Combat Magic

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 16

Chapter 1

The room was fairly large and well lit with stained glass windows along the walls and high ceilings. Six beds were arranged neatly in the center of the floor. An outside observer might have thought it was an infirmary or perhaps a very small hotel. Inside the Canterlot Castle would have been a strange place to find either of those, however.

There were no amenities included with the beds to stay overnight. There were no blankets or nightstands to be found in the room. It was also notable what was present.

A large hourglass from the library had finished timing its original task and been repurposed. It now contained one month’s worth of sand, and nearly all of it had flowed to the bottom. Watching it were two alicorn ponies, one brilliant white and the other midnight blue. They observed the hourglass, pleased that its timing was coming to an end.

As the last few grains of sand fell, a mote of light appeared in the air above each bed. Each bit of radiance grew in size, changing color and shape. In the next few seconds they resolved into six mares, each lying asleep on a soft mattress.

“It’s good to see them again, Luna,” said the white alicorn, smiling at the other. Her gentle voice eased the new arrivals awake. They sat up and looked around, happy to see each other and a familiar location after being away for a month.

“Wow! Wasn’t that exciting!” giggled a pink pony, her voice rising above the rest.

“It was an amazing experience. With all of us going different places, I’m sure we had a huge variety of experiences.” The lavender unicorn who had spoken turned her smile to their hosts. “Thank you Princess Celestia, thank you Princess Luna. The only sad part is that I didn’t get to stay longer and learn more.”

Celestia smiled. “I’m sure you still managed to learn enough to fill a book, Twilight. Speaking of that, we have a few stenographers coming to document your experiences.”

A blue pegasus with multicolored mane and tail grinned. “Can mine be called Rainbow Dash’s Awesome Adventure?”

The pink mare waved a hoof in the air. “Oh! Oh! Mine should be called Pinkie Pie and the World of Super Duper Amazing Stuff!”

“I think it would make more sense to bind them all as separate sections of the same book,” put in Twilight.

“Agreed,” said an orange colored mare. She grinned. “I think I’d go with somethin’ simple, like Applejack’s Travels. How about you, Fluttershy?”

The yellow pegasus she’d addressed smiled. “Yes, I think something simple for me, too.”

“You’re being awfully quiet, Rarity,” said Twilight, looking at a white unicorn with an indigo mane.

“It was a long, strange trip,” the mare replied cryptically.

“What, did they not have any fashion where you went?” laughed Rainbow.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “They had plenty, although I’m afraid I didn’t get to experience much of it.”

“That’s too bad,” said Fluttershy.

“Well, I discovered plenty of new and interesting materials, at least.” Rarity smiled. “For instance, there was a synthetic fiber with higher strength than steel, yet it was flexible like fabric. They called it Kevlar.”

“Sounds interesting,” remarked Twilight, always ready to learn about scientific advances.

“It worked fabulously for armor,” gushed Rarity.

“Armor?” asked Applejack, eyes wide. “Just what did you get involved in?”

Rarity waved a hoof. “Oh, they wanted me to experience everything about their world. I have to say, getting a different perspective on things can really broaden your horizons.”

“I’m sure each of you have interesting things to talk about,” said Princess Celestia, easing the conversation back to the point. “I suggest you all get them written down while it’s still fresh in your minds.”

The door opened to reveal six ponies with portable typewriters. As they were coming in, Rarity hopped off her bed and approached the Princesses. “I have something to tell you that will change Hearth’s Warming Eve forever.”

The two royal ponies traded a look. “It sounds important,” commented Luna.

Celestia nodded. “How will the holiday change?”

“Well, I suppose the event itself won’t…but the story will,” admitted Rarity. “Perhaps I could explain it better given some time to think. What’s done is done, and this isn’t really time-critical, not now.”

“I must admit, I’m curious,” said Celestia. “What does one of our ancient traditions have to do with your month on another world?”

“Ma’am? I’m ready for you,” broke in the stenographer who was assigned to Rarity.

She sighed. “I’ll record everything I know, Princess, and if you have questions after that I can answer them. It’s a long story.”

Celestia accepted that, and she left the room with Luna. Ponies with refreshments began to enter the room. The six mares settled in comfortably to tell their respective stories.

Rarity lay back on the bed as the stenographer sat down and waited for her to begin speaking. A tumble of memories raced through her head, each of them important. Rarity cleared her throat and started from the beginning.

Chapter 2

“I’m excited to get started,” said Twilight as she and her five friends walked through the castle hallways. “The Princesses have already done most of the work, but this will still be the most intensive research project I’ve ever undertaken.”

“Don’t forget about the rest of us,” added Rainbow. “I want to see what another planet looks like!”

The six ponies continued to talk. They entered a room with six beds and a large hourglass. The two Princesses were waiting.

Celestia smiled. “Thank you all for agreeing to do this. We have contacted these other worlds before, but this is the first time efforts have been made to visit. With careful coordination, we have determined how to send each of you to a different place. You will each stay for one month and learn about their societies, so that we may better understand how to continue with diplomatic efforts.”

“Yeah! I’ve never had a party with extraterrestrials before!” cheered Pinkie.

“If you’re visiting them, wouldn’t that make you the extraterrestrial?” asked Rarity.

“So…how are we gettin’ there?” broke in Applejack before Pinkie could reply.

Celestia indicated the beds. “Each of you will lie down. Being asleep will make the process go more smoothly. You will all be transformed into the local species and imparted with basic instincts and communication skills. That way we don’t have to worry about environmental concerns, and it will help with understanding and comprehension. We want you to have as full an experience as possible.”

Fluttershy began to back away. “Transformed? I don’t know if I like this anymore.”

Pinkie collared her. “Don’t worry, there’s lots of chances to choose from! It’s like there’s no chance anything bad will happen.”

Rarity didn’t think that logic was very sound, but it was certainly true that their destination was left to possibility. The Princess showed them a table with six cards on it. “These each contain the name of a planetary system. They all have at least one habitable planet. The one you pick is where you will be going.”

Each mare took a card. Rarity turned hers over. It read Sol. It was a nice name she supposed, although decided to reserve judgment until she actually set hoof there. If she still had hooves. The unicorn grimaced, trying to imagine what sort of alien she might be turned into. It would be terrible to try creating fashionable things to complement tentacles.

“Please lie down,” said the Princess. “Luna and I will begin the spell.”

Each departing pony found a bed. The two Princesses started to build up magic and a sense of calm washed over the room as a basic sleeping charm began to take effect. Rarity could sense the amount of power Celestia and Luna were contributing. Travel to other planets couldn’t be simple, after all. The unicorn yawned. A nap while they worked would be nice. How convenient to wake up at her destination fully rested.

Rarity’s eyes closed. She and her friends vanished from the room with six sparks of light. The spell had been completed successfully. Luna walked over to the hourglass and turned it over.

There was a noise that sounded like wind. It was contained, however, almost like the sound was coming through a pipe. Rarity decided that it was time to open her eyes and find out exactly what awaited her.

She blinked at a bright light mounted on the ceiling. Turning her head slightly, she had a look at the room. It was small and windowless, almost giving the appearance of a cell. The floor was bare concrete. At least there was a soft mattress beneath her.

A vent on the wall was the source of the noise. It seemed to be connected to an industrial ventilation system. Combined with the complete lack of decor, Rarity wondered where she could have ended up.

She moved slightly, wondering at the unusual sensations from her limbs. She still seemed to have four of them. What a relief—she certainly didn’t want to be some kind of bug!

Raising what used to be her front legs, she found arms and fingers. Suddenly dreading that she might be a minotaur, Rarity made a quick check downwards, only slightly relieved to find fleshy feet and mostly bare skin.

She pushed herself up to a sitting position. There didn’t seem to be any kind of tail to get in the way. Rarity inspected her fingers closely. They had nails, which were much shorter than the claws on a dragon’s digits. She looked at both sides of her hands. The wrists and arms seemed to have an amazing range of movement compared to hooves.

There was the sound of muttered voices outside. Princess Celestia had said language wouldn’t be a problem, so Rarity strained her ears to listen. They didn’t respond to her mental commands. Perhaps in this body ears were unable to move.

“There was the spike in energy we were expecting. She’s here. Go ahead and open the door, Rob.”

The door opened. The face that appeared was almost flat, not very equine at all, and appeared to have clearly defined eyes, nose, and mouth. The head was fairly round, although not quite like a bowling ball. The eyes widened with a surprised look and the creature pulled its head back.

“She’s naked!”

“Well, what the hell did you expect?”

“Hey, I’m not the magician here.”

A third voice, possibly female, broke in. “Why didn’t you plan for this?”

“You were the one who volunteered to take care of her.”

“You were supposed to get her here.”

“And I didn’t say anything about bringing her clothes with her.”

“Quiet,” ordered a second female voice. “I went and got some things she can borrow.”

The door opened again and a figure entered. Based on the conversation, Rarity guessed she was the take-charge female. She was much taller than she was wide, a body type completely unlike a pony. Her skin—what wasn’t covered by clothing—was darker tan than Rarity’s own. The black hair around her head was pulled back and braided. Her eyes were dark, but seemed friendly to go along with her smile.

“Sorry about that. Here, you can wear these until we get something for you.” She offered Rarity a shirt and trousers that had a camouflage pattern.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m not cold,” said Rarity.

“Neither am I.” They stared at each other for a moment. The newcomer coughed, as if recognizing an awkward situation. “We have a nudity taboo.”

“Oh!” Embarrassed, Rarity quickly began pulling on the garments. She’d rarely worked with items shaped anything like these, but there were a few commonalities among all clothing it seemed.

The camouflage material was not very comfortable on Rarity’s bare skin, and it seemed to hang loosely everywhere. She would have to ask for some sewing equipment to properly fit it if she was to wear things like this often.

“What are you called?” asked Rarity.

“We usually refer to ourselves as people. Our species is human. I’m female, which makes me a woman. My name is Bear.” She smiled in greeting and offered a hand to help Rarity get up.

Rarity wondered at the name as she slowly got out of bed. It seemed the translation spell might have a few holes in it. She certainly didn’t look like a bear.

Ponies did not generally stand on two legs for any length of time, but despite so little practice Rarity found it easier to do than she expected. Such an upright body was not very stable, but at least it was balanced. Bear kept a hold of her hand and helped Rarity get used to walking. The two of them went out the door.

The walls seemed solid and imposing. Everywhere Rarity looked she found more drab concrete. Near the ceiling was exposed piping and wires. Much more interesting was the small crowd of people who had gathered.

There were four of them. Bear introduced each in turn. Morgan and Rob were male. Both had dark hair and eyes, although lighter than Bear’s. Morgan’s was a little longer and less tidy, and he also appeared to be somewhat older. A woman named Veronica stood at least a head taller than any of the rest. She seemed stooped, as if pulled down by her straight brown hair, or irritated that people kept asking her how the weather was way up there. Lastly was Jenny, a pale, delicate-looking woman with auburn hair and hazel eyes.

“You must be Rarity,” said Morgan. He held a clipboard and read from a list of notes. “Let’s see, from what…uh, Princess Celestia told us, you used to be…a unicorn. From the Magical Land of Equestria.”

“Is that a problem?” asked Rarity. She looked around. Most of the people appeared to be suppressing grins.

Morgan shrugged. “No, I was just a little concerned that the translation spell might have been broken. It’s supposed to convert words into their nearest equivalent.”

“It sounds right to me,” said Rarity.

“It sounds like you came from a damn cartoon.”

“How do you know about that?” asked Rob.

Morgan shot him an unpleasant look. “I had a daughter. What’s your excuse?”

“Nice to meet you,” said Veronica, breaking into the conversation. She took Rarity’s hand for a shake. “So you were a unicorn? I mean, maybe it’s not exactly what we might think of here on Earth, but if the word matched up it has to be a pretty close resemblance.”

Rarity though for a moment. “I had four hooves, a mane and tail, and a horn…” She reached up with a hand, finding only a featureless forehead.

Her eyes going wide in shock, Rarity gasped with sudden horror. Bear put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

“How am I going to do magic…” Rarity’s body began to tremble and her legs collapsed. Her mind desperately searched for something familiar to latch onto, but this body had no natural point to focus magic. Blue sparks danced in front of her eyes even as blackness began to close in around the corners of her vision. She was hyperventilating and couldn’t seem to get herself under control.

And just like that, all the pent up energy suddenly began to drain away as if high pressure in her mind had been released. Rarity’s breathing slowed, and she looked around.

“Oh fuck!” Morgan yanked his hands away from a thin piece of chain he had dropped around Rarity’s shoulders. His palms were blistered and red.

“What just happened?” demanded Bear.

“Magic panic attack,” explained Morgan, wincing in pain. “Luckily, I stopped the backlash from killing us all. It wasn’t easy, either. She’s got more raw power than anyone I’ve ever seen before.” He showed off his injured hands.

In that case, it was possible that Rarity hadn’t lost anything; she would just have to relearn how to use it. She took a deep breath, calming down. “I’m so sorry about that.”

Morgan pulled the loop of chain from over her head, coiled it, and returned it to his pocket. “Tell you what, if you teach me your tricks I’ll teach you mine. You’ve got a lot of fucking potential.”

His coarse language aside, Rarity was grateful for what he had done. In an unfamiliar situation, she needed all the help she could get, even if that was hard to admit.

Jenny had gone to Morgan and was examining his hands. She looked up. “Use cold water.”

“This isn’t my first burn. Some medic you are,” he grumbled.

Jenny shrugged and turned to Rarity. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I suppose.” She stood up and awkwardly crossed her arms. It felt more purposeful than letting them dangle. “Well, I know I don’t have a horn at least. I am curious to know what my face looks like.”

Jenny pulled a makeup compact from her pocket and handed it to Rarity. She opened it up, staring into the small mirror. It was not her face that she noticed first, but the hair that framed it.

“Blonde!?”

Chapter 3

“Where exactly are we?” asked Rarity. She hadn’t seen any windows and everything looked utilitarian and strongly-built. Even Bear’s office felt cold and impersonal.

“Planet Earth, the United States of America, state of Pennsylvania, Raven Rock Mountain Complex,” explained Bear. She and Morgan were going over the basics of what Rarity would be exposed to for the next month.

Rarity was sorry she had asked, not expecting such a complicated answer for location. Remembering that her Princess-appointed mission was to learn, she asked, “What do you do here?”

“This is a staging area for operations carried out at the behest of the United States government that involve supernatural activity.”

Not quite sure if she understood, Rarity asked, “Supernatural, like an old mare’s tale?”

Bear took a moment to process that. “I suppose so. Most people don’t believe in things like that.”

Rarity laughed. “Neither do I.”

“But you used to be a magical unicorn,” said Morgan.

“Everypony knows about magic.” Even as she said it Rarity frowned, seeing looks of disagreement from the people in front of her.

“It’s not very common at all here,” explained Bear. “Some of the population might believe it exists, but very few know for sure.”

“That’s to say nothing of all the creatures and monsters that most people just write off to legend,” added Morgan. “It can be pretty fucking frustrating sometimes, but if the information was made public it would cause mass panic followed by mass exploitation. Witch burning would become a thing again, and then we’d probably have a free-for-all apocalypse.”

Bear shot him a look as if she didn’t quite agree with his presentation, but went on. “So it’s our job to keep the public and the underworld away from each other.”

“That sounds like a big task for five people,” observed Rarity.

“We’re just one unit out of several that covers the United States. Other countries have their teams.” Bear shrugged. “Things get busy sometimes, but it’s not like there are bugs that need to be squashed every day.”

“Is…is that euphemism?” Rarity asked.

Bear and Morgan briefly glanced at each other. “Usually.”

The room where Rarity had woken up was where she would be staying. She would have to find something to decorate the place soon or she would go mad. There was only so much bare grey concrete a girl could take.

Rarity stood still with her arms out in the center of the floor as Veronica awkwardly tried to figure out her measurements so new clothing could be obtained. It helped Rarity take her mind off of the situation she was in for the next month. Magic and anything related to it was suppressed here. It seemed that most people got along fine without it, but Rarity wasn’t sure she agreed that it was for the better.

Veronica stretched out a measuring tape, awkwardly bending her elongated body over to get down to Rarity’s level. “How did the meeting go?”

“There are a lot of things to get used to,” said Rarity. “I’m glad you all seem to know what you’re doing.”

Veronica laughed. “We each have our talents. Bear and Morgan were probably the best ones to give you that talk. They’re the most experienced.”

“Perhaps not who I would have expected,” commented Rarity. “Bear looks so young, and Morgan’s speech patterns certainly don’t seem very mature.”

“A lot of people underestimate Bear because of her appearance. She sometimes jokes, ‘twenty, going on two hundred.’ I think Morgan talks like he does because it’s a stress reliever. From what I’ve heard, his past is almost literally Hell.”

Rarity frowned. She had several more questions, but decided that it might just be better to ask them directly to Bear and Morgan, rather than behind their backs.

“My college roommate majored in fashion, which somehow makes me most qualified to do this,” Veronica grumbled as she struggled to get Rarity’s measurements.

The woman’s own clothing did not appear to fit all that well. Rarity did not know what average human sizes were, but hers certainly seemed to be outside them. The poor thing was probably trying to shop off the rack when there was nothing available that fit.

“Fashion is my business. Let me take care of this.” Rarity gestured for the measuring tape. Veronica handed over. Rarity had measured her waist and was moving on to the inseams when she realized the tape was moving along without touching her hands. It seemed her magic wasn’t as hard to access as she thought.

Veronica looked on with interest. “Telekinesis? Well, Morgan did say you were pretty powerful.”

“Any unicorn can do this,” scoffed Rarity. “While I might be a little better at precise control than some, I’m not that strong.”

Veronica shrugged and turned away. “When you get done, we can figure out how those numbers match up to a size. I can probably find a chart online.”

“Online?” Rarity finished with the tape. With an eye towards possible future projects, she began measuring Veronica while her back was turned. She noted with interest the woman’s height. The tape showed that it was slightly less than two hundred centimeters, or about seventy nine inches.

“Yeah, the internet,” said Veronica. “Imagine several billion terminals all around the world that can share information. Basically, you can learn things from anywhere on Earth without leaving your chair.”

“It sounds very useful,” noted Rarity. And slightly mind boggling. Just how many people lived on this planet, anyway?

The two of them figured out what sizes Rarity needed. “We’ll get you some things,” Veronica said. “The nearest shopping center is a couple of miles away.”

Rarity perked up. “That sounds marvelous. I’d love to go.”

The door opened and Jenny stuck her head in, looking at Veronica. “Rob needs you for something. He didn’t say what.”

The other woman rolled her eyes. “Could be computer problems, but probably he just wants help getting things from the top shelf.”

As she turned to go, Rarity protested, “Wait, where am I going to get new clothes?”

Jenny and Veronica traded looks. “The mall.”

The car, as it was called, seemed to be full of technology. Small lights and dials were everywhere on the dashboard. However, not even inspecting the high-tech vehicle could make Rarity forget the walking fashion disaster she had become. Not only did camouflage not go with anything, she hadn’t been allowed to modify the clothing to fit better because Bear wanted them back. The boots she had been loaned were heavy and felt restrictive. Figuring out the laces had also been a chore.

Hopefully something more fabulous was coming her way soon. Any place that had a shopping center should have at least the basics of putting together an outfit. Rarity began to grow more excited as Jenny put the car in gear and began their trip.

They emerged from a large tunnel into bright sunshine and Jenny put on a pair of sunglasses. Rarity looked back. It seemed that the Raven Rock Mountain Complex was literally inside a mountain. A perfect place for a secret headquarters, she supposed.

“Does Veronica often get called away to reach for things in high places?” asked Rarity.

Jenny laughed. “Yeah. You’d think we could just requisition some stepladders or something, but that’s about half her job description. The other, more official part is technology.”

“Doesn’t she mind?” Rarity frowned. “It seemed to me that she wasn’t really comfortable with being unusually tall.”

“She isn’t, but despite that Veronica hangs out with us because we’re all more abnormal than her.”

Jenny offered no further details on the subject and Rarity didn’t pry. The two of them continued driving. The road was well-paved and the car moved along much faster than a pony could run. In only a few minutes they arrived at a large complex of buildings with lots of cars parked nearby.

Walking with the boots was harder than with bare feet, but the distance from the car to the shopping center was good practice. The inside of the mall was full of glass-fronted stores with their wares on display. To Rarity, it felt like she was a little filly in a candy store. There was so much to see, and all of it was for sale!

“We have a government account, but there is a limit,” Jenny reminded her. The two of them merged with a crowd of people and made a slow circuit of the various shops. Clothing was first priority.

Rarity was honestly surprised by the variety. Not with colors or fabrics, but by how many different kinds of attire there were. It was not limited to saddles and dresses, but instead shirts, trousers, skirts, and many other varieties of garments and undergarments.

“You’ll be here for awhile,” suggested Jenny. “Just get a few basics in this store and we’ll go from there.”

Rarity happily collected an armload of clothing. She was tempted to try all of it on in the fitting rooms, but that would take time away from visiting other places. Jenny paid for the transaction by swiping a plastic card in a machine. The clerk helpfully put the purchase in a bag for easier carrying.

Outside, Rarity turned to ask where they were going next, but Jenny didn’t seem to be paying attention. Her head twisted this way and that, a worried expression on her face.

“Something’s not right,” she murmured. Nudging Rarity’s arm, they began to walk briskly towards the exit. From behind them, an angry voice shouted. Jenny quickly looked back, pushing Rarity ahead. “Run!”

Are you kidding? I just learned to walk! Jenny’s tone implied that this was no time to argue, however, so Rarity gave it her best shot. She had only made it a few steps when an ear-shattering explosion knocked the two of them off their feet.

Rarity tasted blood as her face hit the floor. Shards of glass rained down, the tinkling sound they made lost among screams and several rapid bangs. Jenny yanked Rarity to her feet and mostly carried her to the exit.

“What in the name of Celestia—”

Jenny looked back, checking for pursuit. “Either we were the victims of a very coincidental terrorist attack, or someone is trying to kill you.”

“How is that possible?” demanded Rarity, raising her voice incase Jenny’s ears were ringing just as much as hers were. “Even in Equestria, I didn’t think I had enemies like that. What if someone is trying to kill you?”

“Well I would hope that we conceal our identities better that that, but I’m more concerned that it happened on your first day here. This might turn out to be a long month.”

They reached the car and quickly departed the shopping center. Rarity saw several vehicles with lights and sirens heading in the opposite direction. She hadn’t seen the results of the explosion, but hoped fervently that no one had been hurt.

Despite the high rate of speed, Jenny glanced away from the road and at Rarity’s face. “You’ve got a little blood on you. There was a lot of glass.”

She wiped Rarity’s cheek with her hand. Now that Rarity had some time to take stock, she wasn’t terribly injured. Her lip had bled a little, and the side of her face had been scratched. The rest of her body seemed all right.

While it had been a shock to find herself without her usual indigo mane, Rarity decided that perhaps experimenting with a new look could be fun. Facial injury was certainly not what she had been planning, however.

Jenny absentmindedly licked her fingers off. Rarity stared at her in surprise.

“Oh!” Jenny looked mortified. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s your blood and I shouldn’t—”

“Dear, what about you? interrupted Rarity. “I should think you would be more worried than myself. I don’t think I have any diseases, but I wouldn’t want you to take the risk.”

Jenny said nothing and wore an awkward expression for the rest of the drive. Several minutes passed before they arrived back at Raven Rock, driving down into the tunnel. At the parking area, Rob approached the car.

“News travels fast,” commented Jenny, seeing his serious expression.

Rob nodded. “If this attack is what it looks like, we have a problem. Bear wants to start Rarity on weapons training as soon as possible.”

“Weapons?” This was not what Rarity wanted to hear. “What kind?”

Jenny glanced at Rob, raising her eyebrows. He nodded. “Everything.”

Rarity protested that she was injured, tired, and hungry, and was allowed to take care of those needs. In fact, the task of training was put off until the next morning.

After the events of the day, food had been the last thing on her mind. She went to bed without eating.

The mattress wasn't bad, although Rarity wished she had been able to bring her own. That discomfort was nothing compared to the shock of being attacked. Those fresh memories kept her awake for a long time.

Rarity did eventually manage to sleep. She woke up in the morning a little peckish, but when Rob showed up she decided to put off a meal for the moment. As the two of them departed her room, Rarity decided that could use hunger as an excuse for a break if she decided that she needed one.

“Won’t work,” said Rob. “You're going to have breakfast.”

Startled, Rarity demanded, “How did you know what I was—”

“Thinking?” Rob supplied.

Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. Are you some kind of—”

“Mind reader? Yeah, I am,” he admitted.

“I don’t—”

“Think it’s very polite to keep cutting you off and I should stop?” Rob nodded. “You got it.”

Rarity took a moment to regather her thoughts. “How do you do that?”

“I was born this way.” Rob shrugged. “It was always really awkward when I was younger and my parents decided to get it on. I had to change my whole lifestyle just to distance myself from memories like that.”

“What changes did you make?” asked Rarity.

“Let’s just say I used to be a lot more ‘country’ than I am now. Sometimes I accidentally let some slip back in.” It didn’t seem that Rob wanted to talk about it.

“So how does your, ah, talent work?” asked Rarity.

Rob shrugged. “Just don’t think about anything that you don’t want me to know.”

It was nice of Rob to give such advice, even if he had seen right through her plan. The two of them ate breakfast together in a small kitchenette that was located inside the complex. Rarity had not eaten many eggs that weren’t mixed into some kind of pastry, but seasoned correctly, the omelets weren’t bad.

She used the opportunity to talk with him about the weapons. Rarity had never thought that fighting was the best solution, and made that opinion known.

Rob sat back and loosened his tie. Rarity had noticed that he dressed more formally than any of the others. Perhaps that was his way of counterbalancing the ‘country’ he had mentioned. “Sometimes there’s no other way, and conflict is the only solution.”

Rarity wanted to argue with him, but there were plenty of times she and her friends had been required to fight. Nopony had died, though. That seemed to be the main difference between Equestria and here. People seemed to be more violent and less merciful.

Rather than continuing that line of conversation, Rarity looked down at her plate. “Everything seems so strange. How did you all get this way?”

“Well, I suppose those of us who work here have seen and done things that the general population hasn’t.” Rob shrugged. “Still, most people are willing to go to great lengths to survive. We wouldn’t be the top of the food chain if that wasn’t true.”

His mention of a food chain reminded Rarity of her suspicions about the human diet. The flesh and blood of animals was not something she wanted to eat. Speaking of blood...

Rob suddenly chuckled as he saw the replay in Rarity’s mind of Jenny licking her fingers. “Now there’s an awkward memory.”

“She seemed more embarrassed than distraught,” noted Rarity.

“Blood isn’t a big deal for her. Before joining up with us, Jenny worked at a hospital. She knows how to put you back together or take you apart.”

Rarity shook her head. “I’m sorry, but does that mean—”

“Yeah, she eats people.” Rob thought for a moment. “At least, she would if she wasn’t so nice.”

Rarity gasped in horror, but her reaction was cut off as Bear showed up. “You’re going to have to postpone the weapons training. All of us need to have a meeting.”

“What about?” asked Rarity.

Rob anticipated Bear’s response and chimed in. “You.”

There was a screen at the front of the briefing room that was currently blank. This seemed to displease Veronica. “I mean, what’s a brief without a PowerPoint? I could make some slides pretty easily.”

“This won’t take long,” said Bear. “Morgan, I believe you have something to say?”

The older man nodded and stepped to the front of the room. “The police interviewed a witness who claims that she heard a few assailants talking about killing someone. They kept referring to “her.” Considering that the explosive device wasn’t anything dangerous to Jenny, we can probably assume they were after Rarity.”

“What does that prove?” she protested, not wanting to believe that her life was in danger. “They could have been talking about someone else, or merely made the bomb wrong.”

“If they were good enough to know that you two were there, why the fuck wouldn’t they also know how to make the right kind of weapon?”

Bear made a low noise that sounded somewhat like a warning growl. Morgan dropped his angry expression. “Anyway, the main reason why I think this was targeted at Rarity is this scrap of a note that someone picked up from the scene.”

He handed over a picture that had been taken of the note. Rarity examined it carefully. The writing looked like a familiar language, but she couldn’t place where she’d seen it before. The thing that really drew her attention was at the bottom of the paper. It looked like a hoof print.

Author's Note

And now things get interesting! Thanks for reading so far. There should be a new chapter coming up soon.

Suke is the editor and overall calm British influence that balances out my American.
We hope you will enjoy reading the rest of this story.

Chapter 4

“So the trigger sets off a chemical explosion that propels a small piece of metal out of the barrel at really high speeds so it can poke holes in things and hopefully kill them,” Rob concluded. Beside him, Jenny nodded in agreement.

This was a major difference between people and ponies. Death and killing were talked about casually, and ways were constantly sought to improve the quality of both. Rarity had decided to ignore that as best she could and just focus on the hardware. Arms crossed, she stared at Jenny and Rob. “How does poking holes in things help me?”

Jenny shrugged. “I thought Princess Celestia said you were supposed to learn. We’re teaching you what we know.”

It was true that Rarity’s objective was to find out more about the planet she had been assigned, but she wasn’t sure that this small group of people was the best to be taking lessons from.

“Well, anyone besides us would probably freak out about you being from another planet,” said Rob, hearing her thoughts.

Rarity glared at him. “I wish you would stop doing that.”

“I can’t turn it off.” He sighed. “Look, you don’t have to cooperate if you don’t want to, but the alternative is sitting in your room and doing nothing.”

Rarity sighed theatrically and threw up her hands. “I suppose I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

“I think it would be more interesting for you if we focused on what you’re good at,” suggested Jenny.

Rarity thought. “I suppose my advantage over the two of you would be magic.”

Rob nodded. “I understand that you’re especially good at TK.”

It took a moment for Rarity to remember that what he meant. In Equestria, telekinesis was so common that it was rarely talked about and infrequently referred to by name.

“I suppose that’s correct,” agreed Rarity. “But how does that help with firearms?”

Jenny looked at Rob. “Compensating for muzzle rise, do you think?”

He grinned. “Or curving bullets like in that movie.”

Rarity looked back and forth between the two of them. “I’m confused.”

“Nothing a little range time can’t cure.” Jenny smiled. “Let me demonstrate. I’m better than Rob.”

He scowled. “You’re better at everything.”

“Well, not everything. Poker, for example.”

Rob rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I could be on the road meeting interesting people and winning money by gambling, but instead here I am in an underground government facility with a vampire teaching a unicorn how to shoot.”

Jenny grinned and picked up a weapon from a nearby table. It was a rather large one, but in her hands it seemed rather light. She stepped over the firing line, loading a magazine.

“Hearing protection,” advised Rob. Rarity pulled on a pair of earmuffs just before the assault rifle began firing. It seemed terribly loud, a sound magnified by reverberation off the solid walls. However, in seconds it was over.

There were exactly thirty brass casings scattered across the floor. Rarity wasn’t sure why she noticed that. Was it her natural tendency for precision? The motorized carrier finished returning Jenny’s paper target. All the flying bullets had made thirty neat little holes arranged in a perfect circle.

“Showoff,” said Rob.

Without acknowledging his comment, Jenny turned to Rarity. “Your turn.”

Rarity had no idea what the gun weighed. It wasn’t truly heavy, but holding it up in a firing position for more than a few seconds at a time was tiring. After a few basic instructions and some safety precautions, she was told to go ahead.

It felt very lonely standing on the firing line with Rob and Jenny behind—far behind—her. Rarity grimaced, both in anticipation and because her muscles were beginning to hurt from leaning forward into the weapon like she had been instructed. The gun sights were simple pieces of metal, yet Rarity wasn’t completely sure she understood how they worked. She lined them up as well as she could and inched her finger forward to find the trigger.

The weapon going off was even louder and more jarring than Rarity expected. The recoil was not very powerful, but pushed her back a little because she hadn’t been bracing for it. If she wasn’t leaning forward, it would have been worse.

To her incredible surprise, a hole had appeared in the target. It was not near the center, but that was still more than Rarity had been expecting.

Rob stepped up beside her and clicked something on the side of the weapon. He winked at Rarity and stepped away again. Shrugging, she raised it to her shoulder again.

This time, instead of one shot she got all of them. The muzzle of the weapon flipped upwards while still spitting fire and Rarity thought that if it continued the gun would probably go flying out of her grip. Still getting used to having hands, her first instinct was not to release the trigger, but to grab the barrel of the weapon with magic and keep it pointed away from her.

As the last round in the magazine was fired, Rarity let go of the gun and stepped away. It seemed dangerous to let it fall, so she left it hanging there in midair. Jenny grabbed it and shot a look at Rob. “Maybe we should practice with something that doesn’t have full-auto capability.”

“I think that might be enough for today,” Rarity stammered.

“What if we train you on something a little more docile?” suggested Rob. He showed Rarity a smaller weapon that looked like it would fit comfortably gripped in a single hand. It came with a holster that had clips on one side.

While ponies typically did not wear trousers, and therefore had no need for anything to hold them up, Rarity had been advised to wear a belt that morning. She now realized why as Rob fit the holster to it. He checked it and nodded. “This is a training holster. It’s supposed to be loose so you learn to draw without getting the gun hung up on anything. If you don’t do it right, the holster pops off your belt.”

“It seems rather heavy,” noted Rarity. “Almost like it throws my whole body out of equilibrium.”

“Let’s balance it out, then,” said Jenny, clipping another gun to her other side. Rarity stared skeptically at the handgun resting on each hip like some sort of strange cutie mark.

“What’s a cutie mark?” asked Rob.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s a physical representation of each pony’s special talent. Mine was three diamonds. It represented my ability to find and use gemstones to create pleasing aesthetic arrangements, particularly with clothing.”

Rob and Jenny stared at her. Rarity could understand their incomprehension. She’d certainly learned about many things so far that had no basis in anything she knew before. It was nice to turn the tables for once.

“So all of you had one specific thing to be good at?” asked Jenny.

“Well, one outstanding thing. That doesn’t mean a pony couldn’t be multitalented.”

“Were there any with multiple cutie marks?” Rob questioned.

“Well, not usually. Special talents are special for a reason.”

“Reminds me of a Heinlein quote.” Rob rubbed his chin in thought. “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. Er, not to imply that you’re some kind of insect—”

“I understand,” Rarity interrupted tersely. “Could we get back on topic?”

After some more practice, and no further incidents of full-auto, Rarity was beginning to better grasp the fundamentals. She appreciated that the goal of the practice was precision, and that there would always be room to improve.

Training stopped for lunch. Veronica had gone to get something from a restaurant in town. She returned with several small white boxes.

“You’re seriously going to serve a guest takeout?” complained Morgan, gesturing to Rarity.

“It’s Thai, not Chinese,” answered Veronica.

He nodded. “Oh, that’s different.”

Rarity saw that many of the dishes contained rice and vegetables. Everything smelled interesting. It was certainly more exotic than the eggs she’d had for breakfast.

Speaking of eggs and chickens, she had noticed that Earth seemed to be almost the same in appearance as her home planet, with only a swapped dominant species. Despite that, there were still huge differences. For example, the small grey lumps that Rarity discovered in the fried rice.

Rarity spooned one up from her plate. “What’s this?”

“Pork,” answered Rob.

Setting the spoon down carefully, Rarity looked around the table with disapproval. “I would have appreciated a warning that you were serving meat.”

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were vegetarian,” said Veronica.

“All ponies are vegetarian.”

“Now that you’re not a pony, is there a problem?” asked Bear from the end of the table.

“Well, not biologically, but…”

“Surely something in your world eats something else?” piped up Jenny.

Images filled Rarity’s mind of Fluttershy feeding fish to some of her animals and Applejack raising pigs that would eventually end up in griffon restaurants. Rob opened his mouth to comment, but she shot him a glare.

“And aren’t you here to learn about new things?” asked Morgan.

Rarity looked around. “Are you all trying to peer-pressure me into eating this?”

“Is it working?” asked Veronica.

“No! I just…” Rarity sighed. “I’d like to think about it, if that’s all right.”

None of them troubled her after that. Rarity picked out everything that wasn’t meat. It all tasted new and interesting, but she noticed that a significant portion of her meal was going to waste uneaten.

After the meal, Rarity spent time with Morgan learning about forms of human magic. It seemed that it was more of an exterior art, rather than unicorn magic that naturally came from within. Some of the little rituals and items Morgan used reminded Rarity of zebra spell casting.

Other than her telekinesis and signature gem-locating spell, Rarity did not have a wide magical repertoire, nor had she ever spent much time practicing it. She was a dressmaker, after all, not a student like Twilight Sparkle.

In that respect, Morgan was more adept. He was able to do, or figure out, a wide range of spells and charms, even if he didn’t have the raw power or telekinetic aptitude that Rarity could so easily manage.

She was even learning to deflect most of his profanity. It seemed that it was easier to ignore it than try to change him.

“So what do you know about the history of magic on this planet?” asked Rarity. It sounded like something Twilight would say, and therefore was probably a good way to complete her mission of learning.

“I’m not a historian, although I can hook you up with someone who might be able to help.” Morgan shrugged. “I guess it’s just one of those things that stretches out into the distant past to a time before written history.”

Rarity frowned. “The other day when you were describing the results of magic ‘going public’ you mentioned some very unpleasant things. Witch burning and apocalypse.”

“Well, worldwide catastrophe might be a little optimistic, but there’s a historical precedent for that other one.”

Rarity’s eyes widened. “They burned witches? Good heavens. Was this an isolated incident? Did they burn anything besides witches?”

“More witches?” Morgan briefly smiled as if remembering a private joke. “Well, I’m not sure if any of the people that were burned actually happened to be witches or not, but the fact that the public was willing to do something like that to the accused shows that the supernatural community should probably stay covert.”

Rarity was beginning to realize what people were capable of. There hadn’t been magic-based discrimination in Equestria since, well, since there was an Equestria. Rarity remembered such racism from the Hearth’s Warming Eve play, but since all tribes of ponies had joined together there hadn’t been nearly as much of that.

On the other hand, Rarity now decided that perhaps magic shouldn’t be a public thing here after all.

“So how does this affect your family?” asked Rarity. “Do they know?”

Morgan’s face flashed red and the way his mouth snapped open angrily made Rarity unsure if he was going to shout or go for her throat. She never got to find out as the door opened and Veronica said, “Hey Rarity, I have something to show you.”

Jumping at the chance to escape, Rarity quickly left, rushing ahead of Veronica’s long stride. The tall woman frowned. “What’s with you?”

“I think I may have asked the wrong question.”

“His family?”

Surprised, Rarity asked, “How did you know?”

“I didn’t, I just know that’s something Morgan doesn’t respond well to.” Veronica shrugged. “I’ve seen him wear a wedding ring sometimes. The only thing I know for sure is that he’s got a chip on his shoulder the size of Utah.”

Rarity frowned. The previous day when Rob was asking about cartoons, Morgan said something like I had a daughter. She wasn’t sure whether that meant a daughter had been born to him and his wife, or if it meant that he didn’t have a daughter anymore.

“I hope I won’t get into trouble asking about your family,” said Rarity.

“Not much to tell,” answered Veronica. “I talk to my parents and brother when I can. I’m not married, but there’s plenty of time. I haven’t been out of college very long.”

The subject changed as they entered Rarity’s room. She spotted a sewing machine that had been set up on a small table opposite the bed. Squealing with delight, she ran her hands over it.

“Well, that was a little more enthusiastic than I expected, but I’m glad you like it,” Veronica laughed. “You said fashion was your business, so I figured you could use a hobby while you’re here.”

“Thank you so much. I know just what I’m going to do with it. No offense dear, but you look like you could use some help with the fit of your garments.” Rarity seized her sleeve to demonstrate.

“You don’t have to do that,” said Veronica, trying to brush away Rarity’s hand.

“Oh, but I insist! How soon can you get me everything in your wardrobe?”

Veronica’s mouth dropped open. “Uh…I suppose I could bring it by. Before you get started on that, though, you have something else to do. The big bad wolf wanted to see you.”

Rarity frowned. “Why do you call her that? Bear seems very nice to me.”

“It’s not about her attitude, it’s about combat effectiveness. When she wants to be, she’s pretty much the deadliest person I’ve ever met. And a werewolf.”

“Oh.” Rarity nodded. “I suppose I shouldn’t keep her waiting, then.”

After making Veronica promise to drop off her clothing, Rarity made her way to Bear’s office. It was amazing how immune she was becoming to supernatural surprises that kept coming her way. She realized that this was how everyone around her lived all the time, but for Rarity it was rapidly becoming the new normal.

Opening the door, she said, “I heard you wanted to see me?”

“Sure, come in.” Bear gestured to a chair. “How are things so far?”

“I’m adjusting,” said Rarity modestly.

“Any questions?”

Rarity thought for a moment. “How did you get such an ill-fitting moniker?”

Bear laughed. “Actually, the name came before the condition. I don’t remember my parents very well, but I think they must have been kind of weird.”

Rarity laughed politely. “So, I was told that you wanted to see me?”

Bear’s face changed, becoming more serious. “We have a few new pieces of information about the attack yesterday. I’m hoping you can help me with it.”

She laid a folder on the desk and opened it.

Author's Note

Both Suke and I may or may not have created this chapter while under the influences of New Year's celebratory beverages.

Chapter 5

Rarity stared at the contents of the file. It wasn’t much, and seemed to only tease at answers to the questions she had.

A copy of the hoofprint note was there, as well as a some typed statements by witnesses and miscellaneous evidence. A few grainy photographs were labeled “surveillance footage.”

“Let me give you a summary,” said Bear, leaning forward across the desk. “These guys in the pictures entered the shopping center shortly after you did. Somehow, they knew you were there.”

“But why me?” asked Rarity.

Bear shrugged. “No idea. Considering that the bomb wasn’t very sophisticated, it was probably made hastily in the short time after you came to Earth. I have some notes here that Morgan made about detecting residual magic from spells. Considering the amount of power it took to send you here, there was probably a lot of that.”

Rarity scanned quickly over the handwritten page that Bear passed her. Morgan’s writing compared the process of detecting magic to turning the dial on a radio in order to listen for different signals. Since pony magic was so different, it probably wouldn’t have been on anyone’s dial. Only someone who was specifically looking for it should have noticed. Therefore, it seemed that there was some sort of connection to Equestria. That made even more sense when the print on the note was taken into account.

Rarity picked up the copy of the note again. “The writing seems familiar, but I can’t say why.”

“Could it be Equestrian and the translation spell is affecting your comprehension?” asked Bear.

Rarity snorted. “Heavens no, I still remember everything.”

She picked up a pen and wrote my name is Rarity in her native script. Not trusting her unpracticed hands, she used telekinesis.

Bear studied Rarity’s writing and the copy of the note. “Hmm. They have a few similarities.”

“But it isn’t Equestrian,” Rarity insisted.

“Do you have any regional dialects?” asked Bear. “Anything that could cause a variation?”

“Well, the language hasn’t really changed much during Equestria’s entire history,” Rarity remembered from her language classes in primary school. “With the immortal Princesses around for the last several thousand years, the language has remained very stable around them.”

Bear sat back in thought. “Could this be an earlier version?”

“There wasn’t an official Equestrian language before the three tribes of unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies came together. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about their individual languages,” Rarity lamented.

Nodding in disappointment, Bear said, “We’ll keep looking into other things, then. For now, it looks like you’ll be safer.” She picked up the handwritten notes. “Morgan thinks they were able to locate you by the last traces of magic still hanging around, but those should be gone now. Unfortunately, they probably know that you’re staying here so we’ll need to relocate soon.”

Studying the page further, Bear added, “Morgan’s also taken the liberty of nicknaming them the Pony Haters. That’s PH for short, pronounced “feh.”

It was meant to be humorous, but Rarity was too preoccupied by the connotations to laugh. Her life was in danger, and she had no idea why.

“That’s all I have. I wish there was more.” Bear closed the file.

Rarity nodded and got up to go. She stopped and turned back. “Was anyone hurt in the attack?”

Bear shifted uncomfortably. “Four innocent people were killed.”

“I thought they wanted me…” Rarity stammered.

“Sometimes a goal can be so important to someone that they don’t care about collateral damage.” Bear sighed, but a hard look crept onto her face. “Trust me, when we find these people, we’ll make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

Rarity left the office, pondering the connotations of what Bear had said. She hadn’t seen any facilities for holding prisoners, and the weapons she’d been instructed on were certainly not nonlethal. Was killing shameless murderers justified? It wouldn’t bring the dead back, but was it the right choice to prevent the perpetrators from repeating their crimes?

Rob and Jenny had thrown around the term “self defense.” Would she kill someone to save her own life? After a moment of deep reflection, Rarity decided that yes, she would. The choice was slightly easier because she knew herself to be in danger. However, it didn’t answer the more difficult question of whether she would kill in defense of another.

Rarity was more grateful than ever for the gift of a sewing machine. She dove into the work, letting it take her troubles away.

While Rarity was most famous for the outfits she created, the large part of her everyday work at the Carousel Boutique was alterations and mending. Even her inexperience with clothing of Veronica’s size and shape didn’t slow her down much.

It was only when she came to a set of camouflage fatigues at the bottom of the pile that she paused. While Veronica did not seem like the violent type, she was clearly committed to the same goal as the others.

Rarity examined the clothing, made of the same burly material as the outfit she’d borrowed. The seams were triple-stitched, and the knees and elbows had extra layers. The fatigues were certainly made to be practical and tough. She recalled that while wearing her borrowed set, only her exposed skin had been injured when the bomb went off. In addition, the multi colored camouflage was not as likely to show stains and soil.

It was still ugly.

“Let’s see what we can do about that,” murmured Rarity, setting to work. Veronica would probably not be pleased with ruffles or a plunging neckline on her combat uniform, but there were still things that could be done.

Several hems, trims, and alterations later, Rarity was finished. She picked up the whole pile of clothes and went looking for Veronica. The task would have been much easier if she had simply levitated everything along, but Rarity was worried that using her magic might provide a beacon by which to locate her. Had she not seen evidence firsthand, that idea would have seemed a little far fetched.

Struggling under the weight of her burden, Rarity didn’t see Rob until she’d passed by. It was a wonder that she hadn’t bumped into him, but perhaps his ability also gave him an idea of where people were based on the location of their thoughts.

“Can I give you a hand?”

“That would be lovely, thank you.” Rarity passed part of the load to him.

Rob examined the camouflage uniform. “When did you start making clothes for The Baroness?”

“What did you call me?” asked Veronica. Rarity couldn’t see her over the pile of clothes in her arms.

“I’m just saying that with a little more leather and a Cobra logo…”

There was a sound like Veronica had just hit Rob. She snatched the clothes out of his arms and also those that Rarity carried before stalking away.

Rob shrugged. “Guess I should have seen that coming.”

“Bear said that we would be relocating soon,” said Rarity. “Do you know where? Now that I have the ability to make and modify clothes, I’d like to plan for the weather.”

“No idea. Really, at this time of year the weather shouldn’t be too bad unless we go to someplace like Shemya, up where we can see Russia from our back porch.”

Rarity nodded and started to turn away. Rob called her back. “Pardon me for prying, but you seem kind of preoccupied.”

“Well, I suppose I am. It seems like everything is happening at once. I just got here, met you all, started learning all these new things, someone tried to kill me, and now we’re going somewhere else.”

“Life’s crazy sometimes. All you can do is just go with it and prepare the best you can.”

“I have no idea how!” Rarity took a calming breath. “I’m sorry, but like I said before, there’s so much to take in.”

“Not to sound conceited, but maybe the stuff we’re trying to teach you would help,” suggested Rob.

“But…weapons? Killing? I can’t do that!”

Rob’s face took on a rather grim look. “All of us do it. It’s an unfortunate part of this life. You don’t have to enjoy it. I don’t like ending lives, and I can say for certain that none of the rest do, either. Some bad guys can be reformed. Some can’t, and won’t let you try.”

Rarity could think of a few examples that the Elements of Harmony had faced. Princess Luna had been rehabilitated, but the Nightmare part of her was eliminated. The cases of Discord and King Sombra had been handled very differently. One had enjoyed a pleasant outcome, the other not so much.

Rob had the decency not to comment on her inner turmoil. “Come on. Dinner will be soon. Jenny’s trying to clean out the refrigerator before we leave.”

“Does she cook often?” asked Rarity.

“I think she just enjoys the smells.” Rob shrugged. “Her diet is pretty much either corpses or corpuscles, but either way, you can see the corollary connection between the couple.”

Rarity grimaced. “I could have gone a long time without that mental image or the gruesome alliteration, thank you.”

In the kitchenette, the table was set and ready to go. Bear was already present, Morgan arrived shortly. Veronica came in, for once wearing something that actually fit. Rob’s eyebrows went up at the sight. “I guess that was worth letting you hit me.”

“No sexual harassment in the workplace,” Bear intoned.

Rob spread his hands. “Manners aren’t a natural behavior of mine. Remember that I was raised by rednecks.”

“Well, I was raised by wolves but I still have more social etiquette than you.” Bear turned her head and gave Veronica a friendly look. “For the record, though, you do look good.”

“Thanks.” The tall woman smiled. “Rarity, you’re great at what you do. I wish I had some way to express my thanks, but I guess money is kind of useless in this situation.”

“Think nothing of it.” Rarity waved a hand. “It’s my pleasure to help.”

Jenny began setting serving platters on the table. She was clad in what Rarity thought was a rather cute apron. “Sorry we don’t have much left. I don’t know who bought the frozen fried chicken, but hopefully I was able to make it edible. The salad is a little old but hasn’t started to wilt yet.”

Rarity stared at the dismembered pieces of chicken. It was clad in crispy batter, but she could make out unsettlingly familiar shapes of limbs. Morgan picked up a wing and began chewing on it. Rarity averted her eyes and began shoveling lettuce onto her plate.

Jenny put the cooking utensils away and pulled up a chair. She began sipping on something. Rarity was raising some salad to her mouth when she realized what was in the plastic pouch Jenny was holding.

Rarity’s fork clattered to her plate. “Do you have to drink that at the table?”

Jenny pinched the tube on the blood bag so that none would leak out. “It’s kept in the fridge. Taking it anywhere else creates more potential for mess. Besides, it’s my mealtime, too.”

“You’ll get used to it after a while,” said Veronica.

“It kind of makes this funky chicken seem less disgusting,” added Morgan.

“I think I’ve been put off my appetite,” muttered Rarity.

Bear shrugged. “The more you whine, the hungrier you’ll be. Eating nothing but salad for a month isn’t healthy.”

“I am not whining, I am complaining,” Rarity tersely explained. “Would you like to hear whining?”

“No,” everyone chorused.

Rarity lowered her head. Like she had said to Rob, there was so much assaulting her at once. “I don’t know how much more of this I can stand. I can’t do this.”

“Sure you can,” put in Jenny. “You’re a normal human being.”

“But I’m not!”

“Biologically you are,” said Morgan. “That’s exactly what the spell changed you into. The human body is adapted for certain things, and you sure aren’t doing it justice.”

Rarity considered that. Morgan continued to stare at her, clearly holding an answer ready no matter how she responded. Rarity decided to humor him. “What do you mean?”

“Look at yourself. Your body is formed for a specific purpose. Hands for building tools or using weapons. Long legs for endurance and sprinting. Joints and muscles that are adaptable and agile. Forward-set eyes to enhance clarity and depth perception. A mix of teeth for eating anything and everything. You may have been a pony, but right now you’re a goddamned predator. Act like it.”

He went back to eating. Rarity looked at her salad. Was she really a natural killer? If that was true, shouldn’t she feel more like it? What if she began to have those thoughts; would the training do that to her? She gulped. Did this body come with standard human instincts?

The lettuce didn’t taste quite the same after that.

Chapter 6

The morning seemed to come too early. Rarity was still groggy when someone knocked on her door. She almost considered asking for a few more minutes of beauty sleep, but decided that it wasn’t a request that would be well received.

She sat up, sighing. At least she had nopony to be beautiful for. The minor wounds on her face from the attack didn’t help. On the other side of that coin, it was pleasant to skip her usual morning routine of applying makeup and properly coiffing her hair. None of the others minded, or put much of their own effort into a layer of glamour.

It did not take long to pack up, even with the things she had gained in the last few days. After making sure she was ready, Rarity went to find some breakfast. She found Morgan staring at the open refrigerator with an unpleasant look. He glanced up. “We overshot on getting rid of food before leaving, and pretty much all we have left are fucking apples.”

Rarity shrugged. Morgan took out two apples and gave her one. His blistered hands were still bandaged, but he still had enough dexterity to complete the maneuver.

Rarity’s palms and fingers enclosed the fruit securely. While unicorns did not have as much tactile sensation or control in their hooves as earth ponies, human digits far surpassed the abilities of any Equestrian, even a skilled knot-tier like Applejack.

Her stomach growled. Rarity raised the apple to her mouth. It was not as good as any product of Sweet Apple Acres, but edible. She was surprised how easily her sharp teeth sliced through the skin and flesh of the apple. It seemed that they were good for something besides tearing animals apart.

That thought almost put Rarity off her breakfast, but she persevered. After eating, she picked up her things and went to wait for transportation with the others.

“I don’t like flying,” muttered Veronica. “No leg room.”

If there were vehicles for driving, Rarity decided that there must be some for air travel, as well. The machine that appeared in a few minutes, however, did not look very suited to flying at all. The large spinning propeller on top and the smaller one close to the rear both looked uncoordinated and hazardous. It was also terribly loud.

“Taking a helicopter is the fastest, easiest way to get where we’re going,” Bear commented as the six of them walked out of the tunnel and approached the aircraft.

“Where are we going?” asked Rarity.

“Transfer to Andrews and then a cross-country flight to the Pacific Northwest.”

That didn’t mean anything to Rarity, and she didn’t ask.

The downdraft of the helicopter’s rotors kicked up a little dust as they approached. The door slid back to reveal a man wearing some kind of uniform. He was apparently part of the flight crew, and wore a jumpsuit and helmet.

“Nice to see you again, Roger,” called Veronica, shouting over the noise. The man did not reply, but gave her a nod. He grabbed her baggage and then helped her inside. Next were Morgan and Rob. Rarity handed up her sewing machine and was starting to load her clothing when Jenny suddenly jerked, falling against the side of the helicopter. Rarity put out a hand, touching her shoulder in concern. Jenny stood up straight, blood on the front of her shirt and spread behind her on the painted metal of the fuselage.

Bear grabbed Rarity from behind and almost literally tossed her aboard the helicopter, also assisting Jenny. There was a crack as little pieces of Roger’s helmet went flying. He crumpled to the floor, blood trickling from his head.

The helicopter’s engines screamed and it lurched violently into the sky. Rarity slid across the floor in a pool of blood. Several hands reached out to stop her from slipping right out the door.

“Calm down, we’re safe now,” Rob told her.

“How do you know!?” Rarity screamed.

“Simple. The Raven Rock secure perimeter extends for several hundred yards. Firing from outside of that, it would have taken a skilled sniper to even get close to hitting you. Now that we’re moving, another shot should be pretty much impossible.”

“How do you know all that?”

Rob shrugged. “I don’t, but it’s what Bear is thinking. I trust her judgment. She’s been doing this a while.”

Rarity rolled over, spreading blood over more of her clothes. At least she’d have something to change—oh no…the clothes had been dropped when the shooting started.

Trying to focus on something more important, Rarity made her way to Jenny while keeping a death grip on anything she could reach. She had decided that she didn’t trust helicopters.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Jenny. The wound blown through her body looked horrific, but she shrugged it off. “It takes more than a lead bullet to the chest to really hurt me.”

She was trying to work on Roger, who was unconscious and bleeding from the head like a fountain. Some small corner of Rarity’s mind reminded her that as long as he bled, that meant his heart was still beating.

“Oh shit,” muttered Morgan, elbowing Rarity aside. “Healing magic is not my strong suit.”

“What do you know about precise application of fire?” asked Jenny. “I’m afraid to cauterize a wound in his head like this, but it might be the only option.”

“Stand the fuck back. This won’t be pretty.”

Rarity shut her eyes tightly. That didn’t block out the smell of burning hair and skin. Suddenly, it seemed like a blessing that she hadn’t eaten much for breakfast.

Gradually the activity inside the helicopter calmed down. It seemed like Roger would live. Jenny gave him an eighty percent chance, pending brain damage testing. That did not improve Rarity’s despondent mood. She didn’t say a word, and didn’t regain her appetite either.

She numbly followed the group off the helicopter when it landed, making her way through a cluster of medical personnel. A couple of them thought she was injured, being bathed in so much gore.

The next leg of the trip was spent in the belly of an aircraft called a C-130, which was slightly quieter than the helicopter and provided a smoother ride. The journey lasted quite a few hours, but Rarity couldn’t sleep. She didn’t want to, anyway. She had a lot of thinking to do.

“You missed.”

The man’s mouth opened in surprise. “How did you—”

“I’ve grown to know how the look of failure appears on a face. You have that look right now.” The woman spoke in harsh tones, in an accent that was hard to place. She sounded as if she’d lived in many places around the world and encountered bitterness and disappointment each time.

“Purity, I swear I didn’t mean—”

The woman cut him off. “Quiet. What’s done is done, and I’m sure you didn’t intend for her to escape. Do not disappoint me again. You know how important this is.”

The man nodded and made a hasty exit from the room. The woman called Purity reclined, glancing at the window and thinking carefully about the target that had been missed. A unicorn…could it be? After all these years?

The frown lines on her face deepened. She was not unattractive, but was not young. She looked perhaps fifty. A hundred times that might have been closer to the real number. Even her outward age was difficult to determine beneath a carefully crafted façade. Her hair was not naturally white, but she liked it colored that way. The jewelry she wore was not burdensome, but neither was it inexpensive. Most of her clothing was pale and crafted of fine materials.

“What comes next, madam?” asked a polished British voice. A man who was perhaps actually fifty stood next to her. He was clad mostly in black, with glasses and slick hair in a severe part. He unsettlingly resembled Robert McNamara, which gave Purity pause. There was only so much Mac that could go around, as she’d learned in the sixties.

“Well, Mr. Wright, we know they’re heading west. It should only be a matter of time until we learn their destination.”

He nodded politely and professionally. Those two qualities were what had first landed him in Purity’s employ in the first place. “I’ll see to it that things are handled appropriately.”

She caught his wrist as he turned to go. Wright stopped abruptly. He had seen the hidden strength in those slim fingers used on others, and had no wish to experience it firsthand.

Purity released him gently. “I’ve decided that I would like to handle this. It’s a rather personal matter.”

Wright nodded. “I understand, madam. If you would like to put down this one yourself, I’ll make sure you get that chance.”

He left the room. Purity turned to look out the window. A unicorn, here. She wasn’t sure whether to be excited or apprehensive. One thing was for certain, however. Purity was going to kill it if that was the last thing she ever did.

Chapter 7

Rarity focused on her sewing. A frown adorned her face as she tried to keep her mind on task. A few words kept echoing through her head. You may have been a pony, but right now you’re a goddamned predator. Act like it.

How could she be a destructive beast, one that ate animals for sustenance and talked about death as if it were casual conversation? The thought of her transforming into such a thing was terrifying.

“Do I really want to continue this program?” Rarity said to herself, trying to concentrate on her work. “There’s so much more danger here than Equestria. Shall I even last a month?”

Four innocen- Rarity shut her eyes in frustration. The memories of the attacks kept haunting her. As a pony, nothing had affected her this deeply. Even the worst villains of Equestria had not shown much interest in murder. She had never experienced anything so traumatic as what had happened in her first few days on Earth.

Was it true that pony magic should have gone unnoticed? Even if it was, then why was she attacked? Rarity faced the unfortunate conclusion that someone was looking for her; hunting her. Even being stalked by a giant manticore in the Everfree Forest was less frightening than this. Something was after her. Something that could think and reason.

Ponies were capable of hate, but they were not naturally violent and didn’t take their anger out physically on other ponies. People were different. Sure, there were plenty of good ones. Most of the population would never dream of killing another. It was just a few that twisted the whole situation into a nightmare where she was being hunted.

Rarity was prey.

That realization was horrifying and difficult to take. Gritting her teeth, she tried to pull herself back into her sewing. She tried not to let the situation bother her so much, but not even clothes helped.

The suitcase she had been given for her garments was made of leather—processed animal hide. It did not look like such, and before being told what the material was, Rarity had rather liked the look and the distinctive aroma.

She shook her head. Would leather have smelled pleasant to a pony senses? It certainly did to her human nose. It seemed like she was trying to fight her body about everything.

There was no other luggage available for her on short notice. Rarity did not want to touch the suitcase any more than necessary, but she realized by looking at the surface that the borrowed boots that had protected her feet were also made of leather. It was a tough yet flexible material, very practical for certain applications. That sounded very human, putting function over feelings. She sighed. Am I even myself anymore?

“Wake up, we’re almost there.”

Rarity started in her seat, surprised to have slept. She’d been dreaming about the previous night, after dinner where Morgan had made his predator comment.

Jenny moved away after waking Rarity. The others were sprawled out around the inside of the aircraft. Despite the noise of the engines, most of them were asleep. Rarity was surprised and pleased to have slept as well, although not terribly happy about her dreams.

She sighed. Even in Equestria where there were more dangerous creatures, none of them actively stalked ponies. A long-ago lesson from grade school came to Rarity. In the cycle of life, ponies were at the top of the food chain. They ate plants, which grew from nutrients in the soil and energy from the sun. Here on Earth, even if she wasn’t about to be eaten, there was still someone who wanted her dead. The food chain was the worst possible place to be at the bottom looking up. Worst of all, there was nothing she could do about it. Sure, magic helped, but that couldn’t undo murder.

The plane jolted suddenly and Rarity jumped in surprise. The engines changed pitch and she felt deceleration. It seemed that they had landed. A few minutes passed as the aircraft maneuvered into a parking position. Bear gestured to the nearby vehicle that was strapped securely to the floor of the cargo hold. It was larger than most cars and had more seats.

“It’s a full-size SUV,” said Rob, grinning. “The American way.”

“I thought we were supposed to keep you away from big trucks,” said Jenny. “The last time that happened, you were back to country music before too long.”

“Oh yeah.” Rob’s face fell. “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

The rear door of the airplane began to open as Bear finished unstrapping the vehicle. The six of them got in and drove down the ramp onto the pavement.

The airport—Portland International, Veronica said—looked much the same as the one they had left. Most of the airplanes were larger and more colorful, however. That apparently was the difference between military and civilian aviation.

Rarity hadn’t taken the opportunity to look around much at the airport they had departed from. Being shot at and soaked with blood had made her less of a sightseer. She studiously ignored her crusty clothing as she took in the sights of the large city around them. A light rain was falling, making everything artificially grey and placid.

Portland, Oregon was apparently not even close to being the largest city in the United States, but it seemed large enough to Rarity. They drove on, crossing a river called the Columbia into a different state, Washington.

“Wait a moment, wasn’t Washington the place where the other airport was?” asked Rarity.

“Washington the city. This is Washington the state,” explained Jenny.

“At least it’s not so confusing,” said Morgan. “They’re on the opposite sides of the fucking country.”

“Unlike Vancouver, which is the name of two different cities close to each other,” added Bear. “One is right here by Portland. The other is only about three hundred miles away in Canada.”

Rarity frowned. Vanhoover was a place she was familiar with in Equestria. The similarities between the two worlds only served to highlight the extreme differences. That thought almost succeeded in pulling her into another roller coaster of emotions. Seeing Rob looking at her, Rarity quickly tried to get herself under control. She didn’t need another lecture, or worse, pity.

They continued driving. Minutes passed, and the city began to fade into smaller buildings and houses, giving way to trees and narrower roads. In the distance was a lone mountain with a misshapen peak, thrust into the sky all by itself and shrouded in rainclouds. The vehicle was headed in that direction.

Traveling inside personal conveyances seemed convenient for going places, but unlike a train getting up to take a stroll wasn’t practical. Rarity spotted a few large vehicles moving on rails. They looked nothing like trains in Equestria.

The weather didn’t change, staying rather grey as the road continued to become more primitive until it was just a dirt path winding through the woods. It ended at a large house, which resembled an oversized log cabin. The structure was made of varnished logs, with a green metal roof. Despite its rustic appearance, it looked like fairly new construction. Rarity thought it was rather quaint and charming, and much better than being buried in an underground bunker.

“It’s terrible,” muttered Bear. “Isolated, huge windows, and thick forest to mask assailants.”

Rarity sighed. Maybe she was right. The point of coming here was for protection, after all. They all got out and carried their possessions inside. The upper room Rarity was given had already been outfitted with furniture. From her window, she could see the distant mountain and a view of a lake hidden among the trees behind the house.

Going back downstairs, she found Veronica picking through some supplies that had been waiting for them. It looked like canned food and a few other odds and ends of non-edibles, which for some reason included a bolt of camouflage cloth.

“We could have stopped somewhere for lunch, but I think everyone just wanted to get here and set up,” Veronica grumbled. “I’m really hungry.”

She sorted through the cans. Rarity recognized the vegetables, but not something called “Chicken of the Sea.” She decided that she didn’t want to know.

Rarity looked at the cloth. It was not the pattern she really desired, but anything would be better than the still-bloody clothing she was wearing. She selected a can of mixed fruit from the assortment. It wasn’t much of a lunch, but Rarity wanted to be finished eating and in front of her sewing machine as quickly as possible.

After quickly downing the contents of the can, she carried the bolt of cloth upstairs. Within a few minutes she had developed a design and began working. This outfit would be unfortunately utilitarian, but if she was going to need sturdy clothing then she might as well plan for it. The human methods of doubling up wear points and installing pleats in flexible zones seemed sound enough. That didn’t mean she couldn’t put her own variation on it for practicality.

Rarity realized that she was going to have to incorporate boots into the outfit. She couldn’t simply wrap her feet in cloth. What if wearing a dead creature’s skin was truly the best way to protect herself? What was the tradeoff between function and feelings?

She sighed. Statistics were not her strong suit. That was more of Twilight’s thing. Her friend would probably look at the data and rank numbers over emotional impact. Rainbow and Applejack would also probably go that way, wanting results over sentiments. Pinkie and Fluttershy would be less likely to be accept leather.

On the other side of that, Rarity knew what all her current associates would undoubtedly choose. However, was that different because they were all in danger more often? Now that Rarity was in that same situation, should she let that affect her opinion?

The obvious choice was yes. As much as she hated to do it, her own safety had to come before her choice in footwear. In fact, looking at it like that, why had the decision been so difficult in the first place?

Rarity continued to work. She knew some spells to enhance clothing. A few to help the stitches stay tight and the fabric to be more resistant to rips. There was another enchantment she decided to perform in order to make the cloth less absorbent. The possibility of being covered in blood hadn’t occurred to Rarity before that morning, but she was going to make sure it never happened again.

It could also keep me dry in the rain, she mused. Funny how that purpose seemed to come second.

Rarity did not know any really powerful protection spells, if those even existed for clothing. Surely with all the death and destruction humans caused to each other they had something for defense. Those thoughts continued as Rarity finally removed her soiled clothing and had a pleasant shower in the room next door.

The advantage of an upright body was less floorspace needed. All Rarity had to do in order for the warm water to reach every part of her was turn slowly under the shower head instead of alternately rinsing front and rump.

Back in her room, she tried on the new outfit. It fit perfectly, just as she had designed. There was still something she wanted to add, however. Rarity headed downstairs, encountering Bear. The woman looked impressed. “Did you make that in the time since we got here? It looks good.”

“Thank you. Speaking of apparel, there’s something I was meaning to ask you about.”

“What’s that?” Bear said.

Rarity cleared her throat. “Armor.”

Author's Note

In the creation of this chapter, Northwest Brony wrote a 8000-word information paper, documented several senic vistas, researched overhead imagery, and may or may not have fallen under scrutiny of Air Force security.

He likes details and is not afraid to go get them, is what I'm saying. With all that raw data, this story should get way more cool.

Chapter 8

Rarity stood on the back porch of the cabin, watching the rain fall over the lake. The awning above her head pattered softly with the raindrops. The day had already been a long, difficult one and it wasn’t even dinner time yet. It was on the upswing, however.

None of the body armor she had access to fit perfectly. Rarity had expected crafted metal plates like the Royal Guard in Canterlot wore. Instead, most human armor was made with ceramics and a strange cloth called Kevlar. It was a synthetic fiber—made from chemicals. Morgan commented, “A triumph of science over magic. And it’s fucking wonderful.”

Rarity had never encountered a woven fabric that was literally stronger than steel. Bear informed her that when it was tooled into a vest with strategically placed ceramic plates it would stop most of the largest bullets available. The whole set was lighter than metal, as well.

Unfortunately, there was no material available for Rarity to begin work crafting her own personal armor. It could be ordered easily enough, however. She excitedly requested everything that could be obtained from the equipment supplier. She didn’t recognize the names of some of it, but was sure she could find a use for everything.

Veronica stepped outside, joining Rarity on the porch. She stood for a moment, looking at the landscape.

“It’s lovely scenery,” commented Rarity, “even in the rain.”

Veronica nodded. “It’s interesting the different landscapes you can see just traveling across the country. I’m from Utah, which has some forests too, but most people think of red rocks and desert.”

“Do all of you have diverse backgrounds?” asked Rarity.

“Sure. Morgan and Rob are both from Indianapolis, but couldn’t be more different. Where you’re from might have a small impact on who you are, but it’s not really important. What you do with yourself isn’t limited by where you were born.”

Rarity knew that well. From humble beginnings in Ponyville, her designs had become noted in the highest circles of Canterlot. Similarly, Twilight had become the mare she was by experiencing a much different place.

Of course, those thoughts led her to contemplate Earth. There was certainly nothing stopping her from living like the people around her, but did she want to? Could she?

When in Roam… Rarity frowned. Of course, humans spelled it Rome, but clearly the expression was universal. While everypony was taught from foalhood to always be themselves, was there a limit?

“We thought it might be nice to find a restaurant this evening and explore the area a little,” commented Veronica.

“Sounds lovely,” agreed Rarity. “Perhaps we could go sightseeing soon. The mountain looks like a good place for a picnic.”

“Oh, that’s Mount St. Helens,” said Veronica. “It’s a volcano.”

“Wha…and you thought it would be a good idea to come here?” demanded Rarity.

“Perfect place for a secret base. Besides, it hasn’t had a real eruption for thirty years or so.”

Rarity shook her head. “I’m going to go get ready for dinner.” She turned, accidentally catching her boot on an uneven porch board that threw her off balance. A convenient mud puddle was waiting to catch her fall.

Her displeased shout was muffled by the rain and damp forest. Veronica stepped off the porch and helped Rarity to get up. It seemed that her spell was keeping her clothing clean, but there was mud on the rest of her.

“This isn’t going to be easy to get out of your hair,” commented Veronica. “I’d suggest cutting it, but I wouldn’t want you to go full G.I. Jane.”

Rarity groaned and went inside to clean up. At least smooth human skin was easier to clean than her usual pelt. After coming out of the shower for the second time that day, Rarity borrowed some clothing that vaguely fit her in order to blend in more successfully with the local population. It was her understanding that there were few military bases in this part of the country and on top of that, the uniform she’d crafted was not regulation at all. What an irony—camouflage would get her noticed.

The six of them got into the SUV. It was a little early for dinner, and Jenny pointed the vehicle along a scenic route. Despite the rain, Rarity appreciated the tour.

There was a town called Ridgefield to the south and west of the cabin. It was not their ultimate destination, and they kept driving. Rarity looked out the window. The buildings were unlike anything that could be found in Equestria, but it had the same small-town feel as Ponyville. It looked like there was quite a bit of agricultural industry.

Swinging her gaze to a fenced pasture, Rarity’s eyes went wide. “Stop!”

“The fuck?” Morgan demanded as his head bounced off the seat in front of him.

Rarity was free of her seatbelt and out the door as soon as the vehicle stopped. She ran across the road and skidded to a halt in front of a barbed wire fence.

“Hello!”

A brown and black equine creature glanced up from the grassy pasture.

“I’m so glad to meet you. Pardon my appearance, I’m not really one of them.” Rarity gesticulated over her shoulder. “Do you know how unpleasant it is to get used to an entirely new body? I must say—”

Rarity paused, considering the blank look on the horse’s face. “Terribly sorry! It’s this spell that makes me speak the local language. Let’s see…”

Digging into her memory, Rarity managed to come up with her native tongue. She repeated her introduction, polished somewhat now that she’d had a chance to revise. There was still no comprehension from her conversation partner. In fact, the horse ignored her and went back to munching grass.

Shocking realization hit Rarity so hard that she took a step back from the fence and tripped, landing in the wet grass. She sat for several seconds, trying to process her jumbled thoughts. The animal in front of her didn’t look exactly like a pony, but the resemblance was close enough that wishful thinking had bridged the gap.

Rarity slowly got up, feeling like a fool, but also even more isolated than before. This was not Equestria. She was not a pony.

It was lucky that Rarity had also applied the waterproofing spell to this set of clothes, but her hair would be wet. She climbed back into the vehicle. The rest studiously pretended that they hadn’t seen her little episode.

It was silent for a few minutes. Rarity was deep in thought, but not so much that she failed to comment on a sign that read Now entering Battleground. “What a dreadful name for a town.”

There was a historical plaque barely visible through the rain. They stopped to read it. The name turned out to be an ironic one, denoting the lack of a battle in the area. That didn’t make any sense to Rarity either, but she supposed that it was better than the alternative.

They continued on to a restaurant that looked promising. The night’s special dish was on display near the door. The sign read Alaskan Halibut Caprese. It contained layers of tomato, basil leaves, and mozzarella cheese, seasoned with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Everything was artfully arranged atop a neat fillet of white fish. It smelled fantastic.

Rarity felt saliva begin to trickle into her mouth, but she quickly pulled her gaze from the dish and followed the group into the interior of the restaurant. They were soon seated by the hostess and given menus.

The selection was not large, Rarity discovered. Better restaurants strove for quality over quantity. Running her eyes over the list of vegetarian dishes failed to turn up anything she couldn’t get in Ponyville.

Her stomach growled. A salad might be filling, but Rarity was unsure if it would satisfy her. Her thoughts strayed back to the special. She could feel what her body wanted.

Rarity folded her hands carefully. They seemed to be subtlly trembling as her nerves twitched in anticpation of the decision that lay in front of her. Instincts existed for a reason. Was it wrong—morally or physically—to go against them? The answer was clearly not a simple yes or no.

The waitress came over. “Are you all ready to order?”

It was a good thing the restaurant was quiet so Rarity could be heard. She wasn’t sure she had the courage to repeat herself. At almost a whisper she said, “I’ll have the halibut special.”

After filling her notepad with orders, the waitress departed. Several minutes passed while Rarity stared at the table. She had little interest in the conversation around her, thinking about what would be delivered to her place setting. The broiled fillet had an interesting aroma, much better than the dead fish Fluttershy fed to some of her animals. But I don’t have to eat it. The garnish looked lovely by itself. That raised an interesting point. Which was worse—tasting meat for the first time or being so impolite to order something she didn’t intend to eat?

Rarity didn’t have much time to ponder. The special dish came out of the kitchen quickly, delivered by the waitress. “Enjoy!”

Rarity nodded and smiled, turning to her dish. She looked up, but the rest of the table carefully ignored her. For that, she silently thanked them. An audience would only make this more difficult.

She picked up her fork and held it for a moment, trying to decide on a target. The grain of the fillet was spaced almost perfectly for bite-size pieces. She poked at it, somewhat surprised that the meat separated easily. It didn’t look like it required any ripping or tearing on her part.

Carefully lifting a small piece of the fish with her fork, Rarity gave it a closer look. It was white and accented with a seasoned brunette mixture of vinegar and olive oil. It did not look like meat at all. She swallowed hard and put it in her mouth.

The deep taste was that of the sour vinegar, but beneath it and the other seasonings was a light flavor that correlated with the scent of the fare. Rarity chewed. Even her flat molars made quick work of the tender meat. She swallowed.

Finished with the first bite, Rarity paused. She didn’t feel any different. If anything, somewhat relieved. She lowered the fork again. I can do this.

She did not eat hurriedly. That would have been unladylike. Diverting her attention, to the people around her, Rarity let her focus shift to the rest of dinner, rather than merely what was on her plate. She thought that a few questioning looks might have come her way, but was somewhat glad that there was no grand Pinkie-style party for her induction into the carnivore club.

The conversation began to pick up. Most of it was fielded by Jenny, who only had a glass of water and no food to occupy her mouth.

“Maybe we could explore the town a little,” she suggested. “We might be here for a while.”

“Maybe find something with a high alcohol content to drink,” suggested Morgan.

“Most ponies just use it for fuel or antiseptic,” commented Rarity.

“Well, that’s humanity for you,” said Rob. “Always discovering some sort of mood-altering substance to imbibe.”

Veronica nodded. “Exactly. And it’s awesome.”

“All right, but I want you all to be responsible,” said Bear, sounding like a mother. “Try to limit yourselves to less than a dozen each.”

“But that’s not going to get me drunk,” argued Veronica, sounding serious.

Bear put the car keys in her hand. “That’s the point, someone has to stay sober-ish.”

“One of these days I’m not going to be the new kid anymore,” Veronica grumbled.

“That’s not why we pick on you,” commented Rob. “You just have the highest tolerance.”

Veronica grumbled something unintelligible about body mass. Rarity cleared her throat. “I volunteer to stay sober.” Trying two new things in one evening might be just a little more adventure than she could handle.

“You can’t drive,” Jenny reminded her.

“What about you?” asked Rarity. “I thought you could only have blood.”

Jenny shrugged. “I’ll be sick, but too drunk to care.”

The waitress delivered the check. As it was being handled, Rob shot Morgan a look in reply to an errant thought. “I appreciate the attempt, but the ‘walks into bar’ jokes aren’t any funnier when you add a unicorn.”

Chapter 9

The drinking establishment was rather rustic, perhaps not intentionally so. In fact, it might have just been rough and somewhat grimy on accident. Rarity couldn’t tell. The lights were dim.

Nevertheless, there was a table for six available. Closer to the bar were a few televisions playing some sort of sporting event. A male announcer was talking excitedly about Ducks versus Beavers. Rarity hoped it was a sporting event, anyway. Most patrons of the place were focused on the show and carrying on conversations amongst themselves. Even at the rear of the room there was some background noise to talk over.

“I’ve heard that they have pretty good hard cider around here,” commented Bear. “If you don’t know anything else about alcohol, that might be a good place to start.”

Rarity wasn’t sure if she liked the word “hard” in the description, but nodded consent. Rob had already taken a mental inventory of everyone’s orders and went to get them. Upon his return, he set a glass of amber liquid in front of Rarity.

It tasted like cider, but with an appropriately named hard undertone. Rob distributed various bottles and glasses to the rest of the group.

“Heads up,” murmured Rob to Veronica as he handed her a drink. “You’ve got someone making eyes at you.”

Rarity felt slightly insulted that that she wasn’t the first to get noticed by the locals. Then again, this is what she got by deciding to go without makeup. She took another sip of her beverage.

“Do you want me to discourage him by acting like your boyfriend?” asked Rob.

Veronica considered that for a moment. “It’s a tough decision, but I’d rather deal with a creep I don’t know.”

“Get ready, here he comes.”

Veronica hunched a little lower in her chair. Rob picked up his drink, hiding a smile. Rarity thought that he might be anticipating a show.

The man that approached seemed only slightly intoxicated. He moved to Veronica’s side. “Hey there, I was wondering if I could buy you a drink.”

Veronica held up her bottle. “I already have one. You have five seconds to come up with a better line than that.”

“You don’t have to be that way,” he said, sounding somewhat offended. “I haven’t seen you around before, so are you just passing through? Looking for something short term? So am I.”

“You wouldn’t like me,” replied Veronica coolly.

It was a clear setup, and the man took the bait. “Why’s that?”

Veronica got up, her height no longer hidden. She was nearly a foot taller than the man. He took a surprised step backwards and she leaned towards him. “Why’s that? I’d break you in half.”

Rob’s amusement got the best of him and he cracked up. The man’s face flashed red and he started to edge backwards. One of his more inebriated companions appeared just then. “What’s going on here?”

The second man surveyed the situation and decided Rob was the easiest target with his eyes closed and laughing mouth open. As he stepped forward, Veronica moved her foot slightly to trip him. Rob sensed the stumbling man coming and slid sideways, letting him fall against the table.

Rob got up and helped the man stand upright. “There, we all get a little tipsy sometimes.”

He was clearly giving the man an out. Instead of taking it, he threw a punch. Rob ducked it effortlessly, as he had seen it coming. He shoved the man in Veronica’s direction. She put her hands up to catch him, still trying to de-escalate the fight.

The first man unwisely decided to come to the aid of his friend. Veronica shoved the man in her grasp back towards Rob and threw up one long arm to intercept the attack coming her way. Her hand pressed against the man’s collarbone, keeping him out of range as his fist went sailing harmlessly past her face. Then she reared back and kicked him in the chest.

He hit the floor hard and slid for a couple of feet. Apparently the two men had other friends, as a few were already helping him up and advancing angrily on the table of six.

The man Rob was dealing with kept throwing decent punches, but Rob was better at getting out of the way. There was an angry shriek, “Get away from my boyfriend!” A woman attacked him at the same time. Rob feinted to the side and she went right past, missing his body completely.

Rarity had nervously gotten up from her seat when the fighting broke out. She was currently standing behind and to the side of Rob. Apparently, when the woman failed to connect with him, she decided that Rarity was a fine secondary target. Rarity flinched away and the woman’s onrushing fist glanced off her cheek, rather than the intended target of her nose.

There was pain. It was possible that the scabs Rarity had gained from earlier attacks had split open. She took quick steps backwards, fear washing through her. There were no weapons this time and her assailant probably didn’t want her dead, but being so close and personal amplified the intensity of the emotion.

Rarity’s hand curled into a tight ball and she swung, smacking the woman’s nose. Blood blossomed from under her knuckles, accompanied by a cry of anguish. The woman stumbled away, hands covering her face.

Rarity felt a spark of magic in the air and saw Morgan hit someone. The unfortunate attacker traveled a longer distance across the floor than Veronica’s kick had produced. Morgan turned and picked up his glass, sipping casually.

Rob appeared to have become bored with dodging attacks and simply pushed his opponent to the floor. Veronica was the last one with a foe to deal with. She grabbed the man charging in her direction by the shirt and belt, rotating him over her hip and slamming him down on the table. Bear and Jenny grabbed their drinks at the last second as the table collapsed in front of them.

The six of them stood there somewhat awkwardly as every face in the bar gaped in their direction. Bear threw out a handful of cash and turned for the door. Rarity hurried after her, the others somewhat slower.

“Does…does this kind of thing happen often?” stuttered Rarity, as she felt her face and hand for injury. Her system was buzzing with adrenaline, and she couldn’t figure out how her hand had clenched into a fist seemingly by its own accord. She hadn’t expected human instincts to be so powerful, or focused on aggression.

“Not often,” said Jenny. “But this isn’t the first time.”

“And why didn’t you help?” demanded Rarity, looking between her and the other member of the group that hadn’t participated.

Bear shrugged. “We didn’t want to kill anyone.”

“Are you sure?” Rarity looked at Veronica. “You destroyed a table with a person!”

“Mostly it’s about momentum.” Veronica shrugged. “He’ll be sore, but fine.”

“Same for the guy that was all over me,” added Rob. “I barely touched him.”

“The one I hit will be unconscious for a little while, but that’s the alcohol’s fault, not mine,” said Morgan. “Force spells and booze aren’t a good combo.”

Rarity looked at them all and shook her head. “I think I may have broken that woman’s nose.”

Morgan grinned. “You’re a dangerous motherfucker.”

The airplane was somewhat late arriving. The passengers, already grumpy from an evening flight, were not very talkative and generally looked displeased. One man, however, stood out.

His face contained no hostility, despite his rather grim black clothing. As the baggage came off the carousel, an airport employee was reading off the nametags in an effort to speed up the process and perhaps quell passenger complaints.

“Mr. Wright?”

The man in black stepped forward. "That would be me."

The worker looked interested as he spoke. “You don’t sound like you’re from around here. What brings you to Portland?”

Wright smiled. “Business.”

Chapter 10

The next day was mostly spent learning more about the area surrounding the cabin. The rain had cleared away, leaving behind a pleasant sunny sky. Rarity took a walk around the lake. Somewhat to her surprise, she was able to keep her thoughts on the scenery and generally enjoy herself without stressing out over something related to life on Earth.

The mountain—volcano—dominated the horizon. It did not seem to be close to an eruption, so Rarity cautiously ignored it.

Birds were chirping, and Rarity lifted a borrowed pair of binoculars to get a better look at the treetops. There was a sudden rushing noise accompanied by a ear-splitting roar from the sky. Rarity shrieked and fell to the ground, landing in a mud puddle.

At least it hadn’t been the same one she had tripped into from the loose porch board, but that didn’t help. Rolling over, Rarity saw two small aircraft circle the area. Looking through the binoculars, she saw a helmeted pilot in each. The planes appeared to be quite fast and maneuverable. Oregon Air National Guard was painted on their tails.

Rarity muttered something unladylike and picked herself up. The jets came around again, diving low towards the lake. Rarity wondered if they were practicing something. She grumpily retreated into the cabin.

After a shower to remove the mud, she settled in to wait out the jets. The internet connection had been set up, and Veronica lent Rarity a computer. She had been briefed on the World Wide Web, and had found it not to her liking. She had no credit card to buy things and the people there were mostly disagreeable. Still, it was useful for passing time, even if unsavory things occasionally popped up.

In the course of her browsing, Rarity happened across a phrase that seemed vaguely familiar. She chewed her lip for a moment, trying to remember where she had heard G.I. Jane before. Oh right, it was something Veronica had said. She clicked the link, leading to a website called Netflix that began to play a movie. Rarity wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but settled in to watch.

Two hours later, the film was over. Rarity sat for a moment, completely unsure what she’d just experienced. It may have been what Morgan referred to as “badass.”

Rarity thought about returning to her nature hike, but on the way downstairs realized she was hungry. The refrigerator still had not been filled.

A small bird landed on the kitchen windowsill, taking a moment to rest its wings. Rarity stared at it. While she wasn’t that hungry, she wondered; could she eat it?

A whole new food group opening up would lead anyone to be curious, but tearing apart songbirds sounded terribly inefficient, if nothing else. A sudden shake of her head cleared those thoughts away, but not before Rob came through the room. He gave her a strange look. “I understand trying new things, but maybe you’d like to experience everything a restaurant has to offer before we teach you to hunt for yourself.”

Rarity’s face flushed. “I’m sorry, this is still new to me.”

Rob nodded. “I recommend you just try the basics for now. Beef is always a good choice. Maybe we can go to—”

“You are not taking Rarity to McDonalds for her first red meat experience,” said Bear, coming in.

“How did you know what I was thinking?” asked Rob, surprised.

“Keep trying. You’ll move into a higher class with the rest of us soon enough,” said Morgan, who had come in after Bear. He checked the empty fridge. “Ah son of a bitch, what kind of fucking shit is this?”

Bear’s mouth twitched, hiding mirth. She said, “Why don’t you three go get some groceries, then?”

“All right.” Rob grabbed the keys, but then turned around with a sudden idea. “Can we teach Rarity to drive?”

“That might be a worse idea than McDonald’s.” Bear paused. “But I suppose she might as well learn.”

“This is going to be just great,” muttered Morgan.

A new turn of phrase that G.I. Jane taught Rarity seemed to pop out on its own. “Morgan, suck my dick.”

Judging by the faces of all present, Rarity decided that perhaps movies were not great things to learn from.

After that, things were awkward.

Chapter 11

They didn’t go to McDonald’s, but Rarity saw the sign as they drove by.

“Billions and billions served?” she asked, incredulous.

“At one quarter-pound serving each, that’s a lot of cows,” commented Rob from the front passenger seat.

Even if Bear hadn’t requested taking Rarity somewhere else, she was glad that they went to a different restaurant, even if it was a similar operation to McDonalds. It was called Burgerville, and was a local chain to Portland.

Rarity wasn’t sure if grinding the beef into a patty made it more or less appetizing in her mind. Luckily, it was sandwiched between two pieces of bread, so she didn’t have to think about it too much. She took her first bite and contemplated it carefully. It was not as artful or subtle as the fish she’d tried, but the taste on her tongue was pleasant. With only trace amounts of guilt, she carried on eating. The accompanying french fries weren't bad, either.

After lunch, the three of them went to buy groceries. The store was much larger than anything Rarity had ever seen before. It seemed like absolutely anything food-related could be bought there. Rob picked up on her wonder. “If you think this is impressive, we could go to Wal-Mart where they sell everything besides food.”

“Control yourself,” muttered Morgan. “We don’t need you having a fucking redneck episode today.”

“All of you keep using that word,” said Rarity. “I’m afraid I’m missing something.”

“Do you have any friends who are a little more…country than everyone else?” asked Morgan.

Of course Rarity did. “Yes.”

“Taken to the extreme, it becomes an overwhelming way of life and such people sometimes get looked down on by the rest of society.”

“Is that what happened to you?” Rarity asked Rob.

“For a while,” he admitted. “I’ve been getting better, but occasionally have a relapse.”

“You poor thing,” she said. “I’ll have to make you something stylish. That should help, correct?”

Morgan snorted with laughter and Rob gave him dirty looks. This persisted most of the way back. It was terribly distracting as Rarity tried to concentrate on driving.

Being behind the wheel was somewhat exciting but mostly terrifying. The slightest miscalculation could send the vehicle hurtling off the road at a speed that could probably liquefy the occupants.

“That’s an imaginative mental image you’ve got,” commented Rob. Rarity momentarily jerked the wheel towards the side ditch, watching in the rearview mirror as he frantically clutched for something to hang on to before realizing the SUV hadn’t left the road.

Veronica had called this type of behavior “trolling,” which was a term that was apparently invented on the internet. Rarity thought it was unbecoming, but wasn’t afraid to stoop to it.

They did arrive back at the cabin in one piece, although Rarity had decided that perhaps driving was not for her. She knew that other kinds of lessons would probably begin again soon, but was a little surprised at what exactly they wanted her to do. “I only learned how to be bipedal a few days ago. I think running might be a bit much.”

“There’s always strength training,” suggested Bear.

Rarity’s mouth twitched. “I suppose a nice jog could be nice.”

Not surprisingly, Bear and Jenny were the fastest. Morgan was surprisingly fleet, quicker even than Veronica with her long legs. Rob was apparently the one who was usually at the back, but with Rarity around he was relieved of that position.

She completed a lap around the lake, stopping to catch her breath. “Why-” pant, pant, “Why is this a useful skill?”

“Good cardiovascular health is a cornerstone of overall fitness,” explained Jenny. “It’s too bad you mortals have to work for it.”

Rarity shot her an acid look but pushed on. She was already sweating, so slowing down wouldn’t keep her any cleaner. Tripping into a mud puddle, however, was a completely different matter.

“Hasn’t this happened to you a couple of times in the past few days?” asked Veronica, helping her up.

“I hope I don’t make a habit of it,” muttered Rarity.

Chapter 12

The next few days passed surprisingly quickly. Rarity received her Kevlar and happily set about fashioning fashionable armor out of it. A few other things had come with the delivery, too, some of which Rarity didn’t recognize but decided to ask about later. Of interest, there were a few green, pineapple-shaped objects marked with explosive warnings.

Much of her gear she made herself. It was all highly personal, and made Rarity feel that she had a greater connection to it. She reluctantly decided to incorporate leather, remembering how useful a material it was. This was particularly useful for a pair of custom pistol holsters that Rarity hand-tooled. She did not particularly see the need for “redundant backup,” but preferred having a second gun for the balanced weight of one on each side.

Rarity decided to apply her toughening and waterproofing spells later, after she was satisfied with the creation of her uniform. Alterations could sometimes affect clothing magic.

These were not the kind of items she could wear in town, however. Rarity had regular clothes for that. She wore them on an evening trip to Battleground.

The six of them decided to again try their luck at drinking. Rarity was nervous, based on her first experience, even though she was assured that fights were not always guaranteed when alcohol was concerned.

A few of the patrons in the bar looked familiar, and they certainly recognized the newcomers. Conversation dropped to quieter levels as they were seated.

“We should be good,” reported Rob. “We’ve made an impression and now the locals don’t want to mess with us.”

While Rarity had never wanted to be known for violence and conflict, she had to admit that it was better than being considered weak. She just wished that there hadn’t been a scuffle involved in creating that reputation.

A man hesitantly approached. Rarity recognized him as one who had been involved in the fight and watched him somewhat anxiously. He walked up to the table. They all turned to stare at him.

He swallowed nervously. “I just wanted to say…we’re cool. I put everything behind me. No more trouble.”

Rob nodded, throwing a sympathetic look onto his face. “It’s understandable. We all do things we aren’t proud of sometimes. No harm done.”

The visitor relaxed. “That’s good. I didn’t want things to be rough.” He turned to go but stopped. “Oh, there was some guy in here the other day asking about all of you. He sounded British. No idea who he was.”

Once again, the drinking was curtailed, although this time to make emergency plans. Someone who knew about the six of them could be serious trouble.

“Who are we aware of that is British and knows about us?” asked Bear as they drove hastily back to the cabin.

“That depends,” said Morgan. “Do they hate us?”

“If that’s the case, probably the whole nation,” commented Jenny. “I heard relations went south after we exported Jersey Shore.”

“Is it the Templars?” asked Rob.

“They aren’t necessarily British,” answered Veronica.

“Why can’t they be Templars?” whined Rob. “At least they have cool novels written about them and we would know where we stand.”

“Would one of you like to tell me what is going on?” broke in Rarity.

“We left Raven Rock because our cover had been blown,” explained Morgan. “Now someone shows up asking about us, and it sure as fucking fuck looks like we’ve been exposed again.”

“Your swearing is getting increasingly creative,” muttered Veronica.

Rarity considered the situation. “For a secret government agency, it seems that you’re rather...not secret.”

“No shit, Sherlock!” shouted everyone.

Chapter 13

With the revelation that someone might be hunting them all, Rarity was encouraged to increase her skill with weapons. To that end, the property around the cabin was converted into a complex simulated battlefield. Rarity was taught how to move while shooting and how to employ grenades.

“Careful, you aren’t allowed any fuckups with these,” said Morgan.

After blowing up a few practice targets, Rarity believed him. She also wondered what the neighbors would think about the explosions. Hopefully they were far enough away that the noise didn’t bother them too much.

Rarity quickly found something she was good at, however. Precision shooting seemed less fast-paced and more suited to her skill set. There was a bit more satisfaction in hitting a longer-range target.

The sniper rifle she was given was not similar to the businesslike assault weapons Rarity had been using. It was longer, sleeker, and had been carefully crafted by an artisan; or so she had been told. Perhaps Rob was being overdramatic. All Rarity knew was that it seemed to fit well in her hands. She didn’t even mind the associated gear to turn the rifle from a single weapon into a whole system.

There was a swivel on the bottom of the foregrip with a leather strap connected to it. It looped around Rarity’s upper arm. She put on a padded glove and placed it against the swivel. The strap and her arm formed a triangle for stability.

Because of the tightness of the strap, Rarity had to use her opposite hand to force the butt of the rifle into her shoulder. After shaking out her other arm to get things settled, Rarity leaned forward into the weapon, finding that her body naturally curved to line up with the stock of the rifle as she settled forward onto the elbow pads she had strapped on.

Jenny stood by, observing. “You’re a little tense in the shoulders. If you’ve gotten things adjusted right, you should be able to relax like a wet noodle and everything should stay in position.”

Acting like a wet noodle was not Rarity’s idea of being ladylike, but she let her body droop. The leather strap kept her arm tight and the rifle did not move.

“There, now that all your muscles are relaxed you won’t have any involuntary twitches,” said Jenny. “Take a deep breath and let it out. There should be a few seconds before you need to take another breath. When not even your lungs are in motion, that’s when you’re as still as you can get. The only thing that should be moving is your trigger finger.”

Rarity turned her eyes to the magnifying scope mounted atop the rifle. Despite the distance to the target, the crosshairs stayed almost perfectly in the center. This was the kind of precision she could get used to.

“Of course, all this is just target rifle stuff,” said Jenny. “Once we teach you the basics of staying still then we’ll take away the strap and give you a bipod, something you can actually move with.”

Rarity was somewhat displeased to learn that there was an easier way. Nonetheless, she proved to be very good at long-range shooting. She wondered if perhaps a little magic could be used to affect the bullet in flight. That could be saved for another day’s practice, however.

The rest of the rifle was fairly simple to operate. The bolt only needed a partial rotation and a linear slide to operate. The scope was marked with range calculators and could reasonably estimate various distances. She tried not to think about how the target used for figuring the range was the same size and shape as a person.

The practice distances increased, and Rarity found that a measurement of five hundred yards was not a major obstacle with help from the large scope.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum from sniper rifles was hand-to-hand combat. That was even less ladylike than learning how to shoot.

“Are you sure this is fair?” asked Rarity, panting hard. She had yet to land a blow on Veronica, mostly because the tall woman could literally hold her at arm’s length without getting hit herself.

“Of course not, which is why fighting dirty is allowable as long as you win,” put in Morgan. He dodged a kick Rarity aimed at his groin as she took his advice.

“It just seems so uncivilized,” complained Rarity. “If you have ranged weapons, why not use them?”

“Ponies have mammalian birth, right?” said Morgan. “You came into this world kicking and screaming, covered in someone else’s blood. What’s wrong going out the same way?”

“We’ll get to the blood when we teach her about knives,” Veronica told him.

Between grenades, rifle equipment, blades and everything else, Rarity found that her design for a combat uniform was continuously evolving to carry all of it.

Despite some of the more unsavory parts, overall the day was productive and Rarity felt that she had learned a lot. Unfortunately, that evening the mood shifted rapidly with the breaking of bad news. The mysterious British man had been identified. However Mr. Wright, as he was called, was not the big problem.

“That would be his boss,” explained Bear. “She goes by Purity, and the only thing we really know about her is that she hates magic.”

“And is probably very old,” added Veronica.

“How old is that?” asked Rarity.

“We managed to uncover traces of the bitch that go back a couple thousand years,” put in Morgan. “Her minions change periodically as they live out their natural lives, but she stays the same.”

That didn’t make much sense to Rarity. “How can that happen if she hates magic?”

“That’s the problem, we don’t know,” said Rob. “Being so experienced, she knows how to cover her trail. Other than her name and the identities of a couple of her employees, we’ve got nothing.”

“But how could she have located us?” asked Rarity. She bit her lip. “Is it me? Are they tracking my magic?”

“Have you used any since we got here?” asked Veronica.

Rarity thought. “A few days ago, I applied waterproofing spells to some of my clothing. Nothing since then.”

“Well, fuck,” muttered Morgan. “At least that wasn’t enough for them to pin down an exact location. From now on, no more magic.”

Rarity nodded. With hands and fingers she had been getting along all right mostly without it, but she hoped that she didn’t slip up. She’d used magic her whole life as a pony and it had become almost instinctive.

“Okay, so we haven’t been found out completely,” said Rob. “We know Mr. Wright is in the area, though. We could capture him and do a little interrogation.”

Rarity wasn’t sure she liked what was implied by his tone.

Bear also must have caught the implication. “I’m not sure he would tell us anything. Purity has a reputation, and I doubt she would have someone working for her that wasn’t interrogation-resistant, even for a psychic.”

“Even if he doesn’t give up any information, we can still take him out of the picture,” said Jenny. The others seemed to agree.

And so Rarity found herself helping to plan a kidnapping.

Chapter 14

It was remarkably not that difficult to locate Mr. Wright. Sure, some time and effort was involved, but really that was just contacting local motels and asking if the various clerks remembered a surprise British guest.

“Well, yes ma’am, he did sound a bit like you,” said the person Rarity was speaking to. While Morgan had classified her accent as “pretentious mid-atlantic,” everyone agreed that Rarity did sound rather more posh than the average American.

The telephone was fairly simple to use, although after being exposed to the internet and firearms, merely being able to convey one’s voice over long distances did not impress Rarity much.

After acquiring Mr. Wright’s room number, the plan was set into motion. They would enter the city covertly and watch for him. Once he was confirmed to be alone in his room, then came the hard part: a snatch and grab.

“But what if he’s armed?” asked Rarity.

“So will we,” answered Bear. “Covertly, of course. No sense in stirring up bystanders if we can help it.”

“How are we supposed to get through a locked door?” Rarity pressed.

“Kick it,” said Jenny, shrugging.

Veronica thought for a moment. “Rarity, I know that using magic might help them locate you here at the cabin, but do you think you might be able to use it to breach the motel door?”

Everyone else was suddenly also deep in thought. Rarity didn’t like what she was seeing. “Darling, I’m not good with force. In case you hadn’t noticed, small precise jobs are much more my talent. What’s wrong with picking the lock?”

“I don’t know about the rest of you,” said Morgan, “but I want to see the unicorn kick down a fucking door.”

There was a general murmur of agreement. Rarity rolled her eyes. “Tell me what I need to do.”

“Should be easy,” said Rob. “Hit the door near the handle with your foot, but figure out how to do it with magic.”

“Don’t I get some practice?”

“You can’t use magic here or they’ll find us.”

Plans made, the decision was put forth to begin the next day. Lying in bed that night, Rarity did some counting and realized that she was only about a third of the way through the month. And I’m already doing operations. “Black” ops, even.

She wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Apprehensive certainly, but proud that they trusted her or scared that her life was still in danger? After contemplating it, Rarity decided that there was no reason she couldn’t feel both. That didn’t make sleeping easier.

The next day, preparations were made for the kidnapping of Mr. Wright. Rarity had to adjust her wardrobe somewhat. The mission would be carried out in civilian clothes with concealed weapons. She was reluctant to subject nicer, flimsier garments to the rigors of whatever the task required, but agreed that it was probably for the best.

Rarity also managed to quickly fashion a different style of holster for carrying a firearm concealed. A copy of a magazine called Guns and Ammo had been found inside the cabin, and she used it to get an idea of possible appearances. The inside-the-waistband version looked uncomfortable, so she stitched the leather into a compact design that rode on her belt, snug to her hip. A loose blouse was able to conceal the gun without much trouble. The weight was a concern, but Rarity decided that for surveillance purposes she would probably be sitting a lot and that at least one side should be comfortable.

The six of them got into the vehicle and headed for the city of Battleground. There was not much to do except set up at various locations in the area and wait. Photographs of Mr. Wright had been obtained, and Rarity studied them carefully as she sat with Veronica in a small café across the street from the motel.

Coffee had never been Rarity’s favorite beverage, but her companion promised not to be judgmental over several spoonfuls of sugar and liberal amounts of creamer. If they were going to sit there all day, the caffeine boost might be needed.

Fortunately, it did not turn out to be that long of a wait, but still long enough. The waitress was not pleased to have rented out a table for a few hours just to keep topping up two cups of coffee, but Veronica left enough money to compensate.

The two of them casually walked out of the café as Mr. Wright parked a car in the motel lot. Veronica tapped out a text message to the others if they hadn’t seen.

“I’ve always wondered,” murmured Rarity. “What’s the difference between a hotel and motel?”

“I think motels have the room doors on the outside and hotels have them on the inside.” Veronica scanned the area and began to cross the street with Rarity tagging along. “It’s probably lucky we got the former. That way, we don’t have to deal with desk clerks or elevators or anything. This is supposed to be just a quick in and out.”

Rarity caught a glimpse of Bear and Rob coming their way from the opposite direction. Jenny and Morgan pulled up in the SUV. They all converged on the motel room that had been rented to Mr. Wright. Bear nodded to Rarity. Nervously, she stepped forward and took a slow practice kick to line up. She drew a deep breath to steady her nerves, and then booted the door off its hinges in a shower of blue sparks.

Bear and Jenny were first through the door, but both of them stopped dead before getting very far, taking gagging breaths and unable to advance. Some sort of haze hung in the air, separating them from Mr. Wright.

“Freeze motherfucker!” shouted Morgan. He didn’t seem to be affected by the air quality, but as he tossed out his magic-imbued length of chain, Mr. Wright batted it away and shoved him into a wall.

Rob’s face was aghast, clearly from receiving an unexpected shock. If the psychic was surprised, then clearly things were not going well. He was knocked aside similarly to Morgan, falling into Veronica.

Rarity had watched the whole event unfold from outside the room. Mr. Wright clearly had training in advanced unarmed combat. More troubling was how he had been unaffected by Morgan’s magic, evaded a mind reader, and how a werewolf and vampire had been kept at bay.

Adding all that up, Rarity decided that there was only one course of action that hadn’t been tried yet. She yanked out her gun and pointed it at Mr. Wright just as he turned to see who was still a threat to him.

The shot was not a very good one. Rarity would later claim that she was under a lot of stress, which was true. The bullet did, however, lodge in Mr. Wright’s upper leg, dropping him to the floor.

While he was distracted, everyone escaped. It was not a particularly proud moment, but a retreat in one piece beat the possibility of adding the underestimation that had already been made. Somehow, Mr. Wright had been able to oppose everything—magic, stray thoughts, and supernatural creatures. The one thing he hadn’t counted on was a former pony with a handgun.

Unfortunately, that proved to be only a minor setback as well. The six of them hadn’t gone very far in the time it took Mr. Wright to awkwardly crawl to his car and begin driving with his good foot. Morgan, who was keeping an eye out the back window of the SUV, ripped off his most impressive string of profanity to date. It rather lacked enunciation, but got the point across.

The car chase that ensued was something Rarity did not hope to repeat ever again. Already untrusting of vehicles, being thrown around inside one on twisting roads while battling pursuit left an even more negative impression. It somehow got worse when Morgan grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her into the rear cargo area.

“Are you crazy?” demanded Rarity.

He shoved a grenade into her hands. “No. You’re just the only one who can make certain that this takes out his car.”

With the delay fuse on the explosive, the movement of both vehicles, and the winding road, Rarity could see how it would be difficult to make the weapon effective if it was just tossed out.

She hesitated a moment, but pulled the pin and dropped the grenade out the open window, slowing its travel until it bounced beneath the car. Mr. Wright tried to swerve but that only aided the car’s momentum toward the roadside as the grenade blew off one tire and sent the vehicle out of control.

Rarity watched as the car flipped over and crashed to a halt in the ditch She wanted to be sorry about it, but the shock of doing something so awe-inspiring made it difficult to know how exactly to feel.

Morgan clapped her on the shoulder. “Nice job. You’re a real badass now.”

She really wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Chapter 15

“This is clearly a bigger problem than we thought.” Rarity looked at the rest of them gathered around the table back at the cabin. While she knew that she was stating the obvious, Rarity felt like it needed to be said anyway.

“We weren’t expecting anything like that,” muttered Veronica. “We know that some anti- vampire and werewolf substances exist, although I don’t think we’ve ever seen it used as an aerosol weapon for area denial.”

“It’s scary,” broke in Jenny. “Kind of humbling, too. You get used to the idea of being a big, bad immortal and then something like this comes along that takes you down a peg.”

Bear nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

“What scares the shit out of me is that Mr. Wright was ready,” broke in Morgan. “We didn’t get a chance to toss his hotel room, but I would bet that we would find some sort of advanced detectors, either for magic or nonhuman beings.”

“I’m pretty sure he had blocking charms,” commented Rob. “I didn’t hear anything from his mind.”

“That in itself is pretty powerful magic,” said Morgan. He looked at the psychic. “Believe me, if I could keep you out of my head, I would. Also complicated was the magical negation he used on me. Whoever this guy is, he’s got some of the most powerful supernatural defenses we’ve ever seen.”

“And yet he didn’t attack with magic,” observed Bear. “Everything he had was for protection only.”

“Didn’t you say that—what was her name, Purity?—hated magic?” asked Rarity.

“They probably don’t think of defensive measures as actual enchantments,” said Morgan. “Besides, Purity can’t be completely abstinent from magic. She wouldn’t have lived so long otherwise.”

“Some sort of magical hypocrite,” muttered Rob. “Nice.”

“I’m going to call up some old friends,” said Bear, getting up from the table. “We could use the help.”

Rob’s eyes widened as he saw who she meant. “Really? That seems like a bit of overkill.”

“Who?” asked Rarity.

“Loowitlatkla, the fire goddess of Mount St. Helens,” supplied Bear.

“That’s the kind of overkill I can live with,” said Morgan.

Rarity decided that she would much rather have the native spirit of a volcano on her side than not. There was something she needed clarification on, however. “You’re just going to call her? They get telephone reception in the realm of the gods?”

“By ‘call up’ I meant ‘summon.’ We need to visit the mountain tomorrow.” Bear rolled her eyes. “Provided that nothing else happens before then.”

Magical studies had never been Rarity’s cup of tea. She was aware that darker, more complicated spells were out there. Summoning powerful entities was rumored, but nopony really talked about it. Twilight might know about the subject, but Rarity was sure her friend would never do something that skirted the border of decency and common sense.

The Princesses were close enough to gods that most ponies didn’t aspire for something more. On Earth, perhaps that view was different. Rarity did not know how the deities between her planet and this one compared, but suspected that she would return home at the end of the month with more questions than answers.

Bear recruited Jenny and Rob to help her plan the summoning. Morgan and Veronica began setting up a security system around the cabin that combined science and magic to hopefully detect anything approaching and be hard to foil.

The security system was complex and multilayered. It incorporated magic detectors, cameras, heat sensors, and other gadgets Rarity had no clue about. The various subsystems were integrated in such a way to be redundant and fail-safe.

For example, the magic detectors would not respond if there was a strong anti-magic presence in the area, so enchanted objects that the detectors would be constantly monitoring were placed. If something blanked out the signal, then there was anti-magic in the area. At least that’s how Rarity understood it. She just wanted to go back to making clothes.

That didn’t come to pass, however. With all the preparations and other activities going on, Rarity was the only one without an assigned task. Therefore, she was picked for first watch that night.

The concept of watch made sense. Even with the security system and sleeping light, nothing would replace an awake guard. The rotation was set up in four-hour shifts.

Rarity sat downstairs, weapons strapped on and bored out of her mind. The first hour or so hadn’t been bad. She’d gotten to watch the sun set and heard the subtle sounds of night creatures beginning to stir.

She wanted to sleep. In fact, Rarity had come within a hair of complaining about missing her beauty rest, but realized that it wouldn’t go over well. Not only didn’t the people care, survival was much more important. Rarity herself was learning that. And so she sat with nothing to do, not even clothing to work on. Observing everything that happened on the security system and around the cabin took top priority.

Rarity did allow herself a moment of self-reflection, however. Coming to Earth had been random chance. She could have picked any card that was offered, but had gotten the one corresponding to the Sol planetary system. She wondered how her friends would react to being in this situation. Truthfully, she was almost glad that it was her taking on this assignment if it kept them from having to experience it.

She sighed. Sometimes being the Element of Generosity gets me in over my head.

Shifting the rifle that lay across her knees, Rarity settled in to wait out the rest of her watch.

“Give me the short version,” said Purity, speaking into the telephone.

“The unicorn shot me in the upper leg and the rest escaped,” said Mr. Wright. “I got into my automobile and followed them, but they attacked with a grenade. I received a head trauma in the wreck. I’m very sorry, madam.”

Purity took a moment to reply as she finished making a few notes. Fighting six-on-one was never good, even with secret weapons. It would be difficult to justify punishing Mr. Wright for losing track of the unicorn and the government team even if she were an especially vengeful leader. Purity believed herself to be benevolent, even if her dedicated cause often involved the murder of magic users.

She glanced across the page she had been writing on. It was full of scribbles that looked nothing like human text. It was her old language, a system that was in use by only her organization. She finished the notes and picked up a rubber stamp to mark the page with her personal seal before filing it away. The design bore a passing resemblance to an equid hoof.

“I’m glad that you’re still alive,” she said to the telephone.

“Thanks to the defensive measures we developed,” replied Wright. “They worked perfectly. Pity we have no experience with unicorns or ways to counter them.”

That had been an oversight on Purity’s part. She never expected to encounter such a thing on Earth. After so many years of being the only transplant from another world, it was a huge revelation.

“Keep me updated,” ordered Purity. “As soon as you’re able to.”

“It won’t take long,” said Wright modestly. “I would work through any pain for you, madam.”

His loyalty was inspiring. “Thank you. We have a very important task to accomplish.”

Chapter 17

“Help us write the combat action plan,” said Bear.

Rarity blinked. “What?”

“We’re putting together contingencies for all-out battle,” said Jenny. She invited Rarity to sit with the rest of them. There were a few documents and photographs laid out on the surface of the table.

“This is the layout of the area,” said Veronica, indicating a map with markings on it. Not being a pegasus, Rarity was unused to overhead views of land.

Veronica went on. “We’re setting up control points and coordinating plans. I think everyone agrees that we should probably be prepared for anything?”

There were nods from around the table, including Rarity.

“No such thing as overkill,” said Morgan.

“I agree,” spoke Bear. “I’ll be getting us some air support.”

There were various noises of happy surprise from around the table. Seeing Rarity’s confusion, Rob clarified, “Airplanes dropping bombs on things for us.”

“Where would you get something like that?” asked Rarity.

“The Oregon Air National Guard has F-15C’s in place near Portland,” said Veronica, consulting her notes. “A better choice for ground attack would be either the A-10’s from Idaho ANG, or the F-15E’s from Mountain Home Air Force Base. Those would take a while to get here, though. A compromise might be the EA-18G’s from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.”

The phrase “Oregon Air National Guard” was the only part of that Rarity recognized. She remembered seeing fighter jets marked with that phrase flying around. If they looked impressive then, perhaps being loaded with weapons would make them very formidable indeed.

Rarity did not have watch duty that night and took the opportunity to fall asleep early. It was fortunate, because the next day was very long and complicated. A trip back to Mount St. Helens was planned, and she laid out casual clothes and hiking boots to wear the next day.

In the morning, she went with Rob into Portland to buy a car. It had been decided that a second vehicle was needed for the six of them.

“Cars are just part of America,” explained Rob. “We might as well be teaching you how to buy one. It’s part of your overall experience.”

Rarity had been given specific instructions not to let him buy any vehicle taller than her height. She was unaware if Bear had been joking, but pulled Rob away from a display of trucks. The two of them entered the dealership’s showroom, where two polished cars were on display.

Rob pointed to the black one. “This is what we want. Seating for six in a pinch, and almost double the horsepower of the base model.”

Rarity looked at both vehicles, unable to discern a difference other than color. Her mind wandered to terminology. Looking back at Equestria, the use of the term “horsepower” was rather ironic. Of course, had she not seen things from the human perspective she would never have realized it.

It was rather unfair to the salesman to be haggling prices with a psychic, although Rarity watched with interest as Rob negotiated the deal. She thought that she was missing a bit of the entire car-buying experience, suspecting there was more research involved than just walking in and pointing at one.

Based on the salesman’s surprised and pleased reaction when Rob handed him a credit card, Rarity also decided that many large purchases were probably not paid up front and in full. At the same time, she always appreciated a good shopping spree, especially at someone else’s expense.

The car was wheeled outside and Rob paused to finalize the paperwork. Rarity opened the door and sat down behind the wheel, relishing the smell of newness. She put on her seat belt, as was prudent and legal.

Rob returned, and by the look on his face it was clear that he had intended to drive. Rarity gave him a pout and he rolled his eyes in submission. That look always worked on males.

Sliding into the seat next to her, Rob shot her a look that was one part irritation at her manipulation and one part irritation that it worked on him. Rarity found a control that looked like the shifter and put the car into gear.

“Careful,” said Rob. “This car—”

His words were drowned by a sudden roar from the engine as Rarity’s foot slipped off the brake and her heavy boot trod on the accelerator. Shrieking in surprise, Rarity jammed both feet on the brake, bouncing Rob off the dashboard.

“Sorry,” she said, her voice an unintentional mimic of Fluttershy.

Rob picked himself up and put on his seat belt. “I told you it had double the horsepower.”

“That could have merely been going from ten to twenty,” said Rarity, getting the car moving, more gently this time. “Honestly Robert, how was I to know?”

Rob muttered something that sounded like it would have been an insult to a native human. He remained mostly quiet for the rest of the trip, occasionally giving directions to guide Rarity’s driving back to the mountain.

For her part, Rarity was glad there was something smaller than the SUV for her to learn to drive, even with the engine’s sensitive power output. She relaxed somewhat, still getting used to being smooth with the controls.

Back at the Mount St. Helens parking lot, the two of them got out and once again bypassed the safety lines. Loowit was waiting when they arrived inside the crater.

“You can go entertain yourself,” Loowit told Rob. “This is just between Rarity and I.”

“All right, I’ll leave you girls to your playdate.” He turned to go, stumbling slightly as a minor tremor ran through the ground. Rob looked back, clearly deciding that perhaps he should try a little more respect the next time he spoke to the volcano goddess. He kept going towards the parking lot.

“Now then Rarity,” said Loowit. “What do you know about geology?”

“If I do say so myself, I’m quite skilled at working with precious stones,” replied Rarity. She thought for a moment. “Heat and pressure from volcanoes can create diamonds, correct?”

“That’s true, although my mountain isn’t the best suited for that. I’m not patient enough for how long the process takes, either.” Loowit chuckled. “I speak to you about geology because it’s what I have to offer. I understand that your magic is rather more abstract.”

“Unicorn magic is internal,” Rarity confirmed. “I’m not a scholar of the subject, but another race—earth ponies—draw their own kind of magic from the soil.”

“Hmm.” Loowit studied Rarity. “As you’re from a completely different place in the universe, I doubt your methods are compatible with mine, but perhaps something can be adapted. Here, try this.”

Loowit raised her hand, calling a small conical pile of ash to form next to her feet. Rarity looked regretful. “I’m sorry. I can’t use magic, as it leaves a distinct signature that can be used to track me.”

Laughing, Loowit gestured to the walls of the mile-wide crater they stood in. “I can guarantee that nothing gets in or out of this place without my consent. You’re safe here.”

Encouraged, Rarity concentrated her telekinesis and built a small pile of ash of her own. Loowit judged it. “You’re just moving the particles, not interacting with them. A planet is a complicated system of interwoven parts, some of them living. It's better if you really get yourself inside the web and participate. While you might be a guest, you’re still walking the Earth and can take the opportunity to get really in tune with it.”

Rarity thought she understood, but realized it would probably take a significant amount of practice for her to fully take advantage. She nodded. “I suppose I could work on that. Is there anything else you’d like to teach me? Other than geology?”

Loowit smiled. “Don’t forget, I also know a thing or two about fire.”

Chapter 18

It had been a long afternoon. Rarity thought she understood Loowit’s instructions about intertwining her magic with the environment to really interact, but so far she had been unable to do so. The other spells came somewhat easier.

Basic thermal manipulation was a bit of a specialty for Loowit, but Rarity was gaining competency. At first her efforts only produced a mild warmth on the surface of her palms. More practice eventually resulted in a small sparkle of flame. Rarity quickly shook her hands, wary of being burned.

“Come on, you were the one controlling it,” chided Loowit. “I’m sure you wouldn’t have toasted yourself.”

“I’m also not the one who is naturally fireproof.” Rarity shook her head. “I still can’t believe magma facials work for you.”

“My own special brew,” replied Loowit, laughing.

Eventually, it came time for Rarity to go. The magic-based training was an interesting break from what she had experienced so far, but she suspected that it was not really the experience of the average human. While that might be relatively dull and boring, it was preferable to being attacked. Rarity could never quite forget that everything she was learning was for the purpose of fighting.

Rob was sleeping in the car’s backseat when she returned. Rarity thought about startling him awake with some well-placed mental imagery, but decided that nothing she could come up with would ever compete with human media.

In her browsing on the internet, Rarity had seen things no pony would ever hope to experience talked about casually as if it were the weather. By the same token, there was also a lot of good and interesting compensation. Rarity had discovered that she preferred older media, the black and white cartoons without voices. It reminded her more of Equestrian animation style, and Mickey Mouse was rather adorable. She would have to investigate this mysterious Disney company further.

Rob woke up when Rarity opened the driver’s door. He sat up. “Mind if I drive?”

She gave him the pouting face again. “But I’m the one who needs the practice. Besides, you can have plenty of time with the car after I go home.”

Rarity knew she needed more experience driving, but mostly she just wanted to annoy Rob. He probably didn’t get enough of that in his life, and it was nice to know that she could still persuade males to give her what she wanted.

“You’re devious,” muttered Rob. He sighed and brightened somewhat. “Good. That quality will help you stay alive.”

Rarity pondered that as she put the car into gear. While she was no Applejack, lying and cheating were not vices she often indulged in. She supposed that rules like that went out the window when life-or-death situations were involved. She absently reached to where the pistol was digging into her side. While she’d found use for it by shooting Mr. Wright, carrying it had mostly been an annoyance, especially while sitting. Rarity finished tugging the holster into a more comfortable position and finely adjusted it with a slight amount of magic.

“If you’re going to drive, at least I can punish you with a scenic view that you can’t look at because you’re behind the wheel,” said Rob. “Turn south.”

The highway traced a winding path through the forest. A while passed, and Rob pointed her to Washington State Route 14, that traced the northern bank of the Columbia River.

The road ran down inside the river gorge, with towering bluffs and majestic views of flowing water. True to Rob’s word, it was difficult for Rarity to keep her eyes focused on driving. Despite that, she managed.

Her tentative pace on the curving road left Rarity constantly checking the rearview mirror for faster traffic. As it was, she wasn’t caught unaware when a large black SUV came up behind. The surprising thing was what happened next.

Rob screamed something incoherent and yanked the steering wheel out of Rarity’s hands. There was a whoosh of a projectile passing by at high speed through the space where the car had been an instant earlier. Rarity’s eyes jerked to the mirror, spotting someone leaning out the window of the SUV with an empty RPG launch tube. There wasn’t time to marvel at her memory of the basic weapon systems she had been taught. Instead, Rarity did the only thing that made sense and jammed her right foot down on the accelerator.

Rob was busy dialing his cell phone. Rarity wasn’t sure who he called, but she hoped it was for help. As the conversation was relatively short and seemed to cheer him up, she assumed that it held good news. Rarity hadn’t heard the words, concentrating too hard on the road to care. She was more concerned about being blown up or going over the guardrail into the river.

The way she was driving, the second option seemed more likely. Not only were they traveling at a speed far outside of Rarity’s comfort zone, but also well above the posted speed limit. The road also conspired against them, full of irregular twists and sharp turns.

Rob looked sideways, spotting a small yellow airplane coming in their direction over the river. Ahead, the road straightened out, another black SUV heading their way. Rarity saw the impending roadblock and froze with indecision.

“In there!” shouted Rob, pointing to a side road. Rarity obediently turned onto the gentle curve that lead to a parallel path between the main highway and the river. A tall concrete structure built in the river was coming up, holding back the water upstream. A posted sign read Bonneville Dam. Rarity realized they were on the access road to it.

Being off the main path cut off one of their pursuers, but that would only pose a slight delay. Rarity finally saw the airplane, wondering what it was doing so low to the ground. The slight distraction was actually fortunate, preventing Rarity from realizing there was a gate coming up until the car was already crashing through it.

With a squeal, Rarity jammed on the brakes and the car slid to a stop. It was just as well, as the tires had been punctured by security features installed at the checkpoint she had just violated. In the rearview mirror, Rarity saw a uniformed guard frantically calling someone from the little shack beside the gate.

Rob tugged at her shoulder. “Run!”

Rarity piled out of the car and sprinted after him. While the surface beneath her feet was smooth concrete, puddles stood here and there from recent water accumulation. Despite her persnickety nature, Rarity splashed through instead of detouring around. There was simply no time for any other course of action.

Their pursuers had stopped at the gate, unwilling to shred their own tires. There was a sharp report of a shot. Rarity got the sickening feeling that might have been for the guard.

The small airplane buzzed low. Rarity saw a strange system of pipes under the wings. A liquid seemed to be spraying out, and regardless of what it might consist of, she instinctively knew that it couldn’t be anything good.

The two of them barely made it to the cover of a sturdy structure built atop the dam before the airplane swept overhead, its propeller engine buzzing. Small droplets of liquid rained down, although the two of them were sheltered.

“How could they have found us?” demanded Rob. While his question had been rhetorical, Rarity remembered the magic she’d used to reset her holster. It had been an honest mistake after getting to use so much magic earlier in the day. Rob shot her an unpleasant look, but there was no time to dwell on the issue. That was when the gunfire started.

It sounded like machine guns, and a lot of them. Rarity was unsure how many people had been in the two SUV’s, but guessed at least four each. She and Rob both had a handgun. The odds did not look promising.

“I think if we keep going we can get over the top of the dam and to the opposite shore,” said Rob. He was heading south, keeping to cover. Rarity followed him as quickly as possible.

“What if there are more covering the exit?” she asked.

Rob looked like he hadn’t considered it. After a moment, however, he said, “They couldn’t have expected us to pull in here. I doubt we’ll have company, but regardless, I should be able to hear them coming.”

Just then, the airplane made another pass, drenching them both with a foul-smelling chemical. Rarity sputtered, but Rob looked aghast. “They planned ahead. This must be some kind of ability suppressant, and applied with a crop duster, no less! I can’t hear anything.”

Rarity felt something like a slight nagging tug, wondering if it was magic being pulled from her. She found that she was still able to wield her ability, but it felt a bit forced. Perhaps the suppressant had only affected her partially.

She nearly had a terrified reaction the same as when she’d discovered her missing horn, but there was no time for a panic attack. And really, it would be rather egotistical of her, being demoted to mere human. She gritted her teeth with resentment and resignation. Without magic to protect herself, Rarity would be forced to fall back on the training she had received.

As they kept running, Rarity swung her eyes to the lake the dam held back. “Could this substance be washed off?”

“Maybe, but in the water we’d be sitting ducks. Our best bet is to keep going.” Rob kept moving, leading with his gun and looking like he felt very vulnerable. Rarity knew the sensation.

Rarity gripped her own pistol tightly, visually checking it again to make sure it was ready. While unexpectedly shooting Mr. Wright was one thing, a gunfight was quite another.

Their pursuers, wary of a trap, had not caught up by the time Rarity and Rob reached the south gate on the other side of the dam. The guard stationed there appeared to have abandoned his post. The gate was locked, and despite being designed to keep people out, it did a fine job of keeping the two of them in. To add insult to injury, they were doused again by the crop duster.

Rarity had been in a few tough scrapes in Equestria. While perhaps not as many as some of her friends on their own, she still understood enough to know when she was backed into a corner. She also had gained a new consideration of the human psyche, particularly the part about kill or be killed.

Well then, time to gain some practical knowledge, as Twilight would say. Covering behind a concrete pillar near the gate, Rarity raised her gun and waited for a target to appear. Instead, there was a tremendous crash from the sky, as if Rainbow had performed a Sonic Rainboom. Rarity dropped to the ground in surprise and fear, realizing only after landing in a puddle that the noise was merely the arrival of a pair of fighter jets. Rarity was beginning to wonder if the Oregon Air National Guard enjoyed scaring her.

The gun-toting pursuers appeared to consider the situation for a moment and then rapidly retreated. Rarity saw only four of them. At the same time, she spotted one of the black SUV’s departing. Evidently, some of the forces had stayed back in reserve and wisely decided to escape when backup appeared. Rarity shook her head. She was even thinking in battle terms.

Speaking of backup, another vehicle appeared just then. Even from across the dam, Rarity knew it was friendly. Rob gestured her forward. “Come on, we can squeeze the bad guys between us and cut off their escape route.”

While Rarity was reluctant to shift into attacking mode and away from simple self-defense, she saw the value of the plan. Her wet clothes and boots squelched wetly as she and Rob ran back across the dam.

As if things had suddenly turned around in every possible way, the crop duster made a break for escape. One of the jets fired a missile that streaked after the smaller airplane, exploding it into a ball of flaming wreckage that crashed into the river.

Rarity and Rob kept running, weapons ready. There was quite a lot of activity going on near the north gate. Rarity saw magic, bullets, and bodies flying.

The first thing to catch her attention was a large, dark-colored wolf bloodily ravaging one of the gun-toting assailants. Rarity saw Jenny toothily dealing with another man in a manner that was just as messy. With careful application of force fields, magical gusts of wind, and more than a little profanity, Morgan’s opponent was thrown over the face of the dam, falling more than one hundred feet into the white water of the spillway below.

Veronica looked up from where she was mashing the last man’s face into the concrete and twisting his arms. “Am I the only one to not kill somebody?”

“Good job,” said Bear. “We’ll need him for interrogation.” She had changed back to her human shape, still covered in blood and completely naked. One of the jets banked low over the dam. Bear made a rude hand gesture to the sky.

Rarity cast her eyes over the bloodshed, suddenly less enthusiastic about attacking than she had been a moment before. While human emotions for battle were powerful, they couldn’t override what she was feeling now—sympathy. Nobody should have to die in so inelegant a fashion.

“We should go,” advised Jenny, wiping her mouth. That sounded like a great idea. Rob looked back forlornly at the car they would have to leave behind.

“Surely the public will notice all this?” asked Rarity as the six of them piled into the SUV and took off in a hurry.

“It’s fucking amazing what people sometimes miss,” said Morgan with a shrug.

“And if that doesn’t work, we can just say it was terrorists,” put in Bear. “In the United States, that’s the answer to everything.”

“What happened to your clothes?” asked Rarity.

Bear seemed slightly confused, both by the abrupt change of subject but also just general confusion. “I don’t actually know. I assume shredded somewhere back there. I didn’t really stop to think about it.”

“I would lend you this blanket,” called Morgan from the back where he had taken charge of the prisoner, “but we should probably keep out guest covered to avoid suspicion.”

“Which is worse, showing off a beaten-up bad guy or a naked woman covered in gore?” asked Rob.

“Well, we are near Portland…” mused Morgan.

“Oh heavens!” exclaimed Rarity in annoyance, taking off her jacket and giving it to Bear. It was wet, but the werewolf did not complain.

Rarity rested her head back, reflecting for a moment on what had just transpired. It was a stunning revelation that she herself had been perfectly willing to kill. Granted, in self-defense, but had a target presented itself, Rarity told herself that she would have pulled the trigger.

A bigger revelation was what had happened next. The others had been willing to end lives in her defense. That was a more difficult thing to think about. Rarity had been shocked to see it happen in front of her eyes, but she had to admit that it was better than the alternative of not fighting. Did that make her a bad person? Did it make her a bad pony? At the same time, it was unacceptable to just let someone take her life because they didn’t like her.

Rarity shook her head. She found it difficult to justify what was happening, but also felt no need to. She didn’t feel right, but knew she wasn’t completely wrong, either. Maybe the humans were getting to her.

And when they all got back to the cabin, then would come the interrogation of the prisoner. Rarity had read enough novels to know that it wouldn’t be pleasant. For him.

Chapter 19

It was quiet around the cabin. Everyone was under strict orders not to give away any clues about their location. The prisoner had been blindfolded and held in the small outbuilding behind the house. Eventually, someone from the government would come to take him away. Hopefully before then, he would talk.

Rarity attended a meeting with the other five to discuss strategy. She was surprised and dismayed to learn that there was actually a science behind interrogation.

“We don’t have time to go for isolation or sleep deprivation, and no equipment for sensory bombardment,” Bear explained. “He’s a zealot for his cause, so threats and mild torture probably won’t work, and he won’t respond to building rapport.”

“Is it worth it?” asked Rarity hesitantly.

“What he knows could help us take down Purity’s organization and save a lot of lives,” said Rob. Rarity noted that his answer wasn’t a solid yes. Trying to get information out of an unwilling man was one thing. Hurting him, even if he had tried to kill her, was quite another. But which was worse, murder or torture? Did one justify the other?

“I’d like to talk to him,” said Rarity quietly. The others looked contemplative.

“Not to doubt your abilities, but what do you expect to accomplish?” asked Veronica.

“I just want to know what he believes, and why I am his enemy,” said Rarity. “I can’t understand how someone could think like that.”

“A lot of people have killed a lot of people for fucking terrible reasons,” muttered Morgan. “Sometimes no reason at all.”

They did let Rarity visit the prisoner, however. She stood with some trepidation as his bindings were checked for security. The man looked rather average, and Rarity didn’t think there was anything about him she would have noticed if they had encountered each other on the street. Humans didn’t wear their thoughts and emotions openly. The knowledge that anyone, anywhere might be out to get her was sobering and a possible source of paranoia.

The ropes that held him to the chair were secure, and Rarity was left alone in the shed with the man. There was several seconds of silence before Rarity swallowed hard and asked the question she had been yearning to know. “Why?”

He stared at her. “Just having magical ability would be bad enough, but you’re a unicorn.”

“Terribly sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t understand.” Rarity shook her head. “You hate me for who I am?”

The man looked at her like she had said something stupid. Rarity quickly went on. “I know I’ve never seen you before. I couldn’t have done anything to you personally. In fact, I’ve only been visiting this planet for a few weeks. I certainly couldn’t have caused much trouble in so short a period. Is this about Purity?”

He gave her a level gaze. “It’s not personal, it’s principle. What unicorns did to Purity was unforgivable.”

“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about,” Rarity insisted. “I’ve never even heard her name before.”

“It would have been a long time ago.” The man looked careful now, but also slightly curious. “You’ve never heard of Purity?”

Rarity shook her head. “That’s what I said. How long ago did this occur? What happened to her?”

“Unicorns banished her. Just like you, she’s not from this planet.”

Rarity considered that. Evidently there was no spell in place to pull Purity back after a preset amount of time expired. More importantly, it seemed that Purity was from Equestria!

“Was she a pony?” asked Rarity. “Before, I mean.”

Her question caused a surprising reaction in the prisoner. It looked like his calm stubbornness had evaporated. He looked around the interior of the shed and did not answer the question. Rarity thought back to the coded message that had been recovered. It had been signed with a hoof print.

“I don’t know what her name was before,” the man admitted. “She chose her new title based on the purpose she dedicated her life to.”

“Please, I’ve never heard this story before,” begged Rarity. “I didn’t know any of this.”

The stoic silence remained. Rarity tried again. “I want to help. If there’s anything I can do to set this right…pleeeeaaassseeee.”

She put a hint of a whine in her request. It was finally enough to get what she wanted. The man leaned forward as far as his restraints would allow, staring at Rarity. “Fine. This is what happened, straight from Purity’s mouth.

“One year, in Purity’s homeland, there was an unnaturally powerful winter storm. She was forced to take shelter in a mountain cave with two others who she detested. While Purity was trying to look out for the members of her tribe, the others were stealing resources and blocking progress.

“The cave seemed like an ideal place to finally establish once and for all that Purity would not be pushed around. She was making a stand, to the death if necessary. As it turned out, that’s exactly how far she needed to go.

“Her opponent, the unicorn, had been mortally wounded, but with her last gasp she cast a spell that ripped Purity from her world and placed her here on Earth. There was no way to return, no way to protect those she had led and defended. The final insult was immortality, so Purity would have to endure the pain of loss and helplessness forever.”

If he wasn’t bound, the man might have crossed his arms in finality. “And there you have it. Magic is unnatural, and the cause of evil. Purity can’t go home, but she has taken it upon herself to purge anything supernatural from this world.”

Rarity’s mouth dropped open and she fumbled for words. The man waited patiently, seemingly pleased that his tale had flustered her. Rarity managed to ask, “What was the unicorn’s name?”

“Platinum.”

Rarity promptly turned, yanking open the shed door. She darted outside, hurrying away. This couldn’t be happening! Granted, the Hearth’s Warming Eve tale about the magic of the fires of friendship was a lot more meaningful story than this, but what if the prisoner’s version of events was the truth about what actually happened?

She took a breath, attempting to calm down. It actually might be plausible. After Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead took each other out, then their assistants could have declared peace and combined the tribes into the modern Equestria. Over the thousands of years since, the true story was either lost of changed to be more foal-friendly. That would also explain why the note they’d found was unintelligible. Purity’s group communicated in her old language—ancient earth pony dialect!

With all this information swirling through her head, it was a given that Rarity would forget about the loose board on the back porch and end up sprawled in another mud puddle.

Why hasn’t someone fixed that? Or better yet, filled in the hole where water collects? It didn’t matter. Rarity had important news to share with the others. She got up, for once ignoring the mud all over her.

Rarity slammed open the back door, catching the others by surprise. They’d been having a meeting in the kitchen. Rarity’s appearance—crazed expression, fresh sludge on her clothing, and sense of urgency—put all eyes on her.

“I know who Purity is. A long time ago in Equestria’s history, she was the leader of one whole tribe of ponies. Her real name is Chancellor Puddinghead.”

Five pairs of eyes stared at her in confusion and perhaps some amusement.

“Are you fucking with us?” asked Morgan.

Rarity sighed. “No. An old story that everypony in Equestria knows involves the unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies quarreling. The leader of the earth ponies was Chancellor Puddinghead. I believe that she is one and the same with Purity.”

“Well, I can see why she changed her name,” observed Rob. “Not only that, but ‘Chancellor’ has negative connotations. Between Hitler and Palpatine, it’s pretty much become a bad-guy moniker.”

“Well, it looks like you’re the expert, Rarity,” said Veronica. “You know the most about what is going on here. What do we need to do now?”

“I’m not really sure,” Rarity replied. Contingency planning and strike operations were not things she was skilled at. They way everyone was looking at her, however, Rarity suddenly got the feeling that she was about to learn.

“Let me ask the question in another way,” said Bear. “How do we kill her?”

Chapter 20

Rarity sat listlessly in front of the computer trying to think of an assassination plan aimed at Purity, but mostly she was just watching old Mickey Mouse cartoons. While the mild slapstick and jokes were not exactly as high-class as she would prefer, it was better than most of the more modern media.

She still had not investigated Disney, but heard they had some kind of parks for amusement. Rarity could use some of that right now.

The only idea she had managed to come up with in regards to Purity was somehow deactivating the magic that granted her immortality. There were a lot of problems with that plan, particularly the unknown spells, but also getting close enough to do it. In addition, Rarity was no magical scholar, and even someone like Morgan might not know anything about breaking pony magic.

Rarity frowned. And that’s if her henchman was telling the truth and we really are dealing with Chancellor Puddinghead. She knew that earth ponies usually had an edge in lifespan. Granny Smith’s ancientness, for example. Still, several thousand years would be out of the question for a normal pony in Equestria. Did it perhaps have something to do with being on Earth? Was Purity, as the only pony on the planet to exploit the natural magic, possibly able to sustain herself that way?

Honestly, it was beginning to look like Rob’s suggestion to kill it with fire would be easier. If that worked. Maybe Loowit could be helpful in that regard.

Rarity frowned. While she wasn’t about to use her magic and give away the position of the cabin, she wasn’t sure if the magical suppressant had worn off. While it had mostly been sprayed as a liquid from the crop duster, some of it seemed to have either vaporized and been breathed in, or merely absorbed through the skin. Rob’s abilities seemed to be slowly returning, but Rarity had no idea if she would be completely back to normal if she needed magic. Suddenly, the firearms training was looking like a smart decision. She would have to visit the safety of Loowit’s mountain soon to test her magic.

There was a knock on the door. Rarity looked up. “Yes?”

Veronica came in, stooping slightly to get her head under the doorframe. “We were going to do some scouting from the air to set up better contingency plans. Do you want to come along?”

“Don’t you have the—what were they called—satellite pictures?” asked Rarity.

“True, but nothing beats actually getting your eyes on the terrain.”

Rarity decided that she would indeed like to know more about the area. Any advantage she could get would be welcome.

She had already gotten into the SUV with Veronica, Bear, and Jenny before thinking to ask exactly how they would be taking a look at things from the air.

“Helicopter,” said Bear, as they drove away.

Rarity made a face, remembering their unpleasant departure from Raven Rock. “I certainly hope it’s a nicer one than the last.”

“Nicer, probably. Smaller, definitely. Better armed, absolutely.”

That was somewhat reassuring.

At the airport, a helicopter was standing by. Rarity observed a few people she assumed to be government security standing around. The helicopter turned out to be very small indeed, with two seats up front and a small cargo area in the rear. Veronica carried two cameras aboard, while Jenny lugged a large weapon that Rarity guessed was a heavy machine gun. It was certainly larger than a rifle.

With the rear doors closed to conceal the weapon and the cameras, Rarity wondered how she was to get in. Bear gestured her to the front, which seemed to be made mostly of plexiglass. Rarity settled into the seat, noting with alarm that the windows even extended in front of her feet, giving a disconcerting feeling of being in midair when the helicopter was still on the ground.

Bear sat beside her, flipping switches and beginning to start the engine. She seemed confident, but Rarity asked, “Are you qualified?”

“Sure. This is a basic JetRanger. I’ve been flying these since Vietnam, when I was still in the Army. They’re a lot easier to handle than something like a heavy-lift CH-53 Super Stallion.”

The designation meant nothing to Rarity, aside from sounding like a comic book Spike would read. She held on tightly to the seatbelts as the aircraft lifted off and dipped its nose forward to increase speed and leave the airport.

Veronica had some sort of video camera set up, but also a handheld photo camera with a large lens. Jenny kept watch, although she looked grim, muttering something about missiles.

“What’s that?” asked Rarity, her voice transmitted clearly though the headsets they all wore.

“Oh, just being mindful of the fact that there could be a portable heat-seeking missile launcher hidden out there in the forest somewhere. Worst case scenario planning, and all that.”

“What do we do if there is one?” asked Rarity.

“Then we’ll do our best to crash in a soft spot,” answered Bear. She looked forward out the windshield. “There’s the cabin. We can’t spend too long in this area or someone will wonder why we’re hanging around. Instead, we’ll make a circular route to keep moving.”

As she had no task assigned and nothing to do to keep her mind off the terror of being shot down, Rarity leaned back in the seat and attempted to enjoy the scenery. Mount St. Helens was even more picturesque from altitude, and the forest spread out around it like a large green carpet.

“Here, you should learn to fly,” said Bear, interrupting her reverie.

“Pardon?” asked Rarity.

“Take the controls.” Bear gestured to the various pieces of equipment on Rarity’s side of the cockpit. “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”

Rarity glanced nervously at the ground far below. I certainly hope not. She carefully touched the stick in front of her, the pedals beneath her feet, and the lever beside the seat. Bear gave her a quick rundown on flying. “For now, though, just try to go in a straight line.”

It was much more difficult than driving. Not only did Rarity have to learn how to steer with her feet, but more or less power affected not only speed but altitude. In addition, tipping the aircraft too far on its side could result in a crash. She was thankful after only a few minutes Bear took the controls back to land at the airport.

“We got a lot of good data,” reported Veronica as the four of them carried their gear back to the SUV. “We can start on the next phase of the plan now.”

“What plan?” asked Rarity.

“The plan we’re telling you about now,” said Bear.

Author's Note

Chapter 20, yay. I project that this story will last 4-5 more chapters.

Chapter 21

Gritting her teeth with effort, Rarity attempted to duplicate the results of her previous efforts at creating fire. Loowit stood nearby, observing.

Pure power output had never been something Rarity focused on. Really, magical practice of any kind had not appealed to her. Exerting herself, Rarity finally managed to produce a few sparks from her hands.

“I can tell you’re working with a handicap,” said Loowit. “I can’t imagine how Purity’s group managed to develop a magical suppressant, but so far you’ve gone beyond your previous efforts even with the limitation.”

If her exhaustion was physical, Rarity would have been panting with effort. As it was, she felt drained in a way she couldn’t quite describe. She chastised herself for being a unicorn but never really exercising her full magical ability. The unfamiliar fatigue probably meant she wasn’t in shape.

Fitness wasn’t something Rarity typically thought about. Other than eating right and perhaps a few calisthenics to keep her posterior in shape, she was no athlete. All the training she’d done since arriving on earth—not just physical, but mental and magical—had certainly changed her outlook.

Summoning as much power as she could muster, from depths of herself she’d never drawn from before, Rarity concentrated her mind to the task. Squinting her eyes shut, she felt the warmth of the sun and somewhere deep below the soil under her boots the molten rock that simmered beneath the volcano. She noticed the breeze, and took in the small natural sounds the crater allowed. All the while, she kept channeling energy, concentrating.

“That’s very nice,” said Loowit.

Rarity opened her eyes and could see nothing but flames in front of her face. There was a glowing ball of fire supported directly in front of her. Rarity shrieked and tumbled backwards. The sphere of magic fire fell to the ground a few feet away and dissipated into nothing.

Rarity lay still for a moment, partly frightened and partly amazed that she had managed to do such a thing. It had taken an extreme amount of effort, but she was still a beginner.

She started to get up, noticing an unpleasant smell in the air. “Is that burning hair?”

Loowit chuckled. “Yes. You don’t look too bad, though.”

Rarity found a small scorched fringe in her hair. She grumbled, but nothing about this human body had really ever pleased her fashion-wise. She had managed to find pictures of human style online, and decided that it wasn’t quite up to Equestrian standards. While Rarity’s natural generosity urged her to do something, it would be impossible to create new outfits for seven billion people, even if she had all month. To that end, it seemed better to just blend in; it was remarkably relaxing to be out of the spotlight. Not to mention all the time she saved each morning by skipping makeup and coifing.

The accidental fireball seemed like a good time to call it a day. Rarity said goodbye to Loowit and headed for the parking lot.

Later that evening, Rarity helped to analyze the data gathered from the helicopter expedition. By carefully surveying the land, they could form most likely courses of action for their adversaries.

The plan was, fortunately, nothing to do with using Rarity as bait. She’d been slightly fearful of that when she’d first caught wind that there was a plan in place. Instead, it would concentrate on defense until Rarity was scheduled to go home. Failing that, evacuation was also a possibility. Loowit had allowed them to use Mount St. Helens as an alternate location if that became necessary. While Rarity was glad that a backup plan existed, she didn’t want to camp in a volcano.

To keep that from happening, she was determined to help out with the defense of the cabin. It seemed that the airborne analysis would help.

“But of course, nothing is guaranteed,” noted Bear. “They could scuba dive in the lake for all we know. Still, I think we’ve managed to identify a few places around the cabin to watch more carefully.”

Based on the layout of the woods, roads in the area, and other terrain features, a few rough maps were made with notes for important information. It reminded Rarity slightly of the “treasure maps” Sweetie Belle and her friends had made on occasion. Despite that, she made sure to study them carefully. She had watch duty that night.

The grayscale image transmitted to the monitor provided a slightly fuzzy view of the world below the drone. The operator skillfully steered the small remote controlled aircraft over the forest.

The panel van resembled something a small delivery company would use. It was boxy, and rather anonymous. That was exactly what Mr. Wright wanted when he set up this operation. No one would suspect it contained a sophisticated mobile command center.

Wright sat stiffly behind the drone pilot, still nursing his injuries. It was not particularly healthy to be out of bed so soon after being shot and in a car crash, but he had a job to do. Beside him, Purity waited patiently for a situation report.

She had arrived in the Portland area recently, and was adamant that she be directly involved in the unicorn hunt. Wright couldn’t blame her, and he certainly couldn’t refuse her request.

This evening, Purity was dressed in a black combat outfit, a stark contrast to her white hair and pale skin. In fact, every person in the van and others waiting nearby were geared up to fight. Before the night was over, they might have to.

Wright spoke in a low voice, summarizing his report. “We’ve collected as much information as possible. It’s taken a while, but we’ve slowly narrowed their location down to a few square miles of forest. From what the drone observed during the battle at the dam, we have a description of their vehicle.”

“Are you sure they don’t know about the surveillance?” asked Purity.

Wright nodded. “There was no indication they even knew the drone was there; they were more focused on the crop duster. The formula was at least partially successful at blocking ability. We’ll have more available next time. Tonight, we’re observing the forest, looking for anything that doesn’t have a harmless explanation.”

He leaned forward to indicate a map which had been heavily marked on. Possible locations for the government safehouse had been identified and discounted, one by one. The right answer hadn’t been revealed yet, but there were still other places to look.

Wright winced slightly in pain, trying to keep it off his face, but Purity noticed. “Are you all right? I told you to rest if you needed it.”

“I’m serviceable, madam.”

Purity nodded, noting his stubbornness but pleased to have his assistance. Wright had done much for her, and she’d tried her best to reciprocate.

The drone pilot marked another possible location on the map. It was a house by a lake in the middle of the forest. Purity nodded to Mr. Wright and he got up, heading for the doors at the back of the van. A small team would be sent to covertly investigate, and if the target turned out to be at that location the rest would join them in the raid.

Purity settled in to wait. If this wasn’t the target, that would be no problem. They would find it eventually. She had waited so long, a little more would not matter.

Chapter 22

Night had fallen long before and Rarity was still sitting awake. It had been strongly recommended that she not watch cartoons while on duty. She was fine with giving Disney a rest, even if she had been learning more about them lately. One of their parks, Disney World, was apparently very popular, to the point that going there had become a bit of a cultural thing.

Also, there were security systems to monitor and intelligence highlights to read. Rarity occasionally glanced at the computer monitors while going over notes and papers about things that could be of interest. The softly glowing screens provided just enough light to read by. The rest of the cabin was dark.

Some light filtered in through the windows. The full moon would occur the next night. A tense time like this was not ideal for losing Bear, but that could not be helped. Morgan claimed that with a little magic and effort she could be kept in human form but constrained to a small area that was prepared for the spell. It would be better than having her running wild in the forest while Purity’s group was around.

Rarity kept reading. The weather should be clear for the next few days. The Idaho Air National Guard was doing coordinated training with their Oregon counterparts at the airport in Portland. The government scientists who’d tested the magical suppressant said its last effects should be wearing off soon.

That last item made Rarity happy. She still didn’t feel quite herself, but whatever length of time “soon” meant, she hoped it was shorter rather than longer.

A flicker caught Rarity’s eye and she jerked her head up. Staring carefully at the video screens with their green night vision, she spotted no discernible threat. Sweeping her gaze across the other sensors, Rarity did see one possible concern. Something called an electromagnetic detector was indicating that it sensed an anomaly. Rarity didn’t know how the device worked, but had been told that it picked up traces of electronics in use.

She was aware that night vision goggles relied on batteries. While only one part of the security network was indicating something might be amiss, that was one part too many.

Just then, a small piece of quartz crystal mounted in a wire holder next to the computer monitor began to glow softly. It was the magical component of the network, designed to detect people if they came within two hundred yards of the cabin.

Thermal sensors might have been fooled by an animal. Motion detectors could be spoofed by wind in the trees. The spellwork on this piece of crystal was supposed to be foolproof. Therefore, at least one person was approaching the cabin.

This was serious. Rarity got up to warn the others. She had just stepped into the darkened kitchen when movement from the edge of the trees caught her eye. Rarity froze, watching four men carefully exit the trees and gather around the parked SUV. They were all dressed in heavy armor, with high-tech weapons and night vision goggles. The bright moon made that last piece of gear almost unnecessary.

Checking out the vehicle, the men seemed to agree on something. Evidentially, they’d found their target. All four of them drew a knife and simultaneous punctured each tire.

Rarity’s nervous system had gone into overdrive and anxious energy crackled in her body. She was wearing her own armor and carrying her own weapons, plus there were five others upstairs that could be ready to go at a moment’s notice. However, the four aggressors had already started to head towards the cabin’s front door.

She had seen examples of breach-and-clear operations, and knew that her element of surprise would last up until the moment the front door was opened. A sudden thought struck her. Were there more at the back door?

Rarity slung her rifle off her shoulder and trained it at the small window in the front door. Her thumb clicked the safety off and her finger edged to the trigger. The first man crouched, doing something to the door. Shoot him! Rarity’s instincts screamed. They’re coming in!

The man straightened up and then he and the others turned around and quietly left, moving back into the trees. Slightly dumbfounded but very thankful, Rarity lowered her weapon. Remembering herself, she dashed up the stairs. “This is the worst possible thing!”

It didn’t take very long to get the message across. There was no telling why the men had left, but Bear sagely advised, “If there were only four, they’ve probably gone to get help.”

“What do we do?” asked Rarity.

Bear considered it. “We still have surprise. There’s no way of telling how many shooters they’ll bring back. I think our best bet is to regroup and try to gain an advantage.”

Rarity was agreeable to that, however the SUV wouldn’t be going anywhere. The six of them would have to walk out with only what they could carry.

Everyone quickly collected the most important equipment. Veronica grabbed the hard drives from the monitoring system for analysis later. She looked at Rarity. “This stuff didn’t notice any intruders?”

“Well, there were some faint signals,” answered Rarity. “The magical people detector only activated when they were much closer than two hundred yards.”

“Fucking perfect,” growled Morgan. “Apparently they have counters for that, too.”

More supplies would be fairly easy to get with an air drop, or so Bear claimed. As a result, the six of them didn’t pack food. It would be more weight that would only slow them down.

Rarity’s gear was fairly well distributed on her body, but she didn’t know if she could travel cross-country with it. In an effort to balance the weight of the assault rifle cradled in her arms, Jenny suggested packing a sniper rifle on her back. She added, “Plus, it could be useful for defending wherever we set up next.”

Not wanting to argue, Rarity slung the other weapon over her shoulder. Everyone seemed to be ready, so they headed for the back door because Rarity had told them that the four intruders she’d spotted had gone in the opposite direction. Rob reached for the doorknob.

“Wait!” called Rarity. “Those men did something to the front door; I don’t know what. Maybe they did the same to the back?”

Rob shrugged and turned to the window beside the door, smashing out the glass with the butt of his weapon. The destruction surprised Rarity, but she realized that they would likely not be coming back to the cabin. Rob stuck his head out the window. “Sure enough, there’s a bomb out here. Probably a trap for anyone trying to leave. Thanks for save, Rarity.”

One by one, they climbed out the window while skirting the broken glass. The lake behind the cabin seemed quiet and calm. Jenny cocked her head, listening to something. “Does anyone else hear that buzzing noise? It’s kind of faint.”

It took Bear a moment, but she heard it too. None of the rest could.

“It’s moving,” noted Bear. She made a face. “It’s probably some kind of UAV, a small one. They’re watching us right now.”

“Take it down, Rarity,” ordered Morgan.

“Wha-how am I supposed to do that if I can’t even see it?” she protested.

“I’ve got a flare,” said Veronica. She handed it to Jenny, who pointed the launcher skyward at the target and pulled the trigger. The fiery rocket soared into the air, illuminating the area and also the small aircraft in the sky above.

Concentrating hard, Rarity attempted to grab the UAV before it could escape. Her magic was still blocked and telekinesis wasn’t strong enough to simply pull it out of the sky. Remembering something she’d learned about heavier than air flight, she attempted to slow it down until the UAV stalled and lost lift.

Seconds passed, but it was working. The UAV teetered on the edge of control before beginning a tumble that Rarity worked to accelerate. The small plane crashed down through the trees before slamming into the ground.

“Let’s get moving,” said Bear. She was interrupted by splashing as a small group of assailants rose from the surface of the lake.

Rarity turned to run, hearing several weapons begin to fire. She dashed along the back porch of the cabin, her boot catching on the infernal exposed board. She shrieked, not in surprise but in fear of becoming an easy target, as she spilled over onto the ground. Her armor somewhat cushioned the blow of falling and protected her from splinters kicked up from a burst of bullets that slammed into the cabin wall over her head—bullets that would have found their mark if she was still standing.

Not pausing to consider the irony, Rarity rolled sideways off her assault rifle, jerking it up to aim in the general direction of incoming muzzle flashes. This time, fully automatic firing was completely justified.

The magazine emptied in what seemed like an instant. By then, however, there was no return fire. Rarity couldn’t tell whether she had hit any of the attackers, or if that had been taken care of by someone else. As she got up, the other five emerged from various pieces of cover.

Rarity did not see any floating bodies on the surface of the water. They had probably been pulled down by their heavy gear. She shuddered, wondering how she could be thinking about accessories at a time like this.

Speaking of her own equipment, Rarity changed magazines and chambered around, setting her weapon back to safety. She was nothing if not meticulous.

With a nod from Bear, they got moving again, faster this time. It was probably a good thing no verbal commands were being used, as Rarity’s ears were ringing from the shooting.

The nearly full moon provided plenty of light to guide their way, but Rarity realized that it also must make them visible to any of Purity’s people in the area. The brief skirmish behind the cabin had been much, much more fighting than Rarity had ever hoped to experience and that was only a small amphibious assault team. It was certainly a good thing that they’d gotten moving before the main force could surround the cabin.

Dashing through the forest was tiring, and Rarity knew she was holding everyone else back. She persevered at a jogging speed as long as possible, but even with the threat of death hanging behind her, there came a point that she simply couldn’t maintain such a pace.

“We’ve made good time,” said Bear. “Without UAV coverage, they’ve probably lost us. We’ll have to be careful, but I think we can reach the mountain by sunup.”

“How much further is it?” panted Rarity, massaging her aching legs.

“The GPS shows about eight miles,” answered Veronica. “Plus we’ll have to climb almost a mile in elevation to the rim of the crater.”

Rarity moaned, but forced herself to start moving again.

Chapter 23

The trek to the top of the mountain did indeed take until sunrise; actually a little bit longer. Rarity’s feet were killing her as the six of them crested the top of Mount St. Helens and descended into the crater within. Rarity reflected that it was lucky the top of the mountain had been blown away or the hike would have been worse.

Feet were remarkable at what they did, but given the choice Rarity decided that she’d stick with hooves. Those didn’t get nearly so tired after walking all night.

There was at least a pleasant gift waiting for them. A pallet, with an attached parachute waving limply in the wind, waited for them in the center of the crater. It contained some of the heavier things they’d had to leave behind at the cabin, like hand grenades and cans of food.

“If they could air drop supplies, why couldn’t we get some more people to help out?” asked Rarity.

“Limited number of qualified personnel,” answered Bear. “Really, it’s a bad situation. Ideally, we’d want more people like us who are fully cleared for the mission, but a force like that takes a while to mobilize, brief, and transport. If we just needed shooters, we might be able to pull Marines from the nuclear submarine base in Washington, but with everything that could go down here and also me changing tonight, we can’t risk it.”

Rarity did not like the sound of that—the United States government seemed terribly bureaucratic and bottlenecked compared to Equestraia’s simple Princess-based system. She did not comment, however, focusing her attention on breakfast instead.

“They gave us real, pleasant-tasting food instead of MREs,” Veronica indicated, gesturing at the pallet. “The downside, though, is that we don’t have a way to heat it.”

Rarity smiled. “I believe I have a solution.”

The large knife strapped to her armored vest was quite useful for ventilating the tops of the sealed food cans. After that, Rarity heated them with a bit of handheld fire.

“You know, you could have just asked for a few hot coals,” commented Loowit, appearing just then. Bear pulled her aside and they had a conversation about the defense of the crater. Rarity decided to instead think happy thoughts and give her feet a rest. If anything important came out of the discussion, Bear would let her know.

The hours began to pass by. Jenny was stationed at the highest point of the crater wall to keep a lookout. She’d been smeared with sunscreen and heavy clothing so she could stay there in the bright sunshine all day.

As the sun started its downward arc into the afternoon, Rarity realized that she hadn’t slept in far too long. She frowned, counting back. Her duty the night before had been interrupted, leaving no time for rest. In fact, she’d gotten a workout instead. Well, that certainly explained why she felt exhausted. Running so far in combat gear would have been bad enough by itself.

Even the rough volcanic soil felt more comfortable than fighting to stay alert. Rarity unslung the precision rifle from her back and laid it down carefully. There was a small boulder nearby that supported her back as she leaned against it. Her enclosing armor, the design that she’d custom made herself, cradled her body and protected her skin from sharp rocks. It was a shame that the Kevlar was soaked with dried sweat, but Rarity had never before thought she would be comfortable lying on dirt, either.

It was strange how an unfamiliar situation could change one’s standards. Like coming to Earth, for instance. Rarity didn’t even want to think about how much she’d changed in just a few short weeks. She glanced down at the assault rifle lying across her stomach. Her gaze dropped further, and her eyes closed. Rarity fell asleep, lying there on the ashen ground.

It was unknown how much time had passed when Rarity awoke, but the setting sun was just a glow on the horizon of the crater. She sat up and stretched, thankful for the rest. Hopefully she would have the opportunity for more soon. The uncertainty and the ever-changing situation took some getting used to.

There was no centralized base station for their operations. The mountain was only meant as a temporary location until the six of them could be evacuated to a more secure location.

Near where she’d napped, Rarity found Veronica. She gave Rarity a radio and earpiece.

“This is a lot of area to cover,” said the woman. “We’re spread really thin, and this is pretty much the only way we can stay in contact.”

That was unfortunate, but Rarity supposed it was better to be safe than sorry. During the night, it would be more difficult to keep watch. She asked, “Where is everyone else?”

Veronica tapped the button on her radio. “Status check.”

“I’m just about finished with Bear, and then I’m going to talk to Loowit about area defense,” replied Morgan over the airwaves.

“That’s right,” agreed Bear. “I’m secure for the night, but I can’t go anywhere. I’ll do whatever I can from here.”

“I’m watching the south rim of the crater,” reported Jenny.

“And I’m on the west,” added Rob.

Veronica nodded. “I’ll take north. Rarity, you watch the east.”

Rarity nodded. While the prospect of staying up all night again was not appealing, she understood that the rest of them were counting on her to do her share. The military-like structure and order of the group had slowly been growing on her since she’d arrived on Earth. It was nice to have everyone doing exactly as they should and working as a coordinated unit. It was precise, something she could appreciate.

Putting the sun at her back, Rarity walked towards her post. Along the way, she passed Bear, who sat cross-legged in a circle scratched in the ashy soil. As she stepped closer, Rarity could feel the thrum of magic in the air.

“You might want to stop right there,” Bear advised. “As long as the circle’s intact I should be my usual self. I can’t really do much from here, but that’s better than having a wild animal running around.”

Loowit appeared. “I’ll keep you company.”

Rarity noticed she was carrying communications gear like the rest, but hadn’t heard her on the radio earlier. Bear had noticed too and turned away from Rarity, giving the fire spirit a quick course on modern electronics. Loowit did not seem to know much about them. It amused Rarity slightly that she was actually the more experienced one for once.

Climbing the slope, Rarity found her way towards the eastern edge of the mountain. The blown out wall of the crater stretched to the northeast, giving her open space on three sides. Distantly, she could barely see the parking lot in the fading sunlight.

She settled in to wait. Scooting her body left and right, Rarity made a shallow depression in the soil and rocks to comfortably lie in. She checked her weapons, finding them in place. Balancing her long-ranged sniper rifle on its bipod, Rarity scanned what she could see of the area in front of her. Considering that the mountain was the highest point in the region, that was quite a lot of ground. The telescopic scope helped.

The sky continued to darken. Rarity waited patiently. She was in no hurry to fight, if that’s what it came to. She was aware that there were no fallback plans in place if trouble came to Mount St. Helens. They would attempt to break contact and evacuate the area, but the earliest that government reinforcements could arrive would be the next morning.

What it came down to was that there was no more running. If they were found, if Purity’s group attacked again, there would be a battle. Rarity swallowed hard at the prospect and went back to nervously scanning the area.

The concept of being backed into a corner was still difficult to comprehend, despite the training Rarity had received. She knew about fight-or-flight, but despite various dangers she’d faced in Equestria with her friends, Rarity never been so clearly denied the opportunity to choose between the two. Here, tonight, she might have to kill.

Could she do that? Could a normal person? Was taking a long distance shot on an unassuming target morally better or worse than ending a life in her own self defense?

There were no easy answers. Rarity didn’t trust her instincts, not knowing whether they were of pony or human origin. The only thing she could do was make a decision and see it through. There would be no second chances, and she had to be completely sure.

In the distance, there was a faint whisper of something other than the breeze. Rarity gripped her rifle more tightly and strained her ears. The sound was familiar, and Rarity gulped as she realized what it must mean. She was sure it was an approaching helicopter.

Author's Note

The next chapter will actually be long for once, as it contains the epic final battle we've all been waiting for.

Chapter 24

Rarity lay as still as possible, listening hard. It was difficult to determine which direction the helicopter was coming from because of the echoing crater behind her. The sky was still darkening quickly, but there was just enough light to pick out a faint silhouette of a small aircraft. Rarity focused on it through her rifle scope.

The distance was too great to make out exact details, but the helicopter was not painted like a typical civilian machine. In addition, Rarity thought she could see machine guns poking out the side doors.

Morgan was on the other side of the gap in the crater wall, bedded down in a manner similar to Rarity. Earlier, she’d seen him carrying around a pair of binoculars. In addition, he had a better angle on the approaching helicopter. “It looks hostile,” he reported, adding a colorful flourish of profanity.

Bear went through another radio channel to speak with local air traffic controllers. She confirmed that the helicopter shouldn’t be there. “That’s all the proof we need. Take it down, Rarity.”

There was no rangefinder, but Rarity estimated the distance to target at less than half a mile and closing. Her position was good, and it was unlikely that she would be spotted until the helicopter was much closer. However, keeping the enemy as far away as possible was important. Rarity gritted her teeth as she lay with the sniper rifle. Killing a more distant target might not upset her as much, either.

The rifle was powerful, but not quite able to take down an aircraft with just a few shots. In addition, the bolt action would make follow-ups more difficult if she didn’t get this right the first time. Rarity knew that the most effective way to eliminate the helicopter was to go after the weakest link—the pilot.

Her finger rested on the trigger as the helicopter continued to approach. It was a long shot, perhaps the longest Rarity had ever sighted in. It would not be easy.

But why? Did these people in the helicopter have to die? Rarity considered it. It was her choice, to take them out of the picture. They wanted to kill her for who she was—something that Rarity could not change. They probably had so much in common; being physically the same species, breathing the same air, dedicated to something larger than themselves. Perhaps they even liked Disney cartoons. But in the end, they despised Rarity not for what she had done, but for an idea. It was not justice. Rarity did not deserve punishment.

She made her choice.

Breathing out, Rarity relaxed her body and gently squeezed the trigger. She barely felt the rifle kick at her shoulder, so focused was she on the target. The bullet sped out of the barrel too fast to see, but that didn’t stop a spark of blue magic from guiding it through the helicopter’s windshield and into the forehead of the pilot.

The effect was almost instantaneous. The aircraft lurched sideways into an irrecoverable tumble, falling to the ground and flipping over as its rotors came to rest. The fuselage was crushed and mutilated by the impact on the rocky slope of the mountain. Rarity almost expected an explosion, but the sudden silence after the crash was nearly so jarring. One moment a helicopter had been coming her way, and the next it was gone along with anyone who had been aboard.

“Target down,” Rarity reported. She swallowed hard, attempting to project her thoughts elsewhere. She looked down at the rifle and worked the bolt, putting a new round in the chamber. She looked around, searching for anything else to look at besides the wreckage she’d just created. For the moment, things were still and quiet.

Jenny’s voice broke the silence. “There’s some kind of movement to the south. I think it’s troops on foot.”

“It’s worse than that,” added Loowit. “Vehicles are incoming from the northeast, and there are more ground forces in the area. We might be looking at encirclement.”

Rarity started to tremble. This night was already the worst possible thing she could imagine, and it was about to get more intense. She had gone through some tough things in her life, but all indications pointed to this being extremely difficult.

Rarity set her jaw and tried to control her muscles. She was not a competitive pony who reveled in challenges, but this was non-negotiable. She would do what she had to in order to survive and protect those close to her. As Rarity’s determination built, her spasms decreased and she leaned forward to the rifle scope again.

“Moving to your position, Rarity,” came Veronica’s voice. There was a scrambling sound up the slope behind her, and the tall woman slid to the ground beside Rarity. She had brought a pair of powerful binoculars and a laser rangefinder.

“Dear, what about your area?” asked Rarity, muttering through the side of her mouth as she scanned the terrain in front of her.

“Loowit said this side of the mountain was more important. Bear was going to try to get us some air support.” Veronica had set up in a prone position similar to Rarity, scanning for a target.

“Well, I hope we—” Rarity was cut off as a whistling projectile passed over their heads and exploded on the slope behind them.

“Was that a mortar?” demanded Veronica. “I thought I saw the launch flash.” She held up a compass with markings that glowed in the dark, pointing out a bearing. Rarity shifted the rifle slightly, waiting for a distance. The laser computed the target and gave a readout – 870 yards.

The next mortar shell was closer, and Rarity felt a few small chunks of rock thrown from the explosion land on her back. Veronica called out the wind and relative elevation. In the darkness, Rarity could just barely make out the tiny figures of two men firing the mortar. One prepared to drop the next shell into the launch tube. Rarity squeezed the trigger.

Once again, subconscious magic put terminal guidance on the bullet and it pierced the mortar shell before it entered the tube, detonating the explosives. The entire area around the mortar was torn apart by shrapnel.

“Targets down,” confirmed Veronica. She called another bearing and Rarity turned her sights towards a large truck that had exited the parking lot and was rolling forward on heavy off-road tires. There appeared to be some kind of liquid tank on the back.

“If you had a Barrett, I would suggest going for the engine block,” Veronica muttered. “I don’t know if there’s a soft way to take this thing out.”

“We could get closer,” suggested Rarity. “Maybe into grenade range.”

“I don’t think there’s any other choice,” agreed Veronica, getting up. Rarity left her sniper rifle on the wall of the crater. There would be no more distant targets.

The truck was making remarkably slow progress, its suspension forced to deal with the rough terrain surrounding the volcanic flow left from the last eruption. Coming down the slope, Veronica and Rarity were able to run with relatively little energy. Their progress did not go unnoticed, however, and muzzle flashes of automatic weapons lit up the night as a group of people defending the truck opened fire.

Rarity slid to a stop behind a boulder, her armor absorbing the battering of the rough ground and rocks. Bullets smacked into her cover, chipping little pieces of stone. Others whipped by over her head, cracking through the sound barrier.

The kit of weapons Rarity had carried into battle was admittedly not very diverse. Besides the assault rifle in her hands and the knife in its sheath, there were two pistols, one strapped to each hip to balance the weight. There was also a single fragmentation grenade, forgotten about until this moment.

Rarity plucked the explosive from the pouch where she carried it. She glanced out from behind the boulder to see a few of the assailants around the truck doing something near the back. A pipe connected to the tank was flowing something out on the ground. What could it possibly be?

Yanking the pin, Rarity sent the grenade sailing on its way. The rounded shape was roughly the size of a baseball, something Bear had said that any American kid should be able to throw. The distance to the target would have been quite long, even if Rarity hadn’t been lying down. The use of magic to direct weapons was almost becoming second nature, however.

The grenade exploded perfectly at the front of the truck, bringing it to a halt. Rarity glanced sideways at Veronica who nodded in approval and signaled her to move. The two of them burst from cover, taking advantage of the chaos following the explosion. They were able to get a little closer, finding new cover.

“Something’s happening,” broke in Loowit’s voice. Rarity was slightly surprised that she could hear the radio over the ringing in her ears. “It feels like I’m losing a grip on the Earth.”

Rarity glanced at Veronica, knowing what must be going on. They had to stop the truck full of magical suppressant or Loowit might become powerless. Rarity tried to angle her rifle from behind the rock while keeping as much of her body covered as possible. Purity’s followers were using the truck as cover, and neither side was making progress at shooting the other. Meanwhile, the liquid continued to pool on the ground.

What other weapons did Rarity have? What would someone else do? She knew the answer. Rarity drew a breath and pointed one hand at the truck. Any residual effects from being sprayed had worn off now, and she felt energy thrumming in her fingers and through the soil below her. A ball of fire leaped from her hand and flashed towards the truck.

The explosion was not only large, but unexpected. Rarity recoiled and ducked back behind the rock. An intense wave of heat rolled over her despite the cover. Seconds passed as the initial burst of fire receded. Rarity cautiously poked her head out, staring in surprise at what little remained of the truck. It seemed that the magical suppressant was flammable.

“Holy shit,” exclaimed Morgan from his position back on the rim of the crater. “All targets down.”

“All targets in the east are down,” confirmed Loowit, her voice sounding slightly pained. “And thank you for being quick about it. I don’t know how much more of that I could stand. Veronica, we need you back in the north.”

Rarity went back to her position at the top of the crater, settling down beside her sniper rifle again. Veronica accompanied her there before breaking off for her own position.

“Fire support inbound—two minutes,” reported Bear.

“What have we got?” asked Rob.

“Idaho ANG, strafing only. It was all we could get on short notice, but I can put them on target,” replied Bear.

“Darling, what do you know about forward air control?” Rarity found herself asking. The night had only gotten darker, and she wasn’t confident that an airplane could tell between friend and foe.

“Sorry, but which one of us was in the Army for a couple of decades?” Bear snarked. “Just keep your head down and listen for the whispering death.”

That did not inspire confidence, but Rarity knew there wasn’t much choice. She heard a couple of far-away rifle shots, probably one of the others engaging the enemy surrounding the mountain. The sudden lull in the fighting—or at least fighting in her area—was a contrast to the earlier action. Rarity fought to stay alert, knowing how quickly things could change.

Rarity thought she heard something. At first she thought it was another helicopter, but the noise seemed to be covered by a new sound, sort of a high-pitched buzz or whine. She couldn’t see its source, but it seemed to be getting closer.

When the first jet went over her head, Rarity jerked in surprise. It was much quieter than any she had heard before, almost like it had snuck up on her. The engines did not roar like other airplanes. It was followed by a second, and Rarity noticed that neither plane seemed to be moving very fast. Passing in front of the moon, she caught a glimpse of an unusual shape. The wings were flat and straight, the tail looked like it had been forged with a hammer and crude anvil, and the engines were mounted awkwardly along the body. It was perhaps the ugliest vehicle she had ever seen, Earth or elsewhere.

And then fire erupted from the nose of each aircraft, producing a noise like the incredibly amplified grunt of an angry pig. A multitude of small explosions burst on the ground, hundreds of high-explosive shells littering the area around the mountain and eliminating any threat that showed itself.

“Fuck yeah, I love A-10’s!” cheered Morgan.

“Very helpful, but to be certain we will require another pass on enemy forces to the north, west, and south,” cautioned Loowit.

Rarity had been concentrating too much on the effectiveness of the close air support and was surprised to notice a helicopter rapidly descending towards the center of the crater. Even the quiet noise of the jets had masked its presence.

“Rarity, Morgan, get down here!” barked Bear’s voice. “I’m going to call for fire on the chopper, but I think it’s going to be landing in my vicinity.”

Rarity got up quickly and began to run. She noticed that it was a different kind of helicopter than the first, and looked more menacing as if it was better armed. Anyway, the cockpit was turned away from her and shooting it from where she had been would not be effective.

One of the airplanes swung around over the crater and dove at the helicopter, its explosive rounds sparkling off the target and igniting it in flames. Rarity kept running, even as the burning helicopter crashed to the ground, small pieces scattering over the rocks.

She slid to a halt in the area Bear had been, staring in shock at the broken magic circle. Some of the rounds from the strafing run had sprinkled the ground, ruining the circle and inadvertently releasing the werewolf.

Rarity didn’t know where Loowit was. Would, or could, a wolf attack a spirit? She turned slowly in place, suddenly wary. Movement near the destroyed chopper suddenly grabbed her attention. Someone had survived.

It was an older woman, but by no means ancient. Despite leaving a flaming pile of wreckage, she looked remarkably unruffled. There were stains of soot and other things on her clothing and skin, but she appeared not to care. A weapon was clutched in her hands. The wind shifted, blowing around her white hair.

Rarity didn’t know Purity on sight, but she didn’t doubt that she was looking at her now. The two of them stood apart, flames and moonlight illuminating the area.

Purity turned, helping someone from the wreckage. It looked like it might have been Mr. Wright. He was injured, but alive. Purity sat him down as comfortably as possible and looked back at Rarity. Repositioning the weapon in her grip, she began to walk towards the unicorn.

Rarity jerked her rifle up, but Purity moved faster—perhaps too fast for an accurate shot. The incoming bullet skipped off the side of Rarity’s weapon, leaving her unharmed. Taking the opportunity, Rarity leaped behind a boulder for cover. Purity stood out in the open, continuing to fire slowly as she circled to get behind Rarity.

Glancing down, Rarity was aghast to see the magazine of her rifle twisted into an unusable shape. She tried to drop it and insert a fresh one, but the mechanism had jammed. There was no time to clear it. Letting go of the rifle, she gripped the pair of handguns at her sides and leaped from behind the rock, raising both arms to aim.

Three bullets cracked in quick succession against her chest plate and Rarity gasped in pain. Nothing had penetrated, but the impact would leave her bruised. She fired back, although it was hard to tell if either gun hit anything.

The ground tore open and Loowit leaped from the ash, a glow of molten magma showing itself from the hole behind her. Purity spun to face her, taking a step backward as the fire goddess reached forward.

Purity backhanded her across the face, knocking Loowit off course and out of the way. Rarity would have gasped in horrified surprise, but she was already sprinting forward to attack. Loowit had bought her some time, however, and she was using it.

Thrusting one pistol forward, Rarity aimed straight at Purity’s face, but her arm was knocked to the side as Rarity pulled the trigger. Her forward momentum could not be stopped, however, and the two of them crashed together in a heap on the ground.

Purity’s hands seized Rarity’s throat ineffectively, forcing her to reposition her grip as she felt the neck protector Rarity had added to her armor. With a moment’s reprieve, Rarity swung both guns forward to threaten Purity once again. Unwilling to take a bullet, Purity dropped her grip and redirected Rarity’s aim just before she fired.

Struggling to gain an advantage, Purity grabbed Rarity’s elbows, forcing her pistols away. Her grip was like a vice, and Rarity thought that her joints must be at risk of damage. Rolling sideways, Purity shoved her towards the pool of magma where Loowit had appeared.

Rarity let go of her guns and telekinetically jammed them against Purity’s head. The white-haired woman responded by spitting in Rarity’s face and temporarily blinding her.

Rarity felt herself begin to go over the edge of the pit and threw out a hand instinctively, feeling energy redirect itself as the heat dissipated on her command. Rarity blinked at the sudden appearance of a warm-but-solid floor of rock at the bottom of the shallow hole. She grabbed Purity’s collar and dragged her into the pit as Rarity fell.

Purity kicked hard, knocking Rarity against the wall. Rarity grappled for her knife, the last weapon she had. As her hand unsheathed it, Purity pinned her against the wall, fumbling for control of the blade.

Rarity threw out her other hand, searching for one of the guns she’d dropped. As it came over the edge of the hole, Purity knocked it away and hit Rarity across the face. Teeth rattling, Rarity tried to grab for another weapon. Nothing was available and she jerked a knee forwards, catching Purity in the abdomen below her armor. It was just enough to loosen her grip, and Rarity pushed her off. The reprieve was short-lived, and Purity was on her once again.

Gasping for breath and unsure how much longer she could go on, Rarity scrambled for something else she could do. A bolt of magic straight to the heart might work. Rarity didn’t know if she was capable of that. Still, it looked like there might be no other option.

Instead, Morgan slid to a halt at the top of the pit, surprising her and Purity both. He started to aim a gun, but Purity leaped at him, confiscating the weapon and kicking Morgan so hard that Rarity thought she heard the plates of his armor crack.

From her position in the pit, Rarity threw a punch at the back of Purity’s knee while she was distracted. Purity involuntarily collapsed, falling into Rarity’s waiting arms. Yanking her head back, Rarity wrapped her elbow around Purity’s throat, applying a headlock and arresting further movement.

Purity may have been extremely strong, but nothing was going to get Rarity to let go. Fingernails scratched on her protective clothing and elbows thudded against her armor. Seconds passed, and the fight slowly went out of Purity, her body falling limp.

Morgan stumbled over, clutching his sides. “You said she was a pony, right? That was a hell of a buck. I think she cracked some fucking ribs.”

“What do we do now?” asked Rarity, getting back to the point while still clutching the unconscious Purity. Morgan hastily dashed over to the former werewolf containment area and redrew the circle. He helped Rarity to get Purity inside it and then sealed the confinement with magic.

“Will it hold?” asked Rarity. She thought about how easily Purity had overcome Loowit.

Morgan shrugged. “You should hold her down for extra security.”

As Purity began to stir, Rarity fed more magic into the circle to ensure its effectiveness. As Purity realized what was going on, she attacked the invisible barrier with a fury, but it held strong. There was no way out.

Morgan grinned. “Bippity boppity boo, motherfucker.”

Rarity shot him a look, but turned back to their prisoner. Purity stared at her with nothing but hate. It wasn’t the look of someone who had lost a fight, it was something much deeper.

“I didn’t want to do this,” said Rarity slowly. “I just wanted to live peacefully with everypony. I feel that it’s simply equine nature.”

“Tell that to the rest of your kind,” growled Purity.

Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “You weren’t killed in the cave during the battle of the three tribes. Instead, your life was spared. You could have done anything with the opportunity, but instead you decided to hate.”

“Don’t tell me that I received some kind of gift!” Purity beat her fists on the barrier. “Platinum did this to me!”

“Why is that?” asked Rarity, fighting to keep violent emotion out of her voice. “Was it because you attacked her? Did you expect her not to defend herself? Did you expect me not to?”

“None of this is my fault.” Purity still glared at her defiantly.

“Perhaps not,” acknowledged Rarity. “At the same time, declaring war on those you’ve never met simply because they are different is despicable.”

Purity continued to glare at her. “I know my duties as a leader. I cared for my ponies, and when I came to Earth I cared for the people who followed me. I did what was best for them.”

“By neglecting the needs of all,” Rarity shot back. “There are so many species and races out there, all of them different. The mark of a true leader is being able to accommodate everyone fairly. Leading a silly crusade against one group benefits none.”

Seconds passed. Purity crossed her arms. “Nice speech. What are you going to do? You can’t really talk that way and then go ahead and kill me.”

“Actually,” hissed Rarity, “I think it’s well within my rights. You wouldn’t have hesitated to do the same to me, and I’m certain that your opinion on magic wouldn’t change just because I showed you some compassion and freed you.”

Rarity looked away. “But honestly, I don’t want to kill you. It’s not in my nature, and I would get no pleasure from it.”

A faint lesson observed by Rarity in G.I. Jane drifted through her mind. Even in victory, there was honor and respectability to be shown to opponents. They couldn’t keep Purity locked away forever. She had already suffered enough.

“What are our options?” Rarity asked Morgan.

“We could do a counterspell to cancel out anything magic inside the circle,” he mused.

Rarity nodded. “You direct it, I’ll power it.”

Purity had heard the exchange and dropped her gaze. Her eyes closed and she waited to be put to rest.

Rarity felt the changing magic in the circle, spells undoing and whisping away. The last one, the oldest one, began to unravel. Purity’s age began to rapidly advance, millennia speeding by in seconds. As the last of the magic faded so did her body, leaving nothing but her personal effects behind.

There was something dripping down Rarity’s cheeks. Based on the strong emotions she felt, it was probably—

She shook her head. You’re a proper lady, compose yourself. You can be emotionally conflicted about what you’ve done later. The others began to arrive, gathering around. Rarity appreciated their support.

Loowit was battered, but without permanent harm done. “I guess I’m still learning things in my old age. Maybe it’s a lesson Purity could have used.”

The conversation was cut short by the howl of a wolf. Morgan rolled his eyes. “All right, everyone into the circle.”

Collecting the injured Mr. Wright, they all crowded into the circle and sealed it once again. Luckily, morning was only a few hours away and a hungry werewolf stalking the outside of the barrier was more than enough to keep them all alert. Bear changed back as the sun rose, looking sheepish.

They all began to pack up to leave the mountain. Reinforcements finally arrived with helicopters and troops of their own and took Wright away. Rarity did not know what would happen to him. It was no longer her problem. As the Element of Generosity it was her job to care, but she had learned that sometimes things were bigger than what one soul could handle. By fitting together with others as parts of a larger whole, overwhelming tasks could be handled.

Rarity already knew that, of course. Cooperation with her friends and all of Equestria could attest to that. The humans had their own ways to doing things, but there was nothing wrong with being different.

Jenny asked, “So Rarity, now that everyone who wanted to kill you is taken care of, what will you do next?”

Thinking for half a second, Rarity replied, “I’m going to Disney World.”

Chapter 25

Rarity’s last few days on Earth were busy. Having been under constant threat from magic-hating killers, she hadn’t experienced as much of the planet as the Princesses would probably have liked. She was still on a mission, after all.

While she might not have received the full human experience, or even a mostly average experience, Rarity thought that she might have gotten a better idea about how they, as a species, worked. Although, perhaps it would be better to simply report her experiences and let somepony who was paid to think about interplanetary sociopolitical matters take care of it.

Rarity said goodbye to Loowit before leaving the area. The fire goddess was tied to her mountain, and could not travel. They had become friends, and Rarity was sad to part company. Still, at least she would retain the memories made.

After cavorting about the planet at taxpayers’ expense—including a trip to Disney World—Rarity and her five government escorts eventually returned to the underground complex at Raven Rock to send Rarity home.

Making friends from previously unknown acquaintances would always be an interesting experience. The kind of friendship forged through battle seemed to be an especially effective way to determine how much someone really cared.

While the entire disagreement with Purity had been over an idea, Rarity realized that if it weren’t for some sort of overarching initiative, she would have been abandoned and alone. Why else would these people risk their lives to save her?

Rarity’s Equestrian friends would have done the same, of course. She’d noticed a few parallels and themes between the five of them and the people she’d stayed with during her month on Earth. Of course, she couldn’t simply pair them up pony to person. None of the humans had concentrated talents and traits.

It reminded Rarity of something Rob had said. Humans were diverse. A single person could be very versatile and in fact was encouraged to be. While Rarity knew her special talent, something she could do better than anything else, it might be a good idea to think about improving other skills.

Morgan figured that her gem-finding spell could make the team some money so they wouldn’t have to rely on budgets. Rarity had no idea what to do with anything he’d taught her. In fact, nearly everything she’d learned from any of them would not apply to Equestria. Guns, meat, the internet.

Still, it was rather bittersweet to say goodbye. Regardless of their other traits, she considered the five people to be her friends, made through trial and tribulation. Rarity didn’t know if she would ever return to Earth, so she might be bidding them farewell permanently.

The bland room in the depths of Raven Rock was prepared for her departure. Rarity sat on the bed, considering what she would say. It was not often that anypony’s life could be so thoroughly changed in just one month. While she could go back to her old existence in Equestria, things would never be quite the same.

Rarity reflected on that. She was not aware of any long-term enemies of hers in Equestria, but she and the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony were certainly placed in sticky situations often enough. It certainly couldn’t hurt to be a little more…conflict-minded. Situational awareness and readiness would certainly have helped prevent some disasters in the past.

She shook her head. She couldn’t introduce war to Equestria! The human planet was nothing like her home. Rarity knew that whatever she had experienced here, she couldn’t bring it back with her.

The others were there to see her off. Bear checked her watch. “You have just a few minutes left, Rarity.”

Rarity smiled. “I’d like to thank you all for the hospitality, although I apologize if my presence here caused you any unnecessary trouble.”

“Well, we did take out the world’s oldest racist, so that’s something,” commented Morgan. “We couldn’t pin anything too severe on Mr. Wright, but our organization’s counterpart in the British government was able to come up with something.”

“While I might not be a stranger to action and adventure, this past month has really been over the top,” said Rarity.

“You were supposed to have a new experience, and I think that’s happened.” Jenny looked thoughtful. “I suppose it could have gone better, but that’s life.”

Indeed, thought Rarity. “Even with the victory celebration at Disney World, I certainly didn’t see everything humanity had to offer.”

“I’m sure the internet helped,” put in Veronica.

“It let me get a…more intensive view of people,” Rarity admitted.

“Don’t worry, everyone stumbles on Rule 34 before too long,” Rob reassured her.

Bear checked her watch again and stepped forward to take Rarity’s hand. “It’s been a pleasure getting to know you.”

“And all of you as well.” Rarity shook with each of them in turn. She could feel her eyelids getting heavy, the first effects of the spell going to work.

With one last look and smile at her friends, Rarity lay back in the bed and closed her eyes. The spell to take her back began to gain in intensity. In the background, the sound of the bunker’s ventilation system faded. Rarity was going home.

The room in the castle was fairly large and well lit with stained glass windows along the walls and high ceilings. Six beds were arranged neatly in the center of the floor.

The large hourglass in the room dropped its last few grains of sand, marking the end of the month. The two princesses standing near it watched as six motes of light appeared, one over each bed. Six mares appeared with a flash of bright color.

Rarity opened her eyes. Gentle sunlight poured in through the castle windows. She shifted slightly, feeling a tail under her. Her tail.

“Wow! Wasn’t that exciting!” giggled Pinkie’s voice.

Rarity sat up, her eyes looking at the five other ponies who had been away from home just like her. Their experiences had been nothing alike, however. They simply couldn’t have been.

Still, it was good to see them all again. Rarity couldn’t help but think of the friends she’d left behind, though. The other mares were chatting animatedly. Twilight paused, looking at the white unicorn. “You’re being awfully quiet, Rarity.”

“It was a long, strange trip,” Rarity replied. That description fit the best, she decided.

Rarity made small talk with her friends, happy to just be back in Equestria. Her hooves seemed rather numb and ineffective compared to the rich sensation of touch that fingers provided. At least she had regained a proper mane and coat to groom. She could go back to being fabulous. Even if that was sometimes impractical and time consuming.

Rarity shook her head. When in Roam… She was once again a pony in Equestria. She could go back to being herself again. But wasn’t she herself, Rarity, all along? Despite the alien body and instincts, hadn’t it really been her doing those things? A human might be okay with those memories and could live with them. Could a pony?

The door opened to reveal six typists ready to record what each of the six mares had experienced. As they were coming in, Rarity hopped off her bed and approached Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. “I have something to tell you that will change Hearth’s Warming Eve forever.”

The two royal sisters traded a look. “It sounds important,” commented Luna.

Celestia nodded in agreement. “How will the holiday change?”

“I must admit, I’m curious,” said Celestia. “What does one of our ancient traditions have to do with your month on another world?”

“Ma’am? I’m ready for you,” broke in the stenographer who was assigned to Rarity.

She sighed. “I’ll record everything I know, Princess, and if you have questions after that I can answer them. It’s a long story.”

The two Princesses accepted that and left the room. Ponies with refreshments began to come in. The six mares settled down to comfortably tell their respective stories.

Rarity took a pastry and bit into it. The sweets were better in Equestria, hands—er, hooves—down. Still, after the effects of such a massive spell, she felt hungry for something a little more substantial.

Rarity reclined on the bed. A tumble of memories raced through her head, each of them important to write down. It was confusing to try to sort them out, so Rarity simply started from the beginning.

There was the initial shock of waking up to a new body; the discovery that magic still existed; the unpleasant surprise of learning that some people hated magic.

Individual experiences were harder to describe. The feel of exotic fabrics; flying in an airplane; learning about the internet. Rarity paused before discussing meat. The typist recording her story looked uncertain, but dutifully recorded her words.

Emotions were the hardest to put to words. How did Rarity feel when someone was trying to kill her? What was it like for her to end a life? She had to stop several times to get her voice under control. It was not easy to talk about, but it seemed to help put things in perspective. Rarity understood what she had done. She had even rationalized some of it. That didn’t make it any more pleasant or an appropriate way for a pony to behave, much less a proper lady.

Rarity didn’t realize that she had an audience until her eyes opened again that evening. The sun had gone down and lamps were lit. Five mares sat around the bed, listening with rapt attention as Rarity finished her story.

The treats had not done much for Rarity’s hunger. Something filling would be good. What would be tasty right now? I think a nice…salad.

The thought of meat had crossed her mind, but Rarity easily dispelled it. She had learned to live like a human when in their world. She could be a pony at home in Equestria.

That didn’t change what she had done, however. Rarity cast her eyes around the circle of ponies who listened to her story. “You…you probably think I’m horrible.”

To her surprise, Rarity received five simultaneous hugs.

“You didn’t do any of that because you’re cruel,” Fluttershy reassured her.

Applejack added, “And you know it might’ve been not so good, so you feel bad about it.”

“But you stuck up for your friends anyway,” put in Rainbow.

“And maybe made some cool memories in the meantime!” said Pinkie.

Twilight, as usual, got the last word. “It sounds like you made some good friends, Rarity. Having their support must have really helped.”

From inside the hug circle, Rarity carefully attempted to hold back a few emotional tears. “You’re all correct, of course. I don’t think I could have coped without them.”

She managed to work a smile onto her face. “And I’m so glad I have all of you.”

Rarity opened the door to the guest room. The Princesses had given her and her friends a place to stay the night before going back to Ponyville in the morning. She put down the candle she carried on the bedside table and slipped beneath the covers.

The visit to another planet had indeed been a long, strange trip. Rarity had mostly made peace with what she’d done. While she had every right to refuse to participate, the inhabitants of Earth had their own way of doing things. They were not necessarily wrong, just different.

Tolerance really was a valuable skill. Rarity made herself comfortable in bed, staring up at the ceiling in the dim light of the candle. It was fortunate that she had such good friends who could accept her for who and what she was. She, too, had learned quite a lot in that regard.

Rarity glanced at the small night light candle mounted on the wall across the room. The portable candle she’d carried in was still sitting by the bed. Rarity sighed, not keen on getting up to walk to the other side of the room.

With a sudden inspiration, Rarity smirked. She’d learned other things while on her trip, too. With a little bit of magic, a spark of flame burst into ignition on the candle wick across the room.

Rarity put out the main candle and rolled over in bed. It was still a bittersweet feeling to leave friends behind, but memories like that would not fade. She could see them again in her mind’s eye whenever she wished.

Sleep was pleasant. Rarity did not worry about murderous enemies. Home was truly where the heart was, and despite her travels and lessons, Rarity knew that there were some things that could not be duplicated.

Camaraderie. The qualities that connected companions. Anything was possible, anywhere. All it took was a little friendship.

Author's Note

Northwest Brony and Suke have been responsible for editing this story into coolness. Guest editing on this last chapter by xIMPERSONATORx. Thanks, guys.

And thank you everyone else for reading. It's been a long, strange trip.

Chapter 16

The day started before the sun was fully up. Even having missed her beauty sleep ever since she’d arrived on Earth, Rarity was still very displeased about the early hour. Standing watch the previous night had only compounded the issue.

She moaned as everyone else busily prepared for the day’s activity. “Must we begin so soon? I thought the point of summoning a goddess was doing it at our leisure.”

“It’s a long fucking process,” Morgan told her.

“And we’ll need to get to the mountain early to get ahead of any stray hikers,” added Jenny.

Rarity thought it rather pleasant of her to refer to it as merely a mountain rather than an active volcano. Following Spike on his dragon quest had presented quite enough hot lava for her, thank you very much.

With supplies gathered, the six of them drove off for Mount St. Helens, entering the protected national forest that surrounded it. Rarity looked out the window at the scenery. The nature preserve served a dual purpose, she thought. Both protecting the land from peoples’ influence, and protecting them from it.

As the miles passed and they drew closer, it became apparent that Mount St. Helens was missing its peak. In fact, the whole north side of the mountain was simply gone. It looked more like a horseshoe than a proper, cone-shaped mountain.

“Did you say the last eruption was a little bit more than thirty years ago?” asked Rarity to no one in particular.

“That’s right,” confirmed Bear. “The top quarter of the mountain disappeared and the crater it left is about a mile wide. Most of the debris went north, tearing down that side of what was left of the mountain.”

“Were you there?” asked Rarity.

“Yeah,” Bear confirmed. “That was when I got to know Loowitlatkla.”

Rarity considered that for a moment. “Why was she so angry?”

“Huh? What do you...”

Rob looked up eagerly to see what Bear was thinking, but she suddenly appeared to be trying very hard not to betray the truth, and succeeding at it. Rarity looked at what was in her hand. It was a can of beans, intended for a picnic lunch. The list of ingredients wasn’t that interesting, so whatever had happened must be an important thing Bear wanted to conceal. Rarity understood well that some secrets were better left hidden, and let the matter drop.

Most of the hiking trails were on the southern edge of the mountain. The parking area near the north side was for views and pictures only. Hiking into the crater was prohibited. Rarity rolled her eyes when she heard the news. Of course they would be doing precisely that.

Making sure they were unobserved, the group made their way past the signs telling them to turn back. It was still early morning and no one else was around. Rarity hefted the knapsack she had been given to carry, wondering what might be inside.

The terrain was mostly grey, with a few boulders and smaller rocks. The soil was composed of granular volcanic ash that had condensed over the years to form a relatively firm surface. Here and there, plants grew, their seeds having been carried in over the previous few decades.

Rarity felt like complaining as they picked their way around obstacles of broken rock and hardened pumice. She was pleased to see that there was no superheated magma, but did not like the look of a few small plumes of steam rising from the center of the crater.

The pair of boots on Rarity’s feet seemed to be doing their job. They were a bit stiff from being new, but she was remarkably comfortable after hiking a few miles into the center of a volcano. Well, her feet were, anyway. Rarity proceeded carefully, as if a misstep might cause an eruption.

At a particular spot, the six of them stopped and began unpacking their gear. Much of it was seemingly random items; string, candles, bottles of strange substances, beef jerky. Morgan, with assistance from Bear and occasional help from the others began to prepare the summoning area.

Hours passed. Rarity couldn’t believe how long it was taking. She’d seen Zecora perform complicated ritual spells without having the natural magic of a unicorn, but this was bordering on ridiculous.

When they paused for lunch, Rarity asked why the process was so time consuming.

“Do you want to screw up the summoning of a deity?” demanded Morgan. “A minor deity, to be fair, but still nobody to fuck with.”

“And there’s no guarantee this will work,” added Bear. “It’s not forcing her to show up, it’s just a friendly invitation.”

“We could get by without her, couldn’t we?” asked Rarity. “I mean, just lay low and stay out of sight from Purity’s group, right?”

“Are you going to just hide?” asked Veronica.

“Well, only for another few weeks,” said Rarity. “Then I can go home.”

There was a moment of silence. Rarity suddenly gulped in realization. “Oh! I didn’t mean—”

“Just think about everyone else next time?” said Rob. “The rest of us can’t really go to another planet.”

Rarity politely shut up. It had been a terrible faux pas to insinuate that she would walk out on those in need. And—she’d come to realize—they were her friends. Of course she would do anything to help them.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with further work on the summoning, and no further success. As the sun hovered low over the rim of the crater, Bear decided to call it a day. Rarity was disappointed, but held her tongue because could see that everyone felt the same. This was not a time for complaining.

A woman in a park ranger uniform was standing next to their SUV when they returned to the lot. She was tapping her foot and twisting curls of her blond hair, looking quite bored. Her expression changed to irritation as she spotted the six of them returning from a restricted area. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been standing here waiting on you? It’s inevitable, every so often someone thinks it’s funny to go for a jaunt into the volcano. It’s dangerous to go in there!”

“We’ll be going now,” said Jenny diplomatically. “Sorry.”

“It’s for public safety!” insisted the woman, pointing an accusing finger.

Bear continued to walk towards the vehicle, still fending her off. “Many apologies.”

“We could make excuses, but right now you’re right—we’re lucky we aren’t dead,” added Veronica with exaggeration for effect.

Rarity and Morgan looked at each other, confirming a slight feeling of magic they had both sensed. Morgan stepped forward hesitantly. “Uh, ma’am? I don’t think you’re actually a fu—er, United States Forest Service employee.”

Rarity blinked, but in that instant the woman’s look transformed completely, the uniform replaced by something less formal with more earth tones. Her hair had darkened, and in fact it seemed like her entire appearance had changed.

Bear facepalmed. “Loowitlatkla, I can’t believe you pulled that trick on me again.”

“Well, someone has to.” The newly-revealed volcano goddess smiled. “Who are your friends?”

The introductions seemed to go without incident until Loowitlatkla came to Rarity. Her presence required some explanation.

“So, some sort of foreign exchange mage,” mused Loowitlatkla. “Interesting. Maybe I could help you with a few things.”

“That’s actually what we wanted to talk to you about, Loowit,” said Bear. “We have a bit of a problem and could use some assistance.”

Rarity much preferred the shortened version of the name. “Loowit” was much easier to get her tongue around. She listened while the situation was explained by the others.

“Well, it certainly does sound like an injustice,” decided Loowit. “I can’t leave my mountain, but if you’re in the area I’ll give whatever support I can.”

“We’ll think about moving our base of operations to here,” said Bear. “Otherwise, we’ll just consider it a fallback location.”

Now that Loowit was standing in front of her, Rarity’s curiosity made her want to ask about the last eruption. The mountain spirit didn’t appear to be very prone to violence. In fact, she seemed quite friendly. The question that came out, however, was, “Why call it Mount St. Helens?”

Loowit waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, that was the doing of some British explorer in the late 1700’s. I’ve decided to just play along.”

Rarity decided that perhaps she would have to investigate these mysterious British people. Rob said, “You wouldn’t like them. Even stiffer upper lips than you.”

Loowit promised to keep in touch, and waved goodbye as the rest drove away. Rarity reclined in her seat, deciding that toiling all day for a brief meeting was not really a satisfactory payoff. It had been nice to meet the volcano spirit, but while Rarity had always fancied herself as a socialite, not much had been accomplished. Still, it was a start.

Morgan looked at her. “So Rarity, are the goddesses of your world also massive trolls?”