The Seduction of Princess Cadance - [Adventure] - Early 2015
The mare stirred as Big Gig climbed out of the bed. He paused and held his breath. She didn’t wake.
Gig turned his head and gave her a smile. His eyes wandered to her soft blonde mane, then followed it down as it caressed her perfect pink coat and flowed past three gem-shaped kisses of blue on her flank. Slivers of dawn light streamed through the room’s blinds and made the bedsheets glow.
He finished getting up and picked his way across the simple townhouse toward her stand mirror. His mane needed combing, but he felt compelled to turn back to give her another smile.
A shadow of doubt flickered across his mind. He was pretty sure she’d said her name was Sapphire Shine.
It got hard to remember their names after a while.
He turned back to her vanity and made sure his smile was still sterling. He angled his body around, checking his off-white coat; it was just a little mussed, but no more than it should be. He smiled as he glimpsed his cutie mark of two beamed musical notes, but he frowned as he caught a good look at his black mane. It was going to take some effort to get it slicked back the way he liked it.
He bumped something on her vanity. His eyes darted to the bed. Sapphire Shine stirred again. This time her blue eyes fluttered open.
“Hey there,” she said, smiling.
“Hello, gorgeous,” Gig said, feeling torn but betraying nothing. He knew he needed to get out of there, but she possessed a genuine, intoxicating beauty that went well beyond his usual.
“Oh, Celestia, I can’t believe I did this!” she said, laughing. “No, I swear, I never do this sort of thing.”
Gig tensed, but kept it out of his voice. “What, you mean going out to a club and falling head-over-hooves for a big, strong stallion with the sweetest singing voice you’ve ever heard?”
She laughed again. Her smile was coy, but inviting.
“What? Come on, it ain’t bragging if it’s true.”
She sat up on the bed and patted a spot next to her. “Come on, Crescendo.” Gig smiled at his “working” name. “Stay a while. I mean, who are you, really?”
“Whoa now,” he said, being playful. “Are you saying we should have an honest conversation?”
Sapphire Shine blushed a little. “Maybe it’d be nice after… you know?”
Gig smiled on instinct. For a moment he really thought about seeing how that would go. Part of him wondered if there could be something more real between the two of them. Of course, she’d have to get past certain issues that his job would present. And he had no way of knowing if she was for real, either.
He didn’t want to admit his fear of finding out.
So he began to sing.
The song was nothing special; it was just a little work-song that he’d picked up from one place or another. Ah, but did it ever make her smile. She closed her eyes and relaxed on the bed as she listened.
She kept her eyes closed after he finished. “Are you sure you’re just an Earth Pony?” she asked. “I swear, that voice is magic.”
Gig smiled, but only on the outside. This one really must not get around much. “Hey. You hungry? I was thinking I’d go grab a couple packets of hay.”
Her eyes opened. “Come right back?”
“You know it, sweetheart.”
Soon enough, Gig made his way down the stairs of her townhouse and out to the street. The sun was still rising, but Manehattan’s smile was far less welcoming than hers had been.
“Sapphire Shine,” he whispered. “What a dame.”
He took a few steps down the sidewalk, then paused and watched the alley next to her building.
Sure enough, one of the basement windows opened, and a teenage colt with a shaggy dark brown coat climbed out. His mane and tail were black, like Gig’s, though they were nowhere near as suave. The kid’s green eyes looked from side to side beneath his unicorn horn.
He closed the window behind him and started heading toward Gig. The only sound he made was a little jangle from his saddlebags.
“You took a while, ‘Crescendo’,” Teardrop said.
Gig flashed him a disarming grin, but Teardrop walked past, not even looking at him. He frowned, then hurried to catch up with the kid.
“Don’t be so moody,” Gig said. “That should’ve bought you all the time you need to make a big score.”
Teardrop shrugged. “I wouldn’t call a couple antique earrings and gold chains a ‘big score.’ Next time, try to pick a mark with better money than looks.”
“Come on, give her a break,” Gig said, feeling a weird urge to defend Sapphire Shine’s honor. “This is a nice dame that we just cleared out.”
Teardrop gave him a flat look.
“No, I tell ya, most of the dames that wake up before I slip away are nothing but trouble. She was nice, though. Real hospitable.”
“I thought we agreed… business only. No personal stuff,” Teardrop said.
Gig frowned. “All right, forget it. Look, I’m hungry. Are you hungry? Why don’t we fence this stuff and get something to eat.”
“I’m full,” Teardrop said.
Gig tried to think of something else to fill the silence, but eventually gave up.
Their shadows loomed large before them as they slunk down the sidewalk toward their usual place to sell what they stole.
Teardrop stared at Big Gig, watching the stallion munch through a tall plate of hay. Other patrons in the greasy diner moved to and fro, largely ignoring them.
Gig looked up and paused mid-bite. “What?”
Teardrop looked down at the solitary cup of black coffee in front of him. “Sorry, just… wondering how you can eat that stuff.”
Gig chuckled. “Says the pony who never eats.”
Teardrop’s frown intensified. “I do eat. I just don’t like being watched.”
Gig gave him a goofy smile, then shrugged and refocused on his hay. “Suit yourself, kid.”
Moments later, a figure sidled up next to them. “Need a fill-up, honey?” asked a cold, menacing voice.
Teardrop froze.
“Well, hello there, gorgeous,” Gig said, winking at the tall waitress. “I was gonna ask you the same thing!”
She laughed, but it was coarse and artificial. “Oh, you’re too much,” she said. Then she leaned-in toward Gig. “Say. I hear you boys are good with your hooves. And I hear you like big scores that pay big bits.”
“Well that depends on what you mean by ‘good with our hooves,’” Gig said, overplaying his charm.
She smiled a fake smile and pushed a folded-up napkin toward him. “Somepony wants to meet you. Details within. Don’t be late. Oh, and… bring your friend.”
Teardrop slowly turned his eyes to meet hers.
The size and body shape were all wrong, but the voice, and the eyes, were unmistakable.
“You need anything, sugar?” she asked him. For a moment she let the veneer of charm fall away. It was brief; Gig probably hadn’t noticed the difference. But Teardrop knew.
“Come on, kid. The lady asked a question!”
“Oh well, maybe next time,” she said, winking at Teardrop.
“Leaving so soon?” Gig asked. “Come on, stay a while. With that skirt you’ve got on, I can’t even see your cutie mark.”
“Next time I won’t be wearing it,” she said, remaining playful. “Until then…”
She disappeared behind Teardrop’s field of vision. He didn’t turn his head to follow.
“Well, well,” Gig said. “I must be hot stuff today! No sooner do I tear myself from one fine mare’s boudoir than I’m veritably dragged into another’s.”
Teardrop pressed his eyes shut in despair. “Is that all you see in her?”
A moment of silence fell.
“Come on, kid, I wasn’t born yesterday. She’s gotta work for one of the local wiseponies. You know how I said somepony would notice us eventually?”
“Does that mean we should skip town?”
Gig frowned. “When it’s over, yeah, we will. We oughtta do their job first, though. Just so they don’t feel disrespected.”
Teardrop ground his teeth.
“Alright, that’s it,” Gig said, pushing his plate away. “You look like death, and I don’t sleep good on the nights I’m working anyway. We’ve got some time before tonight... how about we hit a flophouse?”
Teardrop met his eyes. He wanted to throttle the earth pony and scream at him that he should run.
Seeing her again had drained him, though. And Gig’s mind seemed pretty well made up.
They awoke close to sundown and made their way out of the flophouse with little conversation. Big Gig was hungry again, and felt like another shot of hay. As usual, Teardrop abstained.
Gig worried about him, but it didn’t seem like he was going to share whatever was bugging him. There’d be a time and place to press for more, and Gig felt prepared to let it go for the moment.
He was far more curious to know what this meeting was going to be about.
They made their way out into the streets at the appointed hour and turned a corner that he normally wouldn’t, even during the day.
His instincts told him that something was watching them from the far end of the alley, but it was too dark to see much of anything.
“This looks like a perfect set-up,” Gig said.
“Come on, let’s…”
“No,” Gig said. “One job, then we’re outta here.”
Teardrop fell behind him silently as Gig worked his way down the alley.
He began to notice movement in front of him, and the telltale sound of quiet hooves both in front and behind.
Gig paused and let his eyes adjust. He frowned. This could be more than just a setup; it could be a takedown.
His eyes swiveled as he sized-up the situation. He didn’t like the look of the tall, shadowy figure moving in before them. He didn’t like the darkness and isolation of the alley, either. The nagging feeling that there were a decent number of goons lurking unseen near the mouth of the alley was just icing on the cake.
“Hello, Teardrop,” the figure said. “So nice to see you again.” It was a mare’s voice. Gig automatically began sizing her up, trying to see if he could work an angle toward charming her.
“Is this the one that’s been so on your mind?” the mare asked, turning her head slightly. He took the momentary impression that she might have a unicorn horn under her hood, and her tone of voice made it clear that she wasn’t going to fall for his charm.
“It is,” Teardrop answered. His voice sounded almost reverent.
The shadowy mare scoffed. “You really think that he can do it?”
“I… think he can” Teardrop said.
Gig arched an eyebrow but stayed silent. He still didn’t know what was going on, but his trepidation was increasing. For one thing, he’d never heard the kid speak this way toward anypony.
“The stallion with the voice that makes mares melt,” she said, sounding amused. “Sapphire Shine sends her regards.”
Gig’s heart skipped a beat. “I didn’t know my reputation would precede me,” he said, keeping his voice neutral.
“It isn’t hard to find a stallion with charm,” the mare said. “But I need a pony of sufficient skill for this job.”
Gig risked a glance toward the mouth of the alley. The shadows were shifting. He decided to go for broke.
He smiled at her as if she was rich and beautiful, and he began to sing.
What he chose was no mere working-song, or folk tune, or even something popular. Gig knew he was singing to stir the cold soul of a dangerous dame, so he chose a piece from an opera that’d been composed hundreds of years before. He poured his all into it, and the piece sailed along in a rousing baritone, before reaching a climactic high note. He held it as long as he dared, then cut it off. The sound echoed off the walls for several moments. Then it faded.
The mare stood silent, studying Gig. “Impressive,” she said. “I am not easily swayed.”
Gig kept his eyes on her as he took a bow. “So what’s the job?”
“I want you to romance Princess Cadace of the Crystal Empire,” she said, sounding amused. “And once you have her in your clutches, I want you to steal the Crystal Heart.”
Gig fought to maintain an air of confidence. What she was getting at was suicide. If Gig hadn’t been sure those shadows were moving closer, he might’ve walked away then and there.
Gig swallowed. “If I may,” he said, gesturing with a hoof. “Respectfully, your ladyship, I feel there might be certain… factors… that could limit our success.”
“Oh?”
“Well. This is, of course, an alicorn princess we’re talking about. A very happily married alicorn princess, by all accounts. You must understand, there is a certain… element of what I do that she, perhaps, would not be as inclined to partake of, given her… status.”
“Is that all?” the mare deadpanned.
“Well, and, of course, our Teardrop here would need to get his hooves on the most famous and well-guarded gem in all Equestria while I was… somehow… entertaining this… very married, very powerful princess…”
“Do not give up so easily,” she hissed.
Gig startled. “Easy? Baby, there ain’t nothin’ easy about this!” He took a brief glance at the shadows that were still closing in, and decided he was being too honest. “That’s not to say we couldn’t find a way, it’s just to make certain that we all understand the score.”
The figure ducked her head down and tossed a heavy bag of bits onto the ground. The way her cloak moved made Gig feel even surer that she was a unicorn.
He looked at the bag, and then at Teardrop. “Kid, is this for real?”
Teardrop shuddered, but nodded.
Gig frowned. “It’s a good thing that I’m a professional, otherwise I’d die to ask about your angle here.” He turned back to the shadowy mare. “Everypony in the Empire’s going to be on high alert as soon as we bag it. And how are we supposed to get rid of the prince long enough for me to work my magic on the princess?”
She laughed humorlessly. “I think the prince will find himself quite occupied. And somepony who can help with… extraction… will meet you there.”
“You’re asking us to put a lot of faith in that,” Gig said.
He couldn’t see her smile, but he could hear in her voice. “You’re smart enough to know that I’m not asking.”
She reached down and produced another bag. This one fell open as it landed next to the other, spilling bits that clinked as they scattered across the ground.
“I will, however, make it worth your while.”
Gig flicked an ear nervously. No amount of money would change the fact that the job was suicide. Of course, not taking it might just be faster suicide…
“Be on the midnight train to Baltimare,” she said. “Take the first connection.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Gig said. He looked at Teardrop, then nodded toward the bits.
Teardrop took a few steps forward. Eventually his horn lit up. The first bag flew neatly into his saddlebags, and he began to gather the second bag’s bits together.
“Believe me when I say I want you to succeed,” the mare began. “But if you try to cheat me, I will use your living bodies to explore new vistas of torture such as you cannot possibly imagine.” She inclined her head toward Teardrop. “That goes double for you, darling.”
Teardrop’s horn lost its glow, and the half-collected bag of bits fell and burst on the ground.
The mare laughed. It was long, wicked, and chilling.
“Come on, boys,” she said to her unseen accompaniment, before turning and vanishing into the shadows.
Gig waited a few moments before moving to Teardrop’s side. He put a hoof on the colt’s trembling shoulder. “Are you alright?”
Teardrop nodded.
“Kid… you gotta tell me… do you know that crazy broad?”
Teardrop turned and met his eyes.
“Gig… that… was my mother.”
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This feels like The Sting. At least for the effective time period and execution. But it'd probably go all Fargo on them, or Snatch, or Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels on them. This could be worth a revisit, you just need the long term plot outline.
Well, as for the title I'd have just called it something like Takers or The Score. While not overly original it sets the appropriate crime noir expectation. The Seduction of ... works better for something with Shannon Tweed and Andrew Stevens or is something like Dangerous Liaisons.
What this story needed was, Sapphire Shine needed to be mobbed up. In fact they needed to go to the fence and find out that "OH DANG She's a lieutenant in Mother Mulberry's Mob and those earrings are her favorite!" They try to flee and then at the train station they get directed to take a walk with some rough looking folks. What they've done requires more than just getting the items back. Hence the impossible job getting the most important treasure in the Crystal Empire.
Gig plots it out checks the security stuff and all. Calls in some friends (one of whom is revealed late in the story) and share some info that include the fact that Mafia mom wants to expand her criminal empire and is moving a large amount of cash up to the C.E. around the same time and is going to use the Break in as cover.
Gig finds out about this through his friends and makes some hinted at adjustments to his plans. The day of the heist Gig has a meeting with Cadence and gives her a private show. She swoons.
That night at a banquet a frustrated and worried Cadence is watching Gig do his number and then the alarm for the heart gets "tripped." In the confusion Gig winds up with the heart and ends up getting arrested and it becomes clear Teardrop set him up because Teardrop was promised control of the mafia in the CE.
The mafia folks head off but are arrested by a detachment of Shining Armor's guards. They are of course shocked but it turns out that the mafia folk have the most cherished treasure in the Crystal empire of all with them... Princess Cadence's smarty pants doll that Gig had stolen at the private show.
Meanwhile Gig and company make off with the mafia funds.
There are finer details that would need ironing out but... if you kind of work it that way you could still pull off the story in a longer form.
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Oh, for the love of...Teardrop's mother is Chrysalis! Plain as day.
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Spoilers!!!
Nah, it's meant to be obvious. I had a couple of stories I was working on in 2015 with Chrysalis as the hidden but obvious puppet master. Maybe one of these days I'll find a way to do the concept justice!
Nice Chrysalis seeks revenge story, and you ended it at the right place, I think. To try to do a full on story properly would take a long book, if you want to do it right, and some of the charm of this intro would be lost, if only by the length of the story. And so many unintended parallels with Queen Chrysalis trying to steal the Elements of Harmony in season 8 (The Mean 6). Ever toyed with the idea of a story dealing with Chryssi trying to get her revenge on Starlight? Seduction optional...