Needless to say that once Razor finished writing up the list of wedding specifics, her mother just had to mention that she had seen Rarity on the flight over. As such, the tan Unicorn mare immediately dashed out to find her, while dragging her mother along for the ride. Mason smiled at the two receding figures as he closed the front door, which Razor had left open.

Vaiawa and Oriana both headed to their respective rooms in the house and Mason decided to find his future son in law. He trotted out the back door, which was at the far end of the living room, and headed toward the large shed out back. As he approached the shed, he heard the familiar sound of a wood saw being appropriately applied. The Earth Pony stallion followed his ears to Artex' workshop. It was in the very back of the stone building.

Artex was standing in front of a work bench sawing a plank of wood while sweat dripped down his face despite the cold. A stack of three more, already cut planks were stood up leaning against the side of the bench. As soon as he finished the cut, Artex picked up a scraping plane and began evening out the edges of the cut and the flat of the wood itself. He worked smoothly and steadily, shaping the wood to fit his needs. Mason had been around a multitude of carpenters during his time laying bricks. Artex was not a professional by any means, but he did obviously know his way around a workshop and his cuts were straight and sure.

Looking at him working to build whatever it was, Mason noted exactly how much his arms bulged when he applied his strength. He was strong, perhaps stronger than Rose Thorn. His strength did not come from regular bodybuilding, but from exercise and hard work, the kind of hard work Earth Ponies admired so much. Mason cracked a half smile, 'He's a good stallion for my daughter.'

Mason decided to announce himself, "Hello Artex." He had to raise his voice over the sounds of construction.

Artex whipped his head around but smiled and waved when he saw Mason, "Hey there Mason. Come to see how your future son in law works?"

Mason shrugged and trotted up to the work bench, "Mostly to say 'hi'. Razor heard that some fancy designer was in town so she took off with her mother in tow, to see if she could convince the designer to make her gown."

Artex smiled at the thought, "She's going to look stunning no matter what she wears. Who was the designer?"

"Unicorn mare named Rarity. We sat with her on the flight over here." Mason informed the man.

Artex' eyebrows rose, "I didn't know she was in town. Razor, Oriana, and I know her personally." He smirked waved his hand, "She'll do it for sure." He motioned to the work bench with his head, "Care to see what I'm building?"

Mason trotted up to the work bench and lifted his forehooves onto the edge, "So what is all this?"

"This is going to be an alchemy table for Oriana to mix her potions and salves on. These four planks are going to be the tabletop and I'm getting ready to start on the back and legs next. I want the back to attach to the wall to help keep it steady. I already have Oriana's leg measurements so I know how tall it needs to be. The legs are going to be some of the tricky parts. I figure I'll have them under the four corners, but recessed about a Hoof each, then use a quintet of nails driven into the top of the table, to attach them. I considered using wood adhesive, but it takes a long time to dry properly and it would be impossible to move if the need ever came up."

Mason nodded along, Artex' statements made sense to him, "Any plans for building cribs?" The stallion asked suddenly.

Without missing a beat, Artex nodded his head, "Darn right. That's one of the two reasons to get married after all: to dedicate your life to your love, and to have children with them, or foals in this case." He glanced at Mason, "I'd be a pretty poor example of a man if I never wanted to continue my bloodline. It would be extremely selfish of me."

"How long do you plan to wait until you do?" Mason asked.

"Until she says she is ready. I won't push her into it unless I'm getting too old." The man sighed woefully, "Unfortunately that won't be very long by Kavim reckoning." He chuckled darkly, "That's actually part of the reason I was reluctant to pursue a romantic relationship with a mare." He glanced back at Mason, "I guess we never told you that Humans only live about eighty years, huh?"

Mason's eyebrows rose, "And how old are you, right now?"

Artex turned back to the bench and let his weight sink onto his forearms, "Thirty-three. I have only about fifty years left in me, maybe a little more." He hung his head sadly, "I didn't want to leave my wives alone and mourning my loss for over a hundred years. They don't deserve that kind of heartache... but they already know that my expiration date is much closer than any of theirs. This is what they want, and I know it's selfish of me, but I want this too." He pushed himself off the work bench and turned around completely, facing the doorway, "I've already told them that when I'm gone, I want them to move on and find somebody else."

Artex lapsed into silence for some minutes while Mason gave the man's words some thought, before adding his own observations, "Artex," Mason began, "When it comes to the unity of a herd, it's not just the stallion who holds it together, but the bond shared between all of Its members." Artex turned his head back to Mason, listening intently while the older stallion spoke, "When one member is lost, sometimes the only thing that keeps the remaining members from succumbing to grief and despair is the love they have for each other and 'moving on' to find other stallions may only lead to further complications and heartaches, especially if there are foals involved. A herd that can be torn apart so easily is a herd built on a foundation of unstable clay instead of rock and should anything happen to either you or one of the mares, they will need each other more than you can possibly imagine. It's not common for Ponies to die of broken hearts when their mate dies, but it has been known to happen on rare occasions." Mason's words held a ring of sincerity that Artex could not deny.

Eventually Artex clapped his hands together and turned back to the work bench, "Eh well, that's years in the future. Right now, I have something to build for a wonderful Zebra maiden." He turned to Mason and cocked an eyebrow then spoke in an outlandish accent, "Whell then gud sah, wuld yew cear teh 'elp a lod wit sum wud werk?"

Mason returned a small smile to the man, "I think I can help a bit here and there..." he suddenly remembered something odd that had been tickling the back of his mind, "Say Artex, do you happen to know why Cloudsdale is overhead but there is no snow on the ground yet?"

Artex huffed angrily, "Yeah, the whole town knows about THAT debacle. Apparently some stuffy big-wigs in the weather department took exception to providing snow for a town that harbors Changelings. They used the excuse that New Humansville was not covered under the agreement Cloudsdale Weather has with Equestria, due to it being a protectorate. Then they have the audacity to demand financial compensation for bringing Cloudsdale out here and they still refuse to provide any services. The Ponies in charge demanded money, and a LOT of it, or else they said they would leave Cloudsdale where it is and keep our crops from growing. Once word of THAT got out, Pegasi from all over Cloudsdale refused to keep working until the Ponies in charge were removed. Our Mayor and some of our C.W.G. officers went up there a few days ago and sorted the mess out. From what I heard, there has been a recent change of department heads, some arrests, and a few minor injuries, mostly broken bones and concussions. The new department heads are just getting paperwork in order and then we'll have our snow."

Mason's eyebrows rose again, "I wonder what happened up there?"

Artex shrugged, "I may or may not know. I'm not at liberty to say much on that matter. I will say that the citizens of Cloudsdale know they have New Humansville as an ally to be respected."

Mason pondered the vague statement and all its implications, 'One of the smallest towns in Equestria took on the Weather Conglomerate and WON!? Good grief! I'm glaaaaaad New Humansville isn't hostile.' He cleared his throat and changed the subject, "How is Cloud Cutter doing?" Mason licked his lips then further clarified his reasoning for the sudden question, "I'm going to be blunt about this, if I'm being honest, I don't know that I could see myself going to the lengths you did to help him, had I been in your position. I am grateful you were willing to put forth so much effort to help, especially after he nearly killed you, but I am also curious as to why you did it."

Artex smiled and looked at the back wall of the workshop, "To whom much is given, much is expected." he quoted quietly before turning back to Mason again, "I've been forgiven for a lot of things I did when I was younger... not all of the incidents were small and harmless either." He paused to collect his thoughts properly, "I'm going to be part of your family, Mason. I learned back on Earth that love is a choice. I chose to care about what is best for others no matter how I feel about them or what they've done. Family definitely falls into that category. I would be the biggest liar if I said I wasn't upset, irate even, about what Cutter did to me, but my temper is what we call 'flash-fire'. It flares up quickly and burns itself out just as quickly as long as I have time to calm down. While Cutter may have injured me severely... I really don't think he meant to go so far. He took steps to try to rectify what he did." Artex chuckled dryly, "You should have seen his face when he saw the blood. He just froze there with his jaw hanging open. He was stunned, shocked, surprised. He wasn't expecting what he did to be so severe. I don't think he deserved to deal with my memories or rot in a cell... not when I knew a way to temper his actions."

Mason cocked a half-smile at the disfigured man, "That's a more just mentality than I would probably have, if it were me. You really are the right stallion for my daughter, even if you could crack a mirror with that face."

Artex smiled as he measured out the table legs' length and began sawing, "To answer your initial question; he's doing well. I think this is just what he needed. His life is structured and strict right now, but he is learning things that will help him for the rest of his life. You don't need to worry, Mason. He's going to be an excellent stallion when he's done. I think he has a bright future in either the Civil Guard or the E.U.P. He has a good heart, he's proven that. He just needs to learn how to temper his actions with wisdom, and that is exactly what we're teaching him." Mason held the wood still while Artex sawed away. The stallion's thoughts having turned sour at the mention of the injuries his son gave the man. The two of them kept working and talking until Oriana called them in for dinner.

* * *

Artex and Mason wiped sawdust off themselves and walked from the shed to the back door of the house. The sun had not yet set so the two of them easily saw all the weather Pegasi pushing clouds here and there, preparing for the first snowfall. They also saw Suey trotting back from town. She passed them and snorted in greeting before entering the shed, which was more her house than a workshop.

Artex reached the door first and held it open for Mason. The two of them sniffed the air appreciably, "Mmmm, smells like Vaiawa went all out." Artex said.

"Vaiawa is cooking? I didn't know she could cook." Mason expressed.

Artex chuckled, "It just kind of worked out like that. Oriana has her potions and so forth, Razor Wit is going to begin teaching language lessons at the school here soon, and Rose works as a C.W.G. officer. Vaiawa felt like she was the only one not contributing so she volunteered to cook for everybody."

Mason looked up at Artex, "And what about you?"

"I'm having trouble deciding whether to join the Community Welfare Guardians or take up work as a carpenter. I'm leaning more toward officer though. I know how to keep people safe and I like doing it. Then again, I also want to be able to be home often so I can spend time with our foals. I'm going to be active in the lives of my children. I refuse to be some distant, vague, nebulous idea of a father figure. While history is vitally important, it is more important who your children become, than who your father was. My family line has always been steadfast in what we did and that's not going to change once I have children of my own."

The two males walked into the kitchen where Mason was treated to the sight of Vaiawa in her natural form, wearing a frilly pink apron while she stirred three pots on the range top. Artex cracked his knuckles and stealthily walked up behind her. He reached his hands out and gripped Vaiawa's flanks, giving them a squeeze.

The Changeling Queen squealed and danced away from Artex' groping, "Oh stop that, you." She giggled, "Or else I'll serve your roast beef to somebody else. Rose has been making comments about wanting to try it again in spite of the upset stomach it gave her last time."

Artex threw his right hand over his eyes dramatically, "Oh the shame of the man, whose meat is given to another, in his own house." He fell to his knees, his hands clutching Vaiawa's tail, "Please, mistress of the kitchen, forgive this lowly wretch for his wrongs. Give not his succor to those for whom it was not meant. I pray thee sweet, kindly maiden, grant me this one thing."

Vaiawa let go of the pots with her magic and proceeded to laugh openly at Artex' antics, "You-hoo-hoo and so silly! You and Chris really ARE a lot alike."

Artex stood back up and pulled his hair further into the tail he kept it in, "The biggest difference between Chris and I is that I got a Queen, while he's content with a Princess." He reached out his hands and pulled Vaiawa to his chest, "I know I got the better deal." He traced Vaiawa's jaw line with the middle finger of his left hand, sending shivers down her spine.

A call of, "We're home!" Came from the front door. Artex released Vaiawa a moment before Razor and Visceral Slaughter trotted into the kitchen. Both mares sniffed the air, licking their lips at the savory smells. Artex walked up to Razor and knelt down. He gave her a chaste kiss on the tip of her muzzle, "How did everything go, love? Did you manage to find Rarity?"

Razor nodded happily, "That we di-i-i-id." She said in a sing-song voice, "She agreed to make my gown! She said she'd have it ready so we could pick it up when we went to Big Mac and Fluttershy's wedding next week. Oh and while we were out, I ordered the flowers, rented Town Hall for the ceremony, rented out The Melting Pot for the reception and the catering, bought a bunch of invitations," she motioned to her saddlebags, "And paid for your customized tuxedo. All you have to do is go get fitted."

Artex blinked thrice in quick succession, "But what about your bride's maids?"

Razor giggled behind her right forehoof, "Silly, Oriana, Vaiawa, and Rose are going to be my bride's maids. The other sister/wives generally act as the bride's maids unless the couple are going to have a monogamous marriage." She suddenly stopped and cocked her head, "Who are going to be your best man and groom's men?"

Artex waved off her concern, "Chris for the best man and Darryl and Kolo for my groom's men." A thought suddenly occurred to Artex, "Wait a second... when were you going to tell your grandparents about our wedding?"

Razor stuck out her tongue as if she had eaten something disgusting, "I already sent them a letter about it. I told them I was getting married to a non-Pony and while I would like for them to be there, we would not tolerate them being nasty to my herdmates."

Artex looked to Visceral Slaughter. The mare was only too happy to provide her own opinion, "I agree with Razor. My parents almost disowned me for marrying Mason. I can't imagine they'll ever be understanding of your marriage at all. They are too set in their ways. I almost was, and it took my own daughter almost disowning me for me to agree. They won't be attending, if they deign to respond at all. We haven't spoken to or visited them for years."

The front door closed with a clunk, "We're home!" Rose yelled as she and Cloud Cutter trotted in, "We decided that since he was doing so well, that he deserved a break for a night." Artex noticed how Cutter wilted when Rose said how well he was doing. He kept his thoughts unspoken though. Cloud Cutter looked as though he had a rough day and Artex did not wish to make it worse.

Cloud Cutter was very subdued when we saw his parents. He shied away from both of them and stayed by the entryway of the kitchen. Mason and Visceral Slaughter shared a concerned look, which the rest of the household took notice of. Rose waved Mason and his wife toward Cutter while saying to the others, "Come on, let's give them some time alone." She led the way into the living room, where Oriana was already situated in front of the lit fireplace.

Visceral Slaughter and Mason both sat down on the floor of the foyer, looking at Cloud Cutter. The young stallion merely sat glumly in place, back to the door and refusing to look either one in the eye. Mason decided to forego pleasantries, "How are they treating you?"

Cutter spoke without looking up, "They're harsh and strict but they aren't mean about it."

Visceral Slaughter decided to cut right to the heart of the situation, "Why won't you look at your father or I?"

Cutter opened his mouth to answer but no words came out so he shut it. He repeated the action several times before he answered, "I... made a discovery about myself today. It wasn't good."

"What was it?" Mason pressed.

"I know why I cut Artex. Not why I confronted him, I already knew that, but the real reason I cut him was different... meeting him did not conform to my expectation of what I imagined a Human would be like so I... I changed the situation to be more like what I expected. I didn't even realize I did it until today... I-I was so convinced that my... my preconceived notion of Humans was right... that I nearly murdered somebody just to appease my expectations." He lowered his voice to barely a whisper, "It hurt so much to realize that."

Visceral Slaughter's breath hitched in her throat. She kept quiet about it, but she felt that Cutter's actions were still solely her fault. If either Mason or Cutter noticed, neither gave any sign of it. Mason merely pursed his lips and bobbed his head, "It's never easy to learn unpleasant things about yourself." He sighed quietly and placed a hoof on Cutter's shoulder, "You know about it now. That means you have nopony to blame but yourself if it happens again. If you're aware of it, it's your responsibility to keep yourself on the right path." He paused and looked toward the ceiling briefly before continuing, "I'm not saying it's going to be easy... and I'm not saying I know what you're going to have to go through... but if you need somepony to talk to," Mason turned his head and motioned toward the living room, "I think there might be some willing ears. Artex said he wants what is best for you and despite my reservations about him, I believe him."

Visceral Slaughter looked at her husband oddly. Mason looked back at her, "What?" He asked, "Did you really think I was just a-okay with my oldest daughter marrying a member of a strange new species, just because he said he was a good guy?" Mason snorted, "I like Artex a lot, now. At first I made sure to be friendly on the outside, but I was watching him. That's part of the reason I urged him to drink. Drunk minds speak more honest truth than sober ones." Mason then grumbled, "Besides, he's going to be doing things to my daughter that I never really wanted any male to do."

Cutter looked at his father strangely and Mason grunted in irritation, "I have to trust Artex not to hurt one of the most precious things in the world to me. I have to trust him to care about her MORE than I do, in a way that's hard for me to accept. That's almost impossible for me to imagine, let alone trust somebody else to do." Mason drew a slow breath and let it out just as slowly, "I do trust him though... he has yet to give me a single good reason not to. I believe he will do his best for her and I believe that the other mares will do the same. I was unsure about Razor being in a herd with a Changeling and a Queen no less, but having seen them all together... they really do care about one another. They're a strange family, but they ARE a family... and I approve of them."

While Mason was talking, Visceral Slaughter's ears were steadily falling. Once he finished, she spoke up, "I don't know that I'll ever be able to accept them or approve of their family." She hung her head sadly, "I've been so caught up in my mindset for so long... I might not ever be able to see things the right way. I can't trust them because I don't know how..." she quietly sniffled at the admission, "... but I trust my daughter." She wiped her nose with her left forehoof, "I was sure those Diamond Dogs were going to either kill or enslave Razor... and she proved me wrong. I thought that somewhere along the way with her travels that she was going to get hurt or killed... I was afraid I was right... but it never happened." The older mare sniffled again and cracked a tiny smile, "She's smarter and wiser than I am and she's proven that time and again. I think it was that knowledge of my continual errors about what I thought about other species, that let me see I was wrong." She chuckled a mirthless laugh, "Every parent wants their foals to be smarter and wiser than they are, but nopony ever tells you how much of a bitter pill that is to swallow... so while I can't trust Artex or Vaiawa... I trust Razor's faith in them. It's all I can do."

Mason reached over and hugged his wife tenderly. She wrapped her forehooves around her husband and hugged him tightly, still sniffling. Cloud Cutter saw the comfort his parents gave one another and urgently wanted some for himself. Both of them had sent him off with harsh words or actions and seeing them change the subject to his older sister so quickly made him angry. 'So much for them listening to me.' He mentally groused, 'Hey, good job! Glad to see you're not dead! Not that we really care and all with your awesome sister around, but at least we don't have to pay for a funeral!' He gritted his teeth, but caught himself, 'Forget it. Razor's always been the best of us. I don't need to have it rubbed in my face all night and I'm not staying.'

Cloud Cutter rose to his hooves and plastered a fake smile on his features, "As nice as all this has been, I'm just too tired to stick around. I'll see you guys later. I'm going back to the barracks. I hear my pillow calling me." He turned away from his parents and raised his right forehoof to the door.

"What?" Mason suddenly asked, "Why are you leaving?"

Neither of them noticed a mint green ear pointed their direction. Cutter held the contempt in his voice at bay, "Nah, you guys came to visit Razor and I'd only distract you. They feed me pretty good at the barracks and I'm supposed to be serving time here, not partying with my loved ones."

Mason blinked in confusion while Visceral Slaughter felt a swell of pride. She stood up and placed a comforting hoof on Cutter's back, "If you really feel that strongly about making amends then I'm proud of you. That kind of commitment speaks well of you, Cutter."

Mason joined his wife, but he hugged Cutter instead, "I'm proud of you too, Cloud Cutter." He released his son and sat back on his haunches, "Have a good night and keep up the good work."

Cloud Cutter wanted to cry and scream in rage, but he held it all in, still smiling, "I will." So spoken, he opened the door, exited, and closed it behind himself.

Rose Thorn excused herself to the closest bathroom but once the door was closed, she reached into her mane and removed a communication crystal, "Darryl, you there?"

* * *

Cloud Cutter stayed true to his word and went straight hack to the barracks inside the C.W.G. Headquarters. He made his way past the receptionist, the two of them acknowledging one another with nods as he passed. He made his way into the empty bunk room but did not lay down. He stood in front of his bunk, debating on whether or not he should lie down or go for a run, if for no other reason than to exhaust himself too much to think.

He eventually decided that a run would be for the best. His mind was still spinning in angry circles over the way his father and Visceral Slaughter had changed the subject and dismissed him so casually. He trotted back out to the receptionist and stopped in front of the desk, "I'm going to go out for a run. Is that alright?"

A voice answered from the front doors, "Sounds like a great idea!" Darryl said eagerly, "I was getting restless at home anyway."

Cloud Cutter very specifically did not want to see Darryl of all people. He wanted to be alone, but he respected the officer and acquiesced, "Alright, let's go."

Darryl held up a hand, "Hold on, Cutter. You want a regular run? Or do you feel like stepping up your game tonight?"

The vague offer sparked a tiny interest in the young stallion. A distraction to try something new was an appealing thought, "What do you mean?"

Darryl held out his arms widely, "Are you in, or are you out?"

Cutter held back an exasperated breath and decided to bite the proverbial bullet, "I'm in." He hoped that Darryl would not do anything to hurt him intentionally.

Darryl smiled and gestured toward the back of the building, "Follow me."

Cutter followed the Marine back into the deeper recesses of the Headquarters, but instead of leading him to the bunks, the man led him to a section he had never seen before. The room was covered from floor to ceiling with thick white mats. Melee weapons of all styles hung on the walls of the wide room. Darryl stopped at the door and slipped off his shoes and socks. He picked up a white gi and took off his clothes, changing into the gi. He glanced at Cutter and motioned toward a Pony shaped gi which was folded neatly on the floor, "Put it on."

Cutter complied, knowing what the sparing studio was already. He put on the gi, making sure the cloth was set correctly and the belt was tied properly. Darryl was already moving through a series of stretches when Cutter finished, so he began his own stretches, as his old teacher had taught him. The two of them went through the entire routine of stretches until they both felt limber enough. Darryl padded out to the center of the dojo and took up a ready stance. Cutter, thinking he was being shown techniques, trotted up next to Darryl and did his best to mimic the Marine's stance. It was very awkward for the young stallion.

Darryl relaxed his stance and looked to his side, right at Cutter, "What are you doing? Get in front of me."

Cutter relaxed out of the uncomfortable stance and trotted out until he was two Fathoms in front of Darryl, "What now sir?" He asked crisply.

Darryl took his ready stance again with his left hand extended outward. He curled his fingers in a 'come hither' motion. Cutter trotted closer to Darryl and stopped, "Is this the proper distance now?"

Darryl groaned, "No. This hand motion," he repeated the motion, "Means 'come at me' or 'bring it on'. We're sparing."

Cloud Cutter quickly stepped back, "What!? No way!" 'I'm not falling for this.' His thoughts quickly turned to his already percolating bitterness. He stomped his right forehoof in anger, "Look,sir," he spat, narrowing his eyes, "I know everypony thinks I'm stupid! You don't have to keep reinforcing it! And I'm CERTAINLY not going to hit you! Is that how stupid you think I am?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EFuG1V0FEQ

Darryl shook his head, "Fine, then defend yourself without hitting back." Without another word, the Marine darted forward on his toes. He closed the distance between he and Cloud Cutter in less time than it took to blink and the young stallion quickly found himself on the defensive from a flurry of blows from the man. Darryl moved like greased lightning, throwing low punches and kicks all over the place. Cutter, having spared before, was dodging, bobbing, weaving, and blocking as quickly as he could. He fell back on his training and thickened the air around his hooves and wings to be rounded so as not to cut, using all six appendages. He kept his wings spread out to help cool his body as he held off the unnaturally quick man.

Darryl feigned a low punch and when Cutter moved to block it, the man lightly slapped Cutter on the tip of his nose with the pads of his fingers. Dancing back, Darryl goaded Cutter with a grin, "Point for me, unless you feel like trying to hit me back. No dangerous techniques, just stinging impacts. I spar with Rose, I can take a few hits." He made the 'come hither' motion again and held up his hands.

Cutter refused to rise to the bait. He stayed back and kept ready, 'He's not going to lure me in. I'm not that stupid.' He blinked moisture away from his eyes, 'Stinking sweat makes it hard to see.' He blinked again and suddenly found himself being slapped on the muzzle again. He knew better than to claim he was not ready. In a real fight, nopony waited on you to be ready. You had to be ready at all times.

Cutter took his stance again, "Point to you." He said briskly.

Darryl nodded and closed the distance. Again, almost faster than Cutter could see. The exchange began again. Cutter moved and blocked as quickly as he could, but he refused to try to hit Darryl back. His body fell into a rhythm of movement and his mind began to wander to different topics.

The distraction cost him another slap on the muzzle. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and felt the annoying sting of another slap on his muzzle. He grunted in aggravation and tried to take up his ready stance again. Darryl was faster and landed another slap on his muzzle. Cutter tried to block, only to find that the slaps just kept coming.

He tried to duck, slap.

He tried to block with his wing, slap.

He tried to disengage, slap.

He tried feinting, slap.

Slap.

Slap.

Slap.

Slap.

Slap.

Slap.

Slap.

Slap.

Slap.

Slap.

Slap.

Slap!

SLAP!

His mind snapped and Cutter went on the offensive. He leaped back and took to the air in the limited space. He reengaged Darryl while hovering. He took the hits but began dishing out many of his own. His hooves and even his wings moved in swift blurs as he and Darryl began sparing in earnest. Darryl moved in with a blur of his hands and Cutter swept both his hands out of the way with his forehooves. He leaned back to bring his hind legs into play, but the Marine blocked both with a raised knee. Cutter was angered by the block and began moving faster. He twisted in the air and flared his tail in a swirling motion right in Darryl's face. Darryl swept his hands out and blocked what he thought was a kick, when he noticed Cutter had inverted himself and had already moved for a strike with his forelegs from an upside down position. Darryl brought up his knee and intercepted the attempt. Cutter switched styles of attack and used an offensive technique he had only thought of in the past. He held himself upright while in the air so that his posture matched Darryl's, the only difference being that he was in the air. Being so elevated and held up by his wings already, it allowed him to use all four limbs and tail to his advantage. He hovered in close and tried to block the sloppy slap Darryl sent his way, but he missed and his muzzle stung again.

The slap was the final straw. Cutter flew toward Darryl aggressively and began throwing a series of strikes that were absolutely dizzying, even to the skilled Marine. Cloud Cutter felt a deep sense of satisfaction as he landed a surprise slap to Darryl's forehead wit one of his wings. Feeling an emotional rush, he redoubled his attacks and was rewarded with landing a lengthening series of slaps. He pressed his advantage and again redoubled his efforts, slapping Darryl on his forehead, his shoulders, his chest, stomach, sides, and thighs.

The feeling of vindication brought forth an unexpected surge of emotion from the young stallion. He blinked more moisture out of his eyes and as continued his barrage of strikes, he also began muttering. The words were more quiet grunts and whispers than anything else at first, but the more blows he landed, the louder each word became, "I'mnotstupid, I'mnotstupid, I'mnotstupid, I'mnotworthless, I'mnotworthoess, I'mnotworthless, I'mnotworthless, I'mnotworthless..." he punctuated each run-on word with a striking motion as his vision blurred again. He did not bother wiping it away. He was caught in the throws of an emotional release and failed to realize he was no longer connecting slaps. In his over emotional state, he failed to notice that Darryl had mysteriously began blocking his attempted strikes with seemingly fluid ease. Cutter failed to realize that Darryl had been holding back.

Darryl never called for the match to stop. He let Cutter vent his frustrations, as had been his plan all along. He was pleased to notice that despite his overwrought emotions, the young stallion kept his blows to slap attempts and not actual attacks meant to injure. Cutter noticed none of this. His focus was on venting his feelings and he was powerless to stop them. He grit his teeth and began speaking slower, talking to himself while he moved. He maintained the state of his strike attempts though, never putting much strength behind the strikes as he spoke, "I don't care what anybody says! I'm not some useless piece of dirt! I'm not a bully! I'm not a monster! I'm not what they think I am! I'm not worthless! I'm not useless! I'm not valued! I'm not cared for! I'm not important! I'm not as important as my sister! I'm not as important as anypony! They didn't say goodbye! They didn't say they cared! Even after I got the nurses! Even after I stuck around! When I could have left! And nopony would have known! It didn't matter! Because I don't matter! I made a mistake! And now I don't matter! I don't matter! I don't matter! I don't matter! I don't matter! I DON'T MATTER! IDON'TMATTER!" his voice reached a crescendo as his body embraced exhaustion and he punctuated each word with a strike, "I! DON'T! MATTEEEEEEEEER!" The final blow was a spinning wing slap which caught Darryl off guard and landed right on the top of his head.

Cloud Cutter collapsed onto the mat, his endurance drained and his emotional and physical fatigue surged forward. He tried to land but he stumbled, staggering like a drunk and collapsed onto his side, his barrel heaving for air as tears streamed down his face. Darryl shook his head from the slap and looked sadly upon the young stallion, "Damnit." He grunted quietly, while Cutter continued muttering to himself from his prone position on the floor. Darryl rolled into a sitting position and pulled up his right knee, "Shit," he spat, "Somebody did or said the wrong thing around him tonight. I should have known Ponies would take something hard after Marine training." He groaned and rolled his neck to ease the tension that was already building up. He cracked his neck and groaned in ecstasy then stood up. He knelt down and slipped his arms around the nearly delirious Pegasus, holding him like a child, "Come on, you. We're going BACK to Artex' place whether you like it or not." Darryl kicked the dojo door open and strode out the lobby and into the frigid evening air, "This shit is getting resolved."

* * *

Artex got up from the dinner table to answer the door and saw one of his best friends standing in the cold, dripping with sweat and carrying a limp Pegasus in his arms, "Get in here, geez!" Darryl stepped inside and Artex noticed the Marine did not look happy.

Knowing of his friends dramatic streak when angry, Artex raced back to the kitchen and quickly removed breakables from the table. Gasps of alarm told him his time was almost up and he just barely managed to grasp the last breakable dish off the table when Darryl shifted Cloud Cutter into his right arm and swept the tabletop with his left. Dishes and food went flying onto the walls and floor and Darryl set Cutter down on the newly cleared table surface. He slipped his arms out from beneath the limp Pegasus and eyed everybody else in the kitchen, "Somebody is going to start talking!" He said loudly, "RIGHT! FUCKING! NOW!" He emphasized each of the three word by poking the top of the table with the index finger of his right hand, "Somebody is going to tell me why my recruit came back the the barracks and was ready to go out on a night run when I know for fact he was exhausted. SOMEBODY is going to explain why he was SO EMOTIONAL that he ended up as a SOBBING MESS when I took him to spar!" Darryl panted for breath. As hard as he was on the young stallion, he had been trying to build him back up and something had happened to annihilate the progress that had been made. "Somebody is going to tell me why he was talking about himself like he was worthless and useless." He lowered his voice, "Somebody is going to tell me why I received a concerned call when I was at home, snogging my girlfriends." He took a breath, "Somebody," he said through gritted teeth, "Is going to fix this tonight before I leave." His tone brooked no argument.

Author's Notes:

The world turns and more issues abound. Let me know if you spot any typos.