//------------------------------//
// Fallout Equestria: Old Souls - Chapter 15: Red Ice 
// Story: Fallout Equestria: Old Souls 
// by Pillbug 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 15: Red Ice

[I tried to back away, only to find my hooves mired in the muddy street!]

I shot upright with a tremendous inhalation, eyes wide. Frantically, my head turned rapidly this way and that, trying to find Latvi, Caber Toss, Ballbuster or, most importantly, Undertow.

Finding nobody, I lurched towards the door, only to end up faceplanting into the metal floor as the sheets tangled around my legs. On trembling hooves, I tried to push myself upright, before abruptly stopping.

Wait, the floor is metal, and I’m in a bed? Where am I?

Finally levering myself up to a sitting position, the scene before me was initially confusing, but soon found reference. “I’m… this is… my room?”

Though not the subterranean master bedroom of Hoofshine Harlots, this was still, most definitely, my room. I had all but given up hope that I’d see these particular four walls ever again, as confusion over not knowing where I was shifted to confusion over knowing where I was.

Through the open doorway, in cracked paint, a giant ‘61’ graced the metal corridor wall, as tall as a stallion. “What is this?”

Kicking away the sheets, I did a slow pan of the room. The non-descript bed tucked into the corner, the bare chest of drawers, the knickknack-free shelves, and the featureless walls were all the same as I remembered them.

None of it, however, served to explain why I was here at all. Tentatively stepping into the hallway, I longed for some clue as to why I was back in this place, when the last thing I remembered was so very different.

“Undertow?” I called out worriedly.

Only the hidden hum of the Stable’s machinery answered me. Fretting, I bounded to the neighbouring rooms, checking any open door I could find, and hammering on any door releases when the rooms were closed.

“Undertow! Where are you?” Had she been brought here too? Or was she somewhere else entirely?

I pounded on the walls of the last empty room. “LATVI! Answer me! What have you done?!”

Again, no answer but the inner workings. “This isn’t funny, Latvi! Bring her back! If you touch her I swear I’ll shatter both your horns!” And that damn horn of Sombra’s too!

The pain in my hooves was beginning to crowd out my confusion, but I only stopped banging, not moving. Picking myself up, I ran back to my room. There had to be a clue somewhere, something that would tell me what had transpired.

The room proved to be as barren as ever, with the indent in the pillow being the only thing showing that anybody had been in here recently.

“Undertow!” I tried one more time. “Come on, if you can hear me, say something! Anything!”

I’d have paid any price to hear her sweet, watery voice at that moment.

Worry for Undertow and confusion at my situation were at the forefront of my mind, but just behind them was a deep seething anger at the cause of it all.  “Laaaatviiiiii!!!” My horn flared just before my hoof arced up and around, slamming into, and through, the now-frozen desk.

He would pay for what he had done. Whatever had happened was his doing, and it was all bad. If I was back in the Stable, then it meant that he knew about it, and how to get there. His knowing the location was bad, but his revenge game of dropping me there while spiriting Undertow away was worse. THAT was going to cost him.

Fuelled by my anger, I dragged myself to my hooves, and stalked out of the room, forgetting it instantly.

Not like it meant much in the first place.

~~~~~~

The stale air of Stable 61 hadn’t changed, holding that same acrid scent on the edge of the smell-sense, telegraphing its recycled, second-hoof sterility. It was cloying, and failed to truly fill the lungs, instead pressing down with the slightest of pressures. I idly wondered why I had never noticed before.

I had to backtrack a few times, as I couldn’t remember the route, finding myself traversing endlessly similar corridors, and at one point even ending up back at the living quarters. I tried to engage whatever automatic memory I followed when going through the monotonous routines of Stable life, but I just couldn’t fall into the daze. Unless the Stable layout had changed drastically in the time I’d been gone, I was obviously losing my touch.

I’d been following the arrows, but not the words next to said arrows, not really caring where I particularly went at present, so long as I got somewhere more active, but I was having little luck in that regard.

I received a lifeline in the form of the static-y corner speakers groaning into activity, with a should-have-been-familiar, cultured voice booming out. “Good day, fellow residents of Stable 61…”

I knew that voice, but I couldn’t form an image of the person in my head.

Obviously unaware of my inner struggles, the voice retained its good cheer as it continued its message. “Now, I am aware that we have had an interesting few weeks here in the Stable, but I must ask that you not let it distract you any further from an important upcoming event… the Overseer elections, which are coming up within the week!”

“Roc.” The charismatic, sandy-feathered griffon still had designs on the Over Office. The elections were scheduled for the second week after I left. Did my leaving set you back, Roc, maybe show others that you don’t have all the answers?

How about you, Overmare? Did kicking me out keep you in that chair for a few more days?

“I do hope that you all come down on Election day and cast your vote. It is the honour, privilege, and duty of all Stable residents to take part in this process, so that we maintain a true representative government here in Stable 61. We have no silly princesses like Old Equestria did, my dear friends, and are the better for it.”

“You sure about that?” I muttered as I trudged onwards. Old Equestria had been dead in the Wasteland for two hundred years, and the Stable remained shut tight, with myself as the only one to leave.

“Finally, as I myself am running for the position of Overseer for our fine Stable, I would like to remind you that my door is always open to any and all who have questions on the democratic process, or wish to raise any concerns with me for the future. You all deserve to be heard, and I look forward to chatting with you. Until then, good residents, I bid you farewell.” The scratchy signal cut out a few seconds after the griffon finished talking.

“I know a guy just like you, you two-faced liar.” Roc couldn’t hear me, and nor could Peanut, the equally charismatic, equally fake commander of the Plottawan slavers, but they evoked the same reaction from me.Well, almost the same. Roc’s not scary, he’s just annoying.

Possessed by a desire to NOT see Roc in the flesh any time soon, I decided on a different tack for moving through the Stable. Since my mind was still struggling with the unexplained journey I’d taken after Latvi’s weird spell hit me, I felt that I needed some quiet time to work things out.

I knew just the place too.

~~~~~~

Legs dangling over the rim, I stared into the abyss.

Back at the same geothermal energy collector where I’d first touched the damaged Memory Orb, I sat idly on the lip of the ledge. Somehow, I’d managed to sneak in when nobody was around, and hadn’t yet been discovered.

Why haven’t I see anyone around yet? The Stable’s still running, and there are no signs of anything going wrong. Strange though it was, it remained a secondary concern, at least until I could ascertain what had gone down during… whatever Latvi’s spell had done to Undertow and I.

“Okay…” I could barely hear myself over the roar of the heat-collectors nearby, but I spoke more for the act than anything else. “…what do we know?”

“I’m back in the Stable, though I don’t know how or why. Undertow isn’t here, nor Naiara. Neither are Latvi or the Raiders. I don’t know how long it’s been since that meeting, or anything that’s gone on since. The Overmare’s still Overmare for now, and Roc’s still a jackhole. Um… what else?”

I lifted my hoof. Aside from the unmarked barding I’d received at Sprinkles Supplies, there was nothing there. “Still no Pipbuck, even back in the Stable. I’m also missing the Memory Orb, which may come up at some point.”

These too, were secondary concerns compared to the unknown fates of Undertow and Naiara. Last time I’d seen them, one had been knocked out and the other had a battle axe to her throat. Naiara might have escaped Latvi’s spell, but Undertow was hit with it, just like I was.

“Naiara’s strong. She’ll have gotten away, none of those Raiders could have stopped her. Hopefully, she got Undertow away too… hopefully.”

And then, she has some serious explaining to do about just what in the hell she and Atesh were thinking by fooling around with Sombra’s horn! I didn’t think anybody was looking forward to that conversation, but it wasn’t something I could just let go, since it took Undertow from me, and for all I knew might have caused a whole heap of other problems.

The shaft down into the mountain gave no answers, but still evoked thoughts of what could have been. Letting the Memory Orb roll into the chasm, and not trying to catch it, would have meant catching flak for being lazy, but also that I never would have left the Stable. I would have continued on as usual, spending time with my brothers, safe in the Stable for years to come.

And then what? What would I have done instead of what I did in the Wasteland? I’d never have met Undertow, Naiara, Wings, Bosco, Schwarzwald, even Cassie and Breeze. I’d be just another Stable pony doing monitor duty. Nice and safe.

…Yeah.

“Aha! Here you are!” The exuberant exclamation was accompanied by the beating of wings. Looking up, Roc’s shadow fell on me as he descended, coming to a hovering halt before me, confident grin plastered on his beak.

“I have been hoping for a free moment with you ever since I heard that you had returned. I’m glad to catch you with nobody else around for once.” The twinkle in his eye looked genuine, but I’d been on the receiving end of his enthusiasm-acting before, so remained on my guard.

“It never occurred to you that I’m down here because I DON’T want company, Roc?” If I wanted to talk to anyone in the Stable, I’d have gone to find my brothers.

His smile remained, though the twinkle, while not completely disappearing, faltered. “And I apologise for intruding upon your private thoughts. You’ve no doubt seen much in your time away from the Stable, but I feel that I must talk with you about it, for the good of all of Stable 61’s residents.”

“…Seriously?” That’s the line you’re going with?

Roc’s mid-air bow seemed ludicrous when delivered to someone like me, who’d already seen his mask slip once. “Oh yes. I have been eagerly awaiting this day. Such stories you must have to tell! I honestly expected you back scant days after you left, as you are ill-suited to survive in a hostile environment, especially without your buffalo to protect you, but here you are weeks later, and in good health to boot! Very impressive indeed, you’ve exceeded all my expectations a dozen times over.”

“What do you mean you expected me back in a few days?” Didn’t he know that I had been exiled?

He held up a calming claw. “Please, I admit that I was wrong. You proved yourself far more capable than you seemed before you left. Your time in the Wasteland appears to have been good for you. That being said, it was always the case that you would return, but to last for over a fortnight is admirable for you.”

“What do you mean I was always gonna come back? And staying alive for weeks is a surprise? Fuck you, Roc!”

The twinkle disappeared. “I was trying to compliment you, Snowflake, but since you seem disinterested in such things, I will move straight on to business. You will recall I offered you status during the incident with that magical sphere. You left the Stable before I received an answer, or perhaps that was your answer. Either way, I would like to extend the offer again, and more. This time, not only do you have exposure to Old Equestria, you have firstclaw experience of what life outside the Stable is like.”

Seriously, Roc, what is wrong with you? You’ve been insulting me this entire time, yet you’re still sure that you can convince me to help you out. “I should introduce you to Amber Bernstein sometime, Roc. She’d just love you.” And that meeting would have been a treat for any observer.

Roc swooped down to land next to me, throwing his arms wide good-naturedly. “Yes, I’ve heard that name mentioned before. What can you tell me about her? And the others?”

Ice-water ran through my veins. “Wait, you’ve heard about Amber? How?”

Lazily waving his claw, Roc took the moment to scratch his sandy feathers. “Oh, after you left, we felt that it was important to boost our monitor range. We stumbled across all manner of broadcasts from outside the Stable. The information was… disjointed at best, which is where you come in. Even though you were no doubt scared and running for your life most of the time, you should have been able to pick up some of the local gossip through osmosis, if nothing else. Your time in the Wasteland did coincide with a time of much activity, after all, and we followed as much as we could.”

“You… followed what happened out there? What… what did you find?” Naiara wouldn’t be the only one with things to answer for, it would seem.

“Oh we know all about what you’ve been up to. Nobody quite expected all the trouble that you got into…”

Jackhole!

“…Well, no. We expected you to find trouble, but not to find it in the places that you did.”

“Ugh, Roc, I dislike you. You know that right?” I really saw no reason to hide it any longer, especially since my actions were coming to light.

All I got in return was a mildly affronted sniff. “Often the reaction of petty individuals to those who have what they crave. It is also irrelevant. My offer still stands. Tell me what you’ve managed to observe of the major factions and people of interest out there in the Wasteland, like Bernstein, The Steel Rangers and their Elder, Plottawa, Lethbridle, and others, and I shall afford you the second most powerful post in the Stable when I take the position of Overseer. I am being very generous here, given what I am to receive in return.”

My gaping jaw slammed shut firmly after hearing that final line. “I have many people that I dislike, Roc, some that I even hate, but MY STARS do you make it easy to loathe you. If you ever met yourself, one of you jackholes would end up dead!”

Drawing himself up, he opened his mouth to retort, but I cut him off. “You’ll be a terrible Overseer, and I wouldn’t help you if you paid me all the caps in the Wasteland. Do you know what caps are, or are you still thinking in bits? They’re money Roc, did you pick that up in your ‘disjointed’ information?”

Rolling away from the edge, I rose with my back to him. “Whatever you think you might know, wrong as it will be, keep it to yourself. I’m done talking with you.”

Guttural, enraged choking sounds accompanied me as I sauntered away, happy to have shut the damn buzzard up for once in his miserable life. Screw sending him to Amber, I’ll just have him meet Wings!

~~~~~~

Shutting down Roc had put a bit of a spring in my step, and seeing the corridors begin to fill with ponies, buffalo, zebra, donkeys, griffons and diamond dogs lightened my heart. As I passed them, I doled out easy smiles at first.

“Hey, wasn’t that…”

“Snowflake?”

“I heard she was dead!”

“Don’t let her touch you!”

“Yeah, Old Equestria’s got its hooks into her.”

“Can’t believe the Overmare let her back in!”

“She’s smiling like she wants to drink our blood!”

“Yeah, that’s totally what happens in Old Equestria.”

“Really?”

“Totally!”

“Wow, better steer clear then.”

“Sshh! She’ll hear you!”

It definitely hurt to hear that from people I used to live with, but I still struggled to keep a straight face nevertheless. Who thinks this stuff up? Drinking blood? That’s what they think Old Equestria was all about? I’m sure there are history files on their Pipbucks that they could look at if they really wanted to know. They’re working themselves dizzy for nothing!

“Can’t believe she’s changed so much.”

“Yeah I know, she used to be so quiet.”

“She was useless before she left. Old Equestria must be horrible to do that even to her.”

My smile faded. What does it take?

Rounding on the last one who spoke, my horn glowed faintly, and I opened my mouth, letting the mist seek out as I bared my fangs. “Graaah!”

My hiss sent them scampering away, scooping up their foals as they ran.

I got a wide berth after that, anger at the fact that I apparently needed to become a monster to get even the slightest bit of respect from my ‘peers’ warring with a little bit of pride that I WAS getting respect. Not one of them had seen even a fraction that I had in the last few weeks, extra sensors or not. What do they know about ‘useless’?

Moving into the main Stable, I was finally able to get a good look at the time. The early shift was only a few hours in, meaning the Stable would have a lull of activity as the graveyard shift went to their beds, while the late shifts wouldn’t be waking up for a while yet. A good time to look around without too much hassle.

Passing by a Monitor room, I caught a flicker of blazing blue out of the corner of my eye. “Wings?!” Immediately doubling back, I charged into the room, ignoring the snoring pony curled up in the corner chair while casting about at every monitor in search of my friend.

Well versed in this particular piece of equipment, I triggered the rewind. “Come on, come on…” Each and every screen shifted into reverse, but I didn’t see any sign of the chocolate-and-cream griffon. Frustrated, I ran the tape backwards and forwards again and again, searching for any missing moment. “It’s gotta be here somewhere!”

“Whuzzat?” Disturbed, the monitor pony jerked awake. Halfway at least. “What in tarnation? Can’t a Pegasus get a little shut-eye around here?”

I was barely paying attention, eyes still on the footage. “Eyes open, Pegasus. You’ve got work to do. I’m looking for a picture of a griffon, just happened. She’s got big blue eyes, you can’t miss ‘em. Help me to find her.”

“Kid, if you wanna date that badly, just go find ‘er in the fur, and leave me to my well-deserved… wait, that you Ice Cube?”

Ice Cube? Only one person calls me that! “Whiskey Sour?” Spinning away from the screens, I came face to face with the older Pegasus.

Surprised recognition blossomed over her face. “Snowflake, it is you! Well wipe my glass, girl, been a while!”

“Y-yeah. A lot’s happened.”

Sobering, she sat up straighter. “Yeah, I’ll bet. Listen, Ice Cube, I gotta ‘pologise fer what I said in the Medical Bay. You didn’t deserve that.”

I couldn’t have cared less what she said in the Medical Bay. “It’s fine, but can you help me out now? I need to find my friend on here.”

Whiskey Sour didn’t move, just kept staring at me pityingly. “No, kid, it ain’t fine. I shoulda known better. I know ya well enough, and I went too far. I shouldn’ta set you off like that.”

Now I cared. “Sour, what are you talking about?”

The pathetic look she was giving me intensified. “Now, don’t need to be puttin’ on a brave face with me, kid. I know yer a little fragile, and my callin’ you out fer something that weren’t your fault with that doohickey shouldn’ta been said, ‘specially after what happened next.”

I was beginning to worry about the older Pegasus. She’d been stressed out from what had happened, but she was treating me like glass. “What happened next?”

You’d struggle to find a more shamefaced pony. “Y’know, you ran away from the Stable. I shouldn’t have piled on when you were going through all that. It was too much already, anybody could see that.”

You think your yelling at me was what sent me out of the Stable? Really? That’s even stupider than Roc! I couldn’t even think of a proper response to that, except to cock my head on its side in confusion.

When I did, though, another flash came through in my peripheral vision. It wasn’t a pair of blue eyes this time though, rather, it was a coltish charcoal blur. “Bosco!” Immediately I turned back to the footage, but found no more joy than with Wings. I worked the timer back and forth in my search.

“What-co?” Whiskey Sour rubbed her eyes with a  wing. “Snow, are you okay? You havin’ a bad moment?”

I didn’t deign to turn my head for that, instead just shooting her a quick glare. Between her amber feathers, however, was a third flash, of jade green and grey-black stripes.

“Naiara!” I muscled Sour out of the way, searching the edge monitor for another sign.

“Now now, Ice Cube,” The middle-aged Pegasus was looking more and more unnerved. “I’m not meanin’ to upset you like this. Just take it easy, I’m real sorry.”

“Dammit, you’re not helping!” In desperation, I flicked through the other visual settings on the monitors in rapid succession: Infrared, Night Vision, Flipped Negatives, Widescreen, Tagged- Wait! Go back!

Flipping back through to widescreen, I tried in vain to relocate the twins, Breeze and Cassie, I’d seen flying on the widescreen picture, but to no avail. Letting out a wordless growl, I slammed a hoof onto the console in frustration.

Whiskey Sour, mistaking my anger for ‘fragility’ used her wings to gently fan my face. “Easy there, Snowflake. I’ll just go ahead and call that brother o’ yours, alright? We’ll get you seen to.”

I turned and got in her face. “I’m. Fine.” I gritted out. Her wide eyes proved the perfect mirror for another of the screens, where a wood brown earth mare with a forest green mane flickered out of focus.

Twisting, I knew it would be too late, but I had to try anyway.

Yep, no luck. What’s happening here?

“Ice Cube, I’m gonna take you to the docs for now, let you rest fer a while. Please, come along now.”

“Okay, this has gone on long enough, Whiskey Sour! I am not having a ‘bad moment’, and I am not going to go to any doctors. I am trying to find my friends in this footage, and you are sitting there treating me like I’ll break if you breathe too hard. I didn’t leave the damn Stable because of whatever the hell you said in the Medical Bay, I left it because of what put me in the Medical Bay in the first place. Now leave me alone!”

I all but ran out of the Monitor room, but couldn’t escape her last words. “I’m prayin’ for ya, kid.”

~~~~~~

The noise of the atrium faded to a low hum on the way to the upper walkways where I now sat, gazing down on the Stable activity. Residents of all shapes, sizes and colours trooped back and forth below me. I watched one particularly entertaining young zebra colt, who managed to make it all the way across the room without touching the floor, courtesy of the backs, shoulders, horns and heads of the adult Stable dwellers.

That had been an entertaining thirty seconds… out of the two hours I’d been up in the shadows.

“…Is this it?” The question was vocalised more to hear a new noise than anything, since I’d been entertaining such thoughts for many minutes already.

This was what I was trying to find my way back to? This was what I took as the right way to live? “Old Equestria’s war is not our war. We await the day New Equestria is born.” I can’t help but feel that the keyword there is ‘await’.

What changes here, in the end? What makes one day or another any more important than the last?

“Tch, I’ve met a ghoul with more life than this place. I mean, what’s the point?” Nobody gave an answer. Nobody heard, and nobody looked up. Plenty of them were looking down though, at the Pipbucks on their wrists. “…Wonder how many of you even know that there’s a map maker function on there?”

My muttered musings did draw the attention of one Stable dweller, at least. There was a clang of heavy hoof on the grating at the end of the walkway. My head lolled lazily in that direction, to where the sienna-furred buffalo stood frozen, a look of shock on his face.

Instantly, my expression matched his, though only for a moment. Tears tracked their way down my face as we faced each other, stock-still.

The big bovine found his voice first, though it shook and hesitated as he spoke. “Is… is it you?”

Fighting past the lump in my throat, I could only manage a small nod, and the faintest of confirmation sounds. Still, it broke the spell and, with rapid steps, he covered the distance between us and swept me up into a bone crushing hug.

My shoulder began to moisten from where he was holding it to his face. “They told me you were back. I’ve missed you so much.”

Buff’s gruff tone lacked its usual steadiness, but just hearing him again, and being this close, was all I cared about at this moment. Hugging back just as tightly, I revelled in his familiar warmth. “Me too. It’s been so long. All I wanted was to let you know I was okay, to get in touch somehow, to say I’m so, so sorry for all that’s happened.” I nuzzled in a little deeper. “It’s all my fault, Buff, can you ever forgive me?”

The firm shake of his head had me rocking back and forth, but neither of us loosened our grip. “There’s nothing to forgive, it wasn’t your fault. It was never your fault. You’re home now, and safe, that’s all that matters.”

I felt myself being lifted, and soon ended up nestled between massive shoulder blades. “Buff?”

With a final sniff, he got his voice under control. “We need to find Al and Lo. They’ll want to see you too. I’ll take you right there, just hold on tight.” With light, confident strides, he covered ground quickly, and was motoring as fast as his restrained personality would let him.

The crowd parted easily before Buff, as any sane being would when in the way of a buffalo moving with purpose. He was more talkative than his usual taciturn self, too. “It was chaos around here, at first, after you left. So many people came forward with ideas on what to do next. Al, Lo, and I didn’t care, not really. They didn’t believe you had left the Stable at first. They searched all over for you. There was even talk of sending a team down into the shaft. They didn’t stop for three days!”

My enjoyment at his thick fur tickling my nose faded. “Th-they did? They didn’t get into trouble, did they?” They didn’t deserve to be punished for what I’d done.

“No, they were mostly left alone. They only really talked to me, or each other. Some of the other buffalo tried to get them to slow down, but they ignored them.”

“Didn’t you try to calm them down?” Buff was probably the only person they’d listen to in that situation.

“I… wasn’t sure that they should. I hoped that they would find you somewhere in the Stable. From all reports, the Equestrian Wasteland is not a nice place. I made it very clear to the Overmare what I thought of you being out there when the truth came out.”

I was even more worried now, though also a little touched. “You… went against the Overmare?”

“Every second I could. She was… less than cooperative. Wouldn’t tell us how you got out, or let us out after you. She threatened to throw the book at me. She threatened to throw EVERY book at me. I was in her office a lot, and didn’t always leave willingly.”

A warm feeling began to spread in my chest. “Buff… you didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes I did!” His response would brook no arguments. “You’re our sister, and we weren’t going to let anything happen to you.” When he spoke next, his voice cracked and his breath caught. “We didn’t give up, I promise, we didn’t.”

I patted is horn softly, over his quaking shoulders. “I know you didn’t. You never would. I didn’t think any different, not even for a second.” The Doublehorns were the best people in the entire Stable, and I was as lucky as anyone in Stable 61 to have Buff, Al, and Lo for siblings. Nobody would convince me otherwise.

Silence fell for the next few minutes, as I rode in silence to give Buff time to collect himself. He’d always been strong, naturally falling into the role of eldest to his three brothers. He wouldn’t want to be seen crying by too many people in the Stable. When he did speak up again, it was a question that sent a shock right through me.

“So what did you do when you were outside?”

Oh, hell. “…I travelled, mostly. I went around to a lot of the different towns and villages. I met lots of different people.”

“There wasn’t trouble, was there? When we found a way to receive broadcasts from the outside, there was mention of some nasty business.”

“…Yeah, there was some trouble. Things… didn’t always go as planned. What did you hear mentioned?”

A ripple ran through his back as he shrugged. “Well, a lot of it we didn’t really understand. There was a group that got mentioned a lot, Raiders? Nobody really knows what that means. Do you know?”

Oh yeah, I do. “Yeah, kinda. They’re… dangerous. You have to be wary around them. They aren’t like anything you’ll have seen before.”

Instantly he was all concern again. “You weren’t hurt, were you?”

“Well, no, they didn’t hurt me.”

“They didn’t? Who did?” His tensing almost toppled me from his back.

How long have you got? “…I’m not gonna lie, Buff, the Wasteland isn’t always easy to live in. The rules out there are very different than in here. There’s no getting away from that. I had to learn fast.” I had to be very careful with my words. Buff was angry, the angriest I’d ever seen him, but telling him all that had done on wouldn’t do anyone any good right now. He needed to calm down. “Focus on the positives, little brother. I’m okay, let’s leave it at that for now.”

“…”

“Please, Buff?”

In no way satisfied, he still reined in his rare temper. “Fine…”

I breathed a small sigh of relief.

“…So long as it wasn’t Red Ice who hurt you.”

“Ghk!” Rigid, I tried to process what he’d just said. “Where did you hear that name?”

He’d resumed his steady gait. “It came up a lot. Lots of people seemed to be talking about her. She’d been spotted all over the area, and always causing trouble.”

“A-and?”

“It was a rough little while when Al got it into his head that you might have run afoul of her. None of us slept well when he told us about that theory.”

Um… “You didn’t find out who she was?”

“Well, no. That was never in any of the transmissions we came across. It didn’t seem like many people outside knew either. Do you know who she is?”

Yes. “No.”

“But you didn’t run into her?”

“…That’s right.” My stomach was twisting in on itself.

Relief flooded into his voice. “I’m glad. She’s dangerous and violent. Just look at what happened in… well, you’d know more than I would.”

That’s very true. “Yeah, I tried not to get too involved in what was going on. I didn’t think I knew enough.”

Buff nodded his agreement, and said no more until we reached the Doublehorn quarters. Opening the door, he let me down and then bade me enter, choosing to wait in the doorway.

The front room of the suite was empty when I stepped through, my hoofsteps echoing loudly in the absence. A quick look around revealed no other buffalo, at least from where I could see. “Hello?”

“SNOW!”
“SIS!”

Immediately I was mobbed by two sienna-furred giants, with only the briefest of moments to wonder how they moved that fast before impact. The unbridled emotion I felt when I first saw Buff again came roaring back with my two other brothers.

“You’re okay!”
“We missed you so much!”
“Are you hurt?”
“When did you get back?”
“What happened to you?”
“Don’t ever do that again!”

Much more was said, but through the blubbering and talking over one another, that was all I managed to make out.

Still, it felt right, and good, and happy to be back here. I even managed a laugh. “If this is the sort of reaction I get when I come home, I should go away more often.”

“NO!”
“NEVER AGAIN!”

The absolute terror in their voices killed that joke instantly. I managed to untangle myself enough to get a look at their faces.

They were ghostly white, and six eyes had shrunk to pinpricks.

My heart shattered the moment Lo spoke. “Don’t say that, ‘Flake, don’t you ever say that again!”

Al just made it worse. “You can’t leave us again, ever! Your place is here, with us!”

It was impossible to argue with their forlorn faces, and Buff was no help, smile having turned upside down the moment he got in the door. “Alright, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” I reached up and put a hoof as far around each of their necks as I could. “I missed you both, so much.”

The hugs were returned. “We missed you too.”

“Yeah, but now you’re back, and we can take care of you now. We’ll never let anything like this happen to you again. Never ever ever!”

Even just a little bit, Lo’s childlike promise gave me pause. It wasn’t ALL bad, you know.

Al got in on the act too. “Yeah, we heard all these stories and reports about what was going on out there. Crazy stuff. Anybody tries to send you back out there will have to get through us!”

“YEAH!”

“Eheh… yeah.” Luckily, they didn’t pick up on my nervous chuckling through the muffle of the crush they had me in.

I was finally set down. Lo wiped away the last of his tears. “We almost went nuts when you disappeared, ‘Flake. Buff was always yelling at the Overmare about what happened, and Al and I went tearing around the entire Stable, even places we weren’t s’posed to be in, trying to find you!”

Al was surprisingly stone-faced. “We saw things. Wondrous and terrible things.”

Buff cleared his throat. “She doesn’t need to know what you saw in the female dormitory.”

Deeply-ingrained big-sister switches were flipped for a moment. “Al! Lo! You shouldn’t have gone in there! Shame on you!”

The snap in my tone dropped their ears in a heartbeat. “But we just…”

“No buts, misters! You stay out of there, you’re good boys.”

“Yes’m.”

Al’s dejection broke first, and he burst out laughing, though the tears threatened to fall at the same time. “I’m so glad you’re back, Snowflake! It hasn’t been the same around here!”

“Yeah, nobody else talks to us like that, we need you!”

My chest fluttered again. “I’m glad I’m back too. I need you guys too… though you should stay out of the ladies’ areas.”

Lo’s head bobbed up and down vigorously in response. Al bore the biggest grin as he leant in for another nuzzle, craving the contact. Buff held himself back, as usual, but his smile told the truth.

“You’re good boys.” I repeated, eyes moistening again.

“And you’re our favourite sister!”

“I’m your only sister.”

“Which means you’re too special to lose!”

“Aww, you guys don’t have to go tha…”

“So we promised each other, that we’d never ever ever let you out of our sights again when we found you!”

“I…”

“We’re gonna make sure you’re here, and safe, forever!”

“Uh…”

“Isn’t that right? Who needs that stupid Wasteland?”

“You don’t ever need to think about that place again, no way they’re getting to you in here!”

Their earnestness painfully tightened my chest. What am I supposed to say to that? I CAN’T just stay here forever. I still don’t know how I got here, or what happened after the Raider meeting. I need to find Undertow and Naiara, not to mention all the Whinniepeg crap. And my stolen stuff too!

“Snow?” Buff’s calm rumble cut into my thoughts, swiftly followed by his siblings.

“What’s the matter?”

“You’ve gone all quiet.”

This is gonna suck. “Guys… sit down.”

The elation was fast fading from their faces, but they did as I asked.

“…Now, you know I love you all, so much. It breaks my heart to say this, but… I can’t stay here forever.”

The response was immediate, and visceral. “What?”

“No!”

“What are you saying?”

I threw up my hooves for calm. “I’m not saying I’m not coming back… just that there are still things I need to do in the Wasteland. Things I can’t do from here. I have promises and responsibilities to take care of with the people I met out there.”

“Out there?!” Buff was incredulous. “Snowflake, it’s a nightmare out there!”

“Why you?” Al was desperate. “Let somebody else handle it, Snow, it’s not our problem.”

“You can’t!” Lo was terrified. “Old Equestria will swallow you up, ‘Flake. You’ll die!”

An image of dark goggles swam through my mind, even breaking through the heartache. “It’s not just about me, boys. There are people out there that I care about, and need to…”

Al cut me off, anger born of fear bubbling over. “We’re people you care about! You should think we’re more important! We’re your family, those others don’t matter!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Lo took up the torch. “You’ve been with us for our whole lives. You’ve only been out there for a few weeks. We need you more than they do! It’s not fair!”

“I know, but…”

“Don’t you love us, sis?”

Hot ice stabbed through my heart.

I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. All I could do was stare helplessly at their morose, angry, petrified faces, and think what a terrible being I was, to cause them such pain.

“Al, Lo, that’s enough.” Buff was no happier than his brothers, but stepped in regardless. “Don’t think, even for one moment, that Snowflake doesn’t love you. It’s doing her a disservice.”

“Butt out, Buff!” Al was trying to look imposing.

“I won’t!” He snapped back, surprising us all, and instantly deflating Al. Buff never raised his voice, except in extreme circumstances. “I think we all need to take a break for now. Our work detail will be starting soon, and I don’t want any of us to miss it. So what we’re going to do is put this conversation on hold for now, and we’ll pick it up later, when everybody’s had a chance to calm down.”

“But…”

“No buts. Snow can stay here until we get back, or do whatever she needs to do and meet us later. This shouldn’t be discussed when angry, or things might be said that shouldn’t be. No matter what, we’re a family, and we’ll be good to each other. Now you two get your things together, and we’ll go to work. Snowflake, you just try to enjoy yourself until we get back.”

Slumping against the wall, I could only watch as the three Doublehorns filed silently out of the apartment. When they were gone, the silence became deafening.

On unsteady legs, I made my way over to the counter, on which rested the most prized possession of the Doublehorns.

“Hey, Mama Doublehorn.”

Smiling her saintly smile, the photo of the forever-proud mother stared back at me.

“I’m sorry you had to hear all that. I know they’re just worried, and I should have handled it better. You told me to look after them, and they feel like I’m abandoning them to go running off for no reason.”

Setting the frame back down, I began to pace back and forth. “I’m not brushing them off, I swear I’m not. I love them almost as much as you do. They’re my brothers, and I’ll always be their sister. It’s just… the Stable hasn’t always been a nice place for me, even though it was safe. When I got thrown out, into the Wasteland, I was in more danger than I ever was here.”

Here comes the hard part. Don’t be mad, Mama Doublehorn. “And yet… it’s been good sometimes too, and fun. I feel like I’m able to do some good out there, make something of myself. The people aren’t all bad, either. Some are, but not all.”

I mentally pleaded with her to understand. “I… there are others, not just here in the Stable. I have friends to take care of out there in the Wasteland. Because of me, they’ve found themselves in bad situations, and had to give up more than they should have. I can’t just leave that alone. I have to make it right.”

Her smile never slipped. Not once.

“I won’t let your boys down, and I’ll come back to them. I promised them just as much as I promised Undertow, or Bosco, or Naiara, or any of them! This is just something I have to do. Snowflake has to clean up Red Ice’s messes, and Red Ice will probably need to make more messes before this is all over.”

Picking up the picture again, I gave it a quick kiss. “I need to protect everybody I care about, not just your family. I’m sorry if that’s selfish, Mama. I’ll try to make you proud.”

~~~~~~

“Snowflake, what have you done?”

“More than you know. You’ll need to be specific, Overmare.” My relaxed stance was in stark contrast to the Overmare’s agitated pacing. It was not a quick process. The Over Office was spacious, far more so than it looked when viewed from below in the main atrium. The horseshoe desk was bigger than my bedroom by itself, and there was ample floor area beyond that. Aside from the desk, the generally Spartan nature of the room only served to accentuate its size.

Nyah nyah, my room in Hoofshine Harlots is still bigger, and it has a bath!

The casual dismissal of her ire earned me a glare. “Do not test my patience, Snowflake. I exiled you from this Stable once for your attitude, and I can do it again.”

My own eyes narrowed. “I won’t go quietly this time. You won’t be able to sweep it under the rug. I’ll make sure that each and every resident knows that YOU threw me out. You’ve been hearing from Buff a lot since I’ve been gone, haven’t you? Well I’ve got two more brothers. Won’t that be fun?” The Overmare had this coming. I did not appreciate the fact that she’d covered up her part in my leaving the Stable. I was going to have satisfaction.

“I’m sure Roc would love to hear how you sent a resident of Stable 61 out into the ruins of Old Equestria. How would that hurt your chances of re-election?” As DJ Pon3 says: Bringing the truth, no matter how bad it hurts, Overmare.

Maintaining her glare, the Overmare returned to her chair, and lowered herself into it deliberately. She said nothing for several seconds, and I was content to wait her out.

Finally, she lay her elbows on the desk and put her hooves together. Raising her head slightly, her glare shifted into imperialistic stoicism. “Snowflake, what are the rules of Stable 61?”

“Not relevant anymore? You’ve seen the Wasteland by now, right?” The earlier fear I’d felt back when she first exiled me, and the guilt her after image brought on every time it showed up in the Wasteland, were nowhere to be found. I just couldn’t muster any sort of reason why I should pay her any attention at all anymore, after what I’d been through in these past weeks.

She wasn’t done trying to invoke some form of acquiescence from me, however. “Do you even recall why I had you leave the Stable in the first place? You do still have it, don’t you?”

Ugh. I can’t get out of this one, but I can make her work for it. “You mean the Memory Orb? That’s what it’s called by the way, and I bet you didn’t know that until just now, while I’ve known since the first day I left the Stable. I don’t have it.”

“What. Happened. To. It?” She forced this through gritted teeth.

“None of your business.”

Both eyebrows were raised now as she was rocked back in her seat. “What did you say?”

The dam was starting to break. “You heard me. What right do you have to demand any answers from me anymore? You threw me out.”

“That was for…”

“I don’t care! However you want to justify it, you still made it very clear that I wasn’t coming back. I was on my own, with no help from YOU at all!”

“You were given supplies!”

“A gun with no bullets? That’s your idea of survival gear? I don’t even know where that gun is! I was running for my life within hours of being kicked out. I got lucky that time, and had to get better to keep myself safe. Keep MYSELF safe!” I was breathing heavier by the end of my outburst, but it was barely scratching the surface.

“I won’t be talked to like that in my own office! I am still the Overmare!” She drew herself up as tall as she could, throwing out her rank like a shield.

“You’re Stable 61’s Overmare for however few days you have left! We’ve already established that I’m not Stable 61 anymore, at least not in your view. I won’t be talked to like that by YOU wherever I am, Overmare! Why the hell did you let me back in just to yell at me?” Something managed to work its way past the red haze in the corners of my eyes. “And while we’re at it, how the hell did I get back in here anyway? You must have ordered the door opened for me to get back in. What’s the deal?”

“Ask the door guards, I’m sure there’s a report somewhere.” she bit out while harshly flicking her hoof out. “I don’t have the time to focus on just one resident, I have the entire Stable to consider. You are not more important than that, Snowflake! Maybe if you’d made even the slightest effort in your time here, you wouldn’t have been exiled, and you wouldn’t have come back in disgrace!”

The floodgates were open now. “I never made a fucking effort?! What have you ever done for this Stable? I’ve never seen you pick up anymore heavier than a microphone, when I’ve seen you at all! You just sit and preen in this office all day and night. I won’t be surprised in the slightest to see you unseated in the elections, you… OVERBITCH!”

Gasping, her voice wavered with emotion. “How dare you! I’ll have you thrown in the detention cells for this! You’re coming dangerously close to insubordination, Snowflake!”

My horn was itching, begging for release. “No I’m not, Overmare. I’m not your subordinate. What I’m coming dangerously close to is violence.”

There was a whoosh behind us, with the Overmare’s secretary poking her head around the doorframe in concern, but was waved away without a word.

After the door had whooshed shut again, the Overmare took a deep breath. “It is obvious that your time away from the Stable, in Old Equestria or this ‘Wasteland’ as you call it, has corrupted you. You have lost the Memory Orb, and it would appear your Pipbuck as well.”

“What of it?” I grumped.

“Clearly you cannot be exposed to it again, lest you grow worse. You shall remain here, in the Stable, until I deem fit.”

Barking out a laugh, my measured gaze met hers. “If you think you can stop me, then I’ll show you what my time in the Wasteland has done.”

She didn’t blink. “That self-same attitude is the reason for the other side of my ruling. You cannot be allowed to leave the Stable, for your own safety, but you also cannot be allowed to associate with the other residents, fortheir safety.”

Rolling my eyes, I slouched back in my chair. “Oh you’ve gotta be fu-”

“You will be issued with a new Pipbuck, and a permanent security escort. Your duties will also intensify, as penance for your many mistakes.” She laid down my proposed new existence as if reading aloud the daily news feed.

Scoffing, I craned my neck forwards. “The only mistake I made was the one that got me thrown out of the Stable in the first place: Asking for my Overmare’s help when I was in trouble.”

Her haughty stare returned. “Clearly that’s not the case. You have been a chronic disappointment during your Stable life. Unlike overachievers like Roc, or even your brothers, you never had a chance to improve your station. The best you can ever claim to be is what you began as: Stable resident Snowflake. A limited use title for a limited use pony.”

“Okay, I’ve heard enough.” My fiery anger had completely faded, leaving me cold.

“Now you will submit yourself to the Security sta-sit back down right n-I ORDER YOU TO STOP THIS INSTANT, SNOWFLAKE!”

“Isn’t it sad that she thinks I still care?” I cheerfully asked the secretary as I passed her by. Her only response was to shrink away from me slightly, holding her portable terminal between us with quaking hooves.

~~~~~~

Sauntering through the corridors on automatic, I felt the need for some more quiet. Since I couldn’t find it down in the depths, I went to the other end of the Stable instead. I might have to put up with a guard at the Stable door, but he wouldn’t make too much noise so long as I didn’t look like I was gonna try anything.

I rounded the corner into the door chamber. Oh, what the hell?

“I wonder who would be my first port of call?” Back to me, Roc was standing on the railing with his hind paws, ticking off options on some unseen list. “The Steel Rangers don’t have the greatest reputation, but I’m sure they would be very interested in getting their hooves on some of the systems we have here in the Stable. Many of the residents would embrace the new world rather than staying cooped up in here, so our surplus would increase.”

I triggered my ice-glide spell, removing the noise from my steps. Without drawing his attention, I took up station on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall.

Oblivious, Roc continued his musings. “Plottawa would be a last resort. There is too great a risk of putting myself in danger. I suppose I could simply approach Lethbridle proper. The regional activity centre will need to be tackled soon enough as it is. Hmm, Sprinkles Supplies would almost certainly welcome a barter agreement for transporting our radiation-free goods to market. That will be good. I suppose I could delegate some of our buffalo to approach Grindstone, their recent troubles notwithstanding. It would not do to alienate a potential ally.”

Clacking his beak a few times, he then snapped his talons decisively. “That reminds me, I will need to make sure that I treat the Red Ice opportunity with utmost tact.”

He had to unfurl his wings to avoid being unbalanced by my chuckling. “How long you have been there?!”

I watched a dislodged, sand-coloured feather drift to the floor before responding. “Long enough. So, what do you know about Red Ice, that you think she might agree to work with you?”

Being caught off-guard had soured his mood considerably, but he still wanted to show off. “Only what I have heard, but I think I can convince her to see things from my point of view.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You think you’re that smooth, do you? I gotta tell you, Roc, it’s not gonna be as easy as you think.”

Snorting, he half-turned away. “Forgive me, Snowflake, but valuable as your time out there no doubt was, I hardly think you and I will achieve the same level of success.”

“Oh, that’s probably true.”

With a ‘there you are’ gesture, he gave a sly smile. “I happen to be greatly looking forward to meeting Red Ice, face to face. I think we will both come away from that meeting impressed, and eager to enter into a partnership.”

Nothing needed to be said on that matter.

Naturally at home with an audience, Roc pushed on. “The key to success will be to present a good accounting of our merits and possibilities, while also giving a strong push to dissuade dissidents.”

“Those ‘dissidents’ will push back.”

“It will not be enough. We are three hundred strong and possess the best of ponies, griffons, zebra, and others.”

You small world idiot, you’re worse than I was. You think you know how powerful you are without even needing to compare against anyone else. “Three hundred strong, huh? Say, how many people are in Lethbridle?”

He waved a claw dismissively. “How should I know?”

“No? How about Plottawa?” More than three hundred in one hall. “How about Grindstone?” Plenty of big bruisers there. “Or Whinniepeg?”

“Where?”

Ooh. My smile turned feral. “With thinking like that, Red Ice won’t even give you a second thought, Roc.”

His scorn was on open display now. “Advice? From you? That’s rich. How would you know what Red Ice would do?”

Shrugging to hide my over-spilling amusement, I managed to keep control for a few seconds more. “Because I’ve looked in a mirror or two.”

“Oh, my dear, don’t try to speak in riddles. They need to be well formed and you’re not practiced in the art.”

The Wasteland will chew you up and spit you out. “Okay, I’ll make it simple for you. Red Ice just told you what I would do.”

His screeching laughter was loud and immediate. “KEKEKEKE! You? Red Ice? Perhaps I was wrong after all, Snowflake, perhaps you do have a way with words after all. ‘Snowflake is Red Ice’, that’s a hell of a punch line! The comedy’s in the absurdity of it all. Who’d believe that?!” Throwing his head back, he continued to laugh raucously.

I pressed a hoof firmly into the floor to stop it from shaking. “And that’s exactly why I’m starting to hate this place, and everyone in it! EVERY. SINGLE. ONE OF YOU! Except my brothers, that is. You all think I’m just some joke, you even said that to my face, yet I’ve still done more in weeks than you all have done in your entire LIVES!”

The air temperature plummeted as the glacier-blue glow shone from my horn. “I am Red Ice, and I don’t need to take this crap from you pathetic Stable dwellers! Snowflake was born here, but she didn’t grow up until she got outside. You all missed it, and now you want to act like it never happened. WELL IT DID! I’m free out there, I’ve got friends, and a home, and enemies, and a life! In here there’s nothing!”

He wasn’t laughing now, if anything he just looked confused, and unhappy in the cold.

I didn’t care. “Have fun as Overseer, Roc. You’re welcome to the job, doesn’t matter to me. I’ve outgrown this place.”

Roc couldn’t help but get the last word in. His mocking smile returned. “Did you break out there, Snowflake?”

Eyes wide, I was about to show him what I did ‘out there’, when the PA system kicked in.

“Ice Cube, you hearin’ me? Get over to the Monitor room quick now. Sumthin’ you gotta see.”

Horn-glow fading, I threw one final glare at Roc before turning on my heel and stalking away.

~~~~~~

“What now, Whiskey Sour?” My earlier visit hadn’t been forgotten, and talking with Roc only made the memory less pleasant.

Whiskey Sour gave half a frown, while keeping the other half of her attention on the screen. “Come on now, girl, there’s no need to act like that. I’m trying to help here.” She indicated the screens paused behind her. “Now that you’ve had yourself a breather, I wanna show you something. Since I saw that you were missin’ your Pipbuck when you came back, I tried to see what I could do to find it, and… well, here’s what I found.”

She tapped a button on the console, and one screen began to display AUDIO ONLY in big green letters. After a few moments, voices began to emerge.

“Breeze, would you put that thing down for now?” Cassie’s voice, though measured as always, was tighter than usual.

“’M on break.” The response was mumbled around something.

“We don’t have time for a break! We have to be on our guard in case the Raiders find us.”

“Raiders?” Alarmed, I looked over to Whiskey Sour, who paused the tape. “Is this happening now?”

She shook her head. “No, yesterday. There’s more.”

As she pressed the button again, I allowed myself a brief moment of both annoyance and worry for my Pipbuck, and the ponies who had it. How did the Raiders find Cassie and Breeze? They wouldn’t go near them in a million years!

Breeze’s tired response hit hard. “They’ll find us anyway. The bitch has ‘em running ragged trying to find this thing.” The sound quality shook back and forth here for some reason.

Who? Who has them running ragged?

“Stop that, you might damage it.”

“Who cares?” Sullen grumpiness laced the gadgeteer’s voice.

“Wings does! She, Schwarzwald and Naiara are trying to get in touch with their respective groups to get us some help. We need to keep calm until they have news.” Cassie couldn’t hide her own unease though, but seemed determined to put on a brave front for her sister’s sake.

“Cass, they won’t help! None of them are going to move against the fucking ARMY of nutcases Red Ice is leading now, we’re on our own against the Raiders! We’re fucked.”

Oh no. No no no no no! “I.. I didn’t… I’m not…” I was in Stable 61, leading the Raiders was impossible from there.

What the hell happened since yesterday?!

The soft shuffling of feathers sounded from the recording. “Don’t lose hope, sister. Our friends will come through for us, I promise. We’ll all get through this; You and I, Naiara, Bosco, Wings and Schwarzwald. We’ll succeed, if for nothing else than to spite her.”

The name that hadn’t been said drew my attention. I grabbed the screen in both hooves. “Wait, what about Undertow? Breeze, Cassie, where is she?!”

Sniffling, Breeze gave a small chuckle. “Yeah. We can’t let her win. Not like this.”

The recording cut out abruptly. Panicking, I hit ‘play’ again and again. “Unpause it, dammit!”

“Sorry, Ice Cube, but… there’s no more.”

I continued to try to work the machine. “You’re wrong, there has to be! What happened to Undertow?”

A gentle hoof settled on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off. “Snowflake, who’s Undertow?”

“She’s from outside. She travelled with us, me and the rest. She should be there! What happened to her after the meeting?”

“Snow, what meeting? What happened?”

Betrayed by the useless technology, I jerked backwards, shoving Whiskey Sour back into her chair. “Watch it, kid. Just calm down, you’ll make yourself sick!”

“MOVE!” I continued on my path. I knew what I had to do now.

Have to find Undertow. Said I would. Have to help her, and the others. The Stable was in the midst of its day now, with residents of all shapes and sizes filling the corridors. “GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY!!!”

“Snowflake!” Whiskey Sour flew above the throng, pacing me. “Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving. I can’t stay here any longer.”

“What? Ice Cube, that’s crazy!” She swooped down and tried to place herself in my path, but I ducked under a wing and kept going.

This kept up all the way along the corridors, her trying to stop my wild dash without success, until finally I reached the Stable door.

I skidded to a halt, with Whiskey Sour landing behind me, as I found the Overmare blocking my path. The Overmare… and my brothers.

“W-what are you doing here?” The question was direction at all of them, though for different reasons.

Lo’s soulful eyes bored into me. “Where are you going, Sis?”

Al looked just as lost. “Why are you trying to leave?”

Buff’s composure was faltering too. “Snowflake, what’s happening? What aren’t you telling us?”

My decision became infinitely harder. “Boys, I…”
“She is trying to leave the Stable again. We have been watching her since she returned, to check for signs of dangerous activity.” The Overmare still looked furious about our altercation, but there was a smugness about her that couldn’t bode well for me.

As Al and Lo teared up, Buff looked between the Overmare, Whiskey Sour, and myself. “Snowflake, is she right? Are you leaving again?”

My tongue felt like sandpaper, and I had to swallow a few times before any sound would come out. “I… yeah, I am.”

His mask fell away as his eyes drooped. “But why?”

“Out there…”

“WHAT’S DO DAMN SPECIAL ABOUT OUTSIDE, ‘FLAKE?” Lo was openly weeping now, and it broke my heart.

Don’t stop. If I stop now, I’ll never leave again. But I have to. “Lo, I’ve done things outside, things I have to take care of. I’ve put people in danger because of what I’ve done. I can’t just leave them out there like this, I’m the only one who can help!”

“LIAR!” Al bellowed. “You’ve only ever been ‘the only one’ to us! Nobody else needs you for that, not here in the Stable, and not out there!”

“AL!” Buff and Lo yelled together.

“Don’t admonish him for seeing what you two can’t.” Roc, still here but roosting in the rafters, dropped down to join the discussion. “He’s right. Snowflake has never been needed for the Stable to function, and that’s still true even now.”

“Take. That. Back.” Lo had lowered his horns, and was kicking at the ground. Roc brandished his claws, until Buff stepped between the two of them.

Turning to me, Roc continued. “Now, Snowflake spun me a thoroughly ridiculous tale barely an hour ago, but I’m starting to think that there may be some truth to it. It is still hard to conceive, as there is a fierce dichotomy at play, but I am willing to grant that it may be possible.” His altogether-too-amused smirk made me sick. “Tell me, Red Ice, what is your next move?”

Silence fell instantly. Even the Stable’s background hum seemed to fade. The sound finally returned when the roaring in my ears reminded me to breathe.

“Snowflake… you’re Red Ice?” Buff seemed to plant himself more firmly between his brothers and I.

I hung my head, and gave a small nod.

Before he could respond, the Overmare jumped in. “She is NOT Red Ice! She is Snowflake of Stable 61, and she will remain that way until I determine otherwise. This is not up for discussion!”

My tail lashed as I raised my head again, trying to stare a whole straight through her heart. “You don’t tell me what to do anymore. I AM Red Ice, and I am leaving this Stable!”

“Snowflake!” Chorused the Doublehorns, aghast.

“Sorry. I’m so sorry, but I have to. This needs to be done.” I looked to the eldest, pleading with him. “Keep them safe, Buff. I promise I’ll be back.”

Jaw firm, and still standing between me and the others, he gave a short, gruff nod.

Relieved, I let my gaze sweep over the other occupants. Whiskey Sour had backed as far from me as she could, and had no intention of coming down from the perch she’d flown to when my revelation came to light. Roc said nothing, simply maintaining the smile that never reached his eyes. With a final bow, he stepped aside.

That left the Overmare as the only remaining obstacle. Spreading her wings wide, she loomed as large as she could. “You will not leave without my permission. I am your Overmare, Snowflake!”

I took a step forward. She began to tremble. “Stop!”

Another step. “S-Stop I say!”

A third. “You will stop this now!

Another step, and the room was bathed in glacier-blue. “SNOWFLAAAA-”

I drew level with her, as the last of the ice swarmed over her immobile form. “No.” I corrected. “Red Ice.”

With a thunderous rumble, the Stable door began rolling open. As the metal barrier rolled past, I caught my reflection in its surface.

Purple smoke billowed from the corners of my green eyes.

Without another word, I walked out into the world of white.

~~~~~~

Level Up!

Perks gained: Cold-Blooded – Embracing ‘Red Ice’ has brought on an increase in your Frost magic.

~~~~~~

Author’s note: There you are, the end of the second arc. I hope it’s been fun to read. I’ll be on around a three week break at least before I write another chapter (real world concerns), but I’ll be working with my editors and pre-readers to outline the third arc during that time.

Sombratic influence is tricky, and I went over and over parts of this chapter to make sure that I got them right, or at least at a level that I was happy with. Here’s hoping that I didn’t too-many-cooks myself in the process.

As always, a big thank you to Hasbro, KKat, Y1, Auramane, Cascadejackal (he did the cover art), and you, the readers. Please read and comment, and pass the word along if you like the story. Finally, because I find it a really funny coincidence to have another fic with a Stable 61 that’s set in Equestrian Canada, go read Fallout Equestria: Pure Hearts.

That’s all for now, folks. Please keep reading, commenting, and spreading the word on Old Souls. I really appreciate your feedback.

Toodles.