//------------------------------// // 40 - Catharsis, Part 14 of 15 // Story: The Last Cutie Mark Crusader // by Jatheus //------------------------------// Pixyglitter was elated at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. It was not entirely unfamiliar, as she had once heard the Princess of Friendship make an address in Manehattan during a festival. Gasps were heard across the room from everypony. “Catch her!” Apple Bloom shouted. Somepony collapsed. “Twi, are you alright?” Rainbow Dash asked. Cries of concern went up from all of the friends. “I’m fine,” Twilight Sparkle panted heavily, “I just need a minute.”
 “What happened?” Princess Cadence asked. Luna answered, “The spell has been broken.” “Come on, y’all, we need to help them up,” Applejack rallied them. There was some commotion, and more than a few tears as the friends were reunited with each other and their princesses. Pixyglitter could almost feel Cloud Blazer turn to her before he spoke, “We did it, Pixy.” The blind mare felt a grin crawl across her face. It was true. Everything Cloud Blazer had told her… the dreams, the mission… it was all true. Warmth filled her heart, almost making her forget for just a moment the sharp pain in her chest. Cloud Blazer put a hoof on her shoulder. She grabbed him and pulled him close into an embrace. She was so overwhelmed with a flood of joy that she forgot herself for a moment and turned, kissing him on the cheek. As soon as it had been done, Pixyglitter realized that it may not have been a good idea. She didn’t know how he would interpret the gesture, though she didn’t mean anything by it. His face grew warm as the stallion pulled away. … Cloud Blazer was greatly moved with unbridled elation as he saw the friends reunited. Just to know that he hadn’t been going crazy was a relief in and of itself, but this scene before him was so purely magical that he was stricken with wonder. He turned to Pixyglitter, placing a hoof on her shoulder, “We did it, Pixy.” She smiled, and it grew larger as she tugged him down into a gleeful hug. She kissed him on the cheek, bringing time to a stop. He wasn’t sure where it came from, but he felt something of an attraction in that moment. He felt his face flush as the emotion washed over him. It didn’t last long, and he soon was aware of everything else in the room, not the least of which the heat radiating from his face as he backed away from his friend. The amorous feelings, as quickly as they had come, were gone again. A slight amount of confusion aside, the stallion was otherwise unscathed. He turned his attention back to the reunion just a few yards away. Everypony was sitting now, though, their appearance was a bit frightening. The princesses and Discord were gaunt. Their large frames were devoid of the normal muscle and fat that should make up the build of their bodies. That combined with the ashes that covered them gave a ghoulish appearance. They looked much akin to living corpses. The metallic spell of electricity combined with soot filled the air. Celestia was looking about, blinking the grit from her eyes before her head hung low a moment, “It is as we feared, sister. Hope’s Glimmer is dead.” The joy was soured inside Cloud Blazer at the announcement. “Oh dear, oh no!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “What happened?” Sweetie Belle ventured. "There wasn’t anything we could do," Princess Twilight answered somberly, tears welling up in her eyes. "When we released the magic that was in the mirror pond, it was a lot more than we anticipated. The defenses we had put in place just... we weren’t prepared for that blast. It overwhelmed all of our preparations in a matter of seconds. Hope’s Glimmer… she gave her life to save us.” "It’s not your fault, Twilight," Cadence said as she embraced her sister-in-law. "Well, nothing to be too hard on yourself about," Discord added as he stretched, "I never liked Hope's Glimmer anyway." Celestia’s brow furrowed as she scolded him, “Those sort of antics are not helpful at this time." Discord crossed his arms and sighed, ”Well that’s a fine thank you! The lot of you would have died of boredom if you hadn’t had me along. Besides, we don’t all show our grief in the same way. I’m as shook up at her loss as you are, Twilight, but I’m afraid I deflect when I’m upset.” “But, how did she save you?” Rainbow Dash asked. "Hope's Glimmer was the Princess of Destiny," Luna explained. "She had a gift and sometimes saw what would happen." "Right before," Twilight continued, "she turned to me with a look on her face. She... she was afraid. She said, ‘Too much; bring the five.’ Then she used a spell..." Twilight began sobbing. "I know," Cadence said in a comforting voice, holding Twilight Sparkle close. Luna continued, “It used all of her magic and her life force to create the barrier that encased us. If she hadn’t done it, we all would have certainly perished." “The Sacrificium Expendebantur… the shield of sacrifice is the most powerful defensive magic I know,” Celestia spoke reverently. “It is a spell that I had never before witnessed first hoof… The last thing we saw was the blast as the magic was unleashed. Once her own life force was spent, the barrier fed on us to sustain itself. “While we were kept away, our own perception of reality was skewed,” Luna added. “What was it like?” Cloud Blazer asked. Cadence replied, “It would be difficult to describe. Maybe… something like floating? There was nothing else… though we could perceive each other, in a way.” “It was just a pocket dimension with a local manifestation tethering us to the world,” Discord sounded bored at the notion. “Though I must admit, the way the gate was sealed was genius. We couldn’t find a way out other than the one Hope’s Glimmer made for us.” “It also made the passage of time impossible to determine. How long were we trapped?" Celestia asked. Rainbow Dash answered, "It’s been several months." "Months?" Cadence sounded horrified, her voice barely more than a whisper. Cloud Blazer replied, "Yes, months." “We are most grateful that you all came,” Celestia nodded. “Actually,” Rainbow Dash replied a bit sheepishly, “it was Cloud Blazer there that did most of the work. He had the dreams and gathered us all together.” The Wonderbolt commander looked at Cloud Blazer with a pinch of humility in her expression. "I thank you, Cloud Blazer, for heeding my call," Princess Luna caught his attention. “In truth, I didn’t know who I had found when our minds first touched each other. I normally can speak quite clearly through dreams, but I found it much more difficult from inside the barrier." The stallions emotions were roiling, a mixture of relief, pride, and satisfaction fought for dominance within him. He was about to say something when Rainbow Dash redirected the conversation. "We don’t have time for this. With respect, we have problems." "Tell me," Celestia ordered as she labored to stand. Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie helped her up. "The war has taken a toll since you’ve been gone," the pegasus answered. "Thousands have died, and we’ve lost two cities. The good news is that we’re winning. We have retaken Canterlot, captured Queen Chrysalis along with several thousand of her changelings, and we’ve slaughtered hundreds of thousands of timberwolves. We’re not out of the woods yet, but it’s just a matter of time. The bad news is that Shining Armor is becoming corrupted by the Alicorn Amulet." "He still wears it?" Cadence asked, a little frantic. Celestia’s brow furrowed grimly as she and Luna exchanged a glance with Twilight. "Yes. He has discovered the changeling’s hatchery and means to destroy it," Rainbow Dash replied. "Nopony thought any of you were even still alive, other than those two,” she indicated Cloud Blazer and Pixyglitter. “We sent Flurry Heart to get him to take it off." Cadence struggled to stand, but was unable, collapsing to the floor. Rarity returned the room with water for the rescued princesses. "It’s okay," Rainbow Dash said, "The Wonderbolts and Scootaloo are there to keep her safe. It’ll be fine." “No, if Shining Armor still wears the amulet, everypony around him is in grave danger,” Cadence spoke quickly, her voice shaky. Celestia took a sip of water. “With all haste, we need to send scouts to Shining Armor. By my order, he is to stop all actions and report to me in Canterlot immediately. Bring me a scroll. Surely he will recognize my writing. We’ll go there by train." "I’ll arrange an escort," Rainbow Dash said. Suddenly feeling helpless, Cloud Blazer asked, "Is there anything we can do?" Twilight answered, "You have already done so much." Their eyes locked for a moment. Her gaze was filled with sorrow, but she seemed to understand. "You can come with us to Canterlot." He didn’t know how much use he would actually be, but Cloud Blazer was glad to be included after everything he’d been through to get to this point. Given the state of the rescued alicorns, they would need to find food for them soon. "Does that mean we get to ride the train?" Pinkie Pie excitedly broke the grim mood. "I love trains!"