//------------------------------// // Chapter 83 // Story: Unshaken // by The 24th Pegasus //------------------------------// Take Starlight back to the camp to discuss this further: 12 Votes Kestrel looked around the bar, noting the numerous different ponies beginning to trickle in. None were wearing pink suits, which was a relief, but it was impossible to know just by looking at a pony whether or not they’d recognize Kestrel or Silver from a wanted poster. Sticking around any longer would only increase those chances, and more heat from the Law was not something either outlaw could afford now. “We need to work out the fine details,” she began, “but not here. We can’t chance somepony recognizin’ the two of us.” “Then where?” Starlight asked. “I don’t imagine the two of you want to spend any more time in the city than you have to.” “Back at our camp,” Kestrel said, and Silver raised an eyebrow in surprise. “We need someplace private and safe to hash out the rest, and me and Silvie don’t speak for all of our gang. Gettin’ everypony on the same page before we start out is the best way to go about this, I feel.” Starlight nodded. “Yes, that would be best. How far away is your camp? I imagine it would be hard to find, given the interest the government seems to have in you. How should I expect to find it?” “We won’t expect you to,” Kestrel said, gesturing for Silvie to slide over so she could stand up. “We’re gonna take you there by wing. Fastest way there, fewest risks. Once we’re outta town, it’s easy goin’ til we’re home.” “I hope you ain’t ‘fraid of heights,” Silver added. “Last time we flew somepony back to camp, she was an earth pony. Didn’t take to havin’ her hooves off the ground too well.” The metallic mare smiled faintly at the memory, before a sadder expression clouded her face. It was all too clear to Kestrel who—and what—the younger outlaw was thinking about. The shift in Silver’s expression went unnoticed by the revolutionary as she left her seat. “Worry about being in the air? I can levitate myself off the ground if I need to. Heights don’t bother me.” Silver cocked her head at Starlight, brow furrowing. “I thought unicorns had trouble levitating themselves?” “Not if you know the right way to do it… and are strong enough to do it.” Starlight proudly puffed out her chest and tossed her head back a bit, the flounce of her mane accentuating her pronounced horn. “But please, I imagine a pegasus carrying a unicorn would attract far less attention than a unicorn levitating herself through the city. Not to mention that it is tiring, after all.” “Right.” Kestrel turned to Silver and pointed a wingtip toward the door. “Make sure the coast is clear. We’ll watch through the door here. If it is, walk to the right and fly up. If it ain’t, walk left and then take wing. If everythin’s good, Starlight and me’ll be out right behind you.” “Got it. See you at the camp.” A nod from the younger outlaw accompanied her words, and then she turned around and made for the doorway. Kestrel and Starlight watched her nonchalantly skirt her way around a few ponies stepping into the bar for lunch, and Kestrel was relieved to see that none of them paid her much attention as she passed. If they didn’t recognize the pegasus with the shiny coat, they likely wouldn’t recognize the other pegasus with a more subdued coloration, even if the patterns on Kestrel’s wings were unique enough in their own right. Is there any trouble outside of the bar? No After pausing just outside the doorway to survey the streets under the guise of lighting a cigarette, Silver finally turned to the right and walked out of sight, quietly settling some of the butterflies arising in Kestrel’s stomach. “Coast is clear,” she said back to Starlight, and then began walking for the door. “Let’s go.” The two mares stepped outside of the bar, and Kestrel took her own chance to double-check the streets for any sign of trouble before taking off; thankfully, there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary that she could see, but she wasn’t going to take any more time than she needed to in the city. So, stooping over, she spread out her wings so Starlight could climb on her back. “C’mon. Don’t touch the guns.” “Outlaws and revolutionaries, what an apt pairing,” Starlight said as she settled onto Kestrel’s back. The pegasus stood up, grimacing at the added weight, and frantically beat her wings to get into the air and start to climb. She had to fly down the length of the street before she finally had the height to start clearing buildings, but by the time she was away from the city, she’d gotten enough altitude to escape the notice of any ponies on the ground. From there, she caught a thermal of wind rising up off of the road into Hoofston and used the added energy to help ease her flight back to the lake. Starlight looked around as the two flew back home, the wind blowing through her mane. “Sometimes it’s hard to put the whole world into perspective from the ground,” she mused. “You pegasi see everything much different than we do.” “Ain’t all that much different,” Kestrel said, sparing a moment to shrug between flaps of her wings. “Just perspective. Ponies’re ponies all the same, no matter if you see ‘em from up here or down there.” “It just makes you think about the big picture, though,” Starlight said. “When you can see much more of the canvas, how can you not?” Kestrel chuckled and tried to gain a little more altitude to glide her way back to camp. “Never was much of an artist,” she said. “I’m afraid anythin’ deeper than that’s gonna be lost on me.” “Right, I forgot who I’m talking to…” The two passed the rest of the flight in silence, with Starlight admiring the view from up above, and Kestrel focusing on not falling out of the sky while carrying another pony on her back. Soon enough, the time came to descend, and Kestrel circled above the trees surrounding the camp a few times before touching down. She hit the ground with a grunt and crouched low for Starlight to slide off of her back, then stood upright and shook the sweat streaming off of her coat and wings onto the ground. “Clothes’re gonna need a wash after that,” she muttered to herself, already feeling the sweat dampening her outfit, and turned back to Starlight. “So? Everything you imagined an outlaw’s camp to be?” Starlight looked around, and ultimately hummed with approval. “Quaint,” was her conclusion. “I’ve certainly had rougher lodgings moving from town to town.” “It’s a nice place,” Kestrel agreed. Then, she pointed a wing toward the other end of the camp, where Silver was already talking to Tumbleweed by the edge of the lake. “Now, come on. Let’s reintroduce you to Tumbleweed, then we can start thinkin’ this thing through.” [NO POLL FOR THIS CHAPTER]