To Mend A Broken Heart

Lying on the couch in Star Seeds’ office, I was slowly finishing my smoke while reading a book. Or rather, attempting to, because my mind kept wandering places. They were all questions I’d already asked, answers I already knew, but they still weighed heavily on me.

I glanced over to Star, who was sitting in his armchair, absorbed with his own book. A political drama from fifty years before Luna’s return; he spoke highly of the book, even though he wasn’t done with it yet. I’d definitely need to pick it up next. If the ever-busy Star spent his valuable free time with it, it was definitely worth the read.

He turned his gaze away from the page as he met mine. “Is something the matter?” he asked in a curious tone with a reassuring smile on his face.

I grimaced slightly. “Sorry, I’m just thinking about the stable, and I guess there’s still doubt in my head.”

Star bookmarked the page, levitating off his reading glasses. He sat forward, leaning towards me, and said, “Tell me.”

“I just…” I started, but paused to gather my words. I was half tempted to bottle it up. It was a silly issue, after all. However, the purpose of our evenings together wasn’t to each read something in our own corner. It was specifically to talk about things like that. “I’m still not convinced that our plans for the stable are really the way forward. I know I’m the one who brought up the idea, but this close to it, I can’t help but wonder if it’s really worth it.”

I took a deep breath, turning my gaze to the window out of habit, only to be reminded that it was dark outside. “It’s just… the transitional period is going to be rough on every stable dweller. There will be casualties in some form or another, and there will be a lot of suffering. It was easy to overlook it a month ago, but I’ve just been thinking about the ramifications lately.”

Star nodded. “In other words, you are unsure whether or not what you’re doing is right, correct?”

“Yeah. I’ve been trying to figure out another option, but nothing is coming up. I know it’s pointless to think about, since the operation starts tomorrow. Even if I did find something that could make it all work out, it’s too late to call off. And yet…” I sighed and looked at the ground.

He finished for me, “And yet you can’t help but try. That is what I admire about you, Sonata. When presented with a dichotomy, you always find a way to create either a satisfying compromise, or a completely different option.” He was still smiling, the expression on his face saying more than any amount of words possibly could. It was warm, proud, and encouraging. “Take my word on this: If even you can’t find a better solution, then there most likely isn’t one.”

Star shifted in his seat and stretched, joints popping all across his back. “Besides,” he continued, “even if there is a way for New Detrot to survive without taking over the stable, this reactor will be immensely more useful out here.”

“Hmm…” I furrowed my eyebrows. “Are you saying they don’t deserve it, just because they are not fully utilising it?”

Star gently shook his head. “That is not what I’m saying, no. However, the stable was designed to keep out necromantic fallout, and…” He nodded towards me, urging me to finish his sentence.

“And there isn’t much of that around…” I muttered, gears turning in my head, before everything fell into place. “Of course! The stables were meant to keep ponies safe after the megaspells, but the outside is survivable now. They don’t need the stable anymore!”

Star had an amused look on his face while he gestured for me to quiet down.

My cheeks growing warm from the embarrassment, I said, “Sorry, I got a bit excited.” Still, I couldn’t help but smile.

Star nodded, implicitly praising me with his proud smile. He said, “They are using a lot of power purifying and recycling waste, oxygen, and water. The ventilation system is also quite massive. On top of that, the growth talismans were never updated to the newer technology that existed right before the spells fell; not to mention the prototype I’ve finished. They’re easily a third as power efficient as the ones we use.”

I could see where he was going with this, so I kept quiet and listened. “However, we will also need to lodge all these ponies. And unlike the stable’s, our heating costs are not negligible.”

“Did you run the maths?” I knew he had.

Star nodded. “According to my estimates, in terms of power alone and with just the spark reactor, New Detrot could support between three and six times more inhabitants than Stable 4.”

I felt my eyes go wide. “Wow, I was expecting a lot less. I knew we’d likely break even, but I didn’t imagine that.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “That changes things. I was worried that, even after the transitional period, things would be harsh for a time. But now… as long as we get the reactor running, everything will be fine.”

But my mind wasn’t done, and the implications caught up to me. Righteous indignation was quickly building.

Star lifted an eyebrow and said, “Sonata? Are you alright?”

I frowned and shook my head. “I’m just getting pissed off. These ponies are wasting so much power, just to live in comfort while ponies in the wasteland starve to death and kill each other over food.”

With a sad smile, he nodded. “That much is true… However, please do not think of them as bad ponies. They simply do not know any better. They’ve lived their whole life in there and aren’t aware of the suffering outside. Many probably believe that the outside is just a void, or completely unsurvivable.”

He had a point. “I assume the ponies from your stable were the same, Star?”

“Yes. Up until the moment they sent me out to find a new primary water talisman.” He chuckled. “Or rather, until I failed to return with one.”

That caught me by surprise. “Really? I would have thought it wouldn’t be difficult for you. Then again, you were thirty years younger, so I guess that makes sense.”

He shook his head with a mischievous grin. “I never said I didn’t find it. It was a small stable, and I found another source of clean water nearby. Back then I didn’t really think of rebuilding Equestria’s agriculture. I just wanted those fools to stop acting like the stable was everything.” He chuckled, “Ah, youthful foolishness.”

I laughed along. “That makes more sense, though it’s hard to imagine you as anything other than wise.”

We shared another giggle, and I said, “One day you need to tell me more about your adventures outside the stable, and how you came to meet Lord Red-Eye.”

“Yes, I agree. Not tonight, though. There is a lot to say, and it is getting late. I assume you feel better now? Anything else you need to talk about before tomorrow?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I’m good, at least for now. Thanks, dad.” My brain needed a few milliseconds to process what I’d just said. Fuck! As well as I could, I corrected my course, “I mean, Star! I’m sorry, this is so unprofessional on my end. I didn’t mean anything by it, it was just a slip of the tongue.” He was nothing like my real father, so where did that come from? And I didn’t think of him like that, so what the hell, brain?

He just chuckled mildly. “It’s alright, Sonata, no need to fret. And don’t worry about being professional. You are not just my assistant, but also my friend. That said, it happens to everyone.”

Yeah, this moment would haunt me for months. I’d remember it and wince. At least he didn’t take it poorly.

“Anyway,” he said. “I’m glad to hear you’re doing better. You should get some sleep now, though. The next few days will be long for you. Even after the initial operation, you will still have a few things to do before you can leave.”

That reminder stung. I knew he’d seen my reaction, so there was no use hiding it or beating around the bush. “Well, I don’t want to leave…” I sighed. “There’s so much more I could do here… The transfer of power is going to be messy, and I know I have what it takes to do a lot of the work needed. Besides, my only real friend is here.”

“I’d love for you to stay longer, but I have to fulfil my side of the deal with Iron.” He gave me a sad little smile. “It would be up to you to convince her to remain here.”

“But all she wants is to travel with Cherry. She’s so in love, and so completely oblivious to it that it makes me sick.” I sighed, flattening my ears against my skull. “I don’t want to give up on my dreams just so that she can chase hers.”

Star seemed more amused by this than anything. “Well, then she’s bound to come back eventually.” My ears perked up along with the rest of my body. Star read the question off my face and said, “Either the two don’t work out, and she’ll need a new dream to chase. Or they do, and they’ll likely want a quiet place to settle down. You told me that Iron doesn’t really care about adventuring, so in either case, you could easily convince her to come back to New Detrot.”

I nodded while he continued, “I still need to thank her for everything she’s done. And apologise for how I treated her at first. After that, given enough time, she’ll come back. Maybe not as my right hoof, but possibly as a regular resident, while you would be my assistant. Or maybe I could make you the mayor, so that I could focus on my research.”

“I can’t believe I used to hate you, Star. Well, I can’t believe you were such a piece of shit when we first talked. You always know what to say, and for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” I felt my smile turn sheepish. “Sorry, that was a bit out of nowhere.” I shook my head. “Anyway, I’m not really all that drowsy yet, so I’ll keep reading for a while.”

“No problem,” he replied.

I managed to read maybe half a chapter before sleepiness suddenly and brutally overtook me.

My eyelids grew heavy, and I closed them for just a short moment. Before I fell asleep, I felt a blanket being draped over me.

Iron, this was the last of my conversations with Star. I’ve shown all the others to you, because you deserved to know what we said behind your back. Please keep them in mind for whatever you do next.

However, there is one more thing you need to know about, and it’s much more important than anything Star and I discussed.

I woke up in a daze. I didn’t know where I was, and even figuring out who I was took a few seconds longer than usual. The one thing I immediately knew, though, was that I was being called. Somewhere in that direction, somepony needed my help. I didn’t know who or why, but the urge to help overpowered my sense of reason. Before long, I’d put on Iron’s barding and was levitating her automatic rifle into its holster on my side.

I didn’t want to risk waking Star Seeds up, so I tried to remember how to teleport. I knew the process, given I had full access to Iron’s memories, but I ultimately lacked any practice. While she could construct its pattern within a second, I found myself fumbling around blindly for nearly half a minute before I finally got it right.

Walking through the streets of Fetlock—the suburbs surrounding Manehattan—I started thinking about what had brought me here. It was really difficult to make sense of Iron's memories. It was probably the first time I'd come to since we'd gotten enslaved.

The fact that I was apparently now a slave was something I wasn’t really able to process. I knew it, I understood it, but for some reason it didn’t hit home. It was like a historical fact about a remote, old Equestrian town. It didn’t feel like it affected me at all.

It had been a few months since I’d last been awake, so it made sense that I would need a while to wrap my head around all this new information. On top of that, I wasn’t quite in my normal state of mind. This urge was so strong that it overshadowed any other emotions I could have felt at that moment.

Of course, I also knew the reason I hadn’t been able to come out. Iron saw me as the weaker sister; the one that needed to be protected from everything. I couldn’t blame her; after all, I really was the naïve and innocent one between the two of us. Still, part of me knew I could have helped her out, given the opportunity. Furthermore, she hadn’t really made the conscious decision to shut me out; I doubted she could even do that if she tried.

Admittedly, I didn’t really know what I could have done concretely. Our time in Fillydelphia was a blur to me, the exact memories slowly leaking through a thick filter. I remembered carrying heavy materials, and I remembered seeing my friends in pain. But I didn’t remember where I slept, and many other details surrounding my stay were missing. Maybe in time they’d come back.

But wait, I was outside of Fillydelphia now, that means I’d gotten out… but how? After a few seconds of thinking, the memories started seeping through. There was Star Seeds, the infuriating buck who’d gotten Iron out of Fillydelphia. He’d made her raid an old laboratory, and we were now on our way back.

I continued to walk towards my destination, whatever it may have been, as I kept ruminating over the events of the past few months. However, as I got closer and closer to the entrance to the Manehattan metro, all unnecessary worries melted away, little by little. A part of me, distant and quiet, was screaming at me not to go in, that it was a death trap for a filly like me.

I didn’t care. The feeling of belonging was growing stronger and stronger with every step I took inside the pitch black corridor.

I knew it was pitch black, and yet I could see very well. With every step that I took, I was getting closer and closer to one of my many beloved sisters. Eventually, I spotted the issue. A murder of ghouls had gathered around an overturned train carriage. The ones closest to it were trying to break inside, but to no avail.

Immediately, I knew what I had to do. I levitated out Iron’s rifle, switched the selector to automatic, and dumped the contents of my magazine into the crowd of ghouls. Maybe a dozen of them fell to the ground. Part of me knew it was stupid and risky, but my sister wanted me to distract them, so I did.

Moments later, the ghouls started sprinting in my direction, and I began channelling a teleportation to the entrance of the metro. Now that I’d done it once, along with the extraordinary calm that was reigning over my mind right now, it came much easier to me.

I appeared near the exit with a pop, then heard the roar of gunfire as I started refilling the empty magazine with hollow point rounds. I could have switched to the other one, but Sister wanted me to finish off the rest of the ghouls after she was done thinning their lines further.

Ghouls didn’t wear armour, but could easily survive a shot or two. Hollow point bullets would be a lot more effective against them.

With the thirtieth round loaded, I started heading back in, walking much faster than before. Soon enough, I found the overturned train car again, surrounded by a whole lot less ghouls this time. I continued forward until one of them noticed me and started running at me at a wild speed.

I lifted my rifle and put a single shot into its chest, stopping it dead in its tracks. All the other ghouls turned around as well. Normally, I would have been overwhelmed by so many moving targets. Even SATS wouldn’t help me get rid of all of them. And yet, I was still calm. SATS did its job perfectly, killing seven ghouls with neat shots to the head.

For the rest, I just knew where to move my rifle, guided by Sister. This close and with the crowd cleared, I could see her inside the train car. A tall, green alicorn was watching me dispatch of the ghouls from behind one of the windows. One of her wings was bloodied and drooped lamely on her side.

Soon enough, she left the overturned cart and approached me. Hello, little one, she said inside my head. Part of me wanted to complain at being called “little”, but she was one of the few ponies significantly taller than me.

I greeted her back, and she continued, We must admit, you are not who We were expecting. Furthermore, you look like the demon filly of Dodge, but are not her. She shook her head. No, We know this is her body, but you…

I couldn’t quite understand why she was speaking in the royal We, but for some reason, it didn’t feel wrong.

You are one of Us. Or perhaps your mind is simply more receptive to the effects of Impelled Metamorphosis Potion… It is quite hard to tell without a closer look.

As we started walking towards the exit, I gave her the mental equivalent of a confused blink. She didn’t bother to explain, instead folding her wing however she could, wincing. Some of the pain came through the telepathic link, but it was more of a mild discomfort than true agony.

I briefly started to wonder what the hell was going on, but she interrupted that train of thought with her own. It’s been a while since you and We last saw each other, no? Why don’t you come home with Us? Everything will go well, and all your worries will disappear. As I nodded, part of my mind screamed, but I didn’t understand it. It was too distant, too fuzzy.

We quickly headed out of the metro, then back into Fetlock, looking for a pool of radiation for her to heal. Everything blurred together as I learned more about Unity—my sisters. At first I didn’t know where home was, or why it was home. I just knew it was where I belonged. Thanks to Sister, I found out about it. ‘Home’ wasn’t just a location. Yes, Marypony was where we were operating from, but it wasn’t home. ‘Home’ was us. Every single pony who’d been taken into Unity. This was where we all belonged eventually. Iron, Star Seeds, Banter, Lockpick, Petal, me. Anypony I’d ever met.

Eventually, less than an hour after I’d woken up, two more of my sisters joined us. Apparently, the green one was on a routine scouting mission when she stumbled into a room filled to the brim with ghouls. Her distress was strong enough to resonate with me, even though I was not truly part of Unity yet. Incidentally, I’d been close enough to respond to her call before the other two from her wing—a blue one and a purple one.

So, dear Sister, they said in unison, it is time for you to come home with Us. We’ve been waiting for you ever since We let the demon filly leave Marypony.

That same part of my mind screamed, but this time much louder. I listened to it, and I realised it was right.

“I’m sorry, dear Sisters,” I replied, breaking out of the comfortable haze. “I would love to come home, but there are things I need to do first. There are regrets that I don’t want to bring home.” I sighed, already feeling all too lonely. “If I were to leave now, my friends would die in slavery. I only need a bit more time, then I will come home, I promise.”

The three of them stared blankly at me for a few moments, before finally answering, As much as it pains Us to hear it, We also believe it might be for the better. After all, the reason We let the other one go, the one you think of as ‘Iron’, was so that she could learn and bring that knowledge home. She is a fighter and a strong mage, and her skill is favourable for Our survival. This time, there were more voices chiming in. It still wasn’t the full chorus I knew and missed, but it would make this goodbye all the more bittersweet.

And yet, with those extra few voices, I could tell there was something more to it. It seemed almost as if… some of the whispers were apprehensive of something. Was there some kind of risk involved? Would us joining maybe—

My train of thought was brutally derailed by a gentle comfort. You, on the other hoof, seem much more willing to cooperate. You understand Us, so perhaps a little deal is in order. We know of Star Seeds’ plans, and we are aware they will take a while to come to… fruition. My groan was echoed by a few mental ones, but the main dozen of voices continued to speak, However, once his town is properly set up, it would be easy for you to help Us. I was trying to continue my earlier reasoning, but found it difficult to focus. In fact, I couldn’t even recall what I’d been pondering…

As you know, We want to save Equestria and her children, but for that We need strong ponies. We need unicorns that would join Us in Unity. There aren’t many of Us, and our supply of Impelled Metamorphosis Potion is too low to welcome everypony we come across. First, we need strong unicorns whose transformation will be fast, and who will bring strength to Unity. Eventually, I let go of any mental clarity I could have had, and just listened as my sisters talked to me.

Hunting those unicorns ourselves is risky. If We lose even one of Us during the process, then the losses outweigh the gains. That is why we never went after Iron again, as you probably know. Should we really need somepony, We can form a larger group to take them on and make sure none of Us gets lethally wounded. You have seen how many of Us there are, so don’t think you can ever escape Us.

The comfortable haze was shattered in an instant; it felt like being dropped from a gentle embrace onto a cold, hard floor. Out loud, the green alicorn said, “Therefore, your task will be to find suitable unicorns and subdue them not through force, but through trickery. As long as you work on that, We will allow you to operate independently, and we will extend the time limit We gave Iron. As long as you remain useful to Us, you are allowed to continue solitary work. Of course, should you change your mind, Our home is always open to you, Sister.”

Even without the mental link, I didn’t want to say no to that. I could help out both my sisters and my friends. I’d also be helping the unicorns I sent to Unity; even if they didn’t want it at first, once they were one of Us, they would quickly change their minds.

The only pony I wouldn’t want to force to join Unity was Iron. Perhaps it was due to my sisters’ wishes to have her learn. Perhaps I shared their apprehension. Perhaps I just didn’t want to betray her like this. Whatever it was, she would need to remain ignorant about this; if she knew, it would ruin everything. She would try to escape or fight back, both of which would merely result in her capture. By sticking to my deal with Unity, I could properly protect her.

Over the course of the next hour, my sisters taught me some spells. It took a while for me to get the hang of them, but I was able to learn basic telepathy and moderate memory magic. Telepathy would be helpful in general, while memory magic would allow me to keep Iron in the dark about Unity’s plans.

But now, I’m unlocking all the memories I’ve blocked. You can make the choice yourself, Iron. I clearly don’t have the strength it takes to protect you or even myself. May you find your own way, with Candy to guide you.

I heard boards creak upstairs. A few seconds later, Cherry stood up and started heading towards the entrance door. I turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you wanted to talk to her when she’s awake? As in, first things first?”

He turned towards me, wincing. “I… I think you should talk to her first. You understand her better and all that.”

Before I could get another word in, he was already out the door. Damn it, he was willing to throw himself between hot iron but was this much of a coward when it came to talking? Well, more specifically, talking to Iron, if Grace was to be believed.

I would have gone after him, were it not for Moonwing fast asleep on my chest. I didn’t want to wake her; after all, that was why I was lying in this slightly uncomfortable pose on this less than cosy couch.

About five minutes later, Iron walked down the creaky staircase. At this distance and without my glasses, I couldn’t quite tell which of the two she was. Her eyes immediately landed on me, and I smiled. I looked over to the other couch, and she seemed to take the hint, as she headed towards it. Once she sat down, she said, “Hey.”

She sounded so drowsy that I couldn’t help but chuckle as I greeted her back, “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

“It’s not morning,” she replied with an even tone which coaxed a louder giggle out of me. This in turn made her blush, her lips curling up into a sheepish smile. Somehow, my laugh didn’t wake Moonwing.

After a comfortable little silence, I asked, “Are you okay? I don’t know how this whole twin personality thing works, but do you remember what happened? Your—Sonata’s—horn glowed, and you were out cold since.”

“Head hurts like a motherfucker,” Iron replied. “She made me remember everything she hid from me, all in one go.” She let out a yawn, then rubbed her eyes. “Some of the things I saw are worrying, but none are of immediate concern.”

“How does that work? The whole ‘hiding memories’ thing, that is,” I asked. Moonwing stirred, only to nestle herself under the stump of my right leg.

Iron swayed her head from side to side, grimacing slightly. “It’s complicated.” She hesitated for a moment, then said, “Well, I mostly don’t really know. For me it seems to be anything I wanted to protect her from; for a time it was most of what I’d done, and everything our father did to us. Now it’s just that and my time in Fillydelphia.”

“Do you want to tell me about that?” Part of me was really curious, but mostly I just wanted to make sure she knew she could confide in me.

Iron shook her head. “Not now. I’d rather talk about what I saw in Sonata’s memories, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, I would have asked about it anyway,” I replied.

So she did. She explained how she had met and gotten away from a herd of alicorns like the one who’d attacked me. Apparently, she could heal some wounds from radiation exposure now. At some point, Sonata met a wing of those alicorns, and made a deal with them to have them leave Iron alone. I could tell there was something more on her mind, but I was confident she would tell me in due time.

The deal had been to send five ponies in their stead to be turned into alicorns, and Sonata had already fulfilled it. Iron felt particularly guilty about the fate of a certain Crystal, whom she’d treated roughly, only for the poor mare to end up abducted. As much as I felt bad for every single one of those ponies, I couldn’t help but be thankful that, at least, Iron was safe now.

Then she told me about Sonata and Star Seeds’ plans for New Detrot. They were essentially planning to enslave them, while making sure it couldn’t be called that.

In the short term—about two years—he wanted to make it impossible for anypony to leave New Detrot, in an effort to jump-start the town’s food production.

Essentially, he was planning on selling food at high prices, but giving away a small chunk for free to his workers. The prices he’d put together weren’t even unreasonable for fresh wasteland produce. The issue came from the fact that nopony would really have any opportunities to leave New Detrot, at least not with wages like that.

Iron did try to justify it by explaining the budget wouldn’t be there to pay them all that much more, at least not before more ponies bought the town’s food. However, she couldn’t deny that part of it was by design.

Putting aside enough caps to buy decent equipment was essentially impossible. Without it, nopony would have the means to survive outside of town. It was another reason why New Detrot was such an ideal place for his plans; it was essentially a natural prison for those who didn’t have the means to leave, such as stable dwellers.

Another part of his plan was manufacturing cheap alcohol out of potatoes to keep the population from growing rowdy—but also to keep them from setting aside enough caps to leave. There were many other tiny details like that; overall there wasn’t a single, large chain preventing somepony from packing up and moving somewhere else. Instead, it was dozens upon dozens of tiny hooks that dug into a pony’s skin.

The worst part was apparently that he clearly wasn’t doing this for a selfish purpose. He genuinely wanted the best for Equestria, and was simply horribly misguided. It was no surprise that he’d managed to indoctrinate Sonata like this, with his many grand plans and speeches about rebuilding Equestria together. It wasn’t shocking that he and Red-Eye got along so well, either.

We’d been sitting in silence for about five minutes, while I ruminated over what Iron told me. I’d seen some of these things in action when I passed through New Detrot in search of Iron, but hearing how many of them were on purpose chilled me to the bone.

It made me think about my original plan of just killing Star Seeds and hoping everypony would figure things out from there. Would that really work? So many of the barbs were already in place, and would probably remain even after his death.

The saving grace was that Sonata was the only pony who really knew of his plans, and the Talons were only loyal to their contract with him. But then, nothing was really stopping Stable 4’s wealthy elite from hiring the Talons, and picking up where he’d left off. Worse, they wouldn’t really be trying to improve anything. They’d just want to hold onto their shred of power.

The issue remained that the ponies of Stable 4 were already too focused on money. Its old status quo was probably the thing that inspired Star Seeds’ plans, after all. If the majority of ponies are too poor to afford rebelling, they won’t, especially if they still have something to lose.

Frankly, I had no idea how to fix that. Ever since I’d left the stable, I hadn’t put a single thought into how anypony could stop the suffering inside. The issue was so far beyond me that I couldn’t imagine a good solution. Ultimately, no matter what happened, somepony would end up in a position of power that they could then abuse. Especially once one factored in how easy it was to exploit the stable’s system. It was a balancing act, so subtle that changing anything might lead to worse results down the line.

Of course, now that I was a bit older, I did have some ideas for simple solutions, at least for the current situation. For instance, we could somehow mount an attack against the town and remove everypony with a shred of influence. It wouldn’t be easy, and it definitely wouldn’t be a good solution. It would fix things as they were now, but I didn’t know for how long.

On the other hoof, leaving Star Seeds in power could not possibly be good either. His ties to Red-Eye were much too concerning for that. I knew that, with Seeds in charge, much of the food grown here would go directly to Fillydelphia. In contrast, the stable dwellers would probably just sell to the highest bidder, so mostly just travelling merchants passing through. And with such a large amount of food here, the northern trans-equestrian route would really pick up in popularity.

Then, there was another reason to remove Seeds from the equation. With stable dwellers in charge, the status quo wasn’t quite as deeply set in stone. After all, without the stable itself to support such an imbalance of power, it could always crumble. Meanwhile, with Seeds in control, that chance was all but null for the foreseeable future. He would always want more, no matter what he claimed.

Huh, one solution would be to destroy the talismans and greenhouses he’d built. That would certainly force ponies to scatter, and would ensure they would remain free. In other words, there would be nothing left to support an imbalance in wealth.

But then again, many would die from that. All too many, in fact, and I couldn’t bring myself to condemn ponies to their death just because they might be enslaved otherwise. Mercy killing was still killing, and it would really make me no different than Star Seeds.

I needed to stop thinking about this now. I clearly wasn’t going anywhere. The one thing I knew, though, was that Star Seeds needed to die, or he would always end up rebuilding whatever we tore down, and it would just result in more and more ponies getting hurt. With my current knowledge, I couldn’t fix Stable 4, but with Iron’s aid, we could at least set them on the right track.

I turned to her. “Hey, Iron?” She hummed in response. “You didn’t change your mind about killing Star Seeds, did you?”

She frowned, then shook her head. “I’ll admit I’m a bit more hesitant now that I know who he really is, but I’ll do it if you tell me to.”

I nodded. “Good. His plans may not be entirely your fault, but they’re still your responsibility.”

“I know, I know…” She didn’t sound very convinced.

“At the risk of sounding like a broken record, let me reiterate. I want to help you make up for your misdeeds, but I can only do so if you want it as well. You need to fix things and assume responsibility.” I’d been ruminating about how to say it this entire afternoon, and now was a good time to bring it up.

I set Moonwing down next to me and sat up to properly face Iron. Moonwing groaned and turned to look at Iron with sleepy but curious eyes. I said, “You’re an adult now, and as much as it pains me to say it, I can’t foalsit you anymore in hopes that you’ll eventually grow into a good pony. Fixing your mistakes is on you, and you alone. I want to promise to always love you, but I don’t think I can love an unrepentant raider, even if she is my sister.” I felt a tear run down my face. “So please, face your duties so that I can stay true to that promise.”

I felt horrible saying that. It hurt so bad. I was essentially saying I would abandon her again if she didn’t do what I told her. Ultimately, I wasn't lying. She had to learn this lesson, or she would never grow as a pony. She wasn’t a filly anymore, and if she really regretted her actions, she needed to do something about it.

And yet, I still wasn’t sure if I could just walk away from her if she were to falter. Even after everything, part of me wanted to just accept her as my little sister again, no matter what. Even after all her misdeeds, I still couldn’t help but see her as a good kid who’d gone through too much hardship.

It was Iron who broke the silence. “Alright, I get it.” She sounded determined, but I could tell she was hurt by what I’d said. I’m so fucking sorry, Iron.

A silence descended upon us, with Moonwing watching us curiously.

After a dozen heavy seconds, Iron reaffirmed her stance. “You’re right.” She nodded. “There’s something specific I need to try before anything else… Have you seen Cherry anywhere? Do you know if he’s still awake?”

I smiled. “He went for a walk. Grace should be able to tell you where he was headed, she’s on guard right now.” I still wasn’t done catching up with her. The relief of finding out, even after all these years, that she hadn’t left me, was almost enough to offset the knowledge that it was Platinum who’d pushed us apart.

“Hey,” said Iron from behind the bench I was sitting on. Her tone was so nonchalant that I almost didn’t reply. After all this, a simple “hey” was all I got?

But no, I knew better. She was trying to reach out, and shutting her out now because of my stupid ego wasn’t the way. I still didn’t manage to get myself to turn around as I answered, “Hey yourself.” I tried to sound as casual as her, but it came out as bitter and hurt.

I heard her mouth open, then her hooves shuffle. Great, she’d probably come to apologise, and I’d just told her off, hadn’t I? Please don’t turn around and leave, Iron. If she did, I’d need to call out to her, and I’d need to show that I still cared.

But I did care, did I not? So why was that such a big problem?

Thankfully, I didn’t have to do anything, because she instead just walked towards me, before sitting down on the other end of the bench. We remained quiet for a long while. Probably wasn’t longer than a minute or two, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, it was Iron who broke the silence, “Fuck. I was hoping to try and hold a casual conversation and build up to the important stuff, but I just don’t have it in me.”

Curious more than anything, I turned to face her. She was frowning, and almost broke eye contact the moment I made it. She grimaced, and managed to get out two words. “I’m sorry.” My heart started beating quicker. I couldn’t tell whether to panic or to be relieved. Before long, though, my internal chaos was interrupted. “For what I did. I don’t know how to say it in a way that shows that I mean it, but I need to get it out.”

My heart skipped several beats. I could see it in her eyes that she genuinely meant it, but for some reason that only stirred anger in me. She knew what she did was wrong. I could hurt her right now. I could hurt her as badly as she’d hurt me. All it would take was a few sentences, and this bitch would finally get what was coming to her.

Before I could get them out, however, she continued. Perhaps she’d seen the emotion on my face and decided to take action. She said, “You don’t have to forgive me if you don’t want to. I don’t have an excuse for what I did, and I don’t see a reason why you’d accept my apology.” She gulped, tears welling in her unblinking eyes. “But it’s the only thing I can do.”

As I stared into her eyes, my anger started slowly melting away. Eventually, she broke eye contact, unable to suppress a small sob.

Why had I even considered hurting her? What would I possibly gain from that? “Truth is…” I replied, but trailed off. I stretched, shivered, then stood up and started pacing. I was buying time, and I knew it. I didn’t want to admit this. It felt like an admission of weakness.

All the while, she was watching me, apprehension painted all over her. How could I say this without making myself vulnerable again? I didn’t want to push her away, but I didn’t want to show just how much I’d missed her. I couldn’t let myself be seen as weak. I—

Huh, I was a hypocrite, wasn’t I? Constantly on her case about needing to open up, but refusing to show vulnerability when it really came down to it. Here she was, vulnerable and giving me what I’d been hoping for for the several past weeks. And I couldn’t even admit something as simple as this to her?

I stopped in front of her. She’d been watching me, confused and nervous, her eyes wide like a filly’s. “Truth is that I’ve already forgiven you. I can’t hate you, Iron. I tried, but somehow, in the short time that we’ve really known each other, I’ve grown too close to you to resent you.”

She stared at me in shock and disbelief, and I decided to leave her brain some time to catch up. Ever so slowly, her face started lighting up, eyes practically shining as they reflected the patch of bare night sky over us. She tried to respond, but I put my hoof over her mouth. Confused but attentive, she listened while I told her, “But know that I won’t take a hit. If you hurt me like that ever again, I’m leaving, regardless of how much I care for you. I will not let you use me as an emotional kicking bag.”

She nodded, and the tears started streaming down her cheeks, over her barely contained grin. Such a beautiful, beautiful smile.

Before my judgement could catch up with me, I kissed her.

And after a short moment, she kissed back.

Author's Note

Take two of promising this won’t turn into a romance. I’m allowed a love interest subplot, okay? :P