Chapter 17-
Bullet Hell
A flash of white followed by the image of Chris announced the waking of the computer as Chris turned it on for the first time in several weeks. His eyes were tired and his expression was enough to show that he had no more tears left to cry. Slowly, he typed in the start command with one hand as he rubbed his eyes with the other. When the red dot appeared in the corner, the young man began to speak. “Since my last recording,” he began, voice restricted. “Many things have happened. The Battle of Scarlet Hill, a jump to another universe where Herobrine exists, and… the Everfree Battle.” The young man’s eyes turned sad at the mention of the battle.
“...Delta’s still beat up pretty badly,” he muttered quietly, gaze turning to the floor. “A lot of the Everfree monsters came back with all kinds of wounds, the Resistance fighters got really roughed up, and….” The ranger stopped and took a deep, shaky breath. “And it doesn’t look like Chrysalis is ever going to walk again….” Chris put his elbows up on the desk and covered his face with his hands.
“Every night since the battle, I have the same nightmare…” he whispered quietly. “Every night, I’m back on that battlefield. Every night I watch everyone go down around me… and then everything goes dark…. By the time the light comes back, they’re all dead. Cobalt, Firefly, Shining, Cadence, Sweetie, Artemus, Chrysalis, every night their bodies surround me each night… and at the end of the field is one Machine Captain or another is holding up one of them as they bleed out, eyes watching as they try to call for help-”
A sharp knock on the door shocked the young man out of his chair, Chris jerking to his feet and turning in the same movement, bright orange Static bursting out around him as his eyes widened. His chest heaved as his heart beat heavily in his chest. He stayed in place, fists clenched and ready before he said anything. “Who… Who is it?”
“Chris, it’s me,” Sweetie’s voice called through the door. Slowly, the man lowered his arms and took a deep breath, canceling out his Static as he made his way to the door and opened it.
“Sorry, Sweetie Bell,” Chris apologized when he caught sight of the off-white unicorn. “I was just-”
“Brooding,” the mare cut off, strutting into his room and flicking his door closed behind her with her magic, much to the human’s surprise. She walked to his bed and sat down, looking up at him with a stern gaze that almost hid the worry in her eyes. Almost…. “Chris, I know you well enough by now to know that you’re sitting in here beating yourself up.”
The young man stared at her for a moment before giving a sigh and coming to sit next to her, arms on his knees as he hung his head. “Why shouldn’t I?” He asked, his voice tensing up again. “It was my idea to fight back. It was my idea to get the monsters involved. How is any of this not my fault?”
The unicorn gave him a look full of sympathy before putting a hand on his back. “Chris, you couldn’t have seen how this was going to end,” she told him quietly. “You of all people are not to blame. You woke up out of a coma and came out to be the only person that could come up with a plan of action. Chris… you saved us. Again.”
“Yeah, but at what cost?” The young man asked, looking up at her desperately as if she were his last chance at a lifeline. “How many did we lose just to buy a little more time?”
Sweetie stared at him with wide eyes for a moment before she pursed her lips. “Do you remember what you told us when you first got here?” She asked, standing to her feet and turning to face him with crossed arms.
“Um-”
“You told us that war was just an excuse,” she interrupted. “You told us that war can’t change us if we don’t let it. You said that life was cruel and hard but that if we didn’t want it to change us, we had it in us to not change. So why change now?”
The blonde man stared up at Sweetie’s green eyes, the emerald orbs piercing into him to find the root of his problem. After several long moments, he looked towards the ground and gave a humorous chuckle. “I guess I was a bit more optimistic then,” he muttered.
“And you are,” Sweetie said, coming back to sit next to him. “I’ve seen it. Everyone has. Cobalt, Firefly, Night- I’m sorry, Artemus, all of us have seen that little bit of light that you carry around with you, but after every battle, every little loss, you’re lighting gets dimmer and dimmer. You’re just… not letting yourself see the victories.”
Chris looked at her like he was about to ask a question only for her to beat him to it. “The crops are starting to come back, our fighters have never been more willing or rested, and we don’t have to worry about the monsters anymore. You’ve brought us to a point where the Resistance is doing better than it has been since we all joined together, and you’ve done it almost singlehandedly.”
The ranger looked Sweetie over for several moments before he slowly let a small smile take over his face. “I guess you’re right,” he said after a moment. “I think it is high time I start looking at our victories rather than our losses.” At this, his face sank a little. “How is…”
“She’s doing just fine, Chris,” the unicorn answered, not needing to hear his question. “The doctor’s say she’s going to be paralyzed from the waist down… but asides from that she’s going to make a full recovery.” The purple maned mare gave a little giggle before continuing. “When I went to see her this morning, she was arguing with Apple Bloom about how much longer she’d have to stay in bed.”
Chris gave a breath of laughter at that and shook his head. “Chrysalis is a tough one,” he said quietly before looking back up. “How’re the pups doing?”
“Rose is with Cobalt and Firefly in the training room,” Sweetie answered, giving a little smile. “Apparently she’s been keeping them busy by taking Cobalt’s towel.”
The young man gave a chuckle at that before looking up again. “And Veral?”
“Fluttershy and a few others are doing his operation today,” Starlight said before letting out a breath and looking towards the floor. “They’re hoping they can save his leg, but if they can’t….”
“Don’t worry if they can’t,” Chris said softly, putting a hand on her knee to comfort her. “I’ve already thought of that and have something ready just in case.” The mare looked up at him with a raised brow, releasing a chuckle from him. “What? You know how I am when I’m stressed.”
“Oh, right, how could I forget?” Sweetie answered, rolling her eyes before looking back at him with a mischievous smile. “All work and no play….” Slowly, she leaned towards him and kissed him sweetly. The man returned the kiss in kind, bringing a hand up to the back of her neck. The unicorn pushed forwards into him and he yielded, laying back on the bed. Chris wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her closer as they kissed. His hand started to slowly trail down her back… before a familiar jingle broke the enchantment.
Both parties pulled their heads back and lifted their wrists. “Was that mine or yours?” Chris questioned as the mare got to her feet.
“Mine,” Sweetie answered irritably before she opened the channel on her communicator. “What?”
“Hey, Sweetie,” Firefly’s voice came through the device, a nervous ring to it. “Um, We may have a problem. I’m not sure how but Rose found her way into Chris’ lab and-”
A loud crash interrupted her followed by muffled shouting. Sweetie and Chris shared a look before Chris jumped to his feet. “We’re on our way,” Sweetie said, turning and meeting Chris at the door as they rushed out. “We’d better hurry.”
“Yeah,” the man agreed, quickly pulling the door shut behind them. “Before Rose figures out how to use the laser cutter.”
“That’s the last of 'em,” Cobalt muttered, adding the flyers in his hand to the stack that sat on the desk as Chris finished hanging his tools on the wrack.
“Thanks, Co,” the young man replied, turning back and dusting his hands off. The large thestral picked up one of the sheets and examined it.
“Why do you need so many of these, anyway?” The stallion asked, reading over the flyer's text. “I mean, you’ve already posted this on every bulletin we have, why do you need more?”
“Well, I didn’t make them for us,” the man replied, coming to stand next to his friend as they looked at the wanted poster for Basco. “I made them to keep in my pocket for whenever I get summoned by another Displaced. That way I can spread the word as quickly and efficiently as possible and save as many lives as I can in the process.”
Cobalt nodded his head at this before putting the page back down. “Just like you,” the stallion said, turning sideways to lean his hip against the counter as he crossed his arms. “Always worrying about others. ...How are you holding up?”
Chris looked at him and gave a sigh. “I’ve definitely seen better days,” he muttered before shaking his head and giving a small smile. “But Sweetie Belle really helps to keep my head on straight.”
“I”ll bet that’s for sure,” the thestral said with a chuckle, looking over his shoulder and out the one-way window into the gym where Sweetie and Firefly were entertaining Rose, the pup yipping and jumping happily as she tried to snatch Cobalt’s towel out of the air. Chris followed his gaze and they both smiled a little before the stallion’s face dropped into a small frown and he looked back with a sigh. “Is this war ever going to end?”
Chris looked at him and gave a little frown. Slowly, he reached out and picked up one of the Basco flyers and idly began folding it. “It will,” he eventually answered. “One way or another it’ll end with us as either the victors or the losers. But until that day comes, I’m going to keep fighting… and I hope you’ll stay by me the whole way through.”
The stallion looked at him for several moments before giving a little half-smile. “Of course I will,” he said. “Brothers in arms gotta stick together, don’t they?” The stallion lifted his hand up to eye level and held it open.
Chris grinned a bit and clasped his hand to Cobalt’s. “Always,” he answered. The two pulled away from each other just in time for Chris to flinch as a voice entered his head. What…? Psycho Ranger…?
A portal opened up and swirled in the empty space of the laboratory, both of them looking up to stare into its depths.
“Whelp, looks like it’s time for action,” Sam said as he formed over Chris’ shoulder, drawing Cobalt’s gaze.
“...I’m never going to get used to that,” the stallion muttered.
“Eh, never’s a long time,” the orb replied before floating a little closer to Chris. “...Are you ready for this?”
Chris looked at the portal for several moments before he sighed and slipped the poster into his pocket. “As I’ll ever be,” he muttered before looking to Cobalt. “I’ll be back.” With that, he turned and ran into the portal, the thestral watching him go with worry in his eyes.
“Stay safe,” the stallion muttered. “Brother….”
Paradise Lost: Daughter of Gensokyo
Perspective: Alexandria Kijin.
On my way through the forest, the morning sun shines off something partially hidden in the underbrush. I land next to it and pick it up. “What in Hakugyokurou…?” I mutter to myself in confusion. The object is something I don't recognize, but the memories that belong to ‘John’ tell me that the object is called a ‘pin’.
A sudden message enters my mind, playing out like a recorded message; I am the shadow the darkness fears, the malice that quails evil. Call my name if you fight for justice, but beware the wrath of darkness if you chose wrong, for it is you who will face the dark clone. I am Psycho Ranger.
“What…?” I say in response to the message, somewhat confused. “Psycho Ranger…?” A portal opens up next to me and out steps a young man with reddish-brown hair and hazel eyes. He’s wearing a black jacket with green and white accents, baggy black pants, shoes to match, and a green shirt with the same symbol as the pin on it.
“You called?” The young man says in a seemingly relaxed fashion, though his voice sounds a bit tense as the portal closes behind him.
Putting together the information I know from the message, and the events that happened afterward, I manage to get a grasp on the situation, if only a little bit. “Are you… Psycho Ranger?” I ask, still a bit confused. “Also… what happened just now? What was that portal? And, why did a message play through my mind after picking up the pin?” I ask the man, hoping to get some clarity in my mind.
The man blinks a bit at the onslaught of questions and opens his mouth only to be interrupted as another voice speaks up. Oh, we actually get to teach someone about Displaced!
The man sighs and throws his hand into the air. “Thanks, Chris,” he mutters before looking back to me. “Ignore him, he has a habit of making off-topic remarks. Name’s Sam Jaeger, and yes, I am the Psycho Ranger. As for your other questions, maybe we should get to somewhere that’s not crawling with monsters?”
I blush slightly when I realize that we're still standing in the middle of the Everfree Forest. “Right. I know a safe place nearby, on the edge of the forest. We can talk there.” I lead him through the forest until we reach Fluttershy's house.
Sam is quiet as we approach the little cottage, a sad look starting to cross his face the closer we get. “So… you picked Fluttershy’s house? Got to say, it’s nice to see this place in one piece.”
I stop outside on the lawn. I give him a look as I ask, “what do you mean ‘in one piece’?”
Sam looks up and gives me a small frown. “Be happy you don’t know the feeling of an all-out war,” he says cryptically.
“War?” I say to myself. “I'm not entirely sure what you mean by that, but… my intuition tells me I'll understand better after you answer my questions.”
“Right,” Sam says taking his hands out of his pockets and rubbing them together for a moment. “Let’s start from the beginning. The reason I came through the portal after you got a hold of that pin is because I am what’s called a ‘Displaced’.” He pauses for a second to let that sink in.
“Okay…” I say slowly. “Next, what's a ‘Displaced’?”
“Easy enough,” Sam answers giving a shrug. “You and I are Displaced. People who were taken from our world, given powers, and sent to different universes.”
“‘Our world’?” I ask in confusion.
Sam’s face screws up in confusion as well. “You… don’t remember your old world? You don’t remember Earth?” He asks.
‘That’s a new one,’ Chris once more comments, drawing an irritated shake of Sam’s head.
I become very confused. “I… do remember my old world. But my old world is Gensokyo, not ‘Earth’.”
Suddenly, a different voice pushes to the front of my mind. ‘Earth is where I'm from! I was turned into you by that Magic Man guy! You're not actually you, you're me.’
I suddenly find myself unable to speak out loud. ‘Huh? But, I was born in Gensokyo! I wasn't the product of magic.’ I respond mentally.
The voice, who is without a doubt John Grant, retorts, ‘those are your memories. But you’ve seen my memories, you know that what I'm saying is true.’
I consider this. John is right: there's no way to deny that I was originally him, created through magic by this Magic Man. But I consider the situation further. ‘You're right, I was originally you.’
‘Yes, exactly-’ John begins.
‘BUT-’ I interrupt. ‘That doesn't change the fact that I'm now Alexandria. I'm not you anymore.’
There is silence for a few moments. Then John responds. ‘You know, that's true. And… to be honest, I probably don't have the mental strength to handle your memories in addition to mine anyway.’
John goes silent. ‘John?’ No answer. ‘John? What do you mean by that?’
John finally answers. ‘I'm giving you control, as well as my memories. As long as you understand that you were me originally, then I'll be alright.’
This time when John goes silent, I snap back into focus. I remember the whole conversation. I'm still Alexandria, but originally, I was John Grant. All his memories are in the back of my mind, and I can access any of them whenever I need them. I finally notice that Sam is still standing there, looking at me. “Um…” I begin awkwardly. “I had an epiphany just now. I'm still Alexandria Kijin of Gensokyo, but as it turns out, I was originally John Grant of Earth. I'm pretty sure I understand what a ‘Displaced’ is now.”
Sam is silent for a moment as he looks me over a bit, a worried expression on his face. “Okay…,” he states, taking a few steps forward. “Now that that’s out of the way, I think we should talk about Tokens.”
“‘Tokens’…” I mutter to myself, now completely transitioned into a ‘learning’ mindset.
“Yep, Tokens,” the young man says, nodding his head. “Tokens are basically the calling cards of Displaced. They can be anything from badges to medallions to actual calling cards. Each Displaced’s Token is unique and will usually come with some form of message telling you who or what they are.” He pauses to give me a chance to get everything straight.
“Alright…” I say as I process this information. Suddenly, I have a thought. “Do I have a Token?”
Sam chuckles. “Probably not,” he replies in good humor. “See, a Token is made when a Displaced takes an item, again anything that they think represents them, and transfers a little of their power or essence into it. We then throw it into the void to multiply and be spread across the multiverse to be picked up by other Displaced. That’s why most Tokens are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.”
I nod slowly, beginning to understand everything better. “Okay, I think I'm starting to get a grasp on all this… But, what's ‘the void’?”
At this, Sam stops and gives a nervous laugh, reaching a hand up and scratching behind his ear. “That… I actually have no answer for,” he says slowly. “A place between places is the best description I can give.”
Why can’t you just say you don’t know? Chris asks, a small silver orb finally appearing over Sam’s shoulder, the young man’s eyebrow twitching a bit.
“Actually,” I begin, “the way you put it, I think I can sort of understand what the void is.” I think it over a little more. “But, just in case, is there anything else related to the void you can tell me about?”
Sam shakes his head. “I don’t think there’s very many that do know a lot about the void,” he explains, giving a little sigh before muttering to himself. “Another one of my many shortcomings.”
I think about this. “Well… Maybe you don't know much about the void itself, but is there anything related to the void I should know about?”
Again, he shakes his head. “All I know is that we and our Tokens travel through the void to get from one universe to another,” he elaborates in an almost frustrated tone. “We don’t stay there and probably couldn’t survive there if we could.”
Sam, Chris says soothingly, the little orb coming a bit closer to him. Keep your cool. She’s just curious.
Sam lets out a little sigh, his eyes going to the ground before looking to the orb and nodding. “Sorry, uh… wow, I don’t even know your name,” he apologizes before trailing off a bit.
“Oh,” I say lamely, before blushing a little in embarrassment. “I should be the one apologizing for not introducing myself in the first place. My name is Alexandria-” I cut off, reluctant to give my troublesome family name. I close my eyes and breath in. “Sorry, my last name usually causes me trouble, but that's with people from Gensokyo. You're not from Gensokyo, so I don't have any reason to be worried, but… old habits die hard, I guess.” I take a deep breath and let it out before I continue. “Anyway, my name is Alexandria Kijin.”
“Alexandria, huh?” Sam repeats as he brings a hand up to his jaw bone with his knuckles. “Always kinda liked that name. Anyway,” he waved his hand away, “anything else you want to know?”
I think for a few moments. “I'm not sure. Is there anything else related to the topic of Displaced I'd want to know?”
“Um…,” the man hums before the ball of light suddenly backs up and rams his shoulder, drawing his attention. The orb seems to nod towards me, Sam giving it a confused look, prompting more nodding from the light until Sam makes an ‘oh’ face. “Definitely, definitely be careful when meeting new Displaced. Not all of them are friendly. In fact, some of them are very, very evil.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper, coming forward and holding out the page to me. “This guy, for instance, takes great pleasure in hunting Displaced.”
I take the page and look at what's written on it: it seems to be some kind of wanted poster. There's a picture of some sort of alien with a second of a young man beside it, the text underneath reading, “WANTED: Basco”.
“Basco…” I say, reading off the poster. “I guess I'm glad I didn't get someone like him from my first Token.”
Sam nods his head. “This guy is serious bad news bears,” he says, his eyes full of worry. “If you see him, don’t try to fight, just run as far and as fast as you can then call me. I’ll be here with some help before you can even get the words out.”
“Alright, I understand,” I say seriously. “Is there anything else?”
Sam hesitates a moment, a sad look entering his eye. “...Yeah,” he says slowly, looking up at me, his expression looking almost desperate. “If you go to a world that’s at war with Herobrine… could you find Queen Dryad and check up on her and a filly named Silver Fray?”
I can tell that Sam sees this as very important. “Alright, I'll be sure to do that if I find myself there. So, that's everything?”
Sam lets out a small, relieved breath before nodding. “That’s everything I can think of off the top of my head,” he says, seeming like a weight lifted off of him.
Suddenly, a familiar voice comes from the direction of the Everfree Forest. “All you humans are the same: brainless idiots. You’ve forgotten one thing.”
I turn quickly. Medicine is standing nearby, her hair looking a bit damp. I answer cautiously. “And what exactly did he forget?”
Medicine grins sadistically as she responds. “That dangerous people aren't exclusive to other worlds.” I realize that for Medicine to know what Sam said, she must have been eavesdropping for quite a while. I snap back to attention as she continues. “Why would you need to summon someone to kill you, when I'm about to get my revenge?” Medicine's glassy eyes sparkle ominously. “This time, I'll finally kill you.”
Sam steps past me, putting himself between me and Medicine. I barely catch the stern, cold look on his face as he passes by. “No one’s killing anyone today,” he says with a tone of authority that leaves no room for argument as the air itself grows heavier around him.
Medicine frowns in dismissive disappointment. She sighs before speaking up. “You want to play ‘prince in shining armor’? Just step aside. There's nothing you can do anyway: I'm a Yokai, you're a human. Do the math.”
I decide to give Sam a warning. “Be careful before you decide to fight her. That's Medicine Melancholy. She has the ability to manipulate poison. She'll use clouds of neurotoxins to sap your strength and dull your senses, then kill you while you're disoriented.”
Sam seems to hesitate a moment before glancing back at me. “Poison?” He asks before a mirthless chuckle escapes his lips and he turns back. “She’s going to have to try really hard to kill me then. And…” He suddenly thrusts his hand up, index finger pointing up and what looks like yellow lightning dancing over him. Three circles of the electricity flow through the earth and stop in front and to the sides of her before huge bolts of lightning explode from the ground. “She may want to watch herself…”
Medicine takes to the air, rising a couple feet off the ground, then expertly weaves between the bolts. She then pretends to yawn. “Really? That kind of dodging is child's play.”
I remember that Sam doesn't know about Gensokyo. “She's right, unfortunately. She's from Gensokyo, and in Gensokyo, there's a system in place used to resolve conflicts. With that system, you have to have very good reflexes to be able to go up against even the weakest of Fairies.”
Sam lets out a little ‘hm’ before green electricity joins the yellow and he starts to float into the air after Medicine. “Well, then I’ll get to have a little fun…” His voice sounds… empty.
Medicine seems somewhat surprised. “Huh. You can fly too. Who knew? That's rare among humans, but if you don't have the dodging skills, then it doesn't matter.” With that, Medicine fires off a highly complex bullet pattern with poison clouds mixed in.
I make sure to explain everything that's necessary to Sam to give him the best chance possible. “Sam! The poison clouds are easy to identify, but those other objects she released are known in Gensokyo as bullets! Usually, due to the rules attached to the system, they're not supposed to be lethal, but Medicine is using lethal bullets because we're not in Gensokyo!”
Sam nods his head as he hears this before putting his right hand over his left wrist and pulled out sharply, a lethal blue and silver ax forming seemingly out of thin air. He waits for the bullets to reach him before he becomes little more than a blur of electricity, easily avoiding the bullets as lances of ice shoot from the end of the ax, going through the poison clouds and freezing them solid. All the while, the man moved closer and closer to Medicine.
Medicine looks annoyed as the frozen clouds drop heavily to the ground. “First the damn Ice Fairy, and now some random human.” Having noticed Sam’s approach, Medicine backs away as she continues to shoot more bullets.
Sam continues forward, having to dodge faster and faster until he eventually has to back out of the bullets’ path and stop, breathing heavily. All the electricity around him dies down except the green, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “This is just annoying,” he growls out before gray lightning sparks out around him, shadowy mist flowing from his eyes. With that, he starts towards Medicine once more.
Medicine's expression tells me that she knows that Sam is up to something, but she doesn't know what. As she watches, some of her bullets pass straight through Sam, and her eyes widen. Not sure what exactly she's thinking, I watch as she glances around. Suddenly she seems to realize something. Then, she rushes toward me at a surprisingly fast speed.
Sam’s eyes widen and he changes paths, flying to intercept Medicine, but he’s not nearly as fast as he was before.
Medicine reaches me before I can react, and she grabs my arm and puts her other palm against the bottom of my lower jaw, almost like a criminal would put a gun to a hostage. She turns to look at Sam with a sadistic smile. “Game over.”
“No! Stop!”
Medicine turns to look at Shanghai with a surprised expression. Her expression quickly changes to annoyance. “Ugh, this brainwashing sickens me…”
Shanghai grabs onto Medicine's wrist and tries to pull her hand from my jaw. “You can't kill her!”
Medicine squeezes her eyes shut and, in a strained voice, says, “what's with you? I'm setting you free!”
Tears start to run down Shanghai's cheeks. “But killing her won't free me!”
This catches Medicine by surprise. “And why not?”
“I-” Shanghai struggles a little to choke out her words. “I can't survive without Alexandria. I really am a Fairy. A very rare one. My essence of life comes straight from Alexandria. Without Alexandria, I'd die too! So, you can't kill her! Please understand!”
This shocks Medicine to such a degree that she lets go. She stares in silence for several seconds, then looks at the small doll-like creature she's always with. Then, she whispers under her breath, so quietly I barely hear it, “there's another Fairy like Ms. Su…?”
“‘Another Fairy’…?” I say in confusion.
“Back away,” Sam’s voice says behind Medicine. There’s absolutely no play left in his voice, the tone sounding like a death sentence.
Medicine just stands there in silence. Just when I think that Sam might do something, Medicine finally speaks. “The Fairy’s right. I can't kill her.”
There is silence for several tense moments before several mechanical clicks sound out and Sam walks out from behind Medicine and around until he stops, facing me. “...You okay?” He asks, his voice softer than it had been since meeting him.
“…Yeah,” I say to him. “But… to be honest, I want to know if Medicine is okay.” I look at Medicine.
Medicine looks a bit apologetic as she speaks to me. “I could never kill another doll. Even if yours is a Fairy now, it's obvious that it was a doll once. If killing you kills her, then I can't possibly kill you in good conscience. And…” She pauses for a moment. She turns away slightly before continuing. “I can't kill a member of such a rare species, doll or not. For the longest time, I thought Ms. Su was the only Fairy like that.”
My eyes widen at the implications. “You mean, Ms. Su is a Fairy? And she's tied to your life force?” Medicine nods. “If she's a Fairy, why doesn't she speak?”
Medicine hesitates. “Because she's a mute.” I feel like I understand Medicine better than I could before. Medicine then frowns, most of the softness leaving her expression as she looks at me. “Enough of the sappy crap. I'll let you off this time, but I'll still beat you.” Medicine grins. It's different than the ones from earlier… friendlier. “But I'll do it fairly. No killing.” She then turns and leaves.
A huge sigh escapes Sam as a buzzing fills the space. The heaviness of the air starts to lighten as well.
I look at Sam for a few moments, then look in the direction Medicine went as I speak to him. “I don't think she'll be as much of a problem anymore. She may be rude, but… it seems like she's just misunderstood.”
Sam nods and looks up towards where she walked off, a distant look in his eyes. “...Good,” he says before straightening up and smoothing out his jacket with a quick jerk of the edges. “I always prefer a change of heart to… the alternative.”
I glance towards Sam. I feel like I understand him better, if only a little bit. “I'm hoping that I can eventually make a friend out of her,” I say to him as I look away again.
A small chuckle echoes from him and I feel a short pat on my shoulder. “I think with a little time, you’ll do just that,” he says, a level of reassurance in his tone.
Or she’ll just keep being prickly.
“Chris!”
What?
I can't help but smile as I answer Chris. “To be honest, I feel like if I do become friends with Medicine, she'll be the type who just can't help but be a bit of an ass. But, I think that makes for a somewhat charming, unique trait, you know?”
Kinda like you, bro!
A soft growl of irritation escapes Sam as he crosses his arms with a huff. “I’m not an ass…,” he mutters in a quiet voice, almost like a pouting child.
I can't help it as I try to stifle my laughter.
A small smile forms on Sam’s face as he uncrosses his arms and puts his hands back down to his waist. His stern demeanor changes to a very relaxed one in a matter of moments. “You know, this is just what I needed,” he muttered, giving me a strange look.
I manage to stop laughing. I speak to him, a smile still on my face. “Well, in that case, I'm glad I could help.” I look up into the sky and see the setting sun. My smile drops away. “It's already that late?”
“Hm?” Sam replies looking up into the sky himself. “Oh, yeah, it is pretty late. Well in that case,” he looks back down at me, “you should probably send me home.”
I give Sam a confused look. “…How would I do that?”
“Real easy,” Sam said, lifting and flipping his hand back and forth for a second. “Just say, ‘Sam Jaeger, our contract is complete’ or something like that. A portal opens and I skidaddle back on home.” He makes finger puppet do walking motions through the air as he says the last bit.
“So, it's as easy as telling you that you can go back?” Sam nods. With a shrug, I say, “alright. Maybe I'll see you again.” I then clear my throat. “Sam Jaeger, you may return home.”
A portal opens up a small ways behind Sam and he turns his head to look over his shoulder. “Yep, that’ll do’er,” he says before looking back at me. “Remember, if you ever need anything, just use my Token and give me a shout.” With that, he gives me another friendly pat on the back before turning and walking towards the swirling gateway. “Take care of yourself, Alex,” he calls, waving goodbye behind him.
“You too,” I say, waving back. He drops his hand just before he enters the portal, the doorway closing immediately after he’s clear. I put Sam’s Token into my pocket and return home.
Chris stepped back out of the portal in what felt like to Cobalt to be only a few moments later. “How’d it go?” The stallion asked as the portal closed behind the man.
“Well, Sam got into a fight with a doll,” the blonde answered as he dusted off his jacket only to have his shoulder shoved as Sam appeared in orb form.
“Hey, she played dirty,” Sam exclaimed, hovering behind his brother as the man chuckled.
“Yeah, but you dropped your speed boost,” Chris countered before closing his eyes and shaking his head towards the floor. “Such a rookie mistake.”
OI!” Sam shouted, drawing a laugh from Chris as his head was yanked to the side and his blonde hair ruffled by some unseen force. Cobalt just watched the pair with a smile on his face before he shook his head.
“You two are quite the pair, aren’t you?” He muttered, drawing the attention of both man and orb.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Both of them asked before the door of the lab sliding open caught the attention of all of them. Sunset stuck her head and shoulders through the door, looking about frantically until her gaze fell on Chris.
“Chris, it’s Veral,” she said in a hurried tone. “His surgery, there’s… there’s been a complication.”
The man’s eyes widened and his hand shot out, Titanium Static jumping over his arm and pulling a large metallic briefcase into his hand. “Lead the way,” he said in an urgent voice, already walking towards the door with hurried steps. The alicorn merely nodded her head and turned her head and shoulders out of the door, Chris following soon after.
Sweetie Belle and Firefly stopped in their playing with the sister wolf as the mare and man ran across the training room, the exit opening and closing with neither of them saying anything. They looked at each other before their eyes were drawn to the lab door as Cobalt stepped out, a worried look on the thestral’s face. The mares’ faces changed to match his own and the looked back towards one another, all the while Rose sat on her haunches between the two, staring up at them and hesitantly wagging her tail.