AWWW YEEEEAAAAAAAH! :D at this rate, I'm gonna have one helluva story. Keep sending me messages if you have an OC you would like to see in this zimbietastic story.
DISCLAIMER! "a disclaimer ate my mommy" o_o YOU KNOW THE DRILL!
"Ow." Eric repeated in a monotone as a pony swabbed alcohol on a bite wound. "You know, I've been bitten before doc." He said to the white pony that was treating a bite on his back. "I will survive without proper care, just like the other twenty times." The pony poked a particularly sensitive spot, causing Eric to jump up and bounce around until the pain subsided.
"I know you've gone through worse, Sir." Nurse Redheart said, setting the swab down. "But if we don't care to it properly, you will have complications. A scar on that muscle will severely limit your mobility and combat effectiveness, knight." She motioned for him to lay down on the table as she pinked up a bandage and gauze roll. Eric followed her orders and in no time he was bandaged. The nurse left a syringe of Morphine on the table beside him. "This is your pain management perception. Once a week, when you come in for a check up on that wound, you will have 500cc of Morphine. I'll leave you to administer it, considering the best way to get over needles is to do it your self." She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Eric nodded to himself, shaking his hands as the adrenaline from his phobia began to course. "You can do this, Eric," he said, bolstering his confidence. "But, god damn did it have to be a needle?" he asked no one in particular as he lifted the needle from its alcohol bath. He dipped his finders in the basin afterward, rubbing the disinfectant on the crook of his elbow. He plunged the needle into his arm with his eyes closed, sucking air through his teeth as the sting subsided. He pushed in the plunger, feeling the head rush begin to set in from nausea.
He sat there for a minute, the empty syringe lying on the table. He was wobbling on the table, trying to keep his bearings past the high. "Whoooooo…oooo…oo..oo." he fell back onto the table, giggling. "It doesn't kill pain," he mused aloud. "It just makes you not give a damn, heh." He blinked, feeling the spike recede. He sat up and grabbed the bed pan on the table, vomiting into it. "But it could be easier on the stomach." He said before heaving again.
After the nausea subsided, Eric stood up and set the bedpan aside. He looked around for his belt with the .45's and Kukri blades. They were across the room, beside his new duffel bag and shirt. He slipped into the shirt before belting on the weapons. The garment was burgundy, flowing and felt like some form of plant fiber. Rarity had made it fore him after he chased a hiding zombie from her basement. The belt went on and he picked up the bag that held the rest of his gear.
Eric walked out of the exam room, turning around to find someone to direct him. "Hey Eric!" was the familiar voice behind him. He turned around to see Rainbow Dash with a splint over her stitched wing. Eric walked up and bumped his fist against the hoof she held out. "So how did it go?" she asked, wheeling down the hallway with him. "Is Ponyville still there?" Eric nodded.
"It's still there, but I doubt it would have been if you hadn't saved me from that fall. Thanks again for that," he said, messing up her already messy mane with his hand. She swatted his arm away with her good wing.
"Yeah, yeah, let's just call it even for you saving my tail back there," she said, waving a hoof at him. "You should go get cleaned up, I think I see zombie bits on ya." Eric looked down at his clothes and what of his chest showed through the shirt. She was right, he still had gore splattered across his body. "The motel is about five minutes down the street to the left when you get outta here." She informed.
"Yeah, I do smell kinda ripe don't I?" he asked trying to remember the last time he had actually taken a shower. "Tell ya what," he said. "Celestia gave me some money for saving Ponyville and set up a salary for me. I'll go get cleaned up and buy you some real food on the way back. I doubt the food here is any good." Dash laughed at his offer, nodding furiously.
"Yeah, the slop they serve here has no taste, it's totally lame." She stopped wheeling her char when they reached the door. "I'm not cleared to go out yet," she explained. "Something about bone infection. I'll see you later, ok?" she asked pulling him down to her level. She hugged him again, finding him to be the best friend she had. "Be careful, brony." She said as she let him up.
Eric smiles a messed her mane again. "Me, careful?" he asked with a smile. "Have you met me yet, Dash?" he chuckled as she giggled at his joke. "Get well soon, RD," he said. "Doc's said you got about two weeks in here, so I might have a surprise for you when you get out." He waved back as he walked out of the sliding doors.
Canterlot was magnificent in the noon day sun. The white stone walls of the hospital walls and fence shimmered and sparkled, reflecting the light in all directions. The rest of the city was similarly adorned with brilliantly colorful hues of stone. He walked out into the street, waving at ponies he didn't know who seemed to know him already. "Word travels fast, I guess," he muttered to himself.
"It sure does," a familiar voice from behind him said. Mat came up beside him, stretching his claws as dark clouds loomed over the horizon. "Not many humans here, Eric." He said looking at him. He wore a deep red hoodie and baggy black pants with red trim on the pockets and hem. A pair of shades rested over his eyes, right below a lock of golden hair in a mess of brown. "When one shows up, word of mouth finds its way around Equestria quite fast."
Eric turned around to face Mat. "When did you get here, Mat?" Eric asked. "Why were you in Ponyville when the horde was lead in?" He was genuinely suspicious. This man, no older than twenty two at the most, was poised to launch an offensive on the undead with a Cyborg woman. The whole thing didn't add up. Mat looked up at the sky as the first of the rain clouds moved in.
"About a month ago, I have been trailing the Lazarus Virus since I got here." He looked back at Eric. "You aren't the only one to go through the event horizon, Eric. Know that. The Russians and Chinese found similar singularities in the crust. And they sent through as many people as they could before the hole collapsed indefinitely." Eric began to walk off into town on his own before Mat said, "I'd keep an eye out at the motel, Eric! You might find a friend!"
Eric walked down the broad road, keeping to the sidewalk to avoid the carriages and carts that went by that were laden with goods for sale. The glowing, neon red sign of the Canterlot Inn and Hostel loomed closer as he walked. He wanted to go in, get a room and a shower, and then goof off for the rest of the day. Walking into the lobby, several ponies stopped and looked at him. He stood there, staring back before a wild cheer erupted from the crowd.
The lobby looked like an old west saloon more than a ritzy motel. There was a bar and plenty of tables for drinkers. Several of the ponies motioned for Eric to join them, which he politely turned down. He wasn't an idiot, he knew morphine and alcohol didn't mix. The lights were low and tobacco smoke clogged the air. To his left, in a corner with no light, he spotted the glint of gold, along with the shadowed form of a human. The figure followed Eric with its eyes as he worked his way to the bar, ponies shaking his hand and blessing him in their various faiths for coming to help them.
Eric sat down at the bar and ordered a cup of coffee, trying to get the cotton mouth from the injection off his tongue. "By the way," he said to the pony behind the counter. "How much is a room for a week?" the Bartender returned with his drink and refused payment, saying it was on the house.
"What size room are you looking for?" he asked. "We have single rooms in all sizes, and double beds in twin and full. For families we offer a double queen package, but those are currently filled by the refugees from Southpony." He pulled out a cloth and wiped down the counter where a customer had spilled a lager.
"How much for a single king?" he asked, drinking the coffee. It was strong, very strong and bitter. It smelled of Hazelnuts. The bartender pulled up a roster from the bar.
"Lucky you," he said. "We have one single king left. It runs sixty bits a night." Eric pulled a burlap purse up from his belt, setting it on the counter and reaching in for his money. "But, for the savior of Ponyville it is only thirty bits." The colt added with a smile before taking the empty cup from him. Eric counted out the money and handed it to him. The bartender counted out the bits, nodding and swiping them into a drawer. He set the keys on the counter. "Upstairs, down the hall and to the left. Second from the end." Eric nodded and walked toward the stairs, watched by the human in the corner all the while.
He reached the door to his room and unlocked the door. Opening it, he was met by a teenage human with white hair that hung down past his shoulders. He held a gold trimmed, silver pocket watch in his right hand as he looked up at Eric. "Hmm, early again." He said in a high baritone voice, seemingly disappointed. "You will be wondering who I am, no wait, that's happening now." He said, strolling over to the king size bed and sitting down, crossing one leg over the other. "I am Leoj Clocktum, and I will come to talk to y… damn, that's also happening now."
Eric thought the man was insane for sure. "I am not, one moment more and everything will come together." The man vanished, reappearing a moment later in front of Eric with his back turned. "That's better, now let us get down to business." The teenager checked his watch, nodding and depositing it in left chest pocket of the vest he wore. He resumed his sitting exactly before. "I am here to offer you my help." He said with a slight smile. Eric was utterly confused.
"Um, Leoj, is it?" he said, setting his duffel bag down and laying his palm on a pistol. "I don't mean to be rude, but you seem a little…" the teenager stood up, billowing out his cloak and vanishing behind a corner lamp.
"Off Kilter?" he asked, appearing behind Eric with a smile. "Mad, bonkers, insane even?" Leoj walked around Eric, stopping before him. "Yes Eric Johnson, twenty eighth of April, year 2027 Current Era of Earth. Your mother was Evelyn Johnson, maiden name Harris. Your father a drunken slob that she forced out of her house before she gave birth. She refused to allow you to meet him until you were thirteen. You witnessed the fall of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. You saw the cycle repeat to polytheism, the ruling elite bring down the powerful civilization of America." He stopped pacing now, turning to within mere inches of Eric's face. "You said that it was like the fall of Rome yourself. And indeed it was. I watched as Rome fell, not interfering as history was allowed to run its course."
Leoj walked back to the bed, sitting as before. "Yes Eric Johnson, I am mad. Gloriously enshrouded in sanity at the same. I have seen time from the beginning of your miserable race's ancient ancestors and beyond. I was around when dinosaurs roamed Terra. I watched as the creatures of land first stepped out of the water." Leoj said as he disappeared again, this time into a wall. Leoj dropped out of the ceiling casually, checking his watch again. "I was insane once," he said, sitting down yet again. "But I got bored with it and became the most sane being alive, next to a rock."
"Yeah…" Eric said, unzipping his bag and removing the bloodied clothing and back pack. He dumped the contents of one bag into the other. "Well, you're welcome to kill as many Lazarus victims as you want, Leoj." Eric said, shrugging before moving over to the linen closet and removing a towel, bar of soap and bottle of shampoo. "But right now, I'm going to enjoy the first shower I have had in over a year." Eric walked into the bathroom and turned on the hot water.
Leoj stood up and walked toward the door, not bothering to open it as he whistling a merry tune. He vanished through an unseen rift in time space, being punctual as he was. Leoj reappeared outside Canterlot, before a house atop a hill. He walked forward, dragging a burlap sack behind him. He stopped before the door, laying the sack down and pinning a note to it. He knocked twice, walking back through another portal and appearing in Eric's room as he exited the shower an hour later.
"Sweet!" Eric yelled as he jumped free of his towel. "Don't you know how to knock?" he asked, pulling a pair of clean pants on. Leoj walked through eyeing how Eric had set up the room. Eric was pulling a black shirt on over his head when Leoj began to walk toward the door. He opened the wooded barrier, having somewhere to be and he could make it without traveling through a spatial hole.
"Mat and Sapphire are waiting for you in the club," he informed, stepping through the doorway and holding the door with his hand. "I would suggest meeting with them before you head back to talk with Rainbow Dash." Eric gave him yet another odd look like he didn't believe him. "What part of temporal lord do you not understand, Eric?" Leoj asked. "Honestly. For a man of science and innovation, you are a little obtuse." With that he closed the door.
Eric sat down on the bed as he belted on his weapons. On the coat rack was a black trench coat that wasn't there before. A sealed envelope was attached with a safety pin to a button hole, a clockwork cog and lock on the front. Eric stood, walking over to the coat. He took the envelope from the black leather, opening it along the side. Inside was a yellow piece of parchment with blue ink. 'Welcome to the group, Eric. Time is on your side.' It was written in a very stylized calligraphy.
Eric lifted the coat from the rack, feeling the leather. It was bull hide, died and thick yet very supple. He put it on, sliding his arms through the sleeves. The garment fell almost to the ground, leaving just enough room for him to walk without tripping over it. Inside the coat was small, hard pockets with concealed blades. Removing one, Eric spun it around on his palm, twisting his hand to let it spin around his thumb and onto the back of his hand. He tossed it up, snatching the blade and casting it three inches into the brick wall.
"Very nice, Leoj…" he said to himself. He walked over to the wall, retrieving the blade. "Balanced forward yet equal, and a titanium blade fused with tungsten carbide body and handle." He slipped it back into the sheath in the coat. Eric noticed a light reflection in the inside pocket. It was a pair of midnight black sunglasses with polarized lenses. "A little Hollywood, don't you think?" he asked slipping the glasses over his eyes. They fit perfectly. The lenses lit up, a bar of light moving from the center to the sides. An interface screen appeared instantly. "Haliburton, huh?" Eric said as the name scrolled by.
"Eric," it was an image of Mat on the lenses. "Come to the Darkhorse club on 52nd and Mane Street. We need to talk." And with that the picture faded, The lenses pointing toward the club on a see through map.
'At least I won't get lost,' Eric thought. He tuned around, lifting the duffel bag and slipping it over his head. He exited the room, locking it behind him. he descended the stairs and waved to a few ponies that raised their mugs to him. out on the street, he had an alert blip on his glasses. 40 unknown targets moving toward Canterlot. ETA seven hours. The alert faded away, letting Eric continue his journey through the majestic town. After five minutes of walking, the thump off a drum N' bass style song was audible.
The bouncer had let him in with a bow, using several honorifics. Eric had to admit, the praise was starting to get on his nerves. He entered the dance club to be assaulted by thudding bass and blindingly disorienting strobe shows. The glasses he was wearing filtered as mush of the show lights out as it could, but it was still overwhelming. Eric felt his stomach rise as dizziness set in. 'Five years of gore and rotting bodies and this gets you?' he asked himself mentally. Where was a loud whistle above and behind him. he looked up to see Mat waving him up. Eric climbed the skeletal support structure to the overhead catwalk, swinging his legs over the rail at the top.
"Glad you could make it." Mat said, his voice being transmitted over a head phone that formed from the glasses. He held out a glass. "Mint vodka?" he asked. Eric shook his head and pushed the glass away.
"I had about 500ccs of Morphine about two hours ago," he explained, finding Mat understood what he had said. "No matter how much I like booze, I like not being in a coma more." He laughed in grim humor. Eric grinned at him, chuckling also. His teeth looking like they had been filed into fangs.
"I understand," Mat said, nodding his head to the beat of the trance song that now played. "I'm not one for alcohol, but mint gets me like a damn cat." He sat down slouching back into the chair. He motioned to the seat next to him. "Take a load off. We need to talk about a few things." Eric set his duffel bag on the table, taking the seat Mat had specified. "What all do you have in there?" Mat asked, patting the bag.
"If I remember right," Eric began. "Two Heckler&Koch MachenPistol fives, three crossbows of varying amounts of pull, seventy explosive broad heads, one hundred heavy weight bolts. Around a thousand and five hundred assorted rounds of ammunition, two Smith&Wesson five hundred magnum hand guns, and a fifty caliber sniper rifle, disassembled." He finished and looked out towards the crowd dancing. On the turntables were two beings. One a unicorn with violet sunglasses on and Sapphire. Both were churning out bass and dancing.
"You travel pretty heavy for such a light weight guy, Eric" Mat pointed out, taking another sip of his drink. "Is North America that heavily infested?" he asked. Eric sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, it is." He confirmed. "Anywhere outside of town is abandoned. But the Lazarus flock to the cities." Eric shook his head as he pulled a knife from inside his coat. He balanced the blade on the tip of a finger, amusing himself. "I hear China and Russia were the first to be infected, and the fastest to act also. Reports said they had a full quarantine. Shooting anything that wasn't escorted in the head on sight." Mat nodded as Sapphire worked her way toward them on the catwalk.
"The reports were right," Mat confirmed. "I was one of the Special Forces soldiers sent out to torch the victims. Moscow was the first city to fall, followed by St. Petersburg. In China," she shook his head slowly. "They acted fast but they acted brash as well. Each raid gave more victims to the swarm." Sapphire stopped in front of the two, sitting on the rail and holding the knee of her mechanical leg. Eric could have sworn he saw pink in Mat's shades.
"Hey boys," Sapphire said, flexing the limb repeatedly. "Mat, I forgot to clean the gunk out of my leg last night, you think you could help me out?" she asked, winking at him slightly. Mat smirked, setting his glass down on the table.
"Sure thing sis," he replied, standing up and putting an arm around her shoulder. He turned to Eric. "You should go do something for the rest of the day. Leoj reported a flight of some unknown targets moving in, so we might have a fight on our hands." Eric nodded, standing up and returning the duffel bag to his side. Eric said his good byes and jumped over the rail, landing before a pony and causing them to spill their drink.
Out on the street, the clouds that were on the horizon had fallen over the city, leaving a shadowed coolness to the area. Eric had made plans to share a meal with Dash before trying to find Twilight and Keith. He walked toward the hospital, picking up several muffins and a few loaves of bread from a bakery. 'No meat, figures.' He thought as he continued on his way. When he reached the gates to the hospital, a pony handed him a box marked the Savior of Ponyville. It had the same stationary attached that the jacket did. He took the letter off and read it.
I apologize for not telling you earlier. Eating meat here is taboo and illegal, though Celestia and the ponies turn a blind eye to it for humans and carnivorous pets. Inside is a meatloaf from 1997. It should still be fresh. Don't let it touch anything from the same year that was made on Earth, or it will vaporize everything within a mile radius. Also, I have left a bottle of Applewine from Sweet Apple Acres for you to share with your friend. And just for her is a fresh Daisy sandwich.
Sincerely, Leoj Clocktum.
Eric stuffed the letter in his pocket. Meatloaf sounded divine right now, but from 1997? He shrugged and walked toward the hospital doors. Inside he pulled a nurse aside, trying to find Rainbow Dash. The nurse led him to her room, wishing him a good day as she went about her business. Eric opened the door and took off the glasses, clipping them to the pocket he found them in.
"Eric!" came the raspy voice of the grounded Pegasus. She wheeled up to him and hugged him. "About time you got here, I don't think I could stand another second in this lame place." She laughed, poking the box he held with a hoof. "What's in there?" she asked.
Eric held it up. "A daisy sandwich on rye, a bottle of AJ's wine, and something just for me since I haven't been able to find something decent to eat for five years and bread is starting to make me sick." He chuckled, setting the box down on a table. He opened it, removing two stemware glasses, the wine bottle, Dash's sandwich and his wrapped meatloaf. He handed the sandwich to Dash and opened the bottle of wine, pouring two glasses. Dash took one and drank greedily from it. 'must be good stuff,' he thought to himself as he poured her another glass.
As Eric unwrapped the meatloaf, Dash made a grimacing face. "Meat?" she asked, setting the sandwich down and grabbing her glass again. Eric nodded, pulling a large chunk off and placing it on his tongue. He sighed and leaned back as he chewed the food. Dash though he might have gotten off with just the taste alone.
"Oh my god," Eric mumbled past the food before swallowing. "Man, I haven't had meat in years." he said, breaking off another chunk of the loaf. Dash raised an eyebrow as he continued to enjoy the meal with gusto.
"Is it that good?" she asked, skeptically. Eric shrugged, chewing the mouth full of food further. He swallowed it, taking a sip if the wine in his glass. It was delicious!
"Not really," he said. "But it is the first one I've had in about five years, so it's better than normal." He pointed to the loaf. "It has meat, obviously. But it also has bell peppers, onions, some bread, potatoes and I think banana peppers." Eric turned the food toward her, letting her see the multicolored cross section. "Looks kind of like something a dog threw up." Eric joked with a smile.
Dash chuckled nervously. Was meat really that bad? If so many creatures ate it, then why was it taboo? "Do you have ponies where you're from?" she asked, taking another bite of her sandwich. Eric nodded, drinking his wine. Dash swallowed the bite. "Do they eat meat?" she asked. Eric made a so-so motion with his hand.
"Kind of," he said. "They wont eat it off a freshly dead animal, but I watched several of them eat hamburgers at my friends house before the virus killed everything." He broke another bite off the loaf, chewing on it before continuing. "They seem to like the flavor of the fat that cooks out of the meat." He held out another chunk to Dash. "You want to try some?" he asked. Dash's eyes widened at the notion.
She had, for a split half a second, actually considered it. 'What the hay are you thinking?' she yell in her mind at herself. 'It's bucking illegal for you to eat that!' she though about it again. 'But if ponies elsewhere eat it, it can't be that wrong… can it?' without thinking, she reached out. Eric set the chunk of greasy flesh on her hoof before taking another bite himself. She popped the ball of fat and meat in her mouth, chewing it slowly. It was good! Of all the rules she had broken, this was one of the ones she did not regret immediately. It tasted like a soy bean patty mixed with potatoes, peppers and…
"Sugar?" she said out loud. There was no denying what her taste buds were telling her. There was definitely sugar mixed in with it. She turned to Eric, raising an eyebrow. "Is there sugar in this?" she asked. Eric nodded as he finished his bite, handing her the lash chunk. She took it with out hesitation this time. Despite what she had been told, no matter what the law said. Meat was delicious. "Mmm, you can't tell anypony this happened." She said to Eric. "While you can eat it with out consequence, I would get in serious trouble for it." She took a drink of her wine, swishing it around in her mouth to get the meat out.
Eric made a mock salute before pouring himself another glass of the wine. "So how's the wind doing? Having fun while you're grounded?" she grinned, chuckling as Dash nearly had a stroke from raging. She ranted up and down about how much the place sucked. Mentioning several times that it was lame beyond belief.
"but it have to say," she said, sounding slightly guilty. "I think I would have gone nuts if the reading cart wasn't here." Eric laughed. She didn't seem to be the type to read very often.
"Is the great Rainbow Dash a book worm?" he asked, faking a British accent. "I thought you would be up running around the hospital, having the doctors and nurses catch you before you would take your medication. But I didn't see reading." He had fallen back to the West Coast accent he had naturally, chuckling as Dash's face turned four shades of red.
"Hey, don't knock it till you try it," she defended. "It's a load more fun than I thought it would be." She wheeled over to the bed, pulling a book out from under the sheets. "And Daring Do is awesome." She laughed, setting the book back where she had gotten it from.
"You don't have to tell me," he said. "I'm a scientist in advanced chemistry, aerodynamics, and physics. You have no idea what I'm talking about do you?" he asked as he noticed her face go blank.
"No," she admitted. "I'm amazed that the Savior of Ponyville is an Egghead! I have never seen a scientist that could fight like you do! You killed over five hundred zombies alone!" Dash continued to list of feats he had done while she was at the battle, growing slightly more excited with each one. "You're like…" she stopped. "Your twenty percent cooler than Daring Do for crying out loud!" she face hoofed. Turning around and groaning. "The coolest human ever is a total egghead…" she mused.
Erik heard a beeping sound in his coat. he pulled out the glasses, putting them on and setting the microphone on. "Yo! This is Doc Holiday." He said, prompting Dash to turn around and look at what he was doing. Eric was reclining nonchalantly in a rolling chair, a long black trench coat and black boots. He was in all black, except for the weapons he had. The glasses he had on looked as if they had a microphone in them for communication. All of this, coupled with the spiked hair and beard made him look like a secret agent.
'defiantly twenty percent cooler than everything in Equestria.' She thought, sighing. 'Wait, am I sighing over him?' she thought. She did it again, this time leaning on her hoof. 'dang it, Dash,' Eric nodded as he looked into the glasses, causing her to snap out of her daydream.
"Copy, did you say we are missing someone from the evacuation?" he asked whoever was on the glasses. "Yellow Pegasus? You mean Fluttershy?" he asked, staying cool. Dash had started to freak out. How could she have forgotten to make sure Fluttershy had gotten out of there. "I got this, I should be back before too long." He took off the glasses, an ear piece retracting into the frame. "Well it looks like I have work to do." He said.
"What happened? Where is she? Is she ok?" Dash fired off question after question. Eric huffed in frustration. He stuck a hand over Dash's mouth.
"I'm taking the teleportation network to Ponyville so I can look for Fluttershy. The cleanup crew is still clearing the streets, so if she is there she is very well guarded. Calm down. I should be back with her within the hour." He let go of her, Dash inhaling quickly.
"I was supposed to make sure all ponies outside of the town limits had evacuated safely, but I didn't. I forgot to check up on Fluttershy and she's probably dead not because of me!" Dash blurted the whole thin out in one breath.
'she must be a screamer,' he thought, mentally kicking himself for the thought. 'do it again and I will blow you up myself.' He knelt town to eye level placing a hand on her cheek and rubbing it with his thumb. "Don't worry, kid." He said. "Everyone makes mistakes. Albeit a life or death mistake, but anyway. I'm sure she's fine. I'm going to take some heavy weapons, get her out, and bring her back here so you can be the first to have a weight off your shoulders, is that clear?" he asked. The Pegasus nodded meekly, tears now falling down her face.
"Come on now," Eric said in a softer voice. He wiped away her tears with his thumbs. "You stay strong, you hear me? If I don't find her, I won't come back until ever last one of those monsters are dead." He patted her on the cheek. He stood up and walked over to his bag, taking the trench coat off and setting it aside. Unzipping it, he pulled out the swords he had used in the battle. He slipped the scabbards on like a shirt, tightening a strap across his chest to make sure they were secure. He retrieved a corset type item that he clipped to his abdomen. He placed twenty clips of hollow-point 9mm ammo into the long pockets and eight clips of 45 caliber ammo into the short ones.
He picked up an H&K MP5, loading it and locking the action so it wouldn't go off on his back. He slipped a hanging strap over his head, clipping the weapon to it. He slipped his trench coat on again, the back of the garment molding itself to the swords and changing so the handles and scabbards were free. "That was cool," Rainbow Dash said as Eric looked into the mirror on the wall. He really like this coat now.
"The only thing better would be if it stops bullets," he mused aloud. Eric zipped the bag up, putting it in an empty locker in the room. "Make sure that doesn't go anywhere for me, ok?" Dash nodded as he hugged her. "See ya later kid," he said as he walked out of the room. He walked down the hall, putting on his glasses. "Leoj, you there?" he said into the mic as it appeared. There was two chirps, notifying a received message. "Alert the teleportation supervisor. A Knight wants a free ride to save a life." He turned off the mic with a press of a button.
Exiting the hospital, Eric jogged toward the castle where the teleportation network was based for this sector. ponies moved aside as he ran through them. Half way there he was joined by Mat and Sapphire. "About time you two came up for air." Eric joked, keeping his pace constant. They ran for about two minutes before they reached the castle walls. the guards saw them and stepped aside, letting the the humans move through to the garden. in the center of the large space was Leoj standing beside four unicorns in lab coats.
"Right on time," he said, closing his pocket watch and stowing it away. He walked backwards into the circle the unicorns had drawn out in chalk. "Are we all ready for a trip down memory lane?" he asked as the others slowed into a stop in the circle. They all cast curious stares at him . "Oh, yes. I'm sorry. That hasn't happened yet." Sapphire raised her eye patch to her forehead, letting the blade on her arm fall into place by her side. The sound of a chamber cycling could be heard from her leg as she dropped a flap to reveal a gun barrel. Eric lifted the MP5 from its place, extending the butt-stock and seating it against his shoulder. He held his left hand up, ready to drop the action once they arrived. Leoj drew a skeletal rapier, Cogs and Gears adorned the cross-guard and hilt while the handle was wrapped in silver chain. Mat lowered himself into a crouch, flexing his arms to build up muscle mass. He held his hands open with the palms forward, ready to take on anything that might attack.
"Ponyville, please." Leoj said to the unicorn before him. "As close to miss Fluttershy's cottage as you can." The unicorn nodded, lowering his horn until it pointed directly at the group. The other magicians did as well, charging their horns before loosing a beam at each one of the humans.
OMIGOSH IT'S NEO! No, it isn't. Its Eric Johnson. He cannot fly, he cannot do impossible feats of strength. Yet at least. R&R please.
Mat and Sapphire - used with permission of Bahamut Crisis Core.
Leoj Clocktum – used with permission of Timefather64.