A short while later, Rarity sat at the kitchen table of the Apple cottage, properly attired in boots, doublet, breeches and baldric. Her travel wear lacked the lace and embroidery she preferred-- but such were the sacrifices one made in the line of duty. At least Applejack and her family had gotten the bloodstains out. Except for the minor misunderstanding that had everyone waving weapons at each other an hour earlier, the Apple family had proven themselves to be the most courteous of hosts. Even if Granny Smith (as Rarity had gathered her name was) still kept a hand near her cast iron skillet.
“So let me get this straight.” Rarity said, leaning back in her chair. “This Lady Sunset only recently came into lordship over the valley.”
“When she married Lord Whistletop, yeah.” Applejack nodded.
“Who then died soon thereafter.” Rarity said.
“Rest 'is soul.” Granny Smith held one hand over her heart.
“He was pretty old.” Applejack noted.
“And Lady Sunset is notably younger. Hm.” Rarity planted her booted heels on the floor pushed her chair into a thoughtful lean. “And ... a few months after that, Lady Sunset started telling you that the Princess had gone mad.”
“Eeyup.” Applejack's brother Big Macintosh (as Rarity had gathered his name was) nodded.
“Seemed like somethin' a Princess would do.” Applejack shrugged. “Lady Sunset kept on tellin' us what happened to other towns that had gotten her mad, and when folk stopped comin' down the ridge-road--”
“You had no one to tell you otherwise.” Rarity rubbed at the bridge of her nose. “Which explains why nobody's heard word from your little valley in quite some time. The question is, what does this Lady Sunset get out of it? Is she just looking to line her pockets, or is she planning something bigger?”
“I dunno.” The youngest of the family, Apple Bloom (as Rarity had gathered her name was) peered out the kitchen window. “Why don't you ask her yourself?”
Rarity stood to look out the window-- and sure enough, a large carriage, flanked by a half dozen riders in black livery, clattered down the road to the humble little farm. Applejack put a hand on Rarity's shoulder, leaning in to get a look for herself.
“That's Lady Sunset, alright.” Applejack said, grim. “We'll go talk to her-- you'd better stay outta sight.” Applejack nodded, resolute, and led the rest of her family out the front door, just in time to sink down into curtseys (and a low bow, in Macintosh’s case) as the carriage creaked to a stop in front of the humble cottage.
Rarity, meanwhile, flattened her back against the wall by the window, and watched.
Applejack kept her knees bent and her eyes downcast for a few long moments, the farmyard silent save for the snorts of the horses and the occasional clink of riding harness. Finally, a slim hand, gloved in black lace, pulled back the curtain on her carriage window. Rarity could only get the briefest glimpse of widow's veils and flaming-red hair.
“You may rise,” the woman inside the carriage said.
“Thank you, Lady Sunset.” Applejack and the rest of her family straightened up, but kept their eyes downcast.
“I hope you are faring well?” Lady Sunset didn't bother stepping out of her carriage-- or even moving from where she sat. “Last night's storm was quite impressive.”
“We've weathered worse, Lady Sunset.”
“Mmm. I'm sure you have. But I still have a great concern for all of my subjects-- I would hate to think that anything here was ... damaged overnight.”
“Uh, nope. Everything's fine. I'm sure you've got better things to worry about than li'l ol' us, Lady Sunset.”
“Oh, but if only that were true.” Lady Sunset gave a little sigh. She waved her hand, and several of her escort riders dismounted, at which point they began to prowl around the farmyard. Rarity shrank away from the window-- though she did smile to herself as she noticed one of Lady Sunset's men had his arm in a sling, and two more of them wore fresh bandages wrapped around their faces. “You see, my scouts have warned me about a threat to our little valley. A dangerous outlaw has come for us. To rob. To murder. To pillage. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened-- the Princess is mad. Weak. The roads are unsafe, and I fear we shall see even more brigandry in the days to come. But you may rest assured that I shall do everything in my power to protect you from the dangers of the outside world.”
“Thank you kindly, Lady Sunset.” Applejack said. “But we ain't-- we haven't seen anyone like that around here. Nope. Lucky us, right?”
“My apologies, I did not hear you.” Lady Sunset beckoned Applejack closer with a crooking of her gloved finger. “Could you come closer and repeat that?”
Applejack looked back at her family, then back to the carriage. She nodded, then walked a few steps closer. Lady Sunset beckoned again, and Applejack went closer still, until she was practically standing on the carriage's running boards.
“Like I was saying, Lady Sunset, we haven't seen anyone. Thank you for lookin' out for us, though?”
“Your name is Applejack, isn't it?” Lady Sunset reached out the window, trailing her fingertips down the side of Applejack's face.
“Yes'm, Lady Sunset. I'm, uh, flattered you remember.”
“Oh, I make it a point to get to know all my subjects.” Lady Sunset said. “Which is why I know you're a terrible liar.”
The sound of her slap rang across the farmyard, loud as a church bell. Applejack staggered backwards, rubbing her cheek-- more surprised than hurt.
“Search this hovel!” Lady Sunset barked, and her guards leapt to obey. “Tear it down, brick by brick, until you find the Princess' sycophant!”
“And the peasants, Lady?”
“You know what to do.” Lady Sunset ordered.
Swords hissed from scabbards.
Rarity's chief amongst them.
“Lady Sunset, I presume?” Rarity strode out of the cottage, cloak flowing behind her, and steel glittering in the morning sun. One of the closer men in black livery made a hasty, clumsy lunge at her. Rarity beat his sword aside with a dismissive flick of her wrist, then sank half a handspan of steel into his shoulder for his trouble. He cried out, staggered back-- but his fellows kept their distance.
“Rarity d'Aubigny, at your service.” She doffed her hat and swept into a courtly bow towards Lady Sunset's carriage. “And I must say, you are quite well informed for someone this far from the Capital. As, I am indeed in the employ of the Princess-- and I am indeed quite dangerous, as some of your men have already found out.”
Rarity straightened up, put her hat back on, and winked at the man with his arm in a sling.
“You dare?” Lady Sunset seethed.
“Quite often.” Rarity said with a little shrug.
“You should surrender now.” Lady Sunset said. Her men circled around Rarity, wolflike and wary-- which gave the Apple family ample opportunity to scoot out of harm's way.
“Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you.” Rarity said. “As honestly, I'm far more reasonable than, say, a column of Captain Armor's cuirassiers. As, well ... I wouldn't want to presume and start throwing around words like 'treason,' but from what I've seen so far, it's the sort of thing the Princess doesn't take kindly to.”
“I know the Princess better than you think.” Lady Sunset sneered. “Mark my words, Rarity d'Aubigny-- you shall regret your blind loyalty.”
“And you, Lady Sunset, shall regret your treachery. Rather soon, I imagine.”
“Confident words, from a dead woman.” Lady Sunset clapped her hands. “Take her!”
The men in black livery surged forward. Blades clashed together in a cacophony of metal, interspersed with the occasional high-pitched cry of surprise or pain. Rarity wove her way between her opponents with balletic grace, dodging, parrying-- and striking. Within the span of a few heartbeats, three of Lady Sunset's men lay on the ground, clutching at their wounds.
“Damn you all, she's just one woman!” The biggest of the lot (one of the 'brigands' from the night before, now with a bandage on his face) shoved his way past his fellows. He slashed at Rarity, only for the swordswoman to block the overhand blow with the flat of her blade. He pressed in, using his greater mass to bear down on Rarity. She planted her feet, bracing herself-- only for her opponent to suddenly snap his free hand out in a quick punch, hitting her in her wounded side. Rarity choked out a gasp of pain and fell to one knee.
The big man barked out a laugh, raising his sword for a finishing blow-- which never landed.
Rarity looked up-- and there was Applejack, standing behind the swordsman, hand locked around the wrist of his sword arm. The big man barely had enough time to yelp out in surprise before Applejack grabbed the back of his swordbelt with her free hand and, with a grunt, lifted him bodily over her head. She hurled the dismayed soldier at a cluster of his fellows, and the lot of them crashed to the ground, somehow managing not to impale themselves on their own swords.
“Thank you.” Rarity stared up at the amazonian peasant girl, momentarily awed by the display of strength.
“Figured you could use a hand.” Applejack reached down and clasped a strong hand around Rarity's arm, hauling the shorter woman up to her feet.
“Just be careful, will you? I'd rather not have to stitch you up once this is all done.”
“Don't worry.” Applejack cracked her knuckles. “I been in a scrap or two before.”
“I dare say this is more than a 'scrap,' darling.” Rarity smiled. “Now then-- tally ho!”
Rarity sprung forward, her sword flickering back and forth. Whenever Rarity's sword parried an opponent's blade to the side, Applejack would press in, delivering heavy punches that sent Lady Sunset's men-at-arms reeling. The two pushed forward, cutting a swath through Lady Sunset's men as she charged towards the black-curtained carriage.
“Give me a boost!” Rarity said. Without breaking stride, Applejack grabbed Rarity around the waist and hoisted her up into the air, giving Rarity the extra elevation she needed to scramble up onto the carriage's roof. Rarity bounded to the front of the carriage and planted her boot in the carriage-driver's face. Caught by surprise, he flailed his arms as he toppled from his perch and fell in the mud.
“You brazen, swaggering, idiot.” Lady Sunset leaned out her carriage window with a horse-pistol in hand. She snapped off a shot, the pistol ball close enough to put a hole in the brim of Rarity's hat. Lady Sunset dropped the spent weapon and reached for a second. “Even you can't fight forever-- what do you think you're going to accomplish?”
“Just this.” Rarity said, and slapped one of the carriage-horses on the rump with the flat of her sword. The horse whinnied-- and without anyone rein it in, immediately launched into a gallop. Rarity hopped off of the carriage as it built up speed, then tipped her perforated hat to Lady Sunset, savoring the shocked expression on her face as her now driverless carriage clattered down the road.
Rarity watched the carriage disappear around a bend in the road, then turned to face Lady Sunset's stunned men-at-arms (the half of them that were still in fighting shape, at least).
“Gentlemen!” Rarity spread her arms wide. “I do, of course, use the term loosely. Once again, you have a choice! You can either have a go at me-- which will assuredly end badly for you. Or, you can go chase after your mistress and make sure she doesn't break her neck. It's a win-win, honestly, as you'll all get to look loyal, and you won't have to worry about getting stabbed. Not by me, at least. So what do you say, hm?” Rarity twirled her rapier around in a figure-eight, her sword swaying from side to side like a blood-stirred cobra.
Lady Sunset's men looked at each other-- then down the road –then to the confident and well-armed woman standing in the middle of the farmyard. As one, they took the more prudent option and broke into a sloppy jog, chasing after Lady Sunset's runaway carriage. They at least had the camaraderie to take their wounded with them.
Rarity planted the tip of her sword into the dirt, leaning on it as she watched Lady Sunset's men flee. The further away they got, the more Rarity's strength ebbed away, reminding her of the many abuses she'd undergone so far. By the time the last of Lady Sunset's men was out of sight, Rarity was breathing hard, clutching at the freshly-stitched wound in her side.
“You alright?” Applejack said, even as the rest of her family gathered around.
“For the most part.” Rarity lied.
“So now what?” Apple Bloom fretted with her apron as she looked up at Rarity with wide, innocent eyes. “Is Lady Sunset gonna be mad at us?”
“Lady Sunset is going to be mad at ... lots of people.” Rarity said. “Which is why I must go to the Capital and report back to the Princess.”
“But what about us?” Granny Smith shrilled. “What's stoppin' Lady Sunset from comin' back for us?”
“I know a place where you can hide. Head eastward until you hit the Reine river, and then follow it south for a day or two, and you'll find a small chapel at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Ask for Sister Fluttershy, and tell her I sent you. She'll be more than happy to give you sanctuary until all this blows over.”
Granny Smith narrowed her eyes. “You think we can just up n' leave, just like that?”
“Ah ,of course.” Rarity said, and reached into her doublet, pulling out a cloth pouch. She tossed it to the older woman, and the pouch jangled heavily when she caught it. “There's just under fifty livres in there-- should be enough to keep you taken care of on the journey.”
Granny Smith opened the coin pouch just far enough to get a glimpse of the gold inside, then looked up. “I'll go pack.”
It didn't take long for the Apple family to bundle up what they needed for the journey. In the meanwhile, Rarity acquired one of the horses that Lady Sunset's men had left behind in the chaos of their rout. She smiled, patting the white-coated mare on the side of the muzzle as she took hold of her reins.
“You got another one of those, or am I gonna have to ride behind you?”
Rarity turned to face Applejack, who had her arms through the straps of a large backpack, bulging with who knew what. “Aren't you going to accompany your family?”
“Big Macintosh can take care of 'em, just fine. I'm more worried 'bout you.”
“Me? Whatever for?”
“'cause I know you still got those stitches in your side, and I know that you can't keep up like you've been goin' forever. Nobody can.”
“I don't have to go forever, dear. Just long enough to get to the Capitol.”
“Then I'll keep an eye on you 'til then, at least.”
“This is going to be one of those things where you stubbornly refuse to listen to reason no matter what I say, isn't it?”
“Eeyup.”
“And no matter how dangerous I tell you it's going to be, you're just going to remind me of how you tossed Lady Sunset's ruffians around like you were playing tenpins, won't you?”
“Eeyup.”
“In that case--” Rarity smiled as she sized up her new traveling compainion. “Let's get you a horse.”