The Last Cutie Mark Crusader

by Jatheus

21 - Discovery, Part 5 of 7

Entering the cave as quietly as possible, Cloud Blazer could already feel fear tingling down his spine. He just knew that there was going to be something hideous waiting for him; he could feel it.

"Good morning, kids!" a cheerful voice broke the silence.

Cloud Blazer turned to see Mr. Cake standing before the counter from Sugar Cube Corner.

"Carrot cupcakes today?"

"You know it!" a young Scootaloo said.

"Thank you, kindly," Apple Bloom chimed in.

"With sprinkles!" Sweetie Belle added.

"Me too!" Cloud Blazer begged. He felt like a giddy colt.

"Coming right up," Mr. Cake replied. "You'll need to keep your strength up."

"Why's that?" Scootaloo asked.

"Full moon tonight," Mr. Cake said.

The light from the moon poured into the shop through the open door, and Cloud Blazer felt strangely drawn to it. Gazing up at the moon, he had the strangest feeling that there was something he was supposed to do.

"Are you ready?" a voice said from beside Cloud Blazer.

He turned and saw a pegasus mare that he didn't know. She was teal with golden eyes. Her mane and tail were blonde or golden; it was difficult to tell by moonlight. She spread her wings, revealing a cutie mark that looked like a movie camera. She was tall and of a strong build.

"I'm ready," Cloud Blazer replied, "but I don't know the way."

"I will take you, but you'll have to lead me," she said.

Had he been awake, Cloud Blazer might have been confused by this. As he was dreaming, it didn't bother him in the slightest. They took flight together, leaving Ponyville behind. They continued on and on, but they didn't seem to actually get anywhere.

"I'm tired of this game!" Scootaloo whined.

"Oh, but I was just starting to have fun," Sweetie Belle squeaked.

Cloud Blazer found himself in the Cutie Mark Crusader's clubhouse.

"It's no fair; you always get to be the pretty princess!" Scootaloo complained.

"I do not!" Sweetie Belle countered.

"Yeah, no offense, but you kinda do," Apple Bloom agreed.

"Well, I called it," Sweetie Belle pouted.

Cloud Blazer sighed, "This is boring!"

They sat quietly for a moment, and then Sweetie Belle leapt onto the table.

"What about a new game," she said in an ominous tone. "What if there were no princesses."

"What kind of a game is that?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Like they've all been caught in a powerful spell, and we have to work together to rescue them!" she continued in the same voice.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Scootaloo asked, drawing closer.

"Nopony knows," Sweetie Belle continued mysteriously, "but we'll need the most powerful magic that there is!"

The three sat captivated by Sweetie Belle's imagination for a moment.

A loud bang outside caused all four to scream with fright. The door to their clubhouse was being beaten in.

"What is it?" Apple Bloom asked.

Scootaloo and Cloud Blazer dashed to the window to see timberwolves swarming all over, and they were at the door. When he turned around, the crusaders were gone, and instead Scootaloo's squad from the Everfree Forest was there, all except Princess Twilight. The door began splintering as the timberwolves pounded away at it.

"Form up at the door!" Scootaloo ordered, and they did so.

"I've got the window," Regal Masquerade said.

Within moments the wooden door shattered, and the timberwolves began ripping through the ponies. They fought hard, but in moments Cloud Blazer was the only one left. He found himself cowering in the corner, completely surrounded. The timberwolves began to laugh at him. The deafening roar was more than he could bear. He sank down, as small as he could, but they just came close, and laughed even harder. Cloud Blazer wanted to die with his friends, but the beasts wouldn't attack him anymore.

"You can't stay here!" a voice shouted at Cloud Blazer. When he looked up, it was the teal pegasus with golden eyes again. "Get up and come through the window, quickly!”

Cloud Blazer looked back at the timberwolves; they were still laughing. The mare kicked him in the ribs.

"We have to go, now!" she barked before she turned and jumped through the window.

He followed her, leaping out and taking flight. She was getting farther away, and as he sped above the tree line after her, a timberwolf leapt up and bit his leg. The stallion cried out in pain and crashed into the orchard.

Cloud Blazer awoke at the same moment of his sudden stop. This caused disorientation, and he thrashed around a moment. Pain shot from his injuries as he settled down. His heart was racing and he had soaked the bedclothes with sweat. It always took him a few minutes to recover after those kind of dreams. He began to settle down, and the fear was soon replaced by deep sorrow as he remembered the situation with Scootaloo.

"Are you okay?" a strangely familiar voice asked.

Cloud Blazer turned to see that the curtain that divided the room was open, and there was a new patient in the other bed. Her head was bandaged across her eyes, and both of her hind legs were wrapped. She was a pegasus, but Cloud Blazer's heart nearly stopped when he saw that she was teal with the same golden mane and tail, just like from his dream. They were cropped short, EUP style.

"Are you there?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry," Cloud Blazer finally replied.

"Were you dreaming? You sounded so upset."

“Just a nightmare."

"Oh. I get those too, sometimes...” she replied.

"My name is Cloud Blazer."

"I'm Pixyglitter; nice to meet you," she replied mechanically.

"Have we met before? You seem familiar.”

She laid her head flat on the bed, "Cloud Blazer... I don't think so. Have you been to Manehattan?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"That's where I’m from.”

"I see," he replied.

His new neighbor didn't say anything else, and he wasn't sure what further to talk to her about. It would probably not come out right if he told her he'd been dreaming about her. He decided to keep that to himself for now. Surely it had been a coincidence that she had appeared in his dream. In any case, his mind went back to more lugubrious things. Scootaloo’s words dominated his mind and crushed his spirit. He laid down, quietly soaking his pillow with fresh tears.

Comments

[Emperor]

I wonder who Pixyglitter is. The lazy money is on Princess Luna attempting to reach out to him in some form, but alternatively it could be somepony else attempting to sabotage Equestria as well (as Chrysalis has been shown to be strong enough per Season 6 finale to forcibly pull LUna out of the dreamscape).

[Brony Gunner]

please let scoots and CB work...please

[OmalleyCaboose5]

"Have we met before? You seem familiar.”

Is Pixyglitter Ash Eater
God I so want to misspell that changelings name

[Jatheus]

8740968
Did you just... oh my gosh!

So... fun fact... I never noticed that Ash Eater was only one letter away from... what you just implied...

I'm out of cookies, but you can have a doughnut for that. 🍩

Oh, but no, Pixyglitter is Pixyglitter.