“Any more surprises at the front door, Bernstein?” Mom had fallen into an easy rhythm here in the Monitor Room, efficiently juggling the different feeds, along with directing Al, Amber, and I.

I liked watching her work.

“Undertow!”

Her snapped call brought me out of my reverie. “Yes, Mom?”

“Ain’t got time fer yeh to daydream, babygirl. Ah need yeh ready t’fight. The Rangers’ll notice we’re in here sooner or later.”

“Make that sooner!” Al hustled into the room, slamming the door behind him, and hammering the ‘lock’ button. “Got three Rangers coming up the corridor, and the one in front looks important.”

“Important how?” Fedexi Lexi kept her attention evenly split between the buffalo and the monitors.

Al was trying to wedge his metal shield against the door. “Well, he’s pretty old, and he’s got one of the others carrying his helmet for him.”

Blowing air past her lips, Mom racked her shotgun telekinetically. “Must be Iron Sights. Old bastard never did wanna do any o’ his own work.”

A hastily scribbled note bounced off Al’s horn. Unfurling it, he voiced Amber’s question. “‘What now? Trapped here.’ I dunno. That door’ll hold for a while, but the Rangers might have gotten override codes from Roc.”

We all jumped as a heavily armoured hoof rapped against the other side of the door. The door’s intercom clicked, and a robotic voice blared out. “Attention, intruders. You are ordered to surrender immediately or face immediate termination.”

Amber enlarged the feed from the corridor, fixing it in the center of the monitor bank. Al’s report had been accurate. Flanked by two helmeted and fully covered Paladins, both of whom had all firepower trained on the door, the leader of Neighlway’s Steel Ranger contingent stood waiting, impassive.

Exhaling through her nose, Mom stalked over to the intercom. Before she keyed the mic, she looked back at us. “Figger sumthin’ out, you three. Ah’ll keep ‘im talkin’ as long as Ah can.”

“Be careful, Mom.” I whispered, before throwing all of my attention at the screen, and the three armoured opponents it displayed. Three of them, all armed. I could probably fight one by myself, but the other two would get Al, Mom, and Bernstein before I could stop them. I need a way to stop them all.

Clearing her throat, my mother began her distraction. “Iron Sights, y’all wanna point them guns someplace else? Ah got kids in here an’ yeh’re spookin’ them.”

On the monitor, the Ranger elder’s head had snapped up on hearing the unicorn mare. Clearly not expecting it, he took a second to recover. “Fedexi Lexi? You are here?” His surprise faded into cold neutrality. “I suppose it should not come as a shock, what with your relationship to Red Ice.”

“Ain’t got a relationship with Red Ice, Elder.” she shot back, "Just with a little filly called Snowflake.”

Iron Sights tilted his head, mild amusement tugging his lips up. “You wish to discuss semantics? They are one in the same. She has herself told the Wasteland this. Or are you simply attempting to cover for one of your employees?”

“They ain’t the same,” my heart swelled to hear Mom defend my sister, “an’ neither works fer me anyway. Snowflake did me a favour a little while back, an’ you tintops jumped ‘er in the process.”

Iron Sights looked up at the camera, giving a wide smile. “Then I suppose I have you to thank for leading us here. Snowflake was very helpful in showing us the way to this place, albeit through others.”

While he was speaking, I was searching him and his companions for weaknesses. They all have energy weapons. They won’t jam.

“She wouldn’t do that.”

“She gave us the first clue. While we treated her after the Hissyflit ambush, her report on our Memory Orbs was invaluable.” He reaches up and tapped the Steel Ranger symbol on his armour plating. “Of course, it was a true Ranger who paved the way for us. Paladin Sa-sorry, now Paladin-Commander Sassaflash, is still loyally serving the order even over a century after her death.”

A hoof landed daintily on my shoulder. Turning, I saw Amber holding another scrap of paper in her mouth. What now? Levitating it, I unfolded its contents. There were only two words this time, but they still had the makings of a plan. Very clever, Bernstein. I lit up my horn, and went to work.

Al muttered something to Mom, who relayed it through the mic. “The Stable wasn’t even open that long ago. How the hell’d a Ranger get inside a hunnerd years ago?”

Iron Sights shrugged. “Well, she didn’t, not truly. She was the one who alerted her superiors to the traitorous actions of her husband, formerly Scribe Caramel, who was stripped of his rank for the crime of forsaking the codex, of desertion, and of simple cowardly incompetence. Where Sassaflash saw the majesty of our sacred duty, Caramel simply wanted to be near her. He was never truly committed to our cause, and attempted to flee to this Stable with their daughter. The daughter didn’t survive, and Caramel was exposed by Sassaflash herself for his crimes. She included details that allowed us to locate this place, where we found our new associate, Roc, eager to do business.”

“Ah dunno about you folks, but Ah’m thinkin’ Caramel might’ve been the smarter one o’ the pair, all told.” Her magic ruffled my mane warmly. “A pony’ll do the right thing every time fer their child.”

Iron Sights’ smile briefly turned into a frown, before his expression returned to neutral. “I’m sure that we can discuss the actions of our past heroes in greater detail at a later date, but for now I must ask again that you surrender.”

Sprinkles Supplies’ boss ignored his demand. “Why’d yeh even come here, Iron Sights? Ain’t no way Stable 61’s gonna give up all its tech to you and your hoarders. Surprised they let yeh in the door at all, t’be honest.”

Iron Sights waved the two Paladins forwards. “Your stalling grows tiresome, Fedexi Lexi. But, to answer your question, I convinced Roc that our goals were similar. ‘The restoration of Equestria’.” He chuckled. “Such an… imprecise and wide-ranging term. It can mean one thing to an individual, and something completely different to another. In time, Roc and the Stable will see that our way is the true path to that goal.”

“So long as they give yeh all their stuff, an’ let yeh do whatever with it, y’mean?”

Tight smile still in place, Iron Sights remained silent. The two other Rangers raised their weapons at the door, waiting for his signal. His hoof dropped, and the pair of Paladins fired their weapons.

Or tried to, anyway. Sparks and haggard grinding sounded from within their weaponry, prompting all three Steel Rangers to stare at the malfunctioning devices.

Wheeling around, Iron Sights raised his voice. “I gave you an order, Rangers. Get that door open!”

“Sorry, sir,” One responded helplessly, “weapons are nonfunctional. There appears to be corrosion in the interior systems.”

‘Metal rusts’ indeed. Thank you, Lady Bernstein. Aquamarine horn-glow fading, I nodded my appreciation to the Earth mare, who had already taken cover behind a desk.

“Al, get ready.” Lexi intoned, hoof hovering near the door panel.

“Gotcha.” Backing up as far as the small-for-a-buffalo room would allow, he squared his shoulders and heaved his heavy iron shield in front of him. “Just say the word.”

“RANGERS, GET THAT DOOR OPEN!”

Iron Sights’ ire had the two Rangers wilting slightly, but they pulled themselves together and began to mirror Al’s preparations.

The moment they had backed up enough, they began to charge.

Lexi hit the panel in the same moment, shouting for Al as the door whooshed open. “GO GO GO!”

At the Monitor Room’s threshold, Al again met a Ranger coming the other way, only this time it was the buffalo who was coming out, and carrying a few hundred kilos of solid steel with him.

Even in their armour, the Rangers were half his size, and went straight backwards on impact. One managed to grab hold of Al’s shield, and drag it away as he fell.

Al ignored it, and continued on after the other Ranger, diving his full bulk onto the rising pony, who was crushed back down into the floor.

Mom and I boiled out of the Monitor Room after him, her shotgun barking away at the Elder, who threw his hooves up to shield his unarmoured face.

I went for the last Ranger, the one who had grabbed the shield. Even with my horn, I couldn’t lift it, so I did the next best thing: I grabbed his corroded weapon and ripped it off his armour, then began beating him upside the head with it.

Al had his opponent hooked on his horns, and was ramming him into the walls again and again. The Ranger, clearly not used to fighting an opponent larger and stronger than themselves, was doing their best to get free by raining down blows on the skull between the horns. It was a battle of attrition between Al’s body and the Ranger’s armour.

My opponent had gotten the shield out of the way, and powered through my makeshift bludgeon, his hard shoulder plate ramming into my sternum.

White hot pain exploded through me as the breath left my lungs. Something hard rammed into my gut, leaving me retching on the floor, even as I covered myself from the Ranger’s assault, the butt of his severed weapon striking every part of me.

GET OFF! Forcing out some telekinesis, the unguided wave blasted the weapon out of their grip, sending it spiralling away.

Undeterred, the Ranger raised a hoof to stomp on me instead. I was already scrambling out of the way, however, and managed to get myself upright in time to get some distance.

Al’s showdown with the Ranger was over, with the Ranger unmoving on the floor, while Al was panting as he leaned against the wall. Our eyes locked for a moment, before he kicked out at the shield with his cloven hoof. “Jump!”

I jumped. The sliding sheet metal scythed the legs from under the Ranger, dumping them to the ground like their ally. As they tried to get their hooves back under them, I grabbed their helmet in my horn’s grasp, and twisted.

The snap of bone was audible, even through the armour, and the Ranger dropped like a stone.

“ENOUGH!” Iron Sights’ bellow whipped both our heads around.

The breath caught in my throat. MOM!

One hoof, wrapped around her neck, the Neighlway Elder held Fedexi Lexi’s shotgun to her temple. “Not one move, or else I will blow her head clean off!”

“Don’t hurt her!” My horn’s glow instantly faded. Al stayed leaning on the wall, chest heaving.

“That’s better.” Iron Sights squeezed my mother’s neck tighter as she struggled, before looking over to the remaining Ranger. “Paladin, wake up this instant. That is an order!”

Groggy, the Ranger pulled themselves upright. They saluted, before tottering over to their Elder’s side.

“All this for one criminal filly, Fedexi Lexi?” Iron Sights waved the shotgun over Al and I. “I confess, it doesn’t make any sense to me. You had to know that you couldn’t beat my Rangers with just this small force.”

“Sir,” the other Ranger had shaken off his daze, “permission to subdue the other two?”

“Granted.” Iron Sights kept his grip on the shotgun, and its barrel pointed at us.

The Ranger, now with a firm swagger in his step, walked right up to Al. “Not so tough now, are you, *lump*?” Then he raised an metal hoof, and cracked my brother across the jaw.

Crying out, Al staggered back. The Ranger went after him, backhoofing him this time.

“Al!” I tried to help him, but Iron Sights pressed the shotgun back into Mom’s temple. “Leave him alone!”

Back to the wall, Al shielded his face with his hooves as the Ranger tortured him, taunting as he did. “How’s that feel, Wastelander? You dare to raise a hoof against our Elder?”

Mom was still struggling in Iron Sights’ grip. “Real brave, beatin’ on a kid, Iron Sights!”

The stallion shrugged. “It wouldn’t be this way if you hadn’t attacked this Stable, and our allies here.” He noticed what Al was wearing on his wrist. “Be careful not to damage his Pipbuck, Ranger.”

“Yessir!” After one final smack, the Paladin began tugging Al’s Pipbuck off his leg.

I was vibrating with adrenaline. There’s gotta be something I can do here!

I was beaten to the punch. A paperweight shot out of the Monitor Room, beaning Iron Sights in the skull.

As he “Unk!”ed and grimaced, the shotgun dropped, not pointing at anyone.

Reaching out through the aether, twin aquamarine glows surrounded both the weapon and the hoof that held my mother, and fiercely ripped them in opposite directions.

Mom scrambled away as Iron Sights’ limbed stretched further than the old pony could take.

I levitated the shotgun over to her. “Mom, help Al! I’ll get the Elder.” Sending a silent thanks to Amber for her timely assist, I advanced on the limping stallion.

Brandishing a hidden knife from within his armour, he slashed at me jerkily.

With a far more potent excitation of the water around us than what I’d used to corrode their energy weapons, I rusted the knife blade to nothing in seconds. “You invade my brothers’ Stable...”

Instead of the air, I started sucking water from another source. “You slander and attack my sister, Snowflake…”

“Your sister?” Iron Sights gulped dryly.

The water I was controlling was sent to his armour’s joints locking them in place. “You point a gun AT MY MOTHER?”

Armour locked up, Iron Sights could only pant and cough hoarsely.

“Perhaps you have forgotten, Steel Ranger, but I led a band of Raiders for years.” His helmet was positioned over his face, but not attached just yet. “Do you think it wise to anger a Raider chieftain?” Pushing my magic to its limits, I grimly sucked ever greater amounts of water from his body.

Unable to sweat, or cry, or even bleed, Iron Sights choked and gargled as his throat cracked and his flesh split. What little mane he had left fell out, all the while unable to move because of his rusted-out armour.

Shoving his helmet down onto his head, I sealed it with rust, then corroded the air valves until they were completely blocked. I flared into the visor, through to the trapped stallion underneath.

Having disposed of the other Ranger, Mom joined me in facing Iron Sights’ form-fitting tomb. “By the by, when yeh asked if Snowflake was mah employee? She ain’t. She’s mah daughter, an’ so’s this one here. Prob’ly shouldn’ta threatened mah family, Iron Sights. Ah don’t take kindly to it. Yeh can consider our business arrangement over.”

Reaching up with her shotgun, she pushed the armour over with a CLANG!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Is… is it over?” A middle-aged pegasus with a glass-tumbler-and-fruit-wedge Cutie Mark eased herself into the atrium from the far corridor. “You’re not gonna off the rest of us, are ya?”

Leaving Cept to hold Atesh, I hopped up to perch on the walkway railing. “No. Our business in the Stable is not with its residents. So long as you stay out of the way, and do not try to hinder us or assist the Rangers, we will leave you alone.”

Emboldened by the news, but still staying close to the wall behind her, the amber pegasus floated up until she was at eye-height with me. “Then why’re you here? What do you Old Equestria-types want with our Stable?”

I shared a blank look with my companion. Cept was as lost as I was, mouthing “Old Equestria?” to himself.

I tried to wave her off. “It’s none of your concern. Please, go back to your room while we take Atesh away. We are not ‘Old Equestria-types’, and we do not desire anything from your Stable’s inhabitants, miss…?”

Frowning, her eyes flicked back to the doorway she’d emerged from. “Name’s Whiskey Sour, an’ you didn’t answer my question. Why are you here? We shut ourselves away because we didn’t wanna deal with your war. Why’re you bringing it here?”

“I merely wanted to take my people back to their home country.” Atesh quipped, but Cept nudged his shoulder forcefully.

The younger zebra tried to placate the mare. “We do not want war. We are only here for one thing. Your Stable is not in danger.”

Frown devolving into a glare, Whiskey Sour slammed the Pipbuck she wore on her wrist into the wall behind her. The collision let off a ringing. “Of course it’s in danger! First those damn metal Rangers show up, and now we’ve got strange zebra brawling in the bunks! Everything we were taught was right, Old Equestria is a violent, fool place, and so are the ones who live there.”

Why is this bumpkin so angry? My patience rapidly depleting, I gave up the diplomatic approach. “Old Equestria is two-centuries-deceased, you foolish mare! Your little Stable is living in fear of a ghost. We don’t care about what you were taught. We just want to finish our work here, and then go back to our lives. You and the others back there in those rooms are not in the least bit important to us. Go back to your room, and stop wasting our time!”

The situation did not improve. Whiskey Sour puffed herself up as big as she could manage. “You ain’t coming into my home and bossing me around. We’ve had nothing but grief ever since-” She visibly blocked herself from finishing.

You don’t need to say it. We already know to what you are referring. “...since Snowflake?” I allowed myself to briefly enjoy her shocked expression. “Oh yes, we know about her. We know what happened here. Would you like to know something interesting?”

Pupils half-shrunk, Whiskey Sour had dropped to the ground in front of the doorway. She said nothing as she watched us, unblinking.

Perhaps this will get you out of our way? “She is here, with us. I am surprised your Overseer, Roc, did not make you aware of this fact. She has told us so much about this place.”

Gaping, her back hoof slipped back into the corridor behind her. “Snowflake’s here? She’s alive? How?”

Competent acquaintances, and not a small amount of sheer dumb luck. “You will have to ask her yourself.” I held out a hoof. “Shall I take you to her?”

“Keep her away from me!” The amber pegasus bolted back through the doorway, and we heard several heavy locks slide into place further in.

The two zebra had watched in silence, but now Cept spoke up. “You did not need to scare her. She does not know what we know.”

Maybe not, but it’s done now. “It ended the conversation quickly, and made it less likely that any more of the Stable’s population will bother us. Sometimes cruelty is faster than kindness.”

“A fair assessment,” Atesh piped up, “it is a pity you are not a zebra.”

Cept slugged him in the stomach, doubling him over. “Be silent, Atesh. Your want of a wife has brought too much trouble already.”

Yes… ‘a wife’. That is the level of relationship that Atesh wanted. “Cept, I cannot wait for you and Breeze to get some quiet time to… chat.”

“While I am sure that would provide endless entertainment,” a voice sounded out in the stairway from which we had entered, sending a jolt up my spine. “I’m afraid he’ll be just too busy.”

“Latvi!” I chorused with the two zebra, as we all whipped around.

Flanked by Monsters, the blond unicorn stood bold-as-brass in the mouth of the corridor. His smirk stayed constant as the griffons around him pointed weapons at us. “I confess, I did not expect to see my former partner here. What brings you to Stable 61, Elder Atesh?”

Even while bound, Atesh raised his chin before speaking. “It is private, Latvi.”

We were surrounded now. The Monsters had taken to the air to cover us up, down, and all around.

Latvi just smiled at Atesh’s reticence. “Very helpful, Atesh. Fortunately, I have other ways to gain the information I need.” He swiped a hoof at the three of us. “Hold them down!”

Feathered felines crowded in immediately, powerful claws forcing us down to the floor. I tried to wrest myself free, but a razor-sharp talon ran itself across my eyebrow.

On the other side of Atesh, Cept sported several small cuts on his pinched cheeks, but was as restrained as the zebra elder or I.

“That’s better. Stay still, you two. I’ll get to you two in a moment. For now,” Latvi sauntered up to Atesh, and dipped his horn down to the crown of the old stallion’s head, “let’s retrace your steps, shall we?”

Dark blue surrounded Latvi’s horn and, almost immediately, Atesh began writhing under the rope and claws that held him.

Latvi didn’t seem to notice, or care. Humming to himself, his half-lidded gaze showed that he was directing his attention elsewhere. “Hmm… yes… oh! Atesh, you should have told me that you were having troubles with your followers. I could have helped, you know?”

Spittle was building at the corners of Atesh’s mouth, as the unicorn poked and prodded in his mind.

Blinking, Latvi returned to reality for a moment. His gaze centered on Cept. “Congratulations on your promotion, short-lived though it may be.”

Cept’s golden eyes met his mockery with a cold stare. “Do not talk to me, monster. You will not be forgiven for Naiara.”

“And I’m all torn up about, truly.” Latvi snarked, before returning to Atesh. “Let’s continue, my old ‘friend’.” He delved back into the zebra’s mind, none too gently, muttering at every new find. “Okay, so… you’re here to recruit more zebra… still want to return to Roam, I see, aaand… OHO! Here we go!”

Latvi’s horn dimmed, and he smooshed Atesh’s face between his hooves. “You’ve still got designs on enslaving me! All to grow new crystals for your Roam.” Still gripping Atesh’s jaw, he began twisting. “What should I do about that, hmm, Atesh? What should I do to show you that trying to control me was not a good idea?”

Cept growled from the side, renewing his struggle against the griffons weighing him down. “Do not touch him, Latvi. Atesh will face the justice of Roam, not your sick jokes!”

Responding with a flat stare, the blond scientist was unmoved. “The more things change, the more they stay the same. Another zebra colt who thinks he can tell me what to do.” Latvi’s horn glowed in Cept’s direction. “I was going to do this after I was finished with Atesh anyway, but he’s not going anywhere. I can take my time with him, he’s alone. You all, though? I would rather like to know what your friends are up to, and where.”

Golden eyes shining in the horn light, Cept faced it unblinkingly. “I will tell you nothing!”

Calm down, Cept. We cannot tell him anything, but we must be patient until we have an opportunity to escape. Even though I worried about Cept’s provocation, I still felt myself agreeing with him. I haven’t forgotten my promise. Today, Latvi dies.

Abruptly, Latvi’s magic faded again. “I believe you, Cept. And that’s why…” A wide grin blossomed on Latvi’s face, “...I’ll ask her.”

The breath caught in my throat as he whipped around, horn aglow. Cept’s howl of protest was ignored.

It was like a claw, dozens of times as large and sharp as those on my flesh, was squeezing my mind. GETITOUT! Get out of my head! Breath ragged, I could do nothing as the claw tore into my memories, sifting through my most private moments, private thoughts.

The pleasure Latvi took in viewing these was perverse. “Well, that is impressive. A clean shot, straight through Ballbuster’s eye. I wondered what had happened to her.”

“Fu… fuck… you!” Forcing out that much took an inordinate effort.

“You’re not my type.” He deadpanned. “And you don’t seem to have a type. Or perhaps you do, and just don’t know what it is yet, because you spend all your time worrying about your sister?”

No, Breeze! I couldn’t help it. Thoughts of her sprang to the forefront of my mind.

Latvi noticed too. “There she is. Your Aqua Breeze.” With terrible certainty, his focus halted on a particular memory. Sighing contently, Latvi continued. “Ah. She’s not yours, is she? Not really.”

“Stop this, Latvi!” Cept was near-roaring now, and two more griffons had piled on to hold him down.

Latvi shrugged. “Relax, Cept, I’m not talking about you.”

I hated him the most in that moment. “Please, no. Don’t.” Don’t you touch that memory!

He was in his own little world of fun, though, and didn’t stop. “All this time, Cassiopeia Venatici. So many years, you have let her believe a lie.”

“I had to!” I cursed, willing myself to push against his intrusion into my memories. “Breeze needs me!” Don’t judge me, you bastard!

“Should I tell her?” He mused, more to himself than to me.

“You will not go near Breeze, coward!” Even as one of the Monsters slammed his head back against the floor, he didn’t stop glaring at Latvi.

“Actually, I think we’ll go now. We were going to find the Overseer’s Office anyway, so this can accomplish two things at once.” He gestured to the Monsters. “Take them. Aqua Breeze can watch them both die.”

“NO!” Cept and I chorused, fighting harder to get free.

Cept wasn’t done with just one word, though. He got his head away from the claws for a moment, long enough to scream out “SASA!!!”

He got an elbow in the ribs for his troubles, courtesy of the closest Monster. “Quiet, Stri—”

A thrown knife, burying itself in his jugular, cut off his bigotry mid-insult. The air all around us shimmered, exploding into action as stealth-cloaked zebra shed their disguises, too close for the griffons to bring their weapons to bear.

Cept’s clan, waiting for their new Elder’s signal.

Within moments, Cept, Atesh, and I were free of the Monsters’ hold as they tussled with the new arrivals. To their credit, the mercenaries didn’t panic at the ambush, and fought back with anything they could use; talons, beaks, foreheads, rifle butts.

The zebra had the edge in numbers, but the griffons probably outmassed them. Both sides were firing weapons, slinging blades, and attacking with their martial arts.

Cept, given an opening by his clanmates, dived into the fray. He crumpled a knee with a powerful kick, but took a thunderous hook to the jaw from the falling griffon.

“Be careful, Cept!” It was hard to know if he heard me with all that was going on, but I was painfully aware of just how tired he must be, having fought Atesh by himself earlier.

Where is Atesh? And where is Latvi?!

The first question was answered as the old stallion fell into me, still tied up, as a Monster took potshots at us with an oversized pistol. The two of us scrambled away as the griffon’s shots ricochet’d around us. One glanced off my bracer, straight into Atesh’s thigh.

He cried out, falling onto the ground as blood flew from the wound.

Serves you right, selfish old coot. I didn’t care about his health, so long as he lived to face the justice that Cept was adamant he endure, but the wounded prey had drawn the full attention of the predatory griffon.

Deploying my bracer’s whip mid-twirl, I lashed the pistol out of the griffon’s claw as he stood over Atesh.

Snarling as he clutched at the flayed flesh of his talons, the Monster changed his target to me. Kicking Atesh in the face as he bounded over him, the was on me almost before I could blink. I just barely managed to get my hidden blade slashing in front of me in time to drive him back, though unbloodied. Those back steps brought him into the path of a wild ball of violence that was morphing and shifting between two Monsters, and three of the zebra clan.

With a moment of relative calm, I refocused. WHERE IS LATVI?

Even with my eyes, it was hard to see through the maelstrom of bullets, blades, and bodies. After a few seconds, I spotted a flash of blond on the main floor of the atrium, below.

No! “CEPT,” I called out into the chaos, “LATVI’S RUNNING!”

“FOLLOW HIM!” He called back from within the forest of feathers and stripes. “WE WILL FINISH HERE!”

“DON’T DIE!” I yelled as I flipped off the walkway into the air, an agreement and a command. My wings pumped as I angled for the corridor, Latvi having already disappeared inside.

I caught a glimpse of his wide-eyed face, taking the far turning at a dead run. You’re not getting away again! “THERE’S NO ESCAPE, LATVI!”

I didn’t get an answer. He was putting all his energy into running.

Side-on as I took the corner, hooves kicking against the wall, I spotted Latvi thirty metres ahead. My Rifle was in my hooves in seconds. The corridor was clear, and I had a clean shot.

The round soared from the barrel before I even realised I’d pulled the trigger. I watched it plow straight through his temple…

...and spark against the wall ahead of him.

Wha? “That was a clean hit! What happened?”

Latvi turned another corner.

Furious, I surged after him, twisting around the bend into another shot. “This time!”

I hit him between the shoulder blades, I saw it with my own eyes. Yet, somehow, the unicorn continued running, heading up the stairs leading to the Stable entrance.

WHY WON’T YOU DIE?! Angry tears began to blur my vision as I racked another round into the chamber. I didn’t miss. I can’t have missed! What’s going on?

Up the stairs, running through the gap where the Stable door had been, I focused on Latvi’s retreating form. “It’s definitely you, you coward! I can see the fear in your eyes!”

I went to pull the trigger, but stopped. I saw that.

For the briefest of moments, Latvi’s body had flickered out of existence. Where he’d been running was empty space, and he’d jumped twenty metres ahead. He was back in the original spot a moment later.

I understand.

Rather than taking the shot, I followed him through the tunnel. He continued running out into the eternal blizzard. I stopped at the entrance. Even in this horrid weather, my eyes could track him for a few moments.

I held the scope to my eye, and waited.

Latvi’s desperate run continued down the mountain, kicking up loose snow as he sprinted.

He flickered. I tightened my grip. “Not this time.”

Swinging my rifle out, I sighted along the path the far flicker had taken.

With a mighty CRACK, my rifle round blasted through his hip.

The closer Latvi disappeared as the farther one fell, horn’s dark blue glow fading.

The grim smirk crossing my face wouldn’t have stopped it if I wanted it to. Got you.

I snuffed out the last of the magic’s traces with three more shots; pelvis, shoulders, spine.

The snow around Latvi was already crimson and shiny, but he was still barely moving.

“That was for Naiara.” The barrel of my rifle sizzled as it lowered into the snow. “Nobody is going to remember you.”

I watched my friend’s murderer bleed out, alone in the crimson snow.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~