Friendship is Deception

By: Your Antagonist (VegaKS03)

Edited by: TheWattsMan & Starwind Dood

Act III: Agents of Disharmony

Chapter 14: And then There Were Two

The lions have fallen; thus, through the streets and sewers we must scurry; considered vermin by those who dwell above and in the open. We’re no threat to them as far as they know. A nuisance? Yes. Irksome? Yes. But certainly not a threat, or so those who live on the surface believe. In the darkness, we regroup, standing united and stronger than before, and together we’ll show them how even the lowly rat can fight.

Somewhere in the busy streets of Canterlot, two frightened mares galloped recklessly through the busy streets, attracting the dismay of crowds

“Fluttershy, keep running! If we slow down she’ll surely catch us as well!”

“I know some very important ponies that owe me big, Fluttershy, and it’s time that I pull in some favors,” Rarity huffed as she picked up her pace, completely oblivious to the difficulties her friend was having maintaining a full gallop pace for such an extended period of duress.

“All right, *huff* but can we slow down?!” Fluttershy felt as though her heart would burst as she gasped for desperately-needed air. Her vision began to blur, and each breath felt like fire in her lungs; a sign that she had overworked her naturally frail frame. “We’ve been *huf* galloping for the *huf* past ten minutes and I— Waugh!” Fluttershy tripped over her hooves and tumbled to the hard ground below, and yet Rarity took note that the pegasus still looked somewhat graceful throughout the ordeal. “I think I need a break.”

With a sigh, Rarity ceased her galloping mid-stride and trotted back to her fallen friend, offering a helping hoof. Fluttershy took it with a sheepish smile, recovering unsteadily to a stand. Rarity grinned weakly at her friend and pondered her situation very carefully. Her next move was vital, and—if not properly calculated—could prove to be her last. What she needed right now was equine resources, more so than what her current companion could contribute. I need somepony who can provide more aid than ...well... Rarity watched with disappointment as Fluttershy was swept away crying and apologizing in a passing crowd of ponies. However the pegasus ended up working for the Apple Family was beyond the fashionista’s comprehension.

Rarity shook her head disapprovingly, while her lips fell into a slight frown. Her expression changed almost instantly when a poster plastered on a nearby wall caught her eye. As she drew closer, the words and the images on the poster became clearer and clearer.

Of course, why didn’t it occur me before?! Vinyl owes me for all of those tacky...ugh... rave outfits she’s freeloaded off me for the past year. I’ll just pay her a visit and pull in a “down payment.” Besides, if there’s anypony who can help right now, it would be her. “Fluttershy, we’re— Fluttershy?” Rarity noted that Fluttershy had mysteriously disappeared and whipped her head around, searching for her fellow element-bearer.

“Rarity, help!”

Of course... Rarity rolled her eyes as she observed Fluttershy, who was presently being swept away by an even thicker crowd of ponies than the last, but fortunately they were headed in the direction Rarity needed to go as well.

Seven years. Seven long, hard years of workin’ my way to the top, makin’ my reputation as the best earth pony hit-stallion in the Crossheart Syndicate. Markus the Meat Grinder, that name used to put fear into the hearts of all those chumps who dared to cross the Godsire. I was the don’s left-hoof colt for cryin’ out loud, and then when the organization collapses, I joins this “Mistress Solaris” dame, and I’ve been reduced to... to... this!

“Okay, you with the stupid face, like, what is this?” The source of these belittlings emanated from a pink filly sporting a diamond tiara that sat atop her white-striped purple mane. The filly presently gestured to a simple bowl of oatmeal resting on a tray next to her on the four-poster style bed she presently lay on.

Okay Markus, calm down, she’s just a kid... I can handle kids. If I can kill five stallions without breakin’ a sweat or battin’ an eye, I can handle a kid. “Look kid—”

“‘Kid’? My name isn’t ‘kid’. I am a big pony and demand to be treated as such.” The filly crossed her forelegs, turning her snout upwards before resuming her reprimand “Now, say it right.”

Markus grit his teeth so hard that a small crunch from his tooth chipping could be heard.You wanna be treated like a big pony, I’ll gut you like a big pony you snotty little—

“Is that how you address your superior, Marco? If you don’t get it right, I’ll tell Octy on you...”

Just suck it up... she’s just a brat... c’mon Markus, you can do this. “Ms. Agent of Cruelty Diamond Tiara,” he managed to spit out through grit teeth.

The filly turned her glare back to Markus and snorted her acknowledgement with a simple but irritated: “What?”

“It’s oatmeal, and your dinner, and I worked really hard on it so, you know, eat it so you can grow up big and, uh, stuff...” Markus, convinced that he’d gotten his point across, breathed a sigh of relief that would find itself facing a premature demise.

Diamond Tiara looked at the dish, then at Markus, and wordlessly slapped the bowl of oatmeal off the table. The stallion watched as five years of refined culinary technique filled with sleepless nights, and twenty-five minutes over a hot stove were sent spilling across the floor splattering across the stallion’s legs in a matter of seconds. “I’m not eating that mud, Marco. Now go out and get me some zap apple jam with sweet bread.”

I spent so long on that oatmeal... I’ve gotten praise from top chefs on that dish...kill... little... brat... no. No, just give the little monster what it wants, kill it later.

“Uh, Marco, did I stutter?”

“I don’t think I stuttered, and if I didn’t stutter, why are you still here?”

“I’m sorry, Marco, but I can’t hear ponies who don’t have zap apple jam. Try again when you have some.” Diamond Tiara waved Markus off with hoof before she rolled over in her bed.

Sinister thoughts rebounded in Markus’ mind before he finally decided to leave after a bout of staring daggers into the small, sleeping lump concealed by a blanket before him. He’d prefer to drive those daggers in by hoof, but that could wait for another day. Right now, he had to find a store in Canterot that still had zap apple jam in stock; the stuff was out of season by three months, after all. Maybe a little time away from this brat will do me some good as well, He mused to himself as he trotted out the door

After having fished Fluttershy from the sea of busy Canterlotians and wandering aimlessly around Canterlot for the better half of an hour, Rarity stood in front of a door bearing the music note insignia of a certain D.J.'s Cutie Mark, a pair of headphones were etched in around the music note, giving off a wreath effect.

Rarity knew what would happen the moment she knocked on this door; the effect would be akin to focusing a pandora’s box on her every pet-peeve. In her mind’s eye, she could already see the mountain of old pizza boxes, old magazines strewn about chaotically, a few roaches and parasprites on the floor to accompany some pulsing mold in a corner, and, to top it off, extraordinary amounts of dust. The very thought sent shivers down her spine, and began eroding her resolve, which, like a phoenix, rose from the ashes when her mind drifted back to the peril her friends were in. No! I will not be dissuaded by some small amount of dirt. The lives of my friends depend on this, and if I must trudge through Vinyl’s pigsty of a house, then so be it.

Rarity faced the door with a look of iron-willed determination in her eyes. Tensing her hoof, she brought it down with the force of a queen, three times in succession, and stood her ground. She was adamant, unshakable, unmoving like a mountain as she heard hoof-falls drawing nearer with each passing second. As the door handle turned, the fashionista swallowed a lump in her throat and clenched her eyes, expecting the absolute worst sins of the world to come pouring through that door and destroy her sense of smell. The door crept slowly open, inch by inch, and the tension was beginning to kill Rarity. Can’t...handle...it... Rarity fainted and collapsed on the doorstep as the scent of the dwelling slithered towards her nostrils like the hypnotic movements of an asp, slowly enveloping her in a scent only fit for hell itself. As it turns out, hell smells like lemon and vanilla leaf extract.

“Who the buck knocked? How many cacti must I throw before you get it through your thick skulls that I ain’t payin’ for your crappy filly-scout cookies— Oh, what’s up, Rarity?” called a tomboyish voice from the doorway. Rarity recovered to the voice and likeness of the one and only Vinyl Scratch levitating a cereal bowl before herself. Vinyl levitated a spoonful of cereal towards her mouth as she watched as Rarity recover from her earlier prat-fall.

“Oh, Vinyl, how good to see you. You see, something has come up, and I need to pull in a favor since, you know: you owe me so many bits I practically own you.”

Vinyl chewed the mouthful of cereal in an amused fashion as she watched a particularly hot pink maned, yellow pegasus stumble out from behind Rarity, drawing closer while mumbling something only a dog could make out. “.................................... I hope we can be friends...” muttered the unfamiliar pony before Vinyl.

“Vinyl, this is Fluttershy, and I’m afraid that’s all the time we have for introductions at the moment, something terrible, no, catastrophically awful, neigh, abysmally abhorable, n—”

“Rarity, I get it. You and your mare-friend here are having a little trouble in the boudoirs, and you decided that the only way to solve this issue is to get a little Vinagé à trois* action right? Fortunately for you and especially you, mon cheri,” Vinyl took the opportunity to cast a crimson-eyed wink at Fluttershy, “you’ve come to the right place. Please, come in.” Vinyl motioned behind herself with a forehoof, inviting the pair into her apartment.

Rarity rolled her eyes and nudged Fluttershy to start moving into the house following suit shortly after. Much to her own surprise, the entirety of the single-story apartment looked as though it had been attacked by a detergent-filled hurricane of some sort. Vinyl lead the pair into her living room, which was filled to the brim with all sorts of television sets, linked up to several desktop computers that were much smaller and more compact than the ancient apparatuses Twilight kept in the library’s basement back in Ponyville. The only furniture in the room came in the form of a black leather couch and a coffee table with what appeared to be a computer even smaller than the ones strewn about the room. Hmm, that must be one of those “videogame” consoles Sweetie-Belle is always bothering me about. Rarity trotted up to the machine and started gazing about at the various cases and discs that adorned the table. Haylo, Tales of Harmony, Assassin’s Steed... why would anypony bother with such things?

“So, what can good ole’ DJ Pon-3 help you out with, on the slight chance that it might considerably lower my debt?”

“Well Vinyl, I can’t say that it will move you out of the red, but I need your skills as a what was it you called it again... you know the thing you do with computers... what was the name for that again... snacker... jacker.. yes that was it I think.”

Fluttershy spoke up softly to correct her friend “Uh, Rarity, I think what you mean to say is ‘hacker’ which implies that Miss Scratch over here is proficient at finding the weaknesses and backdoors of an otherwise well-guarded computer system... what?” Rarity stared at Fluttershy, somewhat impressed that she knew such information off the top of her head, having lived on the edge of the Everfree Forest without any electricity for the better part of her life.

“Uhhh... right , whatever any of that means... do you think you can help, Vinyl?”

"What do you think I am, a script-filly? Pfftt... Vinyl Scratch makes her own code from Scratch, thank you very much. So, who’s the unlucky chump I’m about to crack like a walnut?" Vinyl asked while taking another bite of her cereal.

Almost immediately Vinyl found out that the bite of cereal she had just trapped in her gluttonous maw would be liberated at a high velocity and on the face of Rarity no less. “Wait, you mean the Princess Celestia, or some other Princess Celestia? because, well, there’s hacking, and then there’s ordering your own execution from the comfort and safety of your own home, which is an option I don’t normally consider to be very good for my life-span. I’m allergic to death you know.”

“And I’m allergic to having unpaid debts, Vinyl. In fact, Fluttershy is the one who diagnosed me with said allergy: what are my symptoms, dear?”

“I think you said... when your allergies act up, the interest rates on the money you’re owed goes up greatly, and eventually dirt starts piling up so high that the poor mule will never be able to dig themself out of the hole that they made... or something like that.”

Vinyl glared daggers at Rarity. “You are just the worst kind of pony, you know that?” the musician hissed.

Rarity smirked and returned fire. “You are just the best kind of debt-monkey, you know that?”

“Rrrrrggg... okay, fine, fine. Can I at least know why I’m about to sign in and sign my life away before-hoof?”

Rarity sighed and recounted the events that transpired at the Castle, from the case she was working on, to the point when Celestia went berzerk and attacked Luna and Twilight, and even giving in to the supposition that the others may have been captured as well. The fashionista finished recounting her tale, and cast her gaze at Vinyl, who responded by charging her horn, triggering every one of the computers and television screens in the room.

“Sounds like a heavy load, Rar’, but don’t you worry: code junky Vinyl Scratch has got your back.”

“Hmmm... let’s just say you won’t be in quite as deep a shade if you can help me out.”

Vinyl shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head slightly as she answered. ‘What choice to I have? What do you need, anyhow?”

“Well, somepony certainly enjoys poking around in the files back at their office, don’t they?”

“Rarity ignored the rhetorical question and continued voicing her request, “How much of your gear do you still have on you?”

“Ha! Please Rarity, do you know how many ponies I’ve got on the inside keeping me up to date? Yeah, I’ve got all kinds of gear, some of it new and some of it old. It’s in the back room; help yourself.”

“Thank you Vinyl, this brings you down to some regular shade of red, but that’s only because I’ve decided to be so generous,” Rarity said as she began trotting towards the backroom of the house.

Rarity shouted from behind the wall to respond “Five thousand bits off your debt Vinyl.” The DJ pumped a victorious hoof in the air at this news. “Now, if you’ll excuse me dear, I’m going to need to find some quality gear in this heap.”

Vinyl was so ecstatic at this new she began singing under her breath in joy
“I owe-less mo-ney! To that stuck-up Ra-Rity! Uhn! I owe less—”

“Yes little cutie, what can I do for you?” Vinyl was now in the process of swinging her arms in conjunction, performing the dance known as “the cabbage patch.”

Vinyl stopped her hooves mid-rotation and sank glumly back into the couch. “Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred bits... *sigh* with a monthly seven percent interest...” Dismally Vinyl levitated the spoon from her cereal bowl towards her mouth and grimaced; the contents of the bowl had turned soggy, just like her short-lived victory.

In the darkened streets of late evening Canterlot, Markus wandered aimlessly, trying to track down a store that still had zap apple jam in stock, as he silently cursed his luck via inner monologue.

Where the buck am I supposed to find this zap apple jam? I’ve been out here for hours lookin’ for this crud. Aggghhh! Why couldn’t that dumb kid just be satisfied with that oatmeal? Buck it.... BUCK IT! No point in gripin’ Markus, just find the jam and be done with her until the ritual... oh buck... I forgot the ritual! That Mistress Solaris broad ain’t gonna be too pleased if I come in late. Better hurry this up then— The sound of shattering glass from a nearby alleyway broke his train of thought.

What the buck? Markus fixed his eyes on the alleyway, scanning for anything out of place. The noise had put him on edge, and he didn’t want to be taken off-guard by something he couldn’t see. Wait, what’s that? A wad of old newspapers behind a dumpster began shifting and rustling, prompting Markus to spring into action. He galloped into the alleyway shouting and on the offensive “Who’s there huh? Show yaself!” The newspaper rustled one last time, and Markus pounced on it and swatted it to the side, revealing a family of frightened looking rats huddled around each other as they looked up into his face.

“Just some buckin’ rats...” Markus muttered to himself, while raising a hoof and driving it straight down on one of the surlier rodents. “Gettin’ worked up over nothin... better get back to findin’ that brat’s stupid jam before Mistress Solaris kills me... for bein’ so late to the sacrifice ceremony.” Without another word he trotted back to the streets in search of the ever-elusive zap apple jam.

The rats, however, gathered around their fallen brother in a melancholy fashion, locked in some silent, mutually unspoken prayer. The air among the rodents was tense, and full of anger; as much as they wanted to avenge the fallen rat, they knew innately that they didn’t have the means or the numbers to do anything about it. After a moment, one rat stood above the rest, casting a gaze around at the remainder of his family, and shortly after he began sniffing the air. There was a tinge of something unfamiliar in the air, it was a scent not of the city. The aroma was of flowers and spring water, but to the rat it smelled like understanding and patience. Without another moment of hesitation, the rat raced through the city to find the source. His family gave chase as well, curious as to what could have set one of their kin off like such.

“—and that is kit number six. All done! I better see if Vinyl has made any headway with her search.” Rarity said to nopony in particular as she completed her raid of Vinyl’s equipment cache. She took great care in preparing each of the tactical kits for herself, Fluttershy and the others, taking into account their unique modi operandi*. Fortunately, Vinyl was up-to-date and overstocked with most of her gear, which allowed Rarity to construct each kit in a timely fashion.

Twilight worked simply and relied on her magic to handle operations, so Rarity prepared a medium-weight tactical vest with dragon-scale plating, with two daggers as offensive weaponry.

Rainbow Dash seemed to have a knack for utilizing firearms, even if she claimed to hate them, so in favor of this long-range fighting style, Rarity loaded up a repeating-style ring-trigger rifle, one hoof-pistol, and a couple of particularly odd devices that Rainbow Dash was certain to find a use for: storm clouds preserved in transparent rubber containers. They were beautiful to look at, though they sparked and crackled with electricity every so often. In terms of armor, she picked a kevlar-based pegasus armor with holes for the wings.

For Applejack, Rarity packed with the mindset of a brute and came up with an equipment set that would assist the cow-filly’s melee combat approach: a lightweight tactical vest intended to stop melee weaponry made from that most barbaric of materials: leather, a pair of cleated horseshoes, a lasso, and a new Stetson hat that Vinyl had lying about for some strange reason.

In the interest of Pinkie Pie, Rarity dumped the contents of the wall carrying a plethora of grenades (both tactical and lethal), plastic explosives, mortar rounds and various other explosive devices indiscriminately into a bag, rummaged through some old boxes to find a top-of-the-line stun baton, and lastly a similar vest to the one she found for Applejack.

For Fluttershy, Rarity prepared several empty syringes, a scalpel, various rubbing alcohols, antiseptics, and some vials of morphine and adrenaline. Even if Fluttershy was lacking in combat ability, she had uncanny medical knowledge, and that would certainly find its use during the operation.

As for herself, Rarity liberated the majority of Vinyl’s private gem collection (since by technicality she essentially owned Vinyl and therefore owned these gems by association) to compliment her gem manipulation spells, and outfitted herself with a standard E.I.B. black tactical vest, after stitching her cutie-mark onto the back of it for the sake of standing out amongst the others..

After double checking everything, Rarity concentrated her magic through her horn and focused the surge outwards enveloping four of the bags of equipment, and with another push she cast them into a pocket dimension spell of her own design that she pioneered for her various shopping trips in Manehatten. A spell she dubbed “Hammer Space.” Ahhh.... convenience, I just—

“AUGH! What the- why the- how the- g-g-get them outta here, why are there so many! Shoo, get away, get out of here now!” Vinyl’s screaming had interrupted Rarity’s thoughts, prompting the fashionista into action as she seized the other two kits via telekinesis, and galloped into the room where she’d left Vinyl and Fluttershy.

Aside from Vinyl clinging desperately to a ceiling fan, the room was in the same order as when she left, the soft humming of computers, no over-turned furniture, no broken windows, Fluttershy talking to eight rats in a corner of the room. Rats? Rarity trotted closer to her friend picking up on bits and pieces of the conversation between Fluttershy and the rodents.

“Oh, that’s just awful Mr. Rat, I’m sorry for your loss, but I just don’t know how I can help.”
“Squeak squeak squeak squeak,” replied the rat.

“Well, that’s an awful good description of who did it, Mr.Rat, and I’d love to help you, but our friends are in danger and we need to find them before anything bad happens to them. I hope you understand.”

“Squeak, squeak, squeak,squeak, squeak.”

“Ohhh... all right, but I can’t promise we’ll be able to do anything about it right now.”

“Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak.”

“Fluttershy dear, what could possibly possess you to carry a conversation with a,” Rarity grimaced to show her visual disgust before uttering the last word of her inquiry, “rat?”

“Well, umm... he says that one of his brothers was killed earlier tonight by a pony with a sun-brand over his cutie mark, and that the murderer was talking about some sacrifice ceremony being held by a Mistress Solaris. I don’t know what that has to do with us though.”

“Wait a minute, did you just say Mistress Solaris?” Vinyl called, still gripping the ceiling fan for dear life.

“Because— Waugh!” The ceiling fan gave way under Vinyl’s weight and sent the two crashing to the floor below with a nasty “Thud!” sound.

“I- I’m okay... anyhow, I was reading through some e-mails on Celestia’s private server, and that name came up a few times, but I didn’t read anything about a sacrifice ritual.”

Rarity looked at Vinyl, and then at Fluttershy, her mind swimming with possibilities and logical connections as she processed the information she just received and she arrived at a proper plan of action. “Fluttershy, suit up,” she instructed, levitating Fluttershy’s kit over to its owner. “After you’re done, I need you to discern the location of that stallion from those rats.”

Vinyl, I’ll need to keep in constant contact with you, do you remember how to cast and establish a mental link spell?”

“Pffft! That’s foal stuff Rarity,” Vinyl chided as she ignited her horn, an eerie red aura overtaking the medium. Rarity did likewise, and the two touched their horns to each other’s, resulting in a slight rain of purple sparks.

Vinyl, can you hear me?

Loud and clear ,over. Wait, this sounds so cool; I want to try something! DJ PON-3 droppin’ the beat! Unt-tiss, unt-tiss, unt-tiss—

Idiot... Rarity rolled her eyes and she began suiting up in her own kit as well.

*Growl*... It’s not everyday I get to watch two beautiful mares get dressed in my room, I may as well enjoy it... Rarity, are you sure you wouldn’t rather sport a saddle for me instead?

Vinyl dear, with the financial deficit you’re in right now, you couldn’t afford it. Rarity sold that thought with wink and her attention back to Fluttershy who was carrying on a conversation with the family of rats. “Fluttershy, can they help us find our stallion?”

The head rat began tugging Fluttershy’s leg in an urgent fashion while pointing outside frantically. “Yes Rarity, in fact I think they want us to go follow them right now.”

“Are you two sure you don’t want to call any backup from E.I.B. headquarters?”

“What would we tell them? That we’re going to confront the Princess Celestia, who established the organization in the first place, not mention is also the sole and unquestioned monarch presiding over equestria?”

“Touché...” There was a shared silence between the two for a moment, before Rarity broke it.

Keep us informed if you find anything, and keep yourself armed just in case they trace anything back to you, all right?”

“You sounded legitimately concerned for my well-being for a moment there Rarity. Methinks you could possibly have some feelings for the irresistible Vinyl Scratch?” Vinyl prodded with a cocked eyebrow.

Rarity on the other hoof chuckled at Vinyl’s sentiments before responding, “Haha! Oh Vinyl dear, please don’t flatter yourself; I’m simply trying to ensure the well-being of one of my investments. I would hate to be out such a large sum of bits because of some minor inconvenience like your death,” Rarity relied flirtatiously with a wink.

Vinyl stood slack-jawed in disbelief at what she just heard, but was even more dumbfounded by what Rarity did next. The fashionista trotted up to Vinyl and planted a kiss on the DJs cheek before giggling and turning to Fluttershy. “But... I... I... uh... wha-huh?” Vinyl stammered.

“Oh my...” Fluttershy gawked as her face turned a shade of crimson even under her yellow coat.

“You’re one hundred bits deeper in the red for that kiss. Come on Fluttershy, let’s track down that stallion, shall we?” Rarity adorned herself in a cloak from her kit and pulled the hood up over her head.

Futtershy did likewise before replying. “Right.” The timid pegasus turned to the family of rats. “Mr. Rat, can you lead us to the stallion you mentioned?”

The rat nodded ecstatically and led the two mares out of the house and into the darkened streets of Canterlot, leaving behind a very disoriented, confused, and in-debt-for-the-next-five-years computer-savvy DJ behind them.

That little troll of a filly better be happy with this, that zap apple crap was expensive as buck, in addition to being impossible to find. Glancing up a nearby clock tower, he was relieved to find that the time was only 8:20. The ritual started at 10:30 sharp and Mistress Solaris expected all of her subjects to be present; she was even going so far as to have a massive headcount to ensure that all two thousand members of the children of the sun were present.

Thinking of nothing more than the fastest route back to the Colosseum, Markus picked his pace up from a trot to a canter, completely oblivious to the entourage of two cloaked ponies and several rats he had unknowingly acquired in his haste.

I just gotta get that brat fed, and then I can— Markus whipped around quickly, adopting a defensive stance and scanning the streets behind him for the eyes he felt burning into the back of his head. The street was empty save for a few ponies going about their business, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched. After scrutinizing the street for another moment, the most he saw was a few rats that stared at him for a few moments before scurrying into a nearby alleyway.

Agh! Here I am still gettin’ worked up over a couple of rats. I think I’ve been in this business too long. I might need to start lookin’ for another line of work after this ‘Children of the sun’ nonsense is behind me.

Had Markus paid attention to the streets behind himself for a moment longer, he would have noticed a slight silver shimmer under the streets lights. But instead he resumed his canter back to the Colosseum on the outskirts of town.

Rarity and Fluttershy followed the stallion that the rats had led them to, concealed by an illusion-spell conjured by Rarity, and eventually they arrived at the Canterlot Colosseum, which was supposed to be closed for at least another three months until the next Equestria-Wide Iron Pony competition was to be held. Needless to say, something was fishy about this whole ordeal. The pair watched as the stallion they’d been tailing from earlier trotted into the ruins, further confirming that something suspicious was going down.

Vinyl, this is Rarity. I need you to look something up for me.

And what, pray tell, might that be?

I need you to look up the layout of the Canterlot Colosseum to find the most likely place where our friends are being kept.

Got it boss lady, give me a minute... okay, here we go. Huh, hey get this: The building itself is over a thousand years old, and there’s been countless renovations made to it over the years, but everything essentially stayed the same.

And to me that means...?

What it means is that back in old equestria, ponies , gryphons, zebras and the like who were prisoners of war or slaves were destined to fight in the Colosseum, and the place where they kept the prisoners was in some underground dungeon. But they never removed the dungeon in the interest of preserving a historical site. My guess is that your friends are in that dungeon.

That would make sense, thank you Vinyl. How do we get down there though?

Hmmm... can’t find any existing routes on this map... I’ll let you know if I find anything though.

I don’t think that will be necessary Vinyl.

What makes you say that?

Oh, I’ve got this feeling that we’ll be able to find them fairly quick, dear. Rarity cast her gaze over to Fluttershy who was busy conversing with some of the local field mice. “Fluttershy dear, I need you to ask your new friends something, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Oh, sure Rarity, what do you need?”

“Right away Rarity,” Fluttershy said as she turned to face the field mice again. “Ummm, Mr. Mouse, do you know your way around that place over there?” Fluttershy inquired while gesturing to the Colosseum.

“Squeak squeak squeak.”

“Rarity, he says yes and that he also saw a bunch of ponies carrying four ponies that fit our friend’s descriptions. He also says he’ll lead us down there.”

"Ummm..." The two mares shared a moment of awkward silence before Fluttershy broke it and urged the mouse to lead them into the ruins. The mouse took the pair through the lower levels of the structure eventually guiding them into the vast and dark catacombs below. In this cavern, stalagmites hung from the ceiling, while streams of filth and brackish water trailed by unhindered. Rarity focused on her horn and eventually lit up the area around herself and Fluttershy while the mouse continued to press forth in the darkness.

Eventually, the pitch dark of the cave was broken up due to a line of strategically placed lanterns leading to singular well-illuminated door with four stallions standing outside. Almost reflexively, Rarity put up her cloaking spell, encompassing Fluttershy as well, but a voice from the other side of the hall told the unicorn that she had begun casting the spell a little too late. “Well, well, well; it looks as though we have some vermin scurrying about in our labyrinth. Please, there’s no need to hide yourself; we already know you’re here.”

“Tsk...” Begrudgingly, Rarity revoked her illusions and focused her attention on the other side of the hall, as a mare carrying a case in her mouth trotted casually from around the corner, stopping in front of the guards.

The mare dropped the case to the ground and kicked it open before continuing. “Ahhh, if it isn’t the two from the castle earlier today, my master was not at all pleased to when you two escaped from the castle earlier, but fret not, you won’t be giving a repeat performance; not while I’m around.”

“And you are?”

“The Agent of Anguish: Octavia. Please allow me to serenade you on your way to the afterlife.”

Rarity didn’t notice it before, but a filly stood alongside Octavia, a filly she recognized as one of Sweetie Belle’s friends. “What’s this? Has your organization stooped to the level of mere foal-nappers?”

A shrill cackling laughter erupted from the hostile faction but it didn’t come from Octavia or the guards that stood behind her. “Foal-napped? Are you kidding me? Getting foal-napped is for losers like your blank-flank sister! I want to be here!”

“Diamond Tiara, surely you can’t mean that; now come over here to Fluttershy and myself and we’ll make sure you get home safely.”

“Oh, I’m sorry cobbler*, were you addressing moi*? Then you best call me by the title granted to me by Mistress Solaris herself: Agent of Cruelty Diamond Tiara.” Diamond Tiara beamed proudly as informed the lesser knaves who stood slack-jawed at the other side of the cavern. “And there’s no way in hay you two can take Octy; she’s the best!”

Octavia smirked at her partner’s outburst, and reached into her case to pull out her violin. As she rose the violin to her chin and prepared to slide the bow across the strings, an ear piercing shriek echoed throughout the cave causing the musician to drop her instruments and cup her hoofs to her ears. The scream’s point of origin being the pegasus who had said nothing up to this point. “Mr...Mr. Mouse... you... killed... him...”

Fluttershy’s eyes were fixed on small red puddle oozing out from beneath the hooves of one of the guards, and sure enough there was a small pink tail that distinguished itself from the remainder of the puddle. the sight of her murdered friend was enough to trigger some emotions she thought she had put behind her years ago, as an uncontrollable rage over took her, causing the pegasus to shake violently while tears hot tears streamed down her face, staining her fur.

“Honestly, you interrupted my playing over some silly rat? That’s a bit rude, don’t you think?” spat Octavia.

Fluttershy was trembling all over, the whole time never taking her eyes off of the small red puddle on the floor. Rarity placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder to offer some kind of support, but Fluttershy gently pushed it off with her own. “Rarity, get back.”

This took the unicorn off guard,. “Fluttershy, what are you talking abou—”

“I said get back, I don’t want you to get caught up in this...” Fluttershy punctuated her statement by pulling out two of the empty syringes from her tactical vest pockets and began muttering something to herself, “...an air embolism is the result of an air bubble that has traveled through the blood stream via the cardiovascular system, if it reaches the heart or the brain, it can potentially result in heart attack, stroke or death depending on the amount that reaches the targeted area.”

“Fluttershy what are you talking about? We need to figure out how to deal with them!”

“Let’s see what happens when we inject air directly to the brain and the heart,” Fluttershy mumbled while crouching in a predatory stance and stretching her wings.

Rarity blinked in disbelief at what she was hearing and who she was hearing it from, Fluttershy’s voice carried a hint of malice and even murderous intent; two synonyms that, on average, were never used in conjunction with Fluttershy’s name. “Flutte—huh?” In the time it took for Rarity to blink three times Fluttershy had cleared half the distance between herself and the stallion who murdered her mouse friend, the sounds of metal clashing on stone trailing the pegasus with every meter she cleared. Fluttershy paid the sounds behind her no mind as she zipped through the corridor, but Rarity on the other hoof took note of a spear of solid metal that rapidly extended itself upward, glinting in the faint latern-light before retracting itself into the shadows.. This area is full of traps! Small wonder they chose to defend here...

Octavia watched in awe as Fluttershy barreled towards the stallions guarding the door. The musician hadn’t taken into account the fact that, moving quickly enough, somepony could probably outmaneuver the traps, and was further awed as Fluttershy crashed into the door-stallion who wore her mouse friend’s blood on his hoof, and drove both of her syringes downwards through his ears, following up the attack by pounding her hooves on the plungers. The stallion kicked and fought throughout the encounter, but eventually the kicking and screaming turned into a freak spasming seizure as the air bubbles took effect.

Fluttershy removed herself from the dying stallion and glared at the five remaining onlookers as she began to stomp her way forward. One of the guard stallions regained his composure quicker than the rest. “You got lucky, mare! I’ll make you pay for that!” He shouted as he charged recklessly at Fluttershy, rearing up and swinging his his hooves clumsily, trying to hit the mare. Fluttershy swam through his attacks, bobbing and weaving, watching for an opening that came in the form of a clumsily thrown haymaker. Fluttershy enterprised on her opponent’s wide opening by ducking low, reaching into her vest and pulling out another empty syringe which she jammed into his chest cavity around where she estimated his heart to be. The stallion fell to the ground moments later suffering the same fate as his predecessor.

Fluttershy faced the remaining two door stallions and the two agents, rage fueling every fiber of her being as she affixed a cold gaze to the group. She felt powerful in this instance, their frightened gazes fueling the euphoria coursing through her veins. She channeled all of the energy felt at this moment into her eyes and released what her friends had dubbed “The Stare.” The two stallions before her sank to their knees, and puked under the pressure of the stare, but Fluttershy only kept up the pressure, and eventually she broke their will to remain conscious, consequently causing them to pass out in the puddles of their own excrement.

Diamond Tiara was helpless in the face of “The Stare,” but fortunately Octavia managed to regain her focus just long enough to break eye contact with Fluttershy. “Diamond Tiara, we’re retreating; there is no sense in fighting a battle we can’t win, let’s go!” Octavia seized the bewitched filly by the tail with her teeth, and sank into the shadows, her galloping hoofsteps echoing through the dark corridors.

A bewildered Rarity trotted up moments later, surrounded by a field of colorless gems coursing with an electrical blue energy that fell to the ground and shattered as soon as she released the spell. She looked down at the gray gems and frowned, she had used up all of the magic those gems possessed traversing the spike trapped hallway. Thinking nothing more of the gems, she looked at the four incapacitated guards then at Fluttershy, her mouth agape in disbelief. “I’m... surprised and impressed Fluttershy, I didn’t think you had any killing intent about you.”

Fluttershy hid her face behind her mane nervously as if she were embarassed by the bodies before her. “I’m so sorry Rarity.”

“I know you and the others try to handle things like this without resorting to murder, but I...I...”

“Fluttershy, it’s okay, I’ve been where you are before, and if I had to judge from your technique this wasn’t your first time either.”

“But, I could have just subdued them, and besides that I let the other two escape.”

“Don’t worry about the two that got away, I’ve got this feeling that we’ll run into them again later. As for the stallions that died here, don’t think to hard about it, you can always repent for the blood on your hooves when we’re done with this mission. But for now, we have to do what we must in order to succeed.”

Fluttershy sighed, a singular tear escaped from her eyes and deposited itself on the dungeon floor. “ Do you really think so, Rarity?”

Rarity smiled in an attempt to raise her friend’s spirits. “I know so, that’s what I’m doing with my life now. You can never wash the blood off your hooves, but you can always make amends for it . Now come on, I think our friends have waited long enough, don’t you?”

Fluttershy nodded and picked up a ring of three keys that resided on the ground next to one of the deceased stallions. She floated over to the door, pushing the keys in with a dull click! Before pushing the door inwards to reveal a torchlit chamber filled with ancient looking jail cells, rusting metal bars, wet granite floor, and all.

Rarity stepped into the dank room and grimaced immediately when she breathed in the stale dusty air. “If they were doing renovations in this whole Colosseum, why couldn’t have at least put forth the effort to hang up an air freshener...”

As Rarity and Fluttershy trotted through the rows of cages they squinted through the faint light provided by the torches into each cage that was proving to be emptier than the next save for the bones of prisoners long since deceased. “Twilight? Are you in here? Is anypony down here?”

“Hey, who’s that?” Called a familiar voice from a few cells down the hall.

Rarity wasn’t about to take any chances however so she issued the verbal challenge of the day “Lovely weather we’re having isn’t it?”

“....what the buck are you talking about weather?”
“Ooh! Ooh! Rainbow Dash, I know this one: It’s pickle. Did I get it right Rarity? Did I? Did I? Huh?”

“Well, Ah reckon it doesn’t gotta make a lot of sense to be one of them challenge passwords things y’all use does it?”

Rarity grinned as she and Fluttershy trotted to the cage, these were her friends all right, she didn’t need the challenge answer to know that. “So what are you girls in for?”

Through grit teeth Rainbow Dash managed to utter the word “hnnng... uhhh.. ugh...please...”

“That’s more like it!” the unicorn sang as she levitated the key into its hole and gave it a twist.

Rainbow Dash was the first to rush out of the cramped cell as she began stretching and flexing her wings in celebration of her new-found freedom.

Twilight and the others trotted out shortly after embracing Fluttershy and Rarity in a tight hug. Twilight spoke first after “How did you find us, and where are we?”

“This area is just below the Colosseum, and as for how we found you, let’s just say I’m now officially fond of having ponies indebted to me and rats.”

“Twilight, how come you didn’t just use magic to get out of the cell?” Fluttershy inquired.

“Oh right, I forgot; they put this on me,” Twilight touched a hoof to her horn and tapped on the magic-insulator that was attached to it. With a sheepish grin she turned to Rarity “A little help please?”

Rarity channeled magic through her horn and touched the medium to the device on Twilight’s horn, causing it to short circuit and fall off. “Thanks Rarity.”

“It’s no problem at all Twilight. Now if it pleases you all, I’ve brought presents as well!” the blue light around Rarity’s horn intensified as she reached out to her hammer space dimension and pulled out the remaining four supply kits, each of them color coded just for her teammates.

“Awww shucks Rar’, you shouldn’t have, but Ah’m glad ya did.” Applejack said while adorning herself with the new Stetson hat.

Pinkie ran and dove at her kit shouting “Pinkie Pie, Transform and Roll out!” as she tackled it into the darkness. A moment passed before any of the mares heard from Pinkie again. “A duffle bag... filled with... so... many... grenades... heh... haha... MWHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Rainbow Dash trotted up to Rarity fully decked out in her gear with the rifle slung across her back. “You did give her tactical grenades, right?”

Rarity coughed uncomfortably and tried to look away from Rainbow Dash's prying eyes. When she realized she wouldn’t escape the scrutinizing gaze of her superior she tried to spit out the best lie possible. “I was more concerned about your safety than inspecting what I packed for whom, Rainbow Dash, you know how it is, right?”

Rainbow Dash face-hoofed. “You know what? I’ll let it slide this once, but next time make sure you look at what you’re doing, all right?”

“I’ll find a route out of here.” Twilight chirped up as she began charging her horn with purple energy that exploded forth from her horn in a sphere-like shape as it sank through the walls. A few moments later the magic returned to her horn, instilling her mind with mental blueprints detailing the structure of the catacombs. “Pinkie Pie.”

“Are you kidding me? A chance to blow something up and not get chastised for it by sour-pants Dashie? Consider it done! Oh, and Jed suggests you get into cover, unless you think getting caught in an explosion that could defile a dragon would only minorly inconvenience your health.” The others wasted no time piling into a cell at the other end of the hall, as Pinkie went dug through the duffle bag, emerging with two packages and a small remote that she carried in her mouth. She placed the packages along the wall , seized her duffle bag and ran towards the far end of the hallway hiding in an empty cell.

“And here at Wall-Mart we pride ourselves on giving you the biggest bang for your bits, especially during tonight’s big blowout sale!” She cackled as she slammed a hoof down on the detonator. A moment passed and then the silence was filled by the ear-splitting explosion that rocked the catacombs, throwing several rocks around and revealing a passageway behind it.

Twilight was the first one to leave the cell that her friends had taken cover in, scrutinizing the damage through the dust. Just as her spell had told her, there was a passageway behind the now-demolished wall. “Come on girls, if we follow this up we should reach the top of the Colosseum.” One by one, the mares made their way through the passage, the smell of the dank dungeon air slowly filtering out into the scent of the night still in its youth. After pushing away a hatch at the zenith of the passage, the six mares crawled out into a spectators box in the Colosseum where they had a perfect view that overlooked thousands of ponies dressed in robes and cloaks, filling up the stands. The crowd’s attention was fixed on a dais in the shape of a six-pointed star down in the center. On the dais itself stood ten figures: six of which stood at the points of the star, their heads bowed to the figures in the center, one of which was tied to a piece of metal in the shape of a star. In the center stood Princess Celestia herself, surrounded by Princess Luna, who was tied to a piece of metal in the shape of the sun; the statue of discord; and Mayor Mare, who found herself in the same dire straits as Princess Luna.

Princess Celestia began to address the crowd, her horn glowing with magic that amplified her voice tenfold. “Welcome, My Little Ponies, to the beginning of a new era!”

The crowd erupted with a mighty response that rivaled Celestia’s greeting.

“With completion of tonight’s ritual, you and I shall ring in the beginning of a new Equestria!”

The crowd cheered again just as loudly as the last.

“I’m certain you all are just as eager to get this journey to a new world underway, so without further adieu, let the harvest of two thousand souls begin!”

Chapter 14 end

Footnotes- Four-Poster bed- The beds with curtains suspended by four wooden posts.

Vinage à trois- Play on the french word “Ménage à trois “which is french for what basically equates to a threesome .

Modus operandi- latin for Mode of operations

Cobbler- Someone who repairs shoes

Moi- french for “Me”

Friendship is Deception

by Your Antagonist

14: And Then There Were Two