Chapter 11: Into the Ministry of Arcane Science

Dressed in my new set of barding, armed with my new sniper rifle and my old shotgun, we left the Tower of New Saddle and weaved through the snowy, yet rubble filled streets of New Saddle. Alyshia now had herself a new set of barding and a nice white and pink jacket as well.

“Why aren’t you carrying any guns?” I asked her while we were walking.

“I can’t shoot very well” She advised us.

“Doesn’t mean you can’t help us shoot” Brax growled through his heavy metal armour.

Alyshia sighed. “What I mean is; I’m not able to shoot well enough to not accidentally hit Amethyst or you or Midnight let alone hit my target” She then told us. “I however am able to help quite efficiently. I seem to have a talent with explosives.”

“Explosives?” I inquired.

“Yes Amethyst, explosives, you know? Like mines and grenades”.

“What’s a mine? Does that mean it belongs to you?” I asked confused.

“You mean you have been out here for what? Over two weeks and you don’t know what a mine is?” Alyshia said exasperated.

“Nope” I said shaking my head.

“This is a mine” Alyshia told me holding up a metal disc with a dark dot on the top of it, “I have quite a few of these as well as grenades. But I prefer using mines. Its sneakier you see.”

“What do you do? Throw it?” I asked, unsure why it was shaped like a disk. I could only assume that it was used like a Frisbee to enable it to fly further than a grenade.

Midnight and Brax cackled and Midnight tried to gasp as she choked “Throw a Mine. Oh my Amethyst, you are funny.”

Alyshia facehoofed then told me like I was a learning student, “You put the mine on the ground and cover it slightly and when somepony stands on it, it explodes.”

“Ohhh ok” I said imaging a pony standing on the device to see their legs get blown off. I felt myself shudder.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

My Pipbuck gave a beep and I looked at it. A new icon came up on my map reading “Stable-Tec Building, New Saddle.” I looked at the building. It had partially collapsed while the first four stories remained and the rest of it was just a pile of rubble on the side of the building.

Without further ado I trotted up to the door and felt the delight of having some of my magic use back, I pulled the door open.

“Amethyst? Where are you going? That building looks dangerous” Alyshia said concerned.

“Uhh yeah Amethyst, I dunno?” Midnight said looking up at the building.

I merely shrugged telling them “ok wait for me out here then?” I wanted to look inside the building, especially because it was a Stable-Tec Building.

I trotted inside the building and it was a mess on the inside. The floor above had partially collapsed into the atrium and all the walls and door handles were covered in green rust. The wood inside had rotted, the tiles were smashed and the desk that would have been the reception had a massive wooden beam leaning across it.

I knew that Stable-Tec had always made things to last but this building was fucked I thought. Maybe the building had received a horrible knock when the Balefire bomb went off?

“Amethyst?” Midnight whispered through the darkness “I think we should go. This building is dangerous.”

I shook my head without looking at her and turned my pipbuck light on, which threw everything into more perspective. If I was lucky I would find a terminal to see if Stable-Tec had anything on a water talisman warehouse.

Amethyst?” came the deep voice of Brax but before he could say anything else I cut across him.

“If you want to go, there is the door” I said aggressively as I began to lose my patience pointing at the door with a hoof.

“It’s not that” He grumbled, “Stable-Tec has proven that they have good anti-intruder systems.”

“So?” I grumbled walking towards the stair-well.

When I stepped over the threshold of the doorway into the stairwell a red light popped up on my Pipbuck.

“We have a hostile” I heard Brax mutter.

“What you don’t have a pipbuck” I shot at him, “how do you know?”

“Comes with the armour baby filly” he grumbled.

I simply coughed as I pulled out my magnum and began to scale the broken and chipped stairwell. We reached the second floor and I stepped out over the threshold and felt that the floor did not feel very stable at all.

I held out a hoof signalling everypony to stop. They stopped as three more hostiles popped up on my EFS. “Brax do not step any further.”

“Why?” he muttered. “Don’t tell me—“

But I cut him off advising “In that armour you will probably just fall strait through the floor.”

He put a hoof on the floor and I heard a groan and the snap of a baton beneath the floor. He stepped back grumbling “Ok then…”

Looking around the room which resembled a demolished office with holes in the floor and batons from the floor above lying everywhere, I decided to go alone. I was just about to explain what I wanted to do when three robotic ponies with brains floating in green liquid connected to their heads came around a wall divide. With guns extended from their sides, they then began to fire at us.

I hit SATS and fired at the first one, taking out the brain thing on its head, the glass shattered and the brain inside exploded with a mix of red, green and shards of glass. Midnight then hit a hostile spritebot I didn’t see as it fired red beams of light.

I saw Alyshia pull a pin from a grenade and lob it at the ponies which landed on the unstable floor.

“No Alyshia!” I shouted, but too late. With a resounding explosion and a sudden jerk I fell through the floor and hit the reception desk beneath with a painful thud. I heard the floors above fall as well with a resounding roar. I thought I heard somepony cry “Amethyst?” and from here I felt a heavy thud on the back of my head and everything went black.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

The world swirled back into place. I was back at stable 86, from the decorations in my room I would have been around fourteen or so. I was in my old room in mother’s place and I felt an all too familiar pressure inside me as I was reading my Wing Boner magazine.

The door suddenly opened and with haste I stuck it telekinetically under my covers. Mother was standing in the doorway.

“What?” I asked looking up trying not to look guilty.

“What were you doing?” she asked suspiciously.

“Nothing” I said perhaps a little too quickly.

Mother pulled back my sheets which revealed the book I was reading. I felt myself heat up as she snatched the book up.

She took a glance at it but not before I snatched it back with my own magic and levitated it into my bookshelf.

“Where did you get that?” She asked angrily, “Amethyst you are fourteen, and... Do I have to ask why you are looking at mare porn?”

I knew this day would come, so I told her simply and perhaps a little aggressively “I’m gay mother… I like mares.”

“Don’t be stupid Amethyst. You are not gay.” She snapped at me.

“Yes I am” I snapped back, “I knew you would have a problem with this. That’s why I don’t tell you these things mother.”

“Don’t speak to me like that” She thundered.

“I will speak to you the way I want” I sneered.

She simply shook her head “We will get this straight Amethyst. You will find yourself a stallion and have foals and live a happy life. The life I was meant to live, the life you will live.”

I got out of bed onto my hooves and shouted at mother feeling tears residing down my cheeks as I shouted “I am not YOU mother, Stop trying to live your pathetic life through me, it’s not my fault dads dead and you let your life pitter away. I am a fillyfooler, lesbian, gay… whatever other fucking word you can think of. I like mare’s mother, not stallions. I will live my life the way I want to, that includes me finding my happiness not you finding your happiness through me.”

I saw mother inflate and my ears tilted back as she exploded “Somponies grounded for a month. Don’t you DARE speak to me like that or for that matter your father like that.”

I didn’t care that I insulted her. I never meant to insult father, but right now I did not really care. I wished mother was supportive of me. I threw myself back onto the bed as she left me alone to cry. Mothers’ are supposed to be supportive of their foals, not cut them while they are down. Mother cannot change me, change who I like or love or my thoughts. The only reason I could think mother would be refusing to believe I was a lesbian would be because she could not stand the thought of producing a fillyfooler or at worst would think that I was an abomination of my father’s memory.

My vision swirled and felt myself land in a black eerie and familiar room.

“Well, well, well Amethyst.” I heard a scary voice say from the shadows, “Welcome back.”

“NO!” I shouted and turned tail to run. I just ran into the darkness as I heard laughter ring in my ears with the whisper of “Amethyst, Amethyst, Amethyst” following me. I ran until I fell through an invisible hole and from here I just kept falling and falling until…

“Ahhhh.” I woke up and my horn struck Alyshia on the chin.

“Ow” she cried.”

I was breathing very fast as I looked around. I was in the stairwell inside the Stable-Tec Building.

“Oh Amethyst, you’re ok.” Alyshia said happily hugging me.

“Oww” I muttered feeling the back of my head with a forehoof. I felt a heavy lump on the back of my head.

“You are suffering some concussion but you should otherwise be ok.” Alyshia piped up.

“Thanks” I muttered getting to my hooves shakily.

“Amethyst you gave us a scare there” Midnight told me as she gave me a hug.

“Sure did” Brax grumbled, “I vote that we should get out of here?”

I nodded looking through the door to the rubble on the ground floor. Floors one and two had collapsed.

“I’m sorry Amethyst” Alyshia muttered to me, “This is my fault.”

I shook my head and told her “No. you did good Alyshia, I should have listened and not entered the building.”

We then left through the door and clambered over all the rubble to the front door. We were about twenty feet from the door when a bright cyan something glimmered in the rubble catching my eye amongst the grey. I levitated it to me and looked at it. She was a cyan coloured, rainbow maned pegasus pony. I had seen this pony before in the Fluttershy memory and the very same pony Midnight had shown me.

“This is Rainbow Dash isn’t it Midnight?” I asked showing her the pristine figurine.

“Sure is” she said stunned at the condition of the statuette, “oh look, she has something jammed between her wings.”

I looked at her wings which had a cracked memory orb wedged between them. I levitated it out and placed it in my saddlebags.

“C’mon lets go” Alyshia crooned pushing my flanks.

“Ok, ok” I muttered keeping Rainbow Dash levitated by my side and moving out the door of the building back into the cold snowy outside.

We then began to make our way to the Ministry of Arcane Science as I looked underneath the statuette. It had writing on it. I read it “My Favourite Fan… Scootaloo, your friend Rainbow Dash.” In golden lettering it read “Be Awesome.”

I smiled tucking it away in my saddlebags. At that moment I felt a rush of energy much like the time I put Fluttershy away. But this time it felt like I could do anything, be more awesome, I felt better as we walked down the steps away from the Stable-Tec building.

Booom…..

I jumped about five feet into the air as did my companions. My head snapped behind us looking for the source and from the rising dust where the Stable-Tec building was just a moment ago, was a pile of rubble with debris rising into the air. The building had collapsed. “Whoops” I said out-loud blushing slightly, “we just destroyed a building built over two hundred years ago.”

Midnight let out a gaffe of laughter and Alyshia smiled slightly. I could not see Brax’s reaction from behind that helmet.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

For the past hour I had been fighting a horrible head-ache, random blurriness to my vision and halfway through conversations I just zoned out. Alyshia said that this was the result of the concussion.

“Can’t you fix this?” I begged her.

“No. Concussion will pass over a day or so.”

Great… So now I was magically weak and I had concussion. “What’s next” I thought savagely.

“How much further?” Brax grumbled.

I looked at my pipbuck, my vision blurring as I glanced at the pink light showing the map. “Uhh” I mumbled, I shook my head to clear it and squinted at the map, “About twelve kilometres I think?”

“You think? Or you know?” Brax mumbled.

“I dunno, twelve kilometres give or take two or three?” I muttered feeling stupid.

I could hear music in the distance.

“Shhh” My ears perked and I muttered to my companions “Wait here.” I galloped towards the sound. A green dot appeared on my compass and I followed. Brilliant, a spritebot. “Watcher” I shouted grabbing the spritebot with my magic. My companions trotted up behind me as I shook the spritebot but it just continued to play the heavy tuba music.

“Amethyst? Alyshia asked with concern, “Are you feeling ok? You’re talking to a robot?”

But at that moment the spritebot popped and a tinny voice filled the air. “Why hello Amethyst. Long-time no see.”

I cut to the chase “Watcher. Do you know much about the Ministry of Arcane Science?”

He considered me for a moment before replying slowly, “Yes. I do know a bit about the Ministry of Arcane Science.”

“Amethyst what is this?” Brax interrupted.

“Shoosh” I told him but Watcher became distracted as he floated over to Brax.

I heard the tinny voice say what could almost be aggressively “You!! What are you doing travelling with this pony Amethyst?”

“Brax?” I replied now slightly pissed off that he changed the subject.

“Amethyst. This pony is bad. Why are you travelling with him?” Watcher asked angrily.

“Bad?” Brax grumbled, “I’m not a good pony and I have done many regrettable things in my life, but I assure you...”

“Amethyst… This pony is responsible for the slavery of thousands of ponies, rape and torture of foals. Why is he travelling with you?”

“He seems ok” I mumbled to Watcher, “He has proven that he can be trusted, I do believe in redemption of ponies.”

Watcher’s voice sounded from the spritebot saying “Amethyst, you are not in a stable anymore. Someponies cannot be trusted out here. And he is one of them.”

I turned to Brax, my face expressionless before asking “Have you ever raped a pony before?” it was a question that made my skin crawl. The thought of being held down while some stallion bigger, stronger and heavier than you forced himself onto yourself rushed into my mind almost making my eyes water.

“Brax looked down in shame. “Yes I have” he muttered. “I’ve killed innocent ponies. Sometimes I wish I was dead for what I’ve done.”

I felt tears fall from my eyes as I asked one last question “Have you raped foals before? Fillies or colts?”

Brax shook his head “To that I can say no. I’m not a savage. That is a great sin in my eyes. I’ve seen children die, I’ve seen my fellow slavers rape foals. Yet I didn’t do anything about it. I’m as bad as they were.”

“As much bad as Brax has done” I told watcher my voice breaking “I will give him one chance alone.” I looked at Brax saying coldly “If you dare touch either of us. I swear I will end you myself.”

Brax nodded then looked away.

“Right Watcher... Now that is out of the way I need to know about the M.A.S Building we are heading into.”

“Yes” Watcher said robotically.

“What awaits us in that building?” I asked him “What danger awaits us in there?”

Watcher seemed to grunt but then said “All I can say is that the building is near the blast zone of the balefire bomb that hit New Saddle. It is about a three hour trot from here. What lies inside I do not know.”

I nodded expecting that. Silence fell between us and it was Watcher who broke the silence “Who’s the new mare?” He asked robotically.

“That’s Alyshia. She is our medical pony and our good friend.”

“You have gathered yourself a few friends here Amethyst. You must stick with them. You could probably lose the stallion though. But with these two stick with them no matter the cost. You will find that without one friend you will be wounded. Without any friends. I am sure you remember when we first met how well you were faring?”

I nodded remembering the compound in White Tail Woods, the radscorpian and the behemoth thing.

“Well if that’s all Amethyst?” Watcher started but I interrupted him.

“Watcher? Twilight Sparkle was the mare for the M.A.S wasn’t she?” I asked desperately remembering the memory of Amethyst Star.

“Yes… She was.” Watcher said stiffly behind his robotic tone.

I remembered Fluttershy being the ministry mare of the Ministry Of Peace. I then remembered Pinkie Pie being another Ministry Mare for Morale and knew there were six ministries and two of the mares were Twilights best friends. This begged the question from the memory.

“Do you know who Rarity is? Is she a Ministry Mare too?” I asked curiously.

“Rarity was a beautiful gorgeous white Unicorn Mare.” Watcher exclaimed “Not unlike yourself Amethyst.” he paused then said “Rarity was indeed a Ministry Mare. She ran the office of Ministry of Image.”

“She would have been Twilight Sparkle’s friend then?” I asked excitedly.

“Yes” Watcher said. “I’m sorry Amethyst I have to go” Watched finished.

Red Eyes voice then filled the Air.

“--I am not unlike you, or the pony next to you.

What makes me different than the simple ponies of Equestria is that I am sacrificing everything I have to make sure Equestria rises from the Ashes stronger than she was before. Most ponies in the wasteland are thieving, soul sucking fiends. I can assure that we will arise once again. I am building schools, hospitals, generating electricity and giving everything I have to see this vision for Equestria come true.

That’s right children. I have just given a water Talisman to a town in great need. I can do more for us fellow Equestrian ponies, under me we can water every town, ensure fresh food for all, safe Havens for all. Together with the help of Unity and our new Goddess we can make Equestria shine like it once did those many years ago…”

I watched the spritebot float away with a pit in my stomach. Red Eye had Water Talismans and was giving them away to townsfolk. Yet this guy was a hard core slave machine buying out unicorns by the bulk.

Brax was still skulking around trying to not be noticed. So I rounded on him. “Brax… I will say that no matter what you do, no matter how good you end up, your deeds will always remain. I agree that you are not a good pony. I’m now hesitant to bring you along, especially with your past. I want you to remember that I trust you and if you touch Midnight or Alyshia then this is my fault for endangering them.”

“Amethyst we can look after ourselves” Midnight announced.

“I know but I’m responsible” I muttered.

“No you’re not Amethyst. We are responsible for ourselves.” Alyshia piped up. “We trust Brax has changed.”

I nodded and smiled at Brax. “Let’s keep moving.”

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

“This is it?” Midnight asked me as we looked up at a towering building.

“Well that’s what my pipbuck says.” I advised them, “Anyway it must be, it’s the only standing building we have seen in ten kilometres.

That part was true. All buildings were collapsed and destroyed except for this one. The building had cracks running through it and my Pipbuck was clicking very slowly advising us of present radiation.

I climbed the steps with my companions just behind me as my heart hammered. I was afraid of going inside. The M.A.S name sounded scary and the amount of experiments that they may have been conducting might have made some super behemoth thing, or something really gross, or maybe a disease.

I gulped and stepped through the shattered glass doors. My Pipbuck lit up with hundreds of red hostiles.

I whimpered as I heard Brax mumble “Holy fuck, that’s a lot of red.”

“We might be here a while.” I whimpered imagining what all these hostiles would be. Robots? Genetically enhanced beasts? Turrets? Mutants?

“What makes you think the M.A.S did experiments or made diseases Amethyst?” Alyshia asked softly as we snuck into the atrium carefully.

“I don’t know” I whispered back, “It only sounds right.”

“Not really?” Alyshia whispered back, “They could have just been making spells or enchantments?”

“Normally that involves testing” I whispered back to her “Normally on beasts or ponies? And what happens if they fail, or the test subjects were exposed to radiation after the tests. The balefire bomb hit just over there” I told her pointing a hoof out the broken doors.”

“Shhhh.” Midnight snapped.

I saw roughly 10-20 red hostiles move suddenly on my EFS.

BANG

The door to the stairwell bust open and roughly fifteen scabbed and rotting zombie ponies burst into the atrium.

I pulled out my shotgun and started to fire into the hordes of Zombies coming out of the doorway. I could hear the crackling of Brax’s battle saddle, the rapid pfft pfft from Midnight’s battle saddle.

The zombies slowly went down as they made their way towards us.

I saw two objects fly through the air then

BOOM

BOOM

The remaining six or seven zombies splattered as well as the corpses on the ground leaving heavy scorch marks on the ground.

“How do ya like them apples.” Alyshia said confidently stomping her front hoof and whipping her mane back.

I saw more movement on my EFS. This time I could not tell how many were coming.

“More coming” I whispered to the rest.

Alyshia levitated out three disks and placed them around the stairwell. She then pulled out another three grenades which levitated around her before falling into a battle stance.

I reloaded my shotgun, Midnight kicked her Battlesaddle to reload and I spread my legs ready.

Bang… BOOM… BOOM… Bang… BOOM

I felt the heat of the explosion touch my face as well as shrapnel and ichor. I then saw no fewer than twenty Zombie ponies burst through the burning flame and smoke.

I hit SATS and aimed at random zombies, hitting each one with a spray of flesh and ichor. When my SATS was exhausted I just started firing at random.

Scrahhhh… I felt myself get knocked to the ground and two inches from my face was the rotting scabbed zombie snapping its teeth at me which I could see through the sides of its decayed mouth. I hit it in the side of the head with the butt of my shotgun then shot it in the middle of its head spraying ichor all over the ground

“Amethyst are you ok?” I heard Alyshia call through the chaos.

“I’m fine” I shouted back as another Zombie jumped onto my back. I hit it with the butt of my gun then aimed to shoot, but it sank its teeth into my woollen flanker and felt its teeth penetrate the skin beneath. I entered SATS not wanting to miss and it and hit myself and blew it off me showering the lower half of my body in Ichor and rotting flesh.

Once everything hostile was dead I fell to my haunches, pain increasing on my lower back.

Alyshia bustled over and magically pulled back my lower warm woolly clothing, exposing my white coat with droplets of blood oozing out. It felt more painful than it looked.

“Ohh that’s not good Amethyst, take the healing potion” Alyshia said levitating the little bottle in front of me.

I shook my head, “we use healing potions for emergencies not for healing cuts…” I muttered.

Alyshia piped up “Are you the medical professional?”

I knew enough about medicine to know that a healing potion for this was over the top. I shook my head saying “No, you are… but.”

“Then drink it” Alyshia crooned.

“No” I said stubbornly, “Bandage it… Please.”

Alyshia shook her head… “Fine, I’ll bandage it if you promise to take a healing potion regardless of how injured you are when we get out of here.”

I nodded telling her truthfully “I promise.”

Alyshia then bound my lower back in bandages wrapping around my body. She then pulled out a needle magically from her healing supplies pouch.

“Hang on” I babbled, “What is that for?”

“Painkiller.” Alyshia hissed jabbing it near the wound with a sharp prick of pain. “If you just took the healing potion...”

I just shook my head as the pain around the wound lessened leaving it slightly numb.

“Wow that stuffs works good” I said shocked. I got to my hooves easily and was able to trot around quite well. Even my headache seemed to lessen.

“Where to?” Midnight asked as we looked around.

“Up” I said pointing towards the door where the zombie ponies came through with a hoof.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

When everypony was ready we entered the stairwell. I was determined to search every floor for some sign of Water Talisman even if it was only information.

The concrete stairwell was cracked and crumbling and the lights inside flickered as we climbed the steps. My EFS still displayed hundreds of hostiles inside the building. The stairwell seemed clear for now so we started up the steps until the door to the first floor appeared. I wrapped my telekinetic sheath around the handle and pushed.

Rat-tatatatta

I quickly withdrew seeing bullet holes appear in the door. I then pulled out my sniper rifle and levitated it by my side.

“I’ve got this” I whispered, Midnight and Alyshia nodded and Brax jerked his head.

I pulled the door open and jumped to the side facing the turret and slipped into SATS. I put two bullets to the casing and it sparked and then exploded with a shower of metal and sparks.

“Hows that” I grinned flank bumping Midnight and Alyshia, “I’m getting better at this.”

“Someponies in a good mood?” Midnight said dully giving me a grimace.

I nodded before asking “Is something wrong Midnight? Or everypony?” noticing that Alyshia did not look happy to be here and Brax seemed to be uncomfortable.

“I don’t know.” Brax interjected “Maybe it’s because we are in a building filled with I-don’t- know-how-many things that want to eat us alive?”

“Sorry” I mumbled, “I guess I just want the Talisman badly.”

“It’s ok Amethyst, but no compliancy ok? And don’t get too confident.” Alyshia muttered looking around the entrance to the first floor.”

I nodded not believing that I was feeling too confident anyway. So I led my friends to the first office door on the right where the glass window pane on the door was shattered. I pulled the door open and saw a blood stained robot pony extend two large barrels from the side of its body.

I took aim and hit it in the breast plate which caused a small electrical surge and a spark shot from the breast plate.

Pfttatata

Midnight shot it with several of her automated rounds, leaving the thing smoking on the ground.

My attention was diverted to a large maneframe computer with wires the size of a ponies leg that led into a wall where a small room with a small door was located in the corner of this office.

I opened the door and trotted inside the small room, Midnight trotting in after me. It was empty except for a small device on the wall and was surrounded in thick wires and cables.

“Anything in here Amethyst?” Midnight asked looking around.

“Nothing but this thing here” I muttered. I spotted a button and pushed it. The door we entered through shut automatically locking us inside.

“Amethyst what did you do?” Midnight babbled looking scared.

“I-I don’t know” I stammered starting to feel scared. So I hit the button again.

BOOOM…

I blacked out.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I opened my eyes. I felt completely wrong and felt prickling around my sides and I could smell Midnight quite strongly.

“Midnight are you ok?” Alyshia asked looking at me.

I looked taken aback “I’m Amethyst” I said exasperated and my voice sounded a little deeper and not like my own.

Alyshia looked concerned as she said “No your Midnight, Amethyst is there.” Pointing a hoof at another pony that looked just like me laying on the ground.

I almost screamed.

“Am I dead?” I asked starting to shake. This was wrong. I could see myself unconscious.

“Midnight are you sure you’re ok?” Alyshia asked again.

“I’m not fucking Midnight, I’m Amethyst…” I screamed my wings throwing out to full extension.

Wait I had wings? What’s going on here…? Fuck no, I’m in Midnights body and I’m staring at me, what must be Midnight but unconscious.

Alyshia levitated a mirror in front of me, I could see scarlet eyes staring back.

“That machine… That machine must have swapped our bodies” I concluded to Brax and Alyshia.

“A machine like that exists?” Brax asked in his deep growl that seemed to show some sign of concern. “We must put you two back inside and swap back.”

I nodded but as I did I saw myself stir and sit up.

“Uhh… my head… I don’t have concussion do I?” Midnight asked hearing my own voice leave her and my mouth.

Midnight reached her forehead but her hoof hit the horn and quicker than I could imagine saw her jump to her hooves.

“What’s happened to me? What’s going on?” Midnight shouted. She looked at me who was now her.

I looked into my own deep purple eyes and felt a tear leek down my cheek. Midnight’s eyes were full of understanding.

“Amethyst? You… are you in my body.

I nodded telling her croakily “And you are in mine.”

“Ok everypony.” Brax grumbled, get in the damned machine so we can swap you back and find this damned object.

Brax pushed the both of us into the chamber and I hit the button on the wall twice.

Bttttzzzzz…….. Pop

And with a shower of sparks, a device built into the roof popped and nothing else happened. I pushed the button again and nothing happened.

“Fuck you Celestia.” I shouted angrily.

“For Fuck Sake.” Midnight said in my voice, “Amethyst why the fuck did you have to push the damn button in the first place. Now the machine is dead and we’re going to be stuck like this forever.”

“I can fix this” I said starting to panic. I pointed to the strange looking device on the ceiling. “Levitate that down for me.” I asked trying to not allow my anger to show.

“How?” Midnight asked aggressively.

“Concentrate on it, pretend that it is an extension of yourself, allow yourself to be one with the object.” I replied forgetting she did not know how to use magic.

I saw Midnight concentrate and nothing but a small spark shot from her horn.

“Ok… I’ll fly up and pull it down.” I muttered and I flapped my wings to get up to the device. It did not work very well. I lifted a hoof off the ground then flew sideways into the wall hitting my head painfully. “Owww”

I cringed knowing I would need Brax and Alyshia to help. I trotted over to the door and pulled it open, I then stuck my head out and asked “Can you two please give us a hand? We have a… umm… Problem?”

“What’s up now?” Brax asked

“The machine decided to not work anymore, something blew up and we’re trying to take it out to see if we can fix it.” I replied.

Alyshia looked concerned as she said “I hope you two aren’t going to be stuck like this?”

I shook my head. “We can fix this.”

When we were all inside I pointed a hoof at the funny looking device “Can you levitate this thing down?” I asked Alyshia.

She nodded and wrapped it in her sheath of levitation and unscrewed the screws magically before placing it on the ground.

“Thanks.” I muttered looking at the device.

It looked like two funnels welded together at the widest end. The two small ends were made of glass. There was a smoking hole right where the device was welded. I tried to identify it but could only find a device number.

“We’re going to need to find one of these things” I said feeling stupid.

“Great.” Midnight snapped “Another thing to find.”

“What’s up with you?” I asked looking at her who was me.

“I don’t know Amethyst. Maybe you should use that thick head of yours to figure out how to fix this?”

“Midnight don’t talk to her like that.” Alyshia snapped.

I felt a sliver of rage surface “This brain is yours Midnight.” I said coldly pointing a hoof at my forehead “Watch who you call stupid.”

Midnight remained quite as we left the small body swapping room and I examined the Maneframe. It was password protected.

“Midnight can you please connect the cable in my left saddlebag to my Pipbuck then to this slot on the Maneframe.” I asked politely pointing at a small USB Slot in the Maneframe.

Midnight looked sour as she pulled out the cable and connected it to my pipbuck on her foreleg.

“Pass me your left foreleg please. I need to hack this thing.” I muttered trying to not piss off Midnight any more than she already was.

Midnight lifted her foreleg and I took it in a hoof. I then proceeded to hack the machine. This one was quite difficult. I had to back out six times before finally getting the password “PCLUNA5%#.” I then used the search function to find the item code “76235” and found it in a list. I then downloaded some audio logs on the maneframe for later use.

“Ok” I said to my friends looking at the information on the device. “We need to find something called a ‘Magical Energy Proton Collider’. According to the stock information there should be 25 on the third floor.”

Alyshia looked more relieved and Brax mumbled “Excellent let’s get us some of these Proton colliding things.”

Midnight looked no happier about this and said sourly “I won’t believe you will fix this until I see it. Anyway how can I shoot? I have no battle saddle.”

“Here have your Battle Saddle back. I’ll shoot by mouth.”

Midnight threw her head back not looking happy “I haven’t got any wings, remember? Look at how the battle saddle is built.”

I lifted my wings and saw that they were held up near the wing joints. “Sorry” I mumbled aggressively “looks like you’re going to have to wait here then.”

“Oh by the wasteland, would you two just shut the fuck up” Brax growled, “You’re both like a married couple fighting over spilt milk. Midnight, just take the damn shotgun in your mouth and stop being a baby. Amethyst, just shoot and don’t be stupid, or for that matter get Midnights body all shot up before giving it back to her.”

“Ok” I mumbled my ears tilting back. I then whispered to Midnight “How do you use this thing?” pointing a hoof at the battle saddle.

She whispered back her voice still icy “bite the bit in front of your mouth to shoot, kick the leaver on the side to reload.”

I nodded as we left the office and went back into the Stairwell.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

Once on the third level we ran into more zombie ponies.  I fell into a battle stance as I bit on the battle saddle piece and the guns on both my sides opened fire on the zombies. Even with my auto fire not even 1/7 of my bullets hit their target. I was just wasting Midnights bullets. I had no SATS to use, I had no EFS and Midnight had no idea how to use the EFS or SATS. I felt completely naked without my Pipbuck or my magic.

“I think there are more coming” Midnight exclaimed, “If that’s what the uhh, red moving things are?”

“The EFS doesn’t tell you if the enemy is up or down. Chances are they are on the floor above, or the floor above that or the floor above that” I replied quietly.

“It’s alright” Brax mumbled, “I’ll keep my EFS up and tell you if there is any danger.”

I nodded knowing that Brax knew how to use his Techno Metal armour.

With a sudden sink of my heart I realised that I needed to use the fillies room. But I could not do that to Midnight, going to the toilet is a personal matter and I for one would not go in a corridor let alone in front my companions not counting the fact I was in Midnight’s body and not my own. I would be invading her privacy if I did. So for now, I would just try to ignore it.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

The first door we tried to enter was locked. I knew we would run into this problem. I could not do magic and neither could Midnight. I had never picked a lock without magic before and Midnight had never picked a lock ever. I turned to Brax and Alyshia “Can either of you pick a lock?”

They both shook their heads.

I let off a sigh then asked Midnight “Screwdriver and Bobbypin please?”

She passed them over with a hoof. I then gripped the screwdriver in my mouth and pushed the bobby pin in with a hoof. I had no idea how to do this and no doubt would fail. I then turned the screwdriver while applying pressure to each pin to pull them upwards. I managed to get two pins up but fumbled with my mouth as saliva built up and slipped and the pins came back down.

“Fuck” I grunted, picking up the screwdriver and trying again, and again, and again. Until “Fuck this fucking shit, let me in” I screamed bucking the door. I felt the door give as the hinges broke and the door fell with a crash.

“That seemed to work ok” Brax exclaimed as we stepped into the room. The moment I did I regretted it. The room was filled with ponies in a brownish liquid, they looked grotesque. Some had a horn and wings with several eyes, some with a single wing and no eyes, some with two horns. A screen was lit nearby and I really wanted to hack it. But I had no pipbuck and Midnight would probably not want to snoop around for more things however the curious part of me vanished as desperation for my own body back crept in.

“Not this room” I proclaimed backing out of the room. As I turned tail to exit the door I heard a heavy smash followed by pouring water. I felt liquid touch my hooves. Before I could say or do anything I heard a thump and something behind me screamed.

I looked over my shoulder and I almost screamed as well. A two horned, one winged pony thing got to its hooves and let out an ear splitting blood curdling scream.

“Amethyst what are you…” I heard Brax say, and then paused, clearly frightened of what he saw and heard. I went to gallop away from it when I felt myself lift into the air. I heard the other tanks burst and saw liquid run all over the floor. The other pony things got to their hooves and one threw tentacles at me binding me. I was now levitated in the air and bound. I could feel the thing squeeze me as my companions opened fire.

I saw Midnight in my body jump in front of the one that bounded me. She screamed through the mouthpiece of the shotgun “Gef yu feticles ofa ma bofy.” She blew the things head off at point blank. I felt myself hit the slippery wet tiles as Brax hit the two horned one with a double green lazer.

The final monster was almost un-shootable. It kept jumping like an extremely quick insect, with agility like I had never seen before of something that large. It bowled me over and began to smash its hooves over me.

BANG…

I felt gore splatter my face and run into my mane with the coppery smell of blood and flesh filling my nose. I felt sorry for Midnight. She would be the one wearing this when we got back into our bodies. Midnight was caring for my body much better than I was caring for hers. I didn’t know what kept happening. I always made stupid mistakes and got myself into trouble, only to be pulled out by my companions.

“Urgh Amethyst… You are gross.” Alyshia announced.

“Thanks for stating the obvious” I muttered as I trotted out the door of the mutant pony room.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

We started for the next room which was unlocked. As I stepped over the threshold of the door my wing struck it sending more pain through it “Owww” I moaned turning the wing and petted it hoping to ease the pain. It felt funny, it was smooth, silky and the quills were wiry. These things were a pain in the ass. They got in the way of gunshots, door frames. What’s next?

This room was empty as well and when I turned my wings brushed glass bottles and cups off a table causing them to smash.

“Amethyst” Midnight growled “Just keep them by your side so they don’t get in the way.”

I put them by my side, but when I took my focus off them they sprung back out again. “These wings are driving me insane, how do you…. argh” I put my hooves over my head and couldn’t feel my horn. I felt alien inside Midnights body, it felt wrong.

“Calm down Amethyst” Alyshia advised “We’ll get you in your body soon.”

“These wings won’t stay down”

“You have a wing boner” Midnight laughed.

“No I don’t, my wings are extended, I’m not hor-“

Midnight facehoofed and told me “You are tense and your wings are out as a result, either relax or fly.”

“I can’t fly” I said stupidly.

“Then relax” Alyshia told me.

“How?” I growled at her “We are in a building filled with mutants that want to eat our guts and use our bones for toothpicks. I can’t relax.”

Midnight growled and launched herself at me and despite being in a more built and stronger body, Midnight was able to hold me down as I struggled against her.

“Midnight get off her what are you doing?” Alyshia screamed.

“Fixing this fucking pony” she growled through a mouthful of rope.

Before I knew it I had rope binding my wings to my body.

“You had to didn’t you?” I groaned looking at the ropes.

“Sure did, I’m getting a little over your whining” Midnight told me.

“I’m not whining” I growled at her “I’m complaining.”

“No I’m pretty sure your whining” She exclaimed.

“That is not whining” I told her flatly. I changed my voice to a moaning, moping whinny voice and continued “Aww Midnight, your wings are annoying, I wanna cut them off. Midnight your body feels weird it doesn’t feel right. Midnight your battle saddle is annoying I don’t want to wear it. Midnight why won’t you date me? Is it cause I’m a filly? I’m too young?”

I looked into Midnights eyes and they rapidly changed from dark purple to an almost black. I back peddled “Sorry I didn’t…”

Midnight roared in anger “Amethyst I don’t give a fuck, harden up for fuck sake. You are soft, like a fucking marshmallow…”

“Midnight stop” Alyshia cried “Stop the both of you.”

“Stop defending her Alyshia” Midnight snapped.

“I’m not” Alyshia snapped back.

“Can we just...” I started quietly

They both looked at me and snapped together “Shut up Amethyst.”

“Shut… The Fuck UP!” came a deep and loud voice. It was Brax, “Stop bickering. It’s driving me insane.”

“Sorry” I squeaked shutting my muzzle.

Everypony else shut their muzzles as well.

This room however was empty and as we left the room I took the ropes binding my wings off as it was starting to feel uncomfortable. If Midnight’s wings were to fall off due to not enough blood circulation I had a feeling Midnight would blame me for not taking the ropes off.

The next room was a kitchen and for some reason it also had a turret. Brax took out the turret with a double laser shot and the casing melted leaving bubbling goop on the floor.

There were tins of food in the cupboard and I forced Midnight to scan them with my pipbuck. They were much more radioactive than the normal food we consumed but Midnight insisted with pack them anyway.

I went up to the tap and turned it on hoping to see fresh water flow from it. Nothing came out leaving me a little disappointed “The plumbing is probably damaged” Brax told me but this did nothing to boost my morale. Maybe I need Pinkie Pie here to cheer us up.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

Six rooms and five dead turrets later we entered a storage room filled with locked cabinets, safes and computers. A heaven for me if I was still me.

Most of the cabinets had cheap and rusty locks. I got Midnight to blow them out with my shotgun. We pulled open trays of random magical devices, some with gems, some others I could not recognise. I found three memory orbs in one cabinet but the rest were filled with rubbish.

I pulled another open and something jumped at me. Something metallic which started to claw at my face, leaving scratch marks. I jumped up and stomped on it causing it to spark and smoke. It was a robot spider thing roughly 10 inches long.

“Can you not do anymore damage to my body” Midnight said through gritted teeth.

“Sorry” I mumbled feeling a burning sensation around the small cuts on my face.

I hacked the terminal in the corner. Midnight had her hoof out with my Pipbuck in my hooves. I hacked this one much more easily than the last one and pulled up the console. I unlocked the safes in the room. I heard a beep, then a red alarm go off.

Ra-tatata-tatata

No fewer than five turrets opened fire on us. I felt bullets hit my barding and felt another strike my wing painfully.

“Owwww” I screamed. I shook my head as my companions screamed and I deactivated the turrets but not before Midnight let out a scream and she hit the ground gasping.

Midnight lay in a bloody pool of my own blood. She had taken four shots in the flanks and another shot in the left shoulder.

My own pain in my wing seemed to vanish as I panicked, seeing Midnight so injured in my body. Alyshia who also took a bullet in the lower part of her leg limped over to Midnight. She then knelt in my body’s blood and her horn flared no doubt making preparations to apply what I believe would take a few healing potions to fix. Sure enough Alyshia then tipped three healing potions down Midnight’s throat before taking one herself. She then passed one to me which I drank and the wound on my wing healed nicely.

“Sorry I don’t have any bloodpacks Midnight” Alyshia moaned as Midnight got to her hooves swaying slightly.

“S’ok” Midnight slurred, “I now have concussion and I’m low on blood.”

“You will be ok Midnight” Alyshia cooed petting Midnight’s curly tipped black mane that was actually mine.

“Ughh… Alyshia, I’m not Amethyst. Amethyst is the one who is the baby here remember?”

“Oh yeah” Alyshia laughed.

I scowled knowing that it was in fact true that Alyshia tend to mother me sometimes.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

“Amethyst?” Alyshia cried, “There are none of those proton things, in the safes.”

“Have you checked that one?” I asked, pointing a hoof at the one closed safe hidden on a shelf in the corner of the room. This safe was huge; the door was at least ten times larger than any of the other safes in the room.

“Oh no I haven’t” Alyshia mumbled. She then attempted to levitate the gigantic safe down from the shelf so it could be accessible. Her magical field wrapped around the metallic safe and it quivered. She let it go shaking her head. “I don’t know if I can levitate this one. It’s too big” Alyshia said looking crestfallen.

“No it’s not” I said to her, “I’ve levitated things larger than that quite easily.”

“Well I’m not you am I Amethyst?” she snapped at me.

“Ok, I’ll try then” I murmured concentrating on the large safe. But my levitation field did not wrap around the safe. Then I realised I was not in my body and I had no magic.

I facehoofed as Midnight groaned “You are not in your body, remember?”

“I am aware of that” I shot at her.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

“Finally” I beamed “Here we go.” I then pulled out the double funnel proton collider thingo out of the safe we opened after Alyshia dragged it off the shelf, unfortunately smashing most of them when it hit the floor but fortunately there were still about five good ones left. I was astounded that it did not fall through the floor.

“Finally.” Midnight slurred, “I want to get back my body.”

Looking at Midnight, I did not feel the same way. Once this fiasco was over I would be with concussion again and now blood loss.

“Take two Amethyst” Brax grumbled. “In case we blow one up by accident.”

I nodded adding a second to Midnight’s belongings.

I began to dance as a fresh wave of pressure applied to my bladder “Aahh I really really need to pee” I gasped dancing on my hooves.

“Then go?” Brax scoffed. “Whats stopping you?”

“Me” Midnight slurred “Amethyst, can you wait until we swap?”

I shook my head and moaned “Sorry” and ran back out into the corridor leaving my companions in the room before dashing into a room we checked earlier.

Even though I don’t normally pee on a carpet in an office, this was one exception as I relieved myself in the corner. I let out a sigh of relief. The release was so good it was almost as good as an orgasm.

Once done I made my way back into the room and Midnight scoffed “I hope you respected my body when you went?”

“Of course” I replied truthfully “I went as if I went using my own body.”

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

Once back on floor one I had Alyshia put the new device back where the damaged one was ensuring it was in properly. Brax then examined the equipment from his armour and gave the all ok. Brax and Alyshia then exited the room and Midnight fell to her stomach from exhaustion and blood loss. I gulped knowing that I was going to be sick and lightheaded afterwards.

I hit the button once and the door sealed itself. I hit the button again.

BANG

Once again I passed out.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

“Ohhh… I dun feel so good” I moaned as I came back round to Alyshia fretting, my stomach kept convulsing, my head pounded and I felt sick.

“Amethyst? Are you ok, how are you feeling?” Alyshia spoke up worried.

Her face blurred in front of me as I moaned “I feel like shit Alyshia. How’s Midnight?”

“She hasn’t come round yet” she replied.

I let my head fall back onto the hard ground and I stared up at the ceiling. I touched a hoof to my head and felt my horn; I had always taken my own body for granted, as sexy as Midnight was, I couldn’t leave my own body again. I always thought it would be awesome to be her. Now I realised how much I took my own body for granted. Being a Pegasus sucked majorly, I couldn’t do any magic, having wings seemed to be a pain in the neck and they always got in the way. One thing that did surprise me was that I never got horny over Midnight’s body or being her. Maybe I was getting over her? I thought.

“Uurghh” I heard Midnight stir and she sat up. I turned my head towards her and smiled.

“Yay” Midnight burst out looked ecstatic as she jumped to her hooves and flapped her wings. “My body and my wings.”

I grinned at Midnight whose face and mane was all bloody courtesy of me. She then looked at me and smiled before saying “I’m sorry for being all angry and sour at you over this.”

“S’ok” I moaned.

“No it’s not okay” Midnight said looking disappointed in herself, “Being you has taught me a great deal. Being you isn’t easy.”

I nodded telling her “being you isn’t easy either.”

“But…” she continued “I now realise that I’m best at being me, while you are best at being you.”

I nodded to what Midnight was saying, it made sense after all.

Midnight put her hooves around my neck and pulled me into an embrace which I returned “You are a great friend Amethyst, I’m sorry.”

My heart filled with emotion and I tried desperately to fight it “I lov- I mean you are a great friend too Midnight.” I stammered. She seemed to miss my slip up. She pulled back and looked into my eyes. I looked back into her red eyes and looked away as a sudden urge to kiss her surfaced but I remembered my pact. I guess I wasn’t over her I thought to myself.

“Hey Amethyst?” Midnight grinned “At least you didn’t get stuck in Brax’s body.”

I had a sudden image of me in a stallion, with extra parts. I then imaged what a Stallion would do in my body. I gagged before telling her “bad images Midnight, please don’t.”

Once Midnight had withdrawn I asked Alyshia “Where’s Brax?” noticing the stallion was not with us.

“Scavenging” she replied, “says he won’t be long.”

I tried to get to my hooves, but in vain. My body seemed to have given up on me. I felt tired, sick, sore and giddy. I tried again and stood for a moment before falling to my haunches, my front legs then gave out and I fell to my stomach.

“Looks like we’re going to have to rest in here overnight then” Alyshia stated looking at me sadly.

“Nooo” I moaned, “let’s find what we’re here for and get out”

Alyshia nickered “and what are you going to do should we come across some other murderous beast? Snore them to death?”

“I’m fine” I moaned attempting to get to my hooves again but falling flat on my face instead.

“Are you?” Alyshia said sympathetically, “We will look for this thing tomorrow.”

I clenched my teeth and nodded.

“That body swapping room is out-of-bounds as well” Alyshia said matter-of-factly.

“What are you my mother?” I muttered.

“What was that?” Alyshia asked kindly.

“Nothing” I murmured.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

Brax returned about an hour later laden with junk.

“From what I’m gathering, we are staying the night” he grumbled, “Wood for fire, boards to reinforce the door, cushions.”

Alyshia took the largest cushion and laid it on the ground then took a mouldy old pillow and put it on the cushion. I then felt myself lift into the air.

“Hey…” I said loudly to Alyshia “What gives?”

“You need rest if you are to be fit for tomorrow, recoup your blood loss and your concussion” She replied placing me on the large cushion.

I felt my damp flanker being pulled off and I grumbled holding my hooves over my flanks so Alyshia couldn’t pull it off “I can undress myself thanks.”

“Okay then” Alyshia muttered allowing me to start pulling off my own clothes until I was just in my own skin and fur. The lower half of my body was reddish-maroon. Partially healed bullet holes laden my flanks, as well as the bite mark on my back. Alyshia then put a hoof on my rump and pushed me onto the cushion saying firmly “Down”.

“ok ok” I muttered lying down on my stomach. I felt Alyshia wipe something wet over my wounds. Curious, I perked my head up only to feel a hoof push my face back into the pillow.

“Down” Alyshia repeated. This time I laid on my stomach feeling whatever Alyshia was doing with a wet wipe on my wounds, causing me to shudder a little as she applied the ointment. I squirmed a little my legs feeling sore. “Amethyst, for Luna’s sake stay still.”

“Ok sorry” I mumbled.

“Ok this may hurt a little” Alyshia warned.

I nodded expecting her to pour some stinging liquid on my wounds but instead I felt a prick and I let out a yelp. “Owww” I gasped, my head perking up only to have a hoof shove it back down.

“Sorry Amethyst, but stay still.” Alyshia advised.

I grumbled keeping my head on the pillow. I saw Alyshia pull out a pair of tweezers in the corner of my eye and with a shot of adrenaline I was on my hooves “What’re they for?” I demanded. I did not want Alyshia putting tweezers in my wounds.

“Get back on the bed Amethyst. You’re being silly” Alyshia said with a hint of frustration behind her voice.

“What are you using them for?” I demanded.

“You have bullets stuck in your flesh Amethyst, unless you want to keep them in and let them cause infection, then be my guest” Alyshia shot at me.

“Fine” I muttered lying back on the bed. My head now throbbed worse than ever combined with the pain in my lower stomach making me feel nauseous.

“Is Amethyst going to be ok?” Midnight muttered.

“She’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t continue to be a royal pain in the flanks” She told Midnight. She then looked at me before saying to me kindly “You are not a very good patient Amethyst. You need to trust me.”

I nodded before muttering “Sorry.”

Getting the bullets out was a very painful process, she tweezed out all the bullets in my flanks that did not pass through and with minimal blood loss at that. I had even asked Alyshia to use her anaesthetic spell to kill the pain. But she would not hear of it, she said if she did, I will not be able to move for several hours, she had used Med X to numb the pain. Not that it felt like she administered it.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

After twenty minutes of excruciating pain she declared that all bullets were out and it was time to move onto cleaning the wound the zombie gave me. Apparently they carried all kinds of diseases so it would be good to clean it up.

“Alyshia?” Brax grumbled “You should take a bre—“

“No Brax” Alyshia said defiantly.” I will fix Amethyst right back up before I do anything else.”

While Alyshia was caring for my zombie bite, Brax lit a fire nearby, sending warmth through my body. I did not realise how cold I had become after taking off my barding.

“Can I move now?” I asked politely.

“Not yet Amethyst” she mumbled pulling out some bandages and bandaging the wound.

Once she bandaged the wound she asked me to turn over onto my back which I did keeping all my hooves close to my body.

She grabbed my forehooves and checked for any more wounds on my chest. She checked thoroughly which begged the question so I asked “Alyshia don’t you have a spell for checking wounds?”

“Yes” she replied “but I must always be sure and can never trust it one hundred percent. I have already run it over you but I am just making sure.”

I nodded as she let go of my forehooves. She then grabbed my hindlegs which were together and she attempted to pull them open “do you mind?’ I asked her coldly.” I don’t want nopony checking me there.

“Actually I do, if you want the care you need, then you need to co-operate” She told me with finality.

“Fine” I grumbled allowing her to open my lower legs.

I had a small gash on the inner part of my left flank that Alyshia did not pick up and she cleaned it up and patched it.

She then let go of my hindlegs which I snapped shut again and rolled onto my side.

“Not so fast” Alyshia growled, pulling me back onto my back looking at me.” You still seem unwell. I know you’re carrying a small concussion and have lost a significant amount of blood, but I need to know if that is all. Are you feeling sick? Do you have a head-ache?”

I mumbled to her “I have a head-ache, my back is sore, my flanks are stinging and I feel sick.”

“Sick where?” Alyshia inquired.

“Here” I mumbled placing a hoof just below the indent of my coat that was my belly button.

“Here?” Alyshia asked placing a hoof just above, I grabbed her hoof and moved it down slightly.

“Here.”

“Hey Amethyst? You sure you don’t hurt further down than that?” Midnight snickered. I heard Brax let out a laugh as well.

I blushed shaking my head.

“Don’t worry about them” Alyshia cooed.

“Sorry Amethyst, just pulling your hoof.” Midnight said loudly.

Alyshia put her head next to mine and whispered “It’s not that time is it?”

I looked at her confused. “Time?” I mumbled.

“Time of Year? You’re not having period pain are you?” Alyshia asked quietly.

“No” I said a little defiantly.

“Ok” Alyshia said kindly.

“You don’t have a runny nose do you?” she asked.

“No.”

“Hmm” She thought for a bit. “Any pain elsewhere?” She asked.

“No” I grunted, “Done?”

She nodded and I then turned over onto my stomach and laid down, my head spinning slightly, glad that Alyshia was done checking every tiny bit of my body.

Alyshia was a little overprotective I thought, but she meant the best. I still don’t get why she was caring for me so much more than Midnight or Brax. Maybe it was because they didn’t get shot as much? Or maybe it’s because to her I was still a little filly in the wasteland and that I didn’t know what I was doing?

As I fell into thought my eyes began to grow heavy from exhaustion and blood loss. I then fell into a light sleep.

*                                        **                        **                      **                                                *

I began to stir hearing voices talking. I opened my eyes. I was facing away from everypony else, my back felt warm from the fire.

“What do you mean that her leadership skills are poor?” I heard Alyshia ask.

I heard a low rumble reply “well, it’s just that this didn’t exactly go the way we wanted it. Amethyst knew this place was dangerous and she waltzed in as if she was buying a cup of coffee. She hardly knows about the Ministry of Arcane Science. I didn’t even know this machine existed. She led us in here knowing we may all die here.”

I felt my heart shrivel slightly. Are my companions questioning my leadership? Will they leave me? I felt the pit in my stomach grow worse and I clutched my lower stomach in both hooves. I imagined being alone again, in the rotting barn, in Fluttershy’s cottage, sleeping under the stars freezing cold and alone. I didn’t want that. I felt my eyes water and I blinked them away.

“That’s not fair” I heard Midnight say much to my relief. “Amethyst would have had no idea what was in here. I didn’t and neither did Alyshia. Amethyst is from a stable Brax, she has been out here for not even a month. She has gone from a shy mare that wouldn’t even shoot a raider to somepony who has guts and sticks up for who she cares for, without thinking twice before pulling the trigger to save somepony. She would not have led us in this building if she thought we would all die.”

“Oh really?” I heard Brax grumble “In my experience, when ponies want something bad they tend to go to any length to get it. If getting this water talisman was as important as she says it is, I’m sure she would happily lay our lives to get hold of one.”

“No. Amethyst would not do that” Midnight said trying to sound quite.

I sighed and levitated out the cracked memory orb from my saddlebags not wanting to listen to the conversation, I needed to escape, escape reality into somepony else’s memory when times were better. I looked at it without focusing on it and wondered if it would be safe to go inside a damaged orb? I decided that if it was too damaged it wouldn’t work anyway. So I focused my magic on the memory.

I knew something was wrong the moment I touched it with my magic. I screamed. It felt like I was thrown into lava. I felt my body whither before everything went cool and dark. The memory then surfaced obliterating all pain.

========OooO…OooO========

First thing I noticed when the memory surfaced was the prickling around my sides. I instinctively knew I was in a pegasus mare. I was walking next to two ponies, one a yellow earth pony filly with a bright red mane and a huge red bow and another filly who was a white unicorn with a curly pink and purple mane. Both of which were both blank flanks. I was in a pegasus filly I realised knowing that they were both about my host’s height.

“So what are we goin’ to do today to earn our cutie marks?” The yellow earth pony with a bow asked in a rich accent.

I felt my host open her muzzle “Sorry Applebloom, but I’m off to meet Rainbow Dash for flying lessons.”

“Awww” the white unicorn moaned “Can we come?” she asked suddenly looking excited.

My muzzle opened again “Sure, you guys can watch me fly with the best pony ever.”

“if ya can get inta the air” Applebloom snickered.

“Not after today, I’ll be flying like a pro with Rainbow Dash’s help” I felt my host say confidently.

“Maybe ya c’n get some magic lessons from Twilight, Sweetie Belle?” Applebloom asked her “If Scoot is gettin’ flyin’ lessons? I’m sure Twi-“

Oh my Celestia, that pony was Sweetie Belle as a filly. I was in her presence. Oh my Celestia I can see Sweetie Belle. If I was in my own body I would be beside myself and so excited.

“Yeah… And read every book in that damn library” Sweetie Belle said as she rolled her eyes before saying “Rarity just tells me that I’m taking longer than usual.”

Wait, Sweetie Belle was late in her magic too I thought? I felt for the little unicorn. I was in her hooves, blank flank filly with no magical ability. By her age I would still most defiantly be a blank flank with no magical ability and for another year or more at that.

“Hey, kid, you ready for this?” asked a familiar cyan coloured, rainbow maned pegasus who appeared out of nowhere.

My host nodded franticly as Sweetie Belle advised “we’ll sit over there,” pointing a hoof to a tree nearby.

My host looked up excitedly into Rainbow Dash’s magenta eyes as she asked “So you have never flown before?”

Scootaloo just shook her head telling her “Nope, never.”

“Ok ill teach you what you need to learn how to fly, Rainbow Dash style.”

Rainbow Dash then said in an overly confident sort of way “Now there are three things that try to burden your flying. In other words try to prevent you from flying well, or flying at all. Do you know what these are?”

I felt Scootaloo shake her head as she said “Nope… Uhh, well. Me maybe?”

Rainbow Dash facehoofed saying “No, well, that’s kind of one.” She looked down at my host who was holding onto every word. Rainbow Dash merely smiled as she said “The three things that try to prevent you from fly are firstly, gravity. Gravity seeks to keep you grounded. You must fight the gravity with your wings, as in push down with your wings to prevent gravity from grounding you

“Two. Wind. Wind will slow you down, the more wind, the less speed. Less speed means less up-lift, too little uplift means. No flying. Three. Your body, more weight, means more gravity, more gravity means no flying, it also creates drag and that leads us back to wind.”

I must say. Rainbow Dash sure knew how to fly. I would never have thought of that on my own. When I was in Midnights body, I just flapped and kind of just propelled myself sideways. I must say though, I doubt Scootaloo managed to understand half of that.

“Got that filly?” Rainbow asked.

Scootaloo blubbered a little before saying “Sure thing Rainbow Dash.” My filly host then opened her front hooves into a lower aggressive stance with her wings outstretched.

“Hmm.” The blue mare put a hoof to her chin before saying “Flap your wings, show me how you try to fly?”

My host extended her rather short wings and flapped hard like a bee. I could feel the pressure from her weight drop from her hooves but she did not actually manage to get off the ground. When she stopped, my host was panting slightly and judging from the way she looked at the ground was slightly disappointed.

“Now Scootaloo” Rainbow Dash said bossily “You’re flapping your wings wrong. You’re not on your scooter. You’re wasting most of the uplift in propelling the wings backwards behind you, not actually focusing on getting enough uplift. To take off, flap down and push up, maintain flight by pushing up, then push backwards to move forward.

Scootaloo nodded as she unfurled her wings once again. I then felt Rainbow Dash adjust her wings telling her “Wings like this. Now flap down hard and slower, you are not going to take off taking little fast flaps.”

I felt Scootaloo give one heavy push up, followed by a second. I felt her hooves lift from the ground slightly. My host have a sharp intake of breath and she gave a squee of excitement.

“See, you’re doing it just fine. You just needed some of Rainbows tricks. I am the best aren’t I?” she said gloating a little.

“Hey Scoot, you’re flying” I heard Sweetie Belle bellow from the shade of the tree.

I felt Scootaloo touch back down and she hugged Rainbow Dash, sending a very nice sweet smell into my hosts nose, she smelt like Midnight, that arousing smell of Midnight.

“Oh my Celestia. Thank you, thank you, thank you Rainbow Dash. I’ve never been able to fly like that without my scooter.

“No problem. Now if you want to move, just do that again so you are air borne.

Scootaloo once again levitated off the ground and felt her muzzle smile happily as she had done it a second time.

“Now” Rainbow Dash advised, “If you flap your wings like this.” Rainbow dash held her wings slightly on an angle and flapped slowly for demonstration. “You should move up and forwards.”

Scootaloo did just that and with a flap of her wings propelled forwards about twetny meters sending a random view of sky, grass, trees then grass before smashing into the ground. I felt my host gasp as a sharp pang of pain lashed at her wing. I could feel the pain as Scootaloo did and it felt quite sore.

Rainbow Dash flew over and asked looking a little worried “You okay kid? Sore wing?”

Scootaloo nodded holding a hoof on her sore wing and Rainbow Dash shook her head telling her “Best fliers hurt themselves someday. Especially when learning. I think that might be enough for today.”

I felt Scootaloo’s ears tilt back and she looked up at Rainbow Dash. I could feel her passion for wanting to fly, and how much this little filly looked up to this mare.

“We’ll do more next week ok?” Rainbow Dash told her smiling and ruffling my host’s mane with a hoof. I saw Rainbow Dash lift slightly into the air and put herself on top of Scootaloo, just as Midnight did for me when I was in Cantal. “Ready for a ride filly?”

“Hell yeah Dash” Scootaloo said feeling my muzzle smile even wider.

With a heavy jerk, Rainbow Dash shot into the air with such speed that I was absolutely amazed. I felt Scootaloo tense as adrenaline rushed through her body, she blinked once and the ground was hundreds of feet below. The tree Applebloom and Sweetie Belle sat under reduced to a pin prick.

If I was in my own body, I probably would have passed out by now. And with a lurch Rainbow Dash did a few barrel rolls holding onto Scootaloo tightly before pulling into a dive. I felt Scootaloo tense even more as the air rushed through her mane and breathing became difficult as the ground rushed into greater perspective before levelling out with a lurch of the stomach and landing softly on the grass in front of Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.

She let go of Scootaloo and my vision spun as Scootaloo tried to walk over to her friends before collapsing onto the grass laughing. “That was so awesome” She screamed.

“Ya did good Scoot, ya actually flew” Applebloom piped up looking at her friend with a big smile on her muzzle.

“Yeah Scoot, you were all like hovering and then like, you flew forwards and you did ok for a bit then you crashed on your side” Sweetie Belle said looking excited for her friend.

I felt the memory fade out in blackness.

========OooO…OooO========

I came back with everypony around me, “Amethyst? Are you ok? Are you hurt?” Alyshia babbled.

I turned over and vomited next to the cushion I was lying on.

“I’m fine” I moaned wiping my muzzle.

“No, you were shaking and thrashing around screaming. It looked like you were having a seizure. And you just vomited” Alyshia said concerned.

“I entered a damaged memory orb” I mumbled turning over and facing away from my companions. At that moment I did not feel like talking to anypony “I’m fine.”

“Ok” Alyshia said softly as she cleaned up my sick.

“You didn’t hear wh-?” Midnight began but I cut across her as aggressively as my weakened body would enable.

“Yes I did fucking hear.” I turned back over, pointing a hoof at Brax, who was no longer in his armour “You. If you don’t trust me, or you have issues with me, there is the door.” I pointed the same hoof at the barricaded door.

He just sat there and said nothing. I then rolled back over facing away from everypony. I levitated out my canteen thinking of just kicking Brax out of the group. I took a sip and placed the bottle next to me. What would Fluttershy do? Would she kick him out?

I heard a voice in my head answer that question “No.” I knew he was a troubled pony, knew that he was not very nice. His attitude was always sour and he laughed at me when I was in embarrassing situations. I was aware he was not laughing with me but at me unlike Midnight. What would Midnight think if I kicked him out? She at least seemed to get along with him best. I made my mind up. I was not going to kick Brax out. Not unless he gave me a reason to.

I sat up and hit my head with a hoof trying to clear it so I could go back to sleep.

“Would you like something to eat?” Alyshia asked me kindly bustling over.

“No thank you” I mumbled still feeling nauseous.

I laid back on my stomach. My companions seemed to have nothing to say to each other so I rolled onto my side into a more comfortable position and laid there pretending to sleep to see if my companions would say anything else.

Nopony said anything and finally after ten minutes Alyshia piped up “Well I’m going to bed.”

“Same” I heard Midnight mumble.

I heard movement and somepony set their bedding right near me. I felt the wind of the cushion ruffle my mane as it was placed. “Good Night Amethyst” I heard Alyshia say quietly, I then felt her touch my forehead, run a hoof through my mane and finally gave my horn a little kiss.

I felt some of the anger and pressure ebb away replaced by a bizarre emotion that I didn’t think I have had since I was a tiny foal. I ignored it, having no idea how I was feeling anyway. With a small sigh I finally managed to drift off to sleep as everypony else was doing.

Footnote: Level up

New Park: I am you, and you are me – Your Charisma is increased by 1