Linkin Pony - Recharge: Revamped

by Kaciekk

Chapter 45

After the battle, HyperBlitz decided it would be best to rest his wings and ride with his friends while in the city. That meant Spinning road with Jet and Ash, but was willing to give up his seat for Hyper. Afterall, they’d only have one vehicle when they went back to camp, so Hyper would have to fly.

Hyper twisted his head around to glance at CharmingRhythm and Heartfelt who sat in the back.

“I’m sorry I pulled you into the fighting,” Rhythm had been telling Heartfelt. “You shouldn’t have had to do that. It’s probably just more stress for you.” It was obvious Rhythm was worried about her mental health.

“It’s okay,” Heartfelt replied quietly. “I didn’t want to just do nothing. Here.” Her lime green magic pulled off the EPD from her right foreleg. She passed it over to Rhythm. “Thunder’s gonna need that.”

“If she’s even willing to fight anymore,” Rhythm muttered, thinking aloud. Rhythm’s eyes drifted upward and met Hyper’s.

“You guys alright?” Hyper asked. “How’s your side?” He said to Rhythm.

“Sore,” Rhythm grimaced. He then threw his muzzle into the air and groaned. “Why did I have to pull my shoulder and get punched on the same side! My right side feels useless!”

“Well, at least you’ll be able to sleep on your left side without a problem,” Hyper pointed out.

“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Rhythm mumbled.

“You should let SweetHooves look at those,” Hyper suggested.

“It’s not like there’s anything she can do about it,” Rhythm countered.

“Maybe. But she can still give medical advice. It wouldn't hurt... Anymore than it actually does,” Hyper added.

Rhythm chuckled a bit and placed his hoof above his muzzle.

“We’re almost here,” Blazing announced from beside Hyper.

Once they arrived, Hyper hopped out and placed his hooves on the curb. Jet and Ash, who had been following them, stopped for a moment to drop off SpinningNote and AgileArrow. ForestWind fluttered down from the sky to join them. Ash began to drive off.

“Good luck with your mission!” Hyper called out to them. Jet waved a hoof to signify he heard him.

Hyper swiveled around to face the apartment door. Aggie and Forest decided to stay outside. There were already enough ponies in one apartment. When SweetHooves opened the door, she stared at the group in dismay.

“What happened?” She asked. Her one uncovered eye darted between each pony, and settled on Hyper.

“Oh. This isn’t my blood,” Hyper assured as he placed his hoof on his chest where red stained his fur; Hybrid blood. SweetHooves just gave him a dumbfounded expression.

The rest of them flooded into the apartment. SweetHooves still looked shocked at the condition they were in.

“Well,” Rhythm began, “I wanted to come drop Heartfelt off but we had a problem. There was a whole blockade of Hybrids. We decided to come and fight them off.”

“What? There were that many Hybrids? How did you get through?” SweetHooves wondered.

“We were able to make them retreat,” Spinning answered. “We helped the sentries.”

“We did get out with some injuries,” Hyper said. “I got a cut on my wing.” He outstretched his left wing and displayed a gash across the top. Dried blood crusted on his feathers.

SweetHooves stepped forward and lifted his wing with her hoof. “I’m going to have to put something on it to prevent it from getting infected.”

“Actually, I wanted you to check out Rhythm,” Hyper told her. He noticed the peeved glare Rhythm gave him.

“You want me to look at him?”

“Yes, because he won't ask for himself,” Hyper clarified with a smirk.

Rhythm only rolled his eyes as SweetHooves made her way over to him. “What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Uh, I think I pulled my shoulder,” Rhythm said. He slightly raised his prosthetic leg to signify which one.

SweetHooves prompted him to sit down and he fell to his haunches, where SweetHooves joined him. She used her forehooves to lift up his leg. Rhythm gave a sharp “ow!” when she raised it passed halfway up. SweetHooves then put it down and began feeling around the shoulder joint.

“I don’t think it’s dislocated, but you probably tore some muscles. Best thing you can do is rest and some ice,” SweetHooves advised.

“Yeah I kinda figured that,” Rhythm muttered. “So no healing potion needed?”

“Healing potion is best for open wounds, but I suppose it could help mend muscle tears. Anything else?” SweetHooves inquired.

“I got punched in the side.” Rhythm turned his head to look past his shoulder.

With a hoof, SweetHooves began to pat down his side. He grimaced when she reached the spot where he had been hit.

“How bad does it hurt when I’m not touching it?” SweetHooves questioned.

“Just kinda sore. It hurts more when I breathe in deep,” Rhythm replied.

“Then don’t do that,” SweetHooves stated matter-of-factly and blinked.

“Good point…” Rhythm said, abashed.

SweetHooves stood up again “Well, it’s below the ribs, so I highly doubt anything is broken. I think you just need to rest. And I mean it, Rhythm.” She gave him a knowing look. Rhythm just gave her a forced, awkward smile.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he does,” Hyper claimed as he stepped up next to them. He placed his hoof on Rhythm’s back.

Once SweetHooves had taken a look at all of their injuries, they left Heartfelt there and were on their way back to camp. Hyper could tell Rhythm was still worried about Heartfelt’s wellbeing. Hyper understood that concern; he was still worried about SweetHooves. Flying alone in the sky was no help with distracting from those thoughts. He was grateful once they arrived in camp.

Hyper knew that what he said about making sure Rhythm looked after himself was true. For the next few weeks that would be his task, as well as the usual chores around camp. Hyper considered taking on more responsibilities while Rhythm was recovering. However, he didn’t want to make it seem like he thought Rhythm was completely helpless. He only wanted what was best for his friend.

Hyper saw the work in the camp was going smoothly. The camp looked completely different than it did when team Xero first arrived here. I think it’s almost ready to be called completed, Hyper thought, but of course that was Rhythm’s decision to bring in an inspector.

It was three days later when Hyper was hauling a container of water from the stream back to camp. ForestWind had come along with him to collect water. It would have been easier using the cab to transport the containers, but SpinningNote had taken it to Lost Pegasus to pick up supplies.

Once passed the first row of houses, Hyper sat down the large water jug on the pavement and took a moment to rest. Just behind him, Forest fluttered down to the ground. The pair of Pegasi made their way up the street to the east.

“Where’d you want this one?” Forest asked.

“You can take it to the filter by the garden tent,” Hyper instructed, using his muzzle to point.

“You got it, boss,” Forest replied and carried his water away.

Hyper opened the door and rolled the water jug into the main room of the base. EchoBeat was standing there, staring at him in expectation.

“Welcome back,” Echo said. He stopped the jug under his hoof as Hyper rolled it over to him.

“Need any help pouring it in the filter?” Hyper offered as he followed Echo through the back door.

“It’s probably easier for you to lift it,” Echo accepted.

He lifted the canister lid of the large filtration system. Hyper hovered in the air and scooped up the round water jug with two forelegs. Echo helped him pop the cap off, and he poured the liquid inside the filter.

“I heard they’ve got more generators set up outside,” Echo was saying as Hyper was finishing.

“That’s great!”

“But I think they’re going to need more crystals,” Echo explained. “We don’t have any backups left.” His eyes were glued to the back door, away from Hyper.

Hyper turned to him once he stood on all four hooves. “Maybe we could harvest some from the energy mill,” Hyper suggested.

“You want to harvest some? Aren’t you afraid of it being dangerous?” Echo pointed out, in a slightly teasing manner.

“I’m not afraid of it,” Hyper countered mischievously. “Besides, I’ll be fine if you’re with me.”

“Okay, fair enough,” Echo said and nodded.

The two of them collected the tools needed for extracting crystals. They each had their own tool case, which doubled as a bucket for collecting crystals. Once outside, EchoBeat opened the cellar doors on the side of the hill and entered first. Hyper followed after and closed only one of the doors with his wing.

Hyper’s eyes adjusted to the blue lighting of the cavern. The energy wells that patched the ground glimmered brightly. Each protected by metal fences as well as caged tops. A couple months ago they had Resistance personnel come install the covers for extra protection. Hyper agreed that was a smart idea. This place still gave him unsettling vibes as he remembered Rhythm’s accident.

Skirting around the walls of the cave, Hyper looked for crystals that gathered on the ground. He dropped the tool case from his teeth onto the stony floor once he found a cluster. Hyper took another glance around. Echo was a few meters away from him, already setting up. Once again his gaze drifted onto the energy wells. If only we could use the energy from them now, Hyper thought. It was possible to use the liquid energy, but they needed special equipment to harvest it.

Hyper used both hooves to grasp a trowel. He repeatedly rammed the blade at the side of a small crystal, attempting to get underneath it. Once one crystal was out, he moved onto the next. The force he had to use to dig them out was already making his shoulders ache. The damp air of the cavern only increased Hyper’s sweat. He set the glowing chunks of crystal inside the basket.

Taking a small break, Hyper gazed around again. He wasn’t sure why he felt the urge to study the cavern. It was so wide, with small pockets illuminated by crystals. It seemed as if there were corners that they hadn’t even explored yet. One of them caught Hyper’s eye. There were loose boulders collected on the ground, and a crack in the wall just above them.

Hyper stood up and left his crystal collection behind. He made his way across the floor to the crevice. Echo’s head popped up and followed Hyper.

“What are you doing?” Echo questioned.

Hyper didn’t answer. Instead, he squinted his eyes to see if he could peer into the dark crevice. He used two hooves to haul a boulder backwards away from the wall. Stone pieces began to fall, clattering on the ground. There were still too many boulders in the way.

“Echo, come help!” Hyper huffed.

“With what? What are you doing?” Echo wondered, confused.

“There’s another hole back here! Help me move these rocks!” Hyper insisted.

Echo finally got to Hyper’s side and began pulling at the boulders. They were able to make one roll over with their combined strength. The crevice grew larger, and more of the wall collapsed. Both of them stopped, and gazed into the dark hole, now large enough for a pony to squeeze in.

Hyper quickly galloped over to Echo’s tool case, which was closer than his own. He picked up a crystal in his teeth and went back to the hole. The crystal was enough to illuminate the smaller cave as he crept inside. Echo only stared at him in disbelief, confused by his friend’s actions.

Hyper made it through, and realized the cave was larger than he was expecting. Small bits of crystals lined the walls and ceilings, just making the area barely visible. Glaring down, Hyper noticed something odd. It was as if crystals were wavering on the floor. Quickly he realized it was the reflections of the blue light around him. Placing one hoof forward, it submerged into cold water. The reflections wobbled more as the water dispersed.

Water! And there was no telling how far this new section of the cavern could go. There could be a whole pond of water underground. Hyper backed up again and darted out of hole.

“There’s water! C’mon, we’ve got to tell the others!” Hyper dropped the crystal and dashed between the energy wells.

“Wait, what about-” Echo tried to call out, but Hyper was already on the other side of the cavern.

Hyper burst out of the cellar doors and raced into camp. He sought around for the first teammate he could find. He spotted Rhythm sitting by the garden tent, sorting baskets of fruits for rations. His ears pricked when he heard Hyper’s call. As he looked up, FeatherTune made his way to the end of one of the streets near them.

“Hey! Did you get those crystals?” FeatherTune asked.

“We found something better!” Hyper claimed with a grin.

Feather tilted his head and raised a brow. “So… you didn’t get the crystals?”

“Yes, we’ll get the crystals,” Echo assured as he caught up with Hyper, taking a deep breath.

“What do you mean you found something better?” Rhythm questioned.

“There’s a new opening in the energy mill! The rocks must have fallen during the earthquake,” Hyper claimed just as the thought popped into his mind. “There’s water down there! Like, a fuck ton of it!”

“Really?” Rhythm’s eyes lit up with interest. He stood up, careful not to put too much weight on his injured shoulder. “You gotta show me.”

“I don’t understand why you’re so excited about some water,” Feather said.

“Do you want to keep going back and forth from the stream?” Hyper pressed.

“Well… no,” Feather muttered.

Echo stepped up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. “We don’t you come with us to pick up those crystals?”

“Okay,” Feather shrugged.

Hyper spun around and galloped back towards the energy mill.

“And keep the pace slow!” Rhythm hollered and then snickered.

“Sorry!” Hyper replied, his muzzle high in the air. He changed his pace to an easy canter. Hyper was certainly pleased with his discovery, and couldn’t wait to share it with the rest of the camp.