Parasite Eve: Fuse

Sunset sat in the breakroom, fussing with her phone. They had just activated it for her and she was trying to figure out how to get back to her email. She might have the chance to practice her pyrokinesis later and wanted to look over Aya’s email again.

“Ha-HA!” she cried as she managed to open her account.

Hey kid, got word you’re a firestarter so I figured it’d be a good idea to let you know the basics before the station ends up burned down. That’s not me saying you’re gonna, it’s just that fire is easily one of the more unpredictable sets of powers you could have ended up with.

One of the simplest concepts to grasp but the hardest to get a grip on is that pyrokinesis works in peaks and valleys, with little room to change that.
Earth is steady and predictable; You get out what you put in.
Water is like a valve; You can make it a trickle or a torrent as long as you're paying attention.
Wind is honestly kind of all over the place, but that’s just because you can do a lot of things with it.
Fire though? The trickiest thing with fire is the tipping points.

Twilight says you can already throw fireballs, which may seem pretty powerful but you’ll soon learn it might be difficult to build up from there. Think of it like a campfire. Sure you can build it up into a bonfire but once a spark lands in the brush, you got yourself a whole forest fire you didn’t want. That’s the tipping point: building a big bonfire in a clearing is one thing, but trying to burn down just one tree in a forest is a lot tricker.

Setting a whole tree on fire is also pretty hard without building up enough of a fire for it to actually have it catch first. You can toss matches at the trunk but nothing’s going to happen, except maybe something you didn’t intend to; like the fallen leaves you’re standing on turning into a barbeque.

There’s also the times when you just don’t have the kindling. (Sorry this is all in metaphors, that’s just the best way I can think of saying it without actually being there to help you.) You won’t always be in a forest, you can’t start a fire in the rain and you don’t want to build one on a raft; you’ll just burn it up and fall in the water, even colder than before. Those ones are a lot less clear I know, but you’ll figure out what I mean when you hit those walls.

It also doesn’t like to stay at a stable level, especially as it gets bigger. Whether it wants to grow or shrink is a complete toss up but it’s easier to deal with if you know about that particular trait before it happens.

Also, buy more fire extinguishers. As in one for every room and even your car more.

I’m not kidding.

The last thing is kind of a weird tidbit but soda is our friend. Strange, I know, but soda is actually good for you now. Neo-Mitochondria go nuts for the stuff for some reason. You ever feel yourself flagging too much after using your powers, I can almost guarantee a can or two of coke will at least make you feel better, if not let you go another round. The girls have probably already told you this but in case they haven’t, there you go. There are other options, including things that do work better, like certain pricey mineral waters, but soda’s cheaper and a lot easier to find.

Just don’t forget to keep brushing. It’s still not great for our teeth unfortunately, and I’ve got the fillings to prove it.

Other than that I don't have much more to tell you, not until we can actually talk in person. Glad you’re back on your feet. Sorry about your memory but I’m sure Twi and Cady are doing everything they can to figure out how to help.

See you when I get back,
Aya

P.S.- A girl here named Pyrrha said she was thinking of contacting you. She’s trying to learn this fire stuff too and thinks you might be able to help each other. I gave her your email and I’d take her up on it if she does. She’s doing better with it than I honestly thought she would. Plus she’s just pretty nice in general, if a bit overly formal. Not a bad friend to have.

P.P.S.- Seriously, buy more extinguishers.

“Sunny,” Sunset looked up from the phone so see Applejack poking her head in “Time ta headout.”

Her fiery hair bobbed as she sprang up and jogged to follow. AJ chuckled at her eagerness.

“Just goin’ on patrol Sunny, ain’t nuthin’ ta be so excited about” she tried to calm the girl.

“Sorry, just glad to get out of here after so much training.”

“Yer still in training, jus’ more hands on now is all” the cowgirl clarified as they reached her truck. Unsurprisingly, it was a large pickup. A very nice and clean pick up, with a covered bed that could even lock, but predictably a pick up nonetheless. She popped the hatch and pulled out their harnesses and sidearms. Their heavier gear was already loaded but they shouldn’t need it unless something big happened. Sunset finished adjusting the straps and put her dark jacket over it; she had been warned most people got nervous when anyone other than cops were visibly armed. AJ threw a flannel shirt on top of hers and they were on their way.

Sunset did her best to concentrate on her senses but still found herself distracted by the passing sights. Canterlot may not have been quite as big as a full metropolis but it was hardly a rural pitstop. Still, they had a job to do and Sunset would have plenty of time to get to know the city in time.

It might seem strange for MIST to have patrols given the nature of their work, let alone the more classified side of it; Canterlot was an NMC hotspot though. Why it was a hotspot was anyone’s guess, or many theories in Twilight’s case, but there was no doubt that they seemed attracted to the area. Hence the patrols. When nothing was going on, it was standard practice for any NMH on duty to patrol to see if they could sense anything out of the ordinary.

Thankfully, most patrols ended up being quite dull.

After an hour, Sunset was getting the impression this one would be as well. She had felt something after that thought, perking up suddenly, only to realize they just passed the house and all she was feeling was Fluttershy.

“Forget where you live there Sugarcube?” AJ smirked at her “Didn’t think you were forgotten’ stuff after yer big change.”

“You did that on purpose” the redhead narrowed her eyes at the hunter, who just laughed. Not a moment later Sunset got a text from the nurse, asking if it was them that just passed by.

“Yeah, AJ’s was just having some fun at my expense.” she replied.

“Okay just making sure…”

“Guessing that’s Flutters” Applejack quipped “And sorry, just hazin’ ya a little.”

“No worries.” Sunset mumbled and settled back in. She supposed she shouldn’t be hoping to feel anything, but she was getting rather bored. A little while later, while they were sitting at a red light, the senior hunter got a text of her own. She studied it a moment before a frown found her and she gave a perturbed hum.

“What’s up?”

“One of the local infected called the station. Says she can feel something wrong from one of her neighbors and heard some loud thumps. Rup’ wants us ta check it out.” she explained before sucking on her cheek.

“Okay, that doesn’t sound exactly good,but I’m picking up that it might be worse than I’m thinking.” the fiery haired teen tilted her head.

“It’s jus’ kinda weird. NMCs like ta ambush ya sure but they also don’t like being trapped somewhere; ‘Specially not some cramped apartment. She’d be hearn’ a lot more than some thumps if it ain’t able ta break out on its own.” she explained as she drove “Guess we’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Before long they were pulling into an apartment complex. AJ said they shouldn’t need more than their sidearms and led the way. The senior hunter seemed to know right where they were going as she started climbing a staircase without hesitation. They reached a third landing when they spotted a girl waiting anxiously outside her door. She had long green hair with more than a few split ends and loose, un-ironed clothes. She was also wearing a single mitten for some reason.

“Heya Blush...” AJ gave as they approached, more subdued than usual. They just about reached the girl when Applejack perked up and stared at the closed door opposite Blush’s “Wow, that is subtle as hell!”

“I know, right? I didn’t even notice until after I knocked.” the girl gave with a nervous edge before looking to Sunset and tilting her head “I haven’t met you…”

“Oh right. This is Sunset, our newest hunter. Sunset, this is Wallflower Blush, she helps Cadence out with the groups.” Sunset nodded and offered her hand. The girl tensed slightly, flexing her covered hand before taking the offered appendage. Sunset blinked at the odd shape beneath the fabric but tried not to let it show. The girl’s own hesitation dropped the moment they made contact however.

“You’re like Twilight,” she gasped softly and leaned in with eyes wide, “You’re what they call an Awakened, right?”

“Come on Blush, y’all know we can’t talk about that stuff” the girl shrugged awkwardly with an apology muted enough to give Fluttershy a challenge “How loud have the thumps been?”

“Anywhere from subtle to loud enough to hear over my head phones. There’s also been some breaking glass and-”

The piercing wail of a cat sounded beyond the wood.

“...That. Cats are supposed to be some of the most commonly infected, right?” the cowgirl shot her another look “Yeah yeah, I know, I know… stay here a second, I have a spare key she gave me.”

“What’s her name?”

“Lily… Valley, I think.” Wallflower returned and stepped past them to slide the key into the handle.

“Don’t we need a warrant?” Sunset interjected.

“Not if I open it without you asking me to” Blush smirked slightly.

“You really do pay too much attention Wall” AJ muttered, though with a small glint of humor this time around. The girl unlocked the door and retreated back behind the pair.

“Screw on yer suppressor Sugarcube, we don’t wanna scare the whole complex.” the cowgirl instructed as she did the same. She leaned against the door, pistol ready before slowly pushing it open.

They all jumped back as a sleek, furred form darted out and through their legs, preventing a clear shot before taking shelter behind the green haired girl. It hissed at the crack in the door but made no other aggressive moves. AJ held a hand out to halt Sunset, and closed the door as quietly as she could.

“Well it looks alright, if rather ornery” she said. Wallflower bent down and lifted the cat into her arms.

“I don’t feel anything. You alright there Rosie?” she mewed to the feline. It let out a distressed growl but let the girl try to comfort it “I think she’s alright. I don’t see any scratches or anything.”

“Something’s still in there though” Sunset pointed out, looking to the opposite apartment. The other hunter nodded and regarded the single mittened girl.

“Do us a favor there, Wall?”

“I’ll keep an eye on her” the girl answered and readjusted the feline in her arms. AJ nodded again and then to Sunset.

“Take two…”

Nothing else tried to escape as the pair made their way into the apartment, closing the door behind them to make sure nothing would. The room was dark, though a decently spacious studio from what she could see. Sunset tried the light switch only to make the pair jump from a loud pop that came from a fallen floor lamp. Applejack pulled a flashlight from her belt, reminding Sunset she had one attached to her gun. The twin beams swept over the space, the hunters advancing slowly until an unpleasant odor reached them.

“Smell that?” AJ whispered.

“Yeah, it’s almost like… vinegar?"

“Pickle brine” the older hunter stated, flashlight sweeping over a smashed jar of pickles. The beam pivoted over a small kitchenette, showing an open fridge with nearly all its contents spilling out onto the tiled floor. The redhead traced her light over the cabinets to see them in a similar state. A subtle click came from Applejack’s direction and light flooded the dark apartment.

And a sudden clatter sounded behind them as a bipedal form leapt out from behind the couch. Sunset’s aim snapped to the blur of flesh trying to dive behind a dividing screen at the other end of the space.

“Stranger!” the fiery haired teen shouted before pulling the trigger.

“Wait!” a hand knocked into her own, sending her shot into a large vase instead.

“AJ what the-”

“Hold yer fire!” the cowgirl snapped through clenched teeth. She then let out a heavy breath and regarded her more softly. “Hold yer fire, jus’ follow me.”

They crept around the room divider to find a small bedroom setup. A bouquet of flowers was scattered harshly across the space, the water of its broken vase soaking into the area rug. AJ’s light swept over the bed until landing on a shape shaking behind it...

Cowering behind it.

Sunset’s brow furrowed as she took in the sight. NMC’s didn’t cower as far as she knew. They would hide to ambush but this wasn’t that. If exposed, they would fight to the death but this one was actively avoiding them. They only did that if…

‘Oh Sweet Celestia, I almost shot her!’ Sunset stumbled back at the sickening realization ‘Like when Rupert almost shot me, when he almost… I almost…’

“Sunset, get yer suppressant ready…” AJ holstered her sidearm and hunched as she took a step forward. She glanced back when she didn’t hear anything, spotting the teen starting to lose herself to her own thoughts “Sunset!”

The sharp whisper snapped her out of the crushing notions, letting her see AJ giving her a stern stare before mouthing ‘suppressant’. The redhead nodded numbly and put away her pistol before fumbling at her pack. She managed to find the injector-pen and, after a deep and very shaky breath, nodded again to the senior hunter.

“Alright there Miss Valley, we ain’t gonna hurt’cha… but we gotta make sure yer not gonna hurt us neither…” Applejack crept along to the other side of the bed and Sunset felt a spike from her mitochondria. Not a moment later the same yellow and orange aura of sparkles she saw when she first laid eyes on the hunter flared into existence around Applejack just before she threw herself on top of the NMC. “SUNSET!”

“Right!” the teen clamored over the bed and dodged a flailed claw before the cowgirl wrestled it back into her grip. The redhead ripped the cap off the pen and lunged forward, slamming the needle into the first safe patch of flesh she could reach. Adding her weight to Applejack’s, she did her best to help restrain the flailing creature.

“Ya used the one with sedative right?!” the cowgirl shouted as the NMC thrashed beneath them.

“Yes!” Sunset gave before nearly being bucked off. Even transformed, the poor woman was no bigger than the teen, but Lily seemed intent on giving the pair a run for their money. After several moments that felt like forever though, the struggle grew easier until the NMC finally just passed out. The hunters slowly climbed to their feet and AJ retrieved her fallen hat and began fanning herself.

“Woo! I haven’t had a ride like that since we had ta break in Ol’ Whiskey! And that old horse was a might bigger than this little lady…” she took a few moments to catch her breath before looking to her partner “Y’alright there Sugarcube?”

The still heavily panting girl’s eyes only met hers for an instant returning to the unconscious NMC. They then moved to the shattered vase with a small hole behind it before growing distant and searching.

“Yeah okay, figured as much…” Applejack muttered before sucking the inside of her cheek. She put a hand on the teens shoulder and gave a slight shake “Just try not to completely freak out until we can talk. Alright?”

She didn’t respond but did manage to blink and lose the glaze over her eyes. AJ gave the shoulder another pat before digging out her phone.

Sunset sat in the truck, watching Applejack talking with Rupert and Twilight in front of the complex. Lily had been loaded up into an ambulance, conterveted to not demand quite so much attention. That didn’t stop a few residents still coming out to rubberneck. None of them had seen what had been on the covered stretcher they had loaded, fortunately.

She saw Rupert nod in her direction, a concerned frown on his face. AJ waved it off, though Sunset couldn’t tell what she was saying. A clear set of farewells were exchanged and Applejack made her way over.

“How you hold’n up there Sugarcube?” she asked as she climbed in. Sunset’s mouth worked but failed “Time for that talk then.”

“I almost shot her” Sunset managed “She was still in there and I almost shot her.”

“But ya didn’t”

“But she was still in there!” the redhead cried “And if she was still in there then the one in the basement-”

“Stop.” Jacquelyn cut her off “Ya can’t be think’n like that Sunset.”

“But-”

“Stop… and jus’ listen” the older hunter interrupted again more softly “What happened here? This is one in a million. Ya did nuthin’ wrong defend’n yourselves down below that school. It charged ya, and had ya not thrown yer gun at it, had Rup’ not blown its head off, it wouldn’t have thought twice about tearin’ yer throat out. Yea, Ms. Valley had enough in’er ta run away, ta not immediately attack, but ninety nine point nine with that little line over it percent of the time, a fully transformed NMC is gonna try ta kill ya. Hell, even most half transformed ones will.”

“So, when Ah say ya can’t think like that, Ah mean you can’t let yerself… it’ll destoy ya. Worse, it’ll get ya killed.” the woman reiterated “You start hesitating, start waitn’ ta see if every once human NMC has a speck left, then you’ll just be a liability. Maybe some day Twi’ll come up with somethin’ ta fix ‘em even that far gone, but for now? Still monsters, unfortunately…”

“Then how’d you know with Lily?” Sunset asked quietly.

“Ah didn’t.” AJ surprised the girl “But we were lucky enough to have enough time fer me to see the hints and Ah just got a feel’n.”

“I didn’t…” Sunset looked back to her feet.

“Not that kinda mito feel Darl’n” she waved away “Like how the wrecked fridge told us she was try’n ta eat actual food and not her cat. How her rest apartment wasn’t completely wrecked. Mixed with the runnin’ and hidin’ from us, it just clicked.”

The teen let out a sigh, prompting another encouraging hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry there none. Like Ah said, this is pretty dang rare, and you’ll learn the hints when yer lucky enough ta see em.” she craned her head to look past the teen’s hanging hair “And even tha best of us can still miss it. Even Rupert didn’t see it in you, Aya had ta stop him, and he’s one o’ the best there is.”

“Oh, yeah…” Sunset shook her head. She had even less control that Lily seemed to, and was apparently a heck of a lot scarier looking. “What did make her stop him?”

“You were cryin’” AJ gave her a lopsided smile “NMCs don’t do that, even tha ones that can think fer themselves.”

“There’s ones that can still think for themselves?!” The fiery haired girl paled a little.

“Yea, and they’re total assholes too… you’ve only just dipped yer toes in Darl’n.” AJ gave a sigh of her of her own. She then however perked up again “But we ain’t deal’n with any o’ that today! And saints alive, am I starvin’! Let’s go get us somethin’ ta eat and get back ta the station. Whattaya say?”

Sunset’s stomach gave a lurch, earning a chuckle from the pair. She still had second thoughts but understood Applejack’s point. Besides, she had wanted this; she wasn’t going to let herself fall to pieces because it wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought. She honestly didn’t have much choice if she wanted to keep her new abilities.

‘I just hope it really is that uncommon… hitting a lot of surprises this last month, haven’t I?’

“Know what ya want?”

“Huh? Oh!” They were already in a drive-thru. “Um… a number 4?”

“Jus’ one?”

“...Maybe two.”

“Thatagirl! Get some meat on them bones!” AJ cheered, shooting the teen a grin. The blonde proceeded to the speaker and began ordering a significant amount of food. When the list finally petered off and they were waiting at the window, Sunset finally had to say:

“That can’t all be for you,” AJ laughed again.

“Nah! Just figured I’d grab somethin’ fer my brother and the crew.” she gave before the girl at the window piled the food out to them. “Do me a favor there, Sunny. Separate ours out?”

Sunset dug through the bags as AJ drove, eventually managing to find hers and AJ’s meals. Task done, she started on her own food as they came to a stretch of construction. Her brow furrowed as they pulled in between the cones and past a man waving cars along. He motioned to stop them, but then seemed to recognize the cowgirl and waved them through. They stopped right near a very well muscled man working a jackhammer.

“Mac! HEY MAC!” the man lifted his hard hat and blinked at the sight of them. He switched off the rock breaker and ambled over “Gett’n hungry?”

“Eeyup” he smiled before leaning on the window sill. He the cocked an eyebrow at the passenger “New girl?”

“Yep, Mac this is Sunset. Sunset, this is my big brother Macintosh.” The redhead offered a polite smile as the blonde man tilted his hard hat to her. A wolf whistle sounded from behind the elder sibling.

“Look’n good AJ!” one of the workers called, earning a glare back from the brother as he took the bags of food.

“Y’all behave now!” Applejack called back with good humor “Little somethin’ in there for all of ya if yer good!”

“Beautiful AND brings the bacon? Mac, are all the Apple girls so perfect?”

“Damn straight,” he gave subtly before turning back “Thanks Jackie.”

“No worries. Ya gonna be home fer diner?”

“Should be…” he returned simply. Sunset was getting the distinct impression that the elder Apple wasn’t much for conversation.

“Then we’ll keep a plate warm for ya. See ya later.”

“Jackie. Sunset.” He nodded before walking away, quickly set upon by hungry co-workers. Applejack wove her way back to the cones, hitting a bump just as they left the sectioned off area.

“Aw Damnit!” the senior hunter cursed and dove after a glint of gold that fell from the rearview mirror. She came back up with what looked like a pet tag, scowling hard as she found a place to pull over. “Fuck’n chain broke… Can you look in the glove box for me Sunset? Should be a bracelet in there.”

“Sure” she popped the small compartment and only a brief search was needed to find the wrist wear. It was a well loved charm bracelet, the kind she might have made when she was a filly.

“Thanks” the cowgirl returned and threaded the tag onto the middle of the band. She returned it to its rightful place with a considering gaze “Yeah, that should work. Might be more fitt’n, actually.”

Satisfied, she pulled back into traffic without another word. The redhead leaned in to study the tag, curious to how a simple bit of painted metal could have caused such a strong reaction in the hunter. It had been the first time she’d seen the normally jovial woman angry, let alone genuinely upset. For as brief as the outburst had been, it certainly hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Winona?”

“Best dang dog you could ever ask for” the Apple declared without a hint of doubt, though a sadness touched her smile “Worked hard, loved harder and protected us no matter what… right up to the end…”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories” the teen gave. Genuinely too, considering she had just gained some bad memories of her own. One’s that may have been worse without the cowgirl’s words.

“No worries there Sugarcube. Just one of the more painful casualties of when we all got infected is all.”

“You were all infected at the same time?” Sunset blurted before she thought to stop herself.

“Dash and Flutters didn’t tell ya?” Sunset shook her head “Guess that makes sense. Flutters really doesn't like to talk about it and Dash prolly just didn’t think to.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” the former unicorn gave, despite the near insatiable curiosity now lit within her.

“Naw, it’s alright. Better ta hear it from me than let Dash talk herself up like some kind of action hero” AJ gave with a small smile.

“We were at the orchard, was first time we’d all been together fer a while. Dash had just gotten her pilot’s licence, so we got together ta celebrate...

Four Years Earlier

“To Dash!”

“To me!” Dash cried after the toast, earning some giggles from the group.

“So you can really fly now Dashie?” Pinkie asked as she started cutting out portions of cake.

“I’ve been able to fly for a while, now it’s just legal” she smirked, prompting another giggle from the bubbly girl.

“Any jobs lined up?” Sweetie Belle asked brightly.

“Not yet,” Rainbow gave before taking a sip “Not a whole lot of civilian openings out there…”

“It was their loss Dash” Fluttershy rubbed the new pilot’s back.

“I’m sure you’ll find something before you know it Darling” Rarity declared, helping bring the mechanic around.

“Yeah… I mean, Yeah! I will, ‘cause I’m awesome!” she brightened back up “I’ll show those recruiter chumps they made a mistake passing me up!”

“Darn toot’n!” AJ raised her cup, prompting another round of cheers. The party continued on the lighter note from there. The group split into pairs and trios before coming back together and splitting again. Dash eventually found herself to one side with Scootaloo.

“So where you headed after graduation Squirt?”

“Oh, I don’t know yet…” the teen shifted with a blush.

“Come on, you can tell me.”

“I don’t know yet, really!” She insisted “Think’n of maybe the extreme sports route if it doesn’t die down too much more. Or maybe I’ll be more responsible and get a normal job. Maybe even… y’know, the Air Force?”

“Really?” Rainbow blinked.

“Well, I know they turned you away for a stupid reason-” she started to ramble off before the older girl cut in.

“Hey Hey! Don’t worry about me kiddo! If you wanna fly, then trust me; I get it.” She gave the teen an encouraging side hug.

“Thanks Rainbow” Scoot smiled with another blush “I really haven’t made my decision yet. Flying would be cool but I hear serving can be a real pain. Maybe I’ll just wait till you can put in a good word for me wherever you end up.”

“Fair enough” Dash chuckled. The sound of more laughter reached them, bringing their attention to Rarity and Shy trying to contain themselves at whatever Pinkie was telling them.

“Good ta see her letting herself loose tonight” Applejack commented as she slid up beside the pair “How she been doing?”

“Better…” Dash sighed, watching her oldest friend “Still kind of distant though. Still won’t really talk about it either...”

“It’s been a year, hasn’t it?” the teen next to her asked. The older woman nodded.

“Yeah. I didn’t think it was so bad. Yeah, an outbreak of rabies is never a good thing, and she was in observation for a while but I still haven’t managed to pull her out of the funk” she frowned.

“Ain’t your fault Dash” AJ patted her on the back “At least she seems content with her nurse’n studies right?”

“Yeah but... I mean it’s Fluttershy!” she cried “She’s supposed to be a vet! Or at least something like that!”

“She’ll come around.” the cowgirl gave “And if she doesn’t, then that’s her choice. We just gotta support her.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just...”

“I know Sugarcube,” AJ consoled. She would have gone further but she caught the sound of barking over the music. She frowned and made her way to the porch, it was awfully late for the collie to be going off like she was. She found the canine just down the steps, barking continuously into the night. “Hey girl, what’s got you all riled?”

The dog gave a whipper as the farm girl’s hand landed on her haunches. Something had her worried for sure.

“Wut’s she howl’n at down there, Jackie?” Granny’s voice called down from a window. Applebloom then came out a moment later, concern clear on the young woman’s face. AJ didn’t get to answer before a distressed whinny came from the stables, followed by several more and a terrible commotion.

AJ quickly climbed back up the steps and grabbed a baseball bat next to the door before stalking toward the stable with a scowl. Applebloom followed quickly after with a heavy rake. A strangled cry came from ahead of them half way to the building, urging the two to double their pace. They barreled through the doors to find a grisly sight.

Blackjack, one of their newest horses, had been dragged from its stable. He layed in the center of the space with his intestine spilling out, being chewed on by a pair of hunched over forms that the girl’s minds refused to put together.

They took an involuntary step back when the stable door next to Applebloom exploded into splinters. She screamed as one of their own horses clamped down onto her shoulder.

“BLOOM!” AJ swung the bat with all her might, knocking the equine off her sister and off its hooves. She dropped the bat and rushed to catch the teen, scooping her up into her arms. She only just righted when she spotted one of the smaller creatures charging at them. She blanched as it lunged.

It slammed into the pillar to the farm girls’ side, driven off target by the border collie that tackled it not an instant too late. The creature struggled with the canine latched now onto its back, allowing the pair to escape the impossible beasts. Running as fast as she ever had, she only slowed to kick open the double doors and even then never stopped entirely.

A heartrending yelp sounded as she ran.

“WINONA!” Applebloom cried over Applejack’s shoulder, but even as tears started stinging her eyes, the elder sister didn’t dare slow down to look back. Big Mac stood on the porch, face paling as he saw them running up.

“Mac call 911! Bloom's hurt! And fer the love of God GRAB THE RIFLE!” she screamed, barreling in after the taller male.

“Applejack, whatever is th-OH MY GOODNESS!” Rarity blanched as she spotted the wounded teen in the blonde’s arms. Fluttershy rushed forward and guided her to lay the girl on the couch before looking over the injury. Mac was up the stairs before Fluttershy started giving out instructions to the others. The party goers jumped when a heavy china cabinet crashed to the ground in front of the kitchen door, spilling its contents across the floor as Applejack ran to start shoving a standing closet toward the front door.

“AJ what’s-” Pinkie’s question ended with a yelp as the shatter of breaking glass came from beyond the fallen cabinet.

“I don’t know!” the apple farmer cried, moving the closet into place as Mac returned, a first aid kit in one hand and a bolt action rifle in the other. “They’re monsters!”

A heavy bang came from the door, followed quickly by a second. The two Apple siblings quickly added more furniture to the barricade before stepping back, Mac holding the rifle at the ready. Everyone stood silent as they watched the door, praying for the barricade to hold.

A flaw in their defences became terrifyingly apparent when a window aburptly shattered. One of the smaller creatures from earlier lept in with the flying glass, landing on top of the pale, curly haired teen unfortunate enough to be the closest.

“SWEETIE!” Rarity screamed as she threw herself into the attackers side, rolling them both along the ground until hitting the wall. The designer’s vision swam, partially obstructed by a trickle of blood from her forehead. She could still see well enough to witness the beast rear up above her though, letting out a scream as it screeched.

An explosion of red erupted from the creature’s chest as a deafening boom filled the room, followed by another, and another, and then three more until only a repeated clicking filled the air. Rarity looked for her savoir, only to gape at the sight of her quietest friend holding a rather large, snub nose revolver. The group simply stared at the young nurse, now fumbling a handful of bullets out from her purse.

“Fluttershy!?” Dash was the first to find her voice "Why do you have a gun?!"

“IS THAT REALLY WHAT’S IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW?!” the woman snapped from behind a ragged curtain of pink, startling her friends into silence.

A silence broken by the failing of the kitchen barrier.

Mac’s first shot blew a hole right through the first monster’s face, instantly ending the smaller threat. He unfortunately hadn’t managed to cycle the bolt before another, far larger form slammed into him, knocking him off his feet. The former horse struggled to get through the comparatively smaller door frame, letting them see its now grotesquely torn skin and the jagged tusks jutting from its jaw.

The frame gave way as the beast roared forward, impaling one of those tusks through the last standing Apple’s bicep before tossing her across the room. She dented the drywall on impact, hitting the ground before rolling over with a groan. Dash stepped protectively between the fallen Apple and the beast slowly turning to the huddled group.

*BOOM*

A thunderous shot rang louder than any of the others of the last few moments, tearing an entire leg out from under the former horse. No sooner had it hit the ground when another bang and flash liberated it of half its head.

“The Apple Family has lived here for four generations! And Ah’ll be DAMNDED if it’s gonna end here!” Gertrude Apple yelled from the stairs, smoke wafting from a double barrel shotgun in her hands.

A cacophony of snarls and inhuman cries sounded from beyond the house, signalling the agitation of countless more abominations.

“Get yer butts upstairs young’ns! Sounds like we stirred up a hornet’s nest.” the Apple matron ordered, reloading her shotgun and covering the rapidly complying group. They had just managed to get everyone upstairs and a fresh barricade of tipped over furniture onto the top of the flight when another crash came from the kitchen.

Gretrude crouched against a bed frame blocking the way up as Dash saddled up next to her with Mac’s rifle. Pinkie was dashing around grabbing anything else they could reinforce the obstacles on the stairs as Fluttershy attended to those hurt as best she could.

“You okay?” Rainbow asked, seeing a lightly bleeding gash on the elderly woman’s face.

“Ah’m fine Sugarcube, just some damn bird that flew in and tried ta peck my eyes out. Little bugger ain’t peck’n no more” she grimaced. Before another word could be exchanged, a giant rat lept into sight at the bottom of the stairs. It exploded into a cloud of blood with blast from the elder Apple’s scattergun.

“Here, take these” Fluttershy suddenly appeared between them, shoving a pair of pills into each of their hands.

“Shy what-”

“JUST TAKE THEM!” she snapped again before hurrying off back to the others to hand out more pills. She even went as far as to shove them down the protesting Applejack’s throat. Dash quickly popped them into her mouth as her friend shot her another glare after seeing them still in her hand. They were definitely going to have some questions for the nurse in training when they got through this.

Another mutated horse gave a twisted whinny as it crashed through the banister and met a hail of buckshot and .308.

‘If we make it through this’ Applejack thought darkly, starting to feel herself grow feverish and desperately hoped it wasn’t a sign of infection. She may not know much about medicine, but she knew that was a bad way to go ‘I didn’t think it hit this fast...'

After what felt like ages and their already small amount of ammo dwindling, a flash of hope found the terrified group.

“Do you hear that?” Pinkie jumped to her feet. A distant popping could be heard, one that slowly grew louder. Soon it was clear to be the rapid pounding of automatic rifles, mixed with a few other, notably deeper shots. The sounds soon closed in on the farmhouse and, after dying down, the sound of heavy wood scraping reached them from down the stairs.

“Is anyone in here?!” a deep male voice called out, causing the entrenched group to burst into tears.

“We’re up here!” Dash’s voice cracked as she shouted back with an exhausted smile.

Applejack smiled weakly through her panting. She looked over to the others, seeing many not looking too much better than she felt. She pulled absently at her sweat soaked shirt.

“We gonna make it… we’re gonna-” was all she managed before her eyes rolled back and she pitched forward.

“JACKIE!” she heard someone cry before she hit the floor...

And a far away growling welcomed her into the searing hot dark.

Sunset hadn’t said a word throughout the whole story, even as they arrived back at the station and the cowgirl moved story time to the break room.

“Can’t tell ya the details after that” the senior hunter shrugged casually, munching on a couple fries “pass’n out an all.”

“Scared the shit out of us is what you did” a new voice cut in, Rainbow Dash now leaning against the door. “You and everyone else that ended up infected.”

“It all turned out alright” AJ countered, noticing her friend’s troubled frown as she joined them at the table.

“Did it?”

“Well, maybe we all ended up with jobs we hadn’t planned on…”

“You lost the farm and got infected,” Dash pointed out “Not to mention losing Winona like that.”

“She died protectin’ us…” the hunter argued “And me and Bloom survived because if it. The Apples’ll bounce back eventually.”

There were a few moments of silence before Sunset felt comfortable that enough had passed.

“So… Fluttershy was already infected?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow answered “Not that we knew of course. Turns out what we had thought was a freak outbreak of rabies at the shelter she worked at was actually a bunch of the animals going NMC. She didn’t get hurt but she was bitten by an injured bat they had taken in.”

“Things could have ended a lot worse if she hadn’t had that gun… if she hadn’t made us take her suppressants,” Applejack added quietly. She then gave the redhead a halfhearted smile “Didn’t keep a few of us from starting to change, but they did help us keep enough of ourselves to come back from it.”

“We got damn lucky...” Dash said solemnly. Sunset let a few more moments pass before continuing.

“And then you guys joined MIST?”

“That we did!” AJ brightened “Took a little bit for us all to get there, and it wasn’t all o’ once. Fluttershy was the first, joining jus’ o’ couple weeks later after Twi pulled some strings to let her finish her training under her. I was still recovering at that point but then I got the news Granny was selling the farm. NMC bastards tore damn near half the orchard apart, and by the time we would be allowed back the rest would’ve rotted. That’s when I decided I wanted a piece of the critters that took it from us.”

“You wanted revenge?” the fiery haired teen quired, wondering if that was the whole extent of her motivation.

“Yeah ah know; can't get revenge on an animal and all the rest of Moby Dick's lessons, but that's how ah was think'n at first. That and ah didn’ wanna leave Fluttershy to deal with all this on her own.” she admitted, but then gave a more genuine smile “But then I got to know Twi and everyone. Then Rarity and Rainbow here joined up and things got ta be kind of like old times. Even if a fright more dangerous. Now I’m here for a bit more noble reasons.”

“I wasn’t just gonna leave my friends to deal with all this shit while I sat on the sidelines” the mechanic stated “Besides, Rup says we’ll eventually get our own ‘copter, so I’ll still get to fly someday.”

“And Pinkie?”

“Yes?” The poofy hair girl suddenly appeared from behind the fridge, startling the teen. The other two didn’t react in the slightest.

“You’ll get used to it” Dash smirked at the befuddled rookie before regarding the assistant range master “Just telling Sunny here why we all joined.”

“Oh! Well, once I learned all my best friends were working together, I just had to get in on it!” Pinkie bounced over and gave the two women a big hug “I’m not really cut out for fighting though. So I learned all about guns and asked Jodie to be her assistant! And now with Pierce staying in New York, I just found out I’m becoming our head range master!”

“Pierce isn’t coming back?!” Dash exclaimed “As in for sure? He decided?”

“Yeah…” Pinkie deflated a bit with the answer “I’ll miss him but he says he’s ready to move on. Plus he has been wanting to work more directly with Dr.Maeda for a while now.”

“Dang,” Applejack gave, crossing her arms with a furrowed brow “I heard he was think’n about it but it’s another thing to have it happen.”

“I think he’ll be happy there, and they’ll be lucky to have him. And he’s still in MIST, so it’s not like we’ll never hear from him again” Pinkie tried to comfort them as she took a seat herself “And it’s not like we could’ve expected him to chase after Aya forever.”

“Pierce is the tech guy, right?” Sunset asked, “One of the originals?”

“Yeah, sweet guy too” AJ answered “Who knows, maybe he’ll meet a girl now that he’ll be out of Aya’s shadow.”

“That’d be cool,” Dash agreed before scratching at her chin “Gonna be kinda a pain to find a new tech expert for here now.”

“Can’t Twilight do that?” the teen wondered. The rest shrugged, though it was Pinkie that answered.

“Twilight knows her way around tech stuff sure, but she’s already got enough on her plate. More than enough actually.”

“Eh, we’ll figure it out” Dash leaned back and kicked her feet up “Not like we run into that much anyway. Anything we do, we can just send off to him in Manhattan or to the Fed’s eggheads if nothing else.”

The other nodded in agreement. The conversation turned even more casual from there on, allowing Sunset to reflect on everything she just learned.

‘They pulled through their harrowing experience alright.’ she thought to herself ‘If someone like Fluttershy can bring herself to do this kind of work then *I* certainly can’t let myself fall apart from a single sudo-mistake and some questionable future circumstances.’

‘If they can do this, then I can do this.’

‘I can do this…’

...

‘I hope…’