//------------------------------// // 92 - Custody // Story: From Dusk to Night // by KuroiTsubasaTenshi //------------------------------// I could hardly believe it was over. And neither could the combined mercenary and militia force, if their collective gawking was anything to go by. Hell, even the zombies seemed to be feeling it—silly as the notion was—as they swayed unsteadily, barring the way with their half-broken bodies. There was just something in my gut that told me this ordeal wasn’t over. Any minute now, Crimson Haze would reveal that his surrender was all a ruse, and his forces would fall upon us like a tide, washing our weary bodies away. Ivory was doing her best to stand tall, keeping a close eye on her captive. Meanwhile, Blaze seemed to be unsure whether or not to let go of Crimson Haze’s leg, though her muzzle being so wrinkled as to resemble an accordion made her preference rather obvious. My ears twitched, picking up the faint beating of wings over the now failing flames. I felt my heart race again, to which my body responded by simply aching. Panic filled my mind as readily as the idea that some reserve air force of Crimson Haze’s was moving in on us. But as I turned, craning my neck to get a better look, I pushed the idea away. One, two… maybe three sets of wings. That’s not very many. Maybe... That train of thought ended as Night came into view. Never had I been so glad to see him—doubly so as he got closer. I frowned, his hardships written all over his coat in isolated streams of red. I was almost afraid to ask. “Night?” He hurried over, wrapping his forehooves around me. I winced, every inch of my body feeling like I’d been hauling a cart of goods ten times my weight for a week straight. Since the alternative was feeling like I’d been beaten within an inch of my life, I simply accepted it and stole a quick nuzzle. “D-Dusky… thank Celestia you’re still alive.” Night was grimacing, just barely keeping the tears from escaping his eyes. “You too, Night. It’s not over yet, though.” It wasn’t until I shifted to look back at Blaze and Ivory that I realized how much I’d been leaning on him. My legs felt like jelly and just staying upright took all my willpower. Night leaned in a little, urging me to rest against him. I obliged, though just a little—he wasn’t in the best of shape, either. As I continued to survey the charred courtyard, he said, “It’ll be over soon enough, Dusky. We… we brought Prideful. And the Guard has reinforcements coming in a matter of minutes. I can’t tell if we’ve won or lost anything at all, but it’s over, and you’re still alive.”  For just a moment, I allowed myself to rest my head in his mane. Even if we had won, this was going to be one hell of an aftermath. Getting sloppy now would be a mistake. “And now we just have to make sure everyone else is still alive too.” My first concern was Blaze, who had finally decided to detach herself from Crimson Haze’s leg. As I got closer, I realized she didn’t need to be there anymore—Ivory’s spike hadn’t just impaled his leg, but pinned it to the ground. Blaze limped over to meet us, putting on a brave smile. “Phew, glad that’s over. That guy smelled worse than pig dung sunning all day. Thought I was gonna ralph all over his—hurp!” She got halfway turned before she emptied her stomach onto the ground. Quite frankly, though, it was probably one of the least disgusting things to happen on this battlefield. “You okay, Blaze?” I trotted over. “Let me see your ribs.” “They’re fine, just a little sor—” She stood up straight, chin held high—and immediately cringed. “Ow!” I sighed. “Now is not the time for that, Blaze. Let me patch you up.” Before she could answer, I was already digging through my satchel. When I looked up, I found Night staring at me. “What?” “What about you?” he asked, eying me up and down. I smiled weakly. “It’s weird, but Ivory’s magic negated the worst of my wounds. I can get the rest fixed up once we have more supplies.” An incredulous look spread across Night’s face. Slowly, it melted into sadness, then a nod. I supposed with the way I must have looked, such a statement probably sounded like total bullshit. To that end, I appreciated that he respected my judgment. Thankfully, Blaze’s ribs were just cracked, instead of halfway-caved, like I’d feared. I quickly wrapped her barrel, hoping that it would be enough until we could get her some real medical aid. “That does feel a bit better. Thanks, Dusky.” Blaze grinned. “You’re wel—” I began, but the crunching of hooves on ashen dirt made me whirl in a way that must have appeared comically slow to anyone else. “Star! Feather!” Though battered and bruised, they cantered over with surprising speed. I supposed that were both used to fighting, but being thrown a dozen feet through the air is the kind of thing that will leave even a veteran smarting. “Looks like you have the situation under control,” Star said as she surveyed the field. I nodded. “Mostly thanks to Ivory. I’m so glad to see you’re safe! Where were you two, anyway?” “Once I saw Ivory’s true power, I became certain I couldn’t do anything to help without hampering her own abilities.” Feather glanced over at Crimson Haze. “So I made it my mission to make sure there was no interference from his side.” “The battle itself seemed to discourage the main force enough. For certain, approaching Ivory from the front would have been suicidal,” Star added. “Which is why we stuck to the flanks, watching for anypony who thought they could sneak around.” In the end, it was probably me that they protected more than Ivory. After all, if anyone had figured out what was going on, I wasn’t sure how much of a fight I could have put up. I gave them a tired smile. “Thanks for covering us.” “Mercenaries! Militia of Pasture!” Mint called out, as she hovered just above Crimson Haze’s position. She and Icicle Gleam were side by side, holding something that I presumed was Prideful Policy. “This battle is over! The Equestrian Guard has claimed your leader! The rest of our forces will arrive shortly! If you value your life, you will lay down your weapons and cooperate! Do this and I will guarantee your safety!” With that, silence fell over the battlefield. After a moment, she prodded at Prideful Policy, who sounded a little odd when he spoke without his trademark pompous tone, “It is as she says! Do not throw away your lives!” Murmurs erupted throughout the crowd. None of them were laying down their arms, but neither were they moving. I furrowed my brow—such indecision scared me. At any moment, panic could take hold. They might scatter or they might decide to overrun us, feeling they’d be better off regrouping and making a last stand. My mind continued to run wild with scenarios, only getting suitably distracted when Mint and Icicle Gleam touched the blackened ground. As they lowered the bound Prideful Policy to the ashes, I couldn’t help but notice he looked a bit roughed up. Good. Maybe now he understands what it’s like to be on the receiving end. He didn’t struggle, though he did crane his neck to look over at Crimson Haze. “Oh. You’re still here.” Crimson Haze’s impassive helmet turned its steely gaze upon Prideful Policy. Even with one leg essentially nailed to the ground, I thought he might just reach out and crush Prideful Policy’s windpipe. “We aren’t your fanatics. We don’t fight to the last for such a paltry sum.” “P-palty!? Why you—” Prideful Policy began, but as a shadow fell over him, his head snapped back to look up. “Prideful,” Ivory said. “Necromancer.” His gaze hardened. “What now? Are we all to become your zombie slaves? Is that your endgame!?” Ivory sighed. “I’m tired of this. Aren’t you?” “Of course I am!” He furrowed his brow. “Why do you think I was trying to get rid of you?” “And you think this was all worth it?” Ivory motioned across the ashen hellscape. “Destroying my home, burning down the forest, imprisoning your people—” “Protecting them. From you.” Prideful Policy scowled. “They were scared, Necromancer, so I built them fortifications.” I frowned, doing my best to refrain from interfering just yet. While I couldn’t stand him continuing to vilify Ivory, this was her fight. A sad look fell across Ivory’s face as she stared at Prideful Policy. After a moment, I was pretty sure it was pity. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure what she could say to stop him from spouting more of his rhetoric. Seemed she didn’t either, as the awkward silence dragged out into five seconds, then ten. After another ten, Prideful gave out this bored, put-upon sigh. “Well? What are you waiting for? You’ve wanted this for years, haven’t you?” Ivory shook her head. “Look… Prideful, I’m sorry.” “What?” Confusion washed over his face and I thought he might fall over backward. “I was young and the magic was unstable. I shouldn’t have volunteered something I didn’t fully understand, especially not for something as important as your grandma.” Ivory let out a sigh of her own. “So, I’m sorry. But, Prideful, this has been going on for a very long time. Do you really think a single slight justifies all this pain and destruction?” What started as a chuckle became a laughing fit, echoing out into the silent courtyard. It wasn’t filled with malice, no, perhaps more akin to madness. When Prideful Policy at last regained control, he’d drawn every possible stare. Ivory narrowed her visible eye. “What’s so funny?” “‘I’m sorry’. Never did I think I’d ever hear those words come out of your mouth.” He looked up at her. “I could question your sincerity, but… I suppose your point stands regardless, doesn’t it? Fine, you win. We’ll do things your way. It’s not like I have much of a choice, anyhow.” Night, Blaze, Star, Feather and I all exchanged a look. “What was that, even?” Night turned back to stare. “I think it’s about as close to an apology as Ivory is going to get,” I replied. Feather sighed. “Of course. The ‘politician’s apology.’” “Certainly one of the things I do not miss about court.” Star shook her head. Blaze made a mock flourish, rolling her eyes the whole time. “Fillies and gentlecolts, the Mayor of Pasture.” “Makes me wish I’d hit him harder. Hard enough to knock out his ego, at least. But that’d probably have been impossible.” Night frowned. I was about to give him a smirk when the sound of beating wings turned my eyes skyward again. A dozen pegasi in golden armour were descending on all sides of us. Unlike the militia, this barding was both the proper shape and polished to as much of a shine as anyone was going to get way out here in the boonies. Part of me was relieved, but the other part realized just how unhappy these Guards were. Of course, the complete lack of camouflage told me that this was only logical: these were the elite, here to intimidate all hostilities into nothingness.  Out of the corner of my eye, I could also see a line of gold slipping into existence behind the mercenary-militia coalition. Only a few of the keener mercenaries had turned in time to see them. One of the larger mares stepped forward from the pegasus line. “Weapons down! Hooves where we can see them!”