Chapter 20

Black revelation

Twilight and others stood there, gaping at the eyebot's video screen.

Did he just... praise her? Why? What's going on? And where the Tartarus did that thing come from?

These were the questions that were running through everyone's mind at the moment, in one form or another.

"You have performed admirably, and your assistance to Brotherhood of Steel is invaluable," Elder Aegis continued. "I am sending a transport to the base. Once it arrives, you are free to return to the village. In the meantime, help yourself to whatever loot you deem necessary."

"Much appreciated," Applejack replied in a cool tone. "And the deal?"

"You have honoured your part, and I will honour mine. I relinquish the claim on Silicon Stone's power armour suit. Now it is yours. I only ask that you erase Brotherhood's sigil from it."

"That Ah can do."

"Thanks. May the Steel be with you. Aegis out," the screen went off, and the eyebot flew away. For a couple of seconds, silence reigned, until Flash Sentry snapped himself out of stupor and came up to the farm girl, an angry expression on his face.

"What the fuck, Applejack?" he spoke. "What sort of stunt did you just pull, killing Rampart? And what is this deal with Elder Aegis?"

"I am curious, too," Twilight came up to them, frowning. "While I am not that sad to see Rampart dead, this whole thing does not look good. And I am certain that this deal is something me and Sunset should have been aware of. This isn't like you, Applejack."

"Ah understand y'all are pissed, and Ah'll explain it. But Ah want to make sure we aren't overheard. And Flash... sorry, pal, but this should be just between me an' Twilight."

"Exactly why?" Flash crossed his hands on his chest.

"Let's just say - part of this deal was that you aren't to know of the exact details of that deal."

"This stinks to high heaven, but... OK, Applejack, I will trust you," the blue-haired Paladin said reluctantly, and went away.

"Come on, Twilight," Applejack beckoned her otherworldly friend, "let's get away from others."

As they found a relatively isolated room that looked like commanding officer's personal office, they both sat down on the chairs, facing each other.

"This deal was kinda foisted on me by Aegis, as he spoke to me when you were in their bunker, wounded an' still unconscious..."

*FLASHBACK*

"What... in tarnation just happened?" Applejack muttered, taken aback at the sudden conflict between Elder Aegis and Star Paladin Rampart and the latter's abrupt departure.

Sighing, the leader of the Brotherhood's northern Chapter sat down at his table and spoke:

"As competent as Star Paladin Rampart is as my second-in-command... he has an unpleasant habit of overstepping his authority. Back in the army, he was always known as a maverick, well-intentioned, but still - maverick. He was almost court-martialed once, and if not for the fact that his actions prevented a major catastrophe for our troops, he would have experienced a penal battalion first-hand."

"Why do you keep him as your second-in-command, then?" the blonde girl asked.

"Because he is an experienced officer, and his technical knowledge is of big value to the Brotherhood. However... I have reason to believe that his... shall we say, negatives begin to outweigh the positives."

"Can't you exile him?"

"As a Star Paladin, he cannot be exiled the same way one can exile a common Paladin. First, he needs to be stripped of his rank, but Rampart is too popular with a good number of troops for me to do so and not risk a fracture in our ranks - and that is the last thing I need. Second, you have heard of Elder Council. Let's just say that there are members that share... common views with him. I am certain that should I strip him of his rank, the Council will pounce on me and I will have trouble justifying it to them."

"So what then?"

"I am afraid Rampart cannot be allowed to run amok. Given his maverick tendencies, I am certain he will try to force you into relinquishing that suit sooner than the time I had given you expires. In that case, you will find yourself in an unenviable position of either breaking your promise to Silicon Stone - which is unacceptable - or risking facing him and whoever comes with him, because he certainly will show up in force. The latter may cause many Appletowners to lose their lives, because, frankly, your militia lacks the necessary means to take on Paladins in power armour."

"Ah know that."

"I can offer a way around that."

Applejack perked up at hearing that, on which Elder Aegis did not hesitate to capitalize:

"Rampart may be a maverick, but he will never refuse an opportunity to scavenge more technology, so if he does come in force prematurely, offer him to go to the base with you. Try to ensure that as many allies join you as possible, just in case. I don't believe you will be able to avoid fighting alongside him, but he and his troops will do the majority of the work, and that will make him weakened. When he is weak... dispose of him."

The farm girl stared at him, eyes wide. She did not expect that for sure.

"Are you suggesting that Ah just kill him?!" she shouted.

"Yes. It is the only way to ensure that he does not threaten you or me. And I will return the favour."

"Really?" Applejack rose a skeptical eyebrow.

"Really. First, no matter how many power armour suits you find there, even if there is just one, give it - and Silicon Stone's armour is yours. Second, if Appletowners are willing, the volunteers Brotherhood may assist in defense of your town. And third, I can open trade with Appletown. We severely lack good food here, and none of us would mind good apples. So if you agree to sell apples to us, we will appreciate it."

"Apples in return for what?"

"Bottle caps that everyone uses for money now. Of course, we may sell some trophy weapons, ammunition, armour and medicines."

"If I kill Rampart."

"Yes. And none of your friends or other Brotherhood members are to be aware of this, even those that are more sympathetic towards you."

"Ah don't know..." the idea of keeping this important thing a secret from persons important to her.

"Think, Miss Applejack. Appletown is already besieged by White Knives and super mutants, which are bad enough, and our intel shows that the defensibility of it is lowering. And your latest stunt which left eighty-seven bandits dead may force other gangs to join Curve Blade simply out of fear. Don't forget the mercenaries, either, like Crimson Hands. If this happens, you will be overrun, plain and simple."

"Goldurn it, Ah knew you were spying somehow! But... well, you're right. Fine. Ah accept."

"Excellent," Elder Aegis smiled and offered his hand. After a second of hesitation, Applejack shook it...

*END OF FLASHBACK*

"I... see," Twilight spoke slowly, rubbing her chin in thought. "Should Elder Aegis truly honour his part of the deal, it would offer a great benefit to you."

"It would save Appletown, Twi," Applejack said. "After all the mess that Curve Blade is up to, caravans don't go that much around here. Last time we saw one was two months ago, while they used to appear once every month. A bit more an' we would run outta caps pretty soon. Ah didn't feel right for not telling that to ya, but... Ah'm kinda desperate right now, Twi. So Ah followed his instructions. And... well... as Ah said, he made me promise not to tell anyone."

"I understand. Although... I'll be honest, I still don't like that."

"Yeah, but you saw that he was spyin' on me."

"Oh yeah, this floating thing... stealthed eyebot, right?"

"Right."

"OK then... let's see if this base has any good loot left."

When Flash's soldiers returned, they were very surprised to find Star Paladin Rampart dead, but Flash told them that he had encountered a booby trap which pierced through the already battered armour and finished him off. Twilight could not say whether they believed the tale or not, but they asked no questions.

As it turned out, the military base did have some decent loot. All girls took care to get themselves a full set of standard military personal armour, along with helmets, along with some spare armour plates. The medbay was also well-stocked with medicines, including AMFAK-10 bags, which were gleefully taken.

As everyone raided the armoury, Twilight found some AP-79 assault rifles which she used to do minor repairs for her own, and she also found a holographic sight, which Lyra insisted was better than a collimator sight. Replenishing the ammo stock, she took some extra ammo for Sunset and herself. Also, she managed to find two laser rifles in a good condition, which she decided to take, along with twenty fully charged microfusion cells, 9mm ammo for Buffalo SMGs, and energy batteries for laser pistols.

Applejack also found several full boxes of LMG ammo, which she took for herself. When Twilight found a sniper rifle, she offered to carry it and something else for her, since the equine Princess already took a lot of loot, which was hampering her mobility.

As for Lyra and Bon Bon, they merely stocked up on ammunition, and Lyra stripped one laser rifle to fix her own.

Twilight also found two fusion cores, one of which would be certainly needed for Applejack's armour, and another for Vinyl's radio station.

As for the power armour they set out to find, there turned out to be four T-72d models and one T-80b, which looked less bulky yet had less unprotected places. Flash Sentry whistled when he saw it.

"Damn, wish I got to wear one of those. This model has better protection yet runs longer, and combat programs are better," he explained to Twilight.

When the truck of Brotherhood of Steel arrived, the Paladins loaded the power armour suits into it. The driver went to Flash Sentry and asked:

"What about outsiders, sir? Do we give them a ride?"

"I don't see any reasons against it. Girls?"

"Ah'd be mighty grateful for that, an' Ah don't think others'd mind," Applejack answered, and others confirmed her words.

"OK then, ladies, hop up," said the driver. "Where to?"

"Appletown. You know the road?"

"I have the map, yeah, so don't worry. One way trip to Appletown; all aboard!"

Approximately forty-five minutes later, the former army truck with nuclear engine stopped on the outskirts of Appletown. The local folk gaped at the transport; working automobiles were quite rare in the Wastelands.

As Applejack and Twilight jumped off, simultaneous cries of "SIS!" and "TWILIGHT!" occurred, followed by hugs from Apple Bloom and Sunset Shimmer respectively. Both girls eagerly returned the hugs.

"Hey, Sunset," the Princess of Friendship smiled. "How is your arm?"

"Feeling better. Give me some time and I will be back in action... ohhh, is it a laser rifle?"

"Yep! That base had quite good loot."

"Ohhh, I'm officially jealous."

"Don't be. We almost died ten times over. Boy, if I never see another robot again..."

"That bad?"

"You have no idea."

"Hey, I'm not seeing Rampart. Is he..?"

"Dead? Yes, he died."

"Well... I am not sorry at all."

"Honestly? Me neither."

"And Flash?"

"I am here," Flash Sentry joined them.

"Hi there," Sunset waved to him.

"Hello, Sunset. How's your arm?"

"Almost healed, thanks. Twilight said it was bad at the base?"

"Oh yeah, we encountered a MANTICORE warbot..."

"WHAAAAT?! You're kidding, right?"

"Nope."

"That's... oh sweet Celestia and Luna, now I get it why Rampart didn't make it out... how did you make it?"

"Twilight found a Fat Man and offed that thing like a boss after it ate a few rockets."

"Oh come on, it was not that impressive, and I passed out..." Twilight blushed, averting her eyes.

"MANTICORE warbot? With a Fat Man? Oh my goodness, Flash, your girlfriend's a badass," Sunset muttered.

"What? No, she's..."

"But we aren't..!"

Both Twilight and Flash spoke at once, then stopped and blushed heavily.

"Ha ha, I'm teasing you two... but seriously, don't tell me you don't want to."

"There was... kinda no time to ponder on that, you know?" the lavender-skinned girl said.

"Point taken."

"Ahem... Twilight?" Flash asked. "May I speak to you in private for a bit?"

"Oh, OK, sure."

"Don't forget to kiss!"

"SUNSET SHIMMER!!!"

"Geez, you're no fun."

"You're so going to the moon for that," Twilight muttered half-angrily, as she and Flash walked away to find a more or less secluded place. Once they found a small unused building, they went inside and closed the door. The ex-rocker began:

"Twilight... I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"Do you have any... ideas on how to return to your world?"

"More like a desperate hope. There's an artifact of Sunset's that should still be connected to Equestria. I hope that we can use it to inform my friends - on that side, I mean, - of what has happened, at the very least, but it would be better if its magic could be harnessed to remake a portal."

"Are you planning to go to Canterlot to rebuild the portal?"

"I thought we may have to do it in the future, although I didn't arrive there. The portal threw me out somewhere not far from Baltimare."

"Going to Canterlot might not be a good idea. Radiation aside, there's something else, clearly fatal. Brotherhood had sent a couple of squads before, and they never came back."

"How so?"

"I don't know; something else out there kills as surely as radiation. We hope to scout this place with hacked eyebots later, but so far I wouldn't recommend to even think of going there."

"The artifact I mentioned is in Trottingham. I hope that we can deal with Appletown's bandits problem before going there."

"Can I help you when you go there?"

"What about your duties of a member of Brotherhood of Steel?"

Before answering, Flash looked around carefully, as to check whether someone was listening in. Lowering his voice and leaning closer, he said:

"If honestly, I am not at all pleased with the Brotherhood right now. I'm beginning to think I made a mistake when I joined them. Instead of trying to help others, they only care for themselves, and use anyone who might be of benefit to them. Just look at Applejack; Elder Aegis basically used her to get rid of Rampart, whom he didn't like at all. What if Elder Council knows of this? I hardly think he will take the fall."

"The possibility... did cross my mind."

"That's why I quietly recorded the conversation," Flash took out a magneto-optic data disk out of his Pip-Boy and gave it to Twilight. "If he tries to set you up somehow, use it to either blackmail him into submission or set the Elder Council against him."

"Thank you, Flash," Twilight hid the disk in her pocket.

"You're welcome."

"But still, I don't want to make you choose between us and Brotherhood of Steel. Such conflict of loyalty won't end well. And they need more people that think like you."

"So you think..."

"...that you should stay there, yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Just where did that come from?"

"I guess I... hate the idea of you girls risking your necks out there, with no one but yourselves to rely on."

"We rely on each other, Flash. That makes us stronger, right?"

"Right, of course. But this will make me worry about you, you know."

"I'll be alright." If only I could believe that myself, Twilight thought. If Flash noticed that she was not entirely truthful, he did not comment on that.

"OK... someone from Brotherhood should have fixed fix that armour suit that Applejack has by now. Hopefully, Aegis will be more amenable to kicking Curve Blade where it hurts now. I hate it, but... I have to go now."

"Oh... OK."

"Take care," Flash said, then hesitated slightly. After a second, he drew Twilight into a hug, being careful not to crush her with his gauntlets. Initially surprised, the equine-in-disguise hugged him back, and said:

"Thanks... you too."

As they went out and returned to others, the Paladins that were on the truck began climbing back into their truck. Putting his helmet back on, the blue-haired rocker gave one last look to Twilight, and then went to the cabin. With a roar, the truck moved away.

"Hoo-ey!" Applejack exclaimed, coming closer to everyone. "This day was a doozy, don't y'all agree?"

A chorus of various affirmative answers sounded.

"OK then, don't know about you, but Ah need some rest," the farm girl asid, and went in the direction of her house.

"I think I'll do that too," Twilight said, following her.

Cold, mocking laughter assaulted twilight Sparkle's ears as she was looking at...

...herself.

The form in front of her was wearing the same Vault 75 jumpsuit as she, and carried the same weapons, AP-79 TODC assault rifle most noticeable of them.

The only difference between them both was the strange colour of Other Twilight's eyes. The whites were not white, but green, the iris was red and the pupils were turned into slits.

It was as if King Sombra's eyes replaced her own.

As Twilight struggled to process what she was seeing, the Other Twilight drew a mocking laugh.

"What's the matter, Princess? Are you not happy to see me?"

"Who are you?!" the lavender-skinned girl screamed, a mixed feeling of fear and resentment running through her.

"Why, I am surprised. I am you. The part of you that has always been with you. When you hurt. When you maimed. When you killed... I was there."

"Horseapples!" Twilight shouted. "This cannot be! You're... impossible!"

"Am I?" the mocking tone did not go anywhere. "Then how could you commit those acts? You, Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, the wielder of the Element of Magic, who did not destroy Nightmare Moon, or Discord, or Tirek, or Starlight Glimmer, despite what they have all done in the past and tried to do again when you were there? These types, let me remind you, could have destroyed the whole world of Equestria, and yet you turned them all back... except Tirek, but oh well, nobody liked him anyway. Sombra doesn't count; it was Cadence who struck the final blow. And yet look!"

Suddenly, the area around was laden with something that certainly did not resembled earth.

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRGH!!!" the Princess of Friendship screamed once she saw...

...corpses.

Each and every corpse was somehow familiar to her. Some faces were more familiar than the others. She could clearly see Fast Grabber and the men that she had shot in that accursed tunnel, but other faces were also there - the raiders, the bandits. Some corpses belonged to animals: radsorpions, mole rats, and various others.

"Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. Who could have guessed that she was a killer! That she would abandon the ideals of friendship and kill, kill and kill anyone who stands in her way!" the Other Twilight screamed in delight, and laughed evilly. "Oh, if only Celestia could see it..."

"That's... not true! It's you who delights in death and wanton destruction!" Twilight pointed an accusing finger at her evil doppelganger.

"Ah, but Twilight..." suddenly, the Other Twilight was standing very close to her and approaching, "I am you."

And she put her hands around the equine Princess' waist, drawing her into a hug.

"And I am not leaving you," the voice of the double dropped in volume.

Suddenly, as their bodies contacted, the Other Twilight began melting into real Twilight, trying to forge itself into her...

No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no! Get away! GET AWAY!!!

The words, however, were stopped as the red slitted eyes met the violet ones and filled the field of vision completely...

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!"

Panting, Twilight realized that she just had another nightmare.

"Celestia banish it all to the moon and to Tartarus!" she cursed. "I have had enough of this..."

Rummaging in her rucksack, she took out a canteen with whiskey within. Uncapping it, she took a good swig. The harsh liquid burned her mouth and her throat as it ran down, but she paid it no heed.

She only wanted to make her brain empty so that no grotesque imagery would disturb her rest.

She took another swig, and waited. Several minutes later, she realized that she started feeling slightly dizzy.

Taking another swig for good measure, she screwed the cap back, put the canteen away and plopped back on her bed, praying to Celestia that nothing pervaded her dreams...

The next day was not promising to be eventful.

While Twilight was drowsy from all the whiskey she had drunk, no one called her out on that, presuming that her state was from the tiredness and excitement of yesterday.

Brotherhood Paladins arrived the next day and went to teach Applejack how to wear her power armour suit. While the girl knew the basics, some of the intricacies were still a dark area for her, and she had to undergo several hours worth of rigorous training.

However, it was worth it in the end, as she walked and moved around with no problems, which made Twilight, Sunset, Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh smile. Since she did not have a helmet with heads-up display, the Paladins used Silicon Stone's Pip-Boy as the status monitor for Applejack's power armour.

Finally, she stepped out of the suit and closed it herself, beaming, causing a small round of applause.

"And there you are, Miss Applejack," said one of the Paladins.

"Thank ya kindly, sirs."

"No problem. Wear that armour proud and use it for good. May the Steel be with you."

With these words, the Paladins left. As they were gone, Sunset approached Applejack and said:

"Applejack, do you remember telling me about a Vault-Tec rep that lives here in Appletown?"

"Oh, Umbra Deal? Yeah, Ah do. You wanna talk to him about the Vaults and the nasty stuff they did there?"

"I do."

"I would like to hear something about this too," Twilight said.

"Ah'll lead you to him."

The trip took only a few minutes. Umbra Deal turned out to live in a wooden house that was almost luxurious by Wastelands' standards. As Applejack knocked on his door, he opened it, wearing decent pre-apocalypse shirt and trousers.

"Ah, Miss Applejack!" he exclaimed with a voice that was not atypical of various public relation managers or shop sellers that really, really wanted you to buy this very item. "To what do I owe the pleasure."

"Mah friend here wanted to talk with you about something regarding Vault-Tec," the farm girl replied, pointing at Sunset, who was trying to maintain a friendly expression. "She is out of the Vault herself."

"Oh, is she?" his face lit up. "Well, OK, come in, come in, miss..?"

"Sunset Shimmer, and this is Twilight Sparkle, my comrade."

"Welcome, welcome," Umbra Deal said with a jovial voice. As everyone entered, he asked:

"May I interest you in tea or something else?"

"No, thank you... some answers would be nice, though," Sunset said, dropping all pretense of friendliness.

"Answers? I do not get it..." he started, but stopped as three pistols aimed at him. He shouted, in an unnaturally high-pitched voice:

"What are you doing?!"

"Read this," Twilight brandished the letter to the Overseer of Vault 49, "very carefully."

Shaking, Umbra Deal took the letter and read it. As he finished, he dropped it in shock and his face went even paler than others believed possible.

"I don't believe this! This cannot be!" he shouted.

"And yet it happened. And if you are this unbelieving, there is always Vault 49 to check out," Sunset said.

"I want to see it! I don't believe you!" Umbra Deal said, suddenly feeling very brave - perhaps foolishly brave, since the trio was quite ready to gun him down in case he tried something.

"Ah can arrange that," Applejack growled.

The trip to Vault 49 took no more than an hour. Fortunately for them, the village where Twilight and Sunset had encountered Applejack for the first time was still empty - apparently, Curve Blade did not want to waste his troops on holding small villages anymore.

All the way, Sunset was giving filthy glares to Umbra Deal, making her displeasure with vault-Tec well-known to him. The man did not look comfortable in the slightest, but all attempts to protest were squashed by angry looks of Twilight and Applejack. The latter let him know that she did not like megacorporations at all to begin with, and since he contributed little to Appletown, she felt no obligations toward him and would gladly kick him out if he ran his mouth off.

When they arrived at Vault 49, he did not take the scenes inside it well, confirming the suspicions that he was a mere white-collar worker. As he explained, his work was centered on finding clients who would buy a place in the Vault, but he never dealt with Vault 49 - or Vault 75.

At one place where there was a lot of blood, Umbra actually vomited, making others look at him with distaste.

"Oh come on," Twilight said, "even I did not vomit, and I am no hardened warrior."

As they had inspected Overseer's office, Umbra Deal was forced to admit that something was not right, since the Vaults he had worked with looked differently and never possessed the data he had seen on the Overseer's terminal.

"There was nothing suspicious in those Vaults I worked with," he told them as they left the Vault and were walking to the end of the village, "so someone else was responsible."

"And how do I find that out?" Sunset asked.

"The only way is to find Vault-Tec HQ in Canterlot or the CEO's Vault somewhere in the Wastelands, but I honestly don't..."

Suddenly, Umbra Deal's head split apart as a bullet tore through it, splattering the girls with blood and brain matter. He died before his body even hit the ground.

"SNIPER!" Applejack bellowed, opening fire in the approximate direction of the unknown assailant. "Quick, get to the building!"

"Isn't that where the sniper might be?" Twilight questioned the order.

"We can't just stand here in the open!"

Good point, actually, Twilight thought as she sprinted towards the house, adding some of her own bullets to the mix. She ran inside...

"OOF!"

...and hit something, bouncing back and bringing Sunset with her.

Wait - there was nothing in front of me... she thought, but a jolt of pain did not let her. As both Equestrians tumbled on the floor, Applejack was unable to stop in time and tripped against them, falling hard on Twilight.

"OUCH!"

"Sorry, sugarcube!" the farm girl apologized. As they tried to untangle themselves, they suddenly saw just what Twilight ran into.

Or rather whom.

A human figure, female, judging by the body proportions, was also half-lying, a bit winded. Everything she wore was black or painted black, she had a mask that was hiding her face, dark motorcycler's glasses that were certainly of military class were hiding her eyes behind solar-proof lenses, and a hood was also present.

Along with an unmistakable profile of a sniper rifle with a silencer on her back.

"Black Widow!" Applejack snarled, clumsily standing up and charging at the infamous assassin. However, by that time the latter was already on her feet, and she quickly delivered a strong kick to the farmer's stomach, making her double, and then did a vicious uppercut to her nose, making her tumble.

Both Twilight and Sunset lost their weapons when they fell, so the former tried to go for her pistol. However, the assassin quickly struck her as she pushed the trigger, making the shot go wide, and then punched the lavender-skinned girl to the nose. Twilight saw stars as she fell, barely able to avoid a hard strike of her head.

Sunset, being more prepared for close combat, attacked Black Widow as the latter took out some strange pistol and was aiming at her. She grabbed the right hand and twisted it; however, the assassin stepped hard on Sunset's toes and added a hit with her head, unblocking herself. As she turned, Applejack, who already recovered and was standing, took a swing at her, hitting her right cheek-bone. Black Widow fell, but managed to use the momentum to do a backward roll and stand on her legs. This put her in a precarious position, as the only exit was blocked by three enraged girls (Twilight managed to get her pain under control and also stood up, pissed off).

She did not wait until anyone tried to move against her and went after Twilight, seeking to incapacitate her and use the "hole" to escape. However, Applejack intercepted her half-way and tried to land a hit on the assassin with her powerful fists. Black Widow, however, either deflected the attacks or outright dodged them, and once was able to, she hit Applejack to solar plexus and threw her away to the corner.

Without talking, Twilight and Sunset lunged at Black Widow, who jumped to the side so as the equine Princess would be closer. This time, Twilight was not planning to go down that quickly, and blocked the assassin's attacks more or less successfully, but as she tried to punch the black-clad woman, her hand got caught in a grip, and then she was thrown over the back to the side.

Applejack tried to attack again, but the assassin caught her hand and pulled, making the farm girl's face meet her fist as it flew forward.

Crack!

Howling in pain, Applejack fell back again, clutching her back. Losing no time, Black Widow lunged at Sunset, seeking to remove her only block to the exit and brandishing a vicious-looking knife. Sunset took out her own and engaged the assassin in a knife duel.

The blades clinked and clanked as both adversaries were fighting each other. Black Widow's attacks were quick and aimed to be precise, while Sunset used more brawlish attacks as if she were using a saber and an advantage she had in terms of personal defense (Black Widow was wearing less armour than her and had to protect more of her flesh).

Twilight grabbed the assassin's right hand from behind, which prompted the latter to elbow her to the stomach. Gasping from pain, Twilight jerked back, but did not release her hand, making Black Widow lose her balance slightly, and as the black-clad woman tried to stand, the equine Princess hurled her away from the exit...

...and the assassin banged her head against the table standing nearby, which knocked her out.

Silence reigned.

"Owww..." Twilight moaned, rubbing her stomach as she went to pick up her weapons.

"Everyone OK?" Sunset spoke, picking her own weapons as well and putting the knife back.

"Ah think mah nose is broken," Applejack spoke nasally, her face stained with blood.

"Hold on," the fiery-haired girl came to Applejack, "I'll just..." twisting the nose, she snapped it into its place, making Applejack gasp and then breathe out.

"Thanks," she spoke nasally.

"No prob."

"Hey, let's tie up this assassin. Ah'm quite curious as to who she is."

"What are we going to tie her with?" Twilight asked.

"Ah have some rope," Applejack set her rucksack on the floor and brandished several lassos she had. "Just a couple o' minutes an' she's secure.

"Here's the chair," the Princess of Friendship put the aforementioned object away from the table. She and Sunset unceremoniously hoisted the unconscious assassin on it and took away all weapons they could find. Applejack tied Black Widow to the chair, then tied her hands behind it, and also took care to tie her legs against the chair's legs.

"If this were anyone else, i would've called you paranoid," Twilight commented.

"Well, she warrants it," the farm girl replied.

"Uhhh..." they heard the woman moan and move her head slightly as she regained consciousness.

"Well, well, well, sugarcube," Applejack spoke coldly and menacingly, "now what in tarnation d'ya think you're doin', huh? Runnin' around, killin' people... Ah bet you would've killed us too? Well, too bad: you won't. 'Cause Ah owe ya for Braeburn, bitch. But before that, Ah wanna see your face an' look to your eyes..."

With these words, the country girl approached the assassin and took down the hood first. Then she slightly pulled the glasses forward and hunked them upwards, taking them away. As it turned out, Black Widow had azure eyes, which were now glaring ice-cold daggers at Applejack.

"Figures your eyes would be cold as winter," the latter commented. "An' now let's see what you look like..."

With these words, she took off the facial mask...

The girls gasped. Twilight gasped, Sunset muttered, "This cannot be!", and Applejack simply lost her jaw as the assassin's aristocratically pale flesh came to light, and the refined voice thundered with higher-class Canterlotian accent:

"Untie me this instant, Applejack!"

Unable to hide their shock anymore, the girls gasped:

"RARITY?!!!"

Author's Note

OK, I was wrong about creative rest for this chapter (inspiration hit me and this chapter went on like a mad train), but the next one may take 10-20 days, as I am yet to refine important chunks of it.

The dragon hunter wins a cookie for having made a correct guess about Black Widow's identity previously.

Thoughts, comments, criticism? Comment box is below!

Stay tuned!