My Little Fortress: Dawnpick

by Paaaad

66:Thinking Things Over.

Having seen Glaive safely to Panacea and Wool's caring hooves at the hospital, Falcata hurries across the town, avoiding all contact with anypony else as best she can. While she loves Glaive, and fully intends to to one hundred percent support him should she have to, she still cares for Flux, and she'd been worrying about where he might have ended up after being left alone with Jaxler. She has a certain nasty idea of where he might be, and though she hopes she'll prove herself wrong, she makes a beeline for the town's jail.
Rapidly approaching the keep, the pegasus slinks inside with all her military-grade stealth, grateful for her armour's absence. Seems like nopony's posted guards yet, assuming he's even in there. Oh gods, I hope he isn't.
Sure enough, as she descends the stairs into the makeshift jail, she spots the curled-up orange pony crying in the corner. Her heart wrenches at the sight, and she pads quickly and quietly across the room, moving right up to the steel bars separating Flux from the outside world.
"Flux!" she hisses, keeping her voice low lest she be heard. "What happened?"

Flux's quiet self-loathing is interrupted by Falcata. He slowly looks her way before again lowering his eyes and quietly responding.
"I got two months for battery... or maybe assault... I'm, uh, not sure on the distinction..."

Two months. That long spent in a jail cell would kill me, having to stay in such a confined space for such a long time. Two months without seeing the sunlight.
Shuddering at the thought of it, she takes a deep breath.
"Flux, I'm so sorry. I- everything got out of control. I should have let Glaive had his talk with you someplace else. Maybe then things wouldn't have gotten so far out of hoof. Glaive should be fine, by the way. Panacea told me it's, uh, it's quite a c-clean break."
She trails off into an awkward silence, not really sure what to talk about. In the space of about half an hour, her lover had been badly wounded and her best friend had been incarcerated for two months. It was like some kind of surreal dream; while she felt rather detached and able to cope now, she was fairly certain that she'd feel a fair amount of emotional fallout come tomorrow morning. That was how battles always went; clinical and precise during the fight, but afterwards all the blood and carnage was always hard to deal with.

Flux gives a weak smile when Falcata says that Glaive would be fine with time.
"It's not your fault, Falcata. It's mine. I shouldn't have... have lost my temper like that. Um, at least Glaive will get better. I, uh... thought I might have hobbled him permanently..."

She winces slightly at the idea. "Don't even go there, Flux."
She releases the deep breath she's been holding, letting out a huge sigh and fixing him with a piercing gaze. "I feel like I should be angry at you, raging and condemning you to deserve every last day of your two months. But-"
Falcata takes a short pause, choosing her next words carefully.
"But he crossed the line. It was utterly uncalled for him to call Stiletto all, uh, that. I think he just got carried away. I mean, well, you know more than anypony her, um, unique ideals. Glaive doesn't exactly agree with them. I think he thought you might have been, uh, "influencing" me. Or trying to. With the lyre and all."
She breaks eye contact, swinging a foreleg back and forth, gently scuffing the stone floor.
"He's very sweet, usually. I haven't seen him that angry since, well, ever. Although I heard he went even more berserk when that- that thing down in the caverns almost got me."
Falcata's topaz eyes begin to water almost imperceptibly.
"I don't know what I would do without him. And I don't think he knows what he'd do without me. I don't think he could deal with it if I was with somepony else. I think that's why he got so very, very angry."

Flux sighs before answering Falcata, finally starting to understand what Glaive was thinking.
"I would never try to take you from him, Falcata. You two just... seem right for each other. I guess I get why he got so mad, then. If he thought you might start to be like how he thinks Stiletto is..."

"I know, I know. But he doesn't. I'll have to speak to him once Panacea has finished. See if we can sort this all out." She bites her lip, still feeling no small measure of guilt for the whole debacle.
"I'll see what I can do about getting you out of here. I'm sure Glaive will be more reasonable now that he's calmed down." In truth, she's not sure at all, only hopeful, but she says it anyway in hopes of reassuring her despondent friend.

He shakes his head when Falcata mentions getting him out of here.
"I deserve to be in here for what I did to him. Um... if you'd tell him... sorry for me the, uh, next time you see him, I'd... appreciate it, Falcata."

"You don't deserve this. Not even close; anypony who knows you can see that." She casts her gaze around the room once more, taking in the dreary surroundings. "He brought it on himself, really. And he won't suffer any lasting damage." I hope, she thinks, before pushing the poisonous thought to the back of her mind.
"Virtue is a fool to have sanctioned this." she mutters under her breath, before raising her voice to an audible level again.
"I'll tell him you said sorry, once Panacea says I'm allowed to see him. Hopefully I'll be able to bring you a sorry back in addition to my own. I really am, Flux."
With very little more to be said, she makes to leave, before remembering something important. Something concerning the rest of Stiletto's little harem.
"Um, Flux? I wouldn't ask this, but...everypony else "involved" with Stiletto is a soldier, one way or another. Could you- could you maybe try and make sure nopony gets too, um, worked up over this?"

"Um, yes. I'll try to, uh, keep them calm."
'Assuming they talk to me before they do anything rash...'

"Thank you, Flux. I'd hate to have this get blown even more out of proportion." Looking slightly less strained and distressed now, she steps carefully across the cellar to the stairs, still unwilling to take any chances regarding being seen down here. She turns one last time before she leaves, her tone still halting and tinged with sadness.
"Flux, I- take care of yourself, Flux. Even if I can't get you out, I'll be sure to visit. Frequently. And I'll bring your lyre, too; I think you need it more than I do right now."

Flux smiles, small but genuine, as she prepares to leave.
"Thanks, Falcata."

She nods one last time, giving a tiny smile of her own before slinking upstairs and discreetly exiting the keep again. Upon reaching the outside, the pegasus flares her wings and launches herself into the sky. Falcata needs some time to think, and she does her best thinking while airborne. More than that, though, she really, really has to de-stress somehow. The day's events had taken a heavy toll.
Arcing upwards, she bursts through a small cloud, disappearing from view.