//------------------------------// // 19 - Recuperation // Story: From Dusk to Night // by KuroiTsubasaTenshi //------------------------------// “Oh, I see how it is. You were just waiting until I was in the bathroom, weren’t you~?” Merriweather’s voice pulled my eyes to the left, where she leaned against the wall, a giant grin plastered on her face. “Wh-what?” Night looked down, eyes going wide, as though he just realized he was hugging me. His cheeks tried to imitate Merriweather’s coat as he pulled away and stared off to the side. “N-no, it was just… w-we were, um…” I rolled my eyes at Merriweather. While my throat felt more parched with each second, I still managed to push the words out. “Really? That’s the first thing you say?” “Aw, geez, c’mon, it was just a joke. In case you didn’t know, things have been kind of tense lately.” She trotted to the end of the bed and looked me up and down. “Wow, you’re looking pretty good for what you’ve been through. That Twilight’s a real wizard. Maybe even better than Sis’~.” “Well, magic is kind of her thing. Plus she’s an Element of Harmony and Princess Celestia’s personal protégé.” “Oh! That’s why her name sounded so familiar.” I blinked. “You mean you didn’t know?” “Nah. Sometimes I just forget things because Sis’s speeches are too long-winded, that’s all.” “Right. All that boring Equestrian history.” A smirk crept up my lips as I sighed. “Exactly~.” She nodded knowingly, although she paused after her third. “Er, no offense.” I stuck my tongue out. “I’ll let it slide for now.” The bigger concern was just how accurate Merriweather’s assessment of my health was. With all the aches catching up to me, I certainly didn’t feel in good shape. I shoved the covers aside so I could get a better look at my body. When shadows continued to get in the way, I switched on the bedside lamp. To Merriweather’s credit, I did look better than I felt. Not that that was a high bar or anything, but it was a pretty marked difference. Sure, there were a few bald spots and scars where I’d obviously taken some bad hits, but given a week, my coat would grow back. “I, um, th-think you l-look good… um, t-too.” Night smiled sheepishly. It was strangely reassuring. “Thanks.” With some effort, I mustered my own smile. “So where are we anyway?” “Myrtail Beach. Nice, huh?” Merriweather flourished and grinned like a salespony. The name clicked almost instantly. While it wasn’t the most famous resort in the country, it was still a staple of any respectable travel centre’s brochures. Its secluded location was as much of an attraction as the beach itself. Even by train, the trip would have taken at least a day. “Why?” I furrowed my brow. “B-because you were... h-hurt and we needed s-someplace safe.” Night looked like he was about to tear up. I placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Right and I'm glad you thought of that, but… well, a resort doesn’t strike me as a first choice for lying low.” “U-um, well… th-that’s…” Night slumped. “It was his dad’s plan,” Merriweather chimed in. “Something about choosing somewhere unofficial so the info won’t leak out through the Guard.” Apprehension washed over me, starting with the mention of Noble Light, but completely passing by the end of Merriweather’s sentence. There was still a lingering wariness, lying heavy in my gut, but it was weak enough that I could laugh it off—at least for now. This was tempered as my mind pondered his logic. “That doesn’t make the vacation destination any less odd, but I suppose that may be why he went with it in the first place.” Night nodded, although it lacked confidence, like he was agreeing with my theory rather than confirming it. And just like that, I found myself wondering, once again, if Noble Light was really our ally. But I was getting ahead of myself. If I wanted to be anything more than useless, there were pressing basic questions that needed answering. “How long was I out? A week?” I knew my guess was probably high, but I always found it easier to plan for the worst and let the rest be windfall. “Um, two days? Maybe three?” Night looked at Merriweather. She shrugged. “Something like that.” “That’s not very long. Everyone must have been on the ball.” I made a mental note to thank Twilight when we got back. Her magic had mitigated more of my disadvantage than I could have dreamed. “Sure were! You should’ve seen Night, being all organized and leaderly.” Merriweather grinned. “Really?” I raised an eyebrow, under which Night shrunk. “Well, thank you, Night Light.” “I-I just wanted you to be s-safe.” He blushed. A moment later, my statement caught up to him. “W-wait, you, um… h-heard me talking?” “Sometimes. I don’t know how much of it was a dream or not, but that particular statement stuck with me.” Night didn’t say a word. He’d passed well beyond embarrassment, into just grinning ear-to-ear. I doubt he even realized he was doing it. “So who else is here?” I glanced at Merriweather. Starshadow was a given, but I could only hope to Celestia that Terra, Mahogany and Blizzard hadn’t been dragged into this fresh mess. “Well, there’s Sis’ and Terra and Mahogany.” “They aren’t hurt are they? And what about Blizzard?” “Eh? No, whoever attacked you backed off before we found you.” Merriweather pondered. “As for Blizzard, I don’t think she was there.” I let out a sigh. Well, one out of three is still something, right? Plus no one else got hurt… for now. Had I not been sitting, my mind’s own jab might have staggered me. The advantages were minor before the scope of what I’d have to plan. It was big. Maybe too big for me to handle. I was just one pony, after all, and one who just almost died at that. How was I to keep three others, if not five, safe? All this before I’d even asked the hardest question. I took a deep breath. “Okay. I know this may be hard, but can you gather everyone? I need to know everything that’s happened while I was out.” “E-everything?” Night’s eyes grew wide. “I know I’m asking a lot, but if we want to get through this, I need to sit down and piece this together.” Merriweather nodded slowly, a strange clairvoyance in her eyes. “Okay, then. Go on, Night.” He blinked. “M-Merri?” “Go get everyone.” “Wh-what?” He looked at me, then down at the floor before staring up at Merriweather. “What about you?” “I’m standing guard, silly. Now, go on. It’s rude to keep a mare waiting and you’ve got two of us sitting here~.” She grinned broadly as Night squirmed. “U-um, right,” he squeaked. “I’ll b-be back.” “Thanks, Night,” I said, hoping to mitigate a bit of the teasing. Turns out, a fourth ‘voice’ had other plans. Grrrrrrrrwnnnnnndurgle! went my stomach, every ache flaring up again as the grumble rippled through my body. I was now painfully aware of the one hunger I’d forgotten in my pursuit of the other. Perhaps it was just the fatigue, but I could have sworn that the sound echoed a couple times. Night and Merriweather stared. “Um, think you could get something for me while you’re out?” --- I never thought I’d order room service. It just never seemed worth the cost. However, despite the assurance of safety, I was loathe to have anyone wander too far in this strange environment, nevermind discuss private matters in a public eatery. With everyone’s safety on the line, a few extra bits didn’t seem so bad anymore. And that’s how we ended up in a circle in a dark hotel room, surrounding a meager buffet. To be fair, it was still rather tasty wild grass and oats. The portions just left a bit to be desired. Once I got a bit of food and about half the ice bucket in my stomach, I felt like a new mare. The aches were forgotten and a weight I didn’t even know had been hanging over my mind was lifted. Granted, I wasn’t about to run laps around the hotel, but at least now we could have our conversation without interruption—or at least that specific interruption. Of course, the conversation had to start first. Not that I could blame the others for avoiding the subject. It definitely wasn’t easier to make the request a second time. In fact, if anything, it was even harder. Night looked like he kept wanting to say something, but was too afraid. Mahogany smelled of whiskey and wouldn’t even look me in the eye. I couldn’t tell if the room or the food made Terra more uncomfortable. Merriweather was about as serious as I’d ever seen her. And Starshadow was… Starshadow, a fact that made me wonder if such a thing could ever be said about me. Of which I wasn’t even sure if I could call it good or bad. “Very well,” Starshadow finally said. “I shall tell you what I know on one condition.” I blinked. “A condition? Why? This is serious.” “I know. That is why you have to tell us your side too.” “All right. But it’s not pretty.” I sighed—not because I wanted to withhold the information, but because I was wary of how it would make Terra, Mahogany and Night feel. “Are you really sure you want to know?” Terra stared straight at me, her eyes emanating fear, a fear of both everything and nothing. “Do you think our imagination would be much better?” “No, you’re right.” I gave her my best apologetic look. “It all started with a member of the Guard named Light Horn” Mahogany snorted. “It’s not your fault, Mahogany,” I said. He still didn’t meet my eyes. “I didn’t really pick up on him, either. He had us both fooled.” Starshadow cleared her throat. “If I may interject, neither of you can reasonably be blamed. The enchantment was tailored to fool even experienced unicorns.” “Enchantment?” I froze, the whole sequence of events rushing past at once. That must have been the magic that had thrown me off-kilter. But the thought of it being some sort of influence that didn’t even require effort on his part, that sent chills down my spine. “Indeed. But I shall speak on that more when it is my turn.” And with that, everything was back on me. I detailed Light Horn’s Equestrian National Investigation ruse, how my attempt to find a private place had led to me being tailed by thugs and how I felt like the magic had altered my perception of him. While Mahogany slipped in a curse here and there, it was Night who squirmed and buckled like he was going to be sick. As the warehouse approached, I started to scale things back, leaving out as many gory details as I could. But as greater and greater horror progressed across Terra’s, Mahogany’s and Night’s faces, it became clear that the gesture was in vain. They had no need for any description of the gore. To be honest, my own recounting left me unsettled and not entirely because I’d almost died. No, it was because of those I’d had to snuff out. I’ve been taught never to hold back in a fight, and in the heat of battle, I’ve never hesitated to defend myself by any means necessary. However, once my blood cools, it’s plain to see what I’ve done. Cartel or no, they were still living, sentient beings. And it always hurt, even more so when I didn’t know anything else about them. It was, strangely, a feeling I’d grown to cling to—not because I wanted to obsess over my regrets, but because it’s what kept me from excess, from becoming a murderer. The Ostfriesen sisters’ expressions didn’t change, with Merriweather merely glancing at Starshadow. At that moment, they almost looked like twins. I wasn’t sure if their impassiveness came from professionalism or desensitisation, but I really hoped it wasn’t the latter. Terra stood and trotted over to me. She stared at me. It was that kind of far-off look where she was seeing something else. “Um, Terra?” I peered back at her. “Dusky.” She reached forward and wrapped me in a tight hug. She didn’t let go. “Terra?” “Dusky. You’re alive. You’re alive.” She repeated it a few more times. I leaned in, giving her a hug of my own, albeit much lighter than hers. “I’m sorry.” “If this is too uncomfortable,” Starshadow said. “Merriweather and I can take it from here while the others wait in another room. “N-no. I’ll d-do it,” Night insisted. “Are you certain?” Starshadow eyed him up and down. “We have to f-face this if we w-want to help.” His voice wavered, but didn’t completely falter. “Mahogany? Terrabona?” she asked. “Don’t let me stop you,” Mahogany grumbled, looking away. Terra stepped back and nodded, slowly and with a resigned deliberation. “Very well. Night Flurry?” Starshadow motioned toward him. “Y-you crashed into the b-bar, D-Dusky. Y-you were a b-bloody mess.” Night shivered. “The guard was d-dead, b-but you were still there, b-barely clinging to life. I… I wouldn’t accept that you might d-die too. W-when y-you said not to go the clinic, we c-could only think of T-Twilight and how she was s-so strong. Sh-she had to be able to h-help y-you.” I nodded. “And did you notice anyone watching? Or if anyone followed you there?” “No,” Merriweather chimed in. “I was watching to make sure everyone was safe and there was no one. Doesn’t surprise me, since you ended up so far away from where the fight started.” “No one noticed me moving our ‘friend,’ the ‘Guard,’ when I moved him, either,” Starshadow added. “During that time, I discovered the enchantment on his helmet. It alters behaviour, likely by making people like him more than they should.” She gave me a meaningful look. My reply was a solemn nod. “R-right,” Night swallowed hard. “S-so Twilight was able to heal you, b-but she said you would need t-time. Meanwhile, I… I c-called in my d-dad. H-he said he was going to s-send us here until he could s-straighten things out. I-it’s supposed to be wh-where spies can’t f-find us.” I nodded again. “And how did we get here?” “B-by train. We came s-straight from Ponyville. A-and as soon as w-we arrived, we brought y-you up here. M-Merriweather and S-Starshadow s-said they would stand g-guard.” That certainly explained the train, but not the bar. I began to wonder if the latter had been merely a dream, but then, that was when I learned about Night Light, so that didn’t make sense. Before I could go any deeper, my mind poked me, reminding me that I could continue being silly and speculating, or I could actually ask for the truth. I raised an eyebrow. “So we weren’t in the bar at any point?” “N-no, um, w-why?” Night asked. “Mmmm. Perhaps I was dreaming, but, that was when I heard you say your real name.” “O-oh, um… well, w-we were just in the library.” “See? This is why I need you to recount the events,” I said, to which just about everyone nodded. “Anyway, and no one was following you at any point?” “Nope! Sis’ and I had it all covered!” Merriweather flourished. I was about to push for more details when Starshadow quickly clarified, “Such surveillance would be especially obvious here.” “And that brings us to the present?” “U-um, sort of.” --- The rest of the explanation outlined the rest of everyone’s stay thus far—something that had become a boring, yet also strange, routine. At least, I thought the very nature of the situation made the whole thing odd, but the Cartel had clearly done nothing to approach, if they were present at all. Starshadow and Merriweather had been on rotating guard duty, while everyone else did their own thing. Night’s thing just so happened to have been keeping me company. Frustratingly, Noble Light hadn’t given any kind of estimate for when he would be finished. Not that I could really blame him. The task ahead of him would probably unravel quickly if he could find the right thread. But that required him to find the right thread. Doubly frustratingly, my current condition wasn’t good enough for me to even think about resuming exercises or scouting out the rest of the resort. As such, it was determined that everyone should just part ways. Night and Mahogany had their own room, while Terra and I were bunking. And, of course, while Merriweather and Starshadow had their own room, one of them had to hang out in mine and Terra’s. Because the prospect of sleeping a ton, stuffing my face, then sleeping even more, made me feel like a glutton, I found myself looking for anything that could provide a few minutes’ distraction. And so, as I felt myself slumping and yawning, I poked through the sizable cache of bags that Twilight had sent along. There was a generous helping of medical supplies in one, and what appeared to be home-made emergency rations in the other. A third had random grooming supplies. The fourth and last, however, was my flight satchel, which is what I had really been concerned about. The colours were noticeably dulled. Even though fading was inevitable through normal use, it was the distinct acceleration that bothered me. As I pulled the flap open and found my scarf inside, in a similar condition, I began to wonder if it was a problem with my eyes. I pulled it out with the intent of staring at it in the mirror. As it unfurled, a couple index cards fluttered out and onto the ground. The first read, “Sorry about the fading.” From there, it and the following card launched into a detailed explanation of a spell and why it had dulled the colour so much. The theory and terminology were completely beyond me, but from what little I could understand, when the stains are especially deep, the physical damage is worse and that many attempts may be needed. The very end was neatly signed by Twilight. Night had clearly not being exaggerating even an inch when he’d called me a “bloody mess”. I was beginning to have doubts that I could have even cleaned my equipment without Twilight’s help. I made another mental note to thank her. With a sigh, I turned back to the dreaded bed, pondering what else I could do to avoid it. That was when I noticed that the comforter, as well as the sheets, were missing from Terra’s. I could have sworn they were there only five minutes ago. “Uh, Terra, What are you doing?” Merriweather’s confusion quickly became amusement. “Do you have some sort of thing for closets~?” I followed her voice to the jacket closet, where Terra had entrenched herself and her linens. She glared up at Merriweather. “I have to do this.” “But you could totally sleep like a princess~!” Merriweather waggled her rump as she pointed, as though she was settling into the bare, sizable mattress. “Exactly!” Terra held her ground, digging in even more. “I can’t let the fancy in. Once it gets in, there’s no getting it out.” Despite my best efforts, the barest of smirks formed on my lips and I immediately felt bad. Once things were a bit calmer, we’d have to have a chat about this aversion of hers. But for now, it was my turn to trot over and wrap her in a hug. Whatever. Good enough.