Chapter 2
"X...X...Wake up... Wake up..." a muffled voice called out the operative
As the operative opened his eyes he was greeted by the sight of another Ghost. The young woman was looking directly at him with an annoyed expression etched across her face
"Come on, nap time is over. We need to move!" Sporadic gun fire could be heard in the background. An explosion near them rocked the very ground.
"Come on let's go!" the operative grabbed X's hand and helped in on his feet.
As the both ran, squeals of Zerg creatures could be heard coming from the dust around them.
"Crap... How many?" X asked as he reloaded his canister rifle
"Of us or of them?" replied the other Ghost as she looked around with her thermal goggles
"I don't doubt we have an entire Hive going right for us" X replied as turned on his thermal goggles as well "I mean of us"
"Last transmission said half the battalion was wiped out" the ghost replied as she fire a shot into the dust a high-pitched squeal quickly followed "If we want to live for another day we need to go to the evac point now"
"Now for the question of the day... You up for a race Pyre?" X asked as he fired his weapon as well
Pyre gave an audible chuckle "You and your goddamn competitions"
"Cloaking all the way?" X asked as he jabbed a stimpack on his thigh
Pyre pointed to the sky. As X looked to where his friend was pointing, he saw several large blotches of red and orange, indicating the presence of Overseers.
"Well, we're doing this the hard way then"
They both darted of into the dust cloud. Both ghosts were undergoing an adrenaline rush as they continued to fire their weapons while running. The advantage that the Zerg had over other Terran forces in the dust-storm were annulled as they could see their thermal signatures.
"Pick up the pace X" Pyre yelled as she fired at the silhouette of an approaching zergling.
And she says I'm the competitive one thought the ghost as he continue to run. When they finally managed to clear the dust-storm, they could see the dropships taking off with whatever survivors were alive. Only a couple were left, preparing to take-off.
"CareTaker, hold the bus! You have two more to pick up" said Pyre as she talked on her com-link
"Hurry up and get in. I'm not going to stay here and wait to become Zerg chow" replied the Medivac pilot
The two Ghosts quickly entered the ship. Inside several bloodied marines were slowly being healed.
"Well that was a close one" said Pyre as she panted
"Just like always" replied X as he took a seat
"You can take off your helmet now"
"No, this thing stays with me" X replied as he tapped it
"Hold on, it's going to be a bumpy ride!" the pilot exclaimed as the ship's engine roared outside
As the Medivac took off, several Hydralisks appeared from the dustcloud. They fired their spines and managed to hit the ship. Their spines capable of penetrating the armor of a Siege tank, made short work of the ships platting.
Several of the spines managed to get inside the ship. The commotion startled the pilot.
"Everyone alright?" the pilot asked on the intercom
Pyre checked to see if anything hit her. Seeing that she was uninjured she checked the marines as well. Likewise, the men inside were unscathed by the attack as well.
Sigh "We sure are lucky aren't we" she said with relief in her tone
"Right X?" turning around to see her friend, her feelings of relief quickly shifted into horror.
"Oh no...X!" The ghost face was bleeding profusely. His body slumped on the seat he was on.
She quickly approached him, to try and figure out how bad was the damage. She could see that while a Hydra spine didn't hit him directly, it managed to scrape the right side of his face. (Unfortunately for many Terran's, Hydralisk induced injuries are problematic to treat due to the toxin's their spines carry)
With the poison so close to his brain, it quickly overwhelmed him as it continued to spread through his body.
"Hold on X! You'll make it" said Pyre as she laid her friend on the floor. At that point the Ghost began to convulse, his breathing became shallow and slowly his eyes began to close.
"No, stay with me!" Pyre yelled. But her friend slowly drifted to the void.
"X...wake up...please...WAKE UP!"
Slowly he opened his eyes, his vision adjusting to the pure white light was entering the room. When his vision finally adapted, he looked around to see where he was.
"This feeling...I don't...feel like myself" he said in low voice as he looked around.
The room where he was was relatively small, a window allowed the sunshine to be the main source of light. He could hear the sounds of birds chirping outside and he could also hear... cheerful conversation and laughter. Deciding to explore, he slowly made his way to the edge of the bed. As soon as he tried to stand up, he went head first into the floor.
"Ugh! What the hell?" he asked himself
When he opened his eyes, he saw the reason why he fell. He didn't have two legs now, but four. Inside his mind, a movie replaying what happened before he passed out played.
"Oh crap..." he said in a loud tone
He noticed a small mirror hanging from a wall. He tried to get over it, but he ended up stumbling as he tried to get used to his new form. Several times he fell to the floor, several other times he almost broke his head crashing into various furnishings in the room. In the end he ended up crawling towards the mirror.
Sigh Finally. He said in his mind Do I really want to see what that mirror will show me?
He looked at the mirror with some fear. A large drop of sweat fell unto the floor. With one large gulp, he slowly stood up and looked at the mirror.
"...WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ME!?" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
The mirror showed a light Grey pony with large eyes (one blue, the other green) and a short black mane. He completely looked at his body and clearly could see that he now had the form of an equine. He had several bandages all over his body. Something else caught his attention, on his back several bandages covered what appeared to be...wings!
"Ok... this settles it... I'm not going to smoke any more Terrazine. To hell with the Specter program!"
As he continued to look at his new body, he noticed something else.
"What...when did I get a goddamn tattoo?" he asked himself when he saw a mark on his flank. It depicted the helmet of a ghost operative, half was detailed the other half was a silhouette, as if it was cloaked.
Once more he looked around the room, when he saw his Hazard suit on top of a table. He took slow steps to get used to his new body.
"One step at a time... You're a Ghost...you can adapt to anything..." Even if I look like... Sigh... a pony...
This time he didn't fall flat on his face. When he got to the table he noticed something odd about his suit. He wondered how he would put it on with out any hands. He slowly extended his hoofs and managed to actually pick it up.
"I'm definitely suffering from Terrazine withdrawal" he said as he wondered how he was able to pick it up.
Right when he was about to try and see if it would fit him, he heard rattling at the door. Someone was going to enter the room.
Using his psionics, he shifted the waves of light around his body and managed to cloak himself. At least I'm still a true Ghost.
He hugged a wall and readied himself for whatever was about to enter.
The door slowly opened, he had many expectations as to what he would see, ranging from a Terran to a Hydralisk. But once more he was surprised, instead he saw a blue horned pony wearing a nurses hat entering the room.
"Ok lets see how you're doing today" said the pony cheerfully. She gasped upon seeing the empty bed, she put the tray that she was carrying on top of a nearby table. The sight the floating tray caused X to ramble one more time about Terrazine.
"Oh no, where could he have gone? He shouldn't be going about just yet. He could get hurt" She searched under the bed to see if the patient was under it. Taking the initiative, the Ghost slowly made his way towards the door. As he was about to touch the wooden door, he suddenly became visible once more.
Crap... I still need to recover more of my energy. The nurse quickly turned around and saw him.
"There you are silly filly! Now if you would please go back to your bed, I can check how your body is holding up"
He looked at her for a moment and back at the tray. The sight of a sharp,pointy needle caused him to cringe "...Uh, I'm going to have to say No to that" X replied as he darted towards the door
When he got outside, all he could see where more equine creatures. Analyzing them also revealed to him, that they weren't all the same. Some had a horn coming from their heads, some where more like Terran horses and others had wings... like him.
I'm definitely not in Korhal anymore
As he look at them with both intrigue and confusion, he forgot about the pony in the room. When she exited it, she looked at him and gathered as much air as she could
"RUN AWAY PATIENT!" she yelled. The other ponies heard her and quickly stared X down.
Normally he would have try to take them all down. But because he was still injured and still didn't master his new form, he preferred the alternative.
"And I'm gone" he said as he began to run
A group of doctors and nurses gave chase. He ran from ward to ward, corridor to corridor, desperately searching for an exit. He managed to cause a large ruckus as he knocked several ponies by accident. At one point he, hit a nurse that was carrying several needles full of medicine, as he knocked her over they flew off towards a nearby pony. Luckily the needles missed as the pony barely managed to dodge them.
"We need to get him back to his room, he could hurt himself even more" said one of the doctors chasing him
"I'm more worried about the others"
"I think I can stop him" replied a unicorn. Using her magic, she managed to ensnare X's legs, causing him to trip and fall over.
The hell? Did that one just use psionics? X asked himself. Before he could figure out if it was true, a large shadow loomed over him.
"This is gonna hurt..." Several Earth ponies tackled him down. He struggled to get them off but couldn't.
"Calm down! We're just trying to help you!" said one of the ponies on him
"X's struggling caught them off-guard. His strength was almost on par with an Earth pony
"Please hurry up with that sedation spell" said an Earth Pony as he continued to try to subdue him
"GET...OFF...ME!" X yelled as he mustered his psionic powers once more. He created a Psi Blast, sending those on top of him flying. Most of them were knocked out, but not severely hurt. X, stood up and turned around. The doctors and nurses all had their mouths opened in shock. A smirk ran across his face "That will show them not to mess with me" though X as he ran away once more
"Did... did he just use magic?" one pony asked, dumfounded by what it saw "Did a pegasus just USE MAGIC?"
"I really don't think that he'll be awake for a while Twilight" said Rainbow Dash as the group walked the halls
"Even so, there's something about him... something fascinating" the unicorn replied
"I...think so too..." added Fluttershy in a low voice
"He's just a Pegasus like you and me" the blue pegasus retorted
"No there's definitely something about that pony that intrigues me" Said Twilight
"Lots of things intrigue you Twilight dear" replied the regal Rarity
Twilight turned towards her "But this time, it feels different..." As she turned she saw an unaware pony heading straight for her. She couldn't react in time as the Grey pony collided with her.
"By any chance does that feeling included pain?" snorted Rainbow Dash.
Twilight was upside down, staring at her with annoyance as the blue Pegasus laughed at her. Regaining her stance she turned around to see which pony stumbled unto her. It was the multicolored eyed pony that they brought for treatment.
"Hey... are you okay? Wake up..." The soft voice was calming for him. He thought it was just a bad dream, slowly he opened his eyes expecting to see another Terran. Much to his dismay, a yellow pony was looking at him, a warm tender smile across her face.
He crawled away from her and stumbled unto another pony. This one was pure white with a purple mane.
"Hey no need to be nervous, we're not going to hurt you" said Rarity. The pony looked at her, she could see what looked like fear in his eyes.
The grey pegasus stood up and backed himself unto a wall "Stay back!" he exclaimed "I don't want to hurt you"
The ponies looked at him with worry, such a reaction was uncommon. Twilight decided that the best course of action was to try and enter his mind, to try talk to him directly. Her horn glowed as she entered the pegasus mind.
"You must understand, we don't want to hurt you. We just want to help you"
"Wha... What are you doing in my mind?"
"I just want to talk, please just calm down. I promise nopony will hurt you"
"Get out..."
"Please, we just wish the best for you"
"GET OUT OF MY MIND!" A Psionic ripple ran across the Ghost's mind forcing Twilight out of his head. Back in the real world, she was shocked about what happened. This proved her theory about this pony... she realized what he really was.
X, was panting heavily. The other ponies wondered why since he stood there without making a move.
Right as Twilight was about speak to him, another group of ponies arrived. It was the medical staff that was chasing him, all glaring at him
"Nurse Redheart!" Twilight exclaimed upon seeing her
"Sorry, but no time for small talk Twilight" she replied as she looked at the tired Pegasus "I have to escort Mr. Runaway to his room"
Upon saying this, she walked over to him, with a frown on her face, accompanied by several unicorn doctors. Quickly the doctors used their magic to sedate him. He could feel them encroaching on his mind but he couldn't do anything about it. He instead locked the part of his mind that housed what memories he had. Too tired in body and mind, his eyes rolled back slightly and he fell to the floor asleep.
"Ok, now that that's taken care of... How are you girls doing today?" the white earth pony asked cheerfully
"What's gonna happen to him?" Rainbow Dash asked as the pegasus was being carried away.
"He will be place in quarantine until his wounds fully recover. We'll have several guards watching him as well. Don't want him to pull another stunt like that"
"Will you allow visits?" Twilight asked, her eyes shining at her almost as they were pleading
"I guess, it would be harmless enough. But not today I'm afraid. We should let him rest"
"May we please see him tomorrow" Twilight asked
"Yes, you may. Now If you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work" Redheart replied as she walked away.
"Well this was certainly an interesting day" said Rarity
"I will be even more interesting when we come back to see him" Twilight replied
The others looked at her with curiosity "Wh...What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked
"I'll explain on the way back" the purple unicorn retorted
Gunfire could be heard...screams of men and women could be heard all over...burning buildings light up the night sky...A lone figure in the middle of a a bloodied street stood still... looking at all the carnage... bright green eyes loomed over a man pleading for his life...pointing his rifle at the hapless civilian...an echoing shot was the last thing to be heard...
GASP. The Ghost woke up, sweating.
Sigh "Damn inhibitors must be on the fritz again" said the Ghost "Umojan scientists can't fix anything even if their lives depended on it"
Deciding to ignore the dream, he tried to move out of is bed. But his movement was restricted, he couldn't move as he was now strapped to the bed. He tried to use his psionics but it didn't matter, as the bonds that tied him wouldn't even budge.
"Great... stuck on a bed... with neutralized psionics... and a white ceiling at stare at all day" the ghost let out an audible sigh "This is going to get boring rather quick"
After what seemed like an eternity for him, he heard the door to his room slowly opening. Music to his ears. Still, he didn't bother to look at who entered. He could hear the sound of hoofs walking towards him, he deduced that there were two ponies in the room with him.
"Uhmm, Hello? How are you feeling?" Even though he didn't look at her, he could tell who it was as he remembered whose voice it belonged to
"That depends on what you mean by that..." he replied dryly, still staring at the ceiling
"Are you ok?" she asked with a hint of worry in her tone of voice
"I'm tied to a bed, I'm bored out of my mind and on top of that... I am starving. So the word ok doesn't even come close" he replied finally turning his head to the purple unicorn and the yellow pegasus
"Geez, no need to be all grouchy" Twilight replied
He gave a chuckled when he heard her response, he could feel his aggression inhibitors working
"Consider yourself lucky that its I'm just...Grouchy " he replied as he looked at the ceiling again
This is one of those times that I wished I didn't have inhibitors.
"Well then, I have good news for you" said Twilight with a smile
"Are you going to get me out of here?" X asked
"How did you know?"
"I didn't, that was just some rare optimism on my part. I take it I'll be escorted all the way"
"I'm afraid so. After what happened yesterday, many ponies are weary of you. Just promise us that you'll behave and you won't be brought back here"
"As long as I'm not tied to a damn bed I'll do whatever you say"
She smile at his response. Her horn glowed with a purple aura as she undid the straps on the bed. X quickly got up and stretched, but quickly stopped when he tried it with his wings. He gave a sharp gasp as the pain rocked his body.
"Are you ok?" Fluttershy asked in a soft voice
"I'm fine!" he replied. The tone of his voice made her back away from him. When he looked at her he felt...bad about what he did.
Sigh "I'm sorry... "
The yellow pegasus smiled warmly at him when he apologized "It's alright... I know you didn't mean it"
...Something about her... makes me feel...strange
"Can we get going?" X asked
"Yes, please follow us" Twilight replied. The three ponies left the room and headed for the exit, though not before the staff gave several looks at X, unfazed by them he continued to follow Twilight towards the exit.
Finally outside, X stood still for a moment upon seeing several ponies wearing ornate armor.
"I take it I am to be escorted by you and your friends"
Twilight gave a sheepish smile. "I sort of forgot about them"
Sigh "Let's just get going. I don't want to be near a hospital again"