She slept. Already, Dusky looked so much better than she had lying half dead on the ground outside the bar. She'd recover, of that we were sure, though the doubt still gnawed at me. All I could think of was staying at her side, so afraid for her, but so helpless to do anything.
Twilight Sparkle continued to read, reviewing the book on medical magic that she’d hurriedly retrieved. She wanted to see if there was anything else she could do to ease Dusky's rest while we waited.
We were all trying to deal with all of this however they could. Terrabona had been crying in the other room for some time. This was so much to take in, and I’d probably be right there with her if I wasn't so focused on Dusky.
Mahogany was swearing quietly, pacing about anxiously. He was angry, and I could understand that feeling as well. Though I couldn't be sure who he was angrier at, the ponies who had done this, or at himself.
They should have gone home, but none of us wanted to leave the library, not with Dusky still asleep, and not with the threat of whoever or whatever had hurt her still out there.
Nearly two hours passed in silence as I hoped for some word from my father. At last, my ears picked up the sudden sound of somepony knocking to enter the library.
A moment later, Mahogany poked his head into the back. His voice was low, and full of suspicion "Hey, Flurry? He says he's Noble Light. Is that him?"
I nodded, and looked over at Twilight. "I'll... I'll talk to him. We'll find someplace safe to take her... just... take care of her."
Twilight looked up from her book to smile at me. "Of course. She's my friend too, Night Flurry."
I smiled back and nodded gratefully, then slipped out the door.
I entered the main room of the library, and stepped into a scene I couldn't have anticipated. My dad, Noble Light, stood in the center. He wasn't in his armor or displaying any sign of his rank, just a small flight satchel. His wings and mane were ruffled, likely from a stressful flight from Canterlot to Ponyville. Levitating a mere foot away were two small crossbows, aimed straight for him.
Merri stood to one side, her magic holding the weapons, while Starshadow paced nearby, one eye on my dad, the other on Terra, who seemed far more nervous of the crossbows than Dad did.
He gave me an awkward smile, although that had nothing to do with the weapons in his face. "Hello, Night. This isn't what I'd hoped for in meeting you again."
I sighed. "Merri, p-please stop threatening my dad."
"Well, we had to be sure. All things considered." She narrowed her eyes, but the crossbows floated back, folding up and slipping into the holsters slung just beneath her flank.
I breathed out in relief, though the hard part was only just starting. "We um... have a problem, Dad..."
He nodded matter-of-factly. "So Spring told me. Your friend was attacked. A Guard was killed. But first, is she alright?"
I glanced back at the room where she rested. "Y-yeah... as... as alright as can be expected. She's asleep. She's going to be for awhile, while she heals."
"Thank Celestia for that. Now, what happened?" He looked about our little group.
Mahogany gripped a flask in his hooves. "It was my fault..." He glared at my dad. "Some guard wanted to see Dusky. Said his name was Light Horn. He had a sheet with Dusky's picture on it. So I led 'em straight to her. Then they went off alone. I shoulda' stayed with her."
I frowned. Dad hadn't known Dusky's name, he'd only met her as Mist when we'd given him the information from Hoofington. "We... we don't know exactly how... but... it was a Guard... a traitor, it had to be... he... maybe more, attacked her. She wouldn't go to the clinic, either. "
My dad's face fell dark as the story unfolded. He looked down at the floorboards of the library, frowning. "Traitors? Maybe. But something doesn't quite make sense here."
"Oh! We can solve that one!" Merri raised a hoof. "Check this out." In one smooth motion, she revealed a helmet, tossing it casually to the floor. The dead guard's helmet, faded and dented from impact.
Starshadow stepped forward, placing a hoof on the helmet to stop it from rolling. "We recovered this from the body of the deceased guard when we returned to the bar."
I blinked at the pair. "You... went back?"
Merri's grin was a bit too casual for everything that'd happened. "Well, yeah. You all were so busy getting Dusky here, someone had to dispose of the body. Sis’ drew the short straw while I was making sure no pony followed you here."
"And it is good that I did." Starshadow levitated the helm up from the ground. "What we have here is a modified helmet, laced with enchantments. All fairly subtle, I am unsure Merriweather would have noticed them in our rush."
Dad moved closer to the helmet, examining it. "Enchantments?"
"Two of them." Starshadow spun the helm slowly to give the whole room a view of it. "The first is a typical illusion spell, albeit extremely well done. It would make even the keenest eye think this pony was one of your guards."
"The other is far more insidious." Starshadow's voice dropped as she came face to face with the empty helmet, her horn glowing brighter for just a moment. "It is protected from my probing, and was damaged along with the helmet, or possibly as a result of the death of the pony wearing it. But... I think that it modifies others behavior."
"B-behavior?" A spell designed to somehow distort or change the ponies who saw it? Or worse, had it somehow changed the pony wearing it? I shuddered at the thought.
My dad motioned towards the helmet, and Starshadow lowered it down to him. He took it in hoof, turning it and examining it. "This is a level of disguise deeper than any I've seen before." He glanced past me, towards the room where Twilight and Dusky were. "If the Leaf Cartel is hunting her, we need to get her somewhere safe until I can find out what level of infiltration they have, and how we can counter it."
I looked up at my father, thinking back to everything Dusky had told me about her experiences with the Leaf Cartel. "A... safe house? She.... she won't like that."
He sighed. "She doesn't have much choice here, Night. If they know she's in Ponyville, they're not going to give up."
"How can we trust that they won't know where she is then?" That same helpless feeling crept over me. "If there's more infiltration... then... there's no way we can guarantee she'd be safe even then..."
Dad stepped over, placing a hoof against my shoulder. "I can guarantee it. Because I won't be doing this through official channels. I have a few places in mind where I can take her that aren't affiliated with the Guard."
"I'm not leaving her." I spoke quickly, feeling the heat in my face rise up. "I mean... I can't. I'm going too."
He stared at me a moment, hoof still pressed firmly against me. At last, he nodded. "Alright, Night. Alright. The rest of you should head home. They've attracted too much attention, and for all they know, they succeeded. They're not going to make another move until they reassess what happened tonight."
"Go home? Go home?!" Terrabona blinked at Noble, then started to giggle oddly. "Sure! We just saw a dead body, plus Dusky almost dying, that’s perfectly normal! And some evil organization is out there waiting to mind whammy all of us, like they did Mahogany! We're all perfectly safe going home!"
Mahogany chimed in quickly, coming up alongside Terra. "I already screwed this up. I coulda' done something, instead of leaving her behind. Not doing that again."
"Dusky is our friend as well." Starshadow stepped forward confidently, with Merriweather right beside her. "Do not think that we will be left behind."
Dad closed his eyes. "Getting her out of town undetected will be hard enough... but... six of you?"
"Ahem" Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat politely as she stepped into the room, levitating an empty pitcher besides her. "If you need a quick way to get six ponies out of town, I could provide a means."
My dad bowed his head respectfully as she walked into the room. "Ah, Ms. Sparkle, a pleasure."
She nodded with a polite smile. "Captain. I could get six tickets from the Ponyville train station without drawing any attention to myself. No pony would question if I reserved a train car on short notice for six ponies. Then, it would simply be a matter of getting everypony on board."
"A private car on the Friendship Express? That could work nicely..." Dad leaned back on his legs. "I've a place where you can lay low without attracting too much attention. Ms. Sparkle, if you would be so kind as to book six tickets to Myrtail Beach, I believe I can handle the rest."
"I can get them first thing in the morning." She smiled, heading towards her kitchen, carrying the empty pitcher along with her.
"Myrtail Beach?" Mahogany gave my dad a strange look. "You sending us on vacation or something? Cause I only have so many leave days."
Terrabona's off-kilter laugh was disturbing, with no humor residing in it at all. It was sad and heartbreaking, in a way. "Vacation! Right! S'just like vacation! 'Cept for the dead body! And all the blood.... and.... and..." She slumped back upon herself, her lip quivering as she began to break down, sniffs quickly becoming sobs.
Mahogany moved towards her and shook his head. He held out a hoof, offering his flask to her.
She took it quickly, guzzling down whatever was inside, before curling up on the floor, holding her hooves close to her chest. "S'just a joke. A funny, funny joke."
I sighed, wholly understanding what she was going through right now. Dad was watching her when I called his attention back. "If we go... how will we know when to come back? How will we know who we can trust?"
"I'll only send somepony I know I can trust." He extended a wing, digging a hoof in to remove a small emblem of a star burst with a phoenix engraved over top of it. "My seal. If they have it, you'll know I sent them."
"Then... I trust you, Dad. I'll go." I looked to the others, met with the small nods of affirmation. "We'll go."
"I know this is hard Night... and it might get harder. I'll do everything I can for you, for her and your friends, alright?" He stepped back, looking me over carefully. "I'll go make the arrangements. You all, do what you can to prepare. I promise you, as a Servant of Celestia, as a Captain of the Guard... as your father, Night. As your father, I promise you, I'll do what I can to keep you all safe."
He hefted up the enchanted helmet, looking down at it carefully before removing a bag from his flight satchels. He slipped the helmet into the bag and did what he could to conceal it.
"Take care, Night. Take care of her." He looked towards Merri and Starshadow, Mahogany and Terrabona. "You all, take care of him. Take care of each other."
He seemed reluctant to go, hesitating as he looked back at me. I nodded, and before I knew it he was gone. I let go of my breath.
Terrabona started to laugh again, the same dull dead laugh, now with the faint slur of alcohol. “Itsh s’all a joke. More jokesh.”
“Terrabona?” I watched her carefully. “Are… are you going to be okay?”
“S’fine. All fine! Jusht fine…” She was shaking slightly, a huge smile forced upon her face. “Ish April Foalsh Day and you got me!” She stepped forward with a stagger.
“Ho’kay, you've had enough of that, Terra.” Mahogany moved alongside her, easing the flask out of her grasp. “C’mon, then.”
She struggled weakly, grasping the flask like a child might a stuffed bear, at last collapsing to the ground. She curled in tight on herself, weeping quietly.
I sighed, that same feeling of helplessness driving home. “D-damn it…” I looked over at the others. "Mahogany?"
He had given up retrieving his flask for now, letting the unicorn keep it. "Err... yeah, Flurry?"
"You know where I live... I... just need you to go there, get anything you think we might need for the trip."
He saluted sloppily with a wing, but his face was serious. "Gotcha, boss."
I turned to the two sisters in their armor and weapons, feeling a bit of disgust rise up in my throat at the thought of any more fighting. "Can... you two be sure Terrabona's okay?"
Starshadow glanced to Terrabona's unconscious form. "Of course."
"You're going to be with Dusky, then?" Merri raised an eyebrow at me.
I nodded, feeling my ears drop guiltily. "Y-yeah..." Terrabona needed somepony to help her through. So did Mahogany, probably. We were all stressed and breaking, but I knew where I had to be.
She nodded back, no hint of the usual teasing in her voice. "Alright. Make sure she knows she's safe, Night."
We split off. Merri and Star turned to help Terrabona, asking Twilight if there was someplace to ensure she was comfortable. Mahogany headed out as carefully as possible to retrieve whatever kind of luggage we might need. And I, in a haze, returned back to the room where Twilight had tucked in Dusky.
The library grew silent as I approached her. The others voices were still low in the other room, but they didn't register as I focused upon her. "Dusky... I..."
Thoughts came to me of the night, Dusky's injury, finding her in the alley, and my sister. Spring Showers, who'd tracked me to Ponyville somehow, and who I'd likely never see again. Not after what she'd seen tonight.
I sat down on my hind legs and looked at Dusky. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell her she was safe, that everything would be better. There was no lie I could say to comfort her, and she probably couldn't even hear me.
With nothing to say, and no reason to say it, I stopped thinking, and started talking.
"You know... seeing Spring again brought up a lot of memories, Dusky. Memories I thought I'd buried. She asked if I still hated them, my sisters... maybe I did for awhile, but that was never why I left... I was actually happy to see her tonight, at the bar..."
"When I was a little colt, I followed her everywhere, even when she was mean to me. Her, and Diamond... and Mint, and Sun. Mom..." I sighed. "I... I should go see my family again, maybe."
I laughed to myself. "I can tell them all about this, right? How I sat up all night with a friend, talking to myself... a-and all for nothing. Because everything turned out fine... Just little Nighty, worrying again... I... I guess you didn't hear did you..."
Nighty. Spring had called me that when we were little. The nickname had stuck with her, even as I'd left it behind. It wasn't the only name I'd left behind. My eyes grew wide. There was a lot I couldn't do for Dusky right now. But there was one thing I could do. Something I'm not sure I could do under any other circumstances, but here, now, it only seemed to perfect.
"My name... M-my real name... before I changed it." I took a deep breath. "I was Night Light. My father's surname, the firstborn son, named for the gift of the night."
I felt a weight lift off my chest as I said the old name. "It sounds funny saying it now. W-when I was little, my Mom told me a night light was a little magical light you would keep in your bedroom at night to keep away all the monsters. 'That's silly.' I told her... 'A real hero isn't afraid of monsters'"
"I... I was ashamed of my own name... it just never felt like it was really mine... S-so, when I moved to Ponyville, I changed it to match my Cutie Mark." I raised my head smiling. "Night Flurry, weather pony first class."
"I would have thought ponies like Merri and Star... like you... you wouldn't have any need for something as silly as a night light. Y-you weren't afraid of anything. But... there are monsters in the world... who make even the bravest ponies tremble..."
"Names are funny things, eh Dusky? You spend your whole life trying to be somepony else, and in the end... your name was right all along."
This was who I was, and maybe the name didn't matter. I couldn't abandon my friends. Not when I'd only realized just how much they meant to me. How much she meant to me. Not as some symbol or elusive figure I chased after, nor a damsel in distress or a brave adventurer and hero.
She was Dusky Down. She was as mortal as the rest of us, a pony who simply tried to live her life and do the right thing, she ate and slept, and Luna forbid, bled like the rest of us. She was my friend, and I couldn't abandon her, because I knew she wouldn't abandon me.
"I'm Night Flurry now. I've grown to like the name, but... for however long you need, I... I can be Night Light for you..."
She was still sleeping, my words only serving to comfort myself. I probably only imagined that in the dead of night, as I held my vigil, her lips curved into a tiny smile.
---
I wasn't expecting the next morning to be so tense, but the necessity of secretly getting Dusky out of town made things more difficult than I'd imagined.
Twilight went out early and got the train tickets, a late morning passage to Myrtail Beach. Then she set about packing a supply bag for Dusky, once more promoting the benefits of preparations. After seeing the results of her plans for Winter Wrap Up, I wasn't going to argue.
We all gathered in the main room of the library once again. With Twilight's help, we'd lifted Dusky from her bed and perched her upon my back. Then Twilight had tied a blanket around her, both helping to disguise her, and to keep her comfortable. I kept my hooves wide apart for stability, hoping to keep her steady.
Mahogany had made it back to the library first thing in the morning, none of us quite comfortable with the idea of splitting up just yet. He'd returned with a satchel full of supplies for myself, and another from his own apartment.
I glanced around at everypony. “W-Well? We um… all good?”
"I left a note at the store. Told them I'm real sick. Probably gonna kill my vacation time." Mahogany shrugged. “But I got pretty much anything we can need, I guess.”
Terrabona had finally woken up not too long ago, and had been very quiet all morning. She seemed distracted, understandably, though she kept looking towards the door, as if about to make a run for it. "My shop is all locked up anyways. I don't have to worry about that. I just hope no pony else worries about me..."
She glanced towards the door again and sighed.
I wasn't sure if Merri and Starshadow had slept at all, though to be fair, I hadn't either. They stood in the room without their armor or weapons, possibly for the first time ever since I'd met them, looking almost like any other pony you'd meet in Ponyville. Though, knowing that just the night before they’d been watching our backs, brandished weapons with startling ease, and disposed of a body without batting an eye, I knew that was a dangerous assumption.
Merri grinned. "Vacation time, right? Never been to the beach!"
Starshadow nudged her. "This is serious, Sister." She waved a hoof towards Dusky and I.
"Right." Twilight cleared her throat. "Captain Light said we have a window of opportunity. Most of you aren't likely being watched." She levitated out the train tickets to us, two coming toward me.
I gingerly took the tickets in my teeth, reaching back to slip them under the blanket, into one of my packed satchels. "All of you can board with ease, and get to the private car. But we can't risk Dusky being seen. So..."
Twilight continued where I left off. "So I'll be helping one final time, teleporting Night and Dusky into the train."
It was all easy enough, but I was still apprehensive of anything and everything going wrong. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded to the others. Now more than ever I had to stay calm. "A-And... we'll all meet up on the train."
One by one, everypony slipped out the library, until it was just Dusky, Twilight, and I remaining.
She took a deep breath and smiled. "Don't be nervous, Night. I've had a lot of practice with this."
I nodded. Magic was still something I wasn't comfortable with, but after everything she'd done for us, I trusted Twilight. "R-right. I'm okay, so long as we're safe."
She stepped forward, putting a hoof against me, then closed her eyes as her horn began to glow.
I clenched my eyes tight, expecting pain or some kind of burning. Instead, there was a bright flash, and then a slight pop, like all the air being sucked out of a room. My ears immediately picked up the sound of other voices.
"Okay, here we are." Twilight's hoof moved off my chest. "Good luck, Night Flurry. And make sure Dusky stays safe."
I opened my eyes slowly, finding myself inside an empty train car. "Um... Y-yeah... Yeah, I will. Thanks, Twilight. For everything..." I craned my neck back to ensure Dusky was still secure. "Everything."
Twilight smiled at me and bobbed her head. "That’s what friends are for, Night. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her."
I smiled back in return, knowing exactly what she meant. "Yeah. Me either."
Twilight closed her eyes, and with a flash of magic, was gone again. I let out a sigh, taking in the train. It was more ornate than the train car we'd taken to Fetlock Falls. The seats were larger, better cushioned. In general, it all felt very warm, inviting, but our purpose on this train still weighed heavily.
I moved towards the back of the car, where the seating was cut off by a dark curtain. Poking my nose through, I smiled at the sight of rather comfortable sleeping arrangements, sets of bunk beds set upon either side of the aisle. I was determined to get Dusky as comfortable as I could, and a soft bed was far superior to a train seat, no matter how plush.
I picked one of the beds against the far wall. The blanket Twilight had wrapped her in untied from my waist easily, and with a careful lean, I managed to move Dusky off my back and into the train bed, then spread Twilight's blanket back over her.
Mahogany slid the curtain aside, looking about the room. "Wow. Cushy. Already here, Night? Nice. Twilight works fast." He stepped over to look at Dusky and frowned. "Well... at least we didn't have to put her in a crate, right?"
"Yeah... I can't imagine that'd be too comfortable." I sighed, looking down at Dusky. "But... we'll be safe now."
Mahogany sighed. "Yeah. Safe. For now."
He walked off towards the front seats of the train car.
I started to call after him. "Mahogany—"
He turned back, interrupting me. "You're gonna sit with her?"
I bit my tongue, then nodded. "Y-yeah..."
"'Kay." He looked me over. "Let me know if you need a break. I deserve to put in some monitor time too."
I tilted my head, still not completely clear on what had happened to Mahogany that set this madness in motion. "I um... I'll do that..."
"You better." Mahogany turned back, sliding closed the door between the sleeping car and the seats.
I sat in the darkness of the sleeping car, considering Mahogany. I wouldn't let him beat himself up over this...
The conductor entered from the rear of the car, interrupting my thoughts with a tap on the shoulder and a demand to see our tickets. I presented them, apologizing for entering without having them checked before, and pointing to Dusky with a forced laughed about heavy sleepers. By the time he'd been satisfied, I could hear the others in the train.
Dusky shifted a bit, and I stopped, unsure if that meant she was waking up, or needed help, or whatever it might mean. She frowned, curling up beneath the blanket, it was just like our trip to Fetlock. She'd napped, trying to catch up on missed sleep before the trip, only to suffer some nightmare. I'd woken her up, then.
Now, she was sleeping deep, recovering from her injuries and from the effects of Twilight's magic. Whatever nightmares she had, I couldn't wake her from.
---
Myrtail Beach was farther from Ponyville than Fetlock Falls. Much further. I hadn't had time to really think on that until the train was already underway. Once again, I found myself going further from home than I'd ever anticipated, although once more for reasons I'd rather have never occurred.
I sat with Dusky the whole day, and now the sun was setting into night as the train rolled onward. Starshadow came in to check on me at some point. I think she and Merri had been standing on the other side of the curtain the whole time I'd been talking to Dusky.
It had started the night before, when I'd told her my birth name. Night Light. It was something I could never tell her, or anyone, but there I was, telling her in the middle of the night, reflecting on my past.
Once the train had started moving, I'd needed to push away my own sense of dread. A dark feeling that trains only took ponies into danger. I'd tried to dismiss my fears, my worries, but they gnawed at my mind. Talking helped.
Some part of me realized that I was always afraid, my whole life I'd been afraid. Afraid I was a burden, afraid I wasn't doing enough, afraid of disappointing my family, my friends. My voice talked back, I hoped that by voicing my own fears, maybe I could find a way to overcome them.
Talking about my friendship with Mahogany, the training with Merri and Starshadow, the travels I’d been on with Dusky, they all made me realize just how much stronger they made me. That realization strengthened my resolve. I wasn't alone. I hoped that somehow, if Dusky could hear me, she’d know she wasn't alone either. Her friends were here for her, no matter what.
I don't know what could possibly be going through Dusky's mind, but she seemed to be sleeping soundly, not tossing, or turning. She stretched at one point, as if reaching out, her hoof brushed against me. I'd set one hoof upon the bed from then on, just in case.
Terrabona's voice whispered over the sound of the train. "...Flurry? Have you been here all day?" The low moonlight filtered through the window shades to reveal the unicorn stepping through the curtains into the sleeping car. Her eyes stopped on Dusky's form, then turned back to me. "You look awful."
I blinked at her blunt statement. "I do? Oh um... well, yeah... I kinda... wanted to make sure she knew she was okay."
Terrabona came closer, revealing the tear lines down her face. Despite this, her gaze was hard. "Have you slept at all?"
My ears dropped back. "I... guess I haven't." Truth told, I was wiped out. By this point, I'd been awake well over a whole day. "I'm not that tired, really..."
Her voice bit at me. "Sure you aren't."
I looked away from her glare. "Well... I have to keep her company, you know? But... um... how are you doing? Heading to bed?"
"Me?" The skepticism in her eyes faded as she let herself look out the window. "No, probably not. This is all too surreal for me."
"Surreal?" My curiosity was piqued. I couldn't help but feel the same, considering that without sleeping, it still felt like the day I'd seen one of my sisters for the first time in five years. Surreal was a good way to say it.
Terrabona's focus was upon the window. "Just seeing everything going by like this... flying by. It's... like nothing I've ever seen. I talked a bit to Merri. She kind of feels the same. Star is unshakable... and Mahogany found the drink car. Don't know what he's up to now."
The trip was bothering her? The train? I thought I'd been the only one uncomfortable with travel "Oh...? I guess... that doesn't bother me. N-not the speed, or the movement."
I flexed my wings and shrugged apologetically.
She sighed. "I guess it wouldn't. I've never been on a train before. I traveled with my parents all the time. But that was by hoof, walking, or on my dad's wagon. Never on anything this... fast. Or big. Or loud."
"Well... it's funny, when you think about it. I've barely even looked out the window. Until a few months ago, I'd never been outside of Cloudsdale and Ponyville." I thought back to what I'd been saying to Dusky. "Now, look. At the blink of an eye I'm on a train going Luna only knows where."
My eyes moved back to Dusky, still sound asleep. "Life knows how to force you down strange paths. Not all of them are bad."
"Yeah... that it does." I felt her hoof against my side. "But seriously, Flurry. You need to sleep sometime."
I forced a smile. "I... I've pulled long weather shifts before. It's um, it's nothing, really."
Terrabona stared, her eyes boring into me.
I squirmed. "I... I... w-well... I just don't want to leave her alone. L-like, I don't know. I just think... she needs to hear a familiar voice."
She looked back and forth between us, then sighed. "You know you aren't going to be much good to anypony if you keep this up, right? Least of all her."
I didn't have a very good counter-argument to that. "I, w-well... Maybe once we get there."
"Well, if it would make you feel better, I'll stay and watch her. Besides," She tilted to point behind her "There's another bed right there. You wouldn't be leaving her."
I glanced at the bed, only a few steps away, just across the train aisle. "Alright, maybe you're right. You win. She'd probably say I need to take care of myself, first, anyway."
Terrabona smiled. "Excellent. She'll be glad to hear you coming to your senses."
I stood up wobbling a little on tired legs. "Dusky... I'm going to step aside for a few and, well... take a nap. Terrabona's gonna be here. If anything goes wrong, she'll wake me up. Right?"
Her smile widened. "You'll be the first to know, Flurry. Promise." She paused a moment, then reached forward to hug me.
I bowed my head at her embrace, tiredly hugging back. "Thanks, Terra..."
She let go, and I felt a sudden wave of exhaustion make my legs go weak. Admitting I was so tired had apparently made my body give up trying to hold it off. I slipped over to the bed and managed to get myself beneath the sheets.
She started to talk, voice raised just enough for me to hear clearly. "He's a good pony, you know that, Dusky? A little stubborn for his own good, perhaps. But a good pony."
I smiled, closing my eyes as my head hit the pillow. "Good night, Terra."
She laughed quietly. "Good night, Flurry."
I felt myself drifting to the rhythmic sound of the train, and Terrabona began talking once again.
Her voice had lowered back to a whisper. "So... what do you want to hear, Dusky? I guess we could go over the shop inventory? Let's see... thirty two buttons, red. A bent medallion, I'm pretty sure it's pewter. Two matching jugs, probably cider jugs but they're not labeled. A rubber ball..."
Terra's tone was strangely relaxing, or perhaps that was solely my fatigue taking hold as I fell into a long-delayed rest.