//------------------------------// // 86 - Familiar Strangers // Story: From Dusk to Night // by KuroiTsubasaTenshi //------------------------------// A deadlocked silence lingered in the air, stretching on for eons. I glanced between Ivory and Feather Reed, wondering if I should say anything—daring not to say anything, lest I ruin the moment. Even Blaze was held fast by the gravity of the situation. “You’ve… grown.” A sad smile crept up Ivory’s face, her features highlighted by a warmth I’d never seen before. “I could say the same for you.” Feather Reed shuffled awkwardly. Ivory blinked. “That’s a strange thing to say.” “Why?” Feather Reed tilted her head. “Just because you’re older, doesn’t mean it isn’t true. It’s been, what, thirty years?” “Longer, for sure.” Feather Reed nodded. “So, are you going to tell me what you’re doing here, with these… things?” She motioned toward the dormant guard zombies, who had drifted back toward the walls. And the warmth was gone. “Is that all you’re going to ask? Like I’m some kind of...” The sentence went unfinished a few seconds before Feather Reed replied. “It’s my job, Ivory.” “Right. Your job.” “Yes, my job. I have to remain impartial. If I let bias rule me, then nopony will believe my report if it says you’re innocent.” Ivory sighed. “‘If?’ So I am to be treated as a monster the whole time?” “No, Ivory, I...” Feather Reed took a step forward, then half another. “Look, I don’t want to make this any more awkward than it needs to be. We should find a place to sit down.” By this point, Ivory had turned around entirely. “Mmmm, well, I hope you’re prepared for it to be awkward, anyway. This won’t be a short discussion. This way.” Part of me wanted to bring up the urgency of the situation. We really did need to get moving soon. And yet, here and now, things teetered precariously over a bottomless pit. One excuse was all that would be needed to ruin this reunion. We had to chance it. Ivory led us down one of the more roughly cut tunnels, which was narrow enough that two of us could barely fit side by side. Though not as treacherous as the outer pathways, the ground was also uneven, slowing our general pace. The walls broke in numerous places, many of which were just big enough to fit a person—or zombie—inside. Any mercenaries who found this place were in for a bad day. At last, the tunnel opened up, into what was technically a single cavern, though a line of sizable boulders more or less divided it into two ‘rooms’. On the left was a low campfire, dimming with each passing moment. Along the walls, well out of reach of the flames, was a log pile, a couple crates with a sparse selection of books set on top of them, and a rolled-up cot. A trio of lanterns hung along the walls, illuminating all of Ivory’s supplies. The right was completely unlit, but it wasn’t particularly hard to pick out the distinctly cube silhouettes of even more crates. As Ivory entered the left room, a new log hovered its way over to the fire. “I hope you don’t mind sitting on the ground. I’m afraid I don’t have much in the way of accommodating guests.” “I doubt any of us are so dainty as to complain.” I cracked a bit of a grin. Feather Reed shrugged. “Wouldn’t be any different from last night, anyway.” We eventually settled into a bit of a semi-circle, with Ivory and Feather Reed beside each, albeit with a noticeable gap. Blaze and I were seated to Ivory’s right, more observers than anything. And what we observed was about a minute of awkwardly staring at the ground. Feather Reed coughed. “So... why all this? Why zombies?” The bottom flap of Ivory’s cloak floated up, slowly, hesitantly, revealing her pure white coat, then the shadow of a pony climbing over a mound of dirt. “It’s my special talent. Why else?” Silence reigned again as Feather Reed’s eyes locked on her sister’s flank. “Okaaay, right. Let’s try a different approach. What led to you having a small… herd of zombies?” Ivory’s expression darkened as she watched something play out on the wall. “They ran me out of town, Feather. I was a young filly who could barely lift a log on her own, lost in the middle of a dark forest. I needed help. I needed friends. So I made them.” “You need what, three, four, to forage and build you a shelter?” Feather Reed motioned back at the tunnel. “We saw at least thrice as many just coming in here. What happened there?” Ivory’s answer was immediate. “I realized I could protect ponies.” “Protect them? With an army of undead? What could merit that?” “Why does Equestria have an army?” Feather Reed sighed. “You know very well that that’s different.” “Is it?” Ivory’s visible eyebrow raised. “Fine. Wildlife. Bandits.” “Bandits?” Feather Reed’s expression wasn’t quite skeptical. “You built an army to fight a couple crooks?” “No. It’s a long, isolated road. It’s the kind of thing large gangs decide to take over.” “Iron Shoe to Las Pegasus is a lucrative commercial route. There’s really no surprise that it would attract a sizable band of thugs,” I added. “I can’t say I’m fully convinced.” Feather Reed shook her head. “What about the wildlife?” “Timber wolves, to name a few.” Ivory paused, the briefest of uncertainties crossing her face. “Enough to overwhelm a Guard, even.” Feather Reed frowned. “What? There were never any Guard deaths reported for this region.” “Who said he died?” Ivory locked eyes with her sister. “Even though the townsfolk had run me out, he made me realize that I’d still rather help than harm them.” “There also weren’t any reports of injuries caused by timber wolves.” Feather Reed shook her head. “He wouldn’t have reported it,” Blaze cut in. “He’d have to say too much about Ivory. Then ponies would start asking questions.” “Great.” A groan escaped Feather Reed’s lips. “And now I can’t even trust the file because somepony was too biased to do his job.” “Hey!” Blaze puffed up indignantly. “There’s more to being a good Guard than following the book. He had faith in Ivory. Maybe you should too.” There was just a split second where Feather Reed was almost taken aback, but that quickly melted into exasperation. “That Guard was your father, wasn’t he?” Blaze scowled. “So what if he was?” “Never mind.” Turning back to Ivory, Feather Reed’s words were hesitant, almost stumbling over each other. “What started all this? How… how did you realize your special talent? That it was… zombies.” “When I got my cutie mark, you mean?” Ivory asked, to which Feather Reed nodded. “When I brought back Moss’s cat.” “Wait.” Feather Reed blinked. “Moss. As in Moss the Paladin, who publicly declared he’d bring you to justice?” Ivory frowned and a bowling ball formed in my stomach. I could see it in her eyes. Oh. Oh, shit. She already knows. “I… I think so.” She shook her head. “No, there’s no mistaking him. It’s definitely him.” I didn’t know which scenario was worse: this, or if I’d had to tell her myself. All I knew was that I wanted to hug Ivory right then and there. No wonder Feather Reed’s distant coldness had been such a sore point. “Is it because of the cat? Because you, uh… zombified it?” Feather Reed asked. “No. I don’t even know if Cotton was a zombie.” Ivory’s gaze grew distant. “I’ve never been able to replicate that work, but it was my finest. Cotton was just… alive again. No side effects, like he’d never been dead in the first place.” “That’s…” Feather Reed’s jaw hung open. “That’s quite the feat. But then why would he come after you?” “I don’t know.” Ivory’s voice quivered with each word, like Moss himself was driving a blade into her. “Maybe he doesn’t know it’s me. Maybe if he could only see that it’s just me, he’d understand.” “Ivory…” Feather Reed sighed. “Maybe we should take a break. I’m sure we both have a lot to think about. “ We didn’t so much disperse as Feather Reed wandered off into the storage section. Blaze scooted a little closer to the fire while I trotted over to Ivory. “Hey, Ivory?” I asked. “How are you holding up?” Ivory drew in a deep breath and when she turned to face me, her expression was completely neutral. “Fine. Just fine.” Suppressing a frown, I nodded. She needed personal space right now. Still, there was one thing that needed addressing. “If you say so. Will you be ready to move out tomorrow? We should get clear of Pasture as quickly as possible.” “I will be ready.” She shook her head. “But I must see Moss.” “Ivory, please. These mercenaries are extremely strong and dangerous. Should there be a confrontation, the end result would likely be a bloodbath. Not only would that put you at risk, but we’d be playing right into Prideful Policy’s hooves. He’d cast you as a villain to the world. I don’t want that.” “But this may be my only chance.” Ivory looked down. “I agree with Dusky,” Blaze said. “Much as I hate to run from that asshole again, if we don’t, he wins. Sarge may seem cold, but her heart’s pointed straight at justice. She knows what Prideful’s been up to, putting the town under martial law and all. I’m too new for the Guard to take me at my word, but Sarge, she’s a long timer. She puts in the word and we’ll be back with a full company, ready to expose the shit out of his wrongdoings.” With that, she swiped a hoof at the air, bowling over an imaginary Prideful Policy. “And once Prideful Policy is discredited, Moss may be more receptive to your words,” I added. Ivory looked between the two of us and let out a sigh. “You’re right. There will be another time. Besides, if Blaze is erring on the side of caution, then it must be really bad.” She turned around and started rummaging through one of the crates. Blaze’s mouth was halfway open, a, “Hey!” written on her lips. But it never came out. Instead, she glanced at me, her eyes saying something else: Did Ivory just make a joke? Smirking, I nodded. “Dusky?” Ivory called over her shoulder, her voice a little apprehensive again. “Yes?” “Could you bring me some preserved berries? They’re in the leftmost crate in the other room. Take whatever you need for yourself, too.” “Of course.” I turned and started trotting toward the other room. “Want some, Blaze?” “Nah, you’ll already have your hooves full.” Blaze waved her foreleg. “I’ll get it sorted later.” Taking one of the lanterns, I trotted over to the other room. As it turns out, what I’d seen on the way in was only the first row, with several more arrayed behind it, neatly spaced for easy access. As I moved toward Ivory’s berry crate, Feather Reed’s head popped up between the second and third rows. “Oh, it’s just you.” A look of relief flitted across her face. “Yeah. Guess both of you still aren’t ready.” I glanced back over my shoulder. “How are you doing?” Feather Reed raised an eyebrow. “You’re asking me?” “Why not?” I asked. “This wouldn’t be an easy task without the whole sister thing coming into play. I can’t imagine how conflicted you must feel.” “Heh. I suppose. It’s funny. I dreamed of a day like this for so long.” Absently, she tapped her hoof against the closest crate. “I knew it would be hard. I thought I was ready for it.” “You did?” I tilted my head. “Then why the coldness? I know you want to avoid nepotism, but I feel like the discussion was slipping toward the opposite extreme.” Feather Reed took in a deep breath, staring at the crate a good few seconds before she finally spoke, “When I was much younger, barely more than a preschooler, I remember a filly talking to me—sad, uncertain, but also kind. I couldn’t understand her predicament. Many of the meanings of the words themselves eluded me. I just remember she wanted to do right, to help those around her. That filly, I want to believe she’s still Ivory, yet… all these stories, they trouble me.” Her eyes lingered on the crate again. “Thirty years is a long time.” “I understand. When I first came here, first met Ivory, I’d also heard the legends. I was suspicious, even a little hostile. The thought that such magic could be a sign of anything but darkness hadn’t even crossed my mind until then. But the more time I spent with her, the more I realized she was a person, not some malevolent force of evil haunting a spooky old wood.” I shook my head. “Thirty years is a long time, but you shouldn’t just discard those memories. Give her some benefit of the doubt. After all, legends and rumours also twist and turn over time.” “Would you advise her the same with that Moss fellow? You do know he’s ex-Cartel, right?” I bit my lip. Feather Reed was right: everything about Moss was suspicious. And yet, Ivory had spoken so fondly of him. I shook my head. “Not exactly the same, no. But people aren’t strictly right or wrong. They make good decisions and bad decisions. I would tell her to be careful, yet not to write him off entirely.” Feather Reed chuckled. “No wonder Blaze gets along so well with you. You’ve got a rough exterior, but deep down, you’re still an idealist.” “What?” I frowned. “And you think people can be defined in their entirety as right or wrong?” “No.” Feather Reed shook her head. “Nothing that extreme. But over the years, I’ve seen just about every motive under the sun. There’s a darker nature lurking in the hearts of many ponies. Many don’t even know it until the time comes. Good intentions don’t necessarily make a good pony.” “Perhaps.” I bit my lip. “But I’d still prefer not to judge so harshly. The last time I did, I just about condemned one of the kindest people I know.”