//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6D: Seven Nights - An Honest Talk 
// Story: The Crusaders:  A Shadow Over Manehattan 
// by Starhunter 
//------------------------------//

~ The Fourth Night ~

The view from the roof of the Seed Industries building wasn't much to write home about.  Three floors wasn't quite enough to get a good view of the uptown skyline, nor was it high enough to escape the sounds of traffic and street vendors on the busy avenue below.  It smelled like a combination of old roof tar and stale rainwater, so the only time any of the Seed family came up here was to clean out the gutters or put the storm doors on the skylights.  It was dark, but the stars were out and the moon was nearly full, painting the rooftop in pale light and long shadows.

Babs stood at one corner of the roof, leaning on the stone railing and watching pedestrians passing on the street below.  Dinner had been another round of her parents and Poppy going at it, and Poppy had stormed out before Babs had a chance to talk to her.  Again.  So Babs had come up to the roof to wait for her to come home, and to think.  

Applejack had told her that when she had a problem, she should tell her big sister.  Tonight she really felt like she needed some advice, and Poppy was the right pony to ask.  She was smart, streetwise, and content not to ask a lot of questions about why and who - questions Babs would have to dance around answering.    

Not seeing any sign of Poppy, Babs abandoned her lookout for the moment and began pacing around the roof.  Her muscles were sore from her day's workout, so she spent a couple of minutes trying to stretch some of the soreness out of them.  There was lots of room, so she even found herself doing a couple of lazy cartwheels just because she could.  She even worked herself up to trying one of those backflips, like the ones Squall had been doing.  She knew as soon as she did it that she wasn't quite going to land it, and ended up landing off-balance.  Her rump hit the roof with a 'thud', and she winced at the bruise she would probably have there tomorrow.

"A valiant attempt.  A few more tries, and you will have mastered it."

Babs wheeled around to find the source of the voice - a caped pony standing near the edge of the roof.  "Cold Star!  You scared me!"

The Bat Pony wilted slightly.  "An unfortunate habit. I apologize."

Babs blew her hair out of her eyes.  "Not scared-scared.  Just... I didn't hear you.  Don't worry 'bout it."

"I see.  Well, I will try not to step so softly next time."

"That'd prob'ly be good.  I mean, if we're gonna focus on what to do with ponies that sneak up on us, seems like a safer plan, right?"  Babs grinned.  "So, what brings you by?  Everythin' okay?"

"I was about to ask the same.  I have not seen you up here before."

Babs looked lost.  "Um... I don't usually come up here except to watch parades.  Do you?"

Cold Star nodded.  "Yes.  I pass by here at least once every night.  I also pass by Squall's apartment, and then make sure Misty's gates are all still latched.  I usually come by here quite a bit later, but my patrol tonight has been quiet so I was taking a bit of a detour."  

She looked down the street towards a nearby alley.  "There is a mare in the alley two blocks down.   She is intoxicated, and I am worried she will invite trouble if left to her own devices.  I am following her home, for safety's sake."  

"Is that somethin' you usually do?  Walkin' drunks home?"

"My oath is to protect those who revel beneath the moon.  I cannot help if some ponies choose to revel too much for my tastes.  So long as no other defilers demand my attention, this too is a part of my Crusade."

"Wow.  Sounds... kinda dull."

Cold Star chuckled.  It was the first time Babs had ever heard her laugh.  "Dull is my preference.  For me, excitement usually means somepony is hurting somepony else.  I would be perfectly happy if all my nights were this sedate."

Babs nodded thoughtfully.  "So, did you say you come by here every night?"

"Yes.  Does that surprise you?"

"I guess it shouldn't."  Babs grinned sheepishly. "Thanks for looking out for us."

"It is the least I can do.  Perhaps not even enough, in truth."  Cold Star looked pensive, then moved over to stand next to Babs.  "Do you have a few moments you could spare?  My drunken charge probably won't be going anywhere for a couple of minutes, and I have something I would like to speak to you about."  

Babs looked down the street to the alley Cold Star had pointed to.  "How do you know what she's doin', all the way over there?"

Cold Star heaved a great sigh.  "Suffice it to say that having enhanced senses is sometimes not entirely a blessing.  Presently she is... quite ill.  Any closer and the smell..."

"Eew.  Fuhget I asked."  Babs looked over the side of the roof and down into the street.  Seeing no sign of her intended target, she nodded.  "Actually, I've been kinda wantin' to talk to you as well.  I was hopin' to talk to my older sister about it first, but I guess she ain't comin' home before the clubs all close down.  Guess now is as good a time as any."

"I see.  What do you wish to talk about?"

Babs shook her head.  "Nah, you go first.  Mine's probably less important.  Might even be nothin'."

Cold Star frowned a little, but nodded.  "As you wish.  I wanted to ask you about Misty, and what happened to her in Canterlot.  I only know what was written in the newspaper about the attack.  It happened before my time on the surface, and few ponies speak of it.  Before I can make an appropriate apology, I feel I need to understand the depth of my transgression."

Babs' eyes went wide.  "Whoa.  I mean, I wish I could help ya, but Misty doesn't talk about it much.  I just know that she was there when it happened.  Not just in Canterlot, I mean - she was right near the palace.  Her mother was workin' there, and she was helpin' her.  Dew Drop is a sort of party planner or somethin', doin' landscape designs for big garden parties.  She was supposed to be supervisin' the royal weddin' reception.  So she was right in the thick of it when the attack went down.  Apparently they moved here because her Mom had some kind of a breakdown, and she couldn't go near the palace.  That's pretty much all I know."

Cold Star hung her head.   "I have encountered Changelings before.  If she has seen them feed, or been fed on herself... well, I can see why she might have reacted to me as she did.  I feel terrible."

Babs shrugged.  "Yeah, well.  Maybe don't feel too terrible.  She kinda deserved it."

Cold Star shook her head.  "I over-reacted.  It was careless on her part, but I am also to blame.  I failed to realize what a temptation her magic would be for her."

Babs sighed.  "Yeah.  About that."

Cold Star looked up, and found Babs scuffing one hoof nervously.  "About what?"

Babs took a deep breath.  "Listen, I don't like bein' a snitch, but I think you oughta know.  I don't think the other night was the first time Misty was tempted to use magic while she was trainin'."

Cold Star drew herself up straight.  "Please explain."

Babs ducked her head, shamefaced.  "I'm not sure how.  I mean, I'm not a unicorn or nothin'.  But this week I noticed somethin'.  Remember what you said about her horn flickerin' when she used that trick on Squall?  I guess I was kinda lookin' out for it, after that.  And I've seen it a couple of more times."

"When?"

"Sometimes Misty falls behind while we're out runnin'.  When she does, her horn flickers, and then she catches up again.  I think she's usin' magic to make her run easier.  I thought about it, and I think she's been doin' it for a while now."  

Cold Star's wings stretched out under her cape, and she flapped them a couple of times before resettling them.  It was the same kind of thing she'd seen Squall's mother do when she was very cross.  "Why would she do this?  Have I not made clear how important running is to her training?"

Cold Star began pacing back and forth across the roof.  Babs joined her - she usually thought better when she was walking.  "I dunno.  Maybe it's the same thing as what happened the other night.  She gets frustrated because she can't do it and then the magic just... happens."

"I cannot accept that this is an accident.  Once or twice could be a mistake.  Several times is a trend. A very discouraging trend."  Cold Star stopped suddenly.  "Perhaps Misty's training should not continue."

Babs stared at the bat-pony, aghast.  "What are you sayin'?  Misty's a Crusader.  She's just... she doesn't like all the physical stuff.  She doesn't see the point."

"Being a Crusader is not the right path for everypony, Babs.  Honestly, Misty has shown reservations right from the very start.  Perhaps we have misjudged her.  It is becoming clear that she is not willing to do the work."

"She is working.  She doesn't want to run, but she still does it.  Every day we do, just like you asked."

"Not like I asked.  She uses magic to cheat."  

"Can you blame her?  She's a unicorn.  They aren't built for physical workouts, like me and Squall are.    If she's got a way to make things easier, I can totally see why she'd wanna use it.  I prob'ly would, in her place."

"Too much reliance on magic is a weakness."

Babs huffed.  "I don't see how bein' able to do almost anythin' with a wave of your horn is a weakness."

Cold Star turned to face Babs.  "Because magic is a crutch, especially if it is the only way one has to solve a problem.  Ask any of the dozen unicorns I've cast the Shadow upon.  All of them used spell-casting as their only line of defence, and as soon as I got my hooves on them they were helpless.  I'm trying to save Misty from that kind of weak-mindedness.  If she's going to pursue a Crusade, she needs more than cheap tricks and hocus-pocus."

Babs stewed on that thought for a moment, before shaking her head.  "I don't think that's fair.  I mean, I think it's really important for her to learn to do other stuff.  But she's got magic, and that's a huge advantage.  You call it cheatin', but I don't think she sees it that way.  I don't know if I do either."

"She uses her magic to make her task easier, while you and Squall train honestly through hard work.  I fail to see how that is anything but cheating."

"You want us to train hard, right?  To really put our all into it?"

"Of course."

"Well, isn't magic a part of her 'all'?"

Babs could tell that the idea caught Cold Star by surprise.  The Bat-Pony frowned in concentration, then shook her head.  "It is not the same."

Babs held up one hoof in a shrug.  "We don't know that. This is all just us guessin' about what's goin' on with her.  We aren't gonna know the truth unless we ask her."

Cold Star scowled.  "And what good would that do?  She is also a liar, Babs.  And that is worse, in a way, than cheating on her training.  It make her untrustworthy.  Do we really want to trust our secrets to someone who lies to our faces?"

It was Babs' turn to frown.  "I trust Misty.  Absolutely."

"So did Squall.  From what I've seen passing by his apartment, his wing is in a sling for it.  And I would wager he's still feeling guilty about it, even though it's squarely her fault.  Because she lacks integrity."  

Babs stamped her hoof stubbornly.  "Misty is a Crusader.  I'd stake my life on it."

Cold Star stared at her levelly.  "That is not a sentiment to take lightly, Babs."

Babs met here eyes with all the steel she could muster.  "I'm not.  I'd bet my life on any of you.  Includin' Misty.  Land sakes, ain't I already done that, what with all the sneakin' around we're doin'?  If any of us were to blab, it's all over for the lot of us."  Babs felt her own pulse race at the very notion, but didn't allow the worry to take root.  "We need to talk to Misty, and understand why she's doin' what she's doin'.  If that means she needs to train less, or train differently, that's fine.  We'll make it work.  But I think you two are prob'ly gonna have to patch things up before any of that is gonna happen."

Cold Star gazed at the young filly for several long moments, before bowing slightly.  "Babs Seed, your words do great credit to you, and to the Crusade you lead.  But I cannot quite be as quick to excuse her.  Crusader training involves many dangerous elements and allowing an irresponsible filly to learn those sorts of skills is a sure path to disaster, both for herself and probably those who train along-side her.  Such lessons could be turned to wicked ends.  So while I will give your belief in her the weight it deserves, I must remain sceptical, for now."

Babs nodded.  "That's fair.  So what are we gonna do about it?"

"I'm not certain.  I don't know anything about magic, other than how to defeat ponies who have it.  I'm poorly qualified to instruct her on the matter."

"Do you have anyone you could ask?  Like Zelest, maybe?  She seems to know a lot about magic."

Cod Star shook her head, slowly.  "I do not think Zelest's magic and Misty's are related to each other.  Though come to think of it, I suppose I do know a unicorn of some talent that I might be able to ask."

Babs' eyes lit up.  "Do you think they'd be willin' to help?"

"I expect so.  He will simply require a proper incentive.  Fortunately, I think I can provide one."  Cold Star's head perked up, and she looked down into the street nearby.  "Unfortunately, that will have to wait.  My intoxicated companion seems to have regained her hooves.  I may have to depart again presently."

Cold Star made her way over to the edge of the roof, looking towards a nearby alley where a young mare was using the wall to hold herself up.  When Babs saw who it was, her jaw dropped.  

"Oh, Land sakes.  That's Poppy!"

"You know this pony?"

"Yeah.  She's my stupid older sister.  Heavens to biscuits, she looks terrible.  Mom and Dad are going to lose it if they see her like this.  I think I better go down and help her get inside."

Cold Star tucked her wings back into her cape.  "I would offer to help, but..."

Babs shook her head.  "Nah, fuhget about it.  I'd leave her to walk if off, but we live on the third floor.  I don't think it'd be smart to trust her on a bunch of stairs by herself, lookin' like that."

Cold Star smiled slightly.  "Perhaps not.  Then I will keep watch nearby until you both get inside before I resume my patrol."

"Thanks.  Maybe after that, you can go and look up your unicorn friend."

"I would not call him a friend.  But I may still be able to get a few answers, none the less."

"Oh.  Well, good luck, then."

"Thanks.  And you might want to suggest to your sister that if she is going to drink this much, she might want to consider carrying cab fare."

Babs sighed, heading towards the fire escape.  "Will do.  And I'll have that backflip nailed down by the weekend, you just wait and see."

"I look forward to it.  You are going to be a fine Crusader, Babs."

Babs heart swelled up with pride, but before she could think of anything to say Cold Star was leaping off towards another nearby roof, closing in on where Poppy was still staggering along.  Still smiling, Babs climbed onto the fire escape and headed down to meet her sister.