The Last Cutie Mark Crusader

by Jatheus

38 - Countermeasures, Part 3 of 11

Cloud Blazer was a little overwhelmed by the grandiose scope of Manehattan. The largest city he’d previously been to was Cloudsdale, or perhaps Canterlot. He didn’t count Canterlot as a proper visit as it had been a war zone at the time. He had vague memories of Cloudsdale from when he was just a colt, before his family had moved to Ponyville. It seemed a bit smaller when he’d moved back for basic training for the EUP. Even still, the city of clouds was quite a spectacle in its own right, but even it was dwarfed by the sheer scale of Manehattan. The island city had towering buildings that seemed to spring up out of the ground as if some concrete forest that had overgrown the entire area.

"Watch where you’re goin’!" a cab puller shouted at the trio.

Cloud Blazer quickly stepped back up onto the curb.

"We’re walkin’ here!" Pixyglitter responded in the same manner back to the cabby.

"Oh my," Fluttershy shrank.

"Pixy, quiet!" Cloud Blazer scolded, worried she was going to get them into a fight.

"What?" she shrugged at him.

He shook his head as the cab puller continued on his way, completely having ignored them after his initial statement.

"You can’t let ponies push you around. This is the city," she said.

He wasn’t convinced, but he had to admit, this was her home. Surely she’d know more about interacting with the city-folk than he would. It was just so... curt.

They turned and walked up the street in search of a place to cross safely, Cloud Blazer’s ribs aching and pain stabbing through him with each step. He dealt with most of this as usual, but the cracked ribs were a new kind of discomfort. Breathing was almost as difficult as finding a way to cross the street.

Traffic lights were not unknown to Cloud Blazer, but there wasn’t much need for them in Ponyville. Finding one, the trio waited for their turn in the middle of an ever-growing mass of ponies that were going one way or another. When the light changed, it was as if a flood gate on a dam had opened, releasing the ponies onto the spillway of the street as they moved across briskly. An equally-large group came from the other side, and they collided like two armies on a battlefield. Oddly enough to Cloud Blazer, they didn’t seem to impede each other to the slightest degree. They flowed around one another, each group through the middle of the other, and continued on without so much as a pause. The three wayward travelers worked the outer right side of the crowd to keep out of the way, a strategy which succeeded without incident.

"Okay," Cloud Blazer said when they reached the other side. "Rarity lives on seventy-third street in a high-rise."

"Seventy-third, huh?" Pixyglitter said thoughtfully. "Nice neighborhood."

Cloud Blazer scanned the street signs, looking for something that might be helpful. The sheer size of the city made him wish that he’d brought a map.

"I’ve been to Rarity’s house before," Fluttershy volunteered.

"Perfect," Cloud Blazer felt relieved. "Can you remember the way?"

"I think so," she replied timidly.

"Well, lead on," he encouraged.

Fluttershy cautiously did just that. Delicately placing a hoof on Cloud Blazer’s shoulder, Pixyglitter walked beside him for guidance. This was a little uncommon, but he didn’t mind. She didn’t really lean on him, which he appreciated. He doubted whether he could actually support her weight with the many injuries from which he was still recovering.
The smells of this metropolis were vastly different than any city to which Cloud Blazer had been. Ponyville is typically coated with the scents of rich earth, ripe fruit, and flowers. The air in Cloudsdale on the other hoof captures the olfactory sensation just before it rains. As for Manehattan, it was mostly industrial. The odors of metal and rubber mixed with the salty sea air were not entirely unpleasant but certainly unique.

After almost a half hour, Pixyglitter broke their relative silence, "We’re going the wrong way."

"What?" Cloud Blazer asked.

"We’re nowhere near seventy-third."

"Um, I think we’re almost to Rarity’s house?" Fluttershy offered.

Pixyglitter shrugged, "Maybe, but we’re not on seventy-third."

"How can you tell?" Cloud Blazer asked.

"It doesn’t smell right," the blind pegasus replied. "We’re still west of the exchange."

He was unconvinced, "Just keep going, Fluttershy."

"Are you sure she lives on seventy-third?" Pixyglitter asked.

Cloud Blazer shrugged, "If we’re going the wrong way, we’ll know soon enough."

They continued on for another ten minutes before Fluttershy seemed to become confused. Standing before them was the largest construction quarry that Cloud Blazer had ever seen. The streets and sidewalks all around were congested as workers scurried around on all levels of a steel frame that was being assembled. It reached up into the heavens, threatening to dwarf all of the other buildings nearby.

"I’m sure this was where she lived," Fluttershy said in a self-deprecating tone.

"Where are we?" Pixyglitter sighed.

Looking up to the street signs, Cloud Blazer read, "This is the corner of Twenty-Second Street and Squash Avenue."

"Like I said, not on seventy-third," Pixyglitter beamed.

Cloud Blazer was not amused and made a sarcastic suggestion, "Why don’t you lead the way then."

"Sure," she replied enthusiastically. "We need to head east down Squash."

With a sigh, the stallion turned and led the group down the street. As one would have guessed, the numbered streets were sequential. While Squash didn’t run all the way across Manehattan, they were able to follow it all the way to Fiftieth Street, where they turned north and continued before turning east again on Celestia Avenue.

This street was near the center of the city and much wider. The amount of traffic that bustled about was more than a little daunting, but they pressed on through the crowd. The skies were clear, as expected, except for the frequent Combat Air Patrols that were keeping a watchful eye on the city. Cloud Blazer became so focused on keeping the trio together and not running into anypony that he wasn’t even paying attention to the streets anymore.

"That’s it!" Fluttershy said excitedly. "We’re on Seventy-Third Street."

"Turn left," Pixyglitter said.

A quick check revealed that left was the only way to turn. To the right was a large structure of buildings that crossed where the street would have gone if it weren’t blocked.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"Are you kidding?" Pixyglitter boasted. "These are my old stomping grounds. I know these streets."

He shrugged it off, "Well, I can’t argue with you. We are here."

Pixyglitter faced him and a grin slowly climbed across her muzzle. It got about as large as a smile can before she spoke.

"I told you so."

Cloud Blazer snorted, a little disgusted at having become lost in the first place. It was also annoying to hear that phrase, but there was no arguing with the mare on the point. Her altered demeanor since they had arrived in Manehattan had not gone unnoticed by the stallion. She seemed either at peace or happier than he had ever seen her in the few months since they’d met. It was a refreshing transformation to witness.

"Let’s go," Cloud Blazer finally said.

From that point, finding Rarity’s apartment was incredibly easy. They found the building and rode the elevator all the way up. Cloud Blazer knocked on the door and waited for an answer. There was none. The hallway was in a modern style with plenty of simple straight lines and angles but not much by way of ornament to be seen.

"Maybe she’s not home?" Fluttershy pondered aloud.

Finding a clock in the corridor, Cloud Blazer saw that it was getting close to midday.

"Where does she work now?" Cloud Blazer asked.

"Gosh, I I’m not sure. She has her shop in town, but I can’t remember where it is. She had meant to move back to Ponyville eventually, but then the war started and she’s been trying to keep this store going. I think she also does some work for the EUP making uniforms."

"So you don’t know where we might find her," he replied.

"Sorry," Fluttershy said bashfully.

Cloud Blazer was unhappy at yet another delay and let out a sigh. His injuries were flaring again, and he wondered how well Pixyglitter was getting along. She didn't complain, but she had to be exhausted from carrying him. Rather than try to look up the location of Rarity's shop, he decided that they should simply wait for Rarity to return. The rest would certainly do them both good, and thanks to the additional day that had been added to their travel pass, they had the time.

"Well, we’ve got a few hours to kill."

"How about we head over to my apartment?" Pixyglitter suggested. "It’s not too far. I’m sure my parents would like to see me, and it beats waiting here."

This seemed a sensible solution, but it did little to lift Cloud Blazer’s spirits. He had become rather anxious to complete this endeavor, but he was now especially grateful for the additional day that the colonel had permitted on their travel pass. He also needed a place to sit. They’d been walking for quite a while, and his injuries were screaming at him for relief.

"Fluttershy?" he asked.

"That sounds nice," she said.

“Okay, give me a second.”

The stallion found a pencil and scrap of paper in his harness pocket and left a note for Rarity, letting her know that they would be back in the evening.

Sliding it under the door, he turned to Pixyglitter, “Well, lead the way.”

Pixy smiled again before they started their journey back down the elevator and into the bustling streets of Manehattan. She had a nice smile.

Comments

[Blaster M]

Now that PG is feeling useful again, she needs to learn to navigate via echolocation. Non-bats can do this with a periodic palatal click. It is effective at getting a range on objects and even determining their shape. Ponies got more than good enough ears for it.

[Jatheus]

8634958
That... wow, that is a fantastic idea! If heard of that (I saw a blind human do it on TV once), but I hadn’t thought about doing that for her. I’ll definitely give that some thought.

[OmalleyCaboose5]

Cloud Blazer was a little overwhelmed by the grandiose scope of Manehattan. The largest city he’d previously been to was Cloudsdale, or perhaps Canterlot. He didn’t count Canterlot as a proper visit as it had been a war zone at the time. He had vague memories of Cloudsdale from when he was just a colt, before his family had moved to Ponyville. It seemed a bit smaller when he’d moved back for basic training for the EUP. Even still, the city of clouds was quite a spectacle in its own right, but even it was dwarfed by the sheer scale of Manehattan. The island city had towering buildings that seemed to spring up out of the ground as if some concrete forest that had overgrown the entire area.

Concrete jungle make you feel brand new, Thiers nothing you can't do

[OmalleyCaboose5]

"We’re walkin’ here!" Pixyglitter responded in the same manner back to the cabby.

Yes, that is perfect.

[OmalleyCaboose5]

Traffic lights were not unknown to Cloud Blazer, but there wasn’t much need for them in Ponyville. Finding one, the trio waited for their turn in the middle of an ever-growing mass of ponies that were going one way or another. When the light changed, it was as if a flood gate on a dam had opened, releasing the ponies onto the spillway of the street as they moved across briskly. An equally-large group came from the other side, and they collided like two armies on a battlefield. Oddly enough to Cloud Blazer, they didn’t seem to impede each other to the slightest degree. They flowed around one another, each group through the middle of the other, and continued on without so much as a pause. The three wayward travelers worked the outer right side of the crowd to keep out of the way, a strategy which succeeded without incident.

Pretty accurate analogy.

[OmalleyCaboose5]

"Like I said, not on seventy-third," Pixyglitter beamed.

I love her so much, not enough to let her have Blazer instead of Scoots but she is still a pretty good character, it's good to see her not mopey about her sight anymore.

[OmalleyCaboose5]

With a sigh, the stallion turned and led the group down the street. As one would have guessed, the numbered streets were sequential. While Squash didn’t run all the way across Manehattan, they were able to follow it all the way to Fiftieth Street, where they turned north and continued before turning east again on Celestia Avenue.

Luna avenue is better

[Jatheus]

8756492
1)

2)

3) Thanks! I have visited New York City, and my observations during that vacation were my inspiration for Cloud Blazer's perspective here.

4) I had to get her through the stages of grief/loss... though, the moping is not fun. It really helped to have lots of other characters to keep the story moving while the two of them were healing up.

5) I love Luna so much... I'm going to have to write some stuff with her in the future.

[Emperor]

It feels to me like the ponies could use Google Maps to help them navigate around the town better. Or just buy a map, since, y'know, we've had those things for centuries

[Jatheus]

8799550
True enough, but I have off and falling victim to someone who said they knew the way.