Sunset trotted down the steps of the tower home, two mugs of newly heated tea levitated in front of her. Reaching the bottom, she swiftly turned to face the sofa, handing off a mug to the bored earth pony. Placing her own mug down on the coffee table she had previously dragged from the upstairs, she took a few of the scraps of notes with her hooves. Okay. We’ve gone over the crimes against her, which she’s fully admitted are all true and have an actual basis. That means we’re going to have to find character witnesses and use loopholes in the prosecution’s testimonies. Doing all that, we might have a chance. There were several law books on the table Sunset had found on the top shelves within the home, all of them would need to be read before the trial began.
The stress of the situation she had placed herself in was becoming unbearable. Night came, darkening the sky in a blackened, endless void, though it was difficult to see from the large window, morning glories covered the outside. Her tired eyes were growing weary with every second she spent jotting down information or glancing at the study guides. “Can’t we blame somepony else? Or feign that I didn’t know I was doin’ it? I mean, how can they even prove that I have the power to do somethin’ like that?”
Sunset sat for a while, waiting for her tea to cool. “That’s not a bad idea. Can you control it? If I were to get a plant right now, could you not destroy it?”
“Well, uh, no,” Applejack replied, a frown crossed her lips. “Unless it’s an apple.”
“Then there’s the evidence you did do it, we won’t be able to deny it.” Sunset sat back against the sofa, feeling the softness sooth her aching back. Taking a sip, she suddenly pushed away the mug. “But if you can’t control it then we can claim that it’s out of your control! You can’t help this world’s curse upon you any more than the guards can help their barking or that one lady with the really weird claws for hooves, which is something that I had dreamed about as a filly and it always worried me that I’d mess up a spell and I’d transform into a crab or something and be unable to—” Sunset ran out of breath.
“Sunset! What in Equestria are you goin’ on about!?”
“What I’m saying—” She paused to wheeze “—is that we can argue that you have no control over this power of yours. You might be a threat to plant life, but it isn’t your fault. That may mean banishment from Canterlot but certainly not jail time.”
Smacking her hooves together, Applejack replied, “That’s great, Sunset! I mean, I already tried to do that but it sounds more impressive coming from you! But I’m not sure they’d banish me. S’not like they have the gall to do so. Only reason I’m here is ‘cause they won’t let ponies leave.”
“How do ponies leave? That rat judge… he leaves. I’ve seen him twice now in two different places. Who is he?”
“You kiddin’? Nopony wants to leave. They fear the outside world, and they have every right to be. It’s a terrifying place. He came from the outside world. I even heard there’s a place up north called the Crystal Empire. I thought about headin’ that way and stealin’ some of those pretty gems, but apparently there’s a pony forcing others into a theater troupe. Ain’t no way I’m gonna be a fancy schmancy performer.”
Sunset rolled her eyes. Right. You just prefer to be a regular actor, conning ponies out of their money. Tapping her hooves together, Sunset took another sip of her tea. “Alright,” she said after she finished, “Explaining your inability to control your ability is just one of many steps. We still need to punch holes in your grifting, thieving, and forging. Do you have any character witnesses we could call who would side with you and tell stories about how good you are?”
“There’s my brother, but he ain’t here in Canterlot.”
“Where is he?”
With a shrug, Applejack replied, “Beats me. Last time I saw him he had a money problem.”
“What kind of problem?” Sunset squinted.
“He wouldn’t lend me any.” Applejack burst into laughter, slapping her knee and spilling her tea.
Sunset tucked her chin to her chest to stifle her short giggle. At least this bearer isn’t trying to hurt me or others, and she’s got a better sense of humor than Pinkie Pie. “Anyone else? Someone other than family would be preferable.”
“Well, sure, but I ain’t have the faintest idea where they might be. Certainly not in Canterlot.”
“Anyone in Canterlot? You’ve got some fellow ne’er-do-wells, I’d imagine.”
A single brow raised on Applejack’s face. “Neigh, thee shant haveth a single soul within thine confines of Canterlot,” she mockingly replied. “I came to Canterlot after Discord took over, mostly ‘cause of what he did to Ponyville. Why he had to settle there, I’ll have to ask him if I ever meet him.”
“If we don’t have any witnesses, it’ll be a short trial.” Sunset took a book in hoof, opening to a page she'd marked. “Though this case doesn’t have a jury, so pleading to the emotional bonds of ponies isn’t exactly necessary. Of course, that only makes this more difficult. Evidence that’s direct will be more of my territory, I’ll have to go and see if any evidence previously entered. It’s the more circumstantial evidence I’m worried about. If they bring on an expert witness who can explain with certainty on how you did these things then my cross-examination of that witness is going to be filled with terrible questions.”
“Why are you so hung up on witnesses?”
“Well, I’m not expecting too much physical evidence, to be honest. I mean, you never confessed, you didn’t attack anyone, and no one ever saw you steal anything. We know these three things. The only thing you claim they found was the forged documents and the fruit stand, and even that is lackluster. The ponies you conned are eyewitnesses at best, but never legitimately saw you steal their money, or they gave it to you willingly. That means it all comes down to witnesses. If I can question the credibility of their accounts, I think we can win this. If we had our own witnesses, we could prep them enough to the point where you’d come out looking more like a victim rather than a villain.”
Applejack sat forward. “You really do sound like a lawyer. If you weren’t a princess, I’d say you were a villain,” she replied, a short, uneasy laugh followed.
“Me? A villain?” Sunset flustered, hiding her muzzle. “Come on. Enough joking around. It’s late—I think. I need to sleep if I’m going to round up evidence tomorrow.”
“We’ve spent most of today doin’ a whole lot of nothing. You sure you can get everything done tomorrow? Anythin’ you need me to do?” Applejack asked.
“I need you to not cause any more trouble and I need you to stay within Canterlot. Can you do those two things for me?”
Applejack tilted her head like a confused dog. “If you wanted me to behave, why’d you bail me out? Seems a little silly if you ask me.” She gave a slow, exaggerated shrug. “I suppose I’ll hit the hay too.” The earth pony then jumped from the sofa and trotted up the steps to the second floor. “Goodnight!”
“Hey wait, why do you—” The earth pony slammed the second-floor bedroom door before Sunset could finish “—get the bed…” Tugging on her eyelids, Sunset rested herself on the sofa, curling into a little ball. What an aggravation. Grabbing at one of the many books, Sunset held it above her face. I’ve got to learn all I can. Applejack’s quite the villain, but she’s the first to actually be friendly with me. I can’t let her slip through my hooves like Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Her face fell expressionless. Will it even matter, though? Discord’ll lock her in a cage regardless. What an aggravation.
Pulling the book to her chest, she hadn’t noticed how tired she'd become. A rough night of sleep in the cake dirt, barely a wink in Las Discord, and a day of running around driven by adrenaline only, it was enough to wear a gal out. Yet she still feared sleep, or more accurately, the dream that came with the deep sleep. The golden flowers, the indigo gazebo, the foreboding sky. It was always there whenever sleep rolled around, like a dozen hands reaching out and pulling her down through the ground into another world.
The more she thought about it, the more it became true. She hadn’t realized it but she was no longer just thinking of the golden petals and green stems, she was seeing them. A thousand of the little flowers in every direction.
She was glad that this time it had let her keep her pony self. Returning as a biped only made her miss her friends at CHS more. “This place is supposed to be calm,” she said to the flowers, “Yet I’ve always got a hollow feeling in my chest whenever I’m here, like something cut a hole in me and stole my spirit.”
Brushing the tops of the petals with the frog of her hoof, it almost felt real. This world around her never seemed to change, unlike the timelines that she was only passing through. It held a quaint, ugly feeling that rooted itself in her stomach, like something had happened to someone she cared deeply for. She felt it the first time she had awoken in the dream world, and the second, the third, and even as she stood in the field now, she felt it. She knew something drew her here, but there was never any rhyme or reason. Black pods that shot up from the ground, a thousand copies of her friends, Midnight Sparkle, or a lonely soul crying. It was never exactly the same.
She screamed, cried, begged, ignored, laughed, and sat completely still. None of it had done any good. Yet now, in pony form, she wanted to try all those things again. Was it insanity? To Sunset, it felt like perseveration. The ultimate sensation of repeating the same sort of things only to achieve nothing.
Yet it wasn’t the same. She had seen it herself. Black pods, copies of her friends, Midnight Sparkle, and a lonely soul crying. It was never the same. Just like every timeline she had hopped into, just like every bearer she had met. They weren’t the same. She wasn’t the same pony as when she first mistakenly set foot and hoof in Equestria, touching the crystal table and finding herself in a different time. It may have been the same consequences, the same journeys, and the same outcomes, but it was always different.
Somehow, she found herself standing inside the indigo gazebo, though she couldn't remember walking up the hill. A villain reigns, gather the bearers, and leave through the table. It’s always the same. But it wasn’t, because she had grown past the perseveration. She pushed it aside like an unwanted side dish. Perseverance had replaced perseveration, even when she felt the worst about herself.
Discord had spoken, showing her selfishness, and she knew he was right, she felt he was right. Yet it didn’t stop her. She didn’t care that he was right, and she knew that it was selfish to feel that way.
Tirek had told her she was angry, but was he right? She had been angry. Her anger focused on herself more than anyone else, but that was selfish, wasn’t it? Unlike Tirek, however, Discord didn’t tell her that the feeling was wrong to have or that she should suppress it. Why? Why had he done such a thing to her? Tirek picked at the emotion she put out to protect herself, yet Discord picked at the thing she was protecting.
As she stood in the gazebo, she expected someone or something to make an appearance. To scold her, to belittle her, to tell her she was right in feeling those emotions. She wanted something to happen. If something did, she could use that perseverance that she'd built up, forwarding herself to the next day. To face head on what new challenge would appear.
But this world was never exactly the same, and so, nothing happened.
She was forced to sit alone in the indigo gazebo surrounded by golden flowers. She sat there until she woke up naturally, a single ray of sunlight piercing the batch of morning glories that coated the window. It struck her right in the forehead as if the world said, “Wake up!” And she did.
With a hefty yawn and a stiff crick in her neck, she stretched and groaned. Her mane lapped itself upward, which she pushed down with her magic, sorting it back into place. She could hear the snoring of the earth pony, which was a good sign. Glad she didn’t sneak off in the middle of the night, Sunset thought as she herself was sneaking off. Closing the front door as quietly as possible, she trotted down the outside staircase and made her way through the tunnel of grass.
There were a plethora of things she needed to accomplish before the day’s end. She started by collecting the trial information and any paperwork regarding evidence. When she arrived, she was thankful no evidence had been previously brought in. It didn’t take long for her to be in and out, which meant she had more time to investigate Applejack’s malicious shop. The earth pony had said it was in Restaurant Row, a place she knew intimately. When Sunset arrived, coasting down from the sky and landing in front of the Row, she understood why Applejack was suspect number one.
Closed signs covered all the eateries, some even had their names taken down, choosing to sell rather than go further into the red. In contrast was a single apple stand sitting as a benchmark in the middle of the road. Empty barrels scattered the sides, and Sunset assumed there had been more, though now stripped away by the guard. The only food remaining were a few apple cores. A couple bits sat tucked into a corner of the stand, but no passersby attempted to steal them since the Row was effectively closed. This certainly won’t help our case. She knew what she was doing by setting up here. She wanted to watch as the restaurants closed, to force ponies to come to her.
Sunset made notes of every little thing she could. Having a complete picture was the most important thing. And she knew that also meant digging up information from what the prosecution had gathered. With haste, she returned to the business section of Canterlot, hoping to find the greasy stallion’s office.
It wasn’t difficult. Upon finding the cleanest looking two-story building within the subdivision, she knew it belonged to the prosecutor, who was clearly compensating for his own crummy personality. Luck would be on her side if she played her cards right.
Pushing forward into the office, she was greeted by a tired, old mare. The bags under her eyes could be read like lines in a tree stump, telling Sunset that the mare was ancient. As old as she may have been, she still greeted the alicorn with a youthful tone. “Why hello there miss. How lovely you are. What may I do for you?”
“Hi there. I’m actually looking for—”
“Ohh, are you the princess who took the Applejack defense?” interrupted the old mare. “You are as brave as you are pretty. My son has worked up quite the case against her, you know.”
“Your son?”
As if on cue, the greasy stallion yelled from the second floor, “Hey, ma, you got those records put away yet? I’ve got another task that needs stapling.” When he reached the bottom step, his eyes were filled with surprise. He abruptly pushed out his chest, which stretched his suit. “Well, well. Look who it is. Come for a few tips and tricks already? I figured you couldn’t keep away.”
Sunset kept her jaw shut tight, refusing to show signs of disgust. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“You came to the right stallion.” He was suddenly very close to Sunset, barely a muzzle space between them. “Perhaps we could discuss it over dinner?”
“It’s a little early for dinner,” the mare behind the counter replied. “I can make you two some soup if you’d like.”
“Ma.” The stallion rolled his eyes. “Mind your own business, you old hag.” He then took Sunset by the neck and pulled her in close. “What’d’ya say, hun? It might be an early dinner but I’m sure there’s plenty I could teach you. Who knows? Maybe it’ll run all night if you’re a… fast learner.” The smell of his breath hit Sunset’s nose in such a way that she almost gagged on the spot. It reminded her of the taste from the gel within the changeling pods.
“Sure, dinner sounds great,” she replied. I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this, but I need more information about his suit against Applejack. She eased out of his grip and gave an unsure smile, which she forced herself to hold till he looked away. Following the stallion out, the old mare waved them goodbye, which Sunset felt compelled to wave back. How can this ill-mannered guy come from her? She seems sweet.
The greasy stallion brought her to a restaurant that had remained in business, though it was nowhere near Restaurant Row. On the inside, colors of dark grey, cobalt, and medallion gold mixed together in a melding pot, spouting onto the furniture, walls, and staff in a delicate display. For all her disgust and antipathy of the greasy stallion, she had to admit his tastes were excellent.
It was apparent that he was a regular customer to the establishment as two waiters escorted them to a table far in the back away from other patrons. Sitting down, Sunset felt ashamed as the waiters covered her lap in a cloth napkin.
She hadn’t thought about it previously, but the restaurant brought a memory into her brain she could not ignore. It was there in the CRT televisions as well, a painful moment brought up by Discord’s magic. I was just using him to become popular, the words surfaced. As the greasy stallion said something, she smelled the rancid breath hit her nose again, watering her eyes. No. This isn’t the same. I’m doing this to help Applejack. She frowned. No. That’s not it. I’m doing this for me. And I’m okay with that.
“A pretty thing like you should smile more—though if I was working Applejack’s case, I’d be miserable all the time,” the stallion said before taking a swig of water. His perfectly white teeth flashed as he set down the glass. “She’s going away for a long time. After everything that she did, I’m surprised anyone stuck up for her. Why’d you do it, anyway?”
“She’s a friend,” Sunset responded, though she knew not to tell him of how she knew her. “She’s also a pawn in Discord’s game, as am I. He wants me to collect the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and Applejack is the Element of Honesty. If I collect them all, the world goes back to normal.” I hope.
“Whoa. That’s a lot to take in.” The greasy stallion sat back in his chair. “You’ve met Discord? Have you been out in the world this entire time?”
“Yes, and technically yes. I’ve been to the Not-So-Bad-Badlands and Las Discord, after I get Applejack out of here I plan on heading to the Crystal Empire, then to Griffonstone. From what I hear, you Canterlot folk haven’t left the city since Discord took over.”
“I was born in Canterlot, I’ve lived here my whole life. I don’t have a reason to leave, especially when I still get attorney cases here and there.” Slouching forward, the stallion set his hoof extended on the table. “But just between you and me, they’re paying me big bits for this case. I mean, can you believe that? You’d have to be an idiot to lose a case against Applejack.”
That’s what I’m hoping for, Sunset thought, though she held a stoic expression. “Win or lose for me, I’m taking Applejack out of here. Winning just means an easier time of escape.”
“Really? She’s that important to this game of Discord’s?”
“Well, yeah. You don’t think reverting the world back to a normal Equestria is important?”
His white grin curled her stomach. “Sure, sure. But we’re fine in Canterlot. Who cares what happens out there? High walls, Discord leaves us alone, and nothing bad ever happens. Well, except for Applejack. She’s the only terror we’ve had since Discord’s takeover.”
“So what were some of the things she did? She wouldn’t tell me everything,” Sunset lied.
“What hasn’t she done?” replied the stallion, his eyes rolling in his skull. “I mean, turning the crops into mush is one thing, but she then denied any knowledge of the act. She tried to fake it by holding an apple in her hoof and claiming she had no power over it, that it wouldn’t rot.”
“Did it rot?”
“No, of course not. Everypony knows she has control over whatever power Discord’s chaos blessed on her. We’ve got a line of eyewitness testimonies putting her at the scene when it was discovered the agricultural center had been destroyed.”
“Really? Did they actually see her using her power? What’s it like?”
The stallion shook his head. “No, but she was seen at the scene of every crime since then, and we’re not sure how she’s been getting apples up here. We’ve flushed her hangout spots and haven’t found any trees. It’s the weirdest thing. If we had, it would be open and closed. No need for a trial or anything.”
Sunset hadn’t realized it but the restaurant did not provide menus. This was because the staff already knew what the greasy stallion liked to eat, and what he liked to see his guests eating. A thin bowl of salad was placed in front of her while the opposing attorney was given a heaping pile of grilled diced potatoes mixed in with roasted asparagus, bell peppers, onions, and garlic, all atop dirty rice. The waiter sprinkled on a soy-based sauce atop the stallion’s delicious looking meal and then added some ground pepper. He then turned to Sunset to offer the pepper as well, but the greasy lawyer immediately shooed him away. “Pepper would add too much kick for a delicate flower.”
She didn’t like the greasy stallion’s display of chauvinism and was growing tired of smelling the rancid breath. Luckily, stuffing his mouth improved the odor, giving her a chance to breath. Taking the smallest bite she could, she chewed and downed before continuing with the gathering of information. “I’m sure you know a lot of ways that crimes like Applejack’s can be defended. Do you often do prosecution or are you mostly defense?”
“Prosecution pays the bits. Defense is more fun. I once aided in getting a mare out of a fine for burglary. She was absolutely guilty, but the guards had made a mess of the scene. Glass had been found outside the window as well as in, and my case went against the claim that the window was broken by my defendant.” He popped a potato into his mouth but continued to talk. “Since glass was outside, I argued the victim had broken the window himself and that my client had heard the noise and decided to investigate. The court bought it.”
“Whoa, impressive.” Sunset tried to sound impressed, though she was more repulsed by his openness to his fabrications. “There was no real evidence found for Applejack, though, right? Just circumstantial? Not to say that isn’t enough, but certainly nothing concrete.”
“She’s a slippery one,” he remarked. “From what I hear, her little hidey-hole had been flushed clean before they arrested her. All the stolen goods were gone, and most of the bits she'd collected. Nothing but the forged documents. It was really odd. The strangest thing was that she didn’t throw up a fight or argue against the accusations, like she wanted to be thrown into the dungeon. Most cases I’ve worked on have the defendant explain how they’re not guilty, but she didn’t say a word till her day in court. To be perfectly honest, I saw no need to gather evidence against her. She seemed to want to be there, so I figured the witnesses and the coinciding proof was enough. And I was right—until you showed up.”
“Sorry about that.” She wasn’t really sorry. “But you said she wanted to be thrown in the dungeon? She didn’t act like that when I met with her. She begged to be bailed out.”
With a mouthful of food, the stallion replied, “Who cares? Won’t matter once tomorrow comes around. I think she was just mad she got caught. Internalizing her anger and whatnot. That’s bad for you, from what I hear. Makes you go a little crazy. She’ll have a long time to express her feelings down in those deep dark cells.”
Staring at the salad, Sunset wondered if she made a mistake in bailing Applejack out of prison. Why would she accept going to the castle dungeons? She acted like she needed to get out of a burning building. A stifling thought then shot through her. Did she suggest sleeping outside of the castle or inside? Was I the one who brought it up or her? She knew the answer. It was Applejack. She wanted to stay close to the castle. Why? She claimed that she didn’t want the guards thinking she ran off. But why would she care what the guards thought when she didn’t resist them arresting her? When she offered no defense?
“You haven’t touched your meal,” the stallion suddenly spoke. “Saving room for dessert, eh? I’m a pretty good sundae maker. Why don’t we head back to my place?”
Sunset stood brusquely, letting her napkin fall to the ground. “Sorry, but you’re really revolting. Luckily, this wasn’t a waste of my time. You just made me realize why exactly Applejack let herself be caught.” Without saying another word, Sunset rushed from the restaurant, the confused greasy stallion shouting slurs after her. There was no more time to waste.
Applejack wanted something within Canterlot Castle. She let herself get arrested. She wanted to be bailed. She wanted to stay within the grounds. All these things are connected. And I’d bet my wings and horn that it has to do with something she’s wanting to steal. But what could make her greed grow so furiously as to plan such a scheme?
There was only one wish Sunset had: to find Applejack still lulling about within the tower home. The sky had grown to an orange vibrant radiance, and the twilight hours would be arriving.
Gliding down from above, Sunset slammed her shoulder into the door, unable to stop the laws of motion. She was not phased, however, pushing up to the stairs and into the library. “Applejack? Applejack!” she shouted. There was no answer.
The upstairs bedroom was empty, the kitchen cold, and the bathroom dark. The earth pony left.
I only asked for one thing Applejack! Cursing her own trusting nature, Sunset pushed back out into the ever limiting light. She wanted to be on castle grounds, that’s gotta mean she wants to be within range of the castle itself. Entering through the back entrance, Sunset was certain the lying mare would be somewhere within the halls. This is going to take forever. I’ve still got to prep her for tomorrow and continue brushing up on the way courts work. Motivated, Sunset began rustling through the rooms with an abhorrent meticulousness that would rival Twilight Sparkle’s book cataloging skills. She wanted to leave no stone untouched.
That is until she came to a room on the second floor where the rat judge was basking in the servitude of the pony staff. “Look what the cat dragged in,” the rat mocked, pulling down his oversized sunglasses. She was getting tired of stumbling upon the unclean, unkempt, and uncouth rat, though she should have known he would be somewhere on castle grounds. She had not expected the pony staff would be so open to serving him. “You here to give up on the trial?”
“No. I’m looking for my client. She seems to have stumbled off somewhere,” she answered.
“Hope she doesn’t get caught doin’ any more crimes. That’d be bad for tomorrow.” The rat chuckled, only to choke on a grape, to which he promptly spat on the floor.
“If I lose tomorrow, you better hope our paths don’t stumble across each other again.” Sunset felt she needed to warn the rat, though it was more threateningly vague than she intended.
“Aw, is the poor pony princess upset? This is why nobody pals around with you. How’d it go with that Rainbow Dash gal? Not well, I’d say, since she ain’t with you.” Pushing back up his glasses, he waved for a staff member to come close, to which one did, dropping another grape into his rotting gullet.
“She—”
“I don’t care,” the rat interrupted, waving his other claw at her. “I’m sure you got a lot of preparing to do for tomorrow, toots. Chop chop.”
As much as Sunset wanted to blow a gasket on the rude little rat, she knew he was right. Rushing on, she let herself cool off by muttering under her breath. She needed to keep a cold demeanor once she found the earth pony, and she couldn’t do that if she remained angry. Bursting her rage on the apple mare would only drive her away.
It took her a while, a long while, to search the upper floors. But it was not within the golden rooms or extravagant galleries that she found the Element of Honesty. It was not until she sunk lower into the storage rooms beneath the first floor that she discovered the mare. Of course, what the mare had found was far more surprising. “Sunset? You found me. That’s a bit of a surprise. How’d you know where to look?”
“I looked everywhere,” she answered, staring at the reflection of the earth pony along with her own. “Why’s that here? Do you even know what that thing is?”
Applejack smiled. “A gateway to another world, one that only opens every thirty moons.”
“It’s dangerous, Applejack. Is this why you wanted to stay within the castle grounds? You wanted to escape to another world?”
“Escape? Sugarcube, this world is meant for me. I love it here! It’s great.” She craned her head back to look directly at the alicorn. “You really think I want to run away? Nah. I just want to steal this thing.”
“Why? What could you possibly have need of it?” she asked, confused.
“You kiddin’? It’d make the perfect little hidin’ spot to lay low for a while. Nopony would know where I was, and nopony could follow me. It’s the perfect tool for a thief, the perfect asset. If I had this thing in my possession, I’d be unstoppable. Even if they raided my hideouts all they’d find is this thing. I’d store all my valuables on the other side.”
“Applejack… Have you been to the other side?”
The earth pony furrowed her brows. “Well, no, not yet. From what I understand, it doesn’t open for another four nights and days. Once it does, though, I’m headin’ through. I’ve got to see what this other world is like. Shoot, there might be even more stuff there that’s worth stealin’.”
Sunset held a puckered lip as she shook her head. “The only stuff worth stealing is in this world. I know that better than anyone.”