Well done.
"Sh-shut up." I whispered as I pulled the blade out of Riot's throat, letting the stallion fall completely down to the floor. I looked down at my hoof, now stained crimson in his blood. "Just... shut up."
Mahogany panted, "Is... is it over?"
The body of Riot was still. There was no life left in him, and that was all because of me. It was I who had reached forward and snuffed out his life. The still-warm blood pooled around my hooves. I did this...
"Yes. Yes, he's dead." Dad's voice was hoarse. "Damn you, Riot. Damn you for all of this."
Blaze sounded exhausted, verging on sick. "How... how could anypony have that much blood?"
My legs were weak, and my stomach felt worse. Blood dripped from the edge of the hoofblade, each drop rippling outward as it impacted into the pool. The ripples distorted a vague, terrifying reflection of myself that gazed back, it’s eyes empty. There was nothing else in that moment. It stuck to me, coated me like filth that would never come free. The smell of it was nauseating and hypnotic.
I wanted to scream, but couldn't moved. I felt like I was just going to collapse into the pool besides Riot and let myself drown there. Blood for blood. I'd taken a life.
Something shook me free of that thought, a jarring sensation that felt equal to that terrible final blow I'd struck against him. As I sought the source of the disturbance, it dawned on me that it wasn't just me but the building itself that was shaking. A roar echoed through the storage room. As quickly as it began, the noise and the motion subsided into little more than dust falling from the ceiling.
Blaze glanced about. "Whoa! Uh, was that it?"
"Was that what?" Dusky spoke at last, and though her voice sounded exhausted, I was still glad to hear it.
"That is our distraction." Dad walked towards me. "We need to move."
I dismissed the hoofblade at last and backed out of the blood. My forehooves left sticky, red prints upon the floor, but I pushed that thought from my mind. There would be time to consider that later. There was someone far more important right now.
"Dusky?" I turned to find her standing at my side, a worried, sad smile on her face that almost broke my heart. "Are... are you okay?"
She nodded, "Night Light... yeah, I... I'm fine, thank you."
My first impulse was to hug her tight and never let go, but I flinched away, unsure if that was at all okay, after what I'd just done. On top of that, her expression wasn't quite right, almost beyond tired. I didn't know what she'd been through, I could only imagine. "We... we should go."
"They're going to be panicked now, right?" Blaze stepped forward, stamping a hoof down with a loud clunk. "We can head up and strike before they know what's coming."
Dusky winced, "You can't be serious, Blaze."
Dad had knelt on his forelegs to examine Riot up close, but now he looked over his shoulder at Blaze as he stood. "No. We're in no condition to deal with the numbers they have, especially not now." He glanced at each of us, then nodded.
I was at last coming around, returning to reality after nearly losing myself. White Riot was still dead, his blood still clung to my hooves, but I couldn't let it stop me. Not when we had nearly finished what we'd come here to do. "I... I just want to get you out of here, Dusky."
She came up closer, and gently pressed her muzzle beneath my chin, not saying anything, just giving her support.
It was almost too much, I nearly broke down then and there, but managed to hold it all together. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally, but for everything I'd been through, it was nothing compared to what Dusky had been through. Her strength was incredible, to give me support now, and what I needed to do now was return that gesture. I bent my head down to nuzzle her back. "Thank Luna you're safe."
Dusky lingered a moment before she slid away to address Dad. "What's the plan?"
"Mint is already down on the stairs waiting, and when the explosives went off, she should have ensured we wouldn't have anymore company. If everything went right, Merriweather and Starshadow are gone, and Mint will join us." Dad looked over his back, pointing towards one of the stairwells across the room. "We head down, avoid any fires, hopefully avoid any guards, and try to escape in the panic. They'll have plenty more to worry about soon enough."
“Sounds simple enough.” She turned to looked back at me. “But first, we need to cover you up.”
“Me?” I glanced down at myself and flinched as I saw the blood again. “Oh… right.”
Dusky stepped over to the crate wreckage and lowered her head to grip a tarp in her teeth. She pulled the half-buried tarp out from the shattered wood and dropped it down in front of me. “Wipe off your hooves on this.”
“Err… Right.” I stepped forward and rubbed my hooves on the tarp, leaving bloody stains behind until they came back clean. When I looked back up, Dusky had removed a cloak from her bags and was moving towards me again.
She tossed her head to throw it over my back. “There. You won’t draw nearly as much attention on the way out.”
I smiled. We weren't safe yet, but somehow having her there, working with us once again, made it all feel like it had come together. “Thanks, Dusky.”
Dad began to move towards the stairs. “Alright, good. Dusky, stick close to Night. He knows where to meet up if we get separated. Mahogany, you and Blaze are in the best shape, so you'll head down first."
Mahogany tilted his head. "Sure, right. I feel like a million bits."
Blaze looked at Mahogany with a faint smile. "No hassle. Just as long as he can keep up with me."
"Hey, I pulled the cart that got you here. I mean, I literally carried you this far."
Dad sighed beneath his breath, but his voice remained patient. "Go now. Chat later."
Mahogany and Blaze disappeared down the stairs. Dad counted to ten, then waved us through.
We ran down the stairs, two flights to reach the third floor. There, the sound of flames crackled through the doorway. I checked on Dusky, finding her close behind, and then continued on.
We reached the second floor to find Mint standing just within the door frame, a unicorn lay crumpled beside her. Faint wisps of smoke were starting to fill the stairwell from below. "It's getting hot down there, so just get down to the first floor and go straight out the side. Once you're on the street, get as far as you can before heading to the rendezvous."
I paused to nod, just a moment. "R-right. See you soon, Sis."
"Go!"
I dashed down the stairs, only looking back to ensure Dusky was still with me. Below were shouts, and more fire and smoke. To one side was a hallway leading back into the building. Black smoke filled the passage, where barely minutes ago we'd run through to reach the elevator.
Dusky poked at my side as she came down behind me. "That way." The emergency exit.
Without another word, I rushed the door and came out into an alleyway. I opened my wings and prepared to fly, but Dusky poked me again.
"Not yet." She shook her head as she led away from the door. "Stay low, stick to the alleys. Do you know which way to go to get back to your rendezvous?"
I had to think for a moment to gauge which direction we'd exited from. "It's... that way."
She nodded. "Then lead the way."
We ran. My heart was still beating. I kept expecting somepony to challenge us, to see more ponies swooping down from the sky and stopping our escape, but those fears never manifested as we made our getaway from the Paper mill. Eventually, we found the alleyway, and a sharp whistle sounded as the wagon came into sight.
Merri and Star were already strapped into the front of the wagon, while Mahogany hovered just above and Blaze sat in the back.
"Dusky!" Merri cried out as we came to the back. "The only thing that could make this better was if you'd gotten to see how cool I was."
Star rolled her eyes, but her face reflected a smile nearly as wide. "You can tell her all about it once we're out of the city."
"Agreed." Dad came up behind us, pointing to the wagon. "Night, Dusky, get in and lay low. Mint, Mahogany and I will be flying out while Starshadow and Merriweather pull."
I tilted my head. "We're not going to fly out?"
"It's too risky this close. You and Dusky are bit too... suspicious looking."
The blood had mostly dried now, what little could be seen beneath the cloak Dusky had given me. I glanced at her and realized she wasn't much better, though the gore on her was less, and her dark coat hid it better. "Ah, um... right."
I flapped my wings to lift me up into the wagon, then turned to extend my hoof to Dusky as she followed suit.
Doing my best to keep out of sight, I settled down across from Blaze. Dad and Mint jumped up to hover next to Mahogany, exchanging a few quick details, then the three took off. Merri and Star quickly pulled forward to follow.
None of this should have ever happened. I watched Dusky as she hunkered down, keeping the bloodied parts of her coat behind the wagon sides. I sighed. "Soon, we'll get as far from this damned city as we can get."
She pushed against me, resting her head against my neck. "Thank you, Night Light. I'm sorry."
I almost laughed at the absurdity of it. "What? Why? Why are you sorry?"
She pressed harder against me, and I leaned back just slightly to support her. "For worrying you. For making you come all the way out here." She lifted her head, and stared into my eyes. "For making you... kill."
My ears dropped, and I couldn't hold back my frown. "I... I did worry, of course I did. But, that's because I love you. As for the rest, coming out here was nothing... a-and... I hope I never have to kill again."
Dusky nodded slowly. "I always hope the same thing. But... stuff like this just keeps happening."
"I guess that just means I need to try harder, so that there won't be a next time. And when there is, I... I just want to do what I can to protect my friends."
The wagon moved on quickly, and I rested. My body was sore and the stress of everything that had happened still weighed upon me, but for now, none of that mattered in comparison to the mare who rested her head against my side. She was safe.
---
We headed out of the city in a hurried silence. Though it seemed like we’d won, there was still a pervading sense of dread behind us, the threat of pursuit. I was exhausted, but couldn't help but keep an eye on the road, suspicious of any other traffic. It felt like it took far too long to reach the meet-up point.
We waited there, hidden from the air by a thick canopy of trees, but it didn't take long for Dad to arrive, with Mahogany and Mint in tow. He settled to the ground and did a head count. “Good, everypony is accounted for.”
Dusky glanced out of the wagon and sniffed. “In that case, we need to find a place to bathe. Preferably somewhere that doesn't involve more flying.”
“W-we do?” I stared at Dusky, and even through the soot and gore, images of her glistening with water pushed to the forefront.
“Oh, my~.” Merri gave voice to my thoughts, only making the heat in my face heighten.
Dusky did not sound amused. “Not the time.”
“Don’t worry,” Mint fluttered closer. “I gotcha covered. Already scouted out something nice and secluded.”
Nice and secluded. Just me and Dusky, alone, bathing in the wild. “S-sis’?”
“Look, in Filly, we had the benefit of the confusion and the city’s oversaturation of scents.” She pointed down at my foreleg, still stained in Riot’s blood. “We stay like this for long and it’s going to stink. Sooner or later, it’s going to attract uncomfortable questions. Or predators. Maybe even both.”
I nodded, letting her logic sink in. “Oh. Um, that makes sense.” The vision of her didn't fade from the back of my mind.
“Well? What are you waiting for? It’s not like that water’s going to come to you.” Mint hovered just above the ground, pointing a hoof into the woods before she led the way.
I rose from the wagon and followed after Dusky, trying to keep my mind on the task at hoof, and not on her tail, swishing back and forth in front of me. Soon, the trees parted enough to see a small lake.
Dusky slipped her flight satchels off and moved closer to the water. “We should do this as quickly as possible. Even this far out, we can’t let our guard down. Keep an eye on the tree lines.”
I blinked. “Oh! Um, okay!” I turned away, facing the trees as the others approached.
“Not you, Night.” She called out from the water's edge. “You need to bathe too.”
I looked up into the trees, the blush in my face growing again. “R-right. You can, um, go first. You need your p-privacy.”
I heard her sigh, then wade out further into the water. My eyes strayed from the treeline, slowly looking back towards the lake, seeking Dusky out.
“No peeking~.”
I eeped as my head turned back, finding Merri face to face with me. “I w-wasn't!”
Her smile was entirely too wide. “Bath time rules. You either gotta join her, or no peeking.”
“R-right.” I straightened up, maintaining my vigil upon the treeline, while Merri sat next to me and stared out at the lake.
After a few minutes, she nudged me. “Oy. You’re up.”
I turned to see Dusky heading ashore further down the lake’s edge, as much the vision of beauty as I expected.
Merri nudged me again, snickering. “You can stare later, ya pervert. Go wash up.”
“R-right, right.” I practically jumped down the shore, stopping just shy of the water. There, I slowly waded out in the cold water. Despite the sudden chill, it felt more refreshing than I could have hoped. Once the water was high enough, I stretched my wings out over the surface and sighed, then began to scrub the blood out of my coat.
The water around me swirled with a rusty cloud as the blood came free, my chest and forelegs were restored, eventually leaving no trace of what had happened. Not on the outside, anyways. I would never forget what I'd done to White Riot.
"It feels, well, I dunno. Kinda like crap, don't it?" Mahogany's voice came from behind. He moved through the water to come alongside me, keeping noticeably clear of the fading crimson.
I glanced over and gave him the best smile I could manage. "It's not the best experience I've had, no." I continued to scrub. "But… I don’t know."
"Well, I left 'stab a stallion to death with my boxcutter' off my life's to-do list, but there you have it." He forced a laughed.
I stopped scrubbing, looking at the once pristine water. "That was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, but... I have no doubts that I’d do it again. I don’t want to, but I would."
"Everypony else jumped in. You, your Dad, that Blaze-whoever. I had to do whatever I could to keep up."
I frowned. "If it hadn't been for you, for all of you... I don't know if I'd have made it."
He fell silent, and I turned back to continue washing away the blood.
Mahogany dunked his head under the water, rubbing his hooves through his mane. As he brought his head back up, he let out a deep breath. "So, hey, you going to take that thing off? I mean, it's over right? Not gonna need your blade out here. Least I hope not."
The golden bracer was still on my foreleg, distorted under the surface of the water. It was a bit odd that I hadn't thought to remove it before coming into the water. "I guess it slipped my mind." I started to move my hoof down to remove it, when an unexpected wave washed over my head.
I sputtered, shaking my head to get the water out of my ears. They flicked a moment more before I found the culprit.
"Gotcha!" Merri floated not too far away, a self-satisfied grin on her face, and her forehooves raised just above the surface as if ready to pounce.
With an exasperated groan, Mahogany kicked away. "Splash fighting? Really? Mature, Merri, real mature."
"Hey, I'm just making sure you two aren't getting all moody." She pushed her forehooves through the water, lightly splashing. "Gotta lighten things up. We did it, after all. Now come on, finish up and we’ll head home."
Mahogany snorted, but he had that same edge to his voice I'd heard earlier. "Yeah. We did it, alright. All us. And he's done. It. It's done."
Merri waded back to the shore. "You're just jealous you didn't get to see my cool distracting moves. Well, I can go into more detail if you want~."
“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure it was super great.” He grumbled as she drifted away. “You didn't have to watch some stallion die on the floor.”
I stopped to stare at Mahogany. This had hit him harder than I thought. “You… you sure you’re alright?”
“I… yeah. Yeah, just hunky-dory. I’m just not a super hero, Night.” He sighed, then started to head back. “I’m not built for this crap like everypony else here.”
My ears dipped. “I know what you mean… I don’t know how they can live like this.”
“Yeah, I think you do.” He stopped and turned his head. “You did it too, Night. I don’t know what you've been up to trying to impress Dusky, but you were like somepony completely different up there.”
Somepony completely different… I cringed at the thought.
“Don’t change too much chasing after her, Night.” Mahogany shook his head and continued ashore.
The cold water suddenly sent a chill through my spine. I had been letting Bellerophon guide me during the fight, but at times, it felt like he’d been more in control than just a guide. That was the danger. It was too easy. Too easy for me to say it had all been him, that Bellerophon had killed him, not me.
He only helped me exactly as I wanted. I stared down at my reflection in the pool, remembering how only hours before I’d seen a similar reflection in the pool of Riot’s blood. I stepped backward and started to wade back towards the others. The scariest thing was that, for a moment, I wasn't sure if that thought had been mine, or Bellerophon's.
Mahogany was right, I didn't want that change. I had to tell Merri and Star about Bellerophon as soon as possible.