Lone Wolf: A Halfling Side Story

by Dee Pad

Part 13 - Cooperative

Sweetmint eyed up the inside of her new establishment, visualizing everything she wanted out of it. She'd already spoken to somepony about getting the sign made for the entrance, and she was really looking forward to seeing what it looked like hanging above the door. She was told it might take at least a week to put together an intricate design like she'd requested, but she had other stuff she needed to do in the interim anyway.

She had painters lined up to come in tomorrow and give the place a bit of color. As it stood, the inside of the building was a dull white, with only the red of the booths' cushions to break up the monotony. Sweetmint only intended to add some light blue accents, though, as that coupled with the white was basically the look she was going for. Actually, what she really wanted was a mural all along the walls depicting an arctic coastline, with icebergs and auroras, but they didn't exactly have the cash to be spending on such a complex design. She and Crimson had spent almost everything they had just buying the building, with only enough left over to touch the place up and get ready for the reopening. That meant that if this business failed, they were going to be up a creek.

Yet even with that possibility looming over her, Sweetmint still had a smile plastered on her face. She was confident in her ability to run this place successfully. If Rocky could manage to hold the place together for three years, she should be just fine.

But it wasn't just confidence, it was outright happiness. She couldn't remember the last time she was this happy, or if she'd ever been this happy. Sweetmint finally had the ice cream parlor she'd dreamed of owning nearly up and running, and, on top of that, after all of the crappy relationships she'd let herself get suckered into, she finally found "Mr. Right."

Crimson was the guiding light she needed to move her life forward, the spark that finally ignited the flame of passion within her instead of just her rage and frustration. And the last outburst she'd had was a few weeks ago, when she had her fight with Tapioca. It was unprecedented for her to go this long without lashing out at somepony, or damaging public property. She thanked Crimson for that too. It was hard to believe that so much in her life could change because she decided to sit down with a random stranger at a café. That was why she felt so sure of herself when she finally told him she loved him. All of the hesitation and doubt, the fear of opening herself up too soon or to the wrong person having been quelled, all because of him.

Sweetmint lifted her head suddenly, glancing around cautiously as though she were worried that somepony might have been around to observe the goofy grin on her face as she thought about Crimson. She shook her head, chastising her own childish daydreaming with a quiet chuckle. She had better stuff to do than reminisce. Getting together a list of supplies she wanted to order was one of the tasks she had set for herself that morning. Might be time to get a jump on that.

But that thought would be put on hold for the moment when Sweetmint heard the jingling of the entrance bell, accompanied by a familiar voice.

"Guess who!"

Sweetmint grinned with elation to see none other than her own sister walking inside. "Daily?!" Without wasting a moment, she hurried over to give her sister a hug, but also a snide smirk. "Okay, what gives? It's only been, like, a month since you were here last. Got a scoop lined up here or something?"

Daily scoffed with mock insult. "Come on, Mint, give me a little credit. You think I need some incentive to come visit my little sis?"

Sweetmint eyed her up skeptically. There was no denying the slight crookedness of Daily's grin.

"Okay, okay, I've heard rumblings that Princess Cadance and Shining Armor might be having a baby and wanted to see if I could get any info from the princesses. That what you wanted?"

The green mare waved off what shame her sister might have had, with a lighthearted chuckle. "Relax. I'll take any excuse to see my sis. I'd be more upset if I heard you were in town and didn't stop by to see me."

"Hey, I know I'm not the most considerate person in the world, but I'd never neglect my baby sister," Daily said with a patronizing pat on Sweetmint's cheek, eliciting an indignant glare from her.

"Nine and a half minutes, Daily."

"And don't you forget it." Daily tread around the shop, glancing around curiously. "Can't help but notice the place is kinda quiet. And the sign outside is gone. What, you helping Rocky with some renovations or something?"

Sweetmint wanted to give her sister a smug grin, but she was too legitimately happy to use all of her snark. "Nope. Rocky doesn't own this place anymore."

Daily stared at Sweetmint in disbelief. "Wait... You mean you..."

Sweetmint grinned from ear to ear with a nod.

"That's awesome, Mint! Congrats! So, what the hell happened that lead to this?"

"Rocky's a fickle douche nozzle and lost interest once his business started going downhill because he fired me for lashing out at Tapioca."

"Ah, well, that's a pretty concise summary. And I assume that you jumped on the chance to scoop the place up once Rocky put it up for sale."

"Pretty much. Now, I'd offer you a beer, but..."

"Got any rum raisin?"

Sweetmint laughed quietly. "I'll see what I can do." She headed to the backroom briefly to scour the freezers, returning with a tub of the requested flavor and a bowl and spoon. She scooped out a bowlful and passed it to her sister.

"So, what's the new name?" Daily asked with a mouthful of ice cream.

Sweetmint grinned proudly. "Frostbite."

Daily pursed her lips in thought. "Mmm... Not the most inviting name, is it?"

Sweetmint rolled her eyes. "Ugh, you sound like Crimson."

Daily smiled coyly at the mention of the name. "And how are things going with him anyway? You two, uh... doing alright?"

The younger twin cocked an eyebrow at her sister's odd tone. "Yeeeah... Why?"

Daily held up a hoof to diffuse any defensiveness Sweetmint may have put on. "No, nothing. It's just that I know your dating history and I just want to make sure things are going well."

"Well, they're just peachy keen, I'll have you know. Crimson's a great guy. Better than all the other assholes I've dated."

Daily quirked an cautious and caring eyebrow. "I don't want to light any fuses here, but I'm pretty sure I've heard you say that before."

"But I mean it this time. I took my time with this relationship and we're perfectly happy together." Sweetmint's defensiveness let up to make way for a genuine, heartfelt smile. "Honestly, I wouldn't be where I am right now without him. All of this," she said, sweeping her hoof around at her shop, "is because of him. You've got to admit that that would be a lot of effort for a guy to go through if he didn't love me back."

"Alright, just wanted to make sure. Trust me, I'm happy for you two. But, really, I was kinda hoping to see him again too. Where is he, at work?"

"Yeah, so you'll have to wait a little longer to interrogate him about our personal lives," Sweetmint quipped.

"So what happened to your coworkers? They get the axe when Rocky shut down?"

"Basically, but Chips is probably going to get a job when his brother opens a new place. The little turd actually had the audacity to ask me to hire him after he was the reason why my paycheck was dirt."

"What about Tapioca?"

Sweetmint sighed somewhat regretfully. "I, uh, owed her an apology, so she'll be working here with us when we open. Oh, and did you hear? She was kidnapped recently."

Daily blinked. "Whoa, seriously? That's crazy. Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's fine. She only got released the other day, but still came by yesterday as if nothing even happened. I swear, that girl lives in her own world where even being kidnapped is just a leisurely outing for her."

"Hm."

Sweetmint noticed the look of thought on her sister's face all of a sudden. "What?"

Daily's head jerked up. "Huh? Oh, nothing. Do, uh... Do they know who it was?"

"Kinda. They got a description of the guy, but I don't think they've identified him yet. I think the only thing they've been able to suss out is that he's not from around here."

"Interesting..." Daily pondered quietly.

Her sister's response wasn't quite what Sweetmint was expecting, but she was pretty sure she had another tidbit that might throw her off balance. "You think that's interesting? Listen to this: Chips finally had the guts to ask her out on a date."

Daily had much the same reaction to that news as Sweetmint did, her jaw hanging open, though with a slight, surprised smile. "No way. That little dweeb finally grew a pair?"

"Yep. Asked her out yesterday and she said yes. I think they're out on a date right now."

"Well, color me impressed," Daily remarked as she had another mouthful of ice cream. "Didn't think he had it in him. That's almost more newsworthy than a royal baby. Man, I missed a lot over the past month."

"Maybe that'll convince you to visit more often," Sweetmint said with a snide grin.

"I'll consider it. Think Tapioca would be willing to share some details about her kidnapping with me?"

Sweetmint grimaced uncertainly. "Maybe, but she didn't sound like she had much to share. Like I said, she's been acting like it was no big deal."

Daily smirked knowingly. "I don't know. She might be a bit dimwitted, but I get the feeling there's more going on here than meets the eye."

"The hell makes you think that?" Sweetmint questioned with suspicion towards her sister's assertion.

Daily shrugged. "Call it, 'journalist's intuition.'"

Sweetmint was about to inquire further, but was interrupted by the entrance bell again. Tapioca's ears must have been burning, because she just so happened to arrive at that moment, accompanied by her new boyfriend. However, Sweetmint was quick to notice that she hadn't entered with her usual chipper grin and dainty gait. In fact, there was a look of urgency on her face.

"Speak of the devil..." Daily quipped with a grin. She smirked coyly at the new couple. "So, how're the two lovebirds doing?"

The question elicited a slight blush from Chips, and caused Tapioca to hesitate slightly.

"Um, Minty? I-I need to talk to you about something," Tapioca requested.

"I'm a little busy here. Can it wait?" replied Sweetmint.

"N-Not really. It's kinda super important."

"Sounds urgent," Daily interjected nonchalantly. "You two go ahead. Don't mind me."

Sweetmint eyed her sister, noting that she wasn't exactly giving them any privacy and was just standing by and listening intently. With a shake of her head, Sweetmint turned back to Tapioca. "Alright, whatever. What's up, Tapioca? What's so 'super important' that it can't wait?"

"It's Crimson."

That was enough to thoroughly get Sweetmint's attention, a slight tinge of worry coming over her. "What? What about him?"

"He's, uh... He's a little bit, sorta, maybe... in jail..."

Sweetmint's jaw dropped, more flabbergasted than shocked by the information. "In... jail? Why would he be in jail?"

"It's a long story. Um... Can you just come with me to see him, please?" Tapioca asked.

Sweetmint noticed a distinct look of remorse on her face, though she had no idea why Tapioca would feel remorseful. But she shook her head, flicking a hoof dismissively. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but whatever it is, I'm sure you got something mixed up along the way. Crimson's not in jail, he's at work. And I'm also at work, so if you could kindly let me get back to it—"

"No!" Tapioca blurted in panic. "Y-You've gotta come with me! I'm crazy serious!"

"You're crazy alright," Sweetmint grumbled with growing annoyance.

"Now, hang on Mint," Daily quickly joined in. "Maybe we should listen to her."

The green mare raised an eyebrow. She was used to her sister having a more detached demeanor in regards to other people's affairs, but for some reason she was now sounding like she was worried, as though this were somehow her business. "Why? This is obviously just something stupid and pointless that Tapioca is misconstruing."

"Come on, I know she's not the brightest bulb, but even she wouldn't mix up something that sounded this serious."

"We could easily debunk that by going over to The Soup Spoon right now and asking to see him," Sweetmint argued.

"He doesn't work there anymore," Tapioca told her.

Sweetmint stared at her, befuddled by the assertion. "The hell are you talking about? Of course he does."

"Like I said, it's a long story. Pleeease, just come with me. We gotta go now," Tapioca pleaded, Chips agreeing with a silent nod.

"What's the harm?" Daily added. "Are you really that busy here that you can't indulge her?"

Sweetmint looked between the three other ponies. Whether it was out of actual urgency or sheer curiosity, she relented and breathed a reluctant sigh. "Fine, whatever. But if this turns out to be a false alarm, I'm docking your first paycheck."

Tapioca didn't seem at all deterred by the threat, just trotting in place impatiently before leading them all outside. "Okay, let's go, hurry!"

Sweetmint briefly turned to her sister. "Why are you so insistent on humoring her? You looking to get a laugh out of this?"

Daily gave her a surprisingly concerned look in return. "I just have a feeling this is more important than you think. Call it—"

"Can it, I know what you call it. Let's just get this over with."

***** ***** *****

Tapioca and Chips lead Sweetmint and Daily to the local guard station, just as she said. However, Sweetmint gave a curious and aggravated lift of her eyebrow when the white mare did not guide them through the front entrance. Instead, Tapioca quietly and sneakily crept around the building, looking more than a little suspicious with the way she was crouched and frantically glancing around. There were plenty of people around giving the group of four ponies some odd looks, though considering Tapioca was the only one attempting to be stealthy, they didn't pay them too much mind. Still, if any officers or guards were to see them creeping around the police station, they'd likely get into some trouble.

Having circumnavigated the building and removing themselves from public view, Sweetmint finally decided to get to the bottom of this. "Okay, enough of this 'infiltration mission.' The fuck are we doing out here?"

Tapioca looked up at the back wall of the police station, her eyes shifting between the few barred windows above them. "One sec. Crimsy? You there?" she called out, though kept her voice quiet.

Out of curiosity, Sweetmint waited to see what Tapioca expected to happen. After a moment, a blue-coated, unicorn stallion poked his head up from behind the bars of one of the windows.

"Tapioca? The hell are you doing back—" The stallion stopped cold the moment his eyes landed on Sweetmint, staring back at him, vexed and exasperated. A look of panic washed over the stallion's face and he ducked back down to conceal himself. "What the fuck is are you doing?!" he chastised from inside his cell.

Sweetmint sighed, turning to Tapioca with a deeply bemused look. "Okay, Tapioca, I don't want to believe that you're a complete moron, but even somepony with cataracts could tell that that's not Crimson."

"It is, though!" she insisted. She shuffled her hooves awkwardly, looking rather guilty. "See, um... Crimson's a... He's a changeling..."

A long groan and some quiet obscenities could be heard from inside the cell.

Sweetmint raised a skeptical eyebrow. "A changeling? How do you figure that?"

"He's the one who kidnapped me," Tapioca answered.

A quiet, exhausted breath escaped from Sweetmint's lungs. "Okay, assuming that your kidnapper was a changeling, you know they can transform into anypony, right? Including my boyfriend. They were probably trying to trick you or something."

"No! It's really him, I swear! He's been a changeling the whole time!"

Sweetmint briefly glanced at Chips, who nodded to corroborate Tapioca's claim. "Alright, then why did he kidnap you?" she asked skeptically, humoring her assertion out of sheer curiosity.

"Like I said, it's a long story."

"And I think it's about time you divulged," Sweetmint demanded with increasing frustration.

Tapioca's ears drooped as she started. "Um, I kinda accidentally found out he was a changeling, and he didn't want me telling anypony so he kidnapped me until he could figure out what to do."

"A lot of good that did me in the long run..." came a defeated grumble from the jail cell.

"He posed as me for a while to work at Rocky's, then we wrote a ransom note to Daddy so he could get some money in case your business didn't work out."

Sweetmint's expression softened slightly. "What?"

"But he got caught today and he asked for my help to get him out."

"So you're just gonna somehow break him out of prison?"

"No, he wants me to go down to Ponyville and get that changeling girl. But..." Tapioca turned away ashamedly. "But this is mega important and stuff and I'm super nervous I'm gonna mess it up somehow since this is Crimsy's last chance and it'll be all my fault if I screw up. So I wanted to ask you to help me help Crimsy."

The imprisoned stallion poked his head up to the window once more. "And by doing that you've already fucked up entirely. The whole point of this is that she doesn't figure out I'm a changeling, so way to go, Tapioca. Job well done," he scolded sarcastically.

Sweetmint stared up at the stallion. Within his frustrated and defeated expression was something familiar. Despite his dire situation, his were the eyes of somepony who didn't like to sit around when there was an issue that needed resolving. Even though she thought this pony was a stranger, she knew she'd seen those eyes before.

"Wait... Then, it's true?" Sweetmint uttered in disbelief.

The stallion sighed in resignation. "The jig's finally up... No point in trying to play dumb, I guess."

Tapioca, Daily, and Chips all waited silently, watching Sweetmint for her reaction to the news. At first, the green mare just continued to stare at who she now knew was Crimson Neon in disguise. Her brain was struggling to process this information. She wasn't sure if she was even capable of accepting it as the truth. A part of her mind was telling her that she needed to simply ignore all of this and pretend it didn't happen, that, as unhealthy as repressing that knowledge was, it was ultimately the safest thing for her to do.

But she couldn't. She couldn't just ignore it, because there was something else within her that wasn't about to let this go so easily.

"Are you... Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Tapioca and Chips both flinched at Sweetmint's sudden, enraged outburst, though neither Daily nor Crimson seemed at all surprised.

"I did it again, didn't I!" she bellowed angrily toward her sister. Daily simply gave her an uncertain shrug. "I don't fucking believe this. How many times have I told myself I wasn't going to fall into these assholes' traps anymore?! Seriously! I had patience, I didn't let myself get attached too quickly, I made sure not to pour my heart out too much until I knew for sure he was the one. But he was a fucking changeling the whole time?!"

Crimson just laid his head on the windowsill silently, letting Sweetmint continue her tirade without defending himself.

"Of fucking course this would happen to me, right?! After all the shitty relationships I've fallen into, I finally find one decent guy and even he's a fucking manipulative, self-serving cunt!"

Daily finally decided to step in, addressing her sister calmly. "Okay, calm down, Mint. I'm sure there's more to this than you think."

"How do you know?!" Sweetmint snapped at her sister. "Don't go to bat for him just because your friends with those two in Ponyville! Clearly this asshole had other things in mind, evidenced by the fact that he's currently behind fucking bars!"

"I'm just trying to help you look at this with a level head. You getting too upset to think about this clearly."

"Of course I'm upset! You of all people should understand why I'm so fucking upset!"

"You're right, I do," Daily responded more firmly. "Which is exactly why you need to chill out for a sec."

"Why are you taking his side?! I'm your sister! You should be mad at him too!"

"Because I told him I'd give him the benefit of the doubt, which is why I'd prefer it if we considered this situation logically and calmly."

Sweetmint blinked, a vein in her temple suddenly throbbing as the meaning of her sister's words hit her. "You knew about this?!"

"I did," Daily answered simply. "I figured it out after I stumbled upon a changeling on the outskirts of town and managed to suss out that it was your boyfriend."

Sweetmint's face suddenly flushed red with rage, now directed toward her own flesh and blood. "And you never told me?! What kind of sister are you?! You knew about all of the jackasses I've dated over the years and just sat by and said nothing when you found out my new boyfriend was a damn changeling?!"

"Being a changeling doesn't automatically make him an asshole," Daily argued.

"Maybe not, but lying to me certainly does!"

"He has his reasons."

"Yeah, and I'm sure what he told you was totally the absolute truth, no doubt," Sweetmint snipped sarcastically. "No, you know what? Fuck you," she told her, jabbing her sister in the barrel roughly. She then turned her attention to the stallion quietly watching from his prison cell. "And fuck you too! You can rot in there for all I care!"

Without another word, Sweetmint stomped off, kicking a stray stone at the wall of the police station hard enough to chip the pristine marble.

Tapioca turned up to Crimson with a bit of panic in her eyes. "D-Don't worry, Crimsy! We'll still get Chamella and get you out so you can—"

"Don't bother," he scolded, though with abject defeat in his quiet voice. "Everything's ruined now... Even if she did manage to get me out of here, I'd have to abandon Canterlot and start over somewhere else anyway, so, thanks a lot. You've really been a big help. Now just shut up and leave me alone..."

Crimson stepped away from the window, presumably ignoring any more goings-on outside.

Tapioca lowered her head in regret and shame, and Chips placed a hoof on her shoulder to comfort her.

Daily, however, continued to stare in the direction that her sister had left in angrily. But once things had quieted down, she gestured for Tapioca and Chips to follow her. "Come on. I'm not about to let my sister do something she might regret."

***** ***** *****

Daily reemerged from her sister's ice cream shop. Tapioca and Frosted Chips were waiting outside for any news, but Daily simply shook her head. "She's not here."

"We gotta keep looking," Tapioca insisted. She lowered her head, her ears flattening down. "I feel super bad about all this. I thought she'd be okay with it and wanna get Crimsy out of jail. I didn't mean to break them up..."

"Don't beat yourself up yet. She probably went back to her apartment. Let's save the self-loathing and guilt for after we talk to her."

Chips gently tugged on Daily's blazer, pointing to direct her attention across the street. It would seem there was no need to go to Sweetmint's apartment, as the mare was currently walking out of The Soup Spoon. The three of them hurried over to meet her, noting the lack of raw anger on Sweetmint's face now compared to when they saw her last.

"You okay, Sis?" Daily asked.

Sweetmint didn't look her in the eye. She just sighed quietly. "I asked them if I could see Crimson. They told me he quit around a month ago. I didn't want to believe it, but I guess that clinches it. My boyfriend was a changeling." She looked to her sister with deep apology. "Sorry for lashing out at you like that Daily."

The older sister waved it off dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I know you better than anypony, so I've learned not to take anything you say during your fits of rage personally. And believe me, I get why you'd be upset. Maybe I should have told you sooner. Might've lessened the blow, but then I'd be breaking my promise to Crimson."

Sweetmint couldn't really blame her sister for wanting to give Crimson the benefit of the doubt. Daily probably saw herself as a sort of "ambassador" between ponies and changelings being the one who wrote the first news articles about them and their lives. She likely thought it'd be hypocritical to be judgmental toward another changeling.

But she had to wonder if it really would have been better if Daily had told her sooner. Would she have been more accepting of him and his identity if the lie hadn't lasted as long? Upon first learning about it just fifteen minutes ago, she was overcome with anger, which was pretty much what she would have expected. But she also expected to be stewing in that anger for hours—maybe days. Anytime she usually got that upset, it wasn't uncommon for her to want to break something to quell the raging seas inside her.

But right now, the fury barely ebbed within that storm. Her anger was present, but subdued. What she felt now was unlike what she'd felt in any of her past relationships. She felt betrayed, like a part of her that she treasured was now gone. Crimson had taken that part of her away, but she couldn't bring herself to be as angry as she expected. She just felt lost now.

Sweetmint looked into her sister's eyes with an expression of utter dejection and self-pity. "Is there something wrong with me? Do I just have a stink around me that attracts these kinds of scumbags?"

Tapioca took a step forward. "But Crimsy's not—"

Daily held out a hoof to cut her short before addressing her sister. "Mint, I can't say whether or not it's been poor judgment or just bad luck, but what I do know is that Crimson isn't the same as those other guys."

Sweetmint knit her brow once more, her sister's continued defense of that liar beginning to rekindle the indignant fire within her. "Yeah, you're right. Because he's a changeling. Not to generalize, but they're the most manipulative creatures in Equestria. Most guys are just selfish jerks. That douche is essentially a professional con artist out to plunder some hapless mare of her love."

"Just let me lay something out on the table for you." Daily pointed to the empty ice cream shop across the street. "Who owns that place?"

Sweetmint rolled her eyes. "Don't talk down to me like I'm a child, Daily. If you've got a point to make, just go ahead and make it."

"Didn't you tell me yourself earlier today that the whole reason why you're the current owner of that establishment is because of Crimson?"

There was a moment where Sweetmint's ire simmered down for a moment as she stared across the street at her shop. However, she quickly devised a counterargument. "So you're going to tell me that a complete, self-serving asshat wouldn't have done that, is that it? But what if that was part of his plan to dupe me from the beginning, huh?"

"To paraphrase something you told me earlier: seems like a lot of effort to go through for somepony you don't actually care about," Daily insisted with a shrug. "Granted, I can't speak for specific individuals' patience and dedication to a goal, but if all he cared about was getting love, there are far easier, more susceptible targets than somepony like you."

Tapioca noticed Daily's eyes shift in her direction briefly. She cocked her head to the side uncomprehendingly.

"Maybe, but he didn't exactly know much about me when we first met," said Sweetmint. "My anger issues seemed to catch him off guard."

"And when did he find out about your anger?"

Sweetmint arched an eyebrow at the seemingly inane question. "Uhh, on our second date. Why does that matter?"

"Based on what I've seen, your past boyfriends usually booked it once they saw that side of you. But Crimson got to witness it on your second date, before he'd really gotten to know you too well. And yet he chose to stick around."

Sweetmint paused for a moment. "I mean... He told me that he was no stranger to rage."

Daily lifted her nose slightly. "I thought you didn't trust him."

"I don't, but..."

Tapioca spoke up again. "Minty, me and Crimsy talked a lot when I was kidnapped. He's had a tough life and he's done some bad things, but he just wants to live a quiet, peaceful life. He tried to act like he didn't care, but I could see he really did. I could see it in his eyes when he talked about you," she told her with a fond smile.

"That was probably just to get you to sympathize with him," Sweetmint argued.

"But he's done a bunch of good things! Not just for you, but other people too! He said he was the one who made your living situation more comfortable."

Sweetmint quirked an eyebrow. Was she referring to how Mr. Hide eventually decided to allow more than one tenant per apartment? Was that really Crimson's doing, or was he taking credit for it? But if he was just taking credit for it, surely he would have mentioned it to her in order to further endear himself to her, right?

"And Crimsy's the reason me and Chippy are together." Tapioca hugged her new, silent, awkward boyfriend, pressing her cheek against his. "Right, Chippy?"

Chips simply reacted with a goofy, blissful grin and a deep blush.

"See that?" Daily said, pointing to the happy—if not naïve—couple. "Talk shit about him as much as you want, there's no denying Crimson's made an impact around here."

Sweetmint looked between the three ponies, their insistence only proving to further aggravate her. "Am I the only sane one here? How is it that I'm the one who's spent the most time with him, but you guys are the ones who are willing to trust him? Even though he kidnapped you," she said, pointing to Tapioca, "and my own sister knew he was deceiving me from the start. What is this bullshit role reversal?"

Daily sighed remorsefully. "Look, I'll admit that it's entirely possible that he lied to me about his intentions when I first met him, but the whole reason I've been willing to give him a chance is because I've never seen you so happy before, Mint."

Sweetmint stayed silent, though kept her brow furrowed.

"I don't think anypony's ever made you as happy as Crimson has. Even if it was for his own benefit, it's hard for me to really be mad at him after everything he's done for my little sister."

Sweetmint let out a huff through her nostrils. She couldn't deny that her life has been running rather smoothly since Crimson showed up. And she also had to admit that it was indeed a lot of effort just to make her fall in love with him. She still felt her blood beginning to boil whenever she thought about the whole situation, but she was starting to feel like she owed him at least something, though it certainly wasn't forgiveness.

"Alright, then let's head down to Ponyville."

The three other ponies stared at her, caught off guard by the sudden declaration. Tapioca leaned forward hopefully. "You wanna help him get out now?"

"Pfft, fuck no. You said Chamella knows him, right?"

Tapioca nodded. "That's what he told me."

"Then let's ask for her opinion. See what she thinks," Sweetmint suggested, her tone detached and vindictive. "And I'm admittedly curious to see how that worm tries to wriggle out of this. Come on. Let's catch the next train down."

Sweetmint sauntered off toward the train station. Tapioca skipped happily behind her, clearly just glad that she was giving Crimson a modicum of a chance. And Chips, of course, followed closely behind Tapioca. Daily, however, hesitated momentarily before making to catch up, feeling a touch unsure.

"If my hunch is correct, this might not go well..."

***** ***** *****

Sweetmint sat silently, staring out the window and watching the landscape quickly passing by. The elevated view of Canterlot Valley had since evened out, the train now travelling on level land as they headed toward their destination. It had been over three years since Sweetmint had ridden a train, as she had never left Canterlot since she first moved there; as much as she would have liked to make a trip back to Manehattan to visit her family, she hadn't had that kind of money to spend. Even now may not have been the best time to be blowing dough on train tickets considering she'd just dropped a ton of money buying Rocky's place, but that wasn't exactly the most pressing thing on her mind right now.

The clacking of the metal wheels against the tracks was the only sound present within their train car. Not even Daily or Tapioca—who were normally pretty chatty—were saying much of anything. The tension was thick within the train car, and it emanated from the green mare staring out the window with a persistent scowl on her face.

She still couldn't believe this was happening. Everything had been going so perfectly, then Tapioca had to walk in and burst her bubble. Sweetmint couldn't even decide if it would have been better if she never found out about this. Ignorance being bliss was always more Tapioca's thing, but she could barely think straight due to how upset she was. The feeling of betrayal she felt gradually began to build to a boil. She'd never admit it, but she was hurting right now, she just managed to hide it well behind her anger. That anger was the reason she was even going to these lengths. While she may have been happier not knowing the truth, she wanted nothing more right now than to put an asshole in his place. Prison was too good for Crimson. In order to feel truly vindicated, Sweetmint needed to tear into him herself. If anything, this was an opportunity to rub salt in his wounds. By her own admission, Crimson was a major contributing factor as to why she was where she was now. So what better punishment for a manipulative scumbag like him than to have to watch the girl he was duping reap the benefits of his efforts without him? She wagered that would stick in his craw pretty good.

But he wasn't the only person adding to her frustration right now. Sweetmint discreetly glanced at the other three ponies sitting with her. It irked her that these three were so willing to give Crimson another chance after how blatantly he was using her.

Tapioca was fidgeting nervously. Sweetmint was perhaps least surprised to see her siding with Crimson. She'd always seemed to have a thing for him, and he'd probably been feeding her all sorts of lies while she was in captivity. She was clearly suffering from Trotholm syndrome, so Sweetmint didn't exactly take stock in her insistence that he was actually a good guy. She felt much the same about Frosted Chips; he was just going along with this because it was what Tapioca wanted.

But it was Daily that was really bothering her right now. The fact that her own sister was willing to side with a guy who had been taking advantage of her was both infuriating and disheartening, and was really the main reason why she was even entertaining the idea of hearing Crimson out. Sweetmint had always rolled her eyes whenever her sister claimed something to be 'journalist's intuition,' or whatever crap she was calling it, but if there was anypony she trusted more than anypony else, it was Daily, even if she believed that she was way off base this time.

Either way, they'd find out soon enough. Chamella would confirm or deny what they suspected. There was a part of her that wanted nothing more than for Chamella to tell them that Crimson was a deceptive charlatan and give Sweetmint a definitive reason to kick his ass. But she'd be lying if she said there wasn't also a part of her that wanted her sister to be right about Crimson, but her roiling anger kept that part in check to avoid giving herself false hope. Whatever the case, the moment of truth was fast approaching. They would have their answer pretty soon.

The sound of the train wheels gradually beginning to screech signaled to the passengers that they were pulling up to their destination. Sweetmint, Daily, Tapioca, and Chips all got up to prepare to disembark once the train came to a stop.

As the four stepped out onto the train platform and started making their way into town, they took a brief moment to take in their new surroundings. Ponyville seemed to be a much more humble town than Canterlot, and nowhere was that more evident than the town's homes with their more traditional, wooden construction and thatched roofs as opposed to the fancy, marble buildings of Canterlot. And while Canterlot was full of stuffy socialites and a population of ninety percent unicorns, Ponyville appeared to have a near equal mix of the three races, and all of them were smiling and gave the four visitors friendly waves. Sweetmint was starting to wonder if maybe she would have been better off moving here instead of Canterlot. Probably would have been cheaper at the very least.

However, it was hard to ignore one particular landmark: the giant castle built within a huge, crystal tree. Sweetmint had heard about Princess Twilight Sparkle's new castle popping up out of nowhere, but seeing it in person as opposed to pictures in a newspaper was something else. If nothing else, it was certainly the fanciest and most excessive treehouse Sweetmint had ever seen, and looked more than a little out of place in the small town.

But they weren't there to sightsee. They had a goal in mind and Sweetmint was intent on getting it over with. "So, you know where Chamella's place is, right?" she asked Daily as they walked through town.

"She doesn't have a place of her own. She lives with Rarity at Carousel Boutique. Follow me."

Daily lead them through town to a relatively tall and surprisingly ornate building. This place looked more like it would be right at home in Canterlot, with its pink and purple color scheme and decorative aesthetic, but Sweetmint had briefly met Rarity, so based on the fashionista's personality and manner of speaking, she might have even been able to deduce this was her place on her own.

Daily walked up to the building and prepared to open the door, but Tapioca reached out to stop her.

"Wait, you're just gonna walk into somepony's house? Isn't that, like, mega rude?"

"She might live here, but its also her place of business. It's fine. Besides, I'm a friend."

Sweetmint raised an eyebrow doubtfully. "'Friend'?"

Daily lolled her head back and forth. "Eh, maybe 'acquaintance' is a little more accurate, but we're just splitting hairs here." She then opened the door and lead them inside.

Their arrival was signaled by the chime of an entrance bell, a familiar sound to three of the four visitors as a sign to the employees that a customer had arrived. The bell was perhaps more purposeful for this establishment in comparison to Rocky's Road, though, as it was a much larger building and nopony seemed to be present within the foyer at the moment, just the four of them and their reflections in the mirrors on the small, nearby stage. If Rarity was around, the bell would tip her off that there was a visitor.

And sure enough, a singsong voice called down from the second floor. "Coming~" As expected, a white unicorn mare with an immaculately-styled, purple mane came prancing down the stairs with an affable smile. "How may I—oh." Her eyes immediately landed on Daily, who gave her a friendly smile in return. "Miss Scoop. Well, this is certainly unexpected." Rarity then glanced to the three other ponies with her, a pleasantly surprised smiled creasing her lips. "Oh, and it's you three. Equally unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. If I'm not mistaken... Sweetmint, Tapioca, aaaand..." She paused as she stared at the one stallion with them. "Actually, I don't think I ever got your name, Mister..."

Chips remained silent, just blinking as though he'd forgotten his own name.

Tapioca grabbed him affectionately, like a child hugging a puppy. "This is Chippy."

"Frosted Chips," Daily corrected. "Don't worry about him, he's a quiet one. He's just tagging along."

"You know these ponies, Daily?" Rarity inquired.

The journalist nodded with a smile, draping a hoof over Sweetmint's shoulder and pulling her closer, much to the green mare's annoyance. "Yep. Mint here is my twin sister."

Rarity's eyes widened in surprised. "Really? You never mentioned you had a sister, let alone a twin."

"I try not to get into my own personal stuff when I'm doing my journalism thing."

"Yes, you would much rather get into other people's personal stuff, isn't that right?" Rarity quipped with a knowing, yet somewhat judgmental smirk.

Daily shrugged, not bothered by the snarky response. "Look at it however you want."

"So, what brings you here?" asked Rarity. However, before they could answer, her eyes lit up and she looked between Sweetmint and Tapioca. "Oh! I think I get it. You want to make good on my offer from last we met." She smiled modestly. "Well, while I'm flattered that you'd want to come straight to the source, there was no need to go out of your way like this. But, since you're here, you're welcome to peruse for a dress or garment that piques your interest and I'll be sure to give you a nice discount."

Tapioca grinned eagerly and was about to start looking around for a dress that caught her eye. But Sweetmint held out a hoof to stop her, giving her a terse glare before turning to Rarity.

"Actually, that's not why we're here. We came to talk to Chamella."

Rarity quirked an eyebrow. "Chamella?" The inquisitive look on her face seemed to indicate she wanted to ask why, but was likely holding herself back because she didn't want to pry. She also seemed a touch disappointed. "I see. Well, she's on her lunch break currently, but..." Rarity analyzed the expression on Sweetmint's face. "This sounds important. Let me fetch her."

Rarity trotted through an archway to where the group assumed was the dining room and kitchen. After a few moments, she returned with her changeling employee following along with her. Chamella halted in her tracks the moment she locked eyes with Sweetmint.

"Oh, uh... Hey. Good to see you again," the changeling greeted, though it was notably halfhearted. "Rarity said you needed to talk to me?"

Chamella's tone didn't go unnoticed by Sweetmint. A near indiscernible sigh had escaped the changeling's lungs, but Sweetmint caught it. She had phrased that response as a question, but her somewhat frustrated expression and low tone of voice would seem to indicate that she already knew what this was about. That pretty much confirmed that Chamella did, in fact, know Crimson, and also evidently knew what he was doing this whole time. That would make yet another person who didn't bother to tell her, but she'd bring that up later.

"Yeah, but can we go somewhere more private?"

Chamella followed Sweetmint's eyes and glanced over her shoulder. Rarity was peering out through the doorway to the kitchen, but ducked back in once she'd been caught. Chamella sighed. "Sure."

The four ponies and one changeling made their way outside once more, walking around to the back of Carousel Boutique, but still some distance away from the building to avoid any prying eyes or curious ears. Once they had sufficient privacy, Chamella started with a cautious question.

"So... What's this about?"

It didn't take a detective to figure out that the changeling already knew full well the answer to that, but was simply being careful in case she was off base.

"It's Crimson. He told us to find you."

Chamella groaned quietly, brushing her long, purple mane out of her face. "What did he do?" she asked with mild annoyance.

"So you do know him?" Sweetmint asked for clarification.

"Yeah. Shade and I promised to help him out if he got into a bind. So what kind of trouble is he in?"

"He's in jail," Daily answered.

Chamella's eyes widened slightly, both with surprise and a little aggravation. "In jail? Why?"

"He kidnapped me," Tapioca replied nonchalantly.

The changeling only became even more taken aback by that. "What?!" She threw her head back with a loud groan. "Ugh, this is what I was afraid of. I really did want to believe he could change, but he's still just the same person he always was."

Sweetmint turned to her sister. "See? She confirmed it. He's a jackass and he's exactly where he belongs."

"But it was an accident!" Tapioca argued defensively.

"How do you 'accidently' kidnap somepony?" Chamella inquired.

"I found out he was a changeling and he panicked so he took me to a cave because he didn't trust me to keep his secret until he could figure out how to fix everything because Minty just lost her job and he needed to help her."

Chamella blinked blankly as Tapioca caught her breath.

"All of that is to say that this was all just unfortunate happenstance," Daily clarified.

"So even you knew about this, Daily?" Chamella asked.

Sweetmint gave her sister a harsh glare. "Yeah, figure that out. Even my own sister couldn't be bothered to tell me my boyfriend was a changeling."

"Think about this from his perspective, Mint," Daily told her. "What would you have done in his position?"

"How should I know? He's a changeling. Kidnapping people is kinda what they do." Sweetmint glanced apologetically at Chamella. "Uh, no offense."

Chamella shied away behind her mane again. "Given my history, I don't really have any right to be offended..."

Daily looked her sister in the eye and she pointed to Chamella. "Yeah, that's right. Even Chamella here has kidnapped somepony before, and she's not only a respected member of this community, but the person she kidnapped is now one of her best friends. So can't you give Crimson a little leeway?"

Sweetmint glowered at Daily. "I'm not giving him jack shit until we head back to Canterlot and hear what he has to say for himself. He still kidnapped somepony. I'm sure Chamella understands that he shouldn't just get away with it because she made the same mistake."

Chamella nodded in agreement with that statement. "I do. Just because he said that, doesn't mean he's telling the truth. He kind of has a bad reputation behind him already."

"But he hasn't actually done anything bad!" Tapioca continued. "He never hurt me or anything. We just chilled out and talked while we tried to figure things out together."

"What are you talking about? He used you to extort ransom money from your dad," Sweetmint reminded her. Her eyes widened slightly as a thought occurred her. "And I'm only now realizing why he only demanded twelve thousand bits. For fuck's sake, did I buy Rocky's place with ransom money?! Am I gonna be implicated?!"

Tapioca waved off her slight panic dismissively. "Nah, he said that money was just in case your ice cream place didn't go well."

Sweetmint sighed in mild relief, but scoffed. "Tch. Shows just how much faith he actually had in me. Asshole..."

"Okay, can we get back on track here?" Chamella interjected. "So, what, he expects me and Shade to just bail him out of jail? Is that why you all came down here to find me?"

"Oh, uh, he said he only wanted you, not Shade," Tapioca corrected. "Maybe I'm reading things wrong, but from what he's told me, it sounds like he doesn't get along super well with Shade."

"That's understating it," Chamella deadpanned. "And I can't say I'm surprised. But I'm not exactly swimming in money. Even if I wanted to, I can't exactly afford to pay to bail somepony out of jail. Plus, we told him upfront that we'll only step in if it's a minor screw up. Hurting people or kidnapping is a step too far if you ask me."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Daily said, raising a hoof. "Why not just go talk to him, get his side of the story and determine how you feel about it then? That's what I did when I came to interview you guys."

Chamella sighed, rubbing her neck reluctantly. "I guess I could. The authorities would probably be willing to go a little easier on him if he had another changeling vouch for him—which I'm not guaranteeing I will."

"Oh, um..."

Chamella quirked an eyebrow at Tapioca. "What now?"

"Can you not reveal that he's a changeling? We're the only ones who know," she said, pointing to herself and the three other ponies.

Chamella stared at her, confused. "Wait, the guards still think he's a pony?"

Tapioca nodded.

"Well, how am I supposed to help him without revealing he's a changeling?" Chamella posited in annoyance.

Sweetmint shrugged indifferently. "That's up to you. Personally, I don't give a shit. The only reason I came to find you is to see if you can get that bastard to confess to how much of a fucking asshole he is."

"No no! You gotta help him!" Tapioca insisted. "I know he's done bad stuff, but he really is a nice guy now. Minty's just kinda mad right now."

"'Kinda mad' is putting it lightly. If she does manage to get him out of there, I'll probably just kill him myself."

Chamella turned away, seemingly contemplating the situation carefully. "We did make a promise... I guess the least I can do is see what I can manage. But doing that without revealing his identity is going to be difficult." She hummed in thought before looking at the four ponies, some hesitance in her face. "I might have an idea, but it's gonna require asking somepony else for help."

"It's not Shade, is it?" Tapioca asked worriedly.

Chamella shook her head. "No, but she's definitely somepony we can trust. Is that okay?"

Sweetmint rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Whatever."

Chamella walked past the four of them, gesturing for them to follow. "Alright. Follow me."

***** ***** *****

Where their changeling guide had taken them wasn't exactly where they had been expecting. The group of five now stood before the enormous castle that had cropped up overnight some time ago, now the new home of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Seeing the building up close was a surreal experience. They imagined this was what it must have felt like to be a child's dolls with their "enchanted castle" play sets.

"We're asking Princess Twilight for help?" Sweetmint inferred.

Chamella nodded. "We can trust Twilight. And if anypony can come up with a way to help, it's her.

Tapioca trotted eagerly in place, barely able to contain her excitement. "Oooh, I've never actually met one of the princesses before. This is super exciting, right, Minty?"

Sweetmint shrugged. "Well, I actually have met her before, sooo..."

Both Chamella and Tapioca quirked their eyebrows in surprise. "You have?"

"Yeah. She did a signing for her book a while ago. We actually got pretty engrossed in conversation and she even came over to my place for a short visit."

"What?! Now I'm omega jealous!" Tapioca whined. "You're friends with a princess?!"

"I wouldn't go that far. It was only a short time. Somepony as important and as busy as her, she probably doesn't even remember me at this point."

"Of course she does," Chamella assured with a smile. "There's a reason why she's called the princess of friendship now. And even if she wasn't, she's got an impeccable memory. There's no way she forgot about you. If anything, she'll only be more willing to help if you two already know each other."

Even with that extra reassurance, Sweetmint still couldn't manage any more than an indifferent look. "If you say so."

Chamella knocked firmly on the grand double doors of the castle, the sound resonating rather loudly, even outside. The group stood around quietly as they waited for something to happen. Tapioca was first to speak.

"Um... Is she not home?"

"The castle's... kinda big," Chamella said awkwardly. "She's still getting used to the place, and it's possible she didn't even hear us."

As she said that, one of the two doors finally swayed open slowly, revealing the lavender alicorn herself. Twilight gave Chamella a quizzical look. "Oh, Chamella. You know you don't have to knock, right? You can—" She paused when she noticed the four ponies behind her, particularly Daily and Sweetmint. Twilight smiled amicably. "Oh, hey! Daily, Sweetmint! Good to see you two. But, uh, what brings you here?"

Sweetmint was about to open her mouth, but Twilight gasped suddenly, interrupting her.

"Wait, don't tell me you found more fans of Kohl the Sentinel?!" the princess assumed, glancing toward the other two ponies with whom she was unfamiliar. "Did you come down here to arrange a meetup?! Oooh, this is exciting!" she exclaimed, clapping her hooves gleefully. "You should have let me know in advance! I would have had Spike prepare refreshments! Daily, I didn't know you were a fan of Kohl too. You should have said something."

Daily scoffed, having to suppress a mocking snicker. "As if. I'm not into that nerdy stuff."

"Oh. Well, you're still welcome to join us. I suppose you'll want a tour of my new castle, though I'm still learning the lay of the land myself, admittedly, but my doors are always open for any fellow Kohl fans."

Tapioca tilted her head in puzzlement. "What's 'Kohl'?"

Twilight blinked, noticing an equal amount of confusion on the faces of both Chamella and the quiet stallion with them. "Wait, so you're not here for a meetup, then?"

"No, we're not." Sweetmint answered with a hint of apology. Admittedly, had the circumstances been different, she'd have been more than happy to join the princess to talk about the manga with her, but there were more pertinent matters that had to be dealt with.

"Oh, well, that's a little disappointing, but maybe another time. So, then, why are you here?" Twilight took another look at the group outside her door, her eyes eventually falling on Sweetmint. "And where's Crimson? He didn't come with you?"

"Actually, he's the reason we came here," Sweetmint answered.

Twilight tilted her head. "I... don't understand."

Chamella looked Twilight dead in the eye with the utmost seriousness. "Twilight... Crimson is Guise."

The alicorn's eyes widened slightly, briefly glancing at Sweetmint. "What?! Really? Wow. I, uh... I wasn't expecting that."

"And he's in jail."

Some concern came over Twilight's face. "Oh. I see..."

"Guise?" Sweetmint repeated with only a touch of curiosity. "That's his real name, huh?"

Tapioca pursed her lips, wracking her brain over something. "That name sounds familiar. Maybe he's, like, one of my exes or something."

"I mentioned him briefly last time we met," Chamella told her. "He's the guy Shade and I grew up with."

Daily inhaled sharply through her teeth. "Yeeeah, this is what I was afraid of."

"What? You know something?" Sweetmint asked her sister.

"I had a hunch about who he really was based on how similar his story was to Shade's, but I was kinda hoping I was wrong. Guise tried to kill Shade on multiple occasions and apparently even aspired to usurp the throne of the Changeling Kingdom at one point."

"He spent the last two years locked up in the dungeons of the hive," added Chamella.

Sweetmint's eye twitched. She threw her hooves up in outrage, stomping furious circles around Twilight's doorstep. "Great! Just fan-fucking-tastic! So he's not only a liar and a kidnapper, but he was a fugitive before we even met! I've been dating a criminal the whole time! Do I know how to pick 'em, or what?!"

"To be fair, we wouldn't have been able to rescue Snowflake without him," Twilight told her.

"So, what, one good deed is enough to forgive kidnapping and attempted murder? I know you're the princess of friendship or some shit now, but don't you think that's being a little too lenient?"

Twilight held up her hoof authoritatively. "First of all, that was before I was dubbed the princess of friendship. Secondly, it wasn't really my decision. Shade was the one who let him go. Considering it was him and his family that Guise had slighted, his forgiveness takes precedence over mine."

"And based on what I saw, he seems like he's turned over a new leaf," Daily added.

"And you still believe that? Even knowing who he is and what he's done?" Sweetmint continued to argue.

"Attempted to do," Twilight corrected. "He never actually accomplished any of the bad things he sought to do."

"Oh! Well, I guess that makes it all better, doesn't it?! He might be a criminal, but at least he's bad at it," Sweetmint hissed with venomous sarcasm.

Tapioca smiled with relief. "See? I knew you'd come around, Minty."

Sweetmint simply shot a harsh scowl at the dimwitted unicorn, causing her to recoil slightly.

Chamella glanced between the four ponies that had come to help. "So, aside from Sweetmint, the rest of you are still willing to help Guise out?"

"Totally!" Tapioca chirped. "He's gruff on the outside, but a real sweetheart on the inside."

Frosted Chips smiled in agreement.

"And whatever his intentions were when he arrived in Canterlot, there's no denying that he's made my little sis happy," Daily added.

Chamella sighed deeply, rubbing her leg remorsefully. "Maybe I was a little hard on him... He said he wasn't doing anything bad, but I wouldn't believe him. I shouldn't have made assumptions. I should probably apologize..."

"But you were right," Sweetmint reminded her. "Even if it was 'an accident,' kidnapping is kidnapping. And he's still a liar."

"Let me ask you something, Sweetmint," Twilight interjected. "I can see that you've clearly already convinced yourself that he's a bad person, and that's certainly understandable for somepony in your position. But if that's the case, why come all the way out here? You could have just gone about your life now that he's in jail."

"I want to hear what he has to say for himself," Sweetmint growled.

Twilight raised an eyebrow at her assertion. "I see. And you need us for that?"

Sweetmint narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What are you implying?"

"I mean, you could've just spoken to him earlier when we were at the guard station," Daily interjected. "But you stomped off in a huff because you were letting your emotions get the better of you."

"I feel like there's more to this than even you realize, Sweetmint," Twilight said sympathetically. "Which is why I'd like to speak with him myself."

"That's what we wanted to ask," Chamella said. "And if it turns out his friends here are right about him, I'd like to uphold our end of the deal and bail him out. It's just, uhh..."

Twilight observed the awkward and embarrassed blush on the changeling's face and sighed with a soft smile. "Money, right. I'll see what I can do."

Tapioca clapped her hooves gleefully. "Yes! Thank you thank you thank you! Crimsy's gonna be soooo stoked!"

"Well, if I know the train schedule as well as I think I do, then the next train to Canterlot isn't for another hour and a half," Twilight informed them with a inviting grin. "You're welcome to come in for some tea while we wait. Oh, but you were a coffee drinker, if I recall, right? I'll have Spike fix us all something and you can give me the rest of the details of this little situation."

As opposed to everypony else, Chamella started down the steps instead of into the castle. "I should probably ask Rarity if I can take the rest of the day off for this."

Tapioca skipped happily inside, just excited to see the inside of a princess's castle. In contrast, Sweetmint groaned quietly, but still accepted the offer. Twilight's previous comment stuck in her head. She wasn't really sure what the princess meant, but for some reason that was all she could think about now. Regardless, at least she was willing to help. She expected the presence of both Chamella and Princess Twilight would back Crimson—or rather, Guise—into a corner and get him to spill his true intentions.

So, then, why did she suddenly feel conflicted about this?

***** ***** *****

Having given Princess Twilight all the necessary details, the group of five ponies and one changeling had boarded the next train to Canterlot and made their way to the guard station where Guise was being detained. While one of the members of their group was a changeling, it was suggested by Twilight once she was told about Guise's requests that it may be for the best if Chamella arrived in disguise to help conceal Guise's identity. To that end, as far as the guards were concerned, the sixth "pony" in their group was Rarity.

Upon arriving at the guard station, they found a single pegasus guard—in armor, but without his helmet—sitting leisurely at a desk and flipping through a magazine. Hearing the door open, he glanced up and was immediately caught off guard by the sight of Princess Twilight Sparkle. He hastily scrambled to put his helmet back on, standing from his desk and at attention to salute the princess.

"Y-Your Highness, good afternoon!" he greeted with a slightly embarrassed crack in his voice. "I wasn't expecting you. To what do we owe the honor?"

Twilight sighed with a roll of her eyes, clearly still not used to the royal treatment, even though she had her own castle now. Even so, she mustered up as much authority as she could before speaking to the guard. "At ease," she ordered, prompting the guard to relax. "It's my understanding that you have somepony locked up here for kidnapping. Is that right?"

The pegasus nodded. "Yes, but he hasn't been cooperative about giving us his name, so we haven't been able to properly identify him."

Twilight closed her eyes as if thinking about something. Sweetmint watched closely. While they had given Twilight enough details about the kidnapping and Guise's situation, the alicorn hadn't yet said exactly what she planned to do to help, or even if she would bail him out or not.

"I know him," Twilight stated. "May I speak with him?"

The guard quirked an eyebrow in surprise and confusion. "You do? Uh, yeah, sure. That'd be a big help." He glanced over the princess's shoulder at the other five ponies behind her.

"They'll be coming with me," Twilight told him before the guard even had a chance to question it. "And we'd like to keep it private, if you don't mind. He may not be as open with a guard standing by."

"Alright, whatever you say, Princess." The stallion pointed to the set of doors that lead into the detention area of the station. "Second cell on the left."

Twilight nodded with a friendly and grateful smile. "Thank you. I'll try to sort this out." She gestured for her five companions to follow her through the doors, shutting them behind them so that the guard wouldn't be privy to their conversation.

The group of ponies trotted down the short corridor of only six holding cells, three on each side. As the guard said, the only occupied cell was the second on the left, where a dark blue stallion with an orange mane lounged on a small, uncomfortable-looking cot. The sound of several sets of hoofsteps on the marble floor must've caught his attention because he was already glancing in their direction by the time they came into view. He took one look at them before his eyes fell on the lavender alicorn, and he let out a long sigh.

"Are you just doing everything you can to make this worse, Tapioca?" he groaned, not even bothering to get up from the cot. "You've brought pretty much everypony that I didn't want knowing about this."

Tapioca's ears drooped regretfully. "We didn't bring Shade, though," she said weakly.

Guise shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you at least did that much. And not that it's gonna make much difference now, but you did also somehow manage to convince Chamella to come here, so, kudos, I guess."

Chamella blinked, a little surprised. "How'd you know it was me?"

Guise finally sat up, looking at the form of Rarity standing outside the bars. "Because I'm not stupid. That chick you're disguised as—"

"Rarity."

"Like I give a shit. She has no reason to be here without you, so it's pretty obvious it's you. Plus, I've always been better at sussing out other changelings than Shade ever has. How many times has that moron failed to recognize me when I was in disguise?" Guise turned his attention back to Twilight. "So, is your presence here supposed to be good for me, or what?"

"Given your situation, Chamella thought it best to ask for my help," the alicorn answered.

Guise arched an eyebrow. "So you are actually here to help me?"

"I came to more clearly assess your intentions and make a decision based on what I hear."

Guise scoffed, rolling his eyes and leaning back against the wall. "Tch. Then it sounds like you already know what your choice is. I doubt you've heard much good about me today, on top of all the shit you already know about me."

"Actually, I've heard almost entirely good things about you today."

Guise stared at her for a moment, then turned to Sweetmint. She stared back, the look she cast one of frustration and hurt. "Okay, from Tapioca and Chips maybe, but her? Doubtful. And she's the only one whose opinion matters in this scenario, right?"

"Not necessarily. As is the case in any court hearing, your guilt or innocence shall be determined by a jury of your peers." Twilight gestured to the people with her. "These are your peers, and I've listened to everything they've had to say about you. That's the reason I came here. I am willing to help you, but I want to get your side of the story."

"What do their stories have to do with this, and what even is there to determine? I committed a crime, and now I'm here. There's no question about what I did."

Twilight shook her head. "This has nothing to do with Tapioca's kidnapping. This is about you and the relationships you built with these people. I'm judging your character, not your actions."

"So, then, you want to know why I came here and what I plan to do, is that it?"

"More or less."

Sweetmint stood by quietly. While there was a lot she wanted to say to him, she wanted to let the princess do her thing. But, the thing was, she wasn't exactly sure what it was she expected to hear anymore. And before Guise began speaking, he briefly turned to her. There was an almost conflicted look in his eyes. She didn't know what he planned to say, but whatever it was, she had a feeling it was going to be the truth.

Guise sighed as he started. "Well, I hate to disappoint you, but my whole reason for coming here was love. I wanted to find somepony to dupe into loving me so I could feed off that love. You know, like changelings do."

Chamella stepped forward. "You told me that you weren't going to actually do anything with that power though, right?"

"I did, and I meant it. But I didn't care who had to get hurt for me to achieve it. I had no intention of befriending or helping anypony except the one I chose as my 'love bug.'"

"Yet you ended up helping people anyway," Twilight reminded him. "Was that because doing so would benefit you, or something else?"

Guise narrowed his eyes. "If you're talking about Tapioca, that was hardly my doing. She's just too dense to understand when somepony is trying to shake you off."

Tapioca leaned against the bars of the cell. "But all the stuff you did was for Minty, right? You did soooo much stuff for her and made her happy. Even her sister said Minty's super happy with you around."

"Are you listening?" Guise snapped. "That was all part of the plan to earn her love. You need to get it through your head that I'm not a good person. I'm a selfish piece of shit who doesn't give a flying fuck about anypony but himself. I don't deserve your sympathy, I don't deserve your forgiveness, I don't deserve your help."

"So, are you saying you'd rather stay in that cell?" Daily asked. "Sounded like you were pretty desperate to get out if you were willing to rely on Tapioca for help."

"That was before she spilled the beans to Mint." Guise glanced at Sweetmint, that same conflicted look in his eyes. "We both would've been a lot happier perpetuating the lie. But now getting out would only just give me a chance to start over somewhere else."

"And you don't want to do that?" Twilight questioned.

"You said it yourself: you came here to determine whether or not you wanted to help me," Guise said with a resigned sigh. "I doubt I said much to win you over."

Twilight looked around to the people around her. They were all staring at her rather expectantly, save for Sweetmint, who was still just staring at Guise. The princess exchanged silent looks with Chamella, the changeling's expression rather sympathetic.

"Shade and Chamella made a promise to help you out of a bind, so I suppose this is them holding up their end of the bargain," Twilight explained. "Regardless of the person you claim to be, or the intentions you claim to have, they offered you a second chance. What you choose to do with it is up to you."

"You're still gonna let him out?" Tapioca asked hopefully.

Twilight nodded. "Give me a moment."

She briefly left the holding area and returned a few moments later with the guard from before. The pegasus eyed up Guise through the bars before addressing the princess.

"So? Get anything out of him, Your Highness?"

"I get the feeling all of this was a big misunderstanding," Twilight told him. "I'd like him released, please."

The guard threw up an eyebrow in confusion. "Uh, we... can't just release him."

Twilight blinked. "Why not?"

"Because he kidnapped somepony," he stated matter-of-factly. "I don't see how that's a 'misunderstanding.' And even if it was, he still assaulted an officer and resisted arrest, and we still need to I.D. him. Can you just give me his name?"

Twilight glanced at Guise, biting her lip. "Um... N-No, I can't..."

The guard tilted his head in suspicion. "I thought you said you knew him."

"I-I do, it's just... I made a promise. I can't tell you who he is."

The guard shook his head with a shrug. "Well, then I can't let him go. Princess Celestia is supposed to come by to pass judgment on the guy tomorrow, and if we can't get a proper I.D., he'll probably end up in the dungeons."

"B-But, uh..." Twilight stammered as she struggled to come up with something. "I'm a princess. Can't I supersede that order?"

The guard had to force back an almost amused smirk. "Supersede Princess Celestia? No offense, Your Highness, but I don't think the princess of friendship has that much pull."

Twilight's ears flattened against her head, and she cast an apologetic look at Guise, who actually looked a little disappointed himself, though also not surprised. "Oh... I just thought..." She sighed, turning to her companions. "I'm sorry, everypony. I thought there was more I could do. I guess I just wasted everypony's time."

"Well, it was worth a shot, I guess," Daily said with a shrug.

Chamella cast an apologetic look at Guise as everypony prepared to leave. "Sorry. I wanted to keep our promise, I swear. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I... hope things work out for you somehow."

Guise didn't say anything. Instead, his eyes shifted to Sweetmint, who just continued to stare at him with that same look in her eyes. And as Daily, Chips, Chamella, and Twilight started toward the exit, Sweetmint didn't move. She hadn't said a word since they had walked in. A part of her didn't want to just walk away without saying the things that were rattling inside her brain, irritating her like an itch she couldn't scratch. Even if Guise wasn't going to be able to get out of prison, she still needed to say her piece.

"Wait!"

Everypony, Sweetmint included, turned to Tapioca. The cream white unicorn was biting her lip rather hard, looking more nervous and unsure than Sweetmint had ever seen her.

"This, uh... This whole thing isn't what you think," Tapioca claimed, a drop of sweat rolling down her face.

Everypony exchanged confused looks, trying to figure out if any of them knew what she meant. Sweetmint happened to turn to Guise, expecting this to perhaps be a ploy that he had set her up to, but he looked equally puzzled.

"You mind elaborating, Miss?" the guard requested.

Tapioca cast an apologetic and still uncertain glance toward Guise. "Uh... I-It was fake..."

The guard arched an eyebrow. "What was fake?"

"The kidnapping."

Sweetmint saw Guise's eyes widen suddenly.

Of course, everypony, save for the guard, already knew the kidnapping was fake—or rather, the kidnapping was technically real, but the ransom was planned by the two of them—but admitting to it served only to implicate Tapioca as well.

Twilight approached her with a discreet, warning gaze. "Tapioca, what are you doing?"

Tapioca ignored the princess, glancing briefly back at Guise before explaining to the guard. "I-I lost my job and my dad cut me off, so I was scared and didn't know what to do. So... I found somepony to help me stage a fake kidnapping so I could get some money from Daddy to hold onto until I could find a new job." She managed a smile, though it looked very forced and nervous. "See? I wasn't in danger or anything. We planned it together. He, uh... He wasn't supposed to get caught, though. So? Can you, uh, you know... let him go? Pretty please?"

The guard simply gave her a deadpan stare. "Well, no. Staging a kidnapping is also illegal."

"But not as severe an offense as an actual kidnapping," Daily interjected.

"I guess that depends on what her father thinks," the guard surmised. "But judging by what I've seen, I doubt the dude would want to see his daughter behind bars too."

Tapioca gulped. "Wait, does that mean I'm being arrested too?"

"What did you think was going to happen when you admit to faking a kidnapping?" Daily asked rhetorically.

She blinked blankly. "Oops."

"We'll contact your father and see how he wants to handle this," the guard told her.

Twilight sighed and stepped forward. "That won't be necessary. Seeing as the offense has changed, the charge has changed also. There's no reason her father has to know she was involved in criminal activity. I'll cover the cost of their bail—both of them—including the assault and resisting charge."

"You sure about that, Princess?" the guard questioned, giving her a chance to change her mind. She responded with a simple nod. The stallion shrugged as he removed his ring of cell keys from a clip on his armor. "Alright." He unlocked Guise's cell, opening the door and stepping aside for him. "I still don't know who you are, fella, but you are one lucky son of a bitch to be friends with the princess of friendship."

Guise still had a rather bewildered look of disbelief on his face as he stepped out of the cell, so much so that he made no effort to stop Tapioca when she tackled him for an elated hug. He didn't even say a word and just glanced between all the people who had gone out of their way to help him.

And with that, they all left, like nothing was even out of the ordinary about what just happened. Twilight teleported a fat bag of bits onto the guard's desk and the group of seven stepped outside.

"Well, mission accomplished," Daily stated with a satisfied smile. "Whaddaya say we get the hay outta dodge and celebrate with some ice cream?"

"I don't think this is something to be celebrated exactly," said Twilight. "But let's just be glad it's over with."

"I guess I should be thanking you guys, huh?" Guise said quietly.

"That would be the convention, yes," Daily quipped.

Chamella turned to Guise, her apologetic expression ever present. "I want to apologize again for not trusting you. We made a promise and I should have been more willing to let you do things your own way as long as you aren't hurting anypony."

"Look, you have nothing to apologize for," Guise told her with a defeated sigh. "I mean, I was manipulating somepony for my own benefit. Just because they aren't getting hurt doesn't make it right, right?"

"I suppose that depends on how the victim feels," Twilight postulated.

Everypony turned to Sweetmint. Even now, all she did was stare at Guise, her expression difficult to read.

"But Minty went all the way to Ponyville to get help for you," Tapioca added enthusiastically. "I know she's mad 'n' junk right now, but I just know she's, like, mega happy that everything worked out. Right, Minty?"

Sweetmint didn't respond.

"You're too naïve for your own good, Tapioca," Guise told her. "The fact of the matter is that my life here in Canterlot is done with. If I want to live my life the way I want to live it, I'm gonna have to start over somewhere else."

"I think you should at least stick around long enough to pay Twilight back for bailing you out," Chamella recommended sternly.

Guise sneered at her. "Did you miss the part where I said I was a piece of shit? I'm grateful that you guys went out of your way to help an asshole like me, but I feel like it's your fault for trusting such an asshole in the first place."

"So that's it? You're just gonna bounce?" Daily inferred.

"That's what I said. Go ahead and publish your article for all I care. By the time it gets around, I'll be long gone."

"I don't think so."

Everypony turned to Sweetmint. Finally, after letting everypony say their pieces, she decided she'd been patient enough. As they said, she was the victim in this scenario, and while she made her thoughts evident earlier that day, she had a lot more she needed to get out, and a lot more she still wanted to hear from him. There was no way she was going to let him leave without some form of closure. She would hunt him down to the ends of Equestria if she had to.

"We need to talk. Just the two of us. No mediators."

Guise stared at her for a moment, not an iota of surprise on his face. "And you're gonna make me?"

"You're damn right I am. You got a problem with that?"

Guise glanced over his shoulder at the others. Tapioca and Daily looked a little hopeful, obviously wanting him to go with her. Twilight and Chamella, on the other hoof, didn't seem sure of what he would do, likely half-expecting him to ignore her and just leave. Frosted Chips... Well, he probably hadn't really been paying attention for most of this whole thing.

Guise stared Sweetmint straight in the eye with a sigh. "Alright. Let's go."

Everypony was pretty surprised to hear him be so compliant given everything he'd said up until this point, but without another word, Sweetmint lead Guise along, leaving the rest of them to wonder exactly where this was going to go and what Sweetmint hoped to get out of it.

Comments

[hehelover]

I don’t know exactly why, but Tapioca’s my favorite character right now. Perhaps it’s because the shit’s out now and she’s the only one who can still be dumb and happy while trying her best to help at the same time.

[Dreams Echo The 1st]

I like how you made Tapioca turn out to be a (surprisingly) likable character. Sure, she's dumb, but the fact that she apologized and decided to be empathetic (In a way... Right?) towards others like Guise makes me like her as good character, so kudos on you for good writing on characters. Definitely going on my good-developing-characters list.

I'm still wondering about the role of Chips though... Is he going to be a nuisance or shockingly helpful support? (Surprise me!)

[Luckysweep]

Continuing off my last comment of Guise rolling with the Punches...
"Oh, the pony I was in a relationship found out I was a changeling and is now mad at me? Well, I got my bail posted so I'll just move o-"
"No you're not."
"...What?"

Can't roll with a punch that doesn't seem to have come.