Now that she was no longer in the main hall, Rarity was realizing that the manor hosting the Celestial Charity Ball was a frustratingly confusing maze. Every hallway looked the same, and most of them were currently empty; she was relying entirely on her own list of turns she’d taken to maintain the search pattern she was working on. She checked her watch anxiously – 7:30. Only 15 more minutes left to find Silver Spoon before the exchange was due to happen, something she would rather avoid having to risk.
As she turned a corner, she caught sight of a couple of stallions dressed in the standard finery– the first time she’d seen anyone else on this floor. As they glanced towards the noise she had just made, she let out a drunken giggle, backing away and hiding her face. “Oh!! This one’s taken, dear, let’s go find another room…”
As they looked away from her, she smiled; there were plenty of ways to be invisible at a gala. Ducking into a side corridor, she moved along more cautiously, checking rooms that were small enough to store a small filly.
She heard hoofsteps coming from around another corner, and hid herself in a small sitting room, listening at the door to hear when they left. Instead, she heard the two stop outside the door and strike up a conversation.
The voice she heard was a low-end Manehattanite accent, hardly the normal clientele for the party “Ten more minutes. Do you think Silver’s gonna show?”
Rarity’s eyes widened. She may not have found Silver Spoon, but these two must have been conspirators. She cracked the door open, not enough to be noticeable or make a sound, just so she could hear a little better.
“I’d be shocked if they didn’t,” the other colt said, letting out a chuckle. This was more of what she expected, a new money Canterlot voice that fit the crowd the Riches preferred to spend their time at. “That little note made it pretty obvious that if they don’t give that trinket up, their daughter’s gonna spill the beans regardless. It’s a lose-lose situation.”
“If she buys what Spoiled’s telling her – if she knows what this thing is, she might get it.”
“Well that, my friend, is when you and I get to have fun.” As they laughed, Rarity shuddered at the implications.
“What is this thing anyway? Nobody’s told me,” said Manehattan.
At this, Rarity perked up; up until this point, nothing had been said that she hadn’t seen in the ransom note, but whatever they were ransoming Silver Spoon for was new information.
“Beats me. Whatever it is, the Riches are desperate to have it, and the Silvers won’t give it up for any amount of money.”
“Any amount? You’re joking.”
“You know how deep Filthy’s pockets are, and he couldn’t buy it. All I know is that it has something to do with the Silver’s family heritage.”
There was a brief pause; Rarity guessed Manehattan had shrugged. “Money can’t buy everything, I suppose.”
At this point, Rarity was holding her breath at this point. The conversation seemed to be over, but until they left, she didn't dare move from her hiding location. She checked her watch – it was already 7:36, less than ten minutes before the ransom was due.
Finally, after several agonizing moments, Canterlot spoke up. “Put out that cigarette, we need to get going. Almost showtime.”
Rarity waited until the footsteps had grown distant before getting out of her hiding space. She checked her watch; 7:38. She was running out of time, as well as running out of options. Hopefully Twilight or Diamond Tiara had managed to find Silver Spoon, but for the time being, her best option seemed to be to follow the two stallions who were quickly leaving the scene. Being careful to leave them enough trail to not spot her, she continued down the corridor.