Jaxler woke up in his bed. He sat up, looked around, and saw his crossbow was on the side table. After taking in his surroundings Jaxler moved out of his bed and realized that he had a head ache. Even though Jaxler had a splitting pain in his head he couldn't just spend all day in bed, so he walked over and grabbed his crossbow and took his quiver and a few bolts out of his coffer. with his weapon and ammunition he walked out of his house. The moment he went outside he was greeted by blinding light. It took Jaxler a few moments to get used to the the sun but once he did he noticed that a familiar face was coming towards him.
"Yo powder"
Powder was hauling a boulder back form the caves he had recently mined. "Hello Jaxler." After answering Jaxler, he continued the work song he had been singing under his breath, something in another language. "Len zrai lon zraid y len zrai i zraid jen eezzeerreenn..."
Jaxler noticed that powder was carrying a large rock. Jaxler hadn't talked with powder sense the incident in the caverns so he figured he might as well take the opportunity and strike a conversation.
"Do ya need any help with that boulder?"
"Nah, not particularly. I carry these things a lot."
"Suit yourself. Ya know, I really haven't gotten to talk to you since you about got eaten by that crundle."
"Yeah, well mining is a pretty isolated profession, and I spend a lot of time on it because I want to get good."
"I guess that makes sense. Speaking of mining, how exactly has the whole digging thing been going for ya recently?"
"I'm actually getting pretty good at it. Let's see... the term was 'Accomplished' that my clan came up with."
"It's good to hear that you're still getting better at mining, but what exactly is the rank after accomplished?"
Soft music can be heard emanating from Falcata's apartment, though only those passing close by would even hear it. She and Flux are playing together: Her on the lyre and him on the piccolo. The song is a simple one, more of a warm up than a true song, but it's still quite beautiful. The combination of lyre and piccolo makes for a uniquely haunting sound, perhaps not unlike what a siren might sing.
Carefully plucking and strumming the lyre's strings, the gentle thrums resonate around the room like waves lapping against a beach of pebbles. While the song she's playing is hardly complex, she still puts her best effort into it, and her expression is one of intense concentration.
Not bad, not bad.
She'd made sure to only play to Glaive, or in private either by herself or with Flux so far. Nerves prevented her from trying to hold any sort of a concert, despite what Stiletto had almost roped her and Flux into a good while back, and she was just thankful the subject hadn't been broached again. Maybe in a few years. Or decades.
She continues to play, trying to eke a bit more volume out of the burnished metal instrument.
Glaive is walking down the hall toward Falcata's room. They had the rest of the day off and he hoped to spend it together with her. As he approaches he hears a soft and beautiful melody. 'She plays divinely.' Glaive thought, but after a few seconds something dawned on him. That wasn't the sound of just her lyre. She was playing with someone else? 'Who here can play that well?' He thought, before slowing opening the door and seeing Falcata and Flux their attention fully fixated on their music.
Glaive not wanting to speak and interrupt their song, walks in and closes the door behind him quietly, and prepares to wait for them to finish.
As the warm up draws to a close, Flux opens his eyes and lowers the piccolo. He opens his mouth to compliment Falcata, but only a squeak escapes as he notices Glaive in the room.
Not having noticed Glaive's quiet entrance, Falcata follows Flux's gaze as he lets out a squeak. Turning and seeing Glaive standing there, she jumps slightly, surprised that he'd managed to get in without her noticing.
I hope he doesn't jump to conclusions; it's just music. Nothing else. But if he knows about Stiletto and her, uh, ideals...
"Glaive! Hi! When did you get here?" she blurts out, breaking the slightly awkward silence left behind in the wake of Flux's tiny squeak.
"Just a few moments ago." Glaive begins to walk closer to Falcata, and sits down next to her closer than would be strictly necessary, and across from Flux.
"I didn't know that you could play Flux."
Glaive's eyes find the piccolo in Flux's hooves. "Is that the piccolo that Willow made? Does Lady Virtue know you have that?"
Flux's eyes widen in guilt at Glaive's questions. After stammering for a few moments, he settles for the truth.
"Um... yes it is and no she doesn't? I, uh, almost have enough to give her an offer for it, though..."
Glaive sighs, "You're lucky I'm not in the guard or I'd have to do something about that, but I'd rather see it in the hooves of a musician that can use it then sitting around collecting dust. Still you should ask for permission to use it. But I won't say a word about it."
Glaive continues thinking to himself. His mind racing. 'Flux always seemed like a good pony, but he's been around that Stiletto a lot, and who knows what ideas she's put in his head. I trust Falcata, but can I trust him? I'm don't like him being here alone with her.'
Setting the lyre down carefully, Falcata frantically tries to think of some way to break the quickly thickening ice.
"So, uh, Glaive, have you not heard Flux playing before? He's a master with the piccolo, he really is. Plays it more beautifully than anypony else I can name; never mind that he's playing it with his hooves and not magic like a unicorn would!"
"Ah, no I can't say I have. Why don't you every play in the dinning hall Flux? Or out in the yard. Someplace where everypony could appreciate your talents? Dawnpick could use more entertainment."
"Um... because I don't want to get arrested? I, uh, suppose I could play my lyre, but Falcata's really good with it."
"Heh, well obviously I didn't mean playing this one, at least not without permission."
Glaive considers the other words Flux has just spoken. "Your Lyre? I thought that belonged to Falcata?"
Wincing inwardly, Falcata tries to deflect the unicorn's query with a minimum of fuss.
"Uh, no. It was Flux's, but, uh, he gave it to me, since I didn't have an instrument of my own to play." She holds up the burnished metal lyre for Glaive to see, perhaps hoping he'd get distracted examining its sculpted form.
Glaive examines the lyre more closely then before. It was bronze and clearly very old, it's age had not been a surprise to him when he thought it had been Falcata's from all those years ago, but Flux had obviously had this one a long time. And it's craftponyship was excellent. And the sound it produced it was a wonderful piece of work.
Glaive turns to Flux, a serious expression on his face. "This instrument is a work of art Flux, but please I don't understand something, did you give it to her, or did you lend it to her, until she could get her own?"
I consider for a moment. After all, I never really specified if it was a loan or a gift, did I? I glance to Falcata, still thinking.
'It just... fits her, I think.'
I nod slightly to myself, decision reached.
"It's, um, hers now."
Realising what Glaive is getting at, Falcata opens her mouth as if to speak, but closes it again, the unvoiced words dying away.
No, Flux isn't stupid, he'll say he lent it, won't he? Or maybe Glaive doesn't mean to come across like that. That's probably it. One of them. Probably.
It takes her a moment to process that Flux has just spoken during her little reverie, and her tail immediately starts twitching and jittering nervously. While she continues to smile, her mind is already racing.
you silly bastard auuugh don't worry Glaive will be reasonable won't he he's a smart pony he won't get angry or anything no sir he'll be fine
As an afterthought, she lowers the lyre, pulling it back in close to her chest. Just in case.
Glaive glances back at the lyre, 'It's a bit worn, but it would likely still fetch several hundred bits at market,' thinks Glaive to himself, 'this is no small gift.'
Glaive has a brief look of sadness across his face. Before it turns to a more serious look. "Flux, I'd like to talk with you alone for a moment. Care to take a walk outside?" Glaive asks, with no hint of a question in his voice, while already standing to open the door.
Falcata blinks. That wasn't a question. Acting swiftly as usual, she rallies to her friend's defense. She knew that tone and what it foreshadowed.
Surging up onto her hooves, the lyre tossed aside to land with a soft thump on her bed, she tries some damage control.
"Glaive, if you have something to say, you can say it right here in front of me or not say it at all." she challenges, her voice steady.
Glaive's 'question' seems anything but, so Flux stands to follow him outside. Falcata's reaction, however, startles him into backing into the wall. He nervously glances between the two of them, getting the feeling that things are about to get very awkward indeed.
Glaive tenses as Falcata speaks and then sighs, with his head still facing the doorway, Glaive just says, "Falcata, I love you, but please, I can't have this conversation in front of you. Please stay here. I'll be right back....I promise I won't hurt him. We're just going to talk."
"...promise I won't hurt him."
Far from reassuring the pegasus, Glaive's words made her even more uptight. Even the fact that he'd mentioned that was scaring her, and there wasn't a hope in hell of him taking Flux out of her sight.
"You won't hurt hi- what? Why would you even suggest-"
She takes a moment to collect herself, trying to ignore the surge of adrenaline that Glaive had prompted with his ominously specific promise.
"Say it here, Glaive. If it concerns me, I have a right to hear it."
"Rahgahgahgah! Okay! We'll do it here."
Glaive turns and walks right up to Flux. Glaive stares Flux in the eyes and says, "Flux, I don't appreciate you showering my Falcata with expensive gifts. I don't know what your trying to get out of her but I can guess. I don't know what sick ideas that whore Stiletto has been poisoning your mind with, but Falcata and I want none of them. We aren't interested. And I don't want to find you in here again. Out!" He stomps his hoof hard on the floor with the last word.
Flux shrinks away as Glaive approaches. When he calls Stiletto, his Beautiful One, a whore, his eyes harden. He stands as he finishes and fix him with his own gaze.
"It is not an expensive gift, Glaive. It's a meaningful one to a good friend. My family got that harp made from the first bit of bronze I ever smelted. I got my mark when they presented it to me. When Falcata told me of her friend from her childhood, how she never played music again after he passed, I knew she had to have it. She needed it more than me, and she still does!"
Flux leans forward, having to get on tip-hooves to look Glaive further in the eyes as he whispers to him.
"And if I ever hear you say something so vile about Stiletto again, I will find a way to make you regret it."
Stunned, Falcata doesn't say anything, instead gaping uselessly at the two furious stallions. Being a musician was so complicated sometimes. And in her own room, too. Glaive telling somepony else to get out of her room was a bit too far, but she decides not to bother interrupting either of them. Glaive was perfectly justified in being angry, though maybe not in insulting Stiletto like that. Flux, for his part, was standing up for himself pretty well.
With all this in mind, she remains silent, her expression a mixture of worried and very surprised.
"If even a fraction of the things I've heard about your Stiletto are true, then she is the vilest, most disgusting pervert I have ever had the misfortune of knowing."
Wordlessly, Flux stomp at Glaive's right front pastern: the delicate bones just above the hoof.
Glaive expected a response to that. What he didn't expect was a hit to a weak point. His lack of faith in this earth pony's fighting abilities has cost him the use of his right front leg as the bone is badly fractured.
"Ahh." The pain was bad but would have been much worse if Flux had struck him in one of his good legs.
"Ragh!" Glaive now angry, and ready to defend himself, grabs Flux with his magic and shoves him as hard as he can manage toward the door to Falcata's apartment.
Now very much regretting not saying something, Falcata is torn between distress and apoplectic rage. Abandoning all pretences of conversational niceties and decorum, she lets loose at the top of her lungs, though she is reluctant to dive headfirst at a unicorn generating a magical field.
"OUT! EVERYPONY OUT NOW ASDFHGHG" she bellows almost incomprehensibly, accentuating her intended destination for the two combatants by pointing out the door with a foreleg.
Flux's eyes go wide in horror as he hears the snap from Glaive's leg, the sound snapping him out of his anger. He doesn't resist at all as he magically shoves him out of the apartment.
"Sisters above! Glaive, Falcata I'm sorry! I was just... I'm so, so sorry!"
Seeing that Flux is out of the apartment, and hearing Falcata yelling, Glaive moves to exit the apartment. The limited, numb feelings he gets from his now also broken leg is not enough to prevent what happens next. Glaive takes but one step toward the door, but his leg gives way just above the hoof where Flux struck him, the sudden loss of balance causes Glaive to tumble and hit the ground hard. Glaive swears loudly as he hits the ground. Anypony looking would see that his right front hoof is bent at an unnatural angle.
With all the force of a rock to the forehead, Falcata realises her mistake.
"GLAIVE! Oh gods above, did he break your leg?" Crossing the room in an instant, she moves to help him up, doing her best to support him.
Flux stands in the doorway, unsure if he should try to help or simply stay out of the way, tears starting to well up as what he's done starts to sink in.
Jaxler was trying to ignore the commotion in the upper levels of the dormitory, but that last yell really pissed him off. He put a bolt in his crossbow and said "I'll be right back, Powder". Then he flew up to the sight of the yelling and saw pony on the ground, whom had a badly broken leg.
"What the bucking hell happened here!"
Glaive accepts Falcata's help in getting up, and with his good foreleg wrapped tightly around her and his useless and broken leg dangling to the side, Glaive takes a look at it. "Oh Noval Istbar that's broken real bad. Thank you for the help Falcata, I'm sorry it came to blows, I didn't want that to happen."
Glaive then looks up and sees Jaxler arrive on the scene. "It was Flux, the *Buy some Apples**2 suckerbucked me in my leg."
Head down, Flux stands to the side and says nothing. Glaive was right, after all.
'I'm a terrible pony...'
Wordlessly, Falcata hugs Glaive tight in a show of support, but turns her attention to Jaxler once he arrives. Of all the guards, the one on duty right now had to be the pony who seemed to spend more time paralytic under a tree than actually doing his rounds.
In no mood to deal with an interfering guardspony, Falcata is rather more aggressive than she had intended.
"What does it look like, you blithering imbecile? Glaive's leg is broken; somepony go and get Panacea!"
Jaxler found it strange that Flux could have done this, let alone have done this without being provoked. Something about this whole event seemed weird. But regardless of how much Jaxler wanted to ask questions he couldn't just sit there and talk. "Falcata, you get Glaive to the hospital. I'll go grab Flux for questioning". As Jaxler was about to leave to room to talk to Flux, he spotted something on the ground.
"What the hell is this piccolo doing in here!?"
Falcata and Glaive, taking Jaxler's advice begin to move away from Falcata's home, stopping only for Glaive to magic the door back into place, and heading to the hospital to have Glaive's leg set.
Jaxler watched as Falcata took Glaive out of the room. He would have picked up the piccolo but he knew better then to tamper with a crime scene. With this in mind he walked out the door and saw Flux weeping. He sat down next to him not really knowing what to to say.
"Um Flux... I need to talk to you..."
Flux raises his eyes to look at Jaxler, answering him almost emotionlessly as tears continue to fall.
"...Yes?"
Flux's reply and tears made Jaxler a bit discouraged, but he maintained his composure.
"Flux, why was Glaive on the ground with a bent leg?"
He looks away from Jaxler, but answers him.
"He tried to walk after I broke it..."
Jaxler never would imagine that Flux would act so violent unless he had a good cause.
"Please tell me that you were provoked by Glaive. I can't imagine that you would do this without a good reason."
Flux's stoic demeanor starts to crumble as he talks.
"He said... s-some things. I, um, told him to not s-say anything l-like that again or I'd m-make him r-regret it. He s-said more things... so... so I... b-broke h-h-his l-l-leg!"
The walls crumble and he starts bawling, his retelling of what happened being his final damnation. Flux turns away from Jaxler, still crying, wishing he didn't have to waste his time on arresting him.
"What did he say?"
"H-h-h-he insul-sul-sulted Stiletto!"
"Then you did nothing morally wrong in defending the honor of a loved one, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to arrest you for battery."
Jaxler was feeling sick to his stomach to be doing this to such a fragile pony and to make things worse he would have to question Flux about the piccolo later on in the day.
Flux takes a few moments to try to get himself together before standing. Head hanging, he prepares to follow Jaxler wherever he leads him.
As the two walk over to the keep the sadness radiating off of Flux becomes unbearable.
"You did nothing wrong in suckerbucking a jackass. I actually respect you more for doing so."
He gives a small grunt in response, not really processing what he said for a moment. Once it sinks in, though, it almost shocks Flux right out of his current depression. His head snaps up and he gives Jaxler a confused look, tears still dripping down his face.
"Wait, what? But... you don't like Stiletto..."
"Yeah, I don't like her, but you do. All you did was stand up for what you believe in, and I respect that"
He simply stares at Jaxler, unsure how to respond to that.
"I... um... thanks, Jaxler."
He gives him a small smile before remembering that he is, in fact, under arrest and heading to somepony qualified to sentence him. Looking at the keep, he swallows, wondering just what his punishment might be.
The two finally reached the keep. "Looks like we're here." Jaxler extended his hoof and knocked on the door.
"If it makes you feel any better, I can promise you That I'll try my best to convince Virtue to let you off with as little punishment as possible."
Virtue looks up from the stack of papers on her desk as somepony knocks at the door. "Come in!" she calls, a bit too caught up in what she was doing to get up and open the door herself.
Jaxler opened the door and walked inside the keep.
"Aye Virtue, I kinda had to arrest Flux."
Flux sheepishly shuffles into Virtue's office behind Jaxler, his eyes locked on the floor.
She looks up from her papers as she hears the two enter, not quite sure what to expect. When she hears Jaxler say that he'd arrested Flux, and sees Flux' crestfallen expression, her jaw drops. "Wh-what? Arrested?"
Jaxler pulled out a chair and sat down
"yep, Flux snapped Glaive's leg like a twig"
He winces at Jaxler's response, then quietly nod his head.
Her mouth hangs agape for a moment. Quiet, kind Flux had done that? Surely it was an accident. Surely. "Flux... wh-what happened?"
Keeping his eyes down, Flux again relates what happened.
"Glaive... insulted Stiletto. I, um, told him to not do it again or he'd regret it. He, uh... did it again and I... broke his leg..."
"Insulted Stiletto? Why would..." She cuts herself off, not sure she wants to know the answer to the question, which was beside the point anyway. "So... you... did it on purpose then?"
"Yes... I, um, stomped on his pastern... uh, just above the hoof."
"Flux... I... I don't know what to say..." Her eyes dart between the two. "Is Glaive alright?"
"Falcata had to drag him off to the hospital. He might have some permanent damage seeing how his leg was bent the wrong way. I should probably go question him, seeing how he might be guilty of assault"
She watches Jaxler leave and places her head in her hooves before running them through her mane. She blows out her breath and looks down. "Flux... I... I must admit I'm shocked about this... but... unless Glaive doesn't press charges... there's really only one thing I can do..."
Flux keeps his eyes down, unable to meet Virtue's.
"I know... but I couldn't just... let him talk about Stiletto like that..."
She nods slowly, a frown on her face. "I... I understand that... but I don't understand why Glaive would say something that upsetting about her... she's done nothing but good from what I know."
A sigh passes her lips. "But that doesn't excuse attacking him... I'm pretty sure you didn't mean to hurt him that badly... but still..."
Flux finally looks Virtue in the eyes so she can see the truth behind his own.
"But... I did mean to hurt him, the pastern is very fragile. And... and no matter how he feels about Stiletto's... polyamorous ways, I shouldn't have wanted to hurt him."
He returns his gaze to the floor, waiting now for Virtue's passing of judgement.
She looks deeply into his eyes as he tells her the truth, and feels more than a bit of apprehension well up inside of her. He was right about one thing, he shouldn't have wanted to hurt Glaive like that... but he did, and there was only one thing to do. She'd have never believed she'd be doing this for him, of all ponies...
"I see... Flux... there's only one thing I can do..." She fishes a book from under her desk somewhere and sifts through it with a very unhappy expression on her face. "...yes... by the law of the land of Coupledye, which we are held to... the sentence is two months in jail..." She looks up to him. "I'm sorry... but that's the law... unless Glaive himself wishes for less..."
She could override the law, and who would know, anyway? But... Flux had done something worthy of punishment... and... she couldn't just look past that...
"I know..."
After a few moments, he realizes that we don't seem to actually have a jail.
"Um... do we have a jail?"
She nods solemnly and stands, motioning for him to follow. "Yes... I had a small space set aside below the keep." She steps over to one of the doors leading out of her office and opens it. "In case we ever needed it..."
She leads him down the stairs into the small cellar, then over to one of the four cells. As she leads him inside, she adds, "I'll speak with Glaive when I get a chance..."
He glances around the cell, seeing nothing but floor and walls. He shuffles to a far corner and curls up there.
"If you think that'll help..."
"I hope so..." She sighs heavily as she turns to leave. "Sorry about the accomodations... I never had the cells finished... Didn't think we'd need them... I'll see about getting you something to sleep on."
Flux mutters a small thanks to Virtue as she leaves. Once she's gone, he curls up tighter and quietly weeps, knowing this is exactly what he deserves.