~~~~~~The Blue Note, One explanation later~~~~~~
"... And that's what brought us to here." Twilight’s explanation concluded, although Rarity honestly could not say she’d paid a whit of attention to it. All of her focus was on the mare that graced the stage in front of her, currently sipping at a glass of water while the band ruffled with sheet music. “Rosetta, I think what we really need to do is try to figure out why our worlds suddenly connected with one another…” Twilight’s voice faded into the background, and Rarity tried her darnedest not to let her emotions get the better of her.
Sweetie looked beautiful. She was still every inch Rarity’s sister, but all of the chubby young curves and bright eyed enthusiasm had been translated gorgeously into a sleek and devoutly feminine package that threatened to overwhelm her own poise. Her voice was gorgeous, her stage presence immaculate, and if Rarity had not known better she could have sworn that Sweetie was actually flirting with the crowd. It was a complete change of pace from her old self, and that was perhaps the most frightening thing of all.
Rarity could deal with physical transformation, really. Such things happened all the time in the upper crust world of the Canterlot social scene. She could handle Sweetie being a bit older, too. After all, nearly a year had apparently passed since she’d come here. But Sweetie looked like she was Rarity’s age now, and that seemed to break all of her usual coping mechanisms for the strange and exotic.
She wanted to rush the stage and hug her, or perhaps try and spirit her away from this dreadful place. But Rarity knew enough about show business to know better than to try such things. There would undoubtedly be some rather burly looking ponies hanging nearby to watch for those who might try to get too close to the stage, especially with such a pretty filly in that absolutely gorgeous dress upon it.
Finally, the musicians got their act together and began to play a slinky and smooth jazzy tune. For the first few minutes, Sweetie just tapped her hindhoof to the beat and bobbed her head with a little smile on her face and her eyes closed. She looked… happy. Content, almost. It was an astonishing thing for Rarity to contemplate at first, but then the truth hit her like a sack of wheat. You really can get used to anything, can’t you Sweetie? In a way, it just made her all the more proud for her little sister’s courage. She could not conceive of what it must’ve been like for her, suddenly trapped in a strange world surrounded by strange ponies.
The music swelled a little louder, and Sweetie slowly slipped off her wooden stool, the gentle glitter of her dress shimmering across the crowd as her mouth opened and a sensual sound flowed out. Her body swayed gently from side to side as she slowly descended a staircase Rarity had previously not seen, down into the floor of the club as a spotlight followed her.
♪♫"You had plenty money when you were... twenty-two...
You let other fillies make a... fool of you...
Why don't you do right...?
Like some... other colts do...."♪♫
Sweetie gently leaned over to a handsome looking business stallion as she hit the floor, tracing her hoof along his chin as she passed his table with a slow and sensual smile on her face. Rarity fought down the urge to yell at her little sister, knowing it wouldn’t do anything save cause a scene that none of them could afford right now.
♪♫"Get outta here...
Get me some money too..."♪♫
To her right, Rarity caught sight of Scooter staring with wide and vacant eyes at the slinky movements of Sweetie as she strutted slowly around the club floor. "Poor girl's completely besotted." She remarked in a very low voice, and Twilight nodded in agreement.
Rosetta cut in keeping her voice pitched low as to not disturb the other patrons. "It's my turn to tell a story. I'll keep it short and to the point... you don't need to know the gory details, just the facts." She sucked in a deep breath. Rarity could hear the distress in her voice, and wondered why she’d chosen now of all times to tell the story.
♪♫"You're sittin down and wonderin.... what it's all about....
If you ain't got no money, they will.... put you out.
why don't you do right...?
like some other.... colts do...."♪♫
"It all started about six months ago, shortly after Daring finally cornered that madpony, Doctor Negative. When things finally calmed down a bit, she and Silver started... going steady." She remarked, the pain in her voice evident to Rarity, who blinked a little at that. It was nothing compared to the strangled noise Dash made though, and was quickly silenced by her hooves clamping over her muzzle.
Rosetta quietly sighed as Sweetie Belle slipped around another table with a slow sway of her hips, the two scenes tearing Rarity’s attention into two. "I've never hidden the fact that I dislike Manehatten's methods and his attitude, but Dee seemed happy enough." She swallowed visibly, and Rarity had to feel a little brush of sympathy for the mare. It wasn’t like she hadn’t faced the jagged spears of unrequited love before.
♪♫"Get outta here...
Get me some money too..."♪♫
Sweetie Belle was getting closer to their table by the moment, and Rarity felt her heart pounding in her chest. She wanted nothing more than to reach out and speak to her, but… The last thing Rarity wanted was to cause a ruckus that could get them all in trouble. Unfortunately, Rosetta was oblivious to what was going on, so caught up in her story she was. "When Silver went missing, we were nervous. When Cloudsdale went missing too..." She looked up for a moment, straight at Rainbow Dash. “We assumed the worst.”
♪♫"Now if you hadn't left me all those... years ago...
You wouldn't be a wanderin now from.... door to door....
Why don't you do right...?
like some other colts.... do.... "♪♫
"Ever since then, we've been chasing ghosts." Rosetta remarked softly, never looking away from Dash. "Every time we had a lead, it vanished into nothing, until tonight, apparently... we got a... very high level tipoff that the Apple Mob had information regarding Cloudsdale’s whereabouts.. I didn't know Daring was going to go in there tonight, or I might have been there to keep her out of trouble.” She narrowed her gaze at Twilight. “It’s not that I’m not grateful to see Cloudsdale again, Miss Twilight. But I have to be a touch suspicious at your sudden appearance alongside her, you understand.”
♪♫"Get outta here...
Get me some money too..."♪♫
Sweetie Belle was there just outside of their table, softly running her hooves down Scooter's shoulders with a slow and sensual kind of smile - and for just a moment, her eyes met Rarity’s. There was a flash of recognition, and her irises narrowed to pinpricks, but she didn’t miss a single note. Rarity felt her heart breaking as Sweetie barely took a moment to wet her lips with her tongue before slowly slipping away from scooter with an almost imperceptible brush of her lips across the flame-haired pony's cheek. Twilight took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I don’t blame you, Miss Rosetta. In your hooves, I’d be thinking the same thing." Twilight remarked quietly. “But I will be willing to swear to you, we’re just as confused as you are. You must believe we are just as concerned for Dash as you are.”
♪♫"Get outta here...
Get me some money too..."♪♫
Rosetta nodded as the music slowly came to its jazzy end all around them, with Sweetie Belle slowly slipping back onto the stage. "We've got to be careful. Once we've spoken to your friend there, we need to get in contact with…” Her eyes darted to Daring, who nodded once. “Certain high level individuals in Canterlot. Once we’ve done that, we'll go back to the University here and I can consult my data - and perhaps come up with a plan of action." Her eyes scanned the room for a moment.
Rarity followed her gaze to a beautiful pink-coated earth pony with an elaborately coiffed pink mane. She wore a sleek burlesque style dress and mesh stocking hooves ending in heeled boots... and not for the last time today, Rarity could only feel awe come over her. Those bright blue eyes could belong to nopony else. They met one anothers gaze, and for a brief moment she could have sworn she saw recognition in that gaze.
♪♫"Why... don't you... do right....
Like... some other colts.... do.....?"♪♫
The notes from an unseen Sweetie Belle echoed in her mind, and it was in that split moment that Rarity felt a bolt of pain lance through her, and the whole world went black as the night.
~~~~~~The Airship "Liebe Kristall", Somewhere three hundred miles west of Manehatten~~~~~~
The conference room was dark. Only the flickering light of the film projector depicting the most momentous event in the history of the world cast any color over the inhabitants. Iron Resolve stood silently at his post next to the Fuhrerin’s desk, where the Kommandant had ordered him to stay until he was needed. The film slowly flickered to it’s grainy and damaged end, and the nervous unicorn technician looked towards the Fuhrerin for orders.
"Again." Commanded the smooth, sultry female voice from behind the desk. The technician fiddled with the machine to re-spool the film. A few moments later, the recorded video once again replayed the scene from just a half hour earlier that evening. Their flight to the Liebe Kristall had been quite swift, but Iron Resolve supposed that he should not be surprised. When the Kommandant wished to make haste, he was as swift as any pegasus alive.
"Incredible. Eight centuries, beloved. Eight Centuries since any pegasus was born capable of the Sonic Rainboom. Just look at her..." The Fuhrerin gestured at the screen as the film zoomed in to the rainbow-maned pegasus as the white streak showed her breaking through the very air itself, detonating it in a display of power. "She is magnificent. That mane, that sleek form, so honed in its physical beauty. She is..." The Fuhrerin raised her hooves up, as if in ecstasy. "She is perfect. The perfect pegasus, as I live and breathe."
In truth, Iron Resolve could not disagree. He considered himself a professional soldier in the purest sense of the word, and as dedicated to the purity of the Equine race as any pony standing in that room. Yet, he could not deny that the mere sight of her ruthlessly cutting down his comrades was a highly… arousing sight. The technician halted the film at the last clear image of the pegasus, her eyes wide and her mouth baring an exultant grin. She was the very image of Commander Hurricane, like a force of nature straight out of myth and legend.
"Mein Frau Fuhrerin... you will pardon my insolence." Colonel Stahl, a black-coated unicorn with dark eyes burning under the brim of his hat growled into the silence. "But that 'perfect pegasus' thwarted our plans to seize the special warehouse, and destroyed three of our Air Fortresses." He eyeballed the video disdainfully. "It is an impressive display, but she clearly is a threat to us." Iron Resolve did not much like Stahl, but there was no doubting his devotion to the cause. Even if there was substantial doubt about his intelligence, the stallion was a ruthlessly efficient officer.
The Fuhrerin laughed disdainfully. "Are you jealous, Herr Colonel? Do you think she will supplant you in my favor?" A slow and sensual smirk crossed her face, and the unicorn Colonel flushed under her gaze. "She very well may if you continue to show such stupidity. Of course she thwarted us - she knows nothing about our righteous cause. She was led astray by that confounded Daring Do, her ears filled with lies and deceit. It is likely she was told we were a threat to her unicorn friend." She pointed to the still image on her desk, that of a strangely maned unicorn, half hidden behind a crate. The image was not a good one, but it was the only security camera footage they had left. She looked distinctly odd for a unicorn, though. Her horn was unusually long and slender, much like…
The Fuhrerin waved her hoof dismissively. "It does not matter. We must have her for the cause. Her perfection will birth untold foals of superior genetics, and in due time they shall all grow to be capable of that momentous feat. With a dozen Sonic Rainbooms to rain destruction upon our foes, even Celestia will have to acknowledge the truth of our belief." Her hoof slammed into the desk. "Once she is in our hooves, we will be able to bring her around to our way of thinking.”
All of the ponies present nodded their agreement. Even if Iron Resolve privately doubted she would be so easily cowed into becoming a brood mare, he would obey the orders of the Fuhrerin. The Fuherin reached over to the Kommandant, and stroked her hoof down his cheek. “Beloved. Bring her to me, along with her friends. We must have her for our cause. You must even ignore that confounded Daring Do if it means succeeding - she will be incapable of stopping us with the power of the Rainboom at our command."
The Kommandant bowed over her hoof, kissing it gently. "Jawohl. Your wish is my command, Beloved. Colonel Stahl." He snapped a moment later, and the other Unicorn snapped to an even stiffer attention. "Inform Lady Butterfly that we have an assignment. I shall meet you down in Bay Six in one hour."
The unicorn Colonel snapped his hoof up in salute. "Jawohl, Kommandant." He replied, and quickly trotted out of the command room. Iron Resolve may not have liked him, but he was obedient. The Kommandant and the Fuhrerin glanced at each other with a smoky smile and the technician pony quickly evacuated the room. Iron Resolve marched to the door and slammed it shut, then took his post next to it with absolute efficiency.
The Kommandant would likely require him when he was done.
~~~~~A dark office, somewhere in Manehatten~~~~~~
Four battered and bruised earth ponies sat in rough wooden chairs, snappy stetson hats sitting on the table in the middle of a room bathed in the light from a single sparklight. In the corner, a red maned earth pony slowly and deliberately rain an oiled rag down a gleaming metal weapon with her eyes boring into them icily. Said red maned pony quite enjoyed making them nervous, given how stupid they had been tonight. She wouldn’t be surprised if she was asked to… take out the trash.
The door to the room slammed open, pouring in more light from outside for a brief moment before slamming shut. “Whut in the name of Celestia’s Plothole were you idjits thinking?” The dark and growling voice of her sister thundered through the room. It was like literal thunder, in that it made everything in the room shake except for her. “Do you boys realize what you’ve done?” The voice sounded calm now - scarily calm. The three earth ponies would probably have been pissing their pants if they weren’t afraid of messing up the Bosses floor.
One of them managed to get his mouth open, only to have his head nearly taken off by a hoof smashing him in the jaw and sending him to the floor. "I don't care what they did. I don't care what you saw. I don't care what he offered you. I do. Not. Give. A. Fuck if Celestia herself walked up to you and gave you a Discord-damned happy ending!" A pair of hooves slammed into the cheap wooden desk, and the three suited Earth Ponies left sitting winced away from the massive crack she’d just put in the table. "You do NOT take jobs from ponies I don’t personally know without consulting me! You do NOT fuck up said jobs, and then come to me asking what you should do cuz you're afraid of what your client’ll do to ya!! And worst of all, you DO NOT get Daring Fucking Do involved by not knowing how to keep your damn traps shut!"
The pony who’d tried to speak before got to his hooves, but before he could speak he was shoved back into his chair, her sister’s eyes narrowed to slits as she half screamed at him inches away from his face. "No excuses! Do any of you dirt for brains know what I'm gonna hafta do to smooth this over? How many bits it's gonna cost the family?"
The red-maned pony chuckled, and shook her head slowly. It wasn’t gonna be that expensive, all told, but they didn’t need to know that. "You realize I'm gonna hafta explain this to Granny, right? I'm gonna hafta explain this to our investors? That I'm gonna hafta call Daring Do into one of my own damned offices and apologize because you cider-addled idiots made me break my word about staying out of her way?"
That got a terrified look on the faces of all the mooks standing across the desk from the Boss, who looked about ready to send them all to the bottom of the river wearing concrete hoofboots. "So this is what yer gonna do.” Her sister said in a quiet and intense voice. “You boys are gonna go find Daring Do and tell her I want a meeting at The Macintosh Club tomorrow for lunch. Tell 'er I am personally guaranteein' her safety from now until midnight tomorrow. An' then you, an every other member of your crew… And I do mean every BUCKING ONE O’ YA!” She snarled loud enough to cow every last one of them. “ Are gon' go and make fucking sure that nopony brings so much as a shred of harm onto Daring Do or any of 'er friends heads until I've had a chance to explain the situation. Do I make myself one hundred per'cent fucking clear?"
The four suited ponies all nodded repeatedly, and then piled out of the small dark office as fast as their hooves could take them. Leaving the pony next to the table and of course, her own self. "Things’re gettin complicated, Sis." She remarked quietly as she rounded the desk to lean onto the chair the other mare was sitting in. "They probably ain't the only crew our mystery stallion’s got wrapped around his hoof. Ain't gonna be terribly obvious who we can trust. Mebbe we ought'a think 'bout helping out old pith helmet with this problem?" She suggested, tilting her head so her deeply colored mane shone in the dim light of the office.
Her sister plopped down behind the table and blew out a sigh. "I reckon you might be right." She paused for a moment. "Put a kit together. Go get the latest from Inkwell. We're gonna need a peace offerin' anyway." Her sister leaned back into her chair and rubbed at her eyes. "Buck my life. Neightzis horning in on our territory, some crazy stallion doin’ some kind of insane experiments and kidnapping fucking celebrities, a gorram Sonic Rainboom over the bay, and now Daring Do is gonna have me by the little apples for this disaster. What the buck else could go wrong?"
The Red maned pony didn’t know, but she did know that it was probably going to all end with a lot of violence. So she heaved Tommy over her shoulder and decided to get to work.
~~~~~~~The Blue Note, Private Lounge~~~~~~~
Rainbow Dash was waving a spare menu at Rarity’s face like Rosetta had told her to while sh attended to Rarity with her medical kit. “I thought I was bringing this thing for Cloudsdale,” Rosetta muttered. “If I’d have known it would be for a unicorn I would have brought horn salts instead of cloud bandages.”
“Hush, Rosie,” Daring said softly, tucking a rolled up towel under Rarity’s head and glancing at the half open lounge door. Rarity’s sudden fainting spell had been bad enough, and fortunately it had been easy to explain it off as her merely being ‘overwhelmed.’ A paper thin explanation helped only by Rarity’s elegant appearance and manner of dress, and maybe by the stink eye Twilight had been giving anyone who looked belligerent.
Fortunately…. “Is she alright?” Bluebell hovered in the background, her eyes constantly darting to the lounge door she’d flung open mere moments ago. “I’ve called Doc Dream down too, Daring. I hope that was alright.” Bluebell was fluffing her wings and dancing in place so much she was nearly lifting herself up off the ground. If Dash herself wasn’t almost as nervous, she might have giggled.
Daring nodded. “Thanks, Blue. Just see if you can’t keep out Miss-” Her words got cut off by a pink earth pony in fishnet stockings and a flowing black and red dress sailing right through the door. “Kitty.” Daring sighed, rubbing at her forehead as if trying to hold off a headache.
Dash blinked at the name, and then took a far closer look at the pony who’d just walked in. Oh yeah, there was pretty much zero doubt who this was, but Miss Kitty? What kinda name was that? “It’s my job to know what’s going on in my club, Doctor Doo. “ Miss Kitty cooed in a deep, sensual voice that sent chills up Rainbow Dash’s spine. That was sure as buck not a voice she’d ever heard Pinkie use before! “Besides, I wasn’t about to let my little Sweetie in here all alone.” ‘Miss Kitty’ cooed just seconds before a blur of white body and multi-hued mane blurred in through the door.
Up close and personal, and with her stage charm now fully turned off, Dash could see every inch of the filly that had once been Sweetie Belle in the newly grown mare. She might be a fully-sized pony now, but her eager energy and earnest emotions hadn’t changed a whit. “Whoa there, filly!” Scooter cried out, intercepting Sweetie before she could charge in on the still patiently working Rosetta. “Give her some space! She’s in the best of hooves.”
Sweetie Belle, Celestia, it feels weird to think of her like that. Huffed at Scooter, but finally settled a little as Rosetta dusted off her hooves and Rarity began to stir. “She’ll wake up in a minute. Be gentle with her, she’s still partially in shock.” She huffed softly, shaking her head. “This makes no sense at all. No physical signs, but she’s got all the physical symptoms of a minor concussion.”
Dash could no longer stay silent in the face of all this ridiculousness. “Wait, what do you mean a concussion?” Head injuries were something every competitive flier was aware of if they wanted to get past their first stunt-routines, since crashing headfirst into things was a pretty common ending to a lot of early work. You learned how to recognize the symptoms and causes, and most importantly, you knew what to do when one happened. “That’s impossible, she didn’t hit her head or anything!”
“No, but she did look at… Miss Kitty.” Twilight turned, her voice going soft and her pupils dilating to small points. “Just like Dash had a headache when she started talking with Daring about Cloudsdale…” Dash could almost physically see all the tiny gears that composed Twilight’s brain spinning into sudden overdrive. Her lips locked together and she sat down with a thunk that startled everypony except for Dash.
Rosetta’s lips were pursed too, and she sat down next to Twilight while adopting a ‘thinking’ look that was so comically like Rosetta’s that they could have been oddly colored twins. Rarity’s voice slipped through the air, a little unsteady but firm. “I’m fine, Sweetie darling, just let me sleep for a few more moments. I’ve those suits to finish for Mr. Rich today…” Rarity coughed and tried to turn over and snuggle into the towel… at which point she jerked a little and took in a sharp breath. “Sweetie?” Rarity’s voice had descended into a bare whisper lush with relief. “Oh, thank Celestia, you’re alright!”
Rarity shakily leaned up and hugged Sweetie Belle tightly, and a few moments later Sweetie’s eyes filled with tears and she began to fiercely hug back Rarity. “Of course I am, big sis…” She sniffled, burying her head in Rarity’s shoulder. “You know I’m a big tough filly.” She sniffled again, and Dash looked up to see Miss Kitty and Bluebell both smiling broadly, Miss Kitty herself pushing tears away from her own eyes. “I knew you’d come and find me, Rarity.” Sweetie whispered just loud enough to be heard before the hugs took over.
Dash could feel her head begin to swim, and shoved open the door to the lounge before stumbling out into a back hallway of the club. No one spoke up, so she kept moving. She needed some air, and fast.