>Nothingness.
>You open your eyes.
>At least, you think you do.
>You float aimlessly in a dark void.
>Your body feels no sensation.
>Pulled in no specific direction, you drift limply in the darkness.
>But...
>You're not afraid.
>A distant heartbeat pulses close to yours.
>And serenity fills your very being.
>Something warm and familiar coddles you.
>Worry is far from your mind as you bathe in the calm aura.
>The inky darkness begins to part, as a sliver of light presents itself to you.
>You feel yourself gently pushed towards it as the world around you begins to materialize.
>Colors turn to shapes as you feel the mattress below you once again.
>A blanket wraps itself around you tightly as the clinic reveals itself to you.
>Finally, the warm aura manifests itself as your savior.
>Nurse Soma held you tight against her body as she slumbered.
>Your head rested against her neck as she sandwiched you between her legs.
>Her heartbeat calm as you found your ear against her.
>She gripped you a bit harder for a moment, your pelvis sinking into her plush tummy.
>You feel your cheeks redden at this as you find your voice.
“Ummm... Soma?”
>She mutters something unintelligible before positioning herself over you.
>The weight of her body, while heavy, is not uncomfortable.
>Half of you sink into the mattress while the other half into the sleeping nurse.
>Her pliable bones easily make room for you to sink further into her plush middle.
>You start to tap her on the side with your free hand.
>Mumbling into her neck, you make another attempt to wake her.
“Nurse Soma... its morning now...”
>You look up a bit to see her eyes flutter awake.
>”Oh... oh!  Excuse me, good morning Anon!”
>She lazily gets on all fours to walk off the bedding, leaving you with the covers.
>Effortlessly, you sit up and cross your legs as you watch Soma.
>With a glow of her horn, she ties her mane into a pony tail with a matching pink ribbon.
>She smooths out the rest of her coat with a fore hoof, looking as clean as ever.
>You never noticed any unpleasant odor from her, so grooming seems to be very simple for her.
>She turns to you with a cheery look on her face.
>”So, how's my patient this morning?  No more pain I assume?”
>You look blankly at her.
>Remembering how much pain you were in yesterday, you nod in disbelief.
“Yeah, I actually feel amazing today, thank you.”
>”It's no problem really, nothing a little magic can't do.”
>She taps her horn for emphasis before turning her back to you.
>”Now, I have to report back to my main camp, so I have to get going soon.”
>You hop off the mattress, grabbing your backpack and taking stock of what remains.
>A bag of prune hiding behind two water bottles.
>Better than nothing.
“So, when are we leaving?”
>Soma turns her head to you with a raised eyebrow.
>”...we?”
“Yeah... something wrong with that?”
>Her face contorts in confusion as she turns to you.
>”Well... aren't you afraid of me?”
>You maintain your blank expression.
“Why would I be afraid?”
>”Well... I am part of an invasion race that just devoured your own kind in front of you.”
“...which saved my life as a result?”
>She rubs her cheek in thought.
“Not to mention help me get better over the course of two days.”
>”Well, I had to revitalize myself too, taking care of a creature your size is no problem for me.”
>Her hoof draws an invisible circle on the ground.
>”...and the company is always nice.”
>She stares at your bag as you put it over your back.
>”Don't you have a group of humans waiting for you?”
>Her words sting a bit as you remember your empty home.
>No friends responded to your calls, no family to run to.
>You were alone.
>You bat a tear away as you look into her eyes.
”No... not anymore at least.”
>”Oh... I'm sorry.”
“It's alright.  But yesterday, you did promise me that I'll never be alone anymore.”
>She cringes at the memory.
“Please, you said that you take care of both ponies and humans, why can't I go with you?”
>”Well... I'm not going to stop you, but it is about a 3 day walk to the camp.”
>Your face lights up in a flash.
“Distance is no problem for me!”
>”The distance is not my concern for you.”
>She looks at you solemnly.  
>You look back curiously as she walks near you.
>Her snout inches away from your face, she takes on a serious tone.
>”We need food for travel.  While there is some food across the street, we'll be mostly scavenging for it in buildings we come across.  And if we don't find any food...”
>Her eyes take on an intimidating shape.
>”I'll end up eating you in a moment of hunger.”
>Your heart sinks at her words.
>You feel a cold sweat flash over you as her face adapts a much more gentle look.
>”I don't want to do that to such a good human.  You saved me and kept me company and I don't want to lose you in a blink of an eye.”
>She exhales as she meets your eyes again.
>”Truth be told, that's why I tied you to the bed yesterday.  To stop myself from any rash decisions.”
>”Are you still okay with following me?”
>You look at her in silence, stunned.
>Her ears fold against her head, as the silence isn't broken.
>You try to make words, but your mouth doesn't move.
>”I... I guess I should get going now.  Be safe.”
>She turns around to walk away.
>The only living being that has shown you compassion.
>About to disappear.
“Wait!”
>Her ears perk up at your voice as she glances at you.
>You secure your bag onto your back as you jog over to her.
>Ramming into her, you wrap your arms around the base of her neck.
>She catches you with her fore leg, surprised by your charge.
>”But...”
“No 'buts,' I'd rather be with you than be by myself again.”
>She chuckles a bit at your words.
>”What's wrong with being by yourself?  You seem so set on being with others.”
>You release her from your hug as you look to the ground for guidance.
“Well... I just don't.  Ever since I woke up by myself, I hated having no one around.”
>Scratching your head in frustration, you look to the confused pony.
“It sounds immature, I know, but in times like this, I really want anyone to be near, especially someone who cares like you.”
>She brings you a bit closer with her leg still around you.
>Placing her head against yours, she closes her eyes.
“Even if you do lose control, I'll at least always have the memory of Soma, the nurse who saved my life.”
>Another blanket of silence falls over both of you.
>The moment is broken by warm tears falling onto your shirt.
>Not your own this time.
>You look up at Soma, who's tears escape the corners of her eyes.
>Her short, shallow breaths shake you with every sharp inhale.
>You stroke the back of her neck to help her calm down.
>”Thank you.”
>She looks up at you with a smile.
>”I didn't really want to journey alone, so you have my word that I'll do my best to control myself.”
“I know you will, you've been doing great so far.”
>She backs up from you to rub the bitter joy from her eyes.
>”We should make a quick stop to the building across the street first, we can have a decent meal before we go.”
>As you begin to walk, she gives you a quick sniff.
>”...and you should probably take a bath there too.  Whatever you humans put in your soap help keep the temptation away even just a little bit.”
>You look to her with an embarrassed smirk.
“Alright, sounds good.”
>The two of you journey to the apartment complex across the street.
>Opening the door for your companion, you enter the building after her.
>”Here, I've stored quite a few provisions in this apartment here, and the utilities still work.”
>She motions you into the closest apartment room.
>You enter to see a perfectly clean room, untouched by the chaos outside.
>Ticking clocks, clean furniture, even a functioning aquarium.
“Huh, if I didn't know any better, I would think someone lived here.”
>Soma closes the door to the apartment behind her before heading to the tiny kitchen.
>”Well... you wouldn't be wrong, a patient from the clinic used to live here.  Bathroom's to your left.”
>You put down your bag as you take off one of the two shirts you wear.
“Did you know her?”
>As the nurse starts to fry some eggs, she stands unnaturally still for a moment.
>”...yes.  We were close friends.  Recent events cause us to become... well, closer friends than I would've liked.”
>You picked up on her words and start formulating an apology.
>Time seems to flow erratically as you watch her cook.
>She sighs as she expertly piles the cooked food onto a large platter with her magic.
>”The war made it so that she couldn't get her medicine for her illness, and our magic couldn't save  her.”
>The refrigerator whips open with a glow as more ingredients float above Soma.
>”Her last request was that she would like to be with her nurse in her final hours.”
>A dry laugh comes from her.
>”She even sneaked her hand in my mouth, knowing what would happen.  Quite the persuasive one she was.”
>Soma turns to levitate a full platter of food onto the dining table.
“I'm sorry for bringing this up, you've been quite through a lot, just like us.”
>”It bothers me sometimes, but I like to visit here in memory of her.  The few days we spent were quite peaceful here.”
>She turns to you with a sunny expression.
>”But, I have a camp to get to, and you have a shower to take.  I'll worry about breakfast and rations before we head off.  Just make sure you're presentable!”
>You respond with a smile of your own.
“No problem Nurse Soma, we'll be out on the road in no time!”