I found Naiara doing exactly what I expected of her. I watched, leaning against the barracks doorway, as she sat checking the pockets of her cloak. “So when are you leaving?”

A petty, not-as-small-as-I-would-like part of myself was satisfied as she jumped in fright. It was quickly squashed, however. I wasn't there to guilt-trip her.

Judging by that face, you're aware of how this looks, Naiara.

The zebra turned, a tight ball of knotted muscle, on the bed. “Cassie, I... look, I want to be here with Breeze, but-”

“I know,” She quieted at my gentle interruption. “you have to deal with your clanmates.”

“I... yeah.” Shrugging, Naiara fidgeted with some zebra contraption in her hooves.

Inhaling for several seconds, then letting it out, allowed me to remain composed. “I owe you an apology, Naiara. I am fighting the impulse to shout and scream at you for abandoning Breeze, but that's not fair.”

“I'm not-”

I held up a hoof. “I know you're not. Breeze is MY whole world, but she's only a part of yours. And that's...” Every adjective I knew ran through my mind to finish that sentence. In the end I just gave up. “...okay. I know you love Breeze, and have proven it over and over. Having more than her in your life does not diminish all that you are to her.”

Still tensed, Naiara silently waited for me to get my words out.

Why did nobody tell me it would be this hard? Oh, that's right. I don't have anybody to tell me that. “Your clan is important to you, and should be. You were right in the forest. We don't do enough to help you with the goals of your zebra compatriots. We should do more, and that's why I'm here to tell you that you don't have to feel guilty about heading to Plottawa.”

“I just have to find out what Atesh is thinking!” Naiara stuffed whatever she was holding back into a pocket with vigour. “This is totally new ground for him.”

I nodded. “the more we know how to deal with him, for good or ill, the better. Still, not just in the forest, but I remember what you said in Lethbridle too. When Breeze first got hurt.”

An ear flick went well with her clueless expression. “Uh.. what'd I say?”

The smile this drew from me couldn't be held back. “You demanded that we look after each other when going about our missions, to guarantee that Breeze wouldn't be alone when she woke up. You stopped just short of telling us all that you'd cripple us to make sure we were safe for when Breeze wakes up.”

She mumbled into her hoof. “...didn't want her to be hurt and alone.”

“And I love that thought process.” Crossing the room, my hoof tapped her in the sternum. “That being the case, I trust that you won't complain if I accompany you to Plottawa? I have to ensure that YOU stay safe for her, too.”

Her head cocked to the side. “But that won't solve anything! We'll both be gone, and Breeze won't have anybody around when she wakes up!”

“We'll get to that, don't worry. Please, just let me help you with this. You, and Cept, and..." A bitter taste caught in my throat as I continued. "...most of the others have been nothing but welcoming to Breeze and I. She's reciprocated, but I'm starting to realise that I've been too focused on her.” A tight smile flittered across my lips. “I still want to spend every waking moment making sure she's looked after and content, but our group has grown larger than just the two of us. You, Schwarzwald, Wings, Bosco and yes, even Undertow, have done much more for us than I have done in return.”

“What about Snow?”

Her question was ignored. “Breeze has given back, with her friendship and her technology, but I haven't. I want to start making good. You all deserve more from me. I can do better.”

“Cass, nobody's keeping a scorecard.”

“I am.” I set my jaw. “I can't simply coast on the sidelines, that's not friendship. You all must be satisfied that I am truly on your side, and not just as Breeze's plus-one. The least I can do is show you and your clan that you have my support in whatever enterprise you wish to undertake.”

“But what about Breeze? She'll still be sitting in that bed by herself.” Naiara had, loyally seized upon that point. Be at ease, friend. I have a plan.

“Yyyes, well, I was actually hoping you would help me to convince the Doublehorn brothers to watch over her while we are gone. They would most likely refuse if I asked, but have no reason to distrust you.”

“Well, except for conspiring with you, perhaps?” This time I was the one to jump, as Buff stepped through the doorway, followed by his two brothers. All three were stone-faced.

Let's find out. Rounding on him, I matched his stare. “And was I correct? Had I asked, would you have agreed?”

The buffalo's big face shifted slightly. “You were correct that we wouldn't have been happy about it, but no, we wouldn't have refused.”

Surprising. “Oh? Why is that?”

“Because your sister's not you.” Lo piped up. “'sides, Undertow stumped for the two of you, and we actually like her.”

“Same with Lexi,” Al supplied. “she agreed to heal her up, probably because she WASN'T the one who shot Snow. We trust their judgement on this.”

Buff lowered his head until it was right in front of mine. “That doesn't mean that there won't be a reckoning when you two, and Snow's group, get back. We won't just let this go.”

I doubted you would. “That's fine. This is hardly one-sided. I would caution you against assuming the best of Snowflake beforehoof, as a courtesy.”

Naiara waved a hoof between the two of us. “Ookay, don't ruin it after they've said yes, Cass. Come on, I don't want this taking any longer than it has to. We'll work things out, and be back before Breeze wakes up. Sound good?”

“Agreed.”

“...fine. Now what do you want us to say to Breeze, when she wakes up?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“But did I really have to have my communicator off the entire way?”

“Yes, or else you'd have been stopping every hour to check in. We're on the clock here, Cass.”

Grumbling, I put the small device away, and followed Naiara through the forests east of Lethbridle. We'd made good time, but it was still long enough for me to run through several cycles of regretting leaving Breeze, rationalising leaving, hating Atesh and his machinations, and hating Snowflake in general.

The forest itself was withered and failing, with a moderate dusting of snow in the weak trees. Still, Naiara found us paths to follow, with only one sheer hill face requiring us to backtrack. I had offered to lift Naiara, but she vetoed it, saying I should save my strength for Plottawa itself.

Mimicking Naiara's movements as she moved through the forest was an exercise in futility. How does she balance like that? The best I could do was to simply try to move WHEN she did, rather than how.

Following this pattern, when she dropped straight to the ground, I did the same, before wriggling on my belly to where she lay. “What is it?”

“Patrol, stay still.” She whispered back, without moving her head. Her cloak was flicked back to cover my more vibrant coat, and we did our best to blend in with the landscape.

Soon, the crunch of hooves sounded through the trees, coming closer. From what I could hear, there were three of them, and they were talking amongst themselves.

“We seriously don't have the guys for this. Peanut took too many of us to Lethbridle.”

“Oh come on, that's not fair. He had no way of knowing Plottawa would be infiltrated. I mean, who'd be stupid enough to attack our headquarters? Generally, ponies try to avoid us.”

“Well, there's the rub, isn't it? Damn stripes don't think like we do. I don't know what they're after.”

“Doesn't matter. They can't hold out forever, even if we're running a ghost unit. We just need to keep 'em busy until the boss gets back from Lethbridle, with a fat stack of new Raider slaves in tow.”

I jerked, earning a kick from Naiara. They are trying to enslave the Raiders? Madness!

“Hell, they might as well just sic those lunatics on the zebras. They'll take care of them in no time.”

“And wreck half of Plottawa in the process, not to mention all the slaves we've already got in there? Raider slaves are a niche market, for those deathring types. Anywhere else, they cause more damage than they'll cover in payment. You might be broke, but I got some good stuff in my locker.”

“I know, that picture of your cousin.”

“DO. NOT. I'm already worried enough about her. She stayed behind to catch up on paperwork. If those zebras have hurt her...”

“Don't worry, dude, we'll get her. The stripes were just trying to scare us when they killed those unicorns from accounting, uh... Shoestring and Flip. They wouldn't just kill all of the support staff. No way they can keep the slaves in line without them.”

Naiara stirred in front of me at the mention of zebras slaughtering non-combatants. I tapped her back hoof with my bracer as comfort.

“'sides, the lieutenant'll think up a plan soon enough. She's devious, that one.”

“Yeah, whatever. Come on, let's get back. I wanna get those bastards out of my home.”

After a long few minutes, until she was absolutely sure they were gone, Naiara lifted the cloak and stood. I followed suit, brushing dirt and leaves from my haunches.

“Well, that was interesting. The Plottawans are down to their dregs. Good to know their teeth were pulled in Lethbridle. It might have been worthwhile after all.”

“Mhm,” was Naiara's distracted reply. “Come on, let's keep moving.”

“One moment, Naiara.” I shucked the last of the foliage off my gear. “Let me ask you: How does this end?"

“I don't know.” She shook her head. “Atesh has never had us do anything like this before. It's much more overt than we usually are. He doesn't pick fights like this without reason, and certainly doesn't trap himself and the clan in one place. It doesn't make any sense.”

“I'm worried about that 'lieutenant', too.” I glanced in the direction that the patrol had gone, my eyes just picking up their movements. “Peanut might be in Lethbridle, but if he trusted his second-in-command enough to leave her in charge here, she might be formidable in her own right.”

She waved that off. “One thing at a time, Cass. We need to get to Atesh, first.”

“I agree, but the Plottawans are between us and he. Any ideas?”

A wry smile appeared. “Yeah, I did use this one trick on my first trip here. All you need to do is find an open space, and wait for a patrol. Then, when I start, be ready to jump in.”

The smile was just the wrong side of unnerving. “What? What am I doing?”

In response, she led me to another clearing, and had me lay half-hidden behind a fallen tree trunk. “Keep those blades out of sight, but ready to use.” Then she was gone, blending into the trees in a way that made her near impossible to track, even for my vision.

Wonderful. I act as bait for slavers. How fun. If they come anywhere near me with a collar...

Quietly fuming, it took several minutes for me to pick up an approaching slaver patrol, and several more for them to notice me. I played the part well, limping dramatically as they approached.

“Well, well. What do we have here?”

“Yo, are those wings?”

“Hot damn! A Pegasus?”

“Easy on the eyes too. She'll fetch a bundle.”

“Please, no,” I 'whimpered', inwardly smiling at managing a flutter in my voice.

“Just come along quietly now.” The lead slaver, an earth pony mare, fished a collar from out of her supplies.

Before she could take another step towards me, Naiara dropped onto her two colleagues, knocking their guns away, before striking out with a hoof to the back of each's head.

The mare, startled, whipped her head around towards the zebra in shock. “What the—”

Was as far as she got before I buried Breeze's and my hidden blades in her back and neck, respectively. As she fell, I moved to help Naiara.

She didn't need it. She was a dance of devastation. I watched as a slaver swung a powerful hammerhoof straight at her head, only for the blindingly fast zebra to bend backwards, the attack sailing over her head. As the slaver's movement reached its end, she grasped his hoof, and in one swift motion struck at his back knee with all her weight. A sickening crunch and yell accompanied her as she used the created momentum to sail towards the second raider, delivering a two hoofed kick straight to his midsection.

The surprisingly tough second raider managed to keep his balance, his resilience fading fast in front of the thorough beating he was receiving. Naiara came spinning from the skies once more, this time delivering a vicious crane-kick with her front leg, before catching herself and landing in a crunching pirouette on his neck. The bone snapping was audible.

The first slaver, a unicorn stallion, got his rifle off the ground in a telekinetic haze, before my whip wrapped around his horn and yanked. Off-balance and off-focus, the rifle twisted in mid-air, smacking him in the jaw. Dazed, he fell long enough for my blades to finish him off.

Panting at the exertion, I sheathed the blades in bracer and greave. “What was the point of all this?”

Already stripping the bodies, Naiara tossed me a helmet. “Camouflage.”

Sniffing at the headgear, I pulled a face. “Joy.”

“Not the first disguise I've worn, probably won't be the last.”

“Hooray.”

Still, it did the job. While we made sure to steer clear of most Plottawan patrols, and we couldn't avoid seemed content with a simple wave of acknowledgement and counter-acknowledgement as we moved along. Soon enough, we found ourselves near the back wall of Plottawa itself.

Shucking off the foul trappings, I relished the feeling of stretching my wings again. “I wish we didn't have to do this again on the way out.”

Piling snow and branches atop the uniforms, Naiara just shrugged. “You gotta do what you gotta do. It'll be quicker than going without. All for Breeze, yeah?”

The things I do for love. “All for Breeze. What's next?”

Jade eyes turned to the wall before us. “Gimme a lift?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The other side of the wall was not the secluded spot we hoped it would be.

“Is that a Pegasus?”

“Another one of those filthy stripes too!”

“Bitchwing traitor, how can you work with the zebras?”

Hunching my shoulders against the slaves' shouts, I concentrated on gently lowering Naiara onto the correct side of the slave pens. So their spirits haven't broken, at least. That's... good.

“What'd we do?” Naiara muttered, legs dangling.

“We were born with stripes and wings. Apparently that was wrong.” I let her go as we dropped to a metre above the ground. Crouching, she barely kicked up dust on impact.

Naiara's head jerked towards some boxes. “Behind there, before my clan comes to investigate what's got 'em all riled up.”

We barely had time to get out of sight before Naiara's prediction proved true. Two zebra, armed with the same rifles that all the Plottawans carried, slunk into the courtyard.

One of them pointed their weapon at the pens, demanding an explanation in broken Equestrian. The slaves responded by hurling abuse at this new target.

The other made a token attempt at looking around, but soon lost their patience with the captives. Growling in zebra, barely heard above the jeers, he directed his friend back inside.

When they were gone, I carefully peered over the top of the boxes. “What did the second one say?”

“Basically? 'To hell with these guys, it's cold out here'.”

“Eloquent.”

“Well, y'know, it loses something in the translation.”

“Of course. Lead the way?”

Naiara wriggled some warmth into her shoulders. “Let's see what I can remember from my last time here.” A small grin appeared. “And if I'm still the stealthiest zebra in my clan... even with a clodstomping pony slowing me down.”

“'Clodstomping'? How very dare you!” I held a certainly-clod-free hoof to my breast. “I'll have you know that no equine is lighter on their hooves than a pegasus.”

“Tell that to Breeze. If she leans the wrong way, she jingles when she walks.”

“That is not...” always “...true. She just likes to carry her materiels when she travels. If you'll remember, we don't have a home base to stash our extras.”

Canting her head to the side, Naiara shushed me slightly before responding. “Me neither, but I still know how to travel light.”

Folding my wings in, and tucking my loose mane strands behind my ears, I stuck close. “And that's why I trust you to get us through undetected, svara.”

Emitting a noise halfway through a groan and purr, Naiara flashed me a smile. “Flattery, my only weakness. You honey dripper, you.” Her grin faded as she took stock. “Okay, no more jokes. We're at the ballroom now. Big open space, very little cover. Good for a fight, bad for sneaking. Easiest bet? Stick to the wall, get ourselves through in one dash. Got it?”

Silly to spy in no time at all. Nicely done. Nothing more would be said until she gave the all clear, but my muscles tensed for whatever would be in the ballroom.

One step into the ballroom, Naiara changed her mind. She pointed at me, then pointed up, then flapped her hooves.

“Fly?” I mouthed back. At her nod, my wings spread. The reason for the change soon became apparent: The ballroom was solid wood flooring. Any hoofsteps would echo around the entire area. Naiara might have been soft enough to mask her sound, but I was better off airborne.

“Still think I could have walked,” I grumbled at the other end, before following Naiara down a hallway. We had passed the impressive stage that almost the entire length of one wall, the long-emptied bar where Naiara mentioned Snowflake had been flustered by Peanut, and the wide central area itself, where slavers had danced and mingled.

Turning the corner, we found ourselves in an office, with several rows of cubicles. A doorway at the other end caught my attention and, with a nudge to Naiara's shoulder, my hooves stayed grounded while beginning to cross the thick carpet. The rug absorbed all sound of my hooves, and a little thrill went through me as I imagined, for a moment, that I was as talented at infiltration as Naiara.

My daydream shattered a moment later, when I snaked around a cubicle and found myself face-to-glyph with a zebra guard looking the other way. Breath catching in my throat, my mind screamed for Naiara as my body locked up. Oh no. Nonono. Not now, we're so close!

I almost screamed as a hoof wrapped around my muzzle. Glinting green eyes identified her as the one zebra I wanted to see, even with her expression fixed in a grimace. With a mountain's slowness, we marched, one hoof at a time, around the corner of another cubicle. The unfamiliar zebra, engrossed in a flickering terminal display, did not turn around before we were out of the far doorway.

“Please tell me we are close.” Wheezing the words out, my body battled to remain quiet but still suck in all the air it had forgone in the other room.

Naiara was much cheerier. “Just up those stairs.” Barely ten metres away, at the top of said stairs, was a door of flawless oak.

Creeping our way up, a voice from inside grew louder as we ascended. “-ernstein has no power left, the agreement is void.”

“Atesh?” Naiara responded to my whisper with a nod.

If anyone responded to Atesh, I didn't hear them. He continued talking regardless. “I do possess this Plottawa which, once sterilised of the ponies outside the walls, will be a valuable commodity, for those seeking shelter OR slaves. I am free to bargain with any who ask, now that the fortune of the Bernstein is in the hooves of the Lethbridle chieftain. This 'Rockhaunch' is no schemer. He will not uphold her deal.”

“What deal?” Naiara and I chorused.

The door was open a crack, to which I pressed an eye. Inside, Atesh sat in a high-backed chair, tapping at his chin. “The only remaining question is if Cept managed to reach Naiara.”

On the wall of the stairwell, the slightest of shifts drew my attention. Looking round and past Naiara, I felt my jaw drop as two more zebra emerged from under their Stealth cloaks.

Atesh's inflection shifted. “Won't you tell me, Naiara?”

Wooden-limbed, Naiara stood and marched into the office, with the two zebra and I following. “Elder.”

“Welcome home, scout.” Atesh clasped his hooves in front of him, peering imperiously over them at the two of us, as the cloaked zebras took up station on either side of the door.

Shaking her head, Naiara pointed at the wall. “This isn't home, Atesh. I wouldn't be surprised if you could still see the imprint of my face from the last time I fought Peanut here.”

Tired hazel eyes barely flicked in that direction. “Much has changed since then, Naiara. Possibly everything.”

“Like our clan being slave traders now?” Naiara shot back.

“Naiara!” One of the door guards barked at her. “Roga tok amarin!”

Atesh raised a hoof. “Please, it is alright. Naiara has been away, and she does not know all that we have seen and done in her absence. She may speak her mind, in Equestrian, for the sake of our guest.”

Dirty looks were sent my way from the guards, but they said nothing more. How is it MY fault that we speak different languages?

Emboldened, Naiara took a step forwards. “Elder, what deal did you make with Amber Bernstein?”

Leaning back, he regarded us both with level eyes. “The Bernstein wished to remove the Raiders and Peanut as players in the region. She used Lethbridle for this purpose. Did you see the Plottawans arrive in the city?”

“We saw them appear out of nowhere, and attack the Raiders.”

“You are close to the truth. The Plottawans had a secret tunnel into the city from here. I am told that it was used to move slaves out of sight of the guards. An arrangement with the Merchant's Guild, if I recall correctly.” Atesh's laugh was nasal, mocking. “No matter. The Bernstein asked us to collapse it behind the Plottawans.”

“Why us?”

I gave Naiara a curious glance at 'us'.

“She offered payment of supplies and information, and we accepted as the natural choice. We are skilled in the ways of stealth. It was not difficult to follow the Plottawan army on its way.” A burst of outside gunfire cut through the conversation for a moment. “Still, we had hoped to trap ALL of the slavers.”

“Is that why you took Plottawa? To kill the rest of the slavers?”

Atesh shook his head. “No, we were only asked to collapse the tunnel. We are here because the opportunity was there. The slavers outside were on patrol when we breached these walls. Now, we have supplies, weapons, and the means to further my goals.”

“What means?”

Atesh leaned forward again, onto his steepled limbs. “The slaves. There are many unicorns among them. We will test them. Perhaps among them is one of sufficient power to wield the horn.”

Oh, dear. Twisting my back hoof ever-so-slightly, I felt the slight shift inside Breeze's greave. A surprise, in case this rapidly collapsing conversation went even further downhill.

Naiara wasn't any happier about the direction it was going either. “The horn is still dangerous, Elder! We don't know all that it can do, or all that it will do.”

“And that is why a pony will take the brunt of the effects. Whoever we choose to wield the horn will only do so at my order. They are as much a tool to be used as the horn itself.”

Naiara put her hooves on the desk and leaned forward, nose to nose with Atesh. “And will it truly get you home, Elder? Will you be accepted back, even though your beliefs have not changed?”

The two guards gasped at the same time as Atesh's expression soured. “Watch your tongue, Naiara. It is starting to sound like you do not support our efforts.”

She didn't pull back. “I want the best for this clan, Elder, and-”

“I decide what is best for this clan, Naiara. The horn will bring us glory, the means to revive our entire nation. Belief will not matter, for we will be NECESSARY.” He rose, mirroring Naiara's stance. “My goal is still to have Latvi wield the horn. His magic is useful, but he himself is weak. If I cannot have him, then we will take another suitable unicorn, either one who is known to be susceptible to the horn's power, or are themselves powerful in their own right. Even without the slaves, Latvi is not our only option."

My heart skipped a beat, and meeting Naiara's gaze confirmed my suspicions. He's going after...

Beseeching, Naiara stepped back and genuflected. “Elder, please. Not them. They won't help you.”

Gathering his crimson robe around him, Atesh provided no comfort. “We do what we have to, scout, for the good of our kind. Any and all will be used for that goal.”

“No, they won't.” I triggered the greave, and squeezed my eyes shut.

Even from inside my eyelids, the glare was visible. Thank you and your explosives, Breeze. All four zebra were crying out in pain as the flash grenade went off. Trusting in hooves and my memory, I reached out in what was hopefully Naiara's direction, grabbing tight to the first body part I came across.

“My mane! Ow, let go!”

Success! “Naiara, come on. We're leaving!” About-facing, I knocked aside the reeling guards without resistance.

Taking the stairs with my eyes shut, and a zebra in tow, proved far more difficult, and painful. Still, the adrenaline was pumping. It allowed me to pick us both up from the bottom of the stairs where we'd fallen, and keep going.

“NAIARA!” Atesh thundered from Peanut's office. “RETURN TO ME AT ONCE! THIS HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH! YOU WILL NOT BETRAY THIS CLAN!”

“Notyourfaultnotyourfaultnotyourfault...” I chanted as she gave a choking sob.

Far enough from the flash, I could open my eyes. With no more thought for stealth, we rocketed through Plottawa's halls, offices, and ballroom.

One pair of zebras leapt out to bar our path, but I slung another of Breeze's grenades at them. It exploded in a concussive wave, launching them back and away. They lay groaning as we rushed past. We were in the pens, and over the wall, before any more of Naiara's clan could catch up.

Hastily dragging our Plottawan uniforms back on, we ran into the dark forest.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~