Twilight Sparkle took great care and closely observed her surroundings as she hastily flew back to the base camp where she expected everypony else to be sound asleep. Though she was flying through the air, one would be foolish to throw caution to the wind as predators capable of flying exist as well as those that could knock her out of the air with projectiles. As proven several times on their trip, there were many good reasons for the curfew set by Ukrainian law and Twilight was well aware that she was taking a substantial risk by having her meeting with the scientists.

After her brisk, late night flight, she made it to the double doors on the ground level of the apartment building that the team used as a safehouse and used her aura to turn the handle. She planned to quietly trot up the stairs to avoid alerting any of the others as entering through the upper floor window she thought would be a bit more obvious. As she fully opened the door however, she would find out that she had already long been discovered by somepony near and dear to her yet at the moment, very frustrating.

"Gah! Shining!" Twilight yelped as the door swung open revealing her brother seeming to have been waiting for her.

"Twiliey! You're just in time!" Shining Armor said with a smirk. "Why don't you go ahead and tell me what that was all about?"

Just as she was about to play dumb and innocent, Twilight knew at that very moment that she had been caught and there was no point in trying to cover it up. What she could not understand however, was how her newly out of shape chain smoker of a brother could have followed her the whole way and then beat her back to the safehouse. Being the crafty little sister she was, she decided that two could play at their little game as she put on a smug look of her own.

"And just how did your fat, smoke puffing rump get all the way there and back so quick?" Twilight teased.

"What the...you little...grrr..." Shining Armor growled before calming back down. "Okay look, Fredrick drove me back here in his truck but never mind that. All I wanna know is what you've been up to and what all that shit was about."

"You mad, bro?"

"Twilight!"

"Okay, I'll tell you but...listen, Shining, you have to trust me on this. Have I ever given you a reason not to?"

Shining Armor opened his mouth to reply but before he could get a word out, he realized that his sister was right. After all, she was the one who had Princess Cadence's impostor figured out just to have everypony outright accuse her of jealousy when she tried to expose her. On several occasions, Twilight had saved all of Equestria with the help of her friends and had even become a Princess herself. One simply does not achieve such a feat by being deceitful and untrustworthy. Shining Armor knew that he had every reason to trust his own flesh and blood that was his beloved little sister and absolutely no reason not to.

"No...you haven't." Shining Armor admitted.

"Thank you." Twilight sighed. "Okay, I know how you feel about Radius and I get it but please just try to understand where I'm going with this."

"Okay."

"Those guy you saw me talking with were two of Russia's most brilliant scientists. For years, they've been working on a cure for bodily damage and mutations caused by radiation. With me so far?"

"Yeah, I think i get it."

"In order to finally put this drug they're creating into affect, they need the DNA of who it's to be given to in order for it to work on said individual."

"Uh huh. Go on."

"I did some snooping around at those two places, that Radius apparently used as a home and I found a tail hair and a tooth. I hoofed those over to those scientists to use for their cure."

"Wow, Twiliey you...heheheh. you sneaky little filly you. Okay, I guess it's worth a shot."

"Hey, I've done my fair share of sneaking around for the greater good. So um...look, I know you think Radius is a piece of Equine garbage but even Rainbow Dash doesn't see it that way. She actually talked to him and try to remember that he saved your life and three others. He's clearly good but he's developed a multi personality disorder of sorts. He's sick and as such, I think he deserves a chance to be healed."

"Well I...I didn't actually get to see him when he was...uh, in his sane state I guess. Okay, so If we end up seeing him again, I won't blow his head off on sight."

"Yeah, try to have some restraint. But...there is yet another issue that looks pretty bad but I haven't gotten it completely figured out so don't jump to conclusions."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Shining, I need you to promise me that you'll trust me and try to see my side of things right to the end of this whole thing. I also need your word that you won't tell anypony about what I'm about to tell you otherwise everything I'm trying to do with be blown right up with no way for me to fix it. Please...don't do that to me."

"Okay, I promise, Twiley. So, what's the problem?"

"I may have found...some slight, inconclusive signs that Radius may have possibly killed those missing workers."

Shining Armor's heart sank upon hearing what his sister had just told him and he wanted so badly to try to understand Radius's issues but he could not help but remember the state the two bodies they found were in. To think that Radius may have been responsible for tearing the entrails out of three innocent people simply trying to do their jobs just him feel sick to his stomach. Only two bodies were found at this point but after all this time, the odds that the third was still alive were not looking good. Also, If Radius had indeed killed these men, surely there would be little to no chance for him to ever lead a normal life again as he would only go back to Equestria to be locked away in a psychiatric facility for the rest of his days.

"Oh, Twiley..." Shining Armor said as he tried to stifle his tears that were quickly forming. "Aw fuck, Twiliey, this is bad. I mean really bad."

"Like I said, we don't know for sure that it was him."

"Well, it was either him or one of those wolves somewhere out there and it's still not looking good for him. Look, suppose he didn't do it. Great. Then we can try to heal him with what ever those scientists have cooking up but if he did...Oh my god, Twiliey, we're not doing him any good by taking him home. Instead of being trapped here, he'll spend the rest of his life in a maximum security asylum."

"When you think of it this way, the odds aren't too terrible. There are dozens of other dangerous creatures in this city and only one Radius. And there's got to be at least one other creature with similar sized teeth."

"Twilight, the more you tell me, the worse it's looking for the poor bastard."

"I know it looks bad but after all these years of all this suffering...all alone, despising what he's become...we can't give up on him!"

"Twilight, you know I'd trust you with my life...Okay. I'll do what ever I can to help."

"Thank you so much, BBBFF. Okay, listen. Celestia told me she plans on having us all vote on our next move tomorrow. We need to stall our team from leaving at least until those guys are done with the medicine. I need you to vote on staying here and holding out for just a little longer."

"Okay, Twiley. I'll do it. Look, sis, I'm sorry I doubted you and..."

"Yes? Go on."

"I had this talk with Fredrick and it really opened my eyes. I'm...*sniff* I've been so selfish lately, whining and bitching about my life and I'm so sorry for that. I had no reason to be such a crybaby and I wouldn't want my life to be any different than *hic* than it is now and I just...I...I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Sh-Shining? Come here."

It had been a very long time since the two siblings had a heart to heart talk such as this and even longer since they shared a warm hug. It was true that Shining Armor had been feeling ungrateful for all the wonderful things he had and he was now very well aware of that. This entire trip that the team had taken to the city of Pripyat had been very hard on all of them in many ways but on the contrary, just what some of them needed in other ways. For Shining Armor, it proved to be a real wake up call.

"Shining, are you drunk?" Twilight asked as she caught a whiff of booze off her brother's breath as they hugged.

"Yeah." Shining replied. "Fredrick can be kind of a jerk at times but when you get on his good side, he shares some good shit."

The next morning, Princess Celestia waited until a few hours after sunrise to wake up the rest of the group as to allow them all more time to sleep and hopefully wake up more refreshed. She knew very well that this whole excursion was taking a lot out of and putting a lot of pressure on them and at this point they were all tired, sore, dirty, injured and not in very high spirits. Even though they had all volunteered to accompany their Princess in order to help her locate a lost Equestrian citizen, she could not help but feel responsible for the newly forming bags under their eyes and a few new gray hairs scattered about Soarin's mane.

Before she could even think to start waking everypony, Princess Celestia watched as they all began to stir in their sleeping bags as the light from the sun beamed through the window. Instead of making them hasten their awakening, she instead decided to allow them to do so at their own pace and make sure that they were all wide awake before she would then call their next plan of action up for discussion. Finally, everypony was awake and each was enjoying their own tin mug of coffee that Celestia heated up over a can of gel-like camp fuel. As the warmth of the drink and the affects of the caffeine touched their souls, Celestia gazed out the window for a moment before turning to her subjects, the look on her face clearly one of a pony in low spirits.

"Everypony, I have some things I'd like to say." Celestia said, grabbing everypony's attention. "I'd just like you all to know that in the...um, week or so that we've been out here, the hard work and effort you've all put into this whole search has truly touched my heart."

Twilight Sparkle then placed a comforting hoof on Celestia's shoulder. The previous night, the two Princesses had talked about having the rest of the team decide weather to call an end to the search and return home or ride it out for just a little longer.

"However..." Celestia continued. "I can see that searching this city all day, every day is starting to take its toll on everypony both physically and emotionally so I just want to remind you that you all have a choice on weather you want to be here or not. I myself will be staying here until I can locate Radius and find out exactly what's become of him. Anypony who wants to go home is free to do so and will be rewarded for their efforts just the same. Just say the word and I'll get Denys pick you up on the bus. Anypony who wants to stay a little longer and help me locate our lost one...bless you. Those in favor of staying, raise a hoof."

Remembering the talk he and his sister had the night before and the promise he made to her, Shining Armor kept his end of their agreement and raised his hoof in the air alongside her. Despite their injuries and tired, sore bodies, Rainbow Dash and Daring Do proved that they were not ones to give up as a hoof from each of them shot up into the air. Big Macintosh followed suit as he too was the type of pony to see a job through to the end once it was started. For the past few days, Spitfire and Soarin had been discouraged by the lack of results but soon found their own hooves in the air along with those of the others. Much to Celestia's surprise, everypony in the room had a hoof raised up in the air. She was so surprised in fact that she ultimately forgot that she would not have to ask her next question which she proceeded to do anyway.

"Um, th-those...in favor of...leaving?" Celestia stuttered.

In response to her question, every hoof that was in the air was brought back down to the side of their respective pony they were attached to. Not a single pony in the group was ready to call it quits and to for Celestia to realize this was enough to push her normally calm and stable emotions over the edge. As she looked into the tired, drooping eyes of her subjects and at Shining Armor's shrinking stomach, she could not help but crack a small smile while the tears streamed down her face.

"We're gonna get this job done." Daring do said firmly.

"Ah dunno about y'all but Ah ain't fixin' to git outta here til we do." Big Macintosh added.

"Thank you all so much." Celestia said. "Rainbow Dash? Shining Armor? We'll need you two to trace your steps and take us right back to where Radius, uh...allegedly found you."

"We might wanna bring our hazmat suits for this one." Rainbow Dash said with a salute.

A few hours later, the group neared the area of interest with the young Prince and rookie wonderbolt in the lead. Everypony agreed to stay together this time as they the amount of area that needed searching was quickly dwindling and they knew fairly well where they needed to look. Rainbow Dash told them that Radius had mentioned making his current home within one of the buildings of the actual power plant so if they could just find out where the wolves had attacked them, they could go from there. they were certain that they were getting rather close and just to get a better view, Spitfire and Soarin decided to hover around at fifty or so feet in the air. It would turn out however that they would not have to go very far to find what they were looking for as the rest of the team spotted the two wonderbolts waving their forelegs about and pointing down to the ground just beneath them.

Within minutes, everypony closed in on the area just beneath where Spitfire and Soarin hovered and the closer they got, the more familiar the surroundings appeared to the two who nearly died there. Soon, the rusted out old van that the monstrous wolves were lounging around came into view and with the new unmistakable odor of rotting flesh filling the air, they knew for sure that this was the place. As the two Pegasi who found the scene floated back down, everypony else stared with their mouths agape at the massacre that took place just the other day.

The three wolves who unwisely decided to go against Radius's warning and stay to fight with him all lay in either separate pieces, as skeletal remains in puddles of acid or both. Rainbow Dash could even point out the small pile of her feathers in the exact spot where she passed out mere inches from one of the creatures' severed heads. Until now, Princess Celestia did not have any idea what they were truly up against and the things the sweet, nerdy stallion she once knew was now capable of. As she looked around at the disemboweled and dismembered wolves with absolute disgust, she could finally begin to understand the true magnitude of the damage Radius was able to cause. When intact and in one piece, these wolves were easily the size of Celestia herself or possibly even slightly larger but one thing was absolutely certain; the quirky physics geek that Radius once was had truly turned what started out as a scuffle into an all out blood bath.

"Um R-Rainbow Dash?" Celestia asked nervously. "So you mean to...did Radius do this?"

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash replied. "I know it looks bad but he only did it to save me and Shining Armor."

"Oh, I don't doubt at all that he had good intentions but...I'm just...I mean, when I knew him, he was a...for Tartarus sake, he was a creampuff! I'll admit though, that's one of the things I liked about him."

"Yeah, just wait until you actually see him."

Instead of splitting into four teams of two, the group split into two teams of four and proceeded to choose a building to go through. there were a total of six massive buildings that made up the nuclear facility, each housing a reactor of it's own. The clue found on a chalkboard in one of Radius's old homes lead them all to believe that he would be somewhere in one of these buildings. With their hazmat suits and gas masks put on, Celestia along with Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor and Rainbow Dash took building number one. Spitfire, Soarin, Big Macintosh and Daring Do took building number two. These buildings were absolutely massive and ended up taking the rest of the day to finish searching but nonetheless, the day was a productive one with two buildings down and four to go. The entire team could knew for a fact that Radius was close to a point where they could almost feel it.

Once again, the sun began to set which meant that yet again, the team would have no choice but to retire for the night in accordance to the local law. Everypony met in the middle of the yard and after a brief headcount to verify that the entire team was present, they all made their way back towards their home away from home. All the while, they were being watched from a tower in building number four by a very nervous and confused individual.

"I don't get it." Radius Said to himself as he spied on the leaving group of ponies with his hoof made telescope. "Am I really worth it? After what I did, they still want to risk their lives to find me?"

Radius then withdrew his spyglass and trotted back into the dimly lit room that he illuminated with a few candles, his head hung low in shame. This was Radius's current home as it was within close proximity to the source of radiation that his body needed to have. The room that he chose was dark and dreary yet very clean and neatly organized to his liking and complete with the basic amenities of a comfortable home. It was a fairly large room with a neatly made bed in the very back, various tool chests and boxes all categorized and labeled by their contents, a large bookcase, a steel barrel used for fire, and a table with a small television on it. Despite the lack of actual grid provided power in the facility, Radius would often improvise by attaching the cord to his horn which provided enough power for what ever appliance he wished to use. He had tried to make his life in Chernobyl as comfortable as he possibly could and did what ever he needed to do to make it feel like a true home he could call his own.

From Televisions to washing machines and dryers, to microwave ovens all the way to toasters, there was that one type of device that Radius would have lost his mind long ago if he had to go without. Radius had always loved music so he would almost always go about his day to day life in the exclusion zone with a radio strapped to his side. Weather he was hunting for food or just out to enjoy the sun, he would be listening to and singing along with his favorite tunes which ultimately kept him going all these years. Still, the thirty lonely years had begun to take their toll on the unfortunate and undeserving unicorn and it was when he felt he would need to take drastic measures in attempt to set himself free.

Not only did Radius collect his fair share of am/fm radios, he also found and repaired a the very ham radio that sat upon his nightstand that he used to intercept what ever outside signal it could find. Though his distress signal was a cry for help, it was quite an unorthodox type of assistance he had hoped for. What he had told Rainbow Dash was absolutely true as he so desperately wanted to be released from his constant torment and the body of the monster that was a mere shadow of his former self. Radius intended to end his life by means of being gunned down by militia.

"I've tried everything..." Radius whimpered as he remembered his countless attempts at setting himself free. "I've jumped off buidings...I've blown up tanker trucks while I sat in the cab...I've tried to hang myself...jumped into the cooling pond with weights tied to my neck. All I ever wanted was for this to end. Can't so much as break a bone but I can hold my breath for...fuck, I don't even know how long."

With the sun disappearing over the horizon and the ponies who's lives hear feared for out of sight, Radius grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the drawer of his nightstand and trotted down the stairs. Every night, he would take an evening stroll to enjoy the beautiful night sky and find an unlucky rat or rabbit while he was at it. Radius was at least fortunate enough to have a decent supply of cigarettes that he used as a small supplement to his radiation supply as all the stores in town had gotten a massive shipment in before the meltdown. Though the radiation from tobacco smoke was such a minute amount, it was better than nothing and would prolong his time between having to get his dosage from the elephant's foot.

It was now half past eleven and everypony was fast asleep, trying to get a full night's rest in before the next morning where they would head out to search the power station until Radius was found. Everypony except Princess Celestia that is who simply could not get herself to shut her eyes and doze off. No matter how hard she tried, there was just something eating at her, this strange feeling that compelled her to stay awake. Being several thousands of years old, she had experienced this odd feeling many times before while trying to sleep which she knew that her gut and her heart were both trying to tell her something.

After hours of tossing and turning, Celestia had finally decided to go with her gut feeling and quietly rose to her hooves before trotting out the door to the room and down the flights of stairs. When she reached the double doors of the building, she then spread her wings and took to the air. Even Celestia herself was unsure of why she felt the need to fly out this late at night but at the very least she could enjoy the cool Spring air and clear her mind. Being as wide awake as she was however, she decided to fly all the way back to the power plant just to take one last look from where they left off before as she knew that she simply would not be able to sleep tonight.

As always, Radius's nightly stroll had lead him to the banks of the cooling pond where he would often stare at the beautiful moon while he waited for his next meal to take the bait at the end of a line he had cast out. Like a lot of these nights, he would also spend that time thinking but this night was different as he had a lot more than usual to think about. Aside from the occasional fight with a fellow mutant, or all out turf war with one of the local wolf packs, the past thirty years had be rather uneventful. The last week and a half however had proved to have more going on than any other week as this was the first time having seen one of his own kind during that time.

At first, when he met Rainbow Dash and learned that she wished to talk with him for a while, Radius's heart skipped with joy at the thought of socializing and making a friend but what happened afterwards was on his mind the whole time. It was true, he was in a different state of mind and most likely had a second personality that he developed over time take his body over but he refused to make an excuse for what he had done. Though his demeanor took a complete one-eighty due to his prolonged lack of radiation, he was convinced that he could truly never forgive himself for attempting to rape and murder a kind pony who tried to befriend him.

"You...evil fucking monster!" Radius yelled as he slapped at his reflection on the water, unable to look at himself for a moment longer. "That poor Rainbow Dash...oh god, how could I? Oh fuck, I hope that stallion knocked me out before I ended up defiling her..."

After a half hour of flying to the Southeast, Princess Celestia gently landed back down on what remained of the asphalt in the middle of the massive bus lot in front of the large buildings of the power station. The sky was clear and the moon was bright so she could clearly see her surroundings and spot any threat in the event one should present itself. After taking a moment to look around, the moon's reflection on the massive cooling pond caught her attention and after a thousand years of gazing longingly at a moon weather it was her sister's or not, it always helped her clear her mind. Still keeping alert and her ears perked up out of caution's sake, she slowly trotted towards the body of water where she though she might stand at the banks and stare at the moon to her heart's content.

As Celestia very slowly neared the edge of the pond, the thought of the possibility of being so close to finding her long lost flame began to tug at her heart more than ever before. Finally, she stopped and stood in place for a few minutes while her ears scanned for any kind of noise of movement until soon, she found herself unable to keep her own mouth shut for even a moment longer.

"Radius?" Celestia called out as she continued to look around. "Radius, if you're...if you're out there, please...just say something..."

Celestia then paused for a moment to listen for a response that she was starting to wonder if she would even get before calling out again.

"Radius?" Celestia called out a little louder. "Are you out there?"

Again, Celestia listened for a response. She found herself standing there listening for what she was beginning to think was nothing but a pipe dream. Her ears drooped as she slowly turned around where she would then spread her wings and make her way back to the safe house. She even started to think the very fact that she had even flew all this way out there was nothing but a waste of time and energy until it finally happened.

"Celestia?" A faint voice called out from the distance.