Storm clouds rumbled in my wake as I flew towards Mount Canter. Rain and lightning brewed as I brooded, and my scowl was fierce enough to put somepony’s hoof in the grave. A growl rolled in the back of my throat like a pending avalanche with nowhere to go, and I had to fight not to turn back towards Ponyville where the guano-guzzling target of my ire lay.
As much as I wanted to help Night by grounding that bullying piece of sun-roasted shit into dust, though, I couldn’t, and terrorizing the Everfree had gotten boring. I needed something more… productive. I couldn’t help Night, but maybe I could help a certain somepony else in the family.
Mercy was getting better, but she still needed all the help she could get. Circling up and around Mount Canter as I looked for the entrance to the Undercity, I was ready to get her that help.
Blood is thicker than water; that’s how the saying goes. I shouldn’t have to fly in looking ready for a fight, but sometimes water flows free and blood is left to fester and rot.
My eyes locked on the cave marking the entrance high above, and I could just imagine Bitter Bite already sneering down at me. Up and up I circled, conserving my energy by mostly gliding and using thermals to rise. It was a slow journey, and I was stuck brooding for most of it. I finally made it as I landed a bit more heavily than was proper, and it drew the attention of the guards.
“Hail.” Several of them approached. Only one drew close. “Can’t say I’ve seen you before, traveler. Is that an arrow in ye knee?”
“I must be getting old, then.” It took some work, but I managed to ditch the scowl and chuckle. It helped a little, surprisingly enough, so I kept the smile going rather than dropping it. “There was a time when my wife and I were famous as troublemakers around here.”
“Is that so?” The guard cocked his brow. “If I could ask for your name and the purpose of your visit, then?”
“Tempered Mettle.” I smirked as the guards immediately perked up a bit more. Hard to say if it was my position in the Dawn Guard or my old rep still holding strong, but now they were really paying attention. “As to why I’m here, well… it’s personal, but I certainly don’t plan on spending the day in a cell, so if you’re worried about me causing trouble…”
“Sir—” Ah, so they did know the rank, at least. “—no offense, but whether you want it or not, trouble tends to find you here. I’ve seen your file. It’s required reading for everypony on the force here.”
“Still? Hah!” Throwing my head back, I gave a loud, echoing bark of laughter. “I don’t know if I should consider that a victory for me or the nobles. You’d think they’d lighten up when I only show up a few times per year at most.”
“You and your wife have made quite the impression, sir.” With a chuckle, the guard rubbed the back of his head and rustled his wings. “You may not be the type to care for the politics of it all, but the nobles are.”
“Aye, and us thestrals never forget.” With a sigh, I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “You might as well send a message ahead to get my favorite bunk ready, then. I may not be here to cause trouble, but the pony I plan on meeting might.”
“Understood, sir.” With a nod and a salute, the group of guards dispersed as their spokespony waved me in. “Hopefully, it won’t come to that, but we always get it fixed quick, don’t we?”
“You do the best you can.” I saluted back as a show of respect before mozying my way deeper in.
The caves were as twisting as ever, though there were a lot more thestrals bustling through them than twenty years ago. Foals laughed and squabbled in the early night before school, while adults were busy bustling their way towards work. There were moonfire torches everywhere rather than scattered about like drops in a pool of darkness, and I even saw a few ponies from the other tribes going this way and that.
My destination was deeper in, though, and the crowds soon thinned, as did the light. Much like Canterlot above, the old neighborhoods of the Undercity were a place where nobles lived and tried to forget the other ninety-nine percent of Equestria. They took tradition and made it borderline sedition. And sure, there was a time right after the Nightmare first came and claimed the life of Princess Luna that we thought of leaving Equestria.
But we held to the vows we made to the Nightmother. We didn’t forget why she fell, and in time we forgave those responsible.
That was the part thestral nobles conveniently forgot sometimes, and it was a big reason I was raised topside rather than down here. I could see the caves just dripping with arrogance. There were family murals that took up entire tunnels but edited out mistakes to ‘save space.’
Their estates were almost as big as their egos, taking up at least one enormous cavern—sometimes more. Where Canterlot nobles prefered stately manners, Undercity nobles built mini-fortresses to sit in the center of their domain before carving into every last wall, stalagmite, and stalactite to further expand their influence.
The largest noble clans were as big as a small village; they were those who had absorbed and consumed the smaller families in their bids for power. The size and scope of it all would be impressive if not for the fact that far too many acted with all the ‘nobility’ of spoiled swine.
And yet, here I was, before one of the biggest estates.
Young, hot-blooded mares and stallions flew in formation within the massive cavern. The armor they wore marked them of the clan, not the Equestrian Guard. I would have a lot of ponies to fight through if things went really bad, but even Bitter Bite couldn’t be that stupid.
A few flights took notice of me as I casually walked up to the gate, and they turned to bank towards a stalagmite off to the side that was clearly a barracks and office. The house guard had a training field erected there, and the youngest recruits were busy working there.
As I stopped at the gates, the guards eyed me warily. “Lord Bitter Bite has no scheduled appointments today.”
“Good.” Nodding towards the miniature castle behind the gate, I chuckled. “That just means I’ll be able to barge in with less fuss. Tell Lord Bitter Bite that Tempered Mettle is here to see him, and I’m not leaving until I do. If he says to turn me away, tell him I’m more than willing to meet him in the ring instead. This is important.”
The guards noticeably increased their numbers at my name, but they did indeed send somepony winging off to deliver my message.
Settling on my haunches with a smirk, I was content to wait while the others watched. “So, then, how’s the family, hrmmm? There must be quite the power vacuum with Mercurial just up and ousted from the clan.”
Some of the guards narrowed their eyes, while the one closest to me snorted and rustled his wings.
“You have no idea.” There was a rank of some kind decorating his shoulder, but I barely paid attention to ‘important’ house politics, much less all the nitty-gritty details dominating each and every house’s custom guard. “You would do well not to mention her in your meeting should Lord Bitter Bite meet with you.”
“Aww, now that’s a shame, ‘cause Mercy is the whole reason I’m here.” I winked.
One of the guards immediately flew off at that, while the others went from wary to tensed. “Sir—”
Odd. What a strange time to get formal. They looked about ready to leap a charging rhino.
“—I don’t know what she told you, but the rumors are just that, rumors.” The guard licked his lips and shifted his stance to be a little less attentive and a little more combative. “The staff got spooked, Miss Mercurial made a scene like she always does, and it blew a little misunderstanding way out of proportion.”
“Hrmmm…” I squinted and leaned in with what may or may not have been something between a gravelly growl and a resonant hum. “Rumors, you say? Mercy hasn’t really told me anything beyond the fact her old fart dumped her.”
“She hasn’t?” The guards all blinked. “Well, I guess that’s just more proof the maids like spreading rumors, but if you don’t know what you’re about to walk into, you should know—”
One of the other guards—a sleek and wiry mare—kicked the guy. “Shhhh! Don’t tell him!” She looked at me with awe bordering on fear. “Do you want to get beaten to a pulp? I don’t care if it’s a rumor! You’re poking a bugbear if you tell him!”
“Oi, oi, oi! Back off!” With a few hisses and swipes, the officer batted her away. “I get you’re scared, but the other option is one of the sunblasted maids telling him, and what do you think will happen then?”
Shaking my head, I chuckled. “Look, I’ve seen Bitter Bite do a lot of scummy things over the years, and what I haven’t seen, I often got to hear about when Mercy needed somepony to bitch and moan to. If she didn’t tell me, it can’t have been that bad.”
The two guards looked at each other, unsure, but before either could say anything, the messenger was back and I was being waved in.
Wait, no. It was a different messenger. The one from before had been a bit leaner.
Still, she waved me in, and with the gate open, I advanced. The guard was getting more active as the night advanced. More flights were out, and several platoons were marching in a training yard off to the side. I blinked as I received a bloody escort on my way down the main path—a platoon splitting to take to either side of me and march me in.
I was led not to the clan hall and the throne, but down through halls lined with armors and weapons of all kinds. Spears, axes, swords, and claws, it was quite a collection. The rug was a deep, bloody iron color, no doubt the kind of ‘red’ that day dwellers paid top money for. And when the weapons ran thin, there was a variety of statues, tapestries and carved reliefs to take their place.
I was being taken far deeper into the belly of the beast than I expected, and I didn’t know what to think of that. I saw a few maids, but I didn’t even have time to nod or say hi before my escort scowled and scared them away. When we finally stopped and I was let into a room, it was three floors down, and I was audibly locked in what was definitely an old prison cell for hostage nobles.
The paranoid old bat. Maybe I should ask Mercy what happened. This was a bit much, even for Bitter Bite.
Still, given it was a cell for nobles, it was pretty cozy. When I tested the couch, I found it was plush enough to sink right in. There was a downright ancient icebox in the corner—empty now, but I imagine it was good for chilling wine—and there were several shelves of books as well as an easel complete with canvas and paints. Paintings of moonlit landscapes decorated the wall, and each was skilled enough to be a window for those missing the sky.
The arch across from where I had entered led to a lavish bedroom just glittering with silver and freshly lit candles. It made my stomach squirm to look at, though, and so I stepped back out to settle on the couch to wait.
I did not have to wait long, though the thestral who entered was not the pony I was expecting. One of Bitter Bite’s wives slunk in with a look over her shoulder and a tray with a steaming kettle and tea cups balanced on one wing. Setting the tray down upon the coffee table, she refused to look at me as she prepared a cup for us both.
As she pushed my cup towards me, though, she finally looked up, and I could see how deep the lines around her eyes were from fatigue. “Honored Captain. I know our families rarely get along at the best of times, but do join me, will you? The niceties must be observed, and my husband certainly isn’t going to play along—at least, not with you.”
“Heh, well, I have a very punchable face, or so I’ve been told.” The little act of kindness had me grinning like a loon under moon as I accepted.
“Given your association with my daughter? It’s understandable.” The mare sighed. “Ah, but where are my manners? We meet so little, I don’t know if you’ll recall, but I am Lady Mist Wing, mother of Mercurial Moondust and former first wife of Lord Bitter Bite.”
“Hrmmmm…” Scratching my chin, I thought back. “I do have vague memories of a mare as pretty as you being the only one to not glare bloody murder at Morning as she was carried away by the medics after securing her right to be my wife.”
“Yes, well, day dweller or not, she fought well.” Mist Wing rustled her wings and frowned. “And unlike my husband, I prize strength above all else. That’s why I was the one who pushed our house’s claim on you back then, despite your own house being so minor; I did not care one way or the other if you still married Morning. Even before the schattenkrieg, my intel indicated she would be a strong mother, one worthy of teaching your foals.”
“Oh? Is that so?” I arched my brow. “Would have been nice to hear that years ago rather than think your whole house was nothing but a bunch of blutknallers.”
With a shrug, Mist Wing sipped her tea. “So you say, but I had my position as first wife to consider at the time, and Mercurial—bless her rebellious, little soul—continued to chase after you in part because she thought her father and I both disapproved. It was in my best interests to be a blutknaller.”
Humming, I sipped my own tea, failing to hold back my now guano-guzzling grin. “And it isn’t anymore, huh? I guess Mercy leaving really shook things up.”
“You have no idea.” Mist shook her head and tutted. “If you did, I doubt you’d be as amused. Surely you noticed the extra security? My husband has been expecting you to storm the castle for quite some time, while my sisters are all fighting over who will officially replace me as first wife. I only ever bore one foal, and without Mercy? Hah! The only reason he didn’t cast me out as well is my connections.”
Breaking her gaze away, she stared into her cup, brow furrowed. “That… is neither here nor there, however. We don’t have much time. There’s only so much the staff can do to stall my husband without invoking his wrath, and—niceties aside—you need to understand just what you walked into here.”
Chuckling, I shook my head. “You’ve given me more than a good idea what—”
“Mercy wasn’t just kicked out of the house, Captain. She had to run.”
I paused for a moment, smile shrinking, and Lady Mist Wing pressed the advantage.
“As I’m sure you’re aware, bastards are rather common among the topside nobles, but we have our fair share in the undercity as well.” Her gaze shot back up, suddenly razor sharp. “There are… systems in place for such cases, some less public than others. For mares, it is quite common to hide the pregnancy signs under illusions and dresses before giving the foal up for adoption. The usual rumors always surface, but hide it well enough and most nobles will politely look the other way.”
“Aye, and?” There was a low growl in the back of my throat, but for now that was it. I was still grinning even if it was forced. “I know well enough to know Mercy wouldn’t do that to Pushing.”
Her next sip was slow and measured as our gazes speared into each other. “Yes… little Pushing Daisies. It is an apt if morbid name, I suppose. Unfortunately, she isn’t a thestral. I have told you, however, that all I care for in my legacy is strength. The father wouldn’t have been my first choice, but he was more than adequate based on his record, no matter what my husband thinks.”
“And what does your husband think exactly? Just spit it out if we have so little time.” I tried not to loom, I did. She was playing me like a fiddle, and I could see that, but if she was implying what I thought she was implying…
“Mmm…” It was her turn to hum as she looked up at me. “I tell you this, and you must not murder my husband.”
“A statement like that isn’t exactly helping.” This time I didn’t hold back the growl.
She tsked. “Yes, but I would appreciate some restraint all the same. Don’t be stupid, and don’t declare schattenkrieg for no reason. At this juncture pressing any sort of attack will do more harm than good. It’s his word versus ours, and he will have the majority of the family back him up. I am looking into options, but—”
“Just tell me already, ya damn bat!” I stomped a hoof and snorted. There was enough drama at home with Night and the bully. I didn’t come here to add to it.
Looking up at me with her piercing gaze, Mist Wing waited until my breathing was slowed and I sat back down with a huff. “Are you calm? Good. Bite your lip, and stay that way, because when Mercy came to us, she was only here to settle her accounts and willingly drop her claim to the house. My husband didn’t want to deal with a succession crisis; he made the mistake of trying to convince her to give the foal up for adoption.”
I bit my lip hard, drawing blood as my muscles tensed.
“Yes, you can see where this is going, can’t you?” Mist Wing’s calm smile broke as she sneered and spat onto the pristine, patterned rug. “When Mercy refused, he took matters into his own hoof and tried to take the foal himself. This deep in the house where only the most loyal of our guards are allowed, there was little she could do. Fighting them all was suicide, not that she didn’t try. The only reason she got Pushing back was because the foal had a magic surge and managed to teleport to her. I got there just in time to watch my daughter run with the foal vowing bloody murder on all our heads.”
For a few seconds, the only sound was that of the rumble of thunder slowly climbing my throat. My eyes flashed like lightning as I rose to loom like a storm-cloaked mountain, but as I took my first step towards the door, Lady Mist Wing was there before me to put a hoof on my shoulder.
“Enough, Captain. Justice will not be served if you call for schattenkrieg here and now.” She glared up at me as I snorted. “You could hope for a duel to the death at most, and would that really solve anything, hrmmm? Give me time, and I will give you all that and more. I want my husband to break for this; I want him to shatter under soul-crushing despair and shame.”
Grin growing hungrier and hungrier, Mist Wing was looking less and less like a posh noble and more and more like her daughter. “When the Nightmare comes to take him, I want him to know his death is the beginning of the end for such traditions.”
It wasn’t the attempt to stop me that did so, so much as the bloodthirsty glee in her eyes as she grinned like a loon under moon.
There was already so much to take care of at home. Night needed me. Mercy needed me. Morning and the twins needed me.
Justice could wait until it wasn’t so tainted with the thirst for vengeance. Hadn’t Night just gone through that lesson herself? Fighting here and now would send the wrong message. I didn’t even know if what the mare before me was saying was true.
I needed… I needed to get out of here before I did something I regretted.
“You have nothing to fear, Lady Mist Wing.” Deep breaths, Tempered. Deep breaths. “I won’t be picking a fight today. Given what you’ve told me, though, my entire reason for being here is pointless, so I’ll just be on my—”
Of course, just as I reached the door, it opened to reveal my mortal nemesis, completely surrounded by a squad of elite guards decked from head to hoof in heavy armor and weapons. There was a pause as I looked out at him, my façade almost instantly crumbling before I even had a chance to raise it. My breaths grew heavy and almost pained as I tensed to hold myself back, and the entire lot of them took a step back as the guard clustered tighter around their lord.
“Bitter Bite.” I finally managed a nod. “Change of plans. I don’t need to see you. I don’t need to hear your venom. I just need you to understand one simple thing.” Stomping hard enough to crack the floor, I glared with all my might. “If I ever hear you or one of yours is in a two-mile radius of Ponyville after today, I will fly up here and end you, understand?”
Bitter Bite glowered from the safety of his meat shield. “If you’re referring to the rumors—”
“Ah, ah, ah! No!” I held up a hoof. “True or false, I don’t care anymore. I came out to bucking bend down and get your help if I had to, not get sucked into more family drama. You will stay away from Mercy. Period. Understand? Don’t test me on this or it will be the last thing you do. Are we clear?”
There was a tense moment of silence before Bitter Bite nodded curtly, eyes narrowing like daggers.
“You’re lucky I’ve got enough guano to dig through or I’d be tempted to call a blood feud right here and now.” With one last snarl, I started forward and they parted for me. There was no escort as I left. None dared raise my ire.
I’d made myself clear.
The flight home was… complicated. It was calm, yet I couldn’t escape the feeling it was the calm before the storm. My mind was insistent on brooding, and my soul was more than willing to take the whipping. The two pincered my body from either side to make retreat next to impossible as I tried to truly calm down.
Deep breathing? Didn’t work.
Basking in moonlight? Didn’t work.
Flying, singing, hunting, and even giggling didn’t work; curse the Pink one for her loony advice, I don’t know why I thought the last might work.
I needed snuggles, stat.
I wanted to pull Morning close and drown myself in her mane. I wanted to hug Mercy tight and whisper it was gonna be okay. I needed some sort of anchor to pull myself back, because, stars above, I was above Ponyville already, and I was still this close to flying back and taking the easy road.
I’d taken the scenic route home and flown through the night. The gray light of dawn was on the horizon, and I still could only see Bitter Bite’s smug, punchable face whenever I closed my eyes.
As soon as the house was in sight, I dove right for it, not really caring if I crashed into the front door. The only reason I stopped to put it back together was to avoid worrying the pipsqueaks, and I left a quick note for Night to have her make breakfast for the twins. It was picking the lesser of two evils to lie about it being a part of her punishment while she was suspended.
Knowing her, she’d start getting up even earlier to make breakfast every day. She wouldn’t even consider I might have meant just for today, but it was better to let her assume that than to let her in on all this.
She had enough on her plate as it was.
Speaking of, I slunk through the halls and poked in her room to smile down at her as she slept. Staying at the door, I slipped my hoof through the shadows to slip her alarm off and let her sleep in. Then, I did the same for the twins.
I hardly dared breathe through it all, my chest tight as if a single breath would unleash Discord himself. As I finally made it to my room, though, I took a deep breath and the familiar smell of mine and Morning’s personal lair finally calmed my raging heart a bit. Poking inside, I softly shut the door and turned to pounce and tackle Morning out of bed, but I paused on seeing another figure snuggled up quietly under Morning’s wing.
Mercy looked… small… as she slept. Without the ever-present cocky and guano-guzzling grin, she took up a lot less of the room. Sure, she had the bite to back up her bark, but here and now—seeing her with her guard down—all I could see was the stuff she tried to cover up. She was the one pressing into Morning to be held tight.
It was a stark contrast to just about everything I thought of when I thought of Mercy. It was… not wrong, but… jarring?
Mercy was meant to laugh in the face of danger and charge forward when others were smart enough to turn tail and run. If there was one pony I could count on to face impossible odds with me, it was supposed to be her.
Morning, bless her star-touched soul, was the one I trusted to get everypony out and keep them safe. She was the one who would grit her teeth and leave the Princess to her duties, because that’s what the Dawn Guard does; we leave the apocalypse to the Princess, and we make sure the poor schmucks caught up in it stay safe. We weren’t meant to get involved, and yet…
If only one of us had to stay behind and buy Princess Twilight time… between Morning or I, we both knew it would be me.
Sinking into the bed with a heavy, rumbling sigh, I wrapped the sleeping duo in a massive hug. Nightmother above, I couldn’t even think about it. A spear to the heart in service would be preferable to thinking about life without Morning.
“Naughty girls, cuddling without me.” My growl was less than half-hearted, my eyebrows barely waggled. “Get over here and share some of that with me. I’ve been through Tartarus and back.”
Morning groaned as she stirred and buried herself in my floof. “Mrgmrff… Tempered? What time is it? The two of us stayed up until two in the morning waiting for you.”
“Did you now?” My heart fluttered a bit as I gently pecked her, but it was the good kind of flutter. “You sure that had nothing to do with your advanced cuddling session? I take it the steely-eyed mare on a mission insisted on still going through with the date after it was canceled the first time?”
“She did, but it was actually Night who sold me on the idea.” Morning mumbled as she rested her head on my chest. “All things considered… it wasn’t that bad.”
“‘Wasn’t that bad’? Ha!” And the cocky grin was back. There was no sign of the mare Mercy had been moments before as she salaciously rubbed against me. There was… a surprising show of restraint for a mare that loved getting her hooves everywhere. “From where I’m sitting, it went about as well as I could expect. With you two having slowed to the speed of flooding molasses, I thought I’d need way more than a single date to end up between the sheets with you.”
“Mercy, don’t read into it too much.” Morning shook her head. “You know it’s not like that, and you still have a long way to go. Tempered should know better than to have jumped in. What if Night or the twins see?”
“Don’t care right now.” I hugged tighter. “I need cuddles now, and Mercy needs them even more.”
“Well, well, I don’t know about cuddles, but I certainly need something~” Damn it, Mercy.
Leveling her a look, I shut Mercy up with a little peck to her forehead. “Shush, you. I just got back from your father’s, and I’m not in the mood to play that way. We are gonna have a talk in a few, but for now both of you just drown me in cuddles. I wanna remember the good old days, when the biggest piece of drama I had to worry about was sneaking salts into the barracks. Remember those days? Remember getting good and smashed and just relaxing in a pony pile while staring at our hooves?”
Morning had gone quiet after I’d kissed Mercy’s forehead. Buck. Was she mad? I hadn’t meant it like—
Ohhhh… that’s the ticket. Nevermind. No way she was angry if she was nuzzling like that. “What happened?”
“You did what?!” Mercy—on the other hoof—squeaked shrilly and loudly. Suddenly grabbing me tight, I wasn’t sure if it was an attempt to hug me or strangle me. Seemed like both with how she was shivering. “Why the buck would you—”
Resting my forehead against Mercy’s, this time I didn’t tempt fate. “Look, Mercy, you are family here. Second wife or not, we will take care of you. I was going to go see about getting your father to help. Maybe it would’ve meant bending down on one knee, or maybe it would’ve meant a bout in the ring, but that’s what I went in thinking.”
Morning pulled her head back to look between me and the quivering Mercy. “Tempered… What. Happened?” Her brow furrowed as a feathered wing stroked Mercy’s back.
“Did he try anything?! Did he—” Mercy’s grip tightened to the point I could hear bones grinding. “Did he say anything?”
I gave a long, deep hum as I gathered the shadows around us to give Mercy some way to keep her pride. Her face was starting to get damp, and I didn’t want her pulling away in embarrassment; even I couldn’t see as I finished. My own wings rustled as Morning added her other wing to the mix, the feathers tickling my barrel as she brushed my side in comfort.
“Heh… I didn’t give him a chance.” Within the warm, solid darkness, I clicked to find Mercy’s face and wiped her tears away. “As it turns out, rumors are flying after you left, and your mother was particularly bloodthirsty as she told me the worst of the lot. I was… just about as ready to kill your father as she was after she told me, but I needed to hear what happened from you.”
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, my tail twitched as I ran a hoof through her mane. “You don’t need to give me details if it’s too hard to. Just tell me if what your mother said is true. Did Bitter Bite try to take Pushing from you?”
There was a moment of silence as Mercy and Morning let my words weigh in the air.
Mercy, Nightmother bless her soul, couldn’t speak at first. She just nodded into my chest and started to sniffle.
Morning, on the other hoof, stiffened against me with a gasp that steadily transitioned into a growl. “The motherbucking cunt did what now, Tempered?” She thwapped me with a wing. “And you bucking walked away?! Of all the times for you to show restraint, you picked—”
Her lips were still soft despite the edge to her voice. “I know, I know. Trust me, I love having your approval to rip him a new one, dear, but think of everything Night is going through. I don’t want to send her the wrong message.”
Wings rustling violently as she took a deep breath, Morning’s voice was thankfully back to being hushed. “You still could have taken this to the day courts.”
“Day courts? Morning, I wasn’t there when the kidnapping happened. I have no proof or means to press charges. Mercy could press charges—” Yet she wouldn’t if the increase in shivering was anything to go by. “—but it would be her word versus most of her family. Those not in the know just think it’s a rumor. Do you wanna waste the one shot we get on a coin flip of who cries wolf loudest?”
Pulling Morning closer, I rested my head atop hers, guiding it to Mercy so Morning could feel how the other mare was desperately nuzzling my chest. On feeling Morning, Mercy jumped ship to nuzzle up into the crook of her neck.
“Our best shot is to wait, Morning.” Closing my eyes, I could still see Bitter Bite’s face, but the urge to lunge for the throat was good and buried under the desire to snuggle. “Mercy’s mother is looking into what options there are. She wants more than a duel to the death over this; she wants to make a statement that the noble clans will remember for a long time to come. Give her some time, and let me ask Princess Luna for advice. I don’t wanna drag her into this, but she might know something we don’t at the very least.”
When Morning opened her mouth with a harsh inhale of breath, I gently cut her off with a squeeze. “We have time, Morning. Statute of limitations is a thing, and I don’t think Bitter Bite will have the stones to come down and try anything after I threatened him on my way out.”
“Y-you… You what?” It was easy to see that Mercy was not used to crying. She was extra-snotty, and she struggled with speaking. All the emotion flooded out without control. She clutched both me and Morning tight, all pretense of cockiness gone. Whatever fight she’d had had bled out of her, and now she tried to strangle me for a different reason.
“I made it quite clear to your father that you were to be given space, dear.” I gave the lightest of squeezes to encourage her to lean even more into me and Morning. “He won’t be bothering you out here, and you’re free to raise Pushing in peace. Your mother said you fled promising bloody murder, but I can only imagine how terrifying the thought of losing your last connection to Checkmate would have been. You don’t have to ever see your father again if you don’t want to.”
I risked another kiss. “We are family, and blood is thicker than water. I will gladly make Bitter Bite pay for you; you should focus on being happy and out of his shadow.”
“D-dummy—” Half-sob, half-snort, Mercy slugged my chest. “—the saying doesn’t work when we aren’t family family.”
“And if I offered to do a blood rite and make that bit official?” It was Morning who offered first, and that made me smile. “I still don’t know about making you a second wife, but a sister? Mercy… Mettle and I would do just about anything for you.”
“Morning, I—” With a strangled choke, Mercy released her grip on me to clutch Morning. “Pushing was so scared. No matter how hard I fought, I couldn’t reach her, and she just kept crying and crying, and— and— Nightmother above, I don’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t surged. I couldn’t reach her; I couldn’t protect her; I was gonna fail her just like I did her father, like I fail everypony!”
“Shu-shu-shu-shu-shush…” Morning wrapped Mercy in a second wing hug. “Don’t spiral. I know you’re stronger than that. You may be brass, bold, and even reckless, but I would never, ever call you a failure. I don’t care that you’re a loose cannon. I don’t care that you’re a troublemaker. When push comes to shove, I have more faith in you than most ponies I know.”
Rolling on my side, I settled in to wrap around Morning as she curled around Mercy. Their voices dropped from whispers to the barest murmurs of sound, and I did my best to give the two privacy as I played the role of best rock.
As much as I wanted to crush Mercy in my hooves, it was… probably for the best. I’d pushed the boundaries as it was, and Morning was able to console Mercy as one mother to another.
No, it was better I rest my head on Morning’s body and let myself get distracted by clicking at the pair of shapely rears before me. Let the two nuzzle in peace. My job was simply to be there.
Time passed. I don’t know how much.
It was hard to keep track when well-distracted.
It was about the time a loud and panicked screep rang through the house from Night’s room, though, that I knew I’d have to move soon enough. “Why is it so bucking late?! Sunblasted, guano-guzzling twerps! I swear if they turned my alarm off again!”
“Mrgrmmff…” Wrapping tighter around Morning and Mercy, I put off the inevitable for another fifteen minutes or so. Two whole snoozes. That was all I was ever allowed. No point in breaking that habit now.
Once. Twice. My tail whip cracked against my favorite, Glorious body pillow. Might have been just a little inappropriate to be tapping that flank right now, and I could feel Morning’s glare burning a hole in my coat, even in the darkness.
But it was worth annoying her to get Mercy to giggle.
It helped, and that was all that mattered as I left the two to their cuddling and rose to go take a shower. Hopefully, Princess Twilight would forgive me for being late. Was always a mixed bag with her. On the one hoof, I was tardy. On the other, I had a friendship problem to deal with. Best not to tempt fate more than necessary, though, so I showered as quickly as possible and sauntered into the kitchen to see how my little super soldier was holding out.
It was… a not-quite war zone as I stepped through the door to find a rather frazzled Night at the stove and frying a hash of hay, potatoes, and crickets. Red and Rolling were poking into just about everything, and Night had to keep moving to intercept them before they could do any real damage. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been so bad to let them bang some pots to their hearts' content, but Night was the cook right now. It was her kitchen and her rules.
“Morning, squirts.” I smirked.
“Dad!” The twins rushed up to hug me, while Night turned and started forward only to hold back.
“Are you alright?” Poor, sweet Nightingale… She was so adorable when she squirmed; I wished it wasn’t because of all the guano hitting the fan. “I thought I heard screeping before I got up.”
“Mmm… I’m about as well as I can be, Night. Was just having a talk with your mother and Mercy.” I made sure to properly distract the twins with a bit of roughhousing as I looked between them and Night.
“Is Aunt Mercy in trouble, then? The date wasn’t over by the time I put everypony to sleep. Did she… did she try something?”
“Heh, heh, no, kiddo. There was no excessive use of cooties. Just a bit of cuddles as we made sure your Aunt knew she was welcome here.” I ruffled Rolling’s mane as he tried and failed to bite me, but my eyes were on Night’s. “Wanted to make sure she knew Ponyville was the best place for her and Pushing.”
“Okay…” She bit her lip and looked back to the hash with a frown. It sizzled and crackled as I breathed deep of spuds and other goodies. As my ears flicked, I heard the distant giggle of two mares having a splash war with their wings in the shower, and a ghost of a smile crossed my face.
Looks like the family just… got a little more batty.