Starshadow's words lingered in the air. Since we'd first met her, she'd always had an edge, a promise of violence just moments from being fulfilled. Never before had I felt that edge so keenly as I did now. Even in the midst of Fillydelphia, just before we'd attacked the Cartel, her prowess had been obvious, but she'd never seemed quite so dangerous.
"I..." I glanced at Dusky. The concern on her face mirrored my own. Star wasn't exactly asking for my help. She needed Bellerophon. "I don't know."
Starshadow snorted, her voice quiet. "I see. I shall find them myself."
Dusky hurriedly shook her head. "Wait, Star. Of course we'll help, but it's not that easy. Night and I are not as strong as you and we have to consider that Bellerophon’s help still comes with complications."
I nodded. "Yeah... I'll help. I just..." Complications was putting it lightly. Letting Bellerophon take control was terrifying, the loss of control, the sense of disconnection and worse, the way Dusky looked at me when it wasn't me in control. Well? Will you help?
He was silent for what seemed like a long time. I owe the heirs of Tapioca nothing.
I felt a spark of anger in the back of my mind. This was beyond whatever grudge he'd managed to cling to for a thousand years, Merri was my friend, and Star was my friend. I snapped back. Alright. Then you tell her that. I spoke aloud. "If you want to deny her, be sure she knows it's you turning her down. Dusky and I will help her regardless."
My body went numb as I slipped outside myself. Instinctively, I looked up. Even through the trees, I could see the moonlight filtering down, making me feel safe as I clung to reality.
As Bellerophon took control, Dusky's expression fell, becoming a mix of fear and anger, and it broke my heart.
Bellerophon closed the eyes of my body. "As he said. I will not help."
Starshadow drew closer, as if here was finally somepony she could take her anger out on. "Why?"
"Because I owe you, your sister, your country, nothing. You are the legacy of betrayal." He glanced towards Dusky, his ears dropping. "And, certainly, I could not assist without risking the bearer."
I watched Dusky frown. "She's not asking you to wage a war. Just... tell us where these 'Descendants' might be hiding."
Bellerophon's eyes glanced away, clenching my jaw. I could feel his indecision. "There's only one place it could be. The Forge."
Starshadow narrowed her eyes. "I have never heard of such a place within Ostfriesen."
"Likely not. It was abandoned after Tapioca and I signed our peace." He pointedly looked at Dusky. "You say this is not a call to war, but get involved, and we may very well find our hooves are forced. The Forge is a place where one builds an army. A fortress built into the caldera of a dormant volcano. When I ruled, my best unicorn artificers harnessed the magic there to forge weapons and armor. Once Ostfriesen united, I personally saw it deconstructed."
"Then, why would this be where the Descendants would gather?" Starshadow scraped a hoof in the dirt, as if ready to charge. She brought her snout directly in front of Bellerophon’s face.
Bellerophon slumped. "Because, before I died, it is where I led Broken Tooth. If this is all his doing, then that is surely where he has been all these years."
Starshadow lifted her head back from Bellerophon's face. "Then, I shall go to this Forge, and I shall find my sister."
I could feel Bellerophon's conflict, warring with himself as he considered. I let my sight drift up to the moon. You... you realize, I've been training not just for Dusky. I've been training for all my friend's sake. That includes Merri and Star. No matter what you think of them, they're good ponies.
His thoughts floated back to me. I wanted to return to my homeland. I dreamed of coming as a conqueror, or a savior. I would throw down their false kingdom and fulfill the promise that Tapioca made to me. Now, I wonder to what end? If I return to The Forge, will I find an army? My army? Was this always Broken Tooth's plan?
The confusion and doubt coming from Bellerophon was strange, and had I been able to in this state, I'd have shuddered. The bracer, had it not been stolen by Merri, had it not been given to me, would have been the catalyst to unleash a war. Is... is that what you still want? After everything you've seen?
I no longer know what I want. He looked up at Starshadow. "I will guide you there. It seems one way or another, I was intended to return to the Forge."
With a deep breath, Starshadow bowed her head. "Thank you, Lord Bellerophon."
I inhaled sharply as I found myself back in my body with a sharp pop. I glanced at Dusky, shuddering a moment. "Y-You're sure you're okay with this?"
"So long as you are, yeah." She sighed, looking over at Starshadow. "This is important. And I can’t just leave Merriweather."
"Thank you." Starshadow glanced up towards the treetops. "Ostfriesen is a difficult trek for the unprepared, and Merriweather already has a head start. Meet me here again tomorrow at dawn and we shall set out immediately."
I felt exhausted, but the hard part hadn't even started yet. "R-right. We'll find her, Starshadow. We'll find her."
Dusky stepped over and gently nuzzled against my neck. Ostfriesen was such a huge unknown, but I felt better knowing that no matter how hard the journey, I could surely count on her.
---
My feelings were split as Dusky and I made plans to depart. There was fear, of course. The dealings with Bellerophon and the scale of what exactly we might have to do both scared me. There was a lot that could go wrong, but I had no doubt that we had to help. Merri was a good friend, and I couldn't blame her for what had happened with Bellerophon. I was just as responsible as she was, with my misguided thoughts of heroism.
I talked to Rainbow Dash to make sure she knew something had come up,and she did her best to be encouraging, but her vigor was a little intimidating. There was a lot that could go wrong, even without getting into a fight. Ostfriesen was dangerous, and we were chasing Merri into the maw of some ancient volcano, where a crazy pony was potentially raising an army.
After departing the weather office, I headed to the Ponyville EPS store in search of Mahogany. If Dusky, Starshadow, Merri and I all disappeared from the bar without he and Terra knowing, I couldn't imagine what they'd think. I wasn't really sure what they'd think about the truth either, honestly, but they deserved to know.
A tiny bell rang as I pushed open the door, and Mahogany emerged from the back room to the front register. "Welcome to EPS, how can I he—oh! Flurry! What's up?"
"Hey, Mahogany. Oh um, nothing much." I glanced around the otherwise empty office. "Got a moment to talk?"
His eyes narrowed, and his hoof slid under the cabinet. "Yeah, yeah sure. Is it Dusky? What's going on?"
I shook my head. "Not exactly. It um, well, it's Merri. We're just heading out of town for awhile, me, and Dusky, and Starshadow."
Mahogany's hoof came up, setting a boxcutter on the counter. "Alright. Right. Merri this time. Right."
"Well, it's not like that." I lowered my voice. "No, um, no Cartel. We just need to catch up with her. No fighting... n-no killing. I just wanted to make sure you knew where we'd gone, so uh, you didn't worry."
"What do you mean. I won't worry. I can't sit back while my friends go off into danger." He muttered the last almost to himself.
I cringed, knowing exactly how he felt. "We, well, we shouldn't be in any danger. B-besides, after what happened in Fillydelphia, you can't keep missing work, right?"
He snapped back at me. "And you can?"
My stomach sank. "I... well..." I didn't really have a response. I hadn't really thought of it. Rainbow Dash had practically encouraged me to go, but the job hadn't been my real concern. "It's just what I need to do."
"You and Dusky and Starshadow? But not me? Or Terra, I'm guessing?"
I shook my head. "No... we can't keep pulling you out of your life, Mahogany. You can't just keep leaving it behind."
"And your life?" He leaned forward behind the counter. "C'mon, Flurry. You can't tell me to stop dashing off when that's exactly what you're doing."
I couldn't say I wasn't. What had changed was what mattered to me in my life. I wasn't leaving my life behind, just the stability of my house and my job. Since I'd started going into the Lusty Seapony, since I'd met Dusky, the things that had come to be my life weren't my town, my job, my house, but my friends.
My ears dropped back. "I'm going because I have to. Part of this is because of me, and, I want to make it right. I'm... I'm sorry."
"Dammit, Flurry." Mahogany came out from around the counter and sighed. "You're not gonna let me in on this are you? You sure you're not going to need backup?"
I gave Mahogany the best smile I could manage. "If we, uh, make it in time, Merri won't even be that, uh, that far."
He looked me in the eyes. "Flurry, you're a terrible liar."
"M-maybe... but we're not looking to start a fight. It's not going to be Fillydelphia, I promise." I slumped, looking down at the floor of the EPS office. "I don't want any of my friends to have to go through that ever again."
"It's not like I want to do that either, but dang." He tapped a hoof against my chest. "I owe you, and I owe Dusky. I know I'm useless in a fight, but I should be there. At least I could feel like I'm doing something."
"You're not useless, Mahogany, and I know Dusky would say the same."
"Bah. You two are in the minority in that opinion."
I raised an eyebrow. "Problems here, or...?"
He stared out the window in silence for a long pause, then sighed. "Nah, just... my dad's still giving me trouble. For somepony who 'gave up' on me, it sure lit a fire under his flank to harass me."
After the big blowup in the bar, I'd hoped that whole part of Mahogany's life had ended. "He's still bothering you?"
"Nah, not really. I mean, like, kinda. Been getting a lot more notices in the mail. After the break-in, it's all just been stupid crap."
"B-break-in?" That was certainly new. "Are you alright?"
"Blah, right, I didn't tell you Yeah, I already went over this with Dusky." He punched his chest with a hoof. "See? I'm fine, was just my dad being petty, don't worry about it."
I frowned. None of that seemed right, but it wasn't a problem that I could help solve now, considering. "Dang... I... sorry, Mahogany. Did you talk to the Guard?"
"The Guard?" He gave a bitter laugh. "Dusky said the same thing. I'm not you, Flurry. I don't know anypony in the Guard who can cut me a break."
I tilted my head. "You... kinda do."
"What? Your dad? Your sister?" He almost sounded hostile as he snapped at me. "I don't wanna be a drain on your family too."
"You're my friend. Same way you want to come help us... I want to help you. My dad isn't going to say no. I can ask him when we're back, if you'd rather not do it directly."
He grew quiet again. "Alright, fine. If this stuff continues, and I can't deal with it myself, when you get back I'll get some help from the Guard. So, don't die, Flurry. Dusky too. Or Merri or Star. None of you."
"Alright, good. We don't plan on it Mahogany. We'll be back. No, um, no sweat." I wish I could be as sure as I sounded, but I couldn't let the doubts creep back in on me.
Mahogany grumbled under his breath as he settled back behind the counter. "I'm holding you to that. And I'm gonna make you buy me a drink when you get back too, alright?"
"I'll, um, get you the best drink in the bar."
He waved his hoof. "Bah. Just a Buzzard is more than enough."
I smiled. "You got it."
We shared a quick high hoof over the counter, and I headed out as Mahogany went back to work. I turned back to watch as Mahogany sat at the counter, but it was so hard to read him. Things were definitely different between us, and it was hard to narrow down my feelings. When Mahogany and I first became friends, it had been because of a shared sense of being out of place.
Now, those feelings had changed for me, as I had taken steps to rebuild my relationship with my family, had found Dusky, and made new friends. Mahogany seemed to be floundering, with the false guilt he held over Dusky's injuries and abduction, the stress of his experiences in Fillydelphia, and now, his own family pressuring him.
Our lives had changed, but he was still my friend, and I wouldn't abandon him. Once we got back, I would make sure he knew we'd stand with him no matter what.