//------------------------------//
// Ch. 1-17: A Frustrated Foe 
// Story: Seeking A Quiet Afternoon 
// by Tired Old Man 
//------------------------------//

As the discussion of details of the job between Nurse Redheart and Mender ended, Dash took the opportunity to rest again. Mender noticed she was straining to stay up, but said nothing. He didn't think hurting what little pride she had would be beneficial at this time. About five minutes after she went to bed, Redheart left, needing to tend to other patients in the hospital. Evening had creeped in through the window as moonlight lit up the room.

Finally, some peace and quiet, even if it's in a hospital bed instead of home. He looked over his bandages again to check for any bleeding. None was seen, and he smiled. His body was getting used to being injured like this...and Mender wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He leaned towards good, considering what he was able to do when he was in worse shape than how he is now.

He then remembered the entire time this happened, he hadn't heard a single word from Young. Realization set in as Young was probably very concerned for him, and sure enough, he looked to the nightstand sitting in between his bed and Dash's, and there it sat. He reached for it, and promptly placed it around his horn.

"Young? You there?"

"GAH!"

Mender thought he heard something crashing very far away.

"Where in Tartarus have you been? You had me worried! The last thing I heard was a large impact, then everything went quiet!"

"Somepony tried to kill me on the way to Ponyville Medical. They tranquilized Dash to get her to crash, hoping the impact would do me in."

"Mender, how are you not dead then? That impact sounded terrible, you know."

"I guess the universe seems to think I should live where most would die. I feel special."

Mender smirked.

"Well, glad to see your humor isn't dead. That would make these conversations painfully boring. Anyhow, do you know who attacked you?"

Mender thought back to that promise he made. Technically, he only promised to tell Twilight about it as soon as he recovered. That didn't mean he couldn't tell it to other ponies...or voices in his head, as it were. Hah, even Pinkie Promises can have loopholes.

"An assassin that's been after my life since a year ago. I knew from the design of the dart that hit Dash."

"Aha...wait, a year? They haven't killed you in a year? That sounds like a crappy assassin."

"They're not terrible for lack of trying. My last count was fifty attempts on my life before I came to Ponyville."

Mender heard a gasp. Young was apparently shocked at that number.

"Fifty?! How in the world did you survive fifty attempts on your life?!"

"I guess the universe seems to think I should live where most would die," Mender repeated.

"...I would ask you about all those attempts, but that's saved for a better time when you're not bedridden...wait. Why haven't they killed you yet? You're stuck in a bed, an easy target!"

"They won't do so. This assassin has an...unusual respect for places of healing, be they physical, mental, or spiritual. Thus, this hospital is my sanctuary...so to speak."

"Those are some odd morals your assassin has."

"I know, yet they have no problem watching me the entire time I'm in a hospital, though."

"Wait, what?"

Mender glared at a corner of the hospital that appeared completely empty. "You can come out now."

The corner seemed to crumble away as a pony in a dark blue full body suit appeared to creep out of the hospital wall itself. The pony had pegasus wings that were smaller than most other wings Mender had seen.

"Able Mender." The voice was young, male, and irritated.

"Knife Point. So nice to see you again after your latest attempt to kill me. What does this make, 51 times now?"

"57!" Point seemed insulted.

"Wow, you tried six more times to kill me? I didn't even notice."

"AAAAAAAAAGH!" Point approached the bed in the blink of an eye, holding a serrated knife to Mender's throat. Mender didn't seem to acknowledge it as he continued to lock eyes with the young assassin. Dash was woken up by the yell, and turned to view the scene before her.

"Mender!" She was about to get out of the bed and tackle the blue-garbed pony.

"Dash, keep still." Mender's voice was stern, but calm. Dash desperately wanted to move, but his tone of voice suggested that was the worst thing she could do right now, so she reluctantly stayed in the bed.

Mender's eyes locked back onto Point's. "You won't kill me here, you know. Holding that knife up to my neck means nothing."

"Hmph." Point pulled the knife away and tucked it into his suit. "Your luck will run out one day, Mender. On that day, you WILL die from my hooves!"

"So you've told me every other time I've ended up in a hospital thanks to your shenanigans. When are you going to man up and kill me in here already?"

"You KNOW why I can't do that, Mender!"

"And that is why I get to gleefully abuse your psyche every time you stalk me within these walls. You'd best leave before I hurt your precious ego any further, Point. We'll settle this later, in my house. I'm sure you know where that is by now, don't you?"

Point bit his tongue. "Very well. Prepare yourself, Mender. The third day after you leave the hospital, I will be waiting there. Don't keep me, or you'll regret it."

"Honestly, I regret this conversation ever taking place. Plus, you'll try to kill me even if I don't show up, so I might as well know when it happens than not know."

Point simply grunted, then jumped out the window and glided away.

Dash was dumbstruck. It took her a minute to fully understand what in the hay just happened.

"Mender? Who...who was that?"

"That was the pony responsible for our little crash, Dash."

At this, Dash got quite angry. "What?! Ooh, when I get my hooves on him, I'm gonna pound him into next year!"

...did she really say that? "That's what she said."

The joke caught her off guard, and Mender laughed heartily.

"Mender, this is no time to be joking!" The ironic humor was lost on her.

"I could say the same to you, Dash." Mender's laughter died down, and he took a serious tone. "By that I mean I hope you're joking when you say you can take him on."

"I'm not! I'm DEAD serious, and I've gotten into fights before and come out still breathing!"

"You won't be if you fight him. He may have failed to kill me many, many times, Dash, but this does not mean he isn't skilled."

"Hah, I'm skilled. Did you know I took on three pegasi stallions at once and won?"

Her boasting was lost on Mender. "Knife Point has taken on thirty at once, while trying to kill me in a bar back in Fillydelphia. That was one of his earliest attempts to end my life, and he was...less subtle about killing me as he is now."

She recoiled at the number. "T-Thirty?"

"All dead. Some of them were even unicorns."

Her fear could not be more visible as her fighting spirit died. Her eyes became pleading.

"...and you're going to fight him?"

"I am. I didn't want to include you or anypony else here in his little warpath, Dash. I know if I refuse, he'll come after me, and he won't care who is in the way. If it's not in a hospital, it's fair game to him."

"So why not just hide in the hospital for the rest of your life then?"

"Hah, and be like me? Yeah, I foresee that going great for you, being cooped up in a hospital for eternity."

"That's impractical. I fully intend to have a life outside of this hospital."

"But-"

"Dash, that is enough. He nearly killed you trying to kill me. Until a week ago, I didn't even know that we had become friends...and I'd rather make sure that my friends stay alive, even if I don't. This is a problem that is my own, and nopony else's."

Dash was irritated by how narrow-minded Mender was. She was going to resolve that.

"Mender! Do you have any idea who we are? We are the Elements of Harmony! We've taken on Nightmare Moon and Discord! We've stopped an evil king from regaining his empire! We've even saved Ponyville from the Everfree Forest when it tried to invade!"

Mender was indeed shocked by the flood of information that came from her mouth, but his resolve would not shake so easily.

"But have your lives been threatened as often as mine has?"

She was taken back. "N-No...the closest we've come to losing someone was Twilight in the Everfree Forest when it invaded. She was constricted by thorny vines, and nearly suffocated."

"Then despite how heroic you make you and your group of friends out to be, none of you have come close to death as much as I have. I know what dying feels like. Do you?"

Dash had no response but one. "No."

"Then any help from you or your friends is not only a bad idea, but it's liable to get you all killed. I told you once, and I'll tell you again. This is MY problem, MY fight, not any of yours. You will stay out of it if you know what's good for you."

Dash desperately wanted to say something to make Mender think otherwise, but if this assassin is as deadly as he says it is...maybe it WAS a bad idea to get involved. Still, she wouldn't stand not being able to tell somepony this...and she knew just who to tell it to.

"I...understand, Mender. I won't tell anypony what you told me about this."

Mender could see her lips quivering. She absolutely lied to him. In that case...

"Pinkie Promise?"

Dash cursed under her breath. So much for her telling Twilight about this. She would now have to hope Mender would tell her before their fight in his home.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." She made the motions, sealing her lips on the matter for good until Mender was ready to talk.

"Glad that's settled, then. Time to get some rest while we can." He slipped under the covers and began to rest. Dash grumbled and followed suit.

-------------------------------- Ponyville Library -------------------------------------

"Spike, take a letter."

Spike promptly fetched a piece of parchment and a quill dipped in ink, ready to jot down Twilight's words.

Twilight wanted a short and concise letter sent to the princesses. With knowledge of an assassin being in Ponyville, she needed to get the word out to them, and fast.

Dear Princesses Celestia and Luna,

A new pony has moved into Ponyville last month. His name is Able Mender, a retired army medic who claimed to serve in your military.

A week ago, Mender was wounded in the Everfree Forest involving an incident with his pet. Rainbow Dash found him, and was taking him to Ponyville Medical when they were attacked by an unknown assassin. The attempt on his life failed, and both Mender and Rainbow Dash are recovering from the incident. I must also state that without Mender's medical expertise, Rainbow Dash would surely have died from the assault.

He seems to know who this assassin is, but refuses to give any further information on the matter until after he recovers. I cannot stand idly by waiting for him to give information on this assassin when it could be a potential threat to Ponyville. 

I would like to personally request that Princess Luna delve into his dreams to figure out what he is hiding. This assassin must be stopped before any more lives are threatened.

There is also another matter that must be discussed regarding his pet. This I need to discuss with you two in person, as this is a very private matter he wishes to keep secret. I respect his wishes in this regard after seeing his pet firsthoof, though you two must know of it in order for me to have a better idea on how to handle this delicate situation.

Your Former Student,
Princess Twilight Sparkle

Spike's curiosity increased tenfold upon hearing word of this assassin. He was also curious about Mender's pet, but he realized how important this letter would be.

"Send it, Spike."

A gout of green flame enveloped around the parchment and whisked away out the window.

Twilight felt a pang of guilt, almost demanding that Luna pry into their new friend's dreams, but she determined that it must be done. The risk was too high to wait.

----------------------------- Canterlot Castle -------------------------------

Celestia began ascending Luna's Tower in the castle. Ordinarily, her visits to Luna during her evening watch would be friendly and enjoyable, but this visit would be different. The letter she received from Princess Twilight would make this trip carry a different purpose than usual.

Celestia reached Luna's room and magically opened the doors. Her sister's room was dark, lit up only by the moon and stars outside. Dim blue magelights were neatly arranged in the spaces where the moonlight would not reach, giving a calming, soothing vibe about the room.

Luna was out on the balcony, carefully monitoring the moon and stars above, in addition to looking down below towards Ponyville. Celestia made sure her presence was known by making her hoofsteps slightly louder than usual.

Luna turned at the sound. "Tia! What brings you up here this evening?"

Celestia smiled, but that faded quickly. "Princess Twilight sent us a letter, Luna. By the sound of it, trouble is forming in Ponyville."

Luna's disposition gravitated toward concern in an instant, but she refrained from speaking to let Tia continue.

"An assassin seeks to harm a pony by the name of Able Mender in Ponyville. Princess Twilight has told me that Mender knows who the assassin is, but refused to tell her, and she has requested your aid, Luna."

"My aid? Surely she didn't ask to-"

"I'm afraid so. She wants you to enter his dreams to figure out who this assassin is, and I am compelled to agree with her request. However, the decision is still yours, Luna."

Luna had to think this over. She was tasked to watch over the dreaming citizens of Ponyville for some time, but was asked to do so less frequently on account of many of the townsfolk still fearing her due to her once being Nightmare Moon. It was understandable, but this pony's life is in danger...and others could potentially be in danger as well.

"In addition, she wants to speak with us personally about another matter regarding Mender's pet."

Luna huffed. "Do we look like veterinarians, Tia?"

"I'm certain that Twilight wouldn't send us a letter like this just to do a check-up on his pet," She chuckled. "No, it's probably much more important than that. I'll arrange for us to meet her at the library. As much as I want her to leave, it seems better if we visit instead. It's been some time since we've last visited Ponyville, anyway."

Luna was unsure of visiting Ponyville, but since she was going with Tia, she thought things would be fine. "Very well. Send her a letter involving the details of our visit. I've decided that I will enter this pony's...Mender's dreams. If I learn of anything, Tia, I'll let you know as soon as I'm done."

"Thank you, Luna." Celestia nodded and walked off the balcony and through Luna's bedroom doors. She would write a letter explaining they would be coming tomorrow afternoon, but she would need to have all her duties in order so that a free afternoon could be opened up.

Meanwhile, Luna looked down into Ponyville and began casting a spell, her horn glowing a deep blue. Her eyes closed, and a dreamscape spread out before her in the exact same image of Ponyville. She stood out near Princess Twilight's library, and began her search for the pony called Mender.

She recalled from the letter that Mender was injured along with Dash, so she quickly located the Ponyville Medical building and flew over to the entrance. Her horn glowed blue once more, and she sensed Mender along with Dash in a room two floors up. She phased through the floors of the hospital to the proper level, and entered the room.

Dash was peacefully sleeping, dreaming about impressing the Wonderbolts again. Luna smiled at such a pleasant dream, happy to know that the Element of Loyalty was not bothered by the events that happened to her recently.

The pony next to her, however, was thrashing about in his bed. So this is Mender, she reasoned. His dream was dark and violent, and Luna felt a small tug in her heart asking her not to enter his dream. She was strong, however, a reformed Princess of the Night.

She took a deep breath, and dived into Mender's dream.

Luna was met immediately with the taste of hot ash in her mouth. She had landed just outside a house that was violently consumed by fire.

The heat was intense, and forced her to back off, but as she did so, a pony ran by her towards the home with a panicked look on his face. It was the same pony thrashing in the bed just moments before. It was Mender.

Luna observed Mender as he ran about the front porch, looking for a way in. She was careful to make herself not known until an appropriate time. She needed to understand his dream, and the best way was to not interfere.

Suddenly, Mender crashed through a window to the left of the front door. Despite the heat, she followed him inside and took in every detail of the scene before her.

A dark pony was crushed under burning debris in the hallway. She thought it to be a mare based on the body shape. None of the details could be made out, as they were badly deteriorated memories. Mender could barely recall their physical shapes, either from memory loss...or repression. Mender was panicking, lifting the burning beam off of the mare, but to no avail.

Luna heard a scream coming from the kitchen she entered through, and Mender ran inside from the hallway, desperately seeking the voice. It belonged to a small filly, shrouded in shadow like the mare was, except for the eyes.

The eyes were brimming with fear. Luna was not surprised, though still moderately disturbed. Mender called out to the filly, but there was no response. Suddenly, she could feel the fire threatening to burst through the room. If this happened, Mender would surely wake, and she couldn't have that happen.

Luna revealed herself and teleported them both away to a spot outside the house, just as the flames came forth and blazed the room into nothingness.

Mender was confused, to put it mildly. The fire usually ended his dreams last time, but he was outside the house? He turned and saw a dark blue alicorn looking back at him. Her mane reflected a sea of stars, which captivated him for a moment before realizing he should ask what just happened.

"Who are you?"

"I am Princess Luna, co-ruler of Canterlot and Protector of Dreams."

"Hah, well, you did a bang-up job of saving my family," Mender snarled.

So that's who they were. That would explain all of his actions.

"It is not my purpose to interfere with how dreams are meant to pan out, Mender. Instead, I provide counsel so as to prevent such nightmares from recurring ever again."

"Good luck with that, Princess. This dream's been haunting me for years now. I doubt a few nice words of comfort will whisk my troubles away on a rainbow anytime soon."

Luna didn't appreciate his sarcasm, but refrained from using the Royal Canterlot tone of voice. He didn't seem like the type of pony to enjoy loud voices.

However, she was not here to provide counsel. She had a task to accomplish.

"Mender, news has reached mine and Princess Celestia's ears of a threat on your life. As much as I want to help you through your nightmare, this threat is of much more immediate of concern to me."

Mender paused, then smirked. Somehow, he knew after telling Twilight of the assassin, she wouldn't just let it go that easily.

"So Twilight told you about that, did she?"

"She has. She also fears that this assassin will seek out other citizens of Ponyville if left to their own devices."

Mender scratched his chin with his hoof. "Her suspicions are expected, Princess Luna, but you need not worry. This assassin only seeks to kill me, and no others."

Luna didn't buy it. "Do you deny that this assassin has harmed Rainbow Dash in an attempt to kill you?"

"I do not." His reply was firm. "However, I am to assume that this assassin was unaware of the extensive injuries he caused Dash when he attempted to kill me. I tried to have us land on a hill, but beyond that hill their view was obscured."

"Why did this assassin not follow you there to finish the job?"

"Again an assumption, but I believe they were too far away. When I got up and saw Dash, my first instinct was to get her to the hospital. I encountered no threat during that time, but Dash was leaking blood badly. They could have followed the blood trail to the hospital easily enough, but I had already reached the hospital. This assassin has an odd moral dilemma about killing their targets in hospitals, and will NOT kill anypony else. Just me, and I have made sure of this."

Before Luna could ask how, Mender continued.

"I have confronted him this evening, and we have agreed to settle our score at my home in three days from the time of my release from the hospital. I insist...no wait, that's bad wording. I implore you, Princess Luna, that nopony interfere with our business."

"Mender, the threat is too great. You cannot guarantee that this assassin will not harm any other ponies should they succeed in killing you."

Mender considered her point. True, he really had no way of knowing that wouldn't happen, but...

"...you misunderstand, Princess. I have no intent on losing. I won't lose. They have tried 57 times to kill me and failed on every last one. It will only be a real surprise now if they DO manage to succeed."

Luna flinched. How could Mender casually shoot off such a large number and not be phased by another threat on his life? Was the assassin that incompetent?

...no, they weren't, as Luna remembered the injuries he and Dash had taken from the last attempt. They knew what they were doing, but Mender was still confident.

Somehow, this confidence exuding off of him was enough for her to understand that everything was going to work out, despite her reservations that there should be some interference otherwise. Regardless, she would not leave Mender to deal with this threat alone should his little "arrangement" fail. This news would be relayed to Princess Twilight Sparkle immediately.

Mender could see in her eyes that she had every intent on spreading this information. Time for a gag order.

"Oh, one last request, Princess Luna. You are not to tell Twilight Sparkle what I have just told you. You may relay this news to Princess Celestia, but not to Twilight or anypony else. I Pinkie Promised that I would tell her myself after my recovery, and there is no need to spread panic among the townsfolk when it's liable to get them killed. I won't ask that same promise of you, as that seems like way too high of a demand for a lowly retired medic like myself to make. However, I wish that you keep this secret guarded to those not involved until I tell her myself."

Luna considered the request, then nodded. "Very well, Mender. I agree to your terms." She smiled, and that seemed to put him at ease.

Before she left, she had one small bit of advice. "Oh, and Mender, try dreaming about happier times right now than what's stuck in the past. You are living in a new town, where there are new memories and new friends waiting for you. If you think you have trouble fitting in, recall that I was once Nightmare Moon. Most of the ponies here still fear me, but I'm trying my hardest to fix that every day and every night."

Mender smirked. She was naive, but her words were earnest. "I'll keep that in mind, Princess. I'll try not to think of this burning house as much, but I can't make any promises. This memory of mine is...one of my worst. It's not so easily forgotten for me."

Luna nodded in sympathy, then flew off and left Mender to his dreams.

As she left, she heard an odd laugh echo in the dry, ash-laden forest air. It was a...familiar laugh, but she couldn't place her hoof on who it belonged to. When she left, the laughter vanished, and Luna felt a small shiver go down her spine.

There was something...wrong about Mender's dream, and she silently promised to herself that she would figure out how to resolve it as she opened her eyes to the familiar balcony she stood on back in Canterlot. The moon glimmered off her mane as she resumed watching the stars above.