Looking over to Maisy, she was fast asleep now. Deadlight had seemingly taken a real shine to her as the pair laid together, her gigantic paws wrapped around him and holding the zebra close. To see how quickly Maisy could become attached to anyone who was half friendly towards her absolutely amazed me. With none of the other special forces members in sight, I felt a little... naked, but with Dawnstar now waiting patiently in the hallway, there was no time to spend worrying about extra hooves. Besides, the rules were no fights, so maybe I wouldn't need somepony else anyway.
Trotting on over to Titan's trusted commander, he threw my cloak to me. A part of me whinnied, my cloak? I'd have preferred my coat! Still, the cloak would make me less conspicuous than the coat, without a doubt.

Seeing the look in my eyes, Dawnstar gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't be so quick to look down, Crimson. My shotgun will keep us protected, your coat will only make us stand out more. Remember, you won't need that weighing you down, you'll have plenty of other things doing that."

"You reckon so?" I asked with a smile. "I mean, I don't exactly need much and I don't expect we'll find a water talisman at bargain rates."

For a moment, Dawnstar shook his head, his eyes closed and his smile not fading. Then he opened his eyes and looked right at me, as if speaking to my soul. "Not everything is paid for with money. Not everything we buy is physical. Mind you, getting some food supplies and alcohol to replace what you drank wouldn't be a bad idea either, eh?"
With that, there was nothing I could really say to counter his point. I had indeed managed to go through quite a bit more alcohol than expected, I supposed. Before the thought came to mind of who would pay for the goods, Dawnstar gave his reassurances that the resistance had its own caps.
With nothing else holding us back, we made our way out of the bunker, back onto the streets of Coltchester.

The twisting alleyways felt normal now, despite it having only been a couple of journeys through them, every time they felt more and more like coming home, in an odd way. Of course I knew this wasn't really home, but for now, I guess it was.
I felt a sigh work its way from my chest to my lips. Home... The more time I spent away from you, the more I missed every little aspect. Hell, in a weird way, I even missed the mundane day to day paperwork and management lessons.
Most of all, I missed how med-x could make me feel wonderful instead of simply hiding the pain.

Continuing to think about the joys of recreational drug use had my mind elsewhere when a hoof pushed into my chest, waking me back up to reality. Shaking my head for a moment, I looked forward to see what was going on, but nothing caught my eye. Turning to look at my side where Dawnstar stood, a look on his face suggested there was something I hadn't noticed before. He didn't say a word, but kept staring intently at the crowd. Looking back to where he was fixated on myself, I now noticed what had caught his attention so keenly.
Just ahead of us, there was an opening, a circle gathered around some figures, one of them being a pony dressed in Coalition garb.

Moving closer to see what had been going on, I felt as shocked as every pony, zebra and donkey around. Two figures in what looked like a sleek yet powerful armour gently... hovered. Pegasai! They were other pegasai! My mind raced with joy, I hadn't seen other pegasai since... well, since my dad had been around! And suddenly joy turned to confusion as the two sticks on each one's side began to glow green, alerting me to the most probable fact that they weren't sticks, they were energy weapons! Without a moments hesitation, a word flashed into my mind with no lack of subtlety. Enclave.

"We're not this pony you're after! For the last fucking time, I'm telling you, let us be!" One growled, low enough to be threatening but just about loud enough for me to hear. "We don't know who the fuck it is you're after and we won't back down if you don't leave us alone! We've just come here to see if the myths are true!"

"Yeah, right!" The pony... no, zony, I realised as his stripes had been hidden in the garbs, spoke with a slight tremor in his voice. "I know the Executioner is a pegasus. Hand him over."

Hand him over? I thought to myself. Getting into a fight right now wasn't going to be the best of ideas, no, but at the same time looking at the pegasai's weapons spitting sparks of green energy, I knew that something had to be done. If a fight broke out here, the chances of innocents getting hit and treated like collateral damage, merely to be ignored, was too great.
Trotting over to the zony, I gently tapped him on the shoulder with a hoof before calmly noting into his ear. "Hey, uh, isn't the Executioner quite distinct? Red wings and all that jazz?"

"What of it?" The zony replied, not taking his eyes off of the two armoured figures, who both refused to look in any other direction themselves. "If you aren't going to tell me where he is, sod off."

Well! I thought to myself, now grinning. That isn't very nice, is it?
Unfolding my wings and wrapping one around the guard, I looked at the other pair with confidence. Their jaws dropped as they now focused on me, causing the zony I had huddled up to to now stutter as he realised and turned to face me. Looking straight into his eyes, I almost felt like I was suddenly a unicorn casting a spell on him as horror caused him to fall over and back up into the crowd, who refused to budge. "Hello there. That's not very nice of you to bully other pegasai just to try and find me, is it now?"

My wings now flared as he looked up at me, scrambling for his spear, but someone in the crowd kicked it with their hoof, away from his reach before he could manage to grab it once more. Dawnstar approached by my side, his shotgun was ready for action, but I shook my head. "No need, this little zony isn't worth the shell, are you?" What sounded like a question was more of a statement as I looked at the pathetic buck, words trying, and failing, to come out of his mouth.

My grin becoming bigger and bigger, I began to laugh before stepping ever closer to the retreating coward. "Do you still want me to tell you where I am? Or how about those two hand me in? I'm sure you could handle a fight with little old me, couldn't you?"

"L-l-let me live! Please!" The coward now managed to say, his first coherent words since falling over. "I don't wanna die! Please Executioner! I don't wanna die!"

With tears now streaming down his face almost had me feeling pity... almost. Pretending to pull Forgiveness from out of my robes, not that I had her with me, but pretending to do so anyway, I closed the gap between us with my wings until my face was but an inch from his, before whispering into his ear. "The executioner... sees no need to judge you, for now." Taking a deep breath and pumping up my chest, I stared directly into his soul. "Now, do yourself a favour, go get lost. Don't go running off for your friends just yet, because otherwise we'll see a repeat of every time I have been pissed off. If you dare come back anywhere near my sight again, you won't be spared again, I promise you that."

"Are you sure you don't want him dead, Executioner?" Dawnstar asked. "I think a single shell ought to make his brains paste quite easy. Can we really take the risk that he won't immediately come back with reinforcements?"

Before I could respond, a zebra, a very large and husky zebra from in the crowd spoke up. "We'll take care of this one, don't you worry about that." For a moment I considered letting them do whatever they wanted, but then a sigh filled my mind and begged me not to let it happen. Cherry. Cherry's voice filled my mind, pleading with me. Give the wasteland a chance, Crimson. Don't let this be another life lost needlessly.
Shaking my head, she was right. Even if she wasn't here to see it, I knew she would appreciate it if she could. "No." I commanded, causing a sudden annoyance in the face of the zebra who had already begun to drag the poor zony away, who was now begging for someone to help.

The zebra looked at me with discontent, paused for a moment and then turned around, continuing to drag the zony away. "Please no! Please, someone help!" The poor soul screamed.

Throwing myself into the air and in front of the zebra stallion, I held my eyes inches away from his, looking as sternly as I could. If the poor buck was screaming for his life like this, he must've known something about how Coalition soldiers were treated when captured around these parts. "Leave the zony alone. Coalition soldier or not, there's no need to do whatever you have planned for him. Besides, he's already pissed himself and has no weapon."

"All the better. He's going to get what's coming to him, and so will you if you don't get out of my fucking way. Friend or foe, I don't care." The stallion grunted at me as he continued to walk on by.

It was then that a sight I really hadn't expected happened. The two pegasai I had just saved the hassle of being pestered by the Coalition soldier flew in front of all of us and charged up their weapons once more, though this time their aim didn't seem to be focused on the soldier, but rather the zebra who had been dragging him.
"You." The one of them commanded who hadn't spoke before, who I now realised was actually a mare. "You'll do as the other pegasus says."

The zebra now froze. Even his large frame was no match for two heavily armed, heavily armoured pegasai. Their flight seemed a little graceless, but I put that down to their armour more than anything else.
"one. Two..."
The Coalition soldier now dropped to the floor, trembling in a curled up ball as the Zebra continued to stare into the reflective eyepieces of the two pegasai. Slowly, he began to back up before turning around and walking off, a few other members of the crowd following him as he did.

"Why did you just help?" I asked, in utter awe. "You really didn't need to, not that I don't appreciate it."

"Executioner, huh?" The mare asked in response, completely ignoring my question as she walked in a circle around me, prodding me with her cold metal covered wing. Spreading my wings instinctively so that she could see, that wasn't what she was after it seemed as she moved on further, uncovering my robe to my cutie mark.
A part of me felt violated at the sudden and unexpected probing, but given the weapons strapped to her side, I thought better to play along with it than to freak out and get shot.

"What's his cutie mark? Dashite, right? I don't recognise him." The other metal clad pegasus asked, his gruff voice now much more calm.

Now my cutie mark was on display, I felt a hoof gently touch my hip. The mares voice went soft, almost as if she was scared or something. "No. He... he has a cutie mark. We... we don't... didn't have any orders to hunt down a dashite here. I don't recognise this either. A pair of wings. What pegasus has their wings as their cutie mark? How in Equestria?"

Now I understood. It wasn't fear, it was uncertainty. Letting out a small cough, I grabbed their attention. "Excuse me, would you mind not fondling my body parts please? You could've just asked who I am if that's what you want to know."

"Name, rank and base soldier." The gruff male asked, a no-nonsense tone of voice resonating from his chest.

"Crimson Wings, also known as the Executioner. Rank? Well, that would depend on wh-"

Mid sentence, the stallion stopped me with a hoof to my muzzle, perplexing me. Dawnstar approached, shotgun ready to fire, but the mare turned to him and slowly shook her head. "We won't hurt you, dirtsider. We just want to know who the hell this buck is. I sure as shit don't recognise him and nor does my companion. How the fuck did one of our civilians get down here? Are you hiding more? Is this a smuggling operation? Have you been running it for a long time? Tell us and no-one gets hurt."

Waving the hoof away from my mouth, I spat the taste of dirt from out of my mouth and shot the stallion a glare now my senses came back to me, before turning to obviously much more reasonable mare.
"My name, as I said, is Crimson. Crimson Wings."

"Why did they call you 'The Executioner' then?" She quipped back, bemusement in her voice. "What's that about?"

"My name is Crimson. I've also become known as that because I dispense justice as and when necessary." Looking at the stallion, I could tell he was getting annoyed with me repeating my name from the look on his mouth, the only part of their faces not hidden away by their helmets. "And as I was trying to tell you, my rank depends on who you ask. Old Equestrian military robots refer to me as Colonel Wings. Back home? I'm the next in line to be Overstallion. I won't tell you where home is, mind."

"Crimson!" Dawnstar shouted in surprise. "What the fuck!? You... you what? You? And you're just telling them this? Titan never said anything about that to me!"

"He didn't know himself, I don't think. I don't remember if I'd even mentioned that detail to him at all, now you mention it." I muttered in response, more interested in the look on the pegasus mares face. "I mean, he knew I was from a Stable, but not that I was the son of its leader."

Now both of the pegasai looked at me in what I assumed to be astonishment... or, there was astonishment in their voices if nothing else. "You mean... a stable filled with pegasai? I thought they all got stripped for metal though!"

Now my eyes shot wide! Stables, filled with other pegasai? What madness was that?! A great big smile that pulled my face wide apart grew and grew as the idea of great big hallways or corridors that were vertical rather than horizontal came to mind. Playgrounds filled with obstacle courses to keep the wings strong. If there was a stable for pegasai, that'd have to be how it would be. Waking back up to reality after a nudge from my inquisitors, I shook my head. "No, just a regular Stable. Earth ponies and unicorns aplenty, but not a single pegasus other than myself since my dad passed away."

The two gave me a look of disbelief, though raising my hoof to show off the PipBuck quickly backed up my argument pretty smoothly. If nothing else, I was telling the truth about being from a Stable. Finally deciding that he'd heard enough, the stallion turned his head to his companion and spoke. "Well, come on, Sweeper. We've seen what we wanted to and I'm pretty confident that he wasn't one of ours." Turning his head back to me, he gave a small nod. "Well, thanks for the chat, Crimson. And uh... those wings of yours? If you ever get the time to come up cloudside, ask around for directions to Storm City. Its not an actual city, just an outpost we call Storm City because of all the storms that happen over this city somewhere north from here, and it overlooks that. We've got doctors that would no doubt find it fascinating to study those."

"Hasn't just about everyone?" I quipped, a small laugh in response. With that, the two heavily armoured figures leapt into the air and began to fly... slowly, without grace, without poise...
A part of me wanted to just chase after them and dance rings around them, but another part said no, leave them be...
...Who was I kidding? Leaping up into the air, I dashed in front of the two and rushed to fly circles around them, gleefully cheering as I did. It had been way, way too long since I'd managed to fly with other pegasai.

For a moment, the stallions jaw almost looked like a growl, but the mare began to smile and flew next to me for a mid-air dance. Something inside of her must have understood my desperate need for this moment as we swirled along together, though her partner didn't feel the love. Sweeping through the air, the mare really lived up to her name, even if my dexterity outmatched hers in the armour. Buzzing down to the ground, we skimmed the heads of all of the others whilst they watched in awe, some cheering at the display whilst others muttered amongst themselves. I didn't care. I was enjoying myself all too much. Way, way too much.

Doing A fast loop-de-loop followed by a barrel roll and corkscrew manoeuvre, I felt the speed flow through me as I shot up into the sky, span around as fast as I could and now sped back down to the ground in a display of pure enjoyment and love for flight. Feeling the air wrap around me and fight against me, I began to feel a sensation I had only discovered once before, back when my father was alive. My heart beat faster and my wings flapped harder. The air around me constricted and tried to fight me, tried to hold me back. I wouldn't let it! I had to push through, I had to be faster! I just had to be!

Without warning, a sudden force pushed me off balance and I was thrown aside... only to be quickly saved by the pegasai mare. Holding me in her hooves, she may not have been as agile as me, but she was damn sturdy. As one last move, we both did a loop-de-loop together before hovering just above the crowd. In the rush of excitement, I gave her a quick kiss and a hug, completely forgetting myself.

For a moment, the stunned mare looked at me before I realised what I'd just done. "I... I'm sorry." I quickly added. "I ju-"

Putting a hoof to my mouth, she simply smiled. "Don't fret it. I could tell how happy you were to finally get the chance to flex your wings with another pegasus. Maybe that's more reason for you to come round some time? Besides, maybe Cloud Dancer would enjoy that last bit as well, wouldn't you?"

With a low grumble and what sounded almost like shyness, the stallion croaked back a 'fuck you' to his comrade before she waved goodbye and they both flew off. Floating back down to the ground, I simply watched them go off to the clouds, out of sight. Back on solid land, Dawnstar still had the zony, who had now composed himself enough to not be shaking in fear, but instead looking at me in awe, even if it was because Dawnstar's hoof was holding him around the neck and making him watch.

Looking at the pair, I waved my hoof casually. "Let him go. I'm sure you'll remember this, won't you?" I asked, now directing the conversation at the zony. "Just know that your life depends on you remembering it. And remembering not to go and get your friends as soon as you're let go. If I see you back in my sight again tonight, you won't survive. Got that?"

With a gentle nod, the zony was released from Dawnstars grip before quickly scurrying away, tail between his legs and head down, nearly touching the ground.

Now that he was gone, I realised that my heart was still racing... beating harder and faster than it should've been. My eyes widened as I looked at Dawnstar and the urge to puke felt overwhelming. All of a sudden I could feel sweat run down my brow and my hooves were shaking. A numbness began through my front hooves and a constricting pain in my chest.
Looking down at the ground, I now felt like everything was spinning in circles. My breathing... faster... shallow.
I don't feel good.
With a painful heartbeat, darkness began bleeding into my peripheral vision, threatening to overwhelm my sight entirely. In my chest I could feel more and more pain, leaving me feeling like a fish out of water as I struggled to breath. Looking over to Dawnstar, I tried to speak, tried to tell him of the pain, but the words didn't want to come out. All I could manage was a wheezing noise as I felt more and more weak. My legs becoming tired and the numbness taking over. Any sense of balance now failed me as my chest felt like the world was crashing down on me, crushing me, stopping me from breathing.

Opening my eyes back up, everything felt worse. Noises weren't clear, but I could see panicked faces. Zebras rushing over to me, rushing away. Many faces... so many faces. Some looking worried, some...
I couldn't even focus properly. My vision blurring, my ears ringing, my breathing being harder than it had ever been before. My chest... a tightness... agony. Trying to pick myself off of the floor, I couldn't even do that much.

"He's going to need something to stabilise him, pony." One voice, a very deep and calm voice called above the others, the only one I could hear clearly. "The chem dealer will have something. Do you know the way? I will... with me."

Wheezing as I opened my eyes up yet again, I was elsewhere, but the pain was only getting worse. Breathing was slower, harder. My eyes closed shut, too hard to keep them open. The pain keeping me from focusing on anything other than the pain I was in.
What felt like a lifetime later, I could feel something cold. I was laying down on something cold. There was cold touching my chest, prodding into where I hurt most. My eyes refused to open.

"He's going to need to get something to stabilise hi..." I opened my eyes for a moment, but all I could see was white pain. "...re, Buck will do the job. Normally I'd..."
Something in my mouth. Trying to spit it out did no good. Now there was a hoof in my mouth. The world getting darker. Heavier. Colder. Weaker. A squirt of water shot down my throat and now I was rolled on my back, hooves pressing harshly into my chest, causing the pain to double. I wanted to fight back, wanted to, but couldn't. I couldn't feel my legs, any of them.
Closing my eyes once more, the world melted around me as one last voice rang through my head. "Perfer obdura; dolor hic"
Endure; this pain

The pain was gone, for the most part. A piece of it lingered, but I could feel everything now. Opening my eyes, I could see the cloudy night sky above. Either I'd spent the whole day asleep, or it hadn't been long, but given that I could still feel the pain that overwhelmed me before, I figured it couldn't have been too long.
Looking around, I could see a face I'd quickly familiarised myself with; Dawnstar sat, talking to some other figure. A zebra.

Feeling the breath come into my lungs, my chest was much more manageable now, but it still didn't feel normal. In fact, none of my breathing felt natural. Raising a hoof to my muzzle, I realised a plastic mouth piece had been attached, and a pipe came from that. Using all of the focus I could muster, my blood ran cold as I saw the figure before me, pressing his hoof onto the ground repeatedly.
Next to the whatever I was on, there was the zony, the very same one who I had told to go and not come back. Catching me looking at him, the zony stared at me for a moment before turning to the others and speaking in a cold, distant voice. "He's awake."
The sound of the other two trotting over to me felt oddly calming, the pace they took was timely without being rushed. If they weren't running, things couldn't have been too bad, I guessed.

"So Crimson, you're awake?" Dawnstar asked. I didn't reply though, I still couldn't quite muster the strength to speak. With a nod, the zony moved over and allowed Dawnstar to take over with the pump. "You had us all worried. We thought you were a fucking gonner."

"I wasn't worried." The zony quickly began chiding my companion.

Shooting the zony a look that insisted he knew otherwise. "If you weren't worried, why did you pay for his treatment and help so much? Nobody does that for someone they aren't worried about."

As if trying to play the big damn hero, the zony stepped back over and gently prodded me in the chest. "He may be my enemy, but he's still a pony. Friend or foe, heart attacks... well, I don't have to divulge anything to you about my history, but I'd rather no-one else, friend or foe, dies from them." For a moment he paused, turning his head away from us all, before continuing his piece. "Besides, he could have chosen to let me die back there. He has a reputation for simply killing others where they stand... and he didn't. I wasn't ready to actually try and take him on, and truth be told, I was even scared because I've seen the aftermath of the bloodiest day in our recent history. I've seen his work. I was a part of the clean-up. He could've tried to kill me, and with your help, he probably would have."

Listening to him talk, I couldn't help but begin to wonder what it was like to be on the other side. Was I really that scary? I mean, I supposed so, but to hear it for myself... about myself... it was... odd.

Taking in a deep breath, the zony continued his speech. "He could have also let that monster drag me away."
With that, he turned around to me and once again laid his hoof on my shoulder, but instead of prodding me, this time it was a lot more... comforting?
"Do you even know who that zebra was, Executioner?"
Working up the strength to speak, I let out a quiet, feeble 'no'.

"That zebra was not only a known member of the Zebras United for Coltchester outfit, but also a largely well known gangster who deals in the worst of trades. The things that would have happened to me would have been unspeakable, Executioner." For a moment he paused, coughed and looked away before letting out a deep sigh. His voice now a much softer tone as he turned back to face me. "Look, I didn't want to die. I still don't want to die. But if you gave me the choice between you shooting me in the side of the head or slicing my throat open like you're so keen on doing, or being dragged off by that monster... Executioner, I would throw myself at your hooves and beg for the quick end. I don't want to die, but going through the things he would have done, death would have been a preferable alternative."

"So..." Dawnstar began, speaking slowly whilst the zebra doctor just nodded along, listening to the whole conversation quietly. "that still doesn't quite explain why you've paid for the drugs."

"A life for a life, pony." The zony uttered back with no contempt in his voice, only the same flat tone that he had continually taken. "He may have threatened my life, but I am almost certain that he saved it too. I have no way of knowing whether the gangster would have attacked me without Crimson's provocation of the situation, but its also possible that the other feathered scum could have killed me. As it stands now, I am alive when things could have easily been otherwise. Who knows. I owe him that much."

Looking back at me, the zony even let out a small smile. "Crimson Wings, The Executioner. You are a pony of utter mystery to me, the fact that you can kill so many and yet save the very same lives. I promise you, I will not follow you nor will I send out any of my kin after you, but I suggest to you as you did to me. Let us not cross paths again. Become a feathered phantom, for I will do my best to believe that is what you are. Silent. Invisible. But a myth. I cannot guarantee that I will not shoot you if we meet again, even if a large part of me would rather not do so. I have my duties and from how you act, I assume you have yours. The debt is paid."

Slowly turning around, I saw the zony begin to trot away, but that couldn't be all. There was still a question I had to ask! Mustering all of my strength, I croaked out a noise as loud as I could through the mask. "Wait!"

Responding to my call, the zony stopped and turned back to me. "Yes?" He asked, a confused look on his face.

Taking a deep breath with the help from Dawnstar, I tried my best to inquire on what I knew I had to. "Why do you fight for the DZC?"

"The monster, Zemal, is but one reason why the Coalition acts the way it does. I don't know what you've seen, how long you've been here or what you think you know, but the truth of it all is that we aren't taking candy from children so we can laugh about it. We're harsh in this district because this district is where the majority of trouble brews. We do what we must to protect the ones we care about. Maybe if you have a run in with Zemal again, you'll understand. As for now? We'll do what we have to in order to keep the peace and prosperity of Coltchester. We'll be damned before we see our city fall."

With that, the zony trotted off, this time for good. I couldn't build up enough strength to say goodbye, but I'm sure he understood. Still, if he was telling the truth... well, perhaps this 'Zemal' would need to be paid a visit, for many different reasons.

A good fifteen minutes later, I could feel my strength returning to me. Dawnstar had stopped pumping the mechanism and breathing, while not as easy as usual, was certainly a lot easier than it had been earlier. Gently rolling myself onto my side before falling to my hooves, I picked myself from off of the ground and allowed the zebra to take off the mask with grace and care.

"You, pony, are incredibly lucky. Surviving a heart attack like that..." For a moment the zebra paused, looking around somewhere as if looking for something, before walking over to one of his shelves. "well, you were incredibly lucky that one of my friends took a liking to you and brought you here. My services are not well known and I like to keep it that way to avoid being robbed or plagued by patients insisting I cure each and every ailment."
Trotting back over to us, he placed a single pill into Dawnstar's hooves. "Take this, one free dose in case it happens again before he can recover. Just don't make a habit out of coming here expecting freebies, you only get the one."

With an appreciative nod, Dawnstar offered his thanks. "Of course. We are very grateful for everything you've done. You saved his life."

"I merely did what I had to do, pony. Now, go. Make sure he doesn't exert himself either. Go before any other Coalition soldiers come in requesting treatment."

With one of my legs around Dawnstar's neck and wrapped around his side as tightly as I could manage, I hobbled back inside the resistance's base. The darkness of the night penetrating even into the foyer where the guards stood watch, waiting for any friendlies; or worse yet, foes, to arrive. For a moment the guards looked at us with complete uncertainty before realising who we were, their shock to find me in the state I was.
With that, I heard one of the guards muttering to the other. "Wait, isn't that the new pegasus? I thought we were told that he shouldn't need medical assistance this time?"

Without a response, a third simply ran over to the wall and pressed a button, which in turn rang a buzzer. Taking a few steps further, two nurses rushed out towards us with a hospital bed, before grabbing me and strapping me down before I could even respond.

"Hey hey hey!" I cried, before relapsing into a horrible coughing fit, my lungs feeling like they just wanted to give up. Still, at least this time I didn't feel the same constriction on my chest as a whole... just my lungs. The pain was still horrible, but bearable.

"Where's he been hit?" The ghoul of the two asked in her raspy voice. "What's the damage?"

"Heart attack." Dawnstar solemnly uttered. Before he could say anything else, the world had already changed around me as doors were being knocked out of the way by the bed. With unnatural speed, we rushed through the facility, en route to the ward. A part of me wondered how the hell I knew exactly where we were going already, though something told me that my body knew this path very well even if my conscious mind didn't.

In all of the noise and commotion, I heard a pop followed by a sweet, soft voice. Selene. "Wha-what's going on? The noise woke me up. Whose hurt?"
Looking up at her as she wiped her eyes, I could tell that she wasn't quite awake even still, despite her ability to teleport perfectly to where I was. Looking down at me, her eyes widened in horror and began to shout in pure horror. "CRIMSON?! WHAT'S HAPPENED?"

"He's had a heart attack whilst outside." Dawnstar quickly added. "I got him to a local doctor thanks to the help of a Coalition soldier of all-"

That was all he could get out before Selene let out a scream that could have surely woken the whole damn facility. "EOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS!"

Now there was a loud crashing noise, and the sound of a large mare came rushing through the hallways before bashing through the door, almost falling onto her side trying to stop herself from running straight into me.
"Oh goddess! CRIMSON! What in hades has happened to you?!"
Without a moments notice, her magic unwrapped my bindings and pulled me straight into her hooves, cuddling me closer into her chest than before. The way the large mare smelt filled my nostrils with a sense of calm that even med-x couldn't match, though the crushing of her tight cuddle made me splutter and wheeze.

"He's apparently had a heart attack, sister!" Selene rushed to tell, deep concern filling her voice as she looked on at the pair of us. Her voice had worry laced in with sadness.

Before anyone else could cause further panic, Dawnstar stepped in. "I've got an extra dose of Buck to help him if it happens again. Doctors orders were plenty of rest. No more excitement."

Squeezing me even more tightly for a moment, Eos rested me on her back before trotting off with me, despite the protests of the nurses that I'd needed to stay there under close supervision, she simply didn't seem to care. I could hear small hiccups of emotion burst through her breathing as she quickly made her way towards the bedroom, carefully placing me down in the large, soft bed. Crawling up next to me, she began to stroke my mane and kissed my forehead. "You're safe now, Crimson. You're safe now. You'll be fine here, I promise, I'll keep you safe. I won't let anything bad happen to you. I won't. I won't I won't I won't. Please don't worry Crimson."

A part of me wondered why she was repeating herself so intently, though those thoughts were quickly washed away as her horn touched my head, and just like earlier, a darkness filled my vision. A gentle cooing sound blew softly into my ear, the sickly sweet voice of Eos soothing my very soul. "Goodnight, my darling. Rest now."
This time I didn't feel pain as everything around me disappeared, there was no struggle for even the smallest breath, only a sense of pure serenity as the world turned back to black, my muscles relaxing, my thoughts drifting away to sweeter memories...

Author's Notes:

Well, it has been a long, long time since I've released any new content for the main story... here it is. It isn't as long as normal, it probably isn't even as good as normal, but god damn it, I've managed to do it.
This is only half of what I had planned, but then I decided it would likely carry more weight as its own chapter than having the second half of what was going to be my return chapter... so, that will also come in time! As will the continuation of the story as a whole.
Let me know what you think, I'd really appreciate it if you do.

Unbelievably massive gratitude goes out to StAnon for dragging me back into the fandom and encouraging me every step of the way to make an effort. It has taken me a lot longer than I'd hoped to produce even this much content, but every little step is another step forward right now. He's the reason I re-read my story (an essential step into writing new content) and the reason my passion has been revitalised.

A big thank you also goes out to someone else whom I know for helping me with the heart attack scene, a pony by the name of Salvage. As a first aider, my considerations were in the complete other end of the spectrum of what I should write (my training teaches me not to emphasise with the pain itself, but to focus on the steps necessary to get everything back into proper working order. Freaking out about it would do me nor the patient any good.)

Lastly, thank you everyone who has ever supported me. I know those two got mentions for their support most recently, but everyone who gives any comments, likes & reads is still someone who is showing their support and making it that little bit easier. Thank you.