As the rest of the group enjoyed dinner, outside in the woods a short distance away a spot of pink interrupts the myriad of green and brown of the treetops. Young emerald eyes peer down as another form moves below her, a form with the back half of a lion, and the front of an eagle. The creature on the ground lifts his head, peering around carefully.
The young pony takes a soft, calming breath, thinking quietly to herself. I can do this. It's just one griffon, and he's totally unprepared for me. She narrows her eyes and blinks out of visibility. Child's play.
There's a quiet rustle of leaves crunching underhoof, but the whistling of the wind easily covers it up. Hoofprints form in the loam, slowly approaching the predator from behind. As it reaches mere inches behind them, a set of invisible teeth nips the end of his tail.
A growl of annoyance comes from the hybrid. A talon comes up as he rounds to slash whatever is on his tail, but he only swipes and sees air.
The next thing that he sees is a bright light as something fast and hard collides with his cheek.
He heads snaps to the side, colliding with and bouncing off a tree trunk. Without another sound, the predator's body slides down, limp.
A moment later, Ruby lets her spell fade, staring at the limp form before her. She stays silent for a moment before glancing at her hoof, frowning slightly. "I... I didn't make it too powerful, did I?"
Only a few moments later, she hears a sound in the distance before a green form suddenly appears next to her. Forelegs envelop her protectively as she is drawn into a furry chest. "Ruby, honey, are you alright? What happened?"
She squirms slightly, a soft blush on her cheeks. "I-I'm fine, dad. I just... need air..."
Though the embrace loosens, he still holds her and the muscles in his forelegs can be felt tensing up once more as he spots the slumped form nearby. His voice becomes slightly harder. "What happened?"
"I took out a scout that was a little too close to our campsite." She smiles, puffing her chest up with pride. "He never even saw me... though I did nip his tail to get him to turn around." She smiles up at him, waiting to hear some form of praise from him.
"I... you..." He sighs, trying to organize the various thought going through his head. "Ok, ok... For your first encounter... you did well, sweetie. We can't afford to linger out here though, so we'll talk more back at camp. For now..." Looking around, he spies a fairly thick fallen branch. Levitating it over, he lights up his horn, writing a single rune in the air next to the end. A small spout of flame bursts from the symbol, charring the broken nub of the branch. He then lays it down on the griffon, nodding. "That should give a decent cover. Come on, back to the tent." He turns, keeping a foreleg around her.
She goes with him, though she gives him a confused expression. "Why would I need a cover, dad? It's not like he'll remember... right?"
His face is stern as they walk. "Think of it this way, what would he have seen, at all, during that confrontation?"
The answer comes simple enough to Ruby. "A flash of light. Nothing else."
He nods. "Good. We needed a cover because you can't rely on cranial trauma to create memory gaps of your actions. Being will wake up and wonder how they got knocked out, so you supply them with enough evidence to piece the story together how we want them to interpret it."
"Oh." She taps her chin, thoughtful. "I... guess I never really considered that..."
"Which is why I had hoped to be able to give you a briefing on the type of things we usually do during combat before you ever saw it." He shakes his head as they see Enigma outside of the tent. "We can talk about the details once we're inside, you did some things well, but you'll need to keep some more things in mind next time."
She sighs, leaning against his shoulder. "Okay, dad..."
"Let me guess." The burgundy pegasus smirks slightly, seeing them approaching. "She ended up fighting someone?"
Unable to help smiling proudly, the father answers. "Less of a fight more of taking them out, but yes. How's everyone else?"
"Well, Gel's waiting for you, Volt's helping her clean before his shift, and everyone else is getting ready to sleep." He shrugs, glancing back at the tent. "So, all in all, just like any other night we're on a mission."
Rhino nods at this. "Good, slight change though: I want all shifts being on the inside of the doors tonight. We'll be activating the tent's camouflage for the remainder to avoid any suspicious eyes that wake up cranky."
He blinks but nods, holding the flap open for them. "Does that include me?"
"Hmm..." the green stallion looks back towards the woods, "you don't have to, there's no way he'll wake up so, but if any of his friends show up, come in immediately."
"Gotcha." He gestures inside with a wing. "Head on in. I'll be in after my shift."
Rhino nods cordially one final time before leading Ruby into the tent.
Gel looks up from the pot she's cleaning, smiling brightly at them. "Welcome back. Can I assume something good happened, with all that pride around the two of you?"
"Well... good can be relative." He shrugs as he finally lets his foreleg off his daughter so he can walk over and nuzzle his wife. "It seems our foal has taken to slamming strangers' heads against trees when she meets them."
"Oh?" She turns to the pink pony, curious. "I hope she had a good reason."
The filly in question grabs a couple bowls, starting to scrub them as well, helping Volt with the dishes. She doesn't seem to hear her mother's words, at the moment, busy as she is with cleaning.
Rhino sighs before turning to Gel. "Looks to have been a lone scout. I was planning on analyzing her performance soon. Would you like to help with that?"
She nods, smiling softly. "I'd like to do that." She pecks his cheek, giggling softly as she makes her way to an unoccupied section of the tent. "For now, though... how about we get some rest?"
He raises an eyebrow, but joins her nonetheless. "Exactly how long were you expecting her to take cleaning?"
"A good while." She closes the divider, leaving the two unicorns alone with their chore.
Ruby glances over at the sealed divider, sighing and shaking her head. "Great..." She turns to the sea green stallion, smiling awkwardly. "So, uh... you do the dishes often?" She grimaces, embarrassed by her own words.
Volt smirks back at her. "Not really much more than anypony else that doesn't cook on these trips, you?"
"I... do the dishes every day at home..." She blushes softly, focusing on one stubborn spot on a plate to try and stem her mortification.
Still humoring the filly, he continues as he rinses a bowl. "Excellent, if you can wash dishes, then you can probably infiltrate another nation and take out a high-ranking dangerous predator. We're practically heading home already."
Ruby glares at him, pouting softly. "I can make a flare of light that causes magic users nausea. Do you really want to talk down to me?"
"Well you are shorter than me and started a conversation based around washing dishes," he points out.
She opens her mouth to respond, but can't find the words. Softly growling, the filly starts pressing harder into the dishes. "I am well aware of that. I was hoping for a talk free of jokes without good punchlines..."
"I could switch to puns if you want." He picks up a cup. "I hear I can dish them out quite well."
She holds up a hoof without missing a beat, a ball of dim light forming at the end of it. "I can dish out suitable punishment for awful puns. We can see who's better at it." She lowers her hoof, sighing softly. "Listen, I don't dislike you. You're one of my favorite friends of my father's... but your jokes just don't suit you. I'm sorry."
"Well... I really do appreciate that..." He seems to deflate slightly as they continue. "I don't think I could ever actually stop making puns though, I've tried before and they slip out anyway. Honestly I think I laugh at them more when I repress them. The way I figure, if they break tension or defuse a situation, then I'm using my pun powers for good." He smiles at her. "I do know they annoy some ponies, so I can try to tone it down around you."
Ruby smiles softly, gently giving him a one-leg hug. "Thank you, Volt. I bet your marefriend is a lucky pony." She smirks, winking slyly at him. "Not as lucky as you, though, to get one in the first place."
He stiffens. "How did you..." Looking around and seeing they are alone, he smiles down at the filly. "Let's try and keep that little tidbit between us, huh? I know I'm lucky to have her, but we don't want it to be known yet."
She blinks, staring at him in awe. Her voice is a whisper, inaudible to anyone else but the stallion. "You mean... you actually do have one? I was just... talking hypothetically..."
His face pales in horror before a small nervous smile appears on it. "... Well I messed that up... Please, you can't tell anypony!"
Ruby rolls her eyes, smirking playfully. "Promise to cut back on the puns, and I will not tell anyone." She taps his nose. "Even if you don't, I still won't tell, though. I can tell how anxious it's making you... but why don't you want them to know?"
"Look, I can't say too much, it's just something we have to do right due to... things." He sighs, rubbing the back of his head. "This is just the first slip I've had, so I was just worried. Thanks for not telling."
"It's not a problem." She smiles softly, turning her attention back to the dishes. Taking care of the steamer, she opts to ask one more question. "So... is she someone I know?"
He debates answering this, but relents in the end. "Yes... No more questions about who she is. It'd be very bad if I gave away who she was along with the fact she's my marefriend."
"I understand..." She giggles, bumping his side. "She really is lucky, isn't she?"
"Nah..." He blushes lightly, something rarely seen on his usually happy-go-lucky demeanor. "I'm luckier."
"Heh." She smirks, starting to dry the dishes off. "Good to know... though, if I may change the subject..." She gestures to him. "What exactly do you do, with the team?"
"Well... If you wait until tomorrow I'm sure you'll see a demonstration." He grins once more. "Just like you'll see everypony else in action too. I'll give you a hint for now: I don't see anypony else with a cutie mark for electrical work." He winks.
Ruby pouts, putting the still-wet pot on top of his head. "Fine... I hope it's worth the wait..."
A few sparks come from the pot as he whips it off himself. "Careful, a lot of water on my horn causes havoc with my magic." He moves the pot back over to her, now accompanied by a few static shocks that make themselves known.
"I... good to know?" She grabs it with her magic, not wanting to catch any unwanted sparks. "So... how far away would you say we are from the castle... whatever it was called?"
He shrugs, checking to see if they missed any dishes. "I'm not sure, I think Rhino said we'll be there either tomorrow or the day after. Why, excited?"
"Kind of... also kind of nervous..." She sighs, then suddenly jumps, a small 'hic' escaping her. She blinks, pouting cutely. "Great... just gr- *hic*"
Letting out a few laughs, Volt raises a hoof. "Want me to zap them out of you? I can do that."
She yelps, backing away and holding a hoof up. "N-no thank you! I'm good!"
Shrugging once more, he sets his hoof down. "Suit yourself. I think we're done with the dishes anyway, so I'll probably turn in soon. You know, get a few minutes of sleep before my shift."
"Um... good idea... oh!" Ruby puts a hoof on his shoulder. "Dad says for those doing watch duty to stay inside with the tent flap closed. I knocked out a scout, and he might be a bit grouchy... just thought you should know."
"I'll keep that in mind." He starts walking to the empty subsection of the tent. "Night for now, try not to snore too loudly if you're sleeping in the middle."
"I'll try my best." She waves to him, smiling softly.
He waves back, entering his little bit of tent and shutting it behind him.
Ruby sighs, stepping over to the flap she saw her parents vanish behind. She holds up a hoof, about to knock before realizing that it's cloth and clearing her throat instead. "Mom, dad, I'm ready for that review you mentioned earlier. You can hide whatever lovey-dovey stuff you're doing before you let me in, right?"
Looking into his wife's eyes as they lay in the bed, Rhino asks her quizzically. "I don't really think there's anything to hide and just laying here, is there?"
She smirks coyly, nipping the tip of his nose. "I don't think so... unless you count all the love in the air."
Chuckling he lights his horn up. "Nothing she hasn't sensed before then." He curls up one corner of the cloth enough to break the sealing spell. "You can come on in, Ruby."
The pink filly pushes her way inside, purposely avoiding their gaze. "So, you... were talking about a review... what did you mean by that?"
"Just some observations about your performance." Rhino gets up into a proper sitting position. "It would help if you made eye contact though, it makes me think you're depressed if you don't."
"N-no, that's not it." She glances at him, shyly smiling. "Just... worried you couldn't hide everything..." She coughs awkwardly, laying down on the floor before them. "W-what observations would those be, dad?"
"Well, let's see..." He goes over the mental list in his head. "Did you want 'what you did well' or 'what you could have done better' first?"
She pokes at the floor with a hoof, casting her gaze at the ground. "Whichever you think is best..."
The navy nymph smirks, elbowing the stallion's side. "Give her what she did well, first, love. It helps with reception."
"And hopefully it will get her to be able to look us in the eyes too..." He clears his throat before beginning. "Well Ruby, first off, as I said earlier, you did extremely well for a first engagement. You discovered a threat. You prevented the discovery of the mission. You avoided detection yourself. You knocked threat out in a single blow. Finally, you did all this during a part of the mission where we weren't expecting to encounter too much trouble, s you were keeping your guard up. Excellent job, sweetie."
The teenage mare beams, walking forward and happily hugging him. "Thanks, daddy! I'm so glad I got it right!"
Sending a quick thankful look to his wife, the stallion hugs back. "It was all you, Ruby. Good to see you happy and perky again, I missed it." He punctuates that statement with an affectionate nuzzle.
She giggles, nuzzling him back before sitting at the foot of the bed. "Sorry, I... just had a bit on my mind..."
"I understand, sweetie... We just worry about you." Rhino turns to Gel questioningly. "Did you have any positives you wanted to add from how I told you the encounter went down?"
The changeling shakes her head, smiling softly. "No, I think you covered everything... well, aside from taking down someone twice her size. That's kind of impressive."
"Oh, right..." He sweeps his daughter up into an embrace once more. "You get another hug for that."
She sighs happily, rubbing her cheek against his fluffy chest. "Thank you, again."
Chuckling quietly, the stallion moves on. "Now, I do have a few criticisms, but most are just things to keep in mind. First off: whenever possible, I don't want you fighting alone, okay? It's something we try to make true for everyone here. A partner can help protect you and watch your back, making things infinitely safer."
"I..." She frowns softly but nods her agreement. "I understand. I'm sorry, I didn't think there was time to do that..."
"I know, sweetie..." He rubs her back soothingly. "It's just something I want you to keep in mind. I don't want you to get hurt."
"I've been getting better, dad." She smiles slightly, holding up a hoof. "All that milk actually gave me a ten percent increase in bone density. Much better than when I was eight..." She trails off, seeing her mother's look of concern.
"I get that you are," she says, gently placing a hoof on one of Ruby's own, "but I'd recommend the same for any of the team. Even Enigma."
"Precisely." Rhino nods. "Still, just because your density is closer to normal, doesn't mean you should write it off. You're known for being careful on that though, so I won't linger on that point. Let's move onto your execution: now, you said you bit the end of his tail to make him turn around... why?"
"He was heading towards the camp." The filly rubs the back of her neck. "I just... wanted him to face away when he woke up?"
Gel quirks an eyebrow at this. "In other words, you weren't thinking?" A nod. "I see... well, if he got agitated, it was likely that he wouldn't be thinking clearly..." She taps her chin, thoughtful. "And there are rodents of unusual size around here... maybe he'll mistake your nip for one of theirs."
"A good point love, not one I had thought of." The green pony continues. "I was more concerned that if he had felt a hard enough bite, he would screech first, then attack. That could cause many problems. Also is the fact that there is far less risk of you being seen, if they are facing away from you."
Ruby pouts, lowering her head in shame. "I made sure I was invisible..."
Hugging her closer, Rhino reaches out a hoof and brings Gel into the embrace as well. "Just things to note, sweetie. Risks are things we balance with every action, so it is important to know as many as possible in order to make the best one."
"I... I see..." She sighs, gently nuzzling his cheek. "Thank you for the advice, dad. I'll do my best to remember it."
"Good girl, you're making us very proud." He squeezes both of his girls lovingly, his emotion easily felt by both of them.
"I'm glad. Now," she pecks his cheek and reluctantly pulls away, "I should get to bed... we've got a busy day ahead of us, right?"
He nods. "Have you decided where you want to sleep? Our offer is still open."
She sheepishly smiles at him. "I-I'm fine, daddy. I don't want to intrude on your, um... relaxation time." Before anything else can be said, she's partway out of the small room. "I'll just... take Volt's room when he takes his shift. Night!" She closes the flap, leaving her parents alone together.
Rhino sighs deeply, a bit of sadness working its way onto his face. "I remember when she liked sleeping in our bed with us..."
Gel gently nuzzles him, smiling warmly. "It'll be fine, love. She's still our little filly... she's probably just embarrassed by those thoughts from before. I'm sure she'll work it out of her system, eventually."
"I suppose..." He lays back down on the mattress. "At least the twins are still at the age where they enjoy family cuddle time."
"True..." She smirks coyly, gently nibbling his shoulder. "Still, I know you love these moments alone..."
"Well, you've got me there." He smiles once more before leaning up and meeting her lips with his own.
On the other side of the flap, Ruby lays by the firepit, the flames now simply embers casting a soft glow around the room. She sighs quietly, resting her head on her forelegs as she stares into the ashes. The pillows beneath her provide some comfort, but the love and contentedness in the air around her, ironically enough, make her feel a bit lonely.
Suddenly the entrance to the tent pulls open, snapping her out of her thoughts. The burgundy pegasus steps inside, turning around and quickly zipping the entrance closed. He walks over to the fire, reaching to the ceiling above it and pulling a decent sized emerald etched with runes out of a hidden fold. Giving the gem a sharp tap with a hoof, the pegasus places it back in it's spot as it starts to glow. A shimmering wave radiates out from the jewel along the fabric of the tent. It only lasts for a moment, and the only noticeable difference from before he did this is the faint glow coming from the now exposed gem.
The stallion turns to the young pony, smiling softly. "Hey, Pinchy. Didn't expect you to be up this late..."
He trails off at the glare she gives him, though it's strength is diminished by the cute pout on her face. She groans, laying her head back down. "I thought that nickname had been forgotten, by now."
"How could I forget it?" He chuckles, striding over to the other side of the tent. "You practically begged me to call you that when you were younger." He stops, looking at one flap, then the other, before turning to the filly, eyes questioning.
Ruby blushes profusely and points to the one of the left, immediately averting her gaze afterwards. "You were my teacher. It... it was something childish, just for fun..."
"It was only three years ago, and you brightened up each time I called you that. It wouldn't have helped if I were to punish you, but it never came to that." He points this out as he draws the curtain back, revealing the dozing green unicorn. "You were the only student I did that for, though..." He shakes his head and taps the other stallion's temple with a metal-clad hoof. "Wake up. It's your turn for the graveyard shift, Volt."
With a groan, the electric stallion opens his eyes, muttering. "I suppose I should make a comment about 'feeling like death' but I really don't want to at the moment." Standing up, he shuffles out of the subsection and over to the door, sitting down and putting an ear to the door. "Nothing like the boring inside of a tent to stare at for a few hours..."
Ruby rolls her eyes, prodding the back of his head with a silver bit in her green aura. "Hey, you can find plenty of quiet ways to entertain yourself." The way she stresses that word makes it seem like she's warning him, but she doesn't expand on that thought, dropping the coin on the tip of his snout, instead.
"That's not too hard." Enigma pulls back the bedsheets, chuckling softly. "I just do physics problems in my head. They're entertaining and don't really distract me..." He trails off, seeing the looks he's getting. "What? You know how much I like it."
Not commenting on that, Volt instead turns his attention to the bit. "Well, I think I can entertain myself with this." His horn light's up in a light blue aura, sending a small amount of electricity arcing into the metal coin. Rotating it in his hoof, he watches as the charge starts to dance around on it's surface.
The pink pony stares in awe, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Wow! That's so pretty!"
The burgundy pegasus shrugs and pulls the covers up to his neck. "Whatever floats your boat. Pinchy, would you kindly draw the flap for me? If Shock Jockey over there's to be believed, I don't want to wake anyone with my snoring."
Volt interjects. "Hey, I never said you were the only one, I just said you were definitely one." He flips the coin, the arc going straight through from one side to the other repeatedly, but never going into his hoof due to it being his natural element.
Ruby, glancing from one stallion to the other, stays still by the fire, unable to decide. At least, before the lightning struck outside. She tenses briefly, fighting the urge to run and hug someone out of fear. She takes a deep breath and steps inside the section, closing the divider behind her.
The stallion looks up at her from where he lay, surprised. "I... didn't expect you to be on the inside, Pinchy." He covers his mouth quickly. "Oh, right, you don't want to be called that..."
She slowly moves forward, softly blushing. "I... I don't mind, if it's just the two of us..." She stops at the edge of the bed, raising a hoof on top of the soft comforter. "Can... can I sleep with you, tonight? I... I don't want to bother my parents or aunts... and I don't really know Atom all that well..."
He props himself up on an elbow, chuckling softly. "Yet it's that mystique that led to your crush on him?" He smirks at her shocked expression. "You hid it well, but... your actions speak louder than you think. Even the little ones most would miss. Enough about that, though." He pulls back the sheets, patting the empty space. "If it'll help with your fear, I'll let you stay." He holds up a hoof, frowning softly. "No funny business, though. You're still too young for that."
She grimaces, turning to the side and muttering to herself. "Trust me, I don't even want to think about that..." The pink pony shakes her head and climbs into the bed, facing away and pressing back against his warm chest. She smiles softly as he drapes his foreleg over her side, closing her eyes and slowly drifting off, the warmth of the love from the other sections filling the air around her.