Sure arms lifted me gently up to a sitting position. “Easy there, Snow. I gotcha.”

“W-Wings?” But I was just…

Bolting upright, and immediately regretting it my body screamingly protested, I found myself staring into a pair of blazing blues. “How long was I out?”

“Not long, dahling, dear Peanut hasn’t stopped bleeding yet.” Over by my grotesque, self-created sculpture of ice and blood, Schwarzwald was admiring my hoofiwork. “You fought him alone?”

“Didn’t mean to, he just showed up. I-AAARGH!” Sobbing as my legs erupted into fresh pain, I fell back into Wings’ grasp.

“Easy, Snow. When we found you, your legs were all messed up, and there was only half a health potion on Peanut. You’re gonna be taking it easy until we can get your mom down here to heal you up fully.”

Still leaning into her, I gingerly tried my legs again. They felt weak, hot and papery and hollow, but I could move them. It hurt like hell, though. That wasn’t the biggest question on my mind, however. “Wings, what are you doing here? You’re supposed to be outside, with the bots.”

She smiled back, with the easy confidence I knew so well. “It’s taken care of, Snow. Don’t worry about it.”

Too late. “The others?”

She waved back up and at the Stable. “Around. Had some close calls, but no mention of anybody dying. Things are starting to calm down, especially now with Peanut and Latvi dead.”

“Latvi’s dead?” This got me standing, pain be damned. “Who killed him?”

“That sniper-chick of yours.” Wicker cut in from out of my sight.

“LOOK OUT!” If Wings hadn’t caught me, I’d have toppled over from the shock. My horn glowed as I finally found him, leaning against the rock wall. “Get the fuck away!”

Claws tightened slightly on my shoulder. “Whoa! Easy there, Snow. He’s with us, sorta… for now.”

WHAT? “How long was I out?”

Schwarzwald trotted up and took my weight from Wings, freeing the griffon up to step between Wicker and I. “Look, Latvi’s gone. The Monsters aren’t getting paid, so their contract’s null and void. Wicker agreed to take on a new contract with me, to help clear out the last of the Steel Rangers.”

None of this did anything to diminish the glare I was shooting the tiercel, who just stared back stoically. “Wings, you don’t have those kind of caps. How are you gonna pay for this?”

She hesitated, looking down and away. “That’s not import—”

Wicker cut her off, grunting into his chest. “Gonna let us take ‘er back to her fam down south.”

Lead settled in my stomach. I looked to the griffon girl, hoping for some denial. When she finally met my gaze, she shrugged.

I choked on what little spit I could conjure. “Wings, you can’t! You,” I struggled in Schwarzwald’s grip, “you still have things to take care of. You can’t let him take you! You can’t just...surrender!”

“Deal’s done, pony.” Wicker still leaned against the wall, rifle propped next to him, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. “Contract’s agreed. Gonna finish my boss’ last deal, Eitom’s last deal, and take her home.”

“THAT’S NOT HER HOME!” My cry echoed around the chamber. “We are! I am!”

Wings jolted at that, looking at me with those glimmering sapphires. “Snow, I just… it’s to finish what we’re doing here. You know how important this all is.”

“I know how important this is,” I shot back, stumbling forwards to bury my face in her plumage, “but this isn’t the end, not for you.”

Her claws came up to encircle me. “Snow, what are you—”

NOW! With as much strength as I could muster, I shoved her aside. My glowing horn, obscured by her feathers and fur, unleashed on Wicker. I had no specific spell in mind. I simply poured cold into the mercenary.

His brief look of shock was flash-frozen onto his face. The rest of him was stuck mid-jerk too.

I didn’t feel any satisfaction at it, but a tremendous amount of relief. Now, we can finish.

Sharp talons cut into my side, twisting me around to face the wide-eyed, red-faced griffon. “Snow, what the hell! I had a deal with him! He wasn’t gonna hurt anyone!”

This time, I was the one who couldn’t look at her. “Yes, he was,” I mumbled, “he was gonna take you away.”

“I agreed to that!” She yelled into my face as she shook me. “I was gonna be okay.”

“I wasn’t.” I replied glumly. “You didn’t want to go back. I know you didn’t.”

“So what?” She let go and spread her claws, incredulous. “Doesn’t mean it wasn’t the thing to do to help you and this place! Dammit, Snow, if this is about that stupid bit about being ‘your prey’...”

Without her holding me, I sank to the floor. “Not my prey,” I mumbled, “you’re the one who’s gonna kill me."

Her bluster evaporated in an instant, as she locked up. “What?”

I looked up at her with a mirthless smile. “I got it wrong, back then. I thought Red Ice had to win to be credible, but that’s not right. Red Ice has to lose, in the end. Blue Fire has to be the one to beat her, too. Sorry about that.” Shakily, I rose and pulled out my old horn. I held it out to her. “Here’s the proof. Red Ice came down here, to destroy this Stable… or whatever, details aren’t important. Red Ice was being bad, Blue Fire stopped her. They fought, Blue Fire won, Red Ice died. That’s the way it has to be.”

Wings was very gradually unclenching, but still looked lost. She glanced over at a silent Schwarzwald, who didn’t react. Then, pale under her cream feathers, she turned back to me. “...why?”

I pointed at the dead Plottawan leader. “Because I’m never going to NOT be Red Ice, thanks to him. And, let’s face it, because of me. He pretended to be Chief Rockhaunch, and put the kill order out on me. They’re both dead, it can’t be called off. After all I’ve done as Red Ice, after Lethbridle, and Whinniepeg, and here, Red Ice can’t be allowed to walk out of here. Even if she did, Snowflake would never stop being hunted.”

She still hadn’t made a move to take the horn, staring at it in horror. “I-I can’t… kill you, Snow.”

Wrapping my own hooves around her, I slipped the horn into her pocket. “I’m not asking you to, not for real, but the Wasteland has to think you have. You have to be Blue Fire for that, just a little while longer.”

Looking over her shoulder, I locked gazes with Schwarzwald. “You’ll get her the rest of the way?” She’s still got a place in the Gardens.

Lips tight, the older mare nodded in silence.

“What are you talking about?” Wings pulled away from me to face Schwarzwald. “What is she—”

She never got to finish her question, as I clubbed her around the back of the head with the revolver I’d lifted from her holster when I put the horn in her pocket.

Schwarzwald moved forward to catch her before she hit the ground. When Wings was safely laid down, She rose and, conifer eyes soft and tired, smiled her familiar smile. “She will not forgive you for that, dahling.”

I placed the revolver back into its holster. “Yeah, but I won’t be here for her to yell at.”

She sucked in a harsh breath. “That’s not funny.”

Brushing some feathers away from Wings’ face, I nodded. “I know. Sorry.”

Schwarzwald’s jaw trembled slightly. “This was not how it should happen. Not Naiara. Not you.” One hoof came up to cover her wet eyes. “I was the one who should fall. My time was twenty years ago. You are all… just so young.”

I ignored my own tears, and pressed my cheek against hers. “Just a little while longer, Schwarzwald. You just need to help her make the Gardens grow. Then you can rest. Actually rest, not die. You still have a life left to live.”

“You can still be there to see it.” She tried, though we both knew it was in vain. “We can find a way.”

“This is the way.” Pulling my face from her damp coat, I knelt beside Wings. “You know, I think I figured out why you chose her. Why she’s a hero.”

Her hoof falling from her eyes, Schwarzwald stared at me morosely.

I gave her a bright smile in return. Don’t be sad, Schwarzwald. This is what had to happen. “She never needed a reason. The rest of us all had agendas. You wanted the Gardens, I wanted revenge, Undertow wanted a family, Naiara and Cept had their clan, Bosco missed his memories, and the twins wanted the Raiders gone. Not her, though. She never had a reason…” I paused to watch the griffon’s chest rise and fall for a moment, “...she just helped.”

It was easy to smile at Wings as she lay peacefully. “I think that’s why I love her so much.”

Finally, I got a chuckle from Schwarzwald. “I like that reason. It is...fitting.”

Soft giggles found their way out of my mouth, too. “I thought the Element of Laughter might approve.”

A flicker of a smile graced her scarred lips. “Good guess.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, which other one were you gonna be, really?”

She mock-pouted. “...I can be kind.”

“Hah!” I guffawed. “See? Got me laughing again already.”

The two of us enjoyed the sound of our laughter for a few seconds, before a squeal of static caused us to jump. “Babygirl, yeh pick up this microphone right now, yeh hear me? I know yeh can hear me, ‘cause I just heard every damn thing y’just said!”

Oops, busted. I fished the communicator out of Wings’ barding. She’d left it running the entire time. “Hi, Mom.”

“Don’t you ‘hi, mom’ me, missy!” Lexi’s warm drawl had given way to faltering tightness. “What’s this Ah’m hearin’ about dyin’, huh?”

Despite everything, I wilted at her disapproval. Be strong, Snow. Don’t give in. “I… have to go do something, Mom. Might take a while.”

“An’ what exactly is gonna take a while? Yeh never got ‘round t’mentionin’ that part.”

Tread carefully. Don’t be tricked by her loving, Momly ways. “It’s, uh, it’s like this: The Changeling Queen’s down here,”

“Where’s ‘here’?”

Nope, not falling for that. “She’s down here, and she’s needed to make Changeling babies safely. We need the Changelings to stop the Windigoes. So, I’m gonna get her out.”

Her tone was still wary, but lightened somewhat. “Well, that ain’t too bad. Ah don’t see what all the fuss’ about.”

“But,” I continued, feeling more nauseous with every word. “She’s the one making the blizzard that’s keeping the Windigoes out of the Wasteland.”

If it were possible for a communicator to look conflicted, this one did. “So yeh’re sayin’...”

Deep breath. This is the hard part. “I’m saying that, besides Chrysalis, there’s only one person who knows how to make a blizzard that can drive them off.”

More silence. Schwarzwald and I waited in palpable discomfort, for my mother to give me permission to take a one-way trip.

When she finally spoke again, her voice had shifted into a businessmare’s sharp inflection. “So… yeh ain’t gonna stop, are yeh?”

I was rapidly losing my stuff upper lip. “I can’t, Momma... I just can’t.”

A shuddering breath sounded from the speaker. “Awright. Ah get that. Ah hate it, Ah hate it so much, babygirl, but Ah get it.” Her wonderful warmth returned to her words. “‘M proud o’ you.”

That did it. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Why?” I wailed. “I keep messing up! I wouldn’t have to be here if I didn’t! I’m a bad daughter. I let Vorbis and Contego die and never told you. Naiara’s dead because of me! Undertow’s been through so much because I kept screwing up, Momma! I’m so sorry!”

“Baby, stop.” She cut through my hysterics with practised ease. “Yeh’re not a bad daughter. Yeh’re mah firstborn. Ah couldn’t be prouder of yeh for what yeh’re doin’. Don’t fer one second think Ah ain’t so glad that Ah got a daughter like you. Ah love you so much, babygirl, an’ so does yer sister. Yer brothers too. We all love you so very, very much. Yer our Snowflake, sweetheart.”

Burying my face in my hooves, I sobbed out the one thing that filled my mind. “Please, I know I’m being selfish, Momma, and cruel, but please…”

Blubbering now, I all but screamed the words. “Even if I go away, please don’t stop being my mother!”

Even as she cried, there was no sound in the world sweeter than my mother’s voice at that moment. “Never, babygirl. Yer always gonna be mah daughter. An’ that’s the reason why I gotta do what comes next.”

Elated, but confused, I held the communicator close. “Momma?”

“Ah know y’can’t stop now, sweetheart. But that don’t mean Ah gotta sit here an’ let mah baby go. Forgive me, Snowflake, but a mother’s gotta keep her daughter outta harm. Ah’m sendin’ the others after yeh now, darlin’. They’ll stop yeh. An’ if they can’t? Well, Ah’ll be sure to keep yer room ready.”

I blinked, dislodging a stray tear from my cheek. “Why? I’ll be gone.”

She didn’t care. “So yeh can find yer way home, o’ course.”

Warmth blossomed in my chest. Thank you! Thank you so much, Mom! “I understand. Good luck, Momma.”

I closed the channel, then placed the communicator in Wings’ claw. Looking up, Schwarzwald was still standing there, twin streaks running down her cheeks. “Gonna try to stop me, too, Schwarz?”

The nickname, which Wings was so fond of using, seemed to shock her out of her reverie. She hastily wiped her cheeks. “No, mistress. I could not stop you now if I tried.” She turned to face the entrance, speaking over her shoulder. “Go now. I will hold them back.”

Nodding, I bent down to place a kiss on Wings’ forehead. “Sorry about all this, Wings. I had to do it. You couldn’t go with them, because you’re gonna save the world.”

Reluctantly breaking away from the griffon, I moved towards the darkness below.

Then, I stopped. Or, rather, my body stopped me. “What the?”

“What is it, dahling?”

My whole body shook in place, and tingled all over. “I… I can’t move.”

I heard her turn around, but couldn’t see anything but what was in front of me. “Did Peanut hit your spine when you fought?”

“No, just my legs, and Wings fixed those up.” What is happening right now? “Lemme see if I can do something with my magic.”

Focusing my magic inwards, on my own body, I searched for the solution. It didn’t take long, as I was immediately flooded with sensations.

Ah. “It’s Undertow.”

Gravel crunched as Schwarzwald moved. “Where?”

I couldn’t even shake my head. “Not here. She’s somewhere in the Stable. I’m feeling her through our link. She’s… wow, she’s in my blood.”

“Your blood?!”

Little sister, you are amazing. I sent nothing but praise and apology back through the link to her. She reacted so strongly that I could almost hear her begging me to wait. “Sorry, Undertow. I can’t let you stop me now.”

“What will you do, dear Snowflake?”

“This.” Using Undertow’s magical presence as a guide, and feeling profoundly guilty about doing so, I sent my magic through my veins. Just a moment, every drop of blood in my body froze.

The sensation of Undertow’s tingling was immediately replaced by pain. Pain so intense, I went blind for a few seconds, even as my lifeblood melted back to liquid.

Through the link, I could feel Undertow’s reaction to the manoeuvre. She was barely coherent. “Sorry, Undertow. You’re the strongest unicorn in the world, but you can’t stop me now.” I am so sorry. I repeated that message over and over through our arcane connection. Nothing but love was transferred. I had to make her last memory of our link a good one.

Schwarzwald made a circuit around me, and nodded when I was able to follow her. “Dear Undertow was not hurt, I hope? Good. You said she was the strongest, but how were you able to overpower her?”

I began to work out the sudden stiffness that Undertow’s attempt had caused in my muscles. “Well, Undertow’s the best Unicorn ever, but she can’t stop an Alicorn.”

Schwarzwald snorted. “You think that dead king’s horn makes you an Alicorn?”

Wryly, I smirked. “No, I’m an Alicorn because I started out a normal Unicorn…” She followed my gaze to the unconscious girl on the floor, “...and then I was blessed with Wings.”

Shaking her head ruefully, she didn’t answer. Instead, she just took up her post watching the entrance again.

Taking the hint, I started back towards the blackness. When I paused at the edge, Schwarzwald spoke up again. “I am very proud to know you too, dahling. Both of you.”

Huh. I stepped away from the edge, walking back to stand beside her. “Has anybody told you that? How proud they are of you?”

Startled, she looked over at me.

I smiled, my profile still to her. “Because I am. You’ve been doing this for so long. Twenty years! I can’t imagine all you’ve done to make this happen.” I turned and held out a hoof. “I’m pretty damn proud to know a pony like you, Schwarzwald.”

Gulping back the lump in her throat, she nodded. “Thank you, dah—… mis—… Snowflake.”

“And,” affecting a grin that was a match for her most lecherous, I winked, “because I know Amber would kill the both of us if I didn’t, I’m gonna make sure you survive this.”

She cocked her head to the side. “How? You know little Undertow will strike me down to save you if I block her way.”

I winked again. Raising my voice, I yelled at the rock around us. “CHANGELINGS! I KNOW YOU’RE HERE! COME OUT NOW!”

Nothing happened for several seconds. When the lack of activity became awkward, I stamped my hooves. “Don’t you mess me around now, Silver and Gold! I am no mood! Get out here, or no queen for you!”

That got a reaction. Gold and Silver fog veritably burst from the rocks surrounding us, coalescing into a swarm of dark green insectoids.

“That’s better!” I barked. “Now then, two things: One, I’m gonna get your queen out of there for you, so be grateful.”

My proclamation set the swarm abuzz, forcing me to shout the next part.

“Two, I’m gonna need a little time, so if anybody comes down here trying to stop me, you stop them. Do. Not. Kill. Them. Just stop them. You understand?”

“WE UNDERSTAND!” They echoed in the voice of their giant Alicorn form.

“Good.” I pointed at Schwarzwald. “Knock her out too, don’t want the others getting mad at her.”

“Oh, you spoilsport!” Was all she managed before being mobbed by a dozen gossamer-winged fliers.

“That’s exactly what I am...” ...my friend. “Goodbye.”

Behind me, the blackness awaited.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I stood before the core of Queen Chrysalis’ blizzard.

Navigating my way down through the dark had been easier than expected, though still no cakewalk on my shaky limbs. Some forward thinking individual had hewn rough steps into the rock face, enough that I wasn’t having to hang from my front hooves with each descending step.

The core itself was breathtaking. What I’d seen of her spell in the Memory Orb didn’t do it justice. A glowing, perfect sphere of shifting whites, running in rivers and crossing over and under each other, twisting the light around it in indescribable ways.

On the far side of the sphere, great tendrils of snow and wind and ice climbed up, back into the blackness of the mountain. I hadn’t seen these streams as I descended the rock, so it must be leaving the mountain from some unknown opening, bleeding out into the border-reaching blizzard outside.

It was hard not to feel inadequate, standing before this massive magical majesty.

I slipped Buff’s Pipbuck, taken from Peanut’s corpse, from my foreleg. Setting it on the rock floor, I hesitantly took a few steps closer to the core.

For all its size and activity, it was disturbingly quiet. Standing less than two metres from its perceivable edge, I still had to strain to hear the swirling winds. The better to hide, I guess. Still cool, though.

Pebbles cascading down the rough steps sent me plunging involuntarily into the core itself. Once my horn made contact, my hooves left the floor. As the spell danced around me, I was pulled up into the center of the core.

Oh, my.

Even seeing the outside couldn’t prepare me for what it was like to be inside. The rivers and crossings were still there, but there was no white to be seen. Instead, every colour in existence, even some I couldn’t even recognise, lapped around me.

“Who are you, little pony, to penetrate the Queen of the Changelings so brazenly?” The voice was coming from everywhere at once, resonating within my eyes, and body, and horn, and heart.

“Um… shift change?” I tried, unsure of where to look while I spoke.

“...Excuse me?” Chrysalis’ deep, reverberating timbre faltered for a moment, before hardening. “I don’t understand. Tell me what you are doing here this instant, little unicorn!”

It’s been a long day. “My name’s Snowflake. I’m here to take over for you with the blizzard.”

Chaos erupted within the core. Colours faded while others spiked, streams broke while rivers burst. “Do not be a fool, ‘Snowflake’. A pony such as you can’t possibly hope to match one who could topple your feeble princesses!”

Okay, rude. “Can I talk to Cadence instead, please?”

Everything dimmed. “...No. She is… no longer with us.”

My heart sank. “Well, that’s a problem. She would have helped a lot with what’s happening outside.”

With sensations over words, the Queen of the Changelings radiated agreement. “Indeed. She gave everything she had to keep my blizzard strong, and more still within the Crystal Heart. Even then, it may not be enough. There will be much strife in the region from Red Ice’s actions today.”

Double-taking, still with no clear directions to address, I spun in place. “How do you know about Red Ice?”

“I AM the blizzard, Snowflake. You cannot hide what’s in your heart from me while within me. Not even with that disgusting creature’s horn on your head.”

“You two met?” Watcher never mentioned this.

“Do not be insulting. What worth is there in a kingdom devoid of love, and ruled by fear? Sombra was a fool who didn’t realise his disrupting the balance guaranteed his own defeat.”

“Well, ruling by yourself’s hard!” It wasn’t really Sombra who I was defending with that one.

She knew it, too. “Yes, your Raiders. Very entertaining.”

Switching topics, I dragged the discussion back to the important parts. “Speaking of subjects. Yours need you now. Without you, they’re dying out.”

“As I knew they would,” she replied sadly, “but I cannot simply abandon my blizzard. Only it keeps Equestria from Windigo eyes.”

“For how long?” I challenged, though not maliciously. “One’s already got through. I killed that one, but I saw its mind. They know we’re here. It won’t be long before the rest come. We need your Changelings to beat them, and they need you.”

“What would you have me do, Raider Queen? If I drop the blizzard, they will come anyway.”

“That’s where I come in.” If you can see into my heart, you know what I mean. “I learned the blizzard spell, and I’ve seen it block a Windigo’s sight. I can hold the blizzard here, while you work with your Changelings to bring love back to Equestria. The Wasteland’s hate is a buffet for them right now, but there’s a way to bring back the love. If you help to make that happen, the balance will tip in your favour.”

Intrigue laced her words, though with an undercurrent of scepticism. “That horn does not grant you power equal to mine, nor even to Cadence’s. Certainly not equal to both of our powers combined, as they were.”

“You’re right.” I laid my cards on the table. “I couldn’t do what you and Cadence did. I couldn’t keep the blizzard up for two hundred years even if I was gonna live that long. I might not even be able to keep it up for a tenth of that. What I can do though, with this dead king’s horn, is keep it up long enough for the Gardens to grow.”

“The Gardens, yes…” I almost felt her poking around in my heart. “With that, much of Equestria’s hate would give way to love. The Windigoes would lose much of their interest, and their food source. My Changelings and I could gorge ourselves as well.”

“Will you let me try?” I pressed. “You know that you can’t keep this up forever, and you lose Changelings with each passing generation. Every moment in here makes you and subjects weaker. If I take over, you’ve got a chance to be strong again. A chance for the Changelings to rejoin the world.”

“And in exchange?” She demanded.

“There’s a mare named Schwarzwald. Ask her to take you to the Watcher. He will explain what it is you need to do next. The Gardens will help the Changelings too, not just the ponies. It’s time for you to join Equestria, not just feed from it. You have a place within the spectrum of love and hate, just as we ponies do, and a responsibility to maintain its balance.”

“How do you know so much of the balance, Snowflake? Most ponies don’t.”

Thoughts of a slate-grey colt with a charcoal mane flooded my mind. “I have the right friends.”

Something stirred in the blizzard. An aura, separate from Chrysalis’ presence, touched at my magic.

The Queen’s tone shifted to thoughtful. “Perhaps you do. The Crystal Heart is responding to you. Perhaps it is time for me to rejoin the world.”

“I promise not to break anything while you’re gone.”

She laughed, low and throaty, but still attractive. Before long, though, she sobered. “It will not be easy, Snowflake. You cannot let up, not even for a moment. Rest will be fitful, never enough to satisfy. You must always remember what and who you are doing this for. If you forget, the Crystal Heart may forsake you.”

Please don’t, Crystal Heart. I mean, I’ve got a little bit of both of your former masters in me. Sombra’s horn is on my head, and Cadence’s memories and touch started all of this. That’s enough, yeah?

Thankfully, though I couldn’t see it, I felt the Crystal Heart’s influence leaching into me. The physical pains of my tired body faded away, leaving me sensing with my horn alone. It was different than any link I’d attempted before. “I understand. Not gonna be a problem. I’m not short on loved ones.”

Appreciation rolled through from her to me. “No, you are not. I could feel that the moment you entered. Perhaps you can do this.”

“Gonna try either way. Since you’re about to leave, lemme give you the rundown: Find Schwarzwald and Watcher, like I said.” If I could still feel my chin, I’d have tapped it. “Oh! I left a Pipbuck, a small computer, outside. Fits on your hoof. It’s got some messages for my friends and family. Could you take it to them, please?”

“Just this once, Snowflake. The Queen of the Changelings is nopony’s courier.”

I ignored her royal obstinance. “Thanks. Last thing, and this is the big one.” I’m not kidding. “You have to work with the others this time around. Don’t just feed off them. The Changelings aren’t enemies of Equestria any longer. Please, for all our sakes, be better than you were. Ponies need to be, as do zebra, and griffons, buffalo, and now you Changelings. We have to accept each other, or else New Equestria, the real New Equestria, can’t be born. If everyone wants it, there’s a place for them. Though, I think you already know this.”

Haughtiness blossomed almost immediately. “Of course I know, Snowflake. I am the Queen. This entire enterprise was my doing, not Cadence’s or any pony. I know what is at stake. I trust you will remember, too.”

“Well, I’m a Raider Queen,” I joked, “so yeah, I got it. Go on now, go back to your Changelings. I got this.” I was trying very hard not to show her how scared I still was.

If she knew, which she almost certainly did, she gave no sign. “Good luck, my little pony.”

I let my horn do the rest. Filtered and amplified through the Crystal Heart, with a touch or two from the departing Chrysalis, my magic and conscience reached up. Above the cavern chamber, above Stable 61, above all the northern mountains of Equestria.

The magic of Snowflake stretched from one end of the world to the other, a single shield to guard against the demons of the north wind.

With love in my heart, and loved ones on my mind...

...I watched over a world of white.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The End.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author's Notes:

See what I did there, with the bookends? Totally never been done before with a Fallout: Equestria story.

BTW, there’s still an epilogue, guys.

As always, a big thank you to Kkat, Kyts, Y1, Auramane, CascadeJackal (he did the original cover art, which is still on the Fallout Equestria wiki), and you, the readers. Please read and comment, and pass the word along if you liked the story.

At time of writing, this chapter (sans the author’s note section, which I don’t believe counts towards the word count) puts us at eighty-nine words short of half a million, with the Epilogue still to come. So yeah, I can claim to have written a five hundred THOUSAND word story, and it only took me three and a half years. Go me.

Seriously, you guys, thank you so much for reading. It’s been an honour to tell this tale to you.