Chapter 3
“Where exactly are we?” asked Rarity. She hadn’t seen any windows and everything looked utilitarian and strongly-built. Even Bear’s office felt cold and impersonal.
“Planet Earth, the United States of America, state of Pennsylvania, Raven Rock Mountain Complex,” explained Bear. She and Morgan were going over the basics of what Rarity would be exposed to for the next month.
Rarity was sorry she had asked, not expecting such a complicated answer for location. Remembering that her Princess-appointed mission was to learn, she asked, “What do you do here?”
“This is a staging area for operations carried out at the behest of the United States government that involve supernatural activity.”
Not quite sure if she understood, Rarity asked, “Supernatural, like an old mare’s tale?”
Bear took a moment to process that. “I suppose so. Most people don’t believe in things like that.”
Rarity laughed. “Neither do I.”
“But you used to be a magical unicorn,” said Morgan.
“Everypony knows about magic.” Even as she said it Rarity frowned, seeing looks of disagreement from the people in front of her.
“It’s not very common at all here,” explained Bear. “Some of the population might believe it exists, but very few know for sure.”
“That’s to say nothing of all the creatures and monsters that most people just write off to legend,” added Morgan. “It can be pretty fucking frustrating sometimes, but if the information was made public it would cause mass panic followed by mass exploitation. Witch burning would become a thing again, and then we’d probably have a free-for-all apocalypse.”
Bear shot him a look as if she didn’t quite agree with his presentation, but went on. “So it’s our job to keep the public and the underworld away from each other.”
“That sounds like a big task for five people,” observed Rarity.
“We’re just one unit out of several that covers the United States. Other countries have their teams.” Bear shrugged. “Things get busy sometimes, but it’s not like there are bugs that need to be squashed every day.”
“Is…is that euphemism?” Rarity asked.
Bear and Morgan briefly glanced at each other. “Usually.”
The room where Rarity had woken up was where she would be staying. She would have to find something to decorate the place soon or she would go mad. There was only so much bare grey concrete a girl could take.
Rarity stood still with her arms out in the center of the floor as Veronica awkwardly tried to figure out her measurements so new clothing could be obtained. It helped Rarity take her mind off of the situation she was in for the next month. Magic and anything related to it was suppressed here. It seemed that most people got along fine without it, but Rarity wasn’t sure she agreed that it was for the better.
Veronica stretched out a measuring tape, awkwardly bending her elongated body over to get down to Rarity’s level. “How did the meeting go?”
“There are a lot of things to get used to,” said Rarity. “I’m glad you all seem to know what you’re doing.”
Veronica laughed. “We each have our talents. Bear and Morgan were probably the best ones to give you that talk. They’re the most experienced.”
“Perhaps not who I would have expected,” commented Rarity. “Bear looks so young, and Morgan’s speech patterns certainly don’t seem very mature.”
“A lot of people underestimate Bear because of her appearance. She sometimes jokes, ‘twenty, going on two hundred.’ I think Morgan talks like he does because it’s a stress reliever. From what I’ve heard, his past is almost literally Hell.”
Rarity frowned. She had several more questions, but decided that it might just be better to ask them directly to Bear and Morgan, rather than behind their backs.
“My college roommate majored in fashion, which somehow makes me most qualified to do this,” Veronica grumbled as she struggled to get Rarity’s measurements.
The woman’s own clothing did not appear to fit all that well. Rarity did not know what average human sizes were, but hers certainly seemed to be outside them. The poor thing was probably trying to shop off the rack when there was nothing available that fit.
“Fashion is my business. Let me take care of this.” Rarity gestured for the measuring tape. Veronica handed over. Rarity had measured her waist and was moving on to the inseams when she realized the tape was moving along without touching her hands. It seemed her magic wasn’t as hard to access as she thought.
Veronica looked on with interest. “Telekinesis? Well, Morgan did say you were pretty powerful.”
“Any unicorn can do this,” scoffed Rarity. “While I might be a little better at precise control than some, I’m not that strong.”
Veronica shrugged and turned away. “When you get done, we can figure out how those numbers match up to a size. I can probably find a chart online.”
“Online?” Rarity finished with the tape. With an eye towards possible future projects, she began measuring Veronica while her back was turned. She noted with interest the woman’s height. The tape showed that it was slightly less than two hundred centimeters, or about seventy nine inches.
“Yeah, the internet,” said Veronica. “Imagine several billion terminals all around the world that can share information. Basically, you can learn things from anywhere on Earth without leaving your chair.”
“It sounds very useful,” noted Rarity. And slightly mind boggling. Just how many people lived on this planet, anyway?
The two of them figured out what sizes Rarity needed. “We’ll get you some things,” Veronica said. “The nearest shopping center is a couple of miles away.”
Rarity perked up. “That sounds marvelous. I’d love to go.”
The door opened and Jenny stuck her head in, looking at Veronica. “Rob needs you for something. He didn’t say what.”
The other woman rolled her eyes. “Could be computer problems, but probably he just wants help getting things from the top shelf.”
As she turned to go, Rarity protested, “Wait, where am I going to get new clothes?”
Jenny and Veronica traded looks. “The mall.”
The car, as it was called, seemed to be full of technology. Small lights and dials were everywhere on the dashboard. However, not even inspecting the high-tech vehicle could make Rarity forget the walking fashion disaster she had become. Not only did camouflage not go with anything, she hadn’t been allowed to modify the clothing to fit better because Bear wanted them back. The boots she had been loaned were heavy and felt restrictive. Figuring out the laces had also been a chore.
Hopefully something more fabulous was coming her way soon. Any place that had a shopping center should have at least the basics of putting together an outfit. Rarity began to grow more excited as Jenny put the car in gear and began their trip.
They emerged from a large tunnel into bright sunshine and Jenny put on a pair of sunglasses. Rarity looked back. It seemed that the Raven Rock Mountain Complex was literally inside a mountain. A perfect place for a secret headquarters, she supposed.
“Does Veronica often get called away to reach for things in high places?” asked Rarity.
Jenny laughed. “Yeah. You’d think we could just requisition some stepladders or something, but that’s about half her job description. The other, more official part is technology.”
“Doesn’t she mind?” Rarity frowned. “It seemed to me that she wasn’t really comfortable with being unusually tall.”
“She isn’t, but despite that Veronica hangs out with us because we’re all more abnormal than her.”
Jenny offered no further details on the subject and Rarity didn’t pry. The two of them continued driving. The road was well-paved and the car moved along much faster than a pony could run. In only a few minutes they arrived at a large complex of buildings with lots of cars parked nearby.
Walking with the boots was harder than with bare feet, but the distance from the car to the shopping center was good practice. The inside of the mall was full of glass-fronted stores with their wares on display. To Rarity, it felt like she was a little filly in a candy store. There was so much to see, and all of it was for sale!
“We have a government account, but there is a limit,” Jenny reminded her. The two of them merged with a crowd of people and made a slow circuit of the various shops. Clothing was first priority.
Rarity was honestly surprised by the variety. Not with colors or fabrics, but by how many different kinds of attire there were. It was not limited to saddles and dresses, but instead shirts, trousers, skirts, and many other varieties of garments and undergarments.
“You’ll be here for awhile,” suggested Jenny. “Just get a few basics in this store and we’ll go from there.”
Rarity happily collected an armload of clothing. She was tempted to try all of it on in the fitting rooms, but that would take time away from visiting other places. Jenny paid for the transaction by swiping a plastic card in a machine. The clerk helpfully put the purchase in a bag for easier carrying.
Outside, Rarity turned to ask where they were going next, but Jenny didn’t seem to be paying attention. Her head twisted this way and that, a worried expression on her face.
“Something’s not right,” she murmured. Nudging Rarity’s arm, they began to walk briskly towards the exit. From behind them, an angry voice shouted. Jenny quickly looked back, pushing Rarity ahead. “Run!”
Are you kidding? I just learned to walk! Jenny’s tone implied that this was no time to argue, however, so Rarity gave it her best shot. She had only made it a few steps when an ear-shattering explosion knocked the two of them off their feet.
Rarity tasted blood as her face hit the floor. Shards of glass rained down, the tinkling sound they made lost among screams and several rapid bangs. Jenny yanked Rarity to her feet and mostly carried her to the exit.
“What in the name of Celestia—”
Jenny looked back, checking for pursuit. “Either we were the victims of a very coincidental terrorist attack, or someone is trying to kill you.”
“How is that possible?” demanded Rarity, raising her voice incase Jenny’s ears were ringing just as much as hers were. “Even in Equestria, I didn’t think I had enemies like that. What if someone is trying to kill you?”
“Well I would hope that we conceal our identities better that that, but I’m more concerned that it happened on your first day here. This might turn out to be a long month.”
They reached the car and quickly departed the shopping center. Rarity saw several vehicles with lights and sirens heading in the opposite direction. She hadn’t seen the results of the explosion, but hoped fervently that no one had been hurt.
Despite the high rate of speed, Jenny glanced away from the road and at Rarity’s face. “You’ve got a little blood on you. There was a lot of glass.”
She wiped Rarity’s cheek with her hand. Now that Rarity had some time to take stock, she wasn’t terribly injured. Her lip had bled a little, and the side of her face had been scratched. The rest of her body seemed all right.
While it had been a shock to find herself without her usual indigo mane, Rarity decided that perhaps experimenting with a new look could be fun. Facial injury was certainly not what she had been planning, however.
Jenny absentmindedly licked her fingers off. Rarity stared at her in surprise.
“Oh!” Jenny looked mortified. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s your blood and I shouldn’t—”
“Dear, what about you? interrupted Rarity. “I should think you would be more worried than myself. I don’t think I have any diseases, but I wouldn’t want you to take the risk.”
Jenny said nothing and wore an awkward expression for the rest of the drive. Several minutes passed before they arrived back at Raven Rock, driving down into the tunnel. At the parking area, Rob approached the car.
“News travels fast,” commented Jenny, seeing his serious expression.
Rob nodded. “If this attack is what it looks like, we have a problem. Bear wants to start Rarity on weapons training as soon as possible.”
“Weapons?” This was not what Rarity wanted to hear. “What kind?”
Jenny glanced at Rob, raising her eyebrows. He nodded. “Everything.”
Rarity protested that she was injured, tired, and hungry, and was allowed to take care of those needs. In fact, the task of training was put off until the next morning.
After the events of the day, food had been the last thing on her mind. She went to bed without eating.
The mattress wasn't bad, although Rarity wished she had been able to bring her own. That discomfort was nothing compared to the shock of being attacked. Those fresh memories kept her awake for a long time.
Rarity did eventually manage to sleep. She woke up in the morning a little peckish, but when Rob showed up she decided to put off a meal for the moment. As the two of them departed her room, Rarity decided that could use hunger as an excuse for a break if she decided that she needed one.
“Won’t work,” said Rob. “You're going to have breakfast.”
Startled, Rarity demanded, “How did you know what I was—”
“Thinking?” Rob supplied.
Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. Are you some kind of—”
“Mind reader? Yeah, I am,” he admitted.
“I don’t—”
“Think it’s very polite to keep cutting you off and I should stop?” Rob nodded. “You got it.”
Rarity took a moment to regather her thoughts. “How do you do that?”
“I was born this way.” Rob shrugged. “It was always really awkward when I was younger and my parents decided to get it on. I had to change my whole lifestyle just to distance myself from memories like that.”
“What changes did you make?” asked Rarity.
“Let’s just say I used to be a lot more ‘country’ than I am now. Sometimes I accidentally let some slip back in.” It didn’t seem that Rob wanted to talk about it.
“So how does your, ah, talent work?” asked Rarity.
Rob shrugged. “Just don’t think about anything that you don’t want me to know.”
It was nice of Rob to give such advice, even if he had seen right through her plan. The two of them ate breakfast together in a small kitchenette that was located inside the complex. Rarity had not eaten many eggs that weren’t mixed into some kind of pastry, but seasoned correctly, the omelets weren’t bad.
She used the opportunity to talk with him about the weapons. Rarity had never thought that fighting was the best solution, and made that opinion known.
Rob sat back and loosened his tie. Rarity had noticed that he dressed more formally than any of the others. Perhaps that was his way of counterbalancing the ‘country’ he had mentioned. “Sometimes there’s no other way, and conflict is the only solution.”
Rarity wanted to argue with him, but there were plenty of times she and her friends had been required to fight. Nopony had died, though. That seemed to be the main difference between Equestria and here. People seemed to be more violent and less merciful.
Rather than continuing that line of conversation, Rarity looked down at her plate. “Everything seems so strange. How did you all get this way?”
“Well, I suppose those of us who work here have seen and done things that the general population hasn’t.” Rob shrugged. “Still, most people are willing to go to great lengths to survive. We wouldn’t be the top of the food chain if that wasn’t true.”
His mention of a food chain reminded Rarity of her suspicions about the human diet. The flesh and blood of animals was not something she wanted to eat. Speaking of blood...
Rob suddenly chuckled as he saw the replay in Rarity’s mind of Jenny licking her fingers. “Now there’s an awkward memory.”
“She seemed more embarrassed than distraught,” noted Rarity.
“Blood isn’t a big deal for her. Before joining up with us, Jenny worked at a hospital. She knows how to put you back together or take you apart.”
Rarity shook her head. “I’m sorry, but does that mean—”
“Yeah, she eats people.” Rob thought for a moment. “At least, she would if she wasn’t so nice.”
Rarity gasped in horror, but her reaction was cut off as Bear showed up. “You’re going to have to postpone the weapons training. All of us need to have a meeting.”
“What about?” asked Rarity.
Rob anticipated Bear’s response and chimed in. “You.”
There was a screen at the front of the briefing room that was currently blank. This seemed to displease Veronica. “I mean, what’s a brief without a PowerPoint? I could make some slides pretty easily.”
“This won’t take long,” said Bear. “Morgan, I believe you have something to say?”
The older man nodded and stepped to the front of the room. “The police interviewed a witness who claims that she heard a few assailants talking about killing someone. They kept referring to “her.” Considering that the explosive device wasn’t anything dangerous to Jenny, we can probably assume they were after Rarity.”
“What does that prove?” she protested, not wanting to believe that her life was in danger. “They could have been talking about someone else, or merely made the bomb wrong.”
“If they were good enough to know that you two were there, why the fuck wouldn’t they also know how to make the right kind of weapon?”
Bear made a low noise that sounded somewhat like a warning growl. Morgan dropped his angry expression. “Anyway, the main reason why I think this was targeted at Rarity is this scrap of a note that someone picked up from the scene.”
He handed over a picture that had been taken of the note. Rarity examined it carefully. The writing looked like a familiar language, but she couldn’t place where she’d seen it before. The thing that really drew her attention was at the bottom of the paper. It looked like a hoof print.
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Le.
WHAT!!!!!!!
Wait, so Rarity is anthromorphic?
Oh boy here we go.
adventuresinpoortaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/LoL3.jpeg
I mean that in a good way.
Eenteresting.
"Foul-mouthed wizard"?
You got Dresden involved?
1876606
I wish
1876609 Well, you ARE the author...
*nudge nudge*
1876262 dude, Rarity's a human.
T, you are an evil evil beast. Looks like Suke is working well and good luck to ya both. Still waiting for a pic of that mohawk tho.
Hmmmmmmmm, alright I'm in.
1877031 I know someone who deosn't know what anthromorphic means.
1876262
All characters in MLP, with the possible excception of Tom, Winona, and some of the other nonspeaking animals, are anthropomorphic. Merriam-Webster definition
261 views, already featured. How do you do it?
This seems as though it's going to be a very enjoyable ride.
1877309
"Anthropomorphism or personification is any attribution of human characteristics (or characteristics assumed to belong only to humans) to other animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities."
-Wikipedia
Humans aren't anthropomorphic. Short version - anthropomorphic means 'human-like', humans aren't 'like humans', they -are- humans.
1877910 Thanks, for intentionally or otherwise coming to my defense while I was unaware.
1877309 So I suspect you may have a different answer than you intended
(Purely meant to be gentle teasing, honest.)
Awesome. Can't wait for more.
Also, these names. Is this a crossover with something, or is it just me?
1877822 I'm kind of curious, myself. It slipped off the front page with less than 100 views, and three hours later it's in the featured box. I have given up on figuring out the featuring process.
1878076 Crossover with nothing but my head. I've actually written stories about each of these characters in my past non-pony work and have backstories for them all.
1877799 What? You changed your avatar? You monster!
1878169 But Luna needs her kush!
1877961
I'll be honest. It was more a case of getting an excuse to be all clever and stuff while looking like the good guy.
...Which I just ruined by admitting that.
I'm not very good at this.
Why would you need to balance out the American? This is PA after all.
1878241 Luna needs her motherfucking blunt! For the love of not it, change it back!
1878321
Rarity is supposed to have a British twang
B-but who would want to kill rarity?
1878402 Me.
1878439 If you don't change your avatar back, Luna doesn't get her weed. When Luna doesn't get her weed, Luna starts sending niggas to the moon! Do you want Luna to send your ass to the moon?!
1878218 Don't worry you're still my hero *swoons* Spike fantasy mode engaged
1878519 Liam... there are no tits on the moon! None, zero, nil! It is completely titless. Do you really want that?
1878771 You got some tits!?
Congrats, man!
1878822 Ach, you're right. I'll fix that ASAP
1877309 The word for 'humanish' (which is what is presumably meant) is anthropomorphic. And Rarity started out as an anthropomorphic pony, anyway.
And on another note, I keep expecting Rarity to encounter a big red guy with a stone hand to fill out the group.
mmmmmmmmm
i guess
Rarity has precision, it appears. What can one do with precision magic?
Wild Guesses:
1) Sniper Rifle, increase accuracy/power by making a cylinder of magic added to the barrel, or out right guidance
2) Jedi style swordplay, or levitating knives around her.
3) Grabbing coffee from across the room without moving your lazy/injured ass.
4) Trip people w/o blowing out their legs. (aka force nudge, the lesser cousin of force push)
5) An extra hand for grappling
6) Impaling someone on a spoon. I don't know how.
7) Grabbing someone's heart (damn, that's scary)
8) Driving a personalized vehicle that only you can drive because you need two extra limbs, hidden controls, etc.
9) Lockpick
10) Reloading a gun one (zero?) handedly.
1879752 The possibilites are absolutely marvelous.
A pony wants Rarity dead.
What a
1879681
we should ASK SCIENCE!
I just have to ask... are you going to make one for all the mane 6's adventures?
1879752 I would pick minigun, just aim in the genral direction of the enemy=instant win
It needs a badass demon hunter.... Dante, anyone?
1880623
So I could add
11) levitate 4 minimums and shoot the crap out of everything.
1879752 I like the idea of sniper but I disagree with your magic enhancement choices. I think rather than increasing the accuracy it would be much better to try and muffle the sound and reduce the flash. A sniper who cant be found is nigh unstobbable.Twilight could probably reduce the recoil as well making reattaining sight picture vastly easier and faster
1881549
Our even just levitating a knife over someone's head through binoculars.
Ebooks aren't working. The whole story is missing!
1881701 That's something you'll have to take up with the site people. I'm afraid I can't help you.
1881341lets see here 4 miniguns... That costs 16 000 000 dollars to fire for 12 seconds!
1881828
You've got an extra zero there.
1 600 000 dollars.
1881863 Whatever, it is Rarity who pays, not me.
This has me weirdly fascinated.
1881549
You're all missing the most obvious advantage to telekinesis and sniper rifles. Sniper rifle not in contact with the body = no disruption from beathing or whatever. Should be vastly easier to hold it steady. And depending on the strength of the telekinesis, may even be able to entirely absorb the recoil (can certainly cushion the weapon more perfectly than the human body can, because you could design the telekinetic hold optimally for the task, whereas rifles are designed as best as can be for the human body to fire, but its not ideal).
SUSPECTS!
or 
(DUH DUH DUUUUUUUUH) lol, moustache ( 
) for a good story so far (OOOOOOo CLIFFHANGERS)
... Trap set and mysterious print at the bottom of a ripped note? THIS IS RELEVANT TO MY INTRESTS