An hour later, the sun was setting, sending shadows across Trottingham. Outside of town, on a large hill, a large white mansion sat like a prince over the town.

"This is a terrible idea," Flash said to Twilight as they walked the winding path up the hill, lit by gas lanterns that stood sentinel over them.

"Will you stop saying that?" Twilight replied sharply. "This is the best plan we could come up with. Now be quiet: we're almost at the gate."

A tall wrought iron gate stood before them, bordered on both sides by an equally tall brick wall with lights placed regularly along it, dispelling the dark. There was a large doorbell next to the gate. Twilight pressed her hoof against it and a loud ringing, like a chorus of brass bells, was heard. A few moments later, a dark blue pegasus swooped down and landed on the other side of the gate. He was nondescript, the only defining characteristic his cutie mark, a red eye with a pair of wings. He wore a dark suit and tie and had a walkie talkie on his shoulder. Flash noted the distinctly-shaped bulge of a holster underneath his suit. He glared suspiciously at the two ponies through the gate. "State your names and business."

"I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, and this is my bodyguard, Flash Sentry," Twilight said. "We want to see Mr. Silvertongue. I have some artwork I'd like to talk to him about."

The guard turned away, speaking quietly into his walkie-talkie. There was a pause, then a garbled reply from whoever was on the other end. The pegasus pulled a lever on his side of the gate, and the gate swung open. "Follow me, please," he said, turning and heading up the cobbled stone path towards the mansion. Twilight and Flash followed, both of them feeling like they were entering the manticore's den.

Guiding them through a pair of trimmed bushes up a set of stone steps, the pegasus knocked at the large oak doors. They opened to reveal a middle-aged unicorn with brown fur, red hair that included a full beard, and silvery-blue eyes magnified by a pair of thick glasses. He wore a fluffy silver housecoat that made him seem larger than he actually was. His cutie mark was of a silver statue of a pony rearing up on its hind legs.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, what an honor," Charlie August Silvertongue said, stepping forward with a bow. He took Twilight's hoof and raised it to his lips, kissing it. Flash gritted his teeth, but forced himself not to do anything. "Won't you please come inside out of the cold?" He gestured them into his home.

"Mr. Silvertongue, it's nice to see you again," Twilight said, stepping inside the great hallway. She stopped to admire the hallway's decoration, a large painting of melting clocks set on a wide beach. "Is that an original Saddlebred Dali?"

"Indeed," Silvertongue said. "I bought it at auction two years ago. But please, let's go into my study." He guided them down the red oak hallway towards his study room. Everywhere one turned, there was some piece of artwork, be it a painting or a sculpture or a wooden or stone carving. The decoration made it quite obvious that this pony was a lover of art, and had the money to make his hobby a hedonism.

Glancing behind him, Flash noticed that another one of Silvertongue's bodyguards, a white-coated earth pony with a lock cutie mark, was following behind them. Flash could tell by the way he walked that he was a trained fighter, and noticed the calluses on his hooves and knees, as well as the bulge of his holster beneath his suit.

Silvertongue opened a door at the end of a hallway and let them into a study room. The guard stood outside. There was an intricately carved wooden desk in the center of the room, and all around the room were glass cases that contained several priceless artworks. Including a collection of Japonese ceramic plates in a case behind the desk.

"Can I offer either of you a drink?" Silvertongue asked his guests, opening a cabinet in the corner of room and pulling out a bottle of champagne and a three glasses.

"No, thank you," Twilight said.

"Suit yourself," Silvertongue said, putting back two glasses and filling the remaining one. As he turned his back, Twilight and Flash both saw a keychain in the pocket of his robe and glanced at each other. Outside, a dog began barking loudly.

"Oh, just the guard dog. Pay it no mind." Silvertongue took a sip and smacked his lips appreciatively. "Ahh...Prench champagne. A most excellent vintage. But you said you had something for me?"

"Yes," Twilight said, pulling out the ceramic plate. "This was given to me by an ambassador from Japony at the last summit. I wanted to learn more about it, and thought maybe you would like to take a look at it."

The art collector's silvery eyes widened when he saw the plate, shining with greed. "My, my. May I see that?" He gently took the ceramic plate and examined it carefully, pausing at one point to polish his glasses with a cloth. "This is a one of a rare collection, over four hundred years old."

"Yes, I noticed several other plates like them in that case there," Twilight said. "Could I see them, please? They look beautiful."

"Of course, Your Highness," Silvertongue said, turning to the case and carefully opening it. "Exquisite, aren't they? It's little surprise, of course, the Japonese have been making ceramics since before even the formation of the three tribes..."

As he talked, Twilight focused her magic. Ever so carefully, she gently lifted the key out of Silvertongue's robe, being particularly careful to make sure it made no noise. Once the key was free, she quickly floated it over to Flash and tucked it into his tail just as Silvertongue turned, holding one of the plates.

"Here. This is the first of the collection. I bought it from it's original owner for a steal, he had no idea just how valuable it is."

Twilight bent over to examine the plate; as she did so, she flicked Flash with her tail. Remembering his role, Flash began coughing loudly.

"Flash, are you all right?" Twilight asked, turning to him. He coughed a few more times, then spoke hoarsely. "Just an allergy attack, Your Highness. I'm fine."

"Did you bring your medicine?"

"No, Your Highness, I'm fine."

"Flash, you need to take your medicine," Twilight said emphatically. Flash looked at Silvertongue suspiciously.

"It's all right, sir," the art collector said, looking at Twilight like she was a precious painting, lust shining in his eyes. Flash saw his eyes lingering on Twilight's flank. "I have my guard outside. We'll be just fine."

Flash sighed. "I'll be right back."

"The bathroom is to the right and down the hall, second door on your left," Silvertongue said as Flash left the room. Of course, Flash knew that, having memorized the plan of the house. Flash left the room, glancing at the bodyguard outside, then turned right and headed down the hallway. As he walked down the hall, he passed another bodyguard, a blue earth pony with the cutie mark of a key and a set of hoofprints. This guard glared suspiciously at him as he passed.

Every instinct told Flash to grab Twilight and get out of the house as fast as he could. He had just left her alone with somepony that he knew was a threat. He had to protect her. He had to keep her safe. He had to rip that slimeball's leg off and beat him to death with it for looking at Twilight like that...

Okay, maybe not that last part.

But here he was, entering the bathroom with a stolen key hidden in his tail, part of a half-baked plan to steal back the Mare Lisa. And all because of her. Part of him admired her courage. The other part wanted to strangle her.

Moving to the marble sink, he turned the golden faucet and took a drink from the faucet, then pulled the key out from his tail. Turning, he spotted his target: a small ventilation cover. Pulling a pocketknife out of his small saddlebags, he flicked open the screwdriver and quickly unscrewed the cover. He dropped the key down the shaft, hearing a clatter as it hit the bottom of the vent. He then quickly screwed the vent cover back on, shut off the faucet, and made his way back to the study, resisting the urge to run.

"Ah, there you are. I was beginning to worry about you," Silvertongue said as he entered, looking up from the plate that he was showing Twilight. Twilight looked up and gave him a relieved smile, having endured several badly-disguised passes at her mixed in with his lecture on ceramics. Flash nodded, relieved to see her safe, and took up position next to the door.

Ball's in your court, Phil.

Several minutes earlier, Phillip and Daring had climbed up towards the backyard of the mansion. Daring flew up and peeked over the fence, peering through a monocular. She spotted her quarry: a bored-looking gray unicorn bodyguard with a cutie mark of a dog's pawprint sitting on the back porch of the mansion, reading a wrinkled pornographic magazine.

Daring studied the backyard. There was a lot of distance between the fence and the porch. Fortunately, there was a lot of cover, as the yard had a lot of trees, statues, fountains and topiary bushes. Unfortunately, the yard was well-lit, and there wasn't enough cover to get close without the guard seeing them. And even worse, there was a large, vicious-looking dog sitting next to the bodyguard. Even if the pony didn't see them, the dog would smell them.

Daring looked down at Phillip, who was standing beneath her. "You got it?"

"Yeah," Phillip said, pulling a small silver whistle out of his pocket. He put it into his mouth and blew hard, although no sound came out of it that either pony could hear.

But the dog all the way up on the porch suddenly looked up, then bolted towards the brick fence, barking loudly. The guard looked up in surprise, then got up and chased after the dog, shouting and cursing with every step. Attracted by the dog whistle, the dog ran all the way to the fence and started clawing at it in an attempt to climb over it. While the dog was doing that, Daring took a piece of meat from Phillip and dropped it over the fence, right into the dog's waiting mouth. The dog quickly gobbled it up just as its master ran up.

"Well-trained guard animal, my ass," the unicorn snarled, giving the dog a kick. The dog whined and cowered away from the unicorn, flattening its ears against it's head. "Now, come on." The unicorn grabbed the dog's collar in his magic and started pulling him back towards the house.

But after a few feet, the dog began acting strangely. It staggered, groaning, then flopped over onto its side, snoring loudly. "Hey! Get up, you lazy mutt!" the unicorn shouted, shaking the dog in an attempt to rouse it. He didn't know it, of course, but the meat that Daring had fed him had been laced with sleeping pills. The dog could sleep right through an earthquake.

While the guard was distracted, Daring boosted Phillip up over the fence, then flew up after him. Both of them silently snuck up behind the guard. Phillip pounced, grabbing the guard around his neck in a sleeperhold. The well-trained guard reacted instantly, reaching up to grab him and preparing to elbow him in the chest, but Daring grabbed his forelegs, preventing any possible counterattack. The guard struggled futilely for a few seconds, then went limp in Phillip's arms.

"I could've taken him myself, you know," Phillip whispered, dragging the guard behind a fountain.

"When you were ten years younger, maybe," Daring teasingly replied with a smirk, carrying the dog behind the fountain as well. The two of them proceeded quickly up the backyard towards the porch. Phillip crouched at the door, picking the lock in moments. He slowly opened it a crack and peeked through. Seeing no one, he opened it all the way, let Daring through, and locked it behind them.

Daring checked the hallway ahead, and seeing that it was clear, proceeded down it. Finding the door to the stairs, she opened them and proceeded down the stairs into the basement, Phillip silently following her. They reached the bottom and proceeded through another door. The basement was much different than the main floor. The walls here were white-washed stone, harshly lit by flickering lights.

"You get the key, I'll secure the safe," Daring whispered, turning to her right.

"Be careful," Phillip said, the phrase bursting out of his mouth without any thought on his part.

Normally, Daring would have given him a sarcastic, cocky reply about how she was always careful, or remarking about how he should be the one being careful. Instead, she said softly, "You, too."

The two split up, heading opposite directions. Phillip knew the path he was taking towards the ventilation shaft, and he allowed his mind to wander. Daring's words echoed in his mind: "You, too." But it was the way she said it...like she—

Hoofsteps. Phillip pressed himself against a corner wall and slowly peeked around. Another bodyguard was in the room before him, glancing over several stacks of crates. Phillip waited until he moved on. He and Daring had both agreed that it was best to minimize their hoofprints, especially considering that the interior guards were required to check in every few minutes.

"Guard 5, west basement. All clear here," the guard said into his walkie-talkie, and walked away. Phillip waited until he was completely gone before emerging from his hiding place. Turning, he saw his target, the ventilation shaft cover, up ahead. Taking out his pocketknife, he used the screwdriver to unscrew the cover, then reached inside and pulled out the key that Flash had dropped earlier. Replacing the vent cover, he checked once more to make sure that nopony was coming, then started making his way towards the safe, moving from hiding place to hiding place, always pausing to make sure that there weren't guards coming.

A feeling of deja vu passed through Phillip. This was all familiar; he was back on an adventure with Daring Do. And he felt good: better than he had felt in a long time.

Stay focused on the mission, he told himself sternly. Get to the safe, get the Mare Lisa, and get out of here. He silently proceeded forward, his heart beating a rapid tattoo in his chest the whole time.

Meanwhile, Twilight and Silvertongue were still discussing ceramics. "Your Highness, are you sure you will not consider selling? I'm telling you, there are few other art dealers who would be willing to give you a fair price for this."

"Well..." Twilight said, knowing that the sooner they got out of the house, the better. "I guess it's not doing much good collecting dust on my shelf."

"Excellent!" Silvertongue said. "Let me just write a check..." His voice suddenly trailed off, his eyes widening. He looked into the pocket of his robe.

"My key!" he gasped out, then turned to Twilight, his eyes blazing. "Where is it?!" Before Flash or Twilight could react, he whipped a double-barreled silver-plated pistol out of the desk drawer, aiming it directly between Twilight's eyes.

"Wha...what key?" Twilight sputtered, raising her hooves in surrender. "I don't know what you're—"

"Guard!" Silvertongue shouted, summoning the bodyguard outside into the room. "Tell the others to check the safe! Now!" The guard quickly spoke into his walkie-talkie, drawing his own snub-nosed revolver on Flash.

"You're with Daring Do, aren't you?" Silvertongue snarled. "It doesn't matter. None of you are leaving here alive."

Finally, Phillip reached the other side of the basement. Peeking around a corner, he saw that a part of the wall in the corridor ahead had been removed, the false paneling laid on the floor. The removed wall revealed a thick metal wall, with a keyhole set in the center.

"Daring?" he whispered, looking around but seeing nothing. Then he looked up. Daring was pressed up against the ceiling, hidden behind a lamp. She descended silently and landed in front of him. "Thought you were a guard," she said with a grin. "Do you have the key?"

"Yeah," he said, taking the key out of his pocket and giving it to her. She inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it. The metal door glowed with a purple aura, then the entire wall opened up slowly, revealing a cavernous vault, hidden inside the corridor wall. The vault was filled with several treasures: huge paintings, piles of gold coins and silver bars, and locked crates of unknown equipment. In the very center of the vault was a cylindrical tube. Daring took it, unscrewed the end, and pulled out a rolled up canvas. She unrolled it to reveal the true Mare Lisa.

"That's it! Let's get out of here!" she said, quickly rolling the painting back up and placing it back in the tube, which she swung up onto her back. The two of them turned towards the safe door and immediately stopped.

Four bodyguards stood between them and the door. They leered at the two adventurers, like a pack of timberwolves who had just cornered a foal.

"We've got Daring and one of her friends in here," the pegasus with the red eye cutie mark said into his walkie-talkie, sneering at them. "They're not leaving in one piece."

Author's Notes:

Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.

Tapped this out in a couple days, hope you all enjoy!

BTW: I just want to clarify something here. Phillip is NOT a self-insert. I created him to stand on his own as a character; he and I are very dissimilar. So none of this is just to fulfill my own wishes--only to write a story.