Opening my eyes, I looked towards the avocado alicorn who gazed upon us both. Her gaze could be mistaken for stoic and uncaring if not for the smallest of signs that she found deep joy in seeing her sister so happy. A crinkle at the corners of her eyes and the slightest hint of an upturned mouth suggesting the whisper of a smile. Other ponies may have not been able to see it, but I could.

With only a small amount of care whether it happened or not or how long it was, I gave my answer. “Probably. So long as its necessary. And that doesn’t matter.”

’Don’t you mean comfortable? …Desirable perhaps?’

“...Yes.”

From across the room, one of the nurses who had been keeping an eye on me spoke. “Who are you talking to? You aren’t going delirious are you? None of your medication should be causing this. Have you got a fever?”

“He’s fine.” Eos lazily muttered in response, rubbing her head into my shoulder. “Helios is speaking to him telepathically.”

“How do you know?” I asked, obviously knowing she could hear. “Maybe I am going mad. Maybe you’ll open up your eyes and I’ll be reduced to madness.”

Pushing a wing against my face, Eos giggled. “Oh please, if you were going to go mad, you’d have already done it. In fact, I’ve seen you traumatised. Besides, you know I-”

“I know, I know. You learned that trick too.”

The way she looked at me, her eyelids drooped half shut as she smiled, it was a look that could make my heart stop if she wasn’t careful.

With the opening of a door and the pitter-patter of young hooves, Sandstorm made his way over to us, blanket in his mouth and a sad look on his face. Selene turned her face to the young colt, pouting ever so slightly. “What’s wrong little one? We thought you were asleep.”

“I can’t.” He replied simply, rubbing his eyes as he looked down.

With extra softness in her voice, Selene began to quiz the young colt. “What’s wrong?”

“I miss my mum. I miss my dad. I miss Cherry.” At this point Sandstorm let out a small sobbing sound, breaking everypony’s collective heart. “I need cuddles.”

Without hesitation, Selene whisked Sandstorm into her hooves and kissed his cheek, wrapping a wing around the young colt and completely encompassing him in doing so. “Want to come and sleep in bed with me and Helios? I’m pretty sure we’re both ready to go to sleep, you could take Eos’ spot in the bed if you’d like.”

The reactions were, quite frankly, hilarious and heart-warming. For once, Helios made a conscious effort to truly smile and nod, not hiding her emotions behind any visage of stoic behaviour.
Sandstorm nodded his head rapidly, almost shaking himself into full wakefulness as he gripped into the purple mares chest. “Yes please.”

Eos, on the other hoof, began with a look of bemusement. “Hey! You can’t go and just offer my spot in the bed up so freely!”

Shooting Eos a cocked eyebrow and a smirk, Selene seemed all too confident in herself. “Oh, can’t I? It seems to me as if you’re plenty comfortable where you are right now and won’t be needing the bed after all. Let the little one have his comfort too.”

Eos’ mouth hang agape as she went to talk, but found herself unable to answer. Her head tilted and mouth closed as she considered what that meant before smiling deeply and nodding, then turning her head back to me. “I suppose you’re right, sister. And since Crimson hasn’t been sleeping in his bed, I suppose its up to me to make the sofa as comfortable as possible for him.”

“I’m always right.” Selene chuckled, earning a poked out tongue from Eos.

As the others walked away, I settled in for another night of laying down in Eos’ hooves and being wrapped up in her wings as they meshed with mine. I couldn’t complain. Eos seemed to be so much happier when I allowed her to spend time with me like this and I couldn’t deny that the tenderness made something of a softie out of me too.

Closing my eyes, I began to feel like the world was drifting away in the bliss of the alicorn’s hold. That was until I let out a small reflexive moan as a gentle nibbling sensation took over my left ear. Arching my back out instinctively, Eos’ hooves held me closer as her tongue ran on the tip. Turning my face towards her, I was met directly with eyes that could tell a story without a word ever said.

Trying my best to overcome the kiss that had just been planted on my nose and how it made me feel, I finally came back to my senses. With as much authority as I could muster through the sensory euphoria of the situation, I finally, figuratively put my hoof down. “Behave yourself.”

As if on cue, my PipBuck now lit up and buzzed at me, the sound of an incoming transmission. I tried to reach out to answer the call, though Eos had none of it.

“Leave it.” She whinnied, pouting at me. “I’m too comfortable.”

“It has to be important.”

“More important than me?”

“Well… I…” I stuttered, knowing that if I didn’t word this right, I could do some severe emotional damage to the already fractured ego of a fragile pony. “I don’t know who it is even, but if they’re trying to get ahold of me at this time of night, it has to be something worth saying, right?”

For the next few moments an intense staring match went down between us until Eos finally relented and loosened up her grip around me. Answering the broadcaster, the sound finally kicked in.

“CRIMSON!”

Her voice. It was a voice that made my heart soar. The sweetness and love seeped through my PipBuck and revitalised me from my weary state. “Cherry? Oh Celestia, Cherry!?”

“Crimson! Oh Celestia, Crimson… I’m so glad you’re alive. I was so worried about you.”

I smiled as I thought of my lovely marefriend, then frowned. Not only did Sandstorm miss her, so did I. “Cherry, I-” As soon as I had begun speaking, she had begun to interrupt, quickly telling me to keep the volume down.

“Mm, okay.” I uttered without thinking. If she was speaking to me, that must have meant she wasn’t treated to the same fate as the other prisoners. There was hope yet. “Cherry, I’m so glad to know you’re still okay. I’ve been-”

Eos now shifted, jabbing me in the ribs as she did. I winced, only for the physical pain to also become emotional as Cherry got angry. “Excuse me! Not only have you not asked how I am, you haven’t even-”

With another jab I turned my focus to Eos and gave shot her a look of annoyance. “Agh. No, back to the way you were.” With that, she sighed and did so. “That’s better.”

Over the PipBuck, Cherry now began to get angry again. “Excuse me? Back to the way I was? What the hell, Crimson?!”

Realising that she must have heard me talking to Eos, I stated so as plainly as I could. That however was not one of my best ideas. “What are you doing? What’s going on?”

“We’re on the sofa, I’m trying to sleep and Eos is with me since Sandstorm took her spot in the bed so he could cuddle with Selene.”

“Why aren’t you sleeping in our bed, Crimson.” Even though there was some odd noise in the background, similar to static but not quite the same, I heard the venom in her words as she now spoke.

For one heartbeat I paused, my ears drooped and my face sagged as my voice fell flat. “It smells of you and I don’t want to ruin that.”

A moment passed with all I could hear being the weird background noise before finally Cherry spoke. “I miss you.”

My heart welled at those words, and without even knowing what I was about to say, I heard myself speak. “I miss you too, babe. I hope you’re hanging in there okay. Are they treating you well? I’ll get you back, I promise.”

“Look, I gotta cut this short. Let me speak and don’t interrupt. They’ve moved me from the cells to one of the dorms. I’ve been put to working as a lookout, but they’ve got my rifle. I can’t leave without it. I just can’t.”

“Why?” I asked. I knew that rifle was important to her, but she had never explained why it was that important that she would even go without rescue over it.

“Limoncello. Now, you stay safe.” Her sister?

Wrapping her hooves around my chest so tightly taking away my breath, Eos now spoke for me. “I’ll try to make sure he does.”

“Make sure he does. Crimson? I love you.” There was something in the way Cherry had said that, but in the rush of the moment, I couldn’t figure out what.

“I love you-” Was all I could get out before the transmission ended. “too.” I finished limply.

Now I didn’t know how to feel. Cherry being so odd and not wanting to be rescued without her rifle by her side made me question what was going on. Was it just a front? Was she really okay? Was it some kind of ploy to lure me out?

“Crimson.” Eos whined, dragging my attention back to the midnight coloured alicorn.

“What?” I asked, frustrated at the situation I found myself in, unable to do anything or help anyone.

My whole world melted away as she kissed me, my eyes closing and all the thoughts in my mind completely vanishing as her tongue teased its way into my mouth. I let out a sigh of pleasure and began to reciprocate before coming back to my senses and pushing her away.

“Eos,” I muttered, panting in pleasure and lack of control. “Please. I told you before to behave yourself.”

Huffing at me, Eos lifted me off with her magic before climbing from off of the sofa and putting me back onto it. “Fine. Guess you’ll sleep alone and I’ll go sleep in your bed then. Maybe then I’ll smell like her.”

My eyes went wide in horror at the thought of taking away the one way I had to really remind myself of Cherry. “No.”

Turning her head to me, Eos cocked an eyebrow as she stopped mid stride. “Pardon?”

“No. Don’t do that.”

For a moment she just looked at me, though quickly her face rolled into a wicked smile. “Then kiss me.”

I was stunned. “Look, please, you heard why I’ve not been sleeping in that bed. Her scent is important to me.”

Eos shot me a seductive look as she spoke, her words lingering in my ear. “Then kiss me and lay with me.”

“I’ll lay with you here all you want.” I retorted, but it wasn’t enough for her.

Now her words were much more abrupt, but no less sultry. “Kiss. Me.”

“But...” I muttered, meekly offering nothing in bargain.

Softening her tone even further and looking at me with eyes I couldn’t resist, Eos’ sultry demeanour overwhelmed my sense of control. “Just the once.”

Now the alicorn had marched back to the sofa and climbed on top of me, her face an inch away from mine. As I hesitated, she lowered her mouth to my still sensitive ear and let out a long, deep sigh before whispering to me. “Kiss me, passionately. Show me how you really feel about me.”

I wanted to touch her cheek with a hoof but was quickly held down by her magic as she got more comfortable. Realising the futile situation I was in, I pushed my face forwards and my mouth met hers. Our tongues quickly intertwined and some of her saliva slipped into my throat, forcing me to swallow it as she pushed my head against the cushion. Only when I needed air did she let up, her eyes still locked onto mine as I opened them. Her heavy panting told me she could have easily gone for more, and deep down I knew that it would be almost impossible to resist her now.

Raising me up with her magic, she climbed back onto the sofa and then lowered me back onto her chest as we had become so accustomed. Only this time my chest was pressed against hers and her nose was pressed against mine. Looking into her deep blue eyes, she kissed my nose one more time before smiling and finally constricting me with almost all she had before covering me with her wings like a blanket. Laying my head down in the crevice of her neck, I closed my eyes and felt not only the warmth of her body, but the melody of her heartbeat quickly tempting me to sleep in her embrace.

Opening my eyes one last time and looking back up at her, she smiled back at me before kissing my forehead and lighting up her horn with a smile on her face.

“Crimson—” A soft coo nestled into my ear. With a moments passing, the voice whispered to me again. “Crimson—”

Groaning, I turned my ears away from the noise, trying to rest a little longer. My muscles still ached and my body felt too tired to wake. Grunting in displeasure, I did my best to ignore the noise.

This time, the voice tried to tenderly reason with me, hoping to get me to follow its command. “Its well past time to wake up, darling. Besides, I need to go to the little filly’s room.”

With all of the energy I could muster, I rose to my hooves without opening my eyes, and fell to my side, hitting my head on the floor as my whole body slumped. Opening my eyes briefly, I looked up and let out a lazy ‘ouch’.

A startled stutter came from the mare who was now above me, worry replacing the calmness in her voice. “Oh Goddess, Crimson, are you okay? You silly stallion, you weren’t meant to throw yourself to the floor. Are you okay?”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to. I didn’t want to. I just wanted to get back onto the sofa and fall asleep again. Instead of being allowed to do so though, I felt the sensation of floating. Being placed back onto the softness of the sofa, I felt a peck of a kiss press against my cheek followed by her words. “You stay here, I’ll be back.”

Stay here? I didn’t need to be told twice. Rubbing myself into the grooves of the cushions, I felt as if the whole world would just melt away again. Falling into the lull of sleep, I began to notice that my chest was becoming tighter and breathing was harder for it. Trying to open my eyes, all I could see was darkness filling my world, consuming me.

Pain flared in my shoulders whilst my gut churned in a newly found agony. Trying to call for help, all I could do was wheeze as the air forced its way out of my lungs too sharply to make use of it. In an attempt to get up, to go get help, I felt myself hit the floor from my writing, panic taking over. I wanted to cry out for help, I wanted to know what was going on, but my thoughts eluded me as the pain crippled my tired mind.

“Crimson?” A voice called faintly, though suddenly the voice sounded frantic and worried. “You needed... meds... three hours ago! Why are...” That was all I could make out. It sounded like there was meant to be more, but I simply couldn’t understand the sounds.

A pair of hooves began to nudge me and I could feel myself roll onto my back, but I still couldn’t find the energy to respond or react. Looking up, I could see the shadow of a figure, but no details. It was nothing but a silhouette stared back at me.

Within a moment, I felt even more pressure on my chest, a beating sensation. The pain was increasing but now I couldn’t even find the energy to move my hooves. Limply I looked up, unable to process what was happening.

Something was put into my mouth and hooves forced me to swallow, making me want to puke even more than I already wanted to, though something else stopped me. A tickle of pain stabbed into my side, but I couldn’t care now. The pain from the jab was like nothing compared to the pain in my chest… until it wasn’t.

Closing my eyes, I couldn’t deal with any more. Though the pain was beginning to fade, so was all energy I had left.

Time passed slowly as the hooves of whoever had been attending to me now brushed my cheek, her soft voice cooing into my ear. “Its okay Crimson, you’ll be fine. Just relax and let the medication do its job. You’ll be okay.”

Images of Cherry filled my mind as she spoke, causing me to let out a little sigh of relief. I knew it couldn’t be her, but whoever this was sounded similar, and spoke just like my love did. I wanted to open my eyes to see who it was, but they wouldn’t obey my command. Despite not knowing who it was, I felt safe just knowing somepony was there to watch over me.

My heart began to slow down as the hooves of this mystery mare continued to feel my chest ever so gently, her humming providing something to focus on and try to align my breathing with. As the seconds passed, so did all of the feeling of tightness in my chest and sensation of being overwhelmingly exhausted.

Finally opening up my eyes, the world was too blurry to make sense of to begin with, but quickly began to sharpen up as words of encouragement filled my ears, telling me that I was doing well to breathe and how everything would be okay. As my eyes continued to adjust, I finally recognised the pony who watched over me; Tsunami. Smiling at her in appreciation, she caught my gaze and smiled back.

“Feeling better now?” She tenderly asked, the looks of worry still etched into the wrinkles around her eyes.

With what energy I had spare, I gave my answer limply. “Yes, thank you.”

The sounds of hoofsteps coming closer rang from the other side of the room, a yelp of surprise filling my ears. “Tsunami! What… what’s going on?”

In an instant the look of motherly tenderness turned to rage as Tsunami’s face turned in the direction of Eos and spat vitriol. “What’s going on? What’s going on?! What the fuck is going on with you is the better question!” The speed in which Tsunami had gotten up and had been in Eos’ face amazed not only myself, but Eos too. “You were meant to have given him the medication hours ago. Why the fuck didn’t you?”

Eos, overwhelmed by the surprise of the sudden verbal assault, stepped back in uncertainty. “W-what do you mean?”

Eos’ stuttering didn’t help her case any as Tsunami continued her rant. “What do I mean?! What do I fucking mean?! I mean that I specifically put you in charge of giving him that fucking medicine! You! You said you would do it! You said you wanted to take care of him! And what do I fucking find?! I found a stallion having a fucking angina attack is what I find! You know what causes him to have an angina attack?! Not having his fucking medicine!”

With the barrage of accusation and shouting, Eos slumped her head to the floor beneath the light grey mare. In a pitiful voice that I could hardly hear myself, her response being the exact opposite of what would be expected from anypony of such stature. “I was going to give it to him when he woke up, I swear. He looked too cute asleep. I didn’t want to disturb his rest.”

“He looked too cute?! Do you have any fucking idea how fucking stupid you are?!” The rage that Tsunami unleashed made me envision her mane and tail on fire with the heat that must have been emanating from her body. “Do you know what an angina attack is, Eos?!”

Between the stuttered words and breathing, Eos let out her response as wimpy as ever. “No.”

“It’s practically a heart attack, Eos. In fact, angina attacks have many of the same symptoms and left unchecked, have a very real possibility of leading to a full heart attack. The medication I’ve prescribed him is to strengthen his heart to avoid this exact fucking thing from happening. He needs his twice daily dose until he recovers from nearly fucking dying that first time around. Don’t you get that? He was having an angina attack, and that most likely wouldn’t have happened if you had just given him the medicine when you were meant to.”

“I didn’t realise it was so time sensitive.”

“Yeah? Well it is. The more he goes and exerts himself whilst in recovery, the longer the process takes. The more we don’t ensure he has his medicine exactly when he should be having it, the longer the process takes. The longer the process takes, the more risk he is at for dying. It’s my job to look after his security and not only am I one of his bodyguards, but I’m also the field medic, and I don’t take my job lightly like you do your responsibilities, Eos.”

From behind me a loud, rasping shout rang through the room. “What the fuck did you just say?”

Turning her head to face him, Tsunami spat back at the figure who now approached closer. “Eos needs to get her fucking act in order, pronto, and take her responsibilities a lot more seriously. My job is to protect Crimson. Eos offered to take the role as primary caregiver so that I and your other medics could focus on any other of the wounded you see coming through here. I have no problem with helping out your medical staff, but she needs to act responsible if she wants to take on responsibility.”

Sensing the opportunity to sneak away, Eos turned invisible whilst Titan continued to approach Tsunami, anger riddled in his gait. “How fucking dare you! You do not and will not speak to or about any of the three Goddess leaders in that manner again! I don’t care who you are, why you’re here or what other things you do for us!”

Titan stabbed Tsunami in the chest with a hoof, but then paused as she spoke with a stiffness that froze the whole room. “And I don’t care who you think you are. Don’t you dare threaten me like you are now again.”

Titan now backed down before turning to glance at me. “All of the wounded we’ve been treating. All of the tensions rising higher. Having these insolent foals thinking that they can badmouth the leaders of this revolution. All of the extra resources you alone are using. I appreciate the help, Crimson, but you better tell your friends to not step out of line again.”

“Look, I had to do what I had to do to keep him alive, Titan. These are side effects of bringing back somepony from the brink of death. I knew the risk, its my fault he needs all of this extra medical attention and supplies, but I had my duty to keep, just as Eos should’ve!” Tsunami barked back,

“That’s no excuse to talk to Eos the way you did!”

From the doorway, Helios now commanded the room in a way so uncharacteristically of her. “What in Equestria is going on here?! Titan? What are you doing? Tsunami? Eos? The only person who I can’t hear shouting is Crimson! And yes, I know he’s here because of course I’m aware.”

With that, it was suddenly like a playground as everypony began squabbling over who had done what. With tempers rising again and Eos now visible once more, solemnly hiding by her sister, a loud telepathic command rang out. ‘Silence!’

Everyone stopped.

Stepping on over to me with her two sisters in tow as Selene walked in, curious of the situation, Helios leant her head down and spoke. “Crimson? What is going on?”

“He won’t tell you the truth of it!” Titan protested. Before anything more could be said, Helios’ eyes pierced through any further objection, causing the large ghoul to not make any more sound whatsoever.

Letting out a cough, Helios asked once more. “So, Crimson. What has just happened?”

The understanding smile on her face comforted me and encouraged me to speak up. “Myself and Eos had been laying here. Eos left to deal with something and I was overwhelmed with pain. Tsunami found me and gave me the medication that was apparently meant to be given to me hours ago.”
I stopped to catch my breath and Helios merely nodded along as she listened, not interrupting. “When Eos came back, Tsunami broke out in a tirade, berating her for not being responsible about giving me the medication when she was meant to do so. At this point Titan came along, took offence to Tsunami having a go at Eos and began to berate her in turn. This exchange was somewhat mutual and that’s when you intervened.”

Nodding again, Helios closed her eyes and spoke in a commanding voice. “You three, sit in a line. Yes, you too, Eos. Now.”

Like foals who knew they were about to be punished, the trio slowly made their way to sit in a line beside one another, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. I couldn’t believe how the situation was being handled, though at least she hadn’t been threatening to banish anyone.

Then she spoke again. “Crimson, as it seems you are the subject of matter and I know you have the proper training for a situation like this, I want you to show us all how such a dispute is handled. You are after all, trained for disputes like these, are you not?”

“I am.” I announced solemnly. I didn’t know what Helios was expecting, but upon taking a moment to decide on what I would say, I realised she must have been reading my mind as she smiled and nodded at me in approval.

Getting up, I began with Tsunami. Though I hadn’t much personal experience with her, it felt the most fitting to deal with someone from my own group first. “Tsunami, I understand where your frustration and anger is coming from. Thank you for coming to check up on me and giving me not only the medicine, but also the comfort I needed to overcome that pain and distress. I appreciate the fact that you care and was doing your job, but screaming and shouting rarely helps situations like these. Please just try to keep your cool and explain the problem in future events. If someone really can’t be trusted to do a job, revoke that responsibility from them instead.”

Pulling her in for a hug, I could feel the stress from the pair of us flow out of our hooves and into the ground, escaping us altogether. Turning to face Titan, he was next.

“Titan, I also appreciate that having me here has been a surprise for you. When we first met, you did say you hoped we might help the cause, but neither of us expected for everything to happen as it has. Nor did you expect me to become so close with Eos or the other alicorns. That’s what happened though, and not only did that happen, but I have managed to grow support for your cause at a rapid rate. You saved my life, and I’m thankful that you did, but not only I’ve revived the support for your cause, but I saved your life as well as Helios’ and Selene’s lives too. I’m the one who many support as ‘The Executioner’, so you’d do better to be appreciative of that fact and just shrug off the extra medical support I’ve needed.”

I didn’t pull Titan in for a hug. I knew I couldn’t bare to hold a ghoul so close to me, not when he wasn’t wearing his armour at least. Instead of the affection, he nodded at me in understanding and I nodded back with respect. Turning to the last of the three, it was Eos.

Just looking at me was enough to make her begin to hiccup and stutter over herself. Whilst the other two had been silent during their disciplining, Eos tried to speak. With a single stern look, I took the words from her tongue and now had her staring at me in shock. It was obvious she didn’t believe that I would actually do this, but it was too important to not do so.

Collapsing to the floor, her head laid at my hooves as tears began to form in her eyes. I gave no quarter and said no word as she continued to look at me pleadingly as she sobbed. “Crimson, please, please talk to me. I can’t read your mind right now, all I see is hatred.” Even as her crying became more prominent, I heard her whimper once more. “Please.”

Letting out a deep sigh, I looked away from her, the sight too much to bear. “Eos. You promised to take care of me, and instead you neglected me for your own desire to see me asleep. Say whatever you want, try to weasel out of it, go invisible, I don’t care. You stepped forth and wanted to be responsible for my health. You let me down. It doesn’t matter if you thought I needed more rest or not, my medication was more important. I could’ve and would’ve gone back to sleep in your hooves right after if that’s all you wanted. Tsunami was right; you need to be more responsible in your behaviour. If you want to be trusted with responsibility you need to live up to it. You need to do better.”

There was nothing more to say. Turning around, I casually trotted off and left everypony completely awestruck. Perhaps it was that nobody had ever scolded any of the alicorns in this way before. Perhaps it was because they didn’t expect me to go through with it with Eos because we were so close. Perhaps they did expect me to, but not to that extent. Whatever the reason was, it didn’t matter that everypony had gone silent, Eos needed to be told off the same as the rest, if not more.

Stepping away and lazily making my way into the kitchen to grab some breakfast, the sound of little hooves quickly caught up with me. “You’re awake! I’ve missed you almost as much as I miss Cherry. Please don’t go outside or fall asleep again! Please? At least for today?”

Picking the colt up and placing him on my back took a lot more effort than I thought and almost overwhelmed what strength I had in me, but the squeal of delight and pressure of his hooves hugging me rejuvenated my soul. “Okay, for you. And I know how you feel. I miss her too.”
Oh how I missed her, a hell of a lot more than my words expressed.

Grabbing some snacks out of the cupboards with a little help from Sandstorm, I trotted back over to the lounge area and sat myself at the table to eat. Looking to the side of me, everypony had seemingly gone off now to do their own things, whatever they would be. Titan had gone off entirely, Tsunami was chatting with Freight Train, and none of the alicorn trio were anywhere to be seen.

“So what are you gonna do?” Sandstorm asked. “Since you’re staying here today, can we have some fun? I wanna do fun things!”

Taking a bite out of an apple and thinking about it for a moment, that question was a good one. What was there to do? Looking at Maisy and Snugglebums lazily napping together with Deadlight was no real inspiration; I could feel the draw in going back to sleep, but as much as I needed rest I was also feeling restless from how much sleeping I had been doing lately.

Sensing that I didn’t have an answer, the young colt added his own suggestion. “What about showing me your flying skills?”

“As much as I’d love to go flying, there isn’t enough room to do anything more than an air paddle around here. Besides, I think the nurses and my personal doctor would kill me for it if trying to didn’t kill me first. I still need to recover. I don’t think my body is quite ready for it yet.”

“But you promised!” Sandstorm begged with disappointment. “You said you’d show me your flying skills!”

“I will, I do promise I will.” I answered firmly, grabbing the tyke and pulling him close for a hug and ruffled his mane. “Just not yet.”

With a small groan of disappointment, Sandstorm pushed himself away. “Well, if you’re not going to show me flight, you gotta do something else. Its so boring in here sometimes! I like Selene, she’s fun. We need Selene here, she’ll know what to do.”

“Good luck finding her.” I muttered to myself. “She seems to have disappeared after telling her sister off.”

With a grin on his face, Sandstorm brushed his shoulder with confidence. “I got this.”
Taking in a deep breath, he then looked as if he was going to scream at the top of his lungs, only to surprise me by not doing so. Out of his lips came a call I’d never heard before. “Marco!”

Silence rang through the air as others turned to him, though the looks on their faces made it obvious that they had seen him do this before. Not pleased with the result, he repeated his call. “Marco!”
Visible annoyance skewed onto his face as he waited, his patience quickly running out. Now his call was louder, loud enough to echo in the halls even. “Mar-co!”

Not a moment later, the sound of a return called out to Sandstorm from the direction of the bedrooms, filling his face with joy. “Polo!”
Without any hesitation, Sandstorm ran off in the direction of the sound, repeating his call as he did.
Kicking my hooves out and stretching, I got back to eating. So long as he was in the bunker, he’d be safe doing whatever he wanted.

From behind me the voice of Tsunami spoke in a soft tone. With a single word she asked a question that expressed genuine regret over her previous behaviour and sought my forgiveness. “Crimson?”

Replying with curiosity laden in my voice, I turned my head to look at her, with Titan and Freight Train on each of her flanks. “Yeah?”

“Titan has decided he wants to go outside. When I heard him ask one of his crew to join him I asked if I could go with him too… as a gesture of goodwill. To rebuild the bridges, so to speak. Would you be okay if I did? I’d also like it if Freight Train could also accompany us, but we are meant to be here for your safety so its your call.”

The warm feeling in my chest rose to my face and lifted a smile as I heard her speak those words. Nodding my head in agreement, I couldn’t be more pleased that she’d ask. “Of course you can. I’ll be safe here. If this means you’ll be more effective at working alongside our friends, I’m all for it. Take Deadlight too; having a zebra accompany you might be beneficial.”

The smile on Tsunami’s face was of earnest joy. Maybe it was the thrill of being somewhere new, maybe it was just getting some fresh air and not seeing the same concrete walls all around. No matter what, it really didn’t matter. So long as they worked together, it could only bring good.

With a light hearted yell, Tsunami called out. “Deadlight, are you interested in coming outside for a venture with us?”

“I’m currently keeping these two from trying to eat each other.”

Rolling my eyes with a chuckle, I trotted on over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll deal with these two if you want me to. You can stay of course, but I think having a zebra around is a good idea, just in case anyone doesn’t trust a pony’s word.”

“Okay, okay. I get it. You need me to do my thing and keep the peace. I see. I see. Sure thing, boss.” Shooting Deadlight a smile, he responded in kind before getting up and winking at me. “Just don’t forget that, will ya?”

Letting out a playful sigh as I shook my head, I tapped him on the shoulder again as he walked off. Turning my focus to the oh so ferocious look Maisy was giving everyone, I couldn’t help but nuzzle into her mane, earning me a strong paw that pulled me in.

“You missed me, girl? I’m sorry I’ve not spent any time with you lately. I’ve not been too healthy as of late, as I’m sure you’ve seen.”

As I pulled back to see her face, the look in her eyes told me that she understood the situation with more clarity than some dumb creature ever could. In the time we had been here, I’d heard comments saying she was too dangerous to have around, and yet here she still was with nobody harmed.

Brushing my hoof behind her ear and then under her chin, the sound of her purr made me feel completely at ease. Nuzzling back into her, I felt the same sense of connection that I had noticed when we first bonded. Giving in to the moment, I found myself driven by instinct. “You’re a good girl, aren’t you? Yes you are. You’re a wonderful manticore. You’re a good girl, Maisy. Oh yes yes yes.”

The sound of a dry cough snapped my attention away from Maisy and drew my focus to a mare standing in front of me. Helios. When she spoke her tone was soft and warm, though I could detect the smallest hint of worry. “Crimson, I’d like to speak to you, if that’s okay?”

In an effort to lighten her mood, I cut to just trying to ‘think’ my answers to her. ‘What’s wrong?’

Blushing as she realised what I was doing, it seemed even Helios couldn’t resist the urge of a stallion with wit like mine. “With your voice, please.”

“Okay, okay. What’s wrong?”

Looking down at me as I laid with Maisy, I saw Helios’ gaze dart over to the spot where the sofa laid empty of rumps sitting on it. “Eos is… worried that you hate her. That you don’t want to involve yourself with her any more.”

Staring at Helios, I didn’t know exactly what to say. Blinking a few times, I finally felt my brain restart and the words flew out of my mouth without thinking about them. “Of course I don’t feel that way, silly mare she is. No, I told her to be more responsible and make sure she takes better care of me from now on – not to play down those lavish gifts she gave to me recently – but I expect her to ensure I get my medication on time. I never said I didn’t want to know her any more or anything of the sort.”

With a nod and a hoof pressed under her chin, Helios now hummed. “Well, how do you feel about her then? Other than disappointed that she shirked her duties to you?”

Closing my eyes and thinking about it for a moment… thinking about her for a moment, I realised that the question asked had an answer I hadn’t really delved into with great consideration. Conjuring images of her to my mind, the first thing I could see was how beautiful she was. My heart fluttered but this time something told me it wasn’t the medicine nor my condition.

It was only when a squeak broke my concentration that I realised my lips were freshly wetted from the longing for a kiss. Looking to the source of the sound, it seemed to be coming from over at the sofa. Slowly a figure began to appear, Eos crouched with her head low, seemingly unaware that her magic was fading away.

Even from where I sat, her breathing became more pronounced with every passing moment, as did my own the longer I gazed upon her.

A small snort blew from Helios’ nose as she watched us both. “He can see you, sister.”

With yet another squeak, Eos quickly scrambled to her hooves and latched onto her sister, peering out at me. “You don’t hate me?”

Pulling back into reality, I let out a defeated sigh. “No, Eos. Of course I don’t hate you. I said I was disappointed, and that’s exactly what I meant. I still am. Even more so now, actually. You ought to know better than to think I’d hate you. You just-”

I didn’t get to finish my sentence before Eos interrupted, finishing it for me. “I just need to take better care of you?”

“Yes, exactly.”

The look on her face as the confirmation that she wasn’t hated was something that words would never match. The sensation of relief and joy was blissful to even see, and the warmth from her chest as she snapped her hooves around me to pull me close completely broke my guard, forcing me to close my eyes and melt into the moment. The press of her soft, adoring cheek nuzzling my forehead made me feel like I could be in another world entirely.

As soon as the moment had come about was as quickly as it ended, with voices ripping me back to reality. “There you lot are. What’s—oh! Oh, what’s this? Is somepony blushing?”

“He is!” A much younger, more coltish voice called. “Look! He’s blushing even more now!”

Looking at Selene and Sandstorm, I realised they were talking about me as I now noticed how hot my face had become. Instinctively I turned my gaze to the side, as if it would hide me from their prodding words.

In a flash of surprise, I was snatched by a pair of purple hooves before being whisked away by the elusive mare, a proud and teasing giggle punctuating her success as she proceeded to poke her tongue out at a bewildered Eos. Keeping me out of the azure mares reach, Selene whispered into my ear. “So, made up with Eos have you? I knew you couldn’t stay mad for long. She has certainly found out how to have her way with you, doesn’t she?”

A long and painfully slow sensation of a wet tongue ran up my ear immediately after, causing me to shiver. The protest from Eos now even more intense than before, filled the room with her booming voice. “Get off of him! You… You… He’s!”

‘Not yours.’ Helios added, her voice not carried by the air but ran through our minds with such a strength that everypony stopped. All eyes turned to the regal pony who sat almost as proudly as Maisy would when feeling full of herself. Almost being the key word.
‘Selene, stop teasing your sister. We all know full well that you don’t see Crimson that way.’

My spirit dropped a little in the implied rejection… even if she wasn’t somepony who I was trying to get with, the idea that she would turn me down if I did try still bothered me. The smirk that came on Helios’ face in response was incredibly small, but in that glimpse I saw a vague hint smugness as I now wondered whether Helios would turn me down too.

‘And Eos, my dear sister, he is not yours. Do try not to become too possessive.’

With those words echoing in my mind, and presumably the minds of everypony else in the room, I saw Eos practically inaudibly mumble to herself.

Running into the room with a delighted squeal that was muffled by something in his mouth, it was Sandstorm who ended up breaking the momentary silence.
Putting the item from his mouth onto the nearby table, he spoke. “Look what I’ve got! Can we, can we?”

Looking to the table, I saw the pack of cards that now sat there and smiled as the memories of our previous foray into playing flashed through my mind. Turning to look at the alicorns, I raised an eyebrow in suggestion. “Well? You girls want to?”

“Well that depends on what the stakes are.” Selene announced with a certain playful tone to her voice, her eyes half lidded and fluttering. “How about strip poker?”

Eos gasped loudly and before I could notice anything else I saw that she wore a thinly veiled look of annoyance in the direction of her sister. Turning my attention back to Selene, I rolled my eyes. “Selene, please. Eos has already had enough teasing don’t ya think? Besides, its not like we normally wear clothes anyway.”

With a giggle, Selene’s attitude had gone from sultry back to her usual playful as she now pointed to me. “Well, she likes to wear you.” As soon as she had finished her sentence, she gave me a small nod to grab my attention. Turning my gaze to follow hers, it was only now that I noticed just how much Eos was leaning into me.

“Behave, you.” I light heartedly scolded the large mare. “No cuddles for you until you’ve redeemed yourself.” After a moments pause, I realised what I had said and the implications, feeling my cheeks blush. “Besides, Helios is right.”

The flash of a frown was quickly replaced by a gentle smile as Eos nodded. “Okay, I understand.”

Bursting with impatience, Sandstorm interrupted the moment with his own energy. “So… can we play or not?!”

Looking over to the tan colt, the pleading in his eyes was too much to bear. “Okay, okay. Well, we absolutely aren’t taking Selene up on her suggestion-”

“Why not?” Sandstorm interrupted, pure innocence in his voice as the joke went straight over his head.

Intentionally coughing to give myself a moment to think, my eyes shot to Selene as if to blame her for the whole situation. Turning my focus back to Sandstorm, I finally had my answer. “Well, its more complex than normal poker, so how about something we can all enjoy? I know, Go Fish! That’s easy but fun.”

“That’s so simple though!” Selene protested, playfully. “I bet even your pets could get a grasp over it.”

“Exactly why its perfect.” I retorted with a smile. Looking over to Maisy and Prince Snugglebums, The thought ran through my mind. For a moment, I did wonder if it was possible. I knew Maisy was definitely intelligent enough to understand a lot, but whether she was capable of playing even a basic game of cards would be a push.

To my surprise, Eos spoke up. “What do you think, girl? Want to play cards with us?”

Maisy’s ears perked as she tilted her head, then smiled and gave a nod. Whether she would understand everything or not, I guess it didn’t matter. She knew enough to feel appreciative of being included in our game no doubt.

Smiling at Eos, I really appreciated her for suggesting the idea. Mouthing the words ‘thank you’, she smiled back with beaming joy. The fact that Eos would be kind enough to not only think of how they might feel but also be brave enough to actually make the suggestion meant a lot to me. She really was a good mare, despite her own doubts.

“Come on then, Maisy. You wanna show the others what I already know about you?” I asked with a smile. Another keen nod came from her and that was plenty for me. “Sit down at the table then, I’ll deal out the cards.” Turning my attention to Prince Snugglebums, I gave him a slight nudge. “You’ll help Maisy pick up the cards, won’t you?”

There was a look of confusion on Snugglebums’ face as I said those words, but with a very little roar and grunt from Maisy, something seemed to click as he bounced onto Maisy’s lap. Holding back my laughter to avoid being rude, I wondered about whatever amount of understanding there was between them. It would be interesting to find out just how far it went, no matter what.

Taking the cards and beginning to shuffle, everypony found a seat at the table. Maisy and Snugglebums sat to my right, Eos to my left. Sandstorm was opposite, sandwiched between Selene and Helios. Looking at the lot of us, a warm, welcome feeling filled my heart as the serenity overwhelmed me. Dishing out the cards, we began our game of ‘Go Fish’.

“So, what do we do again?” Selene asked, her uncertainty sounding more fitting to a filly than a mare of her reputation, fondling her cards with a blush rushing across her cheeks.

“Simple, my dear sister!” Helios sparked, a sly grin on her face. “We just…”
With that, she turned to focus on me, but realising what she was trying to do, I just looked back smugly and had one thought in my mind; butts. Specifically, their butts.

“St-stop that!” Helios jeered, turning her gaze away in an attempt to hide her blush.

“Stop what?” I asked with confidence that she wouldn’t reply. “I’m doing nothing wrong!”

“It is… inappropriate… and… well…”

“You just wanted me to give you the answer to how the game is played, well, I played you instead. It’s not my fault you were trying to read my mind. So, you’ve had your turn in trying to figure out how the game works.”

Helios scoffed, a sense of indignation in her voice. “It isn’t my fault that there’s no need for such games in Unity.”

Before I could respond, Eos sprang up with her own addition to the conversation. “My turn!”
Looking at her, I couldn’t deny her the fun. Rolling my eyes, I thought about how the game worked hoping she was reading my mind.

“The game begins with everypony getting some cards. Whoever has the lowest value card... begins the game!” The joy laced in her voice was well worth giving away the answers to her, especially as I noticed Helios gasping and making a jealous facial gesture at me before smiling again and rolling her eyes. “They then get to… choose somepony to fish from. They show a card and ask somepony if they have any of that same card. If they do, the first pony gets to take those cards and continues their turn and… and then they continue on as they had until they don’t!”

“Okay, but then what?” Sandstorm asked, enthralled by Eos’ supposed knowledge of the game.

Eos looked to me for more information, but I sat whistling a tune. Pleading eyes begged me for more information, and the feeling of desperation seeped into my soul as I felt her psychic tendrils try to probe my mind helplessly. Helios may have stood something of a chance in trying to probe me, perhaps, but it was clear that Eos could do little more than read the thoughts that were loud and obvious. With a little sigh and a smug smile to follow, I let her win in her little game.

“Well… ah, yes! When the pony being asked doesn’t have any of that card, the one asking has to draw a card from the deck and add it to their hoof. When a player has four of a kind, they put those cards down entirely. The game ends when… uuh… there’s two ways? Yes, two ways. The quick way to play the game is the game ends when a player has no cards in their hoof. The long way is that the game ends when there are no more cards in any hooves and you add the points value of each set you have.”

“So, who goes first then?” Sandstorm asked. “I’m scared to be first. Can somepony else go first?”

“Of course.” I confirmed. “Eos will go first, then to her left, so Selene next, and so on. Okay?”

The cheerful nod was enough for us. Taking it as her cue to begin, Eos looked to me. “Got an ace?”

“Up my sleeve.” I joked, before correcting the statement. “Not really, no. Sorry!”

Poking a hoof in my direction, Selene made her call. “Got any fours, Crimson?”

Glancing back to my hoof to check, I gave a lazy shake of my head. “Go fish.”

“Are you sure? I’m not sure. I don’t think I ought to trust you after your ability to completely wipe us all out in poker last time. You better not be bluffing!”

Gasping in shock, I didn’t know what to say, but still found the words regardless. “Selene, I’m appalled! You aren’t allowed to bluff in this game. Are you calling me a cheater? I ought to talk to your sisters about your behaviour and have you… punished!”
Rolling her eyes, the pair of us let out our giggles before I continued with my response. “Seriously though, go fish. I ain’t got no fours for you.”

“My turn!” Sandstorm proclaimed, before showing off his prince card. “Maisy, have you got any cards like this? The Prince cards?”

For a moment there was pause as Maisy and Snugglebums looked at one another, at the card Sandstorm showed them, back to their cards and then back to one another. With a timid groan, Maisy pointed with an outstretched claw to the cards, signalling for Snugglebums to pass them over. Two cards exchanged possession, causing much bitterness in the manticores expression.

“Whose the good girl.” I cooed, warming her back up to the game as I scratched behind her ear with a hoof. “You are. Oh you are. You’re surprisingly intelligent, aren’t ya girl?”

The purring sound she made was so loud that Helios’ words were drowned out at first, though a moment later, Selene shook her head. “No sister, I do not have any threes.”

“The lot of you are remarkably bad at this.” I scoffed with a broad smile on my face. “Though at least you aren’t using your powers to cheat.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Helios replied with her airy tone, a smile growing on her face in response to mine. “I am far above cheating. I would much rather enjoy the game fairly with my sisters and friends than win just to win.”

With that the room turned silent as everyone turned their attention to Maisy. For a moment she didn’t seem to react, though the realisation soon seemed apparent in her eyes. Tapping a card, Prince Snugglebums then picked it up and ran over to Sandstorm. A small ‘aww’ of disappointment came from Sandstorm as the rest of us did so in adoration of how cute the moment was. Upon returning with three cards, Maisy instructed Prince Snugglebums to lay down the set of four; aces.

By sheer instinct and without thinking, I spoke from total awe.“Whoa.” There was no denying that I was completely shocked. I wasn’t expecting that kind of play from her! “That’s incredible, Maisy.”
The look on her face was unmistakeable; Maisy had learned what the definition of ‘smug’ was, and she was making all of us aware. Her next choice of asking me for a one stood no such luck however, bringing her reign to an end.

So, it came to this. Maisy had, in the first round, become the first one to put down a set of cards. Thankfully she still had plenty more so she hadn’t won yet. Looking at my cards and thinking about who had been asking for what, I had to play it smart. I couldn’t let Sandstorm know about my Prince, or Helios of my pair of threes. There was no way of knowing whether she had a pair herself or whether it would be a single card, though the odds remained that it was unlikely to be the former.

Looking around the room at the happy ponies and pets, I took a slow, long breath through my nose and smiled. The sense of belonging despite having only been here for a short time was overwhelming. This could have been home, if things were different.

Finally letting out a sigh of contentment, I nodded to my left, to Eos. “So, what about sixes. Got a six for me?”

“Only if you want to add a nine.” Eos muttered with a sly tone, grinning at me subtly.

Raising an eyebrow at her, I had so much I could’ve said, so much I wanted to say; but with decided against doing so due to Sandstorm. Throwing a gentle hoof onto her shoulder, I gave a her wink. “No dice. Try me later I guess.” Picking up a card from the deck just like the others, my turn was over.

Without hesitation, Eos didn’t skip a beat as she continued with the game, stroking my shoulder with a hoof. “How about a Princess, Crimson? Can I have yours?”

“I’d need to find you a mirror for that, Eos.” I suggested in a cool tone. Her response was immediate and unabashed. Oh Celestia, I could feel the fire lighting in her eyes as her cheeks spread wide and her smile beamed back at me in the very same second that the words came out of my mouth. The way her whole body reacted with glee was nothing less than a splendid sight indeed.

The look she gave me as she picked up a card from the stack was something else alright. The sparkle in her eye and fluffing of her feathers as she leant over, focus still cemented on me as she smiled broadly, I couldn’t look away. Turning her attention to the card she had just picked up, Eos giggled and laid it down with three others. “Looks like you gave me just what I needed after all, perhaps.”

This time, I had no words.

It was only a few rounds later that Eos had already won the first game, though Maisy and Prince Snugglebums made for an incredibly close runner up. Sandstorm wore a look of defeat as he crossed his hooves, huffing in displeasure. As for the other girls, they were just happy to be spending time with us.

“I can’t believe it. I thought I had it for sure!” Sandstorm grunted. “I demand a repeat!”

With that, Selene giggled before correcting the poor colt. “Don’t you mean a rematch, or do you want to lose again?”

Blinking his eyes a few times, the young colt was absolutely stunned about being corrected. Slowly as he came to his senses however, he piped back up with his protesting regarding the outcome of the game. “Uh… yeah… a rematch! I want a rematch!”

Not quite feeling up to it, I quickly made my stance clear. “I’ll deal, but I’m too tired to play another round myself.”

“Since I won the last game, I’ll sit this one out too.” Eos interjected. “I don’t want to risk ruining your fun for a second time.”

With that, everyone looked around at each other, uncertain on whether anypony else would give in their hoof. After a moments pause, Helios spoke. “Well, I take it the rest of us are still going to play then? I assume anyone else would have made their statement by now, so Crimson, do us the honours would you?”

“With pleasure.” Taking the cards and splitting them into two groups, I shuffled one set with my hooves and the other with my wings before mixing them up, shuffling them more and dealing them out.

“W-wait. WHAT WAS THAT?!” Sandstorm shrieked in amazement, eyes as wide as the Stable door. “You can do that with your wings?!”

Shrugging my shoulders and cocking a sly smile, I gave him a wink. “Sure can. Name isn’t Mister Wings for no reason.”

As soon as the last card was out of my hooves, a gentle voice whispered into my ear. “Speaking of wings, it seems like yours need a little more attention, Mister. That’s fine though, I’ll help you out.”
Before I could make sense of anything, a pair of lips planted a kiss directly between my wings. Turning around, I saw no figure, and knew exactly who was to blame.

“Relax.” Her calming voice insisted. “I’m just going to preen you. I just...” Her voice stopped there as her tongue rolled towards my wing, gently massaging the bones. Closing my eyes, I had to really focus in order to stifle the moan that desperately begged to come out.

“I… I’m going to go lay down. I’m really tired.” I sheepishly muttered, causing Selene to smirk and Helios’ gaze to linger. It was obvious that I hadn’t convinced either of them, and both would have noticed Eos being missing didn’t help matters either, but that didn’t matter. Strolling over to the sofa, I laid belly down as if by command from an unspoken order.

Closing my eyes, I melted as the sensation of Eos’ mouth ruffling through my feathers and planting quick and decisive kisses overwhelmed all sense I had left. No preening session I had ever had in the past felt as wonderful as this. As her talented technique moved from one wing to the other, my breathing slowed and muscles relaxed even more as I felt myself drifting to sleep. A sweet lullaby playing in my mind, sung in her soft and soothing voice.

In the very last moment of having any energy, the feeling a hoof brushed my mane. A whisper rang through my ears like a gentle breeze, soothing my soul. “I promise you, I’ll take better care of you for the rest of time.”

“He’s asleep. Always asleep. How did he ever get such a reputation? Seriously, Titan.”

“Hoof it to you and your ilk, you make some fantastic fighters. I’ve seen him pull off some moves.”

Stirring from the sounds nearby, I groaned in displeasure of being woken up. Opening my eyes, I could see Tsunami looking at me, some expression of doubt on her face. “Us mercenaries, especially our respective teams, get some thorough training that comes directly from the old Equestrian Army. We don’t mess around. We know that it isn’t just our lives at stake, but the lives of our team and even our clients. Crimson? Crimson doesn’t have that training, and it shows. What he has is something that can’t be learned – luck. Dumb luck.”

“Dumb luck or not, he’s survived fights that I wouldn’t have thought possible and managed to save me and the alicorns from certain doom. The ponies of Coltchester revere him for the fact that he’s fought such battles, and his way with words. Whether he deserves the reputation he’s earned doesn’t matter, he’s got it. Still, I have to admit, you’re right.”

Much to the displeasure of Eos, Titan began jabbing an armoured hoof at me before speaking to me directly. “You… Executioner. Remember how the D.Z.C thought they had caught you?” Giving him a small nod, I said nothing. There was no way I could forget that sight. The innocent ponies and zebras hanging for little reason at all. “Do you know what its done for your reputation? You’re a living legend now. You’ve made a mockery of the D.Z.C.”

Rubbing my eyes, I spoke in a groggy tone. None of this was making sense. “And that’s meant to be a bad thing?”

Shaking his head, Titan proceeded to take off his helmet. “Of course not, you foolish pegasus. You’re the talk of the city. You’re the one that got away. You’re the one that they put a damn big show and parade on for, and ended up laughing in their faces… not only just by living, but word has got around about how you were the one who put an end to those two gang enforcers and their lackeys. Forget the fact that were all there putting our lives at the same level of risk as you, if not more if I dare say so myself. No, you and the Goddesses are the ones who they took notice of.”
With that, Eos huffed, though Titan took no notice and carried on speaking. “And that’s riled up just about everyone. The guards are going crazy trying to beat the spirit out of any who celebrate for any reason at all, and the word is spreading that the gang we messed with are shitting themselves too. They didn’t expect two of their best to be taken out, especially not together.”

With that, Titan paused for a moment, as if to take in all of what he had just said himself. Cracking a smile, he turned back to Tsunami and Freight Train, before tapping the latter on the shoulder. “And the amount of chaos we managed to cause for the D.Z.C tonight thanks to your team, Crimson. I can’t even be sure how many of them we killed or wounded, we weren’t trying to get into a full blown war like last time – but we hit them hard. We made them scatter from their posts and go on patrols in areas we were already out of. I hate to admit it, but Freight Train even put these old bones to shame with just how skilled he is. The streets are going to be crawling with them, but that only means they’ll fan the flames of resentment for their ‘authority’ even quicker.”

Mulling over those words, Titan snorted. “You know, Crimson, thanks to your involvement this rebellion might even be over before long with the way things have catalysed. You’ve definitely earned that water talisman you were seeking.”

Letting out a long sigh, those words struck home… home. Stable fifty-eight. As lovely as this bunker was in its own way, no matter what charm Coltchester had, my true home was the Stable and Four Ridges, and they needed me. Not only that, but Cherry needed me.
With that thought in my mind, it was time to do something about that.

Author's Notes:

Well, I'll keep this short after being told I make my authors notes far too long. I'm sorry that it has been a shocking four months since my last release - especially after reckoning I'd actually become quicker.
The good news is I've got this out before its hit six months at least, and that's in part due to buying a laptop specifically so I can spend some of my free time whilst on break at work doing writing - which genuinely does help. With any luck, I actually will be quicker from now on.

As per usual, I make my thanks to everyone that has stuck by me all this time. It means a lot and I'm more determined than ever to see the end of this, not to be rid of the story, but because there's so much to give to everyone. We're creeping closer to some really special moments, so here's to hoping I manage to get myself on track.
Thank you again, yes, you, reader, for sticking with me this long. It means a lot.