We moved swiftly up to the command building. The guards saluted us as we went past, which was formal, but easy to ignore. Our usual meeting room had the 'brass' waiting. Our strongest supporter so far, the Five Star Stud, sat in the center, with that stern female leader beside him and the others arranged around the desk, facing us.
The woman raised a brow at us. "Your method of transportation leaves little to be desired in speed. Do you know why we called you here?"
Hope looked at all the stern faces. "Did we mess something up?"
The general laughed and banged a hoof on the table. "I don't think so, unless you haven't been keeping us up to date. No, you've all done just fine, in fact, we think you've been doing too much."
Sandra tilted her head. "How do you mean?"
The woman leaned forward, her hands on a pen that she fiddled with idly. "We mean you've done more than can be reasonably expected of any one unit, and you've already seen to your own replacement. We're retiring you."
Another man quickly interjected, "In the best way. You're all heroes, and should be proud. The nation's well on the way to recovery, and you deserve a chance to enjoy the peace you helped make."
As tempting as the offer was, a thought prodded and teased at me. "What about the rest of the world? We still don't know anything about Asia and what's going on there at all."
The general waved a hoof dismissively. "No longer your problem, son. I think two continents is enough work to expect from a family. If your notes are accurate, you helped two others from becoming worse. You did fine work, very fine, now that's enough. In fact, we have some good news." He looked at a light switch and his horn glowed softly before it flicked and the room was bathed in bright white luminescence. "Behold!"
Cindy smiled. "I'm glad that's working out. Are you sure everything will be fine if we just... stop?"
Neon waved a hoof. "I'm no hero and you know it. I'm getting along with my new family here, but I can't exactly 'make amends' if we just retire."
Sandra put a leg over Neon. "Just be good. Be a good person, maybe put your talents to work for others?"
One of the other men raised a brow. "Actually, if you two want to work in the hospital, there's plenty of staffing demand, though you--" He pointed at Sandra. "--would be confined to pony patients. We can't have you infecting random patients, even on accident."
That reminded me of something. "Did they tell you about what happened in the bunker?"
Five Star nodded. "They did. That must have been some sight, people swapping back and forth like they were deciding if they wanted to go after a business or engineering degree. With your permission, we'd like to have that option open. No more than two patients per day in either direction."
Hope hopped up to his hooves. "I can help! I know how to turn ponies back into people, and I don't mind helping. Give me some!"
Five Star regarded Hope. "Well, that's a good attitude there. We'll put you down for two a day as well."
Dust Kicker glanced at Hope, then back at Five Star. "If we're done putting out fires, I would... like to go home."
Hope realized what that meant first and collapsed to his haunches. "W-what? Do you have to?"
Dust shook her head. "I don't have to... but it's my home. My family is still there, people who speak my native tongue are there. Just because I can speak good English means that's what I'm used to." She glanced away, then back at Hope. "You're a good kid."
Hope looked like he'd been shot, and collapsed fully to his belly with tears welling in his eyes.
Dust looked away from Hope. "I planned to go home from the start..."
I offered a hoof to Dust. "You know you are welcome here, as a part of our herd. You're loved here."
Dust cringed at my hoof and rose up to her own hooves. "I have to go..." She trotted out of the room quickly, leaving an awkward air behind her, and the quiet sniffles of a destroyed Dusk Hope.
Hope looked up at me. "I want to go with her, but I can't leave you... You're both so important to me for different reasons. Why does she have to go?"
Neon snorted and spoke with acidic tones, "She's still a soldier. She's going to go where she thinks she's needed, and fuck the emotional connections. She's going to defend her family now. That's her next duty."
Sandra softly ruffled the top of Neon's head. "Don't be mean to her. I'm sure she's having a hard time right now too. She isn't a robot, she's a friend, our friend."
Five Star softly coughed. "Well, yes, that's all we had for you." He floated a paper over to me. "Take this. It'll get you into a renovated apartment complex. The room's listed are beside each other, and yours, with our thanks."
I accepted the paper and folded it up for the moment. "I meant to ask, how are you holding up?"
Five Star perked his ears. "Me? I'm doing great. Healthy as a horse, pardon the pun, and the family life's not bad either."
Neon raised a brow. "Found a pony?"
Five Star chuckled with a leer. "No, she doesn't have any hair except on her pretty head, and she appreciates a stallion that's hung like a horse. We get along just fine. Now go on, you're all dismissed, and it sounds like you have some of your own family affairs to straighten out."
There wasn't too much more to say to them, or so I could think of, so we stepped out and emerged onto the street.
Sandra nudged Neon. "You're not planning on going too?"
Neon tilted her head. "You are my family, such as it is. I'm not eager to rush back to South America and hope they've forgiven me for being their great and glorious leader for a while." She nuzzled into Sandra. "Besides, why would I leave you and Karen?"
Sandra spoke with Karen's subtly different voice, "Aw, I love you too." All three hugged despite having only two bodies.
Dusk nudged at one of my legs with a hoof. "What should I do? I really don't... Help me."
He looked so lost and hurt. I gently picked him up and hugged him close. Knowing he was a child under it all made it worse. I really didn't want Dusk to be hurt, but Dust Kicker had a right to go home if she wanted. "Let's find her and talk to her. We can't, and shouldn't, force her, but talking's allowed."
We strode off in search of Dust Kicker, leaving Sandra and Neon behind. Cindy looked blank a moment. "I... think she's that way." She took control of an arm to point further into the city, and we began our journey. Rather than hold Dusk Hope in our arms the whole way, he ended up on our back, riding us. He seemed to enjoy the experience, grinning and looking around as our large form moved under him.
Following our senses, we could feel the subtly different 'taste' of Dust Kicker's aura through the crowd and slowly made our way to it, but we kept picking up attention. Ponies and humans both gaped at our curious blend of human and pony anatomies. Humans gave us wide berths with our lack of collar to note we were safe to approach, while ponies pressed in close, drawn by the subtle aura of princesshood, at least some. Others fled away, intimidated by us.
With a bright flash, Crystal appeared before us. The space she chose already had someone in it. Fortunately, they didn't explode as I thought might happen, instead Crystal's form seemed to be shunted just to the side and she looked dizzy a moment. "Oh! I heard you were back." She sat on her haunches and smiled up at us. "Is it true?"
I reached out a hand to hold her steady in her swaying. "Is what true?"
"They retired you?" Crystal nuzzled the hand. "I... didn't forget, about us. I still want to give that a chance, if you're done gallivanting around the world. My herd's been subsumed into a city like all the others. It's lonely, but it's for the best. Everything's working out, bit by bit. It's not the America I was born into, but it's working..."
I gently pet between Crystal's ears. "You have bad timing. I'm trying to save Dusk Hope's relationship to Dust Kicker right now."
Hope leaned around my torso to get a peek at Crystal and waved at her with a smile. "Hey there, Crystal! It's been a while."
Crystal waved back at Hope. "Hello there! What's this now?"
Hope shrank a little. "Dust Kicker wants to go home, to South America.""
Crystal winced at the news, then looked to me. "Help your friend, then think of me. I want to talk, please." She smiled gently, then vanished in a fresh flash of her magic. It was hard to remember how much she had done for us, with giving us our first home as a pony, and so much more.
We found Dust Kicker perched on the rim of a dry fountain. She noticed our approach with a frown, but didn't flee. When I got close to her, she flipped her ears back. "Are you here to tell me I'm being mean?"
Hope slid off our back. "You're not mean, Dust Kicker. If you... think your family needs you, then I don't want to tell you not to be with them." He looked to the ground. "But I don't... I don't think that's why you're going."
She grimaced, then slipped to the ground and stood in front of Hope. "You could be a very perceptive little brat at times." Her words made him wince back, but she drew him in with her magic, pulling him against her and hugging him with her forelegs. "You won't let me go, will you?"
Hope shook his head quickly. "If you have to go... I'll go with you. I don't care if I don't know that language. I'll learn if it I have to."
Dust Kicker rolled her eyes. "Have you ever thought maybe I wanted to get away from you?" He looked horrified, and she nuzzled his cheek. "It's not your fault. I'm the broken one. You want me to be your wife and your mother so badly, but I don't think I'm ready to be either of those things in the end. I'm just a loud bitch."
Hope put a hoof on her snout. "I love you just the way you are, right now. You don't have to change for me. I love the way you're loud. I love the way you take control of things and move so decisively. I love everything about you. You're pretty and smart and brave." He pointed up at me. "She can be my mother. She's good at it."
I wasn't sure how to take that, but decided to just let that one go. Dust looked to me past Hope, then back to Hope. "And a wife?"
Hope snorted softly. "If... you want to do that, then we will, and if you don't, we won't. I know you feel awkward about it."
Dust Kicker grunted. "You shouldn't have to settle for a mare that feels awkward about it! You should have a mare that loves all of you, even those two little friends of yours." She pointed at his genitals.
Hope stomped a hoof. "Too bad! We don't always get... the best. I'll settle for you, if you can settle for me."
Dust laughed at that. "That didn't come out the way you intended, I imagine." She pulled Hope close and squeezed him. "You are so adorable sometimes. Look... let's give it a month, alright? We'll see how we both feel after that."