From Dusk to Night

by KuroiTsubasaTenshi

39 - The Good, The Bad and The Badlands

Despite Star’s frighteningly aggressive zeal, the uncertainty in the air was palpable. Our leads boiled down to a council that Merriweather would almost assuredly avoid and put us several steps behind her; a scumbag politician who would likely be guarded and uncooperative; and an underground organization Star hadn’t even heard of until now. We needed to be more proactive than that.

Night and I shared a glance. Bellerophon had to know more—perhaps not about the Descendants themselves, but about the things they may have fixated on. After all, he should know himself better than anyone. If we could find those, there just might be a yet-unseen trail for us to take advantage of. In fact, having Bellerophon himself confront them could have significant weight in defusing the entire situation.

We all knew it, but no one said anything. The more we tapped into Bellerophon, the more Night was at risk. And what if the permanent solution required Bellerophon’s continuous presence? That thought alone made it painful to look at Night.

This was a fine line—a passage between a rock and hard place in an avalanche zone.

“I… I don’t know,” Night said at last. There was an invisible weight on his withers, pressing him toward the ground.

Star snorted, though it lacked real anger. “I see. I shall find them myself.”

The answer felt prepared, like she couldn’t even bring herself to ask this of Night. Were he to volunteer it, I suspected she would accept in a heartbeat. However, she was perfectly willing to take what she could get and go.

I shook my 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.”

Night was nodding the entire time, his attention clearly within his mind. “Yeah… I’ll help. I just…”

He continued to nod, the motion becoming shorter and more miniscule until it was gone. A frown formed on his lips before he spoke again, “If you want to deny her, be sure she knows it’s you turning her down. Dusky and I will help her regardless.”

I tensed, bracing myself for the incoming sight. It didn’t help. As Night’s body stiffened and Bellerophon closed his eyes, I felt that same panic, that disdain. Even though I had his word, there was a part of me that just couldn’t let it go.

Bellerophon’s reply was chillingly cold, “As he said. I will not help.”

Star met his coldness. “Why?”

“Because I owe you, your sister, your country, nothing. You are the legacy of betrayal.” He glanced at me, ears drooping when he saw my frown. “And, certainly, I could not assist without risking the bearer.”

I watched him carefully. “She’s not asking you to wage a war. Just... tell us where these ‘Descendants’ might be hiding.”

In my mind, I added that if this situation somehow escalated far enough to reach war, three people would have little chance of providing significant opposition to an army, anyway.

Bellerophon clenched Night’s jaw tight, as though the words might escape on their own. “There’s only one place it could be. The Forge.”

Star’s eyes narrowed. “I have never heard of such a place within Ostfriesen.”

“Likely not. It was abandoned after Tapioca and I signed our peace.” Bellerophon turned Night’s gaze my way. “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.”

I frowned. The space between that rock and hard place was quickly diminishing.

“Then, why would this be where the Descendants would gather?” Star pawed at the ground.

Bellerophon looked away. “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.”

Star’s expression hardened. “Then, I shall go to this Forge, and I shall find my sister.”

Pain and uncertainty leaked out onto Night’s face, where it remained for some time. Whatever Bellerophon was thinking, it must have been intense.

Finally, he regained himself and spoke, “I will guide you there. It seems one way or another, I was intended to return to the Forge.”

Taking a deep breath, Star’s expression returned to a more familiar neutral. She nodded cordially. “Thank you, Lord Bellerophon.”

Night shuddered and his posture shifted, thankfully, marking Bellerophon’s departure. He glanced at me. “Y-You’re sure you're okay with this?”

“So long as you are, yeah.” I sighed. “This is important. And we can’t just leave Merriweather.”

“Thank you.” Star’s eyes turned skyward. “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.”

“R-right. We’ll find her, Starshadow. We’ll find her.” Night looked exhausted. I had to wonder just how much chatting he and Bellerophon had done inside his head. Slipping up beside Night, I nuzzled into his mane. Even if I couldn’t put his mind at ease, I could remind him that I was there for him.

---

I hated pulling Terra away from Aster. There’s no way Aster could miss that something was up, and it was pretty much a given that Stalwart Stone would pick up on Terra’s worry. It almost seemed cruel, knowing that I was going to ask Terra to keep things on the down low. But there was no time to beat around the bush. We had only the night to prepare and rest up before we embarked on one of the most difficult journeys in the world.

As I led her into one of the Seapony’s back rooms, dread filled my stomach. I wasn’t sure if the rooms' growing reputation as the harbingers of bad news would make her more or less likely to have a heart attack.

“Dusky? What is this all about? Is it the…” Terra swallowed, “...Cartel again?”

I shook my head, though a small part of me almost wished that it was. If nothing else, at least the Cartel was a familiar foe. “No, nothing to do with them.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” Terra breathed out. “If this is about Aster, I’ve been keeping a close eye on her and doing what Twilight asked.”

“No, not that either.” Drawing in a deep breath, I looked Terra in the eye. “Tomorrow, I leave for Ostfriesen.”

Terra froze, her jaw slowly working itself back into usefulness. “Ostfriesen?! What?! What?!! Dusky, that’s all the way across the Badlands!”

“I know, but—”

She leaned forward, giving me a frenzied look. “The Badlands!”

“Terra.” I placed a forehoof on her shoulder.

She jumped a little, then her eyes shot down to my hoof. They locked on and she stared as though I’d never touched her before. “What?”

“I’m well aware of the dangers. But this isn’t a sightseeing trip. Merriweather is missing and we think she’s gone back there.”

Terra cocked her head.

“But… Merri’s from Ostfriesen, isn’t she? What’s weird about going home?” She furrowed her brow, then grumbled, “Also, why does she have to live on the other side of a death trap?”

I couldn’t help but smirk a bit. “Same reason we live beside one, I guess. Anyway, the whole thing’s a bit complicated. But the long and short of it is that she didn’t come to Equestria on a mere whim. Because of a run-in with some unsavory people, she was banished.”

“Banished? Merri? No way!”

“There’s more. Night ended up with something from Ostfriesen that has errant magical properties. This has caused him more than a couple problems, and, well, Merriweather might think those who got her banished know something.”

Terra slumped, suddenly looking tired. “Merri… Why does this stuff always happen? Why can’t it be a broken hinge or… or a late shipment? Why does somepony’s life always have to be on the line?”

I sat down beside her. “I’m sorry, Terra. I ask myself that a lot and… if I’m being honest, if I’d been less reckless, there’d be less of that. But the rest, I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me. Or Ponyville. Or the Everfree. It’s like there’s just something that attracts these things.”

“Life is strange.” Terra’s voice was lost, flat, even.

“Yeah. That’s why I want to let you know instead of just disappearing like last time.”

“I appreciate it.” Terra looked down. She chewed on her words a moment, but they came out all at once. “Because you might not be back?”

“What?” I blinked.

Terra’s eyes were a mix of sorrow and anger. “We both know what this trip means, and you have to make it twice. You’re saying this so I don’t have to wonder if you don’t make it back.”

“Well, nothing is certain, but no. I’m telling you so you don’t have to w—” I cleared my throat, tossing that old cliche aside. “So that you can worry less. Rest assured that I don’t plan to die out there.”

I tried to give her a confident smile, though Terra was at least half-right. Even considering my extensive traveling experience, Star’s presence and Bellerophon’s expertise, there was really no other way to put it: the prospect of crossing the Badlands scared the shit out of me.

A resigned sigh escaped Terra’s lips as she kicked a hoof. “I hate this, waiting and wondering if my friends will come back or not. I wish… I wish I could be heroic, like you.”

I shook my head. “It’s not heroic. Merriweather’s all alone and in danger. It’s what anyone would do.”

“No, Dusky. That’s… that’s just semantics,” Terra shivered, her eyes following something invisible on the wall in front of us. “I could never do this. As much as I wish I could, I’m just a shopkeep. Even the idea of fighting somepony to the death terrifies me. The way I see it, this is all complete madness.”

Part of me wanted to object, to say that it terrified me too, but that wasn’t quite the truth. It still scared me, of course, but at some point that I couldn’t remember, life-and-death combat had somehow become something I was used to. And I think that is what truly terrifies me.

“Terra…” I leaned over and wrapped her in a tight hug. “I’m sorry. Even though you might feel helpless, know that your support gives me strength. What you do, it’s as valuable as any weapon.”

She sighed again as she returned the hug. “I’ll try to keep that in mind. So why just me? Am I… am I supposed to tell Mahogany?”

“No. Night has that covered. Time is of the essence, so we split up to make sure we covered all of our bases. I’d also prefer the exact details be kept discreet. You can tell Blizzard or Blaze if you happen to run into them, but keep it away from public ears.”

Terra scrunched her face. “Blaze? That’s one of your Guard friends, right?”

“She’s still a trainee, but yes, more or less.”

“I guess I can do that.” Terra’s nod was slow, her mind wandering back to the walls. After a moment, she snapped to, determination growing on her face. “Dusky, let me help you.”

“Terra?” I raised an eyebrow. My mind was already at work, thinking of ways to talk her out of coming, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized her tone didn’t seem quite right.

She paced a bit. “Maybe I can’t fight beside you, but I do own a store. I’m sure I must have a few things that will make this easier for you.”

A smile crept up my lips. “Thanks, Terra.”

Comments

[Shachza]

Ooooooo, Badlands might mean changelings. And changelings might mean Chrysalis. Given your track record, I can't imagine that that would be a friendly meeting of any kind.

Well, I can... But, as funny as it would be to run into a very ambivalent Chrysalis (she has bigger concerns than a couple wayward travelers), I rather doubt that is your intent.

[Yami Vizzini]

Quest time again.