Fallout Equestria: Old Souls

by Pillbug

Fallout Equestria: Old Souls - Chapter 28: Not Our War

Chapter 28: Not Our War

[Those friends as you know them are not here, alas. But tell me how all this came to pass.]

The trip back to Sprinkles Supplies had been blessedly uneventful, giving me time to fully digest the events at Whinniepeg.

Sure, the Windigo’s dead, but it has friends. The Changelings don’t now have the numbers to fight them all. And speaking of Changelings, Chrysalis is in the Stable, or at least her core is. Why hasn’t anybody ever mentioned it, or even shown any sign that she’s down there? Do they even know?

If it’s still a secret, at least I get the satisfaction of telling both Willow Wisp AND Roc “I know something you don’t know!” that’ll be fun.

It wasn’t really all that funny, but did just enough to get me the rest of the way. At the gates of the caravaneer’s compound, I waited at the steel shutters for a guard to let me in. And waited. And waited.

“Hello?” I called up to the walls after several minutes. “I’m here to help Boss with some magic? Hello?”

Weird. I didn’t have an exact idea of the time of day, but there was still light filtering through the cloud cover, so they shouldn’t have all been sleeping. I rapped a hoof against the shutter three times, but still received no answer.

“Okay, this is ridiculous.” My hoof slammed against the steel over and over again. “Call me out here, away from my brothers and sister, to help heal up a girl who keeps trying to kill me, and now you don’t ANSWER THE DAMN DOOR!” Can’t even freeze the door, since it belongs to Boss and all. Lousy, lazy guards. Are they deaf or something?

Just as I was rearing back to doublebuck the metal, it began to rise with a harsh squeal. Off-balance, I fell forwards into the dirt. Spitting and snorting out dirt as I rolled over, cheeks puffing. First guard I see, I’m gonna let him have it!

A stallion, swaddled in gear far too big for him, greeted me on the other side of the door. From some hidden mouth inside the folds of fabric, he spoke in a reedy, jittering voice. “Hey, you’re the girl the boss talks about so much, right? She said to bring you through right away. Sorry about the wait, most of the guys are getting supper. Come on.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned and headed inside.

Thrown off-kilter by his response, I swallowed my anger and followed in silence, but not without glowering at the guard’s back. We passed through the courtyard, and then the outer corridors of the offices without meeting another soul. Must be one hell of a supper. Supply caravans get all the good stuff. A sympathy grumble showed my belly agreed with me. Maybe I can get Boss to make me some more oatcakes when we finish with Breeze? I treasured the memory of that moment.

As we moved past the offices, towards the medical wing, the guard stopped for a moment. “Before we continue, do you wanna check in with those three tasty fillies on the radios? They’ve been pretty busy helping the other groups you went out with too.”

Hmm, not a bad idea. “Yeah, sure. Breeze isn’t going anywhere another minute or two.” If Boss needed me in a hurry, she’d have asked for Wings to fly me back in the sky carriage. About-facing, I headed to the comm room, the guard following.

When we reached the door to the communication station, it was shut tight. Jiggling the knob didn’t work, so I knocked, more gently than I had against the outer shutter. “Hey, anyone in there? Amber? Esto? ...Cassie?”

The latter’s voice, muffled by the wooden barrier, sounded out first. “Snowflake? Wait a moment. We’ll be right with you.”

“Greaaat,” I deadpanned. “are Esto or Amber with you?”

“Yes,” Esto replied from inside “we are here.”

“Just give us a moment, Snowflake.” Amber’s business-like tone didn’t help my impatience.

Half a minute passed without another word, leaving me to stand awkwardly outside the door. At the full minute mark, at least according to the clock on the wall, my impatience returned. “Hellooo? Still here, you know.”

Cassie’s response made me feel like a child. “...Snowflake, the door isn’t locked. We were waiting for you to come in.”

“...Oh.” Trying to ignore the sniggering guard, I pushed at the door again. It shifted, but only a little. “You sure it’s unlocked, Cassie? I’m pushing but it’s not opening.”

Esto was more forgiving than Cassie, but still short. “Put your weight into it, Snowflake.”

“I’ll put my weight into you,” I grumbled, but did as instructed. Lowering my shoulder, I rammed into the door in three quick, violent bursts. The first did nothing. The second shifted it enough that I could see something blocking the door, even if I couldn't’ tell what. The third sent the obstruction rolling along the floor, and me flailing to the comm. room tile.

Rubbing my chin as I got back up, I finally saw what I’d just smacked with the door. “Oh, damn, Esto! I didn’t mean it, I swear. That was an accident!”

The scientist was facing away from me, still on the ground, but the other two answered before she made a move.

“Very forthright, Snowflake.”

“Yes, wonderful job defeating the door.”

Neither Cassie nor Amber had even bothered to look away from their desks. Still, I glared at their backs. “To hell with the both of you. You couldn’t have just let me in?”

“And miss all the fun? No, I think not.” Amber barely shifted as she responded, still not looking my way.

I bristled. “Fun? You might not like me, but you’re not even gonna offer Esto a hoof? The hell’ve you three been up to this past while?”

“Waiting for you.” Like Amber, Cassie was almost statue-like.

My patience ran out. “I’ve had just about enough out of the both of you!” Marching over to her seat, closer than Cassie, I put a hoof on Amber’s shoulder and wrenched her around.

Instant regret ran through me as I took in the state of the Bernstein leader. An ugly purple bruise marred her amber coat at her temple. She was unconscious, only remaining upright by the bindings holding her to the chair.

Dried blood stained her clothes and front from the chin down. A drop seeped out from under the tape over her mouth. In her lap, next to an empty health potion, lay something fleshy and red. Sat atop it was a silver bit.

“A-Amber?” Recoiling, I suddenly became away of the state of the other two mares. Esto and Cassie were similarly bound and gagged. “What happened here? I don’t—”

“Is something the matter, Snowflake?” Amber’s light, airy tone made me jump. Her eyes were still closed, and her mouth still gagged, but she continued regardless. “You seem upset.”

Backing up towards the door, I tried to keep all three in my sights at once. “What’s going on?”

Esto, somehow, spoke next. “We’re trying to have a friendly conversation, Snowflake, yet you seem intent on being rude.”

Yeah, screw this. Spinning on a back heel, I bolted for the door, straight into the guard standing in the doorway. “Get out of the way! I’m going to find my Boss, and then we’ll get to the bottom of this.”

The guard didn’t move. “Bottom of what?”

Thrusting a hoof back towards the bound mares, I redoubled my efforts to move the stallion aside. “Whatever’s making them talk through those gags!”

“Uh… nopony was talking except you.”

“What?! Don’t be stupid!” Risking another glance into the room, the lack of movement threw me off more than anything.

Almost anything, as it turned out. From just by my ear, I heard something impossible.

My voice. “You’re the one who’s stupid, Red Ice.”

Halfway into jerking back around, the guard’s hoof crashed into my cheek. I was launched backwards, pinballing off the chair on which Cassie was bound to crash down next to the fallen Esto.

As I whimpered around my loose molars, the guard lowered his hoof. His shoulders were shaking. “Ahh, I don’t get to do this often enough.” Gone was the reedy, jittering tone, instead replaced by a hauntingly familiar honeyed baritone. “You’re always such fun, you know that, Snowflake?”

Not again! Not him again! “You shouldn’t be here! You should be stuck in Lethbridle, Peanut!”

Sweeping off his ill-fitting uniform with a smile, the ‘guard’ changed before my eyes; His shoulders relaxed and spread outwards, he stopped crouching, and filled out the now size-appropriate gear. Rubbing at his collarbone, he stretched into an audible pop came from his joints. “Unngh, gotta tell you something. It’s not easy to lose a head of height and keep it lost for that long. I’m gonna need a buffalo-strength massage later.”

“How are you here?” My hooves got back under me, and I righted myself. The pain in my cheek was long forgotten, overridden by disbelief at the sight before me. “I saw them blow the last gate. There was no way out!”

Peanut was working out a crick in his neck. “I actually got out ahead of you and your brother. It’s amazing how easily the guards believed I was just another evacuee after rolling in soot and dirt for a couple of seconds, and it really didn’t take that long to kill that ghoul you sicced on me. Dropped like a sack of flour. After that, it was just a matter of blending in with the crowd. As you saw, not really an issue for me. I had a good teacher for that kind of thing.” He stopped as a thought struck him. “Did I ever tell you who taught me what I know? Not everything I know, of course, just everything HE knew.”

“Why are you here?” I challenged, trying to ignore his musings, despite his casual dismissal of Inbox’s sacrifice.

His expression settled into neutrality. “Guess that’s a story for another day. As to your question, it should really be obvious. Well, maybe not. I am, after all, an even-tempered stallion.” He rolled his shoulders and took a step into the room, forcing me to take a step back. “It takes a lot to get under my skin, Snowflake, so I guess congratulations are in order. You and Bernstein there managed to pull it off. Wanna know what you’ve won?”

“Stay back!” My horn erupted with a tight spiral of cold, but he spun to the side and down, swinging a back hoof around and into my ankle. Off-balance, I couldn’t block his follow-up shoulder barge. I heard, and felt, glass crack as I slammed back into the communication equipment.

Peanut didn’t press his attack, instead resuming his speech. “See, you and Amber Bernstein there kinda ruined my plans. Well, not ‘kinda’, more like ‘utterly’.” For a brief moment, before he regained control, his expression turned dark. “I needed Lethbridle, Red Ice, and I needed my Plottawans. The actual citizens of Lethbridle weren’t all that important, just a bonus. I needed the city itself. Control Lethbridle and you control the north. Bernstein recognised that, which is why she worked so hard to keep it from me. Without it, you can see the instability that’s sprung up in the region. Lethbridle was the center of the region. Then you and Bernstein went and broke it.”

“The Raiders would have broken it worse. They probably have!” Warm stickiness dribbled down the back of my neck from where I’d hit the glass.

Peanut kicked at the floor. “And who brought them into the city? Who put those honeyed words in Latvi’s ear, huh?” He reached over and grabbed the empty bottle of healing potion from Amber’s lap, ignoring the fleshy lump next to it. “I had to make it very clear to Lady Bernstein that I wasn’t happy. I cut out that silver tongue of hers, then forced this potion down her throat. The wound’s closed up now. She can’t reattach it, and can’t interfere again.”

That’s horrible. “You’ll pay for that. If you think—”

“I’ve already paid for it!” He flung the empty bottle aside. “Don’t you see? Without Lethbridle and my soldiers, I have nothing to offer him. Nothing to bring to the table. They were my way in!”

“Into what?” Three jagged ice shards shot towards him, but he danced aside with ease.

“Into Red Eye’s organisation! Lethbridle and the Plottawans were my dowry. I needed a gift of value to present to him. Had to show him I was worth being his lieutenant.” Peanut’s hazel eyes shone with fervour.

Wake up, you three! “All this to impress your celebrity crush?”

“He’s the most powerful pony in the Wasteland. I suppose it’s hardly surprising that a pretender like you, trading on his name, wouldn’t understand. He’s going to win, and I want a place at the table, preferably at his right hoof.”

I gathered my magic in my horn, but didn’t release it yet. “Sounds like you want a place in his bed, not at his table.”

Peanut shrugged, unaffected. “Whatever gets me what I want is fine by me. Besides, power’s sexy.”

A little more. “So all of Plottawa, and your attack on Lethbridle, was all so you could be Red Eye’s boyfriend?”

“His confidant. The one whom he shares his secrets with. Eventually, I’d be his successor.” Peanut beamed with pride at his imagined position.

“Plottawa not enough for you?” I made no effort to hide my scorn. “You want to enslave the entire Wasteland?”

“Well, yeah.” Peanut spread his hooves wide. “There’s only so much to be done out here in the north, at the end of the world. I think bigger than just what I can see in front of me.”

Except you’re only looking one way. You don’t even know there’s something beyond the mountains. “You only see what you want to see. What, you think that silencing Amber, or killing me, is gonna solve your problems? Get you noticed further south?” My horn was near bursting with charge, but I had to wait for the right opportunity.

“You mistake my reason for coming here.” Peanut leaned casually back against the wall. “I’m not here to help my plans, not really. After Lethbridle, I’m taking some ‘me’ time. I’ll have a nice relaxing few days punishing you two, and then I’ll get back to work. This? This is catharsis.”

“So why heal Amber after? Why not just kill her?” Amber’s to my left, Esto’s behind me, Cassie’s between the two of them. I took a slow half-step to my right, putting Peanut squarely between myself and the doorway.

A roll of his eyes preceded his answer. “The same reason I don’t starve or beat my slaves. The value increases this way.”

My tail thrashed at that. “Amber’s not one of your slaves!”

“No, but she is an asset. She doesn’t have a choice in the matter, if she wants to keep her business afloat. Those cousins of hers that she left in charge down south don’t have her brains. Without her lead, the Bernstein Conclave will suffer. She’ll be forced to take back the reins. Trouble is…” his tongue snaked across his lips, “...now she can’t put words in the right ears. That weakness will encourage her cousins to make a play to take over permanently. Suddenly, Lady Bernstein is very busy indeed, but can only suffer in silence.”

Heaving himself off the doorframe, he stood in the center of the entrance. “Her true trade is her words, Snowflake. That’s why I took her tongue. Words determine everything for those who don’t fight, and even some for those who do. You should know that by now.”

Every muscle on my body locked up. “What does that mean? What have you done, Peanut?”

He smiled the same wide, insufferably perfect smile he’d given the first time I met him. “Do you recall the kill-on-sight order against you?”

MOTHERF— “That was you?”

His smile just grew wider. “Actually, it was Chief Rockhaunch.”

“What? He never mentioned that!”

Waving a hoof back and forth, Peanut chuckled to himself. “Oh, he doesn’t know.”

That doesn’t make a single damn bit of sense. Have you lost your mind? Have I been talking to a crazy pony this entire time? If he had become unhinged, fighting him would be even less enjoyable than it had been, and much harder to survive, let alone win. “What are you talking about, how could he not know if he did it?”

Smile now showing teeth, Peanut cleared his throat and took a deep breath. When he opened his mouth, a shockingly familiar voice came out. The problem was that it wasn’t Peanut’s.

“Attention, this is Chief Rockhaunch. I am issuing a blanket order against Red Ice. Do not attempt to apprehend her. Kill on sight. That is all.”

I could only stare blankly at my ears attempted to make sense of hearing the voice of the Lethbridle guard captain coming from the Plottawan stallion. “What?”

Ignoring the question, Peanut rattled off several more lines, each in a different voice:

“Bernstein brought in Red Ice too!” A melodic female.

“Red Ice done brung that scary ghost thing.” A dumpy stallion.

“Why did you call Red Ice and the monsters here, Lady Bernstein?” A frightened filly.

Cassie’s voice was next. “Snowflake needs to come back to help with Breeze’s recovery.”

Glancing right to verify that Cassie was still bound, gagged, and unconscious made a sick feeling bubble up in my gut. “You were in the crowd. YOU WERE THE CROWD! You set me up. You lied to all of us!”

He had the nerve to chuckle. “I did. It’s my special talent. The right word in the right ear.” Snickering, he opened his mouth again, “Or the left ear.” except it sounded like he was standing behind me and to the side. Next he spoke from under my chin. “I don’t get enough chances to do this outside of practice. A pity, what with my name being what it is.”

My mind was spinning, and I was only barely keeping up. “...Peanut?”

“That is what I tell everybody.” He turned side-on, so I could see his cutie mark under his uniform: A red-and-white-striped bag of peanuts. “You and Bernstein are the only ones I’ve told this to. You should feel honoured. Not even A— my former teacher knows my full name.”

He bowed deeply. “A pleasure to meet you, Snowflake, Red Ice, whoever. You can call me Peanut Gallery.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I choked out.

Literally bouncing on his heels, Peanut Gallery jigged up and down. “Because I’m having fun, Snowflake. Didn’t I tell you this is me taking some time for myself? Besides, it’s not as if knowing will do either of you any good. Bernstein’s not exactly got a wagging tongue these days, and you… well, you’ve got much bigger problems than little ol’ me.”

His hazel eyes twinkled. “This is probably my favourite part of all of this, mostly because I didn’t do it, and it still worked out well for me. See, the thing is, some buffalo called Crush killed our mutual friend, the Chief. I have that on good authority, unless your brother’s a habitual liar. Do you know what that means, Snowflake?”

I was stunned, only half-listening. The Chief is dead? Crush killed him? Are my brothers okay? How are they gonna get back? How did this happen?

Peanut continued right over my mental floundering. “Rockhaunch can’t rescind the kill order against you now, Red Ice, and I won’t. Wherever you go, you’ll be attacked. Your life in the Wasteland is over. You will never know peace again.”

“Yeah?” Purple smoke engulfed the corners of my vision. “Well, neither will you!” I let loose with my gathered magic.

You won’t hurt anyone again! Bars of ice sprang up in the comm. room, shutting Amber, Cassie, and Esto off from Peanut and myself. The two of us were trapped in a narrow corridor, leaving no room to move except back towards the door.

Half-snarling, half-smirking, I squared my hooves. “Dodge this, bastard!” Channeling Chrysalis and the Windigo all at once, Peanut was blown backwards out of the room by a screaming burst of hail.

The Plottawan leader ricocheted off the corridor wall as I charged out after him. Ice snakes coalesced around me, striking for the stallion, but he deftly flipped to the side.

As I left the comm. room, I covered the doorway with more bars. “You won’t touch them again!”

Shaking his head, Peanut stepped back into a ready stance. “Well, haven’t you improved. You might actually up my heart rate a little this time. It’s not gonna be enough, though.”

Without a word, I sent overlapping waves of Cryo Serpents at him. As soon as he dodged one, the next wave would hit, forcing him back. Can’t beat me if you can’t touch me, heckler!

After his half-dozenth step, Peanut grunted harshly. Flipping back through the air, he landed with his mouth full of a wicked looking hoofcannon, half the size of his head.

My brain wasn’t even through processing his jaw-clench before my cheek split in two. Blood splattered into my right ear and eye. Adrenaline dulled the pain, but I still had half the perception I did a moment ago. Squeezing my right shut, I turned left-on to Peanut, fixing him with my good eye.

His second shot slammed harmlessly into my conjured ice shield, which I thrust back at him.

Cartwheeling aside, his hooves went out from under him as I covered the floor in slick frost. My Cryo Serpents found his weapon as he landed, blocking the barrel.

Spinning impossibly on his head and front hooves, his momentum carried the hoofcannon straight into my throat.

Adrenaline could only do so much, as the air caught in my tubes. Hacking and spitting, I blindly conjured icicles in a full ring around me. A sharp hiss sounded from beyond the red blood and purple smoke, but I couldn’t tell where with just the one unblocked ear.

My head jerked to the side as Peanut’s hoof slammed into my torn jowl, but it was he who cried out in pain. I couldn’t smile outwardly, but momentarily cheered on the inside. You’re not the first opponent I’ve fought covered in blood, Peanut. Thank you, Cassie. I couldn’t call the fight in the Woodpecker village a victory, but it was a learning experience.

With a vague idea of where he now stood, my horn slashed down and across his general direction. Unfortunately it met his bucking hooves coming in the other direction.

Lifted into the air, the corridor spun around me. At the corner, I stopped rolling. Sharp needles ran up and down my horn, and the pain from my jaw was increasing. I was coming down from my adrenaline high. Just a little more. I almost have him.

Peanut wasn’t looking so hot himself. Cuts and scratches marred and bloodied his oaken coat, and his blond mane stuck to his face as he huffed and puffed. The hoof he’d punched me with was cradled close to his chest. “Well, isn’t this interesting? You’re on form today, Red Ice, I’ll give you that. Still, those hooves of yours are shaking. You won’t last much longer.”

“Lung enif…” I gave up at that point, the bubbling blood in my mouth derailing any comeback I might have had as I willed my shaking legs to remain still. Spitting out a mouthful was agony as my split flesh objected. Damn, he’s right. My face is killing me. Have to kill HIM quick.

Peanut wasn’t looking at me. He was staring past me, around the corner I stood at. His face was a picture of surprise.

A filly’s voice, timid and watery and familiar, told me why. “Snowflake?”

Undertow?! My good eye whipped around to find her, warn her away. I couldn’t see her. Damn blood’s in my eyes. Where is she?

In the split-second I reached up to wipe away the blinding red, Peanut had moved.

KRACK!!!

My eye was totally forgotten as he completed his leap on my other side. Something else landed beside him, clinking against the floor tile.

Glacial glow fading into darkness, my horn rolled to a stop between us.

I screamed. Pain, not blood, blinded me now. My cheek trauma forgotten, I scrabbled with my hooves at the jagged stump on my forehead. I wailed on the ground as all strength left me.

Barely noticed through the haze, Peanut scooped up my horn in his mouth. Smirking around it, he looked for all the world like McCoy smoking one of his filthy cigars. Imperiously, he stood over me, savouring the sight. “I told you it wouldn’t be enough.”

“GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!” The new voice, not Undertow’s, thundered down the hallway.

It pierced through the lightning storm of pain behind my eyes. Boss! What’s he doing to Undertow?!

Shots rang out in the corridor, and Peanut’s shadow fell away from me. His clattering hooves, and those of the multitude chasing him, were muffled by blood and exposed nerves.

Another shadow came upon me, however. Tender hooves probed and caressed, while a soothing aura enveloped me. “Oh, baby, what’s he done t’you?” Lexi’s voice trembled. “Can y’hear me, baby girl?”

“U-Undertow?”

“No, honey, it’s me. Undertow’s not here.” I felt her magic pulling my cheek back together, however gradually.

“But…” I coughed out, “...she was. You said ‘your daughter’. Where is she?”

“What?” Lexi’s hooves left me for a moment, before grabbing me and holding me tight, frizzy mane scratching at my stump, while she wailed. “Ah meant you, yeh silly thing! You’re both my girls, don’tcha know that?”

Her words hit like a ton of bricks. They managed, for a moment at least, to make me utterly forget about the pain. M-me too? I have a… you’re my…

Every moment I’d ever spend with Lexi ran through my mind in a flash;

Our first meeting, where she healed me even as a complete stranger.

She didn’t turn me away.

Scolding me for playing Raider, but still telling me not to die, and to come to her if I was hurt.

She knew I could do better.

Sending me after my missing sister, her missing daughter, and the warm hug that followed when we returned.

She forgave me.

The delicious breakfast she made for Undertow and I, and the promise between the two to watch over me.

She worried.

To Fedexi Lexi, I had value. To her, I was worth keeping on the right path. To her, I mattered. I was one of her girls.

She wanted me.

Even through the returning pain, hard enough to dim the world around me, my hooves hugged her back as tight as I was able. Through tears, I bawled out the only word I could:

“MO-O-O-M!”

Gentle and safe, she held me close. “Ah’m right here, Snowflake. Momma’s gonna look after you.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“They can’t find her horn?” My entire body, beak to tail, was tying itself in knots at the thought of Snow’s horn being just… gone.

Standing with me in the courtyard, Schwarzwald shook her head, serious for once. “No, dahling. She has had to be sedated, to ease her pain until then. What is not there cannot be fixed. Fedexi Lexi has every free guard looking, but it seems Peanut took it.”

“How? How did he get away?” Anger joined queasiness as I thought of the one who had done this. The bastard who maimed my friend.

“From what the guards say, he has a zebra stealth cloak.” Schwarzwald nodded her head towards the medical bay. “Naiara or Cept may be able to tell us more later. For now, they are in with Breeze.”

Thank heaven for small miracles. “Gotta thank her, don’t we. She was the one who raised the alarm, right? Her and those ears?”

Schwarzwald cracked a smile. “Indeed. Dear Breeze was nice enough not to let her personal feelings towards Snowflake get in the way.”

“Or she was just trying to get Peanut.” I groused, but almost immediately kicked myself mentally. Breeze didn’t deserve that, come on. “How’re her wings?”

“Weak for now, but healed.”

One healthy pony’s better than two patients. “I’ll go see her when there’s a quiet moment. I’ve missed her.”

Smiling getting wider, the mercenary mare licked her lips. “As have we all.”

“I know that look, Schwarz. You are not asking her if you can feel her scars, not for at least another week.”

The two of us chuckled together. “You are so cruel, Wings-dahling.”

“That’s exactly what I am. ‘sides, don’t you have your own injured girl to be watching over? How’s Amber?”

“Sleeping now.” Smile slipping, she kicked at the dust. “The tongue cannot be saved. Peanut saw to that with a potion. She will not speak again.”

Harsh. Shivering through my feathers at the thought, I clicked my tongue in my beak. “So what will she do now?”

Inhaling, eyes closed, Schwarzwald took a moment to respond. “I do not know. She prides herself on her skill with words, and now she has lost it while helping us.”

This entire thing is one fucked up nightmare! “She only lost the words, not the skills. Make sure you remind her of that when she wakes up.”

The smile I got from her was softer, warmer than the last one. “Your way with words is not so bad either, Blue Fire. Thank you.”

I matched it, before nodding at the doors to the offices. “Head back in there, make sure you’re around if she comes to. Can’t have her be the only one without a friend by their side, right?” Breeze’s got Cassie, the zebra, and Bosco. Snow’s got Lexi, Undertow, and her brothers. Hell, even Lithu’s got Esto. Medical Bay got crowded in a hurry.

Schwarzwald started towards the door, then stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Are you not coming, dahling? Snowflake will feel better if you are there, I am sure.”

I waved her on. “In a little bit. Let her sleep for now. I need a few minutes by myself to think things through. We got a lot of fire thrown at us all at once. Even with her hurt, we can’t just ignore it.”

“But our problems will still be there when she wakes up.” She reminded, before opening the door. “Do not focus on the wrong thing, and miss something important.”

When she was gone, I turned and sprinted around the back of the buildings. From our numerous visits to the site, I knew this was where the guards had set up their practice range. A battered old radio was set up on a fence post, offensively inoffensive music droning from its speakers.

I emptied every bullet I had, reloading over and over, into the targets at the end of the range. Peanut’s face was in my mind every time. I fired so many and so fast, my claws couldn’t hold my revolvers when they finally ran dry. Letting them slip from my talons, I bounded down the range and, with a hawkish shriek, gouged great gashes in the painted wood.

“Kill you! Kill you! Kill you!” The mantra kept my energy from flagging, maintaining my rhythm. Trick me away just so you can cripple her?! There’s not gonna be a corner of the Wasteland you can hide from me!

When even the mantra couldn’t keep the exhaustion away, my forehead dropped into the ravaged target with a dull thud. “And she says I don’t owe her.” I mocked bitterly, “Can’t claim that anymore.” I should have been here. I should have known something was up. Why would Cassie send all but Snow away? Why didn’t I just drop her off first with the sky carriage? Why the FUCK is Peanut not trapped in Lethbridle?

I still hadn’t been to see Snow since getting back. Undertow and her brothers got first priority, I couldn’t deny them that, even if I wanted to go in there. I want her to be okay, just…

Maybe it wasn’t nearly as bad as the black hole I was imagining in the middle of her forehead, but still had trouble willing myself to go find out. Taking a unicorn’s horn was… a violation. Like de-clawing a griffon.

Disgusted with all concerned, myself included, I meandered back to my fallen revolvers. As I dusted them off, the folksy music on the radio cut off with a sharp burst of static. What replaced it stunned me into stillness.

“Good day, Equestria. My name is Roc, and I am the Overseer of Stable 61.”

Oh… crap.

Unaware of my growing dread, Roc continued jauntily. “First, let me express my joy at finally being able to communicate with the wider world outside of our Stable walls. We have waited for this moment for a long time.”

Fumbling my six-shooters back into their holsters, my attention focused fully on the overly cheerful lunatic coming over the airwaves.

“Second, I apologise for interrupting your other broadcasts. We are still adjusting to how things work in… the Wasteland, and don’t quite have the schedules memorised yet. We are trying, however, especially with the aid of some new friends.”

“New friends?” I mouthed, not feeling any better about that than any other part of Roc’s broadcast.

“It warms my heart to find like-minded individuals to ourselves, even two hundred years removed from communication. It gives me hope for a brighter tomorrow. Still, I can’t take up all your time with my introduction and not get to the point, so allow me to do so. I must apologise for the actions of a small number of former Stable residents who may have been causing issues in the region. We will be working to correct this diplomatic oversight. I do hope you all can believe that Stable 61 does not condone the actions of this radical minority. I apologise again, but they are not representative of Stable 61.”

I held the radio close up to my face, which did nothing but increase the static. “Where are you going with this, ‘Overseer’?”

Roc’s apologetic tone returned to its original cheer. “While we are still in the learning and planning stages for now, with invaluable input from our new friends from the fine city of Neighlway,”

“What?” Neighlway? No, you can’t be doing this now, not them.

“I can happily report that, once we are ready, Stable 61 will be opening its doors to the Wasteland in its entirety. We still have much to learn, but I truly believe that my Stable and I are in the unique position of ALSO having much to teach, and much to offer. All will be welcome at Stable 61, no matter their concerns; business, pleasure, personal. Stable 61 hopes to greet you all as friends, as we have with the honourable Neighlway Rangers. I must express my gratitude towards Elder Iron Sights, on being such a fine friend in Stable 61’s first partnership. We are rejoining Equestria, my dear listeners, and we look forward to meeting you all. I, Roc, Overseer of this Stable, bid you good day.”

“That’s why Neighlway was so empty…” The grey skies seemed to grow darker by the second, as I stared up at them bonelessly. “Oh, Snow...”

Unfurling my wings, I rose into that grey sky.

I’m gonna do something about this.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Please be careful, Breeze.”

Cept’s fretting call from below warmed my cheeks. I absentmindedly waved a hoof in the general direction of ‘down’, even while pumping my wings higher. “I’ve been cooped up in that bed for days. I need to stretch my wings.”

“But—”

“I’ll be fine so long as you catch me, Cept. You won’t let me fall, will you?” A little mean, but he can’t treat me like I’m made of glass forever.

“Never!” He shouted instantly.

A few metres away, Naiara burst out laughing. “You’re both so lame.”

“I think it’s sweet.” Across from me, Cassie was on-hoof in case I struggled. “Ah, a little higher now, Bosco. Try to keep yourself steady.” Also, at the same time, she was tutoring our newest flier.

“I am trying!” The colt retorted testily, even as he continued to wobble in the air. We’d travelled a fair distance from Sprinkles Supplies for this training session, solely so that Bosco could shift back to his Changeling state.

The thrum of your wings is nice enough, Boss Colt, but I still can’t get used to you looking all buggy like that. My eyes were drawn mostly to the stubby little horn rising from his forehead. Besides transformation, I wonder what other types of magic you can do? Maybe even… ice spells? The thought made my side twinge.

“Breeze, watch out!”

“Wha-WHOA!” My left wing locked up, and I dropped like a stone. The wind rushed past my ears beyond my squeezed-shut eyes, but the harsh impact I expected never came. Instead, I found myself wrapped in strong hooves.

Cept’s golden eyes were there when I opened mine to look. His breathing came fast and shallow, but he still smiled down at me. “Never.” He repeated. Warming all over, I snuggled further into his embrace. Around us, the other three looked on in concern.

Even as Naiara began “d’aww”-ing, Cassie swooped down upon us. “Alright, that’s enough for you for today. You’re walking back.”

“Aw, c’mon,” I whined. “I’m fine, Cass, really.”

“I said no.” She emphasised, poking me in the side. “Cept, make sure she doesn’t leave the ground.”

“As you say.”

I sat and sulked. “Traitors, all of you.”

“Don’t you start with me, Aqua Breeze,” Cassie puffed up her chest. “You are gonna take exactly as long as you have to to get better. Your injuries were serious. Lexi said that you might not fly again. You know how ponies feel about pegasi in the Wasteland. A pegasus who can’t fly would be in serious danger!”

Naiara coughed into her hoof pointedly. “Almost as much danger as a hornless unicorn with a kill order out on her?”

My sister rounded on her. “Don’t preach to me, Naiara. We’re all aware of the situation with Snow, and if you think you can guilt us—”

“I’m not.” Cutting through Cassie’s rant with a calm, unshakeable resolve, the zebra mare continued. “I’m telling you to be glad that Breeze came through okay. No guilt, just be happy about that. We all got very lucky.” She turned a bright smile on me. “‘sides, Breeze already repaid Snow for her mom’s healing, by telling her that Peanut was here.”

“He’s dangerous,” I deflected, not wanting to upset Cassie further, “anyone would have done it. Just looking out for the rest of us.”

“Sure,” Still unsteady, a slow-rotating Changeling hovered overhead, “and you didn’t enjoy the big hug that Undertow gave you when she heard you were the one who raised the alarm. Totally.”

Bosco and Cassie found themselves being pointedly not-looked-at. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who are you, crazy-shelled-colt?”

Cept and Naiara started to chuckle, but Bosco didn’t. He drifted slowly down to the ground, then morphed back to his normal charcoal earth pony form. His eyes looked past us. “You know… this is the second time she’s lost her magic.”

The zebras’ laughter choked off, and we all started at his words. “Snow?”

He nodded. “Yeah. When she first left the Stable, she couldn’t use any spells. The Memory Orb had a crack in it, and did a number on her. It came back then, gradually, but… this time…”

“Mm.” Cassie murmured. “Without her horn, she most likely will not ever regain her magic.”

Sometimes, your insistence on propriety keeps me from figuring out if you’re happy or not, Cass. Still, that’s not the only problem...

“And she can’t shoot worth a damn.” Everybody frowned at my statement. “What? It’s true. Snow’s never been good with a gun, or any weapon. She lost the Power Hooves she had back when we first met her a while ago, and it’s been her horn ever since. With the kill order, she’s gonna need a new way to fight.”

“This is true. The Steel Rangers hold her Stable. If they can use that old world technology, they will be a very bad threat to all of the northern Wasteland.” Plottawa seemed to be where Cept was looking as he said this.

His words resonated with me for a different reason, though. Old world tech, huh? You might be onto something there, Cept.

Bosco cricked his neck. “It’s even worse than that. With Chrysalis down in the Stable, the Rangers could blunder around trying to figure out what she’s doing, and end up taking down the entire blizzard. If they do that, the Windigoes get in. If the Windigoes get in…”

“...we’re fucked.” Naiara finished matter-of-factly.

Nodding, Bosco wreathed himself in flames, becoming a Changeling again. He looked back at his wings. “So far, Snow’s the only one who’s been able to hurt one, and the other Changelings can’t fight ‘em all at once. Face it, we need Snow back, and we need to get the Rangers out of her Stable.”

Naiara nosed his wing up and down with her nose. “How’re we gonna do that?”

I raised a hoof. “I… might have an idea on that.” And maybe more.

Cassie raised an eyebrow. “When did this happen? You’ve been stuck in bed for the better part of a week!”

“Yeah, but I’ve been listening. While these three,” I pointed to the two zebra and the one Changeling, “were away gallivanting around Plottawa and Whinniepeg, YOU,” my hoof found Cassie, “were talking with Amber and Esto. Amber wanted to go back to the Whitepony facility, right?”

Bosco and Naiara tensed up at the mention of the place. “Yeah, so?”

“So, I’m thinking maybe not the worst idea right now? There’s tons of information there, about all sorts. There might be something there that can help get Snow’s magic back.” My chin stayed low as I finished. The reactions I got back weren’t particularly positive, but at least the suggestion was out there.

Bosco was first to offer his opinion. “Last time we were there, Naiara almost died. Undertow and I got foalnapped. Hell, the last time we were there, the Changelings showed up, everything went to hell, and has pretty much stayed there since!”

Unlike Bosco, a more neutral tone was adopted by Cept. “But why were they there at all? Why did they pick that moment to take you and Undertow? Do they know something that we do not?”

Cassie looked to the colt-turned-Changeling. “Would they tell you? They haven’t really been all that forthcoming with information up until this point.”

He grunted. “And we might not have time to humour them if they want us to jump through any hoops to get the info. Let’s call that Plan B for now.”

“Plan C.” I corrected. Maybe.

Again, everybody looked at me in consternation. “What?”

Stretching my wings to ease the twinge, which drew a warning glare from Cassie, I looked in the opposite direction that Cept had been facing. “Well, assuming a day trip to Whitepony’s still our Plan A, there might be another move to make before we resort to going to the Changelings hat-in-hoof.”

“You’re not flying all the way to Whitepony, Breeze.” Cassie interjected. “Confound it all, you’re barely out of bed!”

It was my turn to frown at the interruption. “I meant that we’d take the sky carriage, which YOU would pull, but that’s beside the point. I’m talking about Plan B now.”

I had everybody’s full attention now. Cassie was still sceptical, Naiara was intrigued, Bosco was confused, and Cept’s intense attention simultaneously spurred me on and made my stomach tighten. I took a deep breath. “Well, Snow lost her magic because she’s down a horn, right?”

They all nodded.

I’m either really clever or really crazy.

“...Don’t we have a spare?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“And you’re sure this is where he said to meet?” I certainly hope so. I have had about all I can stand of your nonsense, ponies. I better see some uptick in income or else things are going to become very unpleasant.

“Are you questioning my comprehension of a simple arrangement, Eitom?” The pegasus flying beside me, Willow Wisp, barked back.

And everything’s a slight if you’re not fawned over! “I am verifying the information I’ve been given for this assignment. Nothing more.” The bile bubbling in the back of my throat took a few swallows to hold back.

Willow Wisp pushed further. “Just do as I say and you’ll be fine.” She snorted, before muttering under her breath. “Story of my life, not that anybody listens.”

And the tightness in my throat returned. “I don’t take orders from you, pegasus!” She jolted at my snap, but I continued before she could respond. “I work for Latvi and, right now, so do you. Order me or my Monsters around again, and we’ll have a problem. Is that clear?”

Glaring, she looked past behind her to where Latvi was being carried by two of my Monsters. The scientist unicorn was deep in conversation with Wicker, and didn’t seem interested in our discussion. Seeing no support, she turned cold eyes back to me, gnashing out a single word. “...fine.”

Small miracles! Uninterested in speaking with her further, I turned and gave the signal for the rest of us to descend. Below us, the ruined and burned-out husk of a supply caravan lay in a forest clearing. I still don’t think it’s all that smart to be between Plottawa and Lethbridle like this. Her slavers don’t control either anymore.

My monsters and I thudded down around the clearing, weapons posted outwards. Willow Wisp fluttered onto the top of the wreckage, which leaned and creaked in response to her new weight. She wobbled when it did so, and took a good few seconds to right herself again.

Some of the other griffon noticed, and grinned to each other. It was definitely satisfying, especially since they didn’t stop their sweeps. It spoke to their training, evoking memories of our former leader and his methods. You did good work with these guys, boss. Sticking to standards without fail, that’s the trick. Ponies never understand that. I could almost smell the smoke from the cigars he constantly inhaled.

Not one of the Monsters had so much as suggested changing the name of our troop. Wicker and I never would have agreed if they did, but it said something that it was never even considered.

“So what now, chika?” Wicker was standing guard by Latvi. It was almost comical how the straw-coloured mercenary dwarfed the blue scientist. Still, we had a contract with him, so we took his orders.

So long as he keeps paying. It remains to be seen how long that will last now that his Raider army is gone.

Willow Wisp drew in a deep breath, stopped for a moment to adjust as the caravan shell moved under her, and spoke directly to Latvi. Wicker went ignored. “I shouldn’t have to wait long. Peanut won’t waste my time.”

I saw Latvi raise an eyebrow at her singular pronouns.

“Very true, Overmare, but I have business with Latvi too.” Somehow, Peanut was suddenly standing there, cigar between his lips, in the middle of the perched pegasus and stunned scientist.

My rifle was instantly trained on the earth stallion. If I wasn’t fighting my own racing heart, I might have laughed at Willow Wisp’s startled hooting. “Where the hell did you come from?”

Wicker, all-business, had put himself between him and our contractor. “Shit, pony, don’t do that!”

To his credit, Peanut seemed unaffected by the ring of Monsters who all had him in their sights. He turned and gave Willow Wisp a damn-near sparkling smile as she picked herself off the ground, having tumbled down at his surprise entry. “Good to see you safe, Willow Wisp. I heard what happened at Plottawa. Very unfortunate, but we can retake it later.”

Latvi cut in before she could respond. “Nice trick with the zebra stealth cloak, but why are you here, Peanut? The last time I saw you, your slavers were firing rockets at my Raiders. Why shouldn’t I just have my Monsters gun you down where you stand?”

While his expression screamed ‘you are welcome to try’, his smooth voice didn’t waver. “Well, I’d rather like my lieutenant back, if what your lieutenant said about her working for you is true, and then I’d like the two of us to make you a mutually beneficial proposal.”

Willow Wisp showed nothing but confusion at his words, while Latvi took a moment to levitate and clean his glasses. “Really, a proposal? Do tell.”

My back paw tensed in the dirt. Of course you won’t just tell us to shoot him. You want to play games, like always. How many Monsters will we lose this time, I wonder.

Holding up his shin to display the Pipbuck wrapped around it, Peanut tapped the screen. “Have you heard the broadcast by Overseer Roc yet?”

“OVERSEER ROC?!” We all winced at Willow Wisp’s livid screech.

“Apparently not.” Peanut rubbed his ear. “Don’t worry, I have it recorded. Allow me.”

While the announcement played back, to which I was only half-paying attention, Wicker was miming shooting Latvi. He was even making ‘pow pow’ movements with his beak. I smiled at his antics, until I noticed that Peanut saw it too, and swiftly motioned for him to stop.

Once the recording was done, Willow Wisp sat stewing. Latvi, however, was thoughtful. “All that lost technology, in the hooves of those bulkheaded thugs?”

Peanut clapped his hooves together, getting everyone’s attention. “Which brings me to my proposal. I want the three of us to get into that Stable, even if it means working with the Rangers for a little while. This,” he again pointed to the Pipbuck, “means I can get us there. The lovely Willow Wisp here can then get us in the door, and then you get your moment. According to… several sources, you’re the resident expert on digging up the secrets of the past.” He offered a hoof to the blond scientist. “Just imagine what you could do with all that old world knowledge and technology. Pristine, untouched by the fires that burned our world. It’d be like walking into the past. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?”

Latvi’s eyes were glazed over, lost in his fantasies. “Yes,” he breathed ecstatically. “wonderful.”

Oh hell. Latvi liked his games, but Peanut had him totally outclassed here. To my further annoyance, Willow Wisp seemed to have noticed what the Slaver boss was doing, and for-once kept her mouth shut. Now we have to deal with Steel Rangers. They would have taken most, if not all, of their Neighlway forces to the Stable. They won’t want to give up the tech to you three, which means we are going to lose A LOT of Monsters on this one.

Sometimes, I hate my job.

Somehow, Latvi managed to shake off his daydream. Even more surprising, he managed to ask a relevant question afterwards. “This is all very tempting, Peanut, but what’s in it for you?”

The Plottawan leader grinned around the cigar in his mouth. “Glad you asked. Two things: I want one-sixth of the Stable’s collective treasures, in whatever form, for my own use,”

Which means you’ll take an eighth if Latvi learns how to haggle.

“... and then I want you and your Monsters’ assistance in getting into Lethbridle, getting my people out, and dealing with whichever of your Raiders they haven’t enslaved or killed yet. I don’t care how your Raiders are dealt with; leave, rejoin you, die… whatever. So long as at the end of it, they are out of the city entirely.”

Make that a tenth. Hell, a twentieth! I slammed my rifle down on the ground and advanced on Peanut, talons out. “You’re asking a hell of a lot just to point the way, slaver! And spit out that damn cigar!”

Wicker was on me instantly, holding me back. “Whoa, bro! Down, down! Eitom, reel it in!”

Peanut dropped the cigar into the palm of his hoof. “This? Not a cigar.” He held it out to Willow Wisp. “Here, you’ll get a kick out of this.”

“Me?” She blinked, but took the ‘cigar’. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

“Do? Nothing. Just enjoy it. That is the horn of a filly we all know and ‘love’.”

Recognition dawned for the pegasus. “Snowflake? This is Snowflake’s horn?”

Willow Wisp turned it over and around, looking at it from every angle. She mused to herself. “Snowflake has no horn.”

Latvi’s eyebrows shot up at the mention. “You took her horn? Impressive.”

Finally, the red mist began to subside. I tapped Wicker on the shoulder. “I’m okay, I’m okay.” To prove it, I took a half-dozen steps back, claws up and open.

Latvi had been staring at the severed horn in unbridled amusement. Now, he turned to Peanut. “Your offer? I accept. But I may I suggest a slight alteration?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“YOU WANT TO DO WHAT?!”

We all shrank back from Schwarzwald. Her trademark amusement was completely absent here, as her conifer eyes drilled into Breeze, who had made the suggestion. You have never raised your voice before. Now, my sister offers a chance to restore Snowflake’s magic, and you act as if she suggests euthanization?

What had been a very cute scene, with Amber and Schwarzwald wearing identical smiles as the latter spoonfed the former, now threatened to unravel. Amber, involuntarily silent, seemed equally surprised at the older mare’s reaction. There was a hint of indignation in the Bernstein’s expression too, as the spoon Schwarzwald held remained in her mouth. She was forced to stare, cross-eyed, down the handle to the mercenary’s face, which continued to glare at Breeze.

Wilting, Breeze leaned back into Cept, who rested his head against hers. “I, um, I just thought that… y’know…”

Schwarzwald released the spoon, and bounced off of Amber’s bed. Standing at her full height, we were reminded that she was a very tall mare. “You thought that you would expose Snowflake to the influence of the dark king?”

Breeze’s wings had locked in at her sides under Schwarzwald’s scrutiny. “She… but... um… magic?”

Schwarzwald’s wood-brown face was turning burgundy. “Absolutely not. Those magics are not toys. Bosco’s Changelings, and their Windigo enemies, show that there are forces of the old world to fear. King Sombra was no mere unicorn trickster. He held power that threatened the entire country!”

“Schwarzwald,” I came to my sister’s defence, “the king is dead. Sombra has been gone for two hundred years. What influence does he still wield to make you act like this?”

“Ask Latvi!” She snapped back, shifting her focus to Naiara. “Was the horn so harmless the last time somepony called on its power?”

Naiara looked away. Her actions at the Raider summit still shamed her at times, even though all concerned had long since forgiven her. “No, Latvi used it to hurt Snow and Undertow.” When she looked back, her jade eyes were glistening. “But what else can we do? That was then, and this is now. Now, Snow’s got no magic, and everybody’s trying to kill her. She needs a way to defend herself, and there’s no time to teach her to fight with her hooves.”

Amber put a hoof on Schwarzwald’s side, but the latter shrugged it off. “You are not wrong, dahling, but there is more to that horn than just normal unicorn magic. We do not know what it will do to Snowflake if it is attached.”

“So what would you have us do?” My patience had run out with Schwarzwald’s little outburst. I placed myself in between her and Breeze, matching her glare. “Leave her crippled and a hindrance to our fighting power? We still have battles left to wage, Schwarzwald. If the rest of us have to expend time and energy protecting her, it will put us all in danger!”

The door to the ward was wrenched open by a purple haze. Orange frizz bouncing furiously, Lexi strode in. Undertow stiffly marched in behind her. The older unicorn made no effort to conceal her gritted teeth, or furrowed brow. “Ah’d have the lot o’ yeh shut the hell up right now. Ah heard the whole thing, and yeh’re all lucky Ah don’t have my boys escort y’all outta mah compound flank first!”

Oh, wonderful. Another angry mare. “With all due respect, Fed—”

“SHUT THE HELL UP, PEGASUS!” She followed up the interruption by painfully seizing my lips in her magic and forcing them shut. “You, sniper, do not get to talk about protectin’ mah daughter. Either of my daughters. Yeh’ve done the opposite more than once, and this ain’t the first time Ah’ve had Snow in my medical bay with her life in danger. Say one more damn word, and Ah’ll pluck out those eyes yeh’re so damn proud of!”

Breeze tweaked her greave, and its blade popped out. “Let go of my sister, you bitch!”

An aquamarine aura surrounded the accessory, rooting it in place as the technophile ineffectually tugged at it. Undertow’s anger wasn’t as explosive as her mother’s, but there was no warmth in her voice. “Breeze, you are on my mother’s land. Do not threaten her again.”

Lexi dropped her hold on my lips, prompting Undertow to do the same to my sister’s weaponry. After a moment, Breeze retracted the blade, and lowered her hoof. Lexi hadn’t looked away from me. “Now, there ain’t a one o’ yeh who’re as worried for Snow as me or Undertow, but Ah’ll be damned if Ah let y’try to fit ‘er with some dead horn if’n it’ll be dangerous. Ah’ll be damned if a single one o’ yeh makes any sort o’ decision fer Snowflake. Y’all ain’t got the right. ‘til she wakes up, and decides for her-damn-self, the horn stays off.”

Schwarzwald nodded her thanks at the mare, then exhaled in a long, slow stream. “A mother’s wisdom is a fine thing, Fedexi Lexi, thank you. But, and I do not like this any more than you, Naiara has a point. Snowflake still has battles to fight, and she cannot do that without her magic.”

“Ah know, but Ah’m a medic, not a doctor.” Lexi’s eyes softened, her pupils shrank, and her breath stuttered her words. “Ah don’t know if Ah can do what yeh’re askin’.” She hugged one leg with the other, curling in on herself slightly. “Ah don’t know if Ah can get my baby whole again.”

Despite her bluster, and violating my lips with her telekinesis, I felt a pang in my chest. Did mother look like that when she thought of who I would be: A pegasus Raider born of rape? Was she so afraid of what might happen to me because she couldn’t make it better?

Lexi’s worries didn’t go unanswered. “I do.”

All eyes went to the buffalo in the entryway. And then to the pony riding atop him. Buff, taking small and measured steps, shuffled into the room with his two brothers in tow.

On his back, Snow grunted at even these small movements. Left eye squeezed shut, mane plastered to the sides of her face, the unicorn was not at her prettiest. She had to constantly part her mane strands so they wouldn’t brush across the jagged stump on her forehead, reacting every time one did. Still, she held herself upright and stable.

Undertow cantered across to her, climbing up the horn Buff presented to her. “Sister, you should be resting.”

The older girl reached out to stroke her cheek. “Yeah, I could use a nap, but I have a decision to make first, don’t I?”

Naiara gulped. “And what’s your decision?”

Easing her neck muscles around, she shoved her head into her gear, and withdrew a red needle, fire-blackened at one end. Passing it down to Buff, who laid it on the ground, Snow looked to Lexi. “You can do it, mom. I know you can.”

“You sure?” Lexi replied in a hoarse whisper. “Ain’t no goin’ back if you do.”

Four wood-brown hooves planted themselves over the severed horn. “Snowflake, there will be… certain people who will be very upset if you do this.”

“Yeah, like half this room.” Naiara quipped, even as she traded worried glances with Bosco and Cept. “Wings’ll be seriously pissed.”

Where IS Wings?

Snowflake grunted again, holding Schwarzwald’s gaze. “Anybody who has a problem can come see me later, but it needs to be done. I’m the only one who can hurt the Windigoes. That hasn’t changed while I’ve been asleep, has it?”

No one present had a response to that, no matter how much several clearly wished they did.

Clearing his throat, Cept held a hoof up to his chest. “I will not be sad to see the horn out of his reach, Snowflake, but Atesh and my clan may feel differently.”

“We’ll talk to them, though,” Naiara interjected hurriedly, “I won’t let them try anything.”

Managing a weak smile, the buffalo-rider nodded at the two zebra. “Thanks, guys. I appreciate that.” She turned to the other unicorns in the room. “Shall we get started?”

“Snow, Ah told yeh this could be more’n Ah can do.” Looking between the horn and her daughters, the master of Sprinkles Supplies remained unsure.

Her eldest daughter opened her mouth to speak, but broke off as a stab of pain ran across her face. After a few calming breaths, she tried again. “Mom, I know you can do this, and you don’t have to do it alone. Undertow’s gonna help.”

“Me?!” Startled, the Deep Diver slipped off Buff’s back, rolling onto Lo. “What can I do?”

Both of Snowflake’s eyes were drooping now. Whatever energy she’d built up while sleeping was already draining away. “We’ll use our link. Nobody knows my magic better than you, little sister. You can bring in Mom, and the two of you can get the horn to harmonise. I know you can do it, both of you.”

“If they do, it’ll be unprecedented. I’ve never heard of a horn transplant before.” To my surprise, I began to feel excited at the prospect, though partnered with a healthy amount of concern. “The three of you understand that there will be risk, not just to Snowflake, but to all three of you. Are you prepared for that?”

Growling, Schwarzwald raised her back hoof over the horn. Half a dozen gasps sounded as it hovered there.

Don’t do it. They will kill you. Lo and Al had lowered their heads, horns pointed at her, and Cept’s muscles were visibly coiled under his stripes. Nobody moved a hair for a tense quarter-minute.

Groaning, Schwarzwald’s hoof shot down… next to the horn. Without a word or backwards glance to anyone, she stormed out of the room.

Lexi’s purple glow began brushing Snow’s mane away from her face. “Let’s get you ready.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Y’all two ready?” To my left, Lexi held the horn over my forehead with her purple haze.

My nostrils sucked in a deep breath, eliciting another little pang of discomfort through my horn stub. “Ready.”

“Ready.” Making up the third point of the triangle with Mom and I, Undertow was wound tighter than a Tarantubaa cocoon.

Reaching over, I patted her knee. “I know you’ll get us through this, Undertow. You’re the best magic user around.”

Gulping through a smile, she nodded. “Ready.” She repeated.

“Yeh’re up first, babygirl,” Lexi blew a little frizz out of her eyes. “Start the link.”

Electricity exploded in my brain as Undertow’s arcane touch probed at the remains of my own. Where once we had been almost effortlessly connected, now her tidal wave overwhelmed my last few icebergs, threatening to dislodge them entirely.

“Un… Undertow,” I gasped, eyes squeezed shut against the assault, “slow down, please.”

“Sorry, sorry,” she blurted out, “I’ll stop.”

“No!” Lexi interjected. “Don’t stop. Just listen to yehr sister. A little at a time, yeah?”

“I… yes, mother.”

What had been a surging river drained to a trickling stream. Shallower, gentler. Her touch moved with the grooves and islands of ice, flowing around and protectively encircling, rather than washing away.

Though painful, it was becoming more familiar. With her comforting presence, I felt emboldened to activate more of my own magic, to pour more into the link from my end.

I haven’t dared to try since I lost my horn. The sentiment may have been lost through the link, but I hoped Undertow understood regardless. Keep me from going under, ‘tow.

We two sisters revelled in our link, so precious to us both. Every little extra bit of ice I supplied was corralled and contained in her water, held together and coherent through the lapping tides. I could feel the magic trying to escape, lacking the horn’s focus point, but Undertow was equal to the challenge, and her confidence grew as my gratitude filtered down the connection.

Finally, my mind buzzed with the arcane weight I had collected. The pain was still there, but manageable. A calm pulse was my signal for Undertow to move to the next stage.

She sent a confirmation back though her horn, and turned to Mom. “We are ready for you. I’ll guide you in.”

“Awright. Ah’ll start wi’ just a little. Yeh’ll lemme know when Ah can up the juice, yeah?”

“Don’t worry, Mom,” I opened my eyes to smile at them both. “she’s the best.”

She smiled back. “That’s mah girls.”

True to her word, Mom’s magic arrived gradually, a warm breeze rolling across the waves, until it reached my frozen islands. The wind was followed the path of the water, encircling my magic before moving inwards. There was no malice in this wind. It was just pure, unburdened, kindness. My islands were cradled in it, stirred into greater activity by it, insulated by it.

The warmth increased as it found the heart of my isles but, instead of melting the ice away, it filled in the gaps, strengthening it. The water around it joined in, the two forces working to bind the frost back into a single whole.

It was mesmerising. The sensations, the emotions, the three flavours of magic all intermingling as one. I felt all of them, and they felt all of me. The three of us, together, complete.

...Family.

Mom’s healing magic repaired the damaged and fraying leylines of my magical self, and Undertow’s water washed away impurities. I felt cleansed, and each new push of cold I provided felt… purer. Virginal. A rebirth.

It was still weak, though, and wouldn’t stay like this without them. It was time to introduce the last chain in the link.

One voice gave words to the situation. “It’s time.”

I have no idea which one of us said that. From the feelings I was getting through the link, neither of the others knew either, or particularly cared.

This was the hard part. I had to open myself to the horn, but just enough that it would come to me alone. Schwarzwald’s fears might have been baseless but, if they weren’t, I couldn’t risk exposing my sister or mother to it. The burden would be mine alone.

Softly coaxing and cajoling, I eased the water and wind back away from the shores of my reefs, letting them surround them, but not penetrate. All the while I was sending comforting affirmations throughout the link.

I’m okay, you’re okay, just follow my lead for a little while.

At the borders of my floating icebergs, great pillars of cold rose up, reaching into the sky, a more obvious target for the foreign magic to align to.

It was not subtle. Black lightning slammed down onto my islands, gouging deep furrows and harsh cracks in the surface. It pushed constantly from the center outwards, trying to overwhelm the rebuilt atolls.

From beyond the archipelago, pitiful cries sounded. It took me a moment to realise that they were my own.

Inside the link, the lightning continued, dark clouds forming overhead, threatening a storm. Impossibly, the stygian lightning was so harsh and so hot, it set the ice ablaze. Green fires and purple smoke began to swarm across my islands.

It… it’s too much! I can’t contain it!

Renewed emotions barreled down the meld into me, just as the wind and water surged in.

The ocean reared up, extinguishing the fires caused by the lightning strikes.

I’m here! It willed.

The wind fought just as fiercely, blowing the storm clouds away and over the horizon.

Me too!

The lightning took notice, and intensified its assault.

You can do it! The wind and water sang together.

YES! With them, I could. Without the fire and cloud, the black lightning was alone, and I was not.

From the very heart of the strike zone, my ice leapt and climbed, scaling and encasing the black lightning itself. Up and up it reached, to the very sky.

You can’t beat me! I roared into the black. I’m not alone! You’ll never have enough to outlast us all!

Every inch of the black lightning, from sea to sky, was encased in solid, unyielding ice. Around these towers, waves lapped and winds whirled. Laughter and joy ran rampant through the world of our link.

In the farthest sky, the towers of ice joined together in a bright glacial flourish.

This is our family, our magic, and we are stronger than you!

From the heavens, soft white snow began to fall.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“INSPECTORS UPPER CRUST AND JET SET CONFIRMED! PLEASE ENJOY YOUR INSPECTION, INSPECTORS AND ASSISTANTS!” The guard sentinel bot executed a jerky bow, then motored away back into the facility.

“...I cannot believe that worked.” I unclenched as the robot disappeared back down the corridor.

“I can.” ‘Jet Set’ remarked from beside my ‘Upper Crust’. “This was what tripped us up last time. We tried to be Jet Set and Upper Crust, but weren’t unicorns, as the guards made violently clear.”

Wonderful. “So is that why you brought me along, Bosco? Because I am a unicorn to pair with you?”

“Not just that, Esto,” Aqua Breeze, playing the role of ‘assistant’ with her sister, piped up. “I needed your scientific know how. You’ve got working knowledge of programming, right?”

“Well, yes,” I should have brought my lab coat. “why do you ask?”

Eyes shining with delight, Breeze moved past us and started down the corridor. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Why not now?”

Cassiopeia Venatici gave an apologetic bow as she followed her sister. “Sorry, she gets distracted when there are gadgets around. I’m sure she’ll tell us soon enough.”

Well, that is hardly ideal. I huffed. “So… until she deigns to tell me my purpose here, I am forced to walk around accompanied by the very-former associate who did such terrible things to my closest friend?”

“Sorry.” Bosco, in Latvi’s blue body, ran a hoof through his blond mane sheepishly. “He’s, uh, the only male unicorn I really know.”

“It would have taken all of thirty seconds for you to seek out a unicorn guard among the Sprinkles Supplies employees. You could not have taken the time, and spared me this annoyance?” I pointed out of the double doors separating Whitepony from the Wasteland. “And them? Naiara and Cept? They cannot enter without alerting the guards, or so you tell me. What will they do?”

Cassie was halfway through the door before responding. “They’re going to use the fire escape. It’s… delicate. Apparently it was damaged the last time our group was here. I wasn’t present at the time, but I will take Bosco and Naiara’s word for it. The zebra have the best chance of scaling it without issue. We will meet them on the upper floors.”

“Hey, wait a sec!” Breeze called from around the corner. “How do we even know Jet Set’s a guy, or Upper Crust’s a lady?”

The two of us remained completely still for three long seconds.

Bosco released the breath he’d been holding. “...I cannot believe that worked.”

“...If we are married, I want a divorce.”

He hung his head. “Yes, dear.”

We caught up with the two pegasi on a catwalk overlooking one of the server banks. Cassie was trying in vain to glean information from an extremely faded wall map, while Breeze was… almost drooling as she took in the the sight of the guards rumbling around the walkways below.

I ignored the latter and addressed the former. “Do you know where we should look for the information you seek?”

Giving up on her scrutiny of the near-white illustration, she instead turned to Bosco. “I have no idea. Where did you get the information last time?”

He jerked his head towards the far end of the catwalk. “A server room further in. If we follow the water pipes it’ll lead us there.”

Cassie and I exchanged a sideways glance. “Bosco, how would we know which ones are water pipes. There are pipes all over.”

He shrugged. “Undertow did it last time. Um… could Breeze hear the water?”

“Probably.” She replied cheerfully, pushing herself away from the railing. “Everybody shut up for a sec so I can listen.”

Ears twitching back and forth, Breeze turned this way and that for a few seconds. Finally, she just blew air from her lips. “Can’t tell. I think it might be somewhere on one of the higher floors. Probably easiest to just meet up with Cept and Naiara, then go from there.”

“How very scientific.” I drolled, but still followed them. It would hardly be helpful for me to stay down here by myself and risk having our cover identities undone, while the rest did the real work upstairs. Whatever I can do to speed this up and get back to fixing Lithu.

Heading further up, into the heights of Whitepony, was not the most pleasant of experiences. There was a noticeable tension every time we passed one of the heavily armoured sentinels, audibly checking us as we passed. The hallways became quieter too, so each encounter was all the louder for it. We have no more notion of what we are here to ‘inspect’ than the robots do. If they try to offer us directions, we will be in a difficult position. The others had tried talking loudly about quasi-scientific terms while the guardians were around, but fell silent after it became clear the robots weren’t that sophisticated.

I happened to glance into an office suite as we passed, then promptly turned around and went back to stare. What in the world?

The others joined me a few seconds later. Bosco went bug-eyed. “Whoa! What happened here?”

The room was utterly destroyed. Perforated cubicles, smashed desks, shattered terminals, and a debris-filled miniature crater with thick black burn marks radiating outwards.

I regarded him squintily. “You did not do this on your last visit?”

“Hell no.” he shook his head vehemently. “Might have been one of the others. Snow and Schwarz, maybe. Either that, or…”

“‘Or’?” Cassie repeated, but was already wearing a resigned expression.

“...or maybe we’re not the only ones who’ve been here.”

“Or are here.” Breeze quipped, already checking both ends of the corridor.

Why did I agree to come here? “We should hurry to meet the zebra.”

All three grunted their agreement, and we set off again. Our pace was far less casual this time around. We sped up along corridors, then slowed down to ascertain that other rooms were clear before passing. More than once we ducked into a side path or alcove when Breeze’s ears or Cassiopeia’s eyes were alerted to approaching sentry bots.

Three floors from the top, we ran into Naiara and Cept coming the other way.

Breeze instantly jumped forwards. “Naiara! Cept!”

The two clamped hooves around her mouth without stopping, bustling the four of us back around the corridor corner. Cept peaked his head around, waited a second or so, and then nodded. Only then did Naiara release her grip on Breeze. “Not so loud. We got trouble.”

Of course we do. “The robots?”

The striped mare’s green eyes were dark. “Worse. Latvi’s incoming, with all his griffons.”

Spittle caught in the back of my throat. “Latvi? Here?”

Batting Naiara’s hoof away, Breeze pointed downwards. “Does he know about the—”

“NON-PONY LIFESIGNS DETECTED! LETHAL FORCE AUTHORISED!”

“...robots.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Damn. I stared into the conjured ice-mirror, taking in the sight looking back at me as I stood up on the guard walkway above Sprinkles Supplies’ caravan entrance.

I had a horn again, of sorts. The thing was still bright red and charred black, standing obvious against the backdrop of my coat. Tapering to a point rather than a smooth cone, used-to-be-Sombra’s horn had somehow gotten turned around during the transplant, and now pointed to my left. This left the barest tip of red in the upper-left corner of my vision at all times, and I was increasingly having to drag my attention away from that. Worse still, the jagged mound of my stump didn’t line up with the jagged base of the horn, leaving it off-kilter and with a visible and tactile gap on the right side. With the mirror, I could literally see the forehead behind my horn with that gap.

The bubbled, angry scar taking up most of my right cheek didn’t help my looks any either.

It looked like what it was. I looked like what I was: Piecemeal. Patchwork. Unnatural.

Worst part is what’s going on underneath the horn, though.

"I brought you some tea. Thought you might be cold out here."

Startled, I looked up to see Wings standing there, two mugs held in her talons. "You're so sweet. Thanks."

Passing over my mug, her claw was warmer than the drink was. She pointed at my face. "Are you okay? Your eyes are doing that thing again."

Inwardly, I sighed. I know they are. "Sorry, I've just been thinking about something Peanut said. He told me that the world’s trying to kill me, and that it's basically pointless to try to make a life for myself."

She snorted into her tea, though it didn’t feel like there was really any humour there. "That's ridiculous."

Is it? There is a literal order out to kill me on sight. "At the time I thought so too.” I waved vaguely at the Wasteland beyond the wall. “Not much out there for an ex-Raider queen with a target on her back. I thought he was just being his normal jackhole self, but I'm beginning to think he might have a point."

Placing her mug down deliberately and stoically, Wings’ blazing blue eyes were turned on me. "No, he doesn't. Peanut doesn’t get to decide that. He doesn’t get to decide anything. You deserve a life after all this just as much as anybody else, maybe more."

It was hard to face the fire in her eyes when all mine had was smoke. "Do I? No matter what I do, the situation seems to always get worse. I can’t sit here within these walls forever. I will need to deal with what’s happening at the Stable soon."

“Ugh!” She groaned, almost knocking over her tea with a wild swipe of her claws. “You keep thinking that you need to do these things alone, and that we’re gonna let you. The only thing you need to do that the rest of us can’t is to cast your anti-Windigo spell, but that doesn’t mean you need to go off hunting them by yourself! We’ll be right there with you, and we’ll keep you safe. For once, stop thinking like the big sister!”

“I am a big sister!”

“Not to me!” Another swipe, this time it did catch the mug of tea. We both stared at each other as it clattered and splattered on the floor beneath us. “I’ve never needed you to be a big sister.”

“I know that.” I smiled to lighten the mood. “You’ve never needed me at all.”

Anger flashed through those beautiful blues. “Is that what you think?”

“I know,” I groused, “you need a Red Ice for your Blue Fire.”

“That’s not what I… oh, just forget it!” She turned away, plumage ruffled and a scowl on her face.

What’d I say? We lapsed into silence, her angry and my not wanting to make it worse.

“...does it hurt?” Her caustic tone had softened considerably.

“Hmm?”

“The cheek. Is it painful?” She snuck a few looks at it, but tried not to linger.

There was a slight tightness around my cheek, as the scar took up a good half of it, but not enough to call it painful. “Nah, it’s fine. Here,” I tilted my head towards her, “feel.”

“...Alright.” One talon slowly reached out, halting just before contact for a few moments, then deftly brushed along it.

I threw my head back, hissing loudly. “Ah, watch the claws!”

“Sorry! Sorry!” She whipped her arm back, tucking it tight under the other. “I didn’t mean to—”

Rolling my face towards her, I smooshed my jaw onto her shoulder. “Hehehehe, sucker.”

“Bitch!” Wings’ tone was half relief, half barely-constrained rage. “Why do I even put up with you?”

“Because I’ve got the cutest little sister.” My reply was accompanied by running my tongue across what parts of the scar I could reach. Mom does good work. It doesn’t hurt at all. Doesn’t keep it from standing out like a damn road sign, but...

“Doesn’t explain why she puts up with you.” The tucked-under claw came out shaking in a mock-fist. “And I suppose the horn’s not painful either, is it?”

“Well, still a little pain. It’ll be fine when it’s fully settled though.” Hopefully, never swapped horns before. “Thanks for asking, Wings. Seriously.”

She shifted her weight from one paw to the other, changing the subject. “How is Undertow? And her mom?”

“They’re both fine.” A genuine smile was easy to come by when thinking of how I’d last seen them, after waking up from the three-way-meld. It’d taken its toll on all of us, and the two of them were fast asleep at the bottom of my bed, Undertow curled up in Mom’s embrace. It’d been a challenge to sneak out here without disturbing them. “And it’s OUR mom, actually.”

“Well, alright!” She found some genuine cheer too. “When’d that happen?”

“Apparently when I wasn’t looking. And speaking of things happening when we don’t notice, where’ve you been lately. I haven’t seen you since before I lost a few inches.”

“I was doing some stuff.” Neither her face nor voice gave anything away, no matter how long I quirked an eyebrow at her.

“...riiight. Well, I’m glad you’re back. Even if I am the worst offender, it’s dangerous for any of us to go alone these days. ‘sides, I missed you.”

She punched me in the shoulder. “Missed you too. And...sorry I left you alone.”

I punched her back. “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known what’d happen.”

“Still, though.”

“Yeah, I know.”

After a minute’s quiet tranquility, we both jumped as a new voice cut in. “A pretty sight, dahlings, but I am afraid I must interrupt.”

Schwarzwald stood on the ground behind us, craning her head up. The mercenary mare was still not her normal, merry self, but did not show the obvious anger she had displayed earlier.

Wings and I looked at each other, before she cleared her throat. “Me or her?”

Schwarzwald canted her head in my direction. “Hopefully both, but dear Snowflake first. I will speak with you later, Wings.”

“Alright.” Scooping her mug up with her tail, and then flipping it into her claw with a cocky smirk, Wings let her feathers glide her down next to the mare. “I’ll be inside when you’re done, yeah. You can fill me in on all of this.”

“Yes, dahling. Later.” Shooing Wings off, she waited until the griffon had disappeared out of sight before turning back to me. “You have taken a big risk, Snowflake.”

The purple smoke around the edges of my vision loomed a little larger. “I’m well aware. Are you here to yell at me for doing it?”

She shook her head. “It is done, Snowflake. I will keep watching, in case the worst happens. Right now there is somebody else who must have their say.”

Here we go. “So what are you gonna say, Watcher?”

A spritebot bumbled up over the wall from the outside. Angry static nipped at his words, making him seem even madder than he no-doubt was. “I could say a whole heap of things to you, Snowflake. Or Red Ice, it’s getting hard to tell.”

Lifting my mug, I sipped at my tea. “I don’t seem to be going anywhere. Go ahead.”

He sighed. “I wish you could have seen firsthoof just how much of a bastard Sombra was. What he was capable of, what he did. If you had, this never would have happened.” His mood turned melancholic. “I didn’t want this for you, Snowflake. You’re not a potential Element bearer, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a role to play in saving Equestria.”

Trying, and failing, not to laugh at his sincerity, my free hoof pointed back to the main compound. “We’re already working to stop a rampaging horde of wind demons, Watcher. One thing at a time.”

“I’m aware, Snow, and I don’t doubt all your bravery.” Even over the airwaves, he conveyed a welcome hint of pride. “This isn’t about bravery, though, it’s about whether or not you’re fighting evil with another kind of evil.” The spritebot tilted slightly. “How are you feeling? How’s your mood? I know it hasn’t been long, but have there been any changes you can see?”

“Got a medical license there, doc?” When my quip was met with stony silence, I relented. “It’s too soon to tell. I’m not feeling murderous or anything, nor do I have a sudden impulse to enslave any empires. If I do, I’ll make sure to tell you first.”

“Knock if off, Snowflake. It’s not funny.”

Exhaling through my nose, both Watcher and Schwarzwald were subjected to flat stares. “What do you two want with this? I am the only one who can fight the Windigoes. I couldn’t do that without a horn, and this was the only one on hoof. There wasn’t a better option. Sombra’s horn hasn’t killed me, and I’ve already confirmed that I can use magic again. This was what needed to happen.”

Schwarzwald raised her chin. “We know that, mistress. That does not mean that we have to be happy about it.”

“But,” I shot back, “you do have to accept it.”

To my great surprise, Watcher began to chuckle. “Yeah, that’s the word isn’t it?” When the two of us simply watched, he continued. “I’ve talked a little bit about virtues in the past. Everybody’s got one, a defining characteristic that they stick to no matter what. It’s not always easy to determine what they are for a person. Often times they’re hidden under masks, or some dumb sap’s trying to be something they’re not.”

Was that a shot at me?

The spritebot chirped again. “In my spare moments, I’ve been thinking about the virtues of those ponies and griffons and other folks that I’ve taken an interest in. I think I finally figured out yours, Snow.”

“I’m all ears, and one messed up horn.”

Watcher slowly drifted in an orbit around Schwarzwald and I. “Buffalo,” he began, “the Wasteland, Raiders, Griffons, Changelings,” he stopped in front of my new horn, “...ghosts. Most others were smart enough, or just plain scared enough, to stay away from them all. But not you.”

Am I supposed to be offended by that, or...

Watcher laughed again, louder this time. “Before, because of your brothers and sister, I thought it might’ve been family. It’s a nice virtue to hold to, and you could fit the mold. Or maybe you took after Princess Cadence, and had great love in you. Again, there’s some truth in that, but no. Now, I’m pretty sure I’ve got it.”

Tootling over to hover by Schwarzwald, who had finally managed a real smile, Watcher made his case. “All those things I mentioned, you’re the only one who’s given them all a chance. That’s your virtue, Snowflake: Acceptance. You can allow anything into your heart.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“INSPECTORS AND ASSISTANTS, PLEASE REMAIN HERE UNTIL THE INTRUDERS ARE LOCATED!”

The robot guards had herded Esto, Bosco, Cassie, and I into a control room the moment the alarm had sounded, with Naiara and Cept following under zebra stealth cloaks. Once we were safely inside, the sentinels had sped off to intercept Latvi’s Monsters. Even in our makeshift safe zone, we could hear the pitched battle beginning on the floors above us.

Finally satisfied that we were alone, Naiara and Cept shucked off their invisibility. The two of them took up station at the door, with Naiara crouching to peek through the keyhole. “Can’t see anything, but no way to know how long that’ll last.” She turned back to us, pointing down through the floor. “We can’t stay here for long, not if Latvi’s here. Those bots aren’t subtle. They might give away that we’re here.”

“That someone’s here, at least.” Esto reminded. “We are here under pseudonyms, after all.”

“At this point, would you really trust this to coincidence?” I didn’t look up from the various monitors at the workstation. “Really?”

“No,” she admitted plainly, “but I also will not draw conclusions without sufficient evidence to support them.”

Bosco was slamming in a new clip for his pistol. “They might’ve seen the air carriage as they flew in.”

Cept leaned an ear to the door. “We covered it as best we could, but it is possible.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Cassie cut in sharply. “Naiara’s right, we have to leave if they’re here.”

Hoo boy, time to come clean. “Not yet. We can’t leave yet.”

They all rounded on me, except for Naiara who was still trying to watch the corridor outside through the cracks. “Why not?”

Still not looking away from the screens as I tapped at the keys, my back hoof kicked over my pack, spilling out its contents onto the control room floor. “Because of these.” Three, two, one…

They didn’t disappoint. Bosco was taken aback. “Is that a Pipbuck?”

Cassie was furious. “Is that Snowflake’s Pipbuck?”

“What’d you do to it?” The parts clinked in Naiara’s grip. “Looks like it’s been gutted and then put back together… multiple times.”

“Yeah,” I confirmed, “been poking around inside for a while. Think I’ve got a fair idea of what it can be used for here.”

“And what’s this?” The scientist unicorn’s fur brushed against the floor as she sifted through the other tech I’d brought. “Is this… armour?”

“Steel Ranger armour.” Cept confirmed, an edge to his voice. “The same armour I wore when I rescued Snowflake from Neighlway.”

Despite everything, the corners of my mouth curled up. Yeah, it was risky, but I had to take the chance. “Some of it, yeah. Real find that one, Cept, thanks.”

“Breeze.” Cassie was using her full-on ‘I do not approve’ voice. “Why have you brought these things here? If Latvi finds them—”

“I needed them,” Cutting her off as I turned away from the workstation, my hoof came up and came to rest on Esto’s shoulder, “and you. That’s why you’re here.”

“Me?” She looked to the others, who were as lost as she was. “What do you need from me?”

I nodded towards the parts on the floor, and then at the console behind me. “I need you to science up. If we’re gonna be storming the Stable, which is guarded by Neighlway’s Steel Ranger force, we’re gonna need some help.”

Esto had rapidly moved from surprise to analysis. She listened intently but dispassionately. Eyes no longer wide under her glasses. “Help from who?”

We all froze as a platoon of sentries barreled past the doors outside the room. “ENEMY FORCES PRESENT IN FACILITY!”

“From them.” I deadpanned.

“The robots?!” Green fire flashed around Bosco’s hooves for a moment. “Those things almost killed us!”

“And the Steel Rangers will kill us.” I countered. “Cassie and me saw them in action when we were observing Snow’s Raiders. Three of them took on twenty times that many Raiders. Even if there aren’t all that many of them, there will be more than there are of us, and we can’t take them one-on-one.”

Naiara flinched as an explosion went off somewhere in the facility. “What’s that gotta do with Snow’s Pipbuck?”

Scooping said Pipbuck up with a wing, I placed it on the console next to me as I began to type. “This thing can access any system I’ve tested it on. Combine that with the robust slave-and-master circuits in the Steel Ranger armour,” Schwarzwald must never know that’s what they are called. “and, in theory at least, I should be able to switch command of the sentries from Whitepony’s mainframe to the Pipbuck. I need Esto’s help, though, for this to even have a chance in hell of working.”

Horn lighting up, Esto moved to the other side of the console. “I think I understand the theory. I will do what I can to assist.”

“Thanks.” Already feeling the rush of tech, I hastily waved the others to the door. “You guys keep us covered. Don’t let anything in the door until we’re done.”

“Aye aye.” Cassie produced her rifle, flying up to sit atop the massive command console, barrel pointed at the door. The other three gave confirmations with various levels of sarcasm attached.

The system here was the most intact I’d ever worked on, and one of the most stringently protected. Even with the Pipbuck doing most of the heavy lifting, it still took all of mine and Esto’s combined concentration to penetrate each level of security, especially in ways that wouldn’t bring the robots busting through the door after us instead of Latvi and his griffons.

At one point, as an aside, I managed to trigger the camera feeds on a small, auxiliary computer in the corner of the room. Cassie was watching it and the door at the same time, keeping us informed. “Breeze, Esto. Latvi is in a room similar to this one. He appears to be trying to access the system.”

Bosco rushed to the camera monitor in shock. “How’d he get past the robots?”

“Because,” Cept growled as he stretched his muscles loose, “you are wearing his skin, and the guards think he is this ‘Jet Set’.”

“Ah… dammit.”

Esto grimaced, but kept working. “That will complicate matters. Though I am proficient enough with computers, Latvi was always the more electronically inclined. My studies were more in the natural fields. He may be faster than me.”

I heard her, but my expression didn’t change. “But he isn’t faster than both of us. Keep going, Esto. We’ll get the bots before he can.” My tail flicked up at my perching sister. “Let us know if he does anything, Cas.”

Standing up from the keyhole, Naiara wrapped the stealth cloak around her. “Cass, if you can show me the way to that room, I can take him out right now.”

She shook her head fiercely. “Absolutely not. The robots can detect zebras. They’ll cut you down before you even get there.”

Slipping the hood over her head, Naiara vanished. From the empty space where she’d been standing, her voice piped up. “Not with this. They walked Cept and I right here without being any the wiser.”

“You should not go alone.” Cept donned his own cloak. “I will come with you.”

Naiara waved him back. “You need to stay and look after these guys. If something happens, you need to get them out.”

What do you mean ‘if something happens’? “If something’s gonna happen, don’t go. We’ll finish here soon.”

Esto’s voice rose a few octaves. “Latvi is trying to access the guards’ control software. He is here for the same thing we are!”

A shimmer sped across the room to the door. “Cass, where am I going?”

“Nowhere.” Ripping the cloak off her, Bosco shouldered her away from the door before planting himself in front of it. “You’re not going.”

“Hey!” Naiara twisted with the shove, hopping back to glare at the colt. “What’s the big idea?”

He held his ground. “Back in Lethbridle, you got on all of us about taking stupid risks. This is a pretty stupid risk you want to take, and I’m not letting you do it.”

“We can’t let him take the robots, Bosco!”

“And we’re not going to!” He looked past her, to Esto and I. “Can you two change who the guards will target?”

Esto looked at me and half-nodded. “Probably, yes. Why?”

Green fire leapt up around the colt, leaving a smirking second Esto in its wake. “Send them after ‘Jet Set’. Nobody here but us ‘Upper Crusts’.”

“Oh-ho-ho, that’s nice.” Both us sporting wicked grins, we set to work doing just as the charcoal changeling commanded. “This is…”

“...going to be entertaining.” Esto finished my thought beautifully.

Unable to hide her own amusement, Naiara just shrugged and went to watch the cameras. “That should definitely slow him down a little. If we’re lucky, he’ll come to a very dead stop.”

“Done.” Esto planted her hoof forcefully onto the final key. “I have removed Jet Set from the list of expected visitors. As far as the sentinels are concerned, only ‘Upper Crust’ and her assistants are supposed to be here.”

“Well done.” Cept, still keeping his focus on the door, let out an almost inaudible sigh.

My ears still caught it, though. They caught everything. Yeah, I’m relieved too. Didn’t want Naiara going alone either.

“It’s working!” From her perch, Cassie cheered as several sentries on the camera feeds abruptly reversed or changed direction. “They’re moving against him.”

“Quiet, please.” There was no celebration in Esto’s edict. “He is still working, and we are still lagging behind.”

“Luckily,” Data scrolled before my eyes, “the bots are split up into squads, and he’s startin’ from the other end of the roster to us. Let’s lock down the ones we can, and work on the rest when his time runs out.”

“As you say.” The scientist hadn’t looked up from the console, or stopped working, for even a moment.

“Um, guys?” Whatever elation we’d been feeling was utterly absent from Bosco’s voice now. “Latvi’s doing something.”

“What?”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Cept peer over the colt’s shoulder. “He is… looking at the camera?”

“He’s what?” Cassie moved down from her perch to crowd in too. “His horn’s glowing. What is he up to?”

We immediately had our answer, as the P.A. system came to life. “Very clever, Esto. Or did you think I wouldn’t recognise your methods?”

“Latvi!” She twitched at her station.

“He can’t hear you.” I reminded. “Just ignore it and keep working.”

The blue unicorn on the screen kept talking, regardless of our wishes. “It is certainly vexing to not get ALL of these fine machines, but the ones I have already should suffice.” Latvi looked off to the side as the sentries gave another bellowed alarm. “I appear to be somewhat pressed for time, so I’ll have to wonder how you found your way to this facility. I suspect you had help from Red Ice and her friends. Let’s test that theory. Naiara, are you there?”

All eyes went to the zebra filly, who watched stiffly. Her jade eyes had shrunk to pinpricks.

Nobody liked the savage grin Latvi bore at that moment. “Now, while you may have been at Lethbridle, and I suspect you were, the last time I actually set eyes on you was at my, oh sorry, ‘Snowflake’s’ Raider summit. Do you remember that? I do.”

“Cept…” Shaking, she moved to say something to her clan leader, but Latvi carried on before she could.

“Let me refresh your MEMORY. Naiara…” His voice shifted, reverberating across the loudspeaker as his horn grew brighter onscreen. “Two-tone ambition.”

Jerking as if shot, Naiara’s hooves flew up to clutch at her head.

Then she threw back her head, and howled. It wasn’t a sound of any language known. It was a throwback from before language, animalistic and unrestrained. Bloody cracks shot through her sclera, and drops began to fall from her nostrils.

“Naiara!” Cept tried to grab her, shield her from whatever was happening.

Her wild thrashing knocked his hoof aside, the brief contact snapping her eyes open. Growling, she rounded on him, gnashing out guttural growls in the zebra tongue.

Convulsions and further howls cut through his panicked responses, and her persisting agony kept his hooves at bay.

“What’s happening to her?” I yelled at the distraught stallion.

“I DO NOT KNOW!”

NOT GOOD ENOUGH! “HELP HER, CEPT!”

He tried. “Everyone, hold her still!”

We all leapt to his command, but Naiara was faster. She took in the four of us, not a one of us striped. “PONYTI! BINN TUSAA! CEPT, PONYTI!” Blood and contractions hardened her terrified glare. “STAY AWAY!”

“Naiara, let us help you!” Bosco crouched low, taking a single step towards her.

That was all he got. Throwing her whole body into a twist, she sprang up off the floor, knee crashing into his chin. Bosco was thrown back into the camera console, slumped and stunned.

On the screen by his ear, a crowing Latvi was led away by one of his Griffons. “I’ll leave you to your work. My robots and I will be going now.”

Can’t worry about that now. Have to help her! “Naiara, it’s me. It’s Breeze! What’s wrong?”

“Who are you?” She screeched. “Where have you taken me?” Her head whipped back and forth, trying to watch us all at once.

“Naiara, please stay calm. These are friends. You know them!” Cept panted as he tried to reason with her.

Pupils focusing and unfocusing over and over, she shook her head. “NO! I don’t know any ponies, Cept! What’s going on? Why are we here?” She broke off to grab at her skull again. “My head… it hurts!”

That bastard! “What did Latvi do to you?”

Even with one eye squeezed shut against the pain, she still managed to burn me with her glower. “Don’t talk to me, pony! Leave me alone!”

Tears ran freely down my face. “It-it’s me. It’s Breeze! Don’t you know me?”

With a vicious buck, she kicked the doors open. “I don’t know any ponies! This… this is all wrong! I’m leaving!” Swiping at the air to drive us back, she flipped away into the corridor.

“No, the guards!” Esto’s cry had us all speeding after her, even a groggy Bosco.

They’ll kill her!

None of us, not even Cept, could truly keep up with his clan’s finest scout. It was all I could do to follow her hoofsteps, barely heard over the sound of my thumping heart. “Naiara, please stop! Let us help you! PLEASE!”

My begging went as unanswered as Cept’s equally-desolate zebra-tongue pleas. All we could do was chase her, hoping that whatever had taken hold of her mind would eventually let her go. Come back, Naiara! You have to come back!

Our chase led us down level after level, corridor after corridor. We hadn’t encountered any robots yet, but our luck couldn’t hold.

Bursting through onto an overhead catwalk, it finally did.

Naiara stood at the centre of the walkway, casting about this way and that. When she saw us, she cartwheeled away, landing in shoulders-squared facing us. “Leave me alone! I just wanna get out!”

I could barely string two words together for blubbering. “We’ll get you out, I promise we will! We’re your friends, I swear! But you have to get out of sight now, or else—”

“INTRUDER SIGHTED! NON-PONY LIFESIGN DETECTED!”

The world slowed to a crawl.

A thousand, a million, ten million angry beams of ruby death slammed into her from the factory floor below. Their force lifted Naiara, determined glare shifting to dread surprise, off the walkway and into the air.

In the slow motion madness, she spun with impossible, horrific grace. Her body flew, swam even, through the air for a moment that lasted lifetimes.

Helpless, I could only watch as my best friend in the entire world fell, her final moments full of confusion and terror.

“NAIARAAAAAA!!!”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Level Up - Max Level.

Perks gained: Absolute Zero - All ice magics, Equestrian and non, are at Snowflake’s command.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author’s note:

Goodnight, sweetest of angels. You will be missed. You have no idea how much I hated doing that.

A big thanks to TyriaThistle for this sweet picture of Snowflake.

As always, a big thank you to Kkat, Kyts, Y1, Auramane, CascadeJackal (he did the original cover art, which is still on the Fallout Equestria wiki), and you, the readers. Please read and comment, and pass the word along if you like the story.

That’s all for now, folks. Please keep reading, commenting, and spreading the word on Old Souls. I really appreciate your feedback, and we're one chapter from the end.