Chapter Twenty-Five: Rocky Road
Icait tossed and turned in her sleep, the Windigo finally jerking awake with a gasp. She usually didn’t have dreams, let alone bad ones.
But now she did, and they were getting worse.
It had been a day or two since meeting Gaudi, and things had seemed to start to settle, aside from the dreams.
Images of battles long passed, a leering face whispering of death and enslavement. Icait could almost feel the icy daggers digging into her side. Memories? Sinister goals? She didn’t know.
Walking out softly to the living room as not to wake Onyx, who slept either in his own private room or on the couch, the Windigo aimed towards the sink. Maybe some warm milk? That was supposed to help; that’s what-
“Couldn’t sleep?” a soft, familiar voice rumbled.
Onyx sat in front of the large, one-way window in their living room, not having turned around when speaking. Icait trotted up to sit down next to the shadow pony, nodding once.
“Bad dreams,” she said softly.
“I didn’t know you could have those,” was a curious reply, devoid of any grumpiness, interestingly enough. His deep voice seemed a bit softer somehow, lacking the usual snarky edge.
“Until a few days ago, neither did I. They’re getting worse rather quickly, and I don’t know why.”
Onyx stayed quiet for a time before replying.
“Same here,” he finally admitted, not looking over to meet Icait’s gaze as she looked at him in shock. He rarely admitted struggling with things. “I am going to speak with Varti tomorrow. Perhaps the shield around the island can be doubled up around our quarters. It seemed to help initially. I know we are being targeted by Him. I’m going to be helping Knife Twist locate the last of the remaining attackers; apparently, we didn’t get them all. I imagine He is quite annoyed at my intentions.”
Icait shivered at that. She knew exactly who Onyx was talking about; the only creature who would profit greatly from their death.
Onyx appeared to be struggling for words, his grey eyes flickering over to the Windigo briefly.
“Can I help at all?” he finally asked, once again surprising her. This whole ‘acceptance of being a friend’ had certainly seemed to spur a bit of change. The shadow pony had seemed different somehow, more approachable.
Well, at least when he was alone with her.
She shrugged, not entirely sure how to reply; nothing came to mind. Well, one thing did seem like it would help. The Windigo scooted a bit closer, resting her head on the stallion’s shoulder. Quite abruptly, her nerves fizzed away, sleep quickly setting in as she sighed happily. Despite being made of a combination of fur and shadow, Oynx’s shoulder was surprisingly comfy, like a firm pillow.
“This seems to help,” she mumbled, flopping down as Onyx shifted to settled on the floor, a much more sustainable posture it would seem.
“Well, then I suggest you keep doing it,” the Shadow Pony grunted, Icait saying something incomprehensible before falling asleep further.
And so, Onyx was left with the mare snuggled up on his shoulder, the stallion letting out a huff.
“If it helps, it helps,” he muttered to himself.
Staring at the window at the stars, Onyx couldn’t help but feel something, a rather alien sensation of being at peace. He was always so preoccupied with things, rarely had he just let things be and think like this at least. Despite the dreams, things were actually not that bad, and that was a very odd realization in and of itself. It freed up quite a bit of thinking power for other matters, many of which were rather uncomfortable.
Like who Onyx was, underneath it all, something he was still learning. But other things he did know for a certainty. Such things helped guide the other questions about himself towards an eventual goal, perhaps even towards a knowledge of who he would choose to be.
Because now he did have a choice, and that was both a frightening and liberating thing indeed.
His usually stern and slightly-sour expression softened, the stallion rolling his eyes.
“Well if it helps you,” he whispered to himself, “maybe it’ll help me sleep.”
That was his rational at least as Onyx leaned over and rested his head across Icait’s back. And much to his annoyance, it did help usher in sleep.
Of course, the fact Icait immediately scooted closer with a content sigh had nothing to do with that, nor the genuinely caring and protective smile that slid onto Onyx’s features as he tentatively pressed his head against her shoulder.
Nothing at all.
The Following Morning
Knife Twist shouldered her spear, trotting alongside Hammer and Onyx down a well-worn trail.
“So basically, we are just waiting until he tells us something is up?” she asked the ex-legionnaire, nodding to the shadow pony.
“Correct. Golems with flight spells will scan from the air. We’re here to catch any stragglers they miss. And we have the limbo-detector over here to help us with that.”
“I have a name, and can hear you,” Onyx grumbled, prompting a snicker from Hammer.
“It’s a joke. Now I see why Icait called you a grump. No sense…of….”
The stallion paused, looking a neatly-written card that was levitated over in front of his nose, signed by Varti no less.
“This here certifies that Onyx is hereby the Last Light Organization’s Official Grump until otherwise released,” Hammer muttered, taking an exaggerated bow. “I stand corrected.”
Knife didn’t miss the lightning-fast smirk that slid on and off Onyx’s features; there most certainly was a humorous element to this pony, just buried underneath the constantly-annoyed demeanor.
The expression vanished quickly however, the stallion gesturing to a large clump of rocks off to their left, the outcropping jutting out from the golden grass-covered hill as it sloped down towards the ocean.
“Something is there,” the shadow-pony stated flatly. “I do not know what, but there is a disruption field with limbo energies around those stones.
The trio didn’t have to wait long, a concealment spell breaking as a large reptile yanked itself from the wall and half lunged, half threw itself at them.
Such a maneuver was cut short, literally, by Knife Twist’s spear, the thestrel frowning in almost disappointment as she yanked the weapon free from the body which rapidly began to turn to ash.
“It’s like they don’t care if they live or die,” she muttered, “either fanatics, or something else is at play here.”
There was another shape that peeled off from the rocky formation, Knife twirling her spear with a sigh.
She knew how fanaticism could poison the mind much more than these two did, more than most creatures knew. There wouldn’t be any mercy.
“I surrender!”
Or, maybe there will be.
Staring in surprise as the brownish-grey and rather skinny reptile in front of them, Knife leveled her spear at the six-limbed reptile, all four arms raised high.
“Forgive me for not believing you,” she replied, Hammer stepping forward cautiously, a bladed gauntlet extended just in case.
“You are the first to say such words. Why?” he asked.
The reptile lowered one arm, tossing a small object onto the ground in front of him.
“That thing! It’s poison!” he squawked, half-beak face twisting in disgust. “Your mind. It makes you see things, think things! I don’t want it anymore! I just was looking for a quick score, not this nightmare! Just take the spell off me so He doesn’t kill me!”
“The immolation spell?” Knife ventured to ask, a woodpecker-like nod the reptile’s reply, orange eyes wide in genuine horror. The small gem that the reptile had thrown sparked with red and purple tendrils, turning the grass around it to dust at the mere mentioning of its purpose.
“I cannot say anything else! My life is nothing to Him. I just don’t want to die. I just want to sleep without seeing that horrid place! If I die, I might get stuck there forever!”
Interesting words, and Hammer calmly began to pass the request through the crystal communicator in his helmet.
“We won’t kill you. Don’t say anything or move until we can get the spell removed. After that, we’ll talk. That gem is only a conduit. You still are under its enchantment.”
Judging from how pale the reptile was turning, he was absolutely terrified. They could use that.
After a trio of armored unicorns arrived to perform a counter spell, the reptile promptly sagged to the ground in relief.
“Now. Your safety, for information,” Hammer grunted, surprising Knife with his stern demeanor. An ex-legionnaire indeed.
“Y-yes! I promise! I-”
The reptile then caught sight of Onyx, the shadow-pony having been sitting in the background unnoticed. A claw pointed to him, shaking.
“He is from that place,” the reptile whispered. “What is he doing here?”
“I am from Limbo, if that is what you are saying,” Onyx replied, trotting closer and causing the reptile to recoil. “What is your name?”
“S-shale,” was the whispered reply.
“Well, Shale. I am here because I was freed from what kept me bound to my former masters, if such a word is applicable. I am here because I want to be here.”
Shale stared at the pony as if not understanding.
“How?” he finally asked. “Your kind serves him, I’ve seen His kingdom after I thought I died, when I was re-formed into this body again. It makes my brain hurt…”
“I serve him no longer, and I am my own master. I assume He promised you something? Riches for this ill-fated task?”
Hammer’s eyebrow raised at that, catching the glance of Knife as Onyx began questioning the individual. It was like watching a policepony work when questioning a witness, the smoothness Onyx had shifted into an almost interrogatory-mode had been rather interesting indeed.
“Y-yes, lots of gold and jewels. It’s Klugetown; how could I say no?” Shale admitted. “But the minute we crashed I knew something was wrong. I hid right away. This place is a fortress!” his gaze then lowered to the ground. “I’m not a good creature, but I don’t want to be banished. He said we would never die when serving him, but I saw the others perish, dissolve into dust! But then they came back, never remembering me, and those eyes, their bodies…” the reptile shuddered, shaking his head.
“How many others are left on the island? Will they surrender like you did?”
“No more than a dozen, and maybe. I could try to convince them. Some of them will not, but a few of them I know,” the reptile stated.
“Varti is sending additional guards. Then we’ll go meet your fellows,” Hammer replied.
“And then what?” Shale asked, clearly fearful of the answer.
“Then you’ll be fed and locked in a cell while we decide what to do with you,” the ex-legionnaire said calmly. “Perhaps sent back to Klugedtown or-”
“NO!”
The outburst made the arriving guards and original trio jump, Shale desperately shaking his head back and forth, ear-flaps swishing this way and that.
“He’ll kill me for helping you. I don’t care where I go or what I do, just not back there!”
Knife saw the smirk on Hammer’s face; she knew what that meant. There was apparently a plan for creatures like this; that was a grin of a pony who knew exactly what was going to happen.
“Very well. Let’s continue our search and confirm your words,” Hammer mused, the now dozen-strong group trotting down the path, metal cuffs being placed on Shale’s hands.
Onyx remained quiet, following at the rear. The fact that Shale seemed to shiver whenever he looked back at him seemed to unsettle him somehow.
And yet, as the first group of two reptiles surrendered without a fight, it was clear their first prisoner had been telling the truth. Their employer’s grip on their loyalty wasn’t as iron-clad as it first appeared.
The King of Shadows had exposed a fatal flaw in hiring such a rag-tag group for the attack.
Hubris.
For being stuck in a cave, it really wasn’t that bad, not until the reality of the situation came crashing down at random points. But it had started to settle, the realization that they were stuck in a hostile forest. It was odd to think about though, since thing seemed almost ‘normal’.
The first day had wound down after Gelliana realized she could hear Toxic’s natural voice; which may have been a slight mistake, much to the stallions continued embarrassment. Now she just wanted him to read a novel and listen to that voice of his, to make up for lost time of course.
She refused to admit she had a problem, which Toxic said was the first step, at least that’s what Gelliana thought he said between side-splitting laughter.
Laughs that had emotion. Oh, it made her heart melt into a puddle right there on the floor.
He had promised to repeat the instructions the next day, since the gryphoness definitely zoned out as he ran through their emergency plans if they were discovered. Despite the seriousness, they still were able to smile through it all.
The stallion had set up a few things with her help; a small filtration device for the water trickling in, a few military knives placed in certain location around the cave, and then a few plans of what to do if they got discovered. She remembered most of it, but again, the gryphoness had been, and still was rather stressed. At least the elevated dirt ‘bed’ had some foam bedrolls padding it, so a slight upgrade. There were some items clearly for comfort in the emergency crates, ideally to reduce the stress of anyone sheltering in place. Chocolate snacks, some books; all in foil-wrapped packaging of course.
To that end, being stressed and completely smitten at the same time was an interesting ball of emotions indeed, but their ‘home’ was now set for the next few days.
Living together in their own home; that is how Gelly would not explain the situation to her parents once this was all over.
Toxic had explained the simple roadmap of what they’d do; apparently staying put for a few days was the first action. After that, the SMAL could scout to see if there was anycreature without being seen, or something. She knew moving was a good idea, but for now, staying still was the priority.
The gryphoness had really tried to listen further, but she still couldn’t get over how much she had learned about her special somepony, and that voice. Still definitely overwhelmed, but at least half in a good way. But the fact they could joke even during their confined time was somewhat of a relief. It made things seem less serious, for better or worse.
To his credit, Toxic was enduring her constant zoning-out rather well, but he had picked up pretty quickly that something had changed. Unfortunately, Gelliana was still trying to figure out what that was herself.
Not so much figure out, but come to terms with.
Even thinking it made her feathers immediately poof. Being under stress was definitely not the best time to make any huge decisions, but the things that had happened this past day, the things she had learned….
Looking over to the sleeping stallion, Gelliana felt her heart flutter, her beak quivering as she took a shaky breath, a few tears gathering in her eyes. She didn’t think Toxic even knew about all of this.
Do you even know how much I care?
Do I?
It was a catch twenty-two. She was in the position of, admittedly, not only falling head over tails for this stallion but having jumped off that cliff recently, and instead of her being the one slow to trust, now it was Toxic. The past day had rocketed her levels of trust past what had, before, been an equal footing.
Not just trust; but just, being willing to rely on somecreature. How long did it take me to accept that someone offering help wasn’t looking down on me?
Toxic even told me that he has trouble trusting; and from his past I don’t blame him. But now there’s more added to the mix.
She just wanted him to not feel like things were unbalanced, something Gelliana knew was a constant thing in his mind. It was the small things that stood out to her; hesitating before a hug, the delay to ask her for comfort, even if he did eventually do so.
Another trust exercise; he didn’t trust that Gelliana wanted to help, and that was on her. She had said it once or twice in passing, but never explicitly sat him down and made it clear.
The gryphoness knew that Toxic probably had no idea she had seen this; but that was the bonus, or curse, of having a bit of predatory background. She could pick out little things like that using a bit of intuition.
Like how you hesitate before pulling away from a hug, as if you want nothing more than to hold me even tighter but feel like it’s an imposition whenever you need some help.
The fact one of the first things he had said to her the other day was that he was ‘sorry’ for dragging her into this was another clue to the puzzle.
Do you think you’re a burden on my life? That all the times you ask for some comfort is something I don’t cherish?
That was the question, and Gelliana wanted to make darn sure she answered it. She had a few times, but always when tied together with other conversation.
Toxic mumbled in his sleep, Gelliana frowning as he stirred. His jaw was clenched as his limbs twitched; probably not the best dream, not that she could blame him.
Her mind drifted back to what had changed over this past day; and while it really was a simple matter, that didn’t make it any less important. The stallion in front of her had risked his life multiple times to save her, and still was clearly on edge of whether he was a burden. He had mentioned it in less-blunt terms a few times when needing some comfort; hoping he wasn’t imposing, or taking up her time. That one word, ‘burden’ had only been said once by him quietly, but it had stuck in the gryphoness’s mind ever since.
Yesterday had annihilated the remaining dark suspicions and doubts in Gelliana’s mind of whether to trust Toxic had ulterior motives, and that was something that was both freeing and rather scary. To think that he imagined himself as an imposition on her life…
I’ve never felt so safe with somecreature before. I’ve never really been that blunt with my feelings, have I?
That was the crux of it; for the first time in her life, Gelliana wasn’t wondering if a stallion was interested in the gryphoness for any other reason than her. And she was in uncharted territory on how to express it, no matter how much she now wanted to.
It was rather obnoxious that it had taken such drastic actions to drill it into her head, but how could Gelliana complain? Toxic had shown just how far he’d go to save her life, and how much he cared, but she had a feeling he hadn’t told her the full truth. The look in his eyes when she had first regained consciousness was something she hadn’t forgotten; unbridled relief and affection.
He fell asleep holding my claws after saving my life, and yet still, I think he sees himself as a burden. A burden dragging me into this mess, a burden asking for comfort, but he doesn’t see the other side of it.
Love isn’t a burden.
That thought made Gelliana sniffle, reaching her own claws down to hold one of Toxic’s hooves. Toxic had opened up to her, and it was about time she did the same. Even something as simple as this, being able to care for somecreature, he had no idea how much that meant to her.
Not having to be seen as a scary gryphon or a helpless runt, but just someone willing to help.
The more she thought about it, the more she doubled down on Toxic’s suggestion for getting a therapist, or at least somecreature to unpack things with that wasn’t him.
If anything was therapy worthy, it was getting kidnapped and running for their lives.
And that’s aside from what you said, wanting to make things between us work. And that’s what I want more than anything, especially now.
Toxic had made it abundantly clear what he’d do for her, and now it was Gelliana who felt her actions were somewhat inadequate. Not in the sense of ‘owing’ him, but in letting this pony know how much she cared. There was an imbalance, but it wasn’t on Toxic’s side.
And she cared a lot, more than the gryphoness was willing to admit to herself. Toxic had done so much for her, and Gelliana knew that he had no clue how much it meant. The surprise dance alone had been such a thoughtful, adorable idea.
She wanted nothing more to wrap him up in a hug and kiss him for that alone. Somehow, he had picked up on what activities meant the most to her; and that date…
I guess I’ve never really talked about my troubles.
That mental statement made her blink, because Gelliana realized that was part of the issue. Toxic had no idea how much she cared because of who he was. The thoughtful gestures, wanting to be there for somecreature; he had no idea that such things were not superficial aspects of Gelliana’s life. He had been open about the things that were troubles in his life, and Gelliana had just hinted at her own, never really gone in depth like Toxic had. She had just been there for him; but had she ever even explained how much the things that he had done meant to her? Yet he had been there for her even if the stallion didn’t realize how much it meant.
Well, girl, you had better start letting him know. I’m just glad I figured it out. Not so glad it took me this long.
Goal of today? Open up to her special somepony. If she could get Toxic to see, or at least start seeing how much she wanted to be there for him, then mission accomplished.
The more she thought about it, the more Gelliana had to keep herself from crying. Toxic had, for their entire relationship, been willing to drop things at a moment’s notice to be there for her, the few times that was necessary. When had she done that for him? Of course, part of that was his hesitation to ask for her help, but even outside of that, she had lacked that immediate zeal, and that was a barb of regret that dug deep.
Yet the stallion still considered that he was the one burdening her.
Love isn’t a burden.
That statement refused to leave her mind, and it was almost freeing to use that simple four-letter word that encompassed so much. Finally admitting to herself she had fallen in love was a bit overwhelming.
Obviously, they were in a rather stressful situation, but with nothing to do but think, it was hardly avoidable. But it felt good to final admit it, as if mentally saying it unlocked a brimming chest of emotions that was usually kept under lock and key.
I’ve kept far too much locked up though, and now Toxic is the one paying for it.
On hearing Toxic draw some disturbingly wet breaths, Gelliana put her head to his chest and heard some crackling as he exhaled. She knew that sound, and the gryphoness walked over to the military crate and tapped on the large crystal. In the background, the stallion coughed roughly, starting to stir from his sleep.
“Uh, SMAL? You there?” she asked softly, a familiar mare coalescing from a million motes of light.
“Patient One, what can I do for you?” the SMAL asked calmly.
“Can you scan Toxic? I know what pneumonia sounds like,” she said, a bit of her social anxieties kicking in as she averted her gaze from the mare. “I know we’re stressed, but s-sleeping that long and hearing that b-breathing…”
Her stammering was rather ironic, considering she literally was not talking to anyone alive.
“Of course.”
The mare trotted over and ran a magical beam over the stallion, Toxic blinking as he yawned with a cough.
“Huh? What?” he mumbled.
“I was asked to scan you, Director. Please continue to lie still.”
“I’m fine,” Toxic grunted, Gelliana shaking her head.
“You didn’t sound fine,” she said softly.
“Good morning to you too,” the pony huffed, wincing at the bright light of the SMAL. “Ow.”
“It’s nearly noon,” Gelliana said softly, Toxic nearly jerking upright at that.
“W-what?!” Toxic asked as a cough wracked his frame, wincing as he hugged a forelimb to his chest. “Urg, ok.”
After the SMAL ceased the scan, Gelliana walked forward to gently wrap Toxic up in a hug.
“Good morning though,” she said softly, the stallion returning the gesture. How much she just wanted to stay like this for an hour, just listening to that heartbeat.
“Thanks, Gells. I really do appreciate it, grumpiness aside,” he replied, “Good morning, or midday, to you. I never have been a morning pony though,” Toxic said with a cough.
“Hmm. You work on changing my view of thunderstorms, I’ll work on your aversion to mornings and sleep,” Gelliana replied with a concerned smile.
“I look forward to seeing how you’ll do that,” the stallion chuckled, then coughing again with a hiss. “Ok, good call. That hurt.”
“Patient One was correct. You have the beginnings of an infection in your lungs,” SMAL reported calmly. “Diagnosis is unclear at this time. I recommend a full blood analysis and in-depth magical scan.”
“Sounds good,” Toxic replied, levering himself up. “As soon as I use our five-star bathroom.”
“Maybe we can get some gold leafing to put around the hole,” Gelliana joked, Toxic meandering out of sight behind the rocky half-wall in the cave.
“The hole. More like the Pit of Despair.”
Gelliana couldn’t help but laugh at that, the reference not lost on her. Toxic came back and promptly flopped onto the bed with a crackly huff, prompting her mirth to fade quickly.
“Patient One can assist me in the blood draw,” SMAL stated, turning to look at Gelliana, “If you are willing?”
“You can call me Gelliana, and yeah, I can help,” she replied, her anxieties somehow less when not being alone in talking to this construct. “I only have super basic first aid knowledge though.”
“That is fine. I just need to you to pass certain vials and machinery over to me. I can do the rest.”
As the Golem trotted over to one of the large crates, Gelliana gestured over to ‘her’ with a set of claws.
“That’s handy to have,” she remarked, Toxic nodding.
“Indeed. Quite the capable creation. I’d help you with this, but I don’t really trust my legs right now.”
That caught the gryphoness’s attention.
“What now?”
“Just walking back from the Pit and here gave me weak knees. Other than that, and a cough though, I feel ok,” Toxic said, trying to smile sincerely; he only half succeeded.
Gelliana’s ears flattened, knowing a strong front when she saw it. The SMAL returned levitating an odd, lunchbox-like metal container and a rather large syringe.
“Oh boy. The big needle,” Toxic muttered and he held out a forelimb. “I love the big needle.”
“Gelliana, please press the top left button to allow the device to start up,” SMAL instructed, gesturing to the lunch box as the entity examined the syringe in its grasp.
After doing so, Gelliana watched as the flat, metal surface split open, revealing a complex network of circuitry and magical crystals, a projected display appearing in front of her. On the cover of the device, now appearing to actually be hollow, a rather intimidating array of surgical equipment stared back at her.
“Very good. Please retrieve one of the numbing patches. They are colored with a blue circle, left side of the device lid,” SMAL instructed.
“That device is to basically analyze any chemical or blood sample, along with potential foreign bodies. That’s why there’s a small surgical kit on the lid of it,” Toxic explained, still glaring at the large needle held in the SMAL’s grasp. “I would say don’t bother with the numbing, but that’s a big needle.”
“It is a rather big needle. I do not envy you,” Gelliana admitted, passing over the required swap to the SMAL.
“Thank you. Stand by,” SMAL said calmly.
Gelliana was, to say the least, rather impressed as Toxic barely flinched during the blood draw. It occurred to her that this was not a rare event; one of many things to ask him about.
“I will proceed with the analysis. It will take some time,” SMAL said, walking to the device and plugging the rather large vial into a receptacle. The entity then vanished into the analyzer leaving the pair alone once again.
“Well, if a bit of coughing is all I have to deal with from getting nailed by those darts, I’ll have no qualms about it,” Toxic remarked, leaning against the dirt wall to at least be upright. His gaze drifted over to Gelliana, the stallion raising an eyebrow. “You, are one occupied gryphon. What’s up?”
Gelliana blushed, mumbling as she walked over to sit next to him on the ground.
“I mean, you have reason to be preoccupied. Not exactly the most stress-free environment,” Toxic mused. “But I can tell when something’s eating away at you more than usual.”
She didn’t say anything at first, claws fiddling with a bit of rock on the ground.
“Just been thinking. There’s some stuff I want to talk about,” Gelliana finally said. “Nothing like, relationship-breaking or anything, just something has been bothering me.”
Toxic’s ears perked up, the stallion listening attentively.
“I’m all ears,” he said, then wincing, “is it something I-”
“No!” Gelliana exclaimed, letting out a frustrated huff, wings drooping. “That’s the exact problem right there.”
“I…don’t follow.”
“Tox, do you think you’re a burden to me?”
The question elicited silence at first, the stallion averting his eyes. His lack of an answer was as good as any, the pony finally speaking again in a softer tone.
“Sometimes, yes,” Toxic said, “How can I not be? The number of times I’ve needed your help, you’re not the one who gets yanked into memory-land at the sound of a hissing soda can.”
Gelliana sniffed back some tears, the gryphoness shaking her head.
“Then you really don’t know, do you?” she whispered. “That’s my fault. I’m not used to opening up with somecreature, and that’s trust issues aside. You’re my coltfriend, not a burden, Toxic,” she said, scooting forward to wrap him up in a half hug, despite him being a bit off the floor on the ‘bed.’
“The number of times doesn’t matter. The things you’ve done for me, how you’ve made me feel; if we’re counting ‘helping’ times, I owe you the world.”
Toxic pulled back slightly, looking at her in confusion, green eyes swimming in turmoil.
“You really have n-no idea, do you?” Gelliana whispered, violet eyes tearing up. She pulled him into a hug, holding the stallion tight as she nuzzled his cheek with hers. “I think I took the whole ‘take things slow’ thing a bit too far.”
“How so?” Toxic asked, now finally relaxing in her embrace and leaning on the gryphoness.
“I applied that mindset to opening up a bit too much,” Gelliana explained, not able to help her even brighter blush now that his heart-melting voice was right next to her ear. “You opened up to me, and even if it was partially by necessity, you don’t even know much about the stuff I’m dealing with, the things you have already helped with. Even before this whole mess.”
“Oooooh. Like the storm thing?”
“Like the storm thing, one of many, many things,” Gelliana said, giving him a kiss on the cheek and was rewarded with a blush that finally wasn’t on her face. A few of her own anxieties flickered to the fore, Gelliana letting out an incoherent mumble before collecting her thoughts. “I h-hope that sort of thing is…”
“Gells,” Toxic said with a grin as he returned the gesture; not that it helped her to think any more clearly. “While reaching relationship milestones during a time of high stress is probably not a good idea, I’m very much fine with this.”
The gryphoness was once again rewarded with a blushing stallion, Toxic looking rather embossed and meek, as a matter of fact.
“I’d rather not have our first kiss be when I’m feeling sick though,” he admitted. “And, erm…”
Gelliana had no qualms letting the stallion stammer. He was absolutely adorable when flustered; as opposed to the other, still-adorable but at a lesser degree times.
“I have no idea how to kiss someone with a beak.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at that, resting her forehead against Toxic’s.
“Wellllllll, when you’re feeling better, I t-think I can show you,” she said with smile. “Not that I have a ton of experience either.”
“It’s a date as soon as I can feel my limbs again,” Toxic agreed. “To what you said earlier though, I think I would like to know more about you. I just, I wasn’t sure how much to press.”
“And I’m really happy you didn’t, but at the same time, I probably would have figured this all out sooner if you had,” Gelliana admitted, “you’re just too much of a gentlecolt.”
“I won’t deny it.”
She giggled, continuing to rest in his embrace as he did the same. His heartbeat sped up, then settling into a steady rhythm that thudded in Gelliana’s ears.
“I love times like this,” she whispered, just taking in the moment of safety. For brief time, they weren’t hiding from some crazy reptile-shadow-thing, but it was her and Toxic. That steady heartbeat, his soft fur against her cheek, his chest rising and falling against hers; it made everything fade away into a beautiful, warm never-never-land.
The gryphoness actually felt Toxic nod off slightly, the stallion shaking himself awake as Gelliana shifted.
“Hey, if you’re tired, I’m a willing pillow,” she said softly, hiding her concern as best she could.
“I just woke up,” he replied in a bleary tone, then nuzzling her neck gently. “But very comfy. Thank you Gells…”
Concern now overrode Gelliana’s enjoyment of the moment, the gryphoness locating some small pebbles after she made sure Toxic was asleep once again. She tossed them at the analyzer; the items far too small to do anything but make a soft ‘tap’ noise.
“SMAL, you there?” she whispered, the mare appearing with a nod.
“What can I- Hmm,” the entity stated. “Scanning. That is abnormal behavior indeed.”
“Well the sleeping is, not the cuddling,” Gelliana grumbled.
The joke was lost on the SMAL, the scan concluding as the golem furrowed a brow.
“Hmm.”
“That is not a good ‘hmm,’” Gelliana replied.
“Indeed. I am detecting similar poisons in his blood that were in yours, but at much higher concentrations. That is most peculiar. They have evaded me on the initial steps of the blood analysis, but show up on a magical scan,” SMAL mused. “Adding to data set. I will perform a more in-depth magical scan, but you will need to remove yourself from him. Thankfully he shows normal REM sleep patterns rather than being unconscious.”
Gelliana let herself pout; not like the Golem cared. She carefully set Toxic down on the elevated ‘bed’, letting the SMAL work. Falling asleep after barely waking up wasn’t good at all.
If they were at an all-expense paid resort, then maybe it would make sense to catch up on sleep. Running for their lives? Not so much.
I know you have trouble sleeping; but you haven’t told me much about the nightmares. You need the rest, Toxic.
Then again, I haven’t told you about mine. I guess we both need to be tied to beds for a week to catch up on sleep.
That thought made the gryphoness’s mind side-track, an immediate blush making her cheeks burn.
NO, NOT THINKING ABOUT THAT.
I mean, eventu-
“Scan completed,” SMAL reported, providing a glorious rescue from the gryphoness starting to spiral into a flustered mess. “I will need your assistance at once, Gelliana.”
“Huh? S-sure!” she stammered, the entity blinking with a curious head tilt.
“Are you feeling well? My scans show elevated heart rate, temperature, pupil dilation, and-”
“Yes, I feel fine, what do you need me to do?” Gelliana interrupted, making the SMAL raise an eyebrow.
“I need you to put this magic suppression ring on him,” the Golem instructed. “I cannot do that, as it is above my permissions to do so. It is not meant to be an active restraint, but rather allows me to see the Director’s magical state in addition to his physical one. He should not notice a difference, as the device can be adjusted. I have, however, set it to block a large amount of his magic as a test.”
Gelliana accepted the ring, sliding it over Toxic’s horn carefully.
She jumped back as the stallion let out a peaceful sigh, the pony actually seeming to breathe easier the moment after the device was in place. While this made a smile come on Gelliana’s face, the Golem seemed to be in shock.
“Uh, SMAL? You there?” Gelly asked, the entity frozen as it analyzed the incoming data.
“Stand by.”
Gelliana knew it was probably programed to not show emotion, but something leaked through that software, some edge that made the gryphoness on guard. For a moment the entity seemed almost disturbed, demeanor shifting to be very much not artificial.
After a few moments, the Golem quickly began to move, pulling out a previously-stowed container and gesturing towards Toxic’s discarded armor.
“I’ve gotten enough information to begin treatment, we do not have long,” SMAL stated flatly. “You must wake him, immediately.”
Shaking the stallion, an icy tendril of fear stabbed into Gelliana’s heart as Toxic refused to be roused.
“Toxic!” she finally yelled, using her entire bodyweight to shake the stallion back and forth until his eyes cracked open.
“Huh? Gells?” he mumbled, not the appropriate reply by far.
“Director. I need your authorization for this treatment before you fall unconscious,” the SMAL stated, those words at least shocking Toxic somewhat into wakefulness.
“Explain,” he muttered, letting out a hiss of pain, “Arg, my head…”
“You have been poisoned with the same compound Gelliana was, but the dose is off any scale I use. Your condition is rapidly deteriorating. This poison matches ninety-percent to that which poisoned Pick Shield during the recorded terrorist attack, but contains notable differences.”
Toxic’s eyes widened despite having to struggle to keep them open.
“What? How-why am I so tired? Can’t think. World spinning.”
“Director. I need your authorization for treatment. I do not know when you will regain consciousness again.”
Nodding once, Toxic slumped down, beginning to drift off as Gelliana’s chest began to constrict. The fact he wasn’t responding more absolutely terrified her.
“Activate all functions of SMAL including experimental subroutines,” he muttered, forcing the words out. “Full authorization for treatment to myself, Director level access, five, five, seven, alpha…two…gamma…” Toxic’s voice continued to drift despite Gelliana reaching over to and shake him.
“Theta, Epsilon...two…one…”
The stallion then slumped down, the SMAL glowing brightly as mathematical projections ran across her body.
“Codes accepted, full functionality unlocked,” the entity proclaimed almost happily. “Gelliana, we must begin treatment immediately. Are you able to assist?”
“Y-yes, then can you tell me what is going on?”
“Of course.”
The Entity’s voice was smoother, much more professional now. It almost seemed alive now, moving and speaking in a much more natural manner. Apparently, those codes must have done something.
“I need you to retrieve the small metal locker on the side of one of the Director’s armor plates. It contains two doses of high-level antigen. That will supplement the remaining items we have.”
Gelliana rifled through the armor pieces, easily locating the square protrusion and holding out a simple, fold-out kit of crystals and syringes.
The SMAL added it to a pile of colored tubes; antitoxins taken from the remaining container.
“That’s a lot of vials,” Gelliana remarked, the SMAL letting out a hum.
“And yet I believe it will be insufficient. Quite a bit more was used to treat you, and that was a dose statistically negligible to his. Unfortunately, the majority of the antitoxins available were used in your treatment.”
Gelliana’s eyes widened at that; all those syringes had been used on her? More than that?!
“Wait, what?! Toxic said we still had some doses!”
The SMAL frowned, then let out a sigh.
“My social subroutines are still experiencing conflict. I apologize if my answers are blunt,” it said, “the Director likely did not want to cause you distress. In treating you, we used approximately seventy-two percent of available antitoxins, and even then, you would have died without defibrillation and further monitoring.”
The ice in Gelliana’s heart brimmed over, making her borderline hyperventilate.
“S-so, is h-he-”
“However, even if we had not used the antidotes on you, we would have insufficient quantities,” the SMAL quickly added. “The Director’s natural resistance is promising. The fact he took a full day to show symptoms indicates his chances are much greater than any normal creature. I will need you to pass me the vials as I call out their number; they must be injected in sequence and rapidly. The goal is to blunt the effects of the poison so the Director’s body can deal with the remaining toxins on its own. Are you still able to assist?”
Gelliana swallowed her fear as best she could, walking over to stand next to the seemingly-large pile of vials.
“Y-yes.”
“Then we shall begin. Hand me the first, small black vial in the armor kit.”
The vials were injected in rapid succession; what must have been easily liters of fluid dumping into the pony’s veins. Logically, it didn’t make any sense; that should have caused huge issues of its own, but the magical sparks indicated that these weren’t ordinary injections.
It made a bit more sense why Gelliana had vomited up so much; if they had used more of this stuff on her…
After what felt like hours (but was more likely about ten minutes,) the vials were depleted, the SMAL injecting a sinister black-colored solution.
“I can continue treatment from here on my own, but I can keep you apprised of my actions,” the SMAL said. “Inquiry: Are you his mate?”
“Huh? No! Special somegriff,” Gelliana explained with a wave of her claws. “Can you still explain what you’re doing?”
“While not ordinary medical procedure, yes, I can. This situation and the enabling of my high-level programs make me able to bypasses usual privacy laws, but I am required to check for immediate relations. Unlike living creatures, I do not get distracted by explanations while performing treatment.”
“Then please do,” Gelliana said, worry making her chest tighten as Toxic winced, letting out a few incoherent mumbles.
“At present, I need to monitor his vitals to make sure his heart doesn’t experience abnormalities. Other than a supportive IV to boost the efficiency of the antitoxins, there is no other treatment for the next few hours. Recovery time, unknown.”
Gelliana, now sitting down swallowed the lump in her throat at that.
“Is he going to be ok?”
To her surprise, SMAL didn’t reply immediately, Gelliana swearing the Golem was actually confused on what to say.
“Is he?!” Gelliana pressed, the Entity finally shrugging.
“I do not know.”
Those four words made something inside Gelliana crumble, the gryphoness struggling to hold back tears as she looked at her unconscious stallion. She walked over to sit next to the pony, SMAL reaching up to hang an IV bag after pushing a needle into Toxic’s forelimb.
“I shall remain in monitoring mode. Do you wish for me to power down my visual form?” SMAL asked, Gelliana shaking her head.
“N-no. Just s-stay for a bit,” she managed to whisper, SMAL nodding once.
Seeing Toxic wince at some unknown pain broke any final barriers in her, the gryphoness crying softly. She hated this feeling; utterly useless as somepony she cared about suffered. Her mind went numb, the stress of the past day or two crashing down as she sobbed. The comforting limb SMAL draped across her shoulder’s helped a bit, even if it was just a machine.
The fear and helplessness quickly faded into frustration, Gelliana finally wiping her eyes and looking over to the SMAL.
“Can you teach things?” she asked, the entity’s head tilting curiously as though not understanding. “Medical training, can you teach me anything?”
“I have experimental training programs for various certifications in place, yes,” SMAL explained. “However, for full licensing you would need to take an exam and have-”
“I’m not taking about licensing!” Gelliana interrupted, gesturing to Toxic, “I just want to be able to help if you can’t. If I’m going to being stuck here being worried about him, I’d rather put it all to good use! What’s next to learn after basic first aid?”
SMAL blinked, then seeming to perk back up with a nod.
“I would recommend the Everfree First Responder course,” SMAL advised. “It is applicable for this scenario and one level before the hospital-level certifications. It specializes in care when high level facilities are not available, involving makeshift splints and wound care with limited resources. The level above that, an Everfree Medical Technician is what would allow you to administer IV’s as I have done. All of this will take some time, however. Each course is rather involved and lengthy.”
Gelliana’s eyes narrowed in determination, her claws reaching over to give Toxic’s hoof a gentle squeeze.
“All I’ve got is time. Teach me.”
Stats
Page generated in 0.03 seconds
Total duration
746 users online
1,121,058 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Toxicity resistance becomes less effective once you get hit with summat that will simply destroy the meat you're made of wholesale without regard for the usual physiological progression. Perhaps the magic that sustains his talent is running low?
For sure, the story would get monotonous if the hero was never in danger...
Cliff hanger! Well sort of but still. I love how Onyx is slowing softening and being cute with Icait. Also Gelliana and her musings were very good. Deep and very interesting to see where she’s at. Can’t wait for them to kiss!! Haha
Never
It's so sad that it took them going through so much that they have problems trusting. I hope that they find a way to pull through the sludge that is the bad memories surrounding these issues.
And the most depressing thing about this line is the fact that nowadays this is seen less and less. Love is not a burden is something that most people no longer understand.
Again, something that people nowadays aren't like.
Relationship goals no one knows they want until they have it. The ability to just lay curled up with your special someone and not have to worry about anything. Something most people take for granted.
Frozen in shock? I sooo hope SMAL turns out to be more than just a simple VI because moments like this indicates that she might be more than what Toxic originally made her to be.
Forget hoping, I can't wait to see her really act like a living creature. Talk about a ghost in the machine.
With Gelliana's last line about time I would honestly add a line at the end of SMAL's explanation saying, "but it will take time." It seems like it would fit there.
Next chapter
, can't wait to see what happens next, can't wait to see more about SMAL, and I hope Toxic survives.
10520231
All the adorable realizations, even if some are a tad late. And I agree there are some lost viewpoints nowadays.
At least Gelliana has figured things out and brought it up.
Line added- that's a good point.
10520177
10520168
It would definitely appear that he's not 100% immune.
"Don't even think of escaping"
10521916
They turn to dust when they die and they lose a part of themselves when it happens? Are, are they Revenants from Code Vein?
10524170
I haven't heard of those, so I can safely say not XD
That said, it appears something goes wrong when they are 'saved' from death.
Or...does it go right?
10524176
Yeah Code Vein is a bit more of an odd ball thing being often described as "Bloodborne's anime cousin with the weird class system". Just seemed really close though I doubt the effect here is caused by parasitic creatures attached to the heart.
Though has anyone considered that the effect is in fact... going left?
10524580
Aaah. I can confirm no parasites in this case XD
10524580
Well, such parasites as worms do attack dogs and in rare occasion, humans. If medics are idiots, that might be lethal.
Never?