"Alright, that should be it! Try and keep from doing anything to strenuous. Too much movement in the brain and you could be seeing a lot worse than a concussion. The pills I gave you will hopefully stop the symptoms and mend what bruising was done in that skull of yours." Doctor Lactose checked off a few more boxes on his clipboard before looking over Dean critically. His eyes drifted over the various wounds before slowly lifting back to the human's face. "Also, you might want to take a shower and remove any dirt surrounding that leg wound. It looks to be healing nicely, but infection is still possible." Dean merely nodded, his mind too distracted to focus properly. The doctor took that as his cue to go and signaled his assistant, who was still giving Dean the occasional glare.
"Allons-y Yellow Wrap. We have many autre patients to treat apres l'accident au Ravenford." The doctor clopped over to his trolly and enveloped it in magic. He was about to leave when Dean suddenly jumped from his bed.
"Are the townsfolk alright? I didn't have time to check if everyone got here safely." He saw the doctor cock his head and questioningly mouth 'everyone' to himself before looking back to Dean with a smile. He was about to reply when Yellow Wrap jumped forward, aggression in her stance.
"Why would you care? Were you planning on eating them to?" Dean raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything when he saw the Doctors face go beet red.
"Yellow Wrap! How dare you accuse him of such things. The Sergeant here has been through quite a lot, and if it weren't for him, the ponies of Ravenford likely would never have survived this long!" Dean saw Yellow Wraps eyes widen as she wilted under the Doctor's withering gaze.
"B-but h-he... how did..." She looked at Dean and then back at the Doctor, who had moved closer still.
"I think you owe Mr. Dean an apology." Lactose' withering glare caused Yellow Wrap to seemingly shrivel up. Dean huffed and walked to the foot of his bed. His helmet and HLD Body Armour(Hard Light Disbursement) was lying in a neat pile along with his pistol and rifle. He quickly picked up the long weapon and slung it over his back before grabbing the P23 and holstering it. He turned, rubbing a hand through his stubble. Dean knew that he would have to replenish his lost ammunition and grenades eventually, which meant setting up the Fabricator. He still had to talk to Shining Armour about lending him a few soldiers in order to retrieve his gear. That crate held quite a few important assets, and he would be damned if the Elves ever got their hands on it. He looked back at the doctor and the assistant, the latter of which was still getting scorned. Dean waited patiently as Doctor Lactose stopped his rambling and glared at the yellow pony. Said pony slowly turned to face him with an apologetic look.
"Mr. Dean, I would like to formally apologize for my behaviour. I had no idea you were responsible for saving the ponies of Ravenford. I-if you ever need anything, I am at your beck and call, myself and all the others owe you for your bravery."
Dean noticed how she had gained more confidence as she talked, so he presumed that she wasn't merely following the doctors demands. He smiled and slowly walked over to Yellow wrap, his helmet tucked under his left arm.
"Your apology is accepted Mrs. Wrap. And I don't believe you owe me anything, it's my job to do that sort of thing."
'Won't stop me from asking a favour or two...'
He stuck out his free hand in order to gesture a handshake. The little equine quickly sat on her haunches, took his digits in her grip, and vigorously shook his appendage. Dean's eyes widened at the enthusiastic response and continued to stare at the Doctor's assistant even when she stood up and smiled.
"It was a miracle that the ponies in Ravenford were saved. Had I known it was you who did it, I would never have treated you so harshly." Dean kept his smile and stood up, towering above the two equines.
"Again, it's alright. But I don't need you going around and telling anyone at the moment. I'm just trying to--" He was cut off as the nurse gave an excited squeal.
"Oooh! I need to tell Sweetie Drop! A-and Marie Gold!" Dean tried to call out, but the mare was already out the door. He proceeded to glance at Lactose, who wore an exasperated look.
"I don't know how you ponies do it. One moment you are aggressive, the next, you are all sunshine and rainbows!" Dean walked past Lactose and reached for the door. Dr. Lactoses next words stopped him.
"Sometimes, I don't know how I tolerate that mare. Ponies are an expressive folk, but Yellow Wrap has always been more emotional. She is a solid worker though so I guess it's fine." Lactose waited for a response, but upon receiving none, he glanced up at the human, who was frozen at the door.
"Is something the matter Mr. Dean?" Lactose questioned. He cocked his head to the side as something akin to a Snrk, escaped from the human before him. his eyes narrowed slightly. "What is so funny?"
Dean, for his part, was stifling a laugh. He had to say it, he just had to: "Lactose, I would have expected you to be more... intolerant rather than what you just told me."
Silence. If one were to drop a spec of dust, it would have reverberated through the halls of the medical ward. Nothing dared to move, not a flea, nor a mouse. Nothing. Not even the human.
Silently, Dean slowly turned his head, his smirk only growing wider. Doctor Lactose' eyes were slowly constricting to mere pinpricks. His eyebrows were scrunching together, slowly developing into an angry furrow. His mouth twitched, before slowly developing into a hard frown.
"Mr. Dean." The Doctor's voice was cold and sent a shiver down Deans spine.
"Yes, Doctor." Dean smiled with the innocence of a child.
"Do note, I am well aware of the location of your temporary quarters." The doctors glare was deadly serious, prompting Dean to chuckle halfheartedly.
"I, um, I will keep that in mind doctor. Thanks for the help, and a good day to you..." Dean slowly pulled the door open and exited with haste. The doctor waited several seconds as the Human's footsteps fled down the hall. Once the heavy steps had disappeared, a thin smile spread across his lips.
"It's about time someone in this damn city made a decent joke." He then proceeded to gather his equipment. There were many ponies to treat; his work was far from done.
*****
Dean silently made his way down the stone hallway, his thoughts once again wandering. His wounds should heal very quickly, but it would also probably be wise to take a day off and make sure the poison had no after effects. What he truly needed, however, was a plan. He had been winging it up until now, following along with whatever situation presented itself. His mission, according to Discord, was to free the ponies and topple the Dark Elven regime. Sounds simple enough.
The only variable standing in his way was magic. He now knew that his equipment was resilient against the seemingly fantastical ability this world possessed, but he could by no means underestimate them. Those hooded elves had created some sort of exploding arrow, and he was lucky that one didn't actually strike him. Next was the 'Bloody Baron,' That Elf had somehow used his magic in order to raise himself to Dean's speed and strength. Even if he was loathe to admit it, the General had, for the first bit, given him a bit of worry.
The Emperor, by what Dean had heard, was a very strong individual. And if what the so-called Guardian had said was true, then the Dark Elves might possess a super weapon capable of rendering anyone or anything incapable of fighting. He shuddered at the thought.
So far, he had seen very little of the Dark Elves true military power. Their gunboats looked clunky in design, and their formations resembled the Napoleonic eras' tactics. It made sense why the ponies were crushed so easily, fighting with medieval weapons and all. He could already hear their screams of pain as they were cut down in droves by a superior force. Magical beams of light shredding through armour and flesh.
'Death! Kill them all!'
Dean shook his head and staggered slightly.
'What the fuck was that... that feeling??'
He blinked, a fog was seemingly descending over his eyes. He heard gunfire, and the smell of sulfur as well as... burnt flesh. Blue beams of energy lit his surroundings, and explosions sounded all around him. He looked to the left, and saw a little girl sitting underneath a shelter of rubble, holding a teddy bear and screaming in terror. He heard the clack and chitter of an other-worldly being. It's noises got louder and louder until--
"Sergeant?"
The super-soldier blinked. He was standing in a long hallway, decorated with white symmetrical doors. Several meters ahead, the hallway ended with a very natural looking oak door, painted glass decorating the sides along with the top. He remembered that someone had called his title and looked down.
The blue eyes of Prince Shining Armour stared back at him. His horn came up to about Dean's abdomen, forcing the human to strain his neck.
"C-Captain. What can I do you for?" Dean shivered, a cold sweat had developed on his face. One glance into Shining's eyes confirmed that the unicorn noticed it to.
"Are you alright Sergeant? I was told to come and fetch you for an important event. I noticed you were standing in the hallway, mumbling to yourself and sweating. If required, I can take you back to the doctor?" Shining's bluntness caused Dean to cringe. He had looked weak in front of a foreign soldier. If Captain Mason had found out, he would have Dean's ass on a platter. The very thought of his Captain spurred him into motion.
"I-I am fine, Captain. Thank you for the concern." Shining did not look convinced, but Dean began to walk forwards, forcing the unicorn to follow. "What is this special event? Is it a strategic meeting?" Dean looked down at the trotting unicorn, his smaller legs struggling to keep up with Dean's long strides.
"It is more of a morale booster. Don't worry, it won't be anything to strenuous, and Twilight will also be there." Shining lit his horn and enveloped the door handle in his magic aura. Dean paused and watched in mild fascination.
"I will never get used to magic." He mumbled to himself.
The door swung open, temporarily blinding Dean. His helmet was still tucked under his left arm, so he used his right to block out the sun. The twitter of birds and the occasional voice came from outside. The human took a step through the open door...
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...Only to be met with an unholy cacophony of loud voices, cheers, hoots, hollors, and stomping. The sheer noise caused his sense to temporarily overload and his eyes to go wide. A sea of ponies stood before him in a massive courtyard. He recognized it as one of the training grounds for the soldiers. The dummies had been moved away, replaced by folding tables half filled with strange herbal foods. He even saw a large bowl of punch!
"Dean! Dean!" A small, but familiar, colt ran through the crowd and right up to the towering human. Dean looked down and and smiled.
"Hey Brownie!" He was forced to yell over the noise. Dean crouched down and already found the little unicorn latched onto his torso. He gently wrapped one hand around Brown Ink's back and laughed as the unicorn nuzzled him.
"Mr. Dean! I'm glad you are here! Remember the party you promised? Well, since you are all better, we can finally get it going!" The little unicorn jumped down and pranced in a circle with a large smile. "There's even a cake!!"
Dean chuckled and shook his head as Brown Ink's parents trotted forward. Dean smiled at them as well and waved.
"Hello Mister and Missus Ink!" The noise was starting to die down and ponies were walking about. Music had started up and more than a few were making their way to the food table.
"Hello, Sergeant Dean was it?" Brownies father stepped forward and raised a hoof. Dean leaned forward and grasped it in his hand.
"I am Crackpot, and this is my wife, Amber Jem.
"Usually I'll go by Sergeant Forrester, but you can just call me Dean." Dean smiled as hoof and hand shook. He turned his attention to Amber Jem and held out his hand to her as well. She smiled and placed a hoof in his palm; Dean shook it without hesitation.
"So, Dean, as you can see, we are holding this small party in recognition of your heroic deeds. If it weren't for you, we would have been goners!"
Dean chuckled.
"You can thank Brownie here actually. If it weren't for him, I would never have gotten there in time!" Dean gave the kid a pat on the head, to which he beamed in joy.
"Nonetheless, we thank you for your actions. I'm sure the others at this party share the same view."
Dean was about to comment when an ungodly screech echoed across the grounds.
"It's an Elf! There is an Elf invading the party!" Dean looked over and noticed that a large arch, the gate towards the city, was filled with panicking ponies. His soldiers instincts kicked in, causing him to launch off the hospitals stairs and towards the archway. He dropped his helmet in his rush.
'There must be a Dark Elf trying to sneak in! I didn't see any guards around so I am the only one able to deal with it!' In the space of two seconds, Dean had already crossed the distance to the archway. His leg had begun to ache and he could feel a flare of pressure building in his head. He ignored it.
"I-it's coming right for us! Run!"
This confused him. The ponies at the entrance were running away from him. One unlucky mare got pushed to the side and fell flat on her face. Dean slowed down and walked up to the shivering ponies form. Her eyes peeked out, widened, and then were covered by her forehooves.
Looking around, Dean could see almost the entire party looking in his direction. The other ponies that had begun to run off came to a grinding halt. Their gazes landed on him, and he could feel their fear and uncertainty. Looking back down, he slowly took a step closer.
"It's gonna kill her!"
"Somepony get the guard!"
"The Horror, the horror!"
Dean analyzed the ponies under the arch. Judging by their reaction, he speculated that these particular equines had come from the city itself; a place he had not yet visited. Realization suddenly hit when he went to rub the back of his head below the helmet, but found the piece of gear was nowhere to be found.
"Dean! Dean!" He briefly heard Shining's voice from behind the crowd. From the sounds of it, he was having a hard time getting through. A quiet whimper brought his attention back to the situation before him. The pony that had fallen was whimpering and whispering to herself, though he could hear her words just fine.
"Please... please don't kill me! I-I'm sorry Foxy, I failed to take care of y-you." She whimpered once more.
"Who is this Foxy you speak of?" Dean decided on the diplomatic approach.
"M-My younger sister. I-I failed to take care of her! I-I..." He saw the mare visibly stiffen up before slowly peeking through her hooves at him. Her abnormally large eyes were staring directly into his. After another long stretch of silence, she spoke up once more: "You d-didn't kill me? B-but why..."
Dean smiled and knelt down to her level. She uncovered herself some more and was now looking at him with an inquisitive eye.
"You're ears... what happened to your ears?" she remained on the ground, the group behind her holding their breath in anticipation. They couldn't hear what the mare was saying from their distance.
"Nothing happened, they are natural. It would also help to say that I am not an Elf. Take a look at this." He curled his lips back and slowly raised his hand to his canine incisors. The mare before him perked her ears and cocked her head. Some sort of commotion was developing near the front of the Locals, but he ignored it.
"I-if you aren't an Elf, t-then what are you?"
Dean could see he was winning her over. All he needed to do was add the final touch and this whole debacle would be over. He had grown tired of being seen by the ones he was helping as an enemy. Dean briefly contemplated whether to say he was the Demon in metal or a Human. Chances were that the mare before him had heard of the Demon, so he would mention it first.
"I am the D-"
A turquoise beam of energy, followed by another mix of different coloured beams, were suddenly heading right for him and the mare. His eyes widened as the world seemed to slow down. He wouldn't have enough time to dodge, and the beams trajectories were very random. Right at that moment, he had to make a decision. He could let the pony be his shield, or he could protect her with his body. The answer came easily enough.
With inhuman speed, he reached forward and grabbed the mare around the barrel before turning his back to the magical energy, causing her to let out a surprised yelp. Grinding his teeth together, Dean braced for the pain. His armour could withstand magic, he knew that much. But with the sheer volume of magical energy heading towards him, he didn't know how much he could take.
The first beam smashed into his back with the force of a gunshot, but he held his ground. Magical energy and electricity crackled around him as the beam's force spread out across his HLD protection. The mechanics of his interior exo-suit whined in protest as they tried to reinforce the protection on his back.
The next group of bolts hit, and all Dean could feel was pain.
*****
Twilight glided across the sky lazily. Her little trip into town had proven fruitful as a bag full of wine was suspended in her magic beside her. She had decided that tonight would be a wonderful night to finally get some alone time with Dean. Ever since he brought back Spike, she had been having these strange feelings every time she saw the human. Even if it was while he was bedridden, she couldn't help but feel... something. It wasn't until he had given her his little device to use that she had discovered what was nagging on her so.
She loved him.
Well, more like had a very strong crush on him. Twilight had only recently met the Sergeant, but in that short period of time, so much had happened. A twinge of uncertainty suddenly overcame her, causing the purple princess to lose a bit of altitude.
'What if I am taking things to fast? Maybe he doesn't feel the same way? He told us his family was killed, maybe I should help him ease out of that particular dark spot in his head? What if I am overreacting a-and these thoughts are misplaced?!'
Twilight came to a conclusion. She knew that the Sergeant was in pain from his past, so she would help him through it. Asking him to be her coltfriend could end up disastrously, or would it? Butterflies kept filling her stomach everytime she thought about the powerful Human.
'Gah! I'm no good with this stuff!'
Slowly but surely, the party came into view below her, causing her to smile. That smile dropped however when ponies near the main entrance began running away from the party. Her keen eye also picked up Dean sprinting towards the entrance. Confusion entered her mind, causing her to pause.
Dean had crouched down next to a fallen mare, and he seemed to be conversing with her. She felt a small pang of jealousy, but quickly crushed the unprovoked feeling. There was nothing to be jealous of really, he was likely just helping the poor mare u-
Unicorns from within the ranks of ponies near the entrance suddenly emerged, one of them was an all to familiar Fuschia colour. Twilights confusion turned to horror and shock as counselor Starlight as well as several of her followers unleashed a barrage of magic right at the Sergeant and the fallen mare.
She watched as the Sergeant grabbed the mare faster than the eye could see and turned his back to the magic bolts. As the first bolt smashed into him, she dove into action.
The wine bottle was let go from her magical grip as she dove as fast as she could towards the scene. Her eyesight grew tunneled as her speed continued to increase, and she could feel the wind biting at her fur, but she refused to slow down. By this point, several of the bolts had slammed into the Sergeant, forcing him to drop the pony and his his arms to stabilize himself. His body stayed positioned protectively in front of the mare, who was hiding under her hooves once more.
Twilight conjured a shield behind the Sergeant right before slamming into the ground, the impact kicking up dust and debris. She felt the bolts of energy smashing into her shield, but her strength held. Twilight quickly got up from her landing position and rushed over to Dean, who was still kneeling on the ground. His arms were planted in the ground as fists and his back was smoking. Upon getting closer, Twilight could see that his armour had been burnt away, revealing some sort of solid metal underneath. She gave a sigh of relief and quickly moved closer.
"Dean? Dean, can you hear me?" She watched as his head slowly rose, his eyes finding hers in an instant. Upon seeing her face, she noticed his entire posture relax. The dust was beginning to settle and the shouts and yells of ponies slowly came to the forefront of her mind. Twilight was about to lend a hoof to help him up, when the Sergeant groaned in pain and collapsed on his side. She in turn gave a yelp and tried to catch him, but it was of no use.
"M-Metal underneath wasn't meant to stop p-pure energy. Sensors detect third degree b-burns underneath the s-suit." Twilight didn't hesitate and quickly looked around. A long cloth and two walking sticks were leaning near a table off to the side.
She ignored the screaming and guards rushing in and used her magic to grab the three items. Twilight proceeded to make various loops and knots until a fully fledged stretcher lay before her. It was then that Shining appeared at her side.
"What the buck happened?! I saw a bunch of unicorns shooting magic, are we under attack??" Twilight glared towards the entrance where guards where herding the townspeople away from the party. The ponies of Ravenfolk cried in outrage, having witnessed their saviour being attacked for what seemed to be a lack of reasoning. The shield was still up, but the bolts had long since stopped coming. Twilight noticed this and quickly deactivated her magic.
"Dean has third degree burns under his armoured back; we need to get him back into the hospital." The ponies of Ravenford were beginning to gather around, and more guards were slowly approaching the group.
"I-Is he going to be alright?" The mare, who had previously been hiding, was now sitting wither her ears splayed back, concern etched across her muzzle.
"Why do you care?"
"Why did you even come here in the first place?"
"A bolt hit my straw hat!"
Various ponies began yelling at the poor mare, who cringed back and stayed low. Twilight held up a hoof and the crowd went silent.
"If we can get him into the hospital, then yes." She turned her attention back to the Sergeant, who was being pushed onto the makeshift stretcher by her brother and two guards.
"He... he saved my life." Twilight turned back and regarded the earth pony mare. Her coat was beige and her mane was orange mixed with purple. Her cutie mark was a spade under some sort of plant. Twilight saw tears in the ponies eyes and slowly walked towards her. The mares eyes seemed vacant, staring into space. As soon as Twilight laid a hoof on her side, her eyes snapped back to attention.
"It's what the Sergeant does. Saves ponies. He did it for all the ponies here; saved them from execution in Ravenford." Twilight saw the mares eyes widen in realization.
"T-That's the Demon in Metal? The one who protected me was THE Demon in Metal??" The mare looked like she was about to have a panic attack. "If it weren't for me, if I hadn't tripped, this wouldn't have happened! Oh, I'm a terrible pony!" The Earth pony fell on her face and began sobbing.
"No you aren't. Because of you, the townsponies will see the Demon as a hero. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's all." Twilight smiled before walking after the stretcher. She knew Dean would pull through. He always did. "Don't beat yourself up. If you want, you can come visit him when he is better." And at that, Twilight entered the hospital, the sea of ponies parting like a wave on rocks before her.
The mare stopped her sobbing and watched the princess of friendship disappear through the door. After a moment of hesitation, she moved to follow.
A single brown colt slowly hopped up onto the stage holding the music devices.
"Hey. Hey!" All eyes turned towards him; all sound ceased.
"Just because Dea... uh, the Demon in Metal was attacked, doesn't mean we can't still celebrate. it was because of him that we are all safe. I know the Demon very well, and I know he will be alright. I also know that he would want us not to worry and to continue enjoying our new found freedom!"
Everypony was shocked. A colt, no more than six or seven, had just delivered something akin to a motivational speech. After a moment of silence, a collective cheer rose up, and the party started once more.
Sergeant Dean, who was still semi-conscious and lying on the stretcher, smiled as he heard Brownies words. The last things he saw where the face of a concerned princess, and an irritated doctor before his world was once more enveloped in darkness.