My Little Fortress: Dawnpick

by Paaaad

67: Kleptomania and Hints of Jaxler's Past.

Jaxler woke up in his room. He had a splitting head ache and noticed that there were 3 empty barrels scattered around in the apartment. When he got out of bed he scanned his surrounding more thoroughly he noticed that his crossbow was nowhere to be found, which wasn't out of the ordinary, but he would haft to search around for it. Knowing that needed to have someway of defend himself he went over to his coffer and took out his brass-horseshoes. After leaving his room Jaxler walked around the fort for about an hour before finding the whereabouts of his weapon. His crossbow was in the hands of a small pony.
"HAY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT CROSSBOW!"

Oh man this is so totally bucking rad! Granite thought, the greatest grin splattered on his face.
Jaxler's gonna be so pissed when he wakes up without his beloved crossbow! He snickers to himself, his body barely able to contain his excitement!
It was a simple task, break into Jaxler's apartment after he passes out, find his crossbow, take it, and then run like hell! Thanks to his eldest sister's cat, he had learned quickly how to run long distances without tripping or getting tired out. If he did, well then Mr. Fluffykins would leave some lasting damage... Regardless, Granite was very slow to tire, and it had it's perks, he could run a lap around the keep without breaking a sweat! But he ended up running several instead.
He was tired, he knelt down against the crossbow and almost dozed off, when I heard it...
"HAY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT CROSSBOW!"
Oh dear... "Hey Jaxler, uh... is that a sentient floating keg of booze punching Stiletto in the face?!"
Hoping he takes his eyes off him for a split second, Granite darts off sprinting away.

Now that Jaxler knew that somepony had stolen his crossbow he was really, really, pissed. After noticing that Granite was running Jaxler flew up a few feet into the air and gave chase.
"GIVE ME BACK MY DAMNED CROSSBOW, GRANITE!"

Oh crap he started flying already! Granite really starts going, galloping as quickly as possible.
"Ah come on Jaxler! You'll have to catch me first!" He stick my tongue out at him, careful to keep low and avoid trampling some poor pony. He dives over a fruit stand and keeps moving, trying to reach the moat at the edge of the walls.
Almost there... As he reaches his destination he jumps in the air and dives in the moat. He yells out "Let's see if a pegasus can swim!"
Thank god all the time in the well taught him how to swim...

Jaxler kept on chasing Granite. Jaxler was flapping his wings at an alarming rate and refused to let the Foal get out of his sight for more then a moment. when Granite Jumped into the water Jaxler followed, but there was one problem. The poor pegasus actually didn't know how to swim and sunk like a rock.

Oh crap Jaxler's drowning! Crap, crap, crap! Okay, maybe I could shoot him in the leg with a bolt attached to a rope. No, no, that would cause a metric tone of pain! Wait, maybe he could take it, and now he's really drowning. Crap!
Granite tests his idea, he shoots Jaxler in the leg with the crossbow, it hits. The water turns a slight crimson, oh crap! He quickly extend Jaxler's wings and puts the wooden weapon beneath his body. He slowly floats to the surface as Granite rips out the bow string and ties a knot around the bolt's shaft. He bears the other end in his teeth and swim up to reach the surface, the crossbow making his body slightly lighter.
He hauls himself out of the water and drags Jaxler out by the string rigged to the bolt embedded in his front leg. He then trys to stomp on Jaxler's chest in an attempt at CPR.
He's going to be so pissed.

As Jaxler sinks in the water he feels a sharp pain in his hind leg, a bolt from his crossbow had embedded it's self in his leg and then to make things worse he was being dragged out of the water by said bolt. Once he gets out of the water he realizes that his crossbow's string was pulling him which pissed him off even more. But just before Jaxler was about react he felt Granite stomp on his midsection, which caused Jaxler to snap. Right before Granite could manage to stomp him again he bucked Granite in his left Kidney, his brass horseshoe leave a dark hoof shaped outline. After Granite hit the ground Jaxler gets up and ignores the pain in his leg as he inspects his crossbow.
"Ya know... your lucky I'm a guard, and your even luckier that you didn't kill yourself with this thing"

If the air hadn't escaped Granite's body with that hit he would have yelled out: "OW BUCKING HELL WHAT THE BUCKING BUCK BUCK-BUCK!!!"
But instead he slumps over and writhes in pain on the ground.
"Jaxler *cough* oh god... what the buck man?! I just save your drunk ass from drowning and you kick me the kidney! Was the *cough* *cough* was the bucking horseshoe necessary?!"
"Owwww!" He whines out.

"You stole my bucking crossbow, if you were anypony else I'd still be beating living tar out of you. Do you even realize how dangerous this crossbow is?"

"I didn't steal it, I borrowed it, and really, dangerous? I find that funny..."
Granite looks up to Jaxler from his position on the ground, a tear comes to his eye, his mouth quivers almost ready to say 'sorry' but then,
He yells out, "So Jaxler, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO GET SHOT IN THE KNEE BY A FOAL?!"
"I USED TO BE AWESOME LIKE YOU, BUT THEN YOU TOOK A BOLT TO THE KNEE!!!"

"Do you realize that this crossbow can misfire if I so much as wave it around a certain way or hit it in the right spot? And as for the bolt in my knee..."
Jaxler sat down and pulled out the bolt without showing any sign of pain
"I have a really high pain tolerance. NOW tell me, why the hell did you steal my crossbow?"

"Well you see Jaxler, I am a kleptomaniac, and I'm bored as hell, AND I had some paints lying around, soooo I decided to give your crossbow a makeover- OH MY GOD WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!"
Feeling his masculinity falling at a disturbing rate, he quickly replys with, "I was going to paint it bright pink and put flowers over it and crap, but most importantly I was going to carve 'I love alicorns' into the side of it... with this knife!"
He then flashes out a knife and almost cut himself with it.

Jaxler was having a hard time processing what Granite just did/said but after an awkward silence he managed to speak
"First off, if your implying that you plan to use that knife on me then go ahead and try. Secondly, if you had done ANYTHING to deface this crossbow then you wouldn't have the upper portion of you head anymore. And thirdly why the hell didn't you tell anyone that you have kleptomania?"

"I spent enough time with my butcher of a father to know what knifes do what, this little dirk can't even break your skin, it was simply used to carve wood..." He then casually throws the blade over his shoulder.
"Besides Jaxler, you're my bucking hero! I would never try to cause you harm, but I will cause you a serious headache from time to time. Am I still your little drinking buddy?"

"That depends... do yo know how much this crossbow means to me? And why the hell haven't you told anyone that you have kleptomania?"

"Alright Jaxler, is this the first honest time you've seen me commit theft? I do crap like this all the time. And no, I have know idea how much the weapon means to you, you are what I like to call a closed book. I'm game for a story if you ask me..."

"Not all thieves have kleptomania..." after a few seconds of awkward silence Jaxler continues "Do you really want to know why this crossbow means so much to me?"

"Yes Jaxler, I really want to hear your stories! Every. Single. One!"

“When I was a foal I was very, very, poor and the only living family I had was my crippled Grandfather. We were so poor that we couldn't even afford our own house and had to live in abandoned buildings. I spent every day doing whatever I needed to survive and One day I was walking about the streets looking for ponies to pick pocket when I saw it. Right there in the bower’s workshop mounted to the window was my crossbow. Now back then this crossbow was amazing, it was pure masterwork, some might argue that it was possibly above masterwork. It was encrusted with opals and all the metal parts were platinum, it was amazing. Now, to an impoverished foal such an astonishing item would blow one’s mind, and it did but It’s not like I could ever dream of having enough money to buy such an amazing weapon. So, Years went by and the owner of the store never sold my crossbow, and I of course wasn't dumb enough to steal from an arms dealer. But one day long after I had grown up and became a stallion…”
Jaxler broke eye contact with Granite and put his hoof on his scar.
“Things erm… happened and I woke in the street. Everything was… burning and I had a hole in my side. I laid on the ground watching my world burn to the ground as I die. But as I was just about to give up and keel I remembered that you can burn wounds shut. I Managed to somehow sear myself shut, and then I blacked out. When I woke up I honestly thought I had died and gone to hell and I still think that I might have. I had spent my entire life in that town and all I could see was ashes. At that point I got up and started staggering through the streets when I stumbled upon what used to be the the bower’s workshop. When I looked at the place I noticed something. Still mounted to the shattered window was my crossbow completely unharmed. I walked over and took it down and stared at it for what seemed be an eternity. Then after staring at it I carved the words “19th of Opal, 228” which was the date. after that I…”
He cuts himself off before he continued.
“I guess, years of misuse abuse and overuse have taken its toll on my crossbow and now it's in disrepair and hardly even works."

Granite sits there wide eyed, taking in every detail of his story. "That's horrible... I'm sorry for bringing up bad memories..."
He sits there in silence for awhile, then gets an idea...
"Don't worry Jaxler! I promise when I become a smith I will rebuild your crossbow into a well-oiled killing machine! Plastered in gold! Custom built with blades attached to eighty-five percent of it! It will be the coolest crossbow ever! Perfect for the coolest pegasus ever! And then we'll kill the freaks that stole your kidney!"

Jaxler just gazed at his scar.
"Thanks..."

"Yeah... well I guess I'll just be leaving then... goodbye."
Granite tries to make a break for it while he's distracted.

Jaxler noticed that Granite was about to run off.
"Ya know, I'm gonna need some help getting over to the hospital, and if you assist me I could forget about this whole event."

"Oh yeah, I forgot I shot you in the leg with a crossbow! Alright, how are we going to do this? Should I drag you there or maybe you rest your bad leg on my back or something... maybe I can find you a crutch or a cane, you know I think the length of the crossbow would be long enough for a walking stick, but we would have to cut off the bow parts, how's that sound Jaxler? Yeah, this isn't going to work out very well... got any ideas?"

"You could knock a branch off a tree and use that as a walking stick. I'd fly over to the hospital but I Kinda sprained both my wings..."

---

Flux sits in the cell, depression lifting slightly to be replaced by boredom. Kat steps down from the stairs, still in her guard uniform. She looks around until her eyes lay upon Flux, confirming her fear.

"Flux!.. so you really were arrested."

Flux looks up at Kat's exclamation, then looks back down in shame.

"Um... yes."

Kat walks over to the front of Flux's cell, then sits down on her rump there in front of the door. "Heh, never thought you'd have it in you Flux. I heard you made Glaive's leg bent the wrong way."

Flux winces as Kat repeats his crime to him.

"...yes. I, uh, broke his pastern..."

"it's always the quiet ones they say."

Flux fails to notice Kat's joking tone, starting to sink back into depression. Kat attempts to head it off.

"Aw.. come on Flux, it wasn't that bad was it? I mean, sure, you suckerbucked his leg the other way and all that, but hey! I heard it was justified. Honor defended, nopony gets really hurt. Plus it's just 2 months in Jail, could've been a lot worse. You know? Back from where I was from, something like this would get a pony's head hacked off repeatedly by a rusty axe, or maybe just a leg if lucky. Maybe starvation execution, nasty stuff.. buried alive.. yeah, it's a lot nicer here. Lots."

"It's... it's not the punishment. It's that I wanted to hurt him. I... I could have found some other way to... to defend Stiletto's honor than to break his pastern like that..."

Kat sighs slightly as she looks at the miserable pony. "Flux. What's done is done, it's the past, woosh, gone. You could focus on now.. or what haven't happened yet. Seeing that you don't really have anything to focus about now, maybe it'll be nicer if you think what will you do when you're out."

Flux sighs heavily, knowing Kat is right.

"Um... Kat?"

"Yes? Flux?"

"Do... Stiletto and Glyph know I'm in here yet?"

"Glyph's still with Friesden.. so I don't think he knows yet.. but I think Stiletto have heard already."

"Um..." Flux considers how to ask his question.

"What's... um... how's she doing?"

Kat ponders for a small moment "Well.. can't say she's happy about it. But I think she have plans."

Flux looks a bit worried at that. "Uh... plans? They aren't... rash, are they?"

"Oh no no, well.. at least I hope not. Glyph probably wouldn't be doing anything while he's taking care of Friesden. I'm not so sure what will Stiletto be doing, but I guess it will have a lot of talking."

Flux breathes a sigh of relief. "I don't mind her trying to talk to ponies about anything, but I just don't want to see any of you end up in here for what I did."

"Oh don't worry about it Flux.. and if it helps, I'll be here with you for quite a while whether you like it or not!"

Flux smiles slightly. "Not that I don't enjoy your company, Kat, but don't you have other duties?"

Kat smiles and open up a wing, revealing a ring of keys under it "This is my Duty Flux."

Flux chuckles at Kat. "So, uh... how's your day been? Um, apart from finding that I... was arrested."

Kat closes her wing back down again. "It's been pretty okay actually. Speaking of which, are you hungry yet Flux? Because I'll have to feed you too."

Flux opens his mouth to answer, but the growling of his stomach makes it obvious.

"Um... yes."

Kat smiles and gets back from her seat. "Alright, do you want anything specific?"

"Um... just some green apples, if that's alright."

Kat beams him a smile. "I'll see what I can find." Then leaves him be there to search for food. Flux decides to take Kat's advice and try to think of the future: what he'll do while in here and once he gets out.

"Compose, think, uh..." Flux looks around the empty dungeon. "...count bricks?"

Kat took a little while before she returns, with a saddlebag full of apples and another one full of carrots, along with bottles of drink neatly tucked away in her wings. "Lunch time!"

Flux can't help but smile as Kat returns. Even in the dim dungeon, she somehow brings some happiness and light. "Thanks, Kat. Uh, what drinks did you get?"

Kat sets the saddles down, then the bottles. "Cider!"

Flux settles down near the bars of his cell to enjoy lunch with Kat. "Sounds good to me."

Kat offer the bottle of cider to Flux and the saddle bag full of apples as well as she noms on her carrots. "Could've gone worse hmm?"

Flux takes a big bite out of an apple, enjoying the juicy crunch, and nods to Kat.

Kat had her lunch with Flux, sitting around nearby and talking to him to keep him sane. Hours passed and she's currently just sitting against the cell bars. Seriously something she would clearly not do with other prisoners, since Flux would easily be able to choke her to death or snatch away her weapons if he tried to. Flux lays next to the bars as well, happy to be next to Kat and deep in thought.

"Two months.. come to think of it, it's ain't that bad is it?"

"I guess not... boredom seems the biggest threat down here..." Flux sighs. "Though I doubt Virtue will sell the piccolo to a convicted felon..."

"She'd sell it to Stiletto or me though, right?"

"I guess? I didn't know you played, Kat."

"Played? Oh no no. I don't play.. maybe Stiletto. But you're not getting it Flux! I mean, we could buy it.. for you!"

Flux looks at Kat, confused for a moment, before what she's saying sinks in. His eyes go wide when it does.

"But... You don't need to do that for me! It's too expensive, I... I don't deserve to play it anymore, anyway..."

"Aw Flux, you're not going to hurt our little pony hearts by refusing our gifts are you?"

Flux looks at Kat, dumbfounded and jaw open, before chuckling and shaking his head. "That's just not fair, Kat."

Kat smiles innocently and giggles. "Whaat?"

Flux gently rubs her withers with a hoof, the bars preventing a proper nuzzle. "Heh, you know what."

Kat smiles from the rub, she doesn't seems to be alarmed from it "hmm? What?"

Flux continues rubbing her withers. "You know precisely what, you devious mare you."

That just made her giggle more. "Oh maybe.. maybe."

---

"Alright, I guess..." Granite look over at the nearby tree.
That branch could work... He thought to himself as he sees a suitable candidate for a walking stick. Nothing around to knock it down with, He decide to start climbing. At first he wraps his forelegs around the trunk and tries to pull his way up. he make no progress at all. Next he tries using his other legs as well and try to inch his way to the branch. That also doesn't work.
"Screw this!" He yells. He then walk over to Jaxler and grabs the bolt attached to the string. He then slams his carving knife into the trunk to use as a foothold. Bolt in mouth he thrusts it higher up into the wood. He then latches on to the string and climbs up on top of the bolt. The bolt breaks. He falls to the ground.
"Ow! Bucking branch!" Granite shouts out. His temper rises and in frustration he bucks the side of the tree. The branch cracks and breaks off the tree. It falls down and strikes him on the head.
He loose consciousness...

---

Stiletto goes to visit Panacea, having just missed Falcata leave the hospital. She sees Glaive in a bed, getting treated.
"Oh no Glaive, what happened? Did you fight a great beast again?"

Glaive stares at his wound as Panacea examines the break. He hears Stiletto coming inside, and hears her concerned question. Having had a chance to calm down, the last thing he wants right now is to get into a fight with her too. He thinks for a long time before answering, without looking away from his injury.
"No...Got in an argument. Got kicked in my bad leg. Doesn't hurt too bad."

Stiletto tilts her head to the side. It was unlike the brave warrior she knew to pick fights.
"You should have not gotten in such a harsh argument with Naginata. She is very defensive and even I fear her ferocity in combat. What did you do to her?"

Glaive sighs, knowing this isn't going to end well.
"I wasn't fighting with Naginata, and I didn't try to start a fight, Flux hit me first."

"Flux... what? why? how?"
Her eyes point in two outward directions at the same time.

Glaive considers being tactful, or diplomatic, but the emotions are still to fresh, and the full truth slips out, against his better judgement.
Glaive glares at Stiletto.
"This is your fault. You and your disgusting ideals, have corrupted Flux. I found your coltfriend in my Falcata's room, and he has been giving her expensive gifts. I know what you are all like and what he was trying to do. I told him to leave her alone, and to stay out of her bedroom, and what I think of you and your harem, and he kicked me. I threw him out the door, but my leg was already broken, and now I'm here. Last I knew, Jaxler was going to deal with Flux."

"Your! YOUR! SHE BELONGS TO YOU NOW DOES SHE! LIKE AN OBJECT! IS THAT ALL SHE IS TO YOU!? SOME PRIZE THAT YOU CAN BUY!"
As her already powerful voice became a gale of wind, her mane became a wreath of flame, her wings spread out and turned to a dark crimson, finally her eyes became to balls of white flame.
"HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT HER THAT WAY! I SHOULD END YOU WHERE YOU LAY! IF YOU HAD ANY HONOR YOU WOULD DIE HERE!"

Glaive falls backwards out of the bed and scrambles a few yards away from Stiletto on his three good legs. He reaches out for the nearest object he can find, a chair, with his magic to defend himself if necessary.
"What the HELL are you yelling about. I love Falcata and she loves me. She is mine and I am hers. And I won't let you or your degenerate ideas corrupt her like the others, even if it costs me everything."
Glaive steels himself for a potential confrontation, with the angry alicorn.

Stiletto looks at the chair and reaches out with her magic and turns it to a pile of splinters
"MY DERANGED IDEAS! YOU PERSPICUOUS SELF-RIGHTEOUS JEALOUS PATHETIC INTOLERANT FOAL! YOU ARE THE MONSTER THAT THINKS SLAVERY AND GREED CAN SOME HOW BE JUSTIFIED! YOU WOULD BE BANISHED FROM THIS LANDS FOR YOUR CRIMES IF IT WAS MY CHOICE! YOU TAINT YOUR LOVE AND DISGRACE FALCATA'S NAME WITH YOU BLIND MISTRUST! SHE HAS A MIND OF HER OWN! SHE DOES NOT NEED A MISGUIDED IGNORANT flügellos TO THINK FOR HER AND PROTECT HER FROM THE 'CORRUPTION' OF A CIVILIZATION THAT WAS OLD WHEN YOURS' FIRST NAMED A CITY!"

Glaive reaches out with his magic and grabs a scalpel and holds it ready. He has lost all sense of decorum at this point. All the things he's wanted to say to Stiletto for months begin to come out.
"You civilization may be old but it is in decline. You have abandoned true love in favor of the easy. In favor of your hedonistic pleasures. You have no sense of true love, or loyalty, or family. You have perverted it all. And you would force other ponies to give up their virtue and be like your ilk, and shun those who have true love for another. Love is Jealous Stiletto. If it isn't then it isn't love, it's just lust. Your civilization has forsaken the teachings of our gods and will in time crumble for it. And I for one shall not morn it's passing."

Stiletto folds her wings in and lets her mane fall
"Again you show nothing but ignorance. We are just as strong as we have ever been. We only seek excellence in all things. Greed is a weakness, jealous is a greater weakness still. Love in not so weak that it shatters with so little effort. Now I just feel sad for you. You hold up these things that hold you back and pull you down. We have had different gods, gods to be aspired to, gods worth emulating. We accept new gods as well, provided they have some excellence. We keep moving forward, yearly we make new discoveries and build even greater works then year before. Each is made stronger by the forming of stronger intertwining bonds, each Leibe and Freundin helping to make a greater family, building ever upwards. We will stand shining and tall as you brake yourselves down. We think for ourselves and encourage others to do the same. These are the ideals we follow. The petty mewling of the weak have no effect on the truly strong. Wallow in ignorance and weakness if you must, but to try and drag others down with you is an crime even the gods should not forgive."
Stiletto calmly sweeps the splinters into a pile and turns to leave.

Glaive said nothing as Stiletto left. Though her irrational rage had made him decide he'd start sleeping with his axe, just in case. Still he knew he was right. He knew the way Stiletto's civilization acted was wrong, but he knew they wouldn't last. No civilization in history lasted with such excesses. That's what happened to the Old Pony Empire, and that's what would happen to the Deutchmeiner. It was only a matter of time.
As Panacea got back to work on his leg, Glaive thought to himself of the other things he'd wished he said to Stiletto, about the value of blood and family, about the bonds of true love, about the lies her beliefs were founded on, etc.
After Panacea finishes putting a cast on his leg and releases him he goes outside to wait for Falcata to return. He knew they had much to talk about.

---

The sight of Granite concussing himself made Jaxler rather depressed, now he had to get both himself and Granite over to the hospital. Jaxler ignored the pain in his leg long enough for him to walk over to where Granite and the walking stick laid. After balancing Granite on his back he used the stick as a makeshift crutch and started walking over to the hospital.

Granite's eyes open as he notice he's on Jaxler's back. "Hey Jaxler I got the stick..." He says, yawning afterwards. "How much farther is the hospital?" He yawns again, "How long have I been out?"

"You've been out for a few minutes and the hospital is a few minutes away. You kinda gave yourself a concussion so I decided to bring you to the hospital."

"Great. Hey Jaxler, I'm sorry I shot you in the knee with your own crossbow, then broke your own crossbow in an attempt to save you from drowning, even though I caused that, too. I am not sorry, however, for stealing your crossbow. I mean, you let a foal steal your most prized possession. And you're a guard too! Oh man Partisan would give you so much crap if he heard about this!"

"Well, I've been sewn back together after being slapped around by a cave ogre so, a lowly knee injury really doesn't compare And as for Partisan. I Don't think he'd get too angry at me for having my crossbow stolen. In fact last time I checked he called me his 'partner' and seeing how he still lets me be second in command after all the shit I pull, I really doubt he'd get too pissed.

Granite's ears perk up, "Wait, what did you say about a cave ogre?"

"Oh, a couple months ago after the caravan incident I had to save Flux from a Cave ogre and a flock of giant cave swallows, would ya like to hear the story?"

"Yes, please! And don't even think about sparing me the gory, gruesome details!"

"Well, one day I woke up in the mines with a hang over, and I started wondering the tunnels looking for a way out when I ran into flux, who was looking for new metal veins. then Flux asked me to follow him into the caves in case any monsters show up and I said yes. once we worked our way into the caves Flux started scanning the walls of the place looking for ore, when out of nowhere a huge sixteen foot tall behemoth came out and started charging me and Flux. I noted the brute's charge and fired a bolt at the monstrosity but to my surprise the sound of the crossbow firing echoed through the caves and enraged a flock of more than half a dozen giant cave swallows. So, knowing that I was pretty much screwed at this point and that odds were that ether me or flux or both of us where going to die down in the caves, I told Flux to run while I slowed down the monsters. so I flew into the air and fired off all my bolts in order to grab the creatures attentions, and in the process I killed two swallows and pelted the ogre with bolts. this however, left me surrounded by five cave swallows, a pissed off cave ogre, and without a single bolt. Now the first cave swallow of the five went down pretty easy after I charged it and smashed its brains in with my crossbow, but the second one was more difficult. I was flying toward the damned thing when it somehow managed to cut my leg a few seconds before I could bash the things head in. I went in to attack another swallow when... The cave ogre picked up a half ton of earth and flung it at me. The damned bastard broke my wing in 20 different places and to make things worse, I fell twentyish feet and broke both my front legs and I dropped my weapon. I then forced myself to stand up completely ignoring the pain when the huge ogre walked up to me and slammed me into the nearest wall breaking 3 of my ribs, one of which tore my lung. As I laid in a corner coughing up blood I still managed to spit out the words 'buck off' to the ogre. The ogre laughed at this but just as he was about to mangle me further... uh... erm...
I kinda blacked out and woke up on an operating table, if ya want the rest of the story ya might want to ask Flux or uh... stiletto"

"Wow, you took that ogre on despite it being at least twenty times bigger and stronger than you! That must take courage! But, uh, what was that last part? You said 'talk to Flux or' and then you muttered something after that..."

"well, erm... Stiletto Kinda had to decapitate the Ogre and drag me off to the hospital..."

"Well it is embarrassing, though I doubt ponies will think lesser of me. It still kinda makes me feel demoralized and and ashamed that I needed an alicorn to save me."

"Why does it matter that an alicorn saves you? Would it matter if a unicorn or earth pony were to save you?"

"You are aware that I hate alicorns, right?"

"Yes, but an alicorn saved your ass! If a diomedian saved me, I would still hate them, just not the one who saved me."

"I don't expect you to understand..."

"Fine!"

"Wait... why am I still carrying you?"

---

Already on her way to the hospital, Falcata spies Glaive as she flies towards the building, and she touches down haphazardly in a flustered manner. Without waiting for Glaive to speak, she envelops him in an embrace, hugging him tightly. Her relief and affection is compounded by a couple of burning issues, though, and she has already come to the decision to address them immediately.
"So help me, Glaive, but you are a fool." she murmurs, clasping him even more closely. "At least Panacea was able to fix you up."

Seeing his beloved returning to him fills Glaive with both joy and fear. What would she think of him now? Would she yell at him too?
Glaive is relieved to be held once more by Falcata. "You're right Falcata. I'm sorry. I don't regret what I said, but, just, how I said it. I'm sorry."

Sighing heavily, she breaks the hug, making firm eye contact before her next words.
"I know, Glaive. And I think I know why you said it, why you were so angry; and I'm telling you, Flux had absolutely no, um, untoward intentions whatsoever. Even if he did, do you really think I would react any other way to them aside from rejecting them utterly? That lyre was a gift from one friend to another, nothing more."
Falcata gazes critically at him for a moment.
"And another thing; I'd steer clear of Stiletto for a while. I probably don't have to tell you this, but she's an immensely powerful alicorn, and I think your, um, poorly chosen description of her might pooooossibly upset her, if she hasn't already heard it."

"I'm sorry, it's just well, I'm all covered in these scars, and my one leg doesn't work so well, and half my ear has been bitten off. Sometimes I wonder why a beautiful pegasus like you... But you're right, I knew you wouldn't have done anything, I just was afraid."
"Stiletto came by earlier. She kept asking me what happened. I...I told her. She was so angry, I thought she was going to kill me. She blasted Panacea's chair into shivers, and kept yelling. I tried to argue with her, but she wouldn't see reason."

Eyes wide as saucers, Falcata groans inwardly. Things were moving faster than she'd anticipated.
"You told her everything? Please tell me you didn't use those exact words to her face? And what were you arguing about, anyway?
Biting her lip, she avoids eye contact for a moment, broaching an awkward topic.
"Oh, and, um...Flux is in jail. Two month sentence. For, well, you know why."
Falcata masks her dejection at Flux's imprisonment, instead focusing on gauging Glaive's reaction to the news. Maybe, just maybe, I might be able to convince him to drop the charges, and smooth this whole thing over before it gets really out of hoof. Maybe.

Glaive thinks to himself. Two months? He didn't know what he felt about that. On one hoof, Flux did throw the first blow, and probably deserved it, but on the other, if somepony had said something like what he said about Falcata, he'd have done worse than break their leg, but on the other other hoof, Stiletto was everything he said about her. Glaive thought it best to not say anything about it unless being specifically asked and merely nods in acknowledgement.
"I uh, did tell Stiletto what I thought of her, but I didn't use the same words I used with Flux, though they weren't much better. She got angry, and basically yelled that I should be exiled for my jealousy. We shouted back and forth, but she wouldn't listen to me, she's convinced her own way is right, and that we are the uncivilized barbarians, all the while tearing the hospital apart and terrorizing poor Ms. Panacea. It was madness."

Even with the understanding that Glaive's account was almost certainly biased, Falcata can't help but feel anger flare within her. Even leaving trashing the hospital to one side, she found Stiletto's reported wording troubling. So Stiletto was angry at Glaive's jealousy? But...
She lets her thought process carry over into actual speech, musing out loud to her lover.
"Jealousy? I don't understand. We are together, you and I; it's not a matter of jealousy so much as, well, loyalty to each other. She doesn't expect everypony to subscribe to her philosophies, does she? And did she really start smashing up the hospital?"
Falcata decides to leave the Flux issue to one side, feeling that she'd be better off broaching the topic later.

Glaive gestures and the two ponies begin to walk away towards the housing area. As they walk Glaive returns to the conversation.

"I think she does. I tried to explain, but I was too angry and a bit afraid she'd try to start a fight, to really explain well. It was mostly just insults both ways."

Glaive thinks back, "But saying she tore up the hospital, might have been an exaggeration. But she was hovering and blowing wind all around and I swear her magic made her mane look like a blazing inferno and her voice sound like it was coming from a giant. And I wasn't exaggerating when I said that she obliterated a chair with her magic. She might have just been trying to intimidate me into going along with her philosophies, but, she might be dangerous."

---

"Because you bucked me in the chest with a goddamn horseshoe! Meanie!"

"Ug... I know you have a concision, so what I want to know is weather or not you can still walk straight. I really don't think that I should be carrying anything while I have a busted knee."

"Walking? Yeah I can walk just fine. I've been able to walk since I woke up, all I have is just a mild headache... I'll just get off of you now..." Granite rolls off Jaxler's back and proceeds to walk beside him.

---

"Really? Even if it was only a chair, that pony has no business flaunting her magic offensively in a place of healing. Or putting on some sort of scary magical display."
Falcata snorts defiantly, getting a bit worked up.
"She can be as dangerous as she wants; if she ever lays a hoof on you she'll have me to answer to, and no amount of magic would save her. If she really does want to intimidate us, let her try; it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Nor will it. We are each other's, and whatever her people might think, I will have no part in it."

---

"That's good, but you should still get your head looked at."

"I'm still going to the hospital, don't worry! But, I'm more concerned about getting kicked in the gut by a full grown pegasus wearing horseshoes!"

"Just be happy I'm not telling your parents or partisan, and I'm sorry about the brass horseshoes but I kinda needed some sort of weapon seeing how somepony stole my crossbow."

"Okay, okay Jaxler! Jeeze..."

Jaxler noticed that they had finally reached the hospital.
"Looks like we're here."
Jaxler extended his hoof and knocked on the hospital door.

"So, how are we going to explain the days events?" asked Granite, "Are we going to lie or tell the truth?"

Panacea looks up to the door away from the ruined pile of wood that Stiletto had created in her rage. She was going to make it a point to stay away from the alicorn mare for a while, and never ever do anything to anger her if she could help it. Glaive too, come to think of it. She steps over to the door and cautiously opens it, worried she'd find the enraged alicorn there. Relieved it was somepony else, she says, "Oh, Jaxler... Granite... c-come in. What's wrong?"

"All we have to do is not lie."
After replying to Granite, Jaxler noticed that Panacea had come to the door.
"Hay Panacea, I kinda got shot in the leg and sprained my wings while trying to chase a thief. Oh, and Granite got a concussion from the very same thief."

Her eyes go wide and she ushers them inside. "Come in, let me take a look at you." She begins fishing for things in a nearby chest. "Are we still under attack? Is anypony else hurt or fighting?"

"No, the thief ran away, but the asshole badger pony did manage to come out of nowhere and kicked me straight in the kidneys! And he was wearing some dumb-ass brass horseshoes he probably got when he was having his midlife crisis!" Granite glared at Jaxler.

Jaxler walks into he hospital following Panacea and Granite
"Well, I guess I'm gonna haft to make sure that I start killing those thieves." Jaxler then tried bending his leg, he was a surprised when I made a strange popping sound. "em... Panacea should that worry me?"

Yes, that should worry him, but she'd learned long ago that keeping ponies calm was half of the fight when it came to this sort of thing. Although he seemed to take mortal injury with stride. She trots over to his wounded leg and gives it a close look. "It doesn't look that bad... looks like the blade missed the bone." She motions for him to get on a bed and gives him something to drink. "Here, take this, it'll ease the pain."
As she begins to examine and clean the wound, she says to Granite, "How are you, dear? Are you dizzy or do you feel sick? If you get sleepy tell me immediately. I'll get something for you in just a second."

"I feel relatively fine Panacea. The only thing I have is just a mild headache and maybe some bruises from the kick. I guess I'm slightly dizzy, but that's about it..."

"So... My knee isn't too messed up, right? And what exactly do I do about my wings being sprained?"

"No, I think it'll be fine. The joint is pretty strained though, it's almost like somepony dragged you by it. It's not dislocated though, so it'll recover." She finishes cleaning the wound and starts to suture it. "If you just sprained your wings, they should recover on their own in a few days. Just try to lay off flying as much as you can, it'll delay the healing."
As she finishes stitching the gash, she grabs a small bottle and gives it to Granite to drink. "Here you go, dear, drink this. It'll help keep you alert. Now, let me take a look at you..." She gently runs a hoof down his side near the bruise. It was a bit warm, as she expected a bruise would be, but it didn't seem any worse than that. "Does this hurt a lot? Deep down? Does anything feel funny? Tingling?"

"It doesn't hurt that much, definitely not deep down. And I don't feel anything funny, just someone poking me in the side..."
He looks over to Jaxler. "Man that thief was an ass; kicking a poor, defenseless foal in the gut!"

"Ya wanna hear something funny Panacea? The damned thief stole my crossbow and broke the string after shooting me with my own crossbow. I'm amazed the damned thief was stupid enough to drop the damned thing."

She smiles and stops prodding him needlessly. "That's good. It's just a bruise on the skin then. If anything feels wrong, be sure to tell me right away, okay?" She stows the things she'd been handling and adds, "I should go let your parents know you're here and what happened. You'll be perfectly fine."
She pauses as Jaxler speaks up and gives him a concerned look. The wound did look strange for a dagger stab. "Oh my... you were fortunate then... I dare not think what will happen if they start bringing their own crossbows..."

"Thanks for the checkup Panacea, I can let my folks know what happened..."
Granite listens in on Jaxler's line, and put in his two cents... "But I do understand where the thief was coming from though, Jaxler. What would that worthless piece of crap of a wooden crossbow be worth on the market? Probably wouldn't even fetch a single bit..."

"Ya, the thing has seen better days, but what kind of pony would I be if I just dropped my crossbow in a stockpile and let it rot. The thing has saved my life on many occasions and I trust this crossbow a lot more than any pony."

"I'm not saying it's a crappy weapon Jaxler, I'm saying it's a worthless eyesore that would probably rot within a week." He snickers at him.

Jaxler really didn't want to get in an argument with a foal. He also knew that he couldn't really defend the quality of his crossbow.
"Really, I'd give my crossbow about two weeks but meh, what do I know. Anyways Panacea, can I just get up and go or do I need to hang around a little bit longer?"

"Oh, um..." She thinks for a moment. "You should be fine to go. As always, let me know if it doesn't seem to be getting better, or if you think you're getting an infection. You should try to take it easy for a few days, and it's going to take weeks for your leg to get completely better. I'll send word to Partisan to let him know you need to be on light duties for a little while."

Jaxler was happy to know that he could leave now but just as he was about to get up and leave he noticed a pile of splinters over in the corner.
"Oh that's great... Why is there a pile of splinters over there?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it, why are there splinters everywhere?"

---

Glaive is filled with a mix of relief and more than a bit of pride when he hears Falcata's words.
They reach the entrance to the housing complex.
"I'm glad you feel that way Falcata. But I don't know what we do now. Stiletto and Flux have a lot of...friends. They could make things hard on us."
Glaive takes one of Falcata's hooves with his left (the unbroken one) but can't bring himself to look her in the eyes. "And with Flux in jail, they will likely blame me. We probably haven't heard the last of this."

Reaching under his chin with her free forehoof, she tilts his head up, forcing him ever so gently to make eye contact.
"I doubt it will come to that. Flux isn't the type to try and incite anything, truly. As for the rest of the bunch... well, most everypony here is pleasant enough. I don't know them well, but I hope they follow the same pattern."
In a supportive gesture, she transfers her forehoof to Glaive's shoulder instead.
"But if I am wrong, if anything should happen or anypony try anything...you know I stand with you. Always."

Glaive looks into Falcata's eyes. He was free of all doubts, he was ready, but now wasn't the time or place for it. But he knew it would be soon. The day of their first flight was fast approaching. Glaive was almost confident enough in his magic to try cloud-walking with her, and then on that day he would do it. He would ask her the question that had been busying his mind for months.
"Thank you Fal, and know that I will always stand by your side, through anything." Glaive touches his forehead to hers, his eyes are closed. "No matter what."

---

Panacea is silent for a moment and considers he next words carefully. She didn't want to aggravate the situation with Stiletto, and it was no secret that Jaxler wasn't fond of her. But what was a plausible explanation?
"Um... there was an accident with some magic... nothing to worry about."

"Well, I'd hate to piss off whoever did that."
After that remark Jaxler got up and made his way out the door.

"Well that sounds interesting. Anyway, thanks for taking a look at that Panacea!" Granite follows suit and leaves as well.

Author's Note:

Now longer, with rest of scene added.