Pumpkin Soup struggled futilely against the magic of the mares holding and levitating her out of the prison. The halls were surprisingly empty of guards, although she thought she had seen a few of them hiding in the shadows.

Just who were these mares anyway!?

"I really told you everything I know! Why are you taking me with you? Just let me go back to my cell!"

"No can do!" the purple mare said, and to Pumpkin Soup it sounded way too cheerful.

Maybe she had made a mistake. Maybe they were sent by Two Hooves and now they were going to kill her. It was going to be done as an accident... or maybe they were going to pretend that she had attempted to escape and had died as a result.

She sighed, stopping her struggles. At least she hadn't told anyone anything about the Old Stallion. She would go out with a clean conscience.

When they finally stepped out into the night, she was put down on the floor and released from the magic.

"Well, where is she?" one of the mares behind her asked.

"I don't know, I'm sure she'll be here soon."

Pumpkin Soup considered her options. She wasn't called "The Rabbit" just because. She was fast, and sneaky and could hide in an instant. She surreptitiously glanced over her shoulder at the pair behind her and the moment they turned away from her, she bolted...

...only to skid to a stop when another mare in a fedora landed right in front of her.

"Oh, forget about it!" Pumpkin Soup groaned, sitting down and lowering her head. "I give up! Just kill me already!" she muttered, closing her eyes.

The mare in front of her didn't say anything, but she heard the pair behind her approach.

"I don't know what's she's going on about, but since we met her she's been acting like we're marching her out in a Chicacolt Overcoat," the purple mare said. "I thought she'd be happy to get out of the joint." There was a pause. "That's what it's called right? The joint."

Pumpkin heard the mare in front of her chuckle and speak up. "Yes, Commander, that's what it's called." The voice sounded familiar, somehow, although Pumpkin couldn't place it.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the mare in the black trench-coat and fedora with the metallic purple bond. Something in her memory stirred. "T-tavola?"

The gray mare smiled. "It's been a while, Pumpkin, call me Octavia."

A sound made her look behind her, where the purple mare raised her hoof up. She didn't see any magic, but suddenly a translucent, swirling thing made of orange light sprung up around her fetlock and up to her elbow.

"Sparkle. We got the information we needed, we're at the hideout," a voice emanated from the glowing armor-like energy around her foreleg.

"Wrex, you're supposed to say 'we'll meet you at the scatter'," the purple mare hissed in reply. "Think of Tavi's sensibilities."

Pumpkin raised an eyebrow at Octavia, who could only grin in response.

"Did we figure out how Two Hooves is threatening your sisters?" Twilight Sparkle asked once they were all in the penthouse hotel room she had reserved.

Octavia shook her head. "They still don't know what my father does. I guess I should be thankful he didn't try and turn them into hitmares."

Pumpkin scoffed. "You're the one that wanted into that life, remember?" she weathered Octavia's glare with one of her own. "And when you decided you had enough, you left everything behind. You have no room to complain."

Octavia rolled her eyes.

"Well, we need to figure it out," Twilight said after a moment. "If I could get close enough to them I'd be able to run a quick scan and see if I can detect anything. Sadly, I'm too well known for any sort of infiltration."

Pumpkin raised an eyebrow. "Then how come I don't know anything about you?"

Wrex snorted. "Because you've been in prison for a couple of years. And even then, I'm surprised you didn't hear about Sparkle here kidnapping Blueblood, destroying the Canterlot Stadium's giant screen in a fire-fight or decimating the Royal Guard."

Pumpkin blinked. "How in the name of hay are you roaming free?"

"That's not important," Sparkle growled. "Besides, these guys all helped, so it's not like I did it on my own. What's important is getting Tavi's family free of Two Hooves' influence, and so far you haven't been much help."

Pumpkin cringed, but didn't argue.

"Well," Rarity spoke up. "I have an idea on how to get them alone with me for a few minutes," she said, tapping her chin. "But we'd need to pull some strings with a few contacts of mine and you'll have to teach me the scanning spell you want me to perform."

Twilight tilted her head. "Okay, let's hear it, Rarity."

Ciaramedda and Bifora looked up from the breakfast table when the bell rang. One of the bodyguards stepped out of the dining room and answered the door to the mansion, glaring at whoever was outside.

"Yeah?"

"Hi! I have a special delivery for a miss Ciaramedda? It's a letter from a lady Sandy Cup!" a voice from the outside said.

Ciaramedda's eyes went wide and she shared a shocked look with Bifora before practically galloping to the door and pushing the bodyguard out of the way. "Oh! That's me!"

The blonde pegasus delivery mare in front of her grinned, although Ciaramedda couldn't be sure if she was grinning at her or at the door. The question was quickly solved when the delivery mare offered her a receipt which she signed.

The mailmare saluted and then was gone in an instant, leaving Ciaramedda to walk back to the table, where her father had just sat down. He looked at her with a frown. "Ciara, you could have just let Clay take the letter for you."

Ciaramedda smiled nervously. "Oh, you know me, papà, I haven't heard from Sandy in a couple of weeks and she had promised to write again soon."

Don Organetto shrugged. "Well, what did she write?"

Ciaramedda gulped, but under her father's gaze, she really had no excuse not to open the letter. She opened the envelope and pulled out a hoof-written letter. "Sandy is letting me know that one of her friends, who is a fashion designer, is visiting Chicacolt. She thinks Bifora and I should go visit her and get new dresses!"

Bifora gasped, clapping her hooves in delight. "Oh, papà, tell me we can go! I need a new dress!"

Don Organetto grimaced. "You have plenty of dresses an—"

"Please, papà? Can you please take us?" Ciaramedda jumped in. "If Sandy is recommending her, she must be really good! I could use a new dress too, especially for special occasions."

Don Organetto sighed and leaned back. "Very well, but I'm afraid I won't be able to attend. I have a meeting in an hour. Clay and Stompanato will take you there. You are not to leave the premises without them, understood?"

"Yes, papà!" Ciaramedda squealed, giving the old stallion a hug. "Thank you!"

The place where they were taken to was a classy, two-level boutique the pair of sisters had seen on occasion but had never gone in. It was expensive, and although not outside their range at all, it was always reserved in the back of their minds as a place to go for very special occasions. Like, the Grand Galloping Gala, or something like that.

When they arrived, they were received by a white-coated unicorn mare with a stylish purple mane and blue eyes. "Why, welcome to Posh Kdosh! Where chic is l'usure quotidienne!"

"Um," Ciaramedda lifted the letter. "We're here on invitation by Sandy Cup?"

"Oh, of course!" the mare said, leading them in. "Sandy darling did mention you would be coming soon! That is simply splendid!" She stopped and looked at both sisters. "And I must say your coats are as lovely as she had mentioned! Oh, the things I can do for you!" She giggled, levitating all sorts of measuring equipment, and fabrics. "Why, I must start designing right now! Please follow me to the measuring room... and if you gentle colts would be so kind as to wait just outside..."

"We need to stay with them." Clay's voice brooked no argument.

"Clay," Ciaramedda growled. "I'm not getting measured in front of you and neither is my sister!"

"Perverts..." Bifora muttered.

Clay blushed. "Um, of course, miss but your father did tell us to protect you and—"

"Oh, I see how it is," the white unicorn interrupted with a smile. "Well, I can't say I'd want to stop you from doing your job, gentlecolts, but I assure you that staying just outside the room, with the door unlocked shouldn't pose a problem, you are welcome to check the room in advance as well, please!" she motioned to them, at the open door. "While you do that, I'll go fetch some water for all of us."

Ciaramedda and Bifora watched Stompanato go into the room and look around behind curtains, making sure the windows would not open and checking the walls and crevices of the room before walking out and nodding.

"I trust everything was acceptable?" the unicorn mare asked.

"It is," Clay said, stepping back and allowing Ciaramedda and Bifora in.

"Help yourself to some water and snacks if you want," the mare offered, setting down a tray in a small table. "Now, let's see what we can do for you two..."

She closed the door behind her and smiled at the pair. "My name is Rarity, by the way, a pleasure to meet you both!"

Ciaramedda was about to speak when a roll of silk flew around her and Rarity was eyeing it critically. "Hm, I'm not sure the contrast with your coat is right. Your tone of gray needs to be accentuated just right!"

"Um..." Bifora raised her hoof. "What about—"

"Oh, darling, your coat is sunny and lovely! I think in your case I'll go with a contrast so we can bring the colors of summer to bloom around you!"

"Well, yes but I thought this was about—"

"Worry not, dear! Let Rarity do her thing!"

The bewildered sisters could only stare at each other while Rarity fussed about them, horn aglow taking measurements and comparing fabrics until a knock on the door made her pause. "Come in!"

Ciaramedda and Bifora blinked when the door opened and none other than Octavia walked in. Unlike last time, she wasn't wearing a trench-coat, and they could see what they had felt under it the night before, when they had hugged her. It was some sort of combat armor in a shade of gray darker than her coat, protecting her barrel, withers, chest and legs. It had shoulder pads and a very tough look to it. Red and white lines on the left foreleg ended up in the shoulder pads, which had a strange logo on them. Something that looked like some sort of monocle, but of orange-yellow glass and being held by a straight, metallic stick that bent around her face to join some sort of earpiece was the only thing that she had on above her neck. All in all, she looked like some sort of futuristic guard.

"Clay and Stompanato are asleep," Octavia informed Rarity, who had gone back to work on the dresses as soon as Octavia had stepped in.

"T-tavola!" Ciaramedda stammered in surprise, and made a move to join her, but Rarity's glance stopped her.

"Dear, I'm in the middle of designing this dress for you, please hold still."

Bifola watched her estranged sister chuckle and approach them with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, sisters, Rarity is actually a dress maker."

"Bah," a deep, growling voice said from outside the door. "When I'm done with her, she'll be an excellent assassin, why, I bet I can make Thane proud."

Ciaramedda stifled a scream when a large bipedal lizard walked into the room, carrying their two unconscious bodyguards. Behind him three more armored ponies walked in. Another unicorn mare, this one with a wild, shorter mane and the mail pony from earlier, as well as another pegasus, cyan blue with a rainbow mane.

Rarity paused. "An assassin? Moi?" she blinked. "That's... so romantic! A legendary assassin, hiding in plain sight as the humble, internationally-recognized designer Rarity! Why, I should make an alter-ego, so the many suitors I'm doubtlessly going to face in battle to the death before they surrender to my charms might never make the connection! Something classy and unexpected... precious and rare but also mysterious! I shall call myself... Silent Jade!"

"Right," Octavia sighed. "Anyway, let me introduce you to the others, you've met Rarity." She nodded at the mare who smiled at the sisters. "Derpy Hooves you met earlier today when she delivered our letter for you," she continued. "To her right is Rainbow Dash and to her left Vinyl Scratch—"

"Oh my goodness!" Ciaramedda gasped, hoof flying to her mouth in surprise. "The Vinyl Scratch?! I must say I love your music! I have all your released records!"

Vinyl grinned like a diamond dog that dug its way into a bank safe full of gems. "Well, thank you! I'm glad Tavi's family does have some mares of good taste!"

Octavia raised an eyebrow. "Really, Ciaramedda?"

"Daddy says it's a phase."

"I sure hope so!" Octavia growled, ignoring Vinyl's giggles. "Anyway, the big guy is Urdnot Wrex," she said, hoof motioning to the lizard creature, who grinned wide, showing rows of razor-sharp, pointy teeth.

"P-pleased to meet you," Ciaramedda stammered. "I'm sure."

Wrex laughed. "Ehehehehe, look at em, I can't believe these nice ladies are your sisters, Octavia."

"Can it, Wrex," Octavia grumbled, giving him a good-natured bump on the arm.

"But, how do you know these ponies?" Bifora asked. "Aren't you a cellist?"

Octavia cleared her throat and looked away. "W-well, yes, but..."

"Aha!" Rarity quipped, interrupting the explanation. "I found something!" she sing-sang.

Octavia raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"There's an anti-magic field around their horse-shoes," Rarity explained. "Why would they need that, hm?"

Vinyl's eyes widened. "To hide the magic within!" she approached Rarity, who had carefully lifted a confused Ciaramedda's foreleg.

Vinyl hummed and nodded, her horn glowing softly. "This might be trouble. I don't want to remove the anti-magic spell, it might trigger whatever they have on them."

"Removing the shoes themselves?" Octavia asked. She looked at the silvery horseshoes, and could imagine her sisters laughing and showing them off to their father, thanking him for buying them.

"I wouldn't do that, dear," Rarity replied. "Without knowing what the spells do, it might make it worse."

"Well then," a new voice said, drawing everyone's eyes to the door. Another unicorn mare stood there in a heavier armor than the others. She walked confidently into the room, followed closely by a more familiar face.

"P-pumpkin?" Bifora asked.

"Hello girls," she replied with a grimace. "Long time."

"Let me see the horseshoe," the new mare said, walking forward.

"Commander," Octavia touched her shoulder. "Twilight... be careful, they're my sisters."

Twilight smiled at Octavia in a very kind way, which started nagging at Ciaramedda. "Don't worry, Tavi. I got it. I didn't study for over ten years with Princess Celestia for nothing."

The two sisters and Pumpkin looked at each other, mouthing "Princess Celestia"? to each other.

"Hmm," Twilight studied the shoe, then cast some sort of spell, and narrowed her eyes, following the contour of the horseshoe and then the base. "This is really bad."

"What do the spells do?" Octavia asked. She then frowned when Twilight hesitated. "Twilight!"

The commander sighed. "Are you sure you want them to hear it?"

Octavia looked at them and Ciaramedda feared she would send them away, like her father always did. "We need to know," she surprised herself by speaking. "We deserve to know! We can't be kept in the dark forever! Why is daddy so worried about us all the time? What is going on?"

Octavia sighed. "It's better that they find out Twilight... even if it's scary."

Twilight nodded, walking up to a chair and sitting down. "It's not scary. It's downright cruel. The horseshoes are explosives."

The room went deathly quiet.

"If you remove the anti-magic spell, you have a few moments to recast it, or cast the correct magic sequence to them," Twilight said, her voice sounding louder in the heavy silence. "Otherwise, they're set to go, and these can be accessed remotely too, although I'm fairly sure that whoever cast the spell on them has to be somepony that is close to the family... that anti-magic spell doesn't last more than a week, and that's an estimate based on the size, so it has to be somepony they see often."

"So not the shoe-maker?" Wrex asked, cracking his knuckles.

Twilight shook her head. "It wouldn't be reliable," she explained. "Most likely the runes were activated after the shoes were on."

Octavia tapped her chin. "But father doesn't employ many unicorns, unless you think it was him?" she pointed at Clay, who remained unconscious.

"Doubtful," Twilight shrugged. "He's too obvious. If he cast the spell in front of everpony, they would notice."

"Um," Bifora spoke up, raising her trembling hoof, "W-we do have a unicorn maid that helps us get dressed and ready."

Ciaramedda's eyes widened even more. "Lucky Charm? But... why would she—"

"That's not important," Twilight interrupted. "If she's the only unicorn that uses magic on you often, then she's the most likely culprit. We need to get her to tell us the sequence to deactivate the shoes."

"And then," Octavia's voice was cold. "We're taking down Two Hooves."

Author's Notes:

Just one more chapter of Tavi's Loyalty Mission to come! And Tavi is pissed! Expect some fireworks.