Trappedby Fabulosity PersonifiedChaptersTrappedRevengeNormalTrappedThe knock on the door echoed through the boutique. Hoof on wood. No answer. The pony at the door raised a hoof to his head, lifting his hat to scratch at his mane. Damn dandruff, he thought, scowling, watching the flakes fall to the ground. It was strange that there was no answer. His enquires had informed him that the proprietor of the fashion boutique lived above the shop floor and he had assumed that so close to sunset she would have been in. Sighing, he knocked again, more loudly. Still no reply. Hearing the clop of hooves behind him he turned and addressed a yellow earth pony with a blueberry coloured mane. “Hey you! Is the lady who lives here at home? Do you know?” His voice was gruff, scratched by cigarettes and too much scotch. Things unheard of in Ponyville. Startled, the pony regarded him wide-eyed for a moment before replying, noting his frame, rather stocky for a pegasus, as well as his dirty, ruffled mane. “Yes, she should be in, Mr…?” “Fletch.” He would have added that really it was nopony’s business, but he didn’t suppose it mattered. Sizing up the pony before him, he added, “You’re certain?” “Yeah. I work across the street, and she’s been out once today, briefly. Haven’t seen her leave since.” So she was ignoring him. It wasn’t that surprising really. People often did once they knew what he wanted and the lengths he’d go to get it. Scowling again (it was his most common and useful expression), he drew himself up to full height and spoke loudly. She was probably eavesdropping, after all. “Well you just tell that pony that I was looking for her. Tell her that if she ever wants the name Rarity to be over a store in Canterlot, she’d better talk to me real soon. Otherwise she’s going to find that she’ll be a lot less successful in the future and that really would be a shame.” With a flap of his wings he took off, robbing the earth pony of any chance to reply or query his message. With a shrug, she turned and carried on towards her house. High in the boutique, a curtain twitched, almost as if somepony had been peeking through it, frightened of what she might see. *** “Morning, Twilight!” “Good morning, Pinkie. Are you busy?” “I have a few orders to get through, but nothing I can’t handle.” The kitchen of Sugarcube Corner was, predictably, a disaster area. Bags were torn open as though they’d participated in some bloody battle, spilling their entrails of flour across work surfaces. Bowls lay scattered around, filled with delicious mixtures, and the walls were covered with those same delicious mixtures. Despite the carnage, however, Pinkie did seem to have it all under control, and the kitchen was filled with the aroma of cakes and pastry. She really was a natural baker. Twilight briefly considered asking Pinkie how she had stumbled onto this profession; it had never come up in regular conversation. She decided against it. Knowing Pinkie such a discussion would be long and complicated, requiring brain cells that weren’t yet functional in Twilight’s head at this early hour. Instead she stuck with her original purpose. “I was just wondering if the ‘celebrate-a-week-in-Ponyville-without-a-disaster-happening’ party was still on for tonight.” Pinkie literally dropped everything, a wooden spoon falling with a hard clunk to the floor. She bounced over to where Twilight was standing and kept hopping up and down, completely distracted by any mention of a party. “Of course it is, Twilight, it’ll be the bestest party ever! I’ve got all the balloons and cake and streamers and balloons and did I already say balloons? I think I did, but balloons and I found a really cute sailor outfit for Gummy so he looks smart and…” Suddenly the bouncing ceased. “Twilight? Why are you asking?” Twilight gulped. “It’s just that… well, I have a report to write for Celestia on the variations to traditional quantum mechanics that friendship magic could perhaps reveal.” “So?” “And… It’s due tomorrow and…” “Twilight…” Pinkie’s voice was a low growl, completely juxtaposing her previously happy countenance. “I’ll need most of this evening to finish it.” Twilight finished meekly. “No! You can’t put work before friends. How are we supposed to party without you?” “Pinkie,” Twilight’s expression was soft, matching her tone, “That’s just the way it is. Sometimes there are things that can’t be put off.” Pinkie visibly deflated and all the anger went out of her when faced with Twilight’s serious-but-kind voice. “Oh. I see. It’s ok.” Twilight rubbed her eyes with a hoof and sighed. “I might, might, be able to pop round later in the evening though. If you think you can keep the party going until then of course,” she added slyly. Pinkie looked up, a grin beginning to spread over her face. “You promise? Pinkie Promise?” “I’ll try.” “Good enough.” Pinkie chucked herself at Twilight and hugged her tight. *** Twilight left the bakery, relieved that she’d somehow avoided Pinkie going thermo-nuclear. She hadn’t got far when a voice called her name. Spinning, she faced the yellow earth pony with the blueberry coloured mane who was addressing her. “Oh hi, River Beam. What can I do for you?” The pony was slightly out of breath, as if she’d been running to catch up to Twilight. “It’s Rarity. A pony came by looking for her yesterday and gave me a message for, but she won’t open the door. I’m certain she’s in there though.” Twilight frowned. That was certainly odd. Although that being said it was no reason to be as frantic as River Beam seemed to be. She was about to say so, when River continued. “I wouldn’t bother you, Twilight, really I wouldn’t, but I have to go out of town and the message sounded urgent. My mother is sick and the train to Fillydelphia leaves in fifteen minutes.” “Oh, I’m sorry. Yes I’ll pass on the message.” River smiled, clearly happy she wouldn’t have to try and find another of Rarity’s friends before she left. “Ok. It was a bit weird really. He was a big pegasus called Mr Fletch and he said to tell her that if she ever wanted the name Rarity to be over a store in Canterlot, she’d better talk to him. Otherwise she’d find that she’d be less successful in the future.” The two ponies exchanged goodbyes and Twilight wished River’s mother a speedy recovery, then the two parted. The unicorn’s face was a mask of concern. Who was that pegasus? River had called him “big”. Some sort of hired muscle? The message certainly sounded like a threat and she trusted River to have been accurate. What exactly had Rarity become involved in? *** Twilight knocked on the door of the boutique. There was no reply. Twilight wasn’t so easily deterred, however. After hearing River’s theory that Rarity had ignored her, Twilight knew that there was a possibility that the same was happening to her. “Rarity?” she called out. No answer. She studied the windows of the boutique. Curtains drawn, even though it was now almost noon and maybe… was that the shadow of a pony behind one? Sweetie was out; Twilight had seen her with the other Crusaders, dressed up like various classic detectives from literature. Well, there was certainly a mystery to be solved here. “Oh for the love of Celestia! Rarity! Come out here now or I will break your door down!” It was a bluff, of course, but Twilight had read about situations akin to this before and felt this was the right thing to do to illicit a response. Of course, she could have simply teleported inside, but somehow that felt more invasive than smashing a door. Twilight waited. The sunshine warmed her back, and birdsong filled the air, undisturbed by any breeze. Still she waited. Then, slowly, reluctantly, the door swung open. “Rarity? I-” Twilight was cut short as she was yanked inside by a purple blanket of levitation magic. The door slammed shut behind her. Twilight faced her fellow unicorn and friend Rarity. Usually so prim and pristinely groomed, Rarity’s mane was frazzled and unkempt. Stress pulled at her eyes, the skin around them taut and strained. Twilight got a distinct feeling of déjà vu as she was reminded of the kitchen at Sugarcube Corner; mess and chaos personified. There was none of the organisation here though. “Rarity, what’s wrong? What’s been going on? I’ve heard some things from River Beam about-” Rarity raised a tired hoof. “It’s a long story, dear. It might be best if I explained over tea.” *** “It all started a few weeks ago. It was in the aftermath of the wedding and everyone was so happy. Remember Princess Cadence’s dress? So pretty; the stitching-” “Focus please, Rarity.” Twilight scolded, but smiled despite herself, pleased that even bothered and stressed Rarity still had hold of her love of fashion. “I’m sorry, Twilight. Where was I?” She levitated the pot of tea and poured it into the delicate china cups that she favoured. Steam rose and Rarity breathed in the aroma deeply. The smell seemed to calm her. “So yes. After the wedding everypony stayed in Canterlot for a few days, as you’ll remember, and we celebrated. Princess Celestia had kept the next few days designated as public holidays and there were street parties, which were oddly informal considering the nature of those attending. “Anyway, you’d gone to the castle to see the Princess and the rest of the gang had gone off somewhere while I was mingling. One has to put oneself about when presented the opportunity. “Fancy Pants introduced me to this pegasus fellow. I don’t think he really knew him. Certainly he wasn’t connected to him. He called himself Fletch. He was a bit of a brute to be honest, but he seemed reasonably polite. Fancy Pants had moved on and left us talking and I found out that Fletch was interested in the fashion business.” Twilight was surprised. “I was expecting something shadier.” Rarity snorted with derision. “Oh, it was shady as it turned out. He was a supplier to the star designers of Canterlot fashion boutiques. Delightfully well connected. He provided them with rare materials that nobody else could. I was naïve and, quite frankly, I was stupid. He said he’d seen a show of mine and knew talent when he saw it and that he could take me to the next level. He…” Rarity faltered. “He told me that he could get me dragon scales.” Twilight inhaled sharply, but remained silent. “They’re frightfully rare, but they can be breathtakingly beautiful. A few dresses with dragon scales on and I’d be made. A boutique in Canterlot perhaps, all my dreams realised. I asked him if he could get them legally. ‘Oh, they certainly can be gotten legally. Definitely. It’s a possibility. Perhaps.’” Rarity laughed wistfully. “Well, I wasn’t stupid. I’ve tried to get scales before and they’re far too rare and expensive. Dragons have to voluntarily give them up and you’ve seen first-hand how unlikely that is. The trade is heavily regulated too, so I’d have needed documentation to put them on dresses. He said his contacts could sort that out, but it was obvious that he was most definitely not getting them legally.” “And you still took him up on his offer.” The white unicorn hesitated and lowered her gaze, taking a sip of her tea as she did so. “I did. I’m not proud, but I did. I planned the dresses, even organised a fashion show in preparation and then…” “You got cold feet.” Rarity looked up sharply. The disapproval and disappointment was plain in Twilight’s voice. Twilight shook her head and continued. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Why else would this Fletch be putting pressure on you?” Rarity swallowed and then continued. “I knew it wasn’t legal. The only way he could be getting them and selling them so cheaply meant that he was getting them in large quantities which meant he was getting them by…” She paused and swallowed. “…Killing the dragons and taking them. I went to bed that night and I knew I couldn’t do it. It was wrong and it was illegal. I had Sweetie to think about. I’d made an order and arranged to meet him. Fletch came round to sort it out and I told him I didn’t want them any more. “Then he… he blackmailed me. He had my name and signature on the order, said he could hand it into the guards and it wouldn’t be traced back to him. I had to keep buying the goods and keep making the dresses. Even if I wriggled out of any charges about the scales, he was well connected enough to keep me out of Canterlot forever. I assume he’s got a similar racket and system of blackmail going with several boutiques and people in high places. “I refused. I didn’t think he’d hand me over to the authorities as long as I could make him money, but I think he’s losing patience.” She looked up and met Twilight’s eyes, her own swimming with tears. “Are you terribly angry at me, Twilight?” Twilight sighed and drained her cup. “You were foalish. Really, Rarity what you did was terribly...” She refrained from saying ‘stupid’. “Regardless, we’re your friends. You should have told us so we could help.” “Oh, Twilight. I don’t think there’s anything you can do.” Rarity’s voice cracked and the tears began to fall. Twilight stood and nuzzled her. “Shh, Rarity. It’ll be all right. Trust me. Trust your friends.” Rarity took a deep breath and composed herself. “I do.” *** Fletch was annoyed. He’d just got a message from Canterlot about an investigation that’d been opened just an hour previously.His contact on the Royal Guard had been getting his metaphorical collar felt by superiors who wondered why certain files had been going missing, and Fletch was certain he’d have to distance himself from the poor colt. Still, he’d been useful for a while, and there was always another sap who needed a favour doing. Even so, it was an inconvenience. He was still in Ponyville, staying in a charming little cottage on the outskirts. It occurred to Fletch that quaint would have been an appropriate description and there was a part of him that loved the simplicity, away from the complex web of shadows that was his life. Sighing, he pulled himself up from the bed, the springs creaking as he did so. He couldn’t just lie around all day; he wasn’t on holiday. He had a pony to muscle. That Rarity had talent. He’d dealt with other ponies in her business, some of whom were far richer and far less gifted. She also seemed to be pretty weak and not terribly bright. All in all it was a perfect combination for him to exploit her, blackmail her and make himself a lot of money. Smiling to himself, Fletch walked to the front door of the cottage, opened it and took flight. *** “So that’s the situation. Rarity is being blackmailed and we’ve got to do something about it. Any questions?” “Well, Twi, ah’m not sure there’s anything your presentation didn’t cover.” Indeed it had been a thorough presentation, with slides, diagrams and even a short puppet show. They were in the library that served as Twilight’s home, and she had explained what Rarity had told her and proposed a few solutions, although these had been sketchy. She insisted, however, that things would soon become better defined. Fluttershy raised a tentative hoof. “Umm, Twilight… if you don’t mind me asking… Rarity won’t be in trouble will she? Legally I mean.” There was a murmur of discussion around the room. Rainbow fidgeted and spoke. “Yeah Twilight, I mean, isn’t that the entire problem? He’s blackmailing her because she made the order and he says that’s illegal even if she didn’t actually buy anything. As awesome as it’d be to think he’s lying…” Twilight considered both the question and Rarity’s expression carefully. “We can all agree that the dragon scale trade is shady and illegal. It was very silly for Rarity to ever entertain any idea of getting involved. “However, I believe that soon we’ll have what we need to help Rarity with any charge leveled against her. All we need…” There was a crash and a scuttle of little clawed feet across the floor above their heads, and then Spike came bounding down the stairs, scroll in hand. “Here, Twilight. It just came through from the castle.” He stopped and saw his friends crowded around Twilight. “Oh, err… what’s everypony doing here?” Twilight answered without hesitation. “We’re just having a little girl time. Discussing dresses, you know. I’ll take that, thank you, Spike.” Twilight tugged the scroll out of his grip, as Spike made a disgusted face. Muttering about dresses, he turned and made his way back upstairs. “Ya haven’t told ‘im?” The purple unicorn looked guilty. “No. I think it’d be best if he didn’t know what Rarity almost did.” Rarity shuffled her feet awkwardly, but flashed Twilight a grateful smile. Twilight unfurled the scroll and read it. She read it carefully and several times. Finally she looked up. “We’ve got him.” *** Fletch banged angrily on the door of the boutique, determined to get an answer. He could only go so long merely threatening her before he had to take action. It was seldom that he had to do so, simply because he picked his targets carefully. He had a nose for those who could be intimidated, and it was a good job too, because if he had to make good on his threats it could get messy. He would be fine, of course; there was no way to link anything back to him. His contacts made sure of that. He frowned, remembering something else he needed to take care of when he was finished in Ponyville. The pegasus had just raised his hoof again, when the door of the Carousel Boutique swung open. Rarity stood in the doorway, totally composed, groomed and manicured. Ready to face anything. “Ah, Fletch. Do come in. Cup of tea?” He scowled, thrown by her relaxed attitude, but followed her inside. Clearing his throat loudly he addressed her retreating flank. “You’re a tough pony to get a hold of, Miss Rarity. Usually when pony’s lives and profession are on the line they’re much more eager to prevent everything coming crashing down.” They had reached the living area of the boutique. A pot of tea already sat, ready and waiting. Rarity turned, and invited him to sit with a nonchalant wave of a perfectly manicured hoof. If she’d been hoping to fluster him with her refinement and classy surroundings then she’d failed. Fletch had spent a decade working with all types of ponies and had perfected the act of looking at ease in any situation. Clearing his throat again, he spoke firmly. “I hope you’ve reconsidered my offer.” “I have.” “Oh?” he said, his face passive, but a look of hope creeping into his eyes. “I do have a few questions, however.” Fletch’s trademark scowl returned to his face. He hadn’t come to answer questions. Still, he thought, it was best to humour her, and he nodded, tilting his head slightly to indicate that he’d given her permission. Rarity hadn’t touched her tea. Her calm exterior was a façade, and she didn’t feel she could trust her magic to hold the cup steady. “Well, I was just wondering about these scales. Between you and me, how exactly do you procure them?” He grunted dismissively, a most uncouth gesture, Rarity thought. “I’m sure you’ve guessed. Why does it matter?” She pressed harder. “Well, I have my suspicions of course. I have to tell you, Fletch, I don’t care for dragons. It’s no skin off my muzzle if you’re killing them. I was just wondering how painful it was for them.” “Very. Do you know how difficult it is to kill a dragon? You can hardly tickle them to death. All those gems they eat give those scales strength as well as beauty. I leave that up to other people though.” “You trust them? I can’t risk my supply getting disrupted.” Fletch seemed surprised. “You’ve changed your tune since the last time I saw you. Listen, I employ them. I can vouch for them.” Rarity smiled and it was the smile of prey that had just turned predator. “And what’s to stop me going straight to the Guard with that information?” A silence fell in the boutique, heavy and menacing. Then Fletch began to laugh. He kept on laughing for a long while. “Because, my dear Rarity, what proof do you have? It’d be my word against yours. Even if you somehow convinced somepony to start an investigation, I have friends in high places and I’ve made a habit of covering my tracks. Now, be a smart little pony and just accept my offer. Or accept that you’re going to prison. Either one. You’re trying my patience and I don’t really care either way any more.” Rarity was still smiling. It was a dangerous smile. It was the same smile she’d given the Diamond Dogs when they’d thought that they’d had her in a corner. “Oh, Fletch, you’re sadly mistaken. Or should I call you Juniper Berry. Masculine name by the way. I see why you took a nickname, and it was nice to pick one related to the family profession. Fletchers, weren’t they? I looked up their old store. I really never knew archery was such a popular sport in Equestria.” Fletch was looking stunned. In all his years as a supplier to the businesses of Equestria, he had never heard his real name mentioned by anyone other than his sister. Rarity noticed his disquiet and went for the kill. “Born in Baltimare, one sibling, a unicorn, a pegasus father and a unicorn mother, both deceased. Decided early on that the family business wasn’t for you and went into the import/export business. You were reasonably successful, but then you fell off the radar.” The wicked grin still hadn’t left the unicorn’s face. “About this time a pegasus became known to the Canterlot Guard. Nothing ever seemed to stick to him, however, and investigations went down blind alleys. The Guard had to contend with missing files, ponies not talking, witnesses changing stories, until eventually they became less willing to open any investigation at all into Fletch's activities. Your activities.” Fletch finally reacted, feigning confidence. “And what? You think I’m Juniper? Whatever kid, that’s coincidence, you ain’t got nothing. Even if you did, it's irrelevant.” Now it was Rarity’s turn to laugh. “Well, Mr Berry, here’s the thing. I do and it isn't. When Juniper disappeared, he left behind a number of warehouses, still in his name. I’m willing to bet all my bits that if somepony were to go and search those warehouses, they’d find a fair few things.” Fletch blanched. He knew that she was telling the truth; he was done for. Rarity leaned closer. “It’s always helpful when a pony in the know decides to squeal. You may have heard about the guard in Canterlot responsible for archiving who was placed under investigation this afternoon. It turned out he'd been making certain files go missing. He sang like a bird once Princess Celestia became personally involved in the questioning. You see, Mr Berry, I have friends in high places too.” Fletch lunged at her, his powerful pegasus bulk knocking her backwards and taking the sofa with it. He pressed a foreleg across Rarity’s throat, and spoke, teeth clenched. “You… you’ve ruined everything. All you had to do was take the scales and we’d have both have been rich and happy. I’ll make you pay, you little-” There was a thud, and Fletch went flying. Rarity’s eyes quickly followed the route from the space where the pegasus had been, down a pair of strong, orange, earth pony legs, to where Applejack stood, fresh from bucking Fletch into next Tuesday. The rest of the gang stood around her, and Fluttershy knelt by Rarity’s side, helping her up. Twilight and a member of the Royal Guard rushed over to where Fletch lay, groaning. Twilight looked him over. “Broken ribs I expect; nothing life threatening. He’s all yours.” The guard bowed his head respectfully to his fellow unicorn and lifted Fletch magically into the air, before trotting outside to where a cart pulled by two pegasi stood waiting. Without another word it took off and began the flight to Canterlot. Rarity had been pulled up and placed on the other sofa. Applejack nuzzled her. “Y’all right, sugarcube?” Rarity breathed deeply, composing herself. “Fine, thank you dear. I’m just a little shaken.” Rainbow Dash was grinning. “You got him though. We all heard his confession. Man, if I could see the look on his face again…” Fluttershy looked even more shocked than Rarity did, but the other ponies expressions ranged from concern to exhilaration. Finally, Rarity lifted her tea to her mouth and drained the cup in a most unladylike manner. Sighing, she addressed Twilight. “I’m not in trouble am I?” Twilight smiled. “Not in the slightest. The Guard agreed that if you testified against him then they’d waive any charge of conspiracy to illegally trade a controlled good. They searched his warehouses and they think they’ve practically eradicated the entire Canterlot smuggling trade in one fell swoop. Juniper Berry is going away for a long time.” Rarity smiled gratefully. “Thank Celestia. Although, Pinkie, I am sorry.” Pinkie started and blinked twice. “Sorry? You silly pony, why are you sorry?” “Well, your party? I think this qualifies as a slight disaster at least.” Pinkie giggled and grinned. “Oh, Rarity, I think we have another reason to celebrate don’t you? Although... Twilight,” the earth pony turned to the purple unicorn, “you have to work, don’t you?” Twilight rolled her eyes, and blew out in mock exasperation. “Pinkie after today, I think that report can wait.” Rainbow punched the air. “Party time?” The girls looked at each other. “Party time.” *** Far away in the dungeons of Canterlot castle, a pegasus pony sat behind bars. He didn’t look up when he heard the clop of hooves approach. “Juni?” It was a mare’s voice and only one pony called him Juni. He looked up, sharply. His sister stood before him, slim and wiry, the opposite of his bulk. He sniffed. “Come to gloat?” The unicorn laughed softly. “No. We're not foals any more. You’re my big brother and I wanted to help. Let me, please. Tell me who did this.” Juniper Berry sighed and scratched at his mane, watching the dandruff fall and remembering the same sight, only a day ago, outside the boutique. “Some upstart unicorn and her pals. They tricked me and they had Celestia wrapped around their hooves. I didn’t even know most of them were involved until the idiot guard told me. Damn upstarts.” “I need names, Juni.” He clopped the ground in frustration. “Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle. They live in Ponyville. When you say help, you mean revenge, right? Why would you do that? How?” The unicorn smiled dangerously. “Oh, Juniper, just leave it all to Trixie.” RevengeThe sound of the daily newspaper, The Ponyville Prophet, smacking against the door woke Twilight. The unicorn had been dozing in an armchair, a stack of books piled high in front of her. Over the course of the previous evening she’d been working her way through the pile, and had dozed off in the wee small hours of the morning. It was a little after seven in the morning. Twilight stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then pulled herself up out of the chair in order to retrieve the newspaper. She took one look at the headline and gasped. Fugitive Fletch Free After Escape Worthy Of Daring Do Twilight couldn’t believe it. Escape from the Canterlot dungeons? Impossible, surely. She read on, her eagerness to process information tinged with horror, as her keen intellect already began to process the ramifications of Fletch’s escape. Canterlot guards were this morning baffled as they discovered that one of the most notorious criminals in Equestrian history, Juniper Berry, also known as Fletch, had escaped from under the nose of Princess Celestia herself. In a statement made just before we went to press, a spokespony revealed that Fletch had simply vanished from his cell, mere days before he was due to be brought to trial. The incident is particularly embarrassing for Princess Celestia, who had given assurances on the impossibility of any escape, despite the major security lapses that led to, and occurred during, the Changeling invasion. Guards are searching for clues and appealing for anypony with relevant information to come forward. They believe that Fletch may have had outside help in achieving his escape. This story has particular significance to one Ponyville resident. Miss Rarity of the Carousel Boutique was instrumental in the arrest of Fletch and the unearthing of his criminal empire, which was mired in blackmail and violence. Regular updates to this story will be found in your favourite local newspaper, The Ponyville Prophet! Only 2 bits! Twilight sank into the armchair. If Fletch was free then he would have only one thing on his mind – revenge. She remembered his encounter with Rarity, just a week ago; “I’ll make you pay, you little-” Had somepony really helped him? The unicorn considered it, carefully. Fletch was scum; he’d dealt in the most illegal goods known to ponies, and maintained his empire by blackmailing those in powerful positions to look the other way and make sure everypony else did too. Even scum has friends though, thought Twilight. She wondered if Rarity knew yet. It was important that the right decision was made, but with so little information it was difficult to know what ‘right’ was. Twilight sighed and rubbed her muzzle. She did not need this on a Monday morning. Climbing out of the armchair again, she called up the stairs; “Spike? Are you awake?” A groaning and muttering baby dragon appeared at the top of the stairs. “Yes, Twilight?” he said, stifling a yawn behind a clawed hand. Twilight was unsympathetic, having conveniently forgotten being just as drowsy only minutes earlier. “Spike, I need you to be awake. It’s not that early. I need you to take a letter.” If Spike had been more selfish he might have missed the days before they came to Ponyville; there were fewer emergencies and more lie-ins. Instead, he dutifully grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill, and began to write. “Dear Princess Celestia…” *** Rarity was pacing her living room and chewing her bottom lip when Sweetie Belle arrived, Twilight in tow. Twilight looked as worried as Rarity did. “I assume you’ve heard, Twilight?” Twilight nodded. “I suppose that’s why you had Sweetie Belle come and collect me.” Rarity laughed nervously, dismissing the filly with a glance. Sweetie Belle pouted, but retreated up the stairs to the bedrooms. Rarity continued as if there had been no interruption. “Of course, dear. I just… I couldn’t leave the Boutique. Not with him out there. I wouldn’t have let her leave either, but she made it plain I wasn’t going to stop her, so I thought I’d make her useful. What are we going to do, Twilight?” Twilight had been considering this question all morning and had an answer. “We’re going to Canterlot. We’ll be far safer there, where Celestia and the Guard can keep an eye on us, plus it’ll give us the chance to investigate." Rarity nodded, but continued to bite her lip. “What about long term?” she said, her voice wavering. The purple unicorn stepped towards her friend and embraced her. “Oh, Rarity,” she replied, trying her best to sound reassuring, “They’ll catch him. It’ll be ok.” Pulling herself free, Rarity sniffed and attempted to look composed. “I’m sure. I'd better start packing.” Twilight nodded and turned to leave. “The train to Canterlot leaves in four hours. Oh, and Rarity?” she said, looking over her shoulder at her friend. “Yes, Twilight?” “Try not to pack too much.” Rarity smiled, weakly. *** The six friends stepped down onto the platform. It hadn’t been Twilight’s original plan to disrupt all of their lives at such short notice, but the others had insisted on coming with the two unicorns. Although really, Twilight had known they would. Sweetie Belle had insisted that she stayed and Rarity had been unable to convince her otherwise. She was with the Apples at Sweet Apple Acres, but Rarity still worried. It was rush hour in the capital, and the journey to the castle took what seemed like forever, as carts, carriages and ponies weaved in and out of each other along the crowded streets, as did the pegasi above. Although Canterlot was more of a tourist city than Baltimare or Fillydelphia, it still had a thriving economy and the ancient streets had not been designed for the numbers they now saw. Eventually their carriage pulled off the main highway and crossed over the drawbridge into the castle grounds. Celestia was waiting for them, and the friends bowed to her as they piled out of the vehicle. “You know that you have no need to bow,” she said, a hint of a smile playing around her regal features. “Please, come inside. My servants will see to your bags and show you to your rooms.” As Twilight passed her, Celestia raised a hoof and pulled her to the side. “My dear Twilight Sparkle, it really is good to see you. I wish to speak with you all after dinner. Shining Armour will be there too. I would brief you now, but I have to talk with some diplomats from the Griffin Kingdoms.” “Of course, Princess.” Twilight grinned, in spite of the gravity of the situation. Dinner with Celestia and a chance to see Shining again could make her feel better no matter what. *** The ponies sat in one of the many drawing rooms of Canterlot castle. The palatial surroundings seemed reassuring to Rarity after the shocks that she’d had that day. Curled up on a sofa, among royalty no less, was something that could almost take her mind off things. Shining Armour stood to attention in front of them, despite the informal setting; he was on duty after all. With a smile and a nod of her head, Celestia gave him permission to begin his briefing. “Yesterday, at approximately three in the morning, Juniper Berry, also known as Fletch, escaped from the castle dungeons. We can place his escape at this time because a patrolling guard heard a loud noise and investigated. Finding Fletch missing, he raised the alarm. After describing the noise to the Princess, she has determined that it was the sound of a teleport spell. “This means that he was not working alone. A unicorn must have helped him. The dungeons are shielded from almost all magical energies by the Princess, and it would therefore have taken an extremely talented pony to outwit those defences. “We have questioned some of his former accomplices, and they have no knowledge of his escape. The Princess believes that they are being truthful.” Shining finished, relieved that he no longer had to endure the attention of every pony in the room. Celestia cleared her throat and all eyes turned to her. “Thank you, Shining Armour. Now, I have proposed that you all stay here while the Guard get to the bottom of this. Security will increase, and I can safely say that no more ponies will be teleporting in or out of this castle. If you feel that you can be of use to the investigation then please volunteer any information to Shining. “Now,” she said, rising to her hooves, “it is late and time for bed. I will see you all in the morning.” *** “…and then she turned to me and said, ‘Shining, why is there a frog in our bed?’” Shining and Twilight started laughing loudly. They were sitting together, long after the others had left. Their talk was mostly of the old days and married life with Cadance. It had been a while since Twilight had felt as contented as she did at that moment. Almost inevitably the topic of Fletch came up. “Are there any leads at all, Shining?” Twilight’s brother shook his head regretfully. “None. We know he had a sister, who I suppose could be a suspect, but they’re estranged and we don’t know who she is. That part of the file seems to have gone permanently missing and Fletch wasn’t very co-operative.” Twilight frowned. “Ponies he worked with?” “We don’t think so. He didn’t have anypony close to him from a business perspective. All his dirty work was contracted out and we don’t think he had any contact with them. “The only thing to do is to wait. We’ll catch him before too long, I promise you.” Twilight seemed satisfied, and cuddled closer to Shining. “I missed you, you know.” “I know you did.” She smiled. “Tell me another story, Shining.” *** “What do you mean ‘they’ve found nothing’?!” Rainbow Dash groaned. “It’s been a week!” Applejack rolled her eyes and grabbed Rainbow's tail in her mouth, tugging the pegasus back to Earth. “Rainbow, would ya please be quiet for a little while, Twi was trying to tell us something.” Rainbow muttered something under her breath. Applejack raised an eyebrow, but turned back to Twilight and told her to carry on. “Thank you, Applejack. As I was saying, while they’ve found nothing immediately relevant to Fletch’s escape, they’ve noticed an increase in the number of break-ins in Canterlot. The modus operandi seems to be consistent between 95% of these break-ins; no windows or doors broken or forced, only a single item missing. From this the Guard has deduced that a unicorn must be teleporting in and out.” “And, um… what about the items? If you don’t mind…” Fluttershy trailed off, embarrassed. Twilight smiled kindly. “The items seem to be only loosely connected. They’re valuable, often magical, but share no other significant features.” Rarity spoke up; “This is interesting, darling, but it doesn’t really get us anywhere.” Pinkie started bouncing. “Ooo, ooo, me! Pick me!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Pinkie?” “It’s important because now we know the unicorn who helped Fletch is still operating in Canterlot. If we catch them, then they can lead us to Fletch!” Twilight was slightly amazed that Pinkie had cottoned on that quickly, but she hid it well. “Yes, quite. So we do still need to wait, Rainbow,” (Rainbow groaned), “but we are making progress. Both the unicorn and Fletch will be caught in good time.” “But Twilight, what exactly do you expect us to do until then? I’m bored. We can’t leave the castle grounds and I seriously need to stretch my wings.” Twilight frowned. “Nopony made you come Rainbow. If you want to go home, you can.” Rainbow gasped. “Hey, I wasn’t saying that. Just…” “Just what, dear?” Rarity’s voice was very quiet. The cyan pegasus looked uneasy. “Just that we should be doing something,” she said. Twilight looked away. “We’re doing what we can. We’re staying safe so that the Guard can concentrate on doing their job.” For the thousandth time, Twilight wondered if Rainbow was right. Had they made the right decisions? Again she reflected on what ‘right’ really was. She was sure they’d find out eventually. *** The orchard was dark. Luna’s magnificent sky was veiled behind thick clouds. With no light from the moon, it was pitch black; impossible to see anything. It was unnatural, the weather patrol had said, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Nothing moved. Then a figure appeared. So sudden was the figure’s arrival that it was almost as if they’d appeared by magic. Up in the farmhouse, Sweetie Belle slept. *** When Rarity awoke and emerged into the situation room at Canterlot castle, she was surprised at the amount of activity. Ponies ran hither and thither, shouting and Twilight was in deep conversation with Princess Celestia and Shining Armour. Twilight looked up sharply as the white unicorn approached. “Rarity. We were about to send someone to get you.” “Is everything all right, Twilight?” Suddenly, she knew that it wasn't. “I think you should sit down, Rarity.” Shepherding Rarity over to a chair, Twilight continued, attempting to sound as detached as possible. “We received an anonymous letter that was sent to the team involved in tracking Fletch. This letter.” Twilight handed the letter over and Rarity took it, eying it as though it might explode at any moment. Shaking, she read it. Rarity. I have your sister. She is safe, for now anyway. I want 5000 bits and I want them by tonight. You know where to bring them. If anypony other than you and your five friends show up, then she dies. If you do not bring the money, she dies. Play by the rules. Rarity looked up at Twilight, lost. Tears streamed down her face and she found that she couldn’t stop shaking. Shining Armour spoke, his face steely, his voice sounding as if it came from a thousand miles away. “Rarity, I know this is very hard. We’ve checked and Sweetie Belle is missing. Now, it is very important that you think carefully and clearly. Do you know where it is that the letter is referring to?” “Why didn’t I bring her?” Rarity whispered. “Why did I give in? Why did I let her stay?” Celestia leaned down, authority in her gaze and in her voice as she addressed the stunned unicorn. “Rarity, please. Answer the question.” Rarity shook her head, trying to dislodge useful information from the swirl of thoughts in her brain. “Of course. I… I don’t know. I can’t think of anything.” Shining Armour gave an exasperated sigh. Twilight was thinking, using every one of her brain cells to try and work out a solution to their problem. Solution. ‘Play by the rules.’ “It’s a game. A mental exercise. We’ve been given clues.” “What? Twily, what are you saying?” Twilight spun to face her brother. “Shining, get me a map of Canterlot.” Shining barked an order and a map was placed on a nearby table. The four ponies approached it. “Now, mark on the location of every one of those teleporting intruder break-ins from the last week.” Shining did so and Twilight gasped. “It’s a star! There’s a pattern! What’s at the exact centre of the star?” Shining lay a hoof at the centre, stunned. “How did we miss this? It’s the warehouse on Dock Street. One of Fletch’s warehouses.” Rarity straightened. “I’m going.” Shining turned to her. “With all due respect, Rarity, you’re hardly trained for this. You’d be putting yourself in real danger.” “I’ve faced danger before. Fletch is a worm, but he’s no worse than Discord or Nightmare Moon.” “And she won’t be alone. I’ll come with her,” Twilight said. “We all will.” They turned to see Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack and Fluttershy. It was Rainbow who’d spoken. Rarity’s eyes shimmered as she threatened to cry again. “You will?” “Sure,” Rainbow pushed out her chest and tried to look imposing, then stopped. “Err… where are we going?” *** The six ponies prepared to leave. They’d been on adventures before and faced dangerous foes as if they were nothing, but it had never been as personal as this. Celestia and Shining were waiting for them as they left the castle through the huge double doors. Celestia nuzzled her favourite student, and then addressed the group. “I want you all to come back safe and sound. I really wish I could do more for you, but you’re all so capable that I’m certain you’ll be fine. Be careful, my little ponies.” Shining hugged his sister. “Be safe. We’ll give you ten minutes, and then we’ll be right behind you. Once we’re there, if you’re not out in twenty minutes then we’re coming in.” Twilight nodded. The gang walked in silence. Fear and anticipation sparked in the air, almost tangible. Even Pinkie refrained from bouncing along. Only Rainbow was like her usual self, as she flitted above their heads, although this seemed more like nervous energy than anything else. Soon they had reached the warehouse. The sun was beginning to set, and as they approached it dipped behind the houses that faced the building, throwing it suddenly into shadow. “Well that was ominous.” Everyone glared at Pinkie. “What? It was!” Sighing, Twilight pushed the door open and led the others inside. There had been no lights on in the warehouse, but even as they entered they flickered on overhead and the interior was revealed. Boxes upon boxes were piled all around them. Twilight knew that these were recent additions; everything had been seized by the Guard when Fletch was arrested. She pondered this development. Bang. A bolt of purple magic smashed into Twilight’s flank, sending her spinning towards a wall. Instinctively, she shut her eyes, but the crunch never came. Opening her eyes she found herself laying on a metal floor in a dimly lit room, with only a chair and some sort of control panel next to a window to give her any clue of her whereabouts. Vaguely she could hear the panicked cries of her friends. She pulled herself slowly to her feet. “Hello, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight spun. Without warning, ropes appeared magically and wrapped themselves around Twilight, pushing her into the chair and binding her. “T-Trixie!?” Trixie stepped forward from the shadows and stood with her head tilted arrogantly upwards. “Yes, it is Trixie! The Great and Powerful Trixie to you, of course. Trixie is pleased that you-” “Oh, Trix, knock it off, will ya.” A tired and grumpy looking Fletch stepped through the only door into the room, closing and locking it behind him. “All this third person stuff is irritating. You never talk like that to me.” Trixie sniffed. “Trixie… oh, fine. I happen to like it, dear brother. I was always the one with flair.” Fletch didn’t care much for flair. In his business, flair made you sloppy. Flair got you caught. He winced at the thought. He’d got caught anyway. “Trix, this wasn’t part of the plan. She’s meant to be down there with the rest of them.” Trixie turned on her brother and practically growled. “Listen, Juni, she’s mine. She humiliated me, and I will see to her personally.” Trixie levitated a microphone so it was close to her mouth and spoke. Her voice reverberated around the warehouse, and Twilight now realised that the maze was visible far below when she looked through the window. “Listen up, ponies. The Great and Powerful Trixie demands your attention. Before you is a maze. In the maze are vicious animals. At the centre of it is the filly you seem so determined to rescue. It’s simple really. Trixie would wish you good luck, but there seems little point.” She dropped the microphone and turned back to Twilight. The lights in the warehouse dimmed until there was only just enough light to see by, but Twilight could still just make out her friends. There were also several balls of yellow light, seemingly floating just above the ground throughout the maze. Were they the vicious animals? Trixie was staring at Twilight as if by doing so she could vaporize her. Contemptuous didn’t even begin to describe the expression on her face. “Do you know why I’m doing this? You ruined me, Twilight. My life was perfect. I swept across Equestria, impressing country bumpkins and making my fortune. Then you showed up. “After I couldn’t defeat the Ursa, I suppose that you thought I was weak? I, Trixie, weak! Never. What did you do that was so impressive? Levitated some objects and played some music. I could do all that, and more, if I’d have thought of it. “Word spread, though. I was never taken seriously again. Ponies wouldn’t give me the time of day. You made my life hell. I will destroy you, Twilight Sparkle, for what you did to me. You will watch your friends die, because you were too stupid, too weak, and too slow. Then I will kill you.” Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Wait, Trixie. You’re going to kill seven ponies, just because I defeated an Ursa Minor and you didn’t? That’s insane.” Trixie laughed, bitterly. “‘Just because’? Twilight, I commend you for working out where to find me, simple as it was, but you are dumb sometimes. Image is everything. Being a show-pony was what I was born to do. One day I would have made it to Canterlot and wowed even the Princess. My hopes, my dreams, and my life all shattered by you and your friends. Then you hurt my brother too.” Fletch shuffled uncomfortably and interrupted. “Trix, I really don’t like this. She should be down there, getting eaten like the rest of them. Up here… she’s strong. What if she…” Trixie kicked back at him without turning, striking him in the chest, her irritation clear. “She’s strong?! What am I, a turnip? I could rip her limb from limb if I desired. In fact, after her friends are dead, I think I will.” “But, Trixie, this wasn’t the plan.” Trixie's patience snapped, and she spun to face her brother. “Juniper-” Twilight took her chance. There was a whip-crack as the ropes that bound her snapped off, and the purple unicorn leapt forward, horn glowing. Trixie rounded on her, already firing a spell of her own. Their magic met, and a solid beam of purple extended between their horns as they struggled for superiority. Fletch was motionless, stunned at the sudden turn of events and afraid of interfering. They battled like that for… minutes? Hours? Twilight couldn’t say, so lost was she in the fight. Their minds tangled, as invisible magical essence flowed between them, and Twilight knew that if she lost this battle then she wouldn’t live to tell anyone about it. Neither would her friends. That gave her the extra motivation she needed. Grunting, sparks flying from her horn, she gave a final push. Trixie broke and her will snapped. The beam struck her squarely in the face, sending her flying unconscious into the door, smashing it off its hinges. Fletch finally acted, springing forward with a snarl, but Twilight was ready. She had never felt so powerful. With a smile, she simply swatted Fletch aside, and he stumbled into the glass window, which shattered against his weight. The shards cut into his wings and they fell, useless, to his sides. Twilight gasped, her triumph forgotten. With one last terrified look at his adversary, he fell. *** Twilight’s friends raced through the maze, unheeding of the drama happening above their heads. The maze of crates and boxes had many dead ends and twisting paths, so that before long all sense of direction was lost and the ponies found themselves separated. Rarity’s face was set in a look of grim determination. As she trotted through the maze, she tried her best to listen out for any signs of the vicious animals mentioned by Trixie. She would have been stunned by that particular revelation, but she’d had too many shocks over the past twelve hours. Maybe Trixie was bluffing about there being animals, thought Rarity. Then she rounded a corner and came face to face with a timberwolf. Rarity took a step backwards. The wolf was growling, but it didn’t seem interested in her. She followed its gaze downwards. At its feet lay the unmistakable bulky pegasus body of Fletch. He seemed to be injured. Blood flowed from multiple cuts on his wings and he seemed bruised and battered. He was still conscious, however, and was feebly attempting to push the wolf away. This only seemed to serve to make it madder. Rarity knew that she should save Fletch. Even after everything he’d down. Still she hesitated. If she attacked the timberwolf then she could end up injured or worse. Did Fletch really even deserve to be saved? He was a lowlife, who’d blackmailed and bullied everypony he could, and who’d been involved in kidnapping her sister. The unicorn was paralysed by her conflicting thoughts. Then, a conversation she’d had with Twilight echoed in her mind; “It could have been his sister, I suppose.” “His sister? Twilight, why would his sister have broken him out?” “Is it that hard to believe? Everpony has somepony else who loves them and who they love.” Even Fletch. Rarity stepped forward and kicked at the timberwolf, forcing it backwards, until she was standing between it and Fletch. With an unladylike growl, she leapt towards the creature, determined to land as many blows as she could before the end. “Rarity!” There was a blast of purple magic, and the timberwolf literally fell apart, the individual sticks clattering onto the concrete floor. Rarity turned, and saw her friends, gathered again. With them was Sweetie Belle. With a gasp, she flung herself at her sister, hugging her tight. Then the Guard stormed in. NormalIt was a month later. Rarity and Twilight sat in the Carousel Boutique, sharing a cup of tea, as they had done all those weeks ago. Circumstances had been very different then. It was a carefree Rarity that sat before Twilight now, laughing and joking with her friend. That thought made Twilight smile more than the joke that Rarity had just told about the owl seamstresses. There was a knock at the door, and Rarity excused herself to answer it. She returned with the late edition of the Canterlot Times. “I asked Rainbow to get it for me. She owed me a favour,” she said, answering Twilight’s questioning look. “Ah. It was, erm…” “Fletch’s trial today. Yes, dear, it was. Shall I read to you?” Twilight nodded. Pegasus Prisoner Found Guilty The trial of the notorious pegasus criminal, Juniper Berry, came to its conclusion today. After almost a decade of blackmail, smuggling and extortion, the pegasus was found guilty on all counts and sentenced in a trial that was delayed by a successful escape attempt a month ago. In his summary, the right honourable judge Juris Prudence stated that Mr Berry was a criminal for whom only the worst punishment would suffice. Calling him “The worst of the worst and the lowest of the low,” the judge went on; “You ignored pony law for your own gain. You fostered a criminal empire within Equestria with no regard for anypony other than yourself. The extent of your crimes is shown by the sheer number of witnesses who came forward to testify against you.” Mr Berry, who stood accused of twenty-five counts of smuggling, thirteen counts of blackmail and extortion, five counts of murder, one count of kidnapping and fifteen counts of intent to cause grievous bodily harm, is believed to have committed far more crimes than those he was indicted for. However, a lack of evidence in many cases led to the prosecution only pursuing a limited number of charges. Mr Berry was found guilty on all counts and has been sentenced to exile and life imprisonment in the infamous maximum security prison located in the area of the Frozen North. The news came as a spokespony for the Guard revealed that they had no further leads on the whereabouts of Mr Berry’s sister, Trixie, who aided him in his initial escape from the Canterlot dungeons, but the Guard reiterated (read more on page five.) The two ponies were silent for a long time after that. Finally, Twilight spoke. “So that’s that.” Rarity glanced at her. “Indeed. Although I can’t believe they didn’t apprehend Trixie.” Twilight shrugged, and seemed unconcerned. “I had to leave her to come and help you guys, and she was gone by the time the guard got there. I wouldn’t worry though Rarity; it’s me she’s after.” Rarity smiled. “And if anypony can deal with Trixie, it’d be you, dear. Very well, I shall try not to worry. She will be back though. One day.” “I know. I’ll be ready.” They sipped their tea, in silence once more. Then Rarity, who had been chewing her lip for the past minute, turned to Twilight. “Twilight, I have a question.” “What is it Rarity?” “It’s about Fletch. In the maze… in the maze, I could have left him. I wanted to leave him. I almost did. I wanted him to pay for everything he’d done.” “But you saved him.” “I did. Even if it meant giving my life, I knew I couldn’t leave him to die.” “So, what’s your question?” Rarity sipped her tea, and then placed the cup gently down on the saucer. “What is generosity? I give everything I can, whenever I can. I would have given my life to save Fletch, but would that not have, in reality, been extremely selfish? I would have left all of you behind, Sweetie Belle on her own, all to save someone who probably didn’t deserve it. “And all these problems stemmed from me wanting to make money for Sweetie, to make her dreams come true and to make everyone proud of me. If I were less generous, would we have had no issues at all? Would I not even have considered his offer?” Twilight looked slightly stunned. “You mean you planned to use those dragon scales… for Sweetie? For us?” Rarity nodded. Twilight continued her voice quiet. “Not for yourself.” She looked up and met Rarity’s eyes. “Rarity, at the end of the day, the Element of Generosity does not govern everything you do. You can’t expect to give and give forever, and spend every moment trying to work out if what you’re doing is really the most generous thing. “You should have saved Fletch. Not because it was generous of you to do so, to potentially give your life, or anything like that, but because it was the right thing to do. Equally, you shouldn’t have considered his offer, no matter what your intentions. “Rarity, if you girls have taught me anything since I came to Ponyville, it’s that you need to follow your heart. Stop second guessing yourself.” For the third time, there was a long silence. Twilight concentrated on the birds chirping and singing outside, away from the now tense atmosphere. They seemed more real to her. “You’re right, Twilight.” Twilight was brought back to reality. “Hmm?” “About everything. I’m sorry for being so foalish.” She smiled and Twilight smiled back, moving over to her and drawing her into a hug. “Lesson learned?” “Lesson learned,” Rarity replied, “and understood. Do you think everpony else has a crisis of conscious as regularly as we seem to?” Twilight laughed. “Who knows? I think it’s a part of life.” She looked at the clock on the wall. “Come on, Rarity. Pinkie won’t wait forever.” Rarity groaned in an exaggerated manner. “Another party?! I’ve barely recovered from the last one.” The two unicorns left Rarity’s home and set off towards Sugarcube Corner, glad that, even after all that had happened, life was back to normal once more.
TrappedThe knock on the door echoed through the boutique. Hoof on wood. No answer. The pony at the door raised a hoof to his head, lifting his hat to scratch at his mane. Damn dandruff, he thought, scowling, watching the flakes fall to the ground. It was strange that there was no answer. His enquires had informed him that the proprietor of the fashion boutique lived above the shop floor and he had assumed that so close to sunset she would have been in. Sighing, he knocked again, more loudly. Still no reply. Hearing the clop of hooves behind him he turned and addressed a yellow earth pony with a blueberry coloured mane. “Hey you! Is the lady who lives here at home? Do you know?” His voice was gruff, scratched by cigarettes and too much scotch. Things unheard of in Ponyville. Startled, the pony regarded him wide-eyed for a moment before replying, noting his frame, rather stocky for a pegasus, as well as his dirty, ruffled mane. “Yes, she should be in, Mr…?” “Fletch.” He would have added that really it was nopony’s business, but he didn’t suppose it mattered. Sizing up the pony before him, he added, “You’re certain?” “Yeah. I work across the street, and she’s been out once today, briefly. Haven’t seen her leave since.” So she was ignoring him. It wasn’t that surprising really. People often did once they knew what he wanted and the lengths he’d go to get it. Scowling again (it was his most common and useful expression), he drew himself up to full height and spoke loudly. She was probably eavesdropping, after all. “Well you just tell that pony that I was looking for her. Tell her that if she ever wants the name Rarity to be over a store in Canterlot, she’d better talk to me real soon. Otherwise she’s going to find that she’ll be a lot less successful in the future and that really would be a shame.” With a flap of his wings he took off, robbing the earth pony of any chance to reply or query his message. With a shrug, she turned and carried on towards her house. High in the boutique, a curtain twitched, almost as if somepony had been peeking through it, frightened of what she might see. *** “Morning, Twilight!” “Good morning, Pinkie. Are you busy?” “I have a few orders to get through, but nothing I can’t handle.” The kitchen of Sugarcube Corner was, predictably, a disaster area. Bags were torn open as though they’d participated in some bloody battle, spilling their entrails of flour across work surfaces. Bowls lay scattered around, filled with delicious mixtures, and the walls were covered with those same delicious mixtures. Despite the carnage, however, Pinkie did seem to have it all under control, and the kitchen was filled with the aroma of cakes and pastry. She really was a natural baker. Twilight briefly considered asking Pinkie how she had stumbled onto this profession; it had never come up in regular conversation. She decided against it. Knowing Pinkie such a discussion would be long and complicated, requiring brain cells that weren’t yet functional in Twilight’s head at this early hour. Instead she stuck with her original purpose. “I was just wondering if the ‘celebrate-a-week-in-Ponyville-without-a-disaster-happening’ party was still on for tonight.” Pinkie literally dropped everything, a wooden spoon falling with a hard clunk to the floor. She bounced over to where Twilight was standing and kept hopping up and down, completely distracted by any mention of a party. “Of course it is, Twilight, it’ll be the bestest party ever! I’ve got all the balloons and cake and streamers and balloons and did I already say balloons? I think I did, but balloons and I found a really cute sailor outfit for Gummy so he looks smart and…” Suddenly the bouncing ceased. “Twilight? Why are you asking?” Twilight gulped. “It’s just that… well, I have a report to write for Celestia on the variations to traditional quantum mechanics that friendship magic could perhaps reveal.” “So?” “And… It’s due tomorrow and…” “Twilight…” Pinkie’s voice was a low growl, completely juxtaposing her previously happy countenance. “I’ll need most of this evening to finish it.” Twilight finished meekly. “No! You can’t put work before friends. How are we supposed to party without you?” “Pinkie,” Twilight’s expression was soft, matching her tone, “That’s just the way it is. Sometimes there are things that can’t be put off.” Pinkie visibly deflated and all the anger went out of her when faced with Twilight’s serious-but-kind voice. “Oh. I see. It’s ok.” Twilight rubbed her eyes with a hoof and sighed. “I might, might, be able to pop round later in the evening though. If you think you can keep the party going until then of course,” she added slyly. Pinkie looked up, a grin beginning to spread over her face. “You promise? Pinkie Promise?” “I’ll try.” “Good enough.” Pinkie chucked herself at Twilight and hugged her tight. *** Twilight left the bakery, relieved that she’d somehow avoided Pinkie going thermo-nuclear. She hadn’t got far when a voice called her name. Spinning, she faced the yellow earth pony with the blueberry coloured mane who was addressing her. “Oh hi, River Beam. What can I do for you?” The pony was slightly out of breath, as if she’d been running to catch up to Twilight. “It’s Rarity. A pony came by looking for her yesterday and gave me a message for, but she won’t open the door. I’m certain she’s in there though.” Twilight frowned. That was certainly odd. Although that being said it was no reason to be as frantic as River Beam seemed to be. She was about to say so, when River continued. “I wouldn’t bother you, Twilight, really I wouldn’t, but I have to go out of town and the message sounded urgent. My mother is sick and the train to Fillydelphia leaves in fifteen minutes.” “Oh, I’m sorry. Yes I’ll pass on the message.” River smiled, clearly happy she wouldn’t have to try and find another of Rarity’s friends before she left. “Ok. It was a bit weird really. He was a big pegasus called Mr Fletch and he said to tell her that if she ever wanted the name Rarity to be over a store in Canterlot, she’d better talk to him. Otherwise she’d find that she’d be less successful in the future.” The two ponies exchanged goodbyes and Twilight wished River’s mother a speedy recovery, then the two parted. The unicorn’s face was a mask of concern. Who was that pegasus? River had called him “big”. Some sort of hired muscle? The message certainly sounded like a threat and she trusted River to have been accurate. What exactly had Rarity become involved in? *** Twilight knocked on the door of the boutique. There was no reply. Twilight wasn’t so easily deterred, however. After hearing River’s theory that Rarity had ignored her, Twilight knew that there was a possibility that the same was happening to her. “Rarity?” she called out. No answer. She studied the windows of the boutique. Curtains drawn, even though it was now almost noon and maybe… was that the shadow of a pony behind one? Sweetie was out; Twilight had seen her with the other Crusaders, dressed up like various classic detectives from literature. Well, there was certainly a mystery to be solved here. “Oh for the love of Celestia! Rarity! Come out here now or I will break your door down!” It was a bluff, of course, but Twilight had read about situations akin to this before and felt this was the right thing to do to illicit a response. Of course, she could have simply teleported inside, but somehow that felt more invasive than smashing a door. Twilight waited. The sunshine warmed her back, and birdsong filled the air, undisturbed by any breeze. Still she waited. Then, slowly, reluctantly, the door swung open. “Rarity? I-” Twilight was cut short as she was yanked inside by a purple blanket of levitation magic. The door slammed shut behind her. Twilight faced her fellow unicorn and friend Rarity. Usually so prim and pristinely groomed, Rarity’s mane was frazzled and unkempt. Stress pulled at her eyes, the skin around them taut and strained. Twilight got a distinct feeling of déjà vu as she was reminded of the kitchen at Sugarcube Corner; mess and chaos personified. There was none of the organisation here though. “Rarity, what’s wrong? What’s been going on? I’ve heard some things from River Beam about-” Rarity raised a tired hoof. “It’s a long story, dear. It might be best if I explained over tea.” *** “It all started a few weeks ago. It was in the aftermath of the wedding and everyone was so happy. Remember Princess Cadence’s dress? So pretty; the stitching-” “Focus please, Rarity.” Twilight scolded, but smiled despite herself, pleased that even bothered and stressed Rarity still had hold of her love of fashion. “I’m sorry, Twilight. Where was I?” She levitated the pot of tea and poured it into the delicate china cups that she favoured. Steam rose and Rarity breathed in the aroma deeply. The smell seemed to calm her. “So yes. After the wedding everypony stayed in Canterlot for a few days, as you’ll remember, and we celebrated. Princess Celestia had kept the next few days designated as public holidays and there were street parties, which were oddly informal considering the nature of those attending. “Anyway, you’d gone to the castle to see the Princess and the rest of the gang had gone off somewhere while I was mingling. One has to put oneself about when presented the opportunity. “Fancy Pants introduced me to this pegasus fellow. I don’t think he really knew him. Certainly he wasn’t connected to him. He called himself Fletch. He was a bit of a brute to be honest, but he seemed reasonably polite. Fancy Pants had moved on and left us talking and I found out that Fletch was interested in the fashion business.” Twilight was surprised. “I was expecting something shadier.” Rarity snorted with derision. “Oh, it was shady as it turned out. He was a supplier to the star designers of Canterlot fashion boutiques. Delightfully well connected. He provided them with rare materials that nobody else could. I was naïve and, quite frankly, I was stupid. He said he’d seen a show of mine and knew talent when he saw it and that he could take me to the next level. He…” Rarity faltered. “He told me that he could get me dragon scales.” Twilight inhaled sharply, but remained silent. “They’re frightfully rare, but they can be breathtakingly beautiful. A few dresses with dragon scales on and I’d be made. A boutique in Canterlot perhaps, all my dreams realised. I asked him if he could get them legally. ‘Oh, they certainly can be gotten legally. Definitely. It’s a possibility. Perhaps.’” Rarity laughed wistfully. “Well, I wasn’t stupid. I’ve tried to get scales before and they’re far too rare and expensive. Dragons have to voluntarily give them up and you’ve seen first-hand how unlikely that is. The trade is heavily regulated too, so I’d have needed documentation to put them on dresses. He said his contacts could sort that out, but it was obvious that he was most definitely not getting them legally.” “And you still took him up on his offer.” The white unicorn hesitated and lowered her gaze, taking a sip of her tea as she did so. “I did. I’m not proud, but I did. I planned the dresses, even organised a fashion show in preparation and then…” “You got cold feet.” Rarity looked up sharply. The disapproval and disappointment was plain in Twilight’s voice. Twilight shook her head and continued. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Why else would this Fletch be putting pressure on you?” Rarity swallowed and then continued. “I knew it wasn’t legal. The only way he could be getting them and selling them so cheaply meant that he was getting them in large quantities which meant he was getting them by…” She paused and swallowed. “…Killing the dragons and taking them. I went to bed that night and I knew I couldn’t do it. It was wrong and it was illegal. I had Sweetie to think about. I’d made an order and arranged to meet him. Fletch came round to sort it out and I told him I didn’t want them any more. “Then he… he blackmailed me. He had my name and signature on the order, said he could hand it into the guards and it wouldn’t be traced back to him. I had to keep buying the goods and keep making the dresses. Even if I wriggled out of any charges about the scales, he was well connected enough to keep me out of Canterlot forever. I assume he’s got a similar racket and system of blackmail going with several boutiques and people in high places. “I refused. I didn’t think he’d hand me over to the authorities as long as I could make him money, but I think he’s losing patience.” She looked up and met Twilight’s eyes, her own swimming with tears. “Are you terribly angry at me, Twilight?” Twilight sighed and drained her cup. “You were foalish. Really, Rarity what you did was terribly...” She refrained from saying ‘stupid’. “Regardless, we’re your friends. You should have told us so we could help.” “Oh, Twilight. I don’t think there’s anything you can do.” Rarity’s voice cracked and the tears began to fall. Twilight stood and nuzzled her. “Shh, Rarity. It’ll be all right. Trust me. Trust your friends.” Rarity took a deep breath and composed herself. “I do.” *** Fletch was annoyed. He’d just got a message from Canterlot about an investigation that’d been opened just an hour previously.His contact on the Royal Guard had been getting his metaphorical collar felt by superiors who wondered why certain files had been going missing, and Fletch was certain he’d have to distance himself from the poor colt. Still, he’d been useful for a while, and there was always another sap who needed a favour doing. Even so, it was an inconvenience. He was still in Ponyville, staying in a charming little cottage on the outskirts. It occurred to Fletch that quaint would have been an appropriate description and there was a part of him that loved the simplicity, away from the complex web of shadows that was his life. Sighing, he pulled himself up from the bed, the springs creaking as he did so. He couldn’t just lie around all day; he wasn’t on holiday. He had a pony to muscle. That Rarity had talent. He’d dealt with other ponies in her business, some of whom were far richer and far less gifted. She also seemed to be pretty weak and not terribly bright. All in all it was a perfect combination for him to exploit her, blackmail her and make himself a lot of money. Smiling to himself, Fletch walked to the front door of the cottage, opened it and took flight. *** “So that’s the situation. Rarity is being blackmailed and we’ve got to do something about it. Any questions?” “Well, Twi, ah’m not sure there’s anything your presentation didn’t cover.” Indeed it had been a thorough presentation, with slides, diagrams and even a short puppet show. They were in the library that served as Twilight’s home, and she had explained what Rarity had told her and proposed a few solutions, although these had been sketchy. She insisted, however, that things would soon become better defined. Fluttershy raised a tentative hoof. “Umm, Twilight… if you don’t mind me asking… Rarity won’t be in trouble will she? Legally I mean.” There was a murmur of discussion around the room. Rainbow fidgeted and spoke. “Yeah Twilight, I mean, isn’t that the entire problem? He’s blackmailing her because she made the order and he says that’s illegal even if she didn’t actually buy anything. As awesome as it’d be to think he’s lying…” Twilight considered both the question and Rarity’s expression carefully. “We can all agree that the dragon scale trade is shady and illegal. It was very silly for Rarity to ever entertain any idea of getting involved. “However, I believe that soon we’ll have what we need to help Rarity with any charge leveled against her. All we need…” There was a crash and a scuttle of little clawed feet across the floor above their heads, and then Spike came bounding down the stairs, scroll in hand. “Here, Twilight. It just came through from the castle.” He stopped and saw his friends crowded around Twilight. “Oh, err… what’s everypony doing here?” Twilight answered without hesitation. “We’re just having a little girl time. Discussing dresses, you know. I’ll take that, thank you, Spike.” Twilight tugged the scroll out of his grip, as Spike made a disgusted face. Muttering about dresses, he turned and made his way back upstairs. “Ya haven’t told ‘im?” The purple unicorn looked guilty. “No. I think it’d be best if he didn’t know what Rarity almost did.” Rarity shuffled her feet awkwardly, but flashed Twilight a grateful smile. Twilight unfurled the scroll and read it. She read it carefully and several times. Finally she looked up. “We’ve got him.” *** Fletch banged angrily on the door of the boutique, determined to get an answer. He could only go so long merely threatening her before he had to take action. It was seldom that he had to do so, simply because he picked his targets carefully. He had a nose for those who could be intimidated, and it was a good job too, because if he had to make good on his threats it could get messy. He would be fine, of course; there was no way to link anything back to him. His contacts made sure of that. He frowned, remembering something else he needed to take care of when he was finished in Ponyville. The pegasus had just raised his hoof again, when the door of the Carousel Boutique swung open. Rarity stood in the doorway, totally composed, groomed and manicured. Ready to face anything. “Ah, Fletch. Do come in. Cup of tea?” He scowled, thrown by her relaxed attitude, but followed her inside. Clearing his throat loudly he addressed her retreating flank. “You’re a tough pony to get a hold of, Miss Rarity. Usually when pony’s lives and profession are on the line they’re much more eager to prevent everything coming crashing down.” They had reached the living area of the boutique. A pot of tea already sat, ready and waiting. Rarity turned, and invited him to sit with a nonchalant wave of a perfectly manicured hoof. If she’d been hoping to fluster him with her refinement and classy surroundings then she’d failed. Fletch had spent a decade working with all types of ponies and had perfected the act of looking at ease in any situation. Clearing his throat again, he spoke firmly. “I hope you’ve reconsidered my offer.” “I have.” “Oh?” he said, his face passive, but a look of hope creeping into his eyes. “I do have a few questions, however.” Fletch’s trademark scowl returned to his face. He hadn’t come to answer questions. Still, he thought, it was best to humour her, and he nodded, tilting his head slightly to indicate that he’d given her permission. Rarity hadn’t touched her tea. Her calm exterior was a façade, and she didn’t feel she could trust her magic to hold the cup steady. “Well, I was just wondering about these scales. Between you and me, how exactly do you procure them?” He grunted dismissively, a most uncouth gesture, Rarity thought. “I’m sure you’ve guessed. Why does it matter?” She pressed harder. “Well, I have my suspicions of course. I have to tell you, Fletch, I don’t care for dragons. It’s no skin off my muzzle if you’re killing them. I was just wondering how painful it was for them.” “Very. Do you know how difficult it is to kill a dragon? You can hardly tickle them to death. All those gems they eat give those scales strength as well as beauty. I leave that up to other people though.” “You trust them? I can’t risk my supply getting disrupted.” Fletch seemed surprised. “You’ve changed your tune since the last time I saw you. Listen, I employ them. I can vouch for them.” Rarity smiled and it was the smile of prey that had just turned predator. “And what’s to stop me going straight to the Guard with that information?” A silence fell in the boutique, heavy and menacing. Then Fletch began to laugh. He kept on laughing for a long while. “Because, my dear Rarity, what proof do you have? It’d be my word against yours. Even if you somehow convinced somepony to start an investigation, I have friends in high places and I’ve made a habit of covering my tracks. Now, be a smart little pony and just accept my offer. Or accept that you’re going to prison. Either one. You’re trying my patience and I don’t really care either way any more.” Rarity was still smiling. It was a dangerous smile. It was the same smile she’d given the Diamond Dogs when they’d thought that they’d had her in a corner. “Oh, Fletch, you’re sadly mistaken. Or should I call you Juniper Berry. Masculine name by the way. I see why you took a nickname, and it was nice to pick one related to the family profession. Fletchers, weren’t they? I looked up their old store. I really never knew archery was such a popular sport in Equestria.” Fletch was looking stunned. In all his years as a supplier to the businesses of Equestria, he had never heard his real name mentioned by anyone other than his sister. Rarity noticed his disquiet and went for the kill. “Born in Baltimare, one sibling, a unicorn, a pegasus father and a unicorn mother, both deceased. Decided early on that the family business wasn’t for you and went into the import/export business. You were reasonably successful, but then you fell off the radar.” The wicked grin still hadn’t left the unicorn’s face. “About this time a pegasus became known to the Canterlot Guard. Nothing ever seemed to stick to him, however, and investigations went down blind alleys. The Guard had to contend with missing files, ponies not talking, witnesses changing stories, until eventually they became less willing to open any investigation at all into Fletch's activities. Your activities.” Fletch finally reacted, feigning confidence. “And what? You think I’m Juniper? Whatever kid, that’s coincidence, you ain’t got nothing. Even if you did, it's irrelevant.” Now it was Rarity’s turn to laugh. “Well, Mr Berry, here’s the thing. I do and it isn't. When Juniper disappeared, he left behind a number of warehouses, still in his name. I’m willing to bet all my bits that if somepony were to go and search those warehouses, they’d find a fair few things.” Fletch blanched. He knew that she was telling the truth; he was done for. Rarity leaned closer. “It’s always helpful when a pony in the know decides to squeal. You may have heard about the guard in Canterlot responsible for archiving who was placed under investigation this afternoon. It turned out he'd been making certain files go missing. He sang like a bird once Princess Celestia became personally involved in the questioning. You see, Mr Berry, I have friends in high places too.” Fletch lunged at her, his powerful pegasus bulk knocking her backwards and taking the sofa with it. He pressed a foreleg across Rarity’s throat, and spoke, teeth clenched. “You… you’ve ruined everything. All you had to do was take the scales and we’d have both have been rich and happy. I’ll make you pay, you little-” There was a thud, and Fletch went flying. Rarity’s eyes quickly followed the route from the space where the pegasus had been, down a pair of strong, orange, earth pony legs, to where Applejack stood, fresh from bucking Fletch into next Tuesday. The rest of the gang stood around her, and Fluttershy knelt by Rarity’s side, helping her up. Twilight and a member of the Royal Guard rushed over to where Fletch lay, groaning. Twilight looked him over. “Broken ribs I expect; nothing life threatening. He’s all yours.” The guard bowed his head respectfully to his fellow unicorn and lifted Fletch magically into the air, before trotting outside to where a cart pulled by two pegasi stood waiting. Without another word it took off and began the flight to Canterlot. Rarity had been pulled up and placed on the other sofa. Applejack nuzzled her. “Y’all right, sugarcube?” Rarity breathed deeply, composing herself. “Fine, thank you dear. I’m just a little shaken.” Rainbow Dash was grinning. “You got him though. We all heard his confession. Man, if I could see the look on his face again…” Fluttershy looked even more shocked than Rarity did, but the other ponies expressions ranged from concern to exhilaration. Finally, Rarity lifted her tea to her mouth and drained the cup in a most unladylike manner. Sighing, she addressed Twilight. “I’m not in trouble am I?” Twilight smiled. “Not in the slightest. The Guard agreed that if you testified against him then they’d waive any charge of conspiracy to illegally trade a controlled good. They searched his warehouses and they think they’ve practically eradicated the entire Canterlot smuggling trade in one fell swoop. Juniper Berry is going away for a long time.” Rarity smiled gratefully. “Thank Celestia. Although, Pinkie, I am sorry.” Pinkie started and blinked twice. “Sorry? You silly pony, why are you sorry?” “Well, your party? I think this qualifies as a slight disaster at least.” Pinkie giggled and grinned. “Oh, Rarity, I think we have another reason to celebrate don’t you? Although... Twilight,” the earth pony turned to the purple unicorn, “you have to work, don’t you?” Twilight rolled her eyes, and blew out in mock exasperation. “Pinkie after today, I think that report can wait.” Rainbow punched the air. “Party time?” The girls looked at each other. “Party time.” *** Far away in the dungeons of Canterlot castle, a pegasus pony sat behind bars. He didn’t look up when he heard the clop of hooves approach. “Juni?” It was a mare’s voice and only one pony called him Juni. He looked up, sharply. His sister stood before him, slim and wiry, the opposite of his bulk. He sniffed. “Come to gloat?” The unicorn laughed softly. “No. We're not foals any more. You’re my big brother and I wanted to help. Let me, please. Tell me who did this.” Juniper Berry sighed and scratched at his mane, watching the dandruff fall and remembering the same sight, only a day ago, outside the boutique. “Some upstart unicorn and her pals. They tricked me and they had Celestia wrapped around their hooves. I didn’t even know most of them were involved until the idiot guard told me. Damn upstarts.” “I need names, Juni.” He clopped the ground in frustration. “Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle. They live in Ponyville. When you say help, you mean revenge, right? Why would you do that? How?” The unicorn smiled dangerously. “Oh, Juniper, just leave it all to Trixie.”
RevengeThe sound of the daily newspaper, The Ponyville Prophet, smacking against the door woke Twilight. The unicorn had been dozing in an armchair, a stack of books piled high in front of her. Over the course of the previous evening she’d been working her way through the pile, and had dozed off in the wee small hours of the morning. It was a little after seven in the morning. Twilight stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, then pulled herself up out of the chair in order to retrieve the newspaper. She took one look at the headline and gasped. Fugitive Fletch Free After Escape Worthy Of Daring Do Twilight couldn’t believe it. Escape from the Canterlot dungeons? Impossible, surely. She read on, her eagerness to process information tinged with horror, as her keen intellect already began to process the ramifications of Fletch’s escape. Canterlot guards were this morning baffled as they discovered that one of the most notorious criminals in Equestrian history, Juniper Berry, also known as Fletch, had escaped from under the nose of Princess Celestia herself. In a statement made just before we went to press, a spokespony revealed that Fletch had simply vanished from his cell, mere days before he was due to be brought to trial. The incident is particularly embarrassing for Princess Celestia, who had given assurances on the impossibility of any escape, despite the major security lapses that led to, and occurred during, the Changeling invasion. Guards are searching for clues and appealing for anypony with relevant information to come forward. They believe that Fletch may have had outside help in achieving his escape. This story has particular significance to one Ponyville resident. Miss Rarity of the Carousel Boutique was instrumental in the arrest of Fletch and the unearthing of his criminal empire, which was mired in blackmail and violence. Regular updates to this story will be found in your favourite local newspaper, The Ponyville Prophet! Only 2 bits! Twilight sank into the armchair. If Fletch was free then he would have only one thing on his mind – revenge. She remembered his encounter with Rarity, just a week ago; “I’ll make you pay, you little-” Had somepony really helped him? The unicorn considered it, carefully. Fletch was scum; he’d dealt in the most illegal goods known to ponies, and maintained his empire by blackmailing those in powerful positions to look the other way and make sure everypony else did too. Even scum has friends though, thought Twilight. She wondered if Rarity knew yet. It was important that the right decision was made, but with so little information it was difficult to know what ‘right’ was. Twilight sighed and rubbed her muzzle. She did not need this on a Monday morning. Climbing out of the armchair again, she called up the stairs; “Spike? Are you awake?” A groaning and muttering baby dragon appeared at the top of the stairs. “Yes, Twilight?” he said, stifling a yawn behind a clawed hand. Twilight was unsympathetic, having conveniently forgotten being just as drowsy only minutes earlier. “Spike, I need you to be awake. It’s not that early. I need you to take a letter.” If Spike had been more selfish he might have missed the days before they came to Ponyville; there were fewer emergencies and more lie-ins. Instead, he dutifully grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill, and began to write. “Dear Princess Celestia…” *** Rarity was pacing her living room and chewing her bottom lip when Sweetie Belle arrived, Twilight in tow. Twilight looked as worried as Rarity did. “I assume you’ve heard, Twilight?” Twilight nodded. “I suppose that’s why you had Sweetie Belle come and collect me.” Rarity laughed nervously, dismissing the filly with a glance. Sweetie Belle pouted, but retreated up the stairs to the bedrooms. Rarity continued as if there had been no interruption. “Of course, dear. I just… I couldn’t leave the Boutique. Not with him out there. I wouldn’t have let her leave either, but she made it plain I wasn’t going to stop her, so I thought I’d make her useful. What are we going to do, Twilight?” Twilight had been considering this question all morning and had an answer. “We’re going to Canterlot. We’ll be far safer there, where Celestia and the Guard can keep an eye on us, plus it’ll give us the chance to investigate." Rarity nodded, but continued to bite her lip. “What about long term?” she said, her voice wavering. The purple unicorn stepped towards her friend and embraced her. “Oh, Rarity,” she replied, trying her best to sound reassuring, “They’ll catch him. It’ll be ok.” Pulling herself free, Rarity sniffed and attempted to look composed. “I’m sure. I'd better start packing.” Twilight nodded and turned to leave. “The train to Canterlot leaves in four hours. Oh, and Rarity?” she said, looking over her shoulder at her friend. “Yes, Twilight?” “Try not to pack too much.” Rarity smiled, weakly. *** The six friends stepped down onto the platform. It hadn’t been Twilight’s original plan to disrupt all of their lives at such short notice, but the others had insisted on coming with the two unicorns. Although really, Twilight had known they would. Sweetie Belle had insisted that she stayed and Rarity had been unable to convince her otherwise. She was with the Apples at Sweet Apple Acres, but Rarity still worried. It was rush hour in the capital, and the journey to the castle took what seemed like forever, as carts, carriages and ponies weaved in and out of each other along the crowded streets, as did the pegasi above. Although Canterlot was more of a tourist city than Baltimare or Fillydelphia, it still had a thriving economy and the ancient streets had not been designed for the numbers they now saw. Eventually their carriage pulled off the main highway and crossed over the drawbridge into the castle grounds. Celestia was waiting for them, and the friends bowed to her as they piled out of the vehicle. “You know that you have no need to bow,” she said, a hint of a smile playing around her regal features. “Please, come inside. My servants will see to your bags and show you to your rooms.” As Twilight passed her, Celestia raised a hoof and pulled her to the side. “My dear Twilight Sparkle, it really is good to see you. I wish to speak with you all after dinner. Shining Armour will be there too. I would brief you now, but I have to talk with some diplomats from the Griffin Kingdoms.” “Of course, Princess.” Twilight grinned, in spite of the gravity of the situation. Dinner with Celestia and a chance to see Shining again could make her feel better no matter what. *** The ponies sat in one of the many drawing rooms of Canterlot castle. The palatial surroundings seemed reassuring to Rarity after the shocks that she’d had that day. Curled up on a sofa, among royalty no less, was something that could almost take her mind off things. Shining Armour stood to attention in front of them, despite the informal setting; he was on duty after all. With a smile and a nod of her head, Celestia gave him permission to begin his briefing. “Yesterday, at approximately three in the morning, Juniper Berry, also known as Fletch, escaped from the castle dungeons. We can place his escape at this time because a patrolling guard heard a loud noise and investigated. Finding Fletch missing, he raised the alarm. After describing the noise to the Princess, she has determined that it was the sound of a teleport spell. “This means that he was not working alone. A unicorn must have helped him. The dungeons are shielded from almost all magical energies by the Princess, and it would therefore have taken an extremely talented pony to outwit those defences. “We have questioned some of his former accomplices, and they have no knowledge of his escape. The Princess believes that they are being truthful.” Shining finished, relieved that he no longer had to endure the attention of every pony in the room. Celestia cleared her throat and all eyes turned to her. “Thank you, Shining Armour. Now, I have proposed that you all stay here while the Guard get to the bottom of this. Security will increase, and I can safely say that no more ponies will be teleporting in or out of this castle. If you feel that you can be of use to the investigation then please volunteer any information to Shining. “Now,” she said, rising to her hooves, “it is late and time for bed. I will see you all in the morning.” *** “…and then she turned to me and said, ‘Shining, why is there a frog in our bed?’” Shining and Twilight started laughing loudly. They were sitting together, long after the others had left. Their talk was mostly of the old days and married life with Cadance. It had been a while since Twilight had felt as contented as she did at that moment. Almost inevitably the topic of Fletch came up. “Are there any leads at all, Shining?” Twilight’s brother shook his head regretfully. “None. We know he had a sister, who I suppose could be a suspect, but they’re estranged and we don’t know who she is. That part of the file seems to have gone permanently missing and Fletch wasn’t very co-operative.” Twilight frowned. “Ponies he worked with?” “We don’t think so. He didn’t have anypony close to him from a business perspective. All his dirty work was contracted out and we don’t think he had any contact with them. “The only thing to do is to wait. We’ll catch him before too long, I promise you.” Twilight seemed satisfied, and cuddled closer to Shining. “I missed you, you know.” “I know you did.” She smiled. “Tell me another story, Shining.” *** “What do you mean ‘they’ve found nothing’?!” Rainbow Dash groaned. “It’s been a week!” Applejack rolled her eyes and grabbed Rainbow's tail in her mouth, tugging the pegasus back to Earth. “Rainbow, would ya please be quiet for a little while, Twi was trying to tell us something.” Rainbow muttered something under her breath. Applejack raised an eyebrow, but turned back to Twilight and told her to carry on. “Thank you, Applejack. As I was saying, while they’ve found nothing immediately relevant to Fletch’s escape, they’ve noticed an increase in the number of break-ins in Canterlot. The modus operandi seems to be consistent between 95% of these break-ins; no windows or doors broken or forced, only a single item missing. From this the Guard has deduced that a unicorn must be teleporting in and out.” “And, um… what about the items? If you don’t mind…” Fluttershy trailed off, embarrassed. Twilight smiled kindly. “The items seem to be only loosely connected. They’re valuable, often magical, but share no other significant features.” Rarity spoke up; “This is interesting, darling, but it doesn’t really get us anywhere.” Pinkie started bouncing. “Ooo, ooo, me! Pick me!” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Pinkie?” “It’s important because now we know the unicorn who helped Fletch is still operating in Canterlot. If we catch them, then they can lead us to Fletch!” Twilight was slightly amazed that Pinkie had cottoned on that quickly, but she hid it well. “Yes, quite. So we do still need to wait, Rainbow,” (Rainbow groaned), “but we are making progress. Both the unicorn and Fletch will be caught in good time.” “But Twilight, what exactly do you expect us to do until then? I’m bored. We can’t leave the castle grounds and I seriously need to stretch my wings.” Twilight frowned. “Nopony made you come Rainbow. If you want to go home, you can.” Rainbow gasped. “Hey, I wasn’t saying that. Just…” “Just what, dear?” Rarity’s voice was very quiet. The cyan pegasus looked uneasy. “Just that we should be doing something,” she said. Twilight looked away. “We’re doing what we can. We’re staying safe so that the Guard can concentrate on doing their job.” For the thousandth time, Twilight wondered if Rainbow was right. Had they made the right decisions? Again she reflected on what ‘right’ really was. She was sure they’d find out eventually. *** The orchard was dark. Luna’s magnificent sky was veiled behind thick clouds. With no light from the moon, it was pitch black; impossible to see anything. It was unnatural, the weather patrol had said, but they couldn’t do anything about it. Nothing moved. Then a figure appeared. So sudden was the figure’s arrival that it was almost as if they’d appeared by magic. Up in the farmhouse, Sweetie Belle slept. *** When Rarity awoke and emerged into the situation room at Canterlot castle, she was surprised at the amount of activity. Ponies ran hither and thither, shouting and Twilight was in deep conversation with Princess Celestia and Shining Armour. Twilight looked up sharply as the white unicorn approached. “Rarity. We were about to send someone to get you.” “Is everything all right, Twilight?” Suddenly, she knew that it wasn't. “I think you should sit down, Rarity.” Shepherding Rarity over to a chair, Twilight continued, attempting to sound as detached as possible. “We received an anonymous letter that was sent to the team involved in tracking Fletch. This letter.” Twilight handed the letter over and Rarity took it, eying it as though it might explode at any moment. Shaking, she read it. Rarity. I have your sister. She is safe, for now anyway. I want 5000 bits and I want them by tonight. You know where to bring them. If anypony other than you and your five friends show up, then she dies. If you do not bring the money, she dies. Play by the rules. Rarity looked up at Twilight, lost. Tears streamed down her face and she found that she couldn’t stop shaking. Shining Armour spoke, his face steely, his voice sounding as if it came from a thousand miles away. “Rarity, I know this is very hard. We’ve checked and Sweetie Belle is missing. Now, it is very important that you think carefully and clearly. Do you know where it is that the letter is referring to?” “Why didn’t I bring her?” Rarity whispered. “Why did I give in? Why did I let her stay?” Celestia leaned down, authority in her gaze and in her voice as she addressed the stunned unicorn. “Rarity, please. Answer the question.” Rarity shook her head, trying to dislodge useful information from the swirl of thoughts in her brain. “Of course. I… I don’t know. I can’t think of anything.” Shining Armour gave an exasperated sigh. Twilight was thinking, using every one of her brain cells to try and work out a solution to their problem. Solution. ‘Play by the rules.’ “It’s a game. A mental exercise. We’ve been given clues.” “What? Twily, what are you saying?” Twilight spun to face her brother. “Shining, get me a map of Canterlot.” Shining barked an order and a map was placed on a nearby table. The four ponies approached it. “Now, mark on the location of every one of those teleporting intruder break-ins from the last week.” Shining did so and Twilight gasped. “It’s a star! There’s a pattern! What’s at the exact centre of the star?” Shining lay a hoof at the centre, stunned. “How did we miss this? It’s the warehouse on Dock Street. One of Fletch’s warehouses.” Rarity straightened. “I’m going.” Shining turned to her. “With all due respect, Rarity, you’re hardly trained for this. You’d be putting yourself in real danger.” “I’ve faced danger before. Fletch is a worm, but he’s no worse than Discord or Nightmare Moon.” “And she won’t be alone. I’ll come with her,” Twilight said. “We all will.” They turned to see Pinkie, Rainbow, Applejack and Fluttershy. It was Rainbow who’d spoken. Rarity’s eyes shimmered as she threatened to cry again. “You will?” “Sure,” Rainbow pushed out her chest and tried to look imposing, then stopped. “Err… where are we going?” *** The six ponies prepared to leave. They’d been on adventures before and faced dangerous foes as if they were nothing, but it had never been as personal as this. Celestia and Shining were waiting for them as they left the castle through the huge double doors. Celestia nuzzled her favourite student, and then addressed the group. “I want you all to come back safe and sound. I really wish I could do more for you, but you’re all so capable that I’m certain you’ll be fine. Be careful, my little ponies.” Shining hugged his sister. “Be safe. We’ll give you ten minutes, and then we’ll be right behind you. Once we’re there, if you’re not out in twenty minutes then we’re coming in.” Twilight nodded. The gang walked in silence. Fear and anticipation sparked in the air, almost tangible. Even Pinkie refrained from bouncing along. Only Rainbow was like her usual self, as she flitted above their heads, although this seemed more like nervous energy than anything else. Soon they had reached the warehouse. The sun was beginning to set, and as they approached it dipped behind the houses that faced the building, throwing it suddenly into shadow. “Well that was ominous.” Everyone glared at Pinkie. “What? It was!” Sighing, Twilight pushed the door open and led the others inside. There had been no lights on in the warehouse, but even as they entered they flickered on overhead and the interior was revealed. Boxes upon boxes were piled all around them. Twilight knew that these were recent additions; everything had been seized by the Guard when Fletch was arrested. She pondered this development. Bang. A bolt of purple magic smashed into Twilight’s flank, sending her spinning towards a wall. Instinctively, she shut her eyes, but the crunch never came. Opening her eyes she found herself laying on a metal floor in a dimly lit room, with only a chair and some sort of control panel next to a window to give her any clue of her whereabouts. Vaguely she could hear the panicked cries of her friends. She pulled herself slowly to her feet. “Hello, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight spun. Without warning, ropes appeared magically and wrapped themselves around Twilight, pushing her into the chair and binding her. “T-Trixie!?” Trixie stepped forward from the shadows and stood with her head tilted arrogantly upwards. “Yes, it is Trixie! The Great and Powerful Trixie to you, of course. Trixie is pleased that you-” “Oh, Trix, knock it off, will ya.” A tired and grumpy looking Fletch stepped through the only door into the room, closing and locking it behind him. “All this third person stuff is irritating. You never talk like that to me.” Trixie sniffed. “Trixie… oh, fine. I happen to like it, dear brother. I was always the one with flair.” Fletch didn’t care much for flair. In his business, flair made you sloppy. Flair got you caught. He winced at the thought. He’d got caught anyway. “Trix, this wasn’t part of the plan. She’s meant to be down there with the rest of them.” Trixie turned on her brother and practically growled. “Listen, Juni, she’s mine. She humiliated me, and I will see to her personally.” Trixie levitated a microphone so it was close to her mouth and spoke. Her voice reverberated around the warehouse, and Twilight now realised that the maze was visible far below when she looked through the window. “Listen up, ponies. The Great and Powerful Trixie demands your attention. Before you is a maze. In the maze are vicious animals. At the centre of it is the filly you seem so determined to rescue. It’s simple really. Trixie would wish you good luck, but there seems little point.” She dropped the microphone and turned back to Twilight. The lights in the warehouse dimmed until there was only just enough light to see by, but Twilight could still just make out her friends. There were also several balls of yellow light, seemingly floating just above the ground throughout the maze. Were they the vicious animals? Trixie was staring at Twilight as if by doing so she could vaporize her. Contemptuous didn’t even begin to describe the expression on her face. “Do you know why I’m doing this? You ruined me, Twilight. My life was perfect. I swept across Equestria, impressing country bumpkins and making my fortune. Then you showed up. “After I couldn’t defeat the Ursa, I suppose that you thought I was weak? I, Trixie, weak! Never. What did you do that was so impressive? Levitated some objects and played some music. I could do all that, and more, if I’d have thought of it. “Word spread, though. I was never taken seriously again. Ponies wouldn’t give me the time of day. You made my life hell. I will destroy you, Twilight Sparkle, for what you did to me. You will watch your friends die, because you were too stupid, too weak, and too slow. Then I will kill you.” Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Wait, Trixie. You’re going to kill seven ponies, just because I defeated an Ursa Minor and you didn’t? That’s insane.” Trixie laughed, bitterly. “‘Just because’? Twilight, I commend you for working out where to find me, simple as it was, but you are dumb sometimes. Image is everything. Being a show-pony was what I was born to do. One day I would have made it to Canterlot and wowed even the Princess. My hopes, my dreams, and my life all shattered by you and your friends. Then you hurt my brother too.” Fletch shuffled uncomfortably and interrupted. “Trix, I really don’t like this. She should be down there, getting eaten like the rest of them. Up here… she’s strong. What if she…” Trixie kicked back at him without turning, striking him in the chest, her irritation clear. “She’s strong?! What am I, a turnip? I could rip her limb from limb if I desired. In fact, after her friends are dead, I think I will.” “But, Trixie, this wasn’t the plan.” Trixie's patience snapped, and she spun to face her brother. “Juniper-” Twilight took her chance. There was a whip-crack as the ropes that bound her snapped off, and the purple unicorn leapt forward, horn glowing. Trixie rounded on her, already firing a spell of her own. Their magic met, and a solid beam of purple extended between their horns as they struggled for superiority. Fletch was motionless, stunned at the sudden turn of events and afraid of interfering. They battled like that for… minutes? Hours? Twilight couldn’t say, so lost was she in the fight. Their minds tangled, as invisible magical essence flowed between them, and Twilight knew that if she lost this battle then she wouldn’t live to tell anyone about it. Neither would her friends. That gave her the extra motivation she needed. Grunting, sparks flying from her horn, she gave a final push. Trixie broke and her will snapped. The beam struck her squarely in the face, sending her flying unconscious into the door, smashing it off its hinges. Fletch finally acted, springing forward with a snarl, but Twilight was ready. She had never felt so powerful. With a smile, she simply swatted Fletch aside, and he stumbled into the glass window, which shattered against his weight. The shards cut into his wings and they fell, useless, to his sides. Twilight gasped, her triumph forgotten. With one last terrified look at his adversary, he fell. *** Twilight’s friends raced through the maze, unheeding of the drama happening above their heads. The maze of crates and boxes had many dead ends and twisting paths, so that before long all sense of direction was lost and the ponies found themselves separated. Rarity’s face was set in a look of grim determination. As she trotted through the maze, she tried her best to listen out for any signs of the vicious animals mentioned by Trixie. She would have been stunned by that particular revelation, but she’d had too many shocks over the past twelve hours. Maybe Trixie was bluffing about there being animals, thought Rarity. Then she rounded a corner and came face to face with a timberwolf. Rarity took a step backwards. The wolf was growling, but it didn’t seem interested in her. She followed its gaze downwards. At its feet lay the unmistakable bulky pegasus body of Fletch. He seemed to be injured. Blood flowed from multiple cuts on his wings and he seemed bruised and battered. He was still conscious, however, and was feebly attempting to push the wolf away. This only seemed to serve to make it madder. Rarity knew that she should save Fletch. Even after everything he’d down. Still she hesitated. If she attacked the timberwolf then she could end up injured or worse. Did Fletch really even deserve to be saved? He was a lowlife, who’d blackmailed and bullied everypony he could, and who’d been involved in kidnapping her sister. The unicorn was paralysed by her conflicting thoughts. Then, a conversation she’d had with Twilight echoed in her mind; “It could have been his sister, I suppose.” “His sister? Twilight, why would his sister have broken him out?” “Is it that hard to believe? Everpony has somepony else who loves them and who they love.” Even Fletch. Rarity stepped forward and kicked at the timberwolf, forcing it backwards, until she was standing between it and Fletch. With an unladylike growl, she leapt towards the creature, determined to land as many blows as she could before the end. “Rarity!” There was a blast of purple magic, and the timberwolf literally fell apart, the individual sticks clattering onto the concrete floor. Rarity turned, and saw her friends, gathered again. With them was Sweetie Belle. With a gasp, she flung herself at her sister, hugging her tight. Then the Guard stormed in.
NormalIt was a month later. Rarity and Twilight sat in the Carousel Boutique, sharing a cup of tea, as they had done all those weeks ago. Circumstances had been very different then. It was a carefree Rarity that sat before Twilight now, laughing and joking with her friend. That thought made Twilight smile more than the joke that Rarity had just told about the owl seamstresses. There was a knock at the door, and Rarity excused herself to answer it. She returned with the late edition of the Canterlot Times. “I asked Rainbow to get it for me. She owed me a favour,” she said, answering Twilight’s questioning look. “Ah. It was, erm…” “Fletch’s trial today. Yes, dear, it was. Shall I read to you?” Twilight nodded. Pegasus Prisoner Found Guilty The trial of the notorious pegasus criminal, Juniper Berry, came to its conclusion today. After almost a decade of blackmail, smuggling and extortion, the pegasus was found guilty on all counts and sentenced in a trial that was delayed by a successful escape attempt a month ago. In his summary, the right honourable judge Juris Prudence stated that Mr Berry was a criminal for whom only the worst punishment would suffice. Calling him “The worst of the worst and the lowest of the low,” the judge went on; “You ignored pony law for your own gain. You fostered a criminal empire within Equestria with no regard for anypony other than yourself. The extent of your crimes is shown by the sheer number of witnesses who came forward to testify against you.” Mr Berry, who stood accused of twenty-five counts of smuggling, thirteen counts of blackmail and extortion, five counts of murder, one count of kidnapping and fifteen counts of intent to cause grievous bodily harm, is believed to have committed far more crimes than those he was indicted for. However, a lack of evidence in many cases led to the prosecution only pursuing a limited number of charges. Mr Berry was found guilty on all counts and has been sentenced to exile and life imprisonment in the infamous maximum security prison located in the area of the Frozen North. The news came as a spokespony for the Guard revealed that they had no further leads on the whereabouts of Mr Berry’s sister, Trixie, who aided him in his initial escape from the Canterlot dungeons, but the Guard reiterated (read more on page five.) The two ponies were silent for a long time after that. Finally, Twilight spoke. “So that’s that.” Rarity glanced at her. “Indeed. Although I can’t believe they didn’t apprehend Trixie.” Twilight shrugged, and seemed unconcerned. “I had to leave her to come and help you guys, and she was gone by the time the guard got there. I wouldn’t worry though Rarity; it’s me she’s after.” Rarity smiled. “And if anypony can deal with Trixie, it’d be you, dear. Very well, I shall try not to worry. She will be back though. One day.” “I know. I’ll be ready.” They sipped their tea, in silence once more. Then Rarity, who had been chewing her lip for the past minute, turned to Twilight. “Twilight, I have a question.” “What is it Rarity?” “It’s about Fletch. In the maze… in the maze, I could have left him. I wanted to leave him. I almost did. I wanted him to pay for everything he’d done.” “But you saved him.” “I did. Even if it meant giving my life, I knew I couldn’t leave him to die.” “So, what’s your question?” Rarity sipped her tea, and then placed the cup gently down on the saucer. “What is generosity? I give everything I can, whenever I can. I would have given my life to save Fletch, but would that not have, in reality, been extremely selfish? I would have left all of you behind, Sweetie Belle on her own, all to save someone who probably didn’t deserve it. “And all these problems stemmed from me wanting to make money for Sweetie, to make her dreams come true and to make everyone proud of me. If I were less generous, would we have had no issues at all? Would I not even have considered his offer?” Twilight looked slightly stunned. “You mean you planned to use those dragon scales… for Sweetie? For us?” Rarity nodded. Twilight continued her voice quiet. “Not for yourself.” She looked up and met Rarity’s eyes. “Rarity, at the end of the day, the Element of Generosity does not govern everything you do. You can’t expect to give and give forever, and spend every moment trying to work out if what you’re doing is really the most generous thing. “You should have saved Fletch. Not because it was generous of you to do so, to potentially give your life, or anything like that, but because it was the right thing to do. Equally, you shouldn’t have considered his offer, no matter what your intentions. “Rarity, if you girls have taught me anything since I came to Ponyville, it’s that you need to follow your heart. Stop second guessing yourself.” For the third time, there was a long silence. Twilight concentrated on the birds chirping and singing outside, away from the now tense atmosphere. They seemed more real to her. “You’re right, Twilight.” Twilight was brought back to reality. “Hmm?” “About everything. I’m sorry for being so foalish.” She smiled and Twilight smiled back, moving over to her and drawing her into a hug. “Lesson learned?” “Lesson learned,” Rarity replied, “and understood. Do you think everpony else has a crisis of conscious as regularly as we seem to?” Twilight laughed. “Who knows? I think it’s a part of life.” She looked at the clock on the wall. “Come on, Rarity. Pinkie won’t wait forever.” Rarity groaned in an exaggerated manner. “Another party?! I’ve barely recovered from the last one.” The two unicorns left Rarity’s home and set off towards Sugarcube Corner, glad that, even after all that had happened, life was back to normal once more.
