//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: Dead-Eye Darling // by totallynotabrony //------------------------------// Frank glanced over his shoulder, checking the backtrail. There was nothing to be seen at night, although that didn’t stop him from being antsy about it. They’d left the wreck of the alien vehicle behind, but that only made him feel slightly better. He turned the abduction over in his mind, trying to glean anything he had missed in the heat of it. He wondered if such things were common in Rarity’s home, as she had seemed to understand what was going on, however she hadn’t said anything specific about the otherworldly creatures or their conveyance. Rarity felt Frank shifting anxiously in the saddle and couldn’t blame him. While the concept of alien abduction was something she’d heard about - through scary movies or Spike’s comics - it seemed that such things actually existed here. Based on Frank’s reaction, however, it seemed that they were blessedly rare. But the apparent scarcity made her wonder if the two of them had been specifically targeted. Could it be because she wasn’t the average pony? Why did space aliens care? After a moment, Rarity modestly admitted that they could have also been after Frank, but really, he wasn’t the interesting one out of the two of them. As they continued on, hoping to encounter Teal Jack’s gang, the sun started to glow on the eastern horizon. A night without sleep combined with a terrifying battle had left both Frank and Rarity shaken, but all the more determined to press on until the job was finished. They paused for rest early that morning at a small pool of water that looked spring fed. Rarity’s legs and Frank’s behind ached from so many miles on the trail. The both knew that they couldn’t afford to dawdle long, but the brief rest was welcome. Frank sat, stretching his legs slightly. Rarity had settled down beside him and the two of them stared at the water for a few minutes. Frank cleared his throat and asked, “Do you believe in coincidences?” “No,” Rarity replied. “From what I’ve seen, everything happens for a reason.” “Then what’s the reason we got abducted by aliens?” “I don’t know, but now that you mention it, I don’t believe it was random.” They both lapsed into silence for a few more minutes. Frank glanced up, checking the sun. He stood slowly and dusted himself off. Rarity roused herself and stood. The two of them got back on the trail. Another hour or so of riding passed. Rarity was still plodding along, although her mind had started to wander long before. She thought Frank might have been asleep as he hadn’t moved for quite a while. She couldn’t really blame him, though. Rarity was proven wrong when Frank suddenly stood in the stirrups, leaning forwards slightly. Rarity glanced up at him, seeing an intent look on his face as he stared towards the horizon. Turning her head back, she carefully examined the terrain, catching sight of a far away dust cloud. Frank sat down again. Rarity altered her course slightly and picked up the pace. They continued to follow the cloud as the day wore on, slowly gaining. It was hard to discern, but it seemed likely that they had found the gang once again. A few rolling hills had begun to appear, and far away hazy mountains could be seen. The peaks were still several days away, but the land was starting to ramp up to meet them. They paused again in the afternoon. Rarity said, “I think we should plan for the showdown.” Frank nodded and checked their gear. They had one rifle and three pistols between them. The weapons took three different kinds of ammunition, so they had to plan for reloading. Other than that, there was no time or spare cartridges to practice shooting beforehand. “If we catch up to them by nightfall, that would be the best time to hit them,” Frank said. Rarity nodded, not enthusiastic about the subject of a gunfight, but recognizing that it might be necessary. She dug through the saddle bags, finding the purse she had picked up. Inside it was a small kit of makeup. As soon as she saw it, part of her instinctively wanted to freshen up, but another idea came to her. Carefully working with the limited colors, Rarity brushed lines and patterns on her face and neck, breaking up her outline and partially hiding her white coat. Her horn was hardest to disguise, but she managed to camouflage it to be less noticeable. The disguise would not work at close ranges, but should give her better concealment farther away, particularly if she was lying down. While digging in the saddlebags, Rarity also discovered the silvery alien device she had picked up. She and Frank both studied it with interest, but were unable to discern how it worked. Frank took it and carefully pointed it away from him. It seemed vaguely handgun-like, but had no obvious controls. Despite trying, he couldn’t get it to function. Giving up, the two of them got back to riding. The cloud of dust they had been following at a distance occasionally dipped behind hills but they always managed to catch sight of it again. Rarity squinted and lowered her head as they continued to ride west, the sun beginning to get into her eyes as it dropped closer to the horizon. Frank pulled his hat low and gently guided Rarity with his knees around obstacles they encountered. The evening dragged on until the sun had disappeared behind the distant mountains. Frank had taken to chewing coffee grounds to stay awake. Rarity seemed more than a little fatigued, but was not showing signs of total exhaustion yet. Topping a ridge, Frank blinked and then laid a hand on Rarity’s neck. There was a flicker of orange light faintly visible. He urged her forward, down off the crown of the hill so they wouldn’t be highlighted against the sky. Her movements were more careful now, more alert. In a few minutes, Frank decided that he was looking at a fire, a small one a long distance away. If the gang they were stalking had stopped for the night, then he and Rarity could afford to be patient in approaching them. There was no telling how many men would be standing watch, and taking chances on such a thing could be deadly. When Frank decided they were getting close enough, he stepped down from the saddle and walked a few feet to Rarity’s side. It reduced the height of their combined profile and made them two separate targets instead of a single large one. Frank avoided looking at the flames directly. He didn’t need the reduction of his night vision. Creeping closer, he kept a lookout for any man - or rather, anything - that could do him or Rarity harm. Recent experience had taught him to broaden his horizons when searching for potential threats. He estimated that the two of them still had at least a quarter of a mile to go when there was a sudden flash of blue-white light directly over the fire. Pure instinct made Frank drop to the ground, concealing himself among the scrub, his hand already grabbing iron. Beside him, Rarity did almost exactly the same thing. The pool of light was tight and focused. A few confused voices carried from the camp, changing to screams and curses as men and horses began to lift from the ground. Rarity’s eyes were wide, not sure which was worse: experiencing the forcible levitation or watching it. From the vague outline it made in the sky, she thought that this alien ship looked larger than the one they had previously encountered. It was certainly abducting more than just two beings this time. A shot of greater than normal panic went through her. If the aliens were taking everything, did that mean the teleportation gem was also slipping away? Rarity was on her hooves in the next second. “We have to go after them. It’s our only chance.” Frank got to his knees and stared at her. “Are you crazy?” “My only chance,” Rarity clarified. She looked at him for a long moment, knowing that if she was going to throw herself into the beam of light and keep pursuing the gang, even aboard the starship, it had to be soon. Frank closed his mouth, taking control of the astonished look on his face. He shook his head and stood up. “Not like I have anything else to do.” He jumped into the saddle and Rarity took off at a full gallop, directly at the alien ship.