The Problem With Jewelry

by bahatumay

Chapter 3

“This is awesome!” Rainbow whispered excitedly.

“This is insane,” Applejack hissed back, tugging her shirt collar down a bit. “We're stowaways!”

“We are using our surroundings to our advantage for the greater good and safety of Equestria proper,” Daring Do corrected as she slid Applejack’s bag into hiding. “Now put on your hat.”

“How come I’m the one in the hat and the dress?” Applejack protested.

“Because all of the spare crew member uniforms in that closet had wing holes, and you don’t have wings. You’re a passenger now, so act like it!”

“Act how?” Applejack asked.

Daring glanced up, and her ears pricked. “Like you belong here,” she hissed, “and you’d better figure it out soon!”

“What do-?”

But she figured out what she’d meant when somepony who did actually work there coughed politely behind her. They spun around to see a stallion there, dressed in a very nice suit with the logo of the steamboat embroidered on his chest. “Good evening, madam. Will you be joining one of the parties tonight?”

Applejack glanced briefly at the two pegasi before speaking in a perfect Manehattan accent. “Yes, I believe I shall,” she said. “Sitting in my room all alone is dreadfully boring. Which of the parties would you recommend, good sir?”

The stallion seemed to brighten at being asked his opinion. “Well, the theme dance has always been popular with our guests. Others prefer the fast-paced action of the games room.”

“I have always enjoyed games,” Applejack said. “Perhaps I shall try that.”

“Certainly. Just flash your ticket at the door.” He paused and raised an eyebrow. “You do have your ticket, I presume?”

“She did,” Daring Do piped up. “We were checking. But Clumsy Butterhooves here-” she jerked her head towards Rainbow, “-dropped it and it got soaked in the spray.”

Rainbow buried her head in her hooves, though whether from false shame or hiding her laughter Applejack really couldn’t tell.

The stallion raised an eyebrow, and Daring continued. “I mean, she could go down and have another one reprinted, but that would be such an inconvenience for our guest, and it wouldn’t be fair to punish her for our mistake.”

That was the magic word. The stallion straightened up and smiled brightly. “But of course. Our guests should not be forced to compensate for the... actions of the crew.” His eyes narrowed as he glared at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow coughed. “Well, let’s get going, we’ve got parties to go to and activities for the whole family!” she said. “Follow me, ma'am.”

The three mares started walking; and right as Applejack was convinced that they’d managed to fool him, he coughed.

“Um, fillies?”

They looked back.

The stallion pointed behind him. “It would be quicker to go this way.”

“Right,” Rainbow said. “I knew that.” She quickly walked with Applejack the other way, and as she passed him, she leaned in and whispered, “First cruise on here. Can you tell?”

“Hardly,” he said flatly.

As soon as the stallion was out of sight, Applejack let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding.

Daring bumped her excitedly. “You have a great accent! Where’d you learn that?”

“Manehattan. Spent a summer there as a filly. Oh, I was sweatin’ like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs…” Applejack panted. “I thought he was gonna see right through me! What now?”

“Now, you get to play a game. Good luck!”

“I beg your pardon?”

“He’s going to expect us in here, so if he comes back and we’re gone, it’s the whole steamboat on high alert looking for stowaways,” Daring Do explained.

“I thought you said we weren’t stowa-?”

“So we’re going in there and you’re going to play a round or two,” Daring Do cut her off. “Come on.”

They soon found the game room. And it was nothing like Applejack had expected. “What kind of games are they playing?” she asked.

“Poker?” Daring Do guessed. “Looks like poker.”

“You’re terrible at poker!” Rainbow chuckled, nudging Applejack playfully.

“Welp, guess I’d better learn,” Applejack shrugged.

Rainbow opened the door.

“Remember,” Daring whispered as they walked Applejack inside like an honor guard. “You’re cool, calm, and confident. You belong here. You-”

“-are half an hour late!”

They looked over to see a mare standing there, looking none too pleased. “Where have you been? Your shift started at six!” she hissed.

And the next thing they knew, she was whisking the two pegasi away, muttering angrily under her breath, leaving Applejack there, facing a table.

The mare nearest her looked up and pushed the chair out with a hoof, inviting her to sit.

Applejack gulped. There was no way this could end badly.

Still, she needed to hide. So with more than a little bit of trepidation, she sat down at the table.

The dealer gave her a polite nod in welcome. “Small buy-in, twenty bits.”

Applejack winced. That was twenty bits more than she’d planned on spending today. “Right,” she said, reaching for her bit pouch. “Are we playing stud or draw?”

“Draw,” the dealer answered politely. Applejack realized that it was written on the table right in front of her. She winced. So much for a solid first impression.

She was given chips and dealt her cards, and she picked them up. She knew how to play poker, of course. She was just really, really bad at it.

She organized her cards and placed two back down, and received two more in return. Her ears pricked up, and she grinned.

Her fellow players reacted quickly.

“Fold.”

“I fold.”

“I’m out.”

Applejack cracked a wry smile as she scooped up her chips. Not bad for a pair of threes*.

* * *

Applejack’s ears drooped, but she maintained her dogged staring at her cards. She slid another chip in and waited. Was hoping for that four of a kind, but a flush ain’t bad.

Her partners twitched. One reached for a chip, and then retracted his hoof, uncertain of his actions.

Applejack, not wanting to give off any more tells than she already was, glanced away from the table. Her eyes landed on a cyan mare with a rainbow-colored mane.

Rainbow Dash was wearing a tight serving saddle carrying drinks and other snacks, drawing as much attention to her body as it could without looking too scandalous. Her eyes met Applejack’s, and she glared at Applejack and mouthed, ‘Not. One. Word.’

Applejack cracked a smile and looked back at her cards.

“Fold.”

“Ha. I’m staying.”

And the game continued.

A few rounds later, though, Applejack’s ears pricked up, and not because of her cards she’d just been dealt. She couldn't shake the feeling that somepony was staring at her. She shook her head and slid another chip in the pot.

But she still couldn’t shake that feeling that she was being watched.

She dared to look over her shoulder, and amidst all the ponies there, she caught sight of a griffon. He seemed to be smirking as he looked at her.

Seeing that he’d caught her attention, he smoothly stood up and ambled over. “Good evening. That’s a nice bracelet you have there,” he said by way of greeting.

Applejack froze. Her heart started racing, but she did her best to remain calm. “Thank you kindly,” she said guardedly. “It’s been in the family for generations.”

“Is that so?” he answered. “That’s fascinating. I wonder-”

And then a khaki hoof rested on his shoulder.

“Good evening, sir. Would you care for a drink?” Daring Do asked with a strange, almost eerily chipper voice.

“No, I’m fine,” he answered.

“That’s good to hear,” Daring Do continued airily. “It seems that this table is full, sir. But we have plenty of other games you might join in.”

“I’m just trying to have a conversation,” he answered, his face curling up in a suppressed snarl.

Daring Do smiled disarmingly. “I’m afraid that would detract from her playing experience, and we cannot allow that,” she said, gently turning him away and escorting him to another table. “There are other games you can join.”

His tail flicked as he was led away, clearly annoyed but unwilling to make a scene. As she led him away, Daring Do looked back towards Applejack. ‘Run!’ she mouthed.

Applejack needed no second warning. “Fold,” she announced, dropping her cards, scooping up her remaining winnings and dumping them in her bag. She raised a hoof respectfully towards the dealer (who was still reeling from the fact that she had just folded with a flush) and turned to head out.

Rainbow Dash saw her leaving, and quickly dropped off all of her drinks at the nearest table (much to the surprise of the ponies there) and quickly trotted over to catch up to Applejack. She ducked her head. “What’s going on?” she asked in a rushed whisper.

Applejack answered, “I think we’ve been had.”

They jumped at the sound of glass shattering. They spun around to see a griffon, stunned and laying across a table, and Daring Do holding a shattered bottle.

“Sir, this uniform is not an invitation,” she growled loud enough that everypony there could see.

At that particular table, an older mare sat, playing blackjack. She hefted her purse. Apparently she’d worked waitressing jobs before. Or maybe she was just intent on teaching him a lesson. Or perhaps she had been busting on twelves the past three rounds and needed some way to vent her anger. Either way, the griffon soon found himself on the receiving end of a very angry handbagging.

Daring Do took a step back and quickly faded back into the crowd as some ponies got up to watch and security ponies darted in. “I don’t think he even has a ticket!” she cried before she disappeared deeper into the crowd.

“Where’s she going?” Rainbow asked.

“Where are we going?” Applejack countered. “We’re not going to just jump overboard, are we?”

“Nah,” Rainbow shook her head. “In Daring Do and the Search for the Golden Scepter, she was on a steamboat like this one. That’s probably how she knew where the closets were.”

“And?”

“And in the book, she borrowed a lifeboat to leave.”

“So you want to ‘borrow’ a lifeboat?” Applejack asked.

“I’m not gonna swim, if that’s what you’re asking!” Rainbow retorted. “There’s piranhas and who knows what else in that river. Come on!”

They raced around the outer deck, looking for the lifeboats.

“There!” they heard a voice cry. Rainbow looked behind to see two griffons, pointing after them.

And now they were racing for their lives.

“Split up!” Rainbow called, making a sharp left turn. Applejack nodded and kept running straight. When she could, she took a right turn.

This was a mistake; her path led her deeper into the steamboat. She ducked around surprised mares, startled stallions, and laughing foals; but the sound of the griffon chasing her grew louder as well.

She ducked under a banner and headed further into the bowels of the ship. The sound of the claws against the metal behind her grew fainter, and she allowed herself a faint smile. She darted around the corner…

And slammed headfirst right into a large, exposed pipe.

Applejack dropped to the ground, clutching at her head. She tried to stand up, but the sounds of claws on metal made her freeze.

The griffon from earlier stood there, and he looked quite angry (the feathers missing from his face from the handbagging attack didn’t help, either). Before Applejack could react, he grabbed her right foreleg and slid a second bracelet on.

“It is a match,” he laughed as Applejack pulled away. “Griffone will be pleased.”

Applejack forced herself upright, eyes narrowed. “Is that all you got?” she growled, pawing at the ground.

The griffon snorted. “Actually, it is,” he admitted, “the three of us were only given one bracelet each. But the more bracelets you’re wearing, the stronger the pull of the others; and the easier it is to track you.” His beak curled up in an evil smile. “You can run, and we’ll find you; or you can come quietly with me right now.”

Applejack straightened up and grinned. “I’m’a take a third option.”

He didn’t even have time to be taken aback before two hooves slammed into the back of his head. His head traveled forward until it was suddenly stopped by the same pipe Applejack had hit. He slumped to the ground, unconscious.

“I ain't never been so glad to see you,” Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash bowed, but then paused. “Wait…” she said, working that out in her head.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Come on!”

With Rainbow leading the way, they quickly managed to get to the outside again. The lifeboats weren’t hard to find, as there were more than enough for everypony on board.

What was hard was getting one free. To prevent sabotage or vandalism, they had been locked.

“Seriously?” Rainbow asked, pawing at the lock. “What if it was an emergency?” She pulled, then twisted, and finally leaned down and gnawed on the lock. “It’s… stuck…” she grunted.

“Here,” Applejack said, turning around. “I’ll just…”

“Hey, now,” Daring Do’s voice broke in. “Vandalism isn’t the answer. We’re not common scofflaws, after all.”

“Daring!” Rainbow cheered.

Daring held up a key. “In the fur,” she said. “Sorry I'm late. Had some trouble shaking my tails.” She tossed the key to Rainbow Dash. “Get us a boat, drop it in the water, keep it close to the steamboat.”

Applejack raised a hoof. “Where are you going?”

“I need my bag. It won’t take long to get it!” Daring called over her shoulder.

“Get mine, too!” Rainbow called.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “I think we’ve got bigger things to worry about,” she muttered.

Rainbow finished unlocking the boat. She started to push. “Come on, help me get this up!”

Applejack lowered her shoulder and pushed up, lifting the boat off of its holding hooks. But right before they could finish pushing it over the barrier…

“Excuse me!”

Applejack spun around to see that same stallion as before, This time, though, he looked very angry.

“This is most irregular! What is your room number?” he demanded. “You’ll be restricted to your cabin for the remainder of the voyage!”

Applejack grimaced… and then, faster than he could react, reared back and headbutted him. He dropped like a sack of potatoes, unconscious. “Aww,” Applejack grumbled, reaching up and rubbing her head. “I’m gonna feel guilty about that one.”

“Don’t,” Rainbow urged, a wide smile on her face. “That was awesome.”

With no further interruptions, they soon got the boat into the water. With a silent nod of understanding, they both ditched their outfits. Rainbow flew down while Applejack slid down the side of the boat.

The problem was they were alone. Minutes dragged on, but there was still no sign of their third party member.

Rainbow chewed on her hoof. “Where’s Daring?”

As if on cue, Daring Do burst from a window, sending glass shards flying everywhere. She spun in midair and lashed out, and her rear hooves caught the beak of griffon that had been chasing her. Her kick snapped his head back, slamming him against the steel hull of the ship and knocking him out and leaving him hanging half in, half out.

She threw their bags into the boat. “Go! Go! Go!” she shouted.

Rainbow Dash needed no second instruction. She grabbed the rope with her teeth and flew, dragging the boat along behind her; and the three left the steamboat behind and disappeared into the evening.