We arrived, and I got Hot Cross Buns separated from the other rescue ponies. It was after ten, going on eleven at night now. Alguacil had gone off to the regulator's tent to get signed statements handled for all the other ponies with us, while the rest of us gathered around the outside door of Sparrow's house. I motioned Hot Cross Buns to get behind us. Sparrow's gonna love this. If we’re going to do this correct, let’s do it like a movie for her. I could feel the excitement coursing into my bones, I was almost shaking with it. Pink had hidden herself in a mini-pony sized cake, ready to explode out of the cake like a surprise party.

Once everypony was in position, I started pounding on Sparrow's door without mercy. My hoof working as fast as it could to hit the wooden planks and metal plating. I had to stop myself and look embarrassed when the door jerked open.The angriest face Sparrow could possibly muster stared me down. “What in the hell!? I just got Nugget to sleep!” She screamed loud enough that it echoed off the walls of Silver Fang Shanty. She was in an evening gown with her massive revolver in her right wing. I, however, had no doubt that what I was about to do would dispel any feelings of malice.

“Hi, Sparrow!” I said in as friendly a manner as possible, with the biggest grin I could manage. She did not look the slightest bit entertained. “Remember, you sent us to find your husband?” I fluttered my eyes at Sparrow and she growled.

“It's late, I just got Nugget to bed, and you are annoying me!” Sparrow cocked the revolver and pointed it halfway between the clouds and me. “So get to the point!”

My tail motioned at Hot Cross Buns, and he leaped up into the air above our heads, “Hi, Honey!” The deep rumble of Hot Cross Buns’ voice was accompanied by the sound of the pistol hitting the ground. I felt my spirit’s rise as far as Sparrow’s jaw dropped. Sparrow took a hesitant step forward, her lip quivered and tears swelled up into her eyes. Hot Cross Buns hovered there for her to get a good look at him. He smiled nervously, then Sparrow was on him in the hardest hug I'd ever seen. I double winced, once for the pain that must have caused, and once more because my ribs hurt from the shifting of my side to wince away.

She was kissing him frantically while the rest of us looked at each other, smiling. The sighs of relief, the feeling of burdens being lifted. The wasteland had tried so hard to take him away. We had fought through minefields, geckos, Stable-Tec secrets, and giant killer roaches to reach his Enclave captors. I'd broken my ribs, which painfully reminded me they still needed attention as I turned to square up towards the reunited couple. Not to mention, Quick Stitch had repaired my right leg, twice! Corners had gone her separate way. All of our party had nearly died. Even if Alguacil would never admit it, I knew another slash of that rainbow glowing knife would have finished him off. This was the payoff we had been hoping for. At least, even if our quest wasn’t done, this part was worth it.

“Sparrow, you should go wake up Nugget and let her meet her new dad.” Nyota declared and the two paused their intense reunion. We all turned to him and I smiled. He’s right, Hot Cross Buns will want to meet her. I thought of how much better life would be for Nugget. I wondered if this feeling would be same one I would feel if I ever saw my parents again, or at least found out their fate. The feeling Nugget would get from having a mother and a father to take her in.

“Wait, who’s Nugget?” Hot Cross Buns asked.

I started to speak when Chifundo interjected, “She is your new daughter; if you wish to deny it, I would not bother.” Hot Cross Buns looked at him, stunned, then at Sparrow with so many questions painted across his face. Sparrow blushed and nuzzled him, then helped him back onto his hooves.

Sparrow ran inside and Hot Cross Buns looked at all of us, “I didn't—there is no way she was pregnant when I got kidnapped. She had just finished estrus!” Hot Cross Buns looked offended and hurt at Sparrow. “And I certainly didn’t touch her while she was that crazy.” Sparrow blushed at him with a knowing smile then bolted inside. I realized what he had thought, and wanted to step in.

Nyota beat me to the punch, with a pat on his shoulder. “She adopted her when we went out to look for you the first time. We didn't find you, but we did rescue several ponies and Nugget was one of them.” Nyota explained, and obviously wanted to say more but Sparrow came running back in distress. She scooped up her revolver at the doorway and checked the cylinder.

“Nugget's missing!” She exclaimed to the horror of all of us. Nyota started to look around the house. Chifundo and Quick Stitch both had weapons out, but I didn't. They all looked at me while I scanned my Eyes Forward Sparkle in all directions. Not a single red dot anywhere along the compass. I entered tag mode: something I had done with every single rescued pony and all of my companions was tag them on my PipBuck.

With Tag mode active, my H.U.D. lit up with outlines of ponies and their names under their hooves. In the distance was a green outline of a small pony nearly 200 meters away, “Nugget”. She was well within the maximum tag’s 2,000 meter range, and still inside the walls of Silver Fang Shanty.

“Every pony come with me, Sparrow and Hot Cross buns go on inside,” I looked at Hot Cross and he nodded back at me. Sparrow shot a look at me indignantly angry and stomped a hoof. I let out a sigh, remembering that not every pony could see my H.U.D. or the tags on my PipBuck. “Sparrow, she is just over this way. I have her tagged on my PIpBuck.” I explained and pointed at the heavy block computer on my right foreleg. Which I am still convinced is a bullet magnet!

“Maybe she got scared or upset. Let me go get her and you stay here; make sure Hot Cross Buns is updated on life and ready to meet her. Does that sound fair?” I asked and looks at the two pegasi hoping this was satisfy Sparrow's rage.

Sparrow let out a snort and then Hot Cross Buns wrapped a wing around her, “If she is afraid and supposed to be our new little one, let Sunrise go take care of getting her back. She hasn’t met me yet, dear.” Sparrow turned to him as the rest of us looked at Hot Cross Buns, my eyes were wide in surprise. “Let her see a familiar face, and let Sunrise take care of it; we need to catch up before I meet my daughter.” He reassured her after ruffling his feathers around the word ‘daughter’. I think he was embarrassed at the idea he was gonna have to be a dad. Sparrow deflated and hung her head with a few slow nods to Hot Cross Buns. I wanted to wipe my brow and let out a sigh of relief, but that wouldn’t keep her reassured. Well, at least she hasn’t shot any of us yet.

“Sunrise, are you stupid!” Pink bounded into view, shouting at me. Her eyes had turned red and nearly were pin-pricks. She had literal steam coming out of her ears while she yelled at me. “You’re hurt!” Pink looked genuinely panicked at the thought. “The Med-X is gonna wear off any second now! Looking for a lost foal is stupid and you know it!” I felt my tail trying to grab onto a metal wall to try to hold me in place.

Pink, I never promised I had common sense. Nugget isn’t in any danger, let’s just go take care of this. Pink blinked at me. She was stunned and at a loss for words. I actually took a twisted sort of pleasure that I had managed to stun Pink silent for once.

I smirked to myself about Pink’s silence as we walked in the direction of Nugget’s tag. Somewhere along the way, I felt the Med-X wear off and my rib grinding against my insides. I could taste blood in my mouth, but that was nothing new. It was a pain I could grit my teeth through. I felt guilty, looking at Nyota and not expressing the pain I was in, but we had to find Nugget and make sure she was safely home. Just get through this, and then you can let them fix you. Pink looked afraid; she could possibly feel the pain I was in. Her coat was draining of its color more and more with every movement.

We approached a building marked with a metal sign and red lettering, 'Water Shack'. The door had three different locks on it. Two windows had a light on inside, very dim, almost like a candle in the way it flickered. “She’s in there, and it looks like no one is with her if my E.F.S. is right.” Every one of my friends stared at me, questioningly. “Hey! It found Corners when we first met her and she wandered off. It found the Enclave soldiers and it gave me warning for where those assassins were. I think we can trust my PipBuck, most of the time,” I replied to them which they exchanged looks of concern towards each other.

All except Chifundo, who just walked up and knocked on the door. There was no answer and the lights inside quickly cut off. We could hear the stumbling of small hooves inside, then silence. I stepped up next to Chifundo, “Hey Nugget, it’s Sunrise, why don’t you come on out?”

“SUNRISE!” The reply was instant and the locks on the door popped off in a hurry. A golden brown flash shot through the air and slammed into my chest. While I was flying through the air, wanting to shriek in pain, I regretted many life decisions. One of those decisions being standing within range of the door to be glomped by a small earth pony filly with unusual amounts of raw strength and speed. This decision was now at the top of that list.

As I flew through the air, I heard a rather strange sound: a long moan that reminded me of one awkward evening on Hearts and Hooves Day, when I’d stayed up later than normal after my parents had sent me to bed. It made my cheeks burn at the thought. Then I impacted the ground just as Nugget squeaked a happy, “Oh Sunrise! I’m so happy to see you!”

The ground was unforgiving and without remorse. My breath was driven out of my body and I slammed down hard enough to see stars. Any conscious thought I had at the moment was just gone. Nyota yanked her off of me before any more damage could be done, “Nugget! She has broken ribs, get off of her.” Quick Stitch helped me to my feet as Alguacil facetaloned and Chifundo let out a chuckle. While Quick Stitch checked me over, Nyota held Nugget square to his shoulders, “What’s gotten into you, why did you run off in the middle of the night?”

Nugget looked up at him and rubbed a hoof against her opposite foreleg nervously. “Well, mommy was sad. So I thought if I got somepony else to be her special somepony, she wouldn't be sad anymore.” She turned and pointed a hoof inside the water shed, “So I made a love potion for her.” While there was a level of innocence in that voice we couldn’t possibly be mad at, the words she spoke were extremely alarming.

“To help her find a new special somepony?” I repeated very slowly as the icy touch of Med-X kicked in again and calmed my torment. It really felt good and nice, almost like drinking our coffee in the morning, except calming instead of the caffeine rush. But that icy touch was accompanied by a colder chill at the possibility of what a ‘love potion’ meant.
Slowly I got up and looked at Nugget with a thousand yard stare. Alguacil asked the obvious question, “You brewed it inside the watershed?”

“Well, yeah. I put it in the filter system a little bit ago, and was making another batch to give to mommy. That way her new special somepony would be able to find her.” Nugget nuzzled up against Chifundo and giggled. Then she hugged Alguacil’s leg, staring up at him with a cute smile.

We all looked at each other, worried, and I stepped forward and saw a book just inside the room on a foal sized table. The rest of the room was a large boiler with several pipes sticking out of it that ran into the ground. At the bottom of the boiler was a water talisman encased inside a glass chamber that glowed as it purified water running through it. There was a full cauldron that boiled with a purple brew. Attached to the talisman chamber was a funnel pipe for inserting liquids directly into the water supply.

I walked up and looked at the book. 'Love Poison' was the page it was turned to. Oh no, please no. I don't wanna walk out and find... My ears now identified what the moaning sound had been, and the moaning was getting louder with more voices added to it.

“Oh NO! I don't think any pony has ever seen what an entire town will do under the effects of love poison.” Pink rolled into view and looked at the book. “It's either going to be the best party ever or the worst. Considering I don't even know if they’ll ask consent first...” Pink trailed off and sat on her flanks, deep in thought. A few moments later I heard a dragon's roar followed by a mare's whinny; both in passion.

I stepped outside to a comical display of Chifundo covering Nugget’s eyes while Nyota covered her ears. Quick Stitch was trying to separate two ponies, one of which was mounted to the other one... Oh dear Goddesses, they are going at it in the streets, aren't they? How do we stop this! The moans got louder as I took over for covering Nugget's ears from Nyota. “Nyota! Love poison! It’s in the entire water supply. Quick Stitch, you're with me, let's get to Sparrow's house and make sure they don't drink any!” I was having to shout over the moans of sexual bliss as ponies were mating in every building, on most buildings, and in the streets between the houses.

Nyota looked at me and tilted his head, then his eyes slowly widened with realization. He ran up to me and grabbed my shoulders square to his. Ow! I need— My tail beat me to the thought and injected more Med-X into me. The cooling sensation was so delightful. “Love poison, are you sure?” Alguacil took flight and started to scout around, a surprised expression decorated all over his face as he moved above us. I nodded very slowly and deliberately and my tail pointed at the book I left on the counter.

“The book is open to the right page for the love poison. See if any of your potion knowledge can brew up something to counteract it,” I told him as Quick Stitch and I started moving slowly, trying to keep Nugget's eyes covered. I need to be going to a doctor right now, not trying to haul a filly through the streets and protecting her innocence! This is the last thing I could have imagined happening! I lost balance when Nugget’s flank dug into my damaged plating too much. Nugget's eyes were revealed to the world. Quick Stitch moved to catch me and his hooves came off her ears. Now she could hear the rampant sounds of sex around us.

“Sunrise, you should be in a hospital, or at least in bed. You can't mess with broken ribs.” I pushed Quick Stitch away as he spoke and nudged Nugget on her rear to get her moving again.

“Fine, as soon as this is over, I will see Bonesaw and he can patch me up, just like he did for Corners.” I added the last bit to reassure him that I would actually follow through and we went as fast as possible back to Sparrow's house.

Quick Stitch broke off from us outside. “I've got a cleanse spell, I’ll go test see if it's effective. If it is, I can clean up enough people to get some help.” I nodded to him and went for the door to Sparrow's home.

I opened the door and bolted in with Nugget as quick as I could nudge her into moving. To my horror, Hot Cross Buns was downing a cup of fresh tea. “Oh dear Goddesses, Sparrow, please tell me you haven't had any of the water.”

Sparrow raised an eyebrow and then looked at her husband. Hot Cross Buns’ eyes had changed radically. They were nearly all pupil! He let out a snort that shot a heart shaped rainbow colored smoke puff out.

“What's going on, Sunrise, is Nugget—” Sparrow started to say, only to have Hot Cross interrupt us both.

“Oh, honey, you look amazing. Have I told you that recently?” I had to act or he and Sparrow would be incapacitated like the rest of the town. I rushed forward trying to get between him and Sparrow. He took a step forward at the wrong time. Oh no! This is gonna hurt so much! Hot Cross Buns turned to me just in time for us to collide. My thoughts were shattered by the amount of pain that forced its way through the Med-X.

Hot Cross Buns went to throw me off and yelled, “No! I must make her mine!” We began to struggle, I felt an urgency rush into me. I have to stop him, I can’t have him do something terrible.

“Hot Cross Buns! Stop! You aren’t in your right frame of mind! This isn’t right!” I shouted back at him. He delivered a punch to my jaw to try to dislodge me from on top of him. Okay that’s it! Between Pink, Sparrow now screaming at us, my ribs, and that punch; I had enough today. I started to hammer into him as hard as I possibly could. Time and again, rolling with him while slamming my hoof right into his jaw.

We rolled and tumbled, I wanted so badly for this to stop. The only way I saw out was to knock him unconscious. I heard Nugget run up to Sparrow, who put her under her wing. Hot Cross Buns and I were in a wrestling match for dominance, one I was losing. We were on our sides, and he was putting pressure onto my broken rib, threatening to make it fracture again. I couldn't pin him down, and he managed to get on top of me. Just as the horror that he might pin me down and use me instead of Sparrow, another pegasus rushed in. He headbutted Hot Cross in the wing. Whoever this pegasus was, I didn't care, because Hot Cross Buns needed to be knocked out right now.

I raised my hoof to strike him again, this time just out of pure spite but was stopped by Quick Stitch’s magic wrapped around my leg. “No Sunrise, I've got a better way!” Hot Cross Buns used the distraction to jab into my painfully suffering ribs and dragged his body out from under me. I got hit right in the face with fully erect stallionhood as he stood up and turned his attention back to Sparrow. That sent me flying away in disgust. I wanted to buck him right in there but held myself from doing so. She took a step back holding Nugget tight to her with a wing.

“Sparrow, I can honestly say, I wanna pound you into a cloud right now! Ya know like we did when we first met!” Hot Cross Buns made a kissing lip motion in her direction while myself and this other pegasus struggled to hold him down. Sparrow blushed and then recoiled as she shielded Nugget with a wing. Even I felt sorry for her, also him when he had to explain this. He collapsed in a heap and pissed himself while Quick Stitch's magical aura worked through him. I winced at the convulsions he went through before finally, he was unconscious.

Sparrow started to extend a hoof to him. “Love? Hot Cross Buns, are you—” She didn't finish, because he started snoring with long, drawn out breaths. We both shot looks to Quick Stitch for an explanation.

“I put him under a cleanse spell, but the love poison is really strong. Any pony I've done it to so far has dropped unconscious.” He was panting and trying to catch his breath, I could see the strain on his face. Quick Stitch looked like he might drop himself right then and there. I knew what the magical sparks from his horn meant: he was about to suffer from burnout. I was just glad this was over, with less violence than I expected it to be.

“All right, we'll just have hope Nyota can make an antidote, and defend ponies till he can, or until this wears off.” I started to drag Hot Cross Buns and couldn't hide my wince. Note to self, broken rib is raw pain that I never wish to experience again. Our newcomer grabbed onto his shoulders and pulled him from my grip.

The new pegasus grimaced at me. He was a grey-blue combination with a frizzed out brown mane. He was covered in black painted leather armor and had a hunting shotgun across his back. He stared at me for some sort of exposition. When I didn’t offer one, he choose to introduce himself. “I'm Cloud Piston, how can I help?” He moved Hot Cross Buns to Sparrow and passed him off to her. Well, at least this much is over and done. The sense of relief I knew was temporary but I would take any break I could get at this point.

“I, um, thank you. Keep them safe?” I looked at him, very confused, then turned to Sparrow and Nugget. “Sparrow, do you have a room with no windows or doors to the outside?”

“Yes, we have a closet security room. Why?” She guided Nugget with her wing while her hooves picked up her husband’s weight from Piston.

“Good, we'll move Hot Cross Buns in there. You should stay in there with him and Nugget, till this is over.” I gave a nervous smile. “We'll get it fixed, okay?” Sparrow looked very confused and then gave a solemn nod before going towards their security room down the hallway.

I sighed and explained to Sparrow and Cloud Piston exactly what had transpired and where we found Nugget, and then checked my PipBuck. Oh, great, the poison has been in the supply for just long enough to saturate the town by now. Sparrow leaned down outside the door after and bapped Nugget on the nose with her hoof. “Why would you do that? Seriously, what could have possibly motivated you to use a love poison on me?”

Nugget looked down and blushed pink around her golden-coated cheeks. “ Mommy, you were so sad, I just thought if you had a special somepony you wouldn't be so sad anymore.” Sparrow gave her another rap on the nose and then pulled her in close with her wings for a tight hug.

“Alright, listen here, you. I adopted you to help you have a place to stay, not for you to try to fix my problems, alright? Mommy loves you, but we need to fix this.” Sparrow held Nugget tightly until Quick Stitch grunted to get their attention.
“Less making up and potential child disciplining, and more moving to a safe room.” Sparrow nodded to Quick Stitch and the two disappeared the security room; a hard slam of a heavy metal door meant they were safe. I took a drink out of my canteen and followed them.“Stay in there till I get back.” I heard a hoof tap on the door in response along with a muffled ‘Yeah got it’. I couldn’t tell who said it from the thick door plate.

“You should plant a landmine to keep them safe.” I stared at Pink in horror. The thought that I might kill some innocent pony with a landmine! She giggled and pointed towards the way out of Sparrow’s house. “You’re gonna be needed out there! And—” She drug out the and like it was some sort of game for both of us. “Well it's better than diving on your own grenade because you wanna stop me from killing somepony.” I glared at Pink who was covered in some dripping white substance. “What? I dove into an icing cake!” I got the sense that wasn’t cake icing in the traditional way.

Pink, what's up with you?

"You know, something's been bugging me." She pulled out a fly swatter and smashed at some flying insect I couldn’t make out for the size of the two of them in my H.U.D.

Well no, but I guess you’re gonna spell it out?

"Yeah. It's a real pest from the past.” She smashed the insect into a gooey stain, that actually stayed on my H.U.D. like a fly on a chariot windshield.

Is... there a point to all this? I was just irritated now, and slightly grossed out.

"Absolutely! Check out your right ear!" My hooves started to itch and my ear flopped down into my eye, painfully. I grumbled at her but she just continued running her mouth, ignoring me. I really wanted a way to punch Pink at this point. I even briefly considered how to strike my own tail." Something's coming, and I think it's gonna really put a bee in your bonnet!"

"Great, I love it when you’re cryptic. It means broken ribs and angry pegasi.” I growled at her while she worked to clean the bug stains off my vision.

"Consider investing in fly swatters!"

Pink how could you possibly know that? Seriously why would you...Okay nevermind, I'll take those random signals as you're right. I choose not to plant the landmine, no sense in risking someone’s life when I couldn’t warn them about the explosive.

Quick Stitch seemed to sense whatever was irritating my body as well. He and Piston headed outside, and by the time I got to the door, Piston had flown on top of Sparrow's roof. A low buzzing filled the air coming from the north. I looked at Quick Stitch and he looked back at me. The buzzing got louder as several earth pony guards scrambled towards the walls. At least some ponies got the warning about the water in time. A loud bell started clanging and ringing out from the town center. Across the night sky, we could see some sort of horde of creatures. A low buzzing started to fill the air as they began to block out much of the horizon. I couldn’t make any of them out, or what they were. There as the glow of magical radiation on a few of them but it was very faint. That faintness grew brighter, like a warning, whatever these creatures were; they were moving closer with a quickness.

I felt a chill down my spine. This was some creature that I knew just from the sound, I should be very afraid of. Not again, changelings! NOT AGAIN! I screamed inside. Memories of the changeling attacks when I was a tiny foal flooded forward. I had to fight to keep myself in full control. I remembered seeing ponies I thought friends replaced by changelings and Ministry of Morale stepping in to stop them. I had watched schoolmates turned into dead husks after they were ‘rescued’. I will not allow this! NO!This creature is pure evil, only here to consume love and from the looks of it, flesh. I felt renewed purpose over any injury I had, a pure rage. Not the kind of rage I got when Corners finally pushed me too hard. No, this was righteous fury. The kind of anger you only felt when you knew you were facing something of pure bile from the depths of Tartarus.

Quick Stitch pulled out some new pistol that swirled with orange fluid and had a spout like gun. “Sunrise, I don't know what's coming but you should do your best to—” Quick Stitch started to say, but I screamed out in agony as the buzzing drowned him out for a brief second. Something massive blindsided me with the force of a full on Bulk Biceps style wrestler. I was sent flying into the wall, hitting the door and slapping it shut with my body.

My ribs exploded in a whole new kind of pain, and I coughed up blood. I couldn’t breathe or move as seconds passed. Then my lungs inflated again as adrenaline kicked in and refused to let me die just yet. Quick Stitch sprayed fire out of his new pistol as he threw a healing potion at me. He covered one of the black creatures in flame, and it screamed in agony before dying. My tail grabbed the potion and forced it down my throat, “Sunrise, you’re not allowed to die until we have a real party!” Pink was way too enthusiastic about a party at a time like this.

In front of me, trying to claw at me and bite through my armor, was a changeling, except its eyes were bloodshot red over the blue-green orbs. Its hide had growths sprouting out of it, and its hooves were more claws. “Husks!” I heard guards shouting as shots started ringing out from everywhere around us. The creature in front of me swiped again and again, and I used my shotgun’s stock to block the first one, then my PipBuck the second from my prone position.

“You can’t have my friends!” I screamed, slamming the shotgun barrel over it’s jaw. I released the barrel from my mouth and let my tail catch it while I headbutted the creature for distance. I used to momentum to spring from the ground with all my might, grinding down the walls of Sparrow's home with my armor plates to put distance between myself and this changeling. I landed on shaky hooves as my tail put my last shot of Med-X into my flank. “You’ve got until this wears off,” Pink said as I felt the coolness fighting the fires of torment in my insides. I really wanted more, but my PipBuck HUD showed I was out.

The husk hissed at me and I saw the long blue tongue shooting out as it roared to charge. S.A.T.S. froze the world around me as I took aim. Quick Stitch was burning his way into another changeling with his flame pistol. A guard was screaming in slow motion: to my horror, three husks were clawing and biting at him. His screams died in a slow motion gurgle as I saw his throat ripped out, and his life essence sprayed out of the gaping wound onto the black carapace of our attackers. I scrolled back to the creature in front of me; it was moving still, despite S.A.T.S. I released S.A.T.S. without queuing a shot right now: I’d need S.A.T.S. for later. Instead I just pulled the trigger at point blank range.

It stopped the charge to me and staggered away three steps. I pumped the action as it let out a roaring hiss to charge me again, then unleashed a second blast. The creature swayed on its hooves and I racked the action again.There was no choice, no chance to give it mercy, and I fired a third time. Shotgun pellets sent orange blood into a fine mist that scattered through the air. The husk creature fell with a thud against the scrap metal wall of Sparrow’s house. A sense of relief washed over me as it collapsed. The adrenaline left as fast as it had come, and I felt all the pain of my encounter. The Med-X couldn’t protect me from it anymore. It felt like my insides were ruptured, and the bit for my shotgun trigger was covered in blood. My nose was bleeding and I could feel fluid in my lungs making it hurt even more.

A PipPony appeared in my display. The pony had bandages around it’s torso along with holding a sign in her mouth. ‘Warning! Seek Medical Help!’ I looked very confused by this and realized what it meant. Pink pointed at it with a horror on her lips. “The device is right! You’re super hot! And not in the ‘ooh, gurl, you fine’ sort of way!”

I ran beside Quick Stitch, who had fended off several husks with his flamer pistol and was switching out a fluid tank. I had a few minutes left before pain would be too unbearable to fight on. Quick Stitch stopped after his reload and shoved another healing potion in my mouth. “Drink this now, and we'll deal with your ribs in a bit.” His horn let half the potion go in before he pulled it away. “Not all of it, I don't want you to heal up and that rib heal wrong.” I felt better, and I wasn't tasting blood—for right now, at least. But ‘better’ was a relative term: my insides were screaming like a blender had run through them. Tears were in my eyes, and I could see the black edges of unconsciousness in the corner of my eyes. My ears rang with every sound, and I could hear the blood rushing through my pounding temples. The fact that I was even standing was a miracle.

Movement caught my eye as we approached the downed stallion pegasus that was being devoured. A husk rushed at us and I blasted it with my shotgun. Immediately, I felt twinges in my insides as the shotguns recoil slammed into my shoulder. My body was not prepared to handle the violent recoil, and the healing potion’s efforts to stave off blood loss failed as I coughed up more blood. Quick Stitch stepped up and bucked the husk away from us, then burned it to a crisp with a burst from his pistol. It screamed in torture from the flames as it died.

“They're changelings, Sunrise! And that shotgun is killing you, literally! Use your grenades!” Pink screamed, and I felt my tail reaching into my saddlebags for explosives. For once, I was in agreement with Pink.

“Where did husks come from?” Quick Stitch muttered under her breath. No one answered while more guards, earth ponies and unicorns joined into the fight.

I stared at the terrible shape the changeling body was in. Covered in sores and radiation burns, it still glowed with a faint hint of magical energy. It’s eyes looked like it may have even been blind. The only thing it can see is what it hungered for. I felt terrible for it, even if it was something of pure evil. I still never wanted somepony to suffer that kind of a fate. Are husks what happens when a changeling turns into a ghoul?

"Exactly! If you thought Changelings were awful before, getting irradiated to undeath definitely didn't improve them! You're gonna have to handle them just like the feral ghouls. Remember, it's a mercy." My tail offered me two of the magical fission cell bombs I had crafted at The Roof. I took one and my tail took the other, and both bombs flew right into a pack of husks as they descended upon a wounded Stallion. He screamed only once before a death gurgle told me he was gone.

“Fire in the hole!” I shouted and pulled Quick Stitch back a few paces before the rush of plasma filled the air. The taste of magical disintegration hit our tongues while we watched as the cloud of pink death swirled around. The one husk and the stallion vaporized in the instant; the other two husks inside the blast staggered but were still standing despite that parts of their carapace had been completely turned pink goo on the ground. They turned and hissed at us starting to charge. Even if I used S.A.T.S., I wouldn't be able to get the shotgun up in time or throw another grenade—not before they slammed into us. We needed a miracle.

A revolver shot answered our need and blew one of their heads apart. The second smoldering husk turned at the sound of rapid fire rifle shots. Three bullets slammed into its side and one into its head. I looked up to see Alguacil hovering above us, turning and firing in every direction as fast as he could. In the distance, under a dim light, I could see Chifundo with his rifle, popping off shot after shot as fast as he could work the bolt. The two of them in tandem had saved us.

This fight wasn't over by a long shot. The Silver Fang mercenaries were rallying and starting to drive the husks back to the wall, and we heard screaming from Honey Hearthfire's flophouse. I bolted in that direction, with Quick Stitch hot on my trail. “Sunrise slow down! We have to get you to a doctor!” he called out, but I was moving too fast. I slid to a stop just inside the doorway to Hearthfire’s Bunkhouse and hit S.A.T.S. Now was the time to make shots count.

I suddenly wished I hadn't engaged S.A.T.S. In slow motion, immediately in the door were two very different scenes. To my front left was Nyota engaged in hoof to hoof combat with a husk. Nyota was mid parry, while the husk was reacting to him sinking a hoof into its chest plate. He had that fight easily. To my right, however, was the scene I could have lived without.
Jackal, the teenage dragon dragon we had rescued, had a husk by its head. What he was doing with it, no decent pony would ever want to describe, much less see or do. I wanted to vomit but I held it inside. Oh dear Goddesses no, I don't want to see this. Nugget we’re gonna have a talk about this image you’ve now got burned into my brain!

My S.A.T.S. yanked my vision back to the fight Nyota was in, and I targeted a shot on the husk's head. But every time I've fired at something fighting Nyota in close combat, I hit Nyota.

"Sunrise, for once, we're in total agreement! No if's, no but's, no coconuts!" As Pink spoke, my shotgun steadied, and I felt more focused than I had ever held it before "You're always too hasty to pick your target. Always afraid of the decision!" I could feel a hoof reaching over my vision, pressing against my cheek and holding the shotgun for me. It was Pink’s hoof, I saw it, felt it, against my own. My mind looked to her and she stared back, as if in that moment; I realized how very real she was. "This time, we're both working towards the same goal. You want to save the pony you're falling in love with. I agree, he’s a good pony, plus,” She rolls her eyes and her other hoof came up to caress my cheek. I wanted to nuzzle into it, like I had my mother’s or Nyota’s but resisted the urge. “I can see he’ll help make you stronger!

Tougher! More like me!" Pink tried to make a mean face, but ended up giggling instead. Even in the heat of life and death, she somehow found a way to make me crack a smile. "Well, you know what I mean. So," The hoof on my cheek steadiested my eye down the barrel of my shotgun, right into the iron sights. She moved to look down the barrel with me, our eyes almost touching., "Let's agree that you can keep trying to be a good pony, but only if Nyota isn't going to get hurt because of it. Okie dokie?"

Okay, Pink, I'll agree to that. I keep trying to make friends and show mercy, but so long as Nyota doesn't pay for it. Pink seemed to be at peace with that deal, and I relaxed as I released S.A.T.S. and let loose a blast of buckshot at the husk's head. The world sped up, the shotgun roared to life, and the husk ducked to bite Nyota. He didn’t make it that far, as his jaw caught the full blast of my shotgun. . Its snout, tongue, and lower jaw were completely gone. My insides churned as I spit up more blood from the impact of shotgun stock into my shoulder, which had rippled into the injured ribs. Even through the Med-X I felt echoes of raw agony. I couldn't imagine what I was feeling without the painkiller.

The walking changeling corpse refused to die, and the shotgun blast hadn’t finished it. I staggered to pump the shotgun for another shot, but Nyota slammed his hooves into the stunned creature to finish it off by crushing its skull in two. He rushed up to me as Quick Stitch caught up from behind. Nyota looked horrified, seeing all the blood my armor was covered in, but I was smiling at him. The weight on my shoulders felt lighter, and my heart beat harder with renewed sense of purpose. Goosebumps ran up my forelegs as he was near. “I didn't hit you this time,” I mumbled while I let instinctual feelings take over and nuzzled up against Nyota. He nudged me outside, and my body bumped into Quick Stitch. I was stumbling and could barely muster the energy to stand now. We heard screams from multiple directions and adrenaline kicked back in; what I felt might be the last of my reserve.

Alguacil flew overhead towards our right, heading over the the building. He called back to us. “Sunrise! Behind the Bunkhouse! Towards Bonesaw’s Medical Shack! There is more husks! Hurry up!” His squawking was cut off by a panicked mare’s scream. Several revolver shots filled the air from Alguacil’s hand cannon.

I noticed Quick Stitch had his needler out now instead of the flamer pistol. They both looked at me with concern, but I just put the shotgun bit into to my mouth and looked at Quick Stitch. “Go with Alguacil, we'll head around the side towards the screaming. We’ll meet in the middle at Hacksaws, okay?” Quick Stitch grimaced at me and shoved the healing potion into my mouth, forcing me to drink the rest of it. Can I just say, I really hate the flavor grape? Like really really hate it! I felt the magical energies surging inside and then stop. My insides protested against the magic and only a few more bruises and my skin breaks seemed to be healing. Oh, that is not good.

“Well no duh! I could have told you that, buttt—” Pink dragged on the word for a bit. “You wouldn’t listen till you were lying flat!” I wanted to groan at her while she gave that big dumb cartoonish smile. Wait, how do you smile that big and make it look natural?

A scream broke my train of thought, “Questions for later! Saving ponies time!”

Quick Stitch dashed around the corner out of sight. Nyota moved ahead in the opposite direction towards the screaming. I ran to catch up to Nyota in the alleyway, and we moved out towards Doc Bonesaw's medical shack. We came around the corner to see two unicorns, the sisters we had just brought into town. They were fending off three husks in melee combat and not doing well. The salvaged armor Hot Cross Buns had assembled for them was torn apart, they were bleeding from multiple places, and the husks had them pinned to the wall of Doc Bonesaw's place.

Nyota jumped on one of them and I steadied myself before pumping blast after blast from my shotgun into another one. That left one that was still free to attack, and it was leaving brutal bites and slashes all over the emerald unicorn. Her red sister screamed with the roar of the shotgun blasts. I felt each blast, and each time, I felt my insides giving. The husk staggered, as round after round hit it. The hide on them however was tough, I didn’t think the pellets were penetrating deep enough to inflict major damage. The husk turned towards me, taking one step and leaving the wounded mare where she was. The emerald unicorn unleashed a blast of black magical knives at the one my shotgun had ripped apart.

Nyota had finished smashing one husk's face in as my shotgun clicked and I pumped it again, with another click. The husk I was blasting fell over on its own as the last one was cut into ribbons of carapace. I took one step forward and my right foreleg gave out with a shrill of pain that registered beyond the deader in my system. My body wasn’t going to stand up anymore. My weapon clattered to the ground, catching Nyota’s attention.

My faceplate hit the dirt, “Dammit, Sunny, you haven't even let that leg heal properly yet, much less fighting with broken ribs!” Nyota fretted over me as I felt his familiar hooves trying to help me up.

The unicorns were holding each other and drinking down purple healing potions that Nyota had tossed to them. Slowly I got back to my hooves, and the pain really hit. I hadn't noticed before, but the plating on my right side was fused and immobile. Every movement of my broken ribs had been grinding against them since I took the grenade hit. The Med-X was out of my system and the pain set in with unforgiving vengeance. I could feel how hard it was to move against the stubbornite and steel plating lining my duster.

Nyota lifted my head and pushed my eye open to look into it. I coughed and blood hit Nyota's face. My shotgun fell into the dirt, my tail moved and put it into the holster. “Alright, Sunrise, the job is done. You've saved all you can, and the husks are heading for the hills.” Pink gave me a fond pat, right along the opposite side where I felt Nyota doing the same. “Let Nyota take care of you now.”

Nyota started to hug me then stopped as he remembered my injuries. Instead he started working to put the weight off the side that had broken ribs. “Thank you,” I managed through a cough that brought the taste of blood to my mouth again. Whatever this the recoil did to me on top of a broken rib from the grenade blast, I never want to have happen again.
“Diving on grenades is almost always a bad idea, ya know!”

“Of course, Sunny,” Nyota assured me and helped me another step which made me whimper in pain. “Let's get you inside and have the doctor take care of you.”

I wanted to talk, I wanted to give a nod to Nyota to let him know I wasn’t gonna protest but my mouth wasn’t move till he lifted me off the ground. He kicked his own Saddlebags off his back, and rolled his bedroll over himself. Nyota lifted me from the ground to his back, laying me as gingerly as possible. I pressed my weight into him, my breathing was shallow and hard to do. I felt light headed; my vision had tunneled as I stared into the most concerned face I’d ever seen on Nyota. After a few extremely painful steps, I found I could work my mouth again and spoke very slowly, deliberately.

“Nyota, I will be okay.” My mind was racing from one subject to the next. I was trying to do or say anything to get it off the pain. Even Chifundo would be able to see through my desperate efforts to change the subject, if he were nearby. As I fumbled through the words, Nyota nuzzled his head into my cheek to get me to stop talking. He was being the most delicate and gentle as he possibly could.

“Sure you will Sunny, just calm down; let me do all the lifting from here on till you are better.” He tried to reassure me but as soon as he took another step, a shot agony tore into every part of my being. The grumble turned into a stifled cry of distress. What I wouldn't give for more Med-X right now!

“You're right and so not fair. You're using my injury against me. If I-” There is the taste of zebra hoof again, this time with his brass shoe gently pressed to it and a hint of changeling blood!

“I'm not hugging you, despite my urge to,” he removed the hoof and resumed his slow pace walking to nuzzle me and remove my helmet. My tail took it and hooked the headpiece into my saddlebags. “Come on Sunrise, doctor is just a few more steps away.”

I looked around considering what the love poison had done to the town and then looked at Nyota, “Nyota, how bad is it?” I felt the edges of consciousness wanting to fade away as I spoke. Nyota pressed a hoof to lift my chin and made me open my eyes back up.

He nervously smiled and closed his eyes, “Sunny, it will be fine, just keep talking to me okay? Stay awake for a bit longer.” He slowly opened his eyes back up. Nyota looked like he was barely holding it all together. I felt terrible that I’d made him fret this much over me. He examined me again, undoing my saddlebags and dropping them into the dirt. “What do you wanna do after you see the doctor?”

“Hold you, that would be nice. Play with Nugget.” My sentences were short, it was all I could muster. I felt Pink trying to tease me awake but it wasn’t going to work. My PipBuck was blinking warnings all over the screen. I couldn’t make any of them out; but it didn’t make it any less worrying as my mind fought my body to stay with Nyota. It finally dawned on me, I might be dying.

“I think that would be really nice,” he softly assured me. “I’m sure you’ll be able to do those things tomorrow.” He took a step to up the stairs and I nearly slid off his back onto the ground. Thankfully he was fast and made it a gentle set down onto the ground. I felt a nagging worry about my armor. I’d worked so hard on it; hospitals cut clothing off. I wanted to keep it. My strength took a bit to muster while Nyota tried to figure out how to get me up the couple of stairs.

“Nyota…” He leaned down to me and got face to face. “My armor... off. I don't want it cut.” My words were barely intelligible and I had to press out every single word like hurling a large stone. He flushed completely and instead of speaking, just started to pull my duster off. I wanted to scream as soon as the plates moved against my muscles. I fell over in the dirt as the pain overwhelmed me. The agony didn’t stop as the duster fell in a heap of plates and leather next to me. Nyota started to pull the jumpsuit off, and my screams filled the night. I felt like I was going to pass out then and there.

Every tug and pull made the armored plating and leather reinforcing grind against the two ribs that were pushing into my organs. My world was white-hot, searing agony for several seconds until he stopped. I laid on the ground, crying. My Stable-Tec jumpsuit wasn't moving, and I felt parts of my insides trying to come out with it when it did.

“Sunny, I can't get it off, ” Nyota explained. He staggered back and fell onto his ass against the stairs. He looked around panicked finally; he’d lost his ability to remain calm. Suddenly he was out of sight and there was a loud pounding. My world was spinning, my thoughts were gone. I tried to move only to find my body wasn't responding anymore. My heart pounded in my ears and my insides felt like they had all been shifted. The sound of rushing water returned to my ears, louder this time; like a roar. “Doc, there's a patient for you! It’s an Emergency! HURRY UP! We have caps up front!”

Nyota’s frantic pounding continued and I felt like I had to do something. It took all of my strength to muster one word. “Nyota...” I groaned meekly as he rushed back down the stairs to me. I felt his hoof stroking my mane and I whimpered a bit as unfamiliar hoof beats echoed on wooden floorboards behind him.

“Get her to the community workshop center! Hurry, the doc has set up an emergency hospital.” It was Sparrow and I heard the sound of her wings beating to bring her to a landing.

“Sunrise!” Sparrow winced and let out a loud sympathetic hiss. “How is she moving in that state?”

“I apologize for the pain, Sunrise we aren't gonna be able to get that jumpsuit off you cleanly.” His voice was shakey at the best. He and Sparrow talked in hushed tones, quickly. I couldn’t hear them right now, I could hear running water in my ears instead. I couldn't talk right now. I could taste blood again as my internal wounds were aggravated, and my throat was cracked from shrieking in pain. The pain was gone, which was the scariest part. It didn’t hurt anymore, like my nerves had just stopped working. My breathing was getting shallow, and my body struggled to keep my heart going. “Alright fine, help me with her.”

I heard a dragging noise out of the corner of my vision. I felt wings and hooves lifting me, the pain was immense. Then I was laid onto my back against a stretcher. It was makeshift at best: a bed sheet strung between two pipes with a bridle attached to pull it.

Sparrow started to yell at him, “NYOTA! Get a—” Nyota snapped at her with his hoof as he moved to hook himself up to the stretcher.

“Hush, alright! We don't need to make her panic.” Nyota snapped back at her. I looked between them and started to speak.

“Nyota? Am… I… that… bad?” I whined and could feel my vocal cords refusing to work. while being moved onto my back on the stretcher. He didn’t reply, and simply cradled me down onto the sheet that strained against my weight. He walked out of sight as Sparrow looked down at me. She didn’t move as I was pulled away, and I watched her get smaller and smaller. Sparrow never stopped looking at me, like you would a friend you were never going to see again.

Inside the workshop turned emergency medical ward, gurneys were laid out in neat rows. Several ponies were on mattresses and improvised beds. A pony or two had been laid out onto a crafting bench instead of a bed. Nyota trotted up to a pony I couldn't see. “DOC!!! Critical now! We need a surgeon!”

Surgery? How bad is it? My vision wasn't good right now, but Pink was crystal clear in a nurses outfit with a clipboard. She bit her pencil and started to chew through it. She was eating that pencil like a sharpener on the highest setting. Pink, I can't move my head down to look. How bad is it?

"Well, on a scale of 'owie' to 'sweet Celestia!' you're about a 'goodness gracious!” Pink stopped to give the creepiest smile I’d ever seen. “Only with a heaping lot of extra exclamation marks." She squinted at me, "The fact that you're still breathing at all is super-duper lucky. Count your blessings!" She said, giving me a gentle pat on the head.

What did all this do to me? Why hadn't I noticed? Had the Med-X been that effective?

Nyota dragged my stretcher further into the center, behind a curtain. Quick Stitch was inside, along with another doctor. Both were covered in blood and changing the sheets for freshly cleaned ones on the surgery table. Quick Stitch looked shocked as Nyota brought me inside.

The unknown doctor had a nametag on his shirt that read 'Hacksaw' in poorly written letters. Nyota spoke quickly to Quick Stitch. I couldn’t hear either of them as their mouths moved rapidly. The two of them gave me concerned looks as I laid there on the stretcher. I tried to stand back up, forming all the willpower I had left. I got a single hoof to move. Quick Stitch shoved his way past Nyota towards me. The zebra rushed after him and both of them stopped me from doing anything.

“Sunrise, no. You need to stay down right now,” Quick Stitch advised and started to try to push me back into the gurney.
“I… I’ll be okay.” The weakness in my voice was obvious even to me. I felt warm liquid trickling down my legs as I was wrapped in a telekinetic blanket and lifted onto the surgery table.

“Nyota, I know you're concerned but you need to get out, now,”Quick Stitch pointed for him to leave the tent while I was being moved towards an operating table. They were washing it with rags, the smell of Abraxo hit me like a truck. My voice wanted to scream to be put down, but all I got was a wheezing sound. I reached for Nyota, who stood his ground while Quick Stitch was trying to usher him out.

“Look, I know you were her medic before me. And I know what she means to you, Nyota,” Quick Stitch said and nudged him under the jaw. “She is going in for surgery right now, she is too torn up to risk waiting.”

I'm too torn up? Pink... Nyota... somepony tell me how bad it is... why is it getting hard to hold my eyes open? I was set down onto a bed and wanted to flinch from the noise but couldn't; my body wasn't responding. I felt a mask put over my mouth and I inhaled something that tasted like berry roots mixed with the color pink. Yes, it actually had a flavor that I can only describe as a color.

“That's it, Sunrise, breath deep. Let the healing powder do its job. Stitches, come on, we've got work to do.” This was Doc Hacksaw’s older voice, but it was much more flirty. He nudged Quick Stitch towards me. Nyota tried to push past them, only to be stopped by both of them moving to block him. I was staring at them from behind as they squared off. I took another inhale and Pink let out a whimper.

“Nyota, get out, you haven't been sanitized and you aren't going to assist with this one. ” My vision was fading fast as I watched my two friends argue and fight. Pink started to tear up and rivers of tears erupted from her eyes the moment Nyota was forced to leave. She pulled a doctor’s coat from thin air and blew her nose into it. My PipBuck cut off as my vitals were giving out.

Nyota snorted at Quick Stitch and then turned walking beyond a white curtain that a guard mare pulled around us. “Nyota... please... no...stay...” I begged through the mask with all the effort I could. Quick Stitch placed a hoof against the left foreleg that was stretching out towards where Nyota had been. He held my hoof gently as a syringe of Med-X hovered into view.

“Sunrise, please, trust me. Stop straining yourself. Nyota is just outside.” I saw him jab the needle into my leg but couldn't feel it. “Now rest, Sunrise, and let us take care of you.” The Med-X started kicking in and I was too weak to move or make use of it. My eyes closed as I felt Quick Stitch using his magic to turn me onto my back.

Med-X feels real good, I mean really good...

I stood in a blanket white void with soft gray mist forming around me. It felt strange, then I started to move my hoof and it moved. Not a dream, not a memory. Where am I? With a full spin, nothing revealed itself, the white void gave nothing and offered no explanation. Several second passed and then the most irritating high pitched voice I knew broke the silence.

“There's nothing outside, silly! Let's go inside, quick!” Pink was behind me, and when I turned there was a door frame with a bright yellow wooden door there. No building attached to it, just Pink standing in the doorway motioning a hoof to me. I approached the door and she closed it in my face. “You gotta knock~!” She squealed from the other side.

I facehoofed and stood there, the door between us. The mist rolled by without a noise and the air was cold, stale. “Pink, really? I had hoped to have a memory again, maybe see dad or hopefully see mom this time. You are the last thing I want to see.”

There was an audible scoff of irritation from the other side of the door, and I swear I heard a facehoof from beyond the wooden entrance. “Oh, boo hoo. We can’t always get what we want, Sunrise!” She paused for a bit, and I could hear her hum as she considered something, and the smell of smoke from someone's ears hit my nose. For some reason I actually imagined she was baking her brain. I shook it loose and decided to try to negotiate with her and hopefully get her mind off whatever she was lose in concentration over.

“PINK!” I shouted at her from the other side of the door. She giggled and I hung my head. After mulling it over for a bit, I needed to get one thing straight before I come in. “Pink, I'm gonna ask a few questions, and if I come in, I want honest answers. Okay?”

It was like hearing a balloon deflating on the other end of the door. I couldn't see her, but I knew I had just shot any plan she had down. “You've been given enough drugs that I promise you, I couldn't lie even if I wanted.”

I groaned, and without further exchange between us, rapped on the door three times. The pink mare popped the door with a flourish of mane and tail. Immediately, I was nose to nose with her. She grabbed me into a sweeping hug, spun me around, then put me onto my hooves inside the door. “Sunrise! I'm so happy to see you! It's been so long!” Each phrase was punctuated by a higher pitch of forced enthusiasm.

Beyond the door wasn't the white abyss, instead it was a lovely home decorated for a party. There weren't any other ponies, but music was playing, punch and snacks were scattered on tables, and a disco ball lit the room with a strobe lighting making it twinkle. We got a few steps inside and I stopped. Pink looked at me, confused. “Can I get you something to drink? Something to eat?”

“It's been fifteen seconds since you were chewing through a pencil while they were preparing me for surgery.” I took a deep inhale and stared at her. The music stopped with a record scratch, the lighting changed to a normal set of house lights, and Pink’s normally floofy curly hair turned straight and dropped to the floor. She gave an expression like I had just shot her. Her head dropped to the ground and she looked like she might burst into tears.
“Do we have to do this now? Can’t we just—”

“No. No, I can't this time. The expression on the faces of my friends was not pleasant. They weren't telling me exactly what was wrong, either, so I really have to ask: am I dead?” Pink’s expression of sadness changed in an instant to a thoughtful one. It was like, for once, Pink was actually weighing the gravity of what I had to ask.

“Oh, no. Heavens, no! We wouldn't be having this conversation if that were the case. You would be having a conversation with your dearly departed mother and father.” The first words made my guard drop a little, but the second set was like a train slamming into my chest.

“Excuse me?” There is no way, that isn't possible, till I see it—

“What? You can't talk to yourself while you're dead, silly!” Pink said, looking genuinely confused by my protest.
“But you said ‘dearly departed’ mom and dad. They're dead?” I prodded at her, my hooves grabbed onto her chest, and she batted them away with her own hoof.

“Well, yeah. They're not ghouls, probably.” She half-laughed, and gave a half-smile at the thought, but the other half of her expression was inscrutable and icey. I wasn't smiling, and the desperation in my voice only elevated.

“I'm not dead! How do you know they are? They went into the stable with me.” My voice slowly got quieter the more I spoke. The realization that they might actually be dead started to dawn on me. My world felt shattered and tiny.

“Well...” Pink took a long pause. Her hoof came up and lifted my chin, “Sunrise, how long have you been out in the wasteland?” Pink sighed and trotted towards the kitchen, holding my hoof to guide me behind her.

“I know that no matter how I answer that question, it isn't going to be the right—” She didn't let me finish, instead stopping and turning to me.

“No, Sunrise, how long have you been out in the wasteland? It's all jumbled up and silly, so I need your answer.” I shook my head, surprised that she didn't already know. She seemed to know an awful lot more than she ever let on.

“I've only been in the wasteland for about a month,” I replied and gave her a hard look.

“Oh! Then they're probably okay! Sorry, it’s hard to keep track, sometimes.” Pink smiled at me, this time trying to reassure me. I, however, was even more puzzled.

“Wait, you just stated you don't know. So you don't know everything?” I prodded the pink pony with a hoof to make sure I could actually touch her. She turned it into a soft hug, and dragged me inside a kitchen. It looked exactly like the one I grew up in, right down to the tacky yellow tiled floor.

“Well, no, it's more about specific things that you should know or that you have forgotten,” She shrugged and giggled a bit. “You're so silly, no pony could know everything. I'm not all powerful! I'm you, or part of—”

“NO! NO, you are not! What are you?” I demanded as I slammed my hooves onto the tiles. It was time for an answer. I stared her down till she replied.

“I'm a spirit, of—” She was trying to think of how to phrase it but I wasn't having her take time to speak anything but the plain truth.

“Yes, of Pinkie Pie, of the Ministry of Morale. I figured that out, but why is Pinkie...” A thought slammed into me like a sack of bricks. “You're not really Pinkie Pie, are you?”

“Well, I'm part of Pinkie Pie, but I'm also not Pinkie Pie.” She took a long exaggerated inhale. “Look, I'm not about to sit here and explain zebrican shamanism to you.” I started to protest and found I had hoof-in-mouth syndrome again, with a giggle from Pink. “I'd have to explain a lot of terms and existential concepts to you, as well as a bunch of super-boring technical mumbo-jumbo that you wouldn't understand. And also, it's kind of a thing we have with the zebras, and I feel like we would be cheating if we let you in on it.” Pinkie cast me a wink. “You could say we’re exclusive.”
She took her hoof away, “Okay, so—”

“A spirit that strong doesn't die, it persists! But Pinkie was laughter. Laughter doesn't stay in one spot, it spreads,” She explained to me like she was talking to a classroom full of foals.

“But I'm not laughter. I'm the furthest thing from it,” I replied with an expression of 'REALLY' painted all over my face.
“Laughter isn't always funny,” Pink said, and we both let out a sigh as she continued, “Laughter just needs to bring joy, and you're very, very good at bringing joy.”

I took a few seconds, piecing it together and trying to turn Pink into something tangible I could talk to her about, “So you're my tail, my scream, that whole stunt darting around the tank, you're those things?”

“Oh, that was me!” Pink replied with a smirk and her eyes rolled.

“So, why you, and why me?”

Pink laughed the loudest she had ever and patted my shoulder. When she saw I wasn't laughing she snickered a bit, “Why you? You think you're somepony special? Nope, no reason. It happened by pure chance.” I stared at her, flabbergasted, and she cackled some more. “Only by the time that LittlePip comes out and finds me, I will be long since gone. You, on the other hand? You just so happen to be the last earth pony the Pinkie Pie version of me thought of before she died.”

She pointed at my hoof like it had something on it. “Your file fell and hit her hoof, she read the name as the pink cloud closed in. Then she thought of Twilight, who died before she did; so by default.” She turned in a way I only thought snakes could. “You got the golden ticket! Well, I guess it’s more of a pink ticket.” Pink turned away with a sigh, “You're nothing special.” My head dropped low and my ears drooped. What I thought might be something amazing was just nothing at all.

“You mean by sheer, dumb chance, I'm stuck with you?” I whispered into the tiles, as my flanks collapsed and I took a seat.
“Pure, bucking coincidence!” She said that like it was venom pouring from her teeth.

“You don't wanna be here either?” I asked, looking up at that stupid pink face with moronic blue eyes.

“There are so many different ponies I could have gravitated towards. A literal sea.” She was making a cup of tea now for herself now, pouring it fresh and hot. “You sure I can't get you something? A scone? A Cinnamon bun? I baked them fresh.”
“We're gonna be here a while, aren't we?” I asked, finally looking up from the tiles. No matter how upset I get, she is gonna be so infectiously cheery.

Pink let out an exasperated sigh, “Yeah, that surgery is gonna take some time.”

“How bad is it?” I hoped for a straight answer this time.

“Well, you're not dead. Quick Stitch is way more competent than that.” She chewed her lip for a bit and stifled her giggle. “Whether that competence comes from actually knowing what he's doing or the sheer fear that Nyota will fist him to death I'm not sure.”

I stared at her horrified, “Wait? How and why would Nyota fist him to death? Nyota—”

“Oh right, ponies have hooves! Sorry, Nyota would 'Hoof' him to death.” Pink corrected herself and punctuated the word hoof with air quotes from her own hooves.

“I need to make sure Nyota doesn't go murdering ponies for my sake.” I put a hoof to my lips trying to think of how to do just that.

“I'm totally gonna stay around and watch that happen,” Pink twirled to a microwave and pressed the start button on it.

“Gonna make some popcorn. It’ll be really good.” I wasn't entirely sure if Pink was speaking of watching Nyota hoof Quick Stitch to death or my surgery with the way she was speaking mixed with her facial expression.

“Ya know what,” I looked up at her. I was going to give in eventually, why not start now. “Do you have some soda? I haven't had soda and popcorn in a while.”

“Sparkle Cola?” Pink replied with a giggle and opened the refrigerator to get it.

“Umm... no, I'm from Stalliongrad, we prefer Sunset-”

She bolted upright with an expression of pure murder on her face. “Eww! You want Sunset Sarsaparilla?”

“Well yes, Pink. I'm from Stalliongrad, and it is our soda of choice. You went to Stalliongrad, didn't you? You sent an agent there with me. And Agent 9... she's not dead, is she?”I inquired. She now wore the look of confusion, while I stared at her with eyes that could murder.

Something faint and muffled came from the broom closet, but Pink rushed over to turn my attention back to her with a hoof on my cheek. Her eyes pulsing freakishly back and forth in her head as she spoke, “Agent 9 is fine. Agent 9 will be dealt with in time.” She turned her gaze away, not looking at me anymore. “Would you like a proper Stalliongrad Sunset?” In her hoof was a bottle of vodka.

“I don't think... you're about to tell me I'm a total drunk, aren't you?” I asked with a glare in my eyes, making her unable to get away from my stare.

“Actually, no. You're surprisingly conservative. I dunno how you do it. If I’d seen the stuff you’d seen, I’d drink all the time!” Pink replied as she started to pour the vodka into a glass. I wanted to strike her.

“Pink... how long have I been awake, really?” I stopped her from pouring the vodka and pulled her square with my shoulder. “How long, or how many times have I been out of the stable? Please, give me this?”

“Do you want to know, or do you want to keep living the happy lie?” Pink replied and set the vodka down.

“Pink, I wouldn't be looking for my parents or trying to find out why my PipBuck was registering me as an experiment if I didn't want the truth.” My voice was flat, direct, and without emotion. At this point, that tactic seemed the best way to get a straight answer. The world seemed to take a breath, wanting to not release the information to me yet. “Pink, I'm gonna wake up, and they're gonna tell me stuff about my insides that I'm not ready to hear. Please, help me find some strength to get through it.” Pink chewed her lip now, and I could see tears in her eyes she was fighting to keep back. She looked like a parent who had to stare a child in the eyes and tell them their dog was dead.

“You have died twenty-seven times.” She paused and held her breath as my eyes went wide. It was like my entire world had been broken, fallen down onto me, and I was left there to be crushed by it. I started to speak only to have Pinkie hold up a hoof and stop me, “I'm not going into any more detail or telling you anything else about it. Not answering any questions on the matter.” Her hair pinned straight up, like a bolt of lightning had struck her as she held my mouth shut. “There are some things you never need to know. But know this: you have died in various ways exactly twenty-seven times. Every time you come back, and I truly do not understand the why or the how.”

“I'm sorry I don’t know. I'm not Twilight Sparkle,” She had tears rolling down her cheeks, and for the first time ever, Pink looked like a sad pony. “Twilight could answer this licky split, but I have no idea.” She smiled at me bitterly. “You know, before the war, all I wanted to do was bake and make ponies happy… and I ended up like this.” She gestured to her body and then pointed at my head. Then motioned at the house around her. “I wish I could bake you a real cake, and make you feel better, but all I’ve got is this Sunset Sarsparilla and a bottle of vodka that your brain let me conjure up. I wish you dreamt of baking more often… but here we are. So, want some liquid fortification?”

I dropped onto my belly and held my head in my hooves. My world was split into a combination of emotional agony and earth shattering explosions. “Buck it! Vodka would be nice,” I managed through my own tears rolling out. Thoughts of my parents potentially being dead, of having to explain this to Nyota, or any pony for that matter, were simply too much to bear right now. She poured some vodka into the other half of the glass with my Sarsaparilla and passed it my way. I reached past her and grabbed the bottle of vodka, then took a long swig, and regretted it immediately.

The burn was one thing, but the taste was downright awful! Every part of my mouth wanted to vomit and couldn't, so I made myself swallow and winced as it burned down my throat. All the way to the empty pit of my stomach and to the bottom of the bottle. I slammed the bottle away and while coughing and sputtering to speak, “Oh, Celestia's breath mints! How do ponies drink this?”

“Try it with the soda.”

“It's like inhaling piss set on fire with napalm.” How I knew what that was like, I had no idea, but I imagine Pink did because she giggled and shot me a wink.

“Here, silly, try it with the soda.” I looked at her like she had lost her mind, and took a sip of the soda/vodka mix. It was better, until the burning started when I swallowed. At the same time, something inside me moved, and while it didn't hurt, it felt like a rib was being shifted around. I shook my head and sat down the emotionally sobering alcohol.

My insides shifted again, and I groaned, “Oh...somepony just moved my ribs...”

Pink made a hissing sound and grimaced, “Oh, I guess Med-X doesn't stop sensation. Listen, you're fine. Nothing hit your vitals. Any of them.”

“So, if nothing hit my vitals, why am I coughing up blood?” I asked, changing the subject from morbid to more pressingly morbid.

“Oh, that's weird...” Pink replied, thinking on it.

“My shotgun is caked in my own blood,” I shot back, sipping on the soda, vodka mix. I didn’t like the taste but I didn’t hate it either.

“They're probably gonna have to open you up,” She said, with another giggle, and clearly had something else on her mind.

“They couldn't get my jumpsuit off, they're certainly going to have to open me up a little.” I said leaning forward and looking at her up close, so she would have to look back. Even if all Pink did was look out of the corner of her eye, we still made eye-contact.

“I think you're gonna have to say goodbye to the Stable-Tec jumpsuit.” Pink replied with a snicker and I was suddenly in a world of agony.

“Quick Stitch, another dose! She can't wake up like this.” My ears perked up at the words but all I could feel was massive amounts of pain. My eyes slowly opened to see the mask still around my face. I felt a prick in my arm while inhaling more green powder. “Clamp that artery!” A tug on my insides hit me like a train. My eyes focused to see my stomach cut wide open and my insides now on the outside. The world faded to black again rapidly. “Keep working, save her lung first, then work on the ribs more. Quick Stitch more blood, no...” Darkness my old friend, you won again. The rush of Med-X and healing powders took me back into the dreamscape. Back to my conversation with Pink.

Author's Notes:

See you all at High Roller Pony Con and by the way, these are available too now ;)

Thanks to Props for the edits.

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