Sigil of Souls, Stream of Memories

by Piccolo Sky

Daybreak: A Missed Opportunity

“Alright ladies, it’s only a few more blocks. Are there any questions?”

Applejack frowned as she raised her hand.

“Yes, dear?”

“Why’n the hell do we hafta wear these ridiculous dresses?”

Rarity, in a rather fetching and stylish red dress with a wide-brimmed hat, which she claimed both acted to conceal her in the Manehattan nights as well as gave her an air of mystery, rolled her eyes and scoffed. “It’s good strategy, darling. If there are any hooligans lingering about on the watch for magistrates or the like, then they’ll certainly be suspicious if two commonly-dressed women step out from the carriage before it arrives at the drop off point. But a pair of stylish and stunning madams? Well, I’m certain there will still be some puzzlement as to what they are doing on this side of town at this time of night, but they certainly won’t expect them to cause any trouble.”

Applejack frowned as she shifted uncomfortably in her own rather elegant ensemble, big and grandiose enough to make even sitting in the coach uneasy. Fluttershy, seated nearby, didn’t seem much better, but as she had been for hours now she seemed to be far more worried about their little operation itself. “Thought I’d be done with this frou-frou Manehattan stuff after that one time…”

“Oh dear!”

Both Applejack and Fluttershy turned up to Rarity, seated across from them. “What’s the matter?”

“I’ve been so wrapped up thinking about this evening and getting our dresses ready that I completely forgot to forward any news of your relatives on to the chancellor!”

The farmer, who had been tensing up before now, immediately relaxed with a touch of a frown. “Nevermind all that. I’d rather you didn’t. I just sent ‘em along back to the train we’ll be takin’ back.”

Fluttershy finally looked up and turned to her. “Oh? But why not? Shouldn’t they know that we’re going to be taking more guests back?”

Applejack crossed her arms. “I reckon they ain’t gotta know any more than they need to. Ain’t none of their business anyway. If they wanted it to be, they shoulda let more refugees in sooner.”

“Now, Applejack,” Rarity spoke up with a hint of crossness, “the Manehattan government has been rather good to us…and generous besides. Especially considering the appalling behavior of almost everywhere else we’ve been… I think we owe them just a touch of courtesy.”

“Well, you can give ‘em all you want, but the Apple family’s never been too much for cozyin’ up to government types. Not when all they’ll do is stab ya’ in the back soon as it suits ‘em,” she retorted with a frown. “Still remember that when they were bootin’ us off our land with one breath and then turnin’ ‘round and resettlin’ folks on…” She trailed off.

“…On what?” Fluttershy asked.

“Nothin’. Forget about it already.”

“I was just asking…”

“I said nevermind!”

Fluttershy cringed at the sudden sharpness of Applejack’s voice. She noticed this and quickly sighed.

“I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I’m just…still more’n a little antsy. I know Braeburn an’ the others can handle ‘emselves, but I’m still not likin’ that I didn’t see him or granny in that group… I’ll feel a lot better when I get to punchin’ out some of these snakes.”

“Oh, on that note…” Rarity spoke up, leaning in a little closer. “When you happened to meet up with your relatives, you did make that request of them I told you to make, didn’t you?”

Now Applejack really did roll her eyes. “For cryin’ out loud, Rarity! I ain’t goin’ ‘round askin’ all my family if they got any mementos I can have like some city-slickin’ moocher when they’re damn lucky to have escaped with the clothes on their backs!”

“Well, you need another Anima Viri if we’re going to confront King Sombra, darling. And the only way I can think of getting you one is requesting memorabilia from your family members.”

“That’s even worse! Now I feel like I’m grave robbin’!”

Rarity rolled her own eyes. “Don’t think of it as grave robbing, Applejack. Think of it as putting old accessories to a new use.”

Before Applejack could respond, the coach came to a halt. A moment later a rapping was heard against the roof. “This is the first stop you told me to make, ladies.”

“Oh! Thank you, ma’am!” Rarity called back, then quickly turned to the others. “Right…I’m counting on you two. Don’t let any of them escape. Don’t worry. You’ll be fantastic with those Anima Viris of yours. These hooligans won’t have a prayer.”

Applejack smirked back a little, as if she knew that all too well, and then opened the side door and headed out. Fluttershy, on the other hand, remained cringed and trembling.

“Don’t stress out, Fluttershy. They’re nothing compared to half the horrors we’ve faced.”

“Ok…”

“You just go out there, bring out that Minstrel of yours, and then put them all to sleep!”

“Ok…”

“I believe in you, darling!”

“Ok…”

Finally, after another few seconds, cringing all the way and walking like she might step on a nail at any second, Fluttershy peeled herself off of the chair and opened the coach door. It was another minute before Rarity cleared her throat, leaned forward, and gave her a little nudge to get her out of it, and another thirty seconds before she gave her a second nudge to go down the stairs. However, she was finally out and, after giving what sounded like one last whimper, moved away enough for Rarity to shut the door behind her.

“Here I really thought Fluttershy would be more confident by now…” Rarity muttered to herself in some puzzlement as she sat back in her seat. Soon after, the coach began again.

It was another fifteen minutes to her final destination. With no one to talk to, Rarity kept her eyes on the outside window, and saw both the surrounding neighborhoods as well as the people who lived there and were out after dark grow progressively more unsavory. It might not have been the industrial sector, but it was still littered with trash and tarnished with coal soot. The smell from the sewers began to waft up to her nostrils and caused her to wrinkle her nose in disgust. A few of the people they passed looked rather muscular and unpleasant. Some met her gaze and followed it as she went on, but she merely kept her head high and showed nothing.

At long last, the coach stopped again. “Final stop, ma’am.”

Rarity took a moment to smooth out her own dress, which was a bit more muted than her usual affair but was still definitely more fashionable than most people on that end of town, and then opened the door. A bit of fog, or perhaps smog, had settled on that end of town. Most of the surrounding people were gone, and the street lamps cast a pale look on the empty roads. Definitely not too pleasant of a place. Nevertheless, she cleared her throat, held her head high, and then stepped out. On shutting the door behind her, the coach pulled away again, and the sound of the steam engine slowly chugging gradually faded away as it slipped into the night. As for Rarity herself, she began to walk once again.

She did eventually spy a few more people leaning against walls or closing up small shops, and she caught the eye of each one. Most of them stared for some time, especially since, in spite of it being dark, she had packed a parasol at her side to function as her weapon when the time was right. However, she ignored them all, keeping her attention fully ahead and toward her destination.

The road she was walking along up ahead came to a termination, splitting in two and going in either direction. However, that wasn’t before it ended in a sizeable gap between two buildings, almost looking like a smaller road rather than an alleyway. It was so large that posts had been erected with a chain to discourage coaches and cabs from moving that way, even though it terminated into nothing but foggy gloom. A single man was standing there. The clothing was new and clean enough, but even from a distance Rarity could see he was one of the more unpleasant individuals she had ever witnessed. His jaw protruded and was covered with a scraggly beard, and his eyes had an unkind and probing look to them from beneath his low-brimmed cap.

Much as she disliked the thought of it, she nevertheless walked up to this individual. She stood a bit shorter than him on arrival, and he emphasized that when he glanced down and looked over her.

“Ahem, I am here to conduct a little business…under the table, as it were. I was informed this was the place to go for raspberry tarts?”

That seemed to puzzle him. He continued to look over her momentarily, seeming to assess whether or not she was for real and, if she was, if this was the right place. However, Rarity anticipated that, and immediately met his look with a disdainful one of her own.

“I will assure you, I know quite well what kind of business you run here, and that is what I am here for. So I would prefer if you would show me to where the sale will be taking place rather than causing me to stand out here any longer waiting for a magistrate to come by and wonder what I’m doing here.”

He still seemed skeptical, but he finally shuffled to one side, allowing her to walk by.

“Thank you, sir,” she answered with a nod, before stepping over the chain in the most lady-like way she could manage and walking past him into the alleyway.

Even knowing the power she had inside her Rarity couldn’t fully suppress her anxiety on stepping into this place. With the fog, limited lighting, and more rough-looking, unsavory fellows posted along the way as some sort of landmarks, she got the impression of walking into a dark, twisted building rather than being out in the open. It didn’t take her very long before she started noticing all were the same nationality as the first one she had run into—a telltale sign of immigrant laborers desperate for work and resorting to a rather unsavory profession as a result. Of course, from the looks of them, that didn’t look like it would stop them from doing whatever they needed to do in order to secure their own livelihoods. And the fact that a woman like her was here without any assistance at all aroused more than a fair bit of curiosity. Nevertheless, she kept her eyes forward and kept walking.

And after weaving her way through what seemed like at least a block’s worth of buildings, she emerged.

It was another opening—one with access to one of the channels leading out to the river, just as she thought it would be. The lighting here wasn’t much better than on the way in, as was no doubt the intention. This was still outdoors even if it was secluded. She also recognized that she wasn’t apparently the only “customer”. There were four other parties already there in addition to several of the rougher-looking types. One of them she recognized as the very same official she had spotted in the café what seemed like a lifetime ago. Unlike here, none of them had come alone. Each had at least one other strong-looking man with them, with plenty of room on their persons to conceal a firearm or two. Furthermore, she realized in short order that she was the only female in the area.

That fact wasn’t lost on the parties as she approached. Two of them seemed to have some sort of underground “decorum” about them which ruled that they didn’t stick their noses in the business of anyone they didn’t want sticking their nose in their own. However, by the time she took her place among the other four, all of them were staring at her. She, however, kept her head held high and her face forward toward the channel.

As luck would have it, she had ended up right next to the official she had tailed. He himself had only one strong-looking figure with him. After a moment, he inched a little closer to her and spoke quietly. “I don’t suppose you’re…lost, are you ma’am? It’s my understanding if you’re looking for cheap labor, that’s on a different night…”

“Oh, I’m right where I need to be, sir,” she simply stated, not turning her head.

The official eyed her a little longer before looking forward, wrinkling his nose in contempt. “Disgusting. What is this world coming to nowadays…?”

“Coming from a man who is out to purchase an underage girl for his personal, private use? A truly biting criticism,” Rarity answered, just managing to restrain her own irritation.

He snorted but said no more.

They didn’t have to wait too much longer. It seemed Rarity’s trait for punctuality served her just as well here as it did in the more professional world. An echoing came down the channel that was clearly the sound of wagon wheels mixed with horse hooves. It made sense, as the sound of a steam engine would be too loud and most steam wagons wouldn’t fit in there. It grew louder until, through the fog, Rarity caught a shadow of what was incoming. Soon after it pulled out all the way up to a maintenance staircase, as if it was some sort of shipping dock or train platform.

The wagon was a carriage, but it seemed to be more suited to conducting executions than passengers. The windows were all boarded up and reinforced with iron bars, and the door looked like it had been refitted from an iron car—complete with a padlock, gated window, and chain to boot. Obviously, no one came out from the inside of the wagon right away. Rather, another score of thuggish individuals climbed out of the channel and onto the platform itself. They quickly spread out to reinforce those already present, and their mere arrival was enough to start upsetting some of their patrons.

Finally, a particularly large man hopped off. He easily stood a head taller than the next tallest individual there, and with muscle to boot. Yet while he definitely had a swagger about him, he also had an air of presentation and a bit of showman’s friendliness, as opposed to outright trying to intimidate anyone present. At least for the moment.

No sooner had he landed than he walked forward with a big grin. “Alright, alright! Seeing lots of new faces here! Well, you’ve all come to right place! Welcome, welcome, welcome!” He began to look over the crowd one person at a time. “Ah, Mr. Kettle! Nice to see you back! Mr. Bucket! Hope your new purchase gives you as much satisfaction as the last one! Representative! Glad you could make it!” Finally, his eyes rested on Rarity. “Oh-ho! We actually have one of the fairer sex tonight! Not to worry! Big Tom sees ‘em all and he makes sure they all get what they need!”

By now, his rather loud and boisterous manner was making many of the new arrivals rather nervous, causing them to continuously look around in case anyone was hearing what was going on. One of the former clients, however, coughed and looked at his watch. “No need for all the theatrics. We’re all here for one purpose, Tom. Let’s get it over with and get out of here before anyone from the local periodicals walks by.”

“Heh, sure, sure.” He turned his head and cupped a hand to his mouth. “Alright, bring ‘em out!”

Several of the thugs moved up to the side of the carriage, producing some keys and undoing the chain and the big padlock. After that was done, they reached inside and began to pull out. One by one, girls ranging from possibly as young as 10 to 16 were produced, and considering that they kept pulling them out, they had to be crammed in there worse than a clown wagon at a circus. Each one was clothed in nothing but sackcloth and rope. They were dirty, underfed, and, most of all, had a listless look about them. They clearly had been drugged in some way. As a result, the much larger and stronger thugs had little problem pulling them down from the carriage, walking them out, and putting them up for display in a row in front of the gathering. By the time they had pulled out the last, there were twelve of them in all. They were all silent, keeping their heads bowed, and wavering a little. From the looks of them, it seemed like they had either been threatened and abused into silence, were too out of it to know what was going on, or a mixture of the two.

“And here we are!” the big man announced, moving in front, holding his arms wide, and gesturing across to them. “The finest lot we have to offer! We got ladies from Appleloosa, Griffonstone…hell, even a few from Fillydelphia! Only the best from Big Tom!”

The crowd didn’t seem as impressed. “Some of them look a little on the young side,” one complained.

The big man gave a start for a moment. “Well…some people prefer it that way, you know? Besides, you know how it is nowadays, with many of the teenage ladies running off to join the military… But to make up for it, Big Tom is offering a special deal! Only 15,000 for 12 and younger!”

“15,000?!” another exclaimed. “I bought a 13 year old off of you for 10,000 three years ago!”

Other murmurs of complaints quickly joined that one, causing the big man to lose more of his bravado. They continued to complain as he tried to give excuses. “Um…you see…the Horned Trip has expanded operations with greater staffing…who have been forced to further extremes due to supply shortages…”

Seeing as this wasn’t pacifying them, he let out a more angry sigh. “Alright. The bottom line is we lost our best Piper three years ago. Take a good look at Big Tom’s coworkers.” He pointed out to some of the rough thugs around him, in particular their ugly, unpleasant faces. “There aren’t many girls who are going to follow guys like these into dark alleys or wagons no matter how hungry and cold they get. My old Piper used to lure in 30 a month. Now Big Tom’s got three replacements who are all drunk and only one doesn’t have a lazy eye, and Big Tom is lucky if he can get 12 a month between the three of ‘em!”

“Well that’s hardly our problem, now is it, Tom?” the first one who spoke up retorted. He looked to his own bodyguards. “Pack it up. If I knew it was going to be this expensive, I’d as soon as hired a cheap hooker…”

“Same here,” another one added. “My office tracks my official expenditures very closely. I can’t just make 15,000 disappear in one night.”

Big Tom let out a loud groan as he saw several making to leave. “And they call Big Tom a criminal… Fine. To reward so many repeat customers, if you buy tonight with cash upfront, Big Tom is ready to offer a 5% discount.”

The people stalled. One of them looked back. “20%.”

He let out a fierce snort. “That’s highway robbery and Big Tom is a highwayman! 10%!”

Another pause, but as the patrons glanced to one another, they seemed pleased with the arrangement. As if the haggling was part of the deal the whole time before they turned back. “Alright, that’s a bit more like it. I’ll take the-”

Before another word could be said, Rarity raised her hand and cleared her throat. “Pardon me, if you would, sir. As one new to this entire affair, I wanted to ask a question or two before I make my own, ahem, selection.”

The one who was cut off gave her a look that was equal parts surprise and disgust, but the big man seemed to think it was cute that she had raised her hand. “Yes, to the young lady with us!”

She smiled wider and lowered her hand. “Thank you, darling. Now then, the young women that you have presented her are all very well and good, but I will have to admit that I am a bit more interested in any of, say, non-Northern Equestria descent.”

There were a few scoffs from the crowd at that, showing even more disgust. Some mutters as well.

“I don’t suppose, after our business today here is concluded, that you have any others readily on hand I could peruse? I will say I’ll make it worth your while. I was looking to make several purchases after all. At least four or five.”

While that elicited even more surprise and sneers from the patrons, Rarity could have sworn she could see the currency symbols in the big man’s eyes as he lit up all aglow. “Why, certainly ma’am! The 12 you see here are merely the ‘market fresh’ ones available! However, if you’re interested in more unusual fare, the Horned Trip has a couple freighter cars on one of the locomotives at the station with a clear cut to this here channel with another 20 or so to choose from!”

“Oh my, an entire locomotive? You must get around quite a bit. Aren’t you worried at all about customs?”

Relishing the chance to boast, he grinned and beat his chest. “Heh…nothing to worry about for the Horned Trip. Big Tom has a steamship of his very own. If customs are a problem in one spot, Big Tom just drives the Iron Will out the nearest bit of international waters and waits it out! Hell, even beauties from Southern Equestria aren’t out of range! Uh…although Big Tom will say that’s kind of dried up at the moment for…other reasons…”

Rarity smiled a bit more subtly, letting her head lower so that the shadow could spill over all but her lips. “A locomotive…a steamship…and even its name… Why, all of that will do just nicely, darling. Thank you ever so much for that information.”

The big man looked a little puzzled. “Uh…you’re welcome. So…about those purchases?”

“Oh, I’ll take the whole lot, darling. I’m afraid I won’t be paying, although you and your patrons might be.”

Both the big man, his lackeys, and the patrons all looked confused. “Er…come again?”

Rarity took in a deep breath. “Well, I need a bit more experience with doing two at a time… Very well.” She raised her head, but only to hold her hand into the air. “Member of my house, I command you to come to me! Inspiration’s Guide—Daisy Cheerilee! Member of my house, I command you to come to me! Seaside Starlet—Sapphire Shores!”

The first equipment of an Anima Viri caused an explosion of light to fill the otherwise dark alleyway—enough to where even the sedated girls raised their heads in some dim reaction. The second one, however, that made it even brighter, was enough to actually make them gasp and recoil. Needless to say, the reaction from everyone who wasn’t drugged was even more shocking. The nearest patrons actually felt themselves brushed back slightly from the explosion of power, but everyone else was close enough to feel the wind rise and whip against them. Even the roughest thugs gaped in shock while many of the other shielded themselves in surprise.

The light dimmed eventually and the gathering looked back to see the former elegant lady now dressed in blue like a debonair avenger, complete with wide-brimmed hat, dark blue mask, and parasol transformed into a rapier. Especially since even now she was radiating a soft light that made her glow apart from her surroundings.

“Wh-wh…what…?!” the big man stammered.

“What the hell…?!” a patron exclaimed.

The nearest one pointed at her as he began to cower up to his bodyguard. “She’s…she’s one of those eidolons the government’s been talking about!”

Rarity exhaled. “Well darlings, I don’t have much time for dilly dally, so I’m afraid my long-winded condemnation of your depraved and atrocious misdeeds will have to be omitted.” She swung the rapier right toward the big man. “Have at you!”

He stammered a call of surprise, but that was all he managed to get out before Rarity took off. Her body enhanced by two Anima Viris allowed her to close the distance in an instant. She drove the rapier tip forward, although she didn’t put it forth enough to drive it into his midsection. That hardly seemed to matter, as the mere force of the blow transmitted into him with the impact of a gut punch. He let out a sharp exhale and doubled over, and Rarity quickly shifted her weapon to one side to step forward and give him a slap across the face. As “lady-like” as it might have been intended, the much larger man was knocked clean off his feet and thrown halfway across the alley by the gesture.

Immediately she took off and shot for the nearest thug. With a flourish and a spin, her rapier flew out again, easily cleaving his club weapon in half before she followed up with a blow against the side of the head to drop him to the ground. She leapt forward afterward to smash her head into the next nearest, sweeping him clean off of his feet and flattening him. She bounded again after that, this time sailing a short distance in the air, and coming down with both feet to drop yet another one. All of this was done within less than the span of five seconds, and as rough and dirty as the men looked, each one crumpled easily under her blows.

At that point, the remaining thugs snapped out of their stupor and began to charge toward her, even as she continued to subdue one after another. The bodyguards held back with their contracted employers, although they began to look nervous as those with guns started to pull them out. As for the patrons, they could only gasp at the power and speed with which Rarity moved for a few moments longer.

They didn’t last, however, especially as the newly arriving thugs quickly began to fall faster than their predecessors. Her rapier went out and rapidly jabbed at each one, piercing them through the arm, through the leg, or anywhere else that inflicted a debilitating wound that made them fall to the ground or otherwise disabled them. In mere seconds, the thugs were starting to pile up around her. And not long after that, those who were still coming or who were holding back began to see the writing on the wall.

The patrons were the first. Some of them merely began to back up and go progressively faster as they did so. Others, like the representative, did much the same, but not before reaching out and tapping the arms of their personal escorts. “What are you waiting for? Shoot her!”

The bodyguard looked up in some alarm, but saw that the representative was already turning to run for it. Whether out of loyalty or merely the fact he didn’t expect to get away, he along with a few others stood their ground and pulled out their firearms as Rarity finished with the last of those bold enough to attack. The others either held back or made a decision to try and run for it. As a result, she was able to look up and see three weapons being pulled on her.

“Well, I’m guessing I would only get a light bruise at this point, but no point in chancing it.”

She quickly traced a sigil in the air and executed it. In response, clear, diamond-shaped crystals erupted from the ground and proceeded to form a semi-circle around her. The bodyguards were a bit perturbed, as were the nearest thugs, but in the end they opened fire anyway. It did them very little good. As glassy and fragile as the crystals looked, they didn’t even chip or fracture from the bullets striking them. In moments the bodyguards were left standing stunned and lowered their weapons. Soon after, they turned and ran for it too.

“This will push me a bit to the proverbial ‘limit’,” Rarity responded as she saw them flee through the transparent crystals, raising her hand and gesturing again. “But I think I can hold it for a bit longer…”

She drew a larger sigil this time and executed it. Just as the first of the patrons was about to reach the alleyway leading back out, the ground thundered in front of them, making him stop in his tracks and soon causing the others to halt behind him. They cried out a moment later when the ground burst and a palisade of crystals erupted in its wake—blocking off the end of the alleyway all together.

Rarity actually faltered at that, looking a little dizzy, but fortunately no one noticed. The patrons were frozen in shock. As for the remaining thugs, they decided it was time to bolt for it. A smaller group of them panicked enough to merely want to get away any way that they could, which meant turning and running for the canal as fast as possible before their mysterious assailant could stop them again.

The others were a bit smarter. They ran back for the carriage and began to load up on it in any way, shape, or form that they could. Some ran inside, some jumped into the seat, and some held onto the sides. Among them was Big Tom. He was still rather dazzled and cross-eyed, but apparently his lackeys had enough loyalty not to leave him behind. Two of them went to either side and helped him to his feet before dragging him to the wagon. Halfway there, his big size belied his stamina as he got his feet underneath him and ran the rest of the way himself; leaping into the main seat (knocking two out to get there) and cracking the reins.

“Vamoose! This auction is cancelled! We’re shipping out!”

Soon after, the horses whinnied and the carriage took off. It picked up speed quickly and carried what thugs were on it away, with others running up behind and struggling to catch up and latch on.

As for Rarity, she heaved a little and nearly dabbed at the sweat on her brow with her white glove, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. She reached into her breast pocket for a convenient handkerchief, drew it out, and used that instead. “Phew, well…that was a bit more tiring than I would have liked. I believe it’s time to dismiss Ms. Shores.”

Holding her hand up, she made a fist, and one of the emblems gleaming on it burst to the sound of a tinkling bell. Only the remaining one stayed there, and as it did Rarity’s mask vanished while her ensemble turned into an alternate red suit and hat. While she felt her strength diminish considerably, she also felt as fresh as a daisy relatively speaking, and was soon standing straight and tall again. She glanced out to either side of the canal, as the sound of the engine fading in the distance rang out, and smirked.

Perfect. The rogues who went right will run straight into Applejack, and the rest will run afoul of Fluttershy. She won’t even need to fight them if she was nervous—they’ll lead her straight back to their outpost and that will be the end of it.

Now to deal with who is left…

She spun around and looked at her aftermath. The remaining thugs were all disabled. That left the rather hapless patrons and their bodyguards, as well as the captives, who were weakly and groggily looking over at her with glazed expressions.

She gave them a sympathetic look. “I do apologize for putting you all through an even greater ordeal than what you’ve already been through, but it will all be over and done with soon. Now then…” She raised her transformed sword and stepped forward. “Let’s deal with those manacles before the authorities arrive to check on the disturbance.”

As she walked over to them to begin shearing through them, the remaining patrons stared dumbfounded for a moment more. Finally one of them spoke up. “Who…what are you?”

She turned and gave them a disdainful look, holding her head up so she could look down her nose at them. “You may think of me as a concerned citizen who has had quite enough of the lewdness and disgusting behavior of so-called ‘gentlemen’ as yourselves, and nothing more.”

One of them grit his teeth, but also sweat nervously—especially when Rarity brought her blade down and easily cut through the iron of one of the chains. “What do you want from us? Are you…you an assassin, or something?”

She gave a snort. “Oh, perish the thought, sir. I wouldn’t soil my gloves laying a hand on such filthy specimens as yourselves. Now if you don’t mind, do be quiet and stand there patiently. You’ll have plenty of opportunity to talk when you try and explain your atrocious attempts at purchase to the local magistrates.”

Realizing what that meant, several of them looked stunned and fearful. The representative, however, mustered his courage and even took a step forward to shake his fist at her. “Do you honestly expect us to simply stand around and wait to be found by the local police?! I’ll not-”

He was drowned out by the sound of a whooshing flame—courtesy of Rarity aiming her rapier at the ground before them and performing a new spell. It wasn’t as good as Twilight’s, but a simple incantation that traced a circle of flame around the patrons, more than enough to make them shriek and back off toward the crystal barrier, sufficed to keep them in line. She leveled a not-so-polite stare at them.

“That is exactly what you all shall do, unless you care to have me practice any more of my spellcraft upon you. If my true objective wasn’t putting an end to those cads who peddled these young women like livestock, I would give you a taste of my blade right now. I will content myself in simply seeing that the law give you all what you deserve. Now then…”

She suddenly pointed her blade tip up and right at them, making them jump a little.

“I would ask you not to distract me in the middle of my removal of these ladies’ restraints again.”

---

Rarity didn’t consider herself the most intimidating of individuals, and honestly had no desire to be, but her display was more than enough to keep the patrons from risking doing anything else before the magistrates began to draw near. They were initially stopped by the crystal blockade, the same as those she was trying to restrain, which did cause a bit of a dilemma. Fortunately, they ended up coming around and entering the canal from the same way the wagon had left, leaving her an opening. She fled down the right and left the hapless patrons and the girls for them to find shortly after departing.

Her Magician Role held perfectly well to allow her to run a few blocks away, before she approached another group of unconscious thugs. Applejack was standing in their midst in her own Warrior Role, looking rather bored as she had dispatched them long ago before Rarity got there, but she looked up on seeing them.

“Wonderful, darling!” Rarity called. “It looks like you dealt with them all.”

“Weren’t no trouble. They were so spooked they darn near ran into my hammer, but they sure as heck didn’t look like the ones you were lookin’ for.”

“I’m afraid they weren’t. That lot went down the other end of the canal. Do not worry, however. I’m sure Fluttershy would have had no trouble keeping up with them. With any luck, they’ll lead us straight to the ship they’re using to courier their illicit trade. Let us be off!”

Rarity took the initiative and ran again. Applejack, on the other hand, remained standing and frowned before shouting after her. “Don’t ya’ want the police to know ‘bout these guys ‘fore they wake up?”

She immediately slowed to a halt. “Oh…oh yes. Pardon me. A tad overzealous.” With that, she extended her hand to the sky, traced a sigil, and let out an electric bolt. While not nearly as large as Twilight’s, it still sent out a flash and a loud boom to the surrounding area, and not long after there were calls of concern and alarm from the surrounding buildings. However, the two didn’t wait for anyone to come out and notice before taking off.

It seemed as if it would have been difficult to navigate through the roads in such a way to avoid the local law enforcement, especially since more were arriving continuously. However, in spite of it being a bad part of the city, Rarity seemed to know her way through like a duck in water and easily led Applejack down all of the backroads and alleys they needed to circle back around the mess they had left behind. It took a little while, but as both were in their enhanced bodies they made excellent time without leaving so much as a glimpse for any arriving magistrate to spot. Soon they were fully around the road that Rarity had taken to arrive and headed back north toward the canal at a distance. They found a junction point, hopped in, and began to run down it in the same direction the wagon had gone. By the time the locals were sounding the alarms, they were already fading away behind them and the two were in the clear.

They went forward for a few more blocks before Applejack finally raised her head a little. “Look yonder!”

Rarity looked a bit further ahead. It took a moment but she made out a humanoid shape. A bit closer, and they recognized the style of dress Fluttershy had been wearing along with her hair style, confirming her identity. Both immediately found that puzzling. Shouldn’t she have still been wearing her own Anima Viri?

Things only got more peculiar when they neared, for they didn’t see any thugs on the ground around her. She was standing slightly to one side in the canal, hands folded in front of her and head bowed. Definitely looking ashamed.

She only cringed more when the two ladies came up to her, wincing a little as they stopped. Applejack looked around, still confused, but Rarity gave the benefit of the doubt and walked up to her side.

“Fluttershy, there you are. Those hoodlums came right this way. What happened? Did they disembark here? Switch wagons? Well, just say the word and we’ll be after them.”

Fluttershy only cringed a little more. She let out a small mutter, keeping her eyes to the ground. She said nothing more.

Applejack turned to her. “You saw ‘em come this way, right? They did come through here?”

“Um…yes,” she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.

The Warrior looked around, but saw no signs of a struggle and no signs of their quarry. “Well, where are they then? Where’d they head off to?”

“Fluttershy, what’s wrong, dear?” Rarity threw in.

The woman let out a whimper, cringing a bit more. Her hands gripped the hem of her dress as she winced.

“I-I-I’m…I’m sorry, Rarity. I…I couldn’t stop them.”

Rarity gave a start. “Wait…what was that?”

Fluttershy looked to one side.

“You…you couldn’t stop them? But…but darling, you had the power of the Minstrel. They didn’t stand a chance against you. They…”

She didn’t answer. She kept looking to one side.

“…Well, which way did they go? Applejack and I can be after them. Come on, which way was it?”

“I’m…I’m sorry, Rarity… I didn’t see that either.”

Rarity was left standing there open-mouthed. Applejack couldn’t help but look confused. “Wait just a minute now… You sayin’ that not only did you not even get in a fight with ‘em, but you didn’t even get to see where they went off to? I mean, I know I’m the toughest one of us, but they weren’t that big of a deal… What happened then?”

“I…I just…I just…” She began to look more and more distressed.

Applejack stared at her a moment longer but finally slapped her hand against her forehead and sighed. “Dagnabbit… All of that fer nothin’. Well…not quite nothin’, at least. We got a good lot o’ ‘em. Plus we saved those girls at least. I know Rarity wanted ‘em all gone, though…”

She looked at Fluttershy again and saw she hadn’t changed. She frowned a little more, but reached out and put her hand on her shoulder.

“Look…don’t sweat it too bad. I know you didn’t really want ta’ come along in the first place. Just got unlucky that it didn’t go my way, is all. And I know you normally stay back when the rest of us move in for fightin’…” She turned away. “Sorry, Rarity… I know you wanted ta’ do a bit more than rough up some of ‘em, but it looks like they got away.”

Rarity, however, didn’t resign herself so quickly. Her face changed. Her brow creased, and for a moment her jaw tightened.

“Do you mean after all of that…after all I went through to get this far… How did you…how could you just let them…?!”

This was a tone of voice neither of the ladies had ever heard from Rarity before. It was true anger. It made Fluttershy cringe and whimper a bit more at it, and it honestly surprised Applejack for a moment. However, it was only a moment before she quickly got in between her and Fluttershy. “Now take it easy, Rarity! It was a honest mistake!”

“Mistake?! She had two Anima Viris and she couldn’t even be bothered to see which way they-”

“Now cut it out!” Applejack snapped back, her own voice growing angry. “It never should’ve been just the three of us to begin with! We never even should’ve tried to handle this ourselves while we’re leavin’ the others high and dry back in Canterlot! We could’ve just talked to the police and had ‘em do this whole thing themselves and you knew full well Fluttershy wasn’t up for it! You know damn right she gets the most antsy out of all of us and she ain’t a fighter! It stinks that it went this way but gettin’ riled up against her ain’t going to help things now!”

Applejack’s own anger seemed to do the trick, breaking Rarity of her own growing ire. She calmed down considerably after that. She still looked sore and rather unhappy, but she did ease up and sighed.

“You’re right, Applejack. I drug the both of you along on this in the first place, and I leapt right into it as if it was one of my Shadow Spade novels rather than thought things through. If something went wrong, I have no right to blame either of you for it when this was half-baked at best from the start.” She finally managed to raise her head enough to look past Applejack again. “Fluttershy…I’m sorry. I…I suppose…no, I was making an unreasonable demand of you. It’s…alright, darling.”

She managed a smile at that, and while it was weak it was still genuine. Fluttershy, however, wasn’t terribly relieved. She kept her head bowed, continued to wring her dress, and still looked on the verge of tears. Applejack relaxed, however, and sighed as she turned and once again patted Fluttershy on the shoulder encouragingly.

Rarity sighed as well, releasing her Anima Viri, and with as much enthusiasm as she could muster looked up. “Well…I was hoping this would be something of a victory celebration, but I would hate that reservation I managed to make go to waste…”

---

Being in somewhat of the upper levels of the social classes in Manehattan, regardless of whether or not she was someone privately an eidolon, Rarity’s business clout still enabled her to get seats in some of the more high end establishments. And as she had a rather sharp distaste for the food offered by the government when they were staying on their property, she had arranged a spot in one of the nicer places in town both for a ‘victory feast’ as well as a chance to treat her new friends. Light from elaborate chandeliers, genuine silverware and crystal flatware, and even a live chamber orchestra playing off to one side. Even the disguises they had worn on the way to the site had been picked out by Rarity for the occasion and she had timed it so they could make the last evening meal.

Unfortunately no one looked terribly in the mood.

Rarity may have not been angry at Fluttershy any longer, but she seemed to almost have a reveling need to look like she was wallowing in misery. Her head was as downcast as if she was in mourning, she spoke nearly blubbering to the staff, and looked as if she was on the verge of dying each time the waiter came by. Applejack herself didn’t care much for the fancy locale in spite of how much of a treat it was, spending most of her time puzzling over why she needed more than a fork and a knife and giving dirty looks to the various highbrow guests that were still out there finishing their meals.

Fluttershy, however, remained the worst. While she had come, she kept her hands in her lap and her head bowed the entire time. She scarcely looked any better than when they had found her, assuming she was any better at all.

Needless to say, it wasn’t a very eventful night for their waiter. Fluttershy said she wasn’t hungry, Rarity went straight for a double dessert, and Applejack, unable to read half the words on the menu, asked for something that had cow in it and was displeased when she got something back that looked more like a pate than a steak. The end result was her picking at her food glancing between Rarity and Fluttershy’s respective depressions.

Rarity finally looked up with another sigh. “If the waiter comes by, would you be a darling and wave to him? I think I’d like a third torte. With heavy whipping cream.”

“Goodness alive, Rarity…how can ya’ eat all that?”

“Simple, dear. They’re fresh out of tiramisu. I hope you’re enjoying your meal better than I am.”

She frowned and poked at her dish. “Not really. I asked for steak and they gave me what’s left after you cut a steak out. It ain’t even cooked.”

“It’s tartare, darling.”

“…Now I may not be a city folk, but I know what tar is, and raw meat ain’t tar.”

“It was all my fault.”

That was the first thing Fluttershy had said since they had sat down. Rarity looked up at her, but Applejack sighed as she practically tossed her fork on her plate. “Now we’ve been over it, Fluttershy. Stop beatin’ yourself up already.”

“I told you and Twilight to leave me behind. I said I was no good to you…”

“Now what in tarnation is that horse sense? You’ve been plenty ‘o help! You’ve patched us up I don’t know how many times! And you can be an even bigger help now! We just gotta work on toughin’ ya’ up for the bigger fights, is all.”

Fluttershy still kept her head down. “If I ever end up dragging everyone down…when it really matters…” She cringed a bit more and spoke in a near whisper. “I want you to leave me behind.”

Applejack pounded her fist on the table, startling Fluttershy enough to look up at her. “Now I’ve just about heard enough of that swallor! What happened tonight was an accident, that’s all! An accident! No more talk like that or you’re gonna make me mad! We just forget about it and move on! Together! Got it?”

Fluttershy, still looking small, but also intimidated by Applejack’s sudden rise in volume, swallowed. “Ok…”

“And no more talkin’ like that neither, alright?”

“Ok…”

“Good! Now when that fancy schmancy stuffed suit comes by, you get yourself somethin’ off that menu too! Need ta’ start puttin’ more meat on ya’ for next time if ya’ wanna make it up! Ain’t that right, Rarity?”

The woman didn’t answer immediately. She was staring between them.

“Ladies…not to change the subject…but while either of you were in Canterlot, did you ever happen to see the portrait of Twilight’s old headmistress?”

Fluttershy looked puzzled. Applejack was even more so but leaned back in her seat. “Er…hmm…reckon I did once or twice. Looked like a tall gal. Real smooth face. Those eyes were somethin’. And that hair o’ hers? Almost looked like when you shine sunlight through a glass just right. Why you ask?”

“Does that woman leaving over there…remind you of her?”

Both Applejack and Fluttershy were motionless for a moment, then both turned and looked around.

None of the three got a good look at the front of her face. They only caught the tall, properly dressed woman for a moment as she walked by down the large front window of the restaurant. Her hair was up and tied under a rather wide-brimmed hat, and in the darkness it was impossible to see. Yet for a brief moment all three of them caught just a side view of her face before she turned and went down the street.

And while they couldn’t say for sure later whether or not they had imagined it, for just that moment, they swore they saw that same powerful look in that woman’s eye that was in the portrait at Canterlot.

Author's Note:

Phew...not easy now that I'm back in school and foolish enough to be working on two different projects along with this one. However, at long last, next chapter we get to see how Twilight's group plans to survive Sombra...