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I forgot to add something to the original post of this chapter, and I apologize . This is the corrected document
The white light that surrounded Eric fell away, revealing the glade beyond Fluttershy's cottage. Upon exiting the field the unicorns has cast he was thrown from ten feet up. Eric landed with a splash into the pond near the house. He swam forward below the surface. He felt his feet touch the muddy bottom and he surged forward with his legs. As he came up out of the water he slapped the action on his MP5, setting the bolt to close. He looked around the area, water falling into his eyes. There was nothing around the area but hills, grass and trees. He slogged through the muck at the bottom of the pond until he reached land. There he crouched, unloading the magazine and opening the bolt. Water poured from every open crevice. 'Good thing I didn't have to come up fighting,' he thought. 'That would have been painful.'
Eric reloaded the drained firearm, looking up as a thunderclap resounded through the area. It was Sapphire. She fell through the air, landing in the pond like Eric had. "Dammit!" she yelled as she broke the surface. "You think they could find a way to put you on the ground," she ranted as she stood and slogged through the mud at the bottom of the pond. "But no, they have to make you come in from altitude and fall." She got out of the water, draining her arm and leg with hidden hatches in the devices. "Now I'm going to fucking rust!" she exclaimed to no one in an exasperated voice.
Another thunderclap released Mat from the event, sending him off course and into a tree. They could hear a frustrated yell and branches snapping as he clawed his way out of the leaves. "I, hate, teleportation." He said, landing on his feet and walking towards the two soaked humans. "The hell happened to you two?" he asked. Eric and Sapphire pointed back at the pond over their shoulders. Mat looked at them, still huffing and panting. "Lucky you, then. Why do I always get the damn tree?" Another thunderclap sounded and Leoj appeared before them with his rapier raised and glowing white hot.
"Oh my," he said upon seeing the two soaked comrades and Mat with twigs and leaves attached to him. "What happened?" he asked. Eric shook his head and loosed a bark of humorless laughter, walking off from the others.
"Pond," Sapphire said dryly, twisting her long blue hair to drain the water from it before tossing it back over her head and joining Eric. Leoj reached out and pulled a twig off of Mat's shoulder.
"They tossed you into a tree again, didn't they?" he asked, not sure if it was memory or current. Mat growled and stalked off, joining Sapphire and Eric. Eric had pulled off his boots and was pouring a steady stream of water from them.
"I feel like I'm in a goddamn cartoon," he mumbled as the water continued to flow out of the boot. It finally stopped a moment later. Eric repeated the process with the other boot before putting them back on. "Alright guys and gals," he said standing up. "let's find that missing pony." He lifted his weapon and walked up to the house. The door was caved in and there was blood smeared on the frame. "Shit," he said. "Get up here! She might be hurt!"
Eric entered the room, turning on the flashlight he kept mounted under the barrel. He did a sweep, first at eye level, then high. "Room clear!" he called out behind him before putting on his glasses. The room lit up as objects were outlined with gray. 'That's nice,' he said as he looked up. ghostly images were displayed of the furniture upstairs, along with what looked like a pony. The pony was outlined in red, meaning the sonar had picked up no vital signs. "One hostile upstairs," he said before looking down. There were two more figures but the concrete blocked the sonar from getting a vital read. "Two unknowns downstairs, Sapphire on me." He turned off the radio as she came up beside him.
Eric moved toward the open door that led downstairs. The flight curved to the right. He slung his MP5 and pulled a knife and a pistol, preparing for the close quarters. He walked into the darkness, his glasses further illuminating the dark area. He moved down the stairs, sticking with his back to the outside wall. As he turned the corner he saw tow ponies. "Fluttershy?" he whispered before they were outlined in red. The zombies turned around and faced Eric. He heard the splash of blood from upstairs.
"Target neutralized, heading down to you Sword," the radio in his ear chirped. The zombies stood there, gnashing their teeth and hissing. Eric stood where he was, his weapon trained on the bodies. The basement smelled like decay and copper.
"What are you two doing?" he said, reaching back and retrieving a flashlight. He turned it on, shining it in the faces of the two monsters. They recoiled slightly, hissing as their eyes adjusted to the light. The radio chirped twice. "Blue, send down Clock. I need a like minded person." As he finished the call, Leoj walked into the light of Eric's torch. He stared at the two zombies as he closed his watch. Eric flashed the light to get his attention. "What do you think they're up to?" he asked the teenager. "It's almost as if you could walk up and give one a sugar cube."
Leoj though about the idea for a moment. "Be right back with you, Sword." He said, walking through the wall opposite the one he came through. In a few seconds, Leoj dropped out of the ceiling. He tossed something into the air, drawing his rapier and catching it on the point. He extended the blade towards the zombie on the right. The monster sniffed at the blade warily, quickly lashing its tongue out and taking whatever it was Leoj had caught. The teenager chuckled and returned the weapon to its scabbard at his waist. "Sugar cube, before you ask me again." He said, stopping Eric before he had begun to ask. "I though it would be funny."
He walked up and extended his palm forward. The zombie sniffed his hand. "Clock, I wouldn't do that if I were…" He was stopped as the Temporal Lord reached the remainder of the way out and scratched the zombie pony behind the ears. Eric lowered his light and weapon. "You gotta be shittin' me." Eric said as he walked farther into the room.
"Not in the least, here," he said, handing Eric a sugar cube from his pocket. "Put it on your blade and offer it to the other one. They are docile if they don't think you mean any harm." Leoj crouched down grabbing the jaw of the zombie he was before, opening it. Eric drew his Kukri, placing the sugar on the tip. The left zombie snatched it up, walking forward and smelling his hand. It brushed up against him like a dog or cat would.
"This is ridiculous," Eric said as he stroked the crown of the zombies head. The furless skin felt like wet leather. "Blue, does Talon have any blood on him?" he asked Sapphire over the com-link. He knew the answer already.
"Yeah," she replied. Eric could hear furniture being moved as they searched the room above. "He tore a head off as usual. Why are you asking?" she asked. Eric shook his head as the zombie licked his hand.
"Get a bowl of sugar from the kitchen," he advised over the radio. "Then come down alone. Talon," he notified Mat. "Take rear guard. Make sure nothing sneaks up out asses."
A moment later he heard a gasp from behind him. "Stop." he calmly said, projecting his voice so it bounced around the room. "Calmly walk over and take a palm full of the sugar out of the bowl." Sapphire walked over and held the sugar up to Eric. "Offer it to the zombie." He said, pulling his hand away from the zombie. Sapphire did as she was told, finding herself grinning and petting the creature before her.
"This is," she hesitated, shaking her head. "This is surreal, Eric. How did you figure this out?" she asked. Eric shrugged.
"I made a joke and Leoj took it to the extreme," Eric explained. He looked over at the teenager, he was examining the zombies teeth and tongue with his fingers. "He offered it a sugar cube and started this little trend we have." Eric walked around behind the two zombies. "Hello," he said crouching down and training his flashlight on a hole in the wall. It was two feet across and a foot tall. "Leoj, get over here."
"It goes all the way back into the hills behind us," Leoj said. everyone's glasses showed a map the sonar had traced out. "It ends somewhere in the Everfree. After that," he shrugged. Eric handed his MP5 to Sapphire.
"Only one way to find where it ends," he said, laying down and low crawling into the hole. He was most of the way in when the zombies grabbed his coat tail, pulling him out and shaking their heads. "What the hell?" He asked, staring as the refusing zombies. One opened its mouth to talk, but all that came out was a series of gurgles, growls and hisses. Leoj looked at the beast, pulling out a pencil and paper.
"Can you understand us?" he asked the beast. The zombie nodded. Leoj held up the paper scribbling on it in a corner. "Can you write?" he asked again. The zombie took the pencil from Leoj, writing on the paper he had set down. After a minute, it backed away. The paper had one word scrawled onto it. 'Danger.'
It was a simple message, though effective. Eric looked at the other humans before looking at the mildly intelligent creatures. "But if Fluttershy is in there, we have to find her." He said, pointing to the hole. The zombie on the left walked forward, crouching down and sliding its body into the hole. Eric cast a confused look at Leoj.
"Follow it," was all he said. "But be careful. We will stay here and watch your back." As if to emphasize this, the other zombie nudged Eric on his boot.
The tunnel was long, twisting and dark. The small amount of moving room meant he couldn't get his flashlight out, so he followed the red outline of the zombie in front of him. he had been crawling for about half an hour according to his mission clock. "Hey, can you still here me?" he asked over the radio. He kept following the creature in front of him.
"Wha…at? Or…eak…" was the garbled reply. Eric turned off his radio, focusing on the task at hand. it figured the ground was blocking radio, but the sonar still worked. The map showed the squad moving around the house he had left. Ahead more blips on the map appeared. Most of them were red, but a few had vital signs.
"Are you taking prisoners?" he asked the zombie ahead of him, rising to his hands and knees as the tunnel increased in height. The zombie shook its head, following it with a nod. "Something like that, huh?" he asked again. The creature nodded slightly, following it with a shrug. Eric fiddled with the buttons on his glasses, setting the sonar to pulse back Morse code.
"We got something from sonar, boys." Sapphire said, messing with the buttons. "Its Morse code," she said, waiting for the computer to decipher it. "Under the Everfree, have mass zombie presence ahead. Several living targets. Moving to rescue." She said. then there was a yellow message across the lenses. "Shit," she said. "We gotta move, he needs a way out faster than the tunnel."
Eric exited into the dark area. It was wide enough to move around freely, but damn it was dark. The NVG setting on the lenses wasn't enough. 'ok then,' Eric thought, raising his .45 out of its holster. 'Can I get a visual using sonar?' he thought, pressing the transmit button on his glasses. The room snowed up in waves before it came to life in a blue glow. 'nice,' he thought as he moved around the area. The zombies were everywhere, but the ran into objects and other zombies. Eric made his way around the hostiles, following the befriended creature.
To his right was a living target. He turned towards it, finding it incased in some form of cocoon. "What?" he mouthed staying silent. He approached the object, touching it. It felt like glass and paper at the same time, having some give when he pressed against it. The sonar produced an image of an undefined pony inside. 'There encasing them?' he thought, getting similar reads from the remaining five cocoons. 'Why would they do that?' Eric approached each one, finding there were two earth ponies, a unicorn and two Pegasi. The friendly creature, nudged him on the leg, leading him back to the first of the Pegasi he had found.
Eric knelt down, leaning close to the creatures ear. "Yellow with pink mane and tail." The creature nodded an affirmative to his whispered description. He had a chance to get Fluttershy and get out, but he had to save the other ponies as well.
"Look who's here," and Echoing voice said from somewhere in the room. Eric ducked behind a boulder as the sonar showed an Alicorn the size of Celestia on the other side of the apparently large room. It was undefined and had odd vital readings. The glasses pinged it as a yellow unknown. "It has been a long time, old one," the Alicorn spoke in the echoing voice. "Tell me, Leoj. What brings you into my lair?"
"Nothing important." The baritone voice of the kid spoke. The sonar showed him returning his watch to his pocket. "I simply sensed a disturbance in the flow of energy and found myself curious." Eric drew his knife, knowing what Clock was doing. He cut a cross into the cocoon, reaching in and wrapping his arm around Fluttershy. "Tell me Chrysalis," Leoj continued, stalling so Eric would have time to get the ponies out. "Why do you have so many reanimated corpses here?" he was walking around the cavern now, handing out sugar cubes as he went and petting them. Eric tapped Fluttershy on the cheek, trying to wake her up.
Her eyes opened and Eric put a hand over her mouth. He leaned over to her ear. "Stay quiet," he whispered. "There is a zombie next to me that will lead you to a tunnel. Go through it and there will be another. That one will lead you to a human named Mat. He is a friend. Stay with him." she whimpered and nodded. Eric set her down and the zombie led her off.
"These mindless creatures make the perfect subjects," Chrysalis said, her voice sending a chill down Eric's spine. It wasn't natural. He made his way to another cocoon, raising his knife as the zombie returned to guide the rescued pony to safety. "A little bit of telepathy and they are docile as a rabbit," she explained, apparently not afraid of Leoj. They were talking like old friends. "Albeit a rabbit with an appetite for pony flesh." She laughed, the disgusting sound covered up Eric's breaking of another Cocoon. He pulled the unicorn out, repeating his message and releasing him to follow his pet.
"You should know, Chrisie," Leoj continued, using the name like she was a girlfriend. "They have a serious sweet tooth." He was being followed by fifty zombies now, all nudging up against his hand when they could. "You could have gained their loyalty with a few pieces of candy if you wanted to." Eric was on the fourth cocoon, nearly finished. The earth pony let out a small yell before Eric could silence him.
"What was that?" Leoj asked, feigning ignorance and handing some sugar to another two zombies. Eric motioned from the earth pony to the zombie next to him. The colt nodded, staying silent while he followed the creature to the tunnel.
"You know Leoj," Chrysalis said, her tone taking on a seductive tone. The sound made Eric want to puke. "If you would accept my offer of courtship we could rule this planet with a grip of steel." Eric was on his way to the last cocoon when Chrysalis illuminated the cave. Eric froze and looked at her, sweat beading on his forehead when he found her looking straight at him. "But it seems that you find too much fun in taking my prey from me."
Eric stood tall, drawing his swords as Leoj placed the blade of his rapier against Chrysalis' throat. "Well Chrisie," he said, nearly mocking her. "I would love to, but you have always been, shall we say, a polar opposite to me. I do not interfere with the course of time lest it demands me to. While you seem to want to change everything." Chrysalis turned toward Leoj, scowling and impaling her neck of his blade.
"You have no idea what is good for you, Leoj." She snarled. "Attack the intruders!" she called. The zombies that she ordered did nothing but stand behind Leoj. She gasped and looked around the hundred walking corpses around her. "I said attack! Obey your Queen and kill them!" she demanded, stomping her hoof. Leoj smirked and flipped his hair out of his face.
"It seems they aren't to keen to having their minds controlled, Chrisie." He snipped. "My friends, I give you your entertainment," he said, pulling his blade out of her neck and returning it to its scabbard. "An immortal being that you can take your aggression out on." He walked toward Eric, who was pulling the last Pegasus out. "Attack her," he said as he cleared the snarling mob.
The zombies lunged forward, only to impact the dirt as Chrysalis flew above them. "You bastard!" she screamed from the air. "I will make sure you rue this day!" those were the last words she said before flying into a tunnel. The zombies began to turn around, finding a fresh meal in Eric, Leoj and the pony. They stalked forward, slime dripping from their mouths and screeched heavy in the air.
"And there is the draw back to sugar," Leoj said, touching the radio button on his glasses. "Blue. If you would, please." He lowered his hand as an explosion broke the ceiling. Boulders and trees crashed into the cave, crushing and covering the horde. When the dust settled, the pile of rubble created a mound that they could climb. Four ponies and Mat stood beside Sapphire at the top.
Eric was lifted out of the hole by the Pegasus, who landed in the group and shook. "I never though I was going to get out of there," the pony said as he looked at Eric. "Thanks Sword." Eric recognized the voice.
"Bolt leader?" he asked, getting a nod. The pony held out a hoof.
"I'm Soarin," he said shaking Eric's hand. "Bout time we met up. I want to say, I have never seen anypony fight like you did at Ponyville." He let go of Eric's hand. "On the way out of the area I hit turbulence, getting knocked out of the sky. I woke up later in that darn cocoon." Leoj walked out from behind a tree, putting away his watch.
"That's all well and good," he said. "But we need to get out of here. The teleportation network station is based in the library here." He started walking toward town. "I suggest we get there before night and the castle walls close. I doubt Celestia would be happy if we had to wait until morning in her throne room."
Eric led Fluttershy through the hospital halls. "She was absolutely distraught she had forgotten to get you out when they evacuated," he explained as they approached Dash's room. "I told her you would see her first, but I need to know. How did you get captured?" Fluttershy lowered her head.
"I… um. I'm not sure. I was trying to get Angel to evacuate… but then I got hit on the head." She explained in a barely audible voice. "The next thing I knew, you were telling me to get out of that dark cave." She shuddered at the memory. "Can we, I mean if it's ok. Can we not talk about it? It was too scary." Eric nodded and opened the door. Fluttershy floated in.
"Fluttershy!" Dash yelled before tackling the yellow Pegasus. "I'm so sorry!" she yelled, crying again. "I should have come and got you, but I got so excited with the battle, and, and…" Fluttershy hugged the Cyan Pegasus as she cried into her shoulder. Eric walked by, opening the locker he had put his bag in and taking it out. He set the bag down on the table and returned the equipment he had removed, save for the swords. He felt something tug on his coat, turning out to be Dash.
Eric knelt and was almost knocked over by the rapid hug. She yelled her thanks, crying the whole while. He held her until she calmed down. He pulled away and looked at her. "Hey, what did I tell you?" he asked. "I promised I would get her back. I never break a promise." He said as he stood up.
"Thank you so much," Dash said, sniffling and wiping the tears from her face. "I never though I would see her again." She sat down as Eric pulled out his glasses. They were making a beeping noise. He put them on and leaned on the table.
"What's here?" he asked no one. There was muffled chatter coming from his earpeice, causing Dash and Fluttershy to look at each other confused. "If they aren't hostile then what do they want?" a few seconds of silence. "Alright. I'll do the security detail. You guys get some rest." He took off the glasses and ran a hand over his face. "Looks like I got things to do again." He said, pulling several odd shaped pieces of metal from the bag.
"Well… what's going on?" Dash asked as he opened a large, rectangle like box, sliding a bar of metal and a few springs into it before closing a hatch. Eric shrugged as he screwed a long pipe to the box.
"Apparently," he began, adding a handle to the bottom of the box. "The ruler of Night Forge is here to negotiate a pact." He pulled another closed box out of the bag, opening it and taking a long cylinder with flared ends. He slid it along a rail on top. "I am supposed to oversee he negotiations, and if she tries to attack the princesses…" He trailed off as he lifted the completed rifle by the handle, loading a magazine into the block and pulling the action for effect. "She will be taking a dirt nap." He rested the barrel on his shoulder before putting four more magazines into his pockets.
"Eric," Dash called before he closed the door. She fiddled a moment, pawing the tile with her hoof. "Would you come back when you're free tonight?" he raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm really bored and I want someone to talk to before I go to bed. And you have a lot of cool stuff to talk about." Eric raised his eyebrow further, making her blush from embarrassment.
"Sure, I'll stop by before I go back to the motel," he said, not completely buying her request. She was too nervous to just want to talk before bed. Dash smiled and waved as he closed the door. Fluttershy looked over at her, smiling.
"He's really nice," she said before sitting in a chair. Dash sat down into her wheel chair, mulling something over in her head.
"Yeah," she said, sighing afterwards. "He's twenty percent cooler than anything ever." Fluttershy giggled as she got Dash's meaning.
Eric walked down the hall, putting on his glasses and setting them to do a scan of the city. He needed a clear shot at the west tower from a good distance so he wouldn't be spotted. The ponies watched as he walked by, aware now that the device he carried was lethal. He exited the hospital, following the map on his display into the setting sun. Leoj walked out of a door, striding along side him. "What do you want kid?" he asked, trying not to sound snippy.
Leoj continued to walk with Eric. They walked for around five minutes before Eric stopped, turning to face the teenager. Leoj held up his hands. "I'm sorry," he said defensively. "I just thought I had already said what I was going to." Eric rolled his eyes after his lifted his glasses to his forehead, already used to Leoj's strange ways. "I need to inform you that I will be giving close guard to the monarchs," he explained. "I don't trust this being fully and think there should be more than just an over-watch."
Eric turned to the ladder he was beside, jumping up a few rungs before looking back down. "You might want more than just that toothpick you carry." He said down to Leoj. "I left the rest of my gear in RD's room before I came out here." Leoj pulled a pistol out from behind his waist. It was a Webley revolver plated with copper. The chamber looked like an extended gear. "What is with you and clocks man?" Eric asked before continuing to climb the ladder with one hand.
Eric reached the top of the eight story building, setting the rifle down before pulling himself over the edge. The map was right. There was a clear shot anywhere on the north face of the castle. "Damn good glasses, kid," Eric mumbled as he set up the bipod to his rifle and laid down. He found the west tower through his scope. The wind was moving east at five miles per hour, so he made the proper adjustments.
Leoj appeared in the window Eric was looking into. He was holding a sign that said 'Glasses on. I'm transmitting sonar imaging to you.' Eric dropped the glasses as Leoj disappeared. The view changed instantly, showing where his round would land and where everything was. There were three Alicorns in the room with two unicorns and two Pegasi. Leoj appeared to be in the corner.
The Princess, Dark Fusion she said, was blabbering on about how they should unite under one flag. Apparently the Nightmare Unicorns city of Night Forge was attacked by the undead. Leoj wasn't sure how much time had transpired since the discussion had began, but suddenly both of the equestrian monarchs were quite upset. Celestia had stood and was yelling at Dark Fusion. He didn't care what they were arguing about, as long as the discussion didn't become too heated he was fine to sit and wait out their tantrum. He wished he could have been elsewhere. 'That's what I get for offering my help in another species' conflicts' he though with a muted sigh. The conversation had calmed down considerably, every princess where they should be. Leoj stayed in his position for a few more minutes until a human barged into the room. He opened his watch, stepping into a rift. He appeared behind the human, raising the Webley .38 to the back of their head.
"Leoj, what the hell," Eric said over the radio. "I lost my damn visual when you did that." Leoj held the revolver closer thee the boys head. Pressing a button on his glasses to send a new sonar feed. "Thank you," Eric said in a monotone. Leoj returned his attention to the male human that had walked in.
"Who are you," he said in a calm voice. "And why are you here?" the kid in front of him raised his hands. The Nightmare princess stood up.
"You leave Najmi alone you ruffian!" she yelled. Leoj pulled his pistol back, releasing the hammer before returning it to the holster in his cloak.
"As you wish," he said with a bow before returning to his seat. Night was beginning to fall and Eric was getting tweaked he had been called for no real threat. He sighed and mumbled as he remained ready to fire through the stone walls. He mumbled and muttered curses off the microphone, condemning any human or pony involved with this trade of niceties and royal whatnot. His abs and lower back ached, his shoulders burned and his elbows were on fire from staying propped up for hours on end.
Finally the trio of princesses filed out of the room, having come to a decision. "About damn time," he muttered as the castle began to fill with the blue-gray sonar map. The image went dead as the group left the tower. Eric sighed and unloaded the fifty, slipping the round from the chamber back into the magazine. He picked up the weapon, standing and shoving it into Leoj's hands. "Take this down for me," he said walking to the ladder. "I don't feel like falling two times in a day." She swung himself over the ladder, sliding down the side railing.
"I don't see why you are so upset," Leoj said. "Today went rather well." Eric cast a glance back at the man that looked no older than sixteen. "Well, other than you having to crawl for over five miles to rescue several ponies that is." Eric cast him another glare that could have melted steel. "And getting thrown into a pond. But really, when was the last time you had an easier day?" Eric snapped then, punching Leoj in the jaw and throwing the scope-less rifle aside.
He grabbed the immortal by the collar of his vest, slamming him into a wall. He stripped the man of his pistol and sword; also throwing his watch aside so he couldn't escape. "You listen to me, kid." He growled, tired of the boys pep. "I had an extremely easy and plush life before all of this. I was a bio-mechanical engineer. I had my own lab and signed grants for grad students that studied under me. I developed personal systems for single human flight, and unknowingly helped destroy Earth. So don't talk to me about having an easy day. No day is easy as long as I remember that horrid fact. I created my own races destruction." He let Leoj go, tossing him aside before picking up his rifle and walking back to the hospital to get the rest of his things.
"You think I don't already know this, Eric?" Leoj yelled across the street. Eric stopped and looked back over his shoulder at the bleeding immortal. "I have watched you from your own birth before I joined this little group. You have accomplished many wonderful things," Leoj stopped to giggle insanely and spit blood out of his mouth. "That incident is just a small stain on the corner of your list of achievements, Eric. And it can be removed with proper care. Spent the week having fun. Forget about the virus! You've earned your furlough." Eric walked through the gathered ponies and entered the gates to the hospital. Leoj's mad laugh fading behind him.
"oh, Sir Johnson," the reception nurse said as he walked in. She eyed the massive rifle he carried cautiously. "are you here to see Rainbow Dash again?" she asked, getting a shrug.
"Sort of," he mumbled. "She wanted to talk before I head back to the motel. I really came to get the rest of these." He said, tapping the rifle in his right hand. The nurse nodded confusedly.
"You know, the doctor cleared her to go home with somepony, but not out of Canterlot." She said. "He is worried if she gets to antsy she might break out of the splint too early." Eric raised an eye brow.
"I have the week off, so I guess I could baby-sit," he chuckled, getting a smile out of the nurse. She slid a piece of paper and a pen over the counter.
"Just write in where you will be staying so we can reach you." She instructed as Eric filled out the form. "And sign you name…" Eric did that too. "All done," she said, taking the paper from him and running it through a machine. "She's all your, sir." He thanked her and walked off toward the patient's room. Eric reached It and knocked on the door. Rainbow Dash answered it with a smile. "Hey kid." He said before grabbing the rifle by the barrel. "Mind if I come in?" he asked.
"Sure thing," she said, seeming less energetic than usual. Eric walked in and laid the weapon on the table, depositing the magazines he carried into the bag.
"What's up, RD?" he asked, beginning to take the rifle apart. "You sound troubled." He added, placing the handle and barrel in their place. Dash shrugged, wincing as her injured wing moved.
"No," she said. "Nothing wrong." she climbed onto the bed, sitting on the edge. "So how did the security thing go?" she asked. Eric made a so-so motion with his hand.
"Nothing happened, if that's what you want to know." He said, placing the rifle stock in the bag and zipping it up. "The Princesses and the Nightmare Princess agreed that if Night Forge came under attack, they would send help and vice versa." He leaned back on the table, resting on the balls of his hands and stretching his knotted muscles.
"Are you ok?" she asked, noticing how Eric winced and rubbed his back. He waved a hand in the air.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he grunted as a knot became tighter. "Just all the belly work today had my back in bunches." He reached behind and massaged the knot that was hurting. He stood up and lifted the bag onto his shoulder. "Grab your things," he said. "Doc cleared you to walk around Canterlot about an hour ago. I signed you out." he walked to the door and opened it. "You'll be staying with me for the week." Dash beamed at the offer, running over to the locker and taking the bag with the items she arrived in.
Keith carried her bag out of the hospital. "So how do I get a sweet set of shades like yours?" she asked. Eric reached into his coat to let her try on his, but instead found another pair with Leoj's stationary on them. The letter read.
'You may not believe me, but I am sorry. Your rage is understandable, but it will destroy you if it remains unchecked. You really should have fun. Make some friends. Find someone or somepony to confide all your secrets too. You're going to be here for a long time.
Sincerely, Leoj Clocktum.
P.S. These glasses are for your new friend. I though she might want some.'
Eric laughed to himself before returning the letter to his pocket. He pulled out the glasses, handing them over to her. "Like this," he said, answering her question as he slipped them onto her face. She stopped walking before the lenses activated. She saw Eric crouching in front of her giving her a thumbs up. Dash grinned when the map came up and the night vision systems came alive.
"Oh my… EEEEEE!" she bounced on the cobblestones, screaming like a fan girl as the night light up. She looked up at the sky, all the stars being labeled and the moon being magnified. "Wow, this has to be the best gift I have ever got in my life!" She hugged Eric tightly. "Thanks," she said before letting go. He didn't know why, but the sight made his cheeks warm.
Eric stood up and put on his glasses, activating a two way link. "You wanna know what these thing can do?" he asked over the radio. Dash nodded as they walked toward the motel. The entire trip, Eric talked with her about the systems built into the glasses. She found the sonar imaging very interesting, her lenses a gray blue most times he looked over at her. Leoj and Soaring walked by on the other side of the street, waving at them. Dash and Eric waved back. Leoj kept his arm over Soarin's shoulder. "Never would have taken Leoj for the type," Eric mentioned.
"And I always thought Soarin was straight too." She said, Lifting the glasses from her face and onto her mane. "I had a huge crush on him a year ago. Good thing I find out now, huh?" she asked. Eric laughed, imagining the scene of Soarin coming out to her at dinner.
"I would have paid to see it though," she joked, punching her on her uninjured shoulder lightly. They walked in silence until they reached the inn. "You old enough to drink?" he asked as they walked in to boisterous atmosphere. Making their way to the bar.
"Yeah," she said as Eric leaned over the counter. He waved to the colt, finding the same one from this morning.
"Hey, Fizz," he said to the colt as he walked over. The colt looked at Dash, eyeing her before returning his attention to Eric.
"She staying for the night or do you need another room?" he asked before handing him a bottle of beer. Eric handed the bottle back before looked back at her.
"Maybe, set her up, I'm buying." He said. The bartender took her order before pulling a mug off the shelf with magic. "So," Eric said to Dash as Fizz filled the pint stein from the tap before retrieving another one. "You want your own bed or do you mind sharing?" Fizz set two steins and two shots of what looked like bourbon on the counter, again refusing payment from the savior of Ponyville.
Dash shrugged, adding the shot to the stein for her boilermaker. "I don't mind if you don't," she said with a wink as Eric followed her example. He raised an eyebrow and chugged half of the drink. it tasted bitter, a sweet aftertaste and the burn of weak whiskey.
"You trying to make a move on me?" Eric asked as she licked the foam from her lips. She giggled and set the mug down, leaning on the edge of the counter.
"Are you?" she shot back. "I said I don't mind sharing a bed is all." Eric chuckled as he drank some more of the beer. She could play the game.
"Well, I don't know," he said, holding the mug and motioning around. "I never had a taste for ponies, but I'm always open for…" he raised the mug to his lips. "New experiences." He finished suggestively before taking another drink. Dash nodded, drinking hers down to half.
"Well, I have to say," she added. "A Knight of Equestria would be quite an accomplishment for little old me," she downed the remainder of her drink, waving off the barkeep's offer to refill it. Eric repeated her action, popping his neck.
"Well, even if you were," he said, rotating his shoulders. "I'm a little sore from all the belly work today." He picked up the bags and held up his keys. "Five miles of low crawling and two hours of lying still to make sure the monarchy stands tall takes it out of your back." They made small talk for a few more hours before climbing the stairs to Eric's room.
Upon entering the room, Dash ran over to the king bed, throwing her self over it. Eric set the bags down in the closet, tossing his coat onto the rack and taking his belted equipment off. He peeled out of his shirt, sitting on the bed beside Rainbow Dash. He rotated his shoulders and neck, trying to throw the kinks out. a spike of heat ran up his back as something caught and immobilized him. he grunted and clenched his eyes shut, reaching back and holding his lower back.
Dash looked up at him, noticing the pain. "You gonna be ok?" she asked, wiggling across the blanket and looking at his back. She had seen this in the Weather Patrol several times. Eric shook his head.
"I'm fine," he said, relaxing and massaging his back. "Like I said, seven hours doing work on your stomach tears up your back. I'll make it," he said, bending to stretch the muscles. Dash looked at him worried. This could be crippling if it wasn't taken care of, and she hoped that it was the same thing she had seen.
"Lay down," she said. Eric looked at her questioningly. "I've seen this happen before, and I think I can help." She stood up on the mattress and motioned with a hoof. "Lay down on your stomach and I'll try to get the knots out."
Eric was skeptical that she could, but he did as she said. Anything was better than spending his week off in pain. "I'm going to hold you to it, RD." he said, lying down. Dash sat down on his legs, running her hooves down both sides of his spine. The muscles were bunched deep, like he had pulled them over and over for years. She started at the base of his spine, kneading the knots she felt as she worked her way up.
Eric sighed as the pain started to recede, dulling as Dash continued to loosen his back. "Damn, RD." he sighed. "Where in the world did you learn to do that?" Dash giggled as she continued to massage his back, thoroughly enjoying herself.
"When you lead the Weather Patrol, you see this a lot." She explained. "Some ponies take the day off to go and have a professional take care of it, but a few workers want to get back out as soon as they can." She continued to work up his back, now rubbing circles into a knot in his shoulders. "I took a class at the Ponyville spa to learn how to treat these kinds of things." Eric chuckled.
"Maybe you should choose a different career path," he said. "This is the best massage I have ever had." He began to melt under her hooves, drifting in the pleasure of disappearing pain. Rainbow Dash smiled as he let out a continued stream of sighs each time she changed her hoof position. She had him right where she wanted him.
"Well, Ponyville had a spa," she said, running her hooves up and down his neck and shoulders. "But I think a dragon fell on it. And I doubt I'm good enough to get into a Canterlot massage parlor." Eric opened his eye and looked back at her.
"Hey, not my fault." He said, laughing softly. He closed his eyes again. "Sapphire took that nasty down, yell at her." Dash chuckled as she leaned forward, running her hooves across his arms and deltoids.
"I doubt they even know yet," she said in a quieter tone. "Besides, who's yelling?" she drew her head back as Eric looked up at her. She had a soft look about her face, but her eyes remained sharp and clear. They had an interesting color too. The magenta complementing her coat perfectly.
"What are you after?" he asked, rolling over and grasping her forelegs with his hands. "What do you want?" he specified in a softer voice. Dash's surprise left when she felt his voice vibrate deep in her body. The depth of it seemed to carry for miles in her mind. She felt her blood rise as she blushed. Eric chuckled to himself as she did, it was cute.
"No fair," she said as her heart beat faster. Eric smirked and let her go, catching her under the chin with a finger. He held it there before letting her go.
"All is fair in love and war, Dash." He pointed out, causing her to blush more. "So which is it?" he asked, running two fingers along her good wing and eliciting a shiver from the mare. Her face might have looked painted to anyone who didn't know better. Eric did it again, this time following a line of feathers.
"Quit teasing me," she moaned as he pinched the tip of the wing. She looked away as he continued his game. Eric huffed and hooked a hand around her face, pulling it toward him.
"I thought this was foreplay," he said before kissing her.
O/O oh my…
Well then, ~cough~, what do you think? A good chapter? I tried to keep it shorter, but I just got carried away. HEHE! /)^3^(\
Please R&R.
Leoj Clocktum - used with permission of Timefather64
Mat and Sapphire - used with permission of Bahamut Crisis Core
Night Forge, Nightmare Unicorns, Princess Dark Fusion, and Najmi - used with permission of Najee