It was dusk when Starlight returned to the deck of the Immortal Dream. Neither bright enough for day nor dark enough for night, there wasn't a telltale light spot behind the clouds to showcase the position of the sun or moon. It took her several minutes to remember that in Mistvale, it was always dusk. By then, Gerardo was getting ready to leave again.
"Next, I'll bring out Maple," he narrated, winding a coil of rope about his shoulder that was ostensibly to tie up Yanavan. "After that, Valey and I will see what we can do about the monk, though one way or another we're probably bringing him back here. That cave is a horrid place to talk."
He nodded respectfully to Starlight. "Ugh," Harshwater groaned as he took wing again and left. "What a night..."
Harshwater had ridden back on Gerardo's back with Starlight. She seemed the worst off of anyone after waking up outside the entrance, particularly since she was already beaten up more than most of the fighters from the recent brawl, but looked comfy enough during the ride Starlight suspected she would have requested a lift even if she had been well. Now the pegasus stood unsteadily, fixed her messy mane with a wingtip... Starlight wanted to help her. She wanted to offer her a shoulder, walk her down to a cabin, see if there was anything she needed, because this mare was quite bright, but also completely neutral toward her. Maybe if she was nice to her, Harshwater would be her friend. That chance was certainly worth the effort.
"Hi?" Starlight tilted her head, walking into Harshwater's field of vision. "If you need to go lie down, I can show you where the beds are."
"I need to hit something," Harshwater complained, her voice high and whiny. "But my legs hurt! And my wings hurt, and my neck hurts, and my barrel hurts, and my back hurts, and my face hurts, and how did you know where I went!? I was trying to get your crew a present, not walk into another of Kero's trapped missions and need saving! I hate this! Why do I keep falling for thiiiiis?" She grabbed Starlight's shoulders, staring her intensely in the eyes and demanding answers she was trying to convince herself she could receive. "And why are you gray? Unicorns aren't supposed to have batpony eyes."
Starlight's ears fell to match Harshwater's. "It's a long story. If I tell you, will you go lie down to listen?" She could see she was exhausted, right?
Harshwater probed her, mane looking once-well tended and then not seen to for weeks. "This is embarrassing," she said matter-of-factly. "You're a kid. Are you trying to baby me? Are you asking to baby me?"
Starlight raised an eyebrow.
"Uggghh..." Harshwater slumped forward. "Fine. Bed please."
She landed on Starlight's back, too big to fit all the way on and awkwardly sliding off, kicking slightly to make herself look more comfortable than she obviously was. Starlight grunted from the weight but turned toward the stairs, preparing to drag her to the first cabin she found and stop there... and suddenly they were face to face with about seven batponies, waiting inside the stairwell.
Harshwater stiffened in shock. "Ummmm..." She worked her jaw wordlessly as the sarosians blinked and stared. "Please tell me you all were good at diplomacy while I was gone. Otherwise, I quit."
She went completely limp, and the only reason Starlight didn't fall over under her weight was the enhanced strength from the Nightmare Modules that hadn't left even once she woke up. Silently, Starlight hoped that nothing had happened to convince or enable the sarosians to attack. She realized she had no idea how long they had actually been gone, and while she was certain she could fight them off, her new powers would be a lot more destructive than her old telepathy.
Starlight tilted her head. "Can I get through...?"
Suddenly, in a burst of teleportation, a unicorn was in front of her, immediately grabbing her in a tight hug. "Starlight, you're back!" Shinespark cried, rocking her quickly back and forth.
"Aah!" Starlight yelped in surprise. "Shinespark!"
"Where's Valey?" Shinespark sounded almost desperate. "And Maple and Gerardo, but where are they? My horn is working again, I can fly to go get them. How did you get back? Did she fly you here?" She glanced at Harshwater, eyes widening, and lifted her in her aura, holding her vaguely on her hooves. "You look terrible..."
Starlight coughed, slackening Shinespark's grip around her barrel. "Gerardo flew us. He's going back for Maple and then Valey."
Beside her, Harshwater frowned, recovering a sliver of composure. "How long has it been?"
Shinespark gave her a look. "Since they left to look for you? Three days."
Starlight felt her eyes widen. "We were gone for...?"
"You all, make a path!" Shinespark waved a hoof at the batponies, who obediently left them room to head down the stairs. "Nyala woke me up," she added as they descended. "Everyone else is asleep right now. With so many of us gone, it's been hard to keep watch for you around the clock, and since she's the only one who doesn't have to sleep... I've been getting ready to fly out after you all, though all the locals are convinced it's a terrible idea."
Sarosian murmuring surrounded them until they passed the library, where Nyala's new flat winged board of a body was waiting. "Is everyone okay?" she immediately asked, propping herself up so her camera faced the three.
"They are," Starlight promised, sending Shinespark's ears back with relief. "We found the cave, but everyone who went in got stuck in a dream. I thought we had only been gone for minutes, not days." She glanced up at Shinespark. "Yanavan was there. He wasn't locked up or anything, and nobody's sure what to do with him. Valey is guarding him while Gerardo flies us out. He'll be back with Maple next. Maybe you should fly back with him next time to help?"
Shinespark's face shadowed. "That's... Okay. Is there anything else you need? Anything else I can do?"
What Starlight needed was all the reminders she could get that her visions of being separated from her friends and them bowing to her weren't true. "Nothing that won't wait until Maple is back," she assured. "I'll take care of Harshwater?" She pushed open the door to an empty room.
Shinespark gave a stressed smile, setting the levitating Harshwater on the bed. "Thanks," she said, still bearing a few scorches on her fur from the battle. "See you, then."
Starlight let out a breath as she swiftly trotted away, turning to the bright, important pegasus in the bed. "So is there anything I can get you?"
Harshwater flopped out on her back, all of her limbs going spread-eagled, and huffed a massive sigh. "You really want to be that way? Okay... First thing I want is a feast. And my everything hurts, so you better make it a good one."