//------------------------------// // Friends in Low Places // Story: The Days After // by NerfedFalcon //------------------------------// As the new capital of Equestria, Manehattan was often considered the place to be by most ponies. The glass and steel towers covering almost the entire island had become a national icon, and ponies flocked there from every corner of the country. Beings from outside Equestria made a living there as well. Zebras, griffons, minotaurs and even a few Diamond Dogs made their living in the biggest melting pot in Equestria, in far closer harmony than Las Pegasus. Much of the elite of Equestria lived there or spent a lot of time there, and ‘The Big Apple’ was often considered to be the symbol of truly having made something of your life. Though the upper crust of Manehattan was mostly Unicorns, there were plenty of other ponies, and a few from the other races. In particular, there were two humans who had a large presence in the city: a pair of sisters named Rarity and Sweetie Belle. The elder was a rarity in more ways than one, and had quickly made a name for herself. Though she’d come from nowhere, her knowledge of Equestrian high society was remarkable, and she was now the toast of the town. Sweetie Belle wasn’t so good in public, and hardly ever went out, to the point where her sister had to homeschool her. Rarity loved public appearances, and nearly every day was out at some monument, art gallery, party or auction in whatever new clothing she’d made for herself. Having fingers made sewing much easier than hooves, and making her own clothes was as much of a novelty as being human. This gave her a high profile, and that was useful to her for a number of reasons. Her own clothing lines brought in plenty of bits to spare, both for her own living expenses and for other things in her ‘spare time’. She was taking a walk through Green Witch Village, one of the earliest settlements on Manehattan Island. A letter had come for her during the night. She didn’t read most letters that came her way, but this one had come from Moreau, a griffon who worked in a café in the area. As she sat down at an unoccupied table, several ponies, both waiters and patrons, looked her way. She had that effect in a crowd. Moreau was the first to reach her, taking her order with a gaiety that he always showed the world despite his situation. As always, her order was a Chamomile tea. “And if there’s anything else you want to add, then feel free to surprise me; I’ll pay for it all.” He spent a while making it, but not because Rarity wanted perfection from him, or even a biscotti. When the tea came, there was a small card on the saucer next to it. It was written in the griffons’ runic language, and she spent some time working out its meaning as she drank her tea. Блошиный сказал мне, что вы охотитесь. Кто подкупил Совет уничтожить деревню. Он проходит вечеринку в Бродвей сегодня. Его зовут "презренного металла". “A little bird told me you’re on the hunt,” she said to herself under her breath. “Someone bribed the Council to destroy the village. ‘Filthy lucre’ is hosting a party in Broadway today.” ‘Filthy lucre’ was probably a direct translation of Filthy Luca, a businesspony that she’d seen a few times at functions. The Council had voted on destroying a village near Trottingham, though she didn’t know what it was for. The vote hadn't passed, but if bribery had been involved in trying to pass it, that was definitely something worth investigating. As she finished her tea, she picked up the card, making sure it wouldn’t be found again. She left a large tip for Moreau. Waiters in Manehattan survived on tips, and Moreau knew that a lot of his rent came from her. In return for her generosity, Rarity was given access to a grapevine that most ponies didn’t know existed. And she made good use of what she learned through it. ~ Filthy Luca’s party was being held in his penthouse apartment in Broadway. It didn’t take Rarity long to find it by asking around and by following the rich ponies in the area. She’d been to several parties of the style before, but usually she’d been invited. Gatecrashing was going to be a new experience for her, but she figured it wouldn’t be too difficult to pull off. She was in her element, after all. The stallion in the elevator didn’t ask for an invitation. When she said she wanted to go to the tenth floor, he simply shrugged and took her up. He didn’t say anything, and she honestly preferred it that way, wanting to save her words for the partygoers. Even before the doors opened, she could hear the conversations above her, though she couldn’t make any specific one out. Even after stepping out, it was still just a whole lot of white noise, but that would likely change. “Excuse me, madam, but do you have an invitation?” a butler asked. Rarity ignored him, walking straight through into the party. “You can’t come here without an invitation,” he insisted, following her. “Oh, nonsense,” Rarity replied. “For a girl like me, there’s no such thing as an invitation. I’m invited to every party there is, for I am Rarity.” The words burned in her mouth slightly, but she needed to get into the party. “Now, bother me no more, or your superiors shall hear of it.” “Grey Wind, is this mare...” a voice said, and then trailed off. “Why, Rarity! What an unexpected surprise to see you here!” The stallion with the pile of bits Cutie Mark smiled broadly, and Rarity had to suppress a shudder at the sight of Filthy Luca. He was old money of the worst sort, but up until that point, Rarity had thought him mostly harmless. She needed to learn if Moreau was telling her the truth, though, or if there was anything else about him she could find out. “This stallion was simply stopping me from enjoying your wonderful party,” Rarity said, without missing a beat. “I know this is all very sudden, but do you mind if I partake as well?” She batted her eyelids at him, and he smiled again. “Why, of course not! Come, come, there’s plenty of room here for a fine lady like you!” As Luca led Rarity into the main living room, Grey Wind wandered off, mumbling to himself about decency and things like that. It wasn’t long until he was completely muted by the conversation at the party proper, though, and Rarity turned her attention to that. About fifteen other ponies, mainly Unicorns, were standing around and conversing while a jazz band played a jaunty song as background noise. Rarity picked up a glass of champagne from a nearby platter using some telekinesis. Being a Unicorn in a past life had its advantages, after all, and though Rarity didn’t know many spells, she’d honed what she did know to a fine point. “Oh, fine! Very fine,” Luca said. “I didn’t know you’d studied with a Unicorn.” “Well, it’s difficult to explain,” Rarity said, “but yes, I have studied magic quite a bit.” She considered her next words carefully. Pointing out that he was an Earth Pony probably wouldn’t help, but she couldn’t easily talk about magic with anyone but a Unicorn. Her only option was to change the topic. “What about you?” She took a wild stab in the dark and asked, “How’s that hunting lodge going?” “Badly,” he replied. “Trottingham is prime real estate. Don’t these ponies know that it deserves to belong to a better class of pony? I mean...” He rambled off on his own, and didn’t notice that she was already walking away. She’d heard enough. A few minutes were spent talking with the other ponies at the party. There were a few she hadn’t met before, and she took a moment to memorise their names and their Cutie Marks just in case she had to track them down later. As the band ended their song and polite applause filled the air, she slipped out of the party, the band a great enough distraction to cover her. She left a small beacon spell in the party. Most of the Unicorns there probably wouldn’t care, and there were none on Filthy Luca’s staff that she could see. Having it there would help her find the place again, when she came back that night. She wouldn’t have an invitation then either, but she didn’t care as much about that. What Filthy Luca had said and done had condemned him in her eyes. She thought about what else she’d seen in the penthouse on her way back home. There were a lot of open spaces in the main living room, and there were only a few doors leading off to various places. She’d need to do a bit of investigation when she returned, but it wouldn’t take very long. The only problem was a lack of alternate entrances, meaning she’d have to be very careful when she came up in the elevator. “How was your day, sis?” Sweetie Belle immediately asked when she came in. “I did that project you asked me for. The princesses apparently used to rule all of Equestria, back in the Medi-evil period. But then they went away, and there was some big revolution, all the princes and stuff got cast out, and now we have the Council running everything and everything’s fine and...” “Yes, Sweetie Belle, that’s lovely,” Rarity said. “It’s good to know that you’ve done at least some studying while I was out.” The rest of the afternoon was spent trying to teach some basic magic. Though she was thirteen, she still lacked any aptitude for it, and as much as Sweetie Belle wanted to give up, Rarity was determined that she would learn some magic in some form eventually. Dinner was a simple affair, since Rarity refused to hire anypony to help her and her sister live their lives. She wanted to be self-sufficient as much as possible, despite enjoying the affection of others. After dinner, Rarity taught her sister self-defence for an hour or so. They never actually struck each other, even token blows; Sweetie Belle wasn’t quite ready for that yet. Rarity simply taught her the motions and the stance, and though her wrists were weighed down by the strange wristbands she’d woken up with, Sweetie Belle was far more capable at this than at magic. “G’night, sis,” Sweetie finally said, at around eight o’clock. She was a heavy sleeper, and likely wouldn’t be awake for at least the next twelve hours. That was fine by Rarity; she needed some time to herself. In her own bedroom, she changed into the set of clothes she’d woken up in: a white dress that went down to her ankles, but split at the sides at her hips; thigh-high white and purple boots; and a pair of gloves that covered her middle finger. She traced her Cutie Mark on her left arm as she put the glove on, leaving it bare just slightly. In addition to the clothes, she also picked up a folded fan and a curved dagger, placing the latter in the top of her left boot. Thusly prepared for the evening, she set out towards Broadway. Manehattan at night was quite different to the day. Most respectable beings were off the streets by sundown, and they were taken over by a quite different breed. Gangs roamed the streets, patrolling their territory and occasionally mugging, thieving or killing. Rarity wasn’t too worried, however. She could easily defend herself if any problems came up. A problem did come up, in the form of a group of three Earth Pony toughs who stopped her about halfway to her destination. “You picked the wrong night to go walkin’, lady,” the apparent leader said, straightening his leather vest. “Though, you are a fine lady, in some fine clothing...” “Yes, quite,” Rarity said. “But I believe that tonight is a fine night for a walk, regardless of what a ruffian like you might think. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a prior appointment.” “Oh, I’m sure they can wait,” the leader drawled. “At least until after you hand over your money.” Rarity shrugged and reached down towards her thigh, and smelling gold, the thug leaned in closer. Suddenly, she pulled out her dagger and left a cut across the middle of his face, switching it quickly into a backhand position. “What the—Oh, you’re gonna pay for that, bitch!” He pulled a small knife out of a pocket in his vest, and Rarity just smiled. He lunged again, and she simply danced out of the way, unfolding her fan and cutting across his face again with the blades on the end. He spat on the ground, trying to recover himself. “When I get my hooves on you...” “You’ll what?” a voice called out nearby. Moreau stepped out from behind a corner, flaring his wings. “The lady’s under my protection.” “Yeah, you and what army?” the thug asked, turning to his friends. They’d already run away, scared of the crazy human with a dagger and a griffon buddy. Taking the hint, he ran away as well, and Rarity turned to Moreau. “Я не нужна ваша помощь,” Rarity said slowly. “Это то, что вы платите мне за, не так ли?” He laughed slightly before walking off. “Take care of yourself, Rarity. I’d hate to see you actually get cut one of these days.” She wanted to say something about being able to handle herself, but she already had, so she left it at that, shaking her head and walking onwards to her destination. The beacon was still in place, pointing out the tenth floor of the building to her. The night watchpony was asleep, and the pony on the elevator was just as apathetic to her presence, after a few bits were exchanged to ensure his silence. The elevator didn’t make a sound as it rose, and she closed her eyes, letting the feeling of motion invigorate her. She felt it stop and walked out into the landing. There was nopony around anymore. Everypony in the penthouse was asleep. Opening one door slightly revealed that Grey Wind slept there, and he was currently sleeping soundly. Just to ensure that he wouldn’t interfere, Rarity raised her dagger to the door, focusing an ice spell through it to freeze it shut. This done, she searched the remainder of the rooms, finding nothing until she came across a door that was actively locked. Clearly, this must have been where Filthy Luca slept. Her telekinesis had been honed to a point where she could pick the lock without much difficulty, and she slid the door open. “Grey Wind, I don’t know how many times I've...” he started, only to suddenly stop and stare in surprise. Rarity was somewhat surprised as well, finding him on the toilet. He started to call out, but before he could, she moved forward and placed her dagger in his mouth in a single swift motion. “I’m afraid Grey Wind hasn’t been invited to this party,” she said. “It’s just the two of us... and the ponies that you wanted to evict to build your hunting lodge.” He blubbered something that sounded confused. “You bribed some members of the Council to destroy a village near Trottingham, so that you could build a hunting lodge there. What did you say... Oh, yes, that it was prime real estate that deserved a better class of pony. “I agree with you, it does deserve a better class. And the ponies that live there currently are far better than you’ll ever be. Your greed condemned you from the moment you thought that your money could change the entire country for your own benefit. Thusly, I accuse you. How do you plead?” He started crying and shaking his head, but couldn’t say much without cutting his mouth internally several times, and eventually he had to stop. “Equestria is better off without ponies like you,” Rarity said, before she unfolded her fan and slashed his throat. He pooped into the bowl as he died, and she turned her nose up at the smell, wiping off her weapons on a nearby towel. The deed done, she dispelled the beacon and returned to the elevator, humming a song she’d heard once. The title seemed ironically appropriate, as this millionaire was certainly taking a very long holiday. The news would probably be all over the papers tomorrow, as it always was, but she doubted anything but rumours would come of it. Nothing ever had before. ~ Morning came, and so did the news of murder in the night. Filthy Luca, entrepreneur and owner of at least five estates across Equestria, had been killed on the toilet in his penthouse apartment. The butler was unable to explain what had happened, and the only possible clue left behind was the water that had soaked into the carpet under his bedroom door. “Ponies keep dying ‘round here, sis,” Sweetie Belle said, slightly worried. “I don’t feel safe sometimes, knowing there’s a killer out there...” “Don’t worry, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity replied. “I’ll always be here to protect you.” She set down the two slices of wheat toast at her place, and another two for her sister. Suddenly, she keeled over, falling to her hands and knees. “Sis? What’s the matter?” Sweetie Belle dropped down to where her sister had fallen, trying to help her up. All she saw was a purple light filling her eyes before she was thrown back by a wave of equally purple magic. The table was overturned and their breakfast was ruined, but Sweetie Belle didn’t care. Her sister was in trouble. All of a sudden, the spell ended and Rarity stood up again. “Actually, there is a way we could leave Manehattan for a little while...” She turned to the overturned table. “Oh, goodness! What happened here? Sweetie Belle, did you...?” “No, it wasn’t me! There was this purple magic that came out of you and tossed it over, and it was filling your eyes... I don’t know what’s happening anymore...” She fell to her own knees, sobbing quietly. Rarity placed her arm around her sister. “Sweetie Belle, it’s alright. I just felt like I needed to go to Canterlot, the old capital. There’s something there that I want... no, that I need to see. It’ll do us both good to get out of here for a while, anyway. Wouldn’t you like that?” Sweetie Belle sniffed and wiped her hand across her eyes. “Can we finish breakfast first?” “Oh, of course,” Rarity laughed as she returned to the kitchen. An hour later, after they’d finished packing, Rarity and Sweetie Belle stepped out into the streets. A lime-green mare watched them carry the suitcases towards the station, and made a mental note before returning to the street vendor she was busy haggling with.