Zecora scraped the poisonous secretion off of the teeth and dropped it in to the cauldron. Sarge slowly walked past the others, blood dripping onto the floor.
"Sarge..." Applejack said quietly, looking over his wounds.
"What?" Sarge grunted.
Applejack walked up to Sarge and hugged him. "Thanks fer riskin' your life on our part. That was very brave."
"Brave enough to get me a point in our little competition?" Sarge asked.
"Fine, but only 'cause you have a handicap." Applejack said with a smile.
Sarge grunted. He then turned his attention to Zecora and walked up to her. "Is there going to be enough of that for two?"
"I made enough so dozens of ponies could share this brew." Zecora said. "So I would say there will be more than enough for you."
"Good." Sarge said, taking a seat on the floor.
"Aren't you going to do anything about your injuries?" Twilight asked.
"I don't suppose you know how to?" Twilight shook her head. "Then no." Sarge said with a smile.
"Er, Sarge?" Applejack interjected, "ah think ah could try fixin' ya up if’n ya like."
Sarge turned to Applejack and gave a nod. "Sure why not. Beats looking at Grif's good-for-nothing mug any day."
"Glad to have you back Sarge." Grif said.
"Good to be back, Dirtbag." Sarge said.
"Hang on, ah need t' grab some supplies from my bag." Applejack dropped her bag to the floor and started to look through it, quickly producing a small box. She extracted a needle, a thread and a pair of tweezers from it.
"If you need privacy you may use my spare room." Zecora said, gazing in to the mixture. "I do not think the children should see such wounds."
"Thank ya kindly Zecora." Applejack said.
Applejack then opened the door to the room that Zecora had indicated, entering with Sarge.
"Okay, come near the window so ah can get some light." Applejack said.
Sarge nodded and sat down next to the window. Applejack looked over his wounds and realized they were worse than she had originally thought. She cleaned some of the blood away with a cloth. She then grabbed the thread and needle and started to stitch up the worst of the wounds. She worked in complete silence, concentrating on fixing Sarge up as much as she could and found herself done in a matter of minutes.
"Alright, you're done." Applejack said. "Ah apologize in advance, I ain't the best doctor in Equestria.."
"Much better than any other doctor I've met..." Sarge said with a gruff laugh. “Or medic for that matter.”
"Stay right here, ah'll be back right quick." Applejack said.
"Uh, okay." Sarge muttered.
Applejack walked back in to the main room and everypony looked at her.
"How is he?" Simmons asked.
"Patched him up best ah could. He should be up and at 'em once he drinks that stuff." Applejack said. Applejack then turned her attention to the three fillies. "Applebloom, you and the others need t' come with me."
"Yes sis'." Applebloom said.
The girls slowly followed Applejack to the room where Sarge was sitting idly. "Hey Sarge." They all said in unison.
"Hey." Sarge grunted.
"Well girls?" Applejack said after a couple seconds of silence. "Whaddaya say?"
"Sarge, I'm really sorry we caused this." Scootaloo said.
"We only came out here because you said you would help us find out cutie marks." Sweetie Belle said.
"We figured that if we followed ya we mighta' found 'em." Applebloom said.
"And?" Applejack pressed.
"We're sorry." The crusaders said in unison.
Sarge stared at the three crusaders whose heads were hanging low, avoiding eye contact.
"Don't be." Sarge grunted after a couple seconds of silence.
"Beg pardon?" Applejack said. "These girls almost got ya right killed."
"As I see it, if these girls hadn't followed us and screamed, we may not have found the timberwolves in time." Sarge said. "I'd say that they saved Grif's life, and as much as I hate to say it, I'd hate to see him go down like that."
"Hey, yeah!" Sweetie Belle said.
"We're like heroes or something." Scootaloo said. "Maybe we'll get our cutie marks for saving lives!"
The girls all looked at their flank at the same time and they each let out a sad sigh.
"But just because you saved his life doesn't mean what you did wasn't reckless." Sarge said. "And trust me, I've invented the meaning of that word."
"So... yarn't mad... but yarn't happy neither?" Applebloom asked.
"Exactly." Sarge said.
"Are we being punished?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously.
"I'll let Applejack decide that once we get back. I'm afraid my punishments might hospitalize you." Sarge said. "But for now let's get back to the others so I can drink that sludge."
Sarge then got off the floor and walked back to the main room and planted himself next to Zecora.
"Is it done yet?" Grif asked.
Zecora squinted at the mixture and gave a quick nod. She grabbed two glasses and filled them to the top. She gave one to Grif who took a sip and almost threw up.
"This shit is horrible." Grif said.
"They may taste bad, but once drunk things will look up." Zecora said. "But for the full effect, you must drink the entire cup."
"Quit being a wuss." Sarge muttered, chugging the bottle in one go. He then sniffed the empty bottle and gagged. "Ugh. It's quite pungent."
"It's fucking stinging my throat." Grif yelled, rubbing his neck. "And not in a good way."
"Zecora, I'll be honest with you..." Sarge said, starting to sense the aftertaste. "This tastes like pure gasoline."
"There is something about the potion I forgot to mention." Zecora said. "This is not a full antidote, merely a potion of suspension."
"Meaning?" Grif said nervously.
"I think she means that it will not get rid of the infection, it will just stop it from spreading." Twilight said.
"That is what it is, but have no fear. Given some time, the pain and moss shall clear." Zecora said. "The infection has not spread deep in to Sarge, so he will be completely cured of this charge."
"Okay so just to be sure, this moss shit will disappear and it will stop hurting." Grif asked. "And for the love of god don't rhyme for an answer, I'm having trouble keeping up here, just nod or shake your head."
Zecora thought for a second and then nodded.
"Fear not, for what remains within you will now provide durability." Zecora said, trying to use more simple words. "Making you stronger and hardier, without sacrificing agility."
"Hey Simmons, that means I'm just like you!" Grif said.
"What are you talking about?" Simmons asked.
"You're part robot and I'm part tree." Grif said. "Except my part actually sounds pretty damn useful."
405906
If I ever make them kiss, it will be way more badass than just in a room located in a shack.
Oh Grif...
myfacewhen.net/uploads/55-oh-you.jpg
405953
Nope. Sex Panther.
It works sixty percent of the time all the time.
405962
Who else but Grif.
So grif has the barkskin perk from fallout 3?
Im cool wit dat
405966
Pretty much. Now he can be hit much harder and he is now a tree, which Sarge is going to thoroughly enjoy.
One could only imagine how Sarge would punish the poor fillies if he felt like it...
406005
Ikr...
406006
This.
But nah, while that's nice it still isn't epic.
I already know how that shit is gunna go down.
406007
I was surprised nobody noticed the connection that Sarge would enjoy this when I first mentioned Grif was turning in to a plant.
Grif has evolved from dirtbag to bark bag! His defense has nearly doubled!
406132
Better, but it needs MOAR COWBELL
406192
Would have been perfect too had you incorporated cowbells.
Too bad you just got your third strike
Here is what would have made it perfect:
-------------
Applejack stood next to Sarge's cot, hitting her cowbell, as he laid there recovering from his bout with the Timber Wolves while the Timber Wolves were playing their cowbells at the door. But little did they know, Skeletor and Mumra were hatching a scheme to destroy all of the cowbells and Applejack and Sarge were the only ones that could battle the threat. But for now, Applejack looked into this red pony's eyes while Sarge was pulling a cowbell out of his chest while holding a baby he rescued when he battled a Manticore with his cowbell. The eyes of the one that defended her on many occasions. The eyes of a stallion who had a strong sense of honor and duty and a destroyer of an army of cowbells. Sarge could only stare back into this little farm girl's eyes while she was beating her cowbell, who had teleported in to battle Twilight Sparkle. The cowbell did not look the same after Applejack was through with her. Applejack said she wanted to break something pretty today. A girl who helped Sarge understand that there was more to life than not playing with cowbells, he could be so many things while killing every single blue in every universe and eventually into the next universe so he could fulfill his dream of killing EVERY SINGLE BLUE IN REALITY. COWBELL!!!!!!!!!! And here he was, a defender of a girl that liked him for him, and he liked her for her. Not for being a soldier, not for being a farmer, but for being good honest creatures that say it how it is and for battling threats and cowbell playing. The two smiled, their hooves touched each other's faces as they moved forward. It then culminated in a kiss. An explosion of cowbells took place behind them, for as it turned out, the baby was a bomb and Sarge tossed it so far away that he could be pinned for the greatest cowbell player anywhere. Not erotic, not mushy. Just a simple kiss. And for them, that was all they needed as they rode on Optimus Prime towards Apokolips to battle Darkseid, who was the only cowbell hater left. But something stopped them both... for it was a threat like nothing they had encountered before. The figure stepped forward and said,
"If you guys think you're bad ass... you don't know Christopher Walken"
Take us home Dragonforce!
"We have a special treat for you folks tonight. Instead of guitars, we will be using COWBELLS!" Herman Li yelled, pissing out the blood of his enemies. "SO FAR *cowbell* AWAAAAAAAAAAAA *cowbell* AAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY *cowbell* WE WAIT FOR THE *cowbell*-"
And that's how Equestria was made.
-------------
.
.
.
They should have sent a poet
Just noticed a plot hole.
Simmons spoke in the last chapter, but in this one he is just regaining conciousness?
Did he get knocked out again or something?
407297
Whoops I forgot I got him up, I'll fix that
406218 I can't. I... I physically cannot. My ability to can is gone.
410333
They had a quicky... with cowbells?
Screw Cowbell. Flanger is the new cowbell OooOOooOOooOOo
Hm... Grif's added durability due to the infection reminds me of the Barkskin perk from Fallout 3.
726207
Or aroused...
When did Simmons become part robot again :/ I MUST WATCH ALL 9 SEASONS AGAIN
405974 and i had to go through a small army of dam preachers, crab men and crab kings to get that perk, and all griff has to do is get bitten and sleep! fuck that game.
BTW, isn't griff spelt with 2 f's?
406218
NEVER, MAKE EDITS ON THROUGH THE FIRE AND FLAMES!!! EVEN IF FUNNY
406096
wait so not only does he get barkskin perk for doing fuck all, he also got 50% resistance instead of 5%? fuck that red.
okay robot dosent sound useful but being part tree is? WTF?!?!
Grif's part tree!
405906 sounds like every bad pairing out there...
405938 sounds like the marrage of Elizabeth and Will from Pirates of the Carribean 3, they got married on a ship IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BATTLE with Barbosa being the priest conducting the ceremony. quite awesome I must say!
"You're part robot and I'm part tree." Grif said. "Except my part actually sounds pretty damn useful."
Bow chica bow wow! (How many of you get it)
We need Moar shipping
This is my second time reading you story, and I just noticed the Ancorman reference...
Bark Skin perk added
as with earlier...
You used the Bite on Grif...
You used the antidote on Grif...
Grif is evolving! (Pokemon Evolution Music)
Grif evolved into Tree Grif
1468925
your pic is relevant
Why didn't Simmons hit Griff?
"Zecora, I'll be honest with you..." Sarge said, starting to sense the aftertaste. "This tastes like pure gasoline."
Was that an Anchorman reference? Even if I was mistaken, HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1109909
fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/143/9/3/bow_chicka_honk_honk_by_vbnzmacphisto-d3h2za2.png
Needs more Junior
Simmons ain't cybernetic anymore.
4745818 No, it needs more Doc... and Donut.
3485780 A.) It's not Simmons, it's Church.
B.) The reason it didn't happen was because that was a function of the robot Sarge built for Church (Tex got one, too) in exchange for returning Donut and Lopez towards the end of Season 2. Right now, they're in the Epsilon unit. Even if they weren't, they left Church's robot body behind when they were fleeing Freelancer HQ at the end of Season 6.
5112773 plus in the unit doesn't church have a regular body?
Part tree? That sounds so awesome! Like ironbark potion!