//------------------------------//
// 26 - Routines 
// Story: Mending Light 
// by Kiromancer 
//------------------------------//

The train arrived back in Ponyville late in the day. The initial excitement of our return home had faded into a listless exhaustion for everypony by the time the train pulled into the station. The platform was practically empty, just a few ponies boarding the train for its next stop in Canterlot. The tension of that moment, exiting the train, was more than I'd have anticipated. Despite our assurances of safety, it was clear Dusky was worried something would still be waiting for us.

Instead, Ponyville spread out before us, peaceful and quiet in the late afternoon. Everypony was eager to get home, and too tired for long goodbyes, especially knowing we'd likely be meeting up at the bar soon enough. I had to admit that even I was eager to get home and rest in my own bed, but there was still some lingering fear of returning to some status quo. That was a fear which Dusky dispelled with a tight hug before she headed into town.

Her first priority was to check in at work, she said. I probably should have joined her, but I wasn't quite up to dealing with Rainbow Dash tonight. Instead, I wished her luck and gathered up my bags to prepare to head home.

That was when I saw him.

An armored guard strode across the platform. He was walking casually, moving from the ticket booths towards the train. I traced his path with my eyes. If I'd followed after Dusky, our paths would have intersected. It was enough to cause me to stop, part of my mind instantly growing suspicious at his sudden arrival.

A Pegasus. Random chance? Or did they expect you to fly? Check the sky for more.

The thought was almost like somepony else whispering into my ear. I glanced up at the sky, but didn't see unusual cloud formations nearby. My eyes turned back to the Guard. He was whistling to himself as he continued along his way.

The optimal time to strike would be now. If he is planning something, best to make the first move. Block the eyes first. Divert attention with a wing jab to the face, then sweep the forelegs. Once he falls, strike the head.

My eyes went wide at the mental image. This pony hadn't done anything, and yet my first thought wasn't to get away, but to instantly attack him?

What choice do you have? You have chosen to stay in this town. If they know where you are and are hunting you, you must make a stand.

What choice did I have? Certainly not to resort to violence first, that was never who I wanted to be. I thought back to Dusky. I knew she'd done things that she regretted...

She has done what she had to. That is why you're training yourself, is it not? To be useful to her?

Maybe, when I'd started, that was all I'd considered. Now, it had become something I was doing for myself. I wanted to be able to help her if the time came, but it was something I did now because it just made me feel better about myself. 

The strange thoughts, was this some enchantment at work? Was this like what had happened to Mahogany? To Dusky? I shook my head, trying to think clearly. 

No. This one has no enchantment. Those spells increased feelings of trust towards the focus of the spell.

Then what was happening here? This guard wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary, probably just a pony who lived in Canterlot, and had been assigned a patrol in Ponyville. I shouldn't have given him a second thought, except here I was, plotting out an attack? I felt sick.

I looked around, wondering if somepony was playing a cruel trick on me. Paranoia like that wasn't going to help me, nor was it going to help Dusky. Besides that, it just felt wrong. "N-not like that..." The guard moved past me, then turned to board the train without so much as looking at me. I sighed. "Not like that."

The general noise of the station rose as train prepared to depart once again. I tapped a hoof nervously, unsure who could have played such a prank, or even how they'd do it, or if it was all in my head.  Maybe the stress of the trip had gotten to me more than I'd thought. I gave one last look around the train station, then spread my wings and headed for home.

---

The comfort of my own bed eased me into my usual dreamless sleep. The next day I spent some time getting the clouds of my house back in shape after a month of neglect, then set out towards Town Hall. I hoped Dusky had been able to get her schedule settled. I wasn't sure if things would be easier or harder for me. I'd plenty of time off saved up, but... a month gone without notice wasn't going to make me any friends.

I took a deep breath as I landed in the town center, gathering my thoughts as I walked the last few steps to the Weather offices. Inside, the Town Hall had a buzz of activity that was usually just starting as I left after my shift. Mayor Mare was in her office and a few ponies were waiting to see her. A few of her assistants were already darting about with stacks of paperwork, causing me to weave a little to find my way towards the corridor that led to the weather office.

Just stepping out of the office door, I spied Rainbow Dash's unmistakable mane. She tilted her head at me a moment, then waved with a smile. "Yo, Flurry!" 

"Um... yo? Rainbow." I waved back a little awkwardly.

She walked up with her typical bit of swagger, the extreme confidence that always made me a little uncomfortable, and a little jealous. "Ha! Knew you'd be back today. It'll be good to have you doing the night shift again, even if it's just temporary."

That was a lot to process, and I mentally flailed a moment before I could pry for more information. "You... figured? Temporary? W-wait, you're not mad about it?"

She shrugged. "Meh. I mean, sure, I was pretty upset at first. But then Blizzard explained what was up. I got Icicle Gleam and Cloud Kicker to cover your shift while you were gone. But if you do end up taking the promotion, we'll probably need to hire somepony to fill in when you're gone."

"You will? Wait, promotion?" None of this was making any sense at all, and I was struggling to keep up. "Blizzard explained um... everything to you?" 

She gave me a flat look. "Um, yeah. I mean, that's why you're here, right? She said she was going to meet with you today to talk about it."

I knew Dusky had come in last night, but that wouldn't explain why Blizzard had known what to tell Dash. Unless Dusky had already run into Blizzard and explained things to her, that would make some sense, but it wouldn't explain anything about a promotion.

Still, if Blizzard explained everything to Dash, then it would probably be best to play along until I could find out what she knew. "Oh. Um... right! Yeah, that's uh, why I'm here. That and to have you put me back on the schedule, um, for now?"

She shrugged. "You can just show up for your old shift like you used to. I guess I'll go track down the others to let them know they're off the hook tonight. Cloud Kicker's not really into the late nights like you are."

"Err, right. I'll have to thank her and Icicle for covering." I grinned sheepishly. "Um... thanks for understanding, Rainbow."

"Hey, no problem. I can't really begrudge you and Dusky running off for a big opportunity like that, you know?" She leaned in and failed to whisper. "I mean, I've had to run off without warning too sometimes. All that saving Equestria is hard work. Guess I can understand it from the other side of things too."

Saving Equestria? Right. "Right. And um... thanks for that too."

"No problem, Flurry! Now, I gotta be off. Dusky's a fellow Daring Do fan, you know? Gotta stand by for friends like that." Her voice dropped into an actual whisper this time. "I'm glad she's okay."

Rainbow Dash sped off, leaving me standing in the hall alone. 

I called after her. "M-me too... Thanks." How much she actually knew or what she believed, I couldn't say. Maybe Dusky or Bree had already told her the truth, or maybe Twilight Sparkle had told her. It didn't matter, I suppose.

It made me feel a little better, that there were ponies outside our circle of friends who were supporting us, supporting Dusky. I'd never gotten along terribly well with Rainbow, but if there was anything I could say about it, it was that she could be counted on to support her team. I looked up to her in that regard. I wanted to be that kind of pony, one who could be there for my friends, through thick or thin. It took me a moment to recall that, apparently, Blizzard was waiting for me in the Weather Office.

The door let out a familiar creak as I entered the office. Things hadn't changed much in my month away, save that the paperwork looked a little more disorganized than usual. On the other side of the desk, Blizzard Breeze sat with her primary feathers deftly working a quill over some parchment. She wore a closely bundled scarf with black and white stripes cutting across it.

Catching sight of me, she set her quill down and rose up from the desk. "There you are, Flurry. I knew you'd be in today." She trotted over and pulled me into a hug, one wing wrapping around my neck.

I smiled and hugged back, "Hi Bree. I um, like your scarf." 

"It's a kafiya." She giggled. "And you're probably just thinking about Dusky's scarf."

My face heated slightly. "W-well yours is very nice too. So... you knew I was coming?"

Blizzard let go, her smile slipping into a more serious disposition. "I talked to Dusky last night. She explained what happened."

"I... oh. Yeah." My ears dropped, though I suppose if Dusky had told her, it was fine. "So that's how Rainbow knew too?"

Her tone bit at me, she sounded insulted by the idea that she would betray Dusky's trust. "What? No. I told Rainbow that you and Dusky were helping me with some special training. Remember the position I took in Canterlot?"

It felt like years ago, when we'd discussed that, her new promotion and moving out of Fetlock. "The uh, administrator position?"

She grinned proudly. "I'm on the Equestria Snow Administration team. I'm one of the ponies responsible for the winter schedule for the whole country. I've been selecting ponies from towns all over Equestria for some dedicated winter weather training."

"So... you told her we were attending that training? But, won't she question why she's just finding out now that we're back?"

Blizzard laughed, crossing back to the other side of the desk. "I told Rainbow that two weeks ago. I knew you'd be back, just like I knew you had to have a good reason for leaving the way you did."

I felt tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. It wasn't just Rainbow who was dependable. I had some good friends close to me as well. "You... you didn't have to do that, Bree."

She sat behind the desk and eyed me carefully. A wicked smile spread over her face. "Mmmm, no. I didn't have to. But then, you wouldn't owe me. And I have a favor I need from you."

"A... wh-what?" I stammered as my stomach sank. I'd been so inspired by the support, the help that our friends had provided, but somehow it had all been for some kind of personal gain? 

I sighed, feeling suddenly defeated. "What... what do you need me to do?"

She grinned, and placed her hoof on the desk between us. She slid some paper across the table. "Just sign here."

My eyes skimmed across the parchment, trying to deduce what exactly I was signing away. I couldn't have read it correctly, it felt too much like some kind of joke. I looked up from the paper at Blizzard, trying to get a read on her. 

"B-Bree... this is..." I swallowed. "Th-this is what Rainbow was talking about? Th-this is for a promotion?"

"Mmhmm." She tapped the paper. "I have plans for you, Night. I need ponies I can trust, ponies who know what they're doing, and who know winter weather."

"A-and so... you're forcing me to take a promotion?"

She sighed, her wings rustling slightly. "I'm not forcing you to do anything, Night. I'd hoped you'd had time to think about it, and were ready to step up."

I read through the paper again. In my month away, I'd already taken other steps that seemed far greater than this, and I'd seen things far scarier than anything Blizzard Breeze could set before me. I set my jaw and reached over to where she'd left the quill.

I signed my name and smiled. "You, uh... you didn't need to blackmail me, you know." 

Bree chuckled. "Well, I thought that maybe you still needed a push."

"Maybe I did. Thanks, Bree. For everything." It was another step forward. More responsibility, perhaps, but winter weather was my passion. If there was anything I was confident in working harder towards, it would be that. Dealing with my relationship with my family, the actual threats that had faced Dusky, and the fact that I was dating her? Those were things I looked towards with uncertainty, but I was still forging a path forward.

My job? My special talent? That seemed easy in comparison.

---

The rest of my day after the talk with Bree had been surreal. I wouldn't be back on the weather schedule for a few days, so there wasn't quite a reason to sleep through the day as I usually did.

In fact, things were starting to shape up so that I wouldn't be working the night shift for a whole lot longer anyways. After being in that position for so long, it felt strange to think I’d be moving on, that I’d be changing.

For tonight, however, I’d be going back to one routine at least, though perhaps with a bit of added celebration.

I knocked on Mahogany’s door in the Red Hoof Ranch apartment complex. I looked at the peeling wallpaper as I waited, wondering how old the faded floral patterns actually were. Coming to Mahogany’s apartment always felt like going back in time.

The door opened sharply, pulling my attention away from the decor and towards my friend. Mahogany glared at me for a second before he slumped. “Oh right. Flurry. We’re doing that tonight?”

Mahogany looked more miserable than he had during our whole trip to Myrtail. He’d been perhaps the least enthusiastic about coming home, but even he’d wanted to get back to Ponyville, or so I’d thought.

“Um, yeah, if you’re still up to it.” I forced a smile.

He craned his neck back into the apartment and narrowed his eyes. “Yeah. Yeah, I could use a few drinks.”

I shifted on my hooves to try to look in past Mahogany. “You sure? Everything all right?”

“Yeah. Fine. Perfectly fine.” He looked back at me and stepped out the door, locking his apartment behind him. “Just back to the same old grind, ya know? Better than being cooped up in some dumb hotel, I guess.”

My ears fell a little, as I suspected I knew exactly what was bothering him. “And uh… work was alright? Like… getting back after a while?”

He snorted, then started to trot through the apartment halls. “Yeah. Regular ticker tape parade. The Princesses came out and welcomed me, gave me the key to the city and a big crown.”

I followed after, lowering my head as we headed out. I’d known the trip was hard on everypony, and I felt a little bad for how well things had gone for me. Bree wouldn't be able to smooth things over with Mahogany’s boss, after all. “R-right… sorry.”

“Bah. Not your fault, Flurry.” He paused, falling back to walk alongside me. “My boss didn't much appreciate me being gone so long, so he sent a letter to my emergency contact.”

“Your emergency contact?”

“My family.” He sighed. “Because I’m an idiot.”

I cringed. I knew Mahogany was on the outs with his family, perhaps worse than I was. Than I had been, anyways.

“My Dad got the message. So I came home to an express letter straight from Shirecago, straight from the horse’s mouth.” He spit the words.

“R-right… your dad.” I’d very rarely heard Mahogany speak about his father. It was nothing like my relationship with my dad, where things were tense, but I’d always respected him. Mahogany hated his father.

“Two strikes, he said.” Mahogany sneered. “Said I’d made nothing of myself in all this time, so he was only giving me one more chance, then he’d bring me back where I belong.”

I stopped in my tracks. “Where… where you belong? You mean… he'd take you back to Shirecago? Can he even do that?”

He turned to look me in the eyes. “No. Never going to happen. This was my fault, Flurry. Not your fault, not Dusky’s. It was all on me. I just want to live my own damn life. The only way Birch is going to drag me back there is dead.”

We continued walking in silence, Mahogany lost in thought and me unwilling to broach the subject again. As we neared the bar, he seemed to visibly relax, letting out a deep sigh.

I decided it was as good a time as any to reach out again. “You know… if you need me, I’ll be there for you Mahogany. Anything you need, I… I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

“Thanks but, I can handle it, Flurry. I've dealt with them before.”

I came up closer and pulled him into a hug. “I know. I mean… just letting you know I’m here for you.”

He seemed to stiffen, then squeezed one hoof around me tightly for just a moment before he pulled away. “Alright, alright, enough of that. Sheesh.”

I couldn't help but grin. “Sorry, just… seemed like you needed a hug.”

“Yeah, maybe. But come on Flurry, enough worrying about crap that’s not going to happen. For now,” He pulled open the door and inhaled the rush of bar air. "It’s good to be home."

My smile was unabated as I looked up at the familiar sign of the blushing sea pony. "Yeah. I suppose it is."