performance. He went missing after the incident, and hasn’t been seen since. Most ponies prefer to think that somepony so dangerous as dead, but closing ones eyes and wishing… well, I find it doesn’t always work…”

”So you think he joined The Circus, and that they have hidden him?” Twilight asked. Rarity could see that her friend looked just as shocked and disgusted as she felt herself.

”Yep. And that is the type of pony you will be up against,” Bon-Bon said with a casual tone. ”Still sure you wanna join?”

”Yes,” Twilight said. ”More than ever. If that’s the type of pony they employ, then I will put them down.”

”Just one question, if you don’t mind,” Rarity said with an inquisitive glance. Bon-Bon motioned Rarity to continue. ”Do you know anything about them? Any signalment, race or gender?”

”Not much, no,” Bon-Bon answered. ”Every pony race is represented, but they are very careful with hiding their identities. They always wear masks, and the unicorns refrain from using magic.”

”Oh joy,” Rarity said glumly.

”Come on, Rarity,” Twilight said with an encouraging smile. ”The Circus have never had us to tangle with before. They won’t even know what hit them.” Rarity gave a wry smile.

”I like your spirit, Princess. This will be exciting,” Bon-Bon said with a smirk and removed her shades again. ”Celestia said something about somepony who has fallen victim to those vermin, is that right?”

”Coco Pommel, yes,” Rarity said. ”She is in here, please follow me.” Rarity went to the kitchen, where Coco had moved on to dicing up apples.

”Coco, the agent wants to see-” Rarity began before Bon-Bon tackled her roughly to the side and all but flew through the kitchen door towards Coco. The confectioner/ agent slammed into Coco and heaved her down on the floor.

CRASH!

A silvery streak penetrated the glass and cleaved the air where Coco’s neck had been just a moment earlier. The silence afterward was deafening. Coco’s eyes were small as pinpoints and her breathing came shallow and quick as she laid beside agent Bon-Bon who, in turn, had positioned herself just below the window in order to avoid any further shots.

”Things just got real,” Rarity said in a breathless voice as she got to her hooves again.

”Take cover you two,” Bon-Bon said with a voice of steel. Rarity and Twilight placed themselves behind the door. ”Now, Twilight, hoof me the bullet. I want to know what they are shooting with.”

Twilight stared dumbfounded towards the broken window. There was only night outside, and yet she knew there was somepony out there, maybe taking aim at her right now. She snapped back to reality at the sound Bon-Bon’s voice and looked around the room. She found what was left of the ”bullet” stuck in a wall, and levitated it over to herself.

”Bon-Bon,” Twilight said with a confused and scared voice. ”This is not a bullet, it’s a dart.”

”That means their sniper, The Wizard, is here, and likely somepony else too,” Bon-Bon said with a voice that was more annoyed than anything else. ”Rarity, stay here with Coco, I think it is her they are after. Twilight, come with me. We are bringing them down now.”

Before Twilight could voice a protest, Bon-Bon had jumped through the broken window and disappeared in the night. Twilight swallowed and dashed out the window as fast as she could. When she got out, she jumped quickly to the left and continued to move erratically to make herself harder to hit.

”There you are,” Bon-Bon’s voice was like Twilight had never heard it before. It was bitter, on the border to scary. Twilight saw the agent looking towards a roof at the other side of the street.

The darkness made it hard, but Twilight could clearly see the silhouette of somepony standing on the roof. He or she had a crossbow in hoof. Twilight watched the figure heighten the weapon, aim to his side and fire. The bolt shot through the air faster than the eye could follow and struck the house beside the pony on the roof. A rope went between the bolt and the house where the pony stood.

Without a word, Bon-Bon and the unknown pony both began to run. Bon-Bon ran on the ground, and the other ran along the rope he had spanned between the houses with the bolt.

Twilight was just about to follow, when something caught her eye. In the middle of Mane Street stood another pony, dressed in a long, black cape. Twilight knew he or she was looking at her, even if the long cape hid the face.

The Wizard is here, and likely somepony else too. There were two enemies. Twilight began to gallop after the other pony. The cape would make her target hard to spot from the air. Her enemy was fast though, in fact, more so than Twilight herself.

Twilight ignited her horn and prepared a spell. She focused on the running figure and lifted him or her from the ground. Before her target had come even a hooflength upwards, the unknown pony teleported. Twilight skidded to a halt as she tried to locate her quarry. The sound of running hooves behind made her turn around. The running pony dashed down the same street they just had run up. Twilight continued her pursuit, and readied another spell.

Just before she would cast it, a cloud of smoke exploded in the street and hid her target. Quickly, Twilight changed the spell in her horn, and summoned a gust of wind. The smoke cleared up and she saw the black cape disappear around a corner. Twilight followed the runner away from Mane Street and into the back alleys.

She had just enough time to see the figure coming up to a crossing among the houses. The running pony paused for a moment, and Twilight could see the faint glimmer of purple magic. Twilight locked on her target to lift her again, but immediately lost focus. Three identical figures stood in the crossing and galloped in different directions.

Twilight leaped at the one coming right at her and felt her hooves hit nothing. It was just an illusion. After a few seconds, she came up to the crossing and saw one of the ponies galloping towards Town Hall. It could be another illusion, but Twilight had no way of telling them apart, so she might as well follow that one and hope.

After a few seconds, she was pretty confident that this was the right ”illusion” to follow, or it would have disappeared by now. She licked her lips and readied a special spell, a type of inverted shield that should prevent anypony from teleporting. Combined with a simple levitation spell, her quarry would be caught.

Twilight summoned up the two spells in her horn, closed her eyes to concentrate and let the spell resolve. She felt her magic leave her and knew the spell must have hit. She opened her eyes and saw with a proud, if tired, smile that the circus artist was struggling inside a semi-transparent shield, surrounded by the glow of Twilight’s magic.

Twilight trotted up to the shield to look at the face of her captive, when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Something large. She tried to duck, but it was to late. The rock hit Twilight right on her horn. Her magic fizzled and died.

She landed on her hooves and grimaced at the pain in her head. She looked up and saw her magic fading. The pony faced Twilight, and she reacted quickly. She fought down the throbbing feeling in her horn and called a gust of wind. The black cape was lifted from the face of the running pony. Twilight stared.

Before her stood Shining Armor, her BBBFF.

”It takes more than that to catch The Escape Artist, Twilight Sparkle. Nopony in The Circus acts alone,” Shining Armor said snidely. But it was not her brother’s voice. It was a mare’s voice, like a confident birdsong. It was not Shining Armor, it was just a mask!

Not-Shining Armor reared up on her hind legs and another cloud of smoke filled the alley. When it cleared, Twilight could see the unknown pony running away. She aimed a spell at the pony and heard a sound as the mask fell to the ground. She set off after the mare, as fast as her hooves would carry her. If she could capture her now, then she would know who it was. Twilight rounded the corner and-

-And her vision exploded in a dazzling firework. The second she rounded the corner, a large metal surface caught in a bluish shimmer slammed into her head. She instinctively reached for her magic and teleported a short distance, anything to get away from her assailant. ”Tsk, tsk, how sloppy,” The refined and superior voice came from behind her. It was a stallion.

She staggered forward and reached up a hoof to her forehead where she had been hit. The assailant did not attack her again. She opened her eyes and looked back to where the attack had come. The world spun slightly. There was nopony there, only the abandoned frying pan she had run face-first into.

Her gaze fell on the wall beside her. With beautiful and squiggly letters, somepony had written something.

Nopony in The Circus acts alone.

Twilight stood still and breathed heavily. The pony had gotten away. She stomped her hoof in the ground, picked up the mask that she had ripped off and continued her pursuit. With a little luck, she might still catch up to the running pony.

There was something irking with the getaway, before the ambush, almost as if Twilight had seen it somewhere before. But where…? The thought gnawed at her mind as she ran through the night.

*****

Sweetie Drops kept her eyes on the running pony as much as possible. She smirked in excitement. His balance, his skill, his speed, this pony could only be the one she had searched for. She was chasing The Equilibrist himself. The leader of The Circus, and he was just a few ponylengths away.

She looked up to the roof where the enemy had disappeared, and quickly sprinted around the house. She saw the Equilibrist trot along a thin rope between two houses, and she reacted quickly. Sweetie Drops picked out the small hairpin she wore and threw it at the rope. The small, hidden blade in the pin sliced through it easily, and The Equilibrist fell.

Quick as can be, Sweetie Drops leaped at him, only to be pulled back by a rope tied around her left back hoof. She fell flat on her stomach and looked over her shoulder. There was nopony there, and The Equilibrist had not used his magic. The sound of running hooves caught her attention. The Equilibrist was back on his hooves and scaled a wall like it was a ladder. In the blink of an eye he was up on the roof.

Sweetie Drops ripped the rope around her ankle apart and continued running.

”I must get up to the roof somehow, else I will lose him sooner or later…” She thought as she tried to find a way up. She cursed as she thought of the suitcase with her rope and grappling hook which stood back at Rarity’s. She rounded a corner.

A woodpile stood against the wall. She did not pause to think, but dashed at it and leaped at the gutters. She just managed to get a hoof around it and began to heave herself up.

”Prankster,” She heard a calm, youthful voice call from up the roof. She put her other hoof at the gutter and lifted her face up over the roof edge. She saw the large black bird just because it was darker than the night surrounding it. It came at her with talons wide open. ”Go for the eyes.”

”RRRAK, RIPRIP, RRRAK!” The bird screamed a deafening screech. She had just enough time to get a hoof up to protect her face. The long talons raked over her front leg. She closed her eyes and hit blindly with her hoof to get the bird away. She was barely clinging to the roof with the other one.

The bird was gone just as fast as it had appeared. She opened her eyes. The roof was empty.

”Miss agent, is that me you are looking for?” She heard the voice come from behind her. It sounded just a smidgin different now, more mature. The loud screech of the bird had probably upset her hearing.

She crawled up to the roof and turned around. Sure enough, The Equilibrist stood on the opposite roof. He must have passed her with a speed that would make a Wonderbolt jealous in the few seconds the bird had blinded her.

”Equilibrist,” Sweetie Drops said with a venomous voice. She leaped out in the air and reached for the roof where he stood.

Then she felt the rope around her ankle again. It snaked around her as she flew through the air and slowed her down. She flailed to get to the roof, but only managed to reach the gutters. She hung on with only one hoof as The Equilibrist towered over her. The large bird landed beside him and looked at her with intelligent and malicious eyes.

Sweetie Drops looked over The Equilibrist. Unicorn, longer than most and lean. The mask looked like, of all ponies, Fleur De Lis.

”Taking a leap of fate?” The Equilibrist asked smugly as he reared up on his hind legs to crush Sweetie Drops’s hooves against the roof.

Sweetie Drops let go of the gutter just before the unicorn would stomp. She fell for about a second and landed roughly on the ground. The Equilibrist and his parrot looked down at her from the roof.

”EQUILIBRIST!” Sweetie Drops screamed up to him. ”Who threw the ropes!? Who helped you!?”

”Why, It was me, The Equilibrist, who threw them.” The smirk was perfectly audible. ”But then again, I am a liar… unless I lied when I said I am a liar, of course. Or does that make me a liar still…?”

”Stop with the riddles. I will catch you. I will follow you to the end of Equestria if need be,” Sweetie Drops called up to the pony.

”Try if you want, but remember that nopony in The Circus ever acts alone, so what does it matter if you catch me?” The Equilibrist asked. He then made a sweeping bow. ”That’s all for tonight, everypony, but I do hope you will grace us with your presence next time! You have been a wonderful audience!”

”RRRAK! THANK YOU!” The Parrot dipped its head. Then they both disappeared into the night.

Sweetie Drops sat on the ground for almost a minute, fuming with rage. If he just had gotten away it would have been one thing, but he had to taunt her too?

”No,” Sweetie Drops said to herself. ”He had a plan, he never does anything without a plan. Why did he taunt me? Why did he wait for me on the roof?”

Her jaw fell as she understood. ”Ponyfeathers, COCO!” She ran towards Carousel Boutique.

*****

The Wizard and The Clown watched Twilight Sparkle and Bon-Bon dash off after their friends. They both laid as flat as they could on another roof, waiting for the coast to clear.

”Hoof me another dart,” The Wizard whispered to The Clown. He felt the cold glass in his hoof and moved it up to place it in the crossbow. He pulled the string, arming the weapon. ”Alright,” he whispered. ”Rarity and Coco do not seem to come into view. I will cover the exit. Good luck.”

”Oi,” The Clown said nervously as she fluttered down to the ground and trotted up to the broken window. She peered inside, but saw nopony. She swallowed as she hopped through the window and into the kitchen.

This was not at all her cup of tea. It was normally The Equilibrist or The Escape Artist who handled kidnappings, but now they were both needed elsewhere. The broken glass crunched under her hooves. She backed against a wall and reached into her saddlebag. She felt the metal plunger against her hoof as she pulled out a syringe.

Nopony who saw it would ever think of it as a medical tool. It was far to large and crude for that. Everything about it screamed ”weapon”. The Clown felt a little calmer when she held it. Now, at least, she could defend herself if need be.

She quickly moved out of the kitchen, closed her eyes and listened. The only sound was from her own loud breathing. The Clown opened her eyes again. She had been in Carousel Boutique before, so she knew the basic layout. There was the main room, a small storage space and the kitchen on the ground floor. She trotted up to the door to the storage room, opened it and leaped back to avoid a possible assault. Nothing but bolts of fabric.

”Must be upstairs then,” The Clown mumbled to herself. She fluttered up the stairs and listened again. Strangely, she felt a lot less nervous now when she was actually doing something than she had been while she waited.

There was a faint sound coming from the door closest to her. She pulled at the handle. Locked, obviously. She licked her lips. Now came the scary part. Now she would literally have to carry out an honest-to-Celestia kidnapping. And to make things worse, the target was a pony she knew, even if she wouldn’t call her a friend, exactly.

She hesitated for a moment when she thought about it. She knew she was not the best pony, but she would never have imagined she would one day commit a crime like this. She wondered, as she had many times before, when her life had taken such a dark turn. And, as all the other times, she could only praise her luck that her life had taken the course it had. Now she really did have friends, friends who cared for her.

She shook her head and reached into her saddlebag again. ”One, two, three…” she counted as she let her hoof slide over the syringes. She took out the fifth one, and carefully put the tip of it in the crevice between the door and the wall. She pushed the plunger and heard the familiar hissing noise as the acid began to eat through the lock. She backed away from the acrid smell.

She applied a bit more acid, just to be sure, and then put the syringe away. She still held the other one though, loaded with the same hypnotic as the crossbow darts.

She waited for a couple of seconds before she tried the door again. It opened without any resistance, and she saw her target.

Rarity looked frightened, but determined to protect Coco, who laid quivering behind her. The Clown lifted her syringe, in case Rarity lunged at her. She didn’t. The Clown slowly took a step towards the two ponies. Rarity stood still. She took another step. The two were now just a few ponylengths apart.

”Of all masks to wear, you had to pick Derpy Hooves, didn’t you?” Rarity asked with a dark voice. The Clown felt as if Rarity had slapped her.

Then Rarity moved. She did not, as The Clown had expected, use her magic. Instead she made a quick motion with her hoof. The Clown instinctively looked away and brought up her hoof to protect her eyes from the sewing needles Rarity had thrown at her. She felt something hit her hard enough to make her stumble backwards, and a sweeping kick made her lose balance. The syringe fell out of her hoof. She looked up with dazed eyes at Rarity, who stood over her.

”While I hate to ruin such an exquisite piece of work, let’s see who you really are,” The Clown felt Rarity’s magic envelope her face, apparently trying to remove what Rarity thought was a mask.

The Clown's anxious mind kicked in the overdrive. She had to defend herself. This was not the time to be afraid.

Quick as can be, The Clown hit Rarity in the stomach. The unicorn crunched down with a cough, and The Clown head butted her, causing her to back away a few trots. The Clown sprung to her hooves again and looked around. She found her syringe just beside her. She grabbed it, flapped her wings and shot towards Coco Pommel, who laid in a corner and quivered. ”Always the weakest enemy first, else you might be overwhelmed,” she remembered The Equilibrist’s tip.

She felt Rarity grab her tail with her magic, but the momentum kept The Clown moving forward just a little while longer. She let her hoof sweep in a stabbing motion…

… and felt the familiar pressure as the syringe needle bored through flesh. The Clown pressed the plunger and injected the sedative into Coco’s bloodstream.

”WHY, YOU…!” Rarity screamed behind The Clown with a voice that became surprisingly hoarse. The Clown felt Rarity drag her towards her with her magic. She tried to turn around, but got only halfway before Rarity put a hoof on her throat. The Clown now laid on her side under Rarity with her wing in an uncomfortable position. She felt the hooves around her face.

Rarity pulled.

And pulled.

And pulled again.

Nothing happened.

”Derpy… Derpy Hooves? Is that… you?” Rarity asked silently, shocked. The Clown felt the hoof on her throat twitch a little in surprise.

”MY NAME IS NOT DERPY!” The Clown yelled as loud as she could. She felled the surprised Rarity as the fashionista was stunned by the realization. The Clown pinned her down to the floor. Rarity looked frightened by the sudden burst of anger.

”My name… is Ditzy Doo…” The Clown said sadly. Her anger vanished as suddenly as it had come and left only a hollow sadness. She was used to it. She felt the same wish to scream every time anypony used that name; the name the bullies tormented her with. She felt a few tears fall from her eyes. Rarity had not meant anything bad with the name, and yet it hurt so much.

The Clown reached for the syringe with slightly shaking hooves. Rarity struggled under her, but to no avail. The Clown injected the hypnotic in Rarity’s side. The alabaster unicorn stopped struggling and looked at her with frightened eyes, before she collapsed in a deep sleep. The Clown breathed choppily.

”My name is Ditzy Doo,” The Clown repeated unhappily to herself. She looked at the sleeping Rarity and felt a powerful pang of guilt. She sat on the floor and tried to control her breathing. She swallowed a few times, then shook her head as if to remove the memories of her nasty deed. It didn’t work. ”What have I done?” She peeped with an anxious voice.

She forced herself to move. She had to do what her friends expected her to. They counted on her. She would have time to think later. She scooped up Rarity and headed for the door. She had to get to The Wizard’s mansion. As she trotted down the staircase, she placed her empty syringe in the saddlebag.

She warily entered the kitchen and looked to the window. Once she reached it, she would just need a few minutes to get back to the mansion. She was almost done.

”Put her down, whoever you are.”

The Clown recognized the voice to some degree, but it was changed somehow. The Clown spun towards her left, and there stood Bon-Bon. She had a pair of shades over her eyes. The Clown’s anxiety amplified thousandfold. She had been caught red-hoofed in the act of kidnapping. An image flashed across her mind with her in striped prison garb. ”No!” She thought, terrified. ”She thinks it’s a mask, right? Just like Rarity? I’m not caught, I’m NOT caught.”

The Clown dashed towards the window as fast as her hooves and wings would allow. She was still not fast enough. Bon-Bon grabbed her tail and yanked her backwards. The Clown spun in the air as she was pulled and jabbed with her hooves in blind panic. Bon-Bon dodged nimbly, and put her back hooves in The Clown’s chest and bucked her.

The Clown felt the air leave her lungs as she was sent flying across the room and into a table. The window blazed past her and an idea formed in her mind. She saw Bon-Bon coming at her again. Just as The Clown landed she pushed off from the ground and flew forward to meet Bon-Bon’s charge head on.

While she was no match for the earth pony in raw strength, she had another trick up her muffin. They collided in the middle of the room, and The Clown crouched under her enemy. It put her at a disadvantage, but she had to keep down. Bon-Bon took the opportunity and struck the Clown over the neck. She felt the world spinning, but knew what she had to do. The Clown leaped off the floor, took hold of Bon-Bon’s front hooves and flapped with her wings. Bon-Bon felt herself being lifted and toppled backwards, she landed on her back and the pegasus flew over her and ducked down close to the window.

”I’m not alone anymore!” The Clown said while praying that her friend was still there. The agent moved to get up again, but she didn’t have the time. The Clown thought she could hear a crossbow sing. Her heart fluttered with relief in her chest as the dart hit Bon-Bon in the stomach.

For a couple of seconds, the earth pony fought the chemicals, but eventually she collapsed. The Clown trotted up to her limp body, removed the dart, picked up Rarity again and dashed out the window. She was done for tonight. She wanted to get home to Dinky, her sweet little muffin.

*****

The Bearded Mare and Shadow Shovel were slowly trotting by the edge of Canterlot’s graveyard. The many stones shone in the pale moonlight and the air was cold and damp. A bell tolled in the night. It was soothing and serene, something that only made The Bearded Mare feel more ashamed of what she was about to do.

Still, it was far better than what her colleagues were doing, so she couldn’t really complain.

”So, five, was it?” Shadow Shovel asked with a shady expression. ”Any preferences?”

”At least one of each race,” The Bearded Mare answered. ”But other than that, just make sure they are absolutely fresh. Deliver them to Ponyville’s post office tomorrow.”

”And the payment?” Shadow Shovel asked nervously. ”I’m sure you understand that body snatching is a… pretty risky business…”

”Of course,” The Bearded Mare said quickly. She didn’t like hearing the words ”body snatching”. ”Make sure the… wares… are sent on time and you will be paid justly.”

”Done,” Shadow Shovel said with a sly grin.

Author's Note

Bear with me! I will explain The Clown's motifs for joining in the next few chapters. Perhaps you might wait till then with assembling a torchwielding mob?

Everypony in The Circus will have their motifs explained by the end of this.

Chapter five- Topsy ”The Twister” Twitchy

Twilight galloped around the deserted town for nearly half an hour after she lost her quarry. She did not find the pony again. It was as if the earth had swallowed every trace of her. There were no hoofprints, no hair from a mane, nothing.

In the end, Twilight surrendered to the hopelessness of the chase and went back to Carousel Boutique. She opened the door and went directly into the kitchen. Bon-Bon laid on the floor with a dart in her back. Glass was scattered over the floor, and the chairs and table were overturned.

Twilight looked at the chaos in the room, before she snapped back to reality. She picked up Bon-Bon and took her up to the second floor. She had to know that Rarity was okay. The acrid smell hit her as she came into the small corridor. The door to Rarity’s room was wide open, and the inside looked just as bad as the kitchen, with the addition of a seemingly dead Coco Pommel. No, wait. She was breathing.

Twilight stood still and tried to take in the impression. Rarity was gone. Where had she gone? Had she gone to hide or had The Circus taken her with them? But why would they leave Coco and Bon-Bon? The sound of crackling glass alerted Twilight. Somepony was coming.

Quick as can be, Twilight picked up Coco in her magic and opened the window. She flew out, away to her own castle. If it was somepony of The Circus then she should concentrate on getting her friends away.

”Rarity would not hide in her own house, right? She might have gone for help or something…” Twilight murmured to herself.

Or she might have been captured. She thought involuntarily.

”She was not, she will come to the castle soon. I must protect Bon-Bon and Coco. Rarity is fine…” Twilight said back to herself. She landed on the castle balcony, ran inside with her two friends and put them on the bed. From what she could see, they both seemed to have been drugged or something. Their breathing came even and calm. It looked like they were asleep.

”I will stay and guard you,” Twilight said as she conjured up a series of shields around the castle.

And so the night passed; Twilight stood entirely still in the bedroom, listening for any sign of Rarity’s return while maintaining her shields. The sun began to rise, and the room was bathed in a golden light.

A slow groan behind her made Twilight wake up from her semi-sleep. Her eyes jerked open and she spun around. Bon-Bon was half-sitting in the bed with a hoof over her forehead.

”What the blazes happened…?” Bon-Bon asked silently. The agent drew a deep, slow breath with closed eyes. She then opened her eyes with somewhat more clarity. ”Where am I?”

”In my castle,” Twilight said. She just now realized how tired she was. ”I found you unconscious on the floor and brought you here. Coco is here too, and Rarity will probably come soon.” Twilight smiled to reassure both Bon-Bon and herself.

”Forgive me, Princess, but I truly doubt it,” Bon-Bon said with a strained voice. She rubbed her temples as she spoke. ”The Circus tricked us two into a wild goose chase to lure us away from Rarity. I thought they were after Coco, but it seems I was wrong…”

”RARITY WAS KIDNAPPED!?” Twilight screamed, dashed up to Bon-Bon and shook her violently. All her self-control went out the window. ”WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY?”

”Princess, calm down,” Bon-Bon said as soon as Twilight proceeded to run around in circles in front of the bed.

”What!? How Am I supposed to calm down!?” Twilight yelled in a panicked voice. ”Rarity has been kidnapped, missing, gone up in smoke, försvunnen, lejos, fehlt, отсутствующий…”

Bon-Bon sighed. ”Princess, this does not help us find her,” she said calmly, interrupting Twilights tirade. The alicorn stopped as if she had been glued to the floor. She stood still for a moment then took a deep breath while extending her fore hoof.

”Right, sorry. What do we do?” Twilight said sheepishly, but still with a very worried look.

”I don’t suppose you managed to capture one of them, did you?” Bon-Bon asked, even if she knew the answer.

”Noo… she got away, but I managed to get her mask,” Twilight levitated up the mask, and looked at it calmly for the first time.

The mask was made from soft plaster, seemingly modeled after her BBBFF’s face. The mane, the eyes, the kind smile, everything was etched in the cold plaster. The mask looked perfect. She flipped it over and found it modeled after somepony else’s face to make sure it fit perfectly at whoever had worn it.

”Doesn’t really tell me much,” Twilight said as she studied the mask. ”But Coco is a seamstress, I recall, so maybe she could tell us something about this? At least she knows more about bodies and faces than me… ”

”Excellent thinking, Princess,” Bon-Bon said. ”But tell me more about whoever you pursued. Only determining gender is uncommon when dealing with these guys. What did you see?”

”Well… she did not seem to be much of a fighter. She ran all the time, and used a multitude of tricks while doing so.”

”What kind of tricks?” Bon-Bon asked. ”Smoke balls, illusions, blinding lights, that sort of things?”

”Yes,” Twilight said with a surprised voice. ”And a frying pan.”

”At least there is nothing to be ashamed of that you let her escape,” Bon-Bon said with a hapless smile. ”The Escape Artist is a master of just that.”

”Small comfort,” Twilight said dryly. She still couldn’t shake the feeling that she had seen that escape before, somewhere… ”Who did you follow? Not the sniper after all, I guess?”

Bon-Bon shook her head. ”No, I… I think followed their leader, The Equilibrist, but whatever was in that dart has made my memory blurry.”

”And we have no idea who any of these guys are?” Twilight asked sullenly.

Bon-Bon shook her head, and put a hoof against her forehead again with a grimace.

”So, then what do we got? Where can we look for Rarity?” Twilight asked anxiously.

”Carousel Boutique is the only place,” Bon-Bon said with a cringe. ”Forgive me, but whatever the syringe was loaded with makes it hard to think straight. I will be better soon, but…”

”I can carry you if you like, Bon-Bon. And Coco too,” Twilight offered. She did not want to leave anypony alone, especially as weakened as this.

”Thanks, Princess,” Bon-Bon said with a small smile. ”My name is Sweetie Drops, but you can call me Bon-Bon if you like.”

”And you call me Twilight, not Princess,” Twilight said as she helped Bon-Bon stand. She picked up Coco Pommel and they made their way towards Carrousel Boutique.

The two arrived a few minutes later, after having picked up a very quick breakfast from the castle kitchen. They laid Coco on the bed and began to search through the mess of the bedroom.

For all the chaos in the room, they found no actual clues. There were a few drops of blood, likely from the syringe wounds, as well as some small holes in the floor where the acid had dripped. No strands of hair, no pieces of cloth, nothing that might lead to the pony behind the mask.

”Not too surprising,” Bon-Bon said bitterly after an hour of fruitless searching. ”If there is one thing they consider more important than completing their jobs, it is not leaving anything behind.”

”You saw the pony who did this though, right?” Twilight asked with hopeful eyes. ”When you fought in the kitchen?”

”The mask, yes,” Bon-Bon said. ”I think it was of our mailmare, Derpy Hooves.”

”Ditzy Doo,” Twilight corrected. ”But the mask does not really lead anywh-”

Twilight stopped mid-sentence something cleared up in her mind, as if she had been watching the shadow of something for a while, but only now managed to fully see it. It was the joyous feeling of finally understanding something. Everypony has felt it sometime. She looked at her dress for her first Grand Galloping Gala, the one Rarity had designed for her all those moons ago. Rarity had insisted on keeping it in the boutique. Since, according to Rarity, Twilight herself wouldn't give it all the TLC it deserved. The small stars against the night blue silk morphed in her mind. They were turned into dazzling, multi colored stars on a soft purple cape. The cape flowed around the bright blue pony with the silver blue mane as she stood on the stage illuminated by fireworks. The image was gone in an instant and replaced with another one. She saw the same unicorn in the same cape rear up on her hind hooves, slamming them into the ground and disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

”Trixie…?” Twilight said in a breathless voice. ”Was it… Trixie…?”

”Hmm, what did you say?” Bon-Bon looked up from the melted lock with a curious glance.

”I know who she is,” Twilight said silently, hardly believing it. ”The Escape Artist… is Trixie.”

”Trixie? The mare with the Alicorn Amulet?” Bon-Bon asked with a confused voice.

”Yes. I recognized her getaway. It’s her.” Twilight said. She was certain. Even the voices matched now when she thought of it. And Trixie’s getaway tricks reminded of stage magic, only tweaked to serve her new, more sinister end.

”mmmgnf,” Coco moaned from the bed. She slowly moved up into a sitting position and looked around the room as if she saw it for the first time.

”Coco,” Bon-Bon said with an authoritative, but not unkind, voice. ”Can you take a look at this?” She held out the mask.

Coco looked at Bon-Bon with a dazed expression, but she took the mask nonetheless and looked at it with without really seeing.

”Shocked,” Bon-Bon whispered to Twilight. ”I will keep her company for a while. Why don’t you look down in the kitchen? Or, if you prefer, buy a couple of tickets to Canterlot. I think we should start looking for Trixie there.”

”Alright, but don’t hesitate to call if something happens,” Twilight said and left the two ponies alone. She saw how Bon-Bon put her leg over Coco’s shoulder and whispered something.

The kitchen looked pretty much the same as it had when she found Bon-Bon. She looked around without any real hope of finding anything. She did, however, note that a some glass had moved since last she was here. No doubt she had just gotten Coco and Bon-Bon away from whoever she heard earlier.

”How did this happen?” She mumbled silently as she fluttered out of the broken window towards the train station. Ponyville was slowly beginning to wake up. The more industrious ponies were walking on the road to wherever they worked. Ditzy was flying between the houses with the mailbag slung over her shoulder. She looked tired. Roseluck and Daisy was walking towards their flower shop, talking and laughing all the while. Behind them came Carrot Top with a wagon of crops. Filthy Rich trotted with a spring in his step towards Town Hall.

”Will I ever again see Equestria like the peaceful land I always knew? Now that I have seen what darkness lurks under the surface…?” Twilight thought as she flew. She shook her head. She had to concentrate on the mission at hoof. She landed by the station, bought three tickets to Canterlot, and flew off again.

Twilight’s ears picked up when she entered Carousel boutique again. Crying. She heard crying from upstairs. As if launched from Pinkie’s Party Cannon she zoomed up the staircase and hit the now-impossible-to-close door so hard it flew of the hinges. Bon-Bon and a heartbroken Coco Pommel sat together on the bed, and looked at her with startled expressions.

”Sorry,” Twilight said sheepishly. ”Guess I am still a little jumpy, huh?”

”Twilight, more news,” Bon-Bon said with a grave voice. ”Coco recognizes this mask. Apparently her old mentor used to make masks just like this one when designing clothes. By crafting these masks, her mentor could see exactly what type of fabric and accessory that would fit to what pony.”

”It’s Suri,” Coco said silently, with a look of not wanting to believe. ”Suri made this mask. I am sure of it. It was she who…”

”Shhh,” Bon-Bon said in a kind voice. ”We will find her and bring her to justice. Nopony shall have to endure what you have.” She turned to Twilight. ”We have two trails to follow, Trixie and this Suri Polomare character, whoever she is. At any rate, that is two more names to work with than I have ever had before.”

”What about Topsy Twitchy? Couldn’t you work with him?” Twilight asked.

”Since that incident in Canterlot, he is believed to be dead, even though I doubt he is.” Bon-Bon explained. ”Some of the coups I suspect The Circus for, have employed masterful weather manipulation, especially storms. Whoever is creating them is in his or her own league. And… do you know the official title for the best weather manipulator among the Wonderbolts?”

Twilight shook her head. She didn’t even know the Wonderbolt’s used titles at all.

”He or she is called ’skytamer’.”

”Seems too easy somehow, that the ’skytamer' should be The Tamer.” Twilight said with a quizzical look.

”Maybe you noticed that The Circus is rather… theatrical,” Bon-Bon said with a shrug.

”Yes, I noticed.” Twilight said tiredly. ”So you think we should start in Canterlot?” Twilight asked, despite her already knowing the answer.

”Yes, we begin with the big cities and work ourselves down from there,” Bon-Bon confirmed.

*****

The Clown was sitting by a spacious table with places for at least fifteen ponies. Across her sat the Equilibrist. He had a glass of weak cider in front of him, but he hadn’t touched it. He had just asked The Clown to follow him and then had not said anything more. He just sat there, and that made The Clown nervous. Maybe she had made some mistake? She was seen once, but Bon-Bon hadn’t come to arrest her during the day, so she couldn’t have recognized her. But then why was she here with The Equilibrist?

”Well?” The Equilibrist said. ”How do you feel?”

”I’m good,” The Clown said dutifully. ”No problem here, never felt better.”

”In that case I am seriously worried,” The Equilibrist said with a jokey voice.

”Look, Ditzy,” The Equilibrist continued. ”One doesn’t feel ’good’ after this type of thing. So let’s try again. How do you feel?”

Ditzy leaned forward with a troubled expression. She looked down into the table. ”I feel awful,” she mumbled. Saying that made her feel even more miserable. Her colleagues didn’t feel like this. She was not supposed to feel like this. She was in The Circus, for Celestia’s sake, she should be able to do this without feeling anything. She could feel the Equilibrist’s eyes glare into her.

”I bet you do,” The Equilibrist said with a kind voice. ”And, quite frankly, you should.”

”Kidnapping is not exactly a minor crime,” The Equilibrist continued. ”One should feel… well, awful, after having committed it.”

Ditzy looked up. ”But you don’t,” she said. The Equilibrist’s expression became a mix of a scowl and smile.

”Thank’s a bunch, Ditzy, feels good to hear that,” The Equilibrist said with a sarcastic voice. ”It’s not exactly a good thing, not to feel, you know? Nothing I’m too proud of indeed.”

”No?” Ditzy asked. ”But you are awesome at… at crime. The best there is. Sure better than me, anyway. You don’t feel like this, so I shouldn’t either, right?”

”I am the best indeed!” The Equilibrist said with a grin. ”So that’s what I do. You have your own niche to fill in our little…”

”…sinister syndicate” The Equilibrist suggested.

”Sure,” The Equilibrist approved. ”and that’s what you should do. You are our moral compass and the one nopony can suspect.”

”But I want to contribute,” Ditzy said, dejected. ”Everypony else can do so much more than me… and now when I finally did, I feel awful.”

”Ditzy, listen,” The Equilibrist said sternly. ”We did not recruit you overnight. The Wizard kept track of you for months before we made the move on you. We knew exactly who you were when you recruited you.”

”In fact, I think we knew you better than yourself,” The Equilibrist elaborated.

Ditzy felt both uncomfortable and flattered by The Equilibrist’s words. He left his chair and came around to sit beside Ditzy. He looked sternly into her eyes. ”Remember, Ditzy Doo, that of all the ponies in Equestria, we thought you were the one we needed. We don’t want you to be the best at crime, I can do that. We don’t need a fast flyer, we already have Topsy. Why would we need you as a sniper when we already have The Wizard? We recruited you because we needed you. We don’t need you to change, we need you the way you are.”

Ditzy threw her forelegs around The Equilibrist’s throat and hugged tightly. Too rarely did she hear praise like that. It felt wonderful.

”Now, then,” The Equilibrist said after a few minutes when she let go. ”Perhaps you could assist The Bearded Mare with her…”

”…Pensive project?” The Equilibrist finished. Ditzy nodded energetically. She felt a little better.

*****

Rarity’s thought were so slow she felt like she had quicksand in her head instead of her brain. She sort of remembered that something may have happened some time ago, but it was hard to hold any thought for long. She was unable to think of anything, but the present, so she did just that. She was vaguely aware of a somewhat damp feeling and an unfamiliar pressure over her face, but it wasn’t really anything worth caring about.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Her breaths were the only thing she cared about.

”Hello? Rarity, hello? She should be waking soon,” The voice awoke something deep within Rarity. She could not explain it, but the first feeling that came when she heard that voice was confusion.

”How soon?” another voice responded. Rarity knew she had heard it somewhere, but even attempting to place it would be much to hard in her present state. ”She mustn’t disturb the casting until I have the basics. Can you give more hypnotic?”

”No,” the first voice sounded anxious. ”She already got more than necessary. Even more might be dangerous!”

”Calm down, m’kay. All is fine, and I have the measurements. Give me a few hours, and I will have it fixed. Just make sure the casting isn’t disturbed for another half an hour,” the second voice said. ”Tie her up or something.” She heard hoof steeps against a wooden floor, and a door that closed. She felt her legs being moved and tied up, but she didn’t care. Then there was stillness.

After an undefined amount of time, Rarity heard the door open again, and the damp feeling over her face was gone. She had just enough energy to open her eyes and look to her left.

The radiant light stung in her eyes and she closed them again with a small groan. Somehow, seeing the light only made things worse. She felt like Applejack was bucking the inside of her head. She tried to open her eyes again and was able to make out some contorted shapes of the room she was in. There was probably a door in front of her, and the blazing light seemed to come form a window to her left. Or something…

”Oi, you starting to wake up there?” She heard the voice from before. ”Here, drink this.” Rarity heard something being poured up in front of her. At that moment, she became aware of how thirsty she was. Her throat felt cracked and dry like Saddle Arabia. She tried to move her hoof, but felt something restrain it. She heard the unknown pony picking something up and place it against her lips a little too fast. A glass, and some of the liquid splashed over her face from the clumsy movement.

Rarity opened her mouth and took a sip. The liquid washed into her mouth, and shocked her with it’s pleasant coolness. She opened her mouth again and drank greedily. Too soon the glass was empty. She waited for a moment while the cold liquid washed away her delirium. The headache seemed to dampen over the course of seconds just from the cool water. She felt the glass against her lips again and drank some more. Then another glass. She refused the fourth.

Rarity laid still for a moment while her body reactivated. Her mind began to clear up, like the clouds breaking to reveal the sun. Slowly, the memories from last night (or whenever it was) came floating back to her. Her eyes shot open as she connected the voice with Ditzy Doo and Ditzy Doo with the attack.

The room was small, with wooden floor and walls. The window was more of a small opening, and through it shone with the radiant light of Celestia’s sun. At the other side of the room, Ditzy sat in an armchair with a half sheepish half worried expression.

”Hello, Rarity,” she said with her normal, cheerful voice. One of her eyes was focused on Rarity, the other one on something under her. Rarity tried to move but became aware that both her front and hind legs were bound. She laid stretched on a table with Ditzy Doo beside her. ”Sorry about the hypnotic…” Ditzy said apologetically.

”Waaa?” Rarity said in a dazed voice. The fact that Ditzy Doo was one of the most skilled criminals in Equestria was already absurd, but to hear the same mare apologize for kidnapping her was just… bizarre. ”Der- Ahem, Ditzy, what is going on?” was the only thing she could come up with to say.

”Well,” Ditzy said with a shrug. ”Since you already know who I am, it was decided that I should watch you until you woke up. I will leave now, but The Tamer will come soon. Just don’t be afraid of him please. He really isn’t bad, he is just strange.”

Rarity recalled Bon-Bon’s suspicion about who The Tamer was. She swallowed down her worry and forced herself to think through the residue tiredness.

Ditzy was the only way to escape her predicament, that much was clear. The chance of doing so might be slim, but it was probably not nonexistent. It was Ditzy after all, and she was a kind pony. Rarity just had to play her cards right. Ditzy got off the puffy armchair she sat in.

”Will you tell me why, Ditzy?” Rarity asked slowly. The pegasus looked at her with guarded eyes for a second. Then her expression saddened. She turned to leave. ”Why did a mare like you join The Circus? You have a job, a filly to care for, and a roof over your head. What made you do… all this?” Rarity wanted to gesture about the room, but her hoof was still restrained.

Ditzy stopped mid movement as if Rarity had yelled at her. She stood still. ”Everypony hates me,” she said silently, turned away from Rarity. ”’Derpy the cross-eyed klutz’,’Derpy the dizzy-dumb’… That’s what they call me when they think I don’t hear. Even for you, the first thing you thought when you saw me was Derpy Hooves… I am Ditzy Doo…”

Rarity looked with shock at the cloud gray pegasus. She had no idea Ditzy disliked being called Derpy. Everypony had always called her that as long as she could remember, and Ditzy had not reacted then. But what were those other names? Had the ponies of Ponyville really said that about the poor mailmare?

”I learned to not hear it.” Ditzy said as if she had heard her question. ”Each time anypony said something like that, I did not hear it. I kept up the happy facade. Almost like a Clown, ever cheerful and happy… didn’t want to give the bullies the satisfaction…” Ditzy was shaking ever so slightly. She turned to face Rarity and her golden eyes glistered with tears. ”But she was bullied too. My innocent filly, bullied because… because of THIS!” Ditzy moved her hoof up and pointed at her eyes. One of them had shifted slightly and was now looking at the roof.

”You can’t understand it, Rarity, for you have never been laughed at, have you?!” Ditzy wailed. ”Every day when I collected my little Muffin at the schoolhouse I wondered. ’Has she been bullied today?’, ’Did she cry today?’ You cannot understand it!” Tears dropped from Ditzy’s eyes down on Rarity’s coat. The cloud gray pegasus hiccuped a few times.

”Then c-came The Wizard.” Ditzy immediately looked a little happier, but still had tears left in her eyes. ”He gave me a small errand to perform. He asked me kindly if I would help him. Nothing much, just don’t deliver one a letter tomorrow. Pretend it got lost. It was for a bully, so I did not deliver it. The Wizard… he praised me when I did that, even took me out for dinner. Nopony had ever praised my work before…”

Ditzy took a couple of deep breaths and calmed down a little. ”The Wizard became my friend, and soon the other members too. I met The Tamer. He is like me, bullied and hunted for his strangeness, but just as kind as anypony once you get to know him. He didn’t do anything, the voices did, but only we believe him. He needs me, needs me like nopony else. To him I’m not klutzy, to him I am a hero, just by being me.”

Rarity just listened, frozen in shock. How could something like this go on in Ponyville for Celestia knows how long? Until ten minutes ago she would have considered it nigh impossible, but here it was, plain as can be. Had Ditzy been so broken down that she turned criminal? Did she join up with The Circus just to hear a kind word?

”Ditzy, darling, don’t you see? They use you. They make you do horrible things to ponies who have done nothing wrong,” Rarity said with a soft tone.

Ditzy shook her head vigorously. ”No, they are my friends. They listen to me, care for me… listen when no pony else does…”

”Forgive me for saying so darling,” Rarity said with a sad tone. ”But I think they only care as long as you do what they want you to do.”

Ditzy looked at Rarity with a confused expression.

”Ditzy, no friend would ever make you do something like this,” Rarity said. She swallowed. ”Please, release me. I will help you make friends. Real friends, friends who will love you for being you, not for the abilities you have or don’t have.”

Ditzy stood silent, deep in thought. Rarity held her breath. It might work. Then Ditzy’s face contorted in anger and sorrow. ”I! HAVE! REAL! FRIENDS! THEY CARE MORE THAN YOU EVER DID!” She screamed. Then she turned around and left the room. ”I DON’T WANT MY OLD LIFE BACK!”

Rarity was shaking with emotion as she laid alone on the table. How could they? What pony could fool somepony else into doing something like this? For minutes Rarity cursed The Circus for what they did to Ditzy and everypony else. Then the door opened.

Rarity looked and saw a pegasus enter. Rarity could only stare, part in surprise and part in horror. He did not seem to wear a mask and, despite never having seen this pony in her life before, there was no doubt it was Topsy ”The Twister” Twitchy, ex-Wonderbolt. He surely looked like he had ”a few screws loose”, as Bon-Bon put it.

His coat was midnight blue, his mane, dark forest green and his tail was dark red. The three colors seemed chosen with the sole purpose to making him look as ridiculous as possible, for they clashed horribly with each other. He looked at Rarity with an unreadable expression, part smirk and part scowl. To make it even worse, his eyelids twitched slightly but refused to close.

Topsy trotted up to Rarity with strange, erratic movements, as if his muscles moved involuntarily and just so happened to make him walk forward. His wings flared out and folded a couple of times in rapid succession as he moved. In fact, the only thing that seemed to stay still with him was his eyes. He stared at Rarity with one purple and one orange eye that never moved or closed all the while.

”T-T-The T-t-tamer, at-t-t your s-s-service,” He said with a stammering, but nonetheless slithering and flowing voice, somewhat akin to cold water. It made Rarity’s skin crawl with discomfort. Each stammer was pronounced sharply, as if it was intentional.

Rarity just looked at the strange pony. She had no idea what to make of him. He did not feel very dangerous, exactly, just unsettling to the extreme.

Topsy did not seem expect an answer. Without stopping his erratic movements, he took of his saddlebags, looked at her again for a second. He then turned and Rarity could see his cutie mark for a short moment. A grey, zig-zag symbol. She had no doubt it was a twister.

”D-Ditzy was-s-s c-crying wh-wh-when she g-g-got-t out-t of here,” The Topsy said in his slithering voice. ”She a-a-alread-d-dy has-s-s to d-d-deal with enough t-t-troub-b-bles, the p-p-poor thing, why d-did-d you have t-to make it-t even wors-s-se?” Topsy did not seem to breathe at all during his stammering sentence. His voice continued like a steady stream of water. His eyes had not blinked once since he entered the room.

”Humph, don’t pretend you care for her, Topsy,” Rarity said with a venomous voice. She would not show him how unsettling he was.

”I c-c-care d-d-deeply f-f-for her, a-ac-tual-l-ly” Topsy said, equally venomous. His voice laced in anger was enough to make Rarity’s heart beat faster. It was frightening.

He opened his saddlebags and produced a small bottle and a syringe. ”I w-w-was-s-s-sup-p-posed to give you a hy-hy-hypnot-t-tic, b-but-t-t you have ma-ma-managed to ma-ma-make me angry. You are not-t-t asthmatic-c, are you?”

Rarity blinked at the rapid change of subject. ”Noo…?” she said truthfully. Topsy grinned like a predator moving in at a wounded animal.

Topsy picked up the syringe, dipped it in the bottle and loaded it. Rarity swallowed. The liquid had a nasty, yellow color. ”W-what is that?” She asked, with a scared tone. Topsy with a syringe was easily among the most unsettling images she had ever seen. Syringes were supposed to be handled with care and precision, and Topsy was everything but precise. His grin made him look utterly mad, and the hoof which held the syringe twitched frantically.

”Cu-cu-curare, an anest-t-thetic-c-c which c-c-can c-c-cause p-p-paral-l-lys-s-is-s-s if used in s-s-suf-f-ficient d-doses-s,” Topsy said. He removed the syringe from the bottle, tapped it gently to get rid of a drop that clung to the tip. Rarity felt the small sting at her left cutie mark. The syringe moved in her wound as Topsy’s hooves twitched.

”I h-h-hope f-f-for your s-s-sake that-t-t what-t you s-s-said was-s t-true,” Topsy said as he left. Rarity began to hyperventilate as she felt her body shut down. Her face relaxed completely within minutes of the sting, and soon the rest of her body too. Her eyelids fell as they relaxed. She wanted to cry for help, for it was becoming harder and harder to breath. Her mouth, however, did not respond.

Her body was a cold dead shell, impossibly heavy and still as a mountain. It was as if her mind had been disconnected from it. She was a prisoner in her own body.

She felt the ropes around her legs become undone. Her eyes were gently opened and Topsy looked down at her with his unnatural, unblinking eyes. ”The ef-f-fect-t will st-t-top in t-two hours at-t the latest,” The Tamer said. ”P-p-plenty of time t-t-to h-h-hide you.”

”Where?” Rarity thought through the panic of not being able to breathe properly.

”Don’t-t wor-r-ry,” The Tamer said with a twitch of his to large grin. ”You will b-b-be f-fed t-two t-times and have t-two hours-s of movement-t-t each d-d-day.” Topsy moved Rarity’s head so that she looked out of the small window. ”T-t-take a g-g-good look-k-k at-t the s-sun, f-for I p-p-promise you will miss-s-s it…”

With that, The Tamer placed Rarity in a sitting position and opened her eyes again. Rarity wanted to scream in horror at what she saw. A coffin stood open before her, and on the two-piece lid there was a series of long pipes with wide hoppers at the end. Pipes for ventilation, no doubt. The realization clicked in her mind.

”He will bury me alive! He will bury me alive! He will bury me alive!” She screamed in her thought. Her lips were still unmoving, but tears fell from her eyes. Topsy nudged her and she fell into the armchair Ditzy had sat in. Her eyes fell again, but she could still hear Topsy trot up to the coffin and open it.

”NO NONONONO!! PLEASE, NO!” She wanted to scream. Her lips did not make a sound. She felt her body being picked up and moved towards the waiting coffin. Her eyes were opened again, and she looked down in it.

The sight made her mind freeze in shock.

”But-t d-don’t-t wo-r-ry. Your f-friends-s will f-find you. S-Soooon.”

Author's Note

Okay, so that's chapter five. Sorry for taking so long on this. I blame my exams.

Chapter six- Downtown Deceiet

Chapter six- Downtown Deceit

Twilight and Bon-Bon left the small house and entered into the pleasant warmth that awaited them outside. They had caught the train just half an hour after they last spoke in Carousel Boutique. As soon as they arrived, they took Coco to the castle, where she would stay for a while. It was pretty apparent that the young designer had seen enough of The Circus for one lifetime.

After this, Bon-Bon had gone to the mayor of Canterlot and asked for all records of Trixie Lulamoon and Suri Polomare.

A long and infuriating bureaucratic grind later, they had been allowed to look at them for one day only, and they were not allowed to remove anything from Canterlot Town Hall. By the time they had compiled and sifted through the information it was already dark outside, so Twilight and Bon-Bon decided to wait until the following morning to begin investigations for real. They couldn’t afford to make some stupid mistake just because of exhaustion. Now however, after a night of rest, they were ready and willing to begin fighting the Circus for real.

”Alright, time to take the initiative,” Bon-Bon said as she put on her shades for the strong sunlight. ”So you will go to Trixie’s apartment, and I will go to Suri’s. We meet back here once we are done.”

”Okay,” Twilight said. ”Be seeing you.” The two split up.

Twilight made her way from the upper district where Bon-Bon’s agency was located. Her target was an apartment on Peony Lane, a small street between the lower and middle district. It was the type of place one would expect to run into Trixie. Not a bad address, but by no means classy.

Twilight briskly trotted down Princess Platinum’s Promenade, one of the largest streets in the city. After about twenty-five minutes, she took off from the main street, and was swallowed up the surrounding shops and service buildings. The display windows beckoned her with all types of merchandise; from food to jewelry. A couple of ponies were out and browsing the wares or walking to their jobs. She received her fair share of respectful nods and small bows as she went.

After crisscrossing between streets and alleys for twenty minutes, she arrived at her destination; fifteen Peony Lane. The house was a pretty large, three-story building, built from white stone and had an onion shaped, golden roof, like most of the houses in Canterlot. Twilight looked up at the windows. Trixie might be sitting behind one of them this very moment. She quickly trotted closer to the building, out of sight from the windows.

Twilight entered a clean-looking stairwell and started heading upwards. She entered into a cleaned corridor with about ten doors. Trixie’s apartment was directly to her left.

She put up a barrier behind her, encasing the doorway and herself. She knew Trixie was good at escaping, but now the only escape route was blocked off. She put on a smug grin and knocked.

There was no answer. She knocked again. Still nothing. Twilight frowned and let her magic prod at the lock. It was protected against magic, naturally, but she was an Alicorn. Some ordinary locksmith’s spells did not stand a chance against her magic. With a small flicker of light, the lock clicked open.

Twilight did not really know what to expect, but this was not it. She came into a corridor with a door directly to her left, and there was absolutely nothing there. The walls were painted white, without any picture or painting to brighten them up. The floor was covered with a thin layer of dust, and there was nothing that revealed that anypony had ever walked on it.

She took a tentative step forward. It echoed in the empty apartment.”Where is she? This is her home, isn’t it? So where is she?” Twilight asked loudly to herself she went. So much for taking the initiative.

She came into a combined kitchen and living room with a large window on one wall. An old table was the only piece of furniture. There was one more door there. Twilight opened it and looked into another completely empty room. She swallowed. The echo of her hoof steps was the only thing she heard, and the silence made her uneasy.

”You know, you really should just leave us alone, Miss Sparkle,” a calm voice came from behind her. She spun around and saw somepony in a long cloak standing outside the window. She blinked in surprise and looked again.

No, she had not mistaken. Somepony was standing outside a window on the second floor. He wore a Fancypants mask over his face. ”Ah, forgive my rudeness, of course it’s Princess Sparkle now,” the cloaked one corrected himself.

Twilight acted quickly. She lit up her horn, and appeared on ground outside. As she spun around she shot a powerful blast of magic at the pony. He was gone. Twilight could clearly see the windowsill he had been standing on, but he was not there anymore.

”It would be very tragic if we were forced to take desperate measures with your friend, I’m sure you agree?” The voice came from behind her again. She turned around and saw the masked pony at the top of a roof. She kept her sight upon him and teleported behind him. As soon as she materialized she saw the pony galloping along a clothesline.

Twilight took to the air and shot another beam at the running pony. He leaped to the side, jumped off a wall, crashed through a window and disappeared into a house, all in one fluid motion. Twilight just fluttered for a moment.

Who could he do that? His dexterity and balance must be off the charts to just improvise a move like that. Twilight dove for the ground and ran into the house. She looked up at a worn stairwell and saw a door open. The pony dashed out and began to run upward to the roof.

Twilight set after him. She roughly tackled somepony on the way up and dashed out on the roof. She saw her quarry three roofs ahead of her. Again she was amazed. That was fast even by Rainbow Dash’s standards, and this guy did not have wings.

She locked on the pony and teleported. As she materialized, she saw the cloaked figure jumping off the roof. She leaped after him, and used her wings to dampen the fall. She heard the sound of running water a moment too late. She fell past the cloaked pony and fell down in cold water.

”The canals!” She thought as the stream gripped her body and dragged her away. She looked up through the water and saw that her target, had landed safely on a thin clothesline over the water. She gulped down a mouthful of water and panicked for a second, her wings and hooves flailing wildly before she gained enough control over herself to touch the bottom of the canal and shoot herself upwards. She broke it in a cascade of water and coughed frantically.

The cloaked one stood quite some distance away and looked at her. This time though, it was not he who had moved, but she. The water pulled her away fast. She prepared a spell, but lost concentration. Before she knew what had happened, she was under the water again. She looked through the water surface and saw a black and red bird fly overhead.

This time she did not breathe, but kept her eyes opened. It was uncomfortable, but she could see the contorted shapes of clouds over her. He horn lit up and she felt her body leave the water. She fluttered erratically as she dried the water from her eyes and coughed. Once she had oriented herself she dashed back towards where she had fallen.

The cloaked one had vanished and the clothesline swayed indolently. She landed on the neighboring roof and looked at the place where he had stood. Her glance fell on something. A small, tightly bound scroll hung from a thread. She frowned and levitated it towards her.

The seal that held the scroll was bright red and had a symbol stamped into it, made up by three question marks, one straight and two angled so they split the seal in thirds. Where their shared dot should be, there was a small ”C” instead.

She broke the seal and read.

Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle.

We are The Circus. Hello.

As you probably have likely understood by now, you being so clever, we have indeed kidnapped your friend Rarity (total knockout, by the way; even sweeter than when I saw her last). She is unhurt for the moment, but it is up to you whether she remain that way. Stop chasing us, if you please. Else there will be consequences. I will contact you soon, and you will learn what we want in order to release her. Don’t worry, it’s not money.

Sincerely, The Equilibrist, The Illusionist, The Tamer, The Escape Artist, The Clown, The Wizard, The Bearded Mare, and everypony else under our employment.

Post Scriptum: Rarity is buried alive.

*****

Rarity felt dazed, part by the drug she had been given, part by the chaotic maelstrom of fear and confusion that raged in her head. She had legitimately been kidnapped. How had this happened? Why her? Where was she? Would she ever be found? Would The Circus just leave her to rot in this… wherever it was?

After Topsy showed her what was in the coffin, he had let her eyes close and spun her around for a few minutes. Once she got so dizzy she didn’t know up from down, she had been moved away somewhere. She was unsure about the passage of time, but it felt like they moved for more than an hour. Once she woke up, she was here.

Rarity could not see the hoof in front of her, and she was freezing. She had tried to walk a little to keep warm, but the place was so small she could hardly take two steps before she bumped in the opposite wall, three if she took small trots. The walls, when she bumped into them, were made of rough stone and the air was cold, stale and smelled of mold. There didn’t seem to be any door, nor could she feel the roof.

She couldn’t exactly explain it, but something told her she was underground. There was something with the chill in the air and the way it refused to warm up. It made her think of the time she was trapped among the Diamond Dogs. That knowledge made her even more afraid of her situation. If her suspicion was correct, then there was a crushing weight of damp earth just above her, just waiting to fall down and bury her.

She was not hungry though, something she was thankful for. That meant she was not in any danger of starving yet, even if she knew it was a temporary respite. She would be hungry soon enough, and that would make her situation even more unbearable. ”What if they never come? What if they forget? How long does starvation take? Will I ever be found? What if-” Her constant thought was interrupted by a few pebbles of soil falling down on her brow. Her heart froze in fear.

”No!” she whispered to herself in a panicked voice. ”The roof is… HELP! PLEASE, SOMEPONY HELP!!!”

”Don’t worry, Rarity, I’m here,” Rarity’s heart leaped with joy and disappointment in equal measure as she recognized Ditzy’s goofy voice. Suddenly a dim light shone down on her. She looked up.

Almost ten ponylengths above her she could see Ditzy peeking over the edge of a circular hole. One eye looked at her, the other one on a wall. Behind her was the almost, but not entirely, dark sky and some tree branches. It looked like it was early night.

”Al-l-low me-e,” the slithering, stammering voice of Topsy ”The Twister” Twitchy came from above her. He appeared beside Ditzy and threw a rope ladder down in the hole. Rarity realized where she was; she was caught in an old well. She began to climb immediately, eager to leave the cramped space. Topsy reached a hoof down in the hole and helped Rarity out with ease. She could feel his hoof twitching.

Rarity stood at the edge of the hole and looked around. Too well did she recognize the twisted undergrowth of the Everfree forest. She quickly dismissed running away. Even if she somehow could outspend two pegasi, where one was a former Wonderbolt, she would be lost in the middle of Everfree forest at sundown.

”Please don’t run now, Rarity,” Ditzy said. She was not mocking or sarcastic, just begging in all honesty. Rarity turned around and saw her sitting on a fallen tree by a small, fold-able table. Her veering eyes were filled with unease. On the table there were a couple of hayburgers and cups. ”If you do, then we will have no choice but to capture you again.”

”Humph. Do forgive me, but I’m not exactly inclined to obey my kidnappers just out of kindness,” Rarity said indignantly. ”But I know when to fold. I won’t run.” She tried to put all dignity she could muster in her last declaration.

Ditzy looked a little happier at that. ”Come, have something to eat.” She gestured towards the food. Rarity warily approached. She took up one of the burgers in her magic and began to eat. She did not sit down though. A lady could not lay down on the grass, after all, and every second of stretching her legs was welcome after the cramped space in the well.

With a small rustle, Topsy appeared beside Ditzy. He looked at Rarity with his mismatched eyes and a somewhat calm look, despite his twisted smirk. Rarity was surprised. This was the first time Topsy did not seem entirely mad.

”I wanted to ap-pologize,” Topsy said with a much more stable voice than usual. ”About the c-curare. Sorry, Rarity.” He bent his neck.

Rarity was caught off guard by that. ”Ehm… alright?” she replied sheepishly. She scolded herself immediately after the words left her mouth. An apology was not enough, it was not ”alright” in the slightest. Rarity opened her mouth to speak her mind, but was interrupted by Ditzy.

”Please don’t be mad at him,” she pleaded. ”I know he is a bit strange, but he is not a bad pony, really, he isn’t.”

Rarity was caught off guard again. How was he not a bad pony? He had gone berserk with a twister during a stunt show, kidnapped her, and Celestia knows what else. She closed her mouth and gave a dignified ”humph”.

”You s-see, I have this t-talent,” Topsy said casually. The slithering voice made Rarity look at him. Something about that voice and his appearance made her want to keep her eyes at him at all times. ”I h-have an affinity for s-storms and… winds. They s-speak to me. Always whispering, always l-longing…” Topsy sat silent and stared down in his cup, still with the weird smirk on his face. Apparently, he thought that his little speech would clarify everything.

Ditzy looked at the multicolored stallion beside her with caring eyes. ”What do they tell you now?” she asked softly.

”They tell me to unleash the f-fury of the storm, to LIVE!” his voice broke into falsetto at the last word. For a moment his entire face lit up with joy, before he visibly calmed down again to his normal demeanor. ”To harness them, to feel alive again. I nev-ver feel so much alive as in the mid-dle of a twister…”

”Shh, I’m here. Don’t listen to them, listen to me instead…” Ditzy said with a soft voice. Topsy diverted his eyes from the space he had been staring at and looked at Ditzy. Rarity looked at the two Pegasi, and suddenly felt a small twinge of sadness for them, despite everything.

”Is that why you used that dreadful anesthetic instead of a hypnotic?” Rarity asked as she took a sip of water. ”Because I made Der- ahem, Ditzy cry?”

Topsy nodded, and gave her a look that might pass for approving. ”The winds-s silence when she is close. When she is near, I can hear my own t-thoughts again…” he looked away with a dreamy expression. ”The other m-members of The C-Circus help to some extent, but not like D-Ditzy. She is like… like water on a fire… I can’t-t stand seeing her unhapp-py…”

"He didn’t do anything, the voices did." Ditzy had said. Rarity took another bite of the hayburger and looked at the mailmare. ”Ditzy, is this why you really joined The Circus?” she asked slowly. ”Because you could calm his… talent?” Rarity would have preferred the word ”insanity.”

Ditzy nodded energetically. ”At first it was just to feel useful for once, but I wouldn’t have joined fully if it weren’t for him. He needs me, more than anypony. To him, I am not klutzy, or a… criminal,” Rarity noted that Ditzy winced at the last word, ”but a friend. A true, true friend.”

”Not-t a friend, a neces-s-sity,” Topsy interrupted. ”W- without you, I would have let the winds take me l-long ago… I love the winds…”

Ditzy stroked Topsy’s green mane. ”I’m always here, friend,” she said with a goofy smile.

Rarity did not have the heart to interrupt them, so she focused on finishing her hayburger and drink. As she ate, she realized she was not exactly afraid of the two ponies. Ditzy was still Ditzy, after all. She was scared of the well, but not Ditzy. Not even Topsy frightened her when he was like this.

Rarity went back towards the well, and started to walk around the dark hole. She had to stretch her legs as much as possible, else she would probably go insane after another session in the ground. A silent flutter told her that Topsy flew over her and landed on a rock, probably to make sure she did not escape. ”It’s time… to prepare,” he declared calmly.

She looked at him again. His creepy smirk was back, but he had actually closed his eyes for once. He tilted his head back and seemed to listen to something only he could hear.

Suddenly, Ditzy came fluttering down from the sky with a large cloud in her hooves. She placed it in the air beside Topsy, who opened his eyes and stroked the cloud. Rarity stopped and watched. She had never seen a pegasus do that before. He wasn’t sculpturing or thinning the cloud, he just stroked it like Fluttershy would a pet.

Suddenly, he began to flutter about erratically. His twitches had been a lot calmer now than when she saw him the first time, but now they picked up again. He fluttered about the cloud, punching it here and there and ripping out small pieces.

Rarity noted that the cloud quickly became smaller and darker. Topsy grabbed the cloud in both his hooves, and dove to the ground. The moment before he crashed, he altered his path so he flew just a hooflength over the grass while dragging the small cloud along it. How he could fly with such control with his twitches was anypony’s guess.

The cloud began to rumble angrily as electricity built up. Rarity suddenly realized what he was doing; he was building the smallest thundercloud she had ever seen. Around and around he flew, and the cloud got darker and darker. Then he pulled up, and held in his hooves a pitch black, crackling mass.

”Shh,” he whispered to the cloud. The cooing sound was not unlike the hiss of a snake. ”C-cal-lm d-d-down hehehehehahah,” he laughed with a half choked sound that should be impossible to make. Then he flew off.

Rarity looked to Ditzy again. ”Is there anything I can say that would make you let me go?” Rarity asked in a resigned voice. The well scared her, and her time was running out.

Ditzy shook her head. ”No, but you won’t have to stay in the ground for very long. Things have gone better than expected,” Ditzy said happily. ”I promise, it won’t be to bad. You will sleep through most of it…”

Rarity shuddered as she looked towards the hole, and continued her fast-paced walking. The remainder of her time passed far quicker than she thought.

”Time’s up,” Ditzy finally said. Rarity startled and began to think up a half-mad escape plan. She dismissed it and went towards Ditzy with her head hung. She did her best to remain calm despite knowing what awaited. Clatter caused her to look up, and she saw two small glasses at the table. Between them stood a flask of whiskey.

Rarity looked at the flask in utter surprise. It was a very nice brand, and probably cost more than her monthly income. Ditzy uncorked the flask with a loud ”pop”, and poured up a generous amount of golden liquid in both glasses. She spilled almost half of what she poured.

”Oops,” she said sheepishly. Rarity realized somewhere in the back of her mind, that Ditzy by spilling that whiskey probably wasted enough money to buy herself a brand new mail uniform.

Ditzy then brought up a small bottle, dipped a syringe in it and sprayed some of the contents in one of the glasses.

”Here,” she nudged the glass with the hypnotic towards Rarity and a little more of the whiskey spilled. ”To good friendship?” Ditzy asked as she raised her glass.

”To good friendship,” Rarity said without enthusiasm. They clinked the glasses together and drank. The whiskey was wonderful, Rarity had to admit. A warm, dazing feeling spread from her belly out in her body. It was not at all like the horrible curare, this was a warm and snug feeling. Rarity just wanted to lay down, curl up into a small ball and doze off. She did not even notice that she fell into Ditzy’s waiting hooves and was brought down in the well shaft again.

Topsy came flying back after a few minutes, empty hoofed. He hugged Ditzy and then they both flew off.

*****

Sweetie Drops knocked at the door decisively.

Easyglider’s lane, just a couple of blocks from Hurricane’s Alley, one of the three main streets in Canterlot. It was a pretty decent address, if quite far away from both the train station and the airship docks. The building was a hotel, indicating that this Suri Polomare had no place to live yet.

”Well, I will have a cozy prison cell for you…” She thought as she knocked again.

”Yes, yes, I’m coming, m’kay?” came an annoyed voice from the room. Sweetie Drops heard the lock click and the door opened. She looked into the comely face of a pink earth pony with purple hair. She had kind, brown eyes, and a turquoise scarf tied around her neck. She could probably look rather attractive, but her face was twisted in an annoyed look. ”Yes?” she asked tiredly.

”Are you Suri Polomare?” Sweetie Drops asked.

”Yes, who is asking?” The earth pony responded.

”Officer Sweetie Drops, Equestrian police,” Sweetie Drops answered. Better not to say she worked for the highest crime fighting instance there was. She would rather keep that trump card until the interrogation. ”I guess you know why I am here?”

The mare looked like Sweetie had thrown a bucket of ice cold water in her face, but hid it in the blink of an eye. ”I have no idea what you are talking about, m’kay,” Suri responded with a relaxed smile.

”She is a good liar, this one,” Sweetie thought. She had learned to read lies very well as an agent, and this pony managed to get just the right blend of indignation, curiosity and surprise in her voice when she spoke. Her face was mostly straight too. If not for the short moment of fear when Sweetie said who she was, she might have even fooled her. ”Come with me, if you please,” Sweetie said with an authoritative voice.

The face of fear was back again, and this time it did not go away. Suri swallowed, grabbed a key from a small hook and went out the door. Sweetie could clearly see her legs shaking a little.

”Good, let’s get to the police station and have a small talk, shall we?” Sweetie asked with an approving smile. She nudged Suri to go first, and she did. Together they went, not to the police station, but to the castle. Sweetie was not about to let The Circus break Suri out of the ordinary prison. The castle dungeons should still be safe though.

And, for that matter, most criminals became a little intimidated when they were brought to the castle itself. Suri was no exception. She went slower and slower as they neared the castle, until she practically stopped before the gates. Sweetie stopped too for a moment. She wanted Suri to really take in the sheer size of the castle.

”Go on,” she said after a few seconds. ”Or shall I call the guards?” Suri began to walk again, much quicker than before.

Once in the castle, Sweetie got two guards to flank Suri while she lead the way to the cellars. The detention floor was a relic from a time in history where crime was much more common than nowadays, and so, were almost never used.

The white stone that made up most of the castle was present here too, but it was hardly smoothed at all, giving the detention floor a much harder feeling than the rest of the castle. It was also significantly colder and quieter. There were hardly any guards down here normally.

Sweetie Drops broke off from the main corridor and entered a circular room. In the middle stood a small table and, all around it, a wall of metal bars that divided most of the rooms into individual cells.

”You may leave,” Sweetie told the guards. They both looked at Suri with venomous glances and left. ”So, Suri, are you absolutely sure you don’t know why you are here?”

Suri looked around at the barred doors with an anxious expression. Then she shook her head. ”No, m’am,” she said. Sweetie could easily pick up the worry in her voice.

”I should tell you though,” Sweetie Drops said with low voice and conspiratorial smile. ”The punishment for organized crime is… pretty severe. Lying to an officer is bad too… but I’m sure you already knew that, right?” Sweetie noted with pleasure that Suri seemed just as shocked as when she was found in her apartment.

”What do you want?” Suri asked with roving eyes.

”You know what I want,” Sweetie said with a neutral voice, but triumphant heart. Suri seemed broken. It had been far easier than she expected, but, hey, she wouldn't complain. ”Who is in The Circus, where do they live, and where is Rarity?”

Suri licked her lips and looked at Sweetie. ”I… I can’t tell you, m’kay? The will… kill me…” She said the last words in a very small voice.

”They won’t harm anypony again if you tell me what you know,” Sweetie said with an assertive voice. ”I promise, I will capture them, and put them all away for good. You will be put to trial as well, but helping me bring down The Circus can probably lessen your time in jail.”

Suri looked horrified at the mentioning of jail, but did not break eye contact. ”Are you sure you can catch them? They keep their identities hidden even from each other. I only know two names, and not where any of them live…”

”Two names are good enough,” Sweetie said. With those names, she could probably get to the others. The problem with The Circus was that the inner circle was extremely secretive, but once you pierced that shell it should be easier. ”And Rarity?”

”I was not there when they took her,” Suri said with a low voice. She glanced anxiously over her shoulder. ”So I don’t know who did it, but they talked about burying her close to the north-western edge of Everfree forest, nearby a ravine… but you must hurry. If The Circus misses me, they will move her, m’kay?”

”Bury her?” Sweetie said with a voice that did not betray the fright she felt. Had they killed Rarity? Why would they do that?

”Buried alive,” Suri said with a shudder. ”Their favorite tactic for keeping prisoners from trying to escape.”

”Very well, I will look into it immediately. But first you will tell me the names you know,” Bon-Bon said.

”The Tamer and The Escape Artist,” Suri said. Bon-Bon felt as if she had been scammed. Of all names it had to be the only two she already knew? Why? What was the odds of that? ”The Tamer is a former stunt flyer, Topsy Twitchy, nicknamed ’The Twister’. He’s got a very special appearance, like-”

”I know,” Sweetie said, annoyed. ”Go on.”

”Ahh,” Suri paused for a moment. ”The Escape Artist is a blue unicorn named Trixie Lulamoon, m’kay? Very spirited and boastful. She refers to herself in third-pony.” Suri looked at her with nervous eyes.

”Very well,” Bon-Bon said again. If nothing else, the information she already had was correct, so maybe what she said about Rarity was true as well. ”I will leave you now, but there will be a guard posted at the entrance at all times, so you will be safe,” Bon-Bon said as she unlocked one of the cell doors. ”And, more importantly, you will not escape,” she thought silently as she locked Suri in the cell.

”You save Rarity now, won’t you?” Suri whispered. ”She is a fillyhood friend…”

”Leave it to me,” Sweetie Drops said and conjured up her trademark shades.

Chapter seven- Everfree Escapade

Twilight was sitting in Bon-Bon’s office, thinking. Or trying to, at least; it proved rather difficult to sit still and think. She had a hard time keeping from snapping into panic mode at this point.

After the initial freakout, she had forced herself to a relative calm through Cadence’s breathing exercises. She remembered her late friendship report incident very clearly. She was not going to panic and do something rash this time. She was going to think first and act later. Rarity’s life might hang in the balance. That reasoning was the only thing that kept her sane right now.

She held the slightly crumpled letter in her hooves as she read it again for the 48th time. Rarity was unhurt, if she should believe what the letter said, so there was that. There was also the threat that if she did not drop the chase then her friend would be in trouble. Again, she had no idea if The Circus actually would carry out the threat, but that was not a risk she would take in a million years.

Then there was the really interesting part. I will contact you eventually, and you will learn what we want in order to release her.

So The Circus wanted something from her, and only after she had delivered were they going to free Rarity. But what could they want? Not money apparently, but then what? She was a Princess, but she did not have any actual treasures or artifacts, save for her scepter, and why would they want that?

But then what did they want? Twilight felt lost at that question. What did she have that nopony else did? Her title, but that was not something she could transfer to anypony else. She was a skilled mage, so maybe they wanted her to use her magic to help with some coup? But why would they want her for that? There were other unicorns who could probably do whatever she could, and she was a risky pony to target.

Twilight shook her head and looked down on the note again. There was still one detail she was pretty sure was important.

The note was also signed by a ”The Illusionist”, but nether Bon-Bon or Celestia had mentioned that name. Who was he? Or she? What did she or he do for The Circus? Why was that particular name such a secret?

And then there was the PS. Twilight was pretty sure whoever had written this damn thing had put it there just to scare her. And as much as she disliked it, it did exactly that.

Post Scriptum. Rarity is buried alive.

Post Scriptum. Rarity is buried alive.

Post Scriptum. Rarity is buried alive.

Post Scriptum. Rarity is buried alive.

The phrase played over and over in her head, like a song stuck on constant replay. She could almost hear the calm, gentlestallionlike voice of the pony she had pursued speaking from the letter.

”ARGH!” Twilight growled and put her hooves to her temples. She could not think. There were too many questions, too little information, and the stakes were way too high for her to afford any mistake. Thus, she dared not do anything at all.

She was brought out of the dead end by an opening door. Bon-Bon entered, and Twilight took a deep breath the way Cadence had taught her.

”Hey,” she said, calmer than she felt.

”Hello,” Bon-Bon responded. Twilight picked up on the excitement in her voice. Something had happened, and it was something good. ”I got her. Suri Polomare is ours.”

”Thank Celestiaaaaoh NO!” Twilight said as her brain made a horrifying connection. This was NOT dropping the chase; this was pissing The Cirucs off. Twilight felt her mind disconnect for a moment as she tried to sort out the situation.

”Twilight, you alright there?” Bon-Bon asked with a confused voice.

”Nooo,” Twilight said absently. She held out her hoof with the letter. Somewhere in the back of her overworked mind she felt Bon-Bon take it from her.

”Twilight,” Bon-Bon waved her hoof in front of her eyes. She blinked and looked at the beige earth pony. ”Suri has told me where Rarity is. If we move quickly we might be able to save her, but-” Bon-Bon looked sternly at Twilight. ”-I cannot guarantee that we will be successful, and if we are not, then The Circus will be angry. Do you want to take the risk?”

Twilight returned to her thinking, this time with a new question. Was it worth the risk?

”Pros, if we manage to save Rarity, then we will have snatched The Circus’s primary weapon from them.” Twilight said out loud to herself. ”As long as they hold Rarity, our hooves are tied. Also, maybe Rarity has learnt something while she has been captured? It is a long shot, but it is possible.”

”Cons, if we fail, then it will be… as Rarity would put it, THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING.” Twilight went on. ”But then again, thanks to the incident with Suri, they were likely already mad as hornets…”

So wasn’t it worth the risk? Weren’t the reward worth the risk in this case? But it was Rarity’s life they gambled with. How could they even consider something so dangerous?

”What do you think?” Twilight asked with a sigh. She did not know what to do. None of her trials had put her in a situation like this. She had often knew very well what to do. With Discord she had to find the Elements. With Chrysalis, get through the changeling army to the elements. With Sombra, first find information from the crystal ponies, and second, find the Crystal Heart. She had known what to do those times. This confusing bewilderment was new. And it was terrible.

”I say we try to save her,” Bon-Bon said without hesitation. ”To me, this is an opportunity too great to pass on. I have never been closer to The Circus than now. And Rarity is my friend too. I want to save her.”

”So do I,” Twilight said. ”But the risk… what if we fail?”

”Then we are in deep trouble,” Bon-Bon said without smiling. ”But we both have been there before and gotten out, I seem to recall?” Twilight smiled a little at that statement.

”I suppose,” Twilight sighed. ”Guess we will try then…”

”No, you are not guessing. We are going to save her,” Bon-Bon corrected with a small smirk. ”Keep positive.”

”If you say so,” Twilight said, still in a not-to-enthusiastic voice.

”I am, and now I want you to say it as well. With moxie, understood?”

”We are going to save her?” Twilight said in a less than sure voice. Bon-Bon facehoofed.

”In case you don’t know, ’with moxie’ means ’with spirit’, or ’with gusto’,”Bon-Bon explained patiently. ”Again, and do it right this time. ”

”We are going to save Rarity!” Twilight said loudly.

”That’s the spirit, lets get going!” Bon-Bon said with a smile. ”To the Everfree Forest.”

”What!?” Twilight looked with large eyes at Bon-Bon. ”Rarity is in Everfree Forest? What madmare would hide anything there? There was no telling what could happen! Where?! WHERE!?” She screamed. The forest was large, even without the multitude of terrifying beasts it would probably still take centuries to search it.

”Nearby a ravine close to the north-eastern edge of the forest. Do you know any place that fits the description?” Bon-Bon asked. ”I don’t, and I’d rather not stay in the forest longer than necessary.”

Twilight remembered a night so many moons ago, when she and her friends had first searched for the Elements of Harmony. A ravine with a very angry manticore. ”Then let’s go, I know the ravine.”

The two went as casually as possible out the door. They still had to avoid suspicion if The Circus had somepony watching them.

About one and a half hours later they were galloping quickly through Everfree forest. Twilight knew the way, pretty much just to follow the path from Ponyville towards the Castle of the Two Sisters, and then a little to the left. It was not hard to find if you had been there once.

Still, the sun was about to set, and walking around in the forest at night was extremely dangerous. Then there was also the possibility of running into an ambush or something, which was not too nice of a prospect ether.

Twilight stopped as she thought heard something to her left, a rustle and what sounded like a very soft step. She looked carefully at the thick foliage, and readied a spell. Bon-Bon stopped beside her. Twilight could feel her impatience.

”Come on,” she urged and took a step sideways. ”We don’t have the time to stop. Every moment we delay is another one they can spend moving Rarity.” Twilight nodded and followed, she kept her ears picked up. She thought she had seen a shadow leap back into the undergrowth, slow enough to perceive, but only just.

She and Bon-Bon galloped on, but Twilight was sure to listen carefully. The sound of their own galloping hooves drenched most of the other sounds, but she thought she heard something after her. She stole a quick glance over her shoulder. Still nothing there. Or, nothing that she could see anyway.

”Is this it?” Bon-Bon said after about ten more minutes of galloping. Twilight snapped her focus forward. She saw the ravine and the clearing around it. Everything looked exactly like it had back then, except that there was no manticore this time.

”This is it,” Twilight said. ”Did she tell you more exact where Rarity was supposed to be?”

Bon-Bon shook her head. ”No, only that she was supposed to be close by this ravine. I guess we will have to start looking…” Bon-Bon and Twilight began to scour the ground after any sign of digging or hoof prints. She didn’t have to look for long.

Just a few ponylengths of the path the ground was blackened like after a bonfire. Splinters of wood and laid scattered over the ground and the dirt had been thrown up in a small crater in the middle of the chaos. It looked like lightning had struck in the middle of the glen, despite the tall trees around.

”Hey, Twilight, come look at this,” Bon-Bon said from the other end of the small glade around the scorch mark. Twilight fluttered over to her with a few quick wingbeats. Bon-Bon pointed up towards a tree. Twilight saw it too. A small piece of cloud floated under the thick canopy, and had avoided vaporization thanks to the chill of the shadow. ”A pegasus must have been here, and judging by the scorch marks, it might have been Topsy Twitchy.”

Twilight swallowed. Not good. If The Circus already had been here, then chances were they had already moved Rarity. Twilight backed away a few steps, and took a deep breath the way Cadence had taught her. As she put down her hoof again, she stumbled a little. She looked down and realized she had stepped in a small hole.

She frowned and looked at it. It did not seem natural. In fact, it looked like a small wooden hopper was buried there, with the wide end up to the air.

”Hang on…” Twilight said slowly and began to remove some leaves from the ground under the tree. ”Ha, found it!” she said triumphantly. Bon-Bon looked away from the small tuft of cloud and went to Twilight.

”This must be it!” Twilight said as she pointed at the ground. Bon-Bon went closer. Twilight was in fact pointing at a narrow furrow in the ground. Bon-Bon understood quickly. The Circus had removed a large carpet off grass when they dug the grave, but instead of throwing it away they had saved it, and put it back on the ground when they were done. Combined with the scorch marks and leaves, the grave was nearly impossible to find if you didn’t know what you were looking for.

Twilight’s horn began to shine as she lifted up the carpet of grass of the ground. It was about as wide as a pony, and maybe twice as long. She threw it roughly to the side and began to levitate away the loose dirt. Bon-Bon helped her.

As they were digging, Twilight’s ears picked up the small rustle again. She leaped into the air, and spun around. A few branches nearby swayed slightly. It might very well have been the wind, but… Twilight’s horn lit up and she parted the branches nearby the place. Still nothing there.

”Twilight?” Bon-Bon asked with a confused voice. ”What’s the matter?”

”I think something has been following us for a while, and it keeps getting away…” Twilight said with a hushed voice. ”Hang on.” Twilight’s horn glowed again, and a ring of purple light surrounded the small clearing. Bon-Bon looked at her with questioning eyes. ”Alarm spell. If anything crosses the line, we will know.”

They resumed their digging. After about ten minutes they had unearthed part of a wooden box. It was large enough to hold a pony. Twilight began to pick at it with her magic. The bottom piece of the coffin slid of easily and two white hind legs came into view.

”RARITY!?” Twilight screamed in both relief and panic. The legs didn’t move, and there was not a sound from the coffin. Twilight’s heart froze. Was Rarity drugged? Or…

Twilight stopped the thought before it was fully formed. She began to struggle with the next section of the lid, but it was still to heavy with the dirt on it. She and Bon-Bon shoveled it away as fast as they could, and Twilight could finally open the second part of the box.

Twilight stared.

Then came the horror.

Twilight screamed and instinctively staggered backwards. Her heart rate quickened and she began to hyperventilate. She fluttered with her wings, but only managed to trip on the edge to the grave and fall. She scampered backwards while trying to beat the terrible sight away.

”Twilight, stop!” Bon-Bon said sternly and pinned the panicked Princess down. Twilight struggled under her before she locked her head upwards and forced Twilight to look into Bon-Bon’s eyes. ”It is just a doll.”

Twilight continued to struggle for a few more seconds before she understood what Bon-Bon had said. She laid still under Bon-Bon and tried to come to grips with the sight. She quivered.

”Right. Doll. Okay.” Twilight said, more to herself than Bon-Bon. The agent got off her, and Twilight stood up. She carefully trotted up to the grave and looked down.

The doll was pretty much perfect. It laid softly down in the coffin and looked up with empty, dead eyes. In a fit of dark humor, somepony in The Circus had painted a nasty red gash over the doll’s throat. Twilight had legitimately thought it was a corpse they had found. The doll didn’t move. Of course it didn’t move.

Twilight carefully got down in the grave. She picked at the doll’s face, just to confirm that it was indeed juts a doll. The plaster was almost solidified, but still looked nearly exactly like Rarity. It must have been modeled after her friend’s face, so exact was it. But the most stunning detail was the eyes. They were perfect replicas, made by glass. Beautiful sapphire blue eyes.

Only now did she see the short message that was written on the inside of the coffin lid. Perfect writing, just like the one in her letter.

I warned you. Next time, it won’t be a doll, mark my words.

Sincerely, The Equilibrist.

A small tuft of Rarity’s tail had been nailed under the message.

*****

The Equilibrist peeked out of the dense foliage. He would have preferred not to get his clothes all dirty, but in his line of work that was inconveniences you had to take sometimes. And, if this worked out the way he wanted, then he could afford expensive cleaning. He stifled a laugh as he saw Twilight’s freak out. It looked downright hilarious.

”Perfect, Miss Sparkle,” He whispered to himself. He tipped his hat to the alicorn despite knowing she could not see him. ”It is good that you came here, even if you are a bit late, but I’m a generous soul, so I can forgive that.”

*****

The Escape Artist let the weak fragrance of blueberry play in her nostrils as she drank the special drink at the ”Golden Apple Slice”. The Clown and The Tamer had just returned from their mission in the forest, together with their precious captive. She was now locked up in the attic. After that, The Circus, minus Suri, had figured out the exact ”performance" and assigned roles. The sun had just dipped beneath the horizon and left a beautiful indigo fire over the sky.

”So,” The Equilibrist began, ”everypony agrees to this plan? Once we accept, I would prefer not to make any last minute changes to our superior stratagem.”

A murmur of approval came from the gathered ponies, The Escape Artist among them. The Equilibrist spoke up again. ”In that case, Tamer, what day do you propose we strike?” He turned to the multicolored pegasus, who responded with a small twitch of his right wing. ”Do you know when the next rain is scheduled?”

The Tamer nodded erratically. ”Yes, the day after t-tomorrow, so tomorrow n-night is a good t-time. C-can we get ready w-with so short notice?”

The Equilibrist did not answer, but looked around at his friends. They nodded. ”Apparently we can,” he said with a pleased expression, ”provided that somepony can take care of those last few pestering predicaments.”

”The Escape Artist is on it. It will be a good run-through before the grand final tomorrow. Besides, she would very much like to take care of that particular detail,” The Escape Artist said as she got up from her chair. ”Illusionist, how much time do you need?”

”About half an hour will be more than enough I recon,” The Illusionist said with a lazy voice.

”Splendid,” The Equilibrist said shortly. ”And no grudges.”

The Escape Artist made a face. ”Tamer, The Escape Artist shall have need of your assistance as well.”

”S-Sure,” The Tamer said with his twisted grin. ”Goodbye for now, Ditzy.” The Tamer and The Escape Artist both left the room together with The Illusionist. The Wizard and The Clown both left as well. Might as well get some sleep if everything else was taken care of.

The three ponies split up in the crossing between Smart Cookie’s park and Silverhoof’s street. The Illusionist moseyed his way up to the castle with the perfect amount of annoyance and boredom in his posture. At that rate it would take him twenty something minutes to reach his destination, and some more to do what he was supposed to.

The Escape Artist went down a small side street, while The Tamer flew up towards the sky. The night was dark, so his special appearance would be hidden. The Escape Artist herself did not notice when he took off, for she had more important business to attend. She looked over her shoulder make sure street was empty and then bent down by the grating in the wall. She let her horn flicker for a moment; enough for her to see the lock, not enough for anypony to really notice her. She smirked. This lock was nothing. She reached into her lilac cape and picked up one of the many lockpicks she always carried.

The small lock was picked in a few seconds. Practice does make perfect, after all. She heard the soft tap of The Tamer landing behind her, but did not look up. She pushed open the grating and slid into the dark, damp staircase that led down to the Canterlot sewers. The Tamer followed her.

The stairs continued for just a couple of steps, enough to get below the streets, but not much more. She and the Tamer went out of the stairwell and onto the sidewalk beside one of the larger sewers in the city, the one below Puddinghead's lane. The cavernous space was murky and slick and it was nearly pitch black. The only light came from sparse torches on the walls, and they were far to few to really light up the darkness.

”Y-you sure you k-know where t-to go?” The Tamer asked anxiously. The Escape Artist, for all her haughtiness, could not fault him for being nervous. Pegasi and confined spaces did not mix well in the first place, and The Tamer’s erratic personality did not make it any easier for him.

”Of course The Escape Artist knows. She practically lives down here. She is not Great and Powerful for nothing, you see.” The Escape Artist said smugly as she began to trot with a spring in her step. ”She hopes that you are aware that the thunderball and the water will cause problems together…?” She added. Now it was her turn to be nervous. Despite working with the Tamer on countless missions, his… instability always unnerved her.

”Don’t you worry. It’s not charged yet. P-perhaps we could hurry up, yes? Don’t like this place…” He replied as calmly as he could. The Escape Artist picked up the pace and went a little faster. Her colleague followed on silent wings.

The sewers crisscrossed under the city like a gigantic maze, but The Escape Artist kept as much as possible towards the North. As they went she was filled with pride over her extensive knowledge over the network. It had taken many a week to memorize the maps, but the effort was definitely worth it. She was able to disappear down in the sewers from pretty much anywhere in Canterlot, and well there, nopony could catch her.

They came to a T-crossing and a faint glimmer around the corner made her stop. A guard. She motioned to The Tamer, and he flew up and hovered by the roof, clutching the cloud ball tightly to his chest. The Escape Artist licked her lips and picked up a thin string with a miniature grappling hook from inside her cape.

She grabbed a stone with her magic and threw it against the opposite wall. The light immediately focused on the source of the sound and The Escape Artist crouched down and threw the grappling hook. The string now reached from behind the corner and over the sidewalk. She waited in the shadows for the guard to come closer. She saw his hoof coming around the corner, and she pulled the string up.

The guard lifted his second front leg and got the string in front of it. With a confused and sleepy sound he stumbled forward. Quick as can be, The Escape Artist sprung from the shadows, rounded the corner, leaped at the confused guard as she conjured up some of her toys from inside her cape. She grabbed one hind leg and one fore leg and connected them over the guard’s back with a pair off hoofcuffs. She snickered softly as the guard squirmed meekly behind her.

The Escape Artist got out one of her specialties from her hat and threw it hard at the ground. With a loud puff, lilac smoke filled the sewer. The Tamer silently flew through it and followed his accomplice as they continued. The guard would report their presence, but that didn't matter. He had not seen them properly, and by the time he reached anypony (after the next change of guard, if he was lucky) it would be way too late.

After a few more minutes of walking, The Escape Artist stopped. She looked to The Tamer and then nodded towards the roof. ”This is as close as we get, about five hooflengths by my count. Think you can make it?” she whispered.

The Tamer gave a twitchy nod and began to rub the cloud towards the walls and ceiling. The Escape artist saw it become blacker and blacker as angry jolts of lightning shot over the cloudy surface. ”Our friend should have taken care of the guard in a few minutes, so we will wait some time before firing. Make sure you don’t overdo it. While Trix- ahem, The Escape Artist is quite confident that she could dodge, she still prefers not to get down on this floor,” she explained nervously.

”Me? Have I ev-ver overdone a-anything?” The Tamer said with a sinister glance in his mismatched eyes. It was apparent that the pegasus enjoyed this a little to much. The Escape Artist backed away to give her colleague some space, but more importantly to get out of misfire range.

*****

”Iron Bars!” Brightwing called down the stairs down towards the detention block. ”Hey, Bro!” Nopony answered. Brightwing sighed and went down the stairs himself, and found a guard down by a door to some of the old cells. ”Private Iron Bars,” he said with a stiff voice.

”Commander,” Iron Bars said with an equally stiff voice, without looking at Brightwing. He continued to stare at the wall opposite to him.

”At ease,” Brightwing said with a small smile. The guard visibly loosened up. The looked at each other and laughed heartily.

”How can I help you, broski?” Iron Bars asked in a somewhat sleepy, but happy, voice. Not to often he got to see his brother during guard duty.

”Follow me. I have received a tip about a possible break-in at Starhorn’s Jewelry. Think we should look it up? Would probably look good if we caught whoever it was, right? Bet we would cruise right up to a promotion.”

”Well,” Iron Bars said tentatively. ”I really can’t leave my post. I’m guarding somepony, and if anypony came when I was gone, I’d be smoked.”

”Already have that taken care of, bro,” Brightwing said easily. ”I will just get somepony else to guard it for a while. Sounds good?”

”Guess so?” Iron Bars said with a shrug. ”Who, exactly?”

”Got some new recruit who could do all useless posts for us,” Brightwing said dismissively. ”Come on now!”

”I’m coming, I’m coming,” Iron Bars said and followed his brother. They got to the barracks and Brightwing entered. He looked around in the dim interior and went up to one of the bunks to wake the sleeping pony.

”Recruit Tenderspear,” Brightwing said with an authoritative voice. The pony in the bunk groaned and slowly opened his eyes and yawned.

”Commander?” he asked tiredly.

”You are to stand guard down at the detention block for a while. Understood?”

”Sir, yes, sir!” Tenderspear said with gusto. He had received a hint about this. Apparently it was a prank the older guards liked to play on the recruits.

”They will wake you up in the middle of the night, put you on some post in the middle of nowhere and then trick you with various catastrophes, like bank robberies, sabotages and Princess Celestia being murdered. I also got a bucket of glue, feathers and mashed garlic thrown in my face, all in one night,” Tenderspear remembered his friend had said. ”Just thought you should know.”

”The detention block, first door on the left. The prisoner is a fuchsia mare. Keep watch until I return,” Brightwing said with an authoritative voice.

”Sir!” Tenderspear answered and went to his post.

*****

”I-Ignition!” The Tamer screamed with a voice that broke into falsetto. His accomplice threw herself on the sidewalk and covered her head. The next moment a thunderous explosion shook the sewers and dust filled the air. It even justified throwing herself down on the dirty sewer floor.

The Escape artist brushed of the grime and debris, and looked at the roof. There was a hole in it, and on the other side shone a dim light. With a quick spell she made the dust settle. The Tamer fluttered up and peeked through the hole quickly. He then flew down again, grabbed The Escape Artist around the barrel and easily ferried her up. She found herself in a small cell and looked around. Suri waved to her from the cell beside hers. ”Took you long enough, m’kay. Now hurry before the whole guard arrives.” It was apparent that Suri was pretty nervous.

”Don’t you worry. The Escape Artist has everything under control,” The Escape Artist said calmly. She picked up her lockpicks and began to work on the lock of her own cell. It was harder to break than most, but she was The Great and Powerful Escape Artist. After a few minutes the door clicked open. ”Tamer, guard the door, just in case.” She went directly to work on the lock to Suri’s door. The Tamer fluttered off to the door and put an ear to the keyhole.

*****

Tenderspear leaped in surprise at the loud explosion. He knew something like this would come, but it was far louder than she had imagined. He thought he could feel the ground shake for Celestia’s sake! He looked at the door.

It was not a good idea to go in there. He knew what would happen. But still… the ground shook. Like… the ground shook! Just what had his colleagues done in there?

…

Also, why weren’t they doing something more? If they wanted to scare him, why just throw one explosion and then nothing more? He trampled nervously outside the door. He didn’t even like garlic.

Tenderspear sighed. ”I’m so gonna regret this,” he thought sullenly.

”Hello?” he said to the door. ”Everything okay in there?”

”Yes!” the prisoner answered.

”Well, but what did you expect?” Tenderspear mumbled as he turned the key and opened the door. He held up a hoof, just in case of them throwing something at him.

Nothing happened, save of a small clink of a lock opening. He put his hoof down and looked at the prisoner, and another pony with the back to him. He almost had the time to register the scene before a skull-splitting pain erupted in the back of his head and everything became black.

*****

Suri backpedalled when she saw The Tamer drop down from the roof and swing his hind leg in an axelike maneuver, straight into the guardpony’s neck. The confused guard fell on the floor and did not get back up. The Tamer landed, took the keys from the guard and locked the door.

”Lock him up or something. And give him some anesthetic, in case he remembers what he should not.” The Escape Artist said just as she turned. The Tamer nodded and locked the guard pony in one of the undamaged cells. The Escape Artist reached into her cape and threw a syringe to The Tamer, who caught it in his mouth.

The bearded mare swallowed and motioned lamely towards the unconscious guard. ”M’kay, and how do you think this will go unnoticed?” she asked with a high pitched tone. ”Is… is he…?”

”Not if Topsy did his job properly.” The Escape Artist said calmly as she pulled up the door. ”And regarding our… less than subtile entrance, The Illusionist will make sure nopony gets to know before we are already out.”

”But the guard, he saw us, didn’t he?” The Bearded Mare asked tentatively.

”Only for a moment, doesn’t matter.” The Escape Artist said dismissively. ”Especially not when he has had a dosage of that.” Trixie nodded to The Tamer. ”Wipes short term memory, kind of like alcohol.”

”Then let’s hurry, m’kay,” Suri said and quickly left her cell. The Escape Artist let The Tamer ferry her down, and The Bearded mare jumped after, being an earth pony and thus hardier than The Escape Artist. They were gone in an instant, swallowed by the dark.

*****

After about half an hour, The Escape Artist guided her two friends to one of the many stairwells that connected the sewers with the street level. She turned to The Tamer and The Bearded Mare. ”Just take this stair up and you will end up nearby Puddinghead’s park. Get to the Golden Apple Slice. The Equilibrist will tell you of the final plans for the grand coup.”

The Bearded Mare’s ears picked up at that. ”Final plans? So it has all been decided? When will we begin?”

”Tomorrow evening. The Equilibrist will tell you everything,” The Escape Artist answered. ”The Escape Artist has a little something she needs to take care of, but she will rejoin you shortly.”

With that, The Escape Artist continued down the sewers, leaving her comrades for now. It had felt better to accompany The Tamer all the way back to the club, since he didn’t know The Bearded Mare that well yet, but she didn’t have the time. Besides, it was not far to the club, so the winds should not whisper too much to him. At least that’s what she hoped.

The sewers continued their winding way beneath the city. She followed their intricate way all the way to the upper district. The Illusionist’s source had said that Twilight stayed in the third house from the castle on a parallel street to the one she exited on.

The Escape Artist looked over the building. It was rather small for being in the upper district; probably a place for important ponies to stay during their visit to the city, which meant that it would not be the easiest thing to break into. But then again, most houses were not built to withstand her.

She looked around. It was in the middle of the night, so she did not expect anypony to be out on the street, but one could never be too careful. She went through the thin hedge and trotted around the house, looking through the windows at the bottom floor. None of them was a bedroom, so Twilight likely slept on the second floor.

The Escape Artist looked up towards the balcony. She did not have a rope with her, something she should always have. Grumbling, she trotted around the house again, this time looking for something she could use to get up. ”The Escape Artist really has to learn teleportation some day,” she mumbled.

She looked around, and her eyes fell on the flagpole. It had a string, maybe she could use that? Not the strongest thing, but it might be enough…

”Whatever, Trixie will make work…” She thought and trotted up to it. She bent her head down and let her horn flicker quickly. The string came falling down and she picked it up. With an artistic motion she slung it around the bars to the balcony. She grabbed the other end with her magic, pulled it down to her and tied a knot around the other end. The string was now secured.

She tugged at the rope and closed her eyes. Her horn lit up and she began to gently push her rump upwards. She flushed slightly at the soft touch of her magic, but kept concentrating. With the combination of magic, the rope and teeth she began to pull/ push herself upwards. When she got up on the balcony she panted and had a profound blush over her face, both from fatigue and the magic touch on her hindquarters. She looked through the window doors and saw a bed in there. And a pony shape in it.

The lock was tough, but it cracked after a few minutes. The Escape Artist silently stalked into the room and looked around. A large closet and a bedside table were the only pieces of furniture worth noting. The Escape Artist didn’t care though; she kept her eyes at the sleeping pony. It was Twilight Sparkle alright, she would recognize her anywhere.

”Sparkle,” She whispered softly. Twilight groaned in her sleep, but did not wake up. ”Twilight.” Twilight rolled over, away from her. The Escape Artist sighed and placed her hoof over Twilight’s mouth. She then smacked the alicorn lightly on the horn.

”I’m panca-mmmf!”Twilight awoke with a start and looked about frantically. She spotted the Escape Artist standing beside her bed, but any sound she might make was muffled.

”Be silent, we still have Rarity. And pay attention to the Great and Powerful Escape Artist,” The Escape Artist whispered in a voice that might be considered sensual. Twilight froze, then nodded. The Escape Artist removed her hoof.

”The Escape Artist heard about your little excursion to Everfree,” she said casually. ”She thought you wanted to know that The Equilibrist does not approve. She… or he… is angry… very angry… Trixie doesn’t like it when she is angry.”

Twilight listened, and felt her heart rate quicken. All to clear did she remember the writing in the coffin. Next time it wont be a doll. Trixie noted with pleasure how Twilight’s eyes got larger. ”L-let’s not do anything hasty now, Trixie,” Twilight said with an anxious voice.

”Hasty?” The Escape Artist responded, soft as ever a marefriend. ”Trixie is not being hasty, you are.” She sat down on Twilight’s bed. ”Let Trixie clarify something,” The Escape Artist took a deep breath, then locked eyes with Twilight. She let a cute smile grace her lips. ”You say or do something, anything, that Trixie doesn’t like, and your friend will pay for it,” She felt Twilight stiffen in the bed. ”So if Trixie was you, she would pick her words carefully.”

Twilight locked out Trixie’s babbling and concentrated on controlling her million questions. She had to be careful now. She took a deep breath. ”Wh- what do you want?”

Trixie felt a rush of power well up within her. For how long had she not wanted this? To see Twilight so nervous, so inferior to her? To see Twilight listen to her and hang of her every word, to watch her hated rival drink in all she said as if her life depended on it. To see a Princess bend to her every whim. She had that power now, and while she could not use it freely, she could still relish the moment.

”You are going to come to the castle tomorrow at eleven fifty in the evening,” Trixie said with an overly clear voice, as if she spoke to slow student. ”At the main gate, The Illusionist will contact you and guide you further. Rarity will be free once you give us a certain little something in the castle. Have you understood, or did The Great and Powerful Escape Artist use to large words?”

”I will come,” Twilight said and licked her lips. ”Trixie, will you at least tell me why you joined The Circus? You had an honest life, what made you turn criminal?”

The Escape Artist was more surprised that Twilight dared to speak than of the actual question. She made a bitter face. ”Thanks to you, Trixie did not have a life, nor anything else, left. Thanks to your Ursa Minor, Trixie lost all she had, and the amulet incident only made things worse. Trixie had to take what job she could get, and The Equilibrist provided exactly that. He was willing to give Trixie the chance she deserved when nopony else would.”

”So now you ruin lives for a living?” Twilight said with disgust. ”I never thought you would sink so low, Trixie. You are better than that.”

”Trixie never really had a choice,” The Escape Artist said with a shrug. ”Not everypony is best buddies with the Princess, not that you would know.”

”WHA-” Twilight began angrily, but The Escape Artist silenced her with her magic.

”Trixie does not ruin lives, as you put it,” Trixie said with an explanatory, excessively clear voice. ”To Trixie, The Circus is a way to test new limits and break them. Together with The Circus, she would match her wits against the sharpest of opponents, and she would come out on top.”

Twilight looked at Trixie with a face that combined a host of feelings. Anger, sadness and, much to The Escape Artist’s annoyance, pity. ”Tomorrow, eleven fifty,” she hissed. ”Try to be on time.” With a flick of her cape, The Escape Artist vanished. Twilight looked around in confusion, but there was no sign of her.

Twilight swallowed nervously and laid back in bed. She closed her eyes and listened carefully. She heard nothing. There was no pony nearby.

”It’s alright,” Twilight whispered. She knew she could speak as loud as she wanted, but somehow it felt better whispering. ”You can come out.”

The doors to the large closet opened silently and Bon-Bon stretched her legs. ”Well done, Twilight,” she said with an appreciative look. ”The castle tomorrow just before midnight, huh? You just do whatever they want, and I will come to your aid once I am sure to catch most of The Circus red-hoffed.”

”Wait, should I actually help them?” Twilight said with a questioning look.

”Yes,” Bon-Bon confirmed with a nod. ”This is the closest I have ever been to them. If things go well, then we might end them once and for all. But we must not do anything rush. If one of them gets away, then they will break out of prison sooner or later. We catch to take them all at the same time, and secure enough proof to take them down too. But don’t you worry. As soon as they release Rarity, or I am sure we can catch them all, I will come, and you can stop the act.”

Twilight nodded. ”Makes sense, I guess…”

”Well then, now we wait…” Bon-Bon said calmly. ”Feels good to be the one who holds the ace for once…”

Author's Note

So it seems my proofreader will be out of commission for a while, so I have decided to upload the rest of my story soon. I hope there won't be too many mistakes, but there might be some that slips under my radar. I would very much appreciate if you would point out any mistakes you spot.

Other than that, thanks for reading! :pinkiesmile:

Chapter eight- Assault Arrangement

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.

Chapter nine- The Canterlot Caper

The bell tolled. Midnight had arrived. Around Canterlot, a total of eight ponies stiffened for a moment and listened, ears peaked right up. ”Curtains rise, for now the show begins,” they all said in perfect unison, even though they could not hear one another.

Prince Blueblood started to run as if he had heard a starting shot. He dashed out behind the corner, was at the door after just a moment, reared up and smashed it wide open. He looked and saw his aunt with a startled expression on her face and a slice of cake in her magical aura.

”Blueblood, what is it?” Celestia said with a shocked voice at Blueblood’s violent entry. ”Is something the matter?”

”Evening, aunt. No, nothing at all,” Blueblood answered with a foreboding smirk. He bowed down mockingly, and Celestia felt a stabbing pain at her lower throat. She looked down and saw a small dart in her pristine white throat. A few drops of blood fell from the wound, but it was already starting to heal. Confused, she looked up at her nephew. He still had his neck bent in a bow. His horn shimmered, as did the crossbow that hovered beside him.

Celestia slowly she reached up her wing and brushed the small dart off her. ”What are you doing, nephew?” She said with a guarded tone. ”Did you really think something like this would effect me?”

”Of course not,” Blueblood replied. He licked his lips and stood at the ready. ”But what makes you think I act alone?”

Celestia flinched. There was a thunderous peal of breaking glass, and a similar stabbing pain shot from her flank.

*****

”Got you covered…” The Wizard said slowly as he looked through the telescopic sight. He moved the crossbow just a smidgin to the left. Celestia’s flank was now in the middle of his crosshairs. He pressed down the trigger and heard the familiar ”Twang” of the weapon. He continued to look through the telescope. The small dart broke a window in the balcony door and hit Celestia right in the center of her cutie mark. She flinched when the dart connected.

Two down, three to go.

Two shadows glided silently into his line of fire. So far so good, but he had to get ready fast now. The Equilibrist and The Equilibrist could not down Celestia themselves, and she must not be given slightest moment to react.

The Wizard placed the crossbow beside him, opened his suitcase and looked down at his most prized possessions.

In the soft, red velvet lining that clad the interior of the suitcase was a now empty space for his crossbow, framed by four bent pieces of lacquered wood with a small gemstone set in each. Strapped to the suitcase lid was his favorite weapon. A large arbalest, along with three darts, each almost four hooflengths long.

That was the weapon he liked to use for practice home at the manor, but he had never used it for real before. He knew the dreadful power it stored in the string. He was able to shoot straight through two wooden planks and well into a third. To use it at a pony would make him a murderer.

That is, unless said pony was an immortal alicorn; and he had to deliver a larger dose of hypnotic than usual for it to have any effect on Celestia. Perfect opportunity for the arbalest.

Plus, it felt fitting to use his greatest weapon in their greatest coup.

He took out the weapon and caressed it slowly. As he spanned the string he heard a flutter beside him.

”Ditzy,” he said without taking the eyes of his work. ”You made it with minutes to spare.”

”Are you really going to use that?” She asked in a meek voice. She had also seen just how powerful it was.

”Yes,” Filthy answered shortly. ”Sorry.”

”It’s not to me you should say that,” Ditzy replied with a stern tone. The Wizard sighed and placed the telescope sights in front of his eye again.

*****

The Equilibrist heard the bell and leaped from the small parapet with all four legs spread wide to catch the wind. Just as he expected, the powerful updraft caught him immediately and sent him up towards the window. After a moment, he saw his dearest brother fall in beside him. The window doors at the balcony came closer and closer. A dart came flying and broke one of the windowpanes. He and his brother looked at each other for a second and nodded.

The Equilibrist and The Equilibrist drew back their hooves as one and held their crossbows ready in their dark green magic.

”Ready, Flim?” The Equilibrist asked calmly.

”Ready Flam!” The Equilibrist answered excitably.

”LET’S BING-BANG-ZAM!” The finished together as they smashed up the doors.

Blueblood, Twilight and a dazed Celestia started and turned as the thunderous crash sounded through the room. The doors flew open and every glass pane in them shattered. Two nearly identical ponies flew through the windows dressed in identical wing suits. They both slowed down, somersaulted once, heightened one crossbow each and fired in perfect unison, mere seconds after Filthy’s dart had hit.

Celestia knew what was coming. She had been caught completely off guard by Blueblood’s attack and the dart from the window. Now, when she was ready, she felt her mind becoming slow and numb. She conjured up a spark of magic, but it was to late. The two darts hit her square in the chest.   She heard Twilight’s scream and Celestia found herself wondering when Twilight had come here. The sound was strangely absent, as if her former student called to her through a long corridor. The voice was distorted, as if it was an echo of an echo of an echo. Celestia’s vision blurred. It was hard to concentrate on the ponies who had crashed her window. Her entire room was spinning, she felt her legs relax and she slumped to the ground and heard her plate of cake fall somewhere. She looked to her nephew. She saw two of him.

”Nephew…why…? ” She mumbled to Blueblood.

”Brother, I suggest you get down,” the other window-crashers said. Then Celestia felt a burning lance impale her stomach.

*****

”Look away if you want,” Filthy Rich said. Flim was out of the way. He looked through the telescope and aimed for Celestia’s soft underbelly. He took a deep breath and fired.

Ditzy whimpered beside him and looked away.

He sighed and began to pack down the arbalest. Once done, he picked up the small crossbow again. Just in case…

*****

The dart hit Celestia hard enough to make push her backwards a few hooflengths. It bored deep in her coat and drops of blood began to flow from the wound. The wounded alicorn twitched and instinctively curled up around the injury. She coughed, drew a ragged breath and looked at the dart with tired and anxious eyes. Eyes that slowly closed.

Twilight watched in horror as the bolt sunk deep into Celesta’s skin. The white alicorn laid panting on the side, still fighting a hopeless battle against the tranquilizing drugs. All ponies in the room stood still in a fateful silence. Celestia breathed heavily. She twitched once. Twice. Then she went still.

”Looks like…” Flam began with a smirk.

”… we won. HA!” Flim called triumphantly.

”Not If I can help it!” Twilight screamed and readied a spell. She would blast both Flim, Flam and Blueblood back under the rock they came from.

”Ah, Ah, Ah,” Blueblood scolded with a superior look. ”Aim that somewhere else, or else…” Blueblood’s horn lit up in a soft shimmer. Twilight looked around, but didn’t notice anything. Her spell resolved.

”Allow me,” Flim and Flam said in unison. Their dark green magical blasts collided with Twilight’s in midair. With a sharp sound and dazzling light all three beams disappeared. Twilight was grimly surprised at their strength. Their magic was stronger than she thought. But then again, they had run their machine for an hour straight with nothing but their magic without out looking the least tired after.

”Or else it is then,” Blueblood said. Twilight was stunned for a moment. There was something with Blueblood’s look that made her hesitate. It was… sinister. Filled with superior malice in a way she had never seen before. His lips turned upwards in a nasty sort of smile. He looked over Twilight’s head with a sharp glance. ”Taking a leap of faith?”

”B-Blueblood?” A tiny and frightened voice came from behind Twilight. She recognized that voice. Rarity. Twilight turned around.

Rarity hung suspended in the air with only a blue ring of magic around her waist. Her curly mane and tail blew in the wind like a banner, and behind her, lightning filled the sky. She reached one hoof out to grab the balcony railing, but Blueblood held her steadily just out of reach.

Suddenly the blue ring flickered in and out of existence, and Rarity fell about a hooflength. Both Rarity and Twilight squeaked in terror. Her friend’s life now rested in Blueblood’s hooves, and those were not very gentle. She turned back to the prince and took a deep breath the way Cadence had taught her. ”What do you want?”

”Glad to see that you are so cooperative,” Flim said approvingly.

”Now, if you would just remove Celestia’s regalia, we will be out of your mane,” Flam continued.

”And might I add, Rarity’s too,” Flim finished.

”The… the regalia? You are stealing… Celestia’s regalia?” Twilight said with a mix of relief, surprise and worry. She had half expected a murder, so just stealing something, even something as priceless as the regalia, was a great relief. Still, it was probably the third most valuable artifact known to ponykind, after The Elements of Harmony and The Crystal Heart.

Nevertheless, Twilight sat down beside her old mentor. She noted that Celestia breathed evenly and calmly, as if she was just asleep. All wounds had been healed. With all shame in the world, Twilight gently picked up one of the golden hooves. No matter how precious the regalia might be, if it was required to keep Rarity safe, then she would steal it a thousand times over. The hoof guard struggled against her pull for a moment, as if it was bound to Celestia by magnetism, but then it slipped off.

”Yes!,” Flim or Flam said with a breathless voice. ”It’s working! Go on, Sparkle, go on!”

Twilight shot a harsh glare and gently laid Celestia’s now bare hoof on the floor. She suddenly became aware of how normal Celestia’s hoof looked. Shining like marble yet soft as a feather. She squeezed the naked hoof for a moment. She could not remember ever feeling Celestia’s naked hoof before.

”Forgive me, Princess,” Twilight whispered to the unconscious alicorn.

”Hurry up,” Blueblood said with a commanding voice. ”Or else…” Twilight gently set the hoof down on the floor and removed the second hoof guard.

*****

Rarity’s mind had long since kicked in the overdrive. After Blueblood’s little stunt she had kept her eyes closed and whispered prayers for an undefined amount of time. When she opened her eyes again, she found that everypony’s attention was turned to Twilight.

”Then maybe Filthy is distracted as well…?” Rarity thought. Her mind was strangely sharp despite her situation. It was as if her brain had entered a whole new state of awareness due to her distress. In either case, she was thankful for that awareness now, for she had to figure out some way to, if not escape, at least avoid plummeting to her doom.

Rarity looked around, but found nothing she could use without anypony noticing. She directed her look downwards, and voiced a small scream as she saw just how high up she was. Were those really trees down there? That small? She closed her eyes again to calm down a little. She would have to ask Twilight about that breathing exercise. Rarity opened her eyes again, and they fell on the window below Celestia’s balcony.

Behind the curtained window she could feel something, now that she directed her horn to it. It was not really a subtile solution, but it might just work. Maybe… if Filthy didn’t react fast enough, then it was possible.

Besides, it was better than just doing nothing.

She looked up again. Twilight had risen up, and presented Celestia’s crown to one of the Flimflam brothers. Rarity’s breath caught in her throat. That was The Circus’s plan? To rob Celestia herself? And, even worse, they would get away with it if they continued like this.

She looked over the gathered ponies, and met Blueblood’s gaze. Her moment of distraction was gone. She couldn’t do anything if they saw her.

Suddenly, the door to Blueblood’s left opened.

*****

”My sincerest thanks, Princess Sparkle,” Flim said as he inspected the crown as careful as ever a jeweler. ”You have more than fulfilled your end of the bargain.”

”And I expect you to do as well,” Twilight said with a venomous voice. She knew it was uncertain wether The Circus would keep their promise, but she really had no choice but to obey. Not as long as they held Rarity.

”Of course!” Flam said dismissively, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. ”What are we, con artists?”

Twilight looked at Flam with a deadpan face.

”My point exactly!” Flim said. ”Of course you can trust us. Illusionist, rele-”

”Princess, your tea-” The door opened. Everypony’s eyes shifted to the opening. Coco Pommel looked back with a very confused expression. Her eyes fell on Celestia, and then on the crown that Flim still held in his magic.

”Now now, let’s not do anything hasty!” Flam said quickly. Nervously.

”Precisely. I’m sure we can work this out,” Flim said with his most persuasive voice. ”How much do you want to forget this little… encounter? Why be enemies when we can be friends, right?”

Coco looked at Flim with a terrified look that gradually shifted to enraged. ”You… Your voice… The Equilibrist…?”

Flim got a look of realization on his face. He looked like he had bit an apple and found it a lemon. ”My friends, I may or may not have botched up.”

Coco heaved the tray with teacups straight across the room at Flim. He caught it in his magic and sent it flying to his left, straight into the wall. Coco launched at the unicorn and slammed into his shoulder.

”GIVE ME MY LIFE BACK!” Coco shouted in his ear. Flam got an anxious look in his eyes and backed away. Flim staggered backwards, shook his head, and got something determined in his grass green eyes.

”Remember what I told you, Miss Pommel?” He said with a dangerously calm voice. ”That I would show you other ways to use a rope?”

Coco Pommel didn’t listen. She lunged at Flim again.

”That’s a bad move,” Flam commented, still in a pretty stressed voice. ”You have never seen my brother when he is serious, have you? Well, of course not; I hardly have myself.”

Flim conjured up a thin and flexible rope from somewhere inside his wing suit. He snapped it once and dodged to the side as Coco came at him. He lifted his hoof high and the silvery rope sparkled sharply in the light.

”Look now, everypony, it’s your one and only Equilibrist!” Flim exclaimed with a voice that would make any showpony jealous. His eyes twinkled with excitement as he snapped the rope again and moved his hoof in a lighting fast pattern. Everypony, even the members of The Circus, experienced a moment of wonder at the display.

The lash looked like it was alive. It danced in the air like a butterfly. Gracefully it wormed and snaked in between Coco’s front legs without touching her. It seemed to tie itself around both of her front legs and then up again over her back and neck, all without magic. For a moment it looked like the rope floated around Coco.

”Fillies and gentlecolts,” Flim said in a flamboyant voice. ”theeeeee tangletrap!” He pulled the lash backwards, and it constricted around Coco’s body. In just a moment she was tied up by the rope and stumbled forward.

”Now, be thankful I didn’t use my barbed wire. Also, get lost,” Flim finished and tackled Coco towards the window. The moment she got out of the door a dart appeared in her back.

Coco opened her mouth to scream, but not a sound left her lips. She looked with terrified eyes at Flim, and then slumped to the floor. The silence that followed was deafening.

”Okay… so after that fiasco…” Flam said with a slightly higher pitch than usual. He took a few quick, shallow breaths. ”Brother, sort out this mess so we can leave, finally.”

”Got it brother,” Flim sat down beside Coco’s limp body and began to carefully untangle the rope. The bed sheets caught in his magic and flew down to him. He proceeded to quickly wrap Coco up in them.

”What… how can you…?” Twilight said silently. She felt sick. She had just witnessed murder. Coldblooded murder of an innocent pony, and yet Flim just carried on.

”Don’t worry,” Flam said quickly. ”Our darts uses only the most powerful hypnotic money can buy. We are not murderers after all. She will be alright, though probably tired for a few days. Also, as I’m sure you don’t recall from our little meeting in Ponyville, it wipes out short term memory too. She won’t recall much of this appalling accident. Nether will Celestia, of course.”

*****

Rarity forced herself to look away from the display. She had been granted a small distraction and Filthy had used his dart. Now she had some time while he reloaded and she was going to use it. She focused on the jeweled lamp her gem-sense had found in the room below and lifted it. It was hard to manipulate something she couldn’t see, but she managed to lift the lamp and bash it through the window. She put it down below the windowsill.

”Now then. Let’s hope this works…”

She pulled at the two curtain behind the window with her magic and ripped them out the hole. She levitated one up to her, took it in her hoof and used her magic to tie it to the balcony railing, just a few hoof lengths from her. She pulled the knot as tight as she could; her life might depend on it. Before she had too much time to think about her plan, she levitated the lamp up as fast as she could. Filthy must be about done now.

”Here goes nothing,” Rarity thought. ”You want jewelry!? What say you to this!?”

She flung the lamp into the room, directly at Flim. Like she predicted, he leaped to the side, and behind him stood a highly surprised Blueblood.

”Comeoncomeoncomeon,” Rarity thought. Her plan depended on Blueblood reacting the same now as he had during a certain cake-airstrike. She smirked when she saw his expression. After the initial shock he looked franticly left and right, but this time there was nothing he could put in front of him.

Instinctively, he redirected his magic at the lamp and tried to catch it. He was too late. With a thump and groan from the stallion, it hit him in the face. Blueblood stepped backwards with an innovative blasphemy.

Rarity began to fall. Blueblood had let go of her by mistake. She pulled at the curtain she had tied to the railing and managed to get just enough momentum forward to grab on to the railing. For a panicked moment she hung from it in just her hooves. Then she noted a faint lilac shimmer around her.

Twilight beamed at her when she landed. Rarity swallowed her heart back into her chest and beamed back. ”Rarity, thanks Celestia!” Twilight said in an overjoyed voice. They hugged for just a moment.

Rarity smiled back with apparent pride. ”What do you say we end this charade, darling?” Her voice didn’t shake nearly as much as she would have thought.

They both turned to the dumbfounded Circus. Flim had just managed to get his wire untangled and looked about the room with an analytical look. Flam stared at Rarity as if he had seen a ghost, and moved closer to his brother. Blueblood looked in Celestia’s mirror with a horrified stare. He could care less about what was happening around him.

”Well then, dearest Circus,” Twilight said with a voice that was part triumphant and part gloating. ”I place you under arrest.”

”Do you now?” Flim said with an interested voice.

Flam continued. His voice was marked with uncertainty. ”A-And might I inquire as to how the two of you are going to arrest the three of us?”

”Two?” A voice came from the small door nearby the balcony. ”Dearest Equilibrist, I’m here too. Don’t tell me you have forgotten me?” The door opened and Bon-Bon stepped out. Over her eyes she wore a couple of shades, and on her back was a suitcase. Everypony’s jaw fell to the floor.

”Bon-Bon, have you been there all along?” Twilight asked once she had gathered her bearings.

”Yep,” Bon-Bon confirmed. ”I just had to wait until I knew Rarity was free. I knew they would go after Celestia, for there is nothing else to steal in the castle that can’t be acquired easier someplace else. As Rarity said, I believe it’s time to end it all.”

Flam turned to Flim and shrugged. ”Well, brother, It seems this is the end of the line for us.” It was hard to tell if he was serious or not.

”So it would seem, brother.” Flim responded snidely. ”Miss Sweetie Drops, Twilight Sparkle, and beautiful Rarity, congratulations. You’ve managed to play a near flawless game against us here tonight.”

”The only mistake you did…”

”…was forgetting that…”

”…we never act alone!”

”A Wizard is never late, nor is he early.” Rarity, Twilight and Bon-Bon spun around with a start, and Bon-Bon was greeted by a dart to the side. On the railing stood Filthy Rich with a now empty crossbow. He swung his suitcase hard in Twilight’s horn. In the same motion he turned and leaped from the balcony. The wind caught him and he was gone. Bon-Bon fell backwards and did not rise.

”Prankster, the eyes!” Flam screamed, and at his command a black bird dropped out of the dark sky with talons wide open. Twilight looked up from the floor where Filthy Rich had sent her and saw the bird fall. She ducked under the raking talons.

”B-blood…?” Blueblood mumbled, staring at the nosebleed he had suffered from Rarity’s attack. ”I’m… I’m bleeding…?” Blueblood stood frozen for one more moment before he turned around completely, tackled a very perplexed Flim or Flam out of his way and dashed out on the balcony. He also screamed like a filly.

”I think not!” Rarity said and cut the terrified prince off. He stopped for a moment, looked left and right and then dashed straight into Rarity, enveloped her in his magic and shoved her out of his way. She staggered backwards, tripped on the balcony railing and fell. Blueblood leaped from the balcony.

”NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Twilight and somepony else screamed. Before the Princess had taken a step forward, Flim had thrown a rope out of the balcony, and a blur of gray and hay-blonde caught it. Twilight bolted forward to the window, and was ready to leap after whoever it was that followed Rarity, but she felt her wings cramp up, caught in acid green magic.

”Hold on tight,” Flam said. His nervous look was gone, now there was only a razor-sharp, commanding gaze left. ”whatever you do, don’t let go. Brother, get to it!” Flim bolted bast her and threw one end of the rope to her. She caught it instinctively. Flim placed himself on the railing still with the middle section of the rope in his hooves.

Ditzy flew faster and faster and faster after Rarity. She didn’t see the ground below, nor the clouds in the sky or the castle walls around her. Her whole being was focused at the falling pony.

But Rarity fell faster than Ditzy could fly. She had never been the strongest flyer, and she had no chance of catching up to a pony falling at terminal velocity.

”Please, don’t fail now,” she whispered and threw the rope she had caught downwards as hard as she could. The moment she had thrown the rope she saw a wave traveling along its length. The wave reached the tip and turned under Rarity’s body.

No, not under, around. The rope moved like it was an extension of somepony’s leg. It snaked under Rarity’s body and somehow tied itself into a perfect loop around her. The rope strained and Rarity gave an undignified sound as it tightened around her waist.

Twilight felt the rope beginning to slide in her hooves and grabbed it as hard as she could. Her horn lit up and it stopped immediately. She hardly saw Flim and Flam throwing themselves of the balcony with Prankster in tow. She began to pull the rope upwards, praying Rarity was unhurt.

*****

Ditzy hugged Rarity quickly as she was hoisted up. ”See, they are not bad ponies,” she said with beaming, veering eyes. Rarity looked at her with uncomprehending, terrified eyes. Ditzy turned around and started flying after Flim and Flam and their parrot.

She still had a work to complete. With her friends.

Ditzy looked at the two brothers as they flew, and was filled with gratitude towards them. They had no reason at all to help Rarity. In fact one might argue that, from their standpoint, it would have been better to let her fall. But the Equilibrists didn’t care. They were not murderers. They would never let a pony die.

Unlike Blueblood. Ditzy was still shocked by his actions. How could he do such a thing? He had always been a bit of a meanie and bully, but this was nothing short of attempted murder.

She flew up to Flim and Flam, who waved to her. ”Stupendous!” one shouted.

”Marvelous!”

”Fantastic!”

”Wonderful!”

”RAAAAK! Clown!”

”How lucky we are to have a pony like you!” They both finished.

Ditzy blushed and put her hooves over her large grin. She rarely got praise like that. She flew over to one of the brothers and tried to hug him. A startled yelp made her back off as she saw the pony she had tried to hug loose balance and spiral towards the ground. Only with some strange flip did he managed to stabilize himself. Ditzy smiled sheepishly. She had forgotten they only wore wing suits, they didn't actually fly.

”What… what will happen to him now?” she asked silently.

”Don’t you worry…” One of the brothers said. It was the one she had tried to hug.

”…We will take care of The Illusionist,” the other one finished. ”You should slow down. I don’t think you will want to see this. Furthermore, you have something to do, don’t you?”

”B-but you won’t… kill him? Right?” She asked in a frightened voice.

”We are not like him,” One of the brothers answered with a chilly voice that sent shivers down Ditzy’s spine. ”You might go on with your mission now. See you outside Canterlot.” She nodded and angled herself away. She had to get Topsy out of the city before somepony spotted him, and then The Canterlot Caper would be done. She began flying towards the raging twister.

Ditzy swallowed. The tornado was indeed frightening. The thick wind funnel was almost invisible in the night, but could clearly be seen when the lightning in the clouds illuminated it. She could see a multitude of ponies flying around the funnel, trying to find a way to stop it. More ponies joined in by the minute, but Ditzy could also see that ponies continued to drop out of the sky, probably exhausted by the violent weather. She flapped her wings quickly and dashed towards the storm. Flim and Flam watched her.

”There is no doubt she is one special mare…” Flim said, sighing. ”A pity nopony else gives her the chance she deserves…”

Flam and his brother glided on silently. They had no time to worry for Ditzy now. She could take care of herself.

Flam was pleased to notice that The Tamer seemed to do what he was supposed to with his twister this time. Normally he went halfway insane with it and directed it around at random, but now he had moved it to where it was supposed to be, In the northeastern end of the city, as far away from the docks and their flight plan as possible.

”Brother, you know what must happen to him, right?” Flam asked.

”I do, brother. We cannot allow to let old grudges get in the way of our work. He broke the only two rules we have; no grudges and no murder. Still, he was a very useful ally.”

”Perhaps he can still be,” Flam said. ”But I will explain later.”

”Bet you will, you are the one with all the plans after all,” Flim said. His smile was perfectly audible.

”I would be nothing without you, brother of mine,” he said back.

They both caught a tailwind and sped up considerably. They saw the intricate network of streets and channels below them, though everything was blurred in the darkness. They would have to land soon, as the storm still could cause problems when they came closer to the ground.

”There,” Flim said and nodded forward. They had caught up with Blueblood.

”Illusionist!” They both called in unison.

”What do you want?” Blueblood asked in an annoyed voice. ”I hope you are going to apologize for letting Coco recognize you. It was a beginners mistake, nothing we should do.”

”Don’t even try that,” Flim hissed. ”I’m not the one at fault here and you know it. Land, we are going to have a talk.”

Blueblood harrumphed. ”I don’t think so, peasant. The day I take orders from the likes of you is the day I jump from the edge of Canterlot.”

”Thorntrap!” Flim shouted as Flam folded his ”wings” and started to fall.

Flim pulled out a thin rope with small spikes imbedded in it from his wing suit. He went into a downwards corkscrew as he snapped it at Blueblood’s right wing, just as Prankster fell from the sky with an earsplitting scream. Together, Prankster and Flim slashed up a large tear in both of the wings.

”Huh?” Was all Blueblood said. He began to fall. He screamed and flailed his legs in a vain attempt to fly. The street came closer and closer.

A green shimmer caught him. Flim and Flam’s horns sparkled as they suspended the falling pony in the air. Blueblood squirmed for a moment before the two brothers put him down on the ground. Flim tapped down on the ground just beside the prince.

”I’m not in the mood to deal with your antics now, Illusionist,” Flam said shortly. ”We have something to take care of, as you know, and you are out.”

”What do you mean ’out’?” Blueblood mumbled uncomprehendingly. ”You… you can’t just… can’t just fire me… You have no authority over me, peasant.”

”I can, I am, I have!” Flim said with a sharp voice that made Blueblood think of those times Celestia berated him. ”I don’t know what the blazes you were thinking in the tower, but I know you just broke the only two rules we have. Until further notice, you. Are. Out.”

”You can’t do that, Equilibrist,” Blueblood said with a haughty smirk. ”I know too much. And I don’t care if I am arrested myself. I don’t require respect, only obedience, and my birth and wealth will always grant me that, imprisoned or not. So, if I were you, then I would start begging now.”

Flam chuckled darkly. ”Don’t think I haven’t done my homework, Illusionist. You are wasting more money than you make without us. You will have obedience, nothing more.”

Blueblood glared at Flam.

”So how about this instead,” Flam said slyly, ”I give you all that you want. Mine and Topsy’s entire share of this mission, twelve million, five hundred thousand bits.”

Flam gave a conspiratorial wink. ”And a scene to fulfill your… lifelong dream.”

Blueblood looked like he had choked on something. ”How the hay-”

”We know a lot,” Flim replied. ”Just go back to your manor. If we haven’t visited you be the end of the evening, you may always visit the guard.”

Author's Note

So, there you have the whole Circus, though I imagine most of you figured that out a long time ago. I don't know how hard it really was...:twilightsheepish:

Anyway, there are only three chapters left, so hopefully this will be done rather soon.

As always, comments, corrections and constructive criticism is highly appreciated.

Chapter ten- Airship Amusement

Twilight cried in relief as Rarity shakily climbed up on the balcony. The alicorn threw herself at her friend and gave a hug as strong as she could muster. ”R-Rarity,” she hiccuped. ”R-Rarity, a-are you alright?”

Rarity hyperventilated and still could not shake away the feeling of falling, but she managed a wavering smile. ”Yes, I am fine, darling.” She swallowed, and breathed in and out as slow as she could in her panicked state. She knew they had to chase The Circus immediately, but she just could not bring herself to it. Not yet. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the lightning filled sky and the rapidly shrinking balcony before her inner eye.

She stood with Twilight for what must have been many minutes before her breath had slowed down a little. She reluctantly began to wriggle out of Twilight’s embrace.

”Shall we give chase then?” She asked carefully.

”Count on it,” Twilight said with a determined look. They both looked quickly around the room.

Coco Pommel laid wrapped up in Celestia’s bedsheets, the Princess herself laid unceremoniously on the floor, and Twilight was again shocked at how naked, almost vulnerable, Celestia looked now. She felt another pang of guilt at what she had done, even if she knew she did not have a choice.

Bon-Bon had fainted in a little dignified position. She had slumped down against the railing onto her suitcase and was currently drooling on the cold stone. Her shades laid askew on her muzzle and she mumbled something about Lyra in her sleep.

”Well, I highly doubt they will be of much help right now,” Rarity said while wiping the drool of Bon-Bon’s face. Her eyes fell on the agent’s suitcase. ”But maybe this will?”

Rarity pulled out the suitcase from under Bon-Bon and tried to open it. It sat like stone. ”Her hoof, Rarity. It unlocks with her hoof,” Twilight said. Rarity picked up Bon-Bon’s hoof, placed it in the notch on top the suitcase and twisted. It opened with a metallic clang.

Inside were some pretty useless items. A couple of cheap masks, a rope with a grappling hook, a clock, and… a small syringe with a note. Rarity picked it up and read.

Hypnotic antidote. Don’t just stand there, fix this. Now!

”Twilight!” Rarity said with a hopeful voice. ”An antidote! We can wake her up!” Rarity picked up the syringe and turned to Bon-Bon, but Twilight held up a hoof to stop her.

”Hang on, Rarity,” she said with a wary voice. ”Maybe we can wake up Celestia instead? That would be a better choice.”

”But she was shot with… how many darts?” Rarity said with a, considering the situation, calm voice. ”Do recall that we don’t know how strong the antidote is, or the hypnotic. Can we afford to hope that it does wake Celestia?”

Twilight complemented for a moment. ”No,” she answered grudgingly. ”Wake Bon-Bon instead.”

Rarity nodded and stung the unconscious earth pony. No response. ”Hurry,” Rarity mumbled urgently. ”Hurry, please, or they will get away.” Bon-Bon moved groggily, and half opened her eyes.

”Uuuuugh… what time is it?” she mumbled as she tied to stand up. Her legs gave out halfway and she slumped back to the balcony floor. ”What did I drink last night…?”

”The most powerful hypnotic money can buy, delivered via dart,” Twilight said and slapped Bon-Bon over the face. ”Sorry, but we need to hurry.” Bon-Bon blinked and looked a little more awake.

Rarity shoved her anxiety to the back of her mind. She could deal with that later; now was not the time. ”Come Twilight. We will ether capture them or go down trying!”

Twilight nodded, but did not move. ”First we need to figure out where they are. Rushing headlong around the city will help them more than us.”

Rarity paused. She saw the reasoning behind Twilight’s statement. They could not afford to make some stupid mistake here. They had come to far, done to much. Now if ever did they had to gauge every action they took carefully.

”The only way to escape Canterlot would be via the train or an airship, yes?” Rarity asked. ”They can’t very well take the time to walk, can they?”

”I doubt it,” Twilight confirmed, ”so that leaves airship and train, both which are placed inconveniently far from each other. So, which one would you go for?”

”The train for sure,” Rarity answered quickly. ”Honestly, look at this storm. An airship would be suicide.”

”Yes, but they are the ones commanding the storm, remember? It’s Twitchy’s doing, isn’t it?” Twilight replied. She felt her body shake with suppressed energy. She wanted to fly out there and chase the cowardly Circus until they were locked up or she dropped from exhaustion. Just standing here felt wrong.

”I’m not sure how much Topsy is commanding anything,” Rarity said. ”I have met him, remember? He surely didn’t seem… sane enough to really direct the storm as much as flying about at random.”

”Airship…” Bon-Bon mumbled tiredly. She rubbed her eyes and swayed a little where she stood. ”The storm is not just a distraction, it’s also there to tire out the pegasi guards…”

”Are you sure!?” Twilight and Rarity both yelled. Bon-Bon winced at their loud voices.

”Never sure with them, but it sounds like something The Equilibrist would think up,” she said with a tired smile.

There was a second of silence. Both modes of transport had pros and cons.

”We can’t afford to wait any longer,” Twilight said decisively. ”The train station is farthest away from here, and since I’m faster than you, Rarity, I will check that. You get to the docks. Whichever one of us finds them will have to stall until the other can come and help.” She threw herself from the balcony without waiting for a response. They had already wasted precious time here.

*****

Flim and Flam left Blueblood in the alley and arrived together at the train station. They were greeted by a Nervous and Worried Trixie. Flim produced a wing suit for her, and she took it on. They all entered the station to escape the rain. Filthy Rich could be heard from further inside, starting up a train.

”Did you get it? Is it done?” Trixie asked with a nervous and excited voice. Flim opened the saddlebags he wore with his magic, and the glimmer of gold could be seen. It was as if the gold glowed with an otherworldly luster, almost like sunshine. Trixie looked at it with stars in her eyes, not quite comprehending.

”We did it,” she mumbled silently, still trying to take it in. ”We… actually did it?”

”That we did,” Flim said with a pearl white smile. ”No matter what happens now, we have actually done it. Nopony can take that away from us.”

Trixie looked away from the crown with an expression of having forgotten something. ”What’s happened?” she asked. Her excitement turned into anxiety. ”Where is Blueblood? H-he wasn’t captured… was he?”

”Let’s just say he is out of commission for the time being,” Flam replied shortly.

”B-but… he knows everything…” Trixie said with fear stricken voice. ”He will tattle on us all!”

”He won’t,” Flam said calmly. ”Leave him to my brother and me. For now, we need to get the heck out of dodge. How do we look timewise?” As if to answer him, the large clock in the station clicked as the minute hand moved to the number four. Flam smirked proudly. ”Sometimes, even I am surprised with our precision.”

Just a few seconds after the bell, a loud poof could be heard from the train where Filthy Rich was working. ”All done, Gentlecolts.” He exited, still clad in his wing suit and with a relived smile on his face. ”It’s ready to go. Are you?” He asked with a mock challenging look.

”Trixie was born ready,” Trixie said. ”Take it away! We are making perfect time!”

”Of course we are,” Filthy Rich chucked and disappeared through the train door again. With a loud poof and clanking machinery, a train chugged out from the storage room and began to move out on the rail. Filthy leaped off it just as it began to speed up.

”That ought to keep them busy,” Trixie said with a haughty voice.

”And then some, let’s get moving,” Flam said, cool as ever. The rest of The Circus turned to him, and together they went out in the storm again. Trixie opened one of the stairwells down to the sewers.

”Flim, I don’t suppose you have my darts?” Filthy asked politely as he descended.

”Of course I do,” Flim said and levitated all the projectiles they had shot in Celestia’s room over to Filthy Rich. No tracks left, as it should be.

”Alright,” Flam said once they all were down. He turned to Trixie. ”When did Suri leave?”

”About forty minutes ago,” Trixie replied. ”She should not have any problems acquiring an airship in this storm; nopony will be looking after them now.”

”That’s the idea,” Flam confirmed with a small smirk. ”Lead the way.”

While the road network in Canterlot made the way between the airship docks and the train station a while to walk, it was not that far as the crow flies. Also, the sewers protected against the storm, speeding up the journey considerably. It took them only fifteen minutes before they arrived. The four ponies emerged in a back alley and was greeted by Suri Polomare, dressed in a lavender wing suit.

”M’kay, you are here,” she said with a relived exhale. ”Did it work then? You got it?” Flim nodded and levitated up the crown. Suri’s breath caught in her throat.

”And you have taken care of the airship, I hope?” Flam said without taking any note of Suri’s shocked expression. ”Else we might be in a bit of a pickle.”

The orchid mare tore her look away from the beautiful crown and nodded. ”All done without a hitch. Come with me.” The Circus followed her up to their mode of escape. They stood still and looked at the airship for just one moment. Their greatest coup neared its end. All they had to do was to board the ship, and they would be gone in less than an hour. Just a little longer, then they would have outwitted Celestia, Twilight, the entire Royal Guard, Rarity and pretty much everypony else too.

”Let’s go,” A Confident and Spirited Trixie said. Flim leaped up onto one of the wires that anchored the ship to the stone pier and casually strolled onto it. His brother followed suit and Prankster flew onto the deck and placed himself on the steering wheel.

”Hey, what about us!” Filthy Rich called. He had no way to get onto the ship from this position.

”One moment,” Flam said. After a few seconds, the airship fell softly a few ponylegnths. ”Did you order a taxi?” Flam said casually to Filthy, Suri and Trixie.

”I did,” Filthy chuckled, deciding to humor Flim and Flam for a moment. ”Ponyville please, and there will be a handsome tip if you get there fast,” he said and hopped aboard, together with Suri and Trixie.

”Consider it done!” Flim said excitedly and loosened the mooring. The saddlebags with the regalia stood safely beside Flam by the steering wheel at the stern. ”Let’s get out of here!”

”Do you magic,” Trixie said feistily. Nothing could bring her down right now. She had done it. She had conquered all odds and stolen the regalia. She had outsmarted Twilight Sparkle at long last. Humble and Apologetic her hoof, even Great and Powerful was too little at this point. Maybe the Excellent and Omnipotent could be a fitting title? She would have to think it over.

Flam pressed a series of handles and the airship began to float upwards, the slack mooring trailing after it.

”Curtains fall, for now the show is ov-”

”STOP RIGHT THERE!”

Perplexed and annoyed, Flim looked at the pair ponies at the dock. One white as marble, and the other beige with a blue and pink mane. All to clear did he recognize them. Flim sighed. ”Oh, what is it now, can’t you leave us in peace!?” He shouted down with a tired voice.

”What’s the matter, brother of mine?” Flam called from behind the steering wheel.

”Company,” Flim replied shortly. ”Do you mind taking off right about now?”

”Not at all!” The airship began to back out of the dock.

”Oh, no you don’t!” Bon-Bon shouted and threw her grappling hook. It stuck to the wooden railing and began to slide away with the ship. Without thinking, she leaped after the rope just as it left the dock, and Rarity leaped after her in a vain attempt to hold back the entire ship. Rarity balanced on the dock edge for a moment. Then, with a terrified scream she lost hoofhold and hung over the abyss from the ship’s side with her hooves around Bon-Bon. If the agent lost her grip around the rope, then they would not stop until she hit the base of Mount Celestia, a drop of near a thousand ponylengths.

Bon-Bon felt Rarity’s legs around her barrel and began to climb. She saw Flim looking down at her from the airship railing. If he cut the rope, she was as good as dead.

He didn’t. He just stood there and watched her climb with a grim expression.

”Get ready everypony, the crowd wants an encore,” he called to somepony behind him. ”You concentrate on steering us away, brother. We’ll keep them away from you.”

”Got it.”

Flim disappeared out of sight.

”Rarity, we will be wide open the moment we get up there. Any ideas?” Bon-Bon suddenly noted that Rarity was shaking. ”Never mind,” Bon-Bon mumbled. Rarity had probably seen enough deadly falls for one night.

”Leave that to me, darling,” Rarity said with a strangely calm, almost giddy, voice. ”And do hurry up. This might just be the most exciting thing I have ever taken part of.”

”Heh, mine too,” Bon-Bon said with a grin. She realized that she liked working with other ponies. Normally she operated alone, but it had been interesting, even fun, to work alongside Twilight and now Rarity.

She continued to climb until she hung just a hooflength beneath the railing. In one powerful motion she jerked the rope with all her earth pony strength and near flew over the railing. She saw the blurred visage of Filthy Rich as came over the ship’s deck.

”Good night,” he said smugly and fired the crossbow.

”Good day,” Rarity said and caught the dart in the air with her magic and managed to levitate it a little further down. It passed under them with a hair’s width. She and Bon-Bon both landed on the airship, face to face with Filthy Rich and Trixie. Suri Polomare stood a bit behind them.

”There is no way we can work this out, is there?” The brother behind the steering wheel asked calmly. Rarity recognized the voice as Flam’s. ”Name a number, any number, and you will have twice the amount. I promise.”

”I’d never!” Rarity screamed with and indignant voice. ”I’m not some… some trinket you can buy!”

”Well said, Rarity,” Bon-Bon said without taking her eyes of Flam. ”I presume you don’t want to come along quietly, Equilibrist?”

”Let’s face it,” Flam said with a simple tone. ”You don’t want to do this the easy way.”

”No,” Bon-Bon said and scraped her hoof to the deck, readying a full body charge.

”Fine by Trixie,” the blue mare said and readied a blast of her horn.

”A lady shouldn’t get her hooves dirty, allow me,” Flim’s voice came from overhead. Rarity looked up and saw something sweep down from the balloon. The wing suit made him look like a giant bat. His horn glowed green, and he and an excited and determined expression on his face, illuminated by cold moonlight. Beside him flew his trusty parrot.

Flim’s horn shimmered and a rope appeared from inside his wing suit. Filthy threw his crossbow to the ground, lunged for the suitcase beside him and got out a slightly bent piece of wood. Bon-Bon leaped into action and dashed over the deck towards Trixie. Rarity saw the unicorn crack a smile before a large cloud swallowed her. Bon-Bon dashed right through and nearly ran off the airship deck. Trixie seemed to have disappeared in the cloud.

”Take this!” Flim said and threw a rope with a heavy knot towards Bon-Bon. She ducked under it, grabbed the rope in her mouth and pulled Flim towards her, all in one fluid motion.

Flim landed, crouched to duck under Bon-Bon’s kick and then let go of the rope at the same time he jumped off the ship. The wind blew him up and away of Bon-Bon. As soon as he was out of range he threw another rope downward and moved his hoof like he had in the tower.

Rarity watched the rope tie itself around the airship railing. Flim was flying after the airship like some bizarre kite. He then pulled the rope hard and came flying down from the air with his hind leg outstretched. Bon-Bon nimbly leaped aside as Flim slammed down on the deck.

Bon-Bon then leaped high in a backflip to avoid a buck from Suri. She landed beside the fuchsia earth pony, who galloped away. Bon-Bon was just about to follow, when an earsplitting scream came from above her. She looked up and saw Prankster fall down on her with talons wide open. She ducked and instead received a magic blast from Trixie, who had reappeared behind her.

”This. Is going to be fun,” Flim said with an excited voice.

*****

The whole exchange had only taken a couple of seconds. Both Rarity and Filthy Rich just stood by and looked with slightly open mouths.

”Never seen them all go like that before…” Filthy said, half to himself. Rarity’s attention snapped back to him. She might not be able to do much against Flim, but she could do her part by keeping Filthy distracted. Her horn lit up. She would snatch the wooden piece, whatever it was, right from his hooves.

Filthy returned to reality when he felt his weapon tug. He turned his back to Rarity to kick her. She leaped aside, but just barely. As soon as her magic was interrupted, Filthy twisted his body around to transfer the momentum of his kick over to his front hoof. He had less than a moment to aim, but it was enough. Quick as can be, Filthy spun around and threw.

Rarity saw the spinning piece of wood coming at her and she threw herself aside. She didn’t exactly know what she was supposed to do next, though. She was not a fighter, and had no training in hoof-to-hoof combat. She went for the one advantage she had.

The magic flowed into her horn and she levitated up Filthy’s legs as he prepared to leap at her. The result was a strange, hardly dignified, trip in midair which ended with Filthy Rich falling face first into the deck. Rarity saw her chance and charged him.

Filthy reacted quickly. He scrambled out of the way and let Rarity gallop past him. He looked for a moment out in the night, and saw his weapon. He quickly calculated the trajectory and placed himself in a good spot.

”Come back here you!” Rarity growled and came at him again from behind.

”Catch,” Flithy Rich said as he leaped to the side.

Rarity stopped her dash in utter shock at the spinning piece of wood that came at her. How was it possible? Filthy had thrown it away, how was it coming back now?

And more importantly, why was she in front of it?

She sprung to the left and could her the wood cleave the air just beside her ear. She turned around and looked at Filthy Rich. He leaped up, caught the spinning weapon and landed dexterously, just beside his suitcase. ”We aren’t called ’The Circus’ for nothing, you know,” he said with as if he had just picked up a bit from the ground.

”What do you know of zebras, Rarity?” Filthy continued politely. ”This is one of their native weapons, called a boomerang.” Rarity saw Filthy kick his suitcase away and suddenly he held four identical weapons. ”Let’s see him many you can handle.”

With a blur, Filthy’s hooves emptied and the boomerangs filled the air. Rarity noted that he didn’t throw them at her per se, he threw them out seemingly at random. She looked around quickly, but couldn’t see any of them. She swallowed. Filthy Rich reached for the crossbow beside him.

”No, you don’t!” Rarity called and dashed at him. The swirling sound warned her in the last moment. She had no time for some intricate dodge, so she just let her legs relax. She fell on the deck and felt the boomerang shoot past her ear with an uncomfortable sound. The next moment she felt a hard hit in her foreleg. She instinctively curled up to protect it. There was wood against her body. Filthy had caught the boomerang and thrown it back at her in the blink of an eye.

She got up despite the throbbing pain. Staying in one place was the worst thing she could do, as that gave Filthy time to pick up his crossbow. ”Never stand still,” Rarity thought to herself. ”Always on the move.” She narrowly dodged another boomerang that came out off the night. She had one with her, so there should be three left to worry about.

She looked towards Filthy Rich, for she knew he would throw soon. He stood still and looked at her with a grim expression.

No, not at her. At something behind her. Realization hit her together with the boomerang. It felt like somepony had bashed a sledgehammer in her lower neck. She flew forward from the hit and suddenly found herself on the airship deck. The whole world was spinning and the deck was heaving under her. She looked straight down on her fore hooves to avoid the strange sights. Her eyes fell on the boomerang she still held.

It was made from black lacquered wood, and at the center there was a small golden ornament with a sapphire set in it. It looked more like some fashion mistake than an actual weapon; like something you might see on the wall while visiting your old and somewhat confused grandmother.

”Sorry, Rarity.” Filthy Rich’s voice echoed strangely and made her head hurt even more. ”Unless you have eyes in the neck, you will never defeat me. Now if you will excuse me…”

She looked up. Her vision was spinning, but she could see Filthy taking the aim at Bon-Bon, who was currently battling Flim, Trixie, Suri and Prankster, all at the same time. The gemstone in the boomerang he held twinkled at her. An idea hatched in her mind. Despite the deck spinning under her she staggered up and glared at him.

”Really?” he said with a surprised voice. ”Well, don’t blame me.” He threw a boomerang at her and she lurched aside again. The world convoluted in wired ways, but she remained standing somehow.

Rarity closed her eyes and let her signature spell flare out. She felt the gemstones in Celestia’s regalia, some little lump in Flim’s pocket, and she felt the three boomerangs flying in large curves around the airship. One of those small points of light turned and came at her fast. She took one step forward and the boomerang passed her. It turned around fast when Filthy caught and threw it, but she was ready and dodged. Another one came from behind, and she ducked. The last one missed.

She opened her eyes again. The world still swayed slightly, but she could clearly see Filthy Rich’s perplexed look.

”Your decadence has turned on you, Filthy,” Rarity said with a small smile. ”I don’t need eyes in the neck. I only need you gems.”

”That’s Mr. Rich,” Filthy hissed. ”Well, you might sense my boomerangs, but that won’t help if you can’t dodge!” Filthy Rich threw two boomerangs to his sides, waited a few moments and then threw one at her. She skipped to the side, only to be met by the other two coming at her. She leaped over one and hopped away from the other. The first boomerang came back from behind. She jumped over it, and Filthy threw his last boomerang, the one Rarity had held. While in the air she couldn’t dodge.

The wooden piece hit her in the ribs with a hollow sound that knocked the air from her lungs. Rarity groaned and fell down on the deck. Filthy was right. She had no chance dodging all of those attacks.

But… then he couldn’t ether! Despite the pain in her ribs and leg she let her magic enter her horn again for a moment. She felt the two remaining boomerangs return. Filthy waited, evidently thinking that Rarity was defeated.

Rarity opened her eyes and looked at him. He looked back, surprised. Rarity smiled weakly as she laid on the deck. She changed her spell. An ice-blue aura encased Filthy’s front hooves and held them down.

”Interesting weapon, Filthy. And your control of them is truly stupendous,” she said weakly. ”but that won’t help if you can’t dodge…”

Filthy got a half surprised, half scared look in his eyes. A small ”huh?” left his mouth just before two boomerangs flew over Rarity and smacked into his temple and chest. He fell, and Rarity stayed down for a few more moments before staggering onto her hooves. She smiled despite the throbbing pain in her chest. She looked around. Bon-Bon stood just beside her with Flim pinned down.

*****

Bon-Bon was panting. She was an earth pony, and in top shape too, but running about while dodging three attackers and a bird at once got tiresome very fast. Worse was that she had no chance of striking back effectively. They were all too careful, and ran off whenever she got close. She would have followed, but that exposed her to sneak attacks from the other two.

”I’ll have to take a chance,” she decided. It was either that or fight until she was so tired they could overwhelm her. She looked around for Suri. She seemed to be the least dangerous one, so she should start by taking her out. Bon-Bon couldn’t find her however, and was forced to grab one of the ropes that connected the gondola with the balloon in order to avoid a green energy beam. She used the momentum to spin around the rope and launch herself at Trixie, who was the only pony in range.

Trixie seemed surprised by Bon-Bon’s sudden attack and got hit in the chest. The showmare staggered backwards, but Bon-Bon gave her no respite; she followed and continued to jab quick strikes at Trixie, who retreated backwards with each hit.

Trixie coughed and shook her head after a particularly powerful strike. She reached into her hat and slammed her one of her signature smoke balls down into the deck. Bon-Bon struck again but hit only air.

”A little assistance!” Trixie called and hopped away from Bon-Bon, who came at her again from inside the cloud.

”Granted,” Flim called back and brought out another rope from his wing suit. He now had one in both his fore hooves. ”Try this on for size!”

Flim leaped at Bon-Bon with both his front hooves lifted. Her mind told her to leap forward and strike first, her instincts told her to dodge backwards, away from the ropes. She did the latter. Flim tied the ropes where Bon-Bon’s legs had been the moment before and followed up with an energy blast. Bon-Bon was hit right between the eyes and took a step backwards. In the moment she was blinded she felt a rope tangle itself around her hoof. She also heard something splashing under her.

”Got you!” Flim shouted triumphantly. ”Prepare for your life’s journey!” Just as Bon-Bon reopened her eyes she saw Flim leap from the airship.

The rope around her leg began to pull. Bon-Bon struggled for a moment, but it seemed like the deck was made of ice; it was impossible to get a grip. She looked down in surprise and found the deck covered in oil with small pieces of glass scattered around. She was dragged over the airship deck behind Flim, who was flying in the wind like a kite again. She was pulled straight towards Suri Polomare. The fuchsia mare planted her hooves firmly on the deck and reared up on her hindlegs.

”Okay, this will hurt…” Bon-Bon thought the moment before she was brought into contact with Suri.

Suri stomped as Bon-Bon came barreling towards her. The agent caught the falling hoof with her tied leg and clenched her teeth at the pain. That was going to leave one nasty bruise. She reached out with the other hoof and grabbed one of Suri’s hind legs, pulling her along. The two mares slid over the deck and collided with the railing before either of them had the time to mount a proper attack.

”FLIM, STOP!” Suri screamed with a terrified voice. Both she and Bon-Bon held on to the railing for dear life trying not to be swept overboard.

The pulling stopped, and Bon-Bon took the chance to give Suri a hard kick in the diaphragm. She then rolled out of the way to dodge Prankster’s sweeping attack. She got up on her hooves and assaulted at Suri again, only to be hit by a lilac energy beam from Trixie. Bon-Bon grunted, but powered through. She picked up Suri by the shoulders to bash her head in the airship deck. That should knock her out.

”No, you don’t!” Flim called and tackled Bon-Bon roughly in the side. She let go of Suri, and grabbed onto Flim instead. They rolled over the deck, exchanging blows until Bon-Bon pinned him down. Her strength gave her a clear advantage in close combat.

They both laid still for a moment, catching up with what just happened.

”Heh, it was a long time since I felt like this,” Flim said happily. ”Congrats, by the way. Not many mares get to be on top of me. ”

”And you will be grateful for it,” Bon-Bon returned bitingly.

”Still forgetting that I’m never alone?”

”Nor is Miss Bon-Bon,” Rarity chimed in and placed herself beside the agent. She was still a bit dizzy from the boomerang hit. Suri and Trixie looked at Bon-Bon and Rarity warily. Trixie reached into her cape.

She froze mid movement, caught in a lilac shimmer.

The whole airship stopped in midair, caught in the shimmer. Even Prankster hung in still, wings bent in a flap.

”Sorry for taking so long,” Twilight called triumphantly.

”Not at all, dear,” Rarity responded with a relieved sigh. ”It’s called being fashionably late.”

”Good one,” Flim commended. He attempted to nod at Rarity, but Bon-Bon held him down firmly.

Twilight hovered beside the airship and looked at the ponies. ”Flam, turn around and start heading back,” she said with a commanding voice.

Flam nodded warily and turned the steering wheel. Twilight’s shimmer dissipated, and the airship turned lazily in the wind.

”Always at Sweet Apple Acres, huh?” Flam said with a wry smile. ”That place seems to be bad news for us, eh, brother?”

”Are we flying over now?” Flim said with a tired voice, still trapped beneath Bon-Bon’s strong hooves. ”Of all the places in Equestria, of course it had to be there…”

”Don’t worry, you won’t see it again,” Bon-Bon said bitingly to Flim. ”In fact, the only thing you will see for a looong time will be the prison interior.”

”Yep,” Flim said with a resigned voice. ”You’ve clearly caught us all five. Well done.”

”Five?” Bon-Bon said with furrows in her brow. Something dawned in her expression. ”Wait, where is Ditzy and Tops-”

”TWISTEEEEEEEEEEEER!!!!!”

Topsy’s furious scream broke into falsetto as the multicolored pegasus rushed from the sky with two miniature thunderclouds over his front hooves. Ditzy fluttered far behind him, trying, and failing, to keep up with the ex-wonderbolt. Twilight turned around, and saw Topsy’s maniacal grin just a hooflength from her face. He giggled with a half choked sound and swung one hoof at Twilight’s jaw and the other at her horn. A small crackle could be heard as the thunderclouds caught her head between them, and then there was nothing. She did not even hear the thunderclap.

Twilight was returned to her senses as she fell. Her head felt like it had been impaled on a red-hot spike from the chin to the tip of her horn. She fell straight down and caught a glimpse of the large apple orchards below before she began to pull up, more from reflex than anything else.

”NONE!” Topsy screamed right in her ear. Faster than what should be possible he dove in under her, turned near one hundred eighty degrees and flew right at her from below. He pulled back his foreleg and struck her in the stomach, straight upwards, destroying his ’glove’ in the process.

Twilight felt the air leave her lungs and her spine twist uncomfortably as she was accelerated opposite to her fall. She felt sick just by the sheer power of the blow; it was like a train had rammed her. She coughed violently even though she feverishly wanted to breathe.

”HURT!” Topsy flew up to her, spun around, and hammered his hind leg right over Twilight’s outstretched wings and spine. Through a million shades of pain, she panicked. He was too fast, too relentless to parry, and his strength could not be far behind Applejack’s! Twilight was sent earthward again by his hammerlike strike.

Topsy flew down alongside Twilight, and glared straight into her eyes. His mismatched gaze was filled with primitive fire, lost to fury. She saw his one thundercloud-covered hoof come closer to her face. ”Them,” he said with a completely calm voice.

”STOP, PLEASE TOPSY, STOP!”

Twilight recognized the voice from somewhere, but her mind was scrambled by Topsy’s violent assault. Then her whole body was tackled away. She saw Ditzy fly just where she had been, all four legs outstretched to protect her.

Although the look only lasted the fraction of a second, she could clearly see the terror in Topsy’s face when he realized what was about to happen. A small bang resounded when the thundercloud connected to Ditzy’s chin. For a moment her mane turned completely straight and spiky, then she looked about, confused.

*****

Bon-Bon cringed when she saw Twilight take Topsy’s initial strike. ”Hey!” Flim said with dorky voice. Bon-Bon looked back to him. His horn glowed and the beam hit her right in the face. The force lifted her and threw her backwards.

”Alright, we are leaving, everypony!” Flam called from behind the steering wheel. ”Ready to fly!”

He spun the steering wheel fast to the left, and the whole airship turned so hard the deck slanted. Suri got a look of realization and leaped off the ship. She began to glide on the wind, back towards Ponyville.

”BING!” Flam said and shot a green energy beam straight up in the balloon. He snatched up the bag with the regalia and jumped over the railing.

”BANG!” Flim chimed in and fired a beam of his own into the balloon. He twisted away from Bon-Bon’s last-ditch attack and flew off the ship.

”ZAM!” Trixie called with a proud smile. With three holes in the balloon, the ship began to fall fast. She reached into her cape and threw a smoke ball in Bon-Bon’s face before she took off.

”Well done Rarity,” Filthy Rich staggered up and gave a mocking bow. With a grimace he placed his hoof at the forehead. He swayed slightly. ”Color me impressed,” he croaked before he leaped.

Twilight saw the five ponies jump from the falling airship. She shut out the pain and confusion and tried to concentrate. She had to capture them. A simple freeze spell should do it.

”Twilight!” Rarity called from the airship, and the focus broke. Twilight looked to the ship. Rarity and Bon-Bon was clinging to one of the ropes that held the rapidly deflating balloon. The ship was falling, and Rarity was barely clinging on. It was falling dangerously close to Sweet Apple Acre’s main buildings.

”Twilight,” Flam shouted as he glided past. ”Catch us… or that ship!”

Twilight’s horn blazed with lilac light and the shimmer engulfed the airship once more. She gritted her teeth as she tried to repel the gravity. Slower and slower it fell, but it fell nonetheless.

”HHRRRGAAAAAH!” Twilight screamed and flew wobbly and dazed by fatigue down to the ground and began to move the broken airship away from above the homestead. Infinitely slow did the ship careen away. She was still badly hurt from Topsy’s attack, and her horn burnt like on fire, reeling from the thunderbolt he had sent straight through it. She refused to stop.

With a horrible sound, the ship’s rudder scraped the homestead’s roof and knocked the weathervane clean of. Out of the corner of her eyes, Twilight saw a window lighting up, and a highly confused Applejack look out.

”Hope I didn’t wake Apple Bloom…” Twilight thought. She snickered amidst of the fog of pain and exhaustion. Why was she thinking of such a trivial thing now? Was she loosing her mind? Suddenly the burning feeling amplified thousandfold. Her magic fizzled and died. She watched the airship fall. Its rudder touched the roof side and the ship crashed with a thunderous sound on the ground, not a ponylength away from the house. She looked at the scene with uncomprehending eyes. Twilight took one deep, choppy breath, and then fell to the ground exhausted. The last thing she saw was Rarity and Applejack galloping towards her.

Bon-Bon looked to Twilight, but forced herself to focus on the road. As much as she liked her friend and wanted to make sure she was okay, her duty was clear. She pushed the tiredness and pain away and galloped down the path as fast as she could. Within minutes she was in Ponyville. She stole a quick glance towards her marefriend’s house and had an involuntary picture of Lyra sleeping soundly, unaware of all the calamity that happened just a few ponylengths away. A small blush spread over Bon-Bon’s face, and she sprinted even faster. It was like Lyra had awoken something within her, a hidden reserve of sorts. She had never run so fast in her life.

She saw them! Seven ponies dashed out of Filthy’s mansion, carrying large bags. She sprinted even faster. Slowly did she catch up. She leaped over a snare trap that appeared in her path. She dashed right through Trixie’s smokescreen. See heard the swishing sound of a boomerang from behind and dodged.

She did not see Prankster.

The parrot appeared like a shadow in the night and slashed at her face. Instinctively she lifted a foreleg to shielded her eyes. It worked, but it slowed her down. Without even stopping to curse the blasted bird she continued her pursuit.

Bon-Bon found herself on the train station, and saw a lonesome train wagon behind a locomotive just starting, heading towards Canterlot. Prankster landed on the train rear and began to preen his wing.

She was too late.

Chapter eleven- Train Trickery

Flim all but collapsed on the couch in the train cart. He drew a relived and slow breath. Beside him, his brother sat down and opened the bag with the regalia. Both Suri and Trixie looked at it with eyes large as saucers as he laid it on the table, piece by piece. Ditzy looked at it from above with a curious expression. She didn’t seem bothered in the slightest by the fact that she had taken a miniature thunderbolt to the face a few minutes ago. Topsy’s eyes were still red from crying, but his look was now more confused than anything else. Filthy Rich was in the locomotive, steering the train.

”Well, that worked…” Flam said after a few minutes. ”Not exactly according to plan, but…”

”You shouldn’t have done that,” Ditzy said with a stern voice. ”What if Twilight hadn’t steered the airship away? What then? You could have flattened Sweet Apple Acres!”

”Easy there,” Flim said. ”Twilight defeated Tirek for Celestia’s sake. Of course she can levitate an airship. She probably didn’t even notice it.”

”She looked like she noticed it alright,” Suri said with a deadpan look. ”She looked ready to faint just from holding it up.”

”I seem to recall that we were somewhat preoccupied back there,” Flam said sarcastically. ”I wasn’t trying to crush the farm; I just did what I should according to our plan, dump the ship over the orchards. Not my fault Sparkle decided to meddle in my aim.”

”Whatever, it worked, right?” Flim said happily. ”And now there’s just one last piece of the puzzle left. Shall we get to it?”

”I can’t remember signing up for this when I joined you,” Suri said with a slightly nauseated face. She opened up one of the large bags they had picked up at Filthy’s mansion. Ditzy cringed, Flim looked somewhat creeped out and Trixie swallowed nervously. Only Flam and Topsy seemed unfazed.

The bodies spilled on the floor. One cream colored and one green earth pony, two unicorns and a pegasus. The five bodies were all washed and only recently deceased. Shadow Shovel had delivered like he was supposed to, and no problems had arisen, as it should be.

”Don’t worry, Ditzy,” Flam said with a peppy voice. ”If you can take a thunderbolt, then these guys aren’t really a threat.”

”How did you take the thunderbolt so well anyway?” Trixie asked and gratefully looked away from the bodies on the floor. ”Twilight Sparkle blacked out from a similar attack, but you look as feisty as always.”

Ditzy blushed deeply. ”I’m… used to lightning…” she said with a nervous but happy voice. ”I like bouncing on thunderclouds, they are so… bouncy. I dunno what, but sometimes things go wrong, like when I accidentally broke town hall.”

The ponies in the wagon shared a laugh.

”Okay, everypony!” Filthy Rich said from the door to the locomotive. He looked a little dazed and had a massive bruise on the forehead, but still managed a proud smile. ”The oncoming train is approaching. I imagine you have ten minutes or so. Get everything ready.”

”You heard!” Suri said with a commanding voice. ”Come and help me here!”

Filthy went back up to the engine and the others moved the dead bodies around the train cart to create such a believable setting as possible in the off chance there would be anything left. Two were sitting by a table opposite to one another, one stood by the door, one alone by another table and the last one in the middle of the wagon.

”That should work,” Flim said. ”Let’s get out of here.”

”Evening gentlecolts, and thank you for your help,” Flam nodded to the two bodies sitting against one another. Together The Circus left the wagon and made their way up to the engine where Filthy Rich leaned out of the window. The railroad to Canterlot had to snake its way up Mt. Celestia, and so had steep precipices on the left side and a cliff face to the right.

”Here it comes,” Filthy said slowly. ”Wait for it…” The rest of The Circus leaned out of some other windows. They clearly saw the front lights of the oncoming train, and a sharp glimmer of pink magic as Trixie’s delayed spells turned the steering wheel.

”Okay, now!” Filthy screamed after having rounded a curve. The two trains was now on a straight track segment. The ponies quickly retreated from the engine and leaped off the train into thin air, still in their wing suits. They were all but catapulted out in the wind thanks to the speed they were traveling in. Ditzy was the last to leave. She felt the wind ripping in her wings she tumbled about in the air. She was not used to fly this fast; slightest twitch of her wings sent her in a sharp curve.

The alien, high-speed flying lasted only for a few seconds before she oriented herself and flew straight. She turned around just as the two trains collided. The scream of metal against metal resounded through the air. She covered her ears to shut the sharp sound out. The train they had been on was forced away from the tracks in a shower of sparks. It flew down the cliff, tumbling violently and scattering pieces everywhere. The other train had been forced off the tracks the other way, and collided with the face of the mountain. It turned and twisted with a screeching sound so it slid perpendicular on the tracks and then flipped but continued rolled on the tracks before it finally stopped, badly mangled. Slowly it slid of the tracks and down the cliff.

Ditzy hovered and looked at the violent display. It was exciting somehow. She knew there was nopony (alive) on either train, so she wasn’t worried about anypony. She saw the rest of The Circus gliding away from the ”accident”, and followed. They landed further up and on the tracks themselves. Everypony was careful not to step on the soil, as that would leave hoofprints.

”Okay,” Flam said. ”That should put us in the clear. Nopony can have survived a crash like that.”

”No, especially if they were already dead,” Filthy Rich pointed out. The ponies snickered.

”Now, then,” Flam said and everypony’s eyes turned to him. ”Let’s make our way back to Canterlot. My brother and I will ’take care’ of The Illusionist. The rest of you, go to Fancypants' and stay put until my brother and I come, or you are captured.”

”WHAT!?” Trixie screamed, horrified. ”CAPTURED!? TRIXIE WON’T BE CAPTURED, AND SHE WILL NOT GO BACK TO CANTERLOT! THAT’S WERE THEY WILL LOOK FIRST!”

”Exactly,” Flam explained calmly. ”But you are innocent. We have just been sitting in Fancypants’ residence all night, playing poker and discussing a business venture. Bon-Bon will capture you and present some witness who will tell a near unbelievable story about, among other things, Ditzy the master thief and a dead Wonderbolt. Also, I seem to recall that both Sparkle, Coco and Rarity have some… less than pleasant history with some of us. If we play our cards right, no court will believe them, especially if we bring an alibi, being Fancypants, who has his reasons for wanting us to walk free.”

”But then he will know our real names,” Filthy pointed out. ”That’s not good at all.”

”True,” Flam agreed with a serious voice. ”But thanks to Blueblood’s stunt, we don’t have much of a choice. We can’t have somepony we can’t always trust on our team, so he has to go. Besides, if Fancypants tattle on us, he will be locked up too when we tell about his part in it all. He won’t do that.”

”But then who will have crashed the airship?” Trixie asked. ”Our getaway left some… pretty obvious clues, so to speak.”

”That part we don’t have to change from the original plan,” Flam explained. ”those dead guys can still cover for us.” He nodded towards the now burning train wreck. ”Some shadowy experts whose bodies sadly were so damaged they couldn’t be identified. The Circus took the secrets of who they were with them to the grave, all save for Blueblood. Makes much more sense than a showpony, a fashionista, a mailmare, the richest stallion in Ponyville, a dead Wonderbolt and two salesponies nonpareil.”

”Speaking of which,” Flim interjected. ”Topsy, we will leave the regalia with you. Hide in the Everfree forest until this is over. We will find you at the usual place once all is taken care of.”

Topsy nodded.

”We will have to rely on Blueblood’s secrecy forever…” Suri mumbled. ”Don’t you think he will turn us in if anypony offers something he wants? I don’t want to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life, m’kay?”

”Me neither, so we will make an offer he just can’t refuse,” Flam mused. ”And, as a bonus, his trustworthiness will go down the drain. We won’t have to worry, trust me.”

”What is this offer that he can’t refuse?” Suri asked curiously.

”You will see,” Flam said dismissively.

As Trixie listened to Flam’s cool reasoning, she could only think ”asinine”. But this was not the first time she had thought so about his plans. In fact, it was more common to think his plans mad than not. She sighed, dejected. ”Why did he botch up like this?” Trixie whimpered. ”We would be in the clear if not for him.”

”I know,” Flam said tiredly. ”But he leaves us no choice. Trust my brother and me; we will make sure he keeps his royal mouth shut. Else, at least we shall give you a chance to kick his royal behind.”

”Trixie will hold you to that promise,” Trixie said darkly. ”And if you fail, she will make both yours and his lives miserable.”

”Deal!” Flim and Flam said mirthfully in unison. ”Let’s hop to it!”

With a spring in their step, the unicorn twins trotted up the tracks while balancing on the metal rails. Trixie looked after them sighed again before following her friends. If nothing else she was tired, and Fancypants should have a soft bed befitting the Great and Apologetic… scratch that, Great and Powerful Trixie.

*****

Blueblood had never experienced anything like this. It was just absurd, impossible and unheard of. He, the Prince of Canterlot, heir to Princess Platinum, the highest noble in Equestria and best dressed pony in the history of the universe, had been ditched like a lowly servant. The nerve of those blasted brothers! Did they for a moment think THEY could tell HIM what to do!?

”I should just call for the guard,” Blueblood mumbled to himself as he went home. ”Might be worth it, just to show those swines who I am.” A cat crossed his path, and Blueblood flung it aside with his magic. ”But I assume there is no harm in hearing them out,” he continued to himself. ”If they do get me all i want…”

His thought process was interrupted by another cat. Blueblood froze in fear. This cat was black, and it had just crossed the street in front of him. He shivered and looked around for trouble, but couldn’t see anything apparent. That made him even more anxious. It was bad enough that he had bled earlier, something he had always been afraid of, but to get even more misfortune made his situation downright dangerous. Blueblood quickened his pace.

For the first time in his life he almost envied the ”lesser creatures” who had their houses further down the city. He really didn’t like to be out tonight, not when it was clear that the stars had aligned in a malevolent way. Blueblood made a mental note to kick his astrologer, who had promised good tidings for tonight. But first he had to get back to his home, in the highest reaches of the city.

As Blueblood was approaching his luxurious mansion, he came to an annoying conclusion. If he went straight there, then he would have gone home on thirteen streets total. He took an extra turn up a street that would lead him past his mansion. It would take him a few minutes longer, but he really had no choice. Any more misfortune and he could as well call the undertaker. ”Of all places I had to land on, of course it had to be one thirteen streets from home.” Blueblood made a mental note to sue his astrologer for malpractice.

Finally he arrived at his wrought iron gate, and was annoyed that no servant stood ready to open it. It was only about one A.M, why was there no pony here to greet him? His nincompoop-servants should be ready to attend him at every second of the millennia; sleeping was not an excuse. They lived to serve him, for Blueblood’s sake! Blueblood made a mental note to have his astrologer banished.

He seriously considered simply standing outside the door until the morning came, so that he could scold his lazy servant for notes. In the end, though, he realized that this would come at the expense of not sleeping in his princess-sized, hoof made bed, filled with swan feathers. That was not worth it. Blueblood pushed the gate open with his magic and strode up to the mansion. He was careful not to step on the cracks between the tiles, and also made a mental note to have his astrologer thrown in a dungeon in the place he was banished to.

”SILVER PLATTER!” Blueblood growled up to the window. His servants should be in there, and he was about to show them the error of their ways. An orange pegasus with a rust red mane opened the window and looked down. ”Get down here five minutes ago and open the door! Bring one hay of an apology too!” Blueblood called before the pegasus had opened his mouth.

The pegasus disappeared and the door opened after a few seconds. Blueblood went into the darkened vestibule and fixed the servant with a withering glare. ”Awaken the others,” he hissed. ”I want my customary three course meal, in my bed, right now. Understood?”

”Pardon, my Prince,” Silver Platter said tentatively. He twisted under the Prince’s baleful gaze. ”The day-servants had already left when the storm broke loose, and those who are supposed to be here at night didn’t show up. I’m the only one here…”

Blueblood closed his eyes and muttered some innovative curses, both at the servants, Flim, Flam, his aunt, Silver Platter, and everything else beneath the sun. ”Get me some sherry. Then every servant in this mansion will have their employment terminated. NOW GET ME MY SHERRY!”

Silver platter did not stop to ask if he just had been fired, but instead flew down to the extensive wine cellar faster than the eyes could follow.

Blueblood snorted at the pegasus and went up to his bedroom. Every floor in his hose was made from one massive stone slab, so he didn’t have to avoid cracks. The Prince sat down in a large, soft chair by his mahogny desk. He had to make some plan for how he wanted to handle The Equilibrist, provided they came in the first place.

He hardly noted that Silver Platter sat the glass of sherry down beside him and then left. He was lost in thought.

Blueblood had the upper hoof; of that he was pretty certain. He did not have to care wether or not he was arrested, but Flim and Flam did. They should not have any hold on him; they needed his silence, and he could sell it expensively. Flam had already tempted with twelve point five million which, combined with his initial share, would give him more money than even he could hope to spend. And Blueblood could always go to the guard after they had paid up.

But then there was Flam’s final statement. ”A scene to fulfill his dream.” Did Flam actually know Blueblood’s dream? Did he know why he joined their silly outfit in the first place? Normally, he would immediately have answered no, but he had seen first hoof that Flam was one intelligent pony when he really put his mind to something. Was it possible that he had figured it out?

If so, then it was definitely an interesting proposal. But he had to confirm that Flim and Flam really knew what they were talking about before making up his mind.

Blueblood mulled over his possibilities for hours, before a light tap on his window disturbed him. He looked up with an annoyed scowl, but only the black parrot looked back. Prankster pecked again. Blueblood sighed and opened the window with his magic.

The bird flew in and landed on his bedside table. Before the Prince even had a chance to shoo the nasty critter away, a grappling hook flew through his window, and two easily recognizable ponies followed in short order.

”So you did show up after all?” Blueblood asked with an uninterested voice. ”I was half expecting you to run away.”

”Sorry for being late,” Flim said casually. ”We expected you to be at the guard barracks, so we went there first.”

”Good to see that we were wrong,” Flam continued. ”Shall we get down to business?”

”I’m waiting,” Blueblood replied irritably. ”Give a suggestion, preferably one that made this wait worth it.”

”Where are your manners?” Flim asked with an annoyingly forgiving smile. ”It is customary to offer your guests something to drink, isn’t it?”

”Our relation is business, not friendship,” Blueblood reminded cooly. ”And your behavior tonight does not help your course in that regard. Just say what you came to say and then get lost.”

”Fine by me,” Flam answered.

The room was silent.

”Well?” Blueblood and Flam said in unison, both their voices equally annoyed.

”My proposition, Illusionist, what do you think?” Flam asked impatiently. ”Is there anything else you would like to add?”

”Indeed,” Blueblood replied. ”I have been thinking, and I don’t think you know any of my desires. So, I think I want more money instead.”

Flam chuckled. ”So you don’t think I know? Well, let’s analyze you for a little bit. Maybe I can figure you out?”

”First of all,” Flam continued casually without waiting for a reply. ”You are the Prince of Canterlot. Last descendant of Princess Platinum herself.”

”Such a title ought to come with great responsibility and even greater glory,” Flim continued with a look of mock complementation. ”Your title is the same as the Princesses themselves, after all. You are one of the five rulers of this land.”

”But what have you been doing lately?” Flam put a hoof to his head and pretended to think hard. ”What laws have you passed? What ceremonies have you preceded over? What dignitaries have you welcomed?”

Flim and Flam both looked at Blueblood who was grinding his teeth in anger. ”None,” the said in unison, and Blueblood had a hard time stopping himself from strangling the filthy peasants.

”You know what I think?” Flim asked. ”I think that you, somepony who is so certain of his superiority, who considers himself so far above everypony else, who is so perfect in every way…”

”… would hate to be constantly stepped on, constantly ignored, constantly dismissed as a mere figurehead, constantly reminded that your title only is a relic from the past. I think you hate those who have stopped you from claiming the place you think you deserve.” Flam finished.

The mustached brother went up to Blueblood and looked him straight in the eye. ”I think that the reason you joined us, and was so insistent on taking this particular mission, was because it was a way to get back on the one you hate, the one who represent all your chagrin…”

”A chance to get back at Celestia, your aunt.”

Blueblood stared at the two brothers. He didn’t know what to feel. Should he be angry that they just listed of all his shortcomings, happy that somepony understood him, confused at how well they knew him or bitter that they figured out his secret so easily?

”I don’t think you care about much more than your revenge and your comfort,” Flam said. ”So, here is my proposition: you get your share of the Canterlot Caper, plus mine and Topsy’s. In return, you will…”

Blueblood’s jaw fell on the floor when Flam had explained. That plan was…

…It was…

…

He still had his lineage.

”Done.”

*****

Twilight had woken up in Applejack’s bed three nights ago, with five near paniked friends around her. She and Rarity had been bombarded with questions, but, much to their friends’ dismay, not answered. Bon-Bon still counted on their secrecy. As soon as she managed to escape Granny Smith’s breakfast, she and Rarity had taken the first train to Canterlot, where Bon-Bon already had caught The Circus. Due to how peaceful everyday life was in Equestria, and the severity of the crime, it had been decided that a court should be held only two days from then.

Most of that time Twilight and Rarity spent in Canterlot, trying to gather as much information as possible, as well as reading up a bit on equestrian law. Also, due to the memory-altering properties of The Circus’s darts, Twilight had helped reconstruct Bon-Bon’s and Coco’s memories from Celestia’s tower. Celestia’s own memory of the incident however, was completely blank. She had simply gotten to much hypnotic to remember anything, even with Twilight’s help. Even now, days after, she was still very tired.

The Circus, minus Topsy, had been kept locked up (together, in order to prepare their defense) and under constant guard. Twilight had noted that they did send letters to somepony. Letters she was not allowed to see.

Right now, she, Rarity and Bon-Bon stood outside the door to the courtroom and looked at the minute hand. ”Think we will win?” Twilight asked nervously.

”I sure hope so,” Bon-Bon said grimly. ”But I have been on the verge of catching them before, and yet they have somehow escaped. Still, I believe we have a good chance.”

The massive doors opened and the three ponies entered. They went past rows with journalists and ponies who for various reasons had been summoned. Twilight spotted Coco Pommel in the crowd and gave her a reassuring smile. She looked nervous.

They came into a more open space. In the front, behind an elevated podium, sat Canterlot’s High Judge, named Silver Wig. He was an elderly earth pony who, despite his name, had a coarse black mane matching his long robes perfectly. Beside him laid the small gavel, and behind him in a semicircle sat the twelve ponies of the jury, four from each race.

To Silver Wig’s right was the bench of the accused, now occupied by all the members of The Circus, except for Topsy. Twilight contently noted that Trixie, Suri and Ditzy looked like they might have a panic attack at any moment, Filthy Rich seemed uneasy, but relatively collected. Blueblood just looked bored.

Flim and Flam though, looked as smug as always. Twilight furrowed her brow. That was unsettling. After greeting the High Judge, they made their way to the other side of the room,to the prosecutor’s bench.

Silver Wig took up the gavel and banged it once, immediately silencing the courtroom.

”The gavel has fallen. The court is in session. Justice will be upheld. An irrevocable judgement shall be placed upon thee here and now.” Silver Wig recited the famous Equestrian law clause which had signaled the opening of any court since the time of the unification.

Everypony in the room bent their neck to the High Judge, as was customary.

”Prosecutors, come forth,” Silver Wig pointed to Twilight. Bon-Bon rose from the bench.

”The accusations are as follows, High Judge,” Bon-Bon said with a mature voice, ”The prosecuted have, the night three days ago, broken into our revered Princess Celestia’s room, assaulted her and stolen her regalia. In addition, they have kidnapped my good friend Rarity and kept her in custody against her will.”

Silver Wig nodded. ”The court hears and understands.” He turned to the accused, which practically meant Flim and Flam, as everypony else sat in various degrees of crippling anxiety. ”Prosecuted, come forth.”

”Denial?” Flim asked his brother.

”Denial,” and Flam replied the moment after.

”Denial is fine,” they both said in unison.

”The court hears and understand,” Silver Wig said, somewhat surprised by their peculiar way of answering. ”Prosecutors, please present your evidence.”

”It is known that the regalia is gone,” Bon-Bon began stiffly. ”Based on these,” Bon-Bon handed a paper to a lackey who stood by her bench. ”Celestia writes that she was indeed assaulted and put to sleep. Due to the nature of the hypnotic, she is unable to remember the faces of the assailants, but when she woke up, the regalia was gone. Somepony must have stolen it.”

Bon-Bon looked towards Flim and Flam, who listened attentively, ears picked up and directed to her. When they didn’t object, she continued. ”I summon Coco Pommel to the stand as a witness.”

”The court hears and consents,” Silver Wig said stoically and banged the gavel. ”You who have been called, approach.” Coco Pommel scuffed herself forward to the podium in the middle of the room. She swallowed nervously and looked up to the judge. He sat still.

A few moments of silence later, Silver Wig seemed to pick up on Coco’s uncertainness and gestured to her. ”You may speak. What do you know?”

”W-well,” Coco began nervously, and recalled Bon-Bon’s hints: speak shortly and clearly. Only the most necessary the first time, details later if you are asked. Be calm, and whatever you do, stick to the truth. ”About a week ago, in Manehattan…” Coco began and told the judge everything, from the night in her apartment to what little she could remember from Celestia’s bedroom.

”The court hears and understands,” Silver Wig said neutrally when she was finished. ”Prosecuted, do you have anything to say?”

”Yes, actually,” Flim said. He stood up and looked at Coco with a forgiving expression. ”Miss Pommel, do you mean to say that the reason you hold my brother and me for guilty, is because this… Equilibrist figure broke into your apartment, and then in the tower you think you maybe recall something similar to the vicinity of me maybe saying something in the lines of being the Equilibrist?”

Coco pommel turned to Flim with an accusing look. ”’My fiends, I may or may not have botched up’, that’s what you said when I called your name.”

”You think,” Flam interjected calmly. ”I have read the medical report, and large doses of the hypnotic was found in your bloodstream. According to morden medicine, you should not remember much of what happened very clearly.”

Flim continued. ”It is almost like you made it all up just to frame us,” Flim laughed his horribly annoying laugh. ”But why would you want to do that?”

”Of course not, brother of mine, it’s not like she holds a grudge against anyone of us,” Flam said with a small smile. As in magic, his smile disappeared and was replaced by a hard expression ”Oh, right…”

Flam hoofed the lackey at his side a small folder.

”That is a documentation that Miss Pommel has worked for Miss Suri Polomare, and that they did not exactly leave on the best terms,” Flim explained.

”She wanted me to cheat for her during Fashion Week!” Coco called with a hurt voice.

For a moment Flam had a predatory smile on his lips, but he hid it quickly. ”Irrelevant,” he said cooly. ”What is important is that you seem to remember much more than normal for those subjected to the hypnotic, and you seem to dislike Miss Polomare. Furthermore, I find it hard to believe that a criminal of this, for the lack of a better word, skill, would let you know who he or she was, just like that.”

”True,” Flim chimed in. ”Such a beginner’s mistake does not seem likely for these guys, does it? While on the subject, you said they wore masks in your apartment and when they kidnapped Rarity? But, in the tower they didn’t?” Flim chuckled and leaned back. ”Makes sense.”

”You know what I think?” Flam said with a sinister voice. ”I don’t think you remember anything, but your friend Rarity really wanted you to remember… I think you two made some things up when you realized you might take revenge on a pony you both dislike.”

”NO!” Coco screamed with tears in her eyes, ”I’d never do that! Rarity either!”

”Prove it,” Flam said cooly.

”The court hears and understand the objections,” Silver Wig interrupted sharply. Flam bent his neck in an apologetic gesture. ”Prosecutors, proceed.”

Rarity suppressed the urge to grab Flim and Flam’s heads with her magic and bash them together. How could they do something like this to Coco? The poor mare had practically been shivering when she went up to testify, and Flim and Flam had descended on her like two vultures. Coco was not prepared to defend her claims, she was just there to tell her side of the story. Flim and Flam however, had methodically picked her story appart, making her look like the villain. To think they could sit up there with smug expressions and blatantly lie to the highest legal authority in Equestria. The nerve… Rarity felt her cheeks heat up.

Bon-Bon rose from the bench and went forward to the podium. She spoke shortly and effectively with the same type of language one might expect in a police report. She told the High Judge of her scuffle with Ditzy in Rarity’s kitchen, the capture of Suri Polomare and what she remembered from Celestia’s room. She ended by explaining their escape.

”The court hears and understands,” Silver Wig said slowly, eyeing Bon-Bon with badly masked interest. This was likely the most interesting trial he had ever preceded over. ”Prosecuted, do you have anything to say? ”

”Excuse me, but this is getting ridiculous,” Flam said as if he expected somepony to tell him it all was a bad joke. ”Do you mean to tell me that Ditzy, Ditzy Doo, mailmare of Ponyville, is one of the most skilled criminals in Equestria?” Ditzy blushed deeply and hid behind her hooves. Trixie kicked her subtly under their bench. Flam took no notice. ”For Celestia’s sake, do you even know her, Miss Bon-Bon?! No way she could do half the things you claim she can, and especially not conjure up a twister like the one on the night in question! Nopony can do that alone! Hay, not even the Wonderbolt elite squad can!”

”Funny you should mention The Wonderbolts,” Bon-Bon said venomously. ”Where is Topsy anyway, Equilibrist?”

Flam looked at Bon-Bon like she had confessed her undying love to him in the middle of open court. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes wide, and he seemed to have paused in the middle of a breath. ”Soo…” he began tentatively. ”Not only are you accusing Ditzy, not only do you believe that the twister was summoned, but you also believe that… we, I guess, had the help of… Topsy Twitchy?” Flam facehoofed. ”Where do I even begin with this…?”

”Allow me to help, brother. I’ve got a newsflash,” Flim said with an excessively clear and loud voice, ”Topsy was declared dead years ago. Begin there. Shouldn’t be to hard to unravel the rest of this… whatever I can call it.”

Bon-Bon cursed her stupidity. She should not have brought up Topsy here. The Circus’s plan was very well planned, not only during the execution, but also for this. If you hadn’t followed their escapades and seen what they were capable of, then the story must seem near unreal. If she wanted to win this, she had to focus on the logical parts. She should focus on why it must be Flam and the others. How it was done would have to be solved and proved later.

”And what about Suri?” Bon-Bon asked like she hadn’t heard Flim’s interjection.

”I actually wondered about that myself,” Suri said from behind Flam. Bon-Bon noted that her voice was a little more shrill than usual. ”You haven’t told me why I was arrested. You just came one day and… and locked me up!”

”Answer the question,” Bon-Bon said stiffly. ”How did you escape?”

”You answer my question, what was I locked up for!?” Suri replied with a much less controlled voice.

”For suspicion of helping The Circus. How did you escape?” Bon-Bon said cooly. There was no point in referring back to her interrogation of Suri; they would only lie and say that everything was fabricated.

”I arranged it.”

Everypony’s look turned to Blueblood. He looked snidely around the room and chuckled softly. ”My my, it’s been a pleasure to listen to all you filthy peasants bickering. But all good things must come to an end. It was me.”

In the silence that followed, one could hear a feather fall to the ground.

”S-speak,” Silver Wig said with a shocked voice.

”Didn’t you hear me, peasant? ” Blueblood asked with a demeaning look. ”I did it. When I heard Suri had been arrested, I arranged for her to be broken out of prison. I wanted the foolish, predictable agent to think she was involved. Then she would go search for Suri, instead of looking anyplace important.” Blueblood took a deep breath and basked in the eyes of everypony in the room.

”It was me all along,” he said. ”I planned the coup, I distributed the assignments, I removed the guards from the castle, I put my wretched aunt to sleep and stole her symbol of power. Power that should be mine by birthright!” The Prince ended his statement with a powerful stomp.

Blueblood looked around and smiled. Oh, how he had waited for this. Oh, how he had waited for the day when he could show the world who he was. This was the day, this was the moment when the world would know that he was the most clever pony there was. Now they would know that he was far more fit to rule, far more worthy of adoration and respect than his aunt ever was. He had finally stepped out of Celestia’s shadow, and claimed rightful his place in the sun.

And it felt wonderful.

”Let me tell you everything, lesser creatures. Let me tell you how I outwitted you all…”

”… and that’s when they betrayed me, stole the regalia and left. They took the prepared airship to Ponyville, switched to a train and tried to return here to hide. But the swines didn’t know that an extra train was on the track. They derailed and died,” Blueblood finished theatrically, nearly an hour later.

He turned to the rest of The Circus and spoke in a low, threatening voice. ”And if you ever try to capitalize on my ingenuity, if you ever try to pass my plans for yours again, then… not even Celestia will be able to save you.”

”We will make sure we are never arrested for being criminal masterminds again, if that’s what you are asking,” Flam said dryly.

Bon-Bon shook with rage. They had planned this. They would get away! THEY WOULD GET AWAY! ”YOU LIE!” She screamed and tried to leap at Blueblood. She didn’t know what she hoped to accomplish, but she knew it would feel much better if she could beat him up. She didn’t even get one ponylength before several guards pinned her down with their magic.

”High Judge Silver Wig!” Twilight said with a pleading voice. ”Please listen to our story. The true story.”

Silver Wig looked like he woke up from a nap the moment he heard his name. ”Ahh… the court hears and understands…” he said in utter shock. He looked uncertainly to Bon-Bon. ”P-prosecutors, proceed. ”

Twilight knew this was their last chance. She took a deep breath the way Cadence had taught her, and began to speak. She and Rarity told the judge everything they had experienced these last few days. Each and every little detail. It took a few hours, and even the members of the Circus listened attentively.

”The court hears and understands,” Silver Wig said slowly. ”Prosecuted, do you have anything to say?”

”I wish to call our alibi,” Flam said stiffly. ”I can’t understand why you are so bent on locking us up, miss Sparkle, but this farce has gone on for long enough.”

”The court hears and consents. You who have been called, approach.”

Twilight gasped when she saw Fancypants rise up. He was involved too? How, just HOW did they get everypony on their side? The noblestallion looked at Flam with an expressionless face. ”It is true, esteemed High Judge,” he said with a politically correct tone. ”Trixie, Ditzy, Suri, Filthy, Flim and Flam were indeed at my residence the evening in question. Mr. Filthy and I were discussing a business venture in the fashion industry. Flim, Flam and Suri were there as consultants, Trixie is a close friend of mine, and Ditzy the same for Mr. Filthy.”

”Mr. Rich,” Filthy silently corrected with a tired voice. ”I’m changing my name…”

”And is there anypony who can vouch for your claims?” Silver Wig asked.

”My staff and wife most certainly will, esteemed High Judge,” Fancypants bent his neck respectfully.

”Anything else, prosecuted?” Silver Wig said neutrally.

”Nothing,” Flam said.

”Prosecutors?” Silver Wig turned to Twilight.

She thought as hard as she could. There must be something she could say, something that could ensure that The Circus finally was caught.

She came up blank. Slowly did she shake her head.

Silver Wig banged the gavel. ”The Council of the Tribes is now in session.”

Silver wig and the twelve ponies behind him all rose up and filed out the ornate silver doors in the back of the room. Now Twilight had done all she could. Now she could only wait for the final ruling.

Silence settled over the courtroom. It stretched on… half an hour… one hour… two… or maybe it was just a few minutes. There was something with the air that filled everypony with respect and anxiety. Judgment would fall here and now, and someponies’ lives would never be the same again. The Circus, Twilight and her friends, the guards, and the ponies who were here for some other reason, all looked at the silver doors behind the now vacant judge seat as if they by sheer willpower could hurry the process up.

”We will be free, right?” Ditzy asked Flam with a small and frightful voice. Her veering eyes was filled with worry.

”Of course,” Flam said with a confident voice. ”You will be home eating muffins to your heart’s content in just a few hours. Promise.”

”I hope you are right,” Filthy Rich said with a foreboding voice.

”Trust us,” Flim said simply. ”Have we ever let you down?”

Filthy shook his head slowly.

”Exactly,” Flam said. ”Hey, how about we all get the most expensive spa treatment bits can buy after this? And some food and muffins to go with it? I need to relax…”

”Trixie… would like that too, yes,” Trixie said without her normal peppiness.

The doors opened. Silver Wig and the twelve ponies behind him took their seats again. Everypony stiffened and looked at the thirteen ponies.

”Unlucky number,” Blueblood thought with a sudden rush of worry. What if they had changed the laws and he was not aware of it? What if he was sent to jail? He could not go to jail, stripes looked horrible on him! Silver Wig banged the gavel, interrupting the Prince’s worries.

”Prince Blueblood is sentenced to imprisonment, until the revered Princess Celestia sees fit to grant him mercy of any kind. Let it be known that from now and until the end of time, he is a convicted criminal.” Silver Wig spoke loudly over the room. Blueblood swallowed, but seemed otherwise unaffected.

”Flim, Flam, Suri Polomare, Ditzy Doo, Filthy Rich and Trixie Lulamoon are freed under the condition that none of them are to leave Equestria. Also, they are required to inform the nearest government official of their daily works and lives for three months from now on. Let it be known that they, until further notice, are innocent.”

Twilight listened without hearing.

They had lost.

The Circus had escaped.

That punishment was a way for Equestrian authorities to keep track of possible criminals, but it only rarely did anything. The Circus had probably been payed enough for their grandchildren to retire, so they wouldn’t have to commit any more crimes. No more crimes meant no new evidence, and no new evidence meant that The Circus would never answer for what they had done.

Twilight felt a lump in her throat. Her eyes began to water. She never though she would cry because of this, but now she had a hard time suppressing it. She had done so much, come so far and gotten through it. She, Rarity and Bon-Bon had put their lives on the line for this. But Silver Wig’s ruling dashed near all their work. The only thing they could show for all their ordeals would be Blueblood. Most of The Circus would get away.

It just felt… unfair. More so than she thought was possible. With a hollow heart she looked up at her opponents.

Flim and Flam high-hoofed and Ditzy looked like she might cry from happiness. The others were in various degrees of daze. Blueblood rose from his bench.

”Objection,” he said angrily. Twilight felt fear grip he heart. Did he hold yet another ace? Would he too go free?

No. No, he couldn’t. For the love of Celestia, please let them take at least one! They had to take at least one. THEY HAD TO! THEY MUST HAVE SOMETHING FOR ALL THEIR HARDSHIPS!

”On what bases?” Silver Wig asked the Prince.

”Article one, clause one in the first codex,” Blueblood said calmly, referring to a passage in the Equestrian statute book. ”From this day forth, let none of those who bear my name and title be scourged by the hammer of justice. We are the Unicorns. We are justice itself. Such is our decree, for all to obey.”

Blueblood finished his recitation. ”Princess Platinum’s lineage law. An old and rarely used law, but never repealed. I am the last of Platinum’s line, and I hold her title, so the law prevents me from being imprisoned,” Blueblood smirked smugly. ”I can, at most, be placed under constant watch.”

Silver Wig beckoned a lackey. ”Bring me the codex.” The lackey scurried off. The entire court sat stunned. Twilight stared at Blueblood in utter shock. How could a law like that exist? Why had it never been repealed?

Silver Wig looked through the thick book. Twilight choked back a sob when he nodded slowly. ”The court hears and consents. Prince Blueblood is, due to his heritage, sentenced to constant guard until Princess Celestia herself sees fit to grant him mercy. Let it be known that from now and until the end of time, he is a convicted criminal.”

The room fell silent. Silver Wig spoke again.

”The Gavel has fallen. Order is upheld. Justice is done!” Silver Wig declared. The phrase as old as Equestrian law itself marked the end of the trial. The gavel fell one last time. Twilight felt as if her heart was crushed under it.

Author's Note

Bonus info!

The Linage Law was inspired by an actual law here in Sweden. Our King can not be arrested nor sentenced in a court. I thought that was fitting for Blueblood, being the annoying guy he is.

As usual, comments and corrections are more than welcome. See you in the last chapter. :pinkiesmile:

Chapter twelve- Conclusion Confusion

Chapter twelve- Conclusion Confusion

Princess Twilight Sparkle

I would very much like it if you could join me and my brother for dinner at eight o’clock tonight at Filthy Rich’s mansion. My friends and I all agree that you deserve a little something for all your hard work, and what could be better than a sneak peek at our next coup? I guarantee that you will find it interesting.

I hope you will come tonight. Sweetie Drops and Rarity are welcome too, naturally.

Flam, Consult of Barnyard Bargains, Salespony Nonpareil and skilled equilibrist.

Twilight read through the shot letter again and felt the headache returning. Two weeks had passed since the catastrophic trial, and much to everypony’s annoyance The Circus had decided to make Ponyville their new headquarters. Flim and Flam both worked for Filthy Rich now, Suri Polomare was officially hired as Spoiled Rich’s personal seamstress, and Trixie was putting on small shows outside Town Hall. The colts and fillies loved her, and even Twilight had to admit that she was better now, relying on classical sleight-of-hoof and street magic, spruced up with the occasional illusion.

Twilight was certain that none of The Circus actually worked, but it let them send in perfect reports on their behavior to Mayor Mare. She was not to happy with seeing especially Trixie back in Ponyville, but even she could not find anything to complain about when she sent the reports to Canterlot. Thus diminished their chances of capturing The Circus even more; the reports clearly stated that they were nothing but normal ponies.

And now she had received a letter from Flim and Flam to dinner. Twilight was not sure what to make of it, but she would probably go. There was a slim possibility that she might learn something useful, and if nothing else she could at least eat up some of Filthy’s money, which felt satisfactory.

Twilight shook her head, partly to get rid of the headache and partly to snap out of her ruminations. She should ask Rarity. With her new plan in mind, she levitated the letter over to a garbage can. ”Spike!” she called. ”I’m going to see Rarity! Take care of the castle in the meantime, okay?”

”Wait, I’ll come with you,” The young dragon called from his own room. Twilight could easily pick up on the hopefulness in his voice.

”Not today, sorry!” Twilight called back. She had not told anypony about her recent adventure yet. Frankly, she didn’t want to think about it anymore. She pretended not to hear the grumbling sounds of a disgruntled dragon as she left the castle. Just before she closed the door, she might have heard a word that was either ”dictionary” or ”dictator”. She decided to go with the former.

Ponyville was beautiful as ever. The sun was shining, the grass was green and ponies were moseying slowly along the streets. Nopony seemed to be in a particular hurry. She spotted Carrot Top coming towards her with a wagon of carrots behind. Twilight nodded politely as they passed. Then she spotted one of the last ponies she wanted to see, in one of the worst companies. Flim was sitting by a table outside The Hayburger restaurant with a half eaten sandwich and some juice, and across the table sat Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Flim had three overturned cups in front of him.

Her bitterness awoken, Twilight edged closer and saw Flim lift the middle cup to reveal a bit. He then placed the cup over it again and started to move the cups around with mesmerizing movements. The three foals managed to keep track of the cup with the bit for a few moments, before they all seemed lost. Twilight’s cheeks heated up when she saw Flim hide one of the cups behind his back somehow and then place a new one on the table, all before she had understood how it had happened.

”That one,” Sweetie Belle said and pointed to the leftmost cup.

”Too bad,” Flim said apologetically as he lifted the cup. There was nothing under it.

”I think it’s the one behind your back,” Twilight said venomously.

”Too bad,” Flim said again and lifted the cup behind his back with his magic. There was nothing under that one either. ”This is the one,” he lifted the middle cup, and the bit was under it.

”Cool!” Scootaloo buzzed excitedly with her tiny wings. ”Will you teach us that? It was awesome!”

”Perhaps another day, little filly,” Flim said politely with a pearl white smile. ”I have somewhere I need to be. Thanks for the company though. Oh, and congrats on your cutie mark, Apple Bloom.”

More confused than angry, Twilight moved along, pondering how Flim had moved the cup with the bit like that. Did he cheat somehow? Yes, of course he must have, but how in Celestia’s name did he do it? Where did he even get the fourth cup from? He only wore his vest, so there were no sleeves to hide it in. Did he levitate it up from under the table? But she had not seen him use magic…

”Twilight, look out!” Twilight looked up and found herself less than a hooflength from Rarity’s from door. She instinctively took a few trotts back and looked to where the warning had come from. Rarity looked back at her with some vegetables showing from her white saddlebags.

”Hey Rarity,” Twilight said with a sullen voice. ”I wanted to ask you about something. I got a letter…”

”Hmm?” Rarity’s ears peaked up and she got something serious in her eyes. ”Make yourself at home,” she said curtly. ”I will find Bon-Bon.”

*****

”Welcome,” Flam said with as mile and his slick salespony voice. ”I’m so happy you could come, everypony.”

Twilight, Rarity and Bon-Bon all hit him with the most powerful glares they could muster. Somehow, he survived and even managed a small, very nervous laugh.

”Now, now, I don’t think we want to start that way, do we?” Flim said from a doorway. He trotted up to his brother. ”Please follow me. We have prepared some of the most delectable food in Equestria, just for you.” Without waiting for an answer, Flim and Flam both turned around and went into the room Flim had come from. Twilight followed gingerly. She could still not be sure there was no ambush planned.

She came into Filthy’s dining room and stopped with wide eyes. There was a long table with five chairs around, and on it there was some of the most fancy looking food Twilight had ever seen. At least ten different salads with everything from lettuce to tomato and cheese in them. Grilled aubergines were piled on one large silver platter, stuffed pepper on another and some sort of mushroom she didn’t know the name of laid on a third plate. There was even a replica of the Neighffel tower, built from asparagus. Beside it stood something Twilight had never expected to see, much less taste. She had heard about them from Princess Celestia, who had eaten them in Saddle Arabia, but even the Saddle Arabians didn’t grow them. They came from a land even further away, a land not even Celestia had seen. Yet there was no mistaking the strange, scaled fruits with thick-leafed crowns. They were Pineapples.

”Don’t just stand there,” Flim said proudly. ”It’s rude to begin before the guests, and I’m starving. Please, help yourselves.”

Twilight had forgotten Flim and Flam for a moment, overwhelmed by the smell and look of the food. His voice brought her back to reality and the matter at hoof. She put on a scowl and trotted up to one of the chairs. Her friends followed suit, together with the twins.

The ponies sat down around the table. ”How did you get this?” Twilight asked and levitated up one of the Pineapples. ”Not even Celestia can get these easily.”

”We have contacts…” Flim began.

”…and we have a lot of cash,” Flam finished. ”Thing with wealth is that it’s useless if you don’t have the freedom to do whatever you like with it. Wealth with responsibility is not really wealth in my opinion.”

”So, in a way, we are richer than Celestia,” Flim concluded. ”For we can probably get anything in Equestria and beyond.”

”Because you really deserve it,” Bon-Bon said sarcastically.

”That we do,” Flam agreed, ignoring Bon-Bon’s tone. ”Can somepony please begin?”

Rarity’s horn lit up and one of the mushrooms and a filled pepper came floating. She inspected both courses thoroughly, trying to find something to criticize. Alas, she found nothing. ”Well, I suppose it does look…” she was on the verge of saying ’divine’, but stopped herself in the last moment ”…adequate.”

Flim and Flam both helped themselves to a healthy selection and began to eat with great appetite, thus effectively any dodging questions. Twilight and Bon-Bon glanced to each other before they tried some of the food as well. Twilight was forced to admit that everything was stupendous; even better than what she had eaten at the Grand Galloping Gala. The peppers were fried to such perfect degree they all but melted in her mouth to reveal the perfect, silken texture of mozzarella and olives in them. She could not help but to smile at the wonderful taste that enveloped her tongue.

It was a strange dinner. The five ponies loved the food but hated each other. While the guests ate, they also took ample time to glare at their hosts, who pretended not to see. Throughout the meal everypony sat silent. Save for the occasional scraping with a chair, the room was silent as the grave and with a similar mood. So it went on until Twilight and her friends spent more time glaring than eating. Flam broke the silence.

”Perhaps we shall have deserts in the gazebo?”

”Splendid idea, brother of mine,” Flim said, evidently relived to banish the suffocating silence. ”Shall we?”

”Here is fine,” Bon-Bon said curtly. ”What do you want?”

Flam sighed. ”Well, since you are asking so nicely. We just thought you might want to know some details about our latest escapade, so ask away.”

”Any why, pray tell, would you tell us?” Rarity asked with a guarded tone.

”Because we want you,” Flam nodded to Twilight, ”to know…”

”…and because I like to gloat,” Flim added, earning him another death-glare from the three guests.

”Very well,” Bon-Bon said cooly. ”What will happen to the regalia? Who hired you to steal it?”

”I’m afraid I can’t answer the second question,” Flam said. ”But the regalia will return soon. We’ll keep Celestia on the rack for another few days or something, and then it will be ’found’ by the train crash site. We really can’t do much with it, can we? And the loss of the regalia have already accomplished what our client wanted.”

”Who are you two?”

Flim and Flam looked at Twilight. She looked back with a thoughtful expression. ”I thought you were con artists, but you are criminals, engineers, balance artists, accountants and salesponies too. How and why? Just… who are you two?”

”Just the usual run-of-the-mill ponies,” Flim said while holding out his hoof and studying it with a confident look. ”The grass grows, the birds sing, we makes lives miserable. Simple as that.”

”Flim and I grew up on an apple farm in outside Manehattan,” Flam began stilly. ”Nothing much happened there, until Flim and I were about five years old. A… tragic accident, we can say, left us as orphans.”

Twilight felt a twinge of sadness for the brothers despite all they had done. She could never imagine loosing her mom and dad. Flim had a grim look in his eyes as he spoke, but his voice was as jokey and casual as usual. ”Two colts couldn’t run an apple orchard, obviously, so we salvaged a couple of things and left the orchard. Key words: a couple.”

Flam continued. ”Most other colts would not have made it, and neither would we if not for each other. We had to do what we could to survive. There is no mercy on the streets, and unless you learn that, you go under. Well, Flim and I did learn. If we were hungry and had no food, we stole some. If the night was cold, we snatched a scarf or something from a passerby.”

”This was the time for our greatest heist,” Flim said with dreamy eyes. ”I remember it like yesterday. The foggy morning, the crisp air and the merchant, of course. He was a large, red and brown earth pony. I pretended to look at his apples, and when his back was turned, I snatched some!”

Flim looked out into space with a reminiscent grin. ”The adrenaline in my body, the angry screams behind me, my hooves beating on the cold ground… It can’t be put into words, it must be experienced… Ah, the thrill of the crime…” Flim looked like he just woke up. ”Heh, sorry… anyway, my brother had made a plan, and told me where to run, so I did just that. I got into an alleyway and hid. The merchant came in behind me, but then Flam stepped out behind him. Highly confused, he started following Flam instead while I made my way to another alley. Flam hid and I stepped out, and we repeated until the merchant got tired.

”So that’s how you seemed to pull of impossible jumps or move at lightning speed…” Bon-Bon nodded. ”You switched places, didn’t you?”

Flim and Flam both smiled. ”The classics never get old,” Flam confirmed. ”We are still similar enough to fool anypony, as long as they can’t catch a good look on us. In fact, destiny seems to agree, for that heist did not only net us a breakfast, but also two cutie marks, symbolizing our skill at working together, and inspire other ponies to do the same.”

”Never wondered how we can tie ponies like Blueblood, Trixie and Suri together?” Flam asked. ”Three strong-willed ponies, none who likes to follow orders? I think that’s our special talent. We make ponies work together.”

”But how did you learn everything else?” Rarity asked curiously. ”Just like Twilight said, I too thought you were mere con-stallions. Yet some of the things you did would make professional acrobats jealous. How?”

”Well you see,” Flam continued. ”We began as con artists, for that’s one way to live off the streets, but after repeated misadventures we got lucky.”

”A certain Maximus Limelight caught us in a game of sleight-of-hoof, and he was impressed. He took Flam and me under his wings. Quite literarily, actually, for he was a pegasus,” Flim continued. ”He was a circus manager you see. He let Flam and me train to become real circus artists. I trained with line dancing and rope tricks, while Flam worked with line dancing and choreography. From dawn until dusk we trained to become the best.”

”In time, Flim and I broadened our fields and began to study pretty much everything we could get our hooves on. Circus is all about being versatile. The best artists shall pretty much be onepony shows, and that was our ambition too. We studied rhetorics…”

”…cooking…”

”…mechanics…”

”…magic…”

”…dancing…”

”…singing…”

”…etiquette…”

”…engineering…”

”…and a lot more,” Flim and Flam finished together. ”We studied everything we could from dawn till dusk, all days, every week. We had seen just how harsh life was for those with nothing, and vowed never to be back there; never to be poor again. When we had grown into stallions, we felt confident enough to leave the circus and make it on our own. We tried our luck as… cider makers…”

”I guess you know how that turned out,” Flam shot a dark look at Twilight. ”After the cider fiasco, we went back to our roots as con artists, before you ruined us again.”

”That’s when I had enough,” Flim said decisively. ”It was time to use each and every skill we had learnt. And since honest work didn’t exactly seem to be our strong suit, we decided to take… alternative measures, as it were.”

”So we began as small-time ne’er-do-wells while keeping our eyes peeled for potential recruits. Filthy Rich was the first.” Flam said and rose from his chair.

Flim looked at Twilight with a wry smile. ”And now, after the most Flim-Flamboyant coup in recorded history, it’s time to move on to the next escapade.”

Twilight stiffened in her seat. This was why she was here, after all. Would they actually tell her what their next coup would be? Were they really that stupid? Or did they have an ulterior motive? But what motive would gain from telling her?

”You see,” Flam said with a sigh, ”since we just lost the Illusionist, who kept us hidden, we now have to take care of something…” He went around the table slowly, until he stood just beside Twilight.

”Bet you wonder what, don’t you, Sparkle?” Flim asked menacingly. ”Well, allow me to explain. My brother here has come up with a pony to replace Blueblood. But this time we will not rely on bribes and influence, but only influence.” Flim looked with unveiled interest at Twilight. ”Your influence, that is.”

”So why not just make this easy?” Flam asked and extended a hoof. ”Why won’t you join us?”

Silence fell. Twilight felt four pairs of eyes drill into her. ”Never,” she said silently. ”I will NEVER AID YOU!” She hit Flam’s hoof away.

”Oh, well,” Flam sighed as he rubbed the hoof. ”If there is one thing I have learnt, it’s that everypony has a price.”

”Not me,” Twilight said with a certain voice. ”There is nothing that would make me give in to you.”

”Well, well, you don’t have to believe us now…” Flam said nonchalantly and made his way back to his brother.

”… but we will get you something so valuable, so legendary, that you simply can’t resist.” Flam’s smile was certain. ”You will think that it is worth looking between your hooves for our crimes, just to get your own share of the spoils.”

As on a secret signal, the large doors behind Twilight opened. The rest of The Circus trotted in. Ditzy was dressed in Celestia’s regalia, though the crown sat askew on her head. Trixie held a silver tray with seven glasses on it in her magic. ”Before you leave, Bon-Bon, wake up the spies you brought,” Filthy Rich said with a bored voice. He held his trusty crossbow in the mouth. ”I want them off my property in one hour, or I’ll fine them all for trespassing.”

”Well then, my friends,” Flam said to the stunned guests when his accomplices had made their way over to him, ”Now begins the next coup… umm…”

”Come on, brother,” Flim said with a pleading voice ”you can do this.”

”Do you have any idea how hard these alliterations are to come up with?” Flam asked with a somewhat annoyed voice.

”No,” Flim said shortly. ”You were always the better songwriter.”

”Hey! I got one!” Flam exclaimed. ”Now, my friends, begins the next coup…”

The seven ponies each took a glass and raised it towards Twilight.

”…Princess Persuasion!” The Circus clinked their glasses together. Ditzy did so a little too eagerly; her’s, Trixie’s and Topsy’s glasses all broke and cider splashed over everypony. Ditzy reflexively fluttered backward and dropped the large crown on Trixie’s hoof. The azure mare whimpered.

”Heh… oops…” Ditzy said sheepishly with a blush spreading over her cheeks.

*****

”You have done well, Lord Fancypants. The first trotts have been taken.”

”Thank you, my lady,” Fancypants bowed down. ”I live to serve your will.”

”You have, my dearest friend. And mark my words, that which we believe in will be realized.”

Fancypants bowed down again and listened.

”The ponies who executed the theft, will you keep track of them? I believe they will become very helpful to our course…”

”Thy will be done.”

Author's Note

I'm working on a sequel...

I hope you had as fun reading this as I had writing it.

As always, comments and corrections mean a lot to me.