This is another crossover chapter! The Co-writer is itsmyfuneral his story is The Darkness Within Us All. I strongly urge you to go read his story! We'll be doing more work together on crossovers later on.
Chapter 42 - Operation
Pinkie Pie gave directions and the group eventually made their way onto the dirt road leading to your house.
“Girls, you might want to close your eyes, I smell death ahead and I doubt you’d like seeing this. And I would greatly prefer you not vomiting on my back...” The smell of a fresh kill stirs something primal deep inside me.
I run down the dirt path, the girls both shut their eyes and held tightly on me. The kid simply opened his book and started to read. I easily dodge the makeshift signs and bodies that littered the path, the morbidity of this scene is gruesome, and only increases as I run past a bear trap with a corpse in it. The Horror side of me continues to stir and I begin yearning to feast upon something living, ripping its limbs off its body and turning everything into giblets. I Increase my speed from a jog to a sprint, only wanting to get to the house just that much faster. I jump over a pitfall and clear it like it was nothing.
The house comes into sight and so does a pile of bodies, the scent of fresh death only increased as I drew closer to Colt’s home. I slow down to a brisk jog and the kid envelopes the door in a red field and pushes the door open. I walk into the house and closed the door behind me, the girls open their eyes and hop off my back.
“O-Okay, we’re here, Pinkie go grab the first aid kit, Changeling sh-.” The black mare cuts me off before I can finish.
“It’s Bell...”
“Okay... Bell show me to Colt’s room, Isaac would you kindly be on cleanup duty?” Isaac looks up from his book with a aggravated expression.
“Why do I have to clean up someone else’s mess? That’s below someone of my stature!” I give the kid a glare and he puts down the book and walks outside.
The room suddenly fills with a bright blue light, blinding everyone in the room. After a few seconds I open my eyes to see none other than Trixie standing with Colt’s iPod.
“How dare you forget Trixie! How can you forget the marefriend of the injured!” She demands.
“I’m sorry Trixie, I truly am, but we don’t have time to fight. I need to start operating on Colt.” At this Trixie’s expression change from one of anger to one of deep concern.
Bell trots up stairs, Pinkie, Trixie, and I simply follow. We entered Colt’s room and tail gently sits him down on his bed. Trixie flips on the overhead lights and Tail’s blades unsheathed themselves.
“Pinkie, just set the first aid kit down on the bed, I’m going to need more supplies though. Any alcohol would be very helpful, clean sheets, stuff of that nature.”
“I-I know where Colt’s stash is.” Pinkie Pie says as she trots out of the room, her mane still deflated.
“Okay, the stronger it is, the better. Trixie go boil some water for me. Pinkie after yo-.” I stop talking and start to sniff the air, a familiar scent grabs my full attention.
I continued to sniff at the air, tail wags happily and I point my nose at the ground and start to sniff around the room. I for some odd reason I can’t help myself not to click while I tracked down this old scent. Eventually I leave the room and followed the scent to a new room that was painted back.
“Whose room is this?!” I yell out as I climb onto the bed and sniff at the covers, this scent is going to drive me mad if I can’t figure who it belongs to.
“H-Hey get off my bed and help Colt!” Bell yells, my clicking still continues as I rummage through Bell’s bed.
“What in Equestria are you doing?” She asks as my clicking goes on.
“I know this scent! I can’t quite place my finger on it though... Has anyone else been in your bed besides you and Colt?” Tail stiffens out and points towards the pillows.
Bell blushes as he says this, “C-Colt doesn’t sleep there, a-and Cloud spent the night a while ago.” BINGO! That’s who it belongs too!
Both Tail and I freeze, tail’s tip slowly turns and looks at Bell, and my head follows suit.
“Please, do explain.”
“O-One night she came into the house thinking it was abandoned and needed a place to wait out the storm, w-we didn’t want her to share a bed with C-Colt so I volunteered, seeing as we are friends.” A creepy smile breaks out onto my face, her words intrigued me.
“I see... That explains her scent, but something about it seems odd though... What did you two do?” At this Bell’s face turned crimson.
“S-She tried something b-but all we did was talk, a-and if you so much as touch me I-I’ll scream, you don’t want to fight Colt again, do you?”
“Oh honey, honey. Colt can’t even move, let alone fight someone who’s more powerful tha-”
“BELL!!!!!!!!!!!!” Colt screams, I hear his feet land on the floor as he jumps out of his bed.
“You were saying?” Bell says as a smile appears on her face.
“Just give it a minute honey, he’ll burn out again.” As Colt comes into Bell’s room, I stop clicking and simply watched Colt as he turns into the inferno.
He pins me to the wall and throws quick jabs to my face.
Tail wraps itself around Colt’s flaming fist, keeping it from hitting me again. My right arm quickly morphs back to its pylon form as one erupts from my arm. I manage to free myself from the pin and I rake Colt’s chest with my claws. Colt decides to take a bite out of tail, his teeth tear through the scales and muscles effortlessly, tail loosens its grip on his hand which now makes contact with my face.
“W-What is going on in he- GET YOUR CLAWS OFF HIM!” Trixie shouts as she re-pins me to the wall.
My body slams into the wall, but not before my pylons shoot into Colt’s chest, nicking the side of his heart; sending Colt spasming to the floor. I did not wish to harm the girls, they’re not the threat, only Colt. I need to subdue him again before he causes any more damage to himself. Tail rockets towards Trixie and slaps her horn, causing her magic to dissipate. As I’m released from my restraints, Pinkie Pie flies into the room; butcher knife in hoof; and slashes me across the chest before stabbing me in the leg.
She leans into me, “If you hurt Colt, Pinkamena will have to do something about that...”
She says as she drags the knife down my leg, opening a large wound before quickly removing it and trotting out of the room. Note to self, Pinkamena is scary... As I get to my feet, I hear something truly terrifying.
”And remember. . . Pinkamena is ALWAYS watching.” This sends chills up my spine.
“Oh yeah, if you hurt him or any of us you would have to deal with all of us.” Bell says cheerfully, having proven her point.
“Wasn’t my intention...” My leg continues to bleed, my scales retreat back into my body.
After Trixie trots out, I finally stand back up and notice a green baby alligator standing in the hallway, staring at me; not blinking or even moving; just watching. Fade goes to work without me noticing and my gash freezes over, causing the blood to crystallize. I’m helpless, unable to do anything but stare back at the toothless alligator, unable to break its gaze.
“Those... Soulless... Eyes... Infinite pools of emptiness...” Tail waves its tip in front of my face, but nothing happens. After a few minutes of the starting contest, tail slaps me upside the head, breaking the hold the alligator had on me.
“Okay, so after that little event, Colt has furthered his own injuries like the moron he is... Let’s go to work.” Tail picks him back up and I head back into his room and placed him on the bed.
“Just fix him and let us be with him. . . “ Bell says coldly.
“I can easily fix him, don’t get me wrong. But you girls won’t be able to be with him for some time...” I retort as I draw on Fade’s power, chilling the room.
“Does Trixie need to provide motivation for you?”
“Or does Pinkamena need to cut a filly?” Pinkie says as she holds a knife and points it at me.
“No need for that, girls, just some advice. I’m biting my own tongue right now.” My breath hangs in the air as Fade’s aura becomes my own, out of the corner of my eye I notice the alligator still staring me down.
“I am not your enemy, but if you wish to look at me like I’m a monster, then so be it.” Tail slowly pushes the door close. God what is wrong with that fucking alligator?!
“Okay, I would advise you to leave the room, but if you wish to watch then so be it. I’m going to perform surgery on Colt to see what has been damaged during our little fight. The room will continue to get colder, so if you tend to stay I would suggest getting a coat or something.” Fade’s aura grows stronger by the minute.
“No, we will be fine, but if you try anything funny we won’t hesitate to bring you to Fluttershy, she would be VERY upset with you.” Pinkie Pie says, trying to be intimidating.
“Very well, please be quite while I operate on him.” Tail unsheathed its blades and held steady over Colt’s body.
I cut away the charred flesh, removing fairly large chunks and placing them in the trash bin that rests by the bedside. More and more charred flesh is removed from his body, exposing the untouched muscle. I notice whenever blood rushes to the surface, the wounds were self cauterizing. Nice little trick he has here, but it’s going to be difficul be get an accurate damage report on him if his wounds keep on closing back up before I can even take a look at them.
“Okay, going to make the first incision, avert your gaze if you don’t want to see this.” I make the incision into his body, none of the girls avert their eyes.
I poke around Colt’s body, most of his organs seem intact, his stomach on the other hand looks like a pincushion. Tail slips into his body and under his rib cage. Tail gently prods his lungs, I feel no burnt or scarred tissue.
“Gauze.” I reach out with my right hand, Bell levitates a roll of gauze to me.
I apply the gauze to his stomach, preventing any more blood from pool and seeping into his stomach; the gauze soaks up the free standing blood like a sponge. Tail slithers further up his rib cage, I barely poke his heart, causing his body to twitch.
“Sensitive guy, aren't you?” My tail is staying perfectly still, it would make any skilled surgeon jealous.
Tail slowly examines the structure of his heart, my pylons only did a glancing blow to the first and fourth chamber.
“Alcohol.” Pinkie Pie hands me a bottle of Apple Cider, I look up to her and just shake my head.
“Anything stronger?” She shakes her head, I shrug and down the cider in a few seconds. Taking the edge off from the pressure.
“Is there anything Trixie can do?” Trixie asks nervously eying the opening in Colt’s stomach.
“Yeah, it’s kind of hard to work with so many eyes watching me. Pinkie and Trixie why don’t you go see how the Princess is doing, Isaac should be outside cleaning up Colt’s mess.”
“O-Okay, just please, be careful with Colt.” Pinkie says before she and Trixie exit the room and head downstairs.
Trixie and Pinkie left the house, leaving Bell and I alone. I turn my attention to Bell as Tail continues to move around Colt’s chest cavity.
“Okay Bell, it’s just you and me now. You’re the key in all of this, tell me what really happened.” She sighs in response before answering.
“I guess I have no choice. Colt and I met while he was delivering baked goods to Trottingham and saved me from robbers on the train. I asked if I could stay with him; and he was more then happy to help. As the day went on, I tried to see if he was interested in me, but he was too thick-headed, so the next day we ran into Cloud and she suggested I be more aggressive. Long story short; Trixie, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and I are his marefriends because when I confessed to him he realized they liked him too.”
“That’s not what I wanted to know, but that’s good to hear... You keep on using the word marefriend, what does that mean?”
“You are almost as bad as Colt was. Marefriend means that when two ponies like each other very much, they date, and do other things. . . “ She blushes slightly at this.
“Oh, okay, I understand now. Back on Earth we called it Boyfriends and Girlfriends.” I replied somewhat monotonously, my mind preoccupied with the surgical task at hand.
Tail coils around Colt’s heart, and squeeze it slightly; causing his body to twitch again. I click to myself quietly; counting to myself; Tail is now completely coiled around his heart. The room becomes even colder, his blood starts to run slow as his lips and fingernails turn blue. Bell starts to shiver, she looks up to see me standing perfectly still. I love the cold even more now since I met Fade.
“W-What are you doing, a-and why i-is it so c-cold in here?” Bell says as she grabs a blanket from her closet.
“Blood pressure and heart rate is 70/30, he’s critical, this isn’t good at all. I warned you that it was going to be extremely cold in here.” He’s circling the drain right now, if his BP and HR drop any lower, he’s a dead man.
“Then why aren’t you cold?” Bell asks from her cocoon of blankets wrapped around her, only her head poking out.
“Because I enjoy the cold, and I’m the reason why it’s so cold in here to begin with. I’m slowing down the amount of blood loss for Colt. Daimon, you in there?” Hopefully he is, I need to ask him a few questions.
“Yes, I can’t appear right now because regenerating Colt after Rage’s little episode isn’t easy. With Colt unconscious and Rage on the loose, all I could do was try to keep his brain from frying along with his other organs.” Daimon states.
“I see... The irony right now is killing me, you should never let an assassin hold your life in their hands. If I really wanted to I could just end it right here and now with my tail wrapped around your heart.” I chuckle to myself, the irony only richens for me.
“Yeah but you wouldn’t live to see another day if you did that. With Colt and I dead Rage would just use his body until it’s nothing but ash, that and the girls would tear you limb from limb; especially Fluttershy, she’s much stronger than she looks.” His threats feel hollow to me.
“You might be right about that, but there’s one problem though, they would have to catch me first. But I digress, how’s Colt’s individuality holding up right now? Is it still intact or has he started to slip away?”
“He isn’t here right now if thats what you are asking, neither is Rage, that kid scares me.” Tail retracts itself from his body. What he just said worries me.
“Fuck... Daimon how long can you keep his body alive?” My voice becomes serious as I wear a grim mask on my face.
“Since you lowered his overall body temperature I don’t have to worry about his brain overheating anymore, so indefinitely.”
“Good... Daimon would it be alright if Fade stepped in and helped with damage control? She can focus on the heating while you focus on the repairs.” She’s not going to like this idea of mine.
“No objections here, Rage prepared the Bronze Bull before his playtime so if there are any problems I can deal with them.” Yeah, she’s really going to hate me asking her.
“Do I have your word that you or Rage won’t harm Fade at all?”
“I have better things to do then torture her, but Rage. . . He would have as much fun killing Colt as he would a child, so I can’t vouch for him.”
“Just a little warning for the both of you, Fade became a lot stronger since the last time you two talked... And if I find out that she’s been harmed in any way I will destroy Colt’s body without any hesitation.”
“And if you do that you can say goodbye to your limbs. . . “ Bell says as green magic envelopes my arms and legs and begins to pull on them.
“Do to my body as you wish Bell, I don’t consider you a threat at all... But you’re going to have to play nice with Friend.” I close my eyes and travel to my little happy place.
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