Episode 25: Change of Plans
56th of Rising Heat, 1006 BA
Rarity thought nothing of it when Roan took to the air without warning. The young hen had a habit of taking brief flights to stretch her wings, something she’d never been permitted to do as a hostage. There was no reason to stop her. Granted, she’d be more visible in the sky, but that came with her being able to see whatever was coming. The option for an early warning, she and Applejack agreed, made it worth the risk.
When Roan landed not two minutes later in Ophelia’s path however, she realized something was wrong. She paused the Dust Devil’s slow pace, taking in Roan’s hunched form and darting eyes. “Did you see something?”
Roan nodded sharply. “We’re being followed. I’m sorry, I thought I was seeing things yesterday so I didn’t say anything, but now I’m sure and I should have said something.”
A quiet curse slipped between Rarity’s lips. When they’d turned east less than a week ago, she’d started to think they were going to make it all the way to Rockstead without a hitch. She should have known better than to tempt fate like that. Turning in her saddle, she waved Applejack over from behind the wagon. Then she recalled Roan’s jittery fidgeting and guilty expression. “It’s alright, Darling. You’ve done nothing wrong. If anything, you’ve helped us significantly by spotting the problem ahead of time.” The guilt faded from Roan’s face, but not the fear. Perhaps there was nothing to be done about that.
Applejack reached them at last. “What’s goin’ on?” Her manner was all business.
“Roan says we’re being followed.” Rarity climbed off Ophelia so that she could speak to the griffon from a less intimidating position. The poor thing looked nervous enough as it was. “Okay, tell us what you saw. Are there many of them?”
Looking to the west from where they’d come, Roan’s eyes visibly shifted focus, the irises becoming smaller. She clicked her beak a couple times, head perfectly still compared to the rest of her body. “I think there’s only one. I’m not sure. But it’s a flyer, definitely.”
“A pegasus?” Rarity asked, chewing her lip as she considered what this might mean.
“Maybe?” Roan maintained her steady vigil, head slowly swiveling to the left, then to the right. “It’s staying out of sight. I think it knows it’s been spotted. It was too far away for me to know anything beyond the fact it’s there.”
Rarity and Applejack shared a concerned frown. “Perhaps it is an Apple scout?” Rarity asked. “Somepony to keep an eye on us while some group they’re attached to sets up an ambush?”
“Could be.” Applejack looked west as if she expected to see something on the horizon. If she did, she didn’t reveal it. “The Bad Apples don’t like workin’ with anypony that isn’t an earth pony, but they do recruit the other races from time to time. Pegasi recruits are the rarest.”
“I haven’t seen any evidence of that,” Rarity countered, although without conviction. “I’ve fought pegasi and unicorns working under their name. Although I admit, earth ponies were the most common.” She checked her ammo count in both guns. More of a habit than a necessity, as she’d made sure they were loaded after every practice session with them.
“Crap.” Applejack took her hat off and held it to her breast, expression going dark. “What if it’s the Flamin’ Vermillion?”
“Stormy Flare?” Rarity’s first instinct was to be alarmed by this prospect, but that faded quickly as she considered the situation. “I don’t know if that would be such a bad thing.”
“The mare’s a walkin’ disaster area.” Slapping her hat back on her head, Applejack followed Rarity’s example and checked her ammunition. “If she’s nearby, I’m gonna be extra cautious. She might not target us specifically, but she won’t be too wary about the direction her bullets are flyin’ either.”
And there were the piles of burning corpses to consider. Now that Rarity recalled those, suddenly she wasn’t too keen on the Vermillion’s presence herself. She thought about her brief encounter with the mare several weeks back, the way she spoke of death. That kind of pony didn’t need to be around Roan or Sweetie.
Then Rarity remembered something else, something she’d not told Applejack before. “Oh, dear. She might be coming to make an offer again.”
Applejack shot her a critical look. “What kind of offer?”
“An offer to join her in slaughtering Apples, of course.” Then it dawned upon her. “If it is her, maybe she’s following us in hopes of running into more Apples to kill.”
Roan, who had yet to stop staring to the west, spoke up. “She isn’t coming to talk. If she were, she wouldn’t be trying to stay hidden like this.”
The wagon at last caught up to them, Coco and Sweetie side by side on the driver’s bench. “What’s going on?” Coco asked.
“We got ourselves a stalker,” Applejack answered with all the subtlety of a hammer to the head. She looked to Rarity once more. “Maybe I should head back there, see if I can’t figure out the truth.”
No consideration was needed. “No.” Rarity looked to Sweetie and Coco as she spoke. “Only two of us are good for a fight. Splitting up now just puts the rest more at risk. We stick together.” She gave Applejack a chance to challenge her conclusion, but no arguments arose. Turning to Roan, she said, “Are you sure it’s just one?”
Roan clicked her beak a few times, fiddling with the claws of her talons even as she maintained her eagle-eyed vigil. “I’ve only seen one. But it can fly. There may be others trailing behind too far to see.” Right. Rarity hadn’t accounted for that yet. Now she really was glad Applejack hadn’t pressed her to go it alone.
Sweetie leaned forward, worry clear in her gaze. “What are we gonna do, Sis?”
“Keep goin’,” Applejack said with confidence. She met Rarity’s glance and asked, “What else can we do?”
She was right, of course. They couldn’t very well cross the Dragon’s Teeth, it would do them no good, and Rarity wasn’t inclined to test her luck in the Scorched Plains a second time. And entering the Great Salt Plains at this juncture? Not a chance.
“We keep going.” She waved her hand in a vague eastern direction. “If we’re lucky, nothing will come of it. In the meantime we’ll just have to stay extra vigilant. Sweetie, Roan, Coco? I want you all taking turns sitting in the back of the wagon. As long as at least one of you is keeping an eye to our backs then the rest of us can sleep a little more soundly.”
They all agreed with this general tactic and worked out a basic rotation for keeping watch. They were soon on the move again, but now with a clear tension in the air. Rarity returned to leading the caravan, not daring to hope that their luck would keep up until Rockstead.
Roan had taken to flying regularly now, letting her keep better watch of their mystery pursuer when it was her turn. It had been three days since they’d noticed him or her, and still the pony hadn’t bothered to come close. And since no ambushes had occurred yet, Applejack and Rarity were in tacit agreement it was probably the Flaming Vermillion.
In an effort to keep things as normal and calm as possible, Rarity hadn’t changed her own routine. Today she drove the wagon, Coco at her side and Sweetie in her lap. Her sister was a little big for that now, but Rarity put up with it. A little discomfort was a fair price to pay for some bonding time with her sibling, especially now that they were only a few weeks from their destination.
It was nearing time for their afternoon break when Sweetie spoke up. “Isn’t the Flaming Vermillion supposed to be a hero?”
Rarity shared an uncertain look with Coco. This was the first time Sweetie had spoken out about the Vermillion since they’d learned they were being followed. Rarity had been relieved at that. This question, however, left her worried. Had Sweetie been trying to make sense of this situation all along?
Apparently tired of waiting for a response, Sweetie continued, “She was part of the Rainbow Gang, right? They were heroes. They fought the bad guys. So why are we, like, running away from her?”
With a sigh, Rarity rubbed her hand on Sweetie’s shoulder. “Ponies change. The Flaming Vermillion lost something important to her long ago, and now she’s… angry. It’s not safe to be around her.”
“We have to keep our distance,” Coco added, her tone gentle and sweet. “I don’t think she wants much to do with us anyway, otherwise why would she stay away like she has been?”
Sweetie was quiet for a while, and Rarity started to hope she’d accepted their excuses. But then the filly spoke, her voice fragile. “Angry in the same way you are?”
Sucking in a sharp breath, Rarity quickly handed the reins to Coco and gave Sweetie a tight squeeze. “No. Honey, I’m not… I mean, yes, I am angry, but the Vermillion and I are not the same. Why, I’m getting better every day!”
“Are not.” Ignorant of how those simple words set a stinging flame in Rarity’s heart, Sweetie pressed herself a little tighter against her sister’s belly. “You’re pretending, and maybe you’re calmer right now, but you’re not better. I hear you muttering to yourself when you think I’m sleeping.”
Rarity tensed. So, the little snitch was spying on her, was she? What cheek! If she couldn’t be trusted to let Rarity have her moments of brooding, mayhap she could try sleeping by herself for a change.
Recognizing her own thoughts, Rarity shook them off and began petting Sweetie’s mane. She wouldn’t lash out, not at Sweetie Belle. “You said it yourself, there’s nothing wrong with being angry.”
“Very wise words,” Coco added, only to flinch and glance away at Rarity’s glare. The reaction brought an instant wave of guilt, but Rarity let it slide for now. She’d just have to apologize later.
“I know I said that.” Sweetie wrapped her arms around Rarity’s, holding on tight. “But you said the Vermillion’s angry too. What’s the difference?”
I don’t leave piles of burning corpses in my wake? That was a little too graphic for a pony Sweetie’s age. “The Vermillion let her anger take over her heart. It is all she knows. I’m not that far gone.”
Shifting a little, Sweetie tilted her head back to stare up at Rarity with moist, fretful eyes. She didn’t say anything. There was no need. The question was as plain as the muzzle on her face or the pale streaks in her mane.
Gritting her teeth, Rarity fought down the urge to snap. What right did Sweetie have to look at her that way? She wasn’t going to succumb to her anger, even if it was entirely justified. Yes, justified! What did she know of struggling to stay alive, of watching her life’s ambition crumble, of seeing friends die just for being associated with her? So yes, she was angry, and there was nothing wrong with that. She wasn’t the same as the Vermillion!
“Rarity, that hurts…”
So let it hurt! Rarity had been hurting for a year now. So what if she— “Oh!”
At last noticing both her vile thoughts and the way she’d been squeezing Sweetie against her in a death grip, she eased her hold. A fresh wave of guilt washed through her, but it wasn’t enough to douse the fire that had been ignited. She fought to push it down. Sweetie didn’t deserve to become a target and neither did Coco. She abruptly appreciated Applejack’s offer to be her verbal punching bag. Alas, Applejack was behind the wagon right now, unavailable for a proper tongue lashing.
…that didn’t come out right even in my head.
Sweetie squirmed in her lap. “Can’t I do anything to help?”
“No.” Rarity flinched at the harshness of her tone. “I mean… no, thank you. I appreciate the concern, Honey, I really do, but the best way you can help me is to be safe.”
“That won’t make me feel any better,” Sweetie countered with a scowl.
“Me, either,” Coco added, though with less conviction.
“Well, you’re not the one being shot at, so you don’t get to make that call.” Oh, her foolish tongue! “I-I’m sorry, girls. I didn’t mean…”
“We know.” Coco’s voice was soft, but her expression grave. “You could do better.”
What was this criticizing tone? Did she think she had the right to—
A shadow passed over their heads. They looked up in unison to find Roan hovering a few feet above Dune, her talons twiddling and the feathers on her neck raised. “We’ve got a problem.”
Rarity wasted no time handing Sweetie off to Coco. “What kind of problem.” If she was lucky, it might be the kind through which she could vent some anger via well-placed bullets.
What is wrong with me?
Applejack pulled up alongside them on Moonshine, Winona’s forepaws on her back as the dog watched Roan with a concerned expression. “What did you see, Roan?” she asked, once again with that firm, businesslike tone.
“The Vermillion’s gone,” Roan answered, her eyes shifting towards the back of the wagon skittishly. “But now there’s a lot of ponies headed this way. I counted at least two dozen.”
“Son of a bitch.” Rarity turned to Applejack, ignoring how Coco slapped her hands over Sweetie’s ears. “Maybe it wasn’t the Vermillion after all.”
“It could just be a regular caravan.” Applejack’s tone and hard expression revealed her doubts. She looked to Roan. “Any wagons with them?”
The young griffon shook her head. “Just ponies on lizards. They weren’t going much faster than us, though. I think. A-and it looked like they were settling for a break, too.”
“It might be nothing, then,” Coco ventured.
“Or it might be Gang-hired guns hunting us down,” Rarity growled. “We have to assume the worst.”
“I’m with Rarity on that one. Winona, watch.” Applejack snapped her fingers, and Winona promptly settled off her master’s back, turned around, sat, and watched the western horizon. “I vote for no more breaks. We ride nonstop for as long as Dune can go, takin’ turns restin’ in the wagon. Me or Rarity stay on watch at all times.”
Sweetie groaned but made no further comment. Coco, on the other hand, had something to add. “Couldn’t we just move out of their way? We could go into the Dragon’s Teeth.”
Applejack shook her head. “We could, sure. Find a convenient place to hunker down and hope they pass us by. But if they don’t, we’re trapped with no escape and way outgunned.”
“I agree.” Roan flapped a little harder, ascending some and continuing to peer west. “The last thing we want is to be cornered and vulnerable, right?”
Rarity was tempted to note that she’d been in similar situations in the past. She shoved that moment of braggadocio down. It was one thing to be ambushed on her own amongst some abandoned wagons, it was quite another to fight with Coco, Sweetie, and Roan present.
“If we keep doing nothing but staying in front of them, won’t we end up getting forced into a firefight one way or another?” Coco wrung the reins in her hands as she fretted. “There’s got to be a better solution.”
Rarity understood her concern, but what ‘better solution’ was there? They still had a ways to go before the next pass through the mountains, and she wasn’t at all familiar with… the… territory?
“Keep going,” she instructed Coco, hopping off the wagon. “I need to get my map.” Not waiting for the wagon to pass by, she trotted for the back of it, where Ophelia was currently tied by a long rope to ensure she would follow. She smiled at the Dust Devil’s friendly trill, pausing just long enough to rub her hand along the creature’s snout. “Sorry, big girl, I’m here on business.”
That said, she retrieved her map from its place in the pack and opened it in her magic. A collection of black lines marked her path since she’d left Hoofington. It went north to Mooisville, then west to Bitter Ergot before doubling back somewhat to hit Ponyville. She traced the path with a finger, following its long south-by-west journey to where the Sunpeaks met the Dragon’s Teeth. From there it turned sharply east. Her finger moved past the last mark on the map, tapping on Rockstead.
Applejack came riding up, bringing Moonshine to walk at Rarity’s pace by her side. “You got an idea?”
“A moment, please.” Numbers and guesses ran through Rarity’s mind. If she accounted for them not taking anymore noontime breaks and riding all day and night, how much faster could they go? She’d had enough experience with navigation by now that she felt reasonably confident in her conclusion. Satisfied, she put the map away and went to untie Ophelia from the wagon.
Once properly on her steed, Rarity signaled for Applejack to follow and went back to the front of the wagon. “I have an idea.” The others watched her expectantly, and she had the odd feeling they’d all been counting on this. Was that a good thing? She couldn’t be sure. “We will need to stay ahead of them for now, but if we can keep going at Applejack’s suggested pace for at least a week, then we can get out of this alright.”
“A week?” Applejack tilted her hat back and scratched at her forehead in a thoughtful manner. “We’ll go right by Sun Lake. Hay, that practically puts us in Rockstead. You think we can hide there?”
“We’re not going to Rockstead.” Rarity frowned, wondering what Spike would think of this. Not that they had much choice at the moment. “There’s a cave system in the mountains. I’ve passed through it before, and there’s an entrance not far from the town. It’s large enough to fit the wagon, and it’s almost a certainty the Bad Apples won’t bother to investigate it.”
Applejack’s face lit up with a grin. “Hey, that’s perfect. They think we’re gonna be headed to town, so they’ll go right by and waste all their time. Once they think they’ve lost us, they’ll probably move on.”
“A cave?” Roan ended her examination of the horizon to frown at Rarity. “Are you sure it’s safe? You don’t grow up in a roost without hearing stories about griffons disappearing in a maze of tunnels.”
Coco looked from her to Rarity and back, a small frown marring her youthful features. “I’m more concerned about what happens if the Gang decides to follow us in there. Wouldn’t we be trapped?”
Rarity chuckled, drawing the attention of every pair of eyes. “Oh, rest assured, if they choose to enter this cave, they’ll find themselves facing far worse things than a couple gun-toting mares.”
The furrows on Applejack’s brow said she was a long way from comforted. “Well, that ain’t ominous at all.”
“Y-yeah.” Sweetie fiddled with the edge of her skirt, ears tucked down. “What’s to stop whatever you’re talking about from eating us?”
“Don’t worry, Sweetie. I know what I’m doing.” Rarity looked to Applejack, knowing she didn’t have to say anything for her query to be heard. The two stared at one another for several quiet seconds, Applejack’s eyes shifting slowly as she thought.
“Alright,” she said at last. “We’ll give it a shot. But that still puts us on the run for the next week, so everypony should stay alert.”
Satisfied with the given plan, Rarity nonetheless had to silently apologize to Spike for what would happen. Her thoughts drifted to her parents, who would probably be in Rockstead at this point. She’d momentarily neglected that fact. Would it be best to leave them be? Maud and Marble could undoubtedly hide them from the Gang once they knew they were in town.
But what if they couldn’t? A decision would need to be made; stay with Applejack and the others, or go to protect her parents. She should stay, it was the best route for everypony involved. But her heart cried out at the mere possibility that her parents could end up captured by the brutes.
There was nothing for it now, and no point dwelling on it. She would concentrate on getting Sweetie, Coco, and Roan out of danger. The question of her parents would have to be dealt with after.
As it turned out, Rarity’s hope for a week of undisturbed progress was premature. They only managed three days before the plan fell apart. Roan confirmed that they were getting ahead of their pursuers such that she could no longer see them from the air.
As with the other times, it was Roan who first noticed. Rarity was riding behind the wagon when she spotted the griffon diving. Recognizing the urgency of the act, she brought Ophelia into a trot and reached the front of the wagon just in time to hear its driver, Applejack, utter a curse. “What’s wrong?” she asked, keeping her voice low on account of Sweetie and Coco sleeping inside.
“Trouble,” Applejack answered, slowing the wagon to a stop. Roan was already flying back into the sky. “She says there’s a group of ponies ahead of us now.”
“Of course there is.” Rarity rubbed at her temple with a low groan. Though she didn’t dare to hope, she asked, “Is there any chance these ponies are just your typical traders passing by?”
“That’s why I sent Roan back up there.” With the wagon stopped, Applejack let the reins hang loose in her lap and sat back to stare at the sky, tipping her hat back. By now Roan was little more than a dot amongst the blue. “I told her to check for a few things.”
Rarity followed her gaze, chewing on her lip and rubbing the nub on Silver Lining’s handle. “If they are, do you think we should avoid them anyway?”
“Nope.” Applejack shook he head. “If it really is the Gang followin’ us then they almost surely know we’re here. I don’t think avoidin’ them’ll do us any good. At least if they’re traders we can feed them false information about what we’re up to.” She pushed her hat forward again and sat up straight. “Here she comes.”
Roan came in for a swooping landing, her forward momentum resuming in a trot until she stopped before them. She reached up to rub Dune’s broad side as she spoke. “They do have a wagon, Applejack. It looks like a really small group. I counted four ponies, all on lizards.”
Rarity and Applejack exchanged glances. From that alone, Rarity knew they’d come to the same conclusion. It couldn’t be the Gang, not with a wagon. That would only slow down a hunting party. Most likely traders, or maybe just a family moving to a new town.
“Okay, that ain’t so bad.” Applejack flicked Dune’s reins again, setting the wagon back into motion. “We’ll meet these ponies, give ‘em a tall tale about crossin’ the mountains or somethin’, then keep going. It probably won’t work, but it might delay them a little.”
Seeing no reason to disagree, Rarity rode on ahead to act as the front guard. If they were wrong about this little party, she wanted to be the one they pointed their guns at. As she passed by Roan, she said, “Please keep an eye on them. If things start to look suspicious, sound off.”
Roan nodded grimly and took off without a word. Rarity didn’t like using the child for things like this, but they needed every advantage they could get. At least she was out of harm’s way up there.
It was another couple hours before the wagon came into view. By that time Sweetie had woken and taken over driving the wagon, allowing Applejack to mount Moonshine and join Rarity in the front. Despite their reasonable expectations of a peaceful encounter, both undid the safety straps on their respective weapons as the wagon grew closer. It was a frightening thing, watching the wagon disappear behind one hill only to reappear so much closer atop it a few minutes later. Rarity half expected it to never show up after one of those little disappearing acts. Every time it returned to her field of view undeterred from its course, she breathed a small sigh of relief.
When they were close enough to make out the colors of the riders, one of them broke off from the group and rode ahead. Applejack and Rarity glanced at once another for all of a second before the latter urged Ophelia into a trot and moved on ahead. At their mutual paces, Rarity guessed they’d meet near the bottom of the next hill.
She was halfway down it when she realized she recognized the earth pony approaching her. Light red coat, two-toned orange and yellow mane with flecks of grey, and a rifle on his shoulder. Tiro Caliente. She might have laughed at the sheer coincidence of this meeting were she not fretting over who he might be with.
“Estaré condenado.” Tiro grinned as the two paused only a few feet from one another. “La Corazón Antibalas herself. It’s a pleasure to see you again, Señorita Belle.”
“Hola, Señor Caliente.” Seeing no reason to be unfriendly, Rarity returned the smile and gave a little wave for good measure. “It’s a curious coincidence, bumping into you out here.”
He shrugged. “These things happen more often than you’d think. But I am surprised to find you down here again. When we parted ways in Hoofington you seemed so very eager to get to Mooisville.”
“It’s a long story,” she grumbled. At his concerned look, she made an effort to put some cheer bac into her voice. “Would it be forward of me to ask who you are escorting?”
“Not at all.” He gestured with his thumb behind him just in time for the wagon he’d been with to appear at the top of the hill. “These gente desafortunada got some bad ponis chasing after them.” His eyes abruptly lit up, smile disappearing in a flash. “Mierda. You’re an enemy of the Bad Apples, sí?”
“Rarity!”
Her head jerked up at the familiar voice, only for her jaw to drop at the unexpected sight waving from the driver’s seat of the wagon. “Wha… Mother?”
“Rarity?” Her father appeared from behind the wagon riding a green Dust Devil, silly moustache and all. He let out a laugh and kicked his lizard into a gallop for her.
The little pony in Rarity’s head was leaping for joy, but other emotions tore at her, preventing her from accepting that simple reaction. Her parents were here. Why weren’t they in Rockstead? Tiro said they were in trouble with bad ponies? Oh, no… They were supposed to be safe with the Pies! How could this be happening?
Her father climbed off his lizard and hurried to her, grinning like a fool. She was still too stunned to move, except when he yanked her off Ophelia and into a bear hug that stole her breath. “P-Papa? What are you…?”
“You have no idea how worried we’ve been.” He pulled back just enough so that he could kiss her on the forehead, just under the horn, then held her head in his palms and studied her face. “You’re alright? Nopony hurt my little princess, did they?”
“Papa, please.” The fire in her face had nothing to do with the sun, but at least a grin had finally found its way onto her lips. She’d forgotten how much his moustache tickled when he kissed her like that. “You are embarrassing me in front of a respected colleague.”
“I appreciate that,” Tiro noted with a smirk.
Applejack’s voice broke through the embarrassment clouding her brain. “Well, this ain’t at all what I expected.” Rarity was sure she could feel the blood rushing from the rest of her body into her face. She turned around to find the leader of the Apple Family watching from astride Moonshine with a lopsided, uncertain smile. The way Winona practically mirrored her expression would have been adorable under any other circumstance.
“El Sol Santo!” Tiro whipped off his hat and gave Applejack a flamboyant bow from atop his lizard. “An honor to meet you, Señorita Apple! I did not think I’d live to see the day.”
Now it was Applejack who’s face started burning. “Uh… thanks?” She leaned forward, one hand on her hip as she took in the big stallion now standing firmly between her and Rarity. “So, I’m gonna go out on an apple limb and guess that you know these ponies.”
The wagon her mother drove came to a stop nearby and she climbed down, helped by an unfamiliar unicorn mare. At the same time, Sweetie brought their own wagon over the hill.
Rarity placed a hand on her father’s shoulder and stepped beside him. “Applejack? This is my father, Hondo Flanks. And that—” She stumbled forward as her mother caught her up in a hug from behind almost as strong as her father’s. “And this is my mother, Cookie Crumbles.”
Applejack’s eyes popped wide open and she hurriedly doffed her hat. “Oh! Uh, how’d ya do, folks? Applejack, pleased to meet ya.”
Tiro looked at the group with a bewildered expression. “So I’ve been escorting your parents. Huh, small world.”
Sweetie Belle chose that moment to shout her surprise and leap off the wagon, running at full speed downhill until she tackled her father in a flying hug. “Daddy!”
The remaining mare in her parents’ party rode up, confusion plastered across her lime-colored face. “What is zis, a family reunion?” She had a distinctly Prench accent.
“Uh… yes?” Rarity raised her head, scanning the sky until she spotted a dot, then flashed her horn. Seconds later, Roan came in for a landing a few yards away from the group. When the dust settled Rarity waved her over. “Come, Roan! I’d like you to meet my parents.”
Pleasantries and names were exchanged as Coco came out of the wagon to see what all the fuss was about. The mare’s name was, fittingly enough, Strawberry Lime, and her manner struck Rarity as far too high class to be out and about in a traveller’s dress with a six-shooter at her hip and dirt coating her pink mane. Surprisingly, she and Roan took to one another near-instantaneously; Roan had apparently developed a mild fascination with Prance from having been semi-raised by Octavia in the last few years.
But the friendly atmosphere faded quickly when Applejack asked the question that had been on Rarity’s mind from the beginning. “What are all of y’all doing out here? I thought we were supposed to meet y’all in Rockstead.”
“Aw, crud, that’s right!” Rarity’s father lost all his good cheer, his eyes darting east as if he expected something to appear over the hill at any moment. “Rarity, we’ve got Bad Apples after us.”
Rarity thought her heart had stopped. She merely stood there, staring at her parents as her lungs struggled to get air through her throat. At last she managed a feeble, “What?”
“Sí.” Tiro shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and nodded grimly. “We’ve got a two day lead on them, but they’re coming.”
“Last time I checked, zey ‘ad nearly zree dozen ‘eads,” Strawberry added, worry creasing her elegant features. “If zey catch us, we’re as good as doomed.”
Coco pressed a hand to her forehead and groaned. “You can’t be serious…”
“Luna damn it all to Tartarus!” Rarity kicked a large rock, sending it flying uphill. “What does a mare have to do to protect her family? You were supposed to be safe in Rockstead!”
Her family stared at her as if she’d grown a second head, but Coco had the presence of mind to speak up, her voice soothing. “It’s alright, Rarity. We’ll think of something.”
“I ‘ate to interrupt,” Strawberry said, “but we should get going. Ze longer we linger, ze sooner zose bounty ‘unters will be on us.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” Roan said with grim certainty. “We’ve been running from our own gang of Bad Apples in the south. Two days lead, like you.”
Silence filled the hot, dry air. Every pony and griffon exchanged horror-filled looks. After what seemed like an ageless eternity, Sweetie muttered, “Y-you mean we’re trapped?”
“Mierda.” Tiro doffed his hat and held it to his chest. “Did they plan this?”
Applejack glowered at her boots, her face an ugly mask of frustration. “I dunno if they’re smart enough for that. May be a coincidence. That or they’re so pissed off about Rarity freein’ them hostages they’ve decided to go all out on endin’ her and anypony who knows her.” She turned her hard eyes to Rarity. “Ain’t no way we’re reachin’ your cave now.”
No. No, there wasn’t. They were effectively trapped. And when the two groups met, they’d know it. Hiding in the mountains would only buy them time before the inevitable final fight. Rarity was used to being outnumbered, but this was not a battle she wanted to engage in. There were too many lives at stake.
“We could find a defensive position,” her mother suggested. “Maybe there’s a good place where we can limit how they come at us.”
“Or m-maybe we could come to some kind of bargain?” her father ventured timidly.
Applejack groaned. “Yeah, sure. How’d that work out for you last time?”
“Excuse me, miss, but I don’t hear you coming up with any reliable options! And how do you know my daughter anyway? Applejack. How do I know you’re not some—”
“Stop it, Daddy.” Sweetie Belle’s voice was firm. “Applejack’s the best, and she’s totally on our side.”
“Maybe we could enter the desert?” Strawberry asked.
“We’d die of starvation instead of bullets,” Applejack replied. “At least bullets have the possibility of being quick.”
The desert. Rarity turned north, away from the others. Her thoughts drifted to a faraway place. It seemed like forever since she’d last been there. But if she could go back… The question was, could she? She hurried to Ophelia, jerking the map out in her magic.
“Rarity?” Applejack was at her side. “What are you thinkin’?”
Rather than answer, Rarity ran her finger in a small circle she’d drawn in the Great Salt Plains some months ago. She’d run the numbers several times since then, using her memories as best she could. If she had everything right – and she was nearly certain she had – then it might be possible. Pulling out a pencil from the saddlebags and her old, nearly used up notebook, she began scribbling some quick calculations.
She spoke without looking up. “Mother, Papa? How much food do you have with you right now?”
It was her father who answered. “Uh, enough to last us four weeks?”
Four weeks. And their own collection had two weeks’ worth left. That assumed decent, hearty meals. If they rationed it, they could stretch it out to three times that number. They wouldn’t be leaving the Dragon’s Teeth from the same location as before, but… she could do this.
I can do this!
“New plan.” She turned around, ready to make her announcement, only to pause upon finding every pair of eyes set upon her. Not a soul spoke, every one of them awaiting her word. Had they been like that the entire time?
She was taking the leadership role again. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth, but she swallowed it regardless. This was no time for worrying and frustrations. They needed to do something, and they needed to do it now.
“I know this is going to sound insane,” she admitted, keeping her voice firm. “But I also know this can be done. I’ve done it before. We’re leaving the Dragon’s Teeth behind.”
The others shared uncertain looks. It was Coco who raised her hand to speak. “How? We’re trapped, Rarity. We can’t cross the mountains here, and the east and west are blocked.”
“But the north is wide open.” Rarity couldn’t resist a little smile at their incredulous faces. “I know a place out there that will guarantee our survival. We leave immediately, go north. The Gang wouldn’t dare follow us.”
“Because it’s a deathtrap.” Her father shook his head. “Honey, you can’t be serious.”
“I know how you feel. I felt the same way the first time I tried it.” Rarity pointed to her map. “But I can do this. Trust me, please. It’s the only way we’re getting out of this.”
Once more, silence took over the conversation. Rarity let her eyes linger on each face, especially her parents’. Her heart pounded as she watched doubt and uncertainty flickering over their collective features. They didn’t have any time to argue this, but if she had to…
“Alright, I’m in.”
Her head whipped around to Applejack, surprise mingling with her relief. “You are?”
Applejack nodded, arms crossed and a reassuring smile on her lips. “Yeah, I am. I’ve been around you enough to know you wouldn’t make a claim this crazy without havin’ somethin’ to back it up. If the Bulletproof Heart says we can do this, then we can do this.”
Rarity almost flinched. Why did she have to go and bring the Bulletproof Heart into this?
“We don’t have any better ideas,” her father admitted, though he seemed far from convinced.
Strawberry pointed at Rarity, entire body having gone limp otherwise. “You’re ze Bulletproof ‘eart?”
This time, Rarity really did flinch. “Um… yes?”
The mare clapped her hands once and gained a pleased, almost wry smile. “Oh, I am not missing zis. I’m in!”
Within seconds, everyone was in agreement. They chose to put their trust in Rarity’s word, and she could not have been more grateful. Within minutes they’d gotten into a simple formation with Rarity’s wagon in the lead and were headed north.
For the first time in a while, Rarity was glad ponies looked up to her.
It was supposed to be Rarity’s turn to sleep. Supposed to be. Instead she stared at the top of the wagon, hands behind her head while her mother and Coco slumbered closer to the front. After five days of travel, she was reasonably sure they’d lost the Apples. That didn’t comfort her at all.
Her family was supposed to be in Rockstead, resting after their long journeys. Rarity was meant to be preparing herself for the troublesome task of introducing them to Spike. Maybe there would be an argument over living arrangements. Perhaps her parents would want to stay in Rockstead. Sweetie and Coco would be fascinated by the fact Rarity knew a dragon. All the while, Rarity would be counting the days before she departed once more, an eternal distraction to keep the Bad Apples from ever going after her family again.
But no. They were here, crossing the Great Salt Plains. She supposed it didn’t matter how they avoided the Gang in the long run, but damn it all, her plan was in ruins! How long were they supposed to wait in Elysium before risking a return? And they would return. Rarity hadn’t made herself stay with Fluttershy, so why should she expect the same of her family? The little pony in her head promptly asked the same question regarding staying with Spike. That only made her already simmering anger burn hotter.
What would it take to get the Gang to leave them alone? She couldn’t believe they would send five dozen ponies after her. And when she lost these ruffians, would they send twice again as many at the next opportunity? This constant escalation needed to end. But the hot-headed fools refused to accept anything other than her head on a stick! True, she’d killed a lot of their number, but that wouldn’t have been necessary if they hadn’t come for her in the first place.
Her burning thoughts drifted once more to Braeburn. That wretched pervert of a pony. Why couldn’t he have chased after some willing floozy for his night of fun? The only thing more frustrating than the memory of his dirty hands on her was the understanding that, if she had to relive that night again, the only difference would be that she’d not have wasted time with diplomacy. And that burned. No matter what, she would have ended up here.
Raising her hand over her head, she studied the moon-and-sun sigil on her wristband. It feels more and more like I was destined for this life. Is this your doing, Sisters? I hope you two have a reason for fucking up my life. She realized her lips were pulled back in a snarl. Shaking her head, she forced her expression to a neutral one and took a few slow, calming breaths. No, I shouldn’t be critical. I’ve lost some friends, but the most important ponies in my life are still alive and well. I should be grateful for that.
The thoughts did little to kill her ire. Whispering a quiet apology to Marble for the blasphemous direction she’d taken her anger, she rolled over to look out the back of the ever-moving wagon. She was only mildly surprised to find her father looking inside from the back of his sand lizard. Realizing he’d been spotted, he gave her a wan smile and pulled back.
Worried about her, of course. He’d always been a softie. And for once that gentle nature of his was desired, so she carefully got up and crawled for the back of the wagon. Swinging her legs out, she settled on the edge and gestured for him to come closer.
“You should be sleeping.” He moved alongside the wagon such that he was only a foot or two away on her left.
“Too much on my mind.” Too much to be upset with. “How are the others?”
“Don’t worry about them. You just worry about yourself.” He glanced towards the front of the wagon for a moment. “You want to talk about what’s keeping you awake?”
Did she? Rarity wasn’t sure anymore. After all the effort Coco had put into getting her to vent, doing it with her father now seemed like a betrayal. A minor one that Coco would be relieved for, but the point remained. How would he take it, knowing that she was just as angry now as she’d been when they’d separated in Mooisville? The only real difference was that she’d gotten better at not lashing out.
“Rarity?”
She met his concerned gaze and felt a fresh wave of guilt for worrying him. And she’d keep worrying him, day in and day out, possibly for the rest of his life. She’d really made a mess of things, hadn’t she? Yet for all the things she might wish to apologize for, the thing that came out of her mouth unbidden seemed the most important. “I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye.”
His eyebrows rose a fraction, highlighting the pain that flashed across his face. He looked away, struggling to avoid a frown and failing. “It’s… okay. I admit I was upset, but you had a job to do.”
“I wanted to wake you,” she admitted, clasping her hands together and staring at the darkness. “I really did. I was afraid you’d try to keep me around for as long as possible, and I was in a hurry.”
“You’re right, I would have.” He sighed and slouched. “I’m selfish like that. It was probably for the best you ran off to be a hero.”
With a low moan, she covered her eyes. “Please, Papa, don’t call me that.”
Things were quiet for a while. Weariness tugged on Rarity’s eyelids, but her mind remained alert and probing. She kept scanning the southern dunes, just knowing that some threat would arise before they reached their destination. It was better to fret over that than linger on her ever present-frustrations, frustrations that her father had inadvertently reminded her of.
“Coco told me what you did in Ponyville.”
She turned her eyes to him, but he was staring ahead, expression unreadable. She’d not said a word to them about her ‘adventures’, fearing such stories would only make them worry more.
“Roan told me her piece too, and Sweetie really admires you.”
Oh, no. It had begun. She needed to stop it as quickly as possible. “I’m not all that great. I promise you, they’re exaggerating.”
“I doubt it.” He gained the tiniest of smiles. “My daughter, rescuing hostages. Seems like only yesterday you were a bumbling teenager and I was fretting over the possibility of saving you from handsy studs with their brains between their legs.”
She smiled a little at that. Should she bother to inform him that the pony who finally got that far was in their little group? That there’d yet to be a confrontation was all the evidence she needed that none of the others had mentioned what had happened between her and Applejack. The mare herself seemed positively skittish around Rarity’s parents. Who could blame her? At least she treated them respectfully, even if it was probably just an effort to endear herself to them before the artillery landed.
“You got your mother’s tenacity.” His smile faded once more, the concern returning to his eyes as he looked to her. “She was always willing to be the tough one. I’m just a big ball of fluff. Can’t stand the idea of hurting somepony. You… got that from me, didn’t you?”
Ears perking at his miserable voice, she looked up at him, but he avoided her eyes. “Papa?”
“It’s my fault,” he muttered. “Maybe if you’d taken more after your mother, you wouldn’t be so hurt by all this. You could do what needs to be done and not feel like shit for it. I—”
“Papa.” She leaned towards him, one hand on the side of the wagon for balance. “This is not your fault. I… I’m glad you raised me to be a decent pony.”
“Are you?” He shook his head. “I’m being silly, I know. It’s a father’s prerogative to worry about this kind of thing. Your achievements are astounding, Rarity, and I can’t tell you how proud they make me, but then I see you fuming when you think nopony’s looking and I just… I just wonder if I couldn’t have done something different.”
“Stop it, please.” She stood and tilted over the side of the wagon to get closer. It was a dangerous motion, but that was the point. Just as she expected, he finally met her gaze, reaching out as if to catch her mid-fall.
And she let him, releasing the wagon and falling into his grasp. He grunted, cursed under his breath, and lifted her up with apparent ease to set her side-saddle on the lizard in front of him. After a quick, relieved exhale, he growled, “Are you nuts? What if I didn’t catch you?”
She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and tucked her head against his neck with a grin, foalhood memories reminding her just how to do so without poking him with her horn. “My Papa would never let me come to harm.” And she would have landed on her hooves anyway. “And now I’m going to snuggle you until you stop worrying about silly things. My problems have nothing whatsoever to do with you. You and Mother raised me perfectly. I’m the one who got all bratty and decided to leave a few years before I was ready.”
He grumbled, one arm supporting her back while his free hand held the reins. “I think you inherited that from your mother.”
She grinned, delighting in the feeling of being his ‘princess’ again, if only for a moment. “You mean the bratty part? I know.”
He was quiet for a moment, but then a little wit entered his voice. “You’re a devilish little thing, abusing snuggles like this.”
“You know you love me.” She ran her finger in circles against the top of his belly, just like she used to do.
At last, he gave a chuckle. “Yeah, I do.”
Things went quiet again. Rarity took pleasure in his simple presence. How many years had it been since she’d come to him for a little comfort, letting him hold her in his big arms? If she didn’t think too hard about anything else, she could almost imagine she was a child being protected by her doting Papa. What she wouldn’t give to go back to those days. Before the bullets and the death and guilt. Before Ponyville and Bitter Ergot. Before having to hide in her own hometown. Before Hoofington and the Great Salt Plains and Cayenne.
Before Braeburn.
“I don’t want to spoil the mood,” her father whispered, so quiet she barely heard him. “But I’ve got to say it. I’m very proud of the mare you’ve become. No matter what happens, don’t you ever forget that. Okay, honey?”
Her heart swelled even as she wondered: should he be proud?
No. She wasn’t going to spoil this perfect moment. They were too rare. “I won’t, Papa.”
“Good.” He gave her a prolonged kiss on the forehead, making sure to wiggle his moustache to make her giggle. “That’s what I like to hear, my spoiled rotten, bratty princess.”
She could only grin and wiggle a little deeper into his comfortable embrace.
“Flatterer.”
Rarity was secretly amazed by the patience of her travelling companions. Here they were, three weeks into their journey to Elysium, and the most doubt she’d heard came in whispers quickly waved off by the very ones doing the whispering. She would have expected some of them to be borderline mutinous by now. Then again, they had enough food to go another week without having to turn back, and water was no issue thanks to Applejack’s bottomless flask.
She didn’t dare let on that she was starting to worry. They should have reached Elysium two days ago. Revising her estimates slightly gave a bit more wiggle room, but three weeks of journey with nothing but the stars for guidance left a lot of room for equine error. Applejack, Roan, Coco, and Sweetie vouched for her navigation skills, which she was admittedly proud of, so the last thing she wanted to do was admit she might have made a mistake.
They were in no danger. If food became a problem, all they had to do was turn south again. But still, Elysium Oasis was out here. She knew it was. They were in the right area. They just… had to do some searching.
“Bit for your thoughts?”
Rarity blushed at her little jump, turning to find her mother riding the Dust Devil she and her father traded between one another. “You shouldn’t sneak up on ponies with guns, y’know.”
“It’s a hard habit to break.” Her mother grinned, but only for a second. “You’ve been awfully quiet lately.”
“Just trying to get my numbers right in my head.” It was a half-admission, true enough that it may avoid suspicion.
Her mother hummed lightly, her eyes drifting across the northern dunes of sand and salt. “I’ve got to say, Rarity, if you can pull this off I will be thoroughly impressed by your navigation skills. You said you were taught by an adventurer?”
“Archeologist,” Rarity corrected, following her mother’s gaze. A little smile found its way onto her lips as she thought of A.K. Yearling and all the time they’d spent together. “Coincidentally, it was out here that she taught me, looking for the very same place.”
“I’m guessing you two found it, if you claim to know the way.”
The smile faded as easily as it had formed, and Rarity lowered her head. “I did. She did not. I never got the chance to tell her that I’d found what we were looking for by accident.”
“Elysium Oasis.” Her mother said the name as if it might magically bring their destination to them. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t think it existed.”
“It does.” That came out more forcefully than she’d intended. “It does. Just a little farther and you’ll see.”
“I’m not doubting you. I just…” Her mother glanced back, and Rarity did the same. They were far enough ahead of the others that they wouldn’t be overheard. Turning forward again, her mother said, “You’re having trouble, aren’t you?”
Rarity pursed her lips. She should have known better than to think her mother wouldn’t figure it out. No point in hiding it now. “We are certainly in the right area, but I’m going by memory alone. I could be off by a few miles and would have no way of knowing.”
“I see. And do you have a plan in the meantime?”
“There’s not much to plan.” She hated saying it, but it was true. “We go until we reach the edge of my established range, then if we’ve got time go back in a slightly altered course. If food gets too low we’ll return to the Teeth.”
Her mother studied her, expression as calm and thoughtful as ever. “But you really want to find it. It’s okay if you fail at this, Rarity. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” Rarity growled. “By the time we get back, the Gang should be long gone and we can go on doing what we originally planned. It’s no loss for us, really.”
“If you know all of that, then why are you so upset?”
“Because—!” Rarity forced her mouth closed and sucked in a long, long breath. If her mother was offended by the aggressive tone, she showed no sign of it.
Once her anger had settle to a mere simmer, Rarity dared try again. “Because I left… somepony important there. I swore to come back, and this is my chance to finally keep that promise. If I fail to find the Oasis, I feel like I’ll have failed my friend.”
Ears perked, her mother asked, “So there’s already somepony living there?”
Rarity glanced at her. “I’m having trouble understanding why you aren’t upset. All of you. I can understand Sweetie and Coco following me out here. Even Applejack. But I would have thought Tiro and Strawberry would have rather faced the Gang than trust me to lead them to some fantasy oasis. And you and Papa? I can’t believe you just… accepted it.”
“Ah, she finally asks.” Her mother chuckled and shook her head. “We were starting to wonder, your father and I.” She let Rarity’s querying stare linger for a few seconds, though whether it was to test her patience or to gather her thoughts Rarity couldn’t tell. “When outlaws attacked our home, you took care of them without a moment of hesitation. And then we were forced to trust you to save Sweetie and Coco.”
She smiled warmly at Rarity. “And you did so much more. Saving all those hostages was an incredible thing. And to top it all off, you got yourself, your sister, and Coco out safe and sound.”
“Not entirely,” Rarity groused, turning her eyes north. “Or did Coco neglect to mention how she had to undergo surgery?”
“She even showed me the scar.” Moving a little closer, her mother reached out to touch her shoulder. Her words became soft and comforting. “The point is, you’ve already done so much, whereas your father and I have done so little. You had our love, but now you have our respect. So if you tell us our best bet is to go out into this boiling sauna, we trust you enough to believe it.”
Rarity mulled over those words, wondering if her parents had decided to tag team trying to make her feel good. Not that it wasn’t working, and not that she had anything against their encouragement. It actually made her heart all toasty and pleasant. Still, they were her parents. She expected them to be supportive, because they always had been.
Oh, she was waiting for some kind of response, wasn’t she? Rarity gave her mother’s hand a light squeeze before gently prodding her away. “I appreciate that. I really do. But that still doesn’t explain Tiro and Strawberry.”
“Ah, right.” Her mother’s tone suggested she’d forgotten they were even subjects in the conversation. “Well, from what he’s told me, Tiro fought alongside you against some bandits?” She glanced at Rarity in search of confirmation. At a nod, she continued, “It seems you left quite the impression on him. He also greatly respects Applejack, so if she’s willing to follow you out here then so is he.
“As for Strawberry…” She smirked with an exasperated shake of her head. “She’s still very new to roughing it. Only a season out, or so she told me. A little too trusting, that one.”
Wonderful, they’d been saddled with a greenhorn. Rarity suppressed a groan and glanced back at the wagons. They were still well ahead of the others, and Strawberry was nowhere to be seen. Was it her turn to rest in the wagons? “Please tell me the Bulletproof Heart isn’t her inspiration for being out here in the first place.”
Her mother shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. Didn’t ask. Has she been fawning on you?”
“No. Come to think of it, I think she’s been avoiding me.” She took a drink from her canteen as she considered what little interaction she’d had with the young mare. “I don’t sense any dislike from her. She does stare at me a bit more than is comfortable though.”
“Maybe she’s starstruck.” The fact her mother stated that in a perfectly serious tone made Rarity’s stomach churn. “You know, finally meets her idol and doesn’t know what to do or say.”
“Night Mother preserve us.” Rarity lowered her hat to hide the fire in her eyes, something she’d picked up from Applejack in recent weeks. “And if she dies, it’s on me.”
She waited for her mother’s reprimand. And waited. Was she just thinking about how to deliver it? Or perhaps she just wanted Rarity to look at her first. Well, she’d not give her what she wanted. “Nothing to say?”
Her mother’s response was as quiet as it was lecturing. “I’m not about to start a circular argument with you.”
Rarity looked up before she could stop herself. “Circular argument?”
With lowered ears and weary eyes, her mother nodded. “Coco told me about your mood swings. Your father and Sweetie, too. I know all about how you feel the need to put yourself down and blame yourself for all the things that go wrong around you. I swear, you’re just like your father.” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “There’s nothing I can say or do that will change how you feel. I wish there was, but I know better.”
Rarity studied her mother, but couldn’t read anything in her expression save somber acceptance. She turned forward, mulling over this wholly unexpected response. Did this mean her mother considered her a lost cause? An appropriate conclusion, to be sure. Her mother had always been the practical type, and this saved them both a lot of time and pressure. Well, it saved her mother a lot of pressure. Rarity doubted she’d ever get out from under her troubles. Troubles of her own making. Troubles that would only grow as she continued this horrid lifestyle. The sooner she got her family out of the disaster area that was her existence—
“You’re brooding.”
She bit back the first retort that came to mind. Her mother had already given something of a peace offering by refusing to bother her about it. She wouldn’t ruin that by succumbing to her temper. Rubbing her necklace, she gave herself a moment to clear her head of negative thoughts before responding. “Sometimes I think I’m getting better at hiding it, but then ponies point out how wrong I am.”
Her mother made something between a grunt and a hum, making no effort to hide her own frustration. It must have been torture, acknowledging that nothing could be done but wanting to say something anyway. Rarity cast her a worried look. “Are you sure you don’t want to lecture me or anything? As my mother, you’re more than entitled to do so.”
The elder mare shuddered. “Tempt me not, foul creature, lest I succumb to less dignified ways.” Her smile was bitter. “You are your own mare. If you’re going to crawl out of this rut, it’ll only be because you made the decision on your own. Besides,” she added with another roll of her eyes, “I have a hard enough time keeping your father in the sunshine. I doubt I could handle you both.”
With a weak laugh, Rarity replied, “I didn’t think there was anything you couldn’t handle.”
“Alas, my daughter has discovered I am not perfect.” With a more genuine smile, her mother set the back of her hand to her forehead and leaned back in a pose of mock distress. “Your image of me is ruined! Now you’ll become a problem child and date the most indecent of ruffians as a means of rebellion.”
Now it was Rarity’s turn to roll her eyes. “I think I’m well past that stage. You can’t tell me you’re sorry to have missed it.”
“It seems you’ve forgotten how you acted back when you decided to leave Mooisville.” Ignoring Rarity’s wince, her mother tapped her chin and looked up at the sky. “Then again, you are with Applejack.”
“Mother!” Rarity twisted about to check behind them so fast she nearly fell off Ophelia. “Please, mind your tongue! I am not with Applejack.”
“Oh? She’s clearly with you.”
“What?”
“Don’t act like you don’t know.” Her mother smirked, the corner of her lip pulling back just slightly to give her that extra devilish look. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you when she thinks I’m not paying attention. Or you, for that matter.”
Rarity’s cheeks lit on fire as she imagined Applejack staring at her backside. Her thighs began that familiar, loathsome tingling. “Y-you mean she’s been ogling me?”
“Hmm… Not ogling, no. It’s far more subtle than that.” She shrugged, all teasing gone from her now-ponderous expression. “I’d say it’s more of a hopeful look.”
“She can hope all she wants,” Rarity growled, Ophelia’s reins squeaking under her iron grip. “That caravan left a long time ago.”
Her mother shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. It’s… I don’t want to say ‘innocent.’ ‘Devoted’ would be more appropriate.”
Devoted? Applejack? In hindsight, Rarity could see the Apple as a highly dependable pony to have around. Still, what had Rarity ever done to warrant that kind of attention? Her mother made it sound like something other than physical attraction, and Applejack had certainly suggested such a thing. Yet that was exactly why it mystified Rarity so much. She hadn’t done anything to gain Applejack’s devotion! It all seemed so silly and childish.
Maybe the two of them were due for another serious conversation.
“I found it!”
They looked up in unison in time to see Roan swoop overhead, only quick magical reflexes keeping Rarity from losing her hat in the ensuing wind. Circling around, the young griffon came to a hover just ahead of them, doing a little jig in midair and grinning far more widely than one would think a beak would permit. As her feline hind legs kicked about she sing-songed, “I found it, I found it, I found it!”
All thoughts of Applejack disappeared. Rarity felt her lips part in an almost painful grin. “You saw the oasis? Where?”
“Yes, I found it and it’s right there and it looks amazing!” Roan paused her little routine just long enough to point. “It’s east. If we turn now we can get there by morning. Oh, Rarity, I promise I’ll never doubt you again!”
Choosing not to dwell on Roan’s offhand confession, Rarity wheeled Ophelia back towards the wagons. “Wonderful! You’re amazing, Roan. Come on, let’s tell everypony the good news!” Just the thought of seeing Fluttershy’s smiling face again had her giggling. At last, she’d be able to keep her promise!
Elysium Oasis was every bit as luscious and lovely as Rarity remembered. Even if it was her second time seeing it, she couldn’t help but be awed at the sheer improbability of its existence. As the wagons slowly approached under the red morning sun, she had the delightful pleasure of witnessing the reactions of everyone else in her little caravan.
Applejack rode at her side opposite Tiro. “I gotta admit, Rarity, for a while there I thought you had us chasin’ a fantasy. I can’t believe y’all actually found this place on your own.”
Stumbled onto it near death would be more apt, but Rarity figured it would be more entertaining to bask in the praise than ruin it with petty facts. She hadn’t stopped grinning since she’d woken that morning and spotted the haze of green in the distance.
“Elysium Oasis.” Tiro uttered the name with no small amount of awe in his voice. “We’re looking at a living legend. If mi padre could see this…”
Rarity entertained the same thought in regards to A.K. Yearling, only with a little guilt thrown in. If she ever got the chance, she would make sure to show her this place. Right after apologizing for getting there first, of course. That would probably sting the archeologist’s pride a bit.
“She saves ‘ostages, fights bandits, and survives ambushes. And now we find out she also finds myzological places.” Somewhere behind them, Strawberry laughed. “Is zere anyzing ze Bulletproof ‘eart can’t do?”
That came close to slapping down Rarity’s smile, but she held onto it with a vengeance. Nothing, not even the Bulletproof Heart, would interfere with this moment of triumph.
“It’s so pretty.” Coming from her spot driving the first wagon, Coco’s words were a whisper that Rarity almost didn’t catch. “How did something so amazing grow way out here?”
“Do you think it’s magic?” Sweetie asked with quiet enthusiasm.
Turning in her saddle, Rarity sent her grin to Coco and Sweetie, then further back to her parents driving the other wagon. Her mother flashed a thumbs up while her father waved, both of them wearing proud smiles.
For the first time since this Bulletproof Heart nonsense had begun, Rarity felt as though she’d achieved something wholly good. Her family and friends were safe. They could all relax for a few weeks to wait out the Bad Apples. She’d keep her promise to Fluttershy and help her make some more friends. And best of all, not a single person would be hurt because of it! If that wasn’t a resounding success, Rarity didn’t know what was.
Applejack looked to her with a pleased, warm expression. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy, Sugarcube.”
“I finally have a reason to be happy,” she confessed as their lizards took their first steps onto the crisp grass. She wasted no time dismounting and bending down to feel the cool blades with her hand. Spending so much time without this green carpet gave one a distinct appreciation for it. “And this time I have the route marked out and the coordinates settled, so I can come back whenever I want.” It was enough to make her giddy.
Roan hovered, her unclad, paw-like feet touching the grass for the first time. She shivered, hesitated, then completed her landing. With wide eyes, she bent down to run her taloned hands along the verdant ground. “It’s… It’s so soft. I heard stories, but I never imagined.” She dropped to her knees and pressed her cheek against the grass, grinning. “Oh, I love it!”
Everyone was on their hooves now, exploring the immediate area and enjoying the shade of the loose canopy. Applejack and Coco were running their hands along the bark of a massive tree, both with expressions of wide-eyed wonder. “I never knew a tree could get so big,” Applejack muttered. Sweetie ran about the area, Winona yipping at her heels as she went from sight to sight, smelling flowers and rolling in the grass.
Ophelia bumped Rarity’s shoulder, and she happily indulged the lizard by wrapping an arm around its neck and scratching under its frills. While Ophelia merrily trilled, her father clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Gotta hand it to you, Honey, this is something else.”
“I think I might prefer to stay here,” her mother said, nestled happily under his arm. “This place is simply divine.”
“No podría haberlo dicho mejor.” Tiro stepped up on Ophelia’s opposite side, hands on his hips as he watched Sweetie and Winona play. “It’s pretty enough to be an Elysium, for sure.”
“Look, look!” Strawberry all but danced up to them, her cupped hands loaded with fruit. “Blueberries! Actual, ‘onest-to-Celestia blueberries! Do you zink zis place ‘as strawberries? Oh, I ‘ope it ‘as strawberries!” She levitated a few berries into her mouth and moaned. “Ooooh, Shshtrs, sho gud.”
They all shared a laugh and enjoyed some berries, and before long Roan took to the air above the canopy to get a better look at the landscape. While the others chatted amongst themselves about the wonderful place she’d led them to, Rarity noticed that they were no longer alone. They came one at a time, the quadrupedal deer-like creatures with their curly antlers and inquisitive eyes. What had Fluttershy called them? Yes… The oryx. And there was another name for them, though that one eluded her recollection at the moment.
She’d never seen more than two or three together at once before, but now there was over a half-dozen at the edge of the clearing. More were arriving by the minute, their brown bodies not quite hidden in the shadows of the foliage. They watched the ponies, heads moving in a unison that couldn’t be coincidental. This wasn’t like what she remembered, and it was starting to sound alarm bells in her head.
“Look at all of zem.” That came from Strawberry, abruptly calling everyone’s attention to their audience. By now there had to be almost two dozen oryx.
Sweetie sidled up to Rarity. “Uh, Sis? What are they?” The oryx all looked at her at once, their motions almost mechanical, and Sweetie promptly hid behind Rarity.
“It’s alright, Sweetie Belle.” Rarity took her sibling’s hand and gave it a squeeze, but didn’t look away from the creatures. “They won’t harm you.” I hope. What was with this cold reception? Were they somehow more intelligent than she’d been led to believe?
The rustling of leaves drew her eyes upwards to find a familiar rifle aimed at her head. Her heart leapt in her throat and she opened her mouth to call out, but the gun moved away before she could find the air. Fluttershy gaped at her, wings spread to provide her balance atop the tree limb. “Rarity?”
“Fluttershy, Darling!” All fear disappeared. Rarity waved enthusiastically. “It is so good to see you.”
“You came back.” Standing tall, rifle pointed down and away from everybody, Fluttershy seemed at a loss. She studied Rarity with slightly parted lips, looking for all the world like she was seeing a mirage. “You… you actually came back.”
“Of course I did. I made a promise, after all.” Stepping closer to the tree, Rarity gestured invitingly. “Won’t you come down?”
A smile threatened to break out on the young mare’s face, but then her eyes darted behind Rarity and it was gone. Her shoulders tensed, fingers tightening about the Cardinal, and her face grew severe. “You brought others.”
Glancing back, Rarity gestured for everyone to keep quiet. A good thing, because she could see the questions dancing on their collective faces. Refocusing on Fluttershy, Rarity spread her arms slightly in hopes that it would appear unthreatening. “Yes. I am sorry, but it was either this or abandon them to death. And since half of them are my family, I wasn’t about to do that.”
At the word ‘family’ Fluttershy’s eyes snapped back to Rarity’s. Lips pursed, said nothing for some time. “Family?”
“Indeed.” Slowly, Rarity turned and gestured to her sister, who was the closest. Sweetie approached timidly, but didn't back down when Rarity took her hand and brought her forward. “This is my sister, Sweetie. My parents, Cookie and Hondo, are with us as well, and Coco is a dear friend. The others are here by… circumstance.” Applejack’s grunt might have been a sign of disappointment or frustration, she couldn’t tell. Rarity wasn’t about to correct the record, but only because she didn’t want to risk confusing an armed Fluttershy with a small army of animals behind her. She’d apologize to Applejack later for the neglect.
Once more, Fluttershy maintained a heavy silence as she surveyed the visitors arrayed below her. There was a hard edge to her eyes that matched her grim frown well. “This is not what I had in mind when I said you could visit.”
“I know. But please, Fluttershy. I had no choice. The only other option was to leave them to die.”
Fluttershy stared at her. It was not a glare, but nor was there any sign of acceptance. Her massive wings flapped lightly, stirring the leaves around her. After a time, she looked to the nearest of the oryx. The oryx looked back, expressionless and otherwise still.
Then, there came a voice like a wave of wind through the forest, childlike but firm. “Invader.”
A chill ran down Rarity’s back as she and the others looked around at the tall trees. That was certainly new! Her companions turned to her for guidance, worry plain on their faces, but she had no idea what to tell them. Her eyes went back to Fluttershy.
The rifle rose halfway, Fluttershy’s lips peeling back in a grimace as she examined her visitors once more. “Which one?” The question was little more than a growl.
Slowly, in unison, the oryx raised their heads to stare at the canopy. “Above.”
As if on cue, something burst through the treetops to land hard on the ground, orange wings spread wide amidst a billowing black coat. Everypony jumped back in unison, and Rarity already had Silver Lining out of its holster, but the newcomer didn’t attack. Only when her heart settled did she notice that the pegasus had brought with her a victim: Roan lay on the ground before the pony’s boots, unmoving.
From above Roan, the Flaming Vermillion stood up straight. Taking a moment only to sip from a canteen hidden beneath her coat, she folded her wings and grinned.
“Hello again, Bulletproof.”
This is one I wanted to do from the beginning, but felt it would be inappropriate until near the end. Please note that the background information below was created and applied to the story before Season 7 aired, so certain character discrepancies are inevitable.
The World of Bulletproof Heart
The Apple Family Conflict
Prior to the Battle of Ponyville, bandits were a widespread and divided group, most ‘gangs’ averaging only a half-dozen members. In that time the largest by far was the Razzle Dazzles, numbering some sixty ponies and led by a mare known only as the Countess. Among their number was the Countess’s adopted daughter Velveteen Caress. Velveteen hailed from Mooisville, an earth pony daughter of pegasi who grew to loath her heritage and, in time, all non-earth ponies. Velveteen would likely have gone on to be the Razzle Dazzles’ leader had fate not intervened.
Velveteen was sent by the Countess to Manehattan with the intention of starting a Rock Trading scheme. That plan fell apart quickly, but in the process she met Blackjack Apple, son of Granny Smith. Blackjack became smitten with Velveteen and immediately started courting her. Velvet was by no means opposed to this, seeing as Blackjack was set to be the heir of the mighty Apple Family and shared in some of her views. Seeing a golden opportunity, the Countess gave Velveteen leave to remain in Manehattan to pursue a relationship with him.
Contrary to rumor and hearsay, the romance between these two was legitimate, with each becoming devoted to the other. What isn’t contrary to hearsay and rumor is how Velveteen affected Blackjack, gradually turning him more and more towards her views of earth pony supremacy. With her newfound connections, Velveteen began spreading her philosophies among receptive members of the Family. After nearly four years of this, Velveteen’s ambition and desire to cement herself as an influential member of the Family brought her to suggest retaking the now-independent town of Ponyville. Blackjack agreed, and so they led a secret effort among the Family to make it happen.
The result was the Battle of Ponyville.
Granny Smith had never approved of Velveteen Caress, but had left her son to his own business in the belief that Apple Family values would ultimately make him reject her on his own. With the Battle of Ponyville and the shock of realizing her own kin had perpetrated the fighting alongside the Razzle Dazzles, she finally understood how wrong she was. She went back to Sweet Apple Acres to confront her son and end his foolishness. On the day she got home, mother and son had a fierce argument, at the end of which Granny Smith disowned Blackjack and declared Applejack, then only eight years old, the new heir of the Family.
Blackjack promptly shot Granny Smith in the back, killing her instantly.
Had there been no witnesses to this event, perhaps the Family wouldn’t have split apart. Instead, an intense fight broke out at the farm, which marked the start of the Apple Family Conflict. Over the next year the Family was split in two by bloodshed as the Apples who remained loyal to Granny Smith and those loyal to Blackjack and Velveteen fought for control of the Family. The fighting only ended when the Manehattan Cabinet voted to downgrade the Family’s overall status, thus reducing its political power in the city state. Both sides of the Family realized then that prolonged fighting could only weaken them collectively, and so called a cease fire.
Today the Family remains split in two. The Apple Family maintains its status as an honorable member of the agricultural elite, albeit significantly weaker in power than it once was. Those loyal to Blackjack and Velveteen Caress, however, are now known as the Bad Apple Gang, and have become recognized as the premier criminal organization of Equestria’s city states. The two sides work together to keep a frayed and tedious peace, but fighting still breaks out periodically. Blackjack continues to desire a unified Apple Family under his control, whereas Velveteen Caress’s dreams are far more ambitious. Working as a capable duo of leadership, they have spread their influence across the entirety of Equestria, pulling in other gangs, manipulating city state policies, and gradually turning the Bad Apples into a economic and political force to be reckoned with.
Meanwhile, Applejack has grown up to be the new Apple Family Matriarch, as Granny Smith ordained, and lives with the desire to destroy the Gang despite not having the means to do so.
With the boundaries drawn and neither side trusting the other, the whole of Equestria awaits the next great Apple Family Conflict. As the Bad Apples draw in more and more outlaws to their banner and the Family consolidates its power, many fear that the next fight will be far more ruinous for the continent.
...
And in the meantime, the Razzle Dazzles continue to act under the Bandit Countess, independent of the Bad Apples but always on great terms with them. The Countess is nothing but proud of her adopted daughter’s success, and it’s a guarantee she’ll back her new son-in-law up if called upon to do so.
NOTE: This map contains the route of the last two chapters, mostly because it is unclear even to me where Rarity’s group was at the end of the last chapter. This should also emphasize the huge distance traveled in the last two chapters compared to what had been the norm.
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Holy cliffhanger, PaulAsaran!
(Does that work as well as it did in my head?
Srsly. Roan better be okay or I’m coming for you, Stormy.
EDIT 1: Also, I wish to let it be known I literally cried out in anguish when I saw the author’s notes box show up. Two more days before I know what happens next? Truly, there has never been a greater injustice.
EDIT 2: Okay, final thought. Serious question: Exactly how many chapters remain after this one? You mentioned it a while back but I’ve lost track.
Stormy, you no good...
*Racks bolter threateningly*
9216552
To answer your edit 2 query: only one chapter left, and an epilogue will be released a day later.
9216711
Oh Sisters. One chapter left?
I’m really hoping it’s 20,000 words long, or at least, that it doesn’t end on some hellacious cliffhanger, like leaving them all stranded in Elysium whilst its on fire or something. You wouldn’t be that cruel, would you?
Shit.
Only one? That sounds bad.
Smart.
Fair point.
We can only hope.
Once she was. Now she's more Chaotic Neutral/Chaotic Evil in the sense of 'fuck everyone else, I do what I want'.
Yet.
Great.
Not the Vermillion then.
Also fair.
Smart kid.
What are you planning?
Perfect.
Of course.
Hm...
EL Corazòn Antibalas.
Fucksake.
Dammit you were supposed to be SAFE.
Uh?
Kinda.
Of course.
I doubt it.
And how did THAT work out last time?
Let's hear it.
She's not. She's Rarity.
And all because Braeburn couldn't keep it in his pants.
Probably.
This again.
... About that...
She knows it.
And if need be, the body can survive longer without food than without water.
Oh it does. Just hope Fluttershy is mad at you.
A fair point.
Starstruck?
God I hope not.
Smart.
Apparently.
Hah.
Oh boy.
REALLY?
Oh yeah.
Well...
Kinda.
Oh boy.
She did.
Ah hell.
Oh great, you.
Fucksake woman.
Hm...
And may very well end up with a bullet through something vital at this rate.
Stormy, don't make me get my rifle.
Damn it!
If I am reading between the lines properly then vermillion crossed a pretty big line and I'm not talking about attacking Roan or following them to the Oasis. she would have known about the bad apples pursuing them long before Roan did and rather than take care of it she let it happen. Her earlier comment/threat? about Rarity's family going to die with her being there coming into play.
Okay ... Stormy ... stop it ...
Well ... this certainly messes up the plan, don' it?
So let me get this straight, the oryx have ... a hive mind?
Well ... I may be a little late to the party this time around, but I still managed to find a few errors ...
one
back
settled
Now this can end a number of ways ... you have me intrigued ...
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand just like that, paradise lost. Hoooooooooboy...
Okay, going back to my previous posts about how hard it would be for rarity to find the oasis again (and I still think what I said to be accurate by technicality) I was neglecting to factor in getting to the area and having enough resources to roam around and explore the general area until the oasis was found. Nor was I factoring in having a Gryphon in the party to gain a birds eye view, which would greatly increase the margin for error.
Two things I never had the advantage of when I was learning that style of navigation. I basically had to 'hit the nail on the head' on the first pass or fail, and had no eye in the sky.
I still think her claim to Fluttershy of being able to get back was a bit reckless, because she wasn't supposed to bring anypony with her (ergo, no Gryphon assistance) but the current situation DOES work out realistically.
I have a bad feeling about this... I have a very strong feeling that Fluttershy's going to be mad...
A surprising amount of downtime these past two chapters, but considering I'm on the doorstep of the finale, I know it's just gathering speed for the ramp.
That said, it gives plenty of time for the characters to chill (somewhat) and get some things off their chest. For the most part, anyway. I don't think Rarity is going to be truly okay for a long time. I enjoyed all the interactions, even if some of them repeated themselves. I guess Rarity needs that continuous reinforcement if she's ever going to forgive herself.
Yeah, pretty positive the Elements are using their influence on their two Bearers to close the gap between them. The cosmic entity behind them must be pulling its hair out at how much damage the two have caused each other. And right at the most critical time, too.
Well, time to see how this wraps up. See ya at the end!
Yer not helping your case.
This is exactly why Fluttershy didn’t want you leaving. You're not only bringing your family, but also a few dozen foes.
Yeah, Tiro said as much, but you might've been out of earshot.
I hope Vermillion just took Roan down to cover her approach, rather than having a problem with griffins too. That would give much better odds that she makes it out okay.