The red and golden haired teen sat in the passenger seat of a nice yet surprisingly low profile sedan. Surprising by the fact it belonged to the very attention grabbing fashionista currently driving. If she expected anything… 'grander' among MIST, she would have guessed it’d be from the most appearance minded hunter. Fluttershy’s van honestly felt more overt than what they were currently seated in.

It was Sunset’s first time properly working with Rarity despite how long she’d been back now. Though she did realize that was probably because she was Applejack’s partner and thus was typically paired as such. There were still the occasions like today however, where she was working while her partner wasn’t, which was how the pair were now on patrol together.

“So,” Sunset gave after a while with a bright smirk “Should I even bother trying to sense anything with you around.”

“Yes, I fear you still must” Rarity rolled her eyes, shooting back a sly smile of her own before returning her focus to the road “While I probably will detect anything before you do I have been known to miss things yet, particularly when my attention is divided. Such as when I’m driving.”

“Still, it must be pretty nice, having such powerful senses.”

“Actually Darling, it’s a massive pain in the ass…” the well coiffed hunter returned bluntly, if still in her whimsical accent. Sunset was honestly taken aback, even more so then she’d been by Bonbon’s candidness. “I don’t mean to mislead you. In our line of work, it is an exceptionally useful boon of course. For everything else though? Everyday life? I often wonder if it was worth it.”

“Really?”

“To put it simply: Imagine trying to fall asleep when you can tell what everyone, not only in your house, but all the surrounding homes is doing. How many are asleep, how many are eating, how many are having sex, who’s going to the bathroom, or whether or not your now teenage baby sister is masturbating.” Rarity listed off, noting the disturbed look of realization dawn the younger hunter “Doesn’t sound so great when you look at it like that, does it?”

“Yeah, that doesn’t sound fun” the teen concurred “But can’t you like, turn it down? I mean I can sort of turn mine on and off.”

“Oh yes, to a degree. I fear the catch twenty-two of it all though is that it can also be quite hard to resist, be it from instinct or simple curiosity. I unfortunately often feel rather uncomfortably vulnerable if I mute it too much.” she admitted. She took on a softer tone and placed a comforting hand on the girl’s shoulder “Oh don’t worry Dear. While your senses will undoubtedly grow more acute, you don’t have to worry about ending up so far as I without intentionally pursuing it. I’m well aware that I am far too overspecialized. I fear the Stanger’s surprise attack against my sister left me a bit… obsessive about making sure I wouldn’t be caught so unawares again.”

Sunset simply hummed, still a bit disquieted by the truth. She also found herself feeling kind of bad for the fashionista. Still, the woman appeared to bounce back from the evaluation of her own double edged power without a second thought, already softly singing along to the radio. The redhead decided to just follow suit.

About an hour had gone by when she caught the senior huntress stiffening suddenly. The fashionable woman didn’t say anything however, merely shooting the redhead a side glance with a poorly hidden smile accompanying the slightly raised, expectant eyebrow. Sunset’s own brow furrowed. She was about to say something when it hit her and she straightened herself.

“Well now, you have a fair range yourself Miss Shimmer” Rarity complimented “I don’t suppose you can tell which way?”

“...No.” the teen returned. The fashionista giggled.

“Don’t worry, even Aya can rarely tell direction.” She pulled the car onto a side street on their right.

“I can tell it’s not hiding, whatever it is.” Sunset continued in a low tone.

“Yes… that is a fairly strong signature.” the huntress concurred. They reached the end of the block, dead ending at a small cul de sac. Rarity pulled the car along the curb before cutting the engine and closing her eyes in concentration. A moment later her shoulders slumped and she gave an annoyed pout. “Make that signatures. It's a bunch of Flans, lovely…”

“Flans?” the younger woman parroted.

“Amoebas.” Rarity clarified “I’m afraid you’ll be doing most of the work Darling, bullets don’t do a whole lot against them.”

Sunset nodded. While not familiar with the ‘flan’ designation, she had read up on amoebas, also known as Bacterium. Resembling massive (relatively) single celled organisms, they were basically NMCs that skipped the monster stage and went straight to the slime part. The files also noted they could also use a limited form of pyrokinesis and leech bio-electric energy if they got close.

“You sure? I thought they were kind of particular about their environment” she asked, letting the senior hunter lead the way.

“Fairly certain dear, but yes, I wouldn’t expect them around here.” Rarity confirmed. They slipped between the houses and made their way to a neglected field of patchy grass and dirt. A single wire loosely strung along short fence posts marked a division between it and the neighborhood. A dirty ‘No Trespassing’ sign dangled from a portion by one corner. Looking around cautiously, Rarity gave it a swift kick and knocked it loose to fall face down in the dirt. “Such a terrible shame we didn’t see it, isn’t it Sunset?”

“Terrible shame” she smirked and stepped over the wire. Just a bit further on, a shallow ditch in the clearing revealed itself. Their noses wrinkled as they approached. At the muddy bottom they could see a broken pipe lazily leaking foul smelling brown water. “That would explain it.”

As the words left her mouth, several small, translucent globs slowly expanded. While many were little more than shapeless blobs of goop in colors of green and bluish, a few took a more distinct shape with a single orb floating within their mass. It wasn’t hard to figure out the flan nickname after that. Once expanded, the clumps of slime slowly began edging their way in the pair’s direction.

“You’re up Darling,” Rarity gestured and stepped back. “Do try not to be too loud. No one’s out here but that may change if they hear any explosions.”

“No worries” the teen returned breezily, stepping to the edge of the ditch as her finger tips ignited. She’d been working on a new trick that seemed rather appropriate for the task. She clenched her hand halfway before flinging the phalanges out like she was flicking off water, the small flames blasting out like a fiery shotgun. She admitted it wasn’t terribly powerful but it was quick and easy, and in this case did the job. The first blob took the whole spread and literally popped.

“Well now that’s a curious use I haven’t seen” the well coiffed woman cooed behind her.

“Yeah, I was actually trying to make something rapid fire. That… still hasn’t panned out but I did stumble upon this.” Sunset explained, continuing to pop the living puddles “I figured something a little lighter might be a good idea after the whole warehouse thing.”

“A lower profile can certainly make things easier for us but don’t feel too bad about the Stinger Dear; we all have our stories.” Rarity consoled her “Back when Jackie and I were just starting out on our own, we came across a Greater Stranger trapped in an apartment building’s basement. It had broken the stairs and while it couldn’t get through the door, it was still able to jump up to claw and bite at us, making it rather difficult to get a proper shot at. So, without consulting with Rupert, we figured the best way to handle it was to just toss a few grenades down there.”

“That-” Sunset began but quickly shifted her focus as one of the larger blobs began to glow. It took a few spreads but she managed to pop it before it could finish its attack. Threat eliminated, she continued “That sounds like it would do it to me.”

“Oh it certainly killed the Stranger. What we didn’t consider was just how much damage it would do to the rest of... well, everything. The shrapnel tore all the way up to the second floor, ripped some pretty big holes in the first and completely shredded the basement, including the plumbing.” She smiled as Sunset failed to suppress a snort “As you can imagine, The higher ups were not happy with our solution. Honestly, we were just lucky no one got hurt, and that the basement door was as sturdy as it was.”

“Oh… Yeah. I didn’t think that far” Sunset returned as she popped another amoeba.

“Cleary neither did we,” the woman shrugged and stepped up next to the girl to look into the ditch. “That would appear to be all of them. Dreadful little things aren’t they? Quite fortunate you were here, as I don’t have any proper counter-measures with me.”

“How would you normally deal with them?”

“Firefly rounds typically. Normal buckshot can do it too if you have enough shells. You can also just smash them apart, though getting close is risky business.” she explained as they made their way back to the car “Pretty much anything that can break them apart enough. We’re fortunate we encountered them out here in the open and I could tell what they were. They can be quite dangerous if they surprise you in a tight space.”

Sunset nodded. She had read what they were capable of, but found them almost disturbingly easy to dispatch this time. But at the more experienced hunter’s words, she could see how things could go wrong in different circumstances. As they climbed back into the sedan she tilted her head curiously.

“Don’t we need to go toss some dry mop on them?”

“Thankfully no! It’s incredibly rare for amoebas to be infectious and even then it’s only the red ones.” she informed brightly while keying a brief report into her phone “No such foul labor for us today! Now, let us see about something to eat, shall we?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Sunset glided along the pavement as she pulled out of the bike lane and onto the sidewalk, letting her momentum peter out as she closed on the station main doors. She couldn’t help but notice the abundance of cars parked up and down the block, far more than she’d normally see. She recognized some that belonged to other members of the staff, prompting the question of why they would pay to park at a meter when they had access to the garage.

She dismounted and walked her ride inside. Part of the answer to her question was answered by a gathering of people milling about the rarely used waiting area within. She could also see Jack and Gallus chatting jovially down the hall though, completely unconcerned, so she just shrugged it off and moved to deposit her bike in its usual spot behind the welcome counter. She did notice some of the chatter die off as she came back around, seeing more than a few gazes had now turned in her direction.

Another pair of non-MIST employees came through the door, their eyes also immediately landing on Sunset. This time however, she recognized one of them.

“Agent Shimmer!” Wallflower perked up at seeing her standing near the waiting area, giving a small wave with her still mitten bound hand “Will you be joining the group today?”

“Wait, Shimmer?” the woman accompanying Wallflower blurted, head swiveling between her companion and the girl. She was fairly young based on what Sunset could see around the wide pair of reflective sunglasses she wore. She had a short crop of blonde hair in an only somewhat successful pixie cut and a flower tucked behind one ear. She took a quick step forward and asked with a shocked stutter “S-Sunset Shimmer?”

“Um… yyyyeah?” The girl returned hesitantly and was promptly caught up in a hug by the stranger.

“Thank you!” the woman gasped, tightening her hold.

“W-what?” the befuddled redhead stammered. The woman seemed to realize what she was doing finally and promptly dropped the embrace and stepped back. Blushing profusely, the blonde straightened her clothes in an attempt to regather herself.

“I’m sorry. I just- Of course you wouldn’t recognise me” she panted, trying to hide her face from the onlookers before shaking it off and lifting her glasses to reveal a pair of starkly mismatched eyes. Sunset tried not to react to the sight: While one was a simple pale gold, the other was a muted red floating in a scalera of dull grey. The woman offered her hand in a more proper greeting, “I’m Lily Valley.”

Comprehension flooded through the former pony as she absently took the woman’s hand.

“Y-you got better.” she smiled awkwardly for lack of anything else coming to mind. Lily chuckled, blush still in place.

“Um yeah, mostly. Y’know ‘cept for… y’know.” She gestured toward her face. The redhead shifted in place, trying not to be too obvious in averting her eyes. Even if Lily brought it up herself, she had no idea what would and wouldn’t be offensive to ask. She knew not everyone recovered from transformations as cleanly as others, even before encountering Wallflower and her hand. While the green haired girl seemed fairly casual about her own condition, she assumed it was a sensitive subject for most others. Before she could continue failing to find any words however, Lily continued “I just wanted to thank you. Without you, Ms. Apple and MIST, I would still… I would still be that thing, or worse. But I hadn’t run across you ‘till now and yeah, it kind of just bubbled out. Sorry.”

“H-hey, no worries. You really don’t have to thank me.” she scratched the back of her head “I mean I almost shot you after all…”

“You did?” Lily blinked in surprise. Wallflower facepalmed from behind the blonde.

“Oh, you didn’t actually remember that part, huh?” the redhead chuckled nervously “Um, yeah… I missed though! Er- I mean obviously… Sorry.”

“Oh no! No, no, no” Lily stepped forward and cupped the girl’s hands in her own with a warm smile “Miss Shimmer you never have to apologize to me. You helped give me my life back.”

“Oh um- really, Twilight and everybody are who fixed you-”

“And you helped subdue me so they actually could. You helped keep me from hurting anyone else.” she countered. Sunset’s lips tightened as she struggled to respond to the genuinely grateful woman claiming she was a reason she was still alive. The moment broke a few seconds later when Cadence loudly hurried in through the door, speaking quickly.

“So sorry I’m late everyone. You may have noticed parking's a little sparse today” she panted with a laugh, readjusting her bag before unlocking the door to the stairway. She stepped aside to allow everyone to pass as she caught her breath.

“So glad to finally meet you Miss Shimmer. And thank you again.” Lily gave as she let go of her hands and she and Wallflower followed the rest of the group upstairs. Sunset stared after her, still lost for how to react.

“Sunset, are you okay?” Cadence asked, snapping the redhead out of her funk enough to move again as she approached.

“Oh um, yeah! Totally!” she said a little too enthusiastically and tried to turn away. The counselor caught her shoulder though and kept her in place. “Really, I’m fine. You shouldn’t keep your group waiting any longer.”

“Wallflower can stall for me a few moments” she retorted in what Sunset would have thought was a condescending tone if she didn’t know better. It irked her that she actually knew better. Cadence tilted her head to look at her down turned face “I see you met Lily.”

“...She hugged me” Sunset eventually muttered.

“Oh my. She did, did she?” the doctor’s finger scratched at her cheek with a mild wince “Sorry about that. She’s been wanting to meet you for a while now.”

“She thanked me for saving her life…” the former pony continued mutedly “She thanked me even though it was the medical team that fixed her.”

“You helped. You and AJ are who caught she could be fixed.” the older woman argued.

“AJ was the one who caught it. I tried to shoot her.” Cadence frowned as the girl stated this with a clear scowl. She sighed lightly, regarding the young woman. For as much as Sunset enjoyed praise for her accomplishments, she was remarkably bad at dealing with anything that suggested she cared. Especially if that was also something she considered a personal failure.

“Would you like to join us?” she offered. “The group always appreciates it when a hunter joins us. Even if they don’t quite understand the full extent for your responsibilities.”

“No.” Sunset unsurprisingly shook her head without hesitation “No, I got my shift. I’m probably already late.”

“I can excuse you for an hour Sunset. Rupert would probably encourage it when I tell him it was for a group session.”

“No. I… I don’t want to.” Cadence sighed again. Curse the day the girl discovered that was all she had to say to make her stop. Yes, she could keep pushing but she knew it wouldn’t do any good; That was Sunset’s shutdown phrase. She’d do more harm than good in the group at this point.

“Well if you’re sure. I’ll still let Rupert know I held you back so you don't have a tardy on your record” she tried to lighten the mood.

“Yeah thanks” the girl mumbled and walked away. Cadence sucked the inside of her cheek a moment as she watched her go before shaking it off for the sake of her other patients and climbed the stairs.

The former pony continued to her regular check-in computer. She could technically clock in at any of the computers but she was on auto-pilot, still in a haze from the encounter. Clocked in with a note to talk with Cadence about the time, she ambled toward the staircase in pursuit of the locker room. The rapid thumping echoing up to her finally gave her something else to ponder. Heading down she grew curious at the unusually high number of shots she could hear at once, every burst coming in a regular pattern every few seconds.

She soon came upon the rest of the answer to the parking mystery as she reached the range’s hallway. Nearly the whole of MIST's non-combatant staff was down there. Every lane of the range was occupied and more waited outside, each carrying a folder of paperwork. She spotted Applejack and Rainbow leaning against the wall opposite the range’s reinforced window, watching the those currently within.

“What’s up?” she queried as she joined them. She could now see Pinkie standing with an unfamiliar woman at the controls, both marking on clipboards between calling instructions. She was impeccably dressed in a manner that screamed ‘Professional’ and held a rather bored expression as she observed the shooters, some of them surprising Sunset to see herself. A lot of the cleaning crew she had become familiar with were there, along with both Fluttershy and Twilight.

“Qualification time” AJ answered “Feds gotta make sure the the staff ain’t so bad of shots that they’re more liability than they wanna deal with.”

“Oh, didn’t even know that was thing” she frowned “Do I have to-?”

“Nah,” the cowgirl waved off. “We do regular practice under Jodie and Pinks, not ta mention actually usin’ our guns as part o’ our job. The 'rear-line' folks don’t got that requirement though, so they gotta get tested every year if they wanna carry.”

The rookie hunter nodded her understanding. She watched with the others, taking in how skilled each of the shooters were. The current part of the testing, what Sunset recognized as ‘failure drills’, ended and the test takers were allowed to rest for a moment. Most studied their targets, though she saw Derpy’s shoulders slump before glancing back toward the window.

“You got this Derp!” Dash called with a pair of thumbs up. She couldn’t hear it but she seemed to get the gist and returned a thankful smile. While supposedly terrifying with a stun baton, the girl’s condition did make her aim suffer. She had admitted to Sunset she was sometimes worried about it when cleaning once. It wasn’t terrible, from what she could see of the blonde’s target, she was still miles better than Sunset was starting out. What did surprise her though was a couple of the other targets she could see.

“Huh. Shy and Twilight are actually pretty good shots” she commented.

“Oh yeah, Flutter’s been practicing since she was infected” Dash smirked. She then shot the girl an incredulous look “You’ve seen her down here before.”

“I guess I never really paid attention,” she shrugged. “What about Twi? Just another prodigious skill?”

“Think it’s ‘cause her brother.” the mechanic hummed thoughtfully “I think I remember her saying she started learning about guns when he joined the military.”

“Somehow learning Shiny is ex-military doesn’t surprise me” Sunset quipped, earning grins from the pair. She tilted her head as the group started shooting again “What’s she using?”

The answer came from a new voice approaching from the stairs. They turned to see Jodie walking up with a duffle.

“That is a Beretta Px4 Storm Compact” she grunted as she set down the heavy bag; Ammo if Sunset had to guess “Pretty nice gun. A bit goofy looking maybe, but a real fun shoot. Especially with all of Sparky’s modifications.”

The brunette smiled and gave the redhead a nudge.

“Speaking of fancy parts, you got some BP saved up girl” she informed her “Enough for a couple shanzy bits for that M4, if you’re still feeling it.”

“Cool, I’ll swing by later” she returned simply. A cacophony of steps and chatter kept her from saying more as the range emptied out. She raised her voice before continuing “Maybe when you’re not so busy.”

“Yeah, tomorrow would probably be better” Jodie grimaced as hefted the duffle back on her shoulder and sighed before making her way through the throng “You girls take care of yourselves.”

A flurry of movement on the other side of the glass caught the trio’s eye. They returned acknowledgements of varying enthusiasm to the rangemaster giving them an exaggerated wave and beaming smile. Her cotton candy curls bobbed as she then leapt to sweeping up the cartridges before the next group came in.

“Hey guys” Derpy said dejectedly as the finished group approached.

“You will cheer the fuck up Hooves?” Zap draped an arm around her fellow clearer “You did fine.”

“You really did” Fluttershy offered “You were still all inside the requirement ring.”

“Barely” the blonde grumbled.

“Still counts Derp” Dash gave her a mock punch on the arm “And if she could see ya with your stick, she’d shit her pants.”

The walleyed cleaner snorted and finally gave in with a relenting grin.

“Thanks guys…” she mumbled with a slight blush. “Well, I’d like to chat but I’m on call tonight, so I should try to get some rest.”

“And I’m off today! So fuck y’all bitches!” Indigo announced shamelessly with a shit eating grin. Some laughed as others just rolled their eyes affectionately as the pair made their exit. The small group returned back up stairs, with the station so busy and Aya and Rarity already out on patrol, they all ended up in the lab chatting aimlessly.

“Y’alright there sugarcube?” Applejack suddenly asked her “Ya been a little off since ya showed up.”

“Oh um yeah, just had a bit of an weird encounter.” she recounted her awkwardness of meeting Lily and how she just kind of failed her way through it “I mean, I didn’t even know what to say.”

“Just say you’re welcome,” Dash put it simply “Whether you think you deserve it or not.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it” AJ confirmed. Twilight nodded and spoke next.

“In a sense, it’s more about them having the closure of thanking you than actually thanking you.”

“Not that they're not grateful that is” Fluttershy cut in a little hurriedly “But yes, it is a part of the healing process and can offer some peace of mind.”

“I don’t know… it’s still weird” Sunset hugged herself unconsciously.

“Well, if yer lucky there won't be people that need saving too often.”

“That’s the dream” Twilight agreed with a content smile, one the brightened some as she looked to the redhead again “You’ll get used to it.”

‘I think I’d prefer I just didn’t Have to get used to it…’

“Wait a minute…” Rainbow’s eyes narrowed at her “You were in kind of a funk yesterday too. Something else is bugg’n ya.”

“Oh, that!” she jumped at the chance to change the subject “Yeah no, it wasn’t important. I just… remembered something... y'know, about myself.”

“Sunset!” Twilight cried as she stormed up the girl with a well meaning sternness “If you’re remembering things of your former life that’s very important! And a wonderful sign you may be recovering! What was it?”

“It’s just…” she began. She of course hadn't actually remembered it but after a little calculating, something did occur to her “I’m pretty sure yesterday was my birthday.”

“Seriously?!” the no-longer-teen girl reeled back on the stool when they all shouted in unison.

“Um, yeah?” she returned hesitantly. Her brow furrowed as they all seemed to brace themselves, only to look around concerned after nothing happened. “...What?”

“Nothing…” Dash muttered “Forget about it.”

Instructor Harshwhinny sat behind the console to the admittedly rather impressive target control system, double checking her notes with earmuffs about her neck while the range was cleared. She was distracted however, when the rangemaster abruptly froze mid-sweep and shuddered with a muted whine.

“Is everything alright Ms.Pie?” she cocked a brow at the excitable woman.

“Yes! Fine! Everything’s fine!” The pink haired woman returned tightly and continued sweeping. “I just… realized something I have to do. Nothing to worry about!”

Shrugging, Harshwhinny returned to her papers, missing the bubbly woman’s eye twitching madly.

“Really guys, it’s not a big deal” Sunset insisted.

“Not a big deal!?” Twilight exclaimed “Sunset a date of birth could be the key to unlocking your identity! And it’s your Birthday!”

“So?”

“So it’s yer birthday, Sugarcube!” AJ cut back in “Ah know they get a little less special as ya get older but ain’t none of us that old yet! ‘Specially you!”

“Well, now we gotta do something” Dash declared without even letting her argue “Most of us got tonight off, what with the testing and all. Where can we go on such short notice?”

“Movies?” Twilight offered before pouting “No, we can do better than that…”

“Here,” Dash closed on the former pony and ushered her out of the room “Go find something to do, we gotta plan your surprise.”

“It’s not a surprise if I know it’s coming” she gave in retort but found herself in the hall nonetheless.

She had celebrated her birthday before of course, but typically only having a quiet evening with her mentor. Celestia had learned better after the first few tries to throw her a party that she didn’t do well at them. Even then she hated making any kind of big deal about it. When you had a possibly immortal teacher, birthdays just tended to remind her she was going to die someday.

With a huff she slumped her shoulders and shuffled off to find something to take her mind off what was sure to be a trying evening.

She found herself slumped over a table in the breakroom, rolling a quarter back and forth under her finger. Rupert turned down her request to go out on patrol when Aya and Rarity returned. The test had also wrapped up a little while ago, so she couldn’t watch that anymore. She could play on her phone, or do more research, but it just didn’t seem that enticing at the moment.

She sighed, watching the light dancing as it reflected off the coin.

A sudden crash ripped into the room, scaring the ever living shit out of her and sending her sprawling from the chair. She rolled over onto her butt, panting as she took in the force of nature that had exploded from the cabinets.

“IT WAS YOUR BIRTHDAY?!” Pinkie screeched, straws and utensils sticking to her form.

“Y-yes?” she shook as the furious orbs glared at her. She gulped as they narrowed dangerously and the woman stood.

“Ohhhh you… you, you, you. You just had to wait until I was stuck in the range” the rangemaster wagged her finger, gliding toward the door as she passed the fallen redhead. Literally. Sunset had no idea how she was moving without using her legs and was frankly too afraid to break eye contact with the angry Pie to find out. Reaching the door, she kept pointing and rambling quietly “Oh youuuu. You better believe we’re gonna celebrate. You’re gonna celebrate and you’re gonna like it. Oh you, you, you keeping this from Pinkie. You, you, you…”

Staring wide-eyed at the empty door frame as the insane mutters trailed off, it was quite some time before Sunset managed to pull herself up off the floor.

Somewhat to the Awakened’s relief, the celebration ended up being just a small gathering of MIST employees at a local bar. Rupert even let the girls leave a little early when he learned the news. He declined to join them however, making Sunset worry it was almost certainly to check on her now estimated birth date. She looked up at the sign, ‘Spot’s Watering Bowl’ blazing in neon letters as a cartoon bulldog nodded next to it.

“Charming…” she muttered. She teetered as Dash slammed against her, beaming mischievously as her arm landed across the former-teen’s shoulders.

“Oh come on Sunny! It’s tradition to get hammered once you’re old enough to drink!” she squeezed her into a tight side hug.

“I’m not old enough to drink.” she returned bluntly.

“Hey, if you’re old enough to fight monsters, then you’re damn well old enough to have some booze!” Rainbow poked her chest with a confident glare “And don’t sweat it, it’s nicer on the inside. AJ and I come here all the time, it’s almost a MIST institution at this point!”

Without another word she was rushed toward the door, hearing Fluttershy giggling softly behind her. It was quickly downed out by the din of rock music and loud conversations as soon as they passed the threshold. They rounded a dividing wall to the bar proper to reveal nearly half the MIST staff waiting for for them.

“SURPRISE!” the gathered coworkers shouted, followed by a blatantly awful, off key rendition of happy birthday. The former pony’s face turned beet red and laughter erupted as she tried to flee, held fast by the mechanic until the end. The last verse petered out and all she wanted now was a quick and painless death.

“See?!” Rainbow gave her a shake “Now you wanna drink, huh?”

“Yes please…” she mumbled defeated though the hands she was currently hiding her face in. She heard her housemates chuckle before leading her toward the group. Another voice cried out over the rest and a second person slammed into the hug too.

“Heya Sunny Bunny!” Sunset’s head snapped up when it turned out to be Zap instead of Pinkie. The cleaner smirked evilly at her, beer already in hand “Happy Birthdaaaay.”

“Thanks” the former teen grumbled back “Thought you were in ‘Fuck y’all bitches’ mode today.”

“I was! But then the girls showed up saying it was your birthday so I knew I had’ta stick around.” she grinned “Now come on! Let’s get some fucking Shots!”

“Easy there Zap,” Applejack gave as she joined them “It can’t just throw’er right in the deep end.”

Indigo stuck her tongue out at cowgirl, earning a hearty chuckle.

“Any idea what ya want Sugarcube? It’s our treat tonight.”

“Uhhhh…” she grimaced, trying to think of something, anything she might actually enjoy “...Cider?”

It was subtle but she could have sworn she felt Dash stiffen as the request. The hunter’s green eyes narrowed at her suspiciously.

“...You tryin to get on mah’ good side Shimmer?” a smug smirk broke out across the blonde’s face “Takes more than that ta butter me up, but it’s not a first drink I can argue with. I’ll go get ya somethin’ spicy.”

As the hunter turned her back she felt Dash slump far less subtly. A heavy huff sounded as she watched her friend saunter up to the bar, brow wrinkled with worry. Fluttershy stepped up next to her, also openly concerned.

“That could have gone poorly” the nurse commented.

“She gonna be okay tonight?” Zap asked a bit irritated “Spot said if she fucks up again he’s gonna ban the whole Station. I like this place, Dash.”

“She’ll be fine.” the mechanic reassured her, though once Indigo walked away she added under her breath, “I hope…”

“Did I mess up?” Sunset asked, confused. She did see an opportunity however “I mean we could always cut the night short-”

“NO!” She leapt back when Pinkie was just suddenly There. While she seemed significantly more friendly, not to mention stable than she had been in the breakroom, the redhead swallowed hard at just the sight of her “You, you, you aren’t getting out of this that easily! Now come on, Let’s PARTY!”

And just like that, Sunset was forced into the first ‘surprise’ party she’d had since she was nine.

A couple hours later, Sunset was nursing her third hard cider with a pleasant buzz. Honestly it hadn’t been that bad. Pinkie seemed completely over her little freak-out earlier, no longer frightening the freshly turned twenty year old. It helped that the others explained she wasn't mad at Sunset, just that she couldn’t respond right away to calm her ‘Pinkie sense’. Fortunately she’d long learned better than to question whatever the heck that was.

Aya and Eve even showed up for a little while, which Sunset found she appreciated more than she expected. They did have to leave when Indigo passed out and they offered to take her home though. The ‘party’ had mostly died down, though it wasn’t really a ruckus to begin with; mostly just co-workers hanging out with frequent ‘Happy Birthdays!’ mixed in and free drinks. For her at least.

As if reacting to her thoughts, Dash came back with a handful of shots not a moment later.

“Oh Dash noooo…” She groaned.

“You promised Zap.” the mechanic shot back.

“She’s not even here!”

“Still!” she cried as she set one in front of all of them. “Come on, even Flutters is joining us, so it’s extra special.”

“Ugh, fine” she relented. She glanced at the others; Pinkie and AJ seemed more than ready, Rarity looked rather indifferent while Twilight and Shy didn’t appear any more enthusiastic about this than she was. She rolled her shoulders and tried to steel herself. The sooner she got this over with the better. She gripped the shooter and braced.

“Drink!” Dash yelled and the Seven pounded the thick, dark liquid together at once.

“BLeH!” a tight grimace stretched Sunset’s face as the syrupy liquor hit her like a punch to the gut. Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack cheered and Rarity looked to her glass with a mild, and strangely unimpressed distaste. Shy and Twi looked slightly sick. She knocked her glass across the table when the cowgirl’s hand slapped into her back, knocking her forward.

“Kicks like a mule, huh?!” she laughed loudly. Sunset cleared her throat lightly while returning an uneasy smile, trying to ignore the soreness now blooming between her shoulder blades. The cowgirl didn’t seem to notice with continued chuckles. A second later the blonde snatched her half finished cider and took a swig. She swished it around her mouth a moment before swallowing “Eh, not bad. Can’t hold a candle ta our old brand though.”

An air of uneasiness descended on the group like a fog. Worried looks were exchanged all around as the former farmer continued unabated.

“Now that was some damn good cider!” she bragged “Even if it wasn’ the hard stuff, ya couldn’ find a soul that didn’t love it! You couldn’ get enough of it, could ya Dashie?”

“It sure was something AJ” the prismatic haired woman said with a nervous smile.

“Well I think this party is wrapping up” Pinkie piped up with a tired smile “Think it’s time to call those cabs.”

“Awwwww!” the blonde moaned “We can keep going, can’ we girls?”

“Will you shut fuck tha fuck up?!” a drunken patron called from the bar.

“Oh no.” Fluttershy whispered.

“Goin’ on about cider and shout’n like a bitch!” the man continued.

“OH I’M SORRY!” AJ yelled back, attitude taking a hard one-eighty “Does mah family’s shattered legacy offend you?!”

“Let it go Jackie" Dash leapt up with the intoxicated blonde, placing herself between the two.

“I had that Apple farm cider!” the drunkard rambled on “Tasted like SHIT!”

“Oh y’all done it now!” She tried to step past her friend. Rarity leapt up next, trying to take hold of her partner’s shoulder.

“Jacquelyn, let it go.” the well-coiffed hunter ordered deathly serious. She glared daggers at the offensive man next “You Sir are a brute, unworthy of our offense. Right, Darling?”

The cowgirl seemed to catch on, glancing around to her distressed friends. The fear on their faces managed to break through the anger. She rolled her shoulders and straightened herself.

“Yeah…” she mumbled, shaking it off. “Yeah, ya ain’t worth a sack manure.”

Relief swept through the group. They all stood and surrounded their friend and brushed brusquely past the thug of a man. He gave a ‘TCH'.

“Accident nothin!” he sneered “Failure like you for a daughter, your parents must’a died of shame!”

Sunset swore he could literally hear the last straw break. Face twisting in rage, the blonde wheeled around, fist drawn back. The loud smack of flesh hitting flesh filled the bar. The man fell back into the stools, knocking them over with a loud enough clatter to finally draw the attention of the bouncer outside. Sunset stood confused as she saw Dash also on her back between the two. The mechanic pushed herself up onto her side, holding herself on her elbow while wiping a stream blood from her nose.

“Dash w-what-” the cowgirl stammered, pieces coming together as she struggled to comprehend “What’dya- Why'd ya jump in front of-”

“Go home AJ.” Rainbow said quietly, not making eye contact. Fluttershy kneeled next to her, trying to fuss over her until she waved her off.

“I didn’t mean- ya didn’t have ta-”

“JACKIE!” the bleeding woman snapped, eyes locking onto the blonde’s. “Go. Home.”

She didn’t say anything in response, mouth fumbling without a sound. Slowly she let Rarity and Twilight pull her away and guide her outside. They checked on the loudmouthed asshole; He wasn’t hurt. While he seemed to be having trouble getting back on his feet, it had nothing to do with anything Applejack did. Sunset looked up to the bartender who did nothing to intervene, seeing him scowling at the group with a phone to his ear. Probably talking to the police.

“Come on Sunny” she Pinkie laid a hand on her back, causing a slight tinge with her touch “Let’s go wait outside.”

Sunset laid back at the top of a small set of maybe four steps. Hands behind her head, a propped up foot swung back and forth as she listened to the tunes singing from her phone laying next to her. She was watching over Indigo cleaning the lower landing of an abandoned farmhouse a pack of infected cats had taken up residence in.

It had been a few days since the incident at the bar. No one had been arrested, though it had cost all the brownie points she had earned helping Flash and then some. Not that any of that was official or anything, but she distinctly heard one of the cops mutter they were lucky they were on good terms. Still, things could have turned out a lot worse if Dash hadn’t thrown herself in front of the punch. Since she hadn’t actually hit the guy, all he could try pressing charges with was a shaky attempted assault claim, which really wouldn’t be worth it for him to pursue. An idea the PD helped impart to him.

AJ hadn’t been to work since. She hadn’t been suspended, but she had been given ‘recovery time off’ by Cadence. Dash was still sporting a pretty nasty black eye and an air of delicate tension had claimed the station. Which is why she was so content to enjoy her time outside of it.

Zap had insisted she take it easy while babysitting tonight, a belated birthday gift as she put it. Sunset wasn’t going to argue. While she usually liked to help to hurry the shift along, the tension had extended a little to the house even, so she wasn’t really in a hurry this time.

“So are you really 21 or was that just something we were telling Spot so you could drink?” Zap called over the music.

“No, I’m only 20.” she admitted with a smirk.

“Heh, nice.” the cleaner snickered. “Too bad we all got banned. Next one may not take it on faith.”

“Eh, Whatever. It was kind of fun sure, but I don’t see myself being much of a drinker” the redhead shrugged “Besides, seems like you lot could use another designated driver.”

“Pfft, if you ever get your license” the waste specialist snarked.

“Hey, I’m not gonna pay car insurance until I actually get a car!” she smiled “Dash says I’m getting pretty good though. Says I should ace the test no-”

Her eyes shot wide as dinner plates as her senses went off like a bomb.

“ZAP HEADS UP!” she shouted, leaping to her feet just in time to see the door behind Zap shatter. A large twisted shadow crashed into the cleaner, lifting her up and launching her across the landing before she could even turn. Sunset sprinted to the downed Indigo, sidearm raised against the stealthy NMC.

It was once a dog, or possibly three. A trio of canine heads writhed around a central maw of razor sharp teeth as a pair of insect like claws sprouted from it’s back in front of long, almost crustacean like feelers running the mutant's length. Bright, crab-like eyes pivoted between the heads, glowing as they locked onto the fiery haired girl. Standing a height greater than a full grown mastiff, it took a single step forward before its prey opened fire.

It roared as the rounds hammered into it. Unfortunately, infuriating the creature seemed to be the only thing the small caliber managed to accomplish. A spark arced between the tassel like feelers and the NMC charged. Sunset’s hand ignited and a ball of flame soared to meet their enemy.

Sunset blanched as the fire only halted the mutated Cerberus's advance. It’s already red, blistered skin shuddered as it shook off the cinders. The redhead dropped her mag and reloaded while the creature howled. A second set of deeper shots joined hers, Zap opening fire against her attacker from her prone position.

With the barrage of fire, and the heavier hits from the cleaner’s .45, the beast finally appeared to register the pain and fled down the foyer's adjoining halls. Sunset quickly helped Indigo to her feet. The young woman swayed uneasy, lifting a hand to her forehead before hissing in pain. Fingers sticky with blood, she pulled the limb away to reveal a nasty gash just over her temple.

A snarling growl echoed through the house, preventing any further examination. Zap clumsily fished her phone from her pocket, seeing the screen shattered.

“Shit…” she breathed. Sunset reached for her own to find it missing. Mentally kicking herself, she jogged over to the steps, snatching up the device still playing music. Draping the cleaner’s arm over her shoulder, she thumbed out a sloppy text as they hobbled to the door. ‘Site not clear advancd nmc zap injure send backup’. With Indigo disoriented and the NMC still up, she couldn’t afford to divide her attention calling it in and retreat was the best tactical option until help arrived.

An option quickly rendered moot by the multiple howls that sounded from beyond the heavy double doors. They didn’t sound nearly as twisted as the triple headed monstrosity’s, suggesting only the alpha was the only one so advanced, but it cut off their escape none the less. A fact only compounded by said alpha singing in response.

“Fucking seriously?!” Zap growled, wincing as Sunset turned them toward the main stairs, pistol sweeping between the darkened hallways as they made their way “Cleared my ass! The OC’s gonna get a boot up their cunts when we get out of this!”

‘IF we get out of this’ the redhead failed to resist thinking. Her heart sank further when something slammed against the main door as they reached the second floor. She set the dazed cleaner against a wall and looked around. They were in a narrow hallway, doors leading to side rooms and ending at a small window overlooking the long dead fields.

She ran over to a heavy bookcase, a loud squeal accompanied the wood scraping wood as she dragged it from the wall. A burst of shots made her jump as Zap opened fire when one of the Alpha’s glowing eyes peaked around the bottom banister. Spurned to move faster, she practically caber tossed the shelf to the top of the stairs. It filled most of the space at an angle, even lying lengthwise it didn't fall flat. Grabbing more furniture, she filled the gaps as best she could and with as much weight as she could move quickly enough.

‘all you should need for cleanup watch is your sidearm’ the remembrance sent a wave of bitterness through the rookie hunter, a deep scowl forming on her face as she lodged a nightstand into place ‘Like fucking hell it is!”

She wasn’t allowed to dwell when a claw crashed through a small opening still in the barricade’s corner. She fell back, scuttling away from the Alpha testing the strength of the barrier of dilapidated wood. Another crash of a shattered door sounded from behind the creature, the yips and growls of its pack mates pouring into the abandoned farmhouse signaling their arrival.

Their own protection managed to hold however, the Cerberus finally relented to allow its smaller brethren to try their fangs against the barricade. More individual portions shook at their attempts but their position fighting along the narrow stairs left them too disadvantaged to make much progress. One managed to fit itself in the gap but couldn’t scramble along the wood length before a single shot to the head ended it.

It was ripped free, quickly replaced by another pack member trying more frantically to breach the opening only to meet the same fate. This one was left to rot as the remainder had now learned better. The wood continued to rattle and groan, the occasional crack and snap indicating the loss of a piece but it continued to hold. MIST would be bringing the cavalry, even at how muddled the text she managed to get out was, if not because of it. They’d be able to take down even the Alpha, she and Zap just had to hold out until then. She desperately wanted to check her phone for a response, or even just know how long they were waiting but didn’t dare take her eyes off the barrier.

Her blood ran cold when one of the doors behind her flew off its hinges, followed by a blood curdling scream. She rounded to see the triple headed hound land on the cleaner and one set of its many jaws clamp down along her side. She ran forward, emptying her pistol into its side as the other heads tried to gain purchase against the struggling woman.

One of the NMC’s strange feelers lashed out across the hunter's chest, throwing her back and sending a agonizing current throughout her body. Landing hard against her shoulder, she forced herself to roll and struggle to her feet to retaliate. Unfortunately, her mind was failing to think of something, of Anything she could do.

Her fireballs hadn’t done it so her little shotgun trick definitely couldn’t. She couldn’t enhance anything with magic, not without risking the possibly, if not certainty of killing Zap too. Likewise she was blanking on a spell without the same problems. The only hope she had was the stream technique she barely had a grip on in controlled circumstances.

A louder scream ripped from Zap’s throat and she was out of time. Her mind blank in panic, Sunset swept her hand across the hall, a pure gold burning in its wake.

The moment skipped, the former pony blinked with a hand extended to her side, not remembering bringing it there. Deep gouges smoldered along the walls either side of the perfectly still hound standing over the cleaner. A glowing line of burning goo stretched from between its gnawing maw of heads to its flank. In what felt like slow motion, the beast fell off the woman to the side, the top half falling free from the cauterized base.

Zap groaned as the jaws of the now completely severed lower head fell slack and blood poured from the wound.

A more fevered thrashing came from the barricade. Clearly distressed snarls and whimpers rang from the fallen Alpha’s packmates in response to its death. Sunset quickly closed the distance to the fallen cleaner, dragging her into one of the unmolested side rooms. She slid the bed against the door before ripping the dusty sheets from the mattress. She began tearing before the blood drained from her face. Zap wasn’t moving.

“Zap! Come on Zap! ZAP!” she slapped at the woman’s face, a cold relief heaving out in a sigh as the injured cleaner moaned weakly with a frown. She continued ripping the sheets and pressed the cleanest part against the wound. A troublingly weak whimper escaped Indigo at the contact, head falling to the side, eyes shut tight.

“Stay alive Zap. You have to stay alive” the redhead whispered, barely audible over the woman’s labored breathing. “Please don’t die. Please. You’re my…”

“I don’t want you to die.”

Tears ran down the hunter’s cheeks,

“Please…”

Twilight sat next to the red and gold haired girl, examining the flash burns along her side. They were minor and, given an NMH’s ability to heal, wouldn’t even scar. Even the more severe burn at the contact point against the girl’s chest probably wouldn’t leave a mark, or at least much of one for too long. Still, the MIST doctor worked with as much gentleness as she could manage; such an injury was incredibly painful to experience and she had little doubt the girl was still quite tender.

Not that she could have guessed from Sunset’s mile long gaze. If it weren’t for the redhead's single syllable responses, she might have feared she’d gone full catatonic on them. She didn’t even flinch at the scientist’s own inspection after already receiving one from the hospital’s own doctors.

With the extent of Indigo’s injures being beyond MIST's own facilities, she was rushed to the nearest ER. Since she wasn’t infected they couldn't utilize any mitochondrial healing either. That was something she tried explaining to Sunset, hearing second hand that the young hunter had beaten herself over not knowing how to on the way over. By the time the MIST doctor arrived though, Sunset had already fallen into her current state.

A light knock came from the exam room door, followed by the entrance of her sister-in-law.

“Zap?” Sunset’s head snapped up to the counselor.

“Still in surgery,” Cadence answered calmly. The hunter’s cyan eyes fell back to the floor, no change in expression to be found. Twilight exchanged a worried look with the woman before returning to her patient, hand taking on a subtle blue glow. The counselor moved to sit next to her charge on the bed. “How are you?”

“Fine.” The response came dully.

“Clearly you’re not” Cadence countered “What happened wasn’t your fault.”

“Then whose fault is it?!” the hunter snapped “The OC’s?! They can't sense shit, how could they know?! That’s if the pack was even there to begin with and didn’t just wander towards us! Fuck! They may not even come if I wasn't there to lure them!”

“Sunset Stop.” Cadence tried to intervene, only for the girl to jump up from the bed.

“WHY?! Rupert sent you in to find out how I fucked up right?!” She yelled before grimacing at the lance of pain shooting up her side. Rubbing her bruised shoulder and holding her arm against her burns she continued nonetheless “I was lounging on the stairs as Zap was cleaning, barely paying attention and completely forgetting my senses. So because I couldn’t be bothered to do my job, a damn Cerberus was able to sneak up on Zap and toss her more than halfway across the damn house!”

“Sunset you saved Zap!” Twilight pleaded back, trying to get closer to the injured redhead. She recoiled from the scientist however.

“Like shit I did! Not only did I corner us but then let the same fucking thing happen again!” she fell against the door, head in her hand trying to fight away tears “I didn't even think of the rooms, that it could… And now one of my… she’s going to die because I couldn’t…”

“She’s not dead Sunset!” Cadence tried “You kept her alive!”

The words fell on deaf ears as the girl began to hyperventilate.

“I can’t… I can’t do this” she panted before running out the door, nearly head first into the MIST director waiting outside.

“ALL I SHOULD NEED IS MY SIDEARM HUH?!” she bellowed at the man before shoving past him, whimpering at the fresh pain the action caused.

“Sunset!” Cadence called when the pair left the room right after the girl, shoulders slumping as she continued fleeing. She set on hand on Twilight’s shoulder, keeping the girl from giving chase.

“We can’t leave her on her own, Cady!”

“We’re not,” Rupert sighed, sadly watching the girl round the corner “Dash and Fluttershy are just ahead of her in the waiting room. They’ll stop her.”

Sure enough, a few moments later they could hear more shouting, eventually followed by the mentioned pair leading their charge back to them. Rupert sighed again as they waited.

“I didn’t think a Cerberus was even possible without an EVE.”

“That was our hypothesis” Twilight returned “But only because we haven’t had any reports of fully formed Kerberos since the Manhattan blockade. Most dogs only end up like the few stragglers that were left when backup arrived.”

“Does it matter what kind it was?” Cadence cut in with an angry frown, bringing the pair back to the moment. She let out a huff but then gave the director a sympathetic smile “This wasn’t your fault either Rupert. Still, it might be best if you stayed out here, if Sunset’s reaction to you was anything to go by.”

The director nodded and stepped a small distance away as the three approached.

“Feel better?” the counselor asked lightly. The scowling hunter didn’t respond. “Can we talk?”

“I don’t want to” she answered evenly, still refusing to make eye contact.

‘Damnit Sunset’ Cadenza resisted the urge to groan. “Sunset, we’re just trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your help.” she practically whispered. Rainbow didn’t resist her urge to groan, giving a massive roll of her eyes before opening her mouth. She stopped at a raised hand from Cadence, refraining from giving whatever piece of her mind she was about to share.

“At least let us treat you Sunset. We can’t leave you in this condition” Twilight nearly begged. A small sneer tugged at the redhead’s lip as she remembered the pain, now only exacerbated by her little escape attempt.

“...Whatever” she finally relented and followed the doctor back into the room. Cadence followed, trying to break through to the former pony, though had even less luck then expected. Sunset shut down completely. She wouldn’t even answer Twilight’s queries anymore. Eventually Twilight had done all she could and had to clear her patient to leave.

She didn’t say anything on the way home. She refused to eat and just locked herself in her room without a word. Even when Fluttershy managed to get her to open the door to tell her Zap was out of surgery with a good prognosis, all she did was nod before closing it again.

The only sound from the room came well into the night, consisting entirely of the light scratching of a fountain pen on parchment.

[Messy script appears upon the pages, occasionally marred further by a drop of moisture]

Day [...] who the fuck cares

I can’t do this.

I was a fool for ever thinking I could.

I was a fool for ever running from home.

Celestia was right. I don’t have what it takes to be a princess.

How could I ever be responsible for an entire kingdom of ponies when I can't protect a f-

[...]

When I can’t even protect the life of one person?

I don’t have what it takes.

I can’t watch these people die.

I don’t think I could stand watching anyone die but when I think about these peo-

[a fresh wave of blots bloom across the parchment]

[...]

I can’t keep pretending I’m strong enough to do this.

I can’t keep lying to myself. I can’t keep deluding myself that I won’t get anyone killed, even if I somehow keep myself alive long enough to fail them.

All these things that are supposed to be so rare always seem to happen around me.

And why shouldn’t it? My parents dying, everyone only tolerating me as the princess's pupil, being turned into a mutant mere hours after being stupid enough to flee to an entirely unknown world…

So many bad things happening all around me, with this most recent one finally being the last straw that I just have to face the only common factor in it all.

Me.

[...]

I’m leaving tomorrow.

I don’t where but I can’t stay here. I just

[The hand writing grows more shaky, barely legible as more drops stain the paper]

I can’t do this

Author's Note

*The Author of this fanfiction does not condone underage drinking or abuse of authority/police power. He does however realize that stuff happens anyway so he wrote about it*

Also, apologies to the early readers- I accidently hit publish during the error checking and figured I'd just go with it. So yeah, sorry about all the misspellings and messed up grammar.

Next Chapter's almost done too, so you won't have to live with the cliff hanger too long... maybe

Buuuut until then, as always, thanks for reading and I hope to see you for that next chapter. Have a good one!