//------------------------------// // 4 - Setups // Story: From Dusk to Night // by KuroiTsubasaTenshi //------------------------------// I trudged toward the Seapony, exhaustion rippling across my body with each step through the foot-deep snow. Even half-buried under the fresh powder, the sign’s blush almost stood out like a beacon in a storm. I say almost, because the storm had finally, and thankfully, already passed. In its place was the pale, purple-orange glow of the coming evening. Eight of the last ten hours of my life had been spent foalsitting that patchwork excuse for cloud cover. We had to maintain the allotted snow depth in order to ensure the most optimal spring, but an ordering error had made our job several times harder than it needed to be. Whoever was in charge of cloud creation had put in for snow clouds much heavier than we needed. With the day upon us, we had no choice but to deploy all the clouds, calculating on the fly when and where we needed to dismantle them; if we'd simply let the clouds do as they would, the whole of Ponyville would have been buried by now. A day of flying through winter drafts and picking off the right clouds as quickly as possible had left me cold and sweaty. It was for that reason that I didn’t object when Terra and Mahogany insisted we go to the bar much earlier than usual. One warm shower later and I was on my way over, already anticipating the sweet taste of cider. As I approached the door, I wondered if Starshadow would be there. I certainly wouldn’t mind hearing more of Ostfriesen over a drink or two. The Seapony was empty, almost embarrassingly so and our usual table was the only one with any occupants. From left to right, Night Flurry, Mahogany and Terrabona sat around a small pile of empty glasses. While I still refused to carry Terra, I had a feeling the night was going to end with me helping her remember where she lived and how to operate a door. I expected Terra and Mahogany to be deep into their usual competition, but tonight their focus was on Night Flurry; his eyes were closed and body tensed in that way people tend toward when they’re about to do something difficult. Half of my brain expected Terra and Mahogany to start chanting, “Chug! Chug! Chug!” The other half reminded me the glasses were all on Mahogany and Terra’s side of the table. Then Night Flurry opened his mouth. “Dusky, since the first day I saw you, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you.” My brow furrowed as his words settled in my mind. Did… did I just step into a romance novel? “I... I'd been trying to get the courage to talk to you, but, I couldn't... I gave you the earmuffs you found. I left them there for you.” he continued. “And now, I just wish that I could be brave enough to tell you... to say how much I love you... and to hope… That you'd look at me... and maybe see... just how special you are to me...” Yep. This is a thing that is happening. I felt a frown form as my eyes flitted over to Terra. She was frantically flailing her forelegs: a meaningless gesture to Night Flurry’s closed eyes. I gave her a flat look, which was answered by a shake of her head. But her sheepish grin betrayed her. As Night Flurry finished his speech, I turned to Mahogany, whose eyes were hiding in the farthest depths of his drink; his muzzle quivered around his clamped lips, barely containing the flood of laughter that would have surely crushed his friend’s spirits. The awkwardness was so thick, I could have cut it with a knife. This is so the wrong night for this shit. Night Flurry opened his eyes. “I... Terrabona? Why are you… what’s wrong with your legs?” “Oh, uh... Hi, Dusky! Fine evening we're having!” Terra’s shout was almost deafening.          “Uh, hi,” was the best I could manage. “Um... what?” Night Flurry went rigid and it was clear that if he wasn’t paralysed by his realization, he would have been out of there in a heartbeat. Slowly, painfully, he turned his head. “H-hi?” I had no words. All I could do was stare, wondering just how I was supposed to respond to something like that. Or if he would even offer an explanation.          Night Flurry began to melt, each second bringing him closer to becoming a puddle of embarrassment. “I... did... how... um... how long were you standing there...?”          With a casual push of her hoof, Terra slid one of her whiskies toward Night Flurry. It stopped just before it could dump itself all over his chest.          I shot Terra a questioning look before turning back to Night Flurry. “Long enough to hear the whole thing.”          “Um... oh…” Night Flurry grabbed the glass and drained it before either Mahogany or I could protest. We were in the midst of mutually surprised glances when it all came back up onto the floor. Even though my mind was filled with irritation at his presumptuousness, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. To say he was up the creek with a wing cramp and no paddle was an understatement. “Well... I meant it,” he said. The creek had just emptied into a lake. "I could tell." I eyed him up and down.          Night Flurry practically fell over himself as each pair of legs attempted to take a separate route to the door. “I should... I should probably go…” Yeah, probably, was what my knee-jerk reaction would have been if I hadn’t caught it in time. Another part of me nagged, turning my head toward Mahogany, who looked more dumbfounded than I’d ever seen him. I sighed, knowing I would likely regret what I was about to do. “Wait, Night Flurry. Can we talk? In private?” “Um... Yeah... yeah... wherever you want…” He pushed himself to his hooves. I led the way toward the back of the bar. Terra gave me a stupid grin as I passed her and I shot her a glare in return. During tomorrow’s hangover visit, we were going to have a long chat. At the rear of the Seapony was a quartet of large, private rooms. They were set up much like the common area, with the only real difference being that they were normally rented out for functions. I was quite certain Barkeep wouldn’t mind if I borrowed one for a couple minutes, though. I trotted into the nearest empty room and pointed Night Flurry toward a table near the back. He obeyed without question, though his hopeful glance left me a bit wary. If he was expecting me to suddenly come out and proclaim that I also secretly loved him, he was going to be sorely disappointed. Pressing the door shut, I started silently counting to twenty. After about ten seconds, Night Flurry looked over, confusion plain on his face. I held up a forehoof and, surprisingly, he remained quiet. Just a little longer. The tell-tale tip-tap of swaying, drunken steps touched my ears, growing louder as they neared the door. Then they stopped. I let the silence linger for a few seconds more before calling out, “Terra, I know you’re there! Cut it out!” There was a grumble, followed by the clomp clomp clomp of departing hooves. Distant cackles that carried Mahogany’s distinct deepness interlaced each step. His subsequent shout was barely coherent enough for me to make out. “Toldsya! Both ofsya!” Once the sound had completely faded away, I let out a sigh and turned my attention to Night Flurry. Taking the seat across from him, I stared until he finally met my gaze. “Look, Night Flurry, the whole romantic speech thing is flattering, but we hardly know each other. It makes the entire thing lose all of its weight.” Night Flurry sighed and lowered his head. "I... I know... maybe... I um... well... this is my fault... I knew I shouldn't have listened to them..." “Terra?” He nodded sheepishly. “Right.”          Night Flurry inhaled like it was his last breath. "Maybe it's just a crush, but maybe not... I don't know... I really want to learn more about you, and to make this work.. but... I'm... I'm not very good at it..." “Okay, slow down.” I resisted the urge to rub my temples. “Let’s start at friends. It’s simple and will let you sort your feelings out. From there we’ll have to wait and see. And if you’re really serious about getting to know me, the first thing you have to do is stop following me around.”          His cheeks flushed and he just about slid under the table, a nervous smile forming on his lips. “I... would like that. T-to be friends. I'm... sorry. I'll just... take it down a notch... a few notches.”          "That would be a good start." I gave him a reassuring smile. The whole talk would be a waste of time if he ended up too high strung to remember any of it.          "I won't make any promises that I'll stop feeling this way... but... I'll try to keep it more... um... civil... sorry..." “I guess that will have to do.” He squirmed and opened his mouth again, but this time the words seemed to catch entirely in his throat. Several seconds dragged past before he finally coughed them out. “Th-there’s this festival… in Fetlock. W-would you like to go? A-as friends, of course!” I pondered a moment. A public function like that certainly wasn’t the worst idea. We needed to do something outside of the bar, something where he would be more in his element. And if his cutie mark was any indication, a snow festival was just the right thing. Giving him a stern look, I nodded. “I was already planning to check it out, but I wouldn’t mind the company of a friend.” Night Flurry’s face brightened. “Yes! I mean… yes, so, um, I can get the train tickets in the morning.” “Actually, I was going to fly.” I glanced at his wings. “Can you handle the distance?” “Oh…” He squirmed a little. “Um, yeah. I-I think I can.” “All right, I think that covers everything, then. We should get back; the others are probably wondering what’s taking us.” “Dusky... I'm sorry... a-and thank you. For understanding and for... for being willing to stay friends…” With a smile, I glanced back before turning to the door. “Just remember what you said and we’ll get along just fine.” --- Our conversation had taken even longer than I thought; by the time we emerged, the bar’s usual festivities were well underway; the common area was nearly deafening compared to the private room, in a testament to the back room’s soundproofing. Night Flurry trailed in my wake as I pushed my way through the crowd. I expected to return to a torrent of meddling, but Terra was distracted by yet another newcomer. The reddish-brown unicorn mare was tall and muscular in a way that reminded me of Starshadow. Bold maroon locks washed over partially camouflaged barding. Much like Starshadow’s, it was painted to blend with the coat, but tiny, unserviced nicks exposed the scales’ true, dull grey colour. Wrapped around her barrel was a heavy saddle, with a large satchel on one side and a holster on the other. A small crossbow, the kind built solely for magical use, sat snugly in the holster, with no effort made to conceal it. Unlike Starshadow, this second Ostfriesen pony seemed more than happy to match Terra’s forwardness. “Yes, yes, I am. I’m supposed to meet Sis’ here. Hope you don’t mind if I hang out and enjoy the view~,” the newcomer said, her voice drifting off into an odd sort of singsong, to a tune only she could hear. Her eyes flitted over to Terra’s hindquarters. The matchmaker and the flirt. “I see you’ve found a new friend.” I took my usual spot at the table, where all the whiskey seemed to have bred and multiplied. “Yeah! ‘Er name’sh Countesh Merriweather! She’sh Shtarshadow’s shister!” “I gathered.” “She said alla booze's on her t'night. She'szuh bes'!” Mahogany chimed in. Well, that explains a lot. I cast a sideways glance at the heroically large stockpile of whiskey again. “I’m going to repeat this again, just so we’re clear: I’m not carrying anypony home tonight.” “That’s okay, they can stay in my room~,” Merriweather grinned. Oh, Celestia, she’s not just a flirt, she’s that kind of flirt. Fighting back a frown, I gave her a onceover. “On second thought…” Merriweather slid closer to Terra, pressing up against her neck. I fully expected Terra to play along, but instead she just looked confused. After a few long seconds, she experimentally poked her muzzle into Merriweather’s forelock. I don’t know why it stuck out to me so much. There could have been any number of explanations, from whiskey-induced spacing out, Terra being unsure about somepony who was more flirty than she, or perhaps just having second thoughts about being into mares. “So, um… Merriweather,” I began, trying to give Terra an opening to pull back if she needed to. “When are you and Starshadow supposed to meet up? I was hoping to chat with her a bit more.” “Oh, 'bout ten hours ago.” She leaned back and waved her hoof. “I’m sorry. What?” I raised an eyebrow. “She’shgon' use magic to go back in tiiiime, duh! Even Flurry know’zat!” Mahogany laughed as he wrapped one forehoof around Night Flurry and slammed down his umpteenth empty glass. “I… I, um, do?” Night Flurry’s voice barely rose above the crowd. Merriweather giggled. “Nah, I just made a little detour~. She’ll get over it.” I thought back to Starshadow’s oh-so-warm response to Terra’s advances. “Yeah, I’m sure she won’t be mad at all and will have no issues with you arriving so late.” “Exactly! ‘Sides, she’s always cooler after a kill and she should have bagged at least a couple by the time she gets back.” A glass floated up to Merriweather, wrapped in the pink glow of her horn. She waved a hoof again before slamming the whole thing back. Mahogany clapped his hooves together. “I like her already!” “Wait, kills?” I knew the answer, but was almost afraid to ask. “In Everfree?!” “Yep! I think…” Merriweather poked the empty glass. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s what she must have said.” “That place is dangerous.” “Good thing Sis’ is more dangerous.” Merriweather grinned. I frowned, but decided to let the subject rest. Having never seen Starshadow fight, I had no grounds to argue. Shifty as Merriweather was, I had to admit that she probably knew her sister better than I was giving her credit for. “Well, good. Scrounging up a search party for a place like that would have been… tough.” “‘Scuse me,” Terra said, finally parting from Merriweather’s embrace. “Gotta use the filly’sh room.” She stood and started stumbling in the opposite direction. “Excuse me too,” I hastily added before dashing over and bracing her with my body. “Here, Terra, it’s this way.” “Oh, yeah!” The journey took about twice as long as it should have, but it was decidedly a blessing in disguise. We arrived just as a trio of mares departed, leaving us with an empty washroom. Thankfully, Terra’s business didn’t involve emptying her bladder, which saved me from the awkwardness that was trying to help her into a stall. On the other hoof, her spending the next couple minutes standing at a sink, splashing cold water on her face, wasn’t exactly encouraging. I stepped up beside her, looking for signs of non-alcohol-related issues. “Hey, Terra? You going to be okay?” Terra stared at the mirror as though her reflection was her arch-nemesis. Nearly a full minute passed before she finally opened her mouth. “My schexy is gone.” There were a lot of things I guessed she might say. That was not one of them. “Um, what? Terra, you’re not making any sense. Do you mean you’re not on your game tonight?” “Uh… …” She trailed off, gaze still glued to the other her. “Shhhure, le’s go with that!” I sighed. “This is the last time I let Merriweather pay your tab.”