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The Chronicles of Swarm: The Equestrian Front

by kildeez

Chapter 26: Chapter XXVI: Saving Grace

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Ramirez slowly sat up, head spinning, ears ringing. The world spun around him, sliding in and out of focus. A pink blur trampled over his legs in a wild attempt to reach another blur, this one white with blue and red highlights, but the waves of pain wracking his body were such that he barely even noticed the new pain in his legs. He thought that was weird. A bit of his hearing returned, and he realized someone was screaming “Shining!” over and over again somewhere far away. He thought that was also weird. What was shining? The stars? Yeah, they were pretty, but why would that make her scream one word over and over again? And what was with that voice? It sounded so desperate, did somebody need his…

And then the world slid back into focus. “Shining,” he gasped, dragging himself across the rooftop. Cadence was standing over his Equestrian brother-in-arms, one hoof clenched in hers, begging for him to open his eyes. “Shining!” He yelled this time, head still spinning as he grabbed the little white unicorn by the shoulder. Shining Armor was lying on his back, eyes closed, blood soaking into his mane. “SHINING!” He screamed, turning the little white unicorn on his stomach. He nearly retched at the sight. Shining’s back was almost totally gone: there wasn’t a speck of white to be seen, all replaced with the ugly, charred black of burnt flesh. Shrapnel littered his body, he could see it sticking out of wounds here and there, could even see where a piece of scrap had gone completely through his neck and stuck out the other side.

“SHINING ARMOR! GODDAMN YOU, OPEN YOUR EYES!” He screamed, his voice still sounding far-off to his ringing ears. “SHINING! C’MON!”

Cadence wept at his side, hooves wrapped around the unicorn’s body. Behind them, the first few marines were just filing through the entrance door, scanning around to ensure the rooftop was absolutely secure. “What the hell happened…” one of them started to ask.

“GET A MEDIC UP HERE, STAT!” Ramirez screamed. “OR A VET! WHATEVER! JUST FUCKIN’ GO! GET SOMEBODY UP HERE TO HELP HIM!”

“That won’t do any good,” a voice said above him, and somehow, despite the tinnitus, this voice was loud and clear in the SEAL’s ears. Ramirez gazed up at its owner, up at the man in the leather jacket with the old look in his eyes and the saddest expression he’d ever seen on his face. “He’s still alive, the shield was able to do that much, but he won’t be for long. Those burns alone mean he’ll…”

“I DON’T CARE!” Cadence screeched, surprising everyone on the rooftop. “I DON’T CARE! JUST DO SOMETHING! IF THERE’S A HOPE, PLEASE, HE…” she sniffled, on the verge of sobbing. “He’s the only reason I kept fighting. He’s the only reason I didn’t give them what they wanted. Please, he’s…he’s the only reason I can stay brave.”

Swarm looked down at them, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He took a drag off it and knelt at their side, cradling Shining’s head in his gentle fingers. He looked up to the stars, scanning, as if searching for something. “What do you think?” He asked. “Is it this one’s time to rest?”

A few tense moments passed before he turned back down to the little pony’s face in his hands, feeling the ragged breathing and rapidly fading pulse through Shining’s neck. “Perhaps? Maybe? Oh hell, I’ll just wing it, then.” He muttered before pressing his hand hard against the burns on Shining’s back. The unicorn winced in pain as gray goo spurted from Swarm’s fingers, covering his wounds and enveloping his back and neck in a cocoon of ooze. The pony princess and the human warrior watched in awe as it undulated and quivered over Shining’s body, pieces of shrapnel squeezing their way out one by one as time passed. Eventually, the ooze retreated, revealing a perfectly healthy little white unicorn.

“Sh-Shining?” Cadence asked, poking the side of his head with the edge of her hoof. He suddenly jolted upright and gasped, sucking in air as if he’d been underwater for the past few minutes. “Oh, Shiny!” She squealed, tears of joy in her eyes.

“Cady, what…” he started before she wrapped her hooves around his neck and kissed him with every ounce of passion in her pretty pink pony princess body. He came out of the kiss, sucked in a breath of air, and collapsed on the ground, still gasping while Cadence stayed by his side.

Eventually, he looked up at the human squatting nearby. “Welcome back to the land of the living,” Ramirez said, smiling warmly.

“I-I guess w-we’re even now, huh?” Shining gasped.

“Yeah, but who’s counting?”

“Oh, guess I…I…” Shining grinned, stroked Cadence’s mane, and promptly fainted.

“Shiny!?” His wife gasped frantically.

“Oh for- what is it now!?” Ramirez groaned.

“Sorry, I only had enough power left to replace tissue, not regenerate blood,” Swarm sighed as a man in a uniform with a big red cross on its back dashed onto the rooftop. “I figured that wouldn’t be completely necessary, though.”

The medic pressed a hand to Shining’s forehead (over Cadence’s protests). “Okay, okay, here’s hoping unicorn and pig plasma ain’t all that different…” he muttered under his breath, reaching into his backpack for a plastic bag of golden liquid.

“And just like that, it’s my time to leave,” the man in the leather jacket said, stepping up onto the balcony. For some reason, Ramirez seemed to be the only one to notice.

“Wait!” He said. “Just who are you, anyway?”

Swarm smiled knowingly and replied: “The Son of Man.”

Ramirez paused, eyes widening. He gripped the crucifix under his uniform. “Wha-what?”

“What, were you expecting someone with more facial hair?” Swarm grinned, smile slowly widening before he suddenly jabbed the SEAL on the arm. “NNAAAAHHHHHH I’m just messin’ with ya!”

“Wha-wha…”

“Man, that’d be crazy though, wouldn’t it?” Swarm smiled, his ancient eyes twinkling in the starlight as he gazed upwards, a trail of cigarette smoke following his head. “They sure are pretty tonight, aren’t they?”

“What-oh!” Ramirez followed his gaze. “Yeah, I guess. I didn’t really notice with all the excitement, but they seem prettier than back…” he looked back at the man in the leather jacket, only to find a perfectly empty balcony, the wind scattering a few withered leaves through the spot where Swarm should have been standing.

“…home.” Ramirez finished, already trying to decide if this encounter justified a trip to a church or to a shrink’s office.

Next Chapter: Chapter XXVII: Chaos Fading Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 48 Minutes
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