Several games of Weather Patrol later Cole was on a winning streak 10 to 0. Rainbow finally beat him and then the games got more and more intense as the day went on. At one point Twilight and Fluttershy sat there gazing at the epic battle that ensued and they lost track of time. Their other friends came in and watched the spectacle go on and on. They finished their 20th game and pinkie spoke up.
“Wow Cole I didn’t think anyone could beat-“
“AGAIN!” Yelled Rainbow.
“Your on!” Said Cole.
They both ignored the pink pony and they started playing another intense game of Weather Patrol. They were sitting on Rainbow’s bed because Cole couldn’t exactly move Rainbow to his. He still had his light armor only this time he had gauntlets and boots because of that scout. The five on looker’s mouths were at gape as Cole and Rainbow shouted their moves to each other. Then the nurse came in and saw the spectacle and ignored the fact Cole was out of his bed.
“Hey dinner time for Cole and Dash!”
“Thanks!” Cole and Dash said in unison as they never left each other’s gaze.
They took the food and quickly began to eat. Cole didn’t care if it wasn’t designed for him; he just wanted to play this game with Rainbow. No one has ever given him such a challenge before. They wolfed down the food given to them and went back to the game. The five ponies stared a little longer then Rarity realized the time.
“OH GOODNESS HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN!”
“What? Oh yea I have to get back to work!” Said Twilight.
“Ya’ll go on I’ll stay a bit longer to watch this.” Said Applejack.
Fluttershy whispered something and pinkie said goodbye as loud as she could. Leaving Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Cole to stay in the stressful atmosphere of the room. After a few minutes Applejack leaves and they were alone again.
“All right now time for bed.” Said the doctor.
“What? No it’s not we still have the rest of the-“ Rainbow takes a look outside and notices Luna’s moon was coming up. “Night?”
“Oh wow were we having fun?” Said Cole.
“I guess so. But you’re still beating me! Well I need three more games to tie you! We’ll continue in the morning!”
“Sure thing! Looking forward to it!”
Cole teleports to his bed. They both fall asleep before the light is even turned off. The doctor stayed to watch what just happened then continued to leave the room and put the rest of the patients to sleep.
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Cole had a dream about the day’s events he wanted to play that game with Rainbow more than anything because she was giving him a challenge. While asleep the swarm converted some of the plates into hives; this allowed Cole to hold more Swarm and with this new space the converted material became swarm too. The boots he had on weren’t thick, but that was changed because of this new material gained through converting some of the plates and some of his lunch. All Cole needed now was a helmet and his light nano Ranger armor would be complete. Cole’s dream was similar to his day. Only it mixed between the events. He was sitting next to Rainbow Dash and they were commanding the original game of battleship he had installed in the nanoware. Rainbow was commanding clouds while Cole was commanding the Trinities fleet. The dream was very interesting since the clouds were able to take down his frigates and cruisers. Though she commanded cosmic storms and asteroid fields while Cole had to manage his fleet in real time while they were all scattered across the battlefield. Which was twenty times larger than the original game he played with her. If anything it was almost like the real deal. Cole found her capital ship. It took the form of Rainbow Dash herself. The obvious thing to do was to destroy her and the game would be over. But Cole will let her win so he doesn’t make her too mad. He didn’t want to ruin his relationship with Rainbow so he let her have her way for now. She won through Cole’s generosity. Just like how she did during her Weather Patrol game.
“Come on! You wanna win don’t ya?” Said Rainbow.
“Well yea and I’m trying!”
“No you’re not! You had me! And you let me go! Come on get in the game!”
With that Cole started trying again. He quickly was able to avoid her asteroids and even the mighty black hole. Cole sent his fighters and bombers to distract everything on her side while sending his fleet ships to her Capital. The game was over quick. Then Cole looks back at Rainbow who should be to his right. But she wasn’t there. The room was dark. The game was over. And he could see—light. A portal opened on the other side of the ended game and he could see the bridge of the Trinity intact. His excitement was indescribable. He rushed over and before he could go he was stopped by what felt like hooves wrapped around his leg.
“A-are you leaving?” Said the Rainbow pony.
“Y-yea why?”
“But I’ll miss you!”
“And I’ll miss you. But I must go back to my home.”
“There is no home there for you Cole! The Trinity is gone and you will walk right into space!” The Pegasus was now crying. Cole looks back at the portal and sees the wreckage of the Trinity. Floating around without oxygen in any deck and he realized Rainbow was right. If he were to set out there he would have died because of the lack of air pressure and oxygen. He wouldn’t even be able to be saved. Not a single Kremlin ship or even Alliance ship in light years. He turns back to Rainbow Dash.
“All right…I’ll stay with you.”
“Y-you will?”
“Yea…I won’t let anything happen to you.” He pulls her in for a hug. She embraces him. Then darkness.
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Cole wakes up in the hospital room with the doctor at his side.
“Mr. Cole. We looked over you’re x-rays and we found nothing that could possibly harm your body…Except this.” He points to the memory storage devices that have been imbedded next to his bone under the muscle in his body.
“Oh doctor I need that. It may not look like it but it helps me survive.”
“It what?”
“Yea…Well not really survive but it holds my ability to create those orbs and create these cloths. So that’s necessary for me to be able to lift stuff.”
“Oh so there not any health risk to you?”
“No there supposed to be there. And thank you for showing me that before you tried to operate. Oh hold on I need to know. Do I have to pay?”
“No Twilight Sparkle messaged the princess about you and she sent funds to the hospital so that she can pay for your recovery. Remarkably enough you had many broken bones and you seem to be fully healed. Is it natural for humans to heal this fast?”
“No it’s not. It’s actually because of the implants I’ve been given that I healed so fast. You know that orb that you saw I controlled?” He nods his head. “Well that orb contained little machines that stitched my body up. They put fractured bones back where they belonged and even made more bone so anything that was too far from its original location was rebuilt.”
“Fascinating! Can you tell me how to make some of them on my own? This technology will offer us a breakthrough in medical science!”
“Sorry even if I did tell you how to make them you wouldn’t have the technology to do it anyway. Getting the answers from me at this point in time and with your technology is—well a waste in time itself.”
“Well all right. But can you at least give me a few hints?”
“I did doctor. Very small machines that fix your body. Very difficult to make without the right tech.”
“But you seem to be carrying it around with you now.”
“Doctor the implants I have will cause the most intense pain you ever will feel in your life. There are people who come out of the surgery I’ve been through in a body bag.”
“Oh…When you put it that way it sounds very dangerous. Is there any way you can use that technology to help other ponies without having the implants? Like allow you to heal them?”
“No it’s all for me. If I were to try to place my machines in another person it will be exactly like getting the implants themselves. They could possibly die. There is debate that there is a more likely chance they would die if I do it myself rather than using the right equipment for it.”
“So why did you do it in the first place?”
“I’ll tell you but you have to keep quite about it.”
“Ok.” The doctor leans in to listen to what Cole is about to say.
“I did it to protect people. I’m a warrior. I fight for the free man and the free people. I’ve devoted my life to save lives at the cost of my own. I don’t want people to know what I am. A strange creature claiming to be a warrior from another dimension isn’t exactly what you tell people to make friends. See where I’m coming from?” Cole said in a whisper.
“Oh I perfectly understand. I will keep this information from anyone who asks.”
“Thank you doctor.” Cole looks over to Rainbow’s bed. She isn’t there. “Hey where did Rainbow go?”
“Oh she was checked out of the hospital.”
“I can leave right?”
“Yes you can. Have a good day Mr. Cole. Oh and here are your cloths.” The doctor pulls out Cole’s uniform and hands it to him.
“Thanks doc.” Cole rushes out.
When he leaves the hospital he waves to Red Heart on his way out and he looks around. He sees Fluttershy wheeling Rainbow Dash down the sidewalk. Rainbow keeps looking over her shoulder back at the hospital. She then notices Cole coming toward them.
“Hey Fluttershy hold up! Is that Cole?”
“Oh it is! I wonder what he wants.” Fluttershy asks. Obviously not looking for an answer.
Cole found the Swarm had the ability to do an impulse jump. So he does the logical thing and abuses the fuck out of it. He leaps into the air toward the ponies and they scream. He lands just in front of them with his left foot first then goes down onto his right knee and punches the ground. The most dramatic and bad ass impulse jump ever conceived was made today.
“Sup girls!”
“Umm hi Cole.” Said Rainbow.
“Where you headed?”
“Back to my place. I am out of the hospital and I need to still rest until my wing is fully healed.”
“All right. I’ll come with you. I have no where else to go anyway.”
“Hey what about your medical bill?”
“I guess your princess paid for it. Nice lady I guess.”
“She is pretty generous. So yea what are you doing out? I though you were still hurt.”
“I wasn’t hurt for a few day Dash. The doctors just didn’t know what to make of my body. They thought I was damaged but I heal fast because of the swarm.”
“Swarm?”
“Oh right that’s how I can teleport and jump really high and stuff. The swarm is the nickname for the very scientific sciency stuff inside me that gives me powers. Almost like magic only it’s a machine.”
“Machines can’t do magic.”
“Nope. Mine only looks like it can.”
“So you weren’t using magic back then?”
“No. Magic can’t make orbs in the sky that I can see with.” They were traveling to Rainbow’s place while they were talking. Cole notices that Fluttershy was the one pushing the wheel chair and couldn’t help but be nice. “Hey umm. Actually did you tell me your name?”
“Oh! I-I’m sorry I don’t think I did. Please don’t be mad I forgot and-“
“Stop! It’s ok. Me and Pinkie pie were talking to each other a bit much. I don’t think I know anyone else other than Twilight, Rainbow, and a nurse.”
“Oh ok well my names Fluttershy.”
“Hey Fluttershy. I’ll push Rainbow. You just lead the way.”
“Oh no I can’t let you do that! I can don’t you worry.”
“No Fluttershy I insist. I can’t be seen not helping people! Or ponies in this case. I’ve got an image to maintain as a gentleman.”
“Oh umm ok then.” Fluttershy lets Cole push Rainbow. “Umm. Cole?”
“Yes Fluttershy?”
“Do you have a place to stay?”
“Nope.”
“You can stay with me. If you don’t mind.”
“Well I would like to walk around first and see if I can get myself a job. I don’t have money so I won’t be any real use to you.”
“I don’t mind if you don’t pay.”
“Are you kidding? If I don’t pay you I’ll feel like a free loader! I will earn my own money and help out if I decide to stay with you.”
“Hey Cole you can stay with me if you want.” Said Rainbow with a smile. Only to quickly lose it at the realization that he can’t fly. “Oh never mind.”
“Never mind? Why sudden change?”
“You have to fly.”
“I don’t think that’s a problem.”
“It’s not?”
“Nope.”
“Oh Cole what kind of animals do you have in your world?” Said Fluttershy.
They spoke for several minutes about animals and Rainbow chimed in from time to time. He told her the best he could about the vicious creatures he once had to fight and even run from in the past. He told her of other creatures from old Earth but could barely name a few more. Being in space a long time makes it difficult for one to remember the natural world.
“Oh Cole we’re here.” Said Rainbow.
They look up and see the cloud home. Rainbow gets out of the wheel chair.
“Wait are you telling me you could walk the whole time?”
“Yea but I didn’t want to ruin it for you.” She gave him a wide smile. Cole had a light blush then facepalmed.
“Ok…Wait how will you get up there?”
“Oh yea…Forgot about that. Umm Twilight has a blimp so maybe I can ask her for a ride.”
“uh. No need I can get you up there.”
“Y-you can?”
“You saw me jump right?”
“Oh yea you can! All right I’ll just-“ Cole picks her up. “WAIT WHAT AR-“ He jumps high into the air and tries to land on the cloud. He hits the cloud only he falls through and Rainbow stays on the cloud. “COLE? ARE YOU OK?”
“Yea!” Cole was lying on his back. “Hey Fluttershy what happened?” He knew that he couldn’t go on clouds but he still wanted to stay clueless.
“Well you see…Umm only something with wings can go on clouds.”
“Huh? Oh ok that seems simple.”
“How so?” Said Fluttershy raising an eyebrow.
Cole ignored her and he started to dissolve his plate armor and left the fabric. Then the Swarm converged on his back and started to make bat wings with a light blue color to them.
“See I can fly too. Now all I need to do is-“
“WHOA HOW’D YOU DO THAT?” Yelled Rainbow from the edge of her cloud home.
“WITH MY AWESOME!” Responded Cole.
Cole started to flap his wings and ascend to Rainbow Dash up in the sky. He flew over the edge of the cloud home and gently tried to touch down. He didn’t fall through this time.
“Wow that was easy. So you still think I can stay at your place?”
“Sure I don’t mind. Though we’re going to need another bed.”
“Can’t we share?” Cole smiled. Rainbow blushed.
“N-No! Well I don’t…No we can’t!”
“Oh is your bed to small?”
“No but I don’t really want to sleep next to you.”
“Oh yea ponies like space! Ok.”
“ehhem.” Fluttershy overheard the conversation. She and Rainbow had a blush.
“Sup Fluttershy! I guess I’m staying with Rainbow for now.”
“Oh I don’t mind. Sorry if I…Umm interrupted anything.”
“Naw its all good.”
“Fluttershy it’s not what it sounds like.” Said Rainbow.
“I-I didn’t think that! I-I’m sorry.” Fluttershy said in the most helpless of ways.
“Dawwwwww. Rainbow she’s so cute!” Said Cole adding to the awkwardness. “Anyway I’m going to go to the forest and convert some more matter for my swarm. I’ll be back later then we’ll discus were I’ll sleep ok?”
“Umm sure see ya.” Said Rainbow.
With that Cole flew off. At first he went at a slow glide to the ground then he got faster and used the impulse to fly without really trying. Cole got to the edge of the forest and started converting the bark on a tree. It took several minutes but his swarm was able to take it and he put plate armor back on his body. Then he created boots and gauntlets again. But now he was too heavy to fly properly so he created a backpack that allowed him to hold not only more of the warm but also a small impulse engine so he can fly at speeds. Then there was the problem of too much power so his wings will fall apart. He condensed them and made it so they looked like the wings of a jet plane. He was now a jump jet nano ranger. Last was the helmet which he made so it could hug his face while leaving glass to allow him to see out of his peripheral vision without being hindered by the frame. It wrapped around his head nicely and attached to the main body. This completely closed him in from the outside world. He was now ready to face anything and after he consumed the rest of the tree for the swarm he started to head back to Rainbow’s cloud home. He did a jump then used his impulse engine to stabilize his flight pattern and he flew off at a good pace back to Rainbow.
“WHOA! What are you wearing?” Said Rainbow surprised. Fluttershy left after making sure she was ok.
“Oh I’m fully equipped to face just about anything! I’m at my full potential so I can do…Anything I feel like actually.”
“Hey I was thinking about that offer you made…You can sleep in my bed. I’ll go on a cloud or something.”
“What? No I couldn’t kick you out of your own room!”
“Well-umm-I don’t know were else to put you then!”
“It’s ok I’ll find a cloud. I’ve slept on the ground for days before so you don’t need to worry about me.”
“Wait when was that?”
“I had to hunt down a very dangerous creature before.”
“Hunt? Oh please tell me you didn’t eat it.”
“Why would I eat it? It was extremely poisonous!”
“Sure…Anyway want to play another round?” Cole stopped for a moment. Then he dissolved his helmet and armor plates.
“Your on!”