//------------------------------//
// Chapter 24 
// Story: Combat Magic 
// by totallynotabrony 
//------------------------------//

	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.”