Buff’s expression shifted between grimace and glare as he heaved himself up the stairs to the Overseer’s Office, one at a time. “Why didn’t he just stay down?”

“Slow down! I still have to finish cinching you up.” Esto did her best to tie off the makeshift splint, cobbled together from his shield and some bindings, around his front right leg. “If you move around too much, it won’t set right.”

“And stop whining!” I groused, measuring the weight of my all-too-empty gear. “I had to use up most of my grenades on that guy. Only got, like, six left.”

“Good thing we’re here, then.” Buff stood at the top of the stairs and, after taking a moment to gauge the weight on his splint, used his good hoof to key the door release.

Predictably, it didn’t open.

What it did trigger, however, was the P.A. system kicking in. Roc’s harried politeness sounded out, loud and strained. “Attention, Steel Rangers! Converge on the Overseer’s Office immediately. There are three intruders attempting to gain entry.”

Great. Immediately, I fished out my grenades. The corridor behind us was empty, for now, but Roc’s announcement would bring more soon enough. “Get that door open, you two!”

Great resounding thuds echoed around us as Buff hammered against the door. “Roc, open this door! This has to end!”

“It will,” the griffon responded over the speakers, “just as soon as the other Rangers arrive. They will deal with you, and then your friends. You never should have come back, Al.”

Esto was studiously contemplating the locking mechanism for the Over Office door, and didn’t look away at Roc’s words. “This one is not Al, ‘Overseer’.” Her horn glowed, but the door stubbornly remained closed. “And you should think carefully about what will happen in your partnership with the Steel Rangers. They are not known to play by any rules except their own.”

Roc’s tone instantly shifted to haughty politeness. “And who might you be, madam? I don’t believe we have had the pleasure.”

Esto matched his tone. “I am afraid that I only give out my name face-to-face. I’m sure you understand. If you could just open the door, I would be happy to introduce myself.”

Roc chuckled. “You know that I won’t do that. A fair attempt, though.”

Shrugging in a ‘worth a try’ manner, Esto tried the door again. Unfortunately, she had no more success than last time.

Well, now what? We can’t waste all our time talking to this moro—wait, what’s that? Twisting and flicking my ears, I listened harder.

Uh oh. The faint sound of hooves on metal began to grow louder. “Guys, we gotta get out of here. Somebody’s coming.”

Buff wheeled around as fast as his injured leg would allow. “Rangers?”

“If it is, they’re not in armour, but it could be their scribes.”

Esto was helping Buff back down the stairs. She pointed across the corridor. “There’s an alcove.”

Between us, we dragged Buff across the open space, then hunkered down.

We didn’t have to wait long. Not even thirty seconds after we’d taken cover, a pegasus mare in Plottawan uniform clattered up the stairs to Roc’s office.

Buff stiffened. “The Overmare!” He hauled himself upright, and ran-limped after Willow Wisp.

That’s her? Esto and I followed, as the shouting started from within the Over Office.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Demanded Roc.

“IT’S MY OFFICE!” Willow Wisp shouted back.

“It most certainly is not! You lost the election fair and square and, in addition, I EXILED YOU!” The griffon’s smooth voice cracked at the end.

Esto and I caught up with Buff just inside the door. Current and former Overseer stood, claws and front hooves pressing down on either side of the desk, glaring at each other.

Vehemently shaking her head, Willow Wisp didn’t back down. “That means nothing! Look what you’ve done to the Stable, MY Stable, in my absence. Steel Rangers?! Who told you that was a good idea?”

A talon rose from the desk to point squarely between her eyes. “YOU would have had us sit behind the Stable door forever. There is an entire world out there, full of possibility, and you sealed us away, cowering in fear!”

She batted the talon aside. “You’ve seen the files, ‘Overseer’. You know what Stable 61 was formed to do.”

“Yes,” Roc mocked, “‘a total segregation from the conflict’. A pipe dream that left us stagnating, until we would have no choice but to turn on each other.”

“Perhaps not for you, but I was able to juggle everybody just fine!”

At my side, Buff rumbled in his chest. His face had set stonily, watching the argument stoically.

Roc noticed us before Willow Wisp did. Instantly, his eyes sharpened. “Buff! I have an offer for you! Cease your intrusion into the Stable, restrain Willow Wisp, and assist our forces in driving out the other invaders. Do that, and I will allow you and your brothers to return to the Stable’s ranks.”

Buff twitched in response, but said nothing.

Willow Wisp, now aware of their audience, gave a counter-offer. “No, Buff. Help me to retake my Stable, and we will get our home back on the proper track.”

“These two are very loud,” Esto whispered in my other ear, “and the office door is still open.”

At her words, my eyes swivelled back to stare at the open entryway. “Good point.” Rangers, or whoever, could still be on their way.

Spinning, I slammed my hoof into the door’s control panel. Squealing and grinding, it slammed shut behind us. The satisfying click of the lock was music to my ears.

It seemed to stir Buff out of his reverie as well. Cienna shoulders hunching, he panned across the griffon and pegasus in turn. “‘Return’. ‘Retake’. Both of you saw fit to send people away. You,” he fixed Roc with a hard stare, “threw me and my brothers, not to mention your defeated opponent, out into a world we knew nothing about, as your first act in power.”

Face contorting, Roc tried to backtrack. “Well, you see, that was merely—”

Ignoring him, Buff wheeled on to the Overmare. “And you decided to throw Snowflake out of the Stable in the first place, no doubt giving Roc here the idea in the first place. Oh, and don’t either of you think for a moment that leaving Snowflake out of your speeches just now went unnoticed.”

Willow Wisp fluttered her feathers timidly. “I-I didn’t mean—”

Even with one limb crippled, Buff pulled himself up to his full, near-full-grown-bull Buffalo height. “Why should I believe, or help, either of you, when you both see fit to throw away things you have no use for, or those who are a distraction? How is that path going to help the Stable find its way?” He took two heavy steps towards the desk, causing it to creak when he leaned on it. “The Stable door is gone. My sister saw to that. My sister, Snowflake, who has seen and done more in mere weeks in the Wasteland, than both of you two have done in your combined times behind this desk. You can’t ignore Snowflake any more, either of you. So, I’ll ask the two of you a simple question: If I help you, what will you do in regards to Snowflake and her friends?”

Silence descended the moment he had finished. It was awesome.

You’ve got nothing, either of you. All you’re both thinking about is this office and the chair behind the desk. Not a clue as to what you’d do the next time somebody from outside makes their way here. Maybe got you both thinking a little harder about the endgame of having Steel Rangers here, yeah?

I almost burst out laughing when I noticed the two of them give each other, staunch opponents mere moments ago, a worried glance.

“That’s what I thought.” Buff drawled.

Seeing no help coming from the buffalo, the past and present Overseers turned to Esto and I.

Roc looked to me. “We spoke at the Stable entrance, you and I. I can offer you complete access to ALL the Stable’s technology, free of charge, for as long as you need.”

Guffawing, I waved him off. “Good for you, champ. You do that.”

It took Willow Wisp slightly longer to field an offer, having never met Esto before. “Peanut has resources, much more than this place. You could have whatever you want; caps, weapons, stallions… mares?”

Esto rolled her eyes. “Peanut’s empire lies in ruins. Plottawa is a wreck, his army is trapped in Lethbridle, and he is forced to ally himself with ponies such as Latvi and yourself. I will not forgive that last part.”

Shield-splint clanging with every step, Buff began to walk around to the griffon’s side of the desk. “Get out of that chair, Roc.”

“Never!” Reaching under the desk, Roc hit something with his left claw. His other came up wielding a heavy pistol as the wall and floor behind the desk began to slide open. “You won’t take me in my own office!”

We all, Willow Wisp included, dove for cover as he wildly unloaded every bullet around the room.

This guy’s gonna kill us! And it’s gonna be a fluke!

Thankfully, the bark of his weapon fell silent without any of his untrained shots biting into me. Nobody else had cried out either, not even the Overmare. Still, I refrained from rising too hastily. “Anybody hit? Buff? Esto?”

“‘m okay.” Buff grunted from halfway around the desk.

“No injuries.” Esto confirmed from the corner.

Well, that’s a reli—

“I too, am—”

“NOBODY CARES!” My interruption shut Willow Wisp up. “Where’s Roc?”

Buff had gotten up, and was exploring the now-bare wall behind the desk. “Looks like some sort of escape hatch.” He banged against it thrice. “Can’t get it open.”

“Perhaps he jammed it shut during his escape?” Esto made her way around the desk to join him.

Oh, wonderful. Without even looking, my greave swung up and in front of the Overmare’s jaw, my Shock Lock javelin deployed and crackling. As her eyes widened, I keyed the communicator. “Heads up, guys. We’re in the Overseer’s office, but Roc got away. Got the old Overmare here, though, so that’s something at least.”

Fedexi Lexi’s rural timbre came through right away. “Awright, un’erstood. Jus’ get into the system, an’ see what y’can do to help the others out. We’ll keep an eye out fer Roc.”

“Roger that.” I clicked the communicator off. “So close to getting him, too.”

“Like you said,” Esto turned away from the wall through which Roc had made his escape, and sat herself down in the Overseer’s chair, “we have the old Overseer.” Esto began tapping away at the keyboard. She spoke to Willow Wisp without looking up. “If you have a way to gain access to this system, now would be the time to speak.”

The pegasus’ eyes hardened almost immediately. “You’re in my chair. If you want my help, move aside.”

“Nobody wants your help, and this is not your office any longer. You gave up that right when you forsook the ideals of this place.” Buff moved away from the wall, planting himself in front of her and looming. “You threw my sister out of her home, then allied yourself with a slaver for power. You can prove your worth, or my friend here,” he indicated me and my still-sparking spear, “can knock you out so we can work in peace. Which will it be?”

She held his stare long enough that my hoof began to tire of holding up the greave. She’s actually gonna make me do it, isn’t she? Let it go, lady!

Instead, she cocked her head to the side, somehow sprouting a small smile. “Easy, isn’t it? To talk down to those you hold influence over? You’re not so pure yourself, Buff. Your sister’s influence, no doubt.”

Ignoring his gaping, she shoo’d him out of the way with her wings, moving over to stand by Esto. “Start with the main directory. I doubt Roc will have changed too much in his short time here. Now, what you want to do is…”

Retracting my Shock spear, I kicked the buffalo in the shin, just hard enough to break his thousand-yard-stare. “Don’t worry about it, big guy. She’s just being a bitch.”

“R-right.” He looked like he wanted to say something further, but gave up and went to stand guard near the staircase door.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“LOOK OUT!” Lo threw himself in front of Facemask, getting his shield up just as the rocket hit. Schwarzwald and I managed to dive aside, but the impact lifted the buffalo off his hooves, spinning back to crash into the wall at the far end of the atrium.

“Lo! Facemask, how is he?” Where’d that shot come from? I ducked behind a pillar, listening and looking for the shooter.

The grizzled medic had tumbled back with the youngest Doublehorn. He poked his head around Lo’s bulk, lips curled down. An angry red streak ran down his face face under his faded mane. “He’s out, and there’s some shrapnel in him. I gotta dig it free and patch things up.”

Across from me, behind another pillar, Schwarzwald called back to the old stallion. “You are bleeding too, dahling. Take care of the little one, and of yourself. We will deal with this.”

We will? “Did you see where that came from?”

She nodded back at me, revving up her minigun. “Three Rangers near the far wall. They have cover.” To accentuate her point, she leaned out for just long enough to fire one short burst, then immediately had to wrench her head back to avoid the massive return volley.

Once the enemy fire subsided, I raised my voice to address the room as a whole. “What do you want? We’re trying to get through. We have no quarrel with you.”

Tittering laughter was the response. A labcoat-wearing teal unicorn, armed with a wicked-looking laser rifle and flanked by two fully armed and armoured Paladins, sauntered casually into view. “Oh come now, my dear colt, we both know that’s not true.”

I know that guy. Seeing that none of the Rangers were actively aiming their weapons at us, I poked my head out enough to speak to him. “You were in Neighlway. Why are you here?”

He rolled his eyes. “‘You were in Neighlway’. That’s all I get? I even introduced myself then. The least you could do is remember my name.”

Schwarzwald leaned out to see, too. “It was ‘Happy Pills’, yes, dahling?”

He clapped his hooves together, suddenly smiling. “There we go, one of you was paying attention. And I love the ‘dahling’. Keep that up.”

I was a little preoccupied in Neighlway, ‘Happy Pills’. “What do you want, Happy Pills?”

His expression shifted to contemplative. “What, personally? I mean, we Steel Rangers are here to protect the Stable and all its wonderful toys,”

No mention of the people, I notice.

“But as for me? I’m kinda hoping that I can finally see the little princess again.” Reaching back, he patted one of the side of one of the hulking Paladins. The larger one. “Like I said back in Neighlway, the wife here was so disappointed that she didn’t get the chance to finally meet Princess. Breaks my heart, so it does.”

Both Schwarzwald and I raised an eyebrow as Happy Pills’ ‘wife’ grunted, the sound anything but feminine.

The other Paladin grunted too, but with an undercurrent of frustration.

Happy Pills shrugged. “Of course, this one here… Go on, introduce yourself.”

Even with a helmet on, the look the Ranger gave him was telling. “...Paladin Sticky Buns.”

Pinballing between the two, Happy Pills never stopped smiling. “Sticky Buns here just wants to kill her. Something about monitor duty weeks back. Not important. Anywho, imagine the wife and I’s luck when it turns out that this Stable happens to be where Princess grew up. I’ve already visited her room and left her a flashy gift. Y’know, to be neighbourly.”

Schwarzwald chuckled into her hoof. “Why would you think we would give up our ‘Princess’?”

The head of the ‘wife’ snapped up straight, fixating on Schwarzwald. Happy Pills noticed and, momentarily, looked worried.

Sticky Buns was less stoic. He stomped a heavy metal hoof. “You don’t have a choice. On the orders of Elder Iron Sights, Snowflake will die at my hooves.”

The wife’s head turned on a swivel, staring down the other Paladin. Happy Pills jumped in between the two. “Now now, dearies, have to play nice. I have a compromise. If we cause enough ruckus with these fine folks here, I’m sure Princess will come running. We can secure her, the wife and I can have our fun, and THEN Sticky Buns can kill her.”

It was my turn to roll my eyes when Schwarzwald whispered ‘If only you weren’t an enemy’. Gimme a break, Schwarz. This guy’s just nuts.

“That being said,” Happy Pills hefted his giant blaster in his magic, “weapons ready. Dear heart, why don’t you take care of the griffon?”

Griffon? Shit, is Wings here? Whipping my head around, I laid eyes on the black and white tiercel. Nope, not Wings.

Caught out in the open, mid-flap, Eitom clearly hadn’t been expecting to find three Steel Rangers pointing weapons at him, nor the undoubtedly gobsmacked look he was getting from me. “...Um.”

Well, not even close to my favourite griffon, but this could work. I forced cheer into my voice. “Glad you’re here, buddy. Lend us a claw with these guys, will ya?”

He blinked. Once. “What? I don’t—”

Sticky Buns did. “Confirmed as hostile. Open fire!”

Immediately, the air was filled with lasers.

“OH COME ON!” Wheeling and twisting, Eitom dropped down to crouch behind the same cover I was hiding behind. “This is all your fault!”

Suck it up, prick. “Yep. And neither you nor us can take three Rangers alone. We’ll have to work together. We can kill each other after that.”

Bloodshot eyes stood out in stark contrast to his white feathers, but he didn’t disagree.

Good enough. I nodded to Schwarzwald, and we readied our weapons. “We’ll give you cover. Fly to the upper level. We’ll have them taking fire from two angles.”

Even as he nodded, he hiss-growled at me, plumage hackled. “If this is a trick—”

“SCHWARZ, NOW!” Snapping off two shots at Happy Pills, forcing his wife to step in front of him as a shield, I didn’t wait to see if I’d done any damage, instead turning my attention to the other Paladin, Sticky Buns.

Schwarzwald’s gatling battered at his helmet’s visor. Throwing up a hoof to shield his eyes, the Ranger was firing blind.

Beside me, Eitom took flight, surging up past the firing arc of the Rangers. His back paws clattered on the upper mezzanine, and soon his automatic rifle began kicking out fire too.

Happy Pills had retreated to cover, and Sticky Buns was at least acknowledging our efforts. The wife, however, simply began to stalk across the gap between our respective covers, not even flinching at the bullets rattling against her armour. Her energy weapon, a triple-barreled monstrosity that was a full third her size, superheated the metal walls around us when it struck. Even her voice was unflinching. “Bring me the Princess! Where is she?”

Schwarzwald tried for a shot at her flank as she got close, but laserfire from Happy Pills slashed across her back, dropping her to the floor, even as the wife was almost on her.

“Schwarz!” Without thinking, I leapt out of cover, between the two mares. Green fire enveloped me, and I was a very different pony when I landed.

“You want the Princess?” Snowflake’s voice flew from my lips. “Here I am. Come get me!”

From above, Eitom’s voice cut in. All the anger had been replaced with bewilderment. “What the fuck?”

The other two Rangers had stopped firing. The unicorn in the labcoat was gawking, while the helmeted Sticky Buns simply stared.

Long as they’re not shooting at us. Dancing around the wife, I poked and prodded at her as I circled. “Follow the Princess, wifey! Come on, I’m right here.”

Dumbly, she tried to track me, but was too big, too slow, and too lost.

I kept up my capering until she was fully turned around, away from Schwarzwald and my other friends, facing back towards her husband and fellow Paladin. Now would be good, guys.

Eitom fired at the same time Sticky Buns did.

The griffon’s bullet hit Happy Pills between the eyes. He dropped without a word.

The Ranger’s lasers struck the black and white griffon dead center in his chest. He barely had time to gasp before he burned away to ash.

Two simultaneous roars sounded. The wife raised both front hooves up, slamming them down where I’d been just a moment before.

On the mezzanine, a straw-coloured griffon scooped up Eitom’s rifle, twinning it with one in his other claw, and unloaded both straight at Sticky Buns, screaming all the while.

Juking as I fled from the wife-turned-widow’s wrath, I had no time for anything fancy. It took all I had to keep ahead of her crushing stampede.

One stomp hit close enough to throw me off my hooves, bouncing me off a support pillar, and straight to the floor under her raised hoof.

There were no words for the sight of that colossal armoured hoof, bigger than my head, blotting out the light above me.

Schwarzwald’s gatling roared, shot after shot slamming into the forgotten triple laser strapped to the wife’s side. The damage discharged the battery, unbalancing but not toppling the wife.

When Lo slammed into her from the other side, she finally did fall. For a half second at least, and then she was up again, clashing with the buffalo who outmassed her but didn’t apparently didn’t outmuscle her.

It bought me time to take stock, however, and with it a welcome sight. The straw griffon, still dual-wielding his fallen friend’s weapon, was actually on fire from Sticky Buns’ lasers, though he’d managed to avoid getting ashed like Eitom. He didn’t seem to feel the flames, and aimed a constant stream of lead at the remaining Ranger.

What was more welcome, however, was the presence of the third griffon beside him. Wings, revolvers out, worked in tandem with the tiercel. They, along with Schwarzwald, provided no opening for Sticky Buns to set his aim, and his shots missed over and over.

Without taking her eyes off the Paladin, Wings flicked her tail from me to Happy Pills’ corpse. “Get it, Bosco!”

Get what? I looked. Oh. OH!

Diving under the bellies of the dueling giants, I laid hooves on my target: Happy Pills’ laser weapon.

Point blank, I jammed it under Sticky Buns’ chin, then pulled the trigger. And kept pulling it, over and over, until the charge ran dry.

Jerking and spasming, the Paladin tumbled over. A hoof-sized hole had been chewed through his chin plate, and wispy smoke curled out from within.

Both griffons had already switched targets, and were pouring everything they had into the wife, now pinned beneath Lo’s bulk. She was still fighting, but couldn’t break free.

Finally, the bullets penetrated her armour, and her struggles gradually subsided.

When it was over, Facemask began treating Schwarzwald’s back burns. Lo helped.

Wings landed beside me. “Hey, Bosco. Nice work.”

“Um, yeah, you too.” I looked up at the mezzanine, where the straw griffon, whose name I finally remembered was Wicker, sifted through the ashes of his friend. “What’re you doing with him?”

Her beak clicked as she shrugged, cream feathers rustling. “Hired him. He’s gonna help us clear the Stable.”

You… hired him? I couldn’t hide my disbelief. “How? What are you paying him, and why would he agree?”

Her sapphire eyes twinkled. “Latvi’s dead, Cassie got him. The Monsters are out the contract, and their pay.”

Some of the tension drained immediately. “She got him? That’s great. Fucking bastard deserved it for what he did.”

She nodded, eyes still smouldering. “Yeah. So I talked Wicker into a new deal.”

Can we trust him, though? Or any of them? “What’re they getting in return?”

She looked away, up at the straw-coloured Monster, and his pile of ash. “Something they wouldn’t get otherwise.”

“What’s that mean?”

Turning back to me, she shook her head. “Not now. Later. Still work to be done.” She put both claws on my shoulders. “Where are the others, Bosco? Where’s Snow?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~