Chapter 19-1: Group Rate

[I think we can do it, but we have to work together…]

“Gyah!” I cried out as water splashed down over my head, soaking my mane.

Sat across from me, horn aglow, Undertow’s smile was at least a quarter smirk. “I win again, Snowflake.”

Shaking away droplets, I wasn’t quite ready to admit defeat. “I’m not finished yet.”

She just giggled and levitated the water into a halo just above my head. “As you wish.” It was matched by another above her noggin.

A quick flash of my horn had my halo now frozen and resting atop my crown. “You know, you should do that more often.”

“Do what? Win?”

I grinned mischieviously. “You should laugh more. You’re adorable when you do… little sister.”

“Neeheeheeheehee-AIEE! That’s cold!”

While I genuinely enjoyed her laughter, and truly wished for her to do it more often, I hadn’t lost sight of my goal. Undertow’s water halo was now ice, courtesy of my magic, and she was scrabbling to free her cutely-twitching ears from its cold touch.

She finally managed to bat the ring off her head. “That’s not fair, big sister!”

I booped her on the nose. “Is too. Everything’s fair in love and war, Undertow.”

“Is not! You just don’t want to admit that I won the last ten times.”

“Didn’t win that time, though.”

Her cheeks puffed up in a pout. “Because you were being sneaky!”

I snickered and looked away playfully. “Why, whatever do you mean, Undertow? I just wanted to spend time with my precious little sister. I was not even aware we were keeping score.”

I wanted so badly to hug her as she squirmed in a confliction of embarrassment and injustice. “Sno-ow-fla-ake!”

Helpless against her lovable pouting, I relented. “Alright alright, one more. No tricks, I promise.”

We got back into position for the decider of our game. It was a simple exercise really, but good practice for me and a good time for her. To win, I had to freeze her water halo so it fell on her head, before she could turn my ice halo back into water and soak me again.

SPLASH

“Prbleh!” I spat out a few of the wet mane strands which ended up in my mouth. “I’ll get you one day. I still gotta get stronger to keep my promise.”

Undertow went still, smile fading. “You do not need to-”

Waving her away, she was given the brightest smile I could muster. “Oh sure I do. Besides, that’s what big sisters are for. They look after their little sisters.”

The game forgotten, I matched Undertow’s beaming smile with one of my own.

We didn’t stop smiling as a warm voice called in from the other room. “Girls, come get yer breakfast afore it gets cold!”

“Coming, boss.” We stood up from the floor of Lexi’s spare bedroom and made our way into the kitchen. Lexi was just setting down three plates of toasted oat pancakes for us.

The smell set my stomach rumbling. “These look great, but where’d you get the ingredients?”

Her smile wasn’t unkind, but she wasn’t going to miss the opportunity. “Y’know ah run a supply company, don’tcha, Snowflake?”

I coloured as she turned to my sister, telekinetically wagging a spatula at her. “No goggles at the table, Undertow.”

“Yes, boss.” Reaching up, Undertow pulled down her eyewear so that it dangled around her neck, revealing a pair of orange eyes that were a mirror for mine.

We all dug into the delicious flapjacks without ceremony. Lexi was a great host, but she did have a business to run, and Undertow and I did have to get going at some point, even if I wasn’t in any particular hurry to leave this setting.

“So,” Lexi began as she gulped down her last bite, “what’re yer plans now, Snow? You two gotta get goin’ to handle yer business, right?”

Thanks for looking down about that, boss. We’ll miss you too. “Yeah, just because I’m not a Raider anymore doesn’t mean that Red Ice’s problems have gone away. I need to do something about them. Them… and a few others.” Two in particular came to mind, another pair of sisters.

Lexi picked up on it too. “Listen, Snowflake, ah know yeh ain’t gonna like this, but she really didn’t try t’kill ya. Not if she’s as sharp as y’say. I’ve patched up enough ponies t’know a killin’ shot when I see one. They weren’t.”

“So, what? I should just let it go?!” The very suggestion had my blood boiling.

“Nope, ain’t sayin’ that either. Ya still coulda bled out if that Wings girl hadn’t gotten ya some help, and that needs repayin’. I’m jes’ saying that y’all have mutual friends right? Like Wings, an’ if them friends see sumthin’ good in you, then mebbe they see what you can’t in those two pegasus girls? I’m not sayin’ don’t hurt ‘em for what happened, but maybe don’t kill ‘em. That’d be pretty Red Ice o’ ya.”

Both Lexi and I looked up as our drinks began to levitate off the table. Undertow couldn’t hide her emotions at the best of times, and especially not without her goggles. “They hurt you, sister?”

Lexi tapped her hoof on the table to get the water-wielder’s attention. “That goes fer you too, Undertow. Ya got a say in this, cause yer family an’ all, but ah really don’t want you gettin’ blood on yer hooves if you can help it.”

The beverages only returned to their glasses when I reached over and gave her hoof a gentle squeeze. The aquamarine glow faded from her horn. “I… I understand, boss. I will try… not to kill them.”

“Guess tha’s all ah can ask fer. But there’s sumthin’ else, girls.”

“What’s that?”

The boss of Sprinkles Supplies steepled her hooves on the table. “Me an’ mah crews’re happy t’have y’here, Snowflake, but we ain’t goin’ public with that. T’the rest o’ the Wasteland, yer still Red Ice. That means y’gotta be careful ‘bout who knows that, an’ who knows who YOU know.” Her eyes drifted back to Undertow. “Now ah know you two’re real excited about bein’ sisters an’ all, but maybe you wanna think about what some of those who ain’t so happy wi’ yeh might do with that.”

“I…” Damn, that’s a good point. If word gets out that Red Ice has a sister, she’ll be a target. “So what do we do, boss?”

“Y’gotta be discreet. Tone it down when yer in public. Mebbe find a way to talk to each other without usin’ ‘sister’?”

Glum though she was, Undertow still spoke up. “I… may have an idea.” Our eyes turned to her as she continued. “Um, when last I was here, there was a word that Naiara used. You called me svara, yet she said there was a better word.”

I gasped. “I remember that!” Grabbing Undertow into a hug, I let out a little laugh. “My xilia is so smart!”

Lexi was just confused. “Xilia?”

“It’s the Zebra word for ‘sister’. It’s a perfect in-joke.” Was my cheery reply. “Who around here is gonna know Zebra words besides us and Naiara?”

Lexi’s confusion morphed into admiration. “She’s a smart girl, that one. Y’all gotta go find her too, right? Shouldn’t ya do that first? Ah mean, she did get help Undertow out with the Raiders, right?”

She got two nods in response. “Yeah, boss. I think you’re right. we both owe her and miss her. She’s a good friend, and me and my xilia are gonna go make sure she’s okay.”

Satisfied at our plan of action, we set about cleaning up the table. “‘member now, you two, don’t get killed. Get hurt, get lonely, get hungry, whatever, an’ ah’ll take care o’ yeh. Just don’t die.”

“We won’t.”

“Mhm.”

“An’ remember, when y’see them twins, show ‘em why y’ain’t t’be messed with. Jes’ keep in non-lethal.”

“Oh, yeah!”

~~~~~~

Slipping a score of caps across the barrier, I addressed the guard in a low tone. “Can you please contact someone from the Bernstein Conclave, and let them know that there is a… friend at the gate who require an escort?”

My subtlety was lost on the guard at Lethbridle’s south gate. He just stared blankly at me, then at the caps, then made a motion to someone I couldn’t see.

“...” It was an awkward couple of minutes that followed, as the guard made no move to let us through. He also didn’t let anyone in the line behind us through either, which did nothing to engender good feelings from anyone.

Eventually, one impatient stallion had had enough. He moved with purpose, shouldering me aside before slamming his toll caps down with a grunt. Not that it did him any good, as his face met a powerful hoof coming the other way, sending him sprawling.

“Back of the line, punk. Nobody cuts on my watch.” The gruff voice made I ears perk up.

Hey, alright. Not a Bernstein employee, but I’ll take it! Brushing the snow from where I’d fallen, I flashed a smile towards the new arrival. “Hey, Chief Rockhaunch! Long time no see. How are you?”

The oaken-furred leader of Lethbridle’s security forces gave me a flat stare. “What are you doing here? You know you’re not welcome while this Raider business is going on.”

Making sure my smile didn’t waver, I put a hoof to my chest. “Oh, don’t worry. It is. You, and… everybody were right about that. Shouldn’t have done it in the first place. I’m done.”

“Uh huh.” The level of belief was clear. “And you decide to prove it by circumventing Lethbridle’s security precautions?”

I hesitated. “Uhh… no?”

“Oh, so you weren’t trying to backdoor your way in here by calling on your Bernstein buddies?” The Chief was not a fan of the businessmare, it would seem.

“Um, sorry about that, Chief. The truth is we’re actually just passing through to the north gate. It’s just faster to go through the city rather than around.” At his raised eyebrow, I continued. “Really. We didn’t mean any disrespect, it’s just that we have an arrangement with the Bernstein Conclave for safety while in Lethbridle.”

“Bernstein doesn’t have authority here!” Nostrils flaring, he spat on the ground before grumbling an aside. “Not yet, anyway.”

Waving the gate guard onto the next traveller in line, he jerked his head for Undertow and I to come through the gate. “Fine. You’re with me. I’ll personally take you both to the north gate. That gonna be a problem?”

I faced his challenging gaze easily. “Not at all. We really are just passing through. Lead the way, Chief.”

“No, you stay right where I can see you.” His eyes found Undertow. “Both of you.”

Shrugging, we moved ahead of him and through the gateway. As we walked, I tried to mend some fences with the Chief. “Rockhaunch, have you met my sister? This is Undertow.”

She stared at me with some trepidation. “Xilia, didn’t Lexi say not to reveal that in public?”

This was easy to wave off. “Nah, we can trust the Chief. Everybody can. He’s one of the most trustworthy people I’ve met. Utterly upstanding.”

The response to my buttering-up was a noncommittal grunt.

Slightly deflated, I made one last effort. “Seriously, he’s a great guy. Totally great… totally.” I finished lamely.

“I… see.”

We lapsed into an awkward silence. With nothing else to do, I took to watching the passersby. Even though it was the middle of the day, there were fewer people out than any time I’d seen before. They were also in far more of a hurry. If they stopped at all, it was quickly, to complete their business and move on.

Frowning, I looked back at the towering Buffalo. “Hey Chief, what’s going on?”

The stare he returned was very focused. “You tell me. What do you see?”

Huh? Cocking my head to the side, I took a few more glances around. “It’s like everybody’s on edge. Nobody’s getting close to one another if they can help it.”

A perturbed rumbling sounded in his throat. “Noticed that, did you? They’re afraid.”

“Of what?”

His tone turned sarcastic. “Oh, gee, I don’t know. What recent changes could possibly be upsetting the innocent citizens of Lethbridle? I hear there was an idiot who thought it was a good idea to gather all the scattered savages together, but I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.”

I lowered my voice to just above a whisper. “They’re afraid… of me?”

He nodded. “Yep. I guarantee that if I outed you right now this street’d be clear in seconds. Before your grand plan, Raiders never attacked in anything more than small groups, and there was no chance of them getting past the walls and the guards. Now that they’re operating as one big group, all bets are off.”

I stopped in my tracks, tense. “Have they tried?”

Rockhaunch grimaced. “Not yet, but they almost don’t need to. The fear’s enough for a lot of folks. We’ve had a lot of people leaving the city in the past week, heading south to Vanchoofer, or further.” He turned his head to the side and spat angrily. “It’s bad enough that some of my guards are getting cold hooves too. The public panics, then they panic, and suddenly fearful skirmishes turn into full street brawls. I’ve had to take on extra bodies, and nobody’s got time to train ‘em all, which just causes more trouble when they go on patrol.”

My head hung. “I’m so sorry, Chief.”

He wasn’t done, though I wasn’t sure if he was still talking to me or just blowing off steam. “And if that’s not bad enough, I’ve got that lousy Amber Bernstein leaning on all the higher ups in town, getting her words in their ears, and making it harder for me to do my job. Funny how it’s happening now, while everything else is going on. That little ‘arrangement’ you have at the gate is just the tip of the iceberg. She’s got some grand plans of her own for this city, and damned if I know if that’s a good thing or not.”

Undertow and I looked at each other briefly before turning simultaneously to look up at the high-rise where we’d first met the head of the Bernstein Conclave. What are you up to, Amber? Maybe I should talk to Schwarzwald about it.

Having voiced his grievances, Rockhaunch stayed silent the rest of the way to the gate, seeing us off with little more than a nod, to acknowledge that we’d been true to our word about passing through.

I liked the Chief, so it was a little upsetting to see how far his opinion of me had fallen. I’m probably not “li’l Stronghead” anymore.

~~~~~~

“Okay…” I whispered to Undertow, as I entered the ‘Cefar’ code for Hoofshine Harlots, “...here we go.”

There was no time left to wonder about what would happen inside. We were there now, and what would go down would go down. The door chimed its release, and I pulled it open.

Standing there in the lobby, mid-step, was the person who’d dominated my thoughts on the way over here.

Slowly dropping her hoof to the floor, Cassie returned my wide-eyed stare. “S-Snowfla-”

WHAM!

Her hooves left the floor as my ice-ram smashed into her face. The sound drew surprised shouts from further within the building.

“The hell?!”

“What’s going on?!”

WHAM!

Cassie bounced off the wall behind her as I hit her again. All I could see was her, and red. I barely heard the running steps of the other occupants.

“Is that…?”

“Snowflake?!”

“CASS!”

WHAM!

Before she could fall, she was crushed back against the plaster for a third time. I still didn’t really see the others standing around.

“Stop!”

“That’s enough, Snow!”

I drew the ram back a fourth time as a chilly voice ran through my mind. More! Suffer more! You dare shoot me?!

My ice surged forwards again, even as Breeze leapt in front and Bosco leveled his pistol at me. Before it could reach Cassie, however, tendrils of water shot out and grabbed the ram, rooting it in place.

What?! I turned to my sister, who’s glowing horn was fighting against mine. “Undertow!”

She didn’t back down. “That is enough, Snowflake.”

“No, not yet!”

“Yes. Snowflake… look at your eyes.”

Growling, I sought out a mirror. The image I saw reflected stopped me as quickly as Undertow stopped my ice.

My eyes were green, with purple smoke.

Undertow willed my ice into water, then dispelled it all. “We are not completely free from the Horn, xilia.”

I sank back onto my haunches. As Breeze and Wings tended to Cassie, Bosco and Schwarzwald kept an eye on me. “Start talking, Snow. What the hell was that?”

I ignored his question, sitting with Undertow and taking deep breaths until my eyes returned to normal. Breeze alternated between making sure that Cassie was okay, and being subtly held back from attacking me by Wings.

She wouldn’t keep her peace, though. “So this is what you’ve decided, huh? Raider through and through?”

“No,” I replied robotically, “We’re not Raiders anymore.”

“Hah!” Scorn dripped from her words. “You don’t even say hello before trying to kill my sister, and you expect me to believe that?”

Surprisingly, it was Undertow who answered first. “I honestly do not care what you believe, Aqua Breeze. Just know that if YOU try to harm MY sister, then I will stop you.”

Everybody was stunned by her words for a moment, until a disorientated “Sister?” came from the back.

Swaying slightly, Cassie finally found her way to her hooves again. “What do you mean, ‘sister’?”

Finally having a reason to feel something other than anger and regret, I let some pride slip out. “Undertow’s my sister, and I’m hers. Got a problem with that?”

“...And when did this happen?”

Way too late. “It didn’t just happen. She’s always been my sister.” I laid a loving hoof on top of Undertow’s. “I just didn’t realise it until she beat the hell out of me.”

Everybody, except Cassie, started at that. “She did what?”

“Really? Undertow beat you up?”

“Hahahahaha!”

“Thank you, Breeze.”

Cassie had gone very still. “Tell me what you mean by her having ‘always been’ your sister.”

I nudged Undertow. “Show them.”

Tentatively, she reached up and lowered her goggles. It took a half-second for those gathered to realise, but the reaction was instantaneous when they did.

Breeze’s jaw dropped. Schwarzwald whistled appreciatively. Wings looked back and forth between us rapidly. Bosco was chuckling good naturedly. “Well, it’s about time.”

Cassie… still hadn’t moved. She just swayed slightly, and regarded us neutrally. “But she isn’t of your blood…”

“Got a problem with that?” I repeated, but without much emotion behind it.

“...Why?” She demanded at last. “Is this another Red Ice plot? Another Raider to recruit to your cause?”

“No!” I yelled, causing several weapons to point at me again. “Undertow’s my sister. We’re connected.”

“By choice?” Cassie snarled.

“You’ve seen her in action, and me. Could I keep her here if she wasn’t?”

More silence as we stared each other down. Finally she sat back against the wall. “No… I have no problem.”

Breeze’s frown deepened. “Cassie?”

But Cassie waved her off. “No, Breeze. No more. If they agree not to attack me again, or any of you, then I can accept this. For now.”

Her sister looked more and more confused. “But… she… you… I…”

Standing down, I gave the twins an apologetic look. “I’m… not going to attack. I can’t be sure that it’s really coming from me, and I can’t afford to let… other influences decide my actions.” It wasn’t a good excuse, or any kind of excuse really, but I couldn’t tell them about Sombra’s Horn, not yet.

Every emotion ran across Breeze’s face in sequence, before she finally threw up her hooves in defeat. “Fine, whatever! Let’s all just see how ‘well’ this turns out!”

As Cassie made her way over to the booths to lie down, I had to add one final warning. “I’ll give you whatever help you need to take down the Raiders, but…”

Everybody froze. Cassie spoke without looking back. “‘But...’”

“...but don’t ever point your rifle at me again. I’ll break it, and your teeth, on each other.”

The back of her head wasn’t impressed by my posturing. “If I have to, you will be dead before you hit the ground.”

“...So we understand each other?”

“...Quite.”

Some of the tension drained from the room. “Well, good. Can I get you something to take the swelling down? Some ice maybe?”

“No ice, if you please. There should be a healing potion behind the bar.”

The click of Bosco’s pistol hammer forestalled any answer. “Keep away from her, Snow. We’re not done talking yet.”

Poor guy, he’s always in the middle. Putting on the most open and non-threatening face I could, I nodded. “Yeah, sorry, Bosco. I didn’t mean to ignore you. You’re right about still needing to talk. What do you want to know?”

He evidently didn’t appreciate my light tone, as the gun didn’t lower. He just spoke around it. “Start with why you think it’s okay to come back here and start slinging around magic without even saying ‘hi’. Did you really think that would make us believe you’d stopped being Red Ice?” Then he dropped the gun as he stomped his hoof in anger. “For fuck’s sake, Snow! You’ve been gone for days, and we’ve all heard about what you’ve been doing!”

“...I know.”

He didn’t let up. “Tell me something, when did it seem like a good idea to be doing what you were doing? Really? You spent all that time talking about making the Raiders something better than they were, that you weren’t building an army, and then you turn right around and declare war on Plottawa and Neighlway! If you hadn’t come across Undertow, where would it have ended?”

Probably Gull Gulf. “...I don’t know.”

“And Naiara? It’s great that you found Undertow, but where is she? She’s been gone for longer than you have.”

I frowned. “Still? I would have thought that she’d at least have come to see you all one time. I know that Wings has talked to her, that’s how I found out where Undertow was. She really didn’t come back?”

I caught Breeze’s eye. Her wings were fluttering as she simultaneously tended to Cassie and listened in. “We’ll find her. She got Undertow away from the Raiders… away from me, when she needed to. I won’t leave her by herself.”

“And what makes you think I’ll let you get anywhere near her?”

My head whipped around. “Bosco!”

His slate-grey eyes were hard. “I’m serious, Snow. I’m not sure having you here is a good idea at all, anymore.”

“But-”

Wings stepped in and ruffled Bosco’s mane for a second, before he slapped her claw away. “Bosco, go help Breeze with Cassie for a sec, will ya?”

Letting out a sound halfway between a grunt and a growl, the sole colt of our gathering stalked off, leaving two unicorns, a griffon, and an earth pony mare.

“He is angrier than I remember.” Undertow remarked sadly.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “didn’t expect Cassie to be more welcoming than Bosco. Like, ever.”

Schwarzwald nickered. “It is not as simple as you think, dahlings.”

Wings spread her claws helplessly. “He hasn’t been so good ever since we got him out of Whinniepeg, but it got worse when we got his Memory Orb back.”

Shocked, I did a double-take. “You got them back?”

“No, not all of them, dahling.” Schwarzwald’s easy smile surfaced for the first time since she’d snuck into the Raider ranks. “But we did retrieve one from the Silver Fog creatures.”

“What happened? Are you okay? What are those fog things?”

Wings made a ‘relax’ gesture with a claw. “We’re fine. Stumbled across a group of them in that old agricultural facility you went to, near the Barnstormer camp.”

“The one with all the ghouls?”

They both shrugged. “That is how dear Bosco says, but only you and he were there at the time.”

“No, Naiara was there too.” I shook my head, definitely not wanting that detail left out.

“But no others here, dahling.”

“What were you doing at this facility, Wings?” Undertow was listening quietly, as per the norm, but her brow was creased at the thought of more Raider business.

The griffon fixed us with a pointed look. “Well, we thought that the Raiders being on the move made it a good time to get in there and check out what kind of gear they were packing. Bosco really wasn’t happy that you were using them to stir up the slavers, Snow.”

No, I can’t imagine he would be, especially after I spent so much time telling him I wasn’t gonna do that. “So what did you find?”

“Well I made out like a bandit.” Breeze swooped in and joined the conversation. “The farm vehicles in there were in great condition, and even the Raiders probably could’ve figured out how to get ‘em moving again. So we janked ‘em.”

“You what?”

She slowed her words mockingly. “Vroom-vroom no vroom no more. I grabbed whatever neat gear I could get away with carrying, then we ripped out some delicate, but essential, parts for each vehicle. They might’ve been for farming but they were rugged and could’ve been bad news in the wrong hooves. After that we did the same with the smaller equipment. Smashed ‘em useless.”

“And the fog creatures?” Undertow pressed.

Wings’ tail flicked involuntarily. “I’m getting to that. After scrapping the equipment and vehicles, we went to see if anything survived the fire in the main building. Stumbled across the Silver Fog inside. Only…”

After a second of silence, I looked at each of the three in turn. “Only…?”

Schwarzwald broke the silence. “Only Bosco entered first, and they did not attack him until we four came into sight.”

That’s… is that good or bad? “Why?”

Again, none of them had an answer. “Maybe they weren’t worried until they saw our numbers. Maybe they didn’t see his grey in the dark. Dunno.”

Breeze blew her bang out of her face. “Either way, Boss Colt spots the Memory Orb lying on the ground in the middle of ‘em all, and goes chargin’ in. We had to jump in to help him, and things got crazy, but he snagged the Orb and we got the hell out.”

He did? “Were you all okay?”

Schwarzwald made a back-and-forth motion with her hoof. “Physically? Yes. Perhaps not otherwise, dahling.”

“What do you mean?”

All three looked back the way Bosco had left. Breeze spoke first while rubbing a greave. “Guy’s obsessed with that Memory Orb. Sometimes you’ll catch him just sitting and staring at it. Did it for a full hour the other day.”

Wings clacked her beak. “He’s not always so friendly anymore either. He might just be going through puberty, but Bosco’s developed a little bit of a temper if you catch him at the wrong times.”

Schwarzwald’s throaty chuckle belied her mood. “What teenage boy is not like so? His pride is showing also. The fastest way to get a smile from him is to tell him he was a big help. He does not seem to care what he helps with, so long as he is praised.” Her tone turned wistful. “And yet, he spurns my other affections. So sad.”

Her flirtatious banter dissolved the tension, as Breeze joined the joke. “Yeah but that’s not just him though, is it? You haven’t gotten any in the last few weeks, just like the rest of us.”

Her smirk was matched by another from Schwarzwald. “So sure, are you?”

And the tension came right back for Breeze. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You will see.”

Wings flipped up-and-over Undertow and I, giving us a push towards the older mare. “Yeah but her favourites are back now. She calls Snow ‘mistress’, right?”

“Knock it off, all of you. I’m nobody’s mistress, and Undertow’s off limits to the lot of you, you got that?”

“Ohh.” Schwarzwald pouted. “It is not fair.”

The others laughed, even Undertow a little, and Schwarzwald patted me on the head. “If you are truly no longer a Raider, Snowflake, then it is very good to see you home, safe and sound.”

Yeah, the big ‘if’, huh? I’m still not there yet in all your eyes, am I? I had to be sure, so I looked at the technophile Pegasus. “Are you sure you can work with me, you AND Cassie?”

“Can you work with us?” She shot back airily. “There’s more between us than the Raiders.”

I cocked my head to the side. “There is?”

Schwarzwald leaned in towards Undertow with a victorious grin. “Your sister forgets her past so easily, doesn’t she?” Undertow just watched with a deepening frown.

I grumbled deep in my throat. “What are you guys talking ab-OHHELLMYSTUFF!”

Breeze wasn’t laughing anymore, but wasn’t quite hostile either. “Yeah, your stuff. You can’t have it back.”

“What do you say to that, Snowflake?” Schwarzwald’s tone was edged.

All eyes were on me now. What did I say to that? At this point, I’d been without my Pipbuck and Memory Orb for longer than I’d had them in the Wasteland. I’d done much more without them, been much more without them, for good or ill.

Red Ice faced Blue Fire. “Losing my Stable gear was… one of the most painful experiences of my life.”

Without breaking eye contact, I saw Breeze’s wings tense and unfurl, “BUT… I didn’t always like who I was when I had them.”

Undertow stepped around me to look at my face. “I don’t always like who I became when I lost them.”

Leaning on Bosco for support, Cassie stepped back into the foyer. “Nor did I always like what I did when I was that person.”

Bosco’s grey hoof was rubbing the Memory Orb poking out of his pocket. “But I did like how much I found myself capable of doing, without them.”

Scars creased as Schwarzwald’s lips turned upwards. “And I don’t regret everything it has brought me. Some of it I’ll never regret.”

Now I broke the stare, looking back at the door. “So… I still WANT them, but I don’t think I NEED them anymore.”

I gave the most confident smile I could muster, despite my churning gut. “You can keep them. They belonged to a Stable pony.”

~~~~~~