I knew the gate was going to be a problem, enough that I considered looking for a place to climb over the fence. But the shoddy construction meant there was a high chance of somepony spotting us. Even if no one made a commotion, I had no way of telling who might have been working with the bandits. And even if they hadn’t received word of the raid, drawing attention to ourselves was liable to negate that advantage and more.
No, we needed to keep our heads on straight and act as naturally as possible. While I was almost certain that one of Blaze’s guard buddies would see us and make a big deal out of how long she'd been missing, I still had a feeling that it would be the least-conspicuous choice. Unfortunately, I hadn’t expected to see Earnest Care coming up the path. And that was only the first of the surprises.
He wore plate barding, much like the kind the Guard uses, but made from a dull, grey steel instead of the Guard-issue enchanted gold. A weather-beaten saddlebag and what appeared to be a newly-sharpened hatchet hung off his back.
But though his kit did much to shatter my image of the friendly old innkeeper stuck behind a desk, what truly surprised me was the ease with which he wore it. He marched forward as though he had carried that gear a hundred times. Part of me suspected that he really had.
He was barely past the wall when he saw us and froze. My mind tore through scenarios, pitching them out like scraps of parchment, as it scrambled to find a way to downplay the inevitable commotion. Annoyingly enough, the only idea that stuck was ‘roll with it’.
Time was up, anyway, as both Blaze and Earnest galloped straight up to each other and embraced. At first, neither said a word, but the fervour of their nuzzles got the message across just fine.
Tears glinted in the afternoon sun as they trickled out from under Earnest’s forelock. “Blaze!”
“Dad…” Blaze croaked.
Earnest’s face turned stern. “Where have you been?! We were worried sick!”
“I’m sorry! I found these mercenaries, but then they were bad guys… and… and I was kidnapped and there was this evil mage!” Blaze said all at once, slowed only by bouts of sniffles.
“Shhhh.” Earnest glanced up and across the gathering onlookers before meeting my gaze.
I gave him a quick nod, which was met with him making a nearly-imperceptible motion over his shoulder.
He let out a sigh and when he spoke again, the anger had been vented from his voice, leaving only caution. “Everything will be all right. Let’s go inside and talk about this some more.”
Their movement was plodding. Understandable, but that did little for my nerves, as it made them something of a parade. If the mayor had agents in the crowd at all, there was no avoiding them now.
While the crowd’s expression generally consisted of sympathy, they moved on to a mix of suspicion and confusion when they saw me. I kept my distance—and an eye out for weapons. It was almost like evading the shadows of the bandit base all over again. And once we were safe within the walls of the inn, the feeling of relief was no-less intense.
Earnest continued past the desk and into one of the back rooms. I hesitated in the hall, but my brain kindly reminded me that we needed this help. They’d understand.
“Trail Blazer, you’re in so much trouble, young mare!” Silver Platter yelled, the sternness in her voice faltering almost immediately.
I walked into the room just in time to catch her hobbling the last half of the distance around a paper-cluttered desk.
“I’m sorry, mom!”
The three met in the centre of the room, embracing, crying, but not saying a single word.
I shuffled my hooves and took a few steps back, wondering if I should have given them a few moments. I let my gaze drift through the rest of the room, over the mostly-bare walls, to the desk. Behind the desk, and its endless paper bounty, was a trio of binder-stuffed shelves. Between them all, there must have been years worth of records. In the very least, the accounting was way more meticulous than I had initially given it credit for.
When my eyes ran out of room to explore, I decided that perhaps it was time for me to wait in the hall.
“Wait!” Earnest called, just before I reached the door. When I paused, he trotted over to me.
I glanced over my shoulder. “Don’t you want some time?”
“It’s quite clear something very serious is going on. I need to make sure this safety will last.”
“We need somepony from Iron Shoe to match some writing!” Blaze blurted out.
I sighed. At least she knew how to get to the point, context be damned.
Earnest frowned. “What? Why?”
“The mayor is up to something fishy and we have a letter to prove it!” Blaze motioned vigourously between the two of us.
Earnest stood stockstill for a good three seconds. When he opened his mouth, he spoke very carefully. “Blaze, I want you to listen. You have to forget about that letter. Forget about the mayor and whatever it is you think you know.”
“What, why? What kind of guard lets this slide?” Blaze puffed out her chest.
“I’m retired.”
I couldn’t believe it’d taken me so long to notice, but now that I was closer to Earnest, I realized his armour wasn’t made of steel. That dull grey was a layer of paint, expertly laid. From there, everything began to fall into place. If he was a guard, that paint was meant to mask the armour’s enchanted gold. He was an ex-guard with something to hide and as my first night, and his hesitation, returned to me, I was left with only one line of questioning: Why? What did the mayor do?
There was only one way for me to find out. “Earnest. Can we talk in the hall for a moment? About your career... and timberwolves?”
I watched Earnest very carefully. He turned to look at me, but did nothing else. To be fair, I had just dropped a bit of a bomb on him. I could only hope the mayor’s hold wasn’t strong enough to make him clam up.
“Hey, no fair! I’m a part of this too!” Blaze yelled.
His face was contorted, torn between his secrets and his daughter.
Finally, he let out a sigh and spoke, “Close the door.”
I obliged and rejoined the others.
“Earnest…” Silver Platter gave her husband a concerned look.
He shook his head and pressed his muzzle against her cheek. “It needs to be said.”
He turned to Blaze, pausing for several long seconds. A paranoid part of me wondered if he’d changed his mind, but my fear was quickly put to rest.
“A long time ago, when I was on patrol, I was ambushed and wounded by timberwolves. They would have taken my life too if the Necromancer hadn’t stepped in. She took me in and tended to me while I healed. Once I was better, she sent me on my way.”
Blaze took a step back like she’d just been slapped. “You… you knew she wasn’t a bad mare?!”
“Yes.” Earnest looked away.
Blaze strode forward, pain and indignity in her eyes. “Why?! Why didn’t you say anything?! You could have stopped the mayor! You could have cleared Ivory’s name! Do you know how many ponies want her dead?!”
I really couldn’t blame Blaze, as the same thoughts were coursing through my mind.
“So you’ve met her,” he said grimly.
“She saved your daughter’s life from bandits. Twice.” I pointedly tapped the floor.
“Why didn’t you say anything? Why are you protecting him?!” Blaze stomped her hooves and gave him a hard stare. It was a look much like their previous fight, but also different. There wasn’t just anger and stubbornness; I saw pain, confusion, betrayal.
“It’s not that simple! I did what was necessary to protect you!” Earnest and Silver’s gazes drifted to Silver’s crippled leg. There was no uncertainty in my mind; they may as well have just come out and said it.
I felt my anger slipping away, leaving only dread and sorrow in its wake. He had had no choice, only dilemma.
Blaze stared at her mom. “Oh. My. Celestia! You knew too?! He did it, didn’t he? And you just let him do what he wanted while you hid, like a bunch of cowards!”
“Blaze…” Silver stepped forward to press her cheek against Blaze’s neck.
“Don’t touch me!” Blaze yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks as she clamoured away.”I can’t believe you two! It’s like I don’t know you anymore!”
Then, with a speed I didn’t even know she had in her, Blaze bolted for the door, flinging it open and disappearing into the hall.
“Blaze, wait!” Earnest reacted next, charging right after her. I was only a split-second behind.
Though Blaze’s head start worked heavily against us, Earnest seemed to already know where we were going. He led me out the back exit and across a small field. From there the terrain became uneven, with a scattering of bushes anchored in wherever they could manage.
What was most troubling was the size of the bushes. Low and squat, they hardly had the proper profile to hide a grown mare. And with no trees in sight, the bushes could only give way to more field. Despair crept in as I wondered if we had somehow gone astray.
That was when Earnest hopped over a surprisingly steep ridge and stopped. I followed suit and any questions I had evaporated when I followed his eyes to the slope.
Battered, yet stubborn brushes dotted the side, coating the dirt with sun-singed green. And hidden among the densest of these clusters was the mouth of a small cave. Rough-cut planks stood guard, barricading all entry.
“Blaze?” Earnest called.
“Go away!” Blaze’s yell was barely audible through her makeshift door. “I don’t want to hear anymore lies!”
I glanced at Earnest. “Would you mind if I gave it a try? She might be more receptive to a third party.”
He worked his jaw, but quickly decided against whatever he was going to say. With a sigh, he bowed his head. “Go ahead.”
Trotting up to the barricade, I rapped on it with my hoof. “Blaze, it’s me, Dusky. Do you want to talk?”
“Is it just you?”
I glanced back at Earnest, who took the cue to give us more space.
“Yeah, just me.”
The planks glowed, clawing against the ground as they pulled back just far enough for me to slip through. No sooner was I inside when it was pushed back into place. A couple small boulders rolled up behind it, reinforcing its position.
A single magic lantern sat on a crate in the middle of the cave, its woefully inadequate light barely able to reveal the central area. The rest of the darkness was threatened only by a token dimness.
Several open crates surrounded the lamp, rolled-up scrolls, scraps of barding and the a few shoddily-constructed weapons poking out of the tops.
Even after my eyes had time to adjust, it took me a few moments to find Blaze. Her silhouette was tucked up in a far corner and best I could tell, she had one of those crooked spears planted into the ground in front of her.
“Blaze?” I took a cautious step forward. “How are you feeling?”
The spear lifted into the air and I froze. It stayed suspended in front of Blaze’s muzzle, as though there was something profound etched into the shaft.
“He could have stopped me, Dusky! I… this was my life! It was supposed to be the thing that would avenge my mom and save the town! And I…” Her voice fell to a whisper. “... I was lied to. He knew and he never said a damned word!”
I trotted the rest of the distance and settled down beside her. Sometimes simply listening is the best solution.
She tossed the spear away and it skipped a couple times across the rocky ground. “All this hate… and I spread it! By Celestia, I brought the militia together and we… we said horrible things. How we’d kill her, how we’d be heroes. And now… just knowing how wrong we were… it makes me sick…”
I could, of course, understand her anger. The revelation that she had planned the murder of an innocent would be nothing short of harsh; the feeling could only be compounded by the fact that she had always been one talk away from setting things straight.
And yet, I knew she was missing a perspective on this whole ordeal. I understood all too well the penalties for unchecked zeal, the kind that Earnest surely feared. Perhaps it was time I opened up a bit more to Blaze.
“Can I tell you a story?”
“What?” Blaze turned to look at me.
“I promise you it has a point.”
“Uh, sure, I guess.”
“There was once a young mare who traveled from town to town, aiming to see the sights of the world. On one particular journey, she ended up in the big, bustling city. Though she was entranced by its beauty, secretly, she had another motive: to find adventure, just like Daring Do.”
Blaze tilted her head.
I took a deep breath, forcing the images from my mind as they returned. “And the mare found something. Something she wasn’t supposed to. Something that a group of bad ponies wanted to remain secret. Deep down, she knew she shouldn’t touch it, but she was lost in the excitement, in the thrill of its discovery. So she stepped forward, giving it to the Guard and volunteering to be a witness.”
“Then what?”
“She was found out and they decided to get rid of her. The Guard tried its best to protect her and though it succeeded and was able to obtain a warrant, the ambush was well-coordinated. More than eight guards died to bring down that one warehouse. And in the end, it was just the tip of the iceberg. All that loss, and for what?”
“I…”
“Courage and cowardice are not black and white terms. Your dad knows that these things come with a cost and he’s just trying to do what he thinks is right. Same as you.”
A heavy silence fell over the room.
I waited until Blaze looked up again. “Do you see now why I’m a traveler and not an adventurer?”
She nodded.
“So what do you say?” I stood and offered her a hoof. “Shall we talk this out and get this situation taken care of?”
She stared at my hoof, though her hesitation was short-lived. “Okay.”
---
The trek back to the office was awkward, silent and possibly even worse than them fighting. This stretched on after our arrival and I started to suspect I’d have to play mediator.
Thankfully, Blaze took the first step. “What happened? What did he do?”
“The mayor, or at least the current one, didn’t have to do much. His father was always doting on him and I imagine it didn’t take much to convince Peaceful State that Ivory was a menace and a threat.”
“The legend,” Blaze whispered.
Earnest nodded. “Among other things, I’m sure. When I went to him with my findings, State would brook no challenge to his image of a perfect son. I sent word to the rest of the Guard, but there was never a reply. And then one night…”
His gaze drifted over to Silver Platter’s leg. When several moments passed, she continued for him. “I was walking home from the market when an unhitched cart came out of nowhere. I could barely get out of the way in time and when the dust cleared, nopony would take responsibility.”
“Nopony at the scene of the ‘accident’, anyway,” Earnest added. “I found an anonymous note on my desk that same day. It demanded that I stop pursuing anything having to do with the Necromancer, or the next cart wouldn’t be so off-target.”
Blaze leaned over and nuzzled up against her mother’s neck. In spite of the situation, I couldn’t help but smile.
“So I did what I had to.” Earnest stared at the wall. “I kept my head low and my family safe.”
Blazed trotted over and stood right in front of him. “Dad, I…I know you mean well, but she’s helped us so much. Is it really right to leave her hanging?”
With a sigh, Earnest turned his attention back to me. “Let me see the letter.”
I slipped the letter from my flight satchel and watched him carefully, worried that he might have second thoughts.
He studied the page several times without any change in expression before returning it to me. “Where did you find this?”
“The bandit hideout.” I tried to keep my voice level as the worry closed in around my chest.
“The what?!” Earnest and SIlver exclaimed.
“The bandit hideout,” Blaze answered, a slight waver in each of her words. “The bandits, they… they took me away and... Dusky and Ivory, they rescued me.”
Earnest bowed his head, letting out a long exhalation. I felt like the air was gathering around me, pressing in against my worry, leaving me breathless. This was it, the answer to the big question: did Blaze’s speech compel him to act or scare him away?
When he finally looked up and opened his mouth, I felt like I was going to burst. “If you can get me a sample of his writing, I might have someone who could take a look at it.”
Then all the weight was gone, whisked away like air escaping a balloon.
“Great! Let’s get that poster!” Blaze perked up.
“No, Blaze. You’re staying here.” He turned to me. “I’m sorry, but this is as much as I can give. If he holds this much power, we can’t risk acting openly against him.”
Perhaps I counted my chickens too soon. Well, it’s better than nothing… I bit my lip and nodded. “I understand. I’ll get the poster.”
“But—” Blaze frowned.
“It’s okay, Blaze. The risk really is too great for you. At least if it’s just me and something goes sour, I can just leave town.” I knew my words could hardly be considered comforting, but if I could absolve even a little of her guilt, it was worth it.
Blaze slumped, wearing a grimace like she was sitting on a pincushion, but made no further protestations.
I turned to the door and took a deep breath. With luck, the mayor would still be in the dark.