//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Defrosting 
// Story: Force of Five: Sundered Together 
// by DustyDominic 
//------------------------------//

"Great news. Both your vitals turned out fine. We were worried that the stasis would present some problems for you colts, but it seems our concern was misplaced. You're both healthy specimens and you've handled the defrosting just fine," the gold-maned scientist warmly explained.

Keegan and Camdyn both rolled their eyes. Being told that there was a chance you could have died cannot be softened by a smile, but the scientist didn't take notice.

"Well, as soon as the technicians give me the OK, we can defrost the other two."

Keegan and Camdyn started.

"Other two?" Keegan inquired. "There are others?"

"Oh sure. They signed the contract just like you two" -- the colts smirked at that -- "but since we've had such encouraging results from you colts, I figure we'll do them both at once to save time," the gold-maned scientist lectured, not missing a beat. He waved to the remaining two tables at the far end. "You two can be here to meet and greet them when they defrost. Oh, and do try to be better to them than you were to him."

He jerked his hoof first to Camdyn, then to Keegan, who grinned widely and said, "Doc, it's not a problem. We'll give them a warm welcome."

"You had better," the scientist considered them over his glasses. "Failure is expensive. And it has dire consequences here."

At that moment, two pairs medical technicians entered the room, each pair bearing a stasis cylinder, complete with frozen ponies inside, and the colts were left wondering what kind of dire consequences failure resulted in.




"Coldness. Ugh. Brr. Coldness. Ugh." The beefy colt with a earthy brown mane and sandstone coat shifted back and forth, muttering and shivering. Keegan watched him with great amusement, while Camdyn studied the other recently defrosted colt.

The other one, colored deep blue in mane and coat, squirmed not at all. He merely had a mildly displeased look on his face, like he had stepped in a puddle and splashed his nicest clothes.

"Ffft. This one's no fun," Camdyn griped.

"Yeah, well this one's not much better. Looks like a wicked constitution," Keegan remarked, pulling his warm towel tighter around his shoulders.




After about five minutes, the brown one came to consciousness, the blue one following shortly after. The brown one sat up as soon as he could. As the technicians steadied his bulk and checked his pulse, he made a confused grunt. Keegan took the initiative on Operation Meet & Greet, fearing that Camdyn would be tempted to renege on his promise of goodwill.

"Hello, friend! Glad to see you've woken up," Keegan smiled. "If you have any questions, you should ask me or my friend here, and we'll gladly fill you in." The brown one took one look at him and Camdyn, and he snorted.

Keegan wasn't about to let that stop him, so he took the clipboard that the scientist had left, and he continued, "So your name is... Eade McDomhan, is that right?"

Eade nodded, still not talking. Camdyn sniffed Eade's mane and exclaimed, "Phew! Didn't you bathe before you got here, or what?"

Finally Eade saw fit to speak, "Listen smart one, I'm a miner for a livin' and I got trapped in some peat. When they came to get me, I hadn't got the chance to shower. And let me tell you, tiny, you smell much worse than I do. You smell like a wet golden retriever, so bug off." Before Camdyn could threaten Eade in his own way, Keegan got a gut feeling that he should step in and take charge. 

"Listen the both of you. We're in this boat together. I'm pretty sure you signed that contract too, isn't that right, Eade? So listen up. We'd better get along, because whatever we're doing, we're going to be working together."




"Working together eh?" A calm voice came from the blue colt, startling the other three. The blue colt sat up and wistfully stared beyond the other three with some starkly sapphire eyes.

"Boy, this is going to be quite the contract. Y'all sign that crazy thing too?" He murmured.

Keegan, Eade, and Camdyn chuckled. The blue colt laughed his own quiet laugh, and he said, "My name's probably on the clipboard too, but I'll give it to ya anyway. I'm Calder."

"Eade."

"Keegan."

"And Camdyn, at your service!"

Calder whistled ponderously, and he said with a faint puzzled air, "Weird. None of us are Equestrian. Does anypony know why they picked us from the provinces instead of somepony from Equestria proper?"

Camdyn grinned toothily. "Where in all of Equestria could they find four colts as poor and desperate as us four?"

"Poor, maybe. You're probably the only, ahem, desperate one here," Eade sneered, and Camdyn's face turned bright red.




Keegan's eyes moved from face to face to ruddy face. The four of them, bound by contract. Working together for the foreseeable future.

Oh boy, he thought. What have I signed up for?