//------------------------------//
// In Which Legends Encounter Amateurs 
// Story: Bulletproof Mirage 
// by PaulAsaran 
//------------------------------//

Rarity was pleasantly snuggled in her sleeping roll and pondering the idea of staying in it for another hour when she heard something slipping through the flap of her tent. It was not a quick motion, and the soft trilling sound alleviated all worry that might have otherwise filled her. Cracking an eye open, she spotted a large, scaled, white head, complete with two pale blue eyes staring at her.

Lazily, Rarity reached up to rub the lizard’s snout, muttering sleepily, “Good evening to you, too, Ophelia. I don’t suppose you’ll let a lady get her beauty sleep, will you?”

Ophelia sniffed curiously at the hand, eyes crossing in an effort to follow its motions. She let out a heavy grunt, frills opening and closing in sharp, swift motions.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’.” With a good-natured sigh, the unicorn sat up and stretched, her palms pressing against the top of the tent. Her back let out a few quiet crackles. “Oh, my. I’m far too young to be making those sounds. I’ll have to find a proper bed soon.” At another trill from her lizard, she smiled and gave Ophelia a gentle push. She got the message and pulled back, allowing Rarity to escape the confines of the tent.

The world outside was all hills and green grass, the Eerie Cliffs rising like daggers in the west. The sun hadn’t quite touched the sharp tips of the mountain range yet, but it wouldn’t be much longer. Rarity had to give Ophelia credit; it was the perfect time to resume the journey. But first she had to tend to the needs of herself and her lizard.

Lizard first. Walking around to Ophelia’s side, Rarity reached for the large bag of lizard feed… only for Ophelia to make that grunting sound again and step away. Frowning, Rarity tried again, but the dust devil dodged a second time. Hands on hips, she turned to glower at the creature. “Come now, Ophelia. Isn’t this the entire reason you dragged me out of bed?”

The frills on Ophelia’s neck were opened wide. The lizard cast a slow look at Rarity, then faced east. The peculiar behavior was not unknown to Rarity. This time when she approached she instead went for one of the panniers, and Ophelia didn’t step away. Fishing out a small telescope, she used it to follow the Dust Devil’s gaze.

Riders. Eight of them, all heading directly towards the camp. They weren’t exactly moving at speed, but neither were they traveling at an easy pace. It could just mean they were running behind some timetable. It could also mean they were trying to catch up to somepony without tiring out their mounts. Rarity had been pursued by enough ponies to not assume the former.

Collapsing the telescope with a snap, she gave Ophelia another rub. “Well spotted, my sweet, and good job waking me. If I see a rabbit or something out here then you’re getting an extra treat tonight.”

There was no need to rush. The party was still a good hour away. While there was no question that Ophelia could stay ahead of them at the very least, Rarity decided she wasn’t in the mood to flee. Besides, there was no guarantee they were hostile, and it might be nice to have some company. Such thoughts didn’t stop her from making sure her weapons were loaded and extra cylinders prepared for Silver Lining. She went ahead and fed Ophelia and herself, munching on some chilled pears, then stowed the camp away. By the time she was done the ponies were still a good ten minutes away; nothing else to do but wait.

Soon she could make them out clearly. Five earth ponies and three unicorns. While their outfits weren’t uniform, they all sported purples and browns somewhere. Indicators of a common employer, perhaps. Rarity was perfectly willing to be cordial with them… at least until they surrounded her, not a one bothering to dismount.

The odds of them being hostile went up a few notches.

The pony directly facing her was a unicorn, sandstone orange in color and carrying a rifle that wasn’t pointed at her, but could be at a moment’s notice. The mare blew her brown mane out of her face and met Rarity’s gaze with the calm, neutral look of a professional. “Bulletproof Heart?”

Rarity took her time looking around at the ponies, ignoring how Ophelia hissed at the leader. They were all trying to look stoic and intimidating. Aside from the leader, only two looked like they knew how, and neither of them had their hands on their weapons. Overconfident. The others were squirmy, fidgeting in their saddles and failing to mask how unsure of themselves they were. The one of her right looked as though he were going to soil his saddle, the poor thing.

Sighing, she turned her attention back to the mare. “I’m assuming this is not a social call.”

Not a crack in the mare’s stoic armor. “I’m afraid not.”

Rarity placed her hands on her hips, which was enough to make most of them flinch. “Well then, are you planning to talk to me or shoot me?”

The leader sighed. “Nothing personal, miss. Just orders.” She started to raise her weapon.

Ruby Heart was out from beneath Rarity’s vest in an instant, the retort a crack of lightning. The mare had enough time for surprise to flash across her features before she fell off the saddle, blood pouring from her chest.

Exactly two ponies tried to take shots. Both bullets cracked against Rarity’s shield, which had been raised almost as quickly as her weapons. She turned a circle, guns shifting aim from pony to wide-eyed pony. “So,” she primly asked, “who wants to do this dance?”

Her supposed opponents all exchanged uncertain expressions. One of the unicorns, visibly shaking in his saddle, aimed his pistol at her. “W-we outnumber you seven to one!”

Silver Lining aimed at his head. It was to his credit that he didn’t accidentally pull the trigger considering how he jumped. “Are you volunteering to go first?”

Still, none of them fired. Rarity was starting to feel sorry for them, not that she would show it. Real bounty hunters would have just started firing en masse in an attempt to overwhelm her defenses. They’d have all died, but they’d have at least tried. But this was a good thing; maybe she’d get out of this without having to kill every last one of them. She just had to up her own intimidation factor a little.

“Alright, fillies and colts.” She lowered her guns, continuing to turn in place so as to make sure they could all see her serious expression. “This is going to go one of two ways. First option: You all will put on the big pony pants and attack. I then kill you all and go about my day. It would hardly be the first time, so you’ll forgive me if I don’t bother to mourn.” She would, actually, as none of these ponies looked as though they actually deserved a bullet, but no point letting them know that.

“Second option: You tell me who sent you, then be on your merry way. Nopony else dies. A happy ending for everypony.” She cast a glance at the former leader’s corpse. “Well, almost everypony. So.” She stopped her turning to glare directly at one of the less fidgety stallions. “What’s it going to be?”

Silence. Long, tense, anxious silence. Rarity held the stallion’s gaze, ignoring the bead of sweat sliding down her temple. He stared right back, wide-eyed and still, through the pale blue barrier. In her peripheral vision, the others fidgeted in their saddles. Just a little more pressure; she started to raise her weapons.

“Screw this!” The unicorn mare on Rarity’s left holstered her revolver and raised her arms high. “I didn’t sign up for this crap.”

“Jewel,” hissed the stallion next to her. The poor fellow looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

“Stuff it, Hayfry,” the mare snarled. “I signed on with the chancellor because I thought I was going to be helping ponies. How the hay does getting killed by the Bulletproof Heart help anypony? We don’t even know what we’re doing here!”

“B-but…” The male unicorn from earlier struggled to summon his courage. “We have orders!” He let out a feminine squeak when Silver Lining pointed his way yet again. Rarity tactfully managed to avoid chuckling at the sound.

Turning her attention back to the mare, she said, “The chancellor. I faintly recalling having overheard that title.”

The mare kept her hands high despite neither Ruby Heart nor Silver Lining being aimed her way anymore. She shrugged. “He’s some big wig lawmaker up in Manehattan. No idea what he wants you dead for.”

“A-actually—” Rarity turned to face the mare who spoke. The pony jerked back as if she’d been shot, dropping her rifle completely as she did. It took another ten seconds of sputtering before she worked up the courage to say, “Our o-orders came from some new hire! Somepony called The Mirage.”

Great, more new names for ponies who wanted her dead. Rarity heaved a sigh and muttered, “Why are so many creatures trying to kill me?” Then, louder, “Fine. ‘The Mirage’. Any information you can offer me about him?”

“I think it’s a ‘she’?” One pony timidly offered.

“I heard she’s an alicorn.”

“That’s lizard dung and you know it.”

“They say she has hair like a living flame!”

“It’s red.”

“No, it’s yellow.”

“Rumor is she got into a bar fight and single-handedly took out fifty ponies with her bare hands!”

“I heard she was sent from Elysium by the princesses themselves.”

“Well I heard she’s Princess Celestia’s daughter.”

Rarity would have facepalmed were her hands not otherwise occupied. Clearly, she’d never get anything useful from this lot. Alicorns and living flames, for Luna’s sake. At least the situation had been diffused. She holstered her weapons and casually mounted Ophelia, largely ignored by the now-arguing band of would-be bounty hunters. She noticed that only one had not joined the frackas, a unicorn who had dismounted and was looking over their leader’s body.

Rarity rode Ophelia next to the mare. “Did you know her?”

The young unicorn shook her head. “I mean, she was my boss, but we didn’t talk much. Still, she deserves a proper burial.”

“Well, I apologize anyway.” Rarity looked to the other ponies, who were still arguing amongst one another. She was starting to think she could just ride away and they’d never notice. “This ‘Mirage’ pony. She’s the one who told you to come after me?”

The mare stood to face Rarity, giving a grim nod. “We were camped a couple miles out from a town called Barren Wood when we got a letter with the orders. No reason given, just instructions to find and kill you. A third of us quit on the spot.”

Rarity eyed her curiously. “And you didn’t?”

The mare heaved a long, slow sigh and closed her eyes. “I came close. Guess the thought of losing my job scared me more than the thought of facing you, at least until…”

“Until you realized precisely what that meant?”

The mare shivered and turned away. “Until I saw how easily you took down Copper. Then things suddenly felt… real.”

Rarity understood perfectly. There was a time, seemingly so long ago, when feelings like that kept her awake at night. She turned Ophelia away. “I’m moving on, now. Please inform your boss, whether it be the chancellor or the Mirage, that I’d really appreciate not having to kill anymore of his employees.”

And so the Bulletproof Heart continued her trek west, hoping this would be the last she’d hear of this ‘Mirage’. Experience told her not to bank on that possibility.

The ponies were still arguing about this mysterious new pony by the time she was out of earshot.





Mirage stood atop the small chapel's tower, facing west. Father Feather had been kind enough to give her an idea of where she was, generally speaking, while she had indulged him with a story dating back to when she was a filly studying under Celestia.

Things were edited a bit but, once the rest of town had headed to sleep, the kindly priest had delighted in listening to the softer side of Celestia as she had consoled and cheered Sunset up one time after a particularly bad explosion had resulted from her experiments.

Over here people rode what was called 'sand lizards' that took the place of horses. As fun as that sounded, she didn't have the time to try and learn how to ride one, especially after learning they came in three very different types.

Right now she needed speed. Well, she had wings. Her one sure way out of this world was heading further away by the second. She had no idea how the Isekai worked, but the chances of it randomly saving her were probably very low. There was a reason a card was needed to return.

And so she took flight, leaving the small town in seconds with the citizens none the wiser. Although pegasi existed in this world, she’d been told it was very unusual to see one, and thus most of the inhabitants did not look up as often as ponies back in Equestria would.

For most of the first and second days that seemed to be her luck. She was noticed, once, by a group of riders who stopped to watch her fly by, but as darkness fell it became more difficult to get her bearings. There were no familiar stars to navigate, after all. With some annoyance, she landed in a clear spot and stretched. Her current body might be much more powerful than her normal one, but exhaustion was not just related to being physically tired.

She sighed, looking around the immediate area to prepare a small campfire, which she lit with a quick spell. She checked her item bag and, curious if it would work, pulled out a tent. The tent was a purchasable GGO item intended to work as part of a 'base camp' setup for long raids with a team, giving bonuses for the party members for every eight in-game hours of rest. In this world, it looked the same: a simple green polyurethane-coated nylon canvas in an 'A' shape with a similarly durable floor and a single sleeping bag inside.

She dragged a rock large enough to serve as a seat over to the fire and sat down, sighing as she stared at the flames. "We really need to stop these magic experiments." She raised her head – her hat staying in place thanks to her horn keeping it steadily stuck – and stared at the moon. "Luna, I swear I'll make it up to you."

It was several hours later that she heard the lizards approaching. She closed her eyes and sighed, cursing under her breath as her visitors slowed down to a halt in a half-circle around her camp. They kind of looked familiar. Maybe it was the group she had spotted while flying earlier? If so, they had ridden all night to catch up with her, and that couldn't be good.

She glared at them. People didn't usually approach her camp in GGO with good intentions unless they were merchants, and if she drew a parallel here, these guys didn’t look like the type to trade stuff.

There were about ten of them. It didn't matter. "Yes?"

The leader smirked. She was a tall, lanky mare with a missing front tooth. "Yer the one called Mirage, right? Headin' due West from Barren Wood?"

Mirage studied them. A fidgety lot. Three unicorns, all looking like they couldn't read a word, much less cast advanced magic, and several male and female Earth ponies, all armed with shotguns and revolvers. Their lizards hissed threateningly at her.

Mirage sighed. "What about it?"

"We were sent by the Bulletproof Heart." The mare chuckled. "She says to tell you that she has what she needs, and that Equestria will be a better place without you." She shrugged. "I usually don't get to ride in the name of Justice, but hey…" She aimed her gun at Mirage. "Justice does pay after all."

"So that's how it is, huh?" Mirage asked as all the others raised their guns as well.

"Ain't personal."

"Sure isn't."

The flashbang grenade took them by surprise. The lizards reared and tossed, managing to dismount at least three of her attackers, but Mirage concentrated on the three unicorns first, deeming them the most dangerous of the group if they managed to distract her. As they all fired wildly, she took out her guns, letting her instincts kick in. Right now, she wasn't Sunset Shimmer. She was Desert Mirage, and that name was on top of GGO's official PK ranking for a reason.

Two long strides and a flap of her wings for speed had her between the three unicorns. She slapped her hand onto the chest of the first, freezing him in place. The other was blinking away the flash and never even saw her fist coming until he was knocked out. His lizard took off with his leg still caught in the stirrup. The third one's horn was already glowing for some sort of spell, so she didn't hesitate, snapping out her trusty Mateba Model 6 Unica (aka Luna), and putting a round in his chest.

She was in full battle mode now. A grin spread on her face as she felt her magic and skills interacting with each other as if she was back in the game again. A leap and a bounce had her somersaulting over the heads of two Earth Ponies, who each received a shot, toppling them down from their rides.

The others were panicking. Three took off in a desperate ride to get away from her while the last one blasted in her general direction with a shotgun, accidentally hitting one of the lizards. Mirage shot him in the leg, then, as he fell, two more shots went into his back.

The leader of the band had dismounted her own ride and was snarling something, taking a couple of shots at her. Mirage dodged, barely feeling the burn as a bullet scraped her arm. In a second she had her Desert Eagle under her chin and Luna aimed at her chest.

The mare stared, fear flashing in her eyes as time seemed to stretch. And then the silence was interrupted by the sound of cracking ice, like a rock splitting at the same time as glass as the frozen pony literally fell to pieces, and reality settled once more.

"I surrender!" the mare screeched, dropping her gun on the floor and raising her hands. "See?! No weapons!"

Mirage kept her eyes on her. She dared not look around. "Where. Is. The. Bulletproof. Heart?"

"W-we were supposed to meet her at the chancellor's airship!" the mare gasped. She bent her left index finger and shook her hand down a little. "I-I can show you the meeting place! J-just let me live! I— We didn't know you were really an alicorn! I'm sorry! I'm sorry your highness! I-I promise to go to church from now on and be a good mare!"

Mirage didn't dare speak, so she nodded.

The mare carefully lowered her hand to her belt, and rummaged through her bag before gently and slowly raising her hand with a rolled up piece of paper on it. She nodded rapidly, a desperate smile on her face. "See? See? It's here, Princess!"

"Don't call me 'princess'," Mirage muttered, snatching it from her hand and stepping back. "Get the hell out of here."

"Y-yes, your highness!" The mare babbled as she quickly chased after one of the lizards that had lingered nearby, got on, and hightailed it, leaving Mirage behind with the carnage.

Gulping down the bile already rising in her throat, Mirage turned slowly as the sounds of the injured lizard reached her ears. Its desperate wailing tugged at her heart as she took in the state of those she had… killed.

"It's okay," she whispered to the lizard, making placating motions with her hand. "I can heal you… I have spells and items—" Something was rising, and she abruptly dove behind the rock she had dragged earlier that night and started throwing up for the first – but not the last – time that evening.

She could not longer afford to question whether or not this was a video game.





Sundown Valley. Rarity had passed through it more than once going through the Eerie Cliffs. It was a lot of rugged terrain, treacherous for wagon caravans, but a single pony on lizardback? Not a problem at all.

It had been three days since the incident with the chancellor’s ponies, and Rarity was feeling a bit more relaxed. Attacks like that were hardly common, despite what the more adventurous-minded might think. Even so, that didn’t stop her from keeping an eye on her surroundings. The tall cliffs and sharp ridges were perfect places for ambushes, provided a pony could figure out how to get up them in the first place.

It was this due diligence that allowed her to spot the airship. As she’d never seen one before, that was enough to give her pause. She’d always heard of the things. Supposedly they were very common in Seaddle, both for trade and for pleasure cruises among the wealthy. That’s what the books she read as a filly told her anyway. Many ponies questioned if they even were real, but she supposed she could finally put that argument to rest.

The airship’s hull was a sleek thing, much longer than it was wide, and dangled beneath a trio of… lifting bags? Balloons? She couldn’t imagine what filled them. The ship was all browns and purples, looking much like one of the ships that might be moored in Manehattan harbor. Such a fascinating structure.

A fascinating structure that was turning towards her. She felt a moment of tension as the airship began to drop altitude, its heavy-looking keel seeming far too close to the rugged ridges beneath it. “I can’t believe this,” she muttered. “First it’s earth ponies, then it’s pegasi, then it’s diamond dogs, the list goes on. I never thought they’d start coming at me with Luna-be-damned airships.” Not that she knew they were ‘after her’.

But she doubted that color scheme was a coincidence.

Could these ponies attack her from the air? She had no idea. All her fillyhood romances never involved that kind of thing. She wouldn’t have trusted the source even if they had. She checked her weapons, feeling silly for doing so. It wasn’t like Silver Lining and Ruby Heart could bring down an airship, even if she aimed for the balloons. Maybe with a fire-enchanted bullet?

Running away was preposterous. Hiding was… possible, given the terrain, but she’d just as likely end up in a corner fighting for her life. No, best to wait and see what they wanted. Still, she made sure Ruby Heart was loaded with some ruby-tipped bullets, and added some enchanted bullets to one of Silver Lining’s extra cylinders too as a precaution. She didn’t know how effective they’d be in this situation, but it was worth a try.

It took a good twenty minutes for the airship to get close, and to her relief there was no firepower sent her way. Instead the ship dropped into a wider part of the valley, landing on a quartet of ‘legs’. Seeing no point in wasting time, Rarity guided Ophelia forward.

It took a good ten minutes to reach the ship, by which point a gangplank had been lowered on its side. A stallion in an immaculate suit and tie, his coat and swept-back mane a greyish blue, was waiting at the bottom all alone. He was looking right at her, and even gave a friendly wave.

Either they’re way overconfident or they aren’t a threat. Heaving a sigh of relief, Rarity let the tension ease in her shoulders. She waited until Ophelia was standing before the stallion – all the better to let her look down on him – before speaking up. “Good sir, I get the impression that you’re looking for me.”

“That I am, miss.” He flashed her the kind of smile that probably made most mares weak in the knees. She barely resisted the urge to scoff at it. “Waxton, at your service. And this is the Berrytwist, belonging to my good master, the chancellor.”

There went Rarity’s smile. “The chancellor,” she replied in a monotone. “The same ‘chancellor’ that just sent some thugs after me?”

Waxton’s charming expression faded, replaced with contrition. “Oh, they found you, did they? I must apologize, Miss Heart. It seems there have been some problems. My immediate supervisor is here to explain the situation as best she can. Would you be willing to join us?”

Rarity eyed the stallion’s suave expression, then looked up at the airship. As fascinating as the idea of taking a ride in one sounded, his manner was rubbing her in all the wrong ways. Ways that made her… itch. “I’m not sure I’m willing to do that just yet. All I have is your word that I won’t be immediately set upon.”

“And my charming good looks,” he added cheekily.

The look Rarity sent him must have been spectacular, because it wiped the smile off his face in an instant. “Sir, you have no idea the kind of fire you’re playing with.” Watching his Adam’s apple bob with his swallow was satisfying in guilt-inducing ways.

There was a spark of magic, pulling her attention to the top of the gangplank. There stood an orange… mare? Rarity squinted, taking in the odd horn and curly mane. The pony stared right back, cool and collected, no expression visible on her face. It reminded her, fondly, of one Maud Pie.

Waxton tugged on his tie and let out a little cough. “Erm, yes. Apologies. May I introduce my supervisor, the lady Autumn Blaze.”

At least the mare was willing to make an appearance. Rarity gave her a nod, which was returned with solemnity. “A pleasure, I’m sure. Might I ask what the lady wants from me?”

“She would like to provide you some fair warning,” Waxton replied, gradually getting back into his smooth tone. “And to perhaps procure your services.”

“Warning about what?”

“She—”

“She can speak for herself,” Rarity snapped, not breaking eye contact with the mare above her.

After a moment’s hesitation, Waxton timidly said, “Begging your pardon, Miss Heart, but she can’t.”

Rarity blinked. “No?” Autumn Blaze, as collected as ever, shook her head and ran two fingers in a circle around her throat. “Oh. My apologies.”

“Think nothing of it,” Waxton offered with a warm smile. “Happens all the time. I am acting as… Let us call it a ‘translator’. Anything she wants to communicate to you goes through me.”

“I see.” Rarity allowed herself a moment to get over her embarrassment. “And what, pray tell, does the lady want with me? I must warn you, I have no intention of being a hired gun.”

“The lady wouldn’t dream of such a thing,” he cheerfully replied. Even as he did, Autumn Blaze gestured invitingly. Well, as invitingly as one could when her face appeared to be made of stone. “Please, join us. You and your lovely lizard. We’ll take you the rest of the way across the mountains. Or even to the next town, if you wish.”

That would indeed save her a lot of time. Rarity cast a long look around at the rocky terrain. If memory served, it would be another four days of this if she declined. At the same time, she still wasn’t sure that she trusted these ponies.

Then again, she was the Bulletproof Heart. Not that she liked getting into dangerous situations, but the ship wasn’t exactly big. She doubted it could hold more than a dozen crew, and Rarity liked those odds. Especially given that a vessel like this was bound to have plenty of defensible positions. A risk, but…

Flying in an airship did have its appeal.