//------------------------------// // Chapter Two // Story: Bloodlines // by Autocharth //------------------------------// Here's chapter two! Hope you enjoy it. As ever, this chapter was edited by the wonderful Nealend86 and Web of Hope. Warning: According to one of my editors, Web of Hope, there are a few things that feel shippy. These are not intentional and I currently have no intentions of shipping in this story. Of course, that might change later if it feels natural, but as of now there are none. So off with the shipping goggles! Off with them! EDIT! For some reason, Chapter Two has become mysteriously UNPUBLISHED, so I have to republish it. No damn idea why. * “Twilight, prepare them please.” Lord-Captain Shining Armour wasted no time once he had their agreement. He reached down, and Dash picked up the telltale click of a lock opening. She kept the curiosity off her face, but didn’t manage so well with the anxiety of wondering what the mage was meant to ‘prepare’ them for. Applejack glanced at her, clearly seeing this, and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Calm down Rainbow, ain’t like they’re gonna keep us clapped in irons the whole time. They want us to do stuff, gonna need us movin’ about,” she assured the smaller woman. “I’m not worried.” Scowling, Dash folded her arms and glowered at the wall. Twilight approached them both, smiling calmly. “Believe me, we won’t do that. Manacles would be much too inconvenient, and far too noticeable. There are far more sophisticated methods of enforcing these sorts of agreement. We are, however, going to need you both to agree. It comes with the deal, I’m afraid.” “I knew it!” “Calm down.” Applejack rolled her eyes. Dash’s hostile attitude was starting to grate on her nerves, the fiery thief more likely to get herself - or them both - in trouble. “I’m sure they’ve thought this through.” “We most certainly have. Fortunately for us all, I was able to obtain these on short notice.” Shining approached them, a rolled up parchment in each hand. He held them out to Twilight. She took them and unravelled them, eyeing the contents of first one, and then the other. After a short time of study she nodded, apparently pleased. “These should work. First, of course, we’ll need someone to formally recognise the process. Any use of magic on civilians without a tribunal’s permission is required to have a witness of good standing, to prevent misuse and abuse. In this case, it will be Shining Armour. I am going to use magic which will bind you to certain actions, or not doing certain things, until such a time as certain conditions have been met. In this case, assisting me,” Twilight informed them, to spectacular result. “Whoa! Magic? No way!” Dash backed away, tensing. “I’m not letting you do anything to me!” Applejack tensed as well, giving the impression of a great cat preparing to leap into action. While Dash was looking about with almost feral desire to fight or flee, she looked somewhat more calculating. “Gotta agree, I ain’t sure I wanna let ya’ll into my head. It’s my head.” She kept her tone firm but polite. Shining Armour shrugged, and he would have looked nonchalant if his eyes hadn’t betrayed his own mental calculations. He was no more armoured than either of them, but he was clearly well-muscled and prepared to fight. “Then it’s hard labour. This is it, ladies, you agreed and if you really want to avoid that, this is your only option,” he said, tone deceptively light but eyes hard. Twilight stepped between them, rolling her eyes. “Calm down, all three of you. There’s no need to fight. The spell is designed for exactly this situation, and it will only prevent you from going a set distance from me, knowingly doing harm to myself or others without my permission, or sharing information I forbid you to share. That’s it. The geas will limit your actions, but it will not control you. Celestia herself oversaw the creation of this spell. It will only bind a willing mind, and cannot compel you to do harm to yourself or others, nor can it simply make you a mindless automaton.” Dash cocked her head to side, and asked “What’s an automaton?” “An automaton is an automated, mindless construct, but I was just using it as a metaphor. The spell won’t rob you of your free will.” Twilight tried to keep the frustration out of her tone, but it was difficult. She did her best not to look annoyed. 'This is why books are better than people,' she thought irritably. 'A book doesn't need to be convinced.' She noticed Applejack staring at her, wearing a thoughtful expression. There was something unsettling about it, like the woman was staring right through her. Their eyes met for a moment. Whatever she was looking for, Applejack apparently found. She gave a slow nod. “Alright. S’pose it makes sense, so you know we ain’t gonna run off on ya.” “What? You’re just going to let her do her mumbo-jumbo to you?” Dash demanded, the thief casting her hostile gaze from Applejack to Twilight and back again. There was a sense of restless energy to her, prepared to send her running at the first chance she got. Applejack shrugged, giving her an unconcerned look. “Well, if ya like hard labour so much, that’s your choice. Just try to trust ‘em a little, just ‘cause they’re nobles don’t make ‘em bad folk.” Indecision wrecked Dash’s face. She tried to say something snappy in response, but hesitated. She wasn’t sure what to say, for one thing. Thinking on her options provided her no comfort. Even with the magic, it was surely better than hard labour. ‘Try to trust, what a joke,’ she thought, turning her eyes on Twilight Sparkle once more. She sought some hint of deception, a sign of trickery, but the mage just looked back at her without so much as blinking at the hard stare. “Fine,” she hissed at last, looking away. “Fine, do it. But if you mess with my head-” “I won’t, I promise. Now, just hold still.” Twilight stepped up to Applejack, holding one scroll out before her. She spoke, murmuring words in an alien tongue, harsh and sharp to their ears. Her eyes rose from the scroll as the words vanished, their ink fading away, and she reached out to lay a hand on the tanned woman’s arm. “This geas binds you to my service; you may not harm another unless they seek to do you harm intentionally and with malicious intent unless I give you permission or you are acting in the defense or aid of an innocent; you may not share knowledge, in any form, I command to be kept secret without my permission; you must heed my commands except where they would break the laws of the land or be of unethical nature.” As Twilight spoke the words repeated themselves in Applejack’s mind, each creating a quiet pressure upon her. The spell pressed on her, and as Twilight fell silent Applejack felt the moment of decision. To fight the magic or deny it, to pit her will against it. It took effort to keep herself from automatically pushing it away. No mind willingly accepted intrusion without fighting, but she had to. The magic flowed into her, settling across her mind. For a moment it was like a lead weight pulling down her thoughts, blurring her thinking for a moment. It passed, and she took a deep, shuddering breath. She gulped, opening eyes she hadn’t realised she had closed, and met Twilight’s gaze. “Did it work?” Shining Armour’s tense voice broke the silence. His eyes bored into Applejack, judging and analytical. He relaxed when Twilight turned from her to nod at him. “Good. Her next.” “I’m about to, calm down,” Twilight told him, a chiding note in her voice. “There’s no need to rush, just give me a moment. You know, if you had spent more time at the Colleges instead of with the guard you could-” He held up a hand in surrender. “Okay, okay, I get it, no rushing you when you’re doing magic. No need to start all that again. Let’s get this done, I’m starting to get a headache.” Twilight turned to the thief, not bothering to conceal the smug smile at her small victory against her brother. “Alright, this won’t hurt, just open your mind…” Again she began to read, drawing the magic from the other scroll. She gripped Dash’s hand, a stark contrast of dark fingers twining with pale. The scroll became blank and she repeated the same conditions. Everything in Dash screamed at her to fight the magic, to reject it and pull her hand away. Instead she tightened her grip. Unlike Applejack her eyes never closed. Instead she stared right into Twilight’s eyes, her gaze intense. If there was a flicker of triumph or victory, anything to give her reason, now was the time to see it. She didn’t know if she was relieved or annoyed at the earnest look in them. “It’s done,” Twilight murmured after a few seconds. She went to step back, but found the fingers holding her own keeping her there. “Uh...Dash? You can let go now.” “Huh? Er, whatever.” Letting go, Dash stumbled back. She pressed her back against the wall, folding her arms up. “What now?” “We’ll be leaving. Shining, can you have their things sent to me?” Twilight went back to her brother, handing him the expended scrolls. “I think you mean Miss Applejack’s things, unless there were some rags we confiscated as well” Shining Armour corrected. “And sure, I’d be happy to. Before you go, I just want a moment alone with these two.” Twilight narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “What for?” He answered with a relaxed smile. “Come on Twiley, just humour me. They’ll be out in just a minute.” She frowned, her suspicious look not lessening the slightest. Twilight glanced at her new charges, watching Applejack approach the thief. Whatever she was trying to say to engage her was clearly not working. “Alright,” she gave in, rubbing her forehead tiredly. “I’m not in the mood to argue even more.” “Being up all night and then having a ‘disagreement’ with Blueblood can be kind of tiring, believe me, I know.” He grinned at her, standing and giving her a hug. “Just wait outside, I promise not to do anything too damaging to your new projects.” She rolled her eyes, hugging him back before stepping away. “I’ll take your word on that. Girls, my brother wishes to speak with you. Once you are done, we will be leaving.” The mage strode from the room, leaving the three alone. “Let me cut right to the chase. I’m a direct guy, I want to make things crystal clear between us.” His tone hardened. “If either of you does anything to my sister, or allows anything to happen to her, I will make sure hard labour is the least of your concerns.” Dash opened her mouth to snap something, but it turned into a yelp when Applejack’s elbow jabbed her. “Clear as day. I wouldn’t expect any less from my brother if he was in your place,” the tanned woman said. “Your sister does right by us, we’ll do right by her. Well, I will.” Snorting at Applejack’s self-correction, Dash gave a half-hearted shrug. “Hey, she doesn’t mess with me, I won’t mess with her.” Shining Armour fixed his stare on her, sighing a moment later and sitting back down. “I suppose that’s the best I’ll get. You two get after Twiley- after Twilight, I think the smell is giving me a headache.” Applejack nodded and turned, chuckling. She gripped the smaller girl’s shoulder and pushed her out first, wrinkling her nose. “Wait, what smell?” Dash sniffed, trying to pick it up. “Smell?” Twilight asked, stepping from where she had been waiting in the hall. The door clicked shut behind them. After a moment she wrinkled her nose. “Oh, yes, that smell.” “What smell?” Crossing her arms, the thief scowled ferociously. “Ya don’t smell it? I s’pose ya wouldn’t,” Applejack laughed, shaking her head. Her grin died down as she looked at Twilight. “So, uh, ma’am, what now?” Twilight shook her head at the title. “No need for that, just call me Twilight. I get enough of titles when I’m in the palace. Speaking of, the two of you shall stay in the attached rooms. They’re technically meant for servants, but my apprentice only uses one and I don’t want some maid to bumble into my study so I usually just use them as storage rooms.” Her charges stared at her, eyes wide and mouths dropping open. Twilight stared back uncertainly. “You...you live in the palace?” Dash asked at last, her voice strangled and unsteady. “What did you think ‘Royal Apprentice’ means?” Twilight raised an eyebrow at her critically. “I don’t think either of us thought much about it, sugar. Are you sayin’ ya’ll are...are her apprentice?” An unusually uncertain note entered Applejack’s voice as she asked. She scratched her neck, looking nervous. The movement brought the runed wrist-bands into view, sending a flash of recollection through Twilight. “Your wrist-locks, I completely forgot. Come here, hands out,” she ordered, waiting for them to comply. Both did, albeit reluctantly in Dash’s case. The wizard murmured words too quiet for either to hear, and in that same harsh language, as she touched each band of runed metal one by one. The runes faded in her wake, the rings growing larger until they slipped straight off the former prisoners’ arms. Applejack flexed her arm, giving an impressive display of muscles for a moment, before giving Twilight a thankful nod. “Right kind of ya sugar,” she said. Her hand went to her head, brushing through her long hair. “Don’t suppose I can get my hat back now?” “Of course, I said you would get it back.” Twilight looked up once she was done with Dash’s locks. “Let’s go. With any luck, Spike will be done preparing your rooms.” “Spike?” Questioned the thief. She rubbed the wrists with a glower, following along as Twilight led the way. Her eyes darted about, searching for an escape route, but none provided what she needed. ‘How in the long night am I supposed to escape magic when it’s in my head?’ The thought plagued her, nagging at Dash. Twilight smirked slightly, a hint of pride in her tone as she spoke; “My apprentice. He can be a little bit lazy when the mood suits him, but he is talented and smart, so long as food isn’t involved.” Crossing her arms, the captured thief merely grumbled under her breath. The more refined halls were soon replaced by the bleaker halls of the no-nonsense attitude found among the more dangerous members of the city guard. Dash forced herself not to flinch as they passed those very guards, cursing herself, the guards and Twilight flaming Sparkle. Years of experience warned her to run, to slink away before a guard decided to approach, but all they did was nod respectfully at the woman leading them to what could, in a dim light, pass for freedom. Back in his office, Shining Armour looked up from his paperwork and frowned slightly. He recalled the rural woman’s reaction to his threat. ‘She has a brother...I wonder...’ He shook his head, dismissing for that line of thought for now. Instead he returned to his paperwork, uncorking a new ink pot and dipping his quill into it. A smile lit his face, although certainly not at the paperwork itself. The idea of just leaving it there and leaving now only plagued him for a moment before he dismissed it too. The Lord-Captain continued his work, his mind more on what awaited him when he was done than his actual work. Or rather, who awaited him. * The trio emerged into daylight, and a wince passed through a third of the group. Shading her eyes, Twilight glanced back at Applejack when a groan escaped the woman. “Turns out my hangover ain’t completely gone. Sun’s blazing like a right bi-” Twilight interrupted with a cough, leading the way down the stone steps leading out and waving at a stablehand. “No foul language in my presence, please. The carriage should be here in a moment.” “Carriage?” Looking across the stable yard, Dash fidgeted. There were guards all over the place, and she didn’t like the look of a single one of them. In all fairness, not a single one of them liked the look of her; she spotted one who she was fairly certain had been among their ‘escorts’ to Shining Armour’s office. He might have even been the one who pushed her in. When he noticed her, standing there as innocent as the day was bright, a frown creased his weathered features. “Of course. You don’t think we were going to walk halfway across the city, did you?” Twilight wasn’t looking at her, merely frowning as they waited. Her mouth formed a thin, stern line. “Kinda did. Not like I’ve ridden in a carriage before. Used to ride on the back of the cart when we were movin’ stuff, but that’s it.” Clearly deciding not to waste energy standing, Applejack sank to the ground. She sat on the second lowest step and stretched her legs. “I can ride, if ya want.” Dash got in before Twilight, snorting derisively. “What are you, some kinda weak-kneed farmer? I could get across this city before any horse or carriage.” She smirked. “Not that I’ve ever needed to. Only so high a guard can climb before all that chainmail starts weighing him down. One little slip and...” She mimed a figure scaling the wall of her arm, only to go tumbling down with a loud splat. As she did, she shot a glance at a nearby guard, giving him a mocking grin. His eyes narrowed and his cheeks reddened, hands balling into knots of leather. “Dash, don’t mock the guards. Your past indiscretions are nothing to be proud of.” Twilight frowned at the thief. “Says you. Hear that, big fella? I shouldn’t be proud of my ‘past indiscretions’.” She shot the guard a teasing wink, baring her teeth in a wide grin. His expression turned apocalyptic. Applejack rose, eyes rolling. “Ya really know how to pick a fight, don’t ya? No wonder ya’ll ended up here, bet ya’ll could make a magistrate throw his gavel at ya if ya tried.” “I made one go red in the face and spout nonsense he was so angry, does that count? Not that I hung around.” Ignoring her, Applejack stepped between the thief and the guard. “Ya’ll are gonna have to excuse my friend, she ain’t that smart. We’re just waitin’ to leave with Lady Sparkle here, don’t want no fightin’.” She glanced at Twilight out of the corner of her eye, but the mage was making no move to intervene. If anything she appeared to be studying the confrontation, wearing an expression of focus as she watched them. The guard looked towards her as well. His eyes betrayed his uncertainty, which was all Applejack needed. Ignoring Dash’s muttered protest that they weren’t friends, Applejack pushed her towards Twilight. “We might not be friends, but I’m willin’ to give it a try if ya’ll are, an’ we’re fightin’ the same dragon. If you start a fight, I’ll get dragged into it one way or another,” she hissed, glaring at Dash. “So hush before I give ya a spankin’, little girl.” A growl rolled out of Dash’s throat at that. “What, gonna give me a smack with one of those tree trunks you call an arm?” There might have been a fight between the two headstrong women, if someone hadn’t called for the woman they were bound to. “Lady Sparkle!” A clerk hurried down the steps, something brown and worn in his hands. “The Captain was able to, uh, fast track the paperwork for taking this from contraband, and sent me to give to you.” The moment she had looked over, a grin had a appeared on Applejack’s face. She stepped past Dash, leaving the thief to fume. “My hat!” Twilight accepted the hat, nodding at the clerk dismissively. She ignored Applejack’s outstretched hand, staring at the hat. Muttering under her breath, the harsh tongue preceded a nearly undetectable flare of magenta light in her eyes, colouring the whites. Her eyes never wavered from the hat, staring at it unblinkingly. After nearly a minute, Applejack dropped her hand and fought the urge to glare at Twilight. “Can I have my hat?” The mage didn’t seem to hear her. “Fascinating,” she murmured, turning the hat over. “Transmutation, primarily...Applejack, what did- oh!” She blinked, staring at the taller woman. Applejack’s closeness was a surprise; Twilight had been so absorbed in studying the hat that she'd missed the approach. Dash snickered in the background, the strife between the other two amusing her. “Can I have my hat back now?” Applejack asked dryly, reaching out for it. “Ain’t nothin’ that’ll help me escape, I promise, but it’s kinda important to me an’ ya promised…” With clear reluctance, Twilight let her take it. “I do want to take another look at it later, though,” she added. A shout drew her attention and she looked back as a two horse carriage drew up. “Ah, good. Alright girls, get in. I don’t use this much, I don’t like to impose, so don’t get used to it.” “I won’t, an’ I guess this ragamuffin won’t- hey! Where’s she gone?” Applejack spun in a circle, scanning for the suddenly invisible thief. “That little- she snuck off! Burnin’ day!” Twilight shook her head. “Well, I suppose it was inevitable. Dash!” She called, her voice ringing across the courtyard with an odd cadence reminiscent of when she had spoken the words of magic. “Shout out where you are.” The thief’s voice immediately yelled back, unseen though she was. “Under the carriage!” A moment passed as Dash realised what just happened. “Damn it!” Applejack jumped the last few steps and bent down, looking under the carriage. An irate Dash glared back at her, her hair bundled under the rags that had formed half her shirt. “The heck ya doin’ under there?” “I was going to hide under here while you idiots looked for me, then slipped out when you passed through the city,” Dash answered grudgingly. She dropped to the ground and crawled out, scowling at Twilight. “Flaming magic.” Twilight wore a satisfied smile. “At least we’re certain that the spell worked. Alright, enough, get in.” Her words didn’t carry the magical quality from before, but they were clearly orders, enough for Applejack to shrug and climb in with a nod to the man at the front, holding the reins. Dash, however, lingered as she waited for Twilight to approach. She watched the mage, her body tensed. When Twilight passed her without a word, taking her first step into the carriage, Dash shook her head in confusion. ‘She’s just waiting until I don’t expect it,’ she rationalised as she followed. The door shut behind her, and at Twilight’s call the driver snapped his reins. With a lurch the carriage set off, trundling through the city. It followed the boulevard, the Road of the Sun, a straight line that extended across the city. Twilight looked out the window, leaning out enough to look along it. This was partly because, as ever, she enjoyed the straight line of sight from the Palace in the east to the Guard’s Fort in the west. Mostly it was because of the smell, and she explained that quite bluntly. Something approaching a smile tugged at the edge’s of Twilight’s mouth when Dash let out an indignant squawk of frustration. “What smell?!” Applejack just laughed. * Sitting back on the plush seat, Applejack kept her amused smile as she observed her two new acquaintances. The city girl was sitting with her knees tucked under her chin, arms around her legs, and the noble still had her face out the window. She chuckled, laying her head back. Her hat shifted, the very feeling bringing a smile to her face. Not that much was worth a smile right now. Her expression fell slowly, but neither of her companions noticed. The thief was too busy stewing in her own frustration, the mage not even able to see. ‘A thief...Granny’d be shocked at the company I’m keepin’,’ she thought, rubbing her eyes tiredly. ‘Not like either of us have a choice. Landsakes, how did I end up like this?’ The answer was pretty obvious, and the thought of it made her flush angrily. She had been foolish enough to trust a stranger last night, and look where it got her. ‘Should have let the guard give the girl a good smack, weren’t no business o’ mine.’ Despite the thought, she felt guilty for it. “Hey, Rainbow,” she nudged the girl. “Got any family ya needa tell? They might worry, if ya just up an’ vanished.” The twinge of guilt that brought she found easy to ignore. It was habit by now. Dash scowled at her. It seemed to be the main expression she was capable of. “Yeah, a whole house full of ‘em.” “Well, might wanna ask if we can stop by an’-” “That was sarcasm!” Applejack didn’t correct the glaring city girl. She knew perfectly well it was sarcasm, but let Dash carry on. “Gah, what is wrong with you? I live in a dump, why would I have a house full of family?” Applejack shrugged. “Ain’t gonna assume anythin’ about you, sugar. Ya move like a cat an’ yer jumpier than a displacer. Ya got under the carriage without anyone noticin’. I know yer a thief, one who tried to steal from a prince. Lotta things I could assume from that. Not many I like. I’m not gonna.” Dash blinked, the answer taking her by surprise. She opened her mouth, but was unable to think of a real answer and closed it again. “So, you an’ me, Rainbow? Like I said, we’re fightin’ the same dragon, we gotta look out for each other. Be honest with me, I’ll be honest with you.” “Honest?” Dash gave her a vicious grin. “Alright, why are you in the city, farmgirl?” “I ain’t no farmer, I’m a ranger. Needed to see how the soft cityfolk lived,” she answered with a smirk. “Can’t take their drink, I know that. Gotta drug mine so I even stumble, an’ I still beat the lot of them into a little stains on the floor.” The laugh that got from Dash was genuine, and Applejack had to surprise a smile. It was hardly a great guess, that talking about something like this would get a better response. “You really got drugged? Wait, you weren’t at the Swill Runner, were you? That means- holy- you beat up Red Palm?!” She shook her head in amazement. “Wow. Did you kill him?” Applejack gave her a strange look, frowning. “You sound kinda like you want me to say yes.” “I do! No one else has the guts, and that time I knifed him, the black boned bastard managed to find someone to heal him before he bled out,” she growled the words, a hateful light in her eyes. Twilight pulled her head back, joining Applejack in giving the thief girl a shocked look. The way she spoke wasn’t just angry, it was a sort of cold, old hatred. She noticed their looks and scowled, going back to her seemingly default expression of anger a the world. “What? He deserved it.” “I’m sure he did. Afraid all I did was punch him through the bar.” Applejack shrugged. “Look lively then Rainbow, ya got a whole new chance ahead of ya.” “Applejack is right, this is a wonderful chance. By the time your sentence is over, I promise you won’t need to go back to those slums.” Looking back to the window, Twilight watched the buildings they were passing. It wouldn’t be long now, she knew. “Look, the Gates of the Rise, we’re passing through them.” Dash pulled back, Applejack leaning past her to look out. The ranger pulled her hat back as she stuck her head out the door. She whistled, loud enough to attract attention. She ignored the stares, running her eyes up the great gates until she was looking straight up. “Well, would ya look at that…” She stared up at the massive teeth that ran up each side of the gate. “Heard about ‘em, but hadn’t gone lookin’ yet. How do those things even move?” Twilight immediately launched into an explanation, one neither cared to listen to. Applejack tried, but found her attention slipping. Dash didn’t even do that. “-and, oh, here we are,” Twilight finally stopped talking, the carriage jolting to a halt. “Time to get out.” She sniffed. “I think I’ll need a bath to get the smell out. After Dash, of course.” The thief was tempted to make another break for it, to try getting out of earshot or muffling her hearing. She glanced at her bare stomach, exposed thanks to her uses of her shirt to hide her hair, and decided there wasn’t enough left to risk it. She got the feeling Applejack was guessing what she was thinking, judging by the way she was watching her. Dash gave her an innocent smile. Giving her a snort back, Applejack turned and followed Twilight out, holding the door open until Dash emerged. “Come on Rainbow, let’s get you cleaned up,” Applejack said, shutting it behind her and jumping down. “What’s that supposed to mean? I washed during the last storm.” She looked around, feeling incredibly exposed, and not just because of her shirt. She stuck out like a sore thumb, like a walking stain as servants bustled past them in and out of a wide wooden door. Twilight looked disgusted. “The last rain storm was a month ago, no wonder you stink. Okay, you are definitely having a bath before you even look at my books.” Applejack grinned at Dash’s irate growl, but in truth she was as intimidated as the thief girl. Proud as she was of her hat, and confident as she was in her comfortable leathers, she knew neither had been made with a palace in mind. It set her teeth on edge, her surroundings as unfamiliar as the city had been. Her hand itched to curl around the hilt of her sword, or the curve of her longbow.  The lack of both plagued her thoughts for a moment. To be without your weapons was death in the Everfree, and it was hard to let go of that mentality once you had it. They followed where Twilight led, passing into the halls of the palace. For all her unease, Dash did find one thing that made her feel a little better; she might be uneasy, but every maid they passed seemed to have a fit when they saw her. It wasn’t long before she began to experiment. When Twilight wasn’t looking, she sauntered past a pair of servants with a decidely teasing strut. The maid seemed to be so offended she would burst. It was a pity she didn’t, so Dash tried more with the next, slouching and grinding her dirty feet into the carpet. It wasn’t long before Applejack caught on, and while she didn’t try to stop her Dash got the sense she didn’t approve. With a grin, Dash just kept on doing it. Two highly offended birds with one stone. Tipping her hat over her eyes, Applejack just sighed and shook her head. The number of servants and guards slowly depleted as they approached what seemed to be a more secluded part of the palace. The fact she was in the palace at all was a shock to Dash. Her mouth watered as she began to add up the value of everything she saw. Passing through a door, larger and more ornate than the others, she ran her hand along its gilded edges. “Dash, please stop fondling the door,” Twilight called, having found herself and Applejack further down the hall. “You’re not trying to escape, are you?” "What, me, try to escape?" Dash laughed. "I know the score, Sparkle." Ignoring whatever the poor girl meant, Twilight gestured for her to join them. "This wing is reserved for those Celestia herself has chosen to be near her. There should be next to no one there, and no servants are permitted to be in any of my chambers. Ever." "Yeah, no servants, got it," Dash agreed, her eyes lingering on a glazed vase. "Might wanna tell her not to make off with the silver too," chuckled Applejack. Twilight shook her head, stopping when they reached a door a tad firmer than the others. She muttered arcane words again, this time in a soft, lyrical language before pushing the door open. "Spike!" She called. "I'm back!" The only sound was the click of the door shutting in Dash’s wake. She glanced across the room, taking it all in. The room was almost normal, and compared to what she expected not particularly lavish. Tables strewn with books were lined orderly across the main part of the room before the high ceiling gave way halfway across the room. She kept the awe from her face as she stepped through, turning twisting and turning. There was more paper and vellum here than she had seen anywhere else, but then, she didn’t often try to steal from libraries. “Spike!” Twilight called again, her tone frustrated. “If he’s napping again, I swear…” She stomped off, stepping from the first part of the room into the next. The walls curved gently away on each side and the ceiling went up and up and up. Applejack and Dash followed, staring at the bookshelves that lined the walls. A ladder went up to next level, Applejack peering up it as Twilight climbed up to where another ring of bookshelves sat with a balcony looming over the lower floor. “Sun, is she an egghead or what? All these books can’t be healthy.” Running her hand along one, Dash jerked it back when a shout startled her. After a moment she breathed a sigh of relief; it wasn’t directed at her. “Spike! Honestly, I asked you to do one thing, just one thing!” Twilight came back down the ladder, a youth trailing her. "Aw come on Twilight, it wasn't like I meant to! I was just looking for that book you wanted, honest," a high but discernibly male voiced whined. His robes were plain, in a darker shade of purple than Twilight’s and his hair an emerald hue. He ran a hand through the short spiky green locks nervously. Looking at the back of his head, Applejack knew there was something wrong with him before she even saw his face. His ears weren’t right, to start with; a scaled ridge ran along the top of each ear, adding a jaggedness to the normally gentle curves. Twilight’s mouth was pressed into a flat, unimpressed frown. "We will deal with this later, young man. I hope you prepared the bed chambers for our guests." "You mean the criminals? Yeah, I did it," Spike dropped the last few steps and turned. He froze, staring at the newcomers. In response, they stared back. They, arguably, had better reason to. After all, neither of them had scales. Purple scales gave the impression of shadows around his eyes, giving way to smooth skin. The scales showed again at the corner of his mouth, delicate and smaller but still noticeable. "Spike, these are the 'criminals'. Introduce yourself," Twilight instructed. "Uh...hi?" He gave them a weak grin, exposing his pointed teeth, and extended his hand nervously. "I'm Spike." Their eyes followed his hands, his extremities showing just as obvious signs of difference. Applejack was the first to recover, reaching out just as he began to withdraw his hand. His expression went from nervous and hurt to nervousness and relieved. His grip was surprisingly strong for what she guessed was his age. "Pleasure to meet ya Spike, I'm Applejack." She gave his hand a shake and shot him a smile. "One of the criminals." He blushed, giving her another nervous grin. "Heh, sorry, but, you know, you kinda are." His hand felt strange to her, his skin harder than it should be but still soft human skin. Blunt, almost claw-like fingernails pressed against her hand. As tactless as that was, Applejack had to admit it was obviously true. Much as it grated on her, he was right. “Don’t think I’ll forget anytime soon, sugar, trust me on that,” she assured him. Applejack let go and stepped back, making room for Dash. “C’mon Rainbow, say hi.” “Don’t give me orders, freckles.” Dash settled for a nod, ignoring the hand he expanded to her. “Call me Dash. So, what are you?” Applejack winced. “Ya really ain’t ever heard of tact, have ya?” Dash rounded on her, hands on hip. “Don’t pretend you’re not curious.” “I ain’t pretendin’ nothin’, but there’s politer ways of askin’.” Shaking her head, Applejack let out a frustrated sigh. Maybe Dash was going to prove more difficult to deal with than she had expected. The two began to bicker, and the boy took a step back. “I thought they didn’t know each other,” he asked Twilight quietly. His eyes never left them, watching them go at it. Twilight frowned. “They don’t. They appear to have conflicting personalities. As far as I can tell, Applejack is likely to be more trustworthy. Keep an eye on Dash though, she’s already tried to flee once.” Spike nodded. Satisfied with that ,she stepped forward, interrupting them with a cough. “Spike is a sorcerer. He’s not some kind of monster, half-breed or evil experiment. His draconic bloodline is particularly strong, and has just had an unusual effect on his appearance,” Twilight informed them. “The two of you are going to work alongside him, organising my personal collection over the next few days. After Dash has had a bath, of course.” “Why does everyone think I smell?” “Because you do?” Spike piped up with a snicker. Her glare silenced him, but the look of amusement remained on his face. “It’s true!” Applejack chuckled. “Sorry, Rainbow, but it’s true. Ya said ya live in a dump anyway, so I don’t know why you’re surprised.” “So it’s settled. Spike, show her where the bath is please, and make sure she has everything she’ll need.” To Dash, Twilight added; “It won’t take you much time, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it once you get used to it. I can’t imagine you’ve had many baths.” “Of course not! Swimming in hot water? What am I, dinner?” Dash stepped back. “You cook things in hot water, how can getting in it be good for you?” Spike began to laugh again, at least until the thief took a step towards him with a dark look in her eyes. “What are you laughing at, kid?” “Y-you think a hot bath is unhealthy?” He snickered. Any fear of the criminal faded, so long as he was at Twilight’s side. Stepping in before things could escalate, Applejack grabbed Dash by the shoulder. “I could probably use a bath myself, as a matter of fact.” Applejack gave her a smile that was just a touch teasing. “Come on, I’ll make sure the mean ‘ole hot water don’t make ya sick. Wanna show us the way, sugar?” Spike gave her a nod and Applejack dragged Dash in his wake, leaving Twilight alone. She watched them go, calculating eyes on her charges. Only when they were gone from her sight did she turn away and scale the ladder. The books were old friends to her, friends she knew inside and out. Her eyes barely registered the titles as she passed, habit and memory guiding her as she thought. Eventually she came to a stop, reaching for a book that wasn’t there. Her hand slipped into the empty space, brushing against the back of the shelf before she realised what was going on. A frown marred her lovely features, a displeasure colouring her eyes. She scanned the books around the gap, but they were as they should be. ‘Spike must have wanted to read up on the subject.’ The thought brought a smile to her face, her pride in her apprentice showing. It was much easier to be proud of him, she had found, when he wasn’t there to have his ego swelled. Her pleasured soon turned to annoyance. Twilight sorted through the books on his table, her impatience growing. When he came back, his cheeks glowing red, she had moved on to another table. “Spike, where is Jeggare’s treatise on sorcerous bloodlines?” She asked, not looking up. Spike dropped the armful of rags, blinking a few times as he tried to get his brain working again. “Uh, think it’s on the bookshelf, why?” “I wanted to read it, but it’s not there. Are you sure you didn’t- what happened to your face?” She finally looked up. “Uh, Rainbow Dash...I-I said I’d get her stuff washed and she...I don’t think she’s very shy.” It took several seconds for what that meant to sink in. With a disgusted sigh Twilight went back to her search. “I suppose her manners aren’t very good, so a lack of modesty isn’t exactly unexpected. And I don’t think Rainbow is part of her name, that just seems to be a nickname Applejack gave her because of her hair.” “Yeah…” His voice was thoughtful. She looked up sharply, a particular bit of advice from a book coming to mind. “I hope you covered your eyes. Just because she doesn’t know how to behave in polite company doesn’t mean you could take advantage.” Spike rolled his eyes at her. “I closed my eyes. It’s not like it wasn’t embarrassing for me. I thought that Applejack lady was going to explode, she went so red. I think she found it even more embarrassing.” He nodded towards the pile of rags. “Uh, what do you want me to do with that? I mean, I know it’s hers but they’re kind of…” “Go look through my old things, in the third store room. I’m sure something there will fit her,” Twilight said, dismissing the matter. At the moment, the book as more important. If she could ever find it, that is. * Dash had her arms crossed, looking at the water suspiciously. “I still think this is unhealthy. It’s like being boiled alive, but really slowly. How is that good for you?” Her hat removed for the first time since getting it back, Applejack shrugged. She had been tight-lipped since the thief’s stunt with Spike, sending the embarrassed apprentice off with a face as red as tomato. “Just is,” she grunted. “Oh come on, it was funny,” Dash rolled her eyes. “Hey, why did he call me Rainbow Dash?” Applejack arched an eyebrow at her, giving her a critical look. “It was mean, he’s probably barely a more than a lad an’ he don’t need ya’ll playing nasty tricks on him like that. An’ I guess he just thought it was ya name, after hearin’ me call ya Rainbow. Dunno why you’d mind, sounds fine to me. Better’n just Dash.” That made the thief shake her head. “No way, my name is fine the way it is,” she insisted stubbornly, quashing the little part of her that quite liked the sound of it. This time it was Applejack who rolled her eyes. Pushing herself from her spot on sunken ledge, she admired the room from the middle of the pool. It was more than she had ever imagined a bath could be. In her mind, a bath was a tin tub filled bucket by bucket with water that quicky lost it’s warmth. This was more a pond than anything, and Applejack hadn’t failed to notice the way Dash stayed right at the edge, eyeing the deeper end the way a dog all too aware it lacked wings would eye a cliff. Dash ran a hand across the water in front of her, strangely fascinated by the feel of it against her skin. Everything felt different in this water, completely alien to her. Dash avoided the few bodies of water there were in the city; being unable to swim, it never seemed like a good idea to her, but this was different. Odd. Nice. There were very few things in her life she would categorise as ‘nice’. In general, they were just good or bad, useful or unuseful. Never ‘nice’. Nice was for people with money. It was for the hoity-toity nobles who strutted about showing off their wealth. Wealth she could steal, if she was smart enough, or fast enough. And she was. She was fast enough, she was sneaky enough. She grinned slightly, her fingers twitching. Just the thought of the last few months, slipping into the High District unseen, sneaking through mansions and stealthing past guards, made her want to experience that thrill. Nothing beat it. “Burnin’ day, ya’ll are dirtier than my little sister after she tried makin’ mud pies.” Applejack’s voice intruded on her thoughts, and Dash pulled away with a yelp. She had practically forgotten the ranger was there. She had certainly failed to notice her approach. Dash sunk beneath the water, flailing madly. The once pleasant water swamped her, and she opened her mouth to scream. Rather than the intended occurance of sound coming out, water came in. Something clamped around her arm. A sudden sense of rushing movement overcame her. Sweet air filled her nose, a relief she had never valued so much. Something slammed into her back and water poured out of her mouth. She felt like she was vomiting, but she had never vomited anything that didn’t smell bad enough to make her vomit again. “Rainbow, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise ya. Are ya okay?” Applejack’s worried voice pierced the confusion, and Dash managed a weak nod. “I-I’m fine...i-it’s okay.” She wrapped her arms around the larger woman, taking a deep, shuddering breaths. “I...I told you.” “Huh?” “I told you...not healthy.” Applejack stared at her for a moment before laughing, throwing her head back and letting the tension run out in a deep throated chuckle. “Sure it ain’t, sure. Lemme get ya out, ya look clean as a whistle. Must be some magic in the water, heard some nobles got fancy stuff like that.” Applejack hurled her up, setting her on the edge of the tiled floor. “Ya feel okay?” “Yeah, fine.” As she settled down from the near drowning, or at least what she felt was a near drowning, Dash glanced up at the ceiling. Even that was clean and spotless, all perfect. Perfect except for thief under it, of course. Applejack washed herself quietly, her guilt from surprising Dash keeping her silent. She didn’t say anything when Dash slipped into the water, hugging the edge once more but submerging most of her body. “Hey, Applejack?” Dash wasn’t looking at her, eyes locked on the water. “Yeah?” “Were you serious? When you said you wanted to be my friend.” There was a quiet intensity to the thief’s voice that gave Applejack pause before she answered. “Yep,” she answered, giving an unseen nod. “I...I’m not sure. But you did save me, even if you were the one who made me slip. You could have just let me drown, and told Sparkle it was an accident. Most of the people I know would have done it. But you didn’t.” Dash looked away, staring at the wall. “I’ll think about it.” Applejack smiled wearily. “Good enough fer me.” She lay back in the warm water, enjoying the rare luxury. ‘Maybe Granny was right. Maybe I can do some good here. Don’t needa kill monsters to save a life.’ * Twilight barely noticed when Spike left, or when he returned with an armful of her old clothing. He dropped it on one of the tables and turned to her. “I got some stuff, want to look through it and tell me what to give her…” he trailed off, spotting a book among many others. He snickered, picking it up. “So, Twilight, still can’t find it?” He asked, leaning on the table, the red leather cover of the tome turning around in his hands. “No, I can’t. Where could it be?” Frustration filled her voice, and her movements become more harried as she delved into the next pile of books. Twilight noted absently that several clearly unopened ones were books she had assigned Spike to read. She would deal with that later. Grinning merrily, Spike flipped open the book as he watched her continue to read. “Sure. Hey, Twilight, guess what?” He glanced down, reading the first words. Sighing, she shook her head at his foolishness. “What?” She didn’t get an answer. Spike had just enough time to close his eyes and mouth as the book exploded into a spray of hissing acid. He screamed, the blood curdling sound cutting through the chambers and echoing into the rest of the wing. The acid ate away at his clothes and burned his face, driving the boy back as it reached his chest and shoulders. In more pain than he had ever imagined, he tumbled to the ground, still crying out. Books fell to the ground around her, Twilight nearly tripping mid-step when his scream struck her. It hit her like a physical blow, rousing her faster than anything else could have. “Spike? Spike?! Oh, holy sun, Spike!” The slap of wet feet on stone gave way to the muffled thumping of sprinting. Twilight didn’t look up from where she hovered over Spike, trying to do anything she could. He rolled around, thrashing and flailing as he screamed. Dash bolted into the room, a silver candlestick held in her hand threateningly and not a stitch of clothing on her. Her empty hand was clapped over the back of her neck, rubbing it as if to ward off a ferocious itch. “What was that?I felt something, what was i- burning day!” She froze, looking down on the kneeling wizard and her apprentice. Applejack came up behind her, just as naked but with a towel in one hand. “What the heck is the screaming about?” The second she caught sight of the downed boy she stopped talking. A smell caught her attention, one she was intimately familiar with. “Acid.” “Help me!” Twilight looked up at last. She paid no mind to them being naked, barely noticing at all. “Applejack, get over here with that towel and help me get him to the bath, it’s enchanted to remove impurities and there might still be acid on him. Dash, on the wall over there, the drawer marked with ‘Potions’, get the red vials out. Hurry!” Although there was no magic in her words, it was clearly an order. Applejack was at her side in seconds, slipping the towel under him and using it to get a hold of him. It wouldn’t protect her from the acid if any got on her, but it would give her the moment she needed to avoid getting burned. At the same time, Dash ran over to the line of low draws She hesitated, looking across them. There was already some kind of punishment waiting for her for her attempted escape, she was certain of that, and if she screwed this up hard labour would probably look like an improvement. “Dash, the potions!” “I’m looking!” She stared down at them, trying to determine which was the one she had to look in. She reached for one, only to pull back. “Which one…” “Dash! The one with ‘potions’ on it!” “I heard you the first time!” Her hands reached back and forth, trying to decide. ‘P...which letter is that again….damn it, which is it?’ “That one!” Twilight snarled as one of the drawers suddenly jerked open, a glow of magenta around the handle. Vials of something red glittered at Dash, and she noted in the back of her mind the boy’s screaming had stopped, replacing by agonised whimpers and sobbing as Applejack lifted him. The naked thief grabbed as many as she could and turned back to the others. “I’ve got ‘em!” Dash ran over, following Applejack as the ranger carried the boy down the hall towards the bath she had only just abandoned. “Give me that!” Simply snatching one of the vials from Dash, Twilight wasn’t able to keep pace with Applejack, but she did her best. “Get him into the water!” Applejack didn’t waste time, dropping to her knees and all but shoving him in before slipping down next to Spike. She tore what remained of his robes off, making sure the water reached his burns. A splash announced Twilight’s arrival, the mage dropping in without removing so much as a single article of clothing. She ignored the water soaking into her expensive robes, uncorking one of the vials and shoving it into his mouth. It was a slow process, getting healing potion into his mouth as he thrashed and whimpered. The water soothed his burns, but the pain remained. The first trickle he choked down had a greater effect, and Twilight plied him with the blood-coloured elixirs until the last of his burns were gone and he had drifted into unconsciousness. “Okay...I think he’s fine. Oh, holy sun, Spike…” Twilight ran a hand through his hair. “Thank the stars he’s not awake. That must have hurt so much.” Dash remained out of the bath, squatting down at the edge. “Okay, what just happened? My tingles told me something magical was happening, like, even worse than when I touched that box of yours.” “Tingles?” Applejack gave her a sceptical look. “That’s why ya went runnin’ outta here like there was a fire under yer bum? Tingles?” She shrugged. “Hey, don’t question it, how do you think I managed to get into so many places with magic? Bad magic makes this sorta...tingle, on the back of my neck. Feels weird, but it’s saved me before.” “Someone nearly killed Spike.” Their heads jerked towards Twilight. Her hair hid her eyes as she looked down at her apprentice. “Someone was trying to kill me, and instead they nearly killed him.” Her voice shook, some deep emotion within her causing it to tremble. Dash shared a look with Applejack. They might have just met, but they could both recognise a mess about to unfold. “Uh...okay, who?” “I don’t know.” Twilight looked up, and the fury in her eyes nearly startled Dash into losing her balance. “I don’t know but I am going to find out.” They blinked, staring at her still. Both got the feeling she wasn’t done. Twilight gave them a grim smile. “Someone with enough skill to sneak into the palace and enough magic to enchant a book with a spell I’ve never seen, a spell I never even sensed right under my own nose, did this.” “Right, and that’s got what to do with us? Aren’t we just doing, like, library stuff?” Dash questioned. “Oh no, not anymore.” Twilight shook her head, her grim look still in place. “The two of you are going to help me find whoever did this. Whoever they are, wherever they are. No one does this to Spike and gets away with it. No one.”