Sky Duster's world slowly returned to some sense of coherence. First came the smells as she breathed: woody, clean, and crisp.

Next came the sound: birds chirping, and the rustle of wind through vegetation.

She cracked open her eyes, expecting harsh sunlight-

but saw a much more peaceful scene.

Moving was out of the question, as her entire body still had the weird fuzzy-feeling of the tranquilizers. She rolled her eyes about, taking in her surroundings.

Ok. Keep calm...I'm in a forest, under a log. It looks to be about mid-afternoon. So far so good. The last thing I remember was that warehouse, a fight-

Toxic!

The unicorn mare frantically looked around, and finally saw a blue hoof at the corner of her vision. She listened carefully, and was thankful to hear him breathing. Good, at least he sounded ok.

Magic was out of the question, as Sky could still feel the restriction band on her horn, which left very few options.

Without much to do other than lay on the dirt floor of the forest, Sky's mind drifted back to their capture...

At the laboratories, prior to capture.

Sky Duster let out a gasp as Toxic's body flew across the room, the blast sending him slamming against the opposite wall.

The griffins poured into the room, quickly spreading out to try and separate the gaggle of pony/griffin scientists from each other. She wasn't sure when the fight started- probably right after the princess used her royal canterlot voice, but within seconds, Sky Duster found herself staring at three very nasty looking griffins. Toxic was out cold behind her, and the griffin security guard was tearing apart the offenders in his area...

Alright Toxic. You protected me...now it's my turn.

Her horn ignited with a light blue aura as a grim smile twitched across Sky's face. Taking aim at the nearest griffin, she sent a bolt of energy blasting his way. It sent the unfortunate griffin tumbling head-over-tail,

and the other two had manged to come within a few steps of her.

Letting out a surprised yell, Sky Duster reached out her magic and seized a clawed arm that was aimed for her throat. With a brutal 'SNAP' the offending limb was bent backwards, the griffin falling to the floor. The third managed to get a clawed hand around her neck, and began to squeeze.

Bad idea.

What the griffin apparently forgot was that lack of air didn't prevent spell-casting, at least for a moment. Unable to hit him directly, Sky Duster spread her magic out to grasp anything to use as an implement.

Her air supply fading, the last bit of restraint left her mind. Sky's expression morphing into a snarl, she promptly ripped a ball of metal from the floor and sent it rocketing into the leering face of the griffin that had her in a choke hold.

The thrill of taking out her attackers was short lived as more griffins poured through the opening in the opposite wall. Wielding her chunk of shredded metal, Sky bashed the faces of at least four more before something sharp stuck her in the leg.

That was when the world had gone fuzzy, and finally blackness had taken over.

And now, here she was, stuck on a forest floor. At least she was starting to be able to feel her hooves....

I. Hate. Feeling. Weak!

Of course, that thought completely contradicted the feelings in her heart when around Toxic. She liked opening up to him- which was a new and slightly scary feeling for her...

Her thoughts drifted back to their brief conversation, before their date turned into a fight for their lives. Specifically, she couldn't help but remember her own words;

“That scream was like mine, when I was all alone.”

Being totally alone. Maybe he can understand that...

...Some first date this turned out to be.

With the feeling in her hooves returning slightly, Sky managed to shift over a few inches, and saw that Toxic was sprawled out next to her. Judging from her limited view, he had carried her underneath the log, and then passed out.

This colt is amazing...how?! And...why....

The last question brought a bit of a blush to Sky's cheeks, even in their dire situation. She knew why- the same reason she had asked him on a date.

Apparently her body decided that the little exertion she demonstrated was more than enough, because the world began swimming again. Whether a side effect of teleportation and the strange numbing-salve, she didn't know. What Sky did know, was that sleep was starting to sound really nice.

Just before she passed out again, she managed to shift her hoof slightly, moving an inch at a time. With a final effort, she pressed her hoof against Toxic's, the simple contact sending a pleasant shiver through her numbed frame.

Darn it Toxic...if our first date almost got us killed, I'm at least going to hold your hoof for a bit...sort of.

That's when the darkness claimed her fading consciousness.

Ugh.

Toxic cracked open an eye, wincing at the jolts of pain that shot through his frame. Apparently teleporting, fighting, and being knocked unconscious wasn't the most leisurely event for his body.

That's when reality hit full force.

Looking around, Toxic noted the peaceful forest, and their protection by the large log overhead.

Where were they?

How far away did they teleport?

Was Sky ok?

The last question caused energy to flow to Toxic's frame-

Wait.

He looked down, and saw Sky's hoof on his own. She hadn't been like that before...at least, from what he could remember. It looked like a voluntary action, rather than her slumping down....

Did she...?

Toxic's jaw clenched at the thought of her actually... liking him. The dampness in his eyes at such a thought surprised even himself. They had to get out of here.

He nudged Sky Duster with his nose, hoping to shake her away.

No such luck.

Toxic slowly stood, wincing at the aches across his body. He poked his head out from under the log, noting the descending sun. They only had a few hours of sunlight left, and they needed to get away.

His emotions were calm, as they always were in a crisis. He didn't know why, but whenever there was some sort of conflict, Toxic rose to the occasion. The mask of calm threatened to shatter when he looked down on Sky Duster. She looked peaceful, a small smile on her face. Toxic's throat closed with emotion briefly as he encased the magic-suppression device in his own spell, shattering the metal. The only mare to possibly take interest in him, and she was lying unconscious at his hooves.

I will not fail her.

He picked Sky up with his magic and set her across his back. It wasn't his first choice, carrying her like a sack of apples, but he had no other options. Magic would drain him too quickly, so physically carrying her was all he could do.

Just like you did with your little sister.

The stress of the situation, coupled with this emotionally charged thought brought tears to Toxic's eyes. A few of them trickled down his face as he trotted through the forest, without direction, but with an unshakable purpose.

The scenery failed to change, just a rocky expanse with trees that slowly thickened, but settled into a dense pattern. The grass was patchy, rocky outcroppings being the primary feature. Every now and again, he would stop to adjust Sky on his back. More than once he couldn't help but look at her sleeping features. Even though dusty and a bruised... seeing her caused his heart to beat twice as fast, and twice as strong.

It was those small moments that forced him to ignore his aching hooves, pressing forward. He would go until there was no light left, then make a small fire and locate the basics: food and water.

One string of thought kept repeating itself through his mind as he walked;

Safe. We need to get somewhere safe. Sky Duster, please be ok. Please...please be ok.

Sky Duster awoke to the sounds of crickets. For a moment, she worried that she was blind; but turning her head alleviated that thought, and gave her a splitting headache. Groaning, Sky slowly moved her head- wait, she moved her head!

Experimenting with her limbs, Sky found that the numbing-goop had worn off for the most part, and all that was left was a strange tingling feeling.

“Mmm....Hello? Anyone? Toxic? Is anyone there?” She called out into the darkness. Horseapples it was dark...

“Sky?”

Her question was answered as Toxic apparently dropped... something, literally skidding to a stop next to her. A warmth ignited on her cheek as Toxic gave her a gentle nuzzle. Was he...crying?

“You're ok.....umm....”

Sky Duster shifted into a sitting position, looking over to the ecstatic stallion who now was blushing furiously as his mind caught up to his actions.

“You've been out for a while...” His tone was caring, and certainly relieved. Sky looked over to him, barely able to see him in the moonlight.

“What happened? The last thing I remember is...the attack, the griffins, and then teleporting...”

Toxic sat down next to her, relaying the information as best he could. Interestingly enough, his stutter was nonexistent.

“So...now what?”

Toxic shrugged, his horn lighting up to produce a bit of light.

“Well, I'm building a lean-to....bed....thing. It doesn't look too cloudy, but I'd rather have something over my head just in case. I've piled a bunch of the branches over there, and just need to put a bit more on the roof part...”

Sky blinked in surprise as she scanned over his work, her headache fading to a dull pressure, which still kept her from activating her own magic.

“A lean-to-bed-thing? Sounds...complicated.”

A slight snort of amusement was Toxic's response. He threaded a bushy branch through the lean-to's roof, then promptly set his horn against the rock, a dull glow emanating from the natural object.

“Erm, Toxic?”

He didn't respond for a moment, but finally prodded the rock with a hoof and nodded approvingly.

“Heated the rock. Should help for tonight. I think it's going to get cold. Oh! I found some...erm...food?”

He gestured to a small pile of berries and grass- not the most exciting meal, but that was the advantage of being a pony. If it wasn't poisonous, and a plant, you could eat it. Mostly.

“Got water in the stone up there. I purified it...at least, I think I did. Haven't done that spell for a while.”

Sky couldn't help but be impressed. She took a look on top of the rock, which required a bit of climbing, sending her muscles into protest. Unless Toxic had carried both her and the water, there had to be a stream nearby, because the large rock's hollow indentation was nearly full. The water was cold, and did quite a bit to sate her thirst.

“I take it you camped a lot?”

Toxic shrugged his shoulders, also snagging a drink before settling down on the pile of bushy branches in the lean to.

“Sort of. I like the outdoors, and my job requires being in remote places at times, so I picked up a few things. May as well eat these...it's pretty late....”

Sky nodded, quickly downing the allotted berries and foliage.

“Your stutter is better....”

Another shrug was Toxic's response.

“It's the stress. If there's a crisis, my stutter goes away. Well, sometimes. On the job, not so much. This is a bit more crazy than that. It'll probably be back tomorrow.”

Casting a look at the lean to, Sky tilted her head curiously, her mind still a bit clogged up with the rapid-fire events.

“Erm, where do I sleep-OH!”

If not for the darkness, the blush on Toxic's cheeks would have been quite evident.

“I...uh, well, it's cold and all...didn't really think you had a p-” He stopped talking as Sky settled down next to him.

“I never said I had a problem with it.” Sky's voice was soft, betraying the uncertainty that was beginning to seep into her heart.

They were silent for a moment, but it was Sky who spoke up.

“What do we do now? I mean... we can't stay here.”

Toxic nodded, his green eyes flickering across the dark forest.

“Tomorrow we can figure out which direction to head. I suppose we go to the border. We don't know how far we have to go...but at least we can get a direction.”

She returned the nod, shivering slightly. The night's air had chilled considerably in the past few minutes, or, more likely, the shock of waking up had worn off. She tried scooting over to the warm rock, but that only helped a bit...

“You alright Sky?”

She didn't speak for a moment, but finally shook her head.

“I...I guess you've had a few hours to think about it all. I'm just...I don't know what to do! I'm cold and scared..and...” Her voice failed her. She didn't want Toxic to hear her cry, and yet, at the same time...

Toxic thankfully picked up on her obvious distress, scooting closer until their sides were touching. The warmth cause Sky to sigh happily, despite the few tears in her eyes.

“I never thanked you, Toxic Shield...for getting me out of that griffin cage, and carrying me all this way. So, thank you.” She placed her hoof on his, the contact soothing her nerves slightly.

“You're welcome. I'm just g-glad t-that you are ok. B-blast-ed stu-tter...” His stutter emerged briefly, and the last few words betrayed his annoyance.

“I don't mind it. Never did.” Sky's voice was still soft, but sincere.

Toxic was very quiet at that, and for a moment, Sky wondered if she had said something wrong...

“R-rea-lly?”

Sky finally relinquished her pride, scooting closer to Toxic and laying her head on his shoulder as she nodded.

“Mmm hmm....”

Despite being extremely comfortable, and having her fears assuaged, part of Sky's mind was berating her. She was an independent mare! She certainly was tough, and could handle herself! She had taken on over four griffins, and survived this far!

So why did Toxic's touch just cause her to melt?

Her overwhelmed mind just didn't care at that moment.

Toxic Shield's mind raced, unsure what to do next, if anything. Apparently, his heart grew tired of waiting, and decided for him. Before he knew it, he leaned his head against Sky's, the physical contact of her body against his breeching the emotional barriers that held his emotions in check.

“I'm...scar-ed too. B-but...”

A slight smile twitched at his feature as Sky's breathing began to slow, a sign she was starting to fall asleep, or at least relax.

“F-for a fi-rst date, I t-thin-k it's b-een kin-da c-ra-zy.”

A slight laugh emanated from Sky's frame, causing Toxic's smile to solidify. Good, at least she was still laughing.

“I'm going to try to sleep Toxic...this is a lot to take in. Tomorrow we can plan some more.”

“G-ni-ght then.”

“'Night Toxic.”

Not but a few moments had passed before Sky spoke again, this time her words accompanied by a tender nuzzle to Toxic's neck.

“I'm so glad you're here Toxic....I'm glad that I'm not alone.”

Her last sentence rattled the stallion's heart, and he returned the gesture, wishing that fatigue wasn't preventing him from enjoying this more. Her muzzle against his neck sent an encompassing warmth through his entire body. It wasn't just the physical contact, but the knowledge that someone might care...

“You're not alone Sky...”

Sky nodded slightly, and Toxic felt one of her hooves brush his.

“Neither are you Toxic.”

The stallion now had to sniff back a few tears, and he fought with his own thoughts, struggling to not break down, even a little bit. It was too much for one day. How much of her affections was genuine or out of fear, he didn't know. Until he did, Toxic wasn't about to take advantage of Sky in any way.

“Goo-dni-ght Sky....”

“'Night Toxic.”

Author's Note

Let me know how you all like the pacing of this chapter.
As always, alert me of any errors/things that you find detract from the story!

So.Good.To.Be.Back!