1
“See?“ The Red Hoof sneered, looking down at the Mare do Well. “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Come now, let us retreat upstairs. A proper execution deserves a last meal, after all, does it not?”
“Oh,” she said, wobbling on her hooves. “Execution, huh? At least you’re ready to accept defeat.”
Her eyes exploded in a shower of sparkling stars, and she could feel her cheek swelling up even as it numbed. Evidently, he had used the booted hoof to slap her. “I think it’s time you stopped talking,” he growled, glaring at her and summoning a ring of magic around her neck. She threw her head around, trying to throw off the ring, but it only grew tighter, digging viciously into her throat and cutting off her air. The Red Hoof watched this pathetic struggle with bared teeth; she flailed and tried to swing at him again, but the band became tighter yet and she collapsed instead, convulsing and clawing desperately at her neck while sputtering out weak curses and sickening gagging noises.
Just as she was sure to pass out, it stopped. She coughed and retched, barely able to pick herself up on shaking legs.
“Aah, see, now those sounds I can appreciate,” Hoof laughed as he trotted over to her, letting loose a hard forehoof into her ribs to keep her breathless.
She fell to her knees, gasping and wheezing for air while wishing she wouldn’t, for each breath felt like she was inhaling shards of glass.
“Do you feel that, Mare do Well? That helplessness? That burning, painful gasping at every breath, trying to regain your bearings as your body screams in its primordial, instinctual tongue to escape the thing that threatens it!?” he yelled, kicking her again. “That is what you have made me endure! That is what I have suffered since you made me your enemy! But no more. No more will I watch the shadows for some insipid mare in a cloak. No more will I dread going to an early grave… for today, I will erase you, and cast you into the dustbin of history,” he spat through gritted teeth, lighting up another ring of magic around her neck and hefting her off the ground, keeping it tight enough to keep her nearly breathless but just enough to keep her conscious, bringing her to eye level. “Although…” he began, looking at her closely. “I am a shrewd stallion after all… and not without mercy. Perhaps if I hear you scream and beg like the foal you are, you may just sway my heart to leave you a cripple,” he sneered.
In response, she raised a foreleg, taking a swing at his face, but it was weak and limp.
He gave a derisive chuckle. “Ever the fighter… in a way, I admire that tenacity. It reminds me of my own,” he said. “It’s an unfortunate one, the choice you’ve just made… but again, I am not without mercy, so I suppose I’ll leave you a quadriplegic,” he said with an almost sickeningly sweet smile as the ring of magic around her throat dispersed, but now she found herself being strung up in the air by the foreleg Hano had broken. “Hmm… Hano had told me this leg was the one he broke. How did you fix it so quickly, I wonder…?” he murmured. He then snickered, “No matter. You won’t be using it anymore after today anyway,” he said, wrapping the ring of magic around her pastern again. A flat square of magic pressed against her face, the ring beginning to pull hard on her foreleg, the pain quickly growing to near blindingly excruciating levels, as if every fiber of muscle, every tendon and ligament and every bone were being stretched to the breaking point.
Don’t scream was the only thought she could muster in such pain. It repeated itself, the only thing keeping her conscious at this point. She bit hard on the inside of her cheek, twisting her head back and forth, desperate not to give him the satisfaction he sought. She knew that if she screamed, he won, and after all that she had been through, he simply could not win.
Suddenly a loud, sickening, gut-wrenching pop rang out as Mare do Well’s shoulder joint was yanked out of its socket forcefully, her foreleg completely dislocated from the rest of her body. A wave of pain with enough power to match shattering her foreleg ripped through her with titanic force, almost instantly overloading every nerve in her body.
It was too much. All pretense of stubbornness vanished and she bellowed out an ear-splitting shriek. It lasted only a few seconds, but even that felt like multiple eternities before the sweet, calming embrace of unconsciousness enveloped her.
“Oh, Sisters, yes! That is the sound I wanted to hear!” he bellowed at the top of his lungs, a chill running up his spine as her wail of agony rang loudly in his ears. The stallion shuddered visibly, licking his lips as he held her in the air. “I think we have had our fun down here…” he said, using his magic to hurl her up the stairs and through the door, flying back into the dining area and haphazardly slamming into the large table. The table buckled under the impact, sending utensils, napkins and glasses in every direction, many of the objects landing in the lit fireplace, causing cinders to fly out from the maw of the fireplace and set the nearby curtains ablaze.
* * *
Snow Storm rolled over, groaning, trying to push away the foggy haze of her brain. Alarmingly, her shoulder felt on fire but the foreleg felt numb, almost empty. She glanced over at it, and saw it lying uselessly. She tried to flex it, but nothing happened. Which meant only one thing, of course.
Son of a… This is going to suck.
She had limited time, however, as she could hear the sound of Red’s hooves landing heavily on the staircase as he approached.
Alright… now or literally never, she thought. She quickly grabbed a piece of the broken table and bit down on it, gripping her dislocated foreleg hard. One… two… three! She then raised her foreleg and yanked it as hard as she could, biting down into the wood in her mouth to keep from screaming as the joint was forced back into place, her vision blurring as the masked absorbed tears from the overwhelming pain. She spat the wood out and laid down, her head swimming from the searing pain and the beating she had received as Red finally made his way upstairs.
“Ah! There you are, and here I thought I had accidentally killed you,” he said with a wicked smile. He looked around, noting that half the room had already become engulfed in flames, smoke billowing from under the doors leading to other areas of the house- a clear indicator the fire was spreading rapidly. “Goodness, the Rinds never did know how to dress up a place. Everything in here is flammable!” he exclaimed. “Either way, it will serve its purpose. You are clearly too weak to escape, and I am not,” he said, looking her in the eye. “How, you ask? Why, it’s simple- I can teleport,” he grins maliciously.
“Yeah?” she croaked out, her throat throbbing from both screaming and being strangled. She pulled herself up, swaying back and forth and trying not to put too much weight on her bad leg. “I’m supposed to be impressed?”
“No, but what you will be is dead.” He smiled as his body began to glow with magic. “Farewell, Mare do Well… now burn,” he snarled.
“No,” she said, lurching forward. “Not after all of this. You’re not going anywhere without me!” She leapt, jumping over a flame, coming straight at the Red Hoof just as he was about to disappear into thin air.
2
With the fire beginning to rapidly spread within the compound, Red Hoof’s minions began to scatter and pour out of the property like rats, the remaining Royal Guard quickly becoming embroiled in a vicious fight to apprehend as many as possible.
“Arrest them all! Not a single one escapes!” Leaf barked as he himself wrestled a pegasus to the ground, taking a few kicks and punches in the process.
As the fight dragged on, they all felt a strange magical energy build up nearby before there’s a loud BANG, Red himself as well as Mare do Well tumbling to the ground post-teleport. The unicorn quickly throws her off of him, rising to his hooves quickly. “How!? How were you able to follow me in my teleport!?” he roared, the unicorn in a state of apoplectic rage.
Her answer was to viciously and repeatedly slam her hoof into his face while she still had the advantage.
He staggered slightly before retaliating with a hard shot to her gut with a forehoof, followed by lifting her off the ground with his magic and slamming her back down hard.
She lunged from the ground, slamming her body into his in an attempt to bring him down to the ground.
He braced against her bull-rush, his larger frame absorbing the blow with relative ease as he caught her in the chest with a shoulder check, followed by a painful headbutt straight to her muzzle.
“Ack!” Stars exploded in her eyes. Her head swam in circles, but she kept up the attack, sending a hoof upper-cutting into his torso.
“Nnnrgh!” he grunted, coughing as she knocked the wind out of him momentarily, the unicorn snarling as he whirled around alarmingly quickly, letting loose a full-strength buck as he tried to catch her in the chest.
She fell to the ground from the blast, coughing and clutching her chest. “That all… you got?” she challenged, staggering back up and throwing herself back into the fight.
As their duel continued, the majority of Red’s forces were routed, the remaining Guardsponies drawing crossbows and circling the two ponies. “Halt! In the name of the Royal Guard!” Leaf’s voice rang out from amongst their ranks, the stallion emerging with Murdoc and Joules at his sides. “It’s over, Red. You’re done,” he said, his voice grave.
The unicorn smiled at him. “Oh, this is far from over!” He laughed, taking advantage of the momentary distraction to land a cheap shot on Mare Do Well, sending a magically-reinforced shot to the ribs hard enough she felt them bend under the force, all the air in her lungs explosively forced out of her all at once. He then took the opportunity to teleport himself to the top of a nearby overturned carriage, taking a moment to survey the scene.
“Get back here!” She staggered over to him, grabbing a rock and throwing at his head.
The rock barely reached him, Red laughing at her inability to even try to hurt him at this point. “You may think you have won, my dear Guardsponies, but this day- this war for this city- has only just had its curtain raised! You think you’ve got the upper hoof, that you have me cornered!” he said. “Well… take a guess at what a cornered animal can do!” he said, his horn beginning to glow an unnatural, luminescent green as his face contorts into a twisted smile.
A moment later, a green ray of magic fired out from the tip of his horn, carving its way across the pavement and into another overturned carriage, immediately vaporizing it and leaving nothing but a pile of dust. Murdoc, Joules and Gilded Leaf were all forced to evade, Murdoc shouting in pain as he landed on a leg that he had injured during the ensuing fight outside the Rind compound.
“That- that’s forbidden magic!” Leaf yelled, enraged. “You’re using magic that was banned by the Sisters themselves!”
“Then let them come and stop me!” he yells as he charges up another ray, taking direct aim at the Mare Do Well. “This is where we part, Mare Do Well! I will see you in Tarta-” he started, but suddenly stopped as a silver blade erupted from his chest, blood fountaining from the fatal wound. “W-What- w-why-” he coughed, sputtering as blood dripped from his lips. From behind Red stood the Neighponese stallion that once called him Master, his blade driven all the way into his back down to the hoof guard.
“I am your weapon no more,” Hano said, twisting the blade.
Red smirked. “Y-You’re… too late… traitor…” he choked out, firing off the ray of pure destructive magic aimed directly at the Mare Do Well. To her dismay, she found herself too weak to run away fast enough to avoid it, time seeming to slow as the ray approached her.
She sighed, closing her eyes. I hope this doesn’t hurt, she thought,staring at the bolt of magic coming towards her.
Seconds later, she felt a hard thud as something collided with her, sweeping her off her hooves and sending her tumbling to the dirt. She opened his eyes, and what she saw next would be forever etched in the memories of all those who witnessed it- Captain Gilded Leaf had charged forward, leaping in the path of the ray and taking it square in the chest.
The stallion’s body surged with light green magic before suddenly dissolving into dust before Snow’s very eyes, leaving only his armor behind, the metal pieces clattering to the ground loudly amidst an almost deafening silence.
“CAPTAIN!” Joules yelled at the top of his lungs, tears streaming down his face as he watched his hero and mentor selflessly give his life to save Murdoc’s. Murdoc sank to his knees, picking up the Captain’s helmet with shaking hooves, his vision blurry as tears stung his eyes.
“No… no, no, no… this… this wasn’t supposed to happen!” he choked out, touching his forehead to the Captain’s helmet.
Hano stared in horror, snarling as he planted a hoof in Red’s back, forcing him off the blade and onto the ground below. Hano followed close behind, trotting over to the Mare Do Well and dropping his blade at her hooves. “Finish the job.”
She looked at the weapon, then at the armor which only seconds before was occupied. What would become of her if, in fact, she did finish the job?
“Do it, Mare Do Well! Now is not the time to hesitate!” Hano yelled, pinning Red to the ground with one hoof.
“No,” she said, standing up and limping away. “I got what I came for. I won’t sink to his level.”
Hano stared at her for what seemed an eternity, then nodded solemnly. “Very well,” he replied, retrieving his blade and trotting back over to Red. “Burn for eternity,” he muttered, stabbing him once more, the unicorn letting out a pained gasp before falling completely still, blood pooling beneath him. In an act of brutality, he slammed his other hoof down across Red’s horn, breaking it off in one swift motion.
As the Mare Do Well left the scene, she spied Joules sitting in front of Gilded Leaf’s chest plate, his head bowed as he wept quietly, wings unfurled and limp at his sides.
The other Guards were likewise bereaved, and those who were coherent were assisting the wounded and gathering the fallen, the Rind compound finally collapsing as the flames fully engulfed the structure.
Not how I envisioned this turning out, Snow thought sadly, limping over to Joules and putting a hoof on his shoulder. “You… you gonna be okay?” was all she could think to say, even though it sounded hollow and insincere to her own ears.
He shook his head slowly, trying to wipe his face and compose himself. He looked at her, breathing heavily. “I’m glad you’re safe,” he coughed, sniffling loudly. “We need you now more than ever.”
“... It won’t be like this next time. I swear it. I’ll be here for this city.”
Joules nodded. “Good to hear,” he said, catching her as she wobbled. “Whoa, easy there.”
“I’ll take it easy,” she said, taking a deep breath, “when I have my family again.”
“I understand,” he said, looking over to Murdoc, who was being lead away on a stretcher and was waving him over. “Oh, no.”
He trotted over to his superior. Murdoc turned to look at him, pulling his gaze away from Leaf’s helmet, which rested on his chest. “...You need to tell her.”
“Tell her? Tell who what-” he said, pausing as the realization set in. “Oh no, no, no, I can’t!”
“Listen to me, Joules… she is waiting for him to come home. If I wasn’t messed up I’d do it, but… I can’t face her. Not now. Not when he gave his life for mine…” he said, passing Leaf’s helmet to Joules.
3
As soon as she heard the knock on the door, Aureate knew her world had collapsed.
Joules swallowed hard, raising a hoof to knock again as he dreaded what awaited him on the other side, the Captain’s helmet sitting in his equipment bag resting on his back.
“Who is it?” she called, almost surely knowing it would be Murdoc with grave news.
“Aureate, it’s me, Joules…” he replied.
“Come in…”
He opened the door, slowly entering the Captain’s house and shutting the door behind him. He turns to look at her, his green eyes tinged red- a clear indication he had been crying. “Aureate…”
“Was it quick?” she asked.
A few tense, heavy moments passed before he took a breath and exhaled. “...It was instantaneous. I don’t think he felt a thing,” he murmured, reaching back into his bag, slowly drawing Leaf’s helmet from within and carrying it over to her. “I’m so sorry, Aureate… your father was a model stallion, and a hero-
my hero. He saved Murdoc’s life.”
“Pardon me a moment,” she said, standing up and hurrying out of sight. Joules heard the sound of a door opening and shutting, followed by the click of a lock and the cacophonous sound of crashing noises and incoherent screaming.
Joules quietly followed after her, sitting outside what he assumed to be her bedroom door in silence.
The door ripped open suddenly. “Why you!?” she spat viciously, glaring at Joules with tears in her eyes. “Where’s Murdoc!? Where’s my godfather!? Why isn’t he here for me, either!?”
Joules jumped back slightly, but quickly recouped. “He was taken to the hospital. He was wounded when things started going south,” he said in an even tone, very carefully approaching her, having noticed that in her left hoof she seemed to be wielding a silver letter opener. “He needed desperate medical attention… so I volunteered to come for him. You deserved to know… and I wasn’t going to let you find out any other way,” he said, doing his best to cover for Murdoc.
“And why aren’t you hurt at all?”
“I am hurt, Aureate. Don’t you see my busted lip? The bruise around my eye? Can’t you hear how hard I’m breathing? I can take off my armor and show you all the other bruises and welts I took,” he said, very slowly continuing to close the distance. At this point, keeping his pride intact was the last thing on his mind.
“No, I’d rather you not,” she growled, glaring at him with all the ill will and resentment she could muster as her grip on the knife tightened.
He swallowed hard, feeling the pure malice in her eyes, but still he continued to close the distance. He only hoped that what he had in mind would be the right thing to do.
“Don’t you dare take a step closer, Joules! I’m warning you!” she yelled, tears once again stinging her eyes as she clenched the blade in her hoof.
“Aureate… just toss the knife aside,” he said, keeping his eyes on her. “Look at me- you don’t want to do this. I know how much it hurts to lose a loved one.”
“And what do you know?” she spat vitriolically. “You probably have your whole family, living in a tidy, comfy home and not worrying if your parents will ever come home!” Only too late did she realize she may have crossed the line as Joules stopped, his gaze lowering to the ground.
“They never left my old home. I lost both my parents in the same night. They were killed in a gas explosion in our old apartment,” he said, looking her in the eye as he spoke. His words took her aback, causing her to look down at her hooves in shame.
“Joules… I- I didn’t know…” she murmured.
“I know, and I’m sorry,” he said before leaping forward and pinning her to the ground, forcibly trying to wrestle the letter opener out of her hooves.
“NO!” she bellowed, writhing and struggling in his grip as she fought to free herself. “You lied to me to make me let my guard down!”
“I would never lie about that! I can show you exactly where they’re buried, but I refuse to let you follow your father!” he blurted out, finally wrenching the blade out of her hooves and tossing them away from her.
“Shut up, shut up, shut up!” she shrieked through choking sobs, her body shaking and trembling as she finally relented, the poor mare crying her eyes out. “I-I just want my daddy!” she wailed, hanging her head as the full breadth of losing her father finally struck her with all the force of a raging storm, weeping bitterly as she barely held herself up on shaking forelegs, her rear legs having given out from underneath her and forcing her into a sitting position.
Joules watched her as she wept and called out to her father, his heart aching terribly for her as he gingerly stepped forward, wrapping his forelegs around her and tenderly pulling her into a hug, the mare not fighting it in the slightest as she cried into his shoulder, weakly hugging him in return.
“It’ll be okay, Aureate… you still have Murdoc and I to lean onto,” Joules said softly. He had a good feeling his words weren’t reaching her, but he would rather try and fail than not try at all. “I’ll be there as long as you need me to be,” he said. “C’mon, let’s get you comfortable so I-”
“Don’t leave me here, please!” Aureate begged. “He would always leave me alone in his goddess-damned house and now he’s left me forever!” she exclaims. “Please… just… get me out of here,” she whimpered.
He looked at her, then nodded. “Okay. Let’s pack up some of your things and you can come to my house, all right? You can share a room with my sister,” he said, to which she nodded quietly, breaking away from him and silently moving into her room to collect some clothes and other personal belongings.
Joules gave an imperceivable sigh once she left him alone in the hallway, the stallion tapping into every last ounce of his willpower not to come apart himself- that would come later, once she was cared for.
* * *
An hour later, Joules touched down, helping Aureate to her hooves as he lead her into his family’s apartment, to which he met a very unhappy Kilo.
“Joules, where the hells have you been!? You told me there was this- this mission with the Guard going down tonight, but didn't go into detail and now look at the hour! You almost never come home this late! Do you realize how upset you made Tera and worried me!?”
“...Not now, Kilo,” Joules said softly, gazing at his older brother. Kilo opened his mouth to speak, but noticed the shaking, sniffling mare beside him.
“Who’s she?” Kilo asked with a huff.
“Aureate Leaf, the Captain’s daughter,” he said. Kilo stared for a minute before putting two and two together, his expression falling quickly.
“...I see,” Kilo said simply. “Tera, could you come out here, please? Joules is home,” he called out.
“Joules!” she cried, exploding out of her room. “Joules, you’re home! You’re okay!”
He embraced his sister more tightly than he ever had in his life. “Yeah, I’m fine, I’m sorry I scared you both… it has been a very, very bad night,” he murmured. “Listen… I need you to do me a huge favor,” he said, gesturing to Aureate. “Is it too much to lend her some space in your room? This is Aureate Leaf, Captain Leaf’s daughter. She… she really needs our help, Tera.”
“You can count on me! C’mon girl, let’s go.” Without waiting, Tera grabbed Aureate and started dragging her away. ”You can have my bed!”
Once Tera and Aureate were out of view and Tera’s bedroom door shut, Kilo looked at Joules.
“How did he die?”
“Disintegrated. Red Hoof knew forbidden magic. I don’t have the heart to tell her.”
“I wouldn’t tell her, either,” Kilo responded, turning away. It was then that he heard sniffling, looking back and giving a small, sympathetic sigh at the sight of his little brother emotionally unraveling. The older stallion curled a wing around him, pulling him over into his grip. “C’mon, little bro, I got you,” he said, guiding Joules into his own room and locking the door behind him.
4
Petunia paced around the apartment, biting her lip and glancing at the door every turn. The door was going to open any second, her heart told her. Any second before Amber came back, safe and sound. The thought that she wouldn’t buzzed around Petunia’s mind, like an insufferable insect that refuses to die even after being swatted.
To her ultimate relief, Petunia heard the sounds of keys slipping into the lock and the front door opening, Amber shuffling into the living room, covered in blood and other fluids as she yawned tiredly. “I’m hooome…” she mumbled.
Petunia let out a short scream before she could stop herself. “You’re drenched!” she said, running over to Amber and examining every centimeter of her. “Your entire coat is matted! You need to go to a hospital, now!”
“Petunia, honey, relax, none of it’s mine,” Amber said, trying to calm her down. “I think… I think I’ve found my calling in the Guard,” she said, taking off her gear and armor while not trying to make too much of a mess. “I mean, I’m a little beat up and sore, but it’s nothing some ice can’t fix.”
“Or a hot bath,” Petunia added. “So, what is it? What’re you gonna be?”
“I’m gonna be a Medic,” she said with a nod. “I saved lives today, Petunia… it- it’s a feeling like no other. I made sure families didn’t lose loved ones. Not only that, but I’m good at it too, and it has the added bonus of keeping me away from combat situations.”
“That’s great!” Petunia said, hugging Amber tightly. “I’m so happy for you! But, eugh, okay, you really need to clean up.”
“Yeah, I do,” Amber said. She then paused and gave a heavy sigh. “We, uh… I need you to come with me to get a funeral dress,” she said quietly.
“A… oh, oh no. How many were…? I’m sorry, that’s an inappropriate question.”
“We’re still not sure, but… what we do know is that the Captain Leaf was among them,” she replied.
“I bet you did all you could to try and save him,” Petunia said reassuringly, hugging Amber.
Amber stared off into the distance. “There was nothing that could be done to save him. The unicorn that killed him… he used magic that the Sisters themselves forbade,” she said, looking at Petunia, her eyes a bit misty. “I just… it’s moments like that where I really wonder if I’m in over my head, but then I bring a pony back from the brink of death and I know that I’m where I’m supposed to be…” she sighed, wiping her eyes. “I just feel terrible for Aureate. I should go see her after I visit Murdoc in the hospital…”
“And I’ll… I’ll set up the flower arrangements. As a donation. It’s the least I can do.”
Amber smiled at Petunia. “I’m glad I have you to come home to…” she said softly, giving her a kiss. “Wanna help me scrub up? I can barely lift my hooves.”
“Oh, I do,” she replied coyly, dragging Amber to the bath.
5
Charade stomped on her suitcase, using all of her considerably light weight to push down the assortment of stuff she was trying to fit in. Grunting with effort, she finally managed to clasp it shut, though it still bulged comically. She ran around the rest of the hotel room, ripping drawers out of the dressers and tossing them onto the floor, all the while mumbling and cussing to herself. “I’m getting the hell out of here… nothing left for me in this cesspool anyw-” she muttered, standing stark still at the sudden knock at her door.
Unbeknownst to her, Hano had returned, waiting for her to open the door to deliver the news of what had occurred.
“Who’s there?” she asked, grabbing the nearest object and readying herself.
She was met only with another knock at the door.
“It’s open!”
She watched the door open, and through it slowly cantered Hano, looking unusually disheveled and unkempt.
“You- where in Tartarus have you been!? We gotta get out of this place, like right now!”
“It is done… the nightmare is over,” Hano replied softly as he turned to face her.
“What do you mean?” she asked, cocking her head. Hano showed her the horn; she reacted by stuffing her hooves in her mouth before she could belt out a blood-curdling scream. “Is that…?” she muttered.
“It is.”
“Did you…?”
“I did.”
The next thing he knew, Charade collapsed onto the floor, having completely fainted.
6
Snow stood outside of the clinic room door, her heart racing. There was no possible way her parents were on the other side of that door, she told herself.
She took a deep breath, let it out in a sigh, and reached her hoof up to the knob, grimacing as her stomach furiously looped around itself. They’re not there, her brain told her, despite the voices coming from the other side. They’re gone forever.
She opened the door.
The voices went quiet as Annabelle and Mosley turned to Snow, Mosley’s gaze witheringly intense as he watched her enter. Once she had taken a seat between them, he spoke.
“...How long, Snow?”
“... Almost a year.”
“Almost a-” he started to exclaim, but restrained himself, inhaling deeply and exhaling. “What in Equestria possessed you into thinking this was a good idea!?” he whispered firmly.
She looked him straight in the eye. “Frost.”
He shook his head. “Do you think Frost would have wanted this for you? Risking your life and putting yourself in danger?” he said, staring straight back. He then sighed, leaning over to her and pulling her into a tight hug. “Why did you choose to keep this from me? As crazy as this is… if you would have just been honest with me, I would have tried to help you however I could,” he murmured.
“I… I didn’t want to scare you,“ she whispered.
“You scared me far worse seeing you stare down the Red Hoof, and me being able to do nothing to help,” he replied.
“She meant well, darling…” Annabelle said, at least trying to come to Snow’s aid.
“I know she did, Annabelle, but what is the one thing I have taught her since we brought her in?” Mosley asked. He looked at Snow. “We are a family, and family do not keep secrets. If you have something on your mind, or something troubling you, come to me, talk to me… I know you had my best intentions at heart, but if I am not made aware, I cannot help you, and believe me all I want to do is help,” Mosley whispered as Annabelle shifted over to join the hug.
“You are the daughter we were never able to have, Snow. We love you to death, and while we do not exactly agree with the methods you used, we are so incredibly grateful you are safe with us,” Annabelle murmured, kissing the side of Snow’s head.
“It may sound strange to you now, but the day you become a parent, you will remember this moment, and you will realize that for us, we would rather have given ourselves up if it meant keeping yourself safe. It is simply what you do for your children,” Mosley added.
Snow chuckled weakly as she fought back tears. “Me? Foals? Never gonna happen.”
“Mosley and I thought the same thing, and now we have you,” Annabelle smiled. “We may not have had you ourselves, but you are as much our daughter if I had carried you myself.”
“I love you guys,” she managed to choke out as the dam inside her finally broke. “Can we go home now?”
“Of course, darling,” Annabelle smiled. “Shall we, Mosley?”
“Indeed,” the stallion said. Once they received the all-clear, they were finally allowed to return home.