Cloud Chaser watched with slowly growing horror and fear as she stared at the murderous human who carefully held her battered sister in its hands. He stared back at her, his own eyes wide; his mouth drawn into a thin straight line of embarrassment. They both remained motionless, as if waiting for the other to act first. Memories of the murders committed before her eyes crashed through the floodgate within Cloud Chasers mind, and she felt a terror filled scream build up pressure inside her chest. As she unwillingly opened her mouth to shriek, the human’s hand shot forward and clamped down on her muzzle with lightning speed. His previous embarrassed expression swiftly shaped to one of disapproving anger. He jabbed a finger down at Flitter, as if to threaten Cloudy silently for waking up her injured sister. His narrowed eyes drilled into her own fear filled ones, and the message was relayed with ease.

After letting out a weak snuffle of frozen fear, Cloud Chaser nodded her head and tore her eyes away from his sharp gaze. Thankfully, he released her muzzle; leaving a faint tingling sensation where his fingers had clamped down like small vices. He motioned with his head for her to move; she complied almost immediately, scrambling out of the uncomfortable canvas bed and onto the stone floor as he lifted Flitter’s battered body and gently set her down on the bed. Cloud Chasers mind reeled and raced in confused directions as her eyes watered. Flitter! Oh my poor baby sister… I’m so sorry… the human, Jack? He… She wiped away her tears and forced herself to peer at her sister. The wounds she’d earned earlier had been cleaned and bandaged up with a modicum of skill. He… he’s healing her? Wiping her eyes once again, Cloud Chaser looked over at the human as he gently tucked a thick blanket up around Flitters chin. Her sister nuzzled slowly against his hand as he rubbed her ear. Shock began to set in, before being replaced by a slow understanding. It all makes sense… Flitter lied to me! She lied! I can’t believe this… Jack’s no desert rat, he’s a human! A… A smart human… Cloud Chaser swallowed thickly as Jack pulled away from Flitter, and beckoned for her to follow him over to the crackling fire that sat in the middle of the cave camp.

As she slowly trotted over and took a seat near him, Jack plopped down before the fire and let out a groan as he popped the joints in his hands. The machinegun cracks sent shivers down Cloud Chaser’s spine; the following sharp toothed grin did little to calm her. “W-what are you?” She asked with trepidation in her voice as she shifted on the smooth log.

Glancing over at the thoroughly terrified mare, Jack chuckled lightly in amusement as he grabbed a small can of peaches and carved the top off with his knife. When the offer went untaken by Flitter’s sister, he shrugged, and scarfed down some. As he chewed slowly, he cleaned his fingers off on his pant legs and started tapping away at the screen of his PDA. The electronic voice that came from it made Cloud Chaser jump; her wings spreading wide to subconsciously make herself seem bigger. “Terran Human. As for who, you’re looking at Jack Kessle. For the record, I don’t like you.”

Sputtering with indignation, Cloud Chaser stared at the human with incredulity. “W-what? I don’t even… I don’t even know you!” Her following sentence was cut off swiftly when he jerked his hand aggressively toward her to point and planted a single finger against his lips. With furrowed brows her jabbed the same finger to Flitters sleeping form. Basically, he was telling her to keep it down, aggressively. Don't tell me what to do you ape...

“If you wake her up, we’re gonna have a problem.” He tore off the cans label and let it flutter slowly into the crackling fire as he held Cloud Chaser down with his gaze. “And you’re right. I don’t really know you. But what I do know paints you as a massive piece of shit, and considering last night’s little stunt, I think I’m probably right.” He crossed his arms across his chest and glared down at the indignant Cloud Chaser as she sputtered and squirmed under the scrutiny. He was condemning her silently, and what remained of Cloudy’s pride refused to let that slide.

He’s just a human! A dirty stupid human! He doesn’t have the right to say something like that! “Who the heck do you think you are?” She growled out, her feathers shivering with anger. “You’re a murderer, you murdered those ponies back there.” She fought to keep her voice down and from shaking. His silent condemnation turned to disgust as he stared down at her, causing her hackles to raise.

“No shit. You seem to be forgetting that those guys were beating the shit out of Flitter, your little sister. Did you forget about what they were planning to do? Or were you fine with it so long as they took her first, giving you time to slip away like the shitweasel you are?” The PDA did little to express the sheer landslide of emotions that flashed behind his eyes as he glared hotly at her; it barely managed to convey anger properly.

Feeling her own temper flaring; Cloud Chaser barely held back her full body shivers of fury. “Shut your damn mouth, you’re just a human, you can’t possibly begin to even think of what I’ve had to go through for Flitter!” Her carefully controlled voice let the last portion be hissed out between clenched teeth in a concerted effort to keep from waking Flitter.

To her surprise, his disgust turned upwards into an aggressive toothy grin. “Oh, so was fucking her boyfriend behind her back for pleasure, or for her own good?” When Cloud Chaser blinked; her mouth falling open in shock, he pounced. “Lemme guess. You stealing her money, going through her belongings, and betraying her trust was all an elaborate ruse, showing her how amazing a sister you really are? Please, don’t make me laugh.”

With tears threatening the edges of her eyes, Cloud Chaser shoved Jack roughly and spat. “Fuck you!” She drew back a hoof to strike the human, but her plans all fell to pieces when he sprang forward and tossed her to the ground fast enough to make the whole world spin. Before Cloudy had any clue as to what was going on, or how she’d ended up on the floor, the augmented back of Jack’s hand slapped across her muzzle, eliciting a shrill squawk of pain from the pegasus. Sharp pins and needles sprang up across her muzzle where he’d backhanded her, and the threatening tears broke through the dams. A blubbering sob came out of her mouth past her split lip.

Sneering down at the sobbing pegasus pinned under him, Jack shook his head and focused his breathing to force his anger back down. Inhale, count to four. Exhale, count to four. He let out a slow breath and opened his eyes. His fingers danced angrily across the PDA’s screen as he stood up and off of Cloud Chasers heaving chest and forced his clenched fist to unclench. “If a murderer treats your little sister better than you do, maybe you should reconsider your life choices.”

In the end, it was Flitter's croaking voice that ended the situation before it grew any further. "Jack?" Her head was propped up on the well beaten pillow, but both of her eyes were closed. Jack shot one last withering glare at Cloudy, before treading over to Flitter. The mare smiled weakly when she felt his fingers softly stroke her mane. "could you take cloudy home please? and maybe stoke the fire a bit?" Her voice sounded nearly frail in its quiet timber, but Jack drew faith from it; knowing that the simple fact she had the strength to speak meant a great many things.

Nodding, he gave her flicking ears a meaningful rub, before pulling the heavy blanket up to her muzzle. Standing once again, Jack tossed a sizable log onto the flames and turned his attentions back to Cloud Chaser. The snivelling mare kicked at his hands when he tried to pick her up. "D-don't touch me!" She let out a terrified little squeal when Jack roughly grabbed her and tied a blindfold around her head. Without pause, Jack hefted her over his shoulder like she were a foal and carted her out into the biting cold. Shivering against the humans boney shoulder, Cloud Chaser began to fume. "H-how the heck do you even know about me and Goldie? Have you... Have you been spying on us?"

Jack grunted as he hopped over a log, accidentally driving his shoulder into her soft stomach. Cloud Chaser coughed from the pain and bit her lip to keep her anger in as Jack tapped away with one hand. "I know because Flitter knows. You think I'd waste my time spying on you?"

"She... she knows?" Cloud Chaser felt her wounded pride deflating rapidly as Jack shifted her to a less terrible spot on his shoulder. The ride got no better as snow began to pile on the pair, the occasional tree branch raked across Cloud Chasers unprotected body as Jack chose a more meandering path that weaved back and forth so the mare would lose her bearings.

"Of course she knows. She's not stupid. Flitter is a very smart girl, and she deserves to be treated better. This Goldie is lucky I don't know where he lives." He grunted lightly as a sharp chilly breeze bit into the both of them. "You start treating her better." Squeezing her eyes shut, Cloudy nodded and shivered. Thankfully, the rest of the chilly trip went by in stark silence, right up until Jack reached the plot of land that held the two sisters Cloudhome. Pulling the blindfold from Cloud Chaser's eyes, Jack set her down and did an abrupt about face.

"Wait! Wait, Jack, I um..." Cloud Chaser wiped her eyes and sniffed. Jack had stopped several steps away, though he didn't turn to regard her. "Please, just... Tell Flitter that I'm sorry..." The only affirmation she received was a gruff grunt before Jack continued his march back through the whipping cold.

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Cringing in pain as she tossed and turned on Jack's cot, Flitter's mind wandered in an attempt to avoid thinking of the harsh words spoken between her sister and Jack. Despite what the pair had thought, she hadn't been asleep at all. The pounding pain that seared her face made damn sure of that. Her mind wandered aimlessly, to places it had no business. The horrorshow that she'd been apart of not two hours ago was painfully fresh in her mind; the greasy stallion and how her snarled in her ear, how he had almost mounted her like she was defenceless. That's never going to happen again. I'll train more, fight harder, do whatever it takes. I'm never going to be defenceless again. White hot coals of fury kindled inside her, setting her heart ablaze. Never again.

The tarp crackled loudly as Jack tromped back in; he shook himself, and brushed his shoulders to dislodge the snow that had fallen there. Despite the pain it caused, Flitter smiled as best she could at him as she rested her head on his pillow. "Hey Jack... Cloudy get home alright?" His nod was the only answer she got as he closed the distance between them, and resumed agonizing himself over her medical treatment. After brief applications of ice and an antibiotic gel, Flitter managed to get Jack to stay still long enough to act as her headrest. “I prefer you over your lumpy pillow.” She nuzzled against his stomach as he sighed quietly in defeat.

“If you need anything, you let me know alright?” The PDA spoke as he slowly petted her mane and scritched between her ears. Despite the throbbing pain that covered her face, the simple pleasure of his fingers did wonders to lift her spirit. His words caused the spark in her heart to arc for a moment.

The flush on her face went unnoticed behind the bruising and fur. “sure… hey, can I watch some more combat videos? i don’t want to miss any training just because of this.” Through her one good eye, she could tell that Jack mostly didn’t approve of her wanting to push herself currently, but she could see the underlying pride that beamed through his intense worry.

“Yeah, you should rest though. Took a bit of a beating today, so you shouldn’t focus too much.” Jack fidgeted next to her; having to physically stop himself from getting her his helmet. He idly rubbed her left ear as she nuzzled his hand.

“I’ll be resting a lot I think. I need something to keep my mind busy, you know?” Jack seemed to pull back at her words, a look of intense worry crossing his features for a split second. It was replaced by a flat acceptance, and a hint of guilt. He pushed a smile, and nodded. Standing up, he wrested the blood spattered and soot blackened helmet from his armour and carted it over to Flitter. Gently lowering it down over her head, Jack went over everything before powering it, leaving the rest to Flitter.

The mare sighed as the heavy weight settled over her shoulders; Jack placed his pillow under her back so she could lay down without difficulties as she wore the massive helmet. Screens flicked by, and soon she found herself staring at the unfinished video of Jack’s battle in Tokyo. Couldn’t hurt to finish this. Yeah, let’s go back to Tokyo. Flitter braced herself, and engaged the video; she soon found herself vaulted right back to where she left off. The harsh colours of burning Terra flooded her vision, and she was met by several severe human faces. Flitter relaxed, and let her mind wrap around what she was going to watch.

Author's Notes:

Just a little shorty for you guys, gonna cook up something real nice. In a completely unrelated note, Skype has now made instant shitposting a reality. :D