The Phantom Rarity
Gyro bit down on a length of rope and pulled her head back, fighting against the friction and weight of the rope to force it to move. Somewhere out in front of her, hidden in the darkness of the night, metal plates rattled on the rope, adding another burst of noise to the already noisy night. She released the rope and held her breath, her ears straining to pick up the sounds of pirates moving and shouting to each other through the foliage of the jungle.
After counting to fifteen, Gyro looked over the ropes arranged in front of her. There were six in all, and each one had its end tied to a log so they wouldn’t get away from her. Selecting the fifth rope, she pulled back on it, and another clanging clatter erupted even further into the jungle. The pirates shouted in frustration, and once more she heard them moving to somewhere else. Giggling, she shifted slightly where she laid and set her hooves on the sixth rope down the line. She knew she was having too much fun with it, but she didn’t really care. It felt great to be getting back at the pirates in little ways.
But she still had to be careful. Rarity had scavenged a lot of rope from the wreckage, but it wasn’t infinite. As best as Gyro could tell, she was barely more than a hundred and fifty feet away from the pirates. If they found the ropes leading back to her position, she wouldn’t be able to stand up and flee to safety before they got to her. For now, she was the one in control, but there was the very real danger that she’d be discovered and killed if the pirates happened to look up.
Which was why she needed to be careful with the ropes she pulled. They needed to be close enough to lure the pirates onwards, but not too close that they’d pinpoint the noise as coming from above them. Though Rarity had done a good job hiding the panels in the palm trees, and the darkness of the night further masked them, they weren’t entirely concealed. And once the ruse was discovered, it was all over.
Gyro took a deep breath and cycled through the next rope. There wasn’t much she could do except keep at it, so keep at it she did.
-----
Rarity moved low and slow toward the pirate camp. She could see the glow of the campfire up ahead, and even though she couldn’t hear any voices coming from it, she remained slow and steady. She kept the knife they’d brought over from their home island in her teeth, unwilling to hold it in her magic and give her position away. She was unwilling to hold it at all, hoping that she wouldn’t have to use it, but it was better to be prepared in case she found herself backed into a corner. After all, it was unlikely her distraction had lured all of the pirates out of their camp. There still had to be one or two close by.
Perhaps it was coincidence, or maybe her hooves simply retraced their steps from the night prior, but Rarity once more found herself approaching the group of rocks she’d used to scout the pirate camp out before. This time, however, she was more careful in her approach, and made sure her hooves were on solid ground before she tried to advance. She really didn’t need to give herself away before entering the camp tonight.
Almost as soon as she got into position, however, she heard the plants rustling around her. Sucking in a sharp breath, Rarity pressed herself as low and flat against the rocks as possible, hoping her camouflage and low profile would hide her in the middle of the night. Moments later, she saw two pirates moving out of some ferns, the steel of their weapons glistening in the reflected light of the campfire.
“What do you think this is all about?” one of them grumbled to the other. “Do you really think the other ponies are behind this?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” the other responded. “They might have been hoping to pick us off a little at a time. But Flag took four with him, so they’ve bit off more than they can chew. They’ll get cut to ribbons if they try to jump his group.”
“Good. If only we’d caught that dumb bitch last night. Then there would’ve been one less to worry about.”
“Give it time. We’ll outlast them. We’ve got all the weapons and a murder machine for a captain. What have they got?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing. Exactly. They’ve got a bunch of rocks and that’s it. We’ll see how far that gets them.”
“Rocks or not, they’re pissing me off. It’s starting to rain harder now. I’d rather be inside, not walking around out here doing nothing…”
Their voices faded away as they passed by Rarity’s rocks. The unicorn let out a sigh of relief. Thank Celestia her camouflage had been good enough. Or should she thank Luna instead? One was certainly helping her much more than the other right now…
Sliding forward on the rock, Rarity looked the pirate camp over. Everything there was quiet and still, or as still as it could be with the rain and wind shaking the trees and sand around it. The fire crackled in defiance of the steady rain, and its warm light reminded Rarity of just how chilly she was. Though the mud had provided an excellent insulating layer protecting her body from the rain, it was still cool and uncomfortable. A fire sounded nice about now, but the pony sitting next to the fire chased those thoughts out of Rarity’s mind.
She immediately recognized the blood red coat and gray mane of the mare sitting in the sand. Despite the cacophonous roaring and banging of metal through the jungle, despite the wind and the rain, the pirate seemed perfectly content to sit in the open by the fire. She didn’t even seem fazed at all.
Rarity quietly cursed to herself. Squall’s mere presence jeopardized the entire rescue operation. So long as she sat in the camp, Rarity doubted she’d be able to sneak in and out to rescue Rainbow. And to top it all off, she still didn’t know where Rainbow was being held. But these were pirates, and she doubted they would have given her the luxury of shelter. Which meant the most likely place had to be inside one of the lean-tos she couldn’t see into.
That was both a blessing and a curse. On the one hoof, the lean-tos were closer to Rarity than the other buildings. On the other, they were entirely exposed to the center of the camp, and to Squall herself. If Rarity had any hope of getting Rainbow out of the camp, she’d need to deal with the pirate captain first.
She suddenly became very aware of the taste of wood on her tongue. The blade of the knife glinted in the light of the fire like a beacon begging to be used.
“I’m not a murderer,” she whispered to herself. “I’m not a murderer…”
Visions of the minotaur calf she’d spared flitted across her mind. She’d done the right thing then, she was sure of it, but it’d nearly cost her and Rainbow and even Gyro their lives. Could she do the same thing again, knowing that Squall wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if she got the chance?
She could almost taste the blood in her mouth. One thrust from behind and it’d be over. She could probably kill the mare from here if she threw the knife accurately. A clean hit to the throat would end it all instantly.
“I’m not a murderer,” Rarity repeated to herself. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t another way.
Sliding off the rocks, Rarity used the cover of the shadows to advance on the pirate camp, while around her, the wind shifted and changed, throwing rain onto the sands of the pirate camp.
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[INTENSITY INTENSIFIES]
Not with that attitude!
But for real I suspect this will end with bloodshed of some kind, and I can only hope it's the pirates' blood rather than anyone else's.
8663386
That comment made my day XD
8663386
Shit's about to hit the fan!
8663392
Yeah! It's not murder! It's self-defense... or justice... or revenge... It's whatever it takes to get the job done.
JUST STAB THE BITCH!!
Gyro? Gyro?? GYYYYROOOOOO!?!!
Rarity has to remember that she's not dealing with a calf now, nor minotaur warriors. She's freaking with a pirate psychopath. Either she gets willing to spill blood or someone she doesn't want will get hurt, hard.
On the other hoof, Rarity being snake and doing a perfect stealth run is too good to let go by.
8663386
Right you are!
(I have to remember that one.)
8664119
Come on... Just this once? Pretty please?