Chapter 3: The Pay o- Wait, what just happened?
Two figures landed in the alley. Really, there was only supposed to be one. But the other that was trying to pull out her hair ended up tagging along for the ride. “Let go of me, Rarity!”
“You bitch! You utter bitch! I was worried sick over you!” Rarity bellowed as she tried to strangle the Lady Star that was still hidden in her magic. “How dare you lie to me about being sick!”
“You lied about being a thief.” Twilight countered, dropping her magic so she could look Rarity in the eye.
“I- You’re still a bitch!” Rarity yelled, slapping at Twilight.
“It’s good to know you were so worried…”
“Shut up.” Rarity sighed as she dropped her hands. “You- I- I hate you, Twilight.”
“Feelings mutual right now.” Twilight growled as she pushed Rarity off of her. “Come on, we need to get to my safe house.”
“What? Why?” Rarity asked, rounding on the liar Sparkle. “Why should I go anywhere with you? You’re a rival!”
“You don’t have to go anywhere with me, truth be told.” Twilight said as she smiled to Rarity. “Good luck finding out what’s going on without my resources though. Now if you want to stand a chance, you’ll stick close to me.”
“Oh please darling. You wish you had my resources.” Rarity huffed, whipping her hair back as she gloated.
“Oh, you have an all access in with the Royal guard? Guaranteed to come ask for you?”
“...”
“That’s what I thought. Now, there was a break in. The guard will come ask me for help since I have to break the spell. And they are going to be looking for me at my safe house.” Twilight sneered. “If you want to stand any chance of finding this gem now, you’ll need me. And I’ll need your gem expertise. So temporary truce?”
“You- You… oh I hate you.” Rarity sighed as she got up to follow Twilight to her safe house. “What about our suits? These don’t scream normal, everyday attire.”
Twilight stopped as she looked to her own garb, letting out a few choice words. She opened a magical rift as she rooted around for costumes. After a minute, she pulled out two, though her grabs were not very effective. “Here, pick one.”
“A cheerleader outfit or a maids uniform?!” Rarity sputtered. “What kind of closest did you reach into, a perversion chest? Where is your fashion sense? I taught you better than that!”
“I can’t see inside that dimension! I just grabbed the first ones I came across.” Twilight refuted, pulling the garments close to look them over carefully. “And these aren’t that bad…”
“Give me that cheerleader outfit.” Rarity growled as she pulled over the suit magically.
“Hmm.” Twilight hummed as she mystically changed her clothes so that she was in a perpetual state of dress as her suit melted and the maids outfit replaced it simultaneously. She turned with a smile as she looked to Rarity, finding the fashionista struggling to accomplish anything.
“What?” Rarity growled as she fought to get the leather and spandex suit off her shoulders, giving Twilight more than an eyeful.
“You can’t change your clothes magically?”
“What of it? That’s very high level magic.”
“Well, it’s just you’re a seamstress… I kinda figured you would be-”
“Twilight, I love fashion. Hell, I live for fashion, but I’m a thief.” Rarity corrected. “My magnus mark is three diamonds, not unlike the ones I steal. I don’t have time to learn all of the spells you do. I work very hard at what I do.”
“I always wondered abo-”
“Twilight?”
“Yes?”
“Please be a dear, and stop staring at my tits!”
“Sorry!” Twilight shrieked, spinning around as she felt herself blush. She quickly pinned together space at the ends of the alley way so that no one could see in.
“Thank you, darling.” Rarity sighed as she continued to dress.
“You’re w-” Twilight started to say as Rarity coughed, making Twilight notice she was unconsciously looking back as she spoke.
“Eyes on the prize, Darling.” Rarity sighed. I never would have guessed my flirting would have had this effect…
“So… do you have any money on you?” Twilight asked at long last as Rarity finished with her ridiculous attire, taking the indigo haired lady’s outfit and tossing both into the void she had created.
“Why?”
“Cause I’m kinda mystically tapped out…” Twilight admitted. “I don’t have the power to teleport us to my safe house. It’s too far.”
“You- I- If you think I’m going to ride the bus looking like this, you are sorely mistaken!”
<<<>>>
Ten minutes later, the two ladies were nestled between two frat boys on the bus. They had been able to convince them they were on their way to a costume party, but the boys didn’t care in the end. The only thing those two college boys wanted to do was just flirt. Rarity decided right then and there that Twilight was doomed. She would wait till they were off the bus, and then she would let her have it. All of it that she had to give, plus a little extra for making her fret over that librarian for a week.
Unbeknownst to the indigo haired beauty, Twilight was having similar thoughts as they neared her recall point one block at a time. This was definitely a two Cheshire problem now.
<<<>>>
“Twilight!” The concerned voice of the parent yelled as daughter and friend came up the mansions long drive toward the house. Pulling her daughter in close, she crushed her with a hug and whispered. “The guard is here. It’s go time.”
“Mom, ther-” Twilight tried to say, but her mother ran off, leaving a rather aghast daughter and irate guest in her drive.
“Come on ba- What the hell are you wearing?” Velvet asked as she finally noticed what the two of them were wearing. “And why is Rarity here?”
“Darling, are you honestly telling me that your safe house is your own house?” Rarity whispered, fighting to contain a laugh. “You picked literally the first place anyone would look for you.”
“I'll explain everything once we’re safe. Right now, I have work to do.” Twilight argued as she pushed past her confused mother with the angry Rarity in tow.
“Oh, baby girl, Sh-” Velvet began, but she was too late.
“Twily! There you are!” Shining sang as he jumped down the front landing’s stairs, rushing up to hug Twilight. “Oh you are in so much trouble.”
“What?!”
“Mom told me everything.” Shining huffed as he held the small girl close. “Using a temporary cure charm to go out clubbing? You know you’ll just be even sicker tomorrow now.”
“Oh, oh yeah…” Twilight nodded. “Um, it sounded like a good idea at the time?”
“Well it’s a blessing in disguise right now. Come on, change and then get back down here.” Shining urged, finally letting his sister go. “There’s been a break in at the museum. Someone smashed the Diamond Muffin.”
“I wonder who would do such a thing?” Rarity gasped in mock surprise, though her tone dripped with malice.
“I’ll find out, Rarity.” Twilight smiled as she looked over her shoulder.
“No, we need you both. Come on, and get outta those-” Shining started but stalled as he looked over the two girls. “Stripper outfits?”
“It’s not stripper wear, it was a costume party!” Twilight growled as she trudged up the stairs, a smirking Rarity close on her heels.
“But darling, I distinctly remember stripping involved.”
“You shut up. You’re not helping.” Twilight snapped as the pair disappeared inside the house, leaving mother and son on the stoop alone.
“So did I miss something? Cause it seems like they’re fighting. They never fight…” Shining finally offered up.
“Your guess is as good as mine right now…”
<<<>>>
The door clicked close, and Rarity waited patiently as Twilight soundproofed the room. Then, and only then, did she let the cork off her rage. “I’m going to kill you!”
“Oh shut up. I need to think.” Twilight muttered as she paced back in forth in her room.
“This whole time. I’ve been feeling guilty about lying to you this whole time, and you’re a thief?!”
“Look who’s talking!” Twilight snapped back. “Do you think I was able to look at this and say ‘Gee, Rarity won’t mind me using her to commit crimes,’ for the past week? Is that what you believe?”
“Maybe!” Rarity shot back. “All I know is I came to tears one night as I tried to tell you, and this is how you repay me?!”
“You- You came to tears over me…” Twilight gasped.
“And I’ll cry again at your funeral!” Rarity screamed as she lunged at Twilight, taking her to the floor. “You lied to me. You lied to me, and you feel nothing! Do I mean nothing to you, Twilight?”
“I almost quit because of you!” Twilight screamed back. “The only thing that made me carry on was-” Twilight stopped, cursing herself as she dropped her head back to the floor with a soft thud.
“Was what?” Rarity growled.
“Cheshire.” Twilight muttered feebly. “I did it for the name of Cheshire.”
“So you weren’t kidding. You really are the next Cheshire.” Rarity huffed. “Which means…” Twilight cursed herself again as she look into those sapphire eyes as the light came on deep inside them. “Your mother was the last Cheshire.”
“I said I was the third Cheshire daughter.” Twilight smiled as Rarity took a futile slap at the pinned mage.
“Velvet is a thief too? How far does this go, Twilight?” Rarity argued as she sat up, keeping Twilight in place. Twilight ‘s silence gave the top thief a good idea as she remembered her earlier exchange. “Spikey Wikey!?”
“He’s only tech support.” Twilight argued back, holding up her hands in defense.
“He’s fifteen!” Rarity shouted back. “He’s your baby brother!”
“What about Sweetie Belle then?” Twilight pressed, making Rarity stall.
“She doesn't know anything.” Rarity hissed. “And don’t you-”
“So what will she say if you suddenly don’t come home?” Twilight shot back.
Rarity didn’t answer. She merely slapped Twilight again. But that bookish girl never took her eyes off the other as she took the hit. “At least Spike knows why I leave. He knows what I do, and having others to confide in helps me bare these lies.”
“Don’t you dare mention Sweetie again. Do you understand me?” Rarity managed through ragged breaths. “Just- Just don’t.”
“I’m sorry…” Twilight offered while holding her glare. She was mad, and her cheek stung like fire, but she could also see she had crossed the line. “I’m sorry. Now we have a lot of details to go over, but first we need to change our clothes and act our asses off.”
Rarity snorted as she finally stood up, walking over to Twilight’s closet as she took Twilight’s favorite sweater. “We’re not done. And I’m borrowing this.”
Twilight could only stare aghast as the girl left her room without another word, and Twilight groaned. “She’s going to stretch it out…”
<<<>>>
Shining was never paid enough. A break in on the night of his and Cadences three month anniversary, four criminals, two insane men screaming about demons on the river, and now…
“You are stretching it out and I want it back!”
“You made me wear a stupid cheerleader outfit!”
“You picked it!”
“Girls…” Shining groaned as he drove the pair to the museum. On the way back, they can take a cab…
“Well excuse me for not liking your fetish wear!”
“Don’t blame me, I can’t control what comes out of the rift!”
“Girls.”
“Oh right, and the way you were staring at my-”
“Group, Atten-Shun!” Shining bellowed as the two girls snapped to attention, both hitting their heads on the SUV's ceiling, before flopping back down with pained grunts.
“Ow… Shiny, what the hell was that for?” Twilight groaned as she tried to focus on her brother through her new headache.
“Ughhh…” Rarity supplied, her head flopping back as she tried to quell her nausea.
“You two are out of control. What the heck happened between you?”
“Rarity was-” Twilight started, but stopped short. A quick lie wouldn’t help her. She needed something to see her onto the path to brotherly redemption. “No, you don’t want excuses. I’m sorry Shining. Rarity, I’m willing to let our bigones be bigones.”
That a girl Twi-
“Oh son of a donkey herding bitch, that hurt!” Rarity finally screamed when she could, almost startling Shining Armor off the road.
Ya know, I’ll even pay for the cab.
<<<>>>
Two mages strode into the museum like the owned the place. All who saw this dynamic pair felt hope rise as the pair made their spectacular enterence, brimming with confidence. Little did everyone there know that this was due to the exasperated Shining Armor using a marching spell on the two so they would stop arguing for five minutes. But the results were fantastic, so they acted like it was their idea.
One guard stepped up with a red envelope, cracking the wax seal once the ladies stood before him. “Adepto Operari.”
Both girls grabbed their heads, grunting as if their skulls were on fire as they took a seat. Slowly the two rose up shakily, taking the water bottles offered to them. “Oh, I hate memory spells darling.”
“Agreed.” Twilight groaned falsely. “Okay, let’s check this out…”
“Ladies, there you are!” The curator sang as he ran over to the pair. “Please, tell me you can find out just what happened?”
“That’s really the guards job, James. But we’ll do everything we can. That is, if we may, Shining?” Twilight asked her brother whom was quick to nod in reply. So Lady Star and Rarity began walking around, mystically scanning everything. The pair discreetly probed each gem fragment, picking them up and spinning them in their mana. But the traces left on it were unlike anything either had seen before. Considering one of the two studied under the sun goddess, that meant something.
“Well, I’m feeling a lot of mana everywhere.” Rarity finally sighed. “Whatever did this was powerful…”
“Most of this is our mana, Rarity.” Twilight said as Rarity froze. Is she really willing to oust herself like this for revenge? “Whatever came through our summoning ring was not a happy camper…” In that moment, years of practice paid off as Rarity gave nothing away.
“Good lords…” The curator muttered, sinking to the floor. “A demon did this to the jewel it was bound too?”
“Well, it was pulled out of Hades…” Twilight informed.
“But why the gem?” Rarity asked. Twilight took this as her invitation to share her guess, because something about the fake troubled her. Like how they bypassed her portal charm to make a swap on a bound jewel.
“It’s a fake.” Shining huffed as he stood back up, startling both ladies.
“How do you know that?” Rarity stammered.
“I saw you two magically picking up pieces.” Shining explained. “It’s known only by the guard that the gem is cursed. It can’t be handled mystically at all.”
“Oh…” Rarity and Twilight muttered. So their private discovery had not been exactly so private after all.
“Who cursed the gem? Maybe we could ask them some questions?” Twilight offered as Shining chuckled.
“Unless you can talk to the dead, it ain’t gonna happen. Clover the Clever herself cursed the jewel.” Twilight felt her face twist into a snarl. To everyone, it was the face of a cold lead. To a thief, it was discovering the history to your target made it impossible to track down. “I bet the demon discovered this and smashed the jewel.” Shining hypothesized. “Clover was a renowned demon slayer in her day after all.”
“Unlikely.” Twilight and Rarity answered. “That demon just wanted to spite us.”
“Well, we’re lucky it did, otherwise we would have never known just how good of a thief we are up against here… I just have no idea who or- or what could be behind this…” James cursed.
“If it hadn’t been stolen though, you’d be livid that it smashed the jewel.” Rarity pointed out.
“Anyways ladies, it looks like your trap is sprung?”
“Yeah. There’s nothing left for Rarity and I to dispel.” Twilight smiled.
“But there is one thing I don’t understand.” Shining sighed as he pointed to the roof. “Why did the thief shoot the camera if they were fighting a demon?”
“Umm…” Rarity managed, brilliantly at that.
“Was that a mage blaster?” Twilight noted while looking at the burns. “Doesn’t Selina love to use those?”
“Felicia.” Shining corrected.
“So I guess she fought back and missed?” Twilight offered. She didn’t want to lose Rarity’s expertise right now. She desperately didn’t want to lose her.
“Well, it’s possible…” Shining groaned, mulling the idea over. “But I just don’t buy that she missed. It’s just off…”
“This was a demon, he probably tricked her into shooting the camera.” Rarity added, stepping up next to Twilight and Shining.
“From the angle, it came from… over there.” Shining noted while he turned to look at Rarity’s display from earlier.
“She must have took a shot from the cover and just hit the camera on accident.” Twilight attempted to dismiss.
“And just happened to hit the camera? Nope, I don’t buy it.” Shining grunted as he tasked a tech to take photos of the display for forensics.
“He’s good.” Rarity whispered.
“How has he never figured me out?” Twilight sighed before shrugging. “Too busy hunting his great white whale.”
“Hmm?”
“Black Cat and Cat Woman.” Twilight clarified. “He wants to be the one to bust them.”
“Why them?” Rarity asked politely.
“Why not them?” Twilight shrugged. “He hates these thieves that never get caught.”
“Must make Hearths Warming diner awkward.” Rarity smiled.
“You have no idea.” Twilight snorted as she ran over to join her brother’s search.
Should I tell him then? No, I still need her. AS much as I hate to admit it, this sort of magic is her specialty… But I can still have some fun with it. “Oh Shining, Twilight has a theory.”
“What?” The Star siblings asked, spinning around.
“She said it wasn’t much, but there seems to be some spatial warping evidence here…” Rarity smiled. But to her disappointment, Shining took the bait all too well.
“You summoned No Face?!” Shining screamed as he rose, turning to bear down on the now confused Twilight. “What the Hades where you thinking?!”
“No Face?” Rarity asked, perplexed.
“Old demon in Hades our Family trapped there.” Shining clarified with his eyes glued on Twilight. “It was from him that my grandmother learned all the spatial warping magic there is now.”
“I didn’t mean too!” Twilight refuted, taking a step back from her imposing brother. “He must be bound to any summoning rings we cast.” Way to go Rarity, now he’s pissed at me!
“Well, you were right about it being spite that made him smash the gem.” Shining huffed as he sat down on Rarity’s display, not caring about the tampering of evidence. “Are you sure he was returned to Hades?”
“Completely.” Twilight nodded. It was easy to say that when they never summoned him. “The spell would return anything summoned in thirty seconds, no matter where it went.”
“You had better be right.” Shining huffed as he stood up. “Just to be safe, I’m putting out an BOLO for No Face. If he is back, we need to be ready.”
“Roger.” Twilight and Rarity saluted. The pair took off after this reveal, seeing that now there was nothing left for them to cover or learn. At least, not here.
<<<>>>
The two ladies didn’t say a word on the ride back to Star Manor. One was lost in thought, and the other was feeling very entitled to keep her discoveries to herself, despite Twilight’s protests. No, Rarity had some good leads now, and would just have to sneak out after they got back, and go track this gem down on her… own… which was stolen by an archmage level thief… without tripping any security in the museum… and no one noticing for up to seven days... Rarity now used the remainder of the ride to work out her apology to Twilight. She needed the gem first, then she could never speak to her again.
But all of those plans were dashed as the car came up the drive, because there waiting for them was Twilight Velvet. Dutchess, author, and mother of three. She was not a woman to be trifled with. And she was looking much too happy to see these two return for as confused as she had to have been.
“Baby!” Velvet cried, throwing her arms around Twilight as she got out of the cab. Rarity walked up to her favorite Star at the moment with a large grin as Velvet just looked at her, almost appraising her as the cab took off. Finally, alone on their own property, Velvet took the chance to speak. “Great job, baby. It looks just like her.”
“Huh?” Two of the assembled three thieves asked, looking between each other.
“Gods you’re brilliant.” Velvet smiled. “Well, go ahead and dismiss your familiar Twilight, we have work to do.”
“Her what?” Rarity balked.
“Mom, there’s been a change in plans.” Twilight persisted.
“What is it baby? And why are you still here. Shoo.” Velvet said as she tried to dissipate her daughter’s friend.
“Stop that.” Rarity said as she was chased around by the mage. “Twilight , make your mother stop.”
“Mom, I didn’t get the muffin.” Twilight said, stalling Velvet at last. “And that’s not a familiar. That’s Rarity.”
“What?” Velvet stood still for longer than was comfortable, letting the words sink in. “You didn’t get the gem?”
“Mother, big picture. Rarity is here. Why do you think that is?” Twilight snapped back.
“To hell with Rarity, no offence, but you didn’t get the gem?!” Velvet finally screamed.
“Parlor, now.” Twilight groaned, burying her face in her hand.
“Are all Cheshire’s this crazy?” Rarity asked as she pushed Velvet out of arm’s reach, politely.
“How does she know about Cheshire?” Velvet screamed as the three took to the steps.
“Gee, I wonder how?” Twilight growled as she opened the door. “Where’s Spike when you need him.”
<<<>>>
“Sweetie Belle! It’s not what it looks like! It was a game, I swear!”
“With ladies in provocative outfits and- and big… boobies?!”
“... You’ve never seen a video game, have you?”
<<<>>>
“So let me get this straight.” Velvet hissed as she paced back in forth in front of the two thieves. “You didn’t get the muffin?”
“Did you miss the part where Rarity here is also an art thief.” Twilight shot back.
“Or where Twilight was staring at my tits.” Rarity huffed.
“Or that a archmage level thief stole the gem.”
“Or that Twilight was staring at my tits!”
“You already said that.” Twilight hissed.
“Well, you were.” Rarity huffed.
“It’s okay, Rarity. Everyone stares at your tits. They’re nice.” Velvet absently supplied while she paced back and forth while Rarity blushed, covering her chest self consciously for decency. “Much nicer than Twilight’s.”
“Mom!” Twilight cried, covering her lack of self out of embarrassment.
“So who has my gem?” Velvet growled, pacing, and fuming. Fuming, and pacing.
“My gem.” Twilight corrected.
“Aha, no darling. The muffin is rightfully mine.” Rarity smiled. “But it’s nice to know just whom your fence is.”
“Me? Be her fence?” Velvet laughed. “Honey, a fence is a lame thief. And I am by no means lame.”
“When was your last heist then, mom?”
“Eight months ago. Trottingham. I stole the Nexus prototype blueprints.” Velvet smiled. “You two?”
“I’m not saying.” Rarity said with a flip of her hair.
“Six months ago, Rarity here was in Manehatten, going after the muffin then too.” Twilight smiled as Rarity turned white.
“How did you know that?” Rarity asked slowly, trying to not give anything away.
“Spike told me, before he went off line. I think he heard our fight and bailed.”
“Some tech support.” Rarity dismissed sarcastically.
“Best I’ve ever had.” Twilight nodded, missing the point entirely. “So what was your last successful heist?”
“... A year ago. I stole the Golden Dragon of Scale Lanka.” Rarity said as she sank into her seat, needing to prove herself among her fellow thieves. “How about you, darling?”
“A year ago also.” Twilight shrugged. “I stole Sapphire Shores headdress.”
“You did?” Rarity asked, looking over to the small thief, a genuine smile of gratitude sweeping over her. “Thank you darling. She commissioned me to replace it after that.”
“See, it’s a good thing that I stole it.” Twilight smiled. “And I got three A rank scrolls for it.”
“Scrolls?” Rarity asked, arching her brow.
“Some of my fences know how much I love ancient magic no one else has ever gotten to see, so they offer me a trade whenever they get their hands on one. They ask me for the really hard to get items.”
“If no one’s ever seen these spells, how do you know they’re legit?” Rarity asked.
“Old magic. These spells bind to whomever reads them, then destroy the scroll. Anything B rank or above has this protection.” Twilight smiled as she lectured. “Using a mana trace, one can accurately tell the type of magic also. After a while, the magic starts to seep into the scroll, giving it it’s own spell force.”
“Amazing.” Rarity said as she sat forward, putting her chin in her hand as she listened intently. “So what did you deem as worthy of the Diamond Muffin?”
“I don’t know.” Twilight confessed. “All I know is that it’s an original Starswirl the Bearded scroll. Likely spells would be time control, based off how powerful the radiant magic is on it.”
“Time magic…” Rarity muttered as she slipped off her perch, jerking to stay upright. “By the gods…”
“So what’s the plan?” Velvet asked, finally taking a seat. She didn’t like that Twilight was being so open, but based on the looks these two were sharing, it wouldn’t matter. They shared a curiosity, a passion. There was fire here, competition, and pride. They would be unstoppable, if only they could keep working together and not bicker.
Besides, Velvet would get to steal the gem from her daughter soon enough. True, it would only be for a second, but she just really wanted to be able to say she had finally stolen the gem in her life, from a Bishop level mage too.
“We need to talk to every fence in town, see who might have had a strong enough player out there.” Twilight said, not looking too happy about it.
“Darling, I don’t think that’s going to work.” Rarity frowned. “No one will just willingly tell us.”
“Sure they will, we’ll ask politely.” Twilight smiled. A smile laced with malintent and terror.