Starshadow had talked me through the forms, and I'd pushed myself to meet her expectations. Years ago, after my brief training for the Royal Guard, I'd continued the training regime on my own, but eventually quit as I let that dream die. Now, despite being long out of practice, old muscle memory worked with me and I fell into the rhythms with surprising ease. By the end of our session, I was tired and sore, but proud of the fact that I'd somehow completed Starshadow's first training routine. I'd held my head high as I'd prepared to fly to work, and it hadn't quite sunk in that she'd told me to be back the next day.
I had it all planned out. I could wake up, spend time training, and then head to work with no problems. In theory, it seemed fine. It was only after spending my first night pushing my limits that I actually wondered if I could complete my shift without passing out from exhaustion. I'd get to work, get a hot cup of tea, and be just fine before heading out to tackle the weather.
I slowed to a hover as I arrived at Town Hall. As I dug out my work key to open the door and head in, I hesitated. Something felt off. I glanced at the building's windows in the fading daylight. The lanterns inside were still burning, long after anypony should still be working. My hoof fell quietly towards the door handle and found that it was unlocked. Somepony was still inside.
My heart beat faster. A-already? Did they follow us? Is this a trap? I... I'm not ready.
I eased the door open, the aches in my limbs forgotten as the moment took hold. I spared a glance back at my pack, wondering if I should put on the hoof blade, or if I'd just end up hurting myself.
I spied about the hall, sneaking towards the weather bureau office in the back. What am I doing? I shook my head, pushing the panic down. I'm not a hero. I'm not a knight. I'm just Night Flurry...
I crept forward as familiar thoughts stalked me. For all my effort tonight, my promises, I knew that it was for nothing. If they attack me, if they kill me, who would miss me? Not my family. Maybe Mahogany? Maybe... Dusky?
My hoof shakily rose to the office door. I stood to the side and began to silently push the door open. My head lowered as I craned my neck to peek inside. My ears focused, scanning for whatever noise I could find.
The voice came from behind, catching me completely off guard. "Oh! Hey Flurry. I didn't hear you come in."
I flailed, falling forward into the office. I hit the ground, and suddenly all those sore muscles lit up in pain once again. I tried to scramble back to my hooves, but my body screamed in protest.
"Oh shoot, I didn't mean to scare you, Night." Blizzard Breeze flew over me, landing down and offering a hoof.
I reached out and took her hoof, face red in embarrassment. "B-Blizzard? I um... j-just wasn't expecting anypony in the... the office this l-late."
"I was just doing some reading while I waited for you. Knew I could catch you before your shift started." She brought her muzzle in closer, looking me over. "You sure you're okay?"
Trying to avoid her scrutiny, I tilted back on my hooves, wincing slightly. "F-fine. Just um... busy... um... y-yeah. Busy. I was getting some— w-wait? Waiting for me?"
Whether she bought it or not, I couldn't tell. She stepped through the office and unshuttered the lanterns. Turning back, she nodded with a faint smile. "Yeah. Just... since the whole mess in Fetlock, I've been doing some hard thinking, you know?"
My ears dropped with the thought of those ice sculptures. "Are.... are you feeling better? It w-wasn't like it was your fault..."
Blizzard nodded, but her smile faded. She stepped around the desk, shuffling her wings restlessly. "Yeah. I'm better. It made me really look at where I was, and where I was going, you know?"
I tilted my head curiously, the questions echoing in my mind. Where was I? Where was I going? "Well... sort of?"
Something gnawed at me, and I couldn't hold it back. "I'm um, sorry... sorry for everything that happened in Fetlock. I really w-wish I could find a way to make it up to you."
"It's all right." She sighed quietly, but suddenly her smile was back. I couldn't tell if she was just putting on a brave face or not. "I'm shaking things up. Moving to Canterlot this summer. So I'll be closer, be able to hang out with my friends more."
I sat down on my haunches, digging a hoof at the floor. "O-oh? I mean... the change will be good, right? I can use that as an excuse to finally travel there?"
She covered her mouth with a hoof to try to stifle a laugh. "You've never been? Well, I'm going to find a new place there, and if things all work out, you'll have plenty of reasons to come."
"P-plenty of reasons?"
Her smile broadened. She raised a wing, placing a manila folder onto the desk between us. An employee work folder. My work folder. "I don't know if you know why I'm moving to Canterlot."
I shook my head, suddenly feeling much more nervous.
"There's a job there. One I've put off taking because I felt like I had to stay loyal to Fetlock." She grimaced, then shook it off. "Well, I'm taking it now. An administrative position in the Weather Bureau, and it's made me think about what I'll be doing."
"W-what you'll be doing?" I eyed the folder. "What does th-this have to do with my folder?"
Blizzard leaned in, picking up the folder and flipping through it with her hooves. "Been reading through the files, trying to think like an administrator. Your file is pretty impressive, Night. You've had nothing but good reviews."
I felt my cheeks going red again, as I dipped my head. "I... I just d-do my job. Nothing special."
She lifted out one of the pages, reading it before looking back at me. "It says that you've passed up moving to a better shift with more responsibility a few times. Is that right?"
"Well... yeah, I suppose. I... they weren't really... for me..."
Blizzard closed the folder and walked around the desk, opening a wing to drape around me. "Why is that? From everything I've seen of you, you're more than capable. Everypony thinks so. I mean, once they remember who you are. You just try to blend in when you could do so much more. I don't get it."
I shifted uncomfortably, but didn't move away. I just tapped my hooves, looking at the ground. "I guess... I never really wanted to. I'm happy with this shift... I-it's like home to me. I know it, and I do it well."
She nodded, her head turned to look out at the sky through the office window. "Sure. But you're the only pony on the shift. How are you supposed to develop skills working with and managing other ponies if you never have the chance?" She gave a soft squeeze with her wing, and smiled at me. "It can be really comfy just working solo and relying on yourself, but you'll never go anywhere just doing that."
"No pony should have to r-rely on me. I... It's a good shift." The whole direction of this conversation struck me as strange. I wasn't the kind of pony who could lead others at anything. "I... w-wait. What are you saying?"
Blizzard laughed suddenly. "What do you think I'm saying? Just... remember that Winter Weather conference where Mahogany introduced us? You had good questions at the seminars, you just never spoke up. I don't know if you're just comfortable here, or afraid." She nudged me with her wing before withdrawing it. "You have a lot of potential, but if you don't start doing something with it, than you'll always just be that really good worker that everyone relies on."
She shook her head, rising up from my side. "And that's not terrible, but honestly? You're suited for a lot more. Don't let a comfortable position hold you back."
I didn't know what to say to any of that. Blizzard either had too much faith in my abilities, or… Or... what?
I was a weather pony. Or had that been a mistake too? My cutie mark stood for snow, and I couldn't deny my love for it, or the joy I felt in bringing winter. This job was enough for me, wasn't it? Best I not work with others or I'd just get in their way.
I wasn't suited for more. I was a nothing. The words gnawed at me, but somehow they felt hollow this time. There were my friends now, and my desire to protect them. There was Starshadow, and knighthood. There was Dusky, and my promise to her. The old thoughts of how I'd disappointed my family, of how I'd left that life behind, they didn't weigh nearly so heavily upon the scale.
Everything felt so distant as I struggled to focus back on the present. "I... I'll think about it..."
"Good. One more thing, Night?"
I rose up slowly, turning from the window towards her. "Um... yeah Blizzard?"
She leaned forward and wrapped her wings around me in a hug. "We're friends. You can just call me Bree."
My hooves rose slowly, shaking, as I managed to hug her back. "Th-thanks... Bree."
Blizzard pulled back. "Now... keep up the great work."
"I... I'll do my best." I wasn't sure what my best would be, but I didn't think I could do anything less now.
---
I managed to get through my shift without incident, the quiet winter night passing like the wind. I replayed Bree's words in my mind over and over, trying to decide what I even wanted anymore. I needed somepony to talk to, and the only pony I talked with who worked weather was Dusky Down.
I could tell her all about Bree's idea, and ask her what she thought. I couldn't tell her about the knighthood. Not yet. Not until I was able to prove to her that I was ready to help her.
A quick check at the weekly schedule revealed that Dusky was coming in for the dawn shift, assisting Icicle Gleam's morning crew with the weather setup for the day. I'd waited, hoping to catch her, but she never showed up. A quick word with Icicle brought me an answer, but also more concern.
She'd cancelled all her shifts for the week, and nopony knew why. Nopony had seen her, and I still didn't know where she lived. There wasn't much I could do except head home, and hopefully find her at the bar that night.
With all the thoughts jumbled in my mind, I still managed to sleep through the day. It was deep, dreamless sleep, the kind that comes from a long, hard day. I awoke that evening and after a quick breakfast headed to the bar. With any luck, I could catch up with Dusky before Starshadow and I went out for our next training session.
I pushed open the door to the Lusty Seapony and frowned when Dusky was nowhere to be seen. The general crowd filled the bar, although our usual table sat nearly empty, with only Starshadow and Terrabona sitting at odds with one another.
Terrabona immediately began waving her hoof in a wide, exaggerated arc. "Heya! Flurryyyyy! How's it going!" She yelled across the bar, drawing a few annoyed stares as I quickly maneuvered through the crowd.
I reached the table, not yet taking my seat, but close enough that hopefully she'd stop shouting at me. "Um.. good?" A quick glance at the table revealed a graveyard of fallen glasses, the aftermath I'd expect from a long night's drinking contest with Terrabona, Mahogany, and Merri, although the latter two showed no sign of having been present.
Starshadow sat in silence with a single glass of wine. She nodded at me with a slight smile before turning back to her book.
Despite my new proximity, Terrabona's voice refused to drop in volume. "Thas' good! Good! Gooooood. Getta drink, Flurry!"
Eyeing her empties, I gave a nervous laugh. "R-right... a drink." I quickly retrieved a kettle and cup, returning to take a seat across from Terrabona. Nervously fiddling with the tea bag, I looked from her, to Starshadow. "H-hey um... have either of you... well... seen Dusky around anywhere?"
Looking up from her book, Starshadow shook her head. "I have not seen her since the last time we three were together."
Terrabona leaned her head down to the table, her voice coming out like air escaping a balloon. "Dussshky. Heh. Yeaaaaaahh~."
I blinked, feeling some relief, "Oh? You have? Good! She's alright, isn't she? She dropped all her shifts at work, so um... I just wanted... um..." I trailed off as Terrabona lifted her head and leaned over the table towards me.
"She'sh riiiight there." She raised a hoof, almost knocking over a several glasses before she managed to plop it against my nose. "I shee her in your eyessss."
I tilted back, letting her hoof drop away. "I um... eyes?"
She dragged her hoof back, staring at it. "The Eeeeeeeeyes~." She grabbed at her drinks, checking each until she found one that still contained liquor. Quickly knocking the drink back, she let out a satisfied sigh.
Starshadow did not look up, merely telekinetically flipping a page of her book. "She has been here all night." She wrinkled her nose. "She is astoundingly drunk."
Terrabona slammed the mug down, rattling the others. "I ain't been here all night!" She stuck out her tongue. "Well, maybe I wash. But... I had a train."
"I... a train?" I looked at Starshadow helplessly, but got no response.
"Did anypony shee where the train went? It had think on it..." Her words dropped off as she tried to focus on something behind me.
For a moment I figured Dusky would have come up behind me. I slowly turned my head, looking through the bar to see what Terrabona had seen. Nothing out of the ordinary. "So... w-what um... Are you doing alright?"
She began giggling as I turned back to the table. "That'sh right. There they are. The Eyesh."
Starshadow refrained from looking up. "They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul."
"Eshactly! The Eyesh!"
I raised a hoof, placing it against my head cautiously. "Well I mean... W-we all have eyes."
She smiled, pointing at her eyes. "Not those eyesh! Those are jusht your eyesh. I don' have the Eyesh. You have the Eyesh! It'sh diff'rent."
"W-what's different?" My eyes didn't feel any different. I looked about for some kind of reflective surface. Sure, Terrabona was drunk, but that didn't mean something wasn't off. I turned to Starshadow for confirmation. "Is something wrong? W-what do I have?"
Starshadow peered over her book, slowly closing it and setting it down on the table. "It is quite obvious. You have a rare, severe case."
"I-I do? So... this isn't just Terrabona being drunk?"
With a lurch that ended when she hit the table, Terrabona objected. "Hey! 'm not that drunk."
The armored unicorn nodded. "She is absolutely that drunk. However, it is my opinion that you do indeed have the eyes she refers to. You should probably get that checked out."
My eyes went wide, but I quickly shut them, throwing my hooves up. "I-is it contagious? What do I do about it?"
Terrabona clattered about, and suddenly her hooves clumsily pried my own from my face. "Let'sh shee." She brought her muzzle up close to mine, her breath definitely reeked of whiskey as she stared me down. "Mmm. Mmmmm. No Eyesh. Now."
"N-no eyes?"
She nodded, then looked past me again. "Nope! Now, letsh tesht it. Picture Dushky."
I raised an eyebrow, leaning away from the drunken mare. "D-Dusky?"
Her face split into a too wide grin. "Dushky. Imagine she'sh comin' through the door, an' itsh raining out. She'sh all wet, her mane ish dripping, an' she'sh all shiny." She leaned her face in. "An she shees you and shays 'Hiya shexy.'"
My face grew red, in part from the mental image Terrabona painted, and in part because of just how embarrassing this all was.
She fluttered her eyes at me, then nodded to herself. "Yesh. Like that. The Eeeeeeeyesh."
"E-eyes?" I looked over to Starshadow for help.
The knight was actually snickering. Our eyes met for a moment, and she raised a hoof to cover her mouth and turned away.
I returned my gaze to Terrabona. "Besides, t-that doesn't exactly sound like a thing Dusky would say..."
She stepped back, giving a short hmph. "No it doeshn't. You haff the Eyesh. But Dushky ish hard to read. I can't tell if she hash dem yet."
"Err... yet?"
Terrabona cackled as she returned to her seat, practically falling as she leaned into the table. She fumbled at her glass before clumsily sliding it to me. "We'll getter. A little boozsh helpsh the Eyesh! Makesh everything shexy!"
I slid the alcohol away, both from myself and from Terrabona. "W-what? Booze helps the eyes? But... I have the eyes? I never drink booze... and... um... you okay?"
She flopped her head into the table, tears streaming down her face. "Yesh. Jusht cause my shexy ish gone and all the boozsh in the world can't bring it back doeshn't mean I'm not okay."
Starshadow let out a sigh. She stared at Terrabona in concern, her book untouched for the last few minutes. "Terrabona? For what it is worth... I am sorry."
Terrabona rolled her head away, voice a harsh whisper as she curled her hooves around it. "Jush... leave me alone."
We sat in silence, Starshadow and I exchanging glances from time to time, watching Terrabona.
Standing quietly, Starshadow moved towards her to peer closer. She closed her eyes, shaking her head as she whispered. "She has passed out. Perhaps I should have stopped her from partaking of so much, but I did not feel it was my place."
I lowered my own voice. "Y-you just let her drink? All that?"
"She is not my responsibility."
"But... she..." I sighed. "No... I guess she's not." The unconscious unicorn sobbed in her sleep, and I met Starshadow's gaze again.
She broke her eyes away. "Ahhh. We have our training session soon, yes? I... suppose we cannot leave her here."
For all the awkwardness of the night, this moment surprised me. Starshadow had been nothing but stoic, confident, and as revealed in our training session, utterly deadly. Yet, here she seemed clearly embarrassed, awkwardly watching Terrabona.
"I... can move her up to my room. Allow her to rest in my bed. She may be confused when she wakes up, but at least she will be safe."
I let out a breath and nodded. With a subtle glow around her horn, Starshadow levitated our unconscious companion carefully. She forced a smile towards me, and headed upstairs with her ward. She returned a moment later, her face seemed somewhat relieved.
Terrabona would hopefully get some peaceful sleep, and after our training, Starshadow would wake her up and get her home. I'd never understood why some ponies drank the way they did sometimes, but for Terrabona, I could sympathize. I wasn't sure what had happened to her, but I still hoped she would be okay.
Starshadow nodded to the door and we headed out. We marched through the town in silence, Starshadow in quiet contemplation, and I unwilling to interrupt her. Once we reached our makeshift training clearing, at least then we'd have something else to talk about.
At the edge of town, Starshadow stopped her walk and looked up into the trees. "We are trying."
I slowed until I stood alongside her. "T-trying?"
"To make up for what happened."
"O-oh... to Terrabona? Or..." I left the question dangling, unsure myself just what she was referring to.
She grew silent again.
"So..." I glanced at Starshadow curiously. "Um... eyes? You s-said I had a rare and severe case?"
Through a low snort, a chuckle escaped. "Terrabona was merely stating the obvious, albeit in a very inappropriate manner. You look at Dusky Down in a way that is quite different from the way you look at any other pony."
I blinked. "W-wait? Th-that's what 'eyes' means? And then... I..." I thought back to Terra's drunken ranting. "...oh. And... Dusky... doesn't have them for me."
Starshadow laughed quietly before she trailed off into a measured sigh. "It is difficult to say. She does not look at you in the same way you look at her, that is certain. But you are easy to read. Dusky is elusive, and seems skilled at keeping her emotions in check."
I hung my head, lowering my ears. "Am... I just fooling myself?"
"That depends. What is Dusky to you, and what do you want her to be?" She stepped forward once again and headed into the woods.
"What is she? She's just a friend..." I looked up to see Starshadow's tail disappearing into the trees. "A... friend." The corners of my mouth turned up just a little as I sprinted ahead to catch up.