//------------------------------//
// 72 - Tending Fertile Soil 
// Story: Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

Together, they made their way swiftly through the city, arriving in what qualified as the suburbs with little challenge. The scent in the air changed as they drew closer, filled with the citrus tang that proved to be crystal berries, growing from eager gardens all along a particular road that drew them.

It wasn't the only harvest. Some tall stalks of crystal corn adorned the yards, and many had ponies tending to them with satisfied smiles amid other, less flashy, fruits or vegetables. One farmer raised a hoof at them. "Good day, Ambassador!"

Silver veered off to speak with her. "Hello there. This looks fantastic! How's everypony doing?"

She gestured slowly around her garden/farm. "Everything's growing so quickly! It's... Well, I suppose the land did get a thousand years to nap. This has worked out better than we could have expected." She smiled over her fence at Silver and Night. "Thank you. I don't even have to walk far to get to my farm. It's right here."

Night reached and brushed a wing gently across a bunch of crystal berries. "This really is quick. I can't imagine it'll stay this fast for much longer than a growing season or two, but that's just a guess."

The farmer shrugged her shoulders. "We'll be alright if it slows down to normal after a while, but it's really nice right now. We've filled the stands with delicious food, and there's talk of a real surplus of something for a change! Do you think ponies from other cities will want our produce?"

Silver nodded quickly. "May I?" After a nod from the farmer, he plucked a lone berry from a bunch and gave it a thoughtful munching. "Mmm, yes, I doubt you'll have much trouble selling this." He licked over his lips thoughtfully. "I'll send a letter to Celestia and see if there are any towns with a shortage. You'll make bits and be celebrated at the same time if so."

The farmer tapped her chin softly. "How will we get it to them without it spoiling?"

Night looked confused a moment, but it cleared quickly. "Oh! That's right, the train's new to you. You'll load it onto there in refrigerated cars and it'll arrive, safe, fresh, and ready to devour."

"Oh!" The mare clopped crystal hooves together. "They have ice boxes? How thoughtful. Well you check with Princess Celestia. We'll keep right on growing." She leaned down and grabbed the stem of the same bunch of berries Silver had plucked from and tore it free easily, offering. "Here, take it with you."

Silver's horn glowed as he accepted the bunch, though it hovered there, uncertain if he should dare stuffing fruit into his pocket or his saddlebag. "Thank you. I'll enjoy it. Keep up the good work here, I'm glad it's working out so well."

They visited a few other gardens, getting much the same response from one delighted farmer after the other. One older stallion nudged a filly towards Silver. "You only have one? Here, you can have her." The filly squeaked at the proposition, and her mother hurried out to swat the old stallion across the head.

"Forgive him, he's an old timer." She was blushed deep red. "I'm sure you don't want some random crystal filly mare thrown at you."

Night raised a brow. "Was there ever a time that sort of gift was normal?"

He grunted in annoyance. "This is hardly normal. You're an Ambassador, practically royalty. You'd protect her and keep her safe." He looked down at the filly. "Little ungrateful foal, I'm trying to secure your future."

Silver gave a little smile. "I'm sure she'll have a fine future here, with the pony she decides to be with."

The filly approached Silver and waved for him to come down. He leaned in and she hugged him around the neck before scurrying off. Her mother let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you. I'm sure he means well, but that isn't the way."

Night rolled her eyes behind her thick glasses. "I'm certain there are no hard feelings."

Silver turned an ear to her. "No harm done, right? You two have a nice day, and keep up the farming."

As they wandered off, Night pressed close. "It's alright to get a little angry."

"At who? An old man trying to safeguard his grand-daughter's future, if in a misguided way, or the foal who's being shoved into something she didn't want?" Silver tilted his head. "Or should I be angry at the mother for calling it off?"

Night frowned a little. "I suppose the stallion would be the one I'd be more irate at."

Silver rolled a hoof. "Did you see his beard? He's ancient. I'd feel like I was bullying him just glaring at him. He's out of touch with how things work, and I don't imagine that's the way he wants it, but there he is."

"You weren't tempted, even a little?"

Silver came to a sudden halt. "Did you see how young she was? Even if she wasn't, I didn't know her from anypony else in the world." He put his hooves to his chest, rearing up. "I should remind, as young as I look, I'm at least twice my physical age, and that's not including any not-counting dream time. The idea of scooping up some little kid--"

"She wasn't a goat." Night raised a brow at him.

Silver blinked at her. "You've heard me say that before. A kid is just a generic term for a young person where I'm from. A foal. A foal that young? We have laws about that. Doesn't Equestria?" He moved in and nipped at her shoulder. "This isn't about him, or either of the mares. It's about us. What are you really asking?"

Night flinched at the question. "Damn me for picking somepony that can see through things too." She cracked a bit of a smile.

Silver brushed a hoof over the same shoulder. "Please tell me? I want to be a good stallion for you, but I can't without a little help."

Night glanced away, only to suddenly go on guard. Silver quickly saw why. Ponies were approaching them at odd angles, hedging them in. The crystal ponies had queer smirks and wielded sticks in their mouths.

Silver raised a bubble around the two of them, a standard defensive bubble that he felt confident about. "What do you want? You're all--" His question was interrupted by a hurled rock that strained the shield. The shield worked better against magic than physical things.

Night grabbed at Silver, making to take flight, but the ponies rushed them, shattering the shield with two hurled bodies of the attackers. Her flapping lifted them from the ground just as a pony brought down his chunk of wood on one of her wings. With a sickening snap, she was sent back to the ground, shrieking in pain.

Silver's heart froze a moment at the sound, and he was beyond thought. He raised a spell he shouldn't, but he wasn't thinking about that. Keeping Night from further harm was the only thing in his head, and a faint line of fire erupted around him. Magic pulled savagely from him as his attackers triggered fireballs in rapid succession. He collapsed beneath Night, fading away almost instantly among the screaming forms of combusted ponies.

Night didn't let him hit the ground, still holding tight. She began to drag herself away with him, wing trailing along at her side. It wouldn't fold back into place, and there were other ponies, glaring and looking nervous, but not charging yet.

"Look, he's knocked out."

"Do you think his spell will still work?"

"I'm not chancing it."

"Better the fire than the shadow!" One brave pony with wild eyes charged forward and met the sudden kicked hoof of Night Watch, catching him across the jaw and sending him back, but the illusion was gone. There was no fire protecting her. The crystal ponies closed in around her, and she was forced to let Silver sink to the ground to free up her hooves and engage them. She kicked, stomped and bit wildly as they bashed at her with their sticks and flailing hooves of their own.

"Stop right there!" Several ponies in gleaming armor charged towards them from the direction of the primary avenue.

One of the attackers grabbed at Silver, only to be brutally kicked away by Night. Not willing to remain in the face of the armed and armored guards, they broke and fled.

The guards broke into two groups, some chasing the crystal ponies, and the others staying with Night Watch. "Is the Ambassador alright, and you, ma'am?"

Night reached a hoof to rest on Silver's head between his ears. "He's fine." She flicked her head towards her hanging wing. "Broken, I think. Fifty-five percent chance, thirty it's just dislocated, ten for a bad sprain."

One of the guards looked down at the singed forms of some of the attackers, checking them. "Alive, but injured badly. What did this to them?"

Night flicked her ears back. "Silver did, in self-defense." She nudged him softly, but he wasn't responsive. "He used too much magic far too quickly." She clenched her teeth. "Can we get him to Cadance? She may be able to help."

The injured were all carried to the castle, crystal ponies and Silver together. Only Night carried herself, stoically walking along with her injured wing at her side.

One of the guards walked at her side. "Night Guard, right?"

She nodded at him. "Proud member." She quirked a little smile. "Day guard?"

He snorted softly. "The armor's a bit of a giveaway, ma'am. Maybe it would be safer if you two left? Things are only becoming less stable."

She frowned a little. "He won't allow that. He's gotten his little unicorn teeth in on this problem and he'll keep worrying it until it's resolved."

"He'll wish he had." With a sudden motion, he struck Night across the face with the butt of his spear, sending her sprawling to the ground. The other guards vanished into the castle, not even noticing them as he picked up Night easily and slung her over his back, trotting quickly into a nearby alley, where he vanished away entirely.

Silver awoke in a comfortable bed, with the smiling face of Cadance looking down at him, her horn glowing gently. He sat up quickly, even if the world did swim around for the motion. "Cadance? Where's Night?" The idea of waking up without her within hoof's reach had become alien. "Is she alright?"

Cadance lifted an ear. "I was told she was restless and took a flight around the city."

Silver nodded as if that were sensible until the memories came flooding back. "There's... no way she could have done that. Where is she?"

"Pardon?" Cadance tilted her head. "Silver, are you alright?"

"No." He slid to the floor, wobbling. "I need Night, right now!"

Cadance reached for him, setting a hoof on his shoulder. "I know how you feel. I want Shining right now too, but he's hurt and I have to let him rest. She'll come back when she's ready."

Silver shrank back from her. "It's not that. She had a broken wing! She can't be flying anywhere. She's hurt, badly. She should be resting, not anywhere else."

Cadance's eyes widened. "Broken? I wasn't..."

It became clear to both that something was horribly wrong.