Bulletproof Heart

by PaulAsaran

Episode 09: In Elysium

48^th of Falling Heat, 1005 BA

The roar of Little Lightning’s engine jolted Rarity from her slumber. In her dazed state, she thought that Yearling was doing some kind of maintenance. Her suspicions were foiled when she heard Yearling cursing and scrambling from her sleeping bag for the tent entrance.

That was enough to rouse Rarity, who followed on hands and knees to push the half-open flap aside.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Yearling gaped at the sight of a familiar one-winged pegasus sitting atop the motorcycle, looking back at the mares to blow a raspberry. “Get off my bike!”

“Smell ya later, losers!”

As Little Lightning roared away, Yearling growled and spread her wings. “How the hay did you even get out here?” She launched, giving chase to the speeding pony on her bike.

Rarity watched all of this in a mild stupor. Was she dreaming? Because that pony had looked an awful lot like the one who had attacked her a few days ago. Slowly, she stood and watched the two disappear over the top of a sand dune to the east.

She waited, mind numb, half expecting to wake up at any moment. The wind blew sand across the campsite, billowing her hair into her face. Seconds passed.

All was quiet.

---

What am I going to do?

Rarity paced back and forth in front of the tent. One hand rubbed her necklace, the other toyed with the little nub on Silver Lining’s handle. The sun was well past its zenith. Normally they’d be taking their midday break to escape the heat. But Rarity hadn’t moved, and Yearling still hadn’t returned.

Had something happened to her? Had that blue pegasus overpowered her? Maybe even killed her. Rarity tried not to think on that possibility. Yearling was an experienced and talented mare, she wouldn’t let some punk do her in like that. Perhaps she was still trying to get her bike back. Could a pegasus fly for that long?

Or perhaps she was lost. Yearling might be an able navigator, but she didn’t have any of her tools. Even if she did, if she’d been chasing that pony in anything other than a straight line, how would she know exactly which way to go to get back? She might be wandering the desert right now, hungry and confused and she didn’t even have any water with her! Rarity chewed her fingernails and stared to the east, praying to the Sisters she’d see something.

Nothing happened. Of course nothing happened. It wasn’t like Yearling would show up right at that second just because she wished it so.

What am I going to do?

She wiped the sweat from her brow, then glanced at the tent. If she had any sense, she’d get out of this heat. But Yearling… Her eyes drifted to that eastern sand dune once more. Maybe if she went up there again, she might see something different, notice something she’d missed. Then—

“Stop it, Rarity.” She stomped her hoof and turned for the tent. “Don’t be ignorant. You’re no good to anypony dying of heatstroke.” A pause. One last glance to the east.

A long, silent gaze.

With a whimper, she retreated into the coolness of the tent.

“What am I going to do?”

---

Night had fallen. Yearling still had not returned. Rarity knew she couldn’t sit at the campsite forever. She’d been mulling it over all day, gauging the pros and cons, wondering about the state of her friend. At last, she came to a conclusion.

And so, as the air began to cool, Rarity gathered what she could. She couldn’t carry everything, so a lot had to be left behind. She brought those things she imaged would be important for survival: food and water, the navigational tools, and the heating vase and cooling fan with their accompanying gems. She managed to get the sleeping bag and the folding table tied to her pack, but by then she’d reached her limit. The tent and what remained of the food and water had to be left behind.

When all was set, Rarity began her journey. She travelled east, hoping she might run into Yearling as she did. She knew she couldn’t go very far before she’d have to turn south and back to civilization. If her prior recordings of her location were correct, she would need nearly all her food and water to get there.

She could only hope Yearling was alright.

---

No sign of Yearling, and it was fast approaching midday. Rarity stumbled, a sleepless night of walking and the ceaseless heat clouding her mind. She needed to rest, sleep away the afternoon like Yearling was so fond of doing. It was fortunate that she’d planned for this.

Dropping her backpack, she pulled out the folding table and set it on a flat spot of salt flat. Then she opened her sleeping bag, letting it spread wide, and lay it on top of the table. Using her magic, the strings already on the sleeping bags and some stitching thread, she secured the bag to the table, then weighed the whole thing down with her backpack.

That done, all that was left was to crawl into the narrow space created by the table and turn on the cooling fan. Space was tight and a lot of the cool air would escape, but it was better than being out in the sun at this time of day. She lay in the salt and sand, barely noting its rough texture as she tried to get some sleep.

Even exhausted as she was, it proved difficult. She kept wondering about Yearling and that blue pegasus. How had that pony even reached so far into the Great Salt Plains? For that matter, how did she know where to go?

Perhaps coming out here was a mistake. If Yearling got back to the tent and all the navigational tools were missing…

Yearling knew the cardinal directions. If she came back, it would be with Little Lightning. She’d make it home without issue.

If she was even alive.

Every thought made Rarity feel more and more lost. She wanted to cry.

She was too exhausted even for that.

---

Heat radiated up from the surroundings sands. The canteen was warm in her hand. Rarity stared east, waiting for something. Anything. A speck in the distance. A dust cloud. Anything at all.

Nothing happened.

She looked at the canteen. Then at her backpack on the ground by her feet. Her lip trembled as she considered how much supply she had left. Her eyes drifted east once more.

“Come on, Yearling. Show me you’re out there.”

The wind blew her mane past her gaze. A bead of sweat dripped off her chin. The blue sky was clear, not a cloud in sight to guard against Celestia’s brutal sun.

“P-please.”

All around her was nothingness. She perked her ears, swiveling them in many directions, praying for the sound of Little Lightning. After a while, they folded back against her head.

Her heart burned as if the sun had focused all its fiery wrath upon it. Lips trembling, she closed the lid to the canteen, tied it to a ring of her jeans, and shouldered the backpack. With one last, hopeless look to the eastern horizon, she turned right.

South.

“I’m so sorry.”

---

She awoke to a sound. A sound like… a roar.

With a gasp, Rarity flipped onto her belly and crawled from under the table and sleeping bag into the cool night. Standing up, she turned a slow circle, peering, but she saw no motorcycle. And, as she focused a bit more on the sound, she slowly came to realize that what she was hearing seemed nothing like Little Lightning. No, this was different. Louder.

It was on her third rotation that she noticed what was missing. She had to pause and take a closer look. Sure enough, in one direction the horizon was naught but darkness. What an odd phenomenon. She glanced at the stars overhead, confirming that they did indeed exist, then refocused her attention on the black. Now that she perked her ears properly, she realized that the noise was coming from that direction.

A nervous tingling filled her. Her eyes traced the near-invisible line where stars met darkness. The black swallowed up more and more of the little lights, consuming them like some gluttonous evil from her nightmares. Whatever it was, it was coming closer, and quickly. The frightened filly in the back of her mind screamed at her to flee. That would be pointless. She’d never outrun it.

She slumped and heaved a ragged sigh. “Yearling,” she whispered as the thunderous roar grew near-deafening, “why didn’t you teach me how to deal with this?”

It slammed into her like a solid wall, biting and grinding and snarling. Rarity stumbled back, arms over her face and mouth as the winds shoved against her from every direction. She couldn’t see her little camp anymore, couldn’t even see her legs. The storm raged, shoving her back as if she were nothing more than a child’s toy.

Maybe that’s all she was. Was Discord laughing at her misfortune?

He should. She grit her teeth against the sting of the sand on her cheeks. Her body bent back at the waist as she struggled to stay standing. It’s like my life has become one big play of misery.

She lost her footing and collapsed, falling forever in a world of blackness.

---

She came to coughing up sand. Gasping for air, she rolled over and vomited, gritty granules clawing at the inside of her throat. It took some time for the coughing and gagging to subside. She registered the soreness of her body before that happened.

Groaning, Rarity sat up and took in her surroundings with heavy eyelids. Sand stretched as far as the eye could see, a desert landscape as familiar as it was not. Her backpack, the sleeping bag, all her navigational equipment… All her supplies.

Gone.

For a long time, she just sat there, shoulders slack and eyes focused upon nothing. Beneath the aching of her body lingered a cool numbness. The world was so bright and… bright. Limply, her hand reached up to grasp at a hat that no longer sat upon her head. Her neck craned back, as if this action might help her find the lost item. The sun glared into her eyes, forcing her to close them and hiss.

And with the pain came a bubbling wave. Small simmers of it slipped out of her throat.

“Is this your doing, Celestia?” Snarling, she pounded the sand with her fists. “Are you having fun? Are you? Did you and your foul sister scheme this up for a laugh?”

She climbed to her hooves, too focused on the boiling cauldron in her soul to care how wobbly her knees were. “Or maybe it was you, Discord? Get a little kick out of picking on somepony, slapping them with a stupid curse? Well kick this!” She thrust her boot out, sending sand flying. Hardly satisfied, she stomped a circle, growling and snarling and kicking.

“I had a business! I had a life! I had friends and a family! Okay, maybe I didn’t appreciate them enough but that’s no reason to throw my life for a Sisters-be-damned loop!” She screamed and gnashed her teeth, flinging her arms about in a mad desire to hit something that wasn’t there. Oh, but to have something to hurt.

“And what about Yearling?” She pointed at the sun. “Get your immortal ass down here and explain to me why she had to become a victim too. Things were finally going right and she might be dead and it’s all my fault!”

Her knees hit the ground, then her elbows. The bubbling cauldron died down, replaced by an ice-cold splash of water over her brain. Her hands trembled, digging trenches in the soft sand.

“It’s m-my fault.” Tears dribbled down her muzzle to speckle the earth. “Those ponies were after me. If I hadn’t met her… If she hadn’t needed to save me…”

She curled into a ball and sobbed.

---

Every step was like lifting bricks. Rarity’s canteen had long run out and her stomach felt as if it were caving in on itself. The sun dipped closer to the horizon as she pressed onwards. Her face burned, her legs ached, her throat scratched with every breath.

And still she walked. Even with no idea where she was, having lost all her navigational equipment, she walked. South was identifiable enough by day or night.

Deep down, Rarity knew it was pointless. She’d never cover the same kind of distance Little Lightning had, not without her supplies. Every step was just a step closer to the grave. Would she even get one? Would her parents have a tombstone made for her after so long? Just assume the truth and move on with their lives? Maybe she deserved to be forgotten. She’d not been much of a daughter, after all. Running away to pursue childlike dreams, thinking she was too good for them.

Perhaps everything from Braeburn forward was divine punishment, the Sisters’ way of giving her what she deserved. Sisters… sister…

“Sweetie Belle…”

The name came out in a thick rasp that tore at her throat. She felt what might have been the sting of tears. Sweetie… she’d always looked up to her big sister. She shouldn’t have. Rarity was a crummy role model.

“Wow. You’re pathetic.”

Lethargically, she turned her head to Braeburn. He strutted, yet somehow never moved ahead of her. That incessant smirk remained on his lips. “This is the mare who did me in? I expected so much more. It’s just a little sun.”

Rarity focused her attention on the space ahead of her. Tune him out. He’ll go away on his own.

“You know what you need? A pick-me-up! And I’ve got just the thing.” His belt jangled as he began to loosen it.

Her hand went for Silver Lining, fumbling with the safety strap. She turned, teeth gritted and body tense. Braeburn was gone, the ring of his belt buckle fading with the wind.

She stared at where he’d been not a moment before. Her hand drifted from her hip. At last, she turned south.

“You could have gone home.”

Rarity staggered back at the sight of Coco Pommel. “What are you—” Her voice cracked as her throat constricted around dry, stinging words. Grasping at it, she stared wide-eyed at her sad apprentice.

Coco tilted her head. “Was this trip a good idea in the first place? You should have come home with me.”

But she couldn’t. There was no other option. To protect her friends, to protect the town…

“It wouldn’t have killed you to visit your family one last time.” Coco’s body shimmered in the radiating heat, fading away. “You denied them that. Don’t they deserve to see their daughter again?”

Shaking her head, Rarity forced her legs into motion once more. Hallucinations. That’s bad, isn’t it? She kept her eyes on her boots, watching the sand shift and try to suck them down into the earth. She’s wrong. Going home would have been bad. I had to abandon them. It was for their safety.

“You have all the tools at your disposal.” Spike’s head rose from the sands to her left, just enough that the top half of his long face was exposed to the sunlight. He stared at her with green, cool eyes. “I gave them to you. You could have written, told them what was happening.”

Yes… she could have. Why didn’t she? The question brought her to a stop. “Why…?”

“They didn’t even cross your mind, did they? What a good sister and daughter you are.”

“That’s not…” Her eyes burned. She didn’t dare rub them. Her face was too raw for that.

“You could have stayed with me,” he whispered, head steadily being covered in sand once more. “You’d have been a doll. A lovely doll in dresses and finery. Only a doll. But still alive.”

“I… am…” Alive. She was still alive.

“But for how long?” Cranky Doodle loomed over her, astride a bleeding and limping Piecazzo. The sand lizard stared at her with half his face missing, but Cranky didn’t give her so much as a passing glance. “I told ya you weren’t fit for this kind of life, Miss Belle. Now you’re gonna die, alone and forgotten. Maybe next time you’ll listen to your friends. Doubt it, though.”

“L-leave me… alone.” She swallowed. It only made her throat feel worse.

“Or you’ll what?” Maud asked in her tiring monotone. “You’re gonna die. We’re not even real.”

She wished they would shut up. This wasn’t her fault.

“Then whose is it?” Braeburn walked backwards, still smirking. Even as blood ran black down his legs and left a trail in the sand. “Mine? You pulled the trigger, Sweetness.”

Pain was no barrier to her anger. “You made me pull the trigger!”

“Did I?” He cocked his head to one side. The motion was disturbingly similar to how Coco had done it before. “You could have taken it. Oh, sure, you’d have felt like a dirty whorse for the rest of your life, but that’s better than all the shit that’s happened since then, right?”

“I… I…” Her hand slipped from Silver Lining. Her eyes went to the sands once more.

She’d done the right thing. Hadn’t she? She’d protected Coco, protected herself. That made it okay, didn’t it? But she’d killed him. And his friends, and that pegasus. How many more would die if she kept on living?

Maybe…

Maybe this was the better solution, after all.

Her eyes drifted upwards. Braeburn was gone. Instead, she saw something… green. Far, far in the distance. She couldn’t make out anything for the wetness in her eyes, but certainly lots of green. Were the Sisters promising Elysium in exchange for surrender?

Light stung her eyes. But… not sunlight? She looked down, body leaning precariously forward. Her necklace. It was… blinking? “Et tu…?”

Her knees buckled. She didn’t even have the strength to break her fall with her arms. Hot sand bit into her cheek, stinging and cruel.

She just lay there. Maybe… maybe it was better this way.

---

Awareness came slowly, creeping as if not sure it wanted to commit to the action. Rarity came out of a dream, something to do with hot sand and riding lightning across red clouds around the sun and moon. Was that the kind of thing ponies dreamed of at death’s doorstep? Rarity had always expected purgatory to be conditioned to the individual. In her case? Maybe an endless fashion show where everypony wore mismatching colors and used sewer water for shampoo. Not sand and lightning and celestial bodies.

At last she came to enough to realize she wasn’t floating on the edge of eternity, but instead lying on something soft and fuzzy. Her eyes drifted open to reveal a sloped ceiling of thatch and sticks through which sunlight could be seen. What a… strange thing to wake up to.

Turning her head, she found herself lying on something brown and coated in fur. A bed? Or something similar. As her eyes adjusted to the lighting, she soon realized she was in a thatch room, small enough that her laying form barely fit, but wide. A table sat in the corner, apparently cobbled together from a variety of wood sources, and a chair of similar make but with… was that hide for the seating?

What kind of place had she found herself in?

A doorway stood not a foot from her head, and it was right when she noticed it that a shadow passed by. Rarity flinched and reached for Silver Lining… which wasn’t there. Gasping, she lifted her blanket to look. Her cheeks lit on fire upon realizing that Silver Lining wasn’t the only thing missing; the furs alone kept her from being fully on display to the world. With a whimper, she pulled the faux furs closer to her body, clutching them to her chest. If some vagabond had touched her…

The shadow returned. This time it stayed put. Biting her lip, Rarity looked up.

A yellow mare stared at her from the doorway, her cyan eyes heavy-lidded and hard. She wore what appeared to be a hide dress that only covered one shoulder and stopped just above her knees. Rarity might have been impressed by the stitching were she not avoiding a nauseating reaction to the choice of material. The mare stepped further into the room, revealing a cascade of pink hair that might have been luxurious were it not so tangled. She also had the biggest wings Rarity had ever laid eyes on.

For a time, the two mares merely stared at one another, Rarity clutching the furs to her chest and the stranger’s expression unreadable.

Then it dawned upon Rarity that if the hides were real… the fur probably was too. Her hand slapped over her mouth as her stomach rebelled, but she managed to hold it in. Barely. Have to get away from these things!

Are you serious? You’re naked as the day you were born!

Furs. From living. Creatures.

What if there are stallions out there?

Luna-be-damned furs!

Propriety!

Because furs have more propriety than nudity?

“How…?”

Rarity’s internal argument came to a halt as the pegasus – old or young? It was hard to say – seemed to struggle with her words. A few seconds passed before she tried again. “How do you… feel?” For the harshness of her stare, she had quite the pleasant voice.

Mind still playing catch up, Rarity blurted the first thing that came to mind. “Sickened.” With a blush, she forced herself to press the furs a little tighter to her body. “Exposed?” The fire in her cheeks intensified when her stomach made itself known. “A-and hungry.”

The stranger grunted. She glanced out the door, then back at Rarity. “Wait.” And she was gone again, leaving Rarity alone in the… shack?

Rarity once again considered getting rid of the dead animal bits covering her body, but reminded herself that those dead animal bits were the only things keeping her from going au naturel in front of whomever lived here. She sat up slowly, wincing from the soreness that covered most of her body, and distracted herself with a more thorough check of her surroundings.

If the sunlight through the cracks was any indication, then this really was the only room of the place. In the opposite corner, taking up what room the table and makeshift bed failed to, was a stone bench covered in tools that had to have been handmade. She saw a hammer and a one-handed axe, both made from wood and rock. An assortment of needles hung from hooks on the walls, made from a pale white… stone. She went with stone. Better that than another wave of nausea. Colorful feathers hung from the ceiling, along with her necklace just above her head. A stone flowerpot hung from the lone rafter, and a collection of ceramic bowls sat on a shelf over the table. And then…

Rarity’s eyes widened, for there, leaning against the corner at the foot of her ‘bed’, was a rifle. But not just any rifle. Its barrel was black as night and stretched for longer than any gun Rarity had ever beheld. The stock was a dark brown wood. The weapon featured a bolt-action breech loader and a lengthy scope. Beneath the barrel was another, much wider one that frightened Rarity; what kind of bullet did that fire? She could have fit her fist inside easily!

Etched in the wood between the two barrels was a lone word: Cardinal.

“Here.”

Rarity jumped at the voice. She turned to find a steaming bowl of soup being offered. With whispered thanks, she accepted the food, only to pause and glance at the pegasus’s hide dress. “I… um… What’s in it?”

The mare hesitated, brow furrowing as if in thought. At last she gave a small “Ah” and nodded to herself. “Potatoes. They’re called potatoes.”

Oh. Well, that wasn’t bad at all. Rarity took a careful sip. Her stomach let out another growl as she abandoned all pretense and began to drink in earnest. It was only when she’d gone through about half the bowl that she realized she had no spoon. Oh, who cares? The rest didn’t last long.

Swallowing the last gulp, she took a deep breath and relaxed. The pegasus had been watching her the entire time, eyes still hard. “Thank you, most sincerely. But, um, where am I? And...” She averted her gaze. “W-where are my clothes?”

The mare cocked her head to the side, once again taking on that furrowed brow and pursed lips. She blinked, then her head rose as she looked at something beyond Rarity. Without a word, she walked out of the shack.

Rarity stared at where she’d been. “What a curious individual.” Then she glanced at the furs over her body and shuddered. “What am I saying? Of course she is.” Eyeing the empty doorway, she wondered whether she dared investigate. On the one hand, she really would like to know where she was and get to the bottom of things. On the other, walking around with nothing but – ugh – fur covering her body seemed like a terrible idea.

The pegasus appeared as swiftly as she’d gone, now with something in her arms. She held it out, revealing it to be Rarity’s clothes. “Cleaned.”

With a gasp, Rarity took the clothes and hugged them to her chest. They were a little damp, a testament to their fresh washing. “Thank you! This is perfect.” She wasted no time putting the shirt on, grateful to not have to have the furs covering her bosom. When she looked up, the pegasus was gone again.

Gladly throwing off the furs, Rarity hurried to finish dressing. She was pleasantly startled when she discovered the Message Orb in her jeans’ pocket. She’d forgotten all about it. Thank Luna it hadn’t been lost to the sandstorm. Her boots were resting by the door, but she paused in grabbing them to look outside. What she saw shoved all her thoughts aside and her heart into her throat.

The shack sat next to a wide clearing covered in lush green grass. A small lake stood nearby, surrounded by magnolias, mahoganies, and pines. Ducks swam past a tall egret near the shore while songbirds chirped in the treetops. A fox darted among the tall grass on the far side of the lake, startling a pair of marsh hens that flew away into the surrounding trees. It was perhaps the most picturesque scene Rarity had ever beheld.

“Oh, Yearling… if you could see this.”

The pegasus stood beside a campfire a dozen feet away. She stirred the contents of a large ceramic pot, itself suspended over the fire by a stone stand. Rarity started to approach, only to start at the chilly feel of dew on her bare frogs. She stared at the sparkling grass beneath her, marveling at something she’d not seen since leaving Mooisville. The vicious claw of nostalgia and guilt gripped her heart; she’d had no idea how much she missed grass.

“More?”

Rubbing her eyes, Rarity nodded to the pegasus and approached. “Please.” She set a hand to her chest as her host poured another cup of soup for her. “My name is Rarity Belle. Thank you so much for your help.”

The pegasus handed her the bowl, nodded, and went back to stirring the soup. There were two more bowls set aside, and she grabbed another. Apparently this one was for herself.

Rarity cocked her head. “And… what’s your name?”

For the first time, the hardness in the pegasus’s face cracked. She stared straight ahead, eyes wide and lips moving silently. She appeared… lost. Confused. Then she shook off the moment and regained her hard expression. “Fl… Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy? That name was familiar. Rarity sipped her soup as she tried to recall. A lovely name, a lovely voice… Fluttershy…

Realization struck her like a hammer, and she promptly started to choke and sputter into her soup. Fluttershy shot her a questioning look while Rarity beat against her own chest. As soon as her throat cleared, she said, “Fluttershy Darrow of Dodge Junction? The Angel of Elysium? That Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy’s face twisted into a scowl and she turned back to the fire. “Don’t call me that. I’m not that mare anymore.”

“I love your music!” Rarity paused as another recollection hit her. “B-but I thought you were dead.”

“Is that what they say?” Fluttershy raised her head, once more staring at nothing as she considered this news. “Good. It’s better that way.”

“Better?” Rarity waved a hand at the scenery. “But what are you doing out here?”

The look Fluttershy gave her could have curled the skin of a sand lizard. Rarity flinched and stepped back, cradling her soup in both hands. Was that the wrong thing to ask? “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

Fluttershy finished filling her bowl. She turned from Rarity and started for the lake. “You may stay here long enough to recover and gather supplies. You are not welcome here, and will leave when I say so.” She sat on a rock by the water’s edge and sipped her soup, not paying Rarity anymore mind.

Rarity watched her for a time, but realized she’d well and truly been dismissed. Sighing, shoulders sagging, she stared into her cooling soup.

“You and your big mouth, Rarity.”

---

Fluttershy disappeared. Rarity had gone to retrieve her necklace and… gone, just like that. Rarity still felt weak, but she had no intention of lying on the bed of death again if she could help it. So, to distract herself, she began exploring the oasis. To keep from getting lost, she followed a shallow creek that ran into the lake. The slope of her path was smooth and shallow, and despite the abundance of trees the grass never ended or thinned.

The luxury of grass was so welcome that Rarity didn’t bother with her boots. The sensation of the cool blades on her frogs was nothing short of delightful, a fond reminder of home and foalhood. Despite it being close to midday, the air was cool and free of any excess humidity. The scent of flowers and soil mixed with the fresh air made Rarity feel younger than she had in a long time. There could be no question: this was a paradise.

It was also home to an abundance of wildlife. Mostly birds, but she also saw squirrels and rabbits and once even beheld a tall, bipedal creature that moved around by jumping. The most common animal, however, was a strange sort of deer with long, curly horns. Rarity had met a few deer in her time, but these were different, animals rather than people, walking on four legs instead of two. Whatever they were, they dominated the oasis, never being beyond sight for more than a few minutes.

None of the animals minded her presence. Indeed, she could walk right up to and pet the deer without them giving her so much as a backwards glance. It made for a delightfully peaceful scene, and Rarity was saddened by the knowledge she would have to leave it.

And why? Her thoughts drifted to her host’s unpleasant manner. She couldn’t be a bad pony though, else why would she have saved Rarity’s life? She ran through what she knew of the Angel of Elysium, but it wasn’t much. She’d become one of the extreme few singers to obtain fame across all the Equestrian city states, achieving that status at the tender age of… twelve, was it? Well, that’s the age the rumors frequently suggested at any rate.

Then she’d disappeared. Four years ago, perhaps. The story was that she’d left on a wagon train to perform in Moosiville and never arrived. Everypony had assumed the convoy had fallen victim to one of the usual threats of the ungoverned lands: bandits, illness, maybe even getting lost. To think that the mare had been living here all these years…

But if she’d been so capable as to survive on her own like this, why not come home?

The questions lingered, repeated, begged to be answered. Rarity had little hope of that. The Angel of Elysium didn’t seem interested in her at all, much less in sharing personal information.

The Angel of Elysium. Rarity paused to take in her lovely, green, flourishing surroundings. If this really was the oasis of legend…

What bizarre twist of fate would put the Angel of Elysium in Elysium Oasis?

Yearling would be so jealous. Rarity might have taken some amusement in the idea if she weren’t concerned she may never see the mare again. Was she still wandering the deserts, with or without Little Lightning? And what about that blue pegasus? Maybe they were chasing one another. Rarity kicked a rock into the stream with a pout. How could Yearling just leave her like that?

As her thoughts continued circling around her head, she lost track of time and distance. When she finally focused on the immediate area, she began to wonder how far she’d gone. The forest-like surroundings seemed to stretch on forever. She had no idea if the region was safe, and suddenly being too far away from Fluttershy’s little shack struck her as foolhardy. She didn’t even have her guns. Time to turn back.

Where was Silver Lining and Ruby Heart, anyway? Fluttershy seemed the cautious type. Perhaps she’d hidden them from her, just in case she turned out to be a bandit.

Rarity hadn’t been walking for fifteen minutes when she noticed a well-worn path leading away from the creek. Had she missed it in her pondering? She looked from it to the water. Logic told her to stick to the familiar, lest she become lost. But then…

The little pony in her mind insisted she take a look. There was something out there. Not too far off. How Rarity knew this, she couldn’t say, but the call was very real. Yes, the call. Whatever was out there, it wanted to be found.

“Mysterious urges in my head telling me to do something stupid.” She shook her head and turned from the path. “Ponies will think I’m insane.” And yet she found herself moving towards it anyway, as if by instinct. Reaching up to rub her necklace, which was surprisingly warm, she wondered if she shouldn’t be fighting this mysterious desire.

The path twisted and turned around a myriad of sandstone rock formations taller than Rarity was. Despite the swift changes in elevations, the route was clear, and Rarity presumed Fluttershy took it frequently. At last, she rounded a corner and came upon a large, grassy clearing atop a hill. There was a lone oak tree in the middle of the space, taller and broader than the others. Butterflies flitted past Rarity’s face as she took in the quaint scene… until her eyes settled upon a disturbance near the base of the tree.

Her curiosity and that patient, insistent call begged for an investigation. Rarity saw no reason to deny it. She’d come this far, after all. She approached the tree, fast at first, but slowing steadily as she recognized what she was looking at.

A single grey headstone, wide enough for two graves. Indeed, upon closer inspection Rarity realized it was two graves, as indicated by the two mounds before it. There were no names, but a rough imitation of a crescent moon overlaid over the sun – the traditional symbol of the Church of Mother Night – appeared in the middle of the headstone.

Rarity blinked, eyes steadily growing wider. Set on a small pedestal between the two mounds sat a familiar necklace. It shimmered bronze in the sunlight, with a large, pale stone in the center of two tarnished, cloud-shaped plates. Rarity stared at the piece of jewelry, then slowly, carefully pulled her own necklace from beneath her shirt. The two necklaces were practically identical, not only to one another but also to the one Little Strongheart had been wearing.

Another? Spike had said they were Elements of Harmony. But… that couldn’t…

The gemstone of her necklace flashed a faint purple. The necklace on the pedestal responded in kind with a gentle pink. Rarity almost dropped her necklace at the sight. She held it out at arm’s reach, watching and waiting for a repeat performance, but the necklaces were still. Just her imagination, perhaps? At least that constant urging in the back of her mind had quieted.

She squinted at the gem in her necklace. It was no longer perfectly round. It seemed more… oval-shaped. And it had gained an even darker shade of purple than it had a few weeks ago. Curious. A glance at the other necklace revealed just the typical white stone.

“Okay, Spike,” she muttered, carefully putting the necklace back on. “They’re magical, I’ll grant you that. But I’m still not buying the whole Elements of Harmony story.”

But if they were magical… what exactly did they do?

Rarity abruptly realized that she was asking all the wrong questions at the moment. Her gaze dropped to the graves once more, and a wave of guilt washed over her. Here she was, standing over the bodies of ponies Fluttershy had known, and all she could think of was a set of mysterious magical jewelry. She forced her attention to what really mattered, namely who these two ponies had been. Assuming they had been ponies at all.

Was this why Fluttershy hadn’t left the oasis? It seemed a reasonable assumption to make. But who had they been to Fluttershy? Now redirected, Rarity’s mind was brimming with questions. Perhaps if she could get to the bottom of this, the Angel of Elysium might… leave… Elysium…

“What are you thinking, Rarity?” She rubbed her forehead just beneath her horn and turned away from the graves. “You don’t want to get her caught up in… in you. You destroy everything you touch.”

The hard truth of those words weighed upon her shoulders. She cast one last glance at the graves and the necklace on display between them. Then, with a bitter sigh, she left the clearing behind.

---

One of the things Rarity neither expected or wanted to ever see was the insides of an animal. So when she walked into the clearing to find her host skinning one of the deer-like creatures on a slab of stone, she reacted as any pony might be expected to: she ran back to the woods and vomited in the bushes.

It took her nearly thirty minutes to conjure up the will to return, at which point she found a blood-soaked Fluttershy elbow-deep in the skinned creature’s belly. Rarity stood her ground, a hand to her lips and stomach heaving, to watch the scene. “F-Fl… Darling? W-what are…? Why…? Oh, d-dear…”

Fluttershy didn’t bother to look up from her work. “She was old. Suffering. They come to me when they know the end is near.” She pulled out something that Rarity thought might be a liver, setting it aside carefully. “It works better for all of us this way.”

“But… that doesn’t exp-plain…” Rarity’s throat fought with her. She had to close her eyes and turn away from the grisly scene.

Fluttershy responded with the same toneless manner. “The skins can keep me warm. The hide is strong and tough material. The bones make good tools.” A popping sound that made Rarity wince. “I ease their last moments. They give me resources that help me survive. What I don’t use is fed to the predators, sparing a life for another day.”

That certainly explained the fur bedding. “So it’s a… a cycle of life thing?”

“If you wish to call it that.”

There came a ripping sound, and then a foul stench struck Rarity’s nostrils. She promptly fled, morbid curiosity vanished entirely in favor of not witnessing any more of the disturbing scene.

At least now she had a better idea of how Fluttershy survived out here.

---

“It was the oryx that found you.”

Rarity looked up from her bowl of stew to her host over the fire. “Pardon?”

Night had fallen, bringing with it a fierce chill that led Rarity to begrudgingly accept the hide coat Fluttershy had mutely offered. The two sat opposite one another, Fluttershy upon the (mercifully cleaned) slab of rock and Rarity on the hide seat taken from the shack. The firelight glimmered in Fluttershy’s hard eyes while she sharpened a piece of bone for some indecipherable purpose.

Fluttershy spoke quietly, eyes not leaving her work. “The oryx. The deer-like creatures. They noticed you in the desert. Told me you were there.”

By now Rarity had gathered that Fluttershy was somehow able to commune with the creatures of the oasis. She frowned and took a sip of her soup, leaving her time to think. Does this mean the creatures here are intelligent? I suppose I’ll have to thank them. “I don’t suppose they’d understand me if I tried to show my appreciation?”

“The Scimitar would understand.”

“The… scimitar?”

Fluttershy met her gaze, but only briefly. “The animals wouldn’t understand. Not by themselves.”

“Oh.” Then how was Rarity meant to show her appreciation?

“Why are you here?”

The question came with no less enthusiasm than any other, but it still made Rarity’s ears droop. She sighed and looked up at the starry night sky. “I suppose that is the question, isn’t it? If you want the most direct answer, I guess I’d have to say I was looking for this place.”

The sharpening ceased. Fluttershy really looked at Rarity this time, her lips set in a thin line and her brow furrowing.

Flinching from that gaze, Rarity turned her head away. “I’ve been lost for a long while now. A couple weeks ago I met an explorer who was looking for the legendary Elysium Oasis. I just sort of… tagged along. She had valuable skills she could teach me, and it’s not as if I was going anywhere in particular in a hurry. Honestly? I didn’t think this place existed up until I woke up here.”

Fluttershy didn’t so much as bat an eyelash. “And where is this explorer now?”

The question skewered Rarity’s chest and left her dangling over the fire in a slump. “I don’t know. We got separated, and then there was a sandstorm and I lost all my supplies. She’s… she’s out there somewhere. Dead, maybe? I wish I knew.” Her hands shook, threatening to spill her meal. “It’s all my fault. Those bounty hunters were after me. If I’d let it be, gone my own way, m-maybe—”

“Stop.”

She looked up. Fluttershy was back to sharpening the bone. “What?”

“Stop,” her host repeated. “Blaming yourself for the actions of others is stupid. Deal with it. Deal with them.”

Rarity grimaced and turned her attention back to the crackling fire. “It’s not that simple. I’ve got an entire gang and a major Family out looking for me. I might have to k… k-kill one or two in self-defense, but that won’t stop the rest. I can only run and hide and hope they don’t find me.”

For a time, Fluttershy kept sharpening her bone, the small stone scraping against the white material and filling the night air with its rasping. At last, she set the stone aside and examined her work, tapping the sharp tip with her finger. “You can’t stay.”

Rarity’s response was a mere whisper. “I’m not asking to.”

“Good.” Fluttershy stood, but didn’t leave. She stared at Rarity for some time. It wasn’t a glare, but it still had Rarity fidgeting.

As the silence grew uncomfortably long, Rarity finally found her voice. “Is something wrong?”

“No. I just…” Fluttershy sucked in a deep breath. Her grip on the bone tightened. “No.” she walked past for the shack, leaving Rarity by the fire.

Her shivering had nothing to do with the cold.

---

Rarity slept outside, near the fire. Fluttershy provided some extra furs for her to sleep on and under. Sleeping with dead animal parts was disturbing to say the least, and gave Rarity an extra subject for her nightmares that night, but there could be no denying the warmth they provided. She awoke to find a bowl of pears by her head and her host missing. She only ate one of the pears, having not much of an appetite.

Her first task of the morning was to quietly search the shack. Her hopes for finding Ruby Heart and Silver Lining were dashed. There weren’t many places to hide such things and Rarity couldn’t make a mess. Fluttershy was being kind enough to let her stay, and Rarity didn’t want to risk offending her in such a way. Besides, something told her Fluttershy was more than capable of delivering a painful punishment for such infractions.

With nothing better to do, Rarity decided to explore another path through the oasis, this time going in the opposite direction as she had the day before. The new route proved little different from the last, surrounded by foliage and providing more than a few animal sightings. She was given a great surprise, however, when she came across a large cat with short, orange fur and black stripes. The big beast was well away from the path and busy eating one of those two-legged jumping creatures. The big cat saw her passing by, but thankfully chose to ignore her. Rarity hurried on, wishing she had one of her weapons.

Not ten minutes later, she came upon a wide clearing with a pond. There she found Fluttershy busy weeding a small garden by the water.

“Oh, Darling, am I glad to see you.”

Fluttershy’s ears turned her way, but otherwise the pegasus gave no response. She’d built up a small pile of roots next to… tomato plants? Not ripe yet, but certainly tomatoes. Would this place never cease to surprise?

Standing a respectful distance away, Rarity glance back the way she came. “There was this big cat creature eating one of your animals! Don’t you think I should be armed if I’m going to be here for any amount of time?”

“That’s Chowgarth,” Fluttershy said without looking up. “She won’t hurt you. She only hunts the wild game. She might come by to eat the leftovers from when I euthanize an animal, though.”

Rarity swallowed, trying not to imagine that creature stalking around the camp while she was sleeping in the middle of it. “That’s… fascinating, but I would really like to have my guns back. You know, just in case?”

Fluttershy shifted over to the next row of plants – green beans, from the looks of them – and continued her dirty work. “You can have your guns when you leave the oasis. No sooner. I won’t risk you hurting one of my animal friends.”

Biting her lip, Rarity glanced back at the path. Maybe her host did know better, but that didn’t make things any easier for her. “Well, what if you gave them to me without any ammunition?” She caught Fluttershy’s scowl and rubbed at her necklace. “You know, for comfort’s sake?”

“No.”

“Oh. A-all right.” What else was Rarity supposed to say? As much as she feared this place, she didn’t want to risk Fluttershy’s anger. She watched the pegasus as she worked, taking note of her thin but muscular arms, her petite frame, her long, dirty pink mane and tail. Come to think of it, she’d never seen her use those wings for anything. Not that it mattered. Despite her small form, Fluttershy clearly had the muscle and experience to do what she pleased, and her wings were glorious to behold. Perhaps that was why the animals didn’t appear to frighten her at all.

After a few minutes of restless watching, Rarity asked, “Could I help?”

“I’ve got it.”

She opened her mouth to insist, thought better of it and stepped back. “Okay. I’m sorry if I’m intruding. I just want to be helpful. You did save my life.”

“You’ll be helpful by leaving when I tell you and not telling a soul about this place.”

Rarity stared at her for some time. “You really don’t like me, do you?”

Fluttershy paused. Her eyes narrowed, gazing beyond the weed she’d been about to pull out. Her muscles tensed, relaxed, tensed again. Her wings flexed and shook, as if to be rid of dirt. At last, she sat up and turned to Rarity. “Why are you being hunted?”

A heavy weight fell upon Rarity’s shoulders. No, that was wrong. The weight had always been there, she’d just been neglecting it. Now that the question was out and the memories were surging, Rarity felt like she might have to sit down or be crushed. But she remained standing, meeting Fluttershy’s hard gaze.

She spoke slowly, forcing the words out. “A stallion tried to ra— hurt me and a friend. It was him or us and I…” She hugged herself and looked away. “I made sure it was him. His friends and family have been after me ever since.”

Tilting her head just slightly, Fluttershy asked, “Is this the same friend who you lost in the desert?”

“No. A different one. A… ‘sweeter’ one.” Rarity sighed as she pictured Coco’s lovely smile. “I left her behind. They were after me, not her.”

Silence spread between them. Awkward, at least for Rarity. She wondered if her brief explanation had any effect on her host. Maybe not.

Fluttershy spoke, and her voice was surprisingly soft. “I don’t hate you, Rarity. I just…” She turned away, face hidden behind her mane. “I was close to somepony once. Losing them almost killed me.”

Rarity tensed. Would it be considered a breach of trust? She elected to take the risk. “Was it the two buried on the other side of the oasis?” Fluttershy shot her a withering scowl, prompting her to add, “I didn’t mean to pry. I was just exploring and came upon them.”

Fluttershy’s nostrils flared, but she took a few deep breaths. Steadily, the tension left her body. “I guess I can’t blame you. Yes, that is them. My son is there. I don’t know what happened to my husband’s body, but it felt appropriate to give him something.”

This news made Rarity’s stomach sink. She dropped to her knees to be at Fluttershy’s eye level. “I didn’t know the Angel of Elysium—”

“Don’t call me that.”

A beat. “You. I didn’t know you were married. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You weren’t there.” Fluttershy returned to her work, digging through the soil with her bare hands. “I’m sorry if I seem mean. I’m not used to having visitors.”

Which brought up another question Rarity hesitated to let loose on the first somewhat civil conversation they’d had so far. Still, she had no idea when Fluttershy would demand she leave the oasis, and if she couldn’t get her talking after this… “Have you been here, alone, the entire four years?”

Mercifully, the query didn’t seem to bother Fluttershy. “I don’t know. I’ve not been keeping track of time since I arrived. No point.”

“And I suppose you have no intention of leaving.”

Though she didn’t stop her work, Fluttershy’s face softened to a thoughtful expression. “They call this place Elysium Oasis. They say it’s sacred, though nopony could tell me why.” She finished and moved on to the next trio of plants. Lettuce. “In this place, there are no fights. No bits or gems. No love. Only nature.”

She paused to stare at the far side of the clearing. Her eyes focused on something beyond sight or knowledge as she spoke. “Nopony loves me. Nopony hates me. It’s safe from those kinds of pain. This is my home, and my fortress. No, Rarity, I don’t ever want to leave.” She shook herself, wings fluttering, and resumed her work. “And I don’t want neighbors. Forgive my bluntness.”

Rarity studied the young mare – for now she could see that Fluttershy was indeed young. She saw strength in that petite body… but her movements were fast. Jerky. There was a tension there, waiting to be unleashed. At last she understood that the hardness of her host had nothing to do with hatred or cruelty, and everything to do with fear. Fluttershy was so very afraid, and Rarity was the source.

Despite appearances, she must be a very fragile pony. So fragile that she created a prison for herself in the form of this oasis.

Slowly, gently, she reached out to touch Fluttershy's shoulder. The young mare jumped at the contact and recoiled, mouth twisting into a snarl. Rarity ignored the reaction, instead brushing the mare’s mane back and studying her with a smile. A curious but familiar warmth guided her forward, and before Fluttershy could avoid it she’d pulled her into a tight hug.

“W-what are you doing?”

“I know I have no right to do this,” Rarity whispered in her ear. “But somepony has to.”

Fluttershy squirmed in her hold, but made no attempt to break free. “A hug won’t change things.”

“No.” She felt her smile widen just a touch. “But I’m giving you one, anyway. I’m sorry it’s so late.”

Small hands pressed against her waist as if to push her away, but they had no force behind them. “I’m still not letting you stay.”

“Then I’d best do this as much as I can while I’m here.” She emphasized her point by squeezing a little harder.

The hands pressed just a little, then fell away. Fluttershy heaved a sigh. “Can I please get back to work now?”

With a chuckle, Rarity obliged, scooting back from the garden and settling to the ground with legs crossed. Fluttershy’s face was like a ripe tomato. She didn’t get back to work right away, instead staring at the ground with her hands in her lap. At last, she turned back to her lettuce to resume plucking weeds. “That was stupid.”

Rarity felt a refreshing new energy course through her. She bounced in place and giggled. “At least this stupid thing feels good.”

“Does not.”

“Liar.”

At Fluttershy’s pouting glance, she stuck her tongue out. Did the mare’s lips turn up just a tiny bit? It might have been a trick of the light. Fluttershy turned away too swiftly for her to confirm.

---

They walked back to the shack together, and Rarity was pleased to see that Chowgarth had moved on. As they walked, Rarity realized she’d neglected something. Fishing out her necklace from beneath her shirt, she asked, “Have you any idea what this is?”

Fluttershy spared the jewelry only a brief glance. “Something important.”

“Um, care to elaborate, darling?”

“I can’t. Not really.” She shrugged. “The one you saw with my family was already here when I arrived. It’s at the exact center of the oasis.” She pursed her lips, eyes narrowing in thought. “I think it’s the reason the oasis exists in the first place. I could always sense something when I’m near it, something… warm.”

Rarity studied the necklace and its purple gemstone. “Warm?”

“I know, it’s strange.” Another shrug. “I don’t know magic, but I’m sure they’re magical. I thought the one here was unique. Apparently not.”

Rubbing her fingers against the cloud-like filigree of the plates, Rarity thought of Coco. “This one was a gift from my friend. The one I… left behind.” Her attention shifted to Fluttershy. “I saw another one being worn by a buffalo child, although mine didn’t react to that one, so it may have been a cheap knock off.” Not that she would dare say that to Little Strongheart’s face.

Fluttershy paused. “React? What do you mean?”

It was Rarity’s turn to shrug. “They… ‘sparked?’ Something like that. It was almost like they were communicating with one another.”

“Hmm…” Fluttershy rubbed her chin, wings rustling as she peered at the forest canopy. “Yours was sparking when the oryx spotted you. The Scimitar were very eager to see you saved. Maybe there’s a connection.”

Ears folding back, Rarity braced herself for the next question. “Another friend suggested they had a name.” At Fluttershy’s quizzical frown, she whispered, “Elements of Harmony?”

A blink. Fluttershy’s reply was deadpan. “I find that very unlikely.”

“Oh, good.” Rarity let the tension fade from her shoulders. “Me too.”

They resumed walking, Fluttershy slightly in the lead. “Who in Equestria came up with that idea?”

“Oh, just a dragon.”

Fluttershy tripped over nothing, nearly careening into a tree. She whirled around, eye wide as saucers and ears perked. “A d-d-dragon?”

---

Fluttershy never saw the pounce coming, and let out a groan when Rarity wrapped her in a hug from behind. “Must you?”

Giggling, Rarity nodded against her shoulder. “You’re four years behind, Darling, and I won’t be around for long.”

Batting her away with her wings, Fluttershy stomped for the woods. “I don’t need hugs! Why are you so grabby, anyway?”

Rarity set hands to hips and smirked. “Maybe I miss affection as much as you do.” Her little bubble of joy popped; now that she’d said it, that didn’t seem so far from the mark. When was the last time she really appreciated a pony’s company? Fluttershy technically had done nothing to warrant her unusual behavior, and yet it felt natural to behave so around her.

She snapped her lips back into a smile as her host returned from the edge of the clearing with some fresh sticks for a fire. Fluttershy refused to meet her gaze, cheeks puffed. “I don’t miss affection.”

“Of course you do.” Rarity watched her set up the fire carefully, eager to learn for herself how it was done. “Ponies thrive on affection. I think you’ve been hiding here so long that you’ve forgotten what it is like to have a friend.”

“I don’t want a friend, either.” Fluttershy growled as she worked the sticks into a conical shape, carefully ensuring the smallest bits were at the bottom. “You’re not my friend.”

“And why shouldn’t I be?” Rarity squatted down beside her, observing the action even as she spoke. “Don’t you miss having somepony to talk to? A companion you can—”

“You’re not going to convince me to let you stay here.”

Rarity glared, letting a little of her frustration finally come out. “I am not trying to. You say the word and I’ll leave. But maybe you might consider a friendly visit in the future? Somepony to stop by and say hello. A friendly face to make the oasis feel a little less lonely.”

Fluttershy scoffed. “Could you even find the oasis again?”

“I’ll have you know I’ve been taught celestial navigation by a very skilled and experienced explorer,” Rarity shot back. “I might be new to it, but I’m sure I could find my way back here if I wanted to.”

The words seemed to have an impact on the pegasus, who froze with eyes going wide. She swallowed and turned to stare at her. “Y-you… You could? Really?”

With a nod, Rarity placed a hand on her shoulder. “And I would be happy to do so, if you would let me. You don’t have to be—”

Her hand was violently shoved aside. Fluttershy jumped to her hooves and stepped away, shaking her head frantically. “No. No! You can’t. You might lead others here. I don’t want ponies to find me!”

“Fluttershy, Darling, calm down.” Standing as well, Rarity waved her hands in a soothing motion. “I have no intention of telling anypony about this place.”

“But you could be followed! You said ponies were hunting you, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“Then they might follow you!” Fluttershy’s wings began to flap, taking her off the ground for the first time since Rarity had met her. All she did, however, was fly back and forth in the air as if pacing. “No no no, this won’t do. This won’t do at all! I can’t let you stay, but if you leave and somepony finds the oasis… Oh, no no no…”

Rarity brushed her mane from her face, startled by the wind those large wings kicked up. “Really, you’re getting worked up over nothing. I promise, I won’t tell a soul about this place.”

“It’s not nothing. This place is special, and just you being here runs the risk of ruining it!” The trembling pegasus ran her hands through her mane and flicked her tail wildly. “Why did this have to happen? How do I fix this? I never should have listened to the Scimitar!”

Groaning, Rarity stepped up, caught Fluttershy’s dangling hooves and jerked. The pegasus yelped and dropped with surprising ease, landing in her waiting arms. “W-would you stop with the hugs already?”

“Trust me.” Rarity squeezed all the harder. “You saved my life. Why would I risk ruining yours?”

“I can’t trust you, Rarity.” Fluttershy squirmed and twisted, but didn’t seem to be trying too hard to get away. “No good will come of it.”

“Nonsense. Trust is an important first step in—”

“Trust got Silver and Cardinal killed!”

The shove had more than enough force to break Rarity’s grip. She went sprawling, landing on her flanks hard. Caught in the shadow of those wide, bristling wings, she gaped up at a snarling, teary-eyed pegasus.

“I trusted ponies to keep us safe, and now my family is dead! I am not going to repeat the process with my home!”

“F-Fluttershy, Darling, calm down—”

“Be quiet! I wish the Scimitar had never brought me to you! I wish you’d died out there. But no, I had to do the right thing, the kind thing. And now everything I have left is going to be taken from me and it’s all your fault!” Fluttershy’s fists clenched. She snorted steam and flapped her massive wings, heading for the shack. “I can’t let it happen. I can’t let you go!” She landed and hurried into the small building.

Groaning, Rarity stood back up and brushed herself off. First she wanted her to leave, now she demanded she stay? She understood the mare had issues, but— A loud ‘ker-clack’ filled the air. She looked up and felt her blood run cold.

Fluttershy was aiming the sniper rifle at her head.

Slowly, Rarity raised her hands. “N-now, Fluttershy, let’s not be hasty. Y-you don’t have to do that.”

The answer came through gritted teeth. “Yes, I do.”

Heart pounding, throat dry, Rarity thought frantically for a solution. “I won’t come back, okay? I’ll leave and you’ll never see me again.”

“I can’t risk it.” Fresh tears ran down Fluttershy’s cheeks. The rifle shook in her grip. “I can’t trust you!”

But she hadn’t fired yet. Rarity took in the mare’s shivering form, her wet face, her tense wings. There was so much fear there. And she’d brought that fear here, been the catalyst for it. She thought about her family, her friends. Coco, Spike, Yearling, her parents and sister. Oh, how she longed to see any of them right now. But the only way to do that, she now understood, was to deal with Fluttershy.

Fluttershy. A frightened young mare clinging to safety in the only way she knew how. A mare who would do anything to keep from losing that vice-like grip on the green grasses of Elysium. She’d lost so much already. What had Rarity lost in the grand scheme of things, really? Compared to the fear that held this trembling pony in place, she felt as if her worries were trite.

Could she deal with Fluttershy? Perhaps. She could use her horn to take the rifle away. She could subdue her in some form. She’d been through enough bad situations to understand that she at least stood a chance. And what then? Would she leave this pony here with her fears and doubts, knowing that Fluttershy would spend the rest of her days waiting for the end to come? Or worse, she might be forced to kill her to save herself. Was either option worth her own life in the end?

All that thinking, all that second guessing, and Fluttershy still hadn’t pulled the trigger. Rarity lowered her hands and sighed. Her chest felt so very warm.

“Go ahead.”

Fluttershy’s eyes went wide once more. “W-what?”

Her smile was painful to hold, but Rarity held it regardless. She hoped it was a comforting one. “Do it, Fluttershy. If this will give you comfort, then do it. I said I wouldn’t risk ruining your life, and I meant it.”

The pegasus blinked at her, but then renewed her grip on the rifle. “I will. I’ll do it. It’s for the best.”

“If you really think so, then go ahead.” Closing her eyes, Rarity brought forth a picture of her family. Her father and his stupid hat, her mother and her terrible taste in manestyles. And little Sweetie. She’d been so small when Rarity left. She’d be almost ready for a cutie mark. Her precious little sister… she’d hardly known her, and that thought seemed like the saddest thing ever.

She hoped they would forgive her for this.

Fluttershy sobbed. Rarity felt a tear run down her own cheek. She hoped it would be quick. She thrust her chest out in preparation and grit her teeth, ready for the inevitable.

“I… I can’t…”

Rarity sucked in a sharp breath. Had she imagined that?

“I should. I know I sh-should, but… Damn it, why do you have to take it so… so gracefully?”

At last, Rarity dared to open an eye. Her potential executioner’s arms hung limp, barely holding the rifle in trembling hands. Fluttershy sobbed and rubbed her face with the leading edge of her wing, head bowed.

Realizing she was not about to be shot, Rarity let loose a long exhale. “Thank you, Darling.”

Fluttershy stiffened, moving as if to raise the rifle, but the strength left her before the barrel rose even an inch. “I wish you were anypony else,” she muttered between hiccups. “A bandit. A soldier. An outlaw. Something. But you had to be you, and… and I just can’t do it. It feels too wrong.”

Rarity took a step closer, but stopped moving when Fluttershy backed away. Hands clenching and unclenching, she tried to think of something comforting to say. All she came up with was “I’m sorry I put you in this position.”

“You’re doing it again!” Fluttershy spun away, wings spread once more. “Why can’t you make it about you? I almost killed you. You should be thinking about that!”

“But you didn’t.” Rarity took another tentative step. “You chose to be kind. Don’t you think—?”

“No!” The mare shook her head frantically, long mane whipping back and forth. “Be selfish! Tell me how glad you are I didn’t kill you. Show me why it was a mistake.”

“Was it a mistake?” Another step. “Is your isolation so important to you?”

“Yes.” She whirled around and the gun came back up, the end of the barrel inches from Rarity’s chest. Fluttershy met her gaze with fierce, narrowed eyes and lips pulled back in a snarl. “It keeps me safe! Safe from… fr-from the bad ponies who want to take away everything I care about just because they can!”

“Is that what happened, Fluttershy?” Slowly, carefully, Rarity pushed the barrel of the gun aside. “Did the bad ponies take your husband and son away?”

The mare’s face twisted into so many emotions. Rage, confusion, fear, loss, hate, defeat, all made themselves known in a span of but a few seconds. Her lip trembled, her shoulders shook, her eyes shined with a pain as old as it was fresh. Rarity reached up to stroke a wet cheek… and the walls broke.

Fluttershy wailed. She didn’t fight it when Rarity caught her up in a tight embrace, but returned it with breath-stealing force. Her body collapsed like a marionette without strings as she buried her face in Rarity’s chest and sobbed like a newborn foal. Rarity gently lowered to the ground and cradled the inconsolable mare in her arms.

As the weeping pierced her heart, she let out a quiet sigh and rested her cheek on Fluttershy’s head. “I told you you needed a hug.”

She barely noticed the bright glow of her necklace.

---

Night had fallen, and Fluttershy had cried herself out. She sat opposite Rarity, swaddled in furs and staring listlessly at the fire. Rarity had taken over host duties for the day, and while she doubted her outdoor cooking skills she did the best with what was available. They had been quiet for some time, Rarity sipping her bland soup and waiting for… something. Fluttershy didn’t eat at all, her own bowl lying cold and untouched by her side. The air was filled with the sound of crickets and the occasional owl.

Then, out of nowhere, Fluttershy spoke. “We were on our way to Mooisville. I had a concert scheduled there. We’d been on the road for almost a year, and it was the next-to-last stop of my tour.”

Fluttershy was so quiet she could barely be heard, and Rarity was determined to catch every word. She perked her ears and leaned forward in dreaded anticipation.

“We were on our way back from Las Pegasus, sticking close to the north side of the Dragon’s Teeth. A week out, the bandits struck. It was the Razzle Dazzles, led by the Countess herself.” Fluttershy shivered despite her warm furs. “Half the caravan guards turned tail and ran before the first shot was even fired. The rest didn’t last long. Silver Coin had never fired a gun in his life, but he took one to give me time to grab Cardinal and my rifle and flee into the desert. I c-could have fought, but… but I had to protect my foal.”

She closed her eyes, but no tears were shed. With a shuddering breath, she continued. “I… I watched through the scope. My husband was captured at the end. I thought they’d put him up for ransom, but the Countess…” She flinched as if witnessing the scene with fresh eyes. “At least it was quick. Th-that’s all I can ask for, right?”

She was quiet for a time, lips pursed and throat hitching. Rarity couldn’t speak. She was too busy trying not to imagine the scene.

A long, slow breath later, Fluttershy’s story went on. “I could have shot her then, but I was so scared. I h-held back. I knew they’d come for me, and I had to protect Cardinal. So I ran into the Great Salt Plains. I thought I’d be able to walk around them and get back to one of the little towns.

“I didn’t know what I was doing. I was lost and alone. No food or water. I couldn’t feed my baby because I couldn’t feed myself.” She raised her hands, cupped as if holding something tiny and fragile in them. They trembled in the firelight. She struggled with her words. “I tried. I t-tried so hard. Burning up in the sun, freezing at night, starving. I c-couldn’t. I was so unprepared. I stayed up all night just trying to get something, anything to come out. But I… I couldn’t.”

The tears returned at last as she hugged herself tight. “My little foal. My p-precious songbird. I held him as he… h-he…” She bit her lip so hard Rarity saw blood.

Heart throbbing, Rarity climbed to her hooves and went to the quietly weeping mare’s side. She pulled her close and rocked with her, but didn’t say a word. What did one say to something so terrible?

“I never let him go,” Fluttershy whispered through her weeping. “He wasn’t moving, but I couldn’t let him go. I was his momma. I should have done better. B-but I…” She clung so tight her fingernails bit into flesh, but Rarity made no attempt to push her away. She only held on, watching the flames and listening as the sobs tore her to pieces once more.

---

Rarity lifted the Cardinal up, startled by how heavy it was. Sitting with it in her lap, she ran her hand along the smooth wooden finish. This was a gun well kept by its owner, the barrel unblemished and the wood polished. How Fluttershy had managed to care for it so well in this wilderness she might never understand. Her eyes drifted to the name roughly carved into the side beneath the scope.

The morning sun was barely visible through the trees. Fluttershy watched her with a weary, heavy-lidded gaze. “I used to fantasize about going back and killing the Countess. I named the gun Cardinal because I imagined my son taking his revenge from the beyond.” She sighed and twined her fingers. “Not a very motherly thing to imagine, I guess.”

“Your anger is perfectly justified.” Rarity offered the weapon to her host. Fluttershy took it with one hand, carrying it with an ease that once again made Rarity wonder about her strength. “I wouldn’t mind doing the deed for you, were I able.”

“Oh, I couldn’t ask for that.” Staring at the weapon as if it were frightening in its own right, Fluttershy carefully leaned it against the shack. “I’m really sorry I dumped all of that on you. And almost shot you.”

Rarity turned her attention to the still-smoking ashes of last night’s fire. “It’s alright. You’d been carrying that for four years. If anything, I’m honored you chose to confide in me.”

“I do feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.” Fluttershy returned to her slab and sat heavily, hands clasped between her knees. “I guess I just needed to talk to somepony about it. You’re the first pony to find this place since I arrived, though. I had no idea what to do.” She tilted her head, hiding her face behind her mane. “Just like back then. I never know what to do.”

Rarity smiled. “I don’t think that’s true at all. If you didn’t know what to do, would you have survived on your own for this long?”

Yet the encouragement only earned a deep sigh from the pegasus. “So I can help myself, but not the ponies I love.”

Well, she certainly didn’t take that as intended. Rarity was at a loss. She’d never dealt with something so deeply personal as this before. She wasn’t exactly a bubbling ball of joy herself, all things considered. If only Coco could be here. That mare knew how to be a comfort.

Rarity grimaced at that thought. Wishing Coco was here? How absurd! That would have required her to go through all the same drama Rarity had, which simply would not do. Coco deserved better.

And so did Fluttershy.

“Would you like to come with me?”

Up went the head and ears. Fluttershy blinked at her a few times. “You’re leaving?”

She was asking? “I thought you wanted me to leave.”

The pegasus squirmed. Her eyes looked anywhere but at Rarity and her cheeks gained a fresh pink tinge. “I’m permitted to change my mind.”

No matter how long Rarity stared, Fluttershy wouldn’t meet her gaze. At last, she smiled and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Darling. The things I want to do, what I want to be, cannot be achieved here.”

“Like what?” Fluttershy leaned forward, eyes sparkling. “Nopony will find you here. Don’t you want to be safe?”

It was a solid point, but Rarity found herself not even remotely swayed. “I also want to be successful. I want to run my own business, make a name for myself. I can’t do that outside of civilization.”

This earned her a cocked head. Fluttershy pursed her lip as she considered the answer. “That seems self-contradicting. How can you ‘make a name for yourself’ and not be easily found by the ponies who are trying to kill you?”

A finger rose, froze… dropped back down. Indeed, how? The problem had always been an obvious one, but Rarity had never given it a good, hard look until that moment. She hummed and huffed, crossing her arms as she walked mental circles. Maybe if she traveled to a place the Apples would never conceivably go? Overseas, perhaps. Oh, but that would be a frighteningly pricey voyage even her healthy bank account couldn’t afford.

“I don’t know,” she finally admitted, slumping in her seat. “There must be a way. I can’t just give up on a lifelong dream.”

“But if you don’t give up that dream, you’ll be killed before you can ever hope to achieve it.” Fluttershy shuddered and hugged herself tightly. “You should stay where it’s safe. What’s fame and fortune compared to a life?”

The cauldron within Rarity began bubbling once more. She grimaced and sat up straight. “It’s my life, and I am not going to let those ruffians decide how it goes for me. I’ll think of something, even if that something demands a little violence.” Her words caught up with her head and she groaned. “Even if it’s the worst possible thing.”

“So… you’re going to leave me?”

“Or you could come with me.”

Fluttershy’s face fell, her wings slumping so the tips of her primaries dragged in the sandy earth. “I can’t. I lived out there once, and it ended so horribly. If I left, it would just be more of the same.”

“You don’t know that.” Rarity flashed her most confident smile. “I’ll be with you. We can take on the world together, you and me. It won’t be the same.”

This, apparently, was the wrong thing to say. Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed and she set her jaw. “You say that now, but you’re a wanted mare. I go with you, and one day your luck runs out and I’m all alone, with my heart shattered, again.”

“That won’t—”

“Don’t be naïve.” She stood tall and glared. “Do you think Silver thought he’d ever get his head blown off by the Countess?”

The words cracked like whips and left Rarity speechless. She tried to think of a retort, a soothing response, but Fluttershy’s bared teeth denied her efforts. So she just sat there, staring up at the mare in a hunched pose.

Fluttershy snorted and turned away. “If you want to leave, go ahead. But I won’t be following you, and I won’t expect to see you again. You’ll die before that happens.” She stomped off, making for the path by the creek.

“Fluttershy, wait!” Rarity leapt to her hooves and gave chase. The pegasus didn’t respond, but stopped when Rarity caught her arm. “Darling, please. I’m in no hurry to go, and…”

Fluttershy turned her fiery eyes upon her. “And?”

Fighting back a flinch, Rarity regained her smile. “And if it’s alright by you, I would love to come and visit in the future.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth, but no words came out. She snorted. Licked her lips. Rubbed her hands together. “You… You promise not to let anypony follow you here? Really promise?”

With a hand over her heart, Rarity nodded. “On my life.”

Cyan eyes widened. Fluttershy took a slow step back, gaze locked with Rarity’s. She seemed to go deathly still. It was hard to tell if she was even breathing. And the entire time, Rarity maintained her smile.

“I’ll think about it.” With a flap of wings, Fluttershy disappeared over the treetops.

Rarity watched her go, hands on her hips. Something about the entire encounter left her feeling… good. Not unlike how she’d felt when she’d offered Coco the chance to live with her. That had to have been over a year ago by this point. Absent-minded, she rubbed her necklace and went back to the shack, prepared to wait for the young mare’s return.

---

“Are you sure you want to go?”

Rarity shifted her new hide backpack into a more comfortable position. “I’ve been here over a week. Yes, I certainly think it’s time. Any longer and I may get too attached to this place.” Her eyes roamed the mix of sand dunes and salt flats that stretched to the horizon. The desolation put a squeeze on her confidence, but she grimaced and reminded herself that she had better things to do than lounge around an oasis all her life. “I need to go.”

Her new friend let out a faint whimper. “I still don’t see what’s wrong with this place.”

Rarity turned back to her. “It’s not the oasis, it’s me. My future and this place just don’t work together.”

“And if your ‘future’ is death?”

Rarity booped Fluttershy’s nose with a smirk. “I told you, none of that negativity. I want this departure to be a happy one. This isn’t goodbye, only… à bientôt.”

Her hand was batted away, but gently. Fluttershy wriggled her muzzle, eyes crossed, then regained her hard gaze. “If you survive out there…” The harshness faded as quick as it had come. She averted her gaze and went back to rubbing her palms together, wings fidgeting. “You’ll come back, right? To visit?”

“Of course.” Rarity caught her hands with one of her own, which prompted the mare to look at her once more. “What kind of friend would I be otherwise?”

“R-right. And nopony will follow you.” It may have been an assertion, but it sounded as if she were trying to convince herself of the truth of the statement. “It’s… It’s okay. Everything will be fine.”

“Perfectly so.” Rarity paused to check Silver Lining’s current cylinder was loaded, glad she hadn’t lost her ammo bag in the sandstorm, then patted the Ruby Heart beneath her vest. “And I’m well protected, so don’t you worry about me. You’ve given me more than enough to make it back to civilization, of that I am sure.”

“Okay.” More fidgeting. More averted eyes. Fluttershy licked her lips as a blush as bright as the sun lit her face. “If you don’t mind, since you’re gonna be gone for a while… possibly forever…” She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes tightly. “M-maybe you could give me another—”

Rarity caught her up in a firm hug, well aware of her own broad grin. “You didn’t even have to ask.”

Slowly, shakily, Fluttershy reached up to return the motion. She rested her cheek on Rarity’s shoulder and took slow, deep breaths.

“It’ll be alright, Darling,” Rarity whispered in her ear. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“I hope so.” The pegasus’s hold robbed her of breath. “I really do. I didn’t realize how much I missed having a friend.”

They held one another for a long time, but Rarity finally broke away. She rubbed the moisture from Fluttershy’s eyes and gave her one last encouraging smile. “Well, it’s time to go. Do think about what we’ve talked about. I think that, if you would just give civilization a chance, you may wonder why you ever chose to spurn it.”

“I…” Fluttershy pursed her lips, stood a little straighter, then exhaled slowly. “I’ll think about it, but I can’t promise any more than that.”

“It’ll do. Well…” Hand on her hips, Rarity turned from the oasis for the last time. “À bientôt.”

She marched into the hot yellow sands. This time, she was prepared for whatever they had to offer her.

Author's Note:

The World of Bulletproof Heart

Cutie Marks

This was brought up in the comments of a prior chapter, so I wanted to take an unused entry to fill people in. While Cutie Marks in Bulletproof Heart's Equestria still function exactly as they do in the show, ponies are far less willing to put that aspect of their lives on display. This was originally because ponies in this world want the freedom to try anything they desire (harsh conditions require resourceful ponies), and having a cutie mark that isn't directly related to that desire can become a limiter on things like getting a job in that field you’re not “specially talented” in or the respect of one's peers. A variety of factors have led to this becoming heavily emphasized, not least of which is the Church of Mother Night emphasizing that the freedom to be whatever you wish to be is an important right.

The end result is that, in today's Equestria, cutie marks are considered the most private part of a pony's body. It is highly improper to describe one's cutie mark, much less to show it off in public. To put one's cutie mark on display for all to see is considered the sign of an amoral pony. Not surprisingly, this has led to the rebellious and indecent to do it anyway as a clear middle finger to modern culture and society.

Showing one's cutie mark in private, particularly in a sexual setting, is the ultimate showing of trust and affection, more so than sex itself. Indeed, prostitutes are known to wear special clothes that conceal their cutie marks even in the act as a means of maintaining propriety.

It's perfectly normal (and necessary) for close relatives such as parents and siblings to witness a cutie mark. In addition, describing one's mark to a friend is considered the truest form of respect and trust among friends (although showing or asking to see it would be considered improperly forward).

Comments

[Noc]

Thanks for explaining the cutie marks thing.

Damn, so much for Rarity and AK’s abiding friendship. Not cool, taking her away from us that soon after introducing her. Not cool.

That said, lovely chapter. Flutters’s story was downright heartbreaking. There’s a mare who deserves a friend. I really hope she and Rarity see each other again. (Though with the way this story is going, it’ll probably in a slaver camp or something. You really don’t hand Rarity a lot of easy breaks, do you?)

Also: Who or what is the Scimitar, and why did Rarity never think to ask? Is it the name of the particular oryx who found her?

[Aster Viridian]

This is probably the best reimagining of the Mane 6 I've ever read. I have so many questions, but I expect those will be answered in time. Just goes to show that the world is an engaging one.

I had rather hoped that Fluttershy would go with Rarity, but I'm not surprised she didn't. It's really cool to see everyone's traits manifest themselves, especially the surprising ways Rarity's ends up benefiting her.

[Lord-Commander]

9141660
Mhmmm.... pffff, yeah. We did. I think it was about mid-story when the calibers for both were discussed, and first mentioned in the story. I think it was on a Google document though where we talked about them?

EDIT: Found it in Discord. The calibers don't get mentioned till later, and at the time of beta-reading, it was the first time it is mentioned in the story.

[gerandakis]

You really like to give Rarity a hard time, don't you?

Exhausted as she was, it prooved difficult.

Little remark here, This sentence, in context, makes it sound like she has trouble sleeping because she's exhausted. If you mean to say that she has trouble sleeping in spite of it, you might want to use 'Even exhausted as she was' or 'Exhausted though she was' instead.

[ShadowLDrago]

She waited, mind numb, half expecting to wake up at any moment. The wind blew sand across the campsite, billowing her hair into her face. Seconds passed.

Well shit.

Had something happened to her? Had that blue pegasus overpowered her? Maybe even killed her. Rarity tried not to think on that possibility. Yearling was an experienced and talented mare, she wouldn’t let some punk do her in like that. Perhaps she was still trying to get her bike back. Could a pegasus fly for that long?

Lots of questions.

“What am I going to do?”

Wouldn't be able to tell you for the life of me.

She was too exhausted even for that.

...

“I’m so sorry.”

And here I liked Yearling.

She lost her footing and collapsed, falling forever in a world of blackness.

That's bad.

Groaning, Rarity sat up and took in her surroundings with heavy eyelids. Sand stretched as far as the eye could see, a desert landscape as familiar as it was not. Her backpack, the sleeping bag, all her navigational equipment… All her supplies.

A raider?

Lethargically, she turned her head to Braeburn. He strutted, yet somehow never moved ahead of her. That incessant smirk remained on his lips. “This is the mare who did me in? I expected so much more. It’s just a little sun.”

Heatstroke.

She’d done the right thing. Hadn’t she? She’d protected Coco, protected herself. That made it okay, didn’t it? But she’d killed him. And his friends, and that pegasus. How many more would die if she kept on living?

You need therapy.

A yellow mare stared at her from the doorway, her cyan eyes heavy-lidded and hard. She wore what appeared to be a hide dress that only covered one shoulder and stopped just above her knees. Rarity might have been impressed by the stitching were she not avoiding a nauseating reaction to the choice of material. The mare stepped further into the room, revealing a cascade of pink hair that might have been luxurious were it not so tangled. She also had the biggest wings Rarity had ever laid eyes on.

Fluttershy?

Rarity’s eyes widened, for there, leaning against the corner at the foot of her ‘bed’, was a rifle. But not just any rifle. Its barrel was black as night and stretched for longer than any gun Rarity had ever beheld. The stock was a dark brown wood. The weapon featured a bolt-action breech loader and a lengthy scope. Beneath the barrel was another, much wider one that frightened Rarity; what kind of bullet did that fire? She could have fit her fist inside easily!

Hell of a gun.

The pegasus handed her the bowl, nodded, and went back to stirring the soup. There were a two more bowls set aside, and she grabbed another. Apparently this one was for herself.

She is very monosyllabic.

Fluttershy’s face twisted into a scowl and she turned back to the fire. “Don’t call me that. I’m not that mare anymore.”

What happened then?

Fluttershy finished filling her bowl. She turned from Rarity and started for the lake. “You may stay here long enough to recover and gather supplies. You are not welcome here, and will leave when I say so.” She sat on a rock by the water’s edge and sipped her soup, not paying Rarity anymore mind.

You, have a whole story.

Then she’d disappeared. Four years ago, perhaps. The story was that she’d left on a wagon train to perform in Moosiville and never arrived. Everypony had assumed the convoy had fallen victim to one of the usual threats of the ungoverned lands: bandits, illness, maybe even getting lost. To think that the mare had been living here all these years…

So she was a child singer and something broke her.

A single grey headstone, wide enough for two graves. Indeed, upon closer inspection Rarity realized it was two graves, as indicated by the two mounds before it. There were no names, but a rough imitation of a crescent moon overlaid over the sun – the traditional symbol of the Church of Mother Night – appeared in the middle of the headstone.

Her parents maybe?

Fluttershy didn’t bother to look up from her work. “She was old. Suffering. They come to me when they know the end is near.” She pulled out something that Rarity thought might be a liver, setting it aside carefully. “It works better for all of us this way.”

... That's, horrifying.

Fluttershy responded with the same toneless manner. “The skins can keep me warm. The hide is strong and tough material. The bones make good tools.” A popping sound that made Rarity wince. “I ease their last moments. They give me resources that help me survive. What I don’t use is fed to the predators, sparing a life for another day.”

This is barely living. This is surviving.

“The Scimitar would understand.”

Eh?

“No. I just…” Fluttershy sucked in a deep breath. Her grip on the bone tightened. “No.” she walked past for the shack, leaving Rarity by the fire.

She is a broken mare. Something broke her.

Fluttershy shifted over to the next row of plants – green beans, from the looks of them – and continued her dirty work. “You can have your guns when you leave the oasis. No sooner. I won’t risk you hurting one of my animal friends.”

You can take her at her word when she says she won't. Guns are probably involved in what broke her.

Fluttershy spoke, and her voice was surprisingly soft. “I don’t hate you, Rarity. I just…” She turned away, face hidden behind her mane. “I was close to somepony once. Losing them almost killed me.”

Ah. I figured as much.

Fluttershy’s nostrils flared, but she took a few deep breaths. Steadily, the tension left her body. “I guess I can’t blame you. Yes, that is them. My son is there. I don’t know what happened to my husband’s body, but it felt appropriate to give him something.”

Oh fuck.

Fluttershy squirmed in her hold, but made no attempt to break free. “A hug won’t change things.”

You'd be surprised.

Fluttershy tripped over nothing, nearly careening into a tree. She whirled around, eye wide as saucers and ears perked. “A d-d-dragon?”

That is a reaction and a half.

“Trust got Silver and Cardinal killed!”

Oh boy.

Fluttershy was aiming the sniper rifle at her head.

EH?!

The pegasus blinked at her, but then renewed her grip on the rifle. “I will. I’ll do it. It’s for the best.”

If you were capable of doing so, you'd have done so already.

It was the Razzle Dazzles, led by the Countess herself.

*snerk* Sorry, that's, that's just a really dumb name.

The morning sun was barely visible through the trees. Fluttershy watched her with a weary, heavy-lidded gaze. “I used to fantasize about going back and killing the Countess. I named the gun Cardinal because I imagined my son taking his revenge from the beyond.” She sighed and twined her fingers. “Not a very motherly thing to imagine, I guess.”

No, it's poetic justice.

Fluttershy’s face fell, her wings slumping so the tips of her primaries dragged in the sandy earth. “I can’t. I lived out there once, and it ended so horribly. If I left, it would just be more of the same.”

Yeah, I've been there.

Rarity caught her up in a firm hug, well aware of her own broad grin. “You didn’t even have to ask.”

You're a good mare, Rarity.

The end result is that, in today's Equestria, cutie marks are considered the most private part of a pony's body. It is highly improper to describe one's cutie mark, much less to show it off in public. To put one's cutie mark on display for all to see is considered the sign of an amoral pony. Not surprisingly, this has led to the rebellious and indecent to do it anyway as a clear middle finger to modern culture and society.

Makes sense.

[PaulAsaran]

9145151
The Scimitar will never be adequately explained... in this story. The sequel, however, will eventually do the job. I had meant for them to get a more pertinent role, but as events passed I couldn’t find a way to apply them more directly without it feeling forced. Sadly, I can’t do a “World of Bulletproof heart” entry for it because that would inevitably spoil things for the second book.

[PaulAsaran]

9145319
I knew it came up somewhere! Thanks, it was really bugging me that I couldn’t find it, here or on Discord.

[PaulAsaran]

9145479
Darn you goody-two-shoes editors with your manner of taking perfectly appropriate content and revealing their flaws so that I am forced to ruin the entire chapter by adding a single word to a sentence that was exactly what it needed to be! The story’s ruined, I tell you, ruined!

You really like to give Rarity a hard time, don't you?

For stories of this variety, I like to be hard on my protagonist. You don't get worthwhile, interesting stories by not being hard on them. And since I love writing emotional scenes – positive or negative – I prefer not to pull my punches.

[Noc]

9145931
Hm. Well, the only reason I can think of why Rarity wouldn’t ask who/what the Scimitar is (other than that other reason, anyway) is that she already knows and that such knowledge is taken for granted in this world, such as knowing who “Jesus” (or some other religious figure of your choice) is in ours. But you say you wish to avoid spoilers, so I guess we’ll see.

Also, sequel? Hot diggity!

9145952
Being hard on a protagonist is indeed the best way to build up the reader’s interest in their wellbeing and eventual success. Just be cautious, of course, that you don’t make things so unbearable for them that reading their story becomes a slog through misery – something Fallout: Equestria, cited as inspiration for BH’s world, was adept at avoiding with its generous sprinkling of lighthearted moments and not-infrequent victories for its protag.

… Also didn’t hurt that Littlepip met ponies who actually stuck around for more than one chapter at a time now and again, but that’s just griping cuz I want Rarity to be happy for once …

[PaulAsaran]

9146204
Rarity didn’t ask because there was no appropriate time to do so, at least that we can see. I could have thrown an entire extra scene in just for the sake of describing who and what the Scimitar is, but the scene would have been pointless in terms of the overarching plot of this first story. It holds no importance right now. Better to tease the readers so that they know it exists and it doesn’t seem to jump out of nowhere in the sequel when it does become important and need to be detailed. I do this a lot: seeding hints and possibilities that will eventually lead to important events later in the trilogy. It’s already happened a few times.

And yes, the story will continue as a trilogy. This was always planned to be the case, and the events of this story are designed with the ‘next step’ in mind. I like to think of this one as the introduction to the world at large and a ‘tutorial run’ for Rarity herself. This relates to pretty much everything that is happening; the characters she meets, the skills she learns, who she keeps with her and for how long, etc. Even the pain she’s undergoing now is intended to prep her for the rest of the trilogy.

No worries, I have no intention of making this constant, endless stream of agony. But this first story _is_ going to be hard on Rarity in general.

[Gearsmash King]

I swear, I'm reading this and I'm playing out the scenes in my mind like it's a movie. By far, this is the best western I've ever read. Keep it going.

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Sniper-shy best soldier, lol

[son_of_heaven176]

Aww. Poor Fluttershy. *hugs*

With a whimper, she retreat into the coolness of the tent.

retreated

I'm guessing that Fluttershy flies straight for Rarity in the next chapter or not too long afterwards. Poor girl needs a friend.

[Love able chaos]

Damn Flutters is a hardass.

[My name is R]

Well that was sudden. Was not expecting Rainbow to pop up so soon. (Until I read the last chapter's comments. Somebody forgot about spoiler tags.)

She’d done the right thing. Hadn’t she? She’d protected Coco, protected herself. That made it okay, didn’t it? But she’d killed him. And his friends, and that pegasus. How many more would die if she kept on living?

Your life has value. His, and the sort like him, have a negative value. Killing them is a net gain.

A yellow mare stared at her from the doorway, her cyan eyes heavy-lidded and hard. She wore what appeared to be a hide dress that only covered one shoulder and stopped just above her knees. Rarity might have been impressed by the stitching were she not avoiding a nauseating reaction to the choice of material. The mare stepped further into the room, revealing a cascade of pink hair that might have been luxurious were it not so tangled. She also had the biggest wings Rarity had ever laid eyes on.

I can't say why, but I think I was expecting Fluttershy. Looking back, I should have expected Zecora, but I didn't even think of her.

Fluttershy Darrow of Dodge Junction? The Angel of Elysium? That Fluttershy?

She was among many I had considered for The Angel. But with a list that long, I can't really claim any credit. Like claiming a headshot from a Warthog turret.

As much as I'd love to make some comment about how it's only right and proper to use the animals in such a way, I doubt I'd take it very well in person either. Better than she did, but throwing up might still occur. Not for any reason about the fact she's doing this, but just because I can't stomach the squishy things inside animals. I had to skip disection, which my teacher allowed because they knew I'd be sick.
Blood's fine, so long as nothing else starts leaking. All the blood in the world doesn't mess with me, but show me a diagram of the human eye and I start freaking out.
I eat blood for breakfast. Okay, technically I just kinda lap it up whenever I happen to bleed, which doesn't have anything to do with breakfast, nor is it a sufficient meal, but that's the phrase people use to sound tough. I wonder why? Is it because breakfast tends to be things that are easy to prepare, thus implying ease as well as frequency?
It's late, I tend to ramble when I'm tired.

“It’s all my fault. Those bounty hunters were after me. If I’d let it be, gone my own way, m-maybe—”
“Stop.”
She looked up. Fluttershy was back to sharpening the bone. “What?”
“Stop,” her host repeated. “Blaming yourself for the actions of others is stupid. Deal with it. Deal with them.”

Quite. Though perhaps a bit tactless.

The Scimitar were very eager to see you saved.

There’s that name again. What are these mysterious Swords? Simmitar, foaneticully. A wierd African/Middle Eastern sword.

“Be quiet! I wish the Scimitar had never brought me to you! I wish you’d died out there. But no, I had to do the right thing, the kind thing. And now everything I have left is going to be taken from me and it’s all your fault!” Fluttershy’s fists clenched. She snorted steam and flapped her massive wings, heading for the shack. “I can’t let it happen. I can’t let you go!” She landed and hurried into the small building.

I hadn't expected her to to go for the gun, but it is the third obvious choice, if you're unwilling to let someone stay or go. Still, that seems rather harsh.

I know Rarity didn't plan it out, but that's one of the smartest things to do in that situation. Not specifically give them the go ahead, but not fight. If you take actions, they might feel threatened enough to work up the nerve to shoot, even if they couldn't without outside pressure. Generally only works on folks who are already in serious conflict with themselves over thier choice. Not a good plan for dealing with bandits and bounty hunters.

“That seems self-contradicting. How can you ‘make a name for yourself’ and not be easily found by the ponies who are trying to kill you?”
A finger rose, froze… dropped back down. Indeed, how? The problem had always been an obvious one, but Rarity had never given it a good, hard look until that moment. She hummed and huffed, crossing her arms as she walked mental circles. Maybe if she traveled to a place the Apples would never conceivably go? Overseas, perhaps. Oh, but that would be a frighteningly pricey voyage even her healthy bank account couldn’t afford.

Simple. You make a new name for yourself. Either keep your appearance well out of your business, or alter it so they won't recognize you.

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Fluttershy didn’t bother to look up from her work. “She was old. Suffering. They come to me when they know the end is near.” She pulled out something that Rarity thought might be a liver, setting it aside carefully. “It works better for all of us this way.”

Shadow: ... That's, horrifying.

Is it? When someone is old, sick, tired, ready for death, what better ending than to die quickly, and give their everything for the community? I think it's beautiful.
Of course, I'm also probably a sociopath, but at least I'm one of the nice ones.

Fluttershy responded with the same toneless manner. “The skins can keep me warm. The hide is strong and tough material. The bones make good tools.” A popping sound that made Rarity wince. “I ease their last moments. They give me resources that help me survive. What I don’t use is fed to the predators, sparing a life for another day.”

Shadow: This is barely living. This is surviving.

Really? That's the part that seemed indicative of mere survival without life to you? For me, it was: '"Nopony loves me. Nopony hates me. It’s safe from those kinds of pain. This is my home, and my fortress. No, Rarity, I don’t ever want to leave."'
Many people over the course of human history have lived their lives, truly lived them, while hunting for meat, furs, and bones. I fail to see the issue.

Fluttershy was aiming the sniper rifle at her head.

Shqdow: EH?!

Well, the smart thing would be to aim for the chest or stomach regions, but she's not exactly thinking logically at the moment.

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I can wait.
...There's no :Twilight peeking out of the bushes with her binoculars: emoji, but I trust you can imagine it.