Mending Light

by Kiromancer


25 - Departure

I wonder what the hotel bartender must have come to think of us, over the course of that month. Some of us had ended up spending more time in the bar than on the beach, and we certainly weren't acting like normal tourists.

Mahogany sat between Starshadow and I, letting the bartender refill his glass again. Starshadow had a book levitated in front of her as she twirled a glass of wine, and I nursed a cup of hot tea, sipping now and again as I listened to my friends while away the evening.

"I'm tellin' you, it's all Terra's fault. Throwing me under the cart like that." Mahogany grumped, one hoof wrapped around his drink. He raised the glass and mumbled into it as he drank. "'m not a buckin' prince."

Starshadow replied without lowering her book, "Nor is Merriweather a princess. Thank goodness for that."

"All I'm sayin' is, not into that. She's a good drinkin' buddy. That's it. I'm not tryin' to pull a Flurry here."

I blinked, putting my tea down as I eyed Mahogany. "Pull a... um... me?"

"Yeah, you know. Date someone within the friendship circle. Gotta be done very carefully, or it throws everything outta whack." He scrunched his nose up and motioned the bartender back towards his now empty glass. "Plus you know, Merri's Merri. Fun to hang out with, but I'll pass on anything else. Dating ruins everything."

I frowned for a moment, but before I could gather my thoughts, Starshadow was already replying.

She lowered her book to look at Mahogany with an evil smile on her face. "Unless Merriweather has already decided that you are the one."

Mahogany glared at her. "I don't really think Merri's the type to deal with one."

"You would be surprised." A bookmark slid into place as she settled her reading upon the bar top, the glow around Starshadow's horn faded. "Ostfriesen seems exotic and foreign to you, but to us, your everyday lives are fascinating. She sees a pony like you, a solid, strong, and dependable pony of a wholly non-threatening nature, and it is no wonder she has become infatuated."

"Yeh huh. Pull the other one now." He barely waited for the bartender to finish pouring before he threw back his glass. He dropped it back to the bar and waved for another.

Starshadow winked at me from behind Mahogany, then pressed on. "Surely, you had considered that spending so much time with one another, some attachment might form."

Mahogany rolled his eyes. "Hmmmm, nope. Nope. If she's makin' attachments that's gonna be her problem."

She shifted closer to Mahogany until they were almost snout to snout. "I assure you, if you make it her problem, I shall make it your problem."

I coughed politely. "I, um, not sure how much that's helping, Star."

Mahogany sneered. "Well excuse, me! Just because she only has a brain in her flank doesn't mean I gotta humor her."

Starshadow turned a glare on Mahogany as if she were about to set him on fire.

"This... this isn't really the place you two." I glanced around the bar room, looking for anything that could serve to distract them from the situation. To my relief, I spied Mint stepping into the bar, waving a hoof. "Mint! Oh, um, you guys! It's Mint!"

Mahogany broke his glance off to turn to my sister. "Who’s Mint?"

I quickly hopped off the bar stool, wings carrying me up and over to land next to Mint. I hugged her tight, whispering into her ear. "Good timing."

"Oh?" She glanced over me towards the bar curiously. "Well, not just timing. I have some good news too."

"Sheesh, Flurry." Mahogany had spun to face us, drink still in hoof as he tsked at me. "Didn't you and Dusky just start dating? You're already after another mare?"

Starshadow's horn glowed for a second as she flicked Mahogany's ear. "Stop being insensitive. That is Sergeant Creme, his sister."

Mahogany flinched. "Gah! Hey! Calling me insensitive. Ponies don't do that. Rude." He twitched his ear a bit, then tilted his head. "I thought his sister was the white one? Good ol' wass her name. Springy. She was fun."

Mint snickered. "Springy? Oh, that's good. Gotta remember that one. Nah, I'm just the boring sister."

"The boring sister?" Mahogany shook his head. "How many sisters you got, Flurry?"

I scuffed a hoof, feeling a little embarrassed that I'd never even brought them up to Mahogany. "Um... four."

"Four? Dang, Night. Wait, is she the one who tried to mail you to Canterlot?"

Mint snorted. "Hardly. And I'm mostly here on official capacity. Mostly."

Starshadow smiled, though her voice remained low. "Hello, Sergeant. Here to spread the news?"

"Sure am!" She giggled, giving me a quick salute. "Coast is clear. Daddy says you all can return to Ponyville."

Mahogany looked to the bartender, giving an overly dramatic sigh. "See, this is why I hate romance. It always ends too soon. I'm just sorry you had to hear it this way." 

The Bartender slid him another drink and wandered off without comment, leaving Mahogany shaking his head. "He's heartbroken, so sad."

Mint rolled her eyes, then shook her head. "Anyways, yeah. Daddy finished fumigating, so for now, mission complete. I'm heading back to Canterlot tonight, and got tickets for you all to take a train back soon."

I breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good. I mean, great, really. You've... you've told Dusky?"

She nodded. "Already ran into her. Wanted to be sure she heard it straight from the horse's mouth, then I wanted to catch up with you before I left."

I smiled. "Thanks. Getting home is... well, it's going to be a relief for everypony, I think."

Mahogany gave a cheer. "Yeah. Back to my same ol' boring apartment and same ol' boring job. Whoo!"

Starshadow shot Mahogany another glare before bowing to Mint. "I believe the release of tension and a more familiar setting will be beneficial to us all, yes. Thank you for your diligence, Sergeant Creme. And I do wish to apologize for our initial misunderstanding."

Mint waved a hoof. "Don't worry about it. Dusky and I figured it out. And Night and I figured it out. I'd have done the same in your position."

As if just remembering something, Mint perked up. "Speaking of figuring things out, I got a gift for ya!" She reached her head back, pulling out an envelope from her satchel.

I took it from her, sitting back to carefully open the letter. Inside was a flier for a Wonderbolts show in Whinnyapolis, along with a ticket. I curiously glanced back at Mint.

Her ears dropped back, and for a moment she looked like she did when we were younger. One of those rare occasions when she knew she was doing something not quite right. "It's a small show, and none of the big names are going to be there. Soarin and Spitfire and Fleetfoot are all performing in Baltimare that weekend. I mean, I would go, but after a month here, I'm gonna have a lot to catch up with."

"Um... okay? Well, I guess it could be fun." I was as much a fan of the Wonderbolts as any pegasus, though I'd never gone out of my way to attend any of their shows, still something was off with the whole thing. "It is the Wonderbolts, after all."

"Yeah, well. Wonderbolts. Mostly the Reserves performing, but still a hell of a show." Mint laughed strangely, almost guiltily.

"I mean, it's a great gesture, Mint. I... I appreciate that. Is... is there something... wrong with the show?"

She lowered her head and took a deep breath. "Well, there's another reason I think you should go. If you can do it." She pointed a hoof at the ticket. "It's a free pass I got... for family of the performers."

My eyes went wide. "Family of the... oh. Then, the Reserve?"

"Diamond."

The name hung in the air.

Mahogany clapped his hooves together behind me. "Diamond! Who's Diamond?"

Starshadow whispered just loud enough to fill the room. "Another of his estranged family, I believe."

"Figures." He grunted, the clinking of ice against glass signalling he'd retrieved another drink. "Waaaaay too many sisters to keep track of."

My hoof shook slightly as I stared down at the ticket "Diamond will be there?"

"She's in the reserves. They say she's got good talent, and she volunteers for a lot of the away shows." She gave a short sigh, placing a hoof on my shoulder. "She travels a lot, I think she's doing it just to stay away from Cloudsdale. Bad memories, I think. You two might have more in common than you think."

I was unsure how that made me feel. I never wanted to be anything like Diamond. Diamond was cruel, she was hurtful, she hated me. Or, she had been, as a foal. I was certainly different than I'd been as a colt. Maybe she had changed as well.

A sigh escaped my lips. "I... suppose." I placed the ticket back into the envelope, then slipped it under my wing. "I suppose she deserves a chance, right?"

Mint grinned broadly, hugging me tight. "That's the spirit!" She stepped back and tussled my mane with her hoof.

"You'll take care, right, Mint?" I gazed at my sister, trying to keep from tearing up.

"Of course, I will." She poked at me with her hoof in a mock jab. "And I'll be seeing you."

I nodded, though her tone told me that it wasn't a question. "Tell... tell Custard his uncle says, um, hi."

Mint waved a wing as she headed towards the door. "Sure thing, Nighty. Don't be a stranger!"

I sat back down in the bar, watching her leave, though not forever. This time, she was only leaving for now.

Mahogany snickered behind me. "You alright there, 'Nighty'?"

I felt the envelope tucked under my wing and turned back towards the bar. "Yeah. I guess I am."

---

The next two days were spent packing, preparing for the train ride home. Everypony's moods had improved with the news of a return home, though the range of those moods was intense. Terra was on one extreme, practically vibrating with anticipation. Mahogany put on a face of indifference, but even he seemed happier with the news. Dusky, Merri, and Star had all taken on a more cautious approach, and I couldn't blame them, considering why we were here in the first place.

My feelings were surprisingly mixed. I trusted Dad, and if there was any reason he didn't think we could come home, he wouldn't have given us the all-clear. It was good to see everyone so happy to head back, but something else ate at my mind.

After hearing we were heading home, I made one small concession to this trip as a vacation. The day before we were scheduled to leave, I found a souvenir stand, searching for something that would capture the feel of the beach. At last I found something suitable to put onto one of my shelves back home.

It was just a simple snow globe, but somehow it felt appropriate. The contrast of the beach and the ocean against the glittery 'snow' made me smile. Just the token of it, having something that said I’d been here was important to me, and it let me pack my things for home with a better sense of conclusion.

On our last day in Myrtail, we walked back upon the path we'd arrived on nearly a month ago, this time with Dusky walking with us. The luggage was packed, tickets in hoof, and everypony ready to just go home. The train platform wasn't that busy, and we'd arrived early enough to check in and get into place long before the train arrived.

Spirits were high, and once the train pulled into the station, Terrabona actually cheered. We filtered into the train, once again treated to a privately booked car.

I followed behind Dusky, stopping when she settled into one of seats towards the back, giving her a view of the whole train car. I stopped in the aisle, smiling a bit guiltily. "Um, Is this seat taken?"

She giggled, then patted a hoof on the seat to her side. "Of course not."

I settled into the cushy seat and slipped off my bags. I carefully set them down on the seat before turning to Dusky. "So, um... back on the train."

"Yeah, I guess so." She smiled at me.

Soon enough, the train began to pull forward and I couldn't help but sigh. "Y-yeah. Trains."

She nudged me gently with her snout, that nudge turning into a short nuzzle. "There's a reason I'd rather fly, but that's not always an option. Besides, it’s not like trains don’t have their own advantages."

I nodded, blushing at the contact. "Well... it's not just the train." I paused, then reached back over to my bag, retrieving the box I'd gotten from the souvenir shop.

Dusky tilted her head curiously as I opened up the box, sliding out my snow globe. A small sign posted on the tiny sculpted sandscape read 'Myrtail Beach'.

"I bought it the other day, once I heard we were leaving." I shook it gently and held to up towards Dusky. "It just seemed perfect for me."

She giggled again, and her eyes went from the snow globe down to my cutie mark. "Never would have guessed."

I chuckled quietly, watching the snow fall. "Maybe it is a little obvious."

"So then, what else is bothering you?"

"It's just... going back." The last of the snow landed upon the beach, and I took a deep breath before I continued. "I'm... happy. I mean, I can't think of a time I've been happier. My time with you, catching up with Mint, the beach, all of it."

Dusky shifted in her seat, leaning in closer to me with a smile on her face, but her eyes watched me closely.

I looked at her and smiled back. "For... for as awful as the circumstances that brought us here, it's been... well, I just... I almost wish this trip wasn't ending."

She tilted her head and laughed quietly. "If this trip never ended, then how would you ever see any of those other places you've been wanting to see?"

My mouth opened to respond, but I stopped as my words failed. "Oh. Right."

I wanted to see what else I was missing, what else the world had to show. So why was leaving Myrtail bothering me so?

"You're right. I guess... I mean, um... this." I awkwardly leaned over, gently nuzzling against her. "This feeling, you and I, and even my family. I... I'm afraid that once we get back, things will just go back to how they were."

I sputtered a moment, suddenly finding myself talking without seeming to be able stop "N-not that that's a bad thing, what we had before, or who we were. I mean, that was good, and if we were just friends it'd be fine, but I l-like... this. And, what we are... um..."

My ears dropped. "I... I'm rambling."

"You underestimate yourself." She slid back from me, smirking just a little as she looked into my eyes. "We'll be the same in Ponyville as we were in Myrtail. It's tied to us, not where we are."

I blushed, looking back into her eyes, still as beautiful as when I'd first lost myself in them. "S-sorry. I'm... I'm scared, and worried, and I just... I get worked up sometimes, and I—" I stopped myself.

It wasn't just being scared of what I might do to hurt this relationship, I was also scared of what might still be waiting for us in Ponyville. What if something like this happened again? My thoughts drifted back to our last train ride, and suddenly I knew what I wanted.

Dusky watched me curiously. "Are you okay, Night?"

A laugh escaped my lips, the absurdity of it all in my mind. "I just... I just realized what might make me feel a little better."

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"A... a promise." I smiled. "Promise me you won't be a hero."

She stared a second, then broke into a laugh of her own. "And what makes you think I would try to do that?"

I frowned, scuffing a hoof against the seat. Maybe I still didn't understand, and it probably wasn't the same at all, but still, it was something. "Well... your trip to Hoofington."

Her smile shrank a little, but the smirk remained. "That's not quite the same thing, but I know what you mean." She leaned in again and nuzzled against my snout. "I promise to try to stay away from danger."

"Maybe not the same, but still. Thank you, Dusky." I slowly returned her gesture, nosing back. "We'll see what Ponyville and the future holds then... t-together."

"Together." She shifted her head against me, sliding up until I felt a new warmth pressing against my face. She pulled back, a gentle kiss indelibly marked upon my cheek.

The train continued onward to Ponyville, and I couldn't wait to get home.