Chapter 18- Tests and Procedures [CO]
Chapter 18-
Tests and Procedures
The medical room buzzed with the activity of the doctors, vets, and even the few mages that had been assigned to the very unique task of saving Veral’s leg. The timber wolf cub lay on an operating table, a breathing mask over his snout as an IV ran from a bag filled with amber liquid to his good leg, keeping a small, diluted magic tranquilizer flowing into the young pup to keep him asleep.
“Somepony get me some more sponges!” Apple Bloom called over her shoulder, never taking her eyes off the incision she'd made in Veral’s shriveled leg, a steady stream of sappy blood flowing from the cut as she tried to stem the flow with overused sponges. She turned quickly at a sharp tap on her shoulder, her only response being to reach her hand up and snatch the medical sponges retrieved for her before continuing her fruitless task.
The mare’s ear flicked as she heard the door to the medical room slide open and close shortly after. “What’s the situation?” Chris asked as the young man walked in, setting his case on a table behind Apple Bloom before coming to stand beside her.
“Things were goin good,” Bloom answered, taking a precious second to wipe the sweat from her from her brow. “Until we found a bunch of veins an’ arteries all bunched up!” The man glanced towards the mare to see her teeth gritting as she continued to try and stop the bleeding. “That damned captain did more damage than we all coulda thought….”
Chris stared at her for several seconds before he took a deep breath and looked around the room until he spotted the mare he was looking for. “Dr. Cureall,” he called out to the cerulean maned Earth pony and gaining her attention. “What’s the possibility of us saving Veral’s leg now?”
“That’s, um… hard to say…” the veterinarian answered nervously as she stepped forward. “But… his chances aren’t good….”
Chris sighed at that and rubbed his eyes. “That’s what I thought…” he muttered before turning back towards the case. “Bloom, I need you guys to start getting this room changed around.”
“What for?” The country mare questioned.
“An amputation.” Half the room froze at that, a lot of the staff glancing at one another. “We have to take that leg before it kills him.”
“And what do you plan to do afterward?” Dr. Cureall asked in alarm, her eyes watching the young man with suspicious eyes. “Leave a timber wolf to die slowly with three legs?”
“Nope,” Chris answered, turning back around and bringing the contents of the briefcase over to the table. “I plan for Veral to live a long, happy life with four legs.” And with that, he laid a high tech prosthetic on the operating table.
“H-how-”
“Don’t worry about the how,” Chris said tirelessly, cutting off Dr. Cureall. “That was my job. I just need you guys to get that bad leg off of him before it kills him.” The pale maned mare stared at him for several moments before looking towards Apple Bloom, the redhead glancing towards her and nodding in response.
The vet continued to stare for several more moments before she gave a little sigh and turned to her staff. “You heard him,” she said sternly, resolving her features. “Get this room prepped for an amputation and get it done yesterday.” The medical personnel jumped a bit at the mare’s change in demeanor but only for a moment before they started busying themselves.
Chris picked up the prosthetic, starting to move it and himself out of the way, only to be stopped by Bloom’s voice. “Chris… you might want to get washed up and sterilize that synthetic.”
“‘Course, Bloom,” the Ranger answered… before promptly flashing Red Static over his arms and the leg and setting them ablaze.
It was several hours before Chris stepped away from the table, sweat dripping down from his brow as he did so, even his arms covered in the same sappy blood as Cureall’s and Apple Bloom’s. He was tired, magically exhausted, and his mind was firing on its last cylinder… but he’d done it. He looked down at Veral as he lay passed out on the operating table, the metallic leg fused almost seamlessly to the remainder of timber wolf’s leg, not a single scorch mark on it from where he’d cleaned it via burning.
Verdammt, that was rough, Chris thought as he let out a small, sigh.
You going to be okay? Sam questioned, the brother’s worry washing over the other like a blanket, Chris only nodding in response.
Yeah, I’ll be fine, the blonde answered before giving a soft frown. Is his breathing too soft to you?
Chris.
He shouldn’t be twitching under anesthesia, should he?
Chri-
Seriously, I think he’s trembling-
CHRIS! The young man flinched at Sam’s sudden shout. He’s fine, Chris. I can feel it, you can feel it. Hell, if you want to, ask Cureall or Bloom about his vitals.
Chris was silent for a second before he let out a small sigh and nodded. Okay… he answered before turning to the pair of yellow mares as they leaned against a wall, catching their breaths. “Hey, um, girls?” He said, drawing their attention. “What’s his… what do his vitals look like?”
The pair blinked at him for a second before glancing at each other. Slowly, Apple Bloom took a breath and walked over to him. “Veral’s doing just fine, Chris,” she said simply, putting a comforting hand on his arm. “We monitored the machines through the entire operation an’ even checked’em when you were done. He’s going ta be jus’ fine.”
The ranger stared into her eyes for a long moment, searching for any signs of mistruth. When he found none, he gave a final, relieved sigh and finally let his body relax. “Okay,” he said softly, giving a small smile. “Thank you, Apple Bloom.” The mare nodded and gave a little nod before turning to look towards the timber wolf they had worked so hard to save.
“Don’t worry about it,” she answered, quietly. “It was the least we could-” Bloom stopped as a familiar sound began to hum behind Chris. The young man sighed and turned to face the newly opened portal as a similarly familiar voice echoed in his mind.
“...I’m really not sure I want to do this right now,” he muttered quietly, squaring his shoulders with a little effort. He went to step forward only to be held in place, Sam’s dark-colored orb appearing in front of him.
“Maybe you don’t have to,” Sam said, hovering up to just in front of Chris’ face. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to try anyway.” The blonde stared at the glowing sphere for several moments before he gave an exhausted breath and leaned back, giving his brother a nod.
“Okay,” he said, the weight in his voice betraying how truly tired he was. “Thanks, Sam.”
A small chuckle sounded from the orb. “No problem, Chris,” he answered, bobbing up and down a bit. “Wish me luck!” With that, Samson shot towards the portal, the softball-sized orb disappearing into its swirling depths.
The young man left behind held his breath for several moments before he let it out. “I guess it work-” The blonde was completely cut off as he transformed into his own orb form and shot into the portal, leaving behind a room full of confused and surprised medical personnel.
Paradise Lost: Daughter of Gensokyo
Perspective: Alexandria Kijin.
It's been two weeks since Yuuka showed up: a full month since I first got displaced here. The Gensokians call Yuuka's field of sunflowers the Garden of the Sun, but the ponies have simply been calling it the Sunflower Field. I've been going out to Marisa's house to practice with Marisa and Cirno fairly regularly, and I'd say I'm not nearly as rusty as I had been. I've also been going to the Lily-of-the-Valley Field often to talk with Medicine as well, though most times she challenges me to a rematch before she lets me talk with her. Despite that, we've gotten to know each other much better. She won't admit it, but I think she's starting to see me as a real friend. Recently, it's been starting to get just a little bit colder out, signifying the approach of Autumn. I'm currently on the outskirts of Ponyville, a particular pin in hand. The past two weeks, I've been thinking about making my own Token, and what I want it to be, something I think represents me. Yesterday, I finally made my decision. Unfortunately, I haven't the slightest clue where to begin, so I thought I would ask for some help.
I hold the pin in my hands in front of me and - in a clear voice - I say, “Psycho Ranger.”
A portal opens up not too far away and Sam steps out, looking no different than the first time he was called. “That was quick,” he comments as he walks forward and the portal closes. “Whatcha need?”
“Well,” I begin, “in the two weeks since you explained Displaced and Tokens to me, I've been putting a lot of thought into what I want my Token to be. I've finally decided what it'll be, but I realized that I don't actually know the exact process of making a Token.”
Sam lets out a surprised whistle as he comes to sit beside me. “Okay, maybe it wasn't quick,” he mutters before clearing his throat. “Anyway, it's really easy. Do you have your item?”
“Well, not quite yet,” I answer, a little embarrassed. “I only just decided yesterday, so I haven't really had a chance to get it yet.”
Sam nods his head before looking at me. “Okay,” he says. “So, where do we need to go?”
“We'll have to go to the Carousel Boutique to get it from a friend of mine,” I answer.
“Oh…,” he replies, keeping up a small half-smile as he looks away, but the usual calm in his eyes shifts to something sad before he can turn away in time. “Uh, lead on, then.”
After a quick moment of hesitation as I look at him, I turn and make my way into town, leading him toward the Carousel Boutique. Sam walks along behind me, staying silent as he trudges along.
“...Is that the Golden Oaks?” He suddenly speaks up.
I turn to look. I see him looking at the Library of Knowledge. “Oh,” I begin. “Yeah, it is. Patchouli rebuilt it. Because of that, everyone's taken to calling this one the Library of Knowledge.”
Sam nods his head before turning to look towards Twilight's castle. “You wouldn't happen to know what season you got dropped in, would you?”
“Seeing as it's been starting to get colder recently, probably Summer,” I answer.
Sam lets out a chuckle. “Not that kind of season,” he says. “What season of the show did you land in?”
“Show?” I ask, confused. “I don't understand.”
Sam stares for a moment with a weird look before just smiling and waving his hand. “Nevermind,” he says, lowering his hand. “It's not important. C'mon, I'm wasting daylight.”
I shrug before continuing to the Carousel Boutique. I head inside and find Alice. She looks up as we approach.
“Who's that?” she asks, confused, looking at Sam.
“It's a long story for another time,” I tell her. “But his name is Sam.” After a quick wave from Sam, I decide to continue. “Anyway, I'm actually here to make a purchase.”
This surprises Alice. “Really? That's new. So, what are you looking to buy?”
I smile as I answer. “I want to buy two Mini-Shanghais.”
Alice sighs when she hears this. “Those became really popular really fast, huh? There's a display over here.” She then leads me to the display. I pick out two of the miniature Shanghai Dolls and then pay Alice for them right from my pocket.
After that, I head back outside. I turn to Sam. “This is what I decided my Token would be.”
“Alright,” he says with a nod. “Now it's as simple as taking one of those dolls and transferring some of your energy to it while speaking the message you want other Displaced to hear.”
I nod and hold one of the dolls in both hands. I will my energy into it, and as I feel it channeling to the doll, I begin speaking. “if you are in need of help, don't hesitate to call for me. However, understand that under no circumstances will I ever kill anything. If I can be of assistance, just speak the words 'Daughter of Gensokyo' and I will be there to help in any way I can.” With that, I stop channeling my power into the doll.
Sam simply nods his head. “And bodda boom, you have a Token,” he says as he puts his right hand over his left wrist, silver electricity leaping from his fingers as gridlines of the same color form a shape. He pulls his hand away as a silver saber forms. “Now to just send it out.” With that, a shadowy aura bursts out from him, joined by dark red and yellow electricity, his hair standing on end as the whites of his eyes fill with the same energy that surrounds him. A quick slice through the air, and a portal to the void opens.
After staring at the portal for a couple moments, I toss the Token inside. The portal closes around the mini doll before a second, smaller portal appears near Sam's shoulder. He holds his hand out and catches the mini doll. “And with that, you're good to go,” he says, putting the doll in his jacket pocket.
“That… was quick,” I say, looking at the second portal as it closes.
“Told ya it was easy,” Sam says with a little smile before nodding towards my hand and the other doll. “So, what's with the other doll?”
I hold up the other doll with a slight grin. “Rainbow Dash asked me to get her one. I asked her why she didn't just get it herself, and she said it's because she 'has a reputation of being cool' to keep.”
Sam is silent and stone-faced for a moment… right before a strained smile makes its way to his face. “Rainbow… wanted you,” he says, obviously struggling to keep in his laughter. “To get her… a doll? All so she… could preserve her rep?”
“Yep,” I say simply with a big smile on my face.
Sam seems to almost spew forth with laughter, but holds it back, holding his hand over his mouth for a few seconds until he finally removes it and takes a few deep breaths. He turns to speak, though a large smile still stretched his features. “Okay, so anything else you needed?” He asks.
I think for a few moments. “Maybe you'd want to just hang around this world for the rest of the day? Walk and talk a bit maybe?”
Sam shrugs his shoulders. “Sure,” he answers simply. “What do you want to talk about?”
As we start walking towards Rainbow Dash's house, there are a lot of things I want to ask him. “Last time you were here, you mentioned something about a war. What exactly is happening in your world?”
The smile Sam had been holding fades away at the question. “It's, um… it's a long story,” he admits with a sigh. “To shorten the story, an evil machine empire came to my Equis close to ten years ago and attacked Canterlot while their defenses were low…. Almost the entire world is under their control and the few resistance fighters are making a valiant effort, but still… our odds still don't look good.”
I think about this for a few moments. I remember that Sam already has one of my Tokens. I turn to him. “Well, since you've already got one of my Tokens, I want you to know that you shouldn't be afraid to call me. I'll be willing to help anytime.”
Sam takes a few moments before he looks towards me with a little smile. “Thanks, Alex,” he says before turning his gaze forward once more. “Though… what’s your stance on destroying robots?”
“Depends on whether they have souls or not,” I answer easily. “If a non-organic object with a soul is destroyed, then the soul is still sent to Hakugyokurou. This means that destroying something with a soul is no different than killing. As long as none of the robots have souls, I won't have any problems with destroying them.”
Sam nods. “Then all's clear in your morals,” he says. “These things definitely don't have a soul, not when they can be copied and pasted like some kind of demented computer document.”
I nod in understanding. “Yeah, in my experience, it's impossible to clone a soul. I'd have no reason to spare soulless machines designed for the express purpose of conquest.”
After I say that, the Garden of the Sun comes into view further ahead. “You know, never did ask why you had horns,” Sam suddenly asks, turning backward as he walks so he is facing me.
I think about how to go about my explanation. I decide to figure out the extent of his knowledge first. “Have you ever heard of 'Yokai'?”
“Aren't those like Japanese monsters or something?” He answers, bringing a finger up to scratch at his jaw.
“Yeah, pretty much,” I say with a nod, somewhat impressed. “The place I came from, Gensokyo, is home to all sorts of different Yokai. As it happens, I'm half human and half Yokai.”
Sam nods his head as he processes this. “Okay, so does that mean you have special powers?” He asks, his eyes curious.
“In Gensokyo we say 'abilities,' but yes, I do have a couple,” I answer. “Because of my mixed lineage, I was able to have more abilities than most Gensokians. From my mother, I inherited 'the ability to turn over absolutely anything'. Everyone just shortens it to 'the ability to flip anything'. From my father, I inherited 'the ability to use lightning and magnetism magic,'” I explain.
Sam lets out a low, impressed whistle as he continues to walk backward. “Nice,” he says simply. “So, you can 'turn over anything'? Meaning you can reverse… anything?”
“With simple versions of the ability, yes,” I say. “But due to being half human, there are size limits on what I can use more complicated varieties on. The more complex, the smaller the limit.”
“Okay…,” he says slowly, his face fading deep into thought. “That's… rather impressive.”
“I guess so,” I say. “But it's rare to get any kind of offensive use out of it. I usually have to rely on my lightning magic when it comes to offense. My flip ability and magnetism magic are better suited for defensive and supportive use.”
“Sounds to me like you've really gotten the handle on what you can do,” Sam states before lifting his own hand. “That probably gives you a leg up on me.”
I put my hand on my chin and look down in thought. “Maybe,” I say absently. “But we don't know that for sure…”
Sam nods distractedly before giving a little shrug. “I mean, there's always the choice of having a friendly-” he cuts off as he stumbles slightly and a low ‘snap’ sounds through the air.
I freeze instantly, the snap resounding in my head like a gong signaling the end of a life. Yuuka almost seems to materialize behind Sam, her eyes nearly shooting daggers into the back of his head with her deadly glare.
“You idiot human,” she says with an icy growl. “You should have been watching where you were going.”
Sam turns quickly, a panicked look on his face as he raises his hands passively. “I'm so sorry, miss,” he apologizes quickly. “I wasn't looking where I was going, but maybe I can fix it.”
Yuuka looks extremely irritated as she squeezes her eyes shut and answers. “You don't 'fix' a destroyed plant. You grow a new one from a seed, and it's just as painstaking as it was for the old one. You will have to pay the price for all the hard work you've undone.”
Sam is still for a moment before he drops his hands and lets out a sigh. “There's no talking this out, is there?” He questions, his tone a little tired.
“Of course not,” Yuuka answers, her voice overflowing with malice. “You've destroyed one of my precious flowers. I simply cannot let that go unpunished.” Yuuka then opens her eyes. I can easily picture the fires of rage burning in them as she continues. “You had better pray to whatever Gods you can that there will be enough of your essence left to be sent to Hakugyokurou once I am finished with you!”
Sam says nothing for a moment before he brings his hand up to hold the bridge of his nose and lets out another, much heavier, sigh. “Right,” he says, taking his hand from his nose. “Let's get this over with.”
Yuuka takes action just as Sam finishes his sentence. She lunges forward, colliding with Sam and shoving him away from the Garden of the Sun with surprisingly incredible force. Immediately after that, she sets up a dome-shaped Danmaku border enclosing the entire field of sunflowers.
The human's eyes widen quite a bit as he is pushed back, hand going to his chest momentarily. “Guess there's no holding back, either,” he mutters before standing straight and strong. “Fine then.” He steps forward with his left leg aggressively, his right arm held at a ninety-degree angle back as his left fore and middle fingers rest on a device. “Go,” he growls before he steps forward with his right foot, throwing his right fist forward and out, left hand coming to rest against his right shoulder. “Psycho!” A flash of black energy surrounds Sam's body, the energy shattering and leaving behind black under armor. Green lightning shoots away from his wrists, lower legs, and torso, twisted armor plates being drawn in to settle on those areas. Sam jerks his hands and lets more green energy erupt from them before moving them up and around, passing them over his face as a green grid pattern forms over his head. Once his arms come to rest, a green, finned helmet forms, black lenses sliding into place over his eyes to finish the transformation, leaving Sam far different than before.
My eyes widen in surprise as I notice that Sam looks very similar to one of the pictures of Basco on the wanted poster he showed me. Not sure what to think of this, I cautiously put some space between me and the battle.
“Hmph,” Yuuka says, unamused. “If you are trying to intimidate me, it isn't working. Appearances mean nothing. Power is everything!” With that, Yuuka then attacks with a large number of bullets that seem to be nothing more than sparkling light. They're all concentrated towards Sam.
Sam's reaction is a very similar one to the one he had with Medicine. In a flash of green lightning, kamas with decorated green handles and blades in the shape of extended bat wings form in his hands before the same green energy dances around him. The young man takes off dodging to the side, becoming little more than an electrical blur as he tries to close the distance between them.
Yuuka's expression seems to change for a split second, almost as if she was reminded of something unpleasant. She then changes tactics. She turns and patiently tracks the moving blur for a few moments, before pulling out a Spellcard.
Power Sign [Master Spark]
With almost no warning whatsoever, an immense beam identical to Marisa's Master Spark is fired from Yuuka's hands. Yuuka had led her shot, and she scores a direct hit on Sam, who was moving too quickly to react.
The strike slams into the ranger, leaving him to get zapped with the enormous amounts of energy… before it starts to flow into the now gold squares on his arm and leg guards. “Oh, yeah!” He shouts, his body arching back a bit as he absorbs the power. “Power. Me. UP!” As the last of the power sinks into him, he throws his hands forward, a beam twice as big leaping forth to charge at Yuuka.
Yuuka's eyes widen in surprise before she dives to the side, barely avoiding the attack. As she stands up, she worriedly takes stock of the situation. Sam is already charging at her, green and gold electricity dancing over his form as he runs.
Yuuka very quickly realizes what Sam is doing, but instead of making a move to dodge, she stays put and braces herself. At the last possible moment, Yuuka grabs Sam by the waist, and using his momentum to her advantage… she suplexes him.
The sound of cracking glass rips through the air as a field around Sam flashes into existence, the rest of his body going limp.
Yuuka stands up and dusts herself off. “Have a nice day,” she says icily with a forced smile before she turns and walks back into the Garden of the Sun.
I rush over to Sam. “Sam!” I shout. “Sam, are you alright!?”
A low groan meets my question as the armored human starts to sit up. “...Ow,” he says, reaching a hand back to rub his neck.
I sigh in relief. “Well, if you can speak, then you'll live.” I then punch Sam's shoulder in frustration, not hard, but not lightly as I speak to him. “You idiot! What were you thinking, trying to fight Yuuka like that!? She's one of the strongest Yokai in all of Gensokyo! You could have just as easily been killed!”
Sam raises a finger. “One, I doubt she could kill me,” he says. “It seems to me like most of you guys' abilities are elemental, thus I can absorb them. Two… she didn't look all that powerful at first….”
I sigh before I answer. “Looks can be deceiving,” I tell him.
“You'd think I'd learn that by now,” the man mutters before standing to his feet and walking towards the field of flowers again.
I quickly step in front of him. “I'd think that you'd have learned something just now. I won't let you pick another fight with Yuuka.”
Sam stops and looks at me through the black lenses of his helmet. “I don't plan on starting a fight,” he says before moving past me and going to the edge of the field and kneeling down in front of the flower he had stepped on. “Just repairing my mistake.” He puts his hand down on the ground in front of the flower, the squares on his wrist and leg armor changing to pink as electricity of the same color dances over his hand. The energy travels through the ground and over the flower, the damage starting to repair itself as the flower begins to stand back up.
I stare in awe at the sunflower, completely speechless. Sam stands back to his feet muttering something along the lines of, “sorry, little guy,” before he turns and walks back towards me, green grid lines going over his armor before it dissipates, the belt turning to electricity and traveling up his body and back down his right arm to settle on his wrist and become the strange device again.
As he walks back towards me, something behind him catches my eye. I notice the top of a pale violet parasol just peeking over the tops of the sunflowers. After a couple moments, it twists around and moves away deeper into the field. I decide not to comment on it as I turn back to Sam as he comes to a stop in front of me. “That was incredible,” I tell him, the awe in my voice genuine.
The man lets out a little chuckle before responding. “I've come to see all life as precious,” he says. “The last battle with King Mondo's forces taught me that. It's probably the only reason I've got a pair of timberwolf pups sleeping in my room.”
“Timberwolves…” I say quietly, remembering the image of that one timberwolf burning to ash after getting struck by my lightning.
Sam just nods his head. “Midnight had a machine captain march through the Everfree and systematically kill any flora and fauna it came across,” he explains. “Rose and Veral got orphaned as a result. Chris took them in to heal Veral's leg, and they haven't left yet.”
I frown in anger at this. “That's just not right,” I say. “I want you to call me to your world so I can scrap some of those robots sometime before you end the war there.”
A little chuckle echoes from Sam again before he looks up at me again. “I don't think we'll have a problem with that,” he replies with a small smile.
“Alexandria,” Shanghai suddenly speaks up from my shoulder. “It's getting late. Maybe we should be getting home soon.”
I look up to see that Shanghai is right: the sun is setting. “Ah, time always seems to go by so quickly whenever I get on a topic that interests me.” I turn to Sam. “Shanghai's right. I should probably be getting home now. Maybe next time we meet, you'll be the one to call me.”
“Probably,” he says, his smile growing a little. “At least I got to confirm a theory of mine.”
I nod my head. “Alright, I'll see you again sometime. You're free to return to your world.”
A portal opens up nearby and the ranger glances over his shoulder at the doorway before turning back. “Thanks for the callback, Alex,” he says. “Coming here is actually really relaxing. Until next time.” With that, he starts towards the portal… but before he can step through, someone else shows up.
“Psst, Alex,” a voice whispers in my ear.
“Who-!?” I say in surprise as I jerk away and turn quickly, my arm raised, ready to use a Spellcard at a moment's notice.
A small silver ball of light floats in the air beside me. “Sorry, didn't mean to frighten you,” Chris says, a grin in his voice. “Could you do me a favor and not tell Sam I was here?”
I turn to look at Sam, who miraculously hadn't heard my shout. I turn back to Chris. “Um, sure. But do you mind me asking why?”
“Sam really wants a way to separate from me,” the orb replies, his tone becoming sad. “I just… I don't want his spirits getting crushed.”
“Ah. Alright, I understand,” I say nodding in understanding.
“But, it'd be better if you could just get along,” Shanghai adds. “If you two are tied together like me and Alexandria, then that's the best thing to do.”
“We do, for the most part,” Chris answers. “But twenty-one years being a passenger in someone else's body, wouldn't you want a way out, too?”
“In my opinion,” I begin, “the best option is to just come to terms with it and try to reach a state of harmony. I managed to do it with John, the human that got displaced from his Earth and transformed into me.”
The little ball is quiet for a while before Chris replies. “Thanks, Alex,” he says before the silver sphere starts to float towards Sam as his foot was the last thing to enter the portal. “We'll see you later!” With that, the orb disappears into the portal just before it closes.
Apple Bloom and Mane Cureall stared at the spot the portal had disappeared, their staff having already made their way out after the cleanup had finished. “...Do you… he is coming back, right?” Cureall questioned, glancing at her younger colleague. The younger mare simply shrugged in response.
“Either he won’t or he will,” the Apple answered, staring at the spot as she lifted her hand and scratched her cheek. “Though, Ah certainly wouldn’t put it against’im. Afterall,” she paused and looked towards the center of the room where Veral lay, transferred from the hard metallic operating table to a much softer resting bed. “The ones he cares about are still here.”
No sooner had the mare finished than the portal swirled back into existence, Chris stepping back out a moment later. He looked up at them for a few moments before he stepped out of the way of the portal, just in time for Sam’s orb to come forth from the doorway. “Whew!” The orb exclaimed, coming to a stop as the swirling gateway closed behind him. “Now that was something! Chris, ya should’ve seen it!” The orb floated closer to his brother, energy buzzing off of him. “I took care of the body and moved without struggle. I don’t think my speed even dwindled for a second.”
Chris chuckled a bit and, even though the mare’s behind Sam could he the strain in it, the orb only seemed to bob up and down in joy. “You’ll have to tell me about, bro,” he answered, giving his brother a small smile, only receiving a yawn in response.
“I will,” Sam answered softly, his tone tired. “But right now, I feel really… really tired.”
The young man gave a small breath of laughter. “Get some sleep,” he said softly. “We can talk more when you’re rested.” The orb seemed to nod at that before slowly fading from sight. The moment Sam was gone, Chris let out a long breath before looking back up to the mare’s in the room.
“...Yer jus’ going to lie to him?” Apple Bloom questioned, stepping forward and crossing her arms.
Chris looked her in the eyes for several moments before giving a quiet sigh and nodding his head. “Yes,” he said in a low, almost inaudible voice. “If it makes him happier and he can get stronger because of it….” The young man trailed off and let his gaze shift over to the sleeping timber wolf. “...We should get him moved to somewhere more comfortable.”
The red maned mare followed his gaze and let out a small sigh, letting her arms dropped. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “He’ll be waking up soon, and he probably wouldn’t want the room he was cut open in to be the first thing he sees.” Chris nodded at that and moved to help roll the bed out of the room, leaving behind Mane Cureall as she watched them go, her lips pursed together after the small exchange.
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Yay. Finally the updates are back
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You're welcome
I like it keep it up and don't spare the chaos!