Yay! Ice has fan art! Thanks to totallynotabrony for creating this!

The explosion of the M84 roared through the night, ear-piercingly loud even through Ice's forehooves which were covering her ears. Even with the building shielding her from the blast, the shock wave reverberating against her as if the Wonderbolts had just performed a sonic boom a few paces away from her. For a brief moment, the dark part of her mind tried to wrest control away from her and send her into a flashback of the explosion that had taken her wing. But she fought it off quickly and it returned to the shadowed corners. All she could feel now was the adrenaline pulsing through her veins. The thrill of the mission.

She took her forehooves away from her ears and leaped to her hooves. Terrified and confused shouting came from the front of the building. A moment later, two guards bolted from the building, running away in the direction of the copse. Ice waited, then sprang into action, kicking up sand as she darted around the side of the house to the front door. She turned around, kicking out with both hind legs and striking the door. The wood exploded into a shower of splinters as if it had been hit by an express train.

She raced into the building, relying on her wide peripheral vision to warn her of any threats approaching from the sides. She didn't like blindly charging into a target like this, but the clock was ticking. It would only be a matter of time before the two guards would likely be back with reinforcements. She found herself doing something she had never done in her entire life: Trusting a human. She had to trust that Duncan's recon on the place had been accurate and there was no one else inside the building except for the girl.

She found the stairs and quickly raced up them. They ended at an open hallway that branched off in a T. There were two doors to the left, and two to the right. There was no wall on the side facing the stairs. Only a railing to prevent people from falling to the floor below. That was both good and bad for her purposes. It meant she'd be able to see the floor below at all times and would be aware of any threats entering the building. But it also meant she was exposed to those threats when she was in the hallway.

Another eardrum shattering blast reverberated through the walls, shaking the light fixtures as Duncan tossed another stun grenade. A high-pitched scream from the left followed it. She swiveled her ears in that direction. The girl was in the last room.

She galloped down the hall, her hooves pounding on the wooden floor like thunder. She was making enough noise to wake the dead right now, but that wasn't important. No one except the girl would hear her. She reached the door and dug all four hooves in, stopping instantly.

“Away from the door!” she shouted in English. She had no idea whether the girl would understand it or not, but she hoped that even if she didn't, the girl's instinct would be to move as far away from the door as possible, knowing that someone potentially hostile was on the other side of it. She waited a few seconds to give the girl a chance to get clear, the old excitement of Bat Team Alpha filling her with an exhilaration she hadn't felt in twenty years. Then, she turned around and kicked out with both hind legs, slamming her hooves into the door. With a loud crack, the door split in a jagged line down the middle, both ends collapsing inward and rattling to the floor. Ice immediately scanned the entire room. A threat assessment that had been so drilled into her in Bat Team Alpha training that it was instinctual. But there was no one in the room except for a small Afghan girl sitting on a tattered bed pressed up against the wall opposite the door. There was a window on the wall above the bed, but a piece of plywood had been crudely hammered over it, denying the girl any ability to see outside of the room.

The girl opened her mouth and screamed again. She drew here knees up to her chest, scooting back as close to the wall as she could get, her eyes wide with fear.

“Don't be afraid. I'm gonna get you out of here and somewhere safe,” Ice said, trying to sound as calm and reassuring as possible. The girl stared at her, wrapping her arms around her knees as she tried to flatten herself further against the wall, still sitting on the bed.

Ice took several steps to the side, moving away from the door and leaving a clear path for the girl to escape if she wanted to. She hoped the girl would take it as a message that she meant her no harm. The girl continued to stare, but made no attempt to get off the bed. What was wrong with her? Why wasn’t she trying to escape? Ice’s stomach twisted as the girl shifted position, causing the long robe she wore to rise above her feet and reveal the metal rings around her ankles. The poor girl was chained to the bed! She had steel manacles locked around both of her feet. A short chain ran between them with only enough slack for her to shuffle, as if she were some kind of prisoner on a chain gang. She wouldn't have been able to walk correctly, much less run. Another short length of chain was attached to the middle of the first chain, the other end of which was attached to one leg of the bed. She quickly scanned the bed itself, finding that it was bolted to the wall and the floor. The length of the chain barely gave the girl enough room to walk a few paces away from the bed.

She looked over the girl again. Her brown hair was long and tangled into knots. It clearly had not been combed or brushed in weeks. The dirty, stained white robe was the only clothing she wore. Her skin was stretched over her face and hands like canvas stretched over a frame, revealing the details of her bones underneath – a clear sign of undernourishment. A volcano of anger smoked and bubbled inside of Ice. How could anyone do this to a child? With any luck, the police chief would show up right now. And if he did, she would kill him. She'd break his neck, or cave his skull in with a hoof. Or better yet, she'd give some truth to that vampire rumor. She'd tear his throat out of his neck with her fangs.

She took a few cautious steps towards the bed, waiting to see how the girl would react. The girl tried to push herself up closer to the wall, as if she hoped to be able to push a hole in it. But she didn't scream again. Ice moved a little faster. She didn't want to scare the poor girl anymore than she already was, but she had to get the two of them out of here as quickly as possible. If the two guards came back with reinforcements, Duncan wouldn't be able to hold them off.

But she had another problem. It had never occurred to her or to Duncan that the girl would be chained to the bed. How was she gonna get the girl out? She had no tools to cut the chain, nor did she have anything to pick the lock on the manacles with.

In desperation, she grabbed the chain going to the bed between her fangs. She bit down with all of her strength, pretending that the chain was the police chief's neck and she was trying to bite his head off the top of his body. The chain clanked and groaned as her jaw shook with the strain. Suddenly, the metal yielded, and the chain gave with a loud snap. She spit the chain out, ignoring the dirty, metallic taste in her mouth.

“Hold still,” she said to the girl. Then she took the chain binding her ankles together, and crunched down hard. Again, the chain groaned, then snapped. She spit out the bitter tasting metal. “Off the bed, and wait by the wall!” she commanded. The girl didn't hesitate, getting off of the bed and taking a moment to catch her balance. She smelled slightly less afraid now. Ice hoped she had earned the girl's trust by setting her free.

She jumped on the bed and turned around, slamming her rear hooves into the piece of plywood that had been nailed over the window. The plywood shattered along with the glass on the other side of the window, the pieces bursting outward as if she’d blown the window with a bundle of C-4. She took the flashlight in her mouth again, aimed it towards the copse of trees where Duncan was, and gave him the signal. Then, she turned around and jumped off the bed.

Let's go! And stay close to me!” she said to the girl. Ice resisted the urge to crowd the wall and scan the lower floor for activity before darting out of the room. Duncan had told her he'd throw two grenades in quick succession, causing two quick explosions to warn her if it wasn't safe or if anyone had entered the building. She had to move quick, and that meant she had to trust him, even though he was a human.

Quickly, she lead the girl out of the room and down the open hallway. As they ran down the steps, another explosion rocked the building as Duncan tossed another M84 to cover their exit. The girl screamed. Ice whipped her head around. The girl had turned and was running back up the stairs!

“No! The explosions are from my teammate! He's helping us get out!”

The girl seemed to understand and turned around, following her again. Ice turned her head forward and began racing down the stairs again. How weird it had sounded, to call a human her teammate. But she'd ponder that later. Something more urgent was bothering her: The girl's white robe. Even though it was dirty, it was still going to make her stand out like some kind of snowman running through the desert. But there was nothing to be done about that. Certainly, they didn't have time to stop and look for a different pair of clothes the girl could change into.

Ice took the last four stairs as if she were competing in a show jumping event, then raced out the door, glancing behind to make sure the girl was keeping up with her. So far, she was. She darted around the building and back towards the copse of trees. She wanted to gallop, but was forced to keep her speed at a trot so the girl could keep up. The white robe was making it hard for the girl to take long strides. Ice cursed under her breath. They were horribly exposed running across this field. Anyone with a rifle would have a hard time hitting her with her black clothing, but the girl … She could only hope anyone nearby would be too afraid to take a shot at the girl, knowing she was married to the police chief.

After what seemed like an eternity, they made their way into the grove of trees. But as Duncan had instructed, she didn't look for him. She just went straight through. It wasn't the most direct way to the chariot, but she had wanted to put some cover between them and the house. Twigs snapped under her hooves and leaves brushed passed her, branches pressing against her before breaking with a pop and falling to the ground. But it didn't matter how much noise she made now. Again, she checked behind herself. The girl was still keeping up with her trot, but her mouth was open and she was starting to gasp for air. The girl's malnutrition and poor physical condition were going to make it hard for her to get all the way to the chariot, Ice realized with a frown as they emerged from the other side of the grove of trees.

She heard a rumbling sound in the distance and looked to her left. Headlights, like twin shining eyes approached rapidly.

“Shit,” Ice cursed under her breath. She raised one forehoof into the air and looked behind her at the girl.

“Get on and hold on tight!” she ordered, forcing down her very strong distaste of the idea of actually letting a human ride her. The girl approached her, but then stopped, her face creased with uncertainty. “Get on, lean forward, and hold tight!” Ice ordered again.

As the girl hesitated, the shouting grew closer. That seemed to spur her into action, and she quickly climbed onto Ice's back. Ice waited until the girl had a firm grip around her neck. Then, she took off at a full gallop, her hooves pounding the ground, kicking up explosions of sand as if geysers were erupting around her hooves each time they hammered into the ground. The wind whipped at her muzzle, and her wrapped tail stood out straight behind her. She breathed heavily and a lather of sweat began to coat her fur as she charged through the desert. She took a quick glance behind her. The jeep was keeping pace with her, not losing any ground at all! The driver gunned the motor, the tires spun, dust rose from the wheels, creating beams in the headlights. The smell of diesel exhaust wafted to her nostrils like the scent of some kind of mechanical predator as she forced herself to move even faster, panting and huffing like the Canterlot Express climbing a steep hill.

“Luna damn it!” she cursed loudly. Twenty years ago, she would have been able to outrun a jeep on desert terrain, despite carrying the weight and aerodynamic anchor of a human on her back. She’d worked hard to keep herself in the same top iron pony like physical condition she’d been in when serving in Bat Team Alpha. But even with all of that, she had to admit one plain fact: She simply wasn’t twenty years old anymore.

Right now, the jeep wasn’t actually gaining on her, but once they reached the chariot, it would quickly start closing the distance that it could not close during the chase. She looked forward again, racing through the sand and over the dunes, flying across the desert with each long stride. Fortunately, the girl on top of her was light, because she rode like a sack of potatoes, her weight jarring against Ice's spine every time her hooves touched the ground. What kind of girl from some two-bit backwards village doesn’t know how to properly ride a horse? Ice thought with annoyance.

A bright flash like lightning illuminated the night, followed a split second later by an ear splitting explosion. Duncan! she thought with elation. But she knew the stun grenades would only slow the jeep down, not stop it.

Minutes passed that seemed like hours. The fountains of sand jetting up from under her hooves changed to clods of dirt and grass as she went from desert to pasture. She could sense the thermal radiation of the Crystal Guards now, guiding her like a homing beacon. She was close. Despite her near breathlessness she yelled out to the Crystal Guards, gasping for air between words.

“Get ready to … leave! No pre-flight checklist! Go as soon as … we're inside! Fly in the same … direction we're running towards!”

The chariot and the guards faded into her night vision like rapidly growing flames. The guards had already sprung into action, slipping their harnesses onto themselves and bolting themselves to the tongue of the chariot. Ice planned to gallop right up to the chariot and skid to an instant stop at the door. But then, she remembered the girl on her back. If she did that, no doubt she'd toss the girl right over her head and into the metal side of the chariot. So instead, she slowed to a canter, then to a trot, all the while knowing that slowing down was giving the jeep more time to gain on them. She slowed to a walk, then stopped in front of the door.

“Get off!” she yelled to the girl. The girl immediately complied. Ice threw open the chariot door with a forehoof. “Inside!” she yelled. But this time the girl hesitated as the roar of the jeep's engine grew closer. Ice raised a forehoof and roughly shoved the girl into the chariot, then climbed in herself and pulled the door shut. The wheels rumbled over the ground with a jolt, bouncing them both around as if they were inside of a washing machine. Two seconds later, the chariot pitched up and they were airborne. They banked sharply, turning and leveling out in the direction that Ice had been running.

A loud ping sounded from the back wall of the chariot, followed by a second as bullets ricocheted off the armor. The girl screamed in panic.

“It's okay. We're safe in here,” Ice reassured her. The chariot was armor plated and bullet proof, which is why Ice had told the guards to fly in the direction they had been running. That would put the chariot between the men from the jeep and the guards themselves, hopefully shielding them from any fire. They were vulnerable at the points their armor didn't cover.

A loud crack! rang through the chariot and the glass on the rear window formed a spiderweb pattern. Again, the girl screamed.

“The glass is bulletproof. We're safe,” Ice reassured her. The Crystal Guards accelerated rapidly, sending Ice and the girl sliding along the floor, until they slammed into the back wall. Two more loud pings rang out as bullets struck the armor plating. Then it was quiet as they quickly traveled out of range of the rifles. The chariot pitched up as they reached for altitude, updrafts from the dunes buffeting them with turbulence. Then, rather suddenly, the ride became smooth, as if they were gliding along a perfect sheet of ice on a winter pond.

Ice leaned back and relaxed, her heart still pounding and her breathing heavy from the long gallop. Sweat dripped from her fur and she foamed at the mouth like some rabid beast. But inside, she was smiling, filled with indescribable elation, like a hoofball star who had just won the international championship. She raised a forehoof, yanking off the head scarf and the scarf that was covering her muzzle, then shaking out her mane as if she’d just come out from a dip in the ocean. Then, she flicked her tail around, grabbing the tail wrap between her teeth and yanking it off, spitting it out like it was poison. She flicked her tail a couple of times, spreading the strands which had stuck together with a lather of sweat. She spit again, ejecting the taste of the vinyl tail wrap from her mouth, then smiled. They'd made it! And she'd proven that even without her wings, she still had what it took! Her internal celebration was interrupted by the sound of the girl sobbing. Some of her elation deflated like a helium balloon. In her brief moment of celebration, she'd forgotten the poor girl was even there.

“You're safe now,” she said in the most comforting tone she could manage, moving over to the girl and putting a forehoof around her. “He can't hurt you anymore. And no one will hurt you where we are going.”

The girl raised her arm, wiping the back of her hand over her eyes, brushing away her tears. She sniffed once, then smiled.

“Manana,” was all she said in response. Ice wasn't sure what the word meant, but assumed it probably meant ‘thank you’. The single word said enough for an entire paragraph, though. It was the first word the girl had said, and she had said it calmly and with a smile on her face. The girl leaned her head against Ice's side, and closed her eyes. Within minutes, she had fallen asleep.

Ice smiled, her breathing and heart rate having returned to normal. This was probably the first time the girl had been able to sleep knowing she was safe. To sleep without fear of knowing that soon, he would come home. And when he did, her nightly torment would start again. Still, the girl's road to recovery would be long and fraught with potholes. But at least now, recovery could begin. Ice said a quick prayer to Luna, asking her to ward the girl's dreams. The girl would no doubt have nightmares about her ordeal at some point. But not this night. This night, she was sure Luna would ensure the girl a peaceful rest.

Ice allowed the full sense of elation to return to her again. The thought was in the back of her mind that she was going to have a lot of explaining to do when she got back about how “don't take unnecessary risks” had turned into breaking into a guarded building, running from men with guns, and bringing back a chariot with bullet damage. But she wasn't going to let any of that taint her victory. Not even the slightest little bit. Next Chapter: XIV Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 50 Minutes