//------------------------------// // 37 - Faux Pas, Part 5 of 8 // Story: The Last Cutie Mark Crusader // by Jatheus //------------------------------// Duster's ears perked up. Noise from around the bend got their attention and Scootaloo leapt back to her hooves. The stallion followed her, doing his best to stow his emotions away for the moment. He didn't have a talent for that like his sister had, but it was a skill which he had been developing since joining the EUP. They didn't bother to move quietly, but instead cantered back to find out what had happened. The two rejoined the rest of their corps to discover a pleasant surprise. It was Charging Lance. He and Flittergear were standing a little bit away from the main group with Commander Rain Chaser and Colonel Skyflame. Duster's spirits might have been lifted to see her under normal circumstances, but he barely noticed her this time. "I was about to send a party to find you," Charging Lance said to Scootaloo; there was weariness in his voice. "I thought you were dead!" she said, grabbing him by the shoulders. "I'm glad you're here." "I knew you would be," he answered, the pale moonlight just showing a forced grin on his face. "We are four-thousand in number." "That brings us to about twenty-two," Scootaloo noted. "Is that all?" "Not quite," Skyflame replied. "Pacer also made it out with at least seven-thousand. They are northeast of our position, in the heart of the Everfree Crater. We made the changelings pay dearly for that air raid, but it cost us more.” Scootaloo nodded, "We need to get them down here." Charging Lance shook his head, "Not yet. Pacer's force was shot up making their retreat. How are your supplies?" "We got out with practically nothing." Scootaloo gestured at the stream, "We have water, but that's about all." "That, at least, makes sense of this location,” he spoke with a tone of indignation. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Don't you know?" Skyflame asked. Duster couldn't shake the feeling that whatever they had just been through, things were about to get even worse. Charging Lance took a breath, "The timberwolves have already reached the other end of Ghastly Gorge. They'll be nipping at our hooves in less than two hours." Scootaloo seemed somehow transformed from the pitiful little girl who had just lost a friend. She was now a stalwart warrior, all business as she tried to think it through. "Well, there are plenty of narrow places where we can hold them for a while," she said. "True, but it'll be short-lived," Charging Lance said. "As soon as they figure out that we're trapped in here, they'll take the heights and drop on us from above. This place is a deathtrap." "My plan had been to fly out if we got cornered," Scootaloo said. "In ideal circumstances that would work," Colonel Skyflame agreed. "However, our ground force drastically outnumbers our pegasi." "Yes," Scootaloo confirmed, "adding your numbers to ours, that means five round-trips to get everypony out. We can manage that before the enemy gets here.“ "Again, in ideal circumstances,” Charging Lance countered. “If your force is anything like mine, they're all suffering from fatigue. Do you think you could make five trips in your present state? Even so, it won’t be anywhere near top speed.“ Scootaloo's brow furrowed with concern. Duster was sure that his own expression was equally distorted. He wasn't sure about her, but he didn't feel like he could make more than one or two trips flying straight up. It would be all powered ascent with payload. The return could also be arduous since they were working in such a confined space. Charging Lance and Skyflame were right; this was a death trap, and they'd walked into it. If it went badly, they’d lose a minimum of a fifth of their remaining force, maybe more. Just then a scout arrived. He approached and saluted after being scanned by Jewel. "Sirs," he said. "Cloudsdale reports heavy fighting all across Equestria. The changelings are on a massive offensive. Baltimare has fallen, Van Hoover is on fire, and Manehattan is sieged. No reinforcements or supplies are available as rescue efforts are underway in nearly every city and town. Recommend you fall back to a stronger position. That is all." Duster’s heart sank further at the news, panic nipping at his mind. "Well, this just gets better and better," Charging Lance sighed. "You think?" Scootaloo said. She took a breath and addressed the scout, "Are you fit for another trip?" "Yes ma'am!" he said, almost cheerfully. "Our situation here isn't even good enough to call it grim. We have lost most of our supplies and over half of our force. I want you to go to Ponyville immediately. Inform them of our status and advise them to prepare for evacuation. We’re headed that general direction. They could have overwhelming incoming in a day, maybe two." "Right away, ma'am!" he saluted, shooting into the air in the darkness. "So we buy time?" Skyflame asked. Scootaloo sighed, "Anypony have any better ideas?" "We run," Duster said before he could stop himself from speaking out of place. Charging Lance eyed him, "What's he doing here? Is it true about his sister?" Scootaloo looked grave as she nodded, "I saw her." The stallion sighed, "Now that is a shame. I was rather fond of that mare. However, we don't have time to grieve right now. Even more of us will be dead by morning." "Do you have a plan?" Colonel Skyflame asked. "As much as I hate to admit it, the private is right. We run for now. Once we get out of this place, find better ground and slow them down, engaging only where we choose.“ Duster didn't know from where he could muster the strength to carry anypony out of Ghastly Gorge, but he knew he had to try. "They'll be on us before we get even half of our force out of here," Skyflame countered. "There's a choke point about a mile back," Charging Lance said. "I saw it on the way in. Give me earth pony volunteers, you'll need every pegasus and unicorn you’ve got. I think three-hundred should be enough. The rest of you continue to the far end as you start evacuating everypony out of here.“ "How will you fall back once we're out?" Scootaloo asked. Silence filled the darkness for a moment. "We don't," Charging Lance finally said. "I can't let you do that," Scootaloo objected. "All actions have consequences," he countered. "You may not have intended to get our force bottled up, but here we are. If you can give me another way to get us out of here with fewer casualties, I'm all ears." She had no answer. "My death won't be your fault," he continued. "It will be a result of my own choice. To be quite frank, the odds of any of us getting out of this alive weren't very good to begin with, and honestly, I'm tired of running." It was the most noble thing Duster had ever heard; if he hadn't been so afraid of the coming dangers, he might have appreciated that fact. "Now," Charging Lance said, "it will be up to you to figure out how to deal with the stick-dogs after they're done with us. If you're lucky, they'll continue to the other end of the canyon before they realize you've left." The stallion dug in a pocket and produced a small bag. He then reached down to the canyon floor, picking up a small flat stone. He placed it in the bag and gave it to Scootaloo. “Your collection?” she asked. “Get these to my wife, if you make it out of this.” Scootaloo nodded solemnly as she accepted the offering, "Tell Sparklefly her brother is safe." Charging Lance snorted dismissively as he walked away, resigned to his fate. Within minutes the entire force was up and moving again. Duster, as well as every other pegasus began rounding up unicorns and starting the painful ascent. The east side of Ghastly Gorge was still likely to be covered with timberwolves, but the west side had a fair chance of being clear. After the second trip, Duster's body ached all over. His wings felt like they were on fire with each beat. Rolling Thunder and LD didn't seem in any better condition. Still, he pressed on, following Scootaloo in the darkness. Well before dawn, the sounds of battle were amplified by the stone walls of the canyon. It was a cacophony of shouting and snarling and blunt impacts that was frequently punctuated by the scraping of claws on metal. The air was filled with the sounds of screaming and death. The ground force that remained continued marching north to the back of Ghastly Gorge. Duster felt numb after the fourth trip, but he followed Scootaloo still. It was sheer force of will that kept the pegasi in the air. They were exhausted, practically shells of their former selves, but they pressed on. The faintest hint of dawn's first light began to brighten the sky as they picked up passengers for the final trip. It was like a daze from liftoff to landing. Duster was hungry, tired, out of breath, and he couldn't even think anymore. A sweet relief filled him when they reached the top and he was able to rest. He released his cargo, a cream colored mare earth pony, and collapsed into a heap on the ground at the edge of the canyon. He hadn't noticed, but he couldn't hear the fighting in the gorge anymore. The only sounds from below were snarling timberwolves that were flooding throughout the area at the bottom. That could only mean that Charging Lance and his three companies had already been wiped out, but they had succeeded by buying time for the rest of them to escape. If there were changelings among the mass below, they were staying hidden. Hordes of timberwolves scratched and clawed their way, practically on top of each other as they rushed to the other end of Ghastly Gorge. It might have been a satisfying thing to see the look on the changeling's faces when they found that their prey had slipped away. The thought of it made Duster smile. His heart was pounding and his throat was beyond dry, so he mustered the strength to take a drink of water. He uncapped his canteen and drew it close to his lips. Rather suddenly, Scootaloo shouted, "Open fire!" Duster nearly dropped his canteen as every single unicorn in their force, lined up along the edge of the cliff face, let loose a barrage of concussion magic against the east wall of the canyon, opposite where he now lay. The brightness of the assault lit up the early morning with blinding intensity. The report of the impacts into solid rock was deafening. Then the ground shook. Duster managed to push himself away from the precipice when the avalanche began, stumbling backwards and dropping his canteen. The rockslide that ensued buried everything that was in the bottom of the canyon. The timberwolves howled, but were quickly silenced in death as the roar of broken stones smashed down, crushing them to sawdust. When it was over, a thick cloud of dust and smoke filled the air like a blanket that threatened to choke the soldiers on the ledge. Duster began coughing uncontrollably as the taste of chalk and stone dominated his senses. He was convulsing as the air for which he was gasping became a dry powdery fume. A sip from what was left in his canteen helped, but it was not enough to overcome such a dense fog of pulverized rock. Several minutes passed before the air began to clear. There was no way to know how many timberwolves had actually been down there, but it could have easily been hundreds of thousands. Scootaloo stood resolutely looking down on the slaughter she had just caused; Flittergear and Skyflame were by her side. They looked completely callous. Silence again returned to the morning. Scootaloo turned her back to the canyon and stepped away from the edge. There was a small boulder there; she climbed to the top. With the devastation and sunrise behind her, she almost looked larger than life standing there, sunlit smoke making an impressive backdrop as she began to speak. "Yesterday, the timberwolves took the best from us. General Brax, Lieutenant Masher, Major Charging Lance, and Captain Sparklefly were among the tens of thousands that we lost.” She paused a moment. Duster thought her sadness might get the better of her. It didn’t. Scootaloo continued with resolve, "I swear to you: we have only just begun. What we just did this morning was remind the changelings that we’re not done with this battle, not yet! I will fight this enemy as long as there is breath in my body. I will never submit to timberwolves or changelings, and by Celestia nor will any other citizen of Equestria, not while I’m fighting for them. There will be time to mourn for our friends, but not now. I will honor their sacrifice by staying alive long enough to see us to victory, even if I have to kill every single timberwolf and changeling by myself to get us there. There was a time when princesses protected us, and the land was at peace. They were taken, and all live in fear… It is up to you, up to us, to rise up and defend our family and friends." She paused again for a moment, but then redoubled her conviction as she spoke, "I had heard that Sparklefly was nicknamed the angel of death by many of you. The angel of death is not a pony. It is a fighting spirit that can live within each of us. It gives us power and makes us strong. If you doubt, just look down into Ghastly Gorge. The Angel of Death is still here!" An electrified feeling seemed to be spreading as Scootaloo shouted, "We will never surrender. We will not fail. We will stop the changeling's army. Equestria, are you with me?" Duster felt strangely encouraged in spite of how exhausted he was physically. The roar of ponies that responded to her question startled him. They let out a battle cry that roared across the morning. Tens of thousands took up the shout as one great deafening voice. Scootaloo hopped down from her rock and turned to Flittergear. "I'll want an estimate on their remaining forces and our supplies," Scootaloo said. Flittergear nodded. Scootaloo turned to Skyflame, "Send scouts to report this in Ponyville and to Pacer. Get everypony ready; even if we have to have the earth ponies carry our pegasi, we move out in five minutes. If we're going to have any chance of slowing the rest of them down, we need to form a defensive line south of here." Duster didn't know what strength he had left, but somehow he made it to a standing position again. He felt shaky. It was astounding that Scootaloo was still carrying on. She must have been made of far sterner stuff than he had thought. If Sissy had been able to keep up with friends that had such stalwart abilities, then it wasn't blind chance that had caused her to rise through the ranks. Duster felt a new-found respect that he hadn't known before. As the rest of the force moved out, he somehow put one hoof in front of the other, forcing himself to keep up with Scootaloo and moving toward whatever death awaited him.