The illustrious city of Canterlot showed two polar opposites that night, just like a coin. On one side, its denizens basked and relinquished their hard-fought victory over the invading changeling army during the celebration of the royal wedding, while on the other, both the Royal Guard and government officials gaped in solitary silence, both their bodies and minds steadily recovering from taking such a heavy toll. Both princesses adorned their happiest and most friendly smile within the vicinity of the citizens, but any time the spotlight drifted off of them, they dipped their heads, wallowing at the horrid aftermath of their glorious city being bombarded to shreds. Rebuilding would immediately commence at the next sunrise, but until then, they bore fake masks of joy for their niece and her newly-wedded husband.
Blake laid his aching back against a wooden bench, spectating the rejoicing ponies from a safe distance. They partied on like it was the end of the world, senselessly dancing to catchy pop songs booming through ginormous speakers. His revolver was fully loaded, loosely gripped in his right hand. For reasons unknown to him, he felt practically naked without some form of weapon by his side. Without it, he felt defenseless and vulnerable. Day Break’s final words replayed in his mind like broken record: “This isn’t over.”
But what could the former professor attempt now? The game was over, and the king had ultimately been trapped into a checkmate by a plethora of allied pieces. No matter what Day Break tried to scheme at this point, he would be plunged into defeat, as he had before. Since the princesses quickly agreed that Blake would be allowed to wield his sidearm in the event that he needed to protect himself in self-defense, there would now probably be no additional opportunities to kidnap him. Plus, Luna insisted on at least a single guard keeping tabs on his whereabouts at all times. There’s nothing you can do now, Day Break, Blake thought, rubbing his eyes thoughtfully. This game of yours is over. You can run, you can hide, but the princesses will find you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Revenge was a deadly item that both parties desperately wanted to commit on each other, but when the time came that Day Break would be apprehended and arrested, Blake promised that he would not commit any physical damage to the unicorn. He would be in the princess’ hooves by then, and he knew that he shouldn’t interfere with any of their plans or ideas in punishing and bringing him to swift justice.
Who knows what will happen now? Blake contemplated, wrapping his tired legs into a crisscross formation. There’s no doubt that I won’t just be hopping back into my studies as I was before this mess. Luna saw me in combat, and she saw what my weapons are capable of. Will she try and train me into a soldier? Or will she try to figure out how these guns work in order to reproduce them and basically attempt the same thing that Day Break was trying to accomplish in the first place. Maybe I’m just being paranoid and overthinking this. I really need some sleep. And food. Food sounds nice. How long has it been since I last had meat? Two months, maybe? I mean, can’t a guy just ask for a thick, juicy steak around these parts?
<You could, but ponies would look at you all crazy.>
That’s their problem, Lyra, not mine. Blake chuckled aloud, his mouth grinning widely. To be honest, I’ve missed your little annoying, squeaky voice interrupting my thoughts on a constant basis. It feels nice to go back to the way things were before.
<I solemnly agree… and hey, since when did you think my voice was annoying? >
I never said anything of the sort... I think there may be voices inside your head telling you otherwise.
<Blake, you haven’t changed a bit these last few days.>
It’s been almost a week, not an eternity. Personalities can’t change that quickly.
<I still can never win with you.>
I’m sorry, I promised myself that I’d stop trying to be so joking and sarcastic around you guys. Guess it’s not working quite yet.
<Like you just said, personalities don’t change that quickly.>
And mine probably never will, but I’ll do my best to at least fake a smile every now and again. Sound good?
<Sounds good. Why don’t you come over and mingle for a while? We still have the whole night to celebrate, so you might as well start trying to be a bit more social.>
I’d rather not. Don’t you think I’d stand out in the middle of the crowd?
<Pretty please with a cherry on top? I really want to see how you humans can boogie on the dance floor.>
I hate to break it to you, but I don’t dance, or “boogie” so to speak. I’ve never been quite good with my footing, and I always tend to trip over myself.
<Do you even see Twilight and Princess Luna making complete fools of themselves right now? Nopony is going to laugh at you, trust me. In fact, I think a lot of the ponies would be intrigued to see what you can and can’t do.>
I’ve got my handgun on me at the moment. Since I don’t have a holster for it, I just keep it in my back pocket and it just kind of bulges out awkwardly. Don’t you think I’d still look quite silly dancing around with a big lump on my ass?
<Ask a guard to keep it safe for a while. They don’t have any reason to steal it or use it against you, now do they?>
I suppose you’re right. But I’m going to do this for you and you only. The moment I hear even a trickle of laughter aimed in my direction, I’m leaving without saying another word.
<Suits me. As long as it gets you off your lazy ass.>
Lyra, what did I say about using those words? And since when was I the lazy one? I was spending the whole day fighting a war that wasn’t even my own.
<Hey, I can say what whatever I want. And don’t forget that you were the one who shot down my offer when I asked to help fight.>
Touché. I’ll be there in a few minutes.
<See you then.>
Blake leaned comfortably back against the bench, making sure that his mint-green friend didn’t have any additional comments. As the silence prolonged, he figured that their conversation was officially over. He grunted audibly as he shifted his entire weight onto his exhausted legs, sauntering cautiously. He proceeded to drain the revolver of its lead rounds, stuffing all six into a side pocket of his dilapidated, blue jeans. He then shouted to a nearby unicorn guard, swiftly gaining his attention.
“Think you can hold onto this for a while?” Blake asked with an eyebrow raised, gesturing towards the revolver clenched loosely in his hand.
The guard eyed the human inquisitively. “Are you sure?”
“I’m going to head over to the celebration for a little while. I don’t think the princesses would be too thrilled about me toting a firearm near the civilians, especially with the invasion and all,” Blake explained, holding the weapon a little closer to the guard.
A bright aura illuminated the dusky patch of garden, emanating from his grey horn. A firm grip grappled the gun lightly, easily tugging it out of Blake’s grasp. He allowed the revolver to sail through the heavy air, floating until it reached the guard’s side. “I’ll keep it safe, you have my word,” the guard promised. “I’ll be patrolling this area for the entire night, so you can find me here when you desire your weapon to be returned to your possession.”
“Can I have a name?” Blake inquired, scratching the back of his neck. “You guards kinda look alike. It’s pretty difficult to tell one from the other.
“Sanctuary,” the guard replied, experimentally swinging the gun from side to side.
“Sanctuary, got it,” Blake nodded. He was about to walk away, when another idea struck his mind. “Oh, and don’t even bother trying to figure out how that thing works. It doesn’t have the capability to fire at the moment, as I took away its ammunition already before handing it to you. It would be like trying to shoot a bow without an arrow. Without any projectiles, it’s just going to act as a fancy-looking club.”
“Understood,” Sanctuary said, immediately refraining from making any more movements with the gun in his magical grip.
“Thank you,” Blake half-smiled. “I hopefully won’t be any longer than a couple of hours.”
Sanctuary nodded his head, with nothing to add onto their brief conversation. His eyes fixed themselves forward, grim and unwavering just as the guard was specifically trained to do while on duty. Blake decided to leave the premises, making his way to the blaring music from a short distance away. It was quite strenuous to lift his legs over nearby shrubberies and small critters scurrying about the gardens, but he trudged onwards nonetheless. He might as well try to have a little fun to distract his heavy mind filled to the brim with burdened thoughts and various terrifying scenarios.
Dozens of eyes accentuated towards his tall, lanky form as he meandered into the midst of the upbeat celebration. His ears picked up varying comments with the subject centered on his mere presence, but with the boisterous music in the background, he couldn’t depict the majority of the citizens’ idle gossiping. He tried his best to bare a false smile in order to promote his friendliness instead of his usual secluded self. Just like all the previous times he decided to make an entrance in a crowd full of ponies, attention would be fixed on him for a few moments, but then wandered off to somewhere else as they realized he wasn’t there to create a commotion or uproar.
“It’s about time you decided to show up!” Lyra cheerily stated, joyously trotting up to his side. “I thought you’d end up ditching me again!”
“Well, I guess I couldn’t really find a decent reason to not make an appearance,” Blake replied loudly, raising his voice to levels that could be heard above the obstreperous beats of the captivating music.
Lyra chuckled, her toothy grin quite apparent to his green eyes. “So, do you like my dress?” she asked, nudging a hoof towards the fabrics that were draped over her curvy back. Blake took note of the golden, flowery-like designs that accented the color of her irises perfectly. She wore a fuchsia, pearly necklace, and a trio of green flowers were mixed near her right ear. Overall, Blake smiled in response to the elegant design.
“It’s simple, yet effective,” he complimented, kneeling slightly so that he could speak closer into her ear. He knew if he even dared attempting to shout vociferously the entire night, he’d end up rolling in agony with a sore throat the next day.
“You really think so?” Lyra beamed, glancing back to admire her wonderfully designed dress momentarily.
“I think it’s beautiful, honest,” Blake said, ruffling her hair playfully and scratching the back of the ear that wasn’t adorning any flower decorations.
She gratefully enjoyed the brief contact, gently knocking his hand away. “Stop that,” she giggled, “it tickles.”
Blake snickered, removing his dexterous hand immediately. Looks like I’ve finally found a weak spot, he pondered. Now I’m just going to have to find an opportunity later to exploit it.
<I heard that.>
Of course you did.
He swiftly brought his hand up to her head, rubbing intently behind her ear. She giggled again, trying desperately to bat his hand away but to no avail. Blake attentively persisted, and her constant bursts of laughter refused to come to a halt. “Stop it, please!” Lyra pleaded, but Blake’s hand remained its current position nonetheless.
“Torture is not something condoned by the supreme law of the country of Equestria. I suggest you remove your hand before somepony gets tossed into the castle’s dungeon,” Princess Luna stated, sneaking up from behind them as if materializing out of thin air.
Blake flinched, immediately losing his balance from the awkward stance he was situated at. He clumsily slipped onto the concrete path beneath him, slightly scraping his hands as the they instinctively took the brunt of the fall. The stinging sensation only lingered momentarily, and it subsided rather quickly than he would’ve thought. The music then finally came to a respite as the DJ made the decision to swap through her records, allowing them to tone their voices down to normal levels.
“What’s the deal with coming up from behind us like that?” Blake joked, his lengthy legs stretching to full height. “It seems to be a nasty habit of yours, princess.”
“I like come and go as I please and I prefer to do so without attracting the attention of a large assembly,” Luna explained. “I find it necessary to stick to the roads untraveled in order to maintain stealth and inconspicuousness. You should know this by now, Blake. We may have only known each other for a short period of time, but I think we understand that most simple details about each other. For instance, you know that I enjoy studying the fundamental principles of alchemy while I know that you enjoy using your profane language at any given opportunity.”
“Damn right, I do,” Blake laughed, clenching his hand into a fist with a thumb protruding upwards. “And let’s be honest here, swearing is in my DNA. No matter kind of methods you try to get me to stop, I’m still going to find a way to drop a few f-bombs here and there. It’s infused into my molecular structure. It just comes to me naturally.”
“Yes, it’s certainly a suitable trait if you actually want to chase away other ponies,” Luna chuckled, shaking her head. “Anyways, exchanging silly banter is not the reason I wanted to come talk to you.”
“I figured as much,” Blake nodded. “What’s on your mind?”
“I have a few items of business I’d like to attend to,” Luna said. “First of all, we’ve gathered several construction teams mainly composed of local volunteers to help rebuild the damage dealt to Canterlot, and they will begin at sunrise tomorrow morning. Though I’d rather you stay in bed for a day or so to recuperate your energy and let your wounds heal, I know you’re not one who enjoys being trapped in a room, sitting around for hours on end.”
“Tell me about it,” Blake mumbled, just barely loud enough for both Luna and Lyra to catch.
“If your heart truly desires to assist in the rebuilding effort, then I will grant you the opportunity to work with one of the construction teams. However, I leave this decision entirely up to you,” Luna said.
“I don’t think I could stand staring blankly at a barren wall for another second, so of course I’d like to help. I’ll do whatever it takes to get this city back into top condition,” Blake said with honesty clear in his tone.
“I guessed that’s what your answer would be,” Luna figured. “More information will be provided tomorrow morning. Secondly, I thought I’d let you know that we already focusing a ton of our resources and ponypower to hunt for the location of Professor Day Break. If what you told us is true, that he was really the one who supplied the changelings with all of the confidential information on Canterlot’s defenses and patrols, then he’s been stuck on the top seed of Equestria’s Most Wanted list. We cannot and will not allow such a stallion to roam free after such an invasion, and also kidnapping and beating one of our guests prior to said invasion. Day Break will meet justice, whether he likes it or not.”
“That pony deserves to be sent to prison, especially what he’s done to Blake,” Lyra commented.
“I agree,” Luna said, nodding her head. “And lastly, I’d like you to find a moment to speak with Sergeant Ebony about his brother. You’re the last pony — or person, I should say, that spent a decent amount of time with his twin. Ebony is a good stallion, and he deserves to hear more about what his brother was tied into, since I still don’t think he truly understands the situation that Vigilant had to undergo. I’m not forcing you to talk with him right away, but I’d still like for you to visit his home sometime soon.”
“Of course, I was planning on seeing him on my own time anyways,” Blake said. “I’ll see to it that he knows everything about his brother.”
“Thank you, Blake,” Luna said, swinging her body in the direction of her sister. “I shall take my leave now. You may do as you wish, but I’m setting a curfew for midnight. Both you two absolutely deserve a good night’s sleep.”
“See you later, Luna,” Blake said, waving his hand near his torso.
“Goodbye, Princess Luna,” Lyra said, also bidding farewell.
Luna smiled in return, but not another syllable escaped her lips. She walked away from the pair elegantly, quickly greeting ponies as she passed by them.
“Alright, everypony, can I have all eyes up here, please?” a tomboyish voice announced through the speakers situated on the far side of the gardens. The entire mass of attendees then gave the spiky-maned DJ their undivided attention, putting a pause in their conversations and casual dancing. “We’re gonna take things slow now. Pick a partner and gather ‘round the bride the groom. We’ll start the next song in a few minutes.”
Dozens of pairs immediately gathered together, forming a perfect ring surrounding the newly wedded couple. Blake glanced at Lyra, who was twirling a hoof across the pavement nervously. He quietly sighed to himself, unable to believe that he was actually going to go through with his companion’s request in the first place. “Lyra,” he said, locking gazes with the unicorn and gently holding a welcoming hand outward. “Would you like to dance?”
Lyra’s cheeks hastily transformed into a rosy hue as she swiftly craned her head away to hide the embarrassing fact. “I’d love to,” she accepted, allowing Blake’s tender fingers to gently wrap around her hoof. The two scurried towards the circle, unaware when the next tune was going to begin.
“Isn’t that uncomfortable, walking on three legs like that?” Blake inquired, taking note of Lyra’s evident stumbling as they made their way to the center of the garden where the couples were setting themselves up.
“Balance is hard, but it isn’t impossible,” she informed, tripping over herself again. Fortunately, with Blake’s support, she was able to keep herself mobile and upright. “Of course, it does take a lot of practice to get it right. It makes me wonder how you humans can walk on only two legs without even a tail to help with balance.”
“We’re just talented like that,” he chortled, squeezing in between another few high-class citizens dressed in extremely expensive dresses and suits. “Do you think you can stand upright? I don’t see any other way we’re going to do this.”
“I think I can, as long as you’re here to keep me from falling flat on my face,” she guessed heartily, arduously shifting her posture so that the two were embraced chest-to-chest. The top of the unicorn’s head only reached the tip of his shoulders, while her horn increased her height to right below his chin. She placed her right hoof over his broad shoulder, while she let his hand benevolently grip over her left. Blake then grasped his free arm around her waist, using any expendable energy to keep her standing tall and straight.
“Are you sure you can do this?” Blake asked worringly, his internal senses badgering him that the two were drawing quite the attention with their alien-like setup. “You ponies don’t normally stand like this.”
“Trust me, I can do this,” Lyra reassured, grinning widely.
“If you say so,” Blake shrugged, impatiently waiting for the music to finally commence.
His wish was immediately granted, as the soothing melody of a piano accompanied by a quintet of stringed instruments blissfully soothed his ears. The pair began moving in tense steps in unison to the rhythm, swinging left to right gracefully. They rotated along with the majority of the circle, twirling and spinning agilely despite their few mishaps of stepping out of place or shifting their weight too forward. Though it was true that the friends had never danced together before, their simple spirals and twists miraculously stood out from the bulk of the uniformed circle.
“I recognize this piece,” Lyra whispered as they continued their elated movements, “I remember that this was the first time I had ever been on a recording.”
“So you’re actually playing in this song?” Blake asked in the same tone.
“Dreams of a Danseuse, is the name, I believe,” Lyra replied. “You can barely hear me as I’m only playing the harmony, but I’m sure that’s a good thing considering I was still quite new to the professional world of music back then.”
“It’s quite sweet. It reminds me of some of the classical music back home,” Blake said, beginning to increase the pace of his feet as the tempo escalated in rhythm.
“Really?” Lyra inquired. “I now also remember you promising to show me some of your kind’s music. We still haven’t had the chance to do that yet.”
“Fortunately for us, Day Break wasn’t too rambunctious with any of my gear that wasn’t built to harm other sentient beings. My phone’s in my backpack and still in working condition, last I checked. Unless some thief wanted to desperately find a way to steal and sell alien technology, it all should still be up in my room,” Blake said.
Several minutes had come and gone by in a blur. They still moved as one, pacing back and forth while maintaining a spinning momentum. They never dared attempting anything exceedingly adventurous and kept with the usual spins in order to refrain from ultimately falling in the middle of the rotating crowd of dancers.
As the tune came to its inevitable close, fireworks then shot into the twinkly, night sky, illuminating it in an ocean of color and shapes. The world seemed to shift its sights towards the illustrious patterns formed by the fireworks, as “Oooh’s” and “Aaaah’s” swiftly came from the population of ponies. They halted their dancing as the music stopped, not caring for another thing other than watching one beautiful explosion after another. It was like the invasion never occurred, as the ponies found something magnificent to savor together.
“I wish moments like these would never end,” Lyra sighed in content as she rested her tired head against Blake’s shoulder.
Blake wrapped her in closely, their warmth being transferred across their bodies. “Let's just hope that things will get better soon.”