Return to the scene of crime

[Horizon Flare]

Flare had arrived to Ponyville that morning, but had spent almost the whole day trying to gather the resolve required to go and meet with Rarity again. The last time he had met her, the Pegasus had left her on the balcony of the Count's villa, and didn't know how she felt about that, or him. The stallion had wandered around Ponyville the whole day, not really doing anything except think if he made the right decision. He had promised to return a better pony, but had realized that such a feat he couldn't complete alone – he knew that he was too far gone to pull himself out without somepony to help him. And as such, he had returned.

The Pegasus had been gliding over the Carousel Boutique for almost half an hour now, surfing the currents to calm himself. It wasn't in his nature to enjoy the company of somepony like this; all he had ever known was that everypony was only for himself, and nothing else mattered. But after he met Rarity, and even though he lied to her and used her to his own ends, he couldn't ever shake off the nagging feeling that he was in the wrong. Something in that mare just caught her attention, something in her eyes when she smiled caused him to smile as well.

Finally, the black Pegasus landed softly on the ground before the Boutique. He brushed away the loose strands of his mane out of his face and took a few, deep breaths, whipped the air with his wings and swayed his tail nervously. The last brief moment of hesitation, and the rogue closed his wings and walked to the door of the Boutique. He didn't enter – it was possible that Rarity never even wanted to see him again, at least in his mind that understood little of these things. The stallion knocked on the door, twice, and waited patiently, imagining all kinds of scenarios of what would happen next, when.. if.. Rarity opened the door for him. What would he say? What would she say? And what would happen afterwards? Coming back only to be told to buzz off would be the most humiliating experience of his life! Horizon panicked, and turned away from the door.

[Rarity]

The mare inside was hard at work. She had been through countless hours of doing favors for ponies, all to buy herself a new sewing machine, to replace the one that Sweetie Belle had broken the day before. Rarity was incredibly busy as usual, but she was always busy around the holidays. She didn't have any time to rest during Nightmare Night especially. Several orders were arriving all at once, and she had no idea what half of them were supposed to be. Was this one a scorpion? Or a lollipop? A bumblebee or a whale?

She was flustered, and couldn't concentrate since one was giving her a lot of trouble. This was a suit that Necrose had ordered, which made Rarity deal with several different fabrics she had never used together before. They weren't anything like Horizon's suit, no pockets needed at least. She did decide to spruce it up a bit. This WAS a Nightmare Night party after all. Nonetheless, she began to calm herself down when the suit was nearly half completed. She sighed, and listened to Opal sleep silently until a sudden knock woke Opal up and made her crash into some rolls of cloth Rarity had, stacked up next to the sewing machine. "My stars! Opal! Are you alright?!" She called out to the cat, and once the cat was safe, she made her way to the door.

Whatever was behind the door was a nice enough distraction, since Rarity wanted nothing more than to take a break. Perhaps Twilight's button was off again? Did Pinkie's chicken costume need more feathers again? The possibilities were endless, but needless to say, the contents behind the door were the last thing Rarity could have expected. She slowly used her magic to open the door to find the back of a pony on her doorstep. "Pardon? Do you need something from me today? We are certainly open." She mentioned, with a smile as she walked around to see the face of her customer. Rarity jumped at the sight. She couldn't ever forget the look of that pony. The mane, the abnormally sized wings, the confident grin, Horizon had returned. Rarity looked at him and couldn't utter a word. "H...Hori-" She cut herself off as she got the first part of his name out. The stop wasn't intentional, but a pony can't say much when they're unconscious. Needless to say, Rarity fainted on spot, her body about to hit the cold, dirty ground.

[Horizon Flare]

Horizon had almost taken to air when he heard the door open behind him, and swiftly turned 180 degrees, to face the white mare. He made a weak attempt at a smile when he saw Rarity, but before the stallion could even open his mouth, she collapsed. He took a quick, sharp breath of air and swiftly took a step forth, spreading his wings under Rarity to catch her into the soft, pitch-black feathers. Horizon moved closer and wrapping his hooves along with his pinions around Rarity, the stallion carried her gently inside.

Flare looked at the unconscious Unicorn, a bit uncertain of what to do - was her fainting a bad sign? Should he tuck her into bed and leave, or wait for her to regain consciousness? The stallion frowned, pondering the issue as he made his way towards where he knew Rarity's bedroom would be, the Unicorn still in the velvety folds of his wings. Calm down, Horizon. Get her to bed and leave. She obviously doesn't want to see you, he thought grimly as he entered her chambers. A gentlecolt never comes into a lady's bedroom uninvited, he remembered Wild Card had once taught him.

He slowly lowered the mare on her bed and stepped away. She really is gorgeous. All about her, he smiled at the thought and turned, heading towards the door.. but instead of leaving, he stopped, looked behind him, and closed it, walked back to the center of the room and lay down beside her bed. At least that bloody cat ain't around. That would be just swell. What would he tell her when she woke up? He hadn't expected a reaction like this, of all things, and he wasn't all that good with these things to begin with.

[Rarity]

Horizon's return was quite a shock to Rarity, which is why she collapsed so quickly. Opal used this opportunity to sneak her way up to another shelf, containing even more of Rarity's fabrics. Opal curled up into a ball and slowly drifted off to sleep, just like Rarity. Soon later, Rarity began to slowly toss to the left, then the right. She continued turning until her forehead reached a feverish pitch. She certainly wasn't sick, she was just tossing and turning due to her thoughts. Horizon had returned, most probably the happiest moment of her life, and she couldn't say a thing. All she could do was faint.

After a bit of frantic tossing and turning, Rarity opened one of her eyes. She quickly opened the other and looked at her surroundings. I'm...in my bed? Whatever am I doing here? Did...Horizon bring me here? She pondered to herself for a while before throwing off the covers and yawning. She stopped and rubbed the water from her eyes before continuing. I can't believe I fainted...I should have at least applied the mud mask if I was to sleep for this long of a time. She was upset that her wrinkles would come in just one more day closer, but that wasn't the issue at hand.

Rarity continued walking, and immediately tripped over something on the floor. "Uuuuaaa! Dumb Stool!" She shouted before feeling the object with one of her back hooves. She felt a wing, a rather large one. She quickly turned her head back and noticed the black Pegasus lying on her floor. "Horizon!" This time she managed to shout out an entire word. She got up and rushed over to pull the stallion in for a hug. "Horizon, dear, I've missed you ever so much. But now you've returned! Returned as a new pony, and we can live the rest of our lives together!" She didn't let up with the hugs.

[Horizon Flare]

Horizon had drowsed off for a moment himself, but woke up immediately when Rarity brushed his wing - a street orphan learns to wake quickly and sleep softly, and that lesson he had learned when still merely a foal. But not even he could get up before Rarity was upon him, hooves around Flare. The Pegasus blinked and smiled, then, as everything had gone infinitely better than expected. He closed his eyes and embraced Rarity with his wings. She smells good, he thought, oddly, as his mane came within inches of his face.

"Rarity", he said quietly, "me be sorry fer leavin' like that. Me.. realized me desirin' to be with ye, an' try me best to be a better Peg for ya. But me cannae be doin' that meself, so.. will ya please aid me?" His voice was sincere - but then again, a sworn liar and a con-pony always sounds sincere. He sighed. He had let her down, again. "Can ye be givin' me that time, Rarity? I cannae be the colt ye wish for, but me can be strivin' for it.. I really can, me swears."

Stupid, stupid. Why didn't you just tell her you were better now? She must be using magic or something, nopony should be able to scramble a colt's thoughts like she is. Her coat was soft and warm, her whole being so elegant and sophisticated that the stallion had trouble understanding how she could settle for somepony like him, when he could get anypony - even a REAL prince, if she so wanted!

[Rarity]

Rarity had nearly forgotten about the night. All she could remember was Horizon stepping down, away from the jewels, and flying away. It struck her once more, as she was hugging him. Horizon still used to be a thief, and he's used her before...what's stopping him from using her again? Perhaps the police were onto him, and he just needed a place to lay low. His mannerisms weren't any different, still a sweet talker, and apologetic. "Well..." Rarity let out a small sound as she looked the other way, breaking the hug.

She still wasn't sure about if he had changed or not, for all she knew, he was just drunk in a bar up in Cloudsdale or something. Was he really different? There wasn't a solid way to find out then, and there, so all she could do was accept. "I've told you before, Horizon. If you need any help, I'd be happy to aid you become a better colt." Rarity smiled. "You can stay here in the Boutique if you want. But...if you do I'll have to lay down some ground rules. Don't worry, I've given every one of these rules to Sweetie Belle, and she seems to be getting around the Boutique just fine."

Rarity levitated a small scroll, which opened up, the end of the page rolling all the way around Horizon and down the steps of the store. Rarity cleared her throat and began to read the list. "Rule number one, don't track mud into the store. Rule number two, do NOT touch my golden silk, or my gemstones. Rule number three, if you must touch some of my equipment, ask before doing so. Rule number..." She trailed on for a while, which seemed like hours. It was no wonder Sweetie was always so confused, she used up most of her mind to remember Rarity's rules. After about half an hour passed, Rarity came down to the final rule. "And rule number seventy three, you must be back before dark, but I suppose that one can be for Sweetie Belle only." She smiled and put away her scroll and began to hum.

[Horizon Flare]

"Rarity", Horizon whispered when the mare pulled away, dragging his wings against the ground and folding them behind his back. He was ready to get up and leave, forever this time, until the Unicorn continued, saying he could stay. The Pegasus' eyes lit up and he raised his gaze off the ground. "Really?" His heart skipped a dozen beats at that point. "Me can?" He repeated after Rarity, stunned by her words. "Ya sure? Mean, me really can be stayin' under ye roof? Rules?" He followed the scroll roll across the floor and then looked at the mare with widened, almost frightened, eyes.

Nevertheless, he waited patiently until she finished reading, although his ears did twitch at the mention of 'gold' and 'gemstones.' Old habits die hard, and Flare's habits in particular had their roots deep, but he was certain he could keep his hooves off other ponies' belongings from now on, or so he hoped. The stallion's head was swaying by the end as he tried to stay awake through the seemingly infinite hours of rules. When she came to the end of the list, the Pegasus frowned-

"Ah, who be Sweetie Belle, exactly?" He inquired. Her sister? Cousin? Her foal? Horizon wasn't good with kids! He didn't know how to act around them, and he was a bad example if there was one. And he certainly didn't remember all of the seemingly thousands of rules Rarity imposed upon her household. What if she wants me to watch after Sweetie Belle or something? He shivered at the thought. "So, uh.." he began, "there be somethin' else I gotta know 'bout the place an' things in general?"

[Rarity]

Rarity wasn't quite finished with her speech, but for Horizon, she could wait. She didn't know Sweetie had never come up in their conversations, but there was time to talk about Sweetie once the other details of the Carousel Boutique were addressed. "Well, as you might know this Boutique doubles as a home of ours. I sleep here, on the second floor, while Sweetie's room is located on the third floor. You might not want to go in there a lot, since her floor is usually a mess. Across from my room is the facilities. The kitchen is on the bottom floor, just to the left of my sewing machine. As for...sleeping arrangements, I haven't quite decided whom is going to sleep where, but we can deal with that later. If you'd follow me please."

Rarity led Horizon down to the ground floor and into the kitchen. "Now, this is where the meals are made. I suggest not touching the spice rack, since Sweetie Belle decided she would try to mix them all together. I suggest not touching the boiling pot either, as that was tainted when trying to make some Neighponese tea of my own. The first time I had it was very lovely, though." Rarity continued to show him around, suggesting more and more things he shouldn't lay a hoof on, such as her box of gemstones, and her differently colored rolls of silk, and her several pins and accessories.

She then made her way up to the bathroom and showed him around. The bath had a shower built into it, and an easy to turn on and off shower knob. Moving the handle from hot to cold was also hoof accessible, even though both Sweetie Belle and Rarity were unicorns. She showed him up to the third floor and opened Sweetie Belles room. The place was nearly spotless. "Now, this room belongs to Sweetie Belle, she's my younger sister, you know." Rarity smiled and quickly made Sweetie's bed, the only thing she forgot to do this morning. "Now, no matter what Sweetie asks you, or tells you I said, you mustn't let her out for Nightmare Night." Rarity leaned in for a whisper. "She called one of her classmates a hinny."

Rarity was about to end the tour, and let Horizon get a better feel around the house before an idea popped into her head. "Now...here's a thought. Why don't you watch her this Nightmare Night? I have been invited to attend an after party at Sweet Apple Acres, and simply can not let Sweetie stay home alone. But since you're going to be here, as will she, you can look after her, I'm sure. She's really not that much of a handful, and her two friends aren't either. Come to think of it, I believe they've arranged a sort of sleepover. I'm sure you can handle three little fillies, just for one night, can't you?" While the fillies were truly a big handful, if Horizon wanted a time to show that he had changed, now would be the time. Rarity's Boutique was filled with trinkets and jewels galore, and all that would stand in his way were little fillies. Rarity still remembered that he was a thief, but knew this was an excellent test to see if he had really changed.

[Horizon Flare]

Horizon followed after Rarity around the Boutique as she showed him around, listening her to speak of rules inside the house and other such things. She even showed him her collection of gemstones - a trove that again caused the Pegasus to ruffle his feathers and to sway his tail back and forth nervously.. such a shame to lock beautiful and, most importantly, valuable jewels in a chest somewhere. He shook his head when he thought Rarity wouldn't notice, and tried to focus on the tour around the Carousel. Don't screw this, Flare.

"So Belle's ya lil' sis, hm? An' she sure be a-soundin' like a foul-mouthed one, but ain't it real shame to be locked up an' tight on the Nightmare Night, hm?" He didn't really consider calling somepony a 'hinny' that bad language, considering he was used to hearing, and using, much worse. Oh well, he shouldn't trouble himself with Sweetie Belle, he thought. After all, it will be a long while until Rarity trusts me enough to present me to her little sister.

And yet again the Pegasus was taken by surprise. He blinked, thought about it, and nodded. "Aye. Me can be keepin' me orbs on 'em three fer a night, no bother! Just keep 'em all inside durin' the night, right?" He didn't even remotely think of the possibility that Rarity was testing him - all his capacity for thought was focused on the fact that she gave her such a responsible duty, trusting him so wholeheartedly, right after he returned. The Unicorn just kept on surprising him. The stallion smiled in a dreamy manner.

"Y'know, Rarity, ya ain't be needin' to 'commodate yours truly here, ken? Me can be slumberin' on the firmament, really. Just make meself a cloud bed an' be outta ya mane like that, if ya like. Ain't lookin' for bein' a plight", he said with a slight frown. She had given him much, already, and now she even wanted to give him shelter, but Flare couldn't just - for some reason he wondered himself - accept her aid like that. He felt like he was being a burden, and didn't like that one bit.

[Rarity]

Rarity finally finished her tour and returned to the kitchen as she listened to him talk. She opened a cabinet and levitated two glasses from the shelf. She then walked over to the fridge and poured fresh water into the cups. She placed both cups on a tray and carefully made her way back to the main room, resting the tray next to Horizon. She smiled and took a sip of her glass. She knew that he was still Horizon, and this could be another ploy, perhaps so he could actually steal the gems this time, but Rarity knew what he was feeling that night, and trusted him completely, not that she could let him know that just yet.

She chuckled to herself for a moment. "Oh, do go on, Horizon. I can't have you sleeping out on the dusty, dusty clouds. If anything, I can let you sleep in my bed. I don't mind sleeping next to Sweetie Belle, you know. Or I can bring out a mattress for you. In fact, that's what we should do. I simply can't fall asleep if I don't have my special sheets, and I don't plan on taking it off the beds edges any time soon. It took me forever to figure out the perfect way to get into bed. You can manage on a mattress, I'm sure."

"Now, as for Sweetie Belle." Rarity looked away, as her sister would sometimes embarrass her. "She's a very nice filly, I assure you. She only called another filly that name once. I'm sure once she meets you, you'll connect with her, almost instantaneously." Rarity smiled and took another sip of her water. Today was the moment Rarity had been waiting for since the ball, and she couldn't have been happier in the way she was spending it, with Horizon.

[Horizon Flare]

The Pegasus' mood lightened, as he realized that Rarity trusted him, and didn't hold a grudge over what he had done. He flashed his capricious trademark grin as he took the water Rarity had poured and drank the glass empty before he put it back to the tray. "Don'tcha fret, lady Rarity; me's holdin' vigil o'er the lil' ones fer thee while ya be away with thy friends. The mattress be soundin' swell, really, wouldn't want to overstay me welcome." He spoke a heavy Trottingham accent now instead of a Manehattan one, changing between different kinds of dialects rapidly as was characteristic for him.

Horizon had a good feeling about the choice he had made; although he couldn't return as what Rarity wanted, he still had made an adamant decision to change his ways. A life of crime and dusky bars was.. not what he would want for anypony to have, especially not himself. Something had made him realize that merely getting rich on heists and scams wouldn't make him happy. He thought of what he had wanted as a little foal - a nice house somewhere tranquil, living peacefully with his neighbors. Odd, how things had developed since then.

"Anyhoo", he spoke, "'bout things; what ya thinkin' me should be doin' next? Really got no experience 'bout much else than, uh.. well, showmanship an' sleight o' hoof an' wing. Ya got any bright fancies 'bout what me should be goin' fer? Y'know, to do somethin' legit." He hesitated a bit to speak about this matter, really not wanting to upset Rarity by talking about his past.

[Rarity]

Rarity smiled once Horizon agreed to watch the crusaders that night, knowing he was up to the task. She was even more pleased about his good attitude towards sleeping arrangements. For a past thief She thought to herself. He certainly is okay with many things... She didn't know why he was so cooperative, but she could only assume it was because he was feeling the same thing she felt for him again, if he had ever stopped before. She could tell he wasn't always a thief, perhaps he was a nice foal once, quite reminiscent of that young pony who had moved to Ponyville just a few days back. Rarity couldn't get his name, but heard rumors he was eager to attend Nightmare Night.

Once Rarity heard mention of a job, she perked up a little more. This was quite a turning point for Horizon, if anything. Was he truly ready to stop stealing? If so, now would be the best time to tell. "Well..." She spoke up. "I don't really know many new jobs available. I suppose you can join the delivery service, I heard they were having a little trouble with their workers already. I suppose there are jobs in Cloudsdale I don't know of." She pondered for a moment, not knowing too much about the job world, considering she already had her perfect job, and didn't care for leaving it anytime soon.

"Oh, that reminds me. A pony named...I think it was...Slade, he began a small police department here in Ponyville. You're fast, agile, and looking to make a new start, why not join the force?" Rarity smiled, since it seemed like a good suggestion, but sounded more like a self-help video at this point. "I suppose you can also help me deliver my suits and dresses to the ponies of Cloudsdale...but then I'd have to split my monthly income with you." She pondered for a moment and realized what she had just said. "E-eh! Not that...there's anything wrong with that, but if you want to make bits of your own, then you should find an individual job." Rarity couldn't find a polite way to word this, so she looked back, away from Horizon as she sat next to him on the couch.

[Horizon Flare]

Horizon shifted a bit, feeling uncomfortable when Rarity suggested he joined the police. "Ah, dunno, Rarity.. they be knowin' me face down there an'.. wait, ya said Slade?" That was the name of the Pegasus he met in Cloudsdale! What was he up to? Was he really an undercover agent on his trail? Flare shrugged off the thought. That wouldn't be a realistic possibility, would it? And if it was, then it would mean that Rarity was in an alliance with Slade to catch him hot on a crime, and she was just letting her stay in order to lure her into trying to steal her gems! The Pegasus' eyes narrowed, but he maintained a friendly smile.

"I see. Aye, me's got it now", he said in a polite tone. "Ya been tellin' Slade or somepony from the force 'bout me at the Count's ball, an' now he's after me, right? Aye, met him up at Cloudsdale. He told me to join the force as well. An odd coincidence, isn't it?" His tone had become increasingly cold, and his speech took after a high Canterlot-esque accent. "Which is the reason thee presented on me all thy precious treasures, is it not? To spring a trap on this one, pathetic little Pegasus. I am afraid thy ploy has been brought into light!" The stallion stood up and spread his wings, head held low and looking as if he was about to charge.

"I cannot believe me be almost.." he shook his head and shrunk visibly, his wings falling against the floor. "So, that be the way, after all, huh? Should've known, should've lissened to me instincts tellin' not to lay me heart on ye. A bloody foal me's been.." He raised his head, taking a heavy, sharp breath. "It ain't true, be it? Ya ain't with Slade Justice an' a bait to catch me right on the job, are ye? Please tell me ya ain't." His voice was desperate, as if one word from Rarity would break his heart into a thousand pieces.

[Rarity]

Rarity watched him and cowered just a bit. He was certainly bigger than her, and much more capable of things. She didn't really have any knowledge of his past crimes, and didn't even know Slade knew who Horizon was. She was simply remembering Slade, considering she made him a police uniform about a week back. "H-Horizon! I would never! The only reason I suggested it was because I knew there was an opening! I...I wouldn't ever suggest anything to bring you harm...I do hope you're aware of that..."

Rarity turned her head away from Horizon, and sniffled up a tear. She had an upset feeling deep down in her heart to have been accused of something so wrong. She thought she was the pony of generosity, but apparently, in Horizon's eyes, she was just a sneaky arrogant backstabber. "I...I don't know how to feel. I can't believe you would accuse me of such a thing!" She threw a hoof dramatically over her forehead and plopped down on the couch away from Horizon. "I suppose you can go on a do whatever you want...I certain am not any good to you." Rarity was always the over-dramatic type, but could get rather defensive at times. She felt a small crack in her heart, but knew that Horizon was just overreacting too.

[Horizon Flare]

Horizon was torn. All his instincts and street-savvy told him to take Rarity's stockpile of jewels and make a flight for it, but he didn't want to give up on this just because of some misunderstanding. His feathers slid across the floor and folded against his back slowly as the Pegasus trot against the floor. "Me's been deceived afore by somepony me's cared 'bout, and told to trust nothin' short o' meself. But me be wantin' to.. really wantin' to, Rarity, to be trustin' ye. So please, look me in the eye an' tell me this ain't a scheme to get me wings clipped. 'Kay?" He approached Rarity slowly.

The Pegasus stopped a few feet away from her. He wasn't known to be a calm-tempered pony - in fact, many of those thieves and criminals who knew the short-fused Pegasus usually decided it was better to quit for the night than to stay in the same room with him after he entered a tavern. Rarity didn't realize, but she was within inches of witnessing the black Pegasus trash the Boutique in a fit of rage. He tried to keep his cool, and to listen to what Rarity had to say, and to believe her words, despite the frenzy building under the surface.

"Lissen now, bonnie. There be one pony in the room who ain't good fer the other, an' that be me. Me be really wantin' to change, an' be the only pony who can be helpin' me, ken? Me's just ain't used to.. openin' me heart fer somepony, an' it shows, as ye can observe. So if ya ever cared o' me, and me's knowin' bloody well me's carin' fer ya, an' more deeply than ye can fathom, please tell me the sincere truth, 'kay?"