//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Everfree // by Dusk Quill //------------------------------// It was a lie. His reflection could certainly not be the pony he actually was. It had to be some sort of magic trick, or illusion, or something.         Yet, as Fleethoof tugged at the tie around his neck, he came to the grim realization that the mirror was not lying. The stallion dressed in the formal uniform of the armed forces was, in fact, himself. He frowned as he looked himself up and down. He actually liked the way he looked in his formal attire, but it still felt wrong. He was used to the combat uniforms and heavy kits, crawling through dirt and sand and water with dozens of pounds of gear while dodging death left, right, and center. He was used to slipping through shadows, taking out Equestria's enemies while surreptitiously avoiding getting caught. Going to a gala just didn’t seem like his persona.         But he had to admit, Luna did have sharp taste when it came to designing uniforms. He placed the black service cap atop his head and affixed his medal of honor to his jacket to finish the ensemble. Yeah, he liked the way he looked.         Dammit, I think Cadance is starting to rub off on me, he thought with a smirk. The Grand Galloping Gala would be starting any moment. He was ready—but he wasn’t sure how ready he was to face the music, literally. Might as well get this nightmare over with…         Nightmare… The word brought flashbacks to his memory. Grisly images of the mansion and haunted town flashed before his eyes. He shook his head, exiling such thoughts from his brain. Now was not the time to be harping on them again.         The Everfree incident had been almost a month ago, but to Fleethoof, it felt like it had happened just earlier in the day. The moment the helicopter had touched down and the foals bounded out of the cabin, Ponyville became a scene of emotional reunion. Families bawled as they embraced their missing loved ones, thanking Celestia and the loyal soldiers for their safe return. The search parties were all recalled, and within the day, life had returned to normal.         Fleethoof smiled as he stared blankly at his reflection, gazing past the mirror into the past. He could still hear the sobbing cries of joy and see the looks on everypony’s faces. He could remember the look on a pegasus' face in particular—a Thunderlane—when Rumble ran from his side up to his brother, safe and sound. For all intent and purpose, the mission had been an absolute success. In his eyes, seven ponies had lost their lives to the horrors of the Everfree. There was no such thing as absolute success to him—no perfectly happy endings in a world of shades of gray. A price always had to be paid.          A soft rapping at his door broke the spell on Fleethoof, freeing him from his profound thinking. He opened the door, half expecting Midnight to have tracked him down again. It came as a major surprise when he saw not a bat pony, but an alicorn.         “Cadance, hello,” he greeted, his expression instantly brightening with a wide smile. “I thought you’d already be downstairs, I—” He paused, staring at the long, elegant blue dress she wore, mouth hung slightly agape in mid-sentence. “You look lovely tonight.”         Cadance smiled warmly as she saw Fleethoof in his dress uniform. “I could say the same for you, Captain. Though I think ‘handsome’ might be a more fitting word.” Her smile widened a little as she lifted a hoof to the medal on his chest. “I remember this.”         Fleethoof chuckled beneath his breath. “I should hope so. You did give it to me, after all.”         “That I did,” said Cadance with an airy laugh. “Are you attending the gala by yourself tonight?”         “No, I’m bringing a friend—Midnight Dasher. You met her once before.”         She nodded. “Yes, I remember Miss Dasher. You two are close?”         “You could say that now, yes.” Another brief flash of dark images clouded the stallion’s vision. “It was mostly because she had never attended, and wanted to.”         “That’s very generous of you, Fleet!”         “What can I say, I aim to please.”         Cadance laughed again. “So, shall we?”         “By your leave, milady,” Fleethoof replied, giving an exaggerated bow and a wave to the door that made the princess giggle once more. “I need to stop by the guest quarters and pick up Midnight, though. I have something I want to talk to her about before the gala starts.”         The princess raised a brow and gave him a sideways glance. “Oh? Is it a matter of business, or pleasure?”         “Business,” he spoke plainly.         “Regarding the Everfree incident you two were involved in?”         Fleethoof could feel his breath catch in his throat. All he could manage as a response was a short nod of his head.         “Whatever happened out there, anyway? You never spoke about it.”         Cadance looked curiously at Fleethoof as he gave her a strange, uneasy look. “Do you really want to know…?”         “Yes.”         “Then I’ll tell you… later though. It’s not really something I want to discuss on my way to being tortured.”         Princess Cadance gave an exaggerated motion of rolling her eyes at him. “The gala won’t be that bad. Who knows, you might actually have fun!”         “That remains to be seen…” muttered Fleethoof under his breath.         “Lighten up, Fleet. It’s a party. Have fun.” She gave him a wry little smirk. “And go pick up your fillyfriend before she thinks you stood her up.”         “She’s not my fillyfriend.”         “All the same, I’m sure she’s waiting.” Cadance gave him a whimsical smirk and straightened his lapel with her magic. “I’ll see you downstairs.”         With that, the princess parted ways from the captain, headed for the castle foyer. Fleethoof watched her go until she was out of sight, and then he set off down the hall. He had long-since memorized Canterlot Castle’s many winding corridors, and with practiced steps he soon found himself in the spacious guest wing.         He approached the room he knew Midnight Dasher had been put up in for her stay and knocked twice on the door. Through the wood, he could hear some frantic shuffling about. She was apparently still getting ready. He smirked and rolled his eyes. Typical Midnight…         The quiet giggle of a foal whispered through his ears.         Fleethoof whipped around sharply, scanning up and down the corridor he had just come. There wasn’t a soul in sight. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, and his heart rate had spiked. Surely he must’ve been hearing things now.         The door clicked and opened inward, catching his attention again. Fleethoof glanced at Midnight—and then did a double take. Midnight Dasher looked positively stunning in a sleek, dark indigo dress that hugged her form and showed off the curves of her body. Her typically messy mane had been brushed and straightened, and now fell elegantly around the left side of her face. The subtle scent of jasmine and vanilla clung to her coat, the hallmark smell he had come to associate with the mare. She had clearly gone all out for the evening, sparing no expense.         She smiled coquettishly at Fleethoof and gave him a once over, followed by a sharp whistle and a nod of approval. “Fleety, you clean up nicely! I like what I'm seeing.”         Fleethoof was too speechless to say anything at the moment. In all his life, he never would have guessed he’d ever see Midnight in such a way. Anypony who said the bats were rowdy, uncultured heathens had clearly never seen the one before his eyes. She did a little twirl, showing off every angle to her date.         “So, how do I look? Gala appropriate?”         It took him another moment to reply. “Midnight... wow…”         “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’. So, where are you hiding your weapon, Mister Captain? Shoulder holster?”         Fleethoof stared long and hard at Midnight, trying to discern if she was being serious or not. When she kept gazing intently at him, waiting patiently for an answer, he assumed the former. “I'm not...? It's a gala, Midnight. I'm not planning on killing anypony tonight.”         “Oh, well don't I feel foolish,” said Midnight with an innocent smile as she removed her pistol from a garter belt strapped to her hind leg, concealed by her dress. “Guess I won't be needing this! I tell ya, Canterlot is a lot different from the Shades. I dunno if I could ever get used to it.”         Fleethoof stared, mouth agape at the bat pony while he quieted his overactive imagination. He instantly took back his previous thought on bat ponies ever being cultured. “You were actually going to bring a gun to the Grand Galloping Gala...?”         Midnight just gave an indifferent shrug while placing the gun on her nightstand. “Hey, you never know when you're gonna need it. Better to have than go wanting. Okay, now that I won't get arrested walking through the door, let's get going! We're gonna be late!”         “Wait a moment, Midnight. I have something for you.”         Midnight cocked her head to one side like a curious puppy. Fleethoof pulled a couple of deep cyan folders out of his jacket and handed them to her. She recognized the unique file color, and the symbol embossed on the front. She had seen it on Fleethoof’s uniform and on papers all around his room before.         She looked up at him, an inquisitive glint in her honey eyes. “What is this?”         “An opportunity,” he said. “I heard the Lunar Guard discharged Echo and put you on leave after we got back.”         “Indefinite leave, for mental recovery purposes…” Midnight grumbled.         “Which I take as a way of letting you go. So I want to talk to you about something.”         Midnight’s eyes darkened skeptically. “Okay… about what?”         “I can’t tell you about it right here. There are a few details inside, but I need you to come to the address in these files as soon as you can if you're interested.”         “Are you gonna tell me anything then?”         “No.” Fleethoof chuckled at her crestfallen look. “Not yet, at least. I took the liberty of filling out one for Echo as well. I don’t know how well she handles paperwork nowadays, but she has a skill I think my CO could find very valuable.”         Midnight chewed on her lip for a moment as she set the files down on the edge of her bed. Her eyes traced the insignia on the cover with awe and intrigue. As much as she wanted to act on her naturally impulsive character, she knew that with the enigmatic Fleethoof, the offer could be just about anything under Celestia's sun. While fine print wasn’t her favorite reading material, this was one exception she was willing to make.         “Do I have to give you an answer right now?”         Fleethoof gave a short laugh and shook his head. “No, I didn’t expect one right this minute. Take some time to think about it. Tell Echo, and you two can consider this together.”         “Okay, good. Because I really wanna get down to the gala!”         “That makes one of us…”         Midnight Dasher gave a playful grin as she bounded back to Fleethoof and snatched his hat off his head before setting it down lopsidedly on hers. Fleethoof rolled his eyes and scoffed while escorting her down the corridor towards the foyer. As they trotted past the long rows of tall windows, he couldn’t help but cast one last glance out into the darkness. The lights of Ponyville glistened like stars in the dark down below at the base of the mountain, and beyond that laid the blanket of blackness he knew was the Everfree Forest.         For a fleeting moment, Fleethoof could almost swear he heard a foal laughing.