The Fearless Warrior

"Am I dead…?" The thought passed through the white stallion head. "Of course not, idiot, If you were dead you would not be able to think… or would I?"

Steel Head slowly opened his eyes. He could feel a soft bed under him and the typical smell of a hospital... something that reminded him a rubber glove… He looked around to find himself in a room; his body was covered by a light sheet. His light blue mane was a mess over the soft pillow where his head rested. He tried to move but stopped when he felt his body hurt and that was the trigger for the memories of the fight against the hydra.

A shiver came down his spine when he remembered the sensation of those sharp teeth piercing his armor and carving his flesh. That was a pain that he never ever felt before... And the impact of the hard ground when he was tossed like a ragged doll... He didn't lost conscience right away… no… he was awake for just a minute, but that was the longest minute he will ever remember. The blood coming out of his wounds, the cold crawling under his skin… He really though that he was going to die there.

The door opened and interrupted his thoughts. Steel Head looked to see who it was and he was really surprise. A light gray mare with black mane and tail walked inside. He stopped for a second, trying to remember her name... 'Something with O …. It was… ahm… aw buck!' He smiled nervous to her, still trying to figure out what was her name.

"Hey" She smiled at him "Feeling better?" She approached the bed, standing right next to him.

"Ahm… sure, sure... a little sore but I'll live" Steel Head smiled softly at her 'DAMN IT! What was here name!' He started to panic.

"Good to hear" She smiled widely and approached her face to his, kissing him on the lips softly and he widened his eyes. "I was really worried about you… You slept for three day straight."

"Three days!" He looked at her in shock.

"Yes… You were really hurt… you were stuck in your armor and it took a long time for the medics to take that out of you…" She explained. He started to feel a little guilty now. She was worried sick about him… and he didn't even remember her name.
"I think it was luck then that you were coming right when I was waking up right?" He smiled at her.
"Oh no, I'm here since you arrived. I just went out for a few minutes to speak with one of the medics" She smiled at him and he suddenly felt like he wanted to be in the Hydra's mouth again.

"You… stayed with me the whole time?" He asked trying to keep his posture.
"Yes… Rarity wanted to stay but she was too busy, to take care of her little sister… so I offered myself…" She blushed a little "and also… I would stay here for you even if she was not that busy…"

Steel Head's mind just blew. This little mare was in love with him, and he knew that that was a huge problem. He never wanted to hurt anyone, so, he always avoided contact with the mares he slept with for a few days. After that no mare would come after him, unless she had the same ideas of 'fun' as him. The little gray mare was the first one that was, maybe, too innocent to realize what Steel Head had done, and so, she came after him. And to make things worse, she stayed with him in the hospital for three days.

"Ahm... thank you… not many would do that for me" He said being honest and smiling at her. She blushed and approached her snout to his again, starting to kiss the white stallion… he simply kissed her back and, like some kind of magic, in that moment he remembered her name… 'Octavia…'

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Rarity was trotting down the hallway, going to the room where Steel Head was. But as she approached the door, the white unicorn heard a bass sound, very fluid... A calm music played by some kind of expert. She got near the door and opened just a small crack to peep. There she saw Steel head laying on the bed, and right next to him was the gray mare, Octavia, playing her cello. Both ponies had their eyes closed... The music was simply divine, even Rarity felt a shiver down her spine.

Rarity knew that gray mare only by her fame among the high class ponies and a few exchange words a few days ago. She was the best cello player in all Equestria, and the white unicorn could see that her fame was not exaggerated. Every single note carried a world of strong emotions, something that only those who were able to feel the music and play with their hearts were able to do. The cellist finished her piece of music and Steel Head started to clap (or should I say clop?) with a wide smile.

"Wow... that was awesome! I knew you were the best, but hearing you play like this... is just surreal" The white royal guard said…. Octavia put her cello against the wall and approached Head Steel.
"Thank you... I usually hear that a lot... but coming from you is more... well... is more" She said blushing lightly.

It was the second day since Steel Head was awakened. At first he almost panicked to see that the gray mare had fallen in love with him. But now... he was not so sure that that was a bad idea. The closest person he had back at the palace was his brothers in arms. Other stallions that were royal guards too. But they were nothing more than just comrades.

Then he meets Eravel, the monster. In less than a month, both created a strong bound of friendship. He knew he could count on the human for almost anything. But now, he had a mare that was more than just 'another mare he banged'... Octavia was showing to be much more and, in a way, that scared the white pegasus.

Rarity saw that too...she could see that the gray mare was in love with Steel Head. But Rarity knew that the royal guard was NOT a stallion to be with a single mare. She knew that Octavia was in danger of having her heart shattered in one of the worst kind of way. She breathed deep and then opened the door fully, smiling widely to cover her true intentions. Octavia and Steel Head were a few inches to kiss each other when the white unicorn entered the room.

"Hello darlings!" She said interrupting the romantic moment of both ponies, but pretending innocence. Octavia stepped away from the royal guard, blushing deeply. Steel Head just arched an eyebrow. "You are the mare that was playing the cello right?" Rarity said approaching the cellist.

"Ahm, y-yes... yes it was..." Octavia said a little frustrated by the interruption. She didn't really know the white unicorn. Never talked to her long enough… just a few exchanges of words a few days ago.

"I knew it! That song was simply divine!" rarity praised the gray mare and put a hoof over her shoulder, pulling her lightly... to increase the distance between her and the white royal guard. "I'll tell you what my dear... why don't we go to the next room? You simply MUST play that song again to the poor old lady over there... she looked so sad all alone..." Rarity was acting in a very dramatic way.

"Ahm... Rarity… is that it?" Octavia was not sure about the white unicorns name. "I... I don't think that it is a good idea... I..." She started to say but got cut by Rarity pouting.
"Pretty please...?" The white unicorn begged. The gray mare just looked over the royal guard, biting her lower lip. Steel Head just nodded, indicating that it was ok.

"Ok... I'll go there..." Octavia said in a sigh. She got her cello and got out of the room, heading to the next one to play.

Rarity was smiling at the gray mare, but the smile only lasted until the door was closed. The white unicorn turned to glare at the royal guard... he shivered at that look.
"What the hay were you about to do with her!" Rarity said stomping near the white stallion.
"Ahm... l-look… I can explain... I... I..." The royal guard was in panic.
"I hope you have a really good explanation of WHY you were trying to seduce Octavia! She's not like us and you know it!" Rarity scowled the royal guard, controlling her voice to not shout.
"Look, I know it alright? You think I'm some kind of inexperienced foal here?" He said a little angry. "Is not my fault that she fell in love with me! No mare ever had come to me after a few days of distance!" He crossed his forehoofs. Rarity let her jaw drop in shock of what he said and shoved a hoof over his face. The white pegasus moaned in pain as he felt the hard hoof hit his face hard, leaving a bruise.

"YOU JERK!" She said almost screaming. "Do you have ANY idea of how a mare feels at all! How can you just go and seduce them and then throw away like garbage?" She was livid. He looked her in shock.
"May I ask you who are YOU to say those things to me!" He replied angry too. "Far as I know, you do the same thing that I do!"
"Don't compare me with some lowly life jerk as yourself!" She hissed. "I can remember all the names of those who I stayed with. And every single one of them were well aware of what I was doing. I just wonder how many mares do you actually remember the name... I wonder if you even knew HER name at all!" Rarity said expecting an answer... But Steel Head just looked away, Rarity was right... At first he didn't remembered the name of the gray mare... "See? I know that you are Everal's friend... and I THINK you are my friend too... so, step aside and don't get near Octavia again... If not for her, for your friends... and if not for us, at LEAST for the reputation of Celestia and her royal guards." She said staring at Head Steel...
'Yeah... maybe she's right... I know that in the end I'll only hurt her anyway... better to just go away... besides, I still have some other mares in Canterlot...' Steel head thought before starting to speak. "Ok... I don't want to hurt her... tell her that I'm not feeling well and I want to be alone... can you do that favor for me rarity?" He asked looking in her eyes. He truly had no intention of hurting that specific mare... not after he saw how much she liked him...

"Yes... Don't worry about that... I'll try handle this." Rarity said with a more soft tone. "And please dear... be careful with those that you approach like that. We are not in Canterlot. Here the mares are not very used with those things..." The white unicorn said before leaving the room. Head Steel just laid there, lost in his thoughts and with a strange feeling of emptiness...

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I looked around and saw the sky clean of clouds and with multiple colors… From the dark blue to light orange, passing through purple and red…. The sun was hiding beyond the horizon and I could see a vast landscape with threes and green grass... Not too distant was a small city very colorful too. Under me I felt something really soft... I looked to see where I was laying on and could see that it was a cloud. Normally I would freak out, but I felt really calm.

"Hey... it was already time for you to wake up..." A female voice, really joyful said coming from behind me. I saw Rainbow Dash there, lying with a sweet smile. I never saw her so... beautiful. "Nice view huh?" She said looking at the sun set.
"Yeah... a really nice view..." I said looking at her. She realized that and just chuckled.

"You little jerk..." She said coming closer to me, looking me in the eyes. I just smiled at her. "You know... In a way I think I'm lucky... but I never thought that I would date a dragon..." she said and kissed me in the cheek.
"A... A dragon?" I said arching an eyebrow. I raised my hands and widened my eyes when I saw my arms all covered in a green pattern of scales. My hands had now only four fingers that ended in sharp claws... I realize then that I also had a pair of wings and a tail. What the hell was going on! I stood up fast, in panic, spreading my wings, without any kind of control of my new limbs... a strong wind hit them and I fell from the cloud, spinning out of control. I tried to scream but a roar escaped my mouth. I saw the ground coming closer and closer until...

I open my eyes, grasping the real world around me again. I felt something soft under me and there was a blanket covering my body... I was in a bed. Looking around I saw that I was in a hospital room. From the corner of my eye, I saw something lying in a couch near my bed. When I turned my head I saw Rainbow Dash sleeping peacefully there.

I moved my arms, and felt my right one immobilized, so I just slipped my left one from under the blanket to see my pale skin and fingers... I breathed in relief. I was still human after all... I pulled the blanked out of my body to see my state. My memory was full of missing events, but I could remember most of my fight with the Hydra. I was full of new bandages and my right arm was completely warped in some weird blue bandages full of runes that emitted a faint light. At least I still had my arm attached to my body, which was a good thing. But then again, I was totally naked...

I used the blanket to cover my lower body, warping it around my waist. My body was very weak, and it took me some time to finally be able to sit and then start the process to stand up. I breathed and then moved a leg forward, giving a step. Good, they still worked... Step by step I walked from my bed to the couch where Rainbow Dash slept. She was beautiful in a way that I had never seen before. It was just like my dream.

Her rainbow mane covering part of her face and neck… her body moving softly, following the rhythm of her breath. So peaceful… I sat right next to her and used my left hand to caress her neck… She was warm… I just smiled while looking at her. She opened her eyes after a while of my hand passing on her mane and neck and yawned, looking at me still little sleepy.

"Eravel?" She said in a mumbling voice…
"Hi Dash… slept well?" I asked in a soft tone. I looked in her eyes… and saw her expression changing… a tear came rolled her face and she jumped on my neck, hugging me thigh.
"ERAVEL!" She screamed while her forehoofs were around my neck. I fell under her weight and my chest ached in pain, but I just gritted my teeth, enduring it.

The cyan pegasus was laying over me in the couch. I used my left arm to hug her body and rested my face against her neck.

"I'm happy to see you too…" I chuckled. She looked at me, smiling widely.

"I thought you wouldn't wake up again… They… They said you were too weak… you had loose too much blood…" She started to say but I cut her.
"I'm not good enough to go to Valhalla yet… Don't worry, I'll be here for a while" I smirked at her… The cyan filly just laughed softly and kissed me in the face… Something that I didn't expected.
"Don't you ever scary me like that again… Or I'll beat you! Got it!" She said showing her hoof at me.
"ok! Ok! I promise!" I said laughing a little. "Can I stand up again? My chest is still a little sore" I said.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry!" She beat her wings, lifting her body and landing on the floor. I lifted my upper body, sitting in the couch.

"So, what happen to my arm?" I asked looking at my right arm all warped in those runic bandages…
"You don't remember?" She asked arching an eyebrow.
"There are still some blank parts of what happen…" I shrugged.
"The Hydra almost bit your arm off… it was hurt so bad that the doctors didn't knew if you would ever be able to use again.." She said and I gulped… never use my right arm again? "…but Princess Celestia came to help… She cast a really strong healing spell over your arm, but it will take at least a week more to completely heal." She explained.
"A week more? How much time I took to wake up?" I arched an eyebrow
"Five days… today would be the sixth…"
"Wow… not even the manticore got me out for that long…" I said surprised.

"They said that it was because you already had passed through an intensive treatment before… and also you had a great amount of blood loss." She said sitting on the floor. Thinking back, the last time I had Celestia there to help me out faster than this one. It didn't take more than a few minutes for her to appear and… and she probably healed part of my body during the trip to Canterlot.

"I see… Well, I know that I'm hungry, what you think of us having a little breakfast now?" I smiled at her.

"Hehe, you read my mind on this one" She chuckled. "Rarity fix some new clothes for you... look under the bed." She told me. I crouched, fighting to keep my balance, and found my leather boots, a pair of pants and a shirt. The pants were dark brown, made of a more resistant fabric than the ones she gave me before I fight the Hydra. The shirt was white and a little loose but very comfortable, made of a light fabric.

"Speaking of breakfast..." I started to say after I was fully dressed. "...What about that little morning party with Princess Celestia?"

"It was canceled." She said walking through the door. I walked right next to her. "The ponies that came to help us after the Hydra was defeated were too worried about you and Steel Head... So the Princess thought that it would be better to cancel the morning party... and make a festival in honor of those who defended Ponivile" She said smiling happily.

"Oh no... I won't go to something like this." Eravel said seriously.

"What? Why not!" Rainbow stopped walking.
"Because I don't feel like I deserve it... I mean, sure, I fought the Hydra... and almost died... But Also I do remember that I attacked you again..." I said looking away from her... I could remember me going after her... wanting to kill her... but my memory just went as far as my axe rising to strike her... after that was a blank.

"But you did not..." She said beating her wings lightly, lifting her body so her head was in the same level as mine. "You stopped yourself before striking me... You regain your control." She smiled.
I looked at her, deep in her eyes... I felt my heart beating a little faster... she was so close... My mind started to wander in that strange dream I had about her. Our faces just a few inches away...
We heard someone giggling and we looked to our side. There were two nurses looking at us and whispering to each other, giggling. I felt my face burn and saw Rainbow Dash's face bright red.
"a-anyway... Let's just go and eat something... I'm starving!" She said flying through the corridor and I followed her, feeling really awkward.

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In another part of the hospital, a light gray mare was with her ears down, looking really sad.

"But... But why he didn't say that to me... personally?" Octavia asked to a white Unicorn next to her.
"He knew you were going to be really sad... And he didn't want to see you like this... He wished that things could be different but... well... some things aren't meant to be..." Rarity was trying to console the gray mare.

"He told me so many sweet things... is hard to believe what your are saying..." She looked at the white pony
"I know how that feels, but you've got to believe me... He told me that... He likes you very much, enough to want you to be happy. And that will only be possible if you forget him." Rarity explained. "You have your career and he has his life as a royal guard... Steel Head wants you to go on, and be happy doing what you love most.. And to find a stallion that can really complete you." Octavia had a tear in her eye... how could Steel head wanted them to be separated?
"Look..." Rarity put her hoof on the Octavia's shoulder. "I know that this hurt now... But you will soon be able to move on... ok?" The white unicorn caressed the gray mare's face. "Promise that you will move on... for him?" Octavia looked at the white unicorn... As hard as it looked like to believe, the gray mare had to give credit to the white unicorn. After all, Rarity was one of the elements guardians… And that was nothing new for those who went into the palace with some regularity.

"Ok... I... I promise..." Octavia said, feeling her heart being pierced. Rarity saw that, and felt bad too for lying like this... but in the end, that was for the best. Octavia deserved a stallion that would have eyes only for her, something that Steel Head was not able to be.