“Very well,” Makali said softly, “this is where the woods come to an end, and you’ll find train tracks that head north to the Griffon Kingdoms.”

“Are you ready to tell me what all this is about, Rat?” Sky asked, raising an eyebrow. She’d been practically pulled upright by an outraged Rat just that very morning, and as she blinked in the unfiltered daylight at the edge of the woods, she regarded the stallion with a worried stare.

Rat looked back at her, his eyes full of the most incredible pain and anger. His body shook and his fur stood on end, but still he took Makali’s forehoof in his own.

“Thanks for everything, Makali,” he said, smiling weakly.

“Don’t mention it,” answered the zebra, slipping a little notebook into Sky’s saddlebag. “Just do whatever you need to do and stay safe. Oh, and if you find whoever perfected those enhancements, give them a kick from me.”

“We already did,” Rat chuckled mirthlessly, taking Sky’s hoof and dragging her off towards the train tracks. “Take it easy, Stripes!”

“Stripes? Why, I…” Makali began, but Sky and Rat were already accelerating, galloping out of the woods and off towards the northern railway.

“Rat...this isn’t a cop drama,” Sky growled, pulling her hoof free of her coltfriend’s and spreading her wings challengingly, “just tell me what the hell’s going on and stop playing games.”

“I saw...everything, okay?” Rat snarled, lowering his head as he stepped onto the train tracks and began to follow them north. “I saw your pain, your hurt. I saw your heart break and your brother fuck you over. I saw...Shadow...die...in the university…”

Sky blinked, cocking her head. “You...saw...er...all that, huh? You don’t suppose there was some swamp gas that…?”

“NO!” Rat roared, looking around at Sky with wild eyes, “NO! I saw...I saw inside Stronghooves’s head. He visited me...in my dreams...to try and make me do his dirty work for him, but when I started questioning what he was asking me to do, he panicked. I shocked him and forced him to show me all of his memories of you, and I saw...that.” The stallion’s shoulders slumped as he walked, his muzzle inches from the tracks as he hung his head. “I saw him leave you to get fucked over by Shady, and I saw your diary, Sky. I...know what he did to you.”

“O...okay…” Sky sighed, “look, Rat, you’ve gotta understand something about what happened back when we were kids. See, I was a bad pony, and…”

“No you weren’t, Sky. Don’t give me that bullshit,” Rat scoffed, “you were good. You were brilliant and sweet and kind and I saw that with my own fucking eyes. Don’t go parroting your brother like some abused housewife. You’re better than that.”

“Yeah? You’re telling me you saw a bunch of stuff that Stronghooves showed you. You must’ve seen the kind of pony I was.” Sky huffed. “I was a bad filly. I was manipulative and crafty and mean and stupid. Stronghooves just...punished me a little too hard.”

“Stronghooves listened to your lying, dumbshit parents and you know it. He said so himself, you know. How his parents twisted his mind, turned him into something unsalvageable, made him do things to you like he wasn’t in control of his own actions.”

“So this is what it’s about,” Sky sighed, trying to redirect the conversation, “so what are we heading north for?”

“When I looked into that fucked-up morass he calls a brain, I saw a fortress, somewhere in the Griffon Kingdoms,” Rat explained. “I think that’s where he’s hiding. That’s where the crystals are, the last of the Operatives, all of this shit.”

“So what, we just break in and steal the crystals?” Sky asked, “You realise that Hoovesie’s a different brand of dangerous from the rest of the guys we’ve gone up against so far, right?”

“Yeah, I’m aware,” Rat nodded. “Still, we’ve gotta try, right? I mean, Stronghooves goes down, we get the crystals back, give them back to the museum and then you walk out of all of this a free mare.”

“So you’re doing this just to give me a happy ending, huh?” Sky asked skeptically.

“Partially,” Rat admitted. “Mostly I’m doing it because that asshole’s pissed me off. Forcing me to witness Fox’s death again, watching as you were abused as a kid, thrown out on the street and forced to fend for yourself, all the while berating me, trying to con me into working for him. Guy’s a narcissist, and if I get my hooves on him, I’ll shove my leg so far up his ass that I can open and close his mouth like a fucking puppet.”

Sky’s ears perked as she heard an approaching train. With another little sigh, she grabbed Rat by the shoulders and pulled him off of the tracks.

“If we just go running in, we don’t have much of a chance,” Sky argued, fiddling with her crossbow as she shifted a bigger, heavier dart into the firing mechanism. “We’re gonna need a plan, and we’re gonna need to make sure we’ve got those darts that counteract the enhancements.”

Sky lowered her head, pulling Rat up onto her back as she readied her grapple dart. As the unicorn clung on tight, wrapping his forelegs around her neck, Sky raised her crossbow and fired the dart off as the train went by. A satisfying clank told her that her aim was true, and the little white mare braced herself as the cable reel fastened to the grapple dart unravelled. With an enormous tug, the two ponies were launched into the air, pulled in the wake of the train with Sky’s damaged wings keeping them aloft.

“This is a hell of a lot faster than walking, I’ll give you that!” Rat laughed, holding onto his marefriend as she came in to land atop one of the cars.

“Yeah, looks like a freight train, though.” Sky sighed. “No buffet car, I’m afraid.”

“Awww, and there was me hoping that you’d buy me lunch.” Rat chuckled sarcastically. “Okay, sweetheart, I’m listening. What’s the plan?”

“The plan is, we get in, avoid detection, get a hold of those crystals and then shoot every Operative left. You got that?”

“Doesn’t that stuff only work temporarily?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Sky said with a frown. “Okay, only shoot everypony in the place if they get in our way. Fair enough?”

“I wanna take Stronghooves down,” Rat growled.

“Yeah? How are you gonna do that?” Sky asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I dunno. I just...don’t want him to get away with this. What if I just take his enhancements away and…?”

“Rat, listen to yourself,” Sky interrupted. “You were about to end that sentence with something lethal, weren’t you?”

Rat opened his mouth, then closed it again.

“Ma...maybe.” He admitted, ears flopping down.

“You’re not a killer, pal,” Sky said, shaking her head. “You’re not gonna kill him, no matter what you saw when you looked into his head. You know you’re better than that.”

“I...know,” Rat grunted, looking away. “It doesn’t stop me wishing, though…”

“The difference between an asshole and a good pony is sometimes just the difference between wishing and doing,” Sky said with a shrug.

“I didn’t know you were a philosopher.”

“If I wasn’t, maybe I’d have a real job,” Sky chuckled, placing a hoof under Rat’s chin to turn his head back towards her. “Hey, conehead.”

Rat caught her eye, smiling softly and rubbing his muzzle against hers.

“You’re just too adorable, sometimes,” he said quietly, his voice barely audible over the rushing wind around them.

“Yeah? We’ll see how adorable I am when I’ve got you dressed up in a bonnet and bow. Just wait until we get back to Canterlot, buster.” Sky giggled, sticking her tongue out at him.

“It’s a date,” Rat said with a smile, putting a foreleg around the back of Sky’s neck and drawing her in.

“Hey, Rat...you wanna promise me something real quick?” Sky asked, playing with her hooves worriedly.

“Anything, dollface.” Rat grinned, muzzle-bumping her once more.

“Just...don’t leave me, okay?” Sky asked nervously, almost too quiet for him to make out the words. She looked down at the train car, ears flattening against her skull. “You’re kind of the first guy who hasn’t been crazy or left me alone…”

“I’m still not sure that I’m not crazy,” Rat whispered, nuzzling her chin to bring her head up again. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll get this over and done with and then somepony owes me a date…”

The two ponies sat together in silence for a time, watching as the Equestrian countryside gave way to foothills at the base of the mountainous Griffon Kingdoms. Sky and Rat readied their weapons, cocking their crossbows and longbows as they prepared themselves as best they can.

“Last chance to back out,” Rat chuckled after a while.

“Not on your life,” Sky growled, steeling herself as she caught sight of a fortress halfway up a nearby mountain. “Is that the place?”

“Yeah.” Rat affirmed, following her line of sight.

“Then let’s end this, once and for all.”

The two burglars crept across the underground train platform, keeping to the shadows as best they could as they approached the stairwell.

“I don’t like this place,” Rat whispered. “It’s too clean and bright. There’s barely anywhere to hide.”

“Yeah…” Sky muttered. “Looks like some kind of military deal. We really stuck our hoof in it by pissing off this lot, didn’t we?”

“All the more reason to get these douchebags off of our backs for good.”

Sky took point, loading an Operative-busting sleep dart into her crossbow as she began to ascend the stars. Rat loaded his weapon as well, making his way up behind her.

“This place is one hell of a fortress,” he mused. “Why aren’t there more of them, especially in the damn train station?”

“We probably took most of them out in Canterlot,” Sky replied, her voice shaking just a little as she made her way up the pale white steps. “Still...keep sharp. I don’t wanna imagine how these guys act when they’re feeling desperate.”

They made their way out into a large white atrium, massive simple pillars framing the tall, thin windows that looked out over the foothills and Equestria itself. Rat took only a moment to glance out over it before looking around once more. His ears perked as he listened with all his might for any sign of them being tracked.

“I...really don’t like this,” he muttered.

“Me neither,” Sky whispered back, slowing down to draw level with her coltfriend and flicking her good wing over his back. “Come on, sweetie. Not long now.”

They stopped, arriving at a great reinforced white door with a hoof-identifying plate just like the one back in Canterlot.

Sky frowned, taking the amulet in her hoof and pressing it to the plate hopefully. With a little ding sound, the doors slid open, satisfied once more that Sky was Silver Tongue.

“This is too easy,” Sky giggled, stepping inside.

What stood before her was reminiscent of the lab in Canterlot, the same brass array as before hanging overhead with the crystals set into little apertures in the rings. Each let off a dim light that gave the otherwise unlit lab the feel of a quiet, abandoned disco. Sky stood right beneath the metal frame, licking her lips as she stared up at it.

“Right,” she whispered, “how do we go about getting these down.”

“I guess I could magic them down easily enough,” Rat suggested. “Dunno how well they’d react to magic, though…”

“Here, let me try,” Sky said, wiggling her flanks as she wound up to launch herself at the frame. Rat grabbed her tail at the last second, sending her tumbling to the floor with a little squeak.

“Are you crazy? Do you have any idea what kind of racket that thing’d make if you hit it?” Rat snarled.

“Well excuse me! Got any better ideas?” Sky asked with a huff, dusting her fur down and glaring at him.

“Er…”

“Here’s one for free. Give me a boost.”

Sky hopped onto his back, reaching out for the lowermost crystal with her armed hoof as Rat reared up onto his hind legs.

“You know, this isn’t right,” Rat growled.

“What, having me on top?”

“No, getting in this easily,” Rat said with a worried frown. “I mean, this place is a fortress, right? Why aren’t there any defences? Something automated, even just a security crystal?”

“I’m trying not to think about that,” said Sky, feeling a strange tug on her crossbow gauntlet as she got closer and closer to the crystals.

Gotta be something to do with the alchemical stuff being this close to a powerful magical artifact. That’s gotta be it, right?

“Just...get it...done…” Rat grunted, staggering sideways just a little as his hoof was taken in the same magical grip, offsetting his balance.

“Nearly got it…” Sky wheezed, inches from the crystal now. “Just...gotta get ‘em and get...the hell out of here…”

“You may find that last part a little harder than you think,” came a familiar voice from nearby.

Magic wove its way around their crossbows as they were wrested from their hooves, sending the two burglars tumbling down to the ground. Out of the shadows, illuminated by the light of his own horn, stepped Stronghooves. He held their weapons up like trophies, floating them in front of his face with an amused smile.

“You,” Rat sneered, getting back up and flaring his own horn challengingly.

“Yes, me.” The stallion replied with a grin, dropping the crossbows to the floor and crushing them beneath his heavy armoured hoof. “You did a great job bringing Sky to me, Rat. You made good on your promise.”

“Wha...what’re you talking about?” Sky gasped, looking from Rat to Stronghooves. “Rat, he’s just lying, right?”

“Lying?” Stronghooves asked, cocking his head. “Sky, it’s Rat who’s been lying. He’s been seeing me ever since the two of you left Canterlot. He spoke to me, watched his own brother die, saw your most private and painful moments through my eyes, and even watched your sister pass away. Now he’s brought you back to me, just as I’d intended.” His warm gaze fell upon Rat, who recoiled in shock.

“N...no...it’s not like that!” He yelped, backpedalling. “Sky, don’t listen to…”

“Don’t listen to the truth?” Stronghooves said, grinning predatorily as he paced around them. Shield stepped in behind them, encircling the two little ponies and forcing them together. “Rat, you did everything I wanted, saw everything I wanted you to see. Do you really think you could’ve seen those memories last night unless I’d planned it that way?”

“But...why?” Rat asked, slowly pulling his longbow off of his back.

“To make you reckless,” Stronghooves explained. “You got so angry when I wouldn’t tell you the truth about her, even angrier when you found it out for yourself. You walked in here without doing any research, brushing aside your own marefriend’s warnings, no doubt. All that matters is you and me, right?”

“Wrong,” Rat said, shaking his head. “Trust me, Hoovesie, I wanna kick your ass as much as the next guy, but I’m not doing this to get to you. I’m doing this to save her.”

“Yeah? How come you led her right into the dragon’s lair, then?” Stronghooves asked.

The silence was palpable, the air thick with a grim realisation that wove its way around Rat’s mind and clutched it like a vice.

“You...really did plan this…”

“Yes,” Stronghooves said with a grin. “Now, thanks to you, Sky’s in my captivity and you’ve got exactly what you wanted all along. You’re right here with me. One on one. Isn’t that what you came here for?”

The Captain gave a nod, and Shield lowered his head. Magic arced from the Inspector’s horn straight into Sky’s torso, seizing up her joints and robbing her of the use of her nerves. The little pegasus collapsed in the middle of the floor, only able to sob and wheeze as Shield began to bind her legs together.

Rat rounded on the two of them, charging his horn to try and get Shield off of his marefriend, but Stronghooves swept his legs out from underneath him before he could get a spell off. The smaller unicorn tumbled to the ground, grunting and trying to haul himself back upright again. Stronghooves followed up on his attack, slamming into Rat’s side and sending the unicorn flying across the room. With a pained grunt, Rat hit the stone floor and slid a few metres before coming to rest.

“Now, Sky...watch,” Stronghooves whispered, advancing on Rat as Shield forced her to stare at him. “Watch and realise just what happens to ponies who try to help you. They betray you, they fail you...and finally, they hurt you, even if they don’t mean to.”

Rat rose once again, swinging at the larger stallion with one of his forehooves in desperation, but Stronghooves sidestepped him and swept his legs out from under him once more. With a crack, Rat’s head hit the stone floor once more, a little trickle of blood running out from between his lips as a few of his teeth were knocked loose. Stronghooves grabbed him by the mane, winding it around his hoof before hauling the stallion up into the air.

“Now, look Sky in the eye.” Stronghooves snarled, forcing the two to lock eyes. “Look at what you’ve done to her, the trouble that your anger and recklessness has gotten her into.”

“Sky…” Rat whispered, blood-flecked saliva running down his chin and onto the floor as he looked into her eyes, “I’m so sorry. I...didn’t know. I wasn’t thinking...I just...wanted...to help…”

“A noble sentiment,” Stronghooves agreed. “Don’t worry, Rat Racer. You’ll have a little peace knowing that you have helped. You’ve given my sister back, and now I can help her, the way I’ve always wanted to.”

“You’re...not gonna turn me into a unicorn, Hoovesie. Just...let Rat go. Come on, he’s got no part in this. Just...don’t hurt him…” Sky whispered, looking up at her big brother pleadingly with tears in her eyes.

“I can’t let him go, Sky,” Stronghooves said sadly. “See, if I let him go, who’s to say whether or not he’ll expose me? What if he helps break you out of here? I’m afraid that the good Manehattanite here chose for himself whether he wanted to be involved in this little mess, and he made the wrong choice.”

“Hoovesie, please, I’m asking you nicely, let him go! Please!” Sky shrieked. “He’s not just some guy who got caught up in all of this! I lo…need him!”

“Sky…” Rat began, his pupils two pinpricks of terror as he heard Stronghooves unsheath his sword behind him.

Stronghooves didn’t give him time to say a word more, running it through his chest and puncturing his lung in an instant. Rat spluttered wordlessly, coughing up blood as his legs spasmed where he hung. For just an instant more, his eyes met Sky’s and they shared in the pain of his injury, the understanding that what Stronghooves had done was undeniably lethal. Sky had expected herself to scream, to make some kind of noise to give voice to her anger, fear and burning sadness, but it caught in her throat, naught but a weak little whimper.

As Sky looked on in terror, struggling fruitlessly against her bonds in an effort to get to Rat, a subtle movement caught her eye. It was the tiniest twitch of the lips, but it carried all of the pain of their lost years together.

“I’m sorry,” he mouthed. “I love you.”

Stronghooves twisted the sword before Sky had a chance to respond, and Rat Racer choked and thrashed wildly, struggling against the blade in his chest until he finally settled down. His body began to shut down as his lifeblood drained onto the stonework, pooling around Sky’s prostrate form, and after what seemed like an eternity, Rat Racer grew still and struggled no more.

Sky choked back sobs as she watched Stronghooves push the dead burglar off of his sword, cleaning it off on the corpse’s cloak before glancing up at Sky again with a friendly little smile.

“You...bastard…” Sky snarled, struggling against her bonds once again.

“First Shadow, then Rat,” Stronghooves interrupted. “You really don’t get it yet, do you? Your refusal to give yourself up and be my sister again has cost two ponies their lives, ruined your ability to make friends and have a family of your own.”

“You didn’t kill Shadow,” Sky said grimly, summoning all of the courage she could muster as she looked up into her big brother’s eyes. “When she finds out what happened to me, she’ll come and save me and we’ll both kick your ass.”

Sure enough, as Sky looked over Stronghooves’s shoulder, she caught sight of the young filly with oversized wings, creeping around in the shadows as always. For just a moment, Sky felt a twinge of hope, a promise that even if things couldn’t be what they could have been, they could at least return to normal.

“You’re still living in that old memory.” Stronghooves sighed, pulling a dart full of amber liquid out of his pack and advancing on her. “Don’t worry, Sky. Your brother’s going to save you from everything. I’m going to free you from your crippling injuries. I’m going to save you from all of the pain and heartache and make you mine again.”

“Bi...bite me…” Sky growled, trying to pull herself away as Stronghooves came closer. He pushed the tip of the needle to her neck, staring at her almost with academic curiosity as he applied pressure. As soon as it broke her skin, the needle pushed its payload into her bloodstream, and no amount of struggling or whimpering on Sky’s part could stop it.

“This is a powerful antipsychotic,” Stronghooves explained, pacing around her. “Let’s see if your little sister comes to save you now.”

Sure enough, as Sky looked back to the shadows, the younger pegasus had frozen in place. Shadow stared at her own hooves, flickering in and out of existence like a malfunctioning hologram, and from the deepest pits of anguished memory, she let out an ear-splitting scream of pain.

“Hoo...Hoovesie, I don’t know what you’ve done to her, but stop it! STOP IT!” Sky screamed, ears flattening against her head as she tried to block out the sound, shuffling with all of her might towards the source of the sound. Shadow faded in and out of existence, but the screams never got any quieter. They were, after all, a product of Sky’s own mind, intertwined with her damaged psyche. Sky’s mind struggled to latch onto an emotional anchor, but Rat and Shadow were both gone, their only legacy a mixture of screaming and pained expressions as life left the two of them. In that moment, Sky broke completely, curling up into a ball and sobbing wildly.

Stronghooves settled down next to her, his voice barely audible over the ever-present screams of the long-dead little filly.

“Now, Sky...let’s get started on your treatment.”