//------------------------------//
// Act Three Chapter Five 
// Story: Burnt Offerings 
// by Spike the Scribe 
//------------------------------//

Sandpoint, 3 of Rova (Presumably 26 of October 1000 SR), Afternoon

"Well you certainly took your sweet time! We've been waiting here for like ages!"

That… was certainly not what I was expecting to be greeted with, though in hindsight I think we deserved as much. That and Rainbow Dash wasn't exactly the most patient pony in the world. Still, was it too much to ask for this to be more civil, like 'hey guys, what took you'?

"Sorry Rainbow, you know how Rarity can get. Once she starts talking about fashion she just can't stop." Twilight tried to calm our resident hothead down. Good luck with that.

"First off: you guys were supposed to be here four hours ago. Do you have any idea how much time is four hours spent in the company of an annoying, self-centered magician?" At the mention of this Trixie, who was ostentatiously standing with her back turned to us huffed and shot Rainbow a glare. "And secondly: it was Rarity who was talking about all that frou-frou nonsense, not you. Couldn't you, I don't know, go out without her or something?"

"That wouldn't be very nice…" Fluttershy tried to point out but was pointedly ignored by Dash, who was too busy giving us the stink eye to bother with a response.

*Sigh*

I suppose I should explain what all this was about. You see, this morning Rarity, in a stroke of genius had decided that we needed to see Rynshinn about finally adjusting out attire. At six in the morning. Yeah, you can imagine the reception her idea had, and not to be mistaken, I too didn't really want to go there first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, Rarity wasn't taking no for an answer, and soon enough she was dragging Twilight, Fluttershy and myself towards the shop, leaving out Trixie, who I'm quite sure she omitted on purpose, as well as Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, who already had arrangements for the morning. The point is however that Rarity dragged us to Rynshinn's and we spent the next eight hours pretending to be mannequins for the local seamstress. By the time she was done I was ready to keel over of boredom.

I probably am exaggerating a bit; not the entirety of our visit was dull to the point of tears. Rynshinn, despite her appearance being almost identical to Rarity's once again proved to be her own person. For starters, not all subjects she was willing to discuss were oriented on fashion (though that still was a large portion of the general conversations; I still can't get over Rarity's ecstatic reaction to the news that Rynshinn had a supply of dyed cashmere). She was perfectly willing to talk about say Sheriff Hemlock, who she described as a generally nice, if not stressed guy that was still trying to get used to his position, or shed a bit of light on his animosity with Priest Naffer (apparently the hobbling priest was once a smuggler but repented after he was saved out of a shipwreck by none other than the guy whose corpse was missing, Father Tobyn if I recall correctly). And the fact she was capable of using magic to aid in her work, just like Rarity, made the whole thing quite a spectacle with all those floating needles, threads and whatnot. It didn't make the whole process any faster, but definitely made it cooler, and reminded me of home.

I miss home.

"Trust me Rainbow, if we had the choice to come here sooner we would've. Thing is, Rarity asked us for help after Rynshinn approached her with a proposition." The moment Twilight uttered the last word of her sentence Rainbow seemed to forget she was angry, her irritation overridden by curiosity.

"Proposition?" Yep, she was definitely intrigued by that last bit. As was Applejack, who up until now had been standing to RD's side and seemed to try and decide what was the best course of action when trying to silence her rant. Seeing the two mares look at her expectantly Twilight sighed and explained.

"Rynshinn's been contracted by a large theatre in a place called Magnimar to provide costumes for an upcoming play, 'The Pauper in Alabaster District' or something like that. Normally she'd had no problem completing it on her own, or at the very least hire other tailors to put together her designs, but recovering from that crossbow bolt in her arm and having most of the other tailors out of town because of the goblin raid left her without many options."

"So lemme guess: she saw that Rares knows her way 'round dem needles and threads an' figured she'd be willin' ta work fer her." Applejack deduced, after which she shook her head. "Knowin' Rarity she wasn't happy with playin' second fiddle."

"Yeah, she probably saw this as an insult or something. Her? Working for somepony else? Propostures!" Rainbow added, adopting an overly dramatic pose and trying her best impression of our fashionista. AJ smirked slightly at that, but neither Twilight nor I saw this as very funny, for completely different reasons I might add.

"It's preposterous Rainbow, not… whatever it was that you said." See? Completely different reasons. "And besides, Rarity wasn't actually all that fussy about this arrangement. She actually took it quite well."

"I don't think talking through gritted teeth for the next quarter hour counts as taking it well Twilight." Surprisingly enough it was Fluttershy who said that, though the moment she realized what she did she quickly added: "I could be wrong though. You're probably right. Sorry."

"…okay." Rainbow drawled that out and gave Twilight a look that plainly spelled 'really'? "So… she took it as dignified as ever, huh?"

"Well, relatively speaking, yes." Twi replied, looking away and blushing slightly. She was thankfully spared from more teasing courtesy of Rainbow by Applejack, who seemed to want to get to the point already.

"Ah take it she agreed in the end?"

"Yes, after Rynshinn mentioned she'd be more than willing to listen to any suggestions Rarity may have she warmed up to the idea. That and she concluded that this would be a great way to get some experience in working with a human-like body type."

"Then you were late because…?" Rainbow seemed to remember why they were talking about all this in the first place and gave Twilight a questioning look, one that Twi was quick to answer to with a steadfast look of her own.

"We spent a good portion of the time ironing out the details with Rynshinn. For all her poise and refinement Rarity didn't trust herself to negotiate on her own, 'less I make a faux pas and ruin this opportunity by having my pride get the best of me' as she put it." Here Twilight gave a little shake of her head and smiled softly. "I'm genuinely surprised she recognized her own vice and actively sought out a way to work around it. I was half expecting her to be ignorant of it."

"Oh come on, Rarity is way better than that." I immediately protested, taking affront on my Lady's behalf. "I'm sure she'd do great even without our help."

"Sure she would loverboy." I get the impression Rainbow was making fun of me, but I hadn't had the chance to ponder that. "So you spent all this time making sure Rares got a job, eh? Good to know we're not the only ones here making sure we're not broke by the end of the month." She added loudly while adjusting the weight on her shoulders, turning her head to glare at Trixie who still seemed determined to ignore us and stand with her back to us.

Now this was a rather new development, one that I was still trying to come to terms with. And no, I'm not talking about Trixie acting like she didn't want to have anything to do with us (which for all I knew she didn't). Rather it was the fact that Rainbow Dash of all ponies, a mare that from what I knew slacked off even in her normal job as weather patrol back in Ponyville was now claiming to be a hard working and productive member of society. Yeah, the irony isn't lost on me, especially considering what job opportunity she actually had chosen.

Yesterday, after our rather unpleasant run-in with the animated skeletons and after Sheriff Hemlock admitted to using the confusion to evaluate our skills he decided to make us an offer. He needed good men (or women as the case may be) in his guard force, and despite seeing quite a bit of things he didn't exactly like in the way we dealt with the situation he was willing to enlist a few of us into the guard. And as he mention earlier, he didn't want any spellcasters permanently on his payroll, claiming he didn't usually have need for them and admitting he wouldn't be able to afford to pay for their higher rates, so that left only a precious few of the girls actually qualified for the position. Three guesses who one of them was.

Rainbow Dash fidgeted impatiently, absentmindedly adjusting the weight of the chainmail shirt she wore on her shoulders, eliciting a small, almost inaudible jingle with the motion. The armor itself was almost identical to the one most in the guard force were wearing, the only difference being the fact it was a bit slimmer, prepared either for a more slender male or actually for a female. Aside from that Rainbow now had a belt strapped around her waist, pulling the chainmail closer to her body in that region and distributing the weight of the metal armor more evenly, and attached to that was the scabbard holding a sword, a crossbow (which I'm fairly certain is the same one Trixie 'secured' during the goblin attack), and a quiver containing several bolts for the weapon. She also wore a pair of leather pants, clearly as a supplement for her main armor, and a pair of hard protective boots. Her image was completed by the short mantle of burnt orange draped on her shoulders. Personally? I found her look hilarious, and I'm sure Rarity would be appealed by it if she ever saw it, but I was smart enough not to laugh in her face.

"Where is Rarity anyways?" Applejack asked, deciding to steer the conversation somewhere safer than towards a confrontation with Trixie. She too wore a set of what I started to assume was the standard Sandpoint guard uniform, complete with crossbow and mantle, but unlike Rainbow she didn't look like a polychromatic scarecrow draped in a chain shirt and actually filled out the armor quite nicely. She could go without her stetson though, it really made her look ridiculous in that outfit. "She ain't with ya, so…?"

"She stayed at Rynshinn's, said she might as well get started and see what she's working with." Twilight filled her in without missing a beat. That however was only half of the truth, or at least I figured it was.

Spending as much time as I had around Rarity the last several months has made me apt at reading her moods, at least to a certain degree. Usually I could tell when she was happy, content, excited, or when she was about to enter 'the zone' as she called it, even if she actively tried to conceal her disposition behind her practiced mask of high society glamour. Likewise I could usually tell when she was hiding her bad mood or when she was concerned about something, and when she told us to go on without her she acted just like that. Shooting Rynshinn sidelong glances and eying the floating tools of her trade with a strange longing in her eyes, I figured what Rarity really wanted even if Twilight and Fluttershy failed to do so. She wanted to ask for Rynshinn's help in channeling her magic to once again be able to manipulate her surroundings with but a thought. That or she really wanted to get started on work.

I was snapped out of my revere by Twilight, who seemed to be looking for something. After a moment of looking around she finally gave up and looked at Applejack and Rainbow Dash in search for answers.

"Speaking of missing ponies: where's Pinkie Pie? Wasn't she supposed to be here with you?"

"Oh, she's here alright. Just decided to help out with setting everything up down in the basement." Rainbow explained offhandedly, once again adjusting the weight on her shoulders. "Frankly: I'm happy she did. I really didn't feel like sitting around Celestia knows how long with a crate full of bones by my side." As she said that she shivered slightly, as if a sudden chill ran down her spine. This was really beginning to seem out of character for her, enough for the other girls to notice I'm sure, but not enough for them to confront Dash about it.

"Are you finished yet? Trixie had about enough of waiting; she has places she'd rather be and things she'd rather do, and you're pointlessly prolonging her stay." We were rudely interrupted by the magician, who finally had enough of waiting and decided to voice her complaints. As to be expected, she was quickly answered by Rainbow Dash in the form of a glare and an evil smirk developing on her face.

"You know, I just realized." She started, the smirk on her face widening considerably. "Since I've been hired in what basically is law enforcement around here,  I think I could find something to charge you with." That seemed to give Trixie pause. She regarded Rainbow carefully, as if trying to determine something, and only after that did she allow herself a smirk of her own.

"Trixie highly doubts somepony the likes of you would be able to come up with a charge plausible enough to warrant Trixie's arrest." She crossed her arms and cocked her eyebrow in challenge. Rainbow was about to bite back, but unfortunately for her Twilight picked that moment to intervene, being the voice of reason that she was.

"Rainbow, stop that. We really don't need to antagonize one another. And besides, acting in self-interest while holding a position in law enforcement is basically a crime in itself."

Hearing that Rainbow scowled and muttered: "Spoilsport.", but didn't press the issue, even if Trixie sent a triumphant smirk her way. That same smirk further widened a few seconds later, when Twilight decided to continue.

"Besides, Trixie is kinda right. We really should get a move on; we kept Mr. Gandethus waiting long enough, and I for one would really like to get a chance to finally meet him." She said, her voice betraying her eagerness to meet up with a fellow academic from another world. She was after all waiting for this opportunity for two days now.

Ever since our fateful first day in Sandpoint Twilight harbored a desire to visit one of the many establishments located in town, the institution in question being of course the Turandarok Academy. Since learning of its existence as well as being told that this was not only the closest thing the town had to a public school but the seat of the local magic specialist as well, Twi couldn't help but gravitate towards it. And now, for the first time since the goblin attack she had an opportunity, if not duty, to pass the threshold of the Academy.

From the outside Turandarok Academy didn't really look like what one would expect from what was essentially a school. The building, erect with the same masonry skills that no doubt went into constructing the cathedral was easily the second largest stone structure in town, not counting the cliffside ruin. Two stories high, topped with yet another small dome the purpose of which was lost on me and with two slightly elevated portions giving the impression of either bell towers or maybe even their defensive cousins, it looked a bit like a miniature fortress. However, despite being built out of thick stonework, the sheer number of large, easily accessible windows made it clear this structure was built more to stand the test of time and less to repel any would-be attacker. The site was completed by two entrances, both made out of heavy reinforced wooden double doors, placed strategically on both the front and back of the building, which come to think of it was pretty odd for a school. Either way, we were at the back entrance, away from most prying eyes, and we were wasting time for the last five or so minutes when we could've already went inside.

"Then what are we waitin' for? Let's do this." I was snapped out of my thoughts by Applejack. She turned to face the doors and approached them in a brisk pace, as if not encumbered by the armor she wore in the slightest, and knocked on them loudly, awaiting for a response. While she was doing that Fluttershy decided to chime in.

"Girls, I was wondering." She started slowly, looking at us unsurely. "Do I really need to go with you? I-I mean… I'd rather not… go anywhere near those… things." She forced the last bit with difficulty, as if struggling to come up with a proper adjective to describe what by now must have rested in the depths of the Academy.

"Are you sure Fluttershy?" Twilight asked with concern, but was answered by a demure nod from our shy friend. That didn't mean she wasn't going to push the subject. "I mean you'd be all alone, everypony will be here, in the Academy. Are you really up to this?"

"Hey, I can stay and keep an eye on 'Shy if you want." Rainbow volunteered almost immediately after Twi voiced her concerns. She seemed uncharacteristically eager to join Fluttershy, even considering their long-standing friendship, which of course draw attention to her. Especially Applejack seemed to notice this, and turning around to look at Dash over her arm and said:

"If Ah recall, Hemlock ordered us ta keep an eye on the bones, not go 'round gallivantin' about." Seeing that RD was about to argue back she continued. "We've joined tha guard force Rainbow Dash, not the weather patrol. Ya can't just loaf 'round doin' nothin' an' hopin' that everything'll be alright. Like it or not, we've got responsibilities now. An' 'sides, are ya suggestin' that Fluttershy here can't take care of herself?"

"N-no, it's not like that!" Dash protested, completely not expecting that argument to come up. If anything, she didn't want to look like she wasn't supportive of her demure friend. Casting a look at Fluttershy, she asked in worry. "You're gonna be alright on your own, right?"

"Of course. You don't have to worry about me." She assured, though she seemed strangely unfocused while doing so. Looking at her questioningly, I noticed that her eyes were focused not on Rainbow, but on something in a nearby stack of crates and rain barrels. Before I was able to ask what she was looking at Fluttershy approached said crates and lightly kneeled down in front of them, reaching out with her hoof hand towards something and intoning softly, as if talking to a small child. "It's okay, you can come out now. I won't hurt you, I just want to take a better look at you."

The girls and I exchanged confused looks, trying to make heads or tails of Fluttershy's sudden weird behavior. In the end, Twilight was the first to do the obvious thing and ask.

"Fluttershy, what are you… eeep!" Twi must have saw what Flutters' was addressing, and whatever it was, it most definitely wasn't anything she found alluring if she literally jumped several hoofs in the air. Wanting to be the judge of the level of creepiness myself I tried to angle myself so that I could see what it was.

"Oh, aren't you just the cutest thing ever!" Fluttershy cooed, slightly wiggling her fingers as a small, berry-sized nose sniffed at them warily. I managed to take a good look at the animal (it's Fluttershy for pony's sake, whatever else could it be?), and I quickly realized why Twilight acted as she did. After all, only 'Shy could ever call a common street rat the size of my forearm as 'cute'.

The rat seemed wary of Fluttershy, undoubtedly unsure of how it should act. It was no doubt the first time in its short life that a being such as Fluttershy had willingly approached it without being intent on harming it. That confusion however quickly changed into curiosity as the rodent sniffed at her outstretched palm and watched her with its beady little eyes. In the meantime Fluttershy reached with her free hand for something in her pocket and produced a handful of dried fruit she must have took with her during breakfast. Bringing it forward to present the rodent with the morsel, she encouraged her new animal friend to take it, which the rat did quite readily, quickly scampering off towards the stack from which it emerged. Moments later it came back, only this time it was accompanied by a second of its kind, and several more seemed to be peering from the protective shadows of their makeshift shelter. Not long after that Fluttershy was surrounded by a ring of rats, the fair-sized rodents seemingly forgetting about their instinctive fear and boldly approaching the animal lover, much to her (and only her) delight. Heck, she even allowed a few of them to climb onto her like if they weren't plague-carrying rats but cute little squirrels or something like that.

"Shouldn't we do something?" I asked uncertainly, unable to tear my gaze away from the strange spectacle. "This probably isn't very hygienic… or safe for that matter."

"I'm not getting anywhere near that." Twilight replied the first, looking anywhere but at her friend. Her face had a slightly green tinge to it and she nervously shifted from leg to leg.

"I'm serious here. What if something happens?" I pressed on, only to be answered by Rainbow, who quite surprisingly seemed to be a fair bit calmer than moments before.

"Spike, this is Fluttershy we're talking about, a mare that literally stared down a raging boar. She'll be fine." She seemed confident about that, though after a quick glance I was able to confirm that she too was a bit unsettled by the site. "After all, rats are just really large mice, right? She dealt with those plenty of times."

I had half the mind to point out how wrong she was about that, but thought better of it. After all she was kinda right: if Fluttershy could handle an enraged boar than a dozen or so rats shouldn't be much of a problem, right?

"Ah… think this can work to her advantage actually." Applejack said slowly, unknowingly mirroring my own sentiment, and looking at Fluttershy with an expression similar to the rest of the girls -green and slightly sick. "Ah reckon nopony will want ta mess with Shy' when she's covered in dem varmints, at least nopony o' the right mind." She explained after we shot her questioning glances of our own. "Shoot, Ah don' wanna get near that, and Ah routinely have ta deal with those pests on tha farm."

"She does have a point." Rainbow nodded in agreement, shaking herself slightly and wrapping an armored arm around Twilight's shoulder, leading her towards the Academy. "C'mon, let's get this over and done with already. Shy'll  be fine, no need to worry about her anymore."

Though she did it slightly begrudgingly, Twilight allowed herself to be led towards the door, her need to meet with a fellow academic and want to get away from the giggling, rat-covered form of Fluttershy overriding whatever concern for the shy pegasus she had. Figuring I wouldn't be able to change their decision even if I tried and deciding that Flutters' really was going to be fine on her own I joined up with them. Soon after Trixie joined us as well, not even trying to conceal her disgust at what she had witnessed and urging AJ to knock at the door again.

Applejack was about to once again rap at it when the sound of a deadbolt being moved came from the other side and the door creaked open a little bit, enough for a young face to appear in the gap. At first I thought it was another one of the smaller human-like creatures, maybe even a member of the species I was now, but I quite quickly concluded that this was not the case. The proportions of his (I'm fairly certain it was a he) face were a bit off, his eyes a bit too large and his nose a bit too small for an adult, which could only mean one thing: this was a child.

The young boy looked at Applejack, who was the closest, with his big, dark eyes wide in wonder, his gaze lingering on her armor. He seemed to be struck with awe, his mouth hanging open and revealing a few missing teeth to all of us. AJ seemed a bit confused by his reaction, or should I rather say by the site of the child itself, because her reaction was one of uncertainty.

"Uh… howdy?" She greeted the boy, cocking her head to the side. The only response she got was a slow blink of the boy's eyes.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked in a hushed tone. Rainbow shook her head and replied.

"That's not the same boy who answered the door before. Too young."

"Wait, so who's supposed to…" I started to ask, but was interrupted by a commotion at the door.

"How many times do I have to repeat myself: you're not allowed on the ground level after classes! Now beat it, scrub!"

I turned back at the door just in time to see the little boy being shoved out of the way by another figure, this one definitely taller than the first. This guy had short, auburn hair and a sharp chin, his face littered with pox-marks and pimples. In short: he was a teenager.

The new guy followed the hasty retreat of the child with his eyes before he turned to face the still confused form of Applejack, a crooked smirk tugging at his lips. "Kids, amiright? Smelly little shits wouldn't know authority even if it came right at their faces and hit 'em." Now that was… coarse. The guy's lucky Rarity wasn't here. She'd no doubt lecture him on how to talk in the presence of ladies, after she was done tearing him a new one for what he already said. Even so I immediately felt a strong dislike towards the guy, and Applejack seemed not too thrilled by his presence either.

"So, those specialists ya were waiting for finally showed up?" The teen asked unceremoniously, eying Twilight and Trixie appraisingly. By his lecherous grin I concluded he liked what he was seeing, making Twi shift self-consciously, which made me in turn dislike him even more. How dare he look at her like that!

"Yes, they're here." Applejack drawled through gritted teeth, clearly annoyed on Twilight's behalf. "Now can we get a move on already? This Gandethus' fellar waited long enough as it is."

The teenager didn't seem to pick up on the hostility in AJ's voice, turning his gaze back towards her and smirking at her mockingly. "Oh, you have no idea…"