Canterlot Burglar

by Happycamper

Rating: mature
Tags: Sex, Tragedy, Adventure, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 239499

For once, Sky Runner, the best burglar in all of Canterlot, is arrested for a crime she DIDN'T commit.

Sky Runner, a pegasus with a permanently broken wing, lives atop an old abandoned tower in Canterlot. With nothing approximating a job or real home, she took up burglary and became exceptionally good at it. After a lucrative heist, it looks like she'll finally have enough money to fix her wing, when she gets caught up in a conspiracy surrounding a high-scale museum theft. For once, she didn't do it.

Spoilers in the comments and what have you!

Special thanks to hell00001 for his top-notch editing work.

Published 2013-06-18 14:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-10-04 01:31:05 UTC

A Trip To The Marketplace

The chaos began with the sound of a beastly kick reverberating around the city skyline.

"Hey lady! What do you think you're doing?" complained a now airborne pegasus, rubbing his flanks to try and get the hoofprints off.
"Oh, sorry! I thought you were being savaged by an angry cat or something!" Sky cried, trying to sound as concerned for the pony's safety as possible.
"That was me singing, you ditz!"
"That's what they're calling it these days?" she replied evenly, fighting back the urge to smile and failing miserably.
"You didn't have to buck me off the roof!"
"I kind of did." she shrugged. "That racket could wake the dead, and I really don't want to learn if there are any of those lying around down there, okay?"
"What are you saying exactly?"
Sky sighed slightly. "Look, nothing. I'm sorry for kicking you in the flanks. Now come on, get home before Mrs Tone Deaf starts worrying about you."
The dejected pegasus fluttered away, still rubbing his flank. Big baby.

Sky descended her staircase to the ground floor, still trying to massage away the headache that godawful noise had given her. It was bad enough that he'd been a terrible singer, but that he was singing a song that was rubbing it in? That was low.

Oh well, it didn't matter so much any more. Lots of ponies can get by without the use of wings, and she'd learned to cope without them. Sure, they'd been nice to have, but she'd always been a weak flyer. Not a big deal, really.

Unbarring her door, she tucked her wings in and made her way out into the marketplace. It was time to do a little shopping.

Just the essentials, you know...

She brushed a couple of apples into her saddlebag.

I mean, it's not like I take more than I need...

...and those carrots...

Frankly the shopkeepers are doing charity work...

...ooooh, those home-made muffins look nice...

I am, after all, a poor starving mare...

...oh hey, a jewellery store...those necklaces would look nice on me...

I'm a minimalist...whatever that means. It sounds good in case anypony asks, though!

...they do look nice on me...

Heck, I've got a little sister to take care of!

...they are definitely coming home with me...

It's practically criminal to not accept a hoof-out or two!

...look...at...that...

Sky froze, biting her lower lip as she spotted a sight that made her incredibly happy indeed.
A most rotund stallion was advancing down the street towards her, each hoof-fall accompanied by a clink sound that she knew all too well. His own saddlebags were loaded with bits, such that they were as voluminous as himself. Sky grinned. This was going to be fun.

* * *

It was quite irritating, thought the unicorn. Why couldn't ponies just watch where they're going?
It had been bad enough that the nice ponies at the stallionwear store had been out of those special bowties he liked, but this was just uncalled for. That ditzy mare had just been skipping along down the street, not paying any attention to anypony around her. Of course it was only a matter of time before she'd crash into someone, and it figures that it would have been him.
"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" the mare clapped her forehooves to her mouth in shock.
"Yes, yes...I'm fine..." he replied irritably. She looked apologetic. There was that, at least.
"I'm so sorry...I wasn't looking where I was going..."
"So it seems."
"Are you sure you're okay? Nothing broken?" She did look quite pretty, with those big shining blue eyes, even though she seemed awfully shy.
"Nothing broken, my dear. I'm quite all right." he smiled understandingly. "These things happen, don't they?"
"Oh, thank Luna..." the mare looked genuinely relieved. "It's just that I've had a really hard week, and now I might finally be getting help with my wing, and I was really excited, so..."
"Yes, I can imagine you're thrilled." he interrupted, a bit more flustered. "However, I'm quite busy today, so if you don't mind...?"
"Oh, OH! Y...yes...of course...sorry, it won't happen again." she smiled guiltily, slinking off while mouthing "Sorry!" over and over again.
What a strange mare. Perhaps it was some kind of pegasus thing to have one's head in the clouds all day long. He briefly wondered if her wing had been damaged by her own clumsiness.
No matter. He was feeling very gentlemanly indeed for allowing to get off scott-free like that. Why, he even felt lighter...
Wait...
"Hey, where the hell did my money go?"

* * *

Sky ducked into an alley and pulled out the large bag of bits, giving them a cursory check for authenticity. They were completely real.
"Ohmygoshohmygosh!" she whispered, popping the coins back in her saddlebag and sealing it shut. This was too perfect! She was never this lucky! It just didn't happen!
Still unable to fully believe her luck, Sky peeked out from the alley to see if anypony was following her.

The stallion was talking to a guard, complaining about something...no prizes for guessing what...

Aaaand they'd spotted her.
Damn.

Sky was moving before the guard had even begun to shout "Halt!" She was faster than any of them, weighed down by heavy metal armour as they were. She could gallop faster, jump higher, and get into spaces where the guards couldn't. Now was when she got to show off her special talent, running.

Leaping through a market stall to put an obstacle between herself and the guard, Sky took off down the street, picking up some proper speed. This was an amazing feeling, one that she cherished. The dull thud of her padded hooves against the cobblestone was a welcome sound, and the feeling of the rushing air tugging at her wings and mane were some of her favourite sensations in the whole wide world.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, THIEF!"

Oh yeah, well that was a less pleasant sound.

Stretching out her wings, Sky gave a single flap, propelling her onto a low rooftop. Up here, she'd be harder for the unicorns to target with their spells, and the earth pony guards would be completely unable to pursue her further. The only thing she really had to worry about now was...

Yep, he's a pegasus. Damn.

She kicked up a few tiles as she galloped faster. Most pegasi were actually capable of catching up on her on a straightaway, but Sky Runner hadn't gotten this good by playing fair.

Leaping onto an adjacent rooftop, Sky started sliding down it, her hooves rattling on the tiles as she spread her wings. Just as the guard snatched at her tail, she made another jump, launching herself across the road and onto somepony's upstairs balcony.
The guard came shooting towards her again, and Sky sidestepped as quickly as she could, sending him barreling straight through the door in a hurricane of feathers and splintered wood.
She poked her head in. Clearly he had rudely interrupted a very important tea party. Two very eminent madams were still sitting in shock, teacups raised, while the table that had occupied the space between them lay shattered at the back of the room with the concussed stallion.
"Sorry about that!" Sky squeaked. "He's a scumbag. Only wanted me for my money. You know what stallions are like."
And with that, she clambered up onto the rooftop, leaving the two mares to try and piece together the strange events themselves.

There were more guards down below, and Sky ducked out of sight as best she could. Unicorns could grab her tail or wings too easily if they had a clear line of sight, and she most certainly didn't want to risk that. Last time it had happened, she'd lost a wing...
"COME BACK DOWN HERE!" one of them roared.
"Make me!" she called back, trying to get some real momentum.
A few spells impacted on nearby chimneys, launching pottery and brickwork high into the air around her.
"Okay, don't make me! Don't make me!" she corrected herself.
Two pegasus guards took off and gave chase. They were faster than than that last one, and probably more maneuverable too. She needed to take them down quickly or she was caught.

With a flick of her hoof, the small crossbow snapped open. It was a concealable weapon, short-ranged but capable of delivering a very special payload.

Taking a moment to load a dart into the crossbow almost cost Sky her tail, as one of the guards dropped out of the air and snatched at her. Before he could get a good grip, however, she was away again, galloping straight towards what looked like too far a gap for her to make properly.

She spread her wings again, cringing as her bad wing extended painfully. She knew right away that she wasn't going to make it, but she launched herself off of the rooftop anyway.

As the first pegasus came soaring down towards her again, she twisted in the air and triggered the crossbow. The little hypodermic dart, filled with the glowing green formula, sprang out of the weapon, sailing towards the guard too quickly for him to take any evasive action.

She righted herself as the dart struck the pegasus in the neck. She kept her wings out to act as air brakes, just enough so that she didn't land too hard. A moment later, he thudded into the ground next to her, unconscious. The second pegasus broke off to help his companion, leaving Sky free to start sprinting down the street again. She didn't stop until she was safely tucked away in another alley, well out of harm's way. She reached into her bag and checked the bits.

They were still there, shiny as ever.

"Too easy." she blew her mane out of her face as she took off down the street.

Author's Note

I feel that this chapter desperately needs something, perhaps some expansion or some better choreography. I intend to make it presentable before moving onto the next one.

Pegasisters

Now there was a haul that Sky had been waiting for. This might be the money she needed to get her wing fixed.

The crippled pegasus emptied the bag onto her living room floor and started feverishly counting the money. Almost three hundred bits in all. That was a game changer.
"HEY, SHADOW!" she yelled excitedly, gathering all of the money together and popping it back into the bag. "Shadow, check this out!"
"What is it, sis?" The tower's roof hatch slammed shut and a little pegasus filly appeared on the stairs. She was a scruffy kid, with a dark blue coat and hazel-coloured mane, and had two incredibly pretty green eyes.
"I think I've finally gotten enough cash together."
"Oh wow, really? You're finally gonna get your operation?" Shadow asked as she fluttered downstairs, landing next to Sky and looking at the bag of coins, wide-eyed.
"It's enough...I know it's enough." Sky nods happily. "I'm so...wow...I'm just so happy. Shadow...this means all I'd need is one more great heist, and I can retire for good. No more paycheck to paycheck shit..."
"They're not really paychecks, sis..." Shadow pointed out.
"Yeah, but it sounds better than 'stuff I nicked.'" Sky blew her mane out of her eyes. "One thing's for certain, though...after everything's fixed, after I can fly again...we can pull one more big heist and that'll be the end of it. No more trouble with the guards, no more danger. I can take good care of you and we can live like the Princesses."
Shadow sat down next to her and nuzzled her leg. "What, really? No more adventures? You've gone soft, sis."
Sky chuckled softly. "Okay, yeah, we're gonna keep getting in trouble with the guards. I mean, we've gotta be consistent, right?"
"Phew! You had me worried for a moment there. Thought for a moment I’d have to start going to school or something" she looked up at her big sister with bright, shining eyes and a cheeky grin.
"Awww, come on, I’d never do that to you." Sky laughed, ruffling her mane. “I send you to school, and next thing I know you’ll be learning manners and getting a real job or something.”
Shadow’s ears folded back at that. “Don’t even joke about that, sis. I don’t wanna be some kind of frou-frou mare.”
“And you’ll get to try on pretty dresses and talk about colts all day long! Oooh, and read up on all the latest fashions!” Sky went on teasingly.
"I’LL KILL YOU!" Shadow laughed, tackling her big sister to the ground and standing over her, huffing.
Sky looked up at her and stuck her tongue out, giggling.
“You cheeky bitch.” Shadow’s expression softened a little, a little smile forming on her lips.
“Like I said, I’d never do something like that to you. I like you better as a scruffy little burglar anyway.” Sky wrapped her forehooves around the little filly, holding her close. Shadow giggled for a little while, before settling into the hug, nuzzling against her big sister’s chest.
"It'll be pretty sweet to fly with you again." she whispered, smiling.
Sky looked up at Shadow, wearing the happiest grin she'd had in almost five years.
"I can't wait." Sky beamed back.

Sky and Shadow sat on the roof of her tower together as the sun began to set over the city. Each of them had a mug of hot chocolate, and as they snuggled together, Sky put her good wing around her little sister.
"The sunset's nice tonight," Shadow said quietly, sipping hers with a smile.
"So's the company," Sky replied, looking down at her. "I don't do this enough, I know."
"Of course you don't. You're a negligent asshole." she chuckled back, before putting her hoof to her forehead dramatically. "Oh no! My big sister has left poor little me to fend for myself! Whatever shall I do?"
Sky pulled her closer with her wing, nuzzling her cheek. "What are you gonna do? You're gonna get tickled is what, little missy..."
The pegasus suddenly jumped on top of Shadow, yanking a feather out of her good wing and using it to tickle her little sister, holding her down with her hooves.
"Oh Luna no please nooooo!" Shadow squealed, giving a little whinnying giggle as Sky tickled her tummy. "No no please, stop! I'll do anythiiiiing!"
"Anything?" Sky grinned, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
“Except...except bathroom cleaning duty...” she added, panting.
“Fuck.” Sky rolled her eyes. That’s my first choice out the window... “Well...how about you promise me something?”
“Do I have to do work?”
“No...just one special task since I’m feeling kinda merciful today.” Sky smiled at her, rubbing a forehoof on her tummy before picking her up and hugging her. “Just keep being the best damn little sister a mare could ask for, okay?”
“Okay...when you stop being so sappy...” Shadow laughed. Tough little filly that she was, she still went a little red and hugged her back. She couldn’t resist hugs like that.
“I think we might have knocked our mugs off of the roof.” she whispered, after a while.
“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Sky giggled. “Hope they didn’t hit anypony important...”
The two of them lay back on the rooftop, Sky’s good wing wrapping around the little pegasus to keep her warm. The two of them smiled as they gazed into the heavens together, watching the stars come out.

“It’s all going to be different soon, isn’t it? When I can fly again, we’ll be damn near unstoppable together,” Sky mused.
“Yeah, if you can keep up,” Shadow chuckled, snuggling closer and nudging her in the ribs.
“Well yeah...” she shrugged. “But following behind you just means it’s easier to have your back, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.” she sighed. “Sky...I mean, sis...mind if I say something sappy this time?”
“I promise I won’t tell anypony.”
“Okay...well...” she struggled for a little bit, as if wrestling with the words.. “I...I love you, sis.”
“I love you too, kid,” Sky said, staring at the twilight and smiling. “Never forget that.”
She’d never admit it to her little sister, but hearing that out of the little blue filly, she felt safe, loved, cared for and...strangely sad.

Author's Note

Many thanks to hell00001 for his fine editing work!

Obligatory Bar Fight

Screwdriver’s place. It was a seedy bar in the nastier part of town, populated by the absolute worst of the Canterlot underground. Street docs, prostitutes, thieves, pirates, every criminal that called this city home hung out at this pub. It was most certainly not an appropriate place for a filly. Of course, Sky and Shadow hadn’t gotten where they were today by following rules about where ponies should and shouldn’t be.

The sun had gone down not too long ago, the cobblestone streets of Canterlot freezing cold under the two sisters’ near-silent hooves. They both kept their hoods drawn, concealing their identities. They were wanted ponies.
Sky waited under the pub’s porch for a moment for her little sister to catch up, ruffling her mane through her hood and grinning at her.
“We haven’t had much to celebrate lately,” she whispered, nuzzling the little filly.
“We haven’t really been able to afford it, huh?” Shadow shrugged, doing her best to maintain a cool and collected affect. She nuzzled her back all the same.
Sky couldn’t wipe the silly grin off of her face. Shadow was adorable as fuck really, even if she tried her hardest to hide it.

Of course, she is technically banned from Screwdriver’s for what nearly braining the last stallion who called her cute... Sky reflected, frowning. She was the only pony who could get away with calling her little sister adorable, or could catch her doing girly things without getting some more hoofprints unceremoniously added to her cutie mark.
“Now keep an eye out, okay? You’re still probably not allowed in here, so keep a low profile and let me order the drinks.” Sky kissed her on the cheek, pulling her own burglar’s mask off as she did so.
“Awww! Sis! Yeah, I know. I know.” Shadow groaned. “As long as nopony starts any shit, I’ll be on my best behaviour. Harmless little filly, see?” she flicked her hoof, retracting her crossbow. To a passive observer, she’s just a smaller version of Sky, a completely unarmed little pegasus with shining green eyes.
“An adorable harmless little filly...” Sky retorted, sticking her tongue out cheekily. Shadow cringed.
“Do I have to tell everypony about those magazines I caught you with?” she growled, going red and sticking her own tongue out in turn.
Sky gave her a dark look. “We don’t speak of those magazines to anypony.” her voice carried undertones of desperation. A filly shouldn’t have been looking at stuff like that in the first place, especially one like Shadow.
“I dunno...” the filly stared upwards innocently, “Keep going on about how adorable I am, and I might accidentally let my tongue slip...”
“Okay, okay, whatever. I won’t call you adorable, I promise!” Sky panicked. “Just...please promise me nopony’ll find out? Pretty please?”
Shadow checked her hooves for a moment to draw out the tension, before grinning at her. “Come on, do you think I’d do a thing like that?”
“You’re a bitch.” breathed Sky, relieved.
“True...but I’m your bitch.” Shadow looked around for a while, making sure that nopony was watching them, before grabbing Sky and hugging her tight.
Sky gave a quiet chuckle, before hugging her back and rubbing her cheek against the filly’s. “Come on kiddo, let’s have a party.” she winked, pushing the door open.

Screwdriver’s, for it had no more imaginative name, was the the liveliest of the Canterlot underground’s watering holes. Even now, after dark, all of the lights were on. There were only a few shadowy corners for the edgier criminals to convene, and the rest of the clientele were treated to a roaring warm fire, good music, passable drinks, hot meals and no questions asked. Screwdriver himself, a larger stallion with an almost permanent smile, was the kind of guy who minded his own business and kept a friendly face until the shit hit the fan. Nice bloke.

Shadow gave Sky’s cloak a little tug, and a moment later she was gone, looking for somewhere for the two sisters to sit. Sky approached him, hoping against hope that he hadn’t spotted Shadow.
“What can I get ya?” he beamed at her, in the middle of polishing a glass. Like Sky’s burglar mask, it was all about appearances. Nopony would know that he was a bartender if he didn’t open with that line every damn time.
“I’ll go with a cider, thanks.” she hoofed over the money, and glanced over at where Shadow’s now sitting, giving her big sister a cheerful wave. “Oh yeah, and an apple juice, but can you make it look like cider somehow? Impressions. You know how it is.”
Screwdriver looked around, before tapping his muzzle conspiratorially. “You’ve got it, Miss. Two ciders coming right up.”
Sky patted his shoulder and winked at him, before trotting back to their table and sitting down across from her. “Well, he didn’t see you.”
“Yeah...” Shadow shrugged, disappointed. “I wasn’t even trying to hide that time.”
“I dunno...maybe he’s forgiven you or something?” Sky shrugged, looking over as Screwdriver approached, setting the drinks down while very pointedly not looking at Shadow. “There you go, Miss. Can I get you anything else while I’m up?”
“Wouldn’t mind some hay fries.” she smiled up at him. He gave the most genuine smile he could manage, to his credit doing a great job of ignoring Shadow’s snickering right next to him, before trotting off.
“Your big mouth’s gonna get you in trouble one of these days.” Sky glared at her little sister once he was out of earshot.
“Oh come on, could you see him trying to keep a straight face?” she giggled cheekily, pulling a feather out of her wing with her teeth. “Hang on, he’s coming back. Watch this...”
As Screwdriver came back, placing the plate of hay fries down on the table, Shadow reached up and started tickling his muzzle with her little feather. Sky facehoofed, trying her best to not descend into a giggling fit. Damn it, we are so gonna get thrown out...
“Is something wrong?” Screwdriver raised an eyebrow, curious.
“No...no...nothing’s wrong...” she looked up all of a sudden, her face a mask of seriousness. The corners of her mouth twitched all the same. The little filly went from his nose to tickling under his chin, all the while squeaking “Coochie coochie coo!” For fuck’s sake Shadow...
Screwdriver sighed, shaking his head and walking away. “Enjoy your meal, Miss.”
As soon as he was gone, Sky’s head hit the table, panting wildly between giggles. “Fu...fuck...fuck you...”
Shadow gave her her best shit-eating grin. “He’s good...he must hate me...”
“Can’t imagine why...” Sky chuckled, pushing the plate into the middle of the table.
“He’s jealous, I bet that’s what it is.” Shadow smiled brightly, helping herself.
“Uh-huh, jealous of the little filly who still can’t sleep in her own bed?” Sky grinned, punching her playfully in the shoulder.
“Well, there’s a lot of ponies who’d like to sleep in the same bed as you,” Shadow winked. “and only one of them can do this...” she rubs her hooves over her eyes until they water, her purses her lips, pouting and giving her big sister her best puppy eyes.
Sky pulled her good wing around her face, shielding her eyes. “No! No, that’s not gonna work this time, damn it!”
“Yes it is,” said Shadow in a sing-song voice.
“No it isn’t!” Sky kept her eyes closed, tucking her head under her wing.
There was silence for a moment while Sky cowered.
“Sis...” Shadow whimpered, taking off and fluttering right in front of her, pulling her wing down gently and holding it in her little forehooves.
Sky looked up at her, reluctantly opening her eyes and...yep, Shadow was still pouting, still doing her cutest little face, her ears splayed back and her lip quivering slightly.
“Fuck you.” Sky grinned, before grabbing Shadow by the forehooves and pulling her close to her chest, cuddling the now-struggling filly and wrapping her wing around her.

They stayed like that for a while, with Shadow occasionally poking her muzzle and forehoof out through Sky’s feathers to feast on any fries unfortunate enough to wander near her newfound den. Her eyes darted from side to side, searching for anypony who might be giving her funny looks, disappearing back behind Sky’s wing whenever she spotted one. Finally, she made a little “eep!” noise, snuggling close to Sky and looking up at her with fries poking out of her mouth.
“You know, for a filly who doesn’t like getting called cute, you pull a lot of this shit.” Sky grinned, ruffling her mane playfully.
Shadow looked up at her with shining eyes, finishing her fries and giving her a little smile as she leaned up to nuzzle her nose.
“Damn it.” Sky rolled her eyes, nuzzling her back.

Shadow’s ears perked up.
“Shit.” she whispered, before disappearing under the table and out of sight.
“What’s gotten into you?” Sky put her wing down, peering under the table. Shadow was gone, but there were four light grey hooves on the floor in front of her that she recognised a little too well. Raising her head again, she found her muzzle pressed against a familiar, equally grey face. It belonged to a younger stallion, a pegasus just like her, wearing a smug little grin.
“Hey Sky, how’s the little sister?” he asked conversationally. There was something about that grin...it was infuriating.
“She’s getting on okay.” Sky said cooly. “How’re your balls? They grow back yet?”
The stallion took a step back as a few of the bar’s patrons laughed, before collecting himself and grinning again. “You’re never gonna let me forget that, are you?”
“Nope, because it’s still funny, even today.” she smirked back. “You and your deadbeat dad still haven’t learned what happens when you tangle with us, have you?”
“We learned that one years ago. You gonna eat that?” he grabbed the plate of fries and starts stuffing them into his mouth, sitting down across from her.
“What, so you came into this particular bar just to start shit with me?” Sky cocked her head, her crossbow snapping out under the table. “That’s bloody typical of you, Nightshade. You really are the worst fucking burglar I’ve ever met.” she said acidly.
“From you, I’m gonna take that as sweet talk. You coming onto me like you do to every other stallion in Canterlot, you whorse?”
“I would, but I don’t really have two minutes to spare, thanks for offering.” Sky leaned back in her chair, smirking back. A little pair of dark blue filly ears loomed up behind him. It appeared as though Shadow had somehow taken possession of somepony’s chair, and was raising it over Nightshade’s smug little head. Sky rolled her eyes. We’re gonna get kicked out of here again...I can just see it.
“You know you’re fucking around in our part of town, right?” Nightshade put the plate down, glaring at her dangerously, flapping his wings a little impatiently. “I could kick your measly little flanks from here to Baltimare anytime I wanted.”
“Talk’s cheap, Nightshade. Where is your precious little daddy anyway? I didn’t see him passed out in a gutter on my way here.”
The entire bar had long since fallen silent, the patrons all fixated on the two burglars, smiling at one another, waiting for the other to blink.
“One more word out of you,” he leaned across the table at her, “And I’ll slap that fucking smirk right off of your face, missy.”
Shadow raised the chair over her head, taking off to get a clear shot at the back of his skull. Sky nodded at her.
“Bring it.” she pressed her muzzle to his, releasing the catch on her crossbow as Shadow swung downwards with the chair.
There was a crunch, just as Nightshade reached out and grabbed Sky’s good wing. She followed up by headbutting him in the face, and the grey pegasus stallion collapsed over the table, soundly knocked out.
A bunch of burly looking stallions got to their hooves, glaring at the two sisters. “What the fuck was that for?”
“He was a rapist!” Sky cried.
“He was a pedofilly!” Shadow yelled at the same time.
The pair locked eyes for a moment, before turning back to the stallions and pointing at one another. “What she said!”
They looked confused for a moment, looking between the sisters before turning to the elder. “Miss, you just interrupted our buddy’s birthday with your shit,” growled one of the larger ones, a light brown gentlecolt with an anchor for a cutie mark. His breath reeked of alcohol. “You know what happens to ponies who interrupt my buddy’s birthday?”
“They get a goodie bag to take home?” Sky grinned, looking him up and down with approval. Oooh, a sailor...don’t mind if I do...
“Um...sis...” Shadow started, before closing her mouth and sitting back. She’d known her sister for long enough to know how this was going to turn out. Bloody shameless flirt...
“You getting smart with me?” Goodie Bag’s eyes narrowed.
“I don’t know...” Sky grinned, playing with her drink. “Do you want me to get smart with you?”
“Maybe I should take your ass out back and teach you a lesson...” his muzzle was inches from Sky’s now.
“Maybe you should...” she nodded, her eyes half-lidded, murring softly. Come on, matey...I’ll have you...
“Oi.” growled another stallion from behind her. Sky looked around, internally rolling her eyes. Oh come on, let the nice guy take me out back and teach me a lesson...
Goodie Bag looked up at the pegasus. He was a slightly darker shade of blue, with a black and yellow mane. Part of his ear was missing, almost like something had taken a bite out of it.
“Step away from the mare. She doesn’t want anything to do with you.”
“Well, actually… Sky began.
“And why the hell do you care what happens to her?”
“Would you just let her go, already?”
Sky frowned, hopping off of her chair. “You know what? This probably isn’t gonna work. Come on Shadow, let’s get out of here…”
“Oh no you don’t!” Goodie Bag growled, grabbing her by the shoulders and digging his hooves in.
That’s a bit more like it…
“Hey! I said back off!” The blue pegasus shoved him away.
Or not…
“You back off!” The angry stallion shoved him back, harder. The pegasus bumped back into his table, upsetting his drink.
There was a moment of silence as his whiskey spilled across the table, dripping onto the floor. He was transfixed by it, staring intently as if expecting it to jump back into his glass from force of sheer will alone. When he turned back to the stallion, he was glaring.
“Nopony…” he growled, picking up a barstool. “fucks...with...my...booze.”
And with that, he walloped the stallion straight in the muzzle.

All hell broke loose. The two stallions growled at one another, circling for a while, champing and snorting before finally locking hooves and wrestling. The pegasus roared, throwing his opponent off of him and hurling his assailant back into the bar, upsetting a few more drinks. Sky looked around, seeing the whole ‘get fucked by angry stallions’ plan going completely down the tubes, and gave a quick, loud whistle.
“Yeah, sis?” Shadow asked, crawling out from under the table. Far from looking as scared as a filly ideally should under these circumstances, she couldn’t possibly look more excited if she tried.
“I think we might’ve buggered up. We should probably get out of here.” Sky looked around, chuckling.
“Awww, can’t I just barfight for a little while?”
Sky rolled her eyes, grinning. “Oh, all right. You can beat up one pony, but then it’s bedtime, okay?”
“Sweet!” Shadow giggled mischievously, grabbing a bottle and taking off, flying over the growing fray, ready to dive in to smack an unsuspecting pony upside the head.
Sky watched her little sister go, beaming proudly. I’m never gonna stop being proud of that insane fluffy little bugger…
She was somewhat distracted by a bright orange pegasus soaring over her head, sent flying by the blue stallion in the middle of the scrum. He tumbled and turned in the air and crashed into a table, giggling madly.
“Hey Sparky!” Sky chuckled, helping him to his hooves as he twitched a little. “How’s it hanging?”
“Not hanging at all!” Sparky grinned back, fluttering his wings excitedly. “Flying, falling, crashing. How are you?”
“Not too bad, thanks!” Sky nodded, getting tackled by one of Goodie Bag’s friends. “Hey, don’t suppose you wanna give me a hoof, could you?”
“Dunno...what do I get in return?” Sparky asked evasively. The stallion drew back a forehoof to punch Sky in the face while she was pinned down.
“Erm...anything you want!”
“A night with you?”
“SURE!” Sky’s eyes widened as the stallion brought down his hoof, cracking some of the wooden floorboards where her head had been just a second before.
“Well jeez, you just had to say so!” Sparky grinned, rolling his eyes and charging into the stallion, knocking him off of Sky.
She got to her hooves, dusting herself off and flicking her forehoof to snap her crossbow open. A moment later, she had to duck as Sparky went flying over her head again. Jamming a sleep dart into the weapon, Sky raised it and got off a shot as that stallion came for another go at her, diving sideways as he dropped to the floor, already snoring.
“Well this isn’t exactly the kind of party I’d asked for, but whatever.” she chuckled, flicking her tail and wrapping it around the hind legs of a stallion who was charging towards the melee. He tripped over, landing in the pony pile face-first.
Sky yelped as someone grabbed her good wing from behind. She spun around, a few of her loose feathers coming free as her attacker refused to release his grip.
“Oi! Hooves off, mate!” she giggled, coming face-to-face with Nightshade again. He seemed groggy and thoroughly pissed off, holding a hoof-full of her feathers and growling furiously.
“You think this is a fucking joke?” Nightshade spread his wings, raising his hooves defensively. Sky eyed him warily. She knew him well enough to know that he was a brawler first and a burglar second. She took a few steps back, trying to get a few tables and chairs between the two of them. Her flanks bumped into something, and as she turned around, she saw the blue pegasus from earlier swinging a forehoof around to meet her, in a terrible, frothing, sober frenzy.
Nightshade spread his wings, leaping over the table and charging towards her, raising his own hoof to sock her in the face as well.
Sky did the only sensible thing any mare could do in such circumstances.
She ducked.
Nightshade struck the pegasus in the face, and he snarled loudly, picking him up by the shoulders and casting him into the air. The stranger then switched over onto his front hooves, winding up and bucking Nightshade out of the window as he fell back to earth.
“Blimey…” Sky whistled, looking up at the pegasus as her rival went sailing out onto the street. “I don’t suppose you want a go with me, do you?”
“There’s a time and a place, miss.” the stallion grinned back. He definitely didn’t seem aversed to the idea.
“Yeah, yeah, I know…” Sky rolled her eyes. “Barfight, guards are probably coming, yadda yadda.”
She loaded up her crossbow with another sleep dart, dropping a pony who was coming up behind her would-be rescuer with a folding chair. A moment later, Shadow shot out of nowhere, starting to lay into the unconscious pony with a plank of wood.
“Oh yeah, that’s my little sister.” she chuckled, as the pegasus followed her eyes to the unfortunate scene incredulously.
“Uh huh…” he grunted, raising an eyebrow and staring for a moment. Shadow stopped what she was doing to give him a cheery wave.
Sky was about to continue the pleasantries, but was cut off by the sound of rapid hoofsteps behind her. She drew back her hind legs, kicking a chair towards whoever was coming and dove sideways. The bar patron in question, who for all she knew was just trying to get the hell out of there, tumbled over the chair, straight into the pegasus’s back legs.
“Anyway, introductions!” he grinned, once he was sure that the pony was out cold. “What’s your name, lass?”
“It’s Sky.” she grinned, going a little pink. Bugger me, nopony’s ever asked me my name when they thought they were gonna get lucky before… “How about you, sweetie?” she added, giving him her best bedroom eyes.
“My name’s Eny…” he began, but stopped mid-sentence. There was a tinkling of broken glass, and he stood there for a moment before falling over forwards, knocked out by some plot-blocking pony with a broken bottle.
Sky sighed, walking slowly up to the pegasus’s assailant, putting her forehooves on his cheeks and giving him a soft smile.
Then she headbutted him, hard.

Ponies didn’t join the guard to put up with this sort of crap. When they looked up at those nice recruitment posters, they didn’t imagine themselves wading into some wrecked-up pub to break up a drunken slogging match. Unfortunately for Inspector Shield, who was on patrol with his squad that night, they couldn’t ignore a pegasus crashing through a window and sailing out onto the street. He sighed, visibly deflating as he gestured vaguely in the direction of Screwdriver’s. “Okay lads, you know the drill.” he said tiredly, his horn flaring as he drew his sword. “Round up the drunkards, put them in the cart if they resist...just...it’s too early for this shit.”
The guards, especially some of the rookies who were far less used to this kind of thing, drew their weapons and charged towards the bar with far more gusto. They even chanted “hup hup hup!” as they did it, oblivious to the empathic expression that their commanding officer was wearing.
Yeah yeah, just wait until you get in there…poor sods... he thought to himself, following reluctantly.

Sky poked her head out of the shattered window, her smile disappearing. Uh oh…
“Erm, Shadow?” she backed up a little, wary of the broken glass currently carpeting the bar.
Her little sister was still beating her victim over the head with a plank of wood. She looked up at Sky as if she’d just been interrupted in the middle of something very important.
“What’s up?” she keeps her eyes on her big sister, not making any effort to stop doing what she’s doing.
Thump...thump...thump…
“There’s a fuckton of guards out there. We’d probably better get out of here…”
“But siiiiiiiiis!” She whined, tears appearing in her pretty green eyes.
“Oh fine! I’ll just let you get arrested by the guards!” Sky shrugged, giving a knowing smile as she started to trot to the back door. “Who knows, they might even send you to military school so you can learn some manners!”
That did it. Shadow went wide-eyed and froze, dropping the plank of wood, where it landed with a comical clatter. “Erm...I mean...meet back at the hideout in an hour?” she squeed.
The elder sister giggled. That one always worked on that poor little filly. “Yep, hideout in an hour, and then it’s off to bed, okay?” She ducked as Sparky shot over her head again, ready for round three.
“Fine…” she pouted, before spreading her wings and rocketing out of the hole in the window, zipping off into the air.

The guards burst into the bar, some of the lead soldiers slipping on the mix of unconscious ponies and puddles of beer that currently covered the floor. They were all of them drawn into the brawl, dragged in by angry and inebriated stallions with a million different grievances against the government in general and “interferin’ guards” in particular. The arrival of Canterlot’s finest really only provoked escalation. Spells started flying all over the place, scorching holes in the wall and blasting tables apart. The entire tavern sounded like someone had set off fireworks, explosions, the buzz and whistling of spells and the roar of about four dozen angry stallions combining into a deafening din.

Sky, however, was gone, leaning against the wall in the alleyway out back, rubbing her ears and chuckling to herself. Stretching her legs and her wings, she trotted back out onto the street, ready to go home.

Huh...all in all, today’s been a pretty good day…

Territorial Dispute

The moon was out, high over the city. The only sounds that could be heard were distant guard whistles, clock tower bells tolling 10PM, and the pitter-patter of hooves as ponies headed home after a late night at work.

Sky’s hoofsteps were far quieter, making almost no noise on the cobblestones, her hoof mufflers silencing any of the racket that her hooves would have made. It was an advantage of being light on her hooves. She idly spread her wings, taking a little more of her weight off of her hooves, and fell completely silent.
It was difficult for a bright red and white pony like her to be sneaky, but Sky managed well enough, her grey cloak and hood hiding most of her features as she trotted along in the shadows of a thousand imposing buildings. The air was cool and breezy, the streets were near-silent, and there was enough light being cast between the moon, the streetlamps and the palace to guide her way home. Best of all, she was on her own turf now, a part of the city that she knew well enough.
You know, today’s ended up going pretty damn well for me...I hope that Shadow got back safe… Sky thought to herself. She smiled, slapping her head with a hoof. Of course Shadow got back safe. She always did.
The little white pony darted across a deserted street, illuminated for a moment in the light of the all-too-distant palace before she was lost in darkness again, heading home. Sky sighed with relief. Just because this was her part of town didn’t mean that there weren’t guards stationed all over the place that’d happily bring her in if they got their hooves on her.
She found herself looking at the sky a little bit more than usual, her hood falling back as she gazed up at the moon and the stars. A few pegasi rocketed overhead, the roar of their wings so distant and faded from down here. Giving her own a quick flap, Sky made her way onto the roof of a terraced house with a few bounds, and sat herself down. Her eyes darted from the pegasi, briefly silhouetted in the moonlight, to the Wonderbolts Race Track, and even out over the rooftops, where she could just make out Cloudsdale in the distance. She wrapped her tail around her forehooves and sighed.
“It’s been a while.” she whispered, holding out her bad wing. She could see the familiar puncture wounds, eight of them, the light from the palace behind her filtering through both them and the bandages. It had been a while indeed. Five years she’d gone without the power of flight, just a glorified earth pony with a few tricks up her sleeve. She’d gotten on fine without it, of course, but still, she’d be lying if she said that she didn’t miss the feeling of soaring in the clouds.
“After tomorrow, everything’s gonna be different…” she whispers to the world at large. No more having to worry about tall buildings or falling off of things. No more worrying about earth pony guards...and Shadow wouldn’t be able to do that really irritating thing where she’d steal her magazines or nice knickers and put them on a cloud that was too high for her to reach. Everything was going to be very different indeed.

Sky was jerked back into reality by a distant noise. Her ears perked, and she looked around at one of the larger buildings in the district. The Canterlot Museum. Red lights were flashing from inside of it, and an alarm was ringing. A burglar alarm.
The hell is going on? Somepony’s fucking around in my territory… Sky thought to herself, growling softly, spreading both of her wings and leaping from rooftop to rooftop, galloping towards the museum to inspect the trouble.

Her hooves clattered on the tiles as she galloped as fast as she could. It was fair to assume that anypony who was robbing that museum right now was probably trying to scarper. Time always started running out for a burglar as soon as the alarms went off. Sky knew well enough that she’d be buggering off at this point, that’s for sure.
And yet here I am, running towards the alarms for once...what the hell have I gotten myself into this time?
She slid down the tiled roof, leaping across the street and looking down into the courtyard in front of the museum. There was a pony, obscured by darkness and a cloak of their own, galloping for their life.
“OI!” she bellowed, leaping down after him. She spread her wings, using them to slow down so that she landed comfortably on the cobblestone ground, and then her legs were moving again, rapidly picking up speed. This was the closest her wings had come to making that familiar whining noise, when she was on the ground galloping as fast as she could. Her hooves hit the stone with a dull thudding noise as she followed the pony, who spread wings of their own. A stallion, by the looks of him. The broad shoulders were a dead giveaway. He was fast too, but Sky was faster, and beginning to gain on him.

As she was about to snatch at his tail, he started flapping his wings, launching himself up into the air. For a moment, he was silhouetted against the moonlight, before he started to climb higher and higher.
There’ll be none of that, mate… Sky growled, giving her own wings as big a flap as she could manage. She rebounded off of a wall, climbing up the side of the building before launching herself off of it, thudding into the pegasus and tackling him out of the air. He dropped like a stone with her extra weight, crashing headlong into a stack of garbage bags.
“Who the hell are you?” Sky growled, trying to pull his hood off so that she could get a good look at his face. He wouldn’t let his hood budge, kicking out at her and catching her in the stomach. Sky doubled over, gasping for breath as the wind was knocked out of her.
“Leave me the fuck alone…” he growled, trying to get going again. There were little glints of light from under his saddlebag flaps.
What the hell did he take?
Sky wasn’t about to let him get away that easily, clamping her teeth down around his tail and pulling him back, the stallion’s hooves slipping on the cobblestone before he fell back down to the ground. There was a crack as his head hit the street. It sure as hell wasn’t the stones.
She rolled him onto his back, trying to pin him down and maybe get a dart in before he fought back, but this guy was a good brawler. The second he could use his legs, he bucked out at her with both of his hind legs, launching her off of him again. She opened her wings to slow herself down as she flew back, skidding on the ground as she landed, crossbow snapping out. “Hold...hold the fuck up!” she wheezed, loading up a sleep dart and training the weapon on him.
The stallion groggily got to his hooves, glaring at her from behind his burglar’s mask. His features were concealed, backing into the shadow of a tall apartment building before she could get a good look at him. All she could see was a pair of wings and a big shit-eating grin.
Fuck, he’s got backup…
Sky whirled around just in time to catch a hoof to the face, launched back onto the ground by a second pegasus stallion, similarly clothed. She grunted and felt a warmth around her mouth as her nose started to bleed, her vision blurry. Out of the corner of her eye, she could spot her loaded dart rolling away, knocked out of her crossbow.
Why do the biggest assholes always have backup?
She shuddered, getting up and shaking her head. As her eyesight came back to her, she saw the two stallions standing together, both of them fixated on the dart rolling down the street.
Sky looked at the dart, then back up at them.
They returned her gaze, then looked at the dart.
“You’d better bloody not…” she growled, starting to run towards the escaping dart, light dancing on the bright green formula in the capsule. It didn’t occur to her to just load another one. She was concussed, panicking, and in that moment, she made one big mistake.
She ran towards it.
The two stallions chased after it too.
Sky was faster than the two of them, but she needed to get up to speed first, and she still couldn’t quite see properly. To her advantage, neither could the stallion she’d already knocked down, and the two of them were stumbling like idiots as they tried to find their hooves again. Sky flicked at him with his tail, trying to wrap it around his legs to completely unbalance him, perhaps even taking him out of the fight if he landed hard enough. Her tail-flick completely missed him, not that he needed the help to trip over his own clumsy hooves. He hit the deck, groaning, his wings splaying out at his sides. One down.
“Come on, you pillock…” she growled, trying to catch the second pony. He was right in front of her now, and she was picking up speed. This was going to be all too easy…
You know, unless he suddenly skidded to a halt.
That complicated matters a little.
Sky caught a faceful of his plot, going too fast to be able to stop in time. The little mare, about two-thirds his size, crumpled up against his flanks before flopping down onto the ground, rubbing her nose and spitting out tail hairs.
“Bloody...hell...watch where I’m going, buddy!” she gasped, getting up and coughing a little. The stallion, not being too much of a gentlecolt himself, bucked her right in the face with both of his hind legs.
Sky dropped onto her back, and a moment later she was being picked up from behind, no doubt by the bigger stallion’s partner. He held her around her midsection while the other picked up the dart, turning and regarding her with the same grin that his partner had given her earlier.
“You’d better fucking not…” she flapped her wings uselessly, struggling and twisting in the pony’s grip and keeping her eyes on the dart.
He just kept grinning, coming closer. For all of her struggling, Sky couldn’t get away. She simply wasn’t strong enough.
She was all out of tricks.
The stallion sank the dart into the side of her neck, kissing her with the same motion. Her ears folded back against her head and she screamed into the kiss, beating her wings harder than ever. She couldn’t do anything but watch as the formula in the glass dart capsule emptied into her body.
“Mmmph!” she cried out, kicking out with her back hooves, her tough boots hitting soft tissue down between his own hind legs. His eyes crossed and he broke the kiss, falling down to the ground to put his hooves on his crotch. Sky knew that she was already beaten, but was ready to make life hell for those two stallions until the formula overtook her body. She only had a few seconds left.
“Fu...fuck y...yo...apricots…” she murmured, already starting to feel woozy. Those sleep darts were potent. She kept twisting in the second stallion’s grip, bucking her head backwards to smack him in the muzzle. Her tail wrapped around his leg and gave a tug, unbalancing him and sending him crashing down onto the ground with her. Sky kicked out until she got free, squirming out of his grip and trying to crawl away.

It was too late. It had been too late ever since that hypodermic needle had found its way into her body. She was already somewhat concussed, and as she tried to stagger away, the formula took hold. Her limbs grew numb, starting with her desperately flapping wings. A moment later, her legs locked up, and as she began to keel over, she said what more or less anypony would say in her position.
“Oh bugger.”
And with that, she closed her eyes, asleep and snoring before she hit the ground.

Sky stirred, not wanting to open her eyes just yet. In the same vein as a schoolfilly who didn’t want to get up for their first day back, Sky didn’t want to get up because she just knew that somepony was going to be standing over her holding a weapon. It was inevitable. If she fell asleep on the sidewalk, she would always always wake up having pissed off somepony or other. It was one of the rules of the universe.
There was a mumbling sound, followed by the *clop clop clop* of big clompy armoured hooves. She knew that sound all too well. Guards.
Maybe they haven’t seen me…
They were coming closer.
Oh please don’t have seen me…
The hoofsteps stopped right next to her. She could feel somepony’s hot breath on her neck as they gave her an experimental nuzzle.
Maybe he doesn’t know who I am. I can still get out of this…
There was silence for a while. The pony sure as hell hadn’t moved, but he wasn’t doing anything. Maybe someone had shot him? The curiosity was starting to overcome her, and she was growing more and more desperate to open her eyes and see what was going on.
He’s gonna be right in front of you…
What if he wasn’t, though? He could have gone. Maybe he was going to leave her alone. She had to know…
He’ll be right there. Just wait and see…
Sky cracked an eye open, overcome by her own nosiness.
Yep, he was still there, and looking right at her.
You stupid bitch…
He was checking her face against a wanted poster. It must be one of the few in the city that she hadn’t personally defaced.
“Sky Runner…” growled the guard, leaning down so his muzzle was inches for hers. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say…”
“Bollocks.” she muttered, as he went on and on, and eventually clapped her forehooves in irons. This was going to be one of those nights.

Whodunnit

Sky wiggled her flanks just a little before leaping to an adjacent rooftop. She felt overall pretty exhausted, but there was still a lot of work to do. Her mind was racing like mad as she galloped down the street towards her little tower.
Who the hell was in my territory? Why’d they hit the university? What did they want with those crystals? Hell, why did they think it was so important that I take the fall? These were all questions to which Sky had no answers, and being as she was an incredibly nosy mare, that simply didn’t sit well with her.

Another thing that simply didn’t sit well with her was that the door wouldn’t budge when she tried to open it.
Damn it, not again… Sky rolled her eyes. “SHADOW!”
A little blue pegasus filly peeked out from over the balcony a couple of floors up, giving Sky her most incredible shit-eating grin. “Yeeeeeees?”
“You’ve got ten seconds to open this door…”
“Or what? You’ll not fly at me?” Shadow giggled cheekily. “No, I open the door if you give me the password. That’s the rules.”
Sky glared up at her little sister, thoroughly unprepared to deal with this shit tonight, thank you very much. “No deal.”
“Well, okay.” Shadow shrugged. “I guess you don’t want me to let you in, then! Now, what can I do to pass the time when you’re not here…?” She disappeared into the tower again. Sky’s ears splayed back as she realised what she was up to.
Oh no, she’s not going to do this again…
Shadow trotted back onto the balcony, holding a big black book in her mouth. It was old and worn, and it looked like it had had a great many pages added to it. Sky recognised it on sight.
“Shadow, you’d better not!” Sky shouted, shaking her head. “I swear, if you read one single word of that book, I will fucking end you!”
The little filly cleared her throat as she took the book in her forehooves and flicked through it, wings buzzing excitedly. “Oh, here’s a fun entry! Ahem…”
“YOU’D BETTER FUCKING NOT!”
“Dear Diary, today I saw that cute mare in the library again! She’s got a manecut that really brings out her eyes!” Shadow snickered, speaking loud enough that the neighbours would almost definitely be able to hear.
Sky did a nervous little dance on the spot. That was yesterday’s entry, and she knew that it got far worse than just that.
“She was with that dark blue dick-piston again! They look so happy together, but he’s just whispering sweet nothings in her ear! I wish she’d notice me instead! I’m way cuter, plus I can do that trick with the yo-yo and the...oh Luna…” Shadow broke down into the squeakiest fit of the giggles in Equestrian history, unable to go on. “Ser...seriously...you wrote this?”
“SHADOW, PUT THAT BOOK AWAY RIGHT FUCKING NOW!” Sky panicked, looking around sheepishly as some of the neighbours came to the windows to see what all the fuss was about.
Shadow, however, seemed determined to go on, for the good of Equestria, if not for the state of her sides. “She...she’s so sweet and has a smile that...that brightens up...the whole room...oh Luna, you’re killing me!” she collapsed, rolling onto her back and laughing loudly enough to wake up the whole city. “I kee...keep having these dreams where...where she pushes me up against the wall, and…”
“OKAY, YOU WIN! YOU WIN!” Sky bellowed up at the hysterical filly. “I’LL PLAY YOUR PASSWORD GAME BULLSHIT! JUST PUT THE BOOK AWAY! PLEEEEEASE!” She stamped her hooves, panicked, as a couple of onlookers gave sleepy little chuckles.
Shadow took a moment to catch her breath, rolling onto her front and dropping the book. Her wings, a little bit bigger than they ought to be on a pony her size, fluttered along with her laughter. She had a giggle that could make the biggest steroid-abusing minotaur in Equestria squee.
“Okay...okay...I’m all right…” she panted after an agonising few minutes. “Right...right...try to guess the password and I’ll let you in, okay?”
“Right, right, password…” Sky looked down at her hooves, flapping her good wing pensively. “Um...can I get a hint?”
“It’s something that you ought to say to me more!” Shadow stuck her tongue out, dangling her forehooves off of the balcony lazily.
“Shit...erm...I…I love you?” Sky gave a wide toothy grin.
Shadow gave her a deadpan look. “Erm…no.” She shook her head, grinning. “Come on sis, this one’s so easy that even you can get it!”
“SHADOW, I’M GONNA KICK YOU RIGHT IN THE…”
“...WHERE SHE PUSHES ME UP AGAINST THE WALL AND I BLUE-DART HER AND I CAN FEEL HER BIG HARD COCK PRESSING AGAINST MY…”
“OKAY! I’M GUESSING! I’M GUESSING!” Sky waved her forehooves wildly to get Shadow to shut up.
Shadow checked her hooves for blemishes, putting away the book. “I’m listening…” she giggled.
“Okay, right...erm...how about another hint?”
“It’s a poem.” Shadow looked up innocently.
“A poem? How the fuck am I meant to come up with a poem?” Sky did her little dance again, before a very sneaky idea struck her.
“It’s gotta be aaaaaaaall about your favourite little filly in the whole wide world!” Shadow grinned cheekily, leaning out over the balcony.
“Oh, that one who still wets the bed?” Sky grinned smugly, flicking her tail into her saddlebag and withdrawing a lockpick.
“He...HEY! I do not!” Shadow squeaked defensively, going bright red. “No! Fuck off! Just for that, you’ve gotta add a verse about how much braver I am than you!”
Sky deadpanned up at her little sister. “Yahuh...brave? Really?” All the while, she worked the lock, carefully pushing up against the little tumblers
“Yeah!” Shadow nodded, apparently unaware that Sky was in the process of breaking in. The elder sister stuck her tongue out as she concentrated, gently working the old lock apart. It was a cheap piece of shit. Only two tumblers.
“Oh yeah!” Sky nodded. “You’re super duper brave and awesome, Shadow! I mean, it’s not like you hid under my wing that time we went to the petting zoo and you thought the puppy had rabies.”
“Hey! Shut the fuck up! Besides, you’re not exactly the bravest pony in the stable yourself! Remember how high you jumped into the air when I crept up behind you that one time?”
“Hey! That wasn’t me being scared! That was me being startled! There’s a difference!” Sky cried defensively as she pushed the pins in the lock into their retracted positions, taking a bit in her mouth and sticking it in the keyhole.
“Yeah yeah yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night.” Shadow giggled. “So come on already! Quit stalling!”
“Okay, fine!” Sky sighed, twisting the bit in the lock and popping it open. “So what was it you wanted me to do again?”
“A poem aaaaaaall about how great I am!” Shadow nodded briskly, giving a cheeky little squee.
“Okay…” Sky slipped inside, climbing up the stairs. It didn’t look like her little sister had noticed her absence yet. She licked her lips as she clambered up the stairs sneakily, tail flicking from side to side as she approached the as-yet unaware filly.
“And don’t forget to add that verse I told you about!”
“And what verse was that, exactly?” Sky asked, when she was right behind her.
“The verse where you tell me how brave I...HOLYSHITDON’THURTME!” Shadow turned around and shrieked, leaping a good ten feet into the air and smacking into the doorframe as she tried to escape.

Sky burst out laughing as her little sister got to her hooves, mildly concussed.
“You’re gonna be the death of me…” she whimpered softly, shaking her head and perking her ears back up.
“Super-brave, huh?” Sky grinned, ruffling Shadow’s mane and trotting back inside. Shadow rubbed her head, groaning.
“I am super-brave!” She said defensively, hopping onto a couch and settling down. “It was just a...erm...a super-rare karate move called the...erm…”
“Scared filly?”
“Shut up!” Shadow pouted, tucking her head under her wing. When she spoke again, her voice came through quite muffled. “Where the hell were you, anyway? You’re late. I thought you said we’d meet up back here.”
“Yeah, sorry Shadow.” Sky rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “I got arrested.”
“What the hell, sis? You never get arrested!” Shadow raised her head, fluttering her slightly larger-than-average wings.
“Somepony was robbing the museum. Looks like they wanted me to be the fall mare.” Sky shrugged, starting to pace around the room. “Damned if I knew who pulled that, though.”
“Whoa whoa whoa! You mean, like, the Canterlot Museum? Our territory?” Shadow lofted her eyebrows, tail flicking from side to side restlessly.
“Yeah. Whoever it was had backup. They sleep darted me and left me to get taken down by the cops.”
“Oh, well that one’s easy.” Shadow shrugged. “There’s only a few burglars in this whole damn city that work in pairs. There’s us, and then there’s…”
“Shady and Nightshade…” Sky finished for her, nodding. “But what the hell would they want with those crystals they stole, and how the hell were my feathers found in the crime scene? I haven’t been anywhere near that place in months, not since they had that exhibit on the Wonderbolts. They’d have cleaned the place up since then, right?”
“Yeah. One of them must’ve gotten their hooves on some of your feathers and planted them there, right?” Shadow put in, hopping off the couch.
“Well...I guess they could’ve...” Sky nodded uncertainly, looking around at her decidedly untidy wings. “Wait...at Screwdriver’s, Nightshade grabbed my wing! He must’ve pulled some of my loose feathers out!”
“See? Maybe if you preened once in a while, you wouldn’t get in trouble…” Shadow grinned, giving her big sister’s good wing a playful tug.
“Preening’s for ponies with working wings.” Sky chuckled, giving her little sister a soft hug. “This shit’s starting to make sense now. Nightshade pulls my feathers out, he goes and robs the museum with his dad watching his back, and that must’ve been the two of them fighting with me a few blocks away when I caught up with them.”
“Course, finding out the truth means busting into their part of the city.” Shadow frowned. “Think you can handle it, sis?”
“We’ll do it together.” Sky nodded, looking down into Shadow’s bright green eyes. “It’s okay. We’ve got an advantage. Nightshade and Shady think that I’m still in prison.”
“You sucked off the guard, didn’t you?” Shadow deadpanned.
“I didn’t not suck him off…” Sky rolled her eyes evasively. “Look, the point is that they won’t expect me to be coming, and once I’ve got a few things together, we can hit their hideout and see about making them cough up some information.”
“Wow, look at you.” Chuckled the little filly. “It’s almost as if you’ve got a goal in life again.”
Sky gasped in mock shock. “Don’t be ridiculous! Start saying shit like that and next thing you know, I’ll have a real job.”
Shadow shuddered. “Yeah, let’s not imagine you with a real job. For some reason, my mind just jumped to the word ‘brothel.’”
“Maybe if I fancy a holiday.” Sky pulled her bandolier off of her back and started inspecting the darts therein. All of them were built around a little glass capsule containing that delightful bright green sleep formula. “If I’m gonna hit Shady’s hideout, I’m gonna need a few different darts. Sleep formula’s nice, but I wanna be flexible.”
The little white pegasus pulled her diary out of her saddlebag, dropping it onto the couch and turning the pages until she found her little list of recipes. “How about some pink darts?”
Shadow hopped onto her sister’s back, looking at the book over her shoulder. “Hmmm...nah.” She shook her head. “I wouldn’t open with them.”
“Awww…” Sky’s ears flopped down with disappointment. “Okay, okay, what about the amber ones?”
“We wanna interrogate them, not blow them up. Come on sis, just make some blue ones, take a few bottles of mane and coat dye with you, and you’re golden!” Shadow nudged her neck impatiently, grinning her cheekiest little grin.
“Hmmm…” Sky scratched her chin, looking at the blue dart recipe. “I think you’re right...fine. I’ll whip up a few of those, just in case one of them catches me.”
“I was gonna suggest you use them on yourself so they don’t see you coming, but hey, what do I know?” Shadow shrugged.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Sky chuckled. “Ponies always make the funniest faces when they think they’ve gotten rid of me and I pop up in their homes.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that.” Shadow rolled her eyes. “It’s pretty damn funny. So can I come with you on this one?”
“I dunno, are you positive that it isn’t somepony’s bedtime?” Sky stuck her tongue out at her little sister. “You did have a big day beating up that poor drunk bastard…”
“Hey! I’m totally awake! Fuck you!” Shadow protested. “Besides, I’ve probably got concussion or something. I shouldn’t be sleeping! I might die!”
“Yahuh. Excuses, excuses.” Sky grinned, bucking Shadow off of her back and catching her by the scruff of neck. The little filly squirmed and flapped her wings as Sky carried her up a floor, dropping her into bed and tucking her in.
“Hey get off of me! I’m not tired! I’m...not…” Shadow kept squirming, giving a wide squeaky yawn. “Not tired…”
“Sure you’re not.” Sky whispered, sitting down by her bedside and stroking her mane. “Do you want me to read you something before I go?”
“How old do you think I am?” Shadow asked irritably, glaring sleepily up at her big sister.
“Well okay then! I guess I’ll just be off!” Sky shrugged, getting to her hooves and trotting for the stairs.
“No, wait!” Shadow held out a forehoof pleadingly.
Sky stopped in her tracks, looking around at her with her trademark shit-eating grin.. “Yeeeeees?”
“Um...maybe...maybe one story couldn’t hurt…” Shadow held up a little old book that she’d clearly pinched from the library. “This one’s all about two little sisters who go on adventures together...I...I guess you could read this one. I mean, you know, if that’s okay with you.” She did her best to appear apathetic, but there was a certain desperation in her eyes that Sky couldn’t ignore. The little white pegasus trotted back over to her sister’s bed and took the book from her.

It would be nice to say that Sky sat there for a good half an hour and read quietly to Shadow. It would be nice to say that Shadow was allowed to drift off to sleep to the her big sister’s soft reading voice. She would have done, had this not been the sort of book that required that Sky do every little sound effect and assign each character a silly little voice. She danced when the book told her to dance, made the big minotaur character speak in the squeakiest little falsetto, and mimed throwing pies at the tiny little filly when the book demanded it. For just a few minutes that night, Shadow forgot herself, sitting up and clapping as Sky read her the little story, making a noise between a squeaky giggle and a neigh whenever she did any of the silly sound effects. As Sky finally closed the book, she looked over to find that poor Shadow had laughed herself out, curled up under the blanket and snoring softly.
“Hehe...you poor little bugger.” Sky whispered, ruffling Shadow’s mane as she tucked her forehooves up under her chin, twitching in her sleep. “You’re pretty cute when you shut the fuck up and go to sleep.”
“Eat...shit...sis…” Shadow sighed, clutching her pillow and cuddling it tightly.
“I love you too.” Sky beamed down at her, giving her one last kiss on the cheek. She crept downstairs quietly, trying not to wake her little sister again.
“Goodnight sweetie.” Sky whispered as she pulled her hood up again. Getting a good run-up, she charged out onto the balcony and made a particularly big leap, gliding down towards street level. Those two rivals of hers were big trouble, brawlers first and burglars second. They were really just glorified thugs. Sky had gone up against them with Shadow enough times to know that they were bad news, but the past few months had seen them largely keep themselves to themselves. Now they wanted Sky removed from the gameboard, and she was going to bloody well find out why.

Author's Note

It’s best to not go into detail about how she can pick a lock with hooves. Trust me, you’ll sleep better at night not thinking about it.

Honour Among Thieves

A distant clocktower tolled two in the morning, and as Sky crept toward the threshold of Shady’s part of town, she really began to feel the fatigue setting in. She caught herself blinking excessively, her legs shaking just a little as she forged onwards. The trouble with being an adult, Sky mused, was that when shit like tonight’s events goes down, you aren’t bound by bedtimes anymore.

The city seemed more quiet, a rather grim pallor floating overhead like some idiot on the weather team misplaced the biggest cloud they could find. Sky felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding, like everything that had transpired thus far was setting the scene for a most unpleasant adventure that she could possibly imagine. The theft of magical superweapons, her framing, the fact that her two least favourite rivals in the whole world were in some way connected, all of it stank of some horrible conspiracy to Sky, and apparently she was a fall pony for whoever was behind this. That made this even more difficult, since Sky didn’t really have enough hooves to count off how many ponies she’d managed to piss off over the years. Really, thought she, anypony could be behind this whole mess, even if it was simply for the sake of getting back at her for some grievance that even she probably couldn’t remember. The implications of all that had occurred tonight troubled Sky to no end, forcing her to ruminate on the many successful heists she’d completed, the nature of karma and revenge, and her place is an uncaring world where she was at the bottom of the food chain. Such thoughts terrified her to no end.
“Bugger.” she grunted.

Stuck to a nearby wall was a wanted poster. There were a lot of them spread across the city for her, but this one looked new. The little white pony frowned, trotting up to it and examining whatever list of offences they were determined to pin on her this time.

Wanted, for the crimes of theft, larceny, assault, obstruction of justice, soliciting sex, allowing others to solicit sex from her, fleeing from the Royal Guard, Grand Theft Carriage, terrorism...
Sky nodded, cracking a grin. A moment later, the grin disappeared as fast as it had come. “Wait, terrorism? Since fucking when?” she frowned, reading further into it.
Sky Runner is wanted alive for questioning over the disappearance of twelve Crystal Empire Focussing Gems, incredibly dangerous magical artifacts that can be used in the construction of several magical superweapons, including megaspells. Any information that helps bring this criminal to justice will be rewarded.
“Oh bollocks.” Sky muttered, pulling the poster off of the wall in the vain hope that it would in some way take away from her notoriety. She’d been on the run from the guards for as long as she could remember, but she’d always had a line in the sand. Never kill another pony, never do anything that gets the Equestrian Intelligence Agency on her ass. Depending on what the hell whoever had actually taken those crystals had planned, Sky figured that she was about to be accused of something that she could lie, pick or fuck her way out of. In short…
This isn’t good…

She froze where she stood, ears perking. The big clompy sound of a guard patrol echoed off in the distance, at least five blocks away. This sounded more like the swish of wings. Sky tried to blend in with her background as the pony came in to land nearby, but it was too late. Whoever it was, they’d already spotted her.
“Hey Sky!” Sparky piped up, trotting into the moonlight where she could see him properly. He didn’t look like he’d had a good night. At some point during the course of the night, he’d acquired a black eye, and a lot of his feathers were broken or bent, sticking out at odd angles. Nonetheless, he advanced on Sky with a businesslike gait, full of purpose.
“Oh, hey Sparky.” Sky smiled softly, more than a little relieved. “How’d you get out of Screwdriver’s place?”
“It’s like you taught me! Kick ‘em in the nads and run for it!” Sparkly chuckled. “And...speaking of things you told me, I believe you promised me something…”
“What, now?” Sky looked around. “I’m...kinda in the middle of something right now.”
“Maybe I wasn’t clear!” Sparky stepped forward, pinning her against the wall. “I’ve had a really crap night because of the shit you stirred up in the bar, and now I wanna blow off some steam.”
“Erm…clop to something, then?” Sky suggested, giving him a cheesy grin. She knew she wasn’t as strong as he was, and he had her right where he wanted her. She’d have to pull something pretty clever to get out of this one.
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Sparky shook his head. His alcohol-infused breath filled her nostrils, a heavy, hungry panting that made her want to retch.
Shit, I’ve got to get him off of me...quick, if I was him, what would kill my boner faster than anything else in the world?
Sky’s expression of reluctant fear turned into one of victorious cunning as the answer came to her.
Commitment.
“Well, you know…” she grinned mischievously. “If you fuck me, you’ve gotta become my coltfriend…”
“Come again?” Sparky paused, frowning.
“Yeah! You fuck me, you’ve gotta bring me presents and chocolate and tell me how beautiful I am every single day!” Sky was grasping at straws, her only concept of a relationship born from the issues of Cosmarepolitan that she’d picked up a few months ago. “And you’ll have to get a real job too. No more of this pyromania stuff!”
“Wait, no more pyro…?” Sparky struggled with the concept of a world without him setting things on fire, backing away a little. Sky advanced on him now, prowling like a predator.
“Yeah, and you’ll just love the things I can do with a fork and your dick! Trust me, the sex is gonna be wild...if you tell me you love me…”
“Wha...what do you...I mean, this is all going a bit fast, don’t you reckon?” Sparky backed away a little more, tripping on his own tail and landing on his flanks.
“Things can never go too fast when you’re in love!” Sky smiled, muzzle inches away from his. She was so small compared to him, only reaching his shoulder, but she had this stallion just where she wanted him. “So...when you get a ring…”
“Wait, ring?” Sparky panicked, eyes widening.
“Yeah! I mean, you can’t propose to a pony without a ring, can you?” Sky beamed, nuzzling his chest and putting her good wing around his back. “And you are gonna marry me, right?”
“I...can we see a marriage counsellor? I wanna talk about your abandonment issues…” Sparky squeaked.
“No...no, you’re not getting away!” Sky hugged him tightly, keeping him in a vice-like grip. “We’re gonna have so many foals together, and you get to have a real job, and I can help you lose a few pounds, and get a manecut, and…”
“Oh Luna, kill me now…” Sparky whispered, his tail between his legs.
“I love you, new husband!” Sky smiled brightly, hugging him super-tight. If she was a bigger pony, she’d have broken his ribs by now.
“No! I don’t wanna be a husband! Fuck off!” Sparky squealed like a frightened little filly, shoving Sky away and taking off down the road.
The little burglar looked up at a nearby clock tower.
Yeah...I’ve got some free time…

Sparky kept running until his pursuer was out of sight, panting heavily. He’d momentarily forgotten that he had working wings, too terrified to even flap them as he galloped down a dark alley. Skidding into a dead end, he glanced around worriedly before diving into a dumpster.
“Phew…” he muttered, taking a moment to relax in the peaceful darkness.
There was a rustling next to him. Probably rats. Sparky took out his trusty little matchbox and lit one up, trying to scare them off.
Before him was a little white pony nose. The rustling noise was the sound of her wings unfurling. Initially, it appeared as if something was incredibly wrong with her face, like she was missing her eyes. As he raised his match a little, he saw something far worse. It was a pony with a red mane wearing a wedding veil.
“Hey new husband!” Sky beamed at him in the dim light, inches from his muzzle.
“OH FUCK NO!” Sparky gave girly shriek, exploding out of the dumpster and taking off, rocketing up onto the rooftops. He didn’t stop flapping until he was a good few blocks away, finally sitting back against a chimney and allowing himself a few moments peace.
A little fishing hook descended from atop the chimney, affixing itself around his tail. The fisherpony started winding the rod back, lifting Sparky into the air by his tail.
It was a moment or two before the stallion realised what was happening to him, and another moment still before he started wildly struggling. Alas, it was too little too late, and he found himself hanging upside down, staring right into the cold merciless eyes of a love-smitten Sky with a fishing rod.
“Hey Mister Sky Runner!” She grinned, trying her best not to burst out laughing at the terrified pony.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Sparky cried, unhooking himself and dashing off down the street. He tore down the street, eyes darting around looking for somewhere to hide. He spotted a promising shop, diving through the front window with a loud crash. Finally, he was left in the darkness.
That mare’s fucking crazy… He thought to himself, getting shakily to his hooves and venturing further into the shop. Looked like some kind of mares’ clothing store or something. Sparky wasn’t familiar with that sort of thing, so he found himself ignoring all of the dresses in the showroom. All that mattered right now was hiding from that mad bitch.
He reached the middle of the shop before a terrible, hideous thought struck him.
“Wait...what kind of mares’ clothing store is this?” he whispered.
With trembling hooves and his tail between his legs, he shakily lit another match.

He was surrounded by mannequins, all of them wearing the latest wedding dresses. Sparky’s ears splayed back as he gazed at the scene around him in abject terror. He knew right away that Sky was in here somewhere, and she was watching him, prowling around him somewhere out of sight.
“Sk...Sky?” He ventured, his ears swivelling a little. The dim light cast by his match cast flickering shadows around the eerie shop. He jumped a little at every movement, peering for the longest time into the darkness to try and catch his pursuer out.
Fuck...my nerves are getting the best of me…
Sparky froze, ears flat against his skull. There was a horrible sound about the shop, without any obvious source to it. It was that of low, rasping heavy breathing.
“Sky?” He repeated, backing away from the front of the shop. The noise seemed to be coming from everywhere, It enveloped him, driving him back into the darkest corner of the shop he could find. Sparky dropped his match, leaving it flickering in the centre of the showroom.
“Sky, this isn’t funny. Come on, I give up! Please leave me alone...please?” he whimpered. As he backed away, Sparky found that the noise was easier to follow, that it was finally emanating from a fixed point; a shadowy mannequin with its face masked in darkness. Gulping nervously, the orange stallion approached it.
He’d clearly not seen enough horror movies in his time to fully appreciate what an incredibly stupid idea this was.
Tentatively, he gave the mannequin a tap on the forehead.
It was plastic.
“What the hell…?” he began.
Sparky didn’t get to finish his sentence, for it was at that moment that a mad mare wearing a wedding veil chose to pounce him from behind.
He didn’t react immediately, the overwhelming sense of dread starting at his hooves and working its way up and across his whole body. Finally, his ears perked as the mare leaned in, whispering.
“Isn’t this great, Sparky? Now you and I can be together forever…” Sky grinned an evil grin.
“No...I don’t want...I mean…” The stallion protested weakly, before finally flopping to the floor and passing out.
“Oh come on, I would’ve thought you’d last longer than that.” Sky pouted, clambering off of his prone form and dropping the veil onto his head. She gave the unconscious stallion a little peck on the cheek before trotting out of the shop.
“It’ll be a snowy day in Tartarus before I go in there again.” Sky chuckled as she went on her merry way.

A pony like her, she mused, was not one best suited to relationships. She was wild and free and other cliched words that somehow gave her the right to steal everything her potential suitors held dear. At any rate, she’d tried once or twice, and the little feathery bastard she lived with had always made it a living hell for anypony she brought home. It wasn’t necessarily Shadow’s fault. She just tended to make other ponies uncomfortable. It didn’t matter how hard she tried, or whether she did that thing where she hid her head under her own wing and peeked out through her feathers, she just never seemed to get a good reaction out of anypony she met.
The running commentary she gives from outside my bedroom door when I’m getting laid probably doesn’t help, either… Sky facehoofed.
Well, Shadow’s terrible sense of humour aside, Sky was set on being alone. It was way more fun that way. She never had to tidy up, or brush her mane, or any of that other shit. She didn’t like being tied down...well, at least not in that way.

Sky dispelled her ruminations as she crossed the invisible threshold into Shady’s part of town. This was a pretty dangerous move she was making. Burglars weren’t supposed to encroach on each others’ territory. It was one of the few customs that ponies in their line of work observed, a kind of unwritten understanding that everypony had reached. There was an invisible line in the sand that no one was allowed to cross, and Sky had just pranced right over it.
In fairness, thought she, Shady and Nightshade had both pranced across it into her part of the city that very same night. As far as Sky was concerned, this was just balancing the scales a little, that’s all.

Pulling her hood further over her head to mask her mane, Sky disappeared into an alley that looked much like any other. Her hoof-steps were dead silent with her wings spread, her padded hooves muffled against the cobblestones. She knew this path well enough, a rather unpleasant and smelly path to Shady’s hideout. It wasn’t that she made a habit of crossing into this part of town, but those two were...well...not exactly subtle. They were brutes, first and foremost. It was fair to say that they were as sneaky as Cerberus tripping over a drum kit.
It wasn’t long before the stench of dodgy Zebrican takeout overwhelmed her. She stepped out into a courtyard, surrounded on all sides by big old apartment buildings. Only one of them still had its lights on, a ground floor tenement with the front door ripped off of its hinges.
Well, at least they’ve got free air conditioning...not that it seems to be doing anything about the smell… Sky scrunched her snout as she crept forward. This was probably the stupidest thing she’d done tonight, but curiosity and a desire to clear her name drove her onward.
There was a crunching sound, like a heavy hoof coming down on a bottle, and a moment later something picked Sky up by the back of the neck, slinging her round and slamming her against the stone wall of the courtyard. Sky was stunned by the impact for a moment, unable to see or hear, though she could feel the hoof at her throat all too vividly. When her eyesight gradually came back, she found herself face to face with Nightshade again, holding a broken bottle in one hoof and her neck in the other.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” He growled. There was none of that snarkiness or dry humour in his voice anymore, just the drunken anger of a disturbed alcoholic.
Sky tried to answer, but he was crushing her windpipe. She struggled against the much stronger stallion, beating her weak damaged wings uselessly to try and free herself. Sky knew that she was in big trouble.There was no way that she was going to beat him in a contest of strength, and this time she didn’t have anypony to help her.
Her forehooves ventured back into her cloak, pulling out a small glass orb. She had to be quick. Her vision was starting to cloud again, on the verge of blacking out. Choking and wheezing, the little pony threw the orb at the ground between them with whatever strength she had left.
It cracked open, filling the air with thick black smoke. Nightshade yelped, breathing in the fumes and coughing violently. With the focus off of pinning her, Sky pulled herself free, dropping to the ground and massaging her throat.
Fuck me, that asshole’s got no fucking manners…
Sky wheeled around and raised her flanks up, balancing on her front legs as she took careful aim. With a loud grunt, she bucked Nightshade right in the bollocks.
The stallion didn’t go down as fast as anypony else would after taking a pair of hooves straight to the band candy. Nightshade buckled over onto his muzzle, landing on it with a thoroughly unpleasant crunching sound, but he wasn’t out yet. He whirled around, nose absolutely gushing blood, trying to focus on the little white mare in front of him. Stamping his forehoof on the ground, Nightshade gave a roar, lunging at her.
Sky galloped away ahead of him, but any escape plans she might have had were confounded by the high walls around her. They were far too big for her to leap up, and Nightshade was between her and the alley entrance. Worse still, Shady probably heard his son yelling outside, and might well be coming out to see what all the fuss is about.
That was all the excuse Sky needed. Rummaging in her bandolier, she pulled out a blue dart and jammed it into her hoof crossbow. Just before she hit the courtyard wall, she spun around, launching the dart at her pursuer and diving out of the way.

As the dust settled, Sky picked herself up and examined Nightshade, who’d managed to knock himself out cold against the wall like some kind of incredibly bad boss fight. She pulled the now-empty dart casing out of his chest. The blue formula was one of her very favourites, and she always loved watching the transformation take place. Nonetheless, as she looked over his prone form, muzzle covered in blood just like her own, an idea struck her.
“Hey Nightshade…” she whispered, shuffling closer to him and pulling out a bottle of red mane dye. “How would you like to be me for a day?”

Shady burst out of the apartment, looking around the courtyard for the source of the scream with his small piggy eyes. He was a big, rotund stallion, his burglar’s mask apparently permanently glued to his face in case somepony mistook him for a full-time alcoholic. When he spied a red-maned white mare with a bloody nose shakily getting to her hooves before him, he stamped the ground and growled furiously. “OI! I THOUGHT YOU WERE IN PRISON!”
“Wha…what the fuck are you on about?” Nightshade replied, before giving a terrified squeak and clapping his hooves over his mouth. His voice was, to put it delicately, not as male as it once had been.
Shady looked the mare up and down, his face a mask of absolute barely controlled rage. “You fucking thought you could sneak into my part of town, did ya?” He charged the small pony, scooping her up in his forehooves and throwing her into the stone wall.
“No! Wait! It’s Nightshade!” The mare squealed.
“What, you think I’m gonna fall for that?” Shady laughed madly. “You’re fucking dead, bitch…”

As Shady began whaling on his gender-swapped son, Sky took the opportunity to slip out of the shadows and into the apartment.

Sky wrapped her cloak around her muzzle as she stepped inside, overwhelmed by the stench of stale beer and equine filth.
Blimey, and I thought I was messy… She mused, stepping lightly over multitudes of discarded bottles and cans. The home of a messy stallion was more obstacle-laden than a net of magical laser tripwires protecting the world’s fanciest vault, and Sky was wary that any noise that she made might call Shady back into the apartment. In actual fact, she probably could have waltzed through here as a one-pony marching band and wouldn’t be heard over the sound of shrieking and thumping from outside.
“Not so witty now, are you bitch?” Shady roared from out in the courtyard.
Sky stifled a giggle. In another life, she’d have felt sorry for Nightshade, but he’d done some pretty unforgivable shit over the years. Her sympathy had gone completely out of the window quite a while ago.
She kept her eyes peeled as she ventured further into the burglars’ den, looking for anything incriminating. Of course, being as they were burglars, she couldn’t take more than two steps without finding something that those two ponies perhaps shouldn’t have in their possession. However, there was no sign of the crystals. They weren’t even in Shady’s saddlebags. Frowning, she rifled around in his cloak, which had been left draped over a mouldy old couch.
There was a crinkling sound as her hoof met something that felt like paper.
Ooh, this feels promising… Sky thought to herself, whipping the piece of paper out of his cloak and reading over it.

Shady,

You have been selected to take part in a heist that will change Equestria as we know it. Your part in all of this is simple - break into the Canterlot Museum, steal the full set of twelve focussing crystals, and then meet with our agent in the alley behind Screwdriver’s. For acquiring these crystals, you will be compensated 30,000 bits, but only on condition that all of the crystals are delivered intact.

Sky looked at the foot of the letter, hoping to find some kind of signature, but all she could see was a monogram, the letters “RT.”
Thirty thousand bits...holy shit, whoever’s behind this has some serious cash… Sky mused. This was getting more concerning by the minute, but at least now she had that monogram. It was a way forward.
Sneaking out the back of the apartment, Sky started flapping her wings, getting up to a full gallop as she hit a straightaway. It was time to head home and work out where to go from here.

Doing Your Homework

Shadow’s eyes flickered open, and she stared blearily around the bedroom.

Her own bed was a cloud that Sky had gotten for her with the assistance of a swimming pool net and some good luck, but she never really used it. She always found herself creeping up to Sky’s bed and snuggling in with her instead. Of course, when she woke up after passing out the night before, she found the bed empty, with no big sister to snuggle with. Shadow’s ears splayed back as she pawed the mattress with her hoof, as if Sky was going to materialise out of thin air.
Come on sis, where the hell are you? Shadow wondered, getting up out of bed and stretching. She couldn’t really sleep that well without Sky. There was something about being all wrapped up in her wings that made Shadow feel safe and loved...though she’d never admit it.
The little filly flapped her wings experimentally, looking out of the window to see if she could spy her in the darkness. A little candle burned on the windowsill, one that Sky had lit every night to guide the way home for both of them. It was a little thing, but Shadow liked it. They’d always come home, often together, even after nights as fucked up as this one was proving to be. Shadow had no doubt that Sky would come through for her. After all, her big sister had never let her down.

Still, she always did wonder…

Shadow launched herself into the ceiling as somepony tapped her on the shoulders, giving an incredibly girly squeal.
“That gets you every damn time!” Sky giggled, looking up at her little sister with a big cheeky grin on her face.
Shadow clung to one of the rafters overhead, shivering wildly. Her tail, mane and overlarge wings hung down beneath her.
“Fu...fuck you…” She shook, dropping down to the floor again and glaring at Sky, doing her little filly pout.
Sky ruffled her mane and sat down on the bed, holding out a wing to wrap around her little sister. Shadow, her little filly heart racing wildly, gave Sky a look of deepest loathing.
“No.” She sulked.
“Awwww, come on! My wing’s extra warm and soft and feathery!” Sky grinned back, fluttering it a little for emphasis.
Shadow was experiencing a kind of existential crisis, shuffling about and furling and unfurling her wings sheepishly. “No...no! I’m angry at you right now! What kind of self-respecting sister come and scares the shit out of a poor little defenceless filly?”
“Aww, come on sweetie, I’m not self-respecting and you know it.” Sky fluttered her wing again. “Are you sure? I’m pretty damn super soft if I do say so myself…”
Shadow growled, turning tail on Sky and trotting to the far side of the bedroom. “Hmph!”
Sky grinned as she kept on fluttering, her feathers rustling a little as she watched the little filly’s tail flick back and forth irritably.
“Piss off, sis. I’m not falling for it again.”
“Sure you won’t. You’re far too old and badass to appreciate a fluffy, feathery cuddle with your big sis, right?”
“Right.” Shadow grunted.
“Oh, well I’m sure I could find something else to occupy this space, like a plushie or something…” Sky rolled her eyes, smiling.
“Yeah, as if! Like some silly cuddly toy could replace my hugs!” Shadow huffed in the corner.
“Well, if...if you don’t wanna cuddle me anymore, then I guess I’m out of options…” Sky sniffled, hiding her head under her good wing.
Shadow’s existential crisis deepened. She looked around reluctantly, ears splaying back as she heard her big sister starting to quietly sob.
“N...no...don’t do that! It’s not gonna work!” Shadow protested, turning around and stamping her fluffy little forehoof as sulkily as she could manage. It wasn’t going to work this time. This time Shadow was going to have a good and proper sulk, and there was nothing in the world Sky could do about it, no matter how...upset...her...sister...looked...because...of...her…
The little blue filly bit her lip, expression softening as she approached Sky with a fair amount of caution. Finally, she reached out and placed a forehoof on her cheek. “Don’t cry, sis…” She mumbled quietly.
She realised too late that she’d fallen right into Sky’s fluffy trap, and she was scooped up in her big sister’s wings.
“Ack! No! No! Piss off, sis!” She squeaked, trying to wriggle out of the death-grip hug that the elder sister. She couldn’t even spread her wings when she was held like this, only able to kick her back legs adorably in a vain attempt to break free.
Sky kept her held like that, rubbing her cheek against Shadow’s until her little sister finally gave up the fight. It never took too long for her to surrender when she was already trapped like this. Sure enough, Shadow’s kicking eventually relented, and she sighed with exasperation.
“One day that’s not gonna work, you know…” She muttered quietly, hanging there as Sky hugged her.
“That’s why I’m gonna enjoy it while it lasts.” Sky mumbled back, kissing Shadow on the forehead and pulling her up onto the bed. In spite of Shadow’s wild fidgeting, eventually she allowed herself to be tucked under Sky’s good wing, where she settled down more calmly and quietly than ever. Sky helped things along by scratching the back of the filly’s neck, which made her little back leg start kicking. She started making a quiet happy whimpering noise with each kick of her hoof.
“S...so what did you find ou...out?” Shadow whispered, wiggling her way onto her back and tucking her forehooves under her chin, head hanging off of the bed upside-down.
“I found this thing.” Sky replied, rubbing Shadow’s belly with one hoof and pulling out the letter she’d found at Shady’s apartment, holding it upside-down for Shadow to read.
“Weird.” The filly commented, both of her wings unconsciously fluttering under Sky’s ministrations. “Well that just goes to show that this wasn’t a random heist, but who the hell is - *eep!* - this “RT” guy?”
“That’s a good question.” Sky frowned, pulling her little sister closer. “There’s fucktons of ponies in this city with initials like that.”
“Not - *eep!* - too many ponies with the kind of resources to pull this off though, right?” Shadow suggested. She was trapped. She’d allowed herself to be trapped, and now she had no choice but to accept her cuddles and belly-rubs like a mare.
“No, you’re right.” Sky nodded. “Whoever’s pulling this shit, they’ve got resources and the initials RT. That’s something.”
“We could find out about the kind of pony this guy is, and what kind of...higher please...thank you...company he keeps.”
“And then take his little operation apart piece by piece, especially once we’ve got the evidence we need to get that terrorism charge off of my list of offences.” Sky smiled.
“Wow, really? They’re pinning you with that now? At this rate, you’re gonna get criminal bingo before I do.” Shadow ceased her meeping to give a cute little giggle.
“Yeah, turns out those crystals are some kind of magical weapon focus component or something in the wrong hooves. Since I apparently nicked them, apparently that makes me a terrorist.” Sky shrugged.
“Damn…” Shadow whistled, rolling over again. “They really think you’re an asshole, don’t they?”
“Tell me about it.” Sky chuckled. “There’s no doubt about it. This shit’s completely crooked. Somepony wanted me to get locked up for this, but why the hell would they want me out of the picture anyway?”
“You know we haven’t got any answers laying around here.” Shadow shook her head.
“Yeah, you’re right. Looks like we’ve got some homework to do.” Sky grinned.
“Aw shit, not homework!” Shadow tucked her head under her wing, groaning. “I know you only wanna go to the library so you can eye up that mare again…”
“Not this time. This time we actually need to find out who the hell this asshole is, why he wants me out of the picture, and who’s got those gems right now.” Sky shook her head, pulling Shadow’s wing up. “Come on, this might even be hero stuff we’re talking about here!”
“You’re not selling this to me, sis.” Shadow tugged her wing out of Sky’s hooves and hid under it again.
“We can always stop for ice cream afterwar…”
“Sold.”
Shadow was already standing by the door, wearing her own little cloak.
As an orange tinge grew out of the horizon and made its way across the sky to signal the onset of dawn, Sky smiled at her little sister. One thing was for sure: with that little filly watching her back, they were going to do just fine.

“Sky?”
“Yeah sis?”
“What the hell is that?”
Shadow glared at her big sister. Her eyes drifted to Sky’s mane, before snapping back to her face accusingly.
“Oh...oh, this? It’s just something that got caught in my hair on the way here.” Sky replied, giving a little innocent squee. A little blue bow had somehow found its way into her red mane. It was unfortunate, really. Sky had so hoped that Shadow wouldn’t notice it.
“So take it out.” Shadow leant against the wall, huffing. I swear, I can’t take this bitch out in public…
“Wh...why? Maybe I’ll just...you know...leave it in or something.” Sky shuffled her hooves awkwardly.
“This is so that librarian will notice you, isn’t it?”
“Maaaaaybe…” Sky ruffled her feathers sheepishly, going a little pink.
Shadow deadpanned at her for a good long while, making sure that she made her sister feel as embarrassed as possible, before rolling her eyes. “You’re impossible.” She huffed, trotting into the library.
Sky stuck her tongue out behind Shadow’s back as she followed her inside. Cheeky bitch…

The library was one of the only places in the city that Sky and Shadow hadn’t been kicked out of, at least not yet. It was a large building, aisles full of the collective works of Equestria’s authors putting even the most hedonistic of superstores to shame. The two burglars kept their hoods down and their masks off for this one. Partly, this was because wearing a hooded cloak was a great way to draw unwanted attention to yourself. However, Sky’s reasoning for leaving her cloak at home today might also have had something to do with wanting that pretty librarian to notice her bow.
Possibly.
Shadow looked around at her big sister as they made their way past the circular main desk, heading down the aisle dedicated to files on the Canterlot citizenry.
“So how are we gonna do this?” Shadow asked, fluttering into the air to get at some of the higher shelves.
“Well, we could start by finding out just how many ponies have the resources and the motive to go through with something like this.” Sky shrugged, pulling a file off of a shelf and nearly getting crushed underneath it. “Blimey! How big are these damn files?”
“Big enough, that’s for sure!” Shadow chuckled. “Bloody weakling…” She pulled out a file from the top shelf, which turned out to be a little too heavy for her wings to support. She dropped like a stone, thudding to the floor with a grunt.
A moment later, another book landed on her head, knocking her out.
“Oh for fuck’s sake…” Sky muttered, pulling the book off of Shadow’s head. “Come on sis, we’ve got work to do!”
“Mo...mommy?” Shadow whimpered, her eyes pointing in different direction.
“Guess again, sweetie.” Sky chuckled, waving her hoof in the filly’s face. “Quick, how many hooves am I holding up?”
“Si...six?”
“Close enough.” Sky picked her little sister up and dropped her into her saddlebag, leafing through one of the books and looking at some of the higher-income ponies in Canterlot.
“Well, we’ve got a Count Rolling Thunder...that’s a good start.” Sky muttered as she read, taking a quill and hurriedly writing down his personal details.
“You might wanna...wanna...check out the other ponies who might want the crystals too…” Shadow piped up.
“Good thinking, sweetie…” Sky muttered, sitting down and scribbling down the details for a few other ponies who were known exotic gem collectors. She wasn’t exactly expect them to be in on whatever plot concerned these crystals, but it paid to check. Whatever the nature of this little plan, Sky was certain that it didn’t come down to just one pony. No single pony would make themselves a target like that. There’d be henchcolts, there’d be security systems...and there was obviously a reason that those particular crystals were chosen. It sure as hell wasn’t money, that much was certain.
Sky finally put away her notebook, resolving to actually get some damn answers instead of mere speculation. She briefly considered trying to get those books back on their shelves, but thought better of it. There was no way she was going to get them back up there with that damaged wing of hers. She couldn’t even lift herself up, let alone a book that looked like it was pregnant with a few copies of War and Peace.
As Sky made her way towards the exit, something - or rather somepony - caught her eye. The librarian. She looked only a few years younger than Sky did, with mint-green coat and a blue mane that fell about her shoulders, framing her face in a way that made Sky feel just the tiniest bit envious.
“Come on sis…” Shadow groaned. “Put away your bloody wingboner and let’s get out of here…”
“Um...in...in a minute…” Sky bit her lower lip, closing her eyes and pointedly trotting towards her. “I’ve just gotta do...um...just gotta do one thing first…”
“I swear, if you’re gonna bump into her just to get her attention…”
“So...so what if I am?” Sky said defensively, trying to sway her flanks a little. She felt weirdly clumsy today, like her hooves were numb and unresponsive, and there was nothing she could do about her wings, so rigid by now that they could be used to cut glass.
“Because it’s lame, sis!” Shadow nudged her shoulder. “You’re gonna make an idiot of yourself!”
“No I’m not! Just you watch!” Sky said, trying her best to project confidence that simply wasn’t there.
Sure enough, Sky bumped right into the librarian...although it would be more fair to say that she barrelled into her at significant speed, as what she had thought was a brisk trot had devolved into a clumsy, lopsided gallop. All three ponies were knocked flying, collapsing in a big fluffy heap in the middle of the library.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Sky squeaked, taking her by the hoof and trying to help her up...sort of. “I didn’t see you there! I...erm...I’m...just...well...kinda...yeah, that was my fault.”
“Smooth.” Shadow deadpanned from the sidelines, picking herself up. “How about you round things off with a pickup line or something? You’re making such a good impression…”
Regrettably, the part of Sky’s brain that was good at picking up on sarcasm simply wasn’t functioning by that point. “Um...did...did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”
“I...beg your pardon?” The poor unfortunate pony replied, accepting Sky’s hoof and getting back up. She looked only the tiniest bit frightened by this whole display.
“Bec...because...I really like your ass!” Sky finished, a little bit louder than she’d intended.
“Erm...I...see…” The librarian replied, going a little pink and adjusting her wings. “Well...er...thanks...I guess?”
Sky was apparently a little absent by now, just tilting her head a little and regarding her with a slightly lopsided, open-mouthed grin. “My name’s Sky.”
“Um...hey...Sky...I’m…Penfeather.” She replied uncomfortably, ruffling her feathers a little and backing away. “I’ve got to...go...somewhere else now...um...bye!”
And with that, she cantered off.
Shadow looked between her sister and the retreating pegasus, blowing her mane out of her face. “Wow...you sure showed me. You didn’t make an idiot of yourself at all.”
“She told me her name!” Sky squeaked, flapping her good wing excitedly.
“Yep, she sure did.” Shadow chuckled, taking Sky’s forehoof and dragging her out of the library. “Come on sis, let’s get out of here before you earn yourself a restraining order or something.”

With that, the two sisters departed, off to continue their investigation into the stolen crystals.
And if they ran into an ice cream stall on the way...well...they’d earned a little treat. Besides, maybe if Sky dunked her head in the freezer, she’d stop blushing quite so fiercely.

Dual-classing

It is a fact of life that a unicorn cannot match a griffon in terms of pure brawn. They had a magical edge, certainly, but their frames, their anatomy, their predisposed place in society and the world around them dictated that they were physically weaker than the magically inept, taloned brutes.
However, today a very special presentation was underway, one that very much set out to challenge this archaic and incorrect assumption.
Today, a pony named Stronghooves set out to beat a griffon in one-on-one combat.

He wasn’t, by any means, a weak-looking stallion. The training he’d received from the Royal Guards had molded him into an incredibly brawny warrior, which only served to accentuate his kind blue eyes and his gentle smile. His blond mane was clipped short like every other pony in his profession, sticking out of the top of his helmet in a kind of buzzcut mohawk. It wouldn’t do for it to get in his eyes in the middle of combat.
Stronghooves’ horn flared bright blue, levitating a sword of curious and exotic design into the air next to him. He threw a quick salute to the bull griffon across the makeshift arena from him.
“Right then buddy, let’s start things off nice and slow...oof!” He grunted as the griffon caught him around the midsection, lifting him bodily into the air and slamming him into the wall. A few cracks appeared in the concrete, and Stronghooves took a moment to reorient himself.
“Ugh...not really one for fair fighting, huh? That’s okay...I can work with that.” He smiled a winning smile, before headbutting the griffon right in the beak. The unicorn dropped to the ground as his opponent staggered back, bringing his sword round in a wide arc to ward off his assailant further.
The griffon and the stallion started pacing around one another, sizing each other up. Stronghooves kept his eyes lowered, focussing on the griffon’s sharp talons, jet black and shining dangerously. He was many things, but ‘pointy object-proof’ was not one of them.
He spotted the griffon unfurling its powerful wings out of the corner of his eye. He planted his hooves firmly on the ground, eyes following the brute as he took off and started circling above him. Stronghooves knew this tactic well enough. At some point, that bird brain was going to try and dive on him. It was time for him to find out whether that little experiment he’d taken part in had been a success.
Sure enough, the griffon did indeed dive on him, extending its clawed forelegs and opening its beak. The pony’s ears splayed back.
Shit, I really bloody well hope that the experiment worked… That was a hell of a lot of sharp pointy objects, and Stronghooves didn’t want them anywhere near his face.
The stallion drew back one bright white hoof and brought it around, roaring with effort and more than a little panic.
There was a loud crunch and a thud. Stronghooves opened his eyes.
The griffon was laying before him on its side, a large crack running up its beak. A certain amber aura glowed around Stronghooves’s hoof. He stared between the two of them for the longest time.
“I...can’t believe it…” he mumbled, approaching the griffon and offering his downed foe a hoof to help him up.
The griffon took his hoof in its claws, one eye gazing up at him severely like the bird of prey he was. Clutching tighter, it lifted Stronghooves up over its head with all of its might, casting him at the opposite wall. Stronghooves struck the concrete with a sickening crunch before slumping down to the ground.
The griffon got to its feet, shaking its head to try and bring the crippled pony before it back into focus. Its breathing grew deep and heavy, giving a low growl as it advanced on Stronghooves once more.
The pony groaned, lifting himself back onto his hooves as well, raising his head to face down the griffon. There was no way anypony could have survived an impact like that, much less a unicorn, yet he could feel a strange magical tingling throughout his body. Stronghooves watched in awe as his bruises vanished, his bones knitting back together, all under that same warm, comforting amber glow.
“Well...this is a nice change…” Stronghooves commented once his jaw was back in one piece. His sword lay discarded across the makeshift arena from the two of them, but as the glow enveloped his entire body, Stronghooves felt strong enough to finish this without it. “All right then, my friend. Come on. I’ll have you…”
The griffon lashed out at him with its talons once more, spreading its large wings in an effort to appear more intimidating. Stronghooves ducked beneath it, punching his assailant in the beak again, giving him another hairline crack for his troubles. Its tail came around, wrapping around his foreleg in an effort to pull his legs out from underneath him. Stronghooves, however, gripped its tail in his hoof and tugged with all of his considerable might, slamming it into the wall behind him with another roar.
This time, the griffon didn’t get up again.
Stronghooves stared at its prone form for a very long time, amazed. Never before had there been a documented case of a unicorn entering into melee combat with a healthy griffon and surviving, let alone winning. Yet here he was, standing over a griffon that he had beaten to death with his bare hooves. It was unfathomable, unprecedented un...Stronghooves couldn’t quite recall any more words for “this shouldn’t have happened,” but when he did, he’d apply them to the scene before him. A unicorn had taken on a griffon in close combat and come out on top.

An assortment of ponies: dignitaries, guards, officers and weapons contractors all looked on in wonderment as Stronghooves strode into the middle of the arena, sheathing his sword and bowing.
“And that, fillies and gentlecolts, concludes our demonstration today.” He smiled at the assembled ponies, who got up from their seats and filed out of the arena. The air was abuzz with muttered conversations as they discussed what they’d just witnessed.
“Excellent work, my friend!” Boomed a very old stallion indeed, hobbling down the stairs into the ring to pat Stronghooves on the back. “You did very well indeed. It seems that everypony’s impressed with the project. We’ll have all the funding we need after that little display!”
“I hope so.” Stronghooves replied, giving the Count a soft smile. “We’re going to need all the help we can get if things get worse between Equestria and the Griffon warlords. Are the crystals safe?”
“Yes. I’ve got some crack ponies watching over them for the time being. I’ll be transferring them over to the Royal Guard once the princesses start funding more super-stallions.” The old Count beamed, inspecting Stronghooves, looking for anything wrong with him at all. He was flawless. His white coat was totally clean, his musculature as perfect as any stallion’s, and his smile was truly warm, friendly and sweet. He was a good Royal Guard, probably even the best, and Count Rolling Thunder grinned with pride. He couldn’t possibly have chosen a better test subject.
“Just remember that there are more important things than money at stake here.” Stronghooves warned. “We have to put defending everypony first, okay?”
“Of course, of course!” The Count waved a hoof dismissively. “Everypony will be safe as soon as I’m given a contract to start mass-production. That won’t take long.”
“See how quickly you can make it happen. I’m sure everyone will sleep more soundly at night knowing that there are more ponies like me protecting them.” Stronghooves sighed. He found the Count’s attitude more than a little abrasive now and then, but he tolerated it. He had ponies at home who needed protecting, and if this project worked as well as he hoped it would, he’d soon have the resources to keep all of them safe.
“Captain!”
Stronghooves looked up at the Royal Guard galloping towards him, more than a little relieved at the interruption from the Count’s...for want of a better word…”inspection.”
“What is it, soldier?” He cocked his head, adjusting his helmet in a rather vain effort to make himself appear a little more formal.
“We’ve just got word from Canterlot. A pegasus wanted for aiding and abetting terrorists escaped from the barracks prison last night.” The guard replied, throwing a quick salute. “The Royal Guard are requesting that you return to the city and assist with the investigation.”
Stronghooves frowned. “Terrorism? That’s not good…” He shook his head disappointedly. “I’ll look into it. What’s the pony’s name?”
“Her name’s Sky Runner, and she’s...oof!” The guard grunted as Stronghooves shoved him aside, cantering for the door urgently.
“Captain, please! You’ve got a lot of work to do here as well!” The Count implored, taken aback by the sudden change in the stallion’s behaviour.
Stronghooves wasn’t listening, however. He was lost in his own little world, memories both painful and pleasant flooding back into his head.
Terrorism...there’s no way that she could be responsible for that kind of shit. There’s got to be more to it than that. Stronghooves struggled with the very possibility that that fluffy little pony could have fallen so far. As he took the stairs down to the underground train terminal, the way forward became crystal clear.
I have to find her before the Royal Guards do. That mare needs saving.
He pushed his way past engineers and scientists, making his way onto the train. He didn’t need to pack his things. All he needed right now was to make it back to Canterlot before that bumbling idiot, Inspector Shield, caught up to her.
It’s okay Sky, I’m coming…

The Count sat in silence in the middle of the arena for a while, glancing reproachfully over at the guard occasionally. Finally, in a very low voice, he spoke. “So, this Sky Runner...what...what kind of terrorism is she wanted for?”
“She nicked some focussing gems from the Canterlot Museum. Turns out they can be used in all kinds of dangerous spells and stuff.”
“That sounds pretty serious.” Rolling whistled. “No doubt the Guard will do their best to bring this pony to justice. The thought of those crystals falling into the hands of the Griffons is...unpleasant.”
“Don’t worry sir.” The soldier nodded encouragingly, smiling. “We’ll hunt her down and make sure that she gives up those crystals before anypony gets hurt. We’re good at this.”
“You certainly are, especially with the good captain on the case.” Rolling sat there a while longer, gazing pensively at the wall, before getting to his hooves. “Excuse me a moment. I’ll be back shortly.”
“Er...of course, sir…” The guard saluted as Rolling trotted off.
The Count made his way up a few flights of steps as quickly as his aged frame would allow, reaching a long whitewashed corridor. There was something so simple and clean about this facility, an atmosphere it produced that seemed to wash away the complications of the rest of the world. It kept the Count focussed on the important issues.
He pushed into his office, hobbling past a very sick-looking dragon in a small cage and sitting at his desk. Slowly, deliberately, he scribbled down a short missive to send back to Canterlot.

See to it that another 2 million bits gets added to Miss Runner’s bounty. It’s important that she be put behind bars for her crimes, and the sooner she’s arrested, the sooner we get Stronghooves back. This isn’t the time for him to be running off trying to save everypony.

The Count rolled up the parchment, dropping it in front of the dragon. With a reluctant blast of green fire, the broken lizard sent the letter away to his contact in Canterlot. Rolling knew that his contact would work quickly. Within twenty-four hours, life was going to turn into a living hell for that little pony. To every guard and bounty hunter within a hundred miles, she was going to have “meal ticket” written all over her.
After all… Rolling thought to himself, as he unlocked the safe behind his desk and inspected the crystals therein. She’ll make a good fall pony.

For Shadow

“Shadow?”
Sky paced down the hallway as quietly as she could, both of her wings spread to silence her hoofsteps completely. Large windows set into the wall let in rays of moonlight, for the shortest while casting black and white stripes across her body. She recognised this place well enough. It was the biology block of Canterlot University. Sky used to come here a lot a few years back, back when she attended college. She’d never enrolled exactly, but she’d had a lot of fun with some of the frat houses.
Here, though, the university was far more hostile than she remembered it. Shadow had disappeared a while ago, chasing after Nightshade. Sky was left alone, prowling down the corridor in the vain hope that her little sister would come back. This entire operation had gone to shit. She wished that she’d never come.
A distant cry echoed down the otherwise silent corridor, and Sky perked her ears at the sound. She knew that voice.
It was Shadow, and she was calling for her.
“Sis?” Sky called back. Her voice sounded so small, even as it reverberated down the hallway. It felt like something was tugging at the back of her mind, a horrible sense of dread that seemed to be holding the continued existence of her little sister over her head.
Shaking her head in a vain attempt to clear it, Sky started picking up speed, following the all-too-distant sounds of combat. It didn’t take long for her to get up to a full gallop, yet her hooves felt sluggish, like she was wearing lead horseshoes. She snapped out her crossbow with a flick of her hoof, flapping her wings to get a little more speed.
What the hell was that bitch thinking, anyway? Sky wondered, unsure whether the thumping in her ears was from her hooves or from her heartbeat. When I get my hooves on her, I’m going to kick her ass for flying ahead like this…
So lost was she in her own thoughts that she barely saw Shady out of the corner of her eye, and by the time she’d acknowledged him, it was far too late. His hoof came flying out of nowhere, catching her in the face and taking her to the floor. Sky was blind for a moment, feeling the warm trickle of blood down her muzzle as she struggled to focus.
The stallion didn’t let up, grabbing her around her midsection and slamming her into one of the high windows. She gasped for breath as the wind was knocked out of her,a spider’s web of cracks running up the glass.
Sky didn’t have much opportunity to get her bearings again, as Shady turned around, balancing on his forelegs and bucking her in the face. Her head snapped back, smashing through the glass as she tumbled out of the window. Jagged shards shredded her skin as she was launched back, catching the windowsill with her forehooves before she fell.
Shady grabbed a loose piece of broken glass, driving it down towards one of her hooves. Sky let go of the windowsill to avoid it, hanging on by only one hoof as she snapped out her crossbow. As Shady tried to drive the shard down onto her other hoof, Sky levelled her weapon and shot him in the neck. Shady choked for a while as the sleep formula drained into his body, before slumping down pathetically.
Sky clambered back into the hallway, her torn legs shaking as she inspected the damage to her own body. The shattered window had torn her up something terrible, and she was covered in gashes. It hurt to move, let alone to walk, but as Shadow screamed off in the distance, Sky spread her wings again and forged toward her.
“I’m not gonna fuck this up…” She muttered, limping down the hallway. Glass cracked with a quiet tinkling sound as she trod on it, and her breath came in short gasps, As she beat her damaged wings, she felt herself begin to pick up speed again. The floor seemed to shift under her hooves, unbalancing her, slowing her down.

“SKY!” Shrieked Shadow. She was closer now, maybe one or two lecture theatres ahead. It wasn’t common for Shadow to refer to her by name, especially on jobs. There was no doubt about it. That filly was desperate and panicking.

There was a crash from up ahead, from a biology theatre. Sky pushed onwards, getting as much use out of her bleeding legs as she could. Her fur was matted in it, making her coat very nearly indistinguishable from her mane. She’d at least built up enough momentum that she was going to make it to the doors. Shadow was going to be okay. They were both going to get out of here.

Then...the screaming stopped. There was one last thud, and then silence.

Sky slammed into the door, pushing it aside and charging into the dimly-lit lecture theatre.
“SHADOW!” She screamed, glancing around.

The first thing that caught her eye was Nightshade, standing in the aisle with a knife held in his mouth. It was dripping with blood, and a hell of a lot of it at that. Sky didn’t even hesitate, raising her crossbow and shooting him with a second sleep dart. She followed up by charging straight into him, tackling him to the floor and beating him into submission before the dart even took effect. There was paltry resistance out of the stallion, but he was clearly worn down by the earlier fight with Shadow, and he fell unconscious after only a few seconds.
Sky spat on him, staggering upright and looking around. “Sis?” She ventured nervously.

When her eyes fell on the little filly, Sky’s heart broke.
“Oh Luna no…” She whispered, galloping over.
Shadow lay on her back just off the aisle, a massive gash across her midsection leaking blood into the carpet. A little voice at the back of Sky’s mind told her that it was lethal, but she shunted the thought aside and galloped over, sitting down by her little sister. “Hey, Shadow...it’s okay, I’m here now.”
“To...took your time, didn’t you?” Shadow replied, looking up at her with an adorable little smile. Her cloak was torn, her hood hanging off of her head revealing her hazel-coloured mane. She shakily reached out with a blood-covered forehoof, wrapping it around Sky’s and holding on tight.
“Oh fuck…” Sky whispered, ears splaying back as she looked her over. “Shadow, just stay calm. I’ll get you out of this, I promise. You’ll be okay…”
“I know I will.” Shadow replied softly. She didn’t pull away, no matter how shaky and weak she looked. “I...trust you…”
Sky wrapped her tail around the leg of a nearby trolley full of medical equipment, used to teach college students how to perform operations. It was serviceable.
She pulled a few syringes and surgical tubing off of the trolley, driving one of them into her own foreleg and filling it up with blood. “We’ll keep you alive until we can get to Sawblades, okay? He’ll patch you up. It’ll be okay…” Sky could barely hear her own voice anymore, her senses overcome by panic and desperation. All she could do at this point was concentrate on trying to keep Shadow alive.
Holding onto the filly’s foreleg with one hoof, Sky drove the syringe into it with the other, using her own blood to try and sustain Shadow. Both ponies’ breathing was slow and ragged, but Shadow was fading quickly, looking up at Sky with pleading eyes.
“Sis…” She whispered, so quietly that Sky didn’t hear her at first.
“Ye...yeah?”
“I don’t wanna go just yet.” Shadow whimpered, tears running down her cheeks as she struggled to cling to life. She knew damn well that they were going to be fine. After all, they’d gone on a lot of adventures together, and they’d always escaped stuff like this.
“Well...you don’t have to, okay?” Sky smiled, ruffling Shadow’s mane and coaxing a soft giggle out of the younger pegasus. “We’ll get home, we’ll get safe and then everything will be all right. I just need you to stay with me right now. Can you do that?”
“Yeah...yeah, I can do that. Don’t worry.” Shadow said wearily. “Just...don’t let go of me...okay?”
“Sure. I’ll hold onto you. You’ll be back kicking ass again within the week.” Sky tried her hardest to keep her smile up, for Shadow’s sake.
Fuck me, since when am I supposed to be the adult here? She thought to herself, repeating the act. She pumped Shadow full of as much blood as she thought she needed to stay alive, before taking a needle in her free hoof and starting to sew the filly’s wound shut. “Just hold on, sweetie. I’ve got you…” True to her word, not once did Sky let her little sister out of her grip.
“I’m...sleepy…”
“It’s not time to go to sleep yet, sweetie. Just stay with me.” Sky looked into her eyes, ears splaying back as she saw the light fading from them. “Come on, I just need a few more minutes...we can do this…” There was something very wrong with the filly. Sky had expected her to yelp or squeak or at least react to the passage of the needle, but she did no such thing. It was as if she was feeling far too numb for her body to even register what was happening to her, like it had accepted what was going to happen before Sky had even had a chance to administer aid.
No, I’m not gonna let her down like this… Sky grimaced, trying to work faster, trying to close the wound. Surely that’d keep her alive until they could get to Sawblades. He’d know what to do. Sky didn’t have a clue how to deal with stab wounds, especially such a horrible gash as this.
Shadow placed her other hoof on Sky’s, holding her tighter than such a weak little pony should be able to manage. “Right now...I just want a hug…”
Sky paused, looking between Shadow’s face and the wound. It was too big for her to sew closed, and she was still losing blood too fast. The part of her mind that insisted that Shadow wasn’t going to survive this grew bigger, turning from a whisper in the back of her head to a voice right in front of her.
“I love you.” Shadow muttered, managing a little smile as she clutched her tight. In that moment, Shadow didn’t care too much about surviving, or worry too much about what was going to happen to her. As the voice in the back of her own mind compelled her to close her own eyes, she cared about only one thing...knowing that Sky loved her, and making damn sure that she knew that Shadow loved her back.
Sky whimpered, dropping the needle and wrapping Shadow in her hooves and wings. “I love you too...and I’m not gonna give up. You’ll be safe, sis. I promise.”
Shadow wanted to say something to Sky to make it alright, to somehow wave a magic wand and make it so that her big sister could just understand what was going to happen. Darkness encroached on the edges of her vision. She knew that this wouldn’t be like falling unconscious. This would be the last time she ever saw her big sister, and she wanted to make the most of it. “I...know...you’ll...do...fine…”
Shadow struggled to keep her eyes open as she stared up at Sky. She couldn’t stay awake much longer, but she couldn’t really speak anymore. She simply didn’t have the energy. All she could do was smile encouragingly at her
Come on sis, get the message…
Sky, however, didn’t, holding onto Shadow until her eyes fluttered shut one last time.
“You’ll be okay. I know it.” Sky whispered in her ear, laying the pony over her back and galloping off to find someone who could help. She didn’t even care if she got caught or arrested right now. She just needed help.
As Sky galloped down the hallway again, the moonlight shining through the windows began to permeate everything. The walls and ceiling dissolved in the white light, the world around her disappearing even as she forced herself to gallop faster.
No...I’ve got to get her to a doctor...I’ve got to…
As fast as Sky was, it wasn’t fast enough, and as she whispered promises of safety and happiness to her little sister, she too was consumed by light.

Sky woke up screaming.
She’d expected to be blinded, but the only light was the full moon shining through her bedroom window, the little candle on her windowsill flickering away. She was safe, at home in her hideout. As the pegasus looked down at herself, she began to relax just a little. She wasn’t covered in cuts from shards of glass, though her tears had been very real indeed.
Sky wiped her eyes and shakily rolled off of her mattress, her legs still shivering from the onset of sheer terror. She was certain that the whole thing had been a bad dream, but she had to check...just to be sure.

Sky pushed the door to Shadow’s room open, and a wave of relief washed over her.
There, nestled on a little cloud, all curled up with Scruffy the homemade plushie pony, was Shadow.
“You silly bint.” Sky smiled fondly, sneaking over and running her hoof through her little sister’s mane. She was fine, uninjured and happy, her hooves and wings twitching slightly as she fled from guards in her sleep. The tiniest little smile crept over her face at Sky’s touch.
Maybe I shouldn’t wake her...she always gets to grumpy if she doesn’t get her sleep… Sky thought to herself, gently lifting Shadow off of her cloud and onto her back. Keeping her hoofsteps as light as ever, Sky carried her back to her own room, laying her down on her mattress and snuggling up next to her.
“You might have Scruffy, but I need a cuddle-buddy tonight too.” Sky whispered. squeezing Shadow tight and coaxing a tiny little happy whimper out of her. As she felt Sky’s forelegs around her, the little filly grabbed onto one in her sleep. Her breathing grew softer, more regular, and eventually devolved into something between a snore and a whinny.
Sky couldn’t help but smile. “I love you, Shadow.” She murmured, kissing the filly on the cheek.
Wow, I’m glad I don’t sound like that when I sleep…
Sky settled down next to the filly, wrapping her in her hooves and wings and keeping her warm. As the two of them drifted off, Sky started snoring just like her little sister. The challenges of the investigation tomorrow seemed so distant in that moment. Right then, they weren’t burglars, they were two little ponies who loved each other very much, both living safe in the knowledge that neither would ever let the other down.

The Money Bags Job (Clop)

Shadow was the first to wake up, scrunching her snout as she took in the room around her. She recognised Sky’s bedroom immediately, felt the pony’s wing and forelegs around her, and sighed.
She’s gone and had that nightmare again… Shadow thought to herself, snuggling up to her big sister. She could be disgusted by the implications of hugging another pony later, when Sky was awake to see it.
Shadow would never admit it, not in a million years, but she loved cuddling. Giving Sky a little kiss on the cheek, the filly shut her eyes and tried to catch just a little more shuteye.

Sky’s eyes flickered open, and the first thing she saw was a little pony all tucked up in her wings, all curled up in a fluffy little ball, holding onto her hoof as tightly as she possibly could. There was certainly no getting her off when she was all tucked in like that, not that Sky really wanted her to go. Smiling fondly, she raised her head and planted a kiss on her little sister’s cheek.
Shadow made a little noise that was almost a soft purr, disturbed by the kiss. She took only a few moments to look around and pretend to process where she was, before giving a little yelp. “Eww! Eww! Eeeewwww!” She squeaked, kicking out with her hind legs before hopping out of Sky’s grip and trying to clean herself off, removing the dreaded “sister germs.”
“You’re only fooling yourself, sweetie.” Sky chuckled, watching Shadow roll on the floor desperately.
“Eugh...you couldn’t have woken me up so I could’ve told you to fuck off?” Shadow retorted, shuddering.
When she’d finally stopped being a drama queen, she glared up at Sky as reproachfully as she could manage.
Sky said nothing, reaching out and booping her on the nose. “Come on you, we’ve got a big job tonight.”
“You mean we’re gonna start investigating right away?” Shadow cocked her head. “Who’s up first, then?”
“Well, we’ve got a stallion named Money Bags kicking around here. He’s a banker.” Sky frowned, looking over the list of ponies she’d written down in the library the day before.
“So even if he doesn’t have any information, we get a consolation prize? I like it.” Shadow giggled, trotting over and reading his details. “He’s got good security, mind.”
“We’ve seen worse.” Sky shrugged. “Through the back door, avoid the pressure plates, don’t set off any alarms or get caught by the guards and we’re golden.”
“So I’m coming along on this one?” Shadow cocked her head, smiling hopefully.
“Course you are.” Sky replied, nuzzle-bumping her little sister. “There’s no way I’d be able to pull this off without my favourite little wingpony.”
Shadow blushed for just a moment, grinning up at her big sister. “You’re the sappiest bitch in the world, you know that?”
“You love it.” Sky beamed back, tussling Shadow’s mane and pulling out a map of Canterlot, spreading it across the floor. “Now, we’ll want to go in through the back door when we hit his place.”
“What is it with you and going in through the back door?” Shadow asked, raising a concerned eyebrow..
“What? It’s a pretty sound tactic. I’m not gonna walk straight into every damn security crystal that guy’s got floating about in the lobby.” Sky shrugged. “Trust me, going in the back is the safest way.”
“Yeah, but stallions don’t tend to call you back after you do it.” Grinned Shadow, nudging her big sister cheekily.
Sky took a moment to process what her little sister had just said, before her jaw silently dropped.
Holy shit, was that an innuendo?
“Not my fault for wanting to help them push their boundaries a little.”
“Well, you pushed something, but I don’t reckon it was their boundaries.” Shadow got up, stretching and looking over the map.
Sky giggled, settling down next to her to plan their operation.
I’ve taught that kid too damn well…

The two sisters waited until nightfall before they donned their cloaks. Shadow’s hoof crossbow and padded armour was identical to Sky’s, albeit smaller and more accommodating for her larger-than-average wings. With her burglar’s mask and face wrap on, she was difficult to see, having as she did a very dark coat colour. All you could clearly see of her was a pair of bright green eyes, giving the impression that the little filly was wearing the most adorable night vision goggles ever invented. Across her back was slung a yew bow, upon which had been carved her name.
“So...that’s big.” She commented.
The two of them stood before an onion-topped tower, only a few blocks away from the castle. The sound of marching hooves was far more prominent now. The two little ponies retreated further into the alley as another guard patrol passed.
“Well, we’ve managed bigger.” Sky whispered back, gazing up at it and giggling quietly. The First Canterlot National Bank. It was a stupid place to break into, no matter how good you were at burglary. You had to be stark raving mad to break into a place like this. Fortunately, as it happened, both Sky and Shadow were completely off their rockers.
“Have you got the new darts?” Shadow muttered, looking up at the elder pony.
“Sure do.” Sky nodded, patting her bandolier. In addition to her normal green sleep darts, she had several blue, pink and amber darts tucked away as well. Sky loved the pink ones in particular. They were guaranteed to make any job ridiculously more fun.
The two of them exchanged a glance before dashing across the street, spending only a moment illuminated by the street lamps before they vanished into the darkness again.
“Well, that was easy.” Sky whispered, pulling her cloak down over her tail and creeping around behind the tower. The alleys around the building were dimly lit, making it easier for the two sisters to travel unseen. Sky glanced around, looking for the faint glow of floating security crystals.

It seemed that Money Bags, like every stallion who’d mistakenly asked Sky for anal and then never called her back afterwards, hadn’t expected her to go in through the back door either.

Shadow watched Sky’s back as the elder pony pulled a bit out of her saddlebag, sticking it in her mouth while she took out one of her lockpicks. Carefully, with all of the smooth ease of a pony who’s done this a thousand times before, she pushed down the tumblers while she jammed the bit into the lock, twisting it and popping it open.
Too easy…
With a little nudge, she pushed the back door open, beckoning for Shadow to follow her. The little filly took off, hovering silently above the ground so as not to trigger any pressure plates or tripwires. There was certainly no shortage of them in a place like this.
The look of the building’s interior was sleek and modern, looking more like something out of the Maretrix than anything else. Sky flicked her hoof, and her crossbow snapped out with a quiet clicking sound. She wasn’t going to take any chances.
The two of them crept through the back room, finding themselves in a blue-grey corridor illuminated by dim security lights set into the ceiling. A little beam of red light emanated from a floating sphere on the far end of the corridor, moving from side to side to get full coverage of the corridor’s length and breadth.
“Security crystal.” Sky whispered, holding out a hoof to stop Shadow in her tracks.
“What’s the plan?” Shadow muttered back, poking her head out just a little to get a better look at it.
“I don’t wanna shoot it. If it goes down, it’ll set off the alarms.” Sky frowned. “We’re gonna have to be fast. I’ll run to the end of the corridor, then you follow after it’s made another pass, got it?”
Shadow nodded, gritting her teeth under her face wrap. “Right. Wait till it makes another sweep, then book it.”
Sky bit her lip, watching the beam of red light as it moved from left to right, studying it. It appeared that there was a moment, brief as it was, when it wasn’t watching the corridor properly, a moment that a fast enough pony would be able to exploit. Fortunately for her, Sky was a very fast pony indeed.
In the few seconds where the crystal was not able to spot her, she made a break for it, charging down the hallway as fast as her legs could carry her. Sky’s hooves made next to no noise as they pounded into the polished tiles of the floor, and as the beam of red light tracked back towards her, the little white pony sank low to the ground, skidding under it and bumping into the double doors at the far end, right beneath the crystal. She was out of sight.
Well that wasn’t too hard…
Shadow poked her head out into the corridor as well, watching the beam of red light like a hawk. This was the tricky part. That filly wasn’t a particularly fast runner, but she was an incredible flier...of course, that meant spreading her wings, which might be big enough to give her away.
Shadow gulped, and as the crystal completed another pass, she spread her wings and tore down the hallway. She swore quietly as one of her wings clipped a doorway, sending her tumbling down to the floor. Sky held her breath as the security crystal tracked back over her little sister, who kept stock still until it had passed over her, hoping that it wouldn’t register a pony as small as her, even if she did have a formidable wingspan. To both sisters’ eternal relief, the crystal ignored her, clearly mistaking her for part of the background.
“Hey, look at that!” Sky grinned, as Shadow got to her hooves and sped the rest of the way to the alcove at the end of the hall. “That security crystal’s just like all of those ponies you’ve been crushing on!”
“Eat shit.” Shadow huffed, still a little shaken up by the experience of nearly getting caught. No alarms or legions of stormtroopers in sight. They’d gotten lucky. Really lucky.
Sky giggled, pushing the door open.
Her smile quickly faded as she found herself face-to-face with one of the building security stallions.
“Oops.” She squeaked.
The two ponies kept their eyes locked for a while, each taking a moment to come to terms with the other. Sky was painfully conscious of how very guilty she looked right now. The pony from the wanted posters, wrapped in a cloak with a damn burglar’s mask on. It was unlikely that she could get away with pretending to be a friendly janitor.
“You’ve got two seconds to tell me why I shouldn’t call for backup.” The stallion narrowed his eyes, horn flaring bright green as he glared down at her.
“Um...because you’ve secretly always wanted to walk on the wild side, and you’ve been waiting your life for a mare to come into your life who’ll help you do that?” Sky gave him her biggest cheesy grin, though he couldn’t see it beneath her face wrap.
Nonetheless, her words gave the security guard pause, as just for a moment he considered what would happen if he turned in his helmet and spent the rest of his life seeking adventure and fortune. Maybe, just maybe, this mysterious mare would be the one to do it.
Well, perhaps she would be, if she hadn’t taken the opportunity to shoot him with a sleep dart at point-blank range.
“Gee, thanks for shooting him while he was focussed on me, Shadow!” Sky said sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she made her way to the express elevator.
“Your big fat flank was in the way! I never had a clear shot!” Shadow replied evenly, clonking her big sister upside the head.
Sky chuckled quietly. “That doesn’t sound like a filly who wants dinner toni...shit.”
“What is it now? Saw your reflection?” Shadow grinned, looking up at the express elevator door.
It appeared as if it wasn’t sealed by any mundane lock, or anything that Sky had a hope of picking. Instead, there was a single hole set in between the elevator doors. It was a magical lock, one that could only be fired by specific unicorns.
“Well that’s kind of shit.” Shadow commented, gazing up at it. “What’s the plan now? Take the stairs?”
“No way. There’ll be tons of crystals in the staircases, and in the employee elevators too.” Sky shook her head. “We wouldn’t get halfway up the building before we’d be up to our ears in guards.”
“Yeah, like the idea of being tackled by about thirty stallions isn’t appealing to you.” Shadow bumped her flank against her sister’s.
“You’re impossible.” Sky chuckled, not even trying to deny it. “But that does give me an idea…”
And with that, she trotted back to the doorway, dragging the unicorn in by the scruff of the neck.
“Well yeah, that’s a conehead.” Shadow nodded. “But he’s gotta cast a spell into that lock to open it, and something tells me he’s not going to just go ahead and yell open sesame for you.”
“There’s more than one way to make a unicorn cast a spell, sweetie.” Sky grunted, pulling the stallion’s head up and placing the tip of his horn to the hole. “Look away.”
“But…oh come on sis, this isn’t the time for that shit!”
“Seriously. There’s method in my madness, but you’re not old enough to understand it yet.”
“I’m fourteen!”
“You don’t act fourteen.” Sky grinned. “Come on, give me a few minutes and I’ll have this lock open. You, however, had better not watch. We wouldn’t want to scar your innocent young mind, would we?”
Shadow rolled her eyes, turning her back on her big sister. “I guess I could keep an eye out for any other potential fuck-victims that come looking for their friend…” She muttered grudgingly.
When Sky was satisfied that Shadow wasn’t going to watch, she lowered her head down, starting to drag her tongue up and down the unicorn’s horn. The stallion was out for the count for the time being, but Sky was positive that he wouldn’t necessarily say no to an experience like this. Stallions seldom did.
With a tiny little moan, Sky wrapped her lips around the tip of his horn, starting to gently suckle on him, running her tongue in little circles around it. A few sparks shot into her mouth, causing a tingly sensation to rocket across her whole body. She liked the taste of magic.
“For fuck’s sake, sis! Keep it down!” Shadow pulled her hood further over her head, putting her forehooves over her ears and singing to try and drown her sister out.
Sky chuckled, putting her hoof around the back of his head and pulling him close, forcing more of his horn into her mouth. She kept her movements slow, tracing around it with her tongue, making sure to stimulate every inch of it as she took it in her mouth. Sky could feel the stallion shift, but far from waking up, he was merely moving his hind legs in his sleep as he got hard. Now Sky had that to work with as well, reaching down with her free hoof and starting to massage his shaft.
Shadow kept her back firmly to her sister, wrapping her bushy brown tail around herself and trying her best to stuff her hooves in her ears.
I can’t believe she’s doing this. This is payback for me taking the piss, isn’t it? Luna, if you make her stop, I promise that I’ll never ever make fun of Sky again. Please!
Sky felt him start to tense up, and pulled her head back off of his horn. With only moments to spare, she took his head in both of her hooves and jammed his horn into the lock. The stallion was too far gone to stop, and he gave a low, sleepy growl as he came, magic shooting out of his horn into the lock even as he jizzed all over his own hooves and the floor beneath him.
Sky watched the door for a moment, licking her lips as she waited to see if it had worked.

She let out a sigh of relief as the doors lit up and slid aside, revealing the elevator’s interior. It was incredibly ornate, clearly something for use by executives who needed to get to their offices at the top of the tower.
“Thanks sweetie. Call me, okay?” Sky grinned, before dropping the stallion to the floor, leaving him to lie in the wet patch he’d made in the carpet.
Shadow took her hooves off of her ears. “Is it over?”
“Sure is.” Sky nodded, giggling. “Come on you, we’ve still got a job to do here.”
The younger sister sighed with relief, hopping over the guard’s prostrate form to join her sister in the elevator.
Hehe, yeah, I’m never gonna stop making fun of Sky. Fooled you bitch! Shadow thought to herself.
As the doors closed before them, Sky started examining a little console on the wall. “Hey, this thing lets you pick the elevator music! Bloody hell, that’s what you get for living the high life, isn’t it?” She chuckled, pressing the button for the executive offices.
“Calling it now, all the music’s gonna be crap.” Shadow deadpanned. “Bet you twenty bits.”
“Oh come on!” Sky grinned, starting to fiddle with the music options. “There’s sure to be at least one good song here!”

Atop the tower was the Executive Office floor, featuring a boardroom for all of the big cheeses to congregate and talk about their latest evil schemes...or so the two sisters understood. They’d never really been in the same room as a Board of Directors before, so they didn’t exactly know what it was that directors did, but it sounded close enough to be plausible.
Ding!
The elevator doors slid open, and Sky wordlessly passed a bag of bits across to Shadow. “Shut up.” She said simply, before her little sister could even open her mouth.
The two of them crept into the foyer. Before them, another hallway, lined with doors to various directorial offices, with the entrance to the conference room at the far end.
“I think Money Bags’s office is on the far side of the boardroom.” Sky muttered, keeping an eye out for security crystals.
There was a dull thud from the end of the hallway, followed by another. The two sisters froze, staring down towards the conference room like deer caught in the headlights. If they didn’t know any better, they could have sworn that that sounded like...footsteps.
The double doors to the conference room swung open, revealing a massive bipedal entity that stood as tall as the doorway. It was made of solid rock and a little metal, two red eyes set into its head scanning the corridor for any sign of intruders.
“Guard golem.” Sky whispered.
“I fucking noticed.” Shadow rolled her eyes, pulling her bow off of her back.
The two sisters nocked arrows at the same time, each containing more of the amber formula that Sky used in some of her darts. The movement alerted the golem, which made a most unearthly whirring noise, settling into a ready position and setting itself up to charge them.
“Unidentified pony, vacate the area immediately.” Came a pre-recorded message from its unmoving mouth.
All things considered, it would be far more intimidating if it wasn’t the non-threatening female voice that the building’s owners probably used for every bloody pre-recorded message.
“No! Piss off!” Sky yelled back evenly, rearing herself up onto her hind legs and drawing back the arrow, spreading her wings for balance. She couldn’t quite aim as well as she’d have liked, considering that her legs were quivering underneath her with fright. That thing was big.
Shadow and Sky loosed their arrows as it charged. It started off slow, very gradually picking up speed, closing its stone hands into fists the size of Sky’s head.
The arrows jammed into the automaton’s chest, giving only a second’s delay before the highly explosive formula in the arrowheads went up, detonating with enough force to throw it onto its back.
“Sky...it’s not dead…” Shadow’s eyes widened as she nocked another arrow.
“Yep, I noticed!” Sky whimpered, drawing back again. “Come on, shoot it again!”
The two ponies loosed another two explosive arrows, this time aiming between the golem’s legs. It was really force of habit for the two of them by now.
Unfortunately, the golem refused to be blown apart by a pair of explosive arrows to the nadgers, getting to its feet with all of the slow inevitability of an ocean liner with no brakes. Its eyes fell upon Sky and it gave a low metallic growl.
“Oh bugger.” Sky’s ears splayed back as it started charging at them again.
She exchanged a glance with Shadow, and the two ponies slung their bows over their backs again, standing their ground. At the very last second, they each dove sideways, getting out of its way. The stone monster crashed straight into the elevator, its weight causing the cables to snap free. With a howl, the golem and the elevator went plummeting down the shaft, bound for the foot of the building.
Sky cringed with each crashing noise it made on the way down, before it finally shook the building with its final impact, an incredibly loud crescendo of crashing and tinkling glass.
“I think we made a bit of noise.” Shadow commented.
“You think?” Sky shook her head. “Come on, I guess we haven’t got much time.”
The two ponies galloped down the hallway, hoping against hope that they didn’t run into any more guard golems. As they burst into the conference room, the two of them hopped onto the polished wood table, sliding down it with only the tiniest of tiny giggles. Finally, they came to a set of marble-coated double doors.
“This must be his office.” Sky looked the doors up and down. “Lock’s a piece of shit. Give me a sec…” She leaned down and started to work it, flicking her tail from side to side with concentration.
Shadow covered her sister’s back, pulling her bow off of her back and nocking a sleep arrow. She stared down the hallway, ears flattening against her head as she heard a strange clanking noise coming from the busted elevator.
“Oh come on, that’s not even fucking fair. You fell down a fucking lift shaft. If that’s good enough for every soap opera actor who’s asked for a raise, it’s good enough for you too.” She whimpered.
Nonetheless, the golem’s fingers appeared in the empty doorway, and it began to pull itself back onto the executive office floor. It was heavily damaged, an orange glow emanating from cracks in its stonework. That said, it probably had a much better chance of surviving round two with the two little ponies than they did.
“Um, Sky?”
“Mmm?” The elder sister replied, still trying to work the lock. It seemed to have far more tumblers than she’d previously thought.
“It’s baaaaack.”
The golem glared at Shadow, looking down the hallway and across the conference room at her, before charging once more.
“This is horseshit.” Shadow growled, as Sky looked around and yelped.
Sky looked down at the lock, then at Shadow, then up at the charging golem. It had reached the conference room now, the table splintering under its tread.
Without a word, Sky shoved Shadow out of the way, sidestepping the monster.
Stone met stone as the golem hit the office doors, producing the most satisfying crunching noise in Equestrian history. Cracks ran up the doors and golem both, and the automaton staggered back, standing stock still as it desperately tried to hold itself together.
Shadow took flight, hovering right in front of its face. She floated there for a second before gently blowing on it.
The golem crumbled, the light disappearing from its eyes as it disappeared into a pile of unrecognisable rubble.
Sky, meanwhile, trotted up to the doors and bucked a pony-sized hole in the stonework. “After you, sis!” She giggled, adrenaline still rushing through her body.
Shadow dropped to the floor, wriggling through the hole in the door. “I didn’t think we’d be re-enacting the bloody Termineightor.” She huffed, making her way into the office.
“Me neither. I remember him being way hotter than that.” Sky rolled her eyes, smiling as she followed her sister.

The office was just as ornate as the two of them had expected, a polished oak desk adorning the centre of it, with various filing cabinets, PA systems and other high-class clutter decorating the room. There was even a chandelier!
“Right!” Sky beamed, rubbing her forehooves together. “Let’s see what we can dig up on this guy!”
With that, the two of them started pulling drawers open, searching through filing cabinets for anything incriminating. They worked quickly, all too aware that time was probably against them. Something about a golem plummeting about thirty storeys tended to get ponies’ attention.
Sky yanked open a drawer in his desk, pulling out a little black book. “Jackpot! Got his journal!” She grinned, starting to read through it.
Awwww, there’s nothing about Rolling Thunder here. Guess Money Bags wasn’t the middle stallion...but he sure goes on about his wife not putting out a lot… Sky whistled under her breath.
“Is he clean?” Shadow asked, trotting up and reading over her sister’s shoulder.
“Looks like.” Sky sighed, disappointed. “Unless he’s got something else hidden around here.”
The two of them froze, struck silent by the sound of approaching hoofsteps. It sounded like there were a lot of them, with enough clanking to suggest that the ponies in question were armoured.
“Bollocks.” Sky frowned, as a platoon of security guards burst into the office, surrounding her.

“Well well well, what have we here?” Came a voice. Sky’s ears perked. She couldn’t help but feel like she recognised it.
Money Bags stepped through the doorway, smiling triumphantly. “A little burglar who thought she could go through my things? I’m not so easily robbed, young pony.”
Sky froze as she stared across the room at him. There was no mistaking that voice, that ego, that rotund form. It was the stallion she’d robbed in the marketplace.
“Um...hey…” Sky said awkwardly, pulling her hood back off of her head and giving him her cheesiest grin. She was all too aware of the dozen ponies pointing spears at her. Perhaps it was time to talk her way out of this. Sky didn’t like stallions sticking their sharp pricks where they didn’t belong.
“I remember you.” Money Bags nodded, pacing around the desk to his liquor cabinet and pulling out a decanter. “You’re the mare who pickpocketed me a couple of days ago. How are you enjoying Round Two so far?”
“Well, it could be going better, all things considered.” Sky replied, looking around at the guards. At first glance, it appeared as if Shadow had vanished completely, but Sky could barely see her moving in a dark corner of the office. She locked eyes with her little sister.
“Look under the decanter!” Shadow mouthed. Sky’s eyes snapped back to the liquor cabinet, and she spotted a piece of paper, folded up where the decanter of whiskey once sat. Perhaps that was what they were looking for. Now she just needed to get to it.
“Then again…” Sky bit her lower lip, gazing at Money Bags through half-lidded eyes. “I can think of a few ways to make Round Two much better for both of us…”
“Oh yes? And what might that be?” Money Bags poured himself a glass, before closing up the liquor cabinet and grinning at her, clearly amused.
“You look like you’re a busy stallion.” Sky nodded, grinning back. “I guess you’ve got no time to take care of yourself. You must get so...pent-up…”
“You’d think so, but I do have a wife, you know.” Money Bags smiled. “Try again, little miss pegasus.”
“Does she take care of it for you, then?” Sky smirked. She already knew the answer.
Money Bags paused mid-sip, going a little pink. “Ho...how’s that any of your business?”
“My favourite party trick’s the one where I suck a grapefruit through a straw.” Sky said, not missing a beat. Her hoof crept up to her bandolier, pulling one of her pink darts free and concealing it up her sleeve. “I bet you that if I gave you one little kiss, you’d want to spend all night with me.”
“You think so, huh?” Money Bags raised an eyebrow, flustered. “Well...I’ll...tell you what. One kiss, and if I’m not convinced, then my guards will escort you back to prison where you belong.”
“Deal.” Sky nodded, smiling sweetly. The guards stepped aside as she prowled toward him, swaying her flanks just a little, spreading her wings halfway. Everything about her body was telling Money Bags that she wanted him, and it was clearly working. He put his glass aside, stumbling a little as he stepped forward. He leaned forward, pursing his lips.
Oh Luna, is that how he thinks you’re supposed to kiss a mare?
Sky rolled her eyes, grabbing him by the tie and pulling him right onto her own lips. She pushed her tongue into his mouth, giving a soft moan as she played with his own, fighting for control of his mouth as she closed her eyes.
He definitely wasn’t used to this, making soft happy whimpering noises as he kissed her back. Money Bags played with Sky’s tongue with all of the awkwardness and unfamiliarity of a teenager. He’d be adorable if he wasn’t such an egotistical twat.
Sky wrapped her forehooves around him, and in that moment she brought out her secret weapon. The pink dart slid out of her sleeve, and she pressed it into his body as she gripped him tightly. He’d never feel a thing...not until the formula within had already drained into his body, and by then it would be too late.

“Fucking hell sis, I didn’t mean do that!” Shadow mouthed, before burying her head in her hooves. “The shit I put up with…”

After a time, Sky pulled away, slipping the empty dart into her sleeve again and smiling fondly. “How was that?”
Money Bags gaped at her stupidly, as if she was some curvaceous blonde who’d just dragged him into the bushes and told him to make sweet love to her all day long. Sky tried to suppress a giggle as she watched the lust formula overtake his body, casting away his inhibitions and making him hornier than he’d been in living memory. Money Bags squeezed his hind legs together to try and conceal his stallionhood. “Gu...guards...leave us…” he said shakily, waving his forehoof with a level of urgency that took his security stallions aback. They all exchanged a glance before silently filing out of the office.
“Oh Money Bags…” Sky whispered, running a hoof over his cheek gently. “I knew you’d come around.” She lowered her head, muzzle inches from his ear. “Now...are you going to stand there gawking, or are you going to fuck me?”
“Have...have you been a...a bad pony?” He asked shakily, drops of precum leaking from the head of his cock to the floor.
“I broke into your office, didn’t I?” Sky winked, pacing around him and flicking his nose with her tail. “I’m the naughtiest mare you’ve ever met in your life, and I need somepony to put me in my place.”
As his eyes followed her flank, Sky glanced up at Shadow, nodding to her. The filly threw a rude hoof gesture her way.
“You’re in so much trouble when we get home!” The filly mouthed, before creeping over to the window and pushing it open. She took a moment to wriggle out, but as soon as she was clear of the building, she spread her wings and shot off into the night.
Now, let’s get that note…
Money Bags ran a hoof over her flank, and she moaned softly, dutifully. “Why don’t you show me what you can do, sweetie?” Sky looked around at him, winking as she lifted her tail.
“I...I...I guess I cou...could…” He nodded, placing his forehooves on her shoulders as he mounted her, pressing the head of his cock to her marehood. Sky bit her lip. He wasn’t a bad size, but he was so awkward, all of his moves so deliberate and nervous. It really made her wonder whether he’d ever done this before.
Sky gave another soft moan, bracing her own forehooves against the liquor cabinet, flicking her tail aside and spreading her wings fully. “Come get me.”
Money Bags grunted, pushing his cock deep into her with all of the grace that that golem had exhibited when it fell down the elevator shaft. Sky tried to dispel that analogy from her head as she pressed her flanks against his hips, forcing him to hilt himself inside of her. She closed her eyes, starting to pant as he began to thrust into her.
“Ho...how’s that?” He whimpered. Sky smiled fondly as she realised that he really was looking for her approval. His performance was terrible, his pace irregular and just plain ghastly, but Sky smiled. This was too adorable.
“You’re doing fine, sweetie.” She whispered kindly, looking around at him and flicking her good wing across his muzzle to encourage him. His eyes were closed with pleasure. Perfect.
As he pounded her as best he could, Sky leaned closer to the liquor cabinet, holding out one shaking hoof and pulling it open. She nudged the decanter out of the way, fishing out the folded-up piece of paper hidden beneath it. She unfolded it, reading:

Money Bags,

I’m entrusting your bank with keeping the crystals safe until Tuesday. They’ll be in a sealed silver box, and you will keep it in your highest-security vault until a pony who identifies herself as “RH” comes asking for them. You’ll then surrender them and receive your compensation.

“Interesting…” Sky muttered, noting that the signature and monogram at the foot of the letter was the same as the one she’d found in Shady’s cloak. Folding it up, she popped it back under the decanter.
Tuesday was yesterday. Whoever this “RH” pony is, they’ve already made off with them. That’s not good.
“What’s...interesting…?” Money Bags paused, rubbing her shoulders gently.
“Oh...I’ve just...never been fucked so passionately before…” Sky whispered, playing it off. “You’re the best I’ve ever had.”
Money Bags nodded, smiling down at her. “You’re...the best...I’ve had too…” Shakily, he started to thrust into her again, harder, slower, more deliberately. “I’m...going...to...I’m going to cum…”
“Please...go for it…” Sky nodded, looking around at him with pleading eyes.
Well, he didn’t make me climax, but I got what I came here for. Sky pouted, pounding her flanks back against his hips, taking all of him with each thrust and crying out with pleasure.
A moment later, Money Bags did the same, yelling and craning his neck back as he orgasmed, filling her up with his hot cum. Sky yelped with him, her hind legs shaking as she tried to keep herself braced. She loved this part. The feeling of warmth, the sound of a stallion’s hot breath in her ear, the hollow “I love you”s. She felt close to other ponies in times like this, but in the back of her mind, she knew the truth. The only reason that Money Bags and every stallion like him said those things was because she’d been a good little fucktoy.
Still, if nothing else, it was pretty fun.

The two of them lay down on the office floor, and Money Bags started gently stroking her mane.
“You know…” He ventured after a while. “You could give up this life of crime. Surely it doesn’t make you happy. I could give you a great future, keep you safe from the guards.”
Sky rolled her eyes. This again.
“Oh, but I do enjoy it, sweetie.” She whispered back, her voice honeyed. “I tried being a good pony once, but believe me, it’s way more fun being naughty.”
His ears splayed back, and he gazed at her mournfully. “I could hire you as a secretary. You could have all the sex you want, and you wouldn’t be breaking the law anymore. Hell, you could sit under my desk and suck me off while I work if you want!”
Wow, he really knows how to treat a mare… Sky thought to herself. She vaguely remembered a slightly dodgy clothes dryer that gave her a better time than Money Bags had tonight.
“You’re sweet.” She smiled, hugging him. “And you make a great sales pitch. I’ll...consider it, okay?”
As he hugged her back, Sky’s hoof drifted to her bandolier again, fishing out one of her green sleep darts. She jabbed him in the chest with it, coaxing a yelp out of him, but it was already too late. The formula drained into his body, and his movements became sluggish.
“I’ll...get you...for…” He managed to blurt out, before his head thudded against the carpet and he started to snore.
“No you won’t.” Sky grinned, placing the dart back in her bandolier and making her way over to the window. Her hind legs still weren’t quite responding, but she didn’t mind too much. It had been a successful heist and she’d even gotten laid!
Now there was just the matter of the thirty-storey drop to her death.
This’d be so much easier if I had working wings… Sky frowned, pushing the window further open and pulling her hood up again.
With one more cursory glance around the office, she dropped out of the window, kicking off from the side of the building and stretching her damaged wings.

As Sky glided down towards the park, she couldn’t help but ruminate on just how many things had happened over the past few days. She’d been arrested, caught up in a massive plot that had had her accused of terrorism, and now in her efforts to work out who was behind it, she’d managed to cause pretty ridiculous property damage to one of Canterlot’s most iconic buildings, and she’d probably gone and pissed off a multi-millionaire.
“Oh well,” Sky shrugged as she landed in the shadow of a large oak tree, “I’m sure nothing will come of it.”

Whiplash

”We round a racetrack through your mom’s kitchen chairs, and fought the shadows back down your dark basement stairs…”

Sky’s personal alarm-clock went off atop her tower again. This time it was a song about hot air balloons, which was still close enough to gloating about the wonders of flight that Sky was sufficiently pissed off by it.
“Oh Luna, is the building on fire?” Shadow trotted into her big sister’s room, rubbing her eyes sleepily.
“If it’ll get him off the fucking roof, I’m tempted…” Sky growled, burying her head under her pillow and groaning.
Shadow rubbed her eyes on her wings, making her way over to the balcony and peering up at the perpetrator. “OI! PISS OFF!”
“He can’t hear you…” Sky shook her head, getting up while keeping the pillow clutched around her ears. “I’ll be back in a second.”
And with that, Sky clambered up the stairs, popping open the top hatch and making her way onto the roof.
“Unbelievable.” Shadow trotted over to the kitchenette, starting to make the two of them cups of coffee. Usually Sky was hesitant to let her drink coffee...apparently it turned her into some kind of evil bitch...but Sky wasn’t here right now. Besides, Shadow was pretty sure that she was exaggerating.

”I’ll be out of my mind, and you’ll be out of ideas pretty soon, so let’s spend the afternoon in a cold hot air ballOOOOOOO…!” There was the unmistakable sound of a pony bucking someone else where Celestia doesn’t shine, and suddenly Tone Deaf’s voice had changed to some kind of pained falsetto. The song died off not long after that.

“Now get off my bloody tower!” Sky shouted from upstairs. Shadow panicked. She didn’t have much time before her big sister caught her with the caffeinated contraband. The young mare stirred up the strongest mug of coffee she could, downing the whole lot of it and tossing the mug out of the window.
“What the hell are you doing with the kettle?” Sky cocked her head as she peered down the stairs at her little sister. She knew that Shadow was up to something, but couldn’t possibly have suspected that she was already too late to stop it.
“I...I was just…” Shadow’s mind raced. “I was just making you some coffee, that’s all!”
“You’re vibrating.”
“I...am?” The filly looked down at herself, her legs blurring. “Um...wow, I guess I...am...aren’t I?”
“You got into the coffee again, didn’t you?” Sky deadpanned.
“Pffft...no! I hate coffee! Besides, you told me I’m not meant to have any.” Shadow waved a hoof dismissively, spreading her wings defensively. They started rapidly beating of their own accord, catapulting her straight into the ceiling.
“For fuck’s sake, sis!” Sky giggled, trotting down the stairs and catching Shadow as she plummeted back to earth. “We’ve already talked about this! You can’t hold your coffee. You’ll be grumpy as fuck later.”
“Ugh...come on Sky...I’m old enough...I’ll be fine.” Shadow groaned, rubbing her head.
“Didn’t look fine when you were playing a game of pony squash just then.” Sky stuck her tongue out.
“I’ll be all right...I’ll be all...ri….riiiiAAAAAARGH!” Shadow hopped out of Sky’s grip an immediately shot off again, bouncing off of the wall and flopping pathetically onto her big sister’s mattress. “Owww…”
“Finished?” Sky rolled her eyes, giggling at her slightly concussed little sister.
“Wha...what’ve we gotta do today?” Shadow replied, opting to stay still for now to try to bring the room back into focus.
“We’ve gotta hit the library again.” Sky trotted over to the kettle, making herself a cup of coffee and taking a sip. “The letter in Money Bags’s office mentioned a pony calling themselves “RH.” I bet that’s one of the ponies whose details I took down last time we visited there, a mare called Red Herring.”
“Seems legit.” Shadow nodded, making a spirited attempt to keep her wings tucked in. If she spread them again, something terrible might happen. “Sure you’re not just looking for an excuse to check out your waifu again?”
“He...hey!” Sky protested, nearly spitting out her coffee as she spread her wings defensively. “She’s not my waifu! I’m not like that!”
“Sis?”
“What?”
“You’re blushing.”
Sky tucked her head under her wing, still sipping her coffee. “I...I was just thinking of something embarrassing…”
“Like what you’re gonna look like on your wedding day with her?” Shadow giggled, rolling onto her front and grinning wickedly.
“Shut up! I just said, I’m not like about! Seriously, what’s the longest you’ve seen me hold down a relationship?”
“About as long as it takes for them to come home and meet me, generally.” Shadow shrugged. “Want me to introduce myself to Penfeather today?”
“DON’T YOU DARE FUCK THIS UP FOR ME!” Sky freaked, dancing around nervously. “I mean...um...no, we don’t wanna get thrown out of the library because you won’t stop screwing around.” She took a deep breath, pulling her head out from under her wing.
“So you don’t want me to come?” Shadow cocked her head.
“Actually...I’d like it if you did. I kinda need a pony to help me talk to her...I mean, just in case we run into her...which we might not…”
“You want me to feed you lines?” Shadow cocked her head, fighting to keep a straight face as a million evil ideas crept into her caffeine-fuelled mind.
Sky nodded, blushing deeply. “Um...I mean…”
“Sure, sis.” Shadow nodded, getting to her hooves and trotting over to nuzzle her. “I’ve got your back. You know that.”
“Th...thanks…” Sky smiled with a little more confidence, nuzzling the filly before finishing her coffee and trotting off.
Shadow waited until she was certain that she was alone before she started to cackle, the evil power of the coffee in her system overwhelming her and turning her into a wicked filly of mischief and cheekiness.
When it came down to it, she wasn’t much different from normal.
“Oh, I’ll feed you lines all right, sister dear.” Shadow grinned, rubbing her forehooves together evilly. “And they’ll be unforgettable!”

“There’s no way you’re going in there dressed like that, missy.”
“What?” Sky asked. “What’s wrong with it?”
Shadow deadpanned at her. Somehow, Sky had managed to pick up a light blue skirt on the way to the library, and she was now wearing it. It wasn’t that it didn’t suit her, Shadow was just honestly concerned about what would happen if somepony she knew saw her with this big galoot.
“Look, it’s nice, okay?” Sky said defensively. “And you can go in first so you can pretend that you’re not related to me, all right?”
“I’m not related to you.” Shadow chuckled, tightening the belt that she’d fastened around her wings to prevent any further accidents. With one last look at her sister, Shadow shook her head, trotting into the library.
Silly filly… Sky thought to herself, following behind her.
The two of them made their way past the counter, trotting into the personal records section of the library and beginning to search for more details on the pony named Red Herring.
“Here we go.” Sky grinned, holding up a book triumphantly. “She’s a mare...not bad looking either…”
“Oh come on sis, at least fuck one pony at a time.” Shadow groaned exasperatedly.
“Make me.” Sky giggled, looking through Red Herring’s details. “Huh, she builds ships.”
“What, so she’s like a matchmaker or something?”
“No, like, airships.” Sky clonked her sister around the back of the head. “She runs a company that makes them.” She frowned as she read further. “It looks like Red she’s made a fuckton of money off of building ships for the Equestrian Navy.”
“Is that what we’re gonna do, sis? Piss off two incredibly rich ponies in two days?” Shadow chuckled. “We’re either ballsy or completely off our rockers.”
“Maybe a little bit of both.” Sky chuckled, ruffling Shadow’s mane and copying down the factory address. “Besides, since when have we let common sense get in our way?”
Shadow gave Red Herring’s file one last concerned look before smiling up at Sky. “You’re right. Come on, let’s go get in even deeper shit.”
Sky gave her little sister a quick hug before putting the book away. “You’ve got it.”
The two of them were halfway to the door before Sky froze.
“Pssst…”
“What?” Shadow grinned. She already knew exactly what Sky had just spotted.
“Um...she’s just over there…” Sky whispered, nodding across the library at the as-yet-unsuspecting Penfeather.
“So go over and talk to her.” Shadow shrugged, giving her big sister a nudge.
“Um...okay...I can do that…” Sky hesitated, biting her lip. “How...how do I...you know…start talking to her?”
“Slap her ass.” Shadow said seriously, the tiniest hints of a big shit-eating grin playing about her innocent features. “Trust me, it’s super-romantic. It’ll get her attention for sure.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Positive.” Shadow replied, struggling to hold a caring, compassionate expression on her face. “Librarians love that sort of thing. They’re all secretly kinky. You know that.”
“Ye...yeah, I guess you’re right.” Sky gulped. “Well...you’ll come with me to help me...speak to her, right?”
“Sure! I’ve got your back, sis!” Shadow beamed, trying to suppress the urge to cackle maniacally again. She placed a hoof on Sky’s shoulder encouragingly. “Come on, you’ve got this. Just go and slap her and I’ll run you through it from there, okay?”
“O...okay…” Sky nodded. Any other time, alarm bells would have been going off in her head about Shadow’s sudden willingness to help, but right now she was too nervous to really register them, more fixated on making sure she didn’t mess this up. As she trotted towards Penfeather, Sky’s mind raced, her head filling up with a million ways that this encounter could go horribly wrong.
It’s okay. She thought to herself, carrying herself with a little more confidence as she approached the librarian. Shadow’s got my back. Everything’s gonna be all right.
With the same confidence, Sky drew back a hoof and promptly slapped Penfeather across the flanks.
There was a deafening smack, followed by the world’s most damning silence.
“Um...can...can I help you?” Penfeather asked timidly, slowly turning to face Sky with wide, shocked eyes.
Sky had gotten her attention, all right.
“This is going great!” Shadow whispered in her big sister’s ear. “Okay, say this next…”
Sky listened intently to her little sister, failing to realise what a titanic mistake she was making by so doing.
“Erm...okay...Penfeather...do you have a map?” She asked, forcing a very nervous smile.
“Huh? Why?” The hapless pony cocked her head, taking a step back out of confusion and just the tiniest twinge of fright.
Shadow muttered something else in Sky’s ear, before sticking a hoof in her own mouth to stifle her giggling.
“Because…I keep getting lost...lost in...your ass!” Sky blurted out.
Shadow lost it at that point, rolling over onto her back and descending into a fit of the giggles.
It was in that moment, the longest, most agonising moment of her life, that Sky realised that she’d been had.
“H...huh?” Penfeather took another step back, spreading her wings as if she was really considering fleeing for her life.
“I...am...so...sorry…” Sky said quietly, trying to ignore Shadow’s hysterical laughter. “I...my little sister...she said...that she’d help me talk to you...because...I got...erm...nervous...and...WHAT’S THAT OVER THERE?” Sky gestured madly at something over Penfeather’s shoulder.
Against all the odds, the poor confused librarian glanced over at where Sky was pointing for the briefest moment, and when she looked back, the pony was gone. All that was left was the sound of the library’s front door slamming shut, the sound of Sky’s terrified retreat dying away to nothing, and then Penfeather was left in awkward silence.

As soon as they were well clear of the library, Sky yanked Shadow off of her back, doing a terrified little dance.
“What the fuck were you thinking!” Sky yelped. “Now I’ll be lucky if she doesn’t call the guards on me!”
“Aw come on, sis!” Shadow giggled, grinning up at her sister with happy tears in her eyes. “You’ve gotta admit, that was pretty good.”
“Pretty good? PRETTY GOOD? That was pure evil, you psycho bitch!” Sky grabbed her little sister by the shoulders, shaking her wildly. It did nothing to quell Shadow’s case of the filly-giggles.
“You sh...should see your face right now!” Shadow squealed, wiggling her hooves with excitement. “It’s fucking priceless!”
“Okay, just for that, you’re officially worst pony.” Sky pouted, holding onto Shadow. Her hooves drifted down to the belt fastening her little sister’s wings in place. If she released it, that little filly would likely go shooting off like an untied balloon, but Sky wasn’t that mean.
She was far, far worse than that.
Shadow’s giggling subsided as Sky grinned at her, hugging her little sister in much the same way as she’d hugged Sparky only a few nights earlier.
“Uh...sis...you’re...um...you’re not mad about that, are you?” Shadow gulped, suddenly quite nervous. It was something about the look that Sky was giving her. Something about it was making her more scared for her own safety than that golem had done last night.
“Nah, I’m not angry at all!” Sky beamed, holding Shadow close. “It was a great prank. You really got me, didn’t you?”
“Ye...yeah…” Shadow nodded. Something told her that she’d just somehow signed her own death warrant, or that perhaps some kind of horrible revenge was forthcoming. Any minute now…
However, to Shadow’s surprise, it didn’t look like Sky wanted revenge. She honestly seemed to be okay with this. In time, Shadow found herself hugging her big sister back, resting her head against Sky’s chest.
Why the hell is she taking this so well? Wondered the filly. Something’s wrong here…
Sky finally pulled away, still smiling kindly. “Come on sweetie. Let’s go get ready to case Red Herring’s place.”
Shadow smiled timidly as Sky wrapped her good wing around her, not suspecting that her big sister was going to bide her time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and get her revenge. Someday soon, sooner than Shadow would have liked, things were going to get incredibly bad for that poor filly.

Across the city, a rotund unicorn hesitantly pushed open Screwdriver’s front door. He wasn’t used to coming to this part of town alone, but something told him that he couldn’t rely on the Royal Guard for a matter of this nature. He had to resort to other means, and he wasn’t exactly certain how to proceed.
“Um...hello…” Money Bags whispered to the bartender. “I’m...erm...looking to employ the services of...a...specific kind of pony…”
Screwdriver stopped his obsessive glass-cleaning, staring at Money Bags as if he was some kind of alien.
“You want Wild Night, just down the road from here. Nicest mares in town.” He said simply.
“Um...no, I mean...a different type of pony…” The millionaire corrected himself, shaking his head. “One with a...erm...specific skillset.”
“Oh, well if that’s the way you swing, there’s a little bar called Rock and a Hard Place a couple blocks over.” Screwdriver nodded, smiling. “There are stallions down there that’ll do anything if you grease their hooves just right.”
“No, I mean...erm...a pony who can do certain things to another pony…”
Screwdriver burst out laughing. He never could resist messing with ponies like Money Bags. They were so innocent and awkward. “O...okay...okay mate...what kind of pony do you really need?”
“A...erm...bounty hunter.” Money Bags said, a little taken aback by Screwdriver’s attitude.
The bartender nodded. “Upstairs, first door on the left.” He gestured at the staircase at the back of his inn.
“Thank you…” Money Bags nodded politely, trying not to make eye contact with anypony else at the bar as he made his way towards the back.
“Um…” He said nervously, looking back at Screwdriver. “This isn’t going to be a prostitute or something, is it?”
“Now why would I lie to you?” Screwdriver replied, giving Money Bags a yellow-toothed grin and a wink.
Money Bags gulped, making his way up the stairs and into the dark hall beyond. Screwdriver’s doubled as a cheap hotel and hideout for some of the city’s undesirables, and it was just such an undesirable that Money Bags sought today. No one got away with robbing and humiliating him, and he was going to show everyone in Canterlot what happened to ponies who messed with him.
He took a moment to tidy himself up, before knocking on the door.
“Come.” Came a gravelly voice from within.
Fully aware that he was putting himself in mortal danger, Money Bags pushed the door open.

The room beyond was bare and dark, unfurnished besides a bed, a table and two chairs. Money Bags’ eyes were drawn to the occupant of one of the chairs, a pony shrouded in shadow, smoking a cigar, the dim light reflecting off of his red eyes.
“What do you want?” the pony demanded, sounding like someone doing the worst and most offensive Batmare impression possible.
“Um...are you a bounty hunter?” Money Bags inquired, closing the door behind him as he stepped into the room, cautiously approaching the table.
“No.” The pony shook his head, his shaggy black mane flying out around him in the darkness. “I’m an assassin who sometimes takes ponies alive...when my clients really want me to.” He leaned across the table, revealing a scarred grey muzzle. Everything about this stallion screamed dark and edgy. Money Bags suppressed an excited squee. This guy was perfect.
“I need a pony...taken care of.” Said Money Bags, taking the seat across from the mysterious edgy pony and grinning. “Her name’s Sky Runner.”
“Yeeeeeeah...Sky Runner...I know her.” He growled, baring his teeth. “I can take care of her for fifty thousand bits, plus expenses.”
“Are you sure you can do the job? I don’t want to invest my money unless I know you can deliver.” Money Bags frowned sceptically. “That pony’s given me a lot of trouble.”
“You sound just like my sergeant when I was in the Royal Guard.” The stallion growled grimly. “And look where that got him...in a shallow grave, just like the rest of my unit. Eighty good ponies, all gone the same way as my mom and dad, who were killed by a rampaging bear. I’ve got a morbid fear of bears because of it, you know…”
“Erm...okay, right, I believe you.” Money Bags waved a hoof to silence the stallion before he gave away his entire life’s story. “How about your expenses and twenty-five up front, and the rest when you bring her back to me?”
The pony sat back, his cigar burning in the darkness. After the longest time, he held out his forehoof. “Call me Whiplash.” he growled. “You and I are gonna do some business.”
“Oh...good…” Money Bags smiled, shaking it gratefully. “How soon can you start looking for her?”
“Right away.” He nodded, getting to his hooves. “Just one question. Dead or alive?”
Money Bags bit his lip for a moment, looking at his hooves before meeting Whiplash’s gaze.
“The world won’t miss her.”

Red Herring

Sky skidded to a halt at the edge of a rooftop, looking down over the shipwrights’ facility.
“Hurry up, Shadow!” She groaned, beckoning her little sister along.
“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Shadow grunted back, wiggling her hind legs as she struggled to clamber up onto the roof. “You know, this’d be way easier if you let me use my wings.”
“And I’d let you use your wings if you hadn’t filled up on coffee!” Sky stuck her tongue out. “Looks like there’s a hole in the fence down there. What do you reckon?”
“I reckon that’s the most cliched thing ever.” Shadow stretched her legs, trotting up to join Sky. Her padded hooves made a very quiet clattering noise against the tiles as she drew her little hood up.
“Yeah, you’re right. Still, looks like it’d be a pretty easy entry point.” Sky frowned. The big yard in front of the factory itself was littered with large piles of timber strapped together with rope. Some of them were covered over to protect them from the elements. No doubt those were the raw materials from which the ships inside were built.
“I still say we ought to wait until nightfall before we do this. We could get in a lot of shit if we’re caught in there.”
“Yeah, but with the factory running, we’ve probably got a fair chance of nopony hearing us.” Sky shrugged. “Now come on, are you with me or what?”
Shadow looked down at the shipyard apprehensively, before nodding up at her big sister. “Course I am. Not like they’re going to have another guard golem, right?”
“I don’t know about that.” Sky grinned, pulling Shadow up onto her back and spreading her wings.
“What, you mean they do?” Shadow squeaked, wrapping her forelegs around her sister’s neck and holding on tight.
“Hell if I know.” Sky laughed, jumping off the roof and plummeting down towards the ground. “But I can’t think of a better time to find out, can you?”
“Sure we couldn’t find out before we break into a place like this in broad fucking daylight?” The filly yelped as Sky spread her wings, using them as air brakes and gliding surfaces to carry them safely down to the ground.
“Aw, come on. Where’s the fun in that?” Sky nuzzled Shadow, helping the younger pony off of her back.
The two of them pulled up their face masks, lowering themselves closer to the ground as they approached the hole in the chain-link fence.
“No guards...are you sure about this, sis?” Shadow whispered, as the two of them darted through the aperture, taking cover behind a pile of timber.
“Not as sure as I was about five minutes ago…” Sky murmured back. “Maybe we’ll see more security inside the factory itself?”
“Something about this still seems off…” Shadow trailed off doubtfully.
“Yeah, I’m starting to agree with you.” Sky sighed, as the two of them began winding their way between piles of wood, keeping out of sight of the various ponies prowling around near the factory front door.
“Everything about this just stinks of a trap.”
“I know kid, but we’ve probably sprung worse traps than whatever this is, right?”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we should keep blundering into them!” Shadow hissed. “I mean, what if it’s like...ten guard golems? Think about that sis! Ten!”
“It’s just the coffee messing with your nerves. Don’t worry about it.” Sky looked around at her encouragingly, ruffling Shadow’s mane through her hood. “You and I can do anything, right?
Shadow’s expression softened behind her mask, and she took Sky’s hoof in hers. “Yeah, we can.” She smiled, still vibrating a little.
“Ready to do something stupid?”
“I followed you all the way down here, didn’t I?”
Sky beamed down at her little sister, looping a foreleg around her and pulling her close. She kept Shadow there for a time, listening as the filly’s heart rate went down. Shadow closed her eyes, settling into the hug and squeezing Sky as tightly as she could.
“You’re still vibrating.”
“I know.”
The two of them broke apart after a time, weaving their way from cover to cover while keeping themselves as low to the ground as they could manage. Sky spread her wings, gritting her teeth as her bad wing twinged, refusing to extend all the way. Her hoof-steps fell completely silent.
“Factory’s not far from here now.” Sky whispered, peering around the corner at the looming building. “Something tells me that they’re not gonna let us go in through the front door.”
“Sure about that, sis?” Shadow grinned, pointing.
Sky followed her little sister’s hoof and groaned. There was a set of hooks outside the factory, upon which hung several bright blue jumpsuits and yellow helmets.
“Come on, this isn’t the worst disguise you’ve ever put on!” Shadow nudged.
“Well yeah, but…” Sky admitted that the jumpsuit would probably be more comfortable than the last disguise she’d put on, although the fishnets had been nice.
“Come on, then!” Shadow giggled, shoving her out from behind cover. Sky stood shivering in the open for a while before cautiously approaching the hooks, pulling her hood, burglar’s mask and face wrap off as she went. Grabbing one of the suits, she wriggled into it and zipped it up, concealing her cloak and padded armour completely. Finally, she slapped the helmet on her head, posing for Shadow. “How do I look?”
“I don’t know how you did it, but you’ve managed to make a jumpsuit look slutty.” Shadow deadpanned, struggling into her own suit and sighing. “Damn it, they never make these in my size…”
Sky looked at herself in the window, cocking her head. Shadow was right. Somehow, she’d managed to make the suit look form-fitting. She didn’t look so much like a ship builder as she did a ship builder-themed stripper. “This thing doesn’t even have wing holes!”
“Not like you’re using them.” Shadow shrugged, finally zipping the suit up. It was far too big for her. The sleeves extended a good foot beyond her hooves, and the helmet was far too big for her head.
“Awwww! Look at you!” Sky squeaked, hopping up and down and grinning. “You look adorable!”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up…”
Sky had just completely give up listening, grabbing Shadow and squeezing her tight. The little filly’s helmet was in some danger of falling off of her head.
“No! Let me go! I’m...not...adorable!” Shadow yelped, trying to squirm free of her sister’s death-cuddle. “Don’t we have a job to do or something?”
“Well yeah, but come on, how often do I get to see you in a suit that makes you look so sweet?” Sky beamed, snuggling the fluffy little pony mercilessly.
“Piss off, piss off, piss off!” Shadow wriggled, finally coming free of Sky’s grip and panting to get her breath back. She pouted up at her sister, her cheeks pink from embarrassment. “Seriously, in the middle of a job?”
“Yep!” Sky smiled shamelessly, booping Shadow on the nose. “Now come on, let’s get moving. Sooner we find out how Red Herring’s tied up in all of this, the sooner I can go and start taking pictures of you to put up all over town.”
“Yaaaaay.” Shadow smiled weakly, trotting into the factory with Sky.

“This thing’s bloody uncomfortable. Whose idea was this, anyway?”
“Yours.”
“Oh.”
The two of them stepped out onto the factory floor, gazing up at a network of catwalks overhead. Ponies trotted back and forth, working on a monstrous ship that was suspended from the ceiling by chains.
“That shit doesn’t look safe.” Shadow commented.
“Yeah, those chains are too thin. They’re gonna snap any moment. Who works in a place like this?” Sky whistled, clip-clopping up the metal stairs with the filly in tow.
“I dunno, but they need a union.” Shadow chuckled nervously.
The two of them stopped at the top of the stairs. Here, the sound of construction was much louder, but it was a hell of a lot better than staying downstairs on ground zero. Up close, that ship looked like it was at least good quality, but a lot of safety equipment was missing. Some of the ponies working on it looked timid, trying not to make any sudden movements for fear of causing the chains to snap. The vessel groaned in its moorings.
“Yeah, let’s get out of here…” Sky shuddered, trotting off down the catwalk. She deliberately bumped flanks with a few ponies as she passed, grinning back at them when they looked around.
“For fuck’s sake, sis…”
“Okay, okay, not doing that anymore. Sorry.”
“You just did it again!”
“That time was for good luck.”
The two of them crossed to the far side of the factory, coming to a stairwell that led up to an upper floor.
“She’ll be up here. That’s how executives work, right?” Sky ventured, starting to climb the stairs.
“Biggest ego, highest office.” Shadow nodded, following behind her. As soon as they were out of sight of the staff, she shed her unintentionally adorable jumpsuit, pulling her hood back up. She wasn’t going to appear cute for any longer than absolutely necessary.
The two ponies stopped outside a very official-looking door, upon which was embossed Red Herring’s name. Sky peered through the keyhole. The beige unicorn beyond was scribbling away at her desk.
“She’s in there, all right.” She whispered. “Wow, she’s really not bad-looking…” Two bulges appeared in the back of Sky’s jumpsuit.
“Well if you need to bang her to get out of trouble, can you please make sure that I’m out of the way first?” Shadow huffed, nudging her sister’s flank.
“Sure. Besides, I don’t want you learning any of my moves.” Sky giggled.
Shadow sighed. “Good. So how are we gonna do this?”
“Follow my lead.”

Red Herring’s ears perked at the sound of the door opening, and she looked up.
“Can I help you?”
Sky confidently trotted up to Red Herring’s desk, beaming as non-threateningly as possible. “Hi there! I’m an undercover safety inspector! I just gave your factory a look-over and it’s complete shit!”
“I...wait, what?” Red started. Sky knew that she had the mare’s full attention now, and did her best to suppress a grin as she carried on.
“Now, there’s two ways that this can go. Either I can take this information to the guards, who I’m sure would be really interested in how many safety standards you’ve been ignoring to try and cut costs…”
“Please, no!” Red’s ears flattened against her head as she got to her hooves.
“Or…” Sky continued calmly. “You can give me some information, and I’ll leave you alone.” She kept smiling at Red as she flicked her tail, signalling for Shadow to come in.
“What...what kind of information?”
“I know you got a package from Money Bags’s vault on Tuesday. I wanna know what you did with it.” Sky placed a hoof on Red’s cheek tenderly. “You know, if you tell me, I can make it worth your while. You won’t be in trouble, I promise…”
“I...erm...I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Red squeaked nervously, blushing deeply at Sky’s touch. The pegasus bit her lip cheekily as she kept grinning.
“Oh, but I think you do, sweetie.” Sky whispered, coming closer so that their muzzles were almost touching. “I’ve seen the letters myself. I know you were there. Now...stop playing around, sweetie. Tell me what you did with that package, and I’ll forget all about the state of your factory and do things to you that you’ve probably only ever imagined…”
“I...I...gave them to...a...to a pony called...Silver...Tongue…” Red whimpered, her horn sparking a little as she looked into Sky’s half-lidded sapphire eyes. “He’s...got a...facility...in...the city centre…”
Sky leaned in, bumping her muzzle to Red Herring’s. “I’m as good as my word. The guards won’t find out about what you’ve been doing here. Now, how would you like a reward?”
Red gave a very small smile, her horn flaring as she took Sky’s helmet off. Her short crimson mane tumbled down from under it.
“Oopsie.” Sky squeaked, ears splaying back.
“I guess you’re right, Miss Runner.” Red smirked, eyes flashing. “The guards really aren’t gonna find out about what I’ve been doing here.”
“Did anypony ever tell you that you’re cute when you look all...murder-ey?” Sky ventured hopefully, backing up. Shadow glanced up at her sister, reaching for her bow.
“What’s the plan?” The filly whispered.
“Working on it.” Sky muttered back, keeping eye contact with Red as the unicorn advanced on her.
“Your bounty’s sitting at eight million bits, Miss Runner, and I think I’d still earn about half of that if I brought you in dead. Maybe if you’d just stayed in prison like you were supposed to, we wouldn’t be in this unfortunate position…”
“Oh, you’re right! How silly of me!” Sky slapped her forehead. “You know what? You’re a busy mare, so I’ll just go and turn myself in to the guards right now! I’ll leave you to do whatever it is you’re doing…”
“I don’t think so.” Red shook her head, horn flaring bright red. “I can’t risk anypony finding out what I’m up to. Do you have any idea how big this operation is?”
“I don’t suppose you wanna tell me?” Sky smiled hopefully. “I’m gonna die anyway, so you might as well tell me your whole evil plan.”
Red Herring deadpanned at Sky. “Has that ever worked?”
“One day it might!” She replied confidently.
The unicorn rolled her eyes, horn charging up as she levelled it at Sky. “Goodbye, Miss Runner.”
“Sky...any moment now…” Shadow hissed.
Sky’s mind raced. She looked around, desperately looking for something to distract Red, to throw off her aim, anything. There was nothing she could use, except…
“Shadow, please don’t hate me for this.” Sky sighed, grabbing her little sister and unbuckling the belt.
“No! No, wait! What are you doing?” Shadow wriggled, her wings spreading and starting to vibrate. “FUCK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!” She screamed, as Sky let her go, sending her rocketing off down the stairs.
Red seemed momentarily distracted by Sky doing that to her own sister, cocking her head just a little. Sky took the opportunity to smack her in the horn with her forehoof. Padded and softened as it was, she knew that a smack by one of her weak little hooves wasn’t going to do anything more than buy her a little time. but it did just that. Red accidentally fired off the spell, blasting a hole in the office wall.

Shadow shot down the stairs, bouncing off the walls and rocketing out onto the catwalk. Her wings were flapping faster than they’d ever done before, and she had absolutely no control over where she was going.
“I hate you...OW...I hate you...ARGH...I hate you…” She grunted as she rebounded off of hoofrails and walls, before finally smacking headlong into the side of the ship.
The whole factory shuddered, and the ponies within fell deathly silent. The only noise for the longest time was the groaning and creaking of the ship in its harness, growing ever louder as it built up towards its inevitable crescendo.
“Oh fuck this, I’m out.” Shadow shook her head, vaulting back onto the catwalk and galloping off down the stairs.

Red slapped Sky in the face, taking her to the floor and pinning her there with a hoof. Her horn flared once again, scorching Sky’s fringe as she charged a new spell.
“Stop with the tricks, kid. They’re not going to get you anywhere.” Red spat.
“They get me out of a lot of places.” Sky smiled weakly.
The entire factory shook as the chains finally gave way, sending the ship careening to the floor below. It exploded into splintered wood, all 100 tons of it, shaking the very foundations of the building.
Red was unbalanced, stumbling off of Sky and giving the pegasus the opportunity to kick her in the ribs.
“Told you!” Sky stuck her tongue out, getting up and socking Red’s horn again. It sparked and died, leaving the poor unicorn experiencing something akin to orgasm denial.
“You don’t know what you’re getting into.” Red snarled, as Sky knocked her over onto her back. “We’re trying to save Equestria, and we’re not going to let you get in the way!”
“Hey, I’m not trying to blow up Equestria! I’m just trying to clear my name, lady!” Sky shrugged before galloping off. Nonetheless, her mind was buzzing with Red’s last words. What the hell could they be doing to save Equestria, and why was it that she was getting tied up in all of this shit anyway? What did it have to do with her?
Sky’s thoughts were interrupted as she reached ground level, finding Shadow waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.
“Well you made a bloody mess of this place!” Sky commented, looking around at the twisted remains of the vessel on the factory floor.
“What can I say? I hate shipping.” Shadow grinned, pulling her face wrap back up. “Now come on! Let’s get out of here before the guards show.”

Stronghooves sat down at the conference table, looking around at the other assembled officers.
“Talk to me.” He requested calmly.
“Sky’s proving elusive.” One of the officers piped up. “She hit a high-value target a few days ago, the First Canterlot National Bank Building. She didn’t take anything from the building itself, but did cause some significant property damage and detonated explosives on the top floor.”
“It’s possible that she’s an anarchist. She hasn’t really talked about any cause, not even during the interview.” Another officer put in. “It’s possible her only loyalty is to herself.”
“She could be with the griffons.” The first officer suggested. “She hasn’t got a bounty with the griffon warlords. Maybe she’s trading her services for amnesty.”
“Her dossier.” Another guard said, pushing Sky’s voluminous file towards Stronghooves. He found himself unable to do anything but smile as he leafed through it.
“Captain, I suggest that we increase her bounty and announce her to be kill-on-sight.” The officer finished.
Stronghooves took off his purple officer’s helmet, setting it down on the table next to him as he pored over her list of crimes. He seemed lost in them, particularly in the few mugshots the guard had of her. She could apparently not be persuaded to stop making silly faces at the camera.
“Captain?”
“No.” Stronghooves said finally, shaking his head. “I’m not going to allow her to be killed.”
“Then what are we going to do?” The officers regarded the Captain of the Royal Guard with confusion.
“I’m taking over this investigation personally.” Stronghooves replied, looking up at them sternly. “Make sure that everypony is equipped with a taser spear or something else non-lethal. I want her taken in alive, and then you’ll bring her to me. Understood?”
“Yes sir.” The guards nodded in unison.
“Captain!”
Stronghooves looked up as another pony burst into the room. He was a pegasus runner, one of the lighter, faster guards who ran recon for the others.
“What is it?”
“Red Herring’s shipwright factory just got attacked. A battleship that was under construction there’s been destroyed, and witnesses say that they saw Sky Runner running from the scene.”
Stronghooves regarded the pony in silence for a while, before nodding. “Very well private. Thank you.” He turned to the others. “I’ll look into this matter myself. Keep combing the streets and inform me if you find anything.”
And with that, Stronghooves put his helmet back on and trotted out of the conference room.
As the Captain made his way out into the street, he found himself frowning. Money Bags and Red Herring were two of the project’s biggest financiers. If this was somehow tied into Sky’s imprisonment, then perhaps he needed to have a few words with the Count.
At any rate, he had no intention of killing Sky as the other guards seemed to want him to do.
On the contrary, he wanted to help her.

Pony Down

Sky was the first to get home, slamming the door behind her and charging up the tower stairs to her room. She struggled to push her mattress up against the wall, fully aware of Shadow’s approaching screams of terror. At the last minute, Sky unbuckled her cloak, pulling it free and spreading it out.

A moment later, Shadow sailed through the window, bouncing off of the mattress and flopping pathetically into Sky’s cloak.

Before her wings could start beating again, Sky wrapped her in the cloak, swaddling the poor filly and keeping her wings effectively strapped to her sides.

“You know, there’s less demeaning ways to do this.” Shadow commented, struggling against the cloak. She was still vibrating a little.

“Yeah, but those ways aren’t as funny.” Sky giggled, kissing her little sister on the forehead. “Now, let’s find out about this Silver Tongue pony, shall we?”

“Let me guess. Library?” Shadow deadpanned.

“Well yeah, I’ve gotta find out what we’re dealing with and fix the mess that somepony made with Penfeather this morning!” Sky glared. “Not naming names.”

Shadow rolled over, giving her sister an innocent little smile.

“You’ve officially lost coffee privileges.” Sky huffed.

The smile disappeared. “You never gave me coffee privileges!”

“Well now consider yourself twice as banned from coffee!” Sky waved her hooves. “Like, so banned that you’ll be lucky if you’re drinking it when you’re thirty!”

“I’ll be lucky if I bloody well live to thirty if we keep doing jobs like that one.” Shadow giggled. “Go on, go see your waifu and beg for her forgiveness.”

“She’s not my waifu!” Sky pouted, pulling out a sleep dart and sinking it into Shadow’s neck. “Now you get some rest and sleep that coffee off. This is probably gonna be a harder job than the ones we’ve done so far, and I don’t need Shadow the Amazing Pony Pinball flying into everything.”

Shadow was probably going to throw an insult at Sky, but the sleep formula worked fast on her little body. She felt incredibly numb for a few seconds, and then her eyes finally flickered shut.

Once the little filly was taken care of, Sky stepped out onto her balcony. The afternoon sun was actually quite present once she got the opportunity to actually stand there and enjoy it. The little white pony found herself spreading her wings, the light filtering through her primaries and the puncture wounds in her right wing.

Sky loved times like this, taking the opportunity to just stand there atop her little tower and enjoy the soft breeze and warm sun on her coat and wings. So much of her life was spent running and jumping and hiding, she never really had a lot of time to just sit out there and enjoy the stillness and consistency that everypony else seemed to take for granted.
Sky took a few deep breaths. Being able to breathe properly, that was the other thing. None of the breath-holding that she had to endure when she was trying to stay hidden, none of that pain that she felt in her lungs as she fled from the crime scene, desperately trying to get some air in her system through short, ragged breathless panting. She’d pushed her body to its limits more times than she cared to count. What did it mean for the simple act of standing still and breathing to be considered a luxury?
Sky already knew the answer to that one, however. Interesting. Sure, she could understand what the likes of Money Bags would see in a stable job and a quiet life, but it was missing something incredibly important. Sky prided herself on having fun, a right sight more than anypony with a normal life could ever hope to have. She looked down from the little balcony in her tower, not pitying them by any means, but not envying them either.

Besides, thought Sky to herself, when I get these assholes off of my back, maybe I can join those ponies down there.

She hadn’t forgotten about the big bag of money sitting in the corner of her room, kept tucked away safely until she was ready to spend it. That cash was going to help her get her wing fixed sooner or later, as soon as she wouldn’t be hauled off to prison for being a terrorist during her recovery period. She wasn’t going to get her wing back just to get locked away in a birdcage.
Sky gave a soft sigh and headed back inside, pulling her cloak back on and setting Shadow down on her bed.
“Sleep well, kid.” Sky whispered, kissing her on the cheek. The little filly rolled over in her slumber, giving a very small smile. Sky never knew how she did it, but Shadow always seemed to know when it was her. The little white pony gave her little sister a nuzzle, grinning ear to ear as Shadow put her small hooves on Sky’s cheeks.
Finally, Sky pulled away, trotting to the balcony and taking one last look at her sleeping sister. That filly was a nightmare sometimes, but Sky loved her very much indeed, from her fluffy ears to her weirdly ticklish hooves.
“Okay, let’s see what info we can get on this Silver Tongue guy.” Sky muttered, spreading her wings and diving off of the balcony.

Some time later, Shadow squeaked as she felt something bumping against her cheek. She stirred, cracking her eyes open and raising a hoof to visit her fury on whatever unfortunate creature had decided to wake her up in the middle of a filly-nap.

“Fuck off, whatever you are…” She mumbled, waving her hoof at the offending pony.

“It’s me, stupid.” Sky pulled away, cocking her head. “Come on, get up. We’ve got another job to do.”

“Just ten more hours…”

Sky rolled her eyes, picking Shadow up in her mouth by the scruff of her neck. The little filly’s wings started flapping by reflex.

“OI! PUT ME DOWN! PISS OFF!” Shadow yelped in protest, kicking her hooves wildly. “I’M UP! I’M UP!”

“Damn straight.” Sky chuckled, putting her back down on the floor and slinging her bow over her back. “Now come on, get your things.”

“We’re hitting Silver Tongue’s place already?” She groaned sleepily, rubbing her eyes and blinking up at her big sister.

“Yep. We’re gonna see if we can get anything out of that little facility of ours.” Sky chuckled confidently.

“Well, why the hell not?” Shadow shrugged, pulling on her own cloak. “So how’d things go with Penfeather?”

“Oh, they went...okay…” Sky froze, looking down at her hooves and going a little pink.

“That bad, huh?”

“I said they went okay…”

“How bad, sis? Come on, tell me!” Shadow tapped her hoof, unconvinced. She’d lived with her sister long enough to know when she was hiding something.

“I...might’ve gotten nervous…”

“Wow, there’s a surprise…” Shadow rolled her eyes. “Then what happened?”

“I...erm...threw up all over myself and had to run off…” Sky whimpered, ears splaying back.

“Pfft...hang on...sorry…” Shadow apologised, trying to fight the massive grin playing around her mouth. “That...sounds...terrible...oh Luna…”

“It’s not funny! She was all creeped out!” Sky said defensively. “No...not that I saw her...I was kinda...running...for my life…”

“Wow, you really blew it this time, didn’t you?” Shadow rolled her eyes. “You didn’t even need me to tag along this time!”

“Look, can we talk about something else?” Sky asked pleadingly, pulling her face wrap up around her muzzle.

Shadow got in a little more giggling before finally softening up and nudging Sky’s foreleg. “Don’t worry sis, you’ll stop embarrassing yourself someday.”

“You don’t mean that.” Sky deadpanned at her.

“Sure don’t!” Shadow gave a cheeky little squee, flapping her wings with self-satisfaction.

“Come on you.” Sky growled back, flicking her little sister in the nose with her tail. “Let’s get going already, so I can shoot you with a blue dart when we get back for being so cheeky.”

“Awww, sis! Don’t turn me into a colt!” Shadow whined, as the two of them stepped out onto their little balcony, spreading their wings.

With one last glance at one another, the two sisters leapt down onto street level, disappearing into a nearby alley.

***

Silver Tongue’s facility was something to behold, certainly. It was as grandiose and beautiful as every other building in the city centre, clearly designed to blend into its surroundings. Its ornate form made it nigh indistinguishable from every other building in the city, and as Sky stood on a nearby rooftop, she grinned at it.
It’s so cute when they try to hide buildings in plain sight!
“Ready for this?” Shadow asked, stepping up next to her sister and glancing across at her.
“There’s really only one way to find out just how ready we are, isn’t there?”Sky chuckled.

She took a run-up, hooves clattering against the tiles as she picked up speed. Finally, Sky leapt, spreading her wings and gliding across the road. She latched onto a windowsill with her padded hooves, hanging about ten storeys over the ground.

“So far so good.” Shadow commented, hovering next to her.

“Yeah, we haven’t set off any alarms yet.” Sky chuckled, pulling out one of her lockpicks and balancing it on her tongue, working it into the window lock. She twiddled it around, taking a moment to find the tumblers before gently pushing them into place. Finally, she slid her tongue into the lock too, twisting it just a little until she heard a satisfying click.

“Sis...are you sure you can’t do that some other way?” Shadow facehoofed.

“No’e!” Sky giggled, pulling the window out and slipping into the tower.

Shadow followed, tucking her big wings in so she could squeeze through the gap like her sister.
The interior was less baroque and fancy than its exterior, looking more like the inside of a hospital than anything else. The rooms were whitewashed, sterile, with what looked like dentists’ chairs lined up along the back wall, surrounded by trolleys full of various tools and instruments that Sky didn’t recognise. Some of them looked unpleasant.

“Keep low, keep quiet. Let’s see if we can find Silver Tongue’s office.” Sky muttered, lowering herself to the floor and beginning to sneak quietly towards the door.

Shadow looked up. There was some sort of brass apparatus, like a planetarium without the planets, hanging over the chairs. An array of focussing lenses of differing sizes hung from it. “Sis...I don’t like the looks of this place…” She said doubtfully.

“You too, huh?” Sky muttered back, opening the door and peering out into the hallway. “Coast’s clear. Come on, we just need to get to the top floor.”

The two of them kept close together as they left the room, neither one noticing the little blinking red light on the window, an indicator that the silent alarm had been activated….

* * *

“Sir?”

Silver Tongue glanced up at the security stallion in the doorway irritably. “What is it, Lieutenant? I’ve got a lot of work to do right now and I’d really appreciate…”

“The facility’s been breached, sir. We’re tracking the perpetrator now.” The stallion interrupted, standing to attention. “I’ve got some security measures standing by.”

“What about the Operative? Is he ready?” Silver asked, expression growing more grave by the moment.

“He’s ready and safe.”

“Right.” Silver turned around in his swivel chair, pulling a lever. A magical projection of the security feed from his building’s crystal network displayed itself before him. He raised his eyebrows as he spotted the little pegasus mare, clad in a light grey cloak, creeping down a tenth floor corridor. “Does she know she’s being tracked?”

“No sir. All of the surveillance crystals have been cloaked up.” The stallion replied. “She’s talking to somepony else. I’m assuming that she’s got backup.”

“Right.” Silver nodded. “Give her a zap to draw out her backup and then send the Operative after her. We’re not getting the Guard involved in this matter.”

“What should I say to the Operative, then?”

“Catch her and kill her, and anypony else who’s breached the facility. I think it’s time to test out the little project that my dad’s been working on.”

“Kill her, sir?”

Silver Tongue wasn’t paying attention to the nervous stallion in the doorway anymore, watching the crystal feed of the little intruder approaching the express elevator. This was clearly the pony who’d made life difficult for Red Herring and Money Bags.

“The world won’t miss her.”

* * *

Sky looked the elevator doors up and down. “Shit.”

“What’s the matter, sis?” Shadow asked, very nearly bumping into her big sister’s flanks as she halted.

“I don’t see any locks for this thing.” Sky muttered, putting her hoof up to it. There was a console, certainly, but it was locked behind a metal plate. “We might have to take the stairs.”

“The stairs are gonna be loaded with crystals, you realise.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sky sighed, pulling out a little screwdriver and beginning to remove the little screws that held the plate in place. “I guess this is our best option.”

“You know what’s weirding me out?”

“The decor?”

“Well yeah, but the fact that we haven’t run into any security yet. No crystals, no guards, nothing.” Shadow drew closer to her big sister, almost looking frightened.

“Yeah, you’re right…” Sky muttered, “In Money Bags’s place, we’d at least run into somepony by now. This is ridiculous.”

Shadow was about to voice another concern, when she was interrupted by a very quiet sound. It was a mechanical whining, almost like something was charging up.
“Sis…” She whimpered, pulling her bow off of her back and taking off.

Sky pulled away from the panel, looking around the corridor for the source of the noise.

A few bright blue diamond-shaped crystals had apparently materialised out of thin air, revolving in place up near the ceiling. There were about five of them, all making the same noise, growing increasingly bright.

“Oh bollocks.” Sky mumbled, before galloping off back down the corridor as fast as she could, Shadow in tow. “I think we found the security systems, sis!”

“No shit!” Shadow called back.

To Sky’s credit, she nearly made it halfway down the hallway before the crystals fired. Lightning arced out of them with impressive precision, sending painful, powerful shocks through her body, seizing her nerves up. Sky gave a short shriek before she lost voluntary control of her muscles, collapsing onto the floor and skidding along it in a heap, finally coming to rest a few feet away.

“Sis!” Shadow squeaked, speeding over as fast as her wings would carry her and checking on Sky. “Come on, get up, we’ve gotta get out of here…”

“I’m...I’m okay…” Sky groaned, shakily getting to her hooves and looking around at the crystals. There were scorch marks criss-crossing her white fur, her mane and cloak singed slightly. “Come on, let’s see if we can finish the job…”

They both froze. The crystals were gone, and a big green light was blinking over the elevator door.

“I don’t like this…” Shadow muttered, nocking a sleep arrow and drawing her bowstring back.

“You and me both, sister.” Sky agreed, snapping out her crossbow and loading up a sleep dart.

The elevator doors slid open, revealing a beige unicorn stallion, bulkier than any she’d seen before. He was easily three times Sky’s size, with the kind of body you could only get by spending every waking moment at the gym.

Both sisters fired simultaneously, the twang of Shadow’s bowstring and the snap of Sky’s hoof crossbow echoing through the otherwise empty hallway. The arrow and the dart struck the massive unicorn, the formula within leaking into his bloodstream. Both sisters’ faces fell when he merely grinned at them, stamping his forehoof and beginning to charge.

Sky and Shadow exchanged a glance, trying to dive sideways to get out of his way, but the unicorn’s horn flared, holding both of them in place with his magic as he drew closer. Both of them grunted, beating their wings to try and break free, but it was far too late. The unicorn slammed into both of them, sending them both careening into the doors at the end of the corridor.

Sky was initially blinded and numbed by pain, dropping to the floor again with a grunt. Her whole body ached, and she knew right then that she was going to end up with a hell of a lot of bruises after an impact like that.
“Sha...Shadow...let’s get out of here…” She gasped, trying to get air back into her lungs as she got to her hooves. As she surveyed her immediate surroundings, however, she spotted her little sister, slumped on the ground. She wasn’t getting up.

The unicorn growled at her, stamping again, getting ready to charge her once more. Sky’s eyes darted between her assailant and her little sister, who was laying right in the monster’s path. If he charged again, Shadow would be trampled.
“Back off...buddy…” Sky panted, reloading her crossbow and firing at him again. She already knew it was ineffective, but she had to try nonetheless. The dart struck, draining into the pony’s bloodstream again to no avail.
Sky reloaded once more, firing again as he began to pick up speed again. This time, he stumbled a little, and Sky’s heart lifted.
They’re clearly doing something to him…

She dove forwards as he sped towards her, taking Shadow’s little body between her hooves and holding her close. The unicorn caught her with his hoof as he kept galloping, knocking the two of them aside, but Sky held on for dear life to the little filly, not wanting to let go for all the world. She looked up, raising her hoof crossbow and shooting again and again at his retreating back, reloading as rapidly as the mechanism would allow. Finally, after using every last sleep dart in her bandolier, the unicorn wavered, slumping to the floor and beginning to snore gently.

Sky sighed, shakily getting to her hooves. Her whole body was wracked with pain, beaten purple in places by the impacts she’d suffered, and it felt like she had a couple of bruised ribs. Nonetheless, she rolled Shadow onto her back, looking down at the filly with concern.
“Sis?” Sky whispered, giving her an experimental shake. “Come on sis, we’ve gotta go. Get up…”

Shadow, however, wasn’t budging. Her eyes were closed, and her very small body was covered with bruises too. Her eyes remained closed, and she didn’t react to Sky’s prods and nuzzles at all.

“Oh no...come on sis, don’t do this to me...we’ve got to get out of here. Come on, get up.” Sky nudged Shadow with her nose, trying to wake her up. Panic set in, the kind of panic that she only really knew from her nightmares. No matter how much Sky tried, Shadow wouldn’t wake up.

So fixated was Sky on the filly’s state of being that she didn’t hear the unicorn beginning to get up at first. His body was peppered with darts, and as he got to his hooves, a bright red glow emanate from his coat. His body was healing itself, rejecting the formula’s effects. Sky’s ears perked as the darts clattered to the floor off of his body, and she looked up at the monstrous unicorn with abject terror.
“Well, that’s bollocks…” She mumbled, glancing back at Shadow and nuzzling her again.
Come on, don’t do this to me...please…

As the unicorn turned to face her, the red light fading from his eyes, Sky realised that she was out of time. She scooped Shadow’s prone form onto her back, letting the filly’s hooves rest in her saddlebags. Giving the monster one last terrified glance, Sky ran for it.

She darted out of the corridor into the lab where she started, spying the open window and making a break for it. The sound of thundering hooves behind her sent her into a panic. Was this guy seriously gaining on her?

Getting up to speed, Sky took a running jump out of the window, spreading her wings to keep her in the air for just a little longer. She landed atop an adjacent building, glancing back at the lab as she started to gallop again.

Somehow, be it through teleportation or the world’s most ridiculous leap, the unicorn was on the rooftop with her.
Oh, fuck me. This isn’t good…
Sky redoubled her efforts, flapping her damaged wings to get some serious speed up. The jet engine whine of her wings against the wind became far more pronounced, and Sky let out a tiny giggle as she finally hit a full gallop. There was no unicorn or earth pony in the whole world who could run faster than her. She had powerful legs and a very light frame, even with another pony on her back.
Nevertheless, she could hear the clattering of heavy hooves against roof tiles, and it was getting closer. A moment later, a chimney exploded next to her, struck by a particularly powerful spell.
“WOULD YOU PISS OFF ALREADY!” Sky bellowed over her shoulder at the rapidly gaining unicorn. “I LEFT YOUR SODDING BUILDING! LEAVE ME ALONE!”

The unicorn’s horn flared again, and Sky dropped down onto a lower rooftop, weaving between chimney stacks to break his line of sight, throwing off his aim. The unicorn dove after her, slamming into the roof and crashing through it, not as light as his quarry. Sky didn’t stop even as she saw him disappear into someone’s attic, jumping off the house and dropping down to street level. She kept galloping, passing guard patrols without heed as she picked up speed again. Her breath came in short, sharp gasps as she kept accelerating, her muscles screaming out with pain as she pushed her body to its limits. Even at full speed, she could hear the distant crash of the unicorn bursting out onto the street, hear the rhythmic thudding of his hooves approaching, and his hot breath against her flanks. He’d caught up to her, even galloping at full speed. Nopony had ever done that before.

Sky darted sideways as she spotted a guard patrol almost immediately in front of her, a white unicorn with purple and gold armour at its head. She took off down a back alley, hearing the thudding of the unicorn’s hooves subside as he was distracted by the guards challenging him. She kept going, away from the crashing of hooves against metal.
“Hold on Shadow, we’re nearly out of here…” Sky panted, her whole body numb from pain by now. She stumbled again and again as she misstepped, nearly sending the filly sliding off of her back.
With a few strained leaps and bounds, Sky made her way above street level again, clambering back onto the rooftops and slowing down to a brisk trot, taking deep laboured breaths to try and get some air back in her system.
Over time, pain set back in, breaking through the numbness she was feeling and permeating her whole bruised body. The strain she’d put herself under, the hits she’d taken, all of it came rushing back, and the little pegasus stumbled under both sisters’ combined weight, nearly collapsing.
Ugh...usually I’m down for a little pain and a ton of exercise, but this is ridiculous…
Sky’s ears perked once more as she heard the thundering tread again.
No way…
She looked over her shoulder, almost too terrified to see if it was that same unicorn again.
No way...that’s such horseshit...there’s no way that he’s still coming after me…
The unicorn was galloping towards her, horn flaring once more. This time he himself was pursued by the pony in the purple armour, who was barking commands at him. That thing wasn’t listening, completely fixated on catching Sky.
She gave a very small squeak before taking off again, galloping as fast as her strained legs would carry her. She dropped down onto a balcony with the two stallions in hot pursuit, launching herself off of it.
Sky beat her wings, screaming out in pain as her damaged wing sent electric shocks of pure agony through her body. She gritted her teeth, blinking away tears as she twisted in the air and loaded an explosive dart into her crossbow.

She let fly at the exact moment that the armoured unicorn caught up with his quarry, tackling him onto the balcony. The explosive dart went off, collapsing the balcony underneath both of them and sending them tumbling down three storeys. They both landed in a heap, covered in fallen masonry.
Sky dropped down to the ground a moment later, taking only a few seconds to scream and stretch her wing out. She was shaking with pain now, the dull aching of her muscles and bruised body overridden by the stabbing agony of her wing. She hadn’t wanted to use that thing in the first place, and it provided all the lift of a colander with all those puncture wounds through it, but she was desperate. She looked around at Shadow, who was still passed out on her back.
“It’s okay, Shadow. I’ll get you safe.” She whispered. “It’ll be okay. Just hold on…”
And with one final nuzzle, Sky was gone, galloping off back towards her tower.

* * *

The unicorn struggled to his hooves, groaning as the red light enveloped his body once again. Bones started knitting back together, bruises healed over, and his horn fixed itself. Within a few minutes, the damage that he had sustained from the fall was completely repaired, and he was just as he had been before.

Stronghooves was up first, eyes shining bright blue as he advanced on the stallion sternly, shoving him back to the ground with his forehoof. His purple helmet and breastplate was dented and damaged by the explosion and the fall, and he was furious beyond reason.

“What did you want with Sky Runner?” He growled, eyes narrowing as he regarded the other unicorn with cold malice.

“Silver...told me...kill her…” The unicorn responded in kind, launching himself at Stronghooves and pinning him to the ground. He snorted in Stronghooves’s face, baring his teeth.

“Over my dead body you’ll kill her.” Stronghooves whispered back, pulling back his hind legs and kicking his assailant right in the bollocks.
The unicorn went down, wheezing, giving Stronghooves the opportunity to pick his sword up again.

“You and I...are gonna end up...equally matched…” The stallion spat, getting up again and barrelling into him. He knocked Stronghooves onto his back once more, rearing up on his hind legs and bringing them down onto his head. The captain’s helmet bent like a tin can under the heavy hooves, and he gave out a grunt of pain.

“I dunno...I do have one edge over you.” He growled softly, kicking the stallion’s hind legs out from under him. Scrambling away, he got back up in tandem with his opponent, picking his sword up and letting it float in the air in front of him.
The two of them circled each other, snorting and stamping their heavy hooves.

“What’s that, then?” Silver’s operative growled, before charging at a fairly obvious opening that Stronghooves had left. As the sword came flashing through the air, he realised too late that Stronghooves had purposefully left himself open.

“Well…” He grinned, leaning in at the surprised stallion, twisting the blade in his chest a little. “The big enchanted sword helps, I find.”

Stronghooves stepped away from the stallion as he collapsed, looking down the street again. Sky was nowhere to be seen. She likely didn’t even know that he’d just saved her from a very dangerous pony. He gave a soft sigh, sitting down and pulling his damaged helmet off of his head.
We’ll see each other again soon, Sky. I promise you.
He bowed his head, letting his ears splay back as he played with a loose cobblestone for a while, lost in contemplation. Finally, he arose again, pulling his sword free and grabbing the unicorn by his horn.
“I think it’s about time we had a talk with Silver about the way we do things in my city.”

Sawblades and Sap

Sawblades opened the slot he had built into his door, peering out. Somepony had been banging on his door frantically for the past two minutes, and that could mean only one thing; an emergency.

Sawblades was a street doctor, the kind of pony whose job it was to take in patients and patch them up with no questions asked. He’d treated all manner of injuries in his time. Scorch marks from incendiary spells, broken bones, even a few ponies that were bleeding out completely. He was one of the best street docs in Canterlot, and you didn’t earn a reputation for being the best lightly.

Still, sometimes there came along a patient that broke his heart.

Sawblades’s eyes widened, his mind torn from the bonds of sleep as he took in the sad sight before him. The pony waiting outside of his door was none other than Sky Runner. He’d treated her for a great many broken bones and bruises over the years - the nature of her work, of course - but something about her panicked, pleading expression gave Sawblades the impression that it wasn’t her who was in trouble. Curious, his gaze crept to the barely-breathing mass on her back, and his heart dropped into his stomach.

“Come on in, quickly now.” He said, remaining calm as always as he pulled the door open. Sky dashed inside as quickly as possible, depositing the bleeding little filly on the makeshift operating table that Sawblades used for all of his clients. He looked her over, lifting her forehoof up and feeling for a pulse.
“She’s alive, but she hasn’t got much time left.” He whispered solemnly. Whirling around, he pulled over a trolley full of medical supplies, giving Shadow a second look. She was unconscious by now, barely breathing.

“You...you can save her, right?” Sky asked, panicked. “I did my best to help her, but she won’t wake up.” She was shaking wildly, her legs barely able to support her weight. Sawblades looked up at the little mare, almost in tears, and gave her a soft encouraging smile.

“I can save anypony, Sky. You know that.” He looked down at Shadow again, her breathing shallow, laboured. “Nonetheless...you might want to say goodbye...just in case.”

“No!” Sky stamped her hoof. “Come on Sawblades, I’ll pay whatever it takes! Just please, please fix her! I fucking need this!”

Sawblades held up a hoof. “Look, I’ll do my best. She’s pretty far gone, but I’ll do my best.”

Sky nodded reluctantly. “That’s really all I can ask of you. Just please make her better. I need her…”

“I know you do. Now please, step outside and wait. Clear your head. I’ll come and get you once I know something for certain.” He gave her a sympathetic smile. Sawblades had dealt with a great many panicked ponies before, and Sky’s attitude was nothing new. She loved her sister very much indeed, and she’d always done her best to take care of her. Seeing her like this...it was traumatic. The sort of thing that that pony would no doubt have a lot of difficulty recovering from.

As Sky reluctantly left the makeshift clinic, she cast one last sad look back at her little sister, before stepping out into the dark tunnel where Sawblades had made his home. The street doctor sighed, looking down at Shadow and brushing his hoof over her cheek.

“Now then, little one. Let’s see what we can do for you…” He sighed softly, pulling over a blood pack and getting to work.

* * *

Sky trotted in circles outside of Sawblades’s place, in the dark catacomb where he’d made his home. Her entire body was covered in cuts and bruises, her white back stained reddish-brown with the matted blood of her little sister. When she was certain that nopony was watching, she stopped where she stood, finally allowing herself to cry. It was near-silent as befitted a pony of her profession, just letting the tears drip down onto the cobblestone floor. She let her wings flop down by her sides, useless as they were. They hadn’t helped save Shadow, hadn’t helped her get away, and now Sky was waiting to hear whether or not her little sister would survive the night.

Without constant action to spur her onwards, a feeling of panic set in. The waiting. Sky hated waiting, especially for something so important as this. When she had been running down here, she’d at least felt that something was being done, that in some way she was working towards her sister’s safety. Now all she could do was sit there, listening at the door for all the good it did, crying and sniffling in the darkness.

It wasn’t often that Sky felt vulnerable. There were times when she was overpowered, outmatched, times when the ponies who wanted her head on a stake were stronger or smarter than she was, but she and Shadow had always had a few tricks hidden up their sleeves. In this state, this void in which she sat, Sky had nothing. She didn’t have darts that could heal the damage, didn’t know any tricks for stemming the flow of blood. She didn’t even know what to say to help Shadow feel better. She could only sit there, waiting, and it was the most horrific feeling in the whole world.

“Please be okay, Shadow.” Sky whispered to the tunnel at large. Only the distant squeaking of rats answered her, part of an uncaring, big world that wouldn’t even know that that little filly had existed, that she’d come along one day so many years ago and made Sky happier than she’d ever imagined she could be. The idea of losing her, the very thought that that little hoof might someday not be holding hers, that Sky wouldn’t be woken up in the night by a scared little filly crawling into bed and begging for somepony to cuddle with…Sky’s chest felt cold.

Even the annoying shit that Shadow did, Sky reflected on. The way she acted when she had coffee, when she’d read entries from her diary out loud to anypony who happened to be passing the tower, how she’d fill up Sky’s shower cloud with green coat dye and leave her looking silly all day long. Even that bloody horrible thing she did where she stole Sky’s good underwear and put it on top of a cloud before making her bargain for them back. Those annoying little things, her cute little giggle and that mischievous grin, they’d all become part of Sky’s life, an inseparable part of her existence that she couldn’t bear to lose. That pony, with all her quirks, all her tricks and jokes and schemes, meant the world to her.

Sky was pulled back to reality by the door opening. Sawblades stepped outside, a bloodstained apron around his neck and a rather blank expression on his face. He had that dead look of a doctor who had seen far too many ponies in conditions like Shadow’s. The dead look of a doctor who hadn’t been fast enough to save them.
A part of her brain that she wasn’t going to acknowledge told her that there was nothing that Sawblades need say. Nevertheless, she met his gaze, shaking like a leaf.
“We...well? Is she gonna be okay?”

Sawblades put a hoof on her shoulder, opening his mouth to tell her the results of his hasty operation. However, when he spoke, his voice was faded, sounding as if it was muffled beyond comprehension.
“Um...sorry?” Sky asked, narrowing her eyes and perking her ears. Perhaps it was panic preventing her from focussing properly.

Sawblades opened his mouth again, but nothing came out except the same unintelligible mumbling. Sky could see his lips forming the words, could tell that he was speaking clearly, but it was as if he were talking through a pillow. No matter how loudly or clearly he tried to speak, no matter how he tried to explain what had happened, the words simply wouldn’t come clearly. Sky tried to push past him to see her, and he stood in her way, stalwart.

“Sawblades, get out of the way. Let me see her.” Sky said weakly, trying her best to get around him. The street doc, a big heavy earth pony, shook his head and kept standing in her way.

“Come on Sawblades, this isn’t funny. I need to see her. Get the hell out of my way.” Sky’s voice was cracking, overridden by panic.
Why the hell isn’t he letting me see her? I’ve got to see her. No...no, don’t take her away from me…

The pony shook his head again, and Sky completely lost it. She started pounding his chest with her soft, weak forehooves, screaming at him.
“LET ME SEE HER!” She begged, tears streaming down her face. Her mind screamed at her that her worst fears had been realised, but she defied it as strongly as she could, “I NEED TO SEE HER AGAIN, SAWBLADES! PLEASE! PLEEEASE!” Her legs were shaking, her vision growing blurry as she glared at him with a mix of desperation and fury.
Don’t do this...don’t fucking do this...don’t keep me from her…I need her...
As Sky glanced through the gap between Sawblades and the doorway, trying to see the operating table, the lamp that hung above it glowed brighter. The young filly was enveloped by the light, which now filled the entire room, shining past Sawblades and blinding Sky for a few moments. She squinted through it, trying to see her little sister again, but there was nothing now but flickering silhouettes.
“Wait, what’s happening? What the fuck’s happening? Sawblades, get out of the fucking way! Sky panicked, redoubling her efforts to try and get inside.
No...she can’t be leaving...hold on Shadow, I’m coming…
“Sis? SIS!” Sky screamed, as the world began to dissolve around her. Even Sawblades was more incorporeal now, becoming ghostly, consumed by the light like everything else. Sky, screaming, crying, sobbing and trying her best to find her little sister, was left alone in a great white void.

* * *

Moonlight crept through the window and fell on Sky’s face, and the little pony scrunched her snout and woke up.

Pain shot up through her body as she got up. She took a second to check her hooves before the events of the previous afternoon came back to her. The chase with that ridiculously resilient unicorn, the bruising that both she and Shadow had taken, her little sister’s concussion…

And the mess with Sawblades...that was just a nightmare. A scarily detailed and familiar nightmare, but unreal nonetheless. Sky couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. The idea of that little pony getting hurt was painful in of itself. She’d had her in her life for so long, that life without her was unimaginable.

However, the events of the day before still nagged at her mind, and she felt compelled to check on Shadow. She had to know for sure that she was okay. After all, she hadn’t woken up since Sky had brought her home. Sky limped out of her room, heading over to Shadow’s bedroom and peeking inside.

The little filly was laying there, her breathing soft and quiet, a dozen bruises on her body caught in the moonlight. Sky couldn’t help but crack a little smile as she looked at her little sister, trotting forward and nuzzling her.
“I know I don’t say this enough, but you’re a special little pony to me.” She whispered. “All the arguments we have, the pranks we play. They don’t mean anything. I don’t know how I’d be able to live without you, sweetie.”

Shadow lay there on her back, her big wings splayed out on either side of her as she sighed in her sleep. She was certainly unconscious, but she gave the tiniest excited little flutter as she heard her big sister’s voice.

“I don’t think it’d be a good life, though.” She admitted, putting a hoof up on Shadow’s cloud-bed and nudging her. “You kinda...bring a lot to it. You’re kinda the only pony I really talk to. You’re sweet and brave and you’re...well...not just my sister. You’re my best friend too.”

And with that, Sky rested her head on the bed next to Shadow, nudging her with her soft fluffy nose.

“Si...sis?”

Sky’s ears perked, and she looked up at the little filly. “Ye...yeah?”

“You can stop being a sappy bitch now.” Shadow smiled, cracking an eye open and fixing her gaze on her elder sibling.

Sky felt a massive grin playing about her features, and when Shadow reached out for a hug, she picked her up and held her close, squeezing her tightly and refusing to let go. The younger pony made a noise that you could only recreate by treading on a rubber duck.

Shadow struggled for a moment, beating her wings to try and get free, but as she looked down at Sky, she saw a pony who loved her very much indeed, who’d been unable to sleep properly for worrying about her so much, who’d been willing to cry her heart out by her bedside, ecstatic to see her again. It was one of those rare moments when Shadow’s expression softened a little, and she settled for nuzzling her instead.

“It’s okay, sis.” She whispered quietly, hugging her back. “I’m fine...it’s okay.”

“I know.” Sky nodded, squeezing her. “I just...I was scared.”

“Come on, it takes more than a charging hippo in a unicorn costume to fuck me up.” Shadow grinned confidently.

“Yeah...I guess we can add it to the list of shit we shouldn’t have survived, huh?”

“Exactly.” Shadow stopped beating her wings, wrapping them around her sister instead. “Sky?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, kid.”

And as the two of them hugged in the moonlight, both little ponies couldn’t help but ruminate on what they’d almost lost. Sky had been scared for her own life, but the idea of losing Shadow made her sick. However, as she felt her little sister’s soft fur against her own, she sighed with quiet relief. She could travel the whole of Equestria and all four corners of the globe, but no matter how she tried, she’d never be able to replace Shadow.

After all, there was no better little sister in the whole wide world.

Sword and Shield

There came a knock on Silver Tongue’s door, and the unicorn slammed down his quill, insofar as one could slam down a little feather on a desk.
“What do you want? I’m a very busy stallion!” He barked, looking up from his paperwork. However, when he saw the sight before him, his face fell.

Stronghooves was standing there in the doorway, a heavily necrotised stallion laying at his hooves. He fixed Silver Tongue with a most severe glare indeed.
“Committing murder in my city?” He asked conversationally, stepping over the unicorn’s corpse and striding up to Silver’s desk.

“We had a security breach. Somepony got into the facility and started snooping around.” Silver replied cooly. He knew well enough that Stronghooves was dangerous, but he was a guard too, and guards had rules.
This pony’s too idealistic for his own good…

“So Canterlot’s premier weapons contractor had a security breach, and you decided that the best, most sane course of action was to send a bloody Operative after them? That thing killed a whole guard patrol and caused massive property damage! That’s not how you respond to security breaches, Silver.”

“Perhaps...perhaps I got carried away, but the Count is putting pressure on me to field-test the enhanced stallions, and that seemed like a golden opportunity.” Said Silver, adjusting his spectacles.

“Well there you go.” Stronghooves gestured at the half-skeletonised body behind him. “You got your field test, and it cost you one of your Operatives.”

“Yes, and you’ll likely be explaining yourself to the Count when he finds out about this, and he will. Trust me on that.” Silver steepled his hooves, giving Stronghooves a very severe look.

“I might have signed up for this bloody programme and I might be answerable to your dad, but I’m a guard captain first and foremost.” Stronghooves glared back, placing a heavy forehoof on Silver’s desk. “My first duty’s to everypony in this city, and you’d do well to remember that.”

“Stronghooves,” Silver sighed, taking off his glasses and looking up at the big heavy stallion, “I get that you’re not motivated in quite the same way as everypony else who’s working on this project, but you and I, we’re working towards the same thing. A united and safe Equestria.”

Stronghooves looked down at his hooves for a moment, his expression softening a little. “Ye...yes. Of course, you’re right. Look, I understand what you’re working towards, but I don’t want anypony else getting hurt along the way.”

“We’ll do our utmost to ensure it doesn’t happen again.” Silver got up, trotting around his desk and putting a hoof on Stronghooves’s shoulder. “You’re a bright stallion and we’re eager to listen to everything you have to say. If something’s making you uncomfortable, tell us and we’ll change it.”

“Of course. Look, I know that your motives are sound, and I’m not angry at you. I’m just...trying to keep the peace, and you’re making it difficult by releasing Operatives on Canterlot. They’re supposed to be trained to fight griffons, not ponies.”

“Well, naturally.” Silver nodded. “But I get the impression that there was more behind your decision to hunt down and kill my prototype than just the safety of the Canterlot citizens.”

“Don’t talk about the ponies I protect like they’re a trivial thing.” Stronghooves shook his head. “My reasons for going after that monster are my own damn business, and that’s how they’ll remain.” He looked up, giving Silver a hard look that caused the smaller unicorn to back away a little.

“I...I wasn’t saying that.” he corrected himself. “I was saying that there’s probably more to it than that.”

“Like I said, they’re my business, Silver. Drop it.” Stronghooves sat down, looking strangely tired all of a sudden.

“What’s wrong, Stronghooves?” Silver asked, cocking his head and drawing closer. “Something’s on your mind, I can tell.”

“What the hell am I part of? I’m working for a bunch of ponies that are motivated entirely by money, by personal gain. I’m really going to get called to account for protecting the ponies I was hired to protect? Really?”

“Businessponies are motivated by money, Stronghooves. Sooner or later you’re going to have to understand that.” Silver nodded sympathetically. “However, you’ll find that a great many good things come into being because of stallions like us. I mean, take you for example. Do you think that you could have taken that Operative on and protected everypony from him if we hadn’t given you the same magical enhancements?”

“Well, you have a point there…” Stronghooves nodded. “I’m just not certain that they won’t use the Operatives irresponsibly if enough bits change hooves.”

“I suppose you, as the first test subject, would be responsible for ensuring that they act in an ethical manner.” Silver shrugged. “I can personally promise you that the Count doesn’t have any ill intent for these Operatives, but if you’re concerned, I recommend you talk to him about it.”

“I think I will.” Stronghooves nodded. “I’m not interested in getting into a fight with you lot, but I’m not having any more ponies get hurt by their protectors.”

“I quite understand.” Silver smiled sympathetically. “Oh, one more thing. Did the intruder get away?”

Stronghooves nodded. “Ye...yeah, she did.”

“Then it’s of the utmost importance that you track her down and terminate her.” Silver said quietly, pursing his lips. “We can’t afford to have anypony aware of what we’re doing. The Operative’s rampage was bad enough. That the intruder got away and could tell somepony...that could be devastating.”

Stronghooves got up, “I can’t kill her, Silver.”

“Why not? You didn’t seem to have a problem with the prototype over there.” Silver gave the dead stallion a nod.

“You don’t understand. She’s...different.” He shook his head. “I can’t allow her to come to any harm.”

“But you will catch her, right?” Silver narrowed his eyes.

“Of course I will. She’s a criminal and a terrorist. It’s my job to catch ponies like her.” Stronghooves gave Silver a look as though he thought him mad. “I just have principles, okay?”

“If you have any kind of conflict of interest…” Silver glared, stepping back behind his desk and sitting down.

“I don’t.” Stronghooves lied easily. “She doesn’t matter to me. I only killed that Operative because he could have hurt a lot of innocent ponies and I ran out of options.”

Silver and Stronghooves kept staring at one another for a while longer, before the latter finally cracked a smile. He glanced across Silver’s desk, eyes resting for a moment on a little photo he had sitting there.

“Is that your wife?” He asked curiously.

“Fiancee, yeah.” Silver nodded slowly, following Stronghooves’s gaze. “We’re getting married in a week or so. Why do you ask?”

Stronghooves shrugged. “She’s beautiful. I’m positive that you’re going to be very happy together, especially if she knows what you’ve helped achieve.”

“That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing.” Silver smiled softly. “It’s not just money that’s motivating me. There’s a special pony in my life that I want to keep safe.”

Stronghooves paused for a moment, giving Silver a look of deep understanding. For a mere soldier, he had a certain intelligence about him that both fascinated and terrified Silver. Perhaps it was that intelligence that had made him the officer he was today.

“Thank you for your time, Silver.” He beamed, stepping back. “You make sure that you keep safe. Any more incidents like today’s and the guards will be knocking on your door looking for answers. I wouldn’t wish that on anypony.”

SIlver’s ears splayed back. Stronghooves’s message was more than clear: Don’t go after Sky or I’ll come after you next.

“Well...we’ll be sure to prevent it from happening again.” He chuckled, giving the big stallion an uneasy smile.

“Good.” Stronghooves nodded, smiling briskly. “Then I suppose I’d better get back to hunting down that pony, hadn’t I?”

“I suppose you better had.” Silver nodded.

An unspoken agreement had been made between the two stallions, and as Stronghooves trotted back down the corridor to the express elevator, he grinned a little. He was at least reasonably confident that he’d successfully threatened Silver enough to keep that rich bastard’s nose out of his affairs. Hopefully he’d be able to continue pursuing Sky unmolested.

As he stepped out of the facility onto the street, his eyes flared blue, compensating for the dim illumination of the moonlit city. He breathed in the fresh air and looked around, as if by chance, Sky had been listening in on the conversation and would come forward to give him her thanks.

Nopony came, and Stronghooves bowed his head for just a moment before brightening up again.
Well, I’m sure when she sees what I’m doing to protect her, she’ll come around and be my biggest fan again… He thought to himself, sighing.

Stronghooves hadn’t been entirely honest with Silver when he said that his goal was for the safety of Equestria as a whole. He hadn’t signed up for this programme, had those electrodes connected up to his body and been blasted with magic for the safety of everypony in Canterlot. Even with his magical enhancements, he had limitations. There was no way he could protect everypony all on his own. It simply wasn’t doable.

His first duty wasn’t to Celestia or Luna, or to the city or nation as a whole. His first duty, as far as he was concerned, was to his family.

And that meant his little sister too.

* * *

Inspector Shield was awoken by a knock on his door.
The house had better be on fire… He thought to himself, groaning as he got up, giving his head a little shake to try and clear it. Making a rudimentary effort to make himself look presentable, the officer pulled his helmet on and trotted downstairs to get the door.

“Do you have any idea how late it is?” He grunted as he pulled the door open.

“Yeah, I do.” Stronghooves replied, stepping inside unbidden and pulling his helmet off. “I need your help, Inspector.”

“Official visiting hours are between 2-3pm on Wednesdays…” Shield grunted, trotting into the living room and sitting down on the couch, still groggy from his lost sleep.

Stronghooves couldn’t help but chuckle a little as he followed him, sitting down next to him. “You know Sky Runner’s been breaking into weapons contractor facilities now, right?”

Shield rubbed his eyes with his forehooves, looking up at his superior blearily. “She...she’s what?”

“A known terrorist is breaking into weapons contractor facilities.” Stronghooves repeated patiently. “I’ve taken over the investigation into her case.”

“And you want my help?” Shield cocked his head.

“Yeah, I do.” He nodded. “You’re an inspector. I want you to start tracking her down, trying to find a link between her crime scenes. Keep looking until you have something solid to give me about what she’s up to.”

Shield’s expression hardened a little. “I can do that. And you didn’t wait until tomorrow to tell me this because…?”

“Because I want your ponies to start work on this immediately.” Stronghooves smiled a little. “I know this is a lot to ask of you, and I’m sorry, but it is a matter of national security. I wouldn’t request it of you if I didn’t think that you could get it done.”

“I appreciate the sentiment.” Shield chuckled. “So where do you want me to start?”

“Wherever you think appropriate. Take her file and get a team of detectives together. Start with her family.”

“She has a family?” Shield cocked his head. “I didn’t think that somepony like her would even have parents.”

“I assume so.” Stronghooves shrugged. “Everypony has a family. Dig up copies of her birth certificate, medical records, anything you can find. Use it to track any family she has left down and ask them what they know about her.”

“You said there’d be a pattern in the crime scenes?” Shield asked.

“Indeed. I think that Sky’s up to something, and I want her stopped. However, I have one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“I need her brought in alive, and then I’ll interrogate her myself. I have experience with terrorists in the past.” He put a hoof on Shield’s shoulder, smiling confidently. “I know you won’t let me down, Inspector.”

“Of course I won’t.” Shield smiled. At least I won’t have to interrogate the bitch this time.

“I knew I could count on you.” Stronghooves smiled proudly, getting up. “You’re going places, Inspector. If you help me bring this mare down, then you’ll be richly rewarded for your services.”

“Well hey, you had me at ‘richly rewarded.’” Shield chuckled, getting up with him and seeing him to the door. “I’ll hit the barracks right now and get started.”

“See that you do.” Stronghooves beamed, patting the Inspector on the back one more time before excusing himself. “And good luck. She’s a wily mare. Don’t take any chances.”

“Don’t worry, Captain.” Shield nodded, the feeling of humiliation from their last encounter still burning in the back of his mind. “I can promise you that I won’t.”

With that, Stronghooves trotted off down the street, a wry smile playing about his features.
I’ll catch you, sis. If I have to bring the whole Canterlot Guard Department down on your head to do it, I will. I want to see you again.

I need to see you again…

Family Matters

Sky cricked her neck, pulling her cloak on again. Her whole body still ached like mad after yesterday, but she had to keep going. Both of them did.

“Please tell me that we’re not going to Silver’s place again.” Shadow cocked her head with concern, pulling her own hood up. With a little pomf, her little ears poked out of the specially-cut holes in the hood.

“Well, yeah, but a different kind of place.” Sky shrugged, cringing a little as another jab of pain shot across her body. “If we can’t get into his facility, we’ll hit his house instead. There’ll be letters or a journal or something there, right?”

“Hey, that’s the least insane thing you’ve said this week!” Shadow giggled, slinging her bow over her back again. She was looking a little better already, although part of it might have been that her bruises perfectly matched her coat colour.

Sky looked her up and down, grinning. “Look at you! You’re just as bouncy as ever.”

Shadow looked down at herself, then up at Sky, smiling softly. “You know it takes more than just a charging mega-unicorn to knock me off of my hooves, right?”

“I dunno…” Sky chuckled, trotting out onto the balcony and giving her wings an experimental stretch. “You got quite a bit of air time when he ran into you.”

“More air time than you’ve had in the last five years.” Shadow giggled, sticking her tongue out at her big sister.

Sky took a moment to glance back at her little sister, and Shadow met her gaze with a nigh-ecstatic grin. She’d been that way ever since last night, like Sky talking at her bedside had in some way made her whole week. Of course, if asked, the little filly might not say that that was why she was in such a good mood.

“Sky?” Shadow asked, her smile fading just a little.

“Yeah, sis?”

The young pony came a little closer, tucking her wings in and bowing her head. She hesitated, mulling the unfamiliar words over in her head. She stayed silent for the longest time before taking Sky’s forehoof in her own, squeezing it tightly.

“Let’s be careful, okay?” Shadow whispered. “I...I don’t wanna lose you either.”

Sky’s ears splayed back. She glanced around to see if anypony was watching her, before scooping Shadow up and holding her tightly to her chest.
“Of course we’ll be careful, sweetie.” She said softly, rocking the light pony back and forth and kissing her on the forehead. “We’ll watch each others’ backs, same as always. Got it?”

“Ye...yeah...um...sis?”

“Hmm?”

“I just said we should be careful. I wasn’t giving you permission to get all sappy again.” Shadow pouted, glaring at her elder sister.

Sky gave a little sigh, putting her down on the floor again and ruffling her mane. Shadow gave a shake, as if trying to decontaminate herself before she caught the big sister cooties.

“You’re a damn silly pony sometimes.” Sky chuckled, hopping off of the balcony.

“Look who’s talking.” Shadow rolled her eyes, spreading her wings and doing the same.

* * *

The two of them crept through the city streets as the sun came up over Canterlot. For a time, the entire city was basked in a great orange glow, painting every building a bright, rich gold. Sky and Shadow stayed silent as ever, wary of the morning patrols as they made their way up into Canterlot’s prestigious Rich DIstrict. Here was where all of the most privileged ponies, most of them unicorns, resided. Sky was used to walking these streets. She’d even learned to judge how far away a patrol was by sound alone.

“Hide!” She squeaked, diving into an alley and taking cover in the shadow of a large mansion. Shadow did the same, hiding behind her big sister. Both of them stood stock-still, crouched down so as not to draw attention to themselves.

A moment later, a platoon of guards went marching by, their armoured hooves clanking against the cobblestone streets. At their head was a pony that Sky recognised.
What the hell’s Shield doing here? She thought to herself, as the patrol took a right turn and disappeared down another street. Sky, compelled by her own curiosity, started working her way up the fire escape ladder, eager to follow them from up above.

“What the hell are you doing, sis? Silver’s place is that way.” Shadow pointed across the street, glaring.

“That pony’s the one who interrogated me a few days ago.” Sky grunted, clambering up the metal steps towards the rooftop. “I wanna know what he’s up to.”

“You’re seriously gonna just say screw it to this job so you can look into your secret soldier-boy crush’s professional life?” Shadow spread her wings, taking off and hovering next to her sister, forelegs folded disapprovingly.

“Well yeah, I mean, come on!” Sky chuckled, clambering atop the mansion and following the sound of marching echoing through the streets. “I’m Canterlot’s most wanted pony right now, so if I listen in his investigations, we’ll know what the guard are planning, right?”

“I guess you’re right.” Shadow shrugged, flying alongside Sky in order to keep up. “Besides, we can use the exercise.”

“Maybe you can.” Said Sky, giggling a little. “You’re the one who’s been pigging out on chocolate when you think I’m not looking.”

“He...hey!” Shadow squeaked, going a little red. “I don’t do that!”

“Oh, well I’m certain that if I look under your bed when I get home, I won’t find a bunch of sweet wrappers all over the place.” Sky said sarcastically, making a leap across the street and following the patrol again.

“Those could be anypony’s sweet wrappers!” Shadow pouted. “Come on, are we following these assholes or what?”

Sky couldn’t help but giggle as she and her little sister chased the patrol as silently as they could, though a dull panic was tugging at the back of her mind. She knew this street very well indeed, and had a very good idea about where those guards were headed.

“Shit.” She muttered, skidding to a halt and nearly sending roof tiles shooting down into the street.

“What’s the matter?” Shadow halted next to her, glancing up at her big sister with concern.

“Mum and dad.” Sky mumbled simply. She took a run up, leaping across the road and onto another rooftop, following the guards from the far side of the street. As the patrol came to a stop, she crouched down behind a chimney, poking her head out and perking her ears to listen in.

* * *

Inspector Shield stepped forward, rapping on the door as authoritatively as he could manage. He admittedly didn’t look official or intimidating when he had a pair of coffee cups strapped to his helmet, filtering espresso down through two straws into his mouth. However, he’d been up all night tracking these assholes down, and hadn’t the patience or compulsion to consider removing it just yet.

Unclipping his saddlebag, he knocked on the door again, louder this time.

A red-maned white unicorn mare answered the door. She was wearing a fluffy pink dressing gown, her horn flaring blue and suspending a coffee cup in midair in front of her.
“Can I help you, officer?” She asked coolly, in a voice that sounded like a far more cultured, high-class version of Sky’s.

“I’d like to ask you a few questions about your daughter.” Shield snatched the coffee cup out of the air, downing its contents too. It wasn’t as strong as the cups strapped to his helmet, but he couldn’t even begin to bring himself to give a damn. Coffee was coffee.

“I don’t have a daughter.” The mare answered simply, taking her empty coffee cup back and giving him a look that said “...and you’d better not tell the neighbours about this.”

“Ma’am.” Shield sighed, sticking his hoof in the door as she tried to slam it in his face. “I...oof...I have evidence that you have a daughter. Her name is Sky Runner. She’s twenty-five years old, and she’s currently wanted for a whole string of crimes...including terrorism.”

That gave the mare pause. A moment later, she was joined by a light blue unicorn stallion with a blond mane, every bit as neat and cultured as his wife. “What’s going on here?”

Shield groaned internally. “My name is Inspector Shield. I’m interested in asking you some questions about your daughter, Sky.”

“We don’t have a…”

“Mr Runner, please.” Shield held up a forehoof. “Your wife’s already tried that one. Here.” His horn flared, and a set of documents and photos floated out of his saddlebag, hovering in front of his face. “Elementary school records, birth certificates, photos. We know that she’s your daughter, and you can’t disprove it. Now, will you let me in so I can ask you some questions?”

The two unicorns exchanged a worried glance, looking up and down the street before ushering the Inspector inside.

* * *

“Sky.” Shadow put a hoof on her sister’s shoulder. “I know what you’re thinking, and I wouldn’t go doing it if I were you…”

“Relax, Shadow.” Sky chuckled, shrugging her off. “I just wanna find out what questions they’re gonna ask, that’s all.”

“Sis, please. You know what your mum and dad are like. This is like a fast-track to getting yourself hurt.” Shadow glared at her, not relinquishing her grip.

“I just wanna eavesdrop, then we’re gone. I’m not gonna get hurt, sweetie. I promise.” Sky closed her eyes, giving Shadow a little nuzzle before spreading her wings again.

“Two bits says you do.” Shadow rolled her eyes, spreading her own wings.

The two of them glided down past the guards, landing behind a hedge in the front garden. Quietly as ever, the duo slipped around the side of the mansion, keeping close to the walls so they couldn’t be spotted from inside. Keeping quiet and low, they crept around the back of the house, to the servants’ entrance.

“Sky, last chance to walk away. Come on.” Shadow whispered, tugging on her big sister’s tail.

“Not yet. If this is about me, I’ve got to know what the guards are asking about me. Investigating this whole mess doesn’t mean shit if I get caught halfway through.” Sky shrugged, quietly fiddling with the lock and popping it open with a satisfying click.

The two sisters snuck inside, finding themselves in the back of a sizeable, yet unoccupied kitchen. A variety of pre-made dishes lay out on the counter, all surrounding some form of magically chilled ice sculpture, a giant griffon with its wings spread and one foreleg in the air.

“Looks like they’ve got a fancy dinner planned.” Shadow commented.

“Yeah.” Sky frowned. I hope they’re not caught up in all of this too...although I wouldn’t be bloody well surprised…
The little white mare put her ear up to the door, listening carefully to the conversation from the parlour beyond.

* * *

“We’re not going to be in trouble for this, are we?”

“No, Mrs Runner. Not unless you’ve been harbouring her.” The Inspector shook his head, unstrapping one of the coffee cups from his helmet and sipping its contents patiently.

“Good, because we’re not taking responsibility for the kind of pony she grew up into.” Her father put in.

“The report I have here from about twenty years ago says that she ran away, right?” Shield asked. “Do you happen to know why that was?”

“I wish I knew.” Mrs Runner sighed dramatically. “She never did say, and we’ve never seen her since. Heck, we thought she was dead until she started showing up on wanted posters. Then we were just...disappointed.”

There came a very soft whine from just beyond the kitchen door. Fortunately, it was so quiet and low that nopony in the parlour heard it.

“I understand.” Shield nodded, cocking his head and regarding the somewhat older mare with a very odd look. “You know, your daughter’s made things very difficult for us over the past few years. However, if there are any friends or family she could have sought shelter with, anypony who’d know where she is now, I’d appreciate your help.”

The two unicorns shook their heads sadly. “All our other family is in Trottingham.” Mr Runner said. “There’s no way that Sky was with them at any point or they’d have told us. I’m confident of it.”

Shield nodded again, absently looking around the parlour. His gaze fell on a family photo from a few years ago, and his eyes narrowed.
Doctored. I can tell from here. The pony who did it did a shit job. They must be really disappointed in that filly… He sighed. More interesting still was the one remaining child in the picture, standing between his mother and father. He was a pretty tall, broad-shouldered stallion, with a blond mane and blue eyes. He almost looked like…

“Inspector? Do you have any more questions for us?” Mr Runner asked impatiently.

Shield shook his head, coming back to reality peering into his now-empty mug mournfully. “Uh, yeah...yeah, I’ve got a few more…” He grunted.

“You seem pretty tired, Inspector.” Mrs Runner put a hoof on his shoulder. “Would you like us to get you another cup of coff…”

“Black, strong.” He interrupted, grunting gratefully and holding his mug up. One of the servants took the mug off him, trotting daintily towards the kitchen.

Sky peered through the keyhole and gave a quiet yelp. “Shit! We’re gonna get caught!” She backed up a little, bumping into the island counter in the middle of the kitchen. The ice sculpture rocked on its platter, before dropping off and smashing to pieces on the floor.

Shadow glared at it, then up at Sky. “Nice job, clompy-hooves!”

Sky said nothing, still too overcome by panic to do anything more than flip her little sister off. Looking around, she dove into one of the larger cupboards, working to control her breathing and tucking her tail in around her belly.

Shadow was left standing alone in the kitchen. She looked down at the smashed ice sculpture, giving a frustrated little squeak. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you…” She muttered, hopping up onto the sculpture’s pedestal and striking the very same pose.

A moment later, the pony came in, trotting right by Shadow without a word and starting to brew another cup of coffee. The little filly fought the urge to fidget as much as possible, standing stock-still with her hoof lifted just off of the pedestal. The servant still hadn’t spotted the smashed ice sculpture, or caught on to the fact that there was a pony standing there, blatantly impersonating one.

In time, the kettle whistled. The servant looked at the coffee pot, then at the mug. He made a quick assessment of the kind of pony that was sitting out in the parlour, before leaving the mug and just carrying the whole jug out instead.

As the door slammed shut again, Shadow put her hoof and wings down again, passive-aggressively lobbing an apple at the cupboard in which Sky was hiding. A moment later, her big sister poked her head out.

“Is the coast cle...oi!” She squeaked, as Shadow beaned her in the head with a second apple.

“Stop knocking shit over.” Shadow growled, rolling her eyes and trotting back to listen at the door. Sky rolled out of the cupboard, creeping up to Shadow’s side and pressing her ear up to the wood again.

“...and she never stopped disappointing us. School history? She literally dropped out of Flight Class!” Mrs Runner spat. “We tried and tried to be good parents, but she never appreciated it. She spent all of her time with her big brother.”

“She was lucky to be able to fly at all. There was something wrong with that filly from day one.” Mr Runner nodded in agreement. “I know what you’re trying to do, Inspector, and we appreciate it, but she’s not our daughter. She’s a criminal, a cripple and a waste of space. All we can ask is that you put her behind bars and never ever link her to us in any way, shape or form.”

“Ouch.” Sky muttered simply. “I love you too, mum and dad…”

“Well...thanks for your time.” Shield sighed, getting to his hooves. “If you find anything that you think might be at all helpful, don’t hesitate to contact us, okay?”

“Thank you officer.” Mrs Runner nodded gratefully, seeing him to the front door. “Good luck catching her. She’s a menace. The sooner you put her in prison where she belongs, the better.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks again.” Shield said simply, putting his helmet back on and heading out into the street.

There was a pause. Sky finally let her ears splay back, bowing her head a little. Shadow bit her lip, putting one of her forehooves on Sky’s and nuzzling her. “They’re assholes, sis. Don’t worry about them.” She whispered.

“I know, I know. It’s okay, I’m fine.” Sky whispered back, smiling and nuzzling her little sister back. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

The two sisters hugged each other for a moment, before sneaking out of the servants’ entrance in unison, wings resting on each others’ backs. They left the house with an air of contemplative silence, until...

“Did that bastard just steal our coffee pot?” Mrs Runner yelped.

* * *

All told, the security around Silver Tongue’s house was lackluster compared to his facility. There was a noticeable lack of superpowered unicorns, for one. Sky always appreciated little courtesies like that.

“Anything yet?” She looked over at Shadow, who was busy pulling out drawers in his desk.

“Official documents...passport….weird porn…” Shadow mumbled as she opened each new drawer. “Oooh, he’s booked the party hall in the palace for his wedding! How sweet…”

Sky chuckled. “No expense spared, huh?” She started pulling books out of a nearby case, downing a hip-flask full of whiskey that she found inside a dummy copy of Ethics for Dummies.

She trotted over to the sick young little dragon in a cage that hung nearby, giving it a friendly smile. “You know, you look really upset, all cooped up in there. I can let you out if you want.”

“No thanks Miss, I’m quite all right here.” The little dragon replied sarcastically. “Don’t mind me! Carry on with whatever you’re up to.”

He was awfully ill, with pale green scales and a beige belly, eyes that almost had a milky look to them, as if he was half blind. The poor little reptile looked like he’d been going blind for a while, and was a few doctor’s appointments behind.

Sky giggled, pushing a bobby pin and a bit into the lock and freeing the poor reptile. “I like this guy’s attitude. So...we’re looking to screw over Silver Tongue. I don’t suppose you can give us a hoof?”

“Nope, but I’ve got a hand if you want that instead.” The dragon gave a hacking cough that burned up a few square feet of carpet as he stumbled out of the cage. “But hey...Silver’s treated me like shit. If you wanna make life difficult for him, then I’m in...oh Celestia’s bollocks…” He started wheezing again.

“Hey! Hey, it’s okay…” Sky crouched down, patting him on the back with her forehoof. “You’re out of there now. Come on.” She kissed him on the cheek.

“Ugh...yeah, thanks.” The dragon cricked his neck, having a little trouble standing. It looked like it had been years since he’d used his legs. “Silver Tongue treated me like ass. That guy’s got the manners of a sabre-toothed tiger.”

“Trust me, we’ve seen some of his hospitality.” Sky chuckled, indicating her bruises.

“Yeah, I was about to ask, did you try and get into his facility, or did you lose an argument with a stagecoach?” The dragon gave her a critical expression for a few moments, before cracking a smile full of missing teeth. “Nah, I’m kidding. You’re all right, sweetheart. So who’s ‘we?’”

“Oh, yeah. This is my little sister, Shadow.” Sky stepped aside, indicating the young filly. Shadow looked up from her looting, smiling brightly and giving him a little wave.

“Right.” The dragon nodded, looking back up at Sky with a smile. “Well, I’m not exactly a fan of Silver right now, so what do you need?”

Sky cocked her head. “What, really? It’s that easy?”

“Well, not as easy as you are, I’m sure…” The dragon begins, before falling back into a coughing fit once more.
“He’s got...every letter he’s received from his waifu and the Count...he’s got a box…” He kept choking, gesturing up at a little wooden box atop a bookcase.

Sky rubbed her hooves together. “Thanks sweetie. Go on, get out of here so you can start scarfing down gems and feeling better, okay?”

“Oi! That’s stereotyping!” The dragon said reproachfully, before waddling off with his heavy tail dragging along behind him. “Racist bitch…”

“Whoops! Erm, sorry!” Sky chuckled uneasily, starting to scale the bookcase.

“I’m just pulling your leg, sweetheart! I’ll fucking gorge myself on gems!” He called back, giving her a smile and a wave before coughing again, escaping Silver’s house after a great many years of captivity. He took each new step with growing confidence, happy to step outside and actually see the sun again. “Damn...I owe you one, little pony!”

“I like him.” Shadow giggled, watching him go. “Need some help, sis?”

“Nah, I’ve got it.” Sky smiled, clambering up to the top of the bookcase and grabbing the box. She dropped down to the floor, opening it up and looking at the topmost letter.

Silver,

I will be visiting Manehattan for the next few days. Thank you for bringing the break-in and SH’s actions to my attention. I’ll be sending you further instructions about what to do tomorrow once I’ve formulated a plan. Make sure that you and your fiancee are ready to move up to my facility immediately after the wedding. I’m sorry to have to cut the honeymoon short, but we didn’t count on Miss Runner still being a factor.

Regards,
Rolling Thunder

“There’s that monogram again.” Sky noted. “Looks like this is our guy.”

“How’s he gonna get that message if his dragon’s flown the coop?” Shadow asked.

“He’ll be forced to send it the normal way. Probably through a courier.” Sky frowned.

“Well, we could just wait here and snatch it when that courier turns up.” Shadow shrugged.

“Yeah, but they know we’re in this city, so they’ll plan for that.” Sky nodded. “I think our best bet’s gonna be going to Manehattan and snatching the instructions off of the courier there. Fewer defences, less chance of it being a trap.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that.” Shadow shrugged. Her wings gave a little flutter at the thought of being allowed to go to Manehattan.

Sky glanced up at her, smiling a little. “And yeah, we can stop by Celestialand while we’re there, okay?”

Shadow clamped her wings back down by her sides. “Well...yeah...I mean, if you really wanna go to Celestialand...I guess we could drop in for a few minutes or something.” She tried to keep her expression bored and neutral, but her eyes and wings were giving off an aura of fillyhood glee. Celestialand was her favourite theme park ever, even though she’d never been. Of course, prancing around and giggling was something that only fillies did, and Shadow was above such behaviour...mostly.

“You’re so cute.” Sky beamed, ruffling her mane and trotting out of the house.

Shadow blushed a bright deep red, following her big sister out into the street as well. As her saddlebags jingled quietly, Shadow frowned a little.

It was almost as if her coinpurse was two bits heavier.

Captain's Pet

Stronghooves looked up from his paperwork as somepony knocked on his office door. He gave a soft smile, recognising the silhouette of his trusted officer beyond the frosted glass.

“Come in.” He beamed pleasantly, putting down his quill. The bright blue aura around his horn died down, and he sat in respectful silence, eager to hear about his compatriots findings.

Inspector Shield opened the door, fixing Stronghooves with a stare that told him that he’d learned something very troubling indeed. He threw a salute, taking off his helmet and letting it clatter to the floor. The poor stallion looked exhausted, and Stronghooves could hardly blame him.

“You didn’t tell me that she was your little sister.” Shield commented casually. “Seems like the sort of thing that you’d have mentioned, considering how important this investigation was supposed to be.”

Stronghooves met Shield’s gaze evenly, giving a small smile. “Well, she doesn’t exactly see herself as my sister anymore. At any rate, there’s a lot of bad blood there, and I wanted you to form your own opinion of the situation without talking to either of us first.”

Shield cocked an eyebrow at him. “There’s a story here, isn’t there?”

“You’ll only hear my side of it, unfortunately.” Stronghooves said sadly, ears splaying back. “I don’t know what she’d tell you if you asked her for her own account, if I’m honest.”

“That’s as good a place to start as any.” Shield nodded, slumping back and closing his eyes.

Stronghooves’s expression softened, and he got to his hooves, horn flaring. In the little kitchenette just beyond the office, he began to brew a couple of cups of coffee by magic. “This is a...well…sad tale, all things considered.” He sighed, boiling the kettle. “Sky and I used to be inseparable. I was her big strong older brother, and she...was born the wrong species, according to my mum and dad. You’ve seen the kind of ponies they are.” He added darkly.

“Yeah, they were...real characters.” Shield chuckled weakly, opening his eyes and frowning. “So you two used to be friends, right?”

“That’s right.” Stronghooves nodded back. “I stood up for her for the longest time. Every time dad screamed at her, hit her, I’d be there to save her from him, to stand between the two of them and stare him down.”

“You guys had a rough family life, huh?”

“Without question. Still...I did my best for her. I tried to foster her dreams, to help her be the best little pegasus she could be.” He smiled softly, pulling out a worn photo from one of the drawers in his desk and passing it over.

Shield tilted his head as he peered at it. It was a little photo of Stronghooves standing in the Cloudsdale City Square. He looked lanky, young, in his early teens, and atop his shoulders stood a very small pegasus filly indeed. She had a long, braided red mane and a little Wonderbolts hat. Shield frowned. It was Sky all right, and judging by Stronghooves’s appearance and age in this photo, it was taken at around the same time as the doctored one he’d seen back at the house.

“You’re walking on clouds.” He frowned. “Pretty impressive trick for a unicorn.”

“It takes quite a while to learn the spell.” Stronghooves chuckled fondly, taking the kettle off of the stove and filling two mugs. “Still, it meant so much to her. She’d been waiting for ages to see the Wonderbolts, and mum and dad wouldn’t take her.” He paused for a moment as he levitated the two mugs over, tilting his head and smiling fondly at the old memory. “She told me she’d love me forever.”

“What happened to you two?” Shield asked, his face a mask of confusion.

“Those.” Stronghooves sighed, pointing his quill at Sky’s tiny little wings, frowning mournfully. “Imagine if, in an all-unicorn family, you suddenly gave birth to a pegasus. Could you imagine the shame?” He sat back in his seat, cradling his mug. “Our parents never quite accepted her.”

“But you did?” Shield asked, taking a swig from the coffee mug like an alcoholic from a hip-flask.

Stronghooves nodded. “I did everything in my power to try and make mum and dad love her, but...I wasn’t that strong or clever. Eventually, Sky went truant and got expelled. Mum and dad kicked her out after I went to bed.”

“And you didn’t go looking for her after she left?” Shield cocked his head disbelievingly. The coffee was beginning to work on his curious mind, driving him to push harder, further. There was something so strange about the Captain. He’d never seen this side of him. He’d always just been a well-mannered, friendly authoritarian. To think that he’d lost his sister and had had to endure such abuse…

“I was lied to.” Stronghooves bowed his head. “My dad came into my room the next morning, said that Sky had gone truant and run in front of a carriage. He...wouldn’t let me see her.” He placed his own mug down on the desk, his frown deepening. “I only saw her again years later, and by then...she’d turned into that.” He gestured at the wanted poster on his office wall.

Shield bit his lip, setting his mug down. This isn’t what I expected when I agreed to this investigation… The Inspector had never been good at this sort of thing, being as he was trained as a guard rather than a counsellor, but there was something about Stronghooves’s expression that was just so...broken.

“You couldn’t have prevented it, Captain.” He said quietly, after a while.

“Perhaps not, but because of the lies I was told, and the lies that she absorbed, the next time she saw me, she thought I was a monster, all because of this.” Stronghooves tapped his helmet with his plated forehoof, sighing.

“It must be hard to know that she’s going to end up behind bars.” Shield sighed, shuffling himself closer to the desk and lowering his head, bringing it level with his commanding officer’s.

“It undoubtedly is,” Stronghooves nodded, glancing up and meeting Shield’s gaze, “but worse still is the idea that I’ve lost her forever. I’ve missed out on so much of her life. I never got to see her grow up, to celebrate her birthdays with her, to let her know that her brother always loved her.” He fixed Shield with a look of borderline panic. “She thinks I abandoned her like my parents did.”

Shield took another sip of his coffee, looking over at the poster pensively. “How old was she when she got kicked out?”

“Five.”

“Holy shit.” Shield muttered. “With all due respect, sir, your parents are assholes.”

“I’ve got no love for them, Inspector. That’s all the respect they’re due.” Stronghooves shook his head. “I don’t talk to them anymore. To be honest, I still haven’t forgiven them. I...don’t exactly think I can.”

“That’s why you sent me to talk to them, huh?” Shield raised an eyebrow curiously.

The Captain nodded, not meeting his gaze. “Perhaps that was cowardly of me, but I don’t think I could face them, especially if the subject matter was this sensitive. You could understand, no doubt, how my own feelings would get the better of me.”

“And I was brought in because you needed somepony with a fresh mind to look into it.” Shield nodded. “Somepony who didn’t know anything about the history you two have, who could ask where Sky was without personal feelings getting in the way. Everything’s starting to make sense now.”

“And what’s your verdict, Inspector?” Stronghooves raised his head, steepling his hooves and regarding the officer with an apprehensive look, as if expecting some manner of harsh judgement.

Shield was taken aback. There was something about the Captain’s openness that unnerved him. Why keep things bottled up for so long? Well, that much was obvious, though Shield could only speculate. Pressure from his higher-ups and parents to keep his sister a secret. After all, revealing that he was related to the best burglar in Canterlot would reflect badly on him as a guard, and Shield knew that Stronghooves didn’t deserve that. He was an incredible officer, friendly and relatively easy-going, with a hooves-on approach to his duties as a guard. He didn’t need something like this ruining his reputation.

Everything’s becoming so clear now…

“I think that you got badly screwed over by a shitty situation, if I can speak freely.” Shield said slowly, after a while. “From what you’ve told me, and from what I’ve seen, you’re one hell of a brave pony. I dunno how many ponies could stand up to their mum and dad like that.”

Stronghooves lowered his hooves in front of him, giving a soft little smile. “Thank you, Inspector. I’m glad that I was able to prevent any harm from coming to her for a while, but I’m still responsible for her safety, and I failed.”

“Bullshit.” Shield shook his head, growling a little. “You’ve been blaming yourself for something you couldn’t have ever controlled. You didn’t even know that she was alive. You had your dad’s word that she was gone, and you reacted naturally. How could you have possibly helped her?”

“All the same, I’m her big brother, and in the absence of her parents’ love, I’m responsible for her wellbeing.” Stronghooves sighed. “It’s still my responsibility. She’s twisted by the life she was forced to lead, but I’m confident that I can rehabilitate her better than any prison.”

“You want your sister back, I get that.” Shield nodded. “She’s kinda gone and done something unforgivable by stealing those crystals. I thought the other officers told you in the briefing that this is a “fate of Equestria” type of thing. We...can’t afford to let personal feelings get in the way.”

“You’re right, of course.” Stronghooves agreed, meeting Shield’s gaze again. “However, I’m positive that she didn’t do it, and I can prove it too. I just need time.”

“You sure about that?” Shield cocked his head.

“I’m certain.” Stronghooves replied firmly. “I know where the crystals are, and if I can get the names of the ponies responsible for the real theft, I can clear her name.”

“Hold on, you know where the crystals are? Why didn’t you tell me? This is dangerous shit, Captain!” Shield protested, ears perking. That woke him up more than the coffee.

“They’re being kept inert. I know for a fact that the ponies involved in their theft don’t know the first thing about megaspells.” Stronghooves smiled, his voice and expression still as calm and collected as ever. “I’m taking the time to work out the full extent of their operation. In the meantime, however, they don’t represent a clear and present danger to Equestria. Not as long as I’m around.”

“Why didn’t you tell anypony that you were doing the undercover cop thing?” Shield got to his hooves apprehensively. It was inconceivable that the Captain could be this naive, this secretive. Shield didn’t know what to make of it.

“I just did.” He grinned. “You’re the pony in charge of the investigation into my sister’s whereabouts, and you need your mind clear of any concerns about those crystals and the threat they represent. Let me worry about that.” He winked. There was something about the way his eyes shone, full of fervent hope and confidence, that lifted some of the weight off of Shield’s heart.

“Are you sure you can handle it?” Shield cocked his head. “You can’t just expect to go up against an entire conspiracy that’s stolen a bloody superweapon by yourself!”

Stronghooves met his gaze with an expression of quiet confidence. Everything about his body language, his low voice, his soft smile...all of it told Shield that even if Stronghooves didn’t know what he was doing, he certainly believed that he did.

“Trust me, Inspector.” He said simply. “I know what I’m doing, and you have to believe that for both of our sakes. We both have a job to do, and if we can work together, we can save a broken pony’s life and keep Equestria safe. However, I can’t do it alone. I need somepony who has my back.” He held out a hoof, smiling hopefully. Help me...please, I need this…

Shield regarded his hoof doubtfully for a moment, before biting his lip and taking it. “We’ll do it together, Captain.”

“Come now, there’s no need to be formal. I’d prefer it if you just called me Stronghooves.” The Captain replied, giving Shield a firm, confident shake. “You and I are going to have to trust one another for this to work, and the first step towards building that trust is being on first-name terms with your buddy.”

Shield chuckled. “I didn’t expect to be making friends with my boss when I came in here today.”

“Nopony ever does.” Stronghooves winked. “It’s good to have a friend again. Everypony seems so scared of me because of my station. I can’t remember the last time I just sat back and talked to somepony.”

“Well hey, I go bowling on Wednesday nights. Maybe we can make that a thing.” Shield chuckled. After a moment, however, his smile faded a little. “Hey, listen, I’m sorry about that stuff happened between you and your sister. I’m not a psychiatrist, so I can’t exactly find the magic words to make it better.”

Stronghooves got to his hooves, grinning at him. “Shield, you’ve done far more to help me by promising to work with me on this than you perhaps appreciate. You’re going to help me put my shattered little family back together. I can’t thank you enough for it.” He, a large imposing stallion and Captain of the Royal Guard, let out an excited little squee. “I owe you big time for this.”

“Hey, it’s nothing. Just keep me tanked up and I’ll get the job done.” Shield beamed, waving a hoof dismissively. “It’s weird, you know...something was tugging at the back of my mind. The way you told your story, I figured that you’d never spoken about this to anypony before.”

Stronghooves glanced down at his hooves. “It’s not exactly the first thing I bring up when I meet somepony, no. It’s kind of weird that this’d be the first thing I discuss with you when we finally get to sit down for the first time, but I suppose it’s relevant to your investigation. Now...I’d like you to make me a promise.”

Shield nodded briskly, perking his ears.

“I want you to promise me that when you find Sky, you don’t kill or hurt her. Just bring her back to me, just so the two of us can talk. We’ll then keep her out of harm’s way until I can deal with this little conspiracy. Is that clear?”

“After the way she made me look like an idiot during her interrogation a couple of days back, this morning I would’ve told you to eat a dick.” Shield chuckled. “But...I guess I can see why you’d want her unharmed. Don’t worry Cap...Stronghooves. I’ll get your sister back.”

The two stallions exchanged a smile, standing up straight and looking one another in the eye. Stronghooves couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot. With the Inspector, diligent as he was, working with him, Stronghooves was confident that he’d be able to rebuild his little family in no time at all.

The Captain’s ears perked as someone knocked on the door, and a frown crossed his face.

“Come in?”

A young guard runner opened the door, trotting inside. “Captain Stronghooves, we’ve got reports of a pony matching Sky Runner’s description. She’s at the Canterlot Train Terminal.”

“Is she alone?” Stronghooves asked, already pulling his armour on. It was dented and battered from the last encounter he’d had with Silver Tongue’s Operative, making for a poor fit. That was the least of his worries right now, however.

“Well, she’s in a crowd at the terminal, but we did spot some larger stallions following her.” The runner shrugged. “We don’t know if they’re accomplices or bounty hunters. They could be both.”

Stronghooves tugged his sword out of the umbrella stand in which he’d left it, sheathing the weapon over his back. The first vestiges of panic set in as the runner spoke, and the stallion struggled to keep his voice level as he expelled images of Sky coming to serious harm from his mind. The very image of that poor little pony ending up dead because of Silver’s lackies was too much for Stronghooves to handle.

I’m not going to let that happen. I’ll never let that happen… He thought to himself as he slammed his helmet on his head.

“Right, here’s the plan.” He said decisively. “Shield, get everypony you can get your hooves on. I want the whole city guard regiment brought down on the train station if you can manage it. I’ll go and see if I can intercept those ponies who are after her.”

“Stronghooves, are you sure you can handle this?” Shield asked doubtfully, as his commanding officer made his way to the door.

“Trust me.” Stronghooves smiled back at him. “I didn’t get this good at my job without having a couple of tricks up my sleeve.”

As he galloped out of the office, out of the barracks and onto the street, Stronghooves let his confident smile fall, grim, growling determination taking its place. He was going to save her this time, no matter what it took.

Hold on Sky, I’m coming…

Fast Track To Manehattan

“The train’s late, sis.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sky huffed, blowing her mane out of her face and looking up at the clock reproachfully. “Oh well, while we’re here, did you pack all your stuff?”

“Sure did!” Shadow patted her saddlebags, grinning. “Got a whole bunch of darts, arrows, chocolate bars…”

“Perfume?”

“Per...no!” Shadow began, before clamming up and fastening her saddlebags a little tighter. “Come on sis, what the hell would I need that shit for?”

“Who knows?” Sky shrugged, looking upwards and whistling innocently. “Maybe you were hoping to meet a nice little colt your age, and wanted to make a good impression for a change?”

“Ewww, come on sis, I’m not like you, fawning over the nearest pony who flashes you a smile!” Shadow stuck her tongue out, making a face. “I have standards, thanks!”

“Pretty bloody high standards.” Sky huffed, looking her over. “I can see the little blue ribbon sticking out of your bag, sweetie. You’re not fooling anypony.”

Shadow went bright red. “It’s...for...something else, okay?”

“Sure it is.” Sky chuckled, unconvinced. “Tell you what, I’m in a good mood, so I’ll give you ten seconds to come up with a good excuse. Aaaaand...go!”

Shadow bit her lip, tucking the ribbon into her bag and staring straight ahead. You could almost hear the clock ticking as her mind raced, inventing wildly.

“Improvised bandages?”

“Nope.” Sky pulled a big roll of bandages out of her saddlebag, shaking her head stoically.

“Shit.”

Another couple of seconds, then:

“Um...improvised noose in case Tone Deaf shows up?”

“I like the idea, but we’re not hanging anypony.” Sky giggled. “Three seconds!”

Shadow put her hooves on her head, panicking as she tried her best to come up with something less...girly.

“Belt?”

“Nope.”

“Garotte?”

“You don’t garotte ponies.”

“Wait, I’ve got it! It’s for…”

“Time’s up!” Sky grinned. “Sorry Shadow, but I’ve caught you being adorable! Thanks for playing, sweetie!”

“Awww, but I had the perfect excuse!” Shadow huffed, crossing her forelegs and sulking next to Sky on the bench.

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, you can have a consolation prize!” Sky grinned, nudging the sulky filly with her hoof.

Shadow’s ears perked a little. “Consolation prize? What kind of consolation prize?”

“How about…” Sky smiled, grabbing her and squeezing her tightly. “A hug from your favourite sister in the whole world?”

“How about no...oomph!” Shadow protested, before being cut off as Sky winded her. Her big wings extended, beating pathetically in an attempt to free her from her big sister’s affections. Sky clung tightly to her, nuzzling her cheek and whispering soft coos to her until she finally gave up, settling into the hug and resting her head under Sky’s chin.

“You’re gonna be the death of me one of these days…” Shadow whispered quietly, barely audible over the hustle and bustle of the busy terminal. With that, she surrendered, tucking her head under Sky’s good wing.

Sky cradled her for a while, shielding her embarrassed face from the busy world around them. One or two ponies gave her funny looks for holding onto a fourteen-year-old pony like she was a newborn filly, but Sky glared at them until they went about their business and left her alone. It wasn’t often that she got to hug Shadow like this, especially in public. She’d trade her other wing for an opportunity like this.

* * *

The sun was blocked out by an approaching pegasus, as dark and edgy as they come. He flapped lazily, keeping himself just off of the ground, his wild black mane blowing in the wind. He regarded Sky and Shadow with a stern gaze, his bright purple eyes contrasting against his scarred grey coat.

“You look terrible.” Sky commented simply.

“What do you mean?” The pegasus dropped to the ground, taken aback.

“That colour scheme? That entrance?” Sky shook her head with disapproval. “It’s stallions like you who give the rest of us a bad name.”

“Now wait just a second!” He protested, clearly trying to work a little growl into his voice. “I’m a very serious bounty hunter! I’m allowed to look badass if I want to!”

“Yahuh.” Sky set Shadow down, getting to her hooves. “So you’re a bounty hunter, huh? The last pony I saw who looked like you was an assassin, and she was super-serious too. Turned out she dyed her coat black, and she was secretly pink.” Sky giggled, looking him up and down. “Go on, what colour are you really?”

“Pur...I mean, shut up!” The pegasus stamped his forehoof sulkily, pulling out a pair of bull whips and cracking them on the ground in front of Sky simultaneously. “I am Whiplash, you bitch, and I’ve been sent to bring you in, dead or alive!”

Sky raised her eyebrows at him as he approached her, a wry smile slowly appearing on her face. Shadow took one look at the two ponies facing off and sat back on the bench, holding her head in her hooves. “Ooooh boy…”

“So, Whiplash, huh?” Sky grinned, biting her lower lip as she slunk forward. “Do you know how to use those whips, sweetie?”

“Sky...you’re being a slut again.” Shadow said, not looking up or removing her hooves as her big sister nuzzled Whiplash’s face.

“Wait...’” Whiplash’s eyes widened, and he backed away a little. “Piss off! You’re supposed to be scared of me, damn it! I’m supposed to bring you in!”

“Well, I have been a really naughty girl…” Sky purred, brushing up against him like a cat. Her tail flicked over his chest as she passed him. “I guess you’d better punish me, huh sweetie?”

Whiplash was a little too taken aback to do anything but stare for a while. He’d kind of expected everypony to quake in terror at his approach, that his reputation as a feared and deadly bounty hunter would in some way strike Sky immobile and mute with sheer dread. He had not exactly planned to have her flirt with him. Nopony ever flirted with him!

“Sh...shut up!” He yelped, a little more squeakily than he’d have liked. “This is supposed to be really scary, like that time in Germaney when my parents were trampled to death by a rampaging rhinoceros!”

“Oh boy, here we go with the backstory.” Sky rolled her eyes. “How much of that actually happened, Whiplash? You know you don’t have to lie to impress me…” She lowered her head, kissing his neck.

Whiplash started sweating a little, his wings growing warmer. There was no way that Sky was turning him on...was there?

Shadow sighed as a little old mare sat down on the bench next to her, watching the scene unfold in bewilderment. The filly shuffled closer, patting her forehoof with her own.
“Hey, excuse me? Miss? I need a new family. This one’s broken.” She nodded at her big sister with an embarrassed chuckle. There was really no stopping Sky when she got like this. Either something horrible would turn up and distract her, or she’d get laid. Shadow had learned to just sit there and watch as she turned the latest unfortunate stallion into putty in her hooves. Whiplash would be no different.

“So hey, I’ve got some time until my train comes.” Sky winked, nuzzling his neck as her tail flicked from side to side. “Maybe you wanna follow me into the bathroom and...you know, collect on your bounty…” She gave a cute little giggle, gazing up at him with shining blue eyes. She was deep inside his personal space now, pressing her body against his just a little as her breath grew more laboured, her voice huskier.

Whiplash’s wings sprang out with a damning pomf. “I...I wasn’t planning to...I didn’t bring…”

“Ssssshhh…” Sky put a hoof up to his muzzle, shaking her head and grinning. “Shut up, sweetie. Just come with me and I’ll make you a well-rounded offer that’ll convince you to let me go. Trust me on that.”

Whiplash couldn’t exactly speak anymore, just making pathetic babbling sounds. Sky’s grin became a little more predatory. She had him right where she wanted him. The little white pegasus had lost count of the number of ponies she’d gotten out of trouble with by giving them what none of them wanted to admit they wanted. Whiplash, for all his edgy appearance and fake scarring on his nose, was going to be no different from any of the others.

He was about to say something to the affirmative when they were both interrupted by distant shouts. Whiplash, Sky and Shadow all turned their heads at the approaching sound warily. They sounded an awful lot like guards, but the stallions who were clearing the crowd at the train station certainly didn’t look like Equestrian soldiers. In fact, they looked scarily like the unicorn from a couple of days before.

“Oh fuck, more of them.” Sky and Shadow whispered as one.

“What? More of what?” Whiplash asked, still a little dazed.

“Look, I hate to cut this short, sweetie, but I’ve gotta go.” Sky turned back to Whiplash apologetically, patting him on the shoulder. “But hey, I promise that we’ll meet up again soon! You seem like a standup guy under all that makeup!”

And with that, she gave him a little kiss on the cheek and galloped off, her little sister in tow.

“Sis?” Shadow tugged on Sky’s tail a little as they made their way up onto the railway overpass.

“Yeah?”

“They’ve spotted us.”

“I know.” Sky nodded, steeling herself. Even then, Shadow could see her starting to shiver a little. “Stay safe this time, okay? We just have to get to Manehattan and we’ll be able to disappear.”

“Gotcha.” Shadow nocked a sleep arrow, drawing back her bowstring and loosing it at the lead Operative, a hulking great earth pony. Her aim was brilliant as always - it was her special talent after all - but the brute shrugged it off just as his compatriot had earlier. The three stallions closed ranks, half-trotting, half-marching towards the two sisters with the same matching menacing glare.

“Let me do the talking.” Sky muttered to her little sister. “Get ready to jump when I give the word, okay?”

“Got it.” Shadow nodded, slinging her bow back over her shoulder. It was useless anyway.

Sky looked up at the stallions as they stopped right in front of her. She barely came halfway up their chests. The little white pony gave the most pleasant, friendly smile she could manage, though her ears splayed back with suppressed fright.

“Hey fellas.” She chuckled uneasily, looking between them. “I don’t suppose you’re looking for a different little pony, are you?” They’re not bad looking…

“No.” The earth pony said simply, ignoring the arrow sticking out of his chest. “We’ve been ordered to bring you in or kill you, Miss Runner. Silver Tongue’s getting fed up of your interference in his affairs.”

“Oh, it was Silver Tongue I was pissing off?” Sky slapped her head with a forehoof. “Why didn’t you say so? If you’d just told me it was him getting naffed off at me, I’d have stopped this shit ages ago! Thanks for telling me, guys!” She made to trot off in the other direction, but the second Operative, a unicorn wearing this season’s cliched sunglasses, caught her by the tail with his magic.

“I don’t think so.” The lead pony shook his head. “You’re coming back with us, and I don’t give a shit whether I’m bringing back a pony or a corpse. Now it’s up to you to make me care.” He leaned in, growling.

Sky looked around at them, giving a very nervous gulp. “I don’t suppose being super-cuddly and downy soft gets me any points?” She squeaked. Her ears perked just the tiniest bit as another sound filled the air, the rattle of an approaching train, bound to pass right under the bridge upon which they were standing.

“No way.” The earth pony shook his head, grinning mirthlessly. “Sorry, but being huggable isn’t gonna get you out of trouble, sweetheart. Now come on, we’re heading back to Silver’s place.”

One of her forehooves crept back to her hind legs. There was little drawstring on her hind leg hoof muffler, a little something that she’d resolved to only use in emergencies. Of course, it was only really supposed to be used in flight, but it wasn’t like she was going to be doing that anytime soon.

Besides, desperate times called for desperate measures.

Sky tugged on the drawstrings on her hind legs, and a set of bright pink flares in her boots went off, spraying out onto the railway overpass. Shadow backed up, shielding her eyes with her wing as the sparks and white-hot flares went everywhere. The stallions backed off, and the unicorn’s concentration was broken for just long enough that Sky was able to pull herself free.

“Jump for it!” She yelled, rounding on Shadow.

The two sisters leapt off of the bridge, down onto the roof of the train passing underneath. They both landed with a simultaneous grunt, their padded hooves clanging on the metal roof.

Sky took a look back at the bridge and let out a very small squeak. The stallions had not only gotten their eyesight back from the point-blank flare blast, they were leaping onto the train’s caboose as it kept moving. They all glared at her as one, three sets of burning, determined eyes.

Whatever the hell they are, they’re brainwashed… Sky thought to herself, starting to pick up speed. Her hooves slipped and slid on the smooth metal surface of the roof, and as she leapt from one carriage to the next, she could hear the far more sure-footed stallions catching up, same as the unicorn from a couple of days ago.

Shit, this is gonna hurt…

* * *

Stronghooves darted out onto the platform, ears splaying back as he assessed the situation. There were three of them this time, and while Sky was running as fast as she could over the roof of that train, they were gaining easily. He’d have to work fast if he was going to save her.

Taking a run-up across the platform, Stronghooves galloped towards the railway tracks, trying not to think about what a monumentally stupid idea this was. With a grunt, he launched himself off of the platform, leaping far further than a stallion of his size and weight should be able to manage. With a clang of metal on metal, Stronghooves landed atop the roof of the train, taking only a moment to regain his balance before running after Sky’s pursuers again. His horn flared, stopping the Operatives’ unicorn in mid-air. With a tug from his magic, he yanked the Operative back towards him. The other two didn’t register their compatriots disappearance, keeping up the chase. The unicorn whirled round, his own horn flaring and striking Stronghooves in the breastplate with a blast of amber magic. The guard captain reeled back, a fatal blast mark on his chest, but Stronghooves could already feel the magic of his enhancements working on his body, healing the damage before he could lose too much blood. The regenerative magic working on his body wreathed him in bright blue light, fixing the damage in record time.

Stronghooves and the unicorn stared at one another blankly for a moment, before the former cracked a friendly smile.

“Now then, how about you leave my sister alone and we can forget that all of this ever happened?” Stronghooves asked conversationally, as if the two of them weren’t on the top of a speeding train.

The unicorn stamped his hoof, lowering his head and preparing another spell.

“Well, I tried.” Stronghooves sighed, drawing his sword and bringing it around in a slashing arc. He sliced the Operative’s horn clean off, returning the sword to its sheath before the weapon’s enchantment could take effect. The unicorn’s eyes widened as his magical enhancements reacted with the curse on Stronghooves’s sword, and his body rapidly began to necrotize. Stronghooves shoved him aside, galloping after the others.

Hold on Sky...just hold on…

* * *

“SIS!”

“What?”

“Check it out!” Shadow nodded, wings beating wildly. “There’s another train up ahead, coming the other way!”

Sky squinted, flicking her tail out of the earth pony’s grip as he closed on her. Indeed, there was a train coming on an adjacent track, and it was rapidly approaching. Sky licked her lips, waiting until the train was just about to pass before making one big leap, spreading her wings painfully. The two sisters dove onto the other train, rolling and grabbing onto hoof-holds on the roof to stop themselves from slipping off. Shadow tucked her wings in to stop the airflow from the train’s motion from tugging at them.

The two Operatives made the leap onto the top of the train far more easily, two sets of hooves thudding simultaneously onto the roof. Both of them let out a low, dangerous growl that Sky could hear over the clattering of the train on the tracks.

“Miss Runner, you’re coming with us.” The earth pony growled, taking a step forward and grabbing her by the scruff of the neck.

“Oi! Let her go, asshole!” Shadow squeaked, nocking another arrow and shooting the stallion between the eyes again. The second arrow struck him in the face, but he ignored it, taking Sky by the throat with his other hoof and slamming her into the train roof. Sky let out a strangled cry, landing on her bad wing. Her eyes began to water as the same stabbing pain as before shot through her entire body.

“There’s no point in running, Sky.” The Operative growled. Shadow was loosing everything she had in her arsenal at him, but she might as well have been tossing cotton balls for all the good it did. “We’re not the kind of ponies you can run from.” He lifted her into the air, ready to give her neck one last twist.

With a roar, a stallion in purple and gold armour leapt onto the train with them, tackling the Operative off into a nearby building. The two of them disappeared in a storm of shattered bricks.

Well that was handy… Sky thought to herself as she grabbed onto the edge of the train. She quickly cycled a sleep dart into her crossbow, shooting the last Operative in the eye as he tried to make a grab for her. She hoisted herself onto the top of the train again as he reeled back, yelping in pain.

“Leave me the fuck alone!” Sky growled, balancing herself on her forehooves and delivering the most powerful kick she could manage to the stallion’s chest. Any other time, it wouldn’t have done a damn thing to him, since Sky wasn’t a very strong pony and he was absolutely massive, but combined with his own backpedalling motion, the kick was enough to send the Operative off the side of the train, leaving Sky atop it with her little sister.

* * *

Stronghooves shook his head as he tried to get back to his hooves. Fortunately, the stallion trapped underneath him took care of that for him, kicking him in the stomach and launching him into the ceiling of what appeared to be an office building. Stronghooves crashed through it with ease, landing on the floor above and struggling to get up. The Operative pulled himself up through the hole that Stronghooves had made, growling and champing like angry stallions everywhere. The growling was strangely dissonant however, a result of the magical enhancements working on repairing his body from the blunt trauma, no doubt.

The guard captain drew his sword, throwing a quick salute. “Come on, my friend! I’m not interested in fighting you! I just want my sister left alone, that’s all!”

“No dice, Stronghooves.” The unicorn shook his head, growling. “Silver wants this pony dead or captured, and you’re not getting in our way. Just accept it. Your sister’s a criminal and we’re gonna put her down.”

“I’m not going to allow that, kid.” Stronghooves replied evenly, keeping his expression neutral. “I care about her. She’s very sick and needs my care. She doesn’t need chasing by ponies who are little better than guinea pigs and thugs. Back off.”

“You asked for it, Captain.” The earth pony pawed the ground before charging. He had better luck than his companion, catching Stronghooves around his midsection and carrying him out through another exterior wall. The two of them landed with a thud on the railway tracks again, before Stronghooves was able to roll onto his back and kick him off.

The earth pony clambered to his hooves, lowering his head and charging him again. Stronghooves rolled over and balanced himself on his forelegs, raising his hindquarters and bucking his aggressor in the face. He timed it perfectly, just as the ground began to shake with the approach of another train, and the earth pony was launched right into the path of the oncoming locomotive. At the last second, Stronghooves dove sideways, avoiding the train as it thundered into his opponent, killing him instantly.

“See? I...I told you I didn’t want to fight.” Stronghooves panted, getting up and sheathing his sword again. As the train passed, trundling off into the distance, he wandered off of the tracks in contemplative silence, staring at the patch of blood where once had stood another stallion.

Well, Sky’s safe, and I guess I’ve got an idea where she was going, too. That railway only leads to Manehattan. Maybe I can catch up with her.

He began to follow the tracks, but as he took his very first steps, there was a low growl and the sound of galloping hooves behind him. Stronghooves turned, too late to stop the oncoming hoof of the last remaining Operative. He was knocked to the ground, banging his head on the railroad tracks, groaning and whimpering softly.

As he raised his head, he looked into the eyes of the earth pony who’d been left on the train with Sky...or rather, eye. The other had been completely put out by Sky’s dart.

“You’re coming with me, Stronghooves.” He growled, voice dissonant.

“It appears I am.” Stronghooves conceded weakly.

It’s okay, Sky. I’ll catch up to you soon…

The stallion brought down his hoof, and everything went black.

* * *

Sky pulled the skylight on the train car open, dropping down into the carriage full of passengers.

A moment later, Shadow dropped down behind her, trying to avoid everypony’s gaze.

“Well, erm, wanna find a free compartment?” Sky shrugged.

“I guess, but how do we even know that this thing’s going where we want it to go?” Shadow asked, cocking her head.

Sky tapped a hoof to her chin for a moment, before sliding a random compartment door open and peering in. She interrupted a pair of teenagers who were in the middle of coitus.

“ ‘scuse me!” Sky said conversationally, completely disregarding what she might be doing for the overall mood of the two ponies’ experience. “Where’s this train headed, anyway?”

“Mane...Manehattan…” The young stallion grunted, continuing to pound away at his now-bemused marefriend. “Now do...do you mind?”

“Not at all! Thanks for your time!” Sky beamed. “Oh, and sweetie?” She added to the young mare. “Don’t just lie there like a dead fish. Remember, sex is a two-way street, and you’ve gotta be active in the bedroom as well, okay? Take care!”

And with that, she slid the door shut.

Amateurs…

“So it is going to Manehattan?” Shadow asked. Her head was under her wing, eyes shielded from the sinful acts in the compartment.

“Apparently.” Sky grinned. “Now come on, let’s find somewhere to sit.”

The two sisters trotted down the aisle of the train, until they finally came upon a vacant compartment. The two of them slipped inside, closing the door carefully behind them and taking their seats.

“So how are we gonna find Rolling Thunder’s instructions, then?” Shadow asked, once they had both sat themselves down.

Sky stretched her bad wing experimentally, cringing. That Operative had hit hard. “We can get in contact with some of the ponies in the Manehattan underground, find out what we need to know to intercept the courier before he heads back to Canterlot.”

“Or we could find the Count and beat the shit out of him.” Shadow suggested.

“Well yeah, but he’s an incredibly rich defence contractor. I don’t really think bucking him into next week is really gonna get us the information we need...or clear our names.” Sky chuckled.

“True.” Shadow grinned. “It’d be pretty fun, though.”

Sky sighed, rolling her eyes and smiling. “Well, I can’t deny that, but if his security’s as good as the assholes we ran into today, something tells me we’re not gonna be able to get close to him.”

Shadow’s ears flopped down, disappointed. “Awww, all right then. So we hit the underground, find out about who this courier is and where they are, we grab his instructions for Silver Tongue off of him, and then we head back to Canterlot, right?”

“Right.” Sky put a hoof under Shadow’s chin, raising her head up again. “And if you want, we can take a quick trip to Celestialand while we’re there.”

“Well...I mean...if you wanted to, I guess I could tag along…” Shadow shrugged, though her wings began to flutter involuntarily.

“Hey, it’ll be fun!” Sky grinned, letting her go. “Besides, I haven’t been to Manehattan in ages. We might as well take a little holiday while we’re there, right?”

“Right.” Shadow chuckled, beaming back. “Just...let’s be careful, okay?”

“We’ll be safe, sweetie. I’ll never let anything happen to you, I promise.” Sky nodded, resisting the urge to hug her little sister very tightly indeed.

To her surprise, this time it was Shadow who hopped off her seat, jumping up next to Sky and snuggling up to her. She didn’t really say anything else beyond that, merely laying down and resting her head under her sister’s bad wing. Shadow kept staring up at her until tiredness overcame her, and she drifted off to sleep in her sister’s hooves.

Sky sighed, looking out the window and smiling as the Equestrian countryside rushed past. Manehattan was far bigger than Canterlot, with so many places she didn’t know, so many ponies she wasn’t familiar with, and Rolling Thunder’s Operatives would be out there too, looking for her.

This is going to be fun…

The Oak In The Park

Sky whimpered softly as she clambered up the hill, bowing her head and walking the path before her by memory alone.

Every year she’d walked this same path, the winding trail through the Canterlot city park that bordered the middle and poor districts. It was an exciting footpath that crossed the carefully tended flowerbeds of the lower park, passed the thick bushes where a thousand youths explored romance for the very first time, a hundred overlooks that gave happy ponies unparalleled views of the city. It was a wonderful trail, and every year, she trod it as a special little ritual, carrying a camera on her back.

However, she had never, ever walked the path alone before. It is something that she’d always done with her little sister.

Every year on Adoption Day, Sky and Shadow made a special pilgrimage together, a yearly ritual that they had never missed, not once. Ever since the day Shadow showed up on Sky’s doorstep all of those years ago, they walked this trail to commemorate the day that the two of them first met, and they followed it to a certain point; the foot of a great hill that dominated the centre of the park. From there they’d leave the trail, clambering up the great hill to the monstrous ancient oak tree that sat atop it. The oak was twisted with age, but Adoption Day was in spring, a time when it was in full blossom. There was something about the way that the leaves caught the sunlight, the soft shade and brisk spring air lending something intangible but wonderful to the atmosphere. In that place, at that moment, Sky knew happiness that she couldn’t recall before she’d met her little sister.

Today, however, wasn’t Adoption Day. The moon shone overhead, rays of pale ivory light breaking through the great oak’s foliage. The little white pony looked like a ghost, even with her grey cloak fastened around her shoulders. She had a shovel strapped to her side and a swaddled pony wrapped in white cloth lay on her back, lifeless.

“I know it’s not Adoption Day today, sweetie,” Sky whispered to the pony on her back, “and it isn’t exactly a sunny day either, but hey, at least we’re going to be able to make this trip together again. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”

Tonight, Shadow walked with her one last time.

Sky couldn’t cry right now. The shock of the night’s events still gripped her mind like a vice, putting a stopper in her emotions for the time being. She contented herself with walking onward and upward if only to hold onto the feeling that she was doing something, anything. She couldn’t bear any form of inaction right now, not after her inaction tonight had cost her so very much.

“It’ll be okay, Shadow. We’ll get up there and then you’ll be safe, I promise.” Sky whispered to the park at large. The filly on her back shifted a little as she nearly lost her balance. Her legs shook under their combined weight far too much for her to walk straight...or perhaps the shaking was from desperate sobs that simply wouldn’t come.

It’ll be okay, Shadow. I promise, you’ll be okay…

Sky stumbled again and the filly slid off of her back onto the grass beside her. She glanced around at the poor broken body, the white cloth already stained red with her continued bleeding. The victim’s face was wrapped in cloth like the rest of her body, concealing it from Sky’s vision. A poor pony’s coffin for a little filly with nopony else in the whole world to love her and take care of her.

Sky’s ears splayed back again, and she pulled her hood off, as if the sight of her face would bring her back from the afterlife. She nuzzled the little pony for all she was worth, cooing and whispering.

“Please, Shadow...you’re scaring me. Please...please wake up…” Sky whispered, her voice emotionless, dead. It sounded distant as if it wasn’t even her own. She ran her forehoof over where she assumed the pony’s mane was, stroking her softly. Her heart leapt at the slightest movement from the body bag before breaking all over again as she realised that it was only her own touch. The pony didn’t stir and Sky gave a soft whimper.

“You can stop playing now. This isn’t funny anymore…” Sky whispered. “I know you’re okay, sweetie. I was watching your back. I know you’re okay. Stop scaring me, please.” She nearly begged now, scooping up her little sister and holding her like a newborn in her forehooves. Still the tears would not come, her mind fully refusing to accept the reality that she clutched in her hooves.

Once more, the filly in the body bag didn’t move. She didn’t speak, she didn’t whimper or answer Sky’s coos with her own. She merely lay there without a spark of life in her body. It seemed as if she was bidding Sky to hold back her tears while holding back her own. Of course, Shadow would hate to see her big sister cry because of her. She simply wasn’t that kind of pony.

“Shadow, seriously, come on, stop messing around.” Sky whispered, almost pleading with the little filly as she held her. “It’s time to wake up now, sis...please…” She pulled her in closer, nuzzling her obscured cheek, her shoulder, her neck, anything. She even tickled the bundle with her soft forehoof, hoping against hope that it would coax a soft little giggle out of her sister. Yet again, however, Shadow made no noise.

“It’s okay...I know you’re just playing…” Sky whispered, nuzzling her. “It’s not really funny anymore, but I know you’re just playing. You’ll wake up in a second and everything’ll be all right.”

Sky put Shadow on her back again, ascending the hill towards the bright moonlight-wreathed tree once more. It loomed up in front of her, imposing and silhouetted against the light as Shadow’s body had been at Sawblades’s place. Sky whimpered as she staggered towards it. Never before had the world seemed so dark, so hostile, so ominous and scary and big. Something about her little sister’s presence brought the whole world back into perspective, brought courage to Sky’s heart when she had none, brought peace when she was nervous.

It’s okay though, she’s just pretending...she’ll be up and about in no time, and then the world will be back to the way it should be… Sky thought to herself as she carried her little sister the rest of the way up the hill. Perhaps the darkness confounded her footing, but Sky found herself staggering and falling every few metres. This hill had never been so steep, not in all of the years that she’d been coming here.

Finally, she crested the hill, finding herself between two monstrous roots, flanking her like a kind of naturally-formed embrace. It was familiar, something she remembered vividly from her other visits. That familiarity was more than welcome in a time such at this. It was comforting, a voice that affirmed that everything would indeed be all right.

Sky lay her little sister down at the foot of the tree on her back in the grassy path between the two giant roots. Extending a shaking forehoof, Sky pulled back the cloth covering Shadow’s face.

The little filly was laying there in the most peaceful sleep imaginable. Her chest did not even rise or fall. She lay there in total silence, the distant sounds of the city around them not disturbing her one bit.

“You were really brave tonight, you know.” Sky whispered, beginning to dig alongside her. “You shouldn’t have gone after Nightshade by yourself, but...but I don’t mind too much right now. What’s important is that you’re safe and we’re gonna be okay, right? This isn’t the last time we’ll come up here together…” She panted as she drove her shovel into the earth time and again. She couldn’t exactly process what she was doing right now or why she was doing it. She merely kept active because she felt that this was working towards something, in some small way helping make things better. That’s what Sky loved to do; help ponies. Everything she did now was in aid of holding onto that feeling, holding onto who she was...holding onto her little sister.

Sky held on with all of her might, but she was just one weak little pony in a big uncaring world.

“How many ponies would care if you disappeared, Shadow?” Sky whimpered softly. “How many ponies would know that you even existed? I’m the only pony who loves you...and I really fucking love you, Shadow. I’d never forget you if you went away, never forget how you make my life worth living. Nopony else will ever understand how important you were...hell, how important you are. Don’t go, Shadow. Please don’t go. Don’t leave me alone…”

As Sky dug, making sure the hole was good and deep, she tried to pin down exactly what she was feeling, to find some way to describe the things going on in her head and heart so as to more easily come to terms with it, to cope. It was a strange void, a void to end all voids, where there was nothing, no hope, none of the excitement, none of that feeling of safety, no happiness nor comfort nor strength to call her own. As it began to encroach through the numbness she felt, Sky began to panic once more. She didn’t want to be consumed by that feeling.

She threw down her shovel, lowering her head and nuzzling the prone filly. “Come on Shadow, get up, please….please…” She whimpered. There was something very wrong with her.

“You know,” Sky whispered hopefully, “this is about the time you usually get up and ask me if you scared me.” She shuffled her hooves awkwardly. “Um...you...you kind of have...actually, you really have. I’ll tell you what...if you get up right now, I promise not to be mad. I’ll even go easy on the cuddles, I swear.”

She looked across at her little sister with a little smile, fervently hoping that Shadow might hop upright. Her face fell once again when Shadow still didn’t wake.

“Come on Shadow, up!” Sky prodded her with her muzzle again, growing a little more desperate now. “Come on...this isn’t funny anymore! Please, Shadow! Come on!” Her hooves shook, her ears flat back against her skull. The void in her chest was held at bay by sheer panic, but that at least meant that there was hope. Shadow was playing a game, that was all.

Still, it wasn’t a very funny game anymore. It was scary.

“COME ON, SHADOW!” Sky shook, picking up her little sister and clutching her tight. “Get up! Please…we’ve gotta go home…it’s time to stop playing now…”

Finally, as the wave of panic rushed over her, Sky felt something growing within her, something massive, inexorable. The desire to scream. She wanted to shriek at the top of her lungs until Shadow awoke again, until she made some kind of wisecrack about going deaf. They’d argue, Sky would probably bat her around the head for scaring her so much, and then they’d go home.

However, as she opened her mouth to let it out, something caught in Sky’s throat. Perhaps it was the surreal nature of the experience, the way it felt so much like a bad dream. Too much like a bad dream. Whatever it was, the scream simply wouldn’t come, though every fibre of Sky’s being cried out for her to do it. She was silenced, struck dumb by pain and suffering, her body beginning to shut down as she struggled to cope with the very possibility of losing the one pony in the whole world who loved her.

“Sis?” Came a very soft whisper next to Sky’s ear.

Sky pulled away, looking down at the little filly cradled in her hooves. “Shadow?”

“Sis...it’s okay…” Shadow whispered. The moonlight grew brighter, illuminating the two ponies as they hugged each other for dear life at the foot of the great oak tree.

“That wasn’t funny Shadow. You had me so fucking worried…” Sky whispered softly, hugging her tightly and shivering like mad. “Don’t...don’t ever do that again...please…”

“I won’t, sis.” Shadow whispered in turn, nuzzling her sister’s ear. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Her voice was weak and gentle, yet recognisably hers. Sky couldn’t even be mad at her in that moment, holding her close as if to let her go was to let her slip away forever. She’d come so close tonight. She never wanted to feel that way again, not ever.

“I love you.” Sky whimpered, silent tears falling to the ground as she held her little sister close.

“I love you too, sis…” Shadow whispered as the moonlight grew ever brighter. In time it consumed them both, dropping them both into the same bright white abyss as before.

* * *

“Sis?”

Shadow waved a hoof in Sky’s face, trying to rouse her big sister from her slumber.

Shit, she’s twitching. She’s having bad dreams again…

Shadow prodded Sky’s muzzle with her forehoof a couple more times before rolling her eyes with frustration.

Dozy fucking cow…

The filly drew back a forehoof, muttering a very unconvincing apology under her breath and promptly punched Sky on the nose.

The mare snorted, wiggling her nose and jerking awake. She glanced around, wide-eyed, before her gaze fell on Shadow. A moment later, the filly was scooped into the tightest hug yet, her big sister nuzzling and cuddling her desperately.

“It’s okay, sis...I’m here…” Shadow crooned softly, allowing Sky unbridled cuddle privileges for the time being. Something told Shadow that Sky needed those right now.

“I know...I know...I’m being silly…of course you’re here…” Sky whispered, sniffling quietly. She was shaking like a leaf, the poor pony.

“Sis...are you crying?” Shadow whispered, ears splaying back.

“N...no…” Sky whimpered, soaking Shadow’s coat and wings in tears as she sobbed unapologetically. She was only fooling herself really.

Shadow’s expression and voice softened and she almost sounded like a five year-old again. “Oh, Sky…” She wrapped her wings around her big sister, rocking her gently. “It’s okay...it’s fine...I’m here, we’re both safe. None of that stuff happened. Just take some deep breaths.”

Sky did what she was told, breathing deeply as she tucked her head under Shadow’s overlarge wings to shield herself from the eyes of passers-by. She sat there, embracing the younger pony, listening to her breathe. Over time the panic dissipated as her brain began to accept that what had happened in the shadow of that tree was nothing more than a dream. Shadow was here. They were together. They were safe.

“I’ll be okay…” Sky whispered. The image of the dream still burned into her mind quite vividly. “Th...thanks, Shadow…”

“Hey, that’s what I’m here for.” Shadow replied, offering a soft little smile. “If it makes you feel any better, I had a nightmare on the way here too.”

“Ye...yeah?” Sky whimpered, drying her eyes with a forehoof and cocking her head.

“Yeah.” Shadow nodded, shuddering. “I was stuck in this cafe and you were singing Flank Sinatra songs about love being a trap or some shit.”

Both sisters chuckled weakly, beaming at one another.

“You wouldn’t do that, though.”

“Wouldn’t I?” Sky grinned slyly.

“Yeah.” Shadow replied evenly, sticking her tongue out. “You can’t sing that well.”

“Cheeky bitch.” Sky sighed, sitting back. Even as she relaxed she clung desperately to Shadow. She couldn’t let go of her, not right now.

The two of them stayed that way until the train pulled up to Manehattan Grand Central Station. Sky and Shadow exchanged a glance, before getting to their hooves. The two of them only shook a little as they pulled their hoods up and trotted out of the compartment and onto the platform.

The city appeared to be far bigger and more crowded than the two little ponies could have possibly imagined. Towering skyscrapers blocked out the sun, preventing any natural light from getting into the terminal. The entire building was lit by monstrous chandeliers that hung from the ceiling.

“Blimey...I haven’t seen lights that big since that weird movie about the opera.” Sky muttered.

“You would watch a movie about the opera.” Shadow hopped onto Sky’s back as they tried to make their way through the crowd towards the exit. There were ponies everywhere, commuters and tourists who seemed unable to go about their daily business without inadvertently getting in everypony’s way. One pony even walked headlong into Sky, bumping into her and not even bothering to apologise. She shrugged it off, shaking her head.

“Wow.” Sky commented as they made the way out onto the street. “Everypony in this city’s an asshole.”

“Tell me about it.” Shadow took off, fluttering over Sky’s head and taking a look around. “So where do we start?”

“Well, I’ve got a couple of contacts that hang out around here sometimes…” Sky popped her saddlebag open, reaching into it. “I just need to...wait…”

“What’s up?” Shadow cocked her head, coming in to land next to her big sister.

“Um...my diary’s missing…” Sky’s ears splayed back. This wasn’t good. There was stuff in that book that she never shared with anyone, not even Shadow. “I don’t suppose you…?”

“I didn’t take it.” Shadow shook her head, opening up her saddlebags and letting Sky take a look.

Ha, you did bring perfume. I fucking called it! Sky thought to herself triumphantly, but a different kind of panic tugged at the back of her head now. Shadow didn’t have it, Sky didn’t have it, and that could only mean one thing.

“Did I just get robbed?”

Out Of A Job

Sky and Shadow sat down at a little picnic table in Central Park and frowned in unison.

“So I’ve still got my money.” Sky frowned, checking through her saddlebags. “And you’ve got your stuff too, right?”

“Right.” Shadow nodded, giving the contents of her bags a cursory glance as well.

“So I got pickpocketed by somepony who was interested in information, not in money. Weird.” Sky huffed, fiddling with her forehooves. “Who the hell does that?”

“Could be one of the Count’s guys.” Shadow shrugged. “I mean, we know that he’s interested in you, right?”

“Well, yeah.” Sky said, nodding. “I dunno why he’d hire a pickpocket instead of an assassin, though.”

“Yeah, considering how subtle he’s been so far, it seems like a weird gear-shift.” Shadow chuckled. “But hey, if this guy’s a regular in Manehattan, maybe those underground contacts can help you track him down. I mean, we don’t exactly want that diary ending up in the wrong hooves, right?”

“That’s rich, coming from the pony who reads the fucking thing out to anyone who asks nicely.” Sky stuck her tongue out, crossing her forelegs sulkily.

“Oi! There’s a difference between a little light pranking and straight-up nicking your diary!” Shadow pouted defensively. “Besides, I only read out the embarrassing stuff, like that one time you played “Where Did I Hide The Mistletoe On My Body” for Hearth’s Warming.” She cringed only a little on saying this. I didn’t even know you could put mistletoe there… “I’ve never gone and read the important shit. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sky nodded, shuddering. “Ugh...the idea of some creep going through my stuff, finding out stuff I’ve never told anypony…”

“It’s turning you on, isn’t it?” Shadow deadpanned.

“Maybe a little.” Sky conceded. “But you’re right, this is serious shit. I never thought I’d say this, but...I’ll get laid later.” She shuddered again, not fully believing that those words had come out of her mouth. This was clearly a most serious matter indeed.

Shadow stared at her incredulously. “Um...who the hell are you and what did you do with my big sister?”

Sky rolled her eyes, giving Shadow a gentle smack around the back of the head. “Come on you cheeky fuck, let’s go find out who nicked my diary so I can give them a good kicking.”

The two of them got up, slinging their saddlebags over their backs and sharing a quick nuzzle before trotting off across the park. Sky was more wary than ever as they made their way down the path, the nightmare from earlier still fresh in her mind. She didn’t even register the ponies around her as worry began to creep in. Even the simple act of walking down the path with her saddlebags full of her equipment put that little bit of extra weight on her back, enough that she had to check under her good wing to see if there was a shovel strapped there.

What she found, upon inspection, was a little adolescent pony giving her a searching look.

“Sis?” Shadow asked, her voice a little shaky and dripping with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m...just a little on edge, I guess.” Sky sighed, settling into a brisk trot. “All of this shit with Rolling Thunder’s kinda stressing me out.”

“Not to mention the nightmares.” Shadow added quietly, wary of other ponies overhearing the two of them.

Sky’s ears perked. “Uh...yeah...well...about that…” She looked away, frowning. “It’s no big deal, really. It’s just kind of a shitty dream, that’s all…”

“Sis?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re full of shit, you stupid birdhorse.” Shadow deadpanned. “You do know that you talk in your sleep, right?”

“I...erm...I do?” Sky asked awkwardly, now actively trying to avoid her little sister’s accusing glare.

“I was there for that job too, sis.” Shadow said quietly, nuzzling Sky’s shoulder. “It all went to shit, but there’s nothing to be scared of, and I definitely don’t want you hiding shit from me. I always find out anyway, right?”

“Yeah, I guess you do…” Sky rolled her eyes, smiling weakly. “Fine, I was having nightmares. I just didn’t wanna scare you, that’s all.”

“Sis, I don’t get scared because of your nightmares.” Shadow shook her head, taking off and hovering next to her. “Hell, I’m not scared of anything!”

“Sure you’re not.” Sky chuckled, sighing. “I...guess I kinda was.”

“It was a tough night.” Shadow smiled, putting a hoof on her big sister’s shoulder. “You’re allowed to be scared. I mean, a lot of shit went wrong, huh?”

“Yeah.” Sky turned, nuzzling Shadow’s cheek in midair. “What’s important is that one thing went right. You stayed alive.”

“It was kind of a close one, mind.” Shadow chuckled, going pink with embarrassment. She always has to get sappy in public, damn it…

“That’s why we’re gonna play it safe this time.” Sky nodded. “We stay out of the way of the Count’s little club full of assholes, we get this courier’s instructions, we damn well disappear. Neither of us’ll be in danger, okay?”

“Sure.” Shadow grinned. “Still, we’ve gotta have some fun in the meantime, right?”

“That’s what today’s little detour is going to be all about.” Sky winked. “We track down the asshole who nicked my diary and kick him in the nads so hard that he chokes on his own balls.”

”Now you’re sounding like my big sis.” Shadow nudged, coming in to land next to the elder pony. “Just remember, whenever you feel sad or scared, just come and whisper in my ear or something and I’ll give you the biggest hug ever.” She nuzzled Sky’s neck this time, wrapping one of her wings around her big sister’s back. “Just...don’t go randomly cuddling me in public, okay?”

Sky rolled her eyes again. “What, afraid that I might embarrass you in front of a hot colt or something?” She stopped, looking around and meeting Shadow’s gaze again. “Hey...erm...sis?”

“Yeah?” Shadow’s ears perked as she looked up at Sky with a bright smile on her face.

“Thanks. I really needed that.” Sky closed her eyes, nuzzling the younger pony again and smiling. “You’re the most special pony in the whole damn world.”

“And this special little pony’s gonna stick by your side forever. Don’t you worry.” Shadow grinned, nudging her with a forehoof. “Now, how about you and me go and ruin somepony’s day?”

Sky’s smile widened as she took her little sister’s forehoof, squeezing it.

“That’s the best idea I’ve heard in ages.”

And with that, the two little ponies trotted off into the city centre to look for information.

* * *

Stronghooves smiled pleasantly as he was led down the sterile white corridor by two large stallions. He gave each of them a cursory glance, recognising the one on the right as the delightful colt who’d knocked him out earlier.

“I hope there aren’t any hard feelings, my friend.” Stronghooves beamed at the earth pony.

The Operative grunted. “Of course not!” He smiled back mirthlessly. “I’m sure you had a great reason for fucking up a bunch of my buddies and repeatedly disobeying orders! Why would there be any hard feelings?”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Stronghooves asked curiously.

Neither stallion spoke for a while, until the Operative on his left, a unicorn, nodded silently.

“See? This guy knows what I’m talking about.” Stronghooves beamed. “Sir, what would you do to keep them safe?”

“Just about anything.” The unicorn replied, his voice nothing more than a grudging murmur. “I dunno if I’d disobey my orders, though.”

“I never thought I would either.” Stronghooves nodded as they approached the elevator. “I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard, my friend. I’ve spent my whole adult life obeying orders. I just...couldn’t kill my own family. I don’t know if most ponies could do a thing like that.”

“Maybe it was necessary.” The unicorn shrugged, calling the lift down with a tiny magical impulse from his horn. “This programme’s kind of a big deal. This is the safety of Equestria we’re talking about.”

“Yeah, we’re the good guys, right?” Stronghooves agreed, nodding. “Tell me, do you feel like good guys right now, holding a pony captive for trying to defend his little sister? Do you think that the ponies who sent three super-soldiers to kill one poor crippled little pegasus mare are good guys?”

There was silence as the three ponies waited for the elevator. Neither of the Operatives would meet Stronghooves’s gaze.

“That’s what I thought.” He said quietly, after a moment. “You two are headed down a path of self-destruction at the hooves of ponies who only care about money. Today it’s my sister they want dead. Someday it might be your mother, your father, your brother, maybe even your own foals. I hope you make the same choice I made today.”

The two Operatives led him into the elevator, hitting a button and standing in awkward silence as it spirited them towards the top floor towards Silver Tongue’s office. The unicorn and the earth pony were both struck dumb by Stronghooves, unable to mount any kind of counter-argument. Perhaps it was because they suspected that he was right.

In time, the elevator dinged and the three stallions stepped out into a much shorter corridor. They strode through the double oak doors and deposited Stronghooves in front of Silver Tongue’s desk.

The executive peered over his spectacles at Stronghooves like a bemused headmaster inspecting a disobedient student.

“I thought I made it perfectly clear that I wasn’t going to tolerate disobedience.” Silver commented, sitting back in his chair. Stronghooves knew that he was trying to suppress a grin.

Stuck-up bastard…

“I thought I made it perfectly clear that I wasn’t going to tolerate attempted murder.” Stronghooves replied evenly, glaring back at Silver confidently.

“You’re the only pony here who’s committed murder so far.” Silver put his hooves together, raising his eyebrows.

“Yes, in defence of another pony. Funnily enough, that’s legal under Equestrian law. In fact, it’s in my job description.”

“You just don’t get it, do you?” Silver rolled his eyes. “You’re our employee first and a guard second. You were given orders and you not only failed to follow them, but you’ve gone and killed three of our Operatives now. Do you have any idea how difficult it’s going to be to replace those ponies?”

“With respect Silver, you’re full of shit.” Stronghooves shook his head disbelievingly. “I’m neither a guard nor an employee first. I’m a big brother and my sister’s safety means more to me than all the money and mad science in the world.”

Silver raised his eyebrows. “Big brother, you say? So this pony you’ve been defending, this nobody who practically lives on the streets...she’s your sister?”

Stronghooves gave a small smile, trying to ignore the acid in Silver’s voice. “Yes.”

“So that’s what all of this was about.” Silver sighed. “My word, I’d been wondering whether you had some kind of conflict of interest in this project. A jilted lover, an old friend, a rival, something like that, but her big brother?” He sat back, chuckling. “How can a stallion with your track record possibly be related to...well…that?”

Stronghooves’s smile disappeared. “I’m sure that you’d love to hear that story, but I’ve already told it once today. I’m not one for inflicting my backstory on everypony like that bounty hunter you seem to have sent after her as well.”

Silver smiled, eyes glinting. “So what you’re saying is that you failed her as a brother? I mean, that seems like the only way I can see her turning into a criminal. No wonder you tried to pretend that you were an only child.”

“I never tried to pretend that I was an only child.” Stronghooves shook his head. “You’ve got no idea what the hell you’re talking about, so I’d advise that you shut your face.” His smile was long gone by now, glaring coldly at his former employer.

“My my! Such language!” Silver grinned. “Don’t worry Stronghooves. We’ll take good care of your sister for you. As for you...well...you’re fired. As stipulated in your contract, you’ll have your enhancements removed before being moved to a cell, where we’ll keep you in our custody until we no longer consider you a threat.” He nodded to the two flanking stallions, adjusting his spectacles. “Take him away, please.”

“You don’t know what you’re doing.” Stronghooves shook his head as the Operatives started leading him away. “Silver, you’re going to get every one of these ponies killed if you’re not careful!”

“We’ll only remove the ponies we have to.” Silver shook his head. “Don’t worry Stronghooves, we’ll be sure to misname Sky in her obituary. Your professional career as a guard will remain untarnished. It’s the least we can do in exchange for your silence about this programme.”

“What part of ‘being a guard doesn’t matter to me’ don’t you get? Don’t you bloody well know that there are more important things in life than your damn career?” Stronghooves growled. “What’s the bloody point of being successful if you don’t have ponies to love?”

“Well, it looks like somepony’s getting angry.” Silver tutted, shaking his head. “That’s a shame. We were having such a civil conversation up to this point.”

“Yeah, we were, and then you had to go and bloody well tread in it, didn’t you?” Stronghooves spat, pulling against his captors and growling at Silver. “You don’t know what the fuck you’ve just gotten yourself into.”

“Your emotions have clouded your mind, Captain.” Silver shook his head, speaking as a teacher to a rather slow foal. “You’re so fixated on your little sister, even after all the time you no doubt spent neglecting her, that you can’t see that there are far more important things at stake.”

“And your coldness has clouded yours.” Stronghooves replied, trying to control himself. His horn sparked a little, a little magic suppressor ring wrapped around it to confound his magic. In a way, he was thankful for it. It was the only reason that Silver wasn’t sprayed across the back wall by now. “I told you that I couldn’t work with ponies who are only motivated by money. Nopony with Equestria’s best interests at heart would put so little value on a pony’s life.”

Silver sighed. “Perhaps when your sister is removed from the equation, you’ll begin to see things a little more clearly. In the meantime, I think it’s about time you cooled down. Guards, please, remove this unruly stallion. Strip him of his enhancements and put him in a holding cell until we have confirmation that Miss Runner has been terminated.”

Stronghooves sighed, bowing his head as the stallions led him off towards the elevator again. He hated Silver more than anypony else right now. Left to his own devices that executive’s neck would have been snapped long before now, but that wouldn’t call off the hit on Sky. Stronghooves realised that the only way to stop his sister from dying before he could help her was to protect her himself

Wasn’t like I was planning on staying in those cells for very long anyway. He mused. If he wanted to help his sister, he had to approach this problem the same way she would.

That meant that he’d have to escape.

Rat Racer

Shadow had big wings that allowed her to tear across the sky at a pretty ridiculous velocity for a pony her size. Sky would have given anything to be that good a flyer. Worse, however, was the way that Shadow was squandering that talent right now as Sky clambered up a seemingly endless staircase. Worse still, she’s singing.

“Shadow’s got a six-string in hock. Now she’s holding in what she used to make it talk - so tough...it’s tough…”

“Shadow…” Sky gave the world’s most long-suffering sigh. This had been going on for a while.

“Sky dreams of running away...When she cries in the night, Shadow whispers baby it’s okay, someday…”

“You’re literally worst pony right now…”

“We’ve gotta hold on to what we’ve got, cause it doesn’t make a difference if we make it or not! We’ve got each other, and that’s a lot. For looooove...WE’LL GIVE IT A SHOT!”

“This is how fillies get stabbed…” Sky huffed quietly.

”Whooooooa, we’re half way there! WHOOOOA, RIDING ON A MARE!”

“Shadow, I swear to Luna I will turn this pony around if you can’t shut the fuck up!” Sky growled, panting. “Besides, we don’t want this guy to know we’re coming, so stick a sock in it.”

“Sure this isn’t gonna be a trap?” Shadow asked, rolling her eyes and settling down.

“It’s almost definitely a trap.” Sky shrugged. “Still, when’s that ever stopped us?”

“Yeah, who needs common sense, right?” Shadow chuckled weakly. “So what’s the plan?”

“I go in there and start going through his stuff. You watch my back and come in if I get in trouble, right?” Said Sky. “We’re gonna have to switch out our tactics. We’re dealing with another thief here, so we’ve gotta play it safe.”

“Got it.” Shadow nodded. “You go in and get your diary back, I bail your fat ass out if it turns out to be a trap. I can work with that.”

“Not exactly how I’d have said it, but sure, whatever.” Sky smiled, before letting out a sigh. “Bloody hell, this tower’s stupidly big.”

“It’s a skyscraper. That’s kind of the point.” Shadow said, hopping off of Sky’s back and trotting alongside her. “It’s an office building for ponies who want to make their dicks feel big.”

“Well yeah...but this is kind of overdoing it.” Sky huffed.

This far up, there weren’t even any window panes, and the interior was nothing more than bare-bones whitewashed concrete. This building had clearly been under construction for a long time. Perhaps it was even by this burglar’s design that construction hadn’t been completed. Sky knew that it wouldn’t exactly be beneficial to have bunch of workers wandering through her hideout every day if she were in his horseshoes. Tone Deaf’s bad enough.

* * *

The two sisters finally halted at the top of the stairs, facing a large wooden door that looked as if it’d been jammed into the frame.

“I hope the rest of his hideout looks better than this piece of shit.” Shadow commented. “It looks like he just pinched the first door that looked like it fit.”

“I didn’t know you were an interior decorator.” Sky grinned, bumping flanks with her little sister.

“Oi! I’m not! It’s just...standards, you know?” Shadow rolled her eyes. “Anyway, we breaking in or what?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Sky giggled softly, approaching the door and peeking through it to check the lock.

“How bad is it?” Shadow cocked her head.

“Big heavy security lock, slide-latch and a chain.” Sky shrugged. “Guess I’m not picking this one.”

“It means he’s home, too.” Shadow noted. “He’ll be waiting for you.”

“Just as well I’ve got the world’s greatest little filly ready to bail me out when everything goes to shit, then.” Sky chuckled, pulling out a screwdriver and getting to work on the hinges themselves.

Shadow blushed a little at that, pulling her hood and face wrap up so as not to give anything away. She couldn’t be seen actually enjoying those kinds of compliments or Sky might give her more, Luna forbid.

The hinges were as ill-fitting as the door, and they came loose after only a little fiddling on Sky’s part. It creaked and groaned as it began to come loose, already beginning to lean towards them as it lost its supports.

“Um...maybe we wanna get the hell out of the way…” Shadow whimpered, backing up to ensure that she wouldn’t get unceremoniously squished.

“Yeeeeah…” Sky glanced up at the door with worry as she loosed the last hinge, stepping sideways as it swung ominously open with a terrifying creak. The thin chain was the only thing holding it in place now, hanging over the two ponies’ heads and threatening to tip over onto them.

“So...I’m gonna back up and cover you…” Shadow grinned uneasily. “You just get the diary and let’s get the fuck out of here, okay?”

“Yeah, something tells me that that tiny little chain is gonna blow our cover...if we haven’t done that already.” Sky whispered, giving Shadow a little nuzzle. Pulling up her hood and concealing her face, the elder sister crept into the hideout.

The burglar’s place was pretty nice, all things considered. The whole floor, once intended to be one big office, was completely bare except for some added amenities and furniture. A variety of trinkets lay scattered around the room, treasures stolen from hundreds of ponies across Manehattan. Sky couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she took in the chaos.

It’s gotta be a stallion, then. Bastard can’t clean up after himself…

As she crept further into the seemingly unoccupied office floor, Sky glanced around, looking for any signs of movement whatsoever. She took in a bunk-bed jammed into a dark corner of the room, a desk covered in various blueprints, even a little workbench. This colt had a great setup, whoever he was.

It didn’t make him any less of an asshole, however.

As her gaze ran over the bunk bed a second time, a little black book caught Sky’s eye. It looked as old as the building itself, with a whole bunch of pages hastily added to it. The spine was barely managing to hold the great big mess together.

There it is… Sky smiled, her good wing fluttering a little with excitement. She tried to control her breathing, keeping it as low and silent as possible as she snuck over to the bunk bed. Of course, whoever this burglar was, he was in the room with her, and was no doubt watching her right this second. Sky merely wanted to get her diary back and get the hell out of there. With those Operatives to worry about, the last thing she wanted was a fight with another burglar.

“Hello, beautiful…” She whispered, scooping up the book and clutching it to her chest. That book was full of all of her special little secrets, her photos of herself and Shadow, the things that she’d never tell another pony about herself in a million years. It was nice for her to have a place to be truthful. You couldn’t be a compulsive liar all the time.

Nevertheless, something felt off about the book. It was somehow lighter than it should be, and as Sky cradled it, a worried frown made its way across her brow.

Something’s not right here...he didn’t remove some of the pages, did he?

Nervously, Sky looked down at the old tome, opening it up and reading the title page.

Rat Racer’s Journal - Hooves off Fox, you little shit!

Sky cocked her head as she flipped through the pages. “Rat Racer...so that’s our guy, huh? Who the hell is Fox?”

She stopped as she landed on a page that sent a chill up her spine. There was a photo of a stallion and a young colt, both unicorns, standing together in the summer sun. The elder pony, a red stallion with a white mane, just as messy as Sky’s own. The light grey colt by his side was leaning into him, smiling brightly under the shade of a large tree. Sky cocked her head as she took in the scene.

I’ve got a photo just like this in my diary. What the fuck’s he playing at? Sky wondered to herself.

“You’d better put that book down if you know what’s good for you, missy.” Came a growl from behind her.

Sky dropped the journal, turning and finding herself face to face with a very irate-looking unicorn. He wore a burglar’s mask just like hers, a cloak that uncannily matched her own, and he even had a hoof crossbow! She matched his glare with her own, growling quietly and beginning to pace around him. He kept his crossbow trained on her, loaded with a strange cartridge rather than anything that looked remotely like her darts.

“You’ll be Rat Racer, then.” Sky began, smiling warmly. “You’re kind of shorter in person!”

“You’re kind of uglier in person, Sky Runner!” Rat stuck his tongue out grumpily. “Now, what the fuck are you doing in my hideout?”

A younger unicorn of about Shadow’s age stepped out from behind him, horn flaring as he fixed Sky with a furious look. It was the little colt from the picture.

“I’m looking for my diary.” Sky replied evenly. “Don’t bother lying, sweetie. I damn well know it was you, but I’ll tell you what. If you give it back right now, I’ll only kick your ass a little. How does that sound?”

Rat burst out laughing, turning on the spot as she kept pacing around him. “If you reckon that it’s my ass that’s gonna get kicked, you don’t know the first fucking thing about me, sunshine! I don’t know if you know this, but I don’t lose.” His voice was laden with a heavy Manehattan accent, with only the tiniest hint of Sky’s own just beneath the surface.

“I don’t lose either.” She grinned, snapping her crossbow open. “Come on sweetie, drop the fake accent and give me my book back, or I’ll make you experience the next twenty-four hours as a mare.”

Rat chuckled, jamming his crossbow up under her chin and narrowing his eyes. “Make me, sweetheart. I’m not gonna back down, and if you try and pull that trigger, Fox here is gonna drop you into a whole world of pain, isn’t that right, kid?”

“Sure is!” The colt grinned evilly, horn flaring bright yellow as he trained it on Sky. “You’re not gonna do shit to my big brother, missy!”

“AND YOU’RE NOT GONNA DO SHIT TO MY BIG SISTER, YOU CUNT!” Shadow shrieked.

There was only a moment’s warning, during which the hideout was filled with the jet-engine roar of pegasus wings. Shadow rocketed out from the doorway, tackling the younger unicorn and launching them both out of the window.

Rat Racer blanched as he saw the two foals disappear off down the side of the skyscraper. “Um...so you brought backup, then?”

“Sure did!” Sky giggled, pushing her own crossbow under his chin in turn. “So, how about you and I get this standoff started?”

* * *

Shadow clutched Fox in her forehooves as she shot down the side of the skyscraper. On reflection, perhaps it should have occurred to her to use her bow, or her own crossbow, for that matter. Somehow, however, it didn’t matter. What mattered was getting this upstart away from Sky. With him taken out of the picture, her big sister ought to be able to handle that stallion herself.

Pulling up over a rooftop, Shadow released her grip on Fox, air-braking and hovering in place as he hit the roof and kicked up a storm of tiles, finally sliding to a whimpering halt some distance away.

“Don’t you dare try and touch my sister again.” Shadow growled, dropping down onto her hooves.

“Who...who’s gonna stop me?” Fox replied, getting shakily to his hooves and glaring right back at her.

Wow, he’s tough for a mangy little conehead…

“The only pony around here who’s allowed to give Sky hell, that’s who!” Shadow lowered her centre of gravity, getting ready to take off again if she needed to. “Now come on, just sit your ass down like a good little bitch so I can sleep dart you.”

“Oh, so it’s like that, is it?” Fox shook his head, horn flaring again. “You haven’t got shit on me, sister. You can’t even use magic!”

“Maybe I can’t, but I can kick your ass!” Shadow beat her wings, launching herself into the air. She hovered in place, pulling her bow off of her back and nocking an arrow.

“You couldn’t kick my ass if your life depended on it!” Fox spat, stamping his hoof. “You’re just a little filly! Why don’t you go play with your makeup and let me get back to work?”

Shadow’s eye twitched a little. “What did you just fucking say?” Her voice grew low, soft and quiet, and to the two little ponies it seemed as if all the noise from the rest of the city had simply died away.

“You heard me!” Fox stuck his tongue out. “Go back to trying on dresses and obsessing over stallions or whatever it is frou-frou fillies do! Leave the fighting to the professionals!”

Shadow paused, dumbstruck by this colt’s incredibly thick skull. She dropped down onto her hooves again, approaching him with a completely unreadable wide-eyed expression on her face. She only stopped when she was practically nose to nose with the poor unfortunate colt.

“This is the part,” she whispered softly, “where I rip out your tongue and shove it up your ass.”

And with that, she socked him right on the nose.

* * *

Sky and Rat kept circling one another, weapons trained on each others’ necks.

“You do know that it’s rude to go through a mare’s things, right?” Sky asked innocently. “Or was that another lesson you missed while you were being raised in a fucking barn?”

“You do know that I don’t give a shit, right?” Rat replied evenly. “I’m a burglar, sunshine. It’s what I do.”

“Burglar. Yeah right.” Sky rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t know burglary if it crept up behind you and bit you in the ass. You just happen to show up and pickpocket me as I turn up in the city? Give me a break!”

“What can I say?” Rat shrugged, flashing her a toothy grin. “You were the prettiest mare in the whole terminal. I just couldn’t resist.”

“Awww, aren’t you sweet!” Sky giggled, though she felt her wings grow a little warmer. “Come on, what other lines have you lifted from the Big Book of Charming Stallion Cliches?”

“Oh, you think I’m charming, do you? Well, if that’s not the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.” Rat beamed. “You’re not so bad yourself, sunshine.”

Sky gave him her biggest, friendliest smile. “The most charming, incompetent sack of shit in Equestria.”

“That’s rich, coming from the most adorably pathetic cripple in Manehattan.” Rat rolled his eyes, smile disappearing. “Sure you didn’t get ‘burglar’ and ‘beggar’ mixed up?”

“Oh great, a comment about my wing! That’s super-original!” Sky beamed brightly, nodding her head. “Aren’t you the cutest little colt ever!”

“Who’re you calling a colt, you dumb bitch?” Rat spat at her. Sky couldn’t help but giggle now. She had him right where she wanted him.

Awww, he’s so cute when he’s angry! Let’s egg him on!

“Who’re you calling a dumb bitch, you wanker?” She stuck her own tongue out. This wasn’t exactly A-grade material, but it was clearly doing the job. Rat was getting drawn right in.

“Who’re you calling a wanker, you cunt?”

“Who’re you calling a cunt, conehead?”

“Who’re you calling conehead, twigbody?” Rat’s crossbow snapped back into its retracted position, disarmed.

“Who’re you calling twigbody, saucer-hooves?” Sky disarmed her own crossbow, actively trying to suppress her laughter at this point. She spread her wings, blushing just a little as she tried to look as inviting as possible.

Come on, sweetie. Come and get me…

Rat’s expression softened as well, shifting his back legs uncomfortably to conceal his stallionhood as Sky gave him her most alluring gaze. “Who...who’re you calling saucer-hooves, you...you…” He trailed off, apparently distracted.

“All out? Damn, just once I wanna meet a stallion who can last more than two minutes.” Sky giggled, swaying her flanks as she made her way towards the door. She knew that she’d won now. After all, she’d just given him a challenge that no stallion could possibly resist.

Rat ran his forehooves through his mane, and his horn flared. Sky was picked up and slammed against the wall. He approached her with a predatory look in his eye, rearing up onto his hind legs and pinning her to the wall with his forehooves.

“I’m a little rough around the edges, but you learn to love me.” Sky grinned.

“Shut up.”

Rat looked her up and down for a moment, sizing her up with a mix of fury and lust on his face. After a moment, he glared at her once more, leaning in and kissing her fiercely.

It was all Sky could do to not laugh into his mouth as he pushed his tongue past her lips, pressing his body against hers.

Stallions are so damn easy…

* * *

Fox tumbled off of the roof and dropped down into an alley, landing in a hay bale. The relative quiet of this part of the city was broken by the roar of Shadow’s wings as she rocketed up into the air.

“Argh...shit…” Fox whimpered, pulling himself free of the hay. He quickly drew his little hood up again, following the noise and glancing skywards. “Aw, this isn’t good…”

Shadow twisted in the air and tucked in her wings, diving back down on him like a bird of prey. She narrowed her eyes as she dove, picking up speed very quickly indeed. Fox had only a few seconds to try and brace himself. Some ponies chose to run, some tried to dive out of the way. The young unicorn, however, teleported out of the way. Shadow couldn’t pursue him further like this, pulling up and shooting up into the sky again.

Fox zapped back into existence atop a nearby building, watching as Shadow climbed for altitude again. Lowering his head, his horn flared, trying to lead his target as he let fly with a bright orange spell.

Shadow yelped, changing course as the spell shot over her head, scorching her hood.

Fuck me, that was close…

She turned around, eyes scanning the rooftops in search of the cheeky little colt. However, she came up empty. There was no sign of the little bastard anywhere.

He’s good…

There was a flash of light just over her head, and Fox flickered into existence, landing on her back and grabbing both of her wings in his forehooves. Shadow gave a frightened squeak as he held onto her. With her wings no longer able to produce lift, the two ponies plummeted towards the ground.

“Hey, conehead, mind letting me go? I kinda need these things to live.” Shadow said conversationally, nodding to her wings. She tried to keep her expression as neutral as possible, but her voice shook with fright. She felt naked without her wings.

“Depends.” He replied, equally conversationally. “Do you promise to let me get back to work?”

“Okay! Okay! I’ll stop fighting! I’ll do whatever you want! Just please, let me go!” Shadow squeaked, twisting around and clinging to him with all of her might.

“Good! I...wait, wow, really?” Fox asked, taken aback.

Shadow raised her head, looking him dead in the eye with a massive cheeky grin on her face. “Nah.”

She struck out with her hind leg, landing a blow directly on his nadgers. Shadow gave a furious little growl, doing it again and again until he finally let her go. Spreading her wings again, Shadow flipped over, scooping him up in her forehooves and air-braking just enough to prevent them from turning into strawberry jam on the street below.

“That’s a shame…” Fox sighed, as she dropped him down onto a nearby roof. “That was a pretty nice hug.”

“You’re a fucking creep, you know that?” Shadow barked hotly, batting him around the head with her hoof.

“And you’re still a frou-frou filly!” Fox limped slightly as he turned to face her again, firing up his horn again. This time, Shadow wasn’t able to get out of the way in time, he caught her in the chest with a blast of magic that sent her flying headlong into a nearby chimney. She slammed into the brickwork, dropping down onto shaky hooves. There was a big blast mark on her chest where the spell struck her, blue fur showing through her light grey padded armour.

“You’re...fucking...dead…” She panted, trying to get her breath back. Spreading her wings again, she shot forward, tackling him and arcing around to slam him into the same chimney. Shadow drew back a hoof and tried to punch him on the nose again, but Fox teleported out with a flash of amber light.

“What the fuck…?” Shadow’s eyes widened as she glanced around.

Fox brought both his forehooves down on her back as he struck her from behind and Shadow collapsed with a yelp. He flicked his hoof while she was down, snapping his own little crossbow out. Loading up a taser cartridge, he trained it on Shadow’s head.

The filly rolled onto her back, taking his cheeks in her forehooves and launching herself upward with her wings. She landed a headbutt on his face, striking his horn with her forehead and sending him reeling back.

Shadow’s eyes rolled in their sockets as she tried to get her senses back, dazed by the impact.

Why the fuck do they have to have such bony fucking horns?

Rolling onto her front again, she got back on her hooves, rounding on him as he rubbed his horn in pain.

“Oi! Stop...stop jacking off for two seconds and show me what you’ve got, kid!” Shadow snarled, spreading her wings again. They made a low whining noise as she started beating them, digging her hooves into the roof tiles to prevent herself from taking off prematurely.

Fox shook his head as well, looking back at her with bleary eyes. Raising his forehoof, he pulled the trigger on his crossbow, launching the taser dart. It struck her in the upper neck before she could dive out of the way, sending a powerful electric shock throughout her whole body. Shadow lost control of her muscles, collapsing with a clatter of displaced roof tiles.

“Are you...are you gonna stay down this time, you stupid filly?” Fox panted, lowering his hoof as Shadow twitched on the floor, ears smoking. The stench of scorched fur filled the air as the young mare squeaked and whimpered, curling up slightly.

“Y...yeah...whatever…” Shadow whispered, sobbing quietly. “Just...just leave me alone…”

Fox’s expression softened behind his burglar’s mask. “Um...are...are you okay?”

“You...you hit a girl…” Shadow squeaked in disbelief, in between terrified sobs.

Fox bit his lip, approaching the poor little pony cautiously. “Hey...look...I didn’t mean to, okay? Don’t...don’t cry…” He put a forehoof on her head comfortingly.

The moment he touched her, Fox knew that he’d made a mistake. There was something so very wrong with the way she was shaking.

“Fuck...you’re not crying, are you?” He whimpered weakly.

Shadow wrapped her forehooves around his leg, looking up at him with a great big smile on her face. “Nope! Are you ever gonna stop falling for my shit?”

With a cheeky little giggle, Shadow took to the sky again, twisting in the air and launching Fox straight into the roof tiles again. This time the tiles gave way, sending the colt crashing into the attic below. Shadow dropped into a dive, following him into the building’s dark interior.

When she landed on the dusty wooden floor, however, he was nowhere to be seen.

“Hellooooo? Asshole?” Shadow called out in a sing-song voice. “If you come out right now, I promise I’ll only kick your ass a little! Come on, you can trust me!”

Silence.

Shadow spread her wings, advancing into the darkness. She glanced around, trying to spot him before he managed to fire off another spell. Her chest was still smoking a little from the last one.

Damn, those spells hurt…

Fox charged up behind her, smacking her around the back of the head with a wooden chair. Shadow slumped again, stunned, and Fox didn’t give her an opening this time. He struck her over the head with the chair again and again, trying to knock her out before she could get up and strike him back again.

The filly rolled over, entangling her hind legs in the chair as it came down on top of her again. Kicking out with her back hooves, she launched it straight into Fox’s face, sending him reeling again. Shadow growled as she got up one last time, covered in bruises and limping.

“This time I’m gonna make sure you stay the fuck down.” Shadow spat. The two of them glared at one another, illuminated by the hole that they’d smashed in the roof. Both of them were limping by this point, having suffered their own fair share of cuts and bruises, but they were both set on settling this right here, right now.

Shadow darted forward as soon as she saw Fox’s horn flare up again, leaping into the air and bringing her hoof around to smack him right in the face. She caught him across the cheek, throwing off his Fox’s and causing him to blow a second hole in the roof. Fox snarled, charging up another spell and firing it off before Shadow could hit him again. It struck her in the face, the force of the blast knocking her across the loft. She skidded to a halt a good few feet away, her hood a ruined blasted mess.

Fox charged at her, lowering his head and charging his horn again. Shadow rolled over, taking off in the confined space and shooting towards him.

The two struck each other simultaneously, Fox’s spell catching Shadow in the face as she struck out at his horn again. The force of the colt’s magic was certainly enough to daze her, but not enough to stop the inevitable impact, and the two young ponies went tumbling head over hooves, landing in a tangle of hooves and wings. Shadow shook her head, a darkness at the edges of her vision telling her that she was close to unconsciousness. She needed to end this fight now.

Bringing up her forehoof, Shadow stamped on Fox’s head again and again, blinking through the growing darkness as her consciousness began to abandon her. His nose started to bleed as she brought her hoof down, the floorboards shaking and cracking as she whaled on him. Fox finally caught her hoof in his own, pushing her off of him. The two of them lay side by side, panting heavily. Neither of them was conscious enough to do anything other than look at the other.

Fox cocked his head slightly as he stared at her. With her hood torn to scorched shreds, Shadow’s long messy mane was splayed out on the floor, her bright green eyes half-lidded from exhaustion. Even in this state, she was looking at him like something she’d accidentally trodden in. The young mare lay directly beneath the hole in the roof, illuminated by a patch of light.

She was stunning.

“The hell...are you...looking at?” She panted, her body aching far too much for her to move.

“You’re...a rea...really pretty pony…” Fox whimpered pathetically. “Like...a really…really pretty pony…”

Shadow blushed hotly, bowing her head so that her mane would conceal her embarrassment. She fumbled desperately with a sleep dart for a moment before finally managing to get a shot off at him, striking him in the stomach and knocking him out.

“Fu...fuck you…” She whispered breathlessly. “I’m not...not doing that...fucking story arc…”

With that, she was overcome by the blunt trauma that she’d suffered as well, passing out by his side.

By sheer chance, when her hoof finally slumped to the floor, it barely touched his own.

Walk of Shame

Shadow’s eyes flickered open, and the first thing that struck her was the pain. She felt like someone managed to drop an elephant playing a grand piano onto her head from all the way up in bloody Cloudsdale. Her vision was blurry, the shifting shapes and colours in front of her making the world look like a piece of incredibly bad avant-garde modern art. She shook her head, groaning as a stabbing pain shot through her skull.

“The things I do for that bitch…” She mumbled, looking around as the room came back into focus.

She lay in the same attic as before, her wings splayed out on either side of her while she lay on her back. She was surrounded by shattered wood and roof tiles, such that if she flapped her wings a couple of times she could make a pretty good-looking junk angel. Her body was covered in bruises, her padded armour and hood torn apart by magical blasts. She still smelled of scorched fur, though there didn’t seem to be any permanent damage.

Just as well...the last thing I need right now is to lose my wing like Gimpy the Earth Pony Slut. Shadow thought to herself. Where’s that little conehead asshole who did this to me, anyway?

She raised her head just a little, squeezing her eyes shut and gritting her teeth as another jab of pain shot through her brain. She certainly wasn’t in any condition to fight, at least until she’d had a shower and some bandages, so she kept her hooves crossed that he was still out for the count.

Sure enough, he was. Those sleep darts were pretty potent. The young unicorn was curled up on his side, sucking on one of his forehooves. He looked just as badly bruised as Shadow was, but at least he got to sleep it off. He whinnied softly as he snored, his torn hood flopped back. He had a pretty soft-looking light brown mane that contrasted quite nicely with his light grey fur.

Shadow struggled to her hooves, cringing as her headache worsened. Limping over to the little colt, she pulled his cloak aside.

Let’s see what you’ve got…

A hidden little pouch, stitched into his armour. That was exactly what she wanted to see. Shadow slipped a hoof into the pouch, drawing out a little photo of the little pony standing next to Rat Racer.

I heard him mention that Rat and him were brothers. Does that mean that he’s got the same thing with him that I’ve got with Sky?

She glanced down at the sleeping colt, cocking her head.

Weird. This is trippy, like I’m looking at my parallel universe self...damn, I’m ugly. Shadow mused, slipping the photo back into the pouch and settling down next to him.

“You’re fucking freaky, you know that?” She asked quietly, pushing his mane up out of his eyes. “I mean, the hugging thing was just downright fucking creepy, so I’ll tell you what. If you never do that ever again, I’ll take you home to your little conehead brother.”

“Mmmph…” Fox mumbled, pulling his hoof out of his mouth and frowning irritably. He woke up, just as bleary-eyed as she’d been only a minute earlier. He blinked a few times, gazing up at her as if she was something absolutely fascinating. “Where ‘m I…?”

“If you’re pulling some amnesia shit, I’m gonna pop a dart in your ass.” Shadow growled.

“I...no, I don’t have amnesia. Calm your crotchtits.” Fox shook his head and tried to focus. “Hey, I know you…”

“Yeah, I’m the frou-frou filly who kicked your ass.” Shadow stuck her tongue out. “What’s your name anyway, dildo-face?”

“You...kicked my ass?” Fox blinked a few times as he looked into her bright green eyes. “No way...no way...you’re far to pre…”

“Choose your words carefully, kid. They might be your last.” Shadow narrowed her eyes sternly.

“But you are!” He smiled weakly.

“Wow, I must’ve hit you harder than I thought.” Shadow sighed, waving a hoof in his face. “Either that or you really are as thick as you look.”

“Hey, there’s nothing thick about me.” Fox protested. “I clearly gave you a run for your money earlier.”

“Yeah, all the while being so adorably sexist.” Shadow huffed. “I think that big bony dipstick you’ve got jammed in your head is obstructing the flow of blood to your brain.”

“Yeah, nice to meet you too.” Fox sighed. “Look, it was a good fight, okay? Are you just gonna keep insulting me?”

“Yep!” Shadow nodded, beaming. “I’ve got a great one about your mother being so disappointed in you that she jammed a railroad spike through your head!”

“Wow, that’s not distasteful at all.” Fox rubbed his temples, groaning. “Look, I’m sorry, okay?”

Shadow cocked her head, taken aback. “I...pardon?”

“Look, we clearly got off on the wrong hoof.” Fox shook his head, getting up. “I get that it wasn’t exactly the best start, and it was all because my big brother went and robbed your sister.” He chuckled. “Adults, huh?”

“My big sis isn’t an adult. She’s a big dumb filly wearing a pegasus suit.” Shadow huffed. “But I do not like it when ponies try and shove their sharp pricks where they don’t belong.” She tapped Fox’s horn. “And I especially don’t like it when they start pointing them at my sister. Got me, conehead?”

“All right, all right!” Fox raised his forehooves defensively, sitting back on his haunches. “Look...can we start over? Here, my name’s Fox Chaser. What’s yours?” He held out a forehoof, smiling hopefully.

“Bite me.” Shadow growled, folding her forelegs and sitting back.

“Really?” Fox sighed. “You were kind of impressive back there. I’ve never met a filly who kicks ass like that before. I was kinda hoping you’d tell me where you’d learned all that.”

“I bet you’d love to know that, wouldn’t you?” Shadow said, wrapping her oversized wings around herself and glaring.

“Look, I’m not really interested in arguing with you anymore.” Fox shuffled closer, proffering the hoof again. “I’m trying to introduce myself and apologise for earlier, okay?”

“Introduce yourself to a fucking cheese grater. I’m not interested.” Shadow turned her back on him with a little squeaky growl.

Rat’s ears splayed back. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were gonna blow up at me like that, and I really didn’t mean to make you mad at me. I just wanted to protect my brother. That’s all.” He nudged her back with his nose experimentally, before bowing his head and limping over to the far side of the patch of light, curling up with a whimper again.

Shadow rolled her eyes.

Great, now look what he’s doing! He’s pulling the “wounded little puppy” card! Well, he clearly didn’t count on me! I’m way too badass to waste my time with him!

She glanced back at Fox for a moment to check that he was still there. He was.

“Hey, can’t you just teleport out of here?” She asked. Her voice was just the teeniest bit softer as she spoke.

Fox was repeatedly trying to charge his horn, but it kept powering down before he could actually fire a spell off. “Not with this concussion.” He sighed. “I’m stuck in this attic for a while. That’s why I was trying to make conversation.”

“Oh.” Shadow looked away again. There wasn’t much more that she could say.

Well, he’s fucked. Let’s go back and find Sky so that we can get on with our job. We’ve still gotta find that courier, and we’ve wasted enough time as it is.

She glanced over her shoulder at the pathetic little colt. He’d since given up trying to fire up his horn, curling up and trying to wait out the headache.

Poor little bas...NO! STOP IT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW! She rubbed her forehead grumpily. You are not gonna go soft for this asshole. You’re only allowed to do that with Sky, and only because she doesn’t give you too much shit for it. You can’t just go being nice to unicorns who try and beat you up. That’s crazy!

Shadow’s ears flicked, and she stole one last glance.

Still...he’s not getting back to his big brother without my help…

The filly let out a barely audible long-suffering groan, tucking her wings in by her sides and shuffling over to Fox. She didn’t look at him, instead becoming determinedly interested in the nearby floorboards.

“Um…” She made a very quiet grunting sound.

“Huh?” Fox’s ears perked up, swivelling a little to try and hear her a little better.

“Look, I’m…” Shadow trailed off again, descending into incomprehensible muttering.

“Wanna run that by me one more time?”

“I’m sorry, okay?!” Shadow yelped, looking up and glaring at him again. “I tend to act like a jerk when some asshole tries to blow my head off with a fucking spell, all right?”

“And I tend to act like an asshole when some jerk tackles me off of a fucking building.” Fox didn’t look up at her, but he did let out a tiny little snicker.

Shadow scratched the back of her head awkwardly, smiling. “Well...you started it…”

“Yeah, I guess I did.” He shrugged, rolling over and raising his head to look her in the eye.

“Um...my name’s Shadow.” She said simply, holding out a forehoof.

“Nice to meet you, Shadow. My name’s Fox Chaser.” He reached out, taking her hoof and shaking it.

“You already said that, dumbass.”

“Oh…sorry.”

“Hey, Fox?”

“Hmm?”

“You can let go of my hoof anytime you want.” Shadow said, narrowing her eyes.

“What do you...OH! Erm...sorry…” Fox let go, hiding his muzzle behind his hoof and going a little pink. Shadow contented herself with wiping her hoof on her cloak as if she was scared of catching the colt cooties.

“Yeah...er...no problem.” She smiled awkwardly. “So...yeah...sorry about being a bitch. I was just thinking...you need to get home to your big brother, and I’ve got my wings, so...yeah…”

“Heh, I knew you had a friendly side.” Fox smirked.

Shadow’s smile disappeared as fast as it had come. “Don’t you start, buster! If you think I’m gonna be nice to you just because you wobble your lip and burst into tears, you can fucking tongue-kiss a lathe! I’m just not enough of an asshole to leave a poor little defenceless kid trapped up here alone!”

“Who are you calling a kid?” Fox growled. “You don’t look any older than me!”

“I act older.” Shadow stuck her tongue out.

“Nuh-uh.”

“Ya-huh!”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Ya-huh times infinity!” Shadow crossed her forelegs, pouting.

“You’re cute when you do that.” Fox commented.

“Do what?”

Fox pouted as well, eyes full of mischievous glee.

Shadow pulled her face wrap up over her muzzle, going pink and growling. “You’re really pushing your luck, asswipe.”

“And you’re blushing.” Fox giggled, nudging her chest.

Shadow cringed as his hoof pressed against the scorch mark, and her soft growl grew into an angry snarl. She snapped out her hoof crossbow, cycling in a green dart and jamming it under his chin. ”Shut...up…”

“Admit it Shadow. I’m at least kinda funny!” Fox beamed brightly, looking into Shadow’s eyes without a trace of fright.

“No.” Shadow shook her head, pulling the trigger.

For the second time in as many minutes, Fox was asleep on the floor again, snoring softly with his hoof in his mouth. Shadow paced around him, wondering whether or not she could get away with kicking him in the nadgers a few times while he was down. She considered it for a little longer than she perhaps should have, but thought better of it. She wasn’t a total bitch, after all.

“Great, I’m waking up on a Saturday with a splitting headache next to a colt I don’t know, and I don’t know where the hell I am.” She grumbled, slinging Fox across her back and spreading her wings.

“When did I become my big sister?”

* * *

Shadow touched down atop the skyscraper, pulling open the roof access door to the stairwell and trotting down to Rat’s floor. The door was still hanging off of the one chain. She hurried through the aperture as it made another dangerous groaning sound.

“Sis, I’m back!” She called, trotting into the hideout. “Did you sort that asshole out ye…HOLY FUCKING LUNA I’M BLIND!”

Shadow dropped Fox to the floor with a thud, backing up and shielding her eyes with her wing.

Sky glanced up at her little sister. Rat was tied to the bed with a magic suppressor ring wrapped around the base of his horn, panting desperately as at least three unidentified objects buzzed away, strapped to his stallionhood and prostate.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Sky said, raising her forehooves diplomatically. “But I can explain.”

“Go on then! Explain!” Shadow squeaked.

“Well…” Sky began, before faltering a little. For a moment, the only noise in the room was Rat’s laboured breathing, interspersed with soft moans. “Okay, yeah, I can’t explain, but look! I got my diary back!” She beamed, pulling the aged volume out of her saddlebag and holding it up proudly.

Shadow finally drew her wing away from her face, regarding Sky with a mixture of disgust, disbelief...and maybe the tiniest shred of amusement.

“I hate you forever.” She sighed, shaking her head and trotting out of the hideout.

Only when she was clear did she smile just the tiniest little bit. It had been a pretty trying day. Between Sky’s nightmares and the whole mess with the Operatives, she’d been looking for a way to feel better, and beating the crap out of that little colt had certainly done the trick.

Besides, thought she, stepping out into the street in search of ice cream, there are far worse ways to make a new friend.

Upgrades

Daybreak trotted merrily down the corridor, dragging her new best friend along by a length of chain.

“Is this really necessary?” Stronghooves protested weakly, tugging at the collar around his neck and blushing.

“Hey, do you want to look like an escaped prisoner?” Daybreak rounded on him, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, no, but…”

“Then stop whining!” She grinned, giving him a wink. “The more authentic we make this look, the sooner you can get your enhancements back, okay?”

“Say whatever you like, there’s nothing about dragging a prisoner to the Enhancement Chamber that’s going to look authentic.” Stronghooves huffed. “Still...thanks for doing this for me. It means a lot.”

“Well, I just couldn’t bear to see a pony as sweet as you all cooped up like that.” Daybreak beamed. “I couldn’t call myself a good guy if I let something like that happen, now could I?”

“Finally, somepony in this crazy building who understands.” Stronghooves chuckled, nuzzling her flank. “And you are good, Daybreak. The absolute best.”

Daybreak glanced back at him, raising her eyebrows. She still hadn’t lost that cheeky grin.

“I...erm...of course, I meant that...that...um...you’re...a pleasant pony to be around, naturally!” Stronghooves corrected himself, going red and glancing down at his hooves.

She rolled her eyes as she looked ahead again. “Damn it, you’re adorable.”

Stronghooves smirked as he raised his head to look at her once again. This is going far too well. Surely there’d be some complication, something he hadn’t foreseen, something that was going to land him back in that cell again with nopony to save him.

It was at this point that the two Operatives from earlier rounded the corner, coming face to face with Daybreak and Stronghooves.

Here we go…

“What the fuck are you doing with that prisoner, Daybreak?” The earth pony growled, cocking his head.

“Oh, you know, my powers were feeling a bit wonky, so I figured I’d drag him along with me and tie him up outside the Enhancement Chamber while I get a top-up!” Daybreak replied.

Stronghooves facehoofed. Daybreak was a terrible liar. That was cheesiest, most unconvincing grin he’d ever seen.

“Don’t lie to me.” The earth pony shook his head, advancing on the two of them. “You’re going to give this…this…terrorist...his powers back, aren’t you?” He narrowed his eyes dangerously.

“Well...not exactly...wait, terrorist?” Daybreak looked around at Stronghooves, who shrugged.

“I might have killed two or three Operatives who were trying to hurt my sister.”

“Oh…” Daybreak turned back to the earth pony, growling. “That’s not terrorism, asshole! That’s him taking care of his sister!”

“We’ve already had this conversation.” The Operative shook his head. “I don’t like the things that the Count or Silver Tongue are asking of us, but we’ve got to follow orders. As long as there’s a chain of command, we don’t have a bunch of magic super-soldiers running around Equestria without anypony to give them sensible orders.”

“I don’t know whether you remember this,” Stronghooves raised his head, “but I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard. I’ve spent years giving orders to ponies, and you know damn well that the guard’s been more efficient under me than it’s ever been.”

“So you’re telling me that you’d make a better head of this programme than the ponies who developed and funded it?” The earth pony cocked his head. “You’ve killed a whole bunch of Operatives already! What the fuck makes you think you’re qualified?”

“I have morals.” Stronghooves replied evenly, looking the earth pony in the eye. “You know damn well why I did what I did, why I wouldn’t ask any of you to do the kind of stuff Rolling Thunder and Silver Tongue are trying to pull. I’ll never ask you to put your orders before your family.”

“Look, it’s not as simple as that…” The Operative protested.

“Why not?” Stronghooves asked. “This programme and the ponies who are part of it are going to shape Equestria and the world around it for years to come. Hell, maybe even centuries. How we start this operation is going to dictate whether we grow into the greatest heroes anypony’s ever seen, or the worst villains in history. Are you going to let ponies that are motivated only by money call the shots on something so important?”

“He’s not a bad stallion.” Daybreak put in, turning to the Operative. “We need more ponies like him, one way or another.”

“But…” The Operative looked between the two of them, before looking back at his compatriot for help.

“They’re right, mate.” He shrugged. “I don’t wanna admit it, but Stronghooves knows what he’s talking about. I know you saw him take down one of your buddies...but Silver and Thunder are way worse.”

“I know they’re right. I just...fine…” He relented. “What’s the plan?”

“I need my powers back, and then we have to find a way to wrest the operation from Rolling Thunder’s hooves. I get the impression that there’s more to the Operative Programme than he’s telling us.”

“Who’d finance it without the Count?” The earth pony cocked his head.

“Money Bags and Red Herring are still major investors, plus we’ll have Silver Tongue.” Stronghooves frowned. “Maybe when he sees that we’re going to do far better than his father, he’ll come around.”

“So you mean we’ll intimidate him into funding us?” The stallion narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“No, I mean we’ll take the project over and appeal to Silver for help. If he’s not interested, we’ll let him go. Simple as that.” Stronghooves shook his head. “I haven’t got ulterior motives here, my friend. All I’m interested in is making sure that Equestria is safe and patching things up with my sister, okay?”

“Fine! Fine! I wasn’t suggesting anything!” The Operative put his hooves in the air defensively. “I was just wondering what you meant!”

“Okay.” Stronghooves nodded. “Look, I’m sorry for snapping at you. I just need help if we’re going to do this.”

“Right.” The Operative nodded. “I’m sorry for getting pissy with you too. I’m just trying to not piss anypony off, that’s all.”

“Yeah, yeah, great sexual tension, guys.” Daybreak smiled. “So how about we hit the Enhancement Chamber so we can give this cutie his powers back.

“I...erm...wouldn’t mind…” Stronghooves chuckled, going a little pink again.

Cutie? Me? What the hell have I gotten myself into…

Daybreak gave a happy little squeak, leading the three of them down the corridor to the express elevator. “You said you used to be an Operative, right Stronghooves?”

“Yeah, I was the first.” He nodded. “The Count chose me because of my background. I guess they were checking to see if shooting somepony with a beam of pure magical energy empowers you or blows you up.”

“Huh…” The earth pony whistled. “I guess somepony had to do that job.”

“Yeah, and who better than the Captain of the Guard, huh?” Stronghooves chuckled as they came up to a set of heavy metal double doors. “I mean, that wouldn’t lead to any problems if I got splattered all over the wall, right?”

“The more I find out about this, the more crooked it seems.” Daybreak shook her head, pressing her hoof against a metal plate. A pulse of magic shot up her foreleg and the doors slid open, satisfied that Daybreak was who she claimed to be.

The four ponies stepped into a large circular operating theatre. A sizeable chair with an adjustable back sat in the centre of the room surrounded on all sides by carts full of medical equipment. Atop them lay stacks of research notes and instructions for the scientists performing the operation. The operating floor was surrounded on all sides by seating, allowing for interested investors and curious researchers to watch the transformation process for themselves. Directly overhead was what looked like a brass model of the solar system, a dozen multi-coloured diamonds interspersed amongst the large metal rings.

“Well, there it is…” The earth pony grunted, taking in the scene before them. “Now...who knows how to work this thing?”

“Search me.” Daybreak shrugged, unclipping Stronghooves’s collar and tossing it aside with a clang. “Look through some of those notes. There’s gotta be an instruction manual or something around here.”

“Yeah, ‘Super-soldiers for Dummies: How to turn a zero into a hero in five easy steps.’” Stronghooves chuckled, trotting down the stairs and pulling some documents aside. He started to read through them, looking for anything that would give them some insight into how to use the ridiculous machine hanging above them. What he found, however, was a list of planned patients for the procedure. It seemed that about fifty ponies were intended to receive the enhancements in total.

Seems pretty standard...wait, what the hell?

“There’s something wrong here, guys.” He called out. The others looked up from their own search.

“What is it, Stronghooves?” Daybreak cocked her head.

“Rolling Thunder’s name’s on this list...and look at the bill of materials for his transformation. It’s far longer than anypony else’s.” He frowned, holding it up for the others to see.

“That confirms it.” The earth pony breathed, glancing at the others. “The Count’s up to something.”

“Silver’s probably in on it, too.” Daybreak put in. “You were right, Stronghooves. Still...what the hell do all of these materials mean?”

“Obviously they mean that whatever he does to himself, it’ll elevate him above the rest of us.” Stronghooves frowned.

The unicorn pulled the bill of materials out of Stronghooves’s grip, looking it up and down. “You guys see if you can get the procedure started. I’ll check this out.”

“Right.” Daybreak nodded. “Stronghooves, why don’t you just sit down in this chair and we’ll see if we can work this out, okay?”

“Okay…” Stronghooves smiled nervously, laying down in the chair and allowing his hooves to be shackled into place. “Just try not to blow off too many limbs, okay? I might need them later.”

“You’ve got it.” Daybreak winked back, strapping his hooves tightly in place before backing up. “Okay, so who here remembers what the hell happened when we came in to get zapped?”

“Well, I remember that a unicorn fired a charged shot into that big crystal array up there.” Stronghooves nodded at the brass rings. “That’s definitely got something to do with it.”

“Great!” She nodded, giving Stronghooves a confused look. “I can’t cast spells!”

“I can!” The unicorn in the stands put his hoof up, still reading over the bill of materials.

“Great, now all we need to know is what the hell kind of spell we need to use.” Daybreak chuckled, flipping through the pages. “Any ideas, Stronghooves?”

“Looked like a pretty simple magical pulse to me. I’m sure if our friend here just channels magic into the machine, it ought to do the trick.” The Captain shrugged. “Of course, if you can find anything better than that, something that won’t blast me to pieces for example, I’d love to hear it.”

“Nope. Instructions don’t specify a spell.” Daybreak sighed, ears flopping back. “I guess we’re just going to have to try the magical pulse. Feeling confident?”

“With my new best friends all around me like this?” Stronghooves smiled. “Never better. Just...again, not too many limbs, please.”

“Relax!” Daybreak smiled with mock confidence as the unicorn stepped under the machine. “We’ll take good care of you, cutie!”

“I trust you guys.” Stronghooves grinned back.

I just wish I trusted that thing not to blow up in my face…

The unicorn’s horn flared, and an arc of purple magic leapt between him and the outermost crystal. The arc cast itself from one crystal to the next like an arcane game of connect-the-dots, before finally striking the pure white gem in the centre of the rings, right above Stronghooves.

“Good luck Captain!” The earth pony bellowed as the room filled with the roar of magic. “Try not to die, okay?”

“I’ll be sure to fill out a malpractice waiver if I do!” Stronghooves laughed back, before gazing up at the bright gem right above his head.

Well, time to see if I made a massive mistake…

The stream of magic arced between the gem and Stronghooves’s horn, and a bright light filled the room, engulfing the Captain in all the colours of the rainbow. The other assembled Operatives put their hooves up in front of their faces, their eyes already beginning to heal the retinal damage they suffered.

When the light finally died away, Stronghooves was laying on his back, panting desperately. Daybreak rushed over to him, checking his pulse.

“Are you okay, Stronghooves?” She murmured, pushing his blond mane out of his face.

“I’m...great…” Stronghooves answered, eyes snapping open. They were glowing bright blue.

I feel wonderful...even better than before. They’ve clearly refined the transformation technique since I underwent my procedure…

He glanced down at the shackles holding him in place before tugging on them experimentally. The metal bent and snapped easily under his duress, and a triumphant grin played about his features.

“I think we’ve just learned how to perform the transformation for ourselves.” He chuckled, pulling himself out of the chair and giving Daybreak’s cheek a nuzzle.

“That’s probably just as well…” The unicorn nearby cocked his head, frowning as he returned to the papers. “I think I’ve just worked out what Rolling Thunder wants to do, and it’s not good.”

“What’s his plan?” Stronghooves trotted over, wiping his brow and trying to stop himself from shivering.

“Well, the bill of materials is kind of an...enhanced version of the transformation you underwent just now.” The unicorn explained. “Except...I think that if you channeled magic through these materials...very rare metals, the lot of them...you could link to other Operatives using the crystals as an aerial.”

“So what, he could talk to everypony who’s joined the Operative programme?” Daybreak cocked her head, frowning.

“Worse than that.” The unicorn put the papers down, eyes wide. “If the Count undergoes this transformation, he can control us. All of us.”

“Well then, perhaps it’s time to put the Count’s little scheme to an end.” Stronghooves growled. “I won’t allow any mind control silliness in my city! Somepony, help me get my sword back! I think it’s time we put a stop to this scheme once and for all.”

And once the Count’s out of the way, I can search for Sky properly. This time, there won’t be anypony to stop me.

Blunt Trauma and Tommyguns

“Unbelievable.” Shadow rolled her eyes as she sat at the table outside the sundae shop. She swung her fluffy little hind legs under the table, irritably looking over at Central Park.

The whole day had been beautiful and bright since they’d caught the train down here, and now the sun was slipping behind the buildings, signalling that dusk was on the approach. Shadow, who had never seen a city quite as big as this, was enjoying one of her favourite pastimes - pony watching.

Ooooh, she’s fat… She mused, drawing her eyes away from the happy couple in the park and instead focussing on a most rotund madam waddling by. The filly let out a cheeky giggle, sipping on her milkshake and waggling her hind hooves more excitedly than ever. She almost had fat pony bingo!

Ooooh, he is too! Oh, wait...he’s a hippo… Shadow sighed, cocking her head at the absolute cornucopia of gossipy ponies, minotaurs, camels and zebras. So many different cultures, different creatures that she’d never seen before. Of course, she’d tried to ask one or two minotaurs a few questions, but they were clearly far too busy doing minotaur things to pay any attention to her. In this city, it seemed like a little filly like her was always going to be ignored.

I knew the world was fucking huge. Shadow mused, looking up at the hundreds of skyscrapers that loomed over her like monstrous demons. I just can’t remember it ever making me feel so small.

She sighed, sipping her milkshake pensively as she took in the strange city around her. Maybe when she finally went to Celestialand or something the deep philosophical questions she wrestled with would have the courtesy to piss off. After all, questions about her place in the world had no place with awesome rollercoasters and overpriced fast food.

“Piss off, Fox.” She said simply, caught in the shade of a pony she couldn’t see.

“Awww, come on Shadow, I just wanted to get to know you, that’s all!” Fox pouted, trotting around in front of her and dragging a chair up to her table. “Is that so wrong?”

“What makes you think I wanna get to know anypony?” Shadow raised an eyebrow, cradling her drink between her fluffy forehooves and sliding it just out of reach of the would-be milkshake thief.

“Come on, I’ve never met a pony like you before!” Fox said pleadingly, putting his forehooves down on the table. “You’ve never met a pony like me either, have you?”

“Bullshit.” Shadow pouted, sliding her drink just a little further out of reach of the thirsty colt. “I meet a lot of braindead assholes in my line of work.”

Fox’s ears flopped back. “Look, you don’t have to be mean…”

“And you don’t have to be a boneheaded prick, and yet here we are.” Shadow stuck her tongue out, closing her eyes.

They snapped open again when she heard a quiet slurping noise coming from right underneath her muzzle. She glanced down, almost afraid to look and see what was going on. Sure enough, Fox was leaning across the entire table, slurping away at her milkshake.

“EEEEWWWWW!” Shadow yelped, batting him in the face and shuffling so far back in her chair that she bumped into the next table along. “Get the fuck off of it! You’re getting your...your colt germs all over it!”

Fox sat back, grinning triumphantly. “You’re so cute when you’re grossed out!”

“Fuck off! I’m not cute! Get out of it!” Shadow yelped, grabbing the milkshake back and examining it like a morsel that’s been dropped on the floor. Her ears twitched as she tried to establish whether the ten-second rule applies to a milkshake that some nobhead’s gone and wrapped his bloody great lips around it. She eventually declared it unsalvageable, pushing it across the table for Fox to finish off.

Fox took the milkshake, cocking his head as he slurped away. “Are you okay, Shadow?”

“No, I’m not, for your information!” Shadow scowled, crossing her forelegs sulkily. “I was enjoying a perfectly good milkshake and everything was quiet, then you had to come along with your big blundering ass and ruin everything!”

“Aw, come on! I’m not as bad as that!” Fox protested, poking another straw into the milkshake and nudging Shadow’s foreleg hopefully. “Come on, trust me, you’ll think I’m awesome if you just get to know me!”

“I’d rather sodomise myself with a hedgehog on a stick.” Shadow replied evenly, sticking her tongue out. She eyed the second straw with distrust. “Um...what’re you doing?”

“Sharing!” Fox pushed the milkshake back into the centre of the table so that Shadow could reach as well.

“Share...what the hell’s your game, buddy?” She inquired cautiously, cocking an eyebrow.

“I don’t have a game!” Fox said defensively. “You’ve gotta stop being so suspicious of everypony, Shadow! The way you act, anypony would think that you’ve never had a friend before!”

“And this is what friends do, is it?” She grunted. “Share infected milkshakes and make nuisances of themselves?”

“Well, it kinda sounds bad if you say it that way, but kinda, yeah.” Fox shrugged. “You really haven’t had a friend before, have you?”

“You know what? I really don’t need anypony analysing me.” Shadow shook her head. “My sister’s given me everything I ever bloody well need. I don’t need friends, okay? I can take care of myself and her.”

“Everypony needs friends!” Fox squeaked. “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve...I’ve never had one before either…”

“I’ll try and contain my amazement.” Shadow deadpanned, her voice dull. “You’re such a nice and really-not-annoying-at-all little colt. How could you not have any friends?”

Fox, unfortunately, failed to pick up on her sarcasm, taking her hoof and squeezing it. “Awww! You’re so sweet, Shadow!”

“Eep!” Shadow blanched, eyes darting from his hoof to his face. If looks could kill, she’d be a mass-murderer.

Fox closed his eyes, beaming as he slurped away at the milkshake. He didn’t seem to have noticed Shadow’s distress, nor would he really have cared if he had.

“Ge...get off of me!” Shadow yelped, trying to pull her hoof away. All she got for her trouble was another friendly squeeze from the young unicorn.

“You know something?” Fox asked. “Fillies don’t really notice me, but you did, even if it was just so you could beat me up!” He scooted his chair a little way around the table, just a tad closer to Shadow. “Nopony’s ever been this nice to me before.”

“You...think I’m nice?” Shadow asked, taken aback.

“Well yeah! I mean, you beat me up, but I kinda started it. You waited until I woke up and offered to fly me back to see my brother again, and then you shared a milkshake with me! I mean, if that’s not nice, then I don’t know what is!” He gave a friendly little squee, opening his eyes.

“O...oh.” Shadow looked down at the table, tilting her head. “Well…you know, you’re welcome for all of that, I guess. Still...you’ve got a really fucked-up idea of what “nice” is.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…” Shadow faltered, realising that she didn’t quite know how to explain it. “I mean...like...nicer than me.”

“But I’ve never met a pony who’s nicer than you!” Fox smiled brightly.

“You really don’t get out much, do you?” She sighed, looking at him incredulously. “You know that there are way nicer ponies than me out there, right?”

“Maybe,” Fox shrugged, “but what’s important is that I met you! I mean, I dunno if you realise it, but this is kind of a big deal for me! I’ve never had any friends before, and I meet one and it’s a filly! This is the luckiest day ever!”

Shadow didn’t rightly know how to respond to that. It was certainly flattering, sure, but she still felt incredibly inclined to grab his ear and twist it until he let her go.

Still...he looks like he’s been lonely for ages. Does his brother even pay attention to him? I could’ve sworn that he’d be hanging out with him...unless he and Sky are still going at it…

She sighed, patting his hoof reassuringly. “Well...that’s pretty nice of you to say, Fox. You know there’s nothing special about me being a filly though, right?”

Fox scooted a little closer, looking her up and down. “Well...I dunno about that. See, I don’t get to talk to many fillies. Um...what’s it like?”

“Great! The hours are sort of shit, but there’s a ton of benefits!” Shadow rolled her eyes. How did he get this close? He wasn’t on this side of the table a minute ago… “Seriously though, it’s really nothing special. Now will you stop treating me like being a girl makes me somehow different, please?”

“But...you’re a friend…and...and you’re a filly…” Fox was right up next to her at this point, the milkshake completely forgotten at this point. He leaned in and nuzzled her cheek hopefully.

You could almost hear the ticking sound as Shadow’s brain put two and two together, taking into account all of her interactions with him up until this point, his comments from the time they’d spent together in the attic, everything that had led to him sitting here with her. He wasn’t taking his eyes off of her, and Shadow could feel her cheeks growing warm again, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

She glanced across at him, meeting his gaze. For a moment - one long, magical moment - her green eyes bored into his amber ones, and the two young ponies seemed to stare into each others’ souls. Shadow bit her lower lip as she extended a shaking forehoof around Fox’s head, leaning closer to him.

It was a perfect moment that regrettably had to end. Shadow chose to end it by slamming Fox’s head into the table, growling viciously.

“Don’t get fresh with me, dipstick-head!” She barked, hopping off of her chair. She spread her wings, not looking back at the dazed little colt as she took off into the chill dusk air.

I thought I said I wasn’t doing this fucking story arc! She frowned as she quickly gained altitude, leaving a blue and brown trail behind her as she picked up speed. Even if he did consider her a friend, Shadow was eager to put as much distance between her and Fox as possible.

That colt ain’t right…

* * *

The little filly peeked over the edge of the windowsill into Rat’s hideout, preparing for the worst. Fortunately for her, the hideout was not only free of acts most carnal and deviant, Sky and Rat were actually relaxing together, tucked up in each others’ hooves in the bottom bunk.

Awww, that’s so cute! Shadow smiled softly at her worn-out big sister. Time to ruin it!

The filly floated up before working her way through the shattered window, wary of the shards of broken glass still sticking out of the frame. Fortunately, she just missed the worst of it, tucking in her wings under her torn cloak and trotting over to the bed.

Shadow clambered onto the bed with the two adults, settling down on top of her big sister and lazily batting at her face with a hoof.

“Oi, dipshit! We’ve still got a job to do, now that you’ve finished acting like a complete cock-socket!” She glowered.

“Wha...who…?” Sky scrunched her snout, cracking one eye open and looking up into her sister’s grumpy little face. She’s so fluffy when she’s angry!

“Come on, you’ve had your fun!” Shadow growled, leaning down and biting Sky’s ear. “Courier, super-soldiers, fucking life-and-death situation? Remember?”

“Eep!” Sky whimpered, going completely limp as Shadow’s teeth fastened around her ear. She reached up with a forehoof to shove her off, but she was shivering far too much. Shadow promptly let go. She’d forgotten what happened when you bit Sky there.

“Sorry, sorry…” She held up her hooves defensively. “Look, just get up, okay sis? We need to get this shit done already!”

“Fine, fine…” Sky rubbed her head, ears twitching as she tried to get her senses back. “What’s gotten into you, anyway? You’re bitchier than usual.”

“Look, I’ve just kinda had a shit day, okay?” Shadow sighed. “Now come on, we’re running out of time!”

“Oh, I see…” Sky nodded slyly as she sat up. “It’s that colt, isn’t it?”

“Don’t you fucking start. I’m not in the mood.” Shadow growled.

“Okay, okay! It’s okay Shadow, I see how it is…” Sky giggled, holding up her hooves.

“No! You know what? I don’t think you see how it is at all!” Shadow protested. “You don’t know me and you don’t know him! Stop implying things!”

“I’m not implying anything!” Sky grinned.

“You’re thinking it!”

“Nuh-uh!” Sky was giggling now, unable to appear innocent any longer. Shadow facehoofed, growling irritably.

“Sis...job...needs doing…” She grumbled.

“Yeah, of course. Job first, dating later.” Sky nodded sagely. “So we need a way to find this courier and nick Rolling Thunder’s instructions.”

“Yep!” Shadow nodded, deciding to let the dating comment slide for now. “I guess the trick is going to be getting in touch with somepony who can track him down.”

“I’ve only got a few contacts in this city, and none of them can do that.” Sky frowned. “I guess I could’ve thought this plan ahead a little more.”

“Maybe I can help.” Grunted the stallion next to her, not opening his eyes.

“You’ve already helped enough, thanks!” Sky gave him a friendly smile, patting his shoulder. “I haven’t been able to blow off steam like that in a while!”

“I mean with the courier thing.” Rat shook his head as he woke up. “You need contacts to help you track somepony down in this city, I’m the stallion you wanna talk to.”

“Oh finally, you actually have a use.” Sky rolled her eyes, chuckling. “So you know a few ponies around town that can help us?”

“Yeah. I mean, they’re all mob ponies, but they’re not that bad if you know how to talk to them.” He frowned at Sky, grunting. “We’re gonna need to teach you how to speak the lingo, toots.”

“What do you mean, speak the lingo?” Sky glared. “And who are you calling ‘toots?’”

“I mean that you’ve gotta sound like a Manehattanite, that’s what!” Rat shrugged. “You talk too much like a Canterlot pony. It sounds too...ugh...fancy.”

“Fancy?” Sky and Shadow spoke in unison, glancing at one another in disbelief. It looked like they’d both just been slapped in the face.

“Yeah, like, you sound like you’re from the wrong city. Tommygun doesn’t exactly like outsiders, so we’ve gotta dress you up like one of us.” Rat nodded, grinning.

“Do I have to wear a fedora?” Sky asked suspiciously.

“You can get away with not wearing one in this city, you know.”

“Thank fuck for that.” She sighed with relief. “So who’s this Tommygun guy anyway?”

“He’s the mob boss around these parts. Nothing happens in this city without him knowing. Trust me, get on his good side and he’ll help you track down your little buddy.”

Sky glanced at her little sister again, who shrugged noncommittally. “You could stand to learn about some other cultures, sis.”

“Hey! I’m full of culture! I’ve got culture up to here!” Sky held up her hoof for emphasis.

“Yahuh.” Shadow grinned. “Do you have any zebra friends?”

“I...don’t know any...that’s not the point!” Sky crossed her forelegs grumpily. “I’m totally capable of blending in in this city, just watch!”

“Okay then.” Rat shrugged. “Let’s hear your best Manehattan insult.”

There was a moment of silence as Sky glanced between Shadow and Rat, who were both watching her expectantly.

“Um...shit, wait...er…” She stammered. “E...EY! Whassamatta you, huh? You wanna...wanna...kick in the…” She stopped as Shadow burst out laughing. “Oi! It’s not funny!”

Rat shook his head. “Come on, toots. Get out of bed. I think it’s about time I showed you a thing or two about how we do things in my city.”

Meeting the Don

“Okay…” Rat Racer ran his hooves through his mane in exasperation. “Let’s do it again, but this time...you know...not shit.”

“Oi!” Sky crossed her forelegs, offended. “I’m doing my best, thanks! This isn’t something you can just pick up in one day!”

“I managed!” Said Rat defensively.

“Yeah, I’m sure that learning to talk like you’ve got a stick up your ass was really difficult for you.” Sky deadpanned.

“Oh, wow! Was that sarcasm? Careful toots, if you keep that up somepony might mistake the bloody mess coming out of your mouth for wit!”

“Do I have to tie you to the bed again?” Sky growled. “Come on now, this is ‘fate of Equestria’ type stuff we’re talking about. I don’t think we’ve got time to fight, much as I’d like to.”

Rat rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. We’ll drop it and try again, all right?”

“Right.” Sky tucked her wings in, taking a few deep breaths. “Okay, I’m calm. Let’s have another go.”

Rat cleared his throat, drawing himself up to his full height, and spoke.

“Fugged abaht it.”

Sky watched him talk as carefully as she could, mouthing the words back as he finished. She concentrated, letting the words mull around in her head for a few moments. She certainly didn’t know what they meant - heck, for all she knew Rat was teaching her to insult somepony’s aged old mother - but if this was the way to get information on that courier, she was more than happy to play along.

“Fug...fug…” She bit her lip, frowning. “Fugget aboat it.”

Rat facehoofed.

“Your sister’s shit at this.” Fox commented from the sidelines, nudging Shadow.

“Yeah, she is.” Shadow nodded, watching Sky in disbelief. She was too appalled by that shocking performance to tell Fox off. She did, however, reach across and bat him around the back of the head for opening his mouth unbidden.

“Come on, sis! You’ve got this!” Shadow called out as the young colt rubbed his head. “Just pretend you’re a sleazy stallion like this asshole!” She gestured at Rat for emphasis.

Sky nodded, relaxing and loosening her muscles. She leaned against the wall, clearing her throat and adopting the accent of a Manehattanite who simply didn’t care anymore.

“Faggot aboot it.”

“How the fuck did you get Scottish from that?” Rat cocked his head, gaping in shock.

“Forget abahahaha…” Sky waggled her tongue, trailing off.

“Also terrible. Come on, keep going!”

“Far….far…” Sky tried weakly

Rat didn’t even say anything this time, shaking his head mournfully.

“You know what? Screw it!” Sky stamped a forehoof sulkily. “Your accent’s fucking stupid and so are you! Just fugged abaht it!” She stormed out of the hideout in a huff.

Rat stood there for a moment. The two youngsters looked between him and the door, waiting.

After a fashion, Sky poked her head back in. “Um...did I just say what I think I said?”

“Yeah, I think you did.” Rat nodded, grinning at her. “Come on sweetheart, let’s hear it one more time, from the heart.”

Sky trotted back inside, taking a few deep breaths and trying to project the air of a pony who just did not give a single fuck anymore.

“Fugged abaht it.” She smiled.

“By Celestia, I think she’s got it!” Rat chuckled. “If you can hold that accent, then Tommygun won’t even suspect that you’re an outsider!”

“So Tommygun is a big mob boss around here, huh?” Sky asked, cocking her head.

“A bit more than just a mob boss.” Rat shrugged. “He’s in charge of the Manehattan branch of the Marefia. Trust me, nopony does anything in this town without him finding out about it.”

“I guess just asking him to give us this information isn’t gonna work?” Sky asked.

“Nope. You’re gonna have to make him a deal, toots.” Rat shook his head. “Tommygun didn’t get this big by running a charity.”

“Well, I’m sure I could make him a well-rounded offer…” Sky snickered, biting her lip. She couldn’t help but give her flanks a little shake.

“You know...that might just work. Just try not to sound like every other stupid broad that tries to get Tommygun into bed, okay? He kinda doesn’t take kindly to ponies that try to screw him over.”

“Do they tend to disappear or something?”

“Well, not exactly.” Rat explained. “First, you wake up with a disembodied monkey’s head in your bed.”

“Then you disappear?”

“Pretty much.” Rat nodded. “You might want a backup plan.”

“I guess I could appeal to his good character?” Sky gave a hopeful little cheesy grin.

Rat chuckled. “I like your attitude, but I don’t think so. You’ll have to convince him that it’s in his interests to give you this information. Trust me, you do not wanna start negotiating with a mob boss with nothing to bring to the table.”

“You might not wanna add the part about your bounty just hitting 8 million bits.” Shadow added.

“Yeah, that might be a recipe for trouble.” Sky giggled. “Don’t worry, guys. I think I’ve got a plan that’ll make Tommygun see things from my point of view.”

* * *

Rat led the way, disappearing down an alleyway between two monstrous skyscrapers. He was quite agile for a unicorn, hopping and skipping over broken bottles, abandoned syringes and other sundry back-alley clutter. Fox came second, following his big brother’s movements with the ease of a pony who’s gotten used to following in someone else’s footsteps. Sky and Shadow brought up the rear, bickering quietly.

“Shadow, if you don’t get off of my back right now, I’m gonna call the glue factory.” Sky growled.

“Hey, it’s been a tiring day! Give me a break!” Shadow pouted. She was still covered in bruises, her wings in desperate need of preening, but she wasn’t that poorly off.

Sky rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t know tiring if it crept up behind you and bit you in the flank, missy.” She chuckled, bucking Shadow off of her back. The younger pony spread her wings, flapping a couple of times to stabilise herself in the air before sticking her tongue out at her big sister.

“Hey, pipe down! We’re almost there!” Rat called over his shoulder with concern. “Sky, are you sure about this?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Sky affirmed, nodding. “I think that when Tommygun hears what I have to say, he’ll fold like a bad hoof of cards.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Rat sighed, finally arriving at the entrance to a below-ground bar. “This is where Tommygun conducts all of his business. Just remember, be polite and don’t do anything stupid.”

“Right.” Sky nodded. “So, are you ready to do your bit?”

“How do you know that they’re even gonna turn up?” He asked, cocking his head.

“The Count really wants me out of the picture.” Sky smiled, descending the stairs. “Besides, I always know when a stallion’s coming.”

Don’t I know… Rat mused as Sky and Shadow trotted merrily down the stairs and into the bar. He wasn’t one to have a double-entendre fly over his head unnoticed.

“Right.” Rat rubbed his hooves together, sighing dully. “Let’s get going. I wanna know if those big bad super-stallions that Sky’s talking about are real.”

“Don’t forget your disguise!” Fox added. His brother cringed.

“Yeaaaah...of course, how could I forget?” He growled, trotting back onto the street with his little brother in tow.

* * *

Sky and Shadow stepped into the bar together, glancing nervously at each other. The room was far nicer than it had looked from outside, appearing to be more of a gentlecolts’ club than anything else. There was a bar, some pool tables and a lounge area in the corner. The whole place was populated by stallions and mares in suits.

“Okay, now we’re gonna have to play this carefully, sis…” Shadow whispered. “I dunno much about the Marefia, but I’m pretty sure that they’re not the kind of ponies you wanna piss off.”

“So, what? Use tact?” Sky muttered back.

“Mhm.”

“Great. My middle name is tact!” Sky beamed, nudging her sister. “Watch this.”

“Oh no…”

Sky stepped forward, clearing her throat. “AAAAAAY,” She intoned in her best Manehattan accent, “Which one of you bozos is Tommygun?”

There were already a few stallions sending questioning glances her way, but now she had the attention of the entire bar. Everypony there was staring at her with varying levels of incredulity, more than a few of them wide-eyed. Whatever she’d just done, it had probably taken more balls than even a blue dart could provide.

“Sis…just...no!” Shadow facehoofed. “I meant, like, more tact than that!”

Sky looked around at her nervously. “Do you think I fucked up?”

“Do I think you fucked up? DO I THINK YOU FUCKED UP? YOU JUST CALLED THE ENTIRE MAREFIA BOZOS!” Shadow waved her hooves madly. “You couldn’t possibly fuck up more unless you pissed on Celestia!”

“Oops.” Sky squeaked quietly, looking back at the approaching stallions with wide eyes of her own. “Er...hey fellas…”

“So, you wanna see Tommygun, huh?” One of them growled, standing over her. He was at least twice Sky’s size.

“Um...yes, please?” Sky seemed to shrink in front of him, nodding with a nervous little gulp.

“Oh, well why didn’t you say so?” He chuckled. “Come on, come with us.”

With that, he grabbed Sky by the mane and the stallions began dragging her off. Sky struggled to keep pace with them, glancing nervously at Shadow. Her little sister was clearly getting preferential treatment, trotting alongside her unmolested.

She must look bad enough as she is. Poor little filly… Sky sighed, noting Shadow’s bruises.

“It’ll be okay, sis.” Shadow patted the bow on her back. “I’ll cover your back if this all goes to hit. Don’t you worry.”

“I’m not worried. Not for a second.” Sky smiled. “You and me can do anything together, right?”

“Damn right.” Shadow beamed back, bumping flanks with her. “Now, let’s go meet Mr Tommygun.”

As luck would have it, it was at this moment that they were led through a pair of oak double doors, into an ornate office with walls of pure black marble. Behind a mahogany desk sat a stallion, larger than the others, who tilted his head with interest as the mobsters deposited the two ponies before him.

“The hell is this?” He asked.

Wow, his accent is thick…

“She was looking for you, boss.” One of the mobsters shrugged. The assembled ponies were forming a semi-circle around Sky in case she tried anything, though the only thing the little white pony was tempted to do right now was run.

Tommygun put his forehooves together, peering at Sky from across the desk like a predator inspecting its prey.

“Well hey, you found me, toots.” He smirked, chuckling a little as he got up from his seat. “Now tell me, what can your ol’ pal Tommyguns do for ya, huh?”

Shadow nudged her sister with her nose. “Go on...go ahead, and don’t forget to use that stupid accent.”

“Right.” Sky ruffled Shadow’s mane, stepping forward and clearing her throat. “Uh...hey, um...boss. I got news for you, something you’ll be real interested in…”

“Sorry to burst your bubble sweetheart, but I was raised here. I can tell when somepony’s trying to play me like a harp.” Tommyguns interrupted, holding up a hoof to silence her. “Lemme guess...high Canterlot, right? You don’t look it, but you sound it.”

Sky paused, biting her lip. “Well…that didn’t work…”

Guess we’ve gotta see what he does.

“The million bit question is what’s brought you out from Canterlot in the first place.” Tommygun went on, trotting over to a liquor cabinet and helping himself to a glass of red wine. “I mean, you’ve gone a long way out of your way to come find me, and that means you really want something, right?” He looked her up and down. “You’re not a bounty hunter, that’s for sure. Not edgy enough.”

“Yeah, I’m not here to give you any shit, sweetie.” Sky shook her head, letting her voice fall back into her normal sexy high Canterlot accent. “I’m here to ask you for information on somepony doing courier work between Manehattan and Canterlot. Can you help me out?”

“Help you out? Sure, I can help you out!” Tommygun leaned on his desk, sipping his wine and chuckling. “Thing is, I don’t just give information away, toots. You’re gonna have to make me an offer if you want anything out of me.”

“I know, and I’ve got a few ideas for helping you see things my way.” Sky replied evenly. “If you don’t help me, then your whole operation is gonna be at risk, and you’d better believe it when I say that this lot aren’t gonna be able to protect you.” She nodded at the ponies assembled around her.

Tommygun’s eyes narrowed. “Are you threatening me?”

“More like a warning.” Sky shrugged. “Sort of a “our whole way of life is about to be changed forever” kinda deal?”

“Well you got my attention, sweetheart.” Tommygun smiled pleasantly. “What’s this amazing “world-changing” shit that you wanted to tell me?”

Sky was beginning to suspect that Tommygun was humouring her, but she pressed on nonetheless.

“Well, what if I told you that somepony in Canterlot’s found a way to make these fucked-up super-soldier things?” She began.

Oh boy, this is a hard sell already…

“Okay, let me stop you there.” Tommygun waved a hoof. “You’re embarrassing yourself. I’m not interested in crazy-ass shit about super-soldiers and aliens, okay?”

“You’re gonna look like a right stupid prick if you ignore me, mate.” Sky frowned. “You and I have gotta work together on this or you’re fucked.”

“Yeah, and why’s that?” Tommygun asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because,” Sky grinned, “in about five minutes a whole bunch of them are gonna come here and kill every damn one of us.”

Changing of the Guard

“How do I look?”

“Ridiculous.”

“Great.” Rat huffed. “I swear, I’m gonna give that bitch a piece of my mind when I get my hooves on her, just you wait.”

“Why are you helping her out, again?” Fox cocked his head, looking his big brother up and down.

“Eeh, she’s pretty cute, and she seems to know what she’s doing. Besides, it’s not like we had anything better to do, right?” He shrugged innocently. He looked quite ridiculous, having used mane and coat dye to invert his colours. He’d also strapped on a pair of fake pegasus wings that some cheeky ponies wore for Nightmare Night. In a very strange way, he looked almost like some kind of male alicorn Sky Runner.

“So you’re gonna be bait for those scary-ass super-soldiers she was going on about?” Fox asked. “That’s kind of...I dunno…big for a mare who’s just “pretty cute.””

“What are you implying, exactly?” Rat cocked an eyebrow at his little brother.

“I’m not implying anything.” Fox smiled pleasantly, holding up a blue dart. “Come on now, Rat. Take your medicine.”

“Do you reckon this thing does what she says it does?” Rat asked dubiously, levitating the dart in front of him and staring at it. “It doesn’t look healthy…”

“Well, it’ll make your dick disappear. I wouldn’t say it’s healthy, either.” Fox shrugged. “Still, we’ve gotta make this real. You can’t exactly pull off the feminine look with /that/ hanging down between your legs.”

“Sky didn’t seem to mind.” Rat stuck his tongue out, chuckling.

“Yeah, well it’s time to say goodbye to it.” Fox grinned wickedly, wresting the dart out of the air and jabbing it into Rat’s shoulder. He watched with interest as the blue formula within drained into Rat’s bloodstream, hoping against hope that Sky hadn’t just poisoned him.

Rat’s making one hell of a leap of faith for this mare...she must’ve swept him off of his hooves like nothing on earth… He mused.

The young stallion watched with interest as his brother’s form began to change. His shoulders grew slimmer, his muzzle shortened and his features softened. Rat gave an audible gulp as his Adam’s Apple disappeared, and then another as he glanced down between his hind legs and found nothing.

“This was a mistake!” He yelped, in a decidedly feminine voice.

There was a beat.

“Was...was that me?” Rat yelped, clutching at his...or rather her...throat.

“Sure was, bro...or should I say, sis?” Fox smiled brightly, trying to suppress the urge to laugh out loud at the sight of his brother’s impromptu transsexuality. Rat looked ridiculous.

“Don’t you start, you little shit!” Rat pouted, crossing her forelegs grumpily.

“Sorry, but come on, you’d give me shit if I suddenly turned into a girl!” Fox snickered from behind a shaking hoof.

“That’s different!” Rat glowered. “If if was you, then it’d be funny!”

“You’ve gotta admit that this is kinda funny.” Fox replied evenly, shrugging.

Rat peeked down behind her hind legs again. “Nope. Not...funny...at...all…” She looked back up at her little brother with an expression of supreme confusion. “Why the hell aren’t you getting drugged up?”

“Eeeh, Sky said that nopony really notices Shadow anyway, and when I asked Shadow herself she told me off.” Fox sighed. “She told me she doesn’t have a horn and started suggesting places I could hide my own while I’m disguised as her.”

“Wow, sounds like true love.” Rat chuckled, happy to have a reason to give Fox a hard time for a change.

“I kinda get the impression that you’re fucking with me.” Fox growled, glaring at his big sister.

“No, I mean it!” Rat nodded encouragingly. “Do you know what it sounds like to me?”

“Wh...what’s that, then?” Fox asked warily.

“It sounds like she’s totally challenging you!” Rat grinned, ruffling her little brother’s mane. “Like, you remember the stories where the mare plays hard-to-get?”

“Yeah?” Fox cocked his head, unconvinced.

“Well, that means that she likes you!” Rat nodded sagely. “And I’ll bet that you like her too, hmmm?”

“She kinda...well, she had me head over hooves earlier today…” Fox shrugged.

“And she’s the first filly who’s noticed you in a while, huh?” Rat smiled sympathetically.

Fox bit his lip, nodding. “She’s kinda the first pony I’ve met who could kick my ass like that, too…”

“Oh boy, you two do like each other!” Rat chuckled, trotting towards Grand Central with her little brother in tow. “This is adorable!”

“Shut the fuck up! I’m not...I don’t…” Fox blustered. “Okay, yeah, maybe she’s a little attractive, but she sure as hell doesn’t seem to like me back!”

“You sure about that?” Rat asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah! She was all angry and grumpy around me, and she keeps shooting me with sleep darts whenever I say she looks pretty!” Fox waved his hooves in frustration.

Rat giggled before suddenly clamming up. This gender-swapping thing was weird. “Oh bugger, I’m never gonna get used to this.” She shook her head. “But that just proves it! She’s playing hard to get, just like I said!”

“So what am I supposed to do about that?” Fox frowned. “I can’t stop her being mean, can I?”

“Actually, you can.” Rat smiled sagely. “If you do enough stuff to show her that you’re serious about how you’re feeling, she oughta soften up pretty quickly.”

“What kinda stuff are you talking about?” Fox asked, brightening up a little.

“Well, get her flowers, invite her out to dinner...you know, romantic shit!” Rat shrugged. “Trust me little bro, if you show her you’re serious then she’ll be glomping you before you know it!”

“This kinda feels like a trap…” The young stallion said doubtfully.

“Come on, kid. I know all about this stuff! I’m a lady-killer, remember?” Rat winked.

“Right now you’re just a lady.” Fox giggled, shaking his head. “Fine, fine...I’ll give it a go, okay?”

“Okay.” Rat bumped flanks with his little brother as the two of them ventured into the crowded terminal. “So what was it Sky wanted us to do, again?”

“Well, just hang around here until somepony recognises you, then come and find her when they try and strike up conversation. That’s all she said to me, anyway.” Fox shrugged.

“Given the kind of pony she is, I don’t reckon it’s gonna be a nice conversation.” Rat sighed. “Why the hell did I agree to this stupid plan again?”

“Because you fancy her?” Fox teased, poking his little sister in the flank with a forehoof.

“Nope! She was a pretty good lay, but Rat Racer doesn’t do any of that feelings shit, thanks.” She shook her head, glancing around at the concourse and trying to look for anypony who had a specific interest in her. “I don’t have time for tempta...distractions.”

“Yahuh. Well, Miss ‘don’t have time for distractions,’ why don’t you keep an eye out for those ponies, hmm?” Fox was barely able to stop himself from grinning triumphantly.

“What po...oh! Yeah, right...I’ll...erm...I’ll do that…” Rat rolled her eyes at her own silliness, glancing around and looking for anypony who might be making supremely unpleasant eye contact with her.

Sure enough, there was one pony who was. An earth pony was glaring at her from across the terminal, stamping his hoof irritably. He was a big example of stallionhood, bigger than some of the bodybuilders she’d seen in her time. This looked like a pony who likely pulled the train all the way here.

“Um...I think I found him…” Rat whimpered, ears splaying back.

“Where? I wanna see...oh…” Fox bounded onto his big sister’s back, his own face falling. “Um...run?”

“Ye...yeah…” Rat nodded, backing away a little. “Um...so Sky wants me to lead that guy to Tommygun’s place?”

“Yeah…” Fox bit his lip, eyes going wide. “I think...she wants to make a super-soldier take out the whole Marefia in one go…”

“Clever girl…” Rat breathed.

And with that, she turned tail and galloped for her life.

* * *

“You’re bluffing on an empty hoof, sugar.” Tommygun shook his head. “You come in here and try to get information out of me when you’ve got nothing to offer except crackpot stories. Why the hell shouldn’t I get you fitted for some cement horseshoes and toss you in the harbour, huh?”

“Because I’m hot?” Sky shrugged, giving her flanks a little shake for emphasis.

“Sis...not the time…” Shadow facehoofed, groaning. It was bad enough that they were both going to die. She didn’t need her last moments on this earth tainted by the image of Sky trying to get laid.

Tommygun laughed louder than ever before, sitting back down in his chair and wiping his eyes. “You’ve got a great sense of humour, toots.” He cocked his head as he regarded the mare before him, who was smiling sheepishly. “Heh…you know, you’ve got a point. You’re not half-bad looking. Maybe you and I can do business. What kinda info are you looking for?”

“There’s a courier that Rolling Thunder is sending down to Canterlot in the next day or two. He’s got a message for Silver Tongue. I’d like to find this courier and drop in to say hey!” Sky beamed, flapping her good wing and giving him her friendliest, most innocent little smile.

“Oh wow, this is interesting!” Tommygun chuckled. “So let me get this straight. You’re gonna piss off the biggest weapons contractor in Equestria? I don’t suppose you’re hiding a pair of massive balls under that tail?” He raised his eyebrows. “Mind telling your ol’ buddy Tommygun what this is all about?”

“Aaah, you don’t wanna hear about that.” Sky waved her hoof dismissively. “It’s a long story and I don’t have twenty-eight chapters to talk about it.”

“You seem pretty confident that some kinda superhero’s about to bust in here and wreck the place.” Tommygun frowned, leaning across the desk to look her in the eye. “Mind if I take a guess? You’ve gone and pissed off the good Count himself and now he’s making your life a living hell. That means you’re valuable, doesn’t it?” He smirked. “You’re a wanted pony, huh?”

“Well, I’ve made a few most wanted lists.” Sky giggled, shuffling a little closer and biting her lip. “I can sure as hell tell that you want me…”

“Oh, trust me, I do.” Tommygun chuckled, as a mobster stepped forward and passed him a sealed envelope. “So I’ll tell you what. What if you show me some of your moves, hmm? Show me what a nice little mare from Canterlot can actually do? When we’re done, maybe I’ll consider giving you that info rather than handing you over to Rolling Thunder. How’s that sound?”

“That sounds like you’re gonna royally screw us over!” Shadow growled. “You’re just gonna fuck her and then hand her over anyway! I can see through you, buddy!” She tugged on her big sister’s tail. “Come on Sky, we don’t have to deal with this asshole…”

“Now come on, Shadow. I think Tommy here just made a really sweet offer!” Sky grinned, nudging her sister and turning back to the mob boss, who regarded her with raised eyebrows. “So you mean it? I give you the best pony ride of your life and you give me the information?”

“Well, I’ll consider it.” Tommygun shrugged, glancing between Sky and Shadow with a frown. “So, do we have a deal?”

“Sounds like I can’t lose!” Sky smiled brightly. She flashed a smile at her little sister, who cocked her head.

There was a very distant girly scream from somewhere outside, and suddenly Shadow knew what her big sister’s game was. Shadow grinned back, nodding, as Sky extended a hoof to shake Tommygun’s.

“So we’ve got a deal?” Tommygun asked.

“Deal.” Sky smiled back, taking his hoof and shaking it.

A moment later, Tommygun’s face fell. The ground beneath them was starting to shake, and the screaming had grown in volume, such that all of the assembled could finally hear what the mare outside was yelling.

“I HATE YOU SKYYYYYYY!”

“Rat’s coming.” Shadow observed dully.

“Yep.” Sky nodded, squeezing Tommygun’s hoof and grabbing the envelope off of the desk. “I’ll just be taking that, and you can sit here and watch as a super-stallion turns up and wrecks the place!”

Tommygun gaped, wincing only a little as the entire building suddenly shook. “You...led...Rolling Thunder…here?”

“I did warn you.” Sky shrugged, slipping the document into her saddlebag as the mobsters ran outside to confront whatever was threatening their boss. A moment later, a very irate red and white alicorn burst into the room, a young teenage stallion clinging to her back.

“YOUDIDN’TTELLMEHEWASTHATFAST!” Rat bellowed, charging through the office and into the back.

Sky and Shadow nodded at one another before charging after her. Rat had burst into a back corridor and was darting over clutter and boxes as she sped towards the exit. Sky spread her wings, flapping them a couple of times to help her accelerate and catch up with her.

“Why does everypony seem so damn surprised when I tell them that there are super-soldiers running around?” Sky inquired, chuckling at the look on Rat’s face. She looked like she’d just seen a ghost.

“You and I are gonna have a real serious talk when we get out of this, Sky!” Rat yelped.

“And I’ll flutter my eyelashes at you and you’ll drop it!” Sky giggled, galloping alongside him with Shadow flying overhead.

“That’s not gonna work, damn it!”

“We’ll see!” Sky laughed.

The stallion burst out into the corridor behind them, chips of white plaster and splintered wood raining off of his shoulders as he stamped his forehoof. The four of them slammed into the door at the end of the corridor at the same time, Shadow concussing herself and flopping back onto Sky’s flanks.

“Oh no you don’t!” Sky growled at her little sister, hoisting her off of her back and shaking her until she came to.

“Ack...okay! I’m up! I’m up!” Shadow groaned, shaking her head and taking off again. Rat tried pulling at the door handle.

“Um...Sky...it’s locked. I think we’re trapped.” She whimpered. “You got a plan B?”

“As if she even knows what Plan B is!” Shadow rolled her eyes. “Sis, what about the guard golem from the Money Bags Job?”

Sky glanced around at the other assembled ponies, then at the Operative. He seemed pretty confused by the two nigh-identical iterations of Sky before him, but that bewilderment wouldn’t keep them alive for much longer. He stamped his hoof, lowering his head and getting ready to charge.

“Do you reckon we’ve got enough space?” Sky asked doubtfully.

“Great time to find out!” Shadow squeaked. The stallion started to charge, getting up to a good speed far faster than a pony his size should even have been able to manage. There was no way that any of them would survive a collision with him. They’d all be crushed against the door.

Sky glanced back at Rat and Fox before exchanging a look with Shadow, who nodded at her. At the last second, Sky tackled Rat into the side wall, pinning her there and flattening herself up against her. Both ponies stood on their hind legs to reduce their surface area. Shadow looped her forehooves under Fox’s belly, taking off and lifting him into the air.

The Operative missed them by a hair’s breadth, crashing into the door in a storm of shattering wood and disappearing into the closet beyond. His momentum carried him through the back wall, letting the light from the city outside into the building.

“Leg it!” Sky bellowed, galloping back towards Tommygun’s office.

“There was me thinking we were having a moment just then…” Rat snickered, giving chase. Fox and Shadow were left in the corridor together as their elder siblings ran for it.

“You...you saved me…” Fox whispered. He gave Shadow the tiniest of hopeful smiles, squeezing her hoof gratefully.

“Yeah, well when I donate your carcass to science to see how they could fit so much stupid into one pony, I’d hate for you to be too badly bruised.” Shadow stuck her tongue out. “Now come on! We’re burning moonlight here!”

And with that, the two younger ponies hurried after their big sisters.

Tommygun’s operation was, in a word, wrecked. Doorways, pool tables and counters had all been ripped asunder by the passage of the monstrous stallion, and the boss himself was nowhere to be seen. Across the main room lay the broken bodies of what looked like every mobster in the place, their weapons spread out around them in various states of disrepair.

Sky, ever the opportunist, scooped up a repeating crossbow with a drum magazine clipped atop it, giggling. “What do you reckon?”

“Oh, you look ravishing, darling.” Shadow said as she caught up, putting on a sarcastic faux-fashionista drawl.

“Great! Now, where the hell should we go?” Sky asked, as the four ponies burst out into the alley again. She slung the weapon over her back with the rest of her equipment, mindful of the sound of thundering hooves behind them growing louder.

“The docks.” Rat nodded simply. “We should be able to lose him in all of the shipping containers.”

“Sounds good to me!” Sky nodded. The four of them willed themselves to fly and run faster, beating their wings and galloping as fast as their legs would carry them as they hurtled out into the busy street. Rat shed her false wings as they shoved ponies aside. She didn’t need the extra drag.

“We need to get off the street! There are too many ponies out here!” Shadow cried out. The four burglars sought to lose themselves in the crowds, looking skywards for a safe path onto the rooftops. With any luck, that Operatives weight would prove too great for him to pursue them properly.

Sky nodded, glancing up at one of the more pretentious examples of architecture that dominated the city centre; a skyscraper built to look like a set of stairs was winding its way up the buildings exterior. The steps ended at the veranda at the foot of the tower, but getting on top of it wouldn’t be too difficult...at least not for them.

“Up there.” She pointed. The sound of thundering hooves wasn’t dulled by the thousands of ponies on the brightly-lit street. In fact, the very ground beneath them shook and the air filled with screams. A wide swathe was being cut through the crowds as the Operative hunted for them.

“Right, that’s not too bad a jump. I think Fox and I could…wait, where’s Fox?” Rat looked around quizzically. The young unicorn had apparently vanished.

“See, this is why I’m glad that I’ve got a little sister.” Sky giggled. ”She never gets up to...for fuck’s sake, Shadow! This isn’t the time!”

Shadow froze in place, mid-way through rifling through an unsuspecting pony’s saddlebag. She stared at Sky like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment before rejoining them. “Fine, fine...I guess finding whatshisface is more important…” She grunted noncommittally.

“Right.” Rat rolled her eyes. “Now, let’s spread out, see if we can find him. He can’t have gone far…”

“Who can’t have gone far?” Came a little voice from right behind her.

Rat turned around and promptly socked her little brother on the nose. “What the fuck did you disappear for? We’re kinda in trouble here!”

“I was just...you know...getting something!” Fox replied, rubbing his nose and grunting reproachfully.

“What the fuck did you have to get that was so urgent?” Rat asked incredulously. Fox opened his saddlebag, letting his big sister peek inside. Sky and Shadow both tried to peer over Rat’s shoulder, but Fox was resolute, closing it up and shaking his head defiantly. “Nope! You two don’t get to see it until later!”

“Fine, fine!” Sky waved her hooves. “Now, can we please get moving? I don’t think we’ve got much time left before that overgrown Sylvester Stallione look-alike catches up with us!”

Sure enough, it was at that very moment that the Operative shunted two ponies aside, catching sight of the team of burglars. His eyes narrowed as he glowered at them, hunkering down and getting ready to charge again. A lot of ponies were running for it by this point, leaving very little to get in the stallion’s way.

“Sky Runner, you’re coming with me,” He growled, “and I don’t care if you come dead or alive. Just put your weapons down and give up like a good little mare.”

“Well, that sure sounds like a nice offer…” Sky smiled sheepishly for the fiftieth time that day. “Here’s my counter-offer! You put your weapons down and knock off early to go to the bar! Come on, you must be exhausted after such a long day of chasing mares around the city!”

“Don’t I know.” Rat put in. Sky savagely jabbed her in the ribs with her forehoof and she quickly shut up.

“Hey, that sounds like a great counter-offer. I think I’ll do just that once you’re in custody.” The Operative replied.

“Well, I don’t suppose you’d give us a thirty second head start?” Sky tried weakly. “Come on, mate. There are foals here!” She gestured to Shadow and Fox to emphasise her point.

“I dunno if appealing to his good nature’s gonna get us anywhere…” Rat muttered.

“It’s worth a try.” Sky hissed back.

The Operative gave them a long look. “That one’s not gonna work on me, kid.” He grunted.

“Why? Do you hate foals?” Sky asked curiously. Usually telling a guard that she had a little sister to take care of was a reliable way to make them hesitate. Guards often hesitated to arrest her if it meant that they might be taking some poor defenceless pony’s chance of survival away. This time, however, the Operative was staring directly at where Shadow and Fox were standing and he felt nothing. The two youngsters were even waving at him with identical cheesy grins.

Wow, these guys must be brainwashed…

“This isn’t funny, Miss Runner.” The Operative shook his head. “Come on, just put your weapons down and come with me, or I will kill you.”

“I’ll say it isn’t funny! You’re willing to kill young, defenceless ponies if it gets you what you want! That’s just fucked!” Sky shouted back at him. “Shadow, get Fox out of here.”

“Awww, do I have to touch him?” Shadow moaned, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, fraid so. Just get him out of here. We’ll meet you at the top, okay?” She nodded.

“Fine…” Shadow glanced across at the young unicorn like he was something she’d stepped in when she wasn’t looking, tentatively spreading her wings and putting her hooves around him. “Don’t take this the wrong way, buster. I’ve got my eye on you.”

“You...you do?” Fox asked. There’s that hopeful smile again.

Shadow didn’t even acknowledge him this time, merely rolling her eyes and rocketing into the air towards the top of the tower.

“Well, now that they’re out of the way, you sure you don’t wanna settle this over a drink?” Sky gave him the same friendly smile she’d given Tommygun only a few minutes before.

The Operative shook his head, hunkering down and beginning the charge again. Sky and Rat exchanged a glance, and in a few moments they were both galloping as quickly as they could towards the skyscraper. Both of them fixed their gazes on the veranda, not bothering to look behind them to see if the Operative was still chasing them. Obviously he was, or the ground wouldn’t shake like that.

“Come on, Rat! Let’s get going!” Sky chided, beating her damaged wings as she made a leap for the veranda. The pain from her bad wing shot through her body, spreading like wildfire as every shattered bone and patch of damaged tissue protested. She was meant to be grounded permanently by that thing, and Sky knew that if she didn’t stay off of it more often, it would probably force her to stay that grounded.

Her forehooves caught on the edge and Sky lifted herself onto the veranda with a quick pull. She turned, bracing her hind legs and holding out a hoof for Rat. She looked like the stallion was only a few seconds away from catching her. At the last second, the unicorn made a similar leap, reaching out and grabbing Sky’s hoof.

“Hey Rat, you mind losing a couple of hundred pounds, you fatass?” Sky grimaced, her hind hooves slipping on the tiles as Rat threatened to drag her off of the roof by weight alone.

“Oh, well excuse me!” Rat yelped, her horn flaring as she cast a spell. For a few brief moments, her whole body was engulfed in light, apparently reducing her weight such that Sky could finally yank her onto the veranda with seconds to spare.

“Next time, try casting your fancy magic before you nearly get your fat ass pulled off!” Sky pouted.

“Hey, I was a bit busy trying to get my aim right so I wouldn’t miss that breadstick of a hoof, thank you very much!” Rat poked her tongue out.

“Why did you need to do that anyway? You’re a unicorn! Can’t you just teleport up here?” Sky cried as the two of them made their way towards the first outcrop. It was pure slippery black marble that seemed to run up the whole exterior of the building to the very summit.

“Ehy! That’s racist!” Rat barked, not even trying to hold onto her fake Manehattan accent anymore. “That’s like saying ‘oh, you’re a pegasus! Obviously you know how to do a Sonic Rainboom!’ Only really powerful unicorns can do the teleport spell, asshole!”

“Fine! Fine!” Sky shook her head, hopping up onto the first outcrop. Her boots had enough grip on them that she wasn’t slipping too much, but she certainly wasn’t going to be able to get up to her full speed, and she’d have to be careful once she got to the corners lest she slide off. With one cursory glance back at her compatriot, she began to ascend the building one step at a time.

“Besides, maybe I do know how to do a Sonic Rainboom!” Sky added after a few moments. “I got great marks for dive performance in Flight School!”

“There’s a surprise!” Rat called back sarcastically. “I’ve seen rocks that are more aerodynamic than you!”

“Oh wow, are we back to the ‘Sky can’t fly’ insults already?” Sky chuckled, her boots starting to slip on the smooth polished stone. “These bandages are a fashion accessory, thanks!”

“Yeah? Your fashion accessory’s bleeding.” Rat observed, as they reached the first corner. They were both out of breath, collapsing for a moment on the makeshift marble balcony.

Sky glanced back at her bad wing, panting heavily. “It...is?” Sure enough, there was a tiny trickle of blood leaking out of her worn bandages, the gauze completely soaked through. She let out a soft sigh.

That’s not good...and this isn’t exactly the time for it, either… She thought to herself.

Her bad wing ached like mad, clicking quietly with each tiny movement as her cracked bones rubbed against one another. Jabs of intense pain criss-crossed her wing like lightning as she flexed it, trying to align the bones as if it would in some way stop the bleeding.

“Where the hell’s that Operative?” Rat muttered, peering over the edge of the building suspiciously.

“He’s too heavy and his hooves would just slip on the marble.” Sky mused, getting up and shaking her head. “That means that either he’s climbing up the inside of the building, or…”

“He’s inside.”

The two of them looked around at the glass edifice of the skyscraper.

It looked as if there was a tornado localised within the office space, desks and chairs being thrown up as if by a great storm. As the two ponies watched, however, the chaos took form; the stallion from before. He was charging right at them, sending furniture flying as he approached the glass. There was no way that it was going to stand against him.

“Shit.” The two burglars breathed together.

Sky glanced around, eyes fixating on the marble steps that continued ever upward. “Come on! He won’t be able to follow us up here!” She yelled, giving Rat a smack on the flank as she leapt onto the next stone outcrop in the stairwell. Rat gave a surprised yelp, galloping after her just as the Operative hit the window. The glass disintegrated at his touch, a million tiny shards bursting outward like grapeshot. The stallion glared at the two fleeing ponies, his heavy hooves slipping on the marble as he gave pursuit once more.

“Come on!” Sky beckoned to Rat, beating her wings to get a little more speed out of her tiring body. Rats horn flared, reducing her weight once again. The unicorn was suddenly able to make far stronger leaps and bounds, catching up to Sky with very little difficulty. She even overtook her, slapping the pegasus on the rump as she passed.

“Hurry up, slowpoke!” Rat teased, disappearing around the corner. Sky felt her cheeks grow a little warmer, smiling softly as she pushed herself harder.

The two burglars were more sure-footed on the smooth surface than their pursuer, whose hooves were slipping and sliding all over the marble. On one occasion, the Operative slipped and very nearly fell from the building, resorting to dragging himself towards the two ponies as they made their way up the tower. Guard searchlights fixated on him, illuminating the side of the building against the night sky. The Operative had a mission to complete, and there was no way he was letting the Equestrian military interfere with it.

* * *

Shadow glanced over the edge of the building as the clattering sound of repeating crossbows filled the air, interspersed between the roar of pegasi in flight. The City Watch was here, and they were shooting.

“Hey, Shadow! Come away from the edge. They’ll be alright, trust me.” Fox said quietly, putting a hoof on her shoulder for encouragement.

Shadow rolled her eyes, casually pushing Fox away. “I’m not scared, dipshit. I’m just wondering if Sky’s gone and gotten in over her head and needs me to rescue her fat ass again. Besides, I don’t trust you.” She added acidly.

“Are you gonna start with the attitude again?” Fox huffed. “Look, I’m worried about them too, okay? There’s no shame in admitting it!”

“Maybe for you.” Shadow grimaced as a squadron of pegasi descended upon the building, strafing the lower levels with their underslung repeating crossbows. The crashing sound of a monstrous pony actively trying to tear the skyscraper apart echoed up to the two young ponies, who gulped in unison.

:”Shadow, it’s okay to be scared.” Fox said quietly, shuffling a little closer. “I get that you’re worried and all, but come on, those two are badasses! They’ll make it, you’ll see.”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Shadow rounded on him, glaring. “I’m not worried, Sky just can’t...you know…cope without me! She’s not smart enough to survive on her own!”

“Wow, you’ve got a pretty high opinion of yourself, huh?” Fox cocked his head.

“You calling me arrogant?” Shadow asked, fluffing herself up unconsciously. She always did that when she was under a lot of stress.

“Nah.” Fox sighed, resigning himself to the realisation that no matter what he said, he’d get in trouble for it. “You look pretty huggable, though.”

“You really are some kind of masochist, aren’t you?” Shadow sighed, not even looking at him anymore. “Tell me, do you go out of your way to get your ass kicked by everypony who wanders by, or is there something about getting on my nerves that you especially like?”

“Well, um...you get on some of mine…” Admitted Fox, shrugging.

“Erm...wow, okay...er...eww.” Shadow sidestepped away from the young unicorn, pointedly gazing over the side of the building again.

“But...but what I mean by that is...you’re nice and stuff!” Fox corrected himself. “So...by nerves, I mean...um...you make me feel...um...things…”

Shadow’s ears splayed back. “You’re still calling me nice. Even I didn’t know I could hit you that hard upside the head.”

“It’s not like that. I mean, I kinda wanna be friends with you, and you keep making it difficult…” Fox whimpered softly.

Shadow stood there in silence for a few moments, resolutely staring down at the unseen battle below.

“Shadow?”

“We’ll talk about this later.” She said quietly. “Right now, I just wanna make sure my sister’s not getting murdered, okay?”

“Ri...right.” Fox shook his head, suddenly back in the moment. He joined her side, staring down with her for all the good it did, though this time Shadow didn’t sidestep away.

One pegasus guard swooped in, strafing the side of the building with explosive bolts not unlike the arrows and darts that Shadow and Sky use. An ear-splitting roar pierced the night, the screams of a big stallion in pain.

“That’s it, I’m going down to check if they’re okay.” Shadow shook her head, spreading her wings.

“Not without me, you’re not.” Fox protested, his horn flaring brightly again.

“You’ll just slow me down.” Shadow shook her head, pulling her bow off of her back. “Just stay up on the rooftop where you can’t get in my way, okay?”

“Aw come on! My brother...er...sister’s down there!” Fox pouted.

“Yeah, and I’m sure he can take care of himself, but you don’t know what my sister’s like.” Shadow shook her head, taking off and hovering at the edge of the skyscraper, setting herself up for a dive.

”Would you two stop bickering for two seconds?” Came a voice from behind them.

The two young ponies turned on the spot, finding themselves face to face with Sky and Rat. They both looked exhausted but happy to see their younger siblings, trotting forward and giving each of them a very reluctant hug.

“Ugh! Sis! Piss off!” Shadow grunted. “Come on, I’m fourteen! I’m too old for this shit!”

“That’s not what you said on your last birthday!” Sky giggled. “You said you’d still love my hugs even if you lived to be eighty!”

Shadow cast a sidelong glance at Fox, who was giving her a look that said “I heard everything.”

“I...I didn’t say that!” Shadow shoved her big sister off of her, brushing her coat down with her forehooves. “So, how the hell do we get off of this big fuck-off tower?”

The four ponies cringed as one as the crunch of hooves on shattered stone drew closer. The Operative was getting closer, little by little. They didn’t have much time.

Sky frowned. “Rat, which way are the docks from here?”

“Did you go blind or something on the way up here? They’re over there, sweetheart.” Rat said as condescendingly as possible, pointing out over the cityscape. Sky followed her hoof, her eye catching the moonlit cranes and shipping containers on the edge of a cliff. Piers stretched out over the void, a place for airships to dock and load up their cargo.

“I bet we can make that.” Sky muttered to Shadow.

“What do you mean ‘make that?’” Rat asked worriedly.

“I bet we can, too.” Shadow agreed, nodding. The tiniest evil smirk was playing about her features.

“Shadow, what are you guys talking about?” Fox asked, his expression of panic matching his big sister’s.

Sky took Rat’s hoof, squeezing it tightly. “Hey, sweetie…I don’t suppose you could do that weight loss spell again, could you?” Her voice was strangely honeyed and full of confidence. Something about that voice made a stone drop into the pit of Rat’s stomach.

“Wh...why?” She asked as innocently as possible. Nonetheless, her horn flared once more, making her near weightless. Shadow grappled with Fox for a moment before restraining the colt, holding him in her forehooves and giving her big sister a nod.

“How would you like to go flying, Rat Racer?” Sky took Rat’s other forehoof in her own, staring at her with bright blue eyes that were at the same time cheeky and deadly serious. She loved scaring other burglars.

“Fly...flying?” Rat blanched. “You can’t fly, you asshole! I don’t wanna drop like a stone!”

The crunching and panting grew closer still, a low growl permeating the air as a pair of large forehooves appeared over the ledge.

“Shadow? You and your new coltfriend might wanna get going now!” Sky chuckled, bumping flanks with her little sister.

Shadow rolled her eyes, clutching Fox to her chest as she stepped off of the building and spread her overlarge wings once more.

“Now come on, Rat. Don’t be such a baby.” Sky grabbed the unicorn tighter as the Operative clambered onto the rooftop behind them.

“I’m not being a baby! I’m just not big on dying, thanks very much!” Rat yelped, quivering a little.

“You’re not gonna die, sweetie!” Sky giggled, holding her tight as she hopped off of the building and spread her own wings.

“After all, I got great marks for my dive performance in Flight School!”

Foxy Lady

A pair of massive forehooves crunched on the asphalt of the tower roof, and the Operative pulled himself up onto the summit.

Another pegasus strafed him as he got up once more, roaring atop the skyscraper and trying to swat the perpetrator out of the air. The pegasus pulled up, shooting off into the air again and keeping his distance for the time being. Nopony was paying him to get murdered by what looked like an earth pony with a serious steroid abuse problem.

The Operative gazed out over the city at the escaping ponies, narrowing his eyes as he struggled to spot them in the darkness. It wasn’t too difficult to see the pegasus from here - she was leaking blood and trailing it behind her as she glided.

“Bloody typical…” He grunted, rolling his eyes. “The second I get up to the top of the damn tower, that cheeky bitch has to go and flutter on down to the bottom.”

The Operative took a step forward. His magically modified body healed through the explosive crossbow bolts that struck him as the pegasus went in for another strafing run, cauterising wounds and repairing damage faster than the guards could inflict them. He calmly removed a swab from his saddlebag, wiping it in the little pool of blood where Sky had been standing only moments before returning it to his pack. In the unlikely event that she got away, he’d at least be able to return to Silver Tongue and Rolling Thunder with a way to track her.

“Well, if it’s the docks where you want to make your stand, I can definitely live with that.” The Operative growled, stepping off of the top of the building. He plummeted a good distance before landing atop an adjacent building. He worked his way up to a brisk trot over the rooftops, slowly and surely making his way back down onto street level. All the while he grumbled about Sky’s complete lack of manners. When he finally reached the street, he darted into the nearest alley that could accommodate his bulk to lose the guards. It was laughably easy. On the dark street with so many other ponies and tall buildings to obstruct their vision, it wasn’t long before the pegasi lost their target.

“Amateurs.” He muttered, stepping out into the street again.

He paused, glancing down as he felt a certain warm dampness on his forehoof. Raising it up and peering at it quizzically, he gave a small chuckle. It was blood. There was a whole trail of little dark crimson droplets leading away towards the docks.

“Oh, this is going to be too easy…”

The Operative wiped his hoof off on the concrete, following the trail. That pony wasn’t going to be able to get away for long.

* * *

Sky and Shadow came in to land in the labyrinth of steel containers and heavy wooden crates. The younger pony stayed in the air for just long enough to drop Fox on his rump from as painfully as she could manage.

“So now what?” Shadow asked as Sky wrestled her bad wing back against her side.

“We’ve gotta keep running before that asshole catches up with us.” Sky shrugged, trotting further into the maze. Monstrous cranes loomed overhead, shifting containers onto cargo ships down at the quay. This city really didn’t sleep.

“Yeeeeeah, about that. Don’t you think you’re being a little...I dunno...conspicuous?” Rat scratched her head, eyeing Sky’s bad wing with concern.

“What, this thing? Come on Rat, it’s okay. I can get it rebandaged once we’re clear of that hulking great bugger.”

“Yeah, but in the meantime you’re leaving a biiiiig fucking trail wherever you go. What’s to stop him from just following it?” Rat tapped her hoof, raising her eyebrows at the little white mare..

“Come on, do you think he’s gonna follow the trail all the way here?” Sky shrugged. “Besides, he was tied up with those guards on top of that tower. Do you really think he’s gonna be bothering with us right now?”

Sky’s confident smile wavered as she heard the damning sound of approaching hoofsteps, the thundering clatter of heavy hooves on concrete. That could only be one pony.

“Shut up.” She growled as Rat opened her mouth to say something. “Let’s get moving!”

Sky, Rat, Shadow and Fox were already galloping when the Operative rounded the corner, narrowing his eyes at them again. Letting out a furious huff, he stamped his forehoof and started to charge again.

“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, Miss Runner!” He barked.

“I’m going to make this as hard as I can, mate!” Sky called back, bounding up a pile of crates with Rat. The two of them quickly made it atop a shipping container, their hooves clattering against the metal as they ran for their lives. As Shadow and Fox hopped onto it as well, the Operative leapt up, grabbing the shipping container and pulling it towards him as hard as he could, as a magician would pull a tablecloth out from under the glassware. Sky and Rat made a leap for the next container along, making the jump with a loud clatter.

Shadow and Fox weren’t so lucky, still trying to run along the surface of the container as it was pulled out from underneath them. The doors on one end of it came free, opening wide like the jaws of some monstrous undersea creature. As the Operative dragged it closer, the giant metal box tilted upwards, sending the two younger ponies tumbling into it. Their terrified screams were cut off as the doors slammed shut on top of them, trapping the two teenagers inside.

“SHADOW!” Sky yelped, making an about-turn and darting back towards the tumbling container. The Operative wasn’t exactly deterring her. She was fully prepared to wrestle him out of the way to get at her little sister if she had to.

“Damn it Sky, she can take care of herself!” Rat growled, grabbing Sky by the tail and yanking her back. “It’s us that guy wants, remember?”

Sky bit her lip, staring at the container as it slid down onto the asphalt of it quay. The Operative was ignoring the ponies trapped inside, instead charging towards Rat and Sky again. After giving the container one last look, Sky gave a nervous nod, turning tail and running off with her new companion.

Rat’s probably right. Sky thought to herself as she picked up speed. Shadow’ll be safe in there. I guess I just have to worry about getting this asshole away from her.

The two ponies’ hooves clattered over the corrugated metal of the shipping containers as they worked their way closer to the quay. As she came closer to the edge, Sky’s eyes widened. What stretched out beyond the docks was not sea at all, but a sheer hundred-foot drop down onto swampland. This was a port for airships bound for Canterlot, some docking at lower quays below the one upon which Sky stood.

She would, of course, have had much more appreciation for the majesty of the airships if her mind wasn’t currently occupied by other things, however.

“How the hell are we gonna lose him?” Sky panted as the shattered remains of a crate flew over their heads.

“Hey...don’t ask me...you’re the one with the plans!” Rat barked back, hunkering down. The two of them jinked right at the last second as the Operative gained ground on them, reaching out to snatch at Sky’s tail. They found themselves in a narrow passage between two containers, too small for the Operative to fit through.

A moment later, Sky and Rat looked back as a godawful creaking sound broke the relative silence..

“That’s not fair…” Sky muttered.

The Operative took one shipping container in each hoof, groaning with effort as he started to pull them closer together. The gap between the two vast boxes narrowed, forcing Sky and Rat a little closer together.

“That’s bullshit…” Rat shook her head.

The two mares exchanged a brief glance before galloping for their lives. Sky beat her damaged wings as fast as she could, trying fruitlessly to take off. Between the puncture wounds and the heavy bandages, Sky was too heavy and too injured to get enough lift. Tilting her wings down a little, she flapped harder still, propelling herself further forward, faster than her hooves could carry her alone. Rat was only a few steps behind her, horn flaring as she magically lowered her own weight, making her lighter and faster with every moment. In a few moments, Rat was neck and neck with Sky, the two mares darting out just moments before the two shipping containers slammed together with a certain lethal finality.

“We can’t keep this up!” Rat huffed, shaking her head as they crossed a clearing flanked by cranes. “We’ve gotta take this guy out!”

“Working on it!” Sky’s eyes darted around, looking for anything that might be able to stop the monster pursuing them in its tracks.

Come oooon, there’s gotta be something, anything...maybe if we dropped one of those shipping containers on him?

Sky shook her head, dispelling the thought. Brainwashed monster or no, she wasn’t going to commit murder on top of everything else. She simply wasn’t that kind of pony.

Something caught her eye, and she looked skywards. A little grin appeared on her fluffy little muzzle. There stood a crane only a very short gallop away, dangling a shipping container in midair. The driver must have finished his shift halfway through a job. Typical.

“Rat…” Sky muttered. “Can you get into that crane and work it for me? I’ve got an idea.”

“Took you long enough!” Rat rolled her eyes, bumping flanks with Sky and galloping over to the ladder. She started to make her way up the ladder towards the cabin as the grating sound of twisting metal hit Sky’s ears.

She glanced back at the pair of shipping containers again, cocking her head with confusion. The Operative was pulling them aside to get at Sky and Rat again.

Bloody show-off…

Sky rounded on him, tapping her hoof impatiently and shooting him a stare usually reserved for drunk colts who were trying to hit on her.

“Just who do you think you’re impressing with that little display, mate?” Sky rolled her eyes, huffing. “If you wanted me to fawn over your muscles, you could’ve just said so!”

Rat clambered into the cabin, horn flaring again as she took stock of the controls. A set of levers and buttons, all different colours. This was going to be a little more difficult than she’d anticipated.

“You’d better stop running right now!” The Operative growled. “You’re losing blood and I’m still just as fast as you! You’re out of tricks!”

“I’m never out of tricks.” Sky shook her head, taking a step back. It was important to look afraid, defeated. It made ponies hurl themselves at her a little more recklessly than they otherwise would.

The crane’s load gave a godawful jerk to the left, swinging like a pendulum.

Come on, Rat! Get the hang of it already! I can’t go pissing ponies off if my only way out of here’s suffering from Parkinson’s Disease! Sky thought to herself, taking another step back. Rat was pulling the crane every which way now, but seemed to be ever-so-slowly getting her head around the controls.

“Miss Runner, please. You’re leaking blood and I didn’t even hit you yet. Your body’s falling apart. Just come with me and I promise we’ll get you the help you need.” The Operative lowered his head again. He wasn’t pleading with her. This was more characteristic of a guard asking a pony to put down a weapon before tasing them.

“Or,” Sky held her hooves up diplomatically, “I can get away again and then I can get the help I need!”

“You’re beyond help, sweetheart!” Rat called down from the crane.

“Eat shit, Rat!” Sky called back, still smiling at the Operative.

“You’ve asked for it, Miss Runner.” The stallion shook his head, starting to gallop towards her again. Sky took a moment to look down at the little pool of blood under her bad wing. It wasn’t too noticeable. Definitely not serious, anyway.

Rat finally hit the release button, sending the shipping container crashing to the ground right behind Sky. She gave a little yelp at the sudden noise, skittering out of the way.
The Operative charged into it, busting through the heavy metal doors and trapping himself inside. His momentum carried both him and the shipping container to the edge of the quay, teetering on the edge for one tense moment before plunging off of the cliff.

“Um...is he gone?” Rat asked, peeking out from the cabin nervously.

“Hang on, let me check.” Sky trotted to the edge of the quay, looking out over the edge against all horror movie logic.

There was a shattered shipping container atop a loaded cargo ship that appeared to have just undocked. It was floating away, heedless of its impromptu extra passenger as it sailed off to who-knows-where.

“Oh no! He’s scaling the walls!” Sky yelped, backing up and spreading her wings in terror.

Rat gave a little squeak, scrambling out of the cabin and dropping down to the ground. Her legs were already moving as she hit the asphalt. She would, however, be going much faster if Sky hadn’t grabbed her tail.

“I’m kidding. He’s gone.” Sky giggled, letting the reproachful Rat go. “You’re too easy, sweetie.”

“Next time I’m dropping the box on your fat head.” Rat huffed, sticking her tongue out.

“Awww, did I scare you?” Sky beamed, brushing Rat’s mane aside so she could see her face.

“What, by sending a fucking monster-pony after me? No, not at all!” Rat grunted. “What the fuck was that, anyway? You’ve gone and pissed off Tommygun and brought fucked-up superheroes to Manehattan! I could’ve been killed!”

Sky held her hooves up again. “Well hey, I wasn’t exactly keen on having them running around after me in Canterlot either! Besides, we’re safe now, right?”

“Not exactly. When Tommygun recovers, he’s gonna be pissed. You’re trouble, toots.” Rat shook her head. “Hell, you’re gonna get yourself killed taking risks like that.”

“But you’ve gotta admit that it was fun, right?” Sky grinned, nudging her. “Come on, you can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it a little bit?”

“Well…no…”

“Exactly!” Sky gave her a big hug, rubbing her cheek against Rat’s as she squeezed her new friend as tightly as she could.

“Ack...but you’re still in trouble!” Rat said weakly, hugging her back.

Sky’s eyelids fluttered shut as she tilted her head up, whispering in Rat’s ear. “Well, you can punish me as much as you want tonight, sweetie. That’ll teach me for being such a naughty little pony and scaring you, huh?”

Rat gave a tiny little squeak, giggling slyly as she kissed Sky on the cheek. “You might just have a deal, sweetheart. Now, how about we go and find the kids?”

Sky pulled away, chuckling. “If they haven’t killed each other yet.”

* * *

“It’s not going to work, Shadow!” Fox said dully. “Give it a rest already!”

“Maybe...it’ll...work...this time!” Shadow grunted, shooting up and slamming against the doors again and again. It was, however, no use. She was a small light pony and those doors were made of strong steel. The two of them were trapped in the container until somepony saw fit to let them out.

“Shadow, you’re gonna brain yourself at this rate!” Fox sighed. “Come on, just relax and settle down before you hurt yourself, okay?”

Shadow paused in midair. “Oh, great! A lecture on not hurting myself from the masochist! Thanks a lot, Fox!”

“You’re welcome!” Fox smiled brightly, ignoring the sarcasm in Shadow’s voice. His horn flared bright amber again, illuminating their little prison and catching Shadow’s bright green eyes. “Come on, sit down. I think we’ve got a few things to talk about.”

“Really?” Shadow glared at him, crossing her forehooves. “All I see is a pony who’s gonna try his luck at getting laid again the second I touch down. No deal, buster.”

“Come on, Shadow. When have I ever said I wanted to get laid?” Fox looked up at her earnestly, fiddling with his forehooves. “I...I just wanted to get to know you, that’s all. Besides, your wings look hurt…”

“What, you mean these?” Shadow glanced at her wings. “They’re not hurt, dipshit. They just need preening, that’s all. It’s your fault for ruffling my feathers like that!”

“Well, maybe I can help you fix them!” Fox smiled hopefully. “I dunno much about preening, but…”

“Course you wouldn’t! I didn’t expect some conehead to know anything about...eep!”

She froze in midair, looking across at a feather that had been pulled out of her wing by magic. It was floating, wreathed in bright orange light as Fox kept staring up at her.

“It’s not that hard, right?” Fox shrugged. “Just pull out damaged feathers and straighten the bent ones, right? Come on, I’ll bet you anything that I can do it properly.”

“A...a bet, huh?” Shadow cocked her head, feeling her cheeks go a little pink again. “Wha...what’s the stakes?”

“If I do it properly, you have to be my friend.” Fox stuck his tongue out.

Shadow blanched at this, shaking her head. “No way! No fucking way! I’m not gonna degrade myself like that! Talk to Sky! Degrading herself is, like, all she ever does!”

“What’s the matter, Shadow? Scared of losing?” Fox asked innocently.

“I’m...wait...you can’t…” Shadow shook her head. She wasn’t scared of losing, and she was pretty confident that he was going to completely cock it up. Still, daunting as those stakes were, she wasn’t going to back down from a challenge like this.

“Fine! You’re on!” She said finally. “But if you lose, I’m allowed to kick your ass as much as I want and you can’t fight back, okay?”

“Deal.” Fox said confidently. There was something about his expression that was worrying Shadow, like he knew something that he wasn’t telling her.

The young mare finally folded her wings in, dropping to the ground next to him with a sulky thud. She sat down, pointedly not looking at Fox as she held her wings out. “Fine. Let’s see just how badly you fuck this up.”

She almost immediately tensed up as she felt a pair of hooves on her shoulders, her eyes snapping wide open. Was he...massaging her?

“You’d better take those things off of me right fucking now or I’ll shove them so far up your ass that you’re coughing up hoof clippings for the rest of your life.” She growled dangerously.

“Oops...erm...sorry…” Fox withdrew a little, looking her over. “So, Shadow...if you’re always this mean, how the hell have you and Sky been together so long?”

“That’s different.” Shadow shook her head, looking away from him again. “She’s my sister. I mean, of course I’m gonna be nice to her, even if she embarrasses the fuck out of me sometimes.”

“I know what you mean.” Fox smiled, nipping at one of Shadow’s loose primaries. “Rat embarrasses me all the time. I swear that asshole gets off on it.”

“He probably does. Your brother’s one hell of a creep.” Shadow giggled. “Must run in the family.”

“Yeah, well I don’t know what the hell runs in your family.” Fox chuckled. “I mean, your sister’s nice and friendly, and you’re...well…”

“An asshole?” Shadow finished for him. “I’m not always like this, Fox. Just when ponies overstep their boundaries.”

“You don’t know that many ponies in that case, huh?”

“I know...eep!...one or two…” Shadow’s eyes closed halfway, her mouth hanging open as he tugged and pulled at her feathers very gently indeed. “I...don’t have much time for meet-and-greet when I’m...running for my life…”

“The way you talk makes it sound like you don’t get any downtime. You mean to tell me that you’ve never made any friends?” Fox asked quietly, moving on to her other wing.

“I’ve...got...friends!”

“I mean friends who aren’t your sister.”

That gave Shadow pause. She glanced down at her hooves, panting quietly and trying to ignore the burning sensation in her cheeks. “That’s...beside the point…”

“It is my point.” Fox was whispering now, nipping and nibbling at her feathers and running his hooves over her wing to smooth them out. “It’s okay...I’ve never had anypony else besides my brother, either.”

“That explains...why you don’t know what personal space is…” Shadow grunted weakly. “Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do...but...eep!...I’ve got Sky. That’s all I need, okay?”

“And she needs you too, huh?” Fox nodded sagely.

“Ye...yeah. We need...need to watch each others’ backs.” Shadow bit her lip. “That’s what...being sisters is all about…”

“We’re not that different, then.” Fox sighed, grabbing her outermost feather and gently tugging at it with his magic. “You and I are both meant to take care of our adults, cause Celestia knows they can’t take care of themselves, right?”

“Ri...riiight…” Shadow nodded, closing her eyes. Her tail started to flick from side to side, devoid of all conscious control.

The fuck’s he doing to me?

“Well, that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends on the side, right?” Fox shrugged, tugging a little harder. Shadow was squeaking and whimpering more than ever. It was adorable.

“Well...just...one problem…” Shadow gasped. “You’re...a useless sack of...shi...shit…”

Fox chuckled. “I know you don’t mean that. Come on, I’m the first pony in ages who’s given you a second look, huh?”

Shadow didn’t answer. Perhaps it was because it was true, but perhaps it was also that he’d just pulled out another feather and she couldn’t think straight anymore. What she did do was flop over onto her front, having some difficulty breathing.

“Um, Shadow?” Fox ventured nervously, nudging her with a hoof. “Are...are you okay?”

“Fuggoff…” Shadow muttered, closing her eyes and panting a little. She seemed to be having trouble pulling her wings back against her sides. They seemed to be stuck that way.

“Hey, Shadow?” Fox picked her up, lowering her down onto her back. He brightened his horn a little, staring down at her with concern. She held her fluffy forehooves up over her face to keep the light out of her eyes.

“Idon’twannagotoschool…” She whimpered, dazed.

“I...didn’t hurt you, did I?” He asked, taking her hoof and squeezing it.

“No...youdidagreeeeatjob…” Shadow giggled, opening her eyes a little and smiling up at him.

Fox smiled back, his expression softening a little. “Don’t scare me like that, damn it!”

“I’ve scared better ponies than you.” Shadow chuckled. She didn’t seem to be totally with it right now, looking for all the world like she’d been drugged. “Don’tworryaboutitsweetie…”

Fox nuzzled her cheek, coaxing another little giggle out of Shadow. “Look at you, you do have a nice side!”

“Don’t get used to it…” Shadow shook her head. “You’re not gonna see much of it if you hang out with me.”

“I’d better make the most of it, then.” Fox smiled, pecking her on the nose.

Shadow scrunched her snout, eyes widening. “What the fuck, Fox! I thought you just wanted to be fri...friends…”

“Yeah, I do, but…” Fox pulled back, looking down at her with worry.

He was, however, cut off by the grating sound of the doors being pulled open. Sky’s head appeared in the doorway, tilting a little as she took in the scene before her. Shadow and Fox both realised at the same time how incriminating their current predicament looked, with Shadow effectively pinned underneath him, their muzzles only inches apart.

“Do you guys need some time alone?” Sky grinned, trying her hardest to not giggle.

“Now wait, Sky, I know how this looks, but I can expla...oof!” Fox grunted as Shadow kicked him in the bollocks, wriggling out from underneath him.

“You saw nothing!” She glared at Sky as she got to her hooves, cursing her wings as they once again refused to fold back in by her sides. “Come on, let’s go. We’re gonna need to take a look at that information you got out of Tommygun when you wrecked his place.”

“Yahuh, and then we need to have a talk, young lady.” Sky stuck her tongue out at Shadow, turning tail and trotting back towards the city with her little sister in tow.

Shadow glanced back at Fox with a look of pure confusion, though her view was a little obstructed by her oversized wings. Colts were weird.

* * *

Not long after that, Rat came trotting into the shipping container too, helping her little brother to his hooves and ruffling his mane. “So? How’d it go with Shadow while we were off endangering our lives?”

“Great!” Fox wheezed, eyes crossing as he struggled to stay upright. “I think...she likes me!”

And with that, he flopped down onto the ground again.

An Offer He Can't Refuse

Stronghooves yanked the door to the armoury off of its hinges, casting it aside with a clatter.

“The enhancements worked, then.” Daybreak giggled a little.

“Um, yeah, that...wasn’t supposed to happen.” Stronghooves chuckled awkwardly, stepping into the armoury and pulling his damaged barding off of arack. “So, we need to get in touch with a friend of mine in the guard. He’s probably wondering where I am by now.”

“Oooh! Is he cute?” Daybreak fluttered her eyelashes at him.

“Um...no. He’s really ugly. You...you wouldn’t like him one bit.” Stronghooves jammed his helmet on his head, trying to hide his bright red cheeks. He didn’t quite know why he’d just said that, but something about Daybreak’s question had made him feel...jealous.

“Sure, I believe you.” She nodded, unconvinced. “So do you think he’s gonna be any use for this mission? I mean, we’re super-soldiers and he’s...well...not exactly gonna be super-strong as he is.”

“I plan to give him the enhancements too, with his consent.” Stronghooves shrugged, pulling out his sword and checking its balance before returning it to his sheath. “We’re going to need all the help we can get if we’re going to stop this conspiracy and save Sky.”

“Wait, Sky’s your sister?” Daybreak cocked her head. “Like, the pony wanted for terrorism, face on damn near every poster in town, That Sky?”

“The same.” Stronghooves nodded. “She didn’t do it, though...well, not the terrorism, anyway.”

“That explains why you’re not exactly up-front about who your sister is.” Daybreak whistled. “Damn, she has made some mistakes in her life, huh?”

“Tell me about it.” Stronghooves bowed his head. “She used to be such a good filly, but there’s a lot of history there, things that neither she or I could control, and she was...well, she was pretty much fated to turn out this way.”

“You still love her, though?” Daybreak put a hoof on his shoulder gently.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” Stronghooves looked up at her, meeting her gaze. “Being a good brother means loving your sister, no matter what happens. I still care about her, even if I don’t exactly...see eye to eye with her anymore.”

“I get that.” Daybreak chuckled. “My sister and I used to get up to all sorts of stuff together when we were kids. Sometimes we ended up fighting over the silliest shit, but we always made up in the end.”

“Precisely. I’m just not at the “make up at the end” part, yet.” He sighed. “She really doesn’t like me.”

“Because you’re a guard?”

“Something like that.” Stronghooves nodded. “Well, that and she kind of...found a replacement for me.”

“A...replacement?” Daybreak cocked her head, confused. “Okay, my ‘there’s a story here’ alarm’s going off, so why don’t you tell your good buddy Daybreak what happened?”

“Well, look.” Stronghooves sat down. “The short version is that my parents kicked Sky out of our house when she was very little and let me believe she was dead.”

“How little are we talking?”

“Five.” Stronghooves shrugged, remembering Shield’s reaction.

“Scumbags.” Daybreak shook her head with disgust. “How the hell did they justify that?”

“She was born the wrong species. We’re a family of unicorns, and...well...she had wings.” He sighed. “Stupid, I know.”

“Oh, they’re gonna get old-fashioned about their own kid, are they?” Daybreak growled. “Listen here, matey. My sister’s a pegasus and she’s the most special, wonderful, sweet little pony in the whole wide world. That has nothing to do with the wings on her back, just the head she’s got on her shoulders. That’s all.”

“You ought to tell my parents that if we run into them.” He chuckled. “I’m not arguing with you. Sky’s a pain in the neck sometimes, but she’s got the potential to be such a wonderful little pony. Heck, she always used to be.”

“Exactly. So who’d she replace you with?”

“Well, I didn’t see her again until she was about fourteen, and by then...she had this really young filly with her.” He frowned. “And she was taking care of her like a mother. I asked Sky if she wanted to be my little sister again, and she asked me where I’d been all these years. She didn’t believe me when I told her I thought she’d been dead all that time.”

“I guess she needed some time to work things out for herself.” Daybreak patted his shoulder. “She’ll probably forgive you someday.”

“I don’t know if she ever will...and that filly...she made me so…jealous, like she was taking my sister away from me…”

“I know, Stronghooves. You lost your little sister and she went out and found somepony to care for herself. I get that that must’ve hurt.” Daybreak said soothingly. “Hey, I had a coltfriend in high school dump me and hook up with some complete bimbo from the cheerleading team. I mean, I know that’s not the same, but…”

Stronghooves smiled, chuckling a little. “Now that I can’t believe. Why the hell would anypony break up with you?”

“He was a douchebag.” Daybreak giggled. “He was on the hoofball team. Only went out with that bitch because he thought he was supposed to date cheerleaders cause that’s what it said in all those teen magazines.” She gave Stronghooves a nudge on the shoulder. “Still, it’s not all bad. Means I’m available, right?”

“Yeah, that’s a good way of looking at it.” Stronghooves chuckled, biting his lip and looking away quickly.

Daybreak snickered, tapping his helmet with a forehoof. “Hey, earth to Stronghooves? Have I gone and broken you again?”

“Mmmph…” He muttered, hiding behind his forehooves timidly.

“You adorable little bugger.” She smiled, bumping her flank against his. She got up, trotting around the armoury in search of a weapon she could use herself. “So what is the plan, now?”

“The plan...uh...oh, yeah! The plan!” Stronghooves cleared his throat, trying to put on that respectable veneer again. “Well, the plan is this. We tear apart this whole conspiracy, leaving only a few ponies with the super-soldier enhancements, then we use those abilities to chase Sky down and get her out of harm’s way.”

“You think she’s still going to be in harm’s way after this?”

“I’m afraid so. She’s still the eternally hated burglar, remember? Every guard’s meal ticket?” Stronghooves chuckled. “We need to get her out of there and rehabilitate her before the guards do.”

“Aren’t you the captain of the guard, though?” Daybreak asked incredulously. “I mean, you can get the charges dropped, right?”

“No.” Stronghooves sighed. “The Princesses can, but I’ve only got the power to enforce the law, not change it. Sky’s on her own, and she will eventually run out of tricks and get captured for good unless we help her.”

“So your plan is to hide her from the guards, and then what?” Daybreak asked curiously, finally selecting a repeating crossbow from the rack and testing the loading mechanism.

“Well, then I’ve got a plan that’ll make everything better.” Stronghooves smiled. “I can even make our parents love Sky again. That way, we can all be one big family and she doesn’t have to be on her own anymore.”

Daybreak regarded Stronghooves with a quiet curiosity. There was something so hopeful, so sweet and sincere about him and the way he spoke. He seemed to honestly believe everything he was saying.

“You really want her back that badly, huh?” Daybreak smiled.

“You said you had a sister.” Stronghooves shrugged. “If she went away, you’d want her back, too.”

“I’d probably just enjoy the peace and quiet for a while.” Daybreak giggled, nuzzling him sympathetically. “Still...yeah, I’d do anything to get her back. I’m with you on this, Hoovesie.”

“Thanks Daybreak, I...wait, Hoovesie?” Stronghooves looked up at the mare with an expression of pure confusion and horror plastered over his face.

“Well, yeah! Come on, a pony as cute as you needs a cute nickname too, right?” Daybreak beamed, squeezing his shoulders with a friendly little squeak.

“I...well, yeah, I guess...but…” Stronghooves went red, hiding his head behind his hoof. “You’re not going to call me that in front of Shield, are you?”

“Maaaaybe.” Daybreak grinned cheekily, ruffling his mane through his helmet. “What do I get if I keep my mouth shut around your little friend?”

“You drive one hell of a hard bargain, lady.” Stronghooves smiled up at her, peeking out from behind his heavy hoof. “Um...well, I mean, we could always...er…”

“Yeeeeeees?” Daybreak leaned in, fluttering her eyelashes.

“Well...I suppose I could see my way to...um...taking you on...on a date or something...only if you’re interested, that is.” Stronghooves gave an uncharacteristically high-pitched squeak, retreating behind his hoof again.

“That sounds wonderful.” Daybreak chuckled. “Besides, you really need to unwind once in a while. I know basically bugger all about you besides that you’re a sweet little stallion who loves his sister. I kinda wanna get to know the real you, off the clock.”

Stronghooves visibly settled down, relaxing a little and smiling wider. “I’d...I’d like that. I...I don’t really know much about you, either. Maybe...maybe we can take a break from the whole ‘saving the world’ thing once Rolling Thunder’s out of the picture.”

“There we go!” Daybreak nuzzled him, bumping her flank against his. “Now, let’s go and meet this totally-not-hot friend of yours before he starts wondering where you’ve gone.”

Stronghooves shook his head to get his senses back, slinging his sword over his back and trotting out of the armoury. Once Daybreak was clear as well, he carefully placed the slightly bent steel door back in its frame, stepping back with his hooves held up diplomatically. He had an air about him of a stallion who was playing Jenga, or balancing a variety of very fragile objects on a shelf that he wasn’t certain was going to stay up.

“Looks good enough.” Daybreak shrugged. “Come on, exit’s this way.”

“Right.” Stronghooves nodded, turning tail and following the mare as she led him to the express elevator. Pressing her hoof against another pad on the wall, she called it to their floor, doing a little nervous dance on the spot as she waited.

“What happens if we get stopped by more Operatives?” She asked tentatively.

“We’ve sent the others out to spread the word.” Stronghooves frowned. “Hopefully everypony in the building will be with us. If not, then I guess we’re going to have to defend ourselves. Are you okay to fight, Daybreak?”

“Well, actually, it’s Lieutenant Daybreak from the Equestrian Royal Army.” She drew herself up to her full height, sticking her tongue out. “Hopefully that answers your question.”

“Depends. Were you a desk officer?”

“Do I look like the kind of pony who can sit behind a desk all day? No way, mate. I’m a soldier through and through.”

“Good. I mean, I’m hoping that we don’t have to hurt anypony to get out of here, but if we run out of options, it’s good to know we’ll be able to hold our own.”

“Well, I’ll be able to hold my own.” Daybreak teased, giggling. “I don’t exactly know about you, Mister I-let-myself-get-captured.”

“Hey, that wasn’t even my fault!” Stronghooves said defensively, stepping into the elevator. “I mean, he came up behind me! There was nothing I could’ve done!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure there wasn’t.” Daybreak rolled her eyes, stepping in after him. “You know, it’s okay to have flaws. I don’t mind if you got your own ass caught.”

“Yeah, but I’m the Captain of the Guard. I’m not supposed to have flaws.” Stronghooves shrugged. “If I mess up, ponies get hurt.”

“You’ve done a good job so far, and you’re pretty charming.” Daybreak kissed him on the cheek. She wasn’t even trying to be affectionate for the sake of affection anymore. All she wanted to do was see just how adorably Stronghooves would react to her advances.

The stallion, easily a head taller than her, gave a timid little squeak and went bright pink. “Um...oh look, it’s our floor!” He said, a little louder than was perhaps necessary.

With that, he stepped out onto the ground floor, pushing through a group of surprised ponies in the lobby and out onto the street.

“Silly horse.” Daybreak shook her head, snickering as she trotted merrily after him.

* * *

Shield was waiting on the balcony just outside Stronghooves’s office, smoking a cigarette and watching the dark street below. There were a lot of late-night partygoers, drunks, students and other things that gave Shield a bloody headache. There were even a couple of the buggers spray-painting “CANTERLOT U RULEZ” onto the side of a building in plain view of the guard barracks. Shield didn’t even know how to react to this sort of thing. Either those ponies were blind drunk or had the biggest balls in Equestrian history. Either way, he eventually decided that that sort of behaviour was outside of his jurisdiction.

“Inspector?” A guard inquired, knocking on the door sheepishly.

“This had better be coffee, booze or amazing news.” Shield grunted, turning to the door and peering over his glass of bourbon at the younger guard.

“Well sir, we’ve just got news that one of those Operatives was just spotted in Manehattan.” The guard shrugged. “Sky Runner was also seen running from him. I mean, that’s a lead. That’s kind of good news, right?”

Shield gave him a very long look. “Close enough. Do we still have a lead on her?”

“No, sir. She disappeared soon after the Operative did.”

“Wait, the Manehattan City Watch managed to lose Sky and a bloody great horse?” Shield asked, slumping back into a chair, wide-eyed.

“Yes, sir. She’s even managed to evade the aerial patrols.” The guard nodded. “We think she might be working with a contact in the city to move unseen. I could try and cross-reference possible accomplices if you’d like.”

“Wow, look at you, all raring to go.” Shield said dully. “Yeah, go and do that. Tell me if you get anything that might be useful...and for the love of Celestia’s sweet sunny ass, can I get another glass of something with caffeine and alcohol in it?”

“I’ll have somepony head across the road and get you an Irish coffee or something.” The guard nodded, ducking out of the room.

“Make it as Irish as you can!” Shield called after him. “If there aren’t leprechauns jumping out at me when it shows up, it’ll be your badge, buddy!” He chuckled weakly, laying back in the big official armchair and downing the last of his whiskey.

Stronghooves was supposed to be back ages ago. I hope he hasn’t gone all the way to Manehattan and not told me. That’d definitely earn him a sock on the nose… Shield rolled his eyes. Still, all the same...that stuff he told me about him and Sky...it’s kind of a sad story, but I’ve got questions. Why the hell doesn’t she like him? It’s not just because he’s a guard. There’s gotta be more to it than that…

Shield sighed. Perhaps the answers would come with time, or when Stronghooves felt that he trusted Shield enough to share them with him.

There came another knock at the office door, jolting Shield from his ruminations.

“How Irish is it?” He asked automatically.

“Not very Irish at all, actually.” Stronghooves chuckled as he pushed the office door open, trotting inside with Daybreak.

“Well look who the cat dragged in.” Shield chuckled, getting to his hooves. “What took you so long? Don’t tell me you ran all the way to and from Manehattan with those superpowers of yours.”

“You’ve been reading too many Power Ponies comics, Shield.” Stronghooves patted his friend on the shoulder. “I was indisposed for a little while, but I’ve got good news. We’re on the edge of busting the whole conspiracy around those crystals wide open.”

“Well then, it sounds like you’re doing fine without me. I’ll probably head to bed if that’s all right by you.” Shield’s eyes fell on Daybreak, who gave him a friendly wave and a smile. “I don’t remember you having a marefriend when you left earlier.” He added curiously.

“I didn’t.” Stronghooves scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Um...this is Daybreak. She used to work for the ponies running this conspiracy.”

“Yep!” Daybreak nodded. “I was his cell guard, but he fucked me and now he can’t get rid of me!”

Shield grinned. “Damn, you’ve had a busy day. You got captured, fucked your cell guard and now you’re on the run from the most powerful ponies in Equestria? Damn, you are Sky’s brother.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Daybreak asked innocently.

“Oh, Sky broke out from her cell a few days ago by giving the jailer a blowjob.” Shield shrugged. “I dunno why he got so much shit for it. That poor guy probably hadn’t seen any action in months.”

“Now, you’re not suggesting that Hoovesie here went and fucked me just so he could get out of prison, are you?” Daybreak cast a sidelong glance at Stronghooves, who pointedly looked away. “After all, he was a fresh-faced little virgin this morning, right Hoovesie?”

“Uh...I...I thought we’d talked about calling me that…” Stronghooves whimpered pathetically.

“I’m sorry, Hoovesie?” Shield was doing his best to suppress his laughter now, but it wasn’t working very well at all. “You’ve known her for six hours and you’ve already earned a pet name? You lucky bastard!” He turned to Daybreak, chuckling with a little more energy than before. “I like you already, miss. My name’s Shield. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh, thank Celestia, you’re alive.” Daybreak giggled, taking his hoof and shaking it. “I was worried you were just talking in your sleep all this time. It’s nice to meet you too, Shield. Hoovesie here was telling me that you two are best friends.”

“That’s a bit of a stretch. I mean, I like the guy, but I’ve only really talked to him properly for the first time today.” Shield shrugged.

Both ponies glanced across at Stronghooves, who was trying to hide his face.

“Weird…” Daybreak muttered, her smile fading a little. “It’s almost like...you’ve never had a friend before…”

“Well, I don’t know about never...” Stronghooves said quietly, sitting back in his chair and pulling his helmet off. He looked awfully tired all of a sudden, still blushing like mad. “But...I don’t exactly make friends easily.”

“You’re approachable enough when you’re behind bars.” Daybreak smiled. “Though according to your buddy here, that was just so you could get some cheap action! Fancy that!”

Stronghooves looked at her incredulously. She didn’t really seem that mad, or even remotely upset.

Wow, either she’s pulling my leg or she likes me a hell of a lot more than I thought…

Shield snickered, nudging Daybreak in the ribs. “Come on miss, if you keep this up all the blood’s gonna rush to his head. So what’s the plan, Hoovesie?”

“The plan is to stop calling me that right fucking now.” Stronghooves rolled his eyes. “But let’s face it, that’s not happening. I don’t suppose you’ve got anything on Sky?”

“Last I heard she was still in Manehattan. Looks like one of Silver Tongue’s Operatives slipped through our safety net and followed her there. Both of them disappeared a few hours ago.” He shrugged.

“She’s okay. She’s been able to outrun them so far.” Stronghooves put his hooves together, relieved.

“That’s only because you’ve been interfering with the Operatives.” Shield frowned. “I dunno how she’s going to manage on her own, but we reckon she might have help from somepony in Manehattan. Fucked if I know who, mind you.”

“That one’s easy.” Daybreak put in. “You just have to find the pony with the highest bounty in the city. They’re the only ones who’d work with Sky instead of turning her in, since they’d be putting themselves at risk by trying to hand her over to the guards.”

“That’s...pretty insightful.” Stronghooves cocked his head. “How do you know so much about how criminals’ minds work, then?”

“I like studying my targets.” Daybreak shrugged. “That, and...well, I told you my sister and I used to get into a lot of trouble when we were younger. We kinda learned when not to tell on one another. I mean, there were a couple of times when I couldn’t rat her out to mum and dad without getting my own ass in trouble too, so I kept my mouth shut.”

“Makes sense.” Stronghooves nodded. “So you reckon the pony with the highest bounty in Manehattan is going to be her accomplice?”

“I’m pretty sure, yeah.” Daybreak nodded. “Now all we have to do is find out who that is.”

There came a knock at the door.

“How Irish?” Shield called out automatically. Daybreak and Stronghooves exchanged a confused glance before looking back at him.

“Well, we couldn’t find a leprechaun, but a few ponies in the office just passed out from the alcohol fumes.” The guard called back from behind the door.

Shield pulled it open, took the mug of exceedingly Irish coffee, and was about to close it again when a thought struck him. “Hey, how about the bounty lists from Manehattan? Do you have those yet?”

“Yes sir!” The guard nodded enthusiastically, holding up a dossier.

“Well, whose bounty’s highest out of all of the ponies there?” He asked, taking a good swig from his mug.

“Um…” The guard frowned, looking through the dossier. “It’s either Meteor with a ton of speeding fines, or it’s a pony named Rat Racer.”

“And what does he do, then?”

“Well, he’s a burglar, and…”

“Thank you!” Shield beamed, taking the dossier and slamming the door shut.

“There we go, then!” He beamed triumphantly, dropping the folder onto Stronghooves’s desk. “It’s that Rat Racer pony we want!”

“Good! I guess we’ve got a plan of attack.” Stronghooves smiled. “Daybreak, do you think you could get Shield into the facility to give him the same enhancements as the rest of us?”

“We can probably manage that tomorrow morning, no problem.” Daybreak nodded. “I wanna make sure the word spreads to everypony in that building so we don’t run into unexpected trouble.”

“Right.” Stronghooves pulled the file closer to him. “Shield, put the word out to the Manehattan City Watch. Sky Runner’s suspected of travelling with a unicorn named Rat Racer. If we find one, we should find the other.”

“Sure thing, Hoovesie.” Shield chuckled, trotting out of the room. “I’ll get right on it.”

Stronghooves cringed as the Inspector spoke, only settling down again once he was certain that Shield was gone.

“You know he’s going to be calling me that forever now?” He glared accusingly at Daybreak.

“Oh no! I’m sorry, Hoovesie!” She giggled with the air of a pony who was most certainly not sorry. “How could I ever make it up to you?” She thought for a moment, before a very sly smirk appeared on her face. “You know...my accommodation was based in that facility, and I can’t go back there tonight. What if I made it up to you by...I dunno...spending the night with you?”

“What, like, sleeping together?” Stronghooves asked.

“Mhmm...and cuddling.” Daybreak nodded with a certain finality.

“Well, I...I guess we could...” Stronghooves flustered.

Jeez...today’s been one hell of a weird day.

The Burglars and the Bees

“Sis, I really don’t need this talk!” Shadow insisted, sliding backwards as she stalwartly refused to move her hooves one single inch.

“ ‘oo ‘ad!” Sky growled, yanking on Shadow’s tail as she dragged her up the hill. “ ‘e’re ‘aving a ‘alk and ‘ou’re ‘onna ‘lie i’!” She finally let go, spitting out hairs and wiping her tongue clean. “Damn, Shadow. I knew you liked the guy, but I didn’t expect to see you grinding up on him like that!”

“I wasn’t grinding up on anything, thanks very much!” Shadow retorted hotly. “You were just seeing things! I can’t stand that asshole!”

Sky looked Shadow over. The younger pony tucked her wings in a little closer, avoiding Sky’s gaze.

“You’ve been preened, you little tart!” Sky giggled, settling down next to her little sister. “Come on! There’s no way you’d let another pony do that to you unless you fancied them! Confess!”

“N...no!” Shadow yelped, backing away. “Look, he...he challenged me to a bet, okay? My hooves were tied!”

“Kinky.” Sky stuck her tongue out.

“You’re gonna get another hoofprint added to your cutie mark if you carry on with that.” Shadow warned.

“Okay, okay.” Sky held her hooves up. “Still, you know what having somepony else preen you does. You were walking right into a trap, sweetie. It’s just all a bit too convenient, you know?”

“What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t say no! I...I wasn’t thinking straight!” Shadow rubbed her temples with her fluffy little hooves, ears splaying back.

“He was distracting you, huh?” Sky smiled understandingly.

“Yeah, but in a bad way. Like, I couldn’t focus. He was so...I dunno…annoying!” Shadow flopped onto her side, groaning. Sky looked her little sister over, nuzzling her bruised belly gently.

“I know what you mean, sweetie.” She said softly. “I guess you’re just getting to that age where you start noticing colts. There’s nothing wrong with that, exactly. It’s just pretty irritating and distracting.”

“He’s the only pony besides you who doesn’t ignore me.” Shadow whispered quietly. “He’s annoying and fucking creepy, but he’s got that going for him.”

“Yeah, well that’s not always a good thing.” Sky shrugged. “Remember that one stallion I dated when I was sixteen who turned out to be an undercover cop? I mean, the first pony who notices you isn’t always the best candidate for a date, right?”

“Hey! I wasn’t thinking of dating him!” Shadow said defensively. “I just mean, you know, hanging out with him, that’s all! I don’t date ponies. Besides, he’s not smart enough to be an undercover cop.”

“Right, well it’s probably about time I gave you...you know...The Talk anyway…” Sky fiddled with her forehooves. Of course she was well-versed in all things sex, but there was something about the idea of talking over it with her little sister that was somehow daunting...not to mention infuriating.

“I think I’m good, thanks.” Shadow looked up at her sister, glaring. “I’ve had a front row seat more times than I care to mention.”

“Yeah, well, that was just watching, you know?” Sky shrugged. “I mean, that’s not like knowing the mechanics of it, or finding a perfect partner or anything like that.”

“What the fuck do you mean ‘finding a perfect partner?’” Shadow cocked her head. “The way I remember it, the only way you pick the perfect pony to have sex with is trial and error!”

“I wouldn’t call it error.” Sky giggled. “I mean, besides that one guy a month ago who wanted to experiment with food. Okay, speaking of which, the first rule of sex is this. If a pony wants to stick a can of whipped cream in your ass, you say NO, okay?”

“Sis...that’s way too much information…” Shadow buried her head in her hooves, trying to block her sister out.

“No it’s not!” Sky waved a hoof dismissively. “If you wanted way too much information, you’d ask me about my first time! Now, I don’t think it’d really be a good example for you to work off of, since it was two zebras and a donkey, but hey, fun’s fun, right?”

“Please stop…”

“Oh yeah, that’s another thing…” Sky tapped a hoof to her chin. “Always make sure your partner asks nicely first. If they’re not asking, don’t be afraid to set off your hoof crossbow into their nadgers. Trust me, nothing kills a boner like a sleep dart to the balls.”

Shadow’s ears perked. That was actually pretty sound advice that she could implement if Fox got a little too touchy-feely again…

“And of course we’d better talk about protection. Now, I don’t use it, but that’s because...well...I just don’t, okay?” Sky beamed. “You, however, are gonna have to make sure you’re safe, because nothing’s worse than being a teen mum.”

“You raised me all right…” Shadow tucked her ears back under her hooves again, curling up. This was the worst pain she’d been in since the Elements Job.

“So you’re gonna want to make sure you always have a condom on you somewhere. If your coltfriend doesn’t wanna put one on, kick him in the nads until he agrees or fucks off. Either way, you’re safe!” Sky gave a hopeful little squee. “Um...you with me so far?”

“Why can’t you just let me die…” Shadow croaked.

“Good! So when you’ve found a special somepony and you’re all prepared and everything, you’ll want to make sure he’s super-gentle with you! I mean, it’ll hurt the first time, but you’ll get past the pain eventually and start having fun!”

“Sis...I’m fourteen. I am not gonna have sex with anypony...like, ever.” Shadow put one of her oversized wings over her head, hiding it from view.

“Oh...um...really?” Sky paused, a little bit lost. She wasn’t entirely used to relationships that didn’t start and end with a wild one-night-stand.

“No! Never! I don’t even wanna think about having...you know…that stuck in me!” Shadow yelped.

“Oh...well, okay then! Wanna hear about dating?”

“Please don’t…”

“Great!” Sky beamed, ignoring her. “Well, when you see a colt that you fancy, there’s a magical little moment where your heart pretty much jumps out of your mouth! Your wings spring out and get all fluttery and you kinda wanna show them off.” Sky nodded sagely.

“Sky, I swear to Luna I will saw my wings off right now if it’ll make you shut up…” Shadow whimpered weakly.

“So when you get that special feeling, you might be feeling a whole load of different things, like confusion, anger, frustration, jealousy...you know, just like how I feel when I’m...around...Penfeather…” Sky trailed off, giving Shadow a sidelong glance.

“Is...is it over?” Shadow peeked out from under her wing.

“No...just...remembering something…” Sky smiled pleasantly, as she recalled just how badly Shadow had humiliated her in the library just a couple of days ago.

“Why...why are you looking at me like that?” Shadow asked nervously, cowering under her wing again.

“No reason.” Sky sighed happily. “Okay, I get the impression you just want this pony off of your back, yeah?”

Shadow nodded tentatively.

“Well, here’s what you’ve gotta do.” Sky crossed her forehooves, nudging Shadow with her nose. “Colts are really infamous for being basically thick, right?”

“Ri...right…”

“Well, if you want to get rid of him, then you’ve gotta confuse him. I mean, if he’s constantly wondering what your angle is, then he’s gonna think it’s too much like hard work and give up, right?”

Shadow peeked out from between her nice tidy primaries, meeting Sky’s earnest, friendly smile with a look of distrust. “Okaaaaay…”

“Well, if you want to confuse the fuck out of him, you ought to just give him a bunch of flowers and not tell him why. Trust me, it’ll really fox him.” Sky grinned, nodding confidently.

“It’ll really fo...oh, fuck you sis.” Shadow hid under her hooves again. “That was terrible.”

“Maybe, but the point is that he’ll be surprised, confused and scared, especially after you’ve been so...you know...bitchy towards him.” Sky beamed. “He’ll be wondering what the hell you’re up to for ages, trust me!”

“And...and that’ll make him leave me alone?” Shadow asked.

“Almost definitely.” Sky nodded. “If he’s persistent, come back to me and we’ll work out another plan to get him to see sense. Trust me, I’m a professional.”

“A professional what, exactly?” Shadow glared at Sky, unconvinced.

“A professional concerned big sister, of course!” Sky replied as innocently as possible. “Don’t worry Shadow, I’ve got your back! Sisters forever, remember?”

“Ri…right.” Shadow nodded, smiling timidly. “So...what, do I just throw the flowers at him and run off, or what?”

“Well, you might want to scream something at him, like “These are for you!” or something like that.” Sky shrugged. “Don’t forget to do that and then fly away before he can say anything. Remember, us mares have gotta maintain our mystique, right?”

“Says the pony who lifts her tail for anyone who gives her a second glance. Do you even have any mystique anymore?”

“I’ve got a dark and edgy backstory…” Sky shrugged. “Is that any good?”

“I dunno, does it attract ponies?” Shadow asked curiously.

“Well, I get laid a lot and I never really tell it to anypony, so I guess not.” Sky sighed, disappointed. “So, do you think you could try confusing Fox, then? Do you reckon it’d help?”

“Yeah, I’ll give it a try.” Shadow smiled, shuffling closer and resting her head on Sky’s forelegs. “Thanks, sis. I owe you one.”

“Aw, don’t worry about it, sweetie. It was my pleasure.” Sky whispered, nuzzling her little sister and pushing her hood back. Shadow’s hazel-coloured mane caught the moonlight, her eyes practically lighting up as she looked up at her sister.

“Just remember that you can always share your feelings with me, especially if they’re really making you uncomfortable, okay?” Sky added.

“Okay, but look...don’t go telling Rat or anypony about this, okay?” Shadow looked up at her sister. “I don’t want this getting back to Fox.”

“You’ve got it.” Sky nodded, winking. “You know I can keep quiet when I need to, sweetie. I can keep a secret for you.”

“Right...that means no yelling things about me when you’re...you know…” Shadow barely whispered the word “orgasming.”

Sky hesitated, biting her lip. “What, really?”

Shadow’s eyes widened. “Wait...is that seriously something you do?”

“N...no!”

”Sis!”

“No! I don’t do it, I swear!” Sky shook her head. “Look, I don’t...well...it’s not necessarily about you, it’s just...you know...little stuff…”

“Like the collection of nice dresses you’ve got hidden in the mmmph!” Shadow began. Sky casually shoved a hoof into her mouth, nodding calmly.

“Exactly.” She said quietly. “Stuff that we don’t say in public otherwise ponies might know my dark and terrible secret, and we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

“Mmmph mph mmph!”

“Exactly.” Sky pulled her hoof out of Shadow’s mouth, grinning. “See, we keep each other’s secrets and take good care of each other, right?”

“Ri...right…” Shadow gasped, giggling and snuggling up to her sister. “I dunno what the hell I did to get a sister like you, but I...guess I’m okay with it...I mean, you’ll do.”

“Yeah, I love you too, kid.” Sky chuckled, kissing Shadow on the forehead.

There was a snapping sound as somepony nearby stood on a twig. Sky and Shadow both perked their ears as one, suddenly very alert indeed.

What they saw was a couple staring at them like they didn’t know what the hell they’d walked in on, watching the two ponies with a look that could only be described as confused and slightly scared.

“What’s the matter?” Sky asked. “Haven’t you guys ever seen two ponies hanging out before?”

“Yeah, piss off, you two!” Shadow waved them away dismissively. “I’ve got a pony to hug, assholes!”

The two ponies kept their eyes fixated on Sky as they backed away, returning to the path and trotting away across the park.

“I hate it when ponies do that.” Shadow shook her head. “I dunno why they only seem to see me when I’m all snuggled up to you. When I’m all alone, I might as well be invisible.”

“The world’s a stupid place full of stupid ponies, sweetie.” Sky whispered, holding her little sister close. “It’s not easy being a filly in a world like that, but don’t worry. Someday you’re gonna be free and safe and I bet you’re gonna be everypony’s favourite mare. In the meantime, I’ll keep you safe. You’ve got a big sister watching your back.”

“And you’ve got a little sister watching yours.” Shadow smiled back. Her voice dropped in volume, only a hair’s breadth above a whisper. “I...love you, sis.”

“I love you too, Shadow.” Sky kissed her on the cheek, giving her one last squeeze. “Now, how about we go find the boys and work out how we’re gonna catch that courier?”

Shadow looked up at Sky with a great big enthusiastic smile on her face. In spite of all of those bruises she was still raring to go. You really couldn’t keep that filly down.

“That sounds like a great idea.”

Shadow Loses Her Virginity

“It’s okay...you can do this. It’s just in and out. Nopony’ll even know you’re there…”
Shadow frowned. That little would-be pep talk that she’d given herself just then had only really served to depress her.

I mean, it’s not like I’m small or anything, right? I’m a pretty good size for my age. Hell, some ponies might say I’m too big, but what do they know? She thought to herself. It wasn’t her fault for being naturally larger than other ponies where it mattered. She’d just been born that way. If everypony was going to get vindictive or uppity about it then that was their problem, not hers.

Matters of size aside, Shadow was hesitant. She’d never done this sort of thing before. It was such a Sky thing to do. The young filly considered this her last bastion of childhood innocence, and didn’t want to ruin it just yet.

“Come on Shadow, you’re fourteen. It was only a matter of time before you’d have to do this. Besides, you’re tough enough to handle it, right? Who knows, you might even like it!” She muttered to herself. She smiled brightly for a moment before her face fell once again. The words just sounded too hollow.

What am I saying? I can’t do this, especially not with ponies watching! I’m just not ready! Shadow did a nervous little dance on the spot, glancing around. Besides, what if Sky sees me and sees what a bloody amateur I am? What do I do then? I’ve never done this before! Heck, I never wanted to do it! I’m just not that kind of pony! What if he laughs at me? I mean, he seems pretty...new to this as well. He doesn’t exactly look like the kind of pony who gets to do this stuff much...but he’ll have expectations himself, right? Oh, Luna help me...

Shadow considered taking a step back, but she was too far gone now. After all the times that Sky had done it, she couldn’t deny that she wasn’t the teeniest bit curious. So many questions ran through her mind. What did it feel like? How embarrassing was it going to be? What would happen if somepony saw her doing it? Shadow put her hooves on her fuzzy little stomach. She felt ill just thinking about what would happen if Rat or somepony else caught her doing such a shameful thing.

It’s okay, though. Just because you’re not that kind of pony doesn’t mean you can’t just...you know...try it once. Nopony will judge you for just experimenting a bit, right?

She caught herself hyperventilating. Of course they would. If she got caught doing this kind of thing, especially with another pony, then she could kiss her reputation goodbye. This was the sort of thing that her damn sister was known for, and look how she turned out! Shadow didn’t want that for herself, not one bit.

The filly slapped herself across the face to try and come back to the land of the living, blinking a couple of times and trying to focus. The enormous weight of what she was about to do bore down upon her like an ocean liner with a brick on the accelerator.

But if I do this, there’s no turning back. Not ever.

Shadow bit her lip, shivering. She wasn’t going to admit it if anypony asked, but she hadn’t been this frightened since the Elements Job. It was too big a step for a pony as young as she was. She didn’t feel ready yet. Still, Sky clearly wasn’t going to judge her for it, so there was that.

I’ve got to do it. It’s gotten her out of trouble enough times, right?

She closed her eyes, breathing deeply, before finally taking the plunge. Shadow took it in her hooves, looking down at it with something approaching absolute terror. She’d certainly seen a lot of them before, thanks in no small part to her sister, but holding one in her hooves was a different matter entirely.

She closed her eyes, cringing as she slipped it in. It was too late to turn back.

In that moment, Shadow took a step into marehood that she knew she’d never be able to take back. She wasn’t comfortable with it, but a small part of her mind knew that someday she’d have had to do this anyway, no matter how she felt about it.

Yet with the horrific act came a strange sensation of euphoria. Beyond the obvious initial discomfort that she’d been expecting, it really wasn’t so bad. She could kind of see what Sky found so appealing about this kind of thing, even though Shadow was resolved to not make this a habit. It felt good, but not that good. Most of her enjoyment wasn’t from the act itself, but from the feeling of relief that ran through her once-cold veins, relief that it wasn’t as bad as she’d always told herself it would be. Still, it wasn’t brilliant, either.

Maybe it’ll feel better if I get a bigger one next time… Shadow mused.

She still felt concerned that she was a little too young for this sort of thing, but Sky had always told her that there’s no right or wrong age for it, no matter what anypony said.

When she’d finally decided that she was done, Shadow frowned, doubtful about the choice she’d made. Perhaps a bigger one would have been better, but it was too late now. She’d already put it in her saddlebag and left.

Yes, at the young age of fourteen, Shadow had gone and bought a bouquet, and she’d done it all by herself. Best of all, nopony had seen her do it.

...What?

* * *

“So the courier’s picking up the letter for Silver Tongue at ten tomorrow, under the rollercoaster at Celestialand.” Sky nodded, examining the documents she’d stolen from Tommygun. “Huh, they’ve even got a photo of the guy. Maybe the Marefia were interested in Silver Tongue’s little scheme, too.”

“That makes sense. If a weapons contractor company starts acting weird, I guess the mob would want to get in on whatever they’re up to.” Rat chuckled. “So what’s the plan?”

“The plan is that we show up under the rollercoaster as well and make sure that the courier hands the letter off to us...then we shut him up.” Sky grinned cheekily, eyes flashing in the moonlight. “After that, we leg it back to Canterlot and work out what to do from there.”

“Yeah, about that.” Rat scratched the back of his head. “Look, I’ve been thinking...and I might’ve had a talk with Fox, too...and we...I don’t suppose you’d mind having us tag along, would you?”

Sky frowned. “That’s kinda...out of the blue. Mind if I ask why?”

“Well…” Rat smiled sheepishly. “It’s kinda...for Fox’s benefit, plus you’ve gotten me in trouble with Tommygun now, so I figure that we’d best vanish until the heat dies down. Besides, I showed you around my city, and it might be pretty cool to see yours, too.”

Sky pursed her lips, nodding slowly. “Well...I guess that sounds okay, yeah. Besides, watching Fox and Shadow together’s far too cute. I could stand to see a little more of that.” She giggled quietly, looking around in case Shadow was watching. When she was satisfied that she wasn’t about to be accosted by a pouty little filly, she turned back to Rat conspiratorially. “Okay, come on. Place your bets. Do you reckon they fancy each other?”

“Oh, I’m gonna say…” Rat glanced around, looking for his own younger sibling for a moment. “...yeah, definitely. I haven’t seen Fox this fucked up since he got hit by that carriage a few years back.”

“Damn…” Sky cringed. “Yeah, sorry about that. Shadow’s got a mean swing, especially if somepony looks like they’re hitting on her. Still...she looks pretty fucked-up herself. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that they both blew off a hell of a lot of steam while we were settling our differences.”

“Well hey, you’re not wrong.” Rat smiled. “It’s like what they say about ponies pushing you down in the schoolyard when you were little.”

“What, if a colt knocks your ass down, it means he likes you?” Sky giggled. “I worked out that that one was bullshit when I pushed my crush down the stairs. I...well...I thought he’d kinda take it to mean that I really liked him.”

Rat laughed, shuffling closer and putting a foreleg around her. “Oh, that’s adorable! Damn, you must’ve been a cute filly.”

“Yeah, well you were probably still a stupid chump back then, too.” Sky stuck her tongue out, putting her good wing around him. “Still...you’re a cute stupid chump.”

Rat and Sky sat there in contemplative silence for a while, before he finally cleared his throat. “Um...thanks for changing me back into a stallion again.”

“Yeah, well you were a butt-ugly mare.” Sky chuckled. “And hey, thanks for helping me get this shit with the super-stallions sorted out. I guess you really put your head on the block for me, huh?”

“Eh, what are friends for?” Rat shrugged.

“Yeah...friends…” Sky chuckled weakly. “Wow...I haven’t had a friend in...like...forever.”

“We don’t get them much in our line of work, huh?” Rat nodded. “It’s so hard to make friends when you don’t know who to trust, who’s gonna throw you under a carriage…”

“Exactly!” Sky beamed. “See, you get it! I can’t even count the ponies who’ve made friends with me and led me into a trap just because I’m a walking lottery ticket.”

“The job’s fun, but it comes at one hell of a price, huh?” Rat nuzzled her cheek. “Speaking of stuff that costs an arm and a leg, I don’t suppose you wanna talk about…?”

“I know.” Sky yanked her bad wing up, letting it settle uselessly on the picnic table they were sat at. “Let me guess, you want to talk about my fashion accessory?”

“Yeah, I mean…” Rat frowned, trying to find a way to be tactful about this. “It was bleeding like fuck earlier and you didn’t exactly seem to care. I don’t care where you’re from. That shit ain’t normal, sweetheart.”

“It’s okay, Rat.” Sky beamed, tucking it back in by her side. “Trust me, it’s been like this for ages now. I’m used to it. Besides, when this shit’s over, I’ve got a little money set aside to get it fixed!”

“Don’t suppose you wanna go into how it happened?” Rat ventured, putting his hooves together and shuffling closer.

“Eeeh, it’s how every burglar gets hurt. You get cocky, you make a few mistakes, accidents happen. Every job’s a lesson, right?” Sky shrugged. “I stopped paying attention and I got in trouble for it. Guess I had it coming.”

Rat nodded quietly, fully aware that Sky wasn’t telling him everything. “Well hey, you seem to be getting on alright without it, huh?” He patted her on the back again. “Anyway, you probably wanna change those bandages. They’re pretty much bled through. Last thing you need is an infection because you can’t take care of your damn self.”

“Yeah, you’ve got me there.” Sky sighed. “Fine, I’ll go freshen up if it’ll get you off of my fucking back.”

As she got up and slung her saddlebags over her back, Rat gave her a smack on the flank. “Don’t make me wait too long, sweetheart. I’ve still gotta punish you for nearly getting us all killed.”

Sky rounded on him, kissing him on the cheek and winking. “You’ve got it.” She whispered, before trotting off to the public toilets to get herself cleaned off.

Rat waited in silence for a while, before rolling his eyes and casting his little weight reduction spell again. As he followed her at a distance, his hoof-falls fell completely silent. He was unnoticeable, a ghost.

Sky trotted into the little mares’ room, closing the door behind her. Rat approached the door himself, aware that he hadn’t done anything like this since high school. Still, in high school he was driven by something other than pure curiosity. What little he’d read of Sky’s diary earlier that day had left him wondering exactly what had happened to her.

Frowning, Rat held his breath as he opened the door a crack, peering inside.

Sky tugged at her bandages, gently and quietly unwrapping the sodden bloodstained rags as carefully as she could. The only noise was her heavy breathing, along with the occasional squeaky whimper of pain. Her legs shook underneath her as she pulled the last of the them off, dropping them to the floor in a messy heap.

“Fuck…” She breathed, placing both of her forehooves on the sink. Her shoulders rose and fell with her desperate panting as she looked herself in the mirror. Anypony who was watching her could be fooled into thinking that she was about to give birth, though she was far too thin for that.

With a laboured groan, Sky closed her eyes and extended her bad wing.

Rat stuffed a hoof in his mouth to stop himself from gasping. He’d thought it was broken, certainly, but this was something else entirely. It was practically mangled. Eight huge puncture wounds, so big that some of her bone structure was visible through the torn bloodstained feathers. How Sky was still alive with that thing, Rat couldn’t possibly imagine. Each wound looked like it had necrotised slightly, and all of them were dribbling a little trickle of blood onto the floor. The little white pony waited until she’d extended it all the way before finally opening her eyes again.

“Argh...fucking thing…” She grunted, turning side-on so that she could run her wing under the tap. The water washed most of the blood away, though Sky was shaking more wildly than ever, squeezing her eyes shut and whimpering. She was in a great deal of pain. By the looks of it, giving birth would be preferable to this.

Sky worked hard to clean herself off, doing her best to ignore the stinging sensation. She whimpered louder as the cold water hit her damaged nerve endings, a few tears running down her cheeks out of pure reflex. In time, however, she managed to clean out each and every one of the wounds, folding her wing in again and pulling some bandages out of her saddlebag.

“You’re...you’re the worst burglar ever…” She said, her voice only a little louder than a whisper.

“How’d you know I was there?” Rat asked quietly, pulling the door open and leaning against the doorway.

Sky glanced up at him for a moment in surprise before cracking a little smile. “You’re as subtle as Celestia’s ass after too much cake.” She extended and retracted both of her wings experimentally. “Ha...happy now?”

“Yeah, that kinda satisfied my curiosity.” Rat looked away from her bad wing in disgust. “That doesn’t look like it was an accident, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, well if we can get my name cleared, it won’t be a problem for much longer.” Sky shrugged, pulling a roll of bandages out of her saddlebag. She held onto the end, tossing the roll over to Rat. “Here, cop this.”

Rat caught the roll of bandages in his mouth as Sky began to wind them around her wing.

“Besides, it’s okay! This thing only hurts if I push it too hard, plus it got me off of work for a couple of weeks while I recovered. Gotta love holidays, huh?” She carried on, reeling him in a little more with every moment.

“ ‘m...no’ ‘n ‘rouble, ‘m I?” Rat mumbled through the bandages.

“Trouble, you? Nah, you’re all right, sweetie. Just...you know...keep your muzzle out of this shit in future, okay? You look pretty ill after seeing that.” Sky giggled, winding layer upon layer around her wing until the wounds were completely unnoticeable. Finally, she yanked the roll out of Rat’s mouth, drawing him close and giving him a peck on the lips. “Nopony should have to see that, should they?”

“Asking a burglar to keep out of your business?” He chuckled quietly, not pulling away. “How many times has that worked for you, huh?”

“Well, I can always distract you, instead.” Sky whispered quietly, putting a hoof on his cheek and fluttering her eyelashes. “You know, give you somewhere else to stick your muzzle, hmm?”

“Sky...you know I’m gonna find out sooner or later, right?” Rat smirked, putting his forehooves on her shoulders and giving them a squeeze.

“Then let’s make it later.” She smiled softly, cocking her head. “Right now, I’d settle for just having a little fun.”

Rat rolled his eyes, giving her a soft kiss. “Fine, but then we’re gonna have a talk, all right?”

“Deal.” Sky giggled, grabbing his cloak and pulling him into a cubicle.

I guess I’m just gonna have to wear you out until you forget to ask about it again, then… Sky thought to herself, crossing her wings behind her back.

* * *

Two young ponies in hooded cloaks trotted through Central Park towards a drop point. There was no specific drop point, you understand, just wherever the two happened to meet. Each had a plan, a message and a present for the other.

The two of them finally met by a large fountain. This part of the park felt a world away from any of the hustle and bustle of the city, and the water glowed a bright blue in the relative darkness. This was a magical little place, a sanctuary of quiet and peace at the centre of this monstrous metropolis. However, while the two ponies could certainly appreciate the aesthetics, they each had a very important task to do.

Shadow was the first to draw back her hood, her face illuminated by the blue light.

“That’s you, isn’t it?” She said as grumpily as possible.

“Yeah.” Fox nodded, pulling his own hood back. “Yeah, it’s me. I came to sort something out with you, I guess.”

“Yeah, well, me too.” Shadow nodded, clambering onto the edge of the fountain and looking down into the illuminated coin-filled depths.

Fox hopped up next to her, fidgeting slightly.

“Ever been drowned, conehead?” Shadow asked casually.

“No?”

“If you don’t wanna find out what it’s like, take that fucking hoof off of my back right now.” Shadow growled.

Fox did as he was told, whimpering. “I’m sorry, Shadow. I’m just a bit messed up right now, that’s all.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Shadow sighed. “Okay Fox, I’ll level with you. I got you something, and I think you ought to see it.”

“Well, okay. Um...I actually got something for you as well...you know...during the chase.” Fox shuffled uncomfortably. “Er...that’s where I disappeared off to for a little while…”

“Oh?” Shadow blinked, before shaking her head. “Um, well, okay then I guess. I mean, we’re all safe, right?”

“Right.” Fox nodded. “So...do you wanna show me what you got first, or…?”

“Um...yeah, sure!” Shadow smiled a little. “Unless you wanna show me what you got first instead.”

“Well, we can...we can do it together, if you’d like!” Fox offered.

Shadow glared at him, grabbing him by the mane and slowly pushing his head down towards the water.

“No! I didn’t mean it that way! I mean, show each other what we got!” Fox yelped.

“Oh, right…” Shadow let him go, flapping her wings irritably. “Well...uh…yeah…so...at the same time, right?”

“Right!”

Shadow bit her lip. She hadn’t really had much of a plan besides “throw the flowers at him and run for it” anyway, and if they did it this way, she’d be able to run off with whatever he gave her as well! This was actually sounding like a pretty solid idea to the young mare, and she flashed Fox a friendly smile.

“Sure!” She said slyly. “On three, okay?”

“Okay.” Fox nodded.

The two ponies reached into their saddlebags, maintaining eye contact as they faced off like two outlaws in the Wild West.

“One…”

Shadow grasped the flowers, gritting her teeth as if she was about to commit murder.

“Two…”

Fox looked equally tense, his ears splaying back. He kept his gaze locked with hers, however. Shadow could feel her cheeks growing warm again.

“Three!”

The two ponies drew at the same time. Shadow lobbed the bouquet into Fox’s face.

“HA! THAT’S FOR YOU, SWEETIE PIE...I mean...ASSHOLE! See ya!” She giggled, snatching Fox’s present out of his hoof and galloping off before he could properly react. The little colt was left there with a bunch of pretty orange flowers shoved over his muzzle, giving only the tiniest of tiny little squees.

Shadow spread her wings, taking off and launching herself into the air. She didn’t stop until she was absolutely certain that she’d gotten away, satisfied that Fox was too confused to offer any kind of pursuit. She circled the park a couple of times before coming in to land atop a promising tree that hid her from observation down below.

That was too easy. He was so fucked in the head to start with, and I bet that “sweetie pie” line completely messed him up! Shadow giggled, fluttering her wings excitedly. It had gone completely to plan, just as Sky had said it would.

I guess I misjudged her. She really was telling the truth after all! Shadow mused, laying back on a branch and looking up at the stars.

“Now, let’s see what I got from Fox.” Grinned Shadow, pulling out his present to her with a cheeky little giggle.

Her face fell and her ears flicked back when she saw that Fox had gotten her.

It was a bunch of very nice roses. There was a tiny little card hanging off of it. Shadow cringed at it, flicking it open as if she expected it to explode.

Dear Shadow,

I saw these and I thought of you! They’re all thorny and they hurt when you touch them, but they’re pretty and nice if you can get past that! I know that you’re like that, too, even if you don’t want to admit it. Have a nice day!

Shadow regarded the card with abject terror, especially considering how many words appear to have been scribbled out at the foot of the card before he finally settled on “Regards, Fox.” She didn’t even want to know what he’d written there before.

The filly lay back on the branch, resting the bunch of roses on her chest. What the hell were you even supposed to say in a situation like this?

“Fuck.”

Captain Charisma

Stronghooves flicked on the lightswitch and stepped into his bedroom.

It wasn’t a small affair. With Stronghooves’s station came enough money that he was able to live comfortably, and his bedroom was of a fair size, with a double bed, soft silk sheets, some nice curtains and a few chests of drawers littered around the room. He pulled his armour off, strapping it onto a mannequin and putting his sword back on the weapon rack. That breastplate was so banged up that it barely fit him, anyway.

“Hey, nice place you’ve got here!” Shield chuckled. He was already a little tipsy from earlier, but Shield was, in fairness, a happy drunk.

“Yeah, I’ve managed to keep it...well…kind of tidy, anyway?” Stronghooves smiled uneasily, flopping onto his back on the bed. “Argh...damn it, Shield. Why did I agree to take Daybreak out on a date? What the hell are you supposed to do with another pony? Like, what should I wear? Where shall we go?” He gave an uncharacteristically high-pitched squeak. “What do I say?”

He glanced over at his second-in-command. Shield was giggling like a schoolfilly.

“What?” Stronghooves asked, cocking his head with his hooves in the air.

“You...you...this is your first date ever, isn’t it?” Shield laughed, trying to control himself.

“Ye...well..maybe it is! So?” Stronghooves replied defensively, rolling onto his front.

“Okay, okay…” Shield smiled, holding his hooves up. “Don’t worry pal, there’s no shame in it. Your new buddy Shield’s gonna talk you through how to make mares like you.”

“Ri...right.” Stronghooves frowned. “And you’ve been on a few yourself, have you?”

“Sure! Why not?” Shield beamed, settling down onto the bed next to Stronghooves. “Now, here’s what you do if you wanna get your hooves on a mare’s flanks…”

“I don’t just want to get laid, Shield. I kind of...want her to...like me…” The Captain trailed off, looking down at his forehooves bashfully.

“That’s what I said.” Shield carried on without missing a beat. “So if you want to make a mare happy, you’ve gotta show her a little compassion. Let her know you’ve got a fun side. Do something crazy but endearing. Also, just...don’t talk about your family, okay? That situation’s completely fucked.”

“So...show her a fun time?” The stallion cocked his head again. “I...think I can do that, yeah…”

“Now, since this is your first time, stick to the classics. Take her out to dinner, then round the park or something.” Shield smiled sagely, patting his friend on the shoulder. “Then walk her home like a perfect gentlecolt, you know?”

“Well, that’s pretty straightforward. I guess it’s just a matter of making sure I don’t say something stupid.” Stronghooves chuckled weakly. “I don’t suppose you have any advice for that, o great dating guru?”

“You being sarcastic with me?” Shield nudged. “Hmm...well, don’t talk about her ass, even if it is damn fine.”

“You’re checking her out yourself, aren’t you?”

“Hey, just examining her to make sure nothing’s out of place, that’s all!” Shield grinned, not meeting Stronghooves’s gaze.

“Yeah, sure. Go on?”

“Wha...oh, yeah! Well, okay, so we’ve covered not talking about her ass. Say something sweet, instead. Like, “oh Daybreak, you’ve got a cute nose,” or “Daybreak, you’re really funny.” Just nice stuff like that. Just remember to not say anything like “oh Daybreak, of all the mares I’ve fucked to get out of prison, you’re really up there.” Trust me, that’s like a fast track to getting your ass dumped.”

“Yeah, that’s...um...that’s pretty straightforward. I think I can handle that.” Stronghooves nodded. “What happens if I do screw up?”

“Pfft! You won’t! You’ve got this, buddy! She totally wants you!” Shield laughed, punching Stronghooves in the shoulder.

“How do you figure?”

“Well, she shagged you and gave you her address. That’s a good start if you ask me.” He snickered. “You want more than that? She smiles at you and reckons you’re a family stallion. Trust me, mares dig that. I mean, if she thinks you’re an awesome brother, imagine what kind of dad she thinks you could be!”

“Wait, dad?” Stronghooves yelped. “I...um...I don’t know if I’m ready for that kind of commitment. I...I mean...I just met her today…”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about that right now, champ.” Shield waved a hoof dismissively. “It’s, like, one of those subconscious things they take about in all of those dating magazines, like body language and stuff, you know?”

“What, so she thinks I’ll make a good dad and that’s why she’s interested?” Stronghooves cocked his head.

“Well, that’s part of it. She definitely thinks you’re hot. I mean, she already thinks you’d be a good mate, but that’s one of those subtle-ass subconscious things that goes through her mind as she checks you out. Trust me, I’m good at this shit!”

“How many marefriends have you had before?” Stronghooves narrowed his eyes.

“Three.” Shield answered. “And that’s three more than you’ve had up until now, so pay attention. All you’ve gotta do is be sweet, kind, gentle, compliment everything about her that’s not her back half and don’t mention your fucked-up family. Got it?”

“Right…” Stronghooves conceded. Shield was, in fairness, right. “And be funny?”

“Yeah! You know, tell a joke, have a laugh, come up with something spontaneous and exciting to do! Trust me, mares love that, too.”

“She did say I should do something spontaneous…” Stronghooves tapped a hoof to his chin, thinking.

“Well then, you can start by spontaneously taking a bloody shower. You’ve been in a prison cell for half the fucking day and unconscious on a train track for the rest of it, so you’d better clean your ass up.” Shield growled, smacking his flank. “You’d better believe she’s gonna be making herself look great for tonight, so you’d better pull your hoof out as well, mate!”

“What, is this a contest?” Stronghooves cricked his neck, stretching as he got to his hooves and trotted into the bathroom.

“Yup!” Shield said brightly, pulling a black jacket and a nice shirt out of the chest of drawers and tossing them in after him. “She’s gonna be looking her best, so you’ve gotta put in the effort, too! That means dressing up, sorting out your mane, looking like you take care of your appearance!”

“Huh...feels like my first day at the Guard Academy!” Stronghooves chuckled, turning on the shower.

“Nah, it’s worse than that. See, this isn’t some drill sergeant who’s gonna be looking you up and down and they’ll tell you if you fucked up. This is a mare we’re talking about! She’s gonna be watching everything you say and do, and you’ve gotta knock her on her ass with that first impression you give her or you’re fucked, mate!”

“Well...wha...what happens if she’s really pretty and...and I get...you know…”

“Hard?”

“No! I mean, flu...flustered, I guess…”

“You’re really new at this, aren’t you?”

“Now you sound like my sister…”

“Okay, listen here. If you knock on her door and she comes out looking like she was carved by the Princesses out of pure solid sexy, you’d better damn well tell her.”

“But...you said I wasn’t supposed to talk to her about her...you know...back half…”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, mate! There’s more to telling a mare she looks good than complimenting her ass!” Shield laughed. “Come on, if she opens that door and she looks like an angel had sex with Miss Equestria and she’s the bloody product, say something nice. Just tell her that she’s the prettiest damn thing in the world!” He took a pull from his hip flask before pushing it back into his saddlebag. “And if you look good yourself, maybe she’ll be lost for words. If she is, sweep her off of her fucking hooves and give her a nuzzle!”

“I’m...not exactly the kind of guy who does that on a first date…” Stronghooves smiled uneasily, shampooing his mane.

“You’re not the kind of guy who does anything on a first date!” Shield rolled his eyes, waiting patiently by the bathroom door. “Besides, you fucked her, what, ten minutes after you met? I think it’s okay to break social conventions now, mate!”

“Well...I suppose she kind of made her feelings for me clear, didn’t she?” He chuckled, washing the shampoo out and turning the shower off.

“Damn right. Now, here’s what you wanna do as far as your appearance goes. First, try and brush your mane and tail so it looks nice. You’re kind of an action stallion, so you wanna embrace the windswept look. Put on a nice suit so it looks like you give a shit about your appearance, too. It looks good and kinda gives the impression that you can go on adventures and stay sexy at the same time.”

“You sure you got this all from your own dating experience?” Stronghooves asked, as he gave his mane and tail a half-hearted brush and pulled the shirt on.

“Yeah, but I’ve got it from the best kind of experience you can get, too. Here’s the golden fucking rule, Hoovesie. Listen to her. Get her to tell her everything about herself. Ask her about her hopes, her dreams, what she likes, what she doesn’t like. Be a good fucking listener!”

“Because it’s sweet and endearing and mares like that sort of thing?”

“Nah, because I can tell already that you’re gonna trip over your words like a newborn foal with their own damn legs.” Shield laughed. “Besides, being a good listener’s important no matter what you do with your life.”

“Oh. Thanks for the vote of confidence, I guess.” Stronghooves stepped out in his jacket and shirt, all cleaned up. “How do I look?”

Shield smiled, putting a hoof on his new friend’s shoulder. “Like a winner. Now go get her, Hoovesie.”

“Call me that one more time and your performance review’s coming three months early, Inspector.” Stronghooves chuckled. “But thank you. That really does mean a lot. What are you going to do?”

“Me? I’m going the fuck to bed. You’ve had me awake since midnight last night and I’m fucking knackered, mate.” He yawned, taking one more pull from his hip flask and trotting downstairs to the door. “Tell me how it goes though, okay?”

“Okay.” Stronghooves smiled, trotting to the top of the stairs. “Hey, Shield?”

“Yeah?” The stallion looked over his shoulder with a tired grin.

“Thanks for being there for me. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”

“I’m the only friend you’ve ever had.” Shield chuckled, looking at his hooves. “And you’re the only one I’ve had, too. Now come on, you don’t wanna keep your marefriend waiting.”

Stronghooves grinned, very nearly skipping down the steps and locking his door behind them. “Oh, wait, what if I screw up? Like, bad?”

“You won’t, mate. You’re a nice guy and you’ve got a good heart in that chest of yours, and it’s not because of any super-power magic bullshit, either. Now stop worrying, stop pussying about and go get yourself a fucking kiss.”

And with that, Shield trotted off down the street, back towards his house.

Stupid prat…

* * *

Stronghooves hit Daybreak’s doorbell and waited in quiet panic. He could already feel the panic creeping in, wondering if he’d pressed it too hard, or if she’d heard him or not. Of course, then there was the question of what would happen if he pressed it again. Would she get irritated that he was being too clingy or impatient? What if she really had forgotten?

“Just a minute!” She called from an upstairs window. “I’ll be right down!”

Well, that answers that.

A few moments later, Daybreak opened her front door, and Stronghooves’s jaw dropped. She was wearing a dark blue dress that only reached halfway down her legs, her mane done up in a ponytail behind her head. She was wearing her combat horseshoes, too. That was certainly unexpected.

“You...wow...you look…” He stammered. “You look...um…”

“Yeah…” Daybreak nodded, her mouth hanging open. “Er...you too…”

Stronghooves stepped up onto Daybreak’s porch, giving her cheek a nervous little nuzzle. “So...um...are you ready to go?”

“I...I’m ready to g...go…yeah.” Daybreak chuckled weakly. “So, where were you thinking?”

“Well…” Stronghooves tapped a hoof to his chin, frowning. “Shield was...I mean, I was thinking about...dinner...maybe?” He stared at her with the hopeful expression of a foal who was anxiously hoping that they’d gotten the answer right.

“Sure.” Daybreak grinned. “Come on, I know this great place a couple of blocks over where you can get great pony steak.”

“Oh, that sounds grea...wait, what?” Stronghooves paled, his eyes widening in shock. “Um...did you say what I think you just said?”

“Yeah! It’s a nice little griffon place. Trust me, when you get over how tough earth pony meat is, you’ll love it.” She winked.

There was a moment of awkward silence, and then Daybreak burst out laughing.

“You’re too easy!” She giggled, punching Stronghooves in the shoulder. “What the hell do you take me for, some kind of cannibal?”

“Damn it, Daybreak!” Stronghooves blushed hotly, chuckling and relaxing a little. “I was going to say, I might reconsider sleeping with you if I thought I was going to wake up missing a leg in the morning.”

“Well well well, somepony’s optimistic.” Daybreak giggled. “We haven’t even started our little date yet and you’re already talking about taking me home.”

“I...erm…” Stronghooves blanched. “I...didn’t mean it like that, I was just…”

“I know, Hoovesie. I was just teasing.” Daybreak waved a hoof dismissively. “Just relax, okay? I promise I’m not gonna bite. Take it easy and try and kick back tonight. Have a little downtime, you know?”

Stronghooves gave her a blank look.

“You don’t really do the downtime thing, do you?” Daybreak deadpanned.

“Well...not as much as I probably should…” He admitted with a nervous chuckle.

The earth pony rolled her eyes, taking his hoof in hers.

“Come on, silly. I think you’re long overdue for some fun.”

* * *

The two ponies ventured out into the city in relative silence, each a little too apprehensive to initiate conversation. They passed the park with the big old oak tree atop its hill, crossed a little stone bridge that spanned an urban stream and journeyed into the stretch of the city that bordered the rich and middle districts. This was where all of the very fanciest restaurants were, and though Stronghooves could feel his wallet hurting already, he was undeniably excited. This was the sort of thing that simply didn’t happen to him. Usually he was too engrossed in his work to go out and meet ponies, and today he’d gone and made his first friend and gotten a date!

Now don’t screw it up…

Stronghooves didn’t exactly know what to say in a situation like this, glancing across at his partner every so often as they trotted down the street. Every time she’d turn her head and return his gaze, he’d look down and go bright pink until she looked away again. Daybreak almost seemed to be making a game of testing his reflexes. If anypony else had started playing with his nerves like that, Stronghooves might have been reproachful. Her, though…

Finally, the two of them found their way to a quaint little restaurant on the edge of the High District called Enfoncer Cher. Exchanging a look for the first time since they’d set off, the two soldiers smiled and stepped inside. Stronghooves, ever the gentlecolt, let her go first, and together they sat down at a little booth at the back of the eatery.

“So, how about we get this interrogation started, huh?” Daybreak grinned. “I guess by now I’ve worked out that you’re kinda all about your work, but what do you do for fun?”

“Fun? Erm...well, I mean...I like to exercise and...and hang out and stuff…” Stronghooves said, fiddling with his forehooves a little. “Oh, and I guess I like pony watching, too. It’s kind of nice to look at everypony in the city and try to work them out with nothing but a glance.”

“Oh, I love pony watching!” Daybreak nodded enthusiastically. “Especially zebras! They’ve got such exotic cutie marks. I kinda like making a game out of looking at ponies and guessing what their special talents are.”

“That must be pretty tricky.” Stronghooves chuckled. “Some of them have pretty obvious cutie marks, but others are a bit more...well...abstract.”

“Yeah.” She beamed. “Take mine, for example. You wouldn’t exactly know what my cutie mark even means, huh?” She shifted in her seat, pulling her dress up and uncovering her flank. Stronghooves blushed again, cocking his head as he gazed at her.

“It’s a rising sun.” He frowned. “Something tells me that you’re not exactly Princess Celestia’s sidekick, though.”

“Yeah, exactly.” Daybreak shrugged, letting the light material fall over her flank again. “It took me forever to work out why the hell I had it, but then it hit me.”

“Because you’re as hot as the sun?” Stronghooves blurted out without thinking.

Daybreak giggled, giving him a gentle kick under the table. “Silly colt.” She stuck her tongue out.

“Sorry, sorry…” He snickered a little, holding his hooves up and avoiding her gaze. “What does it mean, then?”

“It means that my special talent is bringing light into other ponies’ lives when they need it most.” Daybreak shrugged, smirking at her newfound partner knowingly. “Like you said, kind of abstract.”

“And you joined the military?”

“Sure did! Morale officer, and then I got bumped up to chaplain. Ponies in the military have to deal with a lot of heavy shit sometimes, so I joined up to...I dunno...make things all right.” She shrugged. “I like to think I’m good at bringing a smile to ponies’ faces.”

“You certainly bring a smile to mine.” Stronghooves chuckled. “You know, I hadn’t expected to meet a guard with such a...sweetness about her, especially not on cell-block duty.”

“Yeah, well I figured I needed a break.” Daybreak blushed. “I got pretty fucking short with Silver Tongue hitting on me, so I made some adjustments to my duty schedule so I could hang out in the cell blocks for a while instead.”

“Wait, he was hitting on you?” Stronghooves asked, aghast. “What an asshole!”

“Tell me about it.” She rolled her eyes. “Trust me, he’s the most inappropriately-named pony in the whole damn world. Oh Celestia...the pickup lines…” She hid her head in her hooves, shoulders shaking as she suppressed embarrassed giggles.

“Pickup lines? Well now I’ve got to know what he said.” Stronghooves gave a little smile, compelled by curiosity.

“Really?” Daybreak peeked through her hooves.

“Hey, you brought it up! No getting out of it now!”

“Fine.” The mare huffed. “He tried to pull me into the closet so that he could show me how he got his name. Wanted me to meet…” She gritted her teeth, “...’Little Silver.’”

Stronghooves’s jaw dropped again, and the two ponies locked eyes for a good half a minute, staring in silence. After a time, the Captain of the Guard couldn’t contain himself anymore, trying to hide his muzzle behind his heavy hoof as he giggled. “That’s...that’s terrible!”

“I know, right?” Daybreak sat back exhaustedly. “Then he mentioned that he was getting married in a week and wanted one more big fling before retiring ‘Little Silver.’” She shook her head like a veteran recalling the time his entire unit had been wiped out, shuddering. “I told him that I was used to taking jokes, but this was ridiculous.”

Stronghooves had completely lost it by this point, closing his eyes and laughing out loud. “Oh da...damn it….what did he do next?”

“Offered me a job as his secretary.” She was giggling now, too. “You’ve gotta hand it to him. He was pretty persistent!”

“I think it was him trying to hand it to you.” Stronghooves pointed out.

“Yeah, and I wasn’t taking it.” Daybreak grinned. “I told him I was about to start prisoner watch, so he got all serious and told me that yeah, I should go do that. Still, he told me not to run too far…”

“And the very next pony you ran into couldn’t stop flirting with you, either.” Stronghooves looked down at his hooves. “Um...sorry about that.”

“Eh, don’t be. It’s cute when you do it.” Daybreak took the silly stallion’s forehoof, patting it and beaming. “Besides, you haven’t tried any pickup lines yet. You’re far too earnest for that.”

“Well, I guess I’d rather be nervous than...well…that.” Stronghooves sighed. “Thanks, Daybreak. I needed that.”

“Told you I could bring a smile to anypony’s face!” She winked.

“You should go into standup. Forget that military mess.” Stronghooves chuckled. “Besides, I don’t much like the idea of you getting hurt.”

“Yeah, well as long as I’m a super-soldier who can take a hit from anything short of a damn train, I think I’ll be fine.” Daybreak squeezed his hoof. “Don’t worry about me, sweetheart. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”

“You really are something special, you know that?” Stronghooves sighed. “I’ve known a lot of mares in the guard, but you’re the strongest I’ve ever met.”

“That’d be the super-soldier enhancements.” Daybreak stuck her tongue out again. “But thanks, Hoovesie. I never would have thought somepony as sweet as you could get to be Captain of the Royal Guard.”

“What can I say? I’ve worked my whole life to keep ponies safe.” Stronghooves said bashfully. “You’ve got your special talent, and it’s making ponies happy. This one’s mine.” He gave an uneasy chuckle, mindful of Shield’s advice about not bringing up his family.

“Yeah, how’d you get your cutie mark, anyway?” Daybreak asked, cocking her head. “You must have a good story about that, right?”

Uh-oh… Thought Stronghooves. Well...let’s see if we can play this off…

“Well...I suppose it’s a sad story with a happy ending, if you like.” He shrugged. “When I was about thirteen, I came across this filly, and she was being shouted at by her dad. It was something about her school performance or the like, I can’t remember.”

“Oh boy…” Daybreak frowned, nodding. She had a fair idea of where this was going.

“Yeah, he was quite a character.” Stronghooves chuckled. “She was trying to run for it, but he caught her before she even got moving, and he started beating her. Well, I couldn’t allow that, so I stepped in and pulled her out of his grip. Told him to back off.”

“That’s pretty brave of you.” Daybreak admitted. “A thirteen year-old facing down a fully grown stallion? What the hell happened then?”

“Well, we got into a fight and I got my arse handed to me.” Stronghooves shrugged. “I kept the filly safe, and she was pretty damn grateful. When I came to, I had my cutie mark, and I guess I realised what I was here to do.” He smiled fondly. “Nice kid, too. I kept taking care of her for a few years after that.”

“Guess you were her hero, weren’t you?” Daybreak smiled. “Still keep in contact with her today?”

“Sometimes. Not as much as I’d like.” Stronghooves shook his head. “What about you? How’d you get yours?”

“Oh, this?” Daybreak waved a hoof dismissively. “Well, it’s not exactly heroic or exciting like yours, but it’s pretty nice, I guess.”

Stronghooves perked his ears and smiled, letting her know that she had his full, undivided attention.

There we go! Be a good listener, just like Shield said.

Daybreak stared at him for a moment before cracking another smile. “Well, you wouldn’t know it to look at her right now, but my sister wasn’t always the healthiest little pony. She was allergic to all sorts of stuff when she was growing up. We couldn’t run across a field without her sneezing and coughing by the time we’d reached the other side. She felt all right when she was allowed to fly up high, but...well...no wings.” Daybreak glanced back at her shoulders. “She got so upset whenever we couldn’t hang out, so she kinda...weathered the storm for me.”

“And she pushed herself over the edge one day?” Stronghooves asked. He couldn’t remember having a lot of trouble with Sky’s flying after he’d learned the cloudwalking spell.

“Bingo.” Daybreak nodded. “She got really sick, and I stayed at her bedside all through the night because the doctor said she probably wasn’t going to make it.”

“That’s dedicated of you.” Stronghooves smiled fondly. “And she did make it, right?”

“Well, duh!” Daybreak giggled. “She stayed up while I kept her company! We played games and talked about...well…everything, and when she finally fell asleep I tucked her in and stayed awake for as long as I could to keep watch over her.”

“I guess you must’ve been quite young back then.”

“Damn right. We were only fillies, and I guess I must’ve passed out at some point before morning, because I remember waking up just as the sun was coming up.” Daybreak’s smile grew softer as she recalled the memory. “The doctor was there, trying not to wake me as he took Seafire’s temperature, and he told mum and dad that she was gonna be okay. When I jumped up and hugged him, I had my cutie mark.”

“That’s the sweetest story I’ve heard in a long time.” Stronghooves smiled, taking both of Daybreak’s hooves in his own and looking deep into her eyes. “You’re a great sister and a wonderful pony. I imagine you performed exceptionally as a morale officer, too.”

“Well thanks, Hoovesie. That means a lot.” Daybreak smiled. “Hey, you know something?”

“Hmm?”

“You seem a lot less nervous all of a sudden.”

“Well...I guess that’s what sitting down and talking does, huh?” Stronghooves chuckled.

“Yeah...look, Hoovesie, I’m sorry if I come on a little strong. I didn’t mean to make you all blushy and nervous.” Daybreak sighed. “But you’ve gotta admit, you’re cute when you get like that.”

“I thought I said I wasn’t exactly the ‘cute’ type…”

“Not intentionally, anyway.” Daybreak smirked.

Stronghooves sighed, blowing his mane out of his face. This was going to be an interesting night after all.

* * *

Two sets of hooves clip-clopped over the cobblestone as Stronghooves walked with Daybreak down the road. They paid no heed to the time of night, only vaguely aware that midnight had long since come and gone. It didn’t matter. Stronghooves was having far too much fun with that mare to even check the palace clocktower.

“Come on, you’ll like this.” He beamed, trotting up to the wrought-iron gates to the city park. His horn glowed bright blue, unlocking the padlock keeping the gates sealed. With a loud creak, he pulled them aside, holding the gate for Daybreak.

“I guess having access to everywhere in the city comes in handy, huh?” Daybreak’s amber eyes glinted in the moonlight as she passed him, trotting into the park and looking around. A monstrous oak tree sat atop a hill at the centre, looming over both the park and the better part of the district. It was massive, seemingly possessing a magic all its own, and Daybreak felt herself drawn to it. As Stronghooves closed the gates behind them, she took his hoof and began the ascent.

“You know, even when I was stationed here with the rest of my unit, I didn’t really come here.” She admitted. “I always wanted to, though. It always looked beautiful as hell.”

“You should see it in spring when all of the flowers are out. It’s like a great big rainbow.” Stronghooves grinned. “You’d be surprised at the lengths I went to to have my patrol route come through here back when I was a lance-constable.”

“I can imagine.” Daybreak sighed happily as the two of them climbed the hill in near-darkness.

The way the moonlight filtered through the leaves bathed them both in a strange silver-green light, their eyes illuminated from the magic flowing through their veins. In spite of their enhancements and their physical fitness, both ponies found themselves panting a little by the time they finally crested the hill, curling up between two large black roots.

“I had a lot of fun tonight, Hoovesie.” Daybreak admitted after a short contemplative silence.

“Yeah, me too.” He replied, absently stroking down her spine with a hoof. “Not bad for a first date, huh?”

“I’ve had worse.” The mare giggled quietly, rubbing her cheek against his. The way the light caught the tree trunk at this angle illuminated a thousand little carvings in the bark, the marks left by all manner of couples. Some had been burned into the wood by magic, others still etched by talons, but there was one in particular that caught the soldier’s eye.

“Hey, Hoovesie?”

“Hmm?”

“Who’s “Shadow?””

There was a very long silence, and Daybreak could have sworn that she could feel the air growing a little colder. Stronghooves didn’t speak for a while, though she could hear him breathing faster, more heavily.

“Why?” He asked, after a while.

“Check it out.” Daybreak got to her hooves, pointing out one of the little etched hearts in the tree bark. Stronghooves got up as well, horn flaring as he read the inscription.

“SKY + SHADOW 4EVER”

It was the absolute worst hoofwriting that either of them had ever seen, but it was undeniably legible.

“Oh.” Stronghooves said simply, his voice a hair’s breadth above a whisper.

“That’s your sister’s name, right? Sky Runner the big infamous burglar?” Daybreak cocked her head. “Who the hell is Shadow, then?”

“That is...well, was...her partner.” Stronghooves shrugged, bowing his head. “Well...she was more than that, but that’s not important right now. Can we not go into my family right now? I’m kind of having too good a time to want to venture into that tangled mess again.”

Daybreak hesitated, frowning. “But...what do you mean, ‘was?’ What happened with those two?”

Stronghooves sighed.

“The answer to that,” he said, putting a hoof on Daybreak’s shoulder, “is incredibly complicated.”

Author's Note

Chapter 34! You have NO idea how much I wanted to put a gratuitous sex scene in here, maybe even between Stronghooves and Shield, just to confuse people. Ah well.

The Celestialand Job

“I look like a twat.”

“You sure do!” Rat agreed, chuckling. “If it makes you feel any better, this fake moustache is tickling my nose like mad.”

Sky sighed, adjusting her bonnet and glaring at Rat. “I’m not convinced that mares in Manehattan dress like this...like...ever.”

“Yeah, well you’re not from Manehattan, so you wouldn’t know.” Rat shrugged, sticking his tongue out. “Now get in character. You’re supposed to be my loving wife and we’re taking our kids to Celestialand, got it?”

“Right.” Sky sighed, looking at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a long blonde wig and a dress that looked like it was meant for somepony about to go into labour. With her cloak and padded armour stuffed under it, she looked like a winning candidate for the round-Equestria dumpiest mare competition. The bonnet she was wearing to top it all off was the icing on the cake, looking more like something that ponies from two hundred years ago would consider fashionable.

What a mess...the colour doesn’t go with my mane at all...not even my fake one! What the hell is he playing at?

Sky banished the thoughts from her head, lest Rat suddenly reveal that he had some kind of mind-reading spell and could hear her bitching over the colour of her ridiculous disguise.

“Well, I guess I can make it work.” She sighed. “That just leaves the kids.” She glanced over her shoulder at a bush, out of which poked a pair of very big blue wings.

“I’m not coming out!” Shadow barked from the innards of the bush.

“Is this still about what happened last night?” Sky inquired, approaching the bush as if it were a Bengal Tiger. In fairness, Shadow was just as likely to bite when she got like this.

“Wh...what about last night? Nothing happened last night! What did he tell you?” The young mare growled. As Sky peered into the bush, her gaze met a very grumpy pair of bright green eyes.

“Well obviously something happened.” Sky shrugged. “Did you give him flowers like I said?”

“Well...yeah…”

“So what’s the problem?”

“Well...see...he got me flowers, too…”

“Oh.” Sky frowned, thinking for a moment as she concocted another dastardly scheme. “Well, lucky for you I had a super-special backup plan just in case this happened!”

“You...did?” Two fluffy blue ears poked out of the bush as Shadow peered up at her suspiciously.

“Yeah! Like I said, I’m a professional!” Sky waved a hoof dismissively. “Now, you ready for this one?”

“O...kay?”

“Right, so what you wanna do is this. He’s given you flowers and you’ve given him flowers, so instead of being confused, he thinks you’re attracted to him as well.” Sky began.

The filly groaned from within the foliage.

“Yeah, I know, but stay calm, sweetie. I’ve totally planned for this.” Sky smiled sympathetically. “So what you wanna do now is shoot him down before he gets too attached, all the while holding onto your mystique and awesomeness, right?”

“Yeah...and...you know how to do that?” Shadow cocked her head, still a little enthralled by disbelief.

“Sis, trust me. I’ve gotten out of so many relationships in my time. You’ve been there for some of them! You know that I know what I’m talking about!”

“Well...yeah, okay!” Shadow nodded, brightening up. “So what’s the plan?”

“Okay, so you’ve gotta get him alone, first off.” Sky grinned. “Somewhere quiet and nice where it’s just the two of you. Trust me, you don’t be an asshole and shoot a stallion down in front of other ponies. It really hurts their pride.”

“Yeah, I wanna stop him looking at me like that. I don’t wanna fuck him up too badly.” Shadow shook her head with a rustling of leaves.

“Exactly! You’re not a complete bitch. I raised you better than that.” Sky tussled her sister’s mane. “So get him alone, but make it look like you wanna spend time with him, get to know him, you know?”

“And this gets me out of this...how?” Shadow raised her eyebrows, unconvinced.

“Well, you get some time to get him relaxed and at ease to soften the blow, plus you get to keep being friends with him. Hell, if he says something personal, he might even give you some blackmail material for later!” Sky beamed innocently.

“So...spend some time with him, ask him about himself, stuff like that?” Shadow asked.

“Yep! Maybe even do something fun together, like take a walk, go on a ride…”

”Sis!”

“I meant a ride at the theme park, stupid!” Sky pouted. “What is it with you, lately? Anypony would think that that was a Freudian Slip…”

“A Fred-what?” Shadow cocked her head.

“Nothing!” Sky giggled. “Now, do you think you could handle shooting him down like that?”

“Spend some time with him, have some fun, then shoot him down when he’s all relaxed and happy?” Shadow scratched the back of her head, frowning. “Ye...yeah, I can do that...only…”

“Hmm?”

“What if he gets all upset because I blew him out of the water?”

“Well, he’s fourteen. I’m sure he’ll get over it. He’s got his whole life ahead of him, same as you.” Sky shrugged.

Shadow made a slightly irritated noise from inside her bush. Sky did her best to hide a smirk. It was very much a “he’ll never do better than me” kind of noise.

“You can do it, sweetie.” Sky smiled softly, reaching into the bush with a forehoof. Shadow took it in her own, smiling up at her through the branches.

“Yeah...I guess I can.” She whispered. “Tha...thanks, sis.”

“Don’t worry about it. Now how about you come out of there and show everypony your disguise?”

“I’d rather die.”

“Come on, you’re gonna have to come out of there sooner or later!”

“You picked this out on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Rat did. Come on, look at what I’m wearing! There’s no way yours could be that bad!”

“Wanna bet?”

“Oh, well, now I have to see.” Sky giggled, grasping Shadow’s hoof tighter and pulling her out into the open.

The filly rolled her eyes, giving a long-suffering sigh as she resignedly struck a pose. It looked like she, too, had stuffed her cloak and padded armour under a bright orange summer dress. Sky looked her over, trying to keep her expression as neutral as possible.

“Well...that...that’s certainly...something…” She commented.

“I don’t like Rat. Not one bit.” Shadow growled, holding up a fluffy little hoof to hide her face. “Fox put him up to this. I’ll bet you anything.”

“Well, isn’t he gonna be surprised when you kick his ass to the curb in a few hours, then?” Sky grinned, patting Shadow on the back. “For what it’s worth, you look super adorable.”

“Great, now I’m gonna kill him and you.” Shadow huffed.

“Hey, don’t act like there’s anything wrong with being adorable. You’ll need to be as cute as you can to get away with this one.” Sky warned.

“Oh Luna, really?”

“Fraid so, kiddo. Now, put a great big smile on that fluffy little muzzle of yours and go say hi to Fox. Just remember, be nice to him and put him at ease, then drop an anvil on his head, okay?”

“Ugh, fine.” Shadow rolled her eyes in the most adolescent way she could manage. “This had better work, sis.”

“It will, trust me.” Sky smiled encouragingly. “Would I lie to you?”

“Ye…”

“Exactly! Now come on, let’s go meet your public.” Sky butted in, taking Shadow’s hoof and dragging her back towards their new companions.

* * *

“Rat, can I ask you a question?” Fox asked, as his big brother adjusted his fake moustache.

“What is it, kid?” He grunted back, looking at himself in the mirror critically.

“Well...yesterday...um...something happened when I gave Shadow those flowers…” The colt said quietly, glancing over his shoulder to see if anypony was eavesdropping.

“Yeah? What was that, then?” Rat raised an eyebrow, turning to face his little brother with interest.

“Well, see...we both sat down…and I gave her some roses with a little card I’d written myself, and she threw these in my face and flew off.” He rummaged in his saddlebag, producing a bunch of little orange flowers.

“Ooooooh!” Rat laughed, holding out his hoof for a hoof-bump. “She really fancies you, kid! You’re in on the ground floor!”

“Really? She got...pre...pretty violent about giving me those.” Fox scratched his head, thoroughly perplexed.

“Well yeah, she would be. She’s obviously confused about her feelings and taking them out on you.” He shrugged. “She’s going to be in a pretty fragile place right now, so just make sure you treat her nice and take good care of her. She’ll come around.”

“Wh...what if she tries punching me again?”

“Well, then you improvise. Don’t punch her back or anything, but do something unexpected, special, something that a mare wouldn’t expect you to do, you know?”

“So...like...kiss her?”

“Oh fuck, no! You’ve gotta pace it properly or she’ll just punch you on the nose. You don’t just kiss a pony to get them to shut up...well...unless they’re a guard, anyway.” Rat chuckled, shaking his head. “No, you’ve gotta surprise them. Boop her nose, compliment her looks, give her a great big hug and make sure she can’t bring her hooves up to kick your ass. You know, stuff like that.”

Fox looked down at his hooves in quiet contemplation. “Do you think she’s gonna be my friend if I’m nice enough to her?”

Rat cocked his head, laying down next to his little brother and nuzzling his cheek. “Hey, kid. You’re the most special little stallion in the whole fucking world. She’d be mad not to be your friend.”

Fox bit his lip, nodding. “I…don’t think she’s ever had friends before. I mean, even I’ve had friends.”

Rat frowned. “Well, you know...I checked through Sky’s diary when I first stole it, and it kinda looks like you and Shadow might have something to bond over.”

The colt perked his ears and cocked his head, looking at Rat inquisitively.

“Looks like she had something happen to her, too. Sounds like everypony but Sky’s been ignoring her for ages...well, until you met her.”

“Wait, so that’s why she hasn’t had any friends?” Fox gasped. “That explains everything! Why she’s so defensive, why she’s so lonely, why she only talks to her sister…”

“Yeah, kid.” Rat nodded. “She’s just like you.”

The younger unicorn was speechless, smoothing his mane back and putting on a baseball cap.

“Rat?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think she’s tired of being lonely, too?”

The stallion bit his lip, nodding pensively. “Yeah, kid. I think that maybe you’re gonna be one hell of a breath of fresh air to her. I guess it’s just a matter of making sure she sees it.”

Fox gave his big brother the biggest hug he could manage, nuzzling into his chest fluff. “Thanks, bro. I think I’ve got a plan, now.”

Rat chuckled quietly, closing his eyes and holding his brother closely. “Don’t mention it, kid.”

His ears perked again as somepony tapped him on the shoulder. He shoved Fox into a nearby bush out of pure reflex, adjusting his little suit and standing up straight.

“Ahem…um...hey, Sky.” He grunted nonchalantly, leaning against the picnic table. His eyes crept from one sister to the other, chuckling quietly at the sight of Shadow in her little orange dress. Both of them looked ridiculous.

“Hey dumbass.” Sky grinned. “You finished having a moment? We’re kinda burning daylight.”

“Moment? Please, princess. I’m a stallion. I don’t have moments.” Rat waved a hoof dismissively. “Come on, let’s go get you your courier.”

Sky and Rat exchanged a knowing smile as they set off, their younger siblings trailing behind them. As they trotted down the street towards the entrance to Equestria’s biggest theme park, Sky glanced back at the two foals.

Fox was trotting right by Shadow’s side with the world’s most earnest, hopeful little smile on his face. The little white mare couldn’t help but smile as she watched her younger sister pointedly trying to ignore him. It was far too adorable.

Maybe keeping those big dumb stallions around isn’t such a bad idea after all.

* * *

The four ponies stepped over the threshold to Celestialand, gazing up at the huge copy of Canterlot Castle that dominated the centre of the park. It was an impressive likeness, a bright gold aura framing the faux palace as the sun rose behind it. By magical machination, the light fell on the circular park in the shape of a waning crescent moon, taking the form of a Celestia’s cutie mark as the sun climbed higher. As it finally crested the tallest spire, the entire park began to shine as brightly as a big star, each ride evoking the hidden pocket of childlike whimsy within even the most jaded ponies with its appearance alone.

“Our palace is bigger.” Sky finally commented.

Rat couldn’t help but laugh, fishing through his saddlebags and raising his eyebrows. “Well, we’re in luck! They only charged us for two adults! Guess you didn’t need those disguises after all, guys!” He rounded on Shadow and Fox.

The filly had already pulled her dress off, kicking it into a bush as if it was some kind of venomous all-consuming Smoooze-monster.

“You could’ve checked before you made me wear that thing.” Shadow glowered.

“Could’ve, but didn’t!” Rat snickered. “So, how about Sky and I scout out the roller coaster and you two can go exploring? Sound good?”

Fox nodded briskly, smiling brightly. Shadow looked pleadingly at Sky, who gave her a smile and a conspiratorial wink. The filly, remembering their little plan, took a deep breath and winked back.

“Sure!” Shadow grinned, talking through her teeth. “I’d...love to...hang out and explore with you, Fox. That...sounds like...fu...fun!”

She shot Fox a very uncomfortable sidelong glance, her smile so fixed that she could well have had her lips bolted into place like that. Fox took her hoof and led her away, and as the filly looked wistfully over her shoulder back at Sky, the expression on her big sister’s face told Shadow that she’d been had. She couldn’t even get an expletive out before he’d dragged her into the crowds, out of sight. Sky was safe from the vengeful little pony...for now.

“Awww, wasn’t that cute!” She giggled, hoof-bumping Rat.

“Sure was.” Rat gave an uncharacteristically girly giggle himself. Clearly that blue formula hadn’t worn off completely, or perhaps he’d just been watching the two of them, too. Sky couldn’t begrudge him that. It really was all kinds of cute. “What the hell did you tell her? That’s the least resistance I’ve ever seen!”

“Never you mind, sweete.” Sky grinned, bumping her flank against his. “Now, let’s run some recon and see if we can spot that courier. We’ve gotta do this as subtly as possible in case there are more Operatives hanging around.”

“Yeah, I ain’t exactly keen on saying hi to more of those assholes.” Rat whistled. “So you never did tell me. What the hell happened to get you on the wrong side of these guys? I mean, I’ve had some big jobs in my day, but I’ve never gone and pissed off weapons contractors with their own personal army of super-soldiers. That’s just damn impressive.”

“Tell me about it.” Sky rolled her eyes as she started to weave through the crowd towards the roller coaster. “Would you believe I was framed?”

Rat gave her a Look.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t believe me, either.” Sky snorted. “Some long-time rivals of mine nicked some big ol’ crystals from the Canterlot Museum and let me be the fall pony. Shadow and I started investigating who did it, and we managed to trace them to Silver Tongue and Rolling Thunder. Trouble is...they weren’t exactly keen on us sticking our noses into their business.”

“So now they’re trying to kill you over a little corporate espionage? Sounds like something out of a spy thriller.” Rat raised his eyebrows. “So what, you’re looking to get the crystals back? What then?”

“Well, I’m kinda public enemy number one because they think I’m responsible for the biggest act of terrorism in Equestrian history.” Sky shrugged. “If I give those crystals back, they ought to leave me alone. Then the plan is to hide until the heat dies down and get back to work.”

“Assuming they even drop the charges once you bring them back.” Rat cocked his head.

“I’m hoping I can find some evidence that’ll get Rolling Thunder’s guys incriminated along the way.” Sky frowned. “If I can do that, the guard leave me alone and I don’t have to worry about those Operative assholes. Everypony wins.”

“Except those two.”

“Everypony I give a shit about, then.” Sky corrected herself.

“And then you get your wing fixed and live happily ever after with your little sister.” Rat nodded. “That’s pretty poetic, sugar. Sure it’s not gonna all go to shit?”

“Oh, it’s definitely gonna go to shit.” Sky beamed. “It’s just gonna be a matter of seeing how badly.”

Rat frowned pensively, eyes on her damaged wing. As he reached out with magic, he felt a strange resistance around it, like there was some kind of unpleasant aura defying examination. He’d guessed that that wasn’t the result of mundane stab wounds, but now he was certain of it. This was damage that no simple surgery was going to be able to fix.

Shaking his head to clear his mind, Rat peered through the crowds. That was one thing you could say about Celestialand. It was incredibly popular, and with good reason. The rides, the enchantments, the food, all of it was incredible and exciting. He quietly resolved to take Sky here for pleasure rather than business when all of this was over.

“Those two look promising.” He commented quietly, nudging Sky with his muzzle and nodding towards a pair of stallions under one of the coaster supports.

“What gave them away? The suits and sunglasses or how super-suspicious they look?” Sky giggled quietly. The two of them came to a halt, putting a massive queue between themselves and the pair of stallions, watching. It was unclear whether they or the two misshapen burglars were acting more suspicious.

“Look at those shifty eyes.” Rat muttered, as the two stallions took their sunglasses off. “It’s like they’re watching a fucking tennis match.”

“Tell me about it.” Sky rolled her eyes. “Still, that’s gonna make our job a hell of a lot easier.”

“So what’s the plan?”

Sky gave him a sidelong glance, smirking evilly. Rat caught her eye and took a slightly timid step backwards.

“We’re gonna need a distraction.”

* * *

“So...um...Shadow…” Fox asked nervously.

The filly sighed, blowing her mane out of her face. “What do you want?”

“Well, I never got the chance to thank you for giving me those flowers…”

“Don’t mention it.” Shadow interrupted. “Seriously, don’t mention it...like, ever again.”

“Well, I kinda have to.” Fox frowned, glancing across at his new little friend. “I mean, we’d only met yesterday, and then everything went really fast, and...I guess I overreacted.” He sighed. “Look, I’m sorry and I wanna start over. Is that okay?”

Shadow gave him a suspicious look. She’d already been tricked once today, and she was in no mood to have it happen to her again. “What...what are you saying?”

“Just...look, I haven’t had a friend in ages now, and you...well, you’ve never had a friend other than your sister, right?”

“Hey! I have friends other than her, thanks very much!” Shadow huffed reproachfully.

“Yeah? Name three.”

“Well, there’s...Scruffy…” Shadow frowned.

“Yeah? Who’s Scruffy?”

“My stuffed po...I mean, he’s...just...a guy I know in Canterlot, okay?” She waved a hoof, avoiding Fox’s gaze. The young colt sighed, getting the message.

“Okay, that’s one. Who else?”

“Well, there’s...um…” Shadow glanced around the park, inventing wildly. “Er...Dustbin...camera...bottom?”

Fox stopped in his tracks, deadpanning at the now-smiling filly. “Come on, you’re just yanking my horn now.”

“Hey! He’s a real pony! He’s...um...he does...er…” Shadow glanced at a passing pony’s cutie mark. “Embroidery!”

“Embroide...Shadow…” Fox rolled his eyes.

“I have friends! They’re real friends, too!”

“Shadow, you’re embarrassing yourself…” Fox shook his head. “Look, I know. Like I said, I haven’t got any either, okay? They just...ditched me one day.”

“I’m not embarrassing...wait, what?” Shadow paused. “What do you mean?”

“Well...I kinda had an accident one day, and my friends kinda...stopped turning up to play with me.” Fox glanced down at his hooves. “It kinda sucked.”

“Damn, that sounds rough.” Shadow cleared her throat. “What kind of accident? Piss yourself in public? That sort of thing?”

“Please.” Fox chuckled. “I’m way too old for that. Nah, I got hit by a carriage when I was running from the guards, once. Took me out of the game for a few weeks, and when I got better nopony wanted to play with me anymore. Hell, they didn’t even want to hang out.”

Shadow’s brow furrowed as she looked down at the ground. “Um...wow, that actually kinda sucks.” She scratched the back of her head, frowning guiltily. “Er...sorry.”

“No, look, it’s okay.” Fox smiled. “You’re just the first pony to notice me in forever, and you’re the first filly I’ve ever talked to. I know I came on a little strong, but...I dunno, meeting you was something kinda...special.”

Shadow’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times. She didn’t exactly know what to say.

“So...yeah, I don’t wanna fuck this up. Can we just...start over? As friends?”

The filly’s ears perked and she gave him an incredulous look, taking a step back. “Oh...you wanna just be friends?” She asked with some surprise. It didn’t sound like she was pleased with this turn of events.

“Yeah, I mean, like, you and me just hanging out as buddies, you know?” Fox nodded, taking a step closer. “I...I’m sorry about the stuff that happened yesterday, but I don’t...exactly...wanna…you know...lose you.”

“Don’t want me to go the same way as your friends, huh?” Shadow said quietly. She kept her expression as neutral as she could, but inside her head was a storm of confusion and panic. She didn’t know how to react. Hell, nopony had ever poured their heart out to her like that except Sky, and that was different. Why did he do that? Why did he want to be her friend, and why did the prospect of being friends with him make Shadow want to punch the teeth straight out of his ugly head?

Fox nodded bashfully. “It really sucks when you’ve got no friends. Hell, maybe you’ll stop being such a mean little ice-bitch when you’ve had one, too.” He looked up at Shadow, smiling shyly.

Shadow took another step back, bumping into a passing pony and giving a little jumpy squeak. “Who the hell are you calling an ice-bitch?” She glared. “I’m not always an asshole, you know! What about last night?”

“What, when I kissed you and you kicked me in the nads?”

“Ye...yeah! You got off easy! That was pretty nice!”

Fox rolled his eyes, looking around the park searchingly. A sly little grin formed on his face as he spotted something very promising indeed. “Okay, Shadow. I’ll make you a deal. If you can go on one fairground ride with me and be nice all the way through it, I’ll believe you.”

Shadow cocked her head. She didn’t imagine that the teacup ride or the roller coaster would be too hard to sit through with Fox...unless he was one of those assholes who squealed like a newborn at high speeds. “Yeah...I can do that. What’re the conditions?”

“I get to choose the ride.”

Shadow bit her lip. She was familiar with this sort of thing. She’d seen teenagers do it before. A young stallion would take a mare to a really scary ride, and she’d be so terrified that she’d hold onto him for all she’s worth. He must be working off of the assumption that if she couldn’t shout at him or call him names for scaring her, she’d have no choice but to hold him tight and whimper in his hooves.

Fox hasn’t counted on one thing, though. I’m not scared of anything! I can totally take whatever he can throw at me! This little contest’s in the bag…

Shadow locked eyes with the smirking little colt. He thought he was so smart, but she was way smarter. Still, it was nice to let him think he was holding all the cards...for now.

“Deal.” Shadow smiled sweetly.

“Great!” Fox giggled, taking her by the hoof and trotting off into the crowds. “I bet you’re gonna love this ride!”

“I bet I am, too.” Shadow snickered, unable to hide her triumphant giggles. “So what is it? The Sonic Rainboom? Peter Palomino’s Flight?”

“Something way better.” Fox giggled, too. “Trust me, Shadow. This’ll get your heart rate way higher than any roller coaster.”

Shadow, curious, followed Fox’s gaze, and her eyes widened as she saw where they were headed.

“Oh shit, not there…”

“You agreed!”

“No! Not that one!” She yelped. “I can’t do that one! Anywhere else! I’ll go on any other ride in the whole damn park! Just not that one! Please! NOOOOOO!”

Fox’s horn flared, holding her in place as she tried to fly away. Though she beat her powerful wings as desperately as she could, Fox had her caught. There was no escaping from her fate now. She’d agreed to it and she was held fast.

I’ve gotta stop rushing into things. It’s gonna get me in trouble one of these days. She thought to herself as she was carried off.

* * *

The two couriers had been expecting ponies staking them out, perhaps even an appearance from the ever-elusive Sky Runner. This, however, was shocking and totally uncalled for.

There appeared to be a park mascot wearing an oversized Celestia head dancing right in front of them. Never before in all of their years doing this job had something so appalling occurred.

Sky watched as Rat danced for the two ponies, her jaw practically touching the floor. Say what you like about the general creepiness of fairground mascots to start with, she was pretty sure that Celestia didn’t hip-thrust like that.

“Rat! You’re scaring the foals!” She mouthed urgently over the couriers’ shoulders. Indeed, more than a few of the younger ponies in the vicinity, confused and scared by the kindly sun-goddess breaking out the dance routine to Sexy And I Know It, were whimpering or bursting into tears. Sky couldn’t blame them. It was the single most frightening, mournful thing she’d ever seen in her life.

Sky started snuffling through the couriers’ saddlebags, using the softest of touches so as not to alert them to her presence. Within she found reports, little coinpurses that she promptly took out of pure habit, everything except…

Ah, there’s the cheeky little bastard… Sky licked her lips, reaching under the bandages of her bad wing and pulling out a little piece of paper she’d prepared earlier. Opening the courier’s envelope as quietly and deftly as she could, she swapped the contents out for her own before carefully placing it back in the stallion’s saddlebag. The little white pony slunk away as Rat kept dancing, creeping back into the crowd and watching the scene unfold before her.

Rat was reared up on his hind legs, having resorted to the only dance he knew how to do that was safe for foals to watch. Regrettably, that left him with the Funky Chicken or nothing at all, and to the stallion’s credit he gave it his all, getting a few laughs out of some of the younger foals present. Though there was an oversized Celestia head obscuring his face, Sky suspected that he was crying humiliated tears somewhere under there.

Of course, it’s not like she wouldn’t have done it herself, but there was a special magically-enforced ordinance in place to prevent Sky from impersonating Celestia after that one time with the stilts, the papier-mache jewellery and the strapon on her head, a day that Sky fondly referred to as the “Anal Kazoo Incident.” Either way, she wasn’t allowed to impersonate the Princess in any way, shape or form anymore, even just to take the piss.

Besides, Rat was rocking that look, shaking his flanks with all the drive and enthusiasm of a pony that had been promised wild sex. It really was amazing what fluttering your eyelashes at a stallion could do, Sky mused. It was as if anything that she couldn’t take could be given freely if she knew who to talk to.

Still, he was nicer than the other ponies she’d met up until this point. A lot of stallions, especially the ones who worked in the Canterlot Underworld, were rude, boorish or driven by nothing but hormones, like Sparky. After he’d robbed her and she’d had to give him a fun time to get her diary back, Sky had been more than willing to file Rat under the same heading as all of the others. However, last night had interested her. He’d shown real concern for her wellbeing. Nopony did that except for Shadow, and she kind of had to. It was part of her occupation.

Yep, Rat was different from everypony else she’d met, like a kind of male unicorn doppelganger, and Sky confessed herself curious. He was bright, friendly once you got past his cockiness, caring and actually kind of sweet. It was kind of nice to have a friend like him, especially considering how tough things were getting. With those Operatives and the guard after her, she was starting to suspect that she’d need all the help she could get.

The little white pony started clapping along with the others as Rat began to do something that might have been break dancing when he first envisioned it. Unfortunately, athletic as he was, he wasn’t really any good at this sort of thing. If this carried on, that stallion was going to get his arse thrown out of the park. Sky couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed watching something quite so much.

Well, I was supposed to give him the signal when it was time to stop. Sky mused. Still...maybe that can wait for a few more minutes…

* * *

“This is the worst thing ever.” Shadow huffed.

“Come on Shadow, give it a chance! I’ve never been on this ride either!” Fox chuckled. “You might like it!”

“I’ve never liked anything less in my whole damn life.” The filly crossed her forelegs grumpily.

The ride started, the little safety bar clanging down with all the finality of a cell door sliding shut. It even made much the same noise. The little boat in which the two of them sat started to drift down the Tunnel of Love, basking them both in serenity and silence.

It was horrible.

“Fox, I’m gonna get you for this…” Shadow growled.

“Oh, so you’re gonna let me win the bet? Is that it?” Fox snickered quietly.

The filly paused, looking down at herself before glancing across at Fox. This wasn’t a boat designed to allow ponies any personal space, and she was practically snuggled right up against her.

“Not on your life.” She muttered. “I’ll prove that I can be nice, and then you’re gonna look like a right retard!”

“Go on, then!” Fox smiled, nudging her shoulder with his little nose. “Why don’t you show me what “nice Shadow” looks like?”

The young filly ground her teeth grumpily, her ears splaying back against her head as she spread her wings. “It sure is cold in here. Would you like to snuggle up under my wing?” She asked, smiling as sweetly as she possibly could. Nonetheless, Fox suspected that that little pony would be spitting acid if she could.

Still, those wings did look fluffy and comfortable…

“Thanks, Shadow!” Fox smiled, curling up in her big soft feathers and wrapping his forehooves around her. “You know...you really are a really nice pony once you stop being mean….”

“Don’t push your lu…” Shadow began, before snapping her mouth shut. “I mean...thank you, Fox! You’re really nice, too.”

“You’re talking through your teeth again.”

“I know.”

The two of them sat in silence for a while as the boat drifted down the seemingly infinite tunnel, Fox nestled under Shadow’s wing. She curled the limb around him, practically swaddling the colt in her feathers.

“So...Fox…” She whispered after a while.

“Yeah?”

“Um...you said...you wanted to be friends, right?”

“I sure did!” Fox nodded, staring up at her with those bright amber eyes.

“Oh.”

“You sound kind of disappointed.”

“I’m not disappointed! I’m just...never mind. It’s been a big couple of days.” Shadow shook her head, looking away from Fox and staring at the water.

“You’ve never had a friend before?” Fox whispered. “Is that why you’re upset?”

“I’m not upset. I’m just…” Shadow frowned. “...weirded out, I guess.”

“I guess you would be.” Fox nodded. “This is probably pretty new to you, huh?”

“Yeah, I mean, it’s always just been Sky and me. We’ve always hung out, taken care of each other, made each other feel better when we’re sick or sad or scared…” Shadow sighed. “Adding a new pony to the mix is kinda crazy, yeah…”

Fox nodded. “For what it’s worth...I’ll be the best friend ever, just for you.”

Shadow looked pensive, fiddling with her forehooves. “Thanks, I guess.” She muttered, her voice softening a little, becoming more genuinely peaceful. “But you don’t have to get sappy with me. Seriously, that’s the fastest way to get a hoof pushed up your nose.”

“Yeah, well I figure as long as you’re being nice, I might as well take the opportunity. I’m kind of a sappy pony.”

“Great.” Shadow scoffed. “Just my luck. Stuck on a boat with the cheesiest unicorn ever. That’s all I need.”

“Hey, it could be worse.”

“Yeah, I mean, you could be some desperate little unicorn asshole who doesn’t know when he’s out of his depth...oh, wait.” She muttered acidly.

“Yeah, yeah. Fuck you, too.” Fox rolled his eyes, sighing.

Another silence fell on the two of them, Shadow’s last word echoing a little in the tunnel around them.

“So...when you say friend…” She piped up again after a while. “You mean, like, a friend, right? Nothing more...serious?”

“Nope! Just friends!” Fox nodded briskly.

“Cause the Tunnel of Love thing is a bit suspect…”

“Just wanted to see if I could find your nice side, that’s all.” Fox smiled politely.

“Oh.”

“You’re saying that a lot.” He observed. “You sure you’re not disappointed?”

“I say a lot of stuff. Stop reading into it.” Shadow shook her head.

“You know…” Fox whispered. “You don’t have to be my friend if you don’t want to. I’ll understand…”

“No!” Shadow yelped quickly. “No, I...I don’t mind, okay? It’s been a while since anypony acknowledged you. I get that.” She squeezed him a little tighter under her wing. “It’s okay, Fox. I’ll...I’ll be your friend if it means that much to you.”

The little colt grinned as if he’d just been told that Hearth’s Warming had come early, nuzzling her neck softly. “Thanks, Shadow. I’ll be nice and I won’t fuck things up too bad, I promise.” He murmured. “Hey...I’ve...erm...got something for you.”

“You...do?” She looked down at him suspiciously, cocking her head.

“Mmhmm.” Fox’s horn glowed dimly, levitating the bunch of orange flowers out of his saddlebag. “I thought I’d..well...I thought I’d…”

He said nothing more, plucking one flower from the bouquet and weaving it into Shadow’s mane, just behind her ear.

“What...what the hell are you doing?” Shadow whispered, feeling her cheeks heating up again.

“It’s like...a friendship present.” Fox shrugged. “Besides, you look pretty with that flower there. It suits you.”

Shadow’s forehoof twitched, her hoof crossbow snapping open and cycling a sleep dart into it. She glared down at Fox for a while, slowly and shakily raising the weapon. He merely stared at her, silently daring her to repay his friendliness with violence like she always did, to prove him right. Shadow really wanted to shoot him for a variety of reasons, but her pride was on the line. She had to be nice.

Besides… she thought to herself, looking down at her reflection in the water as the boat drifted onwards, he’s right.

With that, Shadow retracted her crossbow, putting a forehoof around his shoulders and sighing resignedly.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

“Wait...was that…?” Fox’s eyes went wide, staring at her in disbelief.

“Erm...I said...fu...fuck you!” Shadow pouted. “You can’t just go sticking flowers in ponies’ hair like that! What if I’m allergic?”

“Are you allergic?”

“No, but I could’ve been, and then I’d be dead and you’d look like a right tool, wouldn’t you?” She glared, sticking her tongue out at him.

“Well, I guess I just took a little leap of faith.” Fox shrugged. “What, you don’t like it when I’m spontaneous?”

“I don’t like it when you’re anything.”

“You’re kind of giving off a lot of mixed signals today, Shadow.” Fox said quietly, narrowing his eyes. “Is there something on your mind?”

“There’s a flower on my head.” She mumbled. “Does that count?”

Fox snickered quietly, and Shadow found that she herself couldn’t help but smile herself, if only at the surreal nature of it all.

Aww, look at him, he’s smiling! Go on, give him a nuzzle!

Shadow’s ears perked. What the hell was she thinking? There was no way in hell she was going to nuzzle that piece of shit! Yeah, she’d agreed to be his friend, but that’s where it ended, right?

Go on, I bet he won’t judge you for it, and Sky’s probably not even watching! She’ll be going after that courier, right? You’re both safe!

She glanced down at Fox, who wasn’t looking at her anymore. He was all tucked up under her huge soft wing, eyes closed as he enjoyed the first peace that the two ponies had known together. He was nestled between her feathers and her chest, resting against her light padded armour. As Shadow watched him, her expression softened just a little more.

Aww, look at him...nopony would mind if you just gave him one little nuzzle. I mean, you’re cuddling him, right? You’re most of the way there!

Shadow bit her lip as she looked down at him, regarding the young stallion with just a little hint of fear. She didn’t know how to handle situations like this, and the worst part was that if she asked Sky, she’d find out all about how Shadow had been tricked into this horrible situation in the first place. Like it or not, this was a decision that that filly was going to have to make for herself.

What if he tells Rat, though? And what if Rat tells Sky? I’d be ruined! She’d never let me forget it, not ever! She shivered a little at the thought of it.

“Are you cold?” Fox asked quietly, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

“I...cold...I...yeah, maybe I am. Like I said, it’s pretty chilly down here.” Shadow said quickly, eyes darting from side to side.

Fox sighed, his horn flaring. The young mare watched as his bright amber magic enveloped her, sending a great warmth through her whole body. For just a moment, it felt a little like the way Sky used to hold her back when she was a tiny little filly, and Shadow gave a frightened little squeak. It wasn’t quite as good as she remembered it, because those were the kind of hugs that no amount of magic could ever bring back, but it was close.

“How does that feel?” Fox closed his eyes again, illuminated by the aura of amber light around his own horn.

Shadow was still shivering out of pure panic, but she was undeniably...happy. Through all of the confusion that came with her adolescence, she was being treated better than anypony else had treated her in living memory, save for her sister.

If this is what having friends is like, then I guess I could get used to it… She thought to herself.

With a tiny nigh-inaudible sigh, Shadow leaned down, nuzzling Fox lightly behind the ear. After all, he’d earned it.

After a moment of weighty contemplation, Shadow drew her wing away shoving Fox into the water with a satisfying splash. After all, he’d earned that, too.

Helping the Hunted

Stronghooves groaned quietly as he opened his eyes, blinking as the daylight filtered through a gap in his curtains. The thin strip of light fell over his muzzle and the mane of another pony that lay in front of him, all tucked up in his hooves. His ears flicked and swivelled a little as he tried to recollect the events of last night.

Daybreak snored quietly as she unconsciously snuggled closer to the giant stallion, letting out the quietest of soft sighs. There was a tiny smile on her face, her mane a complete mess as she lay there with him. Her dress lay forgotten on the floor nearby, cast thoughtlessly aside in the throes of whatever carnal acts had transpired the night before. Stronghooves rolled onto his back, staring up at his ceiling in the half-light, and smiled a smile of his own. This was the best he’d felt in ages.

There came a knock at his bedroom door, and the captain’s ears perked. It was most curious. He didn’t know anypony else with access to his house. Whoever was knocking at the door must surely have broken in. It couldn’t be…?

“Sky?” He mumbled hopefully.

The door opened, and Shield pushed his head through the crack. There was a pair of coffee cups bolted to his helmet again.

“No such luck, but we’ve gotten the file on Rat Racer from the Manehattan cops.” The Inspector smiled. “I think you’re going to find this kind of interesting.”

Stronghooves glanced down at his marefriend, who was still sound asleep in his hooves, and sighed heavily. “How interesting are we talking?”

“You’ll see.” Shield frowned seriously. “Come on, I brought his dossier with me. Let the lady sleep.”

Stronghooves sighed again, slowly and carefully extricating himself from Daybreak’s grasp. She had a strong grip for a comparatively small pony, but then again, she was a super-soldier. In time, Stronghooves managed to break free, trotting over to his new friend while the mare cuddled a pillow.

“This had better be good.” Stronghooves stretched.

“Hey, you get to wake me up in the middle of the night for work, I get to wake you up at midday.” Shield shrugged.

“Midday? Really? I was out for that long?” Stronghooves rubbed his head, trotting out into the hallway and closing the door as quietly as he could.

“Yeah, believe it. You guys must’ve had one hell of a party.” Shield chuckled, slurping on his coffee. “So...how’d it go, anyway?”

“What, the date?”

“No, Twilight Sparkle’s coronation. Of course I mean the date.” Shield rolled his eyes patiently. “Come on, details!”

“Um...well…” Stronghooves chuckled uneasily, scratching the back of his head. “It was...erm...good...we...er…”

“Your bedframe’s broken.” Shield observed.

“Yeah...it...is…” The captain giggled stupidly, half-galloping down the stairs and into the kitchen. “Look, it kind of didn’t hold up, and...and we’re…”

“Super-soldiers who can punch a carriage into splinters and stuff like that. Yeah, I know.” Shield snickered. “Just don’t crash at my house with her and I think this friendship’s gonna work out.”

“I’m going to go through a lot of beds at this rate.” Stronghooves sighed, closing his eyes as he boiled the kettle by magic. “So you said you’ve got Rat’s dossier?”

“Damn right. Got it this morning. Apparently he’s a lot like your sister. Unicorn, twenty-four years old, red coat with a white mane, used to run with a buddy.” Shield nodded, holding the folder up for inspection. Stronghooves took it, levitating it over and opening it up.

“Hmm...that’s interesting.” He said quietly. “What happened to his running partner?”

“His younger sibling, Fox Chaser.” Shield sat down at the kitchen table, pulling his helmet off of his head. “Killed in a three-carriage pile-up when the two of them were running from the scene of a bank heist gone bad. Nopony saw anything of Rat for months after that.”

“How long ago was this?” Stronghooves asked, sitting down at the table across from the Inspector. He lazily stirred the mug behind him, adding milk, coffee powder and sugar without looking.

“Six years. Looks like Fox was fourteen when it happened. Reports say that Racer pulled him from the wreckage and ran for it. Kid got pretty badly mangled.”

“That’s what you get when you run out into heavy traffic, I suppose.” The Captain sighed. “This isn’t good. It sounds like Rat’s closer to Sky than either of them realise. If she’s not careful, she’s going to be sucked into another messed-up situation. I don’t want that for my little sister, Shield. I want her to come home.”

“I know, and we’re working on it. It’s just that Rat’s proving pretty difficult to track, especially working together with Sky. With all due respect, she’s good.” Shield frowned, as if reluctant to admit it. “Hell, they’re both good. All we know for sure is that they’re in Manehattan.”

“She won’t be able to stay away from Canterlot for long.” Stronghooves said, levitating the kettle over and stirring in the hot water. “She’s too attached to this city for that. Besides, she was travelling light when I last saw her.”

“So you reckon she’ll be back, then.” Shield nodded. “What do you want me to do?”

“Increase security around the train terminals and gates. Plain-clothes officers only. I want eyes and ears, not arrests. Sky can outrun everypony else in this city, but she can’t outrun Daybreak or myself. We’re faster than her, and we’re immune to sleep darts.” Stronghooves raised his head, sipping his own drink.

“So what do you want the rest of the guard doing, then?” Shield cocked his head.

“Get a contingent together and make sure you have eyes on Rolling Thunder’s facility. I don’t want to move against him until I’m certain that we can take him and Silver Tongue in one go. Stay discreet, but keep a lookout twenty-four hours a day, monitor all correspondence to and from the facility, and let me know the second either of them makes a move. Got it?”

“You’re the boss.” Shield chuckled. “What are you two gonna be up to? Don’t tell me that you and Daybreak have another date planned already?”

“Not yet, no.” Stronghooves shook his head. “We’re going to be focussing on taking down the remaining Operatives and securing control over the city again. When Silver Tongue’s appropriately spooked, he ought to call on his father to come and help him, which will draw Thunder back to Canterlot.”

“Huh...did you just think this up on the spot, or what?” Shield cocked his head, impressed.

“Well, I had to have my coffee first.” Stronghooves grinned. “Now, Sky and Rat. When they return to the city, track them but don’t engage them. I want guard runners sending me regular reports on their location. Daybreak and I ought to be able to catch them both if we work together.”

“What if you two run into trouble? I mean, some of our reports from Manehattan are saying that Sky and Rat have been able to evade Operatives without somepony else bailing their asses.”

“Daybreak seems to know what she’s doing, and she’s an excellent soldier.” Stronghooves said stoically. “I know all of my sister’s tricks and I’m faster than she is.”

“You’re sure she’s going to run, then?”

“Definitely. See, she doesn’t like me for a variety of reasons, the foremost of which is her feeling of betrayal from when she was a kid.” He shrugged. “I can’t blame her, exactly. I abandoned her, but…”

“Your dad lied to you.” Shield frowned. “Stronghooves, if you keep beating yourself up about that I’m personally going to smack you upside the head. You’re not responsible for your sister hating you. Now look, I may not know everything that’s gone on between you guys, but you seem to be a nice stallion and a dedicated big brother, and that’s probably what she needs right now.”

“I thought you said that you weren’t that good at these sorts of speeches?” Stronghooves smiled softly, meeting his friend’s gaze.

“Yeah, well you’re blaming yourself for a fucked situation that never had anything to do with you in the first place. You’re a good big brother who got fucked over by his mum and dad, and that’s bad enough.”

“Shield, the things that happened when she was out on the street...the way she must have felt with nopony to care for her. Can you imagine the things she must’ve had to have done to survive? No wonder she turned into...well...that…”

“And what were you supposed to do, magically work out that your dad was full of shit and run out to save your sister?”

Stronghooves cringed, looking down at the floor and avoiding Shield’s gaze.

The Inspector sat back in his seat, brow furrowing as he looked Stronghooves over. He’d overseen enough interrogations to know what was going through the Captain’s mind.

“There’s more to this than you’re telling me, isn’t there?” He asked simply, sipping his coffee again.

“Ye...well...erm...yes…” Stronghooves said uneasily. “Look, what you have to understand is that my mum and dad...had...a lot of control over the household. They were...intimidating and...and convincing...and…”

“And you knew she was alive, but they scared you into not going out after her.” Shield finished for him. “Is that what happened?”

“You...have to...understand…” Stronghooves began.

“Yeah, I know. He scared you.” Shield nodded. “Look, again, I don’t know what the hell went on in that house of yours, or what I’d do if I was in your horseshoes. So what did happen?”

“Well...she got kicked out at five, and I found out pretty quickly that my dad was lying...about a week?” Stronghooves’s ears splayed back as he struggled to remember. “I had difficulty, but I tracked her down and found her living in a cardboard box down on Stable Street.”

“That’s a rough part of town.” Shield whistled. “Did you take her in?”

“There was no way I was going to be able to sneak her past the servants back into the house, but I did have one thing going for me.” Stronghooves smirked. “I was thirteen at the time, and so everypony expected food to go missing. Every time I stole a snack or took a second helping of dinner off to my room with my, my parents chalked it up to me being a growing stallion. I...brought her the food, kept her as safe as I could.”

“Any trouble with the locals?”

“Some. A few rather...dangerous ponies live there. Nothing more dangerous than the sort of thing she’s dealing with now, but for a filly I could only imagine what she was up against.” Stronghooves shook his head, sighing. “I kept her safe from them, too. The rest of the time, she hid. She would only come out when she heard me call for her.”

“So something changed later on down the line. What was that, exactly?” Shield asked curiously. He wasn’t looking to get dragged into whatever family drama had erupted between Sky and the Captain, but if it meant catching the city’s most talented burglar, then he was willing to listen to anything.

“Well...my parents found out.”

“That didn’t stop you before.”

“I know. They knew, too. Instead of outright forbidding me, they told me all about how messed up my sister was, all about how she was a scummy little liar, how she’d done all of these horrible things behind my back and hadn’t told me.”

“I’d have told them to go and eat a diamond dog’s dick, with all due respect.” Shield put in.

“Yeah...I…I should’ve, too...but they were holding a lot over my head. A home, a guard academy scholarship, safety...and by then I was fifteen. I was getting confused by so many things, feeling angry...I...struck out at her instead.”

Shield paid close attention to Stronghooves’s body language, looking for the truth in his words. It was there, all right. As the Captain spoke, his hoof grasped the handle of his mug a little tighter.

“So you hit her.”

“I was angry, and a stupid teenager. Yes, I hit her. I shouted at her, then I told the ponies around the neighbourhood where she was hiding. Then...I went back home and didn’t look back.”

“You seem to have been convinced pretty easily, considering they lied to you about her before.” Shield cocked his head.

“They talked to me for two years about how horrible she was. It was subtle, insidious...it took them some time, but they managed to break me. I never thought to ask Sky whether any of it was true until the end, and by then...I suppose I didn’t believe a word she said anymore.”

“Well, whatever happened, she survived it.” Shield shrugged. “Your parents are to blame for this whole mess, Stronghooves. You’re not as bad as you think you are, and Sky...just needs to understand why you did what you did. She knows that your parents were manipulative assholes, too.”

“Of course.” Stronghooves nodded. “It’s just not right. I don’t know what happened to her, and since then everything’s just spiralled out of control. She became what she is today, and I...well, I turned into something that she’s learned to fear.”

“You need to get her back, Stronghooves.” Shield frowned. “Once you’re able to capture her and talk it out with her, she’ll forgive you, I promise.”

Stronghooves’s ear twitched. “It’s advanced beyond that, now.”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean that she doesn’t just need a hug and some kind words from her big brother, though she’ll certainly have them. She’ll always have them.” Stronghooves smiled weakly. “I love my sister, though I suppose we’ve been enemies for most of our lives, now. I care about her and want her to be okay, but that’s just it.”

“What’s “it?” You’re not making sense, Stronghooves. You said just yesterday that you wanted to talk things out with her.”

“Yes, but in the past few years, Sky’s become deluded. Sick, even. She’s an incredibly damaged pony, and a family-minded one at that. Rat needs help and so does she. They’re both very messed-up ponies, those two.”

“So you’re saying you have a plan to fix that, too?” Shield asked.

The Captain nodded, getting to his hooves. He steeled himself, regaining all of the cool confidence that came with his station. In an instant, any hint that he’d been talking about something so deep and personal to him was completely gone, and he had his friendly authoritative smile back.

“Yes, as a matter of fact I do.” He grinned. “Now, you have your orders, Shield. Get out there and make this happen. We’ve probably wasted enough time as it is.”

“As you wish, Captain.” Shield chuckled, putting his helmet back on. “You know, you’re one hell of a piece of work once ponies get to know you.”

“You have no idea.” Stronghooves smiled back, patting his friend on the shoulder. “Now come on. I’ll go and wake Daybreak up and we’ll join you at the barracks. Get everything ready.”

“You’ve got it, boss.” Shield nodded, pulling himself out of his chair and trotting to the door. “And hey, Hoovesie?”

Stronghooves, who was already halfway to the stairs, stopped in his tracks, closing his eyes and growling at the nickname. “Ye…yeeeeees?”

“Stop blaming yourself.” The Inspector snickered. “You’re a good brother. Focus on your marefriend and your job right now. You’ll have your sister back soon, I promise.”

As Shield trotted out into the sunlight, groaning at it as he slurped away at his dual coffee cups, Stronghooves sighed. He watched the Inspector go with a heavy heart before climbing the stairs to go and wake Daybreak.

“I really hope that you’re right…” he muttered.

Shadowy Guardian

It had been some time now since Sky had seen her sister, and she was getting worried. She could have sworn that just a few days prior she’d seen her wake up, had held her in her hooves and berated the young filly for scaring her so damn much. Shadow had been weak, but alive. Sky knew that she was okay. The job had gone to shit, but at least the two of them still had each other. It hadn’t been a complete bust, though she knew that Shadow was going to be out of action for a few weeks at least.

Sky clambered off of the sofa and trotted around the living room, as if expecting to find her hiding behind a piece of furniture. Shadow’s favourite game was, after all, hide-and-seek. The poor kid was probably going a little stir-crazy from being cooped up inside for so long.

“Shadow?” Sky ventured quietly, her hoof-falls on the wooden floor nearly silent as she spread her wings. “You know, if you’re looking for something to do around here, you and me can bake some cookies together.”

Nothing answered her. Sky was alone in the house, the only sound that of a ticking clock hanging on the wall.

“And...and then we can make some hot chocolate and sit down to read a book together.” She added hopefully. “Come on, I’ll even let you choose the story!” Sky heard her own voice growing quieter, a little more pleading with each word. “Even...even if it’s one with loads of sound effects and funny voices...we can read it together…”

Sky glanced around at the empty house.

“Pl...please?”

The little white pony was given pause as she caught her own eye, reflected in the mirror that hung over the fireplace. She sighed, trotting over to inspect the damage. Anything to ward off that growing feeling of numb panic that was gripping her heart like a vice.

A lot of Sky’s body was bandaged, all manner of blankets and clothes repurposed as makeshift wrappings to cover her many lacerations. It wasn’t the first time she’d sailed through a plate glass window and torn herself up, nor, she guessed, would it be the last. She had minimising damage down to an art by now, though from the state of her body right now you wouldn’t know it from looking. Nonetheless, her wings were still in pristine, relatively undamaged condition.

Well, at least I still have that… She thought to herself, spreading them. Aside from the slash wounds, she looked just as she always had done, a relatively small pony with slightly downy white wings and noticeably powerful back legs. The only other thing amiss was her face. Her cheeks were weirdly sunken, with tear-tracks running down them from her bright pink eyes.

Weird… Sky rubbed her eyes, shaking her head. She couldn’t remember crying, though it looked recent. Maybe she’d gone to a really crazy party and been fucked up on something or other. It wasn’t the first time she’d been on the receiving end of weird mind-altering stuff without her knowledge. She was, after all, a pretty good-looking mare who hung out with some really shady types.

That had to be it. She must have drunk something weird and messed herself up, and Shadow was probably passed out in her room getting some sleep. She’d definitely earned it.

“Come on, Sky. Don’t go disturbing her.” She said to herself, rubbing her eyes again and blinking groggily. Though she shook her head to clear it, there was a strange dimness to her vision, a fuzziness, as if reality itself was warping around her. The things that Sky was certain of...that Shadow was safe and sound in her bed upstairs, that everypony was safe and they’d both be okay in a few weeks...suddenly seemed so much less real than they had done mere minutes ago. The dull pressure in her chest began to grow, freezing her legs in place as that ever-present panic took control of her body. Sky’s wings flapped out of pure reflex as her fight-or-flight instinct kicked in, but there was nowhere to run to, no dart that she could load into her crossbow to make it go away. She couldn’t run from or fight the swirling melee of doubt and delusion that her mind had become.

“Maybe...maybe if I just peek inside for a second. She wouldn’t mind that, right?” Sky muttered. Her hooves felt like they were covered in molasses, refusing to budge without a conscious effort on Sky’s part. The little white mare was overwhelmed by something far more debilitating than a few cuts and bruises. She was experiencing a fear unlike anything she had ever felt before, not for herself but for her little sister.

Sky glanced down at the coffee table, where a massive stack of papers covered in heist plans sat. Atop it all was a map of Canterlot Palace, the target of their most recent job. As Sky’s eyes passed over the two little plastic model ponies that were meant to represent herself and Shadow, the little white mare felt a horrible tremor across her whole body, as if her heart had broken right then and there.

This doesn’t make any sense, though! She thought to herself, trying to force herself to be rational as she clambered up the stairs. Shadow’s safe! I saw her! Sawblades saved her and she came home with me! All I’ve gotta do is go upstairs and see her sleeping and everything will be okay, right?

Sky found herself twitching and shivering as she ascended the stairs, her own body dragging her down. It was as if some hidden, incomprehensible part of her psyche knew something she didn’t consciously know, and was trying to protect her from it. Each step became more difficult to take as she trod down the hallway, her panicked state forcing her body to shut down.

She stopped outside of the little wooden door. Block letters had been nailed to its surface, spelling out Shadow’s name. Sky didn’t want to knock, partially because she didn’t want to wake Shadow up, but mostly because there was a part of her that didn’t want to know the truth either way. Not just yet.

Sky shook her head again, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps that left her light-headed. She reached out with a shaking hoof as a darkness crept in around the edges of her vision, gripping the door handle and pulling it open.

“Oh, no…”

It was in that moment that the dam did indeed break, that tension that had been building up ever since she’d gone to Sawblade’s place only a few weeks ago. It was a feeling of horror-stricken emptiness, a feeling of abject terror born from week after week of doubt.

Shadow was missing.

“Fuck…” Sky backed up, forcing her legs to respond to her dull terrified brain. “No...shit...this isn’t right...Shadow? SHADOW?” She looked around desperately, fighting her own body as she spurred herself into action. Sky had to find her. She had to know that her little sister was okay. She wouldn’t be able to cope if anything had happened to her, especially not because of that horrible fucking job.

As Sky looked down the hallway again, she saw that same bright white light, all-consuming, sterile and lifeless. It obliterated everything, catching up with her even as she wheeled around to try and gallop away from it.

“No! Wait!” She yelped, her heart dropping into her stomach. “Wait, I don’t wanna go yet! Shadow? SHADOW!”

As the white light consumed her as well, Sky beat her wings, lost in oblivion with her sister nowhere to be found.

* * *

Shadow sighed, slumping down and resting her head on the counter as she watched her sister sleeping. She and Rat had long since slumped against one another, and they were now snoring as peacefully as ever. Of course, between that and the unconscious Fox in the corner of the compartment, Shadow was bored as hell.

“Ugh…” She mumbled, running her fluffy little hooves though her mane and flicking her ears. She briefly considered doing something horrible to Sky while she slept, or even waking her up, but she was the only thing keeping Rat from slumping hilariously to the floor. She was tempted…so very tempted...but she couldn’t do that to her sister. That pony needed her sleep.

Shadow’s hoof closed on her bow, giving the yew wood a gentle squeeze as she watched her big sister sleep. It was a comforting feeling, as if she was standing watch over Sky’s psyche, protecting her from the things that messed with her while she slept. Shadow was the last pony in the world who’d refer to herself as a guardian angel, but for her big sister that was exactly what she was. It wasn’t even simply out of a feeling of being indebted to her for effectively raising the little filly on her own. Shadow loved Sky, and she knew she didn’t say it enough. It was one of those things that you couldn’t say enough.

Her ears perked as Fox started to stir, burying his head in his soft forehooves.

Weird...he looks a hell of a lot more fluffy than I remember… Shadow thought, before violently banishing the thoughts from her mind. A pony her age shouldn’t be thinking about how cuddly a colt looked. It was sinful.

At least he’s been tenderised… She rolled her eyes, steepling her forehooves and fixing a bemused expression on her face, like he was wasting her time just by being in the same room as her.

“Hey Fox.” She said dully. “I didn’t damage your brain any more than usual, did I?”

“What...what was that for?” Fox mumbled, getting to his hooves and rubbing his eyes. “I didn’t even do anything that time.”

“Don’t touch my tummy.” Shadow glared. “You should know better.”

“You’re crazy…” Fox muttered. “One second you’re all cuddly and the next minute you’re kicking my ass for nothing. What the hell’s wrong with...did you just say “tummy?””

“Stomach.” Shadow corrected herself quickly. “I know what you were doing, Fox! You were testing to see if I’m ticklish!”

“I wasn’t!” Fox shook his head, eyes widening. “I was just trying to get close to you, that’s all! I mean, my hoof must’ve slipped, and...and...wait, are you ticklish?”

“No!” Shadow yelped, shuffling back into the corner of the compartment. She’d answered that question a little too quickly.

“Oh Celestia, you are!” Fox giggled, hopping up onto the bench next to her and shuffling closer.

“No! I’m not ticklish! Fuck off!” Shadow’s eyes widened as he came closer, horn flaring up all of a sudden. “I’m not ticklish! I’m too tough for this sort of….don’t you dare come any closer, dipstick-head!”

Her ears perked again as she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Sky, it seemed, was fidgeting in her sleep a little more than normal, kicking out with her hind legs with her wings twitching. She was having another nightmare.

“Okay, seriously Fox, fuck off!” Shadow rolled over onto her back, kicking out with both of her back legs and catching him in the gut. As Fox doubled over in pain with his magic fizzling out, Shadow vaulted the counter and pushed Rat off of her little sister, taking Sky’s cheeks in her forehooves.

“Ugh...you could’ve just said…” Fox gasped. “Wha...what’s up with her?”

“There’s nothing “up” with her, asshole. She’s perfect.” Shadow stuck her tongue out at the colt before going back to attending to her sister. “She just...has nightmares sometimes…”

Fox took a few moments to regain his composure, watching as Shadow held the elder pegasus’s head in her hooves like a mother cradling a rather oversized child. Sky was whimpering in her sleep, her damaged wings spreading and flapping desperately. She looked like Rat did whenever he ran from guards in his sleep, but more...urgent...more serious…

“What does she have nightmares about?” He asked, crossing his hooves on the counter in front of him and laying his head down.

“None of your fucking business.” Shadow grunted.

“You don’t have to be so mean…”

Shadow made a noise that could only be described as adolescent. What kind of upstart asshole had the right to tell her how to behave! She’d made ponies disappear for less than this! Still, he seemed earnest enough…

“Ever had a job go bad?” She asked after a while.

“Every burglar has.” Fox nodded.

“No, I mean, like, really bad. Like, Mare-phy’s Law bad. A job where literally everything got fucked up?”

Fox frowned. “Yeah, I guess Rat and I have had a few. I guess that’s what she’s dreaming about?”

“Yeah, something like that.” Shadow whispered. “It kinda...hit her hard. She still dreams about it sometimes.”

“Sounds rough.” Fox commented. “How...how long’s she been dreaming about it?”

“I dunno. Years now.” Shadow shrugged. “Come on sis, wake up…”

“Years? Haven’t you thought to, like, get her help or something?”

“She doesn’t need help, Fox. She needs a cuddle.”

“Well, your cuddles do feel pretty great…” Fox said sheepishly.

“My cuddles are the best in Equestria.” Shadow nodded without thinking.

Fox sighed, smiling a little at the little filly. “Hey, Shadow?”

“What?”

“How can I help, then?”

That gave Shadow pause. She gave Sky another little shake, glancing around at Fox. ”You wanna help?”

“Sure! You two are really nice ponies and you deserve to be okay.” He beamed back with a little squee.

“Oh...wow..” Shadow whispered, her ears splaying back. “Um...well...I don’t suppose you can hug her, too?”

“What, you’re actually asking me to hug somepony?”

“Look, either hug Sky or hug a fucking cactus. Are you in or what?”

“Am I!” Fox vaulted the counter too, wrapping his hooves around Sky as well.

“Fox?”

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t say you could hug me, too.”

“Oh...erm...oops.” Fox shuffled over, pulling his hoof away from the filly and trying not to touch her wing. Still, this felt like a big step forward for him. She hadn’t even hit him!

“Sis?” Shadow whispered softly. “Come on, wake up. You know none of this shit is real. I’m still here. We’re both safe, you big dumb pony.” She closed her eyes, bumping muzzles with her big sister. “Everything’s gonna be okay…”

Sky’s eyes flickered open, full of tears. She looked around in confused panic for a moment before finally catching Shadow’s gaze. The two sisters stared into one another’s eyes for the longest time, Shadow giving the tiniest little smile to let her know that everything was alright.

“You’re…” Sky muttered.

“Right here. Always have been, always will.” Shadow winked, grinning. “Oh, and there’s some conehead touching you, too. You might wanna have a wash after this.”

Sky looked from Fox to Shadow, the last vestiges of confusion and fear dying away as she took in the two most adorable teenagers in the whole wide world. A little shaky smile crept across her face as she wrapped the two of them in her wings, pulling them closer. Shadow made a rubber-duck squeaky noise as her cheek was pressed against Fox’s own. He gave her a sidelong look as if to wordlessly claim innocence.

“Thanks, guys.” Sky whispered, letting her tears fall freely as she embraced the two little ponies as tightly as she could.

Any other time, Shadow would be pulling herself free of Sky’s grip as long as other ponies were watching the two of them, but she knew full well that Sky needed her right now. Besides, while she wouldn’t openly admit it, she liked moments like this, the quiet ones where she was allowed to cuddle with her big baby of a sister. This was the kind of moment that she loved very much indeed, and there wasn’t a thing in the world that could spoil it.

Fox, tempting fate to an admirable degree, took Shadow’s hoof in his own as he hugged the two sisters, too.

Not one...single…fucking...thing…

Reluctant Bunkmates

“Sis...please…”

“Nope! You’re not weaselling your way out of this one, missy!” Sky shook her head, looking at her little sister sternly.

“But...sis, what if he has rabies? Do you want me to have rabies? It’d be horrible and I’d die and it’d end up being totally your fault!” Shadow pouted. “How could you do this to me?”

“Hey, you should’ve thought about that before you started accusing me of setting you up with him at Celestialand!” Sky put a hoof on her heart, hurt. “You just had to go and think the worst of me, didn’t you?”

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry that I accused you like that!” Shadow clutched Sky’s forehoof, pleading. “Just don’t make me do this! He’s gonna get his…self everywhere!”

“Well, if you’ve got any idea where else he could sleep, I’d love to hear it!”

Shadow opened her mouth to speak.

“Somewhere that isn’t the roof, a sewer or the inside of a dragon.” Sky added, narrowing her eyes.

Her little sister closed her mouth again, looking down at her hooves.

“Come on, I thought you were gonna be nice to him now!” Sky nudged.

“Yeah, well there’s a difference between being nice to somepony and sharing your bedroom with them! I mean, we only have one bed! How the hell are we gonna work around that?”

“That’s a good question.” Sky tapped a hoof to her chin, thinking. “I suppose you could sha…”

“I’M NOT SLEEPING WITH HIM!” Shadow stamped her hoof irritably. “The boat was bad enough! He’s smelly and horrible and I don’t wanna be stuck with that all night!”

“Awww, come on Shadow! He’s not that bad! Look at how sweet he’s being!” Sky giggles. “You’ve gotta admit, this is the nicest you’ve been treated by a new pony in years, and he really wants to get to know you!”

“Well...yeah…” Shadow frowned, not meeting Sky’s gaze. “But...but I...look, sleeping with somepony on the first date is your thing, not mine!”

There was a pause as both sisters processed what had just come out of Shadow’s mouth. Sky couldn’t help but smile at the look of growing horror on the filly’s face. This was without doubt the cutest thing she’d seen since she’d clapped eyes on that tiny little pony for the first time.

“Did you just say…?”

“No!” Shadow said quickly, scrunching her snout.

“You did!” Sky giggled. “You said da…”

“I didn’t! You’re going deaf!” Shadow backed away, spreading her wings.

“Shadow, too much sex turns you blind, not deaf.” Sky rolled her eyes, unable to wipe that smile off of her face. “You really like him, don’t you?”

“No! Stop! I didn’t say date! I was just...just...I’m not sleeping with him, okay?” Shadow tucked her head under her wing, cowering in the corner.

Sky settled down next to her, not trying to pull Shadow’s wing away from her face. Not just yet, anyway.

“You know, if you’re having a lot of confusing feelings about a pony, sometimes it means that you really want to be with them.” Sky whispered softly, putting a hoof on Shadow’s shoulder. “There’s no shame in it. I think it’s kinda cute.”

“I don’t wanna be kinda cute! I wanna be Shadow!” She whined, hunkering down and curling up. Her big bushy tail couldn’t quite wrap around her head and her wing, but she certainly made the effort.

“You’re treating this as something that you’re supposed to be ashamed of.” Sky shrugged. “The feelings you’re dealing with are pretty confusing. I get that. Still, you’re not just gonna let him fluster you every time he touches your hoof, are you?”

“Please!” Shadow growled, poking her muzzle through her feathers and glaring out at Sky. “He doesn’t fluster me, he just...I dunno...confuses me.”

“He flusters you, sweetie.” Sky shook her head, looping a foreleg around her little sister and snuggling her. “You blush, you trip over your words and you punch him.”

“I punch a lot of ponies!”

“That’s different. You punch ponies because they’re being dickheads. Why do you punch him, though?”

“Because he’s being a dickhead!”

Sky raised her eyebrows at Shadow.

“Well, he is!”

“Name one thing he’s done so far that makes him a dickhead.” Sky deadpanned.

“Well...he...he…” Shadow paused. “He just is! He knows he messes with my head and he goes out of his way to make me...me…”

“Yahuh.” Sky grinned, unconvinced.

“Wow, sis. I can feel the sarcasm coming off of you.” Shadow deadpanned, pulling her wing aside.

“Well, you’re not exactly selling it.” Sky smiled. “Shadow, look, if you like him then that’s okay. I promise that I won’t take the piss, really!”

“But I’m not...wait, you mean that?” Shadow cocked her head, waiting for the punchline.

“Really.” Sky said, nuzzling her little sister’s cheek. “Besides, these feelings are the hardest part of being a filly your age. Like, you get confused, scared, fluttery, blushy…”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve read all the crappy poetry in your diary.” Shadow groaned. “Sis...do I have to do this?”

“What, you gonna back down from the challenge?”

“I never back down from a challenge! I just...dunno if I like him. He confuses me and...and...I’m not gonna sleep with him!”

“Well, you can always come and bunk with me if you wanna leave him in your room on his own…”

“Fuck you! I’m not gonna let him touch my stuff if I’m not there! How will I know what I need to burn or wash?”

“So you are gonna sleep in the same room as him?” Sky raised her eyebrows expectantly.

“Well, I dunno, it is summer and the roof’s really nice right now…”

“He’s not sleeping on the roof, sweetie.”

“Fuck.” Shadow sighed. “Fi...fine…”

“Hey, Shadow.” Sky whispered, kissing her on the cheek. “You’re the toughest pony I’ve ever met. Trust me, you can handle this.”

“Um...what if...what if hypothetically…I was...scared?” Shadow shivered. “Hypothetically, I mean. Like, just saying.”

Sky gave a tiny little chuckle, lowering her head and bumping her cheek against her sister’s. “Hypothetically, that’s okay. Being fourteen means dealing with a whole load of feelings you don’t understand, and that stuff would be scary. I know I was scared of the things I was feeling back then. Hypothetically.”

“And what did you do?”

“Me? Well, I got confused, did a whole load of stupid shit and embarrassed the hell out of myself.” Sky shrugged, chuckling. “I still lay awake at night thinking about the dumb shit I used to do to get colts to notice me.”

“Yeah, I remember.” Shadow cringed. “I don’t have to do that sort of shit, do I?”

“Nah, the great thing about having an older sister is that you get to learn from their mistakes.”

“Good, because I’m not burning down a fucking building just because he’s an anarchist or whatever...unlike some ponies.”

“That was once!”

“Or pretend to know kung-fu to impress zebras…”

“Yeah, but…” Sky began.

“Or that time when you changed your gender for…”

“THE POINT IS….” Sky interrupted, pushing a hoof into Shadow’s mouth abruptly, cringing. “There are a lot of feelings that you’re gonna be dealing with at this age, and they’re not gonna go away, either. The question is, are you tough enough to take them on?”

This gave Shadow pause. If it was a question of toughness, especially if hers was being directly challenged, then she knew damn well that she had no choice in the matter. Sky knew that little filly too well, watching as the gears turned in her head.

“Yeah, but…look, I’m not a “feelings” filly.” Shadow said doubtfully, though it was evident that her defences were breaking down.

“Because being a badass is important to you?” Sky nodded understandingly.

“N...ye...does that matter?” Shadow frowned, ears splaying back against her head. “

“That’s a yes, then.” Sky whispered. “Shadow, do you remember back when you were five and you told me that your lifelong dream was to get hugged by a giant cookie?”

“Ye...yeah…” Shadow cringed, closing her eyes tightly at the memory.

“Or the time we broke into that pageant and you won just by walking onto the stage and singing your little heart out?”

“I’d rather not remember that one…”

“Or when I caught you doing your mane and putting on makeup?”

“What’s your point?” Shadow asked with a certain desperation, stomping her hoof irritably.

“My point is that you’ve done all kinds of cute things in your life. Hell, you even do them now, even though I know you don’t want to.” Sky put a hoof under Shadow’s chin, lifting her head up so that she could stare into her big sister’s eyes. “And yet you’re still the biggest badass I know.”

“Oh Luna, you’re being sappy again.” Shadow groaned, hiding her head in her fluffy hooves.

“Yeah, and I can make time to kick ass as well.” Sky grinned confidently. “And even though you’re not exactly a feelings pony, you know that I can do anything I put my mind to and make time to make sure you know just how awesome you are.”

“Well, that’s different…”

“How? You and me have grown up with a lot of the same experiences. We’ve got so much that makes us alike, and that’s part of what makes us so awesome, right?” Sky beamed, nuzzling the young pony. “Hell, you’re a badass without even trying, and you’ll still be this awesome no matter how many cute things you do.”

Shadow looked like she was having a lot of trouble processing this foreign concept, opening and closing her mouth wordlessly as she did her best to wrap her head around it.

“So...you won’t tease me?” She said after a while.

“I swear on my dad’s grave.”

“Your dad’s not dead.”

“On his dead sex life, then.” Sky rolled her eyes. “Okay, how about this. If I make fun of you for this, you get to demand one thing out of me and I’m not allowed to say no. Sound good?”

Shadow’s ears perked up. That was a serious gamble for Sky. If she broke her promise, there’d be no end to the humiliation that Shadow would subject her to. She must mean business.

“What are you planning?” Shadow accused, narrowing her eyes.

“Well, I’m planning on giving you the biggest cuddle in Equestrian history!” Sky giggled, giving a cute little squee as she scooped Shadow up and clutched her tight. She couldn’t resist hugging Shadow. She was fluffier and softer than any pony she’d ever known. With those huge wings, she had all of the adorableness of a filly with all of the hugging potential of a full-grown pony. Sky loved her to pieces, and Shadow couldn’t deny that she loved her, too.

“Ack! No! Stop it, sis! What if he sees?” Shadow yelped, struggling a little. This time, however, her heart wasn’t quite in it. They were having a moment for the second time in as many hours, and this time Fox wasn’t there to get his fat ass in the way.

“Then you’re a big enough badass to handle it, no matter what.” Sky whispered. “Remember?”

“But...but…” Shadow sighed, burying her muzzle in Sky’s soft mane and breathing quietly. “Tha...thanks, sis.”

“Don’t mention it.” Sky chuckled, breaking the hug and nuzzling the little filly’s nose again. “Come on, let’s get the boys and get the fuck back to the hideout.”

“You got it.” Shadow grinned, patting her sister’s shoulder and trotting back into the train compartment with her.

As the two ponies disembarked from the train with Rat and Fox in tow, not a single one of them saw a barely noticeable stallion in the crowd. He glanced at a few photographs, checking their faces against them before turning to his compatriot.

“Inform the Captain.” He growled. “They’re back in Canterlot.”

* * *

Shadow dragged Fox into her room by the ear, gnawing on the tip a little before letting him go.

“Right, listen up kid!” She growled in her best drill sergeant voice. “I’m letting you stay in my room because I’m giving you a chance to behave yourself in front of me, just once! So, you ready for the ground rules?”

“Sure, why not?” Fox whimpered, rubbing his tortured ear as Shadow paced back and forth in front of him.

“Firstly, there’s to be no touching, tickling, snuggling or cuddling!” She snarled sternly, prodding his chest with a forehoof. “I catch you doing any of that shit and you’re taking a surprise trip out the window, got me?”

“Sure!” Fox grinned, nodding enthusiastically. “What else?”

“Don’t touch my stuff, either! If you have to touch it though, make sure you spray it with some disinfectant or something so I don’t get sick off of all your colt germs.”

“You’ve got it.” Fox nodded confidently.

“And if you want a glass of water or something, you’ve gotta go get it yourself. I’m not gonna let you trick me into leaving the room so you can do...I dunno…whatever it is colts do when they’re left alone in a filly’s room!”

“I promise I’ll do it myself.” Fox beamed, fiddling with his forehooves innocently. “So am I excused?”

Shadow narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. “I...suppose…” she said slowly, pulling her torn hood back.and letting her mane fall about her shoulders. She trotted over to the little mannequin in the corner, pulling her cloak off of her shoulders and hanging it up. Fox settled down on the bed, watching her with a tiny knowing smile on his face.

The young filly glanced over her shoulder at him a couple of times as he watched her unbuckle her padded armour. It was really a smaller version of Sky’s own suit, made of leather and toughened wool to let her survive blunt trauma, though after the fight with the previous day that armour was torn all to hell, practically useless. Sky was going to have a hard time fixing that, but it wasn’t the worst damage that that suit had taken.

Fox’s jaw dropped as his eyes travelled over her body, finally resting on her exposed belly. It was the first time that he had seen it since she’d first met him, and it was the single fuzziest, fluffiest, snuggliest thing he’d ever seen.

“What are you looking at?” Shadow challenged, finally clasping her barding in place over the mannequin and turning to face him.

“Huh? Oh! Erm...nothing!” Fox gave a tiny little squee, mindful of Shadow’s “no snuggling” rule. That was going to be harder than he’d first thought. “Just…zoning out, that’s all!”

“Zoning out?”

“Yahuh!”

“Staring at me and zoning out?” Shadow deadpanned.

“Um….” Fox bit his lip, unsure of the right answer, or if there even was such a thing. “Ye…yes?”

“Eww.” Shadow stuck her tongue out, shaking her head and trotting over to the bed. “Hey, didn’t I put some newspaper in the corner for you to sleep on or something?”

“Um...no!” Fox shook his head, discreetly pushing those very newspapers under the bed and flashing her the cheesiest of cheesy grins.

Shadow stared at him incredulously for a moment, finally shaking her head with a long-suffering sigh. “Take your damn cloak off and pick a side of the bed...and fucking stay there, got it?”

“Yes ma’am.” Fox said absently, eyes drifting to her fluffy rubbable belly again as she looked away. It looked like the kind of belly that you could use as a pillow, the kind of belly that you usually only found on the fluffiest of cats...and it belonged to Shadow, the fluffiest, prettiest filly in Canterlot. This was going to be a long night.

Shadow clambered into bed, spreading out her massive wings to shove Fox onto the edge of the bed. She lay on her back, the only way she could possibly lay comfortably with those oversized limbs. No wonder she took up so much of the bed.

Tentatively, Fox shifted his weight a little, resting gently on top of Shadow’s wing and gently running his hoof through the feathers. “Um...Shadow?”

“Oh Luna, what now?” She groaned, closing her eyes and trying to pretend that she was asleep already.

“Um...about that cuddling rule…”

“The cuddling rule’s staying.” Shadow interrupted.

“Well...hypothetically…” Fox said nervously, blushing. “Um...hypothetically, if...if I broke that rule…”

“You break that rule, I break your horn.” Shadow turned her head to stare at him as dangerously as she possibly could. It was difficult for her to look intimidating at all with that tuft of chest fur and her fluffy tummy, however.

“I...see…” Fox bit his lip, looking at her laying on her back with her forehooves tucked up under her chin. It wasn’t fair. She was so adorable, so huggable, such an incredible little pony in every way, and all he wanted to do was snuggle up to her, to rub that tummy of hers and kiss her on the cheek and make her smile as she’d smiled the night before. That wasn’t too much to ask, right?

“So...I’m not allowed to…?”

“Not allowed to lay a hoof on me, no.” Shadow stuck her tongue out. She seemed to be making an exception for her wing, since it took up so much of the bed. Besides, it was twitching a little as Fox rubbed it with his hoof. It was pretty obvious now that she had very sensitive wings indeed.

However, Shadow had left herself alarmingly vulnerable, offering him a loophole. Fox intended to jump on it.

“So...I can’t lay a hoof on you?” He asked for clarification.

“Nope! No hooves whatsoever!” Shadow smiled a tiny little filly-smile, eyes still closed. She tensed up a little, still smiling, almost as if she was expecting what was coming next.

Fox’s horn lit up, a bright amber hand made of pure magical light appearing over Shadow’s tummy.

The filly’s eyes snapped open, gazing up at it in abject terror. “Oh Luna, no…”

“No hooves!” Fox giggled, magically manipulating the hand and starting to mercilessly rub Shadow’s belly. The magical fingers ran through her thick belly fur, tickling her tummy as both ponies broke out into a fit of the giggles.

“No! Stop! Stop! Not fair! Asshole!” Shadow wheezed, driven breathless by an assault on her incredibly ticklish stomach. Her protests turned into a very quiet squeaking noise, sounding more like a gradually deflating balloon than anything else. The young mare’s hooves and ears twitched as she went from giggles to protests to a state of pure zen, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.

Fox rolled onto his front, watching as Shadow completely succumbed to his torture. He knew that he’d be in trouble for this later on, but at that moment it didn’t matter. She was so cuddly that he just couldn’t resist. It was worth whatever she was going to throw at him later.

However, as Fox pushed the envelope further still, letting up on the magic and resting his head on her belly, she didn’t hit him or even resist. She was paralysed, stuck in a state of ticklish cuddly bliss.

“No hooves!:” Fox giggled, nuzzling her belly fluff.

“Shut...shut up...gonna...gonna get you for...for...forget it…” Shadow grinned, still staring at the ceiling, motionless.

“You’re such a sweetie, Shadow…” Fox whispered, closing his eyes as he snuggled up to her. He kept his hooves to himself for the time being, glancing up at Shadow and watching her face.

“No...I’m...a badass...and that’s all I’ll ever be...no...no matter what…” Shadow shook her head chest rising and falling. Her heavy breathing was interspersed with the tiny little whimpers of the recently tickled, looking down past her forehooves at Fox with a mixture of intimidation and happiness. That was undoubtedly her most vulnerable spot where he was resting his head, but he was a nice little colt. There was no way he was going to do anything to her.

Fox nodded, eyes drifting back to her belly. He tucked his nose into her fur, nuzzling her gently, enjoying the warmth and softness. Nonetheless, something felt weirdly off as he delved deeper and hit her skin. A difference in texture from the rest of her body, an injury that seemed far more severe than the normal rough-and-tumble cuts and bruises of ponies in their profession. A scar.

“Shadow?”

“Hmm?”

Fox pushed her fur aside, frowning. “What’s this?”

Sewer Rat

Rat followed Sky as she led him through the dark streets of Canterlot, their hoods drawn up to cover their faces to mask their identities. Sky had walked this path so many times in her career that she could likely do it blindfolded if she had to.

The sun had long since set over the horizon, leaving the city bathed in pale white moonlight. Even with all of the lights on, Canterlot couldn’t generate quite enough light pollution to blot out the stars, and the beauty of the cosmos above was obscured by nothing but a few clouds and the occasional aerial patrol.

“Nice place you’ve got here.” Rat commented, keeping close as Sky trotted down a network of alleyways.

“It was nicer when there wasn’t a horde of super-soldier dipshits living here.” Sky grinned. Her tail flicked from side to side as she led Rat down towards a hidden little street that bordered the Middle and Poor Districts of the city. “Still...if we’re lucky, we can fix that soon enough.”

“So these crystals...you reckon they’re what’s turning ponies into these...things?”

“Yeah.” Sky nodded as they made their way out into a little street. “You read Rolling Thunder’s letter, right? There’s some kind of transformation that takes place, and I remember Shield telling me that those crystals have some kind of crazy magical power.”

“Shield?” Rat cocked his head, curious.

“He’s a guard around these parts.” Sky shrugged. “Nice guy, easily flustered, bad temper. He wouldn’t like you.” She looked around at her unicorn companion, narrowing her eyes. “Why do you ask? You don’t mind that I talk to other stallions sometimes, right?”

“Pffft, Sky, please. I don’t get jealous about shit like that.” Rat shook his head. “Just professional curiosity, that’s all.”

“Yahuh.” She grinned, unconvinced.

“So is he friendly?” Rat asked, trying to change the subject.

“Who, Shield? Nah, he’s a guard through and through. All the senior officers hate my guts around here. Can’t imagine why.” Sky giggled.

“Yeah, I’ll try not to act too shocked.” Rat rolled his eyes. “So what’s the plan from here on in?”

“We find a way to get those crystals back, stop those transformations and give the fucking things back to the Museum before somepony gets hurt.” Sky shrugged. “We’re not having too much trouble with whatever Rolling Thunder’s Operatives are, but they’re sure as hell not making it easy for us. If they can’t get at us, it’s only a matter of time before they fuck up the rest of the underworld instead.”

“Yeah, if we can’t resupply and do our jobs, that’d draw us into the open.” Rat nodded. “So what? We’re just gonna waltz into Rolling Thunder’s state-of-the-art facility, steal some heavily guarded crystals and walk on out again?”

“I dunno.” Sky frowned. “I think we’ve got one hell of a job on our hooves, but there’s gotta be some way we can get into that place. Somepony on the inside who can help us, some way to take out the alarms and security crystals...maybe even a distraction.”

“And that’s what we’re here for, is it?”

“Damn right! There’s gotta be something useful we can get out of the ponies here!” Sky stopped in her tracks in front of a big wooden door. It was Screwdriver’s place again, only recently repaired. Though the old pub had been trashed time and again, the patrons never ceased to restore it to its former - well, glory is too strong a word - with surprising industriousness.

“This is like Tommygun’s place.” Sky explained. “Just don’t draw too much attention to yourself, don’t start shit and we should both be pretty much okay. Screwdriver knows everything that goes on in Canterlot.”

“What, so I have to go in, hit on him and then wreck the whole damn place?” Rat rolled his eyes. “You think he’s gonna know much about high-tech military contractor facilities?”

“Probably not, but if he doesn’t know it then he’ll know somepony who will.” Sky grinned. “Just gotta pay him for his trouble, that’s all.”

“And you’ve got the money for that?” Rat asked.

“Sure I do!” Sky nodded. “Just had to dip into the savings, that’s all.” Sky smiled.

“The same savings that you were gonna use to fix your wing?” Rat frowned.

There was a moment of rather unpleasant silence between the two of them. Sky still smiled, but looked away from her companion, suddenly paying very close attention to the door. “Let’s go in, shall we?” She said after a while.

Rat sighed, nodding reluctantly as Sky pushed the door open and trotted in.

The decor within had been fully restored over the last couple of days, giving the impression that the bar had never been wrecked. Tables had been put back together by the same skilled carpenters that produced weapons for thieves and bounty hunters. The windows had been fixed by glaziers paid by ill-gotten funds, and there was even a new accordion player in the corner. Nopony really knew what had happened to the old one. Perhaps he’d just asked the wrong questions.

Sky kept her hood up as she made her way through the busy, noisy tavern, finally taking a seat at the bar and inviting Rat to sit down by her side with a little smile. The unicorn glanced around, knowing better than to make eye contact with anypony in a place like this, before finally obliging her.

“What’ll it b…” Screwdriver began, before catching sight of Rat. He stopped halfway through wiping down a glass, glancing between the two of them with a rather silly wobbly grin on his face. “Sky…” He whispered. “Did you get a coltfriend?”

Sky’s eyes shot wide open. “N...no!” She said quickly. “What, this guy? No, I just fucked him and he followed me home, that’s all!”

Screwdriver chuckled, smiling with relief as Sky and Rat pointedly didn’t look at one another. “Come on, Sky. You can’t lie to me. I knew that you’d left the city for a couple of days, but this is ridiculous! You actually brought a stallion home!”

“He’s just a friend, asshole. Now come on, drop it.” Sky snickered.

“Fine, fine…” Screwdriver waved his hoof, trying to wipe that smile off of his face. “So what do you lovebirds want?”

“We want...oh for fuck’s sake, stop it!” Sky giggled, giving him a shove with her forehoof. “We’re looking for...and you can stop giggling too, matey!” She added, batting Rat upside the head. “I can withhold sex, you know!”

“You know you can’t.” Rat stuck his tongue out.

Sky opened her mouth to tell him off, before reluctantly closing it again. She wasn’t fooling anypony but herself.

“Okay, okay, serious time now.” Screwdriver smiled, as Sky pouted at Rat. “You’re looking for information, right? Let me guess, you wanna find out something about the Operatives, right?”

“Something like that.” Sky nodded as she kicked Rat’s stool out from under him. “I wanna know more about Silver Tongue’s wedding. Where it’s being held, who’s coming, stuff like that.”

“Ooooh, that big to-do up at the palace in a few days?” Screwdriver whistled. “Yeah, it’s gonna be one hell of a soiree. All the bigshots from all over Equestria are gonna be there. What about it?”

“Any chance any part of it’s gonna take place at that big lab complex he’s got in the city centre?” Sky asked.

“You’d be lucky.” Screwdriver frowned. “That building’s just research rooms, so I dunno about the party taking place there. Still, if you wanna use the wedding as a way into those labs, there might be a way…”

Sky leaned across the counter as Rat got to his hooves, muttering. “Yeah?”

“Sorry doll, you know I wanna help you out, but I can’t give this stuff up for free, especially with the Operatives around.” Screwdriver frowned.

“How much?”

“Two hundred.”

“Two hu…!” Sky gasped. That was most of the cash she’d stolen off of Money Bags. If she paid Screwdriver, there was no way she’d be able to fix her wing for a while yet.

Still...I’ve gotta keep Shadow safe. I don’t want her getting between one of those Operatives and me again. We’ve gotta end this quickly or she might get hurt…

“Fine.” She reached into her saddlebag, pulling out a little coinpurse as discreetly as she could and setting it on the table. “Two hundred bits, but this had better be worth it.”

“It’s worth it, all right.” Screwdriver nodded, sweeping the little bag into his apron pocket. “So here’s the deal. Silver wears a little necklace, nice little thing with a tiny pink diamond on it. It keeps him safe and invisible to the security systems in that building. Trouble is, he’s basically resorted to hiding behind those security measures all the time now. His house got busted into the other day.”

“I know that.” Sky nodded. “So we’ve gotta get to him to shut those systems off, but to get to him we have to go through ‘em. He’s gonna leave the building for the wedding, right?”

“Damn right!” Screwdriver beamed. “There’s a big bridal party the night before at the palace. Gonna be taking place during the Grand Galloping Gala. If you can get a ticket to that and hang out with the bridal party, you can probably get at Silver during the wedding itself.”

“Silver’s not gonna be at the Gala?” Sky asked, cocking her head.

“Nah, but his fiancee’s having her hen night there. Might be worth checking out.” Screwdriver shrugged.

Sky crossed her forehooves on the wooden counter, frowning. Screwdriver had given her a few ideas for how she could get into the facility and get those crystals back, but she didn’t like the plan that was forming in her head, not one bit.

“Thanks Screwdriver. Anything else?” She asked quietly.

“Yeah, a warning I got out of my contacts.” The bartender nodded. “I’ve heard from some of my guys in the guard that the whole damn department’s started looking for you. They’ve got undercover agents everywhere, and it sounds like the Captain’s damn near obsessed with tracking you down and bringing you in.”

“Yeah, he would be.” Sky nodded. “Hey, thanks a bunch, sweetie. I really appreciate the warning.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sky.” Screwdriver shook his head. “And hey, one last thing. Is...Shadow still around?”

“Yeah, she’s just at home with a guest.” Sky smiled, hopping off of her barstool and trotting towards the exit. “I didn’t figure you missed her that much.”

Screwdriver cringed, looking a little disappointed. “Well, okay then. Hey, you two take care, all right? Stay safe and keep your heads down.”

“Don’t worry!” Sky beamed, as she and Rat made their way out onto the street. “We will!”

* * *

“Well, that was pretty helpful.” Rat chuckled, once they were back out in the network of alleys. “You all right?”

“Sure I am!” Sky grinned. “Why the hell wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, your wing money…”

“Pffft, whatever.” Sky shrugged. “It’s just money. There’s always more of it.”

“Well...wh...what if I helped you earn that money back once all this is over?” Rat asked, scratching the back of his neck with a hoof.

“I’m fine, sweetie. It’s okay.” Sky smiled, rounding on him and nuzzling his cheek. “Hey, stop worrying! We’ll get all of this sorted, take a holiday, have some wild sex and then get the fuck back to work. My wing’s gonna be better before you know it, you’ll see.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll drop it.” Rat sighed, smiling a little as he nuzzled her back. “So...what was that about the Captain of the Guard around here? Sounds like you two have a bit of history.”

“Wow, you’re really reading into stuff tonight, aren’t you?” Sky rolled her eyes. “Yeah, he and I’ve got a bit of history. Hell, every burglar does with the city guards, right?”

“Yeah, but guard commanders don’t often get “obsessed” over burglars.”

“Burglars don’t often steal superweapons.” Sky replied evenly.

“Come on, Sky. You’re bullshitting, I can tell.” Rat picked up some speed as they stepped out onto the street, looping around and standing in her way. “If I’m gonna help you, you’ve gotta be honest with me. What’s gone on between you and the Captain? Not to stick my nose into shit that doesn’t concern me, but it’s kinda gonna end up mattering when we get on the wrong side of the cops again.”

“You’re already on the wrong side of the cops. You’re with the pony with 8 million bits on her head!” Sky rolled her eyes, exasperated. “Fine, you really wanna know what the deal is between the Captain and me?”

Rat nodded urgently.

“Okay.” Sky sighed. “Well, he’s my brother, and…”

“STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM!”

Sky and Rat whirled around at the voice, and the two ponies blanched. Somehow, throughout their little debate, the guards had managed to completely surround them, covering rooftops, both ends of the street and even nearby clouds. There were at least thirty of them, led by an earth pony wearing the armour of an Equestrian Army Lieutenant. Each and every one of them had a crossbow or a horn levelled at the two burglars.

“Really, Lieutenant?” One of the guards sighed, lowering his crossbow just a little and casting a sidelong glance at his commanding officer.

“Sorry! I’ve just always wanted to say that!” The earth pony giggled quietly, before stepping forward and levelling her own repeating crossbow at the two ponies. “Okay, you two are Sky Runner and Rat Racer, right?”

The two looked at each other for a moment before turning their attention back to the earth pony.

“Nope!” Sky shook her head.

“No way!” Rat agreed.

“Who the hell are they?” Sky shrugged. “We’re just...tourists!”

“Yeah! Tourists taking a moonlit stroll! Can you imagine anything more romantic than that?” Rat sighed wistfully.

“Dressed as burglars?” The earth pony raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Well duh! I mean, could you imagine if we showed up to the fancy dress party our buddy across town is holding!” Sky rolled her eyes. “We’re going as Bon-Bon and Clyde!”

“Wait, we’re doing wha...ow!” Rat cringed as Sky elbowed him in the ribs. “I mean, yeah! Fancy dress party! Come on guys, lay off!”

The earth pony looked from the unicorn to the crippled little pegasus, before finally pulling a pair of photos out of her saddlebag. “Really, because you seem to be doing a great Sky and Rat! Either you two accidentally dressed as the wrong criminal couple, or you’re bullshitting me, and right now I’m thinking it’s the latter.”

Sky and Rat exchanged another glance.

How the hell are we gonna get out of this one? Sky thought to herself, biting her lip as she looked into the unicorn’s frightened eyes. There had to be something...anything…

Her hoof clanked slightly as the rubber in her boot struck textured metal. With only the tiniest glance downward, Sky spotted it. A manhole. That was all very well and good, but opening a manhole with four-dozen crossbows trained on you was no mean feat, especially for two ponies who weren’t exactly weightlifters themselves.

Sky flashed Rat the tiniest little smirk, glancing down at the manhole cover again. This time his eyes followed hers, and a mutual unspoken understanding was met.

“Well fucking done, Rat! You got us caught!” Sky finally growled, batting the stallion upside the head with her forehoof.

“Ow!” Rat pouted, rubbing his head. “What the fuck are you blaming me for? This is your damn city! I was counting on you to keep us out of the way of the guards!”

“Yahuh, sure!” Sky rolled her eyes. “Blaming the mare right off the bat, you sexist! I thought you were a professional!”

“Of course I’m a professional! I just can’t plan for your slip-ups!” Rat waved his hooves in the air, his horn flaring. “But hey, way to play the gender card to try and get me to back down! Maybe you wouldn’t have to hide behind “ooooh, don’t hurt me, I’m a mare!” if you weren’t so shit at your job!”

Sky looked around at the assembled guards, her mouth hanging open in appalled shock. The guards were lowering their weapons, more than a little perplexed. Even their commanding officer was looking more than a little confused. She must be new.

“Oh really? Did you seriously just call me shit at my job?” Sky’s ears splayed back, blinking a few times as her eyes welled up with tears.

“Well yeah! I mean, say what you like, dollface. I can use magic and you can’t even fly!” Rat growled. He minimised the sound of grating metal against stone as he discreetly levitated the manhole cover out of the hole, winking at his partner.

Sky, however, was inconsolable with tears. “Your words hurt, you know!” She whimpered, backing away in horror and bumping into the mare. She rounded on the surprised officer, sobbing into her mane and wrapping her forehooves around her. “I hate...stallions...so much…” She sobbed, her voice shaking.

“Um...wait, I can’t...oh, sweetheart…” The guard’s ears flopped back, her morale officer instincts overtaking her psyche and driving her to scoop the little white mare into a hug. Arresting her could come later.

“He’s...so...mean…” Sky said weakly, as tears rolled freely down her cheeks. Her hoof crossbow snapped out as she hugged the mare, a sleep dart cycling into it. All it would take was one twist of her hoof and the guards’ commander would be out. They always got so confused if the officer in charge suddenly decided it was naptime.

Angling the weapon so that the dart was pointed at a chink in the mare’s breastplate, Sky sighed and pulled the trigger.

“Thanks, sweetie…” She whispered in the mare’s ear.

There was a snap as the crossbow fired, but to Sky’s surprise the mare didn’t go down. She even counted off thirty seconds, the longest time it had ever taken for one of those darts to affect one of her victims, before pulling away and looking her in the eye.

The mare was staring back with a look of absolute confusion plastered on her face.

Both ponies gave each other the most perfectly blank looks for a time, their mouths held open in a sort of weird mutual half-smile as they each processed what had just happened.

“Um...Rat?” Sky called out, not taking her eyes off of the mare.

“Ye...yeah?”

“She’s one of them!”

“Oh.”

Another moment of silence.

“Did you just shoot me?” the mare asked, hurt.

“Well, yeah…” Sky nodded, backing toward the open manhole. “But you’ve gotta see it from my perspective! We were just...um….run for it!” She cried, pushing Rat into the manhole before leaping in after him.

Daybreak stood there in shocked silence for a time, blinking in the moonlight. It was probably just as well that she’d had those enhancements, or she’d look like a right wally right now.

“AFTER THEM!” She roared, diving into the manhole in pursuit.

* * *

“So what’s the plan?” Rat panted, as the two ponies tore through the sewers.

“Well, I don’t wanna sound like an episode of Scooby Hooves, but we might wanna split up.” Sky grunted, as she began to pick up speed. “The noise from two different tunnels will throw them off!”

“Sounds good!” Rat nodded. “Meet back at the tower in a few hours?”

“You’ve got it, sweetie!” Sky nodded as they skidded to a halt at a fork in the road, leading off into two separate tunnels. With a nod and a quick-hoof bump, the two ponies each darted down a different tunnel. Without having to wait up for Rat, Sky started beating her damaged wings again, the foul-smelling air racing through her mane and tail as she sped up. In the half-light, on the slippery wet stone, she found that she couldn’t get up to full speed. It was certainly fast enough to leave all of the heavily armoured guards behind, however.

“Too easy…” Sky grunted to herself, looking over her shoulder.

There were two bright yellow eyes, glowing brightly against the darkness of the sewer, and they were getting closer. That mare was fast.

Shit…she went after me instead of Rat...at least there’s only one of them… Sky thought to herself. As she picked up as much speed as she possibly could without slipping over, she found that her tunnel had carried her to out into a monstrous cylindrical dark hall, some kind of cistern that was draining into the waterfalls that ran off of the mountain. Sky could even see a little light at the bottom of a massive waterfall where the outlet lay. She herself kept galloping across the catwalk that spanned the hall, glancing down at the outlet. The water cascading down through the cistern out of the hole was filtered through a set of steel bars. It was a longshot, but she might just make it.

This is the worst way I’ve ever escaped anything...this is even worse than that land squid… Sky cringed, not even taking a moment to consider whether this was a good idea before making the leap.

However, as she jumped, something caught the bow that was slung across her back, pulling her back onto the catwalk with all the force of a speeding carriage. Sky slammed into the stone with a grunt, scrunching her snout as she looked around to see what had happened.

The Operative had caught Sky’s bow in her mouth, holding onto it as she glared down at the little white pony.

“‘ou’re ‘oming ‘ith ‘e…” the mare growled sternly through the bow in her mouth.

“Sweetie, if I had a bit for every guard who’d said that to me in the past five years, I’d have paid off my bounty by now.” Sky narrowed her eyes. She didn’t want to squeeze out of the bow, since it had a certain sentimental value to her, but there were other ways for her to get away.

Spreading her wings again, Sky took another leap, this time making what could be described as a very clumsy backflip indeed. As she twirled in the air, Sky slipped out of her bow, grabbing onto the string with both hooves and pulling it back as she landed atop the mare.

“Oi! Gerroff!” The Operative growled, looking back at Sky with what could only be described as the bitchiest kind of bitterness.

“Let go of my bow! That’s my sister’s!” Sky drew the bowstring back a little further, pulling the mare’s head back as well.

The mare, being as she was an earth pony, didn’t have a lot of ways to get Sky off of her back, so settled for cantering sideways, launching herself onto her back. As she arced through the air, Sky let go of the bow and dropped to the ground, snapping her crossbow out and letting fly with another sleep dart. This one struck the mare’s neck, but as always, it completely failed to do anything. Her eyes glowed amber as the magic in her system fought the potion in her body.

The Operative got to her hooves, eyes fixed on Sky as she spat out the bow. “Come on, Sky. I’m not here to give you trouble. I’m here to help you.” She said, her voice softening. For the first time since Sky had met her, her demeanour wasn’t that of a big authoritative officer anymore, but of a pony who just wanted to help.

“What the hell kind of help warrants surrounding me with guards?” Sky challenged, coming a little closer. With a few tentative flicks of her forehoof, she pulled her bow back over to her, slinging it back onto her back.

“Well, I was worried that you wouldn’t come with me if just showed up, since I’m a soldier.” The mare shrugged. “Hey, look. We got off on the wrong hoof, but I really want to make things okay. My name’s Daybreak.” She held out a hoof hopefully.

“You’ve stepped in something.” Sky observed.

Daybreak glanced down at her hoof, sticking her tongue out. “Yuk!” With all of the smoothness of a mare who doesn’t want to seem as goofy as she is, she put that hoof down and extended the other one with a little smile on her face.

Sky looked deep into the mare’s eyes, looking for a punchline, an ulterior motive. There had to be something. Ponies didn’t just turn up and say that they wanted to help her. It just didn’t happen. However, as Sky looked, all she saw was earnest care and honesty. In spite of what this mare was physically, she was telling the truth...or at least looked as if she was.

Hesitating only a moment longer, Sky reached out and took her hoof. “Well...hey, Daybreak. I’m Sky.”

“I know.” Daybreak giggled. “I’ve been looking for you for ages! Look, me and a few others, we know that you’re innocent...well, innocent-ish…we know that you didn’t do the thing with the Museum, okay?”

“Okay…” Sky nodded slowly. “And how do you know that?”

“Well, I spoke to one of the other Operatives, and he knows you pretty well.” Daybreak grinned knowingly, with the air of one of those TV hosts who’s about to reunite two estranged relatives. In a sense, of course, she was. “He knows that you couldn’t do a thing like that. He wants to get you safe, Sky.”

“Well, I appreciate his concern, but I am safe.” Sky took a step towards the edge of the catwalk, keeping her eyes on Daybreak. “I can get out of anything, sweetie! Don’t you worry about me!”

“Yeah? You didn’t get away from me.” Daybreak smiled, sticking her tongue out.

“Didn’t I?” Sky giggled, stepping off of the edge of the catwalk.

“Wait!” Daybreak yelped, as Sky plummeted down towards the outlet, spreading her wings again to airbrake herself. The Lieutenant didn’t even hesitate, leaping off after her and landing on the wide half-pipe ramp that led down to the outlet a moment after Sky did.

Sky quickly picked up speed again, carried onward by her own hooves and the torrents of water washing down from above. Her boots slipped on the stone beneath her again and again, and as she looked over her shoulder again she could see Daybreak catching up, her eyes glowing bright amber in the half-light. It was like getting chased by a much larger female version of Fox.

Damn it, now I know how Shadow feels… Sky growled, flapping her soaking wings and kicking up water as she got closer to the bars. They were pretty close together. This was going to be a tight fit, and if anypony knew about tight fits, Sky did.

“Hey! You’re not gonna get through those bars, Sky! You’re too big!” Daybreak yelled over the roar of the water around them.

“Oh, you did not just call me fat!” Sky yelled back, starting to squeeze herself through the bars. Her head, wings and torso got through just fine, but when she tried to get her flanks through, too…

“Told you!” Daybreak laughed, as Sky struggled to squeeze through the bars. She kicked her legs impotently, only a foot away from escaping. She struggled, wiggling her hooves in the air and trying to twist herself through before finally slumping upside-down.

“Little help?” Sky asked weakly, wiggling her hind legs. This was not how she’d wanted to get caught.

Daybreak rolled her eyes, trotting forward. “I did! I told you that you were too big!”

“Oi! My flanks are a great size, missy!” Sky stuck her tongue out, crossing her forelegs sulkily. “Now get me out of here!”

As Daybreak giggled, trotting towards Sky to yank her out of the bars, her hooves slipped on the wet stone as well, sending her tumbling over and crashing into Sky. While Daybreak wasn’t heavy, at least by earth pony standards, it was enough to push Sky out of the bars, leaving the two mares on either side of the grate.

Sky took a moment to assess whether she was still in one piece. Once she was satisfied that she hadn’t been bisected, she turned around and stuck her tongue out at Daybreak.

“See? My flanks are perfect!” She giggled, giving them a slap to drive her point home. Laughing out loud, the little white pony galloped off into the night, losing Daybreak before the mare could come to her senses.

* * *

A manhole cover on the other side of town glowed bright blue for a moment before shifting aside, and Rat Racer clambered out onto the street.

“Ugh...I don’t even wanna think about the shit I’ve stepped in today…” He grunted, giving his shaggy mane a shake and getting his bearings.

“That’s why I tend to stick to the streets, myself.” Came the voice of a nearby stallion.

Rat narrowed his eyes, his own hoof crossbow snapping out. It emitted a little whine as he primed the taser dart, charging it up.

“And who the hell are you?” He growled, levelling the weapon at the approaching stallion. He was a big white unicorn with a blond mane and bright blue eyes. Sky’s eyes.

“My name’s Captain Stronghooves of the Royal Guard.” He said, smiling brightly. “I think you and I have a lot to talk about.”

Not A Morning Pony

Shadow opened her eyes, staring at the wooden ceiling for the longest time. It had been a while since she’d rested this peacefully without Sky in the hideout, but obviously that was her growing up and becoming more independent. It had nothing to do whatsoever with the colt all snuggled up next to her, resting his head in her bellyfluff and snoring quietly. Nope. Not one bit.

Shadow’s ears perked as she looked down at the slumbering little pony, frowning a little as she took in his form. He was pretty peaceful when he was sleeping and not, say, beating her up or trying to put the moves on her. Shadow was having a lot of difficulty working out which scenario was more unappealing to her.

He’s pretty cute… She thought to herself, giggling quietly as his warm breath hit her ticklish tummy. Like, he’s nothing super-special, but he’s nice and sweet and he means well, and...NO! STOP IT! BAD PONY! Shadow growled softly, baring her little white teeth. It’s obviously some kind of trick! He’s cute, yeah, but what if he’s an axe murderer? We haven’t even done the axe murderer test yet!

Shadow felt herself beginning to hyperventilate, the first vestiges of real panic flooding through her bloodstream. If he really was an axe murderer then it wouldn’t be prudent to just lay here on her back. Her belly was her most vulnerable body part, and she’d just straight-up told him what had happened to her a few years ago! If he was smart, he’d go for there first.

Oh, I see how it is… Shadow thought, narrowing her eyes. He’s laying there so that he can look for the perfect place to stab me! What a cheeky bastard! I should’ve seen it coming!

She stared at him with overwhelming suspicion for a long while, lowering her hoof to his head and gently scratching him behind the ears to see if he’d try to bite her limbs off. She knew it was irrational, but she was having a lot of trouble thinking rationally right now. So much was failing to make sense, like the whole deal with the Operatives, Fox actually paying attention to her after five years of nopony acknowledging her but her big sister, and all of the Luna-damned advances. Shadow wasn’t going to lie. She was beginning to have very real trouble dealing with all of this, and Fox wasn’t making it any easier. Something would have to give sooner or later.

To her surprise, Fox didn’t turn into a pony-eating monster just yet. In fact, he smiled softly in his sleep, whimpering softly and kicking out with his back leg like a rabbit. Shadow paused, tilting her head in confusion. What the hell was he doing that for?

As the young filly watched him, a long-repressed part of Shadow’s brain, one that used to demand cookies and recognise when something was downright adorable, finally fired up, and a single damning thought ran through her mind.

He’s so cute!

Shadow moved her hoof up between his ears, scratching his head experimentally. This was obviously just to check for vulnerabilities, of course. Something she could use if he went completely psycho or got too close again. Besides, Shadow was a curious little pony. She couldn’t just let a little thing like this slide.

Her face fell as his back leg stopped kicking. That was more than a little disappointing. She’d been expecting something a little more…

Oh Luna, he’s nuzzling my tummy. This is soooo gross… Shadow gasped, sticking her tongue out in disgust. No...get off...this is horrible...don’t…don’t do that...it’s gonna make me…

She couldn’t keep in the growing fit of the giggles that came from having her sensitive belly nuzzled like that. His breathing had been one thing, but his fluffy little nose was too much for her. Shadow’s chest rose and fell as she stuffed her hoof into her mouth, trying to suppress herself as best she could, but it was fruitless. She couldn’t take any more, and as he kept nuzzling her belly she let out the squeakiest of delighted squeaks. Her wingtips fluttered and she lay back, caught in the throes of silent laughter.

To her horror, Fox began to stir as she shook, frowning in his sleep before his eyes began to flicker open. Though Shadow froze up and lay stock still, it simply wasn’t going to be enough this time. The young colt had heard her giggle. He knew she was awake...and he was happy to see her, too.

“Mmmph...hey, Shadow…” He muttered sleepily, eyes half-open. He had a tiny little smile on his face, blinking at her in the half-light.

“Uh...hey…” Shadow replied nervously, waving awkwardly and gulping. “I was just ...um…”

“Thinking about me?” Fox smiled hopefully.

“Ye...yeah...but only about what an ugly little slob you are!” Shadow growled softly, regaining her composure in record time. “I mean, look at what you’ve done! You’ve drooled all over me! That’s not cool!”

Fox raised his head, glancing down at her tummy. “No I didn’t…” he said flatly.

“Well, you were thinking about doing it!” She narrowed her eyes, not missing a beat. “I can tell! All mares can read minds, you know!”

“Can they?” Fox shuffled a little closer, crossing his forelegs and giving her a searching look. “What am I thinking now, then?”

“Well, that’s easy! You’re thinking of...no…” Shadow paused, eyes shooting wide open. She tried to pull away from Fox before he followed through, but she was trapped underneath him, the big fat stupid colt. “Don’t you dare...don’t you even think about it!”

“Okay, I won’t think about it.” Fox nodded diplomatically.

Shadow sighed with relief, her ears flopping back against her head as she considered just how big a bullet she’d dodged.

Fox rolled off of her, laying on his back as he stared up at the ceiling. “Hey, Shadow?”

“What?”

“So...you told me yesterday that you got stabbed…” Fox asked slowly. “Um...I kinda…”

“Spit it out.” Shadow sighed, rolling her eyes.

“I dunno, I guess I just wanted to know more about it. Like, how did it happen?”

Shadow frowned, unsure about whether or not she should tell Fox about what had happened to her. It was bad enough that she was stabbed. It said a lot about her fallibility that she could be injured like that, but telling him about the worst heist she’d ever gone on? That was a different story entirely. It made both herself and Sky look bad.

He was gonna find out one way or another when he saw my scars, I guess… Shadow frowned, staring at her ceiling. And it’s not like he can use it against me or anything. Besides, he got hit by a fucking carriage! That’s even worse!

“Shadow?” Fox asked, giving her a worried little nudge.

“Yeah, yeah…” Shadow sighed again, blowing her mane out of her face. “Well...okay, you’ve been on a whole load of jobs with Rat, right?”

“Sure!” He nodded, smiling wistfully.

“Well...you’ve had jobs go wrong, right? Like...the thing with the carriage?”

“Yeah, not every job goes the way it’s supposed to, and sometimes we get caught or hurt, right?” Fox agreed. “That’s what happened with you, right?”

“Yeah.” Shadow frowned. “So, I guess that’s kinda what happened to me. I was fourteen and...well, I got hurt.”

“Oh.” Fox bit his lip. “Um...do you mind if I ask how?”

“I do mind, really.”

“Come on!”

“I’m not coming on!” Shadow shook her head. “A job went to shit, I got hurt, Sky saved me and everything’s okay now, all right? Just drop it!”

“I’m not dropping it, Shadow.” Fox shook his head. “What, are you afraid that we’ll have something in common? I know that nopony pays attention to you, too.” He put a hoof on her shoulder, staring at her earnestly.

Shadow glanced over at him a couple of times, cringing. “Who fucking told you that?” She said quietly.

“Rat did. He nicked Sky’s diary. He knows something happened to you...and it’s kinda like the thing that happened to me. Please...I’ve never met anypony else who’s had something like this happen to them. I wanna know that I’m not...just fucked up.”

“You are fucked up.” Shadow glared.

“Shadow, please…”

“Fine!” Shadow groaned, running her hooves through her mane and tucking her wings in by her sides. “Sky wanted to...get me a birthday present a few years ago...and it was gonna be super-special and everything...but the trouble is that it was really expensive…”

“What was it?”

“She wanted to...to pay off my bounty…” Shadow grimaced. “Trouble is, she and I...we’ve been working together ever since I was little. Hell, I’ve been robbing ponies since she...took me in…”

“She adopted you?” Fox raised an eyebrow, curious.

“Not important.” Shadow shook her head. “Point is, my bounty was damn near in the millions. There’s no way we could pay that off, especially not back then when we were struggling to eat day-to-day.”

“So you needed to steal something big, right?” Fox asked.

“Yeah.” Shadow paused. “You….you’ve heard of the Elements of Harmony, right?”

“Sure I have.” Fox nodded enthusiastically. Everypony had heard of the Elements of Harmony. Hell, foals got taught about them in school. They were legendary.

“Yeah, well...the way Sky and I figured it, if we broke into the Palace and stole them, then we could ransom them back for enough cash to pay off our bounties and...I dunno, be free.” Shadow shrugged. “We planned the job for months. How we’d get into the Palace, what we’d do if we ran into trouble, how to get past the guards, how we’d unlock the vault without any magic of our own. It was foolproof.”

“But it went south.”

“Yeah, it did.” Shadow nodded. “Somepony found out about it and sold us out to the guards. When we finally set out to try and get into the palace, we walked right into a trap.”

“Ouch.” Fox cringed. “What kind of trap?”

“Guards everywhere, loads of magical support, batponies who could find us when we hid in the darkness…” Shadow shuddered. “So...Sky and I ran for it. We had to get out of there. The whole thing had gone to shit.”

“You two had a backup plan, right?”

“Yeah, we did. The plan was to run for the university if anything went bad. There’s a lot of twisting corridors and places to hide in there. We didn’t have too much trouble losing the guards.” Shadow smirked proudly. “Those clompy bastards couldn’t keep up with us. We’re the fastest damn ponies in this city.”

“There’s gotta be more to it than that.” Fox said doubtfully.

“Yeah…” Shadow pulled herself onto her hooves, stretching her wings out. “Sky and I ran into some old buddies. Shady and Nightshade. Kinda...I dunno, rival burglars? They’re assholes, both of them, Drunk, violent, punch your teeth out soon as look at you. The way Sky tells it, they were running a job on the University that night, and when we turned up, all exhausted and fucked up by the guards, they tried to remove us from the picture permanently.”

“Yeah, but you two kicked their asses, right?” Fox asked, getting up as well. “I mean, you two are the toughest mares I’ve ever seen. A couple of stallions shouldn’t give you too much shit, right?”

“You’d think, but we were both ...I dunno...tired.” Shadow scratched the back of her neck. “I got separated from Sky. Ended up fighting Nightshade in a lecture theatre. I was losing. He even broke my bow, so I was having a lot of trouble taking him down...and I mean a lot.”

“And he won?”

“Yeah, I called for help, Sky didn’t come in time, and...he stabbed me.” Shadow shrugged. “Didn’t hurt too bad, but I got in a whole load of trouble and nearly bled out on the operating table.”

“Well…” Fox said slowly. “At least you were okay in the end, right? Like, you and Sky are still here, and taking care of each other, and it’s just kind of a shitty memory.”

“Yeah, five years and this is all I’ve got to remember it by.” Shadow patted her belly, smiling. “Nopony got too badly hurt, we both recovered and...well...we’re still working on the whole “getting rid of our bounties” thing.”

“Guess you’ve gotta get these assholes off of your backs first, right?” Fox smiled, trotting over to her and placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Just tell me how I can help, okay?”

“You can start by not touching me.” Shadow growled, switching from expository to brutal in a heartbeat and slapping him away. “Seriously, what is it with you and trying to cuddle up to me! I thought you just wanted to be friends!”

“Yeah! I d...do…” Fox insisted, rubbing his hoof. “But you’re always so fucking stand-offish!”

“That’s not even a word!” Shadow stuck her tongue out.

“Shadow, come on, you said you’d be my friend and you’re still acting like a bitch!” Fox pouted. “You’re cuddly and fluffy and so damn sweet. Why the hell are you still trying to treat me like shit?”

“Because I don’t need friends, Fox!” Shadow snarled. “I’ve never needed friends! It’s always been me and Sky, two sisters kicking ass ever since I was a kid! I’m not lonely, I’m notscared or sad or anything! What the hell do you think you’re gonna offer me besides more...fucking…cuddles?” She stomped her hoof on the floor, facing him down with her wings spread.

“Sometimes that’s all a pony needs.” Fox replied evenly, giving her a little smile.

“You’re unbelievable.” Shadow sighed, letting her wings flop down by her sides. “You come into my life and you act like you somehow belong in it. What the fuck makes you think I even want you here?”

“Well, you smile a little when I’m around, you say silly things from time to time, you’ve got a super fluffy tummy that’s going to waste…” Fox replied, counting fingers on a hand rendered by magic, “and you’re still wearing that flower I gave you.”

“That’s different!” Shadow protested. “I...I didn’t…”

“Face it, Shadow. I make you happy, just a little.” Fox smiled. “You confuse the fuck out of me with all of the beatings and the shouting and stuff like that, but I know that you make me happy. That’s why I keep trying to make you happy, too.”

“I don’t need anypony to make me happy! I’m plenty happy on my own, thanks!”

“Are you smiling right now?”

“Well...no…” Shadow paused, looking down at her hooves. “But that’s different.”

“Shadow, look…” Fox sighed, trotting up to her and putting a hoof on her cheek. “I really want you to be happy, and I know you’ve been missing other ponies, same as I have. Listen...Rat told me I should be really open with my feelings with you, so you don’t take what I do the wrong way, and the truth is that I think you’re really special, super-pretty and kind and...I just want to see you smile. You’re prettiest when you smile.”

Shadow froze as he touched his hoof to her cheek, feeling them grow incredibly warm again. Her face went red enough qualify for a part-time job as Sky’s mane, but her hooves were rooted to the spot. It was like her body wanted to see what he would do next, though her mind was screaming at her to pull away, to punch him, anything.

“Uh...huh…” She said stupidly.

“You’re a nice pony, Shadow.” He smiled, coming a little closer and kissing her on the nose. “And I know you’re confused, too.”

Ironically enough, kissing her dispelled all of the confusion that Shadow had in her mind. All of the swirling feelings and thoughts that had been messing with her dissolved as she felt his lips against her little fluffy nose, replaced by pure unadulterated clarity. As he pulled away, watching her nervously, Shadow blinked a couple of times, the path ahead very clear indeed. For the first time since she’d met him, she knew how to respond to his friendliness. Nevertheless, she stared at him with a slightly dazed expression on her face, squeaking and whimpering.

“Um...are you okay?” Fox asked worriedly.

“Y...yeah…” Shadow replied shakily, after a moment to collect herself. “Fox...come here...there’s something I...something I’ve gotta tell you…”

* * *

Sky collapsed with exhaustion as she stumbled back into the tower, kicking the door closed behind her. That had one hell of a run on its own, but she’d spend the whole damn night trying to duck the guards and find Rat again. At least she hadn’t run into Daybreak again, but she still worried for him. What if she’d captured him? What if she’d interrogated him and gotten the location of the hideout out of him? Sure, this was more of a safehouse than anything she’d personally call “home,” but she still didn’t want the guards crashing it, especially not with the kids asleep upstairs.

In time, the little white pony caught her breath, shaking her head and looking up the stairs. The first light of day was shining in through the open window up in the living room. Contrary to what one might think, Sky loved daylight. Even though the closest thing she had to a full-time career saw her creeping around in the darkness, she loved the opportunity to just stand out on the balcony and stretch her wings, to feel the warmth of the sun against her body. She didn’t have much time for serenity in her own line of work, and always appreciated it wherever she could find it.

“SKY! RAT! ANYPONY, HELP MEEEEE!” Came a scream from the roof. It was Fox.

So much for peace and quiet… She thought to herself, trotting up to the roof with a sigh. Serenity was boring, anyway.

“What the hell’s going on here?” Sky asked, pushing the roof hatch open.

She froze in place as she took in the scene before her. Shadow was on the edge of the roof with her wings spread, dangling a whimpering little pony over the edge by one of his hind legs. Sky was no genius, but she could perhaps hazard a guess about who it was.

“Nothing…” Shadow growled. “Give me another few minutes, I’ll be done in a second…” She turned her attention back to Fox, shrieking at him. ‘“YOU’D BETTER APOLOGISE RIGHT FUCKING NOW OR I SWEAR I’M GONNA TURN YOU INTO PONY JAM ON THE SIDEWALK!”

Fox squealed a decidedly girly squeal, hiding his head in his hooves. “No! Please! I’m sorry, Shadow! I just wanted you to be happy and I got carried away and...and…please don’t drop me! I’ll do anything!”

“SAY UNCLE!”

“What?”

“SAY UNCLE, MOTHERFUCKER!”

“OKAY! OKAY! UNCLE! JUST LET ME BACK UP, PLEEEEASE!” Fox was inconsolable, crying his eyes out like a newborn. As Sky watched, she saw a little pang of sympathy cross Shadow’s face, the realisation that she’d gone too far overriding her desire to punish Fox for whatever transgression he’d committed. With a sigh and a decidedly adolescent huff, she pulled him back onto the rooftop, dropping him at her hooves and sitting down with a little pout.

“Shadow…” Sky said slowly. “Um...what the fuck was that?”

“He kissed me!”

“Oh.” Sky grinned, laying down. “Well, you shouldn’t do dangling colts off of rooftops to get your revenge on them, sweetie. You’ve gotta be nice.”

“I tried to be nice!” Shadow stamped her hoof huffily. ”He was just being...I dunno…too nice!”

“Luna-fucking-damn it, sis.” Sky giggled, resting her head on her hooves. “Well, I’ve got good news and bad news for the two of you.”

Fox peeked out from between his hooves, cocking his head. “Whe...where’s Rat?”

“I don’t know.” Sky said sadly. “We got jumped by some ponies last night on our way back from Screwdriver’s, but I think the Operatives captured him.”

“Captured?” Fox shook his head, unconvinced. “I’ve seen those things...they don’t capture ponies, they kill them. You saw what happened back in Manehattan…”

“Yeah, but this seems to be a bunch of Operatives who aren’t out to kill us. They’re fighting Rolling Thunder and they don’t want him controlling them.” Sky nodded, as Fox tucked his head under Shadow’s wing, hugging her forelegs. “Course, that means that they’ll have taken him back to the facility in the city centre.”

“So what’s the plan?” Shadow asked, gently stroking Fox’s mane apologetically and looking up at Sky.

“Well, Screwdriver came out with some pretty useful info, as it turns out.” Sky grinned. “Remember when we broke into Silver’s place and found out about that wedding?”

“Yeah…?” Shadow cocked her head.

“Well, turns out that Silver’s got a little amulet that he wears to keep himself invisible to the facility’s security systems.” Sky went on. “That wedding’s our ticket to getting that amulet, and this…” She pulled a poster out of her saddlebag, slapping it down before the two teenagers, “is our ticket to the wedding.”

“The Grand Galloping Gala?” Shadow asked, frowning. “How the hell’s that going to get us into Silver’s wedding?”

“The bride and all of her best friends are gonna be there the night before the wedding. I figure it’s just a matter of sneaking in there and pressing the girls for a little information on our buddy Silver.”

“And that’s gonna help us get Rat back?” Fox asked, peeking out from under Shadow’s huge wing to read the poster.

“Damn right.” Sky nodded. “If we can get into that facility, we can get Rat and the crystals back before anypony else gets hurt, then we can give the fucking things back to the Museum and end this bloody mess.”

“Sounds good.” Shadow grinned, scratching Fox behind the ears and gesturing at Sky. Fox’s leg started involuntarily kicking again, and the poor little colt blushed like mad. “There’s just a few things we need to organise, first.”

“Yeah, I need a ticket, for one…” Sky nodded, giggling quietly at the sight of Shadow’s tickle-torture.

“Well, there is one other thing…” Shadow added, letting Fox go and pacing around her big sister. She had a growing look of cheeky slyness on her face, one that filled Sky with feelings of unease.

“Er...and what’s that, then?”

“Well, you know...the Grand Galloping Gala is a formal occasion for ponies over eighteen…” Shadow said, pointedly avoiding Sky’s gaze.

“Ye...yeah?”

“Well, Fox and I look way too young to get into a place like that.” Shadow grinned. “So I guess that means you’re gonna have to sneak in there yourself and strike up conversation with the bride and her friends, right Fox?”

“Right!” Fox nodded, getting to his hooves and smiling as he caught the look on Shadow’s face. “I mean, nopony ever notices us, anyway.”

“What’s your point?” Sky said, sitting up as her ears flopped back against her head.

“Well, ” Shadow giggled mischievously as she and Fox advanced on her, “it seems to me that somepony’s gonna have to get all dressed up for the occasion? Right sis?”

Sky gulped, shivering in her little horseshoes as the two ponies took her forelegs and led her back towards the roof hatch. This wasn’t going to be good.

“Eep.”

Author's Note

Anyone been paying attention to how old Shadow is now?

Criminally Insane

“I dunno what the hell you’re expecting to get out of me.” Rat chuckled, sitting down across the table from Stronghooves. “I only met her a few days ago. I dunno shit about where she lives or anything…”

“You misunderstand.” Stronghooves shook his head, holding up a hoof to silence the other unicorn. “I’m not here to interrogate you or force you to do anything. I’m here to offer you amnesty.”

Rat’s expression flickered from defiant to intrigued in a heartbeat. “Er, come again?”

“Amnesty, freedom, the ability to walk down the street every day for the rest of your life without having to worry about the guards chasing you. You know, the best present a burglar could hope for.” Stronghooves smiled softly, patting Rat’s forehoof.

“Seems to me that you could’ve given me that without the song and dance.” Rat said suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. “What’s the catch?”

“Not so much a catch as a condition.” Stronghooves shrugged. “I’m willing to give you freedom and total amnesty, and all I want from you is a few minutes of your time, for you to listen to me, hear me out and understand something very important.” He sat back, putting his hooves together. “Sound good?”

“This...isn’t one of those reality show deals, is it?” Rat asked doubtfully.

“Nothing like that, no. Again, a few minutes for me to explain something, then you can ask any questions you please. After that, you’re a free stallion.”

“This is sounding way too good to be true.”

“It is, really.” Stronghooves agreed, nodding. “However, as you listen, you will come to understand why I think it’s so very important that you hear this. Obviously, letting a burglar loose in my city without a bounty has certain risks attached to it, so you might say we’re both taking a gamble here.”

“Get to the point, Captain.” Rat rolled his eyes, smiling. “I’m a busy stallion.”

“It’s about Sky.” Stronghooves sighed, slumping back in his seat a little. “Look, I know you’re working with her and you’re trying to deal with the whole Rolling Thunder thing. I just feel that you ought to know a few things about the pony you’re working with.”

“And how the hell do you know jack-shit about her?” Rat asked, crossing his forehooves.

“I’m her older brother.” Stronghooves replied evenly.

“She never mentioned a brother…”

“Nor would she. Sky and I have fallen out, if you want to put it lightly. I want to fix that someday soon, but for now I just need you to understand a few things about her…”

“How do I know that you’re not just trying to bullshit me?”

“How do you know that she isn’t, too?” Stronghooves raised his eyebrows, giving Rat a long look. “She’s been keeping things from you, Rat. Important things, I might add.”

“What kind of things?” Rat sighed. Might as well let Stronghooves get his spiel over with.

“You and Sky have a certain something in common.” Stronghooves said slowly, getting to his hooves and pacing around behind Rat. “You each have a younger sibling who was involved in a tragic horrible...well, “accident” is perhaps the wrong word for it.”

“What, the carriage thing? What’s that got to do with Sky?” Rat cocked his head, one of his ears flopping down in confusion. “She wasn’t even in the city when that happened.”

“No, you’re right.” Stronghooves nodded. “Fox Chaser, your little brother, was critically injured in the pile-up. I imagine that the events of that day are still quite difficult for you to think about.”

“Look, it was a rough job and a lot of shit went wrong that day, but trust me Captain, it’s no fur off of my back.” Rat said, waving a forehoof dismissively. “It was a close one, but we both got out okay in the end.”

“I see.” Stronghooves frowned, unconvinced. “Well, just a month after that accident in Manehattan, something happened in Canterlot. Two burglars, both of them pegasi, tried to break into the Palace and steal the Elements of Harmony.”

“Ambitious.” Rat nodded. “That was Sky and Shadow, right?”

“Right.” Stronghooves nodded. “Of course, there were complications. I got a tip-off from one of the ponies in the Underground that they were going to be running that job, so when they arrived in the Vault they found a whole platoon of my best and brightest waiting for them. Security crystals, bat ponies, the works.” He didn’t look proud, speaking matter-of-factly as if it was just another day on the job. There’s even a hint of regret there.

“Yeah, well they clearly got out, so it wasn’t that great of a trap.”

“I didn’t want to pursue them.” Stronghooves shook his head. “I pulled the guards back as soon as the two of them ran from the scene. However…only one of the two sisters made it home alive that night.”

Rat cocked his head, frowning. “Wh...what the hell are you talking about?”

“Rat, let me ask you a personal question.” Stronghooves sighed, leaning forward. “What is Fox to you?”

“He’s my...my little brother. What’s it to you?” Rat shrugged, trying his best to keep a neutral apathetic expression.

“Do you know what Sky’s little sister is to her?” Stronghooves said quietly. “Everything. Her whole world, Rat. She loves that little pony more than life itself.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t blame her. You’ve gotta love your family. I get that.” Rat nodded. “So what the hell’s the big deal?”

“Shadow didn’t make it home that night.” Stronghooves shook his head mournfully. “She got caught up fighting a rival burglar, and she was fatally stabbed. Sky was seen fleeing the scene a few minutes later with the little pony over her back.”

“She wasn’t fatally stabbed, buster.” Rat frowned. “She’s alive. Hell, I’ve seen her.”

“Yes.” Stronghooves nodded. “And so does Sky. She still sees her, talks to her, hugs her and loves her like a good big sister should. The trouble is...that’s not Shadow, Rat. Heck, that…thing she’s gotten so attached to isn’t a pony at all.”

“What, you trying to say that she’s got a changeling following her around or something?”

“No, Rat. She’s got...nothing.” Stronghooves shook his head mournfully. “She hasn’t got a sister, she hasn’t even got some chitinous parasite leeching off of her love. All she’s got left is...a memory, and a bad memory at that.”

“How do I know you’re not just bullshitting me?” Rat growled doubtfully.

“Because this is starting to make sense. There’s a picture of her and Shadow standing together in that diary of hers, dated five years ago. That was taken three days before they broke into the palace.”

Rat’s frown deepened. “Fuck...that’s...that’s fucked up.”

“You’ve got no reason to believe me, and no reason to stay. I understand that.” Stronghooves nodded sympathetically. “For the record though, Rat, I think she really needs ponies like us...especially you. You’re closer to her right now than I’m ever going to be again.”

“I just met her a couple of days ago!”

“Exactly.” Stronghooves said sadly. “Look at me, Rat. Do you think I’m the kind of pony that Sky even wants to look at anymore, let alone have help her?”

“I still don’t trust you.” Rat glared.

“Nor should you.” Stronghooves shrugged, trotting over to the cell door and pulling it open for him. “I think that what you find out for yourself will be far more telling than anything I could say here and now.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.” Rat said evenly, getting to his hooves and taking a few careful steps out of the interrogation room. “What if you’re wrong about her? Shadow’s still alive, Stronghooves. I’ve seen her.”

Stronghooves bowed his head diminutively, holding out a hoof to show the burglar to the exit. “I think it’s about time you stopped listening to what ponies have been telling you and form your own conclusions. If you’re right, then what of it? You get to keep hanging around Sky and her adorable little sister. However, if I’m right, then you do realise that she’s going to need help...and you’re the stallion to give it to her.”

“I sure am!” Rat snickered, before putting on a very serious face again. “I mean, erm...yeah. Look, I’ll...find out for myself.”

“Good thinking.” Stronghooves nodded. “I’m sorry that we couldn’t have met under better circumstances. Sky means the world to me, Rat. I just want to make sure that she’s all right.”

“Well maybe you ought to do something about it yourself if you think it’s such a big deal.” Rat shrugged. “Sit her down, talk to her, shit like that. Don’t just go spewing cryptic shit at some guy who’s only known her for a couple of days.”

As Rat trotted away, Stronghooves sat back on his haunches. True to his word, he let the unicorn go with no further fuss, not even holding out a hoof to address him. Rat was right, of course. Stronghooves frowned to himself, running his forehoof in little circles

He’s right, of course… He thought to himself. Rat barely knows a single damn thing about her. He doesn’t know what happened to her, why she hates me so much, why she’s so broken because of what happened to Shadow...still, perhaps he’ll take my advice and look into it himself. She’s got to have documented it somewhere. Her diary, perhaps.

Stronghooves was jolted out of his pensive state as he heard a door slam open down the corridor, followed by a series of wet thuds as someone galloped down the hallway, covered in all kinds of horrible muck.

“SHOWER SHOWER SHOWER SHOWER SHOWER!” Daybreak shrieked as she galloped by, darting into a bathroom and slamming the door behind her.

“You didn’t really go into the sewers after them, did you?” Stronghooves called out, trotting over to the bathroom door and cocking his head.

“SHUT UP!” Came Daybreak’s voice from within, echoing over the sound of rushing water as she desperately tried to clean herself off.

“Sky got away, then?”

“Yeah, she did!” Daybreak replied. “Your little sister’s more slippery than a bar of fucking soap...damn…” There was a little thud from just beyond the door.

“Did you drop it?”

“I said shut up!” Daybreak barked.

Stronghooves chuckled as he sat down, patiently waiting for his marefriend to finish up. After what seemed like an eternity, Daybreak emerged from the bathroom, absolutely sopping wet and very grumpy indeed.

“Did you at least catch Rat?” She asked, sitting down next to him.

“I did indeed.” Stronghooves nodded. His horn lit up as he conjured a hair dryer out of thin air, starting to dry Daybreak off. “I had a talk with him, then I let him go.”

“You did what?”

“I let him go. I explained the little sister problem to him and sent him on his way.” Stronghooves replied evenly.

“You let a convicted criminal go? What the hell?” Daybreak did her best to glare at him, even though her back leg was twitching a little as he blow-dried her neck.

“Daybreak, listen.” Stronghooves smiled a little. “Sky’s going to come knocking on our door soon enough when she tries to get those crystals back. She’s going to run into me again, much sooner than she thinks. If I can’t convince her not to fight anymore, then it’s going to be up to Rat to give her the help she needs.”
“But...you’re her brother...she...eeee…” Daybreak gave a tiny little squeak as he blow-dried her ears.

“I know. I’m the one who’s going to be responsible for her at the end of the day, but Rat’s closer to her than anypony else right now. She needs him, and he needs her, too.” Stronghooves nodded sympathetically. “Don’t worry, Daybreak. I’ll have her as my sister again before you know it, and everything will be alright again. You’ll see.”

Daybreak flopped onto her back, her hooves twitching as she stuck them up in the air. “You’d better...better be...ri...right…”

“Captain!”

Stronghooves glanced up, banishing the blow dryer as a guard runner came trotting up to him.

“What is it, soldier?” He asked with a little irritation. Daybreak was pretty cute when she was on her back like that.

“We’ve just gotten word from our guys in Manehattan. Rolling Thunder’s coming back in a few days’ time. He’ll be attending the wedding before relocating to the facility to meet Silver Tongue.”

“Good.” Stronghooves nodded. “Check to make sure that he’s not bringing too many unusual or exotic items with him, and keep me up-to-date on his movements.”

“Yes sir!” The guard threw a salute before galloping off.

“Are we going to get him at the wedding?” Daybreak asked, rolling onto her front and sighing.

“No.” Stronghooves shook his head. “That’s too public. It’d be a PR nightmare. Let’s get Shield into that machine so that he can get the enhancements, too.”

“We’re going to break back into the facility again, huh?”

“Yeah.” The captain grinned. “And when Rolling and Silver come back from that wedding, we’re going to be waiting for them both.”

And I’ll bet anything that Sky will show up at around that time, too. He added to himself. This is going to be the best night ever…

Trojan Whorse (Clop)

“Come on, sis! Come out!” Shadow giggled.

“No! Fuck off!” Sky yelled back.

“Sis, if you don’t come out right now, I’ll tell Rat about your ear thing!”

“You wouldn’t dare.” Sky growled after a moment of silence.

“Excuse me a second.” Shadow smiled apologetically to Rat and Fox, trotting into Sky’s bedroom and kicking the door closed behind her.

Sky sat on the bed, blushing hotly with her hooves tucked up under her chin and her tail wrapped around herself. She trembled with fright as Shadow took in her form. Sky wore lipstick and had her mane done up in a neat little bun behind her head. She wore a light blue dress with little silver horseshoes. Shadow’s mouth dropped open.

Holy shit, Sky looks...elegant…

“I’m not going out there.” Sky shook her head, wrapping her damaged wing around her head to shield her face. “There’s no way in hell you’re gonna make me.”

“Awww, come on!” Shadow giggled, hopping up next to her sister on the bed and giving her a push. “You look sexy, you big stupid horse!”

“Oh yeah, this from the pony who wouldn’t know sexy if it crept up behind her and bit her ass.” Sky scoffed, chuckling a little.

“That’s my big sis.” Shadow winked. “Come on, don’t worry about a thing, okay? You look great and you’re gonna rock that dress.”

Sky pulled her wing down from over her face, glaring at her little sister. “Who are you and what’ve you done with Shadow?”

“She’s right here, stupid.” Shadow giggled, gesturing at herself. “And she knows a good-looking co...mare when she sees one.” She scrunched her snout, trying to look as innocent as possible.

Sky smiled slyly, taking Shadow’s hoof and pulling her into a great big cuddle. “I guess I know how you feel about Fox, now.” She giggled, squeezing the filly as tightly as she possibly could.

“Mmmph! Help! Mad pony!” Shadow squeaked, trying for all of ten seconds to escape Sky’s grip before accepting the hug like a big grown-up mare. With a little sigh, Shadow wrapped her huge wings around her big sister, hugging her back. “You mean you wanna throw up or something?”

“Sort of, but it’s more a nerves thing. Plus, what if somepony sees me like this?”

“They’re not gonna know, okay?” Shadow grinned, pulling away a little and looking Sky in the eye. “Nopony’s gonna know who you are. All they’re gonna see is a pretty pony who’s blushing so hard she’s blending into her mane.”

“Yeah, well I guess I was due for my turn since you’ve been doing it so much ever since you met your special somepony.” Sky grinned back, sticking her tongue out.

“He...hey! I’m not...he’s not…”

“See? You’re doing it right now!”

“I...I...oh, fuck you, sis…” Shadow rolled her eyes, laying her head down on Sky’s chest and giggling quietly.

The two sisters held each other for a while, smiling softly as Sky sat back on the bed. Shadow was getting a little heavier, but she was every bit as fluffy as she’d ever been.

“Hey, sis?” Shadow muttered after a while.

“Yeah?”

“Look...I...I didn’t get to say it properly a week ago.” The filly rolled off of her sister onto the bed, looking uncomfortable. “When you said all of that stuff to me about how much I mean to you…um...look…”

Sky cocked her eyebrow, glancing across at her sister as she waited for Shadow to break her badass veneer and say something sweet. “Yeah?”

“You...you shouldn’t say stuff like that to me, okay?” Shadow crossed her forehooves grumpily. “You go spouting that crap and it makes me feel all...all…”

“Happy inside.” Sky finished for her, taking her hoof. “You know, like what happens to me when I see you try and deny that you’re being sweet.”

Shadow cringed a little as she squeezed her sister’s hoof, finally giving a soft sigh and smiling weakly. “Yeah, sis. It makes me happy, I guess. I’m just...sorry I haven’t said it more lately, especially with how dangerous shit’s getting.”

“You used to pounce on me every damn day just so you could get a hug.” Sky beamed, sticking her tongue out. “Still...you’re growing into one hell of a pony. I mean, look at you! Your first coltfriend and everything! Guess he’s the one you’re gonna be getting cuddly with from now on.”

“Oh, shut the fuck up.” Shadow rolled her eyes. “I’ve just got a...you know...a few kinks to work out with him, that’s all. You’re always...you’re always gonna be my number one cuddle-buddy.”

“See, this is the Shadow I keep seeing.” Sky giggled, rolling onto her side and kissing her little sister on the cheek. “You’re sweet, cute, loving and you’re still the biggest ass-kicker I’ve ever met in my life.”

“Well...I mean...er...you see…” Shadow blushed, her ears flicking and swivelling as she tried to conjure up an argument that simply wouldn’t come. “I...I didn’t...I wasn’t gonna...thanks, sis…” She finished pathetically, smiling back at her.

The two of them lay together for another moment, looking back to the ceiling in contemplative silence.

“Are you sure I look okay?” Sky asked doubtfully.

“Hey, sis. You clean up pretty damn well. You’re gonna be fine.” Shadow said, nuzzling her sister. “Come on, even if everything goes to shit it’s gonna be funny, right?”

“It always is.” Sky sighed happily. “Hey, are you sure you and Fox don’t wanna come with me? It might be nice!

“Oh no you don’t.” Shadow growled. “There’s no way you’re making me dress up in front of him. You’re going this alone, sweetheart.”

“Oh, come on! You’d look so pretty and everything!” Sky giggled, nudging her. “He’d be dressed up, too!”

“Heh...I guess he would…” Shadow kept staring at the ceiling, biting her lip a little. “And...and you wouldn’t judge me, right?”

“Nah...but you might make me look bad.” Sky winks. “Go on, Shadow. Go find a nice-looking dress and I bet that you’ll be the prettiest little pony in Canterlot.”

“Great, that’s all I need.” Shadow huffed, blowing her mane out of her face. “Besides, somepony has to keep an eye on your useless ass, right?”

“Damn right.” Sky snickered. “I’m just glad it’s you.”

Another silence, then…

“How did we get to this point, sis?”

“What point?”

“The fate of Equestria and both of our lives resting on you being a huge slut at a party.”

Sky’s ears perked up as she looked across at her little sister. Shadow looked back, a big shit-eating grin plastered on that fluffy little blue face of hers.

As one, the two little ponies began to laugh. This was going to be fun.

* * *

“Um...sis?”

“Yeah?”

“Where’s your invitation?”

“I was...supposed to...get an invitation?”

“Yeah.”

“Fuck...hang on…”

Shadow looked on with a long-suffering sigh as Sky bumped into every pony who was wearing something pricey, rifling through their saddlebags until she finally produced a ticket.

“There! Was that so hard?” She chuckled, beaming at her little sister.

“Just...let’s go in…” Shadow sighed, taking Fox’s hoof and leading him into the palace.

“You sure you’re not coming, Rat?” Sky asked the other stallion present. He glanced up at the palace, chuckling and shaking his head.

“Nah, usually I’d be up for anything, but you’re gonna have to go this alone, toots.” He chuckled. “I’ve got some stuff to get sorted out while I’m in Canterlot, and we’ll give ourselves away if we both walk into that place together.”

“Guess you’ve got a point, there.” Sky shrugged, gulping as she looked around at the huge castle. “Still...kind of exciting. I’ve never been inside the Palace before…”

“Sure you have! You did that one job there, remember?”

“Uh...yeah…but that wasn’t a job. It was more...well...more of a fuck-up.” Sky shrugged. “Hey, how do you know about that shit?”

“Peeked in your diary.” Rat answered easily. “Now don’t worry. Go in there and go show all of those other bitches who’s boss.”

Sky sighed, adjusting her dress a little and making her way up to the queue. “Fine...I’ll catch you after the job’s done. Just...don’t go reading my stuff. Seriously, there’s shit in there that’s just none of your business.”

And with that, she joined the queue behind Fox and Shadow, about to walk straight into the lion’s den. As Rat trotted off to do stallion things elsewhere, Sky’s legs began to shake a little.

“Hey, sis?” Shadow said quietly. “It’s fine. You’re gonna be okay. Look at these other fancy-ass mares! They couldn’t hold a candle to you!”

“I’m fine, sweetie.” Sky snickered, nuzzling Shadow’s mane. “We’ve got this, right?”

“Right.”

In time, the queue made its way into the palace. Shadow and Fox broke away as soon as they were inside the castle grounds, galloping off into the darkness, and for a while Sky wondered what the hell was making them so timid.

“Oh, shit…” She muttered after a while.

Before her, at the top of the staircase in the entrance hall, stood the Canterlot welcoming committee...including Princess Celestia.

Fuck...thanks for warning me, Shadow… Sky huffed, feeling her legs start to shake again as she got closer and closer to the Princess. As somepony who was small even by the standards of mares, Sky was struck by just how big the alicorn really was. She stood so tall that Sky would have to clone herself and stack herself three-Skys-high to come up to her eyes. Her wings were huge, a little bigger than Shadow’s, and her coat...Sky didn’t know how to get her coat that white. It was probably some kind of princess magic thing.

Sky began to ascend the staircase towards the Princess, gulping. It felt for all the world like she was being led up to an executioner’s block.

What if she recognises me? What if I say something stupid? This was such a bad idea. I wanna go home! No...no...it’s okay Sky. You’ve got this. Shadow said you can do this, and you’re gonna do it. Just shake her hoof and say something witty or fancy…

Sky peeked out from behind the guest in front of her. Celestia hadn’t spotted or recognised her yet. That was a plus.

She’s pretty good-looking...you know, for a thousand year-old sun goddess, I mean…

“Well hello there.” Came a soft voice from right in front of her.

Sky looked up, pulled back into the moment and coming face-to-face with one of the supreme rulers of Equestria.

“Er...hi…” She replied stupidly, glancing from Celestia’s hoof to her face as her mouth hung open. “You look...nice…”

“Well thank you!” Celestia beamed, taking Sky’s forehoof and giving it a gentle shake. “You look lovely yourself, my little pony. I hope you enjoy the Gala!”

Sky stood there in shocked silence for a moment after the Princess relinquished her hoof. The alicorn was still staring at her, almost searchingly. Celestia had an interesting expression on her face. It was kind, yet she gave the impression that she was unravelling Sky with a single glance, laying all of her secrets bare and staring into the deepest depths of her soul.

Or she could be staring at Sky because she’s holding up the line. That was a possibility, too.

“Oooh...erm...sorry…” Sky chuckled, trotting away from the Princess and venturing further into the castle. As soon as she was clear, she broke into a gallop, dashing past oblivious guards and other guests until she found her way into the party room.

Did...did I just get away with talking to the Princess? THE PRINCESS? Sky gasped, sinking down onto her haunches and taking deep breaths. What the fuck am I doing with my life? I just snuck into the biggest party in Equestria, and she knew! She knew it was me...fuck, I’m in way over my head…

Sky peeked over her shoulder back at Celestia. She was in the process of greeting another guest, but cast a momentary glance back Sky. It was just for a fraction of a second, but Sky could tell that it was deliberate. Celestia knew. Of course she knew.

“Fuck…” Sky muttered, trotting nervously out onto the dance floor. She then continued to trot all the way over to the buffet, grabbing one of the complementary drinks and downing it in one gulp.

Well, if there’s one thing I’m really good at, it’s swallowing… Sky chuckled to herself, taking a look around at the assembled ponies.

Lots of big-wigs...most of them look pretty damn old. Where the fuck’s that bridal party? I’ve never seen a bunch of hens that can keep their damn mouths shut for two seconds…

“Ahem...excuse me?”

Sky gave a little squeak as she jumped, trying not to spread her damaged wings as she came back down again. Before her stood a rather nervous-looking stallion with a blue mane and a white coat, coughing awkwardly.

“Ca...can I help you?” Sky asked. Her voice was a little higher than normal, willing herself to make her High Canterlot accent a little more pronounced. She sounded and looked for all the world like a shy but interested young mare.

“I...don’t suppose you want to dance, do you?” The stallion asked, cocking his head.

“Well…” Sky blacnhed. What the hell’s he thinking? I can’t dance! I’ll probably trip over...and...and knock his ass down or something! I can’t do that! Everypony will know it’s me!

Sky stood there in awkward fright for a few moments as her body took over from her brain, drifting to her default response to a stallion’s advances.

“Well…” She said again, a sly smirk crossing her face as she paced toward him. “I’m not much of a dancer, but if you wanna come back home with me, I’ll show you some moves I do know…”

“Oh, really? You mean...like...a waltz or something?” The stallion asked as innocently as he could manage.

Eeeh, screw it. He’s not bad-looking and I might as well do something until that bitch turns up.

“A little something like that.” Sky murred softly, pacing up to him and pressing her chest against his. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I know you’re gonna enjoy it…”

“Oh...well then!” The stallion chuckled, seeming to finally get what Sky’s on about. “You’re...very...forward...aren’t you…?”

“I’m anything you want me to be, sweetie…” Sky whispered in the paralysed stallion’s ear, pulling back a little and biting her lip gently. “Don’t lie. You didn’t want a dance. You wanted me, and lucky for you I’ve got the whole night free…”

As the stallion gaped at her, Sky pulled away a little more, making an about-turn and flicking him on the nose with her tail.

“The only question is, can you handle me?” She finished, winking at him.

Sky downed another glass of champagne, feeling a little buzz as the alcohol began to affect her brain somewhat. It was only a waiting game, now. She’d questioned his male pride, and that could only mean one thing.

“Name a time and a place.” The stallion muttered into her ear, trotting up behind her.

“That balcony overlooking the dance floor, in abooooout...now.” Sky turned to face her erstwhile partner, grinning cheekily. The stallion took her hoof, leading her through the whirling storm of dancing ponies and out into the corridor again. He waggled his eyebrows at her, trotting excitedly up a staircase to the gallery above the dance floor.

“Well aren’t you excited?” Sky grinned, a little giddy from the alcohol, as she trotted up after him. “Now that you’ve gotten all worked up, how about you show me what you’ve got, sweetie?”

The stallion grinned mischievously as he approached her, running a hoof over her cheek with gentility and grace. “You really do look beautiful…” He whispered quietly, running his forehooves down to her shoulders and giving them a squeeze. Sky smiled back, her cheeks going bright pink as she blushed.

“Aww, you’re such a sweet...eeep!” She giggled as he tightened his grip on her shoulders, pushing her against the balcony and letting her look out over the assembled ponies. This was exactly where she needed to be right now, and Sky couldn’t have chosen a better observation post herself. If the bridal party turned up, she’d be able to see them come in...not that she wouldn’t be able to hear them twenty minutes beforehand. Hen parties were the loudest, noisiest things in the universe.

“Now, my lady, you just stay there and let me do my work, okay?” The stallion said nervously. He lifted a shaking hoof, running it down Sky’s back and over her flanks, before reaching down and ever so gently pulling her skirts up over her flanks. He licked his lips as he took in the sight of Sky’s tail flicking from side to side, momentarily exposing her marehood with each pendulous pass.

“Well, okay, if you think you’re up to it…” Sky giggled quietly, raising her tail and obediently spreading her legs a little. She knew just how this was going to go, and her one-night stand, being as he was but a stallion, wasn’t messing around. He planted a row of kisses up her back, meaning to entice and excite her, and it was certainly working. She felt a certain familiar warmth in her damaged wings, felt them spread with a little *pomf* as her legs followed suit.

Oh wow...he is a gentlecolt… Sky thought to herself, biting her lip with a little squee as he kissed her just behind her ear. Sky liked having her ears played with. Well, that was a bit of an understatement. She adored it.

“Eeek...oh...oh Luna…” She whispered, her tongue flopping out of her mouth as he bit the very tip of her ear, pushing the head of his cock against her raised tail and the wet folds of her pussy. Sky pushed back on it, letting the tip spread her lips a little as she flicked her tail out of the way.

The stallion, unable to quite believe his luck, was unable to keep himself under control for a moment longer, finally driving his cock as deep into her as it would go. Sky let out a soft cry, sticking her hoof in her mouth as her voice echoed across the gallery. Getting caught shagging some dignitary when she was supposed to be undercover wouldn’t have very good implications for her. Sky was at least relatively certain that this sort of thing was frowned upon at formal occasions.

“You...don’t exactly...have...much of a concept...of romance...do you?” The stallion blustered, as he started to ever so slowly shift his hips, thrusting into her again and again. His higher-class birth betrayed him, making him incredibly hesitant, and Sky couldn’t help but roll her eyes. He wasn’t a bad size, though.

Sky whimpered through her hoof as he started to speed up a little, venturing a slap across the flanks. She couldn’t stop herself yelping at that, losing herself to a mixture of alcohol and pleasure. Her little gasps and whimpers spurred the stallion on further, driving him to fuck her more roughly, abandoning any sense of class that he may have previously possessed. Sky squeezed her flanks together, looking back at him and smiling encouragingly. She much preferred this kind of pace.

The stallion grew more confident over time, finally settling into a comfortable, fast pace that threatened to launch Sky over the balcony. The little white mare couldn’t possibly keep in her fit of the giggles. She was that special kind of drunk who found absolutely everything funny, even the prospect of being catapulted off of a balcony by an overzealous horny stallion. Her laughter only urged him onwards, pounding away at her and smacking her flank once more, and Sky’s tongue flopped out of her open mouth as her eyes rolled back into her head. She loved it.

Sky felt herself building up to her inevitable climax, at least inevitable for a pony who was getting the kind of treatment that stallion was giving her. She whimpered and moaned ever louder as he kept going, showing no signs of slowing down. Sky didn’t even care that her voice was echoing across the gallery. Everypony could hear her, but she was too far gone to mind too much, just settling into the wonderful buzz of alcohol and bliss. This was the best formal occasion ever.

Finally, Sky couldn’t take any more. She raised her head back and let out the loudest squeal yet, her hind legs shaking as she climaxed. The only reason that she was still even upright was a couple of hastily-written IOUs from her back legs. Most of her weight was borne by her forelegs and chin, resting atop the balustrade as the stallion kept going. He was starting to slow down, however, panting more and more desperately to signal that he was getting close, too.

“Can...can I…?” He inquired breathlessly, slowing down to a snail’s pace.

“Su...sure...don’t worry...I’m...I’m safe…” Sky nodded, looking around at him with a kind smile.

The stallion nodded gratefully, slamming into her a couple more times before finally filling her with his seed, letting out a loud cry that rivalled Sky’s in volume. There was no doubt that everypony at the Gala had heard the two of them going at it, now.

“Well...erm...that’s...not how I usually greet ponies…” The stallion blustered, pulling out and chuckling nervously. “I’m usually...well...I’m usually…”

“Save it.” Sky held up a hoof to silence him. “You were fine, sweetie. And hey, let’s not wait until the next Gala to have a crazy wild night together, okay?” She giggled cheekily, bumping her flank against his and grinning.

“I...erm...I...well...oh my…” The stallion began, but Sky was already gone, trotting down the stairs again to see if the bridal party had appeared yet.

Sky couldn’t deny it - she felt off. Sure, the sex had been nice, but the alcohol had been working on her brain more and more, bringing a certain darkness to the edges of her vision. She found herself having difficulty walking in a straight line...whether that was the sex or the champagne was a complete mystery to her.

Aaah, what do I care what did it...I feel great! I wish I could feel this way all the time! It’s like my head’s a great big cloud… Sky mused to herself as she trotted down the stairs.

She ventured out into the dance floor again, stumbling and giggling a little as she blatantly ignored all of the staring ponies. They knew. Of course they knew. Sky had been louder than a megaspell going off next to a megaphone and she knew it. There was something about the gallery above the ballroom that really made a pony’s voice carry. Everypony in the ballroom was staring at her, her carefree smile, her stumbling and the way her dress was pulled up over her flanks, exposing her tail and hindquarters. Sky didn’t exactly look like the height of class right now.

Huh, this Grand Galloping Gala thing isn’t so bad! She thought to herself, trotting merrily back to the buffet and helping herself to another glass of champagne. A little voice in the back of her head told her that maybe this wasn’t a good idea, but it helped with the nerves, so why not?

Sky smiled as she looked around at the slightly startled ponies, giggling again as she finally processed that they were all looking at her.

“What?” She asked, snickering and trying to trot back into the crowd to blend into it again.

In time, the ponies began to dance and chatter again, leaving Sky lost amidst a sea of unrecognisable faces, soft music and light-headedness. It was the best she’d felt in ages, and she found herself wishing that she could keep feeling like this forever.

Perhaps I’ll get one of those nice bottles of whatever this stuff is after the whole Operative thing’s sorted out. Oooh! Maybe Shadow’d like some, too! I bet that’d help her break the ice with Fox!

So fixated was she on the thought of having a head like a great big cloud, Sky didn’t see the very well-dressed mare who was making her way into the . The two ponies collided, Sky’s skirts still up around her flanks as she tumbled head over hooves. She had at least enough momentum to knock the other pony back onto her hindquarters, where she huffed angrily.

“Young lady!” She barked, as a gaggle of other ponies came to help her up. “Watch where the hell I’m going! Don’t you have any class at all?”

Sky blinked, shaking her head and peering at the fancy pony with confused contempt. “Y’what?” She answered dully.

“Oh, I see.” The mare rolled her eyes, getting to her hooves. “You’re as thick as a commoner as well as looking like one. Why on earth do they let ponies like you into the Gala?”

Sky narrowed her eyes, getting up as well and giving the mare a nudge. “Who are you calling a commoner, you fucking skank?” She growled. There was a little voice in the back of her head telling her that this was a bad idea and that she was supposed to be incognito, but there were three glasses of pretty heavy champagne yelling for her to go for it and put this bitch in her place.

“Why, I never!” The mare recoiled in horror. “Did they teach you that word while you were being raised in a barn, you savage?”

The posse of mares looked back to Sky to see whether or not this was going to go anywhere. She began to pace around the offender aggressively, stamping her forehoof on the floor as she sized up her opponent. Funnily enough, this mare wasn’t much bigger than her.

Yeah, I can take her…

“Well hey, if dressing up to look like a complete tart is high-class, then I’d rather be a savage, thanks very much!” Sky giggled, stumbling a little as she paced around behind her. “Especially if that bloody great spare tyre you call a plot comes as part of the package.”

“Did she seriously just give me lip about my flanks?” The mare growled, sitting down self-consciously. “Wow, can’t you come up with anything better than that old low-hanging fruit?”

“With a face like that, low-hanging fruit is the only kind you’re ever gonna get, sweetie.” Sky winked, grinning acidly. “Besides, it’s not like we weren’t all thinking it. No wonder I bumped into you. You’re taking up the whole hallway!”

This coaxed a couple of giggles from some of the assembled ponies, and the mare’s ears flicked back. “I’m sorry…” She said slowly. “Was it a fight you came here looking for, birdhorse? Because you’ve certainly found one.”

Sky froze as the mare started squaring off to fight her, stamping her hooves and lowering her head.

It’s okay, Sky. You can still get out of this… She thought to herself. Just ask the pony’s name and get on good terms with her and you’ll be able to go back to looking for the bridal party. Just, whatever you do, don’t say anything stu…

“All I’ve got out of you is a pair of flapping lips!” Sky lowered herself into a ready stance. “And I’ve got a much better place for you to stick ‘em if that’s all you’re gonna do all night long!”

Or, you know, you could say that instead… Her alcohol-addled brain finished quietly. That works too. You know what? I’m just gonna take a backseat for a while. Wake me up when you stop acting like a twat.

As Sky threw the first punch, the alcohol finally took over her brain completely, and she remembered no more.

Rat's Revelation

Rat Racer sat down at the dark door to Sky’s room, shuffling his hooves awkwardly. She’d long since gone out to the Grand Galloping Gala, and there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she was making a complete mess of her attempts to go incognito, but he could get to that later.

Right now, I need to know if he was telling the truth…

Stronghooves’s words weighed heavily on Rat’s mind, sending doubt through his mind like a spider’s web of cracking stone. He was left with two possibilities. Either Stronghooves had lied to him - but why would he do that? - or Sky was in trouble and needed help. Neither possibility struck Rat as encouraging, but if she was in trouble, perhaps he’d be able to help her.

Come on, Rat. This is how you met her! Don’t pussy out of this now!

Rolling his eyes, the unicorn pushed Sky’s door open.

The first thing that struck him was just how bare her bedroom was, with very little besides one uncovered mattress, a mannequin upon which sat her equipment, and a cloud in the corner to act as a shower. Besides that there really was nothing to suggest that a pony lived here, let alone slept here.

Weird...this must be a safehouse rather than her actual hideout. Rat thought to himself, making his way over to the mannequin and flipping the saddlebag open. After a quick rummage he retrieved the overlarge black book, looking it over with curiosity. It was old, probably as old as Sky herself. He flipped it open to its first page, upon which the words “PROPERTY OF SKY RUNNER” were written in black marker. Her hoofwriting was a kind of barely legible scrawl. Probably the work of her fillyhood self.

Rat’s horn flared as he sat down, giving him the illumination he needed to read through the little book. The first few pages certainly caught his interest.

Dear Diary,

My big brother got me this for my birthday! I’m super-excited! Stronghooves told me that this is a place that I can write all of my most special, super-secret secrets, so that’s what I’m gonna do! Um...I can’t think of any secrets just yet, but when I think of one of them I’ll certainly write them here! Thanks Stronghooves!

Rat smirked a little. Sky had probably been one adorable little filly.

I wonder how long her wing’s been like that…?

Rat flipped further through the book, not finding a single mention of her wing being broken. Heck, there were even a few entries about Stronghooves taking her out on occasion to try and teach her to fly.

I wonder why she’s never mentioned her brother before. These two look like they used to be tight. Rat frowned. He’d only known Sky a week, and hadn’t exactly asked her about it. It was possible that the topic simply hadn’t come up, but something told Rat that there was more to it than that.

Dear Diary,

I got kicked out of Flight School today. The teacher said that there was something wrong with my wings, that I’d never fly as well as the other pegasi. I got an A for my dive performance, though! Dad was really mad. He called me a freak and tried to hit me, but SH protected me. He got hurt real bad but he said it didn’t matter. He’s the best guard ever. I hope he gets into the Academy like he wants to. I don’t know anypony else who deserves it more than he does.

Rat sighed. Sky hadn’t mentioned her parents, either. Of course, it was easy to see why. Her dad seemed like a real piece of work. Curious, he flipped a couple of pages ahead, stopping when he saw a passage written in coal dust rather than ink.

Dear Diary,

I got my cutie mark today. I was so sick of being told off in school I ran away instead of going to class, and I ran faster and faster and beat my wings super-hard and I got away from the truancy officer! I was so happy that I showed everypony at home! SH was super-thrilled, but mum and dad got angrier than ever. They called me a disappointment and locked me outside. They told me not to come back ever. I’m sure they’re just being silly. When they calm down they’ll let me back in, just wait and see!

“Five bits says she never gets let back in again…” Rat muttered as he flicked further through the book, passing Sky’s sixth and seventh birthdays. Each and every page was written in coal dust. “Looks like her brother at least came out and brought her food for a while...wait, what the fuck?” He muttered, stopping at a particular page.

Dear Diary,

Today Stronghooves didn’t come. Some mean ponies chased me across half the city. I ran and ran as fast as I could, but I couldn’t fly or anything. They caught me and did things to me. I don’t understand it exactly, but it hurt real bad and I’m bleeding. Stronghooves always protected me. Did I do something wrong? Am I a bad pony? I don’t mean to be. I didn’t want to be born all wrong like this...it’s not my fault.

Fucking hell… Rat cringed. That was something a filly shouldn’t have to go through. It explained so much about her...and made him feel a little guilty about what he’d done the day they’d met. Summoning the strength to read further, he flipped through what was quite literally her life’s story, through birthdays, training to become a burglar to feed herself in lieu of Stronghooves’s supplies, her meeting with Shadow, until he finally came across a passage written not long after Sky’s twenty-first birthday.

Dear Diary,

I’ve got a big surprise coming up for Shadow. So I mentioned that we’d be stealing the Elements of Harmony and we’d been planning the job for months, now. Well, she still doesn’t know what I’m going to do with them once we’ve got them. I’m going to ransom them back to the Princesses and use the money to pay off Shadow’s bounty. She’ll finally be able to live a proper normal life, walk down the street without the guards chasing her. Hell, maybe she’ll even find a special somepony. Nopony wants to be a burglar forever.

Rat chuckled. That was precisely what he’d gone on that bank heist with Fox to do the night of that carriage crash. So that was the “Elements Job” that Stronghooves had mentioned. They really had gone after the most prized artifacts in Equestria.

Well...I guess this is the part where I find out whether the Captain was telling the truth… Rat thought to himself, turning the page one last time.

He had his answer before he even read the words. The page and the ink upon it was tear-stained and wrinkled, written by a mare in the deepest darkest pit of despair imaginable. The hoofwriting itself was even worse than her normal scrawl, probably because her hooves had been shaking so much.

Dear Diary,

Shadow died last night. Sawblades couldn’t save her. He told me he tried his best but she’d lost too much blood. She’s gone.

“Fuck me…” Rat breathed, sitting back and letting his horn go out. “Stronghooves was telling the truth. Poor Sky…”

It makes so much sense now. Shadow was fourteen when she died, and this version of her looks to be about fourteen, too. The question is, what the hell is this thing that’s following Sky around? What’s this pony we both keep seeing?

Rat flicked back to an earlier page, where Sky had glued a photo of herself and her little sister standing under a big oak tree in the park. It was the one thing that Rat had had time to look at properly the first time he’d stolen her diary, and now he saw it in an entirely different light. Shadow looked to be in her early teens, weeks or possibly just days away from the Elements Job.

“I’m sorry, kid…” Rat sighed, pawing at the photo with his hoof as if that young smiling pony was going to take it and come back to the land of the living. “I’m sure your big sis did the best she could for you. I’ll...I’ll take good care of her, okay?”

Rat closed the book, stashing it back in the saddlebag as he got to his hooves again. “Course, taking good care of her starts with getting her out of whatever trouble she’s managed to get into, and that means that I’m probably gonna have to find out where the hell she went.”

Slinging his cloak on, Rat ventured out into the city in search of his friend.

* * *

“Captain, you asked for updates on the Rolling Thunder situation?” A runner asked, tapping on Stronghooves’s door.

“Yes, I did. Come on in.” Stronghooves looked up from his conversation with Daybreak and Shield to address the guard.

“We just got word that the Count’s train has arrived in Canterlot.” The guard saluted. “He’s escorted by two Operatives and was seen leaving the station with a chest. Nopony knows what’s in there, but it seems more securely fastened than normal luggage.”

“It would do.” Stronghooves tapped his chin. “Those’ll be the focus items from the bill of materials we found in the transformation chamber. Did you keep an eye on him?”

“Yes sir. He’s staying at the Palace. He may be attending his son’s wedding tomorrow before moving the chest over to the facility in the city centre.”

“That would make sense. He’d want to be there for Silver Tongue’s wedding.” Stronghooves nodded, recalling what Silver had said about his fiancee when they’d last met. “Hmmm...keep monitoring the Palace and tell me if he tries to make a move. If he’s guarded by Operatives, only Daybreak, Shield and I can stop him.”

“About the Palace, sir…”

“Yes?”

“Well, the Princess’s bodyguards just reported a disturbance at the Grand Galloping Gala. Some kind of brawl between two mares.”

“Hot.” Shield chuckled, before doubling over in pain as somepony jabbed him in the ribs. Daybreak did her best to look innocent.

“That happens every year.” Stronghooves shook his head. “It’s not an issue.”

“One of the ponies involved in the brawl was Sky Runner, sir.”

Stronghooves looked up at the guard, grinding his teeth. “Was she detained?” He asked quietly.

“No, sir. Both of the mares were completely gone by the time guards were on the scene. Nopony knows whether they’re in the Princess’s custody or if they just took it outside. They’ve simply disappeared.”

“There’s no way…” Stronghooves growled. “She escaped the Princess’s personal guard, in the middle of the Palace, in the most prestigious event in Canterlot? Really?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, sir.” The guard sighed. “I’m just passing on what I heard from the officer on duty in the Palace.”

“I...see…” Stronghooves put his hooves together, staring at the ceiling pleadingly. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet and soft. “Monitor the situation and give me regular reports. I want the Palace staked out. Keep an eye out for Sky and the Count, and tell me if either of them make a move. Got it?”

“Yes, sir.” The runner nodded, backing out of the room.

“You’re staking out the Palace, now?” Shield asked, finally getting the air back in his lungs and shaking his head. “Isn’t this one of the things you should be going to the Princesses for?”

“Involving the Princesses would raise the alarm and put them at incredible risk. Remember, we’re not yet sure what these Operatives are capable of, and Thunder might be able to critically injure them if he’s cornered.” Stronghooves explained. “For now, we’ll play it safe. Daybreak, Shield, I’m relying on the two of you to help me take Thunder down before he can transform himself or do any further damage. Can I trust the two of you with that?”

“Of course.” Shield and Daybreak nodded in unison. As if the question even needed asking.

“Good.” Stronghooves said, getting to his hooves and pulling his helmet back on. “Let’s get moving. We’ll oversee the stakeout personally, and when Rolling Thunder makes his move, we’ll be ready.”

Author's Note

Some of the words in Sky’s diary are translated from Fillyspeak for the sake of readability.

Bridal Shower

Sky frowned in her sleep as a ray of sunlight hit her muzzle through a gap in the curtains. She let out a little squeaky groan, rolling over in bed and pulling the sheets over her head to get that horrible natural light out of her face.

Ugh...why does it have to be sunlight… She thought dully. Why can’t it be...I dunno...luminescent chocolate or some shit. Fuck...my head…

Sky’s head throbbed with pain as she lay there in bed, silently pleading the ceiling to cave in and kill her instantly...and to do it quietly, if it’s not too much trouble.

Okay...let’s just take a moment and work this out… She thought to herself, flicking her ears about. I’m obviously not in my own bed, cause the blankets are too thick and nice and...wow, clean. Where the hell am I?

Sky cracked an eye open, taking in her surroundings. She lay in a rather elegant four-poster bed, all nestled into the white linen sheets. Splitting headache and dehydration aside, Sky confessed herself very comfortable indeed.

Fuuuuuck...this is the best place I’ve ever woken up after blacking out. It sure beats the gutter outside Screwdriver’s place last month… Sky blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the light. In time, the pounding from the headache went down, such that Sky felt at least capable of looking around the room without being overcome by the urge to hurl herself off of a tall building...as quietly as possible.

Catching sight of a glass of water and an asprin on the bedside table, Sky sighed with relief and downed both of them. Obviously it’d take a few minutes for them to do their work, but it was a nice gesture.

Huh...guess somepony must’ve found me fucking around and took pity on me… Sky thought. Her dress was draped over a nearby chair, apparently forgotten. In the corner sat a set of dressing blinds and a great big mannequin...upon which sat a wedding dress.

“You’re finally up, then.” Came a voice from nearby. Sky shuffled around in bed, finding herself face to face with her little sister. She looked alarmingly amused by the whole situation.

“Erm...Shadow...what happened?” Sky asked, biting her lip and casting worried glances at the wedding dress.

“Well, you got really drunk, punched some bitch in the head and ran like hell.” Shadow shrugged. “So it’s kinda like when we first went to Screwdriver’s together.”

“Uh...huh…” Sky said slowly. “Um...that mare I punched...who was it?”

“Go on.” Shadow grinned. “You get one guess. Make it a good one.”

Sky’s ears splayed back and her eyes widened as she finally put the pieces together. All of those loud giggly mares, the way that mare had been so haughty and up stuck-up...she’d even been wearing a really tasteless pink feather boa…

“Oh shit...I punched Silver’s fiancee.” Sky groaned, laying back on the pillow with her head in her hooves.

“Yeah, so much for incognito.” Shadow giggled. “Still, you had fun at the Gala. I mean, that’s gotta count for something, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m all for saving the holiday until after we’ve gotten the super-soldiers off of our backs.” Sky huffed, pulling her hooves aside. “How’d your night go with Fox?”

“Erm…” Shadow blushed, glancing down at her hooves. “No...not bad, I guess…”

“Not bad, huh?” Sky chuckled tiredly, a tiny cheeky smile forming on her face. “Did you dance with him?”

“Ye...that’s not important…” Shadow mumbled.

“Was he any good?” Sky knew a “Yes” when she heard one, and couldn’t help but grin wider.

“Um...we stepped on each others’ hooves a lot…and then he tripped over my tail because he’s a lumbering idiot…”

“Did he pull you down with him?”

Shadow looked away. That was all the answer Sky needed.

“Did you kiss him?” Sky pressed.

“No...but I pushed him into a rosebush and he got a bunch of thorns stuck in his flanks.” Shadow giggled quietly. “That counts, right?”

“Sure, that counts.” Sky snickered. “Why not.”

The two sisters sat there with matching grins for a few minutes before Sky’s smile finally softened.

“You know...I kinda like this version of you.” She said. “You’ve always been such a sweetheart under all of that tough girl shit, and it’s nice to get to see it properly.”

“I’m still a tough girl!” Shadow protested. “I can kick any stallion’s ass any day of the week!” She pouted, crossing her forelegs reproachfully. “But...thanks…” She added quietly.

“Hey, I’ve seen what you can do, sweetie. Don’t worry about it.” Sky chuckled, leaning over to nuzzle her sister. “It’s like I said back in Manehattan. You can be the world’s biggest ass-kicker and still be adorable.”

“Yeah...well…” Shadow huffed. “I wouldn’t need to be adorable if he’d just keep his big stupid muzzle to himself! Maybe if he wasn’t such an intrusive jerk I’d be able to...to stop...blu...blushing…”

“Is that what you want?” Sky asked, cocking her head. “For him to leave you alone and just see you as a badass?”

“Well...no…” Shadow sighed. “I mean, that’s what I wanted at first, and he can still fuck right off, but...I...guess...I kinda...like it…”

Sky tussled her sister’s mane, sitting up in bed and beaming. “I’m so proud of you, sweetie…” She whispered, bumping her muzzle against Shadow’s and flashing her a smile.

“I...I didn’t d…” Shadow blustered, before finally meeting her sister’s gaze and smiling softly, too. “Thanks, sis.”

The two sisters fell into comfortable contemplative silence for a time, hugging each other and enjoying the moment of peace.

“So, erm…” Sky said after a while. “A thought’s just struck me…”

“Did it hurt?” Shadow asked sarcastically.

“No, just…” Sky giggled, shoving Shadow away. “I was just wondering. If I’m here, then where the hell’s Silver’s fiancee?”

At that moment, both sisters started as somepony knocked on the door.

“Misty! Time to get ready! The wedding starts in forty-five minutes and you don’t want to be late!”

The two pegasi exchanged a worried glance. Shadow kept looking from Sky to the wedding dress, then back to Sky again.

“I know what you’re thinking…” The elder pony growled. “And there’s no way in hell…”

“Sky, either you can spend all morning bitching, or you can get the dress on.” Shadow grinned evilly. “You’re gonna be Misty for a day!”

“Fine…” Sky rolled her eyes, clambering out of bed. “But you’re coming with me on this, too.”

“Me?” Shadow started. “What the hell could I dress up as to fit in at a wedding?”

* * *

“I hate you.” Shadow growled.

“Oh, come on!” Sky giggled, wriggling into the wedding dress as best she could. It was a little big for her. “You’re gonna make a beautiful flower filly!”

“This looks so dumb!” Shadow whined, looking up at the little flowery coronet on her head. “What if somepony sees me?”

“When’s anypony seen you lately?” Sky chuckled. “Or do you mean Fox? You’re worried he’s gonna see you looking all pretty at a wedding and get ideas in his head?”

“N...no! I’m not even thinking abou...eww!” Shadow squeaked, hiding her head under her wing. The little basket of daisies tucked up under it was the cherry on top.

“Were too!” Sky giggled, wiggling her flanks to let the dress sit more comfortably around her body. “Don’t worry. What are the odds of him even being there?”

“Well…” Shadow frowned. A second loud knock brought the two of them back to reality.

“Misty, are you nearly ready?” Came the voice again.

“Shit…” Sky whispered. “Do you remember what that bitch sounded like?”

“I dunno! Some high-class shit or something!” Shadow hissed urgently. “Improvise!”

“Um...okay…” Sky muttered, clearing her throat and putting on an upper-class accent. She sounded for all the world like an adult-sized stroppy teenager. “Of course I am, mother! Gosh, you didn’t think I’d forget all about my special day, did you?”

“Wow, that was condescending…” Shadow grunted.

“She was a mouthy bitch!” Sky whispered back.

“Oh!” Came the voice again. “Well then, hurry up! The clock’s ticking and Silver won’t wait!”

“Of...of course!” Sky nodded, giggling like a socialite. “I can’t wait to take his mon...I mean, his hoof in marriage!”

“Subtle.” Shadow sat back, pouting.

“What are you, the commentator?” Sky deadpanned at her.

”Somepony’s gotta point out when you’re only fooling yourself.” Shadow stuck her tongue out, giggling.

“Ugh…” Sky groaned, pulling her veil down to obscure her face. “Well...how do I look?”

“Like the very last pony who should be wearing white.” Shadow answered honestly, wiggling her way into her own little purple dress. “But...well, you’re meant to be a bride and you look the part. Just don’t forget about us little ponies once you’re a big-shot trophy wife.”

Sky giggled, making sure that her damaged wings, face and tail were completely concealed before making her way to the door. “Come on, flower filly. Let’s go win custody of those crystals.”

* * *

The ride to the Palace was made in silence, Sky and Shadow sitting next to one another and trying not to giggle every time one caught the other’s eye. Misty’s mother sat across from them in the carriage, fidgeting nervously.

“Your father and I are...very proud of you, Misty…” She said, after a while. “Do you feel all right? You sound...curious.”

“Oh, well...you know…” Sky replied evenly, producing the most high-class giggle she could manage. “Just the nerves and all that. It’s quite a big day and all that.”

“Hmm…” Misty’s mother nodded pensively. “Now, remember what I told you. Keep your shoulders straight, don’t sway your flanks when you walk and make sure you sign a prenuptial.”

“Isn’t it a bit late for that?” Sky asked, cocking her head under her veil.

“Well, I should hope that you’ve done it by now!” Misty’s mother said, shocked. “These rich stallions are famously unfaithful, and you’ll want to protect your assets!”

At this point, Shadow burst into a very squeaky fit of the giggles, sticking her muzzle in the basket of flowers to muffle herself. The idea of Sky keeping her “assets” away from other ponies was simply too laughable.

Sky huffed quietly, putting her hoof around Shadow’s midsection and pushing her off her seat. The filly’s giggling fit was cut short with a dull thud.

“Are you sure you’re alright, dear? You seem so distracted. Perhaps you’d better take the veil off for just a few moments…”

“No!” Sky squeaked, before controlling her voice and doing her best Misty impression again. “I mean, no thank you, mother. I’ll be quite fine. Er...ah...hahaha…”

“You’re shit at this!” Shadow whispered helpfully.

The mare sighed, staring at Sky incredulously before finally nodding. “Very well. Now then, remember what we discussed. Let the relationship go on for...say...about three months, enough for the media to calm down about the wedding. After that, divorce him and get out with everything you can.”

Sky cocked her head. That was unexpected.

Damn, and they call me a criminal. This’d be harsh as fuck if Silver wasn’t trying to get me murdered…

“But of course!” She finally replied. “Make it look authentic, smile for everypony and enjoy the life of luxury for a few months. I haven’t forgotten!”

“That’s my girl.” Her mother smiled, as the carriage came to a halt. “Now, go out there and put on a big show, okay?”

“Okay, mother. I’ll do my best.” Sky chuckled haughtily, giving the strange middle-aged mare a hug before clambering out of the carriage with Shadow.

The two ponies found themselves practically encircled by photographers, all with the same matching brown hats. About fifty cameras went off in Sky’s face, and it was all the pegasus could do to not spread her wings in panic.

“It’s okay, sis.” Shadow said, nudging her in the flank as she backed away. “This is just some highbrow party shit. Remember, you’re pretending to be a massive attention whore who’s only marrying this guy because you want something from him.”

“Well...yeah, I mean, that’s why I’m fucking here.” Sky muttered as they pushed their way through the paparazzi towards the party hall. “I’ve gotta get that amulet off of him to get through his security shit, right?”

“And Rolling Thunder’s wedding present, don’t forget.” Shadow added.

“Oh yeah, right. Gotta find a way into the safe, too.” Sky nodded. “I remember.”

“Yeah. I know this is probably closer than you wanna get to Silver, but you should be okay if you just...you know...don’t show him your face or kiss him or anything…”

“What, so I’m not allowed to wait for the honeymoon to get that thing off of him?” Sky rolled her eyes under the veil, chuckling and trying to block out the press.

“Sis...just...eww…” Shadow cringed, sticking her tongue out. “Look, just pretend he’s Penfeather or something until you find a way to snatch those things off of him. I’ll keep an eye out, see if I can get us a way out when all of this goes to shit.”

“Good plan.” Sky nodded. There was no doubt in her mind that everything was going to go to shit. All Silver had to do was pull back that veil and see that his fiancee wasn’t his fiancee at all and Sky would be surrounded by guards before she could say “I can explain.”

“Sure. I can do that.” Sky nodded. “Oh, by the way, you look great in that dress. I bet Fox would just love to see you like this.” She bit her lip cheekily as she glanced about. “Say, is that him over there, waving at you?”

Shadow whirled round, following Sky’s hoof and catching Fox’s eye. The little colt was sitting by the entrance to the ballroom, having not noticed her until their eyes met across the crowded garden. He blushed hotly as he gave a nervous little wave.

“Well?” Grinned Sky triumphantly. “Aren’t you gonna wave back?”

Shadow closed her eyes and gritting her teeth, her ears practically smoking as she waved back at him.

“Hi, Fox…” She mumbled sheepishly.

“I’ll let you two get reacquainted.” Sky giggled, bumping her flank against Shadow’s and making the rest of the journey on her own.

This is the weirdest shit I’ve done in ages… Sky thought to herself, sighing as she made her way into the party hall.

She had to admit, it was pretty impressive how the Palace ballroom had been so quickly repurposed after the Gala...though for all Sky knew she’d been out for the whole past week on a mad binge-drinking spree. The dance floor had been filled up with pews and a priestess of Celestia stood at the end of the aisle next to a very ornate-looking altar. It seemed as if every pony worth their salt in Canterlot had turned up for the wedding.

“Eep!” Sky squeaked, scanning the ballroom with wide-eyed fright.

So many ponies...fucking hell, I’m in the lion’s den here. It’s cool...I’ll just be calm and collected and both Shadow and I can get out of this…just...one hoof in front of the other...

Sky bit her lip, taking step after tentative step toward the altar. Her eyes drifted over Silver Tongue, who stood next to the Priestess tapping his hoof impatiently, over to a table laden with presents.

Wow...Silver and Misty aren’t gonna be short on fancy porcelain eggs any time soon…

Sky looked over at the table, trying to discern from the labels which present Rolling Thunder had bought his son. It wasn’t hard to spot the little amulet around Silver’s neck, so if all else failed Sky knew that she could at least get away with that.

“You’re late.” Silver muttered across at her as Sky drew level with him.

“Fashionably late, perhaps.” Sky whispered back, putting on her best Misty voice. “Besides, my mother held me up. I couldn’t help it.”

“Your mother’s an interfering heffer.” Silver observed.

“You would say that. She’s about to become your mother-in-law.” Sky giggled quietly.

Wow, this is weird...I’m right next to the asshole who put that bounty on my head, who framed me for all of this shit and got me in so much trouble...the guy who tried to have me killed. I really ought to give him a smack before I go. Sky ruminated, steeling herself as the Priestess cleared her throat.

“Dearly beloved,” She intoned wearily, “we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of these two lovely ponies, Silver Tongue and Misty. If anypony knows any reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Sky looked around hopefully. Nopony said a word.

Bugger.

“Very well.” The Priestess conceded after a while. “I understand that the bride and groom have prepared their own vows. Would you like to begin?” She added, addressing Sky.

Sky glanced around to make sure that she wasn’t talking to somebody else, finally putting a hoof to her chest in confusion. “Uh...me?”

“Yes, dearest.” The Priestess nodded patiently. “Your vow, please. Just as you practiced a few days ago at the rehearsal.”

“Ooooh…” Sky nodded, putting on her upper-class accent again. “Well, I was thinking that perhaps, to make things a little more interesting, we could let the groom go first? Nerves, you know…” She chuckled haughtily, fanning herself with her hoof.

“Well...it’s unconventional, but I suppose…” The Priestess nodded, raising her eyebrows at Silver. The tycoon cleared his throat, flashing everypony a warm smile and taking off his glasses.

“Very well…” He said, his voice clear and loud. “Misty, the day we met I was absolutely struck by how beautiful you were. You were sweet, kind, gorgeous and downright...well...sexy.” He chuckled, waiting for a few moments as giggles broke out amongst the assembled ponies. “I couldn’t imagine a more perfect pony to make my own.”

Sky pawed the ground with a forehoof, blushing hotly and letting out a happy little squee. She was only broken out of her little fantasy world by Shadow, who poked her head out from behind the Priestess and hissed at her.

“Hey, stupid!” She whispered. “He’s an asshole, remember? Snap out of it!”

Oh, right… Sky raised her head, perking her ears back up again. Yeah, the attempted murder…

The Priestess smiled, switching her attention back to Sky and giving her the same expectant look. Sky took a moment to process what the clergymare was getting at before giving a little start, clearing her throat.

“Well...erm…” She said nervously. “You’re very sweet, Silver. When I first met you I was impressed by just how...er…”

She glanced across at Shadow, who shrugged.

“nerdy you looked with those glasses of yours!” Sky finished, giggling quietly. That got a better laugh out of the crowd than Silver’s “sexy” comment, and it was by no means lost on him. Sky could hear him grinding his teeth from here.

“But I learned an important lesson from the time we spent together…” Sky carried on, drawing on every shitty magazine and romance novel she’d read over the years for inspiration. “And that’s...that’s…”

“Stop looking at me like I know what to say!” Shadow hissed. “You got yourself into this mess! Get yourself out! I don’t do romantic shit!”

“...that...you can’t judge a pony by their looks, but by what’s inside their hearts.” Sky finished proudly.

Shadow let her tongue hang out of her mouth as she gagged melodramatically.

“Also, Fox and Shadow are the cutest couple in Equestria.” Sky added, grinning evilly behind her veil.

Shadow choked mid-gag, looking up at Sky with wide eyes.

“NOOOOOOOO!” She mouthed, flailing her hooves wildly and giving her big sister the world’s saddest, most pleading look. It was too late. She’d been exposed, so embarrassed that she was just about ready to cry. Sky knew that there’d be a reckoning for saying that in front of what looked like most of the reporters in Canterlot, but somehow that didn’t matter right now.

“Ve...very well…” The Priestess said slowly, flipping through her book and sighing. “Ah, here we are. Silver, do you take Misty to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” Silver nodded, giving Sky a sidelong smile and tilting his head a little.

“And Misty, do you…?”

“Yep!” Sky said quickly, her heart pounding from sheer nerves rather than breathless love. “I do! Yeah...definitely…”

There was a moment of silence as the entire ballroom stared daggers at Sky. Being nervous before a wedding was one thing, but this was beyond ridiculous.

“Well then…” Said the Priestess with the air of a pony who was only here for the open bar. Her horn flared, levitating two rings off of a little velvet cushion. “It gives me great pleasure to pronounce the two of you husband and wife.” Levitating the rings over to the two ponies, she slid one over Silver’s horn and the other onto Sky’s outstretched hoof. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Sky was brought back to the land of the living as she realised what was about to happen. “Wait, what?” She squeaked.

“You’re married now.” The Priestess shrugged, trotting away. “You two can kiss already.”

Silver licked his lips as he looked across at her again, reaching out toward Sky’s veil in front of everypony. She found herself unconsciously leaning away from him to prolong the inevitable, but it was no use. He came closer and closer, and in a few moments he’d unmask her in front of everypony.

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!”

The irate shriek echoed across the otherwise silent ballroom for a few moments, dying gradually away to nothing. As one, everypony in the ballroom turned to see who had dared interrupt such a lovely...if unorthodox...ceremony.

A light blue unicorn mare stood in the doorway, framed by sunlight as she fixed her gaze on Sky and Silver. Her face was an absolute mask of contempt.

“Just what do you think you’re doing with my stallion?” She asked, tapping her hoof.

Sky’s mouth dropped open for a moment as she stared at the interloper. Whoever this mare was, she wasn’t Misty, but she had just saved Sky’s flanks.

Might as well roll with it…

“Silver…” She said nervously. “Honey...who’s she?”

“Her?” Silver chuckled nervously, tugging at the collar of his suit. “Um...she’s...I’ve never seen her before in my life…”

“Oh, you would say that!” The mare barked, trotting huffily down the aisle and growling at the multi-millionaire. “I’m nopony, really...just the mare you’ve been going out with for months now!” She stopped only a few feet away from them, glaring at Silver. “The real question, honey, is who’s this little slut?” She gave Sky a nod, voice dripping with the bitchiest kind of venom.

“Well...er…” Silver gulped.

“Excuse you, but who are you calling a slut?” Sky narrowed her eyes, giving the mare a push. The unicorn stumbled back a few paces, caught off-guard. “At least I don’t look like some skanky little tramp who wandered in off the street.”

The mare rounded on her, shoving her back. “Who’re you calling a tramp, you dumb bitch?”

“Who’re you calling a dumb bitch, you filthy little wanker?” Sky spat back.

“Ladies, please, if we could just…” Silver said, his voice weak.

“Who are you calling wanker, you cunt?” The mare wasn’t even trying to stop herself from smiling now. Sky knew that smile all too well...and the argument had a certain deja vu to it, too.

“Who’re you calling a cunt, conehead?” Sky growled, stepping a little closer to Silver and putting her hoof around him.

“Who’re you calling a conehead, twigbody?” Rat grinned.

“Who’re you calling twigbody, saucer-hooves?” Sky giggled, unclasping the amulet around Silver’s neck and slipping it under her dress while he was distracted.

“That’s it! It’s go time, bitch!” Rat stamped, tackling Sky off of Silver and into the table laden with wedding gifts. Under the two ponies’ combined weight, along with that of all of the presents, the table simply couldn’t cope.

The assembled guests didn’t intervene, staring in horror as the most incredible catfight the high class had ever seen broke out before them. The stallions present weren’t at all complaining at the sight of two mares fighting each other, and the ladies in the audience found nothing objectionable about it, either. After all, a great many of them had long-standing vendettas against Misty or mistresses in general. It was good to see them get what they deserved.

“What took you so long?” Sky muttered, wrestling with Rat as porcelain eggs exploded all around them.

“I was looking all over the fucking city for you.” Rat grunted back, his voice far more feminine than it perhaps ought to be. “I knew you were gonna infiltrate the bridal party. I didn’t know you were gonna replace the fucking bride.”

“Hey, I got nervous, and weird shit seems to happen to me when I get drunk.” Sky said defensively, rolling onto her back and launching Rat off of her. “I had to improvise, okay?”

“Yeah, well so did I.” Rat chuckled, grabbing Sky around her midsection and tearing at the skirts of her wedding dress. “By the way, you’re out of blue coat dye, and I took one of your gender-swap darts.”

“And there was me thinking you’d stuck your nadgers in a vice to get your voice that high.” Sky giggled, crashing to the floor with Rat on top of her. She took the opportunity to glance around, checking each of the scattered presents for anything that looked like it was from Rolling Thunder.

At last, she spotted it. A neat little silver package labelled with the same monogram as Rolling Thunder’s correspondence. Sky recognised it anywhere.

Rat slammed a forehoof down onto the ground next to Sky, trying to make it look like she was horribly assaulting the erstwhile bride. Sky yelped, letting her forehooves splay out on either side and pretending to cry.

“Come...come on...bitch…” She whimpered, loud enough for everypony in the ballroom to hear. “You...you call that a pu...punch?”

As Rat drew back a hoof to “hit” Sky again, the little white pegasus reached out and grabbed the parcel, slipping it into her dress as she raised her hooves to cover her face. Rat deliberately missed again, the two mares rolling over once more so that Sky could get on top.

“I’m sorry!” She sobbed, getting to her hooves and galloping towards the exit. “I can’t be with a pony who’s so unfaithful! Goodbye, Silver!”

Rat got to her hooves as well, galloping after her. “Hey, wait a minute bitch! I’m not done with you yet!”

As the two ponies galloped out into Canterlot, heedless of the photographers begging them to slow down and make a statement, Silver was left at the altar alone. He shuffled nervously, surrounded by the most judgemental ponies in Equestria.

“Um…” He said slowly, after a while. “I...I can explain?”

Author's Note

Yep, Sky got married for real. Still, you know what they say about celebrity marriages, right…?

Luck Favours The Prepared

Sky tore the wedding gown off of her shoulders, casting it into a corner as she galloped back into her tower. Rat wasn’t far behind her, ripping her own dress off as she barged in after her new best friend.

“How the hell did you know to dress up like that?” Sky cocked her head.

“Well, when you said Silver’s home security was shit, I took the liberty of going through his things and found a reference to a mistress.” Rat grinned. “The rest was easy. What the hell did you do with the actual bride?”

“Hell if I know.” Sky shrugged. “I got drunk, mistakes were made, ponies said stuff when they should’ve kept their ugly traps shut, and I...got...married…” Sky looked down at her hoof, the little gold wedding band still there for all to see. She was transfixed.

“You actually got through the whole wedding ceremony, didn’t you?” Rat deadpanned. “Please don’t tell me you actually married him.”

“Um...okay, I won’t tell you, then.” Sky giggled. “What’s important is that we got that amulet and Rolling Thunder’s present.”

“Right.” Rat nodded as the two of them ascended the stairs into the living room. “Guess that means we’ve just gotta get into the facility. You know, the one with state-of-the-art magical defences guarded by super-soldiers.”

“That’s what this is for.” Sky chuckled, putting Silver’s amulet around her neck and checking herself out in a cracked mirror. “Shadow and I only ran into an Operative when the security systems were triggered. If Screwdriver was right, as long as I’ve got this on the alarms won’t trigger. No alarms, no Operatives.”

“Clever.” Rat nodded. “I still don’t exactly see you walking in through the front door and strolling up into Rolling Thunder’s office to get those crystals back.”

“No.” Sky frowned. “We’re gonna need to distract them, find some way to make them raise the alarm in a different part of the building.”

“So what, blast one of the walls off of the building?” Rat cocked her head. “You’re crazy if you think that that’s gonna work.”

“Blast one of…? No way. Nothing quite so...I dunno...explosive.” Sky tapped her chin with a hoof, trotting over to one of the old couches and pulling a box out from underneath it. “We’ve already seen that the Operatives don’t react to the sleep formula, so I can’t use my darts or knock them out, but there is one thing we haven’t tried yet…”

“Yeah? What’s that?” Rat asked, peeking over Sky’s shoulder curiously.

“This.” The white pony grinned, holding up a glass orb full of a strange pink liquid. “It’s a lust bomb. They breathe this stuff in and they’ll be too busy fucking each other to go looking for an intruder they don’t even know is there.”

“Wow…” Rat whistled. “Don’t suppose you’d mind sharing the recipe?”

“For you? Any day.” Sky winked, pecking him on the cheek and setting the bomb down on the couch. “You know, just so long as you don’t go making me breathe it in or something. If I was exposed to the lust formula, anything could happen…”

“Don’t tempt me.” Rat chuckled, settling down next to her and nudging the silver parcel. “So what’s Rolling Thunder’s wedding present, anyway?”

Sky took it in her hooves, turning it over and peering at it with curiosity. With a little tug she undid the wrapping paper, a tasteful tapestry rolling out onto the floor in her hooves.

“Oooh!” She giggled. “This’ll make a great rug!”

“Oh boy, the old ‘hide information in the tapestry’ bit.” Rat huffed. “Some ponies just have no imagination.”

“Yeah, he was probably hoping that everypony would overthink it or something.” Sky snickered, turning it over and taking a closer look. “Three clocks...I’m guessing the position of the hands matches up with the safe’s tumblers.”

“Or you’ve gotta look at the time that each clock is showing and get the combination from that.” Rat frowned. “Three o’clock, eight o’clock, six o’clock…”

“Guess we’ll have to try both and see which one works.” Sky shrugged, slinging the tapestry over her back and trotting into her room to get changed.

“What’s this “we,” sweetheart?” Rat asked, crossing her forelegs. “Unless you’ve got another amulet for me I’m not gonna be able to go in there with you.”

“Shit, you’re right…” Sky frowned, stuffing the woven masterpiece into her saddlebag and unstrapping her armour from the mannequin. “Uh...hell, I guess you can work with Shadow and Fox to get the alarm raised on the other side of the building, but there’s a condition.”

“What’s that, then?” Rat asked, cringing slightly at the mention of Shadow’s name.

“You set off that bomb and run for it. Even if I wasn’t worried that those two might inhale some of it and get ideas, that building’s gonna be crawling with Operatives.” Sky said seriously. “I’m not having anypony die on a job, especially when we’re so close to getting this shit sorted out.”

“Deal.” Rat nodded. “What happens if one of us gets banged up? Do you have medical supplies here?”

“Yeah, a few.” Sky replied. “I mean, I’ve got spare bandages and everything, but if you really need help, there’s a street doc named Sawblades who lives under the city, down in the sewers.”

“Sounds like a hygienic place for a doctor.” Rat deadpanned. “Fine. Give me the directions to his place and I’ll run Shadow or Fox down there if either of them get hurt, okay toots?”

“Okay.” Sky smiled, more than a little relieved. “We’re really close now, sweetie. Soon this whole fucking nightmare’s gonna be over...then how about I show you around Canterlot properly? I mean, the guards are still gonna be out for our blood, but they won’t be as pissed as they are right now.”

“Hmm, a tour of Canterlot with a pretty mare.” Rat giggled. “Well hey, how could I say no to an offer like that? It’s a date, sweetheart.”

“Thought you’d go for it.” Sky winked. “I guess I owe you one for helping me out with all of this shit. I mean, hell, you weren’t obliged to do it or anything.”

“Are you kidding?” Rat cocked her head. “Sky, that Operative thing would’ve turned into my problem pretty fucking quickly if those assholes got into law enforcement and came to Manehattan. Taking them down benefits me as much as you.” Her ears flicked back, a little smile spreading across her face. “Besides, it was my pleasure.”

“Heh, look at you.” Sky smiled back, pulling her cloak over her shoulders. “You’re all gentlemanly and sweet when somepony takes your balls off of you.”

“Yeah, and I guess you’re not such a slutty sack of shit once I get to know you.” Rat rolled her eyes with mock reluctance. “Hey, er, Sky?”

“Yeah, sweetie?” Sky smiled brightly, pulling her burglar’s mask on over her eyes and adjusting it so that she could see out.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something...personal…” Rat shuffled unconsciously, the things she’d read in Sky’s diary the night before still heavy on her mind.

Sky’s ears splayed back as she busied herself with her cloak. “Personal, huh?” She said quietly, looking a little uncomfortable. “What kind of personal question?”

“Well...it’s about Shadow.” Rat admitted, fiddling with her hooves some more as she fixed Sky with a more serious look. “And there’s something I found out about her...I guess I just wanted to know the truth…”

Sky’s ears flattened against her skull as she looked away, pulling her hood up. “Uh...huh. What about her?”

Rat looked down at her hooves, wondering how best to ask her, when Sky’s attention was caught by her little sister returning home. She burst through the door at some speed, galloping as fast as her legs could carry her back into her room.

“Uh...Shadow?” Sky asked, cocking her head as the door slammed behind the filly. The little white pegasus trotted up to Shadow’s room, pressing her ear to the woodwork. “Are you okay, sweetie?”

“No I’m fucking not!” Shadow yelled back irritably. ”He’s following me!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Sky giggled. “What’s he gone and done now?”

At that moment, Fox made his way into the living room, looking around innocently. “Um...is Shadow here?” He asked politely.

Sky turned on the spot to ask him what the hell was going on, but she couldn’t stop herself from letting out an excited little squee as her eyes fell on him. The little colt wore a black suit with a little top hat, the perfect outfit for a young unicorn who’d just attended a wedding.

“No, she’s not! Go away!” Shadow squeaked from inside her room. “She’s dead! Gone forever! Come back later!”

“Okay, one of you is gonna have to explain what happened.” Sky rolled her eyes, sitting down and looking between Fox and the door.

“It’s your fault!” Shadow yelped.

“Shadow didn’t like you calling us a couple.” Fox explained, trying to suppress a happy little smile as he spoke. “I guess some fillies don’t like getting exposed in front of hundreds of really super-judgemental ponies.”

He glanced around before leaning in to whisper to Sky.

“But...for what it’s worth, I really appreciate it.” He giggled quietly. “Do we really look like a couple?”

“Well…” Sky muttered, glancing warily at the door. “Yeah, you do. When you two are together you’re like the cutest little arguing old couple ever.”

Fox gave a little squee, hugging Sky’s foreleg before knocking on Shadow’s door. He gave the elder pony a sly little wink, and Sky couldn’t help but watch with quiet interest.

“Fuck off!” Came the young filly’s voice.

“Shadow, I’m super-sorry about what happened at that wedding. I was super-embarrassed, too!” Fox said earnestly. “I think Sky wants to apologise to you!”

“She’d never apologise for that sort of shit! Nice try!” Shadow replied, growling. “She gets off on embarrassing me!”

Sky cleared her throat, stepping up to the door again as well. “Hey, Shadow?”

“What?”

“Fox is telling the truth.” She said quietly. “I never wanted to humiliate you that badly, little sis. You were just so cute standing next to him like that and I...I was nervous, I guess…”

Rat and Fox looked at Sky incredulously, their bullshit alarms going off simultaneously.

“You...you mean that?” Shadow asked uncertainly.

“Absolutely.” Sky nodded, crossing her wings behind her back and grinning back at Fox. He seemed to be getting the picture. “Come on out and I’ll make you some coffee and give you a hug, okay sweetie?”

Shadow’s door cracked open, revealing one very nervous looking green eye and a pair of fluffy blue forehooves. “Wait, I thought I was banned from coffee…”

“Well, you’ve had a tough day and I need you two to work with Rat on the job tonight. Perhaps I could lift the ban for one day…”

Shadow narrowed her eyes at Sky, looking for an ulterior motive as she slowly ventured out of her room again. Sky turned tail on her little sister, trotting along in front of her for a little while until she passed Fox. With a kick of her hind leg, she pushed the colt right up next to Shadow, grinning evilly.

“We’re a couple, Shadow!” Fox giggled, pouncing on the filly and wrapping his hooves around her. He was so excited that he even lifted her up a little, nuzzling her cheek and smiling like Hearth’s Warming had come early.

“NOOOOOOO! SIS, I TRUSTED YOU!” Shadow squealed, trying to unfurl her wings. It was no use. Fox had her in a tight colt-cuddly grip and there was no letting go.

“That was your first mistake!” Sky giggled back, watching her little sister go bright red with anger and embarrassment.

“But...but…” Shadow whimpered, squirming and struggling in Fox’s grip and glaring at the two of them. “But…”

“Shadow, you make me the happiest little pony in the world!” Fox beamed, bumping his muzzle against hers.

Shadow looked up at Sky pleadingly, silently begging her to save her from this mad little unicorn, but Sky remained resolute. Those two were far too adorable to break up right now. With a little squeaky sigh of resignation, Shadow relaxed, resting her muzzle on Fox’s shoulder and quieting down.

“Whatever.” She grunted.

“There, see? Was that so hard?” Sky chuckled, trotting to the balcony and beaming at the three little ponies.

Rat’s giving me a weird look… She thought to herself, her smile fading just a little. I’m gonna have to ask her about that once this is over. He’s too curious for his own good, the silly little colt…

“Okay, guys!” Sky announced, as Fox finally relinquished his irate new marefriend. “Get your shit together! We’re gonna need all three of you at your best to pull this off, but after tonight we’re never gonna have to worry about those Operative assholes again.”

* * *

Stronghooves frowned as he trawled through the wedding reports, cocking his head.

“The mistress in question lives in Trottingham, correct?” He asked, glancing up at the other assembled guards, who nodded in confirmation.

“She’s had a week to hear about the wedding.” Daybreak frowned. “Still, there’s no way that she could’ve gotten here in time to crash it.”

“That’s because it wasn’t her.” Stronghooves muttered, pulling aside one of the reporters’ photos of the two mares fleeing the scene. It wasn’t the best possible photo, the motion blur making it difficult to see them properly, but Stronghooves smiled softly as he caught sight of a glimpse of red poking out from under the bride’s dress.

Misty’s tail isn’t that colour… He mused, recalling her picture in Silver’s office. Looks like my little sister’s at it again…

He looked up at the assembled ponies. “Drop the investigation into the wedding. Continue surveillance of Rolling Thunder’s facility and report on any movements his boys are making.”

“Then you might be interested to hear this, Cap.” Shield said, trotting into Stronghooves’s office with another folder. “I just got word from the stakeout guys. Thunder and Silver are on the move back to the facility. They’ve got that lockbox with them.”

“Blast.” The Captain grunted. “How long ago was this?”

“About ten minutes ago. The runners got here as fast as they could.”

“The Palace isn’t far from the facility…” Stronghooves leapt to his hooves, pulling his helmet on and slinging his sword over his back. “Everypony, form a perimeter around the facility. Keep the citizens safe. Shield, Daybreak, you two come with me.”

Daybreak pulled a bandolier full of explosive crossbow bolts over her shoulder, bumping her flank against Stronghooves’s.

“I’m ready, boss.” She grinned, revelling in ability to make her new coltfriend blush without even trying.

Stronghooves gave a very un-stallionlike squeak, clearing his throat and pointedly not looking at her as he trotted to the door. “Ahem...er...yes...well…”

“Daybreak, don’t fuck with your commanding officer’s head.” Shield mock-scolded, grinning in amusement. “We’re gonna need poor Hoovesie here to give us orders and you’ve got him all tongue-tied!”

“Damn it, guys…” Stronghooves sighed. “You’re just both trying to push my buttons now, aren’t you?”

“Yep!” Shield and Daybreak said in unison, laughing as the rest of the officers filed out.

Stronghooves did his best to glare angrily at the two of them, but faced with a pair of such sweet and good-humoured new friends, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Well then, how about we get this sorted out so I can start working out how I’m going to punish you for being so silly?” He chuckled, turning tail on them and stepping out of his office.

“Guys.” Stronghooves and Sky said in unison, halfway across the city from one another. “Let’s go end this once and for all.”

Judge, Jury and Executioner

Stronghooves strode confidently through the perimeter around the facility, trotting up to the front door and knocking on it.

“No answer…” He frowned, disappointed. “I would’ve thought there’d at least be some of that ‘you’ll never take me alive’ bluster.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Daybreak, would you be so kind?”

“Love to, sweetheart.” Daybreak giggled, loading up her repeating crossbow with an ammunition cartridge as Stronghooves stepped out of the way. Pulling the trigger, the mare let fly with a half-dozen explosive-tipped bolts, blasting the doors off of their hinges.

“Thank you, sweetie.” He chuckled, drawing his sword and flaring his horn as he led the way into the building. About three or four alarms blared in his ears as he stepped into the lobby, but Stronghooves didn’t care. He found that if he concentrated very hard, he could drown out the loud wail and filter only the noises he wanted to hear.

These enhancements are better than I could have imagined… He thought to himself.

Stronghooves levitated the weapon to a ready position above his head as Rolling Thunder’s security guards stormed into the lobby, raising crossbows and spears challengingly.

“Stand back!” One of them barked. “You’re trespassing on private property! Where’s your warrant?”

“I’m the Captain of the Royal Guard.” Stronghooves shrugged, striding towards them across the lobby. “I don’t need a warrant to kick your employer’s plot.”

“Last chance, Captain!” The security commander warned, backing away under Stronghooves’s advance. “The company’s been paying its taxes and everything! You don’t have any right to be here!”

“Are they paying you to give your lives for its wellbeing?” Stronghooves cocked his head, coming nose to nose with the commander.

“Well...no…”

“Then get out of my sight before I crush your throat.” He growled, narrowing his eyes. “And don’t think I won’t do it, either.”

“You’re mad…” The commander whimpered, stepping out of the way and gesturing for the others to lower their weapons. “What kind of pony just waltzes into the most heavily defended facility in Equestria?”

“This pony.” Stronghooves said simply, pushing the guard aside and approaching the express elevator. “Daybreak, do you reckon you’re still allowed around this building? I don’t much feel like sticking my horn into that lock to see if the security system’s going to accept me.”

“Oh, so you’d rather I do it?” She rolled her eyes, chuckling as she trotted past him and put her hoof up to the plate. The magical pulse that would normally emanate from the plate fizzled out this time, and the mare shook her head.

“Looks like we’re taking the stairs.” Said Daybreak. “Sorry about that.”

“That’s going to be tricky.” Stronghooves bit his lip, glaring at the guards until they silently filed out of the building. “There’ll be Operatives up there, and I bet you anything that those two are going to throw every last one of them at us to save their own asses.”

Shield passed the two of them, yanking a door off of its hinges and staring down the corridor. “Looks like they’re probably still scrambling their heavy hitters.” He nodded. “Come on, the stairs are down this way.”

Donning their weapons, the three soldiers ventured further into the building in search of Rolling Thunder.

* * *

Sky skidded to a halt as she looked down into the courtyard in front of the facility.

“Looks like somepony had the same idea as you.” Rat frowned, cocking his head.

“Yeah...something tells me they’ve got the front door covered.” Sky frowned, taking in the sight of the massive hole where the doors used to be.

“Are we still going ahead with the plan?”

“Yeah, we are.” Sky nodded. “Whoever’s doing this, they’ve got a bunch of Operatives in there to tangle with. We’re still gonna need that distraction. You still got the bomb?”

“Sure do.” Rat chuckled, patting his saddlebag gently. “Don’t worry, I didn’t drink it when you weren’t looking or anything.”

“Oh trust me, if you’d even taken one tiny sip, I’d know.” Sky winked. “You wouldn’t be able to walk properly.”

“Shit, it’s that strong?” Rat asked, his eyes widening. “You’re gonna have to make me a glass of this when this is over.”

“Deal, but this batch is for our good super-soldier buddies in there.” Sky nodded. “Shadow, Fox, you go with him. Remember, you guys shouldn’t actually enter the building. Just make a whole fuckton of noise so the Operatives come running and then lob the bomb, okay?”

“Right.” Shadow nodded, pulling what was left of her hood up and baring her teeth. “We can handle that. You just focus on keeping safe.”

“Promise.” Sky said quietly, nuzzling her sister. “Okay, you guys ready?”

Fox, Shadow and Rat all nodded, trotting to the other side of the rooftop. Rat nocked an arrow, tying off the fletching with a strong rope and firing it across the street. The arrow struck the stonework above one of the windows, leaving a rope bridging the gap.

“Huh...good shooting.” Shadow admitted, before adding something under her breath that sounded an awful lot like “Not as good as me, but whatever…”

“We’ll meet back at Screwdriver’s in two hours. Good luck, guys.” Sky spread her wings, taking a small run-up before taking off and gliding across to a different window. Grabbing onto the windowsill, Sky hung there by her forehooves, fiddling with her lockpicks for just a moment and popping the window open with a satisfying click.

“So far, so good.” Sky muttered, looking down at the amulet as she pulled the window open and lifted herself inside. It glowed bright blue as she crossed the threshold, bathing her in a dim light that covered her whole body.

Huh...well it looks like it’s working, but I guess I’m not gonna find out until I actually run into a security crystal or something… She frowned, lowering her centre of gravity. Why couldn’t I have stolen the fucking owner’s manual from him, too?

Sky crept through what looked like a pretty nice lab, doing her best to ignore the klaxons that blared in the distance. She spotted about four security crystals set into the walls, but as she snuck by them, not one of them triggered, and this time no floating tasers decloaked around her either.

Wow...this is going stupidly well… Sky thought to herself. Now all I’ve gotta do is try to work out where the fuck Silver’s office is.

Shaking her flanks a little to loosen the tension in her body, Sky crept deeper into the facility, looking for a way up into the executive quarters. A distant explosion and the sound of distant screaming told her that Rat had done his job exceptionally. Sky pulled her face mask tighter around her muzzle.

The last thing I need is to inhale some of that stuff right now… Sky giggled. Besides, there’s plenty of time for that after this job’s done.

Sky couldn’t help but wonder what a bunch of super-soldiers going at it looked like, or indeed whether the building’s foundations could take it. She forced herself back into the present, cringing slightly.

Come on, focus. Get the crystals first, then you can look at the giant stallions fucking each other. Hell, maybe they’ll even let you join in!

Sky snickered as she climbed the stairs, invisible to the dozens of security crystals that lined the walls. Every few moments they sent out a magical pulse, no doubt a special kind of spell that would identify anypony who had entered the building unbidden. The pulse rebounded off of the walls and back into the crystals, similar to a batpony’s ultrasonic cry. It tickled.

“Okay...okay...I’m alright…” Sky giggled, wiggling her flanks again as the magic passed over her. This was the best that a job had gone in ages, and she couldn’t help but look around anxiously. Surely something had to go bad at some point, right?

To her surprise, as she stepped out onto the top floor of the facility, no platoon of hitherto-unseen stormtroopers burst out into the hallway to challenge her. Sky found herself trotting more daintily now, a little less cautious.

“Where the fuck is everypony?” She huffed quietly, spreading her wings to silence her hoof-steps. The big black marble door at the end of the hallway certainly looked promising, reminding Sky more than a little of Money Bags’s place.

Sky stopped in her tracks as she approached the door. She’d been expecting something a little more like Money Bags’s office, but this door had no lock. All it had was a square metal plate bolted to the doorway alongside it. Sky cocked her head as she examined it, silently wishing that Shadow were here. She’d probably be able to hazard a guess about what it was. Blowing her mane out of her face, Sky lifted a forehoof and pressed it to the plate. A pulse of magic shot down her body, rebounding off of the amulet and back into the doorway. With a flash of blue light, the doors swung open, satisfied that Sky Runner was, in fact, Silver Tongue.

The little white pony swayed her flanks a little as she made her way into Silver Tongue’s office, taking in the surroundings. It was a tad more utilitarian than Money Bags’s, with a fancy rug, a desk and a set of crystals lining the walls. Some kind of projector, perhaps. Both Silver and Rolling Thunder were nowhere to be seen, and Sky began to feel just the tiniest bit anxious as the doors swung shut behind her.

Where the hell are they? If the big bad guys would be anywhere during all of this, they’d be locked away in some kind of panic room. Sky thought to herself, venturing deeper into the office.

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye far too late to do anything about it, the whine of charging magic deafening her moments before Silver struck her with his spell. She was cast across the office, slamming into the wall and slumping.

“You.” Silver growled simply, stepping forward out of the shadows and baring his teeth. “I should’ve known you’d be behind all this, terrorist.”

“You...ugh...you know I’m not a terrorist.” Sky grunted, getting shakily to her hooves and staring him down. “Your dad set me up and you fucking know it.”

“Yes, I know all about it.” Silver nodded, pacing around her with his horn lowered. “My father contracted those rivals of yours to take the crystals and you to take the fall. We were going to offer the job to you, but they took it first. Tough luck, I suppose.” He shrugged, chuckling.

“And what’s gonna happen now that everything’s falling to pieces around your ears?” Sky asked, matching his pace and snapping out her crossbow. “What’s gonna happen when I give those crystals back, along with all the letters that prove that your dad was behind this?”

“I don’t discuss hypotheticals, Miss Runner.” Silver smiled mirthlessly. “You and I both know that you’re not walking out of here alive. I’m going to kill you personally, and there’s not a pony in the world who’s going to be able to save you.”

“Wow, you’re just tempting fate today, aren’t you?” Sky rolled her eyes, clipping a green dart into the firing mechanism. “I’m gonna walk out of here without a scratch, sweetie. Better ponies than you have tried to take me down and majorly fucked up.”

“Then prove it.” Silver growled through gritted teeth. “You’ll get nowhere with that kind of smooth talk, you vapid little mare.”

Sky grinned, raising her hoof and firing right between his eyes. Silver’s horn flared, catching the dart out of thin air and crushing the glass capsule with his magic. He leapt forward, swiping at her with one of his heavy forehooves, but Sky danced out of the way, spreading her damaged wings and kicking off from the ground to avoid his swing.

“This isn’t going to work!” Silver shook his head, flaring his horn and taking another shot at Sky. The little burglar jinked sideways, darting out of the way of the pulse and covering her head as it blasted a hole in the ceiling. Chunks of plaster and stone came raining down around them, a spiderweb of cracks running across the walls.

Silver launched himself at her while she was down, taking her by the throat and slamming her into a wall. Sky choked as he increased the pressure around her windpipe, his horn lighting up again as he prepared to shoot her at point-blank range. She wrapped her forehooves around his own, trying to pull him off of her neck, but there was no budging him.

Fuck...okay, you wanna fight dirty? We’ll fight dirty, then… Sky glared back, lifting her hind legs up as he held her by her throat. Spreading her wings again, she kicked out with both of her back legs at the same time, catching him in the crotch and launching the stallion off of her. Silver doubled over with pain, staggering back into his desk.

Taking only a second to catch her breath, Sky darted forward, grabbing the end of his tail and tying it off around one of his desk legs. She hopped out of the way as he took another clumsy swipe at her, diving behind the desk to avoid the spell that he sent whizzing over her head.

“You...don’t understand yet, do you?” Silver wheezed, standing up and shaking his head to defy the pain. “You’re just...delaying the...the inevitable…”

“I dunno, seems pretty evitable to me right now!” Sky snickered, peeking out from behind the desk. She quickly withdrew her head as he fired off another spell, cracking the wall on the other side of the room.

“You’re an idiot…” Silver growled. “And worse than that, you’re a burglar. You don’t understand how any of this is meant to work. You don’t understand that you’re not going to win because you’re not meant to win. By the end of this, you’ll be dead and I’ll be lauded as a hero for bringing down a criminal and a terrorist.”

“You’ll be sleeping and I’ll be home free, sweetie.” Sky shook her head, crawling around the other side of the desk. Underneath it, she could see Silver magic his tail free, galloping away to the other side of the room. “You’ve sent super-soldiers and the guards after me since you pulled that shit with the crystals. Why the hell do you keep betting against me?”

“With the Operatives you had help.” Silver shook his head. “Every time you’ve survived one of my Operative attacks you’ve relied on somepony else to save your miserable hide, throwing them into the fight in your stead like a filthy coward.”

“What would you rather, I just stand there and die like a good little bitch?” Sky shrugged.

“Erm...actually, yes!” Silver nodded, smiling as he lowered his head and blasted a hole in the desk. Sky galloped away to the other side of the room, her only cover quite literally blown.

“Come on Silver, we’ve been married a few hours and this is how you treat your new wife?” Sky grinned, holding up her hoof to show him her wedding band.

Silver blanched, his eyes going wide as he stared at the ring. “Wait...no...you didn’t…”

“I’ll let you guess who was in that wedding dress a few hours ago, sweetie.” Sky grinned. “Here’s a hint. It wasn’t Misty.”

“Oh, I didn’t...” Silver sat back on his haunches, shocked.

“But you did!” Sky giggled, loading her crossbow up again. “Don’t worry Silver! I’m a little rough around the edges but you learn to love me!”

“No...I did...I couldn’t have...UGH! No, it doesn’t matter!” Silver shook his head, getting to his hooves again and flaring his horn. “I’ll just kill you and make it up to Misty. She’ll know damn well that this wasn’t my fault...assuming you didn’t kill her, that is.”

“I don’t kill ponies, sweetie.” Sky rolled her eyes. “I dunno where your stuck-up bimbo marefriend is, but she sure as hell had a mouth on her!”

“Well, in that case I’ll find her after I’m finished with you. I’m sure that she’ll love to hear all about how I killed the pony who tried to take her place at her own wedding.”

Sky rolled her eyes. There really was no talking to this asshole. He loved the sound of his own voice far too much, and seemed genuinely convinced that he was going to get away from this unscathed. Raising her crossbow again, Sky let fly with another sleep dart, missing Silver by only a few inches as the tycoon darted out of the way.

“You know what’s wonderful about choosing to fight here?” He grinned, going back to pacing around her. “I don’t even have to hit you in order to kill you.”

He lowered his horn, a wave of magic emanating from it and spreading out across the whole room. It caught Sky in the chest, slamming her into a wall and burning the edges of her cloak and hood. She couldn’t see or hear anything for a moment, the high-pitched whine of the impact ringing in her ears. Her whole body ached from a mixture of magic and blunt trauma, the heavy bruising making it difficult for her to get up again. Nonetheless, Sky jumped out of the way as he sent another spell her way, scorching off part of her cloak and exposing her bandaged wing.

“You see,” he continued, trotting triumphantly over to one of his crystals and sending a pulse of magic through it. “We have a wonderful setup for dealing with intruders like you. Do you remember when you first broke in here just over a week ago? We sent a shocking pulse through your body that was designed to stun, not kill. It’s quite a wonderful enchantment.” He smiled, glancing up at her as a dial slid out of a compartment in the wall. “Did you know that I can also set it to kill?”

Sky glanced down at her chest, her eyes widening as she met the stallion’s gaze again. “Silver, you don’t wanna do that!”

“Actually, Miss Runner, I do.” Silver grinned. “You’re not just a thorn in my side, you’re a statement that my Operatives are fallible under the right circumstances. By dying, not only do I prove that they’re not, I also become a hero for taking down a wanted criminal. Over time, ponies will forget that those crystals disappeared from the museum altogether. They’ll merely remember that you were evil and I was good. That’s all that matters.”

“Yeah, but…”

“BUT NOTHING!” Silver roared, trying to keep in his laughter at this point. “You’ve lost, Sky Runner! No matter how fast you run, you won’t escape this building before those crystals fire. You. Have. Lost. But hey, if you want to beg a little first, maybe offer me something to spare your life, I guess I could see my way to giving you a head-start…”

“Silver, you really really don’t wanna do this!” Sky shook her head, limping towards him. “Step away from the dial or you’re gonna die!”

“No, Miss Runner, I won’t.” Silver chuckled, cranking the dial up to its highest setting and hovering his hoof over a black button. “You, on the other hoof...well...you’ll see. Goodbye, Miss Runner.”

Sky was halfway through pulling the amulet out from under her armour to show him when Silver’s hoof hit the button. The crystals situated all around the room fired in sequence, bright blue lightning arcing between them before striking the one pony in the room that wasn’t wearing a protective amulet.

Silver’s eyes went wide for the split second before the magic struck him, starting at his horn and bathing his whole body in light. Sky held up a hoof to shield her eyes as he was engulfed.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?” He screamed, his fur, mane and tail starting to scorch off. He tried to run, but the magical pulses froze his limbs in place, preventing him from escaping or stopping the inevitable.

“YOU KNOW WHAT? THIS ISN’T EVEN MY FAULT!” Sky shrieked back, trying to make her way towards the dial to turn it down. She’d come to clear her name, not to be responsible for anypony’s death. “I TRIED TO TELL YOU! I PINCHED YOUR FUCKING AMULET!”

Nonetheless, as she forged towards the dial, the realisation crept in that there was no way she was going to save him. The magic flowed into his veins, then into his bones and organs. Silver screamed with agony, flopping onto his side as every pain receptor in his nervous system fired off.

“YOU...FUCKING...BITCH!” Silver screamed.

Sky finally made it to the dial, trying to pull it down into the “off” position. It didn’t budge quite that far, and she flapped her wings furiously to try and get a little more force behind the pull. The dial clicked reluctantly into a different position, and she didn’t think to take a second look at it. As long as it wasn’t going to kill him, she didn’t care.

As Sky rounded on him to see if he’d be okay, a pulse of magic shot down through the crystal chain and into his body. Through the bright light, she caught a glimpse of his face, glaring at her with pure hatred and frustration. Silver knew as she did that he hadn’t been killed by her or by her machinations, but by his own foolishness and arrogance.

As the magic died away and Sky blinked in the dim light, Silver Tongue was gone, replaced by an unconscious little baby dragon with a suspiciously similar colour scheme.

“Well well well, I didn’t know you had that setting.” She giggled, holding a hoof up to her muzzle. “I tried to warn you...stupid bloody stallion…”

She sighed softly, stepping away from Silver and glancing around the room. With the security system powered down, Sky was left in a dim half-light, the walls and ceilings covered in cracks and gashes from Silver’s magic. The office was, it seemed, a collection of secret compartments and hidden drawers disguised by plaster and stone. The little white pony cocked her head, approaching the wall and running her hoof along its surface.

“C’mon...where’s that safe…” She muttered under her breath, tapping the wall and perking her ears to listen to any disparity.

After working on the wall for about five minutes, one of her hoof-taps produced a harsher sound than before. Sky pulled back, grinning as she drew back a hoof and gave the wall a smack, and the plaster crumbled away.

This looks pretty promising… She thought to herself, as a sliver of black metal caught her eye behind the cracked plaster. Grabbing the chair from behind the desk, Sky whacked at the plaster, smiling wider as more and more of the wall came away. Sure enough, it was none other than a great big black steel safe, a relatively simple affair with a combination lock.

Must’ve been betting most of their bits on a burglar never making it this far… Sky thought to herself, pulling the tapestry out of her slightly charred saddlebag. She lay it down on the ground in front of the safe, glancing between the two of them.

“Huh...guess Rat was right…” Sky muttered, reaching up and taking the knob in hoof. “Three o’clock...eight o’clock...six o’clock…”

There came a loud click from within the safe’s locking mechanism, and Sky couldn’t help but squee with delight.

“It’s nearly over...I’m nearly free…” She whispered excitedly.

However, as she swung the door open and gazed into the safe, her face fell. It was completely empty save for a few files and a couple of bags of bits.

“Where the hell are the crystals?” She muttered.

* * *

Stronghooves dispensed with the pleasantries, driving his sword in between the doors of the Enhancement Chamber and prising them apart with a growl. Time was of the essence and he had no patience for this kind of obstacle.

“THUNDER!” He boomed, barging through the twisted doors with Daybreak and Shield in tow. “DON’T YOU DARE!”

The geriatric stallion sat down in the chair, clipping the restraints down over his hooves and flashing a smile at Stronghooves. “Ah, Captain! I was hoping you’d come! You’re just in time to see me turn into the most powerful stallion in Equestria!”

“I can’t let you do that, Thunder.” Stronghooves shook his head, trotting down towards the crystal array. “You’re irresponsible and motivated by the worst possible cause. Leave the safety of Equestria in the hooves of the Royal Guard where it belongs.”

“The safety of Equestria isn’t my concern, Captain!” Rolling Thunder laughed, sending a spark of magic between his horn and the outermost crystal. “With an army of super-stallions at my back, I can think much bigger than that! Soon you’ll come to see things my way, Stronghooves, even if you don’t want to!”

Stronghooves skidded to a halt as the light arced between the crystals. The contraption had lumps of a strange-looking metal built into its mechanism, acting as pylons for the magic coursing through it. As the beam hit the gem at the centre and arced down to Rolling Thunder’s horn, the old pony’s eyes glowed bright green, his body growing more and more empowered by the second.

“DAYBREAK!” Stronghooves roared over the screech of magic. “TAKE IT OUT!”

Daybreak nodded, levelling her crossbow at Rolling Thunder and pulling the trigger. The explosive bolt ricocheted off of the magic engulfing the stallion, blasting a hole in the nearby wall.

“Shit, that didn’t work…” Stronghooves snarled.

“I’ve got this!” Shield barked, his horn lighting up as he attempted to project a magical forcefield around Thunder. The magical barrier flickered into existence for just a moment before shattering underneath the inexorable power of the crystals.

“There’s no way we’re gonna be able to stop it!” Shield shook his head. “We’re gonna have to wait until he’s finished the transformation and stop him before he can control us!”

“No…” Stronghooves growled. “I’m not going to let that happen.

The risk is way too high. I don’t think we could kill him before he takes control of me. Stronghooves thought to himself. He could make me kill Daybreak and Shield...and...and Sky...I’m not going to let this happen…

Ignoring his friends’ shouting behind him, Stronghooves broke into a gallop, roaring with rage as he charged straight into the centre of the swirling storm of magic. The power from the crystals arced into his horn as well, his eyes glowing bright blue. Stronghooves wrapped his hooves around Thunder’s neck, throttling him and ripping the chair out of the floor.

With a flash of magic, the centre of the room exploded, casting the two of them into opposite sides of the circular chamber. Each of them cracked the wall with the force of their impact, sliding to the floor with a grunt.

“You’re too late!” The Count laughed, getting to his hooves. “You’re far too late! Do you know what those enhancements did to me?”

“Yeah...we busted your plan open when I got my powers back. You’re trying to control the Operatives.” Stronghooves growled, getting up and wiping flecks of blood off of his mouth. His enhancements worked faster than ever, repairing his bones and his damaged tissue only moments after the blunt trauma itself.

“Yes…” Thunder chuckled. “It took a lot of studying, but I finally worked out how Sombra was able to enslave an entire nation. Channelling magic through crystals to change a pony’s body is not exactly a new thing, and Sombra was able to take control of an entire nation of ponies who’d done it to themselves. All it required was a little refinement, a little reverse engineering, and...well…” He waved a hoof, and Daybreak and Shield dropped to their knees, bowing. “Perfectly sentient slaves!”

“You’re filth.” Stronghooves growled, spitting out his own blood and drawing his sword.

“And you’re mine, Captain.” Thunder grinned, waving a hoof at him. “Now...kneel.”

Stronghooves braced himself as he felt a rush of magic around his body. However, it passed over him with no effect, and the stallion blinked, looking down at himself stupidly.

“I guess I must’ve absorbed that power, too.” Stronghooves chuckled, looking back up at Thunder with a confident grin. “Don’t worry, when you’re gone I won’t use it for anything except recalling the Operatives you have searching for my sister.”

“I see…” The Count ground his teeth grimly, his horn lighting up as he pulled Shield’s blade out of his hooves, throwing a salute. “Well then, I suppose the only thing to do is remove you from the equation. It’s a complication, but a temporary one.”

“This “complication” is far stronger than you, Thunder.” Stronghooves narrowed his eyes, returning the salute with his own sword and pacing toward him.

Both stallions raised their weapons over their heads in an aggressive ready stance as they approached, their gazes locked. As they reached the centre of the chamber, they began to pace around one another, paying attention to one another’s hoofwork. There was a moment of calm before the storm, broken only by the sound of heavy breathing from the two combatants.

Thunder was the first to take a swing, his blade coming around in a flashing arc as he tried to sweep Stronghooves’s legs out from under him. The Captain brought his own sword down to block it, flicking Thunder’s weapon out of the way.

The Count snarled, pressing the attack and forcing Stronghooves onto the defensive. He swung his sword in wide arcs that Stronghooves had no trouble blocking. As Rolling Thunder got more and more used to his new physique, he struck faster and more confidently, pushing Stronghooves back up the staircase. The Captain found himself struggling to block the blows as Thunder struck out at him again and again, dancing out of the way as the blade threatened to cut his hooves off. While he needed only one good strike to kill Rolling Thunder, he suspected that the Count had a way to kill Operatives without resorting to enchanted weapons.

Stronghooves darted out of the door, taking up a more defensive stance and readying his weapon. As the Count burst out into the hallway with him, Stronghooves raised his sword up to protect his head, blocking every aggressive brutal slash the stallion sent his way. As Rolling Thunder pressed onwards, the enhancements working on body began to undo the ravages of age itself. With every moment the Count got younger, stronger and faster, able to parry and strike on par with the Captain.

Stronghooves’s horn flared, creating a shield out of pure magic to turn aside the strikes he missed.

“Give it up, Captain!” Thunder laughed. “You’re not going to save Equestria, you’re not going to save your sister and I assure you that you’re not going to stop me! Just lay down and die like a good little boy!”

Stronghooves grunted, backing up against an unyielding door and faltering. There was nowhere for him to retreat to now.

The Count brought the blade down in a powerful swing. At the last possible second, Stronghooves darted sideways, letting the stallion cleave a massive gash into the wall. Kicking out with his hind legs, Stronghooves caught him in the ribcage and knocked him onto his side. Rolling Thunder lowered his head, flaring his horn as he cast a spell at the Captain. Stronghooves’s horn lit up as well, his blue beam connecting with Thunder’s green and stopping midway between the two stallions. As Thunder got back to his hooves and flourished his sword, both ponies concentrated their magic, focussing on trying to push the magic down that beam towards one another. While the spell would certainly not kill either one of them, it’d give their opponent time to get in a free hit with their weapon. That was all either of them needed.

“You have...no...idea...what I’m capable of…” Stronghooves growled, advancing on Thunder and growing more aggressive. “I’ve destroyed every last Operative you’ve sent to stop me, and I’ve got...plans...for...my...sister! You...just...won’t be around...to see them…”

Both stallions roared with effort as the magic between them glowed brighter than ever, filling the hallway with what sounded like a localised thunderstorm. It proved particularly difficult for Stronghooves and Thunder to maintain their magic and strike and parry simultaneously, requiring incredible focus from both of them. However, as Thunder pushed Stronghooves back once again, it became evident who the victor was going to be. Thunder’s necrosis spell drew ever nearer to Stronghooves’s horn, shunting aside the Captain’s attempts to defend himself or push it back. Stronghooves felt himself growing weaker by the second, all of the energy sapped out of him by the stress of mixing tests of his martial and magical skill.

There’s no way I’m going to win… He thought as fear began to set in. He’s going to kill me here and now...damn it, I need…my friends…

“HEY, DIPSTICK!” Came a shriek from behind The Count.

Rolling Thunder whirled around just in time to see Daybreak level her crossbow at him, letting loose another crossbow bolt. While he caught it with his magic, the arrowhead detonated in his face, sending the aged old billionaire reeling back into a wall. Stronghooves struck out at him with his sword, knocking the Count’s weapon away and forcing him back onto his haunches.

“No…” He growled. “No...you’re not going to do this to me!” Rolling Thunder growled. His voice grew dissonant by the moment as his spirit began to reshape itself into something resembling Sombra’s.

“Count Rolling Thunder,” Stronghooves snarled, stepping forward and raising his sword over his head, “you are guilty of the crime of treason against the Two Sisters. The sentence for treason is death, effective immediately.”

And with that, the Captain drove the blade into Rolling Thunder’s chest, driving it all the way in to the hilt. The enchantment on the sword took effect almost immediately, spreading out from the point of impact and beginning to necrotise Rolling Thunder’s flesh. It worked fast, doing damage faster than even the Count was capable of healing. The stallion let out an ear-splitting scream as his body began to fall apart, his muscles and bone structure exposed to the elements as his skin and fur melted away. Stronghooves twisted the blade, puncturing one of the Count’s lungs. The old stallion coughed up blood, glaring at his enemy with blind hatred.

“I...won’t let you...do this…” He growled. “I know what you’re like, Stronghooves...you’re...unhinged...not fit to use these enhancements…”

“Then perhaps you should ask yourself why you gave them to me in the first place.” Stronghooves shrugged, his face impassive. “Call me what you want. I’m still the Captain of the Royal Guard and a stallion who wants his sister to be alright.”

“You’re...going to…” Thunder began, but Stronghooves drew the blade out of his body. Bringing it around at neck height, Stronghooves tore through the already weakened flesh of Thunder’s neck, decapitating him in a single swing.

“Thank you, Daybreak.” Stronghooves smiled up at his marefriend. “I thought he had me there for sure. You really did save my life today.”

“Someday you’re gonna have to save my life too, you know…” Daybreak chuckled, leading him away from Thunder’s corpse as it rapidly skeletonised. “So that’s it, then? It’s over?”

“Nearly.” Stronghooves nodded. “Silver’s still in here somewhere, and I’ll bet anything that he’s going to be hiding behind every security measure he could get his hooves on.”

“I don’t know about that, Captain.” Shield shook his head, stepping out of the enhancement chamber. “Something’s attracted the attention of every Operative in this building, and whatever it was it wasn’t us. There’s no way that Silver would use them that defensively. They’re super-soldiers, for Celestia’s sake.”

“Good point.” Stronghooves frowned. “Of course, if somepony’s been able to attract the attention of every Operative in the building, then that can only mean one thing…”

“Sky’s in here.” Shield and Daybreak said together, nodding understandingly.

“Yeah…” Stronghooves grunted, sheathing his sword and galloping off down the hall. “Stay here and secure the crystals!” He commanded, charging up the nearest staircase he could find.

It’s time to meet my little sister again...I hope she’s missed me as much as I’ve missed her.

Author's Note

Well, that was an okay bossfight. Now how about I start picking up all of these loose plot threads and reconcile Sky and Stronghooves?

Family Reunion

Rat peeked over the windowsill into the Operatives’ Quarters. It had taken him quite a while to find the perfect window, but fortunately the disturbance on the ground floor had given him the time he needed without those super-soldiers catching up to Sky.

“Right…” He muttered to himself, staring at the regimented soldiers within. “Let’s hope Sky wasn’t bullshitting me about this thing…”

As the burglar dangled off of the windowsill by a single forehoof, another Operative trotted into the room. The others quickly lined up and stood to attention.

“Right, listen up!” He barked, pulling his helmet on. “We’ve got intruders in the building, all three of them former Operatives. It’s going to be a tough fight, so I want each and every one of you at your peak, alright?”

“Oh, you’ll peak all right…” Rat muttered, sliding the window open as carefully as he dared. His horn flashed, priming the bomb and levitating it in through the window.

One of the Operatives, failing to pay attention to her commander, glanced around and went wide-eyed as she spotted the glass orb floating towards them.

“HEY!” She yelled, grabbing her sword from the foot of the bed and taking a swing at the ball.

Rat squeaked with fright, dropping the ball and slamming the window closed as it impacted. The room quickly filled with bright pink fog as the liquid inside the bomb was exposed to oxygen. In time, Rat could see the Operatives no more, but their screams and shouts quickly died away to be replaced with dull grunts and the sound of shifting furniture. Rat couldn’t help but grin. He’d just cleared a whole room full of super-soldiers all by himself.

Shit… He thought to himself as a particularly loud moan escaped one of the stallions inside. I’ve really gotta get me some of that stuff. I wonder what Sky’s like when I give it to her…

Rat dropped daintily to the ground, dusting himself off and slipping through a narrow alleyway to avoid the guard perimeter around the facility. If the Royal Guard was moving in on Silver and Thunder, Sky probably didn’t have much time to get those crystals and escape.

That means I don’t have much time to get this done, either…

Rat sat down as soon as he was clear of the perimeter, looking over the directions Sky had given him. They led down into the catacombs under Canterlot, to a place deep in what was, hundreds of years ago, the city’s sewer system. Rat frowned as he followed the directions, turning off of the main streets and into a labyrinthine network of alleys.

Well, I promised Sky I’d only visit Sawblades’s place if somepony got hurt...I guess this qualifies… Rat thought. He remembered Sky mentioning Sawblades in her diary on the night she lost Shadow. Perhaps he’d be able to lend some insight into what the hell that filly even was.

He paused, stepping into an alley that was far narrower than any of the ones he’d come down before. At the end of it sat a little grate, big enough for a pony to fit through. Giving it a careful look, Rat levitated the grate out of its casing, crawling through the gap and into the dark tunnel beyond.

The first thing he noticed was the smell. It wasn’t the unpleasant stench of a sewer system, not as he’d expected. It was the smell of dust and aged stone, of old wood and equally old buildings. There was even a hint of contraband pharmaceuticals in the air. Rat grinned. This was certainly the place.

Clambering down a little stepladder, the unicorn found the way forward lit by little oil lanterns, guiding him through the twists and turns of the underground city. It certainly made sense. When a pony needed the doctor, the last thing they needed was to get lost at a critical moment. That sort of thing could cost lives.

As Rat trotted down the half-lit tunnel, his horn flaring to add a little extra illumination, he ruminated on what he’d read in Sky’s diary. It was weird to think that she’d run this same gauntlet, galloping down this very tunnel with the real Shadow on her back, terminally wounded. He caught himself glancing at the floor as if it were a fresh crime scene, as if Shadow’s blood would still be there five years after what must have been a truly horrible night. He shook his head, bringing himself back to the here and now. With a soft sigh, he ventured deeper into the maze, following the lanterns and hanging his head.

He stopped at a T-junction, looking up at the most unpromising clinic door in history. It was solid steel, painted black and emblazoned with a great big red cross. The door had no handle, lock or hinges. All it had was a tiny little viewing slot that slid aside as Rat knocked nervously on the door. A pair of mismatched eyes regarded him with curiosity.

“Can I help you?” The voice grated.

“Er...yeah…” Rat nodded, trying to sound far braver than he felt. “You’re...er...Sawblades, right?”

“Who’s asking?” The eyes answered, raising a brow.

“I’m a friend of Sky Runner’s.” Rat said quietly, pulling his hood back. “I wanna talk about Shadow.”

The eyes narrowed at him for a time, sizing him up. Finally, the viewing port slid shut, leaving him in the relative darkness.

Oh Luna, I bet she nicked all of his lollipops once or something… Rat shook his head. It was apparent that Sky had quite a reputation with Sawblades, and there was to be no seeing the doctor today.

However, as he made to trot back down the tunnel, the whole catacomb filled with the cacophonous grating of metal on stone. The door screeched open, revealing an earth pony with mismatched eyes and a bloodied apron. Rat had been expecting someone more...violent-looking, but Sawblades’s expression was soft, if a little grave.

“Come in.” He said quietly, turning tail and trotting back into the clinic.

As Rat followed, looking around at what passed for the waiting room, the metal door slammed shut behind him of its own accord. Sawblades stood at the back of the room, yanking a door open and beckoning Rat to follow him.

“So this is about Shadow?” He said quietly as Rat obliged, sitting down in the doctor’s office with the gentle earth pony.

“Yeah.” The burglar nodded. “Look, I’m a friend of Sky’s, and I’ve been working with her to stop this whole Operative deal. I...I guess I found out what happened with Shadow. Kinda wanted to hear your side of the story.”

Sawblades shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, nodding. “I...I can do that.”

The earth pony’s ears flicked and swivelled as he spoke, glancing around almost as if he were looking for a way out.

This must be a pretty touchy subject… Rat frowned.

“How about you start with telling me about Shadow?” He offered helpfully.

Sawblades met Rat’s eyes again, nodding briskly. “Oh, yes! Well...erm...I remember that Sky adopted her a very long time ago...about...oh...fourteen years ago, almost.” He chuckled softly at the memory. “She was a tiny thing with the most enormous wings you’ve ever seen, and such a sweet little girl.” He beamed fondly at the memory. “She was taken in by Sky when she was five and trained to be a burglar. That fussy little mare dragged Shadow down here if she was even remotely sick.”

“I used to do that with my little brother, too.” Rat waved a hoof dismissively, chuckling. “It’s part of taking care of a foal, I guess.”

“Yeah...and that kid meant the world to her.” Sawblades smiled. “Even when she was older, she...well...she was still on her best behaviour every time she came here...and if I asked her really nicely and promised not to tell anypony, she even gave out hugs to some of the patients.”

Rat grinned at that. It was just the sort of thing Sky might do if nopony were looking.

“So...what happened?” Rat cocked his head after a moment of contemplation. “What happened to Shadow, and what the hell is that thing Sky talks to?”

“Well...it’s...really my fault…” Sawblades said uncomfortably, looking down at the floor. “You see, Sky came into my clinic with Shadow in...it’s too generous to call it critical condition. The poor filly was practically dead on arrival.”

“Yeah, I remember Sky writing that you tried your best to save her.” Rat nodded understandingly.

“Well...I did, yes.” Sawblades smiled softly. “I pride myself on my work. I don’t lose patients very often, save for a few who come in at the edge of death to start with. Shadow was one of those.”

“Then what happened?” Rat asked, cocking his head.

“Well, Sky buried her sister and went back to...I wouldn’t say living normally, but still…” Sawblades sighed. “Her wing was broken two weeks later. When she came in to get it treated, she was very similar to how she is now, acting as if Shadow was not only alive, but in the same room.”

“Wait, you mean that that kid isn’t real?” Rat frowned. “That filly that I...I mean, Sky’s been seeing isn’t even there.”

“Rat...sometimes ponies struggle when they lose loved ones.” Sawblades said patiently. “It can be especially difficult when ponies lose the only pony that cared about them.” He sighed. “Shadow was just that, and...I’m speculating here...Sky couldn’t let go of her because she didn’t know how to cope.”

“She’s just somepony that Sky sees because she misses her sister…” Rat sat back on his chair, his ears flat against his skull. “Can...can we help her?”

“I...don’t know.” Sawblades admitted. “You have to understand, it’s been five years. She’s grown...well...delusional. She honestly seems to believe that Shadow’s still alive and well.”

“It’s not impossible.” Rat shook his head, growling. “I’m not gonna let her live the rest of her life thinking that her sister’s alive. That shit ain’t healthy.”

“You’re right, Rat. It isn’t.” Sawblades nodded, putting a hoof on Rat’s shoulder. “The news won’t be easy for her to hear, though. You’ll have to find a way to tell her without hurting her too badly, okay?”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Rat nodded briskly, biting his lip. “Hey, Sawblades...about her wing…”

“She stayed tight-lipped about it, but the damage is magical.” Sawblades shrugged. “It’s...horrible, whatever it is.”

“She’s had that for five years as well?” Rat asked, gaping.

“She came in with that damage to her wing a fortnight after Shadow passed away. I don’t know what happened, only that it’s...difficult to deal with.”

“What do you mean? You’re a doctor. You could just reset the bones or something, right?”

Sawblades huffed at the comment, crossing his forehooves. “Her injuries aren’t as simple as that. She’s been struck by something that forces the area around the wound to necrotise when you try to heal it by magic or potions. Quite simply, Sky can’t be cured. The best way to deal with that is to help her see that Shadow’s gone. Perhaps that will fix at least one of the problems.”

Rat frowned pensively as he got to his hooves, walking to the door and looking back at the doctor. “Thanks, Sawblades. I’ll see what I can do. I’m not gonna make you any promises, though.”

“Nor should you, but...please, take care of her, okay?” Sawblades smiled hopefully. “She needs ponies like you, even if she won’t admit it.”

“Hey, she came looking for me. What the hell else am I supposed to do?” Rat grinned, chuckling a little as he pulled the door open. “Anything else?”

“Only one thing.” Sawblades asked.

“Shoot.”

“I want to find out what did that to Sky’s wing, because whatever it did…” Sawblades twitched slightly, his ears splaying back. “When Shadow was brought in here, her wounds resisted healing potions as well. My guess is that whatever destroyed her wing also killed her sister, and confirming my suspicions means making Sky talk.”

“I’ll look into it.” Rat nodded, leaving Sawblades in the clinic on his own as he stepped back out into the tunnels. He looked around a couple of times to make sure that he wasn’t seen leaving the clinic, before finally easing up and sighing.

So...I guess that whatever it is, Sky doesn’t wanna talk about it. She’s been ducking my questions about her wing ever since I met her, but now I know that whatever fucked her up like that also killed the real Shadow.

Still, he thought to himself, trotting down the tunnel back towards the stepladder, who could possibly hate her that much?

* * *

Sky leaned down as Silver came to, grinning victoriously.

“Hey, sweetie!” She beamed, rummaging in her saddlebag. “Did you sleep well?”

“Wha...what are you...did you get bigger?” Silver frowned, looking up at her incredulously. Sky had taken the liberty of binding his hands behind his back. Last thing she needed was a set of claws at her throat, especially when she was so eager to put the finishing touch on her little plan.

“Eeerm, I guess that’s one way to say it.” Sky giggled. “So tell me, because I’m curious. You know that dragon you had back in your house? The one I let go?”

“Ye...yeeees?” Silver cocked his head. “What about him?”

“Who was he before he was a dragon?” Sky asked, sitting down in front of him with a big stuffed envelope in her hooves.

“Wha...what are you talking abou…?” Silver began, his mind dully putting two and two together. With a frightened squeak, the little dragon looked down at himself, staring at his newfound scaly form in sheer terror. “You...you didn’t…?”

“Save your life?” Sky snickered, pulling his amulet out of her leather armour and winking at him. “Your pride wasn’t the only thing I took from you back at the wedding, sweetie. I got your dad’s safe combination and your security amulet. You’ll never guess what I found in your safe, by the way…”

“Wha...what did you…?” Silver gulped, eyes wide with fright.

“Well…” Sky chuckled, pulling out a little folder. ”This looks an awful lot like an account showing who you paid off and for what. Oh, and hey, it says here that you paid Shady and Nightshade for the Museum Job, so when the Royal Guard gets a hold of this, I’ll be off the hook!”

“You...you can’t...you won’t get that to the Royal Guard…” Silver shook his head, his mind racing. His hands were bound, but there was one thing he could do to stop her…

“I mean, just imagine what Princess Sun-Butt will think when she sees these!” Sky giggled, holding up the collection of envelopes and papers. “All of this evidence proving that her biggest weapons contractor was screwing ponies over and killing them all this time! Guess you’re going away for terrorism, Silver!”

Silver growled, the gaps between his teeth lighting up with magical fire. “You’re never going to show the Princesses that.” He snarled, opening his mouth and letting fly. His dragon fire engulfed the folders and envelopes in a whirling maelstrom, forcing Sky to jump out of the way to avoid being burned. Still, the pony didn’t seem all that bothered, even grinning wider.

To his horror, the papers didn’t incinerate as he had intended, instead popping out of existence in a puff of smoke. With his mind on the Princesses and what they would think of him, there was only one place he could have possibly sent all of those documents.

“Thanks, Silver.” Sky smiled softly, patting him on the head and trotting to the door. “And hey, don’t worry. You can learn a lesson from all of this. Wanna know what it is?”

Silver couldn’t speak, his mouth opening and closing in abject terror.

“It’s a pretty simple one.” Sky winked. “Don’t screw ponies over if they can come back and kick your ass for it. Ta!”

And with that, she galloped off, slamming the door behind her and locking Silver in his own office to await the guards.

Sky couldn’t help but laugh as she picked up speed, galloping faster and faster down the corridor. The security crystals on the walls didn’t fire or register her existence, the Operatives were out for the count and Silver was disabled.

I’m free… She thought to herself, a great big grin spreading across her face.

She skidded round a corner, her hooves almost slipping out from underneath her on the polished marble floor. She giggled at her silliness, too happy right now for anything to spoil it. Of course, she’d learned in her career that celebrating before a job was done was a bad move to make. There was still so much that could...go...wrong…

Sky slowed down to a walking pace before halting entirely, her eyes wide with shock and a little fear.

A bone-white stallion with a blond mane and purple-gold armour stood at the far end of the corridor, smiling fondly as he made his way toward her. She knew that stallion better than she wanted to admit.

Stronghooves…

“It’s been a long time, sis.” Stronghooves said quietly, still pacing inexorably toward her. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy to see you again.”

Shit...quick, run! Her mind screamed at her. Sky made to wheel around and gallop away, but Stronghooves horn flared, holding her hooves to the floor by magic. The little pegasus struggled against her bonds, beating her wings to try and free herself. No use.

“I could’ve done with a longer hiatus, thanks.” She growled acidly. He was too close to her now. There was no way she’d be able to run for it even if she did free herself at this point.

“Sky, please…” Stronghooves sat down in front of her, looking hurt. “I came to tell you, I killed Rolling Thunder and saved your life. Now we can be brother and sister again. There’s just...well...one more thing we need to sort out…” His eyes drifted to her wings, fixating on her bandaged limb.

Sky pulled her cloak over her bad wing defensively. “Yeah, well, that can wait for another time, thanks. Right now I’m just interested in getting the fuck out of here, so if you don’t mind…” She tugged at the magic binding her hooves again, groaning with effort.

“But I do mind.” Stronghooves said quietly. “Sky, I learned about the Operative Programme very early on in its infancy. Rolling Thunder assured me that nopony would get hurt. When I found out they’d framed you...I did everything I could to make it right. I hunted down the Operatives Silver sent after you. I just wanted to see you safe, that’s all.”

“And you did it. I’m safe, so if you’d please…”

“No, Sky. You’re not safe.” Stronghooves shook his head sadly. “When have you ever been safe since mum and dad kicked you out? When have you been free? When have you been happy?” He stepped closer to her, putting a hoof on her cheek and looking into her eyes. “I know you were when Shadow was alive, but that was...fleeting…”

“You’re still convinced she’s dead.” Sky deadpanned.

“You’re still convinced she’s alive.” Stronghooves lowered his head, getting down to her level. “Sky...she’s gone. I know you don’t want to hear it, but she’s not coming back. You’re holding onto an illusion of happiness, something that used to be real but no longer is. Please...listen to me.”

“Stop trying to fuck with me.” Sky shook her head. “It’s not gonna work. You were always jealous of her, and this is the weakest shit you’ve pulled yet.”

“Can you blame me for being jealous?” Stronghooves shrugged, settling down in front of her. “I love you, Sky. Seeing you hang out with that...freak...instead of me...it hurt.”

“Yeah, and how do you think abandoning me to get raped as a kid felt, huh?” Sky answered evenly. “What the hell was I supposed to do, Hoovesie? You made it perfectly clear that you didn’t want to be my brother anymore, and that filly needs me a hell of a lot more than you do.”

“I want my family back, Sky. I want you and mum and dad.” Stronghooves replied, bowing his head. “I want you all to get along. No more fighting, no more running, no more crime and...and disappointment. Is that so hard?”

“Yes! It’s really fucking hard!” Sky growled. “Mum and dad threw me out! You abandoned me because you listened to their bullshit even though you knew they hated my guts! There’s brothers out there who’d be fucking proud that their sister managed to make it on her own, let alone raise a kid! I guess you wouldn’t know shit about taking care of fillies though, would you?”

Stronghooves glanced up at her, meeting her angry gaze with his own. “I was young, Sky.”

“You were a fucking idiot.” Sky muttered, looking away. “Teenagers do stupid shit, yeah. I might have been able to forgive you for that shit, but then you had to go after Shadow. What the fuck kind of stallion tries to kill a filly because he’s jealous?”

“She was corrupted by the same things that turned you into...well...this…” Stronghooves gestured at Sky’s cloak. “You don’t understand...I want you back in my life, and she...she’d never have accepted me...she stood in my way…”

“Because she loves me!” Sky cried, ears splaying back. “You don’t even fucking know what love is anymore! You’re a selfish sack of shit just like mum and dad.”

“Look, they love you too, Sky. I know we can reconcile with them, you and me.” Stronghooves said, sidestepping any further discussion of Shadow. “You just have to let me help you…”

“Last time I let you help me, it cost me my wing.”

“That wasn’t my fault.” Stronghooves sighed. “Look, Sky, it’s a simple operation. I’ve performed it on dozens of ponies now, specifically so that I could get it right when I finally got you to agree. Please...come with me. Be my little sister. I need you…”

“You need me to change everything about who I am so my mum and dad will accept me.” Sky finished venomously. “Cutting my wings off and turning me into a unicorn’s gonna do nothing but make me miserable and hurt Shadow.”

“Sky, Shadow’s not here anymore!” Stronghooves growled, losing his patience. “She’s gone! She’s not a thre...factor in this decision anymore! The only question you have to ask yourself is whether you want a family anymore!”

“I’ve got a family.” Sky said quietly. “My little sister loves me to pieces because I never abandoned her, not once. Not like you did.”

“SHE’S NOT HERE ANYMORE, SKY!” He yelled, slamming a forehoof into the ground in frustration. The marble floor cracked under his hoof, making Sky jump. Stronghooves stared at it for a time, seeming to realise that he’d flown off the handle, before sighing and calming down. “She’s gone. You only have me, sweetie...and all I want to do is help you…”

“Go away, Stronghooves.” Sky shook her head. “Let me go, go away and leave me alone, please…”

“No, Sky. I won’t.” Stronghooves scrunched his snout, glaring at her. “I’ve worked so hard to learn how to perform this procedure, just for you. I’ve done that since we were little. Remember when I studied that cloudwalking spell just so I could take you to see the Wonderbolts?”

“That was different.”

“How?” He muttered. “How is it different? I’ve worked so hard to have you back in my life, Sky. I’ve learned spells, I’ve hunted you, I’ve tried to perfect and hone my skills so I could change a pegasus into a unicorn, I’ve gone up against a whole platoon of super-soldiers for you. I’ve earned you, Sky.”

“Listen to yourself.” Sky said sadly. “You sound like a little kid. You’re fucking mad.”

“I’m not mad, sis. You are.” Stronghooves growled. “I’m the only pony you’ve got left, the only one with a working brain. You’re sick and tired and insane, speaking to your own shadow as if that little kid of yours is going to come back, but she isn’t. I’m going to rebuild our family one way or another, and a year from now we’ll all be sitting around the table at Hearth’s Warming wondering what all the fuss was ever about.”

“So what, you’re asking me to change everything about myself, then sit there and pretend that the last fourteen years didn’t even happen?” Sky snorted. “You’re madder than you look.”

When Stronghooves looked at her again, his eyes were more bloodshot, wilder and full of something between hatred and love. Sky recoiled slightly as she caught his expression, spreading her damaged wings defensively. His gaze drifted away from her face to the bandaged limb, his smile softening.

Sky followed his gaze, growling at him. “Don’t...you...dare…”

“How are you recovering, by the way?” He asked, cocking his head. “I know you must be in a great deal of pain, but the damage can’t have lasted for half a decade. They’re just scars now, correct?”

“Oh, completely fine!” Sky spat. “Except, you know, the magical damage that won’t heal. You know that shit as well as I do.”

“Well, if the damage is permanent then isn’t it better to just remove it altogether?” He pleaded. “You probably can’t even remember what it was like to fly, and who knows, perhaps you’ll even enjoy having a horn. You could be a prodigious mage and not even know it yet!”

Sky looked up at him, hurt. “The answer’s still no.”

“Face it, sis. You weren’t a very good pegasus.” Stronghooves chuckled, getting to his hooves and pacing around her. “I don’t quite know how, but it’s...it’s put ideas in your head. Turned you bad. Look at you, a naughty little burglar with an eight million bit bounty. I know mum and dad didn’t raise you that way. I certainly didn’t.”

“The last time we had this conversation it didn’t end so well.” Sky sighed, snapping out her crossbow. “Back off, Hoovesie. I’m walking out of here and you’re not gonna stop me.”

“You know, I’ve perfected the procedure.” He smiled, coming around in front of her and beaming. “I can keep a pegasus alive while I do it, now. I mean, obviously there’s still a lot of pain involved, but what’s a little agony compared to a lifetime of love from your big brother?”

“You don’t love me.” Sky spat. “You’re not gonna take me away, and I’m never gonna be part of your family again. Not after the shit you pulled.”

“It was an accident! Can’t you just let it be already?” Stronghooves rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“Bullshit. That was deliberate and you fucking know it.” Sky narrowed her eyes. “You’ve been fucked over by mum and dad more than you want to admit. What the fuck did they drive into that thick skull? My fucking wings aren’t why I do this job. I do this job because I have a filly to take care of.”

“Oh, Sky…” Stronghooves sighed mournfully, his ear twitching slightly. “You’re being disobedient again. You know, I fought our father so many times when he wanted to hit you. I took the blows for you, and it turned me into a good, law-abiding stallion.” He leaned in close, voice dripping with venom as he narrowed his eyes. “And you repay me by constantly misbehaving, constantly putting my career and I at risk.

He froze, dropping his spell and granting Sky the use of her hooves back.

“You know, dad was right.” He smiled, chuckling darkly. “Perhaps a little discipline would help you learn to behave, to see things my way.” He whispered softly, his voice echoing around the empty corridor.

The second Sky’s hooves were free, her crossbow was up and firing. It was more of a panic reflex than anything conscious. Sky already knew that there was no way it was going to work, but it might slow him down for long enough that she could get away.

Him...why the fuck did it have to be him…?

Stronghooves batted the dart out of the air almost casually, settling into a ready position. “Come on, sis. It’s been five years and you still resort to that old trick? You’ve gotten slack.”

Sky took a few paces back, eyes darting around for anything even resembling a method of escape.

Nothing...guess I’ve gotta run back the way I came and hope that he’s slower than those other assholes…

Sky took one more step back, spreading her wings to support some of her weight as she turned tail and fled. There wasn’t much point in running from Stronghooves, so good was he at catching burglars, but Sky was caught in the thrall of sheer terror. There was no fighting a stallion like him, nothing to do but run.

With a flash of light, Stronghooves appeared right in front of her, bringing his forehoof around in a swing that caught Sky in the face. The little mare was knocked off her hooves, her head snapping back as she slid across the polished marble floor.

“Get up.” Stronghooves said quietly, raising his hooves. “There’s no escaping me now, Sky. Get up and take your punishment like a mare.”

Sky groaned, rolling over and trying to come to her senses. The whole room spun, and the force of the impact had left a strange ringing in her ears.

“Get up, little sister.” Stronghooves glared, watching her carefully. “Get up and give in. It’s not that hard. All you have to say is “I’m sorry Stronghooves.” Come on, that’s not hard!”

Sky shook her head, her hood falling back as she brought him back into focus. Cycling in another green dart, she raised her crossbow again, aiming between his eyes. The stallion sighed, bringing a hoof down and trapping her crossbow between it and the floor.

“I said “give in!”” He growled, reaching down with the other hoof and scooping her up off of the floor. He held her in front of his face for a time, looking into her frightened blue eyes with savage glee. Rearing up onto his hind legs, he slammed Sky down onto the ground again, knocking the wind out of her.

Sky gasped and wheezed as she struggled to breathe, reaching out with her forehooves and crawling away from him as quickly as she could. Her whole body ached, her back and wings practically numb with pain, and there was a certain cloudiness to her vision that made it difficult to see, focus and fight.

Stronghooves waited patiently as Sky got up again, unable to run away any more. Raising her forehooves defensively, she tried her best to focus on her opponent.

Maybe I’m still a little faster than him. There’s gotta be something I can do. There’s always a way out, right?

Stronghooves raised his own forehooves, settling into a defensive stance. “Good girl!” He chuckled approvingly. “See? Look how civil everything becomes once you stop sneaking and running around like that!”

Sky growled under her breath, darting forward and aiming a blow right at his stallionhood. The unicorn sidestepped her, smacking her around the back of the head as she passed. “Come on, come on, fight me! None of this below-the-belt nonsense! Here, let me show you…”

Stronghooves kicked out with one of his powerful hind legs, catching Sky in the stomach and launching her into a wall. Sky slid down to the ground, trying feebly to get back up as Stronghooves approached her again. The stallion grasped her mane in his forehoof, slamming her head against the wall again and sending cracks up the plaster. Sky’s whole world spun wildly.

“Now you. Come on, it’s been years! Show your big brother what you’ve got!” He laughed, stepping back and peering at her expectantly.

Sky spat blood as she struggled to her hooves, the ringing growing ever louder. She struck out with her soft padded forehooves, trying to strike at his head a full three times. He blocked and sidestepped each blow, before flanking her and kicking her over onto her side. “Well, I suppose I’ve played with you enough. Now, onto your punishment. There aren’t many things that’ll make you cry, I admit…” He tapped a hoof to his chin. “However, there is one thing that I could do to get the message across…”

She looked around fearfully. He was eyeing her bad wing.

“Shit...no...please...no…” She whispered.

“You and I have never exactly seen eye to eye, not since you ran away and replaced me.” He said pensively, grabbing it in both hooves and extending it out to its full length. Sky cringed at the stabbing pain, far worse than anything he’d done to her thus far. It wasn’t supposed to spread that far anymore. It wasn’t supposed to do anything anymore.

“But if you’d just...stop...running…” He muttered, taking a firm grip and beginning to twist the damaged limb. “You could be part of my family again…”

Sky’s vision disappeared, replaced with a bright white light that wouldn’t go away even when she closed her eyes tight shut. She couldn’t hear what he was saying anymore, her body shutting down almost every non-essential function as it struggled to deal with the white hot agony that shot across her whole body, emanating from her damaged wing. Every feather, every bone, every muscle burned, and Sky couldn't cope. She knew she was screaming louder than she’d ever screamed before...but she couldn’t hear it. In this world Stronghooves had dropped her into, there was no sound, no sight, no softness. There was nothing but pain.

Finally, through the void of sound, Sky heard a crack, then a pop.

The searing pain dulled...present, but still mercifully dulled. She knew, vaguely, that it would get worse in a couple of seconds, but there was nothing she could do. All of the fight and energy had been drained out of her. With no way to escape or prevent the onset of pain, Sky did the only thing she could. She held onto that numbness with all of her might, hoping against hope that it would last forever.

It began at the broken joint between her wing and her shoulder, slowly at first, like the first sparks before a forest fire. It spread quickly, rocketing across her ribs and up her neck, soaring up her wing again, burning away the numbness like kindling. Her desperate pants turned to screams again, and her writhing on the ground only made it worse. The kicking of her legs just brought forth more stabbing sensations, rocketing across her body and flooring her until she could neither scream or run or do anything any more. As he head hit the marble, her vision dim, she wanted nothing more than for it to end.

Please...please...stop the pain...even if it kills me, that’s okay...it’ll be over…

Stronghooves lay down next to her, putting a forehoof around her back and kissing her atop her head.

“Oh, Sky. I’ve missed you so much…” He whispered. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to make everything alright, but now the two of us can. When you learn to behave yourself, when you learn to be a good little sister instead of such a bad naughty pegasus...we can be together again. You’ll be happy, trust me.”

His voice filtered through to Sky’s brain as if he were speaking underwater, a sort of dim mix of sounds that she recognised as words. It didn’t matter to her what they were. All that mattered was getting away from him before he did anything else.

Her forehoof twitched as she reached back down her body towards her hind leg, each movement sending a horrible stabbing pain coursing across her whole body. She gritted her teeth, groaning softly as she wrapped it around a drawstring in her boot.

“Sky...please...why are you trying?” Stronghooves asked, bowing his head. “Please, give up. Come back to me. I know how to help you, to free you from what you’ve done to your mind. Please...I love you, little sister. I deserve you and you deserve me…”

Sky rolled over onto her side, pulling the drawstring back and closing her eyes. Her boots lit up as she let fly with her flares, filling the hallway with balls of bright pink light that blinded and burned. Stronghooves covered his eyes, roaring with pain as his retinas burned and rearing back.

That still works on these assholes, at least… Sky thought to herself, cycling an explosive dart into her crossbow and raising her shaking hoof. With a little squeeze of the trigger she let the dart go, blowing a hole in the exterior of the building. The wind from outside felt like ice against her damaged wing. Sky reflexively tried to pull it back by her side, but it was stuck in place.

Sawblades...gotta get to Sawblades…

“DON’T YOU DARE RUN FROM ME, SKY!” Stronghooves shouted, holding his head in his hooves as his eyes began to repair themselves. “DON’T RUN! COME BACK! BE MY SISTER AGAIN! YOU’LL BE HAPPIER!”

Sky couldn’t hear him, struggling to force herself upright. She staggered over to the breach, spreading her other wing. Her whole world was a spinning void of pain, the city that lay beyond the breach a strange blurred mess. Gulping, Sky stepped forward, letting herself fall.

Stronghooves’s shouting rang out across the city as Sky galloped down a thin alleyway, her hooves slipping on surface water as she ran for her life. Where she was going didn’t matter. All that mattered was escaping from Stronghooves and getting herself safe. The echoing cry from the stallion faded over time, replaced with Sky’s laboured panting as she charged blindly through the urban maze. Her head struck brickwork as she slipped over one too many times.

With laboured grunts, Sky pulled herself into a space between two buildings, well out of sight of anypony who happened to be passing. Only then, in total solitude, did she let herself cry.

Author's Note

Yeah, about that happy ending...

Misery Loves Company

Sky fluttered down onto a cloud, observing her surroundings cautiously before unclasping her saddlebag and retrieving the note. It had been a long time since she’d seen Stronghooves, and longer still since she’d been on good terms with him. Receiving that letter from him had been one hell of a surprise, and Sky was naturally cautious. Flicking it open, she read it one more time, looking for any hint of deception.

Dear Sky,

I heard about what happened with Shadow two weeks ago, and I think I can help. Meet me at the park under the big oak tree on the hill tonight at ten. I promise that I can make everything better. I haven’t forgotten that you’re my sister, even if you have.

Lots of love,
Hoovesie

Sky frowned, slipping the note back into her saddlebag, peering down into the moonlit park below. A huge unicorn was silhouetted against the moon atop that hill, pawing the ground impatiently as he waited for her. Another time Sky would have turned down his offer in a heartbeat. Stronghooves meant well, but their enmity had eroded any love she’d held for him over the past nine years.

Well, it was really more than that. Enmity was putting it lightly. Sky had been his enemy ever since he’d met Shadow and decided that she didn’t belong in his preconceived idea of a great big happy family. In the back of her mind, Sky knew that she’d only been offered this little meeting because her little sister was out of the picture.

Still...he’s family...and I’m sick of being lonely. The house is so quiet without Shadow…

Checking her crossbow one more time, Sky took flight, gliding down to the hill and settling down in front of the stallion.

“I was beginning to think you wouldn’t come.” Stronghooves said quietly, laying down on the grass and nuzzling her cheek. “You being here means more to me than you could possibly appreciate, little sister.”

“Yeah...well…” Sky mumbled quietly, shuffling up to him and lowering her head. “You’re better than me staring at the wall all day, anyway.”

“I guess I’ll have to settle for that for the time being.” Stronghooves sighed. He cast a brief glance to his equipment piled up by the tree, crossing his forelegs and smiling softly at her. “Look, Sky...I’m sorry about Shadow. I know how much she meant to you.”

Sky cringed at the mention of Shadow’s name, closing her eyes tight shut. “You’ve got no idea…”

“Oh, but I do.” Stronghooves whispered, giving her a searching look. “I know how it feels to lose your little sister, even though you tried your best. I know the pain, the feeling of not being good enough, the...loneliness…”

Sky looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Stronghooves stared back, impassive.

“That was different.” She croaked.

“Was it really, though?” Stronghooves cocked his head. “I saw what you and Shadow were like together, the way you played, the way you worked together, the way you loved one another. I remember a time when you and I loved each other like that.”

“I wasn’t gone forever, though.” Sky shook her head. “You left me out there on my own. You left me to get fucked up...used...you were just like mum and dad.”

“I was a teenager, Sky. Mum and dad...told me things. Kept telling me how horrible you were, told me that you’d done things that I know you didn’t do.”

“And you believed them...they lied about me getting hit by a carriage, they lied about half of the shit I did to make me look like a bad kid...and you still believed them.” Sky glared at him accusingly.

“You’re missing the point. I was young, impressionable...and they held my future over my head. I didn’t know what else to do.” He sighed, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “I’m older now, wiser...I realise and appreciate what having a complete family means...and I know you do, too.”

Sky looked back down at her hooves. He had a point.

“I want my family put back together, Sky.” Stronghooves said softly, nuzzling her cheek again. “I miss you, and mum and dad miss you, too.”

“Please.” Sky scoffed. “I saw them partying when I got kicked out of the house. They don’t miss me at all. Giving me the boot was the best thing that’s ever happened to them.”

“You’re probably right.” Stronghooves rolled his eyes. “They’re bigots, Sky. They’re idiots and bigots who thought that being a pegasus was a shameful thing. I suppose they’re partially to blame for what happened to you...well...for what you turned into.”

“You’re talking to me like being a burglar is something shameful.” Sky shook her head. “I got into this job because I had no choice. I didn’t have anything and I was just a kid, so don’t go giving me shit over the burglar thing right now, okay?”

“Yeah...you’re right…” Stronghooves sighed, resting his head on his hooves.

The two ponies lay there in silence for a time, each enjoying each other’s company as they snuggled up to one another. Stronghooves put one of his forelegs around her shoulders as Sky wrapped her wing over his back.

“You’ve still got your filly down.” Stronghooves chuckled after a while.

“Heh...yeah…” Sky giggled back. “I still haven’t gotten rid of it.”

“Damn it Sky, it tickles!” Stronghooves rolled onto his side, laughing harder.

Sky found herself snickering too, clambering atop him and rubbing his exposed belly with her soft padded forehooves. Her horseshoes were inlaid with leather and cloth, creating the experience of being tickled by a great big fluffy pillow. Stronghooves stuffed a hoof in his mouth to suppress his little giggling fit, wriggling around underneath her in a vain effort to get away.

“I’ve...eep...missed...missed this…” He panted, finally coming to rest underneath her as Sky lay her hooves on his chest.

“Yeah...me too…” She replied, her smile softening. Two pairs of bright blue eyes met in the moonlight, and the two ponies cracked identical smiles.

“Sky?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you remember when we were little, you and I, and you told me you’d love me forever?” Stronghooves whispered.

Sky blushed, looking down at her hooves and nodding.

“I’m...I’m not going to ask you to forgive me for what happened between us over the years, but...did...did you ever stop loving me?” He asked nervously.

“N...no…” Sky shook her head. “Look, you stood up for me, and you’re one of the few ponies I’ve met who’s ever done that.”

“Sky, loving you is the easiest thing in this world.” Stronghooves smiled. “I’ve missed you every day since I left. You’ve seen so much pain, experienced so much hurt...and I’m the one responsible.”

“Yeah…” Sky snickered. “You’re kind of an asshole when you get all murdery.”

“Well...you know...I could fix that.” He chanced. “I could make everything right again. I could even...even give you a full family to be part of.”

The little white mare cocked her head. “Wait...a family? Like, a whole family?”

“Yes, little sis. I mean, it’s not going to replace Shadow, but maybe...maybe in time you’ll come to love us again…”

“Oh Luna, yours?” Sky rolled her eyes. “Look Hoovesie, I know you mean well, but mum and dad hate my fucking guts and you know it.”

“Yes...and it’s not right.” Stronghooves sighed. “But...I’ve found a way to make them love you. A way that we can all get back together again, to be a great big happy family and love each other for who we are…”

“You’re kidding…” Sky muttered in disbelief. “How?”

“Well...I learned a spell.” He said simply. “Remember when I learned to walk on clouds just so that I could take you to see the Wonderbolts? Well...I’ve learned a way to turn a pegasus into a unicorn!”

He lay there in silence, beaming hopefully. Sky looked back down at him with real pain in her eyes, her heart sinking.

Just as soon as it looks like we’re gonna be okay, he drops this on me…

“You...you don’t like my wings, either?” She said slowly, confused. This was so far removed from anything Stronghooves had ever said before. It sounded almost like the sort of thing her parents would say.

“It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that they look silly and...and they don’t really work that well...and mum and dad hate you for them.” Stronghooves shrugged, taking her forehooves in his own. “They’re beautiful wings...they just do nothing but get you in trouble, that’s all.”

“Hoovesie, these things are a part of who I am.” Sky said accusingly, her ears splaying back. “You can’t take them off of me! They’ve made me the kind of pony I am today!”

“Yes…” Stronghooves nodded mournfully. “A criminal whose little friend is dead because she couldn’t save her. A pony with no one in all the world who loves her, who’s turned to somepony she hates like the plague because he’s the only one who cares, the only one who truly understands the pain.”

“Hoovesie, listen to yourself. You’re doing that thing again where you sound like a megalomaniac.” Sky muttered, trying her hardest to ignore the comment about Shadow. Her eyes welled up with tears again as she spoke. “No, I’m not gonna change who I am just so that those assholes will love me. That’s not my responsibility.”

“Sky, I’m not saying they’re right. I’m saying that you need to stop this burglar thing. It’s gotten somepony killed...a kid.” Stronghooves said, fixing her with an accusatory stare. “You need to start over, make a new life for yourself and reinvent who you are. Shadow would have wanted you to be loved.”

Sky cocked her head, flabbergasted. “You’re not seriously taking their side over this? You’ve never had a problem with my wings before! Why the fuck…?”

“Sky, please. Language.” Stronghooves scolded quietly. “You’re my sister. I need you back in my life, and I need my parents. All I want is to put my family back together, for us all to be happy. I’m sick of all of us being divided by hate.”

“Then go out and get a new family!” Sky pulled away in disgust. “Meet somepony! Stop playing their game and letting them fuck with your head!”

“Sky…” Stronghooves gave her the sort of look a father might give a naughty child. “You’re swearing again. Look, if it’s a whole family’s wellbeing at stake, wouldn’t you agree that holding onto your wings is just a tad selfish? I mean, you can barely fly anyway. It’s kind of like giving up a toy you never use so that you can have a better one.”

As Sky pulled harder, trying to get off of him, she glanced down at her forehooves. Stronghooves had them in an iron grip, glaring at her more dangerously now.

“I’m not gonna do it.” Sky shook her head, staring at him blankly. “Now let me go. You’ve fucked up again, Hoovesie. We could’ve been brother and sister again but you fucked it up.”

“Sky…” Stronghooves growled, rolling on top of her and pinning her to the ground. “Stop...swearing...this...instant.”

Sky stared up at him in sheer fright as his horn flared up, glancing around for anything that she could use to get away from him. Panic set in, the stallion’s crushing weight on top of her making Sky’s heart race. She looked around with growing desperation, her eyes falling on a rock with a name carved into it. It sat at the foot of the great big oak tree before a patch of disturbed soil, a name she remembered carving into the rock two weeks ago when she buried her favourite little filly.

Stronghooves followed her gaze, sighing softly. “So that’s where you buried her.” He nodded, turning his eyes back to his little sister. “Sky...do you know why she’s dead?”

“Because ponies can be assholes…” Sky croaked pathetically, tucking her hooves up under her chin.

“No, Sky. It’s because they care.” Stronghooves shook his head. “Do you remember when we were little and sometimes one of us would bring home a new friend who was...sort of a bad influence?”

Sky couldn’t look away from the makeshift headstone, nodding silently as her tears dripped down into the soil.

“Well, mum and dad wouldn’t let us see these ponies anymore because they were bad influences. They encouraged us to do bad things, and when a pony does something like that...they need to leave.”

“Wha...what?” She growled quietly, looking up at him out of the corner of her eye.

“Shadow was a bad little sister, Sky.” Stronghooves sighed, looking back at her gravely. “She helped propagate this cycle where you cast your old family aside for something fake, something constructed, unreal.”

“She was my sister, asshole!” Sky cried, snapping her crossbow out and pointing it just under her big brother’s neck. “I don’t care if I fucking adopted her! She’s my sister, and she was a hell of a lot better than you, mum and dad combined!”

“Sky…” Stronghooves snarled, wrapping a heavy forehoof around her neck and choke-slamming her into the ground. “Stop...SWEARING!”

The two ponies fell silent for a time, Sky’s choked breathless sobs breaking the tranquility of the moonlit park. Stronghooves’s heavy breathing eventually softened, as did his expression.

“I killed her.” He admitted after a while. “In the university. I...teleported into the biology lecture theatre. She was beating Nightshade...I had to finish her off.”

Sky’s eyes widened as she stared up at him, shocked. This was far beyond the kind of shit he’d done in the past. Alien.

He’s killed burglars in the past...but he didn’t...no way, he couldn’t have done it…

“No…” Sky muttered, having difficulty getting the word out as she struggled to breathe.

“We wore her down...the two of us together...that’s why she was screaming for you.” Stronghooves said, his ears splaying back. “She...broke.”

Sky lay back on the grass, working hard to process what Stronghooves had just said. “You...killed her…” She muttered.

“Yes.” Stronghooves nodded. “I know what you did to Nightshade when you captured him after that fight...and it’s not going to bring her back, Sky. Let’s not point hooves at who did it or why. The important thing is that now you have an opportunity you didn’t have before. You have the opportunity to reinvent who you are as a pony, from the ground up.”

“But...you killed her…”

“You’re missing the point.” Stronghooves shook his head. “I killed her because she was encouraging you to be naughty, and none of the things I’ve done over the years had worked. She’d stuck by your side, clinging to you like some kind of leech. You’re better than that. Meant for better things.”

“She loved me!”

”I love you, Sky!” Stronghooves cried. “And I mean a hell of a lot more to you than she ever did! I’m your brother!”

Sky fixed him with a severe gaze, hate, anger and sadness burning away in her head and chest as she drew back both of her hind legs. She struck out with both of her back legs, catching him in the stallionhood and sending Stronghooves rolling onto the grass again, groaning and letting her go. Sky was moving as soon as his hooves were off of her, darting out of range and blinking in a feeble attempt to get the tears out of her eyes.

“You’re not my brother.” Sky shook her head. “I don’t know what the fuck you are...but you’re not my brother.”

Stronghooves forged through the pain, getting to his hooves again and retrieving his sword. It was a curved, devilishly sharp weapon, obviously of Zebrican make, and the blade seemed to glow a light green when it caught the moon just right.

“Don’t run from me, Sky. I’m not letting you go.” He growled. “You’re my sister, and I’m going to keep you one way or another.”

“Leave me alone, Stronghooves.” Sky backed away, raising her crossbow and training a sleep dart on him. “Just stay the hell out of my life, okay? I don’t wanna be your little sister anymore! You’re nothing like the colt I grew up with! You’re fucked in the head and I can’t fucking talk to you anymore!”

Stronghooves sighed, trotting towards her with his sword raised defensively. Sky let fly with her crossbow, the dart bouncing off of the Captain’s magical shield and flopping uselessly down onto the grass.

“Face it, Sky.” Stronghooves snarled. “You need me in your life. Now, just come quietly…”

Sky, however, turned tail and galloped for her life, flapping her underpowered wings and taking off. She leapt up onto a cloud, her wings straining to support her weight as she leapt further and higher up into the cloud layer.

With a flash of light, Stronghooves appeared on the cloud before her, holding his sword before him with magic.

“Come on, Sky. Don’t tell me that you’d forgotten I can walk on clouds!” He chuckled. “I learned it for you, don’t you remember? I did everything for you.”

As he stepped towards her, Sky backed up, her hind hooves slipping on the edge of the cloud and sending her tumbling off. She grabbed onto the edge with her forehooves, grunting as she looked around for another cloud to jump onto from here. Panic, fear and anger gripped at her as she searched in desperation, the full weight of what her big brother had done and planned to do bearing down on her like a ton of bricks wrapped around her heart.

“There’s no running from this, Sky. Come on, it’s time to go.” Stronghooves said quietly, standing before her and offering a forehoof.

Sky looked away, turning her gaze down towards the cityscape below. The clock tower lit up the streets immediately beneath her, the spire sticking up at her like a great big impaling spike.

I bet I could make that… Sky bit her lip, thinking. The roof doesn’t look too stable, but what the fuck am I supposed to do?

With one last look up at Stronghooves, she let go of the cloud, spreading her wings to control her descent. She tilted and tucked them in slightly, a lifetime as a pegasus giving her innate control over her body’s path through the air. When she finally touched down on the sloped roof atop the clocktower, it was as gently and softly as could be.

Sky peered over the edge of the tower, sizing up the jump down onto street level. It was far safer down there, and it’d be far easier to lose Stronghooves in the network of alleys that dotted the city.

However, as Sky wound herself up to make the jump, the unicorn teleported down onto the roof with her, grabbing her by the mane and pulling her back onto the tiled roof. The structure, ancient as the city itself, couldn’t take their combined weight, sending both ponies crashing into the inner workings of the clocktower in a storm of shattered tiles and splintered wood.

Sky hit the ground hard, unable to spread her wings in time to soften her landing. Her legs collapsed underneath her as she landed with a thud, the whole room spinning, her vision dim.

Stronghooves was the first to get up, standing over Sky and raising his sword again. This time he didn’t waste any time, bringing it down in an overarm swing. Sky rolled out of the way, causing Stronghooves’s blade to bite into nothing but the wooden floor.

“Stop running!” He pleaded, as Sky got up and observed her surroundings. All around her cogs clanked against one another, the inner workings of the tower a complete mystery to her. Somehow they were linked to that massive bell over her head, too. Sky didn’t know how the hell any of this stuff worked. All she knew was that it was possible to use it to her advantage.

“Make me!” She yelped as he swung the sword at her again, the blade whizzing just past her wing and pulling a few loose feathers free from air displacement alone. Sky took off, straining to beat her wings as she climbed for altitude.

Maybe I can trap him under that bell… She bit her lip, looking up at the admittedly tentative chains holding the giant piece of metal in place. It’d be tough...but maybe if I fire an explosive dart at it and hit it just right…

Sky raised her crossbow, cycling an amber explosive dart into the mechanism and drawing the string back. All she needed was one good shot…

Her aim was completely thrown off as Stronghooves wrapped her in tendrils of pure magic, holding her in place in the air as he glared up at her.

“SKY, STOP FIGHTING!” He roared. “YOU BELONG IN MY FAMILY, WITH ME! I’M ALL YOU’VE GOT LEFT! DON’T RUN FROM ME!”

Sky growled, trying her hardest to raise her hoof to take the shot. “I’m...gonna...run...for...forever…” She snarled. “You’re never...gonna see me again…”

Stronghooves glanced from her hoof to where her crossbow was pointing, his eyes widening as he seemed to realise just how close she was to escaping from him again. With a furious shout, he lifted Sky up and threw her bodily against the wall, right into the clockwork mechanism. The little white pegasus slammed into the brass wheels, sliding down to the ground with the wind knocked out of her body by the impact. Her ribs ached, and she was almost positive that a couple of bones were bruised. Her leather armour was only good for a certain level of blunt trauma, and could only absorb a little of the impact.

As she sank to the floor, the outermost feathers of her right wing caught between two of the cogwheels, the grinding mechanism pulling her wing out against her will as she fought to regain full consciousness. Sky shook her head, trying to get that ringing out of her ears, and by the time she caught sight of what was happening to her wing, it was too late.

Panic shot through her body again as she realised what was happening, wrapping her hooves around her wing and tugging on it to try and pull it free before any serious damage was done. It was no use. Her primaries were already caught between the cogs, which whirred onwards with no sign of stopping, trapping her limb between their teeth and dragging her further in. Sky cried out as the metal gears crushed her hollow pegasus bones, snapping them between the mechanical teeth as if they simply weren’t there. Blinding pain shot up across Sky’s body as her wing was caught between the cogs, grinding slowly to a halt as it finally consumed a full half of the damaged limb. Out of the corner of her eye, Sky could see the rest of her wing sticking out the other side, mangled and broken. The whole wing was numb from the mid-point up, the rest a storm of pain and panic as she saw the full severity of the injury.

“I told you to stop running…” Stronghooves said, as the mare slumped, dangling by her ruined wing from the halted mechanism. “I did try to warn you that you’d be hurt if you kept trying to fight me. Sky, you’ve lost. You’ve lost Shadow, you’ve lost your self-respect, your drive. You’re just running from me because you don’t want to admit that starting over again is the right thing to do.”

“Fuck...off…” She snarled weakly, as a rather unpleasant warmth began to spread across her wing. Raising her head just a little to look up at it, Sky saw her own blood running down the cogs in little streams as blood vessels burst and gave up completely.

“No, Sky. I’m here to save you, to get you out of this…” Stronghooves growled, raising the sword again. “And if that means removing your wings, so be it.”

Sky raised a hoof to stop him, but she could barely feel a thing beyond her shattered wing, her limbs twitching and shivering as her body attempted to somehow cope with what was happening to her.

Stronghooves brought the blade down in a horrible piercing arc, sending it right through her damaged wing and out the other side in a spray of blood and a white-hot epicentre of incredible, horrific agony. Sky screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing across the inside of the bell and the tower itself. The stallion pulled the sword out, driving it in again and again. Each time the cold steel pierced the pegasus’s wing, Sky let out increasingly quiet yelps, the pain rendering her near-silent as her body began to accept that it wasn’t going to survive. Pain and panic blinded her, the fear, sadness and surprise at Stronghooves’s betrayal and the murder of her sister swept over her mind, blanketing it and dulling her senses. She could barely feel her wing anymore, the blood loss and her overwhelmed nervous system dimming her ability to feel pain until each stab felt like an injection, each spray of her own blood driving her closer to the edge of consciousness.

I’ve gotta get out of here...got to find a way out...there’s always a way out… Sky raised her head, trying not to see the metallic blood-flecked sword as Stronghooves raised it again. This time he held it differently, clearly meaning to strike through the weakened wing and sever it with one more swing. She had to think fast.

Raising her crossbow up above her head, she launched the explosive dart. It shot out from the hoof-mounted weapon, the three-pronged tip digging into the woodwork of the tower rafters before detonating with enough explosive force to shatter stone. The supports around the bell disintegrated, sending the monstrous piece of metal crashing down towards the floor and pulling the clockwork machinery apart with it. Sky let out another scream as the upper cogwheel was torn from atop her wing, leaving the bloody, horrible mess completely free. The bell landed on the floor behind Stronghooves, the ancient wood splintering and cracking under the impact. Stronghooves whirled around, shrieking as his tail was caught under the heavy metal. With an ear-splitting cry of anguish, he fell through the floor with the bell, his sword clattering down long after the chaotic tolling and his screams had ceased.

Sky was left alone on what remained of the upper floor of the clocktower, with nothing left but broken beams and twisted metal. Her hooves collapsed underneath her, the little pegasus collapsing under the weight of her own body and sobbing quietly. She was safe, but completely destroyed.

As she lay there crying quietly, her mind began to struggle, filled with dread, horror, pain both mental and physical in nature. It pored over the things that had happened to her over the past two weeks, how far she’d fallen. The loss of Shadow during the Elements Job, the horror of having to bury her tiny body, the crippling loneliness that followed, and now the last pony who could have possibly cared for her had robbed Sky of her ability to fly. The things that had occurred over the past fortnight bore down on her, crushing her psyche and threatening to turn her into a depressive mess.

I can’t be alone...I don’t wanna be alone anymore...I can’t go back to that… Sky thought to herself, her very thoughts panicked, grasping at straws as her mind began to fall apart.

With a thud, Sky let her head hit the wooden floor, the fear and misery overcoming her senses, her very reality. In that moment, her brain realised that it was incapable of dealing with the crushing loneliness again, the implications of living alone with nopony to love, and under that stress it broke completely.

A little snout bumped against Sky’s cheek. The mare’s eye cracked open, choking back her sobs to try and see the perpetrator. Her heart leapt as she caught sight of a little blue pony muzzle, a pair of bright green eyes, and the soft smile of her little sister.

“Sis?” Shadow asked, fluttering her huge wings nervously.

“Sha...Shadow?” Sky mumbled, looking up at her little sister in the dim light.

“It’s okay, Sky.” Shadow whispered, nuzzling her big sister and wrapping one huge wing around her. “I’m here for you. Everything’s gonna be alright…”

“But...you’re...dead…” Sky whispered weakly, though that seemed like such a minor thing right now. What mattered is that Shadow was there for her, just as she’d always been.

Besides… She thought to herself, as the clock tower began to fill with a great white light. Maybe I could just pretend she’s alive just for a little while...nothing’ll come of that, right?

* * *

“Sis?”

“H...huh?” Sky blinked, coming back to the land of the living. She lay in an alley between two buildings, deep in a maze of labyrinths and alleyways. Her wing ached like mad, but as she glanced around and stared at the dislocated limb, she remembered what had happened a few hours prior.

Shit...how long was I out for? She thought, rubbing her head as she looked up into Shadow’s eyes. The filly stared back with concern, before adopting her grumpy adolescent pout again as soon as she ascertained that Sky was alive.

“Ugh, finally!” Shadow rolled her eyes. “I’ve been looking all over for you! Did you get the crystals?”

“No.” Sky muttered, shaking her head. “Looks like Stronghooves is part of this. Hell, it looks like he’s taken over from Rolling Thunder completely.”

“Shit, why’d it have to be him?” Shadow sat back, facehoofing. “So what’re we gonna do?”

“First...we’re gonna have to get to Sawblades to get this fucking thing looked at.” Sky sighed, looking around at her dislocated wing. “Then I guess we’re gonna need to make a new plan. We’ve gotta find some other way to take down the Operatives.”

“And clear your name, right?”

“No way that’s happening now.” Sky huffed, struggling to stand up. “If Stronghooves is in charge of those assholes, it doesn’t matter whether I’m guilty or not. He’s gonna be sending them after me because I’m me.”

“I was afraid of that.” Shadow sighed. “Okay, let’s get you down to Sawblades, then we oughtta find Rat. Fox and I lost him after we bombed the facility. I dunno where he’s gone.”

Sky looked down at the ground, catching her tear-stained reflection in a puddle. The innocuous questions that he’d asked earlier flooded back into her head, as did his comment about needing to talk to her after the job was over.

“I know exactly where he’s gone.” Sky muttered darkly.

With that, the two of them left the alley, walking slowly off towards Sawblades’s clinic. Shadow wrapped her huge wing around Sky, holding her close and nuzzling her cheek silently.

Damn, I love that pony… Sky thought to herself, glancing across at her little sister and nuzzling her back. I don’t know how the hell I’d ever cope without her…

Author's Note

I've heard it described as "like losing a limb."

Recuperation

“What is it, Shield?” Stronghooves whispered, staring out of the breach in the wall pensively.

“Looks like she’s breached the perimeter, mate.” Shield mumbled, taking a swig from his hip flask. “She’s long gone.”

“I nearly had her, Shield…” Stronghooves sighed. “I was so close...”

“We all knew she was gonna run when she first saw you again.” Shield shrugged. “It was gonna happen, Hoovesie. There was no getting away from it.”

“Yes...I know…” Stronghooves frowned, hanging his head and putting his ears back. “This isn’t over, anyway. Are the crystals secure?”

“Yes sir.” Shield nodded, smiling weakly. “We’ll keep them under lock and key until we can find somewhere safer to keep them.”

“I’ve got some ideas about that, actually.” Stronghooves grinned, tapping his hoof to his chin. “Thunder has a facility up in the mountains on the border with the Griffon Kingdoms. It’s where I went through my first trials with these enhancements. Top secret.”

“I suppose they’ll hardly be using them.” Shield admitted, shrugging. “I’ll pack my toothbrush.”

“Not yet, my friend.” Stronghooves smiled thoughtfully. “Sky’s still in the city, and moving those crystals would be dangerous as long as she’s planning to get them back.”

“You don’t really reckon that she’s got a chance of getting them off of us?” Shield asked incredulously.

“You’d be surprised. My sister’s resourceful, smart and capable. That, and she has help.” Stronghooves rubbed his chin with a hoof. “We’ve got to find a way to get her out of the city, set things up the way we want them to be…”

“A trap.” Shield finished for him.

“Exactly. Sky controls the engagement if she’s in this city, she controls the terms of the engagement. She’s got her contacts, the layout of the city and her safehouses to work with.” He nodded. “We’ve got to deprive her of those things if we’re going to get her to safety.”

“I suppose with Thunder and Silver removed, Sky’s just become your primary target.”

“Exactly. I need that little mare safe. Not only for her own sake, but for Equestria’s.” Stronghooves nodded. “You know that she won’t come quietly, and she wants those crystals because they’re the only way she can clear her name.”

“So, we’re gonna deny her that?” Shield asked.

“As silly as it sounds, I’m going to need to give her an incentive to come after me. No matter where I hide, she’ll come looking for me, if only in the name of getting them back.”

“And then you get to sit down with her and talk at last.” Shield nodded. “Are you sure tricking her into doing it is the right way to fix it?”

“How would you do it?” Stronghooves asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Well, I’d suggest leaving her alone if she were in any other position. I mean, if she didn’t want to be your sister before, I don’t reckon she’s gonna be any more excited about it when you trap her.” Shield frowned. “Still, she’s a dangerous criminal whether she’s wanted for terrorism or not.”

“Yes, and mentally ill to boot.” Stronghooves agreed, stepping away from the hole in the wall. “I hate to admit it, but she needs help, and she doesn’t know what she needs anymore. We need to save her, even if it’s against her own will.”

“So I guess we need a way to verify where she is. Confirm that she’s left the city or force her to do it.” Shield said, following his friend.

“Yes, we do.” Stronghooves smiled. “Of course, if it were that easy, we’d have already caught her.”

“Yeah…” Shield sat down on his haunches, groaning. “We’d need a tracking crystal, or a spell, or…”

“A phylactery?” Came a voice behind them.

The two stallions turned, grinning as one as Daybreak trotted towards them.

“One of the Operatives had a little jar on him when I went to check out their quarters a few minutes ago.” She explained, holding it up. “You’ll never guess whose blood’s in it!”

“Don’t tell me we’re in that much luck.” Stronghooves said breathlessly, meeting her in the middle of the hallway and taking a closer look. “It’s...Sky’s actual blood? A real sample?”

“That’s what the label says.” Daybreak nodded, holding it up. “Oooh, and you’ll never guess what I found when I went snooping through Silver’s office…”

She opened up her saddlebag, producing a very irate baby dragon. “He’s called Daybreak Junior! Can I keep him?” She grinned, looking up at Stronghooves hopefully.

“Please kill me…” The dragon croaked.

“You found this in Silver’s office?” Stronghooves frowned, meeting Daybreak’s gaze. “What in Equestria was he doing to this poor reptile?”

“I dunno!” Daybreak shrugged, passing the vial over to Stronghooves and clutching the little dragon close to her fluffy chest. “He was just stuck in that horrible office and it looked like somepony had blasted the place apart and he was so angry so I thought I’d cheer him up! We made s’mores!”

Stronghooves chuckled, sitting back. “Oh, alright then.” He rolled his eyes, feigning reluctance. “You can keep him, but you’ve got to take good care of him, okay?”

“Sure! I’ll take great care of him! Much better than however Silver treated him!” Daybreak beamed happily, squeezing the little dragon and holding him up to look her in the eye.

The irate lizard took a breath, letting loose on Daybreak’s face with the biggest blast of dragon fire he could manage. Daybreak kept on beaming as her scorched features healed along with the damage, such that by the time Silver ran out of breath her face seemed completely untouched...though her mane was blown back a little.

“Bless you.” She smiled, nuzzling the dragon and tucking him back into her saddlebag. “Now you just stay right here while I work out what happened to the wall with Hoovesie here.”

“Do you really have to call me that?” Stronghooves sighed, leaning back against a door and running his hoof through his mane.

“It’s a cute nickname, and it’s sticking. Deal with it.” Daybreak snickered. “So...what did happen to the wall?”

“Did I ever mention that Sky uses explosives sometimes?” Stronghooves chuckled mirthlessly.

“Oh, you met her, huh?” Daybreak frowned, looking around at the fallen debris. “I guess she...er...wasn’t happy to see you.”

“Not as such, no.” Stronghooves sighed. “She once again refused all of the help I offered, called me names and resisted me. There was no talking sense into her.”

“Hmmm…” Daybreak and Shield exchanged a glance. “So what are we gonna do?”

“Force her out of the city and then move the crystals up to a facility on Equestria’s northern border.” Stronghooves frowned. “We can track her movements and act from there. Obviously the first phase of that plan is to compromise one of her hideouts.”

“That’s what the phylactery is for.” Shield nodded.

“Precisely.” Stronghooves smirked. “If we can use this as a ritual sample, we can track her movements by magic and prepare for everything she can throw at us.”

“Not bad.” Daybreak giggled. “So we’ve got a way of tracking her and a base of operations.”

“Indeed. I’d say we’re pretty nicely set up, all told.” Stronghooves grinned, slipping the vial into his saddlebag. “Now, let’s get this sample to one of the labs and start tracking. She’s not going to keep evading us for long.”

“We’ll catch up with you in a few hours!” Daybreak beamed, trotting towards the staircase with a great big smile on her face. “If Daybreak Junior’s gonna be my pet, I’ve gotta show him where he’s gonna be staying. Oh, and I’ve gotta get him fixed!” She added off-handedly.

As the mare broke into a gallop, the little dragon poked his head out of her saddlebag, wide-eyed with terror.

“Wait, what?” He gasped.

* * *

Shadow sat outside the door to Sawblades’s clinic, bouncing on her hooves and checking her forehoof every so often as if a watch would magically materialise there. She didn’t know how long she’d waited here to hear if Sky’s wing would be alright, but it felt like she’d been here for hours. The bloody irritating colt wasn’t helping the time go by any faster, either.

“So how’d her wing get that way, anyway?” Fox asked innocently, settling down and crossing his forelegs.

“A mixture of industrial accident, the asshole who’s hunting us now and a great big bucket of none-of-your-fucking-business.” Shadow said wearily, rolling onto her back and staring at the tunnel ceiling.

“I thought we were past the part where you’re super-mean to me.” Fox pouted, shuffling closer and giving her a long look. “You’re just down to insults now, right?”

“Oh yeah?” Shadow asked, fixing him with a venomous stare. “You wanna bet? Come over here and hug me, see what happens.”

“I know you’re a sweetheart deep down, Shadow.” Fox rolled his eyes, resting his head on his forehooves. “All you ever do by hiding it is make yourself look silly. You’re really the biggest sweetie pie ever!”

“Bite me.”

“I can prove it, you know.”

“No you fucking can’t.” Shadow shook her head. All the same, she peeked at him out of the corner of her eye, not entirely sure whether or not he was bluffing.

Fox stared at her, pulling a bunch of keys out of his saddlebag.

“Er...what’re you gonna do with those?” Shadow asked worriedly, wary of the keyring and the triumphant expression on the unicorn’s face.

“Oh, nothing much.” Fox chuckled, bouncing the keys up and down on his hoof and making the most delightful little jingling sound. Shadow deadpanned at him, rolling onto her front with the world’s most bemused expression on her face.

“That’s not gonna work, jackass.” She huffed. “Just put the keys away and stop embarrassing yourself. Come on, this shit’s for fillies!”

“I dare you to keep frowning. Go on. I dare you.” Fox grinned, jingling away. “You’re trying not to smile right now! Look at you!”

Sure enough, the edges of Shadow’s mouth kept twitching up, her eyes locked on the bunch of keys as they bounced around in front of her. She caught herself raising a hoof to reach out and touch them, snarling and giving him the grumpiest little pout she could possibly manage.

“Give...give me the keys…” Shadow ventured nervously after a while.

“Admit that being cute is okay and I’ll consider it.” Fox snickered, jingling them harder and faster.

Shadow gave a little squeak, clapping a hoof over her mouth as she finally broke the dam. A huge smile spread across her muzzle, her bright green eyes fixated on the keys like a hypnotist’s watch.

“Seriously...eee...Fox, give me the keeeeeeys…” Shadow whimpered, snorting as she tried to hold in her laughter.

“Admit it! Come on!” Fox laughed along with her, holding the keys out over her head by magic. Shadow followed them until she’d rolled onto her back again, reaching out with her free hoof.

“I...I’m...you’re a big jerk!” Shadow yelped, bursting out into a squeaky giggling fit and batting at the little keys with her fluffy forehoof. “I’m...gon...gonna get...oh Luna, Fox, look at them!”

“So you’re cute and that’s okay?” Fox asked, blatantly leading her.

“Yeah, whatever! Give them here!” Shadow gasped, breathless from laughter. With a breathless hop, the little filly grabbed the keys out of the air, hugging them tightly. Of course, the second she had them clutched to her chest like that, the spell was well and truly broken. Shadow looked down at the keys, then up at Fox. The colt stared back blankly.

“Nopony must ever know of this.” She said darkly.

“Tell Sky right away. Got it.” Fox giggled back, getting to his hooves.

“Breathe a word of this to Sky and these keys go up your urethra!” Shadow growled.

“You know something, Shadow? I think the look on your face might just be worth it.” He smirked. “Unless…”

“Wha...what?” Shadow asked warily.

“You wanna go on a playdate with me?” Fox smiled hopefully.

“Eat shit.”

“Okay!” Fox chuckled, banging on the door. “SKY! GUESS WHAT I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT YOUR LITTLE SISTER!”

“NO! STOP IT!” Shadow wailed, tackling Fox away from the big metal door. “Calm your farm, asshole. I’ll...I’ll do it…” She muttered, ears splaying back. “As long as you don’t breathe a word to the big lug, okay?”

“Okay, deal.” Fox smiled, laying underneath her and beaming up at her like she’s the first sunlight he’s seen in years. “Just because I like you.”

Shadow was about to say something else, but before she could get the words out, Sky herself emerged from Sawblades’s clinic. Her wing lay strapped to her side, twisted the right way around again and expertly rebandaged by the professional street doc. She took in the sight of Shadow laying atop Fox, staring down at him with all of the authority and barely-contained passion of a dominatrix...and Sky would know about that, better than anypony else.

“Should I leave you two alone for a couple of minutes?” She grinned evilly, fixing a dark, victorious stare on her little sister. Shadow recoiled, whimpering.

“We were...er…” She muttered. “Rehearsing a play?”

Sky looked at her blankly. That was the worst excuse for an excuse she’d ever heard.

“Yahuh.” She finally smiled, satisfied. “Well, I hate to cut this little date of yours short, but we’ve got work to do...starting with finding Rat.”

“Where’d that asshole go, anyway?” Shadow asked, cocking her head and punching Fox in the gut for good measure.

“Sawblades said he showed up here a little while ago, asked all about me.” Sky mumbled, scratching her chin. “Come on, you two. Get up, stop cuddling and let’s go find Rat. There’s only one place he could be hanging out right now.”

And only one book he could be reading… She added worriedly to herself as the three of them retreated towards the hideout.

Plan B

As night fell on Canterlot, a little red pony burst through the tower doors, trotting up the stairs and hurrying through the living quarters. He pulled off his cloak, casting it heedlessly over a couch as he made his way further up into the building. He wound his way into the hideout, barging through Sky’s door and whipping her diary out from under the mattress again.

There’s gotta be more to this...there’s no way she’s this fucked in the head…

He shed his own armour, rolling onto his back on Sky’s little mattress and looking up at the book. Rat’s horn blazed to life as he lent some illumination to the darkening room as he read. Rat let out a soft sigh, relaxing for the first time that day as he finally got the information he’d been looking for.

I don’t wanna admit it to her, but that mare scares the crap out of me… He thought to himself as he leafed through what was quite literally her life story. Now that we’ve got those assholes out of the way, perhaps I can help her get over this Shadow thing. Stronghooves was right. I’m closer to her than anypony else now.

Rat frowned as he recalled the stallion’s words, the trust Stronghooves had placed in him finally making sense. He hadn’t understood what on earth the Captain had been getting at during their little interview a few days ago, but now, as he looked through Sky’s history and learned the truth about her personality and her sister, everything was laid bare.

Either she’s as strong as a fucking work stallion or she’s doing her best to hide all of this shit. Rat frowned, reading past the Elements Job itself. The pages were stained with tears and a little dried blood, probably Shadow’s and her own. It was possible that she’d written this very shortly after burying her.

“Come on, come on…” He muttered, flicking through the pages and frowning. Sky could be back any minute. Surely stealing the crystals wouldn’t take too much longer.

Finally, he reached the point where he’d stopped last time, reading on from the point immediately after Shadow’s death.

Dear Diary,

The house is really quiet today. This is the first time I’ve been able to lie in in years, but I couldn’t. Everything still hurts. Sawblades reckons that the cuts from the window are going to heal in a few days, and that’s fine, but that’s not what hurts. The house is QUIET, and it doesn’t feel right. It feels spooky and empty. I don’t like this. It’s lonely here without Shadow. She’s always woken me up in the morning, when I haven’t woken her up. I keep walking by her room, hoping that I’ll hear her in there. That’s so fucking stupid. I’m losing it in here. I’ve got to go out somewhere. Maybe the park will cheer me up…

Rat cringed a little as he read on. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was reading the story of a pony losing her mind. Of course, all of this had been and gone, a series of events that took place half a decade ago, but Rat felt an overwhelming surge of helplessness. He wanted to change it, to somehow send himself back in time to that period of loneliness and keep her company. Guilt crept in, wrapping around his heart and his head as he read on, watching the real-time descent of a pony into suffering, sadness...then insanity.

Dear Diary,

Why her? Why the HELL was it her? She wasn’t hurting anypony. She’s been a sweetheart all her life. That little pony didn’t want anything except loving, and I gave her that every single day. What the fuck did either of us do to deserve this? I was so close to getting her free. She could have lived a normal life. Hell, we BOTH could have. She didn’t deserve this. She never deserved this.

The stallion bit his lip, flicking through the pages of her diary. Sky hated herself for what had happened. That much was apparent. He was more interested in finding out just when and how her mind broke, whether there was a correlation between the loss of her wing and the beginning of her hallucinations.

He raised his eyebrows as he reached her account of the night she lost her wing. The letter from Stronghooves, the meeting, the way it had been crushed between the cogwheels, the pain and crippling loneliness...and then the reappearance of Shadow.

“Oh, Sky…” He muttered sadly.

Dear Diary,

Sawblades says he can’t fix my wing. There’s some weird magic shit working on it that means it necrotises when he tries to heal it with potions or magic. He’s never seen it before. I’m going on holiday for a few weeks to see if it heals naturally. Shadow’s going to stay at home for a few weeks while she recovers, too. I guess after what happened, we both need a big rest so we can get better. There’s a brothel not too far from here. I might apply there. I mean hell, if I’m going to go on holiday and have a nice time, I might as well enjoy it, right?

This wing hurts pretty badly, and I still feel scared or sad a lot of the time, but it’s okay. Shadow’s here and she’s okay. We’ve been talking all day and making each other feel better! She can only eat soup so far, but she loves it to bits. I’m just so happy to have her back. I don’t even care where she’s been all this time. I love my little sister.

Rat growled softly, closing his eyes in quiet contemplation of what he had just read.

She’s so messed up, that poor pony...why the hell did Stronghooves do that to her? He was so close to having her back and he completely fucked it up…

He bit his lip, opening his eyes and clutching the book to his chest as he searched the ceiling for answers.

The unicorn was jolted back to reality by the slam of a door downstairs. In that moment, he realised that he was in a great deal of trouble.

Fuck...I can’t get caught in Sky’s room going through her diary! She’ll be so pissed at me! I’ve gotta think of some other reason to be here, like...I...dunno…

His eyes drifted over to Sky’s chest of drawers. Rat bit his lip again, realising that out of all of the possible things he could get in trouble for, this might well be worse than being caught with her diary.

* * *

Sky burst through the door of her tower, charging up the stairs with Shadow and Fox in tow. She snarled as she kicked open the door to her room, trotting inside with every intention of taking Rat to school for looking through her private belongings. What she found, however, was a full-grown stallion wearing her underwear and looking downright ashamed of himself.

“I can...can explain…” Rat muttered awkwardly.

“You’d better,” Sky smirked, “because you look like a Skipsy drawing.”

“Yeah...well...you see…” Rat groaned quietly. “I...got…really into the...whole...blue...dart...thing?”

Sky smiled a little wider, trying her best to look stern even as the urge to giggle overpowered her. “You...you tried on my knickers because you wanted to know how it’d feel?”

At this moment, Shadow trotted into the room, took one look at Rat and trotted out again. There weren’t many things she was willing to tolerate in her own home, and this was the most intolerable of them all.

“Well...yeah, I guess…” Rat muttered, sitting down and fluttering his eyelashes at the little white mare. “Er...sorry, I should’ve asked…”

Sky kicked the door closed behind her, trotting up to him and running a hoof through his mane gently. “It’s okay, sweetie. I get that you’d be pretty curious after that little adventure of yours in Manehattan. I learned a lot the first time I turned myself into a stallion, too.”

“Re...really?” Rat asked, cocking his head. “What did you learn?”

“Well...I learned that stallions are fucking retarded and terrible liars.” Sky winked, grinning at him acidly. “Come on, Rat. Spill the beans. I know there was more to you coming in here than just broadening your horizons.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…” Rat began, but Sky held up a hoof to silence him. She leaned in, nuzzling his neck and chest with the air of a pony who had every intention of taking him to bed.

He does kind of look good in panties… She thought to herself, before pulling herself back into the moment.

“Cut the crap, sweetie. I know you were at Sawblades’s place earlier…” She whispered. “I know you asked about Shadow and about my wing. You were looking in my diary again, weren’t you?” She stared into his eyes, her half-lidded gaze carrying just the tiniest hint of anger and an even tinier hint of fear. Rat looked away.

“Knew it.” Sky sighed, flopping back onto her bed with a huff.

“Hey, it’s not like that! I’m not out to blackmail you or anything!” Rat protested, pulling Sky’s knickers off and settling down next to her on the mattress. “I was just...you kept a whole bunch of stuff from me and...hey, you’ve gotta admit, your wing’s kinda distinctive…”

“What, this fucking thing?” Sky growled, gesturing at her aching damaged wing and glaring at him. “Yeah, it’s a little fucked up, but it’s okay, sweetie. Just needs a little love and care and it’ll be okay until I can afford to get it fixed.”

“Yeah...well...so do you.” Rat mumbled, nuzzling Sky’s cheek. “Every last bit of you.”

“Rat...don’t...don’t get into this right now, okay?” Sky sighed. “I’m okay, sweetie. Yeah, some shit’s happened in the past, but what’s important is that Shadow and I are okay now. We don’t need mothering or care or whatever the fuck you had in mind.”

“Look, toots.” Rat groaned, rolling his eyes. “You’re a nice pony and you don’t deserve the shit that’s happened to you two. You may not need a pony to take care of you, but how about a friend? Do you want a friend?”

Sky stared into Rat’s eyes for a very long time indeed, trying to work him out. As he stared back, she saw only honesty and concern, both very unusual traits for a pony in his profession. In his face, Sky saw a great deal of hurt, worry and...impatience, almost.

What the hell’s up with him? Maybe it’s time I did some snooping back…

“Ye...yeah…” She said finally, slumping. “We’re already friends, Rat. Don’t worry about it.”

“Right.” Rat whispered, giving her a hug. “We’ll get you safe and free, sweetheart, don’t you worry about it.”

“Deal.” Sky chuckled.

“So…” The stallion muttered after a while. “Where are the crystals?”

“They were...better defended than I thought.” Sky frowned, pulling away from him and laying back on the bed. “We’re gonna have to come up with another way of dealing with the Operatives.”

“I was afraid of that.” Rat shrugged. “It was a bit of a longshot anyway, and hey, there’s more than one way to shave a pony.”

“Yeah. Still, we’re kinda back to square one on this.”

The two of them fell silent, Rat’s eyes drifting to Sky’s recently rebandaged wing, then up to her equipment.

“Saaaaay…” he said slowly. “You know those darts you use?”

“Yeah? What about them?” Sky cocked her head, curious.

“I’m guessing they’re not that effective against those assholes?”

“Nah.” Sky shook her head. “It took my whole bandolier knock one of them out, and that only did it for a few minutes. What we need is a formula that can do its job faster than they can heal through it.”

“Fuck…” Rat grunted, slumping again. “I guess that makes things tricky. It’s like going up against a lock where the tumblers keep on moving.”

Sky’s ears perked at that, and she looked up at Rat with a frown. “Well...you know...we could use a lockpick that changes with the locks…”

“You’ve got an idea?” Rat stared back searchingly.

“Yeah...I got told a while back about something called Poison Joke. Shadow and I used to use it in our darts a few years back. It really fucks a pony’s body up.”

“So you reckon it’ll be able to mess with the Operatives and make them easier to sleep-dart?” Rat asked.

“It’s another longshot, but it’s worth a try, right?” Sky shrugged. “We can head down to an apothecaries’ and try adding it to my sleep formula, see what happens.”

“Well, that’s the best plan we’ve got right now, so why the fuck not? Hell, it might even be able to remove those crazy-ass enhancements altogether.” Rat shrugged.

Sky rolled over, getting to her hooves and stretching. “Yeah, I’m willing to give it a go. Hey, Rat, if you wanna fuck off back to Manehattan, you can. I don’t want you getting hurt, okay?”

“Awww, I didn’t know you cared!” Rat chuckled, sticking his tongue out. “Don’t worry, toots. I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”

“Big enough to put on a mare’s underwear to cover his ass.” Sky grinned, nudging him. “You look good. Light blue suits you. It goes pretty nicely with your tail.”

“Fuck’s sake...and there was me thinking you were gonna give me action instead of an interrogation.” Rat chuckled, blushing. “To be fair though, I did warn you that I was gonna look into this. It’s technically your fault.”

“Yeah, yeah...that’s what I get for trying to keep secrets from a burglar, I guess.” Sky rolled her eyes. “Still, I really don’t need anypony’s help, sweetie. I’m gonna ask you as a friend to not worry about me, okay?”

Rat stared at Sky for a very long while, finally nodding his head. “Yeah, sure. I can do that.” he said quietly. “Besides, everything’s gonna be okay again once we’ve cleared your name and gotten those Operatives out of the way, right?”

“Right.” Sky smiled, relieved. “Now, how’s about we go and get Shadow and Fox and head on down to the apothecaries?”

Rat cringed slightly as Sky mentioned the foals, and the little mare caught his expression, frowning.

Oh Luna, no...don’t tell me he’s started acting like everypony else…

“Rat?” She pressed, giving him a nudge with her soft forehoof.

“Yeah…” Rat shook his head, smiling back at her. “Sorry. Yeah, let’s go.”

* * *

Stronghooves pushed the lab doors open, trotting inside and smiling at his friend. Shield looked up from a mechanical contraption with the vial at its core, floating in midair. The Inspector gave his commanding officer a triumphant grin.

“Is it working?” Stronghooves asked curiously, sitting down and watching the other stallion work.

“Sure is.” Shield grinned. “I dunno how the hell that Operative got it off of her, but it’s authentic and giving me a pretty good lock on her.”

“So you’ve found her hideout?” Stronghooves cocked his head.

“Well...yeah, I think I have, actually.” Shield nodded. “One of the towers on the edge of the marketplace. You know, one of those ones that’s old as the fucking hills. We’ve been trying to get permission to demolish those buildings for ages.”

“Perhaps this’ll get us the Princesses’ blessing.” Stronghooves frowned, tapping his hoof to his chin. “I’ll talk to them and explain the situation. You assemble the guards and any Operatives who want to work with us.”

“We’re going to move in in force?” Shield frowned.

“No. The trick here is to make a statement and make her panic. She’s a smart pony and she’s got a lot of tricks, but now we’re one step ahead of her. Prep everypony for a demolition job.”

“Demolition? Whoa, Hoovesie, you’re not suggesting we’re gonna blow up the whole building?”

“No, Shield. I’m ordering it.” Stronghooves smiled. “Like I said, we’ve got to make her panic. In the chaos she’s either going to run from the city to avoid pursuit or she’s going to run right into our hooves. Either result benefits us.”

“I don’t see how getting your sister to escape the city’s meant to be a good thing…”

“Because it allows us to move without her tracking us through her contacts. Nopony will be able to warn her about the facility up north until we’re ready to leak the information ourselves.”

“That makes sense.” Shield nodded. “I guess I’ll get the troops ready. Anything else?”

“Just tell them to pack as many explosives and incendiaries as possible, but remember, I want Sky and Rat alive.”

“So wait, you’re going to attack them with explosives and fucking fire and you want them alive?” Shield asked incredulously.

“I guarantee that they’ll survive it. Just be ready to move in and capture them as soon as I have the Princesses’ permission.” Stronghooves smiled, getting to his hooves and trotting to the door.

“Hey, you’re the boss.” Shield shrugged. “So when should I get everypony in position?”

“Immediately.” Stronghooves replied. “We need to make sure we can catch her while she’s still at home with her guard down, make this as decisive as possible.”

“Right.” Shield nodded. “I’ll get everypony ready. You talk to the Princesses and try to explain why you want to wipe a building off the fucking map.”

As the Inspector trotted out of the room, Stronghooves caught himself smiling a little too widely. The decision to attack Sky’s hideout and force her out of town was not one he wanted to make lightly, but as long as he had her phylactery it wasn’t too hard to track that little sister of his. This attack was going to be just what she needed to play right into his hooves.

Besides… Thought he, trotting out after Shield. I have a little parting gift for her new boyfriend…

All According To Plan

Sky’s eyes flickered open, the sound of rushing water from nearby rousing her back into consciousness. She let out a tiny squeaky groan as she made a quick assessment, wiggling her hooves and wings to see if she could still get a response out of them. Her whole body ached like mad, her muscles still hurting from the effort she’d put into running. Her eyes widened a little more as the city above caught her eye, and it became apparent just how far she’d fallen.

“I’d better be dead…” She muttered, staring up at the stars.

“Nope,” Came a familiar voice from nearby, “but you are fucking insane. What the hell made you think that that was a good idea? That’s the most insane shit you’ve pulled yet!”

Sky’s eyes followed the voice, swivelling round and falling on a dishivelled and angry red unicorn. He sat by her side, looking down at her with a mix of fury and concern.

“How the fuck are we alive, Rat?” Sky muttered, shaking her head and testing her limbs again.

“You got slowed down by those things you call wings. I cast the weight spell and came down like a feather.” Rat winked. “We’re lucky as hell, though. Remind me to never let you do anything ever again.”

Chuckling weakly, Sky sat up and observed her surroundings. The two of them were sat on a little boat drifting down a river away from the city. Every so often it bumped off of errant stones, carrying them out into Equestria itself.

“Where the fuck did you get this?” She asked, cocking her head.

“Erm...an old couple gave it to me…” Rat smiled sheepishly. Both of them perked their ears at a distant shouting that sounded vaguely like an irate old couple who’d just found their boat stolen. Sky fixed Rat with an accusatory glare that made him cower a little, shuffling to the other end of the boat.

“What about Shadow and Fox? Did they both make it out okay?” Sky asked.

“Yeah, sis. We’re fine...kinda…” Came a voice from nearby. Sky peered off the edge of the boat at two young ponies on a raft. Shadow looked uncomfortable in the extreme. Fox was sat right next to her, invading her personal space just a little more than necessary.

“We got out alright, Sky. Don’t worry about us.” Fox smiled happily. “I saved her!”

“What? You saved me?” Shadow snarled, indignant. “If I remember correctly, I wasn’t the one who freaked out and punched me in the eye as soon as those bombs went off!”

“Wow.” Sky observed innocently, as Fox muttered something and looked down at his hooves in shame. “You two must’ve been pretty close together if he could punch you in the eye like that. The building didn’t rock that much…”

“We were...er…” Fox managed to get out before Shadow caught him in a headlock, violently choking him.

“We weren’t doing anything!” She said quickly. “He’s lying! He’s full of shit! He’s always been full of shit!”

“Shadow, let’s hear what he’s got to say. Go on, let the nice little colt go.” Sky giggled, crossing her forehooves on the side of the boat and resting her chin on them.

Shadow looked from Fox to Sky, her eyes widening with fright. After a moment’s hesitation, she finally released the poor little colt, who massaged his neck with a hoof gratefully.

“Tha...thanks...Sky…” Fox gagged, pointedly avoiding Shadow’s venomous gaze.

“So what were you two doing that’s such a big secret.” Sky grinned, eyeing the two of them with the curious gaze of a sister who was never ever going to let Shadow forget this.

“Well…” Fox said slowly, finally sitting up. “We were cuddling, right? And…”

Unfortunately, he never got to finish that sentence, as Shadow picked just that moment to shove him off of the raft into the river.

“Oh, whoops! You poor thing! I didn’t see you there!” Shadow said with mock concern, pulling the spluttering little unicorn back onto the raft. “You really have to be more careful! It’s amazing how ponies can be hurt if they don’t pay attention to their surroundings...or what comes out of their mouths.” She added off-handedly.

Sky lay back with a little snicker, having heard more than enough to get Shadow for it later on.

“So what now?” Rat asked after a few moments, trying to change the subject.

“Well, I guess we still need that Poison Joke, but I’ll bet you anything that the guards have the city locked down after that little show.” Sky huffed. “They’ll blame it on us, too. Call it terrorism and you can blame anypony for any old bullshit.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Rat nodded. “So you said something about a Plan C?”

“Well…” Sky tapped her hoof to her chin, glancing off down the river at a distant forest. “We could always see if we could find where it grows naturally.”

“What, go into the Everfree Forest?” Rat asked doubtfully. “That forest where ponies go in and never come out? That Everfree Forest?”

“Er...yeah.” Sky nodded. “Come on, face it. We’re kinda fucked. If we go to Manehattan, Tommygun hunts us down. If we go back to Canterlot, Stronghooves hunts us down. If we go into the Everfree…well, there’s nothing looking for us in there, is there?”

“No, but there’s plenty of things that wouldn’t mind a quick pony snack in there, too.” Rat frowned. “Sky...are you sure about this?”

Sky nodded impetuously, sitting up again. “Yeah. We’ve gotta get that Poison Joke and add it to the formula. I’m sure it’s the key to getting this Operative thing sorted once and for all.”

Rat bit his lip, looking between Sky and the woods on the horizon. “You know it’s gonna be dangerous in there, right?”

“Don’t worry.” Sky winked. “I’ll take care of you, you big dumb filly.”

“Fuck you.” Rat snickered, nuzzling Sky’s cheek with a nervous little smile. “Fi...fine. We’ll go on a suicide mission into the forest, but if I die I’m gonna haunt your ass so hard.”

“Sweetie, you can do whatever the hell you want to my ass.” Sky giggled, whipping her slightly damp tail around to smack Rat on the flank. The stallion gave a very ladylike squeak, blushing and snuggling closer.

“I’m gonna hold you to that.” He mumbled, as the boat drifted down the moonlit river towards the Everfree Forest.

* * *

Stronghooves stood atop the city walls, looking out over Equestria pensively. The deafening roar of the waterfall nearby meant nothing to him as he peered down off of the mountain. A little smile crossed his face as he felt the magical connection between himself and Rat strengthening over time.

He survived… Stronghooves thought to himself. And so did Sky. That’s perfect. I’ve got time, even if it’s only a few hours. I only need a little bit of time...

“They got away.” Came a voice from behind him. Stronghooves wheeled round, smiling at Daybreak and Shield, both of whom looked very ashamed of themselves.

“Yes.” He said, grinning. “You two did wonderfully.”

“There’s no need to be sarcastic about it.” Daybreak rolled her eyes, pouting.

“I mean it!” Stronghooves insisted. “Getting Sky and Rat out of the city makes things much easier for us!”

“Hate to break it to you, Hoovesie, but they got into the city when we were watching out for them a week ago.” Daybreak pointed out. “What’s different about this time?”

“Well, by the time they make their way back up into the city, we’ll likely be long gone.” Stronghooves shrugged. “They’re probably not going to return here any time soon. They’ll be looking for a way to get me out of the picture.”

“So we’re heading up to that big griffon fortress you told us about, huh?” Shield cocked his head.

“That’s right. That little castle on the border will be a perfect place to rehabilitate her. It’s miles away from any Equestrian settlements, out of reach of anypony who’d judge her too harshly for what she does, and the best part is that she’ll be going into it blind.” Stronghooves grinned. “No access to her contacts. If we can catch her there, she’ll be forced to see reason when we finally sit down and talk to her.”

“That makes sense.” Shield nodded. “So we’re moving right away?”

“Yes. We need to handle this quickly and efficiently if we’re going to stay one step ahead of her. Shield, you and I will travel up to the Griffon Kingdoms using the Count’s private train. We’ll stash the crystals and the phylactery there so that we can keep tracking Sky and draw her in.”

“Do you think you’re going to have clearance?” Shield asked doubtfully.

“I don’t know, but what I do know is that neither Thunder nor Silver was up in the Griffon Kingdoms since I’ve returned to the city. I should still have clearance. If I don’t...we’ll improvise.”

“By “improvise” you mean “rip the doors off and walk in anyway,” I assume?” Shield chuckled wearily. It had been a long day.

“You read my mind.” Stronghooves snickered. “I’ll get the release papers signed for transfer of the train over to the custody of the Royal Guard. You start loading the crystals up. Keep them under heavy guard, and come to me if the remaining Operatives attempt to get in the way.”

“Right.” Shield nodded, ears perking up as he trotted off down into the city again. “You take care, okay? Give me a shout if she comes back and I’ll help you catch her properly this time.”

“I’ll keep that in mind!” Stronghooves laughed as his friend disappeared round a corner.

“What about me?” Daybreak inquired.

“You’ve been to Ponyville before.” Stronghooves said, turning to his marefriend. “Heck, you’ve lived there. You’re the best qualified to go after the two of them.”

“They’ve gone up against solo Operatives before and won…” Daybreak said doubtfully.

“Don’t worry.” Stronghooves shook his head, placing a hoof on the mare’s shoulder. “You’re not being sent to capture or kill them, and from what you’ve told me you were pretty diplomatic the last time you met Sky. Besides…” he added, blushing a little. “You’re a smart...cre...creative...and to...ough…”

“What’s with the sudden speech impediment?” Daybreak smiled with the air of a pony who knows damn well what’s going on. She fluttered her eyelashes at Stronghooves, doing her best to at least appear innocent.

“Well...er...you see…”

“Pony got your tongue?” She whispered huskily, stepping forward with her muzzle inches from his ear. “Because I can make that happen, you know…”

“You...you shouldn’t...you shouldn’t have a problem with them.” Stronghooves finally finished, a little faster than necessary.

“Knew you’d get there eventually.” Daybreak smiled cheekily. “Okay Hoovesie, what do you want me to do?”

Stronghooves collapsed onto his haunches, embarrassed out of his mind. He took a moment to clear his throat before starting again. “Er...yes, right...well...I need you to follow them. Find out what they’re up to and keep them on the run for a little bit longer.”

“So I’m buying you two time?” Daybreak cocked her head.

“Think of it as running recon. You know Ponyville far better than anypony else, so you’ll be able to keep pace with them more easily.” Stronghooves explained. “You do know your way around town, right?”

“Yeah, course I do!” Daybreak huffed. “That’s not the problem.”

“Look, Daybreak, if you get in trouble, retreat and take some time to replenish yourself. Let them think they’re winning. Don’t be afraid to give up and give them our location if you get “outmatched.””

“Who’s to say that they won’t kill me?” Daybreak frowned.

“Sky doesn’t work that way.” Stronghooves shook his head. “She’s got a golden rule about never killing ponies. She won’t allow Rat to do it, either. I can promise you that.”

“Er...are you sure? Only...I kinda...made an off-hoof comment about the size of her flanks the last time we met.” Daybreak said sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

“Oh, that. Don’t worry, Daybreak. Sky’s a natural-born liar.” Stronghooves said dismissively. “I’m sure she’s absolutely fine about it.”

“She seemed pretty pissed…”

“She always does. I remember back when she was a kid she used to get all pouty and angry at me right before she’d smile and give me a big hug.” Stronghooves smiled encouragingly. “She’s good at seeming pretty angry when she’s not, and sometimes she’s good at seeming friendly when she isn’t. Just remember that.”

“Okay…” Daybreak nodded doubtfully. “So, how do I track them down?”

Stronghooves rummaged in his armour, eventually producing a little brass compass on a length of chain. “Shield took the liberty of enchanting this to link up to the phylactery. It’ll let you track Sky, at any rate. Besides that, you’ll want to talk to some of the locals in Ponyville. Remember, they’re in a town that neither of them have experienced before, and you’re on your home turf. You’ve got all of the advantages.”

“I guess you’re right. They’ll probably be expecting you instead of me, huh?”

“That’s right.” Stronghooves said, his face falling slightly. “The fact that you’ve lost against them before will likely give them a false sense of confidence, too. Play on that.”

“Right. I’ll go be your errand pony...on one condition.” Daybreak grinned slyly.

“Wha...what’s that, then?” Stronghooves asked, suddenly worried.

“You owe me a date when I get back.” She giggled, kissing him on the cheek. “And if we have to stay in that fortress, maybe we can spend the day together. No work, no worries, just you, me and our new little pet. How’s that sound?”

“That...wow...Daybreak…” Stronghooves whispered, touching a hoof to his cheek where she’d kissed him. “That...that sounds lovely...I’d like that…”

“It’s a date, then.” She beamed, sticking her tongue out at him and trotting down into the city too. “You take care of things with your boyfriend, and I’ll handle all the big girl tasks! Don’t you worry!”

As she disappeared into the city as well, Stronghooves practically slumped on the spot. It seemed as if each day he spent with that mare strained his sanity...no matter how incredible and full of surprises she was. He’d dealt with a great many things in his career, all of them ranging from strange to downright dangerous, but Daybreak was something else entirely.

What a mad pony. He shook his head, looking out over Equestria again. Now, let’s see if that spell worked as intended…

Whispers In The Dark

Rat groaned as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes, shaking his head and glancing around. Surely they must be at the Everfree Forest by now.

“Isn’t this romantic…” He mumbled. “A little moonlit boat ride with a mare of my dreams. I can hardly believe my luck…”

The unicorn’s ears perked. The world around him was completely unrecognisable. The river had disappeared, the landscape had changed from a clear plain to an urban centre, and the boat, Sky and everything else had simply vanished into thin air. All that remained was a foggy street in Canterlot, long after the sun had gone down.

Rat got to his hooves, tail flicking from side to side nervously as he scanned the street, on the lookout for guards or...whatever had brought him here. As he peered into the fog, shapes shifted before him, taking the form of shadowy ponies and dark griffons before dissipating into nothingness again. In time, Rat began to wonder whether he was staring at something real or if he was making those shapes himself.

“Where the fuck am I…?” He whispered, ears splaying back as he stared deeper into the fog. Over time, the shapes changed into a more consistent form, taking the shape of a large stallion with a glowing blue horn.

“Stronghooves?” Rat ventured, taking a few tentative steps forward.

“Hello, Rat Racer.” Stronghooves replied, stepping out of the fog fully-formed. “I’m glad you could make it.”

“Well hey, you couldn’t keep me away.” Rat chuckled nervously. “Commute was a nightmare, though. So...I guess I’d better start with the obvious question. Am I dead?”

“No.” Stronghooves shook his head, smiling kindly. “You’re dreaming...in a way. This is a place where ponies’ minds are linked together by magic.”

“And it ain’t just coincidence that it’s you and me here, is it?”

“Clever boy.” Stronghooves chuckled. “No, you’re here for a purpose, and I’m going to endeavour to make that purpose clear to you.”

“How are you going to do that?” Rat cocked his head.

“As I said before, this is a place where ponies’ minds link, and that means that we can see each others’ memories.”

Rat put his hooves over his head, yelping. “Well back off, bub! What happened between me and that mare in Neighpon is nopony’s business but mine!”

Stronghooves put a hoof on Rat’s shoulder, snickering. “Oh, it’s okay Rat. I’m your friend. I’m not going to judge you for any mare trouble. However, I’m very interested in delving into your own memories to give you a little clarity.”

“Cla...clarity?” Rat frowned, standing back up again.

“No doubt you’ve acted on my advice about Sky.” Stronghooves said, trotting down the street with Rat in tow. “You know all about her little sister problem by now, don’t you?”

“I know about that and a few other things besides.” Rat replied pensively. “I read through Sky’s diary and found out all about what your mom and dad did to her. I...guess I have a few questions.”

“Fire away.” Stronghooves nodded, frowning himself. Some of this subject matter was clearly quite sensitive, but Rat pressed him regardless.

“What happened to make you abandon her when she was a kid?”

“I was worried that you might start with that question.” Stronghooves sighed. “I confess that it doesn’t paint me in a favourable light, does it?”

“Not exactly.”

Stronghooves fell silent as he led Rat up onto a little stone bridge spanning a small river, one of the many tributaries that fed into the monstrous waterfalls that ran off of the mountain. The huge stallion placed his forehooves on the balustrade, resting his head atop them as he stared into the water.

“The short answer is that I was tricked.” Stronghooves said quietly, as Rat joined him. “What did she tell you?”

“Well…” Rat mumbled, straining to remember what he’d read in her diary. “I read that you’d kept bringing her food after she got kicked out...that you protected her from everypony out there...then someday you just...disappeared…”

Stronghooves nodded. “My parents had caught me sneaking food out of the house to give to Sky, and they sat me down and had a long talk with me. Told me things I...I believed at the time. They were my mother and father. Why would they lie to me?”

“She got raped, Stronghooves!” Rat growled, grabbing the Captain’s shoulder and glaring at him. “That night, the night when you left her alone, she got caught by…”

“STOP!” Stronghooves interrupted, holding up a hoof and closing his eyes. “I know, I screwed up, and screwed up bad. I just...I don’t want to hear what happened to her…”

“It happened, Captain.” Rat said savagely. “You can try and block it out as much as you want, but because of your mum and dad, she got really badly hurt. You keep talking to me like it’s my job to make her better, but I dunno if I can do it.”

“I know.” Stronghooves nodded, voice growing more quiet. “It’s not fair of me to ask you to do that alone. That’s why I’m going to help you.”

“Help me? You mean with this whole mind-link magical bullshit, right?” Rat asked skeptically.

“Yeah.” Stronghooves nodded. “You and I are bound by the same thing. You want the Count’s little plot to end once and for all. You want a safe future with Sky. It’s not every day a burglar makes a friend, right?”

“N...no. Not really. I don’t...have...many…” Rat shook his head. “Look, I just met her, okay! I’ve only known her for a little over a week and you’re talking about me like I’m her soul mate!”

“I mean nothing of the sort.” Stronghooves said apologetically, shaking his head. “But you do like her, don’t you?”

“Well, yeah…” Rat admitted slowly. “She’s a nice mare in spite of everything, and she’s pretty fun, too. I can see myself being her friend. She’s just…”

“Damaged.”

“Broken.”

“And is that the reality that you are prepared to accept?” Stronghooves asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not on your fucking life.” Rat grunted stoically. “She and I are a great team and we can do anything together. I just need a game plan.”

“And I’m here to give you that game plan.” Stronghooves smiled. “Have you ever heard the Air Force saying about making sure that your oxygen mask is on properly before you help your friends?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, you’ve got to mentally prepare yourself if you’re going to make things right with Sky. See the hard task ahead of you for what it really is.” Stronghooves said, giving Rat a hard look. “As not only a quest of compassion, but of personal redemption.”

“What do you mean, redemption?” Rat challenged.

“Rat…” Stronghooves said quietly, staring out over the stream again. “What happened to Fox Chaser?”

“I told you that it was a bad carriage accident. We both got out fine eventually.” Rat shook his head, looking out over the water as well. “Stop looking into it like it was something like what happened between Sky and Shadow.”

Stronghooves remained silent.

“It was!” Rat continued, compelled to fill the silence.

“So if we looked into your memory of what happened, unadulterated and unchanged, that’s precisely what we would see?” Stronghooves asked almost serenely, watching as a single twig floated down beneath them. “A sad story with a happy ending? A pony and his beloved little brother on a mission that went bad, the heroic elder unicorn digging the poor foal out of the wreckage of carriages and nursing him back to health?”

Rat nodded, defying the twinge of uncertainty that played about the back of his mind.

“Are you so confident that you’d be willing to show me?”

“I...guess I could, yeah…” Rat frowned, glancing across at the Captain. “But if you’re wrong, you drop it, okay?”

“Fine.” Stronghooves smiled, meeting his gaze. “But if I’m right, you’ll know for certain that the mission ahead of you is as much for your own wellbeing as it is for Sky’s.”

“Deal.” Rat grunted, holding out a hoof to shake Stronghooves’s.

The guard captain took his hoof gratefully, giving it a gentle shake as his horn flared. “Let’s look into your past, shall we?” He grinned, lifting Rat bodily off of the bridge.

Before the burglar could protest, Stronghooves flung him into the stream, far deeper than Rat could have possibly imagined. In but a moment, he was surrounded by black water, blotting everything out as he found himself enveloped, caressed...but not unable to breathe, strangely enough. As the initial panic of being so suddenly dropped into a body of water died away, Rat experimentally wiggled his hooves, his horn lighting up to give him some sense of perception, of connection to his own body. It was as if he had been left at the bottom of the sea, the pressure of the water certainly present around him, resisting his movements. And yet, strangely, he could breathe.

“What the fuck…” He burbled, nothing escaping his lips but a stream of bubbles.

Looks like that’s not going to work, then… He thought to himself, rolling his eyes.

Rat struggled to orient himself, twisting in the water as he tried to find something that he could consider “up.” However, as he turned and writhed, breathing heavily as if each inhalation might be his last, he found no point of reference. He was trapped.

Just as Rat was beginning to wonder how he was going to get out of this situation, he caught sight of a dim light, an indication that in this void there must be an exit, a way out. Rat kept his eyes on all-too-distant light, swimming furiously. He didn’t trust the water to remain breathable forever.

As it drew ever closer, the water around him became lighter, a school of fish swimming by his head as he focussed on breaching the surface. The water became less and less breathable by the second, and Rat found himself holding his breath and fighting the growing darkness around the edge of his vision. A large armoured hoof reached down through the water, and in his desperation, Rat took it.

“You took your time.” Stronghooves smiled brightly, pulling Rat out of the water and setting him down next to him.

“Yeah, well I took the scenic route.” Rat chuckled, spluttering and coughing up water. “So...where...are we?”

“See for yourself.” Stronghooves smiled, giving the smaller stallion a nudge.

Rat shook his shaggy mane to dry off just a little, peering up at the city before him. Soaring buildings towered overhead, reflecting the sunlight and practically blinding the ponies down below.

“Mane...Manehattan…” He muttered. He’d recognise his home city anywhere.

“Yes. Manehattan.” Stronghooves nodded. “A very important day in Manehattan. The day your life took a significant turn for the worse.”

“We’ll see about that.” Rat countered. “Come on, I know the way to the City Central Bank from here. You’ll see for yourself.”

“I’m sure I shall.” Stronghooves grinned, following behind him.

Rat led the captain away from the docks and into the city centre, down uniform, wide streets that made Canterlot look like a confused mess. The burglar threw back his head confidently as he strutted past a pair of mares, his friendly smile turning into a reproachful frown as they paid him no notice.

“The entities in this memory can’t see you.” Stronghooves explained helpfully.

“Could’ve told me that before I made an ass of myself…” Rat muttered.

“That wouldn’t have been anywhere near as funny.”

“Damn it, you are related to her, aren’t you?”

“Where do you think she learned it?”

Rat shook his head, shrugging Stronghooves off as he reached the bank. Instead of trotting towards it, however, he made his way across the busy street and into an alley opposite. Stronghooves followed with innocent curiosity.

The burglar came to a halt as he caught sight of himself, a version of himself from five years ago. His mane was far shorter back then, his coat better kempt than his older, wiser counterpart. Standing before him stood a young colt about fourteen years of age, eagerly putting on his burglar’s mask.

“Fox…” Rat the elder muttered, an unexplainable pang of guilt shooting through his head.

“Okay, so you know what to do when we get in?” Rat the younger asked.

“Go in there, scare the crap out of everypony while you blow the vault!” Fox nodded, grinning excitedly.

“That’s right.” Rat winked, grinning right back at his little brother. “Do that horn-flaring thing and everypony’ll get down on the floor before you know it. If anypony tries to be a hero, knock ‘em out and see if anypony else wants to have a go.”

“If ponies start getting riled up, I can only give you a few minutes tops.” Fox warned.

“I know. Don’t worry, kiddo. You and I’ll look out for one another. If you get in trouble, give me a shout and I’ll come running.”

“Because you watch my back…”

“And you watch mine.” Both Rats said at the same time.

“I love you.” Fox whispered, nuzzling Rat the Younger with a friendly, caring smile.

“I love you too, kid. Now come on, let’s get out there and pull off the biggest heist in Manehattan’s history.”

As the two brothers trotted out of the alleyway and pulled their hoods over their heads, Rat felt compelled to reach out a hoof and stop them. However, when he tried, it passed right through his younger self, like a ghost.

“This is a memory, Rat.” Stronghooves said quietly. “You can’t influence or change it any way. They can’t talk to you, they can’t hear you...and you can’t touch them. It’s like rewatching a security crystal feed.”

“Security crystals are sometimes wrong.” Rat argued doubtfully.

“Only when the footage is doctored.” Stronghooves countered.

The two stallions followed the burglars as they trotted their way into the bank, practically right on top of them as they both wove through fast-moving traffic.

“Dangerous street.” Stronghooves observed. “You chose the busiest road in Equestria’s biggest city for this job?”

“Makes it harder for the guards to get a decent perimeter up.” Rat the elder shrugged. “You try getting a platoon of guards through this mess. Manehattan drivers hate stopping for anything short of the end of the world.”

“Point taken. Of course, the traffic worked against you, didn’t it?” Stronghooves said softly. “You’re panicking, Rat Racer.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Of course you are. You’re not as convinced as you were when you first agreed to this. You’re not as sure that you’re right.”

Rat blinked. His throat suddenly felt very dry indeed. “I’m just...sick…”

“Yes, you are.” Stronghooves whispered. “But this is the first step to getting better.”

Rat shrugged him off, stepping into the bank with his younger self and his little brother.

“OKAY, GET THE FUCK DOWN, KIDS! THIS IS A ROBBERY!” Rat the Younger roared, snapping out his crossbow and loading a taser cartridge into it.

“Yeah, stick ‘em up, bitches!” Fox grinned, his horn flaring as the surprised ponies within backed away.

“YEAH, I...wait, no, Fox…” Rat explained patiently. “You’re not supposed to tell them to stick their hooves up if they’re down on the ground. How the fuck is that meant to work?”

“They could roll onto their backs?” The colt suggested, shrugging blankly.

“Fuck’s sake…” Rat the Younger breathed exasperatedly. “Okay, everypony get down, roll onto your backs and stick your hooves into the air...I guess…”

The confused patrons did as they were told, as Fox advanced on them with his horn practically burning through his hood. The incredible magical power he held sparked and crackled as he covered the hostages, leaving Rat free to vault the counter and trot into the back of the bank.

“This would’ve gone so well if it wasn’t for that asshole hitting the alarm.” The elder burglar commented as he watched his past self disappear around a corner.

“What’s the response time of guards in the Manehattan city centre?” Stronghooves asked curiously.

“Five minutes, but it takes them at least fifteen to bring breaching teams in. We’d only have to deal with a few responding officers.” Rat replied automatically, transfixed by the scene before him. Memories of the job came flooding back, filling his mind with doubt and adrenalin and...fear. The fear grew overwhelming and his ears flattened against his skull.

This isn’t right…

He was jolted from his thoughts by an alarm blaring throughout the whole museum, making Fox jump and loose a spell into the ceiling. Masonry exploded as the magic projectile struck the lovingly-chiselled marble, sending dust and chunks of rock tumbling down onto the hostages. Ponies got to their hooves and galloped for the door en masse, pushing the little unicorn aside and phasing through Rat and Stronghooves as the former glanced around in fear.

“What the hell happened?” Rat the Younger barked, charging out from the back of the bank.

“One of them must’ve hit the alarm!” Fox yelled back, struggling to be heard over the deafeningly loud klaxon.

“Shit!” Rat yelled. “Come on, kid! We’re getting outta here!”

“Right!” Fox yelled back, pulling up his scorched hood and galloping after his brother out into the city.

“You know, it’s not too late to admit that I’m right and save yourself some pain.” Stronghooves commented, as Rat the Elder looked after them.

“No.” Replied he, galloping as fast as he could to catch up to them. “I’ve gotta...gotta see this for myself.”

He stopped at the bank entrance, staring as the two burglars tore down the polished stone steps, right towards the rushing traffic below. Only a few guards stood in their way, but Fox blasted them aside with bursts of non-lethal magic. Rat saw his past self enveloped in an eerie white light, the weight-reduction spell he always used to run faster under duress. Fox was every bit as fast as his big brother, only a few metres behind him as the two tried to jump onto a moving carriage.

While Rat managed to stick the landing, the carriage was far too fast for Fox, who slipped on the edge and disappeared into the mass of heavy traffic. Rat the Elder looked away at the last second, his heart dropping into his stomach for the first time in five years as he heard a sickening crunch.

Both he and his younger self stood in shock for at least ten seconds as carriages crashed into one another, forming a twisted mass of shattered wood, bent metal and screaming ponies. In time, as feeling returned to his body, Rat the Elder began the long, slow walk towards the wreckage, every cell in his body screaming at him that Fox was gone forever, while a small part of him compelled him to check, to make sure, that it hadn’t happened.

“Rat...look at what happened to your poor little brother. Do you really think he could’ve survived that?” Stronghooves asked quietly.

“Yes...you don’t know him...you don’t know what he’s like…” Rat whispered, venturing closer. “He survived everything.”

“Everything but this.” Stronghooves said, walking with him as Rat approached the tangled mess.

“That’s not true, Captain.” Rat shook his head, walking through incorporeal carriages and ponies pulling one another free of the wreckage.

There, in the centre of it all, pinned underneath a broken carriage wheel, lay a little colt in a torn cloak, staring at nothing. His ribcage was shattered and indented underneath the weight of the vehicle. There was no way a pony could possibly survive injuries that severe.

“No…” Rat whispered. “I’ve gotta be remembering this wrong…”

“This is exactly as it happened, Rat Racer.” Stronghooves growled, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “Fox Chaser died at the scene. You remember pulling him out of the wreckage and hugging him as if it would change the past...but it didn’t.”

Rat stared on as his past-tense counterpart did just that, horn flaring as he blasted wood and metal aside in an effort to get to his little brother. Tearing the cartwheel aside, he clutched Fox tight to his chest, holding his lifeless form as he desperately tried to will life back into the young colt.

“I’m sorry…” Both Rats whispered simultaneously. “I’m so sorry…”

As he watched the scene unfold before him, Rat broke down into a sobbing fit, staring down at the asphalt as he tried to block out the sight of his lifeless little brother. Tears dripped down his face, disappearing into vapour as they struck the pavement. He stood there long after his past self had tossed Fox onto his back and galloped away, whimpering hollow promises to make everything okay again. Rat stood there in the silence of the fading memory, crying for his lost brother, the little colt who’d given his life meaning for such a long time.

“Do you believe me now?” Stronghooves whispered, breaking the lonely silence with a voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

“What the fuck have I done…?” Rat muttered weakly.

“You made a promise to watch your brother’s back and you failed...terribly.” Stronghooves growled, as Manehattan faded away to leave the two of them back on the stone bridge. “So tell me, Rat Racer. How can you judge me for failing my sister when you failed your brother?”

“I...didn’t...fail…”

“You failed.” Stronghooves insisted, walking in a slow circle around Rat as he wept. “You promised not two minutes before that job that you’d watch his back, the same way I promised that I would look after Sky, and you blew it! Don’t you see, Rat? You’re every bit as guilty as I am! You had one pony in your life, one little colt who gave it meaning and purpose, and he’s dead because you couldn’t watch him for two seconds!”

“I know!” Rat sobbed, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth as he bowed his head. “I could’ve caught him, or I could’ve made him lighter so he didn’t fall as hard, or...or…”

“Or you could have done any number of things that changed the future.” Stronghooves snarled. “But you didn’t. A little pony only just starting out in life is dead because of your inaction, your poor decisions, your inattentiveness! Do you really feel as if you can preach to me about taking care of those closest to you? Do you understand the guilt I’ve endured since that day? DO YOU?”

“Ye...yes!” Rat whimpered, backing away and bumping into the Captain’s chestplate.

“DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS WE’VE BOTH LOST?! THE LIE YOU’VE BEEN LIVING, ALL BECAUSE YOU COULDN’T ADMIT TO YOURSELF THAT YOU FAILED THAT BADLY?!”

“SHUT UP!” Rat shouted back, his voice the pitch of a terrified child’s. “I KNOW I FUCKED UP! IT WASN’T...IT WASN’T MY FAULT!”

“IT WAS YOUR FAULT!” Stronghooves roared, teleporting in front of him and backing Rat further into a corner. “THE JOB WAS YOUR IDEA, THE CALL WAS YOURS. FOX WAS JUST A CHILD! HE HAD NO REASON TO NOT FOLLOW YOU IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS! YOU TOOK A RISK AND NOW A PONY IS DEAD, AND HE’S BEEN DEAD FOR FIVE YEARS! DON’T EVEN TRY TO CLAIM THAT THIS ISN’T YOUR FAULT! THIS IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU’VE MADE IN YOUR WHOLE LIFE!”

Rat was struck speechless, curling up in the corner and letting out choked whimpers as he struggled to breathe through his sobbing.

Stronghooves watched him in this state for a time, cocking his head and regarding him with a curious, searching expression. Finally, a little smile appeared on his muzzle, his anger turning to understanding and compassion as he lay down next to Rat.

“It’s not fair, is it?” He whispered. “We do the best we can for our siblings. It’s our job as big brothers to look out for them, to keep them safe...and we’ve both failed. Ponies have gotten hurt because of those failures, and it’s important to account for them.”

“Why...why the fuck did you show me that?” Rat sniffed, after a long silence.

“Because you need motivation, Rat.” Stronghooves answered, tussling the burglar’s tattered mane. “You need to understand just what helping Sky means to both yourself and I, why we are alike, why we can - and should - work together in order to save her.”

“Why...why the fuck should I?” Rat whispered. “I’ve lost Fox...my own little brother...I feel so sick…”

“And he was the last thing you had in this world, the last pony who really cared for you...except one.” Stronghooves whispered.

“Sk...Sky...cares about me?” Rat sniffled, looking up at Stronghooves as a devastated son would at his father for guidance.

“Yes, she does.” Stronghooves smiled back at him, putting his heavy forehoof around Rat’s shoulders. “You and she have a great deal in common, you’ve both suffered loss and you’re both the last thing in this world that the other has left. In fact, I daresay the way she looks at you says a lot. It perhaps suggests that she likes you a little more than...well…just a friend.”

“It’s not gonna bring Fox back…” Rat whimpered.

“Nothing in the world can bring Fox back.” Stronghooves shook his head. “But perhaps, in a way, you can make peace with yourself by helping my sister with me. Sharing the load and being the two good stallions in her life, we can in some way undo the sins of the past.”

“I...don’t trust you…”

“Not yet.” Stronghooves sighed. “But in time, you will.”

“Just...leave me alone…” Rat sobbed. “I just wanna...sit here and think for a while, okay?”

“Well, that seems fair, but you know you’ll wake up when I leave. It’s quite an unpleasant awakening, too. I’ve seen it before.”

“Ye...yeah? From who?” Rat asked, wiping his eyes.

“Sky.” Said Stronghooves, as the dream world disappeared around them. “In fact...she’s been having dreams like yours for weeks now.”

* * *

Rat jolted awake, hooves scrabbling at the side of the boat as he tried to re-assimilate himself to the world of wakefulness into which he had been dropped. He rocked the little boat, smacking Sky around the head and punching her awake as well.

“Rat! What the fuck’s going on?” She yelped, scrabbling to get away from him in the limited space.

Still, Rat Racer thrashed about, and by the time he’d grown re-accustomed to his surroundings, it was far too late. The boat tipped over in the water, sending both ponies into the river with a heavy splash.

“Da...damn it!” Sky squealed, breaching the surface and trying to grip onto the keel with her hooves. Rat burst out of the water a moment later, tears streaming down his face as he gripped the boat with all of his might.

“I’m sorry…” He hissed through gritted teeth. “I’m so sorry…”

“It’s okay…” Sky frowned, reaching across and patting his shoulder. “I guess that’s one way to wake up in the morning, huh?”

Just for a moment, however, Rat paid her no mind. His eyes rested on the little raft downstream from the capsized boat, the raft upon which Shadow and Fox had sat not three hours beforehand. To Rat’s eyes, at least, it was empty, the two young ponies swallowed into oblivion forever.

* * *

“You’re pretty skittish today.” Sky observed, crossing her forehooves and laying down on the boat.

“Yeah?” Rat replied distractedly, wringing his tail out. “I...er...hadn’t noticed.”

“Rat…” Sky stared. “Don’t lie to me. Something’s the matter. I know it is.”

“Nothing’s the matter, Sky.” Rat shook his head, slumping down next to her. “I just had a bad dream, that’s all.”

“Yeah?” Sky cocked her head, pressing her soft wet nose to his cheek gently. “Well you know something? I spent years raising a compulsive liar, so I know when somepony’s stretching the truth, right Shadow?”

“Yeah!” Shadow called out from the raft, crossing her own forehooves and shuffling away from Fox sulkily. “Bitch never let me get away with anything…”

“I let you get away with a ton of shit!” Sky protested, though her attention was caught again by Rat gritting his teeth and splaying his ears back.

“Come on, Rat. Stop bullshitting me.” Sky said quietly, running her hoof through his wet mane and pulling it out of his eyes. “Something’s bothering you and I’m gonna help you fix it. We’re a team, right?”

Rat nodded silently, but said nothing more. Sky glanced up at Shadow, who shrugged.

“Sweetie…” Sky whispered. “When you went through my diary and found out about what happened to me, you said you were gonna help me make everything okay, right?”

“Yeah…” Rat nodded again, his voice dull and croaky.

“Well...sometimes...sometimes it’s okay to ask for help when you need it, too.” Sky continued slowly. “You’re a sweetie for saying you wanna be there for me, but if you really wanna make things okay, you’ve gotta open up to me, too.”

Rat remained silent a while longer, saying nothing but occasionally sniffing. When he finally looked up at Sky and met her gaze, there were tears in his eyes.

“Sky…” He said quietly. “We’ve gotta talk...about some shit that happened a few years ago.”

“Go on.” Sky pressed, nodding.

“Okay...er...shit...I’ve never really...told anypony about this…” Rat croaked. “I got...I made a huge mistake back around five years ago...and...you deserve to know about it…”

“Rat, whatever it is, I promise I won’t judge you.” Sky shook her head, nuzzling his cheek again. “Come on, what happened?”

Rat took a few deep breaths to calm himself, shuffling his forehooves awkwardly as he tried to put the story together in his head. “Okay...well...look...about five years back, me and Fox...we wanted to make big money together. You know, actually rock the boat, do something awesome, make some cash so we could hang out for the rest of our lives surrounded by beautiful mares and never have to work again.”

“Yeah.” Sky nodded, understanding completely. That had, after all, been the point of the Elements Job.

“Well...okay...we hit the big bank just off of Times Square.” Rat continued. “Big fancy place. Upscale, near a busy road. Loads of traffic.”

“Makes it harder for the guards to respond if anypony hits the alarm.” Sky nodded. “I guess somepony did?”

“Yeah.” Rat nodded grimly. “Fox kept an eye on the hostages while I went for the vault at the back of the bank, but somewhere along the way one of them must’ve hit the button, cause all of a sudden there were walls closing in all around me, screaming as hostages ran for it. We had to...run for our lives...and it...we had to abandon the job.”

“Once security’s been alerted, you’ve only got five minutes to finish the job, tops.” Sky smiled, wiping an errant tear off of Rat’s cheek. “Then what happened?”

“Well...Fox and I ran for it…” He shrugged. “Just like we had to. You remember how I told you we were near a busy street? Carriages everywhere, going really damn fast...and...Fox fell...and…”

Rat said nothing more, his face contorted into the Thousand Yard Stare as he looked into his own past, recalling the memory that Stronghooves had shown him and wrestling with it.

“He got hurt.” Sky finished for him.

“N...no…” Rat choked. “Sky...I...I think he died.”

Sky glanced up at Fox and Shadow, giving them both a very long look before fixing her gaze back on Rat.

“I know the memory hurts…” She whispered. “But Fox is still here, sweetie. He’s on that raft with Shadow. It’s okay...you both got out okay…”

“No...you don’t get it…” Rat shook his head. “I’ve been...living a fucking lie...for five fucking years. Pretending he was alive...so well that I started believing it myself. I watched him grow up...I watched him run jobs with me, play with me...fall in love...and I wondered...all the fucking time...why ponies sta...stared at me like that...and now...now I know…”

“Rat, he’s not gone.” Sky insisted. “I can see him right there…”

“You weren’t there, Sky.” Rat growled, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. “You didn’t see how fucked up his little body was...how...he’d stopped moving...stopped breathing...and I wished so hard that maybe he’d come back someday...that he’d put his little hoof on mine again…”

Sky glanced up at Fox again, meeting his watery little eyes. The young colt turned away from her, burying his head under Shadow’s wing and sobbing quietly himself.

“Rat…” Sky whispered softly.

“You can’t help me, Sky. Not like this.” He muttered. “You wanna do your best...and...and I get that...but he’s not here anymore...my little brother...is gone...forever...and it’s all my fucking fault…”

“Rat, whatever the hell you think happened, it wasn’t your fault.” Sky said quickly, putting a forehoof around his shoulders. “You’re a great big brother and an awesome burglar. You said it yourself. He fell. It was an accident, and you can’t blame yourself for shit that you can’t control. Yeah, maybe you think you could’ve done something, but the reality is that you couldn’t...because you would have done, right?”

“Ye...yeah…” Rat sniffled. “But...Sky…I...can’t see him anymore...he’s...gone…”

Sky’s ears perked as she heard a small whimper from the raft.

“Well...maybe...maybe you had a bad dream...or...or remembered something wrong…” Sky tried.

“No!” Rat insisted. “He’s gone, Sky! He’s gone forever! I’m never gonna see him again and the only reason I could see him before was because I was...too...afraid to...let...go…”

Sky felt cold all of a sudden, still unable to wrap her head around what Rat was saying. She gave him a gentle squeeze nonetheless, kissing him on the cheek. “Hey, Rat...don’t...don’t worry about it, okay? No matter what’s wrong, no matter how scared or sad or anything you are...I’m here for you.”

“You…” Rat muttered. “You got me into shit with...Tom...Tommygun...you fucked up my career, my front door, my hideout...my life…”

“Yeah, look...I’m sorry...I shouldn’t have ever brought you into all of this shit with the Operatives.” Sky sighed. “I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

“No…” Rat shook his head. “No...you don’t…you don’t understand…”

He took another few difficult ragged breaths, looking up at her with the frightened gaze of a tortured pony.

“You...changed everything...took me away from all of that...gave me something to do...gave me a fri...friend...a pony I could hold onto...so...I could...let Fox go…” He whispered, nuzzling her nose softly. “I...I guess I’m grateful.”

“Yeah, well...we’re still gonna get you your life back.” Sky smiled confidently. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Everything’s gonna be back to normal before you know it. You’ll see.”

“Things aren’t gonna be normal, Sky…” Rat shook his head, drying his tears. “Things are never...never gonna be normal again for you and me. We’ve got...so much fucking pain, both of us. I’m cut up about Fox...and you...I know what you’ve been through, what really happened to Shadow...you’re hurting over it, too…”

“This isn’t about me, Rat…”

“No. It’s about us.” Rat said stoically. “It’s about you and me and what we’re doing and what we can do...and it’s gonna be about being really brave and holding on tight to me...because...when you see the truth about Shadow...you’re gonna hurt...bad…”

Sky caught herself blinking back tears, squeezing Rat as tightly as she could in her weak, soft forehooves. In time, Rat’s quiet sobbing subsided, and he wrapped his hooves around her, too. The two ponies stayed like that for a long time, each loath to say anything to the other for fear of upsetting someone and driving them away forever. They simply hugged, drying their fur out over time as they waited for the sun to rise, and for the longest time it was unclear who was supporting whom. Rat carried with him the knowledge that his brother had passed away and he had wasted half a decade holding onto his memory. Sky herself carried a tempest of conflicting thoughts and memories, details of the Elements Job pushing at the edges of her mind as she tried to comfort him.

In time, Rat’s sobs turned back into soft little whimpers, and Sky held him all the tighter. She whispered in his ears, just repeating the words “It’ll be okay” and “Sshhh” over and over again like a mother cuddling a crying foal. Even if the words only went in one ear and out of the other, the soft, caring tone of voice calmed Rat down over time, returning him to a state where he was at the very least less hysterical.

“Sor...sorry…” Rat muttered after a long while. “I...didn’t...mean…”

“Hey.” Sky whispered, shaking her head and giving him a friendly squeeze. “You’re my buddy, Rat. We’re partners, and I wanna make sure you’re doing okay. No matter what you’re going through, we’ll work through it together, deal?”

“Ye...yeah…” Rat nodded. “But that’s the thing, Sky...it’s something you’re going through, too.”

“Come again?”

“Well...re...remember the Elements Job?” Rat asked, finally meeting Sky’s gaze again with tear-streaks down his cheeks.

“Yeah.” Sky nodded.

“Well, I think...Shadow...kinda...went the same way as Fox…” Rat said slowly. “And...and it’s not your fault…like you said...accidents happen, right?”

“Yeah...the Elements Job was kinda hard for both of us.” Sky smiled, exchanging a glance with Shadow. “But it ended...better...I guess. She was okay. She got out alive.”

“Sky…” Rat shook his head. “Think about what happened...how bad she got hurt...try and remember…”

“Rat, I know you’re cut up about what happened to Fox, but it’s okay. He’s alive and so’s Shadow. They’re safe, and they’re both here for you.”

Rat’s face fell, and he contented himself by snuggling closer to Sky and sighing. “Will you just listen to me? This is kinda important.”

“Rat...I think you’ve had a bad dream or something.” Sky said, gritting her teeth just a little as doubt crept into the back of her mind. She frowned, trying her best to dispel the feelings of guilt and upset.

It’s okay...just remember that she’s okay. She’s right in front of you. Rat’s just confused. Maybe Fox got hurt, and perhaps even killed, but Shadow’s alright. You can see her right there.

“No, Sky...look, just...listen…” Rat insisted. “Look, I dunno how to tell you this or how to make everything okay, but...she’s gone. She died during the Elements Job. You wrote it in your diary yourself. Look, I know you’ve been relying on Shadow to keep you going all this time, but...she’s gone. You’ve gotta believe me when I say she’s gone.”

“Rat...she’s right there.” Sky replied softly, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about Shadow right now. Let’s just make sure that you can get back on your hooves. I get that you’re sad because of what happened to Fox, and sometimes I have nightmares where I remember what happened, too. Is that what happened?”

Rat closed his eyes and turned away, nodding.

“Okay.” Sky whispered, kissing him on the snout. “Yeah, I can understand that maybe it gets hard sometimes, but I promise that I’ll be here to make it okay, alright?”

“Yeah…” Rat replied, taking Sky’s forehoof in his own and squeezing it. “Thanks, sweetheart. I...we’ll deal with all of this shit together, you and me, right?”

“Exactly.” Sky smiled. “Look, I appreciate what you’re gonna do, and I know you’re looking out for me since you found out about the shit that happened a few years back, but we can deal with everything together once this job’s done, right?”

“Yeah...er...but there’s a condition.” Rat added. “You can’t keep deflecting me anymore. When we deal with this stuff together, we fucking deal with it. No more hiding, no more lies. We’re gonna take on everything together, you and me.”

“Yeah, sure, we can do that…”

“No. I want a promise.” Rat insisted, looking Sky in the eye and holding her hooves as tightly as possible. “Please, Sky. I’m gonna need your help, and I know you need mine, too. There’s a lot of shit that hurts you, shit you don’t wanna tell ponies about, stuff even you don’t understand...and you’ve been waiting for a pony like me to come along and help make it better.”

“What...what makes you think that?” Sky blustered, ears splaying back.

“Because I was, too.” Rat muttered.

Sky fell silent, the realisation that Rat really wasn’t that different finally hitting her. The idea of him undergoing the same struggles had occurred to her, but the nightmares, the unexplained feelings of guilt and self-loathing, the parallel accidents...for the first time since she’d met Shadow, Sky saw something in another pony...either a kindred spirit, or a stallion doing an incredible impersonation. When she looked into his eyes, she saw a mix of pain, confidence and the tiniest glimmer of hope there, a strange combination that twisted his face into a weak smile.

Does he really see the same stuff in me?

“Fine.” Sky said finally. “Fine. You...you win. We’ll work through all of this together once this job’s done. I promise.”

Rat stared into her eyes for a little longer, his smile widening. “That’s good enough for me.” He whispered, tucking her head under his own and nuzzling her fluffy white ears.

Sky sighed as she nuzzled his neck in turn, letting out an irritable little whinny as she settled down. She hadn’t prepared for this.

* * *

“Fox?” Shadow uttered quietly, spreading her primaries so as to peek under her wing at the inconsolable little colt.

Fox sat there, barely even moving, the tiniest occasional whimper interspersed amidst his heavy breathing.

“Fox…” Shadow whispered softly, laying down next to him and fluffing up her feathers to keep him warm. “Look...Rat probably didn’t mean that...he’s been acting crazy ever since he woke up…”

“Yeah, I know…” Fox squeaked. “But Shadow...he...he looked at me like...I wasn’t even there...he looked at me...just like everypony else does…”

“Well, maybe that’s just because you’re a good burglar.” Shadow suggested, her expression softening by the moment as she drew on the compassion she’d only ever shared with Sky. “He’ll come around, you’ll see.”

“Was...was that a...a compliment?” Fox snorted disbelievingly, wiping away some of his tears.

“Er...no! You would think that...you...you dumb-shit!” Shadow corrected herself hurriedly.

“Come on…” Fox muttered, giggling quietly. “You didn’t even put any effort into that one.”

“Yeah, well…” Shadow shrugged, huffing melodramatically. “I...can’t...maybe I just don’t want to put any heart into it while you’re all cut up like this…”

“Is that your sweet side talking?” Fox challenged, looking into Shadow’s eyes questioningly.

Shadow glanced away, her ears flicking and swivelling as she blushed. “Er…no...it’s just...the part of me that wants you to stop crying...it’s bad enough on this raft without you making it even wetter.”

Fox’s eyes drifted down to her forehooves, shuffling nervously underneath her body, and a tiny little hopeful smile crossed his face. “You always stop me crying. I don’t know how you do it, but...you make me smile. Thanks, Shadow…”

Shadow squeaked, pulling her free wing over her head and looking very pointedly at the other side of the river. “Well...er...great, I guess...and...maybe you make me smile too...er...a little…”

Fox cocked his head, his horn flaring as he pulled Shadow’s wing away from her face by magic. What he saw may well be the silliest, goofiest grin in Equestrian history.

“Oh, Shadow…” Fox giggled, snuggling up next to her and kissing her on the cheek. “You are sweet! I knew there was a nice pony underneath all of that grumpiness!”

“Yeah...well...maybe it’s Stockholm Syndrome or something.” Shadow chuckled noncommittally, struggling to control her smile. “You get stuck with an asshole long enough, I guess you start to...you know…”

“Like them?” Fox finished.

For a while, the only sound was that of running water as the two of them drifted down the river together. Cogs turned in Shadow’s head for what seemed like hours, as she struggled to find the right words to express how she felt about him.

In time, she raised her head, looking Fox in the eye as her smile faded. “Yeah.” She said simply.

Fox blushed, too, placing his forehoof on hers. “Well...that’s okay, Shadow. I...kinda like you, too…”

“Jeez, I didn’t notice.” Shadow snickered, looking down at their interlocked hooves and trying to ignore the burning sensation in her ears. “You were so subtle...trying to kiss me the night we met and everything…”

“Yeah...heh...I guess I kinda gave it away...er...a bit…” Fox whispered. “You’re not too mad, are you?”

“Nah, but you suck at kissing.” Shadow replied, resting her head on her free forehoof and staring out over the water. “I dunno what the hell it’s supposed to feel like, but it’s gotta be better than that uncoordinated crap you did.”

The two young ponies settled down next to one another, squeezing each others’ hooves a little tighter.

“I can try again, if you want.” Fox suggested, after a while.

Shadow’s ears perked, her head so close to the water by now that she was at risk of drowning herself. “Er...well...I dunno about...I mean, I guess you could...I...er...you need the practice...you...dumbass…”

Fox grinned, placing a hoof on Shadow’s cheek and turning her head towards him. As she stared into his eyes, she squeaked and whimpered softly, all of her image issues momentarily forgotten.

“You’re super-pretty, Shadow.” Fox whispered, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers.

Shadow’s eyes went wide, her whole body tensing up for a moment and her huge wings springing out completely. She’d done her best to mentally prepare herself in the few moments since he’d asked, but she’d never been kissed like this before. All of her training, all of her veneer and grumpiness and confidence abandoned her, replaced by one overarching realisation.

Wow, he’s shit at this…

As Fox finally pulled away, Shadow caught herself breathing far faster than she really felt she should, placing a hoof over her chest to check her pulse. Her heart beat faster than ever, a strange tingling feeling spreading across her entire body as she realised what had just happened.

“We...well…?” Fox asked warily. His horn glowed dimly in the half-light, evidently worried that he’d consigned himself to another surprise trip into the drink. Shadow, however, stared blankly at him.

“No.” She said finally. “That was crap. Like, absolute complete crap.”

Fox sighed, his whole body seemingly deflating as he made to lay his head down on the raft again. Shadow took his cheek in her own hoof, yanking his head back up again and forcing him to look into her eyes.

“You’re supposed to do it like this.” She whispered, kissing him back.

* * *

Sky and Rat lay together as the sun rose over the horizon, the clouds above dyed bright orange as the first light of day hit them. For just a little while, Sky’s fur was tinted gold as she stared out across Equestria.

“Huh…” She muttered. “We’re pretty close to the forest.”

“Yeah...about that…” Rat grumbled, opening his eyes and staring downriver. “So...this is the Everfree Forest we’re heading into, right?”

“Yeah.” Sky smiled brightly.

“Like, the Forest from which nopony has ever returned?”

“Well, there were these six ponies who did it a while back…”

“The Forest from which almost nopony has ever returned?”

“Well, if you wanna put it that way…”

“And you’re totally okay with doing this?”

“Well, not exactly…” Sky shrugged. “But do you wanna go up against the Operatives again? I mean, we can totally do that!”

“No no no no!” Rat cried hurriedly, waving his forehooves. “Come on, let’s not get hasty! I didn’t say I wanted to meet those guys again, but there’s gotta be another way, right?”

“Sure!” Sky nodded. “So, how else are we gonna get Poison Joke for these darts? Come on, I’m curious!”

“Well…” Rat frowned. “Er...we...we could…”

“Exactly.” Sky smiled. “Hey, look, it’s a big dangerous forest and there’s a lot of shit to look out for, but it’s like we said, right? We’re a team, and we can do anything together.”

Rat whimpered, nodding nervously. “Yeah...you’re right...we can do anything if we do it together. We’ve got this.”

As Sky patted him on the back encouragingly, the boat shook wildly. Water churned beneath them as their little vessel crossed the threshold into the Everfree Forest. Rat gave a soft squeak, cuddling up to Sky and giving her a slightly teddy bear-esque squeeze.

“Relax.” Sky smiled. “It’s nothing, sweetie. It’s like I said, you and I don’t have a damn thing to worry about, okay?”

“Yeah?” Rat quailed, lifting a forehoof and pointing further downriver.

As Sky followed his hoof, she gave a little squeak of her own. Straight ahead, the disturbed water churned and rushed around what looked at first to be a vast whirlpool that spanned the river. As Sky and Rat watched, a huge scaly something emerged from the very center of it. Two bright yellow reptilian eyes rested on the burglars as it reared up, a huge membranous crest spreading out from its lizard-like head to make it appear even bigger for its prey.

“Sky?” Rat said simply, as the monster opened its mouth to reveal a set of enormous, razor-sharp teeth.

“Er...yeah?”

“You were saying?”

Author's Note

Sorry guys, I finished the next chapter and decided that it worked better as an edit to this current one.

The River Guardian

“Well that’s fucking huge.” Sky muttered, looking up at the monster rearing before them.

“Yeah...er...well, you’re the pony with the plans.” Rat replied breathlessly.

“Er…” Sky glanced around, taking in their surroundings. Her eyes darted from tree to rock to swirling water as the monster opened its mouth as wide as it would go. Its jaw unhinged like a serpent’s, revealing an elongated tongue with writhing tentacular taste buds. “Okay...I don’t suppose you wanna try petting it?”

“I’ll pass, thanks.” Rat chuckled mirthlessly, crawling his way to the back of the boat. “Any other bright ideas?”

Sky glanced down at the boat beneath them, nodding slowly. “Yeah, I might do. Remember when you tipped the boat over earlier?”

“Ye...yeah?” Rat asked. The monster drew back, making a nasal rasping sound that shook the woods around them.

Sky didn’t leave him time to work the rest out, grabbing the side of the boat and pulling against it with all of her might. Both ponies redistributed their weight as fast as they could, overturning the little vessel just as the beast’s frog-like tongue shot out of its mouth. The slimy limb caught on the boat, drawing it right back into the creature’s mouth and leaving Sky and Rat treading water. The two ponies cringed as it brought its teeth down on the boat with a deafening crunch of wood.

“Well shit...er…” Sky spluttered, rolling over in the water and swimming for the shore as fast as she could. “I guess he can do that, then.”

“Yeah, this thing just keeps getting better and better!” Rat yelled, splashing her as he swam by.

Sky glanced across at the raft, catching sight of Shadow and Fox scrambling off of it into the foliage. That made sense. The only thing that mattered right now was getting out safe.

As she pulled herself up onto the bank, her hooves slipping on the liquid surface mud, Rat finally caught up with her. The stallion launched himself up onto the bank as well, horn flaring as he levitated Sky into the air to make their escape easier. With a little grunt of effort, she finally found some semblance of solid ground. Her soaking wet wings threatened to drag her down, but Rat didn’t stop pulling until she was safe and sound, out of the churning water and safely on the bank with him.

“See?” He panted, as they started to gallop deeper into the woods. “I told you we make a great team!”

“Yeah…” Sky chuckled, flicking his flank with her tail. “Fine, I’ll let you have that one. Just don’t start keeping a “Rat was right” tally, okay?”

“Fine!” Rat laughed. “But next time you think about flipping the boat and dropping us both into the river, you damn well warn me first, okay?”

“Well, we’re probably not gonna do that again any time soon.” Sky commented, glancing back at the remains of the boat as they left the monster behind. “Besides, we’re even for last ti...GET DOWN!”

Kicking out at Rat with her hind legs, Sky dived sideways as the serpent’s adhesive tongue shot through the trees towards them again. It crashed through branches and foliage before embedding itself in a nearby tree trunk. The two ponies stared in horror at the flailing tentacles, neither one saying anything for the longest time, before glancing back at the creature as one.

The River Guardian crashed through the undergrowth toward them, borne by a series of small lobsterlike legs. It drew its tongue back into its mouth, eyes fixed on Sky and Rat.

“Well shit, it can walk.” Sky breathed.

“Yeah, I noticed.” Rat said, turning tail and galloping for his life again. “Come on, we might be able to lose him if we go deeper into the woods!”

Sky charged after him, leaves and twigs crunching underhoof as she accelerated. In only a few moments she drew level with Rat, giving him a quick once-over to make sure he was okay.

“This was your dumbass idea!” Rat yelped, horn flaring as he made himself lighter in order to run just a little faster.

“Look, it’s either running from Operatives or running from this son of a bitch!” Sky yelled back, beating her soggy damaged wings as hard as she could. Her bad wing stung horribly as she put a little extra strain on it, the tendons still torn from her confrontation with Stronghooves the night before. The little white mare cringed as she caught sight of a growing patch of red in her bone-white bandages, the water dripping off of her wing mixing with her own blood and leaving yet another trail like the one back in Manehattan.

Rat caught sight of it, shaking his head. “We’re totally gonna get that looked at as soon as possible. I’ll pay for it if you want, but you can’t keep doing this.”

“Rat, it’s okay! My wing always does that! It’s no big deal!” Sky replied, panting just a little as she pushed her body as far as it would go.

“Sky, you know your life’s fucked up when your fucking wing starts bleeding and it’s “no big deal!”” Rat barked back. “Come on, you promised that we’d help each other out!”

“Yeah, well let’s just focus on getting away from that thing, then you can start worrying about my health!”

“Sky...we’ve lost it.” Rat said softly, bumping against her a little.

Sky glanced over her shoulder as she looked for the monster again. Sure enough, it was nowhere to be seen, having long since proven slower than two desperate ponies, even with that tongue. Breathing heavily, the mare let herself come to a gradual halt, shaking herself dry and causing Rat to splutter and back away.

“Hey! Piss off!” He yelped. “Your wings are all gross and bloody!”

“Oh, come on, they’re not that bad!” Sky replied grumpily. “It’s not like I’m bleeding out or gangrenous or anything, right?”

“Sky...I can see your fucking bones.” Rat pressed, magicking himself dry and conjuring a little blow-dryer into existence to do the same to Sky.

“Yeah, well...you shouldn’t worry about it.” Sky said stoically, shaking her head. “I’m gonna get it checked out by a doctor and everything’s gonna be fine. Just trust me, okay?”

“That’d work much better if I didn’t know that it can’t be cured.” Rat narrowed his eyes, turning the blow-dryer on and assaulting Sky with it. “You’ve been leaving a trail of blood all over the fucking woods! What if that fucking thing can follow scents, huh?”

“Then we’re fucked, aren’t we?” Sky asked, spreading her wings reflexively and flapping them against the rush of hot air. “Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ve been able to outrun it so far. What does it matter if I’m leaving a little blood behind?”

“Yeah, but…” Rat sighed, wiggling the blow-dryer to blow Sky’s fur in funny and interesting directions. “What the fuck kind of pony can honestly look at their bleeding fucking wing and call it no big deal?”

“Look, it’s fine. I’ve had this thing long enough to know that it’s not gonna kill me.” Sky grinned. “It’s okay, sweetie. I don’t like what happened to my wing, but I’ll get it fixed someday. You’ll see. In the meantime, I’m totally sure that that thing can’t follow scents. It lives in the fucking water! What would the point be in that?”

Rat nodded solemnly, finally vanishing the dryer and looking her up and down. “Oh, you look fabulous, darling! It’s really you!”

Sky’s eyes went wide as she looked herself over. “Oh shit, what did you do to me?”

“I didn’t do a damn thing to you.” Rat grinned. “But you do look pretty damn fluffy like this. It’s kinda cute.”

Sky groaned as she gave herself a once-over. Rat was right. Her fur was fluffier than ever, standing on end and giving her a fuzzy, almost airbrushed appearance. She felt her cheeks grow red as she looked down at her chest, ears splaying back.

“I’m not cute…” She mumbled.

Rat stared at her for a long while, taking his time to process what she’d said. A tiny mischevious smile played about his muzzle as he realised that he’d struck a nerve.

“Yeah?” He asked, slinking around her. “Because that sounds exactly like something a cute pony would say…”

“Don’t you dare...” Sky warned, blushing harder. With a little squeak of desperation, she hid her head under her good wing to block out Rat’s prying eyes.

“Don’t I dare what?” Rat snickered, finally bumping flanks with her and poking is nose through her primaries. “Say something undeniable? Tell things like they are? Do you not like being called cute, you adorable little fluff-muffin?”

Sky was just about to say something in her defence, but whatever she’d been planning to say caught in her throat as she exploded into giggles at the silly nickname. “What...what the fuck’s a fluff-muffin?” She laughed.

“It’s you!” Rat answered, not missing a beat. “You’re the sweetest, cutest, softest mare in Equestria right now, and you’d have to be mad to deny it!”

Quick as a flash, Sky tucked her head under her wing again. “Stop it…” She groaned. “I’m not...go away...piss off…”

“Awww, so that’s what embarrasses you.” Rat chuckled, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “That’s okay, I won’t tell anypony. Besides...I wanna keep you all to myself.”

Sky peeked out through her feathers, her frightened blue eyes meeting his. “Ye...yeah?”

“Yeah.” Rat nodded. “You’re a really sweet mare, even if you don’t wanna admit it, and I was kinda wondering whether…”

The two of them were interrupted by the loud crash of splintering wood.

“I think it found us.” Sky muttered, lowering her wing and looking around at the source of the noise.

The serpent burst out through a tree, showering the two ponies with leaves and shattered wood as it reared up again. Its mouth opened wide again, nose dripping with the very blood it had followed to find them. Sky’s blood.

“Come on! Let’s get moving!” Rat cried, turning tail and galloping away as fast as he could. The monster was ready for him this time, its enormous tongue shooting out and catching him in its tentacular taste buds. Stuck fast, he could only struggle for a moment before being pulled back into the creature’s mouth and swallowed whole.

“You son of a bitch!” Sky screamed, loading an explosive dart into her crossbow and training it on the giant serpent. Squeezing off a shot, Sky darted out of the way as it tried to catch her with its tongue, too. The dart struck its scaly hide, detonating with enough force to shatter stone and breach vault doors.

However, as the smoke cleared, the monster’s scaly armour was merely scorched. It glared at her with those burning yellow eyes, realising that she was a potential threat.

Well, that didn’t fucking work… Sky thought to herself, spreading her wings and launching herself onto a low-hanging branch as it snapped at her again. Its crest shot out again, spraying the whole vicinity with a strange black goo that reminded Sky of molasses. When it struck the branch nearby, it began to burn and sizzle its way through the wood, powerful acids eating away at the branch until it was barely able to support Sky’s weight.

“This isn’t good…” She muttered, launching herself higher and higher up the tree as the digestive goo tore at the branches and trunk beneath her. She remained painfully aware that Rat was still inside that thing and didn’t have much time left. If he hadn’t been crushed already, it was only a matter of time until he suffocated. She needed to get him out now.

I can’t get through its armour...there’s gotta be another way to get it out… Sky thought to herself, biting her lip and glancing down at it. The serpent reared up again, opening its mouth wide as it prepared to strike at her with its tongue again.

Sky cycled in an explosive dart, letting loose and diving out of the tree as the sticky appendage shot towards her again. The dart’s prongs struck its taste buds, sticking into its flesh as it pulled it back into her mouth.

As the white mare airbraked, coming back in to land in front of it, she fervently hoped that the lizard’s anatomy was at least somewhat similar to a supermodel’s. After all, this required the attention of its gag reflex.

The serpent made to lunge at her again, but before it could open its mouth again, the explosive dart in its mouth went off. Against its scaly armour it could only offer a little blunt trauma, but in its unarmoured mouth it did a great deal of damage indeed. Smoke poured out of its nostrils as its sinuses ignited, shockwaves firing off its gag reflex and forcing it to vomit. Opening its mouth wide and choking wildly, the monster produced a very upset Rat Racer. The poor red stallion struck the ground, the undergrowth doing little to break his fall.

Sky galloped over, giving him a slap across the face. She didn’t care that he was covered in saliva and other unidentifiable goo. What mattered was that he was free...and wasn’t hurt too badly, either. With a strained gasp, Rat started breathing again, his hooves jerking madly as he tried to get some much-needed air in his lungs.

“Come on, Rat. Get up.” Sky muttered, bumping him with her nose. “We can take this guy together, but I need you up, okay?”

“Yeah...yeah...I’m up…” Rat gasped, pulling himself onto his hooves and shaking some of the goop off of his coat. “Ugh...you owe me a shower.”

“I could live with that.” Sky shrugged. She looked around at the acid-damaged tree. It was top-heavy and tall enough that she suspected that there was very little keeping it up.

“Got any new plans?” Rat asked.

“Yeah, I’ve got one or two…” Sky muttered, looking from the tree to the coughing serpent. “Okay...grab that busted branch over there…”

Rat’s horn flared, picking up the nearby branch by magic and raising it above his head. On closer inspection, it was sharp and splintered, a potentially serviceable weapon in the right circumstances.

“So what the fuck do you want me to do with this?” He started, before leaping aside as that huge tongue struck the spot where he’d stood just a moment prior. With a terrified yelp, he brought the branch down on it with all of his might. The giant splinter punched right through it, pinning the appendage to the ground as the little tentacles flailed and writhed.

“Yeah, that!” Sky laughed, galloping towards the tree with Rat in tow. The serpent pulled at its own pinned tongue, trying to dislodge it from the ground and hissing angrily. Smoke still poured from its mouth and nostrils, the monster fixing the two ponies with a venomous gaze as its crest retracted again, getting ready to launch another spray of acidic venom at them.

“I’m gonna need your magic for this!” Sky cried, loading up her last explosive dart and firing it off at the weakened tree trunk.

Rat’s horn lit up again, holding onto the tree as best he could as it began to tip over. He couldn’t even begin to hold it up properly, merely doing his best to change its direction as it came down with inexorable force.

With a horrible crunch, the tree struck the serpent’s head, knocking it unconscious immediately. Against mere explosive force, the armoured scales of the monster were more than adequate to protect it from harm, but the sheer blunt trauma of several tons of tree coming down on top of its head was far too much for the tortured animal. With a weak whimper, it finally slumped down to the ground, out of the fight.

“Fuck…” Rat breathed. “Did...we just do that?”

“Yeah…” Sky nodded. “We...we kicked its ass.”

“Shit.” He stared at it for a very long time, sitting back and smiling weakly. “And...you saved me, too…”

“Yeah, well…” Sky shrugged. “I...I couldn’t let you get hurt like that. Besides...there’s no way I could’ve taken that thing down without you.”

“I couldn’t have done it, either.” Rat chuckled too, glancing across at Sky and grinning. “You and me really do make a great team.”

As he leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, Sky leaned away from him, scrunching her snout.

“Yeah...you’re having a wash before you get to touch me again.” She snickered. “Come on, we’ve got some Poison Joke to find.”

And with that, the two ponies got up again, making their way deeper into the Everfree Forest. They had a job to do.

A Friend Like You

Rat cocked his head as he spotted Sky smirking as discreetly as possible.

“Hey, what’s so funny?” He asked.

“Oh, nothing!” Sky said brightly, trotting along on her merry way. She couldn’t even remember where the hell the river was by this point, focussed on walking for the sake of walking.

Rat, however, suspected foul play, bumping his flank against hers. “No, come on, it’s gotta be something. What’re you grinning about?”

“My goodness, Rat!” Sky huffed with mock offence. “Can’t a mare just smile for no reason? You’re being way too paranoid!”

“Yeah, well you’re not the kind of pony who just smiles for no reason.” Rat said suspiciously, narrowing his eyes. “Do I have something on my flank?”

“Nope!” Sky grinned, trying to suppress her giggles. “But you did!”

“What are you talking abou...oh.” Rat rolled his eyes. “This is about the big snake thing and its fucking tongue, isn’t it?”

With that, the dam broke. Sky broke out into a wild giggling fit that sounded more like a happy neigh than anything else. Rat came to a halt, staring at her as she rolled onto her back, kicking her legs in the air.

“It wasn’t that funny!” He said defensively.

“It so was!” Sky snickered. “How come you get all of the luck, huh? The first big bugger with a tentacle tongue we run into, and he wants to eat you out!”

“Yeah, well, I’m not exactly into vore.” Rat shrugged. “What, you’re saying you’d be into that?”

Sky rolled onto her front, still breathing heavily as she fluttered her damaged wings. “Did I ever tell you about the land squid thing?”

“N...no…” Rat shook his head, glancing around to make sure no one was coming. He suspected that this wasn’t the sort of story that Sky was meant to tell in polite company...or company at all, for that matter.

“Well...okay...you’re gonna love this…” Sky grinned as Shadow and Fox emerged from the foliage. “Oh, hey guys!” She beamed brightly. “I was just gonna tell Rat about that one time a few years back, with the big land kraken that…”

Shadow didn’t wait for her to finish, clapping her forehooves over Fox’s ears and shaking her head wildly. “Nope! You’re not telling that story in front of Fox...or Rat...or...fucking…anypony!”

“Oh, come on! It’s a great story!” Sky protested, as Rat looked on with a curious expression. “It’s got action and adventure and romance and…”

“It does not!” Shadow glared, taking Fox’s tail in her mouth and attempting to drag him off. “She’s lying! Don’t listen to her! It’s horrible and disgusting and…”

“As I was saying.” Sky went on, grinning. “So I used to have this friend a while back called Eclair. She was an ex Royal Guard and thick as pig shit. So she goes and drinks this potion she just finds on the ground in the woods one day. Next thing you know...bam. Were-pony.”

Rat settled down in front of her, frowning. This was going to be good.

“Now, you know I love it when somepony’s an animal in bed…” Sky went on, flashing Rat a sly smirk, “but that was just nuts, so I go looking for ingredients to make a reversal potion to change her dumb ass back, and what do I find?”

“Nothing! You found nothing!” Shadow cried hurriedly.

“This great big squid, kinda like that big tentacley thing from Star Horse. You know the one?” Sky giggled. “Anyway, she made a bet with me that I couldn’t touch it, and I wasn’t gonna take shit from a bitch who’d just taken “fursuit” to the next level, so I went and gave it a poke.”

“THEN IT LEFT YOU ALONE AND YOU ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER AND...fuck this, I’m out.” Shadow groaned, putting her hooves over her own ears and taking off to hide in the upper branches of a nearby tree.

“Wha...what the fuck happened then?” Rat asked, enthralled.

“Well, then it grabbed me by the legs and...it was really good.” Sky bit her lip, completely shameless. “It felt amazing...”

“So how the hell did you get out?” Rat pressed. “Like, I heard those things kill ponies or get them pregnant or do all kinds of weird shit to them...er...which I know from...er...textbooks I read once.”

“Oh, it died.” Sky shrugged.

“Wait, it died?”

“Yeah.” She said, huffing disappointedly. “The poor thing was so tuckered out after a few hours, and I was just starting to get into it, so I shot it with a bunch of lust darts and it went for another four hours...then it dropped dead like a great big jerk.”

“Come on, Sky. You did not fuck a tentacle monster to death. That’s gotta be bullshit.” Rat huffed. “There’s no way you went for longer than that thi...wait, lust darts? What the fuck are they?”

“They’re my pink darts.” Sky mentioned off-handedly, gesturing to her bandolier. “They make you horny!” She added helpfully.

“Huh...and...that killed it?” Rat cocked his head. “They must be pretty potent.”

“They make you pretty horny.” Sky answered evenly. “If you even got a prick from one of these darts you’d be on my back in two seconds flat.”

“OH MY GOD, SHUT UP!” Shadow screamed from up in a tree. “YOU’RE DESTROYING, LIKE, EVERYPONY’S INNOCENCE RIGHT NOW!”

Sky grinned at her little sister’s reaction. “Shadow doesn’t like them because they get me laid instead of arrested.” She added, sticking her tongue out.

“Okay, I can believe the lust dart thing…” Rat conceded, glancing across at Sky’s bandolier. “But seriously? A fucking tentacle monster?”

“Well, it’s not fucking anymore!” Sky snickered.

“Very funny.” The unicorn chuckled, giving her a nudge. “You are so talking out of your ass right now.”

“Oh fine, Mister I-Don’t-Believe-My-Favourite-Pony-In-The-World!” Sky huffed. “You want proof? If we run into one of those things in the woods, I’ll trot right up to it and give it a smack just to prove you wrong!”

“Hmmm...fine…” Rat chuckled. “Let’s make this interesting, though. If you don’t do it...like, if you pussy out at the last second, you owe me a date.”

“Wait, a...a date?” Sky froze, taken aback.

“You heard me.” Rat grinned, crossing his forelegs. “A formal one, too. Like, you have to dress up and do your mane and everything.”

Shadow’s ears perked as he spoke, glancing down at the scene below with renewed interest.

“Wait...you wanna...take me...on…?” Sky began, but Rat held up a hoof to silence her.

“Those are my terms.” He said with finality.

“Wo...wow…” Sky whispered. “O...okay...but if we’re really making a wager out of this, if I can do it, you’ve gotta spend a whole day dressed up as a cheerleader. Like, with the knickers and everything. I seem to remember that you don’t have a problem wearing mares’ underwear.” She added, grinning evilly.

“Damn it, you’re never gonna let me live that down, are you?”

“Nope.” Sky shook her head. “So...do we have a deal?”

Rat bit his lip, thinking carefully for a while before finally taking her hoof and shaking it.

“Yeah.” He nodded. “We’ve got a deal.”

With a quick tug, he pulled Sky closer and kissed her on the muzzle. The little white mare squeaked, pulling back and clapping her hooves over her muzzle as she went a little pink.

“Wow, that’s cute.” Rat smiled, getting up and trotting deeper into the woods. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s find that Poison Joke before we something else finds us.”

As the two ponies trotted away, Shadow dropped down next to Fox, bumping her flank against his own.

“Don’t go getting any ideas.” She warned.

“What, you think I’m just gonna go about summoning tentacle monsters?” Fox replied evenly, grinning. “I may be awesome, but even I can’t do that.”

Shadow merely flashed a suspicious grin his way, before following in her sister’s hoofsteps.

* * *

Stronghooves stepped off of the train onto the underground platform, looking around at the sterile white facility walls.

“Rolling Thunder’s records say that this place used to be a Griffon research outpost.” Shield said, levitating a clipboard in front of his head and sipping on a thermos of coffee. “You’re right, though. This place is pretty remote. Any particular reason for the secrecy?”

“Mostly ethical reasons, I suppose.” Stronghooves shrugged. “We’re here to ensure that Sky comes back into my fold, and in order to do that...we have to take certain measures.”

“Yeah?” Shield asked, raising an eyebrow. “Why am I suddenly feeling uneasy about this, Hoovesie?”

“With good reason, probably.” Stronghooves sighed, trotting up a flight of stairs into the facility itself. “This building was constructed by a griffon mad scientist, and it became a test centre for the first Operatives. If memory serves, this is also where they were refining the transformation process.”

“Okay…” Shield frowned, following behind his friend. “And you were part of these tests, right?”

“Correct. I was the first pony to receive the enhancements.” Stronghooves nodded. “I’m very pleased to have been given the opportunity, too. It gave me a great deal of insight into how things are done here.”

He came to a halt in a large white atrium, glancing around at the doric architecture and smiling softly.

“The building was reinforced to be difficult to escape as well as penetrate. Remember, this fortress is meant to test the stability of the ponies undergoing enhancements. Aberrants could compromise the entire operation.”

“So they were killed?” Shield asked.

“Yes. Thunder always told me that they were “disposed of” responsibly, but come on, let’s not kid ourselves. If a pony didn’t demonstrate the necessary complacency, they were killed and dumped off of the side of the mountain.”

Stronghooves looked out of one of the huge windows over Equestria’s northern plains. From here he could see everything from the foothills that led into the mountainous Griffon Kingdoms, to the periphery of the Everfree Forest, and to Canterlot itself.

“That’s fucked.” Shield shook his head. “I hope nopony’s gonna get their corpse dumped off of a mountain after all of this.”

“No, trust me, they won’t.” Stronghooves smiled, shaking his head. “I’m not out to kill anypony, Shield. I’m here to make sure that Sky can be safe. I’ll simply take her away until the heat blows off, help her rehabilitate and remind her that I love her, and everything will be fine.”

“Sorta like taking in an injured animal and nursing it back to health before releasing it back into the wild, huh?” Shield nodded. “I could get behind that. So what’s the plan?”

“Well, like I said, this place is built to contain Operatives.” Stronghooves frowned, tapping a hoof to his chin. “It’s just about the only facility that we could use to trap Sky, since conventional prisons don’t seem to work properly.”

“Containing her’s one thing. Rehab’s another matter entirely.” Shield commented, following the Captain as he made his way down a corridor off the atrium.

“Yes, and this is where things get unpleasant.” Stronghooves sighed. “Shield...how do you make a pony want to be helped?”

“I guess they need to admit that they’re in trouble and can’t handle a situation alone, right?”

“Correct. Unfortunately, Sky’s never in that state. She’s confident and clever...I can’t begrudge her that.”

“She’s definitely resourceful.” Shield agreed. “You’re gonna have to pull some serious shit if you want to make her feel vulnerable.”

“She is vulnerable, Shield.” Stronghooves shrugged. “The trouble is that she hasn’t accepted it yet. She’s caught up in her own little world, seeing ponies where there are none. If she ever feels vulnerable, her own delusions come to her aid, strengthen her resolve and confidence. She honestly believes that her sister’s still there to help and encourage her.”

“Kinda sounds like her mental illness is giving her a kind of balance.” Shield grunted. “I guess you’ve got a plan, then?”

“Yes.” Stronghooves smiled, placing a hoof on a metal plate next to a heavy steel door. “I’m going to upset that balance. It’s...unfortunate that it has to be this way.”

A magical pulse shot up Stronghooves’s foreleg, before zapping back into the plate. With a tiny ding, the reinforced door swung open.

“This is sounding less and less ethical by the second…” Shield said doubtfully.

“Yes, it is.” Stronghooves replied, flicking a switch.

Huge lights blazed on as Stronghooves stepped into the room beyond, revealing a huge warehouse lined with shelves. Upon each shelf, rows of chrome canisters sat side by side. Each was filled with a glowing amber liquid, lending a little extra illumination to the room themselves.

“What the hell is this place?” Shield asked, ears splaying back as he observed his surroundings.

“This,” explained Stronghooves, “is where Rolling Thunder and Silver Tongue stored experimental compounds. Pharmaceuticals, bio-weapons, mutagens, alchemical weapons...and samples from various creatures in the Everfree Forest.”

“You’re going to use these on your sister?” Shield asked, cocking his head. His fur stood on end as a feeling of pure dread shot through his body.

“Yes. Medicinally.” Stronghooves nodded. “We can cure her of her hallucinations, mentally reprogram her and turn her into a model citizen...and the kind of sister I’ve been missing all of these years.”

“That’s fucked.” Shield muttered.

“Excuse me?” Stronghooves cocked an eyebrow, ears perking as he rounded on his friend.

“It’s not right.” Shield shook his head, taking a step back at the sight of Stronghooves’s face. “Look, I said I was gonna help you get your sister back, but I kinda pictured a heartwarming scene where you two hug and kiss and apologise for all of this shit and...you know...make up.”

“That would be doable under different circumstances.” Stronghooves shrugged. “As it is, she’s insane. She’s clinging to a pony who’s been gone for a very long time.”

“So are you.” Shield replied evenly.

“You’re deluded, Inspector.” Stronghooves growled, drawing himself up to his full height and advancing on Shield. “Sky’s been damaged, a lot. Her mind’s in much the same state as her wing; damaged, bleeding out and in need of urgent repair. I’d love to be able to fix what’s wrong with her with mere words and comfort, and there’ll certainly be time for that later. For now, I need to fix her mind before I can fix our relationship. Unfortunately...steps have to be taken.”

“You’re lucky that Daybreak isn’t here. She wouldn’t go for this shit at all.” Shield spat.

“She understands as much as you do, perhaps even less.” Stronghooves glared, his horn lighting up and slamming the door behind them by magic. “You don’t know how twisted and mad she’s become, how much the damage she’s suffered has affected her mind. She can’t be reasoned with, she can’t be talked down. She just runs and runs and runs, and if we can’t take this opportunity to pin her down and fix her head, she’s going to remain on a path of self-destruction that’ll end with her dying, alone and unloved. Don’t you see that?”

“Yeah, I see it, but fucking with her mind?” Shield countered. “There’s gotta be a better way. The insanity plea, a fucking mental institution? Anything like that?”

“Sky’s sane enough to escape it but damaged enough to require it. A heavy hoof is the only way that we’re going to ensure that she recovers. Nopony can do it but us, Shield.”

“Stronghooves...you’re right...I know you’re right…” Shield shook his head. “But...I’m not gonna do it. I quit.”

“You quit?” Stronghooves asked, cocking his head.

“Yeah. Look, I signed up to make sure you could get your sister back...I mean, I wanted to be your friend and this seemed like a great thing for us to do together...but this is fucked. I’m not gonna help you torture a fucking pony into submission, no matter how annoying she’s been.”

“Not even if it would save her life?” Stronghooves asked, tilting his head.

“No.” Shield said firmly. “That’s not the kind of pony I am.”

“You still don’t understand…”

“No, I understand completely.” Shield growled. “You’ve gone and fucked your sister’s life up way worse than anything she’s managed to do to herself, and now you’re gonna do the same thing again. And what if the Princesses find out about this shit? You’re risking everything just to fuck up a pony’s life.”

“The Princesses won’t know a thing about what we’re doing here.” Stronghooves said stoically, sidestepping the rest of Shield’s argument. “They’re under the impression that we’re conducting an extensive investigation into Rolling Thunder’s crimes...which is technically true.”

“So you lied to Celestia? Now I know you’re insane.” Shield huffed, turning tail and making for the door.

Before he could reach out to pull it open, the entire door was wreathed in bright blue magic, held fast by Stronghooves.

“You still don’t get it.” Stronghooves growled, stepping toward his friend and lowering his head. “You don’t understand that this is something bigger than the law, bigger than the Princesses or even the future that these enhancements can give Equestria. It’s all about family, Shield. Family is downright important to me, and I won’t let anypony stand in the way of that.”

“That’s your prerogative.” Shield said, rounding on Stronghooves again. “Mine is warning that pony away from here and telling the Princesses what you’re really planning. I’m a guard, not a torturer.”

“So you’re not only going to walk out on me, you’re going to try and stop me?” Stronghooves asked, stamping the floor with a forehoof.

“Yeah, the Princesses finding out about this shit is gonna completely wreck your career.” Shield spat. “Maybe then you’ll think about something other than your sister. That whole situation was fucked up to start with, but this...this is evil.”

“This is only another step on a road that I’ve been paving since I killed Shadow.” Stronghooves smiled confidently, muzzle inches from Shield’s as he stared into the stallion’s eyes. “The death of her sister, the fight against the Operatives, whatever she’s doing with Rat Racer...all of it is leading up to the moment I break her and turn her away from a path of self-destruction. You can either stand with me or against me, and you do not want to stand against me. I will defend myself.”

Shield faltered, staring into Stronghooves’s eyes for the longest time. Where he’d once seen compassion, the unicorn now saw a cold, feral desperation, the look of a stallion who would tear apart Canterlot itself in order to save his sister...however he defined “saving.”

“Go fuck yourself, Hoovesie.” He snarled. “I’ve given you my two weeks notice, and I’m walking out of that door whether you like it or not.”

Stronghooves grinned, placing his forehooves on Shield’s shoulders in total silence. For a moment, neither stallion even drew breath, silently assessing his counterpart before anyone took the first swing.

Shield was the first to strike, rearing up and slamming his forehead into Stronghooves’s. Their horns, both flaring with magic, struck one another with a crackle of power and the sickening clack of bone striking bone. Stronghooves reeled backwards, shaking his head and recovering just in time to strike out at Shield. The Inspector caught his hoof in the face, sending him tumbling onto his side. Stronghooves was quick to follow through, rearing up and bringing his forehooves down on his former friend’s head.

Shield’s horn lit up at the last second, producing a powerful energy field above his head. Stronghooves hammered at it with his forelegs, putting all of his significant weight behind each blow, but for all his effort he couldn’t break the Inspector’s forcefield.

“It’s...not gonna work!” Shield barked. “Get the fuck out of my way! I’m getting outta here and there’s nothing you can do to stop me!”

Stronghooves paused, realising that there really was no way for him to penetrate the shield. Stepping back, the Captain prowled back and forth like a tiger in a cage, his cold gaze meeting Shield’s as he tried to think of something.

The memory of his fight with Rolling Thunder came back to Stronghooves, the way he’d thrown himself into the machine as Thunder received the improved enhancements, the way he’d been able to override the Count’s commands...what the unicorn in the Enhancement Chamber had said about Thunder being able to mentally control the Operatives...ponies with the same improvements that Shield bore.

Concentrating, Stronghooves reached out with magic, wrapping unseen tendrils of influence around Shield’s mind and forcing his horn to fizzle out.

Sure enough, the forcefield flickered out of existence in just that moment. Shield appeared dazed for just a moment as he tried to process what had just happened, before his eyes opened wide with fear.

“Got you.” Stronghooves growled.

Shield pulled himself to his hooves, trying to put up the forcefield again, but Stronghooves darted forward and hurled Shield into one of the shelves. Canisters came crashing down as he slumped to the floor, his augmentations already working double-time to knit his bones back together.

Stronghooves was on top of him before he could regain complete consciousness, twisting the stallion’s mane around one of his forehooves and slamming the back of his head into the concrete floor. For the first time since their confrontation had begun, Shield stared up at Stronghooves with real primal fear, realising too late that he’d gotten in too far over his head.

The Captain didn’t give him time to regret his decision, pulling his head back and slamming it into the floor again and again. With his incredible strength, Stronghooves was able to do damage faster than the magic could repair Shield’s body, and soon the floor was awash with Shield’s blood, broken glass and dented chrome. Stronghooves didn’t stop until Shield’s screams subsided completely, replaced by weak whimpers as the stallion lay broken on the floor.

“Don’t you ever stand in my way.” Stronghooves whispered.

With that, he let go of Shield’s mane, letting the Inspector slump down on the very brink of unconsciousness. Stronghooves stared at his pathetic form for a very long time indeed, weighing up the decision to end his miserable life on the spot. As it stood, Shield was a potential string of unanswered questions for both Daybreak and the press, and Stronghooves couldn’t afford that. He certainly hadn’t come here with any intent to commit murder.

Besides, thought he, I think I might have a better use for this silly little stallion…

As Shield’s enhancements began to work their magic on his body and force him back into a conscious state, the last thing he saw was Stronghooves’s horn flaring as he stared into his eyes.

“Let’s see just how powerful Rolling Thunder’s control over the Operatives would have been, shall we?”

A Big Dumb Horse Of My Very Own

“I think we’re lost.” Rat said dully, after a while.

“Oh, come on! We’re just taking a detour!” Sky huffed, looking around at the seemingly identical trees and biting her lip. “We’ll find some Poison Joke, and then we’ll be out of the woods before you know it!”

“Okay, so say we do find some.” Rat cocked his head, fixing Sky with a politely curious gaze. “Which way’s out?”

“Well...er...obviously it’s…” Sky trailed off, sighing, “Okay, fine, but you didn’t have to follow me in here.”

“Did you think to ask for directions before you led us in here?” Rat asked, advancing on her.

“Well...no! But where the fuck were we going to ask? Canterlot? I’m not climbing the fucking mountain all over again just because we forgot a map and a list of magical herbs and fungi!” Sky countered, nudging him with her forehoof.

“What about Ponyville? That town’s right on the damn doorstep! We couldn’t go there?”

“Hey! How many guards do you think Stronghooves sent down there to make sure we wouldn’t make it? We were on a fucking life raft! He could send a message way faster than that!”

“He wouldn’t.” Rat shook his head. “Come on, just admit it. We’re completely lost and it’s all your fault!”

“Well...may...maybe we’re a little bit lost.” Sky conceded. “But come on! You could’ve said something!”

“I thought you were the one who was meant to bitch about asking for directions?” Rat sulked, sticking his tongue out at her.

“Wow, don’t tell me you’re bringing sex into it?” Sky laughed mirthlessly. “You’re doing such a great mare impression right now that I’m tempted to give you another blue dart!”

“Yeah, sure!” Rat grinned. “As if you don’t absolutely love this thing…” He smirked at her, shifting his weight just a little to expose himself.

“It looks better inside of me, thanks.” Sky chuckled, sticking her tongue out.

Both ponies froze in place, going a little pink as they looked into each others’ eyes.

“Erm...but...yeah…” Rat carried on, turning away and trying to hide his big goofy grin. “We’re pretty lost…”

“Yeah...yeah...you got me,” Sky snickered, “but hey, we’ll find the way out, right?”

“I guess if we walked in one direction for long enough, we’d eventually get out anyway.” Rat sighed. “Still, I wouldn’t mind knowing where the fuck we are. We don’t know shit about this forest or what’s in it.”

“Yeah, I admit that we could’ve perhaps planned this better.” She rolled her eyes, looking up through the foliage at the amber-streaked sky. “How long have we been out here, anyway?”

“Guess it’s been all day now.” Rat whistled, letting his legs collapse beneath him as he laid his head down on the foliage. “How do you feel?”

“Like my legs are about to drop off.” Sky chuckled, plonking herself down next to him. “We can always keep looking tomorrow, I guess.”

Rat shuffled just a little closer, leaves rustling underhoof as he came close enough to press his cheek to hers. Sky squeaked with surprise, glancing across at him with a slightly manic smile.

“Er...hey.” She grinned.

“Hey.” He smiled back. “So...er...do you come here often?”

“Damn it Rat, is this what that whole argument thing was about? Are you just that pent-up?” Sky laughed. “You could’ve just asked!”

“No!” Rat said hurriedly. “I mean...no...that’s not why...I don’t…”

“What’s the matter, sweetie?” Sky asked, gesturing for Shadow and Fox to give them a little privacy.

“Yeah...look...how do I say this…” Rat said quietly. “Erm...Sky...look...you know I’m usually okay with words…”

“No you’re not.” Sky replied evenly. “You’re actually kinda shit with them, otherwise you’d be able to weasel your way out of my plans.”

“Well, fine then.” Rat shrugged. “I’m not so good with words, but Sky...it’s kinda important that you hear this.”

“Go on, then.” Sky smiled politely, crossing her forehooves and fluttering her eyelashes at him. He had her full attention...and then some.

“Well...when I first met you...er...you were...super gorgeous...not that you’re not still super-gorgeous, of course.” He added quickly, as if he’d misstepped. “And you kinda made my whole damn world go wild. I know you don’t believe that Fox is gone, but...he is, and it’s been the loneliest five years of my life.”

Sky’s ears splayed back a little, but she kept listening, placing a forehoof on Rat’s. “Go on.”

“I...felt like shit. For the longest time, I felt like shit. I tried to hide behind delusions and hallucinations, damn near stepped out in front of a carriage myself...I never knew why, looking back.” He smiled a little. “I dunno what I was doing in the Terminal the day we met, but...I’m glad I was there. I’m glad I took your diary. Sue me.”

“Sweetie…” Sky beamed, going a little pink around her eartips and cheeks. “That’s damn sweet, and...I couldn’t have done any of this shit without you. Let’s face it, I’d be dead by now if you weren’t here for me.”

“Probably.” Rat chuckled. “You’re kinda off your rocker, sweetheart. Your ideas are so fucking crazy that I’m surprised you’re not dead already. Still...it’s nice to know I’ve helped hold that off for a few more years.”

“In our line of work, that’s all we’re doing.” Sky shrugged. “You run your jobs, get in the shit with guards and try to keep your plot out of prison for long enough to enjoy what you nicked...still...it’s been a long time since ponies were trying to kill me.”

“Yeah, me too.” Rat rolled his eyes. “And then you had to get the Marefia and a bunch of super-soldiers on my ass. How’s that for turning somepony’s life upside-down?”

“Serves you right for stealing my diary.” Sky giggled unapologetically. “You had it coming, asshole.”

“I guess I did.” Rat grinned, nuzzling her nose and making her recoil in fright. “But look...the thing I was trying to say is...I don’t wanna have sex with you.”

“Come again?” Sky asked, cocking her head. “You…don’t wanna…?”

“No. And it’s not because you aren’t pretty - I mean, you are…” he said hurriedly. “It’s just that...you’re kinda acting like a piece of meat, and I know you’ve fucked me once or twice just to get out of talking about anything serious.”

Sky cocked her head so far sideways that it was in danger of unscrewing and dropping off of her neck.

“The thing is…” He began, but Sky held up a hoof to stop him.

“Yeah, I get it.” She said, frowning. “You don’t wanna fuck me because you’re afraid you’ll catch something or get saddled with a foal, right?”

“No, I mean…”

“Because you know I can’t have kids, right?” Sky went on. “Or did you not read that while you were going through my diary?”

“Look, it’s not that…” Rat began, but Sky leapt to her hooves, glaring at him.

“No, look, I get it. The wing puts you off, doesn’t it?” She said accusingly, giving him a gentle shove with her forehoof.

“No, it’s not. Could you shut up for two seconds and fucking listen?” Rat groaned. “Just shut the fuck up, settle down and listen to me! Come on, this is important!”

“Last time you said something was important, you started going on about how you could “help” me. Guess what! Unless you can change the past and make everything okay again, you can’t fucking do it!” Sky barked.

“This isn’t about that, Sky!” Rat growled, getting to his hooves and taking her by the shoulders. “I don’t wanna fuck you because you’re...you’re not…”

“Not what?” Sky growled, taking his forehooves in her own and trying to throw him off. Rat gave her a push, shoving her into a tree trunk and biting his lip.

“You’re not like anypony I’ve ever met.” He finished pathetically as she glared daggers at him.

“I know.” Sky replied. “I’m a freak.”

“No…don’t say…” Rat groaned, clearing his throat and trying again. “Sky...I don’t wanna fuck you because everypony else who’s done it treated you like a piece of meat. I think you’re worth a hell of a lot more than that.”

“I can start charging for it, if you want…” Sky offered, shrugging.

“No, I mean...I like you...erm...I like you a lot, actually.” He said pathetically. “You’re sweet and pretty and nice and it’s clear that you really love Shadow, even now. At the same time you’re wild and crazy and all kinds of weird…”

“Crazy? I’ll show you cra...wait, what?” Sky paused, too taken aback to continue her angry rant for the moment.

“You’re a mad little birdhorse and you’ve been through some shit...and I should know. I’ve been through some shit, too.” Rat chuckled. “But look...I’ve kinda gotten to know you and I...I kinda liked you a little more than anypony else I’d met when we were back in Manehattan. The way you just went out and did stuff, the way you didn’t seem to think...how you just kinda knew what to do next…”

“Yeah yeah, I’m good at improvising.” Sky rolled her eyes. “Keep going.”

“Damn it, Sky! Stop interrupting!” Rat practically shouted. “I’m trying to tell you I like you, you dumb bitch!”

Sky and Rat froze as the impact of what he’d just said struck both of them. Sky’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly as she struggled to process this completely foreign concept.

Wait...what? She thought to herself, looking up into Rat’s worried eyes and loosening her grip on his hooves. Shit...is this how Penfeather felt when I slipped that letter into that book I returned a month ago?

It suddenly struck her that she hadn’t said anything for a while. Both ponies waited in awkward silence for the other to say something. On occasion, one of them would open their mouth only to shut it as the other started to say something.

Come on Sky, you can do this! Just say something! Wisecrack at him! Say something witty and sweet! This is your chance!

“Duh.” She said blankly.

Well done! That’ll definitely make his heart melt!

Sky snapped her mouth shut, her tongue poking out between her lips. She looked very silly indeed.

“Er...are...are you okay?” Rat asked, concerned.

“Yup!” Sky squeaked, realising that her voice was a much higher pitch than she remembered it. “Er...I...didn’t see...that...coming…”

“Well...er...yeah…” Rat shrugged, letting go of Sky’s forehooves and stepping back.

You know, he could be exaggerating. She thought to herself. Come on, you’re a burglar! There’s no way he’s really got a crush on you. Come off of it! Just let him down gently, and…

“I like your ass...I mean, personality…” Rat froze, cringing the same way that Sky had done in the library. She knew that expression anywhere.

Oh my gosh he really means it!

“Sky?” He said after a while, waving a hoof in front of her face as her eyes unfocussed.

“Eep!” Sky replied intelligently. “Erm...thanks...thanks for saying that to me, Rat. It was good to...er...hear...your...mouth...words…”

“Is this gonna make things weird?” He asked. “Cause if you’ve got a problem with it, I can shut up.”

“Nope!” Sky giggled. “Not weird at all! I just…I…wow!” She shivered as she lay against the tree trunk, letting out slightly choked guffaws from time to time. All of her normal charisma abandoned her. “Erm...can you please excuse me? I’ve gotta...gotta...dunk my head in some water…”

And with that, she dropped back onto all four hooves and practically skipped away into the woods, the biggest, happiest smile in the world on her face.

Oh my gosh another pony likes me and he’s cute and he’s sweet...well, I mean, he’s kind of a fixer-upper, but whatever! He’s got a sweet smile and such a nice laugh and he puts up with all of my bullshit and he doesn’t care about my wing! Oh wow, I haven’t taken a breath in like five minutes now. I’d better do that…

* * *

Shadow’s ears perked up as Sky came crashing through the undergrowth towards her. She knew that gait far too well. It was the distinctive galloping of a pony who wanted a great big hug.

“Oh, shit…” She breathed, trying to scramble for cover.

Biting Fox’s tail, she made to drag him into the bushes to hide, but it was far too late. Sky burst out of the undergrowth in a storm of scattered leaves, picking up both of them and squeezing them close to her chest.

“No! NOOOOOO! Sis, why the fuck did you have to do that?” Shadow hissed. “Fox is watching!”

“I...eek...sure am!” Fox grinned triumphantly, chuckling at the sight of Shadow pouting with one cheek pressed up against her big sister’s fluffy chest. “What’s up, Miss Sky?”

Sky took a deep breath, letting everything out in one big string of words.

“Rat said he likes me as more than a friend and I think he wants to be my coltfriend and that means I’d be his marefriend and we’d be totally happy together and I’m gonna take such good care of him and he doesn’t wanna fuck me! Can you believe that?”

“Wow...this is the happiest you’ve ever been when somepony doesn’t wanna fuck you.” Shadow deadpanned. “Er...well done, I guess?”

Sky gave them one more big winding squeeze before dropping them both and skipping off in search of a stream to wash her face in.

Shadow and Fox took forever to catch their breath as the happy mare’s squees died away, but when they finally raised their heads again, they grinned at one another.

“I have to live with this shit.” Shadow snickered.

“Yeah, well, she’s gonna have to live with us, too.” Fox winked. “Don’t worry, Shadow. If they wanna get together, we’ll be there to make things interesting for them.”

The filly’s eyes lit up with glee as she shuffled closer, wrapping one enormous wing around him and pulling him in.

“It’s gonna be a pleasure working with you.” She said wickedly.

* * *

So preoccupied was Sky with her own thoughts that she didn’t see the sudden drop coming. She skipped right over the edge, her extended wings holding her in the air for only a moment before she plummeted. With a series of pained squeaks and grunts, the little white mare rolled down a leaf-covered embankment, skidding to a halt at the bottom with a rustle of disturbed foliage.

“Okay...let’s...let’s watch where we’re going next time…” Sky groaned, spitting out leaves and shaking her head. “Damn it, that just completely ruined my mood…”

As she pulled herself upright, Sky squinted in the half-light. Down here, only a little of the dying sunlight broke through the trees, illuminating a little clearing surrounded by monstrous twisted trees. A network of massive ancient roots spread out from the vast trunks, winding around one another like natural braids.

Sky whistled softly, tapping one of the roots with her forehoof.

“Wow, this is pretty nice and secluded…” She muttered. “I wonder if Rat’d want to come down here with m…”

The last word caught in her throat as she felt something winding around her forehoof. Biting her lip, Sky glanced down, catching sight of a big prehensile root taking her leg in an iron grip. She gave it a little tug to try and free her limb, but it held fast, slowly winding its way up her leg toward her shoulder. Still others, attracted by her struggling, wrapped around her other legs as well.

“Uh oh…” She muttered. “Uh, Rat? I think I found one!”

Flora and Fauna: A Brief Interlude (Clop)

Shadow fluttered down onto a branch, looking down into the clearing with concern until she saw just what her dumbass big sister had gotten herself into.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake…” Shadow muttered, rolling her eyes.

A moment later, Fox appeared on the branch next to her in a burst of amber light, coaxing a terrified squeal out of the poor filly. Shadow promptly scrambled away from him, slipping off of the branch and hanging on for dear life by her forehooves.

“What did I miss?” Fox asked, helping his little marefriend back up.

“Shut up…” Shadow mumbled, batting the colt away and hauling her own flanks back onto the branch.

“Um...is that…?” Fox frowned, looking down at the monster as it wrapped Sky in half a dozen slimy limbs.

“Yeah, it is…” Shadow nodded, giving a long-suffering sigh. “Fox, I don’t think you’re old enough to see this sort of shit.”

“I’m as old as you are!” Fox protested, staring down at the scene below.

“Exactly, and I wasn’t old enough for this shit when it happened last time,” Shadow deadpanned.

“Oh Celestia, this has happened before?”

“Yeah,” Shadow huffed, blowing her mane out of her face, “only back then she was on her own and she had to fuck it to death. I guess Rat’s gonna bail her ass this time.”

“Because Rat’s going to be so horrified when he sees her like this,” Fox sighed sarcastically.

“Well, whatever. She’s getting her own ass out of there. I’m not helping her this time...and stop watching, damn it!” Shadow added, grabbing Fox by the ear and dragging him away.

“Eeep! Hey! Not my ear! Leave me alone! I was just curious, okay?”

“Yahuh, sure you are…” Shadow growled. “Come on, let’s be curious somewhere else.”

“Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?” Fox giggled.

“N...no! I’m not jealous! I just don’t want you checking out my sister...or worse, imagining me in that position” Shadow blustered, “in fact, if you could just stop being a big stupid overgrown colt for two seconds, that’d be great.”

“I...I wasn’t thinking anything like that” Fox squeaked, hiding his head in his hooves, “you’re paranoid!”

“Oh Luna, you were, weren’t you?” Shadow cringed, tugging him along.

“N...no! I wasn’t…”

“That’s disgusting, Foxy. Like, you’re charting whole new galaxies of gross right now…” Shadow groaned.

“I didn’t mean anything by it!” Fox yelped.

“Sure you didn’t…” Shadow grumbled. “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight, buster.”

“We don’t even have a couch!”

“Exactly.”

* * *

Sky wasn’t entirely certain how she kept getting into situations like this. It occurred to her that she should perhaps cry for help, and she’d certainly shouted herself hoarse trying to get Rat’s attention. Judging by the sound of someone blundering through the undergrowth, however, Rat had already heard her.

Good… thought Sky, I’d hate for him to miss out on this!

“Watch out for the…” Sky began, as Rat burst into the clearing, making a leap towards her before promptly tumbling down the same bank that Sky had fallen down. He grunted as he rolled head over hooves, finally kicking up leaves and soil as he skidded to a halt before the monster.

“Ow…”

“Yeah, there’s a bank there…” Sky giggled, ‘but hey, Rat! You’re just in time! Look what I found!”

The little red unicorn shook his head, finally taking in the scene before him. Whatever the hell it was that lurked in the clearing had a slimy tentacle around each of Sky’s legs, a fifth around the base of her tail and a sixth holding her by the neck. Somewhere in its tiny monster brain, the unknowable Lovecraftian horror that held Sky up knew that something was wrong, that nopony should be this happy about what was about to happen. It was more used to ponies squealing in terror, freaking out or, in some cases, trying to bargain with it. Still, Sky was the first pony who’d blundered into its trap in months, and it did fancy a little fun…

“Sky, what the hell are you doing?” Rat gasped, looking up at his marefriend as the monster spread her hind legs by force, raising her tail.

“I told you I’d find one!” Sky beamed. “You’ve gotta do the cheerleader thing! You’re gonna look so silly!”

“Really?” Rat yelped urgently, “you’re about to get raped by a tentacle monster like some kind of Neighponese cartoon and that’s all that you’re thinking about right now?”

“It’s not rape if I’m up for it!” Sky giggled. “Besides, I just wanted to see the look on your fa…”

Sky let out a loud squeal as she was interrupted, one of the prehensile limbs pressing against her pussy lips before driving as deep into her marehood as it could go. She was swiftly winded as the blunt trauma hit her diaphragm, panting desperately with her tongue hanging out.

“Sky? Are you...are you okay?” Rat asked, taking a step closer.

“Ya...yahuuuuuh…” Sky moaned softly, as the monster started to pound away at her, slowly at first. “Oh...Ra…Rat...you should try this…”

“I’ll pass, thanks!” Rat shook his head. “Come on! We’ve got a job to do here! You can’t just go fucking random monsters you find in the woods!”

“Ca...can...too…” Sky murmured, wiggling her flanks and pushing back against the tentacle as it started to speed up. A second limb pressed against her plot, coaxing a pained little groan out of her.

Rat pouted as he watched his new marefriend suspended in the air, trying his best to dispel the feelings of overwhelming jealousy that ran through his mind and his heart. Seriously, he’d just gone and told Sky how he’d felt about her all along, and now this?

“Sky, you’re such a slut…” he groaned, looking around for anything he could use to free her from the trap, “seriously, only you could find a horny monster in the middle of the deep, dark woods…”

“Sh...shit…this is harder...than...I remember it being…” Sky grumbled, looking around at Rat as best she could. Through her dim vision, she could see her favourite little red unicorn desperately trying to find a vine to throw her, anything that would get her out of this frankly ridiculous situation.

Wow… Sky thought to herself, frowning, he must really care about me…

She let out a loud squeal as a second tentacle pushed deep into her plot, stretching her wide and knocking the wind out of her yet again. Still, she found herself enjoying it far less than she had before. Of course, it was amazing fun and it felt so good to be fucked like this, as deep as the tentacles could go without doing something unpleasant to her cervix, and her pussy dripped with a mixture of her own juices and the strange clear lubrication excreted by each limb.

So why aren’t I enjoying this as much as I used to?

Sky twitched and moaned as both of the tentacles synchronised their movements, fucking her in both of her holes at once. Her ass was far tighter, making for a much less comfortable fit, but she couldn’t deny that it felt great. The lubrication from the tentacles began to work on her body, a plethora of powerful pheromones taking control of her mind and relaxing her muscles. It was like being overcome by the most powerful lust formula in existence, and Sky found herself crying out louder and louder, struggling with a mixture of overpowering lust and dull guilt.

“RAT!” She finally cried out, arching her back and climaxing for the first time. Her tongue hang uselessly out of her mouth as a mixture of fluids dripped down onto the forest floor. She hadn’t cried for help.

Rat Racer’s ears perked, and the stallion looked around and up at her with a little smile. “Aww, look at you! You could stop getting fucked for just long enough to remember my name!”

“I’m...sorry...I didn’t mean...to...upset you…” Sky wheezed, as the tentacles squeezed her legs a little tighter to hold her in place. “Just...wanted...to...win...bet…”

“Yeah, yeah, we can have our first ever relationship argument once we get you free…” Rat rolled his eyes, “now, there’s gotta be something I can use to get you out of this situation...a stick, a vine, something...”

Rat was interrupted by a rustling in the leaves below him, not unlike the passage of a snake through the undergrowth. All of a sudden, a vine shot out of the leaves, wrapping around Rat’s forehoof. The stallion swiftly pulled away before the vine’s grip could tighten on his leg, yelping with fright.

“What the fuck was that?” He squealed, backing away and flaring his horn to scare the plant off.

Sky would have answered, but the pheromones acting on her body had rendered her unable to speak, reducing her to a gibbering, panting pony. Another tentacle pushed itself into her mouth, forcing her to breathe raggedly through her nose. Rat didn’t have much time.

“Da...damn it, Sky…” Rat growled, looking at his forehoof where the vine had struck him. A thin film of goo clung to his fur, not at all unlike the stuff that those tentacles were leaking…

Rat grinned. He had an absolutely fantastic idea…

“Oh, look at me!” He chuckled, trotting back and forth and doing his best to look innocent. “I sure hope that no angry carnivorous plants jump out and try to eat me! Whatever would I do?”

Sure enough, the vine shot out from beneath the leaves at him again. Rat danced out of the way, laughing as it wrapped around one of the tentacles restraining Sky. A further three vines shot out towards him, and Rat found himself having to cast his weight-reducing spell to jump ever higher, leaping atop the branches overhanging the clearing and staring down at the scene below.

As the vine wrestled with one of the tentacles for supremacy, two others snaked up the tree towards Rat. He spotted them at the last second, leaping from the branch and launching himself down towards Sky. The vines shot after him, striking the slimy limbs instead as Rat dove out of the way again.

The unicorn skidded to a halt as he hit the ground, kicking up leaves and soil again as he looked back at the monster engulfing Sky. It wrestled with the vines, which themselves decided that those tentacles were just what it needed for nourishment, and both creatures dripped with high-strength paralysing pheromonal fluids. Rat let out a little squee of delight as the tentacles grew increasingly limp, sliding out of Sky’s body and letting her drop to the ground with a dull thud.

“Sky…” Rat whispered, galloping over and nuzzling her. “Hey, can you hear me?”

“More, please…” Sky mumbled weakly, eyes rolling in different directions.

“Close enough.” Rat sighed, hoisting the silly little pegasus onto his back and galloping out of reach of both predators. “You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?”

Sky didn’t say anything for a very long time, too dazed to come up with a witty response. The chemicals running through her body messed with her mind, slowing down her mental processes and giving her the most incredible buzzing sensation in her marehood, an insatiable hunger that was difficult to ignore.

“Yup.” She finally muttered. “‘m a dumb horse…”

“And what are you not going to do again?” Rat asked, trying his best to sound like a scolding adult.

“Hit on tentacle monsters…” Sky mumbled, “while you’re watching, anyway…”

Rat sighed, bucking his flanks a little to knock some sense back into his marefriend. “Close enough.” He conceded, smiling.

“Iwubyou…” Sky whispered, clinging tightly to the stallion as he made his way away from the clearing.

“You...what?” Rat asked, a little taken aback.

“I said Iwubyou…” Sky mumbled, no clearer than before.

Rat had a fair idea of just what she was trying to say, but dismissed it as the rambling of a hormonally charged bitch-pony for the time being. Still, as he carried her back to their makeshift campsite and lay down with the little mare across his back, he couldn’t help but blush at what she’d said.

“I wub you too, Sky.” He chuckled, putting on a rather silly voice to play it off as humour. “Are you gonna be alright?”

Sky lay on top of him, her brow furrowed as she held him tighter. She looked troubled all of a sudden.

“I...don’t...know…” She said slowly, nuzzling him. “I don’t...want…I don’t wanna get...left...behind. Nopony ever stays with me for long...just...Shadow…”

Rat frowned, realising that Sky was far less deflective in her current state. He gave her a little nuzzle, kissing her on the cheek.

“I promise that I’ll never leave you behind, toots. We’ll get this sorted out, head back to Canterlot together, and I guess I’ve gotta put on a cheerleader’s outfit for you, huh?” He snickered.

“Mhmm.” Sky nodded, giggling quietly. “And you’ve...gotta...do a proper cheer…”

Rat sighed. It seemed as if Sky was going to be all right after all. He rolled onto his back, wrapping his favourite little white pegasus in his hooves and kissing her on the forehead.

“You’ve got it,” he whispered, “on one condition.”

“Hmm?”

“You stay safe for me.”

Sky opened her eyes, meeting Rat’s gaze. For just a moment, he caught a glimpse of something real, something worlds away from the image she’d tried to project for as long as she’d known him. In this dazed state, Sky wasn’t able to maintain her cool confidence any longer, and at last she showed Rat how she was really feeling; frightened and confused beyond belief.

The little unicorn said nothing more, kissing her on the forehead and closing his eyes. There were no words that could make what had happened to her in the least bit okay, nothing to dispel the horrible things that she’d experienced. For now, he did the only thing he could, squeezing her tightly and letting her know that she was cared for.

“G’night, Rat…” She whispered.

“Goodnight, Sky.”

Trickery

“Hello, Rat Racer.”

The little red unicorn’s eyes flickered open, and he let out the tiniest little groan as he caught sight of a set of heavy white hooves.

“Stronghooves,” he grunted, hauling himself upright and looking up at the larger stallion, “I guess you’re not done with me yet, huh?”

“Unlike my sister, an encounter with me seldom only lasts one night,” Stronghooves said with a smile, patting Rat on his shoulder.

“So I guess there’s more ground to cover?”

“Yes,” Stronghooves said, nodding, “Sky’s damage runs far deeper than you or I know. It makes the healing process...difficult.”

“Well, Sky and I had one hell of a day today,” Rat chuckled, “but I think we made a lot of progress today. I think she’s really starting to trust me.”

“Interesting,” Stronghooves frowned, conjuring a dossier out of the ether and reading it over, “the file we have on her notes that she had a lot of trouble forming meaningful emotional attachments to other ponies. In fact, to my knowledge, she’s only done it with two ponies before she met you.”

“Shadow?”

“And myself,” Stronghooves said, nodding again, “Sky’s been starved for love all of her life, and it’s the fault of our blasted parents.”

“What was wrong with her, anyway? Was it because of her wing?”

“Um...no.” Stronghooves looked away, “I don’t suppose you have all-unicorn families in Manehattan, Rat Racer?”

“Course we do,” Rat said with a shrug, “but they’re pretty much the same as everypony else. Are you trying to tell me that your parents hated her because of her wings?”

“Precisely.”

“That’s fucked,” Rat sighed. “She could’ve been anything she wanted, even without a horn. She could’ve been a Wonderbolt, or…”

“She tried,” Stronghooves said, shaking his head, “but her wings were underpowered even when she had both of them. Barely able to lift herself off of the ground under her own power. I had to...launch her.”

“That sucks,” Rat muttered. “With all due respect, your parents are a pair of assholes. When I get back to Canterlot, I’m gonna kick their asses myself.”

“I wouldn’t blame you,” Stronghooves smiled, “you don’t need me to tell you that they fell out of favour with me when I realised that everything they’d said about her had been a lie.”

“What exactly did they say?”

“Anything that they thought I’d buy,” Stronghooves sighed. “Rumours of her stealing from the other foals, about her being a manipulative little bully. I believe they even told me that she was a changeling, and that my mother’s distress was because she kept sapping her love.”

“And you bought it,” Rat frowned, folding his forelegs and raising his eyebrow.

“I was thirteen, and scared. A lot of very confusing things had just happened, not least my little sister being thrown out of our family home. I accepted what they said...at first.”

“Yeah, I remember it said in her diary that you kept bringing her food and stuff for a while. She also wrote something about how you...protected her.”

“That’s correct,” Stronghooves affirmed, “there was a little father-son burglar team in our part of the city by the names of Shady and Nightshade. They were...and are...brutal stallions, brawlers first and burglars second.” He scoffed. “Sky got called all sorts of horrible names by those two for being a...sub-par pegasus. I protected her from them every single day…”

“...and then you left her alone…” Rat growled.

“Yes. My parents’ lies finally got to me. I believed them, and I left her alone…” Stronghooves whimpered, “and...well, I suppose you explained to me last night what ended up happening to her.”

“Does it hurt, knowing that you’re responsible for that?” Rat asked, narrowing his eyes.

The enormous stallion turned his head away, closing his eyes.

“It...hurts a lot,” he murmured, his voice cracking a little, “my own little sister...made to suffer because...I couldn’t...protect her…”

“You can’t blame yourself for this,” Rat said, shaking his head. “Your parents are manipulative douchebags, and you were just a kid. It’s...well...it’s not okay, not by a longshot...but it’s not something you can take responsibility for.”

Stronghooves scoffed as tears ran down his cheeks. “Are you sure about that?”

Rat stared as the captain hauled himself to his hooves, wiping his eyes.

“You no doubt remember...this is a place where we can share our memories and watch them together?” Stronghooves asked.

“Ye...yeah…” Rat nodded, looking around worriedly. He wasn’t entirely certain that he wanted to see this particular memory.

Stronghooves took a while to compose himself, breathing heavily as the sobbing gradually subsided. Finally, he stepped out onto the little stone bridge, beckoning for Rat to follow him. The burglar sighed, trotting along by his side.

“They held my future over my head,” Stronghooves growled. “They knew exactly what buttons to press to make me compliant. I wanted to go to the Royal Guard Academy when I got older, and they threatened to...well, you’ll see…”

The two of them came to a halt atop the bridge, looking down into the opaque water of the creek below. Stronghooves placed a heavy hoof on Rat’s back, sighing weakly.

“I’m sorry for what you’re about to see,” he whispered, before hurling the burglar into the water.

* * *

Rat surfaced once more, blinking in the relative brightness of Canterlot at dusk. As he looked around, he caught sight of some worryingly familiar buildings.

This is the canal that we jumped into when we were escaping that Operative mare yesterday… he thought to himself.

With a grunt, Rat hauled himself out of the channel before it took him anywhere too vertical, rubbing his head and getting his bearings. Nearby, a white stallion with a bright blond mane waited for him, his expression grave.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to that.” Rat chuckled, wringing out his mane as he approached Stronghooves.

“Well, hopefully you won’t have to get too used to it,” Stronghooves said, patting his friend on the back, “but right now, I want you to brace yourself. We’ve gone back even further into the past than we did last night.”

“How far back, exactly?” Rat asked, walking with Stronghooves as the stallion made his way towards the Rich District.

“Well, I believe this was three days after Sky’s seventh birthday. That makes me fifteen today,” Stronghooves replied, “Rat...if I show you this, you must promise me one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Try to see what happens here from the perspective of a scared teenager, and realise that...I do realise my mistake in retrospect and I’ve regretted it for most of my life. This is the night I lost my own little sister.”

“I think she lost a lot more than you did,” Rat said frowning.

“You’d be right. Moreover, we both lost each other, and that was something...almost symbolic, I suppose. It was as if we each realised that there was no going back anymore, no returning to the childhood we’d known. We...grew up in our own ways.”

“And you think that Sky somehow grew up...wrong?” Rat asked.

“We’ll take a look at this memory, and then perhaps you can make the assessment yourself,” Stronghooves said quietly, stopping at a fence.

Rat looked past him, cocking his head as he stared over the fence at a great big house, so huge that at least three of his hideouts could fit inside it. Considering the kind of fare in this part of the city, that house was unremarkable, but to Rat, it was enormous and elaborate beyond belief.

“You lived here?” He asked.

“I did,” Stronghooves smiled, “Sky and I both lived here, actually. My family were ladder climbers. Very wealthy unicorns indeed, though they were mostly piggybacking on the city’s old money. It took me far too long to see that.”

“That’s why Sky was somehow an abomination, right?”

“Correct,” Stronghooves sighed, ears splaying back, “an all-unicorn family having a pegasus foal? That doesn’t exactly look good when you’re trying to play up your pedigree. In fact...it makes it look like somepony cheated.”

“That makes sense...I mean, it’s a fucked-up, horrible kind of sense, but still…” Rat sighed.

“Come on. If you want to see just what was going on in my head, we’ll need to go in round the back and look in the kitchen.” Stronghooves said, ushering Rat onto the little pathway that led around the back of the miniature palace.

“Why the kitchen?”

“Because that’s where I was stealing food every day so that I could bring Sky something to eat.” Stronghooves explained., “This was the night my parents finally caught me, after two years of successful food-snatching.”

The two stallions strode down the path around the side of the house, finally peeking around the back doorway into the kitchen. A tall, lanky teenager stood there, backed into a corner by what could only be Sky and Stronghooves’s parents.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, STRONGHOOVES?” Mrs Runner screeched at him, her horn flashing as she pulled a stash of food out of her son’s saddlebag.

“I wasn’t going to let her starve, mum,” Young Stronghooves croaked, backing up as his parents advanced on him. “She’s dying out there. I know you guys don’t like her, but please...please let me help her…”

“Neither of us ever said that we didn’t like her, Hoovesie,” Mr Runner began patiently.

“But you and I both know that it’s true,” Young Stronghooves finished for them, shaking his head and flaring his own horn.

“We never had a problem with Sky,” Mrs Runner stated, “rather, it was /her/ who had a problem with /us/. Remember, she was always screaming, filling your head with lies about how supposedly horrible we were, trying to turn you against us…”

“That’s not the kind of pony she is. You two are just far too blind to see the truth,” Young Stronghooves whimpered. “Please...give me the food back...she needs me…”

“Hoovesie…” Mr Runner crooned patiently, “you need to understand something about why we couldn’t take care of Sky anymore. You’re acting without insight, and that’s not what guards are supposed to do.”

“Are guards supposed to let their little sisters starve on a street corner?” Young Stronghooves replied evenly.

His parents fell silent for a time, glaring at him, and then…

“Hoovesie, sweetie…” Mrs Runner smiled, her expression softening, “nopony’s doubting that you’re compassionate. You’re a sweet, strong stallion, and if you were doing it for anypony else, I’d congratulate you. However, you’ve failed to ask the important questions, to use that big brain of yours and establish just why we threw Sky out.”

“Because she was a pegasus, right?”

“Partially,” Mrs Runner admitted, “but there’s more to it than that. You see, we were fully willing to accept Sky for everything she was...and wasn’t. However, with repeated failures on her part came...behavioural difficulties.”

“The truancy, I know,” Young Stronghooves growled.

“Exactly,” Mrs Runner sighed, sitting down and staring at her hooves, “but there’s more. You see, she had major anger issues. She kept them hidden from you, of course. She didn’t want to lose her only friend.”

“Those anger issues developed in spite of everything we tried,” Mr Runner put in, “but eventually they became too much to handle. The day Sky ran away, she...tried to stab your mother with a knife.”

The three ponies fell silent, Young Stronghooves’s eyes widening in shock. Mrs Runner broke down into silent tears, her husband patting her on the back and nuzzling her for comfort.

“BULLSHIT!” Rat bellowed out, breaking the silence as if it would somehow change the past.

“She...she did that?” Young Stronghooves asked.

“Ye...yes…” Mrs Runner sniffled. “She...she told me not to tell you...she was so scared of losing you...she threatened to come back and murder us if we ever told you…”

“She’s not coming back, dear. It’s okay,” Mr Runner said, shaking his head and holding his wife tightly. “We’ve called the guard and they’ll be sure to apprehend her if she comes within five hundred feet of the house.”

“I...see…” Young Stronghooves frowned, pushing past them. “Um...I have to...go...see...Sky...now…”

The little stallion trotted out of the back door, passing straight through Rat’s body as if he simply wasn’t there. As the memory began to fade, Rat’s ears perked as Mr and Mrs Runner chuckled softly.

“I can’t believe that actually worked.”

Rat turned to his friend, biting his lip. “You didn’t actually believe that, did you?”

“They were distraught...and I’d never known them to lie so...convincingly.” Stronghooves sighed.

“And then what happened?”

“Er...we had a falling-out…” Stronghooves trailed off hurriedly. “You don’t need to see that. I think you can piece together what happened from there and what you read in her diary.”

As the memory faded around them, Rat narrowed his eyes at Stronghooves. The stallion refused to meet his gaze, even long after the two of them had reappeared back on the dark bridge.

“You’re hiding something,” Rat said accusingly.

“I’m hiding nothing,” Stronghooves said, convincing no one, “I merely wanted to show you just how good my parents were at playing to my emotions, twisting me so that I...made mistakes…”

“I don’t buy it,” Rat shook his head, advancing on him. “You’re not being open with me, Stronghooves. Why don’t you want to show me what happened?”

“It’s...complicated,” Stronghooves croaked, glancing up at Rat before pawing the ground nervously. “Um...perhaps you’d better go. It’s clear that you’re troubled, and I’m sure that Sky needs you a great deal right now...and...you’d best get back to her.”

“Stronghooves, be honest with me!” Rat growled, as the dream faded around him. The Captain of the Royal Guard paid him no mind, looking away and vanishing as everything faded into a great white void.

* * *

Rat’s eyes shot open.

As the little burglar glanced around in search of Stronghooves, the first thing that caught his attention was a subtle movement right underneath his chin. Glancing downwards, his expression softened as he watched his favourite little mare snuggling up to him, fast asleep. She brushed her fluffy ears against the underside of his chin, coaxing a tiny giggle out of the stallion as he held her.

“What the hell is he trying to hide from me?” Rat frowned, leaning down and nuzzling his marefriend between her ears.

Sky offered no comment, wrapping her hooves and wings around him a little more tightly and yawning squeakily. Any worries Rat had had about her wellbeing since that tentacle monster attack evaporated. She was going to be all right, after all.

“We’ll get you that Poison Joke, Sky,” Rat murmured, kissing her on the forehead and closing his eyes again, “but tomorrow night, I’m getting to the bottom of this, once and for all.”

Bitch Slap

Sky scrunched her little white nose as something bumped against her. At first she thought it had to be some kind of forest animal sniffing her, and when it peppered her muzzle with little kisses, she reacted as any brave mare would; by shrieking like a scared little filly and socking it on the nose.

“Owww…” Rat groaned, rubbing his snout. His little scheme of waking Sky up in the most romantic way possible had been well and truly foiled, and he was left scrunching his muzzle and glaring at her reproachfully.

Sky’s eyes flickered open, catching sight of the sore little stallion and letting out a cute little giggle.

“Good morning,” she whispered affectionately, taking his cheeks in her hooves and smooching him on the nose in an effort to make him better.

“Some morning,” he grunted. “You reckon you can walk after what happened yesterday? You took one hell of a pounding.”

“Sure did!” Sky smiled dreamily, smacking her lips and stretching out her forelegs. “What are the chances of you carrying me if I can’t walk?”

“Depends. What’s in it for me?” Rat asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well...I mean...I could get you dinner when we get back to Canterlot…” Sky blushed, looking away.

“What, your cooking? You’ll poison me!”

“No, not my cooking. You know...er...a restaurant...with a chef and...and music and...stuff…” Sky trailed off, pointedly refusing to meet Rat’s gaze.

“You mean, like, you’ll take me on a date,” he asked, crossing his forehooves, “because you know that it’s okay for you to call it that, right?”

“Yeah, I mean, of course I know. I just...not in...quite so many words…” Sky chuckled nervously.

“Sky, you’re not making sense.” Rat deadpanned.

“Okay, okay! Cards on the table...I...want you to go on a date with me when we get back to Canterlot…” Sky sighed, “and I’ll pay for it.”

“Why?” Rat asked suspiciously.

“Well...er...isn’t that what ponies in a relationship do?” Sky frowned, pronouncing “relationship” as if it was a completely foreign concept to her.

“So you’re promising me free dinner if I carry your lazy ass?”

“Er...yes.” Sky nodded confidently.

Rat regarded her for a very long time, making a mental assessment of her health and wellbeing. On the one hoof, she’d been fucked so severely that she might really be crippled, but on the other hoof she hadn’t even tried to move her legs yet. Besides, there was something about Sky’s eyes, a certain fun-loving cheekiness that told Rat that she was taking the piss.

“So you’re sure that you can’t walk, huh?” He asked, trying to suppress the urge to grin.

“Absolutely.” Sky nodded. “I’ve got...er...low blood sugar!”

“Low blood sugar.”

“Yep!”

“You.”

“Yep yep!” Sky affirmed.

“So you’ve got a medical condition that hasn’t been mentioned or manifested in any way, shape or form, until I offered to pick you up?”

Sky nodded, beaming.

“You know something?” Rat chuckled, “I think anypony who keeps lying this hard probably deserves to get what she wants.”

“So you’ll carry me?”

“No.”

“Oh, the injuries, the lack of energy, my poor little broken wing!” Sky wailed melodramatically, putting a hoof to her forehead. “If only there was somepony who could help me in my time of need, but I’m all alone! However shall I go on?”

“It’s not gonna work, toots!” Rat smiled, nuzzling her cheek and starting toward the edge of the little clearing.

“You’re really gonna leave me out here?” Sky whimpered, tucking her forehooves up under her chin.

“No, but I’m not gonna be your personal chauffeur either!” Rat smiled.

“But...I thought you were gonna take care of me!” Sky squeaked, tugging on his tail as he tried to make his getaway.

Rat came to a halt, looking around at the crippled little mare. She fluttered her eyelashes once more, pawing at the ground with her hoof and slumping pathetically onto her side. She looked like a wreck. Moreover, she looked adorable, and Rat could feel her tugging at his heartstrings.

“That’s...not gonna work…” He grunted.

“Rat...I’m all alone out here…” Sky whimpered, twitching her forehooves and playing dead.

Were Shadow visible to Rat, she’d be screaming in his ear to never trust a pony who could cry on cue, but he probably wouldn’t have cared anyway. There was something about the faux despair and cheeky light in her eyes that compelled him. Reluctantly, the stallion pulled Sky onto his back, and a realisation hit him.

This was a test…

Sky wrapped her forelegs around his chest, giving him a great big squeeze and smooching him atop his head. “Thanks...you really saved my bacon back there…”

“What, from the tentacle monster or from your bullshit low blood sugar?” Rat chuckled, venturing deeper into the woods.

“Can’t we just say that you saved me from my own sex drive and laziness and call it good?” Sky offered.

“That sounds about right.” He snickered, bouncing his flanks just a little to give her an uncomfortable bump. “Guess I should’ve listened to my mom when I was a kid.”

“Yeah? What did she say?”

“Never ever pick up compulsive liars.” Rat grinned. “Course, I promised that I wouldn’t, but then again, I’m a compulsive liar, too.”

“Yeah, well...here’s a little truth for you…” Sky sighed, “I...just like being around you. I think you’re getting in way over your head with your whole “trying to help me” bullshit, but...I appreciate it.”

“That’s the closest I’m probably going to get to a “thank you.” I’ll take it.” Rat conceded.

“Well, I’ll tell you what,” Sky suggested as she nuzzled his ears, “if you’re not totally bonkers. If you can really help me...then I’ll say thanks every single morning, for the rest of our days together.”

“See, that’s what I’m talking about.” Rat said with a smile. “If you really have to say thank you, I want you to say thank you by waking up next to me in the morning, by having breakfast with me, by running jobs with me and laughing at all of my jokes…”

“That’ll be a stretch…” Sky muttered.

“The point is,” Rat continued, cutting her off, “that I’ve been thinking about it, and...this may seem crazy, but I want a future with you, Sky. I wanna be with you until we’re sick of one another. I wanna give you somepony to live for, to love, to care about so that even if Shadow went away, you could hold on. I wanna give you something that you’ve needed and looked for all of your life.”

“What’s that?”

“Love.”

Sky lay in silence for a while, frowning. When she spoke again, her voice was ragged and uncertain.

“Rat...I’ve been with a lot of guys in my life…”

“This isn’t about sex, Sky.” Rat grinned. “You’re good at it. Hell, you’re the best. I’ve never had a mare turn the tables on me in the bedroom so damn quickly, and nopony’s ever made me want it before. This is about...love. Real love. Not sex. That shit’s fleeting. It doesn’t mean anything to you, I can tell.”

“Well, so what if it doesn’t? It’s just a bit of fun…” Sky began.

“And is that all it’s supposed to be?” Rat asked. “Sky...I know why you do it...same reason I do. Sure, it’s just a bit of fun now and then, but you do it...and I do it...because we want to feel...close to someone. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, that moment when your body’s pressed close to somepony else’s...it’s almost like they really love you, like they care about you…”

“Is this why you let me ride on your back?” Sky sighed, rolling her eyes. “I dunno if this is motion sickness or just you being sappy.”

“But you know it’s true, right?” Rat pressed.

“Well...yeah, but…”

“But nothing. If you really want me as a coltfriend you’ve gotta realise that that means I’m gonna take care of you, just like I’d expect you to take care of me, right?”

Sky opened her mouth to protest, but no incredible counter-argument presented itself.

“The truth is...and you’ve gotta believe me here...I’ve seen...I’ve seen what happened to you, but that’s not why I love you.” Rat whispered. “I love you because you’ve got a great sense of humour. I love you because you’re kind and motherly and strong and brave. I love you because even after all of the shit that’s gone down, you’ve still got life in you. Basically...I love you because you’re you.”

“Huh…” Sky said, finally. “You know...that might be the sappiest shit anypony’s ever said to me.”

Rat’s ears flopped down.

Well, I tried…

“But…” Sky continued, nipping at his ears and pulling them back up, “it may also be the nicest thing anypony’s ever said to me. I just...dunno how to give you the right answer right now, but when I know for sure...well...I’ll tell you.”

Rat couldn’t help but smile at that, leaning his head back to rub his mane against her chin. “You’ve got it, toots.”

* * *

The two ponies held one another tightly as they ventured further into the woods, passing increasingly strange trees and bushes. In time, the trees were gone completely, replaced by some naturally-formed candy cane abominations. Monstrous lollipops grew out of the ground, stretching as far into the air as the forest canopy.

“Oh Luna, what now?” Rat groaned, as he stopped at the edge of yet another clearing. Enormous pools of some strange beige fluid stretched out in front of him, bubbling from time to time. They looked disgusting and yet smelled...very pleasant indeed.

Rat dipped his forehoof into one of the pools, licking the goo off of it and smacking his lips.

“That’s...butterscotch pudding.” He muttered. “Hey, Sky, good news! I think we’ve found a way to cure your low blood sugar! You can walk again! Isn’t that great?”

“Really?” Sky sighed in disbelief, “you mean that the weird candy-coloured clearing really is just made of actual candy?”

“Looks like.” Rat chuckled. “Course, I love butterscotch, but it never quite looked right to me.”

“Yeah…” Sky mused. “With that colour, I always thought it looked a little bit like…”

“STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM!” Came a very familiar voice. Sky promptly leapt off of Rat’s back with a startled yelp, splashing her fetlocks with pudding. After a while, she caught the look that Rat was giving her.

“Wha...what?” She panted, placing a hoof over her chest to calm her beating heart.

“Yeah, low blood sugar. Whatever.” He grinned, blowing his mane out of his face as he turned to face the interloper.

Daybreak pulled herself out of the undergrowth, her armour dented and mucky from her own adventures through the Everfree Forest. On her back sat a little dragon that Sky immediately recognised, glaring daggers at the two burglars.

“Really?” Sky sighed exasperatedly. “After all this, he sent you after me?”

“After both of you!” Daybreak corrected her. “I’m here to take you two into custody, and if you resist, I have ways of...punishing you.”

“Oooh, are whips and chains involved?” Sky giggled, suddenly very interested indeed. “I have been a pretty naughty pony…”

“Well yes...yes you have…” Daybreak smirked, swaying her flanks just a little as she made her way towards her. “You know, naughty ponies deserve a good punishment…”

Rat shot Sky a sidelong glance, shocked and horrified that this was how she intended to get them out of trouble. That was nothing, however, compared to the horror of it actually working.

“I’ve got all sorts of awesome little toys back in Canterlot…” Sky whispered huskily. “Maybe after all of this is over, you can come back with me and...teach me a lesson…”

“Maybe I wi…” Daybreak began, trailing off as Silver nudged her in the ribs.

“Focus! You’re here to apprehend her, not fuck her!” He growled.

“Oh, yeah, right…” Daybreak smiled, shaking her head clear of sinful thoughts. “Er...yeah, you’ve got to come with me, both of you.”

“That was half-hearted.” Sky huffed. “Are you sure you don’t wanna play with me just a little?”

“Look, Sky, if it was up to me you’d be kept in a latex harness and forced to call me Mistress all the way back to Canterlot, but it’s not up to me.” Daybreak shrugged. “I just want to take you home, that’s all.”

“And has Stronghooves told you what happens to me when I go “home?”” Sky asked, smiling sweetly.

“Yeah, he helps you get better, and…”

“Get real, Daybreak. You can’t possibly believe that unless...oh, wow, he really got in your head, didn’t he?” Sky groaned. “He’s gone and fed you his bullshit about how much he loves me and how I’m not in my right mind, and you’ve just eaten it all up!”

“He’s got inside more than just my mind, if you must know.” Daybreak snickered mirthlessly, strutting just a little as she paced around the two ponies.

“What…really?” Sky squeaked. “You went and rode on his disco stick? You?”

“Yeah, me.” Daybreak nodded. “If we’re really lucky, you might even be my new sister in law! Won’t that be nice?”

“Oh...oh Luna...I don’t wanna throw up in a pool full of butterscotch…” Sky choked, staggering around before promptly pretending to barf into Rat’s saddlebag. The stallion jumped, actually checking the contents before getting the hell out of the way of the two mares. He figured that there really wasn’t much that he could do to help the situation right now.

“Yeah, yeah…” Daybreak huffed, rolling her eyes. “So what if you don’t like him? He’s special...and misunderstood…”

“You ever met somepony’s who’s actually misunderstood?” Sky inquired, stepping forward and looking her dead in the eye. “Way I see it, there’s not a lot of ponies in the world that are misunderstood. Sometimes they’re just assholes.”

“And what are you, then?” Daybreak asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Leaving. You may not like the idea of me just waltzing out of here without you, but you’ve come all this way for nothing. I’m gonna get away, we’re gonna blow the lid off of your whole Operative thing and I’m never ever gonna see that monster again.”

“If you’re trying to avoid monsters, you’re gonna have to keep away from reflective surfaces for the rest of your life.” Daybreak pouted. “Now, come on, come with me and nopony needs to get their ass kicked.”

“I’m sorry, was that meant to be an insult?” Sky asked, smiling as sweetly as she possibly could. “Wow, for somepony who can tear doors off of their hinges, that was some weak shit. Tell me, what kindergarten taught you that one?”

“Kindergarten? Please, I was bitching out better ponies than you when you were still in diapers.” Daybreak huffed dramatically. It was the dramatic huff of a pony who fully intended to make a scene.

“Yeah, considering your choice of fuck-buddy, I dunno if I really trust your opinion on what makes a pony good.” Sky grinned. “Speaking of which, when’s the wedding? You met his parents, yet?”

“I’m sure they’ll be perfectly nice po…” Daybreak began, but Sky exploded into giggles before she could finish her sentence. “Hey! Just because they didn’t like you doesn’t mean that I’m gonna be on their shit list!”

“Daybreak...sweetie…” Sky snickered, wiping her eyes, “no wonder you needed that magical super-strength bullshit. You’re one hell of a dumbass…”

“What, because I get along with your big brother and you don’t?” Daybreak laughed a little louder than necessary, prancing around her with the little baby dragon on her back. “You know, I’m starting to wonder why they threw you out. Was it because of your attitude or your great big fat flanks?”

Sky spread her wings, covering her ass self-consciously. “H...hey!”

“Oh yeah, did you tell your horsebando over there what happened when we first met?” Daybreak grinned wickedly, nodding her head at Rat.

“Wha...what happened?” Rat asked stupidly, resigned to his place in a pure spectatorial role.

“Your little marefriend here got her ass stuck in a sewage outlet!” Daybreak announced, giggling triumphantly as Sky went bright red.

“Y...you got your head stuck in it, too!” She countered.

“Yeah, but you don’t get a big head by eating all the pies!”

“No, you get a big head by being an arrogant, stuck-up bitch!” Sky replied with a giggle. “I’m surprised you even managed to fit between those bars in the first place!”

“The feeling’s mutual.” Daybreak replied, setting Silver down and bumping him with a forehoof. “Go on, Daybreak Junior. Go and keep an eye on the other scummy little burglar while I teach this one some respect.”

“Respect?” Sky scoffed. “Bitch, nopony teaches me respect. Not you, not your dumb-shit coltfriend, not anyone.”

“Yeah, I can tell. So, Sky, how does it feel to have ponies only like you for your body?”

“Pretty good, actually!” Sky beamed, giving Daybreak a less-than-friendly shove. “In fact, I could show you things that your vanilla-ass fucktoy probably hasn’t even heard of.”

“So you’re a slut, then?” Daybreak asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Pretty much, but I’m the best damn slut in Canterlot.” Sky said proudly. “You look like the kind of mare who thinks a blowjob means three licks and a quick rub.”

“Oh, please. I can turn a great big stallion into my whimpering, begging little bitch.” Daybreak snorted.

“Sweetie, the only kind of stallion you’d leave whimpering is one who’d smelled your rancid-ass pussy.”

“At least I don’t have a coat that looks like I was on the wrong end of a bunch of horny sick stallions!”

“At least I don’t have a coat that looks like I rolled around in the mud for three days!”

“Awww, is that the best you’ve got? Face it, Sky. You’re just mad because I’m too much of a mare for you to handle!”

“Yeah, me and a team of steroid-abusing minotaurs.” Sky replied evenly. “Did you really come looking for me, or were you just hungry for dessert after eating the rest of the Everfree Forest?”

Rat and Silver cringed as one. Daybreak blinked. Sky had just gone far beyond the point of no return.

“Bless your heart.” She spat. “You must’ve been working for weeks just to trash-talk like that. I guess you had to be doing something whenever you weren’t taking a dick in the ass.”

Daybreak’s eyes rested on Rat, who took a reflexive step backwards.

“Speaking of which…” she added, “hey, hot stuff! How would you like to hang out with a real mare for a change? You don’t need this poser.”

“Alright, that’s it,” Sky growled, giving Daybreak a shove, “that’s enough out of you, bitch! Leave Rat out of this!”

“Yeah, leave me out of it!” Rat nodded, trying to control his sparking horn.

“Shut up, Rat!” Sky and Daybreak shouted together, striking the stallion dumb with shock.

The two mares locked eyes, shooting each other glares of deepest hatred...and perhaps the tiniest hints of amusement. Sky spread her damaged wings, dragging her forehoof across the chocolate-wrought ground with a deepening growl.

“Don’t you dare talk to him, slut.” She hissed. “He’s mine.”

“Wow, you’re getting pretty defensive. Worried he’s going to slip out of your gimpy little grip and come running to a real pony?” Daybreak giggled, settling into a ready stance with her legs apart.

“Oh, you are so dead.” Sky snarled.

And with that, she tackled Daybreak into a pool of butterscotch pudding.

* * *

Silver and Rat looked on with a strange mix of horror and arousal at the sight of the two mares wrestling. Neither of the unfortunate males said anything for the longest time, until Silver took it upon himself to break the silence.

“Does...does this sort of thing happen often?” He asked uncertainly.

“With Sky? Yeah...yeah, it does.” Rat sighed. “You get used to it.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen Daybreak so mad.” Silver commented. “She must’ve really touched a nerve. I suppose Miss Runner’s quite proficient at that.”

“Yeah, she really knows how to get you where you’re sensitive.” Rat replied, the corners of his mouth twitching just a little as his horn sparked again. “You’re Silver, aren’t you?” He added after a moment’s pause.

“Finally, somepony who can tell who I am!” The tycoon gasped, exasperated. “How did you know?”

“I recognised your voice and colours.” Rat shrugged. “I took the liberty of showing up at your wedding. You clean up pretty nice.”

The two of them stood in silence as Sky pushed Daybreak’s head into the pool of pudding, screaming something incomprehensible. Neither one looked away for one second, concerned that they might miss something.

“That mare’s cost me a lot, you know.” Silver said. “My father, my freedom, my fortune, my species...even my privates...simply because she couldn’t lay down and die.”

“Must be looking like a pretty fucking stupid plan in retrospect.” Rat replied, glancing sidelong at Silver with a little smile.

“Maybe.” The little dragon sighed. “You were a factor I hadn’t anticipated. You went up against my Operatives with her, helped her break into my facility and make a fool out of me in front of everypony in Canterlot...and yet you don’t seem so keen to help her, now.”

Rat said nothing, letting his mouth hang open as Daybreak pulled Sky onto her lap. She pulled the little mare’s tail out of the way, dunking Sky’s head into the pudding as she flailed her hind legs pathetically.

“Yeah, you know something? I think she can handle herself this time.”

“Agreed.”

* * *

Sky wriggled and squirmed upside-down as Daybreak held her in the air by her flanks, dunking her head into the butterscotch pool over and over again.

“Yeah, not so funny now, are you?” Daybreak chuckled, pushing the struggling mare’s face into the pudding until Sky wiggled and screamed to come up. “Come on, little pegasus! Just submit and come with me, okay?”

“Ma...make me!” Sky squeaked as Daybreak pulled her head out of the pudding. She gasped for breath, realising that she might have just tempted fate once too often.

“Make you? You want me to make you?” Daybreak screeched, adjusting her grip around Sky’s midsection to hold her flanks in the air. “Fine, you asked for it!”

She brought her hoof down on Sky’s rump, striking her with a slapping noise that echoed across the clearing. Sky squeaked in pain, stuffing a hoof in her mouth and whimpering as a bright red mark appeared across her flanks.

“Are you going to submit now?” Daybreak asked, smiling sweetly.

“Ha...harder…” Sky gasped, squeezing her eyes shut as her wings sprung out. Both mares blushed as they both caught on simultaneously. Nonetheless, Daybreak wasn’t the kind of pony to back down from a challenge, and smacked the little burglar’s ass once more. Sky’s shriek was cut off by the butterscotch pudding as Daybreak forced her head back into it once more, stifling her. All that Sky could do was twitch and moan, her voice muffled by the delicious sticky dessert.

This isn’t what I’d expected when I first came into the Everfree, but hell, I’ll take it… She thought to herself, wrapping her forelegs around Daybreak’s midsection. She pulled with all of her insignificant might, completely failing to make the great big mare budge one inch.

Daybreak brought her up out of the pool once again, spanking her more rhythmically this time. She didn’t stop until Sky’s left cheek was dark purple, before moving on to her right.

“Okay...okay...I give…” Sky whispered, mane dripping with butterscotch. “Just...don’t...not my ass...I wanna be able to sit down…”

“Do you submit?” Daybreak asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Ye...yes...mistress…” Sky whimpered, nodding and clutching her rival a little tighter.

“Do...don’t call me that! I’m arresting you...not...not…dominating…” Daybreak trailed off, realising for the first time how suggestive this arrest really was. She dropped Sky, backing away with her hooves raised. “Um...okay...don’t go telling Hoovesie that I used police brutality, all right?”

“Oh, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind…” Sky grinned, splashing around in the butterscotch to coat her whole body, “in fact, I might keep misbehaving if that’s how you treat your prisoners.”

“You’re really into this, aren’t you?” Daybreak sighed. “Look Sky, I like you, and if we’re lucky we’ll get to do this again sometime, but right now I’ve got to take you back to your family where you belong, okay?”

“Really? Are you sure you can’t pay a little attention to my other flank, maybe at least make me symmetrical?” Sky asked hopefully, laying down in the pool and fluttering her eyelashes up at her. If she didn’t look like a mare on the wrong end of a bukkake cannon before, she sure as hell did now.

“Not if you’re getting off to it!” Daybreak whined, pulling a pair of hoofcuffs out of her saddlebag. “Now come on, let’s get you back to Canterlot before…”

She stopped, freezing in place and staring at Sky with wide eyes. She blinked once, then twice, legs shaking underneath her. Daybreak’s body dimmed in colour, her eyes returning to their normal colour and brightness as her enhancements evaporated completely. Finally, with just the tiniest little pathetic squeak, she collapsed in the middle of the clearing.

“Er...Rat...did you…?” Sky began, eyeing the empty dart capsule sticking out of Daybreak’s neck.

“Nope.”

“Shadow, Fox?”

No reply whatsoever.

Of course, Sky thought to herself, we left those two back where we’d been sleeping. I’m sure they’ll turn up again once they can pull themselves apart.

“Then...who did…?” Sky began, glancing up at some movement at the edge of the clearing. There, holding a crossbow exactly like Sky’s, stood a big zebra stallion with a long, messy mane.

”I think you’ll find that it was me.” he intoned in a deep Zebrican accent, “Hello, my name is Makali.”

The Alchemist In The Woods

“Thanks for helping us out back there, Makali,” said Rat, trotting alongside the zebra. “Sky’d gotten us completely lost.”

“Bite me!” Sky replied in a sing-song voice.

“It was really nothing, pony-folk,” Makali smiled, “it’s nice to finally talk again!”

Sky and Rat exchanged a worried glance.

“You know, that wasn’t a rhyme,” Rat pointed out.

“Oh…” Makali said, stopping in his tracks, “er...would you believe it if I said…?”

“Cut the crap, Makali. I’ve been to Zebrica. Not all zebras rhyme.” Rat snickered. “Hey, Sky, how’s your little prisoner doing?”

“She’s okay! Just like a little angel!” Sky beamed, looking up at the snoring earth pony on her back. Daybreak smiled softly in her sleep, her little hooves twitching from time to time as she slumbered. Silver sat atop her in turn, tied up so securely that he was little more than an irate head poking out from atop a mass of rope.

“When I get my real body back, you’re going to suffer. I do hope that you realise that,” Silver commented.

“Thanks for that! I’ll remember it when I’m a free mare living the high life!” Sky replied, bouncing her flanks a little to unseat him. “So, Makali, we’re looking for something to help deal with these weird ponies who can resist sleep darts and heal through...well...anything. Any ideas?”

“Wait, you mean that somepony perfected it?” Makali asked, raising an eyebrow. “Well that’s...er...shit.”

“You’re a crap rhymer.” Sky and Rat said in unison. They exchanged another glance before looking away, blushing hotly.

“Yeah, well excuse me if I can’t bust out my A-grade material when I wasn’t expecting to meet a pair of mad ponies today!” Makali protested. “In fact, maybe you two ought to be doing more of the talking! What are these super-healing ponies, anyway?”

“Ask him,” Sky said, nodding at the tied-up little dragon.

“Torture me or yell at me. I’ll never talk!” Silver growled.

“Oh, you will,” Makali smiled. “You are Silver Tongue, correct?”

“Yes, and what’s it to you?” Silver said, glaring.

“I used to be one of your chief weapons designers...though I’m sure you wouldn’t remember me. You had me fired because of my...crippling fur condition.” He grinned, gesturing to his stripes.

“That’s completely taken out of context!”

“You told me to go build a hut in the Everfree Forest and take a break from civilisation because the city clearly wasn’t the right environment for me.” Makali chuckled.

Sky and Rat looked around at Silver, raising their eyebrows.

“Oh...okay, yes, I did say that…” Silver sighed, “but you have to see it from my perspective. I was really drunk, you were doing really unethical things…”

“Like framing ponies for robbery?” Sky put in.

“And sending super-soldiers after them?” Rat added.

“And wrecking buildings and causing ridiculous collateral damage?” Sky finished.

“More unethical than that,” Silver countered, looking away. “I’m talking about building weapons that could stop ponies from being able to heal, weapons that would do incredible damage to ponies’ limbs and leave them completely unable to help themselves. Do those sound familiar, Mister Makali?”

“Yes, they do,” the zebra nodded, “but even after I made those weapons for you, that wasn’t the reason I was fired.”

Sky gave Makali a long look, casting a quick glance back at her wing.

Surely he didn’t…?

She looked across at Rat, who stared back at her with a worried expression. Evidently he was on the same wavelength.

“You worked for this guy, Makali?” Rat asked.

“Oh, yes. He was an excellent employer. All of the materials and funding I asked for, good benefits...all it cost me was my soul...and my freedom.” Makali shrugged. “A small price to pay, right?”

“You seem pretty knowledgeable about weapons, Makali,” said Rat, giving the zebra a long look. “Don’t suppose you could take a look at my friend’s wing? She told me that she got it perforated by something like that.”

“I sincerely hope not,” Makali huffed as he stepped into another clearing. “The sort of weapons I made were as unpleasant as you could wish to avoid. Anyway, here we are.”

Sky and Rat looked up at a vast tree that dominated the centre of the clearing, far thicker than the surrounding flora with a big wooden spiral staircase cut into the trunk. At the top sat a large shack, a thousand little conical flasks hanging off of the edges of the roof, each with a different coloured fluid within. They lent an eerie light to the walls of the hut, making it look like a confusing mix of voodoo hut and Santa’s grotto.

“You’ve got one hell of an interesting house,” Rat commented, as Makali led the way up the stairs.

“Yes, well, it’s nice and secluded and allows me to focus on my work,” Makali said with a shrug.

“And that work is?”

“Alchemical,” Makali said simply. “I make potions and...well...weapons. Of course, I don’t exactly get that many clients out here,” he added with a chuckle.

“I figured,” Sky put in, as he led them up onto the balcony outside his front door. “Where should I put this down? This bitch is heavy as hell.”

“Just pop her down on the porch. Trust me, she’s got nowhere to run to around here,” Makali said, waving a hoof dismissively as he swung the door wide open.

The hut within had the aesthetic of an old shaman’s house, save for a few workbenches and chemistry sets that seemed to have leapt straight out of a science fiction novel. All manner of colourful fluids bubbled in their little containers, giving the otherwise spartan surroundings the look of a well-lit nightclub.

“So, feel free to get settled in!” Makali said, beaming. “You must have had a hard journey to come this deep into the Everfree Forest with all of your limbs attached. Well…” he trailed off, eyeing Sky’s wing, “most of them, anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah. Very funny,” Sky huffed. “We’re looking for some Poison Joke. I don’t suppose you can help us out?”

“Poison Joke? Oh, yes! For the enhanced ponies!” Makali said, nodding briskly as he pulled his hood back. “Well, you’re a smart pony if you’ve managed to work that out. Poison Joke is a magical disassociation agent...and assuming that you have another alchemical formula to mix it with…”

“I do,” Sky nodded, gesturing at her bandolier.

“Oh, you’re an alchemist, too?” Makali beamed excitedly. “Well, you have just got to try some of my recipes on for size. I think you’ll find them absolutely riveting!”

“Eep!” Sky squeaked, as Makali grabbed her by the wing to show her his lab. “Er...Rat, you coming?”

“Not just yet,” Rat replied, shaking his head. “I think I’m gonna have a talk with our friendly little guest, first.”

Giving his marefriend a little grin as she was dragged away, Rat trotted out onto the balcony once more. Daybreak snored away, Silver perched atop her head with a grim little frown.

“You mind if I wake your friend?” Rat asked.

“She’s not my friend,” Silver growled. “Say what you like to her. I assure you that she’s got nothing of importance to say, herself.”

“Harsh,” Rat whistled, tussling Silver’s crest as he leant down to nuzzle Daybreak’s cheek. “Hey, sleepyhead. I’ve got a couple of questions for you and you’d better be ready to answer them.”

Daybreak scrunched her snout, snorting in her sleep before finally opening her tired reddened eyes. “Wha...what? Oh Celestia, it’s not a pop quiz, is it? I didn’t study, sir...please don’t punish me…”

“We’ll see about your punishment later,” Rat said with a cheeky grin, “for now, I wanna find out why Stronghooves has your trekking into the Everfree Forest to hunt us down.”

Daybreak blinked, shivering a little as she regained full consciousness and looked up at Rat Racer. She tugged at her bonds, trying to break free of them, to somehow get out so she could complete her mission, but it was no use. Whatever Makali had done to her, it had completely drained her powers.

“I’m in the shit, aren’t I?” Daybreak asked.

Rat and Silver nodded in unison.

“Balls,” she sighed. “Okay, er, is this when I’m supposed to say that you’ll never make me talk?”

“Probably,” Rat conceded, “but then I’d have to get pretty mean, and I’ve kinda gotten the impression that you’re a smart pony with her heart in the right place.”

“What makes you say that?”

“You hesitated when you started hurting Sky, and you’ve got a sense of humour,” Rat said with a small grin. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“Well, duh! I’m sure as hell not evil!” Daybreak scoffed. “My thing is making ponies feel better! I’m not gonna drown or beat up somepony who doesn’t deserve it!”

“That’s what I thought,” Rat winked. “Okay, so your thing is helping ponies, right? Where does hunting Sky and me come into this?”

“I’m not trying to do her any harm, I swear!” Daybreak said with a smile. “I just want to make her better. I wanna reunite her with her big brother, make everything okay again, you know?”

“So Stronghooves sent you,” Rat said, nodding. “I guess you’ve hung out with him more than I have. What’s he like?”

“Dreamy…” Daybreak crooned. “I mean, he’s kind of hurt inside and stuff, but he’s brave and strong and always seems to know what he’s doing. Why?”

“I’ve...met him,” Rat muttered. “I can’t place it, but he leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

“How do you figure?”

“He told me that he was gonna be open with me, show me everything I needed to know to help Sky, and then he hid stuff from me. Stuff about how they really fell out, stuff like sending you after me.”

“Wait, he wanted you to help her, too?” Daybreak asked, cocking her head. “No offence, but you’re kind of...a scummy little burglar.”

“Maybe,” Rat admitted, “but I’m her coltfriend and I’m gonna make her happy one way or another.”

“Oh, you two really are together?” Daybreak squeaked, eyes lighting up excitedly. “Oh, wow! I was just teasing back in the clearing! I thought you two were just friends with unspoken burgeoning feelings for each other!”

“Yeah, well, my writer sucks at pacing romance,” Rat deadpanned. “Yes, I’m her coltfriend, and from the sounds of it, you and I want the same thing...and we’ve both been lied to.”

“Hoovesie wouldn’t do that,” Daybreak protested, though by the way she frowned, Rat could tell that she was trying to convince herself more than him.

“What’s your name?” Rat asked.

“Daybreak.”

“Well, Daybreak, try to think. Is there anything Stronghooves said that’s made you...I dunno...concerned?”

“Well, there was…” Daybreak began, before scrunching her snout and promptly clamming up, “I’m not gonna tell you! How the hell do I know I can trust you? You could be trying to turn me against him!”

“I’m not, I promise,” Rat whispered. “Daybreak...I want to help that poor little pony out, and all I care about is making sure that nopony ever hurts her again. You’ve gotta believe me.”

Daybreak looked into his eyes for a long while, searching for any sign of doubt or falsehood. Rat, however, remained resolute, his gaze burning with honesty and real love.

“Your marefriend’s a lucky pony,” Daybreak whispered, voice quavering. “There aren’t many ponies in the world with that kind of dedication.”

“Answer the question, Daybreak,” Rat replied, though he could feel himself blushing under his red fur.

“Fi...fine,” Daybreak said doubtfully. “I think he’s up to something. I can’t put my hoof on it, but I get the feeling that there’s…more to this than what he’s telling me.”

“You know something, Daybreak? I think you’re right.” Rat affirmed, patting her on the shoulder. “Sit tight. I’m gonna go get you some water.”

Leaving Daybreak and Silver arguing on the balcony, Rat stepped into the hut, smiling as he spotted a wagging bushy red tail. Sky stood next to Makali, looking over his chemistry set with wonder and excitement.

“What the hell are you two up to?” Rat asked, trotting up to the two ponies with an amused little grin.

“I’ve been showing your little marefriend how to make a potion that’ll suppress those pesky little enhancements,” Makali said with a smile, holding up a test tube full of green fluid. “This’ll knock anypony out cold, no matter how strong they think they are. When they wake up, their powers will be gone, at least for a while.”

“A while is long enough,” Sky put in. “At least that’ll put them out for long enough for us to find those crystals and give them back to the museum.”

“I never thought I’d go to so much effort to put something back in a museum,” Rat sighed, rolling his eyes. “So what’s the plan from here?”

“We’re gonna have to break into wherever those crystals are being held, nab them and shoot anypony who tries to stop us,” Sky said with a grin. “It’s not gonna be easy, but at least we’ve got a way to fight them, now.”

“I can lead you two out of the Everfree Forest tomorrow. It might be a little late in the day for me to try that right now,” Makali said.

“Thanks for helping us out, sweetie,” Sky beamed, giving the zebra a kiss on the cheek. “You’ve really made this a hell of a lot easier.”

“Well, it’s always nice to meet somepony who shares my love of alchemy,” Makali chuckled. “Besides, anyone who wants to take down Silver and Rolling Thunder are friends of mine.”

“Guess you’ve got one hell of a vendetta against them, huh?” Sky asked, cocking her head.

“Indeed. They made me create horrible potions, tank-breed foals, build...ghastly weapons,” The zebra cringed, ears splaying back. “It’s a time in my life I’m...not exactly proud of. Some of them were very inequine…”

“What do you mean?” Rat asked, exchanging a glance with Sky. “Do you think those Operative assholes have them?”

“Potentially,” Makali admitted, “things like...enchanted swords...magical shields, things that could…”

“You mentioned one that could stop a pony from healing, right?” Sky interrupted, pointedly spreading her damaged wing.

“Yes. That was the cruellest weapon I’d ever made,” Makali said sadly. “It was imbued with a particularly terrible curse, an enchantment that would respond to magical healing attempts and...necrotise wounds. A weapon that would do more damage the more its wielder hated their target.”

“Who did you make that weapon for?” Rat asked, fixing his gaze on Sky’s wing.

“The Captain of the Royal Guard,” Makali said quietly. “He didn’t say what he needed it for, but I swore off of making weapons after that. If he of all ponies would ask for something like that, it’s clear that nopony can be trusted with anything quite so destructive.”

“How long ago was this?” Sky whispered, almost shivering now.

“About five years ago.” Makali said with a frown. “Why do you want to kno…”

He trailed off, eyes finally drifting over to the bandaged mess that was Sky’s wing. His eyes widened and his ears flattened against his skull, his whole face a mask of sadness and regret.

“Oh...I...see…” he muttered after a time. “Look...Sky Runner...I’m sorry about…”

“You didn’t know what you were doing.” Sky sighed. “So...is there a cure?”

“I didn’t design it with a cure,” Makali said slowly. “I’m...sorry…”

Rat sighed, walking out of the room with his head lowered. Sky watched him leave, giving Makali one last pat on the back before following the unicorn out of the hut.

* * *

Rat Racer stood out on the balcony, resting his forelegs on the balustrade as he looked out over the forest. Makali had definitely done a great job on the place, even going so far to set up a little wooden gazebo close to a nearby pool. An unnatural darkness fell over the rest of the forest as the sun began to set, but in this corner of heaven, the bottles on their little strings gave the place a magical glow.

Sky trotted out, standing next to him in silence as they looked over the woods together.

“Daybreak and Silver are gone,” Rat muttered after a while. “I guess they must’ve rabbited while we were talking inside.”

“Whatever,” Sky sighed. “It’s gonna take them a while to get out of the woods without a guide, anyway.”

They stood in silence a little longer.

“You’ve really got a heap of shit on your shoulders, haven’t you?” Rat commented after a while.

“Yeah, you said it,” Sky huffed. “Sure you still want to date this walking trainwreck?”

“No…” Rat sighed. “I don’t think I do. I don’t think I wanna date a pony who’s so held back by all of the shit that’s happened to her. I don’t wanna deal with a lonely pony who’s been raped and beaten up all her life. I don’t wanna deal with a pony who’s holding onto her long-dead sister. It ain’t right.”

Sky’s ears flopped down, and she looked down over the edge of the balcony with a soft sight. “Yeah, I figured…”

“But,” Rat continued, cutting her off, “the pony who’s managed to hold onto her soul for all of that time? The pony with so much love in her heart, the pony who’s more of a mother and a friend than anypony I’ve ever known? The pony with the warm heart and the fuzziest little belly this side of Equestria?” He placed a hoof on hers, squeezing it tight as he looked into her big blue eyes. “You’d better fucking believe I’ll date her.”

Sky shivered as she stared back at him, biting her lip as she teared up. “You...dumbass…”

“Dumbass?” Rat said with a little chuckle, raising his eyebrow. “If I was a dumbass, could I do this?”

He cleared his throat, patting his chest with a hoof before speaking loudly and confidently.

“Você é a idiota aqui, queridinha.” He said, giving his marefriend a little wink.

“Wait, you can speak foreign?” Sky asked, cocking her head.

“Portuguese,” he corrected her. “I said something super-romantic, I promise.”

“It sure sounded nice…” Sky giggled, squeezing his hoof and blushing hotly. “Where did you learn to do that, anyway?”

“I’m kinda worldly like that,” Rat snickered, “I still haven’t met anypony quite like you in all of my travels, though. You’re kinda...unique.”

“Yeah, I know,” Sky deadpanned, “that’s a really nice way of saying “screwed up,” right?”

“No, I mean it. You’re unique,” he insisted, looping his foreleg around her and pulling her close. “You’re the first pony I’ve met with so much...I dunno…spirit.”

“Now you’re just being cheesy,” Sky snickered, glancing down at the little gazebo. “Come on, lover boy. Let’s stop bothering poor Makali and get out of his way if you’re gonna start with the frou-frou talk.”

Rat followed Sky as she led him down the spiral staircase, the way forward lit by the multicoloured little lights. She bounced her flanks a little as she walked, fixing him with a smouldering, lusty gaze over her shoulder as she flicked her tail over his nose. Rat blushed himself, the tips of his ears going pink as she led him down to the side of the pool. Sky settled down by the water’s edge, watching the rippling little pool as she waited for him.

The unicorn joined her a moment later, nuzzling and kissing her cheek as he lay down by her side.

“So, how do those legs of yours manage to hold up such a thick heavy skull?” Sky asked, grinning at him.

“I often wonder how they can hold my big brain up, myself,” Rat chuckled, putting a forehoof around her shoulder and pulling her closer. “I’m more interested in how those little stick legs of yours hold up that big fat ass.”

“Hey! My ass is not fat!” Sky protested, leaning into him and pouting.

Rat chuckled, grabbing her and rolling over onto his back with a great big smile, pulling Sky onto his belly to stare down into his eyes.

“Desculpe-me, não quis te ofender,” he said, sticking his tongue out. “Você tem uma bela bunda.”

"Don't you dare speak Portuguese to me again. I'm, like, 90% sure that you're just calling me names." Sky huffed.

"Eu nunca te chamaria por nomes, vadia," Rat replied, smiling up at her.

"Awwww!" Sky blushed, tucking her forehooves up under her chin and shivering with happy nerves. She didn't know what he just said, but it sure sounded romantic!

"Eu poderia dizer o que eu quizesse, e você levaria como um elogio. Você tem sorte de ser tão linda ou eu diria algo bem mau. Mas eu não o faria, eu te amo demais," he whispered in her ear, giggling.

Sky regarded him with increasing concern, wondering whether this would be a pertinent moment to kick Rat in the family jewels. This foreign-speak was leaving her curious...but the way he said it was doing things to her mind and body that she really didn't want to think about.

“You’re cute when you blush,” he whispered.

“No I’m not!” Sky squeaked, hiding her head in her hooves. “I’m not cute! You’re crazy! None of that foreign-talk is doing anything to me! You’re silly! Stop telling fibs!”

“Sky,” Rat whispered, drawing her hooves away from her bright red cheeks and kissing her on the nose, “you are cute, and that’s totally okay. You’re beautiful, sweet, sexy and all kinds of wonderful, the sweetest mare I’ve ever met.”

“But...I’m not cute…” Sky said weakly, lip trembling as her eyes misted up.

“Sweetheart, I may be a natural born liar, but sometimes I tell the truth. This is one of those times,” Rat said, nuzzling her and drawing her in close. “Besides, you being cute doesn’t make you any less of a badass.”

Sky said nothing, remembering a time when she’d said the very same thing to Shadow. She bit her lip to keep it still, tiny tear-tracks running down her soft cheeks.

“Maybe...maybe I don’t mind being cute for you...” she whispered nervously, giving him a weak little smile.

“I’d like that,” Rat whispered back, muzzle inches from her own. “It’d be nice to be able to shower you with all kinds of romantic crap.”

“Shut up…” Sky breathed.

And with that, their lips met once more, the two little ponies locked in one another’s embrace as they kissed by the edge of the little pool. In time, the light of the rising moon pierced the forest canopy, illuminating the water and bathing them in its glow. For just a little while, they almost looked pure and innocent again, though neither pony could remember a time in their life when that had been the case.

From the opposite edge of the pool, a pair of imaginary little foals looked on with wide eyes.

“They’re doing okay,” Fox said quietly, glancing sidelong at his reluctant fillyfriend.

“Yeah...I guess they are,” Shadow sighed, looking down at her hooves and kicking a stone into the water.

“What’s the matter?” Fox asked her. “I thought you wanted Sky to be happy!”

“Well, I do!” Shadow affirmed, nodding. “It’s...just...do you think she’s gonna forget me now that she’s got a big lug like him to take care of instead?”

Fox frowned, his horn flaring as he picked the little pegasus up and drew her closer to him.

“I don’t think they’ll ever forget us,” he murmured, embracing her. “I think we’ll always matter to them a whole lot, but maybe...maybe it’s good that they’re not gonna hold onto us forever. After all...we’re big grown-up ponies now, right?”

“Yeah,” Shadow whispered, wrapping a huge wing around him and squeezing him tight, “we’re practically adults!”

They sat in silence, watching their elder siblings cuddle and kiss for the longest time, before Shadow broke the silence once more.

“You know, Fox...you may be a dumbass, but you say some smart stuff sometimes.”

“I’ll try not to let it get to my head,” Fox said.

And with that, the two youngsters turned their backs on Sky and Rat, trotting off to who knows where.

Broken Arrow

Rat narrowed his eyes as smoke billowed around him once more, focussing as carefully as he could. By force of will alone he conjured his bow and taser-tipped arrows out of the ether. This was a dream realm, after all. Linking two minds together like this meant that both ponies were bound by the same rules, and Rat was all about breaking the rules.

Stronghooves leaned on the bridge, perking his ears and turning his head as Rat approached from behind him. His tail flicked from side to side, belying his nervousness.

“I don’t have anything you want,” he murmured diplomatically.

“I know you’re lying,” Rat replied, nocking an arrow and drawing it back as he approached. “You’ve been hiding something about Sky, something about your past, and I’m not gonna sit by and listen to your bullshit anymore.”

“Look, I failed as a big brother, but this isn’t about any of that. We’ve both failed, Rat...you and I,” Stronghooves pleaded, turning to the smaller unicorn and putting his forehooves up. “I’m just trying to ensure that you never make the same mistakes I did.”

“So am I, and I’m never gonna fail Sky like I failed Fox,” Rat growled. “So if you’re really serious about helping her, you’ll tell me all of your little secrets about her before I crack open that big dumbass head of yours and spill ‘em all over the sidewalk!”

“You don’t want to see what I’ve kept hidden,” Stronghooves said uncertainly. “It’s...not relevant…”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Rat said, glaring. “Now, you’ve got until three to show me. One…”

“Rat, listen to me…”

“Two…”

“You’re overreacting!”

“Three,” Rat snarled, loosing the arrow. Three prongs dug straight into Stronghooves’s skin as it struck, sending a powerful pulse of electricity through the stallion’s body. The captain tumbled to the ground, his legs and ears twitching.

“Now,” Rat carried on, hauling Stronghooves back onto the side of the bridge, “let’s see what you’ve been trying to keep from me, shall we?”

And with that, he leapt into the creek with Stronghooves in tow.

* * *

Sky lay in a narrow alley between two buildings, tongue poking out of her little mouth as she scribbled something in her diary. The foot of her filly-sized alley was hidden from view by a well-placed cart, letting Sky see out without anypony being able to see her in turn. It was the perfect hiding spot, and Rat couldn’t possibly have spotted her unless he’d seen Stronghooves striding towards her without any indication that he was going to stop.

Sky’s ears perked as she spotted the familiar hooves thundering towards her, wriggling out from under the cart and galloping towards him with a great big hopeful smile on her face. Her tail wagged excitedly as she wrapped her forehooves around his leg. Rat paced around the two of them, finding the young mare so...unfamiliar. Both of her wings were a strange dirty-white colour with her filly down still visible beneath the feathers. Her mane was far longer back then, coming down halfway to her hooves and tied into pretty braids. Though her face was absolutely filthy, she looked up at her big brother with huge shining eyes full of cheer.

Wow...seeing Stronghooves must’ve been the highlight of her whole damn day… Rat thought to himself, watching the scene unfold with a growing sense of unrest.

Stronghooves pushed the filly off of his forehoof, looking down at her with a slightly blank expression.

“What’s wrong, Hoovesie? Is everything okay?” Sky asked, cocking her head.

“Sky,” Stronghooves said quietly, glancing around at the empty courtyard, “we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

“We sure do,” Sky nodded, “like, there’s this awesome picture I drew on the pavement today and I just know that you’re gonna love it!”

Stronghooves shook his head. “No, Sky. I mean, there’s some things we have to discuss urgently. Mum and dad have told me some pretty terrible things about you, and I want to know the truth.”

“What’ve they been telling you, Hoovesie?” Sky asked, tilting her head just a little. One of her ears flopped down sideways as she regarded him with the tiniest hint of concern.

“They talked to me, Sky. They told me that you’d threatened them, threatened to come back and stab them someday. You do realise what that’d do to our family, right?” Stronghooves asked, doing his best to keep his voice under control.

“I wouldn’t...I didn’t…” Sky said slowly. “Hoovesie...you know that that’s a lie, right? I’d never do anything to hurt mum and dad!”

“Then why would they say that?” Stronghooves asked, pacing around her. “Why were they reduced to tears? Why did they look so frightened as soon as I told them where all of that food I stole was going?”

“Oh…” Sky frowned, pawing at the cobblestones with her little hoof. “I guess they caught you, huh?”

“Yeah, they caught me, and they told me a very interesting story.” Stronghooves nodded. “Sky...have you been lying to me?”

“No!” Sky yelped, taking a step back and shaking her head. “I’d never lie to you, Hoovesie! You’re my best friend ever! I don’t ever wanna do anything that’d upset you!”

“You might be too late,” Stronghooves said. Sky recoiled at the slight growl in his voice. “Tell me the truth, Sky…”

“Hoovesie...you’re kinda sounding like dad…” Sky whimpered, backing away from him and lowering her head submissively.

“Are you going to stab me too, then?” Stronghooves asked, advancing on her. “Do you have any idea what hurting mum and dad would do to me? Do you have any idea what kind of hell you would’ve put me through?”

“N...no!” Sky squeaked, shaking her head again and backing away faster. “I wasn’t planning anything, okay? Hoovesie, please calm down...you’re scaring me…”

“Oh, I’m scaring you?” Stronghooves huffed. “Do you know what scares me, Sky? Standing up for you against my family and every stinking criminal in Canterlot! You never even told me why Shady hates you so much! Want to enlighten me, or are you going to lie about that, too?”

“I’m not a liar! Shady just...doesn’t like me, okay? I dunno why…” Sky murmured, pawing the ground with her hoof and looking away.

“I know you’re not being honest,” Stronghooves growled, lowering his head down to her level. “I’ll ask you again. What did you do to him to make him mad?”

“Nothing!” Sky gulped. “I just...stole...I was hungry, and I stole...food from him...and the guards might’ve been following me...and they found his hideout, and...and…”

“So you did lie.”

“No! I mean, yes, but…” Sky choked. “I’d never lie about mum and dad, Hoovesie! Please, you’ve gotta believe me! They’re trying to make you angry at me, just like them! I’m your sister, remember?”

“Yeah, my sister who’s had me take every single punch Shady threw at you, all so that you could keep lying to me about why he’s supposedly such a bad pony.” He spat. “How am I supposed to believe anything you say anymore? You’ve nearly cost me more than a few broken bones. Hell, you nearly cost me my future.”

“Are mum and dad threatening to give you a criminal record with the Royal Guard Academy again?” Sky asked, curling up into a protective ball of pony and peeking out from under her feathers at him.

Stronghooves bowed his head, gritting his teeth and looking away from the young pony. “When they found out that I was helping you, they threatened me with any number of horrible things. They threatened to throw me out, too. I suppose I can see why, now.”

“Hoovesie,” Sky whispered, raising her head and shuffling a little closer, “come on, they’d never throw you out. Let me talk to them. They hate me anyway, right? I can totally talk some sense into…”

Sky was cut off as Stronghooves snarled, smashing his forehoof right into her cheek and sending her tumbling over onto her back. Sky didn’t react at first, her eye remaining half closed as she touched a forehoof to her sore cheek in utter shock. There was really nothing for her to say or do in that moment.

“Don’t you dare go near them!” Stronghooves boomed, flaring his horn as he forced Sky back onto her hooves. “You may hate this family by now, but that’s still my mum and dad, and I will not allow you to compromise that, do you hear me?”

Sky merely stared straight ahead for the longest time, her underdeveloped wings slumping down by her sides as the full weight of what had just happened struck her. “You...hit me…”

“I said, DO YOU HEAR ME?” Stronghooves roared, picking her up by the neck and slamming her into a brick wall. “I CAN DO FAR WORSE THAN JUST HITTING YOU, BELIEVE ME!”

Sky stared at him in sheer terror, the bruise around her eye visibly darkening as time went on. She opened and closed her mouth uselessly as tears trickled down her mucky cheeks, hooves raised protectively under her chin.

“Am...am I a bad filly?” she finally croaked.

Stronghooves rolled his eyes, dropping her. “You’re worse than that. You threatened to hurt my family. You repeatedly disobeyed them and drew me into your little web of lies for two damn years. You’re a pathetic little foal.”

Sky’s ears flopped down as she tried to get back on her hooves, still rubbing her bruised cheek.

“I never did anything to them! I couldn’t! They were always shouting at me! All I ever wanted to do was make them happy, and I never could! I’m sorry, okay?” She squealed, trotting closer and looking up at him with big hopeful eyes.

“You’re still lying,” Stronghooves growled, looking away. His horn sparked now and then, his eye twitching. Rat knew it to be the expression of a unicorn who’s trying their hardest to resist the urge to cast a spell.

“I’m not lying,” Sky whispered, shaking her head and placing her forehoof on her brother’s. “I’ll even make everything up to you. We can go to the park and play together, okay? I know you want to play Toss The Filly. It always makes both of us feel better, right?”

Stronghooves glared at her out of the corner of his eye, pulling his hoof away and snorting. “What makes you think that I want to play with a dishonest little bully?”

“You love playing with me!” Sky beamed hopefully, only able to open her eye halfway due to the swelling by now. “You told me that it’s your favourite thing in the world to do! You told me that you looked forward to playtime every day!”

“And you told me that you were being bullied for no reason, that mum and dad had no reason to hate you, that you were some helpless little pony and you’re somehow the victim, here.” Stronghooves spat. “I guess that makes us both liars.”

“Hoovesie...I didn’t mean to make you upset! Please...let’s talk about this, okay? We can go to the park and we can hug and play and…”

Sky trailed off at the sight of Stronghooves’s face as he looked at her once more. His eyes burned with betrayal, anger and the most feral kind of hatred.

“You’re a freak,” he said simply.

Sky backed away, looking down at her forehooves and wrapping her tail around herself. “I...I’m sorry...I don’t mean to be…” she croaked. Judging by the look on her face, that had hurt her far more than the actual beating.

“You don’t mean to be.” Stronghooves huffed. “Excuses. Everything mum and dad said was right, wasn’t it? They were right about you not trying at Flight School. They were right about you being a bad student. They were right about you being a terrible excuse for a daughter who blamed her every failure on somepony else.”

“If...if I say yes...will you stop being mad at me?” Sky asked hopefully, idly playing with her tail.

Stronghooves lowered his head to draw level with her once more, his expression unchanged.

“Our family is broken, Sky,” he said quietly. “Our parents don’t know who they can trust, and I’ve had my skull broken in three places and my jaw in two others...and it’s all because of you. You’re a snotty, disgusting, pathetic excuse for a pony, and the worst part is that you’ve gotten away with it for so long.”

Sky looked up at him with a trembling lower lip. “I’m sorry, Hoovesie. I’ll try and change, okay? I’ll...I’ll be good. I just want my big brother…”

“If you wanted to keep me, you should’ve been honest with me from the beginning.” He sighed, looking away once again. “I don’t see you fixing this, Sky. You’ve kept me living a lie and sacrificing everything for you for two whole years since you were thrown out, and now everything mum and dad told me is starting to make sense.”

“No, please! They’re lying, Hoovesie! I’d never hurt you! I’d never lie to you! I was just scared that you’d be mad about the Shady thing, but mum and dad...I know why they hate me, okay? It’s because I’m...different…” Sky sniffled, grabbing his foreleg and hugging him with all of her might, “It’s because I’m...special.”

“You’re not special. You’re a liar and a freak,” Stronghooves snarled quietly. “You’ve got three seconds to let go of my leg and get the hell out of my sight.”

“I don’t want to...please, Hoovesie...please believe me...I’d never lie to you...I need you…” Sky whispered, clutching him tighter. She rubbed her bruised little cheek on his leg affectionately, closing her eyes.

“One…”

“Please...I’ll make it up to you! I don’t know how, but I’ll make it up to you!”

“Two…”

“I’ll do anything! I’ll be the best little sister ever, you’ll see!” Sky yelped louder, hiding her head under her wing as he raised his free hoof and flared his horn. Rat couldn’t look away, transfixed by the scene before him. Even in the last moments before he struck her, Sky had been totally prepared to do whatever it took to restore their relationship.

As if she was ever the problem… he thought to himself.

Stronghooves yanked Sky off of his leg, slamming her into the ground and holding her there while he punched her in the stomach. Sky’s screams ceased immediately as the wind was knocked out of her. As he brought his hoof down on her again and again, her unusually fluffy belly quickly turned red, then purple. Before long, it was all Sky could do to draw breath at all, gasping for air as she looked up at her big brother with big teary eyes. Letting go of her, he gave her one last kick, sending her tumbling head over hooves and smacking into a brick wall with a pained little squeak.

Sky lay there in silence for a very long time, panting desperately to try and get air back in her damaged lungs. Stronghooves waited in silence, too. His expression flickered between confusion, remorse and outright malice. Finally, with a little whimper, the young filly rolled over, looking up at him with those same big blue eyes.

“Wh...why?” She croaked.

“Because...I hate you,” Stronghooves whispered back. “I hate everything you are. I hate how you’ve failed at everything you’ve ever done. I hate how you’ve lied, how you’ve cheated, how you’ve hidden behind me. I hate how you gave up on being a good little sister and used me.” He sighed, shaking his head. “You’re on your own now, Sky. Just hope that Shady isn’t stalking around here at all. I imagine he’s got a score of his own to settle with you.”

As Stronghooves left the courtyard, Rat perked his ears at a near-inaudible whimper from the young filly. He wasn’t sure, but he could’ve sworn that it sounded like “I still love you.” The teenager ignored it, trotting out into a nearby street and nodding to a gargantuan stallion on the other side of the street.

“She’s all yours,” said Stronghooves, as the memory began to fade. “I’m done protecting her.”

* * *

Instead of appearing back on the bridge as he had done before, Rat found himself standing in a monstrous lecture theatre. It was completely empty, only the dim security lighting providing any illumination to the enormous room. The stallion glanced around, catching sight of myriad carts and little desks covered in medical equipment, along with…

“Stronghooves…” Rat whispered, spotting the stallion in the corner. The captain leaned against the wall, older than he had been in the previous memory, wearing the purple-gold armour of a high-ranking officer. Rat’s eyes drifted down to his sword, already recognisable as the one Makali had described.

Both stallions glanced down at the double doors to the lecture hall as the sound of thundering hoofsteps approached, and a moment later a pegasus stallion burst through it. He looked for all the world like a younger, slightly fitter version of Shady, wearing the distinctive hooded cloak and mask of a fully-fledged burglar. He caught Stronghooves’s eye, winking at him as he drew a knife and rounded on the door.

Only a few seconds later, a second pony burst into the lecture theatre. Rat recognised her immediately, having seen her likeness in his hallucinations with Fox and the pictures in Sky’s diary.

Shadow… he thought to himself. Those enormous wings were incredibly distinctive. She held a familiar yew longbow in her hooves, drawing back an arrow and training it on the stallion.

“Looks like a dead end, Nightshade,” she said coolly, taking off and hovering in midair. “Come on, save yourself some trouble and just put that knife down. I’ll even aim for something soft. You won’t feel a thing, trust me.”

“That’s not gonna happen, kid,” Nightshade growled, stamping his hoof and flourishing his knife. “This time, it’s you who’s gonna be going down, and unlike you, I don’t put ponies to sleep. I just...well…put ponies to sleep.”

“Cute,” Shadow sighed, tossing her hood back and letting her untidy mane tumble down to her shoulders. “Well, I’ll try not to wear out my bowstring on you, pal.”

With that, she loosed the arrow, tipped with a little glass capsule filled with a bright green fluid. Nightshade dove out of the way, taking flight himself and slashing at her with the knife. The filly danced out of reach, her massive wings launching her ever higher into the air.

“So where’s Shady? Don’t you normally follow him round like a little whimpering bitch?” she asked conversationally.

“He’s dealing with your sister. Trust me, Sky’s not gonna get here until it’s too late,” Nightshade chuckled, rolling out of the way of another arrow and slashing at Shadow’s neck.

“Really? You think that big tub of lard’s gonna get an edge over my sister?” Shadow giggled, effortlessly looping around him and nocking another arrow. “You’re dumber than you look, and that’s saying a lot.”

“You don’t understand, kid,” Nightshade grinned, climbing up after her as she got alarmingly close to the light fixtures overhead, “this time it’s gonna be really different.”

“Yeah, keep believing that,” Shadow giggled, nocking an explosive arrow and firing at the ceiling. “Heads up!”

The arrow detonated with stone-shattering force, sending one of the enormous projectors tumbling down towards Nightshade’s head. In full climb, there was no way he’d be able to get out of the way in time.

A split-second before impact, Nightshade was wreathed in bright blue light, taking the hit without a single scratch. The projector disintegrated against the magical barrier, and all Shadow could was stare in confusion and fright.

“Wait...you can’t…” she began.

“No, he can’t,” Stronghooves announced, stepping into the light, “but I can. Hello, Shadow.”

Shadow glanced between the two stallions, gulping and backing away slowly. She suddenly appeared to be far less confident in her abilities.

“I...didn’t know that you two were working together…” she squeaked, nocking another arrow.

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Stronghooves commented, drawing his sword and saluting her. “But you’d be surprised at just how many ponies become willing to work together to bring you down when you’re a public nuisance, and you and Sky most certainly are.”

“So what, you’ve recruited these assholes as some kind of vigilantes?” Shadow asked, diving out of the way of Nightshade’s follow-through and launching herself towards the captain.

“Something like that. Everything about this job was a set-up, Shadow. The Palace, the encounter with Nightshade and Shady, your separation from Sky...and now this,” he smiled, horn flaring as he fired a bolt of magical energy straight at her. Before Shadow could roll out of the way, it struck her wing, sending her crashing down to the floor with a pained grunt.

“For...what…?” Shadow snarled, struggling to her hooves and inspecting her scorched wing. “We’re gonna get out of here one way or another. We...always do…”

“Sky might,” Stronghooves nodded, stepping forward and bringing his sword around in a flashing arc. “You, however...well, this whole set-up was specifically for you.”

Shadow ducked his sword, drawing back an arrow and firing it off at Nightshade as he tried to get around her. The young filly tucked her useless wings in by her sides, backing away and attempting to keep her bow trained on both stallions simultaneously.

“Sky…” She said slowly, a little louder than speaking volume. As Rat looked into her eyes from across the lecture theatre, he recognised an emotion that was familiar to him but perhaps not to Shadow; fear.

Stronghooves’s horn flared, holding her bow in his magic as he slashed at her again. Shadow leapt backwards, releasing the weapon and yelping as he sliced it in two. She reared up onto her hind legs, pulling a sleep arrow out of her quiver and holding it like a short makeshift spear. Her eyes drifted down to her broken bow, still engraved with her name in Sky’s terrible hoofwriting.

“SKY?” she repeated, spinning the arrow in her hooves and jabbing at Nightshade as he tried to dive on her. The stallion’s knife became entangled in the barbs of the arrowhead, holding him there for just long enough for her to swing around and kick him in the stallionhood. Nightshade quickly went down, clutching his balls and groaning as Stronghooves picked up the slack. He brought his sword down in a double-hooved swing, shaving a few hairs off of Shadow’s tail as she leapt down towards the front of the lecture theatre.

“There’s no escape, you know!” Stronghooves laughed, leaping after her and slashing the back off of one of the chairs in his way.

“There’s always a way out!” Shadow snarled back, twisting in the air and hurling the arrow at him like a javelin. Stronghooves teleported out of the way moments before the arrow hit, bursting back into existence off to her side and slashing at her again. This time she was a little too slow, yelping in pain as he left a thin cut down her side, punching through her armour with ease. Shadow wheezed, clutching her side as she backed all the way down to the chalkboards. She searched blindly for a weapon behind her as she tried to keep her eyes on Stronghooves. Finally, her hoof grasped a long wooden pole with a metal hook on the end, one of those un-named pieces of equipment for pulling down errant floating blackboards.

“SKY!” Shadow screamed, bringing the makeshift weapon around in a wide arc that forced Stronghooves onto the defensive. She danced out of the way of his counterattack, spinning the pole over her head to break the captain’s focus and pulling his forelegs out from under him. Stronghooves fell to the floor, snarling as his jaw cracked against a desk.

Nightshade finally got back up, leaping at her and spreading his wings as he aimed the knife straight at her neck. Shadow followed through with her swing, catching his neck in the hook and slamming him down into the floor with all of her might. Her eyes darted from one stallion to the other as she backed away towards the doors. Rat knew an uncertain gaze when he saw one, and Shadow was most certainly in over her head.

“Sky...any time now…” She muttered, watching as Stronghooves got back up again. This time he snarled at the filly, launching himself towards her with his sword held over his head by pure magic. Shadow dove sideways, spinning the pole to build up momentum and whacking him across the head with the metal hook. His helmet took the worst of the hit with an echoing clang, though it only served to make him angrier. Stronghooves pressed his attack, countering Shadow’s acrobatic, fast stickfighting with calculated force and incredible brute strength.

Shadow screamed out her sister’s name one last time as Nightshade tried to tackle her from the side, catching the hook around his neck once more. She pulled herself down its length, headbutting him repeatedly until both ponies looked downright dazed. Finally, she swung the pole in another wide arc, striking Nightshade in the head with the curved side of the metal hook and knocking him unconscious.

When Shadow turned to put her attention back on Stronghooves, however, the Captain was nowhere to be found. She clutched the pole close to her chest, reared up on her hind hooves and scanning the room as best she could.

Rat spotted him first, shimmering back into existence behind Shadow and sizing her up from behind. He knew in that moment that Shadow wouldn’t quite be able to react in time, but though he screamed and screamed for her to turn around, he could no more get her attention than he could change history itself.

Shadow whirled around, the polearm meeting his sword in mid-swing. With a crack of splintering wood, Stronghooves clove the makeshift weapon in two. The young filly squeaked, dancing out of reach as he tried to follow through.

“You don’t give up, do you?” She cried, flicking her forehoof and extending her hoof crossbow.

“Try to think, Shadow.” Stronghooves growled. “You’ve led my sister down a dark path, messed her mind up in ways I can’t even describe, ruined any chance of her ever loving me again. No...this ends now.”

Shadow levelled the weapon, firing a bright green sleep dart at her aggressor as he swung at her head again. Stronghooves conjured a shield out of pure magic, blocking the dart and shattering the capsule in midair. Shadow retreated, firing each and every dart left in her bandolier at the Captain of the Royal Guard as he advanced on her.

“SKY! HELP!” She shrieked, as tendrils of magic wove around her crossbow and forced it off of her struggling hoof. Stronghooves crushed it before her very eyes, fixing her with the predatory glare of a combatant who knew he’d won.

“She can’t help you, Shadow.” He whispered, lifting the filly up and drawing her closer. “You’re out of tricks and out of time, and there’s nothing you can do to stop this. Just accept it.”

Shadow gritted her teeth, kicking out with her hind legs and setting off her own flare boots. The lecture theatre was lit up by bright pink flares for a few moments, blinding Stronghooves and making him drop the young pony as he clutched at his eyes in anguish. She dragged herself away from the massive stallion, pulling out her very last weapon; a little combat knife. Shadow reared up onto her hind legs, holding it up with the air of a pony who’d never raised a lethal weapon in anger before, but when she looked, Stronghooves was gone.

Shadow only got out one more short scream as she caught his silhouette looming over her shoulder, not even managing to turn around all the way before the captain slammed the sword into her gut. She dropped the pole, looking down at the tip of the blade bursting out from her stomach, and gurgled quietly. For the longest time, the only sound in the room was both ponies’ heavy breathing, and then finally the young filly gave a pained grunt as he drew the blade out of her, letting her slump to the ground to die.

“Come on, get up,” Stronghooves said quietly, nudging Nightshade with his forehoof. “You’ve still got a job to do, remember?”

Rat’s ears perked at the sound of desperate galloping from outside, Sky’s voice echoing down the hall as she called Shadow’s name.

“Nngh…” Nightshade grunted, roused back to consciousness by Stronghooves’s nudging. “I don’t see why you don’t take the credit yourself.”

“Sky needs to be able to rely on me, that’s why.” Stronghooves smiled, dipping the knife in the growing puddle of blood around Shadow and forcing it back into Nightshade’s hoof. “Besides, this is your crowning achievement! Don’t be so modest!”

Moments before Sky burst through the double doors, Stronghooves teleported away, leaving Nightshade next to the body with a bloody knife and a dazed expression.

* * *

The memory faded around Rat once more, and this time he was once again left on the bridge with a semi-conscious Stronghooves. The burglar was far too pissed-off to hold back at this point, grabbing him around the neck and striking him across the face with a bolt of pure magic.

Stronghooves jolted awake, rubbing the thin cut that Rat had left on his face. “Wha...what are you…?”

“Listen up, bub,” Rat snarled, giving him another smack, “I know that it’s you behind this whole Operatives thing. I know that it’s you behind all of the horrible things that’ve happened to Sky, and I know that it’s you who’s ruined her damn life and killed her sister. You lied to me, asshole.”

“I...didn’t...lie…” Stronghooves whimpered pathetically, still disoriented from the rude awakening.

“You did, and I’m gonna damn well make you pay for it,” Rat grinned savagely. “Now, if you wanna make this easy for yourself, why don’t you go ahead and tell me where you’re hiding with the rest of your asshole buddies?”

Stronghooves said nothing, opening and closing his mouth uselessly. Nonetheless, as Rat looked into Stronghooves’s eyes, he caught glimpses of a mountain fortress with a lighthouse atop it, overlooking the Equestrian Plains. He could recognise a place like that anywhere.

“You’re hiding in the Griffon Kingdoms, aren’t you?” he grinned.

“I’m...no...I’m not…” Stronghooves said, hurriedly looking away. That was all the answer Rat needed.

“You stay right there, buddy. You and your friends are about to get one hell of a surprise.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “Go ahead, set up whatever defences you’d like. Hide behind as many of your buddies as you like, but believe me, Hoovesie...I’m coming for you. Sky and I are gonna hunt you down, crush you and fuck you up...just like you fucked her up. Got me?”

“Please...don’t...I don’t want to…” Stronghooves yelped, eyes going wide as he met Rat’s gaze once more.

“Too bad. You should’ve thought of that before you fucked with my best girl. She’s my best friend and I love that dumb little pony, and you’ve gone and tried to get her killed or...or tortured, or...whatever. You’re the cause of every horrible thing that’s gone on in her life...and I’m gonna make you pay.”

Rat relinquished him, stepping away as everything began to fade into white. Stronghooves couldn’t say a word more, though as Rat Racer perked his ears, the captain’s whimpering began to sound more like...laughter.

The Road To Hell

“Very well,” Makali said softly, “this is where the woods come to an end, and you’ll find train tracks that head north to the Griffon Kingdoms.”

“Are you ready to tell me what all this is about, Rat?” Sky asked, raising an eyebrow. She’d been practically pulled upright by an outraged Rat just that very morning, and as she blinked in the unfiltered daylight at the edge of the woods, she regarded the stallion with a worried stare.

Rat looked back at her, his eyes full of the most incredible pain and anger. His body shook and his fur stood on end, but still he took Makali’s forehoof in his own.

“Thanks for everything, Makali,” he said, smiling weakly.

“Don’t mention it,” answered the zebra, slipping a little notebook into Sky’s saddlebag. “Just do whatever you need to do and stay safe. Oh, and if you find whoever perfected those enhancements, give them a kick from me.”

“We already did,” Rat chuckled mirthlessly, taking Sky’s hoof and dragging her off towards the train tracks. “Take it easy, Stripes!”

“Stripes? Why, I…” Makali began, but Sky and Rat were already accelerating, galloping out of the woods and off towards the northern railway.

“Rat...this isn’t a cop drama,” Sky growled, pulling her hoof free of her coltfriend’s and spreading her wings challengingly, “just tell me what the hell’s going on and stop playing games.”

“I saw...everything, okay?” Rat snarled, lowering his head as he stepped onto the train tracks and began to follow them north. “I saw your pain, your hurt. I saw your heart break and your brother fuck you over. I saw...Shadow...die...in the university…”

Sky blinked, cocking her head. “You...saw...er...all that, huh? You don’t suppose there was some swamp gas that…?”

“NO!” Rat roared, looking around at Sky with wild eyes, “NO! I saw...I saw inside Stronghooves’s head. He visited me...in my dreams...to try and make me do his dirty work for him, but when I started questioning what he was asking me to do, he panicked. I shocked him and forced him to show me all of his memories of you, and I saw...that.” The stallion’s shoulders slumped as he walked, his muzzle inches from the tracks as he hung his head. “I saw him leave you to get fucked over by Shady, and I saw your diary, Sky. I...know what he did to you.”

“O...okay…” Sky sighed, “look, Rat, you’ve gotta understand something about what happened back when we were kids. See, I was a bad pony, and…”

“No you weren’t, Sky. Don’t give me that bullshit,” Rat scoffed, “you were good. You were brilliant and sweet and kind and I saw that with my own fucking eyes. Don’t go parroting your brother like some abused housewife. You’re better than that.”

“Yeah? You’re telling me you saw a bunch of stuff that Stronghooves showed you. You must’ve seen the kind of pony I was.” Sky huffed. “I was a bad filly. I was manipulative and crafty and mean and stupid. Stronghooves just...punished me a little too hard.”

“Stronghooves listened to your lying, dumbshit parents and you know it. He said so himself, you know. How his parents twisted his mind, turned him into something unsalvageable, made him do things to you like he wasn’t in control of his own actions.”

“So this is what it’s about,” Sky sighed, trying to redirect the conversation, “so what are we heading north for?”

“When I looked into that fucked-up morass he calls a brain, I saw a fortress, somewhere in the Griffon Kingdoms,” Rat explained. “I think that’s where he’s hiding. That’s where the crystals are, the last of the Operatives, all of this shit.”

“So what, we just break in and steal the crystals?” Sky asked, “You realise that Hoovesie’s a different brand of dangerous from the rest of the guys we’ve gone up against so far, right?”

“Yeah, I’m aware,” Rat nodded. “Still, we’ve gotta try, right? I mean, Stronghooves goes down, we get the crystals back, give them back to the museum and then you walk out of all of this a free mare.”

“So you’re doing this just to give me a happy ending, huh?” Sky asked skeptically.

“Partially,” Rat admitted. “Mostly I’m doing it because that asshole’s pissed me off. Forcing me to witness Fox’s death again, watching as you were abused as a kid, thrown out on the street and forced to fend for yourself, all the while berating me, trying to con me into working for him. Guy’s a narcissist, and if I get my hooves on him, I’ll shove my leg so far up his ass that I can open and close his mouth like a fucking puppet.”

Sky’s ears perked as she heard an approaching train. With another little sigh, she grabbed Rat by the shoulders and pulled him off of the tracks.

“If we just go running in, we don’t have much of a chance,” Sky argued, fiddling with her crossbow as she shifted a bigger, heavier dart into the firing mechanism. “We’re gonna need a plan, and we’re gonna need to make sure we’ve got those darts that counteract the enhancements.”

Sky lowered her head, pulling Rat up onto her back as she readied her grapple dart. As the unicorn clung on tight, wrapping his forelegs around her neck, Sky raised her crossbow and fired the dart off as the train went by. A satisfying clank told her that her aim was true, and the little white mare braced herself as the cable reel fastened to the grapple dart unravelled. With an enormous tug, the two ponies were launched into the air, pulled in the wake of the train with Sky’s damaged wings keeping them aloft.

“This is a hell of a lot faster than walking, I’ll give you that!” Rat laughed, holding onto his marefriend as she came in to land atop one of the cars.

“Yeah, looks like a freight train, though.” Sky sighed. “No buffet car, I’m afraid.”

“Awww, and there was me hoping that you’d buy me lunch.” Rat chuckled sarcastically. “Okay, sweetheart, I’m listening. What’s the plan?”

“The plan is, we get in, avoid detection, get a hold of those crystals and then shoot every Operative left. You got that?”

“Doesn’t that stuff only work temporarily?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Sky said with a frown. “Okay, only shoot everypony in the place if they get in our way. Fair enough?”

“I wanna take Stronghooves down,” Rat growled.

“Yeah? How are you gonna do that?” Sky asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I dunno. I just...don’t want him to get away with this. What if I just take his enhancements away and…?”

“Rat, listen to yourself,” Sky interrupted. “You were about to end that sentence with something lethal, weren’t you?”

Rat opened his mouth, then closed it again.

“Ma...maybe.” He admitted, ears flopping down.

“You’re not a killer, pal,” Sky said, shaking her head. “You’re not gonna kill him, no matter what you saw when you looked into his head. You know you’re better than that.”

“I...know,” Rat grunted, looking away. “It doesn’t stop me wishing, though…”

“The difference between an asshole and a good pony is sometimes just the difference between wishing and doing,” Sky said with a shrug.

“I didn’t know you were a philosopher.”

“If I wasn’t, maybe I’d have a real job,” Sky chuckled, placing a hoof under Rat’s chin to turn his head back towards her. “Hey, conehead.”

Rat caught her eye, smiling softly and rubbing his muzzle against hers.

“You’re just too adorable, sometimes,” he said quietly, his voice barely audible over the rushing wind around them.

“Yeah? We’ll see how adorable I am when I’ve got you dressed up in a bonnet and bow. Just wait until we get back to Canterlot, buster.” Sky giggled, sticking her tongue out at him.

“It’s a date,” Rat said with a smile, putting a foreleg around the back of Sky’s neck and drawing her in.

“Hey, Rat...you wanna promise me something real quick?” Sky asked, playing with her hooves worriedly.

“Anything, dollface.” Rat grinned, muzzle-bumping her once more.

“Just...don’t leave me, okay?” Sky asked nervously, almost too quiet for him to make out the words. She looked down at the train car, ears flattening against her skull. “You’re kind of the first guy who hasn’t been crazy or left me alone…”

“I’m still not sure that I’m not crazy,” Rat whispered, nuzzling her chin to bring her head up again. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll get this over and done with and then somepony owes me a date…”

The two ponies sat together in silence for a time, watching as the Equestrian countryside gave way to foothills at the base of the mountainous Griffon Kingdoms. Sky and Rat readied their weapons, cocking their crossbows and longbows as they prepared themselves as best they can.

“Last chance to back out,” Rat chuckled after a while.

“Not on your life,” Sky growled, steeling herself as she caught sight of a fortress halfway up a nearby mountain. “Is that the place?”

“Yeah.” Rat affirmed, following her line of sight.

“Then let’s end this, once and for all.”

* * *

The two burglars crept across the underground train platform, keeping to the shadows as best they could as they approached the stairwell.

“I don’t like this place,” Rat whispered. “It’s too clean and bright. There’s barely anywhere to hide.”

“Yeah…” Sky muttered. “Looks like some kind of military deal. We really stuck our hoof in it by pissing off this lot, didn’t we?”

“All the more reason to get these douchebags off of our backs for good.”

Sky took point, loading an Operative-busting sleep dart into her crossbow as she began to ascend the stars. Rat loaded his weapon as well, making his way up behind her.

“This place is one hell of a fortress,” he mused. “Why aren’t there more of them, especially in the damn train station?”

“We probably took most of them out in Canterlot,” Sky replied, her voice shaking just a little as she made her way up the pale white steps. “Still...keep sharp. I don’t wanna imagine how these guys act when they’re feeling desperate.”

They made their way out into a large white atrium, massive simple pillars framing the tall, thin windows that looked out over the foothills and Equestria itself. Rat took only a moment to glance out over it before looking around once more. His ears perked as he listened with all his might for any sign of them being tracked.

“I...really don’t like this,” he muttered.

“Me neither,” Sky whispered back, slowing down to draw level with her coltfriend and flicking her good wing over his back. “Come on, sweetie. Not long now.”

They stopped, arriving at a great reinforced white door with a hoof-identifying plate just like the one back in Canterlot.

Sky frowned, taking the amulet in her hoof and pressing it to the plate hopefully. With a little ding sound, the doors slid open, satisfied once more that Sky was Silver Tongue.

“This is too easy,” Sky giggled, stepping inside.

What stood before her was reminiscent of the lab in Canterlot, the same brass array as before hanging overhead with the crystals set into little apertures in the rings. Each let off a dim light that gave the otherwise unlit lab the feel of a quiet, abandoned disco. Sky stood right beneath the metal frame, licking her lips as she stared up at it.

“Right,” she whispered, “how do we go about getting these down.”

“I guess I could magic them down easily enough,” Rat suggested. “Dunno how well they’d react to magic, though…”

“Here, let me try,” Sky said, wiggling her flanks as she wound up to launch herself at the frame. Rat grabbed her tail at the last second, sending her tumbling to the floor with a little squeak.

“Are you crazy? Do you have any idea what kind of racket that thing’d make if you hit it?” Rat snarled.

“Well excuse me! Got any better ideas?” Sky asked with a huff, dusting her fur down and glaring at him.

“Er…”

“Here’s one for free. Give me a boost.”

Sky hopped onto his back, reaching out for the lowermost crystal with her armed hoof as Rat reared up onto his hind legs.

“You know, this isn’t right,” Rat growled.

“What, having me on top?”

“No, getting in this easily,” Rat said with a worried frown. “I mean, this place is a fortress, right? Why aren’t there any defences? Something automated, even just a security crystal?”

“I’m trying not to think about that,” said Sky, feeling a strange tug on her crossbow gauntlet as she got closer and closer to the crystals.

Gotta be something to do with the alchemical stuff being this close to a powerful magical artifact. That’s gotta be it, right?

“Just...get it...done…” Rat grunted, staggering sideways just a little as his hoof was taken in the same magical grip, offsetting his balance.

“Nearly got it…” Sky wheezed, inches from the crystal now. “Just...gotta get ‘em and get...the hell out of here…”

“You may find that last part a little harder than you think,” came a familiar voice from nearby.

Magic wove its way around their crossbows as they were wrested from their hooves, sending the two burglars tumbling down to the ground. Out of the shadows, illuminated by the light of his own horn, stepped Stronghooves. He held their weapons up like trophies, floating them in front of his face with an amused smile.

“You,” Rat sneered, getting back up and flaring his own horn challengingly.

“Yes, me.” The stallion replied with a grin, dropping the crossbows to the floor and crushing them beneath his heavy armoured hoof. “You did a great job bringing Sky to me, Rat. You made good on your promise.”

“Wha...what’re you talking about?” Sky gasped, looking from Rat to Stronghooves. “Rat, he’s just lying, right?”

“Lying?” Stronghooves asked, cocking his head. “Sky, it’s Rat who’s been lying. He’s been seeing me ever since the two of you left Canterlot. He spoke to me, watched his own brother die, saw your most private and painful moments through my eyes, and even watched your sister pass away. Now he’s brought you back to me, just as I’d intended.” His warm gaze fell upon Rat, who recoiled in shock.

“N...no...it’s not like that!” He yelped, backpedalling. “Sky, don’t listen to…”

“Don’t listen to the truth?” Stronghooves said, grinning predatorily as he paced around them. Shield stepped in behind them, encircling the two little ponies and forcing them together. “Rat, you did everything I wanted, saw everything I wanted you to see. Do you really think you could’ve seen those memories last night unless I’d planned it that way?”

“But...why?” Rat asked, slowly pulling his longbow off of his back.

“To make you reckless,” Stronghooves explained. “You got so angry when I wouldn’t tell you the truth about her, even angrier when you found it out for yourself. You walked in here without doing any research, brushing aside your own marefriend’s warnings, no doubt. All that matters is you and me, right?”

“Wrong,” Rat said, shaking his head. “Trust me, Hoovesie, I wanna kick your ass as much as the next guy, but I’m not doing this to get to you. I’m doing this to save her.”

“Yeah? How come you led her right into the dragon’s lair, then?” Stronghooves asked.

The silence was palpable, the air thick with a grim realisation that wove its way around Rat’s mind and clutched it like a vice.

“You...really did plan this…”

“Yes,” Stronghooves said with a grin. “Now, thanks to you, Sky’s in my captivity and you’ve got exactly what you wanted all along. You’re right here with me. One on one. Isn’t that what you came here for?”

The Captain gave a nod, and Shield lowered his head. Magic arced from the Inspector’s horn straight into Sky’s torso, seizing up her joints and robbing her of the use of her nerves. The little pegasus collapsed in the middle of the floor, only able to sob and wheeze as Shield began to bind her legs together.

Rat rounded on the two of them, charging his horn to try and get Shield off of his marefriend, but Stronghooves swept his legs out from underneath him before he could get a spell off. The smaller unicorn tumbled to the ground, grunting and trying to haul himself back upright again. Stronghooves followed up on his attack, slamming into Rat’s side and sending the unicorn flying across the room. With a pained grunt, Rat hit the stone floor and slid a few metres before coming to rest.

“Now, Sky...watch,” Stronghooves whispered, advancing on Rat as Shield forced her to stare at him. “Watch and realise just what happens to ponies who try to help you. They betray you, they fail you...and finally, they hurt you, even if they don’t mean to.”

Rat rose once again, swinging at the larger stallion with one of his forehooves in desperation, but Stronghooves sidestepped him and swept his legs out from under him once more. With a crack, Rat’s head hit the stone floor once more, a little trickle of blood running out from between his lips as a few of his teeth were knocked loose. Stronghooves grabbed him by the mane, winding it around his hoof before hauling the stallion up into the air.

“Now, look Sky in the eye.” Stronghooves snarled, forcing the two to lock eyes. “Look at what you’ve done to her, the trouble that your anger and recklessness has gotten her into.”

“Sky…” Rat whispered, blood-flecked saliva running down his chin and onto the floor as he looked into her eyes, “I’m so sorry. I...didn’t know. I wasn’t thinking...I just...wanted...to help…”

“A noble sentiment,” Stronghooves agreed. “Don’t worry, Rat Racer. You’ll have a little peace knowing that you have helped. You’ve given my sister back, and now I can help her, the way I’ve always wanted to.”

“You’re...not gonna turn me into a unicorn, Hoovesie. Just...let Rat go. Come on, he’s got no part in this. Just...don’t hurt him…” Sky whispered, looking up at her big brother pleadingly with tears in her eyes.

“I can’t let him go, Sky,” Stronghooves said sadly. “See, if I let him go, who’s to say whether or not he’ll expose me? What if he helps break you out of here? I’m afraid that the good Manehattanite here chose for himself whether he wanted to be involved in this little mess, and he made the wrong choice.”

“Hoovesie, please, I’m asking you nicely, let him go! Please!” Sky shrieked. “He’s not just some guy who got caught up in all of this! I lo…need him!”

“Sky…” Rat began, his pupils two pinpricks of terror as he heard Stronghooves unsheath his sword behind him.

Stronghooves didn’t give him time to say a word more, running it through his chest and puncturing his lung in an instant. Rat spluttered wordlessly, coughing up blood as his legs spasmed where he hung. For just an instant more, his eyes met Sky’s and they shared in the pain of his injury, the understanding that what Stronghooves had done was undeniably lethal. Sky had expected herself to scream, to make some kind of noise to give voice to her anger, fear and burning sadness, but it caught in her throat, naught but a weak little whimper.

As Sky looked on in terror, struggling fruitlessly against her bonds in an effort to get to Rat, a subtle movement caught her eye. It was the tiniest twitch of the lips, but it carried all of the pain of their lost years together.

“I’m sorry,” he mouthed. “I love you.”

Stronghooves twisted the sword before Sky had a chance to respond, and Rat Racer choked and thrashed wildly, struggling against the blade in his chest until he finally settled down. His body began to shut down as his lifeblood drained onto the stonework, pooling around Sky’s prostrate form, and after what seemed like an eternity, Rat Racer grew still and struggled no more.

Sky choked back sobs as she watched Stronghooves push the dead burglar off of his sword, cleaning it off on the corpse’s cloak before glancing up at Sky again with a friendly little smile.

“You...bastard…” Sky snarled, struggling against her bonds once again.

“First Shadow, then Rat,” Stronghooves interrupted. “You really don’t get it yet, do you? Your refusal to give yourself up and be my sister again has cost two ponies their lives, ruined your ability to make friends and have a family of your own.”

“You didn’t kill Shadow,” Sky said grimly, summoning all of the courage she could muster as she looked up into her big brother’s eyes. “When she finds out what happened to me, she’ll come and save me and we’ll both kick your ass.”

Sure enough, as Sky looked over Stronghooves’s shoulder, she caught sight of the young filly with oversized wings, creeping around in the shadows as always. For just a moment, Sky felt a twinge of hope, a promise that even if things couldn’t be what they could have been, they could at least return to normal.

“You’re still living in that old memory.” Stronghooves sighed, pulling a dart full of amber liquid out of his pack and advancing on her. “Don’t worry, Sky. Your brother’s going to save you from everything. I’m going to free you from your crippling injuries. I’m going to save you from all of the pain and heartache and make you mine again.”

“Bi...bite me…” Sky growled, trying to pull herself away as Stronghooves came closer. He pushed the tip of the needle to her neck, staring at her almost with academic curiosity as he applied pressure. As soon as it broke her skin, the needle pushed its payload into her bloodstream, and no amount of struggling or whimpering on Sky’s part could stop it.

“This is a powerful antipsychotic,” Stronghooves explained, pacing around her. “Let’s see if your little sister comes to save you now.”

Sure enough, as Sky looked back to the shadows, the younger pegasus had frozen in place. Shadow stared at her own hooves, flickering in and out of existence like a malfunctioning hologram, and from the deepest pits of anguished memory, she let out an ear-splitting scream of pain.

“Hoo...Hoovesie, I don’t know what you’ve done to her, but stop it! STOP IT!” Sky screamed, ears flattening against her head as she tried to block out the sound, shuffling with all of her might towards the source of the sound. Shadow faded in and out of existence, but the screams never got any quieter. They were, after all, a product of Sky’s own mind, intertwined with her damaged psyche. Sky’s mind struggled to latch onto an emotional anchor, but Rat and Shadow were both gone, their only legacy a mixture of screaming and pained expressions as life left the two of them. In that moment, Sky broke completely, curling up into a ball and sobbing wildly.

Stronghooves settled down next to her, his voice barely audible over the ever-present screams of the long-dead little filly.

“Now, Sky...let’s get started on your treatment.”

The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life

“Talk to me, Shield,” said Stronghooves, trotting alongside his partner through the detention block. “How’s she reacting to the antipsychotics?”

“She won’t stop screaming,” Shield replied slowly, his voice strangely serene as he glanced sidelong at his master. “Those drugs are having an effect on her, all right, but she keeps asking where her damn sister is.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Stronghooves said with a smile, patting his mind-broken slave on the shoulder. “You focus on following my commands and getting ready to begin the treatment, and I’ll calm Sky down to make her more receptive, got it?”

“What...what happens when Daybreak gets back and sees this?”

“Again, I’ll take care of that,” said Stronghooves as they arrived at a heavy armoured cell door. He peeked in through the viewing window at his younger sister, who stood with her forelegs chained to the ceiling. Every time she drew breath, she let out an ear-splitting scream, tugging on her chains as her eyes darted around in search of a filly who would never come.

“Keep an eye out for her,” the captain said, unlocking the door. “I’m going to have a talk to my little sister.”

Stronghooves stepped into the cell, sealing the door closed behind him and approaching his captive sister with a weak smile.

“Hello, Sky,” he said softly, placing a forehoof on her cheek. “You really ought to stop screaming, you know. Nopony’s coming to save you.”

“It’s...a...right sight better...than letting you save me…” Sky growled, taking deep heaving breaths as she glared at Stronghooves with pure malice.

The stallion huffed quietly, placing his hoof under her chin and meeting her gaze without a trace of fright. “You really believe I’m going to kill you, don’t you? Is that what you’re afraid of?”

“No,” Sky whispered back. “I’m worried that you won’t.”

“Your words cut me deep, you know,” he muttered sarcastically. “What happened, Sky? What turned you from such a promising little filly into something so...hateful?”

“I grew up,” Sky shrugged. “I saw you for the sack of shit you really are. You’re manipulative, you’re mean, you’re fucking insane and every time somepony calls you out on it, you hurt them or kill them off. Can’t you see that?”

“You’re bitter over Rat and Shadow, aren’t you?” Stronghooves asked, pacing around her and letting out a frustrated sigh.

“You...bastard…” Sky growled. “Why the hell do you think I’m bitter, you shitstain?”

“Language, Sky.” Stronghooves warned. “You may be an adult now, but you’re still my little sister, and little sisters don’t talk like that.”

“Bite me,” Sky whispered, looking away. “I stopped being your sister ages ago, and trying to take away the ponies I care about won’t make me take you back. You’re a lying, conniving shitstain, and that’s all you’ll ever be to me.”

“Trying to? Sky, I’ve taken away Shadow and Rat, and those casualties were for your own good. Do you think I like killing? Do you think I enjoy hurting you? Why, if you’d never become a burglar, I’d never have had to hurt them in the first place!”

“If I hadn’t become a burglar, Shadow would’ve never found me and I’d never have had the chance to see what a monster you really are.”

“Shadow didn’t make it, Sky,” Stronghooves said quietly, pacing around in front of her and looking her in the eye once more. “You got her killed back in Canterlot. Your negligence, the way you led her down that criminal path...you are completely responsible for that poor filly’s death, all because you took advantage of how impressionable she was.”

“We’ll see who’s right when she busts in here and we kick your ass together, buster.”

“Sky...stop it,” Stronghooves whispered with a sigh, brushing her tattered mane out of her eyes. “She’s not coming. She’s never coming back. Shadow’s been dead for five years, and you’ve been living in a dream world because you can’t take responsibility for it. Don’t you see that?”

“You’re full of it, Hoovesie,” Sky spat at him, looking away. “Either let me go or get the fuck out of my face, because I’m through with you and your bullshit.”

“Sky…” Stronghooves hissed, his voice rising to a horrible shriek as he clutched his sister by the throat, “STOP… SWEARING!”

The two of them fell silent, not a single sound in the cell besides their laboured breathing for the longest time. Stronghooves held her up by the throat, staring into her eyes and searching for a sign of defiance, something that he could use to contrive more reasons to strangle her. What he saw, however, was heartbreaking.

Sky looked right back at him with dead eyes, none of the fire and determination she’d once prided herself on remaining. The weight of all of her losses bore down on her, crushing her spirit and her psyche. The longer Stronghooves stared into her eyes, the less of that strength he saw, as if it were visibly draining from her body. Finally, Sky blinked, letting a single tear run down her cheek.

“Don’t worry, little sister,” he whispered. “I’ll save you, and this time there won’t be any mistakes. No more killing, no more pain. You’re going to be reborn as a much happier pony, you’ll see.”

He lowered his hoof, letting Sky slump in her chains as he turned his back on her.

“Shield, get the collar.”

Stronghooves’s compatriot nodded, producing a large collar riddled with tubes and syringes, designed in such a way as to penetrate a wearer’s major neck arteries from four or five different angles at a time. Stronghooves took the contraption from Shield, fastening it around his sister’s neck and watching her cringe against the pain. Little rivulets of blood ran down her neck, staining her fur and dripping onto the cold stone floor. Stronghooves pulled a little lever on the collar’s exterior, forcing the injector needles deep into Sky’s major arteries.

“Now...we have a few methods when it comes to rehabilitation. Obviously the more orthodox ones...failed.” Stronghooves said, picking up a little canister and jamming a length of surgical tube into its feed nozzle. When he stuck the other end into one of the injector ports, the canister pumped a strange dark green fluid into Sky’s neck. Sky felt her breath coming in short, sharp gasps as the chemicals overwhelmed her and began to shut her nervous system down. A peaceful, damning numbness ran up all four of her legs, starting at her very hooves. As time went on, Sky found herself completely paralysed, unable to resist or even wiggle her limbs in an effort to break free.

Stronghooves stared at her as the formula took hold, watching his sister slump in her bonds until the only remaining noise was her sharp, short, desperate breathing. She didn’t even raise her head to look at him as he picked up another canister, plugging it into another needle and sinking it into her flesh.

“This is a distilled formula from a vine monster in the Everfree Forest,” he explained, as the bright orange sap flowed through the surgical tubing into her body. “I assume you’ve already run into it at some point in your travels. I think you’ll find it debilitating...all the better to prevent any escape attempts and aid in your rehab.”

Paralysed and overcome by the pheromones in the sap, Sky looked down with a low groan and watched as her pussy soaked her inner thighs. Though her body was ready for breeding, she felt nothing, not pain nor pleasure nor even the faint tingle of oncoming lust. Between the depressants and the loss she’d experienced, Sky couldn’t feel a thing anymore.

“Strange,” Stronghooves whispered, sitting back and watching his sister submit completely. “I would’ve expected you to try and break out by now, speaking of escape attempts. Don’t tell me that the great Sky Runner has been broken?”

Sky glanced up at him, bleary-eyed. She couldn’t summon the strength to tell him to fuck off even if she wanted to, her brain too full of fog and crippling despair for her to even consider resisting. Her hoof twitched, but she could barely move at all, and eventually slumped back in her restraints.

“Oh, Sky…” Stronghooves crooned, running a heavy hoof through her mane. “Don’t worry...we’ll get rid of whatever’s left of that self-destructive personality of yours, and in time we’ll look at rehabilitating you completely, making a brand new you, so to speak.”

Shield stepped forward, grabbing the mare by the mane and jerking her head back to look him in the eye. He stared at her uncertainly for a time, as if he was resisting the commands that Stronghooves had instilled in him. It was difficult to match up the cheekiest, sexiest burglar in Canterlot to the shattered mess before him.

“Help...me…” Sky croaked.

“Don’t worry, he will.” Stronghooves said with a soft grin, nodding to Shield. “Begin the treatment.”

In a flash, the seed of doubt in Shield’s eyes disappeared completely, replaced by unfeeling, implacable submission. He pressed his lips to Sky’s, slipping his tongue into her unresisting mouth and playing with his own. Sky found herself struggling a little more in her chains, but it was no use. The venom from the vine monster had completely sapped her strength away and shut down her nervous system. She could neither feel nor move, and to the little white mare it was as if she’d been swept out of her body and invited to spectate her own torture. Shield slammed her against the wall, coaxing a weak little squeak from her as he grinded against her.

As he drew away, Sky heard herself gasp two little words, too breathless for Shield to hear.

“Please...don’t…”

Shield pressed her against the wall again, running a hoof down to her soaking crotch and rubbing her as roughly as he could, as if there was any chance of her feeling pleasure or pain through the numbing cocktail. Her body shook out of impulse rather than anything else as he pushed his hard hoof against her pussy, little rivulets of blood mixing with her lube as it dripped onto the floor. Sky’s wings sprung out in spite of herself, twitching a little from arousal even as her conscious self tried dimly to think of ways to escape.

Come on, Sky...you know you can get out of this. You can get out of anything, right?

The little white mare gritted her teeth, looking away from Shield as he pulled his hoof away to force her legs apart.

I know I can, she answered herself, but...do I want to? I mean, I can run, but where do I run to? Who do I run to? Rat’s dead because of me, and Shadow...Stronghooves and Rat seemed to think that she’s gone forever...I didn’t really get her killed during the Elements Job, did I?

She was barely aware of Shield’s hard cock pressing against her soaked, bleeding pussy lips, nor the sensation of having a third syringe jammed into her neck.

If I did...then they’re all dead because of me… she thought, gulping as the needle pumped some unknowable formula into her jugular. It’s my fault...it’s all my damn fault…

Shield drew back and slammed his cock right into her, filling her up. Sky never felt a thing, too lost in her own thoughts to even be humiliated.

Stronghooves closed his eyes, reaching out with his magic as Shield began to pick up speed. Tendrils of influence wrapped around Sky’s brain, digging deep inside of it and jolting her from her thoughts. Her very last sanctuary breached, she could only watch as he moved his lips and spoke inside of her mind.

“Now, Sky Runner,” he growled softly, “your mind and your body belong to me.”

With that, the numbness disappeared in one sudden flash, replaced by crippling, blinding pain that threatened to hurl her into madness. Shield’s fierce kiss muffled her screams.

The Good Guys

As the sun went down after the first day of Sky’s torment, a lone locomotive hissed to a stop inside the underground platform. Daybreak stepped out onto the asphalt with her little dragon pet in tow, a worried frown etched into her normally cheerful face. She ascended the stairs, glancing around the silent atrium with a frustrated huff.

“You’re late,” came a voice from an overhanging balcony.

“Traffic was terrible,” Daybreak replied cooly, smiling a humourless smile as she stared up at her coltfriend. “Did you get her?”

“She’s in custody now, yes,” Stronghooves replied, trotting down the stairs and embracing the earth pony. “She won’t be causing any more trouble for you or anypony else.”

“That’s good,” Daybreak whispered, letting out a soft sigh. “What about her boyfriend?”

“Dead,” Stronghooves replied. “He wouldn’t stop fighting, even though I explained the situation to him as honestly as I could. I...had to put him down. He forced my hoof. I’m...sorry…”

“So am I,” Daybreak said softly, squeezing him a little tighter. “Don’t worry, now that we’ve got Sky in custody, we can focus on other stuff like going on dates, right?”

“Well, Shield is handling most of Sky’s rehabilitation, so I should have plenty of free time,” Stronghooves said, smiling down at his marefriend. His grin faded when he spotted her worried expression. “Daybreak...what’s the matter?”

“Nothing...it’s just...when I was hunting them through the woods, her boyfriend...said some stuff to me. I guess he kind of got into my head a little bit.”

“Oh?” Stronghooves asked with a frown, watching her until she continued.

“Just...do you mind if I see her for myself?”

Stronghooves hesitated, biting his lip and looking away.

“I...I’m concerned that that might disrupt the rehabilitation process.” He said quietly. “I mean, you certainly aren’t a negative influence, of course, but she’s currently very unstable.”

“Hoovesie, please. I have to see what I’m dealing with.”

Though Stronghooves attempted to avoid Daybreak’s burning gaze, he simply couldn’t escape the accusing look she gave him. Finally, with a laboured sigh, he relented.

“Come on, then,” he said resignedly. “Just be prepared. She’s quite...er...unstable right now.”

Daybreak followed the enormous stallion as he led her down into the detention level of the facility, a floor once dedicated to containing failed test subjects in the Operatives Programme. Every room on this floor was sealed with a massive bulkhead that could only be opened from the outside, designed to magically repel impacts from inside to deter would-be escapees. Each bulkhead had a toughened glass screen set into it, allowing ponies to see into the containment chambers. When Daybreak looked into Sky’s cell, however, she looked away just as quickly and gagged a little.

“What the hell did you do to her?” She gasped.

“Nothing that she didn’t bring on herself,” Stronghooves answered evenly. “Daybreak, what you have to understand about Sky is that she is very mentally ill, and it takes drastic measures to get through to her. She doesn’t respond to normal treatment like everypony else does.”

Daybreak peeked through the screen again. Before her hung Sky, suspended by her forehooves from the ceiling, and she was quite a wreck indeed. She sported a black eye where Shield had struck her, tear-tracks running down her cheeks and blood caked across the fur of her inner thighs. Her belly was distended and bruised, and there were bald patches all over her wings where her feathers had been torn out and strewn across the floor. The blood on her thighs was itself caked with something bone white that Daybreak recognised too well. Worst of all was how motionless she was. The only movement Daybreak could detect was that of Sky’s chest as she drew weak, ragged breaths.

“How ill was she that it took that to get through to her?” Daybreak whispered spitefully. “What did Shield have to say about this?”

“He was outspoken,” Stronghooves admitted. “He tried to stop me, and I had to put him in his place. He didn’t have the strength to deal with what Sky had forced us to do, so I had to convince him using unconventional methods. Why, is there a problem?”

Daybreak met Stronghooves’s gaze for the first time, her ears flattened against her skull as she mulled the situation over. The meaning behind Stronghooves’s words was clear; if Daybreak tried to argue with him, she’d suffer whatever strange fate had befallen Shield. The mare glanced between Sky and Stronghooves, weighing up her options. There really was no way for her to win a fight with him, not when he could control other Operatives like her. Casting away her enhancements would only make her vulnerable, too. It really did seem hopeless.

“No,” she said finally. “There’s no problem at all. I just...hadn’t seen anypony treat someone this way before. I’m sure that you know what you’re doing.”

She offered him a smile, though her ears still were still splayed right back. Stronghooves, apparently satisfied, returned the smile and placed a hoof on Daybreak’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll make everything all right,” he promised. “We’ll get Sky better, and you and I will live happily ever after. We’re the good guys, remember?”

“Yeah...yeah, of course,” Daybreak scoffed, as if such a thing was obvious. “I’m sure it was just Rat trying to trick me or something.”

“Well, don’t worry, Daybreak,” Stronghooves said kindly. “It could have happened to anypony. After all, lies and trickery are how burglars like Sky and Rat operate. It’s how they win over law abiding ponies like you and me, spreading doubt about the morality of what we’re doing. Trust me, though, this is for the good of you, Sky and myself.”

Daybreak smiled up at him once more, rubbing her cheek against his own and closing her eyes.

“Of course,” she said softly. “You’re right, Hoovesie. You may be unconventional, but of course you’re right…”

“Go and get some rest, Daybreak,” Stronghooves replied, giving her one last nuzzle. “You and your little dragon friend look exhausted after that trip, and who could blame you? Don’t worry, when this is all over, I’ll make certain that the Princesses give you two full credit for everything you’ve done.”

That’s what I’m afraid of… thought Daybreak, as she trotted off upstairs in search of her quarters. She scooped Silver onto her back without a second thought, ignoring his protests as she carried him up through the white concrete facility.

* * *

“This is sick,” Daybreak growled, storming into her chosen bedroom and kicking the door closed behind her. “This is sick and wrong and...bloody...unjust! I mean, I know that Sky’s annoying, and I know that those two have history, but nothing justifies this kind of treatment!”

“I don’t know about that,” Silver ventured, hopping off of her back onto a four-poster bed and shrugging. “I mean, she’s done an awful lot of damage, and she’s just about the most psychotic criminal in Canterlot at the moment...with a few exceptions, anyway.”

“Did you see her, though?” Daybreak asked, slumping onto the bed next to the baby dragon and launching him across the room. “Look, I’m all for justice and making criminals feel better, but you and I both know that that’s not what’s happening. It’s rape and torture and it’s…wrong.”

“Well, what if she becomes a better pony for it? I mean, you know she’s insane, right?” Silver offered, rubbing his head and hauling himself back to his feet. He was still struggling with the whole “bipedal” thing.

“Maybe,” Daybreak muttered, “but her brother’s just as bad...maybe worse. Rat was right...he was right about everything.”

“Really? You’re going to trust a burglar over your own coltfriend?” Silver asked, clambering back onto the bed. “Daybreak, she’s dangerous, that mare! If she remains free, she could do all sorts of horrible things, such as, to take a purely random example, turn up-and-coming billionaires into baby dragons out of spite.”

“Yeah, but between mischief and torture, I think I’m gonna take the lesser of two evils.” Daybreak argued, rolling her eyes. “I’ve seen Sky’s list of crimes. They don’t justify this, little buddy.”

“Debatable.”

“You’re impossible,” Daybreak huffed, rolling onto her back and kicking her hooves in the air. “Stronghooves can’t get away with this. There’s gotta be some way to stop this bullshit.”

“I thought you wanted to support getting his family back together,” Silver pointed out.

“And this is going to do it? No, best case scenario is that Stronghooves ends up with an emotionally dead wreck of a sister with Stockholm Syndrome, and he keeps thinking that it’s okay to bully and torture ponies to get what he wants.”

Silver regarded Daybreak curiously for a time, tilting his head. “So...you want to screw over Stronghooves, the guy who more or less single-hoofedly tore apart my company and killed my father?”

Daybreak looked back, tilting her own head in confusion. “Company?”

“Never mind,” Silver said hurriedly. “Look, I was going to argue with you some more, but...you know something, Daybreak? You’re right! You should totally set Sky free and take Stronghooves down! Now, if only there was a way for you to get him out of the facility so that you could have free reign. I mean, he could easily just control you like any other Operative, right?”

“Exactly,” Daybreak said with a frown. “We’ve gotta be smart about this if we’re gonna get away with it.”

“So what, we have to think like Sky?” Silver chuckled mirthlessly. “The irony isn’t lost on me. Tell you what, I can go out and find out what Shield’s up to, and we could see exactly what Stronghooves is planning.”

“Do you think you could get away with it?” Daybreak asked. “I mean, if he catches you…”

“If he catches me, I can deny everything. After all, you’re rather ditzy when it comes down to it, so I can merely claim that you misplaced me and I went looking for snacks.” Silver said with a sly grin.

Daybreak scooped the little dragon into a great big squeezy hug, crushing the air out of his lungs as she pulled him right up close to her fluffy chest.

“You’re a good friend, Daybreak Junior…” She whispered, giving him a little kiss on the forehead.

Silver struggled and squirmed in her tight grip, powerless to resist her as she smooched him and hugged him until he could barely breathe. Still, he had to admit that there was something...nice about being cuddled like this.

“So...so are you,” he croaked, finally pulling himself out from between her forehooves and looking up at his caregiver with a weird smile. “Now...let’s see if I can help you with this frankly ridiculous plan.”

He made to clamber off of the bed, but paused when he caught Daybreak’s gaze. She looked so very relieved and happy to have a friend like him to help out. His expression softened a little as he shuffled closer, wrapping Daybreak in his arms and giving her a peck on the muzzle.

“You’re a good pony,” he admitted. “Mad, but good.”

And with that, he hopped off of the bed and sauntered out of the room in search of Shield and Stronghooves.

* * *

Stronghooves sat by Sky for what seemed like forever, taking her chin in his hoof and tilting her head this way and that. Apparently satisfied, he let her go for a few moments, letting her feel his presence before before finally speaking.

“I feel that I haven’t been completely honest with you, Sky,” he said solemnly. “One of the drugs we gave you when your treatment began was actually fertility formula, and a very powerful one at that.”

Sky said nothing.

“I’ve taken the liberty of reading through your diary while you were out,” Stronghooves continued. “You’ve been stricken with fertility problems in the past, though why you’d bear another filly after what happened to the last one is quite beyond me.”

Sky said nothing.

“Still, I suppose that problem’s been solved now,” Stronghooves said with a chuckle, holding up a pregnancy test. “Guess who’s going to be a mother as well as a sister?”

Sky glanced up at the pregnancy test, cringing at the positive reading on it. Still, she said nothing, lowering her head and letting out a quiet sigh.

A kid...I can’t believe it, of all the ways to get pregnant, it had to be this one…now I have to get away. I’ve got a reason to get away. Got to get out of here before…

“Before what?” Stronghooves asked, speaking inside her very mind. “Before you get this little foal of yours hurt as well? What if I told you that it was already too late for that?”

“Hoovesie...please...just give me this…” Sky whispered, nearly inaudibly.

“Oh, I see. This is what makes you beg? I’m sorry, Sky, but you see, if you want the privilege of having foals, you have to earn it. You have to be responsible.” Stronghooves said, setting aside the pregnancy test and raising one big heavy forehoof.

“I...I am responsible,” Sky sniffed. “Please, Hoovesie...don’t hurt me anymore...please...I’ll do anything.”

“But don’t you see, Sky? I’m hurting you because I love you! You can’t learn a lesson without a little pain, and sometimes becoming a better you means losing the things you hold dear. That’s the only way to make the punishment stick.”

And with that, he slammed a hoof directly into Sky’s midsection, crushing her diaphragm and knocking the wind out of her. Sky gulped, wheezing for the longest time as she tried to get air back in her strained lungs, and when she looked up again, Shield stood with her as well.

“A few blows from two large stallions are traditionally enough to cause a miscarriage in expecting mothers,” Stronghooves continued almost casually. “That’s a shame. I suspect that with good training, you could have become a very good mother. You just had to go out of your way to upset me, didn’t you?”

“No...I’ll earn it...I swear...just don’t…” Sky began, but she was struck dumb as Shield slammed a hoof into her belly as well. The mare slumped, struggling to breathe under heavy duress as each stallion began taking turns punching her in the stomach. With each impact, the bruises ran deeper and deeper, first to her flesh, then to her stomach and diaphragm, and finally to her uterus itself. Sky wanted to beg, to scream out and claim that she was totally subservient, that she’d do whatever it took to make the pain stop, but she could barely breathe, let alone speak. She bowed her head once more, spasming in her chains as Stronghooves and Shield blackened her belly and crushed her innards, and before long, a trickle of blood ran from her marehood once more. Only then did Stronghooves draw his hoof back and let his sister breathe.

“Don’t be sad, Sky,” Stronghooves said to the whimpering wreck before him. “You’ll have a foal someday! After all, won’t a unicorn look ever so much prettier?”

Sky glared at him, but she’d only just opened her mouth to speak before Shield punched her in the face once more, giving her a black eye to match her other one.

“Proper unicorns don’t talk back to their betters, Sky,” Stronghooves warned, patting her on the head. “Don’t worry, naturally we’ll see to it that you are taught the etiquette and finer points of unicorn life before you become one yourself.”

Sky looked away, too focussed on trying to fight through the pain to do anything else. Stronghooves’s words crept into her head nonetheless, becoming indistinguishable from her own thoughts, every bit as real.

“Sky,” he whispered, as his associate slipped a metal collar over her head and clamped it around her neck. “What are you?”

“What...what do you mean, what am I?” Sky asked. “I’m…”

“Stronghooves slammed a cable into the metal collar, sending powerful electric shocks across her nerve clusters and firing off every pain node in her body. Sky let out a breathless scream, her fur scorching and charring in places. Stronghooves watched her convulse and squirm for a few moments before disconnecting the cable and smiling at her.

“Electroshock therapy,” he explained to the smoking pony, “is ideal for changing your perception of reality to something a little more...sane. Now, I’m going to ask you some questions, and I want you to answer them appropriately, or you’ll receive more shocks until you give the correct answer. Firstly...is Shadow alive?”

“Ye...yes…” Sky whispered, looking up at him and absolutely glaring. She didn’t get another word out before Stronghooves connected the cable once more, laying bare the little pegasus’s skeleton for a few moments as borderline lethal shocks of electricity tore through her body.

“NOOOOOO!” Sky screamed, the second she had air in her lungs. “NOOOO! I WAS WRONG! SHE’S DEAD! PLEASE...PLEASE...SHE’S DEAD!”

“And why is she dead, Sky?” Stronghooves asked, pacing around her.

“Because...BECAUSE OF ME!” Sky wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks as her limbs jerked against their restraints. The steel shackles rubbed the fur from her legs, leaving her with raw, reddened skin that stung almost as badly as the shocks.

“And how did that happen, Sky?” Stronghooves asked, grinning.

“I...was a bad sister...to both of you…” Sky whispered, slumping again as Stronghooves disconnected the cable once more.

“You were more than just a bad sister, Sky. You were an abysmal sister. A traitor, a liar, a wreck.” He snarled, coming closer and lifting her head up to look him in the eye. “You’re a criminal, and that lifestyle has killed Shadow, Rat and, I suppose, that unborn foal you were carrying not ten minutes ago.”

“I...I’ll be good…” Sky whispered. “I’ll be good from now on...please...I’ll be a good little sister from now on...just...just don’t hurt me anymore.”

“Oh, good!” Stronghooves chuckled. “We’re making progress, see? Now...how do you feel about becoming a pretty little unicorn instead of a wounded pegasus?”

He reconnected the cable before Sky even had a chance to speak, and once again the room filled with screams and the stench of burned fur and scorched flesh.

Outside, standing on the bulkhead to peer inside, stood a little baby dragon on a mission, keeping his ears open for every aspect of Stronghooves’s plan that the stallion cared to expose.

“That’s a difficult transformation,” Silver muttered to himself. “Daybreak can probably use that…”

And with that, he hopped off of the bulkhead and charged off toward the residential chambers. There was much to prepare.

Daybreak's Gambit

Stronghooves sat in the converted study, poring over heavy books of arcane lore by the light of a nearby fireplace. A worried frown crossed his face as he looked from one tome to the next, never finding the answer he was looking for. With a sigh, he slammed one of the books shut and cast it aside. Trying to get anything useful out of the library at this time of night was completely impossible.

So frustrated was he that he didn’t hear the knock on the door at first. It was only when Daybreak got frustrated and broke the lock open that he rounded on her, perking his ears.

“You have a way of shutting yourself away from the world,” Daybreak said with a slightly tired smile. “It’s like you’ve got all of life’s answers in that head of yours and you don’t wanna share them.”

Stronghooves scoffed, collapsing back into his chair and smiling back. “I only wish that that were true. All I can do is my best.”

Daybreak trotted into the study, looking around at the polished oak shelves laden with books, the great big warm fireplace, and the high-backed armchairs. Eventually, she elected to curl up in front of the fireplace, perking her ears up and looking up at him with her bright yellow eyes.

“Well, forgive me for prying, but it kinda looks like you’re missing something,” she said, fluffing herself up in the warmth of the fire. “Come on, Hoovesie. Maybe I can help you with it. We’re a team, remember?”

Stronghooves regarded her for a moment, looking into her big honest eyes and seeing the most sincere compassion there. She gave him an expectant look, crossing her forelegs in front of her and laying her head down on them.

“Fine, I’ll humour you,” Stronghooves chuckled, getting to his hooves. “I’ve...begun helping Sky psychologically, as you know. We’re making good progress with electroshock therapy and mental reconditioning, but...that’ll only change her mind. I’ve been looking for ways to turn her into a unicorn...you know, give her a fresh start.”

“Sounds dangerous,” Daybreak notes, feigning surprise and raising her eyebrows. “And let me guess, you don’t know how to do it?”

“Well, I do. It’s actually quite a simple procedure, albeit painful,” Stronghooves said, shrugging. “The difficulty I’m having is with finding a powerful enough focussing gem for the procedure. The ones we’ve been using to enhance ourselves aren’t capable of channelling that kind of energy...at least without killing either herself or me.”

To his surprise, Daybreak grinned.

“I think I know how to solve that little problem,” she said with a wink. “Of course, it involves some travel.”

“Wait, you know how to get a powerful focussing crystal?” Stronghooves asked, raising an eyebrow.

That’s got his attention. Now, let’s reel him in…

“There’s a place under Canterlot that not many ponies have heard about,” Daybreak explained. “It’s called the Crystal Caverns. Some kind of magical trap that Sombra built centuries ago to trap greedy unicorns, but that’s not important right now. What’s important is that those crystals are easily powerful enough to channel as much magic as you need. Hell, they were designed to!”

“And how do you know about this place?” Stronghooves asked, immediately suspicious.

“Daybreak Junior told me! Apparently dragons love gems, and they have an innate sense of where they are in large concentrations!” Daybreak said, beaming hopefully. That was a downright lie, but it did seem to be working.

“So...if I were to get one of these gems and bring it back here...I could perform the procedure safely…” Stronghooves growled, stroking his chin with a hoof. “That little pet of yours just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t he?”

“Tell me about it!” Daybreak said, giggling. “See, I have great ideas, sometimes!”

“Well, you adopting that dragon was an amazing idea,” Stronghooves chuckled, hopping out of his chair and giving Daybreak an enormous squeezy hug. She hugged him back, grinning faintly at nothing in particular as she nuzzled his cheek. “Where is the entrance to the Crystal Caverns?”

“He said something about the floor under the foyer of the chapel in the Royal Palace,” Daybreak said quietly. “You might wanna start looking there.”

“Of course...maybe the catacombs under the chapel will lead there…” Stronghooves said, pulling away and frowning. “I can probably ask the priestesses if they can show me the way through, lend me a map...if I tell them it’s guard business…”

“Hey, Hoovesie? You know, you’re gonna have plenty of time to think about this when you’re on the train on the way back to Canterlot,” Daybreak giggled, giving him a good-spirited punch in the shoulder. “You should get that firm, sexy ass of yours in gear and get yourself one of those gems!”

“You’re right!” Stronghooves laughed, pulling his armour on feverishly as he got ready to leave. He spared a moment to kiss Daybreak on the muzzle, grinning from ear to ear. “Thank you, Daybreak. You don’t realise how much this means to me. I was so worried that you wouldn’t see the truth, that you wouldn’t support me…”

“Sweetheart, it’s fine,” Daybreak said dismissively, fighting the urge to recoil from him. “Look, you’re the best judge of what’s best for Sky, and if you believe that it’s this, then I’ll support you every step of the way. I promised, didn’t I?”

“Yes...yes, you’re right...you did…” Stronghooves said, nodding briskly. “Look...thank you...and when this is over...if you want to...you know...go on more dates and see me more often...I’d love it…”

“We can have a family playdate,” Daybreak suggested. “You could bring your sister, I could bring mine. Sound good?”

“That sounds perfect,” Stronghooves said, giving her one last hug. “I love you, Daybreak…”

“I love you too, Hoovesie,” she whispered back, giving him one last pat on the rump. “Now, get moving! Your sister’s waiting for a little salvation, here!”

Stronghooves drew away, giving Daybreak one last happy look before turning tail and galloping down towards the underground platform. He just barely remembered to grab his sword before heading out, boarding the first train he could operate and shovelling coal into the engine.

Daybreak watched out of the window as Stronghooves’s locomotive steamed away from the platform beneath the facility, winding its way down the track towards the distant mountain city of Canterlot. Though the sun had long since gone down, the palace still glowed a warm orange on the horizon. She waited until his train was long gone before letting her smile drop, turning her head towards the door and letting out a low wolf-whistle. A moment later, Silver crept into the study.

“Shield’s asleep,” he announced, grinning. “Did you get rid of Stronghooves?”

“He’s gone back to Canterlot, just like you said,” Daybreak replied, nodding. “This is gonna be too easy.”

“Yeah, that’s what I used to think every time I started a new operation,” Silver huffed, crossing his arms. “Come on, let’s get that convicted felon out of containment so we can start pissing everypony off.”

“You’ve got it,” Daybreak said with a grin, giving Silver a little nuzzle on his scaly cheek before trotting down the stairs towards the detention level.

Every floor in that facility was a pure, sterile white, wrought from concrete or cut into the stone of the mountain itself. If Daybreak were to be particularly liberal, she’d describe it as utilitarian, but given that she wasn’t in a kind mood, she could only describe it as cold and soulless. Still, finding Sky’s containment chamber was easier than she’d first thought. It was the only one where the white concrete floor outside had been stained red with the poor pony’s blood.

Daybreak grasped the bulkhead and heaved with all of her might, spinning the tumblers into an unlocked position and hauling the heavy door open with a strained grunt. The door was well oiled, making barely a sound as it swung open, though a great deal of light flooded into the darkened cell.

Sky didn’t move beyond closing her eyes a little tighter at the sudden influx of light, turning her head away as if expecting immediate punishment.

“I’m sorry…” she muttered dully. “I’ll try to be good...I’ll try to...be...good…”

“Sky,” Daybreak whispered, trotting into the cell and nearly slipping on the pegasus’s blood. “Sky, it’s Daybreak, the mare from the candy swamp, remember?”

Sky cracked an eye open, giving Daybreak a cursory look before turning her head away again.

“What do you want?” She croaked.

“I’m here to get you out of this place,” Daybreak whispered. “Look, Rat spoke to me when I was captured, and he was right about you. He was right about Stronghooves and me and everything else.”

“Where’s...Stronghooves?” Sky asked, blinking a couple of times and letting out a defeated sigh.

“He’s gone. I sent him to the Crystal Caverns to look for something. Shield’s asleep. I can get you out of here, but we have to go now!” Daybreak whispered with increasing urgency.

Sky’s eyes opened all the way, looking into Daybreak’s and seeing only honesty there. That meant that she wasn’t part of some elaborate ruse set up by Stronghooves, at least.

What’s the point, though? Sky thought. What, I get out of here just to piss off another bunch of ponies, to get caught by him again? I don’t even have a little sister to take care of, anymore...what’s the damn point?

“I’m okay here, thanks,” Sky muttered weakly. “I’m good here. Nopony can get hurt by me as long as I stay here and do what...do what my big brother tells me...I’ll be better soon…”

“Hey, the Sky I know wouldn’t ever say something like that!” Daybreak growled. “She’d be kicking my ass out of the way and running like the Celestia-damned wind...even if she would get her big meaty flanks stuck in the bars.”

Sky smiled a little. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

“Come on, Sky. Let’s see that confidence again. I know you’ve got it in there somewhere,” she pleaded.

“Daybreak...everypony’s gotten hurt because of me…” Sky whispered. “Shadow’s gone, Rat’s gone...hell, even Stronghooves got hurt a little, and my mum and dad didn’t even want me. Why...why the hell should I keep doing this? What’s the damn point?”

Daybreak considered this, ears splaying back against her head. For a moment, it looked as if she, too, was totally stumped.

“Well, look...I never really got the opportunity to meet Shadow and Rat...guess I was on the wrong side of the law for that,” she said after a while. “Still, I’ve got a question for you, Sky. Did you love them? Did you respect them?”

Sky gulped, nodding a little.

“Rat was easily old enough to make his own choices, and Stronghooves told me a little about Shadow...so I know that she was in her early teens, right?” Daybreak went on. “That means that they both knew what they were doing. They’d had time to assess what you were worth to them, and whatever it was that got them both killed by Stronghooves, they knew that you were worth the risk.”

“I don’t want anypony else to get hurt, Daybreak…” Sky whispered.

“Neither do I,” Daybreak said with a grin, “that’s why I’m busting you out of here. See, Sky, you mattered to them to the point where they gave their lives so that you could hold onto yours, to your freedom. If you really respect them, then you have to understand that they made their own choices, that they’ve made all of these sacrifices because you’re a good pony deep down, and that all they wanted was for you to keep being that pony they both cared for. That’s the best way to beat Stronghooves, the best way to make sure that you honour their memories and never endanger anypony else’s life. Keep being you.”

“Maybe...maybe you’re right…” Sky admitted, frowning deeply.

“Of course I’m right. It’s my job to be right about these sorts of things!” Daybreak said, as if such a thing were completely obvious. “Look, those ponies thought you were fucking awesome and worth dying for, so you’d better believe that they wouldn’t want you to stay in the doldrums. Grieve for them when you’re free and when all of this is over, but for now, I need you to be the mare you used to be...and so do they.”

Daybreak offered a hopeful smile, staring into Sky’s eyes and bobbing her head pleadingly. Sky’s mouth twitched.

Well...maybe it wouldn’t hurt to pretend for a while…

“There’s that pony,” Daybreak said with a grin, as Sky smiled back. “Come on, let’s get you out of those chains. Can you stand?”

“I...don’t know…” Sky whispered, as Daybreak yanked the chains out of their brackets and tore the cuffs from her hooves. When she set Sky down on the ground, her legs shook underneath her, and she had to spread her wings for added stability. After a quick assessment, Sky was at least satisfied that her legs were in one piece. The trouble with stability was probably a result of heavy blood loss.

“You’re starting to look more like that mare from the sewers already,” Daybreak said, helping to hold her up. “Come on, let’s get your stuff and get you the hell out of here before Shield wakes up.”

As Sky leaned on Daybreak for support, the earth pony rounded on Silver. “You head up to Shield’s bedchambers. Give me a shout if he’s coming. I want to know if he’s gonna be a problem.”

“You’ve got it,” Silver growled, saluting and running off as quickly as his little claws could carry him. Daybreak peeked out of the cell, half-leading, half-carrying Sky with her as she made her way to the armoury, where Sky’s captured gear was kept.

“What’s...gonna happen to you…?” Sky asked, looking up at Daybreak as she strained against the large armoury door.

“Still working on that bit. I’ll take Shield out so that you don’t have to worry about him, but first priority’s getting your ass out of here.” She growled, heaving the heavy portal open and letting Sky inside.

Within, the little pegasus spotted her hood and cloak along with her saddlebags and equipment laid out on a nearby workbench. The enhancement-suppressing darts were still there, but her crossbow was in shambles. Letting out a frustrated huff, Sky put her armour and cloak back on.

“I’m going after Stronghooves,” she announced.

“Erm...are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, you should probably go into hiding or something…” Daybreak suggested.

“Like I said, I’m not letting anypony else get hurt,” Sky snarled, pulling her burglar’s mask on and putting her hood up. “If that means taking him out of the game completely, then I’m gonna make it happen. I’m sick of this. I’m sick of ponies getting hurt and killed because he’s got fucked-up ideas about love.”

“Sky...you realise that he’s got control over other ponies with these enhancements. If you go to fight him...I can’t help you.” Daybreak said quietly.

Sky hesitated, looking down at her hooves for a few moments. “I...understand.” She said slowly. “I’ll need a weapon, though.”

“Got you covered,” Daybreak said, pulling her repeater crossbow off of the rack and passing it to her. “It’s a bit big, but you can probably cut off the stock and it ought to do the trick.”

“That’ll be fine,” Sky agreed, slinging the weapon over her back and staggering a little under its weight. “I’ll get back to Canterlot and get some energy back before I hunt him down. Where is he?”

“He’s in the Crystal Caverns,” Daybreak explained. “It’s a diamond labyrinth underneath the palace chapel. You can get into it through the catacombs, I think.”

“Right,” Sky muttered. “Um...look...Daybreak...I dunno what caused the change of heart here, but...thank you. I won’t forget this, okay?”

“I don’t appreciate being lied to by ponies I thought were my friends...especially the ones who said they loved me. Your brother’s bonkers, sweetheart. It’s my pleasure to be the spanner in the works,” Daybreak said with a devious smirk. “Now come on, you’re burning moonlight, here.”

“Is there a quick way back to Canterlot?” Sky asked, thinking back to the platform that she and Rat had infiltrated the facility through.

“There are still some trains back downstairs you can use,” Daybreak nodded, leading the way down towards the atrium. “Just make sure to not run into ol’ Hoovesie. He probably wouldn’t be thrilled to find out that you’ve escaped.”

“Got it,” Sky said with a nod, as they trotted down the stairs to the platform.

Sure enough, several locomotives sat idle in their turntables at the back of the platform, prepared to leave at a moments notice. As Daybreak led Sky towards the nearest one, a great big dragon roar sounded out from upstairs, before being cut terminally short.

“Shit,” Daybreak muttered. “He’s awake. Come on, we haven’t got much time.”

“Are you sure you don’t wanna come too, Daybreak?” Sky asked, as the earth pony hoisted her up into the cabin. “I don’t want you getting hurt, too.”

“Sky, what did I say about respecting the dignity of a pony’s choice?” Daybreak scolded. “Now get shovelling. If you can get that boiler going, you can probably get the hell out of here before Shield turns up. Either way, I’ll hold him off.”

“But…”

“Go!” Daybreak half-shouted, drawing her sword and slamming her helmet onto her head.

As Sky started feverishly shovelling coal into the boiler, still shivering like crazy from her own blood loss, Daybreak threw a salute to nopony in particular, steeling herself.

“Come on, then…” she muttered, eyes fixed on the door in front of her. “Let’s have you…”

Sure enough, as Sky stuffed the boiler full of kindling and hurled a lit match into it, Daybreak felt the ground move beneath her hooves. A moment later, Shield appeared at the top of the stairs, his irises and pupils replaced by solid red orbs.

“DAYBREAK!” he boomed. “WHERE’S THE PRISONER!”

“She’s not coming back here, Shield,” Daybreak said calmly, raising her sword over her head and rearing up onto her hind hooves. “Stronghooves can’t hurt her anymore, and neither can you.”

Shield snarled, charging down the stairs towards her. Though he was unarmed, Daybreak knew that her armour and weapon might as well be made from tinfoil for all the good they’ll do. He lowered his horn, letting loose a blast of magical energy that swept Daybreak off of her hooves and slammed her into a wall on the far side of the cavernous train depot. A spider’s web of cracks ran up the pale white concrete, spreading out from the point of impact as the building began to lose stability.

Shield glanced at the locomotives, eyes tracing over each one as he searched for the would-be escapee. As the first puffs of smoke hissed from the nearest steam engine, he allowed himself a devilish grin.

“Got you…” he growled, leaping down to the railway in front of it and tearing the metal rails up from the ground. He bent the iron in his grip until it was unrecognisable, a derailment waiting to happen. Sky, who was still in the process of heating the engine up and trying to release the brakes, hadn’t yet noticed.

His victory was short-lived, however, as Daybreak came barrelling back across the tracks to slam into him with her full significant body weight. Shield was lifted bodily and hurled against the wall himself, slumping for just a moment as his bones knitted back together. Taking advantage of the momentary lull, Daybreak grasped the controls for the railway tracks and searched feverishly for a track-switch lever. Sky’s locomotive slowly inched forward, the boiler finally hitting a high enough temperature to produce forward thrust. Daybreak didn’t have much time.

The earth pony growled, pulling one lever after the other, letting out frustrated huffs as each one failed to switch Sky’s track to a different rail. As Shield hauled himself to his hooves, standing up at his full impressive height, she finally got it, pulling the lever right back and yanking it right out of the mechanism. Sky’s track switched to a rail adjacent to the one that Shield had destroyed, giving her a safe passage out of the platform.

“NO!” Shield shrieked, hurling himself forward in the hopes of stopping Sky’s train with his bare hooves. Still, strong as he was, he was no match for the locomotive’s forward momentum, and he rebounded off of its cowcatcher with a pained grunt.

“STAY SAFE, DAYBREAK!” Sky screamed to the mare over the sound of the engine. “I WON’T FORGET THIS!”

“MAKE IT WORTH MY WHILE, SKY!” Daybreak screamed back, giving her one last smile and a wink as the train picked up speed. Before Shield could pick himself up and give chase, Sky was already gone, accelerating down the rail off towards Canterlot. His prisoner had escaped.

“You’re a dead pony, Daybreak,” he growled, rounding on her and slamming his forehooves together challengingly.

“Better a dead pony than an evil one,” Daybreak argued. “I don’t know what Stronghooves did to you, but it’s turned your head to mashed potato. The Shield I know wasn’t like this. Yeah, maybe he was an alcoholic, but he wasn’t a torturer. I know that much.”

“Stronghooves opened my eyes,” Shield replied, as the two ponies paced around one another.

“Looks more like he removed them,” Daybreak chuckled, raising the iron lever like a baseball bat.

Shield stood resolute, giving Daybreak an opening to slam the bar into his head. He didn’t even flinch, appearing unable to register pain or even accept react to the impact. He kept a strange smile on his face, almost as if he was amused at her attempt to injure him. Daybreak snarled, taking wide swings at his head with the lever until it was nothing more than a twisted piece of metal, completely unusable.

Daybreak dropped the twisted rod, grabbing Shield by the foreleg and swinging him into the platform wall. With her natural strength amplified by her enhancements, she found it easy to send the stallion crashing through solid concrete into a laboratory beneath the atrium. More cracks shot up the walls, the platform barely able to support the weight of the bomb-proof roof by this stage, but the ponies kept fighting even as the structure cracked and groaned.

Shield got up before Daybreak could follow up on her attack, grabbing her by the neck and slamming her head first into the ground. He drew back a hoof, bringing it down on her head with all of his might and smashing her muzzle against solid concrete. The floor shattered around the point of impact, the sheer force behind the blow being too much for the architecture to handle. Though this facility had been built with these enhancements in mind, it didn’t make it indomitable.

Daybreak brought her tail around, wrapping it around Shield’s hind legs and pulling them out from underneath him. Unbalanced, the stallion collapsed onto a nearby lab table, shards of glass going everywhere as he sent conical flasks and beakers flying. Strange chemical formulas splashed across the floor, making the half-lit lab that much more slippery. As Daybreak raised her head, her face struggled to heal itself, a bright orange light engulfing her head as her muzzle reset and her teeth grew back.

Shield struggled to his hooves again, shards of broken glass falling out of his flesh as his body rejected them. He grappled with the mare, slamming her into one wall after the other before finally hurling her through a fume cabinet. Broken pipes hissed and split, filling the lab with white smoke and obscuring both ponies’ vision for a time. When Shield stepped forward to follow up on his attack, Daybreak was nowhere to be seen.

“Daybreak…” he said quietly, pacing around the destroyed laboratory. “You can’t hide from me. I know that you’re still here!”

Sure enough, before he had the opportunity to whip his head around, Daybreak launched herself at him once more, jamming a shattered test tube squarely into his neck. As he gulped and wheezed, blood pumping out of the cavity in his jugular vein, the mare grabbed him around the midsection and slammed him into every available surface she could reach. She crushed tables, destroyed benches and obliterated counters using his whole body as one big bludgeon, his regenerative abilities making him completely and infuriatingly immune to mere blunt trauma. Daybreak herself couldn’t tire, carrying on her assault until every surface in the room had been beaten to a pulp.

Shield looked around at her, ripping the shards of the test tube from his neck and punching her square in the nose. That single impact had enough force behind it to knock her back into a storage room behind the lab, taking shelves down with her and dousing her in huge bottles of acid. Even as hydrofluoric acid burned holes in her body, her enhancements worked to repair them, gaping wounds sizzling and whining as she repaired injuries as quickly as she attained them. Daybreak looked down at her body, eyes widening as she spotted her own ribcage through the holes in her torso, but she didn’t have time to do anything about it. Shield paced towards her, charging his horn and readying another blast of magic meant specially for her. Thinking fast, Daybreak kicked another glass bottle labelled “HF” right into the unicorn’s path. The spell flew straight into the bottle, detonating it right in front of Shield’s face.

The stallion let out an agonised scream as he reeled back, clutching at his horn and face. The acid, powerful as it was, ate into his flesh and bone, though strangely enough his horn didn’t recover from the damage.

As her enhancements finally won the battle against the acid, Daybreak struggled to her hooves and advanced on him yet again. Her armour was dented and burned away to the point where it was unrecognisable, scraps of gold clinging to her body that would’ve looked more at home in a junkheap than anything else. Shield, however, looked even worse. As he drew his hooves away, Daybreak recoiled.

The stallion stood upright, his enhancements still working to fight the burning concentrated acid, but he was a complete mess. Enormous holes were burned into his head, completely putting one eye out and leaving the other as a red orb swivelling in a completely bare side of his skull. Flesh fell from his face as the acid burned it away, leaving the bone of his skull pockmarked with little smoking holes that simply wouldn’t heal. His horn itself had turned a pale bleached white, clearly damaged by the acid in a more permanent way. Nonetheless, his one remaining eye stayed focussed on Daybreak, and he took another step forward to get back into the fight.

Shield swept a hoof out as Daybreak advanced on him, knocking her legs out from under her. Before she could even roll away, he drew back and slammed his forehooves down into her midsection, again and again. The floor cracked underneath her body as he put more forced into the blows, shattering ribs and crushing organs. Finally, with an enormous crash, the two ponies plummeted through the floor and into what must be the generator room. Canisters and bottles from unbalanced shelves followed them, smashing and clattering all around as they continued to grapple for supremacy.

Daybreak took Shield’s forehooves in her own and brought her hind legs up, kicking him in the stomach and launching him off of her before crawling away.

There’s no way that this is going to work… she thought to herself. There has to be a way to kill him off quickly…

She looked around, from the enormous humming generators to the white-hot conductive rods that led away from them, deeper into the chamber. As Daybreak forged forward to follow them, her hoof hit one of the little canisters. She took only a moment to glance down at it, before scooping it up and carrying it with her.

Liquid nitrogen...well, assuming it hasn’t already gone everywhere, this ought to come in useful…

Smoke billowed down through the hole in the ceiling, obscuring her vision for a time as she followed the metal rods. Finally, at their convergence, she saw where they were headed.

This whole place is built over a lava field… She thought to herself. That’s geothermal power.

Sure enough, the rods led all the way down into a deep pit with lava at the bottom. Other machines hung overhead, extracting pure magic from the depths of the earth for use in a thousand unmentionable experiments.

Daybreak only had a moment to take all of this in before Shield was on her once again, slamming into her and launching her into the pit. The canister clattered away across the floor as Daybreak struggled to cling to the edge of the aperture, looking up at Shield with pure malice.

“You can’t win, Daybreak,” Shield whispered. “I’m bigger, stronger and more powerful, even with these enhancements.”

“You...you know I only wanted to distract you so...so that Sky could get away…” Daybreak snarled, looking up at his deformed, pockmarked face. Though his magically enhanced strength and durability still remained, Shield’s face was all but burned away, little more than a skull with hundreds of tiny holes burned into it. That single red eye remained fixated on her, torn muscles in what was left of his mouth struggling to produce something akin to speech.

He charged his horn once more, aiming it squarely at the mare’s temple. That shot would undoubtedly knock her down for long enough for the magma to do its work, and Daybreak doubted that she could survive a plunge like that. With no other options, she reached up with a hoof and grabbed his horn, pulling him back to try and drag him into the pit as well. Shield, failing to anticipate the move, pitched forward and only just managed to grasp onto the edge himself as Daybreak pulled herself up.

“YOU ARE NOTHING!” He screamed. “YOU CAN’T WIN! I HAVE MAGIC! I HAVE POWER!”

“No, you’re nothing,” Daybreak snarled, backing away a little and glancing up at the magic-collecting machines overhead. “Shield never gave a damn about any of that power and magic shit. He just wanted to collect a paycheck and be a good friend. That voice...that’s not yours. It’s Stronghooves’s. He’s taken over your whole mind and turned you into...well...him.”

Shield charged his horn once again, advancing on her.

“But you don’t really have any of your mind left, do you?” Daybreak asked, sighing as she strode towards him, too. “I’m sorry, Shield. You were a good friend. I’m...I’m really sorry about what he did to you.”

With that, she grabbed the unicorn’s head and pulled it up at the very moment that he let the spell fly. It struck the ceiling, disconnecting the tethers holding the magic collectors in place. Those enormous harvesters, little more than great big pumps loaded with raw power, groaned in their harnesses and finally came free, slamming into the edges of the pit and widening it into a vast trench. The floor cracked and broke beneath their hooves as it threatened to come away and plunge them into the magma. Daybreak didn’t know what would happen when those magic collectors hit the mantle deep below, but she didn’t imagine that it would be good for the foundations of the facility.

As the two ponies wrestled, her hind hoof hit the canister once more. She glanced back at it, then up at Shield’s damaged horn, and grinned a cheeky grin.

“Hey, asshole. Think fast!” she said, taking the canister in one hoof and slamming it into his head with the other.

The pressurised container burst under the impact, concealing Shield’s face for a moment in a bright white mist. Daybreak herself felt the most incredible pain as her hoof flash-froze, her nerve endings becoming incredibly sensitive for a few moments before dying completely. When the mist cleared, her fur was frozen to her body and her hoof stuck to the remains of the canister. She let out a quiet sigh, realising that there probably wasn’t going to be much chance of her getting away from this.

Shield himself was no better off, his skull and horn completely frozen in place, even as his frost-crusted eye tried to swivel in its socket. His flesh had turned bright blue, but as Daybreak watched in horror, he began to move once again.

“Oh no you fucking don’t…” she muttered, swinging her broken canister around like a hammer.

Brittle metal struck his head, and everything exploded at once. Her hoof and foreleg shattered into a million pieces, as did what was left of the little canister, and finally, Shield’s horn and half of his skull disintegrated as well. As Daybreak watched, his body stopped regenerating itself completely, the acid burning ever-larger holes in his torso. Through his broken skull, Daybreak could see his brain and tongue quite clearly indeed, such that when he let out an ear-splitting scream, it was all the more horrible.

He grabbed Daybreak by the neck and slammed her into the floor, even as cracks appeared around his frozen eyeball. He roared and screeched and ranted and raved as the floor fell apart beneath them, finally driven past the breaking point. All Daybreak could do was hang on with her one remaining hoof to make damn sure that wherever she went, he’d come with her.

“Sorry that I couldn’t help you…” She whispered, as the two of them plunged deep into the magma pool. The impact was harder than Daybreak had imagined, more like dropping into molasses than water, but then again it was molten rock. Shield screamed even louder as the intense heat burned his flesh clean off of his body, unable to regenerate himself or even move his limbs to escape. The best he could do was keep his head above the surface to prolong what remained of his life even more.

Daybreak’s own enhancements buckled under the heat and the raw power of the earth’s mantle, unable to sustain their regenerative cycle as quickly as the magma burned her flesh away. She looked up at the facility one last time, as the first of the magic harvesters plunged into the magma around her. Though this was undoubtedly the most intense pain she’d ever known, Daybreak was at peace. She’d done the right thing.

Good luck, Sky… She thought to herself, as the harvesters detonated all around them.

* * *

The force of the blast shook the foundations of the building to their breaking point, and finally the facility sank into an ever-growing hole in the mountain. The platform was the first to collapse, the high concrete walls already stretched to their limits by the borderline seismic fistfight that had taken place minutes prior. Slabs of concrete and stone fell from the tortured ceiling, crushing locomotives and twisting rails beyond recognition. Steam engines plunged deeper into the facility, falling all of the way down into the magma below. The floors above the platform were the next to fall, residential levels and laboratories all shattering and collapsing under their own weight. With each passing moment, the gap in the earth widened, swallowing more and more of the facility. Studies, the armoury, the detention floor and the atrium all suffered the same fate, pulled into hellish oblivion by sheer inertia.

Finally, the magical curios chamber, containing Sky’s phylactery and the crystals themselves, fell. Set atop the tallest tower in the building, its plummet was ponderous and gradual, like a crashing ocean liner. The stone shattered into little more than gravel and dust, the arcane scrolls within burned to a crisp as candles went flying. The moment that magma touched the first of those little crystals, they all went up with the force of a small nuclear warhead.

The mountain itself cracked and shook from the force of the explosion, enormous tendrils of pure energy reaching up into the night sky like a lightning storm. For just a moment, the whole world looked up from what they were doing to watch the pyrotechnics at play, watching the death of a mountain and a place of horror and torture in real time.

All except one little pony, sitting aboard a train speeding towards Canterlot. One little pony with a loaded crossbow and a score to settle.

The Crystal Caverns

Sky hammered on the great big metal door to Sawblades’s clinic, taking another swig of water from a stolen flask. It took her a moment to contort her face into something resembling a smile before the viewport slid open, revealing the doctor’s two mismatched eyes.

“Sky? What the hell happened to you? Everyone’s been telling me that your hideout was destroyed and you got forced out of the city…” Sawblades began, but Sky held up a hoof to cut him off.

“Sawblades, I need food and medical attention right now,” she said, trying her hardest to sound chipper as always. “I’m also gonna need a way into the palace chapel.”

“Sure, sure…” Sawblades said distractedly, hauling the door open and pulling Sky inside for an examination. “Damn...you look like one hell of a mess.”

“You look like shit too, sweetie,” Sky said with a wink and a tired smile, giving him a smooch on the muzzle. “Come on, let’s get this crap together so I can go and get myself killed.”

“What the hell are you going to the chapel for at this time of night?” Sawblades asked, locking the clinic door and hauling her onto a gurney. “And in this state, too...no, no, there’s no way…as your doctor, I can’t allow it.”

“Sawblades, all I need is to be combat-ready,” Sky whispered, placing a hoof on his cheek and smiling up at him. “Come on, you know that timing is everything when it comes to my work.”

“Looks like all you’ve done is pick a fight with a dragon…” Sawblades huffed, looking her over and checking her pulse. “Okay, let’s see...blood loss, blunt trauma, some nerve compression but nothing too bad, some of your feathers are missing, too...that’s brutal...and…vaginal bruising…” he concluded, looking between Sky’s hind legs and cringing. “You’re also a little yellow, which can happen if you’ve been heavily poisoned. Look...I don’t know if I can do this, Sky…”

“Can you promise me that you’ll try your best?” Sky asked, looking up at him with pleading blue eyes.

Sawblades’s features seemed to soften as she looked into his eyes, his ears pinned against his head as he tried to fight back tears. For a doctor will all of his experience to be in a state of choking back tears spoke volumes about just how bad Sky’s injuries were.

“I...yes,” he said finally. “It won’t be easy, but...I can do it. I can get you ready for combat, maybe even give you something to keep you from feeling too much pain, but...Sky...you have to tell me who did this to you.”

“I’ll tell you when all of this is over,” Sky said dismissively, taking his cheeks in her hooves and muzzle-bumping him. “Just patch me up and I’ll go right out of my way to reward you for it, whatever you want.”

“How about a date?” Sawblades asked, grinning just a little.

“Good one,” Sky giggled. “Sawblades, you always know how to make a mare feel better.”

“Yeah, heh, good one…” Sawblades said, glancing down at his hooves for a moment before trotting off to get his equipment. “I’m going to have to drug you pretty heavily. You might not feel anything for a very long time, and when it comes back, the pain’s going to be just as intense as ever. Are you okay with that?”

“Yeah...as long as it’s gone for a few hours. That’s all I need…” Sky whispered, flexing her forelegs and feeling jabs of pain shoot up her limbs. Her fetlocks were torn out where her shackles had rubbed against her skin, and it was all she could do to ignore the stabbing soreness of it all. Worse still was her damaged wing, having already bled through its bandages and soaked her surrounding feathers and fur with infected blood. As she looked down between her hind legs, she cringed at the thin trickle of blood that still ran out of her marehood, soaking the protective paper cover of the gurney and staining it bright red. How she’d made it all the way back to Canterlot was anyone’s guess.

Sawblades came back, sitting up next to her and unwrapping her spent bandages. So much of the gauze stuck to Sky’s feathers that he eventually had to resort to a pair of scissors to cut them free. As soon as her wounds were all laid bare, he began the long and tedious task of cleaning her up, pouring rubbing alcohol on a cotton bud and dabbing at her wounds to sterilise them.

“Ow!”

“Sorry.”

”Ow!”

“Oh, stop being such a big baby, Sky. I didn’t even touch you that time.”

“I know, I’m just messing with you…”

“You know what happens to mares that cry wolf, right?”

“What’s tha… OW!”

“Exactly. Now hold still.”

Sawblades and Sky exchanged a friendly smile as he worked, slowly cleaning off all of the blood and cauterising whatever damage he could with a tiny blowtorch. He whispered soft sounds in her ear as he worked, more to calm her than to say anything coherent. Once or twice he blew a raspberry, coaxing a tiny little giggle out of the little pegasus. All the while, he gave her little sips of water and small treats to nibble on, just enough to get her blood sugar back up to an acceptable level.

Finally, Sawblades sunk a syringe into Sky’s foreleg, pushing down the plunger and pumping a concoction of combat drugs and painkillers into her system. He wrapped her bad wing and her sore hooves in bandages before finally stepping back and admiring his handiwork.

“Who says that you can’t polish a turd?” Sky asked, sitting up on the gurney and examining her fresh bandages. For just a moment, she looked and felt like a brand new pony, able to put the memories of what she’d been through out of her mind for just a little while.

“Those bandages have been carefully pinned in place, and I gave you some alchemical stuff that’ll make you a little more resistant to pain. In six hours, though, everything’ll come rushing back, so I want you back in this clinic before then so I can fix you up properly, got it?”

“Six hours will be enough,” Sky conceded, hopping off of the gurney and testing her footing. Her hooves were sturdy enough, and after some preliminary checks, she stood satisfied with his work on her wings, too. “Damn, Sawblades, you work some real miracles, you know that?”

“Hey, look, I’m just doing my job,” Sawblades said with a soft chuckle. “Now, I’ll wake up my contacts and see if I can get you that map. The chapel’s public access, but I figure that you’re probably not thinking of taking the front entrance.”

“I need to get into the catacombs,” Sky explained. “Trust me, it’s really important that I get in there right away. There’s something super-important down there I’ve gotta deal with.”

“Robbing tombs, are you?” Sawblades chuckled. When he caught the look in Sky’s eye, however, his smile faded and he nodded gravely. “Consider it done. Look, I’ll go and see what I can pick up about secret entrances to the chapel. You just stay here and rest up, okay?”

“Gotcha,” Sky said with a soft smile.

When Sawblades strode out of the clinic and slammed the door behind him, Sky’s smile disappeared, replaced with a grim frown and a pair of cold, dead blue eyes.

You have to stay strong, Sky...just a little bit longer…

She glanced up at the medical tools laid out on the table. Taking the bonesaw, Sky examined it for a moment, looking between it and the crossbow that Daybreak had given her. Her eyes drifted further afield, to a roll of medical tape nearby.

Taking the crossbow in one hoof and the saw in the other, Sky began to make herself a brand new weapon.

* * *

The moon sat low in the sky as a little white mare crept past the guards around the chapel’s perimeter wall. Public access though it undoubtedly was, Sky suspected that she wouldn’t exactly be welcome in a place like this, especially since getting inside the chapel and claiming sanctuary meant that she couldn’t legally be arrested.

She crept across a graveyard, weaving in between headstones with her hood drawn over her head. The damnable repeater crossbow clattered a little with every step, since at no point had it been designed with subtlety in mind with all of those moving parts. Still, Sky was light on her hooves, keeping her wings out to silence her hoof-falls. It was her special talent, after all.

The guards were inattentive as always, with no reason to believe that a burglar would come knocking at this time of night, and soon enough Sky reached the wall of the tall chapel itself. A monstrous building wrought from ivory stone and gold just like everything else in the palace, a scraping from one of the walls could probably pay for a month’s food, but Sky wasn’t concerned with money right now.

She took a little map out of her saddlebag, reading the instructions that Sawblades had given her by moonlight. She glanced between it and the masonry before her, counting off blocks in her head until she finally came to one that looked a little loose.

Great, Sawblades came through for me…

Sky put the map away, taking the block in both of her forehooves and tugging with all of her might. It came away more easily than she’d thought, sending the little pegasus rolling onto her back with a grunt.

What the hell...it’s made of plaster Sky thought to herself, looking the false block over with just a little amusement. The gap she’d created was just big enough to accommodate a pony her size. According to the instructions, it had often been used as an escape route by foals who didn’t want to sit in on weddings and services.

Sky set the block down by the hole, pushing her head through the gap and squeezing her shoulders into it, too. A stabbing pain rocketed up her bad wing as it pushed past the stonework, coaxing little whimpers out of her, but besides that she was able to push in without any problems. The combat drugs completely dulled any pain she might have felt, albeit temporarily. Sky suspected that she might have to pay for that with interest after all of this was over.

As soon as she’d slid the block back in after her, Sky looked around, taking in her surroundings.

The foyer to the chapel itself was ominous and a little spooky after hours, but there were still enough candles burning in their brackets for Sky to find her way around. A low archway across the hall led to the deep catacomb network that ran under the palace, the entrance to the Crystal Caverns...or at least the only entrance that didn’t involve negotiations with the Canterlot Underground. Sky didn’t have time for delays right now. Taking a deep breath, she ventured into the tunnels.

The stairs that ran down into the earth were far too small for a fully-grown pony, having been haphazardly cut into the rock of the mountain by someone with no concept of hoof sizes. Sky found herself taking very careful steps indeed. Tumbling down the stairs at this stage in the proceedings might give her away to Stronghooves, wherever he was.

Sky crept past ossuaries and tombs set into the walls, long-forgotten unicorn monarchs and high priestesses whose names she couldn’t remember. Their tombs ranged from ornate to spartan, their names and features obscured by dust and age. Magically sustained candles lit the way, giving Sky enough illumination to at least see where she was going. She followed twisting tunnels and winding staircases that seemed to go on forever, leading deeper and deeper into the earth, until she finally came to a crack in the wall. It was big enough to accommodate a large stallion or a mid-sized alicorn.

Huh, so this is it… Sky thought to herself, peering through it. This is the entrance to the Crystal Caverns.

Sure enough, the candlelight from the tunnel reflected off of some distant diamonds, each one an absolutely vast translucent stalagmite. The caves beyond looked more like a shattered mirror than anything else, the crystals glowing faintly with raw magical power. Sky suspected that, were she sensitive to magic, she’d be able to feel the energy kept in these big underground reservoirs. Indeed, even she could feel a certain weight in the air, as if she were outside before a thunderstorm.

Steeling herself, she squeezed through the gap and entered the Crystal Caverns. Her padded and bandaged hooves made soft pitter-patter sounds on the solid granite, barely audible even in the strange acoustics of the cave. Deep ravines stretched out here and there, shattered crystals adorning their walls as they sank into inky blackness.

Okay, don’t wanna fall down one of those things. I don’t imagine I’ll get out alive…

Sky ventured deeper into the caves, spreading her wings once more to keep her hoof-steps silent. She followed a little pinpoint of light deep in the caverns, a pinpoint she was confident was the light from Stronghooves’s horn all lit up.

“There you are…” she muttered to herself, loading the ammunition cartridge of her crossbow with darts. She crept closer, recognising that familiar silhouette as he stood at the centre of a big round plateau.

“Daybreak lied to me…” Stronghooves said softly, his voice echoing around the wide chamber as he looked from one crystal to the next. “She must have done. None of these are small enough for me to take them back to the fortress...they’ll never do…”

Sky raised her repeater crossbow, flicking a switch and spinning up the cylindrical ammo cartridge. A little iron crosshair sprung up, centred over Stronghooves’s midsection.

“None of these are right…” he said mournfully. “Then again...perhaps I don’t need to bring one back with me. Perhaps all I need is for Sky to follow me here.”

Sky paused, lowering her crossbow just a little as her eyes widened. Stronghooves rounded on her, staring at her across the cavern and smiling,

“Hello, little sister,” he said softly.

Sky froze in place, lowering her hoof completely and letting out a frustrated sigh.

“You just couldn’t make it easy for me, could you?” she said dully.

“I could say the same to you,” Stronghooves replied, pacing towards her and slipping his helmet over his head. “Sky, I had such high hopes for you. I thought that the treatment would work, that I’d be able to make you somepony to be proud of...but you just keep disappointing me at every turn.”

“You’re a disappointment too, Hoovesie,” Sky growled, taking a couple of steps back. “You’re fucking insane. Did you ever stop and ask yourself whether what you were doing was right?”

“I never had a doubt in my mind, Sky,” Stronghooves said confidently.

“Then you’re even more mad than I thought,” she sighed, raising the crossbow again. When she depressed the trigger, Stronghooves disappeared in a flash of light, suddenly standing right next to her with that same strange smile.

“Sky, someday you’re going to realise that I do all of this for you,” he went on, putting a hoof around her shoulders and drawing her close to him. “All of the things I do, I do them for you. I do them so that I can have my sister back. I do them so that I can stop all of...this.” He gestured to her equipment. “Sky...I do these things so that you can stop disappointing me.”

“You’re fucking sick,” Sky growled, spinning up the crossbow again and aiming at a chink in his armour. “Leave me alone, Hoovesie. Get the hell out of my life. Stop hurting me and my friends. You’re never ever getting me back.”

Stronghooves sighed, picking her up with his magic and holding her in front of his face. He had the strangest look on his face, a sort of severe blankness that belied barely contained rage. As he looked into her eyes, Sky saw no pity or mercy there whatsoever. She knew right away that he wasn’t going to hold back for one moment.

“Oh, Sky…” he whispered, drawing his sword as slowly and ominously as he could. “Why do you have to disappoint me EVERY...SINGLE...TIME!”

He punctuated each word by slamming her into the ground again and again, her padded armour doing little to soften the blows. Even the combat drugs didn’t help as she felt the impacts reverberate through her poor hollow pegasus bones. He dropped her completely, letting her slump onto her side as he raised his sword.

“I’m tired of this,” he whispered. “I’m tired of hoping that you’ll be a good pony. I’m tired of waiting for you to get your act together. I was an idiot to try and save you. It’s clear that you’re never going to be anything but a failure.”

As he raised his sword, Sky cycled an explosive dart into her crossbow’s firing chamber, raising her hoof and firing it square into his unarmoured neck. The clamps on the dart dug deep into his flesh, distracting him for just a moment as Sky hauled herself out of range. The dart detonated with enough force to blast a wall to smithereens, launching Stronghooves back across the chamber. A hanging crystal shattered like glass as he struck it, skidding across the ground before coming to rest far away from Sky.

She barely had time to haul herself to her hooves before he was back upright again, his torn jugular and windpipe healing right before her very eyes. Stronghooves kicked his sword back into his grip, charging at her once again. Sky spread her wings, leaping towards him and opening fire with her crossbow in turn. The air filled with darts as she emptied the entire ammo cartridge at him, sleep darts rebounding off of his armour or sword as he tried to teleport out of the way. Just as he came within striking distance of her, Sky threw down a smoke bomb, concealing her in thick black fog for just long enough for her to slip out of the way. The captain coughed and choked on it, looking around frantically in an effort to re-acquire his target.

Sky dove behind a crystal sticking out of the ground, reloading as quickly as she could and peeking over it as the smoke cleared. Stronghooves glanced around, spotting her for just a split-second before she loosed another explosive dart at him. It detonated at his hooves, launching him back and slamming him into a wall. He was back on his hooves before he hit the ground again, charging his horn and hurling a blast of magical energy at her. It sank into the crystal, which absorbed the magic like some kind of capacitor, and Sky dove out of the way as it began to spark and light up brighter than ever. Both ponies shielded their eyes as it flared brighter than the sun, finally exploding in a shower of sparks and shattered diamond.

That’s not good… Sky thought to herself, as Stronghooves lowered his head and charged another spell. Great, now he had an area-of-effect weapon to use on her.

Sky chambered another explosive dart, aiming it at a crystal over Stronghooves’s head. The resulting explosion brought it crashing down on the captain’s head, throwing off his aim and sending his spell careening into a wall on the far side of the cavern. He let out a furious roar, teleporting closer to Sky and punching her square in the face with one of his large heavy hooves. Sky was launched bodily towards the cliff edge, slowing her descent by spreading her wings and beating them as furiously as she could. She came to a stop with her hind hooves inches away from the precipice.

Stronghooves disappeared in another flash of light, re-appearing before her and swinging at her head with the cursed sword. Sky ducked under the blow, darting past him and kicking out with both of her hind legs. They rebounded harmlessly off of his armour, and Sky let out a yelp of pain as the shock shot up through her limbs. Stronghooves kicked back, knocking the wind out of her and hurling her into a nearby outcrop. There was a sickening crack and Sky went limp, laying still against the rock face as her brother advanced on her.

“I HATE YOU!” Stronghooves bellowed, his voice echoing around the vast cave as he strode towards her. “I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU! I TRIED TO LOVE YOU! I TRIED TO CARE! I TRIED TO HELP, BUT THERE’S NO HELP FOR YOU, SKY! YOU JUST KEEP FAILING, KEEP DISAPPOINTING! YOU DON’T EVEN TRY TO BE GOOD ANYMORE, AND NOW LOOK AT YOU! BROKEN, RUINED AND ALL OUT OF TRICKS!”

Stronghooves lifted her up by his magic, looking into her bleary eyes and seeing a single tear run down her cheek. She shook her head, coming back to her senses and fighting through the head trauma to stare back with equal determination.

“I’m…never...out of tricks…” she wheezed, kicking him squarely in the face with her hind leg. Her flare-boots sputtered and sparked, hurling bright pink countermeasures into the captain’s eyes. Sky squeezed her own eyes tight shut to stop herself from being blinded, but Stronghooves was neither so fast nor so lucky. The sparks struck him squarely in the eyes, burning away his retinas and blinding him completely. He let out a horrified shriek, casting the pegasus aside as he clutched at his face, waiting for it to heal up completely. Sky skidded across the stone, not spreading her wings fast enough to slow herself this time, and hurtled off of the cliff edge. She struck out with her forehooves, grabbing onto the edge and managing to hold on...if only for a while.

Stronghooves bowed his head, wheezing and growling as his eyesight slowly returned. He slowly, deliberately turned his head to look at the struggling pony, sparks still dancing in his damaged eyes as he marched towards her once again.

Shit...gotta think of something… Sky thought to herself, cycling her last dart into her crossbow. She glanced at it, then back up at him. This would be one hell of a gambit.

Stronghooves didn’t even offer her a last gloating speech, merely drawing back his hoof and kicking her square in the forehead as soon as he was within reach. Sky plummeted down towards an outcrop deep in the ravine, but she had no intentions of going alone. She raised her crossbow, firing a rope dart up at the captain as she fell. Before he could react, it struck him square in the shoulder, the little grappling hook in the tip punching straight into his flesh and extending to hold the rope in place. Stronghooves screamed with pain as his body healed around it, his balance upset by the little pony hanging quite literally by a thread. Sky swung back against the cliff face, digging her hind hooves into it and looking up at her brother with malice.

“You’re coming with me,” she snarled, giving the rope as powerful a tug as she could manage.

Stronghooves teetered on the cliff edge for just a moment before plummeting with her, grabbing onto her on the way down as he dropped his sword and screamed. Sky turned herself over as best she could, making sure that Stronghooves took the full brunt of the impact. It certainly wouldn’t kill him, but it could potentially buy her some time.

The two ponies landed on a smaller cliff further down the ravine, Stronghooves’s helmet buckling under the impact and rolling off of his head. Sky’s crossbow came free from her hoof as she fell away from him, leaving the rope dart embedded in the captain as she slid towards the cliff edge herself. She couldn’t see the bottom, or anything else for that matter. The light down here was far too little for her to find her way around.

Stronghooves rose to his hooves, pulling the rope dart out and flaring his horn to illuminate both ponies. He crushed her crossbow with his forehoof, pacing towards her once again with all of the inexorable menace of a tsunami. Sky stepped back, wary of the nearby cliff edge, when her hind hoof struck something metal.

Oh no...it can’t be… She thought, flicking her wing over it to make sure that it was precisely what she thought it was. Stronghooves’s sword.

She didn’t want to use it, but she was out of bombs, out of darts, out of tricks and out of time. With a fierce shriek, she grabbed the weapon by the hilt and swung it in a wide arc right at her brother’s head.

The sword struck, the light from his horn went out and both ponies were hurled into inky blackness.

Aftermath

Sky sat there in silence for a few moments, panting and whimpering as the pain flooded back into her system. All of the adrenaline from the fight slowly wore off, and it struck her just how much agony she’d been subjected to over the last few days. Her body was bruised almost everywhere, her wounds bleeding anew, and she could barely see a thing. She rummaged in her saddlebags for a moment, withdrawing a little glowstick and twisting it to add some light.

The first thing that struck her was just how peaceful Stronghooves was like this, all slumped over and completely motionless. Broken bone was strewn out all around him, little sparks of dying magic leaping from piece to piece. Stronghooves himself looked peaceful, and for just a moment Sky was reminded of the young stallion who’d slept with her when she was afraid of the dark.

As she raised the glowstick, she caught sight of his head, and she recoiled. His horn was cut clean off, the marrow and shattered bone clearly visible before her. She looked from it to the sword in her hoof, considering her options for just a moment.

I could finish him off… she thought to herself, as his chest rose and fell with slow, long breaths. He’d never feel a thing, and he’d be gone forever.

She rose the sword, looking down at the helpless stallion. He’d done so much to her over the years, taken so very much from her. Her innocence, her little sister, her future, her wing, the stallion she’d thought for just a moment that she’d spend the rest of her life with...Stronghooves had tortured her for years, and in that moment, Sky held his life in her hooves. There was so much she wanted to punish him for, so much hell that he deserved.

Come on, Sky...do it...he wouldn’t hold back if you guys had your roles reversed.

Sky frowned. That, she decided, was the problem.

With a frustrated huff, she threw the sword deep into the ravine without a second thought.

I’m not him. I’ll never be like him. If that means that this motherfucker gets to stay alive, then fine, but I’m not gonna throw away who I am just to get revenge.

Sky sat by him, running a hoof through his mane until he regained consciousness. In time, his eyes flickered open, looking up at Sky curiously. He gritted his teeth, trying to flare his horn to launch another spell at her, but the stump merely sparked and died without ceremony.

“What...what did you…?” he gasped, looking up at where his horn used to be.

“You took my flight, I took your magic,” Sky said simply, shrugging. “Weird how these things can come back to bite you in the ass, isn’t it?”

“But...I should be able to heal…” he whispered. “I’m a super-soldier. I know I can heal…”

“Funny, because you’ve been sitting like that for a good few minutes now and it doesn’t look like you’ve healed at all,” Sky said, smiling just a little. “Sorry buddy, but it looks like it’s permanent.”

“Sky...why...why did you take this from me...all I wanted to do was make you better…” Stronghooves began, but Sky held up a hoof to silence him.

“You’ve never made me happy,” she whispered spitefully. “You’ve hurt me in ways you can’t even begin to understand. You’ve tortured me, shouted at me, made me scared of my own brother. Do you have any idea how fucked up it is to be terrified of your own family, to flinch around them because you know that it’s only a matter of time before they do something horrible to you, before they take something away from you?”

“You’re overreacting. If you hadn’t been such a terrible sister…” Stronghooves whispered.

“Don’t you get it, asshole? I can’t help being a pegasus! I can’t help being who I am or doing what I do! All I can ever do is try my best with what I’ve got, to be the best me I can be, and you won’t even let me have that without hounding me all the damn time!” She growled, pushing his head down into the ground and stepping away. “You, though...you could’ve always stopped what you were doing. You could’ve left me alone, accepted me, been part of my family even though mum and dad hated me. I built a new little life for myself far away from you assholes...and you had to come back just to take it all away from me.”

“Sky, listen, I…”

“NO! YOU FUCKING LISTEN!” Sky roared, making the stallion recoil in shock. “I’M SICK OF YOU! I’M SICK OF YOUR ATTITUDE, YOUR HOLIER-THAN-THOU BULLSHIT, YOUR BELIEF THAT EVERYTHING YOU DO IS FOR A GREATER GOOD AND YOUR DAMN BULLYING! I’M NOT TAKING IT ANYMORE! YOU’RE INSANE! YOU’RE A MESS! YOU’RE A FUCKING MONSTER AND A LIAR AND A MURDERER!”

Sky stopped, watching as silent tears flowed down Stronghooves’s cheeks. She felt a momentary pang of sympathy, but it was quickly dispelled when her recent memories took over. Her body shook, her blood ran cold and her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. It struck her for the first time just how broken she was, just how much had been done to her, how much she had allowed to happen, and in that moment, it was impossible for her to drag herself out of that pit of depression. Shadow was gone, no longer able to snap her out of it. She’d spent half a decade talking to a memory, a little filly who was gone because of the freak in front of her, and it felt worse than she could describe. He had taken her life and livelihood from her, torn her apart and left her suffering for years.

Sky raised a hoof to strike him in the face, before setting it down once more and sighing.

“You’re not worth it,” she muttered, as he looked up at her diminutively. “You’re not worth the trouble. You’re not worth killing, not worth hitting. Hell, you’re not even worth a sleep dart to the balls. Just...leave me alone…”

Sky limped past him, taking the rope dart and hurling it up to the cliff high above. She flapped her damaged wings a couple of times to lighten the load, slowly crawling up the rope towards the surface.

“Sky...wait...come back...please...don’t leave me…” Stronghooves whimpered.

“Leave me alone, Stronghooves,” Sky growled back, clambering up onto the cliff and heading for the exit. “We’re done here.”

“SKY!” Stronghooves screamed after her, as she pulled her hood back up over her head. “SKY! DON’T DO THIS! I CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY! I CAN MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER! DON’T LEAVE ME! COME BACK!”

But Sky was already gone, charging up the stairs as quickly as she could and leaving the screaming stallion behind. She’d left him alive, in spite of everything he’d done. After all, murder was too good for him.

Besides, Sky thought to herself, as she stepped out of the cathedral into the new dawn, I made a promise to never change who I am.

* * *

Sky lay on a bed in Sawblades’s clinic as the earth pony recorded all of her bruises and cuts.

“I swear that you’re going to run out of limbs one of these days,” he commented, looking her over and whistling under his breath.

“I’ll just have to hop away from the guards, then,” Sky said with a tired giggle. The painkillers pumping into her bloodstream at least dulled the pain, and she suspected that she’d be there for quite a while. “How long am I gonna be here, anyway?”

“What’s the matter, don’t like hanging out with your ol’ buddy Sawblades?” he asked, grinning and taking her temperature. “You’re going to be out of action for about a week or so. You’re probably not gonna be running and jumping anywhere for a few weeks after that, come to that. We’re looking at a concussion, major blood loss…”

“Poisoning, blunt trauma, et cetera. Yeah, I know,” Sky sighed, smiling up at him. “Still...thanks, Sawblades. I really appreciate this.”

“Well, look, it takes a pretty ballsy mare to take on the captain of the Royal Guard and come out smiling like that,” Sawblades chuckled. “Everypony in Canterlot’s talking about it. They’re saying you single-hoofedly took down Stronghooves and a whole damn defence company.”

“Well…” Sky whispered, looking down at her hooves, “I wasn’t alone. I had a lot of help.”

“I guess that unicorn who came snooping around had something to do with it, huh?” Sawblades asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah...he was a damn good partner…” Sky whispered.

“And Shadow helped, too?” Sawblades asked, replacing her bandages as carefully as he could.

“Shadow’s dead, Sawblades…” Sky said, closing her eyes. “I appreciate you humouring me and everything, but...she’s been gone for five years.”

“Oh, you finally got there, did you?” Sawblades asked, letting out a soft sigh. “Look, Sky, I know it’s hard, but I really did my best, and I figured that keeping you in a good state of mind was the best thing for you...and for all of us.”

“You don’t have to explain anything, Sawblades,” Sky said, shaking her head and taking his hoof in her own. “I know that you did your best, and I appreciate everything you’ve done, for both her and me. Guess you can’t save everypony, no matter how hard you try.”

“That’s the trouble. I do my best, but at the end of the day, there are some ponies who are just too far gone for me to save them,” Sawblades agreed, taking her hoof in his as well. “I’m glad that you’re not one of them, and I guess you’ve at least got the opportunity to recover from what happened to her.”

“Yeah, look, I’ll cope with it. Don’t worry Sawblades, I know she meant a lot to me, but I’m a big tough girl. I’ll be okay.” Sky said, smiling as confidently as she dared.

Sawblades looked at her skeptically before returning the smile, trotting away. “You know, it’s going to be pretty difficult operating without your hideout. Where are you going to live?”

“I guess I’ll head back to my place in the poor district where I raised Shadow,” Sky said, shrugging. “It’s pretty safe and I’ve kept it stocked full of food all these years, so it’s as good a place as any.”

“Great, I wouldn’t want you to end up homeless after all of the mess you’ve been through,” Sawblades said, snorting. “You’re a damn crazy mare, you know that?”

“Hey, I’m a crazy mare with a future, working legs and a well-paying job,” Sky corrected him. “Besides, you love my craziness! Everypony does!”

“There are probably some guards who’d beg to differ,” Sawblades chuckled, sitting down by her side and watching her for a time. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright, Sky?”

The little pegasus looked up at him, grinning with confidence and the same wonderful mischief that she’d always shown.

“Don’t worry, Sawblades,” she lied. “I’m fine.”

* * *

Stronghooves rummaged desperately through the rubble of the stronghold, panting desperately as he searched for the remains of that tower.

“No...they can’t be gone...those crystals are in here somewhere…” he whispered, heaving rocks out of the way with increasing urgency. “Maybe...maybe Daybreak and Shield have them...they have to...surely…”

He looked up at the fortress’s remains, a pile of unrecognisable rocks at the end of a forgotten railway track. Surely they were there somewhere.

“DAYBREAK! SHIELD! WHERE ARE YOU?” He screamed, choking back tears. “IT’S OKAY! IT’S ME! IT’S STRONGHOOVES! WE CAN STILL FIX THIS! WE CAN STILL MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER! WE JUST HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER!”

Not a soul answered him, his heartbeat thumping in his ears as he searched even more frantically. The realisation that his friends might not ever answer him crept in, a strange mixture of panic and grief squeezing his lungs and his head.

In the wreckage, he saw a silhouette of a pony approaching him, larger than an average unicorn. He smiled a wide smile. It had to be Shield. It had to be!

“Shield! It’s me!” he yelped happily, scrambling up the fallen rocks towards it. “I’m here! Don’t worry, Sky got away, but we can still recapture her and keep giving her that treatment! Everything’ll be alright, I swear!”

He froze as he saw the pony’s features, flashes of gold on their hooves and neck, and a mane much larger than Shield’s. It spread enormous wings as it advanced on him, an absolutely furious look on its face.

“Pri...Princess…” he whispered, standing to attention as best he could and throwing a salute. “Look, I know what you’re thinking, but I can…”

Celestia held up a hoof and he fell silent.

“Captain Stronghooves,” she said severely. “We have to have a talk.”

Happily Ever After

Sky wove her way through a maze of alleyways and little roads, the long-forgotten path through a part of the city where few ponies dared tread. She hadn’t come this way in months, not since she’d moved to her little tower hideout closer to the city centre. Sky hadn’t known it at the time, but the change of scenery had been necessary. She needed to forget.

As she reached the little cul-de-sac, she wore a bright smile on her little muzzle, rubbing her eyes and looking around tiredly. The old houses sat in the same state of disrepair that they had always occupied, leaning into one another for support more than anything else. Their roofs were smashed, with missing tiles and collapsed chimneys, but to Sky, this was the first home she’d ever known.

Here, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre proper, she’d grown up, raised Shadow and mastered the art of burglary. Nopony had ever found her here, save for one little filly who’d come knocking on her door all of those years ago, cold and alone.

Sky held the same smile on her face as she opened that very same door, stepping into her old living room. Her couches were still there, a little coffee table that she and Shadow had made together sitting in the middle of the room, and on the mantlepiece sat many little mementos of their adventures together. Strange gems and contraptions, little gifts from ponies they’d helped, and Shadow’s first teddy bear, sitting there with its head tilted as if it, too, couldn’t understand where its mother had gone. Sky kept smiling as she sat down on one of the couches, looking up at it. Her eyes traced over every little knick-knack and curio, each with its own little memory attached to it. The Best Young Flyer’s crown from The Cloudsdale Job, a fan from the Shanghay Heist where Sky dressed up as a concubine, and finally, the remains of Shadow’s first little bow, a weapon Sky had made her after their first heist together. Her name was still carved into the splintered wood, as if the bow itself was insisting that there had once been a filly her.

Finally, Sky looked over at the far wall, where a little painting hung from the broken plaster. It had been hoof-painted, and depicted two little ponies playing together, a big white pegasus and a little blue filly with enormous wings. In the corner it read “by Shadow: Age 7.”

Sky’s smile grew more forced by the moment as she stared at it, her damaged wings twitching as her eyes filled with tears.

“I’m...fine…” she whispered under her breath, lying to the world at large.

With soft, choked sobs, Sky broke down completely, crying and screaming at the loss of her sister...a loss that she hadn’t accepted until five years after the fact. She screamed for Shadow, hoping against hope that she would come back, but no one answered. No one could have answered her for half a decade, now.

The End

Still sobbing late into the night, Sky lit a single candle and placed it on her windowsill before turning in for the night, a guiding light to bring her sister home. For the first time in half a decade, she finally knew why she’d lit those candles. For the first time, she truly wished that her sister would find her way home.

Rubbing It In

A happy pegasus alighted on a tower balcony and began to sing.

This affront was completely uncalled for and would not go unpunished.

Within the tower, in a dusty old wood-and-plaster room, another pegasus stirred at the sound of the tone-deaf pony. She rolled over, landing on the mass of bandages that made up her right wing, and awoke from the pain.

Sky Runner's eye flickered open.

Patches of sunlight made it into the room through damaged shutters, illuminating enough of the room to reveal just how dank and filthy the place was. There wasn't much in the way of furnishings...a couple of clouds pushed into the corners to act as a shower and a bed respectively...and two dressers, one smaller than the other.

Sky rolled onto her hooves and stood up, shaking her mane groggily. A cloud of dust got kicked up by the motion, catching the rays of sunlight and floating around her like a smoke bomb. This little tower couldn't be in a worse state unless termites started chewing through the floorboards.

Standing under her shower, Sky pulled off her bandages, casting them off down her stairwell. She was too drowsy to deal with those things right now. Trying not to look at her bad wing, she gave the cloud a smack around the underbelly.
The water was freezing cold as expected, and as it struck her wounds the little pegasus tensed up, feeling her legs stiffen out of reflex. At least she was getting clean, and more importantly awake.

"Travel light, let the sun eclipse you, cause your flight's about to leeeeave...!" wailed the voice from outside.

Giving the cloud a shake to stop it from spraying water everywhere, Sky towelled off and pulled some fresh bandages out of her rapidly depleting first aid kit. Sure, she was going through them fast, but they had to cover her whole entire wing, and that sure as hell wasn't healing any time soon...

Sky was a burglar, although she most certainly wouldn't use the term to describe herself. She was a liberator of objects, a connoisseur of curios, a curator of the most avant-garde of museums. There were few locks that could slow her down, few rooftops in the city that she hadn't trod, and very few guards that she had not escaped. Here was a pegasus who could jump higher and run faster than anypony else, who was lighter on her hooves, better at sneaking, a notorious one-pony rise in crime.

Mostly, however, she was a thief, a smartass, a shameless flirt, and a flightless train wreck.

Of course, when your special talent is the ability to move unseen, you're more or less doomed to one career path. To her credit, it was one that she was exceptionally good at. She'd been practicing her craft ever since she was a filly, since she'd first come to this tower. Sure, there were other thieves. Stronger ones, bigger ones, better ones, but nopony was faster than her.

"Bird's eye view, awake the stars cause they're all around you...!"

Sky pulled her gear off the larger of the two mannequins that stood next to her dresser, and looked at herself in the mirror. First the burglar's mask. It was tradition, as much a symbol of her trade as a crest was a symbol of a guard. It was about appearances.
With the mask on, you could be anypony. She didn't have to be Sky Runner. She could be some double agent guard, the baker from down the street, the fishmonger from Stallion Street, anypony.
Next came her barding. It was only padded leather, and didn't cover any more of her body than it needed to (you never know when waving your flanks in a guard's face might get you out of trouble, after all). It was really only there to keep her safe from some of her nastier falls. It even came with hoof mufflers!

Finally, armament.

Sky had only two weapons. The first was a longbow, which she slung across her back along with a quiver of grappling and hypodermic arrows. The second, which she affixed to her hoof, was a small crossbow, built upon a small mechanism that allowed the crossbar to spring outwards. Around her shoulders was a bandolier of sleep darts, a special formula that she had "discovered" herself. It was a potent formula, and not one that she really liked using.

Okay, that was a blatant lie. It was hilariously fun to use.

"Because after all, those wings will take you up so high, so bid the forest floor goodbye as you race the wind and take to the skyyyyyyyyy!"

Oh Luna, he's still going.

Sky frowned at the high-pitched shrieking from the top of her tower. Tucking her wings under her little cloak, the pony climbed the stairs to the roof hatch. It was time to offer her skills as an Equestrian Idol judge.

A Night In The Slammer (Clop)

Sky tried to play dead in the guard wagon back to the barracks, but the game was somewhat given away by the little squeaking noise she made as she was dropped out of the cart. Thereafter, she settled for sulkily grumbling about her predicament.

Two guards hoisted her up by the pits of her wings, her head hanging down as she was led into the guard barracks. Sky’s eyes darted from side to side. This wasn’t good at all. She’d been stripped of her weapons and armour (without so much as a cavity search! Lazy gits) and Shadow didn’t know where she was.
Well Sky, you got your own plot into this. Time to haul it out as well… she thought to herself dully.
Funnily enough, as they carried her, they led her away from the cell blocks, away from the echoing wails of desperate criminals, and into an interview room, cuffing her to a table. The guards left her there in eerie silence, the only sound the ticking of a nearby clock.
Sky opened her eyes.
“It’s too early for this shit…” she grunted, shaking her aching head. There was blood caked all over her muzzle, and by the feel of it, she’d earned herself a black eye for her troubles tonight. It was inevitable, really. Nothing really went her way for this long.
What the hell kind of questions do they want to ask me, though? Sky wondered. It was so strange. She’d been rounded up with a horde of barroom and street brawlers before, and she just got a night in the cells. Nopony had ever stuffed her into an interrogation room. The guards didn’t care about which drunk asshole was which. There were no questions needed asking. They just called you an inebriated undesirable or something and kicked your plot out onto the street. There were no questions, no appeals, no big sentence.
So what’s different now?
Sky wanted to know what their game was, but at the same time she knew that they were going to let her stew here. It made her interrogator’s arrival seem like a welcome relief, make her more likely to cooperate with whoever came in.
However, she had a filly to get home to, and she wasn’t interested in waiting around in the lion’s den like this.
She started leaning forward, towards the ink pot and a little cup full of quills.
“Oi! Keep your muzzle to yourself!” came a voice over the loudspeaker.
Sky kept leaning forward, sticking her tongue out towards the pot.
“Miss Runner, you’d better bloody well not!”
She stuck her tongue out as far as it could go, leaning forward and giving her wings a few flaps. With the most gentle little tap, she unbalanced the inkpot, spilling its contents across the desk.
“FOR FUCK’S SA…” the voice cut off. There was a little feedback, as if someone else was trying to wrestle the microphone away from him. Sky sat back with a great big shit-eating grin. He was probably pretty pissed at her right now, but guards had rules. He wouldn’t, for instance, be allowed to slap her in the face during an interrogation. She held a hell of a lot more cards than him and she knew it.
“Fine, fine…” came a grunt over the loudspeaker. A moment later, the world’s most tired unicorn came in, carrying a file that looked like it had begun life as one of the keystones for the palace. He huffed and panted as he brought it over, sitting down across from her and dropping it onto the desk.
“Shit…” he muttered, as ink started soaking into it. “FUCKING...okay...okay...whatever…” he sighed. Sky regarded him with interest as he tried to get his act together. He wasn’t bad looking, with a pretty messy black mane, a light brown coat...and muscles. Ooooh, the muscles. This guy worked out. Surely he’s not too tired to go a few rounds with me, is he?
“Miss Runner?”
She kept her eyes on his chest, not really paying attention. I bet I could make him go all night…
“Miss Runner.” he sighed, rubbing his temples.
Oooh, he’s got very nice green eyes too...I wouldn’t mind those looking down at me while he…
“MISS RUNNER!” he smacked a hoof down onto the desk, spraying a little ink over himself and causing the little pegasus to jump back into reality.
“Can I help you, sweetie?” she smiled, resting her chin on her forehooves and giving him dreamy eyes.
He gave a frustrated grunt, opening her file and looking through the contents. “What the fuck kind of criminal has a bloody index in their records?”
“The kind who’s been a very naughty little mare…” Sky replied, biting her lip and fluttering her eyelashes. Sure, she looked like she’d just been hit by a carriage...but hey, some stallions are into that.
The stallion went a little red, trying to ignore her as he went through an overview of her crimes. “You’ve been moving up in the world, Miss Runner.” he said, desperately trying to get that intimidation factor back. “Theft, larceny, soliciting sex, assault, obstruction of justice, multiple escapes...one time when you broke into the stocks and invited everyone to...what did you say?...’punish you for being such a naughty little bitch.’” he dabbed at his forehead with a handkerchief. “You’ve fucked up...and I mean a lot...but stealing magical weapons is a big step up for you.” he finally looks up at her, as sternly as he could manage.
Sky cocked her head, taken aback. “Come again?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Miss Runner.” he frowned. “Those crystals you stole from the museum tonight? From the Crystal Empire itself? Yeah, weapons.” he glared at her. “You really had no idea, did you? You just saw a pretty little shiny thing and you bloody well took it, didn’t you?”
“What, are you talking about the shit that happened tonight?” Sky started playing hoofsies with him under the desk, all the while keeping a very serious expression on her face. ‘That didn’t have shit to do with me. I nearly caught the bugger who did it, but it sure as hell wasn’t me.”
“Uh huh, sure.” The stallion said, going a slightly deeper shade of red. “Just...how...how dumb do you think I am?”
Oh boy, he looks uncomfortable now. I’ve got this…
“I don’t think you’re dumb at all…” Sky purred softly, gazing up at him with her pretty blue eyes. “You’re a big tough stallion and I’m just a poor little innocent mare...I wouldn’t go around stealing crystals…”
“We have evidence that it was you.” he said proudly. That poor stallion looked so uncomfortable, but he didn’t pull his legs away. In fact, he was almost brushing his legs against hers of his own volition now.
Sky cocked her head again. Shit, I didn’t expect that… “And what might that be?”
“Your wings need preening.” he observed, nodding at her. He was definitely checking her out now.
Sky looked around, giggling as she saw that her wings were out again, her bad one sticking up at a slightly weird angle, as if it had tried to pomf out but gave up halfway. When she looked back, the unicorn was holding up a ziplock bag with some white feathers inside. Her feathers.
Sky went wide-eyed, her ears folding back against her skull.
Bollocks.
“I can explain…” she began.
“I don’t wanna hear your explanations. Now, what did you do with those crystals?” he was businesslike again, knowing that for all she was trying to entice him, he was in control of the situation now.
“I said, I dunno what happened to them. You can go through my saddlebags and check.”
“We did. We...didn’t find anything.” he faltered for just a moment. “You’re definitely good at what you do, but I’m not an idiot, Miss Runner. I know all about dead-drops and hoof-offs.”
“I’ll hoof you off…” she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear. He started blushing again. Poor stallion probably didn’t get any action.
“St...stop avoiding the question. Who’d you give the crystals to?” he managed to blurt out. “I don’t have time for any tempta...I mean...distractions.”
“I dunno...I didn’t see the pony’s face, but I know he had backup.” she shrugged, brushing her tail over his hind legs under the desk. “Now tell me...how’d you like to make the time to interrogate me properly?”
“Fu...fu...ck…” he grunted, running his forehooves through his mane. “Miss Runner, this is serious.”
“So am I.” she replied evenly, giving him just the tiniest little smile.
“You know what? This isn’t gonna work.” he shook his head, nodding at the two-way mirror set into the wall. A couple of guards marched into the room, picking her up from under the wings again. “This is really bloody serious stuff, Miss Runner. This is an executable offence if you’re found guilty, so if you’re really eager to not get your head cut off, I’d stop joking around and start realising that this is a ‘fate of Equestria hangs in the balance’ kind of thing. Take her away to cool off.” he nodded to the guards, who dragged her off.
Sky winked at him as she was carried out.
“Inspector,” another guard said. “Would you like to come with us to interrogate her in her cell?”
“Um…” he looked down under the desk at himself briefly, finding some mystic way to go even redder. “Um...no thank you...I don’t think I should be walking anywhere for a little while.”
“Bad leg or something, sir?” asked the guard innocently.
“Uhh...yeah…” he nodded. “Yeah, I’ve got a...a bad leg.”
“Er...very good sir.” the young guard nodded, trotting out of the room.

Sky was unceremoniously dumped into a cell, yelping as she landed on her bad wing. It stung like a bitch, and she had to close her eyes to hide her tears.
Yeah...not one of my better days… mused she, struggling to her hooves as the guards departed.
There was only one left out there, an officer. He was young, and regarded her with a curious expression, almost as if he was sizing her up.
“Hey buster, what are you looking at?” she asked, trotting up to the bars and trying to sound stronger than she really felt right now.
“We don’t usually get ‘em this pretty down here.” the stallion shrugged. He was blatantly checking her out. Sky could feel his eyes roaming from her blood-caked muzzle to her busted wing, before finally resting on her slightly bruised white flank.
A grin spread across her muzzle. Oh look, I found the guy who’s into beaten-up ponies, and he’s the only guy guarding me. This ought to be good.
Sky made a very subtle movement that exposed a little more of her body. Her tail flicked lazily from side to side, and he followed it like she was trying to hypnotise him.
“You really think I’m pretty?” she asked, her voice softening. Sky bit her lower lip just a little. Right now, every single square inch of her body was telling this guy that it was his for the taking. Now it was only a matter of time.
“Ye...yeah…” the jailer came a little closer, before shaking his head and growling. “N...no! That’s not going to work, prisoner.”
“What isn’t? I’m not doing anything.” Sky replied evasively, turning tail on him and hopping onto her little bed.
“You’re not going to trick me into letting you out.” he shook his head. “You’re in here for a reason, and it’s my job to keep you here until you’ve served your damn sentence.”
“Who said anything about letting me out? If we’re gonna be in here together for a while, then I guess it’d be nice to get to know you a little better.” she smiled as invitingly as possible at him. “Besides, I bet it gets dreadfully dull down here. How long’s it been since you last had a little fun?”
“No...none of your damn business!” he was definitely sweating now. Sky couldn’t help but smile as she watched him squirm. This was going to be far too easy.
“Well...I’m just saying, the offer’s there if you want it…” she shrugs, curling up with her flanks pointed squarely at him. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning!”
As she got a little more comfortable, her tail ‘accidentally’ slid off of the bed, no longer covering her pussy. Now that jailer would be looking at her all night.
He can’t go all night. Look at him, he’s damn near ready to explode already!
Sky was considering spreading her hind legs a little for him, but it wasn’t necessary. She heard the sound of hooves on stone, a key in the lock, the grating noise of her cell door being opened.
“Been considering what I said, sweetie?” she tried to sound sleepy, reluctant.
He said nothing, instead opting to place his forehooves on her head and raise it up to look at him. He was panting wildly, having finally completely given in to his vices, gazing at her with wide eyes and pressing his lips to hers. She made the smallest little “eep!” before opening her mouth and letting him have his way with her.
If he had a sense of finesse, he sure as hell wasn’t showing it. The jailer broke the kiss after a time, rolling her off of the cot and leaving her laying on her side on the ground.
Bloody hell, can I maybe not land on that wing? Just once? Please? she thought to herself as he stood above her, looking down at the little white mare with a feral gaze that Sky recognised all too well.
He definitely didn’t seem interested in wasting time, taking a step forward and forcing her head between his forelegs, bringing her face to face with his cock.
“Well hey there…” she mumbled, before putting her soft forehooves around his quivering shaft and started to knead it, tilting her head up and dragging her tongue up his belly fur. He gave a low groan, pushing his hips forward. The tip of his cock was pressing against her chin, a little precum already leaking from it, seeping into her fur.
Well, how’s that for making your intentions clear? Sky rolled her eyes, lowering her head and wrapping her lips around the head of his stallionhood, rubbing the shaft as her tongue worked the tip. She began lapping off his precum, tilting her head just a little to get at him from a better angle, humming softly.
“Argh...fu...fuck me, that’s…” the jailer seemed to be at a loss for words, and Sky wasn’t going to give him the opportunity to think coherently again. This was one of those “hang in the balance” affairs. If he started thinking again, he might realise just how wrong or dangerous this was for him, and she’d be stuck in her cell. No way was she going to let that happen.
Sky started working her way down his shaft. He certainly wasn’t small - he definitely had that going for him - and she was forced to pace herself, taking more of his cock, inch by inch, running her tongue under the sensitive underside. Taking him inch by inch was clearly not to the young stallion’s liking, and he started bucking into her by pure reflex. Sky gave a reluctant gulp, forced to reposition her body slightly so as to take his cock down her throat. When she was satisfied that she wasn’t going to choke on it anymore, she took him all the way in, letting him hilt his dick in her mouth as roughly as he liked.
He took a moment to get up to a decent pace, something he was comfortable with, and Sky matched it, bobbing her head back and forth down his member, her whimpering muffled by the obstruction in her mouth. She felt and sounded defeated, her only purpose now being to pleasure that jailer to the best of her ability.
“Nnngh...what’s...your...name...anyway?” he grunted. Sky rolled her eyes.
Sure, I’ll just tell you that while I’ve got your dick in my mouth. Didn’t your mum ever tell you about talking with your mouth full?
She gave a cheeky little giggle to entice him further. Sky knew his type well enough. He wanted a sense of conquest, to feel like he was disciplining her, turning her into a good obedient mare using only his sexual prowess.
Her giggle was abruptly cut off as he drove deep into her throat again, briefly choking her once more. The only sounds out of her now were gentle, soft moaning and her desperate panting through her nose. Her ears were folded back against her skull, her eyes half-lidded. Sky was loving this.
*Pomf*
Whoops...maybe I’m enjoying this a little too much… Sky grinned as her wings sprang out again, twitching slightly from excitement and anticipation. Her body was absolutely ready for him, practically crying out for that stallion to fuck her brains out.
“Aaah...I’m...gonna cum…” he grunted.
But clearly she wasn’t going to get anything out of this little arrangement. Sky’s eyes started darting everywhere, looking for a way for her to get out of this predicament. She didn’t want to let him cum. He sure as hell hadn’t earned it.
She spotted something shiny hanging from his flank, and a wide grin spread across her face. She didn’t have much time...in fact, she had barely any at all. Sky reached out with a forehoof, grabbing his hoof cuffs and dropping them onto her tail. Now came the tricky part.
Sky slowed down her pace a little, dragging her tongue over the sides and top of his shaft now, avoiding his more sensitive spots, delaying the inevitable. She had to keep him in a balance, that special equilibrium where he couldn’t cum but was close enough that he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. The jailer’s feverish panting was all the indication she needed that she was on the right track. His cock was throbbing in her mouth. He was on the absolute edge of climax, but couldn’t do it, not until she pushed him over the edge.
Sky reached back with a forehoof, clipping the cuffs over his forehooves. Even if he caught her doing it now, he might pass it off as nothing more than her wanting to show her kinky side. She would, of course, be the first to admit that she had a kinky side, but she wasn’t going to show it to this poor unsuspecting guard. She was only really interested in getting the hell out of here.
With two satisfying clicks, Sky fastened the cuffs around his forehooves. Now it was time for a little amateur yoga.

The jailer wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened. One moment he was on the very brink of cumming, enjoying the best blowjob of his life. Now, however, he lay on his back, forehooves cuffed around his flanks, his body contorted in such a way as to force his own cock into his mouth.
Sitting next to him, with a big shit-eating grin on her face, stood a red and white pegasus mare, tossing his keyring into the air again and again. “Comfortable?”
“Mmmph.” he grunted back, struggling against his cuffs. He watched as she pulled the key off of its ring, examining it.
“I guess you want this, don’t you?” she sighed, leaning in an inspecting it. “There’s really only two ways you’re getting out of that little scrape. The first is to get backup, only that’d be really damn embarrassing. Imagine being found like this.” Sky tutted mournfully.
“Course, the other way out is with this thing.” she continued, studying it a moment longer before opening her mouth and holding the little key over her tongue. She glanced down at the stallion. His eyes were wide, silently pleading with her.
Sky locked her gaze with him and dropped the key into her mouth. “Whoops!”
The jailer tried to scream with frustration, but all that came out was a muffled “MMPH!” Nopony upstairs heard that, and all he could do was watch as his only salvation disappeared down Sky’s throat.
She picked up his discarded helmet and put it on, her mane cresting out of it in a less-than-tidy mohawk. “You can always call for help, you know...of course, that means getting your cock out of your mouth, and the only way for you to do that right now is to get sucking.” she chuckled, trotting out of the cell and locking the door behind her.
Sky cricked her neck and spat out the key as she passed a bin. She was hardly going to swallow the bloody thing. If she’d swallowed every damn key she’d pulled that shit with, she’d sound like a coin purse whenever she went anywhere.
Sky trotted merrily down the hallway, disguised as one of Canterlot’s Finest, at least to the casual observer. Anypony who took more than a cursory glance at her would see through her disguise immediately. The helmet was a bad fit, and kept sliding down over her eyes. Her mane wasn’t dyed blue or white like everypony else’s, her tail looked like a rat’s nest, and for all of her limited resources, she was still the mare whose face was on every wanted poster in the city. Sky lowered herself closer to the ground, her wings extending to lighten her tread, and the sound of her hooves against the stone of the barracks floor ceased completely.
Using the keychain she’d taken from the jailer, she made her way into the evidence room, beaming as she spotted her saddlebags and cloak. Now that’s a bit more like it...this helmet’s just gonna make a mess of my mane anyway. She quickly got changed, sticking her crossbow back on her hoof and her bow across her back. Sky stepped out of the evidence lockers, trotting confidently towards the door. She was very nearly a free mare.
“Oi! What do you think you’re doing?”
Well, unless something like that happened.
She looked around, giving a little “eep!” as she spied three guards all racing towards her. Her hooves skittered on the ground for a moment before she started galloping, bursting out of the front doors and into the city. Her cloak and tail flew out behind her as she picked up speed, the rhythmic thud of her hooves on stone returning.
Giving the guards her most infuriating little giggle, Sky kicked up a trail of dust and dashed off into the dark alleys of the poor district, disappearing into the night.
It was time to go home and find out who’d framed her.

Family Ties (Clop)

Well, I’ve stayed in nicer places… Stronghooves thought to himself.

The cell in which he was staying was just as bleak and horrible as the ones at the guard barracks. On several occasions, Stronghooves had at least suggested putting in some nice paintings or other decorations. While his requests had fallen upon deaf ears as far as the accounting department was concerned, a few guards had lauded him as being full of nice, if unorthodox ideas.

He trotted up to the bars, tapping them experimentally with his hoof. They were wrought from an interesting metal, probably capable of withstanding a very angry stallion with his enhancements. Of course, since they’d been taken away from him, the matter was essentially moot.

Stronghooves poked his white muzzle out from between the bars, glancing left and right. The detention centre was quite deserted, save for one mare in dark glasses trotting up and down the corridor.

“Pardon me, miss!” He called out, wrapping his forehooves around the bars and giving them a shake. It was important to keep up appearances after all.

“What do you want?” The Operative asked, trotting over to his cell and peering at him over her glasses.

Stronghooves was about to speak, but he found himself a little distracted, eyes roaming over her body and taking in her form. She wasn’t bad looking, by any means. Of course, all the Operatives were physically fit, but she was shapely and quite pretty.

“I don’t have time for this.” The mare huffed, pushing her shades back up her muzzle and making her way towards the exit.

“No, wait!” Stronghooves held out a hoof. “I was...I apologise, I was just kind of...well...struck by you, that’s all.”

“Uh-huh.” The mare paused, looking around at him and raising her eyebrows. “How many times has that line worked? I’m curious.”

“Ah, never. I guess I’m a little bit goofy sometimes.” Stronghooves chuckled, sitting back and grinning sheepishly. “I’m...not much good at talking to mares.”

The Operative couldn’t help but smile a little at the “goofy” comment, or the way that one of Stronghooves’s ears flopped down sideways when he cocked his head. She rolled her eyes, giving a long-suffering sigh as she sat down in front of the bars.

“You know, it’s not too hard to talk to mares. They’re no different from stallions in a lot of ways.” She smiled a little wider.

“I guess you’re right there…” Stronghooves chuckled, looking down at his forehooves and going a little pink. “I just...kinda have a problem with shyness. I get really worried about ponies not liking me, that’s all.”

“Not everypony’s gonna like you.” The mare shrugged. “I mean, you seem nice enough, and that ought to be good enough for most ponies.” She tilted her head slightly. “What’s your name, anyway?”

“Oh, I’m Captain Stronghooves of the Royal Guard.” He replied, nervously meeting her gaze. “I...erm...I’m usually better dressed than this. What’s yours?”

“My name’s Daybreak.” The mare smiled. There was something so charming about that poor shy little stallion. “I...well...I work here.”

Stronghooves nodded. “I...I like your sunglasses.” He fiddled with his hooves, glancing down at the floor again. “Er...sorry, that was a bit lame…”

“No, no, it’s okay.” Daybreak giggled, pulling her sunglasses off and clipping them onto her breastplate lapel. She had pretty nice amber eyes that regarded him with a certain curiosity, almost as if she was trying to work out his intentions.

Stronghooves hid his face behind one heavy forehoof as he caught her eye. “Oh my, erm...you look...pretty…” He whimpered, bright red with embarrassment.

“Oh wow, you really do have a problem talking to mares, huh?” Daybreak giggled. “How’d a pony like you end up in a place like this, anyway?”

He peeked out from behind his hoof, eyeing her with more than a little worry. “Um...you really want to know that?”

“Sure! I mean, you’re kind of the only inmate we’ve got around here, and since I’m gonna be guarding you for a while, I guess I should at least know what you’re in for.” Daybreak nodded enthusiastically.

“Well...if you’ve really got to know...erm...I got thrown in here for trying to stop Silver Tongue from executing my little sister.”

Daybreak’s eyes widened. “That’s terrible! Did he say why?”

“I found out that he was trying to frame her for stealing the crystals that...well...give the Operatives their power. She was the fall pony.” He sighed. “I tried to protect her from the assassins he sent after her. Well, you can see how well that worked out.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Is...is she okay?”

“Yeah, she got away. Of course, I don’t know whether or not he’s caught up to her since then. She could be dead by now for all I know.” He bowed his head. “Um...sorry, I don’t mean to be a downer.”

“I think you could be forgiven.” Daybreak smiled uneasily, reaching through the bars and putting a soft forehoof on his shoulder. “Are...are you going to be all right?”

“When I find out one way or another...I’ll be fine.” Stronghooves nodded, reaching up and squeezing her hoof with his own. “For now, I’m just worried...and...and tense...and I’m kind of freaking out because I’m talking to...to a really nice mare...and you’re kinda...kinda...intimidating.” He was shaking like a leaf by this point, clutching her hoof tightly. It almost looked as if he was suppressing tears.

“Hey...hey...it’s okay.” Daybreak pushed her other forehoof through the bars, pushing his chin up so that he could look her in the eye. “I’m not trying to intimidate you, Stronghooves. Actually...you’re kind of cute when you’re nervous.” She smiled softly..

Stronghooves guffawed at the compliment, looking up at her with a terrified, shaky smile. “You’re sweet, Daybreak. I’m sorry...I kind of look pathetic right now. You can probably understand why I’m not exactly at my best.”

“I don’t know anypony in Equestria who’d be at their best if they were going through what you’re going through.” Daybreak shook her head. Her voice grew more gentle as she spoke, smiling as encouragingly as possible. “You seem to be a really brave stallion, and you really seem to love your sister.”

“She’s made some big mistakes in life, I’ll admit.” He nodded. “I still love her, though. I just hope that somehow I can find a way to make it all okay again. I mean, her life’s in danger and all I can do is just sit here. Not...not that I mind the company.” He blushed hotly again, holding eye contact with Daybreak this time.

“Seriously, how did somepony as sweet as you end up in a place like this?” Daybreak beamed, going a little pink herself.

“Well...maybe I was meant to meet you.” Stronghooves giggled. “Oops! Erm...heh heh...I’m getting all silly again.”

“Sssshhhh...shut up, Stronghooves.” Daybreak whispered, putting a hoof to his muzzle. “It’s okay. I like it when you’re silly.”

“You...mean that?” He cocked his head. “Wo...wow. Usually nopony likes my silly side. I mean, I’m a guard captain. It’s all serious, all the time for me.”

“That’s a shame. Maybe you need to embrace your silly side a little more. You know, do more crazy stuff, have a little fun! It’s kinda nice to see you trying.” Daybreak smirked. “I bet it’d be nice to see how spontaneous you can get.”

“Huh...that’s...that’s actually really good advice, Daybreak. Thanks.” Stronghooves smiled. “So how did you end up working this job, anyway?”

“I got picked out of a group of new recruits by the Count.” Daybreak shrugged, putting her forehooves back on the ground. “He hoof-picked me to get transformed into...well...this.” She glanced down at herself, shrugging.

“And you went through with it?” Stronghooves put his own forehooves down, leaning against the bars.

“Well, yeah, obviously.” Daybreak beamed. “I kinda joined the Equestrian Army to protect everypony back home, so I guess I’m just...doing a better job now.”

“See? Now who’s being sweet?” Stronghooves nudged her shoulder through the bars.

“Sweet, my ass. I’ve just got ponies to look out for, that’s all.”

“So where is home for you?” He asked conversationally.

“Ponyville.” Daybreak smiled. “I’ve lived there pretty much all my life. It’s beautiful. So peaceful and quiet, not at all like Canterlot.”

“I’ve never been.” Stronghooves sighed. “I’ve looked over the city walls more than a few times, mind you. I can see it in the distance. Seeing that little town basking under the moonlight’s just...comforting, you know?”

“Exactly!” Daybreak nodded excitedly. “I can always look off into the distance and know that my family and friends are safe, doubly so because of the programme we’re undergoing.”

“I wish I had your faith in it.” Stronghooves shook his head mournfully. “Remember, I joined the programme to protect the ponies I care about, and yet the first one I’m ordered to capture and kill is my own sister. Could you imagine?”

“I didn’t say I trusted the ponies who’re calling the shots right now.” Daybreak shook her head. “I just said that I think I’m doing the right thing by my friends and family.”

“I’d watch out. They stripped me of my powers because I disobeyed Silver’s direct orders.” Stronghooves frowned. “It won’t be long till your own family’s thrown under the carriage as well.”

“I’ll never let that happen.” Daybreak said solidly.

“Nor will I. If I find a way to get my powers back...I’ll see to it that nopony’s family is ever put in danger again.” Stronghooves smiled confidently, nuzzling Daybreak’s nose tentatively.

“Well...heh heh…” Daybreak giggled, blushing again. “You know, I think you’re a pretty nice pony. You’ve definitely got everypony else’s best interests at heart. If you ever find a way...well...count me in.”

“Thanks Daybreak. That means a lot.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “Um...hey…”

“Yeah?”

“Well, remember a few minutes ago when you asked me to be...be more sp...spontaneous?” Stronghooves’s ears flopped down as he grew redder and redder.

“Course I do! What are you getting at?” Daybreak tilted her head innocently. Still, there was a certain light in her eyes like she knew what was about to happen.

Stronghooves ran his hooves through his mane a couple of times, making a soft whimpering noise as he tried to work up some semblance of courage. Finally, he darted forward, planting a kiss on Daybreak’s lips.

The mare yelped, surprised at Stronghooves’s sudden advances...though she certainly didn’t pull away. When he finally drew away, both ponies grinned stupidly at one another for a time, unable to find the words to talk about what had just happened.

“Um...well...yeah...er...sorry.” Stronghooves said bashfully, shuffling away from the bars and retreating into the corner to stare at the wall. “Um...that might’ve been too spontaneous.”

He sat there in silence, ears perking as if he were listening for her departure.

“Stronghooves?” Daybreak ventured quietly from the other side of the bars.

The massive stallion gritted his teeth, shrugging his shoulders and bowing his head, ashamed. “I’m..sorry, okay? Please don’t hate me!”

Daybreak rolled her eyes, unlocking the cell and pulling the sliding door open. She trotted inside, approaching Stronghooves with all the confidence of a mare who knows what she’s doing, before grabbing him by the mane and pulling his head up.

“Hey, wait, I…” Stronghooves began, totally willing to explain himself. Daybreak, however, wasn’t having any of it, yanking his head up and kissing him fiercely. His horn sparked bright blue as he murmured flustered gibberish into her mouth. It might have been an apology, or possibly an expression of reluctance. In time, however, both of them simply stopped caring.

Stronghooves ran his forehooves up Daybreak’s sides, gently squeezing her shoulders. He tilted his head slightly as he leaned into the kiss himself, pushing his tongue past her lips, lazily playing with her own. He kept his movements slow and gentle, only opening his eyes a little to make sure that she was all right.

Well, I must be doing something right… Stronghooves mused to himself as Daybreak wrapped her hooves around him, lifting him up and tossing him bodily onto the cell bed. He was far too dazed to protest, only able to watch as she clambered on top of him.

“Um...so I assume that I was just spontaneous enough?” He asked weakly.

“Oh, shut up.” Daybreak giggled back, locking lips with him again and pushing him back onto the bed. Stronghooves’s horn sparked again as he shivered under her touch, unconsciously grinding his hips against hers. He gave a soft muffled moan as he closed his eyes again, savouring the taste of her in his mouth, listening to her rapid heavy breathing. She was perfect.

Daybreak pulled herself free of Stronghooves’s shaky grip, beaming down at him with the most fierce hunger he’d ever seen. “Have you ever been with a mare before?”

Stronghooves’s ears splayed back as he started to blush again, tucking his forehooves up under his chin. “Well...erm...not exactly…no…”

She giggled cheekily. “It’s fine. We’ll start out slow, okay?” She shuffled back, glancing down at his unsheathed stallionhood with a grin. “Whoa…”

“Um...sorry...I...can’t exactly help it…”

Daybreak beamed up at Stronghooves. He looked so nervous, such a big stallion reduced to a blushing, shivering wreck by one mare’s advances. In a way, it was flattering. “You’re adorable, you know that?”

“No...no ‘m not…” He murmured. “I’m...big guard...really serious one…”

Daybreak giggled as she patted his fluffy chest with a forehoof. “Don’t lie to me, Captain. Now, let’s see what we can do about this little problem of yours, hmm?” Without waiting for him to answer, she took his cock between her hooves, biting her lower lip as she began to stroke him. Stronghooves, a stallion who was still physically bigger than she was, let out a timid little squeak. He stopped shivering, laying back on the bed and gazing at Daybreak, wide-eyed.

“You...you’re...really beautiful…” He muttered, ears twitching a little as he gave her a lopsided smile.

“Well you’re really handsome, so I guess we’re even.” Daybreak replied evenly, lowering herself down over him and wrapping her lips around the head of his cock. She didn’t give him time to adjust, murring softly as she took more and more of his shaft in her mouth. As she reached the base of his member, she glanced up at him again, gauging his reaction.

“Wo...wow…” He whispered. “Um...what...what happened to ladies first?”

Daybreak gave a muffled giggle before pulling her head up again, deftly stroking his cock as she got her breath back. “You really are a gentlecolt, aren’t you?”

“I...eep...I...erm...I do my best…” He giggled a little himself, holding a hoof over his face to hide his embarrassment.

“You’re such a sweetie.” Daybreak shook her head, grinning. “Tell you what, let’s do it together, shall we?”

“O...okay…” He nodded uncertainly, biting his own lip.

Daybreak shuffled a little closer, still holding his cock between her forehooves. She kept it in place as she positioned herself over the very tip, before slowly, gently lowering herself down onto it. She let out a soft gasp, closing her eyes and shivering a little herself. Stronghooves dug his forehooves into the mattress, panting harder and faster as he felt the most incredible tightness around his cock. He worked hard to control his breathing, pushing his hips against hers and hilting himself inside of her.

“Ho...how’s this?”

“Goo...good…” Daybreak whimpered, placing her forehooves on his chest and starting to grind down on him, taking his cock deep inside her each and every time. Stronghooves let out a low moan, leaning up and licking her under her chin. He was used to being far more proactive than this, and it would perhaps be polite of him to take the lead, considering she’d given him a chance and all.

Placing his forehooves on her flanks to hold her in place, Stronghooves gave her a little squeeze, beginning to thrust into her again and again. She was soaking wet and tight enough that she was squeezing his cock a little too much with every thrust, but he didn’t mind one bit. This was all about making sure that she had a good time.

“The...there we go…” He whispered. “Just hold still. I’ve got this, sweetheart.” As his confidence grew, he started to pick up the pace a little, fucking her just the tiniest bit harder as he watched her face. He paid close attention to her expression and the sounds she made, picking up on what was working and what wasn’t working. In time, he settled into a comfortable pace that left her with her mouth open, tongue hanging out. Daybreak squeaked with each thrust, her ears twitching as she struggled to regulate her breathing.

This is perfect...she’s really going for it, isn’t she?

Daybreak tensed up, digging her forehooves into his chest as she climaxed. “FU...fu….fuuuuck...you...you’re sure you haven’t done this before?”

“Do...do I look like the kind of...of stallion...who gets as lucky as this...all the time?” Stronghooves grinned, avoiding the question. “I think...yo...you just bring out...the best in me…”

Daybreak rolled her eyes, laying down on top of him and running one forehoof over his chest and jacking him off with the other. “You’re the cheesiest stallion ever...but you’re pretty sweet and gentle too. I think I can get used to hanging out with you.”

“We...well...I’m al...always up for…for it…” Stronghooves closed his eyes as she rubbed his stallionhood expertly. She’d clearly been starved of sex for ages. All guards were. “Argh...jeez...if you carry on like this...you’re gonna make me…make me…”

“Make you what, Captain?” Daybreak grinned, gazing down at him with half-lidded eyes.

“Make me...eep…” He wrapped his hooves around the back of her neck, pulling her down on top of him and kissing her fiercely as she finally pushed him over the edge. He let out a very loud moan indeed, muffled enough by Daybreak that nopony else in the facility ought to be able to hear them. For a few wonderful seconds, Stronghooves experienced the most incredible tension, before finally collapsing back onto the bed, breaking the kiss and panting.

“How was that?” Daybreak kissed him on the cheek, running a hoof through his mane to brush it out of his eyes. His horn was still glowing bright blue, and there was a massive scorch mark on the ceiling.

“I...it was...gre…grea…Ithinkwemadeamess…” Stronghooves giggled, dazed.

“I think we did.” Daybreak kissed him on the forehead, grinning.

“Are you...are you gonna let me out now?” He chuckled weakly, looking up into her eyes.

“Well, you have been a very polite little gentlecolt. I think I could see my way to accidentally leaving the key.” Daybreak winked. “One condition, though.”

“Wh...what’s that?”

“You’ve got to take me with you.” She said stoically.

Stronghooves didn’t even need to hesitate. “Done...but I’m going to need my powers back if we’re going to break out of here and save my sister. I’ll need my equipment too.”

“You’ve got it.” Daybreak beamed, leaning down and kissing him again. “You’ve got a wonderful heart, Stronghooves...and you make one hell of a first impression.”

“So I’m told.” He chuckled, trying to clean himself off as the mare hopped off of the bed. “How soon can we leave?”

“As soon as we can get those crystals requisitioned again.” Daybreak frowned. “Maybe if I tell them that my powers are kind of destabilised, they’d let me into the lab to get another blast. That’s when we can slip you in.”

“That sounds perfect.” He beamed, rolling off of the bed and giving her a big hug. “Daybreak, I can’t possibly thank you enough for this.”

“Hey, I know what it’s like to be a family pony.” Daybreak hugged him back, blushing again. “Your sister’s a lucky mare to have somepony like you watching over her.”

“Yeah, she is.” He nodded, closing his eyes and exhaling quietly.

And soon, she’ll see it too.

You've Got Mail

“YOU!”

“Me!” Sky called back automatically, wheeling around on the spot to see who was addressing her. When she spotted her surprise visitor, however, she gave a frightened yelp and started to back up.

Shadow was cantering towards her with the world’s angriest glare, with Fox was nowhere in sight. She must have shaken him off somehow. That filly was good.

“Er...hey, Shadow!” Sky beamed innocently. “How’re you enjoying the park?”

“Oh, great! Just great!” Shadow chuckled, smiling brightly all of a sudden. “I’m actually having a great time! I’ve even tried out a couple of the rides!”

Oh shit, she’s smiling. She must be really pissed… Sky thought to herself as she took an involuntary step backwards. She kept that smile bolted to her face for all it was worth, trying to look for all the world like a pony who had been doing nothing but loving, caring, good sisterly things today.

“Well that sounds fantastic, sweetie!” Sky giggled, inadvertently putting a snack cart between herself and Shadow. “What rides did you go on?”

“Well, I actually let Fox choose one for us both to go on! I mean, you suggested that I be nice to him, so I thought ‘hey, let’s let him choose a ride to get dumped on! I bet he’ll appreciate that!’ Do you know which one he chose, dear sister? Do you wanna take a guess?”

“Oooh! Is it the Sonic Rainboom? I bet it was!” Sky nodded with a friendly little squee. “If you two haven’t gone on that one yet, you totally should!”

“No, sis. No, it wasn’t the Sonic Rainboom! I’d have liked the Sonic Rainboom!” Shadow giggled a little too loudly, hopping onto the cart with one flap of her wings and glaring down at her big sister. She was almost in hysterics by now. “It was the Tunnel of Love, dear sweet Sky! It was the Tunnel...of...fucking...Love...and...it...was...horrible.” She was still smiling, but talking through gritted teeth.

“Oh, yeah! I forgot that they had one of those here!” Sky clapped her hoof to her forehead as she kept backing away. “So, how did it go?”

“He. Cuddled. Me.”

“Ya...yay?” Sky hunkered down, still smiling innocently. She knew right away that that was the wrong thing to say to an irate filly. She was going to regret that one for certain.

“No, sis. There is nothing “yay” about it.” Shadow hopped down from the cart, continuing the very slow pursuit with a rather predatory prowl. “In fact, this is the exact opposite of something yay-worthy.”

“Ne...neigh?” Sky cocked her head. As she backed up a little further, her back legs struck a bench, causing the little white mare to flop back onto it in a sitting position. She sat there like a very silly horse indeed, staring blankly at the irate teenager.

“Oh, sis...you almost had me.” Shadow shook her head, hopping up next to Sky and staring at her with wild eyes. “You almost had me completely fooled and tied up in your little web of lies!”

“I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about!” Sky shrugged, still playing the innocent card for all she’s worth. ”I said that you had to be nice to him for a while and then dump him! What the hell did you end up doing?”

“I pushed him off of the boat.” Shadow deadpanned. “That totally counts as dumping him!”

“Yeah, right.” Sky bit her lip, trying not to grin too knowingly. Shadow still had that big orange flower in her mane. Perhaps it hadn’t occurred to her to take it out. “And where is he now?”

“Probably still in the water.” The filly frowned. It was clear that she had no idea, nor was it really her concern right now. “I flew off as soon as he went splash.”

“Damn it, Shadow. That’s not how you’re supposed to be nice to ponies.” Sky giggled. “Are you gonna fish him out?”

“Eh.” Shadow shrugged noncommittally, laying down by Sky’s side. She lay there in contemplative silence for a time, and Sky eventually worked up the courage to rub her behind her ears. Shadow didn’t resist, even leaning into her a little and making soft whimpering sounds.

“Um...are you okay?” Sky asked, cocking her head.

“No, I’m not…” Shadow shook her head. “I’ve been stuck with some dumb-shit colt who won’t take no for an answer, and he keeps being so nice to me, and he gets me flowers and wants cuddles and…and...I’m supposed to believe that he just wants to be friends?”

“Well, you guys are at that kind of age…” Sky said carefully, avoiding Shadow’s gaze.

“Now hang on a second!”

“What? I’m just saying, what with the kissing and the cuddling and stuff, he might be infatuated with you just a teensy bit!”

“Wow, sis! I wasn’t picking those signals up from him at all!” Shadow said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. “Did you work that one out all by yourself?”

“Well, I guess now you’ve gotta deal with the million-bit question: What are you gonna do about it?” Sky pulled away a little, crossing her forelegs and putting her good wing over her sister.

“I...don’t...exactly...I haven’t worked that one out, yet.” Shadow frowned, brow furrowed in concentration. “I...he’s…”

“Wow, he’s gotten you more flustered than I thought.” Sky snickered.

“Fuck you! I don’t get flustered!” Shadow snarled. “I’m just...I’ve never had a colt like me before, and I wanna dump his ass before he gets any big ideas, okay?”

“Really? See, it seems to me that you wanted to let him down pretty gently earlier, but you didn’t have the stones to do it.” Sky couldn’t resist anymore, smirking at her. “That was the plan, right?”

“Yeah, but then I realised that you’d gone and led me into a trap.” Shadow growled reproachfully. “What the hell, sis?”

“What? I wasn’t there to watch any of it! I was busy working out here! Anything you and Fox do on your own time hasn’t got anything to do with me.” Sky shrugged innocently. “I’m just trying to be helpful and get you out of a difficult place. Are you sure you don’t like him back?”

“I’m...erm…of course I…” Shadow began, but something seemed to catch in her throat, almost as if she was having trouble letting the words out. She wasn’t exactly an expert on feelings, especially where ponies she’d just met were concerned.

“Oh Luna, you do like him!” Sky laughed, looping a foreleg around Shadow’s shoulders and pulling the protesting filly into a tight hug.

“No! Stop! Fuck off! Don’t...stop it, sis! HELP! HELP! I’M BEING FOALNAPPED! MAD MARE! MAD MARE!” Shadow bellowed, beating her huge wings to try and break free of her big sister’s grip. It wasn’t that she minded hugs, of course. She just didn’t want anypony, especially certain colts, seeing her and thinking that they could get a hug whenever they wanted.

“Oh, shut up.” Sky said quietly, rubbing her cheek against Shadow’s. Her wing wrapped around the young filly and pulled her closer, interlocking with her little sister’s feathers and trapping her there. “Come on, there’s no shame in admitting that you like him!”

“I’ve known him for, like, a day! He doesn’t know anything about me besides that I’m a filly! He doesn’t even know my last name!”

“Neither do you.”

“That’s not the point!” Shadow pouted, muzzle pressed up against Sky’s. “I don’t want to…I can’t…”

“You don’t know how to handle it.”

“I...ye...yeah…” Shadow trailed off, slumping.

“So what you’re saying is that you wanna change the plan? You actually wanna get together with this guy?” Sky smiled warmly, nuzzling her.

“I didn’t say that, okay? I wanna...be his friend. I wanna get to know him, work out how much of an asshole he is, and then get as much distance between him and me as I can before he knows what hit him.” Shadow crossed her forelegs sulkily. “So...so you know what I’m gonna do?”

“Thrill me.”

“I’m gonna play your game.” Shadow said stoically. “I’m gonna be nice to him, and show him a nice time, and then I’ll...I’ll…” She let out a soft sigh. “I’m confused, sis.”

“I don’t blame you.” Sky shrugged. “Hey, you remember when I was fifteen, how weird I got around colts?”

“Yeah…” Shadow snickered quietly. “You did all kinds of crazy shit…”

“Exactly. I was confused because I was at an age where it was easy for me to get fucked up over how I felt, right?”

“Yeah, but there’s a difference between being confused about who you wanna go out with and inviting axe-murderers over to your house.” Shadow deadpanned.

“That was one time! When are you gonna let it go?”

“Never. I’m never gonna let that go. That’s the stupidest shit you’ve ever done.” Shadow stuck her tongue out, giggling.

Sky pouted, running her hooves through her mane as she put Shadow back down on the bench. “But you see my point, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. Teenagers get weird around colts. I hear you.” Shadow waved a hoof dismissively. “Here’s the thing, though. I’m not that kind of filly. I don’t fall for ponies. It’s not who I am. You know that.”

“Yeah, I know that.” Sky smiled. “You’re a badass and proud of it, right?”

“Right!” Shadow nodded. “I’m not having that taken away from me by anypony, no matter who the fuck they are.”

“Good...because I wouldn’t have you any other way.” Sky smiled.

“I know you wouldn’t. I dunno how the hell you’d take care of yourself if you didn’t have me here.” Shadow chuckled, before cocking her head a little. “And...er...thanks, I guess.”

“Thanks?”

“Yeah, I mean...I dunno what I’d do without you, too…” She muttered grudgingly.

Sky smiled. “Hey, it’s okay sweetie. I’ve always got your back, and I know you’ve got mine, too.” She leaned over, the two sisters exchanging a little nuzzle.

“Yeah...sisters forever, right?” Shadow smiled as she took her hoof.

“Damn right.” Sky nodded, hopping off of the bench. “Now, I’ve got what I came for. Let’s head back to Canterlot so we can work out how we’re gonna finish this shit.”

“That sounds great.” Shadow grinned.

As the two of them trotted away, neither pony saw the little unicorn colt who’d been hiding behind the bench, wringing out his wet tail as he processed what he’d just heard. As he considered everything that Shadow had said, his confused little frown turned to a great big smile.

Finally, he let out a tiny little squee, trotting off to find his brother.

* * *

“Got everything?” Shadow asked.

“Let’s see. Bags, check. Letter, check. Darts, check.” Sky glanced over her shoulder at Rat and Fox. “Souvenirs...double check. I think we’re good to go, sis.”

“Thank Luna.” Shadow sighed, looking around at the crowded platform. She’d already been forced to jump out of the way of one or two busy commuters who wouldn’t even acknowledge her. Manehattan was crowded as hell, but at least the Operatives didn’t seem to be present. Whatever else they were, they certainly weren’t subtle.

As the train pulled into the underground station, the two sisters exchanged a relieved sigh. As much as they liked a little cardio now and then, they weren’t in any mood to start running from irate super-soldiers again. Not right now, anyway.

The car disgorged a horde of ponies from the Equestrian capital city, intermingling with the whirling scrum already taking place on the busy platform. The whole place reeked of stress and fear, and only when Sky and Shadow finally hopped into the carriage themselves did their breathing settle again.

“So what did the courier have, anyway?” Shadow cocked her head as Sky settled down in an unoccupied compartment with her.

“Let’s have a look-see.” Sky muttered, pulling the letter out and setting it down on the counter in the middle of the compartment as Rat and Fox trotted in. The elder unicorn sat down next to Sky and read over her shoulder, while Fox hopped up next to Shadow, shuffling a little closer to her.

Sky read out loud as Rat kicked the door closed.

“Silver, I’ll be returning to the city in just under a week. I’ll be carrying the last of the materials I need with me, and we’ll begin the transformation. Thereafter, you, myself and your new wife will relocate to the testing centre outside of Canterlot for safety. I’ll hide instructions for the removal of the crystals in my wedding present to you. We’ll make the move a day after the ceremony itself. I haven’t forgotten that you two will be wanting a honeymoon!

Your loving father,

Rolling Thunder.”

Sky sat back, raising her eyebrows.

“Look at you with your pretty little reading voice!” Rat grinned, glancing down at the letter. “Guess that means we’re crashing a wedding.”

“Yeah, right.” Sky scoffed. “The day I go to a wedding is the day I dress up in a bright pink tutu and recite a poem all about Shadow.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that!” Shadow challenged, shuffling ever-so subtly away from Fox. The little unicorn shuffled ever-so subtly closer to her again.

“Something doesn’t make sense, though.” Sky frowned, looking over the letter as Shadow narrowed her eyes. “Thunder mentions safety. What the hell’s he scared of? It’s sure as hell not us. As far as he knows he’s got us on the run.”

“I dunno.” Rat scratched the back of his head. “My guess is that not every Operative is totally loyal to those two right now. I mean, that’d make sense, right?”

“I guess so.” Sky nodded. “By the looks of it, Thunder’s looking to go through whatever fucked-up transformation process is turning ponies into those things. Maybe he’s gonna try and even the odds against whoever’s giving him trouble.”

“Yeah, well I’m not exactly in the mood to get killed by some superpowered old-ass pony.” Shadow growled, now curled up in the corner and trying pointedly to ignore the unicorn sitting right next to her.

“Me neither.” Sky chuckled. “So this must be the wedding we read about when we were going through Silver’s stuff.”

“Wait, hang on.” Rat put his hooves together to signal a time-out. “You broke into Silver’s place?”

“Damn right we broke into Silver’s place! Let his dragon out, too.” Sky giggled. “If we can get into his house again, maybe we could intercept that wedding present, too…”

“I dunno, that could be a trap.” Rat shook his head. “It might be best if we…”

THUMP.

Both ponies started, looking up. Shadow was sitting there with her wings fully spread, with Fox laying out cold on the far side of the compartment. It appeared as though he’d been catapulted into the opposite wall by the young mare.

“Um...Shadow...what the fuck?” Sky asked simply.

“He touched my belly.” Shadow glared at the unconscious Fox. ”Nopony touches my belly.”

“I bet you he didn’t.”

“He totally did! Well, I mean, he was getting awfully close! He was thinking about it!”

“Sure he was.” Sky sighed. “Okay, how about we sort out what we’re doing when we get back to Canterlot. Rat, you can stay in my room with me, okay?”

“I was going to anyway, sweetheart. Just try and stop me!” Rat winked.

“Eww.” Shadow stuck her tongue out, cringing.

“And Fox…” Sky beamed at Shadow, “can stay with you!”

As Sky and Rat went back to sorting out their plans for the return to Canterlot, Shadow’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

“Wait…” She sputtered in protest. ”WHAT did you just say?”

Obligatory Tower Defence

Sky sighed, pulling her mane back into a ponytail before pulling her hood up over it. It was always nice to keep her hair out of her face. If Stronghooves was a factor in this little conflict now, she had enough to worry about without it trying to poke her eyes out.

“Hey, Sis…” Shadow said slowly, trotting into Sky’s bedroom, her hood lowered for the time being. “Can we talk?”

“Sure thing, kid.” Sky smiled softly, winding a ziptie around her mane to keep it in place. “What do you need?

“It’s about Rat.” Shadow muttered, sitting down next to her big sister and hanging her head. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t keep him out of your stuff. He just kinda...I dunno, gave me the slip…”

“That’s okay, sweetie.” Sky smiled back, tussling her mane. “Trust me, I’m not going to get mad at anypony over this. It just means we’ve gotta be careful, okay?”

“Careful...how, exactly?” Shadow frowned, cocking her head as she put one of her huge wings over Sky’s back.

“We can’t give him anything else about us. I think he knows about what happened to you, some stuff about my wing, shit like that.”

“That’s not too bad, I guess.” Shadow shrugged. “What about Stronghooves? Does he know about him yet?”

“I don’t think so.” Sky shook her head, putting on her burglar’s mask and glancing back at her damaged wing.

“You’re gonna have to tell him eventually, sis. If he’s calling the shots now, you know that means we’re gonna have to fight him sooner or later.”

“I know.” Sky said simply, flopping back onto her bed. “I just...don’t exactly wanna tell him that, yet.”

“Well yeah, I guess there’s no right way of saying “Hey Rat, by the way, my brother’s a fucking nutter,” but this is important. You know he’d tell you if he had a pony like Stronghooves gunning for him, right?”

Sky lay there in silence, running her hooves through her mane. She flashed Shadow a questioning look.

“I think he’s a good pony, Sky.” Shadow added, her voice softening. “Yeah, he looked through your diary and that was kinda shitty of him, but I think he’s got the right intentions. I don’t think he’s gonna hurt you.”

“Yeah, he seems nice and concerned and stuff…” Sky conceded. “But...Shadow, you know I haven’t had a buddy before. Not besides you, and you were a filly when we first met. I knew you didn’t have any bad intentions or whatever. You were way easier to trust.”

“I could still be an evil supervillain and nopony would know it.” Shadow winked. “Still…maybe it wouldn’t be so bad for you to trust an adult for a change. It’s not like he’s done anything with the info he’s gotten out of you, right?”

“You’re...right, I guess.” Sky admitted, nodding. “I dunno, I’ve just never done this before.”

“There’s a hell of a lot of stuff we’ve never done before, sis.” Shadow grinned, nudging her. “You and I have a lot of adventures left to go on, and sooner or later we’ve gotta try everything. Why not reach out to a stallion who cares about you?”

Sky fixed Shadow with a searching gaze, looking the filly up and down as she tried to work out her ulterior motive. Shadow smiled back, the biggest cheesiest grin in the world on her face.

“You’re just saying that because you wanna keep hanging out with Fox.” Sky giggled after a moment.

“N...no!” Shadow squeaked, waving her forehooves defensively. “I couldn’t give two shits about that little asshole! I just think it’d be nice to…”

“Shadow...I can tell when you’re lying.” Sky glared, grinning triumphantly. “There’s no shame in admitting it, you know.”

“No! I’m...not...okay, maybe a little…” Shadow muttered, glancing up at the door to make sure Fox wasn’t listening in. “But I’m not dropping this. You should totally hang out with Rat. I mean, even if you don’t trust him one hundred percent, you’ll never know whether you can if you keep pushing him away. Besides...you’re gonna need help.”

“Yeah...I guess Hoovesie finally got to be a big enough threat that I can’t take him alone.” Sky rolled her eyes, pulling her little sister into a hug. Strangely enough, for the first time in ages the filly didn’t resist, snuggling up to her and hugging her back.

“You’ve gotten softer.” Sky commented, running a hoof through Shadow’s mane. Sure enough, it seemed that the younger pegasus had spent a good few hours in the washing machine with a whole bottle of fabric softener.

“It’s to lure ponies into cuddles so I can strangle them.” Shadow huffed. “Don’t read into it, sis.”

“I’m totally gonna read into it.” Sky smiled. “You’re showing your loving side more and more every day. It suits you.”

“Yeah, well…” Shadow grumbled, crossing her hooves in Sky’s embrace. “Maybe I kinda like it...a little...I guess...but this is only because you need a hug after what happened today, you got me? Don’t expect me to start dressing up like a little pink princess.”

“Don’t worry.” Sky winked. “I’ll be sure to trick you into doing it. You’d look great in the little cone hat.”

“You look good in a dunce cap.” Shadow replied evenly, sticking her tongue out.

“That’s the Shadow I know.” Sky whispered, cuddling the filly as tightly as she could without hurting her. It was difficult as always to keep the dim feelings of unease and sadness out of her head as she held her little sister, but Sky defied them as best she could. Shadow had a way of making everything alright again.

“Are you ready to…?” Rat asked, trotting into the bedroom and freezing in place. An expression of deepest sadness flashed across his face for just a moment as his eyes fell on Sky and Shadow, before he finally shook his head and brought that smile back.

“Yeah, we’re ready to go.” Sky smiled, as the two sisters looked up at him. “Come on, the sooner we can get this formula adapted the sooner we can end this bloody nightmare.”

”If it works.” Rat added, shrugging.

“Yeah, if it works.” Sky nodded, clambering to her hooves and pulling her hood up. “Still, if it does then I guess we’ve got a much easier task ahead of us...if it doesn’t...I dunno, they’re still vulnerable to lust bombs, right?”

“Right.” Rat smiled, nudging her shoulder with a forehoof. “Well, I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

Sky gave him the briefest of hugs, kissing him on the cheek before pulling her face wrap over her muzzle.

“Yeah, the sooner this is over, the better.”

* * *

“Shield?” Stronghooves asked, stepping out onto the rooftop with the Inspector. “How’s everypony doing?”

“Everyone’s in position, Stronghooves.” Shield grinned back. “We had some of our batponies do fly-bys. Looks like Sky and Rat are in there.”

“Good. You and Daybreak move in first and try to secure them. I don’t want anypony killed on this operation. If we can’t snatch Sky now, we’ve got to let them both go, though...I do very much want to talk to Rat again.”

“You’ve got it.” Shield nodded, pulling his helmet on. “Daybreak and I walk into a collapsing building to try and apprehend two burglars. What can go wrong?”

“Nothing, actually.” Stronghooves chuckled. “You see, I already found that the enhancements we have on our bodies make us immune to falling masonry and explosives. You’ll both be totally safe.”

“Yeah, well you’ll excuse me if I take a stiff drink before we get this show on the road, all the same.” Shield grinned mirthlessly, taking a pull from his hip flask. “Just let me know when you want me to get this show on the road.”

“Now, if you’d be so kind.” Stronghooves smiled, sitting back and pulling his own helmet on.

The Inspector nodded, waving his hoof at the assembled archers and unicorns nearby. As one, the soldiers drew back their explosive-tipped arrows and charged their horns, their weapons trained on the little old tower.

“Let’s get started.”

* * *

Sky was the first to hear it, her ears perking at the quiet whistling of arrows flitting through the air. It took her brain a little longer than it should’ve done to process the sound, realise that something was wrong and tackle Rat to the floor. A moment later, an incredible buzzing roar filled the air as the unicorns outside added their demolition spells to the storm. For a horrible moment, the air filled with sound, Sky’s ears splaying back against the din. Finally, with only a moments’ silence as an interlude, before the entire building shook with a series of violent explosions. Stone walls were torn asunder, wattle and daub disintegrating into powder. Dust and chunks of stone rained down around them, the ceiling groaning as the walls threatened to collapse under its weight.

“WHAT THE FUCK’S GOING ON?” Rat roared over the sound of cracking stone.

“They must’ve tracked us here somehow!” Sky cried back, pulling her hood back up and shaking plaster dust off of her cloak. “Come on, we need to get out of here!”

“Fuck’s sake, Sky! I thought we were one step ahead of them this time!” Rat growled, pulling his own hood up and galloping down the stairs into the living room. Sky followed close behind, peeking out of the window into the dark streets beyond. The night lit up with flickering flames as the tower began to burn, its decades-old structure succumbing to the damage. Sky’s ears rang in the aftermath of the blasts, and she caught herself wincing at each new detonation from down below.

They’re knocking out the foundations...holy shit, they’re trying to kill us…

Another arrow struck the building, blasting a hole in the wall and one of the floors and sending Sky tumbling downstairs into the living room. Splinters from the wooden rafters rained down after her, slicing through her leather armour like so much rice paper and tearing into her skin. Sky let out a sharp cry of pain as splinters and shards of glass fell on her from the floor above.

“They’ve got the whole building surrounded!” Rat barked urgently, taking Sky’s forehoof and dragging her away from the falling wood. “I don’t suppose you’ve got some kind of clever-ass secret passage?”

“No luck!” Sky yelped back, pulling splinters out of her fur. She tried her best to think, her mind racing as she tried to think of a conceivable way out. Her eyes drifted upwards, back at the demolished upper floor and the slightly makeshift wooden ramp leading upstairs.

“I might have an idea, though…” She muttered. “Come on, let’s try the roof!”

“The roof?” Rat blustered. “Sky, they’re gonna have pegasi all over the roof! What the fuck are you on?”

“Well, they’ve got weapons trained on the front door!” Sky cried, galloping up the stairs and spreading her wings to lessen the strain on the damaged floor. “Besides, I thought you liked pegasi!”

“I like one or two, but I’m not sure about this one crippled one I met a week back!” Rat groaned, following the mare up towards the roof hatch. His horn lit up, lowering his weight until he was light enough to walk on the weak floorboards without crashing through them. More arrows and spells struck the building, crippling the very foundations and threatening to bring everything down atop the ponies’ heads. Sky leapt up the last flight of stairs, struggling with the roof hatch before finally shunting it open and pulling Rat out onto the roof.

“Well, fuck.” She muttered.

Beneath them, the entire tower was ablaze, towers of coiling smoke rising up from holes in the wall as the base of the building immolated.

“Er...well...we can...get you a new one…?” Rat ventured hopefully.

“Whatever. Let’s just...get the fuck out of here.” Sky sighed, spreading her wings and galloping towards the edge of the building. As the two ponies got up to full speed, the tower began to topple over, the lower floors disintegrating under the weight of the building. Stone, tortured wooden beams and cracked plaster crunched as the tower keeled over sideways.

“JUMP FOR IT!” Sky yelled over the crackling, leaping with all of her might as the tower came crashing down. She tried to beat her wings, only to find her damaged limb completely unresponsive. What came of it was a slightly off-balance flap that sent her tumbling down onto the roof tiles of a nearby house. Rat slammed into her as he tried to make the jump too, knocking the two of them clean over the edge of the roof and down into the street below.

Sky groaned, picking herself up and breaking into a gallop again, her aching hooves thudding into the cobblestones as she sought to put as much distance between herself and those guards as possible. She cast only a brief glance back over her shoulder to make sure that Rat was keeping up, trying to defy the pang of regret she felt as the burning wreckage of her home caught her eyes.

“It’s okay, Sky…” Rat whispered, galloping alongside her as spells and arrows whizzed overhead. “You and I’ll get you free, then we can set you up with a nice new place. Trust me, you’ll love it.”

“Ye...yeah…” Sky muttered back, flapping her good wing to gain just a little more acceleration. “How the fuck did they track us, Rat?”

“No idea!” Rat shook his head as they rounded a corner. “I don’t know about you, but I made sure I wasn’t followed back! I was careful!”

“Me too! All three of us were!” Sky replied evenly. “What the fuck happ…”

“STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM!”

Sky and Rat skidded to a halt, kicking up brick dust as they stared down the street. A pair of ponies blocked their path, one of them the rather overenthusiastic mare from a few days ago. The other was a stallion that Sky recognised as her interrogator from when this whole mess had started. He looked tired and exasperated beyond belief.

“Daybreak, do you have to keep doing that?” He sighed.

“Awww, come on Shield! Don’t tell me you’ve never wanted to say it, just a little?” Daybreak replied, flashing him a great big goofy grin.

“...No.” Shield said blankly, looking back at the mare as if she were something downright alien. Daybreak didn’t lose her sunny disposition, turning back to the two burglars.

“Now then, why don’t you two come with us and we can get you a brand new place to live?” She carried on, pulling out a pair of hoofcuffs and giggling unapologetically. Sky couldn’t help but grin as well, being as she was on very much the same wavelength.

“Yeah guys, there’s no point in running. Just come quietly and make it easier on all of us.” Shield added, nodding and levitating his own pair of hoofcuffs out in front of him. “Come on, we’re not gonna hurt you.”

“Well...I guess we could...” Sky conceded, tapping a hoof to her chin. “But you’ve forgotten one little thing…”

“What’s that, then?” Daybreak asked, cocking her head.

“I never cum quietly.” Sky grinned, pulling a glass orb out from under her cloak and hurling it at the two super-soldiers. It detonated between them, shrouding both Shield and Daybreak in thick black smoke.

“Run for it!” Sky barked, galloping off down a side street.

“Where the hell are we going?” Rat asked, doing his best to keep pace with the galloping mare.

“I don’t care! Anywhere that’s not here!” Sky squealed, charging at full speed down the labyrinthine streets and alleyways. She had only a vague idea about where she was going, the only place where she and Rat would have a better chance of survival than Daybreak and Shield.

Sky skidded to a halt as she heard running water, grabbing Rat by his cloak to bring him to a stop as well.

“Hey, hear that?” She grinned, ears perking.

“Ye...yeah...Sky...where the hell are we?” Rat asked.

“Never mind that right now.” Sky shook her head, grinning just a tiny bit wider. “How would you like to do something absolutely retarded?”

Rat opened his mouth and closed it again, speechless. That grin of Sky’s made him pretty uncomfortable.

“Do...do we have a choice?” He asked, mindful of the loudening clanking sound of approaching guards.

“I don’t think so.” Sky shook her head, pulling him out of an alley and onto a raised platform, overlooking a series of canals.

“Oh, I see. We lose them in the canals. That’s pretty clever.” Rat smiled, a little relieved. “So...where do they lead?”

“Well...you know those big waterfalls that run off the side of the city?” Sky asked innocently.

“Ye...yeah...wait...no...nonono…” Rat began, but Sky had already shunted him into the water, hopping in after him with a little splash.

“Come on, we can at least survive the drop!” She called out as her head breached the surface again. “Nopony’s gonna chase us down there!”

“What about the Operative Project, Sky? What about the Poison Joke?” Rat called back, the rushing water growing louder by the moment.

“We’ll just have to think of a Plan C!” Sky yelled, finally disappearing off the edge of the city as the canal opened up into a monstrous waterfall.

Rat closed his eyes as he approached the edge, fighting the urge to try and swim away. The current was far too strong anyway, and it was really no use.

Besides… Thought he, I’ve gotta make sure that that crazy fucking mare doesn’t get herself hurt down there.

So preoccupied was he by the inevitability of the drop that he didn’t see Stronghooves step out from behind a building, charging his horn. The Captain lowered his head, a beam of bright orange light arcing between his horn and Rat’s head for a brief moment. Rat collapsed into unconsciousness as he, too, tumbled over the edge and out into the abyss beyond.