• Published 29th Jan 2016
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The Last Cutie Mark Crusader - Jatheus



Equestria is at war. The land is plagued by an unending horde of timberwolves that pour out of the Everfree Forest. Cities have fallen, and it seems everypony is powerless to end the slaughter. Scootaloo was one of the first to enlist...

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40 - Catharsis, Part 11 of 15

Cloud Blazer was beginning to feel quite irritated.

“Absolutely not! Pixy, you’re in no condition to be up and about.”

“I think I can decide that for myself, Cloud Blazer,” she seethed.

The stallion was glad that breakfast was over and that everypony had disbursed just before their argument had begun.

“You have a chest wound. You shouldn’t be walking at all for a few weeks. You have to heal first.”

“Do you really think that after everything we’ve been through to get this far that I’ll just stop now? I have to see this to the end.”

He certainly understood the conviction behind her heated words.

“Not all of us are as delicate as you,” she imbedded a barb.

He asked hotly, “Just what is that supposed to mean?”

Apple Bloom entered the room and interrupted their spat, “Whoa there, what has got into y’all?”

Cloud Blazer forced a calm, “Pixyglitter wants to come with us, and she needs to rest.”

“I’ll make up my own mind when I need to rest, thanks,” she sneered.

“Stop being stubborn!”

Apple Bloom slapped her front hooves on the table, “Alright, I’m gonna put both of you in time out if you don’t cut it out right now.

The blind mare let out something like a low growl.

“We still have Granny Smith’s old wheelchair in the barn. Can she come with us if she uses it?”

Cloud Blazer turned over the compromise in his mind before nodding.

“Fine,” Pixyglitter said dryly.

“Okay, then,” Apple Bloom sighed. “I’m gonna go get it, and I don’t wanna hear one more cross word between you two, or you can both stay here!”

She walked off muttering something inaudible as she left the pair in silence. It wasn’t long before she returned with the wheel chair and helped load Pixyglitter into it.

When they finally departed, Apple Bloom ran ahead to get the others together while Cloud Blazer ambled along at much more leisurely pace, pushing Pixyglitter in the wheelchair. Her recovery, along with the little bit of food, had worked wonders to restore his resolve, his current miffed attitude notwithstanding.

He had to see this through; it was hard for him to really blame Pixyglitter for feeling the same way. Duster and family were left at the farm with the young ‘uns. Although the words were not spoken, Cloud Blazer knew that Sparklefly was dead. It saddened him to know that another friend was lost to the war.

"What?" Pixyglitter asked.

"I didn’t say anything," Cloud Blazer replied.

"You sighed."

"What? No I didn’t."

Pixyglitter grunted, "Stupid arrow... Yes, you did."

"Okay, fine, I sighed. So what?"

"So," Pixyglitter’s tone was agitated, "Why did you sigh? What were you thinking about?"

"A friend... she died."

"Oh," came a somber reply. "I’m sorry."

"Thanks.”

She did not probe for further details. They didn’t get much further before he decided to apologize for their tiff.

“Hey, I’m sorry about earlier. I just… I don’t want you to risk hurting yourself worse.”

“I understand that, but you should trust me to know what I can handle.”

“I’ll work on that. Can we just forget the whole thing?”

“Deal,” she said in a flat tone.

She winced occasionally from the bumps that the wheelchair surmounted. The two of them were breathing heavily by the time they arrived at the castle. Cloud Blazer pushed past the various pains he felt with each step. Some were still sharp, specifically in his ribs. Most had become the kind of dull aches that get worse when the weather changes.

Despite the presence of soldiers throughout the town, nopony said a word to them until they approached the castle. To gain entry, they had to submit to a magical unicorn scan.

The tingling almost felt more acute than normal. It suddenly made every injury the stallion had previously sustained feel aflame.

The next thing Cloud Blazer knew, he was on the ground, the taste and scent of earth permeated his senses, as did sharp and throbbing pain. Muffled voices became clear moments later, and he looked up to see the guards standing over him.

"My apologies," the officer said. Casting an angry glance at his subordinate, he added, "He’s new."

Cloud Blazer grunted as they lifted him back to his hooves. The pain was subsiding.

"Are you alright?" the officer asked.

"Yeah," the stallion replied. "Old injuries."

Some zebras standing guard nearby said something in their native tongue and laughed. One look at their body language, and Cloud Blazer gathered that they weren’t laughing at him so much as the unicorn, who looked embarrassed. Pixyglitter was seething; she had the look of one who would spring from her wheelchair to clobber somepony.

"It’s okay, Pixy."

The unicorn officer performed the mare’s scan. She came through it unscathed, albeit an unpleasant disposition seemed etched on her face.

"Thank you for your cooperation," the officer said. "You may enter."

They continued forward. No sooner had they made their way past the first flight of stairs toward the basement than Cloud Blazer heard the officer shouting at the soldier who had done his scan. In all honesty, it made him pleased in a vengeful sort of way.

"Wipe that grin off your face," Pixyglitter said.

Confusion broke the feeling; he had to ask, "How did you know I was grinning?"

She let out a scoffing noise. It was the only answer he would receive.

"He didn’t do it on purpose. If he had, that’d be one thing, but you need to lighten up a little."

"He totally had that coming," Cloud Blazer defended.

"He did," she agreed, "but you don’t need to be so happy when somepony else gets chewed out. It’s not very attractive."

That shut him up and made him feel weird. If she detected the shift in his emotional state, she didn’t say. Cloud Blazer found the door to the castle cellar open, and three mares already waited inside. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Apple Bloom helped the pair cautiously negotiate the steps and bring the wheel chair down. The room was lit by torches along the wall that Cloud Blazer hadn’t noticed the last time he’d been here.

Once they were settled, Apple Bloom said cheerfully, "Applejack’s getting the other two."

"Good," Cloud Blazer replied.

"So, what exactly is it that we are supposed to do?" Rarity asked.

Cloud Blazer looked around, about to answer, but then his heart sank in near panic. The orb wasn’t where he had left it.

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