Jason smiled as he walked through the town, watching everyone wake up and embrace the day. A few ponies were moving plants and foods to their stalls, opening them up while others were snacking on their own prepared meals outside. Foals ran around playing with one another, some with pets beside them while a few read beneath the shade.

Walking alongside him, Moondancer also took in the fresh air of a Ponyville morning. The scent of the dew, the smooth grass under her hooves, it was such a far cry from the usual mornings she had in Canterlot. Those consisted of screaming foals, noisy traffic, and so much coffee.

"Wow, I didn't think it'd be this nice out here," Moondancer said.

"It's a hell of a thing, isn't it? The difference a good morning has on how ya see the world," Jason said.

"I-it sure is, yeah. Sorry again, about the doorknob thing."

"Like I already told ya, it's fine. I've had worse introductions."

"I mean, I get that you're trying to be polite about it, but I really don't... uh, assault strangers very often and I just thought that somepony would be a bit more mad?"

"And I told ya, the-"

A rumbling interrupted the conversation, forcing both of them to stop for a moment. Moondancer blushed as Jason fidgeted with his hat.

"I-I'm sorry, I haven't had much to eat in a while, and with moving here and train food being what it is, I-I just... Breakfast?"

"Hmm? 'Scuse me?"

"Would you like to, have breakfast? My treat, of course," she said, smiling tentatively.

Jason flashed her a smile of his own.

"That'd be delightful, ma'am. But I won't make you pay for it all yourself, that's not polite."

Moondancer sighed her tension away, thankful to have brushed off the awkward moment.

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

Pinkie hummed as she kneaded a chunk of dough, bobbing her head along to the tune in her head as she worked. As though guided by her own song, she popped pastries out of the oven and just as the timer in it dinged, slating in a new batch of cookies on the rack. Flipping the full tray over, she sent the cookies flying onto a large plate before twirling, picking it up, and tossing it into the display case. They slid in and landed perfectly, just as Mrs. Cake unlocked the front door.

"Alright Pinkie, we're just going to get the twins cleaned up," she said. "They had a little accident earlier and now Carrot needs a little clean with them. I'm sure you can handle the morning shift, but I just wanted to make sure you knew that we're going to be a while."

"No need to worry Mrs. Cake," Pinkie said, "I've got everything here under control."

"I know, deary, I just wanted to make sure."

With that, Mrs. Cake went upstairs, leaving Pinkie to hum and dance about the kitchen, preparing various sweets and snacks for everypony to-

*DI-DING-DING*

She stopped.

Nopony was supposed to come in for at least another three minutes, she was sure.

She peered over the kitchen's opening, seeing two ponies enter, specifically unicorns. One beige in a labcoat, one blue with a duster and cowpony hat. She recognized the second, but not the first. which needed rectifying immediately.

"Wow, that smells amazing. Can't believe we're the first ones in."

"Luck of the draw, I guess."

"Goooooooood Morning~!" Pinkie sang, slipping out of her apron to the register. "Welcome to Sugarcube Corner! Home of the most spectacularly scrum-diddly-umptious sweets and treats imaginable! I'm Pinkie Pie! We offer free samples to ponies who provide names and occupations!"

"Um, really?"

Pinkie nodded vigorously.

"Yeppie-yep-yep! Anypony new in town should always be offered a sample. It helps bring us a bit of business and guarantees a new pony feels welcomed!"

"And... the name thing?"

"I just like to get to know everypony that comes through here. Make sure that they get a good smile in every day. So!" Pinkie said, tapping the display, "tell me a name and I'll get you on your way!"

"Oh! Well, I'm Moondancer, I work for the Canterlot Hospital, but I'm here to aid in some research at Ponyville General. And as for what I'll have... I think I'm going to go with the egg and potatoes on whole wheat."

"Ooooo~! Fancy science doctor, hmm? I'd ask a bazillion questions, but I think it'd be best to not keep sick ponies waiting! Would you like cheese on the side or any other condiment?"

"Ketchup and no cheese, thank you, but for the record I'm not actually a doctor. Just a geneticist."

Pinkie wrapped up the sandwich and passed it over the counter before waving the blue pony over.

"Good morning, ma'am," he said, nodding to her. "My name-"

"Don't worry, Mr. Over-Yonder, I know where you Wander," she said with a wink. "Everypony in town knows who you are by now. What can I getcha?"

He blinked in surprise, lifting his front hooves only to trot in place on them for a second.

"Alright, then, I'll get the... uh, what is this?" he asked, pointing to a wrap.

"Syrup-stuffed pancakes wrapped around scrambled eggs with raw onions. Surprisingly popular, even I have to admit that I thought these were gonna bomb. And I made them!"

"Well, nothing ventured. I'll take one."

The pink mare ducked down, grabbed one and wrapped it in one quick motion. She slid it over the counter and passed the two a couple of beverages.

"Waters are always on the house, but I'm afraid I'll have to charge for any other drinks."

"That's alright, thank you," Moondancer said.

"Have a nice day!" Pinkie said, waving to the two as they took a booth.

With the two unicorns seated, she went back into the kitchen, her mane grasping a pen as she wrote out a new name in her reliquary.

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

"Mmm, okay, this is good," Moondancer said, sipping from her cup. "Nopony in Canterlot makes eggs this fluffy, stars above."

Jason sat back, leaning into the bench as he soaked in the flavor of onions, eggs and syrup. A combination that served to prod and provoke every bit of his tastebuds that he hadn't felt eating Wasteland food. The syrup was rich, the eggs were moist and the onions added a tang that felt wonderful. He chewed slowly and deliberately, savoring every sensation in the bite as though it were his first meal in years.

"Oh, this was the best decision. If I had to get hit in the teeth with a doorknob every morning for this, I'd go for it."

Moondancer took another sip from her cup before she responded.

"W-well, hopefully we can skip that part... next time?"

"That sounds like a good idea. I'd be alright with that."

She smiled.

"Good. I certainly wouldn't mind. Now, uh, I believe we discussed you helping me find this patient?"

Jason blinked, looking back to Moondancer.

"Right. Of course." He swallowed, took a drink and nodded. "Anything you can tell me about who you're looking for?"

Moondancer nodded back. She pulled out a file from her bag, red tape and warning labels overlapping each other all over it.

"As of now, the patient has yet to have given their full legal name, which is somewhat worrying considering their symptoms. If anything, or worse, everything, in this file is accurate, then we could be looking at the potential patient zero of a horrendous outbreak of Celestia knows what."

She spread the papers out over the table, showing microscopic images of DNA samples, blood cells, tissue samples and even open-barrel shots of the patient's innards. The mutated flesh in that photo showed organs overlapping and fusing, their lungs forming an amalgamation of their respiratory system. Even the few bones that could be seen were mutated, bent and deformed with a metallic sheen coating them.

"Everything about this stallion's biology suggests that they should either be in a constant state of coma-inducing pain or dead, but reports say that he just walked out of the hospital like it's nothing."

Jason looked over one of the sheets, reading the details to himself.

"'Blood type B+, Eyes: Brown, Mane: Brown, Cutie Mark, an Atom split in'... wait," he whispered, checking his own rear.

"Though it took some convincing, my boss managed to get them to forward us a photo of the patient's face, so we can track him..."

Moondancer stopped as she stared at the photos, holding them up as she looked between the picture and the stallion they depicted.