Taking to heart Ivory’s advice, I stayed another day to rest. Of course, given how long I’d slept initially, I couldn’t go back to bed right away. This did give me an opportunity to make sure the entirety of my pack was in order and to make a list of all the supplies we were likely to need along the way. And when I still felt restless, I took to sharpening my wingblade. Every bit of energy spent now was precious energy I wouldn’t have to expend while we made the journey home.
I had Night doing much the same as myself, though at a slower pace. He learned quickly, absorbing my hurried instruction like a sponge, but didn’t have the years and years required to make it second nature. Watching him scurry about, a blanket of melancholy fell over me.
When he looked up, our eyes met and he tilted his head. “Dusky? Is something wrong?”
Shaking my head, I let out a little chuckle. “Nothing we haven’t already discussed. I’m just… sorry. We’re supposed to be on vacation, but here we are preparing to run off and fight another supernatural horror.”
“It’s okay,” Night said.
“Is it really, though?” I sighed. “This weirdness that follows me, it’s why I was always afraid for my friends. Why I was always convinced I’d never have a special someone. Are you really sure you want to marry into this?”
“M-maybe not that in particular, but…” A sappy smile spread across his lips. “Everything else makes it worth it.”
“Everything? Including this?” I couldn’t help myself. I was so tightly wound that it crossed back over to zero.
I wiggled my butt.
Night turned bright red. “U-um, yes. I, I mean no. I mean it’s not the most important—”
Sliding up beside him, I snuck a quick nuzzle and giggled. “I know what you meant.”
---
While Night and I were busy with our preparations, Ivory was constantly in and out of the cabin, checking in on her sentries and the edge of the forest. She didn’t really need to be that close to command her zombies, but I suspected she wanted to confirm, with her own eyes, the safest route for our departure.
Plus, I think she was glad for the busy work. I know I was. Packing kept me focused away from the inevitable. Of course, it’s called “inevitable” for a reason and so it came to pass that two grown mares were left standing there, on the verge of breaking down.
Ivory shook it off first, stepping forward and saying, “One last gift for you before you go.”
Her horn lit up and a faint purple wave of light washed over me. It simultaneously felt warm and cold, such that I couldn’t help but squirm under its effect. After a few seconds, I looked up, “What was that?”
“A ward of my own devising. I’m afraid it’s a bit crude. It will neither hide you nor bar the banshee from approaching you. However, it will radiate magic that her kind will find quite painful.”
“Which means if she’s determined, she can still affect me?” I asked.
Ivory nodded. “Sadly, yes. I wish I could apply a stronger enchantment, but it would not last long enough to be meaningful.”
“Thanks, Ivory. I appreciate it—and everything else you’ve done.” It was my turn to step forward, pulling her into a quick hug. “How long do I have?”
“Twenty-four hours at best. You’d better get going.”
---
The journey home was grim from the start—a miserable thought I never thought I’d think. Which was, perhaps funny to consider. Ponyville had been ground zero for an Ursa attack, the wrath of a scorned dark princess, the shenanigans of a chaos god and the rampaging minions of an ancient evil. What was one more supernatural attack?
Perhaps it was the anticipation. The previous disasters had all happened so quickly, forcing a reaction from us. Here, it was a long flight back, with Ivory’s magic only covering me for about one-third of the journey. And even then, I was still technically vulnerable, to say nothing of what could happen after the ward ran out.
Spurred on by that fear, I pushed us as hard as I dared the first day, flying straight south while we still had the element of surprise. At first I was tense, the thought that I had sorely underestimated Summer Leaf’s power flooding my mind. I clung to what Ivory had said, a buoy keeping me from being washed away into madness: fear. Summer Leaf had felt fear. Maybe, just maybe, it was she who overestimated herself. After several hours with neither blockade nor so much as a Cartel scout, I felt that lifeline swell into confidence.
However, reality quickly brought me closer to earth as darkness fell without Las Pegasus in sight. Still, it gave me the courage to push forward, to realize that, for the moment, there was nothing lurking in the dark, but if I chickened out and set up camp in the wilderness, we might not find the night so friendly anymore.
After what felt like a year, the lights of Las Pegasus came into view. I flashed Night a reassuring smile as we descended, mind drifting back to the forest, to one of my frenzied planning sessions.
“Full disclosure,” I’d said. “The Gooseneck Galley is a known Mob-owned hotel.”
“W-wait, a Mob hotel?!” Night had stared blankly. “Why?”
“This may sound strange, but as long as we don’t stick our muzzles in their business, it’s the safest place to be.” When my words failed to wipe the skepticism from Night’s face, I continued. “The Cartel will be at a severe disadvantage if they try to start something in a Mob establishment. In the very least, it should give us time to escape. Otherwise, it’s probably our only chance for a decent rest once we leave these woods.”
Night let it all stew for ten seconds, then twenty, before finally nodding—albeit slowly and with a bit of a frown. “Alright, Dusky. If you think it’s best. I don’t like it… but I trust you.”
As my hooves touched the smooth cloud-secured concrete of the Las Pegasus strip, my mind shot back to the present. Across the street sat the Gooseneck Galley, the golden sheen of its twenty-story tower steeped in a thousand fallen wallets.
The front of courtyard was partly walled off by an all-too-glitzy approximation of a palisade. At least, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to actually use the thing giving it such a bright brown paint job. A mock blast hole served as the gate, giving the street a good, wide view of the eponymous galley.
It was a scale model of sorts, though one that went above and beyond the norm. If other major cities’ hotels were kids budgeting out for forty-bit models, the Gooseneck was the kid dropping an entire paycheck on the masterwork 2000ZX figurine. I’m no sailor, but the materials seemed pointedly chosen for authenticity, just cut down to size. Each plank appeared to be carefully aligned and the sails even fluttered in the breeze. Were it not firmly suspended above the hotel’s fountain by several iron poles, I’d almost expect it to have flown away. Perhaps the oddest detail was the bow, which had been shaped into the face of a surprisingly menacing-looking goose. Despite that, it was unable to shake off its theme-park vibe. Something told me that was likely intentional, as a way of averting suspicion.
Standing atop the deck of the ship itself was another model—an earth pony mare, dressed in the most stereotypical pirate captain outfit possible, skull-and-crossbone hat included. The blindingly gold jewelry was the perfect blend of the hotel showing off while being able to pretend that was an authentic thing a pirate would do.
I honestly hadn’t been quite sure what to expect. The logical side of me said, exactly this. Well, perhaps not exactly, but the showboating for certain. The fearful, more paranoid side, expected something ominous. Perhaps a bone road leading past a skeletal captain, who would beckon as we approached.
Sighing inwardly, I waved off such ridiculousness and turned to Night. “You ready?”
Much like me, his eyes had been fixed on the boat, with just the slightest of delays before his attention snapped back to me. “I... I don’t know.”
“We’re just a couple of tourists, wandering into a nice, overly fancy hotel so we can do what everyone comes to Las Pegasus to do.” I gave him a reassuring smile.
“Right.” Night took a deep breath. “Nothing to be nervous about.”
“Exactly.” I gave him a quick nudge before crossing the street.
Beyond the fence and ship was a pair of tall, golden frames, with window panes twice as tall as me. They slid away as I approached, revealing a lobby that leaned a little more to the practical side, though only a little. An expanse of gold tile filled the room, broken up every so often by a series of purple throw rugs. All around the room were little displays, ranging from goofy, squat treasure chests, to plainer crates with odd silver trim.
The front desk was modeled after a tavern bar—if tavern bars were gold plated. It spanned the width of nearly the entire room, easily leaving enough space for ten receptionists. Since we were arriving at that odd time between the normal check-in rush and the alcohol-fueled last-minute crowd, there were only two at their stations. Both were dressed as stereotypical pirates: white shirt, black pants and a red sash. There was a little customization involved, with the mare on the left sporting an eyepatch and the stallion on the right wearing a bandana. And because the hotel was worried we wouldn’t be able to figure out where we were, both articles were emblazoned with the hotel’s logo: a line drawing of the gooseneck galley.
“Arrr! Welcome to the Gooseneck Galley!” the stallion called out. “What can I do you for today?”
I smiled, moving up to the desk. “We’ve come to see the sights and sounds of Las Pegasus, and decided that the experience just wouldn’t be complete without staying a night in a ritzy hotel.”
“Yar! Then you’ve come to the right place. We offer only the ritziest rooms, decorated by the very best of our plunder!” he replied. “What be your name, lass? And how long will ye be stayin’ with us?”
“Evening Star,” I said, which he quickly scribbled on a piece of parchment. “And just one night.”
“One night… for Miss Evening Star. That’ll be four hundred doubloons.”
I swallowed hard. It wasn’t that I couldn’t afford it—I’d expected the cost to be high—but given what I was used to budgeting out and paying, such a price hit me straight in the gut. However, I quickly pushed past. Expensive as it was, the circumstances called for safety first and foremost. Once I finished counting out the bits, the receptionist slid over a rather large, silver room key. It owed much of its size to being an old replica, oversized ring and long shaft included.
“Yar, we be settled! Elevators be just down the hall. Take ‘em to the second floor and ye be the third door on the right. Enjoy yer stay and don’t forget the buffet runs until midnight!”
As we trotted away, I found Night still glancing back. With a bit of a giggle, I whispered, “Enjoying the theatrics?”
“Um, I guess. I’d have probably loved this place as a colt.” He gave me a bit of a sheepish look. “Now it just seems to be a bit much. And... a bit weird, for a few reasons.”
“I get what you’re saying.” I shook my head. “But, it’s not like they can have a sign outside advertising their true nature. Nor can their employees do anything that might give them away. Come to think of it, I’m not even sure that receptionist was in the know.”
It didn’t take long for us to reach the room and as the gold door slid shut behind us, I took a moment to just sit and breathe. Then the room immediately took it away.
A wide, oak desk sat at the far end of the room, enveloped in the night lights streaming in through the large, bay window. The spider web of a wooden frame looked like it could easily fit into a ship’s stern. Under the moonlight waited a lonely stack of parchment, a quill pen… and the breakfast menu.
With a smirk, I turned to the rest of the room. Competing with the desk for grandiosity was the king-size bed, whose posts extended up to the ceiling. A full curtain rack ran the entire perimeter of the bed, with a set of thick, red curtains waiting on the right side.
“Guess we don’t need to worry about room service walking in during our private moments.” I giggled and flashed Night a grin.
He blushed a little. “R-right. We wouldn’t want them to, um, see how rowdy we get.”
“Indeed.” I continued grinning as I stole a peck on his cheek.
Aside from that, there were a few more props playing up the Captain’s room theme: an odd portrait of a large parrot wearing an eyepatch, flashing a swashbuckler’s smile at the room; a tall, oaken coat closet, on which sat a ship in a bottle; and finally, a long night-stand-dresser combo filled the space between the bed and the bathroom wall, bearing a lamp to which the shade was a black captain’s hat.
Unlike the breakfast menu, which tried its best to blend in with the furniture, the bathroom had much less of a regard for the theme. Which isn’t to say the standard sink-tub-toilet set hadn’t been blinged up—the hotel’s obsession with adding silver trim to things was in full effect. But, well, I’ll just say authentic pirate hygiene isn’t really a thing the hotel would be interested in encouraging and leave it at that.
After Night and I finished our walkthrough, he spent a few more seconds staring out at the main bedroom before looking back at me. “A-and I thought Myrtail was too much.”
“This is definitely well out of my normal budget range, that’s for sure.” I laughed. Truth be told, with the amount of effort put into this hotel, I was beginning to wonder if it really was just a front or if it had accidentally evolved into its own legit business. “Would you believe me if I told you this is only a mid-high-grade hotel when it comes to Las Pegasus?”
He tilted his head, but he’d hardly completed the motion when he nodded. “Yeah, um, after seeing the strip, I think I would.”
“Still.” I flashed him a grin. “As far as hideouts to hunker down and fortify, we could have chosen worse.”