I was back in the kitchen with Pink, like we'd never left. “By the way, where did Quick Stitch come from?” She leaned over and I put the glass down to give her a questioning look. “He looks so shell shocked. Remember the look in his eyes?” Something about the question was just wrong; so wrong feeling that even I didn't want to answer it. But I'd have to, if I was being fair to Pink.

I nodded, “He looked like we might shoot him. He only recently calmed down a bit.”

Pink pulled the glass over and took a sip, “Even I never thought you could make a friend at the clip of a hoof.”

“Well, ya know, I couldn't make friends at school, but I made friends with my dad's zebra mechanics or mom's social club.
Seems natural for me to make friends in odd ways, I guess.” I took the glass back from her and took my own sip. Yep, still tasted like burning piss, just now it had sugar and soda bubbles.

“Well yeah, once you let your guard down, you're a pretty likable mare, but...” She took a minute and went back to grabbing the glass for more drinking. “The wasteland is the wasteland, right?

I kept thinking about it. We had been at each other's throats when we woke up. It was a slow, uneasy truce that settled into friendship, “I don't like where this thought is going. Are you...” Pink just spaced out for a while. A few minutes passed as I gave her a look to examine to see if she was alive or not.

“You said you don't like Sparkle Cola, right?” She replied with a smile and went looking through the fridge again. “Do we have any Gin or maybe some Sparkle Grape?” Her words only served to drive me further into confusion.

“Pink, are you alright?” I got up to follow her to the fridge and nudged the door aside. It was so full I couldn't tell what was what! Some fruit looked a bit smashed, but everything looked fresh, and the inside was clearly bigger than the outside.
“Oh, yeah, I'm fine,” she closed the door with a pair of cola six packs in her teeth.

I sighed and nodded. “Pink, can I make an agreement with you?”

She tilted her head. “What's that?” she finished her sentence with a popping of a soda cap.

“Can we agree that if somepony needs to be shot at, that we both agree they need to be shot at? I don't want to dive on any more grenades.” My speech was brought to a screeching halt. Something inside me jostled as what felt like somepony was moving my insides continued.

“I mean, we can try?” She took a swig of the Sunset Sarsaparilla and made a disgusted look, tongue sticking out included.
“I just...I don't think we'll live long, this time, if we are fighting each other constantly,” I said with a wince.

“You gotta get it through your noggin, Sunrise, that sometimes things are gonna have to get messy." She said that like it was a fact from a act of royal decree. I stared at her like I wanted to smack her. I got up onto the table with the most determined look on my face at her. “That is the way it was, and that is the way it is, and that is final. Fineto. Fin.”

“I, I mean we didn't have to kill Black Hawk. And she's actually turned out nice, right?” I asked with an expression of pure hope in my eyes.

“Black Hawk wasn't those zebra cleaners.” She loomed over me, getting larger and raising her voice with each word. “Black Hawk doesn't hold a candle to those assassins! BLACK HAWK WAS STILL A NICE PONY INSIDE!” She was impossibly huge for a moment, then shrank down to normal pony size again. "The entire Enclave isn't even half as evil as those nasty ponies."

I hung my head. “You’re right, those were awful ponies.” I paused for a bit. “I, umm... does saying your first curse words out loud count if it's in a conversation with you?”

Pink giggled and then broke into hysterical laughter for a bit while I gave her the stink eye. She stopped and snickered, “Oh, you were serious? I mean, it doesn't count if it's in your own head, silly.”

I wanted to get back to the subject at hoof, when a thought hit me. “We have S.A.T.S., why not hit it, and then we have a discussion to avoid killing ponies if possible.” I figured for once Pink might like my laughter.

“You saw-”

I motioned my hoof for us to move along, “So, can we agree that next time, I hit S.A.T.S. and we talk this out?” I asked, trying to get some sort of answer that would satisfy a truce between us.

“Fine, you can hit S.A.T.S. and then try to change my mind,” Pink replied and set me on my own hooves again.

I stared up at her from the corner of my eyes with a dissatisfied frown. “Best I'm gonna get, isn't it?”

“Yepperoni! Ya know what, do you want me to leave you alone for a day?” Pink replied, back to her infectiously sadistic cheer.

I stared at her and started to tremble, fear creeping up inside me that I couldn't explain, “No.”

“How about twelve hours?” She offered again, and I just got more and more terrified. It was like one of my closest friends, whom I had a love/hate relationship with, might be gone.

“No Pink, I don't—”

“I'm just offering twelve hours where you can make all the decisions, and call all of the—” It was my turn to issue hoof in mouth syndrome, hard.

“NO! You don't understand. If I went twelve hours without you bouncing across my PipBuck display, acting out, my tail doing something weird, or you giving me a thought,” I couldn't keep talking as the fear overtook me. I dropped into a trembling mess while it all dawned on me: I needed Pink to survive. Not just survive, but to function as a pony, I needed her right now. She took my head and pressed it to her chest. Finally words came back to me, “I get it, we're stuck together. Just please, let's be good friends instead of this love/hate relationship okay?” I spoke half muffled against her chest floof, she smelled like cotton candy when I inhaled to wait her answer.

“Okay, Sunrise, I get ya.” Pink raised my chin to look at her with a hoof as gently as possible. “When we can’t come to agree, we'll hit S.A.T.S. and talk it over a cup of tea?” Her other hoof offered me a cup of hot tea while I looked at the warmth of her pink mane and coat.

A sudden, intense pain washed over me, like nothing else that I'd experienced while under. I was knocked to my knees, trembling, and screamed in pain. "What the hell is Quick Stitch doing?!"

"I have no idea, but it's killing you! I'll stop him, hang on!" Pink's eyes closed for a moment as she clutched me close to her chest, and I buried my muzzle in her fur and cried in agony. The pain suddenly stopped, leaving me trembling and weak. Pink opened her eyes and frowned at me. "Heya, Sunrise. You feeling okay, now?"

"What was that?" I managed between gasping breaths.
"I don't know. I had to hit him with our—your tail to make him stop," Pink said, running a hoof over my back until my trembling stopped. She smiled at me. "There we go. Auntie Pinkie Pie made it all better."

"That's... gonna be fun to explain when I wake up," I said with a weak giggle, and Pinkie laughed out loud, patting me on the back.

"Oh, Sunrise, you've got a whole fun cocktail of drugs in your system right now. I think you can explain it away pretty easily!"

I nodded against her chest while the fear slowly passed. She cooed and shushed me, humming a lullaby. For once, I was hugging this damn Pink pony, because something inside my mind couldn't live without her. “I... I'm not gonna feel good when I wake up, am I?” The smoothing in her voice keeping me grounded enough to speak as I thought about what they might be doing to my insides.

“If Quick Stitch remembers to,” Pink stopped and took a brief inhale, even inflating her head slightly in a comical manner. “PUSH THOSE PAINKILLERS!” She shouted at no pony in particularly and slowly pain and fear went away. After almost a minute, I felt wonderful again.

“That, feels, better....” I rolled the r and deflated like a balloon in her hooves.

“You might be addicted to Med-X when you wake up...” She replied with a smirk.

“Well, you've been the one sticking me with it, most of the time,” I growled into her shoulder as she released me and looked at me like I had become an angry wild animal.

“Well, I mean, everything was on fire in the control roo—” She stopped herself and a light-bulb appeared above her head. “Right! I should show you the control room!” She opened the door we had come through from the living room, grabbed me by the hoof and dragged me back out of the house. From the door we had come in, into another room that was somehow there now. Inside was a room full of computers, switches, knobs, and a large view screen that, at the moment, was completely dark.Several of the lights on the view screen were cutting on and off, while switches beeped. I looked at the view screen, then Pink, feeling very confused.

“Oh, it's because your eyes are closed.” She stood up on a desk overloaded with computer print out sheets, “Welcome to the control room!” I looked around in wonder as she came back onto all fours on the desk. Pink gestured to the rows of terminals and computer print out sheets, then the view screens. “All of that—yeah, all of it—was on fire until I injected you with Med-X. And when it started to wear off, it caught fire again.”

I stared around with my jaw dropped in amazement. In the center, under the view screen, was a workbench with the most gorgeous set of tools I'd ever seen. All of them looked immaculately taken care of, and there was everything you could want: from the smallest 1/100^th wrench nut to a hoof'n wrench-sized for tank road wheels. Lastly was a book, as big as a pony, with letters sized for a half-blind dragon that read: 'The History of Bombs and Explodey Bits'. I was truly amazed at how Pink viewed the inside of my head. This mare was either completely crazy, or 100% sane, and both prospects set terrifying precedents for me.

“I umm... well ya!”

“What? Zebras train themselves their entire lives for this sort of journey into their souls and minds. You just had to almost die and take all of the drugs.” Pink said with a giggle and patted me on the back.

“Are you saying this is my brain? Or my soul?” I looked at her as I picked my jaw up off the floor and Pink rolled her eyes.
“Well... an artist's interpretation of it, yes.” She nodded her head overly enthusiastically.

“You... You have direct access to the controls of my brain?” I suddenly wanted to pick at the hairs on my mane and shave my tail in hopes of getting control of my body again.

“Oh, I don't have administrative privileges, if that makes you feel better. I got the tail, yes, and I can put in suggestions, buttttt....” She rolled the last word and her head in a big circle until she came nose to nose with me, “You have direct final say so.”

“So you're implanting all the ideas on how to make bombs?” I asked, pointing to the massive oversized book.

“I have been reading you recipes out of Granny Pie's old books.” She smirked and snickered, “Ya know, the original author and publisher of the Anarchist's Cookbooks!” Slowly, it dawned on me with things I may know without even realizing it. I looked at Pink with a slow turn of my head, my eyes wild, as I started to piece together where I had learned all my bomb knowledge.

“Wait... there totally is all the recipes for all the bombs I’ve made in here?” I said, approaching the book, and Pink darted between me on her hind legs, foreleg out in a T shape.

“Well duh! It’s one of the best Cookbooks ever!” Pink replied with a playful slap onto my head.

“So, you totally have a bomb in there,” I pointed at the book and started to walk towards it. “That can make a cloud that an earth pony can walk on don't you!” I felt a devilish grin ease its way onto my face. “I can negotiate with the Enclave directly!”

“No!” Pink dashed between myself and the book. She was struggling to keep me from getting past her. “We can't go back to up to Cloudsdale, well not Cloudsdale it's destroyed but no! We can't!” I stopped and got down onto my hooves and looked at her angrily. She hesitated and sighed, “Well you may have a bounty of over 10000 caps on your head from the Enclave.” I stared in disbelief, I started to scream about what I could have done and she held up a hoof. “They're pretty sure you're dead, they think they got you...” he paused and thought on it, “The third time.”

“Pink, you're gonna tell me if I run into some ponies who think I'm supposed to be dead, right?” I sat on my flanks and crossed my hooves at her expectantly. I felt like a mom scolding her foal over telling a fib. Pink looked a bit hurt, but understood what I meant.

“I promise I will let you know if things are about to go tails up.” I nodded at her and decided a deal was needed. She seemed sincere enough but something in the back of my mind creeped up and wanted to challenge her.

“Pink, you’re gonna have to do better than that.” I replied, leaning up so we were nose to nose. She could see the scrutiny in my eyes, trying to find her motives as well as intentions. I could feel my own gaze hard into her reflected back from her orbs at me.

“I will make you a deal. I will not ask about my previous lives, or anything you’ve said you won't tell me, if you make sure to tell me if somepony thinks I'm dead and we meet them.” I stared her down and she looked wounded and dumbfounded now.

“Sunrise, I know you. I can't keep this a secret forever!” She shouted and fell back onto her spine in exasperation.
“I know, but it's a waste of our time to ask since you won't talk until you have to. So, deal?” I extended my hoof as she sat up and looked at it warily.

“Only if you Pinkie Promise to not tell the others what I told you in here; about dying twenty seven times.” I bit my lip and nodded at her and she took the hoof I was offering. We had struck a deal, and I felt like it was some binding contract that could only be broken by death. After a moment passed between us, I hugged her around her neck.

“I think I'm about wake up and be in a whole lot of pain...” Pink held up a hoof and walked over to one of the tickers coming out of a computer.

“No, I think you're gonna be okay on pain. Looks like Quick Stitch did it right, and you're on a whole lot of drugs right now.” She replied with a snicker, “Almost like Party Time Mint-Als meets pure Alcohol. You're probably gonna feel like you just tried to each a billion apples or ingested a whole case of Party Time Ment-Als.”

I looked aghast and shook my head, “Pink, I know you're probably gonna correct me, but I don't know what sex feels like yet, remember?”

“FUN!” She threw the ticker tape into the air with a squeal.

“I feel like if I talked to Nyota about this, it would,” I hung my head as my thoughts went to that stallion's warm face with his eye patch, and a pile of cigarettes at his hooves from his nervous waiting. I couldn’t bare to finish the sentence. My heart ached at the slightest thought of harming Nyota in any way.

“Sunrise, I had a crippling Party-Time Mint-Als addiction. I watched all my friends walk out on me then was begging for them when it ended.” She reached up and placed a hoof onto my shoulder, “I know what stress, worry, and pain can do to a relationship.” Pink softly embraced me, holding my body close. The warmth made her next words that much more reassuring, it was like knowing she meant it. “I’m not going to let you make my mistakes.”

“You can say you don't know to this one, but, am I ever gonna see my parents again? Is Nyota gonna be okay with all this? Is... is life ever gonna be happy again?” I asked slowly, starting to tear up as the thoughts of what I was doing to all my friends tore at me. I hadn't considered it until now, just how much it hurt them to see me torn up by gunfire. How they felt when I dove on a grenade. How Nyota must feel seeing me collapse. What my parents think of their little filly now, the one who’d killed ponies? What terrible burden I was putting on Quick Stitch’s shoulders to put me back together.

“Sunrise, I don't know. But, if they are still alive, I know they would be proud.” A spark of hope lit up within me. It didn't matter that her voice was grim, the spark was there. I looked up at her and nodded. I wanted to cling to that spark, to make it into a roaring fire as I smiled in the tight hug we’d been keeping.

“Then, so long as we don't know, there is hope that, one day, I'll have to explain to my mom that her grandfoals might be zonies.” I kissed Pink on the lips, she tasted like cotton candy. I didn't know why, I didn’t know what came over me. I just did it, for the longest moment I poured out emotions and this was how I was doing it. Pink laughed out loud as we broke the kiss.

“Dammit Sunrise, you know for a mare so cute, you are a good kisser too. Nyota is lucky you aren't all into mares.” I blinked at her and slowly turned white with a blush which only made her snicker more.

“Ya know, you're mom was quite the wild mare when she was at my parties those two times. She might ya know, look at you and ask if she can take a turn.” Pink replied with a giggle. I looked up at her, eyes so wide I felt like they might leave my skull. “I mean ya know, your mom might try to buck your boyfriend just like she did me.” There was another awkward pause as I glared at her, “What? I said yes of course. Your mom was, and probably still is, hot.”

“Wait what!? You mean, mom and you and...” suddenly I felt very very sick to my insides but the image in my head was gone and wouldn't come back, no matter how hard I thought on it.

“Oh no Sunrise, I'm suppressing that one. You don't need to know any bit of that.” Pink reached up and ruffled my mane as she turned this into a soft hug once again. “Some secrets I will never reveal, let’s file that under there. Just remember, anytime you need to get something out, I’m here.”

I smiled, I felt something reaffirming had been done. All this conversation had brought my sanity back and then Pink whispered in my ear, “I am and always will be your friend.” I looked up at her stunned, that some pony would tell me that. “You are worthy of that much.” Pink faded away and I slowly started to wake up to a world of pain and a mask that kept me alive.

I woke up with the taste of vodka, Med-X, and lack of water on my tongue. I smacked my lips as the room came into focus. I was on the gurney again, this time with a pillow and fresh linens. A sheet along with a blanket covered me up to the neck. The familiar weight of my Pip-Buck resisted me picking up my hoof as I raised it to my head.

I rolled my vision to the right: a chair with my things was there. My duster looked torn up and frayed but could still be worn. My jumpsuit, though, was cut open and shredded to tatters. The entire belly section was just gone. My saddlebags and backpack lay under the chair. No one here... Oh. I turned to the left, and Nyota was lying against me with his head resting on mine. He was asleep on his hooves I reached up as gently as possible and stroked his mohawk mane.

He flinched away and then stopped as soon as he recognized me. His breath smelled of cigarettes; no telling how many he'd smoked. “Hi... water...” was all I could manage through the various tastes in my mouth and my parched throat. Nyota pulled out a metal canteen and pressed it up to my lips. The cool water hit my lips and I felt like life itself was working back into my throat. My throat burned from dehydration, suddenly drenched and soothed. I had to stop to give a labored inhale. I felt like it might actually be my last breath for a few seconds. Finally, to my relief, my insides let out an exhale to prove I was alive, then resumed swallowing more water.

Something inside my belly tugged as I swallowed too much and made me stop. It didn't hurt, but I realized I wasn't able to really feel Nyota rubbing my shoulder while I was drinking. He removed the canteen and smiled at me. “You're mad at me, aren't you?” I looked at him as I asked the question, ashamed of myself. I failed you, I was severely hurt and didn’t listen. Denied it was happening and pressed myself nearly to death. I hid it under Med-X and—

Nyota started to speak and my thoughts were interrupted seeing him open his mouth. He stopped and thought about it with a hoof on his chin. He went to speak again, and stopped, finally he just nodded at me vigorously. I stared at him, stunned that he wasn't chewing me out; instead he just accepted that I made a mistake. “I'm not gonna hear the end of this, am I?” Nyota nodded again, smirking this time. I looked away unable to meet his gaze as the guilt washed over me. I let out a long sigh and he pulled my chin back around, forcing me to meet his eyes. One covered in a patch but the other soft green hue staring into my soul.

“I understand why you did it. You had to save other ponies.” He took a breath and reached up, I flinched as the bed creaked until he started stroking my mane. I felt his hoof there, and even with the dulling of the Med-X against it, it was lovely. I pulled my head closer to it and let out a low murr; the feeling was the best I'd had in a few days. For once, being petted without the immediate threat of something on my E.F.S. turning red was so welcome. I didn't realize it until now, but my HUD was off.

It was the first time I'd looked at Nyota without a HUD. Somehow it felt more serene, like I would look at a pony I had a crush on before the bombs fell. If not for the dirt floor or the thought that outside was the wasteland, I could have imagined that this was after a peace with the zebras had been made and the war was over, without the megaspells. Nyota leaned up against the gurney while gently wrapping his hooves around me. The warmth was the thing that made me feel the most alive, just the warmth of his chest was enough to relax me. He pulled back and kissed me, the soft embrace of his lips was something I had longed for since we started running after the assassin’s attack on the road.

Quick Stitch grunted at us as my heart kept fluttering. The butterflies in my stomach couldn't decide if they were painful or pleasant. Our kiss broke and we turned to him. “At least you’re awake,” Quick Stitch took a second to grin like he was seeing an old friend for the first time in ages. “And haven't lost any of your memories or your mind.”

Nyota snorted at him and sighed, “So, ya gonna tell us how bad it is?” He asked and Quick Stitch shook his head. We both tilted our heads and bonked against each other's foreheads. I rubbed my head with a weak hoof, Nyota's head was clearly harder than mine. At least I thought it was, he stumbled, staggered, and then fell over. Nyota looked like he was seeing stars. Both myself and Quick Stitch stared in disbelief. Wait, my head is harder than his? Nyota winced as he got back to his feet; while Quick Stitch laughed. He didn't just laugh, it built from a chuckle to an infectious cackle like Pink's. The two of us couldn’t help it and joined in with him.

We were all laughing, sense of relief washing over us. Death had been evaded and this laugh was what all of us needed. I laughed even through my insides pulsed with pain, but shortly I was coughing. Nyota and Quick Stitch both stopped and turned to me. Nyota put a hoof against my own and held it tight. I gripped back while Quick Stitch trotted forward to tend to me. He levitated over a fresh canteen to my lips. This water was somehow ice cold and I took a sip to clear my throat. I drank it slowly and he pulled it away after a few sips. I really wanted more of that ice water, it was the best water I’d had since we woke up in the pool together. “No laughing, we had to fix a punctured lung.”

I spat the last sip of water back out, my eyes wide in shock, “A punctured WHAT!?” I immediately resumed a coughing fit from the strain, and Quick Stitch just facehoofed. Nyota had a different air about him, though. He just calmly stroked my mane and lovingly pressed a kiss into my cheek. It was warm, and sweet sensation somehow made the coughing easier to supress. The chills down my spine from the gentle stallion's efforts to make my head relax. I whimpered when he stopped, and he stifled a giggle.

“Oh my, Sunrise, he relaxes you! Makes you forget about all that damage under the sheets, doesn't he? You are past the crush state, aren't you?” Pink teased like a schoolgirl friend about a new boyfriend. She stood on hind legs talking to me from the foot of the bed. I blushed at Nyota and Pink, struggling to find words to talk back.

Pink... this is...

“Love? Probably. I mean, we'll find out later.”

“Alright, Sunny, this is no laughing matter and no screaming either. Also, I'm gonna be escorting you everywhere, no if’s, and's, or but’s about it.”

I looked to Nyota, who just blushed under my gaze. He tried to hide behind my own hoof, he nuzzled up against it like I was supposed to pet him. I groaned and lifted my hoof then he looked at me like I had caught his hoof in a cookie jar.
Dammit! Why are you so cute even if I'm upset with you.

I felt nature's calling and Quick Stitch helped by levitating me up off the bed. This was the first look I got at the healing flesh sticking out of the edge of the bandage. I was gonna have a scar, and everything between my forelegs and hind legs was covered in bandages.

It was so odd to be walking on the ground while a unicorn levitated most of your weight up. This must be how pegasi feel walking on clouds. I relieved myself and was ushered right back onto the gurney. Doc Hacksaw arrived, brushing his blood red mane which was hopelessly frizzed out. He forced a smile to greet me with, even if he looked like the world had finally taken his last buck.

He changed the IV and pushed my stuff out of the chair to pull it up to the makeshift bed. “Was told you don't like beds, so we made sure to keep you in a sheet gurney. Ya know, without springs. Now, how are you feeling?”

I gave the doctor a nod and took a look under the sheets again getting a full view of my injuries a second time, “I, umm... I'm feeling better, just really tired and weak. A bit disconnected, too.”

Hacksaw nodded and shuffled several papers in his hooves up to bloodshot brown eyes, “Alright, glad to hear it, we should, umm, talk about you and your insides a bit.” He hesitated while I gripped Nyota's hoof tighter and pulled on him to get closer: his warmth was the only thing keeping me from crying right in that moment. The way Hacksaw was talking, this was bad news, and he let out a long sigh. “Well, you had a punctured lung, dislocated shoulder, ruptured kidney, three broken ribs, 18 pieces of metal fused into your hide, and several bits of cloth stuck in your injuries as well.”

He took an extended breath and patted my right shoulder. The fact that it didn't hurt was the first thing that came to mind. “Thankfully, myself and this cutie here aren't bad at what we do. All of that should heal,” the doctor explained. My face lit up and I started to get up, only to have him and Nyota both put hooves on my shoulders and hold me down. “Provided you rest. You were in surgery for ten hours. There are some other things we have to bring up and deal with. They aren't things you are gonna like, exactly.”

He pulled a light hanging from the roof and held up a black sheet to it, showing an x-ray to us. “You see that black gap behind your heart, about two inches across?” He asked and I nodded. “Do you know what that is?” I shook my head and he moved the x-ray away from the light. “Well, it's in there good, fused to your spine and linked to your heart, no less.”

I looked around for Pink for an answer but she was nowhere to be found. Nyota looked horrified as I felt my heart rate rising. The doctor leaned forward and whispered, “Look, we don't' know what it is. Inside you is a small black cube about two inches across. It's fused into your C4 vertebrae, as well as the veins around it and a small piece of the right chamber of your heart.” He explained and let it all sink in. All we could do was stare at him as the doctor went on, there wasn't anything to say or any coherent thought that came to mind.

“It's tied in there pretty hard, and when we tried to remove it, but all your vitals plummeted. It nearly killed you. We had to reattach the vein in a hurry because your heart pounded hard enough it might explode. Whatever it is, it's tied into your vital functions and I'm almost certain that if we removed it, it would kill you.” He took a breath, letting it sink in. He let out a sigh, “Alright, well, there is something else that I need to talk about. Last time you were here, somepony mentioned you hadn't hit estrus yet, right?”

I nodded slowly, my heart rate rising and my breathing getting faster. Nyota held me close to his chest, moving more to get closer and nuzzle my cheek. “Well, I'm gonna be honest. It took Quick Stitch and our nurse Stitch Flank taking a look to verify,” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “But everything works down there since you've had a cesarean.” My breathing accelerated and I started hyperventilating.

I what!? I've had a c-section!? A FOAL CAME OUT OF ME!? WHEN! Pink, where are you? I need answers! My gasping only got more intense and louder as I gripped Nyota's hoof in a death grip. He shushed me and whispered into my ear, “Sunrise, I've got you. I'm not going anywhere, breath like I taught you. Inhale slowly, breath out slowly.” I took in a deep breath and my panting slowly stopped. My ribs screamed and my lungs burned from the exertion, but Nyota just kept repeating those words in my ear. My eyes slammed shut, I wanted all of that to stop, the world to stop. I’m a mother! I’m a terrible MOTHER!

“Sunny, breath. You are water, coursing softly down the river. All is well.” A soft orange glow hit my eye lids. Slowly all the pain stopped and I felt pure serenity.

“Damn drama queen ain’t she?” The doctor said as my eyes opened. Quick Stitch glared at him but Nyota didn’t even flinch. In a heartbeat I went from feelings of absolute panic to a completely placid lake, Quick Stitch pulled his yellow glowing horn away from me and Nyota just stared at him. I realized now just how hard I was holding onto Nyota's hoof. I released the tightness in my grip, but he didn't react to it. Way to be all stoic and stalwart. What changed? You've gone from cold almost uncaring to the warmest nicest stallion I’ve ever met.

Pink's voice hit me in the back of the head, “He has you, silly. That stallion loves you, and you love him!”

Oh, you’re back now? Can you... I felt that her presence was gone again. She sure knew how to frustrate a pony whom had more conflicting emotions right now than the shoot-out at the Okay Pony Corral. I wanted to scream in rage, cry in sorrow, punch a wall until it collapsed, and cling around Nyota's neck until we passed out. The only two things keeping me in check was Quick Stitch's worried gaze and Nyota’s hoof holding. I stared into Quick Stitch's honey colored eyes, Doc Hacksaw pulled out a package of Mint-Als and downed three from the tin.

“Alright, Stitch, I suggest all of you get an x-ray if possible.” His sky-blue face a careful mask of neutrality, and his voice was pure monotone; like everything he’d said was just another annoyance. Chifundo trotted into the tented off area and looked around, confused. Nyota nodded to Hacksaw and then started to try to pull away; my hoof had a grip on him, though, a grip I didn't think I was even capable of. I just held on, and Hacksaw sighed and shook his head. “Alright, come on, Sunrise, you can stay with Nyota and your friends while they get checked out.” I had enough, this was it, it was too much. I bit my lip and growled.

“You have the worst bedside manner! You know that!” I winced in pain from my ribs straining against the yelling. Nyota put a hoof into my mouth and kept me quiet. He let me take a few breaths as even Chifundo looked put off by my shouting. It was like somepony had broken some rule.

“Alright, fine. Come on, Sunrise. I know you're going through a whole lot right now, so come with me.” Doc Hacksaw explained and helped me from the bed to follow him.

It’s took three days of eating what they dubbed ‘applesauce’, which I doubted had any apples in it at all, to get to the point Nyota wasn’t fretting over every little movement. Finally, I woke up when the doctor came in to take the x-rays and explain the results.

I held Nyota's hoof silently as he stood on his hind legs and took the x-ray with another unicorn. We all had them. My stomach grumbled, and Nyota frowned. “Sunrise, when was the last time you ate anything solid?” The mysterious tension in the air interrupted by his question. Quick Stitch was focused upon the x-rays and comparing charts, while Chifundo was meditating and communing with spirits. Whatever he was saying, I couldn't understand a word of it, but Doctor Hacksaw seemed to.

I looked at Nyota and motioned for my saddlebag. He hoofed it to me, and the rubix cube from Corners dropped out onto the bed. I swept it aside and started to reach in for some sort of veggie I might have. There was nothing in there, just the box of sweets from Sandy Claws. I started to get a cookie out of there and Nyota grabbed onto my leg to stop me. “No, Sunrise, I'm gonna make you a proper breakfast.” He tossed me the officer's book out of my bags instead. “Read that to take your mind off of it, I'll be back in a minute” he started to leave when the pegasus, Piston, walked in.

“Anything but Cinnamon Buns, okay?” I called out to him. For some unknown reason I had this impression that cinnamon buns were something I’d never want to eat again. I didn’t know why but it bugged me even as I said it. Nyota looked at me, perplexed, and Pink giggled like she knew why. Even I didn’t understand it, but for some reason, I never wanted a cinnamon bun ever again. He snickered and laughed at me.

“Okay Sunny, no cinnamon buns.” The amount of indignation made me wanna scream out. Thankfully, Piston brought my focus elsewhere and helped fight my blush down as Nyota departed to make breakfast.

“Hey, where is your griffin friend?” Piston had a thick accent, and while he wasn't hard to understand, he rolled his words: all of them. I could see that he didn't have a cutie mark behind his armor plating, now that I had a moment to look, but instead there was a branding of a cloud with a lightning bolt inside it. Hot Cross Buns has that, is that a Dashite brand?

Nyota turned to him as Doc Hacksaw approached. “Yes, Sunrise should eat, a healthy appetite and I'll let her out of here if she can walk.” He nudged Quick Stitch against the flank to get his attention, “Stitchy-poo, I'm gonna get some sleep. Can you take care of any more patients?” Quick Stitch snorted back at him—clearly hating the nickname—and nodded, trotting out with Doc Hacksaw.

Chifundo stood up and approached. He gave me a gentle hug and a soft rub on each of my cheeks. It was strange, like the motions you would expect your parents to make when you were a little foal. "Are you going to be alright? My worries have kept me up for three nights!" He prodded at me and looked over at Nyota from across my bed.

I nodded to the pink striped zebra, and he gave me other light hug around the neck, making sure no pressure was put onto my ribs. “That is good to hear. You were in for the worst, we feared.” He took a few steps back, “The spirits, now, I must address, to find out if they know of the black box we possess.” I nodded to him, not wanting to deal with the rhythm of his speech at the moment. My brain was feeling the waves of emotional exhaustion hitting time and again.

“Sunrise are you well, you were out for quite a spell?” Chifundo prodded me and I stared at him. I didn’t get to answer, as we turned hearing Nyota raising his voice.

“She doesn't need this right now, whoever you are.” Piston still talking in a hushed tone to him. Whatever they were on about was clearly distressing Nyota at the moment. Quick Stitch had left the room along with Hacksaw who had put my things back into the chair. I finally leaned up and gave Chifundo a soft nudge.

“I'm fine, I know where I am, go on and do your spirit thing, Chifundo. You're safe, and that is what’s important.” I weakly hugged him to reassure him ,and this was the first time I'd felt just how weak I was. All I could do was put two hooves around his neck, so he would know I was alive. Chifundo pulled away slowly, carefully. It was like he was worried he would break me. Chifundo trotted off and only turned to give me a wink before passing out of the sectioned off room. Nyota walked back to his spot on my left, while Piston took the space where Hacksaw had been sitting a moment ago.

He gave me a nodding bow, “I have sworn a life debt to your friend, the griffin. I wonder if I can help you?” Nyota snorted at him and I looked at him warily. We had picked up Quick Stitch without much talk or a second thought, but Nyota has a bad feeling about this pegasus? I raised an eyebrow and looked from one to the other. My neck and ribs let out a complaint of strain. Maybe I should ask for some more Med-X?

"Uh oh! Somepony's got a craving for that sweet, sweet Med-X!" Pink mocked from out of view.

“Okay, before I ask how, can you do me a favor? Move to the side of the bed Nyota is on. Kind of a bit of a strain to talk to both of you if I have to look from one end to the other.” He didn't question it, the pegasus just trotted over and was suddenly uncomfortably beside Nyota. Nyota wasn't comfortable with this at all, his hoof was wrapped around Nyota's neck and they were pressed way to close. Nyota looked stunned and confused. Slowly his eyes rolled over to Piston’s face, his confusion turning to agitation. Piston just grinned completely unaware with a happy satisfied look on his face. “Okay, now I feel like I should hit you.” I suddenly felt like this pegasus had no sense of any social decorum.

In the most surreal moment of my life, Nyota turned and slammed a hoof into Piston's head and sent him reeling onto his belly. He landed in a heap next to the gurney I was on and make the IV bag in my leg shake. I stared at the two of them, stunned, and Nyota had a broad grin on his face like he'd done something perfect. Piston got up to his feet rather quickly and his wing was holding his jaw while he looked at me. “Right! No touchy boyfriendy!”

I looked at Nyota. My face was pleading with him while my hoof motioned for him to step in and do something. He looked back with a sheepish smile from ear to ear and just stroked my mane. “Weren't you gonna get me breakfast?” My voice was one of irritation but my eyes were firmly darting to and from Piston. I hoped he got the hint to not dart out yet. Nyota giggled like a school filly and nodded. THE ODDEST SOUND you’ve ever heard from a scarred grizzled zebra.
“Yeah, when Piston here leaves you alone.” We both turned and glared at Piston, whom looked very confused. He gave an exaggerated nod as he realized we both were waiting on him to speak.

Oh thank the Goddesses! He can take a hint and doesn’t abandon me at the slightest reason. Please never change! I thought with a sense of relief when Nyota had taken the expression on my face and motion of my hoof to heart.

“Oh right, I umm... I wanted to ask if I could fix your armor?” My head slowly moved over to the jumpsuit that looked torn apart, missing belly plating and my duster riddled with holes. Additionally, the plating completely fused on the right side, so the duster and jumpsuit couldn't be separated. “I mean, I have some ideas on that, but if you want to hear them I can explain.”

I turned back to the two stallions waiting my reply. Nyota moved to softly nuzzle my cheek, and I let out a deep sigh. “Alright, Piston, what's your idea?” I wanted to humor him long enough to get rid of him. If Nyota didn't trust him, that was one thing, but I was hungry!

“Well, what if I get a flak vest, and then use a jumpsuit to fill in the missing bits of your own? It won't exactly look flashy, but it will provide you with protection beyond what that duster can do.” I looked at him and started to put the pieces together then nodded at him.

“Let me think about it and talk to Alguacil okay?” I just wanted him to leave!

Piston bowed and turned away, walking his gray pegasus flank out. I looked, and Nyota had a grimace on his face. “Nyota, I know, something ain't right about him. We'll talk to him after breakfast, okay?”

I picked up the book I’d gotten at the roof, The Equestrian Officer’s Guide to Tactics and Military Dress, and was out like a light shortly after.

Nyota kissed me awake. My eyes popped open in shock at the sensation of his lips, the smell of pancakes, and the feeling of drool against the pages of my book. Nyota had a hoof holding the book up, but there was no sign of how it had been held up before. I had apparently passed out falling forward into it. Did my tail stop the book and me mid air? That would have kept me from hitting my own ribs or falling out of the angled gurney.

My heart accelerated as we held the kiss and the surprise wore off. My thoughts on the matter were shattered away. I closed my eyes again, but this time not because I was tired, but because it felt nice. The warmth filling my chest and cheeks was so very welcome. My insides were full of tingles and flutters as I gasped for air through my nose to keep the kiss going. My lungs started burning from breathing this way, but I held on, even when Nyota started pulling away. Nyota gently placed a hoof to my cheek to break the kiss and I refused. That is to say until he pulled out of range without me falling out of the makeshift bed.

The zebra picked up a plate and held it to me. Pancakes! They smelled like the real thing, like the ones we had gotten in The Roof. I reached forward and grabbed hold of the plate, then wolfed down an entire pancake all at once. It was so mushy, and there was a sweet hint of syrup or something, and then the strawberry flavor hit. He'd made it with preservatives! Oh, Goddesses, have I missed this! No canned veggies today! I wolfed down another pancake quickly as Nyota offered me a cup of coffee but kept it out of reach.

“Sunrise, we may wanna stop drinking this coffee,” My heart skipped a beat and I felt the wave of disappointment wash over me. “It's been laced with dash and buck to make it addictive.” I stared at him and tilted my head to the side, my face searching for an explanation that wasn't forthcoming.

“Huh? Laced by who? The people making it?” Nyota nodded at me and I recoiled a bit. I had that sweet black nectar within reach if I just leaned for it. “Who?”

“The filly scouts, apparently, which means we may have an issue.” I couldn't look away from the coffee. It had been at least two days since we'd had it, and I kind of really needed it. With a burst of speed, my tail grabbed it, spilling some onto the rubix cube next to me before it pressed the cup to my lips.

I had drank half the cup before I realized my tail had even moved. No, Bad Pink! BAD! I pulled the cup away from my lips and felt a sense of guilt wash over me. The taste was always something else, like it scratched an itch at the back of my throat or removed a craving on my tongue. The liquid was in my head, and deep inside a voice screamed that I was required to satisfy my morning wake-up ritual. I can't stop drinking this, not without help.

Even as I thought that, I felt pain, a dull wave or throb of it. I felt like maybe some Med-X would stop it from escalating.
“Alright, Sunrise, if you're gonna criticize me for coffee, I'm gonna do the same to you about Med-X. Lay off it, deal with the pain.” I wanted to scream how that was different, how I needed it, how it helped me save ponies. Then I stopped before I could form the thoughts.

No, that is the need for the drugs talking. Right now you are safe, and Nyota would be disappointed if you used it over this dull pain. I looked up from my cup at Nyota, realizing I had no idea how long I'd been lost in thought. I smacked my lips to clear the taste of coffee from my mouth. “We should probably talk to Quick Stitch, we've had a lot of this in the last two weeks.” Nyota nodded at me and I nodded back.

“Yeah, quitting it cold turkey might hurt us or aggravate your injuries. Maybe even... kill you from the symptoms.” Nyota's reply was like a hammer blow to my ego and my pride. I felt tears starting into my eyes and pain intensified. “We should probably have him mix it with regular coffee or something else and cut it down until we wean ourselves off it.”

Great! I need drug counseling and treatment in the wasteland. Not only is the coffee potentially bad for me, but I really REALLY could use some Med-X now. I leaned over and kissed Nyota on the cheek, and then I started to wolf down another pancake. Hacksaw walked in and saw my mouth full of an entire pancake.

“Oh good! You have an appetite, I see. We were gonna try solid food today but if you keep those down.” He slowly walked over towards me and just smiled at us. “That means all you need to do is prove you can walk, or can walk with assistance at the very least, and I can be rid of you. Hey, what's that?” He pointed at the rubix cube and I looked down to see the stickers peeling off, revealing a black, smooth cube underneath. My tail grabbed it and offered it up to me. I set the coffee onto the plate Nyota was offering. I kept chewing the pancake and peeled the stickers away. Soon I was holding an exact 2 inch by 2 inch solid black cube. It felt like onyx and was smoother than cut obsidian. “That's... that's the box in your chest! Where did you get it?”

Hacksaw was on me and looking at the cube up close. Nyota was holding him back, trying to prevent the doctor from injuring his own patient. It felt almost weightless. His magic tried to envelope it, but the cube dropped through the telekinetic glove. The piece could not be interacted with by magic. I set it down and looked at him while Quick Stitch and Chifundo both walked in. They looked like they had been through the wringer. Both unicorn and zebra had different aspects of them that showed fatigue. Chifundo's hair wasn't braided together, and his tail was matted against his flank from sweat. He hung his head, but he still had a brightness to his eyes and his normal hop in his step.

Quick Stitch, on the other hoof, had bloodshot eyes, his forehead furrowed, and his steps were dragging along the ground.. They both stopped in their tracks when they saw the black box. “I... I... I got it from Corners, it was the gift she left!” That TRAITOR! I screamed in my own head. My heart burned with fire and fury. She knew something all along! All that talk of the Box God and this, this thing... she was in on whatever experiment this is! When I find her, I’d box her ears till she tells us!

Quick Stitch peered at the black box while Chifundo spoke up first as I stared at it in horror. "That simply could not be same kind of box! Maybe Corners made it from black rocks?" Every pony approached and leaned in to look at the box.

I reared up to throw the cube, but my tail and Nyota's hoof stopped me. Chifundo and Quick Stitch jumped back away from us; while Doc Hacksaw stared, unphased. I glared at Nyota, and he glared back. There was a sort of silent communication between us. He knew I was angry; so was he, but he was calm enough to realize that if I damaged that cube, I might destroy our only lead. So did Pink, apparently, who appeared for the first time since I’d woken up. She was standing on her hind legs, making slow motions with her hooves towards the ground. “Come on, Sunrise, put it down.” Nyota and Pink spoke in stereo, their voices mirrored precisely.

Did you possess Nyota? She shook her head. Slowly, I lowered the cube down into Nyota's hoof. He passed it to Hacksaw as I jumped up out of the bed; the movement hurt my ribs, but I couldn't stay in here. Alguacil was coming in as I was leaving, and I nearly ran into the big griffin. Seeing him, for some reason, calmed my rage enough for Nyota to catch me and hold me up. Even with the huff I was in, my heart strings could be picked and bring me back to a calm.

“You're lookin' real spiffy for a filly that just got her insides rearranged and then put back together.” He punctuated the last word with an 'ar and even tipped his sombrero to me. My anger softened for just a moment at him being polite, and Nyota began stroking my mane.

“Sunrise, calm down, you're gonna irritate your wounds.” Nyota whispered in my ear. I looked at him and took the awkward time to walk around and get on the side where my right foreleg was against him. The one that had been broken twice, and dislocated as well. Ya know, if I didn't know any better, you'd think my Pip-Buck was an injury magnet! Nyota took my leg and make sure there wasn't any weight on it as I looked up at Alguacil.

“Don't argue, don't ask why. I have no patience right now, and my emotions are pretty drained.” I stated flatly to the griffin. Alguacil leaned down and got eye level with me. He softened his hardened glare at me and nodded to show me some respect. He isn't coming down here to insult me, he's here to give me respect and and... that's a first.

Pink was making motions at me and trying to keep me on track, with a literal piece of cartoon looking railroad track and a sign on a set of cars trudging by.. “Alguacil, go get an x-ray. Quick Stitch knows what to look for. I need some air.” He nodded and as Nyota and I disappeared out of the craft center, leaving our friends in the room with my things.

I was pacing around Nyota, outside of Hearthfire's Flophouse. The exertion was making me breath hard and Nyota was turning in circles to keep us face to face as he watched me with a worried expression. “That little... LITTLE,” I coughed twice, and Nyota held me up when my strength failed. “She fed us lies and everything.” I wanted to scream but my lungs couldn't take it. The pain inside was building up as I ranted. “She knew! She had to know, that explains it all. And she, she,” horror and dread filled me. “Nyota, what if she took this from some pony and killed them?”

Nyota put a hoof on hoof on my shoulder and stopped my pacing, “Sunrise, what if she didn't leave those notes and this is from her? What if—” I stopped him right there with my weakened hoof up against his lips.

“No, Nyota. She is alive, and she knew something. She knew exactly what these were, that we all had them, everything. Think about it,” I let it sink into his head for a bit. “She started fights with us, she acted out on purpose to turn us against her. She tried to kill me with a land mine and that skull!” I coughed again before continuing. “Then that scene on the road, with Buddy's shotgun? She wanted us to hate her. She had a guilty conscience. She knew what she was doing, that it was wrong, and when we didn't hate her, when we welcomed her in...” I paused and searched Nyota's eyes. I swear, now that I know it's there, I can follow and see his star swirling eye under the patch.

Nyota stomped his hoof and growled. “Fine, I'll admit it. You've got a point,” he said looking away from my gaze, “But I can't help but feel like there is more to this. I mean, if she was feeling guilty about it, maybe she isn't a bad pony.”

I lifted a hoof to stomp and stopped myself when my stitches tugged. My hoof lowered slowly and I let out a huff at him. “There is one other thing, the thing that makes this so very wrong.” My heart picked up a beat as I said the words. I felt something inside feel like it was twisting. My throat started to dry out, and I wanted to scream while bursting into tears. I not sure if it's the surgery, recovery, or actual pain, but I really really want a Med-X right now. Nyota leaned in and lifted me up a bit more, and he pulled me into the gentlest hug he could and held me close.

My head laid across the back, and I stared down at his flanks and admired him. He was much more sturdy and well built than I was. I drew on the strength in his figure to fight back the scream, but tears rolled from my cheeks into his neck. “I... I may have three ponies to look for, now.” He stroked my mane softly, all the way down my back.

“I know, Sunny, I know. If you do have a living foal, we'll find her, your mother, and your father.” I kept petting me lovingly, and I let out a gentle sniffle as my tears slowly abated. The feeling of comfort he provided made the pain die away slowly. The sorrow was still there, filling me with the need to sob. “Sunny, I'll be here for you. Until you tell me to go away or we can't be together anymore.”

The words fell on me like a sledgehammer, the rollercoaster of emotions I was riding wasn't helping. I felt his love, my sorrows, the betrayal, the need for something to make sense, and it all overwhelmed me.

“Oh come on Sunrise! Just say the L word already out loud!” Pink exclaimed and I glared at her. Then I felt his hoof on my cheek. That was the only feeling keeping me from screaming right now. Nyota’s tender loving care.

I could hear Alguacil talking angrily at some pony behind us, nothing new. I kept sobbing, inhaling his scent of sandalwood. It was comforting and it was all I had to hold on to right now. My insides hurt, they hurt something awful. I couldn't taste blood and I wasn't getting weak, but everything hurt right now. “But I want to go with you two.” Piston's voice hit my ears, elevated like Alguacil's. My heart pounded and Nyota just held me there until we heard Alguacil and Piston arguing behind us.

“Sharpshooter? Piston, I watched you fire an entire shotgun tube and not hit a husk at point blank range!” Alguacil fired off at him as he was being followed tightly by Piston.

“Yes, but I owe you a life debt, I want to repay it. Let me prove it to you.” Alguacil growled at him and raised his voice in harsh squawks in return.

“I'm not interested in a slave! Take your life debt and shove off!” Wow, I've never seen him this mad, except for at Corners. Piston got up in his face and I heard the revolver click.

“You aren't gonna scare me off with that, I can shoot it up with the best of them. Why won't you let me come?” Piston growled back at him through gritted teeth.

“Sunrise, stop this! NOW!” Pink pulled my tail and I followed, moving so fast I didn't even see the ground between us, I was now standing between them. I saw Nyota looking bewildered a dozen hoofsteps away. I growled at them, glaring from the big angry bird back to the feathered pony.

“Enough! Both of you!” I shouted and felt my insides screaming back at my brain to stop. That's it! I'm letting it all out right now! I had to, no way around it, it was time to let it all out. Even if it was on the wrong pony. “Listen here Piston. If Alguacil says you can't shoot for shit, I believe him!” The shouting was hurting my throat, and I didn't care right now.

Screaming now, Med-X later. “You have a shotgun in that holster and couldn't hit one of those things at point blank range. I heard the booms, now that I think about it.” Remembering back to the fighting the night and early morning before, there was another shotgun, close to me, firing over and over again.“According to Alguacil you barely walked away alive. So your idea with my armor is your one shot to prove you're useful.” My hoof itched and my tail cocked up like Pink had something to say. “Alguacil, watch him. Make sure he does it right and doesn't do anything weird.” The tail relaxed but my rear hooves still itched. “ Unless you prove yourself to be an amazing repair pony, I don't want a pony who can't defend themselves with us.”

I growled at him and got right up in Piston's face. Nyota recovered from his stupor and moved to stop me while Alguacil put his revolver away. Was that gun glowing now? “SO FIX THE ARMOR AND I'M NOT LEADING A PONY OUT TO DIE!” I shouted loud enough that my voice rang out and ponies nearby stopped to look. Then my lungs gave out and I fell forward. My vision pitched black as I felt a talon around my gut and three hooves against my chest.

They weren't fast enough, and I went from the after taste of pancakes and rage to dirt and rage. “Sunny, stop. Please, calm down.” Nyota whispered while holding the rest of me from smacking into the hoof worn trail between the buildings. I wasn't angry anymore, all I knew was pain. Anguish rocketed through me like hot searing knives fresh from a blast furnace. Tears welled up from the pain and I fought to stay awake.

Slowly my vision came back, first white hot pain into the blackness. Then I saw Nyota's face. He'd turned my head so I would look at him. He nodded past me and I felt the talon lift off of my gut. “Come on Sunny, let's go, you need rest.” I started to protest and one of the hooves holding me up moved to my lips. That familiar taste in my mouth again, except this time it was mixed with cigarette ash. “I'm not taking no for an answer.”

I let out a sigh. There are things that need to be done today. Things that can take my mind off of this. I stared into his eyes, I'd never seen him so determined and so full of tears at the same time.

“Sunrise, do as he says. You realize how much it hurts him to see you this way, now?” Pink was in my view again, and as she looked at me I could feel her hoof against my cheek. It was such a weird feeling, no matter how many times it happened, seeing her as a tiny pink pony and yet feeling a full sized hoof rubbing down my neck. “Alright, Nyota, but not back into the hospital. Let's get my things and head over to Sparrow's.” He looked at me, a bit confused, and then he growled at me in frustration and I felt his grip on my mane tighten.

“Sunrise, no more stress, you need rest. Please don't make me get Quick Stitch and Hacksaw out here.” Nyota was getting angry ,and I could feel him fighting the urge to make me do what he thought was right. I hung my head into his hooves and leaned up as I saw Alguacil escorting Piston back into the craft center.

“Nyota, I promise I will rest when I get there, and I won't do anything stressful if it can be helped. I'll play checkers or cards with Nugget and Sparrow, okay?” I promised half heartedly, but Nyota nodded.It was enough for him to hear me say that, and he escorted me to get my saddlebags. Piston took my shredded armor, and we left the crafting area and arrived at Sparrow's within a few minutes.

I knocked softly and Sparrow opened the door with a start, a revolver held in her wing. She held herself coiled and ready for anything, but when she looked down at me, her whole facade dropped. She lowered the gun into a holster. “Sunrise... you're alright?”

Nyota nodded for me. “Do you mind if we come in? I miss Nugget and I promised I’d play with her every time I stopped in town.” I could see Hot Cross Buns and Nugget in the living room. The two were rolling around with each other, playing a close range game of tag, when Nugget heard my voice and looked up with pure excitement on her face.
“Sunrise! YAYS!” She squealed and started to rush to me. Nyota yelped and stepped between us and he held up a hoof to stop her.

“Gentle, Nugget. Sunrise just left the hospital here Nugget looked like she had just had her trophy taken from her by a school teacher. But Nugget nodded and walked up, as the smile returned to her face and she wrapped her hooves around me in a tight hug. Okay, Nugget! He said gentle! I get those earth pony arms are freakishly strong, but seriously, does it need to hurt this much? The pain started to go away as Nugget let go. We trotted inside and Sparrow made a chair available for me. It was made from putting two Lazy-Stallions together, but even in that worn state, it was comfy.

Nyota sat down on the floor beside me, as close as possible. He's like a shadow that I actually want. I leaned over to nuzzle him and my ribs twinged with pain from the exertion. “Whooo! Sunrise has a boyfriend now!” Nugget called out and I blushed white as Nyota turned pink. Pink just giggled in the back of my mind as I looked at her with a sly grin.

“Yes, that’s true. Nugget, can you set up checkers for us?” I turned to Hot Cross Buns and saw Nyota was giving a pleading look out of the corner of his eye. He knows my actual motive for coming here now. No turning back now. “Hot Cross Buns, I need to know why the Enclave took you for so long and tortured you.”

Hot Cross Buns shifted nervously and I felt like he was suddenly hiding something. He shifted his wings and looked at Nugget, then Sparrow. Neither of them spoke up or tried to interfere after a few moments. Nyota even looked like he was interested to know. “It was about a weapon. I wasn't always a bakery pony, ya know?”

I nodded but Nyota spoke up first. “Hot Cross Buns, we lost a friend saving you. And we had to take a whole lot of pony’s lives.” I gritted my teeth and bit my lip, trying to not start an argument in Sparrow's household about Corners. I felt it was my fault she left, but I really wanted to blame Hot Cross Buns for losing my friend. Even if it made the pain in my heart worse to not say it out loud. Nyota continued, “I think we are entitled to know what this weapon is and why they are likely going to come after you, with Legion-trained assassins, no less.”

Wait, Nyota knew what those zebras who attacked us were? Maybe I should talk to him about that. Hot Cross Buns interrupted my thoughts with a wave of his wing and a look that begged for sympathy. “You do, but I honestly don't know what they wanted from me.”

That was a lie. I could see it written all over his face. I looked at Sparrow, who avoided my gaze like it might actually hurt her to return it. My anger and rage built up faster by the second. I wanted to grab that ruddy brown pegasus and smash his face in, for real this time. I was tired of mysteries. I was sick of lies and half-truths this morning. I was completely fed up with questions without answers. I had almost died, Buddy was gone, Corners had betrayed us and left us. No! I couldn't take it anymore.

I stood up. Nyota tried to sit me back down because I was standing in Fallen Caesar fighting stance: on my hind legs, just as he taught me. Nugget perked up to full attention, ignoring the improvised checkers set. The little foal leaned in close, pure curiosity written on her face.

Sparrow started to move towards me. Nyota kept tugging at my flank, to trying to sit me back down. Each tug sent shocks of pain to my nerves, and that just made me more upset. I wasn't having any of his protesting. I didn't care that Nugget might hear what I had to say, and Sparrow wasn't about to stop me. Right now, only pure pissed earth pony drove me.

I pointed a hoof at Hot Cross Buns, like some lawyer pony in a courtroom. My face grimaced and eyes narrowed to steeled, tortured determination. All of this finally boiled over with one single word, at the top of my lungs and as loud as my throat could manage. The word rang off the walls, echoed in our ears, and as every pony grew still and silent with the realization of just what that one word meant: “Bullshit!”

Level Up! - Congrats through sheer stubborness you've survived this long.
Level 8 Perk - Move Like Water (Earth Pony Only) - Gain +5% Dodge against all attacks, and all enemies lose 10% chance to critical hit against you. - Wow that Zebra training is paying off! That or those "Live Fire Exercises" the wasteland keeps doing to you.

Quest Perk - Focus Fire - You read half the officers guide so far congrats!
Benefit: Spend 20AP to designate a target for all allies, they gain +10 Hit that target for the duration of combat or till you designate another one.

Artwork by Ravvij - Official Character Reference