//------------------------------// // Mistaken Identity // Story: Designing Intrigue // by CvBrony //------------------------------// Five months before the Summer Revolt in Canterlot... Rarity strode toward the double-doors of the banquet hall with a smooth, confident trot. Each little step provided just a hint of a bounce to give her that elusive air of authority and influence, that she was somepony important. Not that she wasn’t, but appearances were everything in her line of work. Just before arriving, her horn swirled with some gentle blue light, and the only spell she’d ever written herself (albeit with a significant amount of help) activated just before she opened up the doors. The crowded banquet hall instantly reminded her of the impressive Canterlot halls, but with a somewhat more modern touch. Yet, what it lacked in classic warmth it made up for with giant windows looking out over the Los Caballos landscape. Despite her mission at this party, she couldn’t help but want to take a quick look. Los Caballos was built on the top and edge of a large mesa. On one end of the city, the land simply dropped away instantly. It was more than a kilometer above the valley below, and the superstructure of the city was situated over a massive waterfall. As she peered down through the window, she confirmed the truth to the rumor that the hall was directly over the waterfall. She wrinkled her nose a bit at the sight, despite its majesty. Her new outfit wasn’t ideal for this environment. Her snow-blue dress and saddle clashed with the landscape. On top of that, her warm, feather-accessorized hat was certainly not what ponies would want here under the sun, even if this desert did get absolutely frigid at night during the winter. Rarity shook her head. Don’t worry about it, girl. This might be the desert, but the ponies here are almost all visitors. Listen to those accents. Canterlot, Manehattan, even a Stalliongrad one. This is a fabulous winter outfit, and they’ll all see it and place orders at the Boutique later. “Los Caballos, the new Jewel of San Palomino. Fairly impressive, isn’t it Rarity dear?” She cringed, nearly biting a piece of her tongue off in shock from the sudden voice and spun around to see who had managed to sneak up on her. “Fancy Pants!?” “The one and same. So good to see you again!” he said with a bow. “You sound surprised to see me!” Rarity swallowed. “Well, it’s a defense industry association party. I had no idea you had investments in weapons!”  This isn’t good. I’m on a mission, and I have to keep up appearances. If they see me interacting too much with Fancy Pants, one of Celestia’s biggest loyalists, they’ll start to get suspicious. He took off his monocle and cleaned it off with a cloth. “Well, truth be told, I don’t, but a friend does, so I’m making an appearance for him. A brief appearance. I don’t much care for this business, so I’ll be going to a spa here in a few moments. Would you care to join Fleur and myself? I can’t imagine a talented fashionista such as yourself finding common company here.” Damn. Normally that would be a good point old friend, but tempting as it is, I can’t leave. Rarity shook her head. “I’m afraid I must politely decline. I too am here at the behest of a friend, one whom I owe a bit of a debt,” she lied. “Besides, defense contractors need stunning outfits, too,” she added with a wink. “Yes, I suppose they do!” he laughed. “Well, I know they’ll be in good hooves with you. Do say hello to Twilight Sparkle for me when you see her, won’t you?” “It would be a pleasure!” She bowed a little as he left. Whew. That was close. Hopefully nopony will get suspicious with such a short conversation. Now, to business. She closed her eyes and felt the magic now in them build up, then opened them again. As she looked around the room, telltale blue markings on certain garments in the banquet hall appeared in her vision. They were invisible to the unaided eye, but each one was on an outfit that she designed and either made herself or had an intern make. Every single pony with one of these marks was effectively made as a potential hostile to the crown. Her job was to wait for a message from a fellow spy, and then earn the trust of the indicated target. If the message didn’t come within the next hour, she was to go after the largest group of marked targets and earn their trust instead. As she navigated the room towards the hors d'oeuvres, a soft light shone around the edge of her vision, telling her that her message was nearby. Odd, I didn’t expect it so soon. Maybe they left it before the party started? She glanced around the room, sizing up her surroundings for a likely place for a message to be left. As a waiter passed by with glasses of champagne, she pulled one off with a smile to try to keep up appearances. She passed by group and after group, giving little greetings when she made eye contact, all the while looking for the source of the message. Eventually, she worked her way near to one corner, where the light in her eyes became strongest. She looked all around—into the crowd, up on the ceiling, and even on all the nearby waiter’s trays—but found nothing. She allowed herself a little, subtle stomp of her hoof, then used up nearly all of her self-control to stop herself from leaping back in shock. When looking down, the little symbol for where the message was became clearly visible: it was hiding below the floor somewhere! Yet, that made little sense. Underneath them was a waterfall, so unless they honestly expected her to pull up the floorboards in the middle of the party, she couldn’t quite fathom how to get her message. I can be subtle, she thought, but not that subtle. Oh well, ‘Plan B’ it is, I guess. A quick glance around the room was all it took to find a positively glowing bunch near the center. There were eight ponies, and seven of them had markings. I guess I haven’t sold anything to the other one, yet. She strode up to them as silently as she could then ducked in like an unnoticed breeze. That was key; simply arrive in the conversation, don’t barge in or ask to join them. One has to act like one belongs. Then, it was simply a matter of finding the right time to speak, and it didn’t take long. “Oh, it’s so good to be in such tasteful company, is it not?” One of the unicorn stallions in the group, Lofty Goals, an executive at Core Mining Industries, chuckled a bit. “Why, dear Rarity, this wouldn’t happen to be because of a certain purchase I made a few weeks ago?” “You and most of the room, it seems,” she bragged. “Business has been booming lately. I’m already getting inquiries about a fall line. I do hope I’ll see you all in one of my studios soon?” “Oh, things might be busy sooner rather than later, but I’ll see if I can find the time.” He adjusted and straightened his sport coat and cravat over his reddish-brown coat of hair. “Tell me, what do you think of our fair city?” “Oh, it’s beautiful!” Rarity gushed, not really lying. “Truly a marvel of engineering.” “I’m glad to hear such things from such a paragon of taste!” The stallion took off his glasses and cleaned them on a cloth, flicking his deep-sea blue irises up to Rarity just long enough for them to make eye contact for an instant. “Perhaps I should show you around?” “Careful, dear,” another mare chimed in. “That’s exactly the line he uses when he wants to show you around his bedroom.” A polite laugh went around the group, but Rarity was laughing for a very different reason. If he was interested, she had an in. “Honestly though,” he continued. “I should take you for a visit to the river level. You can’t see the sky, so pegasi don’t seem to much care for it, but it’s quite romantic!” There’s a river level? Below this room? Then that’s where... “Romantic? That eyesore?” the mare from before chimed in. “Please, it’s like an unfinished train wreck down there. All that metal, so few lights, it’s a wonder nopony has fallen into the river and off the falls!” Goals chuckled a bit, bringing a glass of wine to his lips. “Trust me, Rarity dear. If you go there and take the time to appreciate it, you’ll find it beautiful.” Rarity chuckled a bit too. This is absolutely a trap. “Well then,” she smirked. “How can I possibly pass up an offer like that?” Rainbow always did say adrenaline was the best drug, Rarity mused to herself. I sure hope she’s right.  The elevator they were in wasn’t so much an elevator as a service lift. The size, the grey concrete walls, the disturbing ‘crunch’ the machine powering it made every so often, even the smells all pointed towards this being a thing that worker ponies were supposed to use. Guests were most certainly not supposed to be here, especially given the “Authorized Ponies Only” sign. Still, if the message was below the hall, she had to go, escorted or not. Eventually, the lift stopped, and the doors and gate opened up. “This way,” Goals said, “and do watch your step. They paved some pathways here but the water in the air can still make them slippery.” Rarity stepped out into a rather bleak environment. Above her was the city itself, but all that could be seen of it was shadow and steel. It formed an almost perfect barrier to the sky that should be over her head, though there were some areas in the distance that had obvious openings to the sky above. Light poured through them like crepuscular rays, but they were far away. The primary source of light where she was were fluorescent lights sparsely attached to the underbelly of the city, muting the red stone of the mesa so much that it appeared grey, especially through the thin layer of mist near the ground. She followed the blond-maned stallion while swivelling her head about, looking for what she knew had to be coming. Behind her, towards the city, looked mostly clear or at least dark. The area in front of her was another matter. Her vision was limited due to the sheer amount of mist in the air, and in turn, that mist was illuminated by the sunset’s light. The red-orange of Princess Celestia’s astral body was being scattered by the water in the air, giving the end of the pathway an ominous crimson glow which had already consumed the stallion that went ahead. “Come now, don’t fall behind!” he yelled, his voice echoing around the pony-made cave along with the roar of the water. Damn, I would let him get lost in the fog. Focus, Rarity. Rarity exhaled in a huff and took off into the cloud, mindful of her pace as to not slip on the wet concrete. As she walked, the edge of her vision went from the red of the sunset to the blue of her spell aura. The message! It must be down here somewhere. Keep an eye out, girl. For everything. Anything. Some more steps ahead towards the voice and the wind picked up considerably, helping the mist clear. Oh, my... Goals appeared beside her, to her right. “What did I tell you? Somehow, it’s better to see it without the glass in the way.” Rarity nodded. He was right. The industrial ‘city’ below was closer here, and the mist gave it the sense of a true urban rainforest. The red light of the sunset was painting the whole thing in a fiery tint. She could even see the larger machines working tirelessly along with the tiny specks of moving ponies. “My company just bought one of the mining organizations down there. Just before they uncovered a large cache of charged gems.” Just like that mare in my apartment had. I thought those were supposed to be rare. Aren’t… Wait, play dumb Rarity. You’re supposed to be a fashionista, not a spy. “Those are what they use to make cores, right?” He nodded. “Correct. Basically, charged gems, such as this one here—” he pointed to the large gem on his cravat “—are able to both store magical energy and be ‘programmed’ with a spell. Larger ones can store more energy and multiple spells. Remarkable new technology. Well, not that new. They’re just catching on more now. We’re getting orders from all over Equestria and beyond. No small wonder since when they’re turned into weapons they can pierce enchanted armor and even cut ordinary enchanted weapons in two.” Rarity swallowed a little and regained her composure, pulling out a Neighponese fan and relieving herself of some of the heat in the air. Even in this time of year, this area of the desert got hot. “How very fortunate for you. That must’ve come as quite a pleasant surprise.” He smirked. “Pleasant indeed! I mostly came to this party to rub it in my competitor’s faces. Though, it was not as much of a surprise as some may believe. One needs only to know how to look.” Rarity’s eyes shifted instantly to the stallion. That was definitely a reference to my cutie mark. What’s his game here? I’m not a prospector. And how did he even know? “True, darling, but I don’t deal with industry as such. I just make dresses. Sometimes they’re sparkly.” She winked. “Indeed!” He pulled out a cloth and polished the large gem on his chest. Rarity did her best to subtly look around the area, but kept her head as still as she could. Too much jerking around would arouse suspicion, yet she had to find that message. Several long moments passed between them in relative silence while she searched. Damn, I can’t see it! It’s supposed to be here! What the hell did they do, bury it in the sand? In the river!? “Cu-Cuuu.” What am I supposed to do then, start digging holes in the stone or dive into the waterfall to my doom!? “Cuuuuu-Cuu.” I need to talk to Celestia. I know the other spies aren’t supposed to know who I am exactly, but are they supposed to assume I’m a miner since this is a mining city? “Cuuu-Cuuu.” Now I’m stuck up here with Mr. Silent and a freaking pigeon while wishing I could pull my mane out and-- Rarity’s eyes widened for a split second on her inhale before she regained control of herself. Slowly, she looked up to the little bird perched on a black metal I-beam above her. The pigeon! It’s glowing! Wait… This pigeon is a message? That doesn’t make any-- Wait! It’s got a note on it’s leg! That’s the message! Now I just need to find a way to-- “You seem surprised about something, Lady Rarity.” Merde. She gave a polite cover and fanned herself again. “Surprised? Whatever do you mean, darling?” He sighed and shook his head. “Tsk, tsk. Come now, dear, I know exactly what you’re doing here.” Rarity’s mouth opened and her hoof raised up in an effort to explain, but no words came out. No, no! This is not possible! I stopped that spy! I killed her! The stallion gave a gentle sneer. “And I’m afraid she’s not coming.” Rarity blinked a couple times. “What?” she asked, head dropping down to her left, toward the railing. “Don’t play games with me,” he snapped. “I know much more than you think I do. It all fits. What’s a fashionista doing at this party uninvited?” She folded and lightly twisted the fan against her hoof. He was technically right about that, but she could pass it off as a business opportunity. “Well, you see—” “And how strange it’s right after I get tipped off that my ex-wife cashes out all her investments and goes missing.” Rarity blinked again. “What?”  He turned towards her, causing Rarity to shrink down a little. He was actually very tall and well-built. This could prove to be a problem... “And not days after one of her old friends was seen entering your Canterlot apartment.” Rarity quickly regained her composure on that. Ah, so, the watcher was being watched. She yawned just a tiny bit, enough to be a little rude but not grossly so. “I’m afraid I don’t really know what you’re talking about, Mr. Goals. I did have a visitor a while ago, but it was anything but pleasant.” He lunged towards her, pushing her chin up high enough that her front legs had trouble balancing. “Then why did she stay for six hours after you left!?” Stay calm. He’s trying to rile you up. Still, she was seen leaving? My handler must have arranged for a look-alike to follow up the lead. Her attention turned back to the stallion staring her in the eyes. Clearly there’s some history here, so just keep things calm and there won’t be a fight. Very slowly, she backed away and got her mouth free. He didn’t budge. “I’m very sorry there seems to be some bad blood between you two, but I’ve honestly never met your ex.” She pulled up her purse in her magic and shifted her weight. “I just came here to mingle and network for business. I might not be on the guest list, but I didn’t think anypony would have objected to some polite conversation. Truly, I--” “Stop!” he yelled. “I see what you’re doing. You’re going for a weapon hidden in the saddle of that dress.” She raised an eyebrow. Technically, he’s right about that, but that still means he’s only been about half right this evening. He sneered again. “I should warn you that one of my ponies has you in his sights with a cored cannon.” Her eyes widened. Another cored weapon!? He backed away a couple of paces. “One word from me and a little spark from his horn will set off the crystal in it, and then four hundred horns of pure magical force will take your head clean off. So I suggest you keep your weapon sheathed!” “I should’ve told you that years ago.” Both Rarity and Goals whipped their heads away from the waterfall and towards what should have been empty fog. Instead, there stood a unicorn mare with a peach coat so pale it was nearly white. Her deep, dark green mane went to shoulders, and she held a light green umbrella in her magic. Her heavily-applied pink blush flexed a little as she smirked, and it was then that Rarity caught sight of a flash of silver tumbling through the air, right towards Goals. A fountain pen gave a light clack as it hit him on the nose then cracked to life with yellow light and thunder. “Aaaaaaaaaaargh!” the stallion screamed and shook from the magical lightning arcing through everything within a meter of the pen. It was bright enough Rarity had to shield her eyes with a hoof and fetlock until it finally ended. “You,” he coughed. “I sent dozens after you. How did--” “Feh, you would stay standing after that.” She clopped her hoof on the ground and the pen blazed back to life, sending a shower of sparks through him once again. “Aaaaaaaargh!” he yelled, slightly weaker this time, and fell to one foreleg, yet stayed standing. “Eureka, you bitch!” She trotted right up to him like a filly dancing up to her parent. “Oh, how cute! Such polite language! And you think goons are enough to stop me!” Her horn glowed the same disturbing light green as her eyes, and a large, stallion-sized object floated over to her from behind then flopped down on the ground. It was completely wrapped up, and on one end an orange horn with a magic-suppressing ring was poking out from the wrapping. “I went and found this one hiding back there! You should take better care of where you put your things!” If she only tied him up instead of killing him, maybe I can still get away… Wait, the blue in my eyes is gone! Where’s the pigeon!? She looked all over very quickly, but couldn’t find a trace of it. No! I had it! Where’d it go!? Eureka kneeled down and lifted up his face with her hooves. “Oh, and I don’t actually know who this mare is. Have you been cheating on me? Well then, I’ll just have to take care of her. Then we’ll be able to spend, well...” She left him drop to the ground with a thud, then turned to Rarity and smiled. “Quality time together.” Uh-oh… The spy took a few steps backwards “I can assure you, Miss, I’m just a humble fashionista in the wrong place at the wrong time. I can see you two have a lot to talk about, so I’ll just leave and let you two work it out, okay?” The stallion coughed his way back to life. “Careful, she’s—” “Quiet.” All humor drained away from the mare’s pale face and green eyes with another stomp of her hoof, and yet one more surge of electricity blasted through the stallion, leaving him limp in the middle of a giant scorch-mark. Rarity shuddered a bit and clenched her teeth. “Cored weapon?” The mare nodded. “They’re a speciality of mine. I have other inventions, too. New ones, after he stole all my others.” She folded up her umbrella and pointed the handle at Rarity. “Shall I show you?” Rarity took a few more steps back. First that spy in my penthouse, now her? What, does everypony have a cored weapon all of a sudden? She gave a rather sheepish look. “That really won’t be necessary, I can assure you.” The mare giggled and waved the handle in the air in a loop. “Oh, don’t be shy. I insist!” Running won’t work; it might be a ranged weapon. My daggers and telekinetic blade aren’t a match for a true core-equipped sword, but it’s most likely in that umbrella of hers… Rarity’s mind sped through her options, what few there were, and none of them were especially appealing. Seconds passed as she shifted her weight left and right, looking for an opening. Yet, Eureka just stood perfectly still.   Wait, why isn’t she moving? Rarity looked around again and took another step back. “Um, were you going to do something? Because I must admit I’m at a bit of a loss here.” The other mare smirked. “Yeah. Loss.” Then, there was light, and there was pain. Electricity and a blazing, burning pain was shooting through Rarity’s body like no other experience in her life. She could feel the power arcing through the air in between the fillings in her teeth. More pain crashed into the side of her face, but it was another couple of seconds after the attack had stopped before she realized it was from hitting the ground. Her lungs heaving for air was the only motion she could make for yet several more seconds. By the time she had started standing again, the mad mare was over her already, chuckling. The mare waggled the little umbrella in the air. “Wasn’t that delicious? I’ve had a bit of a penchant for electricity lately.” She giggled then laughed and hugged the umbrella, clutching it with her forelegs. Slowly, she opened her eyes just enough for Rarity to see the fading sunset light reflecting just a bit in her sinister emerald eyes. “Want another?” Rarity’s eyes narrowed. She only had a small chance and a split second. She pushed up against the ground and into her opponent with all her might as the other mare lifted her leg, and just before that hoof hit the pavement, Rarity had her forelegs around her. Burning pain surged through her body like she was being hung by an electrocuted rope, and went into the other mare as well. The fire roaring through her body forced her muscles to contract, locking Eureka into a vice grip that wouldn’t be defied despite her struggles. When Eureka finally broke free, the shock was already over. Through some miracle of balance Rarity managed to keep on her hooves, if only barely. She summoned her magic into her horn as the other unicorn stumbled back up, readying it for a spell or some other attack, but she didn’t have time. The umbrella was wagging again. Rarity pulled out a dagger from her hidden pouch and lunged, her left forehoof slipping a bit on the damp concrete flooring, causing the dagger to go wide and miss. The lightning returned, and Rarity braced herself. Yet, the pain didn’t come. When she opened her eyes, she saw a stunned mare looking down at her umbrella. A glowing yellow line was falling from it, stopping in mid-air. “No!” Eureka shrieked. “The micro-wire should’ve been invisible! How’d you know to cut it?!” Rarity looked down real quick at her neck. There was a thin burn line around it, and when she looked very hard she could just barely make out a very thin wire right where the burn marks were. Her opponent’s demeanor went icy in a split second. “So you didn’t know. Fine. A little luck, that’s all it is.” “Luck, madam, is not what I’d call this.” She pawed the ground and flared her horn to life. “And I am not about to just roll over and die for an uncouth, rude, and completely insane mare such as yourself. En Garde!” A flash of magic seared itself into the air in front of the fashionista, forming a thin, cylindrical beam of blue light, before she thrust the telekinetic blade into the ground and dragged it across from right to left. It left a thin layer of ice across the path, after which she pointed the blade right at the other mare, letting frost and mist fall from the beam. Eureka, however, didn’t appear to be listening. Her head was down, and she was shaking. Rarity tilted her head to get a better look. What is with this mare? “I’m not crazy...” “Pardon?” Rarity swung the blade lower and charged her horn, readying herself in case she needed to use spells on top of her fencing. “I’m not crazy. I’m not crazy. I’m not crazy I’m not crazy I’mnotcrazyI’mnotcrazyI’mnotcrazy!” Eureka dove forward, still screaming and slinging magic almost at random in Rarity’s general direction. Rarity lunged off to her side and brought her telekinetic blade to bear, slashing left and crashing it against the mare’s umbrella, meeting it in a burst of frost. The two ground against each other. There’s strong resistance, so it’s still a cored weapon; it just doesn’t have an edge for the magic to come out of. If she doesn’t pull anything else out, you have the advantage. Press it! She shoved the mare back, letting her slide a little on the wet concrete. Then, she followed through, yet it was Eureka that swung first. “I’m not crazy I’m not crazy I’m not crazy! I’ll show you who’s crazy! Arrrggghhh!” Over and over the other mare attacked, yet the umbrella’s arc came in wide consistently, even if it had considerable physical force behind it. Still, Rarity let the attacks come and blocked them effortlessly each time, letting her telekinetic blade pile on layer after layer of thick frost and ice all over the outside of the umbrella until the point where it was nothing but a handle holding a lump of dense snow. Then, Rarity held out a single hoof, caught it, and held her blade a mere centimeter from the other’s nose. The two stopped still. “Put it down,” Rarity spat. “Surrender, or I’ll freeze your skull and shatter it.” She adjusted her stance to be taller, letting her look down on Eureka. “It’s over.” Eureka lost some balance on her right leg, tipping over a bit. “It’s over?” Rarity tilted her blade a little and exhaled. “Yes. It is.” A lone tear ran down the enemy’s face. “It’s over. It’s over?” Rarity felt herself tense up again. Eureka mussed with her mane, chuckling. “It’s over, it’s over, it’s over it’s not over it can’t be over I won’t let it be over! Yeeeraaagh!”  Rarity leapt backwards as her opponent did the same, pulling a long, stiletto-style blade out of the lump of ice and letting the frozen part fall to the ground. The fashionista’s breath stopped for a moment as she saw a yellow glow from the base of the blade, its crackling power arching through the knife like a raging storm. By the time Rarity was able to take her eyes off the blade, her enemy had already lunged for her, and she instinctively jumped back and lifted her blue telekinetic blade in to block. Ice, snow, frost, and mist exploded from her blade’s detonation on contact with the cored weapon, knocking her back and forcing her to lift a fetlock to cover her eyes in defense. Blunt, dull pain spread out on her belly from flopping down on it and spinning around back toward the other mare. “Ahhh-choo!” Ice and cold, chilled air flew out of her lungs from the sneeze, and she knew she gave away her position in the new cloud thanks to it. There was no way her telekinetic blade could counter a cored weapon like that, not even with her training. She charged her horn anyway, pouring as much power as she could into it for a new, different spell. She could hear hoofsteps pounding on the pavement; her enemy was coming, and they both knew exactly where each other was. Her horn was like a beacon, and the other’s clops a siren. Rarity hobbled backwards until her rear end was on the railing on the edge of the cliff, and in pure desperation, she poured and stuffed every last bit of magic she could retrieve into her horn. Only one shot… Eureka appeared from the mist, eyes wide and streaming tears, her mouth open and screaming, her blade held high and crackling with power. Rarity let the blade fall as much as she could. She has to be close. In the last possible fraction of a second, she encircled and collapsed the magic into that spell Twilight had taught her long ago and vanished in a flash of pale blue light. The world blurred and cracked and rolled ahead of Rarity, giving her just enough slack to place her forehooves ahead of her and stop her forward motion. At the same time, her body rocked forward, lifting her hind legs up as she coiled them. Then, she forced both out behind her as hard as she could. They met the soft flesh of a pale peach-white mare’s backside and then kept going. A ‘clang’ resounded in the undercity as Eureka’s collarbone hit the railing, and then sailed over it, along with the rest of her. Out of the corner of her eyes, Rarity could just barely see Eureka tumble all the way over the rail, reaching out to her with a forehoof in shock, before vanishing under the rocks below. She held her rear legs coiled for two more seconds, just waiting for the other horseshoe to drop, but then finally let herself flop back down to the ground and breathe. She cautiously moved over to the rail and looked down, but saw nothing but cloud. It was still a sheer drop. Likely hundreds of meters before hitting anything resembling “ground”. Even if she had landed in water, at that distance it may as well have been concrete. Rarity turned around and started to walk away, but stopped four steps in and collapsed. Her body screamed for more air, and her horn was aching like she had put it to a mill grinder. She inhaled deeper and faster, but she still couldn’t get enough oxygen. Her diaphragm felt like a popped balloon, and she was forced to lie flat on her side as she quietly let out a few tears. The sun had gone down by the time she was able to get herself to sit up. The only lights she could see were the fluorescent lamps overhead, and her dress had been ruined from the water on the concrete. Pheh. Murder somepony and nearly get myself killed again and I worry about the dress. She flopped back down to her side again. What is wrong with me? She felt cold, but she dismissed it. That was only natural. This is the desert. It gets cold at night, she told herself. She looked ‘up’ at the sky, but still saw mostly mist and a soft, blue light. Well, at least the moonlight is nice. Odd choice for Luna tonight, though, making it blue. Her eyes went wide. Wait, blue light? She forced herself up on her hooves, stumbling but alive, and slowly made her way to the railing, searching as best she could for a moon through the mist. That’s not the moon! I can’t see it from down here! Which means… She quickly scanned around her and starting walking back towards the fallen Mr. Goals, letting the light in her vision from her earlier spell build up until it got to its brightest spot. Aha! There you are! Below the railing, on an outcropping of rock, a little pigeon was perched and bobbing its head around. She quickly looked around again, but the other two ponies she knew to be ‘near’ her were lost in the mist. If she couldn’t see them, they might not see her. She lowered her head and turned on her horn again, fighting through the pain. “Cuuuuu-Cuu.” “Oh, shut up. You don’t have a right to complain here,” she whispered. The little scroll slowly lifted up off the bird’s leg and towards Rarity. About halfway up, the field started to flicker and fade. No! Not now! Not when I’m this close. She pushed on her horn and yanked the letter as hard as she could, making it fly up a little farther than she expected. A couple meters above her head, her magic failed completely. The letter, still rolled up, fell. She lunged forward and snapped with her mouth, just barely catching it in her teeth. With a tired but triumphant sigh, she pulled back from the edge and stuffed it in a pocket. “Not my most dignified moment, but it’ll do.” Thankfully I didn’t quite exhaust my wellspring during the teleport. I probably would’ve blown myself sky high. No more magic for me for a while. She wobbled a bit to her left, nearly tipping over. Easy does it, Rarity, just saunter or something. She started moving again, this time towards the two stallions, but as slow as she could manage. Eventually she got to them both. She went to Goals first and checked his neck with a fetlock. As she did so, she caught a look at the other stallion. He was bound up so much that all she could see was an orange horn and a yellow eye poking through the wrappings. Whatever it was, it wasn’t traditional rope; it looked more like some kind of medical wrapping, and it covered him head to tail. She looked into his worried eye, and nodded. “There’s a pulse. He’s alive,” she reassured him, and the eyes relaxed with relief. Rarity lifted herself back up from hunching over Goals and limped towards the other stallion. “Well, there’s no way I’m getting you both back up there by myself. Let’s get you untied.” She pushed into him, leaning with her shoulder and pushing with her hind legs, rolling him over. As he tipped onto his other side, she groaned and flopped to the floor from her shaking, weak muscles. “Uh-oh. Where’s the knot!? What is this, some kind of—” Rarity slapped herself. “Magic, right. We’re unicorns.” She sighed, and looked at the two helpless examples of stallionhood before trotting over to the bound one’s head to look at the suppression ring. “Looks like a makeshift model, clearly not brand-name. Something that was slapped together in a real hurry with only a tiny, improvised crystal. Which means it shouldn’t have that much security on it. Well, I guess there’s only one thing to do. Understand, though, I’m not normally that kind of lady. And if you go around saying otherwise, I’ll hunt you down, okay?” The stallion looked around and finally nodded as much as he might’ve been able to in the bindings. Rarity sighed. “Oh, the things I do for others.” She leaned down and put her mouth around his horn, grabbing the ring with her teeth and yanking hard. It barely budged and first, but then she started to twist. “Rrrmmmhmmmm!” the stallion mumbled through the bandage. Quiet you, she thought just before the ring flew off and then clattered on the hard ground, sparkling a little. When Rarity turned back to him, his horn was already blazing with orange light. Rays of magic starting leaking out from in between the bandages, pushing them outward and even tearing them. The sound of fabric ripping apart echoed around and the bandages flew up like they were in a windstorm, and the stallion lifted himself up. “Oh, thank the heavens!” He inhaled and exhaled a few times. “You have no idea how tight those were! I could barely breathe! Oh, that feels so good!” Rarity smirked a little and sat down. “It’s quite alright, darling. I think Ms. Eureka did a number on us both.” He shook his head, more in a manner to get his bearings than to disagree. “It’s Wilde, actually. Her full name is Eureka Wilde. She’s been after the boss for a while now. Oh, hell, boss!” He ran over to him and started up some kind of spell, bathing Goals in a yellow light. Rarity raised an eyebrow. She’d seen that type of aura before. “Pardon me, but is that healing magic?” The orange stallion nodded, combing his white mane with a hoof. “Yeah. I’m Vigilant Watch, head of security for Core Mining Industries. I’m also trained as an Emergency Medical Pony. Hang on, boss. You’ll be okay in a minute.” Her eyebrow raised even more. “You’re the head of his security?” “Pfft.” He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, pretty lousy first impression for you, huh? I apologize for the mess, miss. I swear, this is the first real slip-up we’ve had in a long time.” She folded her forelegs in front of her. “I know, I know. Trust me, things aren’t usually like this. We run the tightest ship in the industry. It’s just, well, her. I don’t know what it is, but Eureka always gives us the slip. Always one step ahead.” Rarity walked towards him, turning just a bit to be next to Goals. “Then I would suggest, darling, that you start running. If a mad mare like that can best you, who’s to say what could happen?” Vigilant opened his mouth to say something, but relented and nodded. Rarity turned her attention towards Goals. He already looked better, and his breathing was a lot more stable. He had absorbed a ton of voltage, but kept standing. Rather impressive, honestly. She lifted up a hoof and gave him a poke. Goals jerked awake with a sudden gasp, somehow getting up on his forelegs in a single motion despite shaking like an engine afterwards. “Boss! You’re alright! Oh, thank--” Goals swung his hoof around and belted Vigilant right in the jaw. “What is wrong with you!? How could you let her sneak up on you like that!? And what is…” He stopped like he hit a wall as soon as his eyes met Rarity’s, and she smiled, doing her best to avoid any coyness. “Hello, darling. Welcome back to the land of the living.” Vigilant spoke through rubbing his mouth. “Boss, she beat her. She beat Eureka. I didn’t see all of it, but I heard most of it. Sounded like some fight!” Goals stared at them for a moment. “What happened?” Rarity cleared her throat. “You accused me of being in league with her, and then she attacked, rendered you unconscious, tried to kill me, and then went completely delirious.” The two stallions looked at each other. “Did you call her crazy?” they both asked simultaneously. Rarity blinked. “Um, yes.” Goals sighed, and Vigilant groaned. “Yeah, that’ll do it,” the security pony admitted. Goals held up a hoof. “We’re getting ahead of ourselves, here. Rarity, where is Eureka?” Rarity held up a hoof towards where she kicked her off. “She attacked me and got me up against the railing over there. I managed to trick her and kicked her off the edge.” “What!?” Goals stood up and took off for the edge like a bolt. Rarity turned to keep one eye on where he vanished but said nothing, and just listened to the water. I didn’t think ahead enough. Maybe I shouldn’t have untied him. Now I most certainly can’t fight them if they try to hurt me. Here’s hoping they see reason and let me go. At least they seem saner than that mare did. “You know,” Vigilant said. “You seem awfully calm for somepony that just killed a mare.” Crap. Rarity chuckled, her visage not breaking for an instant. “Adrenaline, darling. It still hasn’t left me, I’m afraid. Besides, it was self-defense, and she was clearly out of her mind. I had every right.” “I suppose that’s true,” he nodded, seemingly accepting that. Goals strode back out of the mist. “Can’t see a body. Doesn’t matter. There’s no way that killed her. Vigilant, when we wrap up here, get back to her old lab, find any clues you can on other hideouts.” Rarity’s mouth opened a little. “Mr. Goals, she isn’t a pegasus, she was a unicorn, and that—” she pointed with both hooves “—is a kilometer-high drop!” Goals shook his head and loomed over her. “Trust me, you don’t know her like I do. Regardless, thanks are in order, and apologies it would seem.” He gently lifted up her leg, and sweetly kissed her fetlock. “My dear, I am very sorry about my accusations. My line of work makes me a little paranoid. Could you forgive me?” Rarity grinned and fluttered her eyelashes. I have an in! “Well, perhaps, but I’m afraid with something like this you’ll have to give me reason to. Dinner and an opera, maybe?” Goals smiled and bowed. “Dinner and an opera, yes, I can do that. In fact, I believe I can do even better. Vigilant!” The other stallion stood to attention. “Sir?” “I still have business here in Los Caballos I must attend to. Take my private chariot, and have the pegasi fly Miss Rarity here straight to Las Pegasus Mercy Hospital. Get her the finest care you can; I want her to be looked after by a real doctor. Then, see her home.” He turned to Rarity. “My dear, I shall contact you in half a fortnight with some tantalizing plans. Until then, I’m afraid we must part ways. I assure you, though, I will keep my promise of redemption.” “Sir! There’s a new, state-of-the-art hospital here in Los Caballos,” Vigilant said. “Why not—” Goals strode right up to Vigilant and nearly butted heads with him. “Why not here!? Are you mad!? My ex-wife is still out there, and I will not have her murdered in the night! While we’re at it, put a permanent security detail on her penthouse. Competent ones! Not the ones you sent to get Eureka!” Vigilant swallowed. “Sir, those guards are all dead.” Goals practically growled. “Then your selection process should be easier. Get on it, Vigilant, or I’ll find a replacement.” The stallion scrambled up in fear, running around his boss and towards the elevator. “Right, on it! This way, Miss Rarity! We’ll get you to Las Pegasus right away!” Rarity smiled and got up to walk back towards the elevator, despite her muscles’ protests. Oh, this is just splendid! Ow! Well, painful, but splendid! Goals was right next to her. “Feel free to lean on me if you need, Miss Rarity. I apologize again about all this. Good help can be hard to find.” Rarity snorted and thought back to a few ruined dresses from a while ago. “You have no idea.” Rarity was already taking up Goals on his offer and leaning on him by the time they got outside. The extra warmth of his body wasn’t a bad thing, either. The moonless night was already seeing its temperature plummet below freezing. Worse, they were somewhat high up, going onto a chariot platform suspended from the side of the building. “I sure hope the ponies we saw on the way here don’t gossip,” she mused idly. “It won’t do to see papers talking about me being assaulted at a party I wasn’t invited to.” “I shall see to it that they don’t,” Goals assured her. “This way, my chariot is the third one down.” Rarity took her eyes off the sky and looked where he indicated. It was quite the chariot. Completely enclosed, private, and brand new. It likely even had climate control! There were already four pegasi hooked onto it, and Vigilant next to it talking to two police pegasi. Just before she stepped inside to its plush red seats, she could swear she saw Vigilant handing the officers a small bag. Bribery. Figures, she thought. She flopped down on the seat and let her head rest. “They’ll be taking off in a few moments, Rarity. I wish you a pleasant flight.” Rarity gave Goals a bit of a sultry look. “Are you sure you can’t come?” He shook his head. “No, duty calls, I’m afraid. The life of a VP. Don’t worry, these pegasi are my best. They’ll see you to Las Pegasus safely.” “Thank you,” she whispered, truly exhausted. “You are most welcome.” He bowed, gently closed the door, and left her to her thoughts. A few seconds later, or what Rarity thought was a few seconds since she had nearly fallen asleep, there was a knock on the heavily tinted window. With a little groan, she tried to roll it down only to have her horn not even make the faintest glow. Right, no magic. She sighed, then used her mouth on the handle to roll it down. Vigilant was on the other side and levitated a large blanket in through the window. “Here. I know you must be cold from all that. The chariot will take off in thirty seconds for Las Pegasus Mercy. I’ll be taking off myself in a few more minutes and should arrive shortly after you.” She took it in her hooves and nodded in thanks as the window rolled back up from Vigilant’s magic. Not hesitating a moment, she opened it and bundled herself up. Warmth, sweet warmth. Hmm? What’s this? She fished around in the blanket for the thing that was poking her, pulling out an envelope with a small magical glow on it that was the same color as Vigilant’s horn aura. She put it down and flipped it over, seeing his cutie mark on it. “Ah, a sigil seal. Easy to break, damned near impossible to forge. So he wanted me to be able to open it but also know exactly who it was from.” She rolled her eyes. Yeah, open it without my telekinesis. I honestly have no idea how Applejack runs her farm without a horn. The fashionista crushed the seal with a slight stomp of her hoof as she felt the chariot take off and then carefully used her teeth to tear open the top and pulled out a business card with Goals’ information on it. Hmmm. That can’t be it. She flipped it over to the back and found a scribbled message. Do not go on the dinner with Mr. Goals. Politely decline, and stay away. Rarity pushed her ears back against her head, furrowed her brow, then pulled out the other message she had waiting for her. Unfurling it, she couldn’t help but notice a touch of blood on the corner. The black market transactions in my case file have been traced to multiple mineral resource and defense industry companies. Further investigation revealed thousands of additional transfers, Eclipsing the cash flow to hide it from the Sun. Destinations and amounts are encrypted and unable to be read. Regardless, there are definite links to an unknown organization of substantial size. Millions, perhaps hundreds of millions of bits. “Red Sapphire” “My my my,” she sighed and sang to herself. “A capital E on Eclipse. Poor Sapphire, rest easy. Your duty is done.” Rarity reached into her pocket and looked at her makeup compact. Inside, hidden in a secret compartment, was a needle tipped with a powerful cocktail of neurotoxins and sedatives. Death from exposure was painless, but completely guaranteed. “Eclipse Protocol…” Rarity shook her head and closed her pocket, pushing the thoughts to the back of her mind. Lifting Mr Goals’ card back up on a hoof and looking at it, she laid back into the seats, snuggling into them and the warm blanket. “It appears I have a dinner date to prepare for.”