Fallout: Oxygen

When I come to, the Overstallion is standing over in the corner, talking to the nurse. "Is she okay?"

A shrug comes from the medical mare. "Oxygen had traveled here from New Appleloosa in a thunderstorm and continued to wear a wet sweater even when she wasn't in the rain. She's started the first stages of hypothermia." The stallion sighs and takes a seat in a chair next to Z, who is also sitting. The nurse trots up to me. "Hey there sleepy head." I get up off of the cot despite the nurse trying to make me lie back down. "You need to rest and stay warm."

I look deep into the nurse's eyes. "Don't worry. She's okay." Fear for more than my physical security flares in the mare's eyes, she’s sure something is wrong with me now. I trot out of the room. Zeal and Ledger follow me and notice my strange behavior. Ledger sticks out his hoof in front of me, refraining me from walking down the hall. I feel his hoof on the front of my lower neck. I freeze, then go backpedaling into the wall. MY SWEATER! I run back into the clinic. "Where’s my sweater!?" I panic, tears forming tracks down my face. A quick scan of the room gives me the location of the object of such sentimental value as well as a tag created by Mom's PipBuck prompting me of a new objective, "Find sweater."

The still wet sweater in my mouth, I bolt out the door. "Get to Pinkie Pie's many-times-great granddaughter." Now that was what I call an objective. The mission was labelled "Spectral." I hop off the side of the atrium down to the lower floor. Stable ponies of all kinds move out of the way to avoid a direct course of me colliding with them. Once a safe distance is made between the clinic and I, I slip into a janitors’ closet. When I enter I bump into the colt who cleans around the Stable. You could tell he just got his cutie mark and is totally sad about what his job is for the rest of his Stable life. His eyes meet mine and go wide. I smile shyly and put my PipBuck between him and I. The marker is in the fifth room away from the entrance to a different floor. Her! That pony is related to Pinkie Pie? Woah. I lower my PipBuck and come face-to-face with the tiny janitor. Foals are adorable, aren't they? I raise a hoof. "Boop-" I say through the sweater in my mouth as my hoof pokes the little colt's nose. I put on my moist sweater. The colt looks like a stallion I had read about in one of my pre-war books, a Shady Daze. Looks just like him. "Hey colt? You know who Shady Daze is?" He nods his head.

"Yeah! That's who started my bloodline in the Stable-" He smiles. "How do you know about him?" He looks so adorable, all curious and small.

"I read about him in a book. He was an interesting stallion." He nods a bunch. I give him a kiss on the forehead and he freezes. "You are simply adorable." I position my hoof on the door and say one last thing before I left. "Remember something, I believe in you, and you can accomplish absolutely anything if you put your mind to it."

The door slides open, then closes again as I enter the room. "Heyr?" The machine-wiz I’m looking for is wearing a leather apron and the same bandana as when I saw her before. Her goggles cover her eyes that peer over her shoulder and away from the helmet she seems to be making. She smiles at me and I come over to sit beside her. Her hammer smashes a nail the metal armor piece that she was crafting with visible expertise. "You're related to Pinkie Pie." It was a statement, a comment. I meant for it to be a question, but it didn't come out that way.

She stops her project’s well progress, and pulls off her apron to let it fall on the floor. "Amazing!" Her face is bright. "Now how did you figure that out?" She’s clearly amused.

"I-" I’m a bit confused on her reaction. I didn't exactly expect a different one, but- "My-" I can't bring myself to say that this Stable-Tec device on my foreleg is mine. "My mom's- PipBuck told me." She smiles a sweet smile, probably reminded of her own mother. "You're directly related to Pinkie, but I was wondering... who was Pinkie's- ya know- mate?" I really need to know.

Her smile grew. "Hahaha, no pony knows." My confused face made her laugh even more. "Look. No pony even noticed her being pregnant, but BAM! She's giving birth to her daughter!"

"Okay then, but-"

"WELCOME- Ah HA! You never told me your name. It’s Oxygen, correct?"

I don’t bother confirming in any gestures. "How-"

Her hoof gently taps her chin every two seconds, with a small smile played on her lips. "Nitrogen is your mom, Hydrogen is your sister. And then there's Helium, your aunt, then Carbon, your uncle... And that leaves you to be Oxygen." She barks a chuckle. “If you had some wings, I really woulda thought you were Hydro instead.”

I’m frozen. "I have a- a sister?" I couldn't help but smile, though I quickly dropped it, realizing that she’s probably dead. "Nevermind."

"Nevermind? Is that how you treat family? For Celestia's sake, it's better that she doesn't know you if you're gonna be like that."

"Well she's dead, isn’t she? So it doesn't matter."

Another laugh escapes the mare's mouth. "She's not dead, silly." My eyes widen and begin to water. Ears flatten against my head, I sit in defeat. I knew I wasn't alone in this world.

"Where is she? Who is she? Do you know her?" My head lifts in excitement. "Will you tell me all about her?" I scoot closer and closer.

She smiles kindly. "Anything you want to know." She trots over and sits down in front of me. "I can tell you all about your mom, sister, aunt, and uncle."

"You knew Mom?" It doesn’t make sense, considering Specter is around my age, but afterall- none of this makes any sense whatsoever. I didn't mean to but I had scooted so close to the mare that our faces were an inch apart. I wasn't paying attention, and barely even noticed. For the sake of personal space, I back up a bit. "I wanna know about her- Anything just-"

A comforting grin comes from the mare. Two missions appear on my PipBuck. The first was labelled "Dear Mother" and the second "Family Matters: Family First." The first objective for both required me to learn about my family from a "Spectral Aviator." I look away from my PipBuck and up at the mare an inch away from me. A nervous giggle found it's way out of my mouth as I back up a bit more. "Yeah. I know your Mom. She and I hang out every Saturday."

"WAIT! Hold up! You hang out with her every Saturday!? Today's Friday! Oh my gosh! Could I stay here for the night???" I’m back in her face. It’s weird with her having goggles on. But I don’t find a way to get them off. A request would obviously be the most civil, but… Ya know- fuck it- “Would you mind taking your goggles off?”

Her lips purse and she backs up. "How about you take off your sweater!" She almost yells back. Noticing that her reaction scared me, she hangs her head low. "No. I can't take these goggles off." I was about to ask if she couldn't or wouldn't, but held my tongue. She isn't going to take it off and that is the end of it. Her head lifts up with a weak smile on her face. "So a slumber party it is," she announces, still a bit down about whatever backstory that hides behind her goggles. "So, feel free to ask away."

"Tell me about my mom- and sister- and aunt and uncle. Their whole life, I wanna know it."

"Your mother was born into a family all about war. Her mother and father, your grandparents, were both soldiers in the Enclave. All the females in your family have been strategists in the Grand Pegasus Enclave, most of them receiving the title of Head Tactician. Your mother was one of the ponies who earned such an honor. She also has an older brother and younger sister. Her brother's a big stallion by the name of Carbon and he's in charge of the mechanical engineering and such for all those crazy machines. And your mom's sister is Helium, a teacher for the young pegasi. Your mom met your dad when he fell out of the sky and crashed through the roof of her house. His name is Deadbolt, and your mother loved him dearly. They gave birth to your older sister, Hydrogen after they got married. After two years, they gave birth to a second filly, a Miss Oxygen Deadbolt." I smile at the title. Such a grand title. "After that, well, things got kinda weird. Your family wasn't allowed to see you. Everypony but some nurses and your mom were told you were a stillborn. Your mom, having a high position in the Enclave, got a week with you before you were to be disposed of." You could see a frown forming on my face. I knew what came next. "Not that she needed that long to decide on what she did. You two spent the week together, mother and daughter." One tear tracked down my cheek from my right eye. Me and my momma, in the good ol’ days- when we still had a relationship. "The last day of the week was crazy. Your mother blocked the door into the hospital room and flew out the window, you in a blanket tightly pressed to her chest. The family was told the plan. Everyone was heartbroken, but Hydrogen was hurt the most. She was losing her mother." Guilt trip? Possibly. And believe me when I tell you I fell, hard. I took Mom away from everypony. Dear Luna- "The PipBuck on your foreleg was then removed from hers. She had everything she needed, and left with 'Family matters. Family first.' I suppose you know the rest." I nod. Not really, but whatever.

"Well what's Hydro like?"

Aviator laughs. "You're already giving her nicknames, huh?" I smile, realizing what I had done. "Hydrogen had a tough time in the Enclave. Not only because of her mother though. She likes fighting without the use of her wings, something the Enclave doesn't do. She was put in charge of land combat, mostly as a joke. And she came up as an ambassador of sorts for the Wasteland. When the Enclave wants to shoot something up, they send her first." Head hung low, I felt rotten. I ruined my sister's life.

"What about my aunt and uncle? Mom's siblings?"

"Carbon and Helium. What a great pair they are. They never fight. Ever. They're best friends. It's adorable. Carbon's a big stallion and Helium's a small mare. Carbon's not a big flyer and Helium's favorite thing is being in the sky. They're so different, but dear Celestia, I've never seen two ponies get along so well." Wow. "Anyways, any more questions?"

"No, I don't think so." A chime sounds. PipBuck up to my face, I checked my objectives so far. The box next to the first goal was checked for both missions. "Dear Mother" now has "Meet with Mom." And "Family Matters: Family First" had a goal of "Rescue the family." Rescue-? Oh shit. I. Am. Screwed. Seriously, like what the fuck?

"Hello. This is Overstallion Ledger." Over the loudspeaker plays Ledger's strong voice. "A mare is needed in my office immediately." Okay, okay, as long nopony knows what I look like- "This mare identifies as Oxy, a white earth pony with a curly mane and tail. Her cutie mark is nine bubbles. She isn't wearing Stable gear either. She is instead dressed in a brown sweater. A PipBuck can be located on her left foreleg. Contact a near by guard and they will restrain her. Thank you." Fuck me.

The mare I’m spending the night with, Aviator, looks at me. "Well then. Looks like we're going to have to get you some Stable gear." I hug my body, or more specifically the sweater on my body with tensed forelegs. Her hoof reaches out and comforts my shoulder. "It's okay. Sleepover 101, makeovers." I weakly nod, and largely grin. Don't worry Oxygen. It's just a makeover. And a slumber party! I giggle and stand with Aviator. I take the chance to examine the room more. It hold the demeanor of a workplace, yeah, but it looks a lot like a living room and bedroom too. Dressers and a jukebox stand proud in top physical condition.

"Where's your room? Like, your actual room?" The question makes the mare smile as she peers into a dresser. Her magic lifts out a Stable 28 utility jumpsuit. Utility jumpsuits cover the whole body, only leaving the head exposed. This would allow me to hide my cutie mark and blend in with the other Stable residents. The only real problem now is the issue of my PipBuck. PipBucks are on the right foreleg of Stable 28’s dwellers, but Mom's PipBuck was built for the left foreleg, probably a result of it being of Enclave engineering- I don’t know.

"This is my apartment. Because I live only by myself, it would be a waste to give me a room: rooms having two or more beds- and me enjoying being able to work all night and crash when I feel like it." Seems legitimate. "Anyways, put this on." She passes me the jumpsuit.

Hesitantly, I slip off my sweater. Naked. I am naked in daylight. It feels strange. The cold Stable air chills my sides, but it’s drier than my damp coat. I manage to put on the suit. It doesn't feel the same. My sweater is baggy, and doesn't cover my flanks and hind legs. The utility jumpsuit is fitting on my body. I took a sharp breath. I don't like it. But this is to see Mom.

No! I hate it. Blackness edges into my vision. Ribbons of nothing wrap around my sight, blinding me. Shallow breaths with a quick pace make their way out of my lungs. My knees give out and I fall to the floor. So cold. Sharp breaths were the only sound as somepony uses magic to pull my sweater on over the Stable jumpsuit. I begin weeping. No wonder I was left alone by Mom- I start crying like a yearling every time I need to do something for someone other than me. No wonder she left me alone in darkness.

Darkness clouds my vision to the point of complete black. I can't see. My tears are wiped away by the mare in the room just for my face to be wet again. The door slides open across the room.

"Hey? Ox! We've been looking all around for you!" It was Zeal. When she notices my condition, she comes over. "Ox? You okay?"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" I scream. No one can call me Ox. The outburst scares her. She flinches. The tears continues to roll down my face. "I need help!" I start to panic, getting up and standing on twitchy hooves. "I can’t see!" A hoof lays on my shoulder and I freeze, completely still. Immediately, a sway takes to my body and exhaustion tugs me to the floor. "Wake me up when we gotta go see Ma-"

"Wake up sleepy head~"

"One more minute Derpy..."

Giggling surrounds me. I open my eyes to see myself in a stable bed. "Your mother should be here in 60 seconds- Hey? You okay?" I nod, feeling better than before, so she continues. "Here." She throws an apple at me and I catch it in my hooves. I’m in my sweater again. Stable barding underneath. "Usually Nitro and I hang out in other places. Most times we just take a stroll through the apple farms." Excitement pumps through my veins. I am finally gonna meet Mom!

"Attention." The Overstallion's voice floods through the room. "The Wanted pony from yesterday is now free to roam the stable. Welcome her with open arms and some of your Stable 28 spirit!" What? I'm good? Nice.

"Zeal talked to the Overstallion." My pupils dilate in alert. "Heh. No worries. All he ‘knows’ is that your Mom is dead and you need some time to collect your thoughts." I nod. Well alright then…

"I brought some food. Apples are getting-" A mare walks into the room. She looks like an older version of me. Her coat white, and mane white and pale blue, I can't help but love her. Tears gathered in her eyes as she tilted her head in confusion. "Oxy?"

Tears slip down my face before she has the chance to cry first. "Mom..." I uncontrollably giggle in my sad happiness. "I-I-" my voice cracks. "I miss-I missed you..."

Mom's eyes are wide. "Oxy? Oxygen? Oxygen... Is that really you?" I nod and nod. Mom's legs wrap me tight in a warm grip that I confide in with everything I have. "I won't let you go again... Never ever again..." All my strength goes into comforting her back with light strokes. Nuzzling into Mom's neck, I cuddle her- instinct forcing me to hold her and never let go. Mom lets go and holds me at her forelegs' length. Her sweet pale blue eyes travel all over me, taking in my every feature. "How you've grown. . ." she whispers to herself.

"Oh Mom- I have so much to tell you!" Slipping through her grip, I bounce around the room. "I've had so many adventures-! I mean, you have no idea! I mean- Just yesterday I rescued a couple from some raiders!" I stop bouncing and dash in front of Mom's amused smile. I slow down, a gentle and shy smile on my lips. "Ditzy's been taking really good care of me too."

Mom's mouth opens to respond, but Aviator responds instead. "Ehem. I believe that now, every one of us being capable of leaving the room, we should head out to the fields."

The white mare I had thought was dead for the entirety of my life frowns at me. "You!" she accuses. "You were the one in trouble with the Overstallion!" Oh that. My ears lower, feeling ashamed. "I am disappointed."

I cower at my mother's disapproving stare. Ditzy couldn't talk, so I’ve never had to hear the harsh tone of her voice.

"How about you tone it down a bit Nitro? It'd be better if you'd ease into the whole ‘motherhood’ thing again..."

Mom notices how harsh she had been, and now she’s the one feeling bad. "I'm sorry honey..."

My ears perk up as millions of questions rush through my head. "Wait-wait-wait! How are you-" My eyes catch nothing on her sides. "Mom... I thought you were a pegasus."

Her own gaze lowers to wingless back. She grins. Leaning up close to me, she whispers, “I am.” My confused stare makes her giggle. “Magic helps.” She winks. “Invisibility helps.” I nodded, smiling at her cleverness. No wonder she roams free in the stable. If she was visible as a pegasus, she’s probably kicked out (everypony being enemies of the Enclave).

“Now what happened to your ear?”

My ear…? Oh! “Turret,” I blush. “They don’t have emotions and tend to shoot no matter what.” I nervously laugh, rubbing the back of my neck. “Could’ve been worse. Heh. I coulda died in there. Damn automated guns. It’s always the damn turrets.”

“You don’t have a gun… or any weapons...” She looks me over, expecting some kind of deadly device that deals fatal blows. “How are you alive?!” She yells, appalled and pissed. “You don’t have anything on you? Did you get here like this?! With the STEEL RANGERS outside the door?!”

I frowns. “Those ponies just don’t have hearts...” I sadly stare to the floor. “Killed my best pal...”

~ - ~ - ~

“Hey Ox!” The mare of my dreams trots toward me, the biggest grin on her face. “I got you a prrrrrrrrrrresent!” She gallops to me, speeding with excitement. My face lights up. She rushes into me, knocking us both onto the dry, dusty ground. Her head dips into her saddlebags and pulls out a green-ish brown sweater. She struggles to pull it over my head as she stands over me lying on my back. Once on, she grins and I grin back. “I love you.”

I freeze for a second. “I love you too.”

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFZZZZZZZZZZZZZAP!

Her breath catches. She collapses. Immediately, I spring off the ground. Fshhhh.

She is molten pink ash in my hooves.

“No… No! NOOOO! NO NO NO NO!!!!!!!” Tears rampage down my face. On my hooves, in an instant I’m sprinting faster than I had ever before, rushing toward ponies covered completely in armor.

A stallion had fired.

In the blink of an eye, I’m the air, diving for the pony. “YOU WILL PAY!” I screech in pure agony. My hoof collides with the stallion, tearing right through his armor. The others with him reacts. There are five of them. One opens fire, two run for their lives, and two are frozen in place.

Three missiles go right through me and hit the cars that are in the parking lot behind me.

Brilliant, radiation filled explosions whip my mane around. I let out a horrifying scream. The mare in armor that had fired at me drops to the ground as the frozen ponies gallop off with the others.

~ - ~ - ~

“Oxy? Oxy, hon? You alright?”

I wake up with a jolt. “NO!” I scream, the flashback making me relive the memory as it does so often. I bolt out the door. The ponies that were in the room with me gave chase.

“Oxygen! It’s okay! Calm down!” yelled Mom, trying to get me to slow down.

My hooves beat hard against the Stable-Tec flooring.

“Oxygen! I miss you- Please slow down!”

My legs come to a standstill, but my momentum doesn’t dare. I’m hurled forward and tumble onto the solid floor of the stable. It was silent. No noise came from my body slamming onto the surface and no grunt, groan, or whine came from my mouth as I slide across the room toward the entrance room.

“Excuse me. Oxygen?” I look up from my place on the cold floor. Overstallion Ledger stands over me, stress lines on his face. “If you are done with whatever you are doing on the floor- We need to talk. Right now.”

Get up.

My hooves steady themselves under my body. I rise. I’ve got to get up. For her.

“The Steel Rangers are leaving the premises.”

“What??” I almost tip out of my seat in the Overstallion’s office. Mom and Aviator are waiting outside.

“They are packing up like crazy out there. They seem spooked.” I sit awkward in my seat. It couldn’t be that thing that’s got them scared, could it? “Some are making an attempt to stay, but even their superiors are freaked!” His hooves flail in the air for emphasis before he pauses. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you?”

“Honesty is the best policy,” I mumbled to myself with a sigh directed to the floor. My head rose and our gaze met. “I think it might be me that they’re scared of.”

“They’re that scared? Of you?”

Nervous, I rub the back of my neck. “I might have killed one of them...”

His eyebrows raise sceptically. “You killed one of them? They’re this scared of you- just killing one of them?”

I nod hesitantly. “I did it without... any weapons too...”

His jaw drops.

“Heheheh… yeah...”

“I love you.” Echoes in my head.

“Damn bastard deserved it,” I growl, scowling, the dam of holding back my hidden emotions cracking under the pressure.

Ledger takes the gentle approach. “Oxygen? Do you want to talk about it?”

He wants to know why I held such a hatred toward the Steel Rangers.

“He killed her.”

Immediately, the Overstallion backs off. After a minute, he dismisses me. “You can go now Oxygen- just know I am always here you.”

My anger clings to me as I attempt to shake off the devastation to enjoy my time with Mom more. Aviator trots beside us, just listening to the conversation.

“So what’s Derpy like?”

I smile at the thought of the sweet mare that had taken care of me all these years, and still does so faithfully. “She’s so awesome Mom!” I leap into the air, momentarily lifting of the grass I had just fanfillied over ten minutes ago when we walked into the underground apple orchard. “She’s really nice. And she always forces me to get up in the morning.” I state the last sentence with a slight frown.

Mom laughs wholeheartedly. “Deadbolt had to pry me out of bed in the morning! And before him it was Carbon and Helium! It took the both of them,” she cackles. Her laughter dies. “Yeah… I miss those ponies back in the clouds.” The lightest shimmer in her eye gives it all away. She wants to go home.

“I’m sorry you had to leave your home in the clouds.”

Mom laughs again, making me confused for the moment. “What? My home’s not in the clouds!” She swung her left foreleg around my neck. “My home’s in the hooves of my family. And I’m doing alright, knowing that we’re all alive.”

The mission in my- Mom’s- PipBuck is itching at me. “Mom- totally theoretical question- but how could you possibly escape the Enclave?”

Mom freezes, staring me in the eyes. Her leg being firmly wrapped around my neck, I stop with her. Aviator stops too. “Why are you asking…?” she asks, alarmingly pissed.

“Just asking!” I quickly say.

A bit too quickly.

“Oxygen Windward Deadbolt don’t you dare try anything!” she yells warningly. Despite the moment, I had to marvel at my full name.

“Mom,” I interrupt. She frowns, stopping the beginning stages of a very ugly rant of disapproval. I’m not gonna lie. “Mom. I want to help them. And I will help them- even if you think I shouldn’t.”

A distant star twinkles in her eye.

“Aviator. Let’s go,” she calls, making haste to a new direction. “Oxygen! Get over here.”

We trot in silence out of the apple orchard and into the halls of the stable. Stable ponies stare at me. I was a dog among cats. A radhog among pigs. A cloud among clear skies. A dragon- “Ah-” I walk straight into Mom.

“Pull it together Ox.” This is what got Mom into the Enclave with the title of Head Tactician. A soft whirl makes my ears twitch as the stable door that Mom stopped at opens, leading to a small living room. I’m assuming, the average living quarters. “Go into the bedroom,” commands Mother Commando. Another soft whirl fills my ears. I took a quick look back to see Commando’s head out in the hall scanning for any and all signs of life. Paranoid much?

“Woah. . .” The bedroom in front of me is barely a bedroom. So much for average quarters. Chemistry sets sit on metal desks, workbenches for making tools, tools- a lot of them. A couch is the only piece of furniture that can be used at a bed. A poster hangs over the couch. It’s an anti-drug poster. Fluttershy looks heartbroken, words printed above her. Wouldn’t a bullet be cheaper? My heart broke with Fluttershy’s. I knew how it felt. All too well, if you ask me.

~ - ~ - ~

She sits in front of the shattered window and slowly inhales two doses of Dash. I stand there for what seems like hours before she notices me.

“Oxy!?”

A tear gently rolls down my right cheek as I turn and make my way out the door.

~ - ~ - ~

I want it.

“Well you’re not gettin’ it,” comments Aviator.

Oh. I said that aloud… Of course…

“I’ve concocted quite the perfect plan to save the family- though it’s success rate is pretty low for one of Nitro’s plans,” Mom states after she enters and the door is securely locked behind her. Great. I facehoof. Now Mother Commando is using thirdpony.

“How about we hear it first?” offers Aviator as she rolls her eyes at Mom’s ridiculousness, acting annoyed though being just as psyched as the pegasus.

“So here it is...”

My hooves trek lightly on the floor, soft clopping sounds making it impossible for me not to be noticed travelling in the hall despite my pointless efforts. “”Mhmm-mmm- how’s it going in Equestria? I’m another world away- but filly- you look so pretty yes you dooo~” I sing softly to myself as I thought over everything.

Mom and Aviator are going to leave the stable in couple of days, and I, today. Aviator needs to make some stuff, and Mom needs to test out that stuff. I’m supposed to go out and get armor, weapons, and medicine for Mom and Aviator. I was told to get armor for myself too, but I’m not so sure if that’ll happen. Plan’s pretty simple- unicorns add some of their magic to my back- I got wings- I go get the family up in the sky. Problem is- the wings don’t work, so Mom’s gonna fly me up there herself. A second unicorn’s going to place a cloud-walking spell on me before I go because of this difficulty. So Mom’s not noticed, she’s going to where the Enclave armor, making her blend into all the other soldiers. She would wait on the edge of the city for me to retrieve the family before she flew me down in her hooves.

Clank! Clank! Clank. “Come in!” I nod and open the stable door. Overstallion Ledger towers over documents and paperwork in front of him on his desk. He takes a second of reading something over before he raises his head. “Oxygen! How are you?” He smiles and comes over around the table to wrap me in a hug.

“Hey Ledger. I’m here regarding my leaving taking place… Like now.” He lets go of me, smile faded. “I’m sorry. But no worries- I’ll be back in no time.”

“Promise you’ll be back?”

I nod.

His face lights up with the fireworks in his heart. “Good! See you later Oxygen!”

I smile and left his office, a skip in my step. “Standing on the world outside~ Caught up in a love landslide~ Stuck still, colour blind~ Hoping for a black and white~~~” My head bobs rhythmically, eyes closed. “Are you gonna be my love?~ Are you gonna be mine?~

I feel it falling from the skies above~ Are you gonna be mine?~” My steps became lighter. I was practically floating in air. “My wave, my shark, my demon in the dark~ The blue tide pulling me under~ Or are you my soul, my heart, pull everything apart?~ Are you gonna, are you gonna be my love?~ Are you gonna, are you gonna be my looooove?~”

“Wow...” whispers a small voice from behind me. That’s when I notice the colt following me, as well as the many ponies who had their gaze glued on me, their ears tuned into my cooes. The colt that was following me was that one from the closet, Shady Daze’s a million-great-grandson. “You… You’re...” He stands mesmerized, by me- my voice.

“Hey Shady Daze,” I ruffle his mane. “How’re you doing?”

His muzzle explodes into a grin, excited that I remember him, before befuddlement drowns his features. “How do you know my name?”

“What?” I snicker. “Shady Daze is your name?” He nods. “Wow.” I can’t help but giggle some more. “I kinda just went off Shady Daze’s name.”

He bounces up. “Seriously?! Oh my gosh!” He pauses. “...This must be destiny or something...” he whispers to himself. “I mean, technically it’s Shady Daze Jr., but that’s super close.”

I laugh. “You are sooo cute!” His face reddens in embarrassment and more cuteness. “Listen- I’d love to hang- but I gotta go.” His face turns to full disappointment that managed to tear apart my heart. “I’ll be back in a couple days.”

“Promise you’ll be back?”

A flashback of Ledger came over me. “Promise you’ll be back?”

I shake it off. “I promise Junior.”

He- he hugs me. “I promise I’ll be waiting for you.” It shakes me to my core. Shady lets go, and with a smile, trots off.