“Regrets collect like old friends here to relive your darkest moments, I can see no way, I can see no way...and all of the ghouls come out to play.”

I don’t know why I can’t sleep.

The room was a comfortable warmth, the bed was the softest I’d had in what felt like ages, and it was perfectly silent besides Pred’s snoring. This was the one truly annoying Caveat of Chasm. It was so damn perfect that it always felt like something bad was going to happen. It really pissed me off, and as much as I shouldn’t, I was going to go out and look for something to at least hold my attention for a bit. So as quietly as I could, I had slipped on my gear and slung my rifle around my neck. I didn’t expect to need it out there at all, but who knows, the night is young.

In a move straight out of the Daring Do books I read at Mom and Dad’s, I crept my way along the walls of the Inn, sticking to the shadows and bolting out the front doors without even the hint of alerting anypony else. Once outside, I could breath a sigh of relief and pulled out a cigarette. Pulling my lighter out, I flicked it open and held it up to my muzzle, stopping as something down the street caught my eye. It was only for a split second mind you, but the back half of a yellow mare walked past the corner of the main street through town, the soft pink of her tail just dipping past the old building and out of sight as I blinked.

“Momma?” I muttered and felt the cigarette drop from my muzzle. Almost instinctively my legs carried me forward. There was no way she could be alive after all this time, not unless... she was put away like I was! I broke into a canter, quickly reaching the street corner where she had been before skidding to a stop. The streetlights buzzed loudly and offered me an unobstructed view of the city’s empty streets. My pipbuck read that it was nearly ten pm, and yet not a soul was in sight.

Did I mention how much I hated this abnormal town?

Looking around, I froze as just out of the corner of my eye I could see the shadow of something jump across a rooftop further up the street. In my excitement, I remembered that Fluttershy was a pegasus, and so it had to be her! There was no way somepony else could have gotten up there that quickly. I took off again in pursuit, tracking as her shadow drifted from rooftop to rooftop. She had to have known I was following her, because the harder I ran, the faster she went. I smirked as I noticed I was gaining on her, and in only a few moments, I’d be just behind…

Wham!

I hadn’t been watching where I was going, and slammed headlong into one of the streetlamp posts. My vision went white for a moment and stars shot through my vision as I reminded myself that I needed to pay attention to where I was going. Getting back to my hooves, I shook off the pain and looked at the lamp post. Turns out, it was the last one in town, barely illuminating the trail that led towards the badlands gate. Looking up towards the only other lights on the mountainside, I saw her quickly dart over the wall that surrounded the facility my parents opened for the town.

I felt like my younger self again, the urge to explore and discover came back to me like it had never left. There was a renewed focus on solving this puzzle as I trekked carefully up the path. All kinds of unseemly monsters and ponies were usually laying in wait, but my pipbuck read that it was all clear. This was all wrong. The empty streets, the leading me out of town, and the fact that not a single creature was around struck me with the sense that I was being led into a trap.

Just the perfect thing to liven up tonight.

I approached the high concrete walls of the enormous warehouse build into the rock face, finding that they had changed little in the last year since I had last gazed upon them. The rusting guard towers stood as the lone sentries of the forgotten facility, bending under their own weight towards the entrance and giving the distinct impression that they were silently judging all who entered the large dusty courtyard.

I stopped as I entered, a flash of light catching my eye. I was about to grab my rifle when several different cones of light shot out across the dusty courtyard. They were slow to focus, but almost immediately, I could see something I never in a million years would have thought I would see again. The cones sharpened into images of ponies, specifically, Fluttershy, a guard’s pony… and me.

“This is…” My throat tightened up as the guard grabbed me in his levitation, and through squirming my hardest, I got out and made it to Mama’s leg. Looking back to the door, the images of the day they put me to sleep ran through my head and it was instantly recognizable. How could I have not seen it before? With as many times as I have stood in this exact same spot, how could I have not known?

As I saw the two of us head into the facility, I couldn’t help but follow. I had been led here for some reason, and even if it was a trap, it had the promise to explain more about my past.

I followed the memory down the twisting hallways of the time worn facility, bathing in the soft light my pipbuck gave off. Without the other ponies wandering the halls, or the sounds of research and science being done, it felt more like I was the one who was out of place amongst everything. We soon reached a large door whose words above it I now was able to comprehend as ‘Cryonics Lab A’. My legs froze as I stepped a hoof through, the thoughts of what happened in here haunted me. I let out a shiver that ran all the way from the tip of my tail to my muzzle.

The muted memory continued to play, my mind doing me no favors by filling my head with the sounds of the events. I shrank down to the floor as it continued, feeling cold as the tube came up around me, sealing me off. Tears flowed down my cheeks as I remember that painful fluid surrounding me.

And then it was over.

I looked up, staring at myself lose consciousness. From above me, the projection of a butterfly shaped bot drifted through the room, a bold #3 was painted clearly on it’s rear plate. I immediately looked for it on this old bot, finding in the dim light that I could just barely make out the outline of the old number. Finally, I knew of something that could give me some answers. A sharp pain grew in my temple, quickly becoming a feeling like somepony had just stabbed me.

I screamed as more memories of the orchard came back to me. Days when I was lonely, parties that the staff had included me in...It was all so overwhelming. I didn’t want it!

“I don’t want to be Harmony!” I shouted out and dragged my hooves at my mane, trying to stop the emotions that came with all the memories. They pounded at my head from the inside, a hundred different feelings all being remembered at once. I couldn’t stop it from hurting, and there was only one pony who could take away all the pain. “Daddy!”

I screamed for him again and again as my vision faded. My strength left me as the memory onslaught subsided. The happy times I had in the holidays meant nothing to me anymore as I slumped onto the grime coated floor of the century and a half old lab. I couldn’t do anything more than just let it happen as once again my body gave up fighting this room.

“Welcome, Project Harmony.” The oddly melodic tune of a digitized voice filled the darkness around me. “It has been a long time since we have seen you within these walls. Have you come seeking treatment?”

“What?” I found myself asking, opening my eyes to a blindingly white room. “Where the hell am I?”

“You are currently laying on the floor of Cryonics Lab A in an unconscious state.” The voice came from all around me. I wasn’t really sure what to think. “Your return seems to have triggered a mild seizure due to some sort of synaptic realignment.”

I spun in circles, finding nothing but white in all directions. “Where am I, and why can’t I see you?”

“As stated, you are currently laying in Cryonics Lab A.” I facehooved as the voice didn’t seem to understand. When I uncovered my hooves, there was a pink outline forming in front of me. It took a moment to focus, sharpening into a familiar yellow pegasus pony. “Does this form give you any ease?”

“No, you are not Mama.” I growled, hoofing at her sharply only to find that my hoof went through her. “Who the hell are you and what am I doing here?”

“I am Care. The Centralized Arcane Research Engineer, an Artificial Pony created to oversee the day to day operations of Orchard Three.” She gave an abrupt and jerky bow, seemingly unaccustomed to the action. “You are Project Harmony, a repurposed project from to obsolete Orchard One.”

“Hey, don’t you talk about my Orchard that way! It’s plenty useful!” The voice of Pai boomed through my head, making me put my hooves over my ears. A smaller outline formed next to fluttershy, changing into the tiny pink filly I knew Pai to be. That is, until she grew three times her size and shifted colors to red. “You were developed there, so show some fucking respect!”

The fluttershy projection gasped and looked surprised. “You are engaging in an unauthorized use of this orchard’s network. You are ordered to purge yourself at once and turn yourself over to the Ministry of Morale for violating the Office of Interministy Affairs wartime service clause. Good day to you!”

I have had enough.

“Somepony better fucking give me some answers real quickly here, or I’m just going to have to start smashing whatever I can get my hooves on!” Shouting at the top of my lungs might have been unnecessary, but it got the two of them to be quiet. “You.” I pointed to the Fluttershy projection. “Why am I standing in a white room when you tell me I’m on the floor?”

“The space around you is only a mental projection of my integrated brainwave broadcaster.” She pointed beside me and drew my attention to a blue wall that had come from nowhere. The white lines of technical schematics were scrawled across it in archanotechnical jargon that I couldn’t read, but was lead to assume it was whatever it was she had just said. “This device allows for direct subconscious interactions with unconscious patients. Unfortunately it cannot be utilized properly with anypony who is still awake, so it was rather good timing that you passed out when you did.”

“So… none of this is real?” I asked slowly, not quite comprehending why they would build something like this in the first place. Wouldn’t it have been easier to just talk to me in the real world? “Why did you lead me here? I doubt it was to show me this neat little trick of talking to me while I’m asleep.”

She straightened herself up, keeping an eye on Pai who had shrunk down to her normal size. “There was a crime committed here years ago, you and other items were stolen when the entrance door was breached. I had hoped that you might be able to identify and report the criminals who perpetrated the acts so that the Ministry of Moral could apprehend them.”

The blue wall shifted to the display of a security camera. The room lay in shambles as it had, but along the wall, I could barely make out the shape of myself in the dust caked tank against the wall. The camera just sat watching the empty room for almost a minute before a shadow appeared in the doorway. A curly haired pony that reminded me of mom stepped in slowly, tracing around the outside of the room.

Wait, this is my mom!

She stopped as she reached the tank, leaning in close to it before taking a step back and looking at the ceiling. I wondered why, but then she sneezed, blowing enough dust off the tank that I could make out my hind legs. Mom had to do a double take when she realized I was in there, and spoke something that the camera didn’t record, it’s microphone most likely broken long before then. As she wiped the rest of the grime from the tank, my father came in, stopping when he saw me as well.

“These aren’t criminals, they’re my parents.” I growled out. “Besides, you can’t arrest them, the M.o.M. shut down a long time ago.” I paused as an odd thought went through my head. “Wait, you don’t know that, do you?”

“I have not received any official transmissions for quite some time. I fear that it may be due to a damaged transmission cable and have since put in an order to have a maintenance team dispatched to repair it.” She looked straight ahead, not shifting her body at all as she spoke. It just looked unnatural to me.

“We’ll that’s silly!” Pai spoke up again, no longer content to just sit there quietly out of the way. “The Equestrian government has been defunct since the war ended with the apocalypse! How long were you planning to wait for anypony to arrive?”

Care blinked once in a stunning display of what I assumed was an attempt to figure out how she could be so dumb. I don’t know how true that actually was, but it almost made this whole conversation less annoying to deal with. Almost.

“I… am not sure. A full scale megaspell exchange had been suggested as a possibility for this facility to weather, but no reports of such an action have been received.” She turned to me and showed me an astoundingly accurate look of concern for a machine. “As the current highest ranking member of this facility, I must ask that you confirm these reports and attain casualty reports for the affected areas. This facility is equipped to provide aid to one hundred thousand equestrians, but due to advanced corrosion and mechanical failures, I am sorry to say that it is only operational to a capacity of one point two percent.”

I let out a short laugh. “Save it. Everything out there is gone. Manehatten, Filly, Canterlot, all of it is dead.” I hated thinking about the old world, moreso now that I know I used to belong to it.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. Ministry of Peace end-war facility protocol is now active, and the lockdown of all levels has been rescinded.” She spoke sadly. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Another thought popped into my head. “As a matter of fact, there is.” I came in here looking for answers, so I better use my time to get some. “Why did they lock me away in here? I didn’t pass their test, I know this, but I could have always just tried again.”

Care stiffened up and adopted a blank look again as she processed that. “That information has been redacted. I am not authorized to unseal the file.” She blinked and looked at me. “Though, there is an unauthorized audio attachment to it left by former head chief of staff Dr. Panacea. Would you like to hear that instead?”

“Daddy?” The word slipped out of my muzzle so easily. “Yes, please. I need to hear it.”

The soft crackle of an audiolog came from all around me, silence following it for a few moments before his voice played into my mind.

“Harmony. For years I’ve attempted to find a way to undo what they plan on doing with you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you, but I need you to be strong now. The war… it isn’t going so well, and I fear that I don’t have much time before they ‘repurpose’ you. I know what went wrong, those years ago in the test. I can’t believe how simple it was that the answer was staring me in the face in your favorite storybook.

Before the Ministry mares, the elements were shared by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Shared, Harmony. Through their sisterhood, they were able to use the bond between them to power the elements, and that is something I overlooked. Initially, we had assumed a bond wasn’t needed, seeing as Celestia originally used the elements on her own to banish Luna to the moon. This however was not the case, as Nightmare Moon represented a split in Luna’s personality.

You see, even though she wasn’t physically in control of the elements, the sane part of Luna still knew that Celestia must use the elements against the evil inside of her, and willed their use from within her own mental imprisonment. Celestia only looked like she was using them alone because they only require one body to physically control them, but they’ve always needed more than one mind. This is why we were wrong, and why you can still be the world changing pony we need you to be.

If you ever get this message, if by chance Equestria still needs you when you hear it, I have only one simple request. I know that I’ve left this message for you before, but you need to make friends. With them, you will only grow stronger, and maybe one day you will be able to control the elements through the strength of their friendship. You’ve made me so proud, and it broke my heart to see you taken, but I know that you can do anything if you try, Harmony. I might not be there on that day, but just remember that Daddy loves you no matter what.”

With a click, the audiolog ended, and there was nothing but perfect, all encompassing silence. The blinding white of the room around me had dimmed to a dark grey. Both Pai and Care just sat there as I now sat with a blank face trying to process everything.

“Friends? I’ve gotten plenty of friends throughout my life! Harmony, Pallet, Short Staff? I’ve considered them friends for the longest time!” I yelled out, feeling like I could just rip my mane out in frustration. “I don’t understand how they were supposed to make me any better!”

“Friendship is defined as the mutual affection between two or more beings.” Pai poked at me, her hoof feeling as solid as a real one. “So the question is, do they feel the same way about you?”

“What? Why wouldn’t they?” I snapped back quickly.

Pai turned blue and shrank down with a whimper. I was only being hostile because there was a note of truth behind that. The sad fact is I never asked. I had always assumed they thought the same way as I had. They did say they considered me family, but I’m beginning to think that I don’t even know what that means. I love my parents dearly, but I don’t belong to them. Daddy and Mommy put me in this facility so many years ago and then forgot about me.

“I… I’m sorry. This is just a lot to figure out.” Sighing, I flopped down onto the floor. “I’ve been working on my own for so long, I don’t even know how to act around others past just doing my job. It was never supposed to factor into anything in my life, I’m just a bounty hunter. We don’t have the luxury of making friends.”

Care finally moved from where she stood, extending her wings to hover over me. “What about your profession makes it so you cannot have friends?”

“The fact that other ponies just slow me down, get in the way, and blow my cover.” I shook my head and grimaced. “And it’s no place for them to be if they aren’t helping. It’s a dangerous job, and only a moron would want to... hang out with me in the field.” My thoughts came to a stop with that, hanging on to a conclusion I hadn’t been wanting to make. “Predious…”

“And your super duper favorite sister, Pai!” The pink filly bounced around my head on her hooves, sending little pink squares flittering through the air around me. “We are the best of friends, you and I!”

Care stiffened up. “Cognitive synapse startup detected. Ending subconscious broadcast.”

“But… wait!” I shouted, pushing myself up as quickly as I could.

I shot up off the cold, concrete floor with a gasp. There was nothing around me but the electric hum that could always be heard throughout the facility. I let out a larger than usual yawn, feeling several of my joints pop. I let out a soft whine from my stiff body and focused on my pipbuck’s clock when I could open my eyes again.

“Are you kidding me?” The numbers read that it was 8:30 AM, and that I had literally slept on the floor the whole night. Predious had to be up by now, and he was probably wondering where I was. It was strange, even though I only talked with Care for what felt like a few minutes, I found myself waking up on a panicked note like the end of the dream.

“It’s not strange at all!” Pai shouted, making me jump and knock my head against the doorway painfully. She popped into my vision as the stars shooting around in it did.

“Dammit, Pai! Don’t fucking startle me like that!” I growled and rubbed at the side of my head. “At least give me some warning.”

“Oops, sorry about that Sis.” She rubbed at her neck nervously before smiling again. “But what I wanted to tell you was that Care did only talk to you a few minutes ago. You slept soundly all the way up until she could sync the broadcaster to your thoughts.”

It was more of an answer than I cared to hear, so I pushed it to the back of my mind and let out another yawn. Turning around, I decided it was time that I made my way back to town. Sadly, I still needed to talk to Touchy about those spark batteries for Iron Will, and I knew that was just going to be annoying as all hell to deal with.

Still, the thought that Predious might be my only real friend both scared me and gave me a sense of warmth. Maybe I was getting ahead of myself though. I hadn’t ever asked Harmony if she thought we were friends, so I didn’t rightly know. I needed to hear Predious say it on his own, and with the knowledge that it was his unbiased answer.

Winding through the hallways, I could see the dim light of morning reflecting on the grimy walls. I let out one last light yawn as I reached the hallway to the blasted front door. Still a bit fuzzy from waking up, I braced myself against the twisted doorframe to the outside, taking a moment to use it as a post to stretch my legs out.

“Oh, um excuse me!” The timid voice of a mare called across the stagnant morning air. I raised my gaze to find a dark figure standing in the center of the courtyard. Slowly, I reached back for my gun. Even if the pipbuck listed her as non-hostile green, better safe than sorry. “Hi, if you are looking for a ruin to explore, I’d suggest somewhere else. It’s not very safe inside.”

“I was just leaving.” I took a few steps forward, keeping an eye on her as her features came into focus. The patches of rotten flesh, the stench of old leather, and the sheen of that prosthetic leg all seemed eerily familiar. I stopped abruptly and looked the ghoul over. “You’re that ghoul assistant who works at the clinic, aren't you?“

She was hesitant to speak. “Head physician now actually, Dr. Gurney passed away a few months ago from a stroke. I've taken over his patient responsibilities.”

“Well congrats on the promotion.” I sighed out, sitting down and putting a hoof into my satchel. I pulled out my smokes and tapped one out, holding it in my muzzle with a grin as I offered one to the ghoul in front of me. She pushed it away as I continued. “If I may ask though, what makes you say this place is so dangerous?” Lighting up, I took a moment to hoof at her torn up labcoat. “You hardly look equipped for danger.”

“The most prominent danger is tetanus from all of the rust. Besides that, there are exposed spark wiring, collapsing ceilings, and unstable chemicals stored inside.” She stated simply. “Being a ghoul makes me immune to diseases, and more resilient to chemical burns, but all in all I’m very careful about how I go about scavenging. They’ve got supplies to last us for decades here, but the trick is finding them.”

I blew a plume of smoke from my muzzle and let out a sigh, enjoying as the carcinogens worked away at my body. “Well, it should be a bit easier now that all the doors are open.”

Her eyes went as wide as dinner plates. “What, are you kidding!?” I wasn’t sure what she would do if I answered, so I figured the best course of action was to stay completely still. Didn’t help, seeing as she dove at me and pulled me into a squishy hug. The tip of my cigarette sizzled against her coat, but she either didn’t mind it, or didn’t feel it at all as she inadvertently put it out. “Oh, this is wonderful news! I’m sorry, but I must be going, so much to do now!”

As fast as she had been on me, she was gone, her hoofsteps echoing down the halls of the dark facility as the sky continued to lighten. I sighed at having lost my smoke and got to my hooves. It looks like my luck is just going to keep on shorting me, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of today has to offer. I headed for the entrance to the courtyard, dipping around the corner towards town and found myself blocked by somepony.

“Ah, mi amor…” Was as far as Ficha got before I reflexively hit him with an uppercut to the jaw. He reared up in pain and fell back onto the dusty path and let out a whine. This day was definitely going to suck.

“”You son of a bitch!” I shouted, my heart instantly pounding against my chest. “What is everypony’s obsession with sneaking up on me all the time!?” I shook my hoof out, making the stiff joint give a little pop.

“Geez you don’t have to always get so physical.” He rubbed at his chin as he got back up. “And how could I sneak up on you when you’ve been missing all night?” He spat out a bit of blood onto the dirt, wiping his mouth with a glare. “You’re friend was very adamant that we find you despite Touchy’s assurances you could handle yourself.”

I groaned and continued my way towards town, eager to collect the spark batteries Touchy promised and get out of this town before I got into any real trouble. Still, maybe this was part of the answer I wanted from Pred. He had cared enough to see me missing as a problem, when everypony else thought it was perfectly fine. For now that would have to do I guess.

Approaching the trade post, I could hear Pred’s voice inside, and the laugh of Touchy Feely sent shivers down my spine. I took a deep breath as I hoofed at the door, practically kicking it open and standing there as the two stallions looked over with bright smiles. As always, Touchy was the first to act, nearly jumping over the counter and throwing his hooves around me in his all too inappropriate way.

“Haha! I knew you’d be fine!” He belted into my ear, making my eye twitch in annoyance. He thankfully let go and stepped back, straightening his overly tall hat and clearing his voice. “Decided to take your own tour of the town and get lost in this paradise? I sure do know how easy it is!”

“Yeah, sure…” I offered him an uneasy smile, not caring to go into what really happened. I gave a glance to Predious, who was just sitting there with this smug look on his face. It’s almost like he knew I was alright as well, but then why did he… “You sent Ficha out looking for me knowing full well I hated him, didn’t you?”

“Not much get’s past you, Boss!” He chuckled and levitated his saddlebags off the counter. “I’m all ready and packed to go if you are.” He pulled the spark batteries off the counter as well and dropped them into his bags as he walked towards me.

“Aw come on now guys.” Touchy frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay? We’d love to have you and I’m sure you’d love to settle down somewhere anyway, so why not here?”

“Sorry Mayor, but business comes first.” I gave him a pat on the shoulder before stepping back through the doorway. “Maybe we’ll give it some more thought on the way back through. You never know, with as much has changed recently, it doesn’t sound so bad after all.” I gave a smirk to Pred and nudged my head toward the road.

“We that is surprising.” Predious spoke up in a lighthearted tone as we walked down the street. “I never took you for some pony who might actually get sucked into all of... this.” He waved his hoof in a wide arc to point at the whole town. “Are you feeling alright? You didn’t go and get all soft on me from one night of peace, did you?”

“Nah, just worked some things out in my head, trying to figure out just where I stand in my life.” Looking at him, I was surprised to see him in a mood like this. He looked relaxed and for lack of better words, happy, and that made me happy. After everything we’ve been through, and even though I didn’t know his motives, I did kind of consider him a friend now. “Pred, this is going to sound odd, but what do you think makes a good friend?”