I stared at the ceiling, trying to remember last night’s events. I remember Doc including Fortis, Red, Selena, and a few more ponies whose names I don’t remember. Apparently, Larynx heard about our drinking meeting and...well, he joined us in our happy hour. The massive headache I was experiencing wasn’t helping me remember anything else though. Whatever was on those apple cider packed quite a punch.

After a while, I tried to move, only to realize that one of my forelegs have been pinned down by something...soft but heavy. Another moment passed and I tried moving again, only to be stopped by my pinned foreleg (again) and something wrapped around my body.

What in...damn apple cider.

I sighed and finally decided to turn my head into one side. A familiar table and chair came into view. Any sign of drowsiness instantly vanished, my eyes opening wide and I swore I felt myself slowly feeling much. Much. Warmer.

OH sweet Luna, tell me this is not happening...again.

I tried to move my pinned foreleg again, just to see if I even can. I wasn’t able to move it...and it resulted with a small groan from that side. The sudden revelation that I wasn’t alone in a quite familiar room sent shivers up my spine.

Sighing, I mentally prepared myself before I turned my face to the other side. The (sweet and) familiar face of Amethyst comes into view, followed by that recognizable lavender scent (I wonder where she gets that smell) I have somewhat enjoyed smelling...much to my shame. A million thoughts popped into my mind on how to handle this situation, only to be interrupted by her saying something.

“Mr...Mr. Snuggle Cuddles….where are you?” She muttered, squeezing me in the process. It was hard for me not to snicker. Finally, one idea became the brightest of them all.

“Mr. Snuggle Cuddles is here, my dear,” I whispered in her ear, a stupid grin plastered on my face. “What’s the matter?”

“I’m...I’m scared,” she replied to her imaginary friend, or me. “Scared of them.”

“Who, my dear?” I asked her. Maybe by taking advantage of this opportunity, I can understand what I saw from her the memory.

“The ponies who….” she tightened her once gentle grip to a death grip, “Took everything away from me.”

“It’s. Okay.” I said through gritted teeth. “Canyoupleasestopsqueezingmesotight”

She responded, now just hugging me as if I’m some huggable toy (which I may be). There was still a worried look on her face. Whatever dream she was experiencing...involving Mr. Snuggle Cuddles and her, must be really deep.

“As I was saying, it will be okay,” I told her. “I won’t let anything involving them happen to you.”

She let out a happy sigh and she went back to smiling in her sleep. She also moved her head off my foreleg, which gave said leg a good needed relief, only to transfer the uncomfortable pressure on my chest. How she knows where it is, I’ll never know, but by doing such act, what had been fun turned to awkwardness.

I gently shook her, “Uhm, Amethyst, wake up.”

She groaned, “Five more minutes…”

I sighed and tried to make myself as comfortable as the situation allowed me to be. I went back to thinking about everything that happened so far. As far as I know, close to two weeks has passed, most my time being spent either knocked out or relaxing. I have unintentionally made a group on the way, adopted two fillies, and now, I’m on a bed with a mare. You could say things have escalated way too quickly.

Being lost on my thoughts, I haven’t noticed that I started stroking her mane. It was smooth though, so it was worth it. Unfortunately, it was interrupted by the door being kicked open.

“RISE AAAAAaaaand…” Larynx yelled out before his voice trailed. His eyes went wide as he continued to look at us. “...shine.”

I looked at Amethyst and saw that she’s awake, staring back at Larynx with wide eyes. I was also suddenly aware at the sudden increase of pressure around my body.

“Come on Eclipse, that’s my sister you're sleeping with!” He said, defeatedly pointing a hoof at me, “The first time was funny and obviously a misunderstanding but the second time gives off the wrong signals.”

“I-I-I can explain!” Amethyst stuttered, raising her head off my chest.

“You...can explain later,” Larynx replied, shaking his head. “I’m just going to...leave both of you alone in the meantime. You know where to find me.”

He turned back and closed the door. Silence filled the room for a few minutes before Amethyst plopped her head back on my chest.

“Can you please kill me now…” Amethyst muttered. “Actually, just hold me. I don’t want to leave this room right now…or ever again.”

“So, how are you going to explain this?” I asked her.

She groaned and lightly bopped her head on my chest, “I don’t know...I just hoped we haven’t done anything regrettable in this room last night.”

“So, hugging me isn’t regrettable?” I questioned, a small smile creeping into my face.

“Can...can you just be quiet for a few moments and be my pillow?” She told me gruffly. She moved her head a bit, trying to get comfortable, before taking a sniff.

“Ok, so I haven’t exactly washed myself ever since I arrived at the wasteland but I’m not that smelly,” I told her, maybe a bit hurt, before proceeding to sniff myself.

“No, no, uhm…” she sniffed a few more times. “Is that...Did you drink apple cider?”

“I did, why?” I replied, slightly confused.

She immediately lift herself up and looked at me, “How many?”

“Five…”

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. She sat up and covered her face, “Oh no...Eclipse, you drank so much cider!”

I merely blinked and looked at her, confused, “What’s wrong about that?”

“Eclipse, those were hard cider!” She replied before she started to examine herself, “I-I-I-HELP ME OUT HERE!”

Alcohol, bed, and a mare aren’t good things to hear or see in the morning when you too are involved in it. Sitting up, I grabbed her shoulders firmly and started shaking her, “Calm down, Amethyst! Panic is not going to help us in this situation. Perish the thought that we’ve done anything unspeakable in this bed!”

A few shakes was enough to calm her down to a much more rational level. She took heavy breaths, trying to control her breathing.

“Do...Do you remember anything last night?” She asked me worriedly, avoiding eye contact.

“I don’t…” I replied, before quickly adding, “But I can assure you that the worst we have done here is cuddle! Nothing more, hopefully less!”

She seemed to accept my answer, though reluctantly. After a few more controlled breaths, she exhaled and plopped back to her bed. I merely shook my head and stretched my limbs, undergoing the natural process of waking up after waking up. A little cracks here and there and I was finally ready to tackle the wasteland once more, that is, if I wanted to anyways.

I did a little look around the room, most specifically the table, and spotted my good ol’ saddlebag just on top of it. I slowly slid off the bed, as to not to disturb the mare, and walked my way towards it. I examined the bag, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. Nope, it was the same bag I got when I left Ponyville. I proceeded to open it and searched for something. After a few minutes of inspecting every object I had (which wasn’t much), I settled with the heavily modified Stable suit and my revolver.

I should probably get better gear when I have the chance, I thought to myself as I inspected the items. I slipped into the suit, which was a bit tricky considering the modifications made on it, and stretched in it. It took a couple stretches before it finally felt comfortable to move in it. I then grabbed the handgun and placed it on the holster the suit had, a pretty nifty thing to have when you’re an Earth pony.

“You look ready to start the day off,” I turned around to see the mare looking at me, lying at her side.

“Well, how do I look?” I asked her. She studied me with a critical eye, as if she’s actually taking my question seriously. I gulped and nervously smiled, waiting for her answer.

“You look as good as the first day you came here,” she looked back at me and smiled. “Which means, not really. If it's any consolation, you still are pleasing to look at though.”

“Thank you, I guess,” I replied, not sure what to take of it. “If it’s fine with you, I’ll go to the lobby.”

She scrunched her nose before shaking her head and smiling once more at me, “It’s...fine. I can’t really tell you what to do anyways. Besides, I still have to stay here until I find a good reason to tell my brother.”

I nodded and smiled back, “See you around then. Take care, Amethyst.”

“--around the wastelands. Heh, it looks like ever since the mare from the stable appeared, a lot has suddenly happened, not only on the capital, but also in the surrounding areas. With all this commotion, I recommend everyone to stay alert and--”

The mare from the radio continued to talk about safety tips and what to do out in the wastes. Listening to the news, I flipped another page of a book (Thing you need to know: etc.). I was apparently under informed, maybe due to the fact I have rarely tried using the radio function of the PipBuck.

“Hey, Eclipse, there you are!” I looked up to see Larynx approaching me, his eyes still struggling to look at mine. “You know, for a moment, I thought you left this place.”

“And what? Leave the safety of Lux and suffer out there?” I firmly shook my head and let out a snort. “You wish, I’d rather stay here and live.”

He gave me an uneasy grin as he rubbed the back of his head, “Yeah, I suppose that’s a...valid reason to stay here, eheh...you know, with what you’ve gone through in the wastelands..”

I sighed and placed the book back to its place, “It is a good choice, isn’t it? No more getting hurt out there...no more sufferings to see.”

“Hey, I recognize that radio. Are you listening to her?” He asked me, changing the subject. “The legendary mare from the capital. The one, and only, DJ-Pon3.”

“You seem to know something about her,” I told him as he took a chair near me.

“Of course I know who I’m talking about, you dingus. In the wasteland, you have to know who you are listening to,” he replied. “See if whoever’s talking is a reliable source of news or actually worth listening. Not to mention the music they play during breaks.”

“So, there’s more speakers other than you and this mare, huh?” I asked him, to which he simply nodded. “Then how come she speaks about what happens in the Wasteland while you speak of just Land 35? Or whatever the name of this place is.”

“You must be pretty forgetful, huh? I told you this things yesterday.” He chuckled and pointed to my PipBuck, “Let me tell you again, the wasteland is pretty big, Eclipse, one mare can’t cover it all. She knows that, the folks in the wasteland knows that. And so, they created a...pact, I think? Not really sure, this was a long time ago.

“Anyways, they agreed that the mare, or PON-3, will deal with the whole of the wasteland, though it’ll only be general information. She won’t go into the specifics of events that will happen out there, unless it happens in the Capital, that’s where the others come in. Speakers will be placed in different areas where they will talk about everything about that area. Like, everything, to the smallest detail. That way, you can listen to what hot stuff is happening out in the wasteland and you can listen to everything that’s happening in your area. Pretty neat, huh?”

It was hard keeping up with what he said but it wasn’t impossible. It took me a good few minutes to process and and analyze and I was good to go. And also ask a few questions.

“Wait, you said this was a long time ago, right? Then DJ PON-3 should be, uh, dead if this was like a, uh, really long time?” I asked him.

“Well, I’m pretty sure the original is dead. But that doesn’t mean she any successors,” he replied. “Each successor keeps the title of the main mare and I think there’s some magic involve to make sure they speak like the original when they are heard from the radio. That’s what they told me, anyways.”

I slowly nodded, “So, who’s the new one? Does she, if it’s a she, has a name?”

He shook his head, “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. For safety reasons. She’s been receiving a lot of death threats lately and if one was to learn her real name, then she’d be dead meat. And all successors are female, I think.”

He then shifted his eyes into the source of the radio and shushed me, “Listen to this, Eclipse. Most of her messages are pre-recorded but during this time of the day, she’ll give everyone an update.”

I increased the volume to make it easier for both of us to listen.

“--and let’s get to the highlight of the day. I’ve been speaking a lot about our favorite mare from the stable lately that I think it’s time for a change, even if it’s just for a short time. Folks, I want you to find any Equestrian map still around and look at the land with no name. That’s right folks, I’m talking about about the numbered land 35. There are some reports that something new is happening to the usually quiet and mysterious area.

“A pony has been causing quite a ruckus for the fierce raiders that reside there. Now, I’m not sure what this pony is up to or how well his mental state is but we all know that the raiders there make the raiders here look like babies. He or she either has something planned for them, is just unlucky and keeps on encountering them, or is purposefully annoying them. Who knows? Ask him or her for me if you ever have the chance.

“But that’s as far as I can talk about the stranger for today, don’t wanna make the stallion in charge of the radio there run out of ideas for his audio show. Maybe listen to him if your around the area. Also, anyone travelling there should be extremely careful. As I said, the raiders there are extremely dangerous and this commotion really made them pissed off by, like, a lot. Anyways, as usual, stay tuned to, uh, this radio! Ah, shit, this is a bad time to forget the name. Uhm, music!”

The radio cut to some tunes that sounded really old. Maybe they were, maybe not. I looked at larynx. He seemed to be staring at the PipBuck quizzically.

“Well, that’s strange. She doesn’t usually sound or speak like that,” he remarked. “Usually, she’ll be a bit witty in her reports. And rarely will she forget the name of her own radio!”

“So, what do you think about her attitude then?” I asked him.

He shrugged, “While she may not sound like her usual self, there’s nothing really to be suspicious of. I heard that she’s a bit involved in things there in the Capital so I have reasons to believe that she may just have a bit too much things going on her mind. Especially with the sudden rise of a certain mare which is immediately followed by a sudden increase of events around the area.”

I nodded then asked him another question, “How come she decided to report something about this pony in Land 35?”

“That’s simply her telling me to start talking about you before she takes credit of everything involving you, “ he humphed. “Well, at least she didn’t dwell too much about the topic. You should consider yourself lucky, especially during this times.”

“Why? So you can talk about me more?” I raised an eyebrow at him. He slowly shook his head and sighed.

“Eclipse, you are close to what the folks here would define as a hero. Someone to look up to in times of distress,” he told me soberly. “The term hero may sound good but it carries a lot of responsibilities and dangers. Sure, a lot of heroes has popped up now and then but rarely do they last a few weeks. Most of them die off by the hooves of raiders, get crushed by the pressure the wasteland is giving them, give up and drink their sorrows away, or even become the enemies they once fought. It’s tough being a hero here, you live such a short and possibly tortured life if you’re one.”

“But ponies like you still talk about them,” I pointed out. “It’s kind of ironic if you do so even with this knowledge.”

“It’s our job, tell the world what’s happening. Don’t be biased, report everything you see, don’t leave anything out,” he replied. He then looked at me, a serious look on his face as if a serious decision is upon him, which may be the case. “I’ll give you a choice, for your sake. You can choose not to be talked about too much in the radio, which might still give you a chance in living, or...allow every actions you do to be broadcasted everywhere, a high risk option that might end up killing yourself.”

I slightly leaned forward, “I don’t have much of a choice here to be honest. I was never playing hero, nor do I want to…”

I gave him a small smile, “But you and I know it’s too late to back out now. I have a feeling I’m already noticed by quite a few groups of wastelanders and raiders. There is no point in changing the amount of times you’ll talk about me. Just do your job.”

He sighed and returned the smile, though it was much weaker, “Well, you are right. I guess you aren’t considered a hero yet so I might as well continue what I’ve started without any changes.”

He stood up and nodded at me, “Well, back to work. Maybe you should check the clinic, your friends are probably waiting for you there. I’ll see ya later.”

The clinic. Apparently, it’s my body's most favorite place in Lux, choosing to go there every time it’s possible.

“Ah, Eclipse, fancy meeting you here,” Doc greeted me as I entered the place. “Need anything?”

“Yep, I’m here to see my friends. I want to see how they are,” I told him. He nodded and gestured me to follow him. He lead me through really bright hallway, doors appearing on either side after a few steps forward.

“I see. Well, lucky for you, they seem to be doing just fine,” Doc told me. “Looks like they’re Wasteand veterans too, that would explain why they handled what happened much more calmly than Amethyst and Chara. What a set of friends you have, Eclipse.”

“I, uh, wait...what about Amethyst and Chara?” I asked him, increasing my pace until I was beside him.

He furrowed his eyebrows, “Chara’s traumatized real badly out there. Years of being separated from her father and experiencing abuse while in the hooves of her captors, her mind’s taken a huge toll. It might, uh, take a really long time for her to recover.”

I nodded sympathetically, “At least she’s out from that hell hole. She can...with the help of everyone who’s willing...she might still be able to rebuild her life. Though the trauma and experience will be there, she can put it all in the past and live her life. That is…”

“If she’s willing to let us help her,” Doc sighed. “She, hell, nobody should experience what she went through, but the Wasteland...Land 35 is brutal, unforgiving to the weak, favoring the stronger but more savage ones. Hopefully, she does recover. I’ll try my best to make sure she does, with the help of Miss Selena and the other gentler ponies around here.”

“Let’s hope for the best. And let her know that she won’t be alone anymore,” I looked at him, “How about Amethyst, is she fine?”

He sighed, “I must confess something to you, Eclipse. Young Amethyst has already been in the wastes before. While not as experienced as your friends, she still had knowledge of the Wastes. She also experienced a fate similar to Chara’s, some time long ago. Amethyst...tends to avoid that issue. There’s a high chance that she forgot about it.”

I merely blinked in surprise, if blinking is the right way to look surprised anyways. I seem to really lack that much background info on who I’m with. The Doctor continued talking,

“But going with you on that dangerous trip may have opened old wounds, something that I should’ve realized when I first called her. She may look fine but when things gets really bad, she becomes scared...fearing the lives of ponies she holds dearly close. And things did go from bad to worse, when you became uncooked pony barbecue. Er, I mean, when you got impaled by the raider boss.

“Your friends have shown strength on your sudden near-death experience. They reacted quickly once the danger passed, acting professionally. This may have helped Amethyst deal with the traumatizing event, whose personality is somewhat influenced by others around. She didn’t break down or even shed a tear, instead, she showed bravery and helped your friends tend to your wounds. But that doesn’t mean she was affected. I, uh, tried to a psychological exam on her but she was too tired to do it properly.”

We slowed down our already slow walk so doc can continue to talk more, “I’ll do one later, once she has recovered sufficiently. But for now, can you watch over her? As far as I know, she seems to see you as a guardian type of pony.”

“Sure thing, Doc, it’s the least I can do around here,” I told him. I stayed quiet for a bit before shaking my head and smiled, “It’s amazing to see how fast ponies trust me.”

“Eclipse,” he looked at me with a serious face. “Never break the trust these ponies give you. I believe the reason they trust you so easily is your charisma and easy-going attitude around here.”

“Uh, woah Doc, of course I wouldn’t break their trust,” I quickly told him. “I was just curious, that’s all.”

“I know you are, Eclipse,” he shook his head. “I know you are.”

After some more walking, Doc stopped in front of one of the doors and opened it. The room we entered was a clean and cozy one, possibly rivaling the rooms at the tower. I looked around and spotted Jewel sitting on a couch with Peridot. The mare seemed to be telling him about her journey, the stallion eagerly listening. Autumn, on the other hoof, was having a drink, also listening to what the mare has to tell. And finally, Chara was sleeping on one of the beds.

Before I stepped in, Doc asked me a question, “Eclipse, may I have your gun for now?”

“Why? Is there something wrong with it?” I asked back as I handed it to him. “Or do you think I might shoot one of them?”

“Oh no! No, not at all, Eclipse,” he quickly answered, shaking his head vigorously. “I just need to check this particular weapon before I can clear it for use again. I noticed a defect on it which could prove disastrous if left alone.”

“Oh, I see,” I thought about it for a while. I tapped Doc’s shoulder before he left, “Hey, mind if you can do a favor?”

He tilted his head, “Sure, what is it?”

“Tell Amethyst that if the same accident keeps on happening, she should ask her brother for another bed in her room,” I told him quietly. He stared at me for a few seconds before shaking his head.

“Youths this days, always doing the strangest in the name of love,” he sighed. Before I could explain, he said his answer, “I’ll tell her that, now go see your friends.”

He left before I could get another word out of my mouth.

Closing my mouth, I took a deep breath and walked towards the fridge. Nobody seemed to notice me yet so I quickly grabbed myself a drink from the container and silently walked towards the talking trio.

“And then, I appeared just in time to free him from the prisons of the raiders!” She said in a dramatic tone.

“Actually, he saved you from the prisons of the raiders,” Autumn butted in, earning a glare from the mare. “If you want to sound useful, why don’t you actually be useful?”

“I AM useful!” She yelled at him, causing Autumn to flinch. “I don’t see you doing worth a damn anyways back there.”

“The same could be said for you, filly,” he took a satisfied sip from his drink as the mare fumed at him.

Peridot, on the other hoof, looked like he wanted out of the fight. He was also the first one to see me as the other were constantly bickering. He waved at me, I waved back, we both stayed silent.

“Well, tough guy, if you’re actually as tough as the shit you spit out of your mouth, why don’t you take me on, huh?” Jewel challenged, going as far as to hit the drink off the hooves of Autumn.

The pegasus looked in shock at his spilt drink. If one were to look closely into his eyes, you could see fire slowly burning brighter and fiercer as the seconds passed. After a few more tense seconds, he shakily sighed and looked at Jewel.

“You’re going to regret that, country girl,” he said through gritted teeth.

“We’ll see if ah will, city boy,” Jewel growled.

The atmosphere was tense as the two ponies stared at each other with anger. Peridot looked scared, probably thinking that he may have to side with his sister. It was just a matter of when one will punch the other.

Then, as fast lightning, Jewel pounced on him, teeth bared like a feral ghoul (though I’m not sure if that description was fitting, as I’ve only seen one). Both were down on the ground, with an angered Jewel on the top of a somewhat bewildered Autumn. The pegasus quickly shook away his shock and fought back.

It was the most pathetic battle I’ve ever seen. All they did was roll around the floor, with some punches here and there. I stood there amused while Peridot can only look at her sister with disbelief.

“Hey, hey!” I yelled out, having enough of their attitude to dirty their coats. “When will both of you stop fighting, huh?”

They both stopped rolling on the floor and the current scene could have been romantic: the mare on top of the stallion, Autumn’s wings wrapped around Jewel’s body, both looking at each other snout-to-snout with a raging desire. Raging desire to punch each other, that is.

“Sometimes, I wonder why you guys still stick with me,” I thought out loud, making sure I have their attention. “You guys know you don’t have to follow me everywhere, right?”

“I know that, Eclipse,” Jewel said as she got off Autumn and looked at me. “But you’ve done so much for me. You sticked by me, rescued me twice, and hell, even got my brother back! With that, even the hardest of mares out there would feel compelled to follow you. Besides, without me, you won’t make it another day.”

Autumn got up to his hooves and dusted himself off, “Despite the arrogant tone of the Jewel of Land 35, she has a point. You also helped me a heck lot out there, even if that risked your life. Sure, you kinda screwed up and have some of us killed, but by jumping down two floors to the ground with guns blazing, you showed them that you were a much more important matter to take care of than us, granting us sufficient time to escape.”

He stopped talking for a while, furrowed his eyebrows, and continued, “That, and an alicorn who claims to be Princess Luna told me to make sure you stay safe. Didn’t promise her I’d keep you safe though, just follow and help you.”

I smiled and shook my head, “I appreciate what you guys said, really. But don’t you guys also have more important matters to attend to than to follow a death-prone pony around?”

Jewel scoffed, “What’s more important than exploring the wasteland with you? Sure, I may have a brother to take care of, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stop being your companion. Besides, it’s funny to watch you panic when there’s pressure.”

“Hey, I do not panic under pressure!” I objected. She merely rolled her eyes.

“Ah suppose ah could go back t’where ah’m supposed t’be but ah reckon mah men could handle things there. B’sides, ah told ‘em ah’ll take control of group 35 while they should go t’much safer places,” Autumn said with his weird accent. Jewel rolled her eyes again.

“You put too much effort in that fake accent of yers,” she said with a criticizing tone. “Ya know us folks don’t speak like that, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Autumn waived it off, “I don’t really need to speak like that anyways ever since I found myself walking with Eclipse.”

I coughed and cleared my throat, “Well then, looks like you guys are fine so far. Right, Peridot?”

Peridot, the quiet stallion, nodded at me, “A-As fine as I can be, sir. Thank you again for everything you’ve done, even if I have no way of paying you.”

I smiled and walked towards him, “You don’t have to pay me back. Not everything good has a price, even in a world such as this. Remember that the next time someone needs help, ok?”

Again, he nodded and beamed, “I-I’ll keep that in mind, sir. Thank you, a-again.”

I looked back at the two and they were bickering again about something involving accents. I sighed and shook my head and turned to face Chara, who’s still asleep despite the noise.

“Hey, Peridot, how is she?” I asked the stallion, pointing at the sleeping mare.

“Uh, she doesn’t look too, uhm, fine when she arrived here, sir,” he said, also looking at the mare. “She...she went straight to the bed and maybe cried for a few minutes. I, uh, tried comforting her but, err, I don’t think I did well.”

I nodded, “Thank you. Now, why don’t you go explore this place a bit more? Maybe with those two.”

He looked at his sister and Autumn and sighed. He gave a small nod and jumped off the couch and talked to the two. After a few minutes of consideration, the three went out to explore the city. I hoped they wouldn’t go to the bakery first. If they do, it’ll leave a bad taste in their mouths.

I looked back at Chara and took a deep breathe. Despite the loud ruckus caused by my two companions, she hasn’t woken up or even moved. Her chest was still rising though, so whatever terrible ideas in my mind has been quickly dispelled. I finally exhaled and shook my head. Nothing bad is going to happen to her now, I thought. But even still, whether it’s me or somebody else’s thoughts, the feeling of dread was there.

She’s safe, that’s all that matters. Just have to trust the Doc and others to take care of...her.

I shook my head once more, a sudden headache nearly knocking me out. Whatever was in that apple cider, it would have to be hella...something to still affect me at this point.

“Hello…?”

For the third time, I shook my head and concentrated on reality. I looked at the mare who was not asleep but was actually listening quietly to what happened. She was still facing away from me.

“Uh, hey there,” I slowly replied. She quickly turned around and sat up, eyes wide open.

“Father?” For a moment, she looked happy. But not for long though, as she took a moment to look at me more precisely. “O-Oh, it’s you…Sorry.”

“It’s...okay. Just checking if you’re doing just, well, as fine as one can be in this world,” I told her. We continued to look at each other in silence, awkwardly.

After a few more moments of awkward silence(I don’t remember how I survived it), I sighed and gave her my best concerned look, “How are you so far?”

She looked away from me and lowered her head, “I’m...I…I don’t know...”

I slowly moved closer to her, “Do...you want to talk about it?”

She crossed her forelegs and sighed, “I’ll have to talk about it one way or another, right?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Another sigh came out from her and she finally looked at me, “It was...hard, though the word hard doesn’t quite capture what I experienced...or lived through.”

She didn’t continue after saying that, her head slowly lowering until she’s looking at the ground once more.

“Hey, hey, come back to me,” I waved a hoof in front of her. “Nevermind I ask you that. You don’t have to think about that or worry, you’re here now...safe and sound.”

She looked back at me with wide eyes, “I...I really am?”

I nodded, “You’re no longer locked up in some cage. No, you’re free now. You’re somewhere safe, where for once, you can freely do what you want.”

I tapped my chin for a moment, “Well, as long as what you want to do doesn’t contradict with whatever rules they made up here.”

A small smile appeared on her face before dropping again. She nervously rubbed her shoulder, “You’re...the one that saved me? Sorry, I tend to...forget things when I’m nervous...or terrified…”

“That’s understandable. I mean, I guess it’s our mind's way of protecting us,” I tapped my forehead. “Except mine right now is pretty broken. Don’t ask me why, I don’t know either.”

Another smile appeared and lasted a bit longer, “Do you think I’ll like it here?”

I nodded, “I sure do. So far, it looks like one of the most safest haven in this land and the folks here are friendly enough.”

Before I could continue to speak, an alarm blared out for a few seconds before the a voice started speaking.

“Eclipse, you are required to head to the tower at once. This is not a request but an order. Do not delay.”

I blinked in confusion and wondered what’s wrong. The filly in front of me seemed confused as well.

“Well, stay safe, Chara,” I told her. “I might not see you again for a long time but I’ll still try to keep contact, yeah?”

She sighed and nodded before giving me a sad look, “You’ll...you’ll come back, right?”

I gave her a hopeful smile and a pat on her head, “You’ll see me again, I promise.”