“What?!” Valor asked, taken aback. Panic washed over him. “Listen, Pinkie you can’t tell them anything!”

The pink mare sobbed uncontrollably, rubbing her forehooves against her tear-stained eyes. “B-b-but-”

“Pinkie, no buts.” Valor grasped her by her shoulders and pulled her face close to his. She stared into his brown eyes, fearful of his sudden aggression. “I know this looks bad, but we need you. You and your friends could be the only ponies able to stop whatever the hell is going on out there.” The policepony broke his grip on the mare and motioned his forelegs, encompassing the entirety of the infected Equestria.

Pinkie Pie shook her head and tried to stifle her crying, worrying that it would make her sound weak. “Valor, I can’t d-do this! I hurt so many ponies already. I-I can’t do that to my friends!” Her attempts to sound stronger failed, making her voice even more feeble and desperate.

“Pinkie, that wasn’t you who hurt them! We both know you would never have done such a thing if you were… well, you.” Valor said encouragingly, desperation tingeing his voice.

Pinkie Pie looked at him, a frown adorning her face and her straight pink mane disheveled from her restless night. Deep inside she knew that coming to the library had been a huge mistake. She sighed and chose not to argue with Officer Valor and instead sat in the silent night, staring at a stray moonbeam that shone through the foyer window and onto a large pile of discarded books. Specks of dust danced in the air freely, luring her blue eyes by their eerie, almost predestined movements.

“I don’t think you realize how much shit we’d be in if you told everypony.” Valor added calmly, trying to break the silence. “They could stop trusting you. Or, or worse! Pinkie, we need to keep what happened a secret. Just a little while longer.”

He smiled at Pinkie Pie softly, putting a comforting hoof under her chin. “Trust me. I wouldn’t make you do this if it weren’t for the best.” The mare smiled back at him falsely.

“Alright Pinkie Pie, let’s get back to sleep. We’ve had a long day.”

Officer Valor stared warily at the pony standing before him. The pony, its sunken eyes unblinking, stared back. Valor was unsure of how to respond. He knew that being in a coma for so long in addition to the events from the past few days would change his appearance, but he no longer even remotely recognized himself.

“Shit…” His voice trailed off as he brought a hoof to his face. Valor’s eyes followed his hoof in the mirror as he brought it through his disheveled mane. He checked over his face, his eyes stopping at unfamiliar scars and scrapes. Valor’s once sleek brown coat was now dull and matted with dried blood; his youthful luster seemed to be long gone.

“You’re not looking too good, old man.” He said aloud to himself, desperately attempting to crack a smile. He glanced at the mirror and watched his grin fall flat, instead appearing as a scowl. He sighed and dropped his head.

Valor opened the bathroom door and stepped into the library’s foyer. Dark Lightning and Rainbow Dash sat together on a sofa reminiscing about their respective years in Cloudsdale Flight School, their voices echoing in the otherwise silent library. The policepony smiled lightly at the duo and joined them, enjoying a moment of relaxation.

Upstairs Valor could hear Twilight speaking softly to herself as she changed Rarity’s bandages, the white unicorn groaning occasionally in pain. The sound seemed to mimic the all too familiar moans of the Trotters that were gathered outside the library, bumping against the walls in an attempt to gain entrance.

“You know,” Rainbow dash burst out, breaking Valor’s concentration. “You know, way back in Flight School I did a Sonic Rainboom.” The cyan pegasus beamed triumphantly at Dark. Her overzealous pride seemed to wash over the stallions.

“Rainboom, huh?” Dark replied, smirking back at her. “What is that, with rainbows and stuff? What are you, five? Rainbows are for kids!”

Rainbow Dash stared at Dark, her mouth agape in shock from his rebuttal.

Dark ignored her reaction and glanced at Valor, giving him the same smile. The policepony picked up the hint. “I think Dark’s right. You’d think a flier of your… ability… would be able to do something better by now instead of going on about what she did as a filly.”

“B-wha-I…” Rainbow Dash sputtered, surprised by the ridicule she was facing.

“What is everypony talking about down here?” Twilight asked from the top of the staircase, dirty sheets from Rarity’s bed floating in a ball before her. Rainbow Dash turned her head and gave her a pleading look.

“She was just telling us about her Sonic Rainbooms.” Dark said, winking at Twilight over the cyan pegasus’ head.

“Yeah,” Valor added. “We get that it’s a cool trick and all, it’s just that it isn't anything that special after all those years of the same thing.”

“Twilight, help me out here!” Rainbow begged her friend, reaching her forelegs out to her. The unicorn shook her head, smiling and joined the trio on the couches. “Tell them about how awesome my tricks are!”

Twilight Sparkle brought a hoof to her chin as if deep in thought. “You know,” she began, breaking the silence. “I've I know I've heard you talking about the ‘Buccaneer Blaze’ and some other tricks, but I've yet to see you perform any of them.”

Rainbow Dash reeled back, surprised by the stab in the back from her friend.

“Now don’t overreact, Rainbow.” Twilight said reassuringly, placing a gentle hoof on the prismatic maned pegasus’ shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with being a one trick pony.”

Silence filled the foyer as Rainbow Dash recoiled, her mouth agape. Her friends exchanged looks and burst out laughing, Dark falling to the floor and clutching at his sides. “Oh-oh Celestia!” he cried between gasps for air. “M-my sides! Bahahaha!”

“I-I can’t believe you fell for that!” Twilight said, trying to throw her arms around Rainbow Dash for a hug.

The pegasus swatted Twilight’s hooves away and pouted, furrowing her brow. She crossed her forelegs and watched the trio laugh wildly. “You guys are assholes.”

“Oh-oh c’mon, Rainbow.” Valor began, catching his breath. He brushed his unkempt mane out of his face and slid back onto his seat. “We’re just kidding.”

“Yeah, you’re the most talented flier in all of Equestria! Remember how you won the Best Young Flier Competition?” Twilight added, joining Valor on the sofa. “You saved the Wonderbolts and Rarity!”

Rainbow Dash tried to hold back a prideful grin but failed. “Yeah, well… I guess I am pretty awesome.”

The black pegasus by her hind legs grunted at her, slowing rising to his hooves.

Rainbow Dash smirked. “You got something you wanna say, Rookie?”

“Me? A rookie?” Dark laughed as he plopped next to the Rainbow Dash, a small cloud of dust ejected from the couch. “No offense, but I could fly circles around you.” He folded his forelegs matter-of-factly.

“Is that a challenge?” Rainbow Dash retorted, puffing her chest out.

“What? No.”

“I knew it. You’re too scared to race me.” Rainbow Dash spread her wings to their full length and beamed. Twilight rolled her eyes at the overzealous pegasus.

“Scared? Not at all. Frankly, selfishly, I just don’t want to deal with you crying after I put you in your place.”

“What did you just say?” Rainbow Dash growled, furrowing her brow. Dark Lightning smiled mischievously back at her.

“What, what didn’t you understand? The part about me kicking your flank, or the part about you crying when I beat you? Though I guess they’re pretty much the same thing…”

Twilight Sparkle turned to the policepony sitting by her side. “Should we stop them?” she whispered into his ear, watching Rainbow Dash glare at the black pegasus.

Valor smiled in response. “Are you kidding? And miss all this?! You’d have to be craz-”

“Uh, excuse me, guys?” Pinkie Pie peeped, standing before the group. Valor turned to find her long, pink mane covering part of her face and dangling all the way to the floor. Her countenance and confidence from days prior seemed nonexistent. “Can I talk to all of you?”

“Of course, Pinkie! What’s on your mind?” Twilight asked, smiling at the party pony.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Rainbow added, turning away from Dark Lightning, her expression instantly lightening.

Valor frowned as he recalled what happened the night before. Pinkie Pie crying on his shoulder as she recounted her vivid nightmare in which she willingly killed everypony in the library, friends and all. There was no way that anypony would react well to her confession. It was up to him to keep this precarious peace. At least for now.

“Pinkie,” he began calmly. “Don’t you think maybe this could, you know, wait a bit? Until maybe we talked?”

“What?” Twilight gave Valor a confused look and turned back to Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, what do you have to tell us?”

Pinkie’s frown deepened. “Well, you guys-”

“Pinkie…” Valor warned, giving her a cross look. “I really think this should wait a bit. Don’t you remember what we talked about yesterday?”

“What is so important that you don’t want any of us to know?” Twilight said crossly as she stared at the stallion sitting beside her.

“Nothing.” Valor replied, a calm expression on his face. “If it was anything really important I would have told everypony already.”

“Then why not let Pinkie tell everypony what she has to say?” Twilight probed, her expression growing increasingly irritated.

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash added, not wanting to be left out from defending her friend. She turned her gaze to Dark Lightning and nudged him. The black pegasus sighed.

“Yeah, Valor. Let her talk.”

Officer Valor felt sweat forming on his brow as he racked his brain for something, anything, to use as an excuse to silence the pink mare. He knew that if her secret slipped, their precarious alliance could unravel almost instantly and the only possible way of saving Equestria would be lost.

“Well guys, what I gotta tell you is kinda bad…” Pinkie began, her voice shaky and nervous.

Fuck! Think! Officer Valor grabbed at anything but instead found himself sitting, waiting for Pinkie Pie to confess her misdeeds. He had nothing.

“Before Officer Valor found me in Sugarcube Corner, you know I was all alone.” She began, unsure where to continue. Everypony calmly waited for her to talk, smiles adorning the mares’ faces. Valor watched, helpless. “I did some things I wish I didn’t. I hurt so many…” Her voice trailed off.

Everypony exchanged awkward glances as the watched Pinkie Pie’s ears perk and twitch, as if honing in on some distant sound. “Pinkie, what’s wr-”

“Shh!” The pink mare hissed at her friend. “Does anypony else hear that?”

The group ceased all movement and strained their ears, listening intently. Valor watched Pinkie’s ears continue twitching, her face surprisingly stern. Suddenly Valor’s ears perked up as a faint noise caught his attention.

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash said aloud, jumping to her hooves. “Sounds like it’s coming from outside!”

Everypony darted to the front of the library save for Pinkie Pie and Valor. The policepony flashed Pinkie Pie a furious glance and slowly trotted to join the others by the front door. They stood still, waiting to hear the mysterious noise again; however their efforts were foiled by the sounds of Trotters groaning directly outside.

“Ah, shit.” Dark Lightning said after a minute of hearing nothing but the Trotters moans. “I can’t hear anything over `em .”

“Yeah, me neither.” Rainbow Dash agreed, stretching her wings. She turned back toward the couch. “Guess it was nothing.”

Twilight shook her head. “I’m not so sure, you guys. It had to be something if we all heard it.” She pressed her ear closer to the door.

“I don’t know, Twilight.” Valor began, lifting his head from the door. “I don’t hear an-”

“Sunny?! Baby, where are you!”

Everypony in the library froze, exchanging nervous glances. Outside, they could hear a mare galloping through the streets, breathing heavily. Shortly after, they heard the Trotters shamble away from the door, groaning excitedly.

“Honey, it’s mommy! Please come out!” the mare called again into the lifeless streets of Ponyville. Valor listened as she tore through the roads, out of breath and yet, still pressing on. Images of the fire from months prior flooded his mind. Images of the filly inside screaming for her life. Images of the explosion that nearly killed him. The one that he wished did.

“We need to help her…” he said flatly to himself, his mind fading back to his dark reality.

“What?” Twilight asked, standing beside him. On her face was a look of concern.

“We… Well, we need to help her out.” He repeated firmly. Valor turned and trotted toward the corner his hatchet lay in. He scooped it up slowly, weighing his decision. The stallion sighed slowly and returned to the door, reaching out toward the doorknob.

“Are you trying to get us killed?” Dark Lightning asked from his sedentary position on the couch. Everypony stopped and turned to face the black pegasus. His face seemed cool and collected, almost as if he felt at home in this situation.

“What do you mean?” Valor asked, placing the hatchet on the ground by his hooves. He took a step away from the door.

“Do you seriously believe there’s a mare running around outside with this shit going on?” Dark asked. He floated from the couch and dropped silently onto the hardwood floor. “Short answer? Not a chance. It’s gotta be a trap.”

Valor stared at Dark Lightning, confusion and annoyance on his face. “What? Ar-are you serious?”

Dark Lightning glared back, his eyebrows furrowed.

“What would somepony gain from this?! Running through a street full of fucking Trotters by themselves? It’s suicide!” Valor continued, stepping toward the pegasus. He waited for a response, but the room was entirely silent, save for the panting of the mare running outside, occasionally shouting for her child.

The policepony snorted and turned back to the door, only to be interrupted by Dark Lightning laughing lowly. “It’s so sweet that you care.” Dark mocked as Valor turned around once more. “But,” he continued, “your… ‘heroics’ aren’t going to help anypony this time. Maybe you haven’t noticed, but times have changed. Ponies want to survive.” Dark Lightning moved closer to Officer Valor slowly, keeping eye contact with him. “They’ll do anything to keep on top.”

Officer Valor clenched his teeth and fought back the urge to strike the pegasus. He knew the mare outside needed help. He knew she wasn’t faking. He knew there was no trap. He could feel it. The ponies just needed to trust his intuition.

And they need to understand I’m not responsible if there’s a body count. I’m just doing my job.

“Cloudsdale.”

Officer Valor’s attention snapped back to the pegasus. The silence in the library seemed to grow deeper, stronger. Twilight and her friends simply watched the stallions, entirely helpless.

“You were there, Valor. You saw firsthand what ponies are capable of once they’re scared. They killed my friends. My fucking family. They willingly killed thousands of innocent pegasi. All because they were afraid of something that might happen. To save their own asses.”

The pegasus was clearly getting angrier, his voice low and gruff, and his eyes staring directly at the Officer Valor. “I’m not going to let you put any of us in danger like that.”

“H-he’s right, Valor.” Rainbow Dash added, stepping forward. “I mean, just think about it.”

Valor turned to the cyan pegasus. “You know I’m right, Rainbow Dash. If you doubt my ability as a leader, then just tell me.” He answered flatly. Rainbow Dash stepped back, surprised by his reaction, and fell silent.

Valor returned his attention to Dark Lightning, closing the gap between them. The two stallions stood in the center of the room, Twilight and her friends watching on. Outside they could hear the echoing sound of the mare’s hooves against the paved ground and her cries for help.

“Does that sound fake to you?” Valor pointed toward the direction of the mare. “I’m asking you to trust me on this. I know what you’re thinking, but she needs help. We can’t sit around here thinking everypony is out to kill us!” His voice was sincere, almost as if begging Dark Lightning to agree with him.

Dark grunted. “Is that what you told yourself before asking me to join you? Just let anypony you see help you out? Do you have any fucking common sense at all? You don’t know who I am. I could just as easily kill everypony here right now.” He glanced furiously at the mares in the room, all of which stepped back. “Is that what you want? You got fucking lucky with me. Next time you might not.”

Valor wasn’t sure how to respond. He felt the eyes of everypony on him, waiting for him to justify his rash decision.

“I had a gut feeling.” He defended. “I knew I could trust you, Dark. And I know this mare needs help. Just listen to me.”

“You go out there for even a minute and you’ll give us away!” Dark Lightning slammed a hoof on the floor furiously.

“You and I both know that I’m not just going to let her run around outside like that! One way or another we’re going out there to help.”

“I swear to Celestia, if you step one hoof outside, you’re not coming back in.” Dark Lightning pawed at the ground. “This pony isn’t someone special. We need to protect the Elements of Harmony, not kill them. We lose one of them and we’re all fucked.”

Valor felt something snap. He hunkered down as if preparing to charge the pegasus and waited. Dark Lightning smiled menacingly and unfurled his wings to their full extent. In an instant he was dashing at Valor full speed.

The policepony only had a second to react, quickly diving to his side as Dark Lightning whizzed by in a flash. Valor jumped to his hooves and turned in time to dive on top of the pegasus, bringing him down in a heap.

Dark grunted and smashed a hoof upside Valor’s head, knocking him onto the floor. The two scrambled back onto their hooves and eyed each other ferociously. Valor wiped away a small trickle of blood at his lip.

“I don’t want to do this.” He said finally, straightening his composure. “We need to work together.”

Dark crouched into position again. “Do what? You haven’t done shit to me.” At that, the pegasus dashed up into the air and back down at Valor. Officer Valor dropped to the floor and watched Dark Lightning fly overhead and land behind him and by Twilight. The mare quickly darted away from them, instead seeking refuge with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, who watched, dumbstruck.

Officer Valor lunged on top of Dark Lightning again, this time wrapping his forelegs around the pegasus’ neck. He quickly contorted Dark Lightning into a half-nelson and shoved him into a wall with a loud thud, the pegasus grunting at the sudden impact. Valor pulled him away and threw him onto the floor, looking down at him.

“Heh.” Dark said, coughing. “Not too bad. For a cop.” The pegasus stayed on the floor, facing away from everypony else. “Go ahead. Go ‘help’ her. I’m not going to stop you anymore.”

Officer Valor brushed a hoof through his mane unconsciously and glanced at the mares, fright on their faces. Clearly the display had done more harm than good. It seemed rather than protect their unstable alliance; he had succeeded only in screwing it up even more. He took a deep breath, unsure where to proceed.

“Just don’t get any of us killed.” Dark added, digging in the knife.

Suddenly a shriek from outside pierced the room. Valor turned from the downed pegasus and galloped toward the door. He stood by it and hesitated for a moment, Dark’s words echoing in his mind.

The mare outside screamed again.

Officer Valor sighed and shook his head, opening the door and dashing outside into the streets of Ponyville completely unarmed. He scanned his surroundings, eying the cloudy sky; the sun was nowhere to be seen.

How appropriate.

Silence filled the air, the only sound being an occasional gust of wind and the sound of Valor’s hooves against the pavement as he slowly walked from the safety of the library. Behind him, Twilight and Rainbow Dash stood in the doorway, keeping eye out for any Trotters so they could barricade the door.

Hopefully, Valor thought, with me inside.

He shook the thoughts from his head and listened closely. Not even the Trotters could be heard. It was as if Valor was the only thing on the streets of Ponyville, living or dead. He walked down the road, looking around at the dark-windowed buildings, dried blood splattered here and there like some macabre art piece.

Valor was confused. There wasn’t a single sign of the mare or Trotters in sight, and yet only minutes prior he heard screams. Fear crept over him slowly at the thought that maybe he was wrong.

That maybe he had wandered dead into somepony’s trap.

“No…” he said to himself quietly. He knew that it wasn’t a trap. There was no way anypony would willingly risk themselves. Besides, he and the group had nothing to give, nothing of value. There would be no reason to set a trap in the middle of a dead town…

Almost as if on cue a gust of wind blew into his face, temporarily blinding him with dust and dirt. The stallion stumbled backward and hit into a wall, falling clumsily onto the ground. “Dammit.” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes until tears began to form. He blinked them open and looked around.

His eyes were drawn to a bright orange piece of paper, one that seemed to contrast entirely with the black, brown and blood red town. He picked it up.

“The U.E.F….” Valor said aloud to nopony in particular, reading off the top of the sheet. The flyer showed an image of two hammers crossing each other to form an ‘X,’ a skull in the background. The image seemed to stick in his mind, for an unknown reason. Everything about the paper filled him with a feeling of dread that could not be explained. “Sounds so familiar…”

SCHWAFF!

The orange flyer shot from Valor’s hooves and embedded itself in the wall behind him. Next to Valor’s head was an arrow, splintered from repeated use and matted with dried blood.

“Fuck!” Valor dove to the ground, another arrow flying into the wall, exactly where his head had just been. The stallion scrambled to his hooves and galloped toward a nearby building. He jumped behind a small stone staircase that led up to the front door, listening to another arrow whizz by his head and implanting itself in the ground a few feet in front of him.

Valor ducked down as low as he could. For all he knew, he was trapped.

Officer Valor didn’t know how much time had passed. It could have been ten minutes; it could have been an hour.

He remained as still as he possibly could, making sure that not a single part of his body left from behind his stone cover. He knew already that a good sniper could wait for hours, even days before giving up on a target. And judging by the marksmanship, this wasn’t an amateur.

Not a single arrow had flown after the one that landed at his hooves.

This could mean two things, Valor thought to himself, wishing he could peek from behind his cover. Either another arrow is knocked and waiting for me…

The policepony searched his surroundings once more, hoping to find an alleyway or nearby building with an open door that he had overlooked. Or he put the bow down and is waiting for me to move…

Just then the sound of groans filled the air. The stallion’s ears perked as he stared down the road, only to find a small group of Trotters slowly shambling his way. The group was headed by a tattered stallion, his legs stripped to almost bare bone. It clumsily cantered up the road, its milky white eyes fixed upon Valor in a wanting gaze.

“Celestia dammit!” Valor mumbled, a sense of urgency in his voice. He turned and haphazardly jumped up from his hiding spot, only to dive back to the ground, remembering his situation. Fear washed over the stallion as he watched the Trotters come ever closer, almost as if they knew he was stuck.

And that no matter what he did, they’d still get their meal.

Before Valor could think he was scrambling up to his hooves once again, this time will full intent to make a run for it. The Trotters seemed to sense his urgency and picked up their speed, moaning as their battered bodies pressed on toward him. He vaulted over the steps and hit the ground galloping as fast as his body could take him. His eyes scanned the rooftops as he ran, jumping from building to building in hopes of a glimpse of the mysterious sniper’s perch.

Almost as if on cue, an arrow whizzed by, tearing his right ear and turning it into a bloody mess. Never before had he felt such a sensation of pain. Officer Valor dropped to the ground, screaming and grabbing at his head. His body flailed wildly on the ground, kicking up clouds of dirt that settled and mixed with the forming puddle of blood, congealing into a bizarre brown mixture. From down the road, he could hardly hear the Trotters groan excitedly at his fall.

Slowly, he brought himself back to his hooves and galloped to the side of the road, to try and buy himself some time. “Ahhh, shit.” He groaned, shaking his head, trying to fight back the dizzying sensation of his vision spinning before him. He glanced back and noticed the Trotters, their path clear, and their goal even more so.

Before him in the road was a small puddle of blood, an arrow sticking out of the ground. A weak smile crept on Valor’s face. With a little effort, he knew he could track the source of the arrow. Judging from the direction of the arrow, it wasn’t hard to determine that the sniper was at least on his side of the road, meaning that if he remained close to the buildings he would be relatively safe.

Keeping in mind the Trotters, Valor slowly made his way along the buildings, occasionally peeking out from the shadow for a hint of where the sniper could be holding up. Not far up the road he spotted a shadow of what appeared to be a chair with a small satchel sitting beside it. Next to it was the almost unmistakable silhouette of a pony.

He quickly glanced behind him, noticing that the Trotters were still in pursuit. For now they were far enough. Officer Valor trotted quickly to the front door, fumbling with the doorknob, only to find it was locked. He grunted and trotted back a small distance, crouching into a ready position. In a dash he sprinted at the door full force, letting his weight easily smash through the weak wood door.

Officer Valor landed in a heap and quickly jumped up to his hooves, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his head. He unconsciously brought a hoof to his ear, wincing at his own light touch. What remained of his ear was a raw mess, most of it torn away and now lying in the middle of a road in a bloody puddle.

The element of surprise… He found himself thinking as he turned toward a staircase. There was no way that the sniper would be ready for him and his bold charge. Valor darted up the steps clumsily, occasionally bumping into the railing and stopping at the top quickly to shake his vision clear once again. Losing too much blood at once. I gotta get this patched up.

He sighed lightly and turned around, bucking the door off of its hinges. The door flew across the roof, bouncing off the end and plummeting down to the ground below. Valor burst through the open doorway and instantly locked his sight on a the back of a dark blue earth pony standing near a quiver of arrows.

The sniper slowly turned around to face Valor. The policepony was dumbfounded. There only ten feet in front of him stood a mare. The blank look on her face said it all.

He was wrong.

“You… you…” Valor stammered, trying to think of something to say. His head was pounding. A feeling of ire and betrayal washed over him, as well as nausea from his blood loss. “What the fuck!?” Officer Valor slammed a hoof on the roof and started forward. The mare stood still silently, a small breeze blowing through her mane. “You were screaming! I-I thought you needed help! I-I-I don’t… You fucking shot me!”

The mare looked him over and closed her eyes, as if dismissing him. She slowly turned her head back to the street, uninterested.

Valor growled and hunkered down. He had to restrain her. Do something. He charged at the mare, slamming into her and bringing her down, a small cloud of dust rising from beneath them. Valor raised a hoof above his head to strike her, but suddenly stopped. The mare looked up at him, fury in her eyes but a grin on her face. In her hoof was an arrow, the point of which placed delicately at the base of his throat, only centimeters away from plunging into his windpipe and finishing him off entirely.

Valor slowly dropped his hoof down. He was beat. The mare reached her free foreleg out from underneath Valor, grabbing a small whiteboard. She lifted it up to his face, smiling.

Didn’t work out the way you wanted, huh?