//------------------------------// // 53 - Family Matters // Story: From Dusk to Night // by KuroiTsubasaTenshi //------------------------------// We were in the back room for the long haul, though I didn’t need to give Terra or Mahogany any warning—they brought an ample supply of drink with them. Whether it was instinctual or they just happened to be feeling extra thirsty, I didn’t know. Asking them would have been fruitless, though, as I’d just get a shrug and a declaration that they’re not drinking any more than usual. Even though I tried to condense the story, cutting out the goriest details, I was halfway through my second cider by the time I was done. I think by now, Terra had grown particularly accustomed to the these kind of situations. She was mostly silent, giving me a sad, almost resigned, look that occasionally melted into varying levels of horror. Mahogany seemed more fidgety, making it a bit more difficult to pick out when he was extra agitated. However, after Fillydelphia, I imagined it wasn’t too hard for him to extrapolate. As I concluded our story, Terra shook her head. “You’re crazy.” “Yeah… Sometimes I can’t help but think that of myself.” I smiled sheepishly. It wasn’t like I could deny it. What other kind of person would willingly enter the Badlands, never mind run headlong into all the other stuff? “No, really,” Mahogany chimed in. “Rebel conspiracies? Diggin’ up lost kingdoms? Fighting evil dragons? Dusky, yer a walking novel!” “Know what that means?” Merri winked. “You should throw it all together and publish it! Easy money~!” Star raised an eyebrow. “Because I am sure she is all too eager to romanticize our near-death experiences into an adventure book for a quick bit.” “Hey, whatever helps her get past it~.” Merri wrapped a hoof around me as she leaned in. “Right?” “Merri, that is not the point, nor as simple as you make it out to be.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re both right to an extent. I think writing it down would be helpful, but I don’t want to romanticize it. What we saw, it should be told, but without the bad being glossed over. It should be more of a personal account—something that can help bridge the gap between our countries.” Both Merri and Star nodded simultaneously, only noticing each other about halfway through. Merri giggled and grinned. “Anyway,” I said, turning back to Terra. “Enough crazy. How have things been with you?” Terra ran a hoof through her mane. “Well, I might be doing some summer travel after all.” “Oh? Decided to come along?” I took a sip of cider. “Oh, um, you’re planning on travelling with Dusky this summer too?” Night asked. I raised an eyebrow, given that this was the first he’d mentioned such a thing. “Not exactly.” Terra placed a card on the table. Colourful wild flowers bordered bold script that read, Together with their family, Terrabona and Stalwart Stone request your presence at the ceremony and celebration of their marriage. Night’s remark was immediately on the backburner. I think he even added something else, but I was too preoccupied almost giving Terra a face full of cider. Thankfully, I got my hooves to my mouth just in time and forced the remainder down. “What?!” “Hah! Toldja!” Mahogany pointed. “Even Dusky thinks you’re bein’ too hasty! I win! S’your round next!” Terra’s ears drooped. “It does seem a little sudden. Why don’t you fill me in on the other details?” I looked a little more closely at the invitation. Curiously, there was only a city name, Orlov, given. “Like, when and where in Orlov? Also, isn’t Orlov a bit far away for Stalwart Stone to travel?” Terra nodded. “I know we haven’t been dating very long, but the more time Stalwart and I spend together, the more we just click.” “You say that about every couple.” Mahogany gave her as flat a look as his intoxication allowed. When I peered at him, he added, “What? It’s true.” “I know. But I’m really serious about this. I admire his strength and conviction, even after all that’s happened. We know just what to say to support each other, almost without any other words spoken.” Terra’s face softened. “Plus, he’s a bit of a romantic.” I couldn’t argue with the criteria. Her certainty in how closely he met them was another matter, though my absence for the last few weeks meant my own judgment would be sorely lacking. For now, I decided to trust her assessment and find out more later. I could always raise any objections in private once I’d had more of a chance to talk to him. “Well, it does sound like you two mesh well. How about the time and place? And his back?” “We’re still working on that. I sent a telegram to a few places with dates, but they haven’t gotten back to me yet.” Terra tapped her hooves against the edge of the table. “I think his back should be okay. It might be a problem if we had to walk, but Orlov got a train station last year.” I nodded. “While that’s quite fortunate, you’re aware that trains aren’t necessarily the smoothest ride, especially out to a smaller city, right?” “Yeah. I know. But it’s Stalwart’s hometown and his parents are there and he showed me pictures. There’s this beautiful beach that would be perfect!” Terra’s eyes flitted to the side. “Plus, I always dreamed of a destination wedding.” I laughed. “Okay, Terra, you’ve convinced me for now. We’ll have to see what the finer details look like as you work this out.” “Fine by me.” She smiled, though a tinge of nervousness tugged at the corners of her mouth. “That brings me to my next question. Will you be my Maid of Honour? I know you normally travel around then, but the dates we’re looking at are all pretty early.” “I’d be honoured,” I said, meeting her smile. “And don’t worry about it. I have quite a bit of leeway to push things back.” Normally, I’d have been open to a complete reschedule, but I’d promised Ivory I would visit her. Even if the current state of things was pretty quiet, she couldn’t really leave. In fact, given that I was one of a very small number of people she could safely talk to, I felt bad that I didn’t make it out there more often. It was the one big thing I just couldn’t put off. “Uh, oh. Here comes the boring, girly details.” Mahogany rolled his eyes. I grinned. “I think Mahogany’s volunteering to be a bridesmaid.” “Uh, uh. Nope. Not unless Flurry here wants to be one with me,” Mahogany shoved Night out in front of him. “An’ Flurry doesn’t want any of that. Right?” “Yeah, um…” Night squirmed more than a little. “I don’t really like dresses. Err, wearing them, that is.” “Aw, but you’d both look so good in pink.” Terra leaned forward, staring at them in a way where I couldn’t quite tell if she was completely joking. --- Before I could give my full attention to wedding things, there was one other matter I had to deal with. I’d thought about subtly bringing it up at the bar, to see if Mahogany had told Terra yet, but I decided it wouldn’t have really been fair to him. With that in mind, I once more found myself headed for the EPS store just before closing. After Oasis, there was just something about Ponyville roads that felt a little lonely and the band of hazy, orangey-purple clouds hanging overhead seemed to be there just to drive that point home. Even if the day was clearly winding down, it’s not like there wasn’t a fair amount of traffic. I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it, but guessed that perhaps it was just the comparatively lower level of energy. Regardless, I shook the feeling off. I could think about it later. As the door bells jingled, Mahogany looked up from the counter, resigned to serving one more obnoxious, last-minute customer until he saw it was me. “Oh, Dusky. Good. The boss was bugging me about sending this one back.” He trotted off into the back room and returned with a cube wrapped in brown paper. I hoped my dad hadn’t packed anything that needed to be taken out as soon as possible; no matter how good the job, some things just didn’t do well sitting around in a box for weeks. “Sorry. Had I been thinking before I left, I’d have arranged to have Terra get these out of your hair.” With a wave of his hoof, he slid the package down his wing to the counter. “Nah, s’fine. Not like we ever use all the space back there, anyway.” “Thanks, Mahogany.” I nodded. “So, how are things with you? You didn’t say much last night.” “Fine, fine. Just the same old EPS and Seapony stuff, the way I like it.” His face was a stone wall, though his voice faltered ever so slightly. I looked him straight in the eye. “So, does that mean you got the thing with your dad resolved?” “It’s a work in progress.” Mahogany stared down at his clipboard. I raised an eyebrow. “Work in progress? Meaning the Guard is investigating?” “I decided I don’t need them.” His eyes continued to drift down the page. “Uh, you’re not gonna do anything drastic, are you?” I suddenly found myself hoping he was just slacking. “No, no. I’m just gonna let him wear himself out, then he’ll get bored and leave.” Though there was a tinge of uncertainty in his voice, he sounded perfectly convinced. I sighed, not knowing whether to be more relieved or annoyed. “Until next time he feels like harassing you.” “Then I can do it again. I’ll be immovable like those… uh, boxer pony guys.” Mahogany took a couple fake shots at the air. “So… yeah! You can just take your package and I’ll be fine.” Shaking my head, I pushed the parcel aside. “Maybe you know your father better than me, but he strikes me as the kind of guy who will take that as a gesture of invitation and keep hounding you until you give in. Please, Mahogany. Go to the Guard before he does something irreversible to you.” He slumped. “I can’t.” “What do you mean you can’t? Did he do something to sabotage you?” I tensed a little, hoping, once again, that my imagination was simply running away with me. Mahogany sighed. “Yes.” “What?! How?” “By being my dad.” Mahogany sighed. “I get that he crossed a line, but where would I even begin? ‘Hi, I’d like to report my dad for being a prick?’ They’d laugh me out of there.” I shook my head. “You’d be surprised how often they have to deal with this kind of thing. I’m sure they’ll understand.“ Mahogany stared up at the ceiling. “You can’t know that. It’s not like you’re one of them.” “Maybe not.” I pondered a moment. “But I do know several. Blaze may not be full fledged yet, but I’m sure she’d listen. Or if you’re more comfortable with Night, I bet he’d happily arrange a meeting with his father or sister. There are sympathetic ears out there for you.” He gave me a look of uncertainty and I met his eyes. After a few moments, he slumped. “Okay, okay. You win. I’ll talk to Flurry.”