Graphite found himself lying on face-first on a wooden floor, his cheek sore as he had fallen unto it. The other side of his head was facing upward, with a light shining right into Graphite’s eyes. He rolled over, his back to the hard floor and his hooves scrunched up towards his chest and his eyes closed to ward off the light.

“Graphite?” A voice called, causing Graphite to open his eyes and look towards the noise.

He winced, his eyes just barely open enough to see a black dog standing by him with his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging about.

“Graphite!” The voice exclaimed again.

Graphite groaned, the only sound he managed to make out of his mouth. A figure, shaped as a pony, ran over the hard wood floors and passed the dog; it came over Graphite, its arms wrapping around him tight. He imagined the figure whisking him off just as it got its arms around him, but instead it brought its head around and kissed him on the cheek. Graphite could figure it out from that warm kiss that the figure was Sunny. He brought his arms up to hug her back, but a sudden pain plunged into his left shoulder. Graphite looked over at his shoulder and saw a bandage wrapped over it. The bandage ran down and around his chest.

“Oh, I’ve missed you so much!” Sunny smiled and nuzzled Graphite.

“W-what happened?”

“You got wounded and knocked out by that sniper back in the streets,” Sunny said as a tear ran down her cheek, “You didn’t wake for a couple of days. I though that I wouldn’t see you again!” She squeezed Graphite tighter, almost squeezing his wounded shoulder.

“Oh... Where am I? How did I get here?” Graphite shifted his eyes up and down the one wall he could see.

“You’re at my apartment. A few ponies from my family were nearby and they helped us back,” Sunny was still beaming. “I’m so glad that you’re awake again, Graphite!”

Graphite slowly tried to get up, but he was still dizzy after spending a couple of days out cold. Sunny knew this and helped him up, not letting him slip out of her grasp or fall over from his own weakness.

“You’ve been unconscious for a couple of days now; try to be careful,” Sunny informed while she supported the big stallion.

“Maybe I just need something to eat?” Graphite suggested while holding his stomach.

“Yeah, I guess that could help,” Sunny smiled and wrapped her hoof around him. “Come on, I’ll help you to the kitchen.”

Graphite and Sunny slowly trumped out of the bedroom area, Graphite could see the rest of the apartment after being picked up from the floor. The apartment was very traditional, with most of the furniture very antique looking. Graphite looked back from where he was laying on the floor, spotting the bed he fell out of. The bed was wide enough for two ponies, two pillows provided for just that reason. The bed had a single sheet on it, a white sheet just as white as the mattress itself. On both sides of the bed were two nightstands, one with a lamp while the other was left empty. Beside one of the nightstands was a wooden wardrobe, carved with simple designs that didn’t do much to compliment it.

In the corner, to the right of the bed, was a coffee table with two low chairs sitting by. The chairs were made up of an ancient fabric, the floral designs that lined it were faded and the fabric itself torn in some spots. The coffee table was just as old, the aging dark wood kept polished by Sunny, but still scratched along the surface. Following the wall after the small sitting area was a narrow table that was placed up against the wall. Sitting on it were a few picture frames - the pictures obscured by glare - and an old radio. It seemed a bit dusty, unused for quite a while. It was sitting in the dark corner of the table, left alone to gather dust when Sunny went out with Graphite.

Sunny carried Graphite passed through the two short walls that separated the bedroom area from the kitchen section. They moved into a smaller section of the apartment, the left half taken up for the bathroom. The door was closed, so Graphite couldn’t examine all the obvious wonders that were probably waiting inside - all the toiletries and cosmetics that were waiting to be discovered. Sunny brought Graphite around the room and to the kitchen table, a simple wooden table with four legs and a table top - it couldn’t be any more lucid. Sunny brought him to the nearest chair, setting him down gently as he slid off the support of her shoulders and landed in the chair.

“There we go,” Sunny sighed with a bit of relief, “You’re heavier than you look.”

“Thanks, Sunny,” Graphite chuckled before he got more comfortable in the seat. “So, what’s for breakfast?”

“It’s lunch,” Sunny winked as she started to dig around the cupboards, “And it’ll be a surprise.”

“Oh, well, I could eat almost anything about now.”

Sunny didn’t respond, she just continued moving through the cabinets and drawers. She had taken out several different cans and boxes from the cupboards, as well as grabbing a few canned vegetables from the small fridge. Graphite couldn’t see what Sunny was mixing up in the big wooden bow she had in front of her. He sat back, watching as she cooked up food for lunch.

Graphite decided not to disturb Sunny and went back staring around the apartment. He looked back to the bedroom, looking down to where the dog once was. Graphite was a bit confused, the dog being there just a moment ago. He thought for a moment, remembering the dog’s name was ‘Nero.’ He tried calling his name, calling ‘Nero’ in a exaggerated tone.

The dog still didn’t seem to be in sight, until something crawled up from under the table. Graphite chuckled, looking down to see Nero underneath the table with his tongue out and his tail wagging vigorously. He petted Nero on the head after being hypnotized by the dog’s glaringly brown eyes.

Sunny had just finished with her utensils, bringing the big wooden bowl over to the table. She went back to grab a clean plate from the cupboards and placed it ahead of Graphite, bringing the bowl over and scooping up some cabbage and such onto the plate. It was a menagerie of carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, and cabbage. Sunny had made Graphite a salad for lunch, sitting on the other side of the table as soon as she had finished serving his meal.

Graphite looked down at his meal, almost salivating over his first meal in days. He picked up his fork, stabbing it into the salad and devouring it. Graphite was delighting to taste fresh food rather than the pre-packaged and staled food from a can. He took in a few mouthfuls of fresh lettuce before he noticed Sunny not partaking in the meal. Graphite chewed his chunk of salad before opening his gob to speak, “Why aren’t you eating, Sunny?” He asked with some cabbage stuck between his teeth.

Sunny adjusted her hooves to sit easier on the table then smiled, “I’m not hungry, Graphite.”

Graphite set down his fork, “Not hungry? Did you have a big breakfast?”

“No, I just can’t eat right now.”

Graphite was slightly confused, with food being scarce in the wasteland, someone would be quite eager to get their hooves on this plate of fresh food. He was almost surprised Sunny hadn’t took all the food for herself, but he knew Sunny was a reasonable pony. He took his last bite of the salad, setting his fork down again.

Graphite turned around in his chair, about to get up from his chair to put the dishes in the sink. Sunny stopped him, jumping from her seat just as he moved to get up, “No, you’re still healing, Graphite. I’ll get your plate, you just sit here and rest.”

Graphite glared at Sunny, moving back around to sit with his legs under the chair. Sunny dropped the plate in the sink, letting the water rinse it off. Graphite didn’t want to disturb Sunny again, taking another awkward moment to look around the apartment. Nero had moved from his spot under the table, moving just a few steps to the side of Graphite’s chair. He grinned, moving his head up and over to the small table against the wall. He spotted the pictures, catching one he could see. He noticed Sunny in the middle, standing by three other ponies. He guessed they were her family, maybe her friends. Graphite turned about, facing Sunny, “So, Sunny,” He roused, “Is your family nearby? We are in your apartme-”

“-Oh, no, none my family moved in to the apartments. Most of the tribe had gone out to the world, a lot of them moved somewhere west. I think D-”

“-Tribe?” Graphite interrupted with a raised brow, “Your home doesn’t remind me of a tribal shack at all.”

“Maybe we are wearing more clothing and understand more about technology than the usual tribes, but we’re still a tribe - a linked family of families. Our tribe formed right after the war from the ponies who were in this part of Buckago when the bombs fell. We have still kept most of the pre-war ways since there weren’t many visitors from the outside. That is why we’re different than most of the tribes you would meet.”

“Different? How?”

“Well, we are more compassionate than others. We care for one another, and won’t ignore an outsider that’s in need. We have even been taking in any foal without parents or any pony to watch them - we will care for it just like one of our own.”

“I hope that’s true. It seems that ponies don’t trust anyone who isn’t one of their own now. I’ve been shot at for just being a stranger.”

“It has happened to me too, but that is just why I love returning home even more.”

Sunny came back to the table, grabbing the chair on the opposite side of the table and bringing it closer to Graphite. She took her seat then grabbed for Graphite’s hoof.

“So, uhh... will I get to meet your family?”

“Yes. Right after we go and see the doctor; I’m sure that she’ll be happy that you’re awake.”

“I just hope that she has something for my hurting shoulder.” Graphite rubbed his shoulder, rolling it to see if it would still ache when he moved it.

“I’m sure that she has some sort of painkillers,” Sunny added then started to giggle. “And if not, I can just kiss it better!”

Graphite blushed a bit, somewhat enjoying Sunny’s suggestion. Graphite scooted his chair back, sliding out from his seat and slowly standing from the seat. Sunny moved over to his aid again, helping him from the chair and unto his hooves. Graphite shooed Sunny off a bit, inclined to stand on his own hooves. He got on his hind hooves, then set his front hooves on the floor - pulling his left arm back as it pressed against the floor. Sunny grabbed him, about to hold him up until he nudged her away again.

Graphite was standing - on just three legs, but he was up. He hobbled around, heading to the door until Sunny stopped Graphite again.

“Wait, you’re not dressed,” Sunny reminded.

Graphite looked down, spotting himself in the nude. He looked back at Sunny, noticing she was just as naked as he was. He smirked, hobbling back around to Sunny, “Let’s get dressed then- where’s my armour?”

“Your armor got damaged after that shot. I left it at my brother’s workshop. He loves to repair and upgrade things, so it’s in good hooves,” Sunny pointed back behind her. “I’ll see if have something you could wear in my wardrobe. Stay here.”

Graphite did as she ordered, standing with his left arm raised so he didn’t hurt anymore than it should. The dog had stood just as they got up from their seats, curious to where there going and what they were doing. Nero seemed fond of Graphite, coming up to him as he stood unbalanced. He came up to him, nudging his head against the leg Graphite needed to keep from falling face forward.

Graphite pushed the dog back using his back leg, starting to wobble and sway as he picked his leg up from the floor. The dog came right back, rubbing against his back legs now. Graphite ignored it, at least he could stay up now. Sunny came back, holding a worn, plaid jacket. The lines on the jacket were all shades of a dark green, with the squares in between being a yellow-green colour. Sunny came up to Graphite, shaking out the dust and wrinkles from the jacket.

“Here, I found this in the wardrobe, I think that it should fit you just fine,” Sunny mentioned. She unzipped the jacket open, bringing it over Graphite’s body and helping him to get his arms through the sleeves. He got the jacket on then zipped it back up himself; Sunny went back to the wardrobe to grab clothes for herself.

She came back shortly, wearing the yellow dress Graphite had found for her. Sunny passed by Graphite and opened the door for him, he took his time to trump his way out of the apartment. Graphite stopped when he got near Sunny, taking a moment to admire her and her dress. He smiled, he was sure there wasn’t any other dress that could make Sunny look nicer. Sunny smiled back at Graphite, then he continued his painful march out the door.

Sunny closed the door as the both left, the dog standing by and watching as the left. Sunny joined up with Graphite, walking alongside him as he limped down the hallway. Sunny rested her hoof on his back, facing him to talk, “You’re going to need help down the stairs, Graphite.”

Graphite shook his head, “No, I can make it down the steps. It might take some tim-”

“-We’re on the third floor, Graphite.”

Graphite paused before he sighed, “Okay, you can help me down the first few steps.”

Sunny patted him on the back in response, taking him over to the stairwell at the end of the hallway. The hallway looked a bit like the apartment, just as old and just as worn. The wooden planks along the floor were scuffed with hoofsteps, the staining over the wood chipped away. The walls were pasted with an old wallpaper, most of the sections had warped and started peeling off the wall. They passed a few more apartments, each door a solid block of dark wood with a golden plaque that had the room number on the door.

Graphite and Sunny trudged down the hallway until they finally reached the stairwell. Graphite grabbed the wooden rail that went across the outcropping and down the stairs. Sunny stepped down the first few steps, reaching out her hoof for Graphite. Graphite released his grip on the rail, taking in a deep breath before reluctantly heading down the stairs. He grabbed her hoof tight with his left arm, stepping down the stairs sideways to keep from slipping. Sunny kept hold of his hoof, watching him with a close eye as she backpedalled down the wooden stairs. The stairs descended a bit before spinning down the stairwell along the path of the wall. He made it down the the first flight -- now two more to go. The task was longer than either had planned, but they made it down without a hitch.

After making it down and to the front door, they both walked outside. The door opened up to a lively neighborhood, something resembling a town from before the war. The buildings had aged and definitely showed it, but all of the doors and windows were in their places so it worked as it should. The pavement had cracks, but no sections were missing, and none of the blocks were upturned like in the rest of the city. Some small stores were still open, their windows adorned with some old posters of the produce and discounts the stores offered. Ponies were merrily trotting in the street; wearing the same kind of clothes as they did in the old days. This bustling neighborhood in the middle of a completely desolate city was almost impossible to believe, Graphite felt as if he was stuck in a dream.

“Well, this is my home,” Sunny smiled as she helped Graphite out of the apartment building.

There was another set of stairs stepping down from the entrance; a set of stone stairs just as wide as the entrance to the apartment.

“Sunny this is... is... wow. It’s all just like when I was a foal,” Graphite stated as he was slowly walking down the stair, awestruck.

Graphite starting stepping down the stairs carelessly, paying no attention to the one stair that was shorter than the rest. Graphite stumbled over, Sunny rushing over to grab him,“Graphite! Watch where you’re going!” Sunny griped. “You could have fallen down the stairs.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Just that this- this...”

“It’s wonderful, I know,” Sunny blew a sigh and moved closer to Graphite. She still held him by the hoof while they both cherished the scene of the grand neighborhood and its busy bunch of citizens. Soon, Sunny realized that there were places where they should be going and she nudged Graphite, snapping him out of his day dream.

Sunny grabbed Graphite’s hoof tighter, guiding him down the street towards the doctor’s clinic. Along the way, Graphite passed by a few of the friendly faces that were going to and fro along the street with them. Graphite just gave a short grin back as the passed, until one particular face sent him into bewilderment. A zebra passed him as they walked, giving him a tip of the hat just as they caught eyes.

Graphite’s eyes widened, his already idle paced slowed further as his surprise suddenly stopped him in his tracks. His flashbacks had intruded in the present, a thought of being suddenly chopped down by a zebra’s machete attacked Graphite’s thoughts. Graphite’s focus was diverted to the zebra, Sunny having to stop his walk before he collided with a pedestrian.

She turned his head towards her face, “Graphite? Are you alright - you almost ran into that stallion.”

Graphite looked to Sunny in the corner of his eye, his main attention was being taken up by the series of zebras to go by them as they stood in the middle of the street, “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

“You seem troubled, are you dizzy or anything- or maybe you need a seat-”

“-No, it’s something else,” Graphite interrupted.

Sunny followed Graphite’s line of sight to the sidewalk, a few zebras had stopped there and were talking to one another. She turned back, confused, “Is... is it the zebras?”

Graphite didn’t respond.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of zebras in the settlement. Before the war, this is where most of them lived. Come to think of it, they were the ones to start this tribe,” Sunny pulled Graphite closer, bringing her lips near his ears, “Is there a problem with you and zebras?” She asked in a whisper.

“Well, when the first thought when you see a zebra is ‘He’s going to kill you,’ it’s kind of hard to be around so many.”

Sunny just became more confused, his answer raising more questions, “What do you mean, Graphite; none of them are going to hurt you.”

“I’m sure they won’t - it’s just that, back in the war, the zebras were the ones taking pot shots at me while I sat in a little hole in the ground trying to not get my head blown off.”

“Yeah, but-”

“-Or trying to sneak up on me and cut my neck open...”

Sunny stood silent after the last comment. Graphite stood with her, just as quiet. Sunny looked at her hooves, then down the street before turning back to Graphite, “Well... just stay close to me, okay?”

Graphite gave her a single nod; this time, he was the one to hold hooves tight. Sunny grinned when they grasped hooves, leading Graphite lovingly down the street. The two ponies walked down the that was street full of zebras, Graphite hugged close to Sunny for the zebra’s safety. His training had trained him to kill a zebra on sight with anything he had on him, even if it was going to be his bare hooves, he had been taught to kill a zebra in more ways than one. The zebras felt the opposite towards Graphite, seeing him as an injured stranger and being as friendly as they could in the tiny moment they walked by and could get a word in edge wise. A smile, a tip of the hat, a ‘Good day.’ Graphite could only reply back with a nervous smile and unsteady eye.

The clinic was just around the corner; Sunny pointed it out, it seemed to be hiding inside one of the apartment buildings. She pulled Graphite up on the sidewalk, then walked him the rest of the way to the steps that were set in front of the building. The two climbed the stairs, making to the door where Sunny was there too hold it open. Graphite hopped inside, finding himself an a very makeshift doctor’s office.

They stepped into a small foyer; some long seats were set up against the wall, so Graphite assumed it was the waiting room for the office. The wall sitting at the furthest end of the waiting area had a door installed, but it was boarded up with plywood for reasons unknown to Graphite. The right wall had another door, left alone and simply kept closed. On the left wall was an archway, a nurse had just stepped through it and was heading to the clinic section.

Graphite hobbled with Sunny to the next room over. Graphite noticed a few of zebras and ponies sitting in the room with wearing some bandages; the others, without any sorts of wraps but simply coughing up their lungs. Graphite stopped in the middle of the room, Sunny motioning for him to stay while she went into the next room to get a doctor.

Graphite was slightly worried to stand be standing in the room, of the few members in the room, most of them were zebras. These zebras had that aura around them that wasn’t as friendly as the ones trotting along outside. These seemed a bit tougher, these were the zebras that got their cuts and bruises in a fight. Graphite kept his head low and his body still, doing nothing to provoke any of the zebras in the room.

Sunny came back in a short time, coming over to Graphite’s side with a smile, “I got the doctor, she’ll be over in a moment.”

“How long?” Graphite wondered, shifting his eyes over to one of the zebras as he coughed.

“Don’t worry, these ponies are too sick to throw a punch,” Sunny chuckled.

Graphite smirked, his next worry was now catching whatever the zebras were carrying. He brought the arm he had to keep suspended near his mouth, keeping covered but also trying to make it look as nonchalant as possible. The doctor came by, calling for Sunny and Graphite. Graphite picked up his head, spotting the doctor standing under the archway. She was a lime green pegasus, with a pale orange mane. Her coat seemed frazzled, unkempt as she worked ‘round the clock’ to keep up with the wounded ponies and zebras; her hair was short cut and just as messy. Her eyes were a dark green to match her coat, and had a bit of eye liner surrounding it. She had a white overcoat that was stained in red blood and other disgusting stains. She was wiping her hooves clean just as she stepped from the operating area, facing Graphite and Sunny to speak, “Follow me, you two.”

Sunny nudged Graphite, grabbing his hoof after his attention was brought away from the floor. They followed the doctor out of the room and into the operating area, the room filled with ponies lying motionless in bed by nature. They passed a pony with a patch of gauze over her heart, it looked like she fell victim to that sniper sitting outside as well. The remaining patients were either sitting with odd boils on their faces or with large casts over their limbs.

The doctor brought them to a space with a bed free for use, patting the bed top to bring Graphite over, “Come sit here, Graphite.”

Graphite limped to the bed, climbing up the best he could with three legs. The bed felt flat, almost hard, but he didn’t expect much from a doctor’s office stuffed into an apartment building. He noticed while walking in that they knocked a few of the walls in to make the operating room larger. The doctor moved in front of Graphite, “It’s good to see that you’re awake already. Lets see how your wound is,” She stated, reaching for Graphite’s injured shoulder.

Graphite pulled his arm back a bit as she pulled it forward, the pain of the sudden jerk making him sear his teeth. The doctor looked at him, somewhat disappointed in him, “Try to keep still, Graphite.”

She grabbed his arm again, pulling it out and keeping it extended. She went for the bandages around his chest, undoing them and giving view to the open wound. There was a small, round hole in his shoulder, some of the skin around it had folded over it as it started to heal. Graphite felt a bit odd with a hole going through his body, the area feeling breezy and cool as the air passed by it. The doctor came closer, inspecting it with one eye, “Hmm... well, it looks a lot better than when you first came in here - the bleeding stopped and the swelling seems to have gone down a bit.”

Graphite stared at the hole in his body, not sure what to make of it. He turned to the doctor; her observations seemed a bit unprofessional, Graphite felt another worry over whether the doctor had any medical training passed first aid, “So- um, Doc,” Graphite mumbled.

The doctor turned her head from the wound to Graphite, “It’s Doctor Feelgood, Graphite.”

“Okay. Doctor Feelgood, how long, exactly, have you been a doctor?”

Feelgood stepped back, straightening out her jacket as she spoke, “Well, I started out as a nurse for one of the local Enclave bases,” She grinned just a bit, then continued checking Graphite’s wound.

“You seem to be very open about that you were working for them.”

“I’m careful with whom I share that information with, but if Deacon trusts you, so do I.”

“How do you know about me and him?” Graphite turned a bit on the bed top to get more comfortable.

“Well, first of all, I saw the button you had on your duster when they brought you in. I hid that button in the inside pocket of your coat so no pony would find out. The ponies over here are friendly, but I doubt that they’d like to make any more contact with organizations like the Pegasus Enclave. Then, I heard some rumors about a stallion making a lot of fuss in Rossmore, and leaving without a trace. Since trouble follows Deacon like his own shadow, I imagined that you and him had some sort of connection.”

“Yeah, I better keep my mouth shut about what happened back there.”

“I think so too,” Feelgood grabbed Graphite’s arm, pulling it down and up and moving it in small circles. She examined the wound, and Graphite’s reactions. Graphite didn’t make too many noises as she spun his arm around, so she set it down and stepped back, “So, how do you like our little settlement so far?”

“Err...” Graphite looked down and lowered his voice, “Can you keep some doctor-patient confidentiality?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Well, umm... the place is fantastic, but there’s one thing - the zebras.”

“You don’t lik-”

“-No, no they’re all fine by me,” Graphite interrupted, “Just that - I’ve had some experience with them and well... I think that it might have left a scar.”

“Any psychological trauma can be just as bad as a physical one.”

Graphite kept quiet for a moment, giving the comment some thought. The Doctor came closer to Graphite, leaning on the bed, “I could probably help you out, Graphite - but I need to know more about what happened to you.”

Graphite sighed, he could remember everything that happened to him after the amnesia had passed and the flashbacks continued to play out in his dreams. Graphite turned to Sunny, who was waiting patiently by the bed before turning to the Doctor again.

“Well, Doc, you’ll have a hard time believing this, but I was in the great war.”

Doctor Feelgood raised her brow, pausing for words to say, “You... you don’t look old enough to have been in any part of the war, Graphite...”

Graphite reached for his pocket, planning to show her that newspaper cut-out he had kept in his pocket. He looked down, remembering he was wearing the jacket which Sunny gave him rather than his heavy uniform. He brought his hooves back to where they were, bringing his view back to the Doctor, “You gotta believe me - I even had a piece of an old newspaper to prove it!”

“Graphite, I think you’re just imagining things- maybe this wound is-.”

Graphite placed his head down in his hooves, but soon he brought his head up and started to look around before remembering Sunny, “-S-Sunny! You know I’m telling the truth.”

Sunny snapped back a bit, a reaction to being suddenly dragged into an argument, “Oh!” Sunny turned to the Doctor, facing her with her normal grin, “Well, Feelgood, I can honestly say that Graphite’s telling the truth. It, um, has to do with this complicated freezing process called... cryopreservation, yeah?”

Graphite nodded his head, then turned his head to see what the doctor had to say.

“Well, Graphite... damn - I would have never imagined you were actually that old. I don’t think I’ve ever heard about that cryopreserving, thing, but I’m sure it wasn’t fun,” The Doctor shook her head, then brought it back up when she was reminded of something. “Oh, I guess that you’re not imagining things; the only problem is that you have a problem I’m not sure I can solve -- but I’ll try my best.”

Graphite looked down as Sunny wrapped her hoof around him. He just let out an ‘oh.’

“Yeah,” Graphite sighed, “When I was knocked out - I had dreams about the hill I was stationed on. I was sent to the Triolet Islands with only one mission - protect the hill - and that’s what I did. Life on the hill was mainly routine, like beat back a few fanatics who thought that they could try and storm the hill in small groups. Soon, we started to receive reports of increased zebra activity, but we couldn’t guess that they’d storm the hill like they did. They fought hysterically and destroyed any opposition they encountered and had almost taken the hill. By that time, I woke up and somehow managed to make my way up the hill and reach the top. Over there I learned that help was on its way so me and a few others tried to defend the hilltop. We fought through the night and all of us fell- all accept me who got a rifle butt to the face.”

Sunny patted Graphite’s back as he was taking another breath.

“Yet, the worst part came when the troops from the Trottingham regiment arrived. They found me and apparently, to them, it seemed that I had killed an entire company of troops and managed to hold the hill all by myself. I got accounted for all of the kills, but the zebras I killed weren’t soldiers - they were new recruits, most of them looked like they were almost foals. And I killed them... and you know what they did in the end? They gave me awards -- I almost became a celebrity. But I never asked for that, and I was never to pay the price which I did.”

“What do you mean?” The Doctor asked, looking down the room just to have a quick check on the other patients.

“First of all, my mother died while I was away. Apparently, even with all the money I made on the front, we couldn’t afford to fix her poor heart. My papa was angry at me for not being with her in her last moments. Then the army had planned out that I was too busy to be with my friends and that I had to attend in all sorts of stupid soiree’s and whatnot. I was there as more of a show-piece than a hero, ponies only cared for me because of my medals. Once I realized that I just kind of drank that realization away. After the days of drunken rage and hangovers, I got a message from the army saying they wanted me for an exhibit -- making me live up to my reputation as a show-piece. I guess that the army and the ministries saw some sort of profit in it.”

The three of them were silent, the Doctor and Sunny standing with their thoughts to themselves. Graphite ran his hoof through his mane, blowing a choked up sigh as he felt tears trying to flow out.

“It seems that you’re suffering from post traumatic stress,” The doctor broke the silence in a soft tone. “There’s no medicine I could give you, but there is a way is a way some pony could help you.”

Graphite brought up his eyes and looked at the doctor, who was looking to Sunny. Graphite averted his attention to her as well, waiting for the Doctor to speak. Sunny was crossed between looking towards Graphite or Feelgood, but she was dragged to the doctor when she finally came out and spoke.

“Sunny,” She called, “You seem to be closest to Graphite. Without any medicines to prescribe or any therapies I could give, you are Graphite’s best chance at recovery for his current condition.”

Sunny stopped, taking just a small moment to think about it. It didn’t long for her to see that this was best, happy to know she could do something for Graphite after all he’s done for her, “Of course, I’d be happy to help. After all, he did save my life on more than one occasion - I guess it would be a way to say thanks for doing that,” She looked to Graphite starry eyed and smiling wide.

Graphite smirked, about to jump out of the bed when he remembered the hole still burrowed in his shoulder. The Doctor stopped him from moving, holding him back with her hoof, “Let me get you some new bandages and I’ll send you out.”

She stepped out, leaving Sunny and Graphite to their own things. Sunny jumped up on the less than cozy bed, wrapping her arm around Graphite’s one good one. They kept close and kept silent, just enjoying the embrace. Feelgood came back with a roll of white bandages, unraveling them as she came over to Graphite. She wrapped his wound, Graphite and Sunny gave their gratitude, and then they were on their way. The Doctor left Graphite off with a simple, ‘Keep your arm elevated and try not to move around too much.’

They were heading out of the doctor’s clinic, Graphite left with the unorganized method of practice the doctors and nurses had established. Sick and hurt ponies would walk in, the doctors would patch them up, and then they shoved them back out into the world after paying a bill. The world had changed in the past two hundred years. Graphite wasn’t surprised at this, he just didn’t expect to be alive to see the changes. It was a drastic change from his time and now, and Graphite was still trying to get use to the fact that zebras weren’t trying to kill him.

The two funneled down the street, reaching the apartment while the sun was still overhead. Graphite hobbled through the entrance, taking a enduring hike back up the flights of stairs before they finally got back into their apartment on the third floor. Sunny searched through her cupboards, finding a few cans of carrots that were still good. She walked over to the stove, placing over the heater after opening the top with a spare knife.

Graphite was sitting at the table, napkin by his plate and fork. Sunny served the steaming carrots with a glass of clean water -- something Graphite couldn’t drink without thinking of how many ponies were in the wastes, groveling through the dirt trying to find water that was drinkable. It wasn’t a thought enjoyed having, but it was stuck in his head along with all of his memories from before the wasteland outside existed.

Graphite’s mind continued to got through it’s usual thoughts, eventually cycling back to a question he wanted to ask, “So, Sunny,” He aroused, “You seemed really eager to help me out of my condition- not that I mind, but I just wanted to know why.”

“It’s because we’re a family Graphite. Like I said back in the clinic, you saved my life more than once; now, the least I can do is make yours worth living.”

Graphite smiled, but let it fade away as he chewed his bites of carrots. There wasn’t anything he thought of that would improve the moment, the moment when he realized he had a family again. It was almost a new feeling to Graphite, his last family long gone and almost forgotten. Having a family in this new and cruel world was a blessing since they could actually be trusted. Your family would always be there to protect you, to love you, and to feed you. Graphite looked down to his food, grinning to himself just before he finished off his plate of carrots.

After the dinner, they cleaned up. A quick shower in water no warmer than what came from the sink. They didn’t bother finding pajamas, tonight was a special night. It was the first night Graphite was conscious after a while and it certainly looked like Sunny was in the mood for some celebration. Graphite had the sheets pulled just halfway up his body, Sunny was holding herself close to him with a hoof wrapped over his chest and over his bandage. Graphite kept his other hoof bent, a habit to keep his shoulder from clenching up. Sunny rested her head on the shoulder that he still had intact, starting to slowly rub her hoof over the fur on his chest, “Did I already tell you that I missed you?” She grinned, her eyes glaring at him seductively.

Graphite’s ears perked, his body heating up when he found her intentions. He rolled over, bringing himself atop of Sunny. Graphite stopped himself just a moment before starting, turning to the lamp sitting on the side table right of the bed. Graphite flicked the lamp off, turning back to Sunny in the dark.