Expediters
That night was very anticlimactic, albeit with an incredibly stiff atmosphere with just a hint of doubt and gloom. After my meeting with the Sheriff and his unnerved Deputy, I returned to the hospital to find the Doc scurrying about at a frantic pace, tending to those wounded from the conflict and those still on bed rest from previous attacks. The number of patients had swelled dramatically, and I found my once empty room now occupied by several others. Somepony with all four of his legs broken laid in what was my bed, flat on his back and his appendages hung limply in the air from wires attached to the ceiling. I approached him slowly, a look of concern on my face. I just hoped my frightful features wouldn't warrant for me to leave him."Hey...you need any help...?"I questioned, his head turning to me in an almost jerky manner. His face was screwed into an expression of severe pain, but he managed to spit some words out through gritted teeth."Go buck yerself..."
"You have a nice evening too."
I waved at him with as wide a grin as I could and turned to plop myself down in a corner of the room, any pony near me instantly scuttling away as far as they could, each one eying me warily, but also holding an air of tiredness about them. These worms were really getting to the poor folks of Appleloosa. Maybe me helping them is just what they needed, I mean, I couldn't leave the poor folks to ruin with those giant beasties about. They were too fucking cute to refuse anyway. At least it would give me something to do before I can actually plan out my stay here in Equestria. As the lights dimmed and everypony drifted off into an uncomfortable sleep, my mind wandered in-between bouts of dozing off. Maybe I should visit Ponyville? Manehattan, Trottingham, or even one of those foreign countries Alamo mentioned. A whole new world was laid out before me, and I had all the time in it to explore after my escapades here...if I survive that is.
Morning came all to quickly. My groans joined in with the others in a chorus of misery as the rising sun brilliantly shone into the room through a window and a nearby rooster unleashed it's horrendous crowing. I blinked a few times to make sure the sleep was gone from my eyes and slowly stood up, making sure not to bump my head against the ceiling this time. Every other pony awake in the room just watched me, as if waiting for me to leave. So I did just that with a nervous smile, slinking out of the door and into the hall in a flash. Waitaminute...I wasn't moving this quickly the day before. Out in the hallway, I stretched my elongated body, feeling no kinks or pain whatsoever from my misendeavor yesterday. I gazed down at my Kangaroo leg and removed the cast that had been around it with my claws, the bone that had been touching the skin now gone from nearly protruding, popped back into it's place as if by magic. My back felt no cuts or bruises, and even the small greenish wounds dotting my fur had been healed over with new flesh and growing strands of hair. It was if I had some sort of hyperactive healing factor or something. Kinda reminded me of Wolverine's, just not as fast. Might come in handy later.
With my mood brightened, I moved out into the main lobby of the hospital, no sign of the Doc anywhere. Poor blighter probably collapsed from sheer exhaustion last night. One pony tending to an entire town of injured folk must be a strain on him.
Stepping outside, I found the warmth of the sun and dry desert quite invigorating, and I breathed in deeply the smell of dirt and nearby apples. Not many folks were up and about just yet, the ones who were, like shopkeepers or field workers, took extra energy to avoid me.
Walking down the empty dirt road in a lanky fashion, I curiously looked this way and that, no sign of the Sheriff or his nervous Deputy. I thought they said we'd be leaving early in the morning? I got my answer in the form of a very angry and very disgruntled Alamo.
I turned a corner to the Sheriff's Office and smacked right into the guy, sending both of us to the ground.
"Oh man, I am so sorry!"I muttered as rapidly and apologetically as I could, scrambling quickly to my combination of hoof and paw and picking him up back to set him on his own four hooves. I found him to actually be quite light. Another perk while in this world?
"Put me down ya flabbergasted sidewinder!"He nearly roared as he settled all of his clothing back into it's right position. He looked up from his tipped hat to eyeball me, and I swear I felt something deep inside me shiver. Guy had a cold stare that could end global warming. All he'd have to do was gaze at the polar caps for an afternoon."Not exactly a morning person, are you?"I chuckled nervously.
"C'mon."Was all he said, and motioned for me to follow him. I nodded and silently strode behind him, making sure I caused no more trouble. He lead me to the edge of town, the bare desert and blurred horizon laid out before us. The Sheriff greeted us, accompanied by two rather large Buffalo decked out in tribal gear and facepaint slathered across their mugs in an almost archaic fashion.
"Oddjob, Alamo."The mustachioed pony greeted us with a tip of his hat. Alamo did the same, and seeing as I had no headwear to follow suit, I just stood there like an idiot and nodded.
"This is Running River and Little Rock, two of the nearby Buffalo tribes top trackers."He motioned a foreleg to the two, who remained silent for the most part, just as stoic as Alamo in their gaze."They've managed ta locate them there worms' breeding caves. It's a day's journey from here if ya'll don't stop anytime soon, and they'll guide you there."
"Quick question,"I raised a clawed finger in interruption."When we get there, y'know, the caves and all, what exactly do we do? I doubt we could take on every worm in their home turf...we barely killed one yesterday."
"You just leave the problems to the professionals,"Alamo replied as he rustled a satchel over his side, momentarily opening it, the contents of the pack fit to bursting with bright red dynamite.
Oh goody, more explosives.
The Sheriff tossed me a pack of my own, and I briefly examined the insides before slinging over my shoulder. A canteen of water, some crackers, oats, and even a handy dandy compass if we got lost. How sweet.
"Ya'll best be off now."The Sheriff nodded at us all and trotted off back to Appleloosa. The two buffalo merely grunted and began walking, me and Alamo following behind at a steady pace. I had a feeling it would be a long, long walk...
It wasn't until several hours later did we lessen our pace. Alamo and the Wonder Twins over there were quiet and calm in their walk, while I lagged behind and stewed in my own boredom. It wasn't that I was tired, heck, I found the weather incredibly enjoyable and nice on my scales, it was I simply the fact that I was a young adult and that I was bored. Usually on long trips like this I would bring along a book or a sketchpad or even a little portable gaming device(I still hadn't caught every pokemon yet), and that would keep me entertained until my destination was reached. But this, all I had to do was either waste my supplies by guzzling it all down(which I didn't of course), or stare the backsides of a grizzled old pony and two Buffalo. It was overall almost torturous.
"Sooo..."I began. Let the awkwardness begin."How much farther do you guys think it is?"
"We won't make it there today."Buffalo number one said. I couldn't remember which one was which. Running Rock? Little River?
"We'll stop for camp at sundown, then we'll reach the breeding grounds by morning."Buffalo two finished.
"Sounds...good."I replied."....Anyone know any road trip games? How about I Spy? Or even 99 bottles of milk on the wall?"
No answer from any of them. I deflated in defeat and returned to the pit of nothing to do but walk.
We stopped just as the Buffalo had said, three hours later, the sun sinking lower and lower until it was replaced with an expansive blanket of stars and a silvery glowing orb. I settled down underneath a jutting rock that shot out of the ground, curling up around myself as if I were a dog, and I'm surprised to say it was damn comfy. Obvious evidence of the rocky region we were entering lay close nearby. The canyons and mountains that seemed so far away weren't so anymore. I could spot a series of caverns and open caves dotting the face of a cliff not a morning's jog away from where we were. Buffalo knew their stuff.
Alamo had scrounged a meager campfire for us, a flickering outline of reddish-orange illuminating our small area of rest. He sat by it and simply gazed into the core of the embers, occasionally taking a sip of a jug I knew wasn't water. The Buffalo stood together at the edge of camp keeping watch for any sign of worm activity. The ground was surprisingly non-earthquake-y. Worms must relish their sleep as must as any other normal creature. If, y'know, giant slithering monsters large enough to eat a bus was normal.
One by one we drifted off to that wonderful dreamland, accompanied by each other's snores and the dying crackles of a fire going out. It was all too good to happen, and given my luck, things went bad in a jiffy.
A sharp, scuffling noise made me perk open one eye to survey whatever woke me up. I was having a good dream, one of delicious milkshake rain and hamburgers plentiful enough to feed me for a lifetime. My gurgling stomach was probably the cause, oats and crackers weren't really a fitting dinner for a guy like me.
A dark blob moved in the still of the night, approaching each of my companions one by one, and after he had left, the previous one slumped even further, as if their body had gone entirely slack. Blinking a couple times, My eyes adjusted quite quickly to the darkness, surprising me to a strange view. Doc Patches stood over Alamo, injecting a needle into the bloke and pulling it out as fast as he could, Alamo's body immediately going limp afterwards.
"Hey, Doc!"I uncurled myself and shook the sleep off, his head jerking in my direction."Watcha doing here-"
He replied by rushing at me and deftly stabbing a needle into my bear arm. I winced at the sharp pain and sudden lag overcoming my body, and in a few seconds, I found myself toppling to the ground."Doc...fwhugh...."I found that my maw could barely utter an intelligible word, as if the muscles suddenly decided to give out on me.
"Hi there, Oddjob..."The Doc smiled sweetly as he removed the needle and pulled an empty one from out of his satchel that bore a red medical cross."Sorry about doing that...I hoped that you would be asleep."
"Fwugh...yugh...talking aboot...?"More nonsense poured from my gaping mouth.
"Do you know how many times I read Sir Gallant Heart's book? Quite a riveting encyclopedia of knowledge, I assure you."He flicked the needle with his right foreleg while holding it with his left."I've memorized the monsters in that book by heart...I'm not always busy at the clinic, and when you mentioned that you were a Jabberwocky, well, I just had to take the chance."He chuckled almost sweetly."Oddjob, you've got liquid gold running through your veins...literally banks and banks worth of bits flow within you. Why, imagine what a backwater doctor like me could do with pure Jabberwock blood!"
I tried to grin, but found that I couldn't. This would be the part where the villain monologued, giving the hero a chance to gather himself a enact a plan of some sort. my mind drew a blank.
"I could move to an estate in Canterlot after selling 'Doc Patches Miracle Juice'! The health benefits alone would be incredible..."
I found that my metabolism was kicking in. The factor was working out whatever paralysis he injected me with. I slowly moved my tongue around, the only part of my body that was back to corresponding to my brain.
"And the sheer amount of women fawning over me.."Another chuckle as he drew closer with the needle to extract my blood."Now, I'm a catch here already, but I've grown bored of the farmtown girls or the belles of Appleloosa...now, a lovely young Canterlot lady..."
Shi-eet, my body worked fast. I could begin to feel my upper torso, and that was all I needed. All I had to do was wait till he got a tad closer...
"I'm terribly sorry about this Oddjob, I really am. Don't worry, I'll only be taking a gallon or two, I have many needles stocked up in my bag."Just as he drawed near, the needle nary an inch away from my skin, I bolted up to tower above the poor Doc, who appropriately jumped at my sudden maneuverability. With my plan in play, I did what any good male who had just been tricked would do.
I decked the fucker straight through his jaw with my fist.
My bear hand clenched tightly into a ball of fuzzy fury, it slammed into his face, and I almost relished the feeling of bone and teeth give way to my strike. His small body was promptly sent flying a few yards through the air to land with a dull if not heavy thud. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground. I grinned as I moved the digits of my paw around, the knuckles not even feeling tingly. As I gazed about the campsite, every single person around me knocked out or paralyzed, a familiar sense came over me.
I was bored again, and I would probably have to wait until morning to find the others stirring from their medically-induced comas.
Dammit, Doc.
They awoke around nine in the morning, and I had taken the liberty of gathering breakfast. Some leftover rations(from the others bags) and some berries I had found growing on a nearby dried bush. They were small and tasted very sour, but they were food.
"Uhh...mah head..."Alamo stirred holding a hoof to his temple, which was probably throbbing, creating a nice headache right about now."What happened last night...?"
"Oh, Doc over there,"I pointed at his still unconscious form."Stuck you guys with needles that paralyzed stuff and tried to steal my blood to become a millionaire and live in Canterlot and marry and pretty pony lady. I punched him in the face if it makes you feel better."
"..."
"He's not dead."I eyed his still body."At least...I don't think so. i didn't hit him that hard..."
There I gulped. What if my newfound strength did kill the blighter? Didn't want a bodycount in my name here, even if it was just one.
Alamo trudged over to him and examined the traitor from top to bottom before returning to sit next to me."He's alright...just sportin' a nasty case of the bloody mouth. Even got a few teeth lying about here and there."
He looked over to me and nodded silently."Thanks, partner."He stood up to go check on the Buffalo who just seemed to be finding themselves.
"Also, y'know them there berries are poisonous."
I spat them out and ran my hands over my tongue to wipe the taste from my mouth.
After everyone had settled down and found their motor functions back in order, we all had a light breakfast of, surprise, oats and crackers and water, then set out for the caves in the distance. Well, actually, just me and Alamo. Buffalo twins insisted on taking Doc back to Appleloosa, didn't want him left to the buzzards. It was pretty noble, so neither of us objected. Me and Alamo silently nodded to each other and found our way to the breeding ground.
As we neared them, signs of the worms were everywhere. Upturned chunks of earth, massive holes burrowed deep into the crust of land, and even bore marks from their skin etched into the ground."Here there be monsters..."I muttered under my breath.
We ascended the rocky face of the cliff in an hour, and before we knew it, a gaping hole stood before us, the dank, rotting stench coming from within the recesses was unbearable. I tried breathing through my mouth, but my hypersensitive tongue just made it even word.
"Ready, partner?"Alamo cocked his head to the side, his revolver magically floating beside him, locked and loaded.
"Yeah..."I shook my head rapidly. If I could sweat right now, I would be doing so. We walked inside, the darkness quickly swallowing up any light that dared penetrate it. In a matter of moments, we stepped deeper and deeper into whatever lied so far beneath the earth, entering the Worm Breeding Grounds.
Only a few minutes in, the earth collapsed beneath our feet.
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OH CELESTIA, another chapter at long last.... FUAAAAAARRRRK!
i fuckin knew it course
YES! The adventure continues!
About time
I really hope that the next chapter doesn't take as long to get out, I really enjoy this story.
917704
I promise it'll come soon.
917710 Alright then, what's soon? Three weeks? Three months? Give us an estimate man!
928397
Hmm...'bout two weeks or so. Sooner if I get the inspiration.
I was reading when I noticed something...
" I tried breathing through my mouth, but my hypersensitive tongue just made it even word."
Do you mean to say "worse" here?
I think you meant, worst?