//------------------------------// // 179 - Send-Off // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// “So…do we tell everypony else?” Blinking as she stepped out of their tent, Cozy couldn’t help but smirk a bit at Aisle’s question, hearing the uncertainty in his voice. “Tell them what? That in my hour of grief you seduced me?” She could practically feel him go rigid at that. “I didn’t-” “I was kidding,” replied Cozy quickly, her smirk widening into a smile at his flustered appearance. But her good humor only lasted for a moment before the reality, and the ambiguity, of their current situation chased it away. “But really…I don’t know,” she sighed. “I mean, I don’t want to make some big announcement about us being together or anything, but at the same time I don’t want to hide it either.” She looked at the medical tent that was a short distance away, the mere sight of it seeming to drain her strength. I was in there just a short while ago, trying to kill myself. And on the other side is Pillow’s body. All of a sudden the issue of what to do next seemed impossibly burdensome, and she didn’t want to think about it. “What do you want to do?” “I want you to be comfortable,” answered Aisle immediately. “I want to make sure that we don’t do anything that you don’t like or aren’t happy with.” “Thanks.” This time Cozy’s smile was smaller. She knew he was trying to be accommodating, to make sure that he wasn’t being overbearing, and she appreciated his concern for her. But at the same time, she felt a sudden surge of resentment run through her. I don’t want to be the one having to figure everything out, she thought angrily. I don’t want to worry that I’m doing something that you don’t like and that you’re not telling me because you’re worried about me! For an instant she considered telling him that, but her irritation was immediately replaced by guilt at the thought, not wanting to lash out at him for trying to be considerate of her feelings. A moment later it occurred to her that she was overreacting, that suddenly going from playful to tired to angry to remorseful was a bad sign, and she felt a frustrated sob start to rise up in her throat. I don’t know what to do! “Cozy?” Aisle nudged her gently, worried by how she’d been standing in place for the last few seconds, as though lost in thought. His surprise was complete when she suddenly turned and buried her face in his side, letting out a shuddering breath. “Wh-what’s wrong?!” He frantically tried to figure out what had happened, but couldn’t think of anything that had happened in the last few seconds that could possibly have upset her. “Nothing,” she whimpered. “Everything. I don’t know.” Confused, Aisle tentatively put a hoof around her. When she didn’t push it away, he pulled her closer, laying his head over hers, and he felt her shudder in response, pressing against him more. After several seconds she finally backed away, trying to compose herself. “I’m sorry,” she sniffled. Aisle shook his head, his worried look only somewhat softening. “You don’t have to apologize.” “That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t.” Cozy rubbed her eyes before giving him a sad look. “I think…I think that I’m going to be like this for a little while, you know? Just all…out of sorts.” She gave him a pleading look then, wanting him to understand what she was saying despite not completely knowing herself. “I…okay.” He straightened up, intuiting that something decisive would reassure her, and moved over so he was pressing his side against hers. “It’s like you said. We love each other. We’ll figure the rest out.” She let out a breathy laugh then, and it almost turned into more crying, but she managed to keep herself together, leaning against him more. “Thanks.” This time her gratitude was genuine, and it buoyed her mood just a little. “I promise that at some point I’ll stop being such a messed-up mare. Just don’t ask me when.” “I don’t m-, oh hey, look.” He pointed, and Cozy followed his hoof, looking out past the back of the medical tent to see a group of five ponies heading toward…Vanhoover. She blinked, forgetting her turbulent emotions as she realized she recognized some of the ponies in the procession. “Wait, is that…it’s Cloudbank and Drafty. Why are they leaving the camp?” “It looks like they’re going back to Vanhoover, but that can’t possibly be right…” Aisle’s brow was furrowed, confused at the prospect of his friends going back into that deathtrap after everything they’d done to escape it. “We need to go after them! C’mon!” Cozy didn’t wait for him to reply, taking off at a run, leaving a surprised Aisle to rush after her a moment later. “So you don’t think we should fly at all?” Turbo shook his head in response to Drafty’s question. “Not if we can help it. Being in the air might give you a good view of your surroundings, but it makes you easy to spot. Just because those things don’t come out during the day doesn’t mean that they’re not active. They still pay attention to what’s happening outside.” “Hang on,” protested Sandbar. “If they can’t go out in the daytime, then how could they possibly know you guys are there if you fly? I mean, if they don’t look outside then it’s not like they can hear you flap your wings or anything, right?” “They can look outside,” explained Turbo, “They don’t like sunlight, but they’re not hurt by it. I think it’s like being caught outside in a thunderstorm for them, unpleasant but not debilitating. So trust me, they’ll be watching us through windows and sewer grates and other dark places. If we keep our hooves on the ground, we can at least cut down on the number that see us.” “And you’re sure we’ll be spotted right away?” asked Cloudbank with a frown. “I don’t think there’s th-” “Hold that thought,” interrupted C. Shells, looking behind them. “We’ve got company.” Everypony spun around, and Cloudbank was sure that Sonata had followed them after all. But a moment later she saw who it was, and her eyes widened. “Cozy? Aisle?” She blinked in surprise as the pair ran up to them. “What are you guys doing here?” “That’s what we wanted to ask you,” panted Cozy, slightly winded from her sudden sprint. “Why are you heading back to Vanhoover?” “We don’t have time for this,” muttered Turbo, giving Cozy an uncomfortable look. He averted his eyes as she looked back at him quizzically, not sure how to act around the widow of the crystal pony that Garden had killed. Just seeing her reminded him that he had been there at the time – him and Hopscotch both – and that they had participated also, even if Garden had taken point. That hadn’t bothered him before, but for some reason it did now. And I’m the one who told Hopscotch that we shouldn’t confess to Lex, he thought to himself, remembering the hushed conversation they’d had just after Garden had been cursed. Hopscotch had thought that if they told Lex about their part in Pillowcase’s death, he’d have shown leniency to Garden after the fact. As though he’d ever do anything like that. All he’d do is curse us too, and then we’d be even less of a help to Garden than we are now. “We only have so much daylight, and less time before Sonata’s spell ends, remember?” “What spell?” asked Aisle as he caught up to them. “What’s going on?” Drafty licked her lips, glancing at C. Shells, Sandbar, and Turbo. “Can you guys give us a few minutes?” Sandbar adjusted his bandana uneasily. “We really are under a time crun-” He stopped as C. Shells stretched a foreleg out in front of him, indicating that he should stop. “Arguing will only make this take longer. We’ll wait up ahead,” she said, turning and trotting a short few dozen feet away. Sandbar followed her, and a moment later Turbo did the same, albeit reluctantly. Once they had some semblance of privacy, Cloudbank quickly explained what was going on. “…and that’s why we’re headed back to Vanhoover.” “That’s crazy!” exclaimed Aisle. “Even if you guys find a lot of bits, how are you going to carry them all?” “It shouldn’t be too hard to find a wagon or some shopping carts or something that we can use,” replied Drafty. “Worse comes to worst, we’ll just make as many trips as we can before the sun goes down.” “I should go with you,” spoke up Cozy. “Lashtada’s magic could make all the difference if you guys get attacked.” Healing magic, she knew, harmed the undead in addition to mending her friends’ hurts. They’d discovered that when they’d been hiding out, and it had saved their lives on more than one occasion. But her request was met by silence, as Cloudbank and Drafty shared an awkward look before the latter approached her. “Cozy…that’s not a good idea,” she said hesitantly. “What do you mean?” Cozy protested. “Of course it is! You’ll need healing magic, and-” “I have some,” interjected Cloudbank. “Not as much as you, but some.” Well, just one right now, she amended silently, only having prepared a single such spell that morning during her prayers. “Trust us, we’ll be okay.” “But I can still help! I can-” Cozy’s protest was cut off as Drafty stepped forward and hugged her. “I’m so sorry about Pillow,” she murmured gently. “I wanted to say something before, but everything’s just been so crazy.” “I’m sorry too,” added Cloudbank, following Drafty’s example and wrapping a foreleg around Cozy as well. “I can’t imagine how hard this must be for you.” Her parents had retired to a little town on the outskirts of Las Pegasus a few years back, so she’d been fortunate enough not to have lost anypony during the disaster. The sudden outpouring of warmth made Cozy hesitate. “N-no. It’s not your fault. I just…” She knew they were deliberately changing the subject, trying to move away from the topic of her going into Vanhoover with them, but at the same time she couldn’t bring herself to refute their kindness. “I’m doing okay, so…” The words caught in her throat, knowing that they weren’t true. “Cozy…” Aisle called her name softly as he joined the hug, expressing his own condolences even though he’d already done so much for her. That was enough to break the last of her restraint, and she felt tears sliding down her cheeks as she hugged them back. “You guys…” A few moments later they separated, each of them rubbing their eyes, and Cozy knew that she wasn’t going with them. “You be careful, okay? I won’t be able to handle it if I lose anymore ponies I care about.” She tried to smile, to take some of the fear out of her words, but she was sure they heard it anyway. “Trust us, this will be a piece of cake,” replied Drafty, smiling back. “But just in case,” she added a moment later, “knock on wood for me, okay?” Cloudbank glanced at where the others were waiting. “We need to get going,” she sighed, before looking back at Cozy. “Don’t worry about us, okay? Right now you just focus on you.” She glanced at Aisle and gave him a light grin. “And you, focus on her too.” “Ah…” Aisle stiffened slightly, his cheeks warming due to the unintentional double entendre in Cloudbank’s words. “Right.” Cozy rolled her eyes wryly at that, as Cloudbank and Drafty both blinked at the unexpected reaction. “Hang on,” frowned Drafty. “Did something happen…” She trailed off, knowing it would be wildly inappropriate to ask if she was off the mark. Cozy stuck her tongue out. “If you want to know, you had better come back safely.” With that, she turned and started back towards the camp, Aisle following behind her. They only went a couple steps before they turned and waved, however, and Cloudbank and Drafty returned the gesture as they started back toward the others. Despite the seriousness of what was in front of them, Drafty couldn’t help but giggle at what had just happened. “Oh my gosh! Did you see that? The two of them…!” “We don’t know that for sure,” cautioned Cloudbank. “And even if they are, it’s because of a tragedy. I’m not sure it’s appropriate to be excited about it.” But despite her words the corners of her lips were turned up, glad that there was something good to happen after everything that they’d gone through. “Love is always something to be excited over,” smiled Drafty. “Especially when it’s a love that triumphs over adversity.” Just like what’s going to happen with you, me, and Lex. That’s right, came the sultry voice of Kara in her thoughts. And very soon, you’ll be together with both of them. Spit Polish let out a shaky sigh, trying to calm the trembling of his hooves. It had quieted down outside, and he couldn’t hear even the faintest traces of any nearby ponies. Do it now, he told himself. Don’t hesitate. Don’t even think. Just get up and go do it right now. You won’t get another chance. Despite his reassurances, it took him several seconds to stand up, making sure to grab the pillow in his teeth so that he didn’t make a visible aura around it. He had been fortunate that the tent right next to Lex’s was unoccupied, the filly and infant colt that had been placed there having gone out to eat their fill. His good luck had continued when he’d heard Lex’s girlfriend say that he was asleep. And now…now there was nopony there to watch over him. It was the perfect opportunity to eliminate him before he got more of them killed…the way he had the commander. Sticking his head out of the tent, Spit Polish glanced around as surreptitiously as he could. Just as he’d thought, there was nopony around. Gulping, he slowly exited his tent and walked over to Lex’s, every nerve on edge. But no one yelled at him as he reached the flap, and a moment later he was inside. For a long moment he stood there, looking down at the stallion that had single-hoofedly broken the quarantine around the city…a quarantine that Spit Polish had worked hard to protect. One that the commander had died to protect, he was certain. That thought made his stomach tighten with anger, and he held onto that, using it to push back his fear. I know it was your fault, he thought as he glared at the unconscious pony. I may not know how, but I’m sure he’d still be alive if you hadn’t come here. And that’s what’ll happen to all of Equestria if I don’t stop you right now! This would work. It had to. He’d overheard the doctors talking about how fragile his condition was, had heard Lex push himself despite that. Once they found his body, they’d just chalk it up to his having taken a turn for the worse. And once he’s gone, I’ll be able to fix everything, he was certain. I’ll remind everypony here of the sacrifices we all made, and we’ll push these newcomers back into Vanhoover, and maybe we’ll be able to stop the disease from spreading to the rest of Equestria. It was what the commander would have wanted him to do, he knew. Taking the pillow in trembling hooves, Spit Polish moved to stand over Lex. He was suddenly very aware that he’d never killed anyone before. Yes I have, he told himself. I threw rocks at ponies trying to leave the city. Unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies, even that crystal stallion. I made them stay. I HAD to. Sacrifices had to be made, for the greater good. This is no different. Peachy Keen’s face floated to the front of his mind, and Spit Polish hesitated again, remembering how she’d looked at him when she’d seen him talking to the other lieutenants a little while ago. He didn’t want to imagine how she’d look at him if she saw him right now. But at least she’s alive to look at me, he reminded himself. That was the thought that had made it possible for him to do all of those awful things. Because if he failed and she died… Closing his eyes, Spit Polish grit his teeth as he leaned over and held the pillow against Lex’s face.