Fallout Equestria

Chapter 19.

Addiction.

How do you know when you're trapped? When you want something more than anything else? When you find yourself lying to your friends and hiding things from them because you don't want them to know? When you can't go a week without indulging? A day?

Or simply when you insisted that because none of the above really applied to you, you were fine?

We had crashed and everything went black, like somebody blowing out a candle. I was lying on the street, knocked out and badly hurt. But in the depths of my unconsciousness, I was still crashing. Pinkie Pie's last message plagued my dreams. By the time I regained consciousness, the Party-Time Mint-al had worn off, and I was back in the mire of my own feebleness. Even the multi-colored pyrotechnic display that consumed three city blocks behind us failed to fully pierce through my mental fog with its brilliance. As I peeled myself off the rubble-strewn street, my mind's eye could still see that skeleton, alone in a corner... a clutched figure of a friend having fallen into her ribcage.

And still all I wanted was another Party-Time Mint-al. To clear the fog and confusion. To make me brilliant so I could help my friends.

In that moment, I realized that even if I didn't meet any of the criteria on my own mental checklist of "warning signs", I risked losing control. I still chose whether I took a PTM or not, and I could refuse at any time. But... I had reached a point where I didn't feel right -- didn't even feel like myself -- unless I had that clarifying and enlightening boost from Party-Time Mint-als.

Maybe, just maybe, I did have a problem?

*** *** ***

"Yee-HAW!" Calamity cried out triumphantly as he fluttered back to the rest of us. "Now that's how ya do it Dashite-style!"

SteelHooves groaned deeply as the metal-clad Steel Ranger pushed himself to his armored hooves. "For the record," he grumbled, "Nopony here is allowed to complain about my battle tactics being excessive ever again."

"Aaaaugh!" one of the griffins (Butcher, I think) cried out. "My wing! I think it's broken..."

Velvet Remedy dragged herself out of the wreckage of the overturned wagon she had landed in. Her own body torn and bleeding, particularly a deep gash on her forehead, but she ignored her own wounds, hobbling towards the badly injured griffin. About halfway to the griffin, she stopped, standing shakily as she gazed at the swirling, prismatic fire behind us.

"Merciful Celestia. I hope nopony was living in any of those buildings!"

Calamity landed proudly next to her. "Of course not. Cleared the raiders out of that pit yesterday evening, remember?"

We did what when?

Velvet Remedy swayed a bit and reached up to wipe the stream of blood out of her eye. "Oh... You mean when you flew off and left the rest of us worried sick about you?" She put her hoof down and took one more step towards her intended patient, saying, "I... I'll help. Hold still..."

She made it three more steps before fainting. "Whoa there!" Calamity exclaimed as he caught her before she could hit the pavement. He held onto Velvet as she slumped.

I tried to trot over to her, only to find I was lying down. That seemed surprising. I tried to get up, and sharp agony lanced through my right foreleg. I lifted it, trying to understand what was wrong... it felt heavy. My eyes took in the spear of rebar jutting through it, just above the dead screen of my PipBuck.

"oh. That's not good..."

I looked up to see the dark form of am armored griffin approaching me, then my eyes rolled up and I lost consciousness again.