Crystal POV

Why do alicorns refer to each other as sisters? We used that term during our time in Unity, and it has stuck with us ever since. A sister typically refers to a female pony or creature who shares the same parents as you. However, in our case, we were created by the Goddess. She didn't give us life directly but transformed ponies into alicorns, whom she called her children. This is why we referred to her as our mother. Even though we don't share the same blood, we consider ourselves a kind of sisters.

Our strong bond is another reason for this. Alicorns shared almost everything, in a way which might make outsiders uncomfortable. During Unity, meeting a sister was akin to meeting a part of yourself. Even now, after the Unity is no more, it's like meeting an old acquaintance whom you automatically like, even if you can't recall their name or where you know them from.

In essence, we call each other sisters because we genuinely feel like sisters.

When Savage joined our group, both Blueberry and I felt happy about it, despite her previous attack on Zitrus and her differing opinions and fanatical personality. She was still our sister, and we cared for her.

I watched as Zitrus made his way towards the slavers. Did I think he was crazy? Absolutely. Did I think he knew what he was doing? Absolutely. He had three (or at least two) alicorns protecting his back. Yet, it was still risky.

The slaver group soon spotted our earth pony companion trotting towards them, and they turned in his direction. Even the zebra looked up. It was fortunate that Blueberry, Savage, and I were invisible because they already appeared very skeptical of him. If they had seen the three of us behind him, they most likely would have opened fire or fled. Still, I had to suppress the urge of casting a shield around Zitrus. Then, the armored mare pointed her shotgun battlesaddle at him, and the unicorn mare had her magic grip on her revolver. Only my ability to read their minds made it clear to me that none of them planned to open fire... yet…

On his side, Zitrus was casually moving closer to them and stopped at a safe distance. Meanwhile, Blueberry went to the left and Savage to the right side of the slaver group. I stayed right behind Zitrus. It was a standard tactic we had used multiple times while in the Unity: sneaking up and encircling our opponents, giving them the feeling of helplessness and being surrounded when we became visible. Simple, yet effective. Many times, it had worked, and the enemies simply surrendered.

I reached out with my telepathy towards the three slavers, reading their minds and preparing myself to take action if necessary.

"Do not worry, I am not here to fight», Zitrus said to the slaver group.

His mind was also open to me, and I could sense that he was actually very nervous.

"We might be», the unicorn mare said, pulling her revolver out. However, she did not take aim just yet…

She is most likely the leader of the group, came Savage's thoughts.

"I am looking for a slaver group that should be around here», Zitrus said, glancing at the zebra.

"Well, congratulations, you found them. It's kind of brave or rather stupid to just approach a slaver group», the unicorn mare told him with a grin, twirling her revolver. "Now, what do you want? You're not here to buy the zebra, I can tell."

"I just wanted to talk."

"Talk? Fine, then let's talk about why we shouldn't put chains around you. Normally, we get the goods, and not the goods come to us", the stallion chimed in. He gave a yank at the chain connected to the zebra, causing her to lose her balance and fall over.

Zitrus looked very displeased at the spectacle. „I just wanted to ask a simple question: Why are you doing this? You guys know that this lifestyle is very risky. Sooner or later, it might kill you.“

„Oh, and you will be the one to kill us?“ the unicorn mare asked.

I doubt he is that stupid to try and fight three slavers. He most likely has some backup, she thought.

„No, but I am the one giving the warning. But my question still remains“, Zitrus simply replied.

„We do it for the caps, of course“, the stallion spoke again.

„Aye, we have to live off som’thing“, the armored mare at the end of the group said. She had an accent which I could not put my hooves down from where it was.

"There are other ways of living, other ways to earn caps», Zitrus told them.

"Ain't that easy."

"Have you even tried to do something better?"

There was a pause between the two sides. No pony said anything. The slavers gave Zitrus some grim looks, and the tension grew.

"Why do you truly do this?" Zitrus asked with a sigh.

"Living", the stallion said. "That's what it's always about. Who cares about how? As long as you're alive at the end of the day, the rest doesn't matter. Even if it comes at the cost of others."

The armored mare nodded and shook her shotgun.

I could tell from reading their minds that the two slavers genuinely believed it. They truly thought that this was their way of life. But when I read the thoughts of the leader, I knew she had other reasons.

"Maybe this is your way of life, but don't forget that others are also trying to live. And they most likely don't want to live as slaves. If you use force, they will likely fight back to live in freedom. And if they end up killing you in the process, your life will come to an end", Zitrus argued.

The two earth ponies remained silent, but the headmare was not easily convinced. The revolver in her magical grip was pointed at the zebra, causing the zebra mare to be frightened by the sight of the barrel aimed in her direction.

"I know what you plan. You want us to give up our slaver lives for the sake of every pony», she said.

"Well, yes. What speaks against it?", Zitrus asked casually.

"That we don't capture ponies. We capture zebras”, she answered, her voice filled with hatred.

"Does that make it any better?", Zitrus asked.

"Zebras don't deserve freedom. They are the reason why we are now trapped in this shithole of the equestrian wasteland. It's because of THEIR war! They destroyed Equestria. These shitty stripes should be punished for what they did to us”, the unicorn mare said, her gaze full of rage directed at the zebra.

The zebra herself became even more scared.

I felt sorry for her. Zebras fear alicorns. They consider us to be evil spirits and compare us to Nightmare Moon. (To be honest, I myself don't know much about the old story of Nightmare Moon.) However, witnessing her being enslaved and threatened for no valid reason was a scene that pained me.

"So, that's what this is about? Seeking vengeance against some creatures who did something over 200 years ago? Do you realize that the ones you harbour hatred towards are long gone? By seeking revenge for something in the past, you only harm the present. It creates a never-ending cycle of death, fuelling the zebras' hatred towards us. Instead, why don't you try to change that and demonstrate that we can all live together in this wasteland?", Zitrus stated with determination, his voice unwavering.

"The wasteland cannot be changed, nor can any creature within it”, the mare hissed, still keeping her gun aimed at the zebra.

Make yourself visible, Zitrus thought to me.

Blueberry, make us visible again, I telepathically instructed my sister.

Soon after, the spell that had made us invisible was lifted.

Blueberry appeared behind the group, holding her longbow in her magical grip with an arrow on the string. However, she did not take aim. Instead, she stood there with a neutral expression.

Savage stood at the flank of the group, her wings spread wide to serve as a warning that she might attack any of the slavers.

As for myself, I remained behind Zitrus, giving the slaver group a mischievous smirk while casting a shield around me, my sisters, and Zitrus respectively.

The slaver group and the zebra reacted in the typical manner. They looked around in panic, suddenly finding themselves surrounded by three alicorns.

"I think you're wrong. The wasteland IS changing, along with every creature. However, it's not the wasteland's responsibility to change; it's up to us. Just like we are changing, you can change too. If you want to live, there are plenty of options available. Many of these options also allow others to live their own lives."

The two earth ponies were in a state of panic. The one holding the zebra's chain managed to free himself from it, disconnecting himself from the slave. The zebra herself appeared frozen in place, while the armored mare cowered on the ground. Even with her helmet covering her head, you could see cold sweat trickling down the earth pony's face.

Only the unicorn mare seemed unwilling to surrender, though she lowered her revolver.

She looked at the four of us with a defeated frustration, but her thoughts revealed otherwise: I won't give up that easily. These stripes have to suffer.

I maintained the shields around my sisters, Zitrus, and myself. The headmare started to turn around to leave. She took two steps, but then swiftly turned back around. Her eyes were brimming with pure hatred as she aimed the revolver.

A shot rang out...

Not even a second after the gunshot reverberated through the hills, another sound, a magical spell, erupted from Savage's direction. She unleashed a knockback blast at the unicorn, a simple spell, but cast with such size and power that it felt like being hit by a moving train.

The unicorn was propelled backward with tremendous force, her body breaking upon impact. It was evident that she likely died instantly as her lifeless form flew through the air, rolling several times before coming to a stop and leaving behind a wide trail of blood.

The other two slavers watched in shock at the fate that befell their leader, rendered immobile by the sight.

Meanwhile, Zitrus and I hurried to the side of the zebra. The bullet had struck her in the neck.

I'm an idiot, I should've cast a shield spell around her…

The zebra lay on the ground, clutching her bleeding neck, blood covering her face and flowing from her nose. Her wide eyes expressed both fear and pain.

While I shielded myself and Zitrus with a protective barrier, we sat beside the wounded zebra.

But I did not have to be a medic to know that it had no use…

The zebra made a feeble attempt to catch her breath, or perhaps to say something. It only resulted in a gurgle as the spark of life left her body. Gradually, her spasms weakened, and her movements ceased. The entire "spectacle" may have lasted half a minute, but at least it wasn't a prolonged death. That thought provided some solace.

I glanced at Zitrus, observing his sad and disappointed expression.

In that moment, he let his guard down, allowing me to read his thoughts. We had been so close...

Extending my wing, I gently rubbed it against his back, offering some comfort. It helped to calm him, although his mind was still filled with sorrow. Nonetheless, he stood up and confronted the two remaining slavers, who trembled in fear.

"You may go”, he simply stated, his voice tinged with fatigue.

"You're letting them go?", Savage questioned.

"If they choose not to continue their current lifestyle, I see no reason to waste more lives than we already have."

The stallion shook his head in panic, while the mare remained frozen in fear. It was only when Blueberry cleared the path that the two slavers, tails between their legs, sprinted away as fast as they could. Savage's displeasure was evident on her face, but it didn't require mind-reading abilities to know that those two would think twice before returning to the slave trade.

Zitrus cast one final glance at the lifeless bodies before starting to trot away.

"Let's go. There is nothing more we can do."

Author's Note

This chapter comes with a special thanks for jgilley63 for giving a look over it and giving some valuable imputs.

And like always, thank you all for reading.

Extra note: I have put far more effort correcting and rewriting this than i previously did, instead of merely correct typos and the most obvious mistakes which you will notice. I will do this from now on. -- Prinzessin Eclipse