14. Poisoned Words
“Whoops.” The musician smirked. “Guess that finally wore off. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted.”
“You,” Rarity hissed. Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t know how you did that to me, but when I get out, I’ll, I’ll...”
“Yes, yes, make me regret all my life choices and rue the day I was born and all that,” the musician said. She raised a hoof to her mouth and mimicked a yawn. “Ooh, scary. Look, miss.” She walked right up to window and stared directly back at Rarity, all while still smiling. “I’m just using my talents to make a living. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?“
“By bewitching ponies and forcing them to do your will? Of course there is, you, you crook. Swindler! Con artist! Cheat!” Rarity shouted, shaking as she held to the bars. “You’re no better than a thief or a street thug.”
“Hm, seems like you’re taking this a little personally.” The musician shook her head. “Why don’t you take some time to calm down while I go get you some food, and maybe by the time I get back, you’ll be ready to discuss this like a proper lady.”
“There’s nothing to discuss here, unless it’s about letting me go and giving me the most heart-felt apology you can muster. Don’t you dare walk away from me. I’m not finished with—“
The door slammed shut behind the musician as she left the room, and the place went dark. Rarity continued to stand there on her hind hooves and glare, supported by the bars in the window and her own righteous anger until her legs finally gave way. She slid down and collapsed to knees, still muttering out indignations at the mare who had brought her here when she noticed the shadow looming over her.
“Did she say something about food?”
Rarity let out a scream, and the figure quickly backed away with their hooves held up and in the open. “Whoa. Sorry,” they said. “Didn’t mean scare you.
The figure stepped into view. It took Rarity a little time to distinguish all the details from the shadows, but her eyes soon got used to the lack of light and managed to discover the scruffy, unkempt stallion before her. “How you doing, miss?” he said, extending out a hoof. “Name’s Burgo Masters, mayor of Horshire.”
Rarity shook the hoof and winced as his grease and sweat soaked into her own fur. “A pleasure. I’m, a traveler,” she answered him with a brief pause. “Just passing through town.”
“Oh yeah? Gosh, what a load of rotten luck.” The stallion exhaled loudly. “First visitor Horshire’s gotten in a good long while, and you end up in here. You from Stallmire? Iriaebronc?”
“Trot, er, Trotlen. Yes, Trotlen.”
“From the east? No kidding?” The stallion gave a low whistle. “Haven’t seen any refugees from there come in for several moons at least. I had figured that half of Spiketopia had long been abandoned.”
Something in the cell, something with them, growled. The stallion chuckled and rubbed the back of his head as an alarmed Rarity frantically looked around for the beast. “Sorry, that was me,” he said patting his belly. “I haven’t eaten in a couple of days. The bard, she mentioned food, right?”
“They’ve been starving you? Why? What are they planning?”
The stallion shrugged. “Don’t know. It might be to wear me down, make it easier to get me back under their control.” His hoarse laugh echoed against the walls of their cell. “Been showing a bit of a resistance against that charm spell of theirs, see, and those two didn’t even notice. Almost managed to expose their entire operation too, which is why I’m locked up in here.” The stallion sighed and wandered off to the back wall and leaned against it. “So, why’d they lock up some traveler passing through? Your personal struggles from out east not meshing well with the ‘Great Protector’s’ message?”
“Well, from what I can gather,” Rarity began, speaking slowly as she determined just how much she wanted to reveal about herself and her situation. Her very recent experience of being magically manipulated hadn’t left her in much of a trusting mood. Still, Burgo Masters has been straightforward with her, as far as she could tell at least, and even if this was a trick and the stallion had some antagonistic intentions, what was the worst he could do? Tell Mother Shim and that musician their own plan?
“It seems like they’re trying to expand their influence over the town by making me pretend to be Princess Shmarity.”
“What? That’s their plan? Everypony knows the princess is trapped by the Squid Wizard. Who’d be so stupid to fall for, actually, hm.” Burgo Masters got up and leaned forward, forcing Rarity to back up as the stallion studied her. “Actually, yeah, I guess I can see that working,” he said, stroking his beard. “Anypony ever tell you that you look a lot like Her Highness?”
Rarity rolled her eyes and was about to give her tired response when the door to the room opened, and through the cell’s window, they watched Mother Shim and the musician saunter in with a full tray and a lit candle.
Burgo sniffed at the air and rushed to the bars with saliva dripping from his lips. “Food.”
Mother Shim smiled. “Indeed, Mr. Mayor. Potato soup from the inn.” She turned to Rarity. “The town’s specialty. Such a simple dish, and yet, well, why don’t I just let you find out for yourself. Sister, the door.”
The musician drew her dagger and held it up to the window for everypony inside to see. “No funny business now. Wouldn’t want to mar that pretty little face of yours.”
She left their view, and after a short moment, there was a click, and the door to the vault slowly creaked open. The tray, which had a couple of bowls, a loaf of bread, some cheese, and a candle, was pushed inside. Before the door was complete shut, the stallion pushed past Rarity and dove onto the tray, tearing into the bread and slurping up the bowl’s contents without any regard to the provided utensils or the disgusted looks the surrounding mares were making at him.
“So,” Shim said over Burgo’s eating. “We have some things we’d like to discuss.”
“Not interested,” Burgo Masters grunted.
“Of course not, we already know your answer.” Shim sighed and looked to Rarity. “Stallions, always so stubborn and so narrow minded, can’t ever see past their own nose.”
“If this isn’t about letting us go free, then I agree with the mayor,” Rarity declared, glaring at the plump, older mare. “There’s nothing more for us to discuss here.”
“I’m sorry you feel so,” Shim said. She took a seat on floor right in front of Rarity. “You’re upset, that’s completely understandable, even reasonable. All I ask of you right now is that you hear me out, and after that, we might be able to arrange your freedom.“
“How do I know you won’t just put me under another spell?”
At Rarity’s question, Mother Shim turned to the musician who had taken her place against the wall. Shim nodded, and with a sigh the musician started toward the room’s exit.
“Oh, and you could lay off all that scary glaring?” she said over her shoulder. “We wouldn’t want you to get any nasty wrinkles.”
The door closed behind her. “There,” Shim said. “You have nothing to worry about now. My sister is the one with all of the charm abilities. My proficiencies lie elsewhere. You can confirm with the mayor if you so like.” She motioned the stallion still hunched over the tray. “Now, may I speak?”
Rarity frowned. Even without any magical assistance, she was sure that Shim was an expert manipulator and that nothing that came out of her mouth could be readily trusted. Part of her wanted her gone, just like the musician, but there was also another part of her that was curious to hear what the mare had to say, if only to confirm her own suspicions and theories. Perhaps she’d slip up and reveal something useful, something that might help her escape. Unlikely, sure, but Shim was still just a pony, and ponies, no matter how cunning or careful, could make mistakes, and at the end of this exchange, Rarity had nothing to lose.
“Very well,” Rarity said. “Despite how little you deserve this chance, I’ll allow an explanation. Speak.”
“Thank you.” Shim smiled and politely bowed her head toward Rarity. “Now, where to begin?” she said as she raised her head. “Do you remember what I said when I made our little request? That part about this all being for the good of the town?”
“Yes, I remember your lies.”
Shim chuckled. “You say that, but the thing is, I’ve actually been completely honest with you.” She got up and started to march across the length of the room, making sure to keep in Rarity’s view. “Not a single thing I said to you has been a lie. We told you it was a simple job we needed you to do, and it was. We said it was something only you could do, and, well, besides the princess herself, nopony else could’ve done a better job. We said all that required was for you to just stand there, and that’s all we had you do.“
Shim stopped and turned to Rarity. “And all I said about this being being as much to the town’s benefits as mine and my sister’s?”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Oh yes.” Shim smiled and nodded. “That was the honest truth.”
Rarity laugh out a loud, mirthless bark of laugh. It was the only acceptable response she could come up with. “Oh, excuse me, please. What kind of world are you from where tricking the town’s ponies out of their money is considered helping them?”
“How indeed.” Mother Shim resumed her pacing. “ The ponies of Horshire are dead. Yes, they walk around, eating and drinking and breathing, but they do so without any purpose. Ever since the collapse of the trade route, they have been without hope or any sense of a better future, and they go through the motions of life because that’s all they can do to distract them from the awful truth. That they have nothing to live for.
“But we have given the ponies here something to live for. We have given them direction, a goal to thrive for, and perhaps most importantly, something they can believe in,” Mother Shim said, rushing to the window. “Our means may not have been the most savory, but we have given Horshire hope, and in the current state of the world, isn’t that what we all need the most?”
“But it’s a lie.”
Shim’s smile wavered slightly. “Pardon?”
“It’s a lie,” Rarity said, staring directly at Shim. “You have your followers believing a deception, and even if I were to accept what you said as your true intentions, I would refuse to help. Having everypony place their faith into something you just made up will only hurt them, and I will have no part in such a reckless, immoral scheme.”
Shim frowned. “You would rather this town be without any hope at all?”
Rarity met Shim’s glare. “They have their family and their friends. As long as the town’s ponies have each other, they have more hope and purpose than you could ever dream of offering.”
The two mares stared at each other in silence. Even the slurping and munching from Burgo Masters had been quieted. It could’ve been seconds or it could’ve been minutes before either made a move or a sound. In the end, Shim was the first to look away, and she did so with a tired sigh. She brought a hoof to her forehead and rubbed the space between her eyes.
“Let’s try a different approach, then,” she said. “Look, you’re a smart mare. Naive, idealistic, but not stupid. I know you saw how willing the ponies here are to pay for our guidance, and I’m certain I don’t need to explain just how useful you can be. Help us solidify our control over this town, and I promise you, you will have a share in the bounty.”
Shim stepped forward. She wrapped one of her necklaces around her hoof and held it up for Rarity to see. The gold chain links chimed against each other as they gleamed and shone by the light of the candle.
“Think about it, having an entire town of ponies worship you, showering you with gifts, making sure you’re never in want. You’ll live the rest of your days in comfort, like a real princess, and all you’ll have to do is stand around and play a little pretend.”
Rarity regard the offer and the presented jewelry with visible distain in her features. “Get that gaudy thing out of my sight. If this is your best attempt at persuasion, it’s a wonder how you managed to convince so many ponies to follow you. Or was that all your sister’s doing?” she added with a smirk.
“Hmph. You’re no better than that stubborn fool inside with you.” Shim’s hoof retreated. “Maybe you just need a little time to consider my generosity. It doesn’t really matter. You will be helping us, willing or otherwise, but perhaps some time in here will change your current stance.” She looked into the vault and started to sneer. “Hm. It appears we’ve forgotten to bring you any additional sheets. Ah, well. I do hope you two don’t mind sharing.” Shim turned and begun making her way to the room’s exit. “You two have a wonderful evening. See you in the morning.”
Only when the door had finished closing did Rarity allow herself to relax, letting her shoulders sag and her stony, defiant expression crumble. Today had been a very long, very demanding day, and to think she had finally encountered some fortune, finally discovered a populated settlement with real housing and real beds and real hot food, and finally found something to look forward to after a long day of traveling.
Well, at least Rarity could still enjoy a warm meal, even if the dining atmosphere left much to be desired. She looked down at the tray and stared at the two bowls that were completely licked clean.
Burgo Masters hiccuped. His beard was messy with crumbs and wet in parts with broth residue. “Er, sorry, but you know, haven’t eaten in a couple of days. I, uh, left you some bread. It’s still warm.”
He pushed the plate of crusts toward her and immediately shrunk away as Rarity regarded the leftovers with a cold stare and a frown. The dried travel rations she had been surviving had more appeal, but she wasn’t exactly given much of a choice here. It was either this or going to bed hungry tonight, and Rarity saw no need to further worsen her already dismal sleeping arrangements.
“So,” Burgo said after Rarity finished eating. “How are we going to do this? The bed, I mean.”
Rarity turned to the single cot and shuddered. Even if, by some miraculous, all powerful force that could not be subverted which left the both of them with a twisted sense of what was proper, they were inclined to share the bed, there wasn’t enough room available for more than one pony.
“Looks like somepony’s going to have to sleep on the floor tonight,” said Burgo Masters. He tapped his hooves together. “So uh, listen, miss. I’m not exactly as young as I once was, and I’ve got this bad back, and well.”
He trailed off under Rarity’s gaze. “You know, Mr. Masters, a gentlestallion would most certainly have surrendered the bed to the lady.”
“Yeah, I suppose he would.” The deposed mayor of Horshire rubbed the back of his neck.
“I imagine you’ve had the bed to yourself for quite some time already.”
“Probably, yeah.”
“And you did eat my portion of dinner.”
“Come on, I hadn’t eaten in a couple of days. Can you really blame me?”
“But did you really, truly need all of it? And did you really, truly need it all so strongly enough to deprive me of any part of it?”
Burgo lowered his head. “I mean, maybe? I guess not.”
“So, with all that in mind, what do you suppose would be the right thing to do?”
“I have a bad back.”
Rarity looked away from Burgo’s sad eyes and turned back to the bed. She sighed. “Very well. I suppose, for tonight, you may take the bed.”
“Oh thank you. Thank you, miss, thank you. I’ll remember this when we get out of here, that I promise you.”
“Yes, yes,” Rarity said, doing her best to temper the frustration in her tone and keep herself from grumbling as she removed the ceremonial robes and laid it on the floor on the other side of the vault. The mattress was old, worn down from use, and really didn’t look all that comfortable, maybe only a slight improvement over the floor, and in all honesty, she wasn’t really looking forward to sleeping in a cramp bed that had already been used for who knew how long, with those dirty, unwashed sheets stained with somepony else’s sweat.
Besides, she had been sleeping on hard surfaces for almost a week already and was just starting to get used to it. What difference did one more night make anyways?
It was a pity sour grapes provided so little sustenance. Her self-assurances did nothing to quell her stomach’s complaints as Rarity nestled down and did her best to find some modicum of comfort while Burgo Masters took his place on the bed, its frame creaking under his weight.
“Don’t worry, miss,” the stallion suddenly announced. “I’ve got a brilliant plan to get us out of here. And now that you’re here, it’ll work out even better.”
Rarity opened her eyes. “Oh?”
“Yeah. See, all we’ve got to do is—“
The rest of Burgo Master’s plan was muffled by his own loud yawn. “I’ll tell you in the morning,” he finished just as a second yawn overtook him. The bed squeaked as he turned over onto his side.
The candle that came with their meal eventually burned out, leaving the vault in darkness. Burgo started to snore away, seemingly already fast asleep. At this point, there was nothing else for Rarity to do but follow suit and try to get some sleep. She was tired, too tired to come up with any coherent plans or even to organize her thoughts or review the events of the day. It wasn’t like she would be able to escape tonight, and there would be plenty of time to figure out what to do tomorrow.
Rarity let out a yawn and shut her eyes. She did her best to block out her roommate’s snores and waited for sleep to take her.
*
“So, what do you think?”
Rarity stared blankly. Thanks to a number of factors including the hard, cold floor, the pain in her empty stomach, a few lingering anxious thoughts and worries, some misgivings stemming from the unfamiliar experience of being in such a vulnerable state while in such close proximity of a complete stranger of a stallion, and Burgo’s snoring, sleep did not come for Rarity easily. She had woken up weary, stressed, and hungry in the dark with no sense of what time it was, and it was taking every little bit of her to keep herself from taking her frustration out on her fellow prisoner.
She had hoped that her mood would’ve improved after hearing more about Burgo Masters’s great plan to save themselves and Horshire. That had not exactly been the case.
“That’s your idea?” Rarity asked, her attitude toward the stallion souring. She raised a hoof and leaned her forehead against it. “I’m sorry, and I do hope I misheard because it sounded to me that all you wanted us to do is, wait.”
“Well, yes. For the right opportunity, I mean. I, uh, suppose I could explain things a little more.”
“Please.”
Burgo Masters took in a deep breath to steady his quivering limbs. “Alright, so you’re already aware of the bard’s magical abilities, yeah? You know, that charm spell of hers? Well, I’ve noticed that whenever they’ve had me charmed and under their control, I’d only be out for an hour or so before they’d bring me back inside. What’s more, it seems like you can resist the spell if you know it’s coming. Or maybe it’s if you’ve been under the spell enough times you build some kind of resistance to it.”
Burgo shrugged. “Look, I’m no expert in the arcane arts, but what I’m trying to get at is that that bard’s doesn’t seem to be much of one either. I don’t think she’s strong enough to keep us charmed for very long, and with there being two of us to deal with now, they’re bound to make a mistake. All we have to do is wait for them to slip up, make them think we’re under their control or something, and bam!” He slammed his hooves together. “We reveal their operation to the entire town. Until then, we just bide our time and wait for the golden opportunity.”
Rarity moved her hoof down under her chin as she considered the newly presented details. Burgo was more observant than one would have gathered based solely on his appearance and personality, and despite the simplicity of his plan, he had certainly put a lot of thought into it. It was more than she had managed to come up at the moment, Rarity had to admit, and it did make some strategic sense.
Still, Rarity couldn’t bring herself to approve such a passive plan, and she found herself feeling a restlessness more characteristic of Rainbow Dash than of her own being. Every second spent trapped in here waiting for something to happen was a second that could’ve been better spent working towards saving Spike and Discord. Surely there must have been something else they could do to aid their escape, something proactive.
And then there was one last thing about Burgo’s plan that was bothering Rarity, something that continued to nag her even as she begun to apply words to her suspicions.
“I believed you mentioned something last night about why you were locked up in here.” Rarity frowned. “Something about exposing their true intentions, if I’m not mistaken. It sounds like you’ve already attempted this plan of yours.”
“Yes, well, yes. I think I actually managed to throw off the spell, or maybe it wore off or something, while we were in the middle of some big public ceremony where I was supposed to be showing my support and all that nonsense. Made this huge scene in the middle of town.” Burgo Masters sniggered. “Ah, you should’ve seen the looks on their faces.”
“But you failed.” Rarity motioned to the dark walls around them. “Hence your current predicament.”
“Yes, but it wasn’t a complete failure,” Burgo quickly rebutted. “I’m sure seeing their guest of honor scream out about them being evil witches here to brainwash them would’ve shaken the faith of many of their followers. That would’ve caused their number to fall, probably. Some of the townsfolk might even be staging the rescue of their beloved mayor right this very minute. Just, you know, taking their time, making sure everything’s in order before they do.”
“Of course. But what I am trying to say is that, don’t you suppose our adversaries might be expecting us to try something like that again?” questioned Rarity. “Given how much damage your public outburst might have cause, I’d imagine they’d have prepared themselves for any similar attempts. Wouldn’t you?”
“Well, maybe.” He scratched his head and frowned. “I guess, that could be possible.”
“I’m not saying we can’t use your plan or that it’s an entirely bad idea,” Rarity added, “just maybe that it could be adjusted so that it’s not so predictable. Or we could have a few other plans working in conjunction with yours. It’d be to our advantage to have multiple options, and it would make us more difficult for Shim and her sister to anticipate, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Well sure, that’d be nice, but what can we do here?” Burgo threw his head back and sighed. “Maybe you can think of something, because I’ve tried everything else, and I’m stumped.” He knocked against the wall he was leaning against. “Hear that? That’s solid mortar, designed to keep out even diamond dogs. We’re not digging out of here. Plus, I’m pretty sure it’s soundproof too, otherwise some pony would’ve already heard and saved me.”
“What about the window?” Rarity pointed up to the barred space.
“Too small,” Burgo said with a shake of his head. “Even if we could get rid of those bars, it’s too small for a full grown pony to squeeze through. And don’t forget, the way out to the rest of this place is locked too.” He pulled his hoof down the length of his face and groaned. “Believe me, I’d love nothing more than to break out, but getting out of this vault is physically impossible.”
Physically impossible, he said. Rarity pressed a hoof against her front, feeling for the silver pendant around her neck. Well, the same could have been said of getting out of that fortress and away from the Squid Wizard. Rarity tried to recall what the Queen of Fey had told her. It was through the Queen of Fey’s magic that allowed her to escape the Squid Wizard’s hold, if she was remembering correctly, and their symbol, the pendant around her neck, was a key component in calling forth that power.
Maybe, if she could figure out how it worked, Rarity could magic the two of them out of here. But what exactly would that entail? Did she have to concentrate on what she wanted done in her head? Visualize the end result? Chant or maybe even make a verbal plea to the Queen themself?
She grasped the symbol, feeling its jabbing points. The number of times she could call upon this power was limited, only two more times the Queen had said. Was now the time to spend one of her remaining uses? After a moment of self deliberation, Rarity released the pendant. No, not while she still wasn’t sure on how to make it work. For all she knew, her ignorance could cause the magic to backfire and leave her in a far worse situation. Unless she found herself in an emergency that left her with no other choice, it would be best to save the Fey magic until Rarity understood it better.
So magic wasn’t looking to be her answer here, but Rarity still had a full set of saddlebags worth of supplies to work with. Burgo watched with widening eyes as she unstrapped the bags from her back and laid out their contents in neat rows before her.
There was the tinderbox consisting of the slab of flint, the piece of iron, and some dead leaves and dried grass Rarity had gathered for later, but she couldn’t see how starting a fire in their concrete, enclosed environment would improve matters. She didn’t think either the sewing kit or the first aid kit would be of much use in this situation, and she had trouble imagining how her coil of hemp rope would help them escape their prison. Knowing which direction was north wasn’t going to be much help here, so that limited the lodestone’s uses to those of any small rock one could easily find in the dirt. Elder Woods’s map, meanwhile, could be used to get a message out should she ever come across that chance, but it would require her to find something to write on it with, otherwise the parchment might as well serve as extra kindling should the plan of flooding this cell with asphyxiating smoke ever appeared more appealing. And then there was the coin pouch, which probably didn’t have enough in it to buy her way out and would’ve likely been confiscated had either Shim or the musician known about it.
There was also a half full canteen and some leftover travel mix, which Burgo had started reaching for but stopped and retreated in embarrassment under Rarity’s glare. Her empty stomach growled at the sight of food without any concern to its unappealing appearance or bland taste or the company present, and with cheeks blushing red, Rarity partook in some of the dried berries and nuts to try and quiet the rumbling as she finished taking inventory. That just left a small knife which might be thin enough to fit into any exposed screws if they found any, as well as the two daggers she still had hidden in her cloak’s pocket.
Burgo Masters pointed to the knife. “May I?”
As sudden as the request had been, Rarity saw no harm in letting Burgo take a closer look and gave her permission with a nod. Who knew, he might even figure something out after getting a better idea of what they had to work with.
The stallion picked up the small knife, letting it balance in his hoof before carefully feeling the edge of the blade. He took a few careful swings at the air before placing it back down. “There is one other thing I can think of.”
Rarity turned to face Burgo. “Oh? What is it?”
“It’s, well, desperate,” the stallion began, grimacing. ”We could always try overpowering whoever comes over the next time they try to get us. I’m not too worried about Shim, she’s the type of pony who gets winded from a staircase, but that bard’s tougher than she looks.” He brought a hoof to his cheek, the one still bruised from last night. “With the two of us together, maybe, I don’t know. You don’t exactly look like much of a fighter yourself.”
“I’ll admit, fighting’s not really my thing, but I assure you, I can hold my own,” Rarity said with an offended sniff.
“Alright, sure.” The disbelief in Burgo’s voice was obvious. “Still, the bard’s armed and knows her way around a blade, and I don’t think I want to try taking her on again even we outnumber her two to one. Maybe if we had weapons of our own, that’d be a different story, but this here really isn’t going to cut it.” He pointed down to the knife on the floor. “I mean, maybe it could work if we got the drop on her and hit something vital. You wouldn’t happen to have anything sharper on you, would you?”
Well, as it so was, Rarity did so happen to have a pair of genuine daggers right on her person, one of which had already demonstrated its effectiveness in inflicting harm. And yet, instead of showing off the daggers gifted to her by Elder Woods and Huntress, she hesitated and was silent. The last time she had ever used such a weapon against a fellow pony had also been the first time, and that had been in complete self-defense. She shivered at the memory of plunging her dagger into the eye of that crazed ruffian, and as much as Rarity despised the musician for what she had done, she was having trouble imagining herself doing the same to that mare. Even the thought of making threats with her dagger pointed and pressed against some soft and vulnerable part left a bad taste in her mouth and a sickening feeling in her stomach.
Rarity was not a violent pony. Yes, she knew how to defend herself and was more than willing to fight if it meant protect herself and those she cared about, but she certainly wasn’t looking forward to bloodshed, on either side. Still, if that’s what it took to get out of here, to get back to the task of saving dear Spike and Discord and finding a way back to Equestria, Rarity had to ask herself, was she willing to take that step?
The door to the room swung open, interrupting Rarity’s thoughts and cutting her contemplation short. There was some scrambling and scraping of the floor as Burgo dove down and quickly swept everything into the corner, right under the cot. The two figures who stepped inside didn’t seem to notice. The darkness kept their identities hidden, but Rarity couldn’t think of anypony else they could be besides Shim and her musician sister. Both approached the vault’s window and confirmed Rarity’s conjecture as the faces of the two mares came into view.
“Ah, good morning. I trust you’ve both slept well.” Shim hid her smirk with a bow of her head, but Rarity could hear it through her condescension and false concern. The musician standing to the side of her, meanwhile, made no attempt to hide her smug expression, and in the presence of all that haughtiness, Rarity was filled with an overwhelming desire to see the musician’s smile wiped clean off her face.
“Hm, perhaps not,” Shim said when she lifted her head and saw the tired expression Rarity had on. She whispered something to the musician who answered in kind and nodded before Shim turned back to Rarity and Burgo. “Well, I’m just here to see how our newest guest is doing. Unless, Mr. Mayor, you’ve finally had a change of heart.”
“Forget it,” Burgo grumbled, crossing his forelegs over his chest.
“Very well. And you, miss?” Shim said to Rarity. “Have you given my offer any further thoughts?”
“I have, and I continue to find myself as disgusted with your dealings as I do with your faces,” Rarity declared, turning up her nose at the false abbess. “And you should know, I have powerful friends waiting for me, and rest assured, they will be searching for me.”
“If you are referring to that family you came into town with, it might interest you to know that they left Horshire a few hours ago,” Shim said. “It would appear that you weren’t that close of friends after all.”
Rarity didn’t answer. “Well, in any case,” Shim continued, “it’s a shame you feel that way about us, but I’m sure you’ll be changing your mind sooner rather than later.”
With that, Shim exited the room, leaving Rarity and Burgo alone with the musician who was leaned lazily against one of the crates. The wood creaked as she shifted her weight, eroding what little tolerance Rarity had for the deceptive lyre player until she finally snapped. “And what are you still doing here?” she said sharply.
”Oh nothing in particular,” chirped the musician. “Just felt like loitering around down here is all. You see, unlike the two of you, I’m free to do whatever I feel like doing.” She got off the box and peeked into the repurposed vault. “Must be boring in there. How about a little, hm, entertainment?”
A soft melody rang through the room as the musician ran a hoof past the strings of her lyre that had been tucked beneath the folds of her costume and started hummed. More notes joined the initial chord, and before long, the entire room was alive with the sound of music. The dark walls seemed to brighten as the lyre’s song echoed against them, and when the musician added her own voice, for just a moment, Rarity forgot where she was. In that short second, the cold, dull cell had become a vibrant meadow full of warmth. She forgot her hunger, her soreness, her worries, and all her exhaustion.
The song ended far too soon. The musician put her instrument aside and approached the bars separating her from her guests. The smile she offered was warm and a welcomed sight. Rarity saw the mare’s lips move but only heard the sound of her voice; no words reached her ears.
“I-I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I-I don’t think I understand. Could you repeat that?”
Burgo Masters was scoffing and muttering something, but Rarity ignored him as she watched the musician giggle. Her laughter was like a wind chime played by a spring breeze. “I wanted to know if you wanted to leave.”
“L-leave? Leave here?”
“Of course,” the musician said. “Just for a little a while, just so you can stretch your legs out a bit, maybe take a stroll through town. And maybe, depending how things go this time, I might be able to convince my sister into letting you have a little freedom. Sound good?”
Rarity nodded. She started toward the door of their cell.
“What are you doing?” Burgo grabbed hold of her cloak. “You can’t be serious. They’re up to something, you know that. You can’t really be—“ He suddenly stopped himself as his eyes widened. “Oh no.”
“Oh, yes,” said the musician as she slid to her side of the vault’s door. “And, just in case you need a reminder.” She pulled out her blade, making sure it was visible to Burgo. “Let’s not try anything.”
“You...” Burgo’s legs shook, and through his beard, Rarity saw his face flush red. His mouth opened and shut several times as he sputtered and struggled to speak. “Darn it!” the stallion finally managed to say then turned and kicked angrily at the floor before marching over to the cot and throwing himself onto it.
The musician sighed. “I’m sorry you had to deal with him for so long. It must have been rough.” The heavy metal gate opened slowly, revealing the musician on the other side. “Well, come along now. Oh, and pick up that tray. And don’t forget your robe. You can keep the hood off this time.”
Rarity put on her borrowed clothes, again tossing them over her own cloak without any issue or discomfort, and looked down at the tray with the bowls and utensils from last night’s meal. Gathering it and all of its contents, she started toward the exit but stopped to turn to the stallion slumped over in the cramped bed.
“What about Burgo? Is he not coming with us?”
The musician blinked at the question and for a moment, Rarity thought she saw the musician’s smile start to falter only for it to return and shine with even more radiance. “Well, that really depends on his behavior. He’s been awfully unruly as of recent and needs to be punished, but I promise you, once he learns to play nice—“
At this, Burgo Masters harrumphed and rolled onto his side.
“—we’ll let him out. But he has to learn his lesson first. You understand, don’t you?”
Rarity hesitated. “Maybe, maybe I should stay. Something doesn’t seem right about leaving him here.”
“It’s kind of you to say so,” the musician said. “More than he deserves, really, but we need you, miss. We need you out there.”
“You, you need me?”
“Oh yes,” the lyre player answered with a nod. “We have ponies out there just dying to get a glimpse of you and hear you speak and, well, I’ll explain more on the way, but right now, you should just know that we need you far more than the mayor over there does.”
“Well...”
“And honestly, would you really prefer to spend your time in here in the company of that lout of a stallion than to go with me?” The musician gave Rarity a quick glance, and her smile became one of pity. “I bet he hogged the bed all to himself and just left you on the floor, didn’t he.”
Every sore inch of Rarity back cried out in confirmation of the musician’s accusation. Her bleary eyes and a slight lightheadedness served as additional reminders of how poor her slumber had been thanks to Burgo’s selfishness. Without sparing another word to or bothering to glance back at the stallion in the cot, Rarity followed the musician out of the vault.