The "feast" of Lerris was a very calm, quiet, and relatively subdued affair. Several tables had been set up across the centermost courtyard of the town. Here, ponies either sat with plates of fish and rice or they stood beneath torchlight, chatting and mingling. All the while, most eyes darted towards the center table, where Golden Happenstance sat along with Beau and the elite guests: Pilate, Bellesmith, and of course Kera. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen.
"Where'd she go, anyway?" Ebon asked.
"I saw her circling overhead just a few minutes ago," Eagle Eye remarked. He dabbed his chin daintily with a napkin and placed it atop his empty plate as he sat back in his stool, swirling a goblet of cranberry juice in his hoof. "It's just like her to get a survey of the land," he said with a smirk.
Ebon squinted up at the sky. "It's getting kind of dark, and she doesn't exactly have your eyes."
Eagle shrugged. "She's been doing nothing but chatting up the locals about Lerris for the past hour or so. I'd say she's having herself a little break."
"She isn't very social around strangers, is she?"
"I'd beg to differ," Eagle Eye said. "I think she's the kind of pony who's built to be the center of the spotlight. Only... well... because of her past and all, she's not altogether thrilled to get to know just anypony during her travels." He took a sip and smirked to himself. "Becoming a permanent friend to Rainbow Dash is like a supremely awesome accomplishment."
"What..." Ebon fidgeted. "What kind of past do you think she has?"
Eagle Eye bit his lip. "To be honest, I've only been told so little by Rainbow Dash. Even Belle—who knows everything about her—is hesitant to share information."
"Doesn't... that bother you?"
"Hey, most of us haven't had very pleasant pasts. Why should I judge Rainbow?"
"No, not that you." Ebon leaned his elbows against the table and sighed. "I mean, the fact that neither Rainbow or Belle are willing to volunteer much information about her past."
Eagle said, "I know that Rainbow's lost a lot of ponies that were close to her. I know that she's got a lot to be sad about but she puts on a brave face for her friends. In other words, I know enough that I wouldn't want to pry."
"I'm sorry..." Ebon bit his lip. "I wasn't really trying to pry either."
"Hey. It's alright!" Eagle Eye gestured at Ebon's full plate. "Aren't you going to have a bite, Mr. Cook? Just hours ago, you were going ga-ga over a chance to sample this place's food."
"I... uh..." Ebon winced. "I lost my appetite."
"Awwww..." Eagle pouted. "Why? You feeling sick?"
"Just thinking..." Ebon shifted in his seat. "It must be nice to have a past in the first place, even if it isn't altogether pleasant."
Eagle Eye blinked at that. His ears folded as he sighed, then pivoted to face Ebon. "Maybe, y'know, it's about time we told the others."
"Told the others what?"
"About how you don't remember anything." Eagle smiled gently. "I'm happy to keep the truth secret as long as you want me to, but I don't think it's too healthy to bottle it all in, y'know?"
"I... uh..." Ebon gulped. "I think the others have enough on their plate without me complicating their headspace with my own issues."
"So what?" Eagle smiled. "We're all friends here. We're here for you as much as we're here for Kera."
"Don't you get how special this is for the little filly, Eagle?!" Ebon's brow furrowed as he looked at the other stallion sharply. "She's getting acquainted with her hometown. All of this stuff means something to her, and she's relearning it all over again!"
"If you could say so," Eagle Eye said with a slight shiver. He glanced over at the main table. "If you ask me, I'd say she's been on pins and needles ever since she came here."
"Just you wait," Ebon said in a dull tone. "She'll come around. Already, she's starting to relax."
"Heh..." Eagle Eye chuckled. "How can you tell?"
"I can. I just... I just can..."
Silence.
"Ever the mystery, Ebon," Eagle Eye mused. "I'd say you belong with the Jury more than ever."
"Probably because—just like everypony else—I can't help it."
"Huh?"
Ebon looked at the ex-mercenary again. "Answer me this. If your father accepted you for who you are... if your family was more than willing to accept you in open arms... if there was nothing to ridicule or persecute you back in Franzington, would you really be with the Jury today?"
Eagle Eye opened his mouth, but he hung there in muddled thought. His eyes turned glossy in the torchlight as he eventually murmured, "No. No, I... I wouldn't be here." He gritted his teeth. "I wouldn't even have followed Crimson as far as I did, I guess..."
"Eagle Eye, the Noble Jury is my home," Ebon said. "At least... it's the closest thing I have to a home. The only place I remember where I've felt comfortable."
"Not even in Gray Smoke—?"
"I love Propsy to death. Don't get me wrong. But her innocence and naivete is oftentimes a barrier that isolates me. I'd be sad without her, but I can't exactly be myself around her either. But here? With so many unique and honest and upfront ponies? With somepony as courageous as Rainbow Dash? With someone as smart and thoughtful as Pilate? With... with..." Ebon shrugged and pointed. "Well, with you..."
Eagle blinked.
Ebon took a deep breath and smiled warmly. "I feel at home when I'm with you." A twitch. "The whole lot of you, I mean."
"Er... r-right." Eagle coughed. "Of course."
"But Kera?" Ebon turned to gaze melancholically at the table. "There's no doubt that she loves Pilate and Bellesmith dearly, just like I lean so much on Props' shoulders. But there's more to it than that. She's got an inner-strength, stronger than either of her foster parents, maybe even stronger than Roarke's and Rainbow's. She's survived on it for so long that she's grown callous to her own memories. And now, thanks to Pilate and Belle bringing us here, everything's all flooding back to her. And... and..."
"You think she'll drown in her memories?"
"No, Eagle Eye. I have every faith that she'll swim to shore. She's a strong mare beneath her young exterior. And while that's good for her... I... I feel sad. I feel very, very sad."
"Why, Ebon? Why so sad?"
The stallion sniffled, leaning against the table as he shuddered to say, "Because I feel... I know in my heart that a piece of my home is going to crumble away." He winced. "And I don't think I have the wherewithawal to catch myself as Kera does."
A lavender hoof gently squeezed his.
With a startled breath, Ebon was shaken from his sorrowful gaze. He turned to look at the petite stallion.
Eagle smiled. "Hey. You're going to have a home. Okay?"
"But... but if—"
"Even if Rainbow Dash was to leave us tomorrow. Even if the Noble Jury was to suddenly burst into flames." Eagle Eye winked. "I promise you, you'll find your home, Ebon, and you're going to be happy."
Ebon blinked, then briefly frowned. "You can't possibly know that."
"I don't care," Eagle Eye said, squeezing his hoof again. "You deserve the best life imaginable, and as a friend and a soldier, I'll defend your right to happiness to the bitter end. Okay?"
Ebon opened his mouth to protest, but said nothing. His gaze lingered on the warmth in Eagle's violet eyes as they reflected the first stars of the evening. He exhaled and produced a thin smile. "You really are a princess, you know that?"
Eagle's muzzle scrunched up at that. "What has Josho told you?"
"Nothing." Ebon smirked. "All he does is belch in my general direction."
"Yeah..." Eagle Eye giggled. "The old stallion will do that. Just wave your tail in his direction and he'll learn twice."
"Pffft... sure, alright."
Both chuckled into the torchlit night.