//------------------------------// // Chapter 25 // Story: The Eyes Are Blind // by Fe94Knight //------------------------------// Chapter twenty five Levitating out a few fresh fruits from the cart with his magic, Sky Streak sends a couple of bits over to the vendor before he closes up, while sky himself walks through town. Neatly putting the fruit in to the satchel around his neck. Several other shops are closing up by this time as the vendors out on the street pack up for the day, and head home to count their bits. ‘Ahh it should still be open though,’ the ex-guard peers through squinted eyes from the glare of the sun at a building not too far off. The general store of the town is always fully stocked with all the necessities that a border town would need. And in the case of this stallion, just what is required to help keep the two loves of his life happy, and full of the meat they so much enjoy. The single bell on the top of the door brings a welcome customer in to the establishment, as the rather buff earth pony looks over his red handle bar mustache that matches the rest of his mane, and tail at the dreary colored unicorn. “Well good evening now, mister Spector,” he ruffles the facial hair with a hoof, “What can I do for you at this time? Usually I don’t get many customers around this time of the day.” “Well Bronze when have I ever been the usual customer?” Sky peers a wary eye over at the toasted toned pony. That is before the snicker melts down in to a smile, and the two clop their hooves together in the usual brohoof. After a few years being settled down here, both Sky and Golden have gotten more integrated in to the town folk on the down low. Having made several friends under the table, that hold no malice to their relationship or their kin… and even some of the families unorthodox eating habits, “How have you been friend?” “Eh same old same old… new stock comes in, old customers with rather bland tastes buy the same thing over and over again, and then new stock gets thrown out. Tis the way of a seller in these parts of the land,” Bronze answers while putting away a few jars of jam on the back shelf for his morning breakfast. Looking around a bit in the small store just to see if there are any prying ears of the little ones that would like to come in, and look at the sweets on the bottom shelves then haggle their parents to get some. Having the satisfaction that the coast is clear, he leans in a bit, “How’s the misses, and little Midnight doing?” “Very well actually. I was making dinner for them, but I did forget to pick up some salts for… flavor,” Sky winks at him, letting the truth pass without a word as Bronze picks it up. Nodding now, and taking out a few small sacks of salt on the counter. The owner places a single thing of taffy along with it. The latter gets only a chuckle between the two, as the broad shouldered pony throws up his tree trunks of legs in a fuss, “what can I say? The little tike loves these things,” Bronze answers. “Well he’s not so little anymore though. For a four year old, Midnight is rather big compared to others,” Sky places them in the bag, while taking out a few bits and swapping spots with them. “Is that so? Must be all the extra nutrients you’ve been feeding ‘em,” Bronze answers with a simple wink before pushing back the bits to the ex-guard, “Eh don’t worry about it there Sky, it’s just a few things of salt and a single treat for a young’un.” “Well you are just as kind to us as the day we met you,” Sky answers before he slips one bit on the counter, and Bronze allows it to slide. Although he may be out of the guard. Charity is not one of his codes, and as long as Sky has an ability to pay. He’ll put something down on the table. Leaving Bronze to say good bye to his friend for now, while the unicorn backs out of the store with his merchandise. “Take care now Sky, and do let them know I can’t wait to have one of our little get-together’s again soon.” The ever stellar pony gives a single salute, as he leaves out of the building and on to the street. The sun has started to leave much of the town now in shadows as it dips further, and further past the buildings. The darkened streets leaving Sky in the blind for a second, but long enough for him to run headlong in to another pony as the ex-guard tries to make his way back home. The impact knocks both he and the Pegasus on their rumps, while a Sky rubs the end of his muzzle as he tries to get his bearings. “Agh… sorry about that one sir,” he answers, as a few other ponies come up to the sides of the other on the ground, and help him up to his feet. “Don’t worry about it, didn’t see where I was going and after coming out of a bar… well needless to say it’s expected to-” The pony stops in mid-sentence as he notices who exactly he is talking to, “Sky? Sky Streak?” The Ex-guards ears snap up as he tries to bury the thoughts bubbling up in to his mind, ‘no… it can’t be them,’ “Constellation? Y-y-you’re here?” The warm embrace of the other answers one of his worst fears that he could have come across while out here. And from now, it can only get worse as the awkward embrace is released and the pain is only added. “Fellas! Look who we ran in to, Its Sky!” The whooping, and hollering of the others there only remind Steak of the days in the guard as several Pegisy guards, old coworkers of his, clad in armor surround him, and all fire off a barrage of questions his way that he can’t hope to answer at the moment. “Sky? Where ya been!” “Why are you all the way down here in this neck of Equestria?” “You didn’t even say good bye?! What gives?” “Why are you shaking so much?” The final question sums up the entire environment at the moment for the stricken colt, as he tries to process what is going on here in this so called safe haven that he was hoping to have with his family. “W-w-what are you all doing here?” Sky questions them all while avoiding their own, “The nearest guard out post is fifty miles from here?” “Yea until last month that is,” A Pegasus in full guard gear answers him, “They made another to try, and keep the boarders of the badlands more secure down here.” Constellation turns back to his old mentor in the guard before he got out, to fill him in a bit, “Pommel Stone back there is getting married next week, so me and the boys were going to take him out here for his last week of freedom before heading back to base…” The current guard looks over the other still standing there in more or less a daze, “Though it’s been a couple years now, heck most of us never expected to see you at all… Let alone here.” “Ahh what can I say?” Sky tries to keep his cool, “Mail doesn’t get out much here, and even at that it always has had trouble reaching its destination.” “Oh I can imagine,” Constellation answers, “Well me and the gang are bar hopping as best we can in this small town…” “Explains why you all smell like a brewery,” Sky chuckles to keep his thoughts hidden, getting only a few snickers out of the group. “Good point there… how about you join us?” his drunken friend asks. “I… Ahh… have to get going,” Sky tries to answer them, thinking of any excuse he could possibly have to draw himself away, “I’ve got dinner back at home, and only came back to town to get a thing or two that I forgot.” “Oh by all means don’t let us keep you. We’ll be here probably all night so when you’re finished you can join us if you’d like,” A single wing from his counterpart drapes over top of Sky’s shoulder, as Constellation acts like everything is alright, having not a clue of what is going on in Sky’s mind, “…So how’s the mare?” “How do you know about-?!...” A lone hoof covers Sky’s mouth to quell his outburst. “Calm down there now Lieutenant,” Constellation starts to chuckle to himself, tapping only the horn ring that Sky wears with a light feather, “That kind of gives away, so would you mind introducing us to the miss that stole our good friend away?” The others lean in eagerly now to hear their friends answer to them while the persistent Pegisy continues, “After all not every guard that was as stellar as yourself would have left on so much of a whim, unless there was a piece of tail he was chasing… she must be quite a mare.” In that moment the only thing that Sky is left with is a small opening between some of them, as he darts down the street away from the group at full speed. He remembers these friends. They are good ponies, but they do have a rather bad taste in pleasantries. Especially when it involves guards like his wife. That’s nothing to say how they’ll react with a healthy dose of booze in their system spurring them on. ‘They will never drop it until I show them…’ Sky tells himself while leaving a small dust trail in his wake, ‘…and if they do see her, who knows what might happen then,’ that single thought grants him an extra burst of speed he flies down past the town limits, and onwards to the refuge of his home. Meanwhile the others there in town are left to blunder to themselves in their mildly inebriated state, as to why their friend of years past would leave them high, and dry like this, “What has gotten in to him?” Constellation asks himself. “Maybe he’s nervous?” A random pony in the group answers to him. “Well that may be true…” Another pipes up. “Should we go to say sorry? After all we did just see him for the first time after years.” Several of them, and soon all start to nod in agreement with the latter as Constellation, remaining the most sober of the group (but still not quite all there) acts as the ring leader. “Okay now that makes sense… come on y’all,” Constellation flexes out his wings, “Perhaps after we smooth things over he’ll introduce us,” All of them fan out their wings to their fullest might, and take to the skies to see if they can spot their friend in distance so they can make an apology for their blunders and the sort of surprise visit. None having a clue what this will entail for those at the cottage.