Previous Chapters Next
Close
Chapter 1874 words
Chapter 22,077 words
Chapter 33,147 words
Chapter 42,765 words
Chapter 52,241 words
Chapter 61,563 words
Chapter 71,984 words
Chapter 82,134 words
Chapter 91,378 words
Chapter 10738 words
Chapter 11708 words
Chapter 12619 words
Chapter 131,238 words
Chapter 141,554 words
Chapter 151,270 words
Chapter 161,547 words
Chapter 171,353 words
Chapter 182,725 words
Chapter 191,465 words
Chapter 201,151 words
Chapter 211,273 words
Chapter 221,877 words
Chapter 231,542 words
Chapter 244,341 words
Chapter 252,234 words

Chapter 6

The morning seemed to come too early. Rarity was still groggy when someone knocked on her door. She almost considered asking for a few more minutes of beauty sleep, but decided that it wasn’t a request that would be well received.

She sat up, sighing. At least she had nopony to be beautiful for. The minor wounds on her face from the attack didn’t help. On the other side of that coin, it was pleasant to skip her usual morning routine of applying makeup and properly coiffing her hair. None of the others minded, or put much of their own effort into a layer of glamour.

It did not take long to pack up, even with the things she had gained in the last few days. After making sure she was ready, Rarity went to find some breakfast. She found Morgan staring at the open refrigerator with an unpleasant look. He glanced up. “We overshot on getting rid of food before leaving, and pretty much all we have left are fucking apples.”

Rarity shrugged. Morgan took out two apples and gave her one. His blistered hands were still bandaged, but he still had enough dexterity to complete the maneuver.

Rarity’s palms and fingers enclosed the fruit securely. While unicorns did not have as much tactile sensation or control in their hooves as earth ponies, human digits far surpassed the abilities of any Equestrian, even a skilled knot-tier like Applejack.

Her stomach growled. Rarity raised the apple to her mouth. It was not as good as any product of Sweet Apple Acres, but edible. She was surprised how easily her sharp teeth sliced through the skin and flesh of the apple. It seemed that they were good for something besides tearing animals apart.

That thought almost put Rarity off her breakfast, but she persevered. After eating, she picked up her things and went to wait for transportation with the others.

“I don’t like flying,” muttered Veronica. “No leg room.”

If there were vehicles for driving, Rarity decided that there must be some for air travel, as well. The machine that appeared in a few minutes, however, did not look very suited to flying at all. The large spinning propeller on top and the smaller one close to the rear both looked uncoordinated and hazardous. It was also terribly loud.

“Taking a helicopter is the fastest, easiest way to get where we’re going,” Bear commented as the six of them walked out of the tunnel and approached the aircraft.

“Where are we going?” asked Rarity.

“Transfer to Andrews and then a cross-country flight to the Pacific Northwest.”

That didn’t mean anything to Rarity, and she didn’t ask.

The downdraft of the helicopter’s rotors kicked up a little dust as they approached. The door slid back to reveal a man wearing some kind of uniform. He was apparently part of the flight crew, and wore a jumpsuit and helmet.

“Nice to see you again, Roger,” called Veronica, shouting over the noise. The man did not reply, but gave her a nod. He grabbed her baggage and then helped her inside. Next were Morgan and Rob. Rarity handed up her sewing machine and was starting to load her clothing when Jenny suddenly jerked, falling against the side of the helicopter. Rarity put out a hand, touching her shoulder in concern. Jenny stood up straight, blood on the front of her shirt and spread behind her on the painted metal of the fuselage.

Bear grabbed Rarity from behind and almost literally tossed her aboard the helicopter, also assisting Jenny. There was a crack as little pieces of Roger’s helmet went flying. He crumpled to the floor, blood trickling from his head.

The helicopter’s engines screamed and it lurched violently into the sky. Rarity slid across the floor in a pool of blood. Several hands reached out to stop her from slipping right out the door.

“Calm down, we’re safe now,” Rob told her.

“How do you know!?” Rarity screamed.

“Simple. The Raven Rock secure perimeter extends for several hundred yards. Firing from outside of that, it would have taken a skilled sniper to even get close to hitting you. Now that we’re moving, another shot should be pretty much impossible.”

“How do you know all that?”

Rob shrugged. “I don’t, but it’s what Bear is thinking. I trust her judgment. She’s been doing this a while.”

Rarity rolled over, spreading blood over more of her clothes. At least she’d have something to change—oh no…the clothes had been dropped when the shooting started.

Trying to focus on something more important, Rarity made her way to Jenny while keeping a death grip on anything she could reach. She had decided that she didn’t trust helicopters.

“Don’t worry about it,” said Jenny. The wound blown through her body looked horrific, but she shrugged it off. “It takes more than a lead bullet to the chest to really hurt me.”

She was trying to work on Roger, who was unconscious and bleeding from the head like a fountain. Some small corner of Rarity’s mind reminded her that as long as he bled, that meant his heart was still beating.

“Oh shit,” muttered Morgan, elbowing Rarity aside. “Healing magic is not my strong suit.”

“What do you know about precise application of fire?” asked Jenny. “I’m afraid to cauterize a wound in his head like this, but it might be the only option.”

“Stand the fuck back. This won’t be pretty.”

Rarity shut her eyes tightly. That didn’t block out the smell of burning hair and skin. Suddenly, it seemed like a blessing that she hadn’t eaten much for breakfast.

Gradually the activity inside the helicopter calmed down. It seemed like Roger would live. Jenny gave him an eighty percent chance, pending brain damage testing. That did not improve Rarity’s despondent mood. She didn’t say a word, and didn’t regain her appetite either.

She numbly followed the group off the helicopter when it landed, making her way through a cluster of medical personnel. A couple of them thought she was injured, being bathed in so much gore.

The next leg of the trip was spent in the belly of an aircraft called a C-130, which was slightly quieter than the helicopter and provided a smoother ride. The journey lasted quite a few hours, but Rarity couldn’t sleep. She didn’t want to, anyway. She had a lot of thinking to do.

“You missed.”

The man’s mouth opened in surprise. “How did you—”

“I’ve grown to know how the look of failure appears on a face. You have that look right now.” The woman spoke in harsh tones, in an accent that was hard to place. She sounded as if she’d lived in many places around the world and encountered bitterness and disappointment each time.

“Purity, I swear I didn’t mean—”

The woman cut him off. “Quiet. What’s done is done, and I’m sure you didn’t intend for her to escape. Do not disappoint me again. You know how important this is.”

The man nodded and made a hasty exit from the room. The woman called Purity reclined, glancing at the window and thinking carefully about the target that had been missed. A unicorn…could it be? After all these years?

The frown lines on her face deepened. She was not unattractive, but was not young. She looked perhaps fifty. A hundred times that might have been closer to the real number. Even her outward age was difficult to determine beneath a carefully crafted façade. Her hair was not naturally white, but she liked it colored that way. The jewelry she wore was not burdensome, but neither was it inexpensive. Most of her clothing was pale and crafted of fine materials.

“What comes next, madam?” asked a polished British voice. A man who was perhaps actually fifty stood next to her. He was clad mostly in black, with glasses and slick hair in a severe part. He unsettlingly resembled Robert McNamara, which gave Purity pause. There was only so much Mac that could go around, as she’d learned in the sixties.

“Well, Mr. Wright, we know they’re heading west. It should only be a matter of time until we learn their destination.”

He nodded politely and professionally. Those two qualities were what had first landed him in Purity’s employ in the first place. “I’ll see to it that things are handled appropriately.”

She caught his wrist as he turned to go. Wright stopped abruptly. He had seen the hidden strength in those slim fingers used on others, and had no wish to experience it firsthand.

Purity released him gently. “I’ve decided that I would like to handle this. It’s a rather personal matter.”

Wright nodded. “I understand, madam. If you would like to put down this one yourself, I’ll make sure you get that chance.”

He left the room. Purity turned to look out the window. A unicorn, here. She wasn’t sure whether to be excited or apprehensive. One thing was for certain, however. Purity was going to kill it if that was the last thing she ever did.

1,868 views

287