//------------------------------// // 23 - Debt // Story: The master and the windigo // by stupidswampdragon //------------------------------// Lyra sprang to her hooves, in such a fluid motion that completely belied her exhausted looks. Her sudden movement even managed to make Snowy jump. "Two dozen... what? Jail?!" "The standard fare for them charges, as Ah've been told," Applejack winced and stretched her neck. The brim of her hat crumpled, squeezed between the pony and the bank door. "Fraud, subornation..." "Fra... what? Subornation?!" Lyra gasped for air, absent-mindedly shaking her head in a wide arc. Her disorderly mane turned into something resembling a bird's nest... but looking presentable was the last thing on her mind. "You haven't done any of those! Even I know you haven't! And I've only known you for what? Days?" "Thanks, partner. Some sorely missed words there." Applejack grinned wryly. The grin didn't last more than a few seconds though, and she was back to her grim expression. "But what them Guards' told me sounded pretty solid. Ya' see, the money's gone missing from this bank here. Gone - as if the ground's gone and swallowed it up! Only in the Canterlot office did somepony find references to some contract made here... which nopony here could find. Hate to admit, but that ain't possible without some help from the inside." Lyra ground her teeth against each other. Sinking into fury, she didn't even notice the subconscious reaction until her gum began to hurt. This isn't going to help now. C'me on girl! Keep thinking straight, she told herself; but the calming words felt incredibly hollow. The truth was dawning on her, and she couldn't react in any way but sinking into useless, barely-repressed rage. She had failed, yes. That was already bad enough - but as it had turned out, it was a failure she couldn't have avoided. She had lost even though she should have won. For she didn't err; and Snowy didn't err either. Their performance at the bank couldn't have gone better. Apart from one caveat, that is. That it had been rendered moot by some overly nosey accountant in Canterlot. That itsy-tinsy bit of detail turned the whole game around. She'd never had any chance of coming out on top. Even if she had known how the internal mechanisms of the bank worked, she couldn't have erased physical papers in both Ponyville and Canterlot. She had lost the moment she had set her mind on that self-appointed task. It was a hopeless endeavour, and the only reason she couldn't call it pointless was because she did achieve something - putting Applejack behind bars, that is. That was what made her mad. Absolutely and furiously mad - at her own self. She felt like grabbing something to bash her head into. Or throwing herself under a moving cart... or running head-wise into a sturdy wall. Anything that would have hurt, so the voice of her conscience would quieten down a bit. So that she could stop looking at Applejack and think, look how miserable she is. You've made her this way. Now look at you... you're pretty fine in comparison, aren't you! For a varying degree of 'fine' anyway. She had lost her music. That hurt, more than anything else she had to endure in her life. Not even the chase in the icy hills came close. She may have been freezing and hurting back there, but the whole thing had blown over rather quickly. Not being a lyricist... that was an awful premise, and also one that promised to stay with her for a long, long while. It was a mighty blow to her in many ways. But even that wasn't enough to break her, for she still had other things to hold onto. Even with the gaping hole her music was, she still had a pretty good life. She had a house, a place to return to - and more importantly, she had Bon. A friend who would unconditionally help her, no matter how deep she had dug herself. Applejack, on the other hoof? She really had the sword of Damocles looming over her. If the Guard had truly believed what they had said, then she was facing a long time away from everything she held dear. Even a decade would seem like eternity in a cell... all alone, out of reach from everyone who mattered. All because of me. Lyra felt her jaw shake as her teeth pushed against each other. All because I thought this would be a simple game...! "It doesn't sound like the case would have a strong basis," Snowy spoke up, breaking her master out of her stupor. "Miss Applejack lives on a farm, correct? It would be unlikely for her to have the means and the connections to succeed at something so intricate." Lyra gave the windigo a dark look. She was ready to tell the ghost to shut up, but her mind managed to pre-empt her mouth this once. Wait a second... the stupid ghost is right! She blinked in confusion. The red mist thinned from her mind, leaving her in the same mood as before - only a little more puzzled. There's no way a farmmare could do something like this! That's common sense, right? So the Guard will need to show real solid proof if they want to put her into prison. The tiniest, topmost portion of Lyra's lips inched upwards, almost as if she was trying to smile. Almost. "Where's their proof, though?" She asked out loud. She was too anxious to actually raise her voice however, which detracted greatly from her act. She may have steeled her voice, but she was almost whispering. The end result sounded as if she was threatening somepony. "We aren't in the middle ages any more. We have laws! If the Guard wants to lay a hoof on you, they are going to need evidence. And I'd be most surprised if they found anything!" Applejack pursed her mouth and raised her eyebrows, then nodded sombrely. "Yep. Am' hoping the same." She raised her head, moving until she was staring Lyra in the eye. "But... it's still gonna' be all over them newspapers. Am' gonna' be headlines everywhere... gonna' be pretty difficult to be a simple apple farmer like that, don't ya' think? And that's only if they don't manage to send mah pretty face into a cell." "Don't worry about the newspapers. Ponies... forget," Lyra stated grimly, her features so firm as if they had been carved from rock. It was pretty unsettling for that truth to sound so banal. "So don't you worry about what others say, okay? As for the Guard... don't worry about them either. They won't have anything to show." While she had been quick to protest at any recklessness, Snowy didn't interrupt her master this time. She simply looked away in silence. "Haha... Ah' wish Ah' had yer' confidence," Applejack laughed sourly and took a loud breath. "But ya' know... it's pretty easy to say 'they ain't gonna' have a thing' when it's not yer' neck on the line. No offence, of course - Ah' really appreciate that yer' trying to humour me. But... Ah' have a feeling they ain't gonna' let me run." Lyra recoiled as her newfound resolve cracked. She was prepared to hear the farmmare blabber in distress; it would have been quite an understandable reaction, in fact. She would have done the same. But what Applejack said sounded more explicit than the foreboding nonsense anxious ponies made. Does she know something I don't? Lyra bit onto her lip. It was uncomfortable, but she had no choice; she had to pry further into the matter. She couldn't possibly walk away until she was certain things weren't headed towards rock-bottom. "Did they have something to threaten you with?" Lyra walked closer to the farmmare, the gears furiously turning in her head at the same time. That question was too blunt, she figured that much; she needed something to offset it with. To put it into the proper context. "You see, I... am a pretty big musician. Okay, I'm not the biggest, but I was- ugh, I am almost there! I have played at quite the few high-society gatherings... you know, parties, dinners, the what-not." She stopped a step away from Applejack, so close that she could have poked the farmmare with her hoof. Still staring eye-to-eye, too. "I have connections," Lyra flashed a grin. It was an absolute lie, of course; the only connections she had were among the other musicians. Nopony in those 'elite' crowds would seriously consider mingling with the hired performers. ...not unless they were at Octavia's level, but she was a completely different story. Lyra would have been surprised if an apple farmer had known about such minute details of a musician's life, however. She was hazarding a bet; but it was a bet she could confidently make. Applejack was visibly stunned by the offer. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened; it took her many seconds to recompose herself. "Right, fine. Have it yer' way! But don't come runnin' to me when ya' get tangled in this mess," she grunted and yanked her head away, pulling her hat over her face. "They've got that Celestia-bucked ledger from the Canterlot. It ain't much - it's like an entry on them inventories. But it has mah' name on it, ya' see? Right next to a number. A long number. With lotsa zeroes." "Ah," Lyra made a pained grimace. She finally understood how Applejack had gotten into the Guard's view. "Don't be fooled, Master! Demands are null without a valid contract." Snowy dismissed the evidence with a vigorous headshake. "Anypony could have a funny day and write names into a ledger. That only makes a claim, not a debt... and certainly not an obligation." Lyra glimpsed at the windigo, then chuckled faintly to herself. Seeing as I'm no longer playing music, I may as well enter the world of finance! She threw a wink at the blue ghost. With this kind of help, I could really pass for a pro. "That's nothing," she spoke up, returning to her confident voice. "You could also write a ledger if you wanted. They can't sentence you without real proof - so they've either got a contract or they've got nothing." That must had been news to Applejack. She poked up the brim of her hat so she had a good look at Lyra's face. "Ha... hadn't thought of that one. Didn't think you musicians would be this good at legal matters," she snorted and scampered to her hooves, her mouth twisting into a bittersweet grin. "Haha, would ya' look at that! Ah' may just get out of this with mah' head on mah' neck... Ah' just hope yer' hopes in them courts ain't misplaced, haha!" Lyra cocked her head to the side at the stubborn refusal to optimism. What's this, now? She raised an eyebrow as she gave Applejack a suspicious glare. Why would our legal system break down just now? You didn't actually do something, right? I'm not helping a clever criminal escape just now, right?! "I did always find Master's absolute trust in the rule of law pretty amusing," Snowy nodded serenely. "I wonder, is this bank owned by a noble?" "It doesn't matter who owns the bank!" Lyra narrowed her eyes. The provocation did a quick work of her careful act; she was lashing out with an angry snarl before she knew better. "They're just ponies, like me or, well, you! We're all equal, so I don't care if- er- uh-" She sputtered and ground to a halt, a weary sigh culminating her outburst. Well, I've done it again! Great going there, girl. "Hah, well, that ain't what am' afraid of," Applejack scratched her head. She was obviously distracted; she managed to push her hat off her head, and only caught onto the fact with visible delay. "Heck! Had Celestia been the owner of this 'ere bank, Ah' would bet mah hat that this wouldn't have made big waves. Ain't gettin' more privileged than her either." "I hear you," Lyra nodded, then mimicked the motion of scratching the mane at the back of her head. "So, uh... why did you just say you're worried about going to court? I mean, if you don't think a noble is going to just declare you guilty, then... what's the issue?" "Well... ya' got that right, 'Ah suppose. Ah' ain't worried that some noble is gonna' declare me guilty!" Applejack cackled with utter anxiety. She then looked at the ground and sighed so loudly that the dust swirled at her hooves. She noticed her hat just then, and resumed talking as she picked it up. "But as Ah've said, this is gonna' be one case for them headlines. Gonna' be a lot of ponies watching out for this one... and it might set a bad precedent to let somepony like me run. 'S all 'am saying." Lyra opened her mouth, but then closed it and gulped instead. She hadn't thought of that one; and even worse, she couldn't even come up with a reasonable argument. That worry did make sense. It made too much sense, in fact. "Somepony like... you?" she stuttered and gulped again. "You mean, a farmmare who was obviously minding her business?" "A farmmare who got rich overnight." Applejack rumbled. She plopped the dusty hat back onto her head and broke into a shiver; a small cloud of brown dirt rained over her head and neck. "Do you really think they'd let me go? What message would that kinda' deal send?" "That forgiveness is a virtue?" Lyra shot back right away, though she knew she was grasping at the last straw. "Haha! Another score there," Applejack snorted and laughed. She then turned back to Lyra, her green eyes bristling with conviction. "Even so, that doesn't mean that stealing ain't no longer a sin, either." "True," Lyra nodded. It was more of a half-nod; it left her head hanging, as she didn't feel the need to raise it back up. "Ah mean... there wouldn't be banks if everypony wanted free money, right?" Applejack snickered. "And truth be told, Ah'd hate to know Ah've caused big problems just to save mah skin. Ah' ain't that kinda pony." "Will you not defend yourself, then?" Lyra darted her eyes up, staring at the farmer as her nose scraped against the ground. "Are you seriously going to just admit to everything?!" Lyra couldn't allow that to happen. She had no idea what she would do, but she absolutely refused to give up like that. She wanted to fix the problem she had created; and by all that was holy, she wouldn't let anypony stop her. She might stumble again, but she would still try to jump all the hoops in the way. Not even a disillusioned Applejack could prevent her from trying to help. Besides, it's not like Snowy couldn't deal with melancholy either... a few creative deletions are all it would take. "Nah. Ah' told ya' - Ah' ain't never telling no lies. If they ask me, 'am gonna' say that am' innocent." Applejack declared, her snicker softening into a genuine smile. "Ah' ain't gonna' fight tooth and hooves, though. Ah' reckon am' just gonna' let them courts decide... and gonna' roll with whatever they say. Ah' suppose that might be fair." Wrinkles appeared on Lyra's face and she felt her anger rise again. That was not a decision she could accept. She couldn't leave an innocent pony's fate hanging on a fifty-fifty chance! Not as long as she still had the means to do something about it. Especially not when she had caused the whole mess in the first place. "I-" she growled, her voice deep and guttural. She knew she was doing something unwise, but she couldn't stop herself. She couldn't just sit back and let Applejack walk away - to let her be judged by what was basically a mob decision. She was going to fix that problem, even if it involved helping Applejack against her will. Takes what it takes. Those fiery words never managed to leave her mouth, however. An interruption came - in the shape of a frightened white unicorn. "A- Applejack! Dear me, it's really you. I've- I've been looking for you everywhere! What are you even doing here? I've-" "Whoa! Whoa there, slow down!" Applejack motioned with her hooves. "Ah' can't understand what yer' saying if yer' mashing them words like that! What happened?" Glancing at the newcomer herself, Lyra began toying with the idea that she had been transported into a theatre tragedy somehow. She saw Rarity, and it was obvious that the white pony was not having one of her better days either. Don't tell me...! "You weren't at home," Rarity kept on jabbering, unbothered by the confusion her arrival brought. "I've been meaning to talk to you since yesterday, but you were always busy somehow. I've-" "For the love of Celestia, stop!" Applejack blared and smashed her hooves against her ears. "Sugarpie, am' willing to do whatever ya' want! But ya've got to tell me in a way that this apple farmer understands!" "I... uh, okay? I can do that." Rarity nodded without much enthusiasm... or even care for the plea. Her compliance was similarly half-hearted, spanning over a grand total of two seconds. After which she leaped to Applejack and gave the stunned farmer a bear-hug, all while wailing at the top of her lungs. "YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE! YOU HAVE TO HELP MEEEHEE!" Watching the scene play out without anypony so much as batting an eye in her generic direction, Lyra was pretty sure she had somehow faded into the background. Not that she minded; that kind of invisibility gave her a lot of freedom. She was free to faint, for example. Or jab a sharp stick into her nostril. Distractedly and without much power, she smacked herself in the right side of her head. Ah, I'm thinking those thoughts again. It wasn't hard to see just why her brain would turn back to depression, though. Applejack was in trouble for her actions; that was pretty bad on its own. To make matters worse however, the farmer seemed content to pay for crimes she had never committed... Lyra would need a really cunning solution to that predicament. Probably involving a lot of selectively blanked minds. Going by her recent experiences, that premise was even less reassuring. But all that wasn't enough yet, apparently. Fate just had to throw another punch in her face - in the form of Rarity. The white unicorn was all sorts of worn and torn; she looked as if she had fended off a whole pack of carnivorous lawnmowers on her own. No longer did she possess the distinctive curly mane; her long hair was gnarly and unkempt. Her gaze was misty and jittery, her eyes darting around even as she talked. Though at a second glance, her entire body was shaking, the effect becoming more pronounced as she held onto Applejack. And then there was the voice. That pitiful, pleading, borderline crying voice - it was something that would surely stick to a pony with a heart. Or with sensitive hearing. As a musician, Lyra had that feature in spades. "Whoa," Snowy balked at the sight. "Master, isn't she...?" "She is," Lyra covered her eyes with a leg. It may have been selfish of her, but she was really hoping the designer's transformation had nothing to do with the selective amnesia she had been granted. "This doesn't make sense," Snowy returned to her master's side, darting past the other ponies with a graceful leap. "We haven't done anything significant to this Miss! We have... uh..." Lyra lifted her hoof so she could peek at the windigo. She was disappointed that Snowy would feign ignorance; it was way too soon for anyone to forget about their meddling. It hadn't been a week! "The dresses," Lyra whispered under her nose, careful that she wasn't overheard. "We've... extended the deadline of a few dresses." "Ohhh," Snowy hummed and raised her eyebrows. "Then why-" "Rarity... 'am really sorry, but Ah' ain't really in the mood for this." Applejack rolled her eyes and pushed the clingy white pony away. "What's gotten into ya' anyway? Me, yer' last hope? Did ya' run out of cider or something?" "Cider? Who's talking about cider?" Rarity backed off on her own. She moved with unsteady steps, swaying to the side each time she had a hoof in the air; she seemed to defy probability simply by refusing to collapse. "It's my shop! You have to save my shop!" Going by the reaction of the small crowd, that was a real bombshell. Everypony in the vicinity took on the same dumbstruck face, eyes bulging out and jaws hanging. Even Snowy was left speechless. Rarity didn't notice her shocking success. She was busy backing away until her good fortune had finally left her. She took a wrong step and her leg slid out from under her; her lower jaw clattered against the ground, shortly followed by the rest of her. "Yer'... shop?" Applejack mumbled. She formed the word slowly, as if she was under a spell. The effect was only momentary; she shook her head to clear her mind and glared angrily at the white pony. "Wha- is this some bad joke? What's with yer' shop? How could Ah', an apple-farmer by tradition and admission, help you, a pony who deals in clothing?" Lyra was glad for that question, for she had been thinking along similar lines. She simply couldn't imagine what Rarity could have sought... ...but on the other hoof, the way she looks... this can't be just a prank. She ruled out the least painful resolution. There had to be something - something they weren't thinking of. Something like- "Money! You got a lot of money!" Rarity scraped the ground, crawling her way back to the others. No-one helped her; her words had left everypony too stunned to even notice that she couldn't seem to stand. It's not like she herself cared either though, for she didn't interrupt her pleas to try getting up. "You're sitting on untold riches! Applejack, I know you can help me! You're the only one I can ask! And... and it's not like I'd ask for much! You could afford it, I'm sure of it! It'd be just a drop in the ocean!" "Wha-" Applejack went wide-eyed. She was so dumbstruck that she completely switched off, retaining just enough self-control to sit down instead of outright dropping to the ground. She then held still, frozen; she almost became a statue, only her ragged breath hinting that she wasn't made out of stone yet. It took her a while to dish even a single question out. "Who... who told ya' that?" The effect wasn't lost on Lyra either, but she bore it a lot better. She was only numb, perhaps a little dazed. After her own misfortune and the unexpected complications regarding Applejack, she may have gotten used to personal tragedies. Which was, frankly speaking, a pretty frightening concept. Even if it allowed her to better focus on what she had heard. Money? She furrowed her forehead. How can she be having money problems? I've been over to her place what, a few days ago? And she was literally swimming in orders back then! Seriously, the whole place was packed with mannequins and dresses! There was a small fortune in there, even if I just count those ten thousand bits each. How could she... be...? The answer dawned on Lyra as soon as she thought a little longer about it, but the realization didn't exactly help her mood. She squeezed her head against the ground and slammed her hoof into her skull, right next to her ear. All sounds were drowned out by the ringing noise right away. That was good, but not good enough; so she brought her hoof down again and again. She wanted to smash her own stupid head into the ground - or failing that, just hammer the lesson home. Literally. Bon told me, didn't she. She told me that I'm not supposed to wield this power. That I'm too stupid to use it responsibly! Lyra recalled the conversation from an eternity ago, back when she was about to use Snowy for the first time. But I, the genius of geniuses, had to think that she was wrong! That it couldn't be so difficult! That I could do it on my own! That I, the stupid idiot who couldn't even fill a tax form without help, could prove to the world...! She wasn't sure whether her anger or her stamina ran out, but she gave up. Her legs landed right next to her head, the horseshoes hitting the ground with a dull clang. There was little point in beating herself up anyway. It didn't even really hurt. Her head may have ached, but that was absolutely nothing compared to the feelings she had been trying to suppress. "Money. Money... again money." She heard Snowy echo the word. "How strange, that money would remain such a powerful concept over the ages. Despite what old Master believed, I may just witness money surviving nobility. A Lord shall be a Lord, even in Tartarus... is what he said, but now it seems that mere coins are holding out better than those fancy titles. How quaint indeed." "What have we done?" Lyra whispered in a voice full of despair. She didn't hear the windigo; or even if she had, she lacked the faculties to understand such abstract musings. Her mind was stuck in a loop, with seemingly no way out; she was cracking under the pressure. "I seem to have committed a few mistakes." Snowy glanced down at her master, immediately refocusing to the new topic. "I am... not quite sure how I can make amends, though." Lyra couldn't muster the strength to rebuke that. All she could spare was lifting her hoof and letting it drop back onto her stupid head. Meanwhile, almost right next to the master and servant, the two ponies had also carried on with their quarrel. "Who in Equestria told ya' about that?" Applejack approached the dressmaker. She walked with thundering steps, and there was little doubt that she wasn't being intimidating just for the sake of putting up an act. "WHO?!" "What does it matter? I know and that's all what counts! Because I need your help and I know that you can help me!" Rarity cried out. She was still flat on her belly, and was pointing a hoof at the angry farmer rather than try getting up. "Do you even know what will happen to me when I fail to pay- ack-!" Whatever explanation she had, it had to wait. Applejack placed a firm hoof on the back of her neck and squeezed her against the ground - not forcefully enough to choke her, but with enough force to pin her down. "NAMES, Rares! Ah' want names!" Applejack asked - at the top of her lungs, shouting so loudly that her breath ruffled Rarity's tangled mane. Observing the scene from her comfortable spot on the sideline, Lyra dragged her hoof back and forth, debating whether she wanted to cover her eyes or not. Everything she had witnessed was taking a toll on her soul, she was sure of it. It was a stretch to say she had known those ponies well, but she knew enough to tell that they weren't being themselves. Watching them act like that and knowing just why they had turned out that way... The scene was tearing her heart apart. On the other hoof, turning a blind eye and a deaf ear had never solved anything; she understood that. She had to watch. She owed those two this much. It was her fault and her responsibility, after all. She may or may not be able to set everything back straight - but the least she could do was understanding how bad things had become. "It doesn't matter who-" Rarity tried the same protest again. She stopped whimpering, but only because she was struggling to speak; the hoof pressing down on her neck had left little room for her mouth to move. "It does! This ain't something that anypony shoulda' heard about!" Applejack snorted and leaned forward. The move also shifted her weight forward, placing more pressure on her front hooves; which, in turn, forced a muffled groan out of the white unicorn pinned underneath. That was a price Applejack could live with; she had to be really close to Rarity, because she could only whisper the next part. "Rares... that money ain't legit. Am' in real hot water over it! So ya'd do yerself a favour if ya' forgot about it." "I don't care! No wait - I do! Give it to me! That'll make it my problem, right?" Rarity wheezed, her chin digging into the dust. She struggled mightily to look at the pony behind her back, but the hoof pressing down on her neck left her with a very limited freedom of movement. Applejack gave the idea a surprised blink - followed by the shake of her head and a long, loud sigh. "Yer' nuts. Seriously - do ya' really think that sending ya' to jail in mah' stead would make me feel any better?" she frowned and took a full step backwards. "But you have no reservations about watching my whole life fall apart, huh?" Rarity muttered. She was free; but she didn't make use of that freedom. She was just lying on her belly, flattened out like a pancake. "AJ, dear... the way things are, I stand to lose my boutique. Soon. I can pay the most important bills for about three months... and then it's lights out." A sour grimace was the way Applejack showed that she had understood. She didn't say anything however, opting to just stare at the dressmaker. She finally turned away with great reluctance, her eyes burning with shame. "That's all you've got to say? Nothing?" Rarity chuckled faintly, staring at the empty street with vacant, glassy eyes. "It's really funny, you know. I never once thought that all of you would leave me alone like this." "Well, just what're ya' expecting me to do?" Applejack snapped her gaze back to the white unicorn. "Ah' ain't got that much on me, Rares. And that money yer' talking about? Well, the Guard's all up in arms about it! Heck - they're gonna' send me to prison over it! Can ya' understand that? Am' gonna' have to leave 'Bloom and 'Mac fend for themselves! Heck, Bloom's gonna' be a full grown mare by the time Ah'll get to see her again!" The angry rant worked; Rarity finally broke free of her paralysis and moved. She jolted and rolled to her side, now equally shocked and anguished. "Ya' love yer' shop, Ah' get that. No, Ah' can actually respect that - dresses being yer' apples and all that." Applejack looked the other pony in the eyes. She spoke with a surprisingly even tone - though whether she had actually calmed down was anypony's guess. "But ya' know what? Ah'd trade mah' trees for mah' family any time of the day. So Ah' ain't gonna let ya' do this mistake. Am' sorry if not doin' anything is hurting ya' right now... but Ah' would rather endure that pain than do something that'd hurt ya' even more, down the line." A dry chuckle echoed through the air. Still sitting unnoticed in the background, Lyra found a lot of irony in those words. "Prison... leaving Sweetie Bell on her own." Rarity mumbled as she translated the situation to her own reality. "Oh dear, that's... that'd be the worst. Yeah, you're right. I'm... I'm sorry? I'm not sure what I was thinking. I just heard that you're sitting on all this wealth, and I thought that you could- that you know, you could-" Applejack didn't care an ounce for the apology. She stepped closer to Rarity and yanked her up without much fanfare. "Well - now yer' in the know." She frowned and slapped Rarity on the side a few times, dusting off the other pony's white coat. "Ah' guess ya' can see why Ah lost mah' temper back there. Ain't an easy topic." "Enough... thanks." Rarity stumbled and pushed the helping hoof away. "And I do. I just happened to overhear Sweetie Bell and Applebloom the other day... they were talking about this fortune-from-nowhere, and I thought that I could... that I could solve all my problems in one fell swoop. Haha, I thought...! Who am I kidding, I had completely lost myself in the idea." "Oh." Applejack pushed a hoof against her forehead. She obviously hadn't thought of such a simple misunderstanding; but the simple explanation had also visibly eased her worries. "So... what happened to yer' boutique? Ah' thought ya'd been doing all sorts of well." "Oh, I have definitely been! A little too well, perhaps. I have gotten overly ambitious," Rarity sighed. She turned her head around and reached at her mane, running a hoof through the scurry strands of hair. "I have started this grand project... almost forty dresses, all made from the highest quality material." Back in the distance, Lyra decided on covering her ears and her eyes. She already knew where that was going. "Forty...!" Applejack muttered with wide eyes. "Quite the daring venture, if I do say so myself. Looking back at it, I am baffled how I could have considered it a good idea!" Rarity chuckled sourly and pulled on a knot in her mane. "Long story short, all my assets are in those dresses... and unless I find customers for them quickly, I won't be able to afford keeping my shop open too long. In all likelihood, I won't be able to afford just keeping my shop, period. I doubt my creditors would accept unfinished dresses instead of bits." Applejack closed her eyes. Her face became stiff; she was quite bad at hiding just how badly she was trying to keep her thoughts to herself. "Am sorry," She muttered out loud. "Don't be. It's my own fault." Rarity grinned with utter resignation. "I'm only sorry for Sweetie Bell. In this whole fiasco, I'm only worried what will become of her. She really deserved better." "Ah' feel ya'," Applejack grunted and pulled her hat down on her eyes. "Well, it seems we're both in for the tough ride... partner." "Partner...!" Rarity scoffed at the notion, but accepted it with a wry grin shortly afterwards. "Well, I guess I could consider you my partner in rotten luck... partner." Both of them pulled back a little, eyeing the other and waiting for reaction - then both of them exploded into laughter. A short, jagged, broken laughter, fit for those who had so very little to laugh about. "Let's go back to them Sweet Acres." Applejack yanked on her head, motioning with her nose for the other pony to follow. "Ah' think we could both use a drink or two rite' now. Besides..." "Sure thing, dear. I could sure use a little break..." Rarity held a hoof against her head and nodded sombrely. "But... besides? Besides what?" "Besides, Ah' think Ah have an offer for ya' after all!" Applejack wrapped a leg across Rarity's neck and dragged her along. "So, in case ya' wind up without a roof... how would ya' feel about workin' on a farm? Lots of fresh air, plenty of time outdoors, acceptable pay, guaranteed roof above yer' head... and ya' could also watch over 'Bloom for those fast few years 'am gonna spend in me two-by-two cell!" The two friends departed on that bittersweet note, leaving the former musician and her ghostly servant on their own. The master-servant duo kept sitting in front of the bank's entrance for a while. Both of them were staring at the empty street; but while Snowy's gaze was wandering around, studying her environment for whatever purpose, Lyra's glassy eyes were only gazing into empty nothingness. As expected, it was Snowy who broke their long silence. "It's quite inspiring to witness such steadfast resistance against ill fate, isn't it, Master?" Pulling her eyebrow upwards as she rolled her head towards the windigo, Lyra wondered what she could say to that. A pair of friends sticking together despite their harsh fortune; how could she not feel touched by the most classical tale of camaraderie? Only this time it was she who got cast in the role of the outrageous Fortune. A careless god, wrecking lives without rhyme or reason - by mere mistakes and accidents. How could she say anything to that? How could she acknowledge anything like that? How could she accept that she had thrown away her own life, only for the sake of such a revolting prize? She flexed her lips and held silent. Her own words had failed her. Nothing she could say would give her tragedy justice. Though the more she thought about it, the more fitting a quote seemed... one she had heard in the Opera. "Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." "Master shouldn't take it so hard." Snowy turned to Lyra, the fine outlines of her ghostly form shuddering at the exclamation. "Master has given it her best. There was no way we could have known things would turn out this way." "Tell that to them!" Lyra nudged with her nose at the distant corner where the apple-farmer and the fashion designer had disappeared from sight. "Tell them that it was me who has taken everything from them - by mistake, no less! That their hardships are only because I had no idea what I was doing! That it was... that it was completely pointless!" Lyra's head plopped back onto the ground as she ran out of steam. There was simply nothing driving her any more. No anger, no fury, no hopes nor any desires. She was completely empty inside; a vacuum in the shape of a unicorn, that's what she was. She wished she could at least rage at her own stupid self, but even that was beyond her. It wouldn't have accomplished anything anyway. It would have been pointless. Ain't that right. Lying in the dirt, that was the only thing Lyra Heartstrings felt sure about: that everything was pointless. "What now, then?" Snowy asked the question that Lyra had been dreading for a while already. "Will Master attempt to correct the wrongs that we... that I had committed?" "Don't you think we've caused enough grief already?" Lyra sneered at the ghost. She had barely lifted her head off the ground though, so her mane brushed the dirt as she moved. "Do you want to break more lives that badly?" That question was like a barbed arrow. It didn't care to look subtle or hide its intentions; it was straight to the point, made to hurt and to hurt as much as possible. Snowy didn't give any sign of discomfort, however; she settled the issue with a nonchalant shrug. "Master's will is my will," she spoke, her crimson gaze passing over her broken master. "I do what Master wants me to do. So if Master has had enough... then so have I." Lyra moved her jaws in a chewing motion, mulling over how simply the windigo had described their situation. Had enough... haha. She had had enough, that was for sure. "Right!" She pushed herself up from the dusty ground with a grunt. It felt good, to be standing; it felt good, having found something meaningful to do. She rolled her head around, popping her neck a few times; then she gave her windigo a sombre smile. "Sorry, Snowy. I know it's not your fault, but... but I think it's time we end this game and come clean."