Waking Nightmares

by Jonathan "KnightMysterio" Spires

Chapter 2: Adjustments and Absurdities

The disclaimer about copyrights from the last chapter will apply to this and all future chapters. This story starts three hours after the end of the battle in the first chapter.

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Sugar Cube Corner...

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The princesses had left, and BLU had gathered around the store, the other six ponies sitting at a table with bottles of juice around them. The princesses had repaired most of the damage done in the attack, but there was still some damage left that various ponies were fixing. The fact that the bodies of the corrupted Diamond Dogs, which many were starting to call Nightmare Dogs, were all destroyed was something that everypony was grateful for.

"Ah still don't know how those things was able to sneak up on CELESTIA of all people," Applejack muttered, cursing how useless she had felt in that battle.

Twilight Sparkle shook her head. "Something was... very off about them. I couldn't sense them magically at all, only physically."

Rarity sipped her juice. "Do you suppose that whatever it was that... did THAT to them made them invisible to magic senses?"

Twilight Sparkle sighed. "Maybe... There's just too much we don't know."

Rainbow Dash grinned despite the situation. "Well, we got some kickbutt fighters now! Those BLU guys were AWESOME!"

"If'n you don't mind explodin' heads..." Applejack said, shaking her head. "Ah swear, ah've never seen anypony fight like that..."

The six ponies looked over at the gathered warriors. Soldier, grumpy because Engineer made him give back the shovel he stole, and Medic, who seemed to be grumpy in general, were arguing over something, and looked to be ready to come to blows. Demoman was sketching what looked like a recipe on the ground with the weapon he had used during the earlier battle. Heavy was staring at a daisy and rose sandwich that a grateful waiter of a nearby cafe had gotten for him, not quite sure what to make of it. Spy was nowhere to be seen. Sniper was perched on a rooftop, his cold eyes scanning everything around him. Scout was trying to explain the concept of some bizarre soda pop called Bonk! to the Cakes. Engineer was tinkering with his Gem Sentry, occasionally glancing over at Pyro, who was making butterflies of flame dance around her head.

Fluttershy whimpered.

"I'm... I'm sure it'll be all right," Twilight Sparkle said, grinning weakly.

"Thankfully you had that fireproofing spell..." Fluttershy said, her voice soft and gentle, "I'm just glad you learned it recently..."

Twilight Sparkle glared at Spike, who giggled nervously. "Yeah, I am too," she muttered.

"Why do you have it, Twi?" Applejack asked, "Ah didn't think magic worked like that..."

Twilight Sparkle sighed, an ashamed look crossing Spike's face. "...Spike accidentally set my lab on fire a couple days ago. If Fluttershy hadn't been nearby and gotten a raincloud in, everything would have exploded. I took the time to research warding spells after that..."

Spike whimpered, clearly embarrassed by the incident. Fluttershy blushed. "I'm just glad I could have helped..." She looked over at Pyro, who was turning the fire butterflies into bats, an insane grin on her face. "I really hope she doesn't hurt any one of my little animal friends..."

Rarity sighed. "Engineer seems confident that Pyro will obey him and not try to burn anything unless given permission. I'm inclined to believe him," she said.

Applejack gave her an amused look. "Interestin,' comin' from you. Ah figured you'd go fer that Spah feller."

Rarity chuckled. "Certainly, he is a charming pony, and quite handsome as well. But oddly, Engineer seems to hold my attention the most."

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Careful. You might have some hot competition in Pyro."

Rarity frowned. "It isn't an attraction, per se... I can't really describe it," she said, shaking her head in frustrated confusion.

"We can look into it later," Twilight said, "Right now, let's just get everyone settled in." She turned to ask Pinkie, but she had left the group already and was looking at the recipe Demoman was writing in the dirt.

"Whatcha makin'?" she asked, smiling amiably.

"Something with a little pop," Demoman said, his voice slightly muffled by his 'writing implement.'

"Ooh! Sounds tasty! I like spicy things!" Pinkie said, getting the wrong idea.

Demoman chuckled, shaking his head. "If ye eat this, lass, yuir head's likely to pop off in a bloody mess."

Pinkie eeped. "Well... What is it for, then?"

"I'm tryin' te remember the formula for black powder, so I can make fireworks," Demoman said, deciding to leave out the detail that he was also planning on creating some makeshift grenades. "Engineer suggested we all try to find a way to apply our skills here. I'm good at making things go boom, so I figured that sellin' some of me 'special party favors' for celebrations would be a good way te help, since I'm gonna be workin' in yuir store."

"Fireworks?" Pinkie almost shrieked, excited. She had only seen them before, both the magical kind and the kind Demoman was planning on making, and the thought of having ready access to them was exciting.

"Aye, lass," Demoman laughed, "But I'd appreciate it if ye let me handle makin' them. I'm the one with experience, after all."

"Awww, I wanna help!" Pinkie Pie giggled. But contrary to popular belief, she did know when to back off on occasion, so when Demoman refused again, she bounced away to talk to Scout.

The other ponies stared at Demoman for a long moment.

"...Anypony wanna place a bet on when Sugar Cube Corner explodes?" Applejack said, laughing weakly.

"...Not... really that funny, Applejack," Rarity said, managing a grin despite how bad the joke was.

"Ah know, ah know. Ah'm just tryin' t'lighten things up a little..." Applejack said.

Twilight Sparkle sighed. "Maybe... Maybe it's best if we just get our new... our new 'guests' situated in their new homes. After that, we can set up for Pinkie's party, and try to make the best of this we can."

Fluttershy shivered. "...As much as the mere idea of having Pyro living with me scares me, I'm sorta glad she and the others are around."

Rainbow Dash blinked. "What do you mean?"

Fluttershy shivered again. "As scary as they are, those Nightmare Dogs were even scarier..."

The others nodded in agreement, having flashbacks to their encounters with Nightmare Moon and Discord...

Twilight Sparkle shook her head. "Anyway, let's get our guests settled in."

The ponies reluctantly split up, going over to their new respective houseguests.

Engineer looked up from his tinkering when he saw Applejack approaching him. "What is this thang, anyway?" she asked.

Engineer chuckled. "It's a magic version of one of my weapon designs. I have to manually drop the shots in each time, but it's much more powerful than my regular Sentries," he proudly explained. "I owe Miss Rarity a big favor for letting me use her gem supplies."

Applejack frowned at the device. She had seen first hand what it could do, and wasn't really comfortable with it.

Sensing this, Engineer said, "Like ah said, it's harmless unless I put a magic shot in it. Ah'll keep it on lockdown while ah'm at your farm."

Applejack smiled. "Ah'd appreciate that. Anyway..." she said, "We figure we best get y'all sitiated in y'new living spaces. Help y'get settled in before the party... which ah'm honestly surprised you're still willing to go through."

Engineer sighed. "Miss Applejack," he said, a weak grin on his face, "This ain't exactly the most ideal situation for us. Right now, me'n Spah are just tryin' to come up with things t'keep us busy. The less we're just sittin' around thinking about this right off, the better."

Applejack frowned, and nodded. "Ah can't pretend to sympathize. But ah do understand what y'all mean. Do y'need help carryin' that thing?"

Engineer shook his head. "Thank y'kindly, but no," he said, levitating the Gem Sentry and folding it up into a compact box, "Ah may not fully know how to work this body, but I got the telekinetics figured out right quick."

Applejack chuckled. She wasn't quite sure what telekinetics meant, but she guessed it was fancy-talk for how unicorns used their horn's magic for mundane tasks. "Heavy's the one comin' with us, right?" she asked.

Engineer nodded, the two of them turning to the titanic pony, who was still staring dourly at his sandwich. Medic was standing with him, apparently having settled his argument with Soldier.

"Heavy, just eat it," he said, "It's just a sandwich, same as any other."

"Is flowers," Heavy groused.

"Ve are no longer an omnivorous species, mein Freund. Our stomachs cannot tolerate meat," Medic insisted. "Just eat it. I am sure it is delicious."

"Doctor will take first bite," Heavy muttered, pushing his plate towards Medic.

"Dummkopf!" Medic snapped. "Stop being such a leetle tiny baby about it and just your verdammt sandwich!"

Heavy snorted angrily at the insult, Medic smirking inwardly. He always knew how to push the right buttons with his Russian comrade. He glared down at the sandwich for another moment, and sighed, leaning down to pick it up in his mouth and devouring it, making a loud OM NOM NOM noise as he chewed it.

Heavy swallowed the sandwich, staring thoughtfully at the plate. Medic, curious, asked, "How vas it?"

"A leetle dry," Heavy said, "but not that bad."

Medic chuckled. "Vell, I'm certain that there is a fruit sandwich or something for you to try."

Heavy grunted.

Medic chuckled again as Applejack and Engineer came up to Heavy. The giant pony looked over to them curiously. "Is time to go?" he asked.

Engineer nodded. "Time to head out on, pardner."

Heavy nodded, turning back to Medic. "Will team meet together someplace else later?"

Spy appeared next to Medic, startling everyone. "I have already thought about that and gone searching," Spy said. "There is a salt lick tavern a block from Miss Rarity's shop. I believe it will suit our needs for a meeting place until you and the Princesses' construction workers finish our facility."

Engineer nodded. "Sounds good," he said. "You comin,' Heavy?"

"One moment, please," he said, turning to Medic. "Doctor will be all right?"

Medic rolled his eyes, long used to his friend's over-protectiveness. "Ja, mein freund. I am sure Fraulein Sparkle can keep me safe."

Heavy looked over at Twilight for a moment, and snorted. Twilight grinned nervously.

Heavy glared at her a moment longer and, seemingly satisfied, turned to join Engineer as they left with Applejack, Engineer speaking to Pyro briefly before leaving.

Rarity came up to Spy. "Well, since it seems you were skulking about my shop anyway, I might as well take you there," she said.

"I would enjoy zat greatly, my dear," Spy said, smiling his trademark charming smile. The two of them split off from the group, as Twilight Sparkle came up to Medic, Spike riding on her back, glaring at Medic suspiciously.

"If you like, we can get you settled in," Twilight said, "It's still a bit messy, but Spike and I can clean it up pretty quick."

"Ja, zat vill be fine, mein frau," Medic said. "In truth, I am actually looking forward to it."

"Oh?" Twilight asked, "Why's that?"

"I have decided zat I will make myself available to ze town hospital. Before I can be useful, however, I will need books on pony anatomy. On our vorld, ve vere a primate species, not equine, so I will need ze books to understand mein profession in this reality," Medic explained.

Twilight nodded. "That makes sense, then. I'll introduce you to Nurse Redheart once you're settled in."

"I also vould like to have zem around for recreational purposes," he said.

Twilight cringed. Spike gave her a nervous look, then asked Medic, "...By recreational purposes, are you talking about..."

Medic grinned wickedly. "Well, my answer depends on zis: How fond are you of sleeping through ze night?"

Spike whimpered softly. "Twilight, why are we letting the mad scientist move in with us again?"

Twilight shook her head. "It's just temporary," she said, "and besides, we kinda owe him and the others for helping to save Ponyville from the Nightmare Dogs."

"One group of monsters saving us from another," Spike muttered.

"Spike!" Twilight snapped, giving Medic an apologetic look.

Medic laughed. "It is a fair description, Fraulein. Ve take too much pleasure out of ze var games to be called anyzing else. We WILL have to be more careful, though, now zat ve do not ze advantage of the Respawn..."

Twilight was reluctant to ask this, because quite frankly Medic terrified her. But her scientific curiosity was piqued. "...Respawn? What do you mean?"

Medic chuckled. "A razzer brilliant piece of craftsmanship made by Engineer. It vill take a vhile to explain, so let us vait until ve are settled in at your place."

Twilight sighed wearily, a combination of worry and stress making her all of a sudden quite tired...

Rainbow Dash watched the others leave and sighed. Well, time to get my killers into their new home, she thought to herself. She knew it was an unfair generalization, but honestly, she had never seen someone kill so EASILY before. Monsters, sure, but still...

Shaking off her uneasiness, she told herself, Yeah, they're more violent than most ponies, but they saved the town from the Nightmare Dogs. And even she had to admit it was kinda cool, the way they did it.

Especially the way Sniper just remained calm and cool and blew heads off like it was nothing.

She flew over to Scout, who was sampling a collection of sweets Pinkie Pie had set out for him.

Scout grinned as he gobbled up some donuts. "This place is great! All these sweet things are delicious! It's like Ma made them, only better 'cause Mom was always a lousy cook. She always did her best, though. Seriously, these donuts are awesome!" he babbled, holding out some to Sniper, who remained on his perch. Sniper politely declined, instead turning to Rainbow Dash.

"Time to go, then?" he asked.

"Yeah. Might as well get you set up somewhere so you at least have a place to sleep," Rainbow Dash said, nodding. "C'mon. My place is a little far up."

Scout blinked. "Up?"

Rainbow Dash grinned. "Just follow me," she said, Sniper following behind. Scout frowned, and took off after them. They flew up through the clouds, eventually coming to a large cloud in the shape of a cottage hanging low in the sky. It was an impressive place, with Greek columns and rainbows flowing, including a rainbow pool.

"Whoa..." Scout said, his expression awed.

"Impressive," Sniper conceded, his only change of expression being a raised eyebrow.

Rainbow Dash grinned, landing on the clouds. "C'mon, I'll give you the two-bit tour," she said.

Sniper nodded, landing easily on the clouds, while Scout stared at the fluffy surface beneath him nervously. Sniper turned back when he realized that Scout wasn't landing.

"It's all right, mate," he said, "Pegasus ponies can walk on clouds."

Scout hesitated for a moment, and then landed, stepping gingerly as he walked along the surface of it.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in frustration. "You're not gonna fall through, Scout."

"Yeah, well, excuse me f'being cautious," Scout muttered.

Sniper shook his head. "Is this about that battle a few weeks ago?"

Scout snarled. "Fallin' down the side of a cliff thanks to the RED Demo's explosions was a LITTLE TRAUMATIZING, thank you very much! PLUS it didn't help that RED Pyro set me on fire on the way down, and RED Soldier shot me with a rocket just to be a dick!"

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in surprise. "...How did you even survive all that?"

"I didn't," Scout grumped, "I woke up in Respawn about a minute later. To make matters even MORE frustrating, we won the battle before I could get revenge."

Rainbow Dash blinked. "Respawn?"

"A device Engineer invented that brings us back to life when we get killed in a battlefield situation," Sniper explained.

"...Sounds more like magic to me," Rainbow Dash said, shaking her head.

Sniper chuckled. "Engie's gizmos do seem like it, sometimes."

Meanwhile back at Sugarcube Corner, Fluttershy gulped nervously as Rainbow Dash flew off with the others, slowly heading over to Pyro, who was happily watching her fire creatures dance around her head.

"Um... Miss Pyro?" she said meekly.

Pyro didn't seem to hear her, making the flames dancing around her head change into various twisted shapes.

Fluttershy whimpered. "Miss Pyro?" she tried again, "I'd like to take you back to my place, help you get settled in, if that's all right."

Pyro began humming to herself.

Fluttershy wondered, in a rare moment of bitterness, how in blazes she got stuck with the craziest of the bunch. She cringed, and decided to take a risk, reaching a hoof out and tapping Pyro on the shoulder.

Pyro turned towards her, her flame creatures vanishing in a pop that made Fluttershy squeak in fright and back away.

Pyro stared at her, and then looked around. "Engie's gone," she said, her expression slightly confused.

"Um," Fluttershy said, slowly inching forward again, "Yes, Engineer already left. Everyone's going to help your friends get moved in. Don't you remember? Engineer talked to you before he left?"

Pyro stared blankly at Fluttershy for a moment. A pained, nervous expression crossed her face for a moment before she smiled and nodded. "Yes. Yes, he said not to burn things. So I won't."

Fluttershy grinned nervously. "Well... Um... If it's okay with you, we can go to my place, and I can help you get settled in?"

Pyro stared at her for a long moment.

Fluttershy gulped. "Unless of course, you'd like to stay here a bit longer. That'd be okay too."

Pyro blinked, as if something finally clicked in her mind. She shook her head. "Nono, we can go," she said, smiling.

Fluttershy nodded. "Follow me, please," she said, motioning for Pyro to follow. Pyro left the store with her, humming absently to herself.

Back at the shop, only Soldier and Demoman were left. Demoman shook his head at Pyro.

"Five to one odds Miss Flutters has to put out at least five fires by the end of the week," he said, chuckling.

Soldier just grunted, idly nibbling at the plate of donuts that had been set out for the group.

Demoman chuckled. "So where's yuir landlord, lad? Derpy Hooves, I think her name was..."

Soldier hmphed. "Probably getting her daughter settled in," he said. For some reason, he felt uncomfortable about spending time with a family...

Demoman noticed the worried expression on his face. "Anything wrong, mate?"

Soldier shook his head, frowning. "I... don't know... During the fight, when I heard her call out... I think I had a flashback of some kind... Everything from before the war has been so muddled..."

"Sorry I was late getting back!" called out a voice from behind them. Soldier and Demoman turned, seeing Derpy Hooves landing near them.

Derpy smiled apologetically. "I had to make sure my daughter was okay, and I had to fill in for a couple mailponies that were too hurt even after your friend healed them to finish their duties."

"'Neither rain nor sleet nor hail,' and all that. Aye lass?" Demoman quipped.

Derpy nodded proudly. "I may have trouble with directions sometimes, but I always make sure the mail gets delivered." She looked around, and said, "I guess everypony else left already, huh?"

"Yepyep!" Pinkie Pie said, bouncing over to the group. "Everyone's getting' all settled in and cozy! Speaking of that, Demoman, I got your room all set up. It's a bit messy yet, but it'll be easy to clean up. The Cakes want to talk to you first, though."

"In a minute, lass," Demoman said, smiling. He turned to Soldier and said, "You gonna be okay?"

Soldier grunted. He puffed his chest out and started to say something, but then deflated visibly and shook his head. "I honestly don't know. I feel... out of place here..."

Demoman frowned. "If ye ever need to talk, ye know where ye can find me..."

Soldier nodded. "I appreciate it..." he said, sighing and turning to Derpy Hooves. He looked at her right in the eyes (as best he could, at least. Her cross-eyed expression made that a little difficult) and said, "Ma'am, I am ready to report to base. Lead on."

Derpy giggled. "No need to be formal with me," she said, "You're my guest!" She turned, and trotted away, Soldier following behind and nodding to Demoman as he left.

Pinkie tapped Demoman on the shoulder. "C'mon!" she said, grinning widely. "Let's go inside! I'll introduce you to my aunt and uncle Cake!"

Pinkie literally bounced through the doorway, Demoman following behind. Inside the store were two older ponies, one a tall, lanky stallion with a yellow coat and a lantern jaw, the other a shortier, slightly chubby blue pony with a rose-colored mane. Ambling about on the floor next to them were two young foals, a tan-colored male pegasus and a yellow-orange female unicorn that was chewing on a small stuffed butterfly.

"Well Mister... um... Demoman, was it?" the older male said.

"Aye," Demoman said, grinning. "And aye, I do have a real name. It's Tavish DeGroot, but lately I prefer going by Demoman. Or just Demo, if ye like."

"Very well then... Demo..." the older female said, trading worried looks with her husband. "I'm Cup Cake," she said, Pinkie Pie looking ill for a moment, "And this is my husband, Carrot Cake, and our two children Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake. We... Well, we appreciate all that you've done for us, and that you're willing to work here... But..."

"We heard that you were planning to make fireworks," Mr. Cake said, frowning.

Demoman grinned. "Aye, that be true. But dinnae worry, I will'nae be making them in yuir fine shop. I'll confine me creationing to whatever sweets ye want me to make when I'm inside."

Mr. and Mrs. Cake traded worried looks again. Mrs. Cake stepped forward and said, "That leads to our next question, and it should be an obvious one: Can you cook?"

Demoman nodded. "Aye. Me, Engie, and Heavy usually handled most of the cooking," he said.

Pinkie blinked, having gone over to play with the foals. "Why just you three?"

Demoman quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "Because Soldier only knows how to make one particular meal, half of which we cannae longer eat since we're all herbivores now, Medic gets a little too enthusiastic around sharp things, Scout is helpless without a microwave, Sniper's better at hunting than cooking, Spy ken only make frilly French pastries, and no one in their right mind lets Pyro handle anything that can cause a fire outside of a battlefield."

"Sounds a little like my sorority in college," Mrs. Cake muttered, grinning a little.

Demoman chuckled. "If ye need proof, then lemme have some ingredients and I'll make somethin' for ye. Ye'll have to help me, though..." he said, looking at his hooves in irritation. "I have'nae yet mastered not using hands..."

Mr. and Mrs. Cake looked at each other in confusion.

Pinkie blinked, looking up from where she was tickling the two foals, and smacked herself in the forehead. "Oh! That's right, I forgot to mention it earlier! Demoman and the others are from another universe entirely!" she said, making a ghostly wailing noise for dramatic effect. "They got turned into ponies when they got pulled to this world."

The Cakes stared at Pinkie for a moment, and then at Demoman, who just nodded, confirming the story.

"Okay..." Mrs. Cake said after a moment. "Pinkie, would you go up and straighten Demo's room for him? Make sure that everything's in place and all that."

"Awww, but I wanna watch him cook!" Pinkie said, pouting.

Mr. Cake frowned. "Pinkie Pie..."

Pinkie rolled her eyes. "All right, all right," she said, giggling and bouncing upstairs, humming a happy tune.

Mrs. Cake shook her head. "Silly girl," she said, smiling.

Demoman hesitated a moment, wondering if he should ask the question that was nagging at him, and decided to just go ahead with it. "Why did she flinch when ye said yuir name?"

Mrs. Cake blinked, and sighed. "Well... She had a terrible, terrible nightmare last night," she said, "She won't talk to anyone about, but from what I can gather, it involved her doing something terrible to her friend Rainbow Dash. It also involved cupcakes somehow... It hurt her badly. To the point where she can't stand to look at cupcakes without feeling ill."

Mr. Cake shook his head. "We agreed not to make cupcakes for a while, to see if that would help her. And it's not like we don't have other treats around to sell," he said. "Pinkie's very special to us. Until we had little Pumpkin and Pound, I thought I was unable to sire kids, so ever since my sister Sue sent her to live with us, she's been like a daughter to us both."

"It felt so wrong to see her so sad. This is the happiest we've seen her all day," Mrs. Cake said, "So we're kind of glad you and your friends are here. It'll give her something to focus on besides that awful dream she had."

Demoman frowned, a thoughtful expression on his one-eyed face.

"Anyway," Mr. Cake said, "We did ask to see if your capable of cooking. What would you like to make?"

Demoman blinked, and grinned again. "Do ye have any rum? I've got an old family recipe for rum cakes that's just delicious."

The Cakes traded curious looks, and began searching the kitchen. "I think so," Mrs. Cake said, "Alcohol isn't really used much by anyone except in cooking."

Demoman cringed, understanding the implications immediately. Looks like I'm on the wagon during my time here...

Eventually, Mr. Cake came up with a small bottle of rum in his teeth. "Here we go," he said, placing it on the table. Demoman grinned, and began asking for ingredients, Mr. and Mrs. Cake showing him how to move things with his Earth pony body. By the time Demoman had placed the cake in the oven, Pinkie came down the stairs...

...with the blanket wrapped around her like a cocoon, bouncing around and biting the blanket. She noticed the Cakes and Demoman staring at her, and said, "Help! The giant cotton landworms have attacked! They mean to smush us all with softness!"

The foals, giggling in amusement, toddled over to snuggle Pinkie. Demoman laughed uproarously, Pinkie giggling as she wriggled out of the blanket. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. I've been thinking about new games all week and I got an idea for one: blanket wrestling!"

Mr. Cake shook his head. "Looks like the blanket won, dear," he said.

Pinkie giggled. "So whatcha makin'?" she asked, "Is it good?"

Demoman smiled. "It should be," he said, "It's an old family recipe that I'm quite proud of."

Pinkie grinned widely. "Ooh ooh! I wanna piece!"

Mrs. Cake smiled gently. "We'll see, dear."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later that evening...

The library...

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"This Respawn sounds like an incredible device," Twilight said as she and Medic remade the extra storage room in Twilight's library home into something moderately liveable. "It's practically immortality."

Medic chuckled. "You'd zink zat, but no. Ze true immortality machines are in ze possession of our insane employer, Blutarch Mann and his twin brozzer Redmond. All this does is make sure that ve always come back on ze battlefield. It's very useful for me, as I and my RED counterpart tend to be rather prominent targets on ze battlefield."

Twilight frowned. "Why's that?"

Medic chuckled. "Zink about it. My Medigun dispenses healing. It can make ozzerwise lethal injuries literally disappear, and can even fix clothing damage. The less time I'm alive..."

"...means the less time your team spends alive," Twilight said, understanding. "I think I see. It's a matter of tactics."

Medic nodded. "In a zingle day, I have been blown into bloody chunks, torn to shreds by bullets, burned to death, been knocked off of cliffs, had my throat slit, shot right through ze eyes, decapitated, and bludgeoned to death by a noisy lunatic vith a baseball bat. And zat is a good day for me," he said, chuckling weakly.

Twilight and Spike just stared at him, stunned.

Medic smiled weakly. "Do not despair for me, Fraulein Sparkle," he said, arranging a small pile of books, "I have moved passed despair a long time ago."

"...Moved passed it?" Twilight asked, a trace of concern creeping into her voice.

"..." Medic hesitated for a long moment, and shook his head, suddenly feeling very tired. "...It doesn't matter," he said. "My only hope iz zat ve do find a vay home... Ve do not belong here, in zis good place..."

Medic lay down near a pile of books and closed his eyes, sighing, quickly falling asleep. Twilight stared at him worriedly. Spike came up to her, gently tugging on her tail. "C'mon," he said. "Let's just let him be..."

Twilight frowned, and shelved the last of the books in the pile near her, idly making a note to get a bedmat for Medic in the morning. She sighed, stepping out into the main lobby of the library and heading for her own bedroom. She had never seen anyone so SAD before...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Carousel Boutique...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"...and I hope this will be good enough. I normally don't have guests overnight, save for my little sister and her friends occasionally," Rarity said, arranging the blankets she had gathered together to form a makeshift bed. "I've been having a bit of a windfall lately in terms of business, so I could conceivably set up a bed in here later in the week."

Spy nodded. "Zis will do, Mademoiselle," he said, smiling warmly, the effect enhanced by the fact that his mask was off, revealing his handsome face. "And zank you for ze use of the bath as well. It will be good to sleep indoors again..."

Rarity blinked. "Dear me. You've been outdoors all this time?"

Spy nodded. "We were not sure of the reception we'd receive if we entered a town, so we kept mainly to the forests and back roads. The only reason we decided to enter Ponyville is that we realized we'd need magic and have to ask someone for aid. Sometimes Scout and I would enter a town and take what we needed for food and water, or to help arrange discreet trips to facilities to take care of certain... ah.. biological needs, as it were."

Rarity chuckled. "I take it that ponies aren't the dominant species where you come from?"

"Indeed," Spy said, "Although I can tell by your tone zat you do not fully believe me."

Rarity chuckled softly. "It's just hard for me to conceive of a world where ponies AREN'T the dominant species. Upbringing, I suppose. Well, you and your comrades certainly are 'unique,' I'll concede to that much. For instance, your ability to turn invisible. Pegasus ponies don't have magic normally. And then there is the fact that your tail seems to be much more prehensile than a normal pony's."

Spy chuckled. "My guess on zat, my dear, is zat when I was transformed, ze abilities given to me by my devices became a part of me. Each one helped me in my job on the battlefield."

Rarity hesitated, not sure if she wanted to know. "...And what was your job on the battlefield?"

Spy sighed. "A combination of zings, actually. It was my job to infiltrate ze enemy lines, keeping an eye out for traps, enemy Engineer devices, ambushes, and whether or not ze enemy Medic was ready to unleash an UberCharge. I would zen either report them and/or try to azzassinate ze target with my knife or gun. If I was doing my job well and keeping away from the RED Pyro, I could cause chaos within ze ranks of the enemy. I had a watch zat could briefly turn me invisible, a device zat could drain ze energy of and destroy electronic devices (VERY useful for destroying RED sentries), and a device zat allows me to disguise myself as anyone on the battlefield."

"Disguise? Really?" Rarity said, curious as to how that could occur.

Spy smirked... and in a swirl of blue smoke, changed into an exact replica of Rarity.

Rarity laughed. "Remarkable!"

"Indeed," Spy said, his voice, accent, and even his mannerisms now a complete mirror of Rarity's. "When I became a pony, all of my devices were apparently merged with me, giving me their abilities as magical talents and expanding their uses. My disguises no longer automatically break when I attack, my holographic disguises are now actual shape-shifting, and I can stay invisible indefinitely. I was also the only one to retain a weapon when we changed." He changed back, removing his knife from his pocket and flipping it open. "Which, honestly, I'm glad for... It is a momento of my mozzer..."

"Your mother gave you a knife?" Rarity asked, a little nonplussed. Her mother gave her a gemstone as a keepsake, one of the first gems she ever found after getting her Cutie Mark, mounted into a pendant she kept hanging above her bed. Maybe it was just different for men...

Spy nodded, staring fondly at the blade. "Indeed. Zere is a bit of a story behind zat, but let us zave that depressing tale for anozzer day." He folded the knife back up and put it back into his pocket. "You mentioned a little sister?"

"Hm?" Rarity said, Spy's comments making her think of her own parents, "Oh! Yes. She and her friends have formed a group called the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They haven't earned theirs yet, so they are basically trying whatever they can think of to see if that will produce one."

Spy gave her a thoughtful look. "These... Cutie Marks... what are the significance of them?"

"Well," Rarity said, smiling wistfully, "They're a sign of who you're meant to be. I got mine after I my horn led me to a cache of gems inside of a giant rock. I was designing costumes for a play, and felt they needed something, and once I found the gems, I incorporated them into the costumes. The play was a smash hit, these three lovely gems appeared on my flank, and I've been designing ever since."

"How does finding gems lead to dress-making?" Spy asked, glancing at his own Cutie Mark.

Rarity chuckled. "The Cutie Mark just shows what you're good at, although its not always obvious. After that, it's all in how you apply your talent," she said. "Certainly, I could have made a fortune in the mining business, but gems are so plentiful in Equestria that I'd have to do research into specific markets just so I'd have actual customers for them. Plus, all that dirt to dig through. Ugh."

"An interesting tale," he said, making note of the fact that gems were in high supply here. "Do you think zat your sister and her friends will find their Cutie Marks with zere current route?"

Rarity sighed. "...Honestly? No," she said. "All of my friends and I told them our Cutie Mark stories, but they seemed to miss the point entirely. It's not about trying new things at random until something produces a Cutie Mark, it's more... a personal revelation."

"Interesting..." Spy said, looking at his Cutie Mark, starting to wonder when his might have appeared if he had been born a pony.

Rarity cringed. "Plus, I'm scared to death that Scootaloo's penchant for dangerous stunts is going to get my sister seriously injured one day. I tried talking to her, but all that did was convince her to let Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle try things more often instead of actually helping them get on the path to their own marks." She sighed, and turned to Spy. "Don't tell them I mentioned this, but I honestly think their 'crusades' are sabotaging their efforts to gain a Cutie Mark. I'd say it to them myself, but Sweetie Belle seems so happy with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo..."

Spy just nodded. Although he made a note of that for later. He suddenly wanted to see these 'Crusaders' for himself now... "Well, whatever ze case on your sister and her friends, you seem to be doing well for yourself," he said, going over to look at a design on a table. "You're certainly a fine fashion designer."

Rarity blushed. "Oh, you're just saying that."

Spy shook his head, staring in amazement at the designs for some new dresses on a nearby table. "I'm being very serious. Zese designs... If I wasn't certain zey were dresses for ponies, I would have thought zat Engineer made them. The level of detail and intricacy..."

Rarity allowed herself a prideful grin. "Well, one does wish to complete a design perfectly, yes?" she chuckled. "But come come, enough about me. Tell me about yourself!"

Spy blinked. "Myself?" he asked, turning to her.

Rarity nodded. "You're certainly the best dressed of your comrades, you HAVE to know something about fashion on your world. What trends were popular? What styles were in vogue?" She giggled. "If nothing else, maybe you can give me tips on some battlefield fashions. I normally do dresses, but I occasionally make a suit if the client pays me enough."

Spy hesitated, shifting embarrassedly on his hooves. "...Well... Zere is something in ze way of battlefield fashions I could tell you about... But you'll think zat it's strange..."

Rarity rolled her eyes. "No, the thankfully short-lived SOCKS craze that arose when it got out that Princess Luna was fond of them was strange. They were easy to make, certainly, and I got a lot of money out of that, but I swear I felt my talents deteriorating. I mean, there's only so much you can do with socks! Now come. Tell me about this 'battlefield fashion.' I'm quite curious," she encouraged, smiling warmly.

Spy sighed, deciding just to say it. "...Very well. What can you do in ze way of hats?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Derpy Hooves's House...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"...And this is where I live!" Derpy said, leading Soldier inside.

Soldier smiled weakly. He wasn't really comfortable operating around civilians. He had grown too used to the war games and being with his fellow warriors. "Thank you, ma'am," he said hesitatingly.

Derpy grinned. "You're gonna be staying with us for a while. You can just call me Derpy!" she said. She turned, and called out, "Dinky! Our guest is here!"

"Sorry..." Soldier said, "I'm just... not used to dealing with civilians..."

Even though you technically are one yourself? Remember, you never enlisted, said a voice in Soldier's head.

Soldier blinked, and then cursed inwardly. Great. I'm starting to hear voices now. Trying not to show his dismay, he turned as to look as a small, shy unicorn with the same color coat as Derpy Hooves come from the kitchen. Hesitantly, she came up to Soldier and smiled.

"T-Thank you," she said, her voice soft and gentle, "Y-You saved me and Mama today..."

Soldier managed to smile at her. "All part of the job... Dinky, was it?"

Dinky blushed and giggled. "Yes... I-I made muffins in class today... They're cool now, but they should still be good... Would you like one?"

Soldier nodded. "Sure, sounds good."

Dinky smiled and ran back into the kitchen, Derpy watching her with a smile on her face.

"She's cute," Soldier said.

"She's my angel," Derpy said, her face becoming slightly sad, "Since her father died defending the town from a chimera attack, she's been my only living family."

"A chimera?" Soldier asked, startled.

Derpy nodded. "The town sometimes has to deal with a monster from the Everfree forest wandering in," she said, "We lost a lot of good ponies that day. My husband, the Apples... Dinky had just been born a few days before..."

"That's rough..." Soldier said, shifting uncomfortably. "Why don't you just move away, if monsters are a threat?"

Derpy sighed. "My family's lived here for generations. Everypony may attribute it to just another 'derpy' train of thought on my part, but I'm not about to run from bad memories or from danger. I'll keep my muffin safe..." she said softly, "No matter what."

Soldier smiled warmly, gaining a new respect for the cross-eyed pegasus. "Heh. Well, that's a good way to think. In all things, courage."

And besides, she now has her own personal monster to protect her and her daughter now, the voice in his head teased.

Shut it, Soldier snarled at the voice.

Dinky came in a moment later, telekinetically carting some muffins in on a small plate. They were shabbily made, the tops uneven, but they looked delicious despite that. She set them down on the table, setting one out for Soldier. He sat down on the nearby couch and bit into it, smiling.

"Tasty," he said, smiling, "Best muffin I've had in a while. Closest Spy can manage is some fluffy, too airy thing with too much cream in it..."

Reminds me of home... he thought to himself, immediately dismissing the thought as a wave of painful memory started to flash through his head.

Derpy smiled, sitting down next to him, Dinky cuddling up to her. "We have a spare guest room upstairs. It's pretty bare, but the bedmat's comfortable," she said.

"Thank you," Soldier said. For some reason, he felt compelled to say, "...Um, just so you know, because I've lived in a battlefield situation for so long, I've become a habitually light sleeper. If I get startled awake, I might... react in a..."

"You might lash out," Derpy said, understanding. "I had that problem for a while too, after the chimera attack..."

Soldier frowned, shifting uncomfortably again. "I'm sorry," he said after a moment, "I'm just... I'm really not used to being in a truly peaceful situation..."

"Was it really so bad where you came from?" Derpy asked, frowning.

Soldier sighed. "Due to the fact that my employer and his twin brother were even crazier than we are, our enemy's base was literally just ten feet away from us, separated by a single wooden bridge. We never had peace, only truces."

Derpy sighed, giving Soldier a kind smile. "I hope you can find some measure of peace here... I know you're probably going to be looking for whatever it was that made those monsters, but I want to repay you for saving my muffin by giving you a place where you can feel at peace."

Soldier smiled weakly. He honestly had no idea how to reply.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rainbow Dash's house...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"...And that's pretty much the two bit tour," Rainbow Dash said, bringing them back to the main lounge of her cloud house.

"Right cozy this place is, Dasher," Sniper said, nodding with approval.

"Heh. Yeah, it's pretty easy to spiff up a place if you know what you're doing. Which I do, of course," Rainbow Dash said proudly.

Sniper smirked at her. Confident sheila, isn't she? Well, we'll see how that holds up... for however long we're here... He quickly dismissed the depressing thought, and assured himself again (and again and again...) that Celestia and Luna would find a way to send them home.

"Anyway, I can whip up a place for you and Scout to sleep an..." Rainbow Dash trailed off, looking around. "Where'd Scout go?"

"Bloody hell," Sniper muttered, "Wanker probably got himself in trouble again..." He started looking around, but Rainbow Dash was the first to spot him. She snickered, motioning for him to be quiet and come to the window she was looking out of.

Scout was looking curiously at the seemingly self-renewing pool of rainbows in Rainbow Dash's 'front lawn,' leading to a rather elegant rainbow falls. He flew around it for a moment, and landed near the pool again, dipping his front hoof in the pool, coming out with the beautiful glowing liquid on it, flowing like melted chocolate almost.

Sniper frowned, and started to speak up. Rainbow Dash held him back, however. "Nono. Some lessons have to be learned the hard way," she said.

Sniper grinned. "And how often have those 'hard lessons' actually worked on you?"

"Not often," Rainbow Dash admitted with a grin, "But the sentiment is there."

Scout looked at the rainbow goop on his hands, and licked it... immediately regretting it.

"HOT! HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!" he wailed, fanning at his mouth as steam flew out of it, flying around wildly. He ended up zipping off for the nearby lake, crashing headfirst into the deep water.

Sniper chuckled. "Rainbows are spicy, eh? Didn't expect that."

Rainbow Dash was rolling on the floor laughing wildly. "Yeah," she said after she got control of herself, "And even this is nothing. You should see how spicy the concentrated stuff at the weather factory is!"

Sniper chuckled, nodding. "This weather factory... You think that you could get jobs there for at least me and Scout?"

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Sure thing. The boss is a buddy of mine, so I think I can make arrangements for it. I can take you, Scout, and Spy to Cloudsdale tomorrow. It's not far from here," she said.

Sniper nodded. "Thanks, love. But while Spy will probably come along just to know where it is, I doubt that he'll actually want to work there."

Rainbow Dash blinked. "Why's that?" she asked.

"Prolly think it's beneath him, or something. Damned spook's so much of a ritzy joke..." Sniper muttered. "Anyway... Engie suggested, and I agree, that we all find something to do to take our minds off the fact that we're... well, pretty much stuck here."

Rainbow Dash frowned, fluttering some loose feathers from her wings. "Yeah... I really wish I knew what to do to help you guys..."

Sniper sighed. "Giving us something to do will help... And maybe in return I can give you sniping lessons."

Rainbow Dash went wide-eyed for a moment. Certainly the way Sniper took out the monsters was cool, but to actually learn how to do it?

Sniper could see the hesitation on her face. "You don't have to use it to kill. Before I joined the war games, I never killed anyone unless payed to. And honestly, Dasher, it pays to learn any skill you can. You never know when it might come in handy."

Rainbow Dash frowned. "I'll... think about it."

At that point, Scout, his tongue still swollen from the spicy mixture, flew back in, glaring at them. "YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME."

Rainbow Dash grinned. "Wouldn't have been as fun!" she said brightly.

Sniper looked Scout over. He was sweating a little, panting as he set himself down on the cloud floor of the lounge. His eyes were slightly reddened and watering.

He couldn't resist. "So... I guess what Spy says about you and rainbows is true, then?"

Scout glared at him. "Don't you start. Don't you DARE start with me. Bad enough I get it from Spy, I don't need it from you too!"

Rainbow Dash gave Sniper a confused look. Sniper chuckled. "A small joke Spy likes to make about Scout here," he said.

"A STUPID joke!" Scout almost snarled.

Rainbow Dash looked at the two of them and shrugged, giggling.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sweet Apple Acres...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Well, here we are!" Applejack said, gesturing grandly as she, Heavy, and Engineer came up to her farm. "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres!"

Engineer grinned widely. "Hoowee!" he said, looking out fondly over the massive apple orchard, "Reminds me a'home."

Applejack grinned at Engineer. "Y'all sounded like a farm pony," she said.

Engineer chuckled, nodding. "Worked the fields part-time on mah daddy's farm to help pay for college and all eleven of mah degrees."

"Eleven!" Applejack said, "Land sakes, y'all musta done a lot o'studyin!"

Engineer chuckled. "Ah think it helped that mah first invention helped double the farm's profits and made the harvest go twice as fast. Made mah daddy less reluctant t'let me pursue mah scientific proclivities."

All that fancy-talk, Applejack thought, chuckling inwardly. He and Big Macintosh should get along jus' fine.

"Maybe Engineer can remake tiny machine to help with apple harvesting?" Heavy rumbled.

Engineer shrugged. "Maybe," he said. "Gotta get a feel for this place, first."

Applejack chuckled and turned to Heavy. "How about you, big feller?" she asked, "You ever do any farm work?"

Heavy shrugged. "Some. Disobeyed orders one time, got sent to work camp in Siberia. This place much nicer, though. No ice or constant blizzards. Smells much nicer, too," he rumbled.

"...Land sakes," Applejack said, a little offended by the idea of farming being used as punishment. "Well, ah'm glad y'all think we're a step up." She smiled winningly, and gestured them over to a large farmhouse. "C'mon! Lemme introduce y'all to m'family."

Engineer and Heavy followed her up to the farmhouse. Applejack called out, and three other ponies came out, looking curiously at the newcomers. Engineer and Heavy flinched when they saw Big Macintosh, backing away a little. Applejack gave them a confused look.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Sorry," Engineer said, he and Heavy relaxing a little, "Instinctive reaction to anyone predominantly red..."

Applejack blinked and shrugged, going over to stand with Big Macintosh, the larger pony somewhat stunned by Heavy's sheer size. He had been in town on errands when the monsters attacked, so he knew they were coming, but still, to be confronted by something so MASSIVE... "This here's m'big brother, Big Macintosh," Applejack said. When Big Macintosh didn't respond, she nudged him. Big Macintosh started, and then grinned weakly.

"Sorry," he said, "Ah'm just not used t'seein' ponies that are bigger than me."

Heavy chortled amiably. "I get that a lot, actually."

Applejack chuckled. "And this here's my baby sister, Apple Bloom," she said, gesturing to a young pony with a bright red mane. She stared at Engineer and Heavy curiously.

"Hey, how'd y'all get your Cutie Marks? And what do they mean?" she asked. Engineer chuckled, Applejack having explained about the Cutie Mark Crusaders on the way to her farm.

Applejack rolled her eyes, sighing, as Big Macintosh muttered, "Apple Bloom, not now..."

"Well, y'cain't blame me fer bein' curious!" Apple Bloom said.

"Ah think there's more interestin' things to ask them," Applejack grumbled. She shook her head, and turned to the last of them, an elderly pony with apple green skin. "Anyway, this here's the matriarch of our little clan, Granny Smith." She turned to her elderly grandmother and said, "C'mon Granny, say hello."

Granny Smith hobbled forward a little, staring at Engineer. Engineer smiled, tipping his hardhat to her. "Evenin' ma'am. Mighty gracious of y'all to let us stay here 'til our own place is built."

Granny Smith smiled at him and said, "Ah appreciate th'offer, Rodrigo, but ah'm actually allergic t'peaches."

Engineer blinked. Big Macintosh chuckled. "Her hearing is... iffy, at best," he said.

Granny Smith then turned to look at Heavy... and shrieked. "A BEAR!" she screamed, hobbling back inside as fast as she could gallop.

Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh stared after her, startled.

Heavy chuckled. "I get THAT a lot as well."

Everyone seemed to get a chuckle out of that. Engineer looked around. "What about y'folks?" he asked, "Are they here?"

The three Apple siblings' faces fell, Engineer wincing in realization. "Ah'm sorry, ah didn't know..." he said.

Applejack smiled. "It's okay... They died just a few days after Apple Bloom was born, fightin' off a chimera with some other ponies... Came down to me, Big Macintosh, and Granny takin' care of her and tryin' t'raise her right."

"And barring some rather boneheaded stunts on her part," Big Macintosh teased, "Little Apple Bloom here turned out jus' fine."

Apple Bloom scowled. "If this is about the incident with Lyra and Bon Bon's shop, we DID manage to fix their taffy machine," she muttered, heading back inside with her grandmother. "And to be fair to us, Twist didn't really explain how t'use the thing properly..."

Heavy smiled softly. "Is harsh thing, to lose family when so young. One must find way to be strong, and move on. Have heart ten times as big as your body. And in the end, only thing you can do, only correct thing, is to keep moving forward..." he rumbled.

Big Macintosh smiled warmly at the sentiment. "Eeyup. Sounds about right," he said.

Applejack grinned, briefly thinking back to her decision to leave when she was just a filly. She had been unable to bear being without her parents and thought that she could find a surrogate with her Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehatten, as well as find a way to gain her Cutie Mark there. Having heard about the incident, they were more than willing to take her in and help her adjust to high society. However, when Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom-induced rainbow had appeared, she knew that she had to go back and start over...

"Anyways, we don't have a place specific-like set up for you yet, but if'n you don't mind sleepin' in the barn for a while, it's pretty comfortable. Plus, free snacks in the hay bales we got stored in there," Applejack said, gesturing to the nearby barn.

Engineer nodded. "It's right kind of you to let us stay here," he said.

Applejack chuckled. "Aw shucks, t'ain't nothin.' Y'saved the town, so ah feel kinda obligated to repay you!"

Engineer nodded, smiling, and turned towards the barn... and paused, noticing the roof on the barn. "...Interesting," he said. "Roof's lookin' a little saggy there..."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that..." Applejack said, "We've been wantin' t'get it fixed, but other expenses keep comin' up. It's held together with wishful thinkin' and bubblegum by this point... Had t'put in a request to have bad weather kept away from it..."

Engineer grinned, a blueprint forming in his mind. "...If'n y'all can help me get the materials, ah can help fix it. No charge, o'course."

Big Macintosh and Applejack traded grins. "You serious?" Applejack asked. The materials weren't anywhere near as expensive as the contractors...

Engineer nodded. "I'd be happy to. While ah'm here in this world, ah might as well make m'self useful."

"I will help as well," Heavy rumbled, "I am thinking I can make good plowpony, yes?"

Big Macintosh chuckled. "Y'all could probably tug two plows, considerin' how big y'are."

Heavy grinned proudly. "Maybe even three. Is good to be giant pony!" he rumbled, trying to ignore how utterly weird it felt to say that.

Big Macintosh chuckled. "Well, maybe. Y'don't want to push y'self too hard," he said. "Ain't that right, Applejack?"

"Y'all are never gonna let me hear the end of that, are you?" Applejack muttered, reminded of her rather... thick-headed attempt to harvest the entire apple orchard on her own.

"Only when it's funny," Big Macintosh said, the easygoing stallion idly chewing the hay straw in his mouth.

Applejack fumed for a moment, and chuckled, unable to stay mad at her big brother. "C'mon, let's get y'all settled in," she said, she, Heavy, and Engineer heading over to the barn.

"Ah'll bring y'all some dinner," Big Macintosh said, "We can talk s'more then."

Applejack led the BLU members into the barn. Several bales of hay were stacked on one side, along with some bushes of apples and other vegetables. "This is it," she said, "Ah hope it'll do 'til we can get y'all someplace better to sleep."

Engineer hopped up onto the nearest bale, setting down his folded up Gem Sentry, which he had been carrying with him the whole time. "It'll do just fine, ma'am," Engineer said. He looked up on the ceiling, analyzing the gaps in it and building a blueprint in his head of how to fix the roof.

Applejack blushed. "Aw shucks," she said, "Just Applejack'll do."

Engineer grinned, looking down at her again. "Right nice of you. But my mama raised me to always be kind to the fairer sex, so don't be surprised if a ma'am slips out now and again."

Applejack grinned widely. Heavy clambered up onto another nearby bale, grunting as he shifted a second bale into place to give himself more to lay down. He tested it, pushing on it with his hooves, and lay down. After a moment, he nodded.

"Is good," he rumbled. "Little scratchy, but I've slept on worse."

Applejack nodded. "All righty then, ah'll go help Big Macintosh bring y'all some dinner."

Applejack trotted off, leaving the two of them alone. Heavy sighed, and turned to Engineer, who was looking up to the ceiling, making calculations in his head.

"Do you really think this is going to work out?" Heavy asked, "That we will get home?"

Engineer sighed, pushing his goggles up off his eyes. "...Ah honestly don't know. The princesses were the best thing we had at the time... Heavy, we may have to be prepared to make Equestria our home."

Heavy grunted. "I am not worried for myself. I am worried for others. Scout, Sniper, and Demoman still have families. You have your daughter and your ex-wife, though you said you do not know where they were since you lost custody. And Medic... Medic I am being concerned for the most..."

Engineer frowned. "...He always was a bit reckless. You think he may do something dangerous?"

Heavy shook his head. "I do not know... After third day, he became very depressed... Said that this world was 'good place,' and that we 'did not belong here.'"

Engineer frowned. "Ah'll talk to him, next time I see him..."

Heavy nodded. "I would appreciate that... He always did get along with the two of us the best... Medic is friend, and it hurts me to see him hurting..."

A few minutes later, Applejack and Big Macintosh, this time accompanied by the family dog Winona, came in bringing carrots, radishes, celery, apples, hay fries, and some fresh roses for dessert. The four of them sat and talked, Engineer and Heavy managing to forget their troubles for the moment...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Fluttershy's cottage...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Fluttershy gulped nervously, trying to hold back her fear of the blue-furred pony happily bouncing along behind her. She knew it was unkind, but Pyro reminded her for all the world of a crazier, more violent Pinkie Pie.

Pyro, for her part, was happily bouncing along, her horn glowing as a butterfly of fire danced around her head, blissfully unaware of everything except the warmth flowing around her.

Fluttershy sighed in mixed relief and a different kind of worry when she saw her cottage. As they approached, the animals living in the various holes, trees, and birdhouses peeked out, sensing Fluttershy and going out to greet her. But they backed off a little when they saw Pyro bouncing along behind her, making flames dance.

Fluttershy cringed, putting the fireproofing spell she had been carrying underneath her wing down and looking at it. Finding, to her relief, that the instructions weren't too complicated and that she didn't need magic of her own to use it, she pressed it against her cottage, the spell-bound paper sinking into the building, which glowed for a moment.

"I hope that's enough," Fluttershy said. As she said it, Pyro bumped into her by accident, her fire butterfly vanishing with a pop. Pyro blinked, startled, shaking her head to clear it. She giggled.

"Whoops!" she said, "Sorry about that. It's difficult to focus when I'm not in a battle."

Oh joy, Fluttershy thought, immediately feeling bad about it. Something about Pyro disturbed her enough to bring out her sarcastic side. "Well," she said, "We're home now... Would you like to go inside? I have hay and oats for dinner, if you like..."

Pyro nodded. "Whatever you think will be good," she said, humming tunelessly.

Fluttershy gulped, and went inside her home, Pyro following after. There were more animals inside, including a rabbit that went up to nuzzle Fluttershy's front leg.

"Oh? I'm fine Angel," Fluttershy said, smiling warmly at her closest animal companion. Angel sighed in relief, having heard the sounds of battle earlier. He looked over, spotting Pyro, who was looking around the cottage curiously, and flinched.

He frantically gestured at Fluttershy, trying to warn her. The danger he sensed from her was stifling.

Fluttershy sighed. "I know, I know, but Miss Pyro is one of the ponies who helped save the town from the monsters that attacked it. She and her friends don't have a place to live yet and I agreed to take her in until their new home was built."

Angel, however, got stuck on the name. He stared at Fluttershy incredulously, as if to say, 'Pyro? You're letting someone named PYRO stay in your very flammable house?'

Fluttershy sighed, setting down the two extra fireproofing wards she had been carrying in her wings on a nearby table. "I know, I know... But I couldn't just let her sleep outside..."

Angel sputtered for a moment and shook his head. He loved Fluttershy dearly but GOODNESS could that pony be stupid sometimes...

Fluttershy frowned. "Now Angel, be nice. Miss Pyro's going to be our guest for a while. Be nice, please," she said.

"Who are you talking to?" Pyro asked, startling both pony and rabbit. They whirled, seeing that Pyro had come up beside them.

Fluttershy patted her chest, trying to get her breathing under control, and after a moment smiled warmly. "I'm sorry. I can talk to animals and understand them in return. This is my best friend, Angel," she said, gently pushing the belligerent bunny forward.

Angel cringed, but decided to make an attempt at civility for Fluttershy's sake. He hopped forward and nodded in greeting to Pyro.

Pyro leaned down to stare at him for a long moment, making Angel squirm uncomfortably, before saying, "Well, aren't you the cutest little hunk of hassenpfeffer I've ever seen?"

Angel ran for his life. He wouldn't come out of hiding until late tomorrow.

Fluttershy frowned at her. She didn't know what hassenpfeffer was, but from the way Pyro used the phrase it sounded like a dish involving rabbit meat. "Please don't even joke about that..." she said.

Pyro giggled. "Sorry. Couldn't resist," she said.

"Please resist next time," Fluttershy asked, a little offended. She gave Pyro a stern look, verging on her trademark 'Stare.'

Pyro shifted uncomfortably, and nodded, giggling again. "Okay, okay, I'll leave him alone," she said.

Fluttershy sighed in relief. "Anyway, if you'd like to sit down, there are couches just over there," she said, gesturing. "I'll bring out some hay and oats, and some sugarcubes as well."

"Pony food," Pyro said, a bemused expression on her face.

"W-Well," Fluttershy said, "You are a pony."

Pyro blinked, and giggled again. "I am, aren't I?" she said, trotting over to a couch and sitting down.

Fluttershy sighed wearily, worried about how this arrangement was going to go. Pyro just seemed so... scattered, for lack of a better term... She gathered up some fresh hay, a couple bottles of juice, and some oat bread. She also tipped a few sugar cubes onto the tray from the canister on her counter. She brought it out, nearly dropping the whole thing in fright when she saw Pyro making a fiery butterfly dance around her head.

Gulping, she set the platter down and asked in her quiet, frightened voice, "Um... I may be wrong... But didn't Engineer say not to use your flames on anyone or anything unless he gave permission?"

Pyro grinned mischievously. "The air doesn't count as a thing," she said, making her fire butterfly disappear. "Plus, I've never been able to do these sort of tricks with my flames before. It's really cool!"

Fluttershy grimaced. A loophole. Wonderful. Fluttershy managed to smile again, and said, "Well... I've got dinner. Some hay, some fresh-baked oat bread, some apple juice, and some sugar cubes for desert. I can get something else, if you like..."

Pyro looked at it curiously, and shrugged. "It's fine. I'm a pony now, might as well get used to eating like one." She leaned down and took a big bite out of the pile of hay. Fluttershy, relaxing a little, did so as well. They ate, a long, awkward silence filling the room, Pyro seemingly lost in her own little world.

In a desperate attempt to alleviate the tension she was feeling, Fluttershy decided to try conversation. "So... um... What do you like to do everyday?"

"BURN," Pyro said, drawing out the vowel with an almost orgasmic purr.

Fluttershy whimpered. "I mean..." she stammered, "W-Well... What are your hobbies? Do you like any games?"

Pyro blinked, as if confused by the question. "I like the war games we fought in before getting pulled here. Do they count?"

Fluttershy gave up. "...Not... really... But that's okay... Um... If it's all right, I don't feel very comfortable talking about such things... "

Pyro nodded. "Sometimes Engie doesn't either... But that's okay. I like Engie. Engie is nice to me," she said.

Fluttershy nodded. "I saw that," she said, "He seems like a very nice pony."

Pyro nodded. "Engie is nice. He keeps all our ammo filled up, and helps us stay alive when Medic can't. I like protecting him, too. It feels good when I keep the RED Spy away from him, or use my airblast to knock away the RED Demoman's bombs away from his buildings," she said, finishing her bread and hay. She looked down at the sugar cubes. "...Do I just eat them or do I lick them?"

"You can do both, actually. It's fun sometimes to just let it melt in your mouth," Fluttershy siad, taking one cube into her own mouth to demonstrate. Pyro giggled, mimicking the action, making a chirping sound. Fluttershy, feeling like she had something of a ground to move forward, decided to try again. "So... you protect Engineer? In the games, I mean?"

Pyro nodded. "Yep! I'm usually part of the front lines, playing crowd control, causing confusion by lighting everyone on fire, luring the Medic out of hiding to get rid of him... Y'know, that sort of thing."

Fluttershy cringed inwardly, but nodded, wanting to try and get Pyro to open up. Pyro ate another sugar cube, smiling happily. "But I also protect my team from the RED Spy. He can change shape and turn invisible like our Spy. Engie made a gizmo that makes it so we can't hurt each other with our own weapons, so I can check to see where RED Spy is by shooting my flames at someone. He can usually shrug off a couple bullets, but he can't stay disguised or invisible if he's on FIRE. Plus, my flamethrower has a setting where I can shoot a blast of air to knock back big projectiles, like bombs, rockets, arrows, jars..."

A thought occurred to Pyro. "Actually... Stand back a second, I want to try something," she said, standing up. She lowered her head and concentrated, her horn glowing as she aimed it at Fluttershy's uneaten hay. Before Fluttershy could stop her, a small burst of wind came out of the tip of Pyro's horn, scattering the last of her hay.

Fluttershy coughed, spitting some of the hay that had been blown into her mouth out.

Pyro giggled. "Sorry. But I still have my airblasts, so that's good, right?"

Fluttershy managed to smile, trying to fight back the urge to whimper and failing miserably. "Just... not in the house, please," she pleaded.

Pyro giggled, nodding. "I like you. You're funny," she said, smiling warmly.

Fluttershy sighed, and managed to smile. Well, that's something at least.

The rest of the night passed relatively peacefully, with Fluttershy telling the curious Pyro about Ponyville, speaking fondly about her little animal friends. Both she and Pyro started to nod off, and Fluttershy led her upstairs, organizing one of the storage rooms into a makeshift bedroom, Fluttershy loaning Pyro one of her spare blankets. Pyro thanked her and layed down, closing her eyes and quickly drifting off.

Fluttershy sighed wearily. It had been a long day, and to be perfectly honest she was still worried about having Pyro in her house, wondering why she agreed to it in the first place. She lay down, slowly drifting off the sleep herself, when she heard a soft sound coming from somewhere.

She looked up, frightened by the sound... but then recognized the sound.

Something was whimpering.

She followed the sound, and was surprised to see that the source of the whimpering was coming from Pyro. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was squirming about, saying "No, mommy, please, I'm so sorry mommy!" over and over again, flames sparking about above her.

Fluttershy, concerned for her, went to her side and gently shook her awake. "Pyro? Pyro, please..."

"Mommy! I'm sorry! Please, no, mommy!" Pyro whimpered, the flames around her head starting to grow, tears flowing in rivers from her eyes.

Fluttershy, in her calmest, most soothing voice, said, "It's okay, Pyro. It's just a dream. Please, wake up Pyro..." She gently shook Pyro, the firebug's flames vanishing as she awoke with a start. Her eye were wide with terror, the pupils narrowed to pinpricks. She stared up at Fluttershy, still crying, and smiled, the most pain-filled smile the pegasus had ever seen.

"I swore I'd protect her," Pyro said, sobbing, "I swore, when I took over, that I'd keep her safe, that I'd burn away the pain and the memories. But no matter what I do, the memories always come back. And they hurt me as much as they do her..."

Fluttershy frowned, unsure of what to make of this statement. All she was certain about is that she had a sad, terrified pony that needed to be comforted.

And THAT she could do.

"It was just a dream, Pyro," she said, hugging the firebug pony tightly. Pyro whimpered, flinching a little and trying to pull away instinctively, but then going limp, crying on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Dreams can be scary. But they can never hurt you," she said, gently helping Pyro lay back down.

"Don' wanna sleep..." Pyro said softly, still crying, "The memories will come back... And the fire won't help..."

Fluttershy shushed her gently, pulling the covers up over the shivering unicorn and gently stroking her mane. "Everything will be fine. I won't let the bad dreams come back," she said, smiling warmly.

Pyro whimpered softly, snuggling into the blanket. Fluttershy smiled, in familiar territory now. She began to gently stroke Pyro's mane, and sang a sweet, gentle song.

"Hush now, quiet now,

it's time to lay your sleepy head.

Hush now, quiet now,

it's time to go to bed.

Drifting off to sleep,

the exciting day behind you.

Drifting off to sleep,

let the joy of dream land find you.

Hush now, quiet now,

it's time to lay your sleepy head.

Yes, hush now, quiet now,

it's time to go to bed."

As Fluttershy sang, Pyro slowly relaxed, her flow of tears tapering off. Finally, she drifted off to sleep. Fluttershy stayed with her for a long moment, to make sure the nightmares wouldn't come back, and then left to check on the animals that were living in the house with her. She found Angel underneath her cupboard, refusing to come out despite her best efforts at pleading. She sighed, deciding he'd be fine there, when she heard knocking on her door.

Curious, she went to her door, seeing a panting Engineer and Applejack there with her.

"Is... Is Pyro all right?" Engineer asked, looking around for her inside the house.

"Did you run all the way here?" Fluttershy asked, astonished.

Applejack nodded. "He just woke up, all scared-like, said he needed to get t'Pyro right quick. Ah came along t'show him where y'all lived."

Engineer shook his head, visibly furious with himself. "Can't believe how stupid ah've been... Got so wrapped up in m'own problems, ah forgot completely that she gets nightmares..."

Fluttershy smiled, her heart warmed by Engineer's concern. "She's fine. She did have a nightmare, but I managed to get her calmed down and back to sleep."

Engineer sighed in relief. "May I see her, please?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Of course. Right this way," she said, leading Engineer and Applejack upstairs. They found her still peacefully sleeping, curled up in the blankets.

Engineer smiled warmly, going over and kissing her on the cheek. Pyro, not waking up, smiled. The other three ponies backed out of the room, going downstairs.

"Thank y'kindly for takin' care of her, Miss Fluttershy," Engineer said, "Pyro's... very special t'me. We shared a kindness when ah lost custody and visitation rights of mah daughter... We've been together since then..."

Fluttershy nodded, frowning a little. "When she woke up from her dream, she something strange..."

"That she was 'protecting' someone?" Engineer said, sighing. "Yeah, ah ain't never been able t'get her t'open up on that..."

Applejack yawned. "Sorry," she said, "But anyway, if everythang's all right...?"

Engineer turned to Fluttershy, giving her a concerned look.

Fluttershy smiled warmly, nodding. "Don't worry. I'll take care of her," she said.

Engineer smiled in relief, thanking her again as he and Applejack headed back to the farm. Fluttershy went back upstairs, looking in on Pyro again, still finding her sound asleep. She started to leave, but upon reconsidering, lay down next to her.

"Don't worry," Fluttershy assured the sleeping unicorn, "I'm here for you. No matter what."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Far away...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A trio of gray-furred ponies, one Earth pony, one unicorn, and one pegasus, each one wearing a ghostly white mask, looked down over Ponyville. Their masked faces were expressionless, and they studied the city with a cold intensity. Their Cutie Marks, a scratchy red circle with a red X over it, stood out brightly in the moonlight They watched as Engineer and Applejack walked back to Sweet Apple Acres, chatting amiably.

The masked pegasus's wings raised slightly in alarm as they looked at Engineer, realizing something important.

ThE ChAtTeRiNg ClOwN...

tHe RaGiNg WaR cRy...

ThE lOsT sOuL oF fIrE...

tHe LaUgHiNg DeStRuCtIoN...

tHe BrUtAl JuGgErNaUt...

ThE aNgEl-HeArTeD bUiLdEr...

ThE dEaD oNe...

ThE hEaRt Of IcE...

tHe KiLlInG gHoSt...

The three masked ponies glanced at each other, considering this new development. And then they vanished.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Canterlot Castle...

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Princess Celestia telekinetically tossed a book aside in frustration. No matter where she looked, she couldn't find information on the slender pony she had seen. She shook her head, yawning. Maybe she was tired... Even goddesses need to rest, now and then...

Stretching, she went to her room. Luna was already asleep, curled up with her abacus like it was a plush toy, tired after raising the moon and still weary from the aftereffects of the UberCharge. Celestia smiled at her, shaking her head. She started towards her own bed...

...and on a paranoid impulse, began looking around the room. She checked the balcony, behind curtains, under her bed, anywhere she could think of. Finding nothing, she sighed, and lay down in her bed, curling up and going to sleep. She slept soundly, the moon's light shining over her...

...a slender shadow passing over her, moving past the window.

TO BE CONTINUED