Chapter 23-5: Playing The Percentages

The small stone clattered around the collapsed trench between the quarters, throwing up echoes as it did.

“Undertow!” Naiara whisper-hissed, glowering at the filly.

“Sorry! Sorry!” The goggled filly breathed back.

We resumed our journey, though all watched our hooves a little more closely. Using the Whitepony map of Lethbridle’s under tunnels, we’d managed to sneak back to the divide that Rockhaunch had triggered to trap the Raiders in the northern quarter. At least for a little while.

Whichever crazy bastard came up with the idea to blow the tunnels is one REALLY crazy bastard. Too bad they didn’t count on the Raiders’ heavy gear.

Naiara silently led Undertow, Bosco, and myself through the chasm. She was silent, anyway. We… tried our best. None of us could keep up with her in terms of stealth, which meant that we stopped when Naiara did, and moved when she told us to.

Flowing over a small pile of debris, Naiara paused as she crested it, and held a hoof to her ear. After a few seconds, she nodded, then waved us forward again. Another twenty metres further along, she beckoned us in, under an overhang.

“What’s up?” Bosco crowded in close. Naiara had taken the time to paint herself up as a slate-grey pony again, to better blend in with the concrete, and with the naturally grey Bosco. Undertow and I couldn’t do much to hide our colours.

Naiara waited until we were all under cover. “This is the place. Cassie says there’s a street above without any Raiders. If we’re quick, we should be able to get up into the western quarter.” The sharp-eyed pegasus was on overwatch with her sister, feeding Naiara info through an earpiece connected to the communicators.

Undertow’s head looked back and forth at the lip of the artificial canyon. “We are sure that there are no vehicles still in the northern quarter?”

In response, the zebra shook her head. “No, she couldn’t get close enough to check. Too many griffons in the air. She did say that most of the vehicles were in the western quarter, at least according to the numbers Rockhaunch’s guards reported. That’ll have to do for now. Any backups in the northern quarter will have to wait. We’ve gotta cripple the ones on this side first.”

I glanced around at the jagged, uneven trench walls. “So how do we get up there?”

“WHO’S DOWN THERE?”

“Oh, shit!” We all looked up in time to see a Barnstormer poke his head over the edge. He and I locked gazes, both of our eyes widening at the sight of each other. His shock soon morphed into a twisted grin, his tongue hanging out hungrily.

Horn lighting up, I willed a sheath of ice around that tongue. Gurgling, he began swatting at it with his hooves. Less than a second later, a water whip wrapped around his throat and dragged him bodily down. Hitting the ground in a thudding heap, he barely had time to gasp before the blade of Bosco’s knife opened his throat from end to end. He thrashed violently as he bled out, but barely a sound escaped the ice blocking his windpipe. Less than a minute later, he was gone.

It’d still cost us time, though. Time the defenders on the walls, Blue Fire and Amber’s ‘enforcer mare’ included, could barely afford.

Naiara seemed to think the same, considering she was already halfway up the wall on the western side. In seconds, she’d scaled the entire height of it, and slung down her rope. Without a word, she beckoned for us to start climbing.

Once we were all up at ground level, we made better time on the mostly flat surfaces of Lethbridle’s streets. Naiara still kept us to the shadows, and occasionally the rooftops, but we managed to cover a kilometre or so without encountering trouble. We came close a few times, but some well timed magical misdirection courtesy of Undertow distracted any Raiders enough for us to slip past.

Creeping up the stairs to the second floor of a run-down gambling hall, dilapidated and faded card tables still strewn about, we snuck over to the glassless windows, peeking around the edges at the scene below us.

The Raiders were gathered in the market square. I remembered it from my first time in Lethbridle. I’d traded my bullets and some other supplies for some barding. Didn’t help much. Ended up shot up all the same. Lexi’s stuff is much better. I affectionately rubbed at the Sprinkles Supplies gear I currently wore, bullet holes and all.

Cheek pressed against the wall, barely poking an eyelid into view, Bosco was nonplussed. “Look at all of them. There’s gotta be near a thousand. Latvi’s got all the clans together in one place. No way we can get out there to take out the vehicles like this. What now?”

“Where is Latvi, anyway?” The scumbag scientist was nowhere to be seen.

“Hmm, if I had to guess, I’d say in there, with all the guards.” On the other side of the plaza was a large, mostly intact structure. As Naiara had said, there were far more guards around there than elsewhere. “No way to get to him either.”

“The vehicles themselves are under heavy guard, also.” Undertow was right. The heavy duty machines were surrounded by Woodpeckers, not a stallion among them. “They appear to have been well-equipped.”

“Makes sense.” I muttered to nobody in particular. “He’s not getting any further without the vehicles, so he needs to make sure they’re safe.”

Pulling back from the window, we squatted in a square. Bosco checked the safety on his gun. “So what now? We need to take those things out, but we don’t have a chance with just the four of us. Unless you two can do the damage with magic from here?”

I couldn’t give him any good news. “Not without somebody noticing.”

“I could use my magic without being noticed,” Undertow began, but she wasn’t smiling. “but I couldn’t damage them enough with just water alone. Not from here, and not without knowing where to focus my efforts.”

Looking between each of us in turn, Bosco was frowning deeper and deeper. “So, what? We just sit here? We need to do something before they decide to move out. No way the defences hold if they bring everything!” We quickly moved to shush him at the end, as his voice was rising with every word.

“Uh huh? Okay, got it.” Naiara took her hoof away from her earpiece, grimaced, and checked the scene outside again before rejoining the square. “Looks like we lucked out on that front. Cass says Amber’s telling her that the reinforcements have arrived. Says we’re about to get ourselves a very big distraction any second n-”

“Can’t believe we gotta sit around here.” Outside the window, on the street below, a guttural Raider voice spoke up. “That unicorn bastard in there almost flipped his shit when I mentioned the girl. Wouldn’t let anybody go near her.”

“Girl?” Each of us looked at the others, not understanding.

The second Raider, sounding even rougher than the first, responded. “Ah, she’s just his bitch. Them feathered fuckers were talking about her. Say Latvi had her buffalo fucktoy killed, and took her for himself. He’s got her in her old apartment.” He chortled perversely. “Ya ain’t got a chance with her, not after she’s been all stretched out. That small dicked asshole might think he owns her, but she probably won’t feel it after getting with a buffalo.”

The two of them enjoyed a full-throated guffaw at that, their laughter fading as they made their way back towards the main Raider force.

Back at the Window, Undertow watched them go. “Who were they talking about? Does Latvi have a hostage?”

Oh no. Realisation dawned. “I think I know.” I caught Bosco’s eye. “The DJ on the radio mentioned how the Monsters attacked Grindstone, killed Dent and took a pony girl. I think they’re talking about Lithu.”

Staring blankly back, it took a second or two for Bosco to remember. When he did, his mouth dropped open. “Shit, you’re right! That scientist girl who was with Latvi in the bar!”

Nodding, the corners of my mouth turned down. “She worked with Latvi before he turned Raider. Esto even said he had a big thing for her. Did he decide to just take her?”

“Raiders’re rubbing off on him.” Naiara commented darkly. “Should we go get her back?”

A sonorous rumbling forestalled any final decision. Crowding to the window, we looked out to the square in time to see Latvi, Caber Toss, Ballbuster, Eitom and Wicker charge out of their headquarters, weapons at the ready. The Woodpeckers, Deep Divers, Barnstormers, and Haylanders in the square were milling around, trying to find the source of the cacophony.

Ducking back away from the window, Bosco whipped out his weapon. “This the reinforcements?”

Shrugging to loosen her shoulders, Naiara made a ‘maybe’ motion with her hoof. “Could be. This should be interesting.”

After a minute or two, the rumbling abruptly cut off. Everything went still in the plaza. Raiders looked at each other in bewilderment. Latvi, ringed by griffons, cast about each and every way as he searched for the cause of the confusion.

We’d made our way down to the ground floor of the gambling hall, sticking to the shadows but listening at the door. Bosco had checked and rechecked his weaponry and gear half a dozen times in the last minute. “Be ready to move when the distraction hits. We can’t waste this chance to wreck those machines.”

“Who do you think she got as reinforcements?” I was racking my brains to think if Amber had mentioned having other forces in the area besides those already deployed on defence.

“Maybe she made a deal with the Buffalo?” Undertow ventured. “They cannot have any love for Latvi and his Raiders.”

How lucky would that be? “They might not like the Raiders, but Crush isn’t exactly a fan of ponies in general, either. I doubt he’d work with Amber just to get a chance at Latvi. Plus, he’s stupid. He’d just attack the Raiders himself if he could.” The burly buffalo thug couldn’t be relied upon to stick to any plan that a pony thought up. He’d want to do things his own way, and ignore any advice to the contrary.

“Then who?”

“Good question. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

The wait wasn’t a long one. Almost at once, a several screaming rockets blasted into the square from two different streets, exploding in the throng of milling Raiders. Latvi and his entourage were bowled over by the explosions.

Everything went to hell. The Raiders all began yelling and screaming at once, and firing weapons in every direction. More rockets flew in, and then they came. The reinforcements.

Oh. Shit.

Charging into the square, weapons cutting a swath through the disorganised Raiders, were a few hundred uniformed, well-equipped Plottawan slavers. The Raider lines collapsed as they contracted. The closest Raiders tried to run, but they were packed too tightly into the square. Dozens died in seconds.

“Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck…” I backpedalled away from the doorway as fast as I could. “We’ve gotta get out of here, right now!”

“How they hell did THEY get here?” Bosco wasn’t listening.

“Are… are they Amber’s reinforcements?”

Undertow’s disbelieving question stopped us all cold. It was a horrifying thought.

No. No way. She couldn’t do that. Not when she’s doing this all for Schwarzwald.

Unless she was lying about that too.

“LET’S GO!” Shouting over the noise, Naiara pushed us all out of the door.

“Great! Let’s get out of here!” I was all too ready to leave.

“No!” She chided. “We’re not running away, we’re going up there!” She pointed to the maelstrom going on up the street.

“ARE...”

“...YOU....”

“...INSANE?” We all chorused at once.

Face set firm, she pointed again. “This is the only chance we’ve got to get rid of those vehicles, or would you like to leave them for the SLAVERS?”

An imagination working in overdrive could be a terrible thing. The idea of the Lethbridle defences being overrun by Peanut’s forces was somehow even worse than Raiders.

Naiara was already up the street. Left without a choice, though each espousing various profanities, the three of us charged after her.

Luckily, the vehicles themselves were between us and the action. The Woodpecker guards had all moved up to engage the Plottawans, leaving us with a clear approach. We caught up with Naiara in the centre of the parked machines.

Bosco fell into ‘boss colt’ mode. “Naiara, you and me keep a look out. Snow, ‘tow, wreck these things and do it quickly!”

He and the zebra bounded off, taking up cover positions. Undertow and I started with the vehicles closest to the actions, trying not to think about the explosions and screams coming from the other side of the cabin.

Repeating Undertow’s ice expansion trick, we moved from truck to truck, filling the insides with water and then freezing it solid. The groans and cracks of shattering mechanisms wasn’t quite satisfying enough to override my fear of the two warring factions mere metres away.

After our second sabotage, I heard Naiara yelling over the din. “LATVI’S BUGGING OUT!”

WHAT?! Looking skyward, I was greeted with the sight of a unicorn scientist, struggling in Eitom and Wicker’s grasp.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING? TAKE ME BACK!” His shrill voice cut through the noise for the moment, as did Eitom’s furious response.

“I’D LOVE TO, BUT I’M UNDER CONTRACT! I HAVE TO GET YOU OUT OF HERE!”

“UNDER CONTRACT WITH WHO??”

I didn’t hear Eitom’s answer as Undertow smacked me upside the head. “HURRY!”

“Right, right!”

Water. Freeze. Break. One more. A severed hoof spanks Undertow. She ignores it.

Water. Freeze. Break. Another. A trio of rockets explode overhead. I don’t look up.

Water. Freeze. Break. Hurryuphurryuphurryup! Naiara grunts as she breaks bones.

Miraculously, we managed to junk every vehicle present, with their insides spilling out from under their canopies like great gored beast organs, before Undertow and I were disturbed. Several bodies, both Plottawan and Raider, lay at the hooves of both Bosco and Naiara, showing that we hadn’t been completely unnoticed.

The fighting was still going as fiercely as ever in the square, and it seemed like Caber Toss and Ballbuster had rallied the Raiders to throw back the Plottawans. I could hear the two Raider chieftains barking orders in their heavy accents.

Nothing to do with me. Our job’s done. “Can we please go now?” I pleaded.

Mercifully nodding, Bosco and Naiara took of running. Undertow and I had no trouble keeping up, even at full sprint. Adrenaline blasted through my veins. I wanted to pick the three of them up and carry them all back to safety myself.

A burst of gunfire struck the cobbles around us, kicking up sparks. Blinded, I slipped and crashed to the ground. I tasted blood. Rolling over, I saw Naiara dancing away from the gunfire, Undertow holding her swirling water shield in front of her, and Bosco exchanging fire with some pursuing Raiders.

Beyond them, I thought I glimpsed something. I flash of golden mane. Peanut! The slaver leader was facing away from me, back in the thick of the action.

My body moved on its own, as did my horn. As I bolted upright, Undertow’s water shield froze solid and went spinning down the street, right at the Raiders. They were bowled over, but their friends were coming up fast behind them.

A lot of their friends.

After that there was no running battle, there was just running, dodging, fleeing. Undertow took a bullet to the thigh, and a thrown knife gashed Bosco above the temple, but we kept moving regardless. We couldn’t stop.

Running through the western quarter, each street would be quiet for the five seconds or so it would take for the Raiders to round the corner, and then it would explode with noise. The same pattern would repeat over and over. Then it was four seconds.

Three seconds.

Two and a half.

It hurts. Gotta keep going. It hurts to keep going. Dying’d hurt more. We were all feeling it. Undertow was panting constantly, Bosco stumbled every few steps, Naiara was chattering into her earpiece, calling frantically for some help. She jerked her head to the side, hissing as a shot grazed her cheek.

“Please…” I dry-heaved. “...please somebody…”

Two seconds.

We turned the next corner.

No seconds. There was no quiet in this street, someone had beaten us to it.

“Run! Come on!” The defenders from the barricade yelled, even as they opened fire on the Raiders rounding the corner after us. “You can do it!”

Oh, thank you! Finding the last little bit of strength I had, I surged forwards.

Two big, welcoming forms loomed in the entranceway. Buff wielded two massive riot shields, while Lo stood with outstretched hooves. As we reached the door, one at a time, Lo would seize them with his hooves and yank them backwards, then instantly be back in the doorway, waiting for the next one.

Naiara got there first, skidding as Lo pulled her through. Bosco was next. He did the same, ending up in a heap with her.

The Raiders were still coming, but were slowed by the guards atop the barricade and their fields of fire. Ahead of me, Undertow’s balance took a hit as some buckshot hit the ground just as her hoof came down. The limb slipped, and she was about to go down.

NO! Leaping, I planted both hooves on her back, and pushed. That sent her tumbling straight into Lo’s grasp, and he was through the gap with her in a heartbeat.

My chin slammed down onto the cobbles, worsening the iron taste on my tongue. I was too tired to pick myself up. Luckily, I had a second brother. Buff scooped me up and retreated through the barricade, which others rushed forward to seal off.

The sound of battle was instantly dulled by the walls, though not completely gone. Still, there were others here with us, fresh and ready to fight.

“Snow, tell me you’re okay, please.” Buff’s heavy breathing had his chest radiating warmth.

Spitting out some blood, I reached up limply and tapped his horn. “Yeah, I’m okay. The others, though, Bosco and Undertow…”

“They’re here.” He turned us to the others. “They’re safe.”

Bosco and Naiara were dabbing at each other’s facial wounds with cloths. They seemed to be okay for the moment. How long that’ll last with TWO invading armies in town is another story.

A medic was digging around in Undertow’s thigh, trying to remove the bullet as she herself squirmed and cried in Lo’s grip.

Judging by his expression, she was stronger than he expected. “Undertow, keep still! Un-... Undertow! Come on, you don’t want to do more damage!”

She ignored him and kept thrashing. The medic sent a withering look at Lo, who gave a ‘what do you expect me to do about it’ half-grin in response. Still, he tightened his grip and kept trying to get through to her. “Undertow, it’ll be over soon. They need to get the bullet out. Come on, just keep still for a little while, won’t you?”

She still didn’t listen. Lo looked at me helplessly, and I just indicated with my eyes that he should focus on her. Stymied, he tried again. “Undertow, please. I don’t want you getting hurt. You could end up with a limp…” A sliver of frustration crept into his voice. “Would you just do what the medic says, little sister?”

Undertow froze. The medic didn’t hesitate, ripping the bullet out in what was undoubtedly a violation of some oath. The keeling scream Undertow let out had me reaching for her, but she turned and clung to her closest sibling instead.

Good enough. I thought, smiling as I looked on. Then I sobered. But we can’t stay here. “Buff, put me down. I need to go find Bernstein. She’s got a lot to answer for.”

~~~~~~

“YOU BROUGHT SLAVERS INTO MY CITY!” Buff and Lo were struggling to hold Chief Rockhaunch back as he railed at Amber.

Me, my friends, family, and the chief were standing in Amber’s skyscraper office. She’d excused the rest of her staff before we arrived, so now the Bernstein president stood alone on the dais, while the oak-furred buffalo snorted and raged at her.

It wasn’t surprising to me anymore that she didn’t flinch at the accusations, but this time she almost seemed… satisfied? Amber gracefully stepped down from the dais to stand before Rockhaunch. “Yes, I did. It was necessary.”

“NECESSARY?!” Rockhaunch’s jaw dropped. “How could this possibly be necessary? We’ve got twice the number of enemy forces in the city now than we had two hours ago, and even then we had too many!”

“Precisely.” The words shot out of her mouth with a whip crack. “The Raiders entering the city before we were ready nullified any chance that our defenders could handle this issue on their own. I engineered the Plottawan arrival in such a way that they would be forced to engage the Raiders first and foremost, which should cause both sides massive losses.”

“Not good enough. You were the one who brought the Raiders here, and your plan there failed spectacularly since they showed up early.” Rockhaunch tempestuously pushed Lo away from himself, his eyes never leaving Amber’s. “What’s to say that you bringing in the Plottawans will go any better? Peanut’s no idiot. He can’t be happy about this.”

“I doubt he is, but he has no choice but to deal with the Raiders for us.”

Wings wasn’t any happier than the Chief. Feathers flaring, she all but spat at Amber. “Until what? The Steel Rangers show up next?”

Astonishingly, Amber cracked a smile. “That would truly be a surprise.”

“DON’T JOKE!” Three voices yelled at once.

Amber turned side on, walking over to the window and looking down on the city. “Nothing that has happened so far is outside of the boundaries accounting for such things. Everything is still proceeding well enough on schedule.”

BANG!

The glass in front of Amber’s eyes, which had widened considerably, splintered as a bullet lodged itself within. Slowly, haltingly, Amber and the rest of us turned towards the shooter.

Slate-grey eyes hard, Bosco lowered his pistol. “I told you, Bernstein, that I would help you out with the Raiders, and no more than that. You want to talk schedules? I still have to get to Neighlway by the end of tomorrow. You don’t get to spring more surprise delays on us. I told you what would happen if you did.”

“Easy now, Bosco.” Naiara tried to step between the colt and Amber. “Killing in cold blood’s not your style.”

“Then what is my ‘style’?” He growled back. “Getting tricked? Lied to? Having my needs ignored and brushed aside? I’ve been dragged halfway round the damn Wasteland by almost everybody here, and I still haven’t got what you all promised me!” He raised the gun again, speaking around the mouth trigger. “Move, Naiara.”

“Put it down, Colt.” Rockhaunch’s bulk leaned over Bosco tensely. “You’re not murdering anyone in my city… even if they are asking for it.”

Amber’s voice spoke around Rockhaunch, quiet this time, and the confidence was slightly dulled. “Bosco, my promise to you still stands. You will have your passage to Neighlway, and you will reach your objective in time. The matters at hoof in this city should be resolved within the next day cycle.”

“Enough of this crap!” Breeze stomped up and, without any ceremony whatsoever, hauled back and backhoofed Amber with her greave. The Bernstein leader was sent sprawling.

She groggily rose, wide-eyed, holding a trembling hoof to her cheek. Breeze ignored her for a moment, checking her greave for damage, before continuing. “You’ve made deals with Raiders and slavers, bitch. You’ve spied on me with my own tech, which is only slightly less irritating. As things are right now, whatever plans you think you’ve concocted for how this all ends, you are not in control of the situation.” She turned back to the rest of us, smirking. “Damn, that was satisfying.”

Coughing haughtily, Amber used the dais steps to right herself. A definite edge was in her voice now. “I am so glad to provide some stress relief, Aqua Breeze.” The pegasus’ name was spoken like she was dragging it through the mud. “Now may we get back to the matter at hoof?”

“Your inviting doom upon this city, and subsequent failure to thwart your own twisted designs?” Following her sister’s lead, Cassie got her digs in.

Making her way to the window again, Amber avoided the bullet hole. Framed against the snowfall, increasing in strength from yesterday and this morning, she appealed to us once again. “There are plans in place for the Plottawans, just as they were one part of the plan to deal with the Raiders.”

“One part?” Wings scoffed. “From what we’ve seen, they were your only out, and you can hardly control them.”

Chuckling to herself as she smoothed out a crease from her white suit, some of Amber’s confidence returned. “My only out? Are you so sure?” She turned and leveled a flat stare at both Wings and Bosco. “Tell me, when the Plottawans attacked, what happened to Latvi?”

Bosco didn’t blink. “He took off the moment things got dicey for him. Hardly a surprise.”

Raising an eyebrow, Amber panned across Naiara, Undertow, and I. “He left by choice? You are sure?” Naiara and Undertow just shrugged.

Well, now that you mention it… “He didn’t seem happy about it. Almost sounded like he didn’t want to leave.”

“Almost?” The eyebrow went higher.

“Okay, fine.” I grumbled. “He definitely didn’t want to leave. He was screaming at Eitom to take him back. What’s your point?”

Her attention returned to Wings. “Did you ever wonder what the payment was for my giving them your location, after you killed McCoy?”

Cocking her head to the side, Wings regarded her warily. “You’re saying that you made Latvi leave? How?”

Despite the small dribble of blood from the side of her mouth, Amber was back in top form. She stood tall and collected. “Eitom made Latvi leave. I made Eitom make him. The agreement I made with Eitom was for him to take Latvi, and the rest of the Monsters, completely out of the city for 48 hours if Latvi found himself to be in danger. Latvi was to have no choice in the matter.”

Shiiiit. I couldn’t help but admire that, even if I had little else in the way of good feelings feelings for the mare. “So Eitom took Latvi away when the Plottawans attacked…”

“...And suddenly the Raiders are bereft of their leadership, and any air support.” Amber finished for me, radiating smugness.

“Damn,” Rockhaunch mumbled, much calmer now. “That’s…”

“Inspired.” Schwarzwald’s satisfaction was as evident as Amber’s, but she was staring hungrily at the mare. “Latvi is taken away for his own protection. Well played, Amber-dahling.”

Holding up a hoof, the businessmare called for quiet. Addressing the room as a whole, she held court without interruption. “Now will you believe that I have the Plottawan angle accounted for? I am not relying solely on the Raiders and slavers to wipe each other out. I have made additional arrangements.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re real smart, lady.” Despite the bluster, there was a level of respect audible in Rockhaunch’s speech. “We’ll go along with this for now, I guess.”

Giving a small bow, and a smaller smile, Amber returned to the dais. “I was confident that you would see reason.”

Rockhaunch wasn’t done. He strode forwards and rested a massive, cloven hoof on the dais itself. There were an audible creak as it took his weight. “HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean I’m any happier about you bringing the Raiders and Plottawans here, or about what you’ve been doing to Lethbridle itself. Your plan ends when the danger has passed. I won’t let you have your way past that.”

After shuffling a few papers, Amber rang a small bell on the pulpit. The mousy maid from earlier entered, carrying an ice pack.

Good luck for you, Bernstein, cause I’m sure as hell not icing that bruise for you.

Wincing as she held the pack to her cheek, Amber nodded at the Chief. “We shall see.”

~~~~~~

The last few hours had been, relatively speaking, quiet. No further attacks had come on the Lethbridle defenders’ blockades. There was definitely fighting occurring within the city walls, but not involving any guard or Bernstein forces.

For the past hour and half, the Plottawans and Raiders had been skirmishing throughout the western and northern quarters, under the watchful eyes of the twins and I.

I exhaled some cold mist, surveying the ongoing battles from two hundred feet up. “Gotta love all the space up here.” I muttered under my breath.

“I know,” Breeze chipped in from my left, formidable ears easily catching my words. “we almost wouldn’t have to dodge if any Raider or slaver even noticed us up here.”

“Still,” Cassie pointed out from the other side of her sister, as she sighted down her rifle’s scope. “we won’t be so foolish as to not dodge if they try, will we girls?” Her frown did little to dampen out spirits. She knew we were kidding.

“Yeah, yeah.” I waved her off, before pointing to the ground. “Who’s winning?”

Her weapon barked as she pulled the trigger. Far below, a blurry figure toppled over. “Me.” She gleefully replied. “That puts me at 20 Raider kills. You all owe me a hundred caps.”

Breeze and I both groaned and rolled our eyes. No fair! “I meant between-”

“I know,” Cassie interrupted smarmily. “but I’m finally able to have a little fun without worrying too much. The others got their chance before, now it’s out turn.” Her rifle barrel waved back and forth. “It looks like the Plottawans have driven the Raiders back to the northern quarter, while they control the western side. Mostly they seem to be trading shots across the boundary. For now, neither side seems to be in any hurry to attack the rest of the city. The Raiders still look to have the numbers advantage, and it isn’t particularly close.”

Breeze was looking at a wide courtyard, where the wrecks of the Raiders’ vehicles remained. “The Plottawans’ gear’s better though. I’m guessing they reached a stalemate.” Slamming a newly charged crystal into her Spell Shooter, she broke out into a predatory grin. “Let’s change that.”

Swooping down like the old Wonderbolts posters, the three of us dove rapidly towards the fray. Starting just on the Plottawan side of the divide, we popped off a few shots, a few grenades and, most enjoyable of all, a mini tidal wave, courtesy of Undertow’s magic in the Spell Shooter. Best of all, once the crystal was nearly drained, Breeze stuck a grenade to it, and chucked the improvised explosive into a clutch of slaver fighters.

Wow, that’s a big explosion.

Crossing the gap from the west to the north, the three of us twisted and twirled above the heads of the Raiders. Too far for their shoddy weapons, but no problem for us. Cassie stayed high for the most part, the better to use her long-range gun. For the most part, considering she brained a rooftop Raider with the rifle’s butt in a fly-by.

Firing until I was out of ammo, and unable to reload without breaking off, I tried to repeat the trick from my last fight: Stealing a gun from one distracted Raider, to use on their buddies. Spotting a likely target, I angled in for a grab, but a new burst of rattling fire from the throng on the ground forced me to divert and come back around.

Breeze was having better luck, wheeling and climbing, dropping and strafing, throwing and kicking grenades in any direction where she saw bodies without wings. Laughing maniacally, she kept calling back to us as her kill totals went up and up.

“Twenty eight!” Spinning in the air, her overhead kick rocketed a grenade straight into the face of a Raider, before it exploded. “Thirty one!” Spotting a pair of Raiders atop a ten-story apartment complex, she soared up the building, throwing a Shock Lock spear before her. The electric discharge paralysed the pair, sending their jerking bodies over the edge, passing her on the way down.

Blowing her bang out of her eyes, she cheered loudly. “Thirty thr-”

I watched in horror as her triumphant cheer morphed into an anguished scream, as the massive spinning axe slammed into her side. The blade bit deep, and the force of the throw pushed her towards the apartment building’s wall. Her momentum carried her to the roof but, out of control, she slammed into the lip shoulder-first, eliciting another scream. Tumbling onto the roof in a heap, she didn’t get up.

“BREEZE!” Abandoning her high-altitude harassment, Cassie sped towards the rooftop where her sister lay. “BREEZE!”

“Ahahaha! I got me a pretty berdy!” Standing tall on a nearby rooftop, Caber Toss looked on with relish. “ ‘mon over an’ I’ll finish the job, lass!” His crooked teeth parted as he laughed wholeheartedly.

No you won’t! “You son of a bitch!” Whipping out my revolvers, I charged at the stallion, pulling the triggers again and again.

Clickclickclick. “Shit!” I rammed the guns back in their holsters, and flexed my claws. This works too.

Still roaring with laughter, he leisurely unslung his oversized shotgun, and aimed it in my general direction. The blast that came out of it was somehow louder than Cassie’s rifle, and I had to break off my attack run. “Aw, don’ run, ya wee buzzard! Stay an’ play!”

Zigzagging to get out of the range of his shooter, I flapped up to the roof with the twins. Cassie was there now, cradling Breeze’s head in her lap. Caber Toss’ axe lay nearby, the blade’s edge slick with blood. “How is she?”

Hooves trembling and eyes watering, Cassie could only look at me, aghast. “She’s alive! She’s alive, but she’s hurt so badly!” In her hooves, Breeze sucked in air, eyes squeezed shut against the pain. She looked too hurt even to talk.

I had no pockets to check, and nothing to soothe the pain. Breeze’s side was a mess, with the deep gash and heavy bruising already forming on her shoulder. “Cass, maybe your Buck?”

The sniper started to reach for it, but then stopped herself. “She’ll just bleed faster!”

Raucous laughter floated up over the lip of the roof. “So she’s still kickin’, then? Ah’m on mah way t’fix that!”

“Shut up, you monster!” Glaring across the gap, my eyes locked with his.

“You...BASTARD!” Forgetting her sister for the moment, Cassie raced to the edge, swinging her weapon into position and letting rip, firing again and again. The first shot slammed into the concrete at Caber Toss’ hooves, and he retreated into the stairwell of the building. His laughter still mocked Cassie’s fruitless firing, until she too ran out of ammo. As soon as she did, he popped his head out of the doorway, grinning playfully.

“I’LL KILL YOU!” Tossing her weapon aside, her whip and hidden blade popped out of her bracers, as she launched herself full speed across the space between rooftops.

“Cass, no! I can’t…” Looking back at the downed Breeze, there was no way I could leave her and follow her sister’s blind revenge charge. “Don’t do it, Breeze needs our help!” Breeze was still bleeding, but remained conscious. Hang in there, girl. We’ll get you out of here. I moved to do what I could for her, all the while keeping one eye on Cassie.

She wasn’t listening to my words, though. Cassie’s whip snaked out and slapped the shotgun out of Caber Toss’ hooves. His smile dropped in the brief second before she smashed into him, blade first.

It was a good try, but the Haylander boss was massive. Cassie was not. Even putting her whole weight behind the blade, she didn’t take him off his hooves. Worse still, the blade had gotten him in the bicep. Not close to fatal.

Caber Toss’ smile returned in full force, inches away from the Pegasus struggling to retract her blade. “Well, awright then! Got some fight in yeh. ‘mon then, let’s have a go!” Winding his free hoof back, he hammered down on the smaller pony. She hit the floor, the breath leaving her in a shocked gasp.

Leaning down, he snagged a lock of red and black mane in his teeth. Neck muscles tensing visibly, he spun, dragging the winded mare off the concrete and over his shoulder, letting go at the apex of his swing. Cassie went tumbling through the air, bouncing off the stairwell door helplessly.

Still, anger gave her energy, and she rose shakily to her hooves. Glaring demonically, she swung her whip out, snaring him around the throat. Putting both her hooves into it, she tried to pull him off-balance.

Tried to. Caber Toss simply bit down on the whip, and yanked back. Cassie was wrenched straight into a vicious backhoof from the same limb that her blade had pierced. If he even noticed the wound, the Raider gave no sign. Cassie’s head flopped back from the strike, and she rolled to a stop on her back. Chest heaving, blood pouring from her nose and mouth, she tried to rise and keep fighting, but didn’t have the strength.

Caber Toss seemed disappointed with the development. Waving his shaggy mane back and forth, to remove the whip from around his neck, he looked down at her glumly. “What, ‘zat it? No’ gonna try an’ kill me ‘nymore? No’ even after mah axe put yer pal down? Ah’m tryin’ t’have some fun, lass!”

“Kill....you.” Breathed the fallen pegasus, from the floor. “...kill...you.”

Grunting, he stomped over to her, nudging her head with his hoof. “Nah, doll, yeh’re done.” Lifting the hoof further, positioning above her head, he prepared to stomp down.

NO! Breeze or not, I couldn’t let him kill Cassie either. My wings flared out, ready to fly. Before I could push off from my perch, though, I was beaten to the punch.

Or kick, as it turned out. A doubled-hoofed dropkick, straight into Caber Toss’ ribs. It sent the Raider chief staggering back to the roof edge, and almost over, before he got his hooves under himself again. “Who in the hell?”

The kick’s deliverer gently helped Cassie up, all the while watching the Raider boss. Golden eyes dark and furious, Cept stood tall between the two fighters. “You will pay for what you have done today, Raider.” There was no warmth in his voice, just chillingly calm certainty.

“Y-you?” Cassie leaned against the stairwell. “How?”

“Later.” Without breaking gaze with Caber Toss, Cept kicked a small pouch back at her. “Use this to help Breeze, until you can get her to your doctors.”

“But-”

“Go.” He silenced her with the word. “I will kill this Raider.”

“He’s mine!” Cassie near-roared.

“SHE is yours!” Cept full-roared back. “I cannot carry her out of here, not without being caught. You and the griffon have the sky. You can do it.”

He risked a backwards glance, eyes burning with intensity. “Please, Cassie, help Breeze now. You know you want to. I will take our revenge on this beast.”

“He’s right, Cass.” I called across the gap. “I can’t carry her on my own. We need to get her to safety, while we still can.”

“R-right.” Scooping up the pouch, Cassie bounced into the air. She paused for one moment, to deliver one last plea.

“Make it hurt.” Cassie winged over to me. “Help me, Wings. We need to get her to the medics.”

Nodding, I took up position on one side of Breeze, as Cassie pulled some bandages out of the pouch on the other side. “Whatever you need. I’m here for you both.”

Together we wrapped Breeze in bandages as best as we could, stemming some of the blood loss. It was a temporary solution at best, and we both knew it. Without another word, we lifted her up and away, towards the southern quarter.

Don’t give up, Breeze. We’ll get you help. Just hold on for a little while longer.

~~~~~~

The Raider and I watched as the three winged friends departed.

“Yeh think yeh c’n take me, stripey boy?” Flexing as he boasted, Caber Toss squared his shoulders. “Ah was killin’ pretenders afore you were even born. Whadaya think o’ that?”

“Nothing.” The muscles along my back bunched. “I have no time to think about you. I will simply kill you, then go be with her.”

“Aww,” the guttural Raider drawled. “is she yehr bonnie lass?”

Bursting forwards, I spun into a Fallen Caesar double buck. The Raider met it with a twin hammerblow. Tremors ran through my hind legs. The Raider’s strength was unreal. Even the buffalo I’d faced didn’t compare.

Kicking out, I separated from him. “Make it hurt” were her words. Baring my teeth, I charged again, spinning into another back kick. Caber Toss raised his hooves for another smash, but I was ready.

I kept spinning, a full rotation, so the strike passed harmlessly down in front of me. My spin wasn’t done, though, as I brought both back legs around in another half turn, pounding both into the side of his skull.

Disorientated, he ferally lashed out, catching me under the chin by chance. My hooves lifted off the ground, as he went down in a heap. I bounced up as soon as I hit the ground. He rose too, but slower, still dizzy.

Seizing the chance, I leapt forwards, heels crushing into his temples. Grunting in pain, he staggered back another step, eyes unfocusing. Sensing victory, another double blow was attempted to put him down.

Unfortunately, this time the massive stallion simply lowered his head further, with my hoof heels glancing off the top of his skull, cushioned by his wild mane.

I was in close and, before I could disengage, his teeth snapped around my bicep. Rearing up, teeth still looked around my limb, his bulk flattened me under him. Bleeding and bruised, but still more than able to fight, he grinned through gritted teeth. “Got yeh noo, bastard that yeh are.”

Formlessly, stylelessly, he rained blows down on me as I was trapped under him. All I could do was shield my head with my hooves, though they felt like they were cracking almost immediately.

As he battered down on me, he started laughing that absurd laugh again. That absurd, mocking laugh. That damn laugh you laughed as you threw that axe. That damn laugh you laughed as she fell. That damn laugh you laughed as you hurt her sister. With each mental image, the pain fell away. Ever since I saw Breeze fall, I’d been holding back the anger, the anguish, the worry, the panic. No more. It was a wonderful anaesthetic, and I was going to use it to kill this Star-marked inrispa!

Kicking out at the same rib I’d dropkicked, I felt something crack. I kicked at it twice more in succession, finally halting his attack. Planting both hind hooves in his stomach, I did as he did, grabbing him with my teeth, and pushed. Something jarred in my left hind leg, but it was still enough to send him rolling away from me. Scrambling upright, I grabbed his fallen gun. Spinning around, I only just got it up as he slammed into me head first, we both went down again, him on top of me.

I pulled the trigger.

A wet, meaty splat sounded as the weapon fired. I felt my own rib break from the recoil. The Raider fared far worse, though. As his body fell to my left, his left front leg fell away to my right. The blast had blown clear through the joint.

His incoherent screaming gave me no small measure of satisfaction, but also snapped my mind back into focus. I would hear you scream all day, beast, but you won’t keep me from her side any longer.

Racking the slide for one more shot, I pointed it at his head.

He stared back, wide-eyed. “Ah’m no dyin’ like this! No’ until ah’ve killed Red Ice!” Bloody spittle sprayed from his lips with every word.

The point of caring was far behind me. “Mua leija.” I pulled the trigger, wincing as it drove again into my broken rib. Such worthless tools.

Without a backwards glance, I turned to the stairwell. Halfway down the staircase, with the battle rush wearing off, I had to slow to a crawl. I could only breathe in ragged gasps, and couldn’t put any weight on my back right leg.

Grimacing at my own weakness, I pushed on as best as I could. “I will be there soon, Aqua Breeze. I will not abandon you.” Keep her safe, Naiara. Please.

~~~~~~

“WE NEED HELP!” The twin screams of Cassie and I brought a dozen onlookers running. We landed roughly in a wide open staging area.

Naiara was with them, jade eyes widening as she took in our state. “What happened? Is Breeze… is she…? What happened?!”

Cassie didn’t answer her, instead barking orders to the medics wheeling out a stretcher. I made sure that she was on her way to treatment, before turning to the zebra. “That bastard Raider boss got her with his axe. Cept stayed behind to fight him. Cassie and I carried Breeze back here. We need medicine, potions, whatever they’ve got. She’s in a bad way, Naiara.”

Shaking, Naiara fell into step with me as we ran after Cassie and the stretcher. “Cept’s here? And he’s fighting Caber Toss by himself?”

“Yeah. It’s a bad situation all around.” There was no other way to describe it. One fucking Raider shouldn’t be able to do all this.

Naiara looked after the medics. “You’ve got Breeze and Cassie, right? You can watch over them with Snow and the others?”

Nodding, I spotted the medics opening up a case of healing potions. Rushing forwards, I grabbed two of them, and tossed them to her. “Yeah, we got this. Go get Cept.”

The potions disappeared into her cloak pouches. Grimly, she nodded. “I’ll have my communicator. Tell me the instant you hear anything.”

“Got it. Good luck. There’s still plenty of Raiders and slavers out there.”

Nodding silently, she sprinted away down the courtyard path.

When she was gone, I sped up to the infirmary, where Breeze was being attended by half a dozen medics. Cassie was being held back by Bosco and Schwarzwald, with Snowflake and Undertow standing off to the side. Seeing me, Bosco called out. “What happened to her?”

“Caber Toss’ axe.” I gnashed angrily. “Cept’s fighting him. Naiara’s gone to help.”

Cassie redoubled her efforts to get closer to her sister, straining against Bosco and Schwarzwald’s grip. “LET ME GO! She needs me!”

“You will be in the way, dahling. Let them work.” Schwarzwald had size and strength on the pegasus, and wasn’t coming off a beating. She didn’t let go.

“She needs me! I need her! She’s all I have!”

I seized her around the shoulders, hugging her close. “We’re not losing her. Whatever they need, we’ll get, but we’re not doctors. We can’t give her what she needs.”

“She needs blood before we can start healing.” Announced one of the medics. “You all need to be tested as donors.”

A strangled sob burst from Cassie’s throat. She’d gone cold in my embrace. “Blood donors?”

“Blue Fire’s out,” The medic continued. “too volatile for griffon blood right now. Any of you had any Taint exposure?”

Undertow raised a hoof. The medic made a cutting motion in the air. “You’re out too.” He looked to the rest of our group. “Family would be easiest.”

As one, we all looked to Cassie. She burst into tears. “I-I can’t.”

“CASSIE!” My disbelieving squawk was right in her face.

“What are you saying?” Bosco and the other looked aghast at her words.

The medic frowned deeply. “Miss, I can see you’re hurting too, but your sister needs your blood.”

Shaking her head every more vigorously, Cassie could barely speak over the sobs. “I can’t! She can’t have my blood.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Snow challenged. “She’s your sister. Help her!”

“I CAN’T!” Cassie was falling apart before her very eyes.

“Tell us why!”

“SHE’S NOT MY REAL SISTER!” Wailing, Cassie covered her face with both hooves.

Silence descended immediately. Nobody spoke, nobody moved, nobody took a breath.

It was broken by the medic, who began issuing commands to the other healers. “Plug her wounds, and we’ll put her under a body stasis spell. It’ll help her last longer, but we’ll still need a donor within the next few hours.”

Sobbing, Cassie ran from the room.

Taking charge, another medic tested Snowflake, Bosco, and Schwarzwald for blood matches.

No matches. It was a long hour to wait for Naiara and Cept to return. Longer still before it was finally determined, with hugs and huge sighs of relief, that Cept could donate.

~~~~~~