//------------------------------// // 58 - Evasion // Story: From Dusk to Night // by KuroiTsubasaTenshi //------------------------------// “Can’t say I can recall.” Mahogany’s neighbour, a ripe red stallion, squinted at the ‘photo’ dangling from my wing. Unsurprisingly, Mahogany didn’t have many photos of his father lying around, so we had to resort to a portrait cut out from one of the company fliers. Lucky for us, Birch was narcissistic enough to ensure he came out in high quality, even if it made his insincere smile significantly creepier. Damn. I fought back a frown. This was the last apartment in this section, barring the one directly across from Mahogany’s. While we’d tried it first, our knocks had been met with silence. “We understand that it has been quite some time, but, if you do remember anything, please let us know.” “Y’know…” He squinted again. “Maybe nopony remembers him because he looks so ordinary.” “Ordinary?” I exchanged a glance with Mahogany, both of our eyes falling back on that creepy smile. To be frank, Mahogany had been rather detached during this whole process, as though he’d rather be somewhere else. I knew he had to have had a lot on his mind, so I let it slide. However, I was beginning to suspect he was thinking about something much heavier than I’d initially assumed. Despite that, this comment managed to get his full attention, including a quirked eyebrow. “I’m not sure I follow.” “Oh, y’know.” Mahogany’s neighbour started drawing circles in the air. “He’s the kind of pony who has to have your attention. He wants something from you or wants to sell you stuff and he’s right insistent about it. They’re a dime a dozen and once you’ve dealt with enough of ‘em, they all start to blend together.” I couldn’t help but smirk. “I guess that makes sense. We’ll keep it in mind. Thanks for your time.” “Oh, of course. Wish I had better news for you. Good luck with your search.” As the door swung shut, I turned back to face the hall. Nine apartments. Eight of them duds. I had to admit I was starting to feel weary. “Guess that’s that.” Mahogany shrugged and moved back toward his apartment. “We should try your other neighbour again. We’ve been down here for some time. And if he’s not back soon, we should try again later, since he’s the most likely to have seen something.” “Great.” Mahogany rolled his eyes. “Then it’ll look like I’m stalking him.” I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think anyone’s going to fault you for knocking on a door every couple days. Besides, it’s not like you’re following him everywhere else.” “Fine. But, if anypony calls me out, you’re taking the blame.” Shaking my head, I sighed. “I don’t think that will happen, but if it does, yeah, give me a call and I’ll set them straight.” I’d always been aware of just how dingy the light and slightly yellowed walls of this old building looked, but as I watched Mahogany, it almost seemed exacerbated. Or, perhaps it was the building’s dinginess that served to make him appear even more ragged. He raised a hoof and knocked in a way that looked totally half-assed, but still had a solid echo. No answer. “Oh, I guess no one’s home. Oh, well, guess it’s a wash.” Mahogany spun to face his door. I sighed again. “Why are you being so resistant to this? Are you still worried about further provoking him? We just need a couple small pieces to make this case really solid.” “No. I’m not. I mean, maybe a little, but it’s just, this.” Mahogany looked down. “This? Meaning, directly opposing him?” Mahogany glanced side to side. “This whole thing—slinking around and being all crafty—it’s playing his game. We’re playing into his hooves.” “That’s not true.” I shook my head. “Sure, we’re being sneaky about opposing him, but it’s not the same. He’s doing it all to manipulate you for his own gains. You’re doing it to counter his manipulation, to allow you to live your own life.” “But we’re still playing his game.” I was starting to suspect what might be bothering him. “Because he forced your hoof. You stood up for us and yourself. That, alone, makes all the difference.” “No, I was angry, so angry at him. I lashed out. It just happened.” Mahogany’s eyes carried a strange mix of fear and affirmation. “You know who else gets angry and lashes out?” Stepping forward, I placed a wing on his withers. “Mahogany, you are not your father. Anger is natural, even if it’s not the best thing to drive your actions. That it stemmed from the fact that you care enough about us—not a temper-tantrum that someone isn’t doing exactly as you say—that makes you a good person.” Mahogany cracked the barest of smiles. “You’re good with words, Dusky, but words can’t fix everything.” “I know.” I pulled him into a quick hug. “Were that true, we wouldn’t even have to be doing this.” “Hey, you just like hanging out in the hall or what?” Approaching from the end of the hall was a stallion whose coat was nearly as teal as my scarf. His rose red mane was styled into a mohawk and a pair of thick sports shades sat on his muzzle. As he got closer, I could see what looked like a paint roller on his flank. “Oh, Roller. We were just looking for you,” Mahogany said, a vaguely disappointed tinge to his voice. “I gathered as much.” Roller glanced between us. “So, what is it?” “Have you seen this pony?” I held up the photo again. “He would have been here a month or so ago.” “Hmmm, yeah, I remember him.” Roller cocked his head at Mahogany. “Did something happen?” “You could say that.” Mahogany nodded. “We had a… falling out.” “And he’s a bit of a troublemaker,” I added. “Wait.” There was a moment where realization seemed to hit Roller square in the muzzle. “If I get what you’re saying, he wasn’t supposed to be here?” “Pretty much,” Mahogany said. “He stole a few things.” “Aw, shit, sorry.” Roller scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t know. If I had, I would’ve told you. I mean, the guy seemed friendly enough and he had a key and everything.” Mahogany sighed. “That ain’t your fault. He’s had a lot of practice being a sleazebag.” “I’ll say.” Staring at Mahogany’s door, Roller’s eyes became distant for a couple moments. When he turned back to us, he said, “Guess this means you’re looking for witnesses, huh?” “That about sums it up. What do you say?” I asked. Roller looked back at Mahogany. “Shit, yeah, count me in. Can’t just let somepony get away with doing that in here.” As Mahogany nodded, I could see a smile creeping up his lips. --- While it’d taken over half the day, hitting on a better lead than we could have even hoped for made the whole thing worth it. I’d already sent word to Noble, but our task wasn’t quite done yet. Unfortunately, with only the evening left, there was nothing left to do but wait. Finding Barkeep was always going to be a given. However, the stallion had a business to run. There would be little room to chat about sensitive topics during peak hours. Further, the morning was also an iffy prospect, as he’d be more than likely dealing with inn things. That suited me just fine, though, given I’d offered to train with Night the morning of the next day. Despite the discussion about Birch going rather late, Night still found a few moments to ask Noble about training. And if Noble was anything like my mother, I figured Night would need a bit of a warm-up before facing that kind of regimen. As the door to Night’s place swung open, it was not he, but a white mare who stood before me. Barely a moment and she was a white and brown blur, lunging at me. I twisted my body, about a half-second from throwing her to the ground when I remembered that this was probably Night’s sister, Spring Showers. I relaxed a little as she wrapped her hooves around me, pulling me into a hug. I blinked. “Uh, hello?” A few moments passed, then Spring Showers’s eyes went wide and she released me, hastily stepping back. “Sorry! Sorry, if I invaded your space! It’s just that last time I saw you…” Arching an eyebrow, I asked, “Last time you saw me? I don’t think we’ve met.” “W-well…” Spring Showers looked winded. “You kinda weren’t awake. And kinda, sorta, really hurt. That’s why I’m so glad to see you’re okay.” I froze. The Cartel attack. I’d forgotten that Spring Showers had been with Night and the others that evening. A wave of guilt washed over me. “Oh, well, thanks for your concern. I’m really sorry you had to see me like that.” She frowned. “You didn’t get that way because you wanted to. That was the bad guys’ fault.” “Yeah, but if I’d been thinking way back." I shook my head. "I wouldn’t be a target in the first place." “Oooooh. Regrets, huh? I get that. Sometimes you just say and do things you can’t take back and it scares off your little brother.” After a moment, she remembered I was there. “Or, uh, in your case, gets you chased by crazy, evil ponies.” I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I guess that’s one way of putting it. Some good has come of it, though. It brought my friends and I closer, among a few other things.” “Closer, eh?” Spring Showers’s eyes lit up. “With Nighty?” “Er, yes, he is my friend.” “Aha! A classic. The Dangerous Mare and the Lonely Stallion. Did you share a passionate kiss after conquering your pasts?” She grinned wide. Well, I don’t need to think too hard about who she inherited this from. I shook my head. “There wasn’t any conquering and, somehow, I don't think our experience has been anything like that book.” “Book? No, no, no. This is a story of the world, old as time, bringing hundreds of ponies together through trials and tribulations to find their true love.” Spring Showers was practically bouncing at this point. I never thought I'd meet anyone else who could quite rival Terra’s sense of romanticism, but here she was, not only in the same town, but in front of me. Then it hit me that the two of them had already met. I began to wonder just how many poor fools who wandered through those doors had fallen into their machinations. It was probably better not to think about it. “Uh, right. I still don’t think it’d quite line up. Anyway, is Night around?” “Yep! He’s in the back with Mint.” “Mint?” I tilted my head. I didn’t think that my message was enough for Noble to send someone in just yet. There had to be something else. “Did something happen?” “Oh, yes. The whole whipping him thing is happening.” As though it even needed emphasis, Spring Showers swung her forehoof in a wide, lashing motion. “Whip—” I arched a brow. Pinkie had conditioned my mind for this, though it was a bit odd coming from anyone other than her. I wondered if they were somehow vaguely related. “Oh, right. Training.” “Yeah! That! C’mon, I'll take you to them.” Spring Showers led the way to the back of the house. At the very end of a hall was a sizable room, though it was rather bare, save for Night, Mint and a few stuffed training dummies. As I stepped through the doorway, the floor gave way a little. I supposed Night must have layered some softer clouds in for extra padding. “A lot of high expectations come with being a Light. I guess I can’t blame you for wanting— Dusky!” Mint noticed us almost immediately and came trotting over. Night, who was still facing the other way, turned so red that I could see the colour off the back of his cheeks. It took all my willpower to hold back a giggle. “Hello, Mint.” I smiled. “You’re helping with the sparring today?” “Yep!” Mint replied. “Today, and for a little while, I figure. I didn’t realize you and Night were practicing together.” The more I thought about it, the more I realized Mint was the obvious ideal choice. After all, as a drill sergeant, she would be used to working with people of varying skill levels. And there, I also saw an opportunity for myself, to hone my own style. “We weren’t before today.” “Y-yeah.” Night chimed in. “We’ve fought together often enough... I just thought, maybe it’d be smart if we, um, train together... a bit.” “Eh, he, he.” Spring Showers grinned wide. “Oh, I know how this goes. You and Dusky start to ‘practice’ and it’s all in good fun, then things start to heat up, and you were all punch and kick and then suddenly you’re wrestling to win, and Night looks up and sees Dusky standing over him, staring down, all covered in sweat. He reaches up to kiss her, and then they start t—” Mint placed a hoof over Spring Showers’s mouth. “That’s just about enough of trashy romance theater, thank you, Sis’. You want to stay and make commentary, you have to stay and spar. Alright?” Taking a step back, Spring Showers donned a pouty face the likes of which her nieces and nephews could only dream of achieving. “Awwwwww, fine. But don’t blame me if it all ends with the two of them making kissy faces!” And with that, she was gone. I glanced back at Mint and smirked. “Trashy romance theater?” She laughed. “Spring has a not-so-secret love for a very specific genre of books. She thinks nopony else knows. We all know.” “Sorry about this, Dusky.” Night lowered his head. “I didn’t know Dad would send Mint today to help me train. If you want to postpone our sparring, I’ll understand.” “Postpone nothing, Nighty. This is perfect. If you’re going to be training alongside Dusky, I can focus a little bit more on the gaps in both your knowledge.” There was almost a twinkle in Mint’s eye as she turned to me. “Though, that means I’ll need to learn where your strengths are. Care to go a round?” It wasn’t exactly how I thought we’d start out, but it was more or less what I was looking for. I decided I might as well roll with it. “So long as Night’s good.” “He can take five. I was running him hard on the basics when you arrived.” Mint walked back to the middle of the room, stretching her neck as she went. “Honestly, I’ve been wondering what you could do since Myrtail.” I smirked. “I’ll try not to disappoint you, then.” Mint's stance was pretty close to Guard standard, though she leaned forward a little, exuding an aura of confidence. She knew she had a bit of extra size and weight behind her and she knew how to use it. I could already tell this would be much like sparring with my mother. I edged forward, waiting to see if she would move in. However, it seemed she was intent on allowing me the first move. So, I struck, throwing down a quick one-two with my wings, aiming to test the waters. Parrying each strike with ease, Mint answered with her own, more powerful buffet, forcing me to sidestep. Seizing the opportunity, she came in fast, unleashing a flurry of short, low hoof strikes. While they couldn’t hit anything especially soft, they could have easily left me open to another wing assault. Deflecting each blow, I came back at her with my alternating hoof and wing strikes. None of them were worth more than a glancing blow and then Mint’s next barrage was headed my way. After several more exchanges produced similar results, we each stepped back. In the end, neither of us had taken any meaningful hits, though the gap in our skills were clear as day: Mint had only begun to sweat while I felt like a couple more rounds would push me to the point of being unable to muster a counterattack. “Hey, that’s a pretty good defense you’ve got there.” Mint grinned. “But if you’re going to put so much energy into it, you’ll need a more decisive offense. What do you think Night? Any outside observations?” As we both turned to Night, he seemed a bit lost in thought, eyes focused squarely on me. After a moment, he started. “Oh, I, um, don’t know. It was hard to tell.” Mint sighed. “Spring might have been right about one thing. Distraction is definitely an issue.” It was my turn to grin. “Or maybe we can put that focus to use. Coming at you, Night!”