If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it. All the searching through the Badlands, through the Desert, and now through the valley. All the pain and anger had been worth it. We’d found what we’d been looking for.

The Heartmender. Heartshine.

The pony that was supposedly able to help my mother with her unique brand of empathic magic. This was a mare who was legendary.

And yet, she was not as she seemed.

“Hoosier! Open the gate! We have wounded down here!” Heartshine shouted up at the guard tower.

The walled off town stretched for several miles in each direction. There was no actual telling how big the town actually was, but it was very apparent that it was well hidden. The town itself was not that far away from where Heartshine had found us, but it was cloaked by a wall of mist that conveniently hovered along the upper valley. The only way to possibly have seen the town would have been from the air.

Velvet lay resting on a stretcher that we had managed to pull together out of spare fabric and rocks. It wasn’t comfortable, but it kept her still while we transported her. My horn glowed, floating along the makeshift bed. I set it down carefully, waiting for the gate to open.

An elderly earth stallion peered at us from above in the guard tower. He leaned out to get a better look at us.

“Heartshine? Did you find more freed slaves?” he said gruffly.

“Not exactly. But they’re friends, or will be soon enough. Open the gate, Hoosier, it’s okay,” Heartshine said, glancing sidelong at us. “We got a mare who needs to see the doctor.”

“You got it,” Hoosier replied casually, reaching down to flip a lever.

In front of us a large gate began to swing open, giving us the first view of the town we had been searching for. It appeared dirty and dingy, built primarily out of old steel containers that had been converted into homes and businesses. As we entered I noticed that in all reality, the wall was much longer than the town itself, likely to give off the impression that the town was bigger on the inside. What I noticed more was that the town was fairly crowded. Numerous ponies milled about, watching us warily as we entered. The sheer presence of Heartshine likely kept them at bay.

Heartshine led us through the town happily, a bit of a bounce in her step as we made our way towards where she’d indicated the doctor was. We stopped at the far end of the town next to a large covered tent marked with the familiar markings of the Followers of the Apocalypse. As I entered the tent next to the others I was surprised to see a blue alicorn working amongst the wounded and ill being held there.

“Ah, Heartshine! You’re back. Excellent. I need some assistance with a few of the new arrivals. They’re feeling… well, you know,” the alicorn said as she took notice of us. “I see you picked up some new friends.”

“Doctor Shimmer, these ponies have a friend outside with a broken leg and a possible infection,” Heartshine said. “Do you think you can help them?”

“I’ll have to look at her. I’m quite certain we have the supplies. Now, go on. Take off all that gawdy stuff and get to work. We’ve got ponies to save,” the alicorn replied succinctly.

Heartshine nodded with a smile, discarding all of the things she wore as the Raider Queen in the corner of the tent. With a flutter of her wings, she nodded at us.

“The Doctor here will look at your friend. I have some ponies to attend to, so if you’ll excuse me,” she said.

“Wait,” I said suddenly, stopping her. “After… after you’re done can we talk? It’s important.”

“Of course,” Heartshine replied with a soft smile. “Now go, help your friend.”

I nodded as she flew off into the tent. I watched for a brief moment as she sat next to a pony at the far end of the tent, scrutinizing every little movement for some hint of the magic she held, but there seemed to be nothing. She just… sat there? I felt confused. Maybe I was missing some key piece of how heartmending worked?

“Alright, let’s have a look at your friend, shall we?” the alicorn said. “My name’s Shimmering Night, but the ponies here just call me Doctor Shimmer. You lot look like you’ve been through quite the hell to get to Stable Town. Where are you all from?”

“Equestria, ma’am,” Lightning said. “Primarily the city of Chicacolt.”

“Chicacolt? That is a long way. Hmm… last I heard a fellow sister of mine was holding down the fort in that city,” Doctor Shimmer said as she followed us outside to check on Velvet. “Well, you did a decent job wrapping it and keeping her still, but she is going to definitely need some medical attention. If you will all excuse us, I have work to do.”

Her horn glowed, gently lifting Velvet into the air. Carefully she pulled her inside the tent and moved her to one of the cot beds that was empty near the front. Quietly, she removed the wrapping from Velvet’s leg to inspect the break. She grimaced, but nodded to herself as she floated over a few tools and medical supplies.

We sat just outside the tent, waiting as the doctor did what she could for Velvet. I sighed, leaning my head against the burlap flap.

“Feels weird to not have to worry about being shot at or attacked, I’m not sure I can even remember how to relax,” Coconut said aloud.

“Did you see how she was talking to those ponies back there in the back?” I asked. “Like, what do you think she was doing?”

“Maybe just talking to them? If they’re ex-slaves I can’t imagine what they’ve gone through is easy,” Lightning said. “Maybe just needed a friendly face is all.”

“I don’t… I don’t know,” I said. “I just… maybe I just expected that we’d see heartmending in action. But it didn’t look like she was doing magic.”

“She is a pegasus pony,” Rocky interjected. “Her magic may not be obvious to the naked eye.”

“Still, something’s off. I can’t place my hoof on it,” I said. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

The tent flap opened and Doctor Shimmer appeared. She glanced at us and grimaced.

“I have some startling news regarding your friend,” she said. “She’s a changeling.”

I blinked. “Um… we knew that already,” I said deadpan.

“CLICK.”

“Is she alright?” Lightning interjected, shooting a glare at me.

“Yes, well. Thankfully your friend is strong enough or well trained enough to keep her pony form even while grievously injured. Since her anatomy is staying stable, I was able to set the bones and clear up most of her infection. She’s resting for the moment,” Doctor Shimmer explained.

“When will we be able to leave?” Rocky asked.

“You just got here, and your friend needs to heal. Not for a couple days at best,” Doctor Shimmer replied with a huff. “Besides, you all look like you need food, rest, and…” she sniffed the air a bit. “...a shower.”

“Is there someplace we can accomplish those goals?” Lightning said. “We don’t want to intrude too much here.”

Doctor Shimmer nodded and pointed at the lane of steel just across from us. “Our chapter of the Followers set up some temporary housing down the way when we got here. You can speak with my sister Golden Chalice. She can help get you situated. You can see your friend…”

“Velvet,” I said. “Velvet Kiss.”

“Thank you. You can see Velvet later on. Now, is that all you needed or are there any other medical related things I can assist you with?” Doctor Shimmer asked.

“When she’s finished, can you send Heartshine to meet with us? It’s rather important we speak with her,” I said, raising a hoof.

“Heartshine? Alright. I’ll send her to see you as soon as she’s done with the patients,” Doctor Shimmer said.

We nodded, trudging our way across the path, across the settlement. As we walked, many of the other ponies in the town regarded us cautiously. I couldn’t really blame them. We didn’t exactly look like ex slaves, especially Rocky.

I glanced up at him as we walked. I hadn’t had much time to talk to him again about what had happened between us the other night. With Velvet’s injury, our discovery of the Heartmender, and everything else, there just hadn’t been an opportunity. Beyond just the sex, I had felt something that night. Some sliver of empathy and love had crept back inside me, if only for a minute. It had given me some hope that I could return to normal after All’z’reth had broken me.

Relatively quickly we came across another set of storage containers that bore the familiar symbol of the Followers of the Apocalypse. They looked pretty bare, except for the presence of a second alicorn standing in front of them, along with a few other townsponies. This alicorn was a green. I found myself thinking of Radiant Star for a moment, wondering how far out the Followers had traveled and how they managed to get here in the first place.

The alicorn’s ears perked up as she regarded us. “You must be the newcomers that everypony here is talking about,” she called out. “Come, you must be weary from your travels.”

“Uh… thanks. My name is Lightning Chaser and this is my sister Starry Night. Coconut Cream Pie, Rock Thresher, and the robot’s name is Click,” my brother said, pointing at each of us in turn.

“CLICK.”

“Well, it’s certainly a pleasure to have you here. My name is Golden Chalice. I assume you’ve met my sister, Doctor Shimmer?” the alicorn replied with a smile.

“She’s treating one of our friends for a broken leg,” Coconut piped up. “We just came from there.”

“Excellent. I am sure that we have somewhere here that we can find for you to stay until your friend can be healed up,” Chalice replied, motioning to the stacks of storage containers. “It isn’t much, but we were able to get some running water installed so you can clean up.”

“Thank you, that will be fine. Do we uh… owe you anything for this?” Lightning asked.

“Pssh. The Followers provide help to all,” Chalice said with a titter. “You don’t owe us a thing. We’re just here to help the ponies of this town survive in this hostile area and build something positive out of their lives.”

Lightning nodded and motioned for us to follow up the corrugated metal stairs towards our accommodations. Click moved to the lower section, positioning himself where he would be safe from the weather. I hung back briefly, glancing at Chalice.

“How did you guys get all the way out here? I didn’t think the Followers went outside of Equestria,” I asked.

“My sisters and I were offered a mission outside of Equestria, to find other civilized ponies and to help spread the good word of Velvet Remedy and how we wish to help them rebuild through medicine and good will,” Chalice said without skipping a beat. “Unfortunately… before we found this place our third sister… she perished in a battle with slavers. These ponies took us in and helped us, so now we do what we can to help them.”

“I see. Well… thank you again for helping us. I should be joining my friends,” I said.

“No problem. There are a few places that sell food closer in the center of the town. It isn’t much, but if you have caps to barter with they will feed you,” Chalice replied, motioning back towards the town.

“Thank you,” I said, trotting up to the stacks.

I found the others claiming their own storage containers, which appeared to have been well converted into crude but serviceable living quarters. The walls of each had been reinforced and each one had a few beds inside. Another container appeared to have been converted for use as the bathroom and shower.

I noticed that Coconut and Lightning had claimed a space for their own. I received a wink from Coconut, egging me on to the next container over where Rocky was. He was settling in and taking stock of his supplies when I knocked on the side of the container.

“Do you mind if I room with you?” I asked hesitantly.

Rocky glanced up at me, his yellow eyes taking me in. “I… I don’t mind at all,” he said. “There is only one bed however. I’m not sure if…”

I rolled my eyes at him. “We can sleep in the same bed, you goof. It looks like it will be big enough for the both of us. Might have to cuddle,” I said with a grin.

Rocky narrowed his eyes. His mask made it impossible to tell if he was smiling or frowning. “Are you sure?”

I sighed, walking over to drop my bags next to his stuff and sat. “I am. I don’t know what it was that I felt, Rock, but I felt something. To be clear, I don’t just mean the sex. I mean I felt something for you. If that’s true, that means that whatever All’z’reth did to me isn’t permanent. I can get back my empathy, my love.”

“You… you know that I would be more than willing to help you with that,” Rocky said.

“I know. And that’s why I’m still here, willing to try,” I replied. “Anyways, now that’s out of the way. Do you know if the shower works?”

“You know how I get with water. Makes me feel funny,” he said. “You should probably shower however.”

“Are you saying I stink?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know what I meant,” Rocky rumbled. “It’s been a long journey to get here. Clean up before the Heartmender arrives.”

I nodded, slipping off my barding mindlessly. I set it in the corner next to my gear and headed towards the showers. As I walked past Rocky I swished my tail a little, trying to entice his wandering eyes. I glanced back and winked at him as I left and headed across the walkway into the shower unit.

I heard giggling. One of the showers was already in use, the sound of running water blurring the giggles I heard from behind the curtain. I could see two very familiar sets of hooves underneath the curtain. And then I heard a moan. One of those sets of hooves was positioned behind the other.

“OHH!” I heard Coconut shout. “Oh Goddess!!”

Well… I’d say it’s about time those two finally got together and did the deed, I thought to myself. Granted, not that I wanted to be present during my brother’s first attempt at coitus.

I rolled my eyes and quietly slipped into the next shower over, hoping that the water being turned on wouldn’t interrupt my brother and my best friend’s lovemaking. It was a good thing for them to finally be together.

“Fuck… Lightning… oh… FUCK!!!”

Wow… Coco, you’re kinda loud, I thought as the water clicked on and started pouring down my back.

It was cold, but it felt amazing as it ran over my coat. I reveled in it as I listened to the sounds in the stall next to me. Coconut was still shouting like she didn’t care who heard them, and Lightning was grunting like a madpony. I scrubbed myself off and tried to get as clean as I could. I shut off the water and stepped outside, lifting a nearby towel that looked like a rag and started drying off. As I left the shower unit, I could still hear my brother and Coco going at it.

I stepped back over to the storage container where Rocky was, setting the towel out on the railing to dry. I walked back in to find that Rocky was busy cleaning up all of our gear, mine included.

“Hey, you didn’t need to do that,” I said with a brief smile.

“I know,” Rocky said with a sigh. He sounded… sad. “I wanted to feel like I was doing something. I… I feel pretty bad about what happened on the ridge.”

“About Velvet?” I asked. A nod. “You know that wasn’t your fault, right? Shit just kinda went sideways.”

“And it was our plan based on my information. I didn’t know about the mortar launcher, and I should have known,” Rocky said.

I walked over and wrapped a foreleg around his neck. “Don’t beat yourself up about it. I may not be able to feel much in the way of empathy for you right now, but at least I’m blunt enough to know that it isn’t your fault at all what happened. Velvet’s going to be okay, and now that we found Heartshine we can get back home.”

“You… you’re right,” Rocky said. “When we get home we can fix everything. Maybe… maybe after that I can join you in Theater.”

“What about Envy?”

“It’s long past my time to stay with her. My time with you all has shown me that,” Rocky said. “I’m not upset at coming with you.”

“Good,” I said, reaching down to kiss him on the cheek. “I’m glad to hear that.”

A knock came at the side of the storage container, pulling me away from Rocky. I turned to see Heartshine standing in the entryway, a crimson blush smeared across the green of her face.

“I uh… hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she said. “You said you wanted to talk to me.”

I glanced over at Rocky before returning my gaze back to her. “That’s right. We definitely need to have a big long talk.”

We walked alongside behind Heartshine, the pegasus leading us to a local food and drink establishment in the center of the settlement, a place she had said we could speak openly. Click stayed back at the stacks with Golden Chalice. The alicorn had appeared to be fascinated by the robot. I silently hoped that Dusk wouldn’t show his face while she was interacting with Click.

I sidled up next to Coconut along the way behind the others, raising an eyebrow at her. “So… how was it?”

Coconut’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks. “Um, what? Nothing happened!”

“Please. I saw how you positively glowed when we came to get you. You haven’t looked that happy in ages. Besides, I also heard you in the showers,” I said softly with a wink.

“You what?!” Coconut nearly shouted.

Lightning and Rocky glanced back at us briefly before looking back to where we were going. I chuckled slightly.

“Relax, Coco. I was quiet and did my best to not interrupt. Besides, you weren’t too interested in keeping quiet about it during the act,” I said. “I’m just ribbing you. I think I’m supposed to be happy for you. I’m not sure with the whole ‘no feeling empathy or love’ thing.”

“Gee. Thanks,” Coconut replied. “You are truly the bluntest of instruments, aren’t you?”

“Yes, well. That’s kinda what I am now, yes,” I said, placing a hoof to my chin. “I guess that means you can pick me up and chuck me at bad guys.”

“Starry…”

“Okay okay, I’m sorry. All I have to say is it’s about time. Lightning’s pined for you since we were foals,” I said.

“Well I’d be lying if I said the feeling wasn’t mutual. Lightning’s… sweet. Kind. And recently he’s been really trying to step up and be a real leader,” Coconut replied. “You know, after you went nuts and all.”

“Ha ha,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Hey, you started it. Besides, it doesn’t help that I nearly walked into line of sight of you and Rocky.”

“Speaking of, how was the sex? Not that I care or anything. I just want some material to use against Lightning later,” I replied casually.

Coconut rolled her eyes this time. “It was fine. Geez. Do you always need to pick on him?”

“When it comes to you? Sure,” I said. “I’m kidding of course. You certainly sounded like you enjoyed it.”

“A little,” Coconut said. “But not another word, because we’re here.”

She pointed outwards, noting that we had indeed arrived at our destination. A small shanty shack made of corrugated metal and wood sat in the dead center of the town. All around this shack, tables sat out where ponies were sitting and eating. Inside of the shack steam arose out through a hole in the top of it as a pony inside of it frantically cooked. Outside of the shack stood a unicorn mare with a pencil and paper floating in the air next to her.

“Looks brilliant,” I said wryly.

“It’s about the only place in the whole town that’s doing well really,” Heartshine said. “I’ll order some food and some drinks. Go ahead and find a table to sit.”

We nodded, heading for the nearest open table. We shuffled in to sit down, waiting for Heartshine to return. Eventually she did, placing a dirtily scrawled piece of paper on the table.

“Alright. While we’re waiting on some food to arrive, why don’t we get right to the bottom of things?” she said flatly. “You specifically said you wanted to speak to me, and you aren’t escaped slaves. You don’t fit in to…” Heartshine gestured sloppily. “To here. So, who are you and why are you here?”

Everyone else looked to me. I sighed deeply before beginning.

“We came here looking for your help,” I said softly. “Your magic. It’s something of a legend back home in Equestria. Our… our mother is in a bad place right now. She has a problem with her heart. We were sent to find you to see if you would be willing to come back and help her.”

“I see. I had sincerely hoped that I would never have to go back to Equestria, unfortunately,” Heartshine replied. “Your mother has a heart problem? What kind of heart problem?”

A unicorn mare walked by, dropping several glasses of water on the table along with plates of what appeared to be very burnt hay or pieces of squirrel before walking away.

“She has a hole that is tearing away at her from the inside,” my brother spoke up. “She’ll die if it’s not corrected.”

Heartshine glanced down at her food and sighed. “I’m sorry that you came all this way,” she said, idly poking at a piece of hay. “My magic… it doesn’t fix physical problems with the heart like you are describing.”

My eyes widened. “What? But… wait… your magic is Heartmending, isn’t it?” I asked. “Isn’t that what you do?”

“Heartmending isn’t an act of healing a physical heart. It’s healing a pony’s emotions, it’s the power of empathy focused through the lens of training,” Heartshine replied. “In pre-war times, we were the front line of pony mental health. Ponies trained to heal the emotional heart. While I do have some medical training, fixing a physical hole in somepony’s heart is a lot harder than fixing a broken heart. And that sort of training is something I simply do not have.”

“So what you’re saying is that you can’t help us,” I stated, standing. “That we came all this way from Chicacolt to find the one thing that could possibly help my mother, and you can’t even do it?”

“Starry, calm down,” Coconut whispered.

“No. I want to hear her say it,” I said. “I want to know that I could have just stayed with Mom before she died.”

Heartshine sighed loudly and looked down at her food. “Well, there goes my appetite,” she muttered. “You have to understand that what those ponies in Equestria think I am, some source of magical healing energy, isn’t who or what I am. It’s one of the reasons I left in the first place. They think I have some great ability to heal? They’re misguided. They don’t know what I am capable of. So no, I can’t help you.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?” I said with a growl. “There’s more to this story than you’re telling us. Why did you leave Equestria? Why did you leave Hope Junction to perish?”

I casually lifted out something I’d been carrying with us since we got here and threw it on the table. It was the picture of Heartshine I’d picked up at Hope Junction. Heartshine’s eyes widened as she saw it. Her face twisted into a scowl.

“We’re done here,” she said. “As soon as your friend is done healing, you should leave this place and go home. Don’t bother me again. Please.”

She sat up, extended her wings, and took off back towards the Followers medical tent. I stood there stunned. I groaned, slumping down into my seat. It felt weird that I felt absolutely nothing about this. I felt like I should be angry, upset, hurt. Everything we’d done, every piece of the journey had been for nothing.

I wanted to throw up. Being unable to feel the emotional pain of this was too much. And yet, something was off. Heartshine’s reaction to the photo was the tipping point. She was running from something. I wasn’t sure how I knew that, but I was sure of it.

“So what now?” Lightning said, breaking the silence that had fallen across the table.

“We go home,” Coconut said without skipping a beat. “We find another way to help your mother. If this Heartmender can’t do it…”

“She’s hiding something,” I said, interrupting both of them. “I don’t know how I know it, but she is. You saw how she reacted to the photo. Something happened there, and I’m going to find out what it was.”

I shuffled off the bench and stood without waiting for a response from the others, grabbing the photo and stowing it in my sidebag. I ran off, ignoring their pleas, heading straight towards the medical tent. I arrived in minutes, stopping only to catch my breath before I entered. I took a deep breath and pushed open the flap. I scanned the tent for Heartshine, finally resting upon her lime green frame sitting next to… Velvet Kiss. It appeared that she’d been moved to one of the nicer beds.

Velvet appeared to be awake and speaking to Heartshine. I slowly made my way through the tent, unsure of what I was going to say. Velvet caught notice of me first, her reaction alerting Heartshine, who turned to glare at me.

“Starry?” Velvet asked. “Is that you?”

“I’ll leave you two to talk,” she said icily.

“Wait. I came to say I’m sorry about the photo,” I said quickly. “Clearly that upset you. I just want to understand why.”

“Photo? Upsetting ponies? Sounds about par for your course, Starry,” Velvet cracked.

I rolled my eyes in response. “I wish I could say I felt glad to see your dry wit is still with us, Velvet, but you know…” I said. “Still, you look like you’re going to be alright.”

“Few days give or take,” Velvet replied. “Heartshine here was just tending to my um… feeding habits.”

“Oh?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at the lime green mare.

“Your friend isn’t the first changeling I’ve encountered. I’ve learned over time how to tune my magic to help nourish and feed them,” she replied. “Why are you here, Starry? I made it very clear to you that I don’t wish to be bothered by you.” she asked, quirking a brow at me.

“I just… I just want to talk, that’s all,” I said. “Five minutes of your time. I want to explain some things.”

“I have a strong feeling that you should,” Velvet said, interrupting. “I don’t know why, but I think it will help.”

Heartshine glanced back at her and the hard eyes softened. She sighed. “Alright. Five minutes. Follow me,” she said, motioning for me to follow her to the empty corner of the tent.

“I’ll be right back,” I said to Velvet as I passed by.

I made my way to the corner where Heartshine had sat upon an empty bed. I took the space on the bed across from her and glanced down at my hooves.

“We found Hope Junction on our way here. I did… I did a horrible thing there. I took the life of a zebra, the one whose poison had caused my mother’s heart condition to accelerate. Except I didn’t just kill him, I executed him. Brutally,” I started to say. “I was… infected I guess is the right word. An ancient being that called itself All’z’reth. It influenced me, nearly drove me to insanity, and after all was said and done… it took the one thing that made me a real pony. It took my empathy.”

“That would be why I can’t feel anything from you,” Heartshine said softly. “Just a sliver, really. Curious.”

“I continued ahead because I was so sure that you could help us. And you can, can’t you? But something happened. The photo… the way you reacted to it,” I said, figuring things out in my head as I spoke. “Those ponies meant something to you.”

“They were fools and idiots,” Heartshine said. “They thought that we would be safe. They didn’t bother with things like basic safety, with protection. The bad guys were gone. The radiation cleared up. They didn’t understand that none of that mattered, that bad things still happened. I tried to save some of them when the raiders came. They didn’t survive.”

“What happened there? The entire place looked like it had been nearly flattened,” I said.

“The raiders weren’t just the run of the mill raiders. It was an army. Slavers. Crazed minotaurs. They had some sort of suppression device. It leveled the town. I watched… watched as it burned and died,” Heartshine said, looking down at her hooves. “Everywhere I’ve gone, bad things follow. I’ve always tried to help ponies, but they wouldn’t listen to me. No matter how much I loved them, they wouldn’t listen when I tried to get them to leave.”

“Minotaurs? The Cult of Iron Will is the only minotaur slavers I know of,” I said, trying to put two and two together. “But that would mean they were outside of Equestria…”

“The name sounds familiar,” Heartshine replied. “It was… so long ago that the town was destroyed. If you found that photo, that means you found my bunker. It was… the only concession I could get from the ponies there when they really figured out that the raiders were coming.”

“Who were the ponies in the picture?” I asked.

“Close friends I made while I was there. The unicorn, his name was Flint. Knew quite a bit about rocks and how to work quarries. The earth pony… her name was Pear Jam. Excellent baker, knew all sorts of things…” Heartshine said wistfully. “They died. I couldn’t save them.”

“Is… is that why you don’t want to come with us?” I ventured hesitantly.

“My magic… it’s imprecise, Starry. Even if I did come with you, there’s no telling whether or not I would be able to save your mother’s life. It generally doesn’t work the way you, you need it to,” Heartshine said solemnly. “I’m sorry. I just… I can’t face going back to Equestria. It just reminds me of far too much pain and sorrow. Of friends that I lost because I couldn’t help them.” She looked down at her hooves, and closed her eyes. “Regret is one emotion that I try to avoid feeling at all costs.”

I mulled over her answer for a few moments before speaking up. “Just… just because you couldn’t save them doesn’t mean you couldn’t try to save another,” I said. “But… I understand. If that’s your decision… then once Velvet is healed… we’ll leave and go home.”

Heartshine nodded mutely. She sighed before smiling painfully. “I am sorry about your mother. I know that you came a long way to find me.”

I stood and walked away, leaving the photo behind on the bed next to her. I watched closely as she cradled it in her hooves, turned away and began to weep softly. I sighed and returned to where Velvet was lying.

“Everything alright?” she asked. “You look… upset.”

“I do? I don’t feel upset,” I said with a sigh. “I don’t feel anything. It sucks. And not to mention that this entire journey was for nothing.”

“What do you mean?” Velvet said. “We found the Heartmender, didn’t we?”

“It’s not that simple,” I said. “Heartmending can’t fix Mom’s problem. It’s an empathic magic, not a physical cure.”

“But… she can do it,” Velvet said insistently. “I can feel her, all the way over here. Her magic is strong enough to do anything she wants.”

I looked back in the corner where Heartshine sat quietly. She had taken to lying on the bed, staring off into space. If she was truly capable of healing my mother, then why did she think she couldn’t?

“She doesn’t know what her full potential is,” Velvet whispered. “Her heart has been broken, cutting her away from her true power. It needs mending too. Just like yours.”

“Deep, even for you,” I said softly. “But I think she’s right. She can’t help us. As soon as you’re healed up, we’re going home. I’m going to go back to the others. You need your rest and so do we.”

“Alright, but--” Velvet started to say, but I was already gone.

The others had said nothing after I arrived back at the stacks. I slid into bed and tried to sleep as Rocky slumbered next to me. I couldn’t get my mind off of what Velvet had said. Heartshine could save Mom? It didn’t make sense.

I must have fallen asleep at some point in the evening because when I awoke again it was dark out once more. Rocky snoozed silently next to me, or at the very least his apparatus was silent. I shimmied out of bed and stepped onto the cold floor of the container. I stepped onto the walkway and looked out over the town.

It was serene, peaceful. A quiet hush had swept across the town. Nopony seemed to be out and about. It seemed as if everything was just… normal. It felt strange. I turned and walked down the stairs to where Click was resting.

“It seems that we are both finding ourselves unable to sleep,” Dusk’s voice came from the robot’s speaker. The monitor illuminated to show his face.

“I guess,” I said. “Why can’t you sleep?”

“Mostly because where I’m at… it’s impossible to do so. I’m in a constant state of awareness, unable to actually put my head down and rest,” Dusk said. “One of the more unfortunate side effects of the time limbo. What about you?”

“I can’t stop thinking about Heartshine. She said she can’t help us. Her magic doesn’t do what we thought it did,” I said. “But Velvet said something that caught me off guard. She thinks Heartshine’s broken too, just like we are.”

“It’s a very real fear that comes about when we find out that those we know only in legend are just as normal as any other pony,” Dusk said. “It’s hard.”

“I guess maybe I just… I expected more. I did find out something rather interesting while I was speaking with her,” I said. “Hope Junction. It was attacked by the Cult of Iron Will.”

“The Cult? What would they have been doing all the way out there? They almost never extended their reach beyond the city,” Dusk said, grimacing.

“She said they had some sort of device. A suppression cannon that flattened the town. That would account for the damage done there, right?” I asked.

“Yes… but where would the Cult have gotten such technology? That sort of technology is… oh no… this isn’t possible,” Dusk said, groaning loudly.

“What? What is it?”

“This technology would only exist in your future,” Dusk replied. “There’s no way possible that this could have happened.”

“What does that mean? That somehow the Cult has time travel capability? They don’t even seem smart enough to do that,” I said, pondering on his words.

“Or they have someone providing them with this technology. This isn’t good, Starry. If the Cult had access to that technology and they destroyed that town with it… then what else is stopping them from… wait… do you hear something?” Dusk said, cocking his ear.

I blinked, putting my ears up at attention as well. At first I didn’t hear anything, and then I heard it. The whistling sounds of something soaring through the air piercing through the quiet of the evening. The whistling intensified as it got closer, and then it hit.

An explosion rippled across the outer wall of the settlement, tearing apart corrugated metal and sending flaming debris flying. The guard tower exploded as well, falling to the ground below.

“Shit,” I muttered to myself. “Dusk, you go and find Heartshine and protect her and Velvet! I’ll wake the others.”

“Already on my way,” Dusk replied as the robot’s treads engaged, speeding him away from the stacks towards the medical tent.

“Golden Chalice!” I shouted, hoping that the alicorn would hear me as I jaunted up the stairs towards the others. “Rocky, Lightning, Coconut! You guys gotta get up!”

Coconut popped her head outside of their containment unit, already wearing her power armor. I blinked. Did she like, sleep in it or something? I thought to myself. Behind her stood Lightning, already suiting up in his gear. Beyond him, Rocky stepped out, carrying his sniper rifle.

“What’s going on? We heard an explosion,” Lightning said.

“Someone is attacking the town,” I said. “Dusk is headed to ensure Heartshine and the medical tent is safe. We need to get to that wall and find out who is attacking.”

“Agreed,” Lightning said. “Rocky, I want you to find yourself a good vantage point. If you see something or someone trying to break through, shoot to kill. Coconut, you and I are going to head to the wall. Starry, you get Golden Chalice and get her up there as well. We’re going to need the support of the town’s two alicorns.”

I nodded, heading back down the metal staircase to where Golden Chalice’s home was and pushed aside the curtain to enter. I stopped dead in my tracks. Two large hulking monstrosities were standing over Chalice’s unmoving form. From where I was standing, she was still breathing, but just barely. My mind immediately raced to thinking about Doctor Shimmer, Heartshine, and Velvet. If the attackers had already gotten into the town…

One of the bipedal monsters glanced back at me, its eyes glowing a deep blue. I couldn’t tell what kind of creature it was other than that it was tall, had spiky silverish hair, and piercing eyes. It lifted a claw and barked something in a language I didn’t quite understand before starting towards me.

“Oh no you don’t,” I said, igniting my horn.

A fire spell leaped forward into existence, bathing the bipedal creature in a blaze of flame that sent it stumbling back into its fellow biped. The other monster reeled slightly from being struck, but simply brushed it off and growled in whatever language it was speaking. It lifted one of its claws, ejecting some sort of projectile from the gauntlet covering it. I ducked as an electrically charged bolt hit the wall behind me, sending a spark that gave my rump a solid smack.

I growled under my breath. This was wasting time that the town didn’t have. I needed to end things quickly. I grinned, looking back at the bolt stuck in the wall. With a flicker of magic I ripped it away from the wall and thrust it back at the one that had shot it. It struck the creature in the chest, the electricity from its payload sending a shockwave throughout its body. It dropped to the ground next to its friend. Neither one moved.

I crossed the container to Golden Chalice. She was still breathing, but roughly. I grimaced. With her out of commission I was going to have to get to Velvet and the others quickly. Who the fuck were these guys that were attacking us? And how had they gotten into the town without us seeing them?

The explosion, I realized. It had given them a small window to get into the town and attack Chalice. They’d caught her offguard before she could go help. I sighed and glanced about her domicile, looking for anything that could help. A healing potion on the shelf stood out. I grabbed it with my magic and slowly craned Chalice’s head so I could get it down her throat. Within moments the magic worked its way through her and her eyes opened.

“What… what happened?” she coughed.

“Don’t sit up too quickly, you got attacked by some freaks,” I said, pointing at the unmoving forms of her attackers. “The town’s being attacked by someone.”

“My sister. She’s being attacked as well. You must go and help her,” Chalice said. “I can feel her calling for me.”

I nodded with a grimace. “I’m going to head there now. Can you use your magic?” I asked.

Chalice concentrated, a green glow wrapping her horn in soft light. She nodded in response. “I think so. Can you help me into my bed? I should be able to hold down things from here,” she said.

I helped her to her hooves and onto the bed. “Do you have some form of protection?” I asked. “You’ll be alright?”

Chalice nodded, levitating out two large rifles. “Let’s see them come for me again while I am prepared for them. Now go, please find my sister. She needs help,” she said.

“I will. Stay safe,” I said, turning to head back out to the town.

I stepped into chaos. The townsfolk were in disarray, having been somewhat mobilized by my friends to action. Still, everything was being smashed or broken into two. I grumbled under my breath and started off towards the medical tent. I had to get to Heartshine and Doctor Shimmer before something bad really happened.

I heard gunshots behind me. Likely coming from Golden Chalice. I had to hope she was going to be alright in her condition. I pushed on, charging towards the tent. I could see two more of those strange bipedal monsters outside of it. Standing across from them was Doctor Shimmer. A shield spell had been called up, repelling the invaders’ weapons, but it wasn’t going to hold for long. Already I could see Shimmer’s tiring face.

I glanced about as I planned my approach. Where was Heartshine and Velvet? Hell, where were any of the other patients? And Dusk? The flapping tent showed nopony inside.

I got my answer a second later as a lime green blur ripped out from behind the bipedals, bringing down a clawed hoof gauntlet upon one of their heads. It dropped like a rock. So you’ve got some fightning skills at least, I thought as I leaped out and sent another fire spell blazing at the remaining creature. It crumpled to the ground in a heap.

“Are you alright?!” I shouted as Shimmer dropped her shield.

“We’re… better,” the alicorn said with a huff. “My sister. Is she alright?”

“She’s okay,” I said. “I got the drop on some of the fuckers trying to ambush her. What about the patients?”

“Moved to an underground bunker,” Heartshine said as she landed on the ground next to us. “They should be alright down there.”

“Is Velvet with them?” I asked. “What about the robot?”

“Ah, negatory. Your friend is very fast healing. As soon as the trouble started she was out of bed and ready to go. She’s probably with your friends now along with the robot,” Doctor Shimmer interjected with a steel-eyed gaze. “For now, that’s where we should go as well. They’re going to need our support.”

She started off towards the town gates where the others would be fending off the invasion. I glanced at Heartshine and shrugged, following after her. I figured the best place to be in an invasion was behind the incredibly strong alicorn with super-powerful magic. Heartshine fell in line next to me as we ran behind Shimmer.

“So, hoof claws? You can do more than just mend hearts, I see,” I said wryly.

“Had to learn to survive out there somehow,” Heartshine replied with a sigh. “I just wish that shit like this would stop happening to towns I move to.”

“I’ve never seen anything like these monsters before,” I said. “How would they have even found this place? It’s pretty well hidden.”

“I don’t know, but hopefully we can repel them,” Heartshine replied.

I nodded, returning my attention to the fray as we arrived at the gate. I heard the cracking sounds of Rocky’s sniper rifle cutting through the chaos, dropping another one of the bipedal monsters. The gate itself had fallen, a pulled siege wagon being thrust through it. There were ponies too. Ones that looked strangely familiar to me, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen them before.

Another explosion rocked the side walls of the settlement. Whoever was commanding this force had some seriously heavy armaments to back up their minions with. Whatever we did next, we’d need to deal with the artillery if the town was going to even have a chance.

“Starry! We have a real problem here!” I heard Coconut shout from above somewhere.

I glanced upwards. The town’s resistance, although light, had mustered together along the storage containers that made up the town square’s businesses. Coconut and Lightning stood side by side, each firing like mad at the invaders. From somewhere beyond them stood Rocky, aiming his sniper rifle and letting it loose with another crack, taking down a pony attempting to climb onto the siege wagon. I climbed up next to them, watching on as Heartshine and Shimmer took places near the towns ponies that had been injured, helping tend to them.

“Where’s Dusk and Velvet?” I said. “These fuckers tried to hit Chalice and Shimmer while we were busy! They knew they were here and how to get in!”

“Shit,” Coconut said. “We’re having trouble keeping them away from the wall. We’re getting pushed back with every attack. Whatever they’re hitting the town with, its strong stuff.”

“I can’t even fly for fear of getting picked off,” Lightning replied. “Whatever these monsters are, they’re suicidal.”

I grimaced, trying to run through my head a way out of this. The town was being overrun and there was nothing we could do about it. The town ponies weren’t even remotely prepared for such an attack. These creatures and their weapons felt too advanced for the level of technology we’d seen in this area. It reminded me of Iron Comet and the mortar launcher. Where had he gotten that from? I couldn’t remember if he’d said where he’d found it.

Something clicked in my mind as I remembered something Dusk had said. The Cult of Iron Will had access to technology that hadn’t been created yet. These creatures had access to futuristic weaponry. Or were they the ones from the future? I couldn’t piece it together. All I knew was that there was something incredibly off about these invaders.

“We gotta get that wall under control,” Lightning said, interrupting my thoughts. “If it falls completely we are fucked.”

“Which means that to do so, someone is going to need to go outside and take out those launchers,” I said, putting pieces together in my mind. “I think I have an idea, but I need to find Dusk.”

Lightning scanned the chaos, pointing across the battlefield at a large robot smashing back and forth into several of the ponies that had filtered into the attack. Riding atop of him, firing wildly was Velvet Kiss. It was a sight I couldn’t even imagine in my wildest dreams.

“There!” he shouted. “Starry… don’t do anything stupid, alright?”

“You know me,” I said, bounding down off the storage containers into the fray.

The change in climate was immediate. Two more of the strangely dressed ponies rushed at me brandishing what appeared to be magical energy weapons. I growled under my breath and lit my horn, bringing out my own gun and cracking loose two shots that hit their own weaponry. I didn’t have time for this! I had to get to Dusk and Velvet!

“Need a lift?” a voice said from beside me.

I glanced sidelong to see Heartshine. “Wha?”

“I said, do you need a lift? Doctor Shimmer’s taking care of the patients and is keeping them away from the injured. You look like you are gonna do something fucking crazy, and well…” Heartshine said. “I’m tired of running. I wanna help.”

“We need to get over to Velvet and Dusk,” I said, pointing out at the robot across the chaotic mess of a battlefield. “But if we fly over, you’ll just get shot down.”

“Leave the dodging to me, you just hold on and keep that horn going,” Heartshine said with a wild grin. She reached over and grabbed onto me, lifting me up into the air slightly. “Oof. You’re not as light as I thought you were.”

“Are you saying I’m fat?”

“Sweetie, just shoot things,” Heartshine replied.

I grinned widely, nodding as the lime green pegasus shot forward, dodging and weaving as bolts of red and green energy tried to strike her out of the sky. I floated my gun along, taking shots at every would be assailant. Within moments we landed next to where Velvet and Dusk were rolling along. The robot turned, Dusk’s face grim. Velvet however, had a crazed grin on her face.

“Starry! There you are,” he said. “We have a real problem here, this tech is--”

“Future tech, I know. I put the pieces together after we talked,” I said. “We have to hit those cannons outside the wall or this town is fucked. Does Click’s body have any more grenades left?”

“What’s the plan?” Velvet said as she landed on the ground next to Dusk.

“We need to get beyond the wall and get across their front lines and destroy those launchers, but only Click can do this,” I said. “He has enough firepower to take them out single handedly.”

“That sounds like a suicide mission,” Dusk said. “Are you sure that Click will do it?”

“Only way we’re going to find out is if we ask him. Dusk, can you switch to my PipBuck and give me audio-visual feed from Click?” I asked.

Dusk nodded, the static on the monitor returning as Click’s happy pony face appeared in the screen. In one corner of my PipBuck’s heads-up-display, I could see myself through Click’s eyes. In the other corner, Dusk.

“CLICK.”

“Click, have you been listening to what’s going on? You have to help us. If we can’t beat those cannons, we’re all going to die here, do you understand?” I shouted.

“CLICK!” the robot chirped happily. It’s monitor screen turned into a nodding pony’s head. “CLICK CLICK CLICK!”

“Click says that he agrees,” Dusk said in my ear.

“Good. Here’s what you need to do,” I said. “You should be able to punch through the side wall and circle around and flank from the other side. Turn off all your screens and lights that would tip anyone off to you. Once you’re in position, you need to hit those cannons with everything you got.”

“CLICK!”

I sighed for a moment, looking up at the robot. “And Click? I’m really sorry, alright? This… this isn’t going to end well for you. I wish I could say you’re going to come out of this alright, but… but you’re not.”

“CLICK.”

“He says he’s ready, and he’s right. If we waste anymore time, it’ll be too late to strike,” Dusk said.

“Starry, are you sure that this is the only way? I kinda like Click. He’s goofy,” Velvet said.

“We have to do something or this town is going to be run over and then none of it will even matter,” I said, glancing sidelong at Heartshine. “What we came here for won’t have mattered.”

Click turned without answering anyone and started jetting towards the side wall of the settlement. Within mere moments he had punched a sizable hole that allowed him to exit.

“What now?” Velvet asked.

“Let’s get back to the injured and help Doctor Shimmer. I suspect there’s not much else we can do other than help stem the tide of the bloodshed and protect the town,” Heartshine said.

I grimaced and nodded, watching in the corner as Click moved out into the valley wilderness surrounding the town. Quietly he crept along, lying as low as he could as he circled around the invading army. As we made our way back through the throng to Doctor Shimmer, I could only watch as Click’s user interface pointed out the locations of the siege weaponry that was assaulting the wall of the town. At the moment, they were quiet, unused. The invaders had been nearly stemmed. All that was left was to take out the cannons and hopefully cause such a disarray that we could turn the tide of the battle.

I sighed as I watched. It was the only plan I could think of on such a short notice, and even then… I felt nothing about it as I watched the robot move closer to the enemy camp. I didn’t feel shame or anger or even hurt as Click hurtled himself closer to what would likely be his last day with us. Something about that inside of me made me wonder if I would truly ever feel anything again.

“Are you alright?” Heartshine said from next to me.

“Yeah… I just… you know how you’re supposed to feel bad about something like this?” I asked.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t feel anything.”

“Oh.”

“Something’s wrong with me, and I don’t really know how to fix it,” I said softly as I watched the scene unfold in the upper corner of my heads-up.

Heartshine placed a hoof on my shoulder. For a brief moment, I felt a twinge of regret. For a moment I felt something more substantial than nothing. Then it was gone as Heartshine removed her hoof. I looked up at Heartshine and smiled. She smiled back softly.

Then my eye caught something in the upper corner where Click was moving. He had managed to get around the entirety of the invaders and had positioned himself on a ridge just above the siege cannons. They appeared to be in the process of being reloaded by several ponies and what looked like minotaurs. Standing in the center, directing them were several large individuals and two ponies.

My eyes widened as I realized where I’d seen all these ponies before. Some of them were slavers that had been a part of Iron Comet’s group, but the rest… were from the oasis. Click’s eyes turned down towards the individuals standing in the center of the activity.

“This isn’t good,” Dusk said in my earbud. “This isn’t good at all.”

Standing at the head of the group was two ponies. Both of them I knew. One of them looked scared shitless, the other with fire in his eyes. Iron Comet, the mercenary and Kephali, the leader of the oasis ponies. Kephali held a new staff, this one appearing to be made of steel and technology.

Standing above them was a minotaur I’d seen only once before, several long years before when Lightning and I were just learning our places in the MMMM. It was a minotaur that had long controlled the most ruthless slaver gang in all of Chicacolt, the Cult of Iron Will. Wrath. The monster that had once nearly broken my god-mother, Radiant Star.

The other individual standing behind him was something I didn’t recognize. It appeared to be a unicorn, but it was much larger than both Kephali and Iron Comet and as tall as Wrath. His horn was curved and wicked, a glowing red. His eyes burned and he was bathed in a crystalline armor that looked far too advanced for any other technology that existed in this timeline.

Click’s weaponry engaged, firing off a volley of grenades and lasers at the siege cannons, setting them ablaze. In the distance from where I was standing, I could hear and see the light show as the cannons went up in a blaze of glorious flames. Click kept firing until he was completely out of ammunition. The leaders of the army scrambled to ascertain who was attacking them.

And then suddenly, Click’s screen went dark.

Author's Notes:

Another chapter! I'm on a roll lately! I got caught by the writing bug, and managed to crank this baby out quickly!

Things as they say, are getting real.

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