Designing Intrigue

by CvBrony

First published 1st of November, 2012

Rarity uses her wits and social skills in service to The Solar Throne as a spy.

Rarity has risen to the highest stretches of the fashion business and high society, but she's found that not all is as it seems. In the corners of cocktail parties all over Equestria, dark conversations are found. Eventually, Rarity can take no more of this, and begins reporting back to Celestia in secret while delving deep into a world she had no idea was so intertwined with her life's goal.

How much of herself is she willing to give up to protect the throne and, more importantly, Twilight Sparkle? The life of a spy is a dangerous one indeed.

A canon story in the Rites of Ascension Expanded Universe! Artwork by Violet Squiggles. Author's Notes, including proofing credits, can be found here.

Amateur Mistakes

Last autumn in Canterlot…

“Oh, what a day!” Rarity said to herself. “Seventeen new dress designs, all critically important works, completely ruined!”

Despite her frustration and need to vent, she couldn’t blame the intern too much; the additions she put on some of them would likely have made little sense to anypony but herself. Still, she had made it clear to him and everypony she’d hired: her exquisite designs were to be executed to the most exacting detail with no exceptions. Consistency was important in a business, she’d say, although there were other reasons as well.

She pulled a decorative scarf off with her magic as she approached the brand-new penthouse, revealing a broach with a deep purple gem securing her cloak, cursing herself for choosing a light blue scarf on such a gloomy day. She’d read the weather plans and completely ignored them when choosing her clothes, a dark sweater and beret. It even clashed with the rest of her clothes; she just grabbed it when she felt the chill in the fall mountain air. It was an amateur mistake, which is something she simply could not afford in this line of work.

Without thought, she opened the door to her penthouse and quickly ducked inside. It wasn’t as big a place as she could afford now, but then it didn’t need to be. She’d even considered downgrading, since she spent almost all of her time either at work or travelling. Such was the life of one of the world’s top fashionistas.

Still, it was a nice enough place. The entrance was particularly stunning. After a short hallway, there were a couple of steps going down on the right into a lowered living room. It had giant floor-to-ceiling windows looking out, away from Canterlot and towards the little town where she got her start. In the center of the windows was a nice, magically-regulated fireplace that was always on and had no smoke emissions in order to comply with Canterlot ordinances. There was even a well-stocked bar filled with her favorite wines and liquors, especially her rare bottles of gin.

She tossed the scarf down on the floor and stopped in her tracks when she heard a sealing spell being cast on the door behind her. Turning to her right, towards the windows, she saw a pony in a black suit resting on the couch by the windows and a sword on the table.

She had just walked into her penthouse without needing to unlock it.

Amateur mistake, Rarity, she chided herself, grinding her teeth. Stupid, stupid amateur mistake.

“You should really pay more attention to your surroundings, Lady Rarity. It isn’t becoming of a spy to be so unawares.”

The mare on the couch would’ve been a dead-ringer for Photo Finish if not for the wrong colors and horn. She had a rich, forest-green coat and mint green mane, though was wearing clothes that really didn’t quite go with those colors. She even had those absurdly large sunglasses that the famous mare somehow had made popular again, but that wasn’t quite as important as the rest of the situation.

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean, ma’am, and I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of making your acquaintance before,” Rarity bluffed, recognizing the unicorn mare as having been in the background of a few of the recent soirées she’d been to. I’ve been followed! Celestia damnit!

“Drop the act. I figured you out fairly easily,” she said, pulling out a bundle of pictures from a pocket and laying them on a table with a splat.

Well, it was worth a shot. Rarity levitated a pair of the pictures over. They were of her and a “handler”, a pony that served as a contact to her extra “employers”, at a drop not an hour earlier.

“This,” the other mare said, waving at some of the other photos, “is why I’m a better spy. Superior attention to detail.”

Rarity’s eyes moved around quickly, trying to assess things while keeping as calm a demeanor as possible, even when seeing a glowing green barrier blocking her exit route. The door is sealed with magic, that sword has some incredible power in it, and I’ve been made. Damn it to Tartarus!

“I’ve been doing absolutely nothing else but follow you for the last two days. Once I had all I needed, I figured I would swing by and have a little... fun.”

Rarity’s control over her facial expression failed. She stared, wide-eyed with terror as the mare levitated her sword and unsheathed it. The pulsing red crystal at the base was radiating so much magical power she could feel it in her teeth and horn. She could make a telekinetic blade and use it fairly well, but she wasn’t a match for anything like that.

The mare pulled a cloth out of a pocket, and ran it over the blade, cleaning it. “So, here’s how this plays out. You tell me everything you know, and I won’t start cutting you with acid. If you’re very good, my superior’s surprise will be a remarkably intact and breathing enemy. If not, well, then he’ll just be stunned to learn that the clothier of his clueless wife was the reason he was made. I can’t wait to see the look on his face.” She inhaled deep and gave a sigh that would be wistful if it wasn’t so menacing.

This is the worst--Wait! I’d be a ‘surprise’? A light turned on behind Rarity’s eyes, and she relaxed, smiling.

“Well, looks like you got me, darling. Congratulations are in order, I think. I’ll talk, if we can keep it pleasant.”

The enemy put down the sword and scratched her chin. “How odd. Most of Celestia’s lap dogs are more defiant.”

“Oh?” She asked, sauntering over to her bar.

“Unless, of course, they’re trying to find a way to escape.”

Rarity turned just slightly and looked at her out of the very corner of her right eye before correcting her poise and turning to face her properly. “Well, that should be a given, miss. Shall we see how this contest plays out?”

Her grin from behind the blade was bone chilling. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

With a slight smile, the fashionista stepped behind her bar. Her shoes clanked ever so slightly on the porcelain tile beneath them.

“You should take those off, Lady Rarity. Blades hidden in those are easy to burn through with this sword. And bars really should have mats, you could slip and hurt yourself.”

Damn, she thought, peering through her purple bang at her ‘guest’.

“Tell me, how did you figure me out?” she said, tossing her shoes off with her magic.

The enemy spy sneered. “It wasn’t hard. Even the most aggressive businessponies don’t use quite the same charms as you do. Your questions were too pointed, and far less personal than they should have been.”

Excellent information for the future, Rarity mused to herself. I shall endeavour to heed your advice.

“Scotch or gin, darling?” she asked politely, waving some bottles in the air with telekinesis.

“Gin and tonic,” her opponent in this battle of wits asserted. “But not with that bottle. Give me the factory sealed one.”

Rarity sighed, lifting a more expensive bottle and putting the other away. “Something tells me this isn’t just over your taste in gin.”

“I can tell you have advanced antitoxin wards on your skin, which means the open one is probably poisoned. Like I said, superior attention to detail.”

She lifted up a fresh bottle and twisted off the top with a loud pop, breaking the seal and pouring the liquor with a finish of tonic water, also from a sealed bottle. She made sure to do it in view, or no doubt her guest would demand a new glass and waste her precious gin.

Rarity levitated the glasses over and laid them down on the table between the couches, walking over to the seat opposite her counterpart. Just before sitting, she noticed the slightest of glows on the cushions. Glancing back towards the mare in the poorly thought out outfit, who was drinking from the glass placed farther away from her, she fired off an extra-fast cancelling spell, tearing apart the magical trap on the seat.

“Hmph. Not bad.”

“Thank you, darling. I like this citrus in this one. It’s not quite as harsh as some gins, which isn’t always a good thing, but it works here.”

“I was referring to finding the spell. A shame, really, it would have been fun to see you play this game with your magic sealed. Although now that you mention it, I suppose I can’t fault your taste in gin, either.”

“I’m rated as one of the top fashion designers in the world, darling.” she quipped. “Good taste is a job requirement. Well, my poor taste in scarves this morning notwithstanding. So, which of my illustrious clients were you referring to earlier?”

The other mare chuckled before taking a sip of her drink. “Tsk tsk, you know that’s not how it works. Be a good girl and I’ll let you meet him.”

Figures, she thought, smirking a little before continuing. “Well, I just thought we’d clear the air a little since only one of us is going to leave this room alive. It’s good to have the soul at peace, I think.”

“Well, then why don’t you go first? Also, lose the daggers hidden in your cloak.”

Rarity sighed. “Very well.” A little click later, a black pack of silver throwing daggers fell to her side as she sat down. “You know, those were originally for protection when I was visiting Manehatten, not the spy work. Anyway, where to begin. The whole espionage thing came about far more naturally than one would ever think, really. It started after getting my first store in Canterlot. It felt like a dream come true, achieving that. I started getting invitations to parties all over, even some in Neighpon! Actually I just opened a new studio there. Anyway, after a while I started hearing things in the conversations being whispered in private corners. Things that made me a little worried. I kept quiet about it at first, though. After all, it’s bad for business to be objectionable, don’t you think?”

“Bad for spies, too,” her opponent retorted, taking another large sip.

“Please, darling, spies are always objectionable to somepony. We could hardly be called spies if we weren’t. Anyway, this all changed when I heard something, well, downright disturbing said about one of my friends. You’ve certainly heard of her. Twilight Sparkle.”

“The princess’ personal protégé.”

“The same,” Rarity confirmed after accidentally drinking most of her drink in a single swig. She’d have to watch that, it made her look nervous. She looked at her glass, lamenting her failure to savor the taste or even the scent, when she saw a slight green glint being on in it. She gazed into the glass, and noticed that it was a reflection of something behind her. Like lightning she used her magic to toss the glass at the source and dropped herself to the floor. A little smirk crossed her face as a small dagger dropped after the impact of the glass broke its weak telekinetic field, and the sword being held where her head was not a half second ago halted its motion.

“What a delightful game,” Rarity chuckled with just a hint of nervousness.

“Isn’t it though?” the green mare laughed, causing Rarity to shiver just a little.

Slowly, the two took their seats again as the sword over her head was withdrawn.

The designer continued with a polite cough, “Ahem, anyway, Twilight is not just the princess’ student, but she is also the very best friend a pony could ever ask for, and somepony actually wanted to hurt her! I couldn’t believe it! I walked for a long time, wondering what to do. Eventually I coincidentally found myself next to the palace, so I decided to beg for an audience with the princess. Being an Element of Harmony and mentioning a threat to Twilight got me in right away, and she asked me to keep feeding her information. Over time, I found myself as a full-time spy, even sewing little extras into the dresses of certain important ponies so I can ID them to others as hostile. They don’t even realize they’ve been made.”

Her rival seemed surprised at this information, which was very good news. It meant they hadn’t realized what she’d done yet.

“I’m a little impressed, honestly. That’s a stroke of genius, there,” the hideously dressed enemy admitted after finishing the drink.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. Honestly, my experience in fashion and retail has provided me more help with spying than I would have thought possible. For instance, when somepony returns an item, I know magic that can restore it to new. As long as an item isn't missing huge pieces, I can resell like it was never opened," she confessed.

“Oh?” her opponent chuckled, spinning the glass in her telekinesis. "And what, exactly, can you do with that?"

Rarity indulged herself by exposing a sly, even lethal, grin. "Put factory seals back on bottles."

The mare inhaled sharply, bringing the glass to her face. A pulse of magic went through her horn, and the gin responded by turning jet black. The mare froze in place for several seconds, never taking her eyes off the color-devoid liquid, before her jaw began to tremble, as did her right leg.

The glass she was holding dropped to the ground with a crash. She scrambled off the couch and to her hooves, only to gag and fall over. Finally, if sloppily, she managed to stand while gasping and panting.

Rarity’s grin got wider. “Really good clarity on these photographs, darling, I’m ashamed to admit being caught. Still, you followed me all on your own and came straight here?” she queried, standing up with all of the photos in her magical grasp.

The viridian hostile lunged at her, swinging the blade with her magic, but slicing empty air as Rarity deftly dodged, switching their positions so the designer's back was to the window. “Moving a bit slow and clumsy, are we?” she taunted.

The telekinetically held blade shakily lifted up, and a glow from the crystal told Rarity that she absolutely needed to dodge this.

With a wide roll and weight shift, Rarity tossed herself out to the side to avoid the strike. Her heart skipped beats when she saw the blade glow and throw acid at where she had been. A hole in the window formed in seconds; that could have just as easily been her head.

Rarity readied her knees for another leaping dodge from the blade, but relaxed when the hostile stumbled and doubled over, coughing and gasping for air.

A smile returned to her lips and she continued, “I’m relieved to hear all that, honestly. It means I can keep this up a bit longer, because you’re the only pony that knows what I do.”

She tossed the photographs in the fireplace with her magic while the mare dove weakly for them, falling far short and on her stomach, sending her glasses flying off and clutching her stomach after the landing.

“How very tragic, truly,” Rarity admitted sincerely.

The spy still had some fight in her as she dragged herself to her hooves, lifting the blade again with magic and straining to get air. Her amber eyes were squinting in pain.

“Get... antidote... kill... you...”

Rarity shook her head. “I can only assume you think I used Angel Extract, since it’s tasteless and spies seem to like it, despite there being an antidote. I very much regret to inform you, there is no antidote, because that is not what I used.”

In a burst of speed, the mare leapt toward her with a yell and a driving thrust from the sword aimed right at her neck. Unlike before, this time Rarity did not dodge. She simply breathed in, and stood up as straight as she could.

The tip of the blade barely touched the purple gem fastening her cloak, holding steady in mid-air. Both enemy and weapon were frozen in place while the room drenched itself in silence.

“Since you sealed my door, I needed something to disrupt your magic. I apologize, but the gin contained a Thanatos Tear.”

Rarity stood defiant and confident, with a cool gaze emanating from her and washing over the room. Although it went against her better instincts, she turned her head away from the frozen, terrified shock evident on her victim’s face. A small, faint, pained sound came from her as the telekinetic field around the sword failed, and it fell to the floor with a ‘whump’ on the deep carpeting. The sound was followed by a static discharge as the seal on the door followed suit.

The fashionista exhaled and walked up the two steps to the hall closet. Just before opening it, she looked down at her foreleg. The ward under her skin was glowing a light blue as it protected her. The design was surprisingly elegant: it was an almost double-helix-like shape swirling over her body, with small symbols along the pattern lines. “You know, it doesn’t glow like this for anything but the Tear. If I had gotten this from anypony but Princess Luna herself, I’d imagine I’d be joining you.”

She opened the door with her magic and it gave a small squeak from the hinge. “Looks like I need to meet my handler again. Don’t worry, I’ll tell him to make sure to give you a normal burial. Nopony need know of this other life, it’s the least I can do for you.”

Rarity put on a much more suitable scarf for the season, and then flinched just a bit as she heard a second ‘whump’ from the spy collapsing to the ground.

She turned and looked at her rapidly dying body. A mint green clump of hair was separated from her on the ground, exposing a true goldenrod mane on her head. A wig!? Why would you hide such a lovely- ah, a spy, right. Oh, the wonders I could have done for you with a mane like that, you poor thing... no. No, I can’t dwell on such matters.

She could only turn to look at her for a moment more before the pony began to convulse, and her stomach lurched, forcing her to turn her gaze away. The white unicorn started towards the door, stopping and sitting back down just before exiting the room. She stood frozen, thinking for just a moment as the wards’ blue glow faded.

“I’m sorry I had to do this,” she confessed.

She couldn’t look like she had just killed a mare when in public, so she fixed her poise and visage as well as any professional actor and began a confident stride out of her penthouse. Just before stepping out, she whispered “And I’m sorry I never learned your name.”

Author's Notes:

Author's Notes

Edited most recently on 10/26/2013. I added Dandan's fantastic title image, and fixed up a few more formatting bits I missed. The new Rites formatting standards also demanded I modify a couple lines for clarity.

Edited 10/29/2013. Took Runoratsu's advice on the wording for the gin bottles. Because gin martinis are awesome. No other changes.

Edited 10/31/2013. Updated the title image with a new version from Dandan.

Mistaken Identity

Five months before the Summer Revolt in Canterlot...

Rarity strode toward the double-doors of the banquet hall with a smooth, confident trot. Each little step provided just a hint of a bounce to give her that elusive air of authority and influence, that she was somepony important. Not that she wasn’t, but appearances were everything in her line of work. Just before arriving, her horn swirled with some gentle blue light, and the only spell she’d ever written herself (albeit with a significant amount of help) activated just before she opened up the doors.

The crowded banquet hall instantly reminded her of the impressive Canterlot halls, but with a somewhat more modern touch. Yet, what it lacked in classic warmth it made up for with giant windows looking out over the Los Caballos landscape. Despite her mission at this party, she couldn’t help but want to take a quick look.

Los Caballos was built on the top and edge of a large mesa. On one end of the city, the land simply dropped away instantly. It was more than a kilometer above the valley below, and the superstructure of the city was situated over a massive waterfall. As she peered down through the window, she confirmed the truth to the rumor that the hall was directly over the waterfall.

She wrinkled her nose a bit at the sight, despite its majesty. Her new outfit wasn’t ideal for this environment. Her snow-blue dress and saddle clashed with the landscape. On top of that, her warm, feather-accessorized hat was certainly not what ponies would want here under the sun, even if this desert did get absolutely frigid at night during the winter.

Rarity shook her head. Don’t worry about it, girl. This might be the desert, but the ponies here are almost all visitors. Listen to those accents. Canterlot, Manehattan, even a Stalliongrad one. This is a fabulous winter outfit, and they’ll all see it and place orders at the Boutique later.

“Los Caballos, the new Jewel of San Palomino. Fairly impressive, isn’t it Rarity dear?”

She cringed, nearly biting a piece of her tongue off in shock from the sudden voice and spun around to see who had managed to sneak up on her. “Fancy Pants!?”

“The one and same. So good to see you again!” he said with a bow. “You sound surprised to see me!”

Rarity swallowed. “Well, it’s a defense industry association party. I had no idea you had investments in weapons!” This isn’t good. I’m on a mission, and I have to keep up appearances. If they see me interacting too much with Fancy Pants, one of Celestia’s biggest loyalists, they’ll start to get suspicious.

He took off his monocle and cleaned it off with a cloth. “Well, truth be told, I don’t, but a friend does, so I’m making an appearance for him. A brief appearance. I don’t much care for this business, so I’ll be going to a spa here in a few moments. Would you care to join Fleur and myself? I can’t imagine a talented fashionista such as yourself finding common company here.”

Damn. Normally that would be a good point old friend, but tempting as it is, I can’t leave. Rarity shook her head. “I’m afraid I must politely decline. I too am here at the behest of a friend, one whom I owe a bit of a debt,” she lied. “Besides, defense contractors need stunning outfits, too,” she added with a wink.

“Yes, I suppose they do!” he laughed. “Well, I know they’ll be in good hooves with you. Do say hello to Twilight Sparkle for me when you see her, won’t you?”

“It would be a pleasure!” She bowed a little as he left. Whew. That was close. Hopefully nopony will get suspicious with such a short conversation. Now, to business.

She closed her eyes and felt the magic now in them build up, then opened them again. As she looked around the room, telltale blue markings on certain garments in the banquet hall appeared in her vision. They were invisible to the unaided eye, but each one was on an outfit that she designed and either made herself or had an intern make. Every single pony with one of these marks was effectively made as a potential hostile to the crown. Her job was to wait for a message from a fellow spy, and then earn the trust of the indicated target. If the message didn’t come within the next hour, she was to go after the largest group of marked targets and earn their trust instead.

As she navigated the room towards the hors d'oeuvres, a soft light shone around the edge of her vision, telling her that her message was nearby. Odd, I didn’t expect it so soon. Maybe they left it before the party started?

She glanced around the room, sizing up her surroundings for a likely place for a message to be left. As a waiter passed by with glasses of champagne, she pulled one off with a smile to try to keep up appearances. She passed by group and after group, giving little greetings when she made eye contact, all the while looking for the source of the message. Eventually, she worked her way near to one corner, where the light in her eyes became strongest.

She looked all around—into the crowd, up on the ceiling, and even on all the nearby waiter’s trays—but found nothing. She allowed herself a little, subtle stomp of her hoof, then used up nearly all of her self-control to stop herself from leaping back in shock. When looking down, the little symbol for where the message was became clearly visible: it was hiding below the floor somewhere! Yet, that made little sense. Underneath them was a waterfall, so unless they honestly expected her to pull up the floorboards in the middle of the party, she couldn’t quite fathom how to get her message. I can be subtle, she thought, but not that subtle.

Oh well, ‘Plan B’ it is, I guess. A quick glance around the room was all it took to find a positively glowing bunch near the center. There were eight ponies, and seven of them had markings. I guess I haven’t sold anything to the other one, yet.

She strode up to them as silently as she could then ducked in like an unnoticed breeze. That was key; simply arrive in the conversation, don’t barge in or ask to join them. One has to act like one belongs. Then, it was simply a matter of finding the right time to speak, and it didn’t take long. “Oh, it’s so good to be in such tasteful company, is it not?”

One of the unicorn stallions in the group, Lofty Goals, an executive at Core Mining Industries, chuckled a bit. “Why, dear Rarity, this wouldn’t happen to be because of a certain purchase I made a few weeks ago?”

“You and most of the room, it seems,” she bragged. “Business has been booming lately. I’m already getting inquiries about a fall line. I do hope I’ll see you all in one of my studios soon?”

“Oh, things might be busy sooner rather than later, but I’ll see if I can find the time.” He adjusted and straightened his sport coat and cravat over his reddish-brown coat of hair. “Tell me, what do you think of our fair city?”

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Rarity gushed, not really lying. “Truly a marvel of engineering.”

“I’m glad to hear such things from such a paragon of taste!” The stallion took off his glasses and cleaned them on a cloth, flicking his deep-sea blue irises up to Rarity just long enough for them to make eye contact for an instant. “Perhaps I should show you around?”

“Careful, dear,” another mare chimed in. “That’s exactly the line he uses when he wants to show you around his bedroom.”

A polite laugh went around the group, but Rarity was laughing for a very different reason. If he was interested, she had an in.

“Honestly though,” he continued. “I should take you for a visit to the river level. You can’t see the sky, so pegasi don’t seem to much care for it, but it’s quite romantic!”

There’s a river level? Below this room? Then that’s where...

“Romantic? That eyesore?” the mare from before chimed in. “Please, it’s like an unfinished train wreck down there. All that metal, so few lights, it’s a wonder nopony has fallen into the river and off the falls!”

Goals chuckled a bit, bringing a glass of wine to his lips. “Trust me, Rarity dear. If you go there and take the time to appreciate it, you’ll find it beautiful.”

Rarity chuckled a bit too. This is absolutely a trap. “Well then,” she smirked. “How can I possibly pass up an offer like that?”

---

Rainbow always did say adrenaline was the best drug, Rarity mused to herself. I sure hope she’s right.

The elevator they were in wasn’t so much an elevator as a service lift. The size, the grey concrete walls, the disturbing ‘crunch’ the machine powering it made every so often, even the smells all pointed towards this being a thing that worker ponies were supposed to use. Guests were most certainly not supposed to be here, especially given the “Authorized Ponies Only” sign. Still, if the message was below the hall, she had to go, escorted or not.

Eventually, the lift stopped, and the doors and gate opened up.

“This way,” Goals said, “and do watch your step. They paved some pathways here but the water in the air can still make them slippery.”

Rarity stepped out into a rather bleak environment. Above her was the city itself, but all that could be seen of it was shadow and steel. It formed an almost perfect barrier to the sky that should be over her head, though there were some areas in the distance that had obvious openings to the sky above. Light poured through them like crepuscular rays, but they were far away. The primary source of light where she was were fluorescent lights sparsely attached to the underbelly of the city, muting the red stone of the mesa so much that it appeared grey, especially through the thin layer of mist near the ground.

She followed the blond-maned stallion while swivelling her head about, looking for what she knew had to be coming. Behind her, towards the city, looked mostly clear or at least dark. The area in front of her was another matter. Her vision was limited due to the sheer amount of mist in the air, and in turn, that mist was illuminated by the sunset’s light. The red-orange of Princess Celestia’s astral body was being scattered by the water in the air, giving the end of the pathway an ominous crimson glow which had already consumed the stallion that went ahead.

“Come now, don’t fall behind!” he yelled, his voice echoing around the pony-made cave along with the roar of the water.

Damn, I would let him get lost in the fog. Focus, Rarity.

Rarity exhaled in a huff and took off into the cloud, mindful of her pace as to not slip on the wet concrete. As she walked, the edge of her vision went from the red of the sunset to the blue of her spell aura.

The message! It must be down here somewhere. Keep an eye out, girl. For everything. Anything.

Some more steps ahead towards the voice and the wind picked up considerably, helping the mist clear.

Oh, my...

Goals appeared beside her, to her right. “What did I tell you? Somehow, it’s better to see it without the glass in the way.”

Rarity nodded. He was right. The industrial ‘city’ below was closer here, and the mist gave it the sense of a true urban rainforest. The red light of the sunset was painting the whole thing in a fiery tint. She could even see the larger machines working tirelessly along with the tiny specks of moving ponies.

“My company just bought one of the mining organizations down there. Just before they uncovered a large cache of charged gems.”

Just like that mare in my apartment had. I thought those were supposed to be rare. Aren’t… Wait, play dumb Rarity. You’re supposed to be a fashionista, not a spy. “Those are what they use to make cores, right?”

He nodded. “Correct. Basically, charged gems, such as this one here—” he pointed to the large gem on his cravat “—are able to both store magical energy and be ‘programmed’ with a spell. Larger ones can store more energy and multiple spells. Remarkable new technology. Well, not that new. They’re just catching on more now. We’re getting orders from all over Equestria and beyond. No small wonder since when they’re turned into weapons they can pierce enchanted armor and even cut ordinary enchanted weapons in two.”

Rarity swallowed a little and regained her composure, pulling out a Neighponese fan and relieving herself of some of the heat in the air. Even in this time of year, this area of the desert got hot. “How very fortunate for you. That must’ve come as quite a pleasant surprise.”

He smirked. “Pleasant indeed! I mostly came to this party to rub it in my competitor’s faces. Though, it was not as much of a surprise as some may believe. One needs only to know how to look.”

Rarity’s eyes shifted instantly to the stallion. That was definitely a reference to my cutie mark. What’s his game here? I’m not a prospector. And how did he even know? “True, darling, but I don’t deal with industry as such. I just make dresses. Sometimes they’re sparkly.” She winked.

“Indeed!” He pulled out a cloth and polished the large gem on his chest.

Rarity did her best to subtly look around the area, but kept her head as still as she could. Too much jerking around would arouse suspicion, yet she had to find that message. Several long moments passed between them in relative silence while she searched.

Damn, I can’t see it! It’s supposed to be here! What the hell did they do, bury it in the sand? In the river!?

“Cu-Cuuu.”

What am I supposed to do then, start digging holes in the stone or dive into the waterfall to my doom!?

“Cuuuuu-Cuu.”

I need to talk to Celestia. I know the other spies aren’t supposed to know who I am exactly, but are they supposed to assume I’m a miner since this is a mining city?

“Cuuu-Cuuu.”

Now I’m stuck up here with Mr. Silent and a freaking pigeon while wishing I could pull my mane out and--

Rarity’s eyes widened for a split second on her inhale before she regained control of herself. Slowly, she looked up to the little bird perched on a black metal I-beam above her. The pigeon! It’s glowing! Wait… This pigeon is a message? That doesn’t make any-- Wait! It’s got a note on it’s leg! That’s the message! Now I just need to find a way to--

“You seem surprised about something, Lady Rarity.”

Merde.

She gave a polite cover and fanned herself again. “Surprised? Whatever do you mean, darling?”

He sighed and shook his head. “Tsk, tsk. Come now, dear, I know exactly what you’re doing here.”

Rarity’s mouth opened and her hoof raised up in an effort to explain, but no words came out. No, no! This is not possible! I stopped that spy! I killed her!

The stallion gave a gentle sneer. “And I’m afraid she’s not coming.”

Rarity blinked a couple times. “What?” she asked, head dropping down to her left, toward the railing.

“Don’t play games with me,” he snapped. “I know much more than you think I do. It all fits. What’s a fashionista doing at this party uninvited?”

She folded and lightly twisted the fan against her hoof. He was technically right about that, but she could pass it off as a business opportunity. “Well, you see—”

“And how strange it’s right after I get tipped off that my ex-wife cashes out all her investments and goes missing.”

Rarity blinked again. “What?”

He turned towards her, causing Rarity to shrink down a little. He was actually very tall and well-built. This could prove to be a problem...

“And not days after one of her old friends was seen entering your Canterlot apartment.”

Rarity quickly regained her composure on that. Ah, so, the watcher was being watched. She yawned just a tiny bit, enough to be a little rude but not grossly so. “I’m afraid I don’t really know what you’re talking about, Mr. Goals. I did have a visitor a while ago, but it was anything but pleasant.”

He lunged towards her, pushing her chin up high enough that her front legs had trouble balancing. “Then why did she stay for six hours after you left!?”

Stay calm. He’s trying to rile you up. Still, she was seen leaving? My handler must have arranged for a look-alike to follow up the lead. Her attention turned back to the stallion staring her in the eyes. Clearly there’s some history here, so just keep things calm and there won’t be a fight. Very slowly, she backed away and got her mouth free. He didn’t budge.

“I’m very sorry there seems to be some bad blood between you two, but I’ve honestly never met your ex.” She pulled up her purse in her magic and shifted her weight. “I just came here to mingle and network for business. I might not be on the guest list, but I didn’t think anypony would have objected to some polite conversation. Truly, I--”

“Stop!” he yelled. “I see what you’re doing. You’re going for a weapon hidden in the saddle of that dress.”

She raised an eyebrow. Technically, he’s right about that, but that still means he’s only been about half right this evening.

He sneered again. “I should warn you that one of my ponies has you in his sights with a cored cannon.”

Her eyes widened. Another cored weapon!?

He backed away a couple of paces. “One word from me and a little spark from his horn will set off the crystal in it, and then four hundred horns of pure magical force will take your head clean off. So I suggest you keep your weapon sheathed!”

“I should’ve told you that years ago.”

Both Rarity and Goals whipped their heads away from the waterfall and towards what should have been empty fog. Instead, there stood a unicorn mare with a peach coat so pale it was nearly white. Her deep, dark green mane went to shoulders, and she held a light green umbrella in her magic.

Her heavily-applied pink blush flexed a little as she smirked, and it was then that Rarity caught sight of a flash of silver tumbling through the air, right towards Goals.

A fountain pen gave a light clack as it hit him on the nose then cracked to life with yellow light and thunder.

“Aaaaaaaaaaargh!” the stallion screamed and shook from the magical lightning arcing through everything within a meter of the pen.

It was bright enough Rarity had to shield her eyes with a hoof and fetlock until it finally ended.

“You,” he coughed. “I sent dozens after you. How did--”

“Feh, you would stay standing after that.” She clopped her hoof on the ground and the pen blazed back to life, sending a shower of sparks through him once again.

“Aaaaaaaargh!” he yelled, slightly weaker this time, and fell to one foreleg, yet stayed standing. “Eureka, you bitch!”

She trotted right up to him like a filly dancing up to her parent. “Oh, how cute! Such polite language! And you think goons are enough to stop me!” Her horn glowed the same disturbing light green as her eyes, and a large, stallion-sized object floated over to her from behind then flopped down on the ground. It was completely wrapped up, and on one end an orange horn with a magic-suppressing ring was poking out from the wrapping. “I went and found this one hiding back there! You should take better care of where you put your things!”

If she only tied him up instead of killing him, maybe I can still get away… Wait, the blue in my eyes is gone! Where’s the pigeon!? She looked all over very quickly, but couldn’t find a trace of it. No! I had it! Where’d it go!?

Eureka kneeled down and lifted up his face with her hooves. “Oh, and I don’t actually know who this mare is. Have you been cheating on me? Well then, I’ll just have to take care of her. Then we’ll be able to spend, well...” She left him drop to the ground with a thud, then turned to Rarity and smiled. “Quality time together.”

Uh-oh… The spy took a few steps backwards “I can assure you, Miss, I’m just a humble fashionista in the wrong place at the wrong time. I can see you two have a lot to talk about, so I’ll just leave and let you two work it out, okay?”

The stallion coughed his way back to life. “Careful, she’s—”

“Quiet.” All humor drained away from the mare’s pale face and green eyes with another stomp of her hoof, and yet one more surge of electricity blasted through the stallion, leaving him limp in the middle of a giant scorch-mark.

Rarity shuddered a bit and clenched her teeth. “Cored weapon?”

The mare nodded. “They’re a speciality of mine. I have other inventions, too. New ones, after he stole all my others.” She folded up her umbrella and pointed the handle at Rarity. “Shall I show you?”

Rarity took a few more steps back. First that spy in my penthouse, now her? What, does everypony have a cored weapon all of a sudden? She gave a rather sheepish look. “That really won’t be necessary, I can assure you.”

The mare giggled and waved the handle in the air in a loop. “Oh, don’t be shy. I insist!”

Running won’t work; it might be a ranged weapon. My daggers and telekinetic blade aren’t a match for a true core-equipped sword, but it’s most likely in that umbrella of hers… Rarity’s mind sped through her options, what few there were, and none of them were especially appealing. Seconds passed as she shifted her weight left and right, looking for an opening. Yet, Eureka just stood perfectly still.

Wait, why isn’t she moving? Rarity looked around again and took another step back. “Um, were you going to do something? Because I must admit I’m at a bit of a loss here.”

The other mare smirked. “Yeah. Loss.”

Then, there was light, and there was pain. Electricity and a blazing, burning pain was shooting through Rarity’s body like no other experience in her life. She could feel the power arcing through the air in between the fillings in her teeth. More pain crashed into the side of her face, but it was another couple of seconds after the attack had stopped before she realized it was from hitting the ground.

Her lungs heaving for air was the only motion she could make for yet several more seconds. By the time she had started standing again, the mad mare was over her already, chuckling.

The mare waggled the little umbrella in the air. “Wasn’t that delicious? I’ve had a bit of a penchant for electricity lately.” She giggled then laughed and hugged the umbrella, clutching it with her forelegs. Slowly, she opened her eyes just enough for Rarity to see the fading sunset light reflecting just a bit in her sinister emerald eyes. “Want another?”

Rarity’s eyes narrowed. She only had a small chance and a split second. She pushed up against the ground and into her opponent with all her might as the other mare lifted her leg, and just before that hoof hit the pavement, Rarity had her forelegs around her.

Burning pain surged through her body like she was being hung by an electrocuted rope, and went into the other mare as well. The fire roaring through her body forced her muscles to contract, locking Eureka into a vice grip that wouldn’t be defied despite her struggles. When Eureka finally broke free, the shock was already over. Through some miracle of balance Rarity managed to keep on her hooves, if only barely.

She summoned her magic into her horn as the other unicorn stumbled back up, readying it for a spell or some other attack, but she didn’t have time. The umbrella was wagging again. Rarity pulled out a dagger from her hidden pouch and lunged, her left forehoof slipping a bit on the damp concrete flooring, causing the dagger to go wide and miss.

The lightning returned, and Rarity braced herself.

Yet, the pain didn’t come.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a stunned mare looking down at her umbrella. A glowing yellow line was falling from it, stopping in mid-air.

“No!” Eureka shrieked. “The micro-wire should’ve been invisible! How’d you know to cut it?!”

Rarity looked down real quick at her neck. There was a thin burn line around it, and when she looked very hard she could just barely make out a very thin wire right where the burn marks were.

Her opponent’s demeanor went icy in a split second. “So you didn’t know. Fine. A little luck, that’s all it is.”

“Luck, madam, is not what I’d call this.” She pawed the ground and flared her horn to life. “And I am not about to just roll over and die for an uncouth, rude, and completely insane mare such as yourself. En Garde!”

A flash of magic seared itself into the air in front of the fashionista, forming a thin, cylindrical beam of blue light, before she thrust the telekinetic blade into the ground and dragged it across from right to left. It left a thin layer of ice across the path, after which she pointed the blade right at the other mare, letting frost and mist fall from the beam.

Eureka, however, didn’t appear to be listening. Her head was down, and she was shaking.

Rarity tilted her head to get a better look. What is with this mare?

“I’m not crazy...”

“Pardon?” Rarity swung the blade lower and charged her horn, readying herself in case she needed to use spells on top of her fencing.

“I’m not crazy. I’m not crazy. I’m not crazy I’m not crazy I’mnotcrazyI’mnotcrazyI’mnotcrazy!”

Eureka dove forward, still screaming and slinging magic almost at random in Rarity’s general direction.

Rarity lunged off to her side and brought her telekinetic blade to bear, slashing left and crashing it against the mare’s umbrella, meeting it in a burst of frost. The two ground against each other. There’s strong resistance, so it’s still a cored weapon; it just doesn’t have an edge for the magic to come out of. If she doesn’t pull anything else out, you have the advantage. Press it!

She shoved the mare back, letting her slide a little on the wet concrete. Then, she followed through, yet it was Eureka that swung first.

“I’m not crazy I’m not crazy I’m not crazy! I’ll show you who’s crazy! Arrrggghhh!”

Over and over the other mare attacked, yet the umbrella’s arc came in wide consistently, even if it had considerable physical force behind it. Still, Rarity let the attacks come and blocked them effortlessly each time, letting her telekinetic blade pile on layer after layer of thick frost and ice all over the outside of the umbrella until the point where it was nothing but a handle holding a lump of dense snow.

Then, Rarity held out a single hoof, caught it, and held her blade a mere centimeter from the other’s nose.

The two stopped still.

“Put it down,” Rarity spat. “Surrender, or I’ll freeze your skull and shatter it.” She adjusted her stance to be taller, letting her look down on Eureka. “It’s over.”

Eureka lost some balance on her right leg, tipping over a bit. “It’s over?”

Rarity tilted her blade a little and exhaled. “Yes. It is.”

A lone tear ran down the enemy’s face. “It’s over. It’s over?”

Rarity felt herself tense up again.

Eureka mussed with her mane, chuckling. “It’s over, it’s over, it’s over it’s not over it can’t be over I won’t let it be over! Yeeeraaagh!”

Rarity leapt backwards as her opponent did the same, pulling a long, stiletto-style blade out of the lump of ice and letting the frozen part fall to the ground. The fashionista’s breath stopped for a moment as she saw a yellow glow from the base of the blade, its crackling power arching through the knife like a raging storm.

By the time Rarity was able to take her eyes off the blade, her enemy had already lunged for her, and she instinctively jumped back and lifted her blue telekinetic blade in to block. Ice, snow, frost, and mist exploded from her blade’s detonation on contact with the cored weapon, knocking her back and forcing her to lift a fetlock to cover her eyes in defense. Blunt, dull pain spread out on her belly from flopping down on it and spinning around back toward the other mare.

“Ahhh-choo!” Ice and cold, chilled air flew out of her lungs from the sneeze, and she knew she gave away her position in the new cloud thanks to it. There was no way her telekinetic blade could counter a cored weapon like that, not even with her training. She charged her horn anyway, pouring as much power as she could into it for a new, different spell.

She could hear hoofsteps pounding on the pavement; her enemy was coming, and they both knew exactly where each other was. Her horn was like a beacon, and the other’s clops a siren. Rarity hobbled backwards until her rear end was on the railing on the edge of the cliff, and in pure desperation, she poured and stuffed every last bit of magic she could retrieve into her horn. Only one shot…

Eureka appeared from the mist, eyes wide and streaming tears, her mouth open and screaming, her blade held high and crackling with power.

Rarity let the blade fall as much as she could. She has to be close.

In the last possible fraction of a second, she encircled and collapsed the magic into that spell Twilight had taught her long ago and vanished in a flash of pale blue light.

The world blurred and cracked and rolled ahead of Rarity, giving her just enough slack to place her forehooves ahead of her and stop her forward motion. At the same time, her body rocked forward, lifting her hind legs up as she coiled them. Then, she forced both out behind her as hard as she could. They met the soft flesh of a pale peach-white mare’s backside and then kept going. A ‘clang’ resounded in the undercity as Eureka’s collarbone hit the railing, and then sailed over it, along with the rest of her.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Rarity could just barely see Eureka tumble all the way over the rail, reaching out to her with a forehoof in shock, before vanishing under the rocks below. She held her rear legs coiled for two more seconds, just waiting for the other horseshoe to drop, but then finally let herself flop back down to the ground and breathe. She cautiously moved over to the rail and looked down, but saw nothing but cloud. It was still a sheer drop. Likely hundreds of meters before hitting anything resembling “ground”. Even if she had landed in water, at that distance it may as well have been concrete.

Rarity turned around and started to walk away, but stopped four steps in and collapsed. Her body screamed for more air, and her horn was aching like she had put it to a mill grinder. She inhaled deeper and faster, but she still couldn’t get enough oxygen. Her diaphragm felt like a popped balloon, and she was forced to lie flat on her side as she quietly let out a few tears.

The sun had gone down by the time she was able to get herself to sit up. The only lights she could see were the fluorescent lamps overhead, and her dress had been ruined from the water on the concrete. Pheh. Murder somepony and nearly get myself killed again and I worry about the dress.

She flopped back down to her side again. What is wrong with me? She felt cold, but she dismissed it. That was only natural. This is the desert. It gets cold at night, she told herself. She looked ‘up’ at the sky, but still saw mostly mist and a soft, blue light. Well, at least the moonlight is nice. Odd choice for Luna tonight, though, making it blue. Her eyes went wide. Wait, blue light?

She forced herself up on her hooves, stumbling but alive, and slowly made her way to the railing, searching as best she could for a moon through the mist. That’s not the moon! I can’t see it from down here! Which means… She quickly scanned around her and starting walking back towards the fallen Mr. Goals, letting the light in her vision from her earlier spell build up until it got to its brightest spot.

Aha! There you are!

Below the railing, on an outcropping of rock, a little pigeon was perched and bobbing its head around.

She quickly looked around again, but the other two ponies she knew to be ‘near’ her were lost in the mist. If she couldn’t see them, they might not see her. She lowered her head and turned on her horn again, fighting through the pain.

“Cuuuuu-Cuu.”

“Oh, shut up. You don’t have a right to complain here,” she whispered. The little scroll slowly lifted up off the bird’s leg and towards Rarity. About halfway up, the field started to flicker and fade. No! Not now! Not when I’m this close. She pushed on her horn and yanked the letter as hard as she could, making it fly up a little farther than she expected. A couple meters above her head, her magic failed completely.

The letter, still rolled up, fell. She lunged forward and snapped with her mouth, just barely catching it in her teeth. With a tired but triumphant sigh, she pulled back from the edge and stuffed it in a pocket. “Not my most dignified moment, but it’ll do.” Thankfully I didn’t quite exhaust my wellspring during the teleport. I probably would’ve blown myself sky high. No more magic for me for a while.

She wobbled a bit to her left, nearly tipping over. Easy does it, Rarity, just saunter or something. She started moving again, this time towards the two stallions, but as slow as she could manage. Eventually she got to them both. She went to Goals first and checked his neck with a fetlock.

As she did so, she caught a look at the other stallion. He was bound up so much that all she could see was an orange horn and a yellow eye poking through the wrappings. Whatever it was, it wasn’t traditional rope; it looked more like some kind of medical wrapping, and it covered him head to tail. She looked into his worried eye, and nodded.

“There’s a pulse. He’s alive,” she reassured him, and the eyes relaxed with relief.

Rarity lifted herself back up from hunching over Goals and limped towards the other stallion. “Well, there’s no way I’m getting you both back up there by myself. Let’s get you untied.” She pushed into him, leaning with her shoulder and pushing with her hind legs, rolling him over. As he tipped onto his other side, she groaned and flopped to the floor from her shaking, weak muscles. “Uh-oh. Where’s the knot!? What is this, some kind of—”

Rarity slapped herself. “Magic, right. We’re unicorns.” She sighed, and looked at the two helpless examples of stallionhood before trotting over to the bound one’s head to look at the suppression ring. “Looks like a makeshift model, clearly not brand-name. Something that was slapped together in a real hurry with only a tiny, improvised crystal. Which means it shouldn’t have that much security on it. Well, I guess there’s only one thing to do. Understand, though, I’m not normally that kind of lady. And if you go around saying otherwise, I’ll hunt you down, okay?”

The stallion looked around and finally nodded as much as he might’ve been able to in the bindings.

Rarity sighed. “Oh, the things I do for others.” She leaned down and put her mouth around his horn, grabbing the ring with her teeth and yanking hard. It barely budged and first, but then she started to twist.

“Rrrmmmhmmmm!” the stallion mumbled through the bandage.

Quiet you, she thought just before the ring flew off and then clattered on the hard ground, sparkling a little. When Rarity turned back to him, his horn was already blazing with orange light. Rays of magic starting leaking out from in between the bandages, pushing them outward and even tearing them. The sound of fabric ripping apart echoed around and the bandages flew up like they were in a windstorm, and the stallion lifted himself up.

“Oh, thank the heavens!” He inhaled and exhaled a few times. “You have no idea how tight those were! I could barely breathe! Oh, that feels so good!”

Rarity smirked a little and sat down. “It’s quite alright, darling. I think Ms. Eureka did a number on us both.”

He shook his head, more in a manner to get his bearings than to disagree. “It’s Wilde, actually. Her full name is Eureka Wilde. She’s been after the boss for a while now. Oh, hell, boss!” He ran over to him and started up some kind of spell, bathing Goals in a yellow light.

Rarity raised an eyebrow. She’d seen that type of aura before. “Pardon me, but is that healing magic?”

The orange stallion nodded, combing his white mane with a hoof. “Yeah. I’m Vigilant Watch, head of security for Core Mining Industries. I’m also trained as an Emergency Medical Pony. Hang on, boss. You’ll be okay in a minute.”

Her eyebrow raised even more. “You’re the head of his security?”

“Pfft.” He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, pretty lousy first impression for you, huh? I apologize for the mess, miss. I swear, this is the first real slip-up we’ve had in a long time.”

She folded her forelegs in front of her.

“I know, I know. Trust me, things aren’t usually like this. We run the tightest ship in the industry. It’s just, well, her. I don’t know what it is, but Eureka always gives us the slip. Always one step ahead.”

Rarity walked towards him, turning just a bit to be next to Goals. “Then I would suggest, darling, that you start running. If a mad mare like that can best you, who’s to say what could happen?”

Vigilant opened his mouth to say something, but relented and nodded.

Rarity turned her attention towards Goals. He already looked better, and his breathing was a lot more stable. He had absorbed a ton of voltage, but kept standing. Rather impressive, honestly. She lifted up a hoof and gave him a poke.

Goals jerked awake with a sudden gasp, somehow getting up on his forelegs in a single motion despite shaking like an engine afterwards.

“Boss! You’re alright! Oh, thank--”

Goals swung his hoof around and belted Vigilant right in the jaw. “What is wrong with you!? How could you let her sneak up on you like that!? And what is…”

He stopped like he hit a wall as soon as his eyes met Rarity’s, and she smiled, doing her best to avoid any coyness. “Hello, darling. Welcome back to the land of the living.”

Vigilant spoke through rubbing his mouth. “Boss, she beat her. She beat Eureka. I didn’t see all of it, but I heard most of it. Sounded like some fight!”

Goals stared at them for a moment. “What happened?”

Rarity cleared her throat. “You accused me of being in league with her, and then she attacked, rendered you unconscious, tried to kill me, and then went completely delirious.”

The two stallions looked at each other. “Did you call her crazy?” they both asked simultaneously.

Rarity blinked. “Um, yes.”

Goals sighed, and Vigilant groaned.

“Yeah, that’ll do it,” the security pony admitted.

Goals held up a hoof. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves, here. Rarity, where is Eureka?”

Rarity held up a hoof towards where she kicked her off. “She attacked me and got me up against the railing over there. I managed to trick her and kicked her off the edge.”

“What!?” Goals stood up and took off for the edge like a bolt.

Rarity turned to keep one eye on where he vanished but said nothing, and just listened to the water. I didn’t think ahead enough. Maybe I shouldn’t have untied him. Now I most certainly can’t fight them if they try to hurt me. Here’s hoping they see reason and let me go. At least they seem saner than that mare did.

“You know,” Vigilant said. “You seem awfully calm for somepony that just killed a mare.”

Crap. Rarity chuckled, her visage not breaking for an instant. “Adrenaline, darling. It still hasn’t left me, I’m afraid. Besides, it was self-defense, and she was clearly out of her mind. I had every right.”

“I suppose that’s true,” he nodded, seemingly accepting that.

Goals strode back out of the mist. “Can’t see a body. Doesn’t matter. There’s no way that killed her. Vigilant, when we wrap up here, get back to her old lab, find any clues you can on other hideouts.”

Rarity’s mouth opened a little. “Mr. Goals, she isn’t a pegasus, she was a unicorn, and that—” she pointed with both hooves “—is a kilometer-high drop!”

Goals shook his head and loomed over her. “Trust me, you don’t know her like I do. Regardless, thanks are in order, and apologies it would seem.” He gently lifted up her leg, and sweetly kissed her fetlock. “My dear, I am very sorry about my accusations. My line of work makes me a little paranoid. Could you forgive me?”

Rarity grinned and fluttered her eyelashes. I have an in! “Well, perhaps, but I’m afraid with something like this you’ll have to give me reason to. Dinner and an opera, maybe?”

Goals smiled and bowed. “Dinner and an opera, yes, I can do that. In fact, I believe I can do even better. Vigilant!”

The other stallion stood to attention. “Sir?”

“I still have business here in Los Caballos I must attend to. Take my private chariot, and have the pegasi fly Miss Rarity here straight to Las Pegasus Mercy Hospital. Get her the finest care you can; I want her to be looked after by a real doctor. Then, see her home.” He turned to Rarity. “My dear, I shall contact you in half a fortnight with some tantalizing plans. Until then, I’m afraid we must part ways. I assure you, though, I will keep my promise of redemption.”

“Sir! There’s a new, state-of-the-art hospital here in Los Caballos,” Vigilant said. “Why not—”

Goals strode right up to Vigilant and nearly butted heads with him. “Why not here!? Are you mad!? My ex-wife is still out there, and I will not have her murdered in the night! While we’re at it, put a permanent security detail on her penthouse. Competent ones! Not the ones you sent to get Eureka!”

Vigilant swallowed. “Sir, those guards are all dead.”

Goals practically growled. “Then your selection process should be easier. Get on it, Vigilant, or I’ll find a replacement.”

The stallion scrambled up in fear, running around his boss and towards the elevator. “Right, on it! This way, Miss Rarity! We’ll get you to Las Pegasus right away!”

Rarity smiled and got up to walk back towards the elevator, despite her muscles’ protests. Oh, this is just splendid! Ow! Well, painful, but splendid!

Goals was right next to her. “Feel free to lean on me if you need, Miss Rarity. I apologize again about all this. Good help can be hard to find.”

Rarity snorted and thought back to a few ruined dresses from a while ago. “You have no idea.”

---

Rarity was already taking up Goals on his offer and leaning on him by the time they got outside. The extra warmth of his body wasn’t a bad thing, either. The moonless night was already seeing its temperature plummet below freezing. Worse, they were somewhat high up, going onto a chariot platform suspended from the side of the building.

“I sure hope the ponies we saw on the way here don’t gossip,” she mused idly. “It won’t do to see papers talking about me being assaulted at a party I wasn’t invited to.”

“I shall see to it that they don’t,” Goals assured her. “This way, my chariot is the third one down.”

Rarity took her eyes off the sky and looked where he indicated. It was quite the chariot. Completely enclosed, private, and brand new. It likely even had climate control! There were already four pegasi hooked onto it, and Vigilant next to it talking to two police pegasi.

Just before she stepped inside to its plush red seats, she could swear she saw Vigilant handing the officers a small bag. Bribery. Figures, she thought.

She flopped down on the seat and let her head rest.

“They’ll be taking off in a few moments, Rarity. I wish you a pleasant flight.”

Rarity gave Goals a bit of a sultry look. “Are you sure you can’t come?”

He shook his head. “No, duty calls, I’m afraid. The life of a VP. Don’t worry, these pegasi are my best. They’ll see you to Las Pegasus safely.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, truly exhausted.

“You are most welcome.” He bowed, gently closed the door, and left her to her thoughts.

A few seconds later, or what Rarity thought was a few seconds since she had nearly fallen asleep, there was a knock on the heavily tinted window. With a little groan, she tried to roll it down only to have her horn not even make the faintest glow. Right, no magic. She sighed, then used her mouth on the handle to roll it down.

Vigilant was on the other side and levitated a large blanket in through the window. “Here. I know you must be cold from all that. The chariot will take off in thirty seconds for Las Pegasus Mercy. I’ll be taking off myself in a few more minutes and should arrive shortly after you.”

She took it in her hooves and nodded in thanks as the window rolled back up from Vigilant’s magic. Not hesitating a moment, she opened it and bundled herself up. Warmth, sweet warmth. Hmm? What’s this?

She fished around in the blanket for the thing that was poking her, pulling out an envelope with a small magical glow on it that was the same color as Vigilant’s horn aura. She put it down and flipped it over, seeing his cutie mark on it. “Ah, a sigil seal. Easy to break, damned near impossible to forge. So he wanted me to be able to open it but also know exactly who it was from.”

She rolled her eyes. Yeah, open it without my telekinesis. I honestly have no idea how Applejack runs her farm without a horn. The fashionista crushed the seal with a slight stomp of her hoof as she felt the chariot take off and then carefully used her teeth to tear open the top and pulled out a business card with Goals’ information on it. Hmmm. That can’t be it. She flipped it over to the back and found a scribbled message.

Do not go on the dinner with Mr. Goals. Politely decline, and stay away.

Rarity pushed her ears back against her head, furrowed her brow, then pulled out the other message she had waiting for her. Unfurling it, she couldn’t help but notice a touch of blood on the corner.

The black market transactions in my case file have been traced to multiple mineral resource and defense industry companies. Further investigation revealed thousands of additional transfers, Eclipsing the cash flow to hide it from the Sun. Destinations and amounts are encrypted and unable to be read. Regardless, there are definite links to an unknown organization of substantial size. Millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of bits.

“Red Sapphire”

“My my my,” she sighed and sang to herself. “A capital E on Eclipse. Poor Sapphire, rest easy. Your duty is done.”

Rarity reached into her pocket and looked at her makeup compact. Inside, hidden in a secret compartment, was a needle tipped with a powerful cocktail of neurotoxins and sedatives. Death from exposure was painless, but completely guaranteed. “Eclipse Protocol…”

Rarity shook her head and closed her pocket, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind. Lifting Mr Goals’ card back up on a hoof and looking at it, she laid back into the seats, snuggling into them and the warm blanket.

“It appears I have a dinner date to prepare for.”

Author's Notes:

Sorry this took so long, everyone. Between trying to move to Canada, getting treated for thyroid cancer, getting stuck in Rites block 2 and having to re-write it multiple times, this story just wasn't as much a priority as Rites. With luck, future updates won't take a whole YEAR to get out.

I'm pretty sure I've ironed out all the major wrinkles here on this one. But, since I haven't written very far ahead, edits may happen.

Thanks go out to both the new and old editing team members for this one. The Author's Notes doc has also been updated!

Also, thanks go out to Dandan for the title images!

-Cv

Leaving Early

Rarity slipped on the last of her shoes and twisted her hoof a little to find a comfortable spot. It didn’t quite work, but at least they weren’t nearly as bad as some of the boots that were in fashion last year. These were much more minimalist; more of a hoof-covering than anything, and modeled a bit after those Princesses Celestia and Luna wore, though less ornate.

Quite some time had passed since her first dates with Lofty Goals. This was to be their twentieth true ‘date,’ but in all that time, he had been rather mum about his actual work. All she knew was that he was a Vice President at Core Mining Industries. It didn’t help that she couldn’t ask more pointed questions; it was a notoriously private and secretive company.

Rarity sprayed one of her perfumes, testing its fragrance. Lilac, lavender, and other springtime floral scents danced across her nose and through the room. Powerful, but perfect for the early summer day. She gave herself a carefully-held-back dose and pushed her brush through her mane one last time before examining herself in the mirror again, making careful note that her silver and purple dress was exactly as it should be.

“Excellent! Today’s the day, Rarity Belle!” And just because I say that to myself every day doesn’t make it any less true. She let herself giggle like a filly just a bit before heading out of her room. Just as she reached the middle of her living room, she stopped and reflected for a moment. Bright sunlight was beaming in from her large windows, washing her with light.

“Right there. Celestia, I can still see her.” The spot a hostile spy had died was burned in her memory. Even though it was self-defense, it was still haunting. Each time she left her apartment, she stopped to look at that very spot. Afterwards, she would always turn around and remember her weapons, just as she did now. It had gotten to the point now where she didn’t even need to look to pull them out of their hiding place in the closet. She simply lit her horn and let the magic do the work until she felt the pack of throwing knives slide into place under her dress.

“There. Thank you again, Miss.” She bowed slightly. “I’m once more prepared for my work.”

She continued her trot to her door, and made certain to lock it. She’d upgraded the mechanism since last time.

“Your chariot is ready, m’lady. Are you prepared?”

Rarity didn’t even flinch at Vigilant’s statement. She knew he was there. He was always there on date nights. After and only after she finished putting away her key did she turn and respond to his threatening tone. “Always, Mr. Watch. Lead the way.”

She smirked a little as he led her out of the building and to a public street with a chariot waiting for her. She still hadn’t figured out what this stallion’s game was. It felt more like he was a jealous lover than a protective assistant.

A short time later, they were at The Blue Ballroom, a fancy reception building relatively high up in the city and accessible only via pegasus chariot landing platform. The ‘exclusivity’ was a selling point to it’s clientele: the rich well-to-do of Canterlot who knew somepony who knew somepony connected to the Bluebloods. Honestly, I’d never come here if not for Lofty's invitation. If I actually see that louse here I might have to do something a little embarrassing. Like, make polite small talk. Or ‘accidentally’ spill red wine on him. Maybe the whole bottle if I can get away with it.

Rarity blinked a bit in realization as the chariot pulled up. That’s it? I guess I’ve cooled down a bit over the years. Maybe I should work on that. A spy shouldn’t be near so tame.

The door of the chariot opened. “We have arrived, Miss Rarity. Do watch your step.”

Rarity turned her nose up in the air and gingerly moved to exit the vehicle, but kept her eyes open and as near the ground as she could with her head as it was, taking special care to watch the step stool. It was encased in the stallion’s magic, floating lightly. Her eyebrow raised up, knowing something was coming. She put only one hoof on it, feeling it give way as though there wasn’t anything under it.

Gotcha. The fashionista kicked off the chariot floor with her hind legs and landed on the solid, red-carpet-covered platform ahead of her, bypassing the step stool entirely. “Oh my!” She flourished, letting her dress flare out a bit. “That was dangerous! One would think they’d be more careful to avoid accidents this far up!”

“Indeed,” Vigilant said without missing a beat. “My apologies.”

“Oh, it’s quite alright!” She waved a hoof, then leaned in close to him for a whisper. Time to put a stop to this nonsense. “But if you try to drop me again, I’ll drop you. Clear?”

He snorted. “Believe what you will.”

She harrumphed back at him and left, letting her pack of knives rub her coat of hair as her rear bounced with her stride. Not quite the response I was hoping for. I guess I’ll have to be more forceful next time we’re in private.

---

She strode into the ballroom, cringing a bit at the overuse of blues. Really, I know the color is in their name, but this is silly. It’s like Pinkie Pie decided her favourite colour was blue instead of pink and then went nuts. Er, more nuts.

“Rarity, over here!” Goals was waving from one of the dining tables on the edge of the dance floor.

She gave him a calm smile and trotted over to take a seat. Before she could, he stood up and pulled out the cushion for her.

“Thank you for joining me. I know the Bluebloods aren’t your favorite ponies.”

Rarity sat down on the cushion next to his, both facing the stage, and cuddled up next to him. “Hmph. An understatement, darling. Still, for you, I’m happy to be here.” She shivered a little as she glided her fetlock across his chest, the smooth, quality fabric tingling her skin.

“I’m glad, truly. I am, however, sad to say that the original band cancelled. Something about a star member being sick.”

She raised a hoof to her mouth. “Not Octavia! She’s wonderful!”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t know which one for sure. This one isn’t my party, after all. Still, the party organizer, I think she’s from Manehatten, managed to find a replacement, so it shouldn’t be too bad.”

“Oh? Manehatten?” Rarity relaxed back into her seat, leaning into him and letting some of her nervousness melt away. “I suppose it shan’t be too bad, then. Still a shame to hear about the other band. Music is a very important thing, I feel. Like fashion, it is an art, but musicians must create continuously. When they stop playing or singing, the art begins to fade, unlike many others, such as painting or sculpting.”

Goals lifted a glass up in a semi-toast. “Unless one records the music.”

“Truth, but, I often feel it isn’t quite the same as being at a live performance. The atmosphere is always far more exhilarating.”

Her date put his glass down, staring up at the stage and squinting. “Is… Is that an electric guitar?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Surely not. Who in the world would bring an electric guitar to--”

“Hello everypony!” a sugary, cheerful voice announced through a microphone.

It wasn’t just any voice, though. It was a voice Rarity knew very, very well. A voice that anypony who had ever visited Ponyville knew and could never, ever forget. A voice that could brighten any day or haunt you in nightmares. A voice that was truly, unmistakably…

“Pinkie Pie!?” Rarity yelled out loud, inadvertently slamming her hooves on the table loudly enough to get everypony in the room to look at her instead of the party pony.

“Yupperoonie!” Pinkie waved at her. “Everypony, I’m really sorry, but The Canterlot Quartet couldn’t be here today. So, I found The Crystal Keys to come and fill in! Let’s give them a round of applause for being here on such short notice!”

A round of polite clopping of hooves did indeed sound in the room, but it was far from what one normally expected from a Pinkie-planned party, and Rarity cringed. Please don’t let them play the pony pokey...

To Rarity’s surprise, Pinkie didn’t try to get them to applaud louder. Instead, she just continued. “Anyway, before we get started with the formal music, I wanted to give a special shout out to a pony who’s been my friend for a long time now!”

Uh-oh. Please, please don’t let her be talking about--

“Rarity! Come on up here with me!” A spotlight from over the stage turned around and shone right on the fashionista-turned-spy, singling her out amongst the throng.

Damn.

A pink blur zoomed down from the stage, grabbed her, and pulled her all the way back up in front of everypony. It was a minor miracle this wasn’t done kicking and screaming; her body had settled on locking her legs and dragging her hooves on the carpet. Her eyes, though, cried out for help to her confused date.

“Everypony, Rarity is the best fashion designer ever! At least, I think so, and I’m her friend, so I think there’s some kind of contractual clause where I have to think that, but it’s true! Oh, and she doesn’t just make dresses! She also speaks like a bojillion languages!”

Rarity ducked her head a bit, ears flat against her head. “Oh, Pinkie, please. I only know six languages.”

Pinkie leaned towards the audience. “Notice how she didn’t deny the thing about being the best fashion designer?”

Two can play this game, Pinkie. She fluttered her eyelashes a little, and gave a polite giggle. “Well, nopony ever said I was the element of modesty.” Aaaaand, wink. The audience let out a polite round of laughs, and a few bits worth of applause, including some from Pinkie. Not bad, all things considered. It could be worse.

“But that’s not all everypony! She can sing, too! Hit it!”

A pony in the background instantly started pushing some keys, getting louder with each quick stroke, and the electric guitar that had been pulled out kicked in a few seconds later. It was followed swiftly by the rest of the instruments in an arrangement mixing both the guitar and drums with more classical music. Then, Rarity finally recognized the song, drawing on a memory involving alcohol, Neighpon, and a business trip with Pinkie that ended in a semi-regretful episode that could only be partially remembered.

Pinkie picked the microphone up and pushed it into Rarity’s chest, knocking some of the wind out of her before bouncing off-stage to the timing of the music. The unicorn’s blue eyes followed her, bounce for bounce, getting more lost as to what to do with each landing, until they came to something else entirely.

There, just off-stage, was Prince Blueblood himself, giving her a mock toast with a maretini glass and staring right at her with possibly the single most smug grin in the entire world history of flank-wipes. Had he not been sealed in stone, Discord himself would be signing up to take lessons in smug grins from this colossal waste of organic matter. Whatever liquor he was holding was too good for him unless it contained six Thanatos Tears.

Well then, three can play this game.

She snapped her head back to the audience and transformed her glare of death into a sweet, confident smile in a single deft instant, calling on all those hours of practicing with her little sister, Sweetie Belle. They'd worked together to help her become “Crystal Belle”, a “singer with a voice as clear as crystal” that went on to take Equestria by storm. Rarity sang the very first words of the song right where it was supposed to be, and in flawless Neighponese. Cautious and breathy at first, but building quickly in confidence by the end of the first verse. She kept the microphone in perfect tow alongside her mouth, floating in her magic. Her instinct was to dance a little, just as she did when she sang this song with Pinkie in Neighpon, but she stopped herself the instant her gaze caught Goals’.

Of course, she thought to herself, and began a subtle movement to the piano. Dancing wasn’t called for here. She needed something just as powerful, but aimed in a different direction. She needed to be sultry. She needed to be seductive.

She needed a bunch of the stallions in the audience to have to excuse themselves.

Rarity glided across the stage, her shoes sliding on the polished wood, and turned at the same time so her rear end would be on display as much as her dress, even though only one was actually for sale. She bounced a little with the beat and put her forehooves on the piano bench, fluttering her eyes at the poor musician. He couldn’t be spared, though, and she moved up to lean directly on him, then gazed back at the audience.

At least four stallions had their jaws open. Two more, including Goals, were completely absorbed in her performance. Dammit, turn it up filly, you’re losing your touch.

Rarity jumped up on the bench, all four hooves planting themselves as sure-hooved as a mountain goat, then jumped. Just as she left the ground, she grabbed the piano’s lid with her magic, pulled it down for a flat surface to land on, and promptly lay right down on it. She twisted her body around to show off, adding a smoky smoothness to her voice and arching her back before waggling her hind legs as seductively as possible.

Up to ten with their jaws open. That’s more like it!

The final parts of the song came up in a hurry, and she milked them for all that she could, lying on her side and singing like she was in the bath without a care in the world, other than a desperate need for somepony to come around and rut her senseless. As the last notes played she gave a wink to her audience, and they absolutely ate it up. Even most of the mares were applauding, albeit grudgingly, and not a few of the stallions were applauding as loud as they could while mysteriously remaining seated. The ones with more self-control were standing.

She couldn’t help but laugh a little herself. This was actually fun, and if the way Goals was looking at her was any indication, productive. Rarity hopped down and bowed a couple times, making sure to motion to the band. They did a lot of the work too, after all, and artists should be recognized. Thankfully, and perhaps predictably, they got even more applause from the mares in the audience.

Her song over, she waved to the audience and exited stage left, marching directly to a bemused Prince Blueblood, his drink still in his magical grasp. As she closed the distance and disappeared beyond the edge of the stage, she could finally hear him over the crowd.

This wasn’t really a good thing.

“I suppose I should have expected nothing less from a trollop such as yourself, Lady Rarity. Parading yourself like-- Hey!”

She hit the maretini glass with a hoof, knocking it out of his distracted grasp and catching it in her own magic. With a single motion she tossed the entire drink into her mouth, letting it dance and flow over her tongue, examining the flavors with all the talent of a true connoisseur.

“Drunk bitch! There’s an open bar! You don’t have to steal from-- Aaaaah!”

Rarity spat the entire contents of her mouth out right into his face with as much spray as she could get away with and gagged. She reached into his lapel pocket with her magic, stealing the nickerchief from it and wiping herself down with it, then the Prince's face, which turned out to have more makeup than hers.

“You, you brute!” The Prince whined, knocked down on his haunches. “How dare you! When Auntie hears of--”

She tossed his now rather moist towel-pretending-to-be-a-nickerchief on his head. “Honestly, a vodka maretini? And Smarenoff, at that? I always knew you had no class. This just proves it.”

Just for giggles, she picked up the nickerchief again and slapped him with it. Not hard enough to hurt, but plenty hard enough to embarrass him. “That’s for lying to Pinkie Pie.”

“How, how did--”

“Please.” Rarity waved a dismissive hoof at him, and then turned around to leave. “With you right there? I’m betting you told her I wanted to sing. Maybe even said the reason I was here was because we ‘made up’ or some such nonsense. But, the next time you lie to her…” She turned around and glared at him with the best version of The Stare as she could. “I will break you.”

She turned back around, put a much, much happier face on for the crowd, and practically skipped back out on the stage. That felt better than I thought it would! She didn’t wander back on it, though. Pinkie was there, and it was her ‘show’ to run, as it were. So, Rarity just hopped down from the stage the moment she was able to, and began a trot back to her date.

“Bravo! Bravo!” Goals applauded for her, despite the fact no one else was still clapping or stomping. “That was amazing, Rarity! I had no idea you could sing, let alone do it in Neighponese!”

Rarity blushed a tad, just enough that it showed through her makeup. “Well, it is good for business in Neighpon to know the language and know how to sing karaoke. I’ve never done that with a live band, but they did a remarkable job.”

“Indeed! Oh, your friend is back up.” He pointed a hoof at the stage.

Rarity cringed a bit. Please don’t haul me back up there, Pinkie...

Pinkie waved out to the banquet hall and pulled up the microphone. “Hey everypony! I’m glad you enjoyed that song! Sorry for kinda hijacking things. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to deviate from the plan a teensy bit more, as the kitchen had an itty-bitty, kinda-big, super-catastrophic issue involving fire extinguishers delaying the appetizers. So, we’re going to go ahead and start the first dance! But if you’re too hungry to dance, we understand! Just sit back and watch everypony else have all the fun!” She winked at them.

Oh Pinkie. Rarity wiped a tear away from her cheek. I’m sorry for doubting you. I can honestly say you’ve really come into your own with this. I hope you can forgive me someday, if I ever manage to tell you.

“Are you alright, Rarity?”

She jolted in surprise a bit, snapping back to reality. “Yes. Yes of course. I apologize, I was just thinking of a memory. Shall we dance?”

Goal got up out of his cushion and practically glided to her, moving her cushion with his magic and letting her use his hoof to help stand up. “It would be my pleasure.”

She fell in beside him, letting him guide her around the tables and across the dance floor to an open spot, and they quickly joined together in place with a waltz. His hoof reached forward a step, and she responded in kind by going back, and their dance began in earnest.

So he does know how to dance. One, two, three, one, two, three… Yes, just like that.

Goals leaned in a little more, hugging her body close and nuzzling each other's cheeks. My my, so forward. She sniffed the air on their next big turn, taking in his cologne. A symphony of peppery notes paid on her nose, backed by an extra string section of floral harmony. Oh wow, is that Poulain Poivre? I’m surprised he managed to get a hold of a bottle! It’s magnificent!

“So tell me, Rarity. What were the other languages your friend spoke of?”

Once again she snapped out of her daze and blushed. “Oh, that,” she chuckled, entering into a series of long turns, the background of the hall rushing by in a blur. “I am fluent in Neighponese, Russet, Germane, Phrench, and I’m learning Canterese.”

“Oh ho,” he chuckled, bowing into the next dance. “I think I see what you’re doing. You’ve learned or are learning all the languages where there is a Duchy with it’s own sense of Haute Couture that doesn’t primarily speak Equuish.” He spun her around and out, hanging on only by a hoof, their opposite forehooves out as they stood on hind legs.

She spun back in towards him, resuming the dance while shivers went through her spine from brushing against him. “Well, one must be practical in business. Knowing the languages has given me quite a few inroads where normally only native residents have access.”

“Practicality is indeed a key trait,” he said, lifting her up with his hooves in a spin. “However, in order to be truly great, one must also reach for the stars. Break the mold. It is only when your competition is chasing you that you know you are truly at the head of the herd.”

“Oh, please. Have you seen my work? Ms. Styles would be proud to see what has become of her boutique! I’m at the top of my field, and it. Feels. Great!”

He spun her again, sneaking another nuzzle under her ear. “Spoken like a true businessmare.”

The song ended, and the two partners finished with a bow.

Okay, time to press for a little information. Hopefully he’ll be more forthcoming this time. “Well, I must say, Mr. Goals, you are an exquisite dancer! But tell me, how is your business doing? Last I heard your stock was up seventy percent year-on-year. Wouldn’t that make you at the head of your field as well?”

He sat down and froze for a moment, then put his ears back. “Sort of. We’re a mining company, first and foremost. It’s hard to be a mold-breaker when all you do is pull shiny things out of the ground.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow and smirked. “True. Simply possessing shiny objects is nice, but doing something extravagant with them? That’s a ticket to greatness.”

“True,” he responded, staying silent after and pensively looking at the table.

Dammit, Rarity. Too pointed. He’s clamming up.

A waiter came around and dropped off drinks and appetizers for the both of them. Rarity couldn’t help but notice her drink was a little different than the standard glass of champagne.

“Ohh! Gin martini!” She took a sip. “Slightly dry, Canteray Ten, if I’m not mistaken. Not an especially rare type, but still top-shelf. And served with a twist. Somepony has started to get to know me!” Rarity leaned back, the smooth gin warming her throat.

“After seeing your penthouse, it’s hard to ignore that collection of yours. Although I was surprised to not find more clothes there, given your profession. Only one closet, and not even full.”

“Well,” Rarity spun her glass a bit in her telekinetic grasp. “I’ve found that I have to constantly stay at the leading edge of fashion. I don’t really get a chance to wear my older things. I’m constantly creating new outfits, so if I don’t clean things out once in awhile it gets overwhelming. Anything older than a season I tend to give to charity.”

Goals leaned his chin on his fetlock. “That’s… generous, of you.”

“It’s kind of my thing, Mr. Goals.” She gave him a wink. “It also keeps me on my hoof-tips. Can’t be lazy and recycle something. Also, since I make my own clothes, it’s not as expensive as if I went and bought them. I just buy the material in bulk. I imagine you make similar calculations in your line of work. Heavy mining machinery, maybe?”

He nodded. “True. Although lately we have spent a large amount on research. That’s why you’re seeing Westfalen Defensive Systems advertisements lately. They know we’re going to start competing for their defense contracts, so they're trying to get ponies to push their politicians to support them.”

Interesting. So, who’s on what side here? “Well, that must be exciting. High-powered boardroom drama. One could write a novel about it.”

“Yes, sort of.” He looked away again.

Damnit, juicy though that is, I can feel there's something more. Something I need to dig up. What’s he hiding? I’m so close! She took another sip, careful not to waste her maretini.

“Tell me, Rarity. What do you think of the current Duchy leaders?”

The fashionista raised an eyebrow. “Well, I’m not sure what you mean. They’re all quite different. There’s Blueblood, of course. I have to deal with him a little since he controls the Canterlot Duchy. Normally that means spilling something on him. Preferably something that can stain.”

Goals chuckled a bit at that, but said nothing.

Hmm. If his organization is behind any actions against the crown, I need to appear a little sympathetic, or at least detached. “Honestly, now that I think about it, I have to say I have had a few issues lately. It’s all petty stuff compared to your industry, I’m sure. Zoning and the like. Ultimately, though, I’m happy if I can continue to do business and make money. Unless it interferes with that, it’s off my radar.”

“I see.” He looked off in the distance again, only occasionally looking her in the eyes.

Rarity glared at him for a few moments, waiting. Eventually her hoof started to tap and she couldn’t take it anymore. “Okay, this is beyond mere nervous small talk. There’s something on your mind, Lofty. It’s plain as day.”

“Yeah. Yeah, there is.” Goals stuffed his napkin in his shirt and stuffed his mouth with a few of the roasted sweet potato slices.

“Darling.” Rarity leaned forward across the table, letting the light of the candles accent her features. She fluttered her eyelashes, and tried to melt him with a soft smile. “I promise, I don’t bite.” She looked down at his toned, actually rather attractive flank and smirked. “Well, not unless you want me to.”

He swallowed and started coughing as something clearly went down the wrong pipe.

Rarity leaned back down and waiting for him to regain his composure. Yup, still got it. Eat your heart out, Sweetie.

“Ahem-kuh, ugh. Sorry. Sorry, about that. I just—”

She held her glass in front of her face, covering her nose and mouth to highlight what she considered to be her best physical trait: her eyes. “Compose yourself, darling. We aren’t foals.”

He swallowed once more. “The stallion’s heart knows not age. It is at all times vexed by the alluring scent of the mare.”

“Shakesmare?” Rarity asked.

“Dante Alineighri. But, you are still somewhat correct. Rarity, I would like to invite you to a little tour of one of our new facilities in San Palomino.”

Rarity jerked her head back a little. “San Palomino? I don’t think I’ve been in the southwest since our lovely date with your ex-wife. But that’s a multi-day journey by train. Unplanned, at that.”

“Actually, we’d be traveling via airship. No trains go out that far. It’s deep in the San Palomino Desert.”

Rarity almost choked on her maretini. “Airship? That’s still several days round trip, at least!”

“We'd actually be gone a couple weeks in total. It's... Not likely to be a quick thing.”

Rarity shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Goals. That’s a bit much. I do have a business to run.”

“Please!” Goals reached out and took her hooves in his. “I will give you a place to create new dresses on the ship so you could return with an entire new line if you want. I’ll personally write a check for an entire new custom wardrobe. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“I don’t know…”

“It would just mean so much to me. Several important backers are going to be there, and I could really use your support.”

Backers? Not shareholders? Rarity avoided his gaze. “If it’s that important, why me? Surely they’d be suspicious over an outsider like myself being there.”

“We can say you’re a consultant. Your cutie mark is for finding gems, right?” He reached out with a hoof and turned her head gently, looking right into her pupils, pleading. “Please, Rarity. I need you for this. I couldn’t bear it without you. I’d worry myself sick. Please.”

Worry himself sick? Odd… Could be there’s more to this than I’m seeing. Ugh. I’m really going to do it, aren’t I? Celestia, here’s hoping I’m right. She gave him a peck on the cheek, basking in his cologne. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you!” He bowed his head. “Thank you so much! I promise, it will be well worth the journey!”

She lifted up a hoof. “But I do hope this isn’t another trap. The last time we went somewhere private you threatened me with a four-hundred-horn cored cannon.”

He leaned back and crossed his heart. “No traps, I can assure you. As I said, that was a nasty misunderstanding, and no doubt planned by my ex-wife. She is fiercely intelligent. It’s why I married her.”

“And the craziness?”

He cringed and inhaled through his teeth. “That came later, and was why I divorced her. Well, that and she tried to kill me. Kind of puts a damper on a relationship.”

“And yet, here we are.”

His eyes went wide. “Um, what I meant was—“

She laughed and gave him a squeeze. “Oh, you are fun to tease! I just know this is going to be a fantastic trip. When do we leave?”

“Tonight.”

Now it was Rarity’s turn to start choking, but fortunately she was drinking from her water glass instead of her maretini. Gin had a nasty burn when inhaled. “T-Tonight!?”

He lightly touched both her shoulder with his hooves, rubbing it in a little massage. “I know it’s a surprise. That’s entirely my fault. I’ve been too nervous to ask you.”

Rarity tilted her head. “It really means that much to you?”

Goal slipped out of his seat and bowed. “It does. It truly does.”

She sighed, blushing at his formality. “Well, I suppose I’ll go. But you owe me again.”

He bowed even deeper. “Thank you.”

“I assume this airship has a dining room?”

“Of course. It’d be hard to get there without adequate food and water. That part of the desert, the magic in the sand vaporizes loose water the instant it hits the ground.”

Rarity downed the rest of her maretini, then wiped her mouth daintily before tossing her napkin on the table. “Then let’s get moving immediately. We can eat on the go. Any amount of time spent near Blueblood is too long.”

Author's Notes:

Holy crap. Two years, huh?

Yeah. Lots happened, really. I got cancer, and injured my hands, and suffered through depression. Not fun.

But, some good news here. I managed to write more Designing Intrigue, and not just chapter three. I wrote clear through chapter eight! But, much of it is waiting on certain parts of Rites to get posted, so don’t expect rapid fire updates or anything. It just won’t take as long as before.

That being said, these next few chapters have been the most difficult to write chapters I’ve ever done. Why? Because I have to make absolutely certain all the pieces for together with the main story. There’s always a chance I’ll have to go back and change things if something catastrophic happens and I find a major plot hole in this intricate design. Please guys, be patient. This stuff is practice, after all.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the triumphant return of Designing Intrigue!

-Cv

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The Majestics

I don’t know any of these ponies. Rarity calmly sipped on her tea, laying back in the plush lounge chair in the “entertaining cabin”, surrounded by several ponies wearing obscenely expensive clothing and jewelry. I don’t know a single one. I’ve never met them. They aren’t wearing any of my designs. I’ve never even seen any of them before. What is going on?

“And is the construction on schedule?” one of them asked.

Stallion. Unicorn. Younger. Foppish. Curly, short blond mane. Ugh, like Blueblood but with a tan coat and no frame to him. Eeeyugh. At least I’ll remember him now. Now, what’s his name? Who are these ponies representing?

“It is proceeding according to the original schedule we provided, yes.”

“I don’t know if that will be good enough, Lofty," a unicorn mare with long, brown hair sneered. “Our timetable has changed.”

“I was afraid you’d say that. Look, there’s just no way. We can only maintain so many workers at the base. If you want it completed properly—”

“It doesn’t need to be,” the mare replied, standing up on the plush carpet. “As I said, our plans have changed. We need to know where the project stands as-is.”

The airship shook left and right, the squeal of metal scraping on metal. The gentle hum of the propellers droned and faded away. “Attention. Docking procedures complete. Engine cycling down for refuel.”

Lofty pressed down on both of his temples with his hooves, rubbing them in little circles. “This wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Neither was bringing her here,” another starting in the group of eight said, thrusting a hoof in Rarity’s direction.

“Oh, don’t mind me,” Rarity chuckled, wrapping a foreleg around her date. “I’m just here to support this silly stallion.”

“Support, how? Mister Goals, her presence was not authorized,” yet another stallion said. “What reason have you—”

“Legitimacy,” Goals stated, his voice sending oratory bullets through the room. Each of the ponies present froze, then reacted as if they had been struck; some with arrows, others with inspiration.

“Legitimacy?” One of the skeptical ponies sneered. “What’s this about?”

The long-maned mare began a stride towards the door, stopping in front of the two of them. “I should think it’d be obvious. As for you, Lofty, you’re on thin ice. Don’t fail us.”

“If any of us fail, it will be because—”

“You are important to the Majestics, Lofty, and it is for that reason that I’m being nice for one of the very, very few times in my life.” She shifted her gaze ever so slightly in the stallion’s direction. “Do not throw it away.” She continued out the hatchway towards the ramp. “Let’s move. I want to see what that we’re spending bits on.”

“Of course, Majestic One." Lofty bowed his head as the entire group began to walk out the door.

Midway through, Rarity caught on and bowed her head too. Control? I don’t know if I like the sound of that. Lofty, what have you gotten yourself into?

The two brought up the rear of the group, the luxury appointed interior of the private yacht giving way to the utilitarian aesthetics of the docking ramp. Carpet was replaced by steel, chandeliers with halogen lamps, wallpaper with bare walls and exposed piping, all leading to a final, armoured outer hatch.

They stepped out through it onto a gangplank surrounded by a metal and glass tube. As the light of the sunset washed her in a complementary red light, Rarity stopped and gazed out through the glass. The desert of San Palomino stretched on forever, the winding hills of scorching sand pierced by towering buttes. In the other direction, the dark of night was beginning to take over, save for the nearly imperceptible red glow of the sand a half-mile beneath them. The tube ahead lead inside one of the stone cliffs. Just off to her left were the hinges of the door, its surface camouflaged to look like just another part of the mesa.

Not even a hint of any civilization. No buildings, streetlights, or even a campfire. Where are we?

“Rarity.” Goals waved at her to follow. “Don’t get lost, my lady. It’s dangerous here.”

“Oh! Of, of course.” She broke into a trot to keep up until they had rejoined the rest. The inside of the mesa had proven to be every bit as utilitarian and steel clad as the docking area of the airship, if not more. Bits of rust speckled the flooring, and not all the lights were working. There were no signs, no safety rails, not even a workplace poster anywhere. Not that they need them in San Palomino, its government being as minimalist as it is.

They continued down the straight, narrow corridor until reaching a large metal door on the left side, easily as wide as three ponies were long.

“One moment, I’ll get it.” Lofty made his way to the front, brushing by a few of the ‘majestics’.

Rarity lifted her head as high she could, shifting around to get a view.

Lofty reached the far side of the door, pulling a meter long lever to the sound of an inelegant ka-chunk. Then, he lit his horn and put his hoof on a black and green stone slab next to the door. His magic weaved its way down his chest and leg into the tablet before transferring to the door itself. Some kind of motor turned on, pulling the two halves of the door apart.

Damnit, I can’t see! What’s in there? Rarity fidgeted with her brooch and bit her lip, thankful that none of the other ponies were looking her way. The group eventually began stepping through the door, making their way onto a somewhat less stable catwalk. It swayed a bit with each step, being held aloft by flimsy-looking hooks as the hallway continued. I’m suddenly less frustrated at all the safety inspections my Canterlot studio goes through...

Light from up ahead started to filter into the hallway, the light of the setting sun replaced by soulless industrial fluorescent yellow. Along with the changing light, noise began to echo in the hallway. Screeching metal and spinning saws cried out like griffins, and riveting guns clambered like a small stampede.

"Please watch your step. The factory area can be hazardous," Lofty hollered over the din.

So it is a factory… Rarity kept her head down as the path progressed, opening up into a large facility the size of a few hoofball fields. Inside, the bare rock walls partially covered in metal scaffolding. Catwalks and paths came from every which way, all leading down to surround something below them. Something massive.

“An… An airship!?” Rarity covered her mouth with a hoof to hold her gasp. It’s huge! I— I’ve never seen one this big!

Gray armor panelling was being bolted onto the whole of the beast, covering two enormous gasbags tied together side-by-side. A line of cannons sprung out from the top, sides, and belly. Pegasi hovered in the air around it, applying a coat of paint with Equestrian Naval colors and insignia. Gaps in the panelling appeared in sporadic places around the hull. Far below them a team of Earth ponies were wheeling in large boxes filled with brightly glowing, white metal rods.

Solidified magic? Why is it in its pure form? The last airship to try that went up in flames, along with a portion of the Royal family. Wait… Rarity lifted an eyebrow. They couldn’t have been involved with that, could they? She took in a breath, holding it as her mind chewed it over. Maybe, but this isn’t really evidence of that. All I know right now is that they’re using it for something.

The group kept moving down the scaffolding, eventually coming to the bottom of the factory floor. Overhead, the airship towered over Rarity and the other ponies. Grease, fumes, and other noxious odors wafted by, changing places every few moments.

“Shall we?” Lofty lead the way for the ponies to follow him up the loading ramp and into the primary bay of the ship. The opening was farther up the ship than usual, and it looked like the lower half of the gasbag of her comprised of decks rather than empty sacks of air.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen any ship like this before. It looks far too heavy to get off the ground.” A few of the other ponies scoffed at her, but seemed to make no other protests.

“It uses next-generation warding and other spells inspired by pegasi to provide additional buoyancy,” Lofty said as they neared the top of the ramp. “As such, it needs far less gas than other ships.”

Rarity nodded, only half paying attention. The loading bay of the vessel was two stories tall, and there were at least two decks below them. The upper level of the bay had what appeared to be a managing office overlooking the entire thing. Hooks hung down from the ceiling, dangling over lifts in the floor.

“Mister Goals,” one of the stallions spoke up. “What is the status of the engines? Are they operational?”

“Yes and no.” Goals hesitated midway up a ramp to the upper level of the bay. “The specifications delivered to us for the next generation reactor were… flawed.”

"Nonsense!" One of the mares stomped her hoof. “I checked over those myself. It’s the same being used for the construction of the Bellerophon in Manehattan.”

“No, I’m afraid that’s out of date. We discovered a critical issue that would result in the reactor failing to start at all. Doubtless, Canterlot officials will experience the same thing, and correct it later. Since we didn’t have a fix available now — my workers are workers, not engineers — we are still using the last generation engines.”

“The last ship with those engines exploded at the cost of all hooves on board, and on the maiden voyage,” a short-maned, red mare said. “We did not put you in charge of all of this only to lose our investment.”

One of the stallions got in front of her. “It won’t matter. This is frustrating, yes, but is no longer a particularly large concern given our new plans. Mister Goals, please continue. I would like to see the bridge.”

“Of course.” Goals adjusted his tie and resumed the walk. They passed through several hatchways and up a ramp, finally coming to a stop in a large, window filled room, in the center of which was a steering column.

“Now then, I’m sure you all have questions…” Lofty gave them a slight bow. “Fire away.”

“Not exactly a pleasant choice of words,” Rarity muttered to herself.

“What about the cannons? Are they operational?”

Damn. I couldn’t see who asked that… Rarity slunk off to the side of the group, facing inward to get a better view of the faces. I still don’t know any of these ponies.

“The secondary anti-air cannons are indeed operational, however, we have a shortage of focusing crystals. I’m afraid the primary cannons are still offline.”

“Didn’t one of our resource bases send you a new shipment of them?”

“Yes, and they arrived in terrible condition. If we used them we’d be more likely to blow ourselves up than anything else. I had no choice but to dispose of them.”

“You are beginning to disappoint us, Mister Goals. That’s a bad habit to get into.” The long maned mare walked up and passed him, putting her forehooves up on the control panel and staring out the window. “Let me ask you this: is the ship ready to fly? If ordered, could you sail her out of here right now?”

“If absolutely necessary, yes, Majestic One, we could. However, I would need all the workers to serve as a makeshift crew. We would be flying an unfinished, underponied, and highly vulnerable aircraft. Unless you’re planning on throwing this whole ship and the workers away to—”

“That is exactly what I’m ordering you to do.”

Rarity and Goals both took a step back, one forehoof still in the air.

“You cannot be serious!" Goals bellowed. "One hundred seventy-five million bits and seven years have been spent on this project! If we—”

“We are completely serious, Mister Goals,” the tall stallion of the group said, stepping up to him and looking down. “Our situation has changed. Celestia is making a move, and if we act now, we can push her completely off balance.”

“Majestic Two, I don’t under—”

The other mare cut him off again. “She’s promoting Twilight Sparkle to Grand Mage. Charlemagne did not act as predicted, and agreed to the ceremony. We do not know when it will happen, but we know it will be soon.”

Twilight? Twilight’s being promoted to Grand Mage!? Rarity bit down on her hoof to keep from yelling out loud.

Lofty’s eyes went wide, and his forehead broke out into sweat. “T-T-T-Twilight Sparkle!? What’s that have to do with this?”

“She’s popular, and powerful. Magically, at least.” The mare turned her head slightly, pointing one steel coloured eye directly back at him. “We’re going to have to kill her.”

Rarity’s heart pounded in her chest. No… It can’t be. What am I… Calm down, Rarity. Keep them talking, assess the situation, develop a plan.

Lofty Goals clenched his teeth together. “But, Majestic One, what of the other objectives? The tactical and strategic considerations of all of this—”

“Towers is already en route.”

Goals winced from how hard he facehooved. "You're staging a coup? Now?! We aren't anywhere near ready for something like that!"

"Poor, sweet, simple Lofty." The mare pinched his cheek with a light telekinetic grasp. "This is a long term game. I don't expect the coup to succeed. It's going to set things up so we can stage a real coup later.

"Of course, there are secondary objectives as well. It isn't the end of the world if we fail at them now, but they must be done eventually, or it very well might be."

End of the world? What are they talking about? Every one of Rarity's nerve endings wanted to have her run screaming out the door. If she escaped, maybe she could become a hermit in the desert. However, given that all the doors were probably locked, her best bet of survival, let alone saving Twilight, was staying put and staying calm... outwardly, at least.

"Very well..." Lofty took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his muzzle. "If you're sure, it's your money. We can do it. But I can't guarantee any real measure of success like this. I'm good, but not a god."

Majestic One gave the wheel a large spin and grinned. "I'm well aware of your limitations, Lofty. Trust me on that. Either way, I'm not holding you accountable for the mission success; Towers will be leading the assault. We've already given him the command codes. You don't have to do anything but launch the ship."

Lofty sighed, drooping his ears down to the back of his head. "It'll take a few minutes to finish fuelling and to start up the engines. We'll get to work right away." He turned to leave, and gave Rarity a nod to follow him. "We'll be in the captain's office."

The two trotted out of the room, quickly running into Vigilant Watch, who must have been waiting outside the door.

"Vigilant, I need you to open the bay doors and get the ship moving. The Majestics want it launched immediately."

Vigilant raised an eyebrow. "Boss?"

"I never said it was a good idea. I just said they want it done, so get to it."

Vigilant sighed and shrugged, taking off, presumably to get to work, but not before giving Rarity a parting glare of death.

Rarity most certainly did not blow a raspberry at him as he left. It wouldn't be ladylike, after all.

They only went a short way down the cramped hall before turning right and entering a sparsely appointed room equipped with nothing but a desk and a chair. Rarity turned and sealed the door behind them, resisting every possible urge to slam it shut, then spoke as smoothly and softly as she could. "If you think I'm going to let you snog me in here, you are sorely mistaken."

"I suppose I owe you an explanation."

"You're--" Rarity slapped her mouth shut with a hoof and switched to a whisper. "You're damned right you do! A coup, really? And Twilight Sparkle?! Lofty, she's my best friend! And they're talking about killing her!"

"I know, I know. Look..." He took her hoof in his, gently stroking her fetlock. "I needed their money for a special project. It was just giving them research at first. Things I'm good at, have connections for. It all snowballed from there. But - and I'm trusting you on this, so you have to promise not to tell them, okay?"

Rarity's hoof twitched, the precursor to slapping his face off. Keep calm, Rarity. Keep calm. "Okay, I promise."

"My goals and theirs have become... incompatible."

Rarity folded her forelegs. "And just what are your goals, Lofty?"

"Saving Twilight Sparkle, for one."

There was a pause. Rarity pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow, but no further information came from it. She looked him up and down, and finally into his eyes, diving into those orbs of passion like a rough surf in the ocean. "Okay, I'm listening."

"There's only so much I can tell you right now. I've got to send out a courier before we leave the base for good. They'll deliver a warning about Twilight to Canterlot. You should stay put. After we disembark from this ship and get away from the Majestics, I'll tell you everything I know."

"And what about the coup?"

Lofty turned and punched a hoof on the bulkhead. "I wish there was something I could do. Secrecy is the greatest weapon, after all. One is simply far too overconfident. If it doesn't get her killed someday, I'll be stunned. If nothing else, I know this much: General Towers is being rewarded for his loyalty by being sent to his death."

Rarity shifted around on the spot she had chosen to sit. "What do you mean?"

"The Majestics think the alicorns are weak. A lot ponies do. Politically, this might even be the popular opinion. But magically? Truthfully? Even the Majestics know better. Rarity, I know they insist otherwise, but the difference between them and us is so huge that they might as well be gods. If Celestia wanted to, she could wipe out entire Duchies on a whim.

"And Luna? She'll cut down any ponies we throw at her and wade through their blood like a day at the spa. Then, she’ll play with Towers like a cat chasing a mouse. And, speaking of Towers, he has no bucking clue that he's walking into his death. Every single pony going on this little trip is either going to die or get captured, and I'm going to be set back a year.

"The worst part is, there isn't a damn thing either of us can do about it. I can save Twilight, but if I warn them of the coup, I'll be found out eventually, and then there will be nothing to reign them in at all. If we try to stop the ship ourselves, we still die. So, stay put."

Lofty walked to the door and stood up straight. He adjusted his mane and glasses, then tightened his tie. "I'm about to go commit treason in two completely different ways."

Rarity sealed the door after him, then leaned against the wall and slumped to the ground, for once ignoring wrinkles in her dress. Think, Rarity, think. The floor under her butt started vibrating, so she peered out the window hatch to the outside, and watched as the giant metal wall of the factory detached from the mesa and laboriously lowered itself. Bits of rock and dust fell from above the door and into the bay. The outside was a dark void of night and stars interrupted only by the growl and glow of magical engines.

Think faster, Rarity. She pushed herself off the ground and started pacing in a circle. If genius mage Twilight Sparkle thought best while doing this, it was worth a try. I could try getting to the engines and detonating them. Pure solidified magic is highly volatile... No, there will be at least a half dozen ponies down there to stop me. What about getting a warning to Canterlot myself? No, Lofty might be able to order around his subordinates, but that doesn't mean I can, too.

Come on, O Regal Lady, you can do this! She paused in mid stride. Unless I can't. Which means, I focus on what I can do. Slow them down, sabotage something, anything to give Canterlot a fighting chance against a huge, powerful airship with ridiculous cannons on it... Wait...

She clopped a hoof on the ground. That's it! The cannons need focusing crystals! If I can sabotage their supply on the anti-air cannons , this ship becomes a flying target!

Rarity sat up straight and did her best impression of Lofty that she could, given that she didn't wear glasses or a tie. Time to go sabotage a treason in progress. "I do believe I have to use the little filly's room."

The door opened with a ka-chunk and she stepped through, glancing both directions. Nopony could be seen in either direction, though the bridge to her left had its lights on. Let's not go that way. She trotted down the hall, letting her hooves clank away. If somepony stopped her here, she had a decent excuse.

At the first door she found, there was a set of numbers hastily scribbled on with marker, but she couldn't quite make out what they meant. With no real sign to help her, she pulled open the door and looked inside. Storage closet. Drat. How am I going to... Oh ho ho! Focusing crystals! Rarity, you silly filly!

She lit up her horn, casting her signature spell, the first spell she ever learned. The magic formed a kind of invisible searchlight, one that could penetrate through the metal walls and doors of the ship like a gamma ray, albeit without the cancerous side effects. The search turned from a chore to a casual stroll through the ship, each door, each room examined with a flick of magic.

Nothing on this level, it seems. I could use the spell to search above and below from here, but I don't know who's up there without looking, so... Ugh. I hate spiral staircases. Rarity pulled open one of the doors and made her way around and around, going up to the next level. It's not so much the spinning, it's how rarely they fit dresses. I always get grease or dust or something on me.

The sound of sparks caught her ear, and she threw herself against the wall before cautiously peeking around the corner. The new hall was much like the last, grey and dull and shaped like a rectangle. This one, though, had a pony working in it. He was a regular earth pony stallion, complete with tool belt, hard hat, goggles, and wrenches.

Okay, our excuse might still work. In fact, it would be a wonderful alibi. Her stride was key. She trotted out of the door and down the hall, unconcerned, happy, and most importantly, confident.

Rarity cleared her throat and gave him a warm, flirtatious smile. "Pardon me, my good gentlecolt, but could you direct me to the nearest restroom? I need to freshen up." She added in an eye flutter and a shy smirk behind her delicate hoof for good measure.

Nothing. He didn't even look up. He just kept working.

"Um, Sir? I said, could you..."

Still nothing.

She waved a hoof in front of his eyes, and it was batted away, but other than that, there wasn't even a glimmer of attention, or, even more disastrously, interest.

The confidence was sucked from her stride as she moved on, the supernaturally focused pony consuming it like Pinkie Pie turned loose on a dessert cart. A third of the hallway down, she even wiggled her butt at him, to no avail.

I know some stallions don't go for mares, but that's... just... insulting! Yes, that's just insulting! Why, I've never been so insulted in all my-- An image of Blueblood flashed in her mind. Well, okay, so I have. It's still pretty insulting. I have half a mind to-- Aha, what's this?

A small gem the size of a key lime sparkled in her vision behind a door, it's ghostly spectre glowing ever so slightly. After a quick look to make sure the welding pony was still ignoring her, she opened up the door and poked her head inside.

"Hello? Is this the bathroom?" It was not, by any stretch, a bathroom. It was a small room about the size of a closet, and there were pipes everywhere, but that was where the similarities ended.

Most of the pipes were heavily insulated. The few that weren’t seemed to be made of cheap steel. Most of the smaller ones went from the front wall by the door to the side walls, while the larger ones went from floor to ceiling. The largest in the room by far was vertical like its smaller brethren, and placed up against the back wall. Unlike the others, it had a pair of handles attached to it, along with a glass window perhaps a bit bigger than a greeting card.

Rarity stood up on the tips of her hooves and peeked into the window, seeing only stars and a targeting reticle. This looks like one of the anti-air cannons for sure. The gem was lodged inside another one of the pipes, this one of medium size and coming out of the floor. Okay, there should be a way to replace these. Focusing gems can overheat and melt, so there should be an easy way to get it out. Oh, the things I do for Princess and country.

She kicked off one of her shoes and felt around behind the pipes, coming dangerously close to oil and grease with each little movement. Carefully she followed what looked like thaumic energy conduit back from the cannon, eventually finding something protruding out of the pipe. With a bit of a kick and a pull, a lever was turned and slid down the length of the pipe. The gem fell out like a spent toilet paper roll, and Rarity quickly caught it on her hoof.

"Ha! Gotcha! Now I-- oh, darn it!" She floated out a hanky to wipe off the oil staining her perfect hooficure. "Where was I? Right, what to do with this...

The ideal is to collect all of them and throw them overboard, which leaves minimal evidence. Destroying them here is an option, but more likely to get me caught, or even cause them to explode. I could sabotage them in case I am caught, but that is a backup plan. Lofty knows more about cores than anypony I know, and might be able to repair them if forced. So, first, sabotage.

Rarity held the gem to her eye, focusing on the smallest detail she could, and observing the exact angles of the facets. It was an oddly shaped little core, with minimal capacity. One end was fat and stout, while the other was long and tapered. There!

She pulled out her telekinetic blade, then shrunk it down to less than the size of a pin. The insertion went in on the side with perfect precision, and sunk into the center without breaking the gem itself.

Not bad if I do say so myself. Lofty isn't the only one with a penchant for crystals! Now for, aha, there we go! She use used her blade to slice off the pouch of a nearby work belt and stuffed the gem inside of it. Three more cannons to go on the upper level.

The next three gems were found without a hitch; there were hardly any ponies in the hall, which only made Rarity tense up after each and every new "acquisition."

It's okay, Rarity girl, just four more to go. And if these are the upper cannons, then the lower must be down the 'hatch,' so to speak.

She went down one level, and took note of the sound of machines. It wasn't just the engines anymore, but all kinds of equipment, from torches to grinders to impact cannons. One more level down, and she saw why.

The cargo bay area was still full of ponies working on this and that, constructing the ship as if nothing had changed. Each one, regardless of tribe or gender, seemed to have the same uniform, the same blank stare, and the same silent mouth. There wasn't a single order being shouted or question being asked. A perfect workforce, toiling away in the gold-orange light and steel flooring of the chamber.

What in Equus is going --Whoa! The ship lurched to the side as loud metal bangs were heard from outside the bay. Rarity put a hoof on the wall to steady herself in the airship now doing its best impression of a tiny fishing vessel. A moment later, and it was turning, moving out of its mooring. The ship had launched.

As one, every single worker pony dropped their tools where they stood and marched for the doors, including the one Rarity was at. Only one deviated even slightly, and that was only to pull a lever to close the ship's hangar door.

As Twilight would say, time to test a theory. She stepped to the side to let the ponies pass, then cleared her throat. "Excuse me, could you tell me where -- I just need to know -- ladies room, where is it? Could you just -- maybe I could -- Aaargh!"

Every single one passed her by without so much as a glance in her direction, moving up the stairs to who knows where.

"Something is rotten in Denmarek. And whatever it is, it's not nearly as rotten as what's going on here."

Rarity gave them a huff and put up her boss nose as she walked down another level, this time finding a lot more ponies in her way, all of them just like the others. She had to squeeze by in several areas, the hall being as narrow as it was, and even had to jump at one point to avoid a moving torch.

This time, however, she had her search pattern down. Given that she knew where the upper cannons were, and that the lower ones should be in the same position on this level, the guesswork was gone. She hit every single one in a fraction of the time she had spent on the others, plus a few extra to look lost. In each door, she asked for the bathroom, and even tried to bother some of the walking dead ponies. They knew she was there, they had to. They just refused to do anything about it unless she got in their way.

At the end, she had the four crystals in her bag and tucked safely away. She couldn't disable them in view of so many ponies, but there was one place she could do so in private. She just had to find it, so she started back up the steps to the cargo bay.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ow!" Rarity jumped so hard at the voice she banged her head on the ceiling. "Owie... That really hurt!"

"A little jumpy, are we Miss Belle?"

Rarity's heart skipped a beat as she made eye contact with the mare. It was her, the one giving orders: Majestic One. "My sincerest apologies, ma'am. I've been looking around this ship for a while, and I guess I somehow got used to how... quiet and focused everypony was, even when I tried to ask directions. I didn't expect to hear a voice after all this time!"

Majestic One looked down on her like a storm looked down on an ant colony. "And just what were you doing looking around the ship?"

"Looking for a bathroom!"

The mare had a face Rarity thought she'd never see her wear: one of surprise and revelation. "Bathroom?"

"Yes! Well, I suppose it's called the head on a ship, for some strange reason, but it's function is the same. I've been looking left and right, and nopony so much as blinks when I ask for help!"

Majestic One turned towards the bow of the ship, still staring at her through the corner of her eye. "So Lofty hasn't told you yet?"

Rarity opened her mouth, but couldn't quite word a response.

"Don't worry about it. As you've no doubt surmised, these ponies won't help you; rather, they can't. I, however, will."

One lifted her arm, and fire raged down every nerve in Rarity's body. The malice, the intent of harm in the mare's voice and body was as clear as the most perfect glass, or even the void of space itself.

Rarity was ready. She had trained to be, for anything, as that was the life of a spy, a secret agent of the crown.

"The nearest bathroom is over there, in the cargo bay, second door on your right."

Rarity blinked. "What? Oh, oh! Thank you! I've been running around here ready to burst for ages!"

"Just get back to the captain's office as soon as you're done. You should not be here."

"Yes, ma'am, I will. Again, terribly sorry to bother you!" Rarity ran for the door; this time her hooves would not be denied. The other Majestics were one thing, but she was something else entirely. It was as if Harmony itself had a void, and that void had taken pony shape.

She pulled open the door and slammed it shut behind her, and thankfully her excuse had been perfect. Nopony would think twice of a mare rushing like mad if they knew they had a need of relief. Yet, that wasn't what sent ice cold fear down her spine.

"Lofty, darling," she said, staring into the eyes of the mare in the mirror. "What have you got yourself into?"

Author's Notes:

Hi all!

Yeah, somehow I got this out before another whole year went by. I hope you all enjoyed it! Be sure to check out my blog for news updates when I remember to post. ^^

-Cv

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Bounded and Unchained

"There, last one." Rarity exhaled and slumped back on the makeshift chair she had made out of the toilet. In her grasp were eight sabotaged focusing cores, each representing an anti-air cannon that would never fire on the ponies of Canterlot. She tossed them all into her stolen, improvised pouch and plopped it on the edge of the sink.

With a sigh and a stretch, she examined herself in the mirror. Using a gentle tendril of magic, Rarity lifted up a pair of her mane hairs, their grey contrasting against the others' purple. Even through her makeup, she could see the outlines of bags under her eyes, and it wasn't an effect of the cheap fluorescent lighting.

"Now I see why spies have such a short lifespan. If we aren't murdered, the sheer stress gets to us." She smacked her lips and poured out some water to wet her mouth, then swallowed it when she realized she was thirsty, too. "No getting out at this point, Rarity girl. Besides..."

She picked up the pouch, feeling the crystals jangle around in her magic, then steeled herself in front of the bathroom door. "You only have one more thing to do: toss these off the ship! Ready? Doesn't matter, we're going anyway. One, two, three!"

Rarity flushed and stepped out of the bathroom, putting on her best ‘relieved’ face as she strode into the cargo bay. The fact that she didn't see anypony there, especially Majestic One, helped tremendously. Now then, where to next?

She sat on the cold, steel floor and scratched her chin. Options, options. I doubt I could open the giant bay door here. I mean, I could—the lever is over there—but it would certainly set off alarms. I'd be caught for sure.

No, I need something smaller. Like, a window, or just a little hatch. Hmmm...

The large rectangular bay was relatively spartan, and certainly unfinished. Chains dangled from the ceiling over large hatches, and a catwalk roughly a story above her hung precariously from metal hooks. Boxes, crates, and barrels were stacked and sloppily tied down at the ends of the bay, while control panels and buttons seemed to stick out randomly on the wall. Levers and tiny lights were attached to the floor in certain spots, each with a supposed purpose, though she could only guess at most of them.

Before, this spot had been crawling with ponies. Freaky, silent ponies that ignored her completely, but ponies nonetheless. A crowd was still a crowd. Now, only the rush of wind and the hum of engines could be heard, occasionally interrupted by the clanking of chains. There was still ozone in the air, along with the strong scents of grease and sweat.

More important, however, was the complete lack of windows and doors, save for that huge one.

Dang. Back to the office, then. They're certainly expecting me, but hopefully I can find a porthole along the way. She glanced at the cluster of gems in the bag. So close...

"What are you doing here?"

Rarity turned her head slowly and smoothly to address Vigilant as he strode out of the door to the stairs, hooves clanking away on the metal floor. She viewed him through narrowed eyes, tilting her head up as if she was sitting ten meters above him. "Why, I'm looking around, of course. This really is a remarkable ship. You must be proud."

He stopped just short of plowing into her, using his height to look over her shoulder. "And just what is in that bag?"

"A few baubles I brought with me. I thought I would have had time to work on my dresses, but things have been quite exciting lately."

"Oh, please." His hoof whooshed through the air, smacking Rarity on the horn.

"Ow!" She grabbed her horn with both hooves, rubbing the tip and halting its magic. The feedback wasn't so bad, since there was no real spell being used. Horns, however, were solid pieces of bone attached to the skull, and getting hit there was as bad as a punch to the jaw.

"Well, what do we have here?" Vigilant opened the bag up, showing off the gems. "Looks like the focusing crystals we're missing."

Crap. "Missing nothing. I just saved this tugboat from setting itself on fire! Every one of those has a critical flaw! You use them, this whole thing catches. Honestly, what does Lofty even pay you for?"

"And what is going on here? Miss Rarity, I thought I told you to get back to the office!"

The voice was unmistakable. It was the mare from Tartarus, the Void, the one whom Rarity could tell just by looking at her that she was devoid of generosity. However, the voice was also her salvation.

"I was trying! Then this oaf started harassing me for having to use the ladies’ room!" Rarity gave him a punch to the chest, shoving him back a couple steps.

"Like hell! Ma'am, I caught her stealing valuable equipment!" He opened the bag to Majestic One. "The ship's only focusing crystals for the AA batteries!"

Lofty stepped out from behind Majestic One, his eyes cool and judgemental. "Is this true, Rarity?"

Rarity's ear flicked. His tone was anything but judgemental. It was odd, certainly, and she couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but her gut told her to keep going.

"Not at all! I have spent ages on this ship lost and looking for a powder room! Lofty, please, you know me, and you know him!" She reached out and gave Vigilant another punch. "He's been trying to get rid of me since we met! He nearly dropped me off a cliff earlier!"

"No! No, I won't let you do this!" Vigilant pulled out a telekinetic blade, filling the bay with an orange-red light. It burned like a cylinder of pure carbon, setting fire to a smear of grease without even touching it. His eyes twitched and his knees shook, and sweat began to flow down his forehead. "Isn't it obvious? She's an Element! A spy! Boss, she doesn't love you! She never did!"

"I do love him!" Rarity froze, her face miraculously stuck on ‘indignation’. "I do love him!" Her heart pounded, her lip quivered like a foal losing something beloved, her eyes watered, and her breath choked up. Crap. Oh crap oh crap oh crap. "Lofty, please! Tell him! Tell him the truth!" Because I don't think I can say it one more time.

I really do love him.

"What a lovely sentiment." Majestic One turned to leave. "Kill them both. Dump their bodies."

What? No! Dammit, Rarity, move! Fight!

By the time Rarity had lifted her hoof, something burned up the length of her spine, grabbed her, and tossed her backwards as a wave of orange light ripped a superheated line across the floor. The energy picked up both Lofty and One, tossing them into the stairway door like a pair of dolls.

The same orange light slammed the door shut and spun the wheel as it closed. Vigilant leapt to the door an instant later, plunging the blade into the steel and melting its core. Lofty's magic raged over the handle to no avail; the mechanism was fused shut.

As Rarity saw Vigilant’s eyes, she noticed that whatever emotion was there was definitely not that of a sane pony. For that matter, it might not have been one of a pony at all. It was a twisted single-mindedness, without the slightest semblance of will. It simply was, and it wanted to kill her.

The magma blade came down, and Rarity tilted her head and body away. Had she been wearing a different brand of makeup, it might have caught fire. Instead, her own telekinetic blade materialized and swung up past him, clipping him in the nostril and plugging it with ice.

While Vigilant, or whatever was left of him, pulled his blade back up, Rarity jumped back to reorient herself . She leapt once more, this time straight up, pulled off all four of her dress shoes, and flung them at him. They did little more than annoy and stagger him, but that wasn't the point. Iron horseshoes were far better for fighting in than anything with heels.

The magma blade came again, this time in a slash close enough to singe her mane.

Jumping back, Rarity did something she was never supposed to do: she spun around with her back to him. At the apex, she undid the clasp holding her dress on, letting it fly backwards and into the blade. Flames erupted instantly, followed by a masculine, yet uncaring scream.

With her dress gone, she was down to her undersaddle, which was just what she wanted. Strapped to it were four sets of throwing knives: sharp, miniature spear points with ends to enhance telekinetic grip.

"From the moment you gave me that note, I knew it would end like this." Rarity smirked at his poison glare, seeing just the smallest hint of curiosity squeak through. "With me standing over your dead body."

Rarity parried the next attack, sparks of magic and steam flying off the point of impact, thus beginning their dance. His attacks were powerful, but untamed and inelegant. All were slashes—high, low, side, side—each strong enough to push her back towards the end of the room, even though she blocked or dodged each one.

Another lunge, though, had Rarity racing to catch up, as he didn't go for her, but for another door, sealing that one shut as well. The magma blade swung again from a distance, this time sending a wave of force in Rarity's direction.

Unlike the first wave that caught Lofty, though, this one was slow and predictable, but no less hot. While it missed Rarity, it continued on and melted a lock on the stairs to the catwalk, bringing the stairs down.

"Now there's an idea..." Rarity backed her way up the stairs, parrying blow after blow from the charging Vigilant. Each swing left a trail of either frozen or melted metal in the lattice of the walkway. Halfway to the end of the catwalk, she countered an attack with one of her own, flaring her blade with magic. Steam poured out from where the two forces met. Slowly, the magma blade inched to her face, ready to melt it off entirely.

Rarity took in a breath, then let it out, forcing the air over her telekinetic sword. Bits of water became ice with a desire to grow, latching onto the hairs of Vigilant's face and blossoming into flowers of frozen crystal.

Vigilant stumbled back, flinging his blade wildly as he scraped the ice off his eyes. Streaks of red burned spots into Rarity's vision, and bits of flame dripped off the lance of fire.

Rarity kept her distance; cornered and blind animals were very dangerous. Instead, she flared her magic again and carved a line of ice into the metal below. Jumping back, she rose her blade high as Vigilant recovered, locking that alien gaze back on her.

"You want to kill me?" she asked, sneering and smiling at the same time. "Then come and get me!" She swung the blade through the metal again, frozen flowers blooming wherever it made contact.

Vigilant charged forward, blade hotter than ever, nearly growing white with rage.

Rarity stomped the ground just ahead of her, beyond her most recent ice line. Instantly, the brittle, frozen edges of the walkway shattered and fell, followed quickly by Vigilant. She jumped off shortly after, her blade aimed directly at his heart.

The wind left her lungs as a pair of hind hooves impacted her stomach. With a kick, she went flying, her blade vapourizing into ether as she tumbled on the now-hot steel floor.

On instinct, she pushed up to her hooves and redrew her blade, but there was nothing to block. Vigilant was instead at another door, melting it shut.

"Oh, that is it!" Rarity pounded her hoof into the floor, denting the metal. "No more Miss Nice Fashionista!" Her blade was joined by a chorus of her throwing knives. They swirled around her head, petals of cold iron ready to attack from any angle. This time, it was she who charged.

His power had nothing on her speed. A flurry of propeller-like slashes had him struggling to keep up, and put tufts of ice on his neck and chest. She followed with an attack meant to be parried, and when it was, she thrust inwards. As Vigilant turned in the nick of time to avoid paying with his eye, Rarity spun herself into his barrel, impacting him in the chest and uppercutting his jaw.

"Amateur." Her throwing blades hit his suit, slicing it off and revealing a coat of thin, strong armour.

"You shouldn't have worn that. It just means I have to be a bit more cruel." The next set of knives flew out of their harness, circling around them both, looking for angles on his body that weren't protected.

Rarity broke into a nimble trot, shifting directions every few steps to angle around him and leave him guessing. She pulled the knives to their target, each aiming for something vital.

Vigilant rolled and threw out a force wave, catching two of the knives and knocking them loose of her telekinetic grasp. The next two met with the magma blade proper, instantly melting into slag. The fifth and final only met his shoulder, just nicking him. His sword burned brighter yet again, sending off another wave of energy.

Rarity stepped to the side, getting a minor burn on her ear but dodging the blast, yet it wasn't the heat that made her ears twitch. It was a klaxon. She turned her head for an instant as the heat and some of the air was sucked out of the bay. The wave had struck one of the levers, pushing it over, melting it off, and triggering the opening of the cargo bay door.

She held out her blade and jumped to the side, correctly guessing both that Vigilant would attack with her head turned as well as what direction the attack would come from. He was pressing harder now, his strikes stronger, faster, and more violent. One left him wide open, letting Rarity get in with a punch.

She just hit solid muscle, which hit back with a hoof attached to it. She tumbled over her head, doing reverse somersaults on the steel. The needle-like cold and wisp-thin atmosphere had taken over the cargo bay through the wide open door, the sheer wind destroying Rarity's coiffure. The sound of rushing hooves reached her ear, and she grabbed a third set of knives and threw them all at once. Each of them whizzed by Vigilant as he stood frozen, calculating how to dodge her attack.

Rarity chuckled and smiled as she pulled on the spidersilk thread each of the knives had left behind. The knives had embedded themselves into a metal box, which was now flying at Vigilant at hoofball speeds.

Vigilant turned around, flaring and swinging his blade. It bisected the crate clean in two, each half burning hot at the edges as they went flying to the side.

The final set of knives came out, slicing a line through Vigilant's cutie mark as they emerged, eliciting a howl of pain. They pierced him as effortlessly as her magic, the cold only adding to their sting.

Rarity flared her sword again as she dragged it along the ground, then kicked up the ice flowers that bloomed from her knives. Angling herself between Vigilant and the back wall of the bay, she repeated the maneuver then thrust forward, poking at his eyes and fetlocks, forcing him down the ramp towards the desert below. Another slash was met, blade on blade, shooting steam into her face, eliciting a wince and yip.

There was a scream, a ka-chunk sound, and a voice.

"Rarity, look out!"

She raged, yelled, and counterattacked even before she opened her eyes, lifting up her blade and plunging it forward and down, sinking it into something solid. It had lodged directly into Vigilant's chest, the icy sword freezing his torso in mere seconds. A sneer of pure, disgusted indignation grew on her lips. "I love him. Know that in this last moment."

"Puh-puh..." His lips and lungs strained against the sword, aching to form a word, a phrase. He leaned forward, life returning to his eyes, only for it to leave just as fast. "Purple Topaz."

Rarity fell back on her haunches, and her breath died in her lungs. What did he say? What did--No, it can't be. It just can't be. Vigilant Watch was... No... No!

Her blade dissipated, freeing Vigilant's body to slump over and silently fall off the ramp.

"Well, well. I have to admit, Miss Rarity. I'm impressed."

The cargo bay all but froze over at those words. Rarity turned her head, face still in shock, finding all of the Majestics, Lofty, and even some workers standing behind her.

Majestic One smiled and continued, "Tell me, where did you learn how to fight like that?"

Rarity pushed up on one of her trembling legs, standing up only half way. "Champion of the Canterlot Fencing Club. I've been... I've been practicing for years. Keeps me sharp."

"I'll say," Majestic One said with a few claps of her hooves, then turned to the workers. "Kill her."

"No!" Lofty sprinted in between Rarity and the others, spreading his forelegs out wide. "I will not allow you to hurt her! You'll have to go through me, first!"

Majestic One broke out into laughter, actually buckling a little from her chortles. "You? Come on, Mr. Goals. You're a coward. You couldn't sacrifice yourself for anything!"

"Yes I can! Her, and only her!" Goals pawed at the floor and snorted. "You need me, One! Without me, every single one of your plans collapses like a house of cards!"

The laughter died as swiftly as Vigilant. "We had an agreement, Mr. Goals." Majestic One stepped forward, slowly, deliberately, meeting his eyes at every pace. "I do not tolerate those who break agreements with me."

"Deal with it, Majestic One. Without me, your plans will fall apart, and you'll wind up a statue in the Canterlot Gardens, getting pooped on by squirrels and pigeons!" Lofty took a step forward, bearing down on the mare with his height. "The moment you cause her so much as a chipped hoof, I'll unravel it all, even if it means joining you, or worse."

Another of the Majestics put a hoof on Majestic One's shoulder. "Look at his eyes. It's over. He's got us on this, and given the proper precautions, she could be an asset."

"Precautions?" the mare asked. "Like those taken with Vigilant? Speaking of which, I'm curious, Lofty, as to how those failed."

"Who says they did?" another Majestic asked. "Think about it, One. It was probably just a simple paradox conflict."

Majestic One glanced down at the distant desert, her eyes reflecting her black soul doing calculations. "Perhaps. Very well, Lofty. I'll grant you this one reprieve. But get her under control, and so help me, if you screw up like this again, I'll make you wish that I would just kill you."

Rarity tried to stand and walk as the rest of the group, save Lofty, left the bay, but only slumped to her side into the stallion. "'Under control?'" she asked, voice as soft as a foal grappling with something she couldn't comprehend. "Lofty... Lofty, what does she mean? What's going on?"

Lofty held her in his forelegs, rocking her gently back and forth. "Don't worry. I'll explain in a bit. It'll be alright. In the end, we'll win. Together, you and I."

He leaned in, and their lips pressed together.

---

Rarity stirred under a pile of blankets and sheets. Her mane was a dishevelled mess, her makeup had either worn off or was smeared terribly, and her latest dress had been literally set on fire. With current company, though, she didn't mind.

She uncovered her head and rolled over, looking up at Lofty as he rummaged through a mound of paperwork.

"Ah, you're awake. Good morning, beautiful." Lofty walked around the desk and helped her stand, then gave her a peck on the cheek. "Sleep well?"

"Better than I should have, given what happened yesterday." She reached out with her magic and lifted a glass of ten-hour-old stale water to her lips. "Where are we?"

"See for yourself." Lofty trotted to the large window near them, and pulled open the drapes. The light from the view of the deck of his personal airship filled the bedroom to the brim. Her eyes adjusted to the radiant yellow of Celestia's sun, the blue of her sky, and the reddish orange of the desert mesas below. The path ahead, however, was blotted with the dark shadows of a long line of storms ahead. They stretched left to right in an unending wall of stratospheric power.

"The Eternal Squall?! The line of storms over the Raging Mountains between San Palomino and Stalliongrad?! Why on Equus would we go there? No ship can hope to make it through that! We'll be killed!"

"Not unless you have a mapped, safe route nopony else knows about." Lofty waggled a map in his magic. "Our warship is already launching its attack. We need an alibi. We're going to cross through the storms and go on 'vacation' in Stalliongrad, making sure to be seen. It will make it seem like there was no way we could have been in San Palomino at the time the ship was launched."

Rarity sighed and ran a hoof through her mess of a mane. "I suppose, but... Lofty, I truly have to ask. What is going on? Who are the Majestics?"

"Right, that. Well, I promised an explanation, and I shall deliver." Lofty cleared his throat and swallowed, sweat breaking out on his brow. "The Majestics are a group of politicians and industry leaders—"

"Lies." Rarity shot the word at him, staggering him as if it had been an arrow. "Darling, I am the pony everypony should know. I've spent over a decade building my network. I didn't recognize anypony there."

"Would you recognize a changeling in disguise?" Lofty sat next to her, his warmth radiating through her side. "All of them use a special amulet derived from research on changelings. It's usually hidden under their clothes. Their appearance changes each time I see them. Their voices, their clothes, sometimes even their gender. None of us know who the others truly are, as we're always disguised. Except for me, of course, but I barely managed to get a number: Twelve. I’m the last."

"Ah. Well then, that explains a few things." Rarity leaned on him, enjoying the warm feeling as much as she could allow herself to. "Let me guess, you're trying to overthrow Celestia? Take over the world?"

"Of course. Or rather, they are. I don't want to rule the world. Too much trouble, honestly. The Majestics? Celestia? They can have it. I set out on this for a different reason."

"Money? Influence? To destroy the world?" Rarity continued, listing off every cliché she knew of for supervillains.

"No. Not at all. If you want, I'll tell you, but I don't think you want to know just yet."

"And just what do you mean by that?"

"Because if you know…

“Rarity, I took you on this trip because the Majestics were worried I was getting too close to you. They were going to kill you. I needed to bring you into the fold, and I did just that. I know you. You're an amazing mare. You're gorgeous, talented, intelligent, driven..."

"Oh, you." Rarity giggled, waving a hoof. "Go on." She smiled at him through a moment of silence. "No, really, go on."

Lofty laughed, and took her hoof in his. "But dear, they are nothing compared to the attention you'll attract if you know the details of my plan. He will become interested in you."

"Um..." Rarity looked around at the behest of the chill going down her spine as darkness and cold seemed to seep into the room. "Who, exactly?"

"Ionos."

The chill in Rarity's back turned into liquid nitrogen, her vision went halfway dark, and her stomach clenched in agony. "What... What just happened..."

"I got his attention. The feeling should fade soon, but Rarity, I can't protect you from him like I can the others. If you know, you're his, and I don't want you to have to go through that if you don't have to."

"I... I..." She stammered and panted, fighting the urge to heave. "I think I'm okay not knowing the details..." No, dammit, we need to know! Tell him we want to know!

The words never came.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm telling the truth about Twilight. For my plans to work, she must live. Unlike the Majestics, I bear neither her nor the Sisters any ill will. I’m working on something that’ll make One back down on harming the Bearers, and it should be ready shortly."

"Then why? Why do you do it?"

Lofty's head sank low, sorrow escaping his dampened breath. He got up and walked to his desk, then pulled out a large stone span. It looked like some kind of black marble with green smeared inside it. "Because what I want to do, I can't do without their help. They used that fact against me, and what was my endeavour turned into theirs instead. Here."

He placed the slab on the floor, then lit his horn and cast a spell. A magic circle grew out of the stone, taking up the whole room. Each little green line was filled with symbols Rarity couldn't recognize; not even Twilight had ever used them.

"What's this?" Rarity asked, pointing her hoof at the marble.

"The key to making the Majestics leave you alone. Rarity, I know I've stretched your patience to the limit, not to mention your trust, but please, I need you to trust me one last time. If you never want to see me again after, I'll honour that wish, and so will Majestic One. But please, trust me. All you need to do is put your hoof on that stone. I'll do the rest."

Rarity reached out with her hoof, and stopped midway. She looked into his eyes; his desperate, but loving eyes. There was no malice there. Not like Majestic One. All she could see was a sad, tired stallion. Her stallion. Gently, slowly, like she was afraid of being burned, she put her hoof on the marble.

Lofty took in a deep breath, and didn't just meet her gaze. He looked into her soul. The world fell away. They weren't on an airship. They weren't in a bedroom, there were no storms outside. There was only that infinite matrix of green lines and symbols, plus Lofty, looking at her with love and whispering, "Don't betray me."

Then the world was back, as quickly as if someone just turned on a light. The circle was gone. But the strange feeling in the back of her mind wouldn't be ignored. "What just happened?"

"It's our security measures. They're a bit... thorough." Lofty picked up the slab and opened up the painting behind his desk, revealing a large safe. In seconds, the slab was sealed away. "All of the non-numbered Majestics go through the same thing. In technical terms, what I did was place you under a geas."

"A... A geas?! Lofty!" Rarity backed away, scooting until her back was against the airship bulkhead. Her heart pounded, her skin itched, and sweat pooled up all over her body. Every ounce of her wanted to reject something, anything. She had to get it out. "You took away my free will?! What... What are you going to do?! You promised you wouldn't hurt me!"

"And I shall keep that promise. I'm very, very sorry, Rarity. They would have killed you if I hadn’t done that. I only did it to save your life, and it doesn't enslave you totally like the ponies you saw on the airship." Lofty pulled out a stack of papers held in a manila envelope, including a few dozen photographs. "It's only there to make certain that you don't tell Celestia about us... Black Diamond."

Rarity's breath died, her lungs freezing completely.

"This is the dossier Vigilant built on you. The one with all the evidence. The one I haven't shown to the Majestics, and altogether different from the one I did show them." He opened another drawer in his desk, pulling out a small, portable, magical fireplace much like the one in her apartment. "It's also the one they'll never see."

A window opened up, the fireplace flickered to life, and the documents went in the flames. The ashes wafted away, scattering over the desolate San Palomino landscape.

"Rarity Belle, I love you. I need you. Please, don't leave me."

Her heart went thump, and the words repeated in her mind. "Don't betray me."

"It's not like I have a choice, is it?"

"Yes, you do. You absolutely do. I've already given my permission for you to leave as far as the geas is concerned. But..." He took a few slow, gentle steps towards her. "Without you, the Sisters will fall, and Twilight will most certainly die. I don't want that to happen, but at this point I realize I can't take on all eleven of the other Majestics by myself."

Dawn struck her mind like a hammer. She wasn't being asked to be a slave. The geas was a cover, a means to ensure her safety while she continued her work.

She was being asked to be a triple agent.

"That's why you said 'Don't betray me,' instead of 'Be loyal to the Majestics,' or something similar. But I'm also assuming you don't want me to just tell Celestia what's going on..."

Lofty shook his head. "No, that would make my other objective impossible. We have to take them out ourselves, and without being caught by either side. It's us against the world, literally."

Rarity took in a breath, mulling her options. So, I can't blow the whistle on him. The geas will stop me. I can't blow the whistle on the largest conspiracy in history, either. I don't even know who the conspirators are. I could walk away, but I'd be abandoning Twilight… "Alright, I'm in. But you're going to have to re-earn my trust as we go, and, to be quite frank here, we're kind of stuck. How are we supposed to stop them when we don't even know who they are?"

"By finding out." Lofty pushed a button under his desk, and a bookshelf next to the safe swung open. He led her behind it to a small room filled with cork boards plastered in papers connected by red thread. At the end of the strings, in the very middle of the back wall, was a single sheet of paper with a large, bold question mark on it.

"You know, dear, there's a mare I’ve heard about in RGIS I'd have you meet if you weren't a part of a multi-billion bit conspiracy to overthrow the Crown." She looked over the papers, following lead after lead. There was a long way to go, but it was a good start. Lofty wasn't a bad spy himself. "I think I can work with this."

Author's Notes:

Wow. Been a while, huh? I really need to get writing more words.

I hope you all like the return of Designing Intrigue! Hopefully the next chaps won't take quite so long to release, and thanks again for sticking with me all this time!

-Cv