Rarity’s Relaxing Vacation

by Lime Contraption

5 Dark times

Indigo's goggles whirred as she darted around the ancient airship’s exterior. Examining every surface in rapid succession, she contemplated the monumental task of repairing the wrecked vehicle in just twenty-four hours under threat of death.

“Structure, thrust, lift and control. Just need the basics to work, everything else is cosmetic,” she muttered, her heart racing as she felt the gaze of three bandits watching her work.

Zap, Sapper and a new mare she didn't recognise stood in the shadow of their leader's tent. The trio seemed content to watch her from a distance, but they all carried weapons ready to use at the slightest provocation. Sapper had a selection of grenades attached to her harness. Zap's electrified hoof-armour occasionally sparked with magical energy and the third bandit had a mouth-wielded spear across her back.

Focusing on the airship again, Indigo studied the structure first, trying to cover every section of the metal skeleton that supported the balloon and car as well as the thick layer of armour that would’ve surrounded the whole thing. Most of the protective outer layer was lost, corroded over time or damaged in whatever battle had left the airship crashed into the base of a mountain. But the metal structure beneath was largely intact, albeit with plenty of repairs and replacements

“So, they've made some progress,” she muttered, cringing as the trio of bandits moved to watch her trot inside the ship.

The interior matched what she'd seen outside. The structure was solid enough to keep the airship in one piece as it flew, but everything else still needed work. A lot of work.

Ignoring the central space which seemed designed for cargo and weapon placements, she climbed the steps to the flight deck, noting that the incline was uncomfortably steep for a pony. She wasn’t surprised by the scene of devastation when she reached the top. The airship had crashed head-first into the rocky wall of the canyon and the flight deck had suffered worst.

“Most of the controls are wrecked,” She said to herself as she poked at the console.

The exposed technology was relatively simple. Most of the controls were mechanical with wires, rods and cables linking the console to the thrusters, rudders and enchantments that would keep the ship in the air.

There appeared to be a magical display connected to the controls that she guessed was for viewing elevation, speed and other details. Repairing the display would be impossible, the crystals were shattered beyond use and whatever spells they once contained were unlike anything Indigo had ever seen. Unlike anything anypony had ever seen.

Except, perhaps for Princess Celestia.

"Well, the fancy display isn't strictly necessary to get the airship flying," She said with a shrug before turning her attention to the rear of the ship where the main engine was housed.

Hopefully being at the back would've protected the main source of thrust and lift from damage during the crash. But indigo didn't think she'd be that lucky.

---

Rarity and Rook made steady but slow progress through the jungle. They pushed through thick vegetation and skirted around patches of swamp-like ground while the deputy continued to sniff the air, following a trail that only she could sense. The setting sun bathed the already shadowy world around them in shades of red and Rarity struggle to keep her footing in the dying light.

She sensed the movement of creatures around them, the sound of a large group following their journey but keeping just out of sight. Rarity had no way of knowing if the beasts were waiting for the right moment to attack, or just keeping an eye on them, making sure the ponies didn't linger in their territory. It was the sort of information that Fluttershy or Applejack would know and that thought made Rarity wish her friends were with her.

But instead she was travelling with a stranger that she didn't really trust.

As they passed through the seemingly endless wilderness, Rarity found her thoughts consumed with Indigo. They had already trotted for hours and it was still going to be much longer before they caught up with the kidnappers. Anything could happen before they arrived, and even if they did track her down, there was no guarantee they'd be able to rescue her.

They wouldn't even know if the tinkerer was alive until some-time the following day if Rook's assessment was correct.

They weren't happy thoughts to dwell on.

"I don't suppose you brought any food?" Rarity asked as her stomach grumbled, thankful for something to say to break the silence.

"No," Rook shrugged, "Don't you have something in your saddlebags?"

"I have sketching supplies," Rarity explained, "I was planning on drawing some of the local scenery, not hiking for hours."

"Well... there is plenty of fruit in the jungle," Rook replied over her shoulder, "but I wouldn't recommend eating it at this time of year. Unless you want to poison yourself for no nutritional benefit"

"Wonderful," Rarity groaned, examining the trees and bushes around them to find plenty with fruits and berries, although she wasn't familiar with any of them. Once again she wished Applejack or Fluttershy were with her, "This isn't really what I had in mind when I planned to sample the exotic, local cuisine. Why aren't you hungry? We’ve been on the move for hours.”

"I ate before leaving the sheriff's office and my metabolism is different to yours," Rook said with another shrug, "If we keep heading in this direction, we'll cross one of the trade roads before morning. Hopefully we'll be near an inn or passing caravan where we can stop for food."

"Trade roads?" Rarity gasped. "If there are roads through this jungle, why aren't we following them? Instead of forcing our way through this tangled, sticky, thorny mess of vegetation!"

"Because the roads and rail tracks all cross from the mountains to the coast, there's nothing heading in our direction."

"I detest how much that makes sense," Rarity sniffed indignantly, "I'm not built for hiking through the wilderness."

"I thought you were tough. You defend your hometown from monsters?" Rook replied as she kept pushing through the undergrowth, "And you had no trouble fighting those vampire-wyrms."

"There are important, fundamental differences between trekking through the wilderness for hours and holding my ground to help defend my home. And... it's not just the physical unpleasantness of the journey. Back home, I'd hear an alarm ringing and go to help. It was simple, find out what the threat was then help drive it back into the Everfree forest. Here and now, I have no idea what threat we're facing or what condition Indigo will be in when we find her. I'm not appreciating this particular mystery."

"So, how do you usually cooperate in a fight?" Rook asked as the cloaked lawpony gave the designer an appraising look.

"That's quite the abrupt segue, darling."

"It sounds like you could use a change of topic," Rook explained, "I'm hoping we can rescue your missing friend without any more trouble. But if we need to fight then we're better off working together. So, I know you've trained in unicorn martial arts, what specific style?"

"I thought you had an instinct for these things?" Rarity frowned, pouting at more potentially poisonous fruit in the passing trees, "You sounded very confident in your ability to judge my skill. Confident enough to risk my life, I recall."

"My... instinct doesn't work like that. I can tell that you love being stronger than you look, that you love having an extra skill that other ponies might not expect from you. Love how it makes you different, how it makes you useful. I know how you feel about your ability to fight, I don't know the specifics of what you can do."

"Is that part of your cutiemark too? Like the bloodhound talent?" Rarity asked, "That does sound useful for a pony of the law."

"Yeah, it's something like that," Rook nodded without looking back at the designer.

"Well, you've already noted that I use flash-shield techniques," Rarity explained, "Generating a small, magical shield for the briefest of moments as my kicks land, or somepony tries to land a kick on me. I can't cast a full shield and I'll probably never be able to, but a small barrier in the right place at the right time can make a big difference, even if it's just for the blink of an eye."

"Cool," Rook grinned, "I can't do shields at all, not even for a millisecond. So, what fighting style are you using while flash-shielding?"

"I tend to mix Earth Pony light-weight boxing and Pegasus rapid style combat. The reliance on grace and quick-wits appeals to me. I've also been taught heavy-tank style martial arts, although I've never had the muscle mass to really make it work. But, when push comes to shove, I can shove a lot harder than you might expect."

"For a unicorn who claims to be an amateur, that is a very comprehensive range of fighting styles," Rook replied with an impressed whistle.

"Well, I could've gone professional when I was younger. But, despite your insistence that I 'love' it, fighting isn't where my true passion lies," Rarity explained before narrowing her eyes, "You do say 'love' rather a lot."

"What can I say, I'm a romantic," Rook shrugged. "So, what style were you using when you threw a dozen stones at the vampire-wyrms with your magic? I didn't recognise that attack."

"Well, it's not strictly a U.M.A move..." Rarity hesitated before continuing with a sigh, "in fact it's an immediate disqualification in any official bout. But, when you're fighting for your life against monsters, it's a rather useful tactic."

"Fighting dirty? I like it," Rook's grin broadened. "We have more in common than I thought."

"What a delightful thing to hear from a law enforcement pony," Rarity rolled her eyes, "Do you have any preferred style? Or should I expect you to climb a tree every time we face physical danger?"

"You may joke, but the tree tactic works," Rook nodded, "I do prefer to strike from the shadows or take the high ground whenever possible. And if I'm fighting ponies I've got a pretty good chance of knocking them out if I can get close enough."

“You sound like a ninja," Rarity frowned, "I was expecting a deputy to fight more like the Royal Guard or the Rangers."

"In my experience local law enforcement are an eclectic and inconsistent bunch," Rook explained, "But fortunately for us, our styles are complimentary. You're flashy and attention grabbing, so any enemies we cross will naturally focus on you, allowing me to sneak up on them."

"I can't say I'm a fan of being used as bait," Rarity shook her head, "For monsters or bandit kidnappers."

"Don't think of it as being bait... think of it as... being the centre of attention, the filly in the spotlight, the star of the show!"

"No matter how you spin this, I'm still the one in most danger."

"Until we reach the bandit camp, then I'm the one who'll be sneaking into enemy territory alone to rescue the kidnapped tinkerer."

"True..." Rarity rolled the idea around in her head before sighing again, "I was hoping this conversation would distract me from the situation, but I'm starting to realise just how reckless our plan is."

"It's only reckless if it doesn't work," Rook grinned.

"That's not what reckless means, darling."

---

Indigo explored the lower level of the airship in the fading light of the sunset, passing cluttered, twisted walls and uneven floor panels with jagged rock poking through some sections. There were more mechanical and magical devices throughout the ship than she'd been expecting, certainly far more than a modern airship.

“Weapons," the tinkerer frowned behind her mask as she examined one of the larger pieces in more detail.

The exact workings were unlike anything she'd seen, but she recognised enough pre-Equestrian symbols to guess that the cannon generated and propelled magical fire. If the dozen similar devices around the main chamber did the same, then the airship was capable of raining arcane magma upon an entire city.

"It's a battleship," she gasped, her artificial voice trembling as she stepped back from the destructive device.

"Correct," Zap called from the doorway, making Indigo jump, "And you'll need to fix those weapons if you want us to uphold our end of the bargain."

"But, magical weapons like this don't exist anymore," Indigo stammered, "The airship itself shares some of its design with modern flying machines, even if the specifics are unique, but the cannons... I'd have to conjure the repairs out of nothing."

"Then get conjuring, engineer. You sounded so confident in your skills when we grabbed you," Zap's grin broadened. "And we need a fully functional battleship."

Indigo nodded, her attention returning to the damaged weapons. They were undoubtedly the most challenging task she'd ever faced and part of her mind was racing with potential solutions to the seemingly impossible challenge. But not only was she working under threat of death, she would be providing murderous bandits with an attack ship capable of wiping out a city. Could she do that? Could she exchange her own freedom and safety for the potential deaths of so many others?

"You seem to be hesitating," Zap growled, raising his right fore-hoof as the armoured shoe sparked with magical lightning.

"Just... thinking," Indigo said, her gaze lingering on the electrified fore-hoof before turning to hurry into the rear of the airship where the engine was housed.

The room was largely intact with little of the damage that the rest of the airship had suffered. Placing the lantern to one side, Indigo squeezed into the tight space which was mostly filled by the magical-technology of the engine. There was little room to move, but that meant Zap was unable to follow her, leaving a battered wall between her and the threatening bandit.

“Not too bad,” Indigo muttered, crouching to examine the large device from a different angle. “The cores are still in one piece… along with most of the moving parts. Although a lot of the connectors have either degraded over time or were destroyed in the crash. And half the crystals have cracked."

Reaching through the reinforced framework, she nudged a few of the loose levers and rods that didn't appear to be attached to anything. It was unlikely they were decorative, so she had a lot of work ahead of her, just figuring out how the jigsaw of technology fit together.

"Somepony’s tried to replace damaged magical systems with incompatible components and it doesn't look like the jury-rigging has helped,” She said, her goggles whirring as they zoomed closer to the rune-engraved crystals linked to a more modern set up with a bundle of seemingly random wires. "But they've got the right idea, I'm going to have to replace what can't be fixed using technology scavenged from the junk outside... It'll be like trying to build a working locomotive out of Roc droppings..." Indigo rolled the idea around inside her head, "I can make it work, but it's not going to be pleasant."

---

The rescue party's pace slowed as the sunlight faded and Rarity struggled to pick her way through the dark undergrowth. Moonlight made little impact through the layers of jungle foliage above and the glow from Rarity's horn could only penetrate so much as she was wary of burning through her magical reserves. The vampire-wyrms had drained her and she had always been below average when it came to recharging.

“Is there a particular reason you’re not casting a light spell?" Rarity asked, stumbling over a tree root.

"I can't," Rook replied with another of her shrugs, "I've got telekinesis and a few other tricks, but not light. Fortunately I can see very well in the dark."

"Lucky you," Rarity frowned.

“Do you need to stop?" Rook called over her shoulder as she ducked under a tree branch that Rarity couldn't even see, "We could take a few hours break when we hit the road. It should be safer there."

Rarity peered into the darkness around them, listening to the sound of creatures still following their movement. The sounds had only grown more sinister as the sunlight faded.

"No, I can't stop while Indigo is still in danger," the designer shook her head, "Assuming your prediction is correct and we reach her before the next nightfall, I should be fine. This isn't my first all-nighter."

"But I'm guessing you haven't spent all night hiking through a jungle before?" Rook asked, looking back to raise an inquisitive eye brow that was barely illuminated by the soft blue light of Rarity's horn.

"That is... a fair point," the designer conceded, "Hopefully we'll be able to get some wake-up juice if we do pass an inn or traders on the road."

“Wake-up juice? That stuff always makes me sleepy."

"How very unique of you, darling," Rarity wearily replied as she forced herself to keep trudging forward.

---

Searching through piles of random magical and mechanical junk wasn't an easy task at the best of times. It became almost impossible in the middle of the night, by the light of an old lantern, with a trio of bandits glaring the whole time.

Indigo worked as fast as she could, noting everything useful on the surface and trying to uncover what she could from under the weight of metal and wood.

The bandits had gathered random items from passing traders on the nearby roads, rails and rivers, but there was nothing from an airship. The tinkerer prided herself on being able to improvise, but restoring the flying machine would need magical levitation devices. There was only so much lift the balloon could provide and while she had ideas for using rocket thrust to provide lift, that was only ever going to be a backup plan as sourcing enough fuel for the rockets would probably be even harder than finding gravity distorters.

"I have a list of requests," Indigo barely whispered, nudging the scrap of paper with her hoof as Zap stared down at her from the crude ramp leading into the airship.

"Sapper!" the bandit called, waving over the mare from where she was standing watch, "You ready to go shopping for our engineer?"

"It beats standing around here in the dark," Sapper shrugged before trotting over to the tinkerer and accepting the list. With the sheet of paper held up on her armoured-hoof, Sapper read through the items in the dim light, "I don't think it's going to be possible to swipe all of this. You've got things on the list that probably aren't even on this side of the continent."

"If you could retrieve whatever you can by morning, I'll work the rest out from there," Indigo explained in a trembling whisper.

"Will do," Sapper nodded, "I notice this stuff is all magical and mechanical components, there isn't anything on this list for repairing the ship's structure."

"Those repairs are already adequate," Indigo nodded.

"Sweet! I knew my repairs were good!" Sapper grinned as she slipped the list of requirements into her saddlebag.

“It’s a shame you couldn't fix the rest of it, Sapper,” Zap called from where he was still watching them at the top of the ramp.

"I'm not an airship engineer," Sapper shook her head before adjusting her bags and harness to expose her cutiemark which displayed a red-green potion inside a steel circle, "chemicals and metal, Zap, that's my talent."

"Chemicals, metal and fetching the items on that list," Zap replied, gesturing for the other bandit to get moving, "You're on a time limit, Sapper."

"Alright, I'm going."

---

Rarity listened to the irregular beat of her hooves against the jungle floor. The thud against tree roots, the rustle of leaves and the soft squelches that she tried not to think about. The designer was so focused on not tripping in the dark that it took her a moment to realise that the world around her had grown quieter.

"Have you noticed that the large animals tracking us have gone silent?" Rarity asked, glancing around the dark jungle and increasing the brightness of her horn.

"Yes," Rook nodded.

"Is that a good sign or a bad sign?" Rarity pondered.

"Depends what the animals are," Rook shrugged, "Jungle cats would've been silent the whole time while armoured-boars would-"

The deputy's response was interrupted by the sound of charging trotters and undergrowth being trampled aside as six large beasts thundered through the jungle toward them.

Rarity dodged to her left, but hit thick leaves too dense to push through, A set of razor sharp tusks collided with her right shoulder and she barely managed to generate a flash-shield in time. The protective spell took the brunt of the impact, turning what could’ve been torn flesh into a blunt thud, but it left Rarity rattled.

The designer realised for the first time that she had no experience fighting in the dark or in tight spaces. Despite traveling through the thick jungle for hours with dangerous beasts all around them, it hadn’t occurred to her how much of a disadvantage she would be in if they attacked.

She needed to improvise, fast!

Allowing momentum to carry her backward, Rarity skidded to a halt a short distance from the first beast which was shaking its head and pawing at its jaw. Clearly the taste of a magical shield had disagreed with it. Unfortunately this wasn’t slowing the approach of the remaining five creatures.

The beasts were about the size of a pony, but with glowing yellow eyes and a sturdy body covered with thick, grey plates of armour.

Rarity dodged the second attack, but was caught head on by the third. Her fore-hooves moved quick, deflecting the tusks with flash of blue-white, but the blow still send the unicorn flying. Crashing into the base of a tree, the designer barely had time to recover before the next boar reached her. Her right foreleg lifted, blocking the sharp tusks but receiving another bruising hit.

Diving to the right, Rarity rolled in the tight space, avoiding another attack before springing up to slam both rear hooves into the side of a charging boar. Another flash of blue-white light illuminated the jungle as her attack shattered a piece of armour. The beast staggered away while the ceramic-like protection covering its side fell to pieces.

Rarity dodged again, tusks grazing her flank as she repositioned herself. With her back against a broad tree-trunk, the designer activated her telekinetic field, grabbing the splintered remains of the boar's armoured plate.

"Thank you for giving me a clear target and ammunition," With an unladylike smile, Rarity let the ceramic shards fly, throwing them with surprising force at the pairs of glowing eyes around her.

The boars squealed and grunted in pain as they scrambled to turn tail and run. In less than a heartbeat, the beasts had disappeared into the jungle and the sound of their retreat was quickly fading.

“Armoured-boars?" Rarity said as she checked the graze on her side. She didn't appear to be bleeding, but the impact was red and painful beneath her fur, "We don't have those around Ponyville either."

"Once again, very impressive work," Rook said as she stepped out of the shadows, her cloak twisting oddly around her before falling normally.

"Where were you?"

"Getting ready to attack," Rook frowned, "You took care of them before I could even get into position."

"Perhaps you could be a little faster next time?" Rarity rolled her eyes, "I pride myself on being a lady who can take care of herself, but you're supposed to be a deputy! You really shouldn't be using a civilian as a pony-shield."

"I was confident that a pony with your remarkable skills would be in no danger," Rook replied with a shrug. “You’re clearly somepony special."

"Flattery..." Rarity groaned theatrically, but her ears perked up and she stood taller, "I do appreciate flattery. "

---

Indigo rushed back and forth between the junk piles and the airship, ripping out what she didn't need while trying to preserve and restore what could be salvaged. Her overalls had been designed for hard work, but the reinforced hoof-covers were starting to fray from her constant back and forth. It didn't help that she had limited tools until Sapper returned, so kicking was occasionally the best way to make progress.

"Remember to design better overalls," She muttered to herself, ripping out the last of the jury-rigged components so she could better examine what was left f the engine. With a shake of her head, she trotted back outside, "And I need to add night vision to my goggles. Or a flashlight attachment to my head-harness. Or both."

The tinkerer hoped that by focusing on the task at hoof she’d suppress some of her terror at being surrounded by potentially murderous criminals. But the constant gaze of Zap made the danger impossible to ignore.

Indigo was used to working alone through the night. In fact, she preferred the quiet and isolation. But working under the threat of death was a new and unpleasant factor as was the pile of junk she was expected to utilise. She’d never built a flying machine before and certainly not out of scrap parts from a dozen, incompatible machines. But her mind was racing with ideas and if it hadn't been for the bandits and the deadline, she would've described the challenge as a dream come true.

Grunting, she finished attaching a large engine component to her harness and began dragging it toward the airship. The task would’ve been a lot easier if any of the bandits standing guard had been willing to help. But instead they stood, silently watching her from a distance, adjusting their weapons if her gaze lingered on them for too long.

“I can do this,” she muttered, forcing the heavy load up the crude ramp and debating if it was worth the time to build a better slope for loading equipment. “I can do this. But I might work myself to death in the process,” she added, her legs trembling and her whole body aching as she turned toward the engine room.

Comments

[Just_Me123]

And the tension mounts...

[Tooks]

A remarkable story, so far, with too few reads.

[Scyphi]

"My... instinct doesn't work like that. I can tell that you love being stronger than you look, that you love having an extra skill that other ponies might not expect from you. Love how it makes you different, how it makes you useful. I know how you feel about your ability to fight, I don't know the specifics of what you can do."

Mm, yes, but I've figured out something specific about you, changeling. Or at least some like love-sensing creature, but changeling would still be my first guess.

[Lime Contraption]

11165153
Sooner or later, everything is going to kick off!

[Lime Contraption]

11165187
Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying this story And the small number of read is understandable. I'm new here and I've not done much to draw attention. I'm sure it'll pick up slowly over time.

[Lime Contraption]

11165496
There is something strange about Rook. Great detective work, but we'll have to wait and see if your prediction is correct. Rook certainly loves love and doesn't need to eat like Rarity... and has green magic... and a shape-shifting cloak...