//------------------------------// // XXIII - Honesty // Story: Mortal Coil // by Reeve //------------------------------// I’ve had some strange travelling companions since my journey began, Lyra and Applejack were about as normal as anypony could get, although the former came bundled with almost fifty other ponies and an armed escort. Big Mac wasn’t much of a talker, but still held up his end of the conversation as best he could, Stranglethorn on the other hand was insanely awkward to travel with, although the exact circumstances of our travel alleviated most of the tension that would have otherwise been there. My new companion however, she was pretty much the exact opposite of Stranglethorn, to the point where I wondered if she was physically capable of not talking. Yes, Pinkie Pie was a talker, and while it made for a very entertaining walk, I did end up with a very bad headache by the end of it. Seriously, maybe she should forget the daggers and resort to talking her enemies to death. She did allow me plenty of opportunities to talk, she seemed obsessed with learning everything about me, her excuse being that she knew every little thing about all her friends. A part of me thought it was unwise to divulge too much to this girl I had only just met, but her friendly nature totally broke down my defences and before I could stop myself I was telling her everything. I told her stories from my time growing up in Mule, my life as a working mare, my time in Equestria during the war, even the events that had occurred since I returned to Panchea. In return she told me many stories as well, although hers were much more fanciful and… insane. At the time I was sure most of what she told me were outright lies, but the more I came to learn of Pinkie Pie, of her true nature, the more I realised anything was possible when it came to her. By the time I felt well enough to set off from Dolor, my dress hidden safely beneath the loose floorboard Stranglethorn had shown me, Pinkie had already droned my ear off with some story about Yaks who tried to destroy a village until she threw a big party for them. “That’s my special talent,” Pinkie said as we began pushing our way into the forest. “You can’t see because of my suit, but it’s three cute little balloons to signify how I’m the bestest party pony in the whole wide world. I don’t get to throw as many parties as I’d like to these days, most of my time is spent travelling the world, seeing sights and making new friends.” “And killing ponies,” I added, regretting it immediately. “Sorry, that was low of me.” “No it’s okay,” Pinkie said, her cheery tone not diminishing any. “Most ponies are put off by that, but I promise you I only kill beings who I believe in my heart deserve it. Even if I’m being paid for it, which I don’t do as much as you might think.” “You said earlier that you didn’t care who Arcana was,” I reminded her as we continued south to where Stranglethorn said he would leave my equipment. “Yeah…” Pinkie replied with a small sigh. “I’m glad he turned out to be a racist pig, because I hate straying from my beliefs, but I had been blinded by my search for the… Well, I’ll tell you all about that some other time.” By the time we reached the dead drop, a fallen tree that had been hollowed out, Pinkie had already changed the topic to something more upbeat. I wasn’t really listening to whatever tale she was telling me as I dug out the lockbox and sack that were hidden in the tree. My clothes and weapons were in the sack, but I tossed them to the side as I turned my attention to the lockbox, my heart beating faster as the dreadful thought that they were missing entered my mind. Pinkie had stopped talking and looked over my shoulder as I rummaged through the lockbox, finding what I was looking for. I clutched the two leather pouches close to my chest, letting out a long sigh of relief. I opened up them both up and held the two treasures before me with magic, doing nothing for the longest time but sitting on the forest floor staring at my father’s gifts. “Oh, pretty!” Pinkie exclaimed, swiping the spy glass out of my hold. She briefly extended it and peered through it before tossing it back to me, giggling as she took the compass and stared mesmerised at the spinning arrow. “Pinkie, no!” I screamed, catching the spyglass and trying to snatch the compass back. Pinkie jumped back slightly, sticking her tongue out playfully at, holding the compass over her head. “Come and get it,” she said in a sign song voice, dancing out of my reach. “Pinkie, please,” I begged, tears stinging my eyes. “That was my fathers, I can’t lose it.” Pinkie had frozen as soon as she saw my eyes, her face stricken with guilt as she gave it back to me. “I’m sorry Rarity,” Pinkie said in a genuinely apologetic tone. “I was only playing around.” I didn’t reply as I took the compass back and looked it over for any scratches or blemishes, I also checked the back compartment briefly to confirm that the glowing stone was still hidden inside. “You and your father must be close,” Pinkie commented, sounding hopeful. “Not as close as I’d like to be,” I murmured, thinking about the ocean that separated me from my family. “He’s still in Equestria with my mother and sister.” “Why don’t you tell me about them?” Pinkie suggested with a warm smile. That was how I first started telling her about myself, telling her my own stories in between hearing hers. I got dressed as we talked, strapping on my satchels, buckling my boots and sheathing my weapons. “Very cool looking,” Pinkie commented in an approving tone. “So where do we go from here?” “Well Stranglethorn suggested I take some time off and see Applejack,” I began thoughtfully. “I suppose it would be nice to see how she’s doing. Was there anything you wanted to do?” “I’ll just follow your lead,” Pinkie relied as she looked over my map at where I had marked Sweet Apple Acres. “Although, if you fancy making a quick detour we could go to the meeting place where those robed ponies tried to do away with me. They aren’t able to tell you anything, but they might have something on them that can help you find out what you needed to know about Arcana.” “Good idea,” I agreed. “Can you lead the way?” “I sure can,” Pinkie agreed, taking the lead in the opposite direction of Sweet Apple Acres. It didn’t take long to reach the clearing where Pinkie claimed to have met her mysterious employers; however it was clear when we arrived that we wouldn’t be finding much out. The clearing was deserted of any life or bodies, although the copious amounts of dried blood splattered across the grass was enough evidence for me to believe what Pinkie had told me. Pinkie frowned as she looked around, it would have been several hours since she had her run in with the robed ponies, enough time for somepony to come and clear away the bodies, although that didn’t explain who could have known to spirit away the bodies so quickly. “Maybe some animal carried them off,” I proposed. “I don’t think so,” Pinkie argued, rubbing her chin as she inspected the scene. “There’s no blood trail, any predators in these parts would have to drag their prey away unless they stopped to eat them here, and if that were the case there should be some remains.” “Wow, very deductive,” I said, rather amazed. “I’m full of surprises like that,” she said, flashing me a grin. “I can only assume ponies carried them away, but who?” “Police ponies maybe,” I suggested. “They could have been searching for us in the forest and came across them.” “I doubt it,” Pinkie disagreed. “If they were going to search for us, surely they’d check Dolor first rather than a random spot in the forest.” “I guess, although it is a wonder that they’re making no attempt to search for us beyond the city walls,” I commented. “These robed ponies must have had allies then, someone who didn’t want us coming back and finding out who they were.” “Very possible,” Pinkie agreed, still pacing around the clearing. “But they would have to have been nearby for them to clear the bodies so quickly, and if they were, why weren’t they here to help them take me down?” “Perhaps they didn’t view you as a threat, pretty foolish of them if you ask…” I began before a flash of light caught my eye. “Pinkie, take a look at this.” Pinkie bounced over to where I was crouched at the edge of the clearing, looking in at a scrap of material tangled up in the bramble bush. “That’s from their robes alright!” Pinkie declared as I pulled the tattered scrap out and inspected it. The scrap was black, embroidered in a fancy, curly style using some very impressive thread that shone with all the colours of the rainbow when looked at from a certain angle. It was the first time my skills as a fashion designer had come in handy with one of my missions, my extensive knowledge told me that this was a very expensive material, the thread especially. As good fortune would have it, I had seen that exact thread one time before during my career. “There was a competition I was in years ago,” I began to explain as Pinkie examined the cloth herself. “This was back when I was just starting out; the pony who won the show used thread just like this. It was her own patented product, and last I heard she was still not allowing any other designers to use it.” “You think she might have made those guys’ outfits?” Pinkie asked. “It’s possible,” I agreed. “From this piece alone I can tell somepony very skilled made them, and unless she sold the patent it must have been her. We could start our search by asking her who commissioned the robes.” “That’s brilliant!” Pinkie exclaimed. “See this is what I’m talking about, you and I are going to make an amazing team.” “We just might,” I admitted as I placed the material in my bag. “She used to own a shop in Pivot, if we’re lucky; she hasn’t closed down because of the war.” With that settled, we gave the clearing one last sweep before turning back the way we came. We quickly agreed that we would travel to Sweet Apple Acres first, even though it would be a little longer than going straight to Pivot. We would rest there for a bit and catch up with the Apples before making our way to Pivot, Applejack might even be making a delivery there and could join us. It took us roughly a day and a half to travel though the forest, which gave us plenty of time to get to know one another and it was during this time that most of our stories were exchanged. This time however, our trip through the forest wasn’t quite as peaceful as when Stranglethorn travelled with us. For starters we didn’t have his expert knowledge of plant life which made finding food very tricky, although Pinkie was more than happy to eat anything she could lay her hooves on, poisonous or not. I wouldn’t allow her to risk it however, as weird as she was, I didn’t want to find out whether super immunity was on her list of abilities or not, particularly as I was really starting to warm up to her during our travel. Speaking of her abilities, I quickly learned that being able to brutally kill a pony in a couple of seconds and leap off ridiculous heights without killing herself was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to what Pinkie Pie could do. She had an amazing, although slightly irritating, habit of appearing out of nowhere. One second she could be standing by my side, the next she would be somewhere entirely different, all in the time it took me to blink. I told myself that she was simply the fastest pony I had ever met; I refused to believe that she could teleport as an earth pony. However when she began doing stranger things like grabbing objects with her mane or using her tail as rotor, allowing her to hover off the ground... It had been quite early on when she adjusted her outfit to allow her tail to poke out, which turned out to be just like her mane and thus equally confusing how she kept it tucked into her costume without it showing. It was only when Pinkie popped her head out from inside a tree that was too small for anypony to physically fit inside that I finally questioned her on it. I wasn’t surprised when she didn’t answer, she simply acted like she was doing nothing out of the ordinary and quickly jumped into another tall tale, this one about turkey calls which it turned out she was quite good at. The main reason our trip wasn’t peaceful, was that the predators of the forest weren’t as reluctant to approach us as when Stranglethorn was there, on the contrary they almost seemed attracted to Pinkie, which might have had something to do with the way she bounced instead of walking, talked loudly and burst into song every so often. The first time we were ambushed by timber wolves, perhaps looking for revenge for their fallen brethren, we stopped and fought them off. Pinkie once again showing off her incredible combat skills, much like Stranglethorn she was able to take out three in the time it took me to deal with one. When the fight was over and I was crouched down, panting heavily and wiping the sweat from my brow, she looked just as energetic as before. Nothing she did seemed capable of tiring her out, when we stopped to set up camp I was worried she would never go to sleep and would stay up all night talking my ear off. Thankfully that wasn’t the case as she passed out as soon as she lay on the ground without so much as a ‘goodnight’, and didn’t wake up again until the sun had risen. Pinkie Pie was a mystery, but by the time we stepped out of the forest, looking back out over the Grand Pastures, I was quite happy to have her with me. We followed the river out of the forest, walking along it until we came to the bridge where Big Mac and I had stopped to rest on my last trip down this way. It was getting late on our second day when we got that far, but we decided to push on and reach Sweet Apple Acres, if only because we were both starving. Seeing the farm from a distance really made my heart soar, I even burst into a light trot to cover the final length that little bit faster. It was pitch black when the pair of us arrived at the entrance, stopping to look up at the sign before beginning our way up the lane to the homestead. It was just as I remembered it being, a small part of me was relieved to see that it was still in one piece and that no other bandits had attacked since I left. We were just approaching the well when I saw a small figure pass by the sitting room window, stopping as they saw us before rushing to the front door. It was almost kicked open as Applebloom rushed out, charging straight into my gut and knocking the wind from me as she hugged me tightly. “Rarity, you’re back!” Applebloom exclaimed, hopping back slightly so he could look up at me. “I did promise,” I reminded her. “Who’s your friend?” Applebloom asked, looking Pinkie up and down with wide eyes. “Is she… a clown?” “You bet I am!” Pinkie declared, leaning down so she was level with Applebloom. “My name’s Pinkie Pie, what’s yours?” “Ah’m Applebloom,” she replied, returning Pinkie’s smile. “Oh, so you’re Applebloom,” Pinkie began. “Rarity told me all about how you kicked some mean ponies’ butts using your awesome skills on a harvester.” I had indeed told Pinkie that story, although I hadn’t used those exact words, I could see she was just as good with kids as she was with… well, myself. “Applebloom, would you come insi…” Applejack began as she appeared in the doorway, stopping midsentence as she saw us. “Mah goodness, welcome back Rarity!” Applejack hurried down to greet us, giving me a much gentler hug than her sister, although it still contained the same amount of affection. “Ah didn’t expect to see you again so soon,” Applejack admitted. “But come on inside, we were just about to hit the hay, but ah can rustle you up somethin’ to eat and we can catch up.” We all made our way into the house; I walked alongside Applejack, asking her how things were going there on the farm while Pinkie walked with Applebloom. We settled into the kitchen while Applejack began sorting out a quick meal for us, the other Apple family members came in when they heard us arrive and greeted me. They were all delighted to see me and were pretty insistent on learning how I had been since I was last there. I did my best to evade their questions as I wanted to tell Applejack first, wary that she might not be pleased about my recent activities. Once we had our food and the rest of the family gave us some peace, Applejack sat opposite me and introduced herself to Pinkie Pie. Not a lot was said between the two of them, mainly because Pinkie’s mouth was so stuffed full of apple based foodstuff that even she couldn’t talk, but also because Applejack had quickly figured out something was bothering me. I finished my meal, thanked Applejack before pushing my plate to the side, we both looked awkwardly at each other before glancing at Pinkie Pie. “Um, Pinkie,” I began. “Would you mind giving Applejack and I some space? You could go introduce yourself to Winona.” “Okie dokie lokie,” Pinkie said, bouncing back into the sitting room where the collie was watching us curiously. “So Sugarcube,” Applejack said once we were alone. “What’s up? Ah can tell somethings botherin’ you.” “Yeah…” I said slowly. “I have a confession to make Applejack; after we parted ways in Mule I made my way back to my old house…” “Yeah I remember,” Applejack replied. “Has something happened?” “Yeah,” I stated, nodding sadly as I pulled out the photographs from my bag. “My house was destroyed during the war; all that was left were these.” “Oh no…” Applejack breathed as she looked over the photos before taking my hooves in her own. “Why didn’t you come back? You know we would have let you stay, I hope you haven’t been living rough this last week.” “No, I haven’t,” I responded, dreading how she would take what was coming. “I actually found something to keep myself occupied while I was in Mule. Applejack… I started working for the Rebellion.” There was a long silence following my confession, Applejack didn’t remove her hooves from mine but I could feel her grip loosen slightly. “You… joined the Rebellion?” Applejack repeated in a blank voice that could have rivalled Sufferthorn. “Yes… and no,” I answered, shaking my head slightly. “I was approached after I discovered what happened to my house, they… questioned me. In the end they asked for my help with some jobs and… and I agreed.” “Rarity…” Applejack started after another short silence. “Ah’m not goin’ to judge you, but ah think you should tell me everything that’s happened.” I swallowed a lump in throat and nodded. I told Applejack of how Maverick got in contact with me and everything that took place on the barge, the look on her face made it clear she wanted to interrupt after that, but she kept silent until I was finished. I then told her about my two missions against the Liberators, skimming over most of the details but telling her all the important things no matter how confidential they may have been. Finally I told her of my mission in Arclight, and ended my story on my escape from the city following the failure. “I know what you think of the Rebellion,” I said quickly before she could respond to my tale. “And you have every right to be, but I just want you to know that anything I’ve done for them, I did because I truly believed they were the right things to do.” “Ah… really don’t know where to start,” Applejack began, letting out a long breath. “Ah guess first of all ah should say that you don’t have to worry, ah’m not about to disown you over all this. Ah trust you when you say you only had the best intentions… ah don’t trust your friends though.” “I’m not asking you to,” I told her. “Although Stranglethorn is the only one I would call a friend. Sufferthorn definitely hates me and Maverick… I find it hard to trust him let alone like him.” “You’re right to be wary,” Applejack agreed. “Ah don’t know whether ah believe what he claimed about those orders to burn down the farm, do you believe it was really down to this marshal?” “I’m honestly not sure yet,” I admitted. “I recently found out that the marshal was doing some other shady things, so I don’t find it hard to believe he was involved, but whether Maverick really did give the order or not… I’m just not sure.” “We’ll see, but that can wait,” Applejack said. “About the jobs you helped them do, ah can see why you did, and truth be told ah can’t blame you for doin’ so. If ah was in your position ah probably would have helped stop those Liberators, although ah can’t say the same for what you did in Arclight. Stopping a war with Equestria is one thing, but all this… intrigue, are you sure you aren’t getting to deep in all this?” “If it can help put an end to all this pointless fighting, isn’t it worth it?” I asked. “Like ah said, if you think it is then ah’m not about to stop you,” Applejack repeated. “Ah just want you to be careful is all, the way they recruited you, doesn’t sound like they were giving you much of a choice. Are you sure that if they ever ask you to do somethin’ you ain’t comfortable with, that you can say no and still walk away in one piece?” I opened my mouth to reply but shut it after a moment’s thought. I thought about how Stranglethorn killed Hatchet and dealt with those timber wolves, as well as all the ponies Sufferthorn had eliminated while she waited for me to destroy the Dreadnaught. If I ever refused a mission, and they weren’t happy about it… I wasn’t sure I would be able to walk away. “The fact that you even have to think about it is worryin’ enough,” Applejack said when I didn’t reply. “Ah’m glad you’ve managed to look after yourself this long, but you should seriously consider just lettin’ it go. You stopped the Liberators, maybe that’s enough, maybe your part is done.” “I…” I began, unsure of what I wanted to say. “I don’t know yet, I’ll see what happens when Stranglethorn returns.” “Well, just know that if you decide to call it quits,” Applejack replied, gripping my hooves once more. “You’re welcome to live here with us, heck you can even bring your family over.” “That’s asking a lot,” I pointed out. “It’s no trouble,” Applejack insisted. “We have the room, you’d all be allowed to stay as long as you needed, however long it takes to get you all back onto your hooves.” I smiled at Applejack before we were both distracted by the sound of tumbling. I turned around to see that Pinkie was rolling on the floor while Winona ran around her, excitedly wagging her tail. “About your friend,” Applejack began, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “How exactly does she tie into all this?” “Oh, she was the one who killed Arcana,” I explained before I could stop myself, Applejack looked alarmed so I quickly spoke up. “Don’t worry, she’s harmless… mostly.” “She killed a pony and she’s harmless?” Applejack repeated sceptically, Pinkie overheard us speaking about her and stopped rolling. “She was hired to,” I tried to say as Pinkie entered the room. “But the ponies who did tried to have her killed afterwards. I know it’s hard to believe, but I do actually believe she’s a good pony.” “Aw, thanks Rarity!” Pinkie said, pulling me into a bone crushing hug. “And don’t you worry Applejack; from now on I’m on the good side. Team Rarity all the way!” “Uh, sure…” Applejack replied, hesitantly. “Well, ah trusted you over the Rebellion stuff, ah see no reason to stop now.” “I know this is all very bizarre,” I told her. “Believe me I know, but it’s all temporary until things settle down.” “Whenever that is,” Applejack commented. “Anyway, you two are probably tuckered out from your walk here. You can take the room you had last time Rarity, you don’t mind sharing do you?” “That should be fine, right Pinkie Pie?” I asked. “It sure is,” Pinkie said, nodding her head rapidly. “You could join us too and we could have a slumber party.” “Ah think ah’ll pass on that one,” Applejack replied with an awkward grin. “Ah have to get up early tomorrow for work, we’re making a delivery to Pivot soon and we need to get everything ready.” “Hey, we were planning on going to Pivot!” Pinkie exclaimed, shaking me by the shoulders. “We can all go together!” “Another mission?” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow at me. “Ah thought you said you were being given a break.” “No mission, just a quest of our own,” I explained. “We’re looking for a fellow fashion designer I used to know, she might be able to lead us to the ponies who hired Pinkie and subsequently tried to… remove her.” “Fair enough,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes slightly. “Well you are welcome to join me, and hey, we might see your other friends there too.” “The thought has been on my mind,” I admitted. “Although I had been hoping to have some extra money the next time I saw them.” “I’m sure they’ll just be happy to see you,” Applejack assured me. “And we’ll give them some apple treats on the house as always.” With that decided, Pinkie and I made our way to the guest room where she passed out quickly again while I stayed awake dwelling on everything that had happened. I was relieved that Applejack wasn’t angry at me for aiding the Rebellion, but her concerns did give me pause for thought. It had been some time since I had considered Maverick to be a possible threat, but if I ever did want out, would they allow it? I was just glad that we would be returning to Pivot soon, a peaceful trip there and a reunion with Grass Snake and the others was exactly what I needed.