[Author’s note: The chapters aren’t all this long. This is an exception.]
Chapter 6: Open Air Irritation
[The Wasteland began to erode me from the first night out.]
I sat huddled in the ruins of a dead city, giggling. After hours of struggling to make sense of the events over the past few days, my strained mind had taken a break to focus on the only thing of which I was certain.
Heeheehee, Naiara got shot in the flank!
The sky was bright as I sat in the corner of a formerly three-story building. All that was left of it after all this time was a single floor with a lot of rubble forming a makeshift roof. The entire city of Whinniepeg was like this.
I shivered as a whistling gust blew through the rubble and licked at my body. The rubble might offer some cover from rain but it didn’t do much to warm my drained form. Even now, in the middle of the day, there was little heat present. The far-off howling of the blizzard exposed the reason.
The blizzard. That damn blizzard. Day in and day out it never ends. Even here.
I rose to my hooves and moved from under the dilapidated building. Leaning against what was left of the building’s wall, I turned to the distant storm. There it was, stretching across the horizon.
My world of white.
I’d seen it so many times through my frequent External Monitor Duty rotations and not once had it ever let up. One slow week I’d gone through the EMD archives and they too showed that the blizzard was, for all intents and purposes, eternal. Two hundred years and still going strong. It seemed mind-boggling now.
Turning my head I saw that the storm could be seen from one edge of my vision to the other. A solid barrier running across the entirety of Equestria’s North. It was hardly any wonder why we saw few pegasi around. Having to contend with that weather would make any flier think twice.
Is this because of the pegasi closing the sky? A side-effect of the bombs? Or was Old Equestria just that nuts?
Even with all that was going on, my heart still found a way to break a little more when looking at that blizzard. Seeing how it seemed to run potentially across the entire Northern Equestrian border made me realise that on some level I had believed that it was specific to Stable 61’s mountain. I had believed that perhaps I could have used it to find my way home again.
It’s surprising how much it hurts to lose a belief you never knew you had.
And why did I no longer have that belief?
Cassie.
Obviously not just the star-flanked pegasus, but I wasn’t ready to face the thoughts of the other culprit, not yet. So Cassie was, for the moment, the subject of my displeasure.
I ground my teeth and hissed out the words. “I was looking for you! After you shot me! I was looking for you to bring you back to your sister because I felt bad for the two of you! Even after you left me to the Steel Rangers without a backwards glance! I forgave you! I fought alongside you! Then you strangle me and try to steal from me for the second time! Without a word you took my home from me! If I find you before Breeze does-”
A shadow flashed across me before I could finish. My eyes shot skyward just as two more shapes crossed the clearing. Panicking, I scrambled back into my hollow as more outlines joined them. Perhaps a dozen, maybe more. I couldn’t see anything but their shadows from my position.
Inching my way forward, I scanned the area in the hope of spotting the newcomers before they spotted me. My belly chafed within moments as the debris-strewn ground pushed my clothing into me but I didn’t dare rise. The irritation was minor compared to the thought that these might be slavers or Raiders. I followed the direction their shadows had been heading, attempting to stay in cover and moving as quickly as possible when I could not.
“Is this the place, boss?” The sound of the masculine voice from around the next corner froze me in mid-crawl.
“Indeed it is. The radiation scanner’s going off the charts. Everybody take a RadSafe now and check your RadAway stocks. If you’ve got less than two with you then find one of your fellow grunts who has extra and get one from him. Nobody’s getting sick on my watch. You get me?!” The voice was loud and raucous. It demanded authority.
“WE GET YOU, SIR!” Was the unequivocal response.
I flattened myself against the wall and inched my way towards the corner of the building. I tried to keep as much of myself concealed as possible as I ever-so-carefully poked one eye around the corner.
The biggest griffon I’d ever seen was directing his squad inside the building. He was stone-grey from from tail to tip. Only his yellowed beak and dirty claws gave him any sort of colour change. With the lines and scars adorning his form it was hard to tell if the grey was natural or a sign of age. He was no spring chicken either way. A brown cigar poked out of the side of his beak with a small plume of smoke trailing off it. Each of the other griffon wore grey body armour and helmets and carried a two-handed rifle. The big boss griffon was the last to enter the irradiated building I’d avoided before. He took a long, slow look around before entering, which forced me to duck back and wait a few minutes before venturing out.
He’d left no guards but I suppose if there was that much radiation in play you’d want things taken care of as soon as possible. Leaving somebody standing outside just reduced your numbers and had them do nothing but soak up radiation. I downed a RadSafe myself before approaching the doors of the building.
This is a very Snowflake-stupid thing to do but anything’s better than sitting around with no clue how to get, well, anywhere.
Without my Pipbuck I had no idea how much radiation I was soaking up each second so I moved as fast as I could without making too much noise. I eased the door open and glanced around.
The lobby was a square room with glass doors behind a rotting desk at the other end. They’d been forced open. Nothing else was in the room, not even windows. Gulping, I stepped inside and quietly scuttled over to the desk, staying as low as possible in case any griffons returned. I risked a quick glance over the top of the desk and down the hallway behind the door before ducking down again. It looked all clear but I still proceeded with caution. I took a deep breath and ventured cautiously down the darkened corridor.
~~~~~~
“You have got to be The dumbest unicorn I have ever laid eyes on! You have no gun and yet you still chase down a dozen griffons in a place where you are between us and the only exit? You must be kidding me!” The big griffon blew a load of smoke into my face. The smell was awful and it caused my eyes to water as I coughed.
Seeing my discomfort, he stepped back and addressed the two griffons who’d snuck up on me on the floor above. My stealth skills were obviously not up to task. “Eitom, Wicker, I’ll take ‘er from here. You head down to the next level and meet up with Delta.”
The claws holding me did not slacken. “You sure that’s wise, boss? Unicorn’s got magic after all.”
McCoy stomped up into Wicker’s face. His eyes were hard and his tone was final. “Did I ask your opinion, Wicker?! No, I did not! I said to get your tailfeathers down to the next level and meet up with Delta. I don’t think Wicker should still be here, am I right Monsters?”
Wicker and Eitom instantly dropped me and stood to attention. “SIR, YES, SIR!” And with that they sped off. Both myself and McCoy watched them disappear around the corner.
The griffon took a long drag on his smoke. “Mhm, damn right I am.”
He turned to me, “Now then, li’l lady, you’ll be comin’ with me. I ain’t gonna hurt ya or let nuthin’ else hurt ya. I’m under contract, y’see. Anything or anyone of note we find down here we bring back undamaged.”
I thought about this as the griffon took another drag, the end of his cigar glowing orange. “So I can just walk away and you won’t touch me?”
He just coughed/laughed past his cigar at this. “Now did I say that? Touchin’ ain’t the same as damagin’, li’l missy. You’ll recall I said that we’re to bring back anything we find? Well that means you’re gettin’ brought back whether you like it or not. Try to get rough and I’ll subdue you. Try to magic us and I’ll sedate you. You’re coming with us, unharmed, because that’s what we’ve been contracted to do. You’ve got the word of McCoy of McCoy’s Monsters on that.”
“Lovely.” I bit out. So I was not gonna be killed but I was a prisoner nonetheless. I was gonna be dragged back to whoever this griffon’s employer was.
Unless I take him out now and make a run for it...
“And just so you don’t go gettin’ any crazy ideas about takin’ me on and bolting, I’ve had an open channel to all my Monsters while we’ve been talking. They see you without me and they’ll stop you. Again, they won’t harm you but you will be coming home with us.”
Fuck.
Griffons didn’t mess around with contracts. I knew this from my time in the Stable. Hell, Roc was trying to be Overseer because of a contract. Not that the bastard needed another reason to go after a position of authority. Rock liked being in charge. This McCoy would stick stubbornly to the letter of his agreement, no matter who disagreed. I was stuck...
“So why are you down here?” ...but I didn’t have to be happy about it.
McCoy laid his rifle across his shoulder and stubbed out his spent cigar. I thanked Celestia for small miracles...until he pulled out another one. “We’ve got a job to do here. We stay until it’s done. That means YOU stay too.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “We can’t stay here! The radiation in this place will kill us in less than an hour!”
McCoy didn’t immediately respond beyond puffing thoughtfully on his smoke-able. “That wouldn’t have stopped us anyway, but we caught something of a break in that regard. It seems that the radiation we detected is isolated to the surface and the upper levels. Eitom says down here we’re basically fine.”
“What? How does that work?” I was less than pleased by our sudden ‘good fortune’.
Neither was McCoy. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it. You saw the place before we snagged you. Do you think something like that would happen?”
I thought back to before I’d been caught. After leaving the lobby I’d passed through a heavy steel door and into something completely different. The concrete walls had given away to clinical tile and the walls were soon adorned with all manner of signs and warnings and directions. Each floor I descended grew larger and larger. More and more rooms and corridors split off as I descended.
Each room seemed to be filled with all manner of scientific equipment. I recognised similar equipment back in the Stable though I hadn’t known then and didn’t know now what the equipment did. From the state of disrepair in the place it was very sensitive and highly valuable. There had been no helpful markers like the Lethbridle jail cells. Nothing even hinted at what these stations and experiments had been for or even who had been performing them.
Any answers that might have been found here had left with the scientists themselves. All McCoy and his employer could hope to find here were useable materials rather than specific items. The increasingly large maze of tunnels could potentially lead to untouched rooms but how would anybody know what was still down here after 200 years? And why, if all other clues to what was being researched here had been removed, would there be anything of importance left over?
No, this place had been stripped of all essentials before the previous tenants had left. Raw materials would be the prize, if any prize was left to be found. Still, I’d seen nothing that would indicate any sort of radiation leak in the upper levels and certainly nothing which would explain how it didn’t affect us down here.
I felt something tap the back of my head and turned around. My eyes widened as I found myself staring down the barrel of McCoy’s rifle. I slowly stepped back and looked past the gun to the griffon pointing it at me. His face was impassive. “Sorry about that but you’ve been starin’ around for a few minutes now and I’m still waitin’ for an answer. What do you think about the radiation?”
Not one for small talk, this griffon. “I don’t know. I’m no expert on radiation but I didn’t see anything that could have been a source.”
McCoy lowered his weapon, looking less than satisfied. “No, I didn’t either. I still don’t like it. But since we ain’t getting irradiated we keep going. Us Monsters never leave a job unfinished. Follow me.” Without another word he turned and began walking down the tunnel, his claws clacking against the metal floor.
He seems utterly unconcerned with the idea that I might attack him. Even in this situation I couldn’t help but feel a little bit insulted. I mean, I didn’t like the name but I was Red Ice. I’d lived through a lot. Was it a griffon thing to be this arrogant? Roc and now McCoy easily dismissed me. Heck, I even got some some grief about my skills from W-
No, not now. It’s not the time. My now-watering eyes betrayed me but I hastily wiped them with the smooth fur where my Pipbuck had been. Setting my jaw, I stomped angrily after McCoy.
Not like I’ve got any other choice. I’m in too deep to make it past all his Monsters.
~~~~~~
“Well ain’t this a fine how-do-you-do?”
McCoy and I had travelled down seven more levels. Judging by the maps appearing on the walls, each successive floor was bigger than the one above it. Unfortunately they were in progressively worse states of disrepair. More and more often we came across collapsed corridors, forcing us to backtrack. Finally we reached the stairs and found another blockage. We couldn’t go any further.
I was tired and slumped against the wall while McCoy inspected the blockage. “Hmmhmmhmm. Something about this don’t seem right,” he cocked his head back at me, “Wake up! I want a second opinion.”
Grumbling under my breath, I dragged myself to my hooves and stalked over. “What? It’s a blocked tunnel. It happens. Can we go now?”
McCoy scoffed at this. “Course not. We got a job to do. No offense but you ain’t the kinda haul we’re lookin’ for.”
I doubted I’d get a better chance to find out what was going on. “So what kind of haul are you looking for, McCoy?”
He didn’t take the bait. “That ain’t in the contract.”
I pushed onwards nonetheless. “So what is in the contract? I know griffons don’t leave a job unfinished but if I knew I might be able to help you so I can get out of here quicker. I don’t like being held against my will.” They may not be slavers themselves but their employer might be. It probably wasn’t Plottawa. With his army, Peanut really had no use for mercenaries, but DJ Pon3 had mentioned a Red Eye as another slaver, even if he wasn’t thought to operate this far north.
The old stone bird chuckled. “What does a li’l pony girl like you know about griffons, huh? You’re as green as they come. You still live with your momma?”
I thought about Roc and the other griffons back at the Stable. Always working hard, never taking a break until they completed their tasks. Roc, for all his unpleasantness, was the very model of griffon dedication. I might have respected that if he wasn’t bigoted against my brothers. I’d always rather liked the other griffons, for the little interaction I’d had with them.
Unfortunately this train of thought brought me back to the topic I’d been avoiding. The chocolate-and-cream girl who’d taken my friendship and spat it back in my face. “I know it hurts when a griffon turns on you.”
CLANG!
McCoy made no move to pick up the weapon he’d dropped. He stared daggers at me for a moment. “What did you say?”
Uh oh. “Nothing.”
His anger did not fade. “Hell no, it ain’t nothing! You oughta watch your mouth. No self-respectin’ griffon’d do that. We ain’t wired that way. You ain’t got no cause to be talking like that!”
YOU DARE?! “No cause? I have no cause to say that? It happened yesterday! You and your flyboys aren’t the first griffons I met here. Who are you to say that griffons are so righteous? That one robbed me and you’ve taken me prisoner! Exactly what is it about griffons that warrants respect from anybody, including themselves?!”
He bit clean through his cigar. “You’re damn lucky I’m under contract not to harm you, girl.”
“AND YOU’RE DAMN LUCKY YOU HAVE BACKUP! I’ve just about had it with everybody around here. You want to fight me then I’ll be happy to oblige!” I felt my horn flare up and the temperature dropped a few degrees.
McCoy’s claw twitched towards his rifle. We stayed there, neither of us blinking. Finally the grey-feathered veteran looked to the side and hollered down his communicator. “MONSTERS! FORM UP!”
Nothing more was said for the long minutes it took for the squad to arrive. When Eitom, Wicker and the rest arrived I was almost immediately flanked by two unnamed flunkies as guards. Apparently McCoy had decided our conversation was over. Still as I waited at the back of the formation I overheard snippets of what they were saying to each other.
“...too far down for this kinda rock...”
“...swear the tunnel was clear the first time I looked...”
“...not even any radiation on the upper floors now...”
“...went back later and it was empty!”
McCoy took it all in before coming to a decision. “Alright, Monsters, we’re wrapping up here. Start on this floor and work your way up. Look for anything strange or worth something. If it’s small enough to carry then grab it. Leave the rest, it can be taken later. Work your way up to the surface. You’ve got 30 minutes. Anyone shows up late and you’ll be walkin’ home, because I swear I’ll tie your wings into a pretty li’l bow!”
I glanced from one of my guards to the other. “So am I following you two or are you waiting for me to take the lead?” The both glared daggers at me.
McCoy growled at my comment but addressed the two. “You heard the...lady. Move like you got a purpose! Don’t be afraid to gag her if she gets uppity. Keeping her mouth shut ain’t exactly harming her.”
Grimacing, the two saluted and immediately began quick-marching me up the stairs. As we passed the now-derelict research labs I strained my eyes to find any kind of clue as to the purpose of the place. I had no more luck than the first time. The fast pace the two nameless Monsters set didn’t help. The closest thing to a clue in the place were a few random bumps and clinks as we passed.
We emerged into the afternoon sun and I shielded my eyes against the glare. One of the pair paused to take a quick reading with a handheld gadget. I recognised a similar screen to my Pipbuck’s Rad detector. They hadn’t been kidding down in the tunnels. There wasn’t even a trace of radiation showing up on the sensor now. Yesterday the levels had registered as lethal. What was going on?
~~~~~~
“You g-guys are n-not g-gentle!”
I was suspended in a harness held by the two griffon guards as we flew through the air. My limbs were bound and I had rolled onto my back shortly after takeover. Thus far I had not managed to right myself again. Trying to look ahead while upside down had resulted in several headrushes, so all I could do was look around at the rest of the formation. Eitom, Wicker and the other 7 Monsters were all burdened by their spoils while McCoy flew at the head of the group, leading the way.
He hadn’t said a word to me since our confrontation. I was quite happy with this arrangement, the stuck-up griffon could stay silent for all I cared.
I just wish the ride wasn’t so bumpy. And that it wasn’t so cold!
The feathers of the griffons apparently did a better job than a pony’s fur. I was shivering in my bonds as the thin air stole my warmth. Not just my warmth but my energy too. It was so tiring to lie here with nothing to distract me.
I took a quick glance through drooping eyes at the landscape below me. It turned out that the Wasteland looked very different from this high up. I didn’t recognise anything on the ground. There was a big...something in the distance which I guessed was our destination but beyond that I didn’t have a clue. The rest of the environment was dull rock, dust and occasional patches of green.
Except the ever-present white to the North. As it was to our left I could see that we were heading East. beyond that I had no clue, though I didn’t think we had travelled far enough to reach Plottawa.
I really, really hope we aren’t going to Plottawa.
I gave in to my body’s craving for rest and curled up in the harness as tight as I could.
Just a little rest, that’s what I need.
“Double time now, Monsters! We’re close to our destination and I want some daylight left when we get there.” At their leader’s urging, the griffons increased their speed. This had the added side-effect of also increasing the shaking.
Even that’s too much to ask? McCoy, you’re a real...what was it Naiara called that guard? Oh, that’s right...
“Keep it down, jackhole,” I murmured, “‘m tryin’ to sleep.”
The chain-smoking griffon didn’t hear me over the blowing wind but it was loud enough to draw the attention of one of my bearers. He shook the harness. “Hey, eyes open. Don’t wanna fall asleep up here. You might not wake up.”
“Mm, wanna bet?” Why couldn’t they be quiet? I was so tired...
“I mean it! It’s dangerous! Hey...HEY!”
G’night...
“SIR! WE HAVE A PROBLEM HERE!”
The flapping of wings sounded so far away in my fading consciousness.
“What’s the trouble...ah dammit!”
~~~~~~
“Snowflake?”
I have got to stop waking up in places I don’t know.
“Snowflake? Can you hear me?” The voice was flat and unfamiliar, but definitely male. Not McCoy, Bosco or Peanut. I found I had to take a moment to consider which other males I had encountered...nooo, it didn’t sound like them either. Someone new then.
I opened my eyes as slits, struggling against the harsh electric glare of the lights.
It seemed I was inside somewhere. And I was warm! That was a pleasant surprise since I remembered being really damn cold before I fell asleep. “Well this is nice.”
The voice returned, it was not unkind. “I’m glad you think so. We weren’t sure how you would be holding up after you went under on the way here. Is there anything we can get you? Some tea?”
While that did sound so tempting, I was reluctant to accept stranger tea. “...no, I’m fine. Sorry, but I don’t think we’ve been introduced...”
The voice was mirthful. “Weeell, actually we have. Do open your eyes, Snowflake. I know that the blankets are comfortable, as well as efficient for heat-retention, but this really would go faster if we could see eye-to-eye.”
We’ve met before? Now quite awake, I opened my eyes and lifted myself from my lovely den of blanket-warmth. The pony sitting across from me, annoyingly flanked by a scowling McCoy, was a bleach-blond unicorn sporting a dark-blue labcoat. He was grinning in a way that suggested immense satisfaction.
“I know you! You’re...um...”
He chuckled. “Aw, a 20-second meeting, over a week ago, where we spoke no words to each other, and you can’t even remember my name? I’m hurt. No matter. As I was introduced by Esto last time, allow me the honour of re-introducing myself. I am Latvi. Welcome back to Lethbridle.”
I gaped. “We’re in Lethbridle?”
His cheerful smile didn’t diminish. “A pleasure to see you again too, Snowflake.”
Admonished, I shucked the blankets, facing him directly. “Sorry, Latvi. It is a pleasure to see you again. I was a little worried when McCoy there grabbed me but there are far worse places to end up than with you.”
The unicorn just grinned wider. “You’re going to make me blush.”
The griffon just scowled deeper. “You’re gonna make me sick.”
I ignored him and looked around. We appeared to be in a small rest area. I was on the lower bunk of a double bed while Latvi sat at a simple table with two other chairs and McCoy leaned against the wall behind him. A sink, cooker and refrigerator comprised the rest of the furniture. The walls were a faded white. “Where are we? In Lethbridle, I mean.”
“Ah. Forgive me. We’re in our, as in Esto, Lithu and my, research station in the Southern Quarter. Mister McCoy here brought you straight here, as per the contract. However I would not have been amiss to him getting you some medical attention, as you were very cold when you were brought in. Luckily you’ve recovered after warming up.”
I glanced at McCoy, who said nothing. “Thank you for your help. If you don’t mind me asking, why did McCoy bring me here? He wouldn’t tell me as it ‘wasn’t in the contract’.”
“Because griffons don’t break contract.” Growled the griffon. His claws twitched towards his pocket but stopped midway and drew back.
Latvi noticed. “Forgive him, I’ve asked him not to smoke in here as it can interfere with the experiments we’re running. It has made him a little tense. As to why you were brought here, I merely specified that I wanted all possible information and findings from the excursion. Perhaps my wording was too simplistic.”
“You wanted all ponies brought back-” The griffon snarled, apparently unhappy at being treated like he’d made a mistake.
Latvi cut him off with less warmth than he’d displayed so far. “Yes, thank you, McCoy. As I was saying, when we were at the bar we expressed interest in your Pipbuck and then you expressed interest in our Memory Orb research, correct?”
“Yeah I wanted you to f-wait, you know what a Pipbuck is? How?”
“We’re scientists,” he deadpanned, “We like to find things out.”
“But...Esto didn’t know.”
Latvi’s smile faltered slightly but he quickly shrugged. “I’m afraid I have an advantage over Esto in that regard. I have memory magic. That’s my special talent. It makes me very good at handling Memory Orbs. They hold such wonderful secrets. That is, in fact, both the reason I know what a Pipbuck is, and the reason I sent McCoy and his Monsters to Whinniepeg. A Memory Orb I recently acquired indicated told me that there would be valuable equipment there. I was certainly surprised when one of the treasures brought back was the increasingly-fascinating Snowflake.”
McCoy grunted as he twirled an unlit cigar between his claws “Do you two want some privacy?”
Latvi made a pointed effort not to acknowledge that. I didn’t. I glared at the griffon before turning back to the scientist. “So, the Memory Orb stuff you bring in, you research it?”
Latvi twisted his hoof back and forth. “Yes and no. I’m happy to donate my findings if nopony buys them. I fund the expeditions to scavenge these forgotten treasures out of my own pocket. Esto and Lithu aren’t involved.”
“But don’t you work with them?”
“Certainly I do. As an independent researcher. Fascinating though the work is, it neither provides much in the way of salary nor offers the same kind of protection that Neighlway, Plottawa, or Tenpony Tower offer their scientists. I am merely attempting to secure a fallback cash reserve should our funding dry up.”
I frowned. “Esto and Lithu?”
“Are free to use their own special talents to create similar opportunities for themselves. I do actually like my colleagues, Snowflake. I am not trying to cheat them out of anything. I merely wish to ensure a good standard of living for myself.”
Bosco’s advice on Wastelanders looking out for themselves rang true here.
“That’s...” I really didn’t know how to feel about that. There was really nothing I could say. He wasn’t exactly wrong to be looking out for himself like that but it somehow just didn’t seem right. Esto and Lithu were satisfied with their work and yet he wasn’t? Would he even honour his agreement with me and Bosco if he thought he could make a profit off it?
I leaned back on the bed. “Sorry, Latvi, but I’m not sure I really know anything about Whinniepeg to help you out. I was there by chance.”
The look he gave me was measured. “It it were anypony else but you, a Stable pony, telling me that, I’d have thought you were lying to me. However I’m inclined to believe you,”
I breathed a silent sigh of relief as Latvi made an “It can’t be helped” gesture before he continued, “How lucky it is that you already have something that is of interest to me. Our original deal still stands: You have fulfilled your side of the bargain. We’ve been informed of what happened to the trading caravan.”
I grimaced at the memory of the two guards among countless other caged Wastelanders. “Yeah, Contego and Vorbis got caught and the Plottawans raided the caravan. It was picked completely clean.”
“Yes, a pity that but not an insurmountable obstacle. Regardless, you still did as we asked and therefore we are happy to help fix your Memory Orb. Oh, and of course your colt friend can make use of our Recollector to view his Orbs. As a matter of fact, we have that at this facility. He left them in our care after telling us about the caravan.”
My heart jumped. “Bosco was here? When? Is he still in Lethbridle?”
Only when McCoy stepped forward and Latvi began to frown did I realise that more than my heart had jumped. I had left the bed entirely.
The unicorn seemed nonplussed. “You don’t know where Bosco is? Has he not been with you? It will be difficult to arrange a time to view his Orbs without him here. Esto has been most insistent that he be allowed to view them first. Quite vexing, naturally.”
“Did he say when he would be back?” I honestly wasn’t sure how much time had passed since I sat in the hut with Naiara and Breeze, when the zebra told me that Bosco would return to Lethbridle two days later. Getting knocked out in Whinniepeg really did a number on my plans.
“No, sadly he did not,” Latvi was rubbing his chin with his hoof in thought and suddenly brightened, “but maybe you can contact him? Did you perhaps set up some form of communication through your Pipbuck? I didn’t see it on you when you were brought in. In your bag, perhaps? I’ll go fetch it. McCoy, watch over her, will you?”
As the unicorn hopped off his chair and headed for the door, the griffon grumbled after him. “Am I still under contract?”
Latvi didn’t stop. “Of course, you haven’t been paid yet.” The remark was delivered without turning or slowing down. Then he was out the door, and I was left alone with my kidnapper.
I gave him a knowing grin. “Still under contract means I can’t be harmed. Toooo baaaad.”
He didn’t rise to the bait. “What do you got against griffons? Back there you said you’d been betrayed by one. That just don’t happen.”
“And yet it did.” I managed through suddenly gritted teeth. I hated this, being around another griffon for this long, so soon after Wings and Cassie attacked me.
McCoy’s feathers were physically ruffled now. “You want proof that griffons don’t go against contracts, including social contracts, li’l pony girl? You’re still alive right now. Because I’m contracted to keep you from harm. If that’s not the case and you start mouthin’ off with those lies again and I’ll kill you dead.”
“Oh pull the other one and then go fuck yourself with it, jackhole. I have not had a good week and I don’t plan on sitting here taking this from you. I’ve been poisoned, taken prisoner twice, one of those being by you, you prick. I’ve been shot at, shot through, chewed out, chased for miles, and mugged by a fucking griffon I called a friend. I literally called her that two days before she mugged me and took my Pipbuck,”
I jerked my head towards the door, “which is probably gonna bring me more grief when that money-grubbing little hissyflit out there comes back.”
I jabbed McCoy roughly in the chestplate. He didn’t seem to feel it and went right on glaring. “It took two damn days for her to go from becoming my friend to taking everything in this world that matters to me. I’VE GOT NOTHING LEFT! I CAN’T GO HOME! I’M STUCK HERE AND WITH YOU OF ALL PEOPLE! Some patriotic geezer who thinks griffon feathers blow stardust!”
Oh, Celestia, that’s...that’s all true.
Wings...why did you do this?
I slumped miserably back onto the bed. “You tell me, McCoy,” my words were quiet and lifeless, “why should I like griffons and why should I care about what you say?”
Silence descended as I stared at the floor and McCoy...did something, I didn’t really care at this point. The only noise was a far-off clattering of hooves on stairs. Latvi was coming back but wouldn’t be here for maybe a minute or so.
“Who is she?”
The gruffness of his voice was still there but it lacked the usual parade-ground bluster. I scoffed at the question. “I’m not telling you, she’ll turn out to be your cousin or something.”
The next tone was accusatory. “Why should that matter? You gonna kill her?”
“NO!” I replied immediately. I really wasn’t going to. I just wanted my home back. Anything after that would be dealt with when it came up. I’d forgiven Cassie and Breeze for trying to kill me, Cassie’s later role in the mugging notwithstanding, and they weren’t even my friends. Well, maybe Breeze would be. Either way I still needed to hold onto the hope that this wasn’t all that it seemed. So I could still be Snowflake, who gave a zebra money on trust, rather than Red Ice, who got a whole bunch of buffalo killed.
“Little girl, this is serious. If there’s even a chance of what you say bein’ true then it needs to be taken care of. It’s a disgrace to all griffons if one of us acts like that. She needs stoppin’.” This had a certain finality to it.
“I’m not your friend, McCoy, and I’m not one of your Monsters. Find her yourself.”
Before anything more could be said on the matter, the door flew open with a bang. Latvi stood livid in the doorway. “Where is it?!”
I didn’t even need to lift my head. “Gone. I got mugged.”
This sent him sputtering. “A treasure of unimaginable significance and you lose it to some common hoodlum?How stupid are you, Stable filly!”
At last, he’s honest. “About as stupid as you for pining after a girl who’s clearly not into you. You do know Lithu’s got a boyfriend, right?” I delivered this with as much smugness as I could muster.
The scientist reeled back like I’d slapped him before charging forward and wildly trying to bludgeon me with my pack. “SHE’S MINE! SHE’S MINE! I LOVE HER!”
I covered myself with my hooves as he rained down blows before McCoy grabbed Latvi from behind and threw him away. “I’m still under contract, Latvi. I don’t like Snowflake any more than you do but she comes to no harm under my watch. Remember that.”
I just rolled my eyes, not in the least bit thankful.
Latvi dragged himself up, chest heaving and eyes dilated. “New contract, McCoy! Go find this Dent that Lithu likes so much and kill him!”
“No, you can’t!” I bounded from the bed towards Latvi but McCoy knocked me back as easily as he’d done Latvi.
“What about this one?”
The colt wiped some spittle from his jaw and collected himself. “We’ll shackle her up and I’ll take her to Plottawa. I hear there’s a big bounty for Red Ice.”
“You knew?”
He barked out a derisive laugh. “Of course I knew, simpleton. We send you to Plottawa and the next evening the slaver boss is on the radio putting a price on your head. Not a giant leap between the two.”
Meanwhile, the griffon was spluttering on his cigar. “Kheh?! Say what?! Her?! This is Red Ice? The one the slavers are trying so hard to find? Her? Are you kidding me? She’s an idiot!”
Nobody disagreed. “She may be, but she has somehow managed to get all the way to the very core of Plottawa and out again, not to mention surviving another attack in Grindstone. Perhaps there is more to her than what she appears to be, or perhaps she’s simply lucky. Either way the price on her head is the same, and I aim to collect.”
A puff of smoke blew out of the corner of the yellow beak. “Whatever. I’ve got somebody to kill. Let’s get a nullifier on her horn and then I’ll get to it.”
~~~~~~
Latvi gingerly touched his black eye and hissed through his teeth. “That was unnecessary.”
I smirked back. “I can’t believe it took you two whole minutes to realise that McCoy wouldn’t let you harm me while you were trying to get this thing on me. You were practically shrieking by the time you figured it out.”
Latvi shot me a sideways glare and shifted slightly, no doubt trying to relieve some discomfort caused by the pistol he concealed under his jacket. Even with a magic-dampener on my horn he wasn’t taking any chances. He wanted everything to appear normal as we travelled down the boulevard, with ponies and the occasional buffalo guard passing on either side of us, as if we were two unicorns out for a stroll... to a slaver base.
Like I use my horn anyway. I’ve just gotta find a way to get around the gun before we reach the East gate. I am not going back to Plottawa.
“You can’t seriously think it’ll be as simple as killing her boyfriend and suddenly she’ll run to you?”
“Be quiet!” Latvi had regained his composure but still bit the words out. “It’s going to happen regardless of what you say. Dent will die and I will have Lithu back again.”
The cracks were definitely showing now. Latvi was so careful in other things but around Lithu he was acting like, well, like the lovestruck idiot he was. More importantly, though, it made him distracted. If I could set him off at the right time...
“Really, what is your plan? Get rich and retire with Lithu to someplace nice? As simple as that?”
He smiled at the thought. “Essentially. I was thinking Tenpony Tower. Have you heard of it? A real high-class establishment far south of here. DJ Pon3 operates out of there, you know. Very metropolitan. Even if my nest egg ran out, a pony of my talents could do very well there with what I know.”
I spotted something out of the corner of my eye.
That could work.
“So... you don’t want to take over the Wasteland or raise an army?”
His bleach-blonde mane shifted as he cocked his head, suspicious. “...No. Why do you ask?”
Not yet. I kept my peripheral vision trained on what could be my best chance to get away from Latvi and go warn Dent.
“It’s just that I’ve spent my time outside the Stable dealing with important ponies like Peanut and other organisation leaders who, for the most part, have not been friendly to me. You haven’t been friendly to me but you’re just in it for the money. The whole thing’s pretty simple. It’s a nice change.”
Apparently unsure of how to take my words, the scientist had resorted to irritation. “If you have a point to make...”
Thirty steps.
I pushed on, ignoring him. “It’s just that, well, y’know, would she be happy with that?”
“Would she be happy with what?”
Twenty steps.
“Well it’s just that, compared to these ponies who, aside from the whole unfriendly aspect, have really made a name for themselves. You’re just looking to disappear.”
His jaw was firmly set in anger now. “So what?”
Ten.
“Is Lithu going to be happy being with a pony with so little ambition?”
My face exploded in pain as his hoof caught me just above the eye, sending me stumbling. I tried in vain to stay on target for my plan.
He didn’t strike me again, probably not wanting to cause a scene in the middle of the street. “I have no ambition? Me? I reach into history and take its secrets for my own.”
Shaking my head to clear the stars, I saw that I was only a step or two away from the hooded figure I’d been watching.
Almost there. Just a little closer. “So you’re a thief, is that it?”
“Of course not, I rarely even lay a hoof on these recovered treasures. I have associates for that.”
I was standing right behind the hooded figure now, who thankfully was paying us no attention.
I’m about to change that. “You don’t need your touch on stolen items to be a criminal, Latvi! In fact, I think I’ve come across one of your flunkies before, isn’t that right...” I grabbed the hood and yanked it down, raising my voice as I finished, “GHOUL?!”
“AAAAGH! HELP!” The earth-pony mare, who I had mistaken for the ghoul that stole my rifle when I first came to Lethbridle, continued shrieking and pulling away, dragging me with her as I, in my surprise, failed to let go.
We were halfway up the street and all eyes were on us before Latvi’s angry shouts snapped me out of it. I released the terrified mare’s hood and sprinted past her, “Sorry! Sorry!”, before turning down down a side street and bolting. I couldn’t risk a look back to see if Latvi was following but I hoped his comment about sending others to do the grunt work meant that he lead a more sedentary lifestyle. My hectic fortnight of constant travel had me much better prepared for a mad dash like this.
As the citizens of Lethbridle flashed by on either side I dodged into and out of the crowds, keeping my head low to avoid being followed and taking extra steps whenever I could. I vaulted over railings, slid between stalls, bounced over barrels and careened around carts.
After a few minutes of this my chest was tight and I was sucking in air as fast as I could. Finally I spotted a guard stallion loitering outside a tavern, nursing a nighttime beer. It wasn’t Nightcap’s place. In fact I had no idea where I was. Rushing up, I barely slowed in time to avoid going down in a heap with him. “Where is Deputy Dent?”
Annoyed at having his refreshment interrupted, he eyed me levelly and casually lowered his drink. “Who wants to know?”
“I do, badge boy!” I did not have time for this, “There’s a hitman after him! We have to find him!”
My choice of words may have been hasty. The guard narrowed his eyes at the insult and brushed off my words. “That’s not funny, filly. Go home and work on your pranks some more. I’m busy.”
“You’re getting drunk on the job, you halfwit! Ugh, nevermind, where’s Chief Rockhaunch? I’ll talk to him.”
That got a reaction. He gagged on his mouthful. “Pleh! Whoa there! You can’t just go see the chief whenever you want. Who do you think you are, talking like that?”
“I AM TRYING TO SAVE DEPUTY DENT, JACKHOLE!” I was getting a lot of mileage out of that one.
Unten, svara.
The guard was really riled up now. “Jackhole?! That’s it! We’re going back to the station!”
“Thank you, finally!”
~~~~~~
“THIS IS NOT WHAT I MEANT!” I struggled against the stallion and two female corporals as I resisted going back to the cells.
“I...umph....don’t care what you meant! You don’t get away with...stop struggling, damn it...get away with calling me a jackhooooo!” I’d gotten a hind leg free and nailed him right in the groin. He went down whimpering as one of the corporals began hollering for assistance. Most of the male officers gathered were content to watch, cheer and take bets rather than offer any help.
“WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?” The thunderous bellow shocked the formerly raucous room into silence.
Oh, thank Celestia. “Chief! Chief Rockhaunch! I need to talk to you!”
The sturdy, oaken-furred buffalo seemed genuinely shocked to see me. “Wha? Li’l Stronghead? What are you doing here?” He motioned to the corporals, “Let her go.”
The two corporals immediately released me, to jeers from the male crowd, for which the mares immediately began berating them. I ignored all this and rushed up to the chief, grabbing him around the horns. “Where’s Dent? He’s in danger!”
My hooves didn’t move his horns one inch, he stared back with quiet, but bemused, intensity. “What do you mean?”
“There’s a griffon mercenary named McCoy out to kill him!”
Immediately Rockhaunch was all business. “McCoy? Of McCoy’s monsters?”
I really didn’t like how easily he recognised the name and the accompanying edge in his voice. “Yeah, him. Latvi, he works with Dent’s girlfriend Lithu, he sent McCoy after him!”
I covered my ears as Rockhauch roared to the entire room. “WHERE IS DEPUTY DENT???”
It seemed like the precinct had never heard their chief raise his voice before. I certainly wasn’t going to forget anytime soon. The startled guards exchanged glances and murmurs as they wilted under Rockhaunch’s glare. Finally somebody at the back hesitantly spoke up. “I-I think he was spending the night at his girlfriend’s place over on Farrier’s Way?”
The buffalo looked back to me. “It’s not far. Let’s go!” He was halfway out the door and already barking orders, “Squad Four, with me!”
I took a moment to have the two corporals remove the magic nullfier on my horn before tearing after them.
~~~~~~
Half of Squad Four had peeled off to secure the research facility by the time we arrived on Farrier’s Way. Standing outside of a multi-storey apartment building was a huge crowd. The residents had evacuated. It soon became apparent why as an explosion blew out the windows on the 4th floor.
“MAKE WAY! MAKE WAY!” Rockhaunch began bulling his was through the crowd as only a buffalo can. Even with all the chaos, ponies shifted themselves fast when he was bearing down on them.
I followed along in his wake until we neared the front of the crowd. These ponies had nowhere to go so even the Chief’s imposing form couldn’t budge them. “Damn,” he roared over the noise, “I can’t move freely inside, too small for buffalo!”
Damn damn damn! Dent will be helpless in there. I have to get to him!
If Rockhaunch couldn’t get through the crowd then I stood no chance. I looked around for another route but most of my vision was blocked by buffalo.
Maybe? If I can’t get through, and Rockhaunch can’t get through, could he get me through?
Twisting my hooves into his fur for grip, I hauled myself up the chief’s mountainous physique. My shoulders were burning by the time I scrambled onto his back.
“What are you doing back there?” The buffalo was turning his head this way and that to try to get a better look at me.
I shuffled up to his head and yelled into his ear. “Chief, can you get me past the crowd? I can get in and help Dent!”
“I can’t send you in there alone!”
Another explosion made us duck before I could respond. “Then follow when you can! I can slow McCoy down until you get there!”
He remained unconvinced. “Snowflake, you’re just a civilian! He’s a trained killer. What can you do against him?”
I hated the amount of times I’d had to play this card. “I’m Red Ice! I can keep him busy long enough for you to get some backup. Dent can’t fight in there and Lithu’s in danger. You have to let me try!”
“I... you’re Red Ice? But even so...” The battle between his Guardsman morals and the reality of the situation played across his face for precious milliseconds before he nodded, “alright. I’ll get you in. Just do what you can to keep him busy. He’s extremely dangerous. I’ll work on getting you some help as soon as I can.” He squared his shoulders, “Ready?”
I braced myself and nodded. With a mighty heave, the Chief launched me over the heads of the open-mouthed crowd and in through the open entrance. I landed hard in the hallway, rolling and skidding until I came to a stop in a cloud of dust and splintered door.
Picking myself up, I glanced around until I found the stairwell. I ignored stealth in favour of speed, hoping that McCoy would be too preoccupied to see or hear me coming. Charging up the stairs onto the second floor, I almost tumbled back down again as my hooves stepped in something slick and I skidded into a wall. Levering myself off the wall, I lifted a hoof to see what I’d stood on.
It was red, and glistened in the low light. It didn’t take long to find the source. Dripping down the stairs from the 3rd floor landing was the blood of a unicorn mare with a bleach-blonde mane. She was groggily staring back at me from her prone position, one eye closed as the crimson liquid seeped from a three-inch gash along her forehead.
“Esto!” Picking my way carefully up the stairs to avoid the blood pools, I squatted down next to her, “Are you okay? Can you move?”
Shaking her head, the scientist’s low rolling voice came out strained. “I’ll live but I can’t move. I-I fell, my... my legs...”
A quick glance showed them lying at irregular angles. I nudged her reassuringly. “Stay as still as you can. Help is on the way. What about Dent? And Lithu?”
Wincing, she turned her eyes to the ceiling. “Up... up there. But be careful. The griffon... he is so strong!”
I nodded grimly. “I know. I’m going to stop him. Hang in there. We’ll get you all out.”
Giving her one last uneven smile, I mounted the next set of stairs. McCoy’s voice floated down as I climbed. “Give it up, li’l lady. I don’t wanna kill you but you can’t protect him forever. You’re gonna get hurt or worse if you don’t clear out of here now. I’m only here for Dent.”
A voice that would otherwise be soft and sweet answered him in quavering tones. “Why won’t you leave him alone? He has done nothing to you!”
McCoy was polite, almost apologetic in response. “I know he hasn’t. This is not personal... for me. He is who I have been contracted to kill and I won’t stop until I have completed my assignment. There was no word either way on whether you survive so if you continue to hinder me I am going to have to take you out too. Sorry, but that’s the way it is.”
Frightened sobs were the only retort.
Gritting my teeth, I padded up the final flight of stairs. Peeking around the corner, I saw a long corridor with apartments spaced along either side. The battle signs were obvious, bullet holes in the walls, crumbling plaster from the explosions, the window at the corridor’s far end was completely gone, leaving a gaping hole with cold air blowing in. The lights were flickering weakly but I could see well enough.
Halfway down the corridor, leaning half out of a doorway, was McCoy. Amazingly, even amongst the chaos, a lit cigar was held between his lips. He was aiming his two-handed rifle at the end apartment on the other side of the hallway. Out of that door was floating several chairs. As I watched Dent shoved his head around the doorway and let loose a burst of wild spray from his automatic rifle, causing the griffon to duck back inside his own cover, his hasty counter-shot striking one of the makeshift shields.
The low light played to my favour as none of the fighters noticed me. Ducking back behind the corner, I suddenly found myself stymied as to what to do next.
What now? If I don’t get to them soon they’re both gonna die, but there’s no way I’ll make it down the corridor before he fills me full of bullets.
A crash of collapsing wall was met with another frightened scream from Lithu.
Come on, come on! Do something, Red Ice! People are counting on you, Snowflake! Do something right and help somebody for once in your miserable life!
A bullet bit into the wall near my position as Dent let off another volley. It was no good. He was hampered by the floating shields as much as he was protected by them. He also couldn’t move without leaving Lithu open. McCoy, on the other hoof, could move around, take the time to line up his shots, and was patient. Eventually Lithu’s magic would fail or Dent would run out of bullets. Help might get here before them but it seemed unlikely they’d make their way through the crowd outside fast enough.
Esto won’t hold out forever, either. This needs to end now! I scanned the corridor, searching for any sort of clue to help me. If McCoy noticed, he gave no sign. He was calmly lining up his next shot, bracing the rifle against the doorframe.
Judging by McCoy’s age and scars, he’d had decades of experience in killing people. He was obviously very good at it, and very used to it. He knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn’t half-insane like the Raiders I’d fought with Bosco, Schwarzwald, and Wings.
I’ll worry about her later. I have another griffon to deal with first.
Suddenly a thought popped into my head. Can I do it? Back then it was a reaction. Can I do it by choice?
A short, controlled burst was fired from McCoy’s rifle, followed by a strained grunt from Dent.
Gonna have to find out.
Touching my glowing horn to the wall, I stilled myself and focused as hard as I could. It took a few seconds for a response come from my horn, but finally the space around me was lit by a faint, glacier-blue glow.
YES! Spreading from the point where my horn touched the wall, an expanding streak of ice slithered across the vertical surface. It was not smooth, it coiled and twisted, and slow as it was it still took every ounce of concentration to keep it moving. Sweat was already breaking out on my forehead but I pushed more into the effort. Gradually the speed of the spread increased... and quickly went out of control.
NONONO! Please, go for the gun! I don’t care how you get there just reach it, and soon! I have to save them!I didn’t know if my thoughts made any difference or it just found a path of least-resistance but at that moment the ice-snake reached the crease between wall and ceiling and shot along it, faster than I could run. I almost lost my hold on it as I struggled to keep it in my sights.
Flashing past door after door, the frozen fissure drew ever closer to the doorway where the griffon was standing. His head perked up and twisted around just as the ice stabbed down from overhead. “YOU?! I-Guah!!!” He cried out and jerked his claw away.
I could have wept for joy. In the half-second he’d been looking at me, the ice had slithered down the doorframe and swarmed over his gun, fixing it in place and jamming the barrel. Even better, the cold had made it brittle. When he jerked away, the trigger went with him, frozen to his palm, while the rest of the now-useless rifle remained attached to the wood.
“DENT! DENT! He’s lost his gun. Shoot him now!”
The buffalo didn’t need telling twice and opened up with every gun he could fit through the door. What remained of the gun-cicle exploded in the barrage and the leader of the Monsters was forced further back into the apartment he’d invaded. The buffalo deputy saw an opportunity and hollered back at his unseen girlfriend. “Babe, plug that door up. Shove everything you can in there!”
Lacking our view of the situation, Lithu remained confused and hesitant. “But what if-”
“DO IT!” I screamed at the same moment Dent roared “NOW!” over the thunder of his weaponry.
She “Yeep!”-ed as the air became hazy and the floating shields, along with the fallen rubble and debris, slammed up against the doorjamb, temporarily sealing the griffon inside.
I beckoned with my hoof fitfully. “That won’t hold him for long. We have to go now!”
The lovebirds apparently agreed. Dent came charging out of the apartment with its owner clinging to his back for dear life. He was not the easiest fit in the narrow corridor, especially burdened with a battle saddle, but he moved on adrenaline and made it down the corridor in 10 seconds.
“Get Esto!” I yelled as the two passed, “I’ll cover you!”
“You don’t even have a gun.” The beech-furred deputy slowed and looked to head back to me.
“JUST GET ESTO! He wants you, Dent! You get to safety and we win!”
“Just do as she says!” Sobbed the scientist from her perch. We all started as a window shattered in the apartment where we’d trapped the griffon.
“No time, move!” Neither argued further. Dent rumbled down the stairs while I looked down the corridor. From the hole where the window had been I saw night sky.
Night sky which was suddenly filled with pissed-off griffon.
And he’s still smoking that damn cigar!
He glared at me for a second or two as he hovered in place, smoke curling from his nostrils. “As soon as I kill the buffalo, I’m going to end you, Red Ice!”
“But there’s no point anymore,” I pleaded desperately, “Latvi’s gone! He’s not gonna pay you! Please don’t do this.”
He slammed a fist against the wall. “Griffons. Don’t. Break. Contract! Until I hear it from Latvi himself, I won’t stop until I finish the job.”
I made one last-ditch effort. “Then kill me first!”
Even with how obviously tempted he was, he shook his head. “It’s not that easy. Your time will come.” With a flap of his wings, he dropped out of sight.
Alarmed, I turned and bolted down the stairs, I reached the second floor and spotted Dent and Lithu gingerly carrying Esto towards the front door on the floor below. Lithu saw me and opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by more glass breaking. She turned to look down the first floor corridor and her eyes widened.
He’s there! With no time to waste, I vaulted over the bannister and bypassed the stairs entirely, landing in front of Lithu as she fled with the others to the front door. I turned away from them and looked down the corridor.
Not 5 paces from me, flying full-speed, was McCoy. “OUTTA MY WAY!” He swung his claw, with frozen trigger still stuck on, in a ferocious open-palm strike that caught me under the chin and blasted me back into, and through, the wooden railing bordering the stairs. The rapid-cool trigger was pulverised against my jaw. It was not painless.
I could only lie there amongst the splinters, winded and seeing stars, as screams and gunfire erupted around me.
I had a blurry vision of a furious McCoy giving me a death-glare as he shot past me, and up the stairs, followed by countless ponies. The shooting continued, but quieted a little as the guards chased the mercenary higher into the building.
Immensely relieved, I moaned and rolled over onto my side, feeling liquid dribbling out of the side of my mouth.
Oh, lovely. I’m drooling. What a triumphant image this i-no, wait, that’s blood. Even better. I coughed and a few drops of red splashed across the floor, along with a tooth.
Chief Rockhaunch’s burly form cast a shadow before me. “Snowflake? You okay?”
I just moaned and coughed out a little more blood. “Dent?” I managed at last, “Lithu? Esto?”
“All fine, thanks to you.” His rumbling voice reminded me of Buff for a moment. I found some comfort in it as he knelt down and gently checked me over.
“Mc-” I coughed, again, “McCoy?”
Rockhaunch stood up again. “Gone. Took of flying after we started shooting. Dent, Lithu and Esto are surrounded by my best people. He won’t get near them.”
The stars before my eyes re-emerged as I shook my head too quickly. “He won’t stop.”
“Maybe,” sniffed the chief, “but not tonight. It’s over.”
I still had my doubts as the medics arrived.
~~~~~~
“... and he’s probably halfway to Plottawa.” I finished mumbling an explanation to the officers taking notes as I lay on the not-terribly-soft hospital bed.
The officer paused in his writing, pen and notebook still held in his horn’s grip. “Why would he go there without the bounty? He won’t get the reward.”
I shrugged... carefully. Whatever they’d given me for the pain wasn’t strong enough. “He might get something. Latvi knows who Red Ice is. Peanut, the slaver boss, doesn’t know yet. Also, Latvi talked about how he wanted protection during his research. He might want that from the slavers now that he can’t pay for mercenaries.”
Making a few final notes, the officer began packing up. “I’ll report this to Chief Rockhaunch. He’ll want to know.” He gave me a quick smile and laid a hoof on my shoulder, “I just wanna say thank you for what you did tonight, Red Ice. You saved one of ours. We won’t forget that. If there’s anything we can do for you, just let us know.”
I momentarily basked in the warm feelings this brought up,
Why is the Overmare never around for these moments?
Before I remembered something, “Can somebody bring me my things? I think they’re still back at the research facility.”
The officer’s voice was not the one who answered. The voice that answered was soft, still that of a young colt, familiar and very, very welcome. “Taken care of,” Bosco stepped into my view as happy tears began to form around my eyes, “still gunfighting with no gun, Snow?”
I sniffled but cracked a smile, “You’ve seen me shoot,” I beckoned him forward with my hoof, then grabbed him in a tight embrace when he stepped close, burying my nose in his charcoal fur, “I’m so glad you’re here, Bosco. I’ve missed you a lot.”
He hugged back fiercely, grey hairs tickling my cheeks, “Me too. Why did you run off like that? Naiara and I were worried sick!”
You wouldn’t understand. “... sorry, Bosco.”
At my dejected tone, he relented. “Don’t be like that, Snow, I was just worried. I’ve got your stuff right here, but I couldn’t find the-”
“Sorry to interrupt,” a doctor and nurse entered the room under the watchful eye of the officer and guards outside, “but we think you may have sustained some damage to your skull in the fight. We’re going to try to heal some of it now. Unfortunately, it will be somewhat painful and we don’t have any anaesthetic available.”
Terrific. “Got any Memory Orbs I can lose myself in?” I still wasn’t thrilled about using them but it seemed to work wonders when Fedexi Lexi was healing my perforated hoof.
Bosco nudged my shoulder, holding three Memory Orbs in his hooves. “Here, use these.”
“But... they’re yours. You should see them first.”
The colt just smiled and yawned. “I can wait. I doubt I’ll get at that Recollector tonight. Plus I’m tired. You use them tonight and I’ll get some sleep. Tomorrow you’ll be fixed up and I’ll take a peek. Then we’ll swap stories of where we’ve been this past week. Deal?”
I’d forgotten what a nice guy he is. “If you’re sure, Bosco?”
His smile didn’t waver. “I’m sure. Get yourself better, Snowflake.”
As the colt found some room on the floor to sleep, I slipped into the first memory.
ooooOOOOoooo
I found myself in total darkness. Somewhere close to me, water was dripping. I couldn’t pinpoint where through the lack of vision and the echoes each drop threw up.
A cave? Oh no, I’m not a Raider, am I?
An answer to that question was put on hold as a soft mewling reached my ears.
A baby? Here?
More voices, drawn to the infant’s cry, spoke up. “Another one survived. Be thankful for that. What of the parents?”
“Dead, like the others. Stop hoping for something different.” I couldn’t pinpoint the gender of the speakers but, even through their raspy whispers, the pessimistic overtones were obvious.
A dull green light emerged from around a corner, confirming that we were in a cave. From what I could see in the half-light, the speakers were pony-shaped. The infant’s cries, which had previously subsided, began anew. They echoed around the slick cave walls.
The first voice tried to calm the child. “Hush now, little one. Everything will be all right. We will keep you safe.” The baby and caretaker moved further into the tunnel, the sound of hoofsteps bouncing off the walls as their voices receded.
The other speaker came around the corner and seemed to notice me in the dark. “Come, give me some help here. We need to get the parents ready.”
Wordlessly, my mystery host followed.
ooooOOOOoooo
As the Orb disconnected, I experienced a sudden pervasive pounding inside my skull. The pain instantly had me gritting my teeth as my eyes watered. The doctor and nurse reacted with surprise as I shifted.
“Next...Orb...please?” I ground out between the painful thuds behind my eyes.
The doctor broke off her part in the spell and the pain increased further, forcing me to clench one eye while watching like a hawk for the Memory Orb she was fetching. After a minute or so she held it up in front of me. “Here.”
I was much more eager to dive into this one.
ooooOOOOoooo
Myself and another earth stallion sat on a small hill overlooking a field.
Ugh, I thought as my host shifted slightly, I really don’t want to have to deal with sweaty... boy parts for too long. I hope this memory is long enough to cover the healing but short enough that I don’t have to hang around afterwards.
Down in the field, foals of all colours ran and played and laughed. The lush greenery and lack of destruction made it hard to imagine that this was Equestria after the megaspells hit, but the Pegasus cloud barrier was in force so it had to be. Even so, it was a beautiful day.
My companion smiled as the gaggle of children let off some flashes of magic. “They seem to have forgotten their troubles... if only for this moment.”
The calm, but resigned, tone was quite different from the rasps of the previous Orb. The frank tone of my host added even more contrast. “If that is all we can give them, then I hope this moment lasts a long time.”
More flashes came from the foals. They were all involved in some form of game. A ring marked the boundary of the play and every few seconds a half-dozen little ones would charge into the centre. Pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns played together, switching positions after meeting in the centre in bursts of brilliant green light.
“These littles ones are very talented.” My companion mused.
My host nodded in agreement, but something struck me as slightly odd. I couldn’t decide what it was but it nagged at me all the same.
Then it hit me. Hey, they don’t have cutie marks. They must be younger than they look. Surprising that they can call them talented this soon. Things change fast for foals.
The appreciation of the talent of the fillies and colts didn’t last so long. My host’s eyes drooped, concerned. “Talented or not, they’ll be so vulnerable soon.”
The other stallion waved away the concern. “Just as we were. They will survive.”
Some of the children were waving at us. My host waved back before answering. “Every time it gets worse though.”
Tired of their play, the kids were bounding up the hill towards us. “This isn’t the time,” was the whispered response, “we’ll discuss it later.”
The conversation broke off as the two stallions focused on collecting all the young ponies and getting them moving, presumably towards home. The other adult led the way while my host brought up the rear, chatting with the stragglers and watching to make sure no foal wandered away from the group. Finally the procession found its rhythm and moved along.
It was lucky that none of the little ones looked back after that, or else they might have seen the tears running down my host’s cheeks.
ooooOOOOoooo
“When’s the actual HEALING going to start?”
Coming out of the second Memory Orb was somehow more painful than the first.
“We’re working on it.” The nurse was trying to soothe me but the doctor was already getting the third Orb.
ooooOOOOoooo
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE???”
Oh good, the raspy whispers are back. Are we in a cave this time? Let’s have a look... yep. Cave.
My host stood in the centre of a circle of lit torches. The flames cast shadows along the walls and obscured all but the bright eyes of those glaring down at me.
“I have given them a chance.” My host’s calm response was almost lost amongst the background murmuring of the gathered watchers.
“You know that was not their fate.” There was definite anger in the rasping speech.
My host faced their accuser directly. “The only fate that has been decided is how we have survived thus far. Nothing more than survived. I believe my actions will lead us to a better path.”
The crowd noise increased. Others began to speak out from behind the flames. “You would divide our strength further?”
“What do you hope to accomplish?”
“Why did you involve the little ones?”
My host was glancing around furtively. It seemed as though they expected resistance, but not as voracious as this. Still, they pressed on. “I would use our strength while we still have any left! I hope for a future for us! Finally, I did not involve them. You act as if I am alone in this. Does this Council not know their people anymore? The new generation are strong, like so many others. And, like so many others, they would not survive, no matter how you might hope they would, if they followed the old way. Not once has this been the case.”
The words had momentarily quieted the unseen Council. After a minute of tense silence, a new voice spoke up. “Tell us, Councilor, what will happen if you, or should I say they, succeed?”
“I cannot know for certain, but I hope that we gain a new place in this new world.”
“And if you fail?” The new voice was not unkind. In fact it bore glimmers of hope.
“Then we will not be there to greet Her, should she ever return.”
Shocked gasps ran through the hall. The original accuser found his voice again. “You would take even that fromHer, after all she has done? That last kindness... gone?”
I felt an incredible sympathy with this unknown creature when they spoke next, at how obviously they could shrug off the Council’s disdain for them.
Because it paled in comparison to how they felt for themselves. A feeling I knew well.
“Should we fail, she will not have long to care.”
ooooOOOOoooo
~~~~~~
The next morning found a dozen guards watching over Dent and Lithu as they put put Bosco into the Recollector to view the Memory Orbs. I was looking forward to discussing them with him when he was finished. For now, I found myself with little to do and forbidden by Chief Rockhaunch to leave the hospital grounds in case McCoy returned, so I paid a visit to the remaining scientist unicorn.
Esto also had protectors stationed both in- and outside of her room. Knowing griffons in general and McCoy in particular I felt this was unnecessary. He had no reason to attack Esto again. Voicing the opinion would have been unforgivably tactless, however, so I held my tongue.
As I entered I saw that the Chief was in with her. Esto was smiling even though she was swathed in bandages. I felt a pang of guilt that she’d been caught up in everything. “Snowflake! So good to see you safe. I want to thank you for keeping Lithu safe.”
“Sorry that I couldn’t get to you before he did. I should have tried harder to stop them back at the research facility.”
Her smile turned to disappointment. “So Latvi really was the one who sent the griffon after us. Why?”
Rockhaunch supplied the answer as if he’d heard it before. “One-sided attraction in unbalanced individuals is a dangerous thing. According to Snowflake here, Latvi was running a crooked side business and regularly made use of mercs. A guy like that can get it into his head that his actions won’t catch up with him.”
“My taunting him probably didn’t help either.” Unfortunately, I thought this out loud.
Esto’s flowing voice didn’t sound so friendly now. “You... taunted Latvi? What did you say?”
Whoops. “I... may have thrown the fact that Lithu had a boyfriend in his face. He didn’t take it well. He sent McCoy after Dent when he calmed down a little.”
The chief’s expression clearly conveyed his opinion of my decision-making at that point, far better than words could.
Esto tried anyway. Her speech became very clipped as she let me know what she thought about that. “So you, a prisoner at the time, thought it a smart idea to taunt the stallion who had a deadly killer in the room with him? And that directly led to said killer attacking my friend? What were you thinking?”
I swallowed back a lump in my throat. “I’m so sorry. I was angry and McCoy was under orders not to harm me. I didn’t even think about him hurting others when I said it.”
“Because of your selfishness, our lives may not ever be the same again. I don’t know the extent of my injuries and this McCoy could attack Lithu again at any time. You won’t get any more help from me, you harpie!”
It was hard to argue with her words and I didn’t try. Instead, the chief tactfully escorted me out. “She’s not wrong about the taunting but I don’t think she’ll be permanently hurt. We’re also taking precautions with Dent and Lithu. They’ll be heading to Grindstone under heavy guard.”
Wait, what? “Won’t that make them easy targets for McCoy? Why not keep them here?”
He scoffed. “Here? In Lethbridle? With plenty of places for a griffon to hide? Let me ask you: Where could a griffon hide in a herd of only buffalo?”
He has a point, but still... “McCoy won’t stop though, not until he is released from the contract by Latvi, and he’s probably nearly to Plottawa right now!”
The oak-furred officer shrugged helplessly. “What else can we do? We can’t get into Plottawa for Latvi. At least Dent can get himself lost in a crowd of buffalo. He can handle himself in a fight too.”
My recent trip to Grindstone had given me a good idea of their stance on outsiders. “What about Lithu? She’ll be the only pony in Grindstone. There’s a bull there called Crush, he doesn’t much like ponies.”
Rockhaunch’s face darkened at the name. “I know him. I’ll send word to friends of mine in Grindstone about Lithu. They’ll look after her. So long as she doesn’t cause trouble, Crush... probably won’t do anything drastic.”
“Probably?”
He grimaced. “Probably. Crush has been pushing for harsher treatment for outsiders for years. He might not be friendly to Lithu or Dent but he won’t start anything without overwhelming support. He won’t get that any time soon. Not unless something big happens to sway others to his way of thinking.”
Oh, this just gets worse and worse. “Like a Plottawan slaver raid looking for Red Ice?”
The wheels turned and his mood soured further. “I’d forgotten about that. You really have a knack for pissing folks off, don’t you? I’ll stress to Dent that he shouldn’t make any waves while he’s there.”
“Thanks... and sorry, again.”
~~~~~~
Bosco was just pulling the apparatus off his head when I arrived. He didn’t say anything at first, seemingly lost in thought. I nodded a greeting to Dent and Lithu as I approached, noting how the buffalo followed her with his eyes while she went about her tasks, and how the unicorn made sure never to stray far from him. She also made an effort to stay clear of me.
I couldn’t blame either of them. Dent may have seen some unsavoury aspects of life in the Wasteland but it seemed he’d never before seen them endanger somebody he cared about. Lithu simply hadn’t ever gone through anything like that before and wasn’t eager to repeat the experience.
If nothing else, they certainly didn’t want to be separated any time soon. I wished the best for them, even if the unicorn girl already associated me with horrific violence.
Bosco had snapped out of his funk by this time and turned his gaze on me. His eyes were shining with barely contained excitement. “Snowflake! Did you see them all? All those ponies!”
I smiled back. “I saw them, though I still think you should have gone first,” I reached up and tousled his hair, “if nothing else, you could have fixed your Recollector mane.”
Unfazed, his whipped his head back and forth, the end result being an even bigger mess than before. It didn’t affect his demeanour though. “Better?”
I shared an amused look with the scientist and the guard. “Oh yes, absolutely. Totally fixed.”
Bosco didn’t really care. He was practically bouncing. “I’ve had those things in my bags for years! I can’t believe I finally got to see them. And for free... ish. Every other time I’ve asked about it, ponies have wanted thousands of bits. No way I could afford that! I really owe you, Snowflake.”
You really don’t. “Given what I put us through for this, I’d say I owe you.”
A charcoal-grey hoof shot out and clipped my horn painfully. I quickly covered it before it could happen again. “Bosco! That hurt!”
Even though he was still smiling at his good fortune and still gazing at the Orbs, his voice had a slight edge to it. “Tough! You spend way too much time in your own head. I don’t wanna hear it today. Everypony’s safe, I got to watch my Memory Orbs, and I finally caught up to you after a week. It’s a good day and it’s gonna stay a good day, understand?”
“But-”
I couldn’t finish before Bosco was back in my face with a frown. “Understand?!”
I looked to Dent and Lithu for support. The latter was failing to suppress her laughter and former was mirroring Bosco’s expression but with an upside-down frown. Outnumbered, I admitted defeat. “Fiiiine. Get your stuff. I’ll wait outside.”
Making a point to ignore the giggling couple, I turned and walked back out the door.
~~~~~~
“Oh come on, the Steel Rangers too?”
Bosco was clearly in awe of my ability to get involved with dangerous groups. Sitting in Nightcap’s bar allowed us to get away from the watchful eyes of the Lethbridle guards for a while. Sort of. There were some off-duty buffalo and ponies there, which is why Rockhaunch had insisted we go there, but they were giving us our space. They would only approach us if there was trouble.
“Now that one wasn’t my fault. I was just looking looking to make a few bits while I checked out Grindstone, to see if you were there. The Rangers didn’t really give me a choice. I was kinda stuck at the time. A Hissyflit bit me.”
He made a face. “Ooh, yeah. I’ve seen that. It’s not pretty if the poison runs its course.”
“Glad it didn’t get that far. The Rangers gave me something for it.”
My friend didn’t seem particularly glad for that. “And? There’s more, right? Steel Rangers don’t help out for no reason and certainly not for free.”
He was certainly right about that one. “No, no they don’t. They asked me, and I use the term very loosely, to watch some Memory Orbs for them. Apparently they had no other unicorns around at the time and no Recollector.”
“Of course they didn’t.” Was the flat reply.
“That’s not even the worst part though, Bosco. The Memory Orbs showed two ponies trying to get into Stable 61!”
“What?!” This one wasn’t so flat, “You didn’t tell them how to get there, did you?”
“Of course not, that’s my...” my breath caught in my throat, “...my home.” I’d been in a generally positive mood, since meeting Bosco again had been a wonderful distraction from what happened in Whinniepeg, but talking about the Stable was just too much.
Not now, not here, I thought as my eyes began to moisten, come on, keep it together!
“They... they don’t know how to find it. Without the Pipbuck they’ll never make it through the blizzard...” My lips began to quiver, “...and even if they did, they can’t get past the door...” I lowered my head, allowing my mane to conceal my face, “...Because the guys on External Monitor Duty inside will see who it is and the Overmare won’t open the door...” my drink spilled onto the table as my hooves began to shake, “...BECAUSE WASTELANDERS AREN’T ALLOWED IN THE STAB-UH-HUH-HUH-LE!!!!” I wailed as I couldn’t hold it anymore.
“Wha? Snowflake?” The colt was thoroughly confused but still trying to be supportive, “That’s a good thing, isn’t it? If a pony’s bad then they shouldn’t get in.”
I buried my head in my forelegs and bawled. The rest of the bar had definitely taken notice at this point. All conversations were stopping. I didn’t care.
Still lost, Bosco tried again, “Um...yeah! Your brothers! They’re on the other side of that door where nopony can get to them. That’s what you want, right?”
My eyes were screwed shut as I loudly vocalised my misery.
“What the hell’s going on here?” Nightcap and the off-duty guards had apparently had enough. I felt them crowding around the table. A massive, furry hoof was laid on my shoulder.
“You want us to take care of this guy, Stronghead? Least we can do after last night.” I ignored him.
Bosco didn’t have that luxury. “What? She’s my friend. I’m trying to cheer her up.”
“Good job.” I didn’t see their expressions but they sounded less than impressed, “Maybe you should leave her alone, fella.”
My young colt friend seemed to be getting worried, “Snow, I know you’re upset but can you talk to them, please?”
Something heavy slammed onto the table, “That wasn’t a suggestion. Beat it, punk.”
“HEY!” Nightcap’s growling voice sounded above the commotion, “I don’t want you beating up a kid in my bar. Take it outside and don’t block the door. It’s you guards’ problem after that.”
“Wait, what?” Bosco was seriously getting freaked, “Snowflake, help!”
Chairs scraped along the floor and the table shook as the colt struggled with the guards.
“SNOWFLA-oof!”
My head shot up. Tears were still running down my cheeks and I could only take long, shuddering breaths but I couldn’t let this go on. Bosco was on the floor in a ring of bodies, eyes wide in pain and shock. The stallion who’d just planted a hoof in his stomach was stepping back.
“...n-no.”
They didn’t hear me and hauled him upright again.
“...don’t hurt him.”
They were almost at the door.
“...’s my friend.”
I sucked in one big breath just as they pushed him through the door.
“DON’T HURT MY FRIEND!”
Silence. I took a few small steps towards the group. A worn hoof grabbed me by the shoulder and spun my roughly around. Nightcap was glaring at me with his one remaining eye.
“Get out. I don’t know what Raider poison you’re on, and I don’t care. Take your ‘friend’ and those thugs and get the fuck out of my bar. You’re not welcome here anymore. If I see you again, I’ll be looking at you through my scope. Now fuck off.” He shoved me, hard, towards the door.
Outside, the guards were reluctant to leave Bosco alone with me but I eventually persuaded them. Bosco hadn’t said anything, just glared at the officers as he slumped against a wall.
I sat down next to him. The extra altercation hadn’t improved my mood any and my cheeks were still soaked with tears. “I’m so sorry, Bosco.”
His patience was clearly tested. “What the hell’s going on, Snowflake? What was that back there? You weren’t making any sense. You were acting like you wanted the Rangers to get at your Stable!”
I sniffled, trying to hold back my runny nose. “Of course I don’t want that, Bosco. It’s just, well,” I held up my naked wrist, “what do you see?”
Wincing as he rubbed his sore belly, he glanced up distractedly. “Your leg?”
I turned the limb to show him every side. “What don’t you see?”
To his credit, it only took him a few seconds before his eyes went wide. “Oh, shit!”
I sniffled again. “Yeah.”
His bruised stomach was instantly forgotten. “Snow, what happened? Did the Rangers take it?”
If only it were that simple. “N-no. A pegasus called Cassiopeia Venatici took it. She attacked me in Whinniepeg two days ago. Her... and Wings.”
“Wings? Wings stole your Pipbuck?”
The tears increased again. “I thought she was my friend.”
My charcoal companion seemed at a loss. “Wow... that’s...um...” stumped, he scratched the back of his head helplessly, “I don’t know what to think about that. She really didn’t seem the type.”
I didn’t respond with words, just a small, glum noise of agreement.
Then he asked the question I’d been asking myself ever since it happened. “So what are you going to do?”
“I... don’t know,” a soft, sad, little chuckle escaped me, “all that stuff I said before? It’s true. I can’t go back. I can’t go home again.”
“Could you ever?” His eyes widened as soon as the words left his mouth. “Shit, I didn’t mean to...”
“You know, I think somewhere... my heart maybe, I might have thought I could. I don’t know why I thought that or how I would get back, just...”
I turned my shining eyes on him, “It’s been a few weeks, Bosco. I’ve been away from home for that long. And, at the same time, I’ve only been away from home for that long. What should I do now? What can I do now?”
He didn’t immediately respond, just laid his head back against the hard stone of the wall and looked up at the bright, though always-cloudy, sky. “If I knew, I’d tell you. Fact of the matter is, I’ve been away from home far longer than you have. I still have no clue what I’m supposed to do.”
“You have?” It occurred to me that I knew very little about Bosco, even after travelling with him for days. And sleeping in the same bed. I knew he could shoot and take care of himself, that he wasn’t from Cefar and that he still had a little bit of foalhood in him. I had no idea if he had family or where he came from or even what his Cutie Mark was. He always had clothes and armour over it.
“Uh huh. I’d been in Cefar maybe a year when you showed up. Fact is, I’ve been bouncing around from place to place for closer to 6 years.”
My eyes bugged. “That long? How? Wasn’t your family worried? Did you go home to see them?”
He hesitated, lips moving as half-formed words waited to escape. “Don’t laugh, but I don’t know. Any of it. I woke up in Vanchoofer and couldn’t remember a thing. Not where I’d come from, not what I was doing there, not even who I was. The docs put it down to me being another stupid little colt getting into the booze stores. But, after three days and still no luck, they stopped caring, called me damaged, and kicked me out of the clinic. Those Orbs of mine were about the only things I had on me.”
“But how did you... I mean, who took care of... six years?!”
The heavy sigh he heaved was at odds with, and yet strangely in tune to, his uncaring shrug. “I ran. I hid. I stole. I fought. I begged. I bargained. I killed. Anything to keep myself alive from one day to the next. I didn’t have three little brothers to look after or a big sister to watch over me. I was on my own, and I did whatever I had to to survive.”
I wanted to hug him so hard. “A-and the Orbs? Now that you’ve finally seen them, do they tell you anything?” All my troubles were completely forgotten when faced with this new information.
He smiled ruefully here. “Nope. Not a damn thing. I don’t know those caves, or those ponies, or that valley where the kids were playing. I could have been one of them, or one of them could have been my mother, or my father, or something. But I don’t know anything more than when I started. I just have more questions to ask.”
“Um...” I had nothing. Nothing at all to say to him. Should I apologise for whining about my problems when he had a past just as bad, no, worse than mine? Should I stay quiet? Change the subject? Not a clue.
He saved me from deciding. “Forget about it, Snow. I’ve had years for this. I’ll figure things out eventually.” Despite his words, the faintest, almost indiscernible trace of hope showed in the corner of his eye, “You can help if you like, but I wouldn’t expect much.”
“I’d like that.” I didn’t care about how long it took. Anything was better than wandering around without a plan.
Bosco gingery rose from where he sat. “In the meantime, I think I’ve got an idea about what we can do to solveyour problem.”
“What do you mean?”
He tapped himself on the chest with a hoof. “Well I’ve done more in the last week or so than just look for you. I’ve been to a bunch of places, including back to Cefar, where I fought and captured a Molar Bear.”
He was for some reason proud of that suicidal activity. “Why?”
“I was helping somepony out.” His grin was getting wider now. I couldn’t figure out the reason.
“Who would be crazy enough to LOOK for a Molar Bear to fight? They’re... really scary.” I finished lamely.
Bosco’s amusement at my bemusement threatened to overwhelm him. He pronounced his next words very differently from normal.
“A little danger keeps the heart strong, dahling.”
~~~~~~
“Right in the flank, huh?”
“She was not a happy zebra.”
Bosco and I were heading out of the Northern Lethbridle gate. A gentle snow was falling in the cool afternoon air. It seemed a quiet day, as the white sheet covering the ground was unbroken by hoofprints. It would appear that no traders had made the trip north to Cefar that day.
I felt it was time to find out more about what he had been up to. “So tell me again how you turned into a monster hunter.”
He seemed embarassed by the question. “Ah, well, after Naiara and I got back from fetching our things and found out you’d disappeared from Lethbridle without telling anypony where you were going,” he paused to give me an admonishing glower, “she and I split up to check out a few places. I dunno exactly where she went, but I figured I’d check out Hoofshine Harlots first, then try Cefar. You might’ve got lonely for home.”
Yep.
“I had no luck with Hoofshine so I headed back towards the main road. That’s when I met up with Schwarzwald. She was as crazy as the first time. Said she met you in Lethbridle. Also said you had some sort of arrangement with Wings, to look after me and Naiara while we were in town?”
I nodded. “Wings still owed me a favour from the Raider attack. I just wanted to make sure you guys had some help if Plottawa slavers showed up in town. It only applied to while those two were in Lethbridle though. Was... was Wings with her?”
His expression softened. “Sorry, no. Schwarz said she had stuff to take care of further south. Didn’t say that it would involve mugging you.”
“Actually, that happened up in Whinniepeg,” I scornfully remarked, “but I met her first in Vanchoofer. Whatever she was up to down there had nothing to do with me.”
“Whinniepeg? Wow. That’s pretty far out of the way.”
“Just perfect for a quiet bit of betrayal, don’t you think?” I bit out.
“We’ll figure it out, Snow, but let me tell the story first.”
“Sorry, sorry.” Stupid. Stop being so selfish. He’s had it worse than you.
“Anyway, Schwarz said she’d taken on a job for a group of poachers. Apparently they’re gathering up a whole bunch of beasties for some reason. Schwarz was hired as extra muscle to go hunt a Molar Bear up in the snowfields past Cefar. Did Facemask mention we had poachers come through town every now and then?”
“Yeah, briefly.”
“Well, I guess these guys are the same deal. Most of the poachers who go hunting in those woods leave with a few ponies missing. If these guys are hiring extra help it probably means they’ve tussled with Molar Bears before. They told Schwarzwald to bring anypony else who could help out. So she asked me.”
“And you said yes? To a Molar Bear hunt?”
His cheeks coloured at this. “Well, I mean, I was heading that way anyway, and she did ask nicely. It seemed legit, as if they knew what they were doing.”
He instantly agrees to come with me to Lethbridle, and now he goes racing back to Cefar to fight monsters because Schwarzwald asked nicely. That’s sweet... but stupid.
“Anyway, Schwarz and I headed up to Cefar and met up with the poachers. They weren’t really friendly so I mostly talked to her.” A look that was equal parts admiration and horror crossed his face. “Some of the shit that mare’s done...”
I wasn’t immune to gossip, especially about people as downright scary as the scarred mare. “Ooh, do tell.”
He crossed his forelegs in front of him in a warding gesture. “Nuh-uh. You wanna know then ask her yourself. I don’t want to say too much and have her mad at me.”
Nuts. “Fair enough. What happened next?”
“Well when we were all gathered we headed out. Took us hours to find anything. You were definitely right about that blizzard. It never stops.”
“Told you.” I allowed myself a little smugness.
He caught my look but made no comment on it. “So, by this point, we’re all freezing, wet and miserable from being out there so long with nothing to show for it. I seriously thought Schwarzwald was going to kill one of the poachers who would not shut the fuck up. Turned out that his whining led a Molar Bear right to us. Came down on top of the idiot from the trees.”
I recalled my first encounter with the now-dead creature. It was just as Bosco described. It appeared out of nowhere and attacked from the trees. That something so big and powerful could move around up there without being seen or heard was incredible and terrifying. I hoped that the loud poacher had at least died quickly.
“So this Molar Bear was smaller, and much quicker, than that hulking bastard that chased you into town. It took forever to kill the stallion. Just batted his broken bones around for a while. He was screaming the entire time.” Apparently I’d hoped in vain.
“So what happened? Were you okay?”
“Well I was. The others didn’t get off so easily. It might have been a small one but the damn thing still had size on us. Not to mention that we must’ve picked the worst possible place to fight the thing. Plenty of trees about and the ground was uneven so we constantly had to watch our hooves. We lost three more in less than two minutes.”
He paused briefly, reliving the event, before continuing. “The poachers knew what they were doing, I’ll give ‘em that. Didn’t panic, didn’t scatter, just got down to business. Guns up, shoulders tight, hooves loose. Because we were trying to capture the thing alive we had to be careful with our shots. It was damn scary to know I had a good shot but had to hold back and give that mauler another chance to gut me with those claws and teeth.”
Yep, definitely remember those.
“We went back and forth for ages like this, getting our shots in while we can, and trying not to get killed in the process. Eventually Schwarzwald nailed it in the foot. Slowed it down long enough for the poachers to tranq it into a coma.”
“Was Schwarzwald okay?”
Amused incredulity laced the reply. “Grinning from ear to ear. Damn near bleeding from ear to ear too. I had no idea where she was for most of the fight but she looked like she was going a few rounds against the damn thing bare-hoofed. She was cut up all to hell. Says she can’t wait to...” his charcoal grey turned to cherry red, “...have somebody run their tongue along the scars.”
The image invaded my mind immediately, and soon I matched Bosco’s hue. For all her battle scars, the older mare still boasted an impressive figure. The casual ease with which she’d lifted the stallion back at Nightcap’s had already clued me in to her physical prowess.
Not to say that I didn’t pity the poor guy she found for that role. I doubt she would be gentle. “So where is she now?”
He cocked his head up the road. “Stayed behind in Cefar to organise transport of the Molar Bear. Said she knew the poacher boss and wanted a word when they showed up.”
“So... what? We just walk along the road until we see her coming the other way?” That would be a terrible plan. I really doubted that we’d taken care of all the Raiders around.
Bosco’s demeanour had shifted. He was glancing anywhere but at me and looked guilty. “Well, I told her that we’d... meet up at Hoofshine.” Some of the apprehension surfaced in his eyes, “You don’t mind that I told her about the place, do you?”
She might tell Wings. I won’t let her take anything more from me. “I... might have minded. Except I’ve already told two others about it too. One of them’s Naiara.”
He looked slightly less stressed upon hearing that. “Well it’s no problem if she knows. I’m pretty sure we can trust her. Who’s the other one?”
Here we go. “You remember that pegasus I told you about, the one who was with Wings when they took my Pipbuck?”
Oh, there was a lot of apprehension now, just an entirely different kind. “Yessss?”
I took a deep breath. Best to just get it over with. “Well... it’s her sister.”
“WHAT?!”
I made a calming motion. “Now, before you get too angry. I want you to know that Breeze is not her sister. Even Naiara’ll vouch for that.”
“Snowflake, her sister attacked you!” Later, I’d probably find it funny that this kind of conversation had happened before, also on the road between Lethbridle and Cefar.
“Well, if you want to get technical, so did Breeze. Um... twice.”
He just stared, mouth half open in disbelief.
“Look, it’s complicated. A lot of stuff has happened.”
He threw his hooves up in frustration. “I was right. You ARE going to get yourself killed! I thought you might’ve wised up after Plottawa!”
“Bos-”
“No. NO! I volunteered to fight a Molar Bear, with Schwarzwald of all ponies, and you’re still the dumbest one here!”
My shock at being yelled at gave way to hurt. “I-I just wanted-”
“What? What did you just want?” He was outright glaring at me now.
Chastised, I shrank back. “I’m sorry, Bosco, I just wanted to... make some friends.”
Still fuming, he opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it with a long, drawn-out exhalation. He seemed to get himself back under control, and took a step back. There still seemed to be a fair amount of emotion churning inside him though.
“Snowflake,” he began in a low, possibly calm, voice, “let’s stop this here. I don’t think much of your decision making but I’m not going to yell at you in the open. We can talk more at Hoofshine.”
“...okay.”
We began walking towards the abandoned brothel we’d adopted as a haven. I had to let Bosco take the lead after realising I didn’t know the way without my Pipbuck’s map, which really didn’t help my mood.
~~~~~~
The uncomfortable silence we’d been in since Lethbridle continued all the way to Hoofshine. I kept my mouth shut for fear of setting Bosco off again but inwardly I marveled at how he’d found his way here with the sun long since set. Without my Pipbuck I would have been thoroughly screwed. A veteran wanderer like him must have picked up some tricks. I hoped he’d tell me someday. If I was still his friend.
I kept watch while he keyed in the door code. My now-ordinary goggles kept the still falling snow out of my eyes. It seemed heavier than when we were first here, a few weeks back.
Is the season changing? Does the Wasteland even have seasons? Didn’t unicorns magic up the seasons back in Old Equestria? What happens now?
A soft click drew me away from my musings. “Got it,” whispered the colt, as wary of Raider attack as I was, “inside, quick!”
We hustled through the doorway and closed it behind us, the comforting click of the lock reingaging echoed around the empty foyer. The place was as I remembered, plenty of room, and an emphasis on discreet comfort and style. It really was incredible that the place had held up as well as it had. Even more so that nobody else had bothered with it. Well, aside from cleaning out the booze. We’d been really lucky that the medicine stores had been locked with the terminal. If they hadn’t, I suspect the Raiders never would have left.
“Alright,” Bosco said when he had checked for intruders, “it’s getting pretty late. Why don’t you get some sleep down below? I’ll keep an eye out for Schwarzwald.”
Tired as I was, I wanted to make sure everything would be okay. “Bosco, I’m really sorry about everything. I know I cause you trouble but... well, there’s no but. I’m just sorry.”
He didn’t look at me as he laid his gear down. “Did you learn how to shoot?”
Whoops. “Um... no, I didn’t. I did beat a mercenary in a fight though.”
“He put you in the hospital, and got away without a scratch.” He deadpanned.
“I broke his gun...” I finished lamely.
He facehoofed. “See, this is the problem. You still think you’ve got a safety net, like you’re back in the Stable and you can do stuff like this without consequences. In Plottawa you managed to surprise Peanut but you still only got out of there because Naiara and I dragged you out. You nearly died from a Hissyflit bite and got taken by the Steel Rangers. They might end up looting your home, how are you going to stop them?”
I had no idea. Bosco carried on regardless. “After that you got chased out of Grindstone, getting Naiara shot in the process, and somehow found another Molar Bear to tick off. This was while travelling with a pony who had tried to kill you, and so had her sister. Said sister then robbed you with another girl you thought was a friend. They took your only chance to get home. All this you’ve managed in the space of a few weeks.”
Now he looked at me. There was frustration in his expression, but also pity and not a little bit of fear. “You are an idiot. That’d be fine if you weren’t using that idiocy to be a danger to yourself. Keep this up and the Wasteland’s gonna kill you, Snowflake, Red Ice or not. You, and a bunch of others too.”
I was barely holding back the tears. “Then what can I do to stop it?”
He laughed mirthlessly. “Stop pissing off dangerous folks would be my first choice,” then he stopped laughing, “or learn how to survive it when you do. Not just for an hour, or a day, or a week. Learn how to survive the life you live.”
Feeling like I’d been hammerbucked in the gut left me unable to answer right away, fortunately I was saved the trouble by a knock on the door. “Bosco-dahling, are you there? Do let me in out of this cold, won’t you?
Bosco seemed as surprised as I was. “Schwarzwald? That you?” Briefly glancing at me, he moved to open the door.
“Be careful!” I hissed quietly, praying she didn’t hear me. I shrank back around the corner into the bar, Schwarzwald was dangerous on her own, but if she was working with Wings I could be in real trouble.
How should I survive this, Bosco? I won’t ask for your help. I fought off McCoy, if I need to I’ll fight Schwarzwald too. She’s my best bet for finding out where Wings is but if I have to I’ll beat it out of her. My Pipbuck cannot fall into the wrong hands or else the Stable could be doomed!
The door groaned open. “Dahling,” the unseen mare’s voice was full of mirth, “I was hoping to catch up to you before you got inside.”
“You saw me?” Bosco’s voice betrayed his surprise.
“Oh, yes. I killed a pair of Raiders about a mile north of here and spotted you soon after.”
“You killed Raiders that close to here? I didn’t hear a thing.”
I didn’t even need to see her to know how wide her grin was. “Neither did they. But enough of that, Bosco-dahling, who was the little filly you came in with?” Her voice turned pouty, “Done with me already? Aw, I am hurt.”
“I, uh, that is...” His babbling was adorable, but it did remind me of the harsh reality in all that a colt of his age had been through.
Still adorable, though.
“...just come in.” He said at last.
Hoofsteps sounded on the marble floor of the foyer. Schwarzwald seemed to be inspecting the place, stepping this way and that. Finally she moved close enough that I could see her shadow. It was distorted, probably from the weaponry she wore on what I had now been informed was a ‘battle saddle’.
“Well this is lovely, Bosco. And in such good condition! Quite a find indeed. The ponies who built this place knew what they were doing.”
“Yeah,” Bosco’s shadow moved into range too, looking stiff, “what happened after-”
“Ah-ah. Don’t change the subject, dahling.” Schwarz’s shadow moved away from Bosco’s into the center of the foyer.
Her raised voice carried through the rooms. “Hello? Little girl? Come out and say hello. I promise not to keep you or dear Bosco from your fun for too long.”
Does she ever take things seriously? She’s just killed two Raiders 10 minutes ago and now she’s making sex jokes. Well, now what do I do?
The earth mare was non-plussed with my lack of response. “A shy little thing you’ve found for yourself, Bosco. Do be patient with her, she may be... inexperienced.”
Oh, for the love of-, ignoring Bosco’s spluttering, I rose to my hooves and stepped quietly around the corner. Her back was to me. If I wanted to attack, this was the time.
Did I want that?
No, I didn’t. “Hello again, Schwarzwald.”
She jumped, apparently not expecting me to arrive from the bar. “Snowflake? It is you!” The widest grin burst across her face. “Bosco, you bad boy, bringing our dear Snowflake to a place like this. For shame.”
More spluttering and blushing.
“Although it does explain why you ran off so soon.”
Even more spluttering and blushing.
I soon grew tired of it. “Good to see you, Schwarzwald...”
“And you too, dahli-”
“...now tell me where I can find Wings.”
Directness seemed to work as she halted mid-dahling. She said nothing as she flicked an eye across my ready stance and low frown. There was absolutely no fear in her at all. She remained completely relaxed. Was it from her long years of experience or was I simply not threatening?
Finally she smiled again, though it was much different from the casual grins she bore earlier. This was a cold, calculating smile. There was amusement there, but at my expense. “What has happened, Snowflake? I know that look. You have the start of your own scar gallery and you’ve lost some weight. Some mechanical weight.”
Is she mocking me? How much does she know?
“Where is Wings?” I repeated, putting as much force behind the words as I could.
Schwarzwald kept right on smiling, though she did begin to loosen the straps on her battle saddle. “You have no more favours with us, Snowflake-dahling, and I am a mercenary mare, you know. Why should I tell you? I am quite fond of dear ‘Wings’, and you seem upset with her. Are we not all friends?”
“You tell me, dahling. When did you last see Wings?” I made no move to put on my Power Hooves, not yet. Schwarzwald might turn out to be innocent.
Well, in taking my Pipbuck anyway, I doubt she’s been ‘innocent’ of much else in a long time.
The mare shrugged off her battle saddle, which clattered onto the floor, and stretched her muscles, talking to herself as she did. “Well now, when did I last see her? Hmm, we were in the bar when you arrived. Then I left for my evening entertainment. After that? Ah, yes. It was the very next day. Wings told me that she had found work for herself, to begin the day after. A few hours later I was contacted about my participation in the hunt. Wings left that same day. I remained in Lethbridle a little while longer, and how lucky that I did. It meant I could run into this handsome colt here, no?”
Bosco didn’t react with embarassment this time. He barely reacted at all. Instead, he watched the two of us apprehensively. He was the only one still with a weapon, but I doubted that would matter too much.
“Can you call her here? She and I have business to discuss.” More than discuss, but I had to tread lightly, especially if Schwarzwald was as protective of the griffon as she seemed.
“Weeell, I could... but as I said, I am a mercenary. Why should I?”
Her smile grated on my nerves more and more. “Because she has something of mine, and I want it back.”
Still grinning that now-maddening grin, she cocked her head to the side. “Oh? How did she get it? Did you give it to her?”
My lips pursed slightly as I subconsciously bared my fangs. “She called me out for a chat then ambushed me when I got there! Is that a friend, Schwarzwald?”
She rubbed her chin with her hoof, not really talking to me. “Hmm, I do hope there was a good reason for that. It could be troublesome otherwise...”
“Good reason?! She stole my Pipbuck. I need that to get back into the Stable!” Why was she still smiling?
“And? What relevance is that to me? Thieves exist in the Wasteland, Snowflake. Get used to it. Take Bosco’s advice and learn how to prevent it.” Apparently she’d picked up the tail end of our conversation through the door.
She’s definitely been around for a while. She didn’t even blink at my being a Stable pony. If she wants me to fix it myself then I will.
My horn began to glow. “I’ll make you bring her here.”
Her eyes lit up and she began to giggle, it was lighter than her normal, husky tones and was almost melodic. “Well, this is unexpected. Please try, dahling, I’m still frisky from those Raiders.”
“Ladies, hold on a minute. This is dumb.” Bosco broke his silence in a feeble attempt to break things up even as he stepped back out of the way. Neither of us took much notice. Schwarzwald probably didn’t care in general and I had severe doubts that Bosco would shoot us.
I wasn’t going to beat Schwarzwald with strength. She was bigger, stronger and a better fighter. It was like fighting McCoy or Peanut again. I was gonna have to take away her options.
Ice spread out from under my hooves and crept along the floor towards her... for about a half-second. Then, like in my fight with the stone-grey griffon, I lost control and it streaked away, narrowly missing Bosco, who dove aside at the last moment, before shooting up a wall and engulfing a framed painting of three smiling unicorn girls. Long-dead escorts by the looks of it. The frozen picture grew too heavy for its support and dropped, shattering on the marble.
Following the show with her forest-green eyes, my opponent gave me a look that silently, and sardonically, offered me a chance to give it another go. I took her up on that, another tendril of ice slashing out. This one didn’t even manage to head in her direction at all, instantly shooting away and up a wall. I ignored the faint crinkling and opted to charge instead. Maybe if I can get closer-
-I could get a hoof in the face for my efforts. Pain blossomed around my cheek as the blow lifted me off my feet and propelled me into the bar. I landed hard on the treated wood. A crash sounded just as I hit the ground, at first I thought it was me breaking something else, but when I looked up I saw that the overhead chandelier in the foyer, now frozen solid, had plummeted to the ground where I’d been standing.
On the other side of it, Schwarz’s lips were still curled upwards. “I didn’t want things to end that quickly, this is fun. I like this new you, Snowflake, you’re feisty. Are you sure you’re not better off without the Pipbuck?”
“That’s not really the issue here.” I sprang to my feet and charged again. Diving at her, I crossed my forelegs in front of my face to stop her getting to my face. Instead, she reached up, grabbed my hooves, and swung me into the wall. All the wind blew out of me in a mighty gasp. I dropped to the floor and greedily sucked in air.
As I struggled to fill my lungs, Schwarzwald didn’t press her attack. What she did do was kneel down and softly lifted my mane away from my eyes. “I’m having fun, Snowflake, so I’m not angry. However, I am also pulling my punches. Again, for fun. However if you continue to attack me for so long that it becomes boring, then I will end the fight there and then. I know you are angry at Wings, but there are other ways of doing this. I’d hate to see your pretty form all bruised,” she paused for a moment, “well, in a fight anyway.”
I wasn’t feeling so suffocated by that point, so I had the strength to angrily knock her hoof away. “Don’t...need...your...help!”
She just shrugged and winked at Bosco as she took a few steps back. “She’s very determined isn’t she? It’s cute, no?”
The colt looked wordlessly between us. “Just don’t kill her, alright?”
The older mare burst out laughing. “Kill her? I’m not going to kill her. Where would be the fun in that? Look at how interesting she’s becoming. Why, if she’s willing to attack me, think how entertaining it’ll be when she finds Wings! I can’t wait. If she learns how to fight then she’ll be such fun!”
“SHE is not done yet!” I didn’t care how winded I was or how much that punch had hurt, I wanted to wipe that cocky smile off her face.
If anything I made it bigger, Schwarzwald was delighted with my actions. “Come, Snowflake, show me more!” She spread her hooves wide, waiting for my attack.
I’m not going to get her with a straight shot, so now what? My ice... snake... thingie attack is no good if I can’t control it.
Wait, isn’t it? A notion was half-forming in the back of my mind.
“Stop thinking, Snowflake. If you want to win this fight, you’re going to need to be more... primal.” Purred the mercenary, running her tongue along her teeth.
Why not? I’ve got nothing else to try.
Squaring my stance, I pumped all my energy into my horn BUT made no attempt to control it. I might’ve been unconscious at the time and didn’t have the Memory Orb handy but I still tried to channel that first display in the Stable’s medical bay. The one that landed me in all this trouble. I’d covered the entire room with ice, wall-to-wall.
I was going for a similar effect here. If I didn’t know where the attack would come from, how would she? I lowered my head. I wouldn’t need to know where she was. If this didn’t work I’d probably knock myself out, if not I’d still be out of ideas. The fight would be over one way or another.
A ring of ice crystals formed, then broke, then reformed around me again and again. Bosco was shouting from the corner of the room but I couldn’t hear him over the snaps, crackles, and pops. Schwarzwald didn’t shout, scream, or say anything at all. She was almost bouncing with anticipation though.
Sweatdrops on my brow froze and shattered into snowdust as I pumped more and more power into the spell.
This should be interesting.
The spell fired. Ice went everywhere. It spread out in a great wave along the floor, snakes of white slithered along walls and wrapped themselves around furniture. The remains of the fallen chandelier snapped clean in two.
I’d given the spell all I could, so I looked up to see the result on my opponent. Still joyous, Schwarzwald was dancing this way and that as frozen streams crisscrossed where her hooves had just been. She lacked some of Naiara’s grace, but her reflexes were wicked fast. She was untouched, even if she was being driven backwards.
As she reached the archway separating the marble foyer and wooden bar, the brass divider strip that ran along the floor as a border broke free of its fixtures and warped in the cold. One end shot upwards and smacked her right across the flank. With a girlish “Ooh!” she hopped forward... and promptly slipped on the now-frozen marble, landing on her back with her four legs sticking straight up in the air.
The laughter took a moment to register as mine. Only when Bosco joined in did I realise just how funny I found the scene. The big bad mare lying flat on her back with her hooves in the air and a perplexed expression on her face. After a moment she started laughing too.
10 seconds later, I was still laughing so hard that I never saw her hoof before it hit me in the temple.
~~~~~~
I groaned as consciousness painfully returned. “Uncalled for.”
Her head on the same velvet pillow as mine, Schwarzwald grinned as we lay eye-to-eye in the underground master suite. “It was the only way to make sure I didn’t get angry, dahling. And I did have such fun last night.”
I glanced at the rose-coloured sheets covering our bodies. “How much of it was I awake for?”
A scarred hoof emerged from the covers and booped my nose. “Relax, Snowflake, there is little appeal in a body that doesn’t move.”
I wrinkled said nose and batted her hoof away. “So, since you still have your good cheer, will you tell me where to find Wings?”
She slipped out of the covers and stood in the center of the room. “Not just yet. I have a proposition for you. Come upstairs and we shall talk with Bosco.”
Her scars kept me from answering. As she stood there I could see almost every inch of her lithe frame. She was taller than most mares, plenty of stallions too, and in very good shape. There was obvious muscle tone there without being bulky, her strength obviously came from action, not lifting heavy weights. Were it not for the scars, I might have thought she was a dancer. The damaged flesh spoke of her long combat experience. Her wood-brown coat boasted countless reminders of what she’d been through. It was frankly incredible she was as naturally cheery as she was.
“Oho, you like what you see?” I didn’t think I’d been gawking but it wasn’t a quick look by any means. Judging from the look of her conifer-green eyes, which matched her short mane, it would appear that the decision of whether she was joking or not was being left up to me.
“Just looking for the mark I put on your backside last night.” I tried to give her a creepy smile but she matched it with one that was just as unnerving.
“Very good, dahling, keep talking like that and I might someday show you what else my body has to offer.”
Bosco’s words from the night before sprang to mind and I dove under the covers before my blush could be seen. “Just go find Bosco. I’ll be up in a minute.”
“Hehehe, take all the time you need. Attending to your needs shouldn’t be rushed.”
She was up the stairs before I had a chance to retort.
~~~~~~
The tension Bosco and I had built up over the previous day was effectively diffused when I emerged into the bar, after the skipping Schwarzwald, to see the charcoal-grey colt leaning on the mop he had been using to clean up the melted ice, smirking at my dishevelment.
“Sleep well?”
“Nyrhrgrmrwr.”
“You really did a number on this place last night. I’ve just finished clearing up,” his tone became remorseful, “had to throw out that chandelier. Split right down the middle.”
“I’ve got some bits from my delivery work if you want to replace it.” I looked around for my bags.
“Nah, I’m sure there’ll be a spare around somewhere. This place is pretty stocked. I checked out the other rooms. Ready to go for the others when they show up.”
As if to illustrate that point, Schwarzwald returned with three plates of preserved food. “This place is a treasure trove of goodies!” She rolled her eyes at my hesitance to accept food from her and dug into her own with gusto. “See? No poison or drugs or anything. Now tell me about these others.”
Bosco hopped onto a bar stool with his own food, but he appeared just as interested in learning more about the people I’d met on my travels.
I took a quick bite of something that smelled vaguely vegetable-y and found, to my surprise, that it was quite tastily seasoned. I chewed it down and swallowed while I thought of where to begin.
“Well, Bosco has already met Naiara, but I trust her enough for her to stay here. She has no reason to give us any trouble and she’s saved us twice now,” I rubbed the back of my head for a moment, “I mean she did pick a fight with the boss of Plottawa...”
“Oh, she sounds fun. I wish to meet this Naiara.” Evidently there was little that was not fun for Schwarzwald.
“...but we joined in so we can’t fault her for that. She’s saved me a couple more times since then-OH WHAT NOW?!”
Schwarzwald was smiling that aggravating smile again. “You are Red Ice! I heard the radio broadcast after Plottawa was infiltrated. It was you! Oh, dahling, why didn’t you tell me sooner? I am going to have to keep a closer eye on you.”
Fucking. Damn. It.
I wished she would stop bouncing in her seat. “Please go on, tell me more about this lovely friend of yours.”
I frowned but continued. “There isn’t much else. I met up with her a few days ago on the way to Grindstone. She and Breeze, I’ll get to her in a minute, travelled with me until Plottawan slavers attacked the Buffalo. We ran into the country, ended up at a lake called “Sombra’s... something” and split up from there. Naiara had to meet up with some other zebra and then she said she’d be coming to find you, Bosco. Has she contacted you?”
He looked towards Schwarzwald as if expecting some comment before he spoke, but the mention of the lake had shut her up for some reason. Her smile, while still present, had receded slightly when the zebra were mentioned.
When she made no move to speak, he began. “Well as Snow said, Naiara’s a zebra. Hell of a fighter too. She should be around in the next two days. We made the same arrangement that you and her made when you first met. A three-day window. Yesterday was the first day and today and tomorrow are okay too. I told her I’d meet her in Lethbridle. That gives her enough time to meet up with her zebra buddies before showing up.”
“What fascinating individuals you’ve met, Stable pony. I wish to meet this zebra. Is she pretty? And what of this other one, this ‘Breeze’?”
The young stallion shrugged. “Now her, I don’t know. Care to fill us in, Snow?”
I consumed more of my breakfast first, at the same time wondering just how long the conversation would go on before we got to the subject of Wings. “Well I actually met Breeze, sorry, Aqua Breeze, and her sister because of the Red Ice radio broadcast. I had left Lethbridle after Bosco and Naiara brought me back after Plottawa, thanks again by the way, and had taken shelter for the night under an outcropping. I was happily sleeping when my Pipbuck started blaring out that Peanut wanted my head. Breeze and her sister heard the commotion and wanted to see what it was. They found me. Breeze took an instant like to my Pipbuck and her sister thought my Memory Orb was pretty.”
Bet she’s enjoying it now, damn Cassie.
“...When it became clear that I wasn’t gonna give them up, they attacked me. Breeze has some crazy tech and Cassie is a hell of a shot,” I lifted my scarred hoof, “this is her work. Pegged me from the top of a ravine after I’d jumped down into the water.”
Foam and spittle sprayed over me as Bosco spit his drink back out. “You did what?!”
Firmly rubbing the fluid off my face in frustration, I frowned at him. “It was that or be caught. Breeze has these electro-sticks, they form a barrier that hurts like you wouldn’t believe, and she caught me inside. I froze one and got away towards the cliff edge. Dragged my bruised self to Sprinkles Supplies, a caravan outfit to the south of Lethbridle, and took a job as a caravan guard as a way to get to Grindstone and make a few bits in the process. I won’t say I wasn’t happy about the idea of having armed backup either. What I didn’t count on was some of that backup being Breeze and Cassie.”
The pair’s blank faces let me know that I’d missed something out. “Cassie’s her sister. It’s much easier to call her that than Cassiopeia Venatici. Anyway, we didn’t get along on the trip but I got bitten by a Hissyflit and the Steel Rangers showed up and took me to Neighlway. Breeze and Cassie flew off the moment the Rangers arrived.”
“Flew off?” Schwarz cocked her head to the side, “More griffons?”
“Pegasi,” I corrected.
She squeed at that. She honest-to-goodness squeed. I felt it was important to move on quickly before the spell broke. “After the Rangers let me go I ran into Breeze again, who was looking for Cassie. We fought, then Naiara showed up. The three of us went to Grindstone at last and there we got attacked by Plottawan slavers. After we got away again, I sent the other two away and got a message from Wings to meet up in Whinniepeg. When I arrived she, and Cassie for some reason, knocked me out and took my Pipbuck and Memory Orb. Those two are NOT invited to stay here.” I finished definitively.
My story over, we fell into silence for a few seconds. Then Bosco broke it. “I’m getting a room to myself. If I’m gonna be the only guy here then I’m getting my own space.”
“Aww, you don’t want to keep me company?” Schwarzwald purred at him.
He rolled his eyes and ignored her. She turned back to me instead. “Quite the rabble you’ve adopted, Snowflake. Two earth ponies, assuming I am still welcome here after wiping the floor with your cute rear last night, a zebra, two pegasi and a grif-”
“ONE pegasus and no griffon. Not until I get back what is mine. After that... I don’t know. I’m not adopting anybody. And you only won because you suckerpunched me when I was laughing!” I huffed.
“Shall I kiss the booboo and make it all better?” Schwarzwald’s perpetual good mood and libido seemed to be feeding off our surroundings. “Ooh, I know. This place being what it is, it must have some lovely toys. As an apology, you can play with me. All. You. Like.”
I facehoofed, then regretted it as my bruises made themselves known. “Just tell me this proposition of yours so I can find Wings.”
“Oh very well, you spoilsport.”
“That’s exactly what I am. Now let’s go. What do I need to do for you to take me to Wings?”
She was sporting a frankly terrifying smile. “Well, as I’m sure Bosco told you, he and I were working with a group of poachers up past Cefar to capture a Molar Bear. You’ve seen one, no?”
“I’ve seen five.” I clarified, thinking back to the family I stumbled upon with Naiara and Breeze.
Schwarz blinked in surprise before continuing. “And you’re still alive? How fortunate. Anyway, the poachers have their Molar Bear but, since they lost several of their group to the beast, they are not in good condition for hunting their next targets. They asked me to ease their burden.”
Bosco was less than enthusiastic about battling more dangerous predators. “They want us to risk our necks bringing in another round of monsters? I’d rather not. It wasn’t worth it the first time.”
In response, the mercenary mare dug a bag of caps out of a pocket and dumped it out in front of the stunned colt. “Your share. Multiplied by the deaths of the other poachers. More to come if you join me in this new hunt,” she stared evenly at me, “both of you. And, if you assist me, I will bring you Wings.”
Bosco was looking at the money, and Schwarzwald, and me, and back at the money. He appeared torn.
Not that I really felt much happier about the whole arrangement. “Definitely not Molar Bears?”
She nodded. “Definitely not Molar Bears.”
“And I have your word? As soon as we’re done, you take me to Wings?”
“Either I take you to Wings, or I bring Wings to you. I give my word.” She was doing it again, the smile, like she knew I was going to say yes.
Fucking. Damn. It.
“I’m in.” What else could I say? She was my best shot at finding the griffon. I couldn’t pass it up. I’d faced down Molar Bears and Hissyflits. Nothing could be worse, could it?
Bosco was unhappy but calm. “This is you learning to survive, is it, Snowflake?”
I tried to give him a confident smile but, judging by his reaction, it may have been a little lopsided. “I’m trying, Bosco. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. Remember you’ve still got to meet Naiara by tomorrow.”
He pondered the logistics, turning to Schwarzwald. “How far are these things we’re hunting from here?”
“Not far. An hour west of here. Perhaps two.”
He seemed satisfied. “That’s close enough that we can get this done and get back to meet Naiara in Lethbridle by tomorrow.”
“Excellent!” The bark-and-leaf mare spread her forelegs wide cheerfully, “So you accept my terms, Snowflake-dahling?”
No real choice. I HAVE to find Wings and get my Pipbuck back. “I guess so. Though I still don’t know what we’re hunting.”
~~~~~~
It’s so fluffy! I’m gonna die!
Try as I might, I could not disengage myself from the entangling softness of the creature’s woolen fibers. They cocooned over and around me, pinning me to the ground. I could barely see through the fabric at the battle that was still ensuing between the trio of monsters and my two earth pony companions. What I could see, and feel, was that with every breath, in and out, my strong-but-flexible prison contracted around me. This meant there was less breathable air for me, and I was starting to feel it.
I’m on my back, and getting hotter, and I’m going to die...
Through the ever-decreasing gaps in my wool cage, I could see Bosco and Schwarz dancing around, trying to get a tranquiliser dart on our hybrid spider-sheep quarry. These three Tarantubaas, bearing natural wool armour in hues of pink, purple or blue, were almost as big as a pony and their eight fuzzy legs allowed them incredible flexibility of movement. They could turn on a bit and their curving horns could hook and gouge.
It was these same horns on that bastard pink one slashing across my thigh that slowed me enough that the other two, in a stunning display of pack cooperation, were able to swoop in and restrain me so.
Momentarily out of the fight, I could only watch as tranq after tranq lodged uselessly in the bushy coats of the bugs rather than penetrating. Schwarzwald’s narrow avoidance of a horn across the belly caused me to take deep breath... or try to. Panic set in as I realised just how poor the low the quality and quantity of air had dropped.
“H-Help! I can’t breathe!”
“We’re coming! Hold on!” The voice was muffled through the cocoon. I couldn’t tell who it was.
Each breath I took in felt emptier. I hammered my Power Hooves against the shrinking shell but the wool just contorted around them, bending but not breaking.
Schwarzwald! Bosco! Wings! Help me! I began to hyperventilate. My heart was thudding in my ears and black was creeping into the edges of my vision. I couldn’t tell what was going on outside anymore.
Not until Bosco’s knife plunged through the constricting cocoon an inch to the right of my eye. Fresh air flooded in behind it. I made good use of my newly-filled lungs by screaming my head off.
“SNOWFLAKE, SHUT UP AND GET OUT OF THERE! We need you!” Hauling me out of the trap, he dragged me towards where Schwarzwald was forcing the three beasts back with short bursts of rifle fire.
“Make it quick, dahlings, bullets are expensive!”
Bosco shook me by the shoulders. “Get it together! We need you to get in close and use your Power Hooves to stun them. We can tranq them after that.”
My lungs were still trying to take in as much air as possible, which interrupted my words. “B-but th-they’ll get me a-again!”
Without taking her eyes or guns off the creatures, Schwarz’s hoof whipped back and slapped me. “Adapt and survive, Snowflake!”
“DO IT!” Bosco shoved me forward past the mare.
“A-Aaahh!” I let panic propel me forward until I somehow slammed a charged Hoof into the forehead of the blue Tarantubaa, who instantly crumpled, curling its eight legs up above it.
Bosco was right there besides me with the tranq gun, pumping a round into the soft, non-fluffy underbelly of the bug. “Great Snow, just like that.”
Like what? Did I do that?
The baying of the purple Tarantubaa snapped us back to reality as it evaded the burstfire from Schwarzwald’s guns and rushed us. Panicked, I stuck my hooves out in front of me. The monster didn’t even slow down, the horns grinding against the weaponry. The fluffy purple thing’s bulk sent me flopping back but the brief contract of its horns had triggered the discharge of my Power Hooves, shunting the beast face-first into the dirt.
Another quick shot from Bosco and it stayed down. That just left the pink one...
...which Schwarzwald was currently riding, rodeo-style. “Nhaha! Such fun. I should keep you as a pet!” The Tarantubaa was apparently less than thrilled with this idea, as it was squealing and bucking, shifting and juking, doing whatever it could to force the pony off its back.
Now that my breathing had stabilised, and the other two were out for the count, I saw a ripe opportunity to end this quickly. “Schwarzwald, bring it over here!”
Grinning like a madpony, she grabbed hold of the left horn and yanked the creature around towards me. I had my fully charged Power Hoof wound back, apprehensively waiting for the hopping and bouncing bug to come closer.
I can finally find Wings and get some answers.
The moment the beast came into range I swung my hoof, uppercutting as hard as I could. The impact sent tremors along my foreleg, and caused 5 of the Tarantubaa’s 8 legs to leave the ground.
Before the balance was fully disrupted, Schwarzwald triple-tapped 3 darts into its neck, then hopped off and let it crash to the ground.
I dissipated the charge and removed my Power Hooves, then surveyed the battlefield. These nesting grounds were in a sheltered canyon, out of the wind, where the Tarantubaas could weave wool webs across the jagged outcroppings. The cocoon they had trapped me in was slashed in two and had shrunk to the size of my head.
Thanks for getting me out of there, Bosco. I’d be dead right now if you hadn’t.
“Can we fetch the poachers and get out of here? We do have a schedule to keep.” Bosco’s gruff request reminded me of Naiara and Breeze. I really wondered how I’d resolve things between Breeze and her sister.
“Then we certainly shan’t keep you.” The voice was feminine, refined and measured. Certainly not Schwarzwald’s voice. Standing at the top of the rock wall was a petite earth mare flanked by hulking, leathery-skinned unicorn and earth pony stallions. The mare’s elaborate, expensive-looking light-blue dress complimented her amber coat and sienna mane. The clothing also served to highlight her jade eyes. Her stallion companions were dressed in heavy cloth with body armour showing underneath. A far more sensible approach than the mare’s frankly unsuitable apparel.
If I were still in the Stable, I might have thought her dress was sky-blue, I glanced at the clouds overhead, not so much these days.
Schwarzwald waved jauntily. “Amber, my dear, you came to find us, and wearing such a pretty dress too. I knew you cared.”
Affecting an air of dignified disaproval, the upper-class pony wrinkled her nose at the mercenary. “Your overt, overly-friendly mannerisms are refreshing as always, Schwarzwald. Have you completed the task I assigned you?”
The scarred mare had flipped over the sedated pink Tarantubaa and was reclining on the soft wool covering its body, completely unconcerned with the fact that Amber was, for the moment, her employer. “I understand, Amber-dahling, you must be all-business in front of your boys. You can show me how much you appreciate me taking time from my busy schedule to assist you later when we are alone. Though how could I not help you, when you are so pretty and you ask so nicely?”
Amber was stone-faced, refusing to play Schwarzwald’s game. “I count three specimens. Very good. I shall have my staff prepare your payment. Of course I will provide a reward for the assistance of your two companions...”
She broke off expectantly. Schwarzwald said nothing and continued to recline, while Bosco and I just looked at her, unsure of how to respond.
Finally, after an increasingly-awkward silence, she spoke again. “Forgive me, I sometimes forget my education has been different from most ponies. I wish to know your names, though I shall introduce myself first,” she gave a quick curtsy, taking care to keep her clothing from touching the ground, “I am Lady Amber Bernstein, head of the Bernstein Conclave...”
“She loves to make it sound so impressive.” Schwarzwald drawled from her makeshift pillow.
“...and I thank you for your help in obtaining these creatures for me. Might I have your names?” Finished the mare, pointedly not responding to the interruption.
“Bosco.” Though he addressed Amber when he spoke, his attention was far more on her dozen stoic followers.
I found myself wondering why she would be out here in the wilderness dressed that like, but answered when her gaze fell on me. “I’m Snowflake. Nice to meet you.”
Amber inclined her head slightly. “A pleasure. Your assistance is greatly appreciated in this matter,” she turned to Bosco, “you were also on-hoof in the forest near Cefar, were you not?”
“Uh, yeah. Is that a problem?” He remained on guard, as if anticipating trouble from her entourage.
Amber, herself, made no indication of intent one way or another. Her tone seemed intentionally flat. “Not at all. I am simply surprised to see Schwarzwald use the same... subordinate more than once, even when the assignments are in such close proximity.”
Am I imagining it, or is she not happy about that?
Amber continued. “Schwarzwald is a... respected agent,”
“I won’t work for you full time, Amber-dahling, I have told you this.” Came the bored reply from within the Tarantubaa fluff.
Again, the minute drooping of the eyes gave the slightest hint of discontent, “...and I believe it would be beneficial to invite her assistants with our future endeavours. Our work here is not the only zoological enterprise we are concerned with.”
“Uh...what?” Bosco didn’t seem sure whether he was being praised or not.
“There is not much I can divulge at this time, but suffice it to say that the prize of my collection is a far rarer and more fascinating creature. I would need the most capable aid in capturing one, and perhaps more.” Amber’s eyes had strayed towards me and Schwarz during this speech before fixing back on Bosco. “Naturally Schwarzwald will be hired for this task. Would you be interested? I assure you that you will be thoroughly compensated.”
Even the prospect of a heap of bits didn’t put the charcoal colt at ease when being looked down upon by a baker’s dozen of ponies. “Sorry, Amber...”
“Lady Bernstein.” She interjected sharply, eliciting a chuckle from Schwarzwald.
“...Lady Bernstein, but I can’t be sure I’ll be available. If Schwarzwald wants me to come along she can come find me herself at the time.” Bosco’s tone was pretty blunt by the end.
“What do you need all these animals for, anyway?” It had been bugging me for a while. Who would actuallywant a Molar Bear, or these Tarantubaas?
‘Lady Bernstein’ only really seemed to notice my presence at this point. “Well... Snowflake, was it? My client has expressed interest in exotic lifeforms, and though they wish to remain nameless-”
“Red Eye.” Deadpanned Schwarzwald.
As I choked on my spit and Bosco did a double-take, Amber gaped at Schwarzwald. “How could you possibly know?”
Oh crap. These guys work for Red Eye. Oh no no no. I don’t want anything to do with slavers. I don’t care if they’re not from Plottawa. Red Eye’s probably pissed about the confusion of Red Ice attacking Peanut.
Scharzwald’s face emerged from the fluff, grinning wildly, but she held her tongue.
“Tell me!” There was no response. Amber began stomping the ground with her elegant shoes. “Tellmetellmetellmetellme!!”
“Lady Bernstein...” The other poachers were looking entirely uncomfortable at this point.
I, meanwhile, attempted to keep my own freakout underwraps, though I was trading worried glances with Bosco every few seconds.
Seeing their discomfort, the cultured Lady gathered herself, and within seconds was once again the refined, upper-class mare. “Yes, well, you are correct. Red Eye’s organisation has hired us to collect the creatures. I do not know what for, nor do I care to ask. They pay well and on time. So long as they continue to do so, I shall consider them a valuable business partner.”
“And what about Red Ice? Did they ask you about her?” I went cold. Schwarzwald was having entirely too much fun with the poachers, and going too far was going to get us all killed.
Amber’s brow crinkled in dignified confusion. “The rogue? Not in any great detail. Though it is no secret that Red Eye is uncomfortable with a dangerous reprobate using such a confusing moniker to trade on his name. All I have been asked to do in that regard is to send anypony seeking Red Eye in her direction, with a promise of riches paid on arrival. When they meet her, and find her unwilling to pay, it is expected that there will be violence.”
Oh come on! I don’t need this. I just wanted to find a couple of caravan guards and get my Memory Orb fixed.
“That’s... a pretty roundabout way to deal with the problem.” Bosco was trying to appear nonchalant, and utterly failing.
Amber’s gaze remained on Schwarzwald though. “I agree. However, Red Eye cannot be seen to devote any sense of effort to this matter.”
“Why not?” I had to ask, to see if there was any way I could get out of this situation. Latvi was probably in Plottawa right now. There was no way I would stay hidden for long.
“To acknowledge this criminal is to give her legitimacy. Red Eye’s organisation has no wish to increase the profile of some reprobate. It would do nothing but enhance her reputation.”
I think I had Bosco beat in how closely I was watching the poachers, but I still felt like I could breathe a sigh of relief at this point.
“Something of a pity, that...”
Assuming, of course, that Schwarzwald could keep her mouth shut.
Amber sniffed derisively. “And what do you mean by that?”
Taking her sweet time to stand up, Schwarz had a huge smile on her face. “Well, you see, dear Amber, I happen to know that Sn-”
“DON’T YOU DARE!!” I had my hooves clamped over the mare’s muzzle before any of the poachers could blink. I literally dragged my companion away, with Bosco following close behind. In moments, we were out of their sight.
“Uh…” We heard the poachers say together as they stared after us.
~~~~~~
“How long are you going to be mad at me, dahling?”
We were back at the outcropping where I’d first met Breeze and Cassie. After leaving Amber and her poachers with their prize, we headed for Lethbridle, where Schwarzwald visited a transmitter station and sent a message to Wings, asking her to meet. Nowhere in the message was it mentioned that myself or Bosco would be there. I couldn’t risk Wings not showing up. Neither could Bosco, it wasn’t yet noon but today was still the day when he was supposed to meet Naiara. This would have to work, and quickly.
After sending the message, we’d headed out. I chose the canyon-side location as it provided a hiding place for Bosco and I while Schwarzwald was still close enough that she couldn’t get away. We’d made sure to arrive an hour before the scheduled meeting time, giving us time to set up and look out for any problems.
So long as Cassie doesn’t spot us from a mile out. Her eyes are just crazy.
So here we were, the faint rumble of the water down in the canyon serving as a constant reminder of exactly how things went wrong the last time I was here. I kept finding myself rubbing the scar from Cassie’s rifle. At least I knew what she was capable of this time, Wings too. They wouldn’t surprise me again.
“I said I was sorry. Oh, come out and talk to me, Snowflake. It’s no fun waiting here in silence.”
I’m not sure SHE will ever stop surprising me.
“Schwarz, shut up, will you? You’ll give us away. It’s not exactly keeping your word if you blow the whole deal before we can get a chance!” Bosco was no happier about almost being outed in front of a dozen dangerous hunters. He’d been quietly fuming ever since.
I was touched by the support. I needed him here. I might get swept up into Schwarz’s pace if he wasn’t.
A less-than-anxious chuckle was the answer. “Oh please, you heard Amber. They would not have made a move against you. They had no reason to. Not to mention that, sweet girl though she is, Amber is not quick on the uptake. And even if one of her little colts had understood, she would not have paid attention. Dear Amber does not listen to others much.”
Funny, I thought she was hanging on your words. “I still don’t appreciate you taking the risk with MY secret, and certainly not when Bosco, and you, could have gotten hurt.”
“So you DO care! I’m so happy!”
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Muttered my sane friend, before making sure the non-descript sheet we were hiding under was properly placed.
“Just please don’t ruin this for me. I don’t have any other way to find her. If this doesn’t work, I might never get my Pipbuck back,” I let the genuine sadness of those thoughts bleed into my words while at the same time I tried to think up a reason that would convince her, “if that happens... then I won’t... be... any fun for you anymore?”
The mare was silent for several minutes as she mulled this over. I was almost ready to come out from hiding for fear she’d somehow snuck away when she finally answered in a reflective tone. “Good point. Now I advise silent, dahlings, they will be here soon.”
I hunkered down a little deeper under the cover, my shoulder pressed up against Bosco. He didn’t appear to notice. The bed at Hoofshine Harlots this was not. Unlike Schwarzwald, he knew when to get serious.
“Snow?” The whisper broke my concentration.
“Yeah, Bosco?”
“I know this is tough, but you know I’ll do whatever it takes to help you out. Even... if things go badly.” He was being supportive but there was an edge there, “I really hope this works out but... you may have to face the thought of not going home. It’s not perfect, it’s not what you want, but it may be the best you can do.”
I know, Bosco. I’ve known since Whinniepeg. It’s always been there, in the back of my mind, waiting for quiet moments. I’m just... not ready to talk about it yet.
My lack of response forced him to continue. “If it comes to that, I dunno what I can really do for you, but I’ll do whatever I can. I owe you.”
No you don’t. You’d have seen the Orbs someday whether I was here or not. Now that you have, I’m still dragging you into dangerous situations. You’ll never owe me anything again. But, and I’m really really sorry about this, I’m going to be selfish and keep dragging for a little while longer. I’ll make it up to you if we survive, I promise.
I wondered if I should just go ahead and say all that, let him walk away now.
“Thanks, Bosco.” Instead, I proved my own pettiness.
Two thuds came from above us. Schwarz was stomping on the rock. That was the signal that she could see Wings. I let out the breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding, then stilled myself as much as possible. Beside me, Bosco did the same.
It was an eternity in two minutes before I heard the clackclack of two claws touching down. Her soft backpaws made no sound that I could hear, but the four thuds that followed after told me that Wings was not alone. Cassie was still with her.
Unless she picked up a different Pegasus along the way. I kinda doubt it though.
“You made good time, Wings. Who is this lovely you’ve brought with you?”
“Hey Schwarz, this is Cassio... Cassiopie... Cassiopei... this is Cassie.”
“Nice to meet you, miss Schwarzwald, I am Cassiopeia Venatici. Wings has mentioned you several times. I am glad I get to see the mare behind the name.”
“Oh?” Schwarzwald was already hiding her laughter, “And what has dear Wings told you about me, Cassie-dahling?”
“The term ‘scary but fun’ seemed to be the most common analysis.” Cassie was so very different from her sister. She was all politeness while Breeze was unfailingly direct, forsaking niceties entirely.
“Do I frighten you, dear Cassiopeia? I’m sure I could find a way to... ease your fears.”
Wings jumped in before Cassie could be drawn into innudendo-filled banter. “Ah, knock it off already, Schwarzwald. Tell me what’s up, why’d you call me?”
Now we get to see how well Schwarzwald can act.
“Oh, very well. Here is the situation. I have been hired to capture rare and unusual creatures for a powerful pony.” I could appreciate that opening. She could back that up with plenty without telling Wings about us.
“So?” ‘Polite interest’ best described how excited Wings sounded.
“This pony works for Red Eye. This pony also considers a Molar Bear one of the less-intriguing creatures on the list,”
Wait, is she selling out Amber to Wings? Why?
“I thought this sort of thing might be of interest to you, Blue Fire.”
I was momentarily incensed. Blue Fire? BLUE FIRE?! Wings stole my bit. That is such a rip-off of Re-wait, no... I remember now, there was something about a Blue Fire in the DJ’s broadcast, he said she was a Pegasus though. The wings must’ve fooled eyewitnesses.
“Somehow, I do not think that creatures of that caliber in Red Eye’s hooves would be a good idea. Perhaps you might wish to liberate them? After I collect them and get paid of course, I would not deprive dear Amber of my company.”
Wings cares about wildlife? Seriously? Or does she just not like Red Eye?
“Yeah, that sounds like something I can get behind. Anything else happen while I was away?”
“No, nothing important. I see that you made a new friend but what other trouble have you gotten up to while my eyes were elsewhere, young lady?”
“Nothing special, mom.” Good humour laced Wing’s words.
They infuriated me.
Nothing special?!
I tried to shrug off the sheet and rise but Bosco clamped down on my shoulder. “Snow, don’t!” He whispered urgently. I struggled against his grip but he held tight. Eventually, I realised he was right, I didn’t know anything more at this point and revealing myself would be meaningless, so I choked down my anger and remained still.
“Well then, how did you meet this cute Venatici girl?” Schwarzwald pressed.
“She... helped me out, and I owe her. That’s pretty much all I can say for now.” Wings was less jovial with this than she had been.
“Secrecy is not like you, dahling, what have you been up to, I wonder?”
Schwarzwald’s question went unanswered as Cassie piped up. “I am sorry, Miss Schwarzwald, but it is in your best interests to ask nothing more on the matter,” I almost chuckled at trying to warn Schwarzwald away from anything before she continued, this time addressing Wings, “I don’t mean to be rude but I’d like to get going as soon as possible, we have what we need from Red Ice.”
There it is. I nudged Bosco, who nodded back. Setting aside the camouflage, we quietly moved to the lip of the rock. Gazing over the rim, I could see the backs of the two flyers as they faced the mercenary. They were only a few meters away, we could rush them now and have a chance to take them!
Meanwhile, Schwarzwald attempted to keep up the charade. “You met Red Ice? How fun! Was she what you expected?”
Wings matched mirth with mirth. “Actually, you’ll never believe who it is...”
“She might!” I called as I ran out of patience. Springing up from our hiding place, Bosco and I formed a pincer with Schwarzwald on the other side, trapping Wings and Cassie in the middle.
“Snowflake!” The griffon’s head whipped around, eyes wide. Cassie matched her expression as she too faced me.
“Give me back my Pipbuck and Memory Orb, right now!” No more games. No more moping. I was going to get Stable 61 back, and I was going to do it myself! Learning to survive the life I led started with getting my old life back from these two thieves.
Cassie spoke first. “I am truly sorry, Red Ice, but I cannot relinquish those items to you yet. I still need them.” Her words were firm but, like in Whinniepeg, there was no enthusiasm there. What was happening here? What was her stake in all this? If she didn’t want this then what did she want that would drive her to this?
Wings was less ambivalent. “I don’t owe you any more favours, Snowflake. You might be my friend, but I won’t give up the Pipbuck.” Her eyes were blazing again, like in the snow with the Raiders and in Vanchoofer. The azure irises stood out sharply.
Blue Fire, I see it now.
“Explain why you did it, and give me back the Pipbuck and Orb, and we won’t have to fight you.” I still couldn’t completely hate them, either of them, yet. I didn’t hate Cassie mostly for Breeze’s sake, and Wings... well I didn’t have many friends.
Wings’ smile was confident, but sad. “Fight us? You? Bosco might be a fighter but you sure as hell aren’t!” She laid a claw on one of her holstered revolvers, “Back off, Snowflake, while you still can. There’s no way you two can take us three.”
Cassie’s briefly buoyed confidence soon turned to dismay as Schwarzwald strolled between the two and took up station in front of Bosco and I, facing Wings. “About that, Wings, I have heard much of what has gone on between you all, and it is so fascinating that I want to see what happens next. So, I shall be helping out dear Snowflake this time. I hope you don’t mind.”
The “oh hell” expression the chocolate-and-cream avian wore said more than words could.
“Bosco, take Cassie.” I spoke out of the corner of my mouth, not taking my eyes off Wings.
“Got it.” He was all business again, grey eyes hard and body ready for action. Seeing him squaring off with her, Cassie’s bracers opened and her weaponry emerged. Her wickedly sharp switchblade snapped out of the left armour, to which Bosco drew his own knife in response, and then a long black cord, last seen around my neck, poured from the right armlet.
Schwarzwald squealed in delight. “A whip! She has a whip! Oh, I will fight this one! Oh yesss...” Her manic glee unnerved all of us, except Wings who simply seemed to expect it, while the older mare skipped over to face the pegasus.
“Don’t kill her, you two,” I warned them, hoping that Schwarzwald would listen, “I still need to get my stuff back.”
“Of course not. Wouldn’t want a fight to be simple or anything...” Sighed Bosco wearily.
“You could not pay me enough to kill this one, not yet.”
“Don’t kill them either, Cassie,” Wings retorted, “if things look dicey just get out of here. I’ll follow.”
“I won’t let you.” I warned.
Cassie ignored me. “I understand. Are you sure you can take her, Wings?”
“She couldn’t take me even without holding off from killing. Oh yeah, this’ll be over quick.”
I didn’t respond but I was totally focused on her now. Cassie was a capable fighter but Bosco could hold his own just fine and Schwarzwald outclassed both of them. With the two of them, Cassie would not be interfering.
That left me with just Wings to worry about. She had the aerial superiority over me and was great with her pistols, especially while drunk, whereas I could not hit a damn thing and didn’t even carry a gun anymore. I would have to rely on my Power Hooves, with which I had only managed one successful strike, on a Hissyflit of all things, and my magic, which I was still less than confident of controlling properly. Things were not looking that good.
How was I going to beat Wings? She was still smirking at me, waiting for me to make the first move, though her eyes did flick to the side momentarily as Cassie’s whip cracked...
...followed by Schwarzwald’s moan. “Harder, dahling. Make me feel it!”
“S-stay away!” Poor Cassie had no idea what she was in for.
Wings’ confidence was worrying, though warranted. She’d been born in the Wasteland, Raiders and slavers and other threats were everyday occurrences. She’d grown strong enough to fight back. I’d seen firsthoof that she didn’t just rely on Schwarzwald for protection. She hadn’t yet drawn her pistols but her claws looked plenty sharp, and even with her small frame, I was sure she could throw plenty of strength at me.
So, to sum up; faster, stronger, a better fighter and she can fly. Did I miss anything out? Oh, yeah, she’s not above fighting dirty either. What do I do?
I had only fought one other griffon properly and that was McCoy. The childish shoving-and-scratching with bullies back in Stable 61 wasn’t likely to help me much here, so McCoy was really all I had to fall back on. There were, unfortunately, several big differences. I’d gotten the drop on McCoy, and he was fighting indoors, so his wings limited him as much as they aided him. I’d taken his gun away from him by sending my ice along the walls, and there were no walls here.
I needed to use my ice, even if I was at a loss as to how. It was the only edge I had on her. Back when I met her the first time, I’d frozen Raider guns through instinct, and the only time I’d tried it outside of battle, in the bath in Hoofshine, it had knocked me out cold. I couldn’t afford that here. I needed a new idea.
“You gonna stand there all day? Blue Fire’s waiting. Come at me, Red Ice!” Wings was in a combat stance, but her muscles were completely relaxed. Not a trace of tension was on show.
No great ideas were coming to mind, probably because I didn’t have years of experience in a hostile environment, not a violent one anyway. To win this fight, I was gonna have to hope for a miracle, a lucky hit or something. In the meantime...
I hopped forwards, igniting my Power Hooves. Rearing up in front of her, I jabbed as fast as I could, again and again. I was lucky that she was so compact, it meant she had no leverage when she dodged my strikes. I couldn’t hit her, but no counterattacks came at first.
Then I went for a double-hoof strike. Her wings spread and she shot upwards as my hooves went forwards. She raked her claws along my legs as she rose.
“TSAAH!” I hissed as the claws left long, thankfully shallow, scratches along my skin, the fur underneath immediately turning red as blood bubbled up from the cuts. Not wanting to give my opponent a chance for a headshot, I flung my hooves in a backwards arc over my head, the corner catching Wings’ heel as she kicked down at me. It wasn’t a full hit but it triggered enough of the Power Hoof’s charge to jolt her away.
Still midair, she shook the paw to dispel the shock. She wasn’t smiling now. I’d gotten in a lucky shot, but now she was going to get serious.
“Aigh!” Cassie’s pained yelp came from across the rock. I hopped back and risked a quick look, noting the blood trickling down her cheek. Bosco’s knife was also dripping.
I was about to remind him about wanting them alive when Schwarzwald, in her jovial fashion, beat me to it. “Bosco, how could you? You should know better than to hit a pretty girl in the face! For shame.”
“Oh go fu-”
I didn’t need to listen in any more. While relying on Schwarzwald to NOT kill somebody was risky at best, I was reasonably certain she would keep Cassie alive. I turned back to Wings, who had also taken the time to look. “One for me, Blue Fire.”
She grimaced. “The only one, Red Ice. It won’t happen again.”
Wings stayed in the air while I circled underneath. The pegasus was still battling the two earth ponies but I didn’t dare glance their way again. Things were getting serious. The griffon still hadn’t drawn her guns though, which was promising. Perhaps she didn’t want to kill me either?
It was a slim chance but I took it. “What do you want me to call you? Should I stay with Blue Fire?” She said nothing, so I continued, “For what it’s worth, I... still want you to be Wings, the griffon who called me her friend. I just wish you would tell me why you did what you did.”
I hadn’t even tried to hide my sadness, and it had an effect. The azure in her eyes faded a little and her eyebrows drooped, along with a sagging of her shoulders. She still hadn’t said anything, though she seemed to want to but was resisting the urge. After a few seconds of silent gliding, her expression hardened again and she came at me, talons poised.
The action caught me off guard and I couldn’t get out of the way on time, I could only half-flop backwards and make a clumsy swipe with a Power Hoof.
She made me pay for it. Both claws wrapped around my leg and hauled me onto my back. She kept flying, dragging me painfully along the hard rock and earth. Searing pain ran down my spine as the jagged ground tore at my back.
Blue Fire’s wings beat faster and faster as she towed me further from the others. I wriggled and struggled, twisting my leg this-way-and-that within her grasp, but I only succeeded in cutting my flesh open on her talons. Her claws bit deeper and deeper until I couldn’t stand it anymore and cried out. “IT HURTS! LET GO!”
So she did.
My momentum kept me rolling until I slammed agonisingly into something hard and unyielding. I felt something snap inside, and tried to curl up, causing flaming spikes to stab through my body. Something was very wrong.
My hoof suddenly felt lighter. I looked at it and saw that the blood from the claw wounds had slicked it enough for my Power Hoof to slide right off.
Useless. I didn’t make any more to recover it. I was having enough trouble just catching my breath.
The claw that wrapped itself around my throat did not help matters any. I tried feebly to bat it away with my bleeding hoof, but only succeeded in dripping blood from my horn to my chest, and onto her arm. As I coughed and spluttered, Blue Fire looked sadly down at me.
“W...Wings...help...” Was all I managed to gasp out.
She shook her head remorsefully. “I can’t, not right now. I wish I could, really I do, but it would cause more problems that it would solve.” She glanced around quickly before leaning in close, “Hold on just a little longer, Snowflake, and I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
If she gets away, this will all be for nothing! Come one, Snowflake, get up! Stop her! You have to move now!Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, Why can’t I even do this? Stupid horn, do something! Anything!
Desperately, I triggered my ice trail spell, hoping against hope that something would happen to salvage the situation. I was rapidly losing strength and let my head fall back to the dirt.
I felt cold lance across my face, then Wings’ arm shifted. “Wha-, Snowflake, knock it off!”
I barely heard her, all I could focus on now was the spell. That and the freezing sensation running down my face. I wasn’t even looking at her anymore.
Wings’ struggles continued. “Seriously, Snow, stop this! You can’t do this, not now. Snowflake? DAMMIT SNOWFLAKE UNFREEZE MY CLAW!!”
With exhausted detachment, I raised my head. The moment I did, I heard a sharp crack and a swift pain as the ice on my chin split. If I had the strength, I would have laughed at the situation. Wings was tugging fruitlessly at the trail of frozen blood, running from my horn to my neck, that was sticking her claw to my throat. She couldn’t even squeeze.
Not Snowflake... Red Ice.
I win.
I didn’t even need to do anything more except hang on. Schwarzwald and Bosco would come, and we would be victorious.
Wings came to the same conclusion. She raised her head and hollered at the unseen battle. “Cassie, I need you! Leave them!”
“No!” Schwarzwald chortled back, “Stay and play!”
“What did you do to Snow?” Demanded Bosco from beyond my vision.
If Cassie said anything, I didn’t hear it. I was having a little trouble focusing. The pain was still there, and my breathing was getting a little ragged. I felt rather than saw something appear beside Wings.
“I can’t get loose,” snapped the griffon, “help me with her and we’ll fix it later.”
Hooves wrapped around my hind legs, then the sound of wings beating reached my ears. We left the ground moments later, with my head lolling back, and the cloudscape shifting erratically as I was bounced around.
“Wait! Let Snowflake go!” Bosco was hollering at us from the ground.
“Wings, you bring her back here right now!” Schwarzwald was not happy either, though whether she was talking about me or her new playmate was up for debate.
Another griffon is carrying me through the air. I tried to smile at the thought but it turned into a cough as something stabbed my insides again.
This time I did hear Cassie. “Wings, she needs help. It was never the plan to hurt her. We have to give her something for her injuries.” She was surprisingly compassionate for a thief.
“I know, I know,” was the griffon’s distracted response, “let’s get ourselves a few minutes headstart, I’ve got some Med-X. That’ll keep her stable until we can get to the Rangers’ rendezvous.”
Steel Rangers again? Goodie gumdrops. I’m sure it would have carried more importance were I not so lightheaded.
Cassie wasn’t done though. Her tone carried elements of accusation, worry, anger, guilt and impatience. “Look at what’s happened here! This isn’t right!”
“I know that!” Wings wasn’t guiltless either, by the sound of things, “What else do you want to do? You know why we’re doing this! If you have another idea, I’m all ears.”
“No... not yet, but I will think of one. This... is wrong.” For some reason, the pegasus girl sounded near tears.
You idiots probably shouldn’t have done it then, should you?
I’d have laughed if I could. Instead I coughed up some blood.
~~~~~~
Level Up!
Perks gained: Not so Stable anymore - Wasteland life is rapidly eroding Snowflake’s naïveté, resulting in a slight increase in Perception.
~~~~~~
Author's Note:
Yeah, that’s right, it’s a Despicable Me reference.
Again, they’re not all going to be this long. I’d probably die if they were. 16,000 words tops from now on, probably less. I promise. That’ll keep me from having to battle through so much writer’s block to finish.
Big thank you to Y1 for all his continued help with my annoying idiosyncrasies and ideas. He’s a great guy, and you should read his Conviction, it’s a fantastic story.
Eternal thanks to Kkat, Hasbro and lady Faust for FiM and FO:E.
Read and leave a comment or two, if you please. I can always use the feedback to make the story better.
Hope you are enjoying the story so far.