The aroma of cloth and scented candles covered Rarity’s boutique in a smell that she had become more than familiar with over the years she had spent in the dwelling. The outside world was transforming, and Rarity’s boutique walls had always provided her with a comfortable barrier between her and the rapid growth of the world around her. Ponyville was no longer the simple village that she had grown up in. She knew that with time, change was bound to occur, but that didn’t necessarily make it any easier. For now she had time to relax, collect her thoughts, and read up on a good book.
“Eastern Provinces” had been the reading material of Rarity’s interest for the past couple of hours. The east, by far, had remained relatively untouched by whatever urbanization that had found its way into Canterlot, Ponyville, parts of Cloudsdale and several nearby griffon colonies. It wasn’t a matter of resistance so much as it was space. The few settlements that had been confirmed were hundreds of miles away, and provided no immediate resources that would aid the capital or any of its affiliates. Therefore, there had been no real effort to expand outside of the territory that was already available to them. In a way, Rarity envied those settlements. They emulated the simplicity that Ponyville once had. Small family owned businesses had flourished, but had now been replaced by the complex economics of big business. The everyday problems involving friends and family had molded into ones found only in a city that had used massive amounts of magic to encase itself in steel and corporate decisions. Being a high class mare however, she was able to adapt this drastic change rather quickly.
Rarity shut her book and gazed longingly out of the window. Thankfully, despite urbanization, the town still took the environment and the space its inhabitants craved into consideration. The buildings had beautiful white coverings and spacious roads and walkways running between them. Several buildings spewed smoke from tall stacks, but it was quickly filtered by magical cleansing particles that had been spread above them, courtesy of the combined efforts of the unicorns and the pegasi. This helped the city remain relatively clean despite an increase in both urbanization and population. Rarity knew that this was liable to change at any time. The filtration systems and the maintenance of the environmental protection of the city were extremely expensive projects. The only reason they had been able to keep them up as long as they had was due to Ponyville’s close proximity to Canterlot, which, not surprisingly, had become more advanced than Ponyville. The Canterlot Funds and Banking Commission had, at first, been very much for the urbanization of the nearby town, and provided massive sums of money with which to do so. Over time, however, large chucks of the money that had been provided were withdrawn to help with the city’s mountainside expansion.
Canterlot, which before only rested on a portion of the mountain, had become what could only be described as a fortress. Thick walls and imposing buildings encompassed the mountain in three tiers of rings. As expected, each ring was an indication of a separation of class; slums on the Base Ring, middle class on the Artisan Ring, and high society and royalty on the Summit Ring. Security checkpoints and flight patrols prevented anypony from sneaking into higher rings, although there had been reports of individuals accomplishing it in the slums.
Rarity’s friends still, for the most part, resided in Ponyville. Applejack made frequent trips to Appleosa to help with the production and sales of her produce; however, her farm was still the center of her business. Twilight’s library had begun to receive slightly less activity since the electronic boom, but visitors still happened by on occasion. Under special permission from Celestia, Twilight had been allowed to keep the tree library as it was. The City Council had first objected to such a decision, but quickly withdrew this upon realizing that the tree would cost less to keep up with, a win-win situation for both parties. Pinkie Pie and the Cakes had started a party and catering company that frequently addressed the high society parties in Canterlot while Fluttershy’s home had expanded into a full blown pet and wildlife preservation center on the edge of the city. It received many guests each month; some simply came to enjoy the tranquility of the wildlife while others came for the purpose of adoption. Dividing her time between her friends and her job, Rainbow Dash spent time in Cloudsdale as a Junior Speedster flight trainer, although she did work in close association with the Wonderbolts from time to time.
Rarity herself remained the fashion oriented pony she always was. Her clothing empire had skyrocketed amongst big names, particularly in cities like Las Pegasus and Manehatten. The clothing lines had also found their way into the Summit Ring, which accounted for a considerable sum of Rarity’s profits. The popularity hadn’t been without its drawbacks. She was often exhausted and had little time to breathe, much less interact with her friends. She would have been busy at the moment if it weren’t for a cancelation of a large order from Canterlot. It irritated her to no end when customers were fickle with their orders, but the proposition of a break from work was one that could not be overlooked. She would make the absolute best of the time allotted to her before she was once again knee-deep in orders.
Rarity glanced down at the picture of her and her sister from over a year ago. She was an adult now and her talent for singing had molded into a fine career for her. She and Spike had bought a house and lived in the Summit Ring of Canterlot due to Spike’s close connection with the princess. Every once in a while, when time permitted, Sweetie Belle would visit her sister’s shop in Ponyville, much to the fashionista’s delight. Spike on the other hand had the privilege of working in the Castle. His ability to send important documents without the use of a complex mail system was of great use to those who needed to send off sensitive information that had the possibility of being intercepted. With his skill, the letter was sent directly to the individual without the trouble of a middlepony.
The curls in Rarity’s mane bounced lively as she shifted her weight on the couch. The boutique hadn’t changed much over the years and neither had she. She couldn’t be happier about this; she was glad to have her independence in her own workspace, free of hustle and bustle. She hadn’t been entirely resistant to change however. The eloquence of the city had provided her with a grand amount of inspiration with which to continue the fabrication of her artwork. Of course, she never forgot about the diversity of nature that had once danced across Ponyville. This, above all else, gave her the advantage on the fashion market. High society ponies have always been high society ponies, rarely ever stepping outside of their comfort zone to see the naturalistic beauty of the world around them. A shame for them, but it wasn’t any matter to be dwelled upon. After all, she was getting the better end of the deal, was she not? She turned back to the window and sighed.
It’s a gorgeous day outside. I really shouldn’t spend all day in here and waste this opportunity. I think I fancy a walk. Perhaps I’ll stop by the café as well, cup of coffee sounds heavenly.
Rarity lifted herself off of the couch and stretched out her back. She walked ever to her stand and grabbed a light blue scarf as well as her saddlebag. A cup of good coffee was only a few bits, so she was sure she had plenty. She exited the boutique and gave the door a light kick behind her to shut it.
The mare made her way down the street which, thankfully, wasn’t as crowded as she expected it to be. She continued along the walkway until she came to a rather large building with a small café and exterior seating area jetting out from the side. She had always loved this outside area. Looking straight ahead, two large buildings sat resting on either side. Centered between the two was a gorgeous view of the Ponyville Reservoir, which gave the illusion that she was looking out to a vast sparkling blue ocean. Bordering some areas near the reservoir were sections where grass and several trees had been allowed to be grown and maintained, a phenomenal sight.
A waiter quickly addressed Rarity to which she told him of her desire for the “Tall Oaks Special”, a favorite of hers. He quickly returned with the coffee and departed to tend to other patrons, leaving Rarity to enjoy the drink. She levitated the cup to her lips and took slow, calculating sips. She savored the piping hot taste and let it release some of her built up tension. It felt nice to remove the clouded thoughts in her head and relax. She pondered where her next influx of orders would be from. Canterlot was a highly probable candidate. She had been receiving quite a few orders from there recently. The clothing that they wanted tailored was rather, unorthodox, but she didn’t complain. Surprisingly, she had received a bouquet of flowers in the mail, a kind gesture for all her hard work.
“Come one, come all, to see the magic of The Great and Powerful Trixie!”
Rarity froze in place. Had she just heard correctly? Had the winds of Ponyville picked up the sound of arrogance that had mischievously made itself known? No, she had heard it clear as day. Even after all the years that had passed that voice, that name was all too familiar.
Oh no…
It had been years since the blue mare had shown her face in Ponyville, but the last time she had she nearly brought destruction to the peaceful little town with her bragging and false sense of superiority. Two foolish colts had believed that she was capable of handling an Ursa Major, something she had claimed to be able to do. Not surprisingly, it was a lie fabricated for the sole purpose of a direct lift to her ego. When the colts lead the living, breathing celestial form of an Ursa Minor back to Ponyville, she admitted to her inability to deal with the threat, which was left for Twilight to deal with. She ran off shortly after, and never returned.
Until now…
Rarity still wasn’t mentally on the best of terms with the mare, but at the same time she found it difficult to hold a grudge for an incident that occurred years ago. Everypony deserves a second chance, right?
Right?
A small stage was constructed on one of the bordering grassy areas. It looked withered and weak from years of prancing and magic tricks. Parts of the wood and sections of the curtains were scorched black or tattered altogether. The metal on some of her mechanisms showed signs of rust and corrosion. And yet, the mare on the stage? That mare hadn’t changed at all.
“That’s it everypony, gather around now. You won’t want to miss this!”
Ugh, that voice. Like rusty nails on a chalkboard.
Rarity took a final sip of her tea before hoisting herself up and making her way across the street, careful to avoid the trams that ran throughout the city. Her hooves made contact with the soft, authentic grass, and the smell of clean water flooded her body. It made her feel rejuvenated and lighter than the thinnest cloud. That is, until, the stage mare’s chants brought her back to the earth.
“I, The Great and Powerful Trixie, have traveled all across Equestria with my daring and bold feats of magic!”
More like feats of failure, you hazard.
She stood on her back legs and released a barrage of flashy pyrotechnics. Rarity could hear the stage whining as she pranced back and forth, displaying herself like a valuable work of art.
“Believe Trixie when she says that not even the ferociousness and might of an Ursa Major can stand up to her,” she remarked with a sly grin.
How dare her! That- that WENCH! Has she no shame or guilt? Has she no HEART?!
“Lies and deceits!”
The small crowd that had gathered outside of Trixie’s stage swiveled around to the peeving fashionista. She could feel the rising heat burning in her cheeks. Did she really have no heart for those she nearly hurt years ago? Did this not spark some sort of revelation within her to change her deceiving ways? Of course not, her ego was far too large to be affected by matters as trivial as others’ feelings.
“Who dares question The Great and Powerful Trixie’s wondrous talents?”
“Me!” Rarity quickly stepped through the crowd, which slightly parted to make way for her. As she passed by she could see the various faces of confusion printed on the ponies. Some of them made unsure comments about her outburst; others made sly comments about her body.
“How dare you continue to brag after what you nearly did to this town?”
Trixie scanned Rarity’s seemingly unfamiliar face. It wasn’t until a few moments afterwards that her face changed to one of anger, shock, and fear. This was one of the mares present from her last show. But the small town was now a city; what were the odds that they would run into each other again? Good enough, apparently.
“Answer me!”
“That was but a fluke many years ago,” she started, “A fluke in what would have been a glorious show had the purple mare not intervened and ruined everything!”
“You lying coward! Twilight saved your life and the lives of everyone in Ponyville! The very least you owe her is some sense of respect. And yet here you are spreading the same lie to new faces.”
“It was a fluke! Trixie was unprepared when those idiot children had brought the Ursa to the village in the middle of the night! Why not reprimand them for their actions?”
“Because you’re an adult and they were but children!” Rarity felt the urge to deck this mare in the face. Most unladylike.
“So that clears their names, all things considered?” Trixie whirled her head and swooped her hair over one shoulder and chuckled. “Can you answer this question for Trixie? What is it exactly that YOU know about children?”
“I know that they make mistakes.” Rarity seethed.
“Wrong!” Trixie removed her large hat from her head and looked back down at the curly maned mare. “Trixie asked about children, not everypony in existence. Children are fools. The whole lot of them, only they would possess such lacking sense as to bring an Ursa Minor to a rather tired Great and Powerful Trixie. Had Trixie set up the act and had it planned out, the town would have been in no danger. It’s quite simple really.”
“They would have never gone after it had you not been spreading your lies! You don’t know the first thing about children! You don’t know the first thing about kindness!”
Trixie's face twisted and contorted. Rarity had hit a nerve.
“I know more than you’ll ever will about them!”
The stage was illuminated in a bright blue glow as Trixie’s magic came to life. In a quick flash she released the bolt of magic at the lady unicorn. Unprepared for the blast, it struck the ground directly in front of her. The heat scorched the grass and sent the mare it had been intended for, tumbling back. Upon landing on the ground, her own horn discharged a beam of magic, which singed the support beams on the left side of the stage. Before the show mare could react, the delicate framework came crashing down. Large chunks of wood were completely engulfed in behind a smokescreen of dust. The crowd panicked, and put as much distance between them and the stage as they possibly could. Rarity shielded her eyes from the debris and the little clusters of dust that infiltrated her lungs. She wheezed and coughed violently before bringing up a shield around herself. The remaining debris flew harmlessly around her as tiny slivers of wood sprinkled down to the earth. It took a full minute before the air was filtered enough to lower the barrier.
What remained of the stage was a giant pile of wood, metal and chaos. Hardly anything stood in its original form, and the light blue caretaker of it all was nowhere to be found.
“Trixie?”
No response.
“Trixie?” she repeated. Again, no response.
She quickly took off toward the pile and began to pick the mess apart piece by piece with her magic.
“Trixie? Trixie?! Where are you?”
Had she killed her? Was she responsible for her death? She despised the mare but she never wanted her dead. The further she continued to dig without finding her, the more erratic she became.
“Trixie! Answer me!”
“Please…help…me.”
Rarity spun in circles, attempting to locate the source of the voice. The anger that she had been feeling not moments ago had all but disappeared entirely, replaced with the feeling of great concern and sympathy, like a mother looking after her injured child.
“Trixie, I need you to keep talking for me sweetheart.”
Rarity mentally cringed at her use of the word ‘sweetheart’. Her motherly instinct had clouded her previous disposition to the mare. At the moment, her safety was all that mattered.
“I’m- I’m over-”
Rarity could hear the voice being drowned out by what sounded like small gurgles. She lifted pile after pile until she spotted Trixie’s abdomen. She began to clear off the debris, only to almost wish moments later that she hadn’t.
Trixie was going to die. There was no question about it. A broken plank of wood was dug into her body, surrounded by smaller slivers that had gone past her fur and into the skin. Her face and mouth were badly bloodied and every time she opened her mouth to breath, a small river of blood would fall down the side of her face. Tears matted her fur down as they slowly meandered back and forth.
“Trixie, listen to me. I need you to stay calm and keep your eyes on me, okay? Can you do that for me?” she asked as she began carefully uncovering the rest of Trixie’s body.
“Help…me.” Tears were streaming down her scared and bloody face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t want to die.” Blood once again filled her mouth, causing her to gurgle and silencing her pleas. Rarity wasn’t a nurse or a doctor; she was a fashion designer with next to no medical experience. So she did the only thing that made sense at the time. She lied.
“You’re going to be fine.”
More silent tears made their way down Trixie’s face. She was giving up. Her body was becoming limper by the second. With as much grace as she could possibly muster, Rarity levitated Trixie, plank and all, off of the ground and into the air. The blue mare’s eyes shut, and the panicked gurgling had ceased altogether.
The bystanders, who had now deemed the area somewhat safe, began to make their way back to the remains. Gasps and horrified screams erupted when Trixie’s body came into sight. Rarity turned to them, angered that no one had run off to get help yet.
“Why are you all still here? Go! Go get help!” A few complied with her orders, but many stayed and watched the two mares, scared yet sickeningly curious to get a better look at Trixie’s body. Enraged and judgment clouded, she took off, carrying Trixie with her. She had been silent for almost three minutes, and Rarity was beginning to fear the worse.
“Just stay with me sweetheart. I’m going to get you somewhere safe, I promise, just stay with me!”
There was no mental cringed this time at the use of the word ‘sweetheart’. There was only the mental panic that Trixie was going to slip away from life at any second. Cast into the unknown with Rarity at the helm of her demise.
Don’t you dare die on me. Do you understand? Don’t you dare die on me!
Time was of the essence.
Rarity had chosen to bring Trixie to the hospital herself rather than wait for help to arrive. The building itself wasn’t very far away, but by the time somepony had arrived, she would be long dead. Even now, Rarity was anything but certain that the mare would survive.
She didn’t dare touch the protruding piece of wood in Trixie’s stomach. It was undoubtedly stopping her from bleeding to death, but just barely. The blue mare’s icy hair swayed back and forth as Rarity’s magical aura kept her evenly off of the ground. She was beginning to look pale from blood loss; the light blue in her coat was being replaced by a faded ghostly white hue. It wouldn’t be long now.
The weight of Trixie’s body was beginning to take its toll. The aura surrounding the frail form was starting to gradually fade, causing the bloodied mare to slowly descend to the ground. A massive headache set on, urging Rarity to drop Trixie in favor of a brief moment of rest. Sweat trickled down the fur on her face, providing her with a cooling sensation that did little to alleviate that growing pain in her head.
I could just leave her, right here on the road. What has she ever do- no NO! She needs my help! She may not be the greatest mare in Equestria, not by a long shot, but she doesn’t deserve to die like this. I’m the Element of Generosity, and I’d better start acting like it!
With newfound strength, Rarity hoisted Trixie back into the air, and quickened her pace. She rounded the next corner where the hospital finally came into view. From where she was, it was a straight shot to the building.
And then it hit her, hard; in the back of the head to be precise.
Rarity could feel herself tumble forward as her face came in quick, hard contact with the ground. The concentrated magic keeping Trixie suspended in the air was broken, leaving her at the mercy of gravity. Before she could crash land into the pavement, a swift pair of hooves stole her from the air’s grasp. The white mare could only watch as her vision melded and twisted in on itself; strands her thick mane drooped uselessly in front of her eyes, only serving to further obscure the assailant. She could barely make out two figures; one of them held Trixie in outstretched hooves, the other took her in a magical embrace, which allowed the first to drop down on all fours. With a free range of motion, the pony extended a pair wings, silhouetted by the sun. The pegasus was first to speak.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?”
“She’s suffered a lot of blood loss, but she’ll make it.”
“I wasn’t talking about her.”
She heard the unicorn scoff before looking up at the sky. A large oval shaped shadow blanketed the area, shrouding them in a translucent darkness. She could faintly hear an engine above, but her consciousness was slowly slipping away. Her eyes fluttered shut; emptiness encased her mind.
Rarity opened her eyes and found herself in a large and comfortable burgundy bed. She ran her hoof across the silk bed sheets, slowly gliding it across before it hid itself within the fine folded fabric. She threw her hooves out to her sides and stretched out the sore mess in her back. With sleepy eyes she began to quickly scan the lavish room where her eyes spotted a form under the covers next to her. She pulled the blanket back slightly to reveal Trixie face sleeping soundly. Upon a push from Rarity, she stirred, lazily opened her eyes, and smiled sweetly at the mare.
“Hello, love.” Her half lidded eyes matched her sultry voice as she planted a small kiss on Rarity’s forehead. She could feel the heat rise in her cheeks. The look of shock remained imprinted on her face.
She…kissed me? Why would she ki- love? Did she call me l- where in the hell am I?!
Her head started to throb. Too much was happening and she hadn’t been given enough time to comprehend it all. She let her head fall back down to the pillow. Her coat was crawling. She didn’t need any measure of Pinkie Sense to tell that something was very wrong. Despite the various pieces of furniture that added to the overall luxurious feel of the room, there was a horrid smell lingering in the air. As the rancid stench became too much to bear, Rarity threw a hoof over her nose to prevent herself from puking. Her eyes went wide, and she was beginning to believe that she might collapse at any given moment.
“What’s wrong dear?” Trixie cooed; a twisted smile spread across her face.” You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Trixie wrenched the covers from her body, revealing a decaying hole in her chest, complimented by the same wooden board that Rarity had refused to remove. The aforementioned stench had increased tenfold, and the sight of the wound had prompted Rarity’s eyes to flutter on the border of consciousness. Trixie grabbed the sides of the white mare’s head and emitted a sinisterly low growl from deep within her bloodied diaphragm.
“LOOK AT ME WHEN YOU’RE KILLING ME!”
But Rarity’s mind was having none of it. It turned in on itself in an attempt to be sheltered from the grizzly scene. Her head fell back and sunk into the silk pillows.
“No! Goddess no! Please!” Rarity tossed her hooves relentlessly back and forth, only to meet resistance from a thin sheet that had been laid around her body. She could hear voices surrounding her, but they were drowned out by a high pitched ringing that echoed relentlessly in her ears. She felt distant from the world, ensnared by her blurry white vision and slightly constricted movements. It wasn’t until she fully came to that she realized that she was in no true danger.
“Nugh... Twilight?”
“Rarity!” she exclaimed, “Thank goodness you’re okay! For a second there I thought you were going to clobber Applejack on the head.”
“And she almost did,” Applejack said as she straightened the stetson that casually rested atop her head. “For a fashion pony you sure do have some quick hooves.”
“Come now dear Applejack, you should know by now that simply because one is a lady that-” she quickly silenced herself and scanned lounge room of the library intensely. Her scan quickly became a panicked search as she realized that the injured blue mare was no longer in sight.
“Where is she?! Where’s Trixie?!”
“Trixie? Ya mean that rotten pony from a few years back? We haven’t seen her in ages sugarcube. Now as fortunate as that is, ah think you might have hit your head harder than ya think. You should lay back and rest,” she prodded.
“No no! She needs medical assistance! She’s dying!” Without waiting for an invitation, she quickly threw the sheet off of her and began to make her way to the front door, only to be stopped by the throbbing pain in her skull.
“Whoa whoa, easy now,” Twilight was quick in running over to Rarity and offering her body as support. “Come back over to the couch. If Trixie really is in trouble, then she is going to need able bodied ponies to get her to safety, and you’re in no condition to go out right now.”
Deciding that she wasn’t going to win this argument, Rarity leaned on the librarian for support and let herself be carried back to the couch. Once she was comfortable, the two other mares once again encircled her.
“Alright sugarcube, where did you say Trixie was? If she’s hurt, Twilight and ah will get her to the hospital A.S.A.P.”
Rarity only shook her head and gave the mares a confused look. “She- she was with me? Did you not see her on the ground with a wooden plank jetting from her abdomen?”
“Rare, ah found you alone when ah got off the train from Appaloosa. Well, minus the crowd of ponies surrounding your unconscious body, but alone as in no Trixie.”
Rarity was silent for a moment, before something clicked in the back of her aching mind.
“The kidnappers.”
“Kidnappers? Trixie was kidnapped?” Twilight was becoming increasingly worried for the mare’s well being. Trixie wasn’t her favorite pony in the world but to say that she deserved to die or be kidnapped for what she did was just sick and twisted.
“Yes, they knocked me unconscious and left with her. I would have stopped them but, given the circumstances, I guess I should be counting myself lucky,” she shrugged.
Twilight shifted her weight uneasily, “Is there anything else at all that you can remember? Anything that might give us a clue as to where she might be?”
Rarity slid her hoof under her chin and thought momentarily. “I remember seeing a large shadow passing overhead right before I lost consciousness. I’m pretty sure I heard an engine too. Perhaps they left on an airship?”
“Well, that doesn’t do us much good. There are thousands of airships all over Equestria. How’re we supposed to pick out just one?” asked Applejack.
The girls went silent. Nopony wanted to admit it, but Applejack was correct. Ponyville and Canterlot were both traffic centers for airships and picking one out of the many would be a nearly impossible feat. But there had to be something missing. Something they could use to weed out the suspect ship from the dummies.
“What about the Infraction Achieves?” Twilight offered.
Rarity hesitated. “Forgive me Twilight, but I’m afraid I don’t follow.”
“I remember Rainbow Dash telling me about a giant database used to track any infractions committed on a specific aircraft. Maybe we can use this to our advantage.”
“You think they’d have Trixie’s kidnapping on file?”
Twilight shook her head. “I doubt it, but there are very strict limitations on the altitude at which airships can travel around Ponyville, a height of 500 ponylengths above the tallest building except in landing zones. If Rarity was able to hear the engine-”
“It might have been close enough to the ground to warrant an infraction.”
“Bingo.”
Applejack sprung up and smiled with newfound glory, “Well what’re we waitin’ on then? Let’s get down there! Erm, where…is it exactly?”
Twilight took a moment to rub her temple with her hoof. She looked exhausted, even more so than Rarity. “If memory serves, it’s in the Virtuoso District, near the Constable’s Station. It’s a public office so we shouldn’t have any trouble getting in.”
Rarity walked over to the door and kept it held open with her flank. She turned back to her two friends and gave a weak smile. The outside breeze was nice but it did little to remedy the pain swimming around in her head. She pushed on regardless.
“Well ladies, shall we?”
The Virtuoso was, by far, the single wealthiest district in Ponyville. Containing nearly all of the government buildings, it held quite a bit of historical significance, including the site of Ponyville’s original town hall. The building had since been dismantled, and in its place stood the Gubernatorial House, which in turn would report directly to the Senate located in the heart Canterlot. As the three mares walked deeper into the district, the buildings became increasing more impressive. Intricate designs and murals decorated the outsides of offices and higher society residential homes. The Scholar District could be seen from across the main roadway toward the east, and the Apothecary District to the west.
The Constable’s Station, the girls’ landmark of choice, was positioned toward the northern most end of the Virtuoso. It wasn’t a particularly grand establishment, but it was significant enough to be identified, and therefore, provided a means to locate the Infraction Archives, an even smaller and less impressive building. Rarity took the lead, eager to begin the search for the attackers’ ship, and unlike many other places in the elite district, they were not stopped for identification upon entering the building.
The inside of the Archives closely resembled a library, with its walls being lined floor to ceiling with shelves packed with important folders and documents. The space was divided off into sections based off of the distinct classes of the airships. Trafficking ships were typically the ones with the heaviest amount of infractions due to illegal smuggling operations run by underground groups and organizations webbed throughout Canterlot and its subordinate cities. There were the common instances of the smuggling of fuel and occasionally live animals, but Rarity had bone chilling rumor of ponies moving weapons, cadavers, and slaves as well.
Applejack sighed. “Where do we even begin looking for this thing? There must be billions of files here.”
“The records are actually kept in a system separate from these files, which are just for public viewing. There should be a center in the middle of the Archives that will help us limit the search,” Twilight concluded.
The three strolled up to a large, circular station in the middle of the room. A single mare was seated within, entranced by the reading material in front of her. Her light golden mane swooped to one side, hiding half of her face. She only raised her eyes to glance at the visitors, and even then her attention was quickly diverted back to the book.
“Welcome to the Ponyville’s Senatorial Infraction Archives. How can I assist you today?” The mare’s voice was monotone and scripted, but Twilight answered anyway.
“We were wondering if any ships within this area have any altitude infractions within the past 24 hours. It’s of vital importance that we know.”
The mare glanced up once again from her book, and this time, set it aside to pay attention to the girls. “Sure, but may I ask why?”
Twilight sighed, not entirely sure how to approach the question. She decided on blatant honesty. “We have reason to believe this ship was involved with a kidnapping in that time period.”
The mare’s face drooped. She didn’t look angry or saddened, but nervous rather. She shifted her weight in her seat and smiled weakly, trying to nonchalantly to brush her mane out of her face.
“I’m sorry ma’am, but nothing of the sort comes to mind. No ships have reported for any altitude related instances. Now if you’ll kindly show yourselves to the exit-”
“Please!” Rarity stepped forward. “It is essential that we find out who did this. The mare they took, she was dying. She could be dead already!”
The mare scanned the office, pretending not to hear a word of Rarity’s argument. It wasn’t long before she stole a glance at the fashionista. Her head sunk into her lap and she remained in a silence meditative state for several seconds. She eventually raised her head and grabbed a pen and paper with her magic and quickly scribbled something down. Once she was finished, she passed the note down to Rarity, who glanced at it, only to wrinkle her brow in confusion. Three words had been written:
Seascape
Periwinkle
Farid
“I’m sorry ma’am, but how exactly does this help?”
“The airship you are looking for is the Seascape. It operates in and out of Canterlot on an irregular basis. Periwinkle is my name; you won’t be able to talk to the Family without it.”
“The…Family?”
"Talk to the Saddle Arabian, Farid. You’ll find him in Canterlot’s Base Ring, in Freedom Plaza.”
“Wait!” Applejack interjected. “How do you know the name of the ship and so much about it?! Are you with the kidnappers?” Her voice dropped to a threatening tone, Periwinkle’s however, was extremely businesslike.
“Everything will be explained in Canterlot. I have given you all of the information that I am permitted to.”
With so many curious questions flowing through her mind, Twilight sought to get something answered. “And who is it that is permitting you to give us this information?”
Periwinkle closed her eyes and smiled.
“The Red Queen.”
