(23) Burying Bones
CHAPTER THE TWENTY-THIRD
BURYING BONES
The bandages came off easily enough, revealing the results of several days worth of treatments.
I barely noticed.
"Not bad," Doctor Triage muttered to himself as he brushed a hoof across a newly-exposed section of my chest. "Skin's healed up nicely, and the fur's already growing back. Remarkable. Diamond dogs are quite resilient, yes? Quite an interesting bone structure. The marrow is much denser, resulting in a heavier mass...and yet somehow thrice as many times durable as an earth pony bone. Perhaps something to do with a high-metal diet, yes? There we are..."
I blankly nodded from where I was propped up in the bed, arms still bound to the sides. My chest looked very smooth and pale underneath all that fur. A small coating of silky hairs was beginning to cover what had been burned away. I was somewhat unnerved to discover that I seemed to have two extra pairs of nipples. The lack of fur covering myself had revealed them at regular intervals down my chest. I felt strangely embarrassed about that, although nothing was ever said about it.
Triage was a pale yellow earth pony. He had no mane that I could see, as the top of his head was covered in a surgical bandanna emblazoned with a red cross. And somehow, he was extremely adept with his hooves, despite an obvious lack of fingers.
"...Well, everything checks out fine so far," Triage was saying. "Tomorrow, I'll be coming back to get those tanks off you," he said, jerking his head at the tubes. "Try to take it easy, you might have strong bones, but they are by no means fireproof, of all things." He snorted. "The regrowth solution was put to the test, my furry friend. Bones are hard to regenerate, so you should be feeling very weak until treatments are done." With that, the good doctor left the infirmary.
I glance down at the tanks, and the warped appendages contained within.
We had to remove them. My mind is still having trouble wrapping itself around it.
What do I do now?
...
I need to do SOMETHING.
My thought process blanks. My subconscious takes the helm.
I hunched myself over and furiously began to bite through the metal holding me down. The weird, bread-like taste filled my mouth as I wrenched a good chunk away and chewed it to pieces, the metal somehow softening in my mouth to a manageable texture. I swallowed it hungrily. Be it some biological adaptation or magic, I wasn't complaining.
Ginger, still sleeping in the bed next to me, stirred.
I paused, counting out the seconds.
She did this to you.
Shut up. You've nobody to blame but yourself. You asked for it.
I shook my head and cleared away the argument. It doesn't matter, anyway.
Once I reached fifteen, her breathing resumed a regular pattern. I grunted to myself and continued gnawing away. Abruptly, my left arm broke free, still encased in its tube. I moved the limb around, wincing as the muscles were used for the first time in days. I held it up to my face for a closer look, peering into the murky blue substance that was contained within.
The burns...too serious...
The flesh from my elbow, down all the way to the tips of my fingers was patchy and mottled. It was heavy scar tissue, looking more the cooling lava one finds pouring from the Hawaiian volcano known as Mauna Loa. I frowned at this. No fur growing back over that. A few attempts at flexing my paw were somewhat fruitful. It still felt very sluggish, but I could move my fingers again, at least.
With a sigh, I continued onto the other arm, freeing that one with more ease than the first. The small meal reminded me how hungry I was. Voracious, even. Hunger was no stranger to me. I could bear it with ease. I had, after all, lived like a hermit, contentedly alone in my rainy city. The rule was - if I didn't need it, I didn't buy it. I was such a practical bastard...
No. What had driven me from rest was the soft hiss of rain coming from outside. Weather has that effect on me. I was consumed by an almost unbearable urge to feel it on my skin, to spatter off my nose and drip off my tail. Being cooped up and bed-ridden had left me feeling dirty.
On top of that, I felt...broken.
I had to do SOMETHING.
A complete success, besides. Full recovery if you play your cards right...
However, I wasn't supposed to be up for another day or so. I had literally been bound to my bed, and if caught up and about, I assumed that I'd be put right back. That was the reason I had to be sly about this. You'll just sneak out, stand in the rain for just a few minutes, and get back in, I thought to myself.
What could possibly go wro-
NO! DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!
Heh-heh. Close one.
You can thank me later.
With catastrophe averted, I swung myself out of bed and settled onto my hind legs. My two other limbs were surrounded with glass tubes, and were unusable for walking. Thankfully, I was no stranger to being bipedal.
I wriggled my toes on the floor and unlocked my rear claws. They sank into the surface with ease, before I sheathed them. At least those work, eh?
There was...some kind of magical reaction...
A window was above my bed. It would do for a suitable escape route. I approached it and awkwardly attempted to unlock it using my mouth, as my fingers were incapacitated. The stubborn lock defied me, however.
Not to be defeated, I determined that I'd have to use my lower digits. Carefully maneuvering myself so that my back was facing the window, I planted my tube-encased forearms on the floor and wearily heaved myself into a handstand, using my legs to walk my lower half up the window until my right paw was in striking distance of the lock. My arms shook from the effort, but held.
With a great deal of concentration the lock finally clicked open. I returned to my rear paws and slowly nudged the window open, casting another wary glance at the sleeping form of Ginger. The sleeping mare rolled over, dead to the world. She breathed something into the mattress, something I couldn't hear. A contented smile came over her face, and one of her rear legs kicked a little. "I missed you, too..."
I gritted my teeth as a surge of guilt knotted my stomach. I left her to enjoy her dream.
She deserves some happiness, at the very least.
Some time later, I found myself sitting on the small hill out behind the barracks. The grass was cool on my fur, and the rain was refreshing as well. It was warm, a real tropical downpour. It went pip-pap-pip across my shoulders, and tink-tonk-tink on the tubes. It sounded like a musical instrument, in its own way.
It was so peaceful out here. It was just me, the ground, and the cloudy sky.
The rain tasted fresh. Pure. Unsullied by taint of any kind. It was a rare thing to enjoy water of this quality where I'd lived before. The city water tasted unpleasantly like metal (as it would taste to a human), and the rain that often fell there had to fall through smog and other fumes. Here? You could probably drink puddle-water straight from a sinkhole in a graveyard and it'd still taste like something melted off a mountain glacier.
I could see nopony outside. The steady rain had driven most indoors, it seemed. I wondered if this storm was natural or pony-produced. Wethoof had a curious relationship with the weather. They lacked enough pegasi to force the local weather to their will, so they usually just shaped what they had, augmenting or weakening incoming wild cloud banks as they saw fit.
In the distance, through the haze of falling water, I could see that the great wall encircling the town had begun to be demolished. The western side had vanished, and I could see an enormous pile of lumber stacked by the northern watchtower. Wethoof was returning to the way it had been. Back when the rainforest grew right to the edge of town, if the glimpses I'd seen in Ginger's memory were accurate.
Curiously, though, I could see more ships than had been here before. Moored to the watchtower at different heights were five ships, now. The two newcomers were smaller than the mighty Benevolent Mercy and her sleek daughters. These were rounder, fatter ships, with ornamented envelopes and no noticeable gunports. Traders, I assumed. With all the valuable lumber suddenly available, it was no surprise that a few enterprising captains had risked the wild southern skies for a rich hold of rainforest wood.
Things were looking up for Wethoof, indeed. The battle would have put this place on the map. Tourists would come to stop and gawk at the skeletons of the hydras, much like how humans pondered over the bones of the dinosaurs, 65 million years dead and yet still capturing imaginations today.
Tink-tonk-tink!
How close I had come to becoming a fossil myself...how very close, indeed.
I shuddered.
The tubes. I glanced down at them again. A well of frustration surged forth. The pale skin within seemed to glow white, such was its contrast to the murky liquid.
I mentally stomped a foot down onto the uprising emotions. No. Keep calm, I remind myself. You haven't earned that right.
The wellspring ignored me. It pushed back, hard. Arriving in Equestria, a new body, the stresses of battle, the strain I'd put myself through to maintain my sanguine facade, and now...this. It all caught up to me, and came to the very edge of blowing the lid right off my mental cap.
A tiny stream spurted out from beneath the foot, so great was the pressure. Just a little. But enough.
CRASH!
Faster than I though possible, my arms swung up, smashing the two glass tubes together in an almighty explosion of glass and liquid.
My paws...my arms...they tingled in the air, with a funny sort of sensation. It was almost painful, how sensitive the skin was. Heavy scarring covered very inch from the elbows down. No fur.
The fingertips were round and smooth. The familiar black nubs of material were gone, as if they never existed.
No claws.
Just...gone.
They looked hideous. I closed my eyes and buried my paws into the soft ground by my sides.
Even the dirt felt funny.
The tide of anger receded back to the depths, back where it belonged. I stuffed it down to the bottom of a black chest and padlock the thing with wrought-iron chains. I'd never come this close before. Ever. A gentleman never loses his temper. Stiff upper lip and all that.
A blip of motion out the corner of my eyes registered through the haze of weather. The air pulsed as a pair of wings flapped again and folded. I didn't need to turn, I realized with some surprise, to need to identify her. The scent was comfortingly familiar. Even her breathing, a tinge raspy but always steady, was recognizable.
"Hey! Glad to see you're finally awake."
Daring Do trotted over next to me and sat down by my side. Wings stretched outwards, catching the downpour on dusky tan feathers that seemed to turn light brown with moisture. I watched as the water pitter-pattered off her pith helmet.
For a good while, we just laid like that, side by side, soaking in the rain. I was in no hurry to do much of anything, and it wasn't like I could carry a conversation at the time.
Daring finally broke the ambiance of the storm. "They're looking for you, you know." She glanced at me with concern.
I nodded.
"You'll come back with me, then?"
I gave another nod.
There was a pause. I watched the stormy clouds for a while, blinking rapidly whenever a drop hit my eyes.
"I've always sort of wondered why you like weather like this so much," she eventually said. "I think I can see it now. This is like washing yourself off, isn't it? Except it's not dirt you're cleaning."
I deeply sighed and nodded again.
"You know, it's funny. About two months ago, I was relaxing in my treehouse, not a care in the world besides which ruin I'm going to hit next. And then you come along...and everything gets turned upside-down. Now, I'm poised to begin the greatest expedition in living memory. Well, except for the Princesses, I guess." She flopped over onto her back, looking up at the sky. "Can you imagine it? We're going to see everything! One last, great adventure. To beat all the others."
I perked my ears up at her, indicating my surprise at this.
She laughed. "Well, yeah. I'm not exactly getting any younger, Echo." She flicked a hoof through her mane, black and silver and...gray. "And this journey is going to take a long, long time. By the time we finish, I figure I'll be too old to do much else. I'll retire somewhere. An island, maybe. Yeah, I could buy an island." She trailed off, lost in thought.
Daring Do...getting old? The notion seems preposterous. And yet, there is some truth. She's been at this for over a decade, after all. Nobody's golden years last forever. I'd never asked her her how old she was (a gentleman never asks, a lady never tells), but for a pony, I'd put her around middle-aged. That doesn't bother me in the slightest, though. I'd always gotten along well the more mature women.
"Can I see them?"
The question was so blunt that I was momentarily confused.
"Your paws. I saw them when you were on the table...well, what was left of them." Daring winced. "And seeing how you've completely destroyed the tanks, why not? Say, how did you get out of the bed, anyway? I thought those things were bolted to the sides."
I gave a halfhearted, wolfish grin to the clouds, flashing my teeth.
She laughed. "Huh, that figures. So, can I see 'em?"
I hesitated, unwilling to show her. "Oh, pfft," she chuckled softly, "I'm no spring filly. I've seen plenty in my days. You've got nothing to be ashamed of. Show me, please."
Very slowly, I pulled my paws out of the ground and held them up. Daring gave a low whistle. I could see her eyes widen in shock at the sight. Abashed, I quickly tucked them to my sides and rolled away. Immediately, a hoof planted itself on my shoulder and rolled me right back over. I looked up into magenta eyes, gazing at me with a flat expression, as if to say, Seriously? You did NOT just do that. You know better. I sheepishly held out my paws again.
The rain, by this time, had cleared away the salve and the dirt. Daring looked at them again, with wide eyes. What I missed, last time, though, is that there was no fear or disgust in them. Only curiosity. "How do they feel?" she asked softly. She pressed one with a hoof. I flinch at the touch, still sensitive, but hold it where it is. I rolled my wrists and deftly clenched a fist. "Better, huh?" She pushed my fingers around, studying how the joints moved and flexed.
I weakly nod, leaning back into the ground and closing my eyes.
"You are a very silly diamond dog, Echo," she finally sighed.
She was right, of course. She's always right.
Remember that, fellas. Women: even when they're wrong...they're still right. Or else.
Daring stood up and shook out her feathers. "Come on. We should get out of the rain. I brought some gems back from the treehouse today. You feeling like some sapphires?" she half-sings it.
My stomach rumbled and I sat up immediately, tail thumping the ground.
"Hah! Let's go, big guy."
"Om-nom-nom!"
I stuffed another pawful of gems into my mouth, furiously crunching and tasting and trying to swallow, all at the same time. I constantly kept choking, I was eating so fast, but I didn't really care at that point, so great was my hunger.
"And where exactly did you find him?" Ginger asked, reiterating the question running through the minds of everypony present in the infirmary.
Daring shrugged. "Out back. Enjoying the weather."
"But it's raining."
I stupidly grinned from where I was sitting on my cot, and point a finger in the air. Exactly! A couple half-chewed sapphires fell out of my mouth, which I awkwardly stuffed back where they belong.
Captain Tythus rubbed his face with a hoof. "We had several teams covering the entire town, and he was behind the barracks the whole time?"
"Apparently," Ginger muttered. She's been cleared of her own bandages, and is set to leave the infirmary.
Doctor Triage looks extremely miffed. "It's a good thing you brought him back, Miss Do. We can't finish treatments without a patient. Very...expensive...treatments. With expensive equipment." He pointedly glared at me.
I gave him the finger, and continue to contentedly eat.
"Don't think he wants it, Doc," said Daring.
I nodded vigorously.
"Wha...? But..." Triage sputtered. "I cannot allow this! As a medical officer, it is my duty to care for the wounded Guard!"
"Echo's not in the Guard anymore. His debt's been paid." Tythus gave me a wink. "If he wants to abandon treatment, that's his choice."
I returned his wink. "But before you leave, I have a few things to debrief you on. I'll be in my office. You'll be free to leave Wethoof on the morrow, pending some paperwork. Triage, if you'll come with me, I believe your services are needed elsewhere." The captain struck a crisp salute and trotted out. Triage grumbled something under his breath and followed him.
Ginger awkwardly stomped her hooves on the ground in the silence that follows. "So..." she began. "There's...a, um...service. Tonight. A memorial. At the western wall. Er, where it used to be. I'll be in it. So..." she trailed off.
Daring grinned at her maliciously. "What was that, sweetie? Sorry, can't hear you over the sound of poor social skills."
Ginger scowled.
I seized into a fit of silent snickering.
"WouldyoupleasecomewithmeIcan'tdothisalone!" It came out in a single blurt. Ginger actually looked ashamed that she said it.
Daring glanced over at me. I gave her two thumbs up, then look down at my paws and wince, before putting them behind my back.
"Anything for a friend," Daring said as she turns back to the mare.
Ginger looked taken aback for a moment, then nodded in confirmation, accompanied by a nervous swallow. Without another word, she left.
Daring made to leave as well. "You should go and see the captain, now. I'll be getting some things together at the inn. Head over when everything is wrapped up here, 'mkay?"
I nodded again and glance down to stuff another pawful of sapphires into my mouth. So good! When I look up again, she's right in front of me. Daring leans forward and pecks me on the cheek, before spinning around and sashaying away, her tail flicking the tip of my nose. She looked back and winks at me. "Try not to take to long." The doors closed behind her. Never before has the sound of squeaky hinges graced my ears in such a beautiful manner.
Whump!
I fell off the edge of the bed, completely paralyzed. Except for my mouth, which is stretched into the biggest smile I've ever worn.
"I've always believed in saving judgement for a rainy day," Tythus said as he reclined in his chair. We were in his office. The stallion bust in the corner was outfitted with his armor again, several new dents and scrapes shining brightly on the otherwise immaculately polished metal hide. "And wouldn't you know, it's raining today."
I shuffled awkwardly from where I sat across from the desk.
He grinned at me. "Relax, Echo. Now. On behalf of Wethoof, and the Equestrian Guard, I'd like to thank you for your services. It was no small feat, what you or your comrades accomplished. That deserves a reward, don't you think?"
My eyes followed him as he trotted over to his cot and reached under it, removing a large canvas bundle. The stallion telekinetically moved it to the desk, where it drops with a loud, muffled clatter. "Open it up," he ordered. "This is from Bellows and I, as well as Mayor Baritone."
Mayor? I looked at him with surprise.
"Ah. Yes. I'd forgotten, you've been out for a few days. Wethoof held an election immediately after the battle. Our mutual acquaintance seemed to be very popular. Baritone was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. Time will tell to see if he can lead, though. I have to admit, he's got some big horseshoes to fill." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So does Sparky, for that matter."
I implored him to continue with a paw. Once again, I noticed how freaky it looks and awkwardly shove my paws out of sight.
"I've chosen her as my replacement." Tythus opened up a drawer in his desk and pulled out a scroll, which he waved around a little. A broken seal was on it, similar to the one I'd seem him open before. "Princess Celestia herself has ordered that a small garrison will be stationed in Wethoof, full time. Something like the hydras will never happen around here again. And seeing as I was pulled out retirement for this..." he sighed wistfully, "a replacement is needed for when I leave. I'll be decommissioned again when I return to Canterlot for debriefing. I did get a promotion out if it, though. I'll be hanging my armor up as Major Tythus, at least. Ah! But where was I? Open the bag, please."
I untied the knot around the top and dumped the contents out onto the desk with a clatter.
Whoa...
I lifted up the first object. It looked like a modified version of a duster, of a dark green, but minus a collar. Instead, a wide hood was stitched onto place. There were no sleeves, true to diamond dog fashion tastes. I tossed it on, and threw the hood up. My ears smoothly slipped through pre-cut slits. I patted the sides, admiring the thick, tough, but soft texture. There's even a hole for my tail to poke through! Swag!
"You like it? Spidersilk. Bellows whipped it up when he heard about your toga and armor getting...incinerated," Tythus finished a bit lamely. "There's more from him, too." He pushed a few more things towards me.
More armor, but only bracers. A thick strip of spidersilk; a light brown. It goes around my waist over the duster robe, like a corsair sash. The bracers slide on smoothly. They were made of thick, dark metal that had been hammered and compressed a hundred times over. I looked at them for a long while. For an unknown reason, I'm glad that's all the armor there is. Still, they leave an unpleasant sensation on my scarred forearms. I took them off and slid them into some pockets in the duster.
Tythus coughed politely, snapping my out of my brooding. "Mayor Baritone has left his reward outside of Miss Do's temporary residence, as we'd nowhere else to put it. I expect you'll see it when you depart. Now, onto another pressing matter..." He reached under his desk again and pulled out a familiar object.
The black gem shimmered weirdly, seemingly sucking up all the light it touches. Tythus holds it in one hoof. "Do you know what this is?" he asked.
I shook my head, warily watching the shadowy crystal as if it might explode.
He sighed. "Hmm. That makes two of us, then. I'll be presenting this to the Princess in my report. I'm sure she'll know what to do with it." He put the gem away. "It's been an honor serving with you, Echo."
He saluted.
Unwilling to have to put my paws so close to my face, I choose to respectfully bow instead.
...It's bigger on the inside.
Sweet.
Celestia.
It was about the length of a large pickup truck. Six wide wooden wheels, three a side, gleam with brass finishing, resting easily on the wooden decks of Wethoof. The artfully painted compass rose on the side leaves little doubt to its purpose. It reminds me of The Great and Powerful Trixie's stagecoach, but that hunk of junk pales in comparison to this beast. A monstrous wagon, really, but to me it might as well be a motherfucking Bugatti.
And it's bigger on the inside. Did I mention that?
I opened the door and peer inside at the dimensional impossibility. The interior is as large as common room, longer lengthwise than width wise. There are even small rooms along the walls, three a side, more than enough for all of us. In the middle, several cushions are scattered around a metal fire pit. The small grating in the ceiling assures that any smoke will be well ventilated. Everything smells like fresh wood and adventure.
Gods, I love that smell.
Daring Do shared my excitement. "Would you look at this thing?" she exclaimed as she poked her head in around my side. "This is...unbelievable! We'll be traveling in style. Where did Tythus and Baritone even find time to get this built?"
I shrugged, still in a daze from seeing it for the first time.
"Oh, you know, with a little help from a few talented helpers," Disarray's voice said, as one of the cushions explodes into a shower of feathers, revealing the figure of a stormy gray alicorn. "I believe my cousins supplied a helping hoof in the matter. Consider it a gift to you all for your assistance in the battle." He pointed a hoof at one of the doors. "Also, dibs on that room."
Daring's eybrows shot up. "You came back. I haven't seen you for days!"
Disarray rolled his eyes. "Of course I came back, I always come back. Something wrong with that? I'm like a bad fart in an elevator, you just can't get rid of me." He rubbed his chin absently with a hoof. "Also, my handsome body might be a veritable force of nature, but I do need a place to rest my weary head every now and then. Seeing as I'm more or less your acting mascot, I might as well have a room." He trotted over to the door he chose and opened it, looking inside for a moment before turning back to us. "I'm thinking of installing a bunk bed. There will be so much room for activities!" He laughed in delight, clopping his hooves together.
"Hmmm. As long as we're choosing rooms..." Daring moved off to investigate behind another door, leaving me and Disarray alone.
The hybrid collapsed onto a cushion and spreads his hooves at me. "Welcome back, Fluffy. It's good to see you up and about. I expect you're still feeling a little down in the dumps after losing your claws?"
I hid my paws inside the duster.
He chuckled at me. "My, my, how the mighty have fallen. Tell you what, though, I can give them back to you, in a way."
My ears pricked up. I was at his side in a heartbeat. He chuckled again and reached inside his robe, before pulling out a strange object, about six to eight inches long, black, and somewhat curved. Along one side, I could see the ambient light reflected off a razor sharp edge. He hoofed it to me, somewhat gingerly.
"This is the only claw that wasn't destroyed by the fire," Disarray said. "I suppose the loss is somewhat my fault, you see. Thanks to the fact that your claws contained my raw magical essence, they reacted quite...chaotically...to the magical fire that our local hothead threw at you. Ironically, if they hadn't been charged in that way, they'd have survived." He snorted to himself. "I've re-absorbed the essence that was left in this one, as I was in a great need of some spare power after the battle, so it's not much use now except for a sharp edge."
I held the claw in my right paw. It's the weirdest feeling in the world, holding a detached piece of yourself. Imagine having your leg cut off, and being presented with the bones that were in it a few days later.
Yeah. Pretty much like that.
Somewhat nauseated, I slid the claw into my sash and left Disarray there.
Anxious to distract myself, I took another walk around the outside, examining it closely. In the front, there's a seat, much like for a driver of a carriage. The whole apparatus for a harness is there, even reins, for some reason. This would have to be pulled. But...it looks different. The harness doesn't look like it will fit a pony correctly, even one with the muscular stature of Coconut, who was currently trying to put it on.
"Oy! What's the deal? Collar won't fit!" he grumbled, straining to get himself into a curious harness that looks like a cross between Big Macintosh's work collar and a backpack that straps over the shoulders and around the stomach. I helped him out of it, and he wriggled out from underneath.
"It's not supposed to fit you," Ginger put in from where she was resting on the porch of the tavern. "It's supposed to fit him." She pointed a hoof at me.
...wait, what?
Coconut scratched his head. "A wagon that ain't pony-powered? That just doesn't make sense."
Ginger stretched and laid her head in her forelegs. "I recognize that type of harness. The Greenclaws used ones like it to haul carts of gems. Have Echo try it on if you don't believe me."
I immediately found myself bodily thrown into position, and Coconut threw the contraption over my neck. Surprisingly, it fits! Snug, too. "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle. Try pullin' it!" He moved back a couple paces to watch, looking at me expectantly.
"What's going on out here?" Daring Do asked as she alit onto the driver's seat of the stagecoach. She must have finished inspecting the interior.
"Echo's going to prove me right, that's what," Ginger grumbled from the porch.
Disarray popped into existence a few feet away from Coconut, who jumped away, surprised. "Hey, Daring!" he called. "Nice ride. Take it off any sweet jumps?"
Daring ignored the jibe. "Well, he is going be pulling it, might as well get a feel for it before we leave." Daring tapped her chin thoughtfully. "But don't strain yourself. You won't be back up to full strength for a while, and we've got nothing but time to kill. I mean, we could get a regular collar for Coconut to use, in the meantime..."
Coconut puffed out his chest and tried very poorly to look heroic. "It'd be me pleasure ta give it a shot! A stallion's gotta do what a stallion's gotta do."
On the porch, Ginger stifled a snicker.
I looked back at the huge stagecoach in disbelief. I still felt weak and frail, and they expect me to pull this hulking beast? Maybe when I recover...
Daring Do looked at me expectantly from her perch in the seat. Ah, hell. Might as well be a good sport and give it a shot.
With a grunt, I threw myself forward into the harness. The leads tightened behind me. My rear claws dug into the wooden decking of the platform. The whole thing creaked and jerked forward a several feet, but then I ran out of steam and stagger to a halt, wheezing loudly.
Coconut stepped up and pried the harness off me. "Not bad, mate. Not bad at all. Guess I'll be fillin' in while you get back on yer hooves. Er, paws. My bad." He clapped me on the back. I winced and rub where his hoof landed, still breathing hard and somewhat ashamed of my weakness.
Daring hopped off the stagecoach, barely making a noise as she gracefully landed on the deck. "Well, with that settled, I propose that we leave in three days We've got supplies to pack, and Echo needs to decide where our first stop will be."
"That," Ginger said, "and we have some respects to pay tonight."
One of the Benevolent Mercy's former escorts floated serenely over the assembly. She'd been repainted with dark reds and browns, and great slabs of armor plating haphazardly have been bolted to her hull, turning it into an Equestrian version of an ironclad. The envelope had been emblazoned with the symbol of a black, winged sword on a blood-red field. At the bridge, the newly dubbed Captain Griffin the gryphon can be seen barking orders to the crew of his new vessel.
The ship, renamed the Possibility, shuddered as gunports open up on one side and gleaming, oversized cannons stick their noses out into the night sky.
"Still can't believe he got a bucking ship, for Celestia's sake." A nearby gaurd whispered, stomping his hoof. "They're pirates! And Tythus gives them a ship!"
"Aw, don't be complaining," another one said. "Without them, the townsponies would have been whisked away to who knows where, and the old Mayor would be doing who knows what to them. Besides, I heard they're bound for Gryphonic skies, in the far North, away from Equestria. Good riddance, I say. Let them deal with the pirates."
Daring Do, sitting next to me on the fledgling grass, shushed them into silence. Coconut, on her far side, chuckled softly.
The night was warm and humid, but a stiff breeze coming up from the West kept the crowd refreshed. The Guard was out in full force, as well as the entire population of the town.
I took another glance around my surroundings, still unable to believe how fast the area has changed.
This was the site of where the western wall once stood, where the hydras broke against the mighty wooden barricade and its surrounding embankments. The earthworks themselves are still there, already a young coat of grass growing over the scene. The three massive craters blown into the gauntlet were filled with the bodies of the slain hydras and covered with dirt. The decomposition of the corpses will help fuel the recovery of the rainforest as the behemoths return their nutrients to the earth.
Major Tythus stood on a wide raised platform, flanked by the newly promoted Captain Sparky, the newly elected Mayor Baritone, the alicorns, Borealis and his sister Australis, and standing off to the side, Ginger Snap. Tythus just began a speech in memory of those fallen in the battle and the ponies who were taken in the early days of the struggle, before the wall was raised.
I hardly paid attention.
It's funny, how things always work in cycles.
You're born.
You live.
You die.
You rot.
You're born again, as trees, flowers, plants, and other animals.
The circle of life.
Hakuna matata, I thought to myself. I've never feared death. That doesn't mean I want to die, mind you. But when my times comes (and it comes to all of us) I won't be troubled by it. The hereafter beckons with the promise of eternity.
But...in a small way, I think, nothing really ever dies.
Elements. The substance of the universe, which erupted forth from the genesis of existence and continue to be forged in the roaring hearts of stars. Made of the smallest of particles. At the atomic level, you never really die. In fact, every atom in your body could have been a part of another creature at one point, and in every other animal before them. In fact, your body may contain particles that have been traveling from being to being for millions of years. You might even have pieces of the planet inside of you, a drop of water that traveled from an Antarctic glacier, a pinch of iron that found its way from the mountains of Japan...
We're exactly the same, I conclude, at the most fundamental level. Every last one of us. Just arrangements of matter, forming and reforming as the cosmos continues its voyage down the river of time.
Does that make this significant? I asked myself. Does anything matter if we're all just stardust in the galactic winds?
Absolutely.
Our substance might be eternal, but the life binding it together is not. That alone makes it significant. Life is significant. Fighting, breathing, screaming, heaving, fucking, laughing, killing, thinking...living. All the good, all the bad, all the struggling...
Worth every Godsdamned moment of it.
I glanced down at my mangled forelimbs and grimaced.
It's just hard to remember that sometimes.
Meanwhile, Tythus wrapped up his speech to thunderous applause. "Without further ado, I present the Duke and Duchess Aurora, who have volunteered to assist our own Ginger Snap with the last rites..." He moved back to the Mayor and Captain. Duke and Duchess, huh? So that's what their titles are.
My eyebrows rose up in surprise at this, and the two dark alicorns stepped gracefully forward, standing on either side of Ginger. The mare had a stony face that would make a mountain's mother scold it for not being mountain-y enough. The crowd's applause waned off, soon replaced by an expectant hush.
Ginger, seemingly nonplussed by the awaiting crowd, slowly placed her goggles over her eyes. Her horn glowed for a second, before a pale wisp of green light floated off the tip and rocketed into the sky.
At her sides, Borealis and Aurora extended their powerful wings in one snap, so swiftly that a gust of wind can be seen caressing manes and fluttering helmet bristles for a hundred feet into the crowd.
In the sky, I heard Griffin scream a command. The Possibility's guns gleam in the starlight. At my side, Daring covers her head with her wings. "Plug your ears!" I heard her muffled voice from underneath the feathers.
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
Kra-BOOOOOOOOM!
The airborne twenty-one gun salute shattered the stillness of the night, soon replaced by a low, soothing hum that permeates the air, the ground, even my bones seem to rattle along with it. It takes me a moment to realize what's going on.
Singing.
The ponies all around began to sing. There are no words, only a deep, throbbing harmony of voices.
The alicorns flapped into the night, and began to slowly circle the gathering, wingtips barely skimming the ears of some of the audience. From the darkness of their feathers, color began to stain the black sky. A soft aurora toke shape, a gentle tornado of all known colors spiraling up towards the heavens, a swirling vortex of ether and smoke.
The melody changed. The stallions began a mournful chorus, rumbling and seemingly making the air tremble. The mares rose up into a haunting scale that made my hackles rise. Daring added her voice to the ghostly choir, her usually rough tongue smoother than cream and softer than silk. It's undoubtedly the single most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my life. Her eyes were fixated on the sky and her wings ruffle by her sides.
I watched as Ginger's horn began to light up along the spiraling grooves, her mane rustling softly against the breeze like rouge flames. Then, she arched her back and reared skywards in one smooth motion, a stream of fire erupting forth into the empty space surrounded by the aurora.
The song increased in volume. The bass thunders and makes the earth tremble. It sounds like pure grief, yet restrained and tethered by stoicism. I felt like the sound is preventing itself from doing any more, holding itself back.
The treble wailed and crooned as though the moon had cracked in half. The notes spiderweb through the air, a sad scale of raw emotion.
Ginger whipped her head back and forth, and the lance of fire whirls about, swirling and...shaping?
I watched in disbelief as the emerald fireball assumed the form of a massive pony, slowly plodding through the sky, tethered by a thin cord of light to Ginger's horn. Her goggles reflected the light weirdly, making her look almost like she had eyes of pure colorful light.
One of the guards next to me began to cry, even as he sang.
Borealis and Australis continued to slowly bank around the gathering, trailing the colors of distant skies. Their voices, like musical instruments in their own right, joined the herd with benevolent serenity.
The fireball shifted again, this time becoming a unicorn - a mare. She danced through the sky, through the pulsing air.
The mourning hymn went through another soul-crushing melody. It felt like my heart was about to crumble from sheer sadness. I gasped and clutched my chest, falling back onto my haunches.
A proud pegasus stallion rose from the flickers of the now-vanishing unicorn like a phoenix, and spread wings of pure flame. I could feel the the warmth even from here. The fire changed again, almost alive, into an earth pony, who paws at the imaginary ground before proudly rearing, a mane of rippling light fluttering against the colorful backdrop.
It hit me, then.
These are the dead.
I felt weak. I toppled over onto my side as the song rose and fell around me as waves in the ocean, before managing to roll onto my back.
They're saying goodbye. This is the last time they walk among us.
The emotion was overwhelming. I dug my warped fingers into the ground as I braced against a surge of grief, so powerful that it makes me shake. Unbelievably, I opened my mouth to try and sing as well, though the sounds that issue forth are strangled and hoarse. It doesn't matter. As long as I can add anything to this...
I felt something wet on my face. I don't dare reach up to wipe it away, instead going through another series of silent convulsions. I'm crying? No...gentlemen don't cry. We don't show weakness...I don't show weakness.
Stiff upper lip, and all that.
...
But maybe just this once?
...
Something pressed onto my chest. Wrapping around me tight. It's Daring, singing her heart out as she slowly rocked me back and forth, her head pressed up against my neck as I shook with another wave of grief. Tears of her own were freely running down her face, although her eyes are tightly closed. Unable to fight the sound, the colors, the magic, my dam breaks for the first time in...years.
I wrapped my arms around her and squeeze her tight, just grateful for something to hold onto.
Or somepony.
Above, the fiery specters presented themselves one last time to their loved ones, before they fade away into the aurora. Stallions, mares, unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies...even a small filly graces the sky with her presence. Each one distinctively unique, each one a terrible loss.
But finally, finally, the music began to die into a whisper, many of the singers having broken down on their own.
The last pony left singing was a cinnamon-coated unicorn mare, with a fiery mane and black goggles covering her pretty green eyes. Streaks lined her face as tears leaked out from under the eyewear, but she kept on singing until she came to the final member of the dead.
A pegasus of soft, green fire, flying beautiful acrobatics in the sky, came down to land on the stage beside the unicorn. Ginger's horn finally sparked out. She's done.
The magical tether to the flaming specter shimmered away, but the mare remained for a split second more, to share a soft kiss with her beloved. They broke apart, and Ginger finally collapsed in grief.
The pegasus nuzzled her gently, before fading away into the night.
Three days later, we were ready to go.
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This one is for you, D.
Rest easy. The hard part's over.
second
I freaked out when I saw this updated!
The scene with the flaming ponies is especially touching. I cried manly tears.
dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_rainbowkiss_flip.png NEW CHAPTER NEW CHAPTER NEW CHAPTER! *points all over screen*
*EPIC GENTLEMAN STANDING OVATION*
you... you my freind, are a true genious. i almost cried during that last part there.
and i almost split my lip trying to duplicate Echo's smile when Daring kissed him.
New chapter!
But... how's he gonna communicate now? Just write on paper?
BLUBLUBBLUBBB
Also, Echo's still going to have a way to "talk" right? He went through this entire chapter without really saying anything, just nodding and giving hand gestures.
Well.
Here come the tears.
682977
Yes, but never again with the ease of the glowing claw contrails.
I cried.
But anyways, how will he talk now?
.... sad D: and deep but mostly sad.
and there goes the gary stu right out the window. loss of ability to speak, create fire and use claws.
look forward to next arc, poor heart can't take much more of this.
Echo needs help. Luckily, I know just the unicorn for the job, hopefully he gets the spell right this time.
Wow. Just wow.
FUCKING YES
Good old Griffin the Griffin.
Our life is like a candle, we burn and then we go out. Whether we reach the end of our wick or blown out prematurely. Until that light goes out though, let's all try to shine a bit brighter in the darkness.
Hopefully next time we reach Canterlot and Ponyville. I'm hoping for a TwixMac pairing!
Damn... that was some sad stuff there. And deep too with the whole we never really die speel in the middle. Now just two questions cross my mind. If he had went with the treatment, would his claws have come back? The other is what is he going to do with the single claw he has now?
That last thing...Nearly broke me. But just for a minute. The Walls are strong.
Feels were had. dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra_cry.png Although, I half expected a Background Pony reference when the mourning began.
Regardless, that last part gave me a feel.
WHOO new chapter
Damn... that's all I got.
Great chapter very touching. Did Disarray go to reunite with his family while Echo was out? If so any chance of finding out how that reunion went? Also is Griffin still a human turned Griffin in this story or just a Griffin?
WHY YOU NO LISTEN TO DOCTOR
........... Dude... this chapter was deep. Especially the part about part of us being from all over the world. Makes ya think. I mean heck, who knows? Maybe some of the elements were originally from meteorites.
217067So do you want me to start singing
"I'm thinking of installing a bunk bed. There will be so much room for activities!" He laughed in delight, clopping his hooves together.
Oh. My. God.
Did you just make a Step Brothers reference?
Because if you did, not only did just made my day, probably my entire week, you also earned my unwavering respect.
Also, very deep chapter, especially near the end.
This chapter was too damn deep an immersing experience. You're too damn good at this, you really are. We, the audience are not worthy of your work! This really is the best fimfic in existence.
Well...
I definitely felt that ending.
That was.....emotional, to say the least.
can I be in the fic?
miataturbo.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=31656&dateline=1326519898
Deep man... deep
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Well, I look forward to what Echo and Disarray manages to work out.
On another note, I find it mildly surprising that I see you in the comments sections of many of the stories I read, though I guess in retrospect, popular stories are going to attract some attention after all.
683023 I'mma have to disagree with you there. Echo was never much of a Gary Stu.
#1: A Gary Stu is a one-dimensional character personality-wise. Echo has a great deal of as-of-yet-unrevealed backstory we've gotten hints of. He was a veteran, for one, and his strict adherence to being a "gentleman" has provided alot of internal conflict unbecoming of a "Gary Stu".
#2: As to the powers, as awesome as Echo, is he's never been top-dog. During his first day he got seriously fucked up by Azhuithol and was only able to repay the favor later because of Daring Do's aid. As for the pyrokinesis, as cool a power as that was, it really wasn't all that great. Sure, he could light his claws on fire, but in the end, how much did that help him? As I recall, not only was Griffin mopping the floor with him for the majority of their battle, but Mayor Frost and Azhuithol were having their way with him as well. More to the point, Echo never actually beat any of them.
Really when you think about it, as great a protagonist Echo makes, he's not that much of a hero. A great deal of the story involves him getting thrashed by somepony or something and having to have somepony else bail his ass out. Which of course is what the hero of this kind of story should be.
Not to say that a hero should always need saving, take my story for instance. It features a host of over-the-top, wacky individuals highly skilled in various fields doing crazy things for the enjoyment of the audience, whereas Echo features a human-turned-Diamond-Dog trying to find his way in the world and experiencing for the first time its many, many dangers. While mine focuses more on lighthearted comedy and over-whelming action, Echo's is much more focused on character development and story-telling, and what's the best way to do that? By kicking the crap out of him at every opportunity.
Different stories require different protagonists to drive it forward, different tones require characters of different levels of power to make it entertaining. To call any character a Gary Stu is to say that no matter the setting, they are unlikable and should not be written. Always keep in mind the kind of story you're reading before you judge how a character is portrayed
An absolutely amazing chapter. Truly you are gifted.
Just when I thought this story had impressed me enough, you drop the emotion bomb on me! I don't care how overly posted this gif is, it's accurate to this story every. Single. Time.
files.sharenator.com/citizen_kane_clapping_gif_RE_If_The_Internet_Suddenly_Disappeared_How_Wed_Get_Laid-s480x360-132744-580.gif
683220
You sir...are a brony after my own heart.
If you read the chapter with this playing you will cry. Fact.
[youtube=Rbv4HU7_cpg]
There are only two words I can say to describe this, simply beautiful.
683220
our definitions of Gary Stu must be different. perhaps a better term would be OP
ramming giant hyrdas
digging through stone
stopping black dragonscale swords with his teeth ( a sword know for its ability to cut diamond) (taken from the Griffin the Griffin crossover)
burning and tearing through a soggy solid gate
adamantine spear with (if i remember right zebra enchanted staff)
he's an alpha Ddog
intelligent with an advanced thought process
his charm wit and gentlemanly nature only make him more of a perfect character
Azhuitholwas plot convenience, and the mayor was although both of them are fighters yards beyond the average themselves.
he has an alicorn/draconeques hybrid on his team as well as
an huge earth pony, a very powerful fire magel, and a pegasus famed for her ability to escape impossible situations.
has a "rage mode" example: fight with Griffin and ramming the hydra. although hesitant before huge conflict when he commits he is very powerful.
surviving very long falls with not very soft at all impacts.
off the top of my head :/
will echo ever get his voice back?
You know, it kind of confused me at first, but I like how this story and Griffin the Griffin take place in sort of, I dunno, different but very similar universes? Like a reflection, only distorted.
Dammit, why do I never have manly tears?
683003 Manly tears have been shed.... nuff said...
683350
Never.
Am I the only one reminded of eragon slightly in this story?
the feature box has been doubled!
It has a strong hit right past the heartstrings and straight to the soul! This was a pleasant update. Somber and relieving.
Many people have said this before and will say it in the future
And I will say it now.
This story is amazing. The way you write this story is amazing. You, my kind sir, are amazing.
Now where's the first place Echo is going I wonder?
Will echo ever get his voice--- or his CLAWS-- back?
Many Manly tears were shed this evening.
Heh. Older Daring Do for the win..
A riddle for you, when is a pony a cougar?
Good job man. Really like the story.