<<>>

"-And that's when I was informed of my sister's kidnapping." Rarity finished, having recounted how she had been notified of her sister's disappearance, all the while beginning to tear up again. Obadiah gave his secretary a nod, watching as she levitated the poor mare a hankerchief to dab away her tears, earning the changeling a soft "thank you" from Rarity as an idea popped into the suited mans mind.

"Have you happened to recieve any sort of ransom letters or threats? Any possible ponies that would want to ruin you in some way?"

Watching the unicorn tuck the hankerchief away...somewhere, Rarity then shook her head as she stared at Obadiah with stained eyes, her mascara beginning to run after all of this emotional build-up.

"While I am part of the clothing business and my work as an Element can occasionally have run-ins with the yearly supervillian or so, I don't think I've made any true enemies of the public eye. Perhaps a noblepony or two jealous of my connections or friendship with Twilight, but not enough to harm my family!"

"Right, should've figured as much. Then this leaves me to handle this from the ground up." Obadiah stated strongly, standing up and glancing to the secretary. "Jitterbug, I've got the Twee-Trio handling the streets at the moment, would you mind pushing back any appointments I have tomorrow? I will be quite busy and won't have time for any distractions."

The changeling pulled out a clip board and scratched out a few lines on the second page, flipping it back down as she threw a grimace Obadiahs way.

"I hope things work out for you sir, because you just canceled a meeting with Hoity Toity...and he's not going to let that go without making a scene of it." Jitterbug informed, magicking away her clipboard as she begins to trot away, taking a moment to bow slightly to Rarity before continuing her trot out the entranceway.

"Well, that's going to bite me later." Obadiah muttered as he returned his focus to Rarity. "Now, It'll take some time for me to get an update from my security detail, in the meantime I'd suggest you go back home for now." Watching as Rarity stood up, Obadiah threw up a hand to stop the mare. "As you stated before, you came to me for my connections with the underground, yes? Then you know that I am about to commit some legally questionable acts to find your sister, and the last thing we need is for you to be dragged into this mess if things go south."

"Obadiah, you can't expect me to sit back and let someone else save my sister for me!" Rarity fired back, refusing to back down as she stepped up to the man, though the effect of doing so was greatly reduced thanks to Obadiah being two heads taller than the mare. "I understand your worried about my reputation, but I assure you that's the last thing on my mind right now."

"Then continue to look for her with your friends then!" Obadiah retorted sharply before pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh as he calmed himself down. "Leave the night searching to me, and make sure to keep your head on straight when in public...I don't want you getting hurt."

Though the last part was a mutter, Rarity picked up on it and backed off a tad, smiling gently at her friend.

"Very well. I'll let the girls know your helping out in the search and to not bother you." Rarity turned to leave but faltered for a moment before turning her head back to Obadiah. "Just...promise me you won't do anything too dangerous? I don't want you getting hurt either, Darling."

Blushing slightly at the realization he had been heard, Obadiah scoffed and turned towards his window, waving the mare off as he put his hands on his hips.

"I'll be fine. Tweed'oh should be downstairs waiting to escort you wherever you need to go to make it back to your place of rest for the night."

Giggling to herself, Rarity turned and walked out of the room, her head held high for the first time in days.

Even with all of his recent success and owning of such a...unique establishment it's good to know that Obadiah hasn't changed that much. Rarity thought to herself with a smile as she made her way downstairs and was met with the same guard from earlier, who gave the unicorn a bow and motioned for her to follow him. For all of his talk about making it big in the world, he really does have a good heart.

And in looking around the casino, Rarity felt her words reaffirmed as her eyes went from both the countless guests at the tables and games to the staff, who were comprised of many different types of creatures. Who knew how many of them faced hardships in Canterlot due to not bing the 'prim and proper' standard the Canterlot elite seemed to uphold, and could now be accepted in a place where no one cares what you are...even if part of it is because they're too busy spending all their money on gambling.

In a weird way of looking at it, Obadiah was simply doing what Rarity had done for him a year ago. Providing a place where creatures of all types could escape judgement from the outside world just long enough to be themsleves, if the smiles on the staff were anything to show for it.

As Rarity was escorted out of the building, Obadiah watched the mare leave from the top of the spiral staircase, leaning on the railing as he stroked a thumb across his chin.

"If I play the cards right, I may just be able to make something more out of this situation than simply saving my friends sister..." Obadiah whispered as he glanced down the hall to his office, his eyes glinting at the sight of the mural that loomed above his place of work. "Of course, I'll need to take measures to ensure Sweetiebelle gets out unscathed, but that shouldn't be too-"

"Sir!"

Jumping slightly, Obadiah nearly leapt off the stairway in shock before turning to face the source of the feminine voice, which met him with a worried looking changeling. Said changeling seemed to had came from the second floor, as she was wearing the type of dress that left little to the imagination.

"What is it?" Obadiah asked tersly, letting his heart slow down as the changeling pointed down to the V.I.P floor with a angry grunt.

"A paying customer is acting out of line and is tormenting one of the newer dancerlings. He's been following her around all night and has spent over two thousand bits to do nothing but turn into the night princess and let him breed her...I fear he may end up scarring the poor girl will be left traumatized if not dealt with."

Running a hand through his hair, he let the changeling lead the way as Obadiah realized he had unintentionally caused this fiasco to go without supervision.

Tweed'oh is usually in charge of second floor security, but with him escorting Rarity I left the V.I.P room without its security chief...no wonder things got out of hand.

Entering the second floor interior, it didn't take much searching to find the rowdy guest, who was now arguing with one of the lesser security guards and causing a scene.

"I paid good hard money to have that bug put on a show for me, and she won't even do that?" It was a unicorn, and one of the older ones in the canterlot noble system. Obadiah recognized the stallion as one of the chief judges in the judicial system for the surrounding area, as he usually handled smaller problems that were deemed unneccesary to trouble the princess over. Though instead of his usual balck robes, the grey stallion bore a white vest and pants that made him seem more like a wedding guest than a casino regular.

"You specifically demanded to engage in unprotected sex with one of our dancers, and considering you've been here before you and I both know that's against the rules...which are literally posted right there!" The security guard, a pegasus by the name Short Fuse, was earning his name tonight as the enraged stallion looked ready to beat down the old judge.

They kept on bickering for a while, going back and forth about what or wasn't said until Short fuse reared back his hoof, only to be stopped as he noticed his boss standing behind him, looming over both ponies with a tired sigh.

"Thank you for doing your job, Fuse." Obadiah stated firmly, leaving the rest unsaid as the pegasus quickly got out of the way, allowing the man to focus on the judge before him. "Judge Gavel...do you want to explain yourself or are you just going to continue to pester my fine workers and waste everyones time?"

The judge shot a glare at Obadiah as he wiped off his robes, letting out a snort as he shook his head.

"Your the owner of this establishment, correct? It makes sense now that such a mediocre business would be run by a foreigner."

Obadiah simply raised an eyebrow at that, though the workers in the room were far more expressive with their thoughts, with the lot of them being mixed between either gasps or angry outcrys from multiple of the changelings dancers.

Great, a crowd is forming. My workers are fine but the judge might get ballsy if he thinks he's the star of the show...hmm? Obadiah is pulled from his thoughts as he notices a glimmer on the base of the unicorn judges horn, something that made his smile grow larger by the second.

"What is such a fine gentlestallion doing at this establishment anyhow? From that ring on your horn I'd wager your a married colt, yes? It would be a shame if your wife were to find out about your late night escapades." Obadiah retorted, leaning down and tapping the judges horn twice before standing up and motioning to the changeling dancer that looked the most disturbed in the crowd. "I assume that's the poor girl you were tormenting, right? Your going to tip her a hundred percent and leave my casino, before I have your married life ruined faster than you'd last in bed."

The Judge gritted his teeth as he took a step back, pointing a hoof at the man.

"Y-You can't prove I was here! Even if you brought it to court there would be no case!" He spat, only to watch as Obadiah pointed at a camera behind his back, placed in the corner of the room so the entire lobby would be visible to its watchful eye.

"I hear it's a new model, enchanted to pick up and record sound...looks like you've got no choice but to pay up." Obadiah snarked back, watching as the Judge begrudgingly began to pull out his bit bag to tip the dancer, allowing Obadiah let the guard handle things to leave the V.I.P floor. Accompanied by a headache due to the compiling annoyances in the night alone, Obadiah entered his with an agitated groan.

"Damn ponies...even when I set up clear rules there's always some sick idiot who tries to do whatever the hell they want." Obadiah muttered as he sat into his cushioned office chair, resting his eyes for only a moment as he began to hear rapid hoofsteps approaching. "If it's not important leave me be, it's been a long day and I'd prefer to enjoy the silence."

Not hearing the ponies leaving, Obadiah opened his eyes somewhat as he recognized the visitors as the other two brothers of the Tweetrio, most likely returning from their trip around the city. Standing up from his chair, Obadiah felt all fatique leave his body as he planted his hands on the table before him.

"Well? Did you find a possible location for where Sweetiebelle is held up? The sooner we nip this in the bud the better, as I have plans coming up that don't need any distractions to pull me from them."

The yellow maned brother spoke first, taking a bite from a donut he pulled from a box on his back as he gave his boss a curt nod.

"Took a bit of door-knocking and a few bribes to some of the night guard that was patrolling, but we managed to narrow it down between the Fleur Estates in the Northside Canterlot and Marchioness Polomares estate in westward Canterlot."

As Tweedum proceeded to eat several more donuts, his blue toned brother continued where he left off.

"While my brother was out property hunting, I dug into our dear clients past a little. While the Element of Generosity has no quarrels or grudges with Madame Fleur, I was able to pick up some juicy details about a certain fashion competition in Manehatten, and how Ms. Belle competed and beat Marchioness Polomare out of a trophy that day...thought that was nearly two years ago."

Looking from Tweedee and his ever-hungry twin, Obadiah pursed his lips in thought as he began to rhythmically rap his knuckles

"Would something so petty drive a mare to such lengths?" Obadiah muttered, a frown etching across his face as he glanced at Tweedee once more. "Any idea on what happened to her after that? Some sort of fallout?"

"Actually, there was something of note." The stallion reached into his blazer and pulled out a document, passing it to Obadiah as he continued. "After meeting with my brother and obtaining the loaction of Polomares home, I snuck into the Marchioness' estate and found that she was in the running with a very big opportunity for a fashion industry in Manehatten among the elites, and that show was her fee of admittance. Losing to Ms. Rarity meant that she lost all sponsors for her company there, meanwhile the Element bearer found herself with several new buyers from out of town."

Obadiah glanced down at the document, glancing it over as Polomare's motive for revenge began to be clearer.

_________________________________
Marchioness Polomare,

We regret to inform you that we have caught wind of your failure at Fashion Week. Not only did you fail, but you tried to pawn off anothers work as your own, and have brought shame to the fashion industry as a whole. As such, we will be backing out of any deals we made in the efforts of making your name known in either this city or any other. However, in thanks for bringing to our attention a pony with actual talent in the craft, we will not take any action against you and will allow you to keep your title with our Canterlot Division.

-E.C.I
_________________________________

"While this helps us get a possible person of interest, this doesn't answer my previous question...where is Raritys sister?" Obadiah states, placing the document in the shredder beneath his desk as he turns his attention to tweedum, who had finally finished eating through a whole box of donuts. "Any land or buildings owned by Polomare?"

The brothers glanced at each other for a moment, uncertainty in their eyes as they looked back to their boss.

"Well, we have a solid idea, as Polomare lost most of her fortune to that failure in Manehatten, so she doesn't have many places left in her name. However, it sits close to the castle gates, and any action we take there could potentially alert the guards." Tweedum answered, grimacing slightly as he motioned to the donut box on his back. "You know about Donut Joe, right? Right across the street from him is a run down beauty parlor that is set to be renovated this week. It's empty at the moment due to the construction plans being halted suddenly, so it would make a good spot to hide somepony."

Looking between the brothers Obadiah sighed, standing up and pulling out his revolver as he inspected the shining silver barrel.

"Then I'll go. You two stay back and make sure the security of this place stays tight, we had a situation compromised earlier due to my own oversight, and I'd rather that not happen again."

Looking at the weapon shine in the dimly lit office room, the brothers paled slightly as they gave a swift bow, the blue stallion standing back up quicker as he raised a hoof.

"On that note, Sir. On my way back from the Marchioness Estate, I ran into an old contact of yours. She said she'd be waiting for you next time you were alone outside...figured you'd want a heads up before leaving."

Surppresing a groan, Obadiah put the revolver back inside his suit, giving Tweedee a smile as he moved around the table.

"Thanks for the warning, she probably wants an update on how the rebels from her hive are faring here." Obadiah muttered as he walked past the two brothers, moving quickly as he made his way through the crowds and out the doors of his casino. "Regardless, looks like its time to play hero...if only for a night or two."

Despite his mood, Obadiah felt a smile tug on his lips. Perhaps today would end on a high note after all.

<<>>

"You mean to tell me you and your brothers were homeless?"

Tweed'oh gave Rarity a nod as they walked through the gates of the castle, being let in with barely a glance from the guards. The stallion chalked it up to being in the presence of an Element Bearer and not his rugged looks...though by the glances of some of the guardmares he's been getting after passing them he may just get lucky.

"Yes. After we lost our homes to the Canterlot invasion four years ago, we struggled to make ends meet...until the boss found us attempting to rob a bank he was making a transaction at. Instead of letting us get sentenced, he managed to sweet talk the judge into letting us work our crime off as his lackeys, something about community service to the crown due to his favor with the princess."

Stopping at the front doors of the castle, Rarity turned to the green stallion with a shocked expression, her eyes alight with curiosity in the subject as it was clear to Tweed'oh she hadn't heard about this until now.

"Oh? So Obadiah reforms three ruffians to work for him, and doesn't even mention it in our letters? The cheek of him to not mention such a thing!" The unicorn said in a teasing tone as the palace doors begin to slowly open for the pair, causing the stallion to side eye Rarity.

"On that note, how well acquianted are you with the boss? I've been under his employ for months but I've never seen him take such a personal approach to somepony's situation before you." The stallion remarked, earning a small blush from the mare as she waved him off.

"We are old friends, that's all. When he arrived here I was the one who volunteered to help get him on his hooves, and we ended up becoming close because of it." Rarity explained, her eyes lighting up as she spoke as a recollecting tone danced along her words. "He was always willing to help me out in the store, and was so eager to learn about the business world in Equestria. Why, I've never seen a stallion get so excited about taxes as Obadiah was when he was learning about our nations economical state."

Blinking owlishly at the mare before him, Tweed'oh realized just how important his job was at the moment. If anything bad would've happened to this mare at all during his watch, the boss would've most likely emptied a-

"Rarity! Your back!"

Both ponies turned towards the new voice, and one unicorn smiled widely as her lavender friend made her way over to them.

"Why, Twilight Darling I'm surprised your still up!" Rarity exclaimed as the Alicorn came up and hugged her, allowing Rarity to return te hug briefly before pulling away.

"Considering Sweetiebelle is still missing it doesn't feel right to simply go to sleep, especially with her sister being out and about this late." Twilight answered, getting a sheepish laugh from Rarity as her gaze wandered to the new face alongside her friend. "I don't think we've met, are you a friend of Raritys?"

Shaking his head, Tweed'oh tapped the right side of his blazer, right on the fancy heart stitching placed upon it.

"Afraid not, as I only met the mare today, though I am aware of your exploits as Elements." Tweed'oh answered as he motioned to the unicorn beside him with a hoof. "The boss asked me to escort the lady to her destination, but since your here I doubt my duties are required any further." Turning to Rarity, tweed'oh offered a quick goodbye as he cantered away, leaving the two mares alone at the front doors of the castle.

"Sooooo, who was that?" Twilight asked Rarity, raising an eyebrow at the mare and her lack of reaction to the stallions departure. "I'd crack a joke about him being a coltfriend of yours, but I've known you long enough to know he's not your type."

"The fine fellows name was Tweed'oh, and he works as one of Obadiahs security guards at his casino in Central Canterlot." Rarity asnwered plainly, ignoring the jab as Twilight tilted her head to the side.

"Oh, he works for Obadiah? I wouldn't have gues- wait what!?!" Twilight started off, only to raise her voice as she turned to her best friend. "You actually talked with Obadiah? I haven't been able to reach him for months!"

"Well, after what happened with Starlight I don't blame the poor dear for wanting to put Ponyville behind him" Rarity said, though as she noticed Twilights face fall the mare put a foreleg around her friend. "Cheer up, Darling. What happened that day wasn't your fault. That time spell was unstable enough without Starlight forcing you two to use it over and over. There was bound to be something that slipped through the cracks when you returned."

"That doesn't change the fact that I had a hoof in his arrival here...even if he only seems to want to blame Starlight." Twilight sighed, shaking her head. "I assume you talked to him about Sweetiebelle, right? Did he have any leads or ideas on how to help? He's bound to know the area well since moving here."

Giving the alicorn a nod, Rarity pulled away from Twilight, smiling as she pranced a little in place.

"Obadiah said he might know of a way to figure out where my sister is being held!" Rarity leaned in close, looking around before whispering to Twilight. "Though, I'd appreciate it if you kept this between us for now, as I think some of the rumors we heard about his activites with the underground might be true after all."

Eyes widening at the news, Twilight took a step back in shock as she wondered why Rarity seemed so unaffected by such a thing.

"Rarity, don't tell me he's involved with the crime circles here? They're the same ponies we have under suspicion for kidnapping your sister." Twilight whisper-hissed before face-hooving. "However, with the little luck we are having it actually makes some sense to get some help from someone we can trust who has ties with such things...lets just hope Obadiah doesn't get in over his head, as we both know how he gets when something agitates him."

"Oh relax Darling, Obadiah may get...passionate at times but he does it with a good heart." Rarity affirmed as she turned and began to walk inside. "Now come on, we both need to get some rest, especially if Obadiah finds something that we missed."

Following her friend inside, Twilight pushed down her worries for the situation, deciding to trust Rarity on the matter. After all, Rarity knew Obadiah far more than she did. And if Rarity trusted him, then that was good enough for her.

<<>>

Staring at the very abandoned building, Obadiah's eyes darted from window to window as he looked over the two story beauty parlor. The place had definitely seen better days, as many of the windows were boarded up and had do not disturb signs on them.

"Considering the location and foot traffic, this place could have made hundreds of thousands in sales." Obadiah mused as he glanced behind him at the currently closed donut shop across the stree. "Near the palace? next to a well known food spot in the city? Wonder if I can buy the land from the renovator after all of this is done?"

Putting those thoughts aside for now, Obadiah pulled out his revolver and popped out the cylinder as he began to load the gun with blue bullets from his suit pocket.

"haven't had a chance to try these bad boys...and if the intel I got is good then I just might get my chance."

Finished with loading the revolver and cocking it back into place, Obadiah did a quick function check before moving up to the front door of the parlor. Trying the knob the man frowned as it proved to be locked, though it wasn't too much of a surprise.

"Well, I could break in by breaking the knob but that that runs the risk of any anti theft charms or someone inside hearing me..." Obadiah whispered, sighing as he realized he hadn't thought this through to well. With no other options and his patience running thin, the man raised the butt of his revolver only for a green bolt to strike the door, followed by a click of the lock on the door from within.

Turning around, Obadiah felt a surprised smile grace his features as he was met with the sight of Rarity...only to narrow his eyes as he saw a green gleam in the mares gaze.

"Do you ever get bored doing that whole 'pretend to be someone your victims care about' routine?" Obadiah asked, watching as the mare waltzed up to him and gave him a stink eye as she surrounded herself with a wall of green flame, returning to her regular form.

"Don't be such a party pooper, Obadiah." Chrysalis said, rolling out the 'a' in a husky tone as she ran a hoof down his chest. "All dressed up for me? You shouldn't have...though your ideal location for a date night needs some work."

Batting her hoof away, Obadiah bonked the queens snot with his revolvers butt, forcing a soft sneeze from the changeling and making her back up a bit, rubbing her snoot as she glared daggers at the man before her.

"Not for you, sadly. And I'm not playing your games right now Chrysalis, I'm here to save someone."

"Oh I already know about all that. That guard of yours is quite the looker, and quite the good source of love as well." Chrysalis responded as the man turned away from her and slowly opened the door to the parlor, forcing her to follow behind as she continued to speak in a sharp whisper. "What do you feed those stallions of yours that they can go several rounds with me and not pass out on the street?"

"They get a lot of practice with your 'lings at the casino, so their pretty good at not being too fatigued after a draining." Obadiah whispered back as the two slowly moved around knocked over ponnequins and old clothing. "Say, you can sense emotions, right? Feel any build up of fear nearby that could be radiating off a filly?"

Turning to the changeling behind him, Obadiah was met with glowing green eyes as the Queen glared at him for a second before rolling her eyes.

"I guess I can help you, since you agreed to look after my rebellious children for me." Chrysalis relented, taking a moment to stand up straight and close her eyes as her horn glowed slightly for a second. "The foal your looking for is below us, most likely a cellar of some kind, though she isn't the only one down there." Opening her eyes, the queen jabbed a hoof into the man's chest. "Your lucky your in my good graces, whelp. I wouldn't stoop so low as to help out family of my sworn enemies for just anypony after all!"

Giving the Queen a smile despite her nagging, Obadiah was relieved to know he was in the right spot, even if it meant possible hostiles below.

"Thanks, Chrysalis. I'd recommend you go back to my casino for now though, as I need my focus entirely on saving the kid. We can talk more after all this is handled."

Sighing, the queen turned away and charged her horn before glancing back at Obadiah over her shoulder.

"Fine...don't leave me waiting for too long, Obadiah. We have much to discuss in the coming future."

With a flash of green, Chrysalis was gone, leaving the man alone with a growing sense of worry creeping down his spine.

"Why do I have a feeling that's going to come back and bite me later?" The man whispered, surpressing the urge to shudder as he made his way to the back of the store, noticing a slightly ajar door that lead downwards.

"Ah, just what the doctor ordered."

Opening it enough to where he could slip through, Obadiah began to slowly go down the steps as that lead him through a small corridor that the man had to duck to not slam his head on. Obadiah just about turned the corner when he noticed there was the room ahead had voices coming from it.

"...llsy hiding out in front of the castle? What's the boss thinking these days?" A gruff voice spoke out as Obadiah listened in, straining his hearing to catch what they were saying.

"She's desperate." Another voice, a mare this time, chimed in. "Can't get over some big loss in the past, and now has us babysitting while she drafts up some sort of revenge scheme...why not figure all that out before having us kidnap the filly anywho?"

"Who cares? We're getting paid, right?" The gruff voice responded again with a laugh as Obadiah gripped the handle of his revolver tightly.

Only two then? That makes this easier than I expected...let's see if I can still use this bad boy.

Double-checking his gun, Obadiah nodded once before turning the corner, noticing the two ponies instantly as they saw him appear from the darkness of the hallway he had been in.

The mare, a masked unicorn, was the first to stand up from her chair.

"Hey, who do you-"

Obadiah cut her off with his revolver, firing a shot that hit her square in her chest floof. As soon as the bullet made impact it lodged itself into her body and a blue flash went off, leaving the mare encased in ice.

What the hell? Is she even alive in that block of ice?

"Ooooooh, that's what Flam meant by freeze bullets. Surprised they managed to make something so effective." Obadiah remarked, playing off his shock as the stallion was left staring in fear as he saw his partner frozen in an ice cube. Turning to the intruder the stallion raised his hooves and backed up to the wall, fumbling in his vest pocket with his wing.

"E-Easy now, no need to ice me partner. It's the filly your after right?" The pony pulled a key from his vest with a wing and slowly inched to one of the locked doors on the side of the room and unlocked it, opening it up and showing a sleeping Sweetiebelle within.

Obadiah went to approach the filly, but noticed several purple marks around her body as she slowly began to stir from unconsciousness. Turning to the stallion, Obadiah barely got his shot off in time before the Stallion was able to attempt to stab him from the side with a knife.

"Damn...I can't take my eyes off creeps like that in the future. Any later of a reaction time and I would've been this guys next sliced ham."

Flipping off the frozen pegasus, Obadiah walked up to the doorway and knelt down, softly rubbing Sweetiebelles head as she came to.

"Owwww...O-Obadiah?" The filly whispered, wiping her eyes several times as if she couldn't believe her eyes. "Is that really you? What happened to the bad ponies?"

"They're taking some time to cool off." Obadiah asnwered softly before looking around in her cell, not loking the foul smell that had hit his nose since kneeling down. "They didn't let you leave this room did they?"

Obadiah felt his anger build as he watched the little girl in front of him begin to cry. Standing up, Obadiah grabbed the key the stallion had used from the ground nearby and walked over to the other doors, opening each of the doors and finding a couple of the other kids from Ponyville inside each one.

These must be the other kids Rarity mentioned...looks like I'll have to carry them all out of here.

Realizing he definitely should've came up with a plan before doing all of this, Obadiah sighed and began to pick up each foal. Ending with him holding a pony pile in his arms with Sweetiebelle on top of it.

Said filly was looking up at him with those big eyes of hers as tears continued to stream down her face.

"Thank you..."She whispered as she leaned her body into Obadiahs chest, making the man stop moving as he looked down at her and the other foals, all of them with varying bruising and marks but alive.

Polomare...you've made an enemy this day.

<<>>

"Our sales have went up by fifteen percent recently, Sir." Jitterbug informed Obadiah as he sat at his desk, looking at the mural above with a smile.

After taking the foals to the palace gates and ensuring the guards would take care of Sweetiebelle and the others, Obadiah had returned to his office and passed out. it had been a long night, and if anypony wanted to reach him they could wait until the next day to do so. However, Obadiah hadn't expected to sleep well into the mid-afternoon, and was being brought up to date by his secretary on the months earnings and what had occured during his rest.

"Really, such a large boost so quickly? Do THAT many ponies like this casino?" Obadiah remarked as he leaned back, keeping his eye on the letter that had been sent to his address. It had been from Rarity, and by the sloppy handwriting and wet stains Obadiah figured it was written in a rush as he could not make head or tails of its contents.

She'll probably be busy making sure Sweetiebelle is alright, that kid needed a doctor bad when I returned her...wonder Rarity will swing by before returning to Ponyville?

Looking to Jitterbug, the man gave the changeling a nod as he opened a side drawer at his desk, pulling out a file labeled Project Chaos.

"Think we can start expanding now? I've accumalated more than enough wealth, and once that rescue last night goes publ-" Obadiah was cut off as two royal guards entered the room, followed by Tweedee and Tweedum.

"Sir, we tried to stop them but they said it was a royal matter!" Tweedee exclaimed, though a waved hand from Obadiah calmed the two of them down as the man stood from his chair.

"Alright, what's up? As you can see, I am a busy man." Obadiah remarked, putting the file back into the cabinet and closing the drawer.

Perhaps another time, then.

The royal guard on the left magicked a letter from somewhere and levitated it to Obadiah, who opened it up and glossed over it.

"The princesses wish to see you, and have requested you come with us to the castle immediately." The guard on the right stated, his tone stating there would be no refusing this offer.

Shrugging, Obadiah closed the letter and walked over to the guards, passing it back with a smile as he motioned for them to move.

"Well, then let's go. I hope that this isn't going to be a waste of my time." As he walked out with the guards, Obadiah looked over his shoulder. "Jitterbug, your in charge."

Jitterbug pumped a hoof in excitement as Obadiah turned his gaze back to the guards, his smile leaving his face as his thoughts returned to the building from last night.

Wonder what the princess plans to do about the situation with the kidnappings? Regardless of what happens though, it seems like I'm due for a new royal favor soon...

Author's Note

Well, that went far longer than I had planned. This had mean to be 2 chapters, but I didn't feel right ending it on the judge section, so I merged them