“First she thanks me, then she calls me an idiot,” Dash complained.
“She can hear you,” Twilight retorted icily. She held the coin in one hand, alternating between studying it and the pages of the book before her. “Why didn’t you tell me you had this before?”
The thief shrugged. The look of helplessness on her face would have made Spike snicker if he wasn’t busy going through another book. “I just didn’t think about it, okay? I take things all the time, it’s just a habit.”
“Y’all got some awful habits, sugar,” remarked Applejack. “Can’t find anythin’ like that coin. I mean, except the moon, but, ya know, that’s the moon. Why’s it so important? The damn were-monsters all have a whole thing for it, accordin’ to what Granny always told me.”
“And because the wererat had it, it might be a clue. Applejack is right, a lot of stories about were-creatures involve the moon in a major fashion. I think I saw something like this, in a text about defunct religions, faiths that have died out. It’s linked to the Moon Scar. I just don’t remember how.” Twilight had been energised by the new clue, and shared books on ancient religions between the four of them.
Dash dropped another book onto her pile, prompting a glare from Twilight at the rough treatment. Her pile was separate from theirs, books to be looked through if they didn’t find anything later. Looking at pictures was nearly as boring as words, especially since there weren’t many in most.
“Its just a coin,” Dash muttered. “What could it possibly tell ya? There could be a city somewhere with these things. I hear those elves in Cloudsdale can do some pretty loopy things.”
“It’s been a thousand years since Cloudsdale actively worshipped anything but the Cycle of Days, and they’re not exactly progressive. Even if it was from there, there’s no way to tell without going to their libraries, there’s so little information left from before the Founding. No, it’s not just some ordinary coin. I can tell.” Flipping through the pages impatiently, Twilight tried to urge herself to serenity, thinking back to her lessons with Celestia.
She ached for her mentor’s return, for surely she would know. Myths told of ancient wars between the divine, conflicts that destroyed thousands of years of progress and civilisation. It was an area strangely ignored by scholars, and few texts from that time remained. All that could be solidly agreed upon was that Celestia was one of the few divines to have survived, and she had ushered in a rebuilding age that lasted until this day, founding a bastion of peace and cooperation from the shattered remains of whatever had come before. Close-lipped about that time as her teacher was, Twilight was certain Celestia would have been able to help her. Unless…
Twilight fought down irritation, drawing in a slow breath. Rules she didn’t understand governed the actions of the immortal, and for all she loved the demi-goddess like a mother, it was frustrating in the extreme.
The sound of a knock at the door brought her head up, and Twilight motioned vaguely at Spike to answer. He dutifully obeyed, and the stomp of a man weighed down in plate announced her brother’s arrival.
“Ah, research?” he asked, giving his sister a wan smile. She tried to return the gesture, but even with the possibility Dash’s story offered, her smile crumbled before it began. He waved her off as she made to rise. “Don’t get up. I’m just here for Spike.”
She blinked, lost for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Oh, right. It’s that day. Um…”
“Don’t worry, we don’t need to,” Spike said, shrugging as though it didn’t matter. It didn’t take a mind reading spell to see that he regretted it, but he still said it.
“No, no, this is important. We can manage without you for a few hours,” Twilight managed a smile this time. albeit a bit forced, pushing him gently towards her brother. “We made a deal, and I’m not going to back out on my end. Besides, you’re probably even safer with Shiny than you are here.”
Spike fidgeted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. “Are you sure? I mean, we don’t need to do it this week. I don’t want to run off on you.”
“And I don’t want you getting out of practice, or getting chubby again. Go on, I’m sure you two will have a good time.” She pushed him again, letting her brother take the boy.
Shining Armour rested a hand on Spike’s shoulder, leaning forward to hug Twilight over him. “He’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll bring him back in a few hours, a bit worse for wear.”
“Thank you,” Twilight smiled weakly, ruffling Spike’s hair. “Oh, and I had a question; there was a fire two months ago, one that was similar to...it was similar,” she finished awkwardly.
The lord-captain frowned, rubbing the side of his head. “Really? Where?”
“The merchant district. There were guards on the site. Could you look into it? It...it might be connected.” She didn’t look at Dash, but she could feel the thief’s interest.
“I don’t remember any reports about that.” Shining Armour shrugged. “I’ll look into it, it might have gotten past me. It’s been so boring the past couple months I’ve been in a bit of a funk when it comes to paperwork, but I’ll see what I can find. Thanks, Twiley.”
This time her smile and blush at the compliment were entirely natural. “It’s the least I can do. Have fun, you two.”
Applejack and Dash watched on, exchanging looks of bewilderment. Spike gave Twilight a hug and waved to them, following the older man out. “Have fun!”
“‘Have fun’, dirty little...where’s he going anyway?” Dash asked. She leaned back, occasionally glancing at and wriggling her feet. It was weird, she could see her skin and they weren’t even getting dirt all over the table.
“Shining Armour takes Spike twice a week for a few hours training, making sure he’s keeping up.” Twilight blushed slightly, looking at the ground, and the heat in her face melted her disposition a tad. “I let him get a bit...sedentary, and he was quite chubby for a while. My brother whipped him into shape.”
Applejack made a wordless sound of approval, moving to another book. “Right on. If ya got cheeks that flap like tits when ya move, ya needed move more, as my Granny says.”
Dash cackled at the saying, but an unamused flushed struck Twilight. She shook her head, muttering at crude sayings, and got a sheepish look from Applejack as the ranger realised what she’d said in polite company.
“Feet off the table.” Gently pushing the offending limbs down, Twilight sat across from Dash and began to sort through the books. “I wouldn’t say it quite like that, but yes, it was a bit embarrassing. Now, there has to be something here. Keeping looking through these, I’m going to start looking in Symbols & Sigils; Magic In A Mark for anything that might match this. If it’s not religious, it might be magical.”
“Yay,” Dash grumbled. “More reading.”
*
They reached the crossroad in halls, and Spike began to step away. The hand on his shoulder became a fist, tugging him back. He blinked, looking up at Shining Armour in confusion.
“Maybe you shouldn’t go off on your own this time,” the knight said. “Not with this business about.”
“Aww, come on! I’ll be fine, it’s not like anyone knows where I’ll be,” Spike complained, tugging at the gauntlet garbed fingers. He gave Shining Armour a pleading look. “Please? Don’t you have plans or something? Do you really want to spend that time with me instead?”
The lord-captain’s will wavered, his expression torn. With a sigh he let go, shaking his head as Spike ran off. “Be careful!” he shouted, taking the wave Spike sent back for agreement.
He watched for a moment more, hesitating. Wincing, he rubbed his forehead and turned, putting the decision behind him. He had an important affair to attend to, after all.
*
Scootaloo sat in the darkness, perfectly still. She saw the faint glimmer of light, a distant source nearly lost to her. Staring at it, she was almost able to hear the song of the city, the music of merchants bartering, carts trundling down the streets, people arguing and laughing and loving life. One finger idly traced through the dirt, her wait seeming to stretch on for hours, though she knew she had only been here a short while.
Every minute spent here was a minute she didn’t spend practicing, but the young thief couldn’t bring herself to give up. Last night’s encounter with Dash had left questions in the girl’s mind, ones she knew she was unlikely to have answered any time soon.
‘I guess she really has forgotten about me,’ she thought, her breath hitching for a moment. Shaking her head, Scootaloo reminded herself of Hard Knock’s words. The elder thief was a harsh taskmaster to the children under his tutelage. If he had known Scootaloo was sulking about her apparent abandonment, much less hanging out in the sewers, instead of plying her trade on the pockets of unprepared travelers and merchants, she knew she would be in for another beating.
‘Attachment gets you killed’, he told them. Scootaloo had believed him, until the day she reached into a mark’s pocket and found someone else with their hand in it first. The memory brought a smile to her face, a fleeting image appearing in her mind of Dash, a grin on her face, tossing her the stolen coinpurse. Of course, the fact their erstwhile victim had just noticed his pocket was quite a bit lighter gave the gesture a less benign cause.
She remembered her anger when she had emerged from her hiding place to find the older thief looming over her, grinning and laughing. Dash had brushed off her outrage, complimenting her one moment and suggesting improvements the next. Not that Scootaloo had appreciated them, or the suggestions she got next time, or the time after that.
Her reminiscences vanished, the sound of someone hurrying towards her sending the girl scrambling to her feat. The little knife that served her for protection came up, but in the faint light she caught sight of something that sent the tension from her shoulders. Green hair, short and spiky, was cast dark in the shadows until it was nearly black.
“Hey!” Spike grinned, his sharp eyes picking her out easily. “I was worried you’d have left already.”
Scootaloo laughed, all hints of her melancholy gone. “Well, I don’t have all day to waste waiting for you,” she teased, throwing the pile of cloth that had served her as a pillow moments ago at him.
The boy’s laughter was muffled, catching it in the face, and small talk passed between them as he changed from his robes into something more suited to their adventures. Scootaloo pushed Hard Knock’s thoughts to one side again. She knew barely anything about Spike, other than he had been adopted by someone with a bit of money and that he was obviously not quite human, but since their run-in months ago, she had found a friend in him. They shared an unspoken agreement, neither asking the other about their life beyond their weekly meet ups. They lived in different circles, and both knew it, but neither cared to bring it up. That wasn’t what this was about. This was about freedom; for Scootaloo, freedom from the guild and for him, freedom from the stuffy life above, a chance to let go and explore, if only for a few hours.
“I found a new tunnel, I think the rain last week must have cleared some of the stuff blocking it,” she said excitedly, leading the way into the maze of tunnels, the ancient sewers a playground. “I couldn’t see it so good, and I was in a rush, but it looks really cool.”
“Awesome.” His voice was as excited as hers, the nagging urge to explore, to discover, that filled him already soothed by the prospects. For the moment, the worries of his life were pushed to one side. In the here and now, all that mattered was the hours of adventure he had ahead of him.
Together, they delved into the shadows beneath Canterlot, ignorant to the greater connection they shared through a girl with rainbow hair.
*
Yet another failure added to the pile. Twilight was growing even more frustrated now. She normally enjoyed scouring her library, thrilling in finding things she had missed or, Celestia forbid, forgotten. She had resisted Spike’s suggestion she just devise a spell to find information for that very reason, unwilling to risk the loss of such a relaxing past time. Now that reluctance was coming back to, as Dash would have colourfully put it, bite a big one out of her arse.
“You know….” As fate would have it, Dash made herself known, and Twilight prayed it wasn’t another complaint about how few pictures there were.
“No, Dash, I don’t know. Tell me,” Twilight snapped, fighting for patience.
The thief held her hands up defensively. “Whoa, calm down there, Sparkle. I was just gonna suggest we cut out the middle man with the whole fire thing. I’m finding piss all here. Your brother might know a lot, and for the lord-high-thief-taker he doesn’t seem like such a bad guy, but if he thinks things have been quiet recently, his information must be out of date.”
“My brother has more than enough sources,” Twilight informed her curtly.
“Maybe, but we’re still gonna be waiting for him, right? Why not let me go out and ask a few people I know. I’m not exactly a guild member, but I pay my dues and I can find out what you need,” she suggested. Dash leaned back, her feet on the table again.
Brushing them down, Twilight frowned. “Why are you so eager to help?” her eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to preempt me giving you an order like this? I told you, forced compliance is no good, you have to want to be a better person.”
“I’m great,” Dash chuckled, growing serious a moment later. “Okay, seriously? Yeah, I want to do it when I want to do it instead of getting told to, that’s true. The rest of it is that I’m stuck with you, and I’d rather be stuck with you than, say, Prince Purplepiss if whoever has it out for you actually gets to you.”
“She’s got a point there, sugar.” Setting down her book, Applejack rubbed her eyes wearily. “Might be faster this way too. I’d rather be doin’ that then this, if I’m honest. Time don’t wait for no one, especially not when ya got some acid-trappin’ villain on ya tail.”
“More advice from your granny?” Dash snickered.
“Not quite, but she did tell me somethin’ ‘bout tannin’ the hides a’ rude little girls,” Applejack shot back.
“Little girl?! Come over here and say that, I dare ya!”
Twilight held up a hand, forstalling the inevitable argument. “If you two can manage to avoid trying to beat each other senseless for a moment so I can think, I would really appreciate it.”
Applejack chuckled, leaning back with a casual shrug. After a moment, the annoyance dropped from Dash’s expression too. Just like that, what Twilight had thought was an inevitable blow to peace and quiet was no more. It was almost like they had expected her response.
‘But why would they start an argument when they know I’ll just tell them not to?’ she wondered. Banishing the thoughts as useless to her, Twilight focused on their suggestion. ‘It has merit. Dash’s sources, as disreputable as they must be, may know things that Shining Armour’s reports won’t include. Any chance at finding out who was behind this is worth an attempt. Even if it had nothing to do with me, someone still killed Time Turner.’
She nodded. “Alright. The two of you can go and see if you can find anything that might help. Fires like the one that- l-like the fire,” she stuttered, blinking rapidly as grief well up once again. Twilight lowered her head, a hand over her eyes to wide it for a few moments as recovered herself.
Giving her a reassuring smile, Applejack slowly stood up. Her armoured coat and greatsword were in easy reach. It occurred to Twilight, as she watched the ranger buckle on the heavy blade, that she was leaving herself alone. She almost immediately dismissed the idea. Her wards were much more active now, and she was prepared. Her emergency ring was on and her staff leaned against the table. The violet gem, sparkling from within with hues both darker purple and a bright magenta, throbbed with power. Anyone trying to confront her would find that she was very well prepared.
“Hey, Sparkle, if we find out who did this, would that get us a little bit of freedom? You know, shorten the term or whatever?” Dash asked, inspecting a pair of daggers. They were well-made, and though Twilight had been unhappy about it, she had given her the blades with the understanding that they were to be used only if she absolutely had to.
Biting back a sigh, Twilight only just kept her hand from rising to massage her forehead. “I’m supposed to say no...but, Dash, if you do find whoever lit that fire and can prove to me they are the one who did it, I’ll do what I can. I might hold the geas, but Shining Armour is ultimately responsible to seeing the appropriate justice done.”
“Sounds good.” The thief shot her a cocky smirk. The daggers spun in her hand before smoothly returning to their sheaths. “I’m aiming to be my own woman again, and if I have to find some pyro-nutcase, I’ll do it. Come on, Freckles.”
Applejack shook her head at Dash, giving Twilight a more serious nod. The message was clear; she would do what she could as well. Somewhat heartened by this, Twilight slipped past them, letting one of the guards guide them to a discreet exit. She prayed they would find something of use to her. She hoped, however, they found what she needed; a chance for payback.
*
Departing discreetly, Dash debated internally how much this secret passage was worth. Information on something like this would earn her a lot...shaking those thoughts from her head, Dash quickly changed into her dirtier clothes, reminding herself she still had time. It was hard enough, stopping in an alleyway trying to dirty herself enough not to look unusual, she didn’t need to distract herself.
“Why is it,” she asked Applejack, “that I spend most of my life dirty, but two days having to be clean makes it feel weird?”
The ranger shrugged. She glanced over the ragged clothing Dash had donned, impressed at how the daggers seemed to disappear into the folds. The younger woman was as skilled at sleight of hand as she was at acrobatics, it seemed, and despite her poor showing against the wererat Applejack was confident the agile thief would be tricky in a straight up fight.
“Who ya gonna go to first?” she asked.
Dash shrugged. “Figured Shifty would be a good choice. His info paid off, even if we weren’t fast enough.”
“That’s assumin’ the fella the wererat went for was the right one,” Applejack made her scepticism clear. “An’ that he didn’t tip off the beast.”
“You got any better ideas? Trap Sense wasn’t dead for too long. It’s not like we took all that long to get from Shifty to him, and the wererat wouldn’t still be there if it had known we were coming,” countered Dash. She finished rubbing dirt into her cheeks.
Applejack sighed, conceding the point. She might have argued more, but this wasn’t her sort of place, and she was still unfamiliar with its workings.
“Anyone after him?” she asked instead.
“Got a couple folks. Hot Property might know something; she’s a fence, but she trades what she knows too, so long as I don’t try to find out who pulled anything off, she should be able to tell me a lot.” Dash glanced down the street before setting off at a steady trot, hands hanging casually at her sides. Her hidden daggers were close at hand, requiring only a moment for her nimble hands to draw them.
Taking Dash’s word for it, Applejack strode along next to her. She could tell she made Dash uneasy; the strapping ranger wasn’t precisely discrete, her greatsword and leather coat setting her apart from most of the cityfolk they passed. Guards eyed her warily, no doubt suspicious of anyone but their own with weapons, and their attention played on Dash’s nerves. it was hard for Applejack to feel sympathy, even given her own arrest despite her innocence. She had been raised to respect the law, and those who served it.
Taking the same place she had the day before, Applejack watched for Dash as the thief vanished into Shifty’s home. Her hand twitched, but she fought the urge to reach for her weapon. The comforting weight in her hand might make her feel more secure, but it would only attract unneeded attention. She had to settle for keeping her back to the wall, so no one would get the drop on her.
Inside the modest home, Dash grinned into the point of Shifty’s crossbow. She gave him a wave, entirely nonchalant about the weapon in her face. He scowled, stepping back and lowering. He made no sign to hide exactly how displeased her visit made him.
“I send you Trap Sense’s way, and he winds up dead with you and some bitch with a sword are seen, smashing into his place,” he snarled with surprising vehemence. “You’re damned lucky, girl. The guild hasn’t done anything official yet, but they want to know what in the long night happened. Trap Sense’s heart looks like it was ripped out, and that’s the only reason they don’t think you did it.”
“It wasn’t me, Shifty, they have that right.” Dash hesitated, then continued. “Tell you what, you give me some info in exchange and I’ll tell you what I found.”
He scowled, and for a moment he looked like he was going to pick up his crossbow again. With his beady, furious eyes fixed on her, he mulled over the suggestion.
“It would be in your best interest to just tell me, and I’ll soothe things over with the guild,” he finally said.
Dash shook her head. “I’ve never played by all their rules, and I’m not starting now. You want to know what I say, you have to tell me what you know.”
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. “About what? There’s more to this than just finding work, I think, and I’ve got no interest in being played by a fool girl. As you reminded me yesterday, I’m old, but don’t mistake that for being stupid.”
“Sheesh, come on, this is me we’re talking about. It’s not much to ask. All I want to show is about fires.” Though she said it casually, he still seemed to catch something.
“Fires? Why are you interested in fires? Not turning into a pyro, are you? You know what happens to them,” Shifty warned her.
“Tch, yeah right,” Dash scoffed. “I lost a haul to some freak who set a place on fire a few months back, and then I lost another last night. Really weird fire too.”
He raised an eyebrow, his expression intrigued. “Weird?” he asked, his attempt to be nonchalant failing. He was interested now, and that gave her the advantage.
“Totally. Get this; the fire burned the house down, but just the house. I’m talking straight lines, exactly in the shape of the place, and everything inside it was ash. Nothing left. Houses right next to it were packed tight, but they weren’t even touched. Once, okay, weird, but this freak has done it to me twice now,” she emphasised the word twice, letting a hint of aggression leak into her voice.
Stroking his thin goatee thoughtfully, the old thief considered what she was saying. At last he shook his head. “Sounds like magic, and the last time a real pyro, one of those fire-loving freaks, turned up he was dead inside a month. Two fires like that...although, I think I might have heard something. I’ll look into it, see what I can find. Come back in a few days, I’ll see what I’ve got. All I can tell you now is that Deft Touch was complaining about losing a haul to a fire too. She wouldn’t shut up about it last time I was at the guild.”
Dash grinned. “Awesome, thanks man. I guess I’ll go find her-”
The crossbow came up.
“Not before you tell me what happened,” Shifty growled, his eyes glinting darkly. Considering the bloodshot look in them, she decided not to test him. He had always been an ass, and only got less patient and more irritable as he got older.
“Wererat,” Dash said simply.
He froze for a moment, staring at her with wide eyes. There was shock in them, and surprise, and...fear?
“It was a wererat,” she continued.
His finger relaxed on the trigger, making Dash flinch as she realised how close she had been to getting a bolt in the gut. He lowered it, and she sighed in relief.
“A wererat…” he whispered, drawing back. “Impossible. That’s impossible. Are you sure it wasn’t a giant rat, or something like that?”
“Well, unless those things have learned to walk on two legs and wear armour, not really,” Dask snapped. “I know what I saw. It was a wererat alright. Just don’t spread it around, not unless you want it paying a visit to you. Big ugly monsters aren’t healthy at your age.”
He grunted, nodding and waving his crossbow towards the window she had come in through. “Get out,” he ordered curtly.
Dash blinked in confusion, the sudden change in manner throwing her off balance. It must have been the age crack, she realised, and shrugged.
“Whatever man, just have that information for me,” she said, darting towards the window. For a moment she felt like she had a target painted on her back, but the idea he would shoot her was stupid, and she was gone in seconds.
The old thief stared out the window, scowling, and retreated into the darkness of his lightless home.
*
They found Deft Touch after only an hour of searching the middens. Though she stuck out like a sore thumb, Applejack had a way with words. When an urchin proved unwilling to cough up to Dash, she stepped in. That was all she really had to do, and some looming. She didn’t particularly like it, but Dash was certain it would work. Having just over six foot of muscled stranger, with a sword nearly as long as she was tall, served as enough convincing.
Deft Touch’s drink was nearly upended, the thief jumping in surprise when she suddenly realised someone had joined her at her table. She scowled, seeing who it was.
“What do you want, Dash?” she demanded sullenly.
“Not much. Just to buy you a drink. Heard a fire lost you some loot.” Setting her feet on the table, Dash gave her fellow criminal a grin.
The other thief snorted in disbelief, taking a long drought from her drink. “Yeah, right. Probably just here to gloat over another stupidly risky go at the High District. You’ll have the guard cracking down if you keep it up. Hells, I bet it was you who only went and tried to make off with stuff from that royal, whatshisface.”
“Prince Purplepiss. And I don’t have any idea what you mean,” Dash said with an angelic expression of innocence.
“Right. Whatever, so long as you’re buying.” Deft Touch shrugged. “Yeah, I lost a mark. Had this great place, nothing too fancy, at least, last week. Some collector, liked to buy junk and sort through it till he found stuff he could resell. Dressed up like some nice little merchant girl, got all cosy with him. He told me about this great find, it was worth a fortune, he said. Some noble or another was gonna buy it from him, so I was gonna take it before then. Only the idiot goes and gets burned to death, along with the damn thing!”
Dash nodded in sympathy, throwing a coin she borrowed from Deft to the bar. She waited until the drink had arrived and Deft Touch was nursing it before digging deeper.
“Why didn’t you wait until he sold it? Easier to fence the gold than some fancy magic thing,” she pointed out.
“I can’t carry so much gold, plus, the bozo was gonna have it directly sent to some ‘royal account’. Like, I think some prince whatshisface has it stored in royal vaults and keeps it safe, or something. Whatever. All I knew was that I wasn’t gonna get a chance to have it. So I was planning on stealing the thing first. And what does he do?!” She drowned herself in another swill of ale, the smell of alcohol already strong around her.
“Burn to death. Yeah, I had a place burn up just before I went after it a couple months back. Freaking weird fire too, just got the place I was gonna do. Just straight lines, perfect shape of the place,” Dash sighed, clearly annoyed.
Deft Touch nodded, her cheeks slightly rosy. “Yeah, same! I went back to see if anything was left, but it was all gone! Not even a single coin that wasn’t melted, like the Princess’s own stare had done the place in.”
‘There we go.’
Dash stood, patting her on the shoulder. She dropped a few coins from Deft Touch’s pouch on the table in front of her. “Here, have another few rounds on me,” she said, a wicked gleam in the toothy smile she sent the lesser thief.
Blinking down at the coins, Deft Touch looked up with a grin. “Huh, guess you’re not so bad after all! See ya round Dash.”
“Sure. Hey, who’d you say you were gonna fence it with?” Dash asked casually.
“Hm? Uh, Hot Property, I think.” Deft Touch answered blearily.
With a backwards wave, Dash left, a smug grin still in place.
Outside, Applejack raised an eyebrow when she saw the look on Dash’s face.
“I’m guessin’ ya hit gold, from that smug lil’ look on yer face an’ all that swagger in year step,” Applejack observed.
Dash just grinned.”Let’s head back. With what I’ve got, Sparkle is practically gonna knight me!”
The trip back, it seemed to Applejack, took far, far longer than it should. Dash made no secret of how very satisfied with herself she was. She recounted what she had done, ignoring Applejack’s disapproval of certain parts, and basked in her own praise.
“She might have caught me,” she said, “but Sparkle ain’t got nothing on me. A little of the old Dash charm, and we’ve got a lead!”
Applejack conceded the point. “Just watch yerself. We got some leads, but we’ve still got someone out fer Twilight, an’ maybe Spike. Heck, even us!”
“Us? Why us?”
“Well, either someone went after her friend ‘cause he had somethin’ they don’t want anyone knowin’, or they went after him ‘cause he had magic stuff. Ya said this Deft Touch gal was goin’ after somethin’ magic? Ya said the place y’all were goin’ after had magic stuff too, right?” Applejack pointed out.
Dash nodded, something clicking as she started down an alleyway, the sounds of the busier roads cutting off. “Oh! And that Time Turner or whatever his name was, sounded like he had lots of magic stuff. Why would you burn down places with magic like that? It’s worth so much!”
“No idea. Only magic we got back home is stuff ta heal up what the nasties from the Everfree do, an’ gear. No fancy lil’ trinkets.” Applejack shrugged. She had no more answers than Dash, but she was just glad the bragging was over.
They continued on their way, silent now, both lost in their thoughts. Talking of her home reminded Applejack of those she had left behind, and why. She sighed, wishing she could blot out the memories, but there was nothing she could do, and even if she could she knew she would never be able to do that. The only thing worse than such a shame was forgetting it.
Though the bragging had stopped on the outside, Dash was still basking in her triumph. She might be Sparkle’s slave, but she was still Dash, best thief in Canterlot. ‘And the smoothest talker. Heh, Shifty was too easy, and Deft Touch was even easier! I certainly haven’t lost my touch, but Deft has.’
It didn’t matter to her if what she had found was helpful, not really. She wanted more freedom, and the only way to get more freedom was to succeed. She’d give Sparkle her chance, although she was pretty sure this was going to blow right up in her face. When she was free, and Sparkle had shown she was as bad as the rest of her kind, Dash would use what she had learned.
Slipping into the sewers near the palace and through the secret entrance so unwisely shown to them, Dash hesitated as an unwelcome thought infiltrated her internal monologue.
‘What if she’s not actually that bad?’
She brushed it aside hastily. It was unlikely. It was next to impossible, surely.
‘But...if. If. Bright day, what if?’ she wondered. It wasn’t so easily banished, it seemed. Could she sell what she knew if Sparkle was sincere? Would that be...wrong?
Thoughts on what constitutes right and wrong had never much bothered Dash. She only cared for what was right for her and, for a short while, what was wrong for Scootaloo. When she had found herself counting among the latter, it had hurt, but there was little she could do with the guild set against her. Learning magic, and more secrets like this tunnel, would change things.
‘Sparkle got one thing right; when a year is up, I’ll be ready to move up. No more pandering to the guild. I’ll be free.’
The thought made her smile again, all the way back to Twilight’s chambers. She wasted no time bragging about what she had done, about what she had found out from Shifty and Deft Touch.
“Three fires,” Twilight muttered. “All with matching profiles. The same obviously magical burning, all involving people with magical items or artefacts. Time Turner had a lot of items, souvenirs from his time adventuring with Shining Armour. But is this connected to the attempt on my life?”
Dash shrugged lazily, slumping in a chair. She managed to make herself appear perfectly at ease in such a plush setting, although she couldn’t help but wonder how much the chair was worth with its fine food and soft covers. Probably more than it should be worth.
“Could be someone’s burnin’ down those places for the same reason,” Applejack suggested. “Hidin’ the theft by destroyin’ the whole place.”
Twilight nodded. “It’s certainly possible, and I can’t imagine all these are coincidences.” Her tone turned sharp. “Why hasn’t Shining Armour noticed? That’s three fires like this, he should have been investigating from the very first one, with such clearly magical origins. What could he be thinking?”
Looking up from one other coin she had relieved Deft Touch of, Dash shrugged again. “You know the guards, someone probably sent along a nice little pile of gold, gave some clerk a few winks, and ‘poof’, no more report.”
“My brother wouldn’t stand that sort of thing,” Twilight snapped.
Dash decided not to point out he could be in on it, since she got the feeling that would just piss Sparkle off more. The guild kept things in order because they knew who to bribe to let their work go unnoticed. Robberies, gang fights, even murder could all be hidden so long as the right guards knew where to be, or where not to be. It would surprise her if they had someone like him on their pay though; the lord-captain was a well cursed personage in the middens, particularly when his personal unit led a crackdown.
‘And now I’m working for his sister! They’d leave me to rot if they find out,’ the thought made her gulp, attracting a curious look from Twilight. Dash gave her a smug grin, and the scholar went back to her pondering. ‘The guild will find out eventually; will they believe me about the magic?’
She snuck a look at Applejack. She needed to get the ranger on her side. Sparkle already liked Applejack more, probably because she was all honest and junk.
‘Long night, I need to give Sparkle a chance or the kid will get on my case, find enough stuff to convince the guild I’m not a snitch and pay them off, and find a way to get out of this all on top of the situation without making an enemy of the guy in charge of the whole city guard!’
It was a mess, one she hadn’t imagined getting stuck in. Being caught and executed for breaking into the homes of nobles was one thing, that would have been simple. It made her feel alive, and she began to twiddle her fingers, remembering the thrill. Almost soaring across the roofs of the city, carrying small but expensive trinkets. The only real shame was that she hadn’t had long enough for the nobles to start calling the mysterious thief by some fancy name. She had always loved that sort of idiocy.
“Rainbow,” Applejack interrupted her with a tap on the shoulder. “I’m gettin’ us some food, ya want somethin’?”
She blinked, shaking her head for a moment. “We ate, like, five hours ago,”she protested.
Applejack nodded. “Yeah, an’ it’s lunch time. Didn’t get much of a work out, so I won’t eat much. Ain’t gonna get fat like some dandy, but y’all are as skinny as a stick.”
“Sure, I guess,” Dash nodded uncertainly. A brief flare of anger rose up; she stole things worth heaps, but the guild took nearly all of it. Though she kept her ties to them as loose as possible, if she didn’t give them her dues she would quickly find life unlivable.
“I wonder...is this about magic, or something in particular?” Twilight thought out loud, surprising them both. She was tapping the table impatiently, drilling holes in it with her stare. “Profit alone might drive it, if the fires aren’t related to the theft of the book. But I can’t help but feel they all share a methodology. The major difference is the form the destruction took. A fire, here, would simply be unfeasible.”
“Y’all’re assumin’ they’re connected.” Passing the mage, Applejack gave her a dubious look. “Ya don’t know if they are. Only reason ya got is that ya think the reasons for settin’ the fires are the same as the trap in the book.”
Twilight nodded, a small frown marring her features. “That’s not the only factor. Ti-” Her voice caught, and she quickly cleared it to to continue. “Time Turner had a lot of magical defenses, because he knew how valuable all his magical items are. He’s an expert in making them and in magical theory. The only way to get in is to know the passwords - all twelve - or be incredibly good at penetrating arcane wards. That would require skills on level with those needed to get into the palace.”
Scratching her ear, Applejack still looked uncertain. “Ya know,” she said conversationally. “I never expected to be tryin’ ta solve a murder, or thefts or anythin’. Guess fate had other plans.”
“Fate is pointless to consider. We deal with what we have. I have a murder to solve, an assassin to thwart, and now I have the two of you to help me,” Twilight looked up, her expression intense. “I know how to deal with politics and nobles, as insane as they seem at times, and how to weave spells and understand magic of all kinds. Whoever is going for me will surely have made the effort to study me. They do not know what you two can do, and with Dash’s bloodline awakening, they’re in for even more of a surprise.”
Dash perked up at that. “Does that mean you’re finally gonna show me how to do magic? You know, properly?! I wanna zap someone again! That was the best!”
“..sure, why not? I need some time to process what you told me. Okay then, first we need to work out what spells you can do. Applejack, please get us some food, this is likely to be tiring,” Twilight asked, motioning to the chair opposite her. Dash dropped into it with a wide grin.
“Will you finally show me how to do that thing I did before?” she asked eagerly.
“Shocking Grasp, and no, not yet. We need to determine what spells you have access to, and I would prefer that we did that without you destroying furniture. Hold still for a moment, I prepared a spell this morning for this.” Twilight drew in a breath, preparing her spell.
Dash cocked her head to the side. “What, did you destroy stuff your first time with magic?” she asked, amused.
“No.” Twilight didn’t open her eyes.
“You did, didn’t you?”
“Dash; be quiet. Don’t resist this magic, it’s just meant to show me what spells you have.” Twilight just kept annoyance out of her tone, her voice falling into a sharp mumble of arcane syllables.Her magic, Spell Gauge, reached out. The magic passed invisibly from her to the thief. An expression of discomfort took Dash for a moment, but she let it in despite the tenseness of her shoulders.
Twilight’s quill worked quickly, writing down the spells as they entered her mind. She smootly wrote down each, a list in the distinct, well formed writing of the noble class. Dash stared down at the alien shapes, all but bouncing in her chair as she waited to find out what magic she had. Six lines later, the ink drying on the names of the six spells, Twilight lowered her quill.
“So, what is it? I bet I can totally punch people with lightning. Or turn invisible, that would be awesome, I heard mages can do that,” Dash’s mouth ran on ahead of them, asking so quickly Twilight had to hold up a hand to get the chance to answer.
“Calm down. You have, so far, four cantrips and two first level spells. Cantrips can be cast as many times as you want; they’re essentially using less magic than your body can generate to replace it. Those spells, before you ask, are Jolt, Spark, Detect Magic and Breeze.” Twilight went on before Dash could say anything, falling into her full on lecture mode. “Jolt allows you to create a small electrical charge in your hands, which amounts to a lesser form of Shocking Touch. Spark creates a small spark, suitable for setting fire to flammable materials, such as oil. Detect Magic is, well, it lets you detect magic. Breeze creates a light wind.”
“So...I can punch people with lightning, set stuff on fire, and control the wind? Awesome!” Dash thrust a hand at some books. “Spark! Spark! Go on! Spark!”
Twilight grabbed her hand, pulling it down. “First of all, magic is not cast by simply saying the name of a spell. Second; do NOT try to cast fire spells on my books! You are very lucky to know two of those cantrips naturally. Breeze and Jolt are next to impossible to find in a form I can copy. As far as I know, only the ancient wizard, Paizo, knew them except for a few sorcerers.”
“I have rare stuff? Cool? Think I could sell ‘em somehow?” the thief asked.
“No.” Twilight just managed to keep from rolling her eyes. She let go of Dash, briefly wondering at how thin it had felt. “You also have two first level spells, to use common parlance; Obscuring Mists, which creates a cloud of fog, and Expeditious Retreat, which lets you run faster.”
“What?! What about that Shocking Grasp one? Why can’t I use that? Who cares if I can make a few clouds and run real fast, I wanna slap someone and leave ‘em scorched,” Dash whined.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “You have magic, a rare gift that gives you so many paths to take with your life now. I’m sure, with training and time, you will have Shocking Grasp. Your bloodline is clearly strongly associated with spells of elemental air. If you train for long enough, you might even be able to cast something like Lightning Bolt.”
Dash went still, staring at her with wide eyes. “...are you serious?”
“It is a very strong possibility. I would be shocked if you didn’t continue to display a proficiency for such spells. You might even have an Air Elemental bloodline. Which is what we’re going to test. Thank you, Applejack.” Twilight picked up a fruit, delicately biting into it.
“‘s not a prob,” Applejack tipped her hat to Twilight, leaving the basket of fruit with them. “Mind if I do a lil’ work out? I know checkin’ through all these books is important to ya, but I need keep fit.”
“Go ahead.” Twilight nodded, her attention on Dash. “Now, do you have those orbs I gave you?”
“Er, I didn’t take them with me…” Dash turned out the pockets of her borrowed pants. She had changed after getting back, along with having to wash the dirt from her face.
Twilight sighed. “Go get them, please.”
Applejack stripped down to her undershirt, watching Dash run off out of the corner of her eye. She stretched, steadily going through every limb. She became aware of Twilight observing her, the scholar’s curiosity not dulled by grief. Having a possible lead had given her some fire and energy back, Applejack was pleased to note, even if it meant having attention while she worked out. She guessed that Twilight rarely had anything to do with such physical activities, and found it novel.
As she exercised, Applejack paid attention to the pair. Dash returned with the orbs, and sat crosslegged at Twilight’s instruction, shiny balls held tightly in her hands. Spike’s earlier advice was repeated, albeit worded differently, by Twilight. Unlike Spike, Twilight didn’t shrug off Dash’s frequent complaints and impatience.
“It takes time and effort,” Twilight explained calmly, although there was a note of vexation in her voice. “Close your eyes again, focus on that spark. Remember what you thought when you first used magic. Try and recapture it.”
“I am trying, it’s just not working. Maybe you’re just a bad teacher?” Dash asked snidely, her failure pissing her off.
Twilight frowned, trying to ignore Dash and only partially suceeding. She ran a dark hand through her hair, trying to think of something that would help.
“Think…” she hesitated. “Feel. Try to feel it. When I first used sorcery, I did it because I was desperate to prove I could to do magic. I love magic, theory, the principles, studying it in all it’s form. Although I focus on wizardry, when I use my sorcerous spells, I do it with that in mind; the love of magic, the love of knowing, how fascinating and fulfilling it is. Whatever you felt, try to let that drive it.”
Mumbling about how useless that was, Dash nonetheles closed her eyes and tried to remember what she felt. The sound of hurricane winds whipping rain, lightning and thunder, were what she experienced, but it slipped away from her. Her brows creased, frustration evident.
‘I need to do this. I have to. Magic could change everything. I won’t just be another thief. No one will be able to order me about. I’ll be free...’
Free…
She suddenly remembered how it felt, when that monster loomed over her, trapping her. The need to escape, to be free, to soar in the sky and feel the wind running invisible fingers through her unique hair. Dash remembered how it felt when she fled Blueblood’s mansion, her acrobatics giving her a seemingly easy flight. Those moments when she leapt between buildings, as though nothing held her to the ground. She felt that freedom, that daring urge to soar, and she held it tight. A tingle ran through her, grounding in her throat and whispering from her lips, fingers twitching as the orbs slipped from them.
“Dash…” Twilight’s voice intruded, soft and gentle. “Open your eyes.”
She obeyed, slowly, the tingle now a comradely warmth in her hands. Dash lifted them, watching in awe as tiny sparks of blue, the flash of lightning a thousand times weaker than any she had seen in a storm but oh so real, danced between her fingers.
There was a smile on Twilight’s face. The awed expression on Dash’s face reminded her of the first time Spike had cast a spell on purpose, and the delighted grin on his face was just as special. There was something wondrous about it, when someone became a mage in a very real sense. The sheer speed with which Dash had awakened her gift was amazing, adding to the wonder of it all. She couldn’t deny that part of her was worried about teaching a criminal to use magic, but Twilight remembered well her teacher’s discussions on the concept of redemption. Magic like this would give Dash a chance to move up, but more importantly it gave her the will to do so.
Applejack paused in her push-ups. She could see the little sparks before they died out as all three just kept watching. Going back to her push-ups with a smile, Applejack was sure they had made a step in the right direction.
“Let the magic fade. Very good, Dash, very good. You just cast Jolt. Your first cantrip. You should feel proud.” Unusual warmth filled Twilight’s voice, and she smiled softly down at fledging sorceress.
“Y-yeah…” Licking her suddenly dry lips, Dash stared down at her hands. The tingle was gone, the rush of euphoria leaving her, but she aware of a buzz in the back of her mind. It lurked at the edges of her senses, and she was overcome with a sudden feeling that it had been there all her life, and she had been too blind to know it.
“I want to try one more thing. All bloodlines gift not just spells, but unique powers. Spike can grow claws, I can use a telekinetic ray. If you do have an Air Elemental bloodline, you should be able to use a shock beam of energy. Now, we don’t want to you doing any damage, but I want you to see if you can...express the feeling, the energy, that powered the spell without putting it through the spell,” Twilight explained calmly, her smile still there, her grief and guilt forgotten for a few moments in the joy of discovery. “Sorcerers do instinctively what wizards do, with no need to understand how or why. Try to harness the power.”
Nodding, quiet and, for once, willing to do as she was told, Dash tried what Twilight said. The buzz, the tingle, quivered as she….she ‘reached’ for it, although she had no idea how to really explain it. Could you reach with just your mind, with your feelings and instincts? Was she calling it to her, or was it flowing into her? She didn’t know, but it was there, waiting for her.
Her focus was disrupted by the slowly building huffing and puffing from Applejack. Taking a breath, Dash tried to focus again. She let the energy behind the buzz begin to flow in, and she felt it, close, strong.
“Ngh.”
The grunt broke her concentration, and the energy was gone. Annoyed now, the magic was harder to reach for, and Twilight’s soothing words and calm suggestions weren’t helping. Minutes ticked past, and slowly the huffing and puffing and grunting became background sounds, more easy to ignore as Dash got used to them. She found that warm, shocking energy, hovering there, and she pulled it to her, not letting it conform to the shapes she felt hovering at the edge of her mind. Just a little more and-
“Grah.” A heavy grunt, louder and more abrupt, filled the room in what was, to Dash, a burning loud roar.
“SHUT UP!” Her eyes snapped open, glaring at Applejack, the scream leaving her mouth. The energy released, snapping away from her and flowing out. Power cackled in the room,
“Wha- whoa!” Applejack let out a yelp, rolling to the side as a tiny lightning bolt zapped the floor next to her. “What the heck?”
A little storm cloud hovered above her, tiny bolts of lightning zipping down to the spot Applejack had occupied. A few seconds passed before the cloud dissipated, leaving no sign of it’s presence aside from the a few scorch marks on the floor.
Twilight and Applejack looked at Dash, whose mouth hung open, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Well…” Applejack slowly stood up, settling her hands on her hips. A very small smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Next time, Rainbow, just ask.”
“I...I...okay?”
Twilight was about to comment, unsure if praise was deserved for accessing her bloodline powers so quickly, a scolding for nearly hurting Applejack and damaging the floor, or confusion because that was not at all what she had expected.
‘I’ve never heard about a bloodline ability like this. She clearly has some connection to winds and lightning, but she doesn’t seem to have an Elemental bloodline, or even a Djinni bloodline. What could it be?’ she wondered, barely noticing the sound of the door opening.
“Landsakes!” Applejack held a hand against her nose, backing away from Spike. The smell of sweat on her nearly drowned out the smell that came from the robed boy as Spike came in, Shining Armour behind him. “Smells like ya fell in the latrine!”
The sharp smell broke the daze that had come over Dash, and she snickered at the miserable looking Spike. The smell reminded her of the sewers. In fact, she realised as she smelled it again, Spike smelled pretty much like Scootaloo had after going ‘exploring’. Despite a few offers, Dash had refused to go with her. Being under so much stone and earth just felt wrong, like cutting off a limb.
“Yeah, heh, I kinda slipped from all that training. I was pretty tired,” Spike said sheepishly. He certainly looked tired, but something about his expression gave away an unease.
Shining Armour laughed. “Well, he got a good work out. I see he’s not the only one. Although he hasn’t left scorch marks in a while.”
Applejack coloured slightly, pulling her coat on quickly. “U-uh, sorry, I was just-...uh, well, yeah, workin’ out. Sorry, uh, sir.”
He waved her apology off, shrugging good naturedly. “Nice to see someone here exercising.”
Twilight flushed, glaring at him. “I exercise just fine, thank you very much. You just interrupted something very important. Spike, go have a bath,” she added, shooting a sharp look at Spike as he tried to discreetly take a fruit from the platter. He withdrew his hand, pouting. Shining Armour ruffled his hair and gave him a light push.
“I looked into that fire, by the way,” he said when the boy was gone. “I know it looks suspicious, but as far as we can tell they’re unconnected, and the one months ago was purely unmagical. Trust me, one of my best men was on it. I’ll look into it, but there doesn’t seem to have been anymore of the sort.”
Her eyes narrowed sharply. “Shiny, I hope you’re not keeping things from me in the inane belief that it will protect me. I know there was another fire. Three fires now, including h-his. That can’t be a coincidence.”
“What, three? No, Twilight, there weren’t anymore,” Shining Armour shook his head. “I don’t know where you heard this-”
His eyes darted over Dash for a moment before focusing on Twilight again.
“-but they’re wrong. I would know if there were anymore fires like that, but there hasn’t been, I promise you that.” His voice was firm and certain.
Twilight hesitated. She could tell he was positive about this. It was, to her brother, a simple fact that there hadn’t been anymore. But one look at Dash and she could see the smouldering look of insult in Dash’s eyes. The thief hadn’t missed his look, or the implications of what he said.
‘She must be wrong,’ she decided, although she felt a tad uncertain even as she thought it. ‘Shining Armour wouldn’t lie to me, and a fire like that would have been noticed and reported. It’s too suspicious to go unnoticed. Dash must be wrong, although whether intentionally or not...’
She sighed, rubbing her forehead. She would have to work it out later, but it took the joy from helping unlock Dash’s magic. To think the thief was lying to her, after how she was trying to help her…
‘No, she seemed so certain. She’s probably just mistaken.’
“If you’re sure. Thanks...but can you still look into what was lost in those fires? If the owners had any magical items of note before the fire that weren’t recovered?” she asked. Twilight thanked the sun that Applejack had taken a place next to Dash, putting a hand on her shoulder. The ranger had surely noticed Dash’s anger, and was making sure not to let a scene occur.
He nodded, smiling at her as though he had no idea the trouble his news had caused. “Sure thing. Just remember, focus on finding who is out for you. It might just be some petty noble with a lot of gold, but it could be something more. Be suspicious of anyone, even someone closest to you.”
She stared at him in shock, not prepared for that warning. “What? Anyone?”
Shining Armour shrugged, looking a bit sheepish. “Yeah...sorry, don’t mind me. I just get a bit protective, you know that. Anyway, I better get back to work. Say goodbye to Spike for me, and let him know, we’re on again later this week ,and next week, just like usual.”
“I will.” Putting his strange warning behind her, Twilight gave her brother a hug, tightening her arms around his armoured form. She stayed there for a moment longer, her expression falling.
He put an arm around her, letting it go on. As hard as she was trying to not think about it, the spectre of Time Turner’s death still hung over her, and she could feel the same grief from her brother.
“I’ll find whoever did it,” she promised quietly, her eyes wet with unshed tears. “I promise.”
“I know you will. Just don’t kill yourself over this. I love you, little sister.” He squeezed for a moment, releasing her and stepping back. “Good luck.”
When he was gone, she turned to Dash and held up her hand just in time to catch Dash beginning her furious snarl.
“I’m not lying and no way am I wrong! If anyone is wrong, it’s him and his ants! Those damn guards couldn’t find their arse if you gave them a map! I saw that fire, and I saw how weird it was, just like what happened to your buddy!” She growled, fists balled at her side. It wasn’t a matter about if her leads were false or not, it was about her pride in her ability to read her fellow criminals.
“Now, calm down, Rainbow,” Applejack tried to calm her, stepping between them.
Twilight reached up and gently motion for Applejack to move aside. She faced Dash calmly.
“I love my brother,” she began simply. “And I trust him. If he says the reports he has say otherwise, that’s what they say.”
“But-”
Twilight’s hand shot up, cutting her off as it hovered in front of Dash’s face.
“But,” Twilight continued as though the thief hadn’t said anything. “I’m not willing to take the risk that one of the clerks or a lower ranked guard was bribed to report it wrong. You might be mistaken, but you might not. We’re going to keep digging until we find something. Someone might just as easily be lying to you, and I would prefer to believe that there’s such corruption in the guard.”
Dash fell silent. She seemed confused, off-balance and uncertain at Twilight’s reaction. Eventually, she just nodded.
“Well, I’m not lying,” she muttered sourly. “I’m not wrong. Shifty deals straight, and Deft Touch is too stupid to lie to me.”
“I’m sure she is,” Applejack said diplomatically. “But neither of ya has really eaten since I brought the fruit. Magic’s hungry work, so let’s get eatin’.”
Thief and mage nodded, grateful for the change in subject. There was time to argue later. Right now, Dash felt a hollow in her stomach and she, for once, could fill it right away.
‘Magic,’ she agreed thoughtfully, ‘might be hungry work, but it’s so worth it. Today, Jolt...’
She sent a spark through an apple, grinning at Twilight’s annoyed look.
‘...tomorrow, Lightning Bolt!’