//------------------------------// // Chapter XIX: Reprimands and Reunion // Story: Linkin Pony Recharge: Chasing the Sun // by Kaciekk //------------------------------// Body aching from sleeping on the ground, I trekked to my next labor. My eyes were heavy and I felt like I was going to faint. Long shadows cast from the dim morning light. I was cold to the bone. Oh, coffee would be so wonderful right now, or at least some tea. GearClank was the pony who escorted us. He sauntered slowly. His yellow eyes struck me. “So, you colts are part of the Resistance.” “Y-yes,” I hesitated. “What are you doing in my territory?” “We-we’re on a mission,” I gulped. “What kind of mission?” The olive green stallion interrogated. “Um,” I was shaky, “Just a… a normal mission.” “What’s a ‘normal’ mission for you?” JumpingJolt butted in. “Hey! What gives you the right to ask all of these questions?” GearClank glared. “Because you are in my camp. And since you are, you will do what I say.” “Fine, you can ask questions, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to answer them.” Jolt refuted. Turning to me, GearClank continued, “So, what is a normal mission for you?” “Um... like… going after Hybrids.” “Are you from Haythorn?” “Yes we are!” JumpingJolt concluded falsely before I could even process a single syllable. There was a pause. GearClank must have been thinking of more questions to ask. “Are you out here alone or were you with other ponies?” Jolt said, “We were with our dads, but we kinda got split after we were searching for Hybrids.” “Hmm, they are stupid to do so.” “What? Our dads are not stupid!” Jolt defended. “It seems like a stupid thing to let two colts on their own in the wastelands,” The Pegasus clarified his thoughts. “They aren’t stupid! How can you even say that if you haven’t met them!?” “I’m allowed to judge anypony how I like.” The olive green pegasus picked up with the interview. “So, you dads truly trust you to be on your own? Do you trust them?” “Why do you keep asking questions?” Jolt barked. “Why can’t we ask anything?” “Fine,” GearClank snarled. “Ask me a question.” He glared at me. My mind went dead. “Um… how are you doing?” JumpingJolt face-hoofed. “You are pathetic,” The stallion scoffed. “H-how?” My voice cracked from fear. “You are a colt, foolish enough to think it’s was okay to go out on your own. Thinking you can boss me around.” “I… I’m not-” “Well, your friend is.” He eyed the Earth-pony. “I’ll let you know something. As long as you are in my camp, you take my orders.” The way he put emphasis on ‘my’ made me believe he is the leader of the camp. I can not understand why he would be so possessive of it. “Now get your asses moving,” GearClank said harshly. Using a wing, he shoved my hindquarters. I stumbled forward. A small crowd of ponies shuffled about. We joined them unwillingly. They were fixing structures of walls. Pipes were all unorganized. I guessed the walls held the pipes. GearClank watched us from the side. I heard a clanking sound that followed the pattern of hoof steps. The image of my father came into my mind. I was greatly disappointed. An amputee pony, but not Dad, came up to me. He seemed to shiver under his white coat. Speaking hesitantly he said “We need… ponies to help restore the walls and pipes.” He acknowledged me. “You would be at great service.” His eyes quickly darted past my left shoulder, where GearClank was. Was this pony afraid of GearClank? I know I am. Obediently I did everything everypony ordered. Working slower than the other ponies, I was scolded. JumpingJolt had trouble using his forelegs, for he didn’t have both of his backlegs for balance. “Why don’t you use your magic?” A mare protested at me. I attempted my magic, but only saw one little spark. “Come on! Pick up that pipe!” Again, my brow muscles furrowing together, a small flicker. “Ugh!” The mare groaned. “What the hell is wrong with you? Use your fucking magic! You’re a Unicorn for fuck’s sake!” Her cursing pinched at my heart. My knees became shaky and I held my breath. “I… I can’t.” “You what?” “I can’t use magic!” I blurted out. “Then get out of here!” She smacked the back of my neck. I scurried backwards, towards JumpingJolt. I bumped into the amputee pony. “If you can’t use magic, maybe… Arcane can help you. He-he knows about magic.” The white stallion suggested. “Who’s that?” “Come, come. I’ll show you.” Attending the pony, I studied his mechanical leg. It was made of some silver metal material and heavy fabric that covered over his skin. “Is that an EPD?” I asked. “A what?” “An Energy Power Device,” I elaborated. “Um,” He lifted his leg, “It is powered by energy.” I assumed since he didn’t know what an EPD is, it probably did not shoot out energy. I remained silence, and felt naive. We arrived at a small building where curtains replaced a door. “Arcane?” The amputee pony requested, poking his head in. Following that, a stallion popped out of the curtains. “Yes?” replied a light indigo Unicorn. I was intrigued by his lighter splotches of fur on his coat. “What is it?” “This one,” said my director, “Has trouble with using magic.” “Oh,” The Unicorn rubbed his scruffy chin, “I could help with that!” The young white stallion stepped back as this other buck stepped forward. He examined me. “What seems to be the problem, young fella?” “I, um…” I was a bit flustered. “Why do you have problems with your magic? Are you tired? Have you not eaten? Are you too pressured?” My eyes zoned out. “Just tell ol’ Arcane here, and I’ll fix the problem!” “I just can’t use magic,” I finally said, ashamed. Arcane was puzzled. “Why not?” “I… I never have been able to use magic. It’s weak. And I seem to be incapable of learning. These ponies are telling me to use magic but I can’t.” “Hmm,” Arcane squinted his eyes. “Maybe I could give you some magic aid potion. It will make your magic quite stronger. Come in,” He beckoned. He turned to a shelf piled with bottles. Liquids of all different colors gleamed in the shafted light from a lamp. A purple aura levitated a small, pale pink elixir. “This here,” He explained, “Is magic aid. Drink just a small bit. It will increase your magical ability.” “Is it safe?” I quizzed. “Oh indeed. There is another pony I make it for in this camp. She has to use her magic so much, that she gets exhausted.” “So this gives you energy?” I watched my mouth move in a reflection off the bottle. “That is what magic is made of, indeed? But this is not to be used as an energy boost. It is specifically for magic. If you ever need more, I will give you some.” “I don’t have to pay?” Why the heck did I ask that? “Your work around the camp is return enough.” I walked away. I sat down to take a small sip from the potion. It tasted strange, but almost comprised of flavors I have tasted before. I placed it in my bag. When I returned to my chores, my magic at last picked up. I levitated things into place without any headache. Nopony had to force me to do labor(they would if I stopped). JumpingJolt glared at me, befuddled. “How are you doing that?” “What?” I lifted a pipe, encased in a transparent orange sheath. “My magic? This guy gave me some potion to make my magic stronger!” Jolt did not share my enthusiasm. “Are you sure you should be using it?” “He said it was safe. And now I don’t have rogues on my back all the time.” It was past midday, and I was exceeding at magic. My power had begun to lag when the potion wore off, so I had to go to my bags to get another swig. By now the work did not even feel like work. It was fun. I enjoyed having the feeling of being able to accomplish the task I’ve been waiting to do for so long. JumpingJolt disapproved of my excitement. I told him he was just bummed out because he hurt his leg. My magic died down again. I probably shouldn’t have to use magic for everything, but that thought zoomed over my head when I hurried back to my bags. Crossing the dirt road, I heard a holler: “GentleSketch!” A voice so familiar I could recognize it through vibrations in my veins. I turned to see the yellow stallion staring at me. Brown eyes were full of desperation and hope. We galloped to each other and he scooped me up. Squeezed, my cheek smashed against his chest. My arms were crushed by his strong, endearing embrace. “HyperBlitz…” I choked up, halfway muffled. His fur was warm and his hold was loving. His voice coughed out with emotion, “Oh, GentleSketch. I’m so glad you’re okay. I’m so happy to see you.” Hyper pushed back. His eyes were misty. So were mine. “We’ve been looking for you guys for so long. I was so worried. I-” He couldn’t say anything else, so he just hugged me again. “Uncle Hyper, I’m happy to see you too.” For a moment, I believed he was my legit uncle. “You’re okay. You’re alive. You’re here,” The Pegasus listed. His face wandered. “Where’s JumpingJolt?” “He was working for some rogues.” “Oh thank goodness you two stayed together.” I started back to the workplace, HyperBlitz following. “Where is my dad?” I asked. “They wouldn’t let both of us go on our own,” He explained. “Those damn rogues… I asked if two colts have came in, they said yes, so I had to look for you guys.” I saw my orange friend. “JumpingJolt!” I called but Hyper’s voice overpowered my shout. The colt turned, wide eyed. He sprang up and darted to his father. Hyper squeezed him just the same as me. JumpingJolt accepted the smothering hug with a huge smile. When HyperBlitz let go, his son stumbled. “JumpingJolt, are you okay?” “Ye-ah, I’m fine.” The Earth-pony placed his forehooves down. “JumpingJolt, you’re limping.” “I kinda pulled it. They haven’t let me rest.” “They’ve been making you work?” Hyper expressed, baffled. Jolt nodded. “No, no, no! You need to rest, and keep your leg elevated. You shouldn’t be moving around. Don’t those rogues know a damn thing?” “They don’t care about us,” I told. “Well, I do,” Hyper insisted. He changed the subject. “C’mon! I need to get you to CharmingRhythm.” “But what if they don’t let us?” I feared. “Fuck them!” We trekked alongside HyperBlitz. The Pegasus had a wing around his son. All of this did not seem real .Was this a dream? I remembered waking up. There was a start to the day. Dreams randomly throw you into a storyline with no beginning. I judged this was reality. I spotted my father standing around with some rogues. I was eager to see him. It was an excitement that built up, and was not as sudden as when I saw HyperBlitz. “CharmingRhythm!” Hyper requested him. The Unicorn laid eyes on us, specifically me. He raced over and grabbed me. Dad embraced me just as loving, but not as harsh, as HyperBlitz. His chin rested on my shoulder and my head fell into his arm. He stroked my back with one hoof and patted the back of my head with another. I felt at ease, soothed. I became sleepy, like a foal ready for bedtime. Dad placed me far enough so his eyes could focus on me. His mouth quivered as if he wanted to say something. He could not express his emotions verbally, as is expected for my father. Tilting his head, he situated his horn next to mine. The grayish blue stallion wiped a tear from my face and smiled weakly. “GentleSketch, I… I,” He was still lost for words. Dad sought a distraction from his failure at speaking. He saw JumpingJolt and went to hug him. That hug was not as long and meaningful as mine, for Dad had invested all his emotions on me. “I’m sorry CharmingRhythm,” Jolt lamented. “Why?” “Because I’m the reason we are here. I got lost and didn’t listen to GentleSketch.” “Are you mad at us?” I queried nervously. “Mad?” Dad said, twisting his head. “I’m more relieved than I am mad. Do you know how hard we searched for you. How desperate we were to see you again?” “I was going crazy,” HyperBlitz added. “Rhythm tried calming down but It didn’t work.” “I’m sorry we caused you so much trouble,” I mumbled. “Don’t apologize,” Hyper insisted. “I think this would have happened anyway- us getting caught by rogues.” “You see,” Dad begun, “We went to Haythorn- maybe to see if you were there, and we needed to stay the night. The ponies said that rogues have captured ponies from the town.” “So we can find them and bust them out of here!” Hyper concluded. “Hey, you lazyasses!” A rogue shouted. “Stop standing around. We need assistance!” HyperBlitz rolled his eyes “Ugh, fine. Come on JJ, I need to have a word with them anyway.” The father and son duo went along. I was left with Dad. When I leaned my head on his shoulder I said, “I missed you a lot, Dad. I tried to take control, but it was too much. I got really upset, and I cried a lot of course,” I said that murmously. “You weren’t the only one crying,” Dad informed. “You?” He shook his head. Staring at his friend who was arguing with rogues, Dad stated, “HyperBlitz. He was really freaking out and getting emotional. He always had unstable emotions after all.” “What do you mean by ‘unstable’?” I pondered. “He can’t control his emotions. Whether he’s happy, sad, angry, he’s exaggerated, overly expressive.” “I guess that’s why they call him Hyper?” Dad smirk a little. “Yeah.” He rubbed my back.