“I have three missions Missy.” Pinkamena turned her baleful gave on Mary Beth. “Mission One: Find Charlie. Checkeroony. Mission Dos: Identify the source of my timelines destabilization. Check. Mission C: If possible stop the destabilization.”
“Destabilization… baby jeebus on a stick.” Train Wreck cursed. “Surprise was right… Diane…”
“Lt. Pinkamena!” Diane snapped, and then grumbled. “You’re still sleeping in the barracks for scaring me like that!”
“Diane please, just listen to me.” Train Wreck pleaded. “Starlight tried explaining it to me once. The destabilization seems really slow when you’re in the timeline, but once you're out of it…”
“What are you saying Charlie?” Diane scowled at her friend. “Just come out and say it.”
“I’m saying it’s gone, and it has been for a long time.” Train Wreck shook his head sadly. “You and me… we’re temporal anomalies. We’re one off copies of the versions of us that exist in main-line equestria. We’re all that’s left.”
“No!” Pinkamena’s scream shattered nearby windows. “That’s not it true! It’s just not! I didn’t even say goodbye to Maud, or Marble, or my parents! They can’t be gone!”
“They’re… not… exactly. They’re just... Pinkie Pie’s parents now.” Train Wreck admitted awkwardly. “Honestly I thought that Pinkie Pie was you, and it hurt like hell that you didn’t recognize me.”
“Pinkie Pie?” The Pink Ghost rolled her eyes. “You seriously thought some knock off pony who actually LET ponies call her Pinkie Pie was me?”
“Shouldn’t we get moving?” The blue unicorn glanced around nervously.
“I don’t see why.” Dan shrugged. “I mean, the Pink Ghost is right there, so there’s really nothing dangerous in this area left to be trying to avoid. I’M not gonna get in the middle of a domestic dispute between the Pink Ghost and a mutant the size of a Buick.”
“Well actually, Surprise was a Pinkie Pie from another universe that collapsed in on itself too.” Carrot said thoughtfully, causing Pinkamena’s blood to boil.
“Surprise,” the pink mare ground her teeth, “I keep hearing that name. Charlie, you better NOT have been shacking up with that damned green whorse of an imposter who abducted you.”
“Come on Carrot, we might as well go with them to the CDC, if there’s anyone who can send us home it’s there.” The beast turned a cold gaze on his old love, and spoke in bitter tones. “I’m sorry to have disappointed you, Lt. Pinkamena.”
The fearsome phantoms ears pinned back at the rebuff as the former human she had come so far to find turned his massive back to her and plodded towards the exit.
“I’m terribly sorry.” Carrot offered a sympathetic smile. “He doesn’t mean it, I promise. It’s just… he didn’t take Surprise’s death very very well.”
Pinkamena’s eye’s widened in comprehension. “Charlie, wait up! I’m sorry. I… didn’t know.”
“Maybe you guys should let us exit first.” James suggested. “We did call in backup. Steve, teleport outside and tell them we’re coming out with the suspects, and that they’re friendly and co-operating. We wouldn’t want any of you to get shot.”
“If any of you shot Charlie I would have to… well you know what I do to bad ponies, don’t you.” Pinkamena was suddenly hanging upside down in front of the armed tatzl pony, who swallowed hard.
“Relax Diane.” Train Wreck heaved a heavy sigh. “I’m pretty damned sure I’m bulletproof.”
“I’m pretty damned sure you’re not.” Dan quipped. “You’re big, even for a royal, but you're not saurian big, and even they can’t take heavy caliber rifle fire.”
“I’ve been dropped from low orbit.” Train Wreck smirked.
“Yeah right.” The human scoffed.
“Don’t call Charlie a liar mister, I won’t tell you twice.” Pinkamena glared, causing the man to take a step back. “But seriously, Charlie, you know that’s at least a little bit of a fib.”
“It’s not, Miss Pinkamena.” Carrot Plate quickly shook her head. “I was there. Princess Twilight Sparkle was running tests on his impact resistance. She actually ended up finding the effective range of her long range teleport spell first though. The impact crater was… pretty impressive.”
“We’re ready.” Steve suddenly teleported back inside. “Just don’t make any sudden or threatening moves, keep your tentacles and magic to yourselves.”
As they walked outside they were greeted by a team of well-armed humans. “You think he’s gonna behave Dan? We’ve got tranq darts ready.”
“I think it’ll be fine.” Dan nodded with a grin. “We had one tense moment. He thought we were gonna do some kind of alien autopsy on his girlfriend. Be we’ve got him talked down.”
“As long as he behaves himself.” The other human nodded, then turned to the assembled group. “Alright, my name is Sgt. John Jackson. And it’s my job to escort you across Atlanta to the UAC headquarters at the CDC.”
“Pleased to meet you Captain Jackson, I’m Carrot Plate. We’re sorry to be so much trouble.” Carrot flashed a friendly smile.
“No trouble miss. My brother was on one of the expeditionary teams, and we’ve been looking forward to reestablishing contact so we could bring our people home.” The Captain, a dark skinned black man with friendly eyes and a no-nonsense disposition nodded.
“Your brother… he wasn’t an orderly at this hospital before the plague, was he?” Train Wreck asked cautiously.
“You’ve seen him? Is he alright, did his team make it?” The Captain's professional mask fell away for a moment.
“I… was a patient here, before the plague.” Train Wreck nodded. “You’re brother helped evacuate me and several of the patients and staff to safety before I sort of fell out of the world. I saw him when I was in Equestria. He was a hero there too. He helped save a lot of ponies from a very bad bad changeling. I’m proud to call Jimmy Jack my friend.”