The Last Cutie Mark Crusader

by Jatheus


37 - Faux Pas, Part 7 of 8

After a little more shuffling Pixyglitter heard the farmhouse door shut, and then they set her down. Dropped would have been a better word for how hard she hit the dusty floor. There was an old coarse rug that provided little padding from the impact. In mere moments, they had located something to tie her up. It wasn't rope; the restraints were crude but effective, probably made from curtains or bed sheets. A scraping sound on the floor signaled a chair being pulled up. It creaked under the weight of its occupant.

"Now it's time to talk," the smooth voice said. "Tell me who you are and why you're here."

"We're not changelings," Cloud Blazer finally spoke. “We’re just looking for a place to ride out the battle. We thought nopony was here.”

Pixyglitter was relieved to hear his voice. They apparently hadn't injured him in the scuffle.

"I never thought you were," the same voice replied, "but that hardly answers my question."

Pixyglitter felt herself pause with uncertainty. True, she had kicked in the door, but a family of farmers would not have reacted so effectively to incapacitate would-be intruders. Whoever the occupants were, she suspected that they were also avoiding the battle.

"I am Cloud Blazer; she is Pixyglitter. We are former EUP soldiers. We were both discharged due to injury."

"That's one, now why are you here?"

"We're just trying to avoid the fighting, like I said."

"Why are you in this area?"

The smooth voice had a hint of either annoyance or boredom in it now. It was difficult to tell which.

"We were on our way to Manehattan when we were attacked by a changeling," Cloud Blazer began. "We managed to kill it, but we were so slowed down that we didn't get here till after nightfall. By then the city was already under attack."

"Why are you bothering with this?" a different, more gruff voice asked in a whisper. "Let's just kill them and be done with it."

"Do you have anything better to do at the moment?" the smooth voice asked cooly. “Are you in a rush to be somewhere?”

"No," the gruff one replied.

"Then why not allow me to sate my curiosity?"

This question was followed by some stomping, as if one of them had walked out of the room. That left at least three. Blind and bound, Pixyglitter didn't have much hope of fighting her way out. Even if she did, where could she go? The timberwolves were likely close now, if not surrounding the house. Flying wasn't out of the question, but without Cloud Blazer that would be impossible. Even if it were an option, leaving him behind was something she didn’t think she could do. Any such attempt at escape would have to be initiated by him.

"Why are you going to Manehattan?" the smooth voice asked.

"To visit a friend," Cloud Blazer said flatly.

This elicited a laugh from some of the others in the room. There were more than four. An exact count was impossible, but she now estimated ten or more.

"In all this death and destruction, you wanted to visit a friend?" the smooth voice was filled with suspicion. “You two fly tandem?"

"Yes," Cloud Blazer answered.

"Forgive me if this is indelicate, but aren't you blind?"

Pixyglitter felt her face flush, but now was certainly not the time for pride.

"Yes, completely," she replied.

"So, how does that work?" the smooth voice seemed genuinely curious.

"Well," Pixyglitter began, "we have been training together since we got released from the hospital a few months ago. He is also a pegasus, so he knows flying. He tells me what to do, and I have learned how to do it without sight."

"Incredible," the smooth voice had a new tone in it now: admiration. "Under any other circumstances, I'd call you both liars. However, you are here and harnessed for flight."

Noise outside confirmed what Pixyglitter had suspected. Timberwolves had the house surrounded now. They weren't trying to get in... yet. The interrogator made the universal shushing sound. Everypony inside was quiet, listening to the sounds of the passing horde.

"We can't stay here," a frightened voice said in a low volume.

"Running means death at this point," the smooth voice replied. "Our guests here reached the same conclusion, hence the visit." He was quiet for a moment before whispering, "Everypony to the basement, quietly."

Pixyglitter was somewhat amazed how silently their captors moved. She suspected they were EUP, but if that were the case, why were they taking pony prisoners? It didn't add up. Thankfully, they were much more gentle when moving her and Cloud Blazer to the stairs in an effort to be stealthy.

The subterranean room they entered was cooler than the house, but the air was stuffy. It was probably also dark, but that consideration was irrelevant to Pixyglitter except for one reason: it gave her an advantage. Another bonus for having moved into this location was that sound didn't travel as well. The timberwolves were already much more difficult to hear.

"I know there is more you haven't told me," the smooth voice said. "If you were soldiers, then surely you already know who we are, and that we can't let you leave."

"We're no threat to you," Cloud Blazer said quickly.

"Everypony is a threat to us," came the reply.

“We don’t know anything.”

The gruff voice mumbled, “They know enough.”

"It is actually rather unfortunate for you that you found us."

"At least let her go. She can't identify any of you."

"A noble sentiment, but I can't risk it. We're going to have to kill you."
Pixyglitter was already beyond the point of feeling afraid to even bother with that emotion. She felt more like she was being manipulated. Something more akin to anger guided her response.

“Then why don't you just do it then and get it over with!"

"Pixy!" Cloud Blazer cautioned.

"Well, that's just the thing," the smooth voice began calmly, "I make it a point to know who I am killing and why. In your case, I already know why, but I'm not quite satisfied with your answers just yet. Don't take that to mean that remaining mysterious will save you. At some point, the danger to myself and my friends here will necessitate your disposal. Besides, since we're going to kill you anyway, why not have a pleasant conversation? We appear to have the time, and it’s likely to be the last chance you’ll have for one."

What sort of sadistic head games was this stallion playing? Pixyglitter shivered; perhaps her ability to feel fear wasn't that far away after all.

"Where are you from?" he asked.

"We came from Ponyville," Cloud Blazer answered.

"I didn't mean today, I meant where are you from? Where is home?"

"Actually, for me it is Ponyville," Cloud Blazer replied. "She's from Manehattan originally."

"And you were stationed together?"

"No. We met in the hospital."

"I see," the smooth voice said as if coalescing his thoughts. "How did you come to be in the hospital?"

"I don't remember all of it," Cloud Blazer answered. "I was involved in an action in the Everfree Forest with my squad. We'd been banged up pretty bad and the four of us that were left retreated. We jumped into Ghastly Gorge to fly away, but a timberwolf leapt onto my back and I fell to the bottom. Everything's a blur after that until I woke up in the Ponyville hospital several weeks later."

"Would that be before or after the siege?"

"You know a lot about Ponyville."

"Please, don't be rude," the smooth voice chastened gently.

His calm demeanor was somewhat unnerving. His admonishment hadn't sounded like a threat, but it most assuredly was.

"Our action is what began the siege. When the rest of my squad escaped, the timberwolves left off of chasing us and hit Ponyville."

"So you were with Princess Twilight Sparkle... And you?" the voice addressed Pixyglitter.

"I was in the division that joined forces with the Manehattan corps under Princess Luna. I was sent with General Mane Crusher to break the siege at Ponyville."

"So you were injured retaking the city?"

"No," she replied. "I was..."

Pixyglitter found it difficult to continue. Recalling the memories, especially speaking of them, was still painful.

She took a breath and forced the words through, "I was in the force that went to rescue Las Pegasus. I was shot down."

"So you two met by chance."

"I guess so," Cloud Blazer shrugged.

Pixyglitter couldn't help but smile for a moment at the mannerism she couldn't see but knew had been there.

"I believe you," the smooth voice said.

"Well, now that we've got that over with," the gruff voice said.

"What are you doing?" the frightened voice asked.

"Out of my way," the gruff voice answered. "We've let them live too long already."

"Hoof Strike, sheath your knife immediately!" the smooth voice insisted.

"They are a loose end, and I hate loose ends," Hoof Strike replied.

The smooth voice spoke quickly now, "I’ll be the first to say that I appreciate your conviction, but until we go our merry separate ways, I lead this group, and I’m not finished with this conversation."

"I’m putting a stop to it before you get us all killed," Hoof Strike said.

"Look at the two of them. A great threat given the injuries they’ve already suffered, I’m sure,” the smooth voice dripped with sarcasm. “Honestly, Hoof Strike, the only pony that’s about to get themselves killed is you."

Pixyglitter was frozen. She heard the action on a crossbow pulled back. There was some more noise of hooves scraping the floor, as if the entire group was about to face off. She couldn’t see to even stay out of the way of the hostilities that were likely to break out at any moment amongst her captors.

"So that’s it?" Hoof Strike practically shouted, "You’ll kill one of us over nothing?"

"Not at all," the smooth voice replied calmly; his tone was ice. "As I said, I only kill when I know who I am killing and why. I know you very well, and as for why... because I don’t like you should be reason enough."

A thwack sound was followed by a grunt.

"Pixy, get down!" Cloud Blazer shouted.

Pixyglitter dropped to the dusty floor on her face as the entire group erupted into fighting amongst themselves. The noise was a mix of things crashing and breaking. It was impossible to tell how many were actively trying to kill each other, but it couldn’t have been fewer than twenty. Suddenly, Pixyglitter had been grabbed and was lifted up to her hooves.

"Move!" the smooth voice hissed in her ear.

She wasn’t sure whether to fight or follow, but the middle of a fray that she couldn’t see didn’t seem like the place to resist. Her front hooves still tied, she stumbled along behind him, tripping over a body and slamming one of her knees into some piece of furniture, or maybe it was a crate.

"Go, go," Cloud Blazer pressed from behind her.

She tripped on the stairs, but the owner of the smooth voice caught her and helped her get to the top. The fight below was beginning to get quieter, but there was still a great deal of shouting. They emerged from the basement to the sound of timberwolves clawing at the windows and door. They would be inside soon.

"We make for the attic," the smooth voice led the way.

More stairs as the house gave way around them. Wood splintered and glass shattered as the foul stench of the timberwolves penetrated the old structure. Once in the relative safety of the attic, the other noises got further away when the door was pulled shut behind them.

"Quickly now, can you carry two?" the smooth voice asked.

"I can try, but I don’t think we’d get very far," Pixyglitter replied.

"I was afraid you’d say that."

"If you let us go, we’ll send help," Cloud Blazer pleaded.

The smooth voice snorted, "I’d be dead before it gets here. I am terribly sorry about this."

A cracking noise was followed by a slumping sound. Pixyglitter’s mind raced, driven by fear as to what that might have been. She knew what she thought it was, and that was enough to engender panic.

"Cloud Blazer?" Pixyglitter shouted.

"Come with me," the smooth voice answered.

"What did you do?" she yelled at him as he drug her toward the other end of the attic.

"We have to go," the voice replied.

She struggled against him, but he was too strong. They stumbled across the rafters. In moments he had kicked open a shutter and Pixyglitter could feel a breeze from the opening. He overpowered her attempts to resist, pushing her out onto the roof. There apparently was an eave on which they were now standing. The sounds of timberwolves snarling all around were loud, but nearly lost to the roar of explosions from magical attacks that also filled the air, punctuated by yelping.

"I’m sorry about your friend, but if we don’t go, we’ll die here," the smooth voice shouted above the noise.

Pixyglitter heard the distinctive click of the harness being fastened. Then her restraints were cut. She had only one course of action on her mind, and that involved getting rid of this creep and finding Cloud Blazer.

"Fly up," he said.

Grudgingly, and with no small amount of fear present, Pixyglitter flapped her wings and lifted off of the roof. She turned against the wind, picking up more altitude.

"That’s good, just stay straight for now," the smooth voice sounded more calm now.

"I don’t think so," Pixyglitter said as she pulled the quick-release on the harness.

She heard the stallion stifle a shriek as he fell, but he didn’t make any other sound that could be heard over the nearby fighting.

The pegasus turned around, coming back into the wind and toward the house. Her heart was in her throat as she descended. All she could do was hope that she made her landing and didn’t end up torn to pieces by the beasts that snarled below. The pain that signaled her landing was all too real as she smashed her hind shins into the edge of the house's roof. She dropped, falling onto the steeply pitched shingles, then rolling down before coming to a stop. Her shins throbbed from the impact as she felt her way around. It seemed like an eternity to locate the eave from which she’d taken off.

"Pixy!" Cloud Blazer’s voice came from her left as she dropped down onto that level of the roof.

She moved toward him, still a little woozy from the crash.

"What kept you?" his tone was rather glib.

"I had to take out the trash," she replied proudly.

"Trash, am I?" the smooth voice howled with rage from above.

Pixyglitter was struck and fell against the roof. Then confusion was all she could hear as a struggle was underway. She got back onto her hooves and ran right into the pair of stallions as they fought. She took a blow to the shoulder that spun her around, her head colliding with the side of the house. Her equilibrium was lost, and the only way she maintained her balance was by pressing her body against the structure.

Then Cloud Blazer shouted, "Pixy, buck now!"

Almost automatically, Pixyglitter leapt with her hind legs and kicked hard, pain splintering up her shins as hooves made contact with a body that let out a grunt as it fell, skidding across the roof. There was a brief shout that faded quickly into the savage noises made by the timberwolves.

"You’re kidding, right?" Cloud Blazer puffed. "You actually dropped him on the roof so he could come at us again?"

While she hadn’t realized exactly what she had done until he pointed it out, Pixyglitter now understood and flushed with embarrassment.

"Yeah, well, if I’d gone any farther, I might not have found the house again," she defended with a shrug. "Besides, I knew your ego couldn’t handle it if I didn’t let you help."

He laughed at her; it was good to hear. The explosions from magical attacks against the timberwolves were drawing much closer. The wayward pair needed to get airborne.