//------------------------------//
// Act Two Chapter Four 
// Story: Burnt Offerings 
// by Spike the Scribe 
//------------------------------//

Sandpoint, Date Unknown (Presumably 24 September, 1000 SR), Morning


It took Twilight some time, but we were finally leaving the vicarage, all eight of us. Yes, she managed to convince Trixie to stick with us, for now at least. No, most of the girls, with Twi herself included weren’t ecstatic about that. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much choice in the matter, our current situation forcing us to grit our teeth and go with the flow. It didn’t make it easier to bear though, especially if the thing you had to bear with was an egocentric megalomaniac that constantly spoke in third person. I was already a step away from jumping off a cliff, just to get away from her.

We were currently being led by Naffer, the local ancillary priest with a limp, through the maze-like wooden corridors of the personage. The tanned priest seemed to be quite the cheerful sort, smiling good-naturedly and ignoring the rather tense atmosphere in our group. His cheerful disposition didn't go unnoticed by Pinkie Pie, and as was easy to guess she was happily chatting away with the guy, asking all sorts of questions and generally going through her routine of making yet another new friend. To his credit, the man was keeping up with her and was managing to hold a semi-intelligent conversation with the pink ball of energy.

With Pinkie Pie preoccupied with her interrogation of our guide and the girls silently staring at either Trixie (with distrust) or Twilight (with disbelief), I could easily let my mind wander. Naturally my thoughts gravitated towards what happened not fifteen minutes ago. From the moment Trixie claimed that she would be better off by herself to the final agreement and her actually joining us, the whole thing was such a mess that even I would be hard pressed to recreate it, and let me tell you, I can make a marvelous mess if I put my mind to it. Well, I suppose I should start from the beginning.

The moment Twilight initiated her plan (though I doubt she had one seeing how much she was failing at it; she’s no good at improvising, let me tell ya) Trixie knew something was up. It didn’t take a genius to notice that really. What’s important though is that with that kind of knowledge she could, and in fact did begin making the best of it. At first she pretended to listen to Twilight’s reasoning, nodding in appropriate places and generally acting like if she was truly interested in what she had to say, and once Twi finished, looking at her hopefully, a sly grin found its way on her face. The next words to escape the con mare’s lips were something that my lifelong companion did not expect.

“What are you willing to sacrifice, Twilight Sparkle, to secure the Great and Powerful Trixie’s cooperation?”

As much as I hated Trixie for even making a move like that I had to admit –she knew what she was doing. With that lone sentence she all but forced Twilight to agree to her terms. It was actually quite fortunate she didn’t know why she really was needed by Twi in the first place, or else she would have been even more demanding than she actually was.

I’ll won’t go through all the small stuff Trixie tried to force upon Twilight just because for the most part it was just that –small, insignificant stuff, not worth mentioning. There was this one ‘gem’ however when she all but demanded that Rainbow was to be kept away from her at all times to as she put it ‘not disturb her with her boorish behavior’, which coincidentally made the mare in question grit her teeth. I admit, I chuckled at RD’s reaction, and Trixie’s look spelling ‘you just proved my point’ was almost too much. The important things were however a completely different story.

Much could be said about Twilight and her many talents. She had almost encyclopedic knowledge about most subjects, she was born with exceptionally large reserves of magical power and she knew more spells than most unicorns could even fathom existed. However, her exceptionally good education came at a price, and that were her social skills. That’s not to say she was terrible at socializing; she could quite easily make friends and most of the time she knew how to act amongst ponies, but at some things she just, well, sucked. And it just so happens that at one of those things, bartering, she was all but useless. Add to that Trixie being pretty much the opposite of her and you have an idea how well Twi’s negotiations went.

The ‘highlights’ of these negotiations were two unrelated matters, the first of them being the question of Trixie’s upkeep. As it was, Trixie reasoned that this arrangement she was getting herself into was basically Twilight hiring her for her ‘incredible and unmatched abilities’ and that she was to be paid for them. Of course with the fact that none of us had any bits on our names made it all the more complicated, and in the end the showpony decided to ‘work’ in exchange for providing her with free food, shelter, healthcare and as she came to realize once Rarity mentioned it earlier –free clothing. She also wanted to have a separate pool of money, claiming that whatever she earned herself was going to stay in her possession, no contributing to the group fund. That wasn’t even the worst part. The real issue was that she managed to force Twilight to actually go with this. Twilight just let herself be played like a violin, and it was so obvious that Rarity decided to enter the fray and lend her a helping hoof in further negotiations. She might not have known why Twilight was so bent on keeping Trixie here, nor want to get involved in anything concerning her, but she wasn't going to let her friend be ruined by an overconfident stage magician.

The second big thing was the issue of magic. The discovery that humans and human-like creatures apparently could somehow work magic meant that Twilight was going to try and emulate that, trying to find a way to enable her and Rarity the possibility to once again wield their arcane powers. And Trixie wanted that knowledge too. She all but demanded that once Twi discovers a way to utilize magic she shares that knowledge with her. Truth be told, I think she didn’t even have to ask to receive this kind of help though; I may be mistaken, but I believe that Twilight would share her findings with Trixie either way. Call it unicorn solidarity or something, I don’t know.

Securing Trixie’s cooperation was a success, I'll admit that. Though if the definition of success is being stuck with somepony like her while simultaneously coming at odds with most of your friends than I would rather fail miserably thank you very much.

None of the girls had any idea why Twilight wanted Trixie around, and most of them weren't very happy about it. As much as Pinkie was ecstatic about having somepony new around, in her head having a golden opportunity to make a new friend, and Fluttershy with her quiet nature was more or less neutral towards this whole situation, the rest wasn’t that pleased about this turn of events. Especially Rainbow looked like if Twi just stabbed her in the back. Rarity and AJ too weren’t exactly fond of the idea of having Trixie around, not that I blame them or anything, but RD was just on a different level entirely. Long story short however, they didn’t know why this happened, and until Twilight would explain this to them without running the risk of being overheard by the con mare, they were going to be speculating about this and keeping their eyes on both of them. And knowing a certain cyan mare, she was going to come to all the wrong conclusions.

I was amusing myself with ideas of how ludicrous reasons for Twilight wanting Trixie around could Rainbow come up with when I was brought back to the real world by our guide. Priest Naffer, still with a smile on his tanned face was standing in front of a set of wooden doors, mentioning for us to go right through them. The exit already? Huh, didn't even notice when we got here. With a few quiet ‘goodbyes’ and one quite enthusiastic farewell hug from the pink hurricane we crossed the threshold and went off to meet what we hoped was going to become our temporary place of stay.

We found ourselves on a familiar-looking street just in front of the personage. One quick glance around was enough to determine that this was indeed the same street we walked not too long ago, the town’s gate not too far away from us, as well as the stone-wooden structure of the White Deer Inn several dozen hoofs in front of us. Deciding to go with Twilight’s earlier plan we all followed the street in the opposite direction, going for the square on which we knew the festivities were going to take place.

All signs on heaven and earth suggested that this was going to be a rather pleasant day, at least in regards of the weather. The sun was shining brightly, bathing us in its warm, soft glow. A weak, iodine-filled breeze gently caressed our cheeks, cooling us pleasantly. It was shaping up to be a really nice day all things considered, an ideal date to set up a festival of any sort. The local weather patrol really did a great job.

Wait, do humans even have weather patrol?

I didn’t have time to think about whether or not the locals could control weather as we finally approached the square enough to actually see what was going on. By the time we arrived there, most of the stands were already set up, a semicircle of tents erect around the place and flapping merely in the morning breeze, adding a bit of color to the picture. As we already noticed before, there were multiple types of games set up as well, most of them simple tests of brawn, the usual things one can find during carnivals of all sorts. The most prominent features however were not what was set up around the square, but the crowd of townsfolk gathered on it.

The first thing I’ve noticed was the sheer amount of townsfolk here. Even without counting the number would range from about seven to nine hundred minimum, almost as much as the whole population of Ponyville, and that was without counting the flock of frolicking children running around impatiently, playing games while their parents were busy listening to a speech. Speaking of which, the platform that we saw being set up earlier was occupied by four individuals, one of which we recognized as Father Zantus. The other three we didn't know, but whoever those people were, they must have been some sort of local figures of importance. One of them, as I already noticed was delivering a speech, and from the reactions of the crowd I gathered that he was doing a good job.

After getting a boost from AJ, who noticed I didn't see a thing and sat me on her shoulder I was met by the oddest looking site to date. The man who was delivering the speech was probably the weirdest looking person I have met up until now in this crazy place. The guy was wearing a vibrantly green tunic and a pair of dark-red pants, trimmed with what appeared to be golden thread. He also wore a pair of leather boots reaching to about his knees and a particularly looking hat –wide-brimmed, cocked to the side, and with a great big plume the color of deep crimson. I couldn't help but think that the man was colorblind or something, that's how ridiculous he looked. And it came as no surprise that Rarity was giving him, or rather his clothes a look of contempt. Or was it curiosity? Hay if I know, the point is she was staring at him with the weirdest look I have ever seen on her face.

Of course we came in the middle of his speech and we didn't have the slightest idea what he was talking about. What we did manage to discern was that he was apparently in the middle of recalling the whole process of rebuilding the cathedral, going into much embarrassing detail about how the more prominent citizens contributed, or rather tried to weasel their way out of contributing to the goal. Why did they have to rebuild the church in the first place I have no idea, and for the most part during his speech I was more than a little lost, not getting half of what must have been inside jokes the guy was cracking. The public seemed to like it however, so he couldn't have been bad, right?

After a few minutes the man finally wrapped up his speech, throwing in some kind of self-promotion at the end. Something about a play he was directing at a local theater titled 'The Harpy's Curse' and a star actress he managed to secure for the leading role (at least now I know why he was dressed like that; I really don't get some artists). Either way he gave way for the next orator, who happened to be Father Zantus. He stepped forward from his place between an auburn-haired woman and a dour-looking, uniform-clad man, and looked upon the crowd of townsfolk, a small, gentle smile playing on his lips. Rising his hands like if he wanted to embrace the whole crowd he began.

"My friends, fellow Sandportians, and you esteemed guests. Welcome! Welcome on this most joyous of days! It warms my heart to see you all here, happy and eager to start this year's celebrations. On this day, the first day of the month Rova, we celebrate both the annual holiday of the Swallowtail Release, as well as the consecration of our newly erected cathedral, though you already know that, don't you?" He smiled, and the occasional giggle escaped the crowd. "I will not bore you with any long speech, as I am more than certain that you all are eager to start the celebrations. Besides, you already had your fair share of long-winded speeches, isn't that right Cydrak?" Here he turned to the man who gave his speech before him, making some in the crowd laugh again. The laugher intensified when the Cydrak fellow returned the priest's look by beaming at him and winking teasingly. "Either way let me thank you all for coming, it really means a lot, both to me personally, as well as to the gods above. I wish you all the best of times here, enjoying the festivities as much as we enjoyed setting them up for you.

"And so, without further ado, I declare this year's Swallowtail Festival underway!" Father Zantus finished with a cheerful cry, prompting his audience to cheer loudly and applaud the priest. We too joined them out of courtesy, Pinkie going as far as whistling loudly above the tumult of other sounds, and soon we ended up in the middle of a dispersing crowd. We quickly regrouped and waited for the immediate area to thin out a bit.

During our wait for the crowd to disperse I observed the men and women that passed us by. Knowing Twilight, she was doing the same exact thing, her compulsive need to research everything she could shining through no doubt. I on the other hoof was doing that for a different reason. Looking at the locals I've noticed one particular thing. They looked different than us. It wasn't by much, I mean no one was walking on all fours or had a tail or anything of the sort, no. What I've meant was that most of the people here had either dark, in some cases black hair, or were blond, with the occasional redhead strolling by. Try as I might however I couldn't notice a single soul with purple, green, or pink hair, meaning that either we ended up in the most monotonous town in the world, or humans (or whatever we were) didn't come with those colors naturally. Well, just another thing to hold against that guy from the forest I suppose; he could have warned us at least.

The crowd quickly thinned out and we could finally get a move on. Rarity was furiously looking around in search of anything even remotely resembling a clothes shop. While she was at it, the rest of us tried to make sense of the various vendors that set out with their wares. Most had only small stands with various items on display while others, presumably the more successful ones had multicolored tents erected around the square and only a small fraction of their wares on display. We could easily find vendors selling baked goods (we had to forcefully pull Pinkie away from those), toys, and other miscellaneous things commonly seen during festivals. However none of them struck us as willing to buy a weapon. A sudden thought that we would have to end up bartering for clothes came to me, and the possibility that someone selling clothes was into daggers was slim to none. In other words –we were screwed.

By this time the girls seemed to come to the same conclusion. And although Pinkie seemed as oblivious as ever, everypony else began to worry. It was especially true for Rarity, who was the most disturbed by the fact we needed clothes in the first place and was the most adamant we get them. I think she even started to mumble to herself under her breath, her eyes twitching. Truth be told, she looked terrifying at that moment. Even worse, it seemed that we couldn't even find a tailor or anyone similar to begin with. And considering this whole festival thing was an event the whole town partook in even if we would find a clothing shop it most definitely wouldn't be open. Just as we were about to concede defeat however our luck finally changed.

"Found it!" Pinkie exclaimed proudly, pointing at an unusually large white and red tent with a small canopy. After closer inspection we noticed that showed on display were things like scarves, shawls, decorative belts and… uh… I don't even know what to call them, hand socks? There was however a mannequin partially poking out of the tent with a dress on it, so there was no denying it –Pinkie really did find what we were looking for. Why weren't I surprised?

"Good job Pinkie." Rarity praised the party pony and as quickly as she could approached the stand. Following suit we walked up to it too, only to realize that it seemed that no one was there. Either the vendor was extremely careless, or crime rate in these parts was extremely low.

"Hello? Is anypo… anybody here?" Rainbow called out, never one to wait. To my slight surprise not a second later came a response from the inside of the tent.

"I'll be with you in a minute!" Well, one thing was for sure –whoever owned this stand was a she.  The voice was proof enough. And, true to her word, after a few moments the owner came out to greet us.

"Good morning, what may I help… you…" I think my brain froze up in that moment. What I was seeing was most definitely not what I was expecting, and vice versa –the owner seemed to be surprised by our appearance, or rather in the appearance of Rarity.

The woman from the tent looked like a carbon copy of our resident fashionista-turned-human-thingy. Same height, same body built, same facial features… even her eyes and pointy ears were the exact same shape as in Rarity's case. It was like if she somehow multiplied, not that I minded of course. There of course were some differences that allowed to tell the two apart, such as the woman being a redhead with her hair done in a tight bun, or her vibrantly green eyes, but the two still looked so much alike that it was uncanny.

Silence fell between us, nopony able to express their surprise at what we were seeing. We looked with bewilderment at the woman who in turn stared at Rarity at a complete loss. This was so sudden and confusing and bizarre and whatever-else-fits that even Pinkie seemed momentarily stunned by it. That is she was stunned for all of fifteen seconds after which she went back to normal.

"Rarity, why didn't you tell us you have a twin sister?" Yep, back to normal.

Rarity shook her head a bit and turned to Pinkie, still watching her look-alike from the corner of her eye. "That's because I don't have a twin sister, darling."

The look-alike shook her head too after Rarity spoke, though she still looked a bit spooked by the presence of somepony somebody looking pretty much like her. Clearing her throat she decided to break the awkward silence.

"I must say, it's not every day something like this happens." She smiled a bit, her voice, about half an octave lower than Rarity's filling the air. "I apologize for my less than courteous behavior, it's just that…"

"No need to apologize darling, we too were quite shocked by this whole situation." Rarity waved off the apology, though she still looked quite confused by what was happening. Her look-alike nodded politely at that.

"Agreed. So, having this… situation sorted out let us get to business, shall we? My name is Rynshinn Povalli, owner of Vernah's Fine Clothing. How can I help you?"

Ok, that was different. Is it just me or is the name of her shop (I guess this tent is just for the festival) completely different than its owner's name? I mean it may just be me but that didn't make much sense.

Rarity, who already assumed the role of leader for the time being began explaining our situation to Rynshinn. Of course she omitted the part where we randomly appeared in Tickwood and invented a cover up story for our, as she put it, 'squalid appearance'. AJ didn't seem too fond of the idea of coloring the truth, but didn't say a word, recognizing the need for it, and it was close enough to the truth that by some stretch of imagination one could say it really did happen. In the end Rynshinn knew enough not to ask uncomfortable questions.

"Being chased by a boar and ending up lost in Tickwood in the middle of the night, I must say you had a really rough night." She surmised, looking at us with newfound respect. "I was beginning to wonder what could've left such horrid stains on you dress, Miss…"

"Rarity, my name is Rarity." Our fashionista supplied, realizing just now her faux pas. After that she introduced us all (pointedly ignoring Trixie), which of course brought an unbelieving look from the local fashion designer, followed by recognition painting on her face.

"Not wanting to give up your real names I see. I can respect that." She said, nodding to herself.

"I… err… yes, I do hope that doesn't pose any problem." Rarity quickly caught up, deciding to go with this explanation.

"Not at all. As I said, I can respect someone's will to remain anonymous. It's not the first time I have customers like that. And besides…" Here she smirked mischievously. "…if I was covered in tick ichor I too wouldn't want to give up my name."

Rarity's eyes widened at that. "How did you…"

"Not the first time I've seen that kind of stain." She cut her off. I get the distinct impression that this Rarity look-alike's hair color wasn't the only thing different from the original. "Although it's the first time I've ever seen one on a dress like yours. Normally I see hunter's cloaks with those, not fine clothing. Come to think of it, it's not often anyone travels wearing such fine attire." Rynshinn added thoughtfully, making Applejack smirk slightly.

"Ah told ya, sugarcube; useful is better than fancy any day."

"Oh hush you."

"Your friend does have a point, 'Miss Rarity'." The woman interjected, making our fashionista whip around to face her in surprise. She was still smiling mischievously. "One does not travel wearing a too fancy dress, less she runs the risk of destroying it... or attracting unwanted attention." The last part she added in a dead serious tone, making it clear that she wasn't joking. She had a look on her face like if she remembered something that she rather wouldn't, but she quickly wiped that look off her face and smiled at us again. "I feel that we've sidetracked from our original conversation too much. How about I show you all my wares. I know, it won't be a great fit without proper adjustments, but right now I don't suppose you're too picky. Tomorrow I can make adjustments where it's appropriate, and you won't have to parade about in clothes that look like rags."

Before Rarity could say anything Rynshinn was already on her way inside the tent, mentioning us to follow her. She seemed for some reason all to perky to get out of the street and back inside. Sharing confused looks we nonetheless followed her.

Upon entering the tent one thing became absolutely clear: we entered what could only be described as Rarity's dream come true. This place had everything a seamstress could dream of: weaving materials of the finest quality proudly displayed alongside colorful threads, some of them glistering in the limited light of the interior with golden and silvery light; bales upon bales of fabrics of any kind, stacked in multicolored towers reaching almost the top of the tent. But most importantly there were they: articles of clothing of kinds unseen before by pony (or dragon) eyes. Well, maybe I'm exaggerating and most of the dresses and whatnot have their equivalents in Equestria, but that's beside the point. The fact is that they looked really well made and in many cases I could see Rarity making something of similar quality.

Speaking of Rarity, the moment she entered the tent she froze in place, a wide grin plastered on her face. Her blue eyes shined with excitement, darting from one ensemble to another as she tried to take in all the different designs. Finally she decided that just looking at the dresses wouldn't be enough and rushed between them, stopping at each and examining it, testing the fabric, studying the stitches and generally doing what only a fashionista could describe as fun. I've never seen her so giddy as then, it was like looking at Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush, and that's saying something.

While Rarity was having the time of her life the others, me included, looked around the tent with various levels of interest. Applejack for example looked like if she wanted nothing more than to run out and never come back, and stayed only because she noticed a small number of clothes looking less 'frou-frou' and more like 'working duds'. Pinkie on the other hoof was going through anything that was, well, pink, no matter what it was. The rest was more or less just looking for something to wear, not all that picky with their choices, though I suspect Rainbow was looking for something she considered 'awesome', and I'm fairly sure Trixie was looking for something specific, whatever it was. As for me, I wasn't very picky myself, and just wanted to have this thing over with. I may put up with many things living with girls, but shopping for clothes is most definitely not something I was willing to subjugate myself to. I just needed something to cover my… to cover myself. Yep, just… cover myself. Though if I'm gonna look cool in it I won't be complaining.

"See anything you fancy?" Rynshinn asked from her spot near the entrance. She had her arms crossed in front of her chest and looked at us with an amused smile playing on her lips, something rarely seen on Rarity's face.

"My stars, darling! Those are simply magnificent!" Rarity quickly responded, her hooves hands still tracing a stitch on one of the dresses. "Your technique and designs are quite exceptional, not to mention the blend of styles your creations posses. The combination of a leaf stitch and a petal chain stitch for example makes for an absolutely lovely blend. Truly a work of art." She praised, something that I had until now never seen directed by her to another seamstress.

Rynshinn blushed a bit at that, but nonetheless accepted it. "You are too kind."

"Nonsense! Those really are shining examples of the fine art of dressmaking, and I'm not just being generous." Rarity insisted, smiling all the time. The shine in her eyes was all the proof I needed –what she saw here was fuel for her inspiration.

In the meantime our hostess seemed to glow from the praise she just received. She returned Rarity's smile gratefully.

"Thank you for your kind words, 'Miss Rarity'. I gather that you too are a seamstress?" Why do I suddenly have a feeling I'm going to stay here for a loooooong time?

Fortunately I wasn't the only one sensing impending boredom. Applejack really didn't want to spend the next few hours listening to the back and forth of the two fashionistas and decided to set us back on track.

"Ah hate ta interrupt, but aint we supposed ta be lookin' for clothes, not talk 'bout 'em?" As she asked that Rarity looked like she wanted to argue, or at least point out how rude it was to interrupt somepony in the middle of a conversation, but refrained from doing so. With a defeated sigh she nodded.

"I suppose you're right." Rarity agreed quietly and gave Rynshinn an apologetic look. "Sincerest apologies, but I fear we're in a hurry as it were."

"Not a problem." She replied. If Rynshinn was bothered by being cut off from a possibly entertaining conversation she didn't show it. "Just let me know what you're interested in and I'll give you a price." And suddenly I remembered that there was teeny tiny problem. I had a distinct impression that this wasn't going to end well.

Rarity seemed to pick up on my nervousness despite not looking at me. She froze a bit at the mention of the word 'price' and nervously shifted, which didn't go unnoticed by Rynshinn. She didn't say anything, probably giving us the chance to come out clean on our own, but there was no denying it –she suspected something.

We exchanged nervous glances, thinking how to best approach the issue. It was the first time any of us was placed in such a situation and there was no saying if Rynshinn would even want to barter with us, especially if we offered her something like a dagger. Seriously, couldn't that Einael guy give us something less conspicuous, like a gem or something?

Okay, scratch that. That would be even more conspicuous.

So there we were, in dire need of clothes, inside a tent full of them, and without a bit to our names. Rarity knew it was probably a lost cause, but we had to do something. So, taking a deep breath and steeling herself for what was to come she cleared her throat to gain Rynshinn's attention.

"Yes, well, there is a slight problem." She started slowly. Rynshinn turned around to face her, looking not at all surprised.

"What kind of problem are we talking about?" She cut straight to the chase. Seriously, if you think about it she was more different from Rarity than the way she looked.

"Well, you see… The thing is… Oh, how do I put it…"

"We're broke." I decided to interject as it seemed Rarity wasn't going to say it anytime soon. That however brought the attention of the others to me, and not in the way I would like. "What? It's true."

"Yes Spike, it is. However I was trying to be diplomatic about it." The lady of my dreams seemed more mortified than annoyed by what I did, but it nonetheless hurt to see her look at me like that. Great going me, I really outdone myself this time.

"Oh, umm… sorry?" Rarity only rolled her eyes and turned back to Rynshinn, who looked at us apologetically.

"A shame, really. I was looking forward to making business with you." She sighed and continued, this time her voice having a bit more edge to it. "Unfortunately I don't run charity service. If you don't have the money then I'm afraid we don't have anything to talk about."

"Wait, just a moment, please!" Rarity tried to salvage the situation. "We may not have money, but I'm sure we can come to some kind of agreement!"

"I don't sell on credit." Rynshinn deadpanned, mentioning us to the exit. "Now would you please…"

"Bartering." She stopped and looked at the one who spoke that. To our surprise it was Trixie who for the first time decided to enter the conversation.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Rynshinn regarded the showmare hesitantly.

"As Trixie's rather airheaded associate failed to inform…" here Rarity shot her a dirty look but remained silent "…we are in the possession of certain items that could interest you, and perhaps you would be willing to exchange them for a pick from your collection."

Rynshinn seemed to mull over the proposition, giving us an opportunity to question Trixie. I mean beside insulting Rarity she all but saved our flanks from being thrown out. Probably had something to do with that smug smirk on her face as we approached her.

"Ok, what gives?" Rainbow hissed a question, figuring this wasn't a conversation that should involve a third party in the form of our hostess. "Why are you helping us all of a sudden?"

"Whoever told Trixie is helping any of you?" She deflected the question with ease. Oh, how annoying she sounded, all smug and superior. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is only looking to ensure her own prosperity, and that just happens to coincide with your needs."

"So you're doing this for yourself?" I asked rhetorically. Unfortunately, Trixie seemed not to understand the concept of rhetorical questions.

"It's not that difficult to understand, lizard-brain." She sneered, making me want to forget what I was though about acting around mares and smack her. "Trixie doesn't intend to walk in rags, nor does she intend to spend the night on the streets."

"That's strange, I thought that was your natural habitat." Aaaand point to team Rainbow! As Trixie glared at RD, the prismatic mare smirked triumphantly, getting at least a bit back at her. However before things could escalate and before Twilight had the time to intervene Rynshinn made her decision.

"I suppose I could take a look at what you're offering." She said slowly, making us look at her with renewed hope. "You seem like nice enough people. And you're really in dire need of something… eh… clean."

"Splendid!" Rarity exclaimed, clapping her hooves hands and reaching for the dagger. She stopped however halfway there as if she just remembered something. "I hope it won't be a problem if what we're about to trade is a… um… a weapon?"

Rynshinn blinked at the question, caught off guard by it, and began studying us more closely. "You wish to sell me a weapon?" She asked, but before Rarity had the opportunity to explain she continued. "I don't normally buy such things but I suppose I can make an exception… that is under the assumption that I'm not about the get mugged by you guys."

We all, including even Pinkie Pie looked shocked at her words, and Rarity sputtered, trying to form the right words. "I… wha… we would never…!"

"Relax, I'm just joking!" Rynshinn interrupted, grinning amusedly at our expressions. After a moment of awkward silence she continued lamely. "Okay, I admit –not my best joke."

"Nah, it was awesome!" Shaking off her shock Rainbow began chucking. "It's nice to know not all pon… people like Rarity are only into all that frou-frou junk, no offence Rare."

"Can we just get on with it?" Rarity clearly wasn't amused by RD's behavior, the way she looked at her coolly was proof enough. Rynshinn nodded and accepted the sheathed dagger, looking at it with a mixture of curiosity and slight disappointment. "Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, no. Not at all." Rynshinn responded, shaking her head. "It's just that I've expected something… bigger. Daggers aren't exactly all that valuable and I fear it's not going to be enough in terms of payment." While saying that she slowly unsheathed the weapon. When it was about halfway out of its scabbard however her eyes seemed to widen and the rest of the blade found itself free from its holster within seconds. The look on Rynshinn's face was one of complete disbelief.

"Well I'll be damned." She breathed, making Rarity cringe a bit. Probably the idea of someone looking like her using expletives was not something she was comfortable with. "Is… Is this an Elven Messer?"

"I honestly have no idea. Is it?" Rarity responded truthfully. Rynshinn in the meantime was examining the blade in her hands, turning it in her deft fingers with surprising grace. The look on her face was still one of shock, but a smile was slowly creeping onto her face.

"It most definitely looks that way." She muttered, eyes still glued to the dagger. "I mean I fancy myself an amateur specialist when it comes to elven artifacts, me being a half-elf and all. Though I suspect I'm not the only one with knowledge on the matter." Here she glanced at us, her eyes lingering for a moment on Rarity's ears of all things, and then on the forms of Fluttershy, Twilight, and Trixie in that order. "Actually, why are we still using common speech?"

Having said that our hostess switched to the same moonspeak Einael used on us. And just like then, everypony except for me and Applejack seemed to understand it mo problem. I'm not even sure how or why it was like that, but every time the girls were approached by someone using this language they automatically switched to it like if it was the most natural thing in the world. Seriously, did no one find it at least a bit strange that they've gained a freakish knowledge of a completely alien language overnight? Then again, we were transformed into mythical creatures that were thought to be nothing more than legends, something like that could go unnoticed. Probably. Maybe. I doubt it. At least in Twilight's case. And why does she and Trixie know it? That's totally unfair.

"Ah get the impression this' gonna be a thing." Applejack muttered to herself, shaking her head. I couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"Sucks, doesn't it?"

"Eeeyup." She mimicked her brother, making me chuckle a bit.

"Should we say something about it?"

"Probably. Unless ya want ta be left out o' the loop that is."

"Ok, here goes nothing." I muttered and took a deep breath. After I was sure I had enough air in my lungs I exhaled it in a shrill whistle, something that my expertise with having claws (or fingers) allowed me to do without much problem. As everypony was looking at me I nervously shifted but still said what I had to. "Guys, can you speak normally? AJ and I kinda don't understand a word you're saying."

It seemed to have the desired effect. Although Rynshinn seemed unperturbed and offered a quick apology for keeping us in the dark, the rest just then realized what had happened, the strangeness of the situation downing on them. I think my favorite was Rainbow's completely puzzled expression as she tried to comprehend what just happened, though Pinkie's cocked head and clueless expression was a close second. Of course Twilight was frantically trying to come up with an explanation of this situation, but that was her normal behavior. In the end however it was quite surprisingly Fluttershy who first broke the silence.

"You couldn't understand us? I'm sorry, I didn't know." Of course, she apologized for something she didn't have control over. How typical (and sweet) of her. "You must have been feeling so left out."

"Though you barely spoke a word." I heard Trixie mutter under her breath, but chose to ignore it as she didn't continue. In the end all the confusion didn't last too long, especially that Rynshinn decided to continue her scrutinizing of the dagger, or Messer, or whatever-you-call-it.

As the local seamstress was inspecting the blade I was beginning to have second thoughts about her. At first glance she seemed, as I've pointed out before, not that different from Rarity; they looked much alike, both were into dressmaking and fashion, and  of course both owned their own shops. But Rynshinn was, despite all the similarities, a completely different pony, or rather person. She didn't care that much about being proper, didn't shy away from crude language that much, and to top it all off her sense of humor was… I wanted to say odd but hanging out around Pinkie and Rainbow thought me it gets weirder than what Rynshinn presented. For the sake of this argument let's go with unusual and unladylike. In short –she was not a copy of Rarity. And it became even clearer once she began 'playing' with the knife.

At first I didn't know what to think about it. One moment Rynshinn was holding the dagger carefully in her hands, her slender fingers tracing the blade as she checked for signs of damage, the other she's twirling it in those same fingers like if it wasn't a piece of sharpened metal she just held. The blade was a blur in her hands, tracing small, quick arks in the air as it sailed between the half-elf's fingers. It was painfully obvious that Rynshinn knew perfectly well what she was doing, to the point that saying she was an amateur or that it all was just a fluke was just plain stupid. There was no way she wasn't trained in this. Just who the hay was she?

"Quality seems top notch, and it's balanced quite nicely." Rynshinn said, more to herself than to us. Her eyes were still on the blade, therefore she was completely oblivious to the dumbfounded expressions we all uniformly had. "I can see this piece of equipment fetching a nice price. Especially if it's original."

"Original?" Rainbow was the first to recover from her surprise. "Whaddya mean by that?"

"Oh, it's simple really." Rynshinn looked at Rainbow with a small smile playing on her lips. "You see, Elven Messers are quite valuable, their market price oscillating around one hundred and fifty sails to as much as four hundred sails per Messer. Sometimes even more if it's made out of rare, exotic materials. That's why there is a lot of fakes in circulation, many of which are of questionable quality. This here Messer however seems to be authentic, or a really good forgery. Fortunately, there is an easy way of checking just that."

Before I had the chance to ponder how someone could pay using sails of all things Rynshinn was already at work. Holding the dagger in one hand she made a strange gesture with her free one, after which she run two of her fingers along the length of the decorative flat of the blade. For a moment I also thought I heard her mutter something unintelligibly to herself, but I couldn't be sure, and after what I saw happened all thoughts about it just about flew out the window.

After less than a second the elegant blade went off like a light bulb, a brilliant white light dancing along its flat. The decorations on the blade, the intricate patterns carved in metal shone in a breathtaking display of artistic craftsmanship, like glimmering lines made out of a spider's web bathed in the light of the full moon. The beauty of this display was however secondary to us, as the act we had just witnessed was something far more interesting than a glowing piece of metal.

We just witnessed magic.

AJ, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash didn't seem all that impressed, most probably thanks to witnessing whatever magic Father Zantus used to heal them. Pinkie was fascinated by what she was seeing, but it was more of a "that's so cool" kind of fascination. The rest however… all our unicorns' eyes were glued to the form of Rynshinn, their expressions ranging from complete and utter fascination in Twilight's case to jealous hunger in Trixie's eyes. It was, and I'm not ashamed to confess it, like if somepony dangled a fire ruby in front of my face –to see such want in Twilight's, and Rarity's eyes for that matter was unnerving to say the least.

"Yes, this is most definitely an authentic Messer." The silence that filled the tent was shattered by Rynshinn's upbeat voice. A pleased smile graced her lips as she looked at her handiwork. "And I must say, the mithral damascening in the blade is one of the more intricate ones I have seen in years. Truly a work of art." Here she looked at us, her smile growing even wider. "This will most definitely work in terms of payment. You can take whatever you want, and I think you'll even get some sails as change. Doubt I have anything of this value on me at the moment."

If Twilight or Rarity heard any of that, they seemed to do a great job ignoring it. Both of them, along with Trixie, still stared at Rynshinn, trying to come up with something to say. It was clear as day that they wanted to know how she did it, not whether they could get a dress or not. Truth be told, it was kind of scary once you think about it. Rarity? Ignoring fine clothing at hoof's reach? Freaky…

As the three unicorns in a complete stupor tried to come up with something to say the rest started to pile up what they thought was good in terms of clothes. I on the other hoof (or should I say hand) stayed with the three, beginning to worry. This was by far not normal, it was as if the three of them simultaneously broke for lack of better terms. The way they stared, mouths silently working as if they couldn't force a sound out of them was downright scary. I mean it was only some sort of light spell for Pete's sake! Nothing all that fascinating about it, Twilight could cast it without any problem. Hay, even Trixie could pull something like that off! What gives?

I was just about to voice my concern when Twilight finally seemed to snap out of it. Shaking her head a bit she blinked several times, the want in her eyes replaced by an analytical gleam I knew so well. She entered her researcher phase, and that would only lead to voicing her thought. And sure enough…

"Verbal and somatic spell components evocating radiation in the visible spectrum with the intensity of about 50 candela and luminous emittance of roughly 30 lux. Would give right hind hoof for a lux meter right now." Phew, for a moment there I was really worried. Thankfully, Twilight seemed perfectly normal. And her hushed scientific rambling seemed to snap the other two out of their silent stupor, so that was great.

"The way the spell was worked seems to indicate a high end methodology of producing simple magical effects." Twi still went on. Wonder when she'll notice I'm not writing any of it down. "This could mean one of either two things: magic here is limited and producing even simple effects requires utilizing complicated formulas, or it is a preferred method of working magic and by its nature more efficient compared to others."

"Did you notice Rynshinn didn't use any outside form of conduit for her magic?" Rarity decided to add, only half-understanding what Twilight was talking about.

"Yes, I did Rarity. Nice catch by the way." She nodded, her brow furrowing in the process. "It would however mean that Rynshinn for some reason possesses magic of her own like a unicorn does, which should theoretically be impossible for a human… -oid." She ended with a thoughtful frown.

"Trixie… is forced to rethink her own theory it seems." I almost gave myself a whiplash when I heard that. Did she just admit to being wrong? The hunger in Trixie's eyes was still there, but it seemed to be hidden behind a mask of… was it professionalism? Didn't think I would ever use the words 'Trixie' and 'professional' in one sentence.

"Nice to know you can see reason." Twilight smiled hearing Trixie's words.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is no ignorant. She can see when her own theories have no reflection in the real world.” She glanced at Twilight though haughty, superiority glinting in her purple orbs. “Trixie however still came up with a theory, which can’t be said about you, Sparkle.”

"This isn't a competition…" Twilight drawled.

"True that. You’re hardly any competition for Trixie."

"Oh for the love of… Fine! Have it your way." And just like that all good humor that Twilight seemed to have evaporated, like if by a touch of a magic wand. Wonder if that's what Trixie's cutie mark really represents.

Before the huddled conversation (or argument, depending on who you ask) had the chance to continue something happened that made everypony stop, including the others going through the mountains of clothes. Our hostess, Rynshinn, let out a surprised gasp loud enough to gain even Pinkie's attention, and judging by the look on the dressmaker's face whatever just happened was a huge shock. Wondering what had happened we began looking around the tent, searching for whatever could have prompted her to do that. It wasn't however until Rainbow noticed that the redhead was still staring at the dagger/Messer thingy that we decided to look more closely at her.

Rynshinn seemed to have frozen up, her mouth slightly agape and her eyes wide. She was still holding the glowing dagger, which for some reason seemed to look differently then I've remember it did. After a moment I noticed what was the change, but it still didn't explain her weird behavior. I mean sure, she unwrapped it's handle from the dirty cloth and found it to be carved from ebony wood and shaped to easily fit in the hand, but that shouldn't be that big of a deal. Obviously however it seemed to be exactly that because Rynshinn's eyes were glued to the spot.

"Where… where did you say you've gotten this?" The seamstress finally managed to ask, her voice shaky. The girls and I exchanged surprised looks and huddled together, not entirely sure what was going on.

"We got it from a certain gentlecol… gentleman in the forest." Rarity slowly replied, uncertain as to how she should react. Her answer however made Rynshinn snap her head straight at her, a strange look in her eyes.

"Was the man… was he by any chance an elf?" She asked shakily, surprising us with her knowledge. Again Rarity replied truthfully.

"That he was, yes. Is there a problem?"

The woman didn't reply and kept asking questions, this time more frantically. "What was his name? Did he gave you any name?"

Slightly taken aback from the sudden onslaught Rarity stumbled backwards, bumping into Applejack. The farmpony caught her before she fell and steadied her, in the meantime looking at the suddenly unstable half-elf.

"Whoa there Nelly, no need ta work yourself over this." She tried to calm Rynshinn down, but the woman seemed not to notice.  She repeated her question, this time more forcefully.

"What… was… his… name?" The look in her eyes sent a shiver down my spine. She looked like if she lost it, a half-crazed glint in her eyes mixed with something different I couldn't quite place. She was clutching the Messer in her hand tightly, and it almost looked like she wanted to attack us, fling herself at us and cut us to pieces. This time everypony stepped back, even Rainbow sensing that fighting someone that went off the deep end was something she didn't want to do.

"He said his name was Einael Solaris!" Fluttershy managed to cry out in complete terror. She was moments from fainting.

Surprisingly, Fluttershy's terrified answer seemed to snap Rynshinn out of her stupor. She blinked rapidly, looking momentarily confused, and lowered the dagger to her side as if her hands suddenly went limp. Still blinking, the seamstress finally managed to say something.

"I… eh… are you sure about that?" She tried inquiring, her voice cracking a little in confusion. The girls exchanged incredulous looks, surprised by her sudden change in demeanor, but answered all the same, opting to be on the safe side.

"Yeah, the guy said his name's Einael." Rainbow replied, eying the half-elf in case she tried anything funny again. Fortunately that didn't happen, and Rynshinn seemed to calm down even more. "So are ya gonna tell us what this was all about?"

"Oh, um… right, sorry about that." Rynshinn finally snapped out of it completely and had the decency to blush. "I… I just… sorry." She looked to the ground, ashamed. That however didn't stop me from voicing my opinion.

"That's all? Sorry?" I asked, peeved. "You just went all loco on us and threatened us with a knife and all you have to say is 'sorry'? You scared us half to death!"

"I wasn't scared." Rainbow interjected, but I ignored that. It was just Rainbow being herself.

"The least you could do is say why you were about to go stabbity stab-stab on us."

"Hey, that's my line!" Pinkie protested, but was overshadowed by Twilight's appalled voice.

"Spike! That's enough!" Before I had the chance to protest she already pushed me deeper into our little crowd and stood in my place in front of Rynshinn, blocking me from her. After that she started apologetically, sounding quite nervous. "I'm sorry about him, you know how those young ones can be, ha-ha… I do hope you didn't take anything personally."

For a brief moment I think I saw confusion on the seamstress' face, but that was quickly replaced by an apologetic frown of her own. Rynshinn shook her head and started slowly.

"No, he's right." She said, making Twilight stop what she was doing, mainly scolding me softly for what she believed was 'an unnecessary risk of making her mad at us again'. "You… deserve to know. After all, I was about to force information out of you…" She trailed off, a blank expression appearing on her face. In the meantime we looked at her expectantly, wanting to know what the hay was so important about that Messer that she was about to make us a few new holes over it. Even Twilight looked eager to know, despite what she showed not a few seconds ago.

Finally, after a moment of silently gathering her thoughts Rynshinn started her explanations.

"As you all well know I am a half-elf, a person with a mix of both human and elven blood. My mother, Vernah Povalli, may she rest in peace, had an affair with an elven bard, Iremiel Starsong, of which I am the fruit of. I… never knew my father. My mom said that he died not a week after I was born, but always told me that when he lived he was… ecstatic is too strong a word for what an elf usually displays, but I guess he came as close as possible to that state at the prospect of being a parent. Nonetheless, he disappeared from my life when I was too young to remember him and… that's really all I can say for certain about him.

"I grew up only having one parent. Mother tried her hardest to give me a good life, and for the most part she did a great job. She taught me everything I know about dressmaking and when I was old enough hired me to work in her shop. I still run it to this day, Vernah's Fine Clothing is my homage to that great woman, but that's beside the point. What really matters is that even though I had as good a childhood as I could hope to, I always longed for my father. And the gifts didn't help in the matter.

"For as long as I can remember on each of my birthdays a small package mysteriously appears on the upper floors of my house. It was always filled with elven coins, medicine, and until I grew out of them toys; it was always like a birthday present from a long lost relative. Mom used to say it was dad's ghost that brought those and that he's watching me from his grave. I… I don't believe that to be true. I think… no, I'm certain that my father lives and that it's him that brings those presents. I don't know why he doesn't show himself, why he chooses to live in the shadows, but I know it's him." At this point Rynshinn was both crying and speaking with so much conviction, that I couldn't help but feel her faith. She really believed that her father was alive. It was really touching, and I… well, I could somewhat relate.

The girls themselves were also moved by Rynshinn's tale. Whatever animosity or mistrust there was between them and her has all but evaporated, replaced by sympathy. Fluttershy, who moments ago looked like she was about to pass out now was looking sadly at the local fashionista, and Pinkie at some point of the tale broke out of our artificial crowd and hugged her to the best of her abilities (that is somewhere around her legs). The rest weren't maybe as outgoing with their sympathy as those two, but it was still clear they understood, and Twi was determined to show that.

"I'm really sorry to hear that. I can't even fathom what you must have went through." Her words prompted a few nods from the rest, me included. Rynshinn seemed to lighten up at that, absently patting Pinkie on the head and giving us a soft, thankful smile. "For what it's worth I hope you find your father, or at least the peace of mind. But…"

"Trixie fails to see what this sappy tearjerker has anything to do with the reason why you were about to assault Trixie with a dagger." As soon as the smile appeared on Rynshinn's face it disappeared. Trixie, in a show of complete disregard to the feelings of others had to run her mouth. Seriously, even Rainbow Dash knew to use tact in a situation like this, and she can be as subtle as a hoof to the face.

For a moment it seemed as if Rynshinn was seriously debating whether or not just go through with what Trixie suggested and just plunge the dagger in her stomach. Fortunately for the showpony she didn't go through with this; I doubt anypony at the moment would want to stop her. Rynshinn opted to just send her a glare and, after taking a deep, calming breath, continue.

"I told you my story and the story of my father because it ties directly to the reason I was… less than pleasant not too long ago." She started, her voice calm even though she had every right to be upset. "You see, Elven Messers are considered both weapons and a work of art, and their makers see themselves as artists. Most weaponsmiths therefore leave their mark on the finished product, usually on the guard of the Messer or its hilt. Here, look at this." She passed the weapon on to Twilight, pointing out a formerly obstructed spot on the hilt. As Twi inspected it I managed to sneak a peek and noticed what Rynshinn was pointing out: a small, barely noticeable symbol carved on the cross-guard. It seemed nonsensical to me, but as I was soon to discover it wasn't so.

"Hmm… I see. It's a signature." Twilight nodded, looking at the odd symbol as if it was obvious what it meant. "Izreni Notus.  I gather that it's the name of the manufacturer?"

"Obviously." Rynshinn nodded. "One of the better in business actually, but that's beside the point. If you would look on the other side, just under the guard, you will see why I was so surprised by your possession of this blade." Curious, Twilight did what she said and inspected the hilt. I couldn't see what she saw, but judging by her surprised expression whatever it was it was a shock to her.

"Oh my…" She breathed, eyes wide. For a moment she stared at the hilt, or rather whatever was on it, and it seemed she wasn't going to snap out of it anytime soon. Fortunately, the girls weren't going to let her zone out.

"Darling, is everything alright?" Rarity placed a hoof hand on her shoulder. Twilight didn't respond, only showed her the dagger, which she promptly took. "I don't see what all the fuss is about. It's just a symbol on the… wait, Iremiel Starsong… how is it possible that I understand what this mean… oh!" And she too went into shock, this time giving us at least the explanation behind why she did it. But that would mean…

"Now you see." Rynshinn said, nodding at the weapon. "The Messer, it was marked by its old owner. And that previous owner just happens to be my father." She paused, as if to gather her thoughts, and then continued, albeit more shakily. "For a moment I thought that you may have information on my father, that you may know where he is. I hoped you knew… And I'm sorry to say, but I even at some point began suspecting that you might had something to do with his… disappearance. I know, it's stupid. He may not have been the best of fighters, but I'm more than certain he could take you on if you were to… attack him… Ugh… how could I be so stupid!" She looked at us, her eyes filled with shame and hurt, and the intensity of her stare made us take a step back. "I'm terribly sorry for my earlier outburst. I… just, sorry."

Once again I found myself being proved right on my suspicions. Not only was the Einael guy a possible thief that decided to get rid of troublesome loot by giving it to us, but now we were in a morally ambiguous situation. I mean if this was something that belonged to Rynshinn's father than did we have the right to demand payment for returning it? Should we even do something like that? It was confusing to say the least, and I wasn't the only one that saw the problem.

"Darling? Could you give us a moment?" Rarity asked, forcing herself to smile at her fellow fashionista.

"Yes, of course." She nodded. "Besides, I do need a moment to make myself presentable again. Wouldn't want to scare off potential customers with ruined makeup now, would I?" She added as if trying to cheer herself up. She was right though –the few tears that escaped her eyes did in fact make a number on her makeup. So, having a moment to ourselves the girls and I gathered around and began discussing our next course of action.

"Ladies, I fear that the situation we have found ourselves in has just become significantly more problematic." Rarity started in a hushed tone. For a brief moment I was annoyed that she didn't include me in this, but I waved it off as simple oversight.

"You mean the whole mess with the dagger-thingy and it belonging to her old man?" Rainbow clarified.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about Rainbow." She nodded, casting a glance at the rest. "I mean we cannot possibly consider selling it now, can we? It is after all a property of her relative. It would be like if we have stolen it from her and then tried to sell it back."

"True, but that leaves us without leverage." This time it was Twilight who decided to speak up. Her words were a mild surprise, so most –if not all –of us looked at her oddly, making her blush a bit from the not-so-positive attention. "Hey, don't look at me like that! I'm just stating the facts, and the truth is that we don't have anything else to try and sell. If we just give the dagger back to Rynshinn then we're completely out of money and we can forget about getting any clothes, not to mention renting any rooms in a motel or something."

"Hold up guys! So what you're telling is that we should act like total Grumpy McGrumpsons and force poor Shinny-Rinny to pay us for the knife?" Pinkie looked totally appealed by the idea. "That's super mean! Meaner than the mean-old Gild… I-I mean meaner than a certain party-pooper we all know." Nice save. Since her fallout with Gilda Rainbow didn't react too good to the mention of that name.

"I know Pinkie, and that's why I'm not too keen on doing that." Rarity agreed to our party expert. "This situation really is complicated. On one hoof we desperately need clothes… and money. On the other hoof however we can't just force somepony to pay for something that belonged to their late parent. That is something completely revolting and normally I would never even consider doing something like this."

"So you want to just give her the dagger, is that what you're saying?" Rainbow regarded her with a surprised look. "I mean seriously, after she threatened us with it you want to just give her back the dagger?"

"I… didn't make a decision yet, Rainbow. I am trying to get everypony's opinion before I make any decision."

"Well than here's my opinion: we don't just give her the knife without any compensation. The least she could do is give us something for it." Just like in Twilight situation everypony looked at her oddly, but to RD it didn't matter much; she was used to attention. "I mean come on! She was seconds from leaping on us with a knife in hoof… hand… whatever. And  personally I don't buy her explanation. Too much of a coincidence if you ask me."

"So you're saying Rynshinn lied to us?" I asked, trying to understand her reasoning.

"What I'm saying is that she's desperate to get that dagger." She clarified, conviction ringing in her voice. "Think about it. She said it herself: 'I doubt I have anything of this value'. That means this Messer-thingy is worth a lot, and she wants it for herself. And who's to say that she didn't just made up the whole story about her father?"

"I don't think she made that up." It was Fluttershy who decided to interject, and although she said that in her usual soft voice everypony heard her. Turning our attention to her, we waited for her to elaborate, and of course prompted her to squeak at the sudden attention. Fortunately she managed to overcome the wave of self-consciousness and continued. "I-I mean she seemed genuine enough. The way she was talking about her family and her father, she really believed what she was saying. A-and I think you too believed her at some point Rainbow… I-I at least think you did."

There was a moment of silence after Fluttershy had said that. Rainbow seemed at a loss of words, having no idea how to respond to that. I mean Flutters did point out a valid point –Rainbow did believe her story at some point. So why was she so adamant on proving Rynshinn lied to us now? That didn't make any sense.

My own pondering were interrupted by the very mare I was thinking about. Rainbow finally came up with a response, and I have to say: it wasn't a half bad explanation and she did make a few good points.

"Yeah, well… I thought I believed her back then, but now I kinda figured she could have been manipulating us. I mean come on, what's there to say she isn't some sort of actress or something and she's not playing a convincing role to fool us? Or the part with the mark on the hilt. Can we be sure it really was her father's mark? What proof do we have that her father was called Iremiel Starsong or whatever it was? She was the first to inspect the hilt, maybe she found it first and then built up her story around it?"

"That… makes a frightening amount of sense." Twilight reluctantly agreed. "Rynshinn was the first to inspect it, and it is possible she's a gifted actress."

"As much as it pains Trixie, she has to agree with the both of you." Ok now that was a surprise. Trixie looked as supercilious as ever while saying that, and the look she was giving Rainbow Dash was all but pleasant, but it still was clear that she agreed with her begrudgingly, and the feeling seemed mutual.

”Dunno if I should feel good or bad that she's agreeing with me." Yep, she definitely wasn't happy about that.

The discussion went on for quite some time, Rainbow, and now also Trixie presenting reasons why we shouldn't just give Rynshinn her father's Messer back. Of course that only spurred the ones wanting the complete opposite into presenting their own arguments, and those were mainly Pinkie and AJ, the latter of whom seemed the most sympathetic towards the local fashionista. Come to think of it, she was tipping her hat quite a bit during the whole discussion. Wonder what that meant…

Of course those four weren't the only ones taking sides. Fluttershy it was obvious was supporting the "give her back" group, but wasn't very vocal about it, as usual. Twilight on the other hoof was trying to apply hard logic to the situation and was backing up the "don't give her back" group, although that didn't mean she was agreeing with it on a moral standpoint. As to me, I wasn't really sure where I fitted in the most. Both parties had pretty good arguments, and it was all but impossible for me to choose. Then again, I didn't have much say in the matter. As usual my input was completely ignored once Twilight was with us. Eh, typical…

Twilight's presence had of course their advantages. The girls, although most of them knew each other for years still had problems with acting as a group. Before Twilight not all of them were friends, especially not AJ and Rarity, which was reflected by the two butting heads not too long ago. Twi however served as a buffer and defused most strained situations before they had the chance to escalate. It was probably only because of her that this discussion was just that –a discussion and not an argument. Well, mostly only just a discussion. Trixie of course wouldn't be herself if she didn't infuriate at least one of us, and it just so happens the most hot-headed of us that was her victim. In other words: Rainbow Dash vs. The Great and Powerful Trixie. Place your bets!

Before the argument had the chance to start however it was stopped by, again, none other than Twilight. She really didn't want this to become another argument and fortunately managed to talk some sense into the two (or at least Rainbow; one can never be too sure when it comes to Trixie). So, having the two arguing "don't give her back" supporters calmed down the discussion went on, or at least it would if it wasn't for Rynshinn's return.

Rynshinn returned from… who knows where she was, but it was clear she managed to make herself presentable again. Gone were the lines of ruined makeup, new eye shadows and eye liners applied and looking as if she had never cried today (man, I need to hang out with guys more; I shouldn't know those things!). It was clear that she was ready for business, and that meant we should too. I mean we couldn't possibly discuss the pros and cons of giving back her family heirloom in front of her. Unfortunately, we didn't reach any consensus before she came, and that meant Rarity had to make a decision herself. We could only hope that whatever decision she'll make will be the right one.