Spectrum of Lightning

by Seriff Pilcrow


Chapter 9: Riding Tandem

“Volt, come in. We got the target.”

All the gunponies kept their weapons pointed at Twilight Velvet and Daring Do. While Velvet attempted to steady her breathing, her eyelids shuttered at the glare of the gunponies' harsh, angle-head flashlights. She creased her eyebrows and bit her lip.

Beginner's luck had failed her.

Velvet turned her head to survey the gunpony towering over her from behind. Tan fatigues covered him from the neck down. There were knee-pads on his hind legs and a black vest on his torso holding several rifle magazines. A microphone near his mouth, plus a headset covered by a cap, told Velvet that whoever these goons were, they were more than just garden-variety desert bandits from the Evil Overlord Surplus Store.

“How'd they track us?” Velvet whispered to Daring.

“They must've read my notebook after they knocked you out in the train.” Daring shrugged.

“And you didn't swoop in and prevent them from doing that why?

“Shut up, alright! I didn't know you could teleport! Took me a while to figure out you were headed to the back of the train.”

Smack! Cool metal struck sharply against the side of Daring Do's head, the crack echoing through the caves. Velvet winced as Daring pressed her hoof to the now-bloodied side of her head.

“Noisy little broodmare, ain't she?” grumbled the hired-hoof behind them, followed by a lot of uneasy laughter. “Now be a good little filly or I'll give you a few extra holes.”  

“Hopefully, that won't be necessary.” Gunponies in front of Velvet and Daring turned their heads to the new voice. Seconds later, the white glow of a chemical stick heralded the arrival of a single earth pony.

“Familiar face?” whispered Velvet.

“No…” Daring frowned, barely flinching at her head wound. “But I have a hunch.”

Looming over Velvet and Daring's kneeling forms, the earth pony stepped closer, her orange coat almost glowing under the white light. The creases on her khaki shirt folded as they slid past her black vest. Velvet squinted at two shapes jostling at her two brown shoulder holsters.

“Thunder, Night.” The earth pony looked at the two gun ponies behind Velvet. Her indoor voice proved surprisingly resonant to Velvet's ears, though maybe it was just the acoustics of the cave walls. The gunponies behind Velvet walked to the earth pony, and the earth pony put a hoof on one of the gunponies' shoulders, the warm smile on her face partly covered in shadow.

“Nice catch. You did good. Regroup with the others outside; I'll take it from here.”

She seemed nice enough. Maybe getting captured wasn't that big of a deal.

The thought was immediately banished from Velvet's mind when the earth pony turned to stare down at her. Icicles sprouted from her eyes and knocked away whatever hope Velvet scrounged up. The earth pony's unflinching walk, plus her domineering presence, exacerbated the shaking in Velvet's limbs. Velvet's muscles tensed. Her breathing trembled. Her instinct screamed at her to hug Daring like a childhood blankie, but now that the earth pony was approaching her only ally in this pickle, maybe it would be best to keep to herself for now.

The earth pony mare craned her head downwards and glared into Daring's eyes. Daring glared back, returning with a fierce scowl.

“The undeniably, unquestionable, unstoppable Daring Do.” The mare's alto reverberated around the cave walls and shook Velvet's spine. Daring, however, kept herself steady, save for the rising and falling of her heaving chest.

“Who sent you?” Daring said through a growl. “Ahuizotl? Doctor Caballeron?”

Velvet cocked her head. Who...were those guys?

“Never heard of them…”

Oh, good. At least they could agree on something.

“But my client is my business, not yours.” The earth pony then tilted her head to Daring's side. “Miles,” she said as she gestured a hoof at a stallion to Daring's right, “be a dear and search our pegasus friend, will you?”

The gunpony complied with a “Yes, ma'am” and set to work digging through Daring's saddlebags. Velvet, meanwhile, took a moment to examine the earth pony mare's brick red mane: an elaborate combination of two styles. The right side was pulled into a smooth and slick bun, while the left was braided in a way similar to the pegasi of old. If her muscles hadn't frozen in fear, she would have cocked her head. Nonetheless, two words managed to escape her lips.

“Your mane…” Velvet began.

The mercenary leader turned. “What about it?”

“A little too pretty for a gritty mercenary, don't you think?”

“Don't laugh. We all have our hobbies.”

“And I take it this”—Velvet gestured a hoof at the gunponies pointing their weapons at Daring and rummaging through her bags—“is your hobby too?”

The mare began a slow creep towards Velvet, the sound of rocks crunching underhoof drowning out Miles's rummaging. The mare's icy gaze caused Velvet to shrivel. She shouldn't have opened her big mouth like a naughty little filly. The muscles in Velvet's forelegstensed, then locked in place, as if bracing themselves for the incoming punishment.

And punishment it was.

The world went dark and silent. Velvet fell to the ground and cried out. A stinging, buzzing sensation surged from her temple and into the rest of her body. Her muscles felt like they were being stabbed from the inside by various needles, reducing her movement to violent twitching. When she opened her eyes, the first thing to catch her attention was the cascade of yellow electrical arcs snaking around her forelegs.

Agh… Bitch! Velvet had to fight through the pain just to think.

Several seconds seemed like several hours. When motor control returned to her muscles, Velvet rolled onto her back. The earth pony towered over her, one of her holsters empty. Her mouth held a silver rod with a black handle, its shaft sprinkling bright yellow strobes of light. Velvet thought she saw the slightest sliver of a spark form on its handle.

“Okay. Okay…” Velvet coughed out. “Got off on the wrong hoof. Totally deserved that.” One of her forelegs then extended towards the earth pony, and she tried her best to exude a welcoming demeanor—even if the pained grimace on her face said otherwise. “Let's take this from the top. My name's Twilight Velvet. What is your name?”

The earth pony said nothing.

“Let me guess,” interjected Daring. “Terra Alessandra Volt.”

Almost in sync, Velvet and the earth pony jerked their heads towards Daring. “You know her?” Velvet blurted out.

“Not really. I've heard rumors, but we've never met before.” Daring turned to the earth pony. “Remember Derringer? Told me all about you.”

“He was a mule,” Volt replied. “I offered him a high-paying position in Blitzgruppe and he refused. Shame. Ex-special forces—he would have made ideal mercenary material.”

“That ‘mule’ is my second cousin,” growled Daring.

Volt rolled her eyes. “Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, apparently.”

“Volt,” Miles interrupted, “I found something.”

As Volt walked to Miles, Velvet scoped the cavern. The two other gunponies in the area had since adopted a quadrupedal stance, though their weapons remained at the ready, slung in front of their chests. No way she and Daring could take them on, not without a distraction.

Velvet's eyes then drifted to the darkness behind Volt and Miles—the darkness where just a few minutes before, she and Daring were casually chatting after a fresh find. Just as Velvet was about to look away, her eyes caught a branch. Next to the stalactite where she'd conked her head earlier, the gnarled shape was barely illuminated by the peripheral light of the gunponies' angle-head flashlights.

It was one of the fulgurite rock formations she saw in the entrance.

“Why don't you just get it over with?” Daring butted in, hearkening to Volt's earlier threat.

“What? You mean kill you?” Volt's voice snapped Velvet back to reality. She caught sight of the mercenary commander getting up and holding two objects up in her hooves: Daring's notebook and the first piece of Indra's Bow. “No need. I got what I came for. I always do. You? You were just in the way. My boss can take things from here.”

“Actually, the piss-colored one has a point…” Miles's voice was bright—uncomfortably so, for somepony holding a firearm. “…why don't we just get it over with right here?” A cocky grin spread across his face. “I've been meaning to give my gun a good workout for a while now.”

“Your gun or your other gun?” Velvet asked, an eyebrow raised.

Miles seemed to consider for a moment. “Yes.”

Velvet snorted and frowned. Lovely vacation this was shaping up to be.

Volt glanced downwards and creased her eyebrows. “Good idea. Want to do the honors?”

Miles nodded. “Sure, and let's get Hunter and Rain in on this too. Fun for the whole family!”

The first sound to reach Velvet's ears was a click from the submachine guns held by the stallions in front of her and Daring. The second sound was her heart being kicked into overdrive. The stallions had sprung to a bipedal stance and now had their weapons trained on them. Volt walked to the side of one stallion and eyed him and his partner.

“You heard Miles.”

Velvet took one last look at the gnarled rock formation deep into the cave, then close her eyes. No special equations needed this time. Any electric arc created on the fly would do.

Velvet's horn sparked. The mercenaries had only just begun to flinch when an arc flew from the tip of Velvet's horn and into the gnarled rock. A crumbling sound sent a small, satisfied smile spreading across her face.

Kaboom.

A thunderous boom rattled everypony's eardrums. The mercenaries' heads jerked upwards from the noise and the flash.

“What the–”

As the shrapnel and grit exploded outward, striking friend and foe alike, everything seemed to slow down to a crawl. Daring flapped upwards. Her hind legs snapped backwards and connected with Miles's face, the buck sending the mercenary tumbling into the lightning avalanche. Daring slammed the mercenary in front of her to the ground. Her front hooves took the stallion's rifle and repeatedly bludgeoned its owner in the neck.

Velvet herself wasted no time. She flopped onto the stallion in front of her, sending both ponies to the ground. Turning to Volt, Velvet's magic pummeled the mercenary's head against the wall, then quickly collected Daring's notebook and the artifact as they flew from Volt's hooves.

The stallion under Velvet grasped Velvet's hooves and attempted to push her off. Two rounds from Daring's newly acquired rifle put him down. The thunderous encore encroaching, Velvet galloped away, Daring taking the airborne route and slinging the rifle onto her body.

Velvet looked back at the tunnel. Volt was getting up. She took one look at Velvet, but then focused her attention at the glowing avalanche of sparks when a voice called out.

“Volt!”

“Miles!” Volt turned around. She put a hoof on the ground at Miles' direction, but stopped when Miles extended his own foreleg. Everything waist down had turned to stone, and unlike last time, there was no pile of rocks to abate the avalanche.

“No! Save yourself! It's too late for me!”

Velvet looked away and continued galloping for the entrance. Another thunderclap, plus Miles' scream, shook the cave walls. However, Miles was a fighter. He groaned, his voice still audible even as it faded into the distance.

“I'll warn the others at the entrance! Now get out of here!”

As Miles's final cry of pain echoed through the cave walls and into Velvet's mind, she turned her head towards Daring. “What about Miles and Volt?!” panted out Velvet.

“Why do you even care?! Honestly, fuck 'em. I'm sure the groundskeeper wouldn't mind two more statues to add to her collection!”

It didn't take long for them to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. It would have been a welcome sign, were it not for the shouts and bullets of mercenaries coming out of it. Daring and Velvet dove for cover behind some rock outcrops, the latter yelping as she put her hooves over her head.

Daring fired several shots, then hunkered down before a stream of bullets could reach out and perforate her. “Two fireteams with machine guns!” Daring coughed when rifle fire chipped the outcrop and kicked up dust. “What are they compensating for?”

A flash of light and a crack of thunder from inside the cave told Velvet they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“No way we're going back either!” Velvet shrank behind the outcrop, averting her eyes from the gunponies outside.

Crossing her vision were several twisted, branched stones lying on the ground. She gasped: one was precariously close to her tail. Her instinct sent her tail upwards to avoid the fulgurites, causing it to get sizzled by several bullets.

Oh, that's just great! Night loved my tail…especially when I curled it around… Not the time!

Velvet produced a plastic bag from her saddlebags and used it to scoop the fulgurites along with some sand. Focusing her magic on one stone, Velvet peeked out of cover and lobbed the stone towards the mercs outside.

“Catch!” The stone exploded like a ten-ton firecracker.

Everypony outside who wasn't flying collapsed. Daring immediately flew outside, her rifle making short work of the pegasi and other survivors. She then knelt over one of the mercs she gunned down, pilfering his pockets of magazines. Velvet cantered out, watching multicolored, etheric sparks petrify the writhing bodies of the ground-bound mercenaries and silence their anguished moans.

The sight would have sent a chill down Velvet's spine if she and Daring weren't in such a hurry to escape the hot, sweltering desert.


Several minutes later, Daring and Velvet found themselves traveling down a gully, the occasional desert rock providing some split-second shade. They stopped briefly to put their saddlebags in the cargo compartment on Evy's back, but other than that, Evy had been running nonstop across the desert.

Velvet took her left hoof from the handlebar to straighten her motorcycle helmet, causing Evy to wobble slightly. From the back, Daring clung to her pith helmet with one hoof and Evy's side with the other, then straightened the clips strapped to a bandolier, another parting gift from the mercs, when the bike stabilized.

“So what happened to Ms. ‘Keep up or I'll Leave You Behind?’” Velvet's voice adopted a deep, guttural rasp that scratched her larynx.

“I told you: I'm not exactly Wonderbolt material,” Daring retorted.

"But you managed to keep up with the train, didn't you?"

"First of all, that's the New Friendship Express, not a Neighponese bullet train." From Evy's side mirrors, Velvet caught sight of Daring's wings struggling to keep themselves folded. "Second, that's my top flight speed, not my average speed. There's no way I can keep up with Eve–”

It was Velvet's turn to growl.

“Sorry, Evy. And besides, you do want to make yourself useful, right?”

“Damn right.”

“Then shut up and drive, Jeeves.”

Velvet rolled her eyes. “Thanks…”

When Velvet faced front again, the end of the gully was in sight, with two large, broad rocks standing guard on both sides. “So where do we go from here?”

From the side mirrors, Velvet watched Daring tip her helmet as she faced the afternoon sun behind them. “Let's try to head east; most of the towns and villages are towards that direction. If all else fails, we're bound to find some train tracks that we can use to trace to civilization.”

Before Velvet could nod in assent, a familiar, yet foreign noise whispered in her ears. Those engines in the distance weren't Evy's.

“Twilight?” Daring tapped on Velvet's shoulder.

Velvet squeezed the throttle.

“We're being followed!”

A motorcycle revved from behind them. Using the broad rock on the left as a ramp, it leapt into the air, eclipsing the sun and showering Velvet and Daring with dust. From the side view mirror, Velvet saw the cyclist raise her hoof and unwrap a cylindrical object with her hooves.

“Grenade!”

Daring retaliated with her rifle. The enemy cyclist cartwheeled into the ground. Her vehicle skidded on the sand and shredded a bush, an explosion from the dropped grenade confirming the kill. More engines revved with bloodlust, dirt and death about in the desert air.

Cut off one head, two more take its place.

“Oh, come on! Do they respawn or something?!” Velvet shouted over the motorcycles closing in on them: one on the left, one behind. The cyclist at the left had his pistol drawn.

“Get us closer to that motorbike on the left!” barked Daring.

Evy jerked right, then left, dodging a volley of bullets from the enemy cyclist's pistol. Daring's rifle sounded off, leaving five splashes of sand in the motorcycle's wake.

“Dammit! This is no time for tricks!” Daring grabbed Evy's flanks and instinctively flapped her wings.

“It's not a trick!” Velvet's voice cracked as Evy accelerated from the turn. “It's called counter-steering! Have a little more faith in me and Evy!”

Velvet strangled a switch on one of Evy's handlebars. A whirring sound and a pungent odor told Velvet that Evy's arcanite-nitrous booster was working its magic. Sure enough, a surge in Evy's cylinders righted her back up and allowed her to close in on the motorcycle to the left.

Before the mercenary could fire his pistol, two bursts from Daring's rifle struck the swing arm of his motorcycle. The bike broke in half. Sand flew into the air.

And something buzzed in the back of Velvet's mind.

A bullet whistled past Velvet's ear before she could celebrate the small victory. Her body reflexively shoved itself downwards. Velvet yelped. “Crap! Daring, is there anypony behind us?!”

“Yeah!” Gritting her teeth, Daring waved the rifle in her hooves as she twisted her body backwards. Bullets sailed everywhere except the motorcycle tailing them. “Can't get a clean shot!”

“Hard left!” Velvet called out. Evy roared in assent.

“W-w-wait!” Daring's voice cracked. “What do you mean ha–”

Evy banked left. Her wheels kicked up a tsunami of sand. Daring's wings fought to keep her face and body from becoming a smear on the ground.

After Evy finished her 270-degree spin and came to a stop, Velvet's hoof planted itself on the sand. “There!” shouted Velvet. “That clear enough of a shot for you?!”

Daring's reply came in the form of a controlled burst of bullets towards the motorcyclist, now at Evy's right. His front wheel fell off, and the mercenary painted the ground with his face.

Velvet winced. And she thought the train shootout was intense.

The sound of more distant engines reached both Velvet's and Daring's ears. The pegasus looked behind, then goaded Velvet's back.

“Gun it! They've got a technical!”

“A what?!”

Velvet's answer was a bullet kicking up sand mere inches from Evy's pedals, followed by gunshots fired so close together they sounded like a buzzsaw.

“A pickup truck with a mounted machine gun!” Daring clarified. “Now step on it!”

As fascinating as learning new shit from Madam Daring was, Velvet didn't have to be told twice to put her pedal to the metal. Calling on the power of the nitrous gods a second time, Velvet catapulted herself, Daring, and her bike straight into a field of desert plants.

Machine gun rounds whizzed past them. Daring reloaded her rifle and made a feeble attempt to return fire. Weaving through bushes and cacti, Velvet rounded behind a large rock. Her fur stood, each bullet sending vibrations through the air and into her skin.

Soon, the firing stopped. The technical was nowhere in sight, so Velvet let go of the switch on Evy's booster.

“Okay.” Velvet sucked in a breath as she led Evy away from the rock and continued to traverse the field. “They won't be able to follow us here—” Velvet glanced at Daring “—where next?”

Daring pointed to a steep plateau to the east.

“Head up that mountain?” Velvet echoed Daring's thoughts. “It's got a narrow road. Maybe they won't be able to follow us.”

Daring rolled her eyes. “Wishful thinking.”

Velvet pursed her lips. "Boy, glad you're not a self-help author."

“But it is toward the east,” continued Daring. “And it's not like we can stay here forever.”

“I'll take that as a yes.”

Velvet turned Evy south and sped towards the plateau. The two ponies still hadn't gotten out of the field of desert plants, though at least the rocks provided them with some shade—even if it didn't last for long.

“Oh, by the way…” Daring butted in.

“Hmm?”

“It's called a mesa, not a mountain.

Velvet rolled her eyes. “Shut up and let me drive, otherwise they're gonna make a mesa out of us.”

    “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

    “No shame here.” Velvet revved the engine.

Almost in chorus with Evy, another foreign engine entered the fray just as Evy had begun to speed off. Two motorcycles and a jeep popped out from behind a second boulder. On top of the now-familiar din of gunfire, Velvet heard several zapping noises from the lead motorcyclist's horn. One bolt of yellow magic grazed Velvet's helmet and cracked the visor. White streaks blocking her vision, Velvet yanked her helmet off with her magic, revealing a face twisted in rage, her eyes glowing a boiling red.

“Oh COME ON!! Give us a break! Don't you asshats have anything better to do?!”

“We're probably worth our weight in bits to them!” Daring replied after a couple of bursts. “I'd say they're making the most of their time!”

Daring proceeded to unload her rifle, splashing the sand around the three vehicles. Velvet yanked the handlebars left and right, weaving Evy across all kinds of desert plants—half of which she'd never seen before. Her shoulders instinctively shrugged when Daring's elbow made contact with her spine.

“Mind driving straight for once? I can't hit crap!”

“And get bumped off by a cactus?!” The last word came out high-pitched as Velvet swerved out of the way of a saguaro. “Case in point! Besides, I keep moving so they can't hit crap either!"

Daring stopped shooting and looked back. "Are you suggesting that I'm crap?!"

"No!" A sliver of a grin made its way to Velvet's mouth. "Only that you're a crap shooter!"

"Well, I'm that, too. Just wait until we can get into a casino!"

From the side mirrors, Velvet saw one of Daring's rounds connect with the farther motorcyclist. Her body tumbled through the ground and cut down a thin organ pipe cactus. Judging from Daring's continuous firing and the fact that the other motorcycle was still closing in on them, Velvet surmised that it must've been a lucky shot.

The firing stopped.

“I'm out!” Daring called out. “Reloading!”

The engine of the surviving mercenary's motorcycle transitioned from growling to squealing. Bolts of magic zipped from the mercenary's horn and towards Daring.

An audible clang, then Daring hissing in pain, reached Velvet's ears. A bolt of magic connected with the fresh magazine on Daring's hoof, causing her to drop it in the sand. The sound of the merc's motorbike transmuted from a growl into a squeal.

Shit! He's trying to close in on us!

It didn't take long for the mercenary to pull up right beside Evy. Velvet and Daring could see fur around the merc's horn wrinkled as she pulled her eyebrows inward.

Velvet tried to bump her off.

The unicorn merc responded by swerving out of the way. “Oh no you don't!” the mercenary called out.

“Damn it!” Velvet growled. “This guy's good!”

Daring tapped Velvet's back and pointed to a gnarled shape in the distance. “Get closer to that yucca palm!”

“What?! Why?”

“Trust me!”

Velvet revved Evy's engine. No booster this time—couldn't risk an overload. As the duo neared the yucca, the mercenary tailed them, firing the occasional blast of magic from her horn.

Evy wiggled. Velvet turned her head to see Daring leaning forward and spreading out her hind legs. “Don't get any ideas!” the pegasus yelled.

“Don't be shy!” Velvet suppressed a chuckle. “Evy swings both ways!”

The mercenary's front wheel was close enough to almost touch Evy's rear fender. The mercenary's horn glowed. Her eyes focused on Evy's engine while her mouth widened into a smile. “Time to turn you into scrap metal!”

Velvet gasped. "Any time now, Daring!"

The pegasus kicked her right leg outward. The mercenary dodged by swerving right.

“Really? Again?” The mercenary stuck her tongue out. “What makes you think that'll work a second ti–”

She crashed into the yucca palm.

Wreckage hurtled into the air, accompanied by the sound of crunching metal and cracking bones. Velvet stabilized the bike once again when Daring resumed her normal sitting position and finished reloading her rifle.

“Nice!” declared Velvet.

“Don't celebrate yet.” Daring pointed to the jeep tailing them several yards behind. Velvet noted somepony, rifle slung over her shoulders and wings, getting out of the passenger's seat and climbing to the back. This time, the jeep brought more friends to the party: one four-by-four and three additional motorcycles. And that wasn't counting the technical catching up with Evy in the horizon.

Velvet didn't need to be told to keep moving, even though her hind legs could feel Evy's engine warming up. The unicorn's hoof tapped the front frame of her motorcycle. Just keep holding on, girl!

“I'm down to my last mag,” warned Daring. “If I run out of ammo, it's going to be all your fault!”

Velvet saluted. “Glad to be of service!”

The next place Velvet decided to take Evy was up a mountain pass to the east. Velvet quickly shifted Evy's gears, hoping to strike a balance between getting traction on the slope and maintaining enough speed. Hopefully, they couldn't follow her into the narrow road.

The mercenaries maintained their proximity. In fact, some of them were getting closer.

Velvet rolled her eyes. This day just kept getting better and better.

The vehicles made their way up the side of the cliff. To the left was an upward slope that soaked up the bullets flying towards Velvet and Daring. Velvet's eyes then gravitated to the downward slope at the right, but jerked away and returned to focusing on the road. Target fixation! Don't look there, you mule!

Daring's rifle produced several bursts. The first burst knocked out the front axle of one motorbike, sending it careening to a rock on the left slope. One of the jeeps emerged from the smoke, the riflemare on its rear retaliating with fire of her own.

A clunk, barely audible amid the gunfire, caused Velvet to look back. Not only was Evy bleeding green fluid, but she was coughing out white smoke—and it wasn't coming from the exhaust pipe.

“No, no, no!” cried out Velvet. “Don't do this to me! Just a couple more miles!”

As if she heard Velvet's cries, Daring poured several bullets into the jeep driver's head. As Evy and the other mercs rounded an S-bend turn, the jeep kept moving forward, crashed through a metal barrier, and plummeted to the ravine below and out of sight.

Velvet waved a hoof at the doomed jeep. “That's what you get, you bastard!”

The riflemare popped out of the slope and back into view.

“Have you forgotten about my wings?” Her raspy voice echoed from the slope as she took focused potshots at Velvet, Daring, and Evy.

Daring ducked around, then punched a hole in the mercenary's left wing with a spray from her rifle. The pegasus merc spiraled to the road, prompting one of the motorcyclists to swerve and avoid the corpse.

“Thanks for the reminder!” Daring remarked, then turned her rifle to the jeep and motorcycle zeroing in on them. “Maybe that'll teach your buddies not to fly in a gunfight without cover!”

Click, click.

Velvet glanced at Daring. “Out of clips?!”

“They're called magazines!” Daring twisted her body to face front.

“This is no time to be arguing about that crap!” Velvet's heart raced. The surviving jeep and his motorcycle underlings were zeroing in from behind. “If that car bumps us off, we're dead!”

“We'll get him! Trust me!” exclaimed Daring as she leaned forward and spread her legs. “Now, when I say ‘Rut me,’ I want you to brake, okay?! Do it for only a second, then accelerate once you're done!”

“What kind of hare-brained scheme are you planning?!” Velvet's voice cracked.

“No scheme! I'm just making this up as I go!”

The jeep's front bumper was only a few feet away.

“Steady!” Daring barked.

At Evy's side mirrors, Velvet saw an earth pony pop out from the jeep's truck bed and grin as he aimed a machine gun way bigger than his actual gun could possibly be.

“Rut me!”

Evy's tires screeched. The jeep advanced in front of them. Daring kicked the driver with her hind hoof. He jerked the steering wheel counterclockwise and fell off the jeep just as Velvet strangled the accelerator and brought Evy out of the spinning car's wrath. Centrifugal force threw the machine gunner at the back off the side.

The first motorcycle pancaked the fallen machine gunner. The second tried to swerve out of the way, but ended up joining the jeep as it crashed into the cliff face. Boulders jostled from the slope and tumbled into the road, crumpling the three vehicles. The technical was lucky; farther ahead, it had time to coast to a stop. From Evy's side mirrors, however, Velvet could see the crew frown at the large orange rocks blocking the road.

Velvet laughed, then blew a raspberry at the mercs before disappearing behind a curve on the road.

“See you guys later!”


Upon reaching the top of the mesa, Evy slowed to trotting speed, snaking her way through the creosote bushes to the shadow of an orange boulder. As soon as she switched Evy's engine off, Velvet's ears picked up the distant sound of the technical driving away. They probably had better things to do than wait Evy out.

Velvet's heart was still pounding against her rib cage. That whole chase lasted…what: three minutes? Five minutes? But it felt like forever.

Daring dismounted from the motorcycle and unslung her rifle. It dropped to the ground, kicking up dust that blended with the pegasus's golden fur.

“Dead weight now.” Daring gave a long, mournful look. “Sorry to see a good AK go.”

She turned around just in time to see a wide, toothy grin on Velvet's face. The unicorn's hooves trembled while Daring cocked her head.

“Uh…”

WOW!” Velvet's exclamation bounced off the boulder and caused Daring's ears to fold. “That was amazing! Just…holy crap!

Daring returned Velvet's manic smile with a frown. “Dude, quit smiling like that. You look like you're going to cut somepony up with a chainsaw.”

Velvet perked her ears up. “Ooh, I can't wait to do that! You've done it before?”

Daring snorted, a suppressed laugh peeking through her poker face. “You're not right in the head.”

“Never was!”

Daring walked under the boulder's shade and lay on the ground, stretching her shirt outwards to let the soaked sweat evaporate. For a few seconds, no words were exchanged, the desert winds providing the only sound.

“Can I ask you something, Twilight?”

Velvet chuckled, then dismounted from Evy and crouched in front of the engine. “I'm the journalist here,” she said while inspecting the leak. “If anything, I'm the one who's supposed to be asking you questions.”

“Fair exchange. I answer your questions; you answer mine.” A sliver of a smirk appeared on Daring's face. “How did you meet your fiancé?”

“Oh, you know…” Velvet shrugged. “Serious, studious stallion meets wild, carefree mare in college; both decide they'd like to spend the rest of eternity together. That kind of stuff.”

Daring's face contorted into a frown. “That's it? C'mon, you're a journalist, aren't you? Give me those juicy journalistic details!”

“Look, it's a complicated story.” Velvet glanced aside and blushed. “Certainly not one I can summarize in a few sentences.”

Daring raised her hooves in defeat. “All right, fine. Your turn.”

Velvet walked over to Evy's cargo compartment, levitating out a notebook and a pen. “How did you learn to fight? You some kind of former Royal Guard?”

“I've already told you Derringer—my second cousin from Dad's side—he served in the Army Groundpounders. He taught me how to fight.”

“Huh.” Velvet glanced aside, then looked back at Daring. “I figured your uncle taught you. He fulfills the mentor trope.”

Daring huffed and shook her head. “Ha! Gallant True…teaching me how to fight? Don’t get me wrong; he aced the Mad Minute back when the Jungle Carbines were in style. But the assault rifle age wasn’t kind to him, so he passed the torch to Derringer.” She smacked her lips, the smile disappearing from her face. “In retrospect, that probably explains in part why he got in trouble when we…”

The rest of the answer trailed off with the desert wind, Daring blinking a few times and rubbing the back of her neck. 

Velvet furrowed her eyebrows. “Um, Do Dare?”

“Never mind.” Daring shook her head and tilted her pith helmet back. “I'll…go scout ahead.” 

“But you didn’t even—”

“You better get Evy patched up.” Daring didn’t even look back as she flapped to the eastern edge of the mesa, leaving Velvet behind in a small cloud of dust. After waving the dust off her face, Velvet kept her eyes fixed at Daring even while walking back to Evy.

Mare of many mysteries, wasn't she?

After placing the notebook and her pen back in the cargo compartment, Velvet crouched in front of Evy's engine. Green fluid bled from the engine, and upon closer inspection, Velvet pursed her lips and groaned.

“Just as I thought: radiator's hit.”

She didn't have to squint. The bullet had punched straight through the aluminum cores. A welding spell wasn't going to cut it; she needed iron to reconstruct the cores, and it wasn't like there was a junkyard within walking distance.

Groaning, she finally settled on sealing the leaking hole with epoxy. It wouldn't hold for long once they got going, but in the absence of anything else…

“Velvet! Get over here.”

Daring's voice caused Velvet to jolt, then gallop to the sound of Daring's voice. The pegasus tipped her pith helmet forwards. “Southeast, across the salt flat.”

Velvet narrowed her eyes towards the direction Daring pointed. There, past an open plain and behind some hills, a gray column danced near the horizon. “That looks like…”

“Smoke,” completed Daring, “and that means…”

“Fire?”

“I was going to say ‘civilization,’ but I guess that works too. Is your motorcycle fixed?”

“Eh…” Velvet contorted her face into an unsure expression. “More or less?”

“Good enough.” Daring blew a tuft of mane out of her face as she took off and flapped back to the rock.

“Wait, what?” Velvet trotted behind and creased her eyebrows. “You don't want to give Evy a rest?”

“The sooner we get to that village…camp…whatever is making the smoke, the sooner you and your mistress can have a real rest.”

Velvet raised a hoof to protest, only for the words to stop in her mouth. Daring did have a point…


Another mountain pass allowed Evy to make her way down the mesa. Now she was driving parallel to a row of rocks on her left. To her right was the salt flat, the horizon distinguishable only by several red hills and the lone wisp of smoke peeking out of them. The ground was cracked, though the surprisingly smooth ride told Velvet that it was safe to traverse.

“You mind telling me why you zoned out over there?” Velvet called to Daring. “This job of yours isn’t personal, is it?”

“It’s none of your business, Vel.”

“I may be accompanying you for the spectacle and the assistance—” Velvet shifted up a gear “—but I'm a journalist first and foremost! I've got to write something to justify these action movie antics of yours!”

“It's a complicated story,” echoed Daring.

“Try me. I'm a complicated pony!”

Daring opened her mouth to speak.

Three revving engines cut her off.

Velvet and Daring jerked their heads backwards. One jeep and one technical popped out of a gully. From the back of the lead jeep, a familiar earth pony stood on her hind legs and pointed at Velvet and Daring. Her brick-red mane flapped in the wind.

“There they are! Open fire!”

Lead filled the air. Velvet swerved Evy left and right—a feeble attempt to dodge bullets. “Holy mother of– how'd you get out of the cave?!” Velvet shouted over the din of gunfire. “Are you made out of liquid metal or something?!”

“Shut up and use your boost-thing to get us out of here!” Daring yelled.

“And overheat the engine?! Are you crazy?!”

Clunk, clunk, clunk.

Evy stumbled. Velvet grimaced. Heat was brewing on her legs, and it wasn't the pleasurable kind. She peeked at Evy's engine, praying to Celestia that the bullets only dented the fender.

The engine coughed out black smoke and orange flames.

“Shit!”

Daring shoved Velvet in the back. “Hey! Drive straight! I've got an idea!”

From behind, the technical fired another burst. Velvet swerved left and right, Evy's suspension trembling under her ass.

“Dammit, I said ‘Drive straight!’ I can't jump off when you're zigzagging like this!”

“‘JUMP OFF?!’” Evy lurched to the side as Velvet turned more than she meant to."You're a wellspring of good ideas!”

Another burst. The left side mirror shattered and catapulted glass fragments into Velvet's hoof. “Agh! Dammit! I am so done with this guy!”

A weight shifted from the back. Velvet looked behind.

Before she could protest, Daring dismounted

Sweet Celestia's flaring sunbursts, this is insane!

Velvet faced front and straightened the surviving side mirror. The technical was at five o'clock—behind her, to the right—so Velvet swerved to get it directly behind her at 6 o'clock. Whatever harebrained plan Daring was cooking up, it seemed to be working. Velvet had to weave around wildly on the sand just to avoid the bullets splashing around her. It was a miracle she hadn't been hit.

Shame Evy hadn't been as lucky.

Meanwhile, Daring launched herself into the technical's machine gunner. Before the earth pony at the back could raise his machine gun, Daring slammed both her front legs onto his mouth, causing him to collapse into the bed of the technical. As Velvet veered left and glanced at the right side mirror to get a closer look, she saw Daring land on the back of the technical. She dragged the gunner's head to the bars lining the sides of the bed.

A swift thrust downward, and the gunner ate the bars.

“Savage!” Velvet yipped as a bullet buzzed her rump.

Something glinted from the side mirror. Volt's jeep was closing in on the technical from behind. The mare at the back aimed her pistol at Daring.

“Daring, seven o'clock!”

Did Daring hear her warning? Velvet wasn't sure. Whatever the case, the pegasus ripped a grenade from the gunner's vest and dropped it in the bed. Bullets sailed all around the air as Daring flew back to Evy.

She tore the cargo compartment off Evy's back.

Velvet stammered. “The hell?! How…why'd you–”

“Boost!” interrupted Daring as she ducked under a bullet whizzing past. “We need to get distance from that technical before it blows!”

“I can't believe this!” Velvet's voice cracked. “You want to execute both of your bad ideas?!”

“Just shut up and drive!”

Before Velvet could protest further, Daring grabbed her hoof and squeezed it on the booster. Evy gasped, then squealed and reared backward. Velvet clung to handlebars as she desperately tried to balance the bike.

Evy sped away, flames on her wake.

Behind her, the air around the technical seemed to warp. A green fog engulfed the vehicle before it exploded in a high-pitched grinding noise.

“Holy shit!” yelped Velvet. “What was in that grenade you dropped?”

“Unicorn magic! It was the only grenade the gunner was carrying!”

Steadily applying the brakes, Velvet had to raise her hind hooves to avoid the fire on Evy's engine. The air around the booster was warping—not just from the non-magical orange flames from the engine, but from the blue and violet clouds and sparks erupting from the booster itself. The prognosis wasn't good.

But Evy was a stubborn bitch, right?

Her sporting days would probably end after this whole affair blew off, but she could still serve as city transport. Just needed to overhaul the frame…and the radiator…and whatever was making coughing noises from the engine.

“Snap out of it, Vel!” Daring pointed to the left, where a third jeep had sped out of another boulder. “We're not out of the woods yet! Get closer to that jeep!”

“I would really appreciate it if you told me your plans in advance, you know!” Velvet spat.

“Just do it!”

Velvet complied, though not before letting out an exasperated grunt. Evy sputtered.

“No! Closer!

The flames reached Evy's wheels. Velvet's nose wrinkled from the fumes and the sudden loss of suspension.

“That's it! Keep moving!”

The two mercenaries on the jeep turned their heads to Velvet and Daring. One of them, a pegasus at the back, hurriedly fumbled with a rifle.

“Daring, he's gonna crash into us!”

“That's the idea!”

“No no no wait—”

Daring shoved her out of the motorcycle. Velvet reflexively flung her hooves forward and landed in the passenger seat of the jeep, kicking her hind legs so she could drag herself upwards. The driver traded a shocked stare with Velvet, then reached for the knife on his belt.

A thud and two grunts sounded from the back. The driver's upper body flew forward, the knife slipping from his hoof and sliding down the hood of the jeep. Both Velvet and the driver jerked their heads to the back. Daring and the passenger were duking it out, the former smacking the latter's skull downward with Evy's amputated cargo compartment, spilling the contents onto the floor.

Towards the side, Velvet caught sight of her motorcycle's tumble across the sand. The flaming engine gasped its last, and the wheels went airborne before Evy entered Valhalla in a blaze of glory.

“Evy! No!!”

Velvet's mourning was short-lived. A hammer punch from the driver slammed Velvet's temple into the parking brake. The pain was sharp, but brief.

In an instant, her sorrow at Evy's death transmuted into unintelligible, screaming rage.

Velvet leapt forwards, ramming her horn into the driver's ribcage. An airy scream, then several gurgles and coughs, escaped the stallion's mouth. Spongy tissue pulsing through her horn, Velvet stuffed the nausea back into her subconscious. She wrenched her horn out of the stallion's body and shoved him out the jeep with telekinesis. Her eyes tracked the stallion's body rolling over several times.

“That was for Evy, you bastard!”

Velvet scrambled into the driver's seat and jerked the steering wheel left and right, attempting to stabilize the car. There was another audible thud from the back. Velvet adjusted the side mirror with her magic. Daring was lying on the floor of the jeep, looking at Velvet.

“Classic stick-shift,” Velvet panted out. “I…I can make this work!”

“You better!” Daring shouted. “I wouldn't want your mistress's death to be in vain!”

Daring grunted and curled into a ball. Her body spasmed at every kick the passenger delivered on her body. The passenger then stopped momentarily to prepare a good hard kick. Daring was quicker, however, and shot a hind leg at the passenger's kneecap.

But it failed to connect. The pegasus passenger leaped off the jeep and spread her wings, the rifle still slung on her body. She fumbled with the firearm for only a few seconds before stabilizing her flight and aiming down the sights.

Crack.

The passenger's steady flight turned into desperate flapping. A dark cord from the jeep had wrapped around her right wing, leaving the other appendage to do all the work.

“Get over here!” Daring bellowed. With one hoof, she yanked the whip, and with it, the passenger. Velvet could almost hear the wing bones snap.

The passenger's body tumbled back into the jeep. As Velvet fought to stabilize the jeep with the steering wheel, Daring dropped her whip, stood up, and jerked the passenger's pink mane downwards.

A trowel to the throat silenced the passenger's pained screams.

Daring twisted her trowel out. Blood stained her right hoof, foreleg, and shirt sleeve. The passenger's forelegs twitched, a stream of crimson soaking her fatigues.

“Daring, quit dancing with that bitch!” Velvet ducked an incoming bolt of magic, then pointed at Volt's jeep, closing in at eight o'clock. “We've still got one more jeep on our tail!”

Daring slammed the trowel back into her holster and took the passenger's rifle.

It slipped off her hooves. The unicorn driver of Volt's jeep lit his horn, engulfing the tip of the rifle in an orange cloud and tossing the firearm over the edge. Daring's eyes traced the discarded gun, then turned back to the earth pony at the back of the jeep.

“Velvet, machine pistol!”

A spray of bullets came from behind. Daring hit the floor, while Velvet reacted by swerving the car left and right to avoid the bullets. Sand, salt, and rock flew in the air. Velvet's head began to spin, but her eyes stayed locked forwards, not even glancing at the side mirrors.

A thud sounded from the back. The jeep convulsed. Velvet turned her head to the left, catching sight of the hostile jeep within jumping distance.

Volt was no longer at the back.

“Daring!” Velvet began to warn. “Daring, I think Volt just–”

Daring grunted. As Velvet steered away from the mercenary jeep. she adjusted the rear view mirror. To the right of the jeep, Daring's form was supine on the floor, while Volt was poised to give Daring a lasting impression with her hind hoof.

“Oh, okay,” called out Velvet. “Never mind!”

With her forelegs, Daring deflected Volt's stomp. She shot two punches at Volt's surge protector, eliciting a guttural, pained gasp. Daring's wings then dragged her body backwards, allowing her to send a hind leg to Volt's stomach. The earth pony stumbled back as Daring unsheathed her trowel and adopted a bipedal fighting stance.

From the driver's seat, Velvet could see a blazing blue flame in Volt's eyes.

“You were supposed to be easy pickings!” Volt drew her stun baton with her hoof. A flick sent bright yellow sparks dripping from the shaft.

Daring smirked. “Oh, the sting of underestimation. Now you know how your lackeys feel! But hey, less talk, more beating the shit out of each other!”

Daring slashed left. Volt stepped back and swung her baton downwards, nicking Daring's hoof. The trowel slipped from Daring's grip and clanged on the floor. Daring hissed, but Velvet could see the pegasus fight through the arcs as they danced across her hoof. Volt recoiled and aimed her baton at Daring's head.

Daring ducked, the baton missing her helmet by a hair's breadth. Volt had opened herself to a counter. Daring delivered with a right uppercut to Volt's chin. Before Volt had time to cough in pain, she received an elbow strike across her cheekbone, followed by Daring grappling her head and raising her knee.

Meanwhile, Velvet was on the edge of her seat—literally and figuratively. From the rear view mirror, she noticed that despite the punishment Volt was receiving, her hoof clung to the baton. Velvet opened her mouth to warn Daring.

The jeep's front left mudguard dented. “Damn it!” Velvet's eyes traced the multiple orange sparks bounding off the jeep's side to their source. The second jeep was closing in again. Its driver squinted. His horn glowed.

“No!” Velvet kicked up a gear and hit the gas. “I'm not letting you destroy this baby!”

The acceleration sent Volt's baton arm wrapping around Daring's waist. It was only a matter of connecting the baton's shaft with Daring's back. The pegasus let out a long, agonized scream, bright yellow sparks snaking around her body. Her grip on Volt’s body loosened.

After releasing her baton from Daring's back, the mercenary pushed Daring away with her free hoof.

A kick sealed the deal.

And Daring stumbled, falling off.

Volt put her baton in one of her shoulder holsters. “Finally.” She pulled out her pistol with her left hoof, then yanked the back of Velvet’s mane with her right. Velvet’s shout was drowned out by Volt’s next words. “Stop this car now or I’m going to–“

Daring's whip cracked.

“Son of a—” A pained hiss came out of the mercenary's mouth as the pistol dropped from her hoof.

Another crack, and a drop of blood splashed on the dashboard to Velvet's right.

A couple magic shots from the mercenary driver whizzed past Daring, forcing her to fly to the jeep's right to avoid getting hit as she put her whip back in its sheath. Daring then swooped from right to left, and Volt dove to the floor, dodging Daring's attempt to shove her off.

The sole audience member in the royal rumble was knocked back to reality by a jostle from the back. Velvet fought the steering wheel, then glanced behind. Her rear left bumper had acquired a new dent, while the front bumper of the mercenary's jeep was crumpled. His engine roared. He was going for Round Two: PIT Maneuver.

She took her hoof off the gas and stepped on the brake, allowing the mercenary jeep to drive ahead of her. The driver focused his eyes on Velvet's hood, and his horn glowed rustily.

But Velvet's horn glowed faster.

“Oh no you don't!” she barked. “You're not the only hornhead here!” She sent a quick heating spell to the hostile jeep's windshield.

No need to take time. In fact, speed was key.

The windshield cracked in front of the mercs' faces, and they flinched as their car began to skid. Gritting her teeth, Velvet turned her eyes to the hostile jeep's engine and grunted as her magic felt for anything to tear apart.

For…good…measure!

Grinding metal sounded from the hood. The air around it warped, then smoked. Velvet's scream was an infusion of anger and physical exertion, her magic melting the battery and the surrounding components.

The mercs' vehicle veered right. The front axle dislodged and scraped the ground, spraying sparks; the jeep began to spin clockwise.

Oh shit! Bad Velvet! Bad Velvet!

Her hooves jerked the steering wheel away from the oncoming collision. The other jeep struck a boulder and flipped over and up—right past Daring. She yelped and put her hooves to her helmet, swooping closer to Velvet's jeep and just missing the wrecked suspension as it sailed over her head.

That was all the opening Volt needed.

She leaped and bit down on Daring's tail. Her head jerked, pulling Daring back into the jeep. The equipment at the back shifted violently and punctuated the pegasus's pained shout. Before she could stand, Volt stomped on her right wing.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!”

There was a second of reprieve before Volt crouched at Daring's writhing form. Velvet would have tried to help, but she could feel the left back wheel limping from the PIT maneuver earlier. She kept her eyes on the road and her hooves on the steering wheel; the last thing she needed was her car spinning out of control.

In one smooth motion, the stun baton went from sitting in its sheath to smacking Daring across her chest.

“Do you realize how many of my colts you've killed?!” Through the angry growling, a crack in Volt's voice betrayed a tinge of sadness. “Do you even care?! You think I don't know how my ‘lackeys’ feel?!”

Daring received another beating.

“This is for Ironsides!”

Smack!

“This is for Birdshot!”

Smack!

“And this is for Miles!”

From the rear view mirror, Daring's convulsing form made Velvet wince, and she folded her ears at the pegasus's anguished cries. C'mon, Supermare! Get up!

Velvet watched Volt turn around and rummage through the stuff on the floor for a few seconds, then turn back to Daring. Her horn sputtered, but she immediately cancelled the spell when her eyes gravitated from Volt's baton to a pile of rocks just up ahead. Velvet downshifted the gears, bit her lip, and squeezed the steering wheel. If she didn’t focus on driving, the terrain could turn the jeep over and send all three ponies to Tartarus.

“But you're right about one thing. I underestimated you,” growled Volt. She flicked a switch on her baton's handle. The bright yellow sparks on the shaft transformed into a thunderstorm of brilliant white surges. They gave several hellish crackles that growled and shrieked for blood. “Not a mistake I will make twice!”

The mercenary took the collar of Daring's shirt, pinned her to the edge of the jeep, and held the baton's tip inches from her eye. Daring groaned. Her eyes narrowed, and her brows were contorted. Through all that, however, a weak smile forced its way to the surface.

“Rut me.”

Volt raised an eyebrow.

That was all the opening Velvet needed. She slammed the brakes. Sand went airborne.

Velvet's chest flew forward, the steering wheel shoving all the air out her lungs. Inertia sent Volt's body tumbling over the front seats, her baton shooting out past her into the ground. Velvet's eyes were wide for a second, then they slammed shut to avoid the flying debris.

Volt grunted. Her body folded the windshield forwards, smashed the glass, and slid down the hood. She only came to a rest when her front hooves clung to the front grille, and her back legs dangled from the edge to scrape the ground. As Velvet floored the accelerator and Daring regained her bearings, Volt placed one hoof on the hood and tried to climb back up. The mercenary's eyes—still sporting a red gash from Daring's whip—blazed. She growled at Velvet like a demon crawling out of hell.

“Down, girl!” Velvet lit her horn.

Daring's shadow covered Velvet for a split second as her telekinesis slammed Volt's face onto the hood. The pegasus took to the sky and shot her hind leg at Volt's front hoof.

The hood dented.

The jeep convulsed.

And Volt cried out as she went under the wheels.

From the left side mirror, Velvet could see Volt's body roll across the ground, kicking up sand until she was just a dot in the distance.

“And… and stay out!” Velvet called out to Volt. Her chest rose and fell audibly, and her hooves trembled at the steering wheel. Daring settled at the back of the jeep and allowed her tensed muscles to dangle and relax.

Oh Celestia. Oh Celestia. Oh Celestia! Shit, I'm still alive! Has the air always tasted this good?

Velvet slowly allowed the car to slow to a more leisurely speed. Don't want to stress the engine like with Evy. The left side mirror showed Daring placing their belongings back into Evy's amputated cargo compartment, the only memento of her recently deceased mistress.

Evy...

There was no wild cheer from Velvet's mouth this time.

“Celestia, preserve me. I signed up for this.” She slumped in her seat.

“I told you so.” Daring snorted. “And it only gets better from here.”

“Better as in we'll get shot less?” Velvet risked a glance back.

“Maybe. If we're lucky, they might unleash the kraken on us.”

“Wha— in the middle of the desert?”

Daring shrugged. “This desert did use to be a lake. Who knows what's buried out there?”

“If this doesn't end up killing me, it's going to make the strangest Scientific Equestrian article ever,” Velvet sighed.

A few minutes later, Daring uttered a grumble from the back—almost inaudible above the jeep's engine.

“Something the matter?” asked Velvet.

“It's not here.”

“Huh?” Velvet blinked and turned to face Daring. The floor was clear of debris, all of it placed in the cargo compartment.

“The piece of Indra's Bow that we got from the cave—it isn't here.”

Velvet opened her mouth to speak, but the crackling of white noise from the car's radio, with the slightest tinge of speech, interrupted her. A few turns of the dial allowed the static to make way for more legible speech.

“Volt! Volt!” A young stallion's voice called from the radio. “Dear Celestia, are you all right?”

As Daring slid to the passenger's seat from the back, a mare coughed two times from the radio, then spoke. “Wave Rider? Weren't you with Third Squad?”

“All dead. I'm the only one left. Jeep's busted, too; had to fly my way over here.” The sound of a bag opening and a bottle being handled crackled through the speakers. “Water?”

“No, no, you can have it. You deserve it, after what you've been through. Just give me some fentanyl.”

Velvet and Daring leaned closer to the radio as Volt and Rider's voices began to fade into the overlying static.

“I've called the others,” said Rider. “We can keep up the pursuit.”

“No need. I got what I came for. I always do.”

A burst of white noise followed, then silence, leaving Daring and Velvet to stare at each other.