From Dusk to Night

by KuroiTsubasaTenshi


81 - Just Cause

While solo flight had few equals in terms of speed and versatility, I felt naked, vulnerable, lonely. I’d grown too used to traveling with everyone, especially Night. Even during the periods of silence, just an exchanged glance was comfort. But, today, my only company was anxiety, those creeping thoughts of dread.

I shrugged them off as best I could, reminding myself of Ivory’s strength. She was a survivor and the forest was hers. They would have to do more than start a fire to bring her down. Only thing was, the better hidden she was from them, the better hidden she was from me. Of course, I knew a place or two to start, but with the extremes her enemies had gone to, I seriously doubted she would fall back on the basics.

As I set down just outside of Iron Shoe, I already wished I was there in the forest, gathering information. Thankfully, I was not so stupid. I’d already pushed myself a little harder than I should have to make it so far so quickly. I needed to take advantage of this night to get something resembling a decent sleep. Pasture certainly wouldn’t be offering such hospitality.

A light drizzle pitter-pattered over the tall, flat roofs of the city. The ghost-like gloom that invariably followed dampened what little light remained of the day. Were I a more self-absorbed person, I might have wondered if the weather workers had heard I was coming and laid out some mood weather.

Walking the softening gravel path, I wondered if there was anything I should pick up. As a crossroads city on the somewhat larger side, Iron Shoe dealt rather heavily in both trade and craft. A quick trip to the market in the morning could net me any number of necessities. The more worried I became, the more inclined I was to double down on first aid supplies.

Steady, Dusky. Room first.

I picked up the pace a little, trotting toward the hotel district. If any passersby had actually been around to see me, I doubted they could blame anyone for running through the rain. As I proceeded further, the scarcity of people started to concern me. Even the weather and time of day couldn’t explain it all.

That was when two figures in golden armour stepped out of a nearby alleyway. It simultaneously did and did not remind me of the Guards’ pegasus armour. The form was more than inspired, sporting the same full back plating that ended in a spiral of sorts at the front. Instead of a blue star, the middle of the chest was emblazoned by a clump of green moss. The metal, however, was distinctly cheaper, with a more bronze colour to it. I supposed the first impression had come from a lucky glint off of the failing light.

The one on the right stepped forward and cocked his head. It looked a bit odd, like he wasn’t quite sure how to posture in armour. “Hey, lady.”

“Me?” I raised an eyebrow, but doing my best to appear unfazed.

“Yeah, you.” He took a few steps forward.

I stood my ground. If they’d wanted to start a fight right out in the open, there would have been much fewer words. Whatever they wanted, I decided I would play along, to get more of a grasp on their motives. And if nothing else, perhaps letting this spectacle continue would eventually attract the attention of the Guard. “You on your way to a parade?”

“Something like that. It got rained out.”

“That’s a shame.”

There was a long, awkward pause before he spoke again. “You could brighten my day.”

“Sorry, I don’t do one-night stands.” I flashed him a grim smirk.

“Hmph, your loss.” The stallion turned up his nose, to which the other raised an eyebrow and nudged him. “Er, I mean, whatever. That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Is that so? Care to enlighten me?”

His stare hardened, locking directly on me. “Turn around and walk away. Go home.”

“Excuse me?” I feigned surprise.

“We know who you are.” The confidence of his words genuinely caught me offguard, though I don’t think I betrayed anything to him. Not that the chances of him noticing seemed all that likely, as he seemed rather enraptured by his own speech. “But our boss is a gentle stallion. Stand aside and let us bring justice.”

I chastised myself for taking such a direct route. This wasn’t like with Summer Leaf, where she was constantly feeding her minions intelligence. They knew Ivory had a friend who would invariably respond to something as big as the burning of a forest. It wouldn’t have taken much thought to have someone watch the road for the next couple weeks. My haste could very well be my undoing.

“And just what does ‘justice’ entail?”

He narrowed his eyes, like he was trying to determine if I was stupid or playing him. “It’s a dark sorcerer. What do you think?”

“Putting aside your intentions for this sorcerer, you would have me leave town and wander the roads at night?” I played up my skepticism as much as possible.

“We have a place you will stay. We’ll see you out in the morning.”

“I already said I don’t do one-night stands. I’ll take the hotel instead, thanks.”

“That was not a suggestion.” He started a slow, stalking advance.

“So, what, you’re going to attack me in the street for all the Guard to see?”

“Who said the Guard would see anything?” He grinned smugly.

“Those Guards.” I pointed my hoof at the empty air behind them. They started and glanced behind them, at which point I bolted. The barest of smirks crossed my face. Guess their grasp isn't as strong as they'd like me to believe.

I was about a block away when I heard the shouting and beating of wings. I could have also flown, but there was nowhere to hide in the sky. At least, not within reachable distance. The thin rain clouds might have worked if I was able to get up there without them seeing me. No, my best chance was on the ground. I skidded as I banked left, dashing into the closest alleyway.

Never had I thought I would ever use the phrase ‘cursedly clean’, but that’s just what this alley was. Not a single crate, trash can or even trash bag to be seen. There was a bit of debris, but the only way I would have been able to hide under that was if I was a five-year-old filly. The worst part is that a high iron gate cut the alley in half, meaning I’d have to fly up over the roofs to get past it, completely defeating the point of even being in the alley.

I quickly scanned the walls, looking for a door I might be able to force. To my disappointment, each of the two doors were those heavy iron security doors. There’s no way I was getting through those without a battering ram.

The shouts were getting closer. If I bolted now, they’d almost certainly run me down. If I tried to fly now, my lower height would leave me about as vulnerable as griffon-stalked prey. Perhaps, if I simply stayed here, still and up against the wall, they’d miss me. If not, luring them here wouldn’t be so bad. Diving down would be difficult in here, making it possible for me to run out into the street and maybe get another lead.

“Psst!” A stallion’s voice almost sent me nine feet into the air.

Whirling toward the wall, I could see one of the doors was open just a crack, a tan muzzle poking out. I stared. “Who—?”

“There’s no time! Hurry!” He pushed the door open a little more, revealing that he had no weapons, nor any clothing under which to conceal any weapons, as well as what appeared to be a small back stockroom.

Still, I hesitated. He was trying to make himself appear as non-threatening as possible, and yet, appearances can be deadly. At the same time, something in my gut told me I’d be alright. With a deep breath, I made my decision.

The stallion eased the door shut, such that it only made the tiniest of sounds. His bluish-purple mane shimmered a little under the light from the two lanterns at either end of the rectangular room.

I glance around, tenseness still holding me in a combat stance. There were three or four heavy crates sitting in various positions against the walls, though none were large enough to hide a full-grown person.

“Phew,” the stallion deflated, giving the door one last look before turning to me. “Sorry about that. This wasn’t how I’d hoped to meet you again.”

“Again?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Oh…” He looked a bit disappointed, but that quickly disappeared as he rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, I guess you probably wouldn’t remember me. But, uh, well, this is kind of awkward now, but I’ve wanted to thank you for a while now. You and the… the Necromancer. So, er, thanks.”

A long dormant memory stirred and my eyes fell on his flank: an urn. No way. Are you serious?

However, I still wasn’t quite ready to trust him. Tilting my head, I asked, “You’re making an awful lot of assumptions. How do you know I’m who you think I am?”

“Well, how many friends does somepony like the Necromancer have?” he fidgeted a little, looking me over again as though he had to convince himself.

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“W-well, some of my ex-buddies may have said ‘the Necromancer’s friend is probably going to come through here and she looks like this.’” He then proceeded to give an uncomfortably detailed description of me.

I narrowed my eyes. “And just who are these ex-buddies? Who gave them that information?”

“H-hey, I’m not lying to you or anything. I just… I’m not as brave as you.”

“Meaning?”

He sighed. “You stand up for what you believe in. I can’t do that. I’m afraid, afraid of losing what I have. Back in Pasture, I was that way for the wrong reasons. I thought I had to prove myself to my buddies, to show them how much I appreciated the family. When everything fell apart, my ‘family’ started infighting over who would be the next leader. Some of us fled here, looking for a better life.”

“And you found it?”

“Yes. Well, unfortunately, just me. My buddies tried, but they couldn’t let old habits die. Got in with some nasty guys called The Cartel,” he gave me a guilty look, as though he was responsible for their poor life choices. “But I remembered what you and the Necromancer said. It didn’t have to be that way. That’s why…”

He motioned to the crates and then the wall that was presumably shared by the front of the building. “... it’s not big and I’m not rich, but I feel a lot better about myself.”

“Let me guess, you can’t bring yourself to fully abandon your old friends.”

“That’s part of it, yeah. But, like I said, I’m afraid. Those Cartel guys are real nasty. Even after they changed their name to ‘Moss’s Crusaders’, I could tell they hadn’t changed one bit. I can’t stand up to that. That’s why whenever they’d come around asking me to join them for their next job, I make excuses.”

“And that’s how you learned about me?”

“More or less. I don’t know who told them, but when they told me, I just knew I couldn’t let things end that way. I was part of the problem way back then, if I let those mistakes bring harm to the ponies who had changed my life so much, I don’t think I could live with myself.”

I couldn’t help but smile. In all this disaster, I’d never expected to stumble upon something like this. In fact, I felt a little guilty, having interrogated him so harshly at the time. “You’re braver than you think. If you were truly a coward, you wouldn’t have even done this. Bravery doesn’t necessitate confrontation and violence.”

He laughed a little. “I guess that’s the message I got that many years ago, even if I didn’t realize it until now.”

“Regardless, I appreciate what you’ve done, Mister…” I extended a hoof.

“Kiln Stoker. No Mister.” He met my hoof and shook.

“Right.” I smiled again. “And I’m Dusky. Once things settle down, maybe I’ll have to come by and see your shop for real.”

“I look forward to it. Stay safe out there.” He gave me another guilty look.

“I will. I have too many people counting on me coming back alive.” I glanced at the door.

He nodded. “Stay off the main roads. There’s way more of those Crusader guys roaming around than makes anypony here comfortable.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”