//------------------------------//
// 50 - Dreams of Tranquility 
// Story: Mending Light 
// by Kiromancer 
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With Merri and Star split off, we were on our own in Oasis. Ostfriesen Castle loomed over us, and the city set behind us. Our first goal was someplace to sleep, and to that end, Dusky led us away from the castle proper and into the city, though not directly back towards the marketplace. Instead, she took us down one of the large streets off the side of the main road. 

We walked through the crowds of ponies, all going about whatever business Ostfriesen’s attended to during the day. I took a moment to consider that as we went. What was a normal day for an Ostfriesen? How many of them had journeyed out to the Badlands to slay some terrible creature? As I looked about, I couldn’t help but feel it was less than I would have believed. Fashions aside, these ponies were likely no different than Dusky and I, working somewhere in the city, then home to their families. 

It was strange, but after everything we’d been through, there was something different about Dusky. I was a little overwhelmed, crowds always put me in an odd state of mind, with all the noise and activity. I always preferred to find someplace quiet. Even growing up in Cloudsdale, there was a tea shop I’d made my place of refuge as far from the busier portions of the city around the weather factory. 

Dusky, however, seemed energized by it. There was something extra in her gait, and I suppose with good reason. The worst of it was behind us. If we were lucky, all that stood between us and the trip home was a bit of bureaucracy. We wouldn’t be making any crazy rescue attempts here, and the stress of being surrounded by threats was gone. Even if the ponies of Oasis seemed strange and utterly foreign, they weren’t our enemies.

We passed several inns on our way out from the greenhouse and the Spire. There were a few just beyond the Castle, but Dusky passed those immediately. We couldn’t be sure if our last remaining sovereigns, combined with Star's coins and what we'd received in Olymponis, were enough to get what we’d need. Without knowing how many days we'd be here, Dusky said she'd intended to use our money as carefully as possible.

We moved out beyond the view of the greenhouse and towards the northern edge of town. It was fascinating to watch Dusky work. We moved from inn to inn, and at each, Dusky inquired about room rates, asked a few casual questions about room, meals and such, and then thanked the desk clerk and moved on without another word. It wasn’t until our fourth attempt at a decent looking inn labeled the Roebuck Tavern, that Dusky brought her full game.

With supreme confidence, Dusky stepped up to the front desk and flashed a smile. She asked the room prices, and this time, began to haggle. By the end, she’d secured a room at the lowest rate we’d heard for a long two week period, while still leaving ourselves plenty of coin to get by for that time.

By the time we settled down and deposited our travel bags in the room, the sun had crossed most of the sky, giving us a few hours of day left together. With a smile, Dusky suggested heading back into the greenhouse set at the base of the castle and seeing the fabled source that Star had spoken of, the oasis that this city was named for.

We retraced our walk back to the gate, where we left the name of the Inn with the same Knight who’d escorted Merri inside, and then we found ourselves walking deeper into the greenhouse, past the Spire where Star had gone and into the very heart of the exhibits. Pillars and signage and decorative elements were set tastefully around the plants, framing it all in artifice, but as we approached the oasis itself, it seemed the Ostfriesen’s had decided it should be left as natural as possible.

There was nothing artifical around the lake. It was roughly the size of one of Ponyville’s lakes, large enough to be a sizeable source of water, but small enough to see across. It fit within the greenhouse with little difficulty, surrounded by ferns and palm trees and coarse sand that was clearly desert-like and not like the fine beach sand one might expect. Considering everything that had been built from it, I had almost expected some magical grotto of ever-bubbling water, like some old story of a fountain that could heal wounds and wash away fatigue. The truth of the oasis was surprisingly underwhelming.

I turned to say as much to Dusky when I caught her expression. She was engrossed, eyes scanning the lake, taking in every detail. There was certainly something special about this place, despite its ordinary appearance. A nation had been born here, and this water had been used tame this land, to make a home for a group of refugees who had nothing else. Dusky could clearly feel it, and whatever details she saw was enough to make a smile grow upon her face.

It was a wonderful smile, one that spoke so much about her. It was just all joy there, the joy of seeing something new, of discovering and experiencing and piecing things together. My eyes drifted towards her cutie mark for a moment. This was her element.

She glanced back and must have seen me watching her. She raised her eyebrow and smirked. “What?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. Just… I haven’t seen you like this before. It’s good to see.”

“What? Getting excited?” She giggled. “I’m not really that much of a stick in the mud, am I?”

I thought back to Myrtail, to the curiosity that hid in Dusky, but which I’d only really seen just behind her eyes. Here it was at its most pure. "N-no, more than that. It’s the little filly, splashing in the water for the first time. It’s the same way you look at..."

"Hmm?" She grinned wider. "At what? You can’t keep leaving me hanging like that."

"When…” I tried to find the right thing to say, but my mouth was already working before I could think. “Dusky, when does a dream begin?"

She tilted her head at me, squinting carefully. "A dream? What do you mean?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and pushed on, the words already spilling out. "A dream. I don't have dreams, at least, none that I can ever remember. I've always wondered what it's like." 

My mind drifted back to the dream where I'd first seen Bellerophon. That hadn't been a true dream, even then I'd known that. My sleep was otherwise undisturbed. There were no dreams, no nightmares, it wasn’t anything I’d ever dwelled upon, other than a vague curiosity, but now, it was just an abstract thought that had decided to gnaw at my mind.

Dusky considered a moment, lowering her eyes before she looked back at me. "I don't really think you ever know you're in a dream until you wake up."

"Oh..." I sighed, a hoof digging at the grass which clung stubbornly within the sands of the oasis. 

She moved closer, bringing her muzzle up against my chin, lifting my head. "Why do you ask? Think you dreamt something?"

I nodded. "I don't know, but it seems like it."

"It's okay, Night. I'm here, if you want to talk about it."

I wanted to laugh, shaking my head in disbelief. "But... it's you."

"Me?" She didn’t sound particularly surprised, maybe I was too easy to read, though she wasn’t laughing either. She was pressing me on.

"This. Here. Now. What am I doing here, Dusky? What are you doing here?" I stared her in the eyes, those wonderful, deep, all too real eyes. "How could someone like me end up here, now, with someone like you?"

Dusky's eyes went wide, a reaction I could never have imagined, and a hint of color came into her cheeks before she recovered, giggling. "Flatterer."

I started, feeling my heart slump. "I... I'm serious. It's surreal." I pointed towards the placid lake. "We're standing at the heart of a city that a year ago I'd never even heard of. I've faced monsters, foes, possession, even a dragon. It... it's everything I ever wanted."

Her face fell, but she stayed silent, watching me.

I took a deep breath. "But it's not what I want now."

Dusky nuzzled once again, her voice quiet. "Things around me tend to get a bit crazy. I never wanted that to pull anyone else into it. I'm sorry."

I reached out to hug her. "Dusky. If not for the craziness, I... I don't know where I’d be. I started taking steps into this world because of you, because I thought I loved you. I kept walking because of me, because it was a path I realized I needed to walk down, for my own sake. Now, I stand here beside you because I don't just think I love you anymore—I know it.” 

This place was so peaceful, the oasis at the heart of our journey. I closed my eyes. “I've been scared since we left Ponyville, afraid that I'd gotten my friends hurt, terrified of what was happening to me, and what might happen to us here, but I always had someone to look to for strength.  If... when things get crazy, I never want you to feel like you're pulling me along. I want you to know that I'm beside you by choice."

She was quiet, and I was afraid I'd said too much. We'd talked about going slowly, about taking our time with this relationship, and I agreed. It had given me time to find out how I really felt, about her. More importantly, it had given me time to figure out how I felt about myself. I didn’t want to throw that away now, all because I couldn’t hold back. 

I bit my lip, releasing her from the hug as I stepped back. "I, uh, sorry. I'm rambling again. Just... I guess all I wanted to say was, thank you."

Dusky smiled, stepping forward to kiss my cheek. "You're welcome, Night Light. And thank you, as well."

The heat rose in my face, and I nodded, turning to look back out at the water. “It’s… pretty incredible, isn’t it?”

She turned to stand besides me and face the oasis, that same wondrous smile returning to her face. “Yeah, it is.”

“I’m glad that I can see it with you.” The hardships, the fighting, the fear, it all washed away in the light of that smile. “Maybe there’s something magical about this oasis after all.”

“Something magical, eh?” She laughed a moment and leaned against me. “I’m glad you’re here to see this with me too.”

I looked up at the sun as it began to arc down. "You think… Ostfriesen has some place where we could share a dance?”

“Pffft, what?” A familiar voice called out from behind “You think Ostfriesen’s don’t dance? Oh, we dance~.” 

My cheeks were burning red, and I nearly fell backwards at the red mare’s entrance. “M-Merri?”

“Heya, Night. Hope I’m not interrupting anything~.” She winked. “I don’t wanna butt in.”

Dusky eyed her carefully. “Should you even be here? You didn’t do anything rash, did you?”

“Who, me?” Merri thrust out her lip like a foal feigning innocence. “Nah, I’m a model citizen. They let me out on good behavior~.”

“Really.” Dusky gave her a sidelong glance.

“Yes, really, sheesh. The Queen pardoned me, pretty quickly, too. Sis’ is still in court with her, so I figured I should come down here and pay some respects to the source.”

I straightened up, considering. “Well, that’s good, right? Though, that doesn’t line up, does it? If Star is still giving her testimony, how did the Queen know to let you out already?”

Dusky nodded. “It’s not been that long, I assumed even if everything went well they’d keep watch on you for another day or so.”

Merri shrugged. “What can I say, Queen Papaya knows what’s up. Don’t gotta be an alicorn to be a wise ruler.”

Dusky seemed lost in thought a moment, then slowly smiled towards Merri. “No, I suppose not.”

“Now, I’m gonna be here a bit. Gotta uh, do some personal stuff at the oasis. Ostfriesen tradition and all. Knight stuff, even if I’m not really a knight anymore, you know the drill. You two get a place yet?”

Dusky nodded. “Yeah, just a small one though: the Roebuck Tavern.”

Merri smirked. “Hey, that’s fine~. I’m gonna stay in the barracks, anyway—for as long as Sis’ needs us to stick around, I guess. But I wanted to make sure I knew where to reach you two.”

“Sounds good. We’ve got the room for a couple weeks, so we should be set.” Dusky grinned. “And congratulations on your pardon.”

“Vindication~.” Merri laughed. “Now go on, you two should have some fun. This is just musty old ceremony. Boring.” 

I glanced at Dusky. Merri wasn’t quite telling the whole truth here, but I suspected whatever she wanted to do, it needed to be done alone, for ritual sake, or just out of respect for her privacy. “Well, we’ll meet up tomorrow, then?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Dusky seemed to take the same cues, turning towards me to step away. “We’ll wait at the inn for you tomorrow, Merri.”

“Perfect! Roebuck Tavern. I’ll be there. Now go on, you two deserve a little fun without me barging in on ya. Go shake your booties~!” Merri turned to look back over the water. “And uh, thanks. Thanks a lot, you two.”

We made our way out of the greenhouse back towards town. I looked back at Merri once before we were out of sight to see her sitting at the edge of the oasis, looking down into water. I lifted my head back to find Dusky watching me, that perfect smile still set upon her face as she looked at me. 

“Let’s go find some food first, alright?” 

My doubts and fears were so easily pushed away by that smile. It still didn’t quite seem real, that she might look at me and smile the same way she smiled when she looked out over the oasis. All it did was make my heart grow, to think that I could somehow mean that much to her. I just wanted to see her happy, and somehow what made her happy was… me.

It was a confusing, nonsensical, amazing thought that seemed too dreamlike to be real, but her smile was only too real. I slipped a wing over her as we walked back into the city. “Wonderful. That sounds wonderful.”