Applejack checked her watch, noting that she still had a few hours before Applebloom’s school play started, which should give her enough time to finish up with work. Her job was, unorthodox, to say the least, so it was difficult to keep promises like the one she had made to her sister, especially on such short notice. But Applebloom had a way of getting her to say yes, usually against her better judgement, and honestly how could she say no after she'd already let her down so many times.
If there was any part of her job that she despised more than anything (aside from constantly being shot at), it was how often it got between her and her sister. They were all each other had, ever since their grandmother passed and their older brother had moved to live with his wife, so she had something of a soft spot for the youngest Apple. Applebloom could take care of herself and she had a good head on her shoulders, so she didn’t worry about her too much (at least she tried to; the young girl had a way of getting herself into trouble), but that didn’t change the fact that she was still just a kid and like any kid, she wanted her older sister around. But time and again work kept her from being there like she wanted to be.
Applejack did her best, lord knows she did, but inevitably there were missed birthdays and sports games, and all the little things in between. Applebloom hid it pretty well, but Applejack could always see the disappointment in her eyes whenever she had to tell her she couldn't be there this time. So she had promised, sworn up and down that she would make it. Applebloom had looked unsure, which she had every right to, but Applejack had no intentions of letting her down, not this time.
Applejack put that out of her mind for now. She couldn’t dwell too much on her failures as a sister right now, she would save that for after she had finished her current objective.
The voice of her driver brought her out of her reverie. “We’re pulling up now, Agent Orange.”
She groaned internally at the use of her code name, not for the first time lamenting letting it get this far. It had started out as a joke by Rainbow Dash on one of their first missions together, and of course it had tickled the girl pink. Shortly after it had made its way back to HQ, and from there kt had become set in stone, despite her best efforts to quash it. Applejack would bet money Dash had been laughing her ass off alongside mission control when they put together her cover for tonight.
“Thanks,” Applejack said, trying not to grit her teeth too much as she did so, if only for the sake of her poor dentist. She would have preferred to have driven herself, but the organization had insisted on giving her a driver. She might have argued if not for the fact that it played into her cover pretty well.
As the car pulled closer to her destination she took a deep breath and prepared her mind for the task ahead. This part of the job was always the hardest for her and it was no wonder, after all, lying didn’t come naturally to her, but by now she’d had a lot of practice, forced to adapt by the very nature of the job she undertook. That didn’t make it any easier or less distasteful to her. Honesty was a value that she had been raised with and even still, all these years later it was such a core part of her being.
But lying was just another useful tool in the kit of a spy. One that she had learned to use to her benefit. It was going to serve her especially well tonight as she infiltrated the biggest high society event in all of Canterlot.
She adjusted the three-piece black tuxedo (which she had insisted on over the dress they wanted her to wear; she couldn’t stand getting all gussied up, let alone in a dress) and pulled over the mission dossier to check through it one last time.
As she stepped out of the car she took another breath and checked her watch again. This mission was relatively simple so she shouldn’t have any trouble finishing in enough time to make it to the play. Well, as long as nothing went wrong, which was worryingly likely in this business.
The event was a black-tie charity gala that took place annually at the Grand Canterlot Hotel hosted by Fancypants, a well-to-do member of the upper crust who had recently announced his entrance into the city’s mayoral race. Every year the gala attracted the city's most elite and wealthy, along with a number of foreign politicians and dignitaries. However, Applejack was only interested in one of them: a trust-fund kid by the name of Blueblood.
On his own, he wasn’t very remarkable. He spent most of his time in the public eye throwing lavish parties and chasing beautiful women. High society’s most eligible bachelor as he was known in the tabloids.
But it was how his family had made their fortune that had gained the attention of Applejack’s employers and by extension her. Blueblood’s father, Pureblood, had made his reputation as an information broker, and a good one that. He had gotten rich peddling the secrets of governments, major criminal organizations, and everything in between.
However, none of this was of major concern. After all, information brokers were a necessary part of the world of espionage. Information was nothing more than a commodity, black and white on the face of it. But it was one piece of information in particular that had led to Applejack’s presence here tonight.
Intel had been gathered saying that a list containing the names of field operatives for the agency known simply as the Organization, the very same one that Applejack worked for, was going to be sold in a deal overseen by Blueblood, likely an attempt by his father to get his son more involved in the family business.
Applejack had felt no small amount of relief when she had found out that her name wasn’t among those listed. Not for her own sake but because she constantly worried that her life as a spy would eventually put her sister in danger, and she couldn’t live with herself if something happened to her.
But even though she didn’t have any personal stakes in this mission she was no less invested in seeing that list secured and destroyed. The spy game was dangerous and if agents didn’t have each other’s backs then who would?
Unfortunately, things were looking to be more difficult than she had initially hoped. As she stepped into the hotel several armed men that she hazarded to guess weren’t regular members of the security staff. From the way they carried themselves they were probably ex-military turned hired guns. They were all over the intelligence community, she'd even worked with a few herself. They did a good job blending in but Applejack had met enough mercenaries over her career to be able to spot them in a crowd. There were five standing in the foyer, likely even more in the ballroom and guarding Blueblood’s hotel room where the list was probably being kept until the deal.
It wasn’t difficult to figure out where she needed to go. This being Canterlot’s most high-profile event meant that pretty much all regular business had cleared out, not that they could have gotten past the army of paparazzi outside. The main desk was checking invitations and well-dressed attendants were ushering attendees into the main ballroom.
As she stepped closer an attendant held out their hand and Applejack reached into the inner pocket of her jacket to get the invitation they had given her in the dossier. Apparently, her cover, career investor Clementine Orange, had given a sizeable donation in order to secure her place at tonight’s event.
Stepping into the ballroom even Applejack had to admit she was impressed. Beautiful marbled floors and a high mosaiced ceiling reflected the wealth and opulence that had gathered in the room that evening. A band played a selection of classical pieces in the corner as people danced and mingled, servers wielding trays of champagne and finger foods weaving expertly in between them. It was all so lavish, especially to a country girl like her whose idea of a big function involved clearing out the barn and bringing out the nice tablecloth.
Despite the high attendance it wasn’t hard to spot Blueblood at all. He had gathered a small crowd of admirers around him, mostly women, as he disinterestedly took in their attention.
Personally Applejack didn’t get all the hubbub. He was handsome sure, but then again she wasn’t very interested in men in general. He didn't seem to be very charismatic either. Even from across the room the barely masked disdain on his face was apparent. Applejack hated people like that, that thought that everything and everyone was beneath them. She would take no small amount of pleasure, in fucking him over tonight (that sounded a little weird, but the point still stood).
The list was likely somewhere in the room Blueblood was staying, but it wouldn't be a good idea to head straight there. The room was sure to be crawling with guards, so her best bet would be to wait until Blueblood took some evening "company" up there and kicked them out.
Until then she would have to blend in.
“An admirable attempt, but bowties are typically meant to be worn straight, no?”
Ok so maybe thatt wasn't going very well.
Applejack turned to face the new voice and was struck by the sight of the woman in front of her. The first thing that drew her attention was how beautiful she was. Like drop-dead, heart-stopping gorgeous. It normally wasn’t something Applejack paid any mind to, finding the world of attraction and romance unnecessary and complicated, especially in her line of work.
But this woman was undeniably breath-taking, so much so that she stood out in a room full of beautiful people. Applejack noticed a few others glancing in their direction and she was certain they weren’t looking at her, not that she could blame them. The woman was dressed to impress in a shoulderless floor-length dress that did a wonderful job of accentuating her figure, with a long slit that ran up to her hip, showing off even more of her porcelain skin. Purple hair ran over one shoulder in waves and framed a mesmerizing face accentuated even further by the subtle yet expertly done makeup she wore.
Applejack was so caught off guard that it took a moment to register what the woman had said and when she did she glanced down and found that her bowtie was indeed crooked. This is why I hate wearing these darn fancy clothes. It's hard to mess up a damn bolo. She immediately set about trying to fix it when the same voice drew her attention again.
“May I?”
Applejack looked up to see that the unnamed woman had extended her hand in invitation, an amused smirk on her face.
“Well if it won’t be too much of a bother?” Applejack said sheepishly. Internally she was frustrated with herself for being so sloppy. Apparently, this environment was throwing her off more than she had anticipated.
The woman stepped closer and Applejack got a whiff of her perfume. The sweet scent of lavender made her heart flutter and she was sure she was blushing. Thankfully the other woman seemed too focused on fixing the bow tie to notice. Get it together! What are you, a horny teenager?
“By the way, I don’t believe I caught your name,” The woman said, eyes still focused on her task.
“It’s Clementine. Clementine Orange. Yours?” Applejack responded, cringing internally at the ridiculous name. If Dash were here, she was sure she'd be laughing her fool head off.
“You may call me Belle. Now forgive me if this is a little rude, but you don’t seem the type to attend functions like these. You look to be rather out of your element.” She said it with a smirk and Applejack could swear that there was a knowing glint in her eyes.
“Am I really that obvious?”
“Oh don’t worry darling, no one else will notice, I just tend to be rather perceptive of these things is all. Like that accent you’re trying so hard to suppress” Belle reassured her.
Applejack was taken aback for a second. Was her attempt to cover her speech that transparent, or was this woman just that good at reading people. “I suppose there’s no use hiding it then, is there?” Applejack said slipping comfortably into her usual southern twang, figuring it wasn’t worth the effort as long as she was just between the two of them.
The way Belle could decipher her so easily was honestly a little disconcerting. In all her time working as a spy she had never encountered anyone who could read her as easily as she had, and Belle was doing so with such ease and charm, all within a few moments of knowing her. She would never admit this, but it was kind of attractive, in a cut-through-the-bullshit kind of way.
“If I may offer some advice?” Belle took a step back, having finished with Applejack’s tie. Applejack found that she missed the closeness, but she tried to push that thought out of her mind. “People tend not to show up to these things alone. The people who attend these functions love to gossip. Between you and I, I’m rather partial to a bit of parlor talk myself.”
“No offense, but am I missing something, or are y’all all on your lonesome too?” Applejack avoided the question, at the same time questioning in her head how someone who must have had suitors tripping over themselves at the chance to be with her was by herself at such a high-profile event.
“Ah, yes. Well the process of getting a place at the gala tonight was rather... hectic, to say the least. It didn't leave much time to find suitable accompaniment." Applejack couldn't help but wonder she meant by that, even more so as Belle's took on a distant and contemplative note.
“My apologies. It's just hard to believe that a gal like you doesn’t have people knockin' down your door at the chance to be on your arm" Applejack said trying her best to sound remorseful, but internally taking delight in the fact that she was apparently single (somehow), not that it benefited her in any way.
“It's quite alright, darling, I did the same myself after all. By the way, you're quite the catch yourself, in my humble opinion.-" At this rate Applejack was sure she was going to overheat. "-Speaking of which, I believe I have a solution to both of our predicaments." Applejack simply raised her brow, waiting for her to continue.
“What I mean is that you seem to be in need of a companion and I find myself in the same boat. Perhaps we could keep each other company?”
Belle smiled seeming pretty pleased with herself and Applejack tried not to read too much into it. She saw no reason not to accept the offer. As long as it helped to maintain her cover and she could keep an eye on Blueblood. It didn’t hurt that she would get to spend some more time with the mysterious and gorgeous woman.
“I’m game if you are,” Applejack said, hoping she didn’t sound too eager at the proposal.
“Wonderful. Then shall we dance?”
Applejack wasn’t really one for formal dancing, tending to feel most at home jumping into the occasional ho-down at a family function, but dancing with Belle just felt so… right. Every movement displayed a level of grace and precision that would put the Organization’s best to shame. It was all Applejack could do to keep up.
For a while, neither of them spoke, instead letting their bodies do the talking. It seemed like everything else just seemed to fade away until it was just the two of them moving in perfect sync. It was all Applejack could do not to lose herself in those sapphire orbs and that ruby red smirk.
Applejack knew the dangers of forming attachments on the job, something she had done well in avoiding until now. But all it had taken was a few words and that piercing gaze that felt as if it could see right through her, to reduce Applejack from a spy to a smitten schoolgirl.
Could this be a-? No no, sure maybe she was a little charmed, but who could blame her. This woman was elegance and grace personified, so absolutely, stunningly gorgeous and if their brief interaction was anything to go by, a wit to match. Besides, they had known each other for less than an hour and she hardly knew anything about her besides her name. But she couldn’t deny the way her cheeks flushed and her heart hammered in her chest every time they pulled close.
So maybe she was attracted to the woman, but it's not like it mattered. At the end of the day, she still had a mission to finish and a promise to keep. Once this night was over she probably wouldn’t see Belle ever again.
Applejack couldn’t help the tinge of disappointment she felt at that thought.
“Is everything alright, darling?” Belle asked, a delicate eyebrow raised in concern. Applejack hadn’t noticed that they had stopped dancing, as lost in her head as she was.
“Am I really that obvious?” Applejack asked and received an amused smirk in response. ”It’s nothin’, don’t worry about it.”
“Come now darling, what are a few worries shared amongst strangers? If nothing else it should help to pass the time and I assure you, you won’t receive any judgment from me” Belle reassured her, and the sincere look in her eyes suggested that she really meant it.
As much as she wanted to, Applejack couldn’t really form any arguments against that. Sure she couldn’t go into any real detail, for obvious reasons ( least of all being that a number of her thoughts involved the woman in question), but it couldn’t hurt to get something off her chest. Applejack had very few people she could confide in, and something about Belle made her feel as if she could open up. Maybe it was just because it felt like Belle could read her so easily already.
“I suppose your right. The truth is it’s my sister, I ain’t really been there for her as much as I should have. My uh, work, keeps me pretty busy so I don’t get to see her as much as I might like to. And she’s a good kid so she’s understanding and she tries not to make a big fuss, but I still feel like a really shitty big sister, y’know?”
“It seems we have something else in common aside from our impeccable sense of fashion.” Applejack rolled her eyes but the comment still earned a small smile from her. “ I too have a younger sister from whom I feel rather estranged. I adore her so much but my job is fairly demanding, and I often fear that she thinks I’m neglecting her. So I can certainly sympathize with feeling like a “shitty big sister.”
“I dunno, I just want to do right by her. After we lost our parents and grandmother, all we had was us and our brother.” Applejack was surprised by how easy it was to talk about her problems to this complete stranger, but it felt strangely right.
“I’m sure your sister understands that you’re trying your best, but it's hard not to feel like you’re not doing enough. But we shouldn’t place unreasonable expectations on ourselves, we’re only human after all” Belle said placing an arm reassuringly on Applejack’s shoulder.
The touch had the opposite effect of comforting her, instead quickening her heart rate and causing her face to flush. If Belle noticed, she ignored it.
“Uh, yeah, Ah guess you’re right. It don’t change the way I feel though.”
“ I can’t blame you, it's not as if I take my own advice anyhow, but do try to chin up, just a little. I wouldn’t want such a handsome face to be marred with worry lines.” Now Applejack was sure she was as red as her namesake.
“Well uh, I uh-”
“You are so adorable, darling. Unfortunately, I must take my leave, duty calls as it were. A shame really, we’d have such fun together. Who knows, maybe we’ll meet again.”
Applejack was about to ask what she meant by that (the duty thing? The fun thing? Both?), but she was cut short when Belle stepped in and planted a kiss on her cheek.
Then she was gone and Applejack was left there standing frozen. She might have stayed like that for who knows how long, but she noticed Blueblood walking towards the ballroom’s exit, presumably taking the tipsy giggling woman hanging off his arm up to his hotel room.
She wanted to linger a little longer on her thoughts about the mysterious woman, savor the way she had made her feel in such a short amount of time, and lament just how brief it was, but her time was fleeting and she had more important things to do.
Without any further pause, Applejack headed off to finish the final preparations for tonight’s mission.
This had to be by far the nicest hotel room Applejack had ever been in, and she’d been in quite a few with how often she’d traveled for work. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t really get to enjoy any of it. It was essentially a glorified storage unit that contained her mission gear and a change of more fitting clothing.
Everything she needed had been placed in a nondescript trunk at the foot of the room’s bed, placed there presumably by someone the organization had sent in advance. Applejack wasted no time in shedding her suit and donning her “work” clothes, a long sleeve turtleneck sweater over which was a tactical vest, black gloves, black cargo pants, and black combat boots. It might have been a little cliche, but it was functional and that was all that really mattered to her. Plus she was just glad to be out of that stuffy suit, she had always been a function over form kind of gal.
Also in the trunk was a simple Glock, which she holstered on her belt behind her, and some climbing equipment, along with a few other tools that might come in handy. Luckily the load for this mission was fairly light. It made sense, all she needed to do was sneak into Blueblood’s room, grab the drive, and get out, hopefully without raising any alarms or anyone even knowing she was there, at least until she was long gone.
After doing a final check over of her equipment Applejack stepped out onto the balcony of her room. The Organization had booked a room that was a few floors above where Blueblood was staying near the top of the hotel. The booking price for a place like this, even for the brief time they would be using it, must have been pretty high, but it would be worth it if she could get that list.
Applejack attached the anchor point to the floor, making sure that it was properly secured with no chance of coming off. It was a long drop and Applejack had no interest in taking the fast way down. Next, she affixed the rope to the anchor and then attached that to the harness making sure that was affixed correctly as well.
After doing a final once-over, Applejack stepped up onto the edge. She supposed she should be more nervous at the prospect of dangling herself off the side of a building on a glorified string, but honestly, she had done far worse at this point.
She checked her watch again. A little over an hour and a half before she had to be at the show, ample time to get this done and over with. A deep breath and Applejack stepped backward off the ledge beginning her descent.
She lowered herself at a steady pace, the harness’ motorized winch doing a good job of holding her weight. It wasn’t long before she was positioned over Blueblood’s balcony. They had made sure to book the room directly above his so it was just a matter of counting the floors.
She lowered herself gently, careful not to make any noise, and then detached herself from the rope. If all went well it should simply be a matter of rappelling back up to her room with the list in hand and everyone none the wiser.
The wall attached to the balcony was all glass, giving her an ample view of the room inside, specifically the sitting room. All the rooms on these top floors were essentially like penthouse suites, with multiple rooms making them feel more like tiny apartments than hotel rooms.
From what she could see the room was dark, which meant that Blueblood was likely… busying himself with his friend from earlier, which was perfect for her. She should be able to search the room uninhibited, and as long as it wasn’t in the bedroom she would be fine. If it was, well then things were sure to get even more complicated. She slid the glass door back smoothly and stepped inside.
The moonlight coming through the balcony window lit the room just enough for Applejack to make her way. She crept around as quickly and quietly as possible, eyes peeled for a briefcase, parcel, or envelope that could contain the drive. She spent around fifteen minutes checking every room except for the bedroom, doing her best to be thorough while moving as fast as possible.
As she came back into the main sitting room empty-handed, she took a moment to pause. Her search had yielded no signs of the drive, and it was looking more and more likely that the worst-case scenario, that it was in the room with Blueblood, was probably true. It wasn’t an impossible situation to deal with, but it would be much messier than was ideal.
Her thoughts were interrupted when a piercing scream erupted from the direction of the bedroom followed by a heavy crash. Immediately Applejack went on alert, her hand reaching behind her to grip her pistol. There was indistinct shouting that sounded like Blueblood pleading with someone, but was hard to make out, that was then cut short as a heavy thud sounded.
It was deathly quiet for a few moments as Applejack deliberated on whether or not to go investigate the sound. Before she could make a decision, a figure emerged from the bedroom, wiping a thin metallic object of what was presumably blood. It glinted ominously in the moonlight.
It was still too dark to make the figure out fully from across the room, but Applejack could tell she was feminine. A sense of familiarity struck her, and a pit formed in her stomach.
“Ah, you’re here? Good I was wondering when you’d show up. Punctuality is important, you know?” The figure stepped forward and her features were illuminated in a soft ethereal glow, and Applejack’s suspicions were confirmed.
“Belle?” Applejack asked, shock evident in her voice. What on earth was going on, why is Belle here? Did she… kill Blueblood? This wasn’t making any sense.
“Your confusion is understandable, but do not worry. I’m simply finishing up that business I mentioned earlier. Speaking of, I assume you’re looking for this, no?” She held up a small object and then tossed it to Applejack.
Despite still being in shock, Applejack still managed to catch it out of the air. Looking it over, she saw that it was indeed the drive she’d been searching for. So it had been with Blueblood. Well that saved her the trouble.
Despite technically completing the mission Applejack couldn’t leave, not with this many questions swirling in her head. “What’s going on? What were you doing in…?” Applejack trailed off, the pieces slowly forming in her mind.
“You’re an assassin, aren’t ya?” Applejack asked, knowing the answer even as she said it.
“Yes, though I prefer to think of myself as more of an independent contractor with expertise in dealing with persons of interests. Not as harsh of a connotation, don’t you agree?” Belle said.
“Belle ain’t even your real name, is it?”
“Well, I could say the same to you, couldn’t I Miss Orange?” “Belle” asked, raising an amused eyebrow.
“How’d y’all even get in here? There are guards covering the front door and I doubt ya came in the same way I did.”
“ A lady mustn’t reveal all their secrets. Suffice it to say I have my ways.” Rarity replied with a sly smile.
"Did you-"
"Kill both of them? No, I simply incapacitated the girl, although she made the quite the racket before I could do it. Which means we're due for some company any moment now."
Before Applejack could form any kind of response, the door burst inward as armed body guards flooded into the room. Without waiting to give any sort of warning they began firing in their direction, forcing them to take cover behind one of the sitting room’s couches. Thankfully the couch was surprisingly sturdy, so it absorbed most of the bullets, but Applejack didn’t imagine that would last for.
“They’re rather ornery, aren’t they?” Belle said.
“Ya think? Ya murdered their boss!” Applejack shouted. This was exactly the sort of thing she'd wanted to avoid. She would be lucky if she made it out of here unscathed, let alone in time for the play.
Applejack began readying her pistol, waiting for them to empty their clips before she would chance returning fire. She had counted five before she had taken cover, which was manageable, she just had to make her shots count.
Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Belle readying another of the weapon she was holding earlier in her other hand. “Are those sewing needles?” Applejack asked incredulously.
“Knitting actually. Custom-made stainless steel, incredibly efficient and deadly, and very easy to conceal as well. Beautiful, no? Now do be a dear and cover me, won’t you?” Without waiting for a response, she reversed her grip on the needles and vaulted over the couch, closing the distance between her and the closest guard in a span of seconds.
Taking advantage of his clear shock, she struck out with one of her needles faster than he could process, stabbing cleanly into his neck. He dropped to the floor dead, likely before he could even fully register what had happened. The rest shook off their surprise and quickly brought their weapons to bear on the assassin.
The grace and poise she had displayed earlier when they danced came out in full force now as she weaved between their shots with deadly confidence, lashing out with the needles with stunning speed and precision. It was as terrifying as it was impressive. Applejack took advantage of the chaos to drop two of the guards as Belle brought down the other two.
Applejack stood up from behind the couch and holstered once she was sure more weren’t coming at least for the time being. She watched as Belle slipped her weapons into a sheath around her thigh that had been previously covered by her dress after flicking them clean of most of the blood. “I reckon the entire hotel must’ve heard that. We don’t have long before more of ‘em come swarmin’ in, then the police after that. I don’t s’pose you’ve got a way out of here, do ya?”
“I’m afraid not darling. I’m in the same boat as you, but I’m sure if we think on our feet we can come up with something. Whatever the case standing around here won't do us any favors.”
Applejack couldn’t argue with that, so after making sure that the drive was safely pocketed she followed Belle into the hallway. They didn’t have many options, all of the likely ways down were probably being covered by guards. Applejack began racking her brain trying to visualize the layout of the hotel, hoping to recall some alternate passageway when a nagging thought interrupted her.
“Can I ask y’all something?” Applejack turned to the woman beside her as they quickly rounded a corner.
“I don’t see why not. What better time than when our lives are in danger to get those pressing questions out of the way?” Applejack rolled her eyes at the woman’s sarcasm, but continued anyway.
“Who hired ya? The information on that drive is worth a fortune, so I can’t understand why ya wouldn’t just bring it back to whoever’s paying ya. And for that matter, how did you know I was looking for the drive in the first place?”
“Ah, now that I’m afraid I can’t disclose. Client confidentiality and all that, I’m sure you understand. Suffice it to say that they have bigger concerns than making a quick buck. How lucky for you. And as for your second question, I know an Organization agent when I see one, and I had a pretty good idea what was on that list going in.”
“Yeah, well remind me to write your boss a thank you letter” Applejack replied sarcastically before returning her mind to the task of finding an exit. An idea was forming, but it was going to be risky and more than a little dangerous. Before she could relay her thoughts to Belle six more armed guards rounded the corner ahead of them.
“There they are!” One of them shouted, prompting them all to begin shooting in their direction. Applejack rolled behind the nearest corner just in time for the bullets to narrowly miss her. Belle took the opposite approach, lunging into the middle of the group, needles drawn.
She ducked low and stabbed one in the back of the knee before shooting back up and sending another into a wall with a kick, knocking the gun out of his hand. She turned back to the first one and drove a needle through the top of his and then yanked it out and threw it through the eye of another. The guy she had kicked earlier had gotten up and was attempting to grab her from her behind, but she easily danced out of his reach, maneuvering him into a hold of her own and letting his body absorb some of the shots that had been meant for her.
From there, Applejack made quick work of the rest of them, landing a three shots to each of their heads in quick succession. Before long just Applejack and Belle were left standing. Applejack bent down to exchange her spent firearm for one of the ones the guards had been carrying when she was startled by a scream coming off to her side.
“What in tarnation?!” Are ya alright, Belle? Are ya hurt?” Applejack rushed to Belle’s side and began looking for any injuries.
“My dress! There’s blood all over it and it’s going to be impossible to clean and this was my favoooorite!” Belle wailed in distress, a direct contrast to her earlier composed persona.
“Are… are y’all kidding me?! Y’all just tore through a group of guys with a pair of sewing needles and you’re worried about a bit of blood on your dress?” Applejack asked incredulously.
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand, but when one speaks of getting their hand dirty it needn’t be literal. Besides I have somewhere important to be after this and I was hoping to not have to change.” Applejack simply rolled her eyes in response, slightly ashamed that even after that display she was still deeply attracted to the woman.
“Whatever. I got an idea on how to get out of here so just follow me”
“Yes I do believe we overstayed our welcome. Lead the way” Belle said, still dabbing away at the stain with a handkerchief she had produced from… somewhere.
After a couple of minutes of searching, Applejack came across what she was looking for. She recalled that the floor plans that she had studied for the hotel had shown that there used to be a staff elevator that ran through all the floors allowing employees to conveniently conduct business without getting in the way of customers. It had been sealed off maybe a decade ago, but it would be perfect for her needs. It should lead to a staff-only entrance and exit from an abandoned sub-level, one that no one should be expecting them to use.
“I hate to break it to you darling, but that seems to be in non-working order” Belle pointed out, gesturing to a sign next to it that read:
CONDEMNED. NO LONGER IN USE.
Applejack didn’t answer instead grabbing the doors at the seam and beginning to pry them apart. The door was sturdy, as was expected, but after a few moments of straining, they began to slide apart to reveal the empty shaft within. Once she was finished she turned to see a flushed Belle fanning herself.
“That is some impressive upper body strength” Belle said, her eyes focused on Applejack’s arms.
“W-well, growin’ up on a farm will do that to ya, Ah s’pose” Applejack said, feeling a blush forming on her own face.
Belle then shook herself out of her daze, seemingly just beginning to figure out what Applejack’s plan was. “You’re not expecting us to jump down there, are you?” she asked, fixing Applejack with an incredulous stare.
“Well, sorta? Look I was thinking I could use my rappel device to slide us down to the bottom. There should be an exit there that’ll be clear of any guards.” Belle's face became even more skeptical in response. “Look, it’s our best bet unless you have any other ideas?”
Belle didn’t respond for a few moments, clearly weighing the options in her head. In the end however, Applejack was right. This was their best bet, and they were running out of time anyway.
“Fine, but if I die I swear I’m going to haunt you for the rest of your days.”
“Yeah yeah, just come on.” Applejack turned to face the elevator again gesturing for Belle to grab onto her. She complied, wrapping her arms tightly around her neck and Applejack to fight to keep her heart rate down at the other woman’s closeness.
Applejack tensed her legs before leaping towards the nearest cable. She barely managed to grasp it with both hands, the momentum of the jump slamming her painfully into the cable, making her nearly lose her grip. She could feel Belle tighten her hold on her neck even further in response. Already the weight was becoming too much and she could feel her hands beginning to slip.
She let go with one of her hands, feeling the other arm screaming in protest, and began quickly affixing the rappel device to the cable. She fumbled with it for a few moments trying to ignore the strain in her shoulder and the worrying groan of the cable under the weight of two people.
She eventually managed to attach it, and not too soon. She didn’t know how much longer she could have held them up. She started the mechanism and began their steady descent down the elevator shaft. The sound of heavy breathing and the device’s mechanical whir echoed loudly in the emptiness.
Despite going as quickly as she safely could it still took them several minutes to reach the bottom, which made sense with how high up they were. Neither of them said anything as they traversed downward, Belle likely focused on keeping a tight hold on her while Applejack made sure the mechanism didn’t fail and drop them to their deaths. Thankfully the cable held and they reached the bottom safely.
The elevator doors were positioned a few feet above the floor of the shaft, but it was still low enough for Applejack to do the same thing she had before and pry the doors open. She climbed up first and then turned to assist Belle, who was taking great care not to rip or dirty her dress.
It was too dark to see anything at first, but thankfully Applejack had a flashlight with her. The beam’s glow revealed they were in some long-disused hallway. Thick dust had settled onto the floor and a myriad of cobwebs hung in the corners along the ceiling. There was a clear discomfort on Belle’s face, but she remained silent.
Alright, they were in the home stretch, they just needed to find the exit out of here, which shouldn’t be too difficult now that the hard part was over. Applejack decided to just pick a direction and start walking forward, figuring they would find what they were looking for eventually.
As they went they passed a number of rooms ranging from a few storage closets to an old kitchen and what looked to be a breakroom. The hallway twisted into a few mazelike turns which lead to dead ends, causing them to backtrack a few times.
But finally, after ten minutes of searching, they came across what they were looking for, a door with an unlit EXIT sign above it. It opened into a darkened service tunnel, crumbling walls and graffiti showing a lack of maintenance. The tunnel itself was fairly long, Applejack estimated that it spanned maybe a few blocks
“I do hope that this is the right way,” Belle said trepidatiously.
“I think so. Listen, ya can hear the cars above us.” Applejack was right, listening carefully, the sound of traffic could be heard passing overhead.
“Well we should hurry, it would be just our luck for this shoddy place to come crashing down on us before we can make it out.” Applejack couldn’t agree more. She was ready to get this night over with.
Moving quickly they were able to traverse the tunnel in a few minutes, finding another door at the end. This one opened up into a short staircase that ended in another door, this one padlocked, probably to keep out any would-be vandals. Applejack stepped back, gesturing for Belle to do the same, before taking out her pistol and firing at the lock.
The door swung outward into the cool night air. Stepping out it was just as Applejack had suspected. They were standing in an empty, overgrown lot that had probably at some point been used for staff parking a few blocks down from the hotel. Speaking of, the distant sound of sirens could be heard coming from that direction.
“It would seem we made it just in time. A good thing too, I have somewhere I need to be,” Belle said, prompting Applejack to turn and face her. They stood there for a few moments, both waiting for the other to speak and trying to think of something to say themselves. A myriad of conflicting emotions were warring in Applejack’s head, but she knew she had to say something. She couldn’t leave on an empty note, not when she wasn’t likely to see her again.
Before she could come up with anything Belle closed the distance between them and pressed their lips together. The kiss lasted for less than a minute, but Applejack could feel her heart doing backflips in her chest and she was sure that any minute steam would start pouring out of her ears.
“W-what was that for? Not that I'm complaining or nothing, I jus-” Applejack’s rambling was silenced as Belle placed a delicate finger on her lips, her face adorned in a smirk. Applejack could feel herself heating up even further at the touch.
“Think of it as a thank you for getting us out of there. I’m not sure what I would have done had you not been there, although I suspect it might have been fairly messy. Plus you’re rather adorable and I admit I’ve been wanting to do that for a while and I didn’t want to miss my chance.” The hand that had been used to silence moved to gently caress her cheek.
Applejack wanted to say something, maybe a thank you, but she was finding it especially difficult to say anything at the moment.
Mistaking her silence for rejection, Belle became uncharacteristically sheepish. “Forgive me if that was forward. After all, I don’t even know your real name-”
“It’s Applejack.” It came tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop herself, but she couldn’t find it in her to regret it. Her instincts were telling her that she could trust the assassin, as crazy as that sounded, and she was content to follow them. She’d been dogged by paranoia for as long as she had been a spy, so it felt sort of freeing to trust someone for once. She just had to hope she hadn’t made the wrong bet.
Belle looked taken aback for a moment before her expression became more contemplative. Applejack almost felt as if she could see the warring thoughts as they clashed in her head. A few beats passed and then her expression took on a determined edge as she looked Applejack in the eye.
“My name is Rarity. A pleasure to make your acquaintance” she said, with such sincerity and conviction that Applejack had no doubt that it was the truth. It didn’t hurt that she had a pretty good barometer for honesty, her earlier inability to discern Rarity’s deception notwithstanding.
Rarity extended her hand, that same determination still on her face. Applejack shook it and was surprised by how strong the grip was from such delicate and soft hands. They released the touch after a final squeeze and Rarity turned to walk away.
She made it a few feet before she looked over her shoulder and spoke. “It’ll be alright, darling.”
At the confusion on Applejack's face, she continued. “Your worries about your sister I mean. You’re a good person. You care, and though that might not feel like much, it means everything. You’ll be there for her when she needs it, and those are the moments that count.”
“How do you know that? That I’m a good person?” Applejack asked. How could she be when she was here instead of where she had promised to be, on the verge of letting her sister down yet again.
Rarity simply smiled and said, “I just have a feeling, as cliche as that sounds. For one thing, you seemed pretty concerned for her tonight. In this line of work, people tend to be absorbed in the preservation of the self, understandably so. But it tends to mean that they neglect the relationships they have with those close to them. The rare few like yourself tend to stand out. In a good way, in my opinion.”
Applejack felt a smile form at the sincere words, spoken so matter-of-factly and without hesitation. She hoped that she could live up to them, if only for the sake of Applebloom.
“The same to you. If you ask me, your little sister has a pretty great older sibling, even if she’s kind of terrifying.” They both let out a small laugh at that.
“Take care of yourself, darling.”
“You too, sugarcube.” And then she was gone, disappearing around the corner out of Applejack’s sight.
The urge to follow her, to take her by the hand, lead her away, and then figure things out from there welled within her. She quelled it with no small amount of regret. They had spent a relatively brief amount of time together, but Applejack knew she would be missing Rarity for a while after tonight. But attachments were dangerous for a spy, even ones to sexy, mysterious assassins, and she had to put her sister first, even as her heart yearned for the only romantic connection she had felt, as short and fledgling as it was, in a long time.
Speaking of which… Fuck! The play! She scrambled to check her watch and felt herself panic when she saw the time. She was definitely going to be late, but she could still make it if she rushed. It was for the best that she not linger here for too long anyway.
She jogged in the opposite direction of the way Rarity had gone but still away from the hotel. The Organization had arranged to leave her a car a few blocks from the Grand Canterlot. It wasn’t hard to find; it was parked exactly where she had been told, undisturbed in an alleyway a few streets over.
Before she got in she fished the drive out of her pocket. She threw it on the ground as hard as she could and forcefully brought her foot down on it for good measure. She checked to make sure that it had been thoroughly destroyed, then grabbed the key fob gas tank’s cover.
Climbing into the car, she checked around finding a burner phone in the glove compartment. She shot off a quick message to the phone’s only contact, a few keywords to let her employers know that the mission had been completed. Then she disassembled it, snapped the sim card, and tossed it out the window.
With that taken care of, she wasted no time in starting the car and peeling out of the alley, going just fast enough that she wouldn’t attract the attention of any opportunistic traffic cops.
She made it.
It had taken a fair amount of “legal” speeding and the fastest clothes change she had ever performed in her life, but she managed to arrive only fifteen minutes past the start. She had to thank mission control. They’d been thoughtful enough to leave her a spare change of clothes in the car. She should get those fellas a gift basket.
She rushed into the school, moving through the halls at a speed just shy of running. She’d only been inside the school a handful of times but she knew the general location of the theater so she didn’t have to do too much searching.
Just as she rounded the corner to the auditorium she froze in her tracks. Standing in front of the doors, paused in the process of pushing them open, stood the last person Applejack had expected to see, wearing an expression of shock that matched exactly how Applejack was feeling internally.
“Rarity?” she asked incredulously. The shock of the situation left her unable to say much else despite the number of questions she was burning to ask. Judging by the look she had on her face, the same was true of Rarity.
“Did you follow me here?” Rarity said, the accusation in her tone setting off a spark of indignation in Applejack.
“I should be asking you that! Right after I told you my name and opened up about my sister, here you are-” and then the pieces clicked in her head and she began laughing uncontrollably. Rarity just looked at her like she was psychotic, not that she could blame her, before realization dawned across her features.
“Our sisters attend the same school, don’t they?” She intoned in a flat voice.
“It seems like it. Ain’t that the mother of all coincidences?” Applejack managed to breathe out in between peals of laughter. And then Rarity joined in, her voice ringing out high and clear like a bell. They managed to calm down after a few moments, but Applejack was still reeling from the absurdity of it all.
“Well, we certainly have much to discuss,” Rarity said, still breathless from earlier.
“Ain’t that the truth. Maybe… we could do it over dinner sometime?” She looked up hopefully at the woman in front of her.
“My, my, are you asking me on a date, Applejack?” Rarity teased, an amused smirk on her face.
“Only if ya want it to be,” Applejack replied earnestly, surprising even herself with her boldness.
Thankfully it didn’t go unappreciated.
A sincere smile crossed Rarity’s face. “That sounds positively lovely darling. For now though, we should head inside. Our sisters are sure to be cross enough with us already, so we shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer.”
Applejack tried to keep her expression cool despite the joy she felt at having her offer accepted. “Yeah, you’re right. Besides, wouldn’t want to miss too much of uh-”
"Hamlet," Rarity offered with a small laugh.
"Yeah I knew that, I was just seeing if you did," Applejack replied, her indignant tone betrayed by the smile on her face.
They slipped into the theater as quietly as they could, finding a pair of seats in the back. As they settled in, Rarity rested her hand on top of Applejack’s, and she was sure the entire room could hear how loud her heart was hammering.
As they sat and watched what was a surprisingly good rendition of Shakespeare’s classic for a middle school production, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had made the right decision. She’d asked an assassin she’d met that same night during a mission on a date. She couldn’t escape the thought that this was sure to end poorly for everyone involved, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.
Her earlier instincts about Rarity being a good person hadn’t faded. And besides, being a spy meant taking risks, so why should she stop now? Applejack wasn’t a very superstitious person, but it felt like fate had given her another chance to try to get a chance to know Rarity better, and she had no interest in passing it up.
Author's Note
Geeze that took longer than I wanted it to, but it's finally done (unless I want to go back and do a few final edits).
I've been keeping up with Spy x Family and the thought of Rarity and Applejack in the place of Yor and Twilight got stuck in my brain so here we are. It was a pretty good excuse to try my hand at writing action and get more practice on the romance side of things. I'm not the most happy with it I could be, but I figure I never really will be so I might as well get it out now instead of letting it rot in my google docs.
I'm going to mark this as complete for now, but I have a few ideas as to how I can continue it if I decide to come back to it later. Let me know if that would be something you'd be interested in seeing.
Be sure to leave a review or any constructive criticism. I really want to improve and those help a lot, along with any grammatical or spelling mistakes I might have missed.
If you want, I have a kofi you can check out here!
