The room was filled with the sound of several fans, metallic clanging, and the noise of the air vents blasting their contents out, despite the numerous objects we'd put out in the hopes of blocking the heated air.

I let out a groan and slid a hoof across my sweaty face. “Luna’s moon, its hot. I'm tempted to shave my coat off."

Ashes grunted, her ears drooping, her body swaying gently back and forth as she sat on the couch beside me. The bags under her eyes were even bigger than mine and she looked like she was about to fall asleep any second, but she just kept sitting in front of one of the fans.

Knives kicked the fan, eliciting another clang. “Grrr. This thing is crap! Ah coulda made a better one mahself!”

“I thought you-" I flopped back against the couch and groaned. "Oh, forget it. I don’t even care right now.”

“Maybe Ah could get some ice and throw it at th’ damned thing.” The striped unicorn kicked the fan again. “Be a buttload more useful.”

“Can’t fucking believe this place,” a voice said from the door. “One week the air conditioning is going into overdrive, the next the heaters do the same damn thing.”

“MOM! Please tell meh ye got th’ pump?”

Mrs. Knives pulled the device out of her bag. “Is it the right one?”

“Yes! Just set up th’ rest of it and Ah’ll get this set up.”

With that, Knives dashed into her room, which began to emit... mechanical...sounding... noises, and her mom started putting charcoal and salt into… bucket… thingies and...

“Crap…” I moaned. “I think my brain’s stopped working. How’re you doing, Ash?”

“So tired. Want sleep.” The young mare yawned. “Hot…”

"Don't worry, Diamond should be able to get her cooler working soon." Mrs. Knives rubbed her face. "Ugh... this heat is actually making my scars itch. Unbelievable."

Ashes groaned again, and gently leaned into me. I looked up at the clock. Way past when my marefriend usually slept, and since the heat had been keeping her awake for three days, she looked like she was on the verge of passing out.

I rubbed her shoulders a bit before I hugged her, enjoying her warmth despite the heat. She hugged me back and hummed contentedly, a smile crawling onto her face. "My fluffy pillow."

I pushed her away so I could glare at her. "I am not fluffy.”

Her lip curled into a pout. “Zeeeeeed…”

I kept glaring at her.

Her pout was interrupted by a massive yawn. She swayed again as her eyelids drooped a bit more. “C’mun, Zeed. Yer c’mfy. Please?”

“No,” I harrumphed. “it's too hot. And you called me fluffy again.”

Mrs. Knives snorted a laugh. “You remind me of my first coltfriend.”

“Whaddaya mean?” Ashes pouted even harder as I turned to look at the older zebra.

“I used to-” She grinned as her daughter popped out of her room. “Did you finish it?”

“Aye. Can ye help meh carry it?” Knives vanished back into the room, followed by her mother.

Ashes collapsed further onto the couch. She sniffled a bit. “You’re no fun, Zeed.”

“I’m am so fun! I just don't want to be a pillow.” My forelegs crossed over my chest.

“No pillow? Just bein' mean.” She sniffled again and rolled over, facing away from me.

"Ash, c'mon. I'm not being mean." She didn't move. "Ashes, come on, really?"

She harrumphed at me. "No. You're mean."

"You know, you didn't used to be this bad when you were tired. Now you act like a foal." She stuck her tongue out at me. I frowned. "Hey!"

"Meanie."

I stared at her for a moment.

"Fine," I sighed. "I'll be a damn pillow."

"No. You're a jerk."

"Wha-hey!"

She stuck her tongue out, this time playfully, and kissed me on the nose before she hugged me.

"I still want you to stop calling me fluffy."

Her response came in the form of a light, fairly adorable snore.

"Of course..." I muttered, marveling at how weird my mare friend could get without sleep.

~~~~

Vill pointed to her belly and giggled at the visible outline of a tiny hoof pushing out. "See? It's like its having a party in there. What are you doing you little crazy?"

"Oh, wow," Misty laughed. "How far along are you?"

Knives rolled her eyes and hopped out of the chair. "Aam goin' tae go an' see if Zim's ready.

"See you later, Knives. Have fun." I called as she trotted away.

When the striped unicorn was out of sight, Vill's ears went back against her skull. "How come Knives hates me so much?"

"Don't worry about it. She's easily pissed off." I waved a hoof dismissively. "Sometimes I think she has no idea why she hates who she hates. What's she actually been doing, anyway?"

"She's always glaring at me and talking to me like I'm stupid." The young mother sighed. "I mean, yeah, I didn't know... well... how I even got pregnant, until somebody gave me a book about it, but... how was I supposed to know?"

Misty smiled at the mare. "Vill, you were raised by a bunch of slavers. You're lucky you even knew how to read that book at all. So Zeed and I totally don't think you're dumb."

"How'd you end up with the Bone Eaters, anyway?" I asked.

She tapped her hooves together as she thought. "Dad wanted me to go with Rex when he came looking for recruits. We were... poor, so he wanted me to have a chance to make something of my life."

"He wanted you to make a life as a slaver?" Misty gave her an incredulous look.

"It was either that or..." She grimaced. "Uh... never mind. It's just weird."

"What about your mother?" Misty continued, propping her head up on her forehooves and looking interested. "Was she around?"

Vill scratched her neck. "Uh... not really? She was... well... um... can we not talk about it? It... kind of makes me uncomfortable."

"Fair enough. What about you, Zeed?"

I blinked at the blue striped pegasus.. "Huh?"

"Well, Nezan told me some about when you were a filly before he left, but I kinda, like, wanna hear it from you." She smiled again.

"What do you wanna know?" I asked. "I mean, I've lived in the Prison my whole life. Not much there except for petty, elitist Guards, my idiot of a mother, and pretty much every mare I've ever slept with. I'm also a moody insomniac and the thought of eating insects makes me nauseous."

Vill made a gagging noise. "Bleagh! Why would you eat bugs? That's just gross."

"I know, they're so... crunchy." I shuddered. "And I already told you I was training to be a medic before I left."

"Is that what your mark is for?" Misty asked.

"Nope. It's actually for making medicine." Her eyebrow went up in an incredulous manner and I sighed. "Yes, that includes chems. No, I don't go making them for anypony who asks. I usually stick to healing potions when I have ingredients."

"You could make a lot of moola from that, ya know," Misty said. "People get hurt a lot out here."

I tapped my chin. "True, but like I said, I need ingredients. Besides, I seem to just end up using them."

"Ow. So how come you're out here, anyway?"

"Knives and I ran before a riot started." I gave my neck a nervous scratch. "I'm... also... kind of trying to find... one of my exes..."

A sigh left my throat. "I kinda owe her a few things."

"Oh... what happened with her?" Misty asked.

"Well... she... did something pretty bad, but... I overreacted. Especially since she was so upset about it. She didn't even try to lie about it either, she was completely honest, and..." I sighed again. "I didn't even give her a chance. I hope she's okay."

We all sat there quietly for a while. I suddenly felt bad for making things awkward.

"Hey, I have an errand I need to run." Vill's ears perked up as Misty spoke. "Do you two wanna come with me?"

"What's the errand?" Vill asked.

"I just need to pick something up from Carabiner."

A smile spread across the young zebra's face. "I could go for you. Please? I can use some exercise and I haven't run in a while. Uh... well... I ran from Raftwater, but that was more like sprinting and I hated that. Blech. Felt like I was gonna pop."

"Are you sure you wanna? It's pretty far and there’s a lotta stuff."

"Yes! Please, please, please, please," Vill begged, cupping her forehooves together as she pleaded.

"Can you run when you're that big?" Misty tapped her chin. "I, like, can't even fly like this, and I'm only eight months."

Vill nodded, grinning from ear to ear. “I'm really used to it 'n I can go for hours if I take it easy. Come on, please?"

"Well, if you're feeling up to it, I guess you can. There’s a travel supply shop in the middle of town. It’s called ‘Blue Satchel’. Just tell the owner that Misty sent you and he’ll give you some saddlebags.” Mist winced and rubbed her stomach. “Are you sure you wanna go? When I say its a lotta stuff, I mean it.”

“Of course. It’s what I always did in Raftwater. I just went through the city doing odd jobs and making deliveries.” She giggled in a gleeful way. “It’s fun! I’m gonna get on it right away. Oh, wait, is there anything else I could do, too? I mean, there’s no point in just doing one thing, right?"

"Vill, you really wanna go around running errands all day?" Misty asked again.

The young mare gave an emphatic nod. "I wanna do stuff while I'm not feeling like crap! Who wants to stand around and do nothing?"

Misty regarded the zebra for a moment. Eventually, she retrieved a piece of paper from the saddlebags under the table, quickly writing down a list before hoofing it over to Vill. "Alright. I guess you have a point, but don't stress yourself out. If you get tired, feel free to stop, alright? Its not like all this is urgent, so you don't need to rush."

"I'll get right on it!" Vill dropped to her haunches and gave a quick salute and a giggle.

With that, she ran off. She was weirdly fast for her current size. I briefly wondered what her glyph was for.

"Now I'm wondering why Knives hates her," Misty said. "She's so nice."

"Maybe she said something. Knives can hate a pony for really stupid reasons and-" I found myself falling off my chair as a large red blur slammed into me. I looked up to see the face of a vinedog staring at me. It gave me a lick, leaving a trail of slime on my face. "Augh! Get him off!"

"Uh... Sch-Schwann, come here! Bad dog!" Misty moved over and tried to pull the thing off me while I pushed from beneath it.

"Mom! I can't find- oh... uh..." Kara joined the older mare in trying to get their pet off me, while it continued to lick me. "Mom, hold his head."

Just like that, the vinedog rolled away from me, making a sad chittering noise.

The two helped me to my hooves, and I started wiping vine dog slime of my face. "You know, I like being licked and all, but not there, and not by that."

Kara made a dramatic gagging noise.

"Sorry, Zeed. Again." Misty grinned sheepishly.

I flicked a large glob of slime off my hoof. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"Schwann, what are you doing, you nut?" She patted the dog on the snout.

Schwann replied by panting, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

"At least he's not attacking me or anything." I nervously reached out and gave the bug-plant-animal thing a pat of the back, which made his tail twitch happily.

"I think he likes you." Kara giggled. "He never jumps on anyone else like that."

"He used ta do it ta me all the time. Where's your father?" Misty pulled her daughter into a hug.

"Still trying to find Schwann." The filly smirked.

I grinned. "I think I did that for him. By the way, I like your jacket, Kara."

"Thanks!" The filly chirped and brushed something of the denim hoodie. "Hey, where'd Vill go?"

"She went off to do an errand for me." Misty picked up her cloud-chair, squashed it down with her hooves, and shoved it into her saddlebags. "I dunno when she'll be back."

Kara's face fell. "Aww... I wanted to hang out with her. She seems cool."

"Don't worry, she'll be back soon, at least. You two wanna help me set up shop?" Misty asked, glancing at me.

"Heck, yeah!" Kara cheered.

I shrugged. "Alright. I'm okay with that. I guess I'm staying here 'till Knives and Zim get back, anyway."

~~~~~

"Okay this is freaking me out a bit." I peeked out of the collapsible shack again.

"C'mon, Zeed. Chill out," Kara hoofed a stack of caps to Misty. "They'll be fine."

"Knives doesn't normally stay out on a date for three hours. Usually that means something has gone horribly right, or horribly wrong."

"What the heck does that mean?" Kara asked.

Misty chuckled. "It's an adult thing."

Kara blinked a few times before she wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Eugh, gross!"

"I'm back!" Vill called as she walked up to the booth, covered in a sheen of sweat with her saddlebags laden with stuff. "Um... s-sorry, I only got half the list done."

Misty blinked at the young mare. "You what?"

"I'm sorry, I tried to get the rest of it done, but... I... just got really tired and only managed to get half of it." Vill hoofed over the list, which was now covered in check marks.

"Only ha- Vill, I didn't expect'cha ta go and get all of it." Misty looked at the list. "Holy... this is... how can ya carry this much without hurting yourself?"

"Uh... I... I'm used to it?" Vill scratched at her neck. "My dad always said that exercise and practice were important, and that book said it was a good idea to keep doing when you're pregnant, so... I just kept doing stuff."

"Vill, exercise is good, yeah, but you still need to take it easy," I said.

"It is easy!" She said defensively. "I do stuff like this all the time. I... I just got tired this time. I'm trying, okay?"

"Relax, Vill. It's just surprising, is all." Misty gave her a gentle rub on the shoulder. "I think it's about time we closed up and headed to bed. We're all tired, and you especially need a break."

Vill blinked a few times as she stared at Misty. Her expression gradually turned into a smile, and she nodded.

"I'll put the stuff away!" Kara yelled.

"Guess I'll count out the caps. Zeed, could you fold down the booth, please?" Misty gestured with a wing.

I smiled. "Sure."

"Vill, you can just sit back if you want."

The younger mother-to-be yawned. "Yeah, okay. I... I think I'm just gonna go to sleep."

"We have a spare sleeping bag if you want." Misty smiled gently, and started towards the cart with the box of caps.

Vill followed with a nod. "Thank you."

I slung the folded booth over my back while Kara hooked me up to the wagon full of merchandise and started after them, the filly trotting along beside me.

"Where's dad been this whole time?" I asked my step-sister.

She shrugged. "I think he's finishing some deal that those slavers interrupted."

I hrrm-ed. "Dad said you like comic books."

A grin popped onto her face. "Heck, yeah! Comic books are awesome! Especially Mare-do-well."

My own face lit up. "Really? Which series?"

"I like Dread Knight, and Sky Break was pretty cool, but that Daring Do crossover just plain sucked." She stuck her tongue out.

"I'd have to agree with that. I liked Sky Break more, though. The darker setting was nice."

"Yeah, but Dread Knight had more action!" She paused to make a punching motion for emphasis. "She kicks butt!"

I snorted a laugh.

"She's almost as cool as dad," she continued with a grin.

"You're prancing." I snickered.

Her face turned red and she dropped to her haunches. "N-no I'm not!"

"Yes, you aaaare."

"Sh-shut up!"

"You. Were. Prancing." I smirked. "And it was adorable."

"I'm not adorable, I'm cool!" Her face was bright red.

I started chuckling. "I think I could get used to being a big sister."

Kara pouted. "Well I'm gonna be a big sister too, and I'm not gonna be mean."

"Oh, relax. You can prance all you want and still be cool." I gave her a nudge with my shoulder. "I think you're cool."

She perked up. "Really?"

"And trust me, when you get your glyph you'll be prancing for a while." I snorted again, and pointed to her clothes. "So, where'd you get that, anyway?"

"The jacket? Dad gave it to me for my seventh birthday." She yawned. "He said I should look as tough as I am."

The filly puffed her chest out, and I barely managed to not burst out laughing.

She yawned again, this time hard enough to make her eyes tear up.

"I'm guessing you need some sleep too, then?" I teased.

"Yeah..." a third yawn, and she paused to rub at her eyes.

"Well, we're almost there, so you can just crawl into bed if you want."

She nodded.

"Glad to see that you two are getting along."

I looked to my right to see dad hurrying down the street, followed by the vinedogs.

"Hey, dad." I said. "Where've you been?"

"Finishing a deal. We're sending Bladesville a few dogs for security." He gave me a quick hug. "Anyone miss me?"

"I missed you!" Kara yelled before yawning yet again.

He grinned. "You tired, kiddo?"

The filly nodded.

"Guess its good night for you, then, huh?"

She rolled her eyes, only to yawn again. "Fine. Night, dad."

Giving him a quick hug, she ran down the last block to dad's cart.

"A jacket as tough as she is?" I smirked at my father.

"Hey, she was six years old and scared of everything. I wanted to help her feel more confident, and it worked." He shrugged. "Also, she likes it. The only times she doesn't wear it is when she's sleeping or when Misty makes her wash it. So, you want to get some sleep, too?"

"Do you have enough room for five ponies?"

"Five?"

"Misty's letting Vill use one of your sleeping bags."

Dad blinked. "Oh... uh... well..."

"It's alright, dad. I was gonna stay up and watch for the others anyway. Put this wagon away."

"Well, alright then." He scratched his mane. "I guess I'll see you in the morning. Try and get some sleep?"

"Sure, dad, I'll try." I hugged him. "Night."

~~~

I made another circuit around the cart, stopping to glance around, bite my lip nervously, and return to my pacing.

"Axy, just calm down. I'm sure your friends are fine," Dad sighed.

"Honey, I don't think that's helping," Misty whispered.

"Gotta try, right?"

"It's almost noon!" I yelled. "Where the hell are they?"

"Maybe they're off doing something else?" Vill shrugged.

I groaned and rubbed my eyes.

"I thought you said you'd get some sleep," dad said.

"I did! I took some of the potion and just slept outside."

Kara blinked at me. "On the ground?"

"Yes, I... may have underestimated the potion and passed out. I'm fine, but I'm still worried about- you two!" I pointed at the two ponies casually trotting towards the cart. "Where the hell have you been? I thought you guys got killed or something and..."

I narrowed my eyes as I took a closer look at Knives. After a moment I laughed. "On the first date? Really?"

Knives and Raid blinked at me, the former's face turning bright red. "Uh... well... Ah... ye can tell?"

"Knives, I've known you for years. Of course I can tell." I crossed my forelegs. "Your mane's a mess, you're walking that way, you have that satisfied look on your face. Which is covered in scorch marks, by the way. What happened?"

"We fell into a Stable, got attacked by robots, got drugged, got attacked by robots again, had some... fun... and left." Zim shrugged.

"It was th' worst date Ah've ever been oan." Knives' expression changed to one of satisfaction. "Apart from that last bit."

I deadpanned at Zim. "You got attacked by robots."

"Twice." Knives nodded.

I stared at them for a moment and shrugged. "Okay. Makes sense."

"Sae how long have ye been panickin'?"

"She has been since I got up, at least."

"Dad!"

"What?" He held his hooves up defensively. "It's true."

"You don't need to tell her that." I frowned.

"Alright, alright." He chuckled.

"Och, ye missed meh, didn't ye." Knives smirked and gave me a pat on the head. "Well, ye dunnae have tae worry about that nao. We're both fine."

Her smirk faltered under the half-hearted glare I gave her. I grinned mischievously. "Knives likes belly rubs."

Her face turned bright red as Zim let out a snort of laughter.

"Shut up, Zeed." She grumbled.

"Oh, so it's okay to make fun of me, but not you?" I poked her shoulder.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Dad interrupted.

I looked at him, then at Knives. "We going after your dad next?"

She hummed thoughtfully. "Nae. Ah think we should gae fer Ashes next."

My ears went back. "Are you sure?"

"Zeed, don't start that again. It was bad enough wi' yer dad, yer nae doin' it wi' Ash, got it?"

I winced. "Uh... okay? Where the hell did that come from?"

"We have enough problems between th' two ay us, we dunnae need more."

"Yeah... alright, fine. I'll try to not start freaking out." I groaned. "Now we just need to find her."

"You know," Zim started. "That name sounds familiar. What's she look like."

I sighed. "She... she's an earth pony. Kinda tall, just a bit bigger than Knives, charcoal coat…”

Raid’s eyebrow went up.

“Gunmetal mane, amber-colored eyes. Kind of-”

“Laughing at everything she can?” Raid said. “Almost never swears? Pretty much useless in the morning and hard to wake up? Glasses that she’s incredibly protective of? Plays guitar strangely well with only hooves?”

My jaw dropped and my heart leapt into my throat. “Yes! That… you’ve seen her? Wh-where?”

He grimaced. "Yeah... but... eh... I don't think you'll like it."

A grin spread across my face. I finally had a chance to see her again. "Look, I don't even care right now, just... what was she doing? Is she okay?"

"Why did ye nae say anythin' before?" Knives lightly punched him in the shoulder. "Ah told ye her name."

The stallion sighed. "Okay, just... don't blame me, alright?"

He cleared his throat. "She only told me her real name once."

"Hah! I knew she'd use a fake name." I grinned.

"I kept calling her 'Heart' anyway. Short for 'Hearteater'."

Everypony in the area blinked, particularly Vill, whose eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as she stared at him. "You know Hearteater?"

"Yer tellin' us that Ashes became a buckin' assassin?" Knives said in the most incredulous way possible.

"Yeah, I actually had no idea she was canned goods." He shrugged. "She's an amazing sniper."

I laughed. "She practised a lot on the range."

"I was working with her at Loss. She probably could have done it all herself if she had the time." He scratched his mane.

"What's th' bad part? That sounds amazin'!"

"Last time I saw her she was ten months pregnant. That was just over two years ago."

Everything stopped. I stared at the pegasus, my mouth hanging open. "Wat."

"She never said who the father was, just that she regretted meeting him. I never actually asked, though."

"Wat." I repeated.

"Well... that honestly doesnae surprise meh that much," Knives said.

I stared at Zim. "Pregnant?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

My hind legs buckled underneath me. "I... I..."

Dad put a hoof on my shoulder. "You okay, Axy?"

"Sh-sh-she h-has a foal?" My eyes started tearing up.

"Axy, just take deep breaths." Dad rubbed my back.

"Knives, how are you not surprised by this?" I was almost sobbing.

"Because she slept with a stallion while in heat." The striped unicorn shook her head.

Dad looked up at her in surprise. "What?"

"Ye know that thing that all mother's tell their daughters?" Knives said.

"Uh... no, actually. I don't." Dad shook his head.

"It's alright, honey, I do," Misty said. "Don't drink when you're in heat, right?"

"Aye. That's th' one."

"So your friend got drunk?" Dad blinked.

I wiped my eyes. "No... it's... she went to this party and..."

"Zeed and Ash had an argument because Zeed was obsessing over a test. Ashes went to a party without her." Knives said. "We didnae find out until later, but th' hostess' brother has a reputation fer..."

"Spiking the drinks?" Misty offered.

"Spiking is an understatement. It was more like he laced th' punch wi' copious amounts of every drug in th' Prison. And ay course, Ash just happens tae be one ay those mares who can't tell she's in heat, sae... she ended up gettin' drugged out ay her mind and sleepin' wi' some stallion." Knives paused to glance at Zim before hiding a cough behind her hoof, her face turning red.

"She came and told me about it, no lies or anything, and I just flipped out and started screaming at her." I shrank into myself, my ears folding back. "She... she was sobbing her eyes out when she told me and... I said I'd never forgive her..."

"Zeed, ye found out yer mare friend cheated on ye and ye got mad. Stop beatin' yerself up." I opened my mouth to protest, but Knives cut me off and continued. "It may not have been oan purpose, but she still cheated."

Dad hummed. "Gonna have to talk to this mare."

I groaned. "Dad... don't. Just don't."

"C'mon, I was joking." He grinned. I just deadpanned at him. "Cheer up a little?"

I sighed, gently patted his head, and gave him a wry smile. "Only if you stop being a dork, dad."

"I think I can try that.”

"Sae dae ye know where Ashes is nao?"

"Probably still in Loss. She said she wanted to stay and make sure everypony there was safe." Zim scratched his chin. "She set up in an apartment near the edge of the town.".

"You know, that's not too far off our route back to Fifteen. We could, like, go with you," Misty said.

Dad looked at the expectant zony, who bit her lip nervously before nodding. Dad raised an eyebrow. Misty nodded again and shrugged.

"Are you sure?" Zim asked. "The city still gets attacked once in a while."

Misty whimpered, but nodded. Kara sidled up next to her and hugged her.

"You know, we could just split off when we get close." I offered. "You don't have to wait for us."

Misty sighed. "I know that but, like, you haven't seen your dad in years, and I think it would be a total bummer if we didn't get to, like, hang 'n stuff. I mean, we're family, right?"

I blinked at her, and smiled. "Yeah. Fair enough."

"Well, then." Dad whistled for the dogs. "Let's get going, eh?"

~~~~~

Wretch stared at the ceiling, her ears flat against her skull. She could still hear the pounding of their hooves on the desert sands above her head, small amounts of sand trickling through the trap door.

"Hey, another vase! Let's open it!" Xixixix's voice was followed by the sound of clay being smashed and a squeak of surprise from Green. "Woo! More gems! Shame they're unrefined."

With a frown, Wretch trotted back down the stairs to see the room filled with broken containers of various kinds scattered across the room, with Green standing in the middle of the room on a pile of random objects. Several more objects flew onto the pile from another room, and Wretch peeked in to see a happy zebra with a crowbar.

"Wow, why are there so many vases down here?" He cackled. "Stable number blah, filled with potteryists! Or... whatever they're called, anyway."

"Why are you breakIng everything?" Wretch pinched her brow.

"Fun? I'unno." He shrugged. "What else would I do?"

The unicorn sighed. "WhaT are you doing, Green?"

"Sorting." The filly grinned sheepishly.

Wretch looked at the pile of junk, then back at Green. "Really."

"Hey, she's doing great! Junk over there, stuff over there. Simple!"

Green giggled.

"What haPpened to exploring?" Wretch frowned.

"I am exploring," Xixixix said. "Through mindless destruction."

"Uh-Huh... any idea how Iong these things last?"

"An hour or twelve."

Wretch sighed. "Of course."

"Green!" The pegasus jumped as Xixixix called her name. "Wanna cook something for us?"

Her face lit up. "S-sure! I'd love to! I'll see if I can find a kitchen."

With that, she ran deeper into the facility.

"You gonna follow her?" The zebra grinned at Wretch. "Make sure she doesn't hurt herself?"

She glared at him before dashing down the corridors. "Green!"

The kitchen was surprisingly clean, apart from the thick layer of dust that covered everything but the counter. The smiling filly shuffled some of the food she'd dumped out of her saddlebags, mostly fresh vegetables, and started looking through them.

"Green, what are you doing?"

"I'm cooking!" She bucked the stove, and a small flame popped into life.

"Y0u've cooked before?"

Green paused. "Well... no, b-but I did say I've read about how, right?"

"WeI1, yeah. You did say that." Wretch scratched her neck. "What are you trying to make, then?"

"Uhhh..." Green looked over her 'ingredients'. "Potato salad."

Wretch blinked. "We have stuff for potato salad? "

With a nod and a few deft flicks of her hooves and wings, Green separated the necessary ingredients, and the rest into a saddlebag.

"Let me guess, Xixixix packed your bags?"

"No, these are his."

Wretch looked at the jar of mayonnaise and the can of olives. "Of course."

Green went into one of the cabinets, retrieved a large bowl, a wooden spoon and a knife. Within minutes, she had cut up all the potatoes and pickles, and was already mixing her ingredients in the bowl.

Wretch blinked. "Wow. How do you do all that with hooves?"

Green blinked back. "Uh... I... just... do it?"

"Hey!" Xixixix popped his head through the door. "The stampede's stopped. We can get moving now."

Green's ears fell. "Really? But... but I didn't get to finish..."

"Relax. We'll just have Wretch mix it while we move." He waved a hoof dismissively.

"Why me?"

The zebra casually trotted up and flicked the mare's horn. "That's why. You can mix and walk at the same time. Now, come on. We got stuff to do."

With a sigh, Wretch levitated the bowl, glaring at it before she began the arduous task of mixing its contents.

~~~

Footnote 1: Diamond Knives

EXP: 2%

~~~

Footnote 2: Zeed Kazdri

Exp: 10%

~~~

Footnote 3: Prism (Zim) Blitz

EXP: 98%

`

To-Do List:

Active Quest:

Dusting off old apologies:

-Get to Loss. Find Ashes. Don't panic when you see her foal.

For whom my heart does beat:

Go on a first date with your crush, you lovebird, you!

Oh, and get out of the Stable, moron.

Completed

Sifting Through The Dust:

1) Find information on the location of Ashes.

2) Find information on the location of Obsidian Knives

3)Find information on the location of Nezan Kazdri

Author's Notes:

...

Well, at least it was only a week late. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to put more focus on school now and... nope. Couldn't keep a straight face.

My excuse is as thus: A bunch of writing assignments metaphorically ran into the metaphorical room and put metaphorical knives to my metaphorical throat, and metaphorically threatened metaphorical me.

Sorry for sucking, I guess.

Thanks to Everyone!