Sky’s eyes flickered open, the sound of rushing water from nearby rousing her back into consciousness. She let out a tiny squeaky groan as she made a quick assessment, wiggling her hooves and wings to see if she could still get a response out of them. Her whole body ached like mad, her muscles still hurting from the effort she’d put into running. Her eyes widened a little more as the city above caught her eye, and it became apparent just how far she’d fallen.

“I’d better be dead…” She muttered, staring up at the stars.

“Nope,” Came a familiar voice from nearby, “but you are fucking insane. What the hell made you think that that was a good idea? That’s the most insane shit you’ve pulled yet!”

Sky’s eyes followed the voice, swivelling round and falling on a dishivelled and angry red unicorn. He sat by her side, looking down at her with a mix of fury and concern.

“How the fuck are we alive, Rat?” Sky muttered, shaking her head and testing her limbs again.

“You got slowed down by those things you call wings. I cast the weight spell and came down like a feather.” Rat winked. “We’re lucky as hell, though. Remind me to never let you do anything ever again.”

Chuckling weakly, Sky sat up and observed her surroundings. The two of them were sat on a little boat drifting down a river away from the city. Every so often it bumped off of errant stones, carrying them out into Equestria itself.

“Where the fuck did you get this?” She asked, cocking her head.

“Erm...an old couple gave it to me…” Rat smiled sheepishly. Both of them perked their ears at a distant shouting that sounded vaguely like an irate old couple who’d just found their boat stolen. Sky fixed Rat with an accusatory glare that made him cower a little, shuffling to the other end of the boat.

“What about Shadow and Fox? Did they both make it out okay?” Sky asked.

“Yeah, sis. We’re fine...kinda…” Came a voice from nearby. Sky peered off the edge of the boat at two young ponies on a raft. Shadow looked uncomfortable in the extreme. Fox was sat right next to her, invading her personal space just a little more than necessary.

“We got out alright, Sky. Don’t worry about us.” Fox smiled happily. “I saved her!”

“What? You saved me?” Shadow snarled, indignant. “If I remember correctly, I wasn’t the one who freaked out and punched me in the eye as soon as those bombs went off!”

“Wow.” Sky observed innocently, as Fox muttered something and looked down at his hooves in shame. “You two must’ve been pretty close together if he could punch you in the eye like that. The building didn’t rock that much…”

“We were...er…” Fox managed to get out before Shadow caught him in a headlock, violently choking him.

“We weren’t doing anything!” She said quickly. “He’s lying! He’s full of shit! He’s always been full of shit!”

“Shadow, let’s hear what he’s got to say. Go on, let the nice little colt go.” Sky giggled, crossing her forehooves on the side of the boat and resting her chin on them.

Shadow looked from Fox to Sky, her eyes widening with fright. After a moment’s hesitation, she finally released the poor little colt, who massaged his neck with a hoof gratefully.

“Tha...thanks...Sky…” Fox gagged, pointedly avoiding Shadow’s venomous gaze.

“So what were you two doing that’s such a big secret.” Sky grinned, eyeing the two of them with the curious gaze of a sister who was never ever going to let Shadow forget this.

“Well…” Fox said slowly, finally sitting up. “We were cuddling, right? And…”

Unfortunately, he never got to finish that sentence, as Shadow picked just that moment to shove him off of the raft into the river.

“Oh, whoops! You poor thing! I didn’t see you there!” Shadow said with mock concern, pulling the spluttering little unicorn back onto the raft. “You really have to be more careful! It’s amazing how ponies can be hurt if they don’t pay attention to their surroundings...or what comes out of their mouths.” She added off-handedly.

Sky lay back with a little snicker, having heard more than enough to get Shadow for it later on.

“So what now?” Rat asked after a few moments, trying to change the subject.

“Well, I guess we still need that Poison Joke, but I’ll bet you anything that the guards have the city locked down after that little show.” Sky huffed. “They’ll blame it on us, too. Call it terrorism and you can blame anypony for any old bullshit.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Rat nodded. “So you said something about a Plan C?”

“Well…” Sky tapped her hoof to her chin, glancing off down the river at a distant forest. “We could always see if we could find where it grows naturally.”

“What, go into the Everfree Forest?” Rat asked doubtfully. “That forest where ponies go in and never come out? That Everfree Forest?”

“Er...yeah.” Sky nodded. “Come on, face it. We’re kinda fucked. If we go to Manehattan, Tommygun hunts us down. If we go back to Canterlot, Stronghooves hunts us down. If we go into the Everfree…well, there’s nothing looking for us in there, is there?”

“No, but there’s plenty of things that wouldn’t mind a quick pony snack in there, too.” Rat frowned. “Sky...are you sure about this?”

Sky nodded impetuously, sitting up again. “Yeah. We’ve gotta get that Poison Joke and add it to the formula. I’m sure it’s the key to getting this Operative thing sorted once and for all.”

Rat bit his lip, looking between Sky and the woods on the horizon. “You know it’s gonna be dangerous in there, right?”

“Don’t worry.” Sky winked. “I’ll take care of you, you big dumb filly.”

“Fuck you.” Rat snickered, nuzzling Sky’s cheek with a nervous little smile. “Fi...fine. We’ll go on a suicide mission into the forest, but if I die I’m gonna haunt your ass so hard.”

“Sweetie, you can do whatever the hell you want to my ass.” Sky giggled, whipping her slightly damp tail around to smack Rat on the flank. The stallion gave a very ladylike squeak, blushing and snuggling closer.

“I’m gonna hold you to that.” He mumbled, as the boat drifted down the moonlit river towards the Everfree Forest.

Stronghooves stood atop the city walls, looking out over Equestria pensively. The deafening roar of the waterfall nearby meant nothing to him as he peered down off of the mountain. A little smile crossed his face as he felt the magical connection between himself and Rat strengthening over time.

He survived… Stronghooves thought to himself. And so did Sky. That’s perfect. I’ve got time, even if it’s only a few hours. I only need a little bit of time...

“They got away.” Came a voice from behind him. Stronghooves wheeled round, smiling at Daybreak and Shield, both of whom looked very ashamed of themselves.

“Yes.” He said, grinning. “You two did wonderfully.”

“There’s no need to be sarcastic about it.” Daybreak rolled her eyes, pouting.

“I mean it!” Stronghooves insisted. “Getting Sky and Rat out of the city makes things much easier for us!”

“Hate to break it to you, Hoovesie, but they got into the city when we were watching out for them a week ago.” Daybreak pointed out. “What’s different about this time?”

“Well, by the time they make their way back up into the city, we’ll likely be long gone.” Stronghooves shrugged. “They’re probably not going to return here any time soon. They’ll be looking for a way to get me out of the picture.”

“So we’re heading up to that big griffon fortress you told us about, huh?” Shield cocked his head.

“That’s right. That little castle on the border will be a perfect place to rehabilitate her. It’s miles away from any Equestrian settlements, out of reach of anypony who’d judge her too harshly for what she does, and the best part is that she’ll be going into it blind.” Stronghooves grinned. “No access to her contacts. If we can catch her there, she’ll be forced to see reason when we finally sit down and talk to her.”

“That makes sense.” Shield nodded. “So we’re moving right away?”

“Yes. We need to handle this quickly and efficiently if we’re going to stay one step ahead of her. Shield, you and I will travel up to the Griffon Kingdoms using the Count’s private train. We’ll stash the crystals and the phylactery there so that we can keep tracking Sky and draw her in.”

“Do you think you’re going to have clearance?” Shield asked doubtfully.

“I don’t know, but what I do know is that neither Thunder nor Silver was up in the Griffon Kingdoms since I’ve returned to the city. I should still have clearance. If I don’t...we’ll improvise.”

“By “improvise” you mean “rip the doors off and walk in anyway,” I assume?” Shield chuckled wearily. It had been a long day.

“You read my mind.” Stronghooves snickered. “I’ll get the release papers signed for transfer of the train over to the custody of the Royal Guard. You start loading the crystals up. Keep them under heavy guard, and come to me if the remaining Operatives attempt to get in the way.”

“Right.” Shield nodded, ears perking up as he trotted off down into the city again. “You take care, okay? Give me a shout if she comes back and I’ll help you catch her properly this time.”

“I’ll keep that in mind!” Stronghooves laughed as his friend disappeared round a corner.

“What about me?” Daybreak inquired.

“You’ve been to Ponyville before.” Stronghooves said, turning to his marefriend. “Heck, you’ve lived there. You’re the best qualified to go after the two of them.”

“They’ve gone up against solo Operatives before and won…” Daybreak said doubtfully.

“Don’t worry.” Stronghooves shook his head, placing a hoof on the mare’s shoulder. “You’re not being sent to capture or kill them, and from what you’ve told me you were pretty diplomatic the last time you met Sky. Besides…” he added, blushing a little. “You’re a smart...cre...creative...and to...ough…”

“What’s with the sudden speech impediment?” Daybreak smiled with the air of a pony who knows damn well what’s going on. She fluttered her eyelashes at Stronghooves, doing her best to at least appear innocent.

“Well...er...you see…”

“Pony got your tongue?” She whispered huskily, stepping forward with her muzzle inches from his ear. “Because I can make that happen, you know…”

“You...you shouldn’t...you shouldn’t have a problem with them.” Stronghooves finally finished, a little faster than necessary.

“Knew you’d get there eventually.” Daybreak smiled cheekily. “Okay Hoovesie, what do you want me to do?”

Stronghooves collapsed onto his haunches, embarrassed out of his mind. He took a moment to clear his throat before starting again. “Er...yes, right...well...I need you to follow them. Find out what they’re up to and keep them on the run for a little bit longer.”

“So I’m buying you two time?” Daybreak cocked her head.

“Think of it as running recon. You know Ponyville far better than anypony else, so you’ll be able to keep pace with them more easily.” Stronghooves explained. “You do know your way around town, right?”

“Yeah, course I do!” Daybreak huffed. “That’s not the problem.”

“Look, Daybreak, if you get in trouble, retreat and take some time to replenish yourself. Let them think they’re winning. Don’t be afraid to give up and give them our location if you get “outmatched.””

“Who’s to say that they won’t kill me?” Daybreak frowned.

“Sky doesn’t work that way.” Stronghooves shook his head. “She’s got a golden rule about never killing ponies. She won’t allow Rat to do it, either. I can promise you that.”

“Er...are you sure? Only...I kinda...made an off-hoof comment about the size of her flanks the last time we met.” Daybreak said sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

“Oh, that. Don’t worry, Daybreak. Sky’s a natural-born liar.” Stronghooves said dismissively. “I’m sure she’s absolutely fine about it.”

“She seemed pretty pissed…”

“She always does. I remember back when she was a kid she used to get all pouty and angry at me right before she’d smile and give me a big hug.” Stronghooves smiled encouragingly. “She’s good at seeming pretty angry when she’s not, and sometimes she’s good at seeming friendly when she isn’t. Just remember that.”

“Okay…” Daybreak nodded doubtfully. “So, how do I track them down?”

Stronghooves rummaged in his armour, eventually producing a little brass compass on a length of chain. “Shield took the liberty of enchanting this to link up to the phylactery. It’ll let you track Sky, at any rate. Besides that, you’ll want to talk to some of the locals in Ponyville. Remember, they’re in a town that neither of them have experienced before, and you’re on your home turf. You’ve got all of the advantages.”

“I guess you’re right. They’ll probably be expecting you instead of me, huh?”

“That’s right.” Stronghooves said, his face falling slightly. “The fact that you’ve lost against them before will likely give them a false sense of confidence, too. Play on that.”

“Right. I’ll go be your errand pony...on one condition.” Daybreak grinned slyly.

“Wha...what’s that, then?” Stronghooves asked, suddenly worried.

“You owe me a date when I get back.” She giggled, kissing him on the cheek. “And if we have to stay in that fortress, maybe we can spend the day together. No work, no worries, just you, me and our new little pet. How’s that sound?”

“That...wow...Daybreak…” Stronghooves whispered, touching a hoof to his cheek where she’d kissed him. “That...that sounds lovely...I’d like that…”

“It’s a date, then.” She beamed, sticking her tongue out at him and trotting down into the city too. “You take care of things with your boyfriend, and I’ll handle all the big girl tasks! Don’t you worry!”

As she disappeared into the city as well, Stronghooves practically slumped on the spot. It seemed as if each day he spent with that mare strained his sanity...no matter how incredible and full of surprises she was. He’d dealt with a great many things in his career, all of them ranging from strange to downright dangerous, but Daybreak was something else entirely.

What a mad pony. He shook his head, looking out over Equestria again. Now, let’s see if that spell worked as intended…