Odyssey to Canterlot: Vital Components

Vital sat up in bed, his body screaming in protest as his heartbeat pounded in his ears. He was panting hard and clutching at his chest, his hand grasping onto the star shaped pendant he still wore. He glanced down at it, but only saw a handful of brown hair that was matted down by the pendant’s weight. Vital blew out a sigh of relief as his heart started to slow down from the panic of the memory.

It was just a dream Vital, one more memory. Vital swung his legs around to the edge of the bed as his eyes searched for his metal case. However, the room was barren besides the bed he had been sleeping on, and Vital’s heart rate went soaring for a few brief moments. Fortunately, Vital remembered giving it to Spectrum, and guessed that he was now in a home that she had found. Or shack I suppose, given how wrecked this place is.

Vital looked around to see if he could scrounge up a new set of clothes, but his search was in vain. Vital was shaking his head as he walked out of the door and into a small kitchen area. However, he stopped when he heard an electronic whine and turned. “Spectrum, wait!”

Spectrum was holding his plasma pistol only a few feet away, and it was aimed directly at Vital’s head. “Sit down Vital.” Spectrum walked with Vital as he sat down, scanning the brown chest. “Where is it? Where is the pendant?”

Vital scowled as he looked down. “Where am I?”

Spectrum slammed her foot into Vital’s chest, driving the chair down so that Spectrum was now standing on him. “Don’t change the subject. You came back with the dog, dangling out of his mouth with a mechanical arm and a pendant on your neck. Explain.” The last word came with a growl as Spectrum bent down, the pistol merely inches away from Vital’s face.

“Alright, but please get the gun out of my face. Besides, you have the safety on.” Vital felt tears sting the corners his eyes as Spectrum kicked him across the face.

“Do you think this is some sort of joke? I was starting to actually trust you and now I find out that I’ve only barely scratch the tip of the iceberg! How am I supposed to take that?” Spectrum was breathing hard, holding back tears as she kicked herself away from Vital. “I thought you were dead.”

Vital was silent for a few moments before standing up. “I’m sorry Spectrum. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I promise. How about I try to make it up to you.” This time Vital found it with practiced ease as he removed the star shaped pendant. Vital’s body glowed brown and purple, the magic swirling around him before retreating into the pendant. In its wake left were a few scars on his chest and a steel mechanical arm.

“The V1T4L prosthetic arm. Specially made for the use of a masseuse it has a full range of motion, full neural calibration, and a soul core matching the person using it. One of Twilight’s finest works, and only ever able to be used by me.” Vital watched as Spectrum stared at the arm, slowly reaching for it before he felt her hand brush against the steel. “It is kept warm by the core at a temperature close to that of a normal person, and the pendant has a strong enough illusion magic within it that people believe it even looks and feels like a real arm. My arm. The pendant’s true function was to allow me the ability to one day return to everyone else without being seen as a freak and being unable to perform my job.”

Spectrum saw Vital open his mouth as if to say more as he slowly tried to stand up. She just watched wide eyed, trying to take in all that she had just heard. But how did he get the arm? Spectrum was shivering from the thought as Vital doubled over, gritting his teeth and crying out in pain. Spectrum rushed over to his side.

Vital was whispering, “It’s not a weapon, it’s not a weapon so why are you attacking me? Princess, why is this happening? Why?” Vital curled into the fetal position as he sobbed.

Spectrum stood up, backing away from Vital. She moved over to the door leading out the back and said, “Silence, we’re good.” Silence walked in, Spectrum’s sword lit in her hands. She looked at Vital and then glanced at Spectrum, an eyebrow raised. “I think something’s wrong with him. He just collapsed. It isn’t the first time something like this has happened either.”

Silence rolled her eyes as she held up her board. Who cares? Did we find out if the arm and pendant are dangerous?

Spectrum scowled. “Yes. His arm works like you would expect a mechanical arm would, but the pendant has no special offensive abilities.”

Well let’s get him back to talking then. You have more questions, right? Silence walked over to Vital and attempted to kick him in the gut. However, Vital’s hand stopped the foot, looking up at them with bloodshot eyes. Vital pulled Silence down and was on top of her about to strike when Spectrum kicked him in the chest and put her blade to his throat. Vital’s body tensed up as the massive bruising flared in pain.

“Stay down before I decide to put you down. Now spill why you keep seeming to see things that can’t possibly be there and why they seem to cause you pain, and sometimes extreme anger?”

Vital needed no further prompting, gritting his teeth. “It’s called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In laymen’s terms it causes me to flashback to traumatic parts of my past. However, Princess Twilight theorized that my photographic memory is why I have such a severe case, and that the disorder may be why I can’t recall the past with my old accuracy. However, Princess Twilight agrees with me about the first memory that started my problem. The moment I first lost my arm.” Vital took a sharp breath as his left hand gripped the steel arm.

Spectrum took the sword away, kicking herself for falling into Silence’s mistrust. You don’t always have to threaten to kill him you know? “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. Comes with being allowed to keep secrets I suppose.” Vital looked at the yellow figure in the room, scanning her. His eyes widened slightly. Is her chest bigger than Twilight’s? Vital smacked himself, remembering the trouble that thinking like a teenager had already gotten himself into on this journey. “Who is your friend?”

“Her name is Silence, and I would take in her chest now since she’s only escorting us out of Ponyville.”

Vital’s face burned red as he said, “I learned my lesson last time. I am not going to care about chest size even,” Vital took a moment to clear his throat, worried his head might combust, “even if they’re almost completely exposed.”

To this, Silence finally put an arm over her breasts in a futile attempt to cover the impressive mounds. She extended her board out. Can we go now? The faster you’re out of my home, the better.

Vital furrowed his brows, trying to look away from Silence’s chest. “Spectrum, can she not talk?”

“She says she can, but that she bonded with a damaged mech. It can’t speak, and that makes her unable to talk either.”

Vital nodded at this, thinking. “What do you mean by bonded?”

Silence rolled her eyes. I stare them down and they form a link with me. Now can we go?

Vital bit into a finger as he took in the information. A new type of soul magic? If only Princess Twilight was here. She’d be able to figure out for certain. “I suppose we should get going. Don’t want to overstay our welcome.” Vital stood up, stumbling for a moment as he put a hand on the table to steady himself.

Spectrum put an arm under Vital’s shoulders. “Come on, we don’t need you collapsing, now do we? We used enough medgel to heal cancer, so you had better be movement ready.”

Vital smiled at Spectrum. “You can’t cure cancer with medgel.” Vital flinched as Spectrum’s palm met the back of his head, the two laughing.

Silence walked past them, opening the door. Come on love-birds. Out. And I expect to be repaid for that medgel sooner or later.

Vital almost collapsed as Spectrum came out from beneath him shouting, “We are not a couple! He is my guide, and nothing else!” Spectrum stormed past Silence while the yellow pegasus rolled her eyes.

Vital walked out, and heard a growl from behind him. Turning around he saw the dog, its eyes yellow once more. Vital took a deep breath and then stepped forward as he put his mechanical arm into a gap in the plates. A deep rumble was emitted by the hulking mech, but then a deep voice came out saying, “Of a bitch! If you even try to hurt him I will rip your… head off.”

Spectrum turned around, coming back to examine the dog herself. “What was that?”

The dog spoke once more in its low rumble, “It was me, Silence. I’m guessing your friend here fixed the voice box.” Silence turned around and started to walk away while the dog ran up next to her.

“A thanks would be nice.” Vital sighed as he started walking, blushing slightly as his head followed the sway of Silence’s barely concealed ass.

Spectrum scowled and said, “I need to talk to Silence. Alone Why don’t you act like a scout and run ahead.” Spectrum waited a moment or two for Vital to think before the brown man nodded, and the two ran to catch up to Silence. Listening to Vital’s labored breathing, Spectrum felt a twinge of regret. I shouldn’t be doing this. Why am I doing this?

Silence raised an eyebrow at Spectrum as Vital ran past. “Is there a problem?”

“No, of course not!” Spectrum looked away from Silence, ignoring the smug smile she had.

“I told you it would be easier to just let him die. Also, why didn’t you ask him how he got those scars? They may have been from some gang initiation that we’ll be facing soon.”

Spectrum shook her head. “I think I’m the first person he’s talked to in a while. Besides, why would he fix your dog if we were about to be attacked?”

Silence sighed. “Fine. Now, the case. Open it.”

Spectrum turned on her friend glaring at her. “I told you before and I’m to say it one more time, no!”

“We just found out he has more secrets then we could possibly imagine. What if his arm isn’t the only part that’s cybernetic? What if he has more weaponry in his case? Twilight spent the resources to make him a specialty arm. You already said he had more than one job underneath her, why not guardian? He sucks at the pistol, so why is that his only visible weapon? So once more, open the case.” Silence stared at Spectrum for a few moments before the blue woman turned away and continued to walk.

Almost half an hour later they came to the center of town, the decrepit remains of the town hall in view. Spectrum only spent a moment admiring the old town, the memories she still kept from her time here. Unfortunately, she also saw the prospective sniper posts, ambush sites, and narrow alleys that could hold people away from sight. Spectrum sighed as she gestured for Silence to stop, pain filling her chest as she remembered when she once had undying loyalty.

“About time.”

“Shut up Silence before I kick your teeth in.” She undid the rope on the case before opening it. Silence immediately snatched it, her hand picking up items and throwing them to the side. “String, useless. Rations. Awful, but still harmless. Primer, hold.” Silence gave the primer to Spectrum, who then took the case away from the yellow pegasus as well.

“I will conduct the search. You might break something he cares about if I let you keep searching.” Spectrum started shuffling the miscellaneous papers around, noting a map with instructions on it. He holds the secret to Canterlot fairly close to the chest, so I should probably leave it to him to tell me. Otherwise I might let it slip that I know, and then I’m the one who deserves to be mistrusted. Not like this isn’t better. She sighed as she kept shuffling around, finding pictures in a small pocket. Pulling one out Spectrum’s face turned a bright red.

“What is it?” There was a slight huff to Silence’s voice as Spectrum handed her the picture. Silence’s eyes widened as she said, “Wow. Twilight looks good natural. However, I don’t remember her chest being that-” Silence shut up, giggling as Spectrum snatched back the photo and shoving it into the case.

“Hey, why did you guys stop?” Vital was looking back, the two hopefully behind the dog. “You should really warn me when you do things like that. Vital shook his head as he scanned around, his eyes landing on what he could only guess was a town hall. Note to self. They mentioned Ponyville earlier, so remember to investigate later. Vital looked up as he saw electricity arcing from the top of the building. “What the hell?”

“What the fuck is this?”

Vital turned as he heard the dog shout, seeing Silence holding a dagger in her hand. As Vital was about to respond, a crack of thunder resounded across the clearing, a ringing setting into his ears as the lightning struck the dog. Vital’s eyes went wide as he saw the lightning crash around the dog, Silence collapsing, and Spectrum crashing to the ground, his case crashing onto the ground beside her.