Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

"Don't cry. Humans are like this."

"You can't choose to be born as a Valkyrie."

"You also can't choose to become a Herrscher core container after becoming half a Valkyrie."

"So, naturally, you can't choose someone to cure you and then turn you into a pony."

Bronya's words were logical, as always, but did she choose the wrong ones this time?

She tried again, this time softer, yet just as direct.

"You know, we're all human friends here. Becoming a pony will actually make you feel better. You'll wake up refreshed every day. Isn't that way better than this dog-eat-dog human world?"

Bronya paused, her tone turning thoughtful.

"Think about it. Isn't human society just people controlling and bullying each other? Even the emperor of the Nagazora Empire—so proud of being human—would do well to learn from the primitives."

She shrugged. "Bullying is normal, after all. And besides, it's not like he's completely bullying you. He's at least giving you benefits, isn't he?"

Wendy blinked, still in shock. Bronya pressed on, her voice calm yet oddly comforting.

"Don't cry. Life is a long and arduous journey. But remember, we're free people. We can leave whenever we want, do whatever we want."

She gestured subtly, as if to prove her point. "Regardless, you have the ability to walk on the ground. That's a good thing. All good things."

Her expression softened, just enough to let Wendy catch a glimpse of empathy.

"See, I used to have two useless legs. Then I became a healthy four-hoofed creature, like you."

Her voice grew quieter, tinged with a mix of nostalgia and bitterness.

"I was tricked into having a chip implanted in my body, and you were tricked into having a core implanted in you."

She met Wendy's eyes, her words sharp yet strangely liberating.

"I couldn't choose my own life before. And neither could you."

"But after that? We're the same. You can still do what you want to do, right?"

Bronya leaned back, her tone light, almost teasing.

"Look at me. I stayed here just to figure out how to get to the Sea of Quanta."

Bronya's words were meant to console, to remind Wendy of their shared struggles. Yet Wendy remained silent, her head still fuzzy.

She stared at Bronya, her expression a mixture of disbelief and quiet awe.

When her head rested on someone else's body, watching her own limbs dissolve and be sliced away, Wendy felt a strange sense of detachment.

It was almost like admiring the beauty of being cut to pieces.

The end result, at least, seemed promising. Wendy's Herrscher core was gone.

Or so she thought.

No, that wasn't right. Other than the Herrscher core, every other part of her flesh had been discarded.

But Noldrei had replaced it. He seemed happy—almost eager—to restore what was missing.

And Wendy had to admit, her body now felt… perfect. As if it had been fully restored to the state it was in before the Herrscher core touched her life.

With this recovery, passing the S-rank Valkyrie exam wouldn't be a problem.

Noldrei had even been thoughtful enough to implant a living Stigmata in her body.

Yes, Wendy had become stronger.

But something still felt off.

The pink pony knelt on the grass, her body trembling slightly. Bronya sat beside her, gently stroking the soft mane along her neck.

Her face, despite its equine features, displayed a strikingly human mix of emotions—confusion, helplessness, blankness, fear.

And more.

Her expressions shifted constantly as if mirroring the storm of thoughts in her mind. Wendy was questioning everything.

"How is it? Any effect?"

Raiden Mei, also in pony form, approached hesitantly. Concern laced her voice.

She glanced between Wendy and Bronya, her hooves nervously pawing the ground.

"I'm worried she might not be thinking straight. What if she tries to hit her head against a wall? That'd be bad… really bad."

She sighed, her ears drooping.

"We just got another pony companion. If she dies like this, it'd be such a waste. And we'd lose someone who speaks the same language."

Bronya shook her head.

"I've been comforting her for a while now," she said softly, her tone calm but weary. "But Wendy—Pinkie Pie—still hasn't snapped out of it."

Wendy remained in a daze, her thoughts spiraling. She had no idea how many times she had lost her way in life.

This moment felt like just another.

Bronya had only ever seen such a simple personality in Seele.

She sighed, her tone a mix of pity and exhaustion. "She's such a pitiful child. Before, I thought I was the most miserable—after my father implanted a Herrscher core in me. But who knew there's always someone worse? She doesn't even have anyone to speak for her. Are her parents still alive?"

Raiden Mei tilted her head thoughtfully. "Do you think Wendy has even one person she can trust?"

Bronya scoffed, her lips curving in a helpless smile.

"Mei, do you think she looks like someone who has parents?"

Raiden Mei was taken aback. She glanced at Wendy and fell silent.

How come none of the people she had met so far seemed to have parents?

It struck her as strange.

Was she the only one who truly had a father?

Kiana's father? Mei sighed inwardly. We can pretend he doesn't exist for now.

Bronya's gaze softened as if struck by an idea. She looked at Wendy, her tone turning gentle.

"Since Noldrei gave you a new life and a new body, why not just recognize him as your adoptive father?"

As if on cue, Noldrei's voice rang out. The white-haired youth had opened a window on the second floor, leaning out to address them.

"According to how people classify things here, I should be the mother. So I should be called your adoptive mother!"

"Adoptive mother?"

Wendy tilted her pony head, her bright pink mane catching the sunlight. Her gaze settled on Noldrei's face—a youthful yet oddly detached expression.

She thought for a long time.

Somehow, that face didn't look like a 'mother.'

Raiden Mei broke the silence with a calm yet encouraging tone. "Wendy, don't give up on yourself. You've finally broken free from Schicksal's control. Why not do what you like? Let stronger people like Noldrei solve the Honkai problem."

Her voice softened, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Just like Jingwei filling the sea, you need a spirit of perseverance. Never give up."

[A Chinese myth about a bird endlessly trying to fill the sea with stones]

Wendy's eyes flickered, the confusion in them lifting slightly. A faint trace of light returned to her gaze.

Bronya hesitated, then spoke quietly. "Mei, Jingwei filling the sea is an impossible task. The total amount of matter on Earth doesn't change. Even if you fill the sea with all the stones on land, it would only make the water flow in another direction. The sea would still be the sea, and the mountains would still be the mountains."

She paused before adding, her voice steady, "The highest good is like water. Water benefits all things and does not compete. It stays in places that people despise, and thus it is close to the Dao."

Bronya's words flowed with an almost meditative cadence. "To dwell, choose a good place; to think, choose what is profound; to give, choose kindness; to speak, choose truth; to govern, choose peace; to act, choose ability; to move, choose the right time. Because it does not compete, it cannot be faulted." [A quote from the Tao Te Ching]

Raiden Mei stared at Bronya, stunned.

She blinked, her expression shifting to one of genuine admiration.

"I… I didn't expect a Russian girl to have such a deep understanding of Chinese philosophy."

"Bronya, you know quite a lot."

Bronya sighed and shook her head, "I rely on these things to comfort myself whenever I'm in a bad mood. How could I not know about this..."

Mei was even more troubled. She looked at Wendy, who had become listless again.

"But, Bronya, don't refute my pep talk right now. I just persuaded her to cheer up and keep going, but you're telling her to just go with the flow. I admit we're both right, but we can't just keep letting her be so down."

Kiana couldn't stand it anymore, she had been watching these two trying to persuade her for half the day.

As the first evolved human, she had lost the right to vomit, and she hadn't said anything.

With that thought, Kiana rolled her pink, ball-like body forward and reached out a tentacle to touch the transformation switch on Wendy's neck.

With a 'poof' sound, a naked Wendy was back in the world.

Kiana casually grabbed a white shirt and threw it to her.

"Stop spacing out and come play games with me to farm points!"

Bronya asked in surprise, "Where did you get that clothes?!"

"I just grabbed it from his room, there are so many thrown around over there, no one wears it. So I just used it. It's just a piece of cloth. As long as it's clean and can be used. Swim trunks are like that, underwear is like that, so what's the difference?"

Kiana didn't care about the details. She said nonchalantly, "Since she likes this kind of go-with-the-flow life, then let her just go with the flow and listen to what others say. When she doesn't like it, when she can't take it anymore, she will eventually change."

"Anyway, the worst that can happen is that she dies once again, following her own wishes."

Wendy didn't know how to control her body, and was dragged into the room by the strange, pink creature.