//------------------------------// // Bounded and Unchained // Story: Designing Intrigue // by CvBrony //------------------------------// "There, last one." Rarity exhaled and slumped back on the makeshift chair she had made out of the toilet. In her grasp were eight sabotaged focusing cores, each representing an anti-air cannon that would never fire on the ponies of Canterlot. She tossed them all into her stolen, improvised pouch and plopped it on the edge of the sink. With a sigh and a stretch, she examined herself in the mirror. Using a gentle tendril of magic, Rarity lifted up a pair of her mane hairs, their grey contrasting against the others' purple. Even through her makeup, she could see the outlines of bags under her eyes, and it wasn't an effect of the cheap fluorescent lighting.  "Now I see why spies have such a short lifespan. If we aren't murdered, the sheer stress gets to us." She smacked her lips and poured out some water to wet her mouth, then swallowed it when she realized she was thirsty, too. "No getting out at this point, Rarity girl. Besides..." She picked up the pouch, feeling the crystals jangle around in her magic, then steeled herself in front of the bathroom door. "You only have one more thing to do: toss these off the ship! Ready? Doesn't matter, we're going anyway. One, two, three!" Rarity flushed and stepped out of the bathroom, putting on her best ‘relieved’ face as she strode into the cargo bay. The fact that she didn't see anypony there, especially Majestic One, helped tremendously. Now then, where to next? She sat on the cold, steel floor and scratched her chin. Options, options. I doubt I could open the giant bay door here. I mean, I could—the lever is over there—but it would certainly set off alarms. I'd be caught for sure.  No, I need something smaller. Like, a window, or just a little hatch. Hmmm... The large rectangular bay was relatively spartan, and certainly unfinished. Chains dangled from the ceiling over large hatches, and a catwalk roughly a story above her hung precariously from metal hooks. Boxes, crates, and barrels were stacked and sloppily tied down at the ends of the bay, while control panels and buttons seemed to stick out randomly on the wall. Levers and tiny lights were attached to the floor in certain spots, each with a supposed purpose, though she could only guess at most of them.  Before, this spot had been crawling with ponies. Freaky, silent ponies that ignored her completely, but ponies nonetheless. A crowd was still a crowd. Now, only the rush of wind and the hum of engines could be heard, occasionally interrupted by the clanking of chains. There was still ozone in the air, along with the strong scents of grease and sweat.  More important, however, was the complete lack of windows and doors, save for that huge one.  Dang. Back to the office, then. They're certainly expecting me, but hopefully I can find a porthole along the way. She glanced at the cluster of gems in the bag. So close... "What are you doing here?" Rarity turned her head slowly and smoothly to address Vigilant as he strode out of the door to the stairs, hooves clanking away on the metal floor. She viewed him through narrowed eyes, tilting her head up as if she was sitting ten meters above him. "Why, I'm looking around, of course. This really is a remarkable ship. You must be proud." He stopped just short of plowing into her, using his height to look over her shoulder. "And just what is in that bag?" "A few baubles I brought with me. I thought I would have had time to work on my dresses, but things have been quite exciting lately." "Oh, please." His hoof whooshed through the air, smacking Rarity on the horn. "Ow!" She grabbed her horn with both hooves, rubbing the tip and halting its magic. The feedback wasn't so bad, since there was no real spell being used. Horns, however, were solid pieces of bone attached to the skull, and getting hit there was as bad as a punch to the jaw.  "Well, what do we have here?" Vigilant opened the bag up, showing off the gems. "Looks like the focusing crystals we're missing." Crap. "Missing nothing. I just saved this tugboat from setting itself on fire! Every one of those has a critical flaw! You use them, this whole thing catches. Honestly, what does Lofty even pay you for?" "And what is going on here? Miss Rarity, I thought I told you to get back to the office!" The voice was unmistakable. It was the mare from Tartarus, the Void, the one whom Rarity could tell just by looking at her that she was devoid of generosity. However, the voice was also her salvation.  "I was trying! Then this oaf started harassing me for having to use the ladies’ room!" Rarity gave him a punch to the chest, shoving him back a couple steps.  "Like hell! Ma'am, I caught her stealing valuable equipment!" He opened the bag to Majestic One. "The ship's only focusing crystals for the AA batteries!" Lofty stepped out from behind Majestic One, his eyes cool and judgemental. "Is this true, Rarity?" Rarity's ear flicked. His tone was anything but judgemental. It was odd, certainly, and she couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but her gut told her to keep going. "Not at all! I have spent ages on this ship lost and looking for a powder room! Lofty, please, you know me, and you know him!" She reached out and gave Vigilant another punch. "He's been trying to get rid of me since we met! He nearly dropped me off a cliff earlier!" "No! No, I won't let you do this!" Vigilant pulled out a telekinetic blade, filling the bay with an orange-red light. It burned like a cylinder of pure carbon, setting fire to a smear of grease without even touching it. His eyes twitched and his knees shook, and sweat began to flow down his forehead. "Isn't it obvious? She's an Element! A spy! Boss, she doesn't love you! She never did!" "I do love him!" Rarity froze, her face miraculously stuck on ‘indignation’. "I do love him!" Her heart pounded, her lip quivered like a foal losing something beloved, her eyes watered, and her breath choked up. Crap. Oh crap oh crap oh crap. "Lofty, please! Tell him! Tell him the truth!" Because I don't think I can say it one more time.  I really do love him. "What a lovely sentiment." Majestic One turned to leave. "Kill them both. Dump their bodies." What? No! Dammit, Rarity, move! Fight! By the time Rarity had lifted her hoof, something burned up the length of her spine, grabbed her, and tossed her backwards as a wave of orange light ripped a superheated line across the floor. The energy picked up both Lofty and One, tossing them into the stairway door like a pair of dolls. The same orange light slammed the door shut and spun the wheel as it closed. Vigilant leapt to the door an instant later, plunging the blade into the steel and melting its core. Lofty's magic raged over the handle to no avail; the mechanism was fused shut. As Rarity saw Vigilant’s eyes, she noticed that whatever emotion was there was definitely not that of a sane pony. For that matter, it might not have been one of a pony at all. It was a twisted single-mindedness, without the slightest semblance of will. It simply was, and it wanted to kill her. The magma blade came down, and Rarity tilted her head and body away. Had she been wearing a different brand of makeup, it might have caught fire. Instead, her own telekinetic blade materialized and swung up past him, clipping him in the nostril and plugging it with ice. While Vigilant, or whatever was left of him, pulled his blade back up, Rarity jumped back to reorient herself . She leapt once more, this time straight up, pulled off all four of her dress shoes, and flung them at him. They did little more than annoy and stagger him, but that wasn't the point. Iron horseshoes were far better for fighting in than anything with heels. The magma blade came again, this time in a slash close enough to singe her mane.  Jumping back, Rarity did something she was never supposed to do: she spun around with her back to him. At the apex, she undid the clasp holding her dress on, letting it fly backwards and into the blade. Flames erupted instantly, followed by a masculine, yet uncaring scream.  With her dress gone, she was down to her undersaddle, which was just what she wanted. Strapped to it were four sets of throwing knives: sharp, miniature spear points with ends to enhance telekinetic grip. "From the moment you gave me that note, I knew it would end like this." Rarity smirked at his poison glare, seeing just the smallest hint of curiosity squeak through. "With me standing over your dead body." Rarity parried the next attack, sparks of magic and steam flying off the point of impact, thus beginning their dance. His attacks were powerful, but untamed and inelegant. All were slashes—high, low, side, side—each strong enough to push her back towards the end of the room, even though she blocked or dodged each one. Another lunge, though, had Rarity racing to catch up, as he didn't go for her, but for another door, sealing that one shut as well. The magma blade swung again from a distance, this time sending a wave of force in Rarity's direction.  Unlike the first wave that caught Lofty, though, this one was slow and predictable, but no less hot. While it missed Rarity, it continued on and melted a lock on the stairs to the catwalk, bringing the stairs down. "Now there's an idea..." Rarity backed her way up the stairs, parrying blow after blow from the charging Vigilant. Each swing left a trail of either frozen or melted metal in the lattice of the walkway. Halfway to the end of the catwalk, she countered an attack with one of her own, flaring her blade with magic. Steam poured out from where the two forces met. Slowly, the magma blade inched to her face, ready to melt it off entirely.  Rarity took in a breath, then let it out, forcing the air over her telekinetic sword. Bits of water became ice with a desire to grow, latching onto the hairs of Vigilant's face and blossoming into flowers of frozen crystal. Vigilant stumbled back, flinging his blade wildly as he scraped the ice off his eyes. Streaks of red burned spots into Rarity's vision, and bits of flame dripped off the lance of fire. Rarity kept her distance; cornered and blind animals were very dangerous. Instead, she flared her magic again and carved a line of ice into the metal below.  Jumping back, she rose her blade high as Vigilant recovered, locking that alien gaze back on her. "You want to kill me?" she asked, sneering and smiling at the same time. "Then come and get me!" She swung the blade through the metal again, frozen flowers blooming wherever it made contact. Vigilant charged forward, blade hotter than ever, nearly growing white with rage. Rarity stomped the ground just ahead of her, beyond her most recent ice line. Instantly, the brittle, frozen edges of the walkway shattered and fell, followed quickly by Vigilant. She jumped off shortly after, her blade aimed directly at his heart. The wind left her lungs as a pair of hind hooves impacted her stomach. With a kick, she went flying, her blade vapourizing into ether as she tumbled on the now-hot steel floor.  On instinct, she pushed up to her hooves and redrew her blade, but there was nothing to block. Vigilant was instead at another door, melting it shut. "Oh, that is it!" Rarity pounded her hoof into the floor, denting the metal. "No more Miss Nice Fashionista!" Her blade was joined by a chorus of her throwing knives. They swirled around her head, petals of cold iron ready to attack from any angle. This time, it was she who charged. His power had nothing on her speed. A flurry of propeller-like slashes had him struggling to keep up, and put tufts of ice on his neck and chest. She followed with an attack meant to be parried, and when it was, she thrust inwards. As Vigilant turned in the nick of time to avoid paying with his eye, Rarity spun herself into his barrel, impacting him in the chest and uppercutting his jaw. "Amateur." Her throwing blades hit his suit, slicing it off and revealing a coat of thin, strong armour. "You shouldn't have worn that. It just means I have to be a bit more cruel." The next set of knives flew out of their harness, circling around them both, looking for angles on his body that weren't protected. Rarity broke into a nimble trot, shifting directions every few steps to angle around him and leave him guessing. She pulled the knives to their target, each aiming for something vital. Vigilant rolled and threw out a force wave, catching two of the knives and knocking them loose of her telekinetic grasp. The next two met with the magma blade proper, instantly melting into slag. The fifth and final only met his shoulder, just nicking him. His sword burned brighter yet again, sending off another wave of energy. Rarity stepped to the side, getting a minor burn on her ear but dodging the blast, yet it wasn't the heat that made her ears twitch. It was a klaxon. She turned her head for an instant as the heat and some of the air was sucked out of the bay. The wave had struck one of the levers, pushing it over, melting it off, and triggering the opening of the cargo bay door. She held out her blade and jumped to the side, correctly guessing both that Vigilant would attack with her head turned as well as what direction the attack would come from. He was pressing harder now, his strikes stronger, faster, and more violent. One left him wide open, letting Rarity get in with a punch. She just hit solid muscle, which hit back with a hoof attached to it. She tumbled over her head, doing reverse somersaults on the steel. The needle-like cold and wisp-thin atmosphere had taken over the cargo bay through the wide open door, the sheer wind destroying Rarity's coiffure. The sound of rushing hooves reached her ear, and she grabbed a third set of knives and threw them all at once. Each of them whizzed by Vigilant as he stood frozen, calculating how to dodge her attack. Rarity chuckled and smiled as she pulled on the spidersilk thread each of the knives had left behind. The knives had embedded themselves into a metal box, which was now flying at Vigilant at hoofball speeds. Vigilant turned around, flaring and swinging his blade. It bisected the crate clean in two, each half burning hot at the edges as they went flying to the side. The final set of knives came out, slicing a line through Vigilant's cutie mark as they emerged, eliciting a howl of pain. They pierced him as effortlessly as her magic, the cold only adding to their sting. Rarity flared her sword again as she dragged it along the ground, then kicked up the ice flowers that bloomed from her knives. Angling herself between Vigilant and the back wall of the bay, she repeated the maneuver then thrust forward, poking at his eyes and fetlocks, forcing him down the ramp towards the desert below. Another slash was met, blade on blade, shooting steam into her face, eliciting a wince and yip. There was a scream, a ka-chunk sound, and a voice. "Rarity, look out!" She raged, yelled, and counterattacked even before she opened her eyes, lifting up her blade and plunging it forward and down, sinking it into something solid. It had lodged directly into Vigilant's chest, the icy sword freezing his torso in mere seconds. A sneer of pure, disgusted indignation grew on her lips. "I love him. Know that in this last moment." "Puh-puh..." His lips and lungs strained against the sword, aching to form a word, a phrase. He leaned forward, life returning to his eyes, only for it to leave just as fast. "Purple Topaz." Rarity fell back on her haunches, and her breath died in her lungs. What did he say? What did--No, it can't be. It just can't be. Vigilant Watch was... No... No! Her blade dissipated, freeing Vigilant's body to slump over and silently fall off the ramp. "Well, well. I have to admit, Miss Rarity. I'm impressed." The cargo bay all but froze over at those words. Rarity turned her head, face still in shock, finding all of the Majestics, Lofty, and even some workers standing behind her. Majestic One smiled and continued, "Tell me, where did you learn how to fight like that?" Rarity pushed up on one of her trembling legs, standing up only half way. "Champion of the Canterlot Fencing Club. I've been... I've been practicing for years. Keeps me sharp." "I'll say," Majestic One said with a few claps of her hooves, then turned to the workers. "Kill her." "No!" Lofty sprinted in between Rarity and the others, spreading his forelegs out wide. "I will not allow you to hurt her! You'll have to go through me, first!" Majestic One broke out into laughter, actually buckling a little from her chortles. "You? Come on, Mr. Goals. You're a coward. You couldn't sacrifice yourself for anything!" "Yes I can! Her, and only her!" Goals pawed at the floor and snorted. "You need me, One! Without me, every single one of your plans collapses like a house of cards!" The laughter died as swiftly as Vigilant. "We had an agreement, Mr. Goals." Majestic One stepped forward, slowly, deliberately, meeting his eyes at every pace. "I do not tolerate those who break agreements with me." "Deal with it, Majestic One. Without me, your plans will fall apart, and you'll wind up a statue in the Canterlot Gardens, getting pooped on by squirrels and pigeons!" Lofty took a step forward, bearing down on the mare with his height. "The moment you cause her so much as a chipped hoof, I'll unravel it all, even if it means joining you, or worse." Another of the Majestics put a hoof on Majestic One's shoulder. "Look at his eyes. It's over. He's got us on this, and given the proper precautions, she could be an asset." "Precautions?" the mare asked. "Like those taken with Vigilant? Speaking of which, I'm curious, Lofty, as to how those failed." "Who says they did?" another Majestic asked. "Think about it, One. It was probably just a simple paradox conflict." Majestic One glanced down at the distant desert, her eyes reflecting her black soul doing calculations. "Perhaps. Very well, Lofty. I'll grant you this one reprieve. But get her under control, and so help me, if you screw up like this again, I'll make you wish that I would just kill you." Rarity tried to stand and walk as the rest of the group, save Lofty, left the bay, but only slumped to her side into the stallion. "'Under control?'" she asked, voice as soft as a foal grappling with something she couldn't comprehend. "Lofty... Lofty, what does she mean? What's going on?" Lofty held her in his forelegs, rocking her gently back and forth. "Don't worry. I'll explain in a bit. It'll be alright. In the end, we'll win. Together, you and I." He leaned in, and their lips pressed together. Rarity stirred under a pile of blankets and sheets. Her mane was a dishevelled mess, her makeup had either worn off or was smeared terribly, and her latest dress had been literally set on fire. With current company, though, she didn't mind. She uncovered her head and rolled over, looking up at Lofty as he rummaged through a mound of paperwork. "Ah, you're awake. Good morning, beautiful." Lofty walked around the desk and helped her stand, then gave her a peck on the cheek. "Sleep well?" "Better than I should have, given what happened yesterday." She reached out with her magic and lifted a glass of ten-hour-old stale water to her lips. "Where are we?" "See for yourself." Lofty trotted to the large window near them, and pulled open the drapes. The light from the view of the deck of his personal airship filled the bedroom to the brim. Her eyes adjusted to the radiant yellow of Celestia's sun, the blue of her sky, and the reddish orange of the desert mesas below. The path ahead, however, was blotted with the dark shadows of a long line of storms ahead. They stretched left to right in an unending wall of stratospheric power. "The Eternal Squall?! The line of storms over the Raging Mountains between San Palomino and Stalliongrad?! Why on Equus would we go there? No ship can hope to make it through that! We'll be killed!" "Not unless you have a mapped, safe route nopony else knows about." Lofty waggled a map in his magic. "Our warship is already launching its attack. We need an alibi. We're going to cross through the storms and go on 'vacation' in Stalliongrad, making sure to be seen. It will make it seem like there was no way we could have been in San Palomino at the time the ship was launched." Rarity sighed and ran a hoof through her mess of a mane. "I suppose, but... Lofty, I truly have to ask. What is going on? Who are the Majestics?" "Right, that. Well, I promised an explanation, and I shall deliver." Lofty cleared his throat and swallowed, sweat breaking out on his brow. "The Majestics are a group of politicians and industry leaders—" "Lies." Rarity shot the word at him, staggering him as if it had been an arrow. "Darling, I am the pony everypony should know. I've spent over a decade building my network. I didn't recognize anypony there." "Would you recognize a changeling in disguise?" Lofty sat next to her, his warmth radiating through her side. "All of them use a special amulet derived from research on changelings. It's usually hidden under their clothes. Their appearance changes each time I see them. Their voices, their clothes, sometimes even their gender. None of us know who the others truly are, as we're always disguised. Except for me, of course, but I barely managed to get a number: Twelve. I’m the last." "Ah. Well then, that explains a few things." Rarity leaned on him, enjoying the warm feeling as much as she could allow herself to. "Let me guess, you're trying to overthrow Celestia? Take over the world?" "Of course. Or rather, they are. I don't want to rule the world. Too much trouble, honestly. The Majestics? Celestia? They can have it. I set out on this for a different reason." "Money? Influence? To destroy the world?" Rarity continued, listing off every cliché she knew of for supervillains. "No. Not at all. If you want, I'll tell you, but I don't think you want to know just yet." "And just what do you mean by that?" "Because if you know… “Rarity, I took you on this trip because the Majestics were worried I was getting too close to you. They were going to kill you. I needed to bring you into the fold, and I did just that. I know you. You're an amazing mare. You're gorgeous, talented, intelligent, driven..." "Oh, you." Rarity giggled, waving a hoof. "Go on." She smiled at him through a moment of silence. "No, really, go on." Lofty laughed, and took her hoof in his. "But dear, they are nothing compared to the attention you'll attract if you know the details of my plan. He will become interested in you." "Um..." Rarity looked around at the behest of the chill going down her spine as darkness and cold seemed to seep into the room. "Who, exactly?" "Ionos." The chill in Rarity's back turned into liquid nitrogen, her vision went halfway dark, and her stomach clenched in agony. "What... What just happened..." "I got his attention. The feeling should fade soon, but Rarity, I can't protect you from him like I can the others. If you know, you're his, and I don't want you to have to go through that if you don't have to." "I... I..." She stammered and panted, fighting the urge to heave. "I think I'm okay not knowing the details..." No, dammit, we need to know! Tell him we want to know!  The words never came. "If it makes you feel better, I'm telling the truth about Twilight. For my plans to work, she must live. Unlike the Majestics, I bear neither her nor the Sisters any ill will. I’m working on something that’ll make One back down on harming the Bearers, and it should be ready shortly." "Then why? Why do you do it?" Lofty's head sank low, sorrow escaping his dampened breath. He got up and walked to his desk, then pulled out a large stone span. It looked like some kind of black marble with green smeared inside it. "Because what I want to do, I can't do without their help. They used that fact against me, and what was my endeavour turned into theirs instead. Here." He placed the slab on the floor, then lit his horn and cast a spell. A magic circle grew out of the stone, taking up the whole room. Each little green line was filled with symbols Rarity couldn't recognize; not even Twilight had ever used them. "What's this?" Rarity asked, pointing her hoof at the marble. "The key to making the Majestics leave you alone. Rarity, I know I've stretched your patience to the limit, not to mention your trust, but please, I need you to trust me one last time. If you never want to see me again after, I'll honour that wish, and so will Majestic One. But please, trust me. All you need to do is put your hoof on that stone. I'll do the rest." Rarity reached out with her hoof, and stopped midway. She looked into his eyes; his desperate, but loving eyes. There was no malice there. Not like Majestic One. All she could see was a sad, tired stallion. Her stallion. Gently, slowly, like she was afraid of being burned, she put her hoof on the marble. Lofty took in a deep breath, and didn't just meet her gaze. He looked into her soul. The world fell away. They weren't on an airship. They weren't in a bedroom, there were no storms outside. There was only that infinite matrix of green lines and symbols, plus Lofty, looking at her with love and whispering, "Don't betray me." Then the world was back, as quickly as if someone just turned on a light. The circle was gone. But the strange feeling in the back of her mind wouldn't be ignored. "What just happened?" "It's our security measures. They're a bit... thorough." Lofty picked up the slab and opened up the painting behind his desk, revealing a large safe. In seconds, the slab was sealed away. "All of the non-numbered Majestics go through the same thing. In technical terms, what I did was place you under a geas." "A... A geas?! Lofty!" Rarity backed away, scooting until her back was against the airship bulkhead. Her heart pounded, her skin itched, and sweat pooled up all over her body. Every ounce of her wanted to reject something, anything. She had to get it out. "You took away my free will?! What... What are you going to do?! You promised you wouldn't hurt me!" "And I shall keep that promise. I'm very, very sorry, Rarity. They would have killed you if I hadn’t done that. I only did it to save your life, and it doesn't enslave you totally like the ponies you saw on the airship." Lofty pulled out a stack of papers held in a manila envelope, including a few dozen photographs. "It's only there to make certain that you don't tell Celestia about us... Black Diamond." Rarity's breath died, her lungs freezing completely. "This is the dossier Vigilant built on you. The one with all the evidence. The one I haven't shown to the Majestics, and altogether different from the one I did show them." He opened another drawer in his desk, pulling out a small, portable, magical fireplace much like the one in her apartment. "It's also the one they'll never see." A window opened up, the fireplace flickered to life, and the documents went in the flames. The ashes wafted away, scattering over the desolate San Palomino landscape. "Rarity Belle, I love you. I need you. Please, don't leave me." Her heart went thump, and the words repeated in her mind. "Don't betray me." "It's not like I have a choice, is it?" "Yes, you do. You absolutely do. I've already given my permission for you to leave as far as the geas is concerned. But..." He took a few slow, gentle steps towards her. "Without you, the Sisters will fall, and Twilight will most certainly die. I don't want that to happen, but at this point I realize I can't take on all eleven of the other Majestics by myself." Dawn struck her mind like a hammer. She wasn't being asked to be a slave. The geas was a cover, a means to ensure her safety while she continued her work. She was being asked to be a triple agent. "That's why you said 'Don't betray me,' instead of 'Be loyal to the Majestics,' or something similar. But I'm also assuming you don't want me to just tell Celestia what's going on..." Lofty shook his head. "No, that would make my other objective impossible. We have to take them out ourselves, and without being caught by either side. It's us against the world, literally." Rarity took in a breath, mulling her options. So, I can't blow the whistle on him. The geas will stop me. I can't blow the whistle on the largest conspiracy in history, either. I don't even know who the conspirators are. I could walk away, but I'd be abandoning Twilight… "Alright, I'm in. But you're going to have to re-earn my trust as we go, and, to be quite frank here, we're kind of stuck. How are we supposed to stop them when we don't even know who they are?" "By finding out." Lofty pushed a button under his desk, and a bookshelf next to the safe swung open. He led her behind it to a small room filled with cork boards plastered in papers connected by red thread. At the end of the strings, in the very middle of the back wall, was a single sheet of paper with a large, bold question mark on it. "You know, dear, there's a mare I’ve heard about in RGIS I'd have you meet if you weren't a part of a multi-billion bit conspiracy to overthrow the Crown." She looked over the papers, following lead after lead. There was a long way to go, but it was a good start. Lofty wasn't a bad spy himself. "I think I can work with this."