//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: The Endless Void // by Charis Mokestis //------------------------------// “Well, I see you two did happen to meet each other,” I heard a familiar voice say behind me; “yep,” replied Iris, “Techno, here, is actually pretty cool.” I cleared my throat, trying to hide a very obvious blush; “Y-you’re really cool too…Iris…” I said as I kept facing the other direction, pretending to look out a window. Cypress walked in front of me, raising an eyebrow as he saw my blush; “Hey, Iris, how about you go help Rosie with some spells?” I looked up at Cypress as he said that, wondering what he was doing; “How about you help me with something as well, Techno?” I shrugged, looking back at Iris and waving; “See you later, Iris.” She smiled, walking forward and giving me a little hug. I couldn’t help it at that point, I froze up, my glasses fogged up, and my whole face turned deep red; almost as red as Aloe’s coat. She let go, waving back as she walked over to where Rosemary was. I remained in my own little world after that small hug, not even able to see from the blush I had. I came back to my senses as Cypress shook my shoulder; “Everything alright there little buddy,” He asked me in a worried tone. It took me a couple seconds, but after blinking a few times and cleaning my glasses of fog, I came back to reality. “I-I’m sorry…you- we-…where am I again?” Cypress looked at me with a confused expression; “That hug must have affected you more than I thought, you sure you’re gonna be alright?” I nodded, taking a deep breath; “Yea…yea, I’ll be fine…just…wasn’t expecting a hug from that…warm mare…” Cypress smiled, laughing a little; “I figured you two would become good friends, but I honestly didn’t expect you’d fall in love with her.” My blush returned as my eyes widened; “W-what?! I-I’m not in love with her! I-I just think she’s…beautiful and…and smart…and…and the most perfect mare I’ve ever seen and I want to spend the rest of my life with her because she’s the most ama-“ Cypress put a hoof to my mouth, shushing me. “Alright, calm down, don’t want her hearing that do you?” He was right, if she had heard that she might think I was a weirdo. I wonder if she already kinda knew I had a little crush on her, or maybe she just thought I was a little shy; either way, I had to try and not make it look obvious. I took another deep breath, letting out a long sigh as I moved Cypress’s hoof away; “You’re right, I need to learn to control my emotions for the time being.” Cypress gave me a reassuring pat on the back; “Your secret’s safe with me, I won’t tell anypony.” I smiled, giving him a friendly hug; “Thank you so much dude, you’re like the awesome big brother I never had.” He simply patted me on the back again, and I let go; “Are you an only child?” I shook my head; “No, I have a big sister…and she’s awesome; I tried being like her when I was younger.” Cypress nodded with a chuckle; “The classic ‘younger trying to be like the older’, huh?” I nodded with a smile; “Yea…don’t younger siblings usually do that?” Cypress simply shrugged; “Not sure, I was an only child after all.” That was actually really surprising to hear; I could have imagined Cypress as the oldest brother of a few siblings. “Come on, I wasn’t lying when I asked you to help me with something.” That’s right, Cypress had asked me for help before…well, you know; “Oh, right, what do you need help with?” We walked over to one of the tables, the one furthest from Rosie and Iris; probably a good idea…knowing me I would have just stared at her most of the time and thought about what might become. Anyways, before I get off topic, he placed a book in front of me; “A book? Something special about it?” Cypress nodded as he started to explain what the book was for; apparently it was a spell book that was filled with healing spells. “You see, Rosie has been reading this book for weeks, in case something happens to anypony.” I nodded, looking a few of the spells over; “What seems to be the problem? Are they too hard for her?” Cypress shook his head, pointing to the “Healing” part. “She can’t find anypony to test them on, because nopony has been terribly hurt since she started reading them.” Oh, that is a bit of a problem; it’d be like if you wanted to see what kind of sandwich was the best and being in a room of ponies that don’t eat bread. “This may be a lot to ask of you, Techno, but we need to make sure these spells can help; would you mind if I roughed you up a little? I promise I won’t leave any scars or cause a lot of damage, we just need a bruise for the most part.” So, to help Rosie, I have to get punched by Cypress? That’s insane, why should I have to be the one getting punched? He could be working with those two pegasi jerks for all I know. I can’t believe he would do that! Well…that’s not true…I knew I could trust Cypress, and he was kind of right, we did need to see if those spells worked; but Cypress is a HUGE bastard, he could probably break my jaw with a single punch. “Come on, Techno, I know it’s a lot to ask to be punched, but it’s for the greater good, I promise.” Crap, he was putting a lot of pressure on me at this point; on the one hoof, I did like Rosie and would really like to help her, but on the other hoof, I don’t want to be punched by Cypress. I thought hard for a couple minutes, but finally…I did what was right; “Alright…you can punch me…but not too hard, okay? And only once, I don’t want my skull cracking in half.” Cypress smiled as I took my glasses off and closed my eyes; “This’ll really mean a lot to Rosie, you’re doing us all a favor,” I heard him say to me. “Sure thing, now please be gentle…I don’t exactly have the strongest of bones.” I sat for what felt like an hour before I finally heard Cypress take a breath. Ah, here it comes, and it’s going to hurt terribly; he might even knock me out cold. I prepared myself for the incoming punch, but it never came; why didn’t he do it already? Maybe he decided against it, I wouldn’t have minded that to be honest; and of course, as soon as my guard was lowered, WHAM! He punched me square on my right eye. I’m not gonna lie, a couple seconds after he did, I started crying from the pain. “Oh, Techno, that looks bad…” I heard him say as he looked my eye over. “Of course it’s bad! You punched me in the eye!” I yelled, continuing to cry softly. “Alright, don’t worry, we’ll take you to Rosie and she’ll fix you right up,” he reassured as he took my hoof and carried my glasses. I could already feel my eye swelling shut, but thankfully no blood; still, that really freaking hurt! Sadly, what was running through my mind wasn’t “I’m doing this for Rosie,” as it was more, “Cypress, you piece of shit! I should have never agreed to this!” We finally arrived where Rosie was, and I was aware of this because I heard a mare’s voice ask, “Sweet Celestia! What happened?” I tried to think of an excuse, but I think Cypress was already ahead of the game; “It was a hoof bump that went horribly off-track…think you can try and fix his eye?” I looked over, seeing Iris with a shocked expression; Crap, why did she have to see me like this? Rosie led me to a chair, which was right next to Iris, and started flipping through what looked like a spell book. “Geez…and this was because of brohoof?” I nodded, holding my punched eye; “Yep…seems we were both off on our angles…” She continued inspecting my eye, “Damn, that is really bad…” Maybe you could kiss it and make it better? …Damn you brain! That almost slipped out, and that would have been really bad! “Here we go, I think I found a spell that can help us,” I heard Rosie say as she got to my side, turning my head to check on my eye. Her horn started to glow, and my eye started to itch and tickle; “Don’t rub it, okay, Techno?” I nodded, it was really hard not rub it, mostly because it was natural instinct on my part. I actually did start to feel a little better after a couple of seconds, and my eyelid started to reopen; “Alright, good, good, everything’s going pretty well, how do you feel?” “It itches, a lot, but I’m starting to see out of my eye again.” Rosie smiled at hearing this, and after a minute or so, it was like nothing ever happened. I felt my eye, and heard Iris’ voice say from behind, “Crap, Aloe needs my help…see you guys later.” That’s the last thing I remember before feeling her hooves wrap around me, pulling me into a quick hug. The same thing happened as last time; I froze up, turned deep red, and went wide eyed. I was out for a good ten seconds before I heard Rosie’s voice in my ear, and her hoof tapping my cheek. “Techno, you okay? Hello?” I shook my head, looking over at Rosie as she put my glasses back on me, very confused and worried. “What happened? You completely stopped.” I took a deep sigh, looking back up at her; “Nothing, just…zoned out, is all.” She arched an eyebrow; damn she was good, or I’m very bad at lying…probably the second. I sighed, looking around and whispering to her, “Is it that obvious?” She nodded, but hugged me with a smile; “You two would make an adorable, nerdy couple.” I turned deep red again, considering that was the very last thing I thought she was going to say. “B-but, we only just met…and, granted, she is very attractive.” Rosie simply patted me on the back, “Have you thought of asking her out?” That was pretty obvious, of course I thought of asking her out; I also thought of other things we could do, but that was just for me to know. I nodded, blushing a little as I looked away; “Y-yeah, I’ve thought about it…just don’t think I should act on it just yet, I mean we did just meet after all.” Rosie nodded at hearing this, and sat next to me; “Well, when the time is right, take your chance before it’s gone,” she said with a smile, kissing my cheek. I smiled, feeling my cheek after Rosie’s little peck; she really is an awesome mare, I could see her being the one to help me and Iris become a thing. “Now, you should probably go meet the captain; just listen and I’m sure you’ll be able to find her.” I nodded, trotting off and listening closely; trying to filter out voices I had heard already and one that was new. After a minute of listening, I heard a voice that sounded new, so I decided to look for this pony; they sounded like a mare, but not like any of the ones I had met today. I arrived to indeed see a mare, a pegasi mare, and she was talking to those two douche stallions. They saluted to the gold looking mare, meaning she was probably somepony I should make sure I don’t make angry, and flew off. She had a sword on her back, which looked kind of old, and a mane that was almost the same color as her coat, little darker though. She turned around, and looked at me with a serious gaze; “You, are you Techno, our 9th member?” I quickly stood up straight, and saluted; “Yes ma’am, I’m Techno, it was a pleasure to be called upon.” She nodded, walking over to me; “At ease,” she said in a still kinda serious voice, “name’s Valkyrie, I’m your captain.” “I promise I’ll serve you to the best of my abilities,” I said with a confident attitude. Our captain looked me over, as if looking into my head. “I think I’m gonna grow to like you, Techno, you seem like a pony I could trust to get things done when I need them done.” I nodded, still trying to be serious; “Yes ma’am, just ask for anything and I’ll get it to you as soon as I can.” She nodded again, “Glad to have you aboard, you seem like you can bring a lot to the table.” I smiled, my stomach growling loudly; oh yeah, I forgot it really has been over 24 hours since I last ate. I saluted again, trying to not look a fool, “May I be excused, captain?” She nodded, “Dinner should be served at 7, make sure you arrive on time.” I nodded, standing at attention, “Yes ma’am, I won’t disappoint.” “Glad to hear it,” she said as she trotted off; yep, not somepony you want to piss off. I looked out towards the two brothers, and while they were jerks, I must say…they were pretty impressive flyers. But more to the point, I’m freaking starving! I don’t even remember the last time I ate; I think it was when I was with my bro. Oh crap! I need to tell Coastal about this; I just have not been on my A game for the past few days. Okay, I have a few things on my to-do list, but I think I should address the most important one first; I need something to tide me over until seven. I trotted outside, and looked for a guard; they were like guides to me at this point, and I know that might sound a little mean, but it’s true. I saw something new, it was a mare dressed in guards armor; weird, right? Most of the royal guards were stallions. Taking this interesting note, I decided to approach her; “Excuse me, Miss,” I said as I tapped her shoulder, “do you know where I can get something to eat?” She turned around to face me, and I expected her to say something emotionless and strict sounding; but instead, she looked at me and said, “What up, little colt?” Huh, okay that was something I would not have expected to hear from a guard. Also, I don’t think many guards have paint stains on their hooves; this was going to be interesting, I could already tell she was different. “Little? I’m about as tall as you, just not as strong looking.” She looked me over, and nodded; “Yeah, you look like kind of a weakling,” she said, looking me in the eyes. “Oh, thanks, hey look a reason to leave.” I turned around, heading back where I came from, when she flew in front of me and landed in my way. “Uhm, excuse me, you’re kind of in my way,” I said as I looked out from her side, though she didn’t even move. “Hey, you know I was kidding about that weakling thing, don’t you?” Okay, now I’m confused again; “No, sorry, I didn’t know it was supposed to be a joke.” She turned me around with her wing, leaving it around me as we trotted off; “I’ve got a pretty good poker face, don’t I?” She looked over at me as she chuckled, “What’s your name?” I looked over at her, still no idea where we’re headed to; “Technological, but please call me Techno, it’s a much better name.” She nodded, shaking my hoof, “Nice to meet you, Techno, my name’s Inspirational Wind, but you can call me Wendy for short.” I looked at Wendy’s white coat, which had random splotches of paint on it, and even some in her electric blue mane. “Alright, I’ll just ask, why do you look like a Jackson Ponlock painting?” “Ha! Not bad, gonna have to remember that one,” she chuckled, “I just forgot to clean myself up, I do a lot of painting in my free time, you see.” Okay, this mare was the exact opposite of what a guard usually is, is covered in what she claims is paint, and is leading me on an unknown path; why the hell am I remaining so calm right now? Honestly, I was too hungry to panic, I didn’t have the energy. I looked over at Wendy, my stomach growling loudly again. “Hey, Wendy, I know we just became friends, but do you have any food you’re willing to share?” She rubbed her chin, going down a different hallway as she nodded; “Yep, did you not eat lunch or something?” I chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of my head as I tried to explain without seeming stupid; “Well, you see, Wendy, I’m a heavy sleeper, and I went to bed late.” She laughed, looking at me with a smile; “You forgot to eat, didn’t you?” I nodded; she pretty much summed up what I was going to say in one sentence. “Well, you’re lucky, because I did too; got a little too involved in my latest project, and lost track of time.” “Wait, don’t they provide the guards lunch or something?” She nodded, opening a door with the word ‘Barrack’ over the top of it. She went over to the locker that I guess was hers, and opened it up. “They do, but I bring my own in case I get too wrapped up in my hobby.” She took out a brown paper back, opening it up and handing me half a sandwich. I happily took it, taking a bite and sitting down; I’m not exactly sure what was on that sandwich, but it tasted amazing at this point. She sat next to me, munching on her own half of a sandwich; “So Techno, tell me a little about yourself.” I swallowed the glob of food I had in my mouth, looking over at her; “Well, not much to say, I’m a computer geek, I have an older sister, I was going to Canterlot University before all this happened.” She looked over at me, taking a sip from a bottle of water; “You must be really smart, isn’t it only the A students that even get considered for that school?” I nodded, finishing my half sandwich in less than a minute; don’t judge, I was really hungry at this point, and you would have done the same thing in my horseshoes. “Yeah, explains why I was called a nerd back in my high school days.” I felt Wendy looking over at me and lean in a little. “Hey, they may have called you a nerd back in the day, but pretty soon they’ll be calling you Boss.” I chuckled at this, nodding; “That’s true, very true; thanks, Wendy, you’re awesome.” She nodded, standing back up; “I am, aren’t I?” We trotted off, and I was feeling much better, even if it was just a small amount it was enough to tide me over. “Better, Techno,” she asked as we headed…Celestia knows where; “Yep, thanks again, Wendy.” She simply smiled as we continued on; “Now, don’t forget your lunch again, okay?” I chuckled, nodding; “Will do, I promise I’ll try and remember to eat.” We smiled, trotting along the hallway; sweet, guess who just got another amazing friend? I gotta say, with all the questions and worried this is putting me through, it’s getting to be worth it.