I flopped onto my bed and rolled over, limbs spread and my eyes on the ceiling. It'd been a long day. I mean, I guess it wasn't that long, literally, but it felt like one! I wondered if ponies would do terrible things if this happened to them. I hoped to never need to find out.

I felt a cold nose push up from the left and jumped with surprise to find Homer curling up with me. I smiled and grabbed a blanket, throwing it over both of us and slowly settling back down. A little nap with a friend could do wonders.

Augh! I felt somepony else coming in from the other side. Emma quietly curled up beside me and nuzzled a little into my chest. There would be no lonely moping for me. I didn't complain about it, mind. I put a foreleg around each, and let sleep come with the warmth of friends beside me.

"Pinkie!"

I started awake to find Aiko standing in my doorway. "Poor Pinkie-chan!" She hurried over and gave me a squeeze. "The things you've seen. Are you alright?"

I smiled at Aiko as sleep faded. "Hey there, Aiko. I'm okay, really."

She bonked me right on the nose. "No! I'm never letting you leave without me ever again." She wasn't my princess, but she spoke with such force, even I could feel it.

Kuri stepped in, waving lightly. "Good evening. I tried to get her to wait, but she insisted."

Aiko nodded firmly. "I did, and still do. You're heading back out tomorrow, are you not, Pinkie-chan?"

I lifted my shoulders. "Pretty sure. We have a lot of stores to look at."

Aiko smiled. "Good, we're coming along. We'll settle any feral ponies you run into, and help with anything else. You're our friend, Pinkie-chan. You're our smiles. You're not supposed to..." She ran out of words and rolled a hoof as if it would make them appear.

Kuri stepped in for her. "You're all of our friend. We don't want you to be hurt, Miss Pie."

I pointed towards Hiro's room, that he shared with no few ponies. He had adamantly refused to accept a private room, despite his status as savior to no few. "What about Hiro? He's risking his life even more than me. You didn't see it... That Ko person was ready to cut him in half with a huge sword!"

Aiko took a slow breath before nodding. "I hope he comes through, but he is... This is what he was trained to face, and he is very proud to do it, and I'm proud to know him. Asking him not to? We may as well ask you to stop making sweet things, and cut out that pink thing you keep doing."

I giggled a bit. "That's not gonna happen."

"Precisely." She leaned in and kissed me between the eyes. "He wants to protect you, and so do I. I'm also tired of being useless. I dragged you down since this all began, when you came into my life..." She grunted. "I was happy being what I was! But here I am, a magical pony princess." She spread her wings and held up her horn. "I'll at least act the part."

Kuri stood up tall, horn on display. "I may not have wings, but I'm not 'just' Aiko's husband. I want to be useful too."

Emma suddenly sat beside me. "They're making me feel lazy. Here I am, not doing anything at all."

Homer sat next to her, sandwiching Emma between us. "Want to come?"

Emma gave a little shudder. "N-no. I really don't... I'm sorry."

I wrapped a leg around Emma and squeezed her tight. "Don't be sorry. Besides, we can't all go. Poor Stomper'd fall over if we had the whole hospital on her back."

Aiko suddenly grinned. "I trust that means I'm allowed to go then?"

I nodded. I had the feeling she really needed to go, and I didn't mind her company, or her help.

Kuri moved over to Emma and gave her a sniffing at, ears going upright. "Ma'am?"

Emma flushed dark as Kuri sniffed at her, but didn't stop him. "Yes?"

Homer's tongue slipped into a lolling pant. "She's in heat." He knew that already?

Kuri flushed brightly and backed away. "I didn't know that's what it meant! I'm sorry!"

Aiko looked between her husband and Emma, both of whom were now facing away from each other. "Emma. Do you find my husband attractive?"

Emma sank to the ground and buried her face in her hooves. "I'm not chasing your boy, Aiko! We've been friends for too long for me to do that! I just wish Pinkie..."

Aw. I didn't have stallion parts anymore. I couldn't help Emma, not with that.

Aiko extended a wing towards Kuri and gently brushed it over his nose while guiding him back around. "You did not answer my question, Emma-chan. Do you find my husband attractive?"

The more forceful phrasing made Emma look over her shoulders. She licked over her lips as she looked Kuri up and down. It probably didn't help that he was becoming quickly all hard and pointy. His flat-headed pony pecker was twitching under him as he squirmed in place, black against his fur and trickling a little with his pent up excitement.

Emma gave a little nod as she sat up. "Yes... Your husband is attractive, Aiko. I'm sorry. Please, I don't mean anything!"

Aiko leaned forward. "Have you been with anyone since you got here, or do you just quietly pine for Pinkie to become a man again?"

I glanced away at that. I had a pretty good idea, but this was Emma's question to answer.

Emma squirmed fitfully. "N-no..."

Aiko brushed over her husband's back. "Go, show her that she's pretty."

Kuri bristled. "Aiko! I'm your husband..."

Aiko leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You are, and I just asked you to satisfy my best friend. Will you do it, or not?"

Kuri blanched before approaching and circling around Emma. His nose twitched softly, bringing in more of the heated mare musk that helped ease his concerns. He suddenly nipped at one of her ears. "Do we get privacy?"

Aiko shook her head. "Afraid not."

Emma was quite red, panting for breath and obviously excited for what was going on, even if she didn't seem to know what to do about it. "I'm sorry for being shaped like a boy horse."

Kuri blinked, looking Emma over again. "Is that what it is?" He stepped over Emma suddenly and bit into the back of her neck briefly. "I'm still learning to tell boy and girl horses apart, besides myself and my beloved Aiko."

I suddenly squeaked as I felt a nose nuzzling up under my tail. Homer was getting excited from all the play and wanted to join in, it seemed.

After the rough day, a little play sounded pretty good actually...

So we did. Our playing helped melt the ice for Kuri and Emma, and Kuri rutted Emma as Homer rutted me, and for just a little while, we didn't have to worry about the fate of the world. Being with ponies that loved us, and made love to us, that was enough.

Aiko joined in part way through, with her snout between Emma and Kuri, while I licked her all nice and clean from between her powerful thighs.

We eventually passed out in a pleased pony pile. I woke up to find myself nuzzling into Kuri's chest. He was hugging Homer, of all ponies. Aiko was on top of me, and Emma was hugging me from the side. We were all close. We were all a little happier.

I squirmed free and shook myself out. "Rise and shine!"

Kuri woke with a start, then began to pale quickly as he realized where he was. "I..."

Aiko rose up and stretched. "Good morning."

"Aiko!" Kuri span on her. "Why? I... I thought I'd be faithful to you, forever."

Aiko moved in on him and gently rubbed noses. "You did it for me. You are faithful."

Kuri trembled softly. Perhaps part of him wanted to accept her words. "But I did... with her..."

Aiko gestured to Emma. "If she gets a foal, it will be our foal, and I will raise it as one of my own. She is my best friend, and I'm done keeping her out." She raised a hoof and set it on Kuri's shoulder. "Will you be our stallion?"

Kuri shrank a little. "This isn't fair, and you know it, but yes..." He leaned in and kissed Aiko on the lips, pushing her back until he was on top of her, straddling her. "I will be your stallion. I was happy enough being just yours... But if it's for you, I'll adjust."

Homer tilted his head a bit, then leaned towards me. "Why is he upset to be alpha male of pack?"

I booped him on the nose gently. "Horses have herds, not packs, and he was born a human girl, not a pony stallion. Give him a break."

Emma rolled to her hooves. "Do you mean it?"

Aiko nodded. "Of course, or I wouldn't say it. Emma, will you join my family?"

Emma threw herself at Aiko and hugged her tightly. "Yes! Oh god, yes. Thank you!"

Aiko nuzzled her cheek gently. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to get to that."

A soft double clop at the door brought out attention to Hiro standing there. "We should get started soon. Aiko?"

"Yes?" Aiko sounded guarded, ready to argue.

"How are you feeling?"

Aiko pointed at Hiro. "Better than you must be, getting sliced with a sword of all things. I'm ready."

Hiro snorted softly. "Alright, meet in front in ten minutes and we'll get to work." He turned and trotted off.

Aiko slipped from Emma's grip with a little kiss. "You two play nicely." And she trotted off. "Taking a shower."

Kuri sniffed at Emma and huffed. "Do you... need me?"

Emma shook her head. "You make it sound so..." She flagged her tail in response, and they got right to it.

I wasn't going to watch them a second time though. "Homer, let's get washed." And off we went to join Aiko for some shower time. Some sudsy soap and water did a lot to wash away a day's efforts and stress. I could do with a party, maybe one for the religious people we rescued? Hmm...

I shook out the water until my mane poofed back up and smiled at my reflection. I was as ready as I was going to get. I stopped quickly by the dining hall and grabbed an apple on the way, and soon I was in front of the hospital with the others gathering up. Ground Stomper was already there. Did she sleep outside the whole night? I suppose there wasn't many other places for her to be.

She brightened right up when Hiro came out and leaned in to bump him with her snout, which was enough knock him back a few steps. "Good morning."

He quirked a smile and moved back forward to pat along her huge snout. "Good morning. Ready?"

She wiggled a little. "Up. Give Ride."

That was as clear a sign as any, and up we went. Hiro pointed us to the left of the hospital and she began walking gently along, faster in her easy gait than we would have been sprinting along. When we got a little bits away from the hospital, she turned her head back towards us. "He alive?"

Hiro frowned a bit and nodded. "Crippled, but alive. Why did you do that?"

She dragged her hooves a little. "Bad man. Deserve... Not safe with others."

I pointed at her. "I want to say you're nicer, but if you're willing to squish people you don't like, that doesn't make you safe."

Her ears wilted and she turned ahead. "Sorry... Hate me? Afraid... of me?"

Aiko wasn't there for all of that, so it wasn't much of a surprise that the conversation confused her. "What happened and what are we talking about? What'd she do?"

Hiro gave a soft grunt. "She badly injured a criminal while trying to dispense vigilante justice."

"I..." She looked over her shoulder a moment before he hung low and forward again. "I wanted... kill him. No pain. Just gone."

Hiro grit his teeth tightly, jaw bulging a moment where the muscles tensed. "Ground, you're big. You have a lot of responsibility. It's too easy for you to kill, so you must never do it."

"Hate me?"

Hiro let out a slow breath. "I don't hate you."

She stopped her walking and looked over her shoulder at Hiro. "Forgive?"

Hiro pointed at her. "Not yet. Show me you use your strength, your size, to protect, and not to hurt. Hurting's easy. Killing? That's easy. I could have just set that boy on fire yesterday, burned him to a crisp. There's nothing he could have done to stop me. But I didn't. Killing's easy."

She sagged, bringing us all a little closer to the ground. "Protect. Sorry..." She suddenly grunted. "Want... talk... Slow... hard." She resumed walking, an ear swiveled back towards us. "Hiro... friend?"

I spread my hooves out in a big wave. "Pinkie's your friend."

"Homer is friend too."

She giggled at that. "Thank you... Hiro?"

Hiro gently ran a claw through her thick fur. "Yes, we're still friends. Please... Don't ever do that again."

She paused again. "Never!"

I heard a faint clip-clop and looked down to see a pony with a wolf's tail trotting towards us. He looked up at the huge pony with obvious fear, but he didn't run. He stayed and sniffed softly at the air.

He wasn't alone. A two-headed unicorn peeked out from either side of a car. I didn't know they shared a body until they emerged and started to approach. Both sat there, looking up at us.

Aiko spread her wings out. "Hello. Are you lost?"

Her words captured their attention instantly and their uncertain attention snapped right onto her, staring at her.

Aiko gave a bright smile. "Are you hungry?"

The wolf-tailed pony nodded and put a hoof to his belly, rubbing it to emphasize the point.

The twin-headed unicorn looked at me suddenly, and one of the sweets I held in my mane lifted up and away. Hey! "Give that back!" They didn't pay any attention to me. They brought the candy down and offered it to the wolf tailed pony, who snapped it up happily.

Hiro nodded suddenly. "I'd say they rate as not overly hostile, but they're not talking."

Aiko frowned a little. "Can you talk? Say something and let me know."

The wolf pony gave a little growl that had Homer growling back at them. They locked eyes and glared at each other a moment before Homer waved. "Hello! My name is Homer."

The wolf seemed surprised at Homer's sudden greetings and de-escalation of the fight. "He... Hello."

The unicorn looked at itself, head to head, then back at the wolf-tailed pony.

"He--"

"Lo" The two heads were speaking in tandem, one syllable a piece!

Aiko gave a gentle smile. "Hello. Do you have names?" They seemed to not, or didn't understand the question. "Alright. I want you to walk, slowly, to that building there." She pointed at the hospital with a hoof. "When you can see the people in front, lay down and do not move. Even if you feel like you want to. Even if they seem really lickable. Lay there, do what they say. They'll feed you, and keep you safe. Okay?"

They agreed, with a little bark and some nods of many heads, then they moved off towards the hospital.

Kuri sighed a little. "I hope they listen to what you said. If they attack the soldiers, they'll be dead really quickly."

Hiro snorted. "Killing's easy."

Ground began moving again. "That... why... no..." She frowned and stomped suddenly against the ground, leaving a small crater. "Hard... talk..."

I leaned forward in place. "Hey, Ground? What'd you do before you were a pony?"

She paused and frowned with obvious thought. "Make... plans... Build... En... neer." She stomped the ground, making our ride bumpy as she worked through her aggravation. "En... neer."

Kuri tilted his head. "Engineer?"

"Yes!," she suddenly shouted, her face so radiant with happiness. "Work... Now... not... talk..."

A shot rang out from one of the buildings we passed by. Ground squealed. In surprise? In pain? Either way, she bolted. It was all we could do to hold on to her as she ran right through the city in a crazy zig-zagging line. She jumped a huge wall. For a moment it felt like we were flying until she crashed down on the pavement on the other side and we were thrown into her. Kuri and Homer lost their grips and slipped off, but she had stopped running.

Aiko glided down on her new wings towards Kuri quickly, worrying over him, but they both seemed alright.

Hiro slumped as the excitement ended. "Are you alright, Ground?"

Not waiting for her to reply, I started looking her over. Even as she started to explain that it hurt, I found it. Her left hind leg had a new mark and it looked painful. It wasn't any one big thing. It was more like a bunch of little things. "Hiro! Over here!"

Hiro turned to face what I was pointing at, then hurriedly climbed past me and down her leg to get closer to the ouchie. "Ground, stay calm. We're going to help." He pulled around his satchel and pulled out some things. Was that a set of tweezers? "This is going to hurt. I'm sorry, but it's to make you feel better afterwards."

Ground softly pawed at the ground with her left forehoof. "Do... it..." When he pulled something out of her, she squealed muffedly into her forcefully closed snout and pawed at the ground again. "Do it!" It became a strange cycle. He'd pull something out, she'd say to do it again, and he did. Eventually he found all that he was aiming to find, and started bandaging the wound in gauze. "I wasn't going to forget twice. Bad luck on our part. Citizens shouldn't have firearms."

Ground looked over her shoulder at him working. "Maybe... not... legal... Maybe... Maybe..." She brought a hoof down with a thump. Not being able to talk clearly was obviously upsetting her. "Bad... person."

I put my hooves on my hips. "Well I'm going back there and having a talk with that person! Besides, even if they were a mean pants, that means they need our help."

Hiro paled. "No! Let me talk with them."

I poked him right on the nose. "Nope! You did all the brave things yesterday. Today is my day. And today friendship is going to win out." I hopped down off of our mighty seed. "Rest up."

Ground frowned softly. "I... fine."

I stuck out my tongue at her. "Doctor Pinkie's orders! You're to stay off that leg, young lady. I'll be back." I scrambled up the side of the wall we had jumped over and came down the other side before they could argue anymore with me.

I scrambled from cover to cover, slowly making my way back through the crowded streets.

Looking around, I could tell I was about three blocks away from where we had been shot at. I was probably safe from being shot at, yet, but I didn't see any harm in playing it safe, so I kept to cover and kept moving. I'd convince that person to put down that stupid gun and come with us to the hospital. It was my turn to do it right!

Suddenly I was pinned down from above. I smelled something pony-like, but wild. Feral. Multiple tongues curled down around my snout and I squeaked, which was enough prompt for one to shove between my lips. They all dazzled with colors as my own drained away, and I felt tired, so tired.

Whatever it was, it pressed me firmly into the ground as it drained me. Oh... I remembered... It was like Will's friend... the one...

I passed out there.

Author's Notes:

Oh no, Pinkie! This is obviously a typo of the highest order! You have a mission already.

1: Pinkie awakens to find her assailant has moved on.
2: Pinkie somehow turns the tables and subdues the mysterious feral.
3: Pinkie is rescued by her friends
4: Pinkie dies (Um, end story? Oh god, the paradoxes! Don't pick this one!)
5: The sharpshooter from before turns up and scares off the feral, saving Pinkie.

Make your pick! You have two days, as per normal.