From Dusk to Night

by KuroiTsubasaTenshi

45 - Keys

With Amethyst Vein’s intrusion and continued presence, any chance for sleep was going to be highly limited. Lingering adrenaline aside, I certainly didn’t trust her, and if posting a single sentry was risky before, it’d be downright stupid now. As such, there was little for me to do other than address our wildcard.

As I pondered just where to start, I noticed her eyes were constantly wandering over to Night—or rather, Bellerophon. Despite the whole headache-inducing complexity of the situation, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of annoyance at each infatuated look. I quickly brushed the jealousy aside. It wasn’t like Night was reciprocating, and besides, I didn’t have the time or energy to waste. Instead, I focused on how much an advantage it was.

If she was really and truly as fanatically devoted to Bellerophon as she first appeared, we could zero in on that to cement her allegiance. There was no guarantee that she didn’t have other motives, but in the very least, it would lower the chances of us never waking up thanks to slit throats.

I put on my most charismatic face. “So, now that we’re working together, tell me more about this place and your Oracle.”

“Oracle?” Her gaze snapped away from Night.

“Yeah.” I suppressed another bout of annoyance. “You said he advised the ancestors of your ancestors about the return of Bellerophon. Clearly, he isn’t an ordinary person.”

“That would be because he is not ordinary at all. He is a dragon of old, one who witnessed the rise of the vile Tapioca.” A moment later, her eyes flitted over to Night, a late realization washing over her face. “He was there. He saw her tyranny, and how each of her spawn inherited her iron hoof.”

A knot formed in my stomach. There was no way this was coincidence. I already knew his name, but I had to ask to be certain, “And his real name? Surely, it isn’t Oracle.”

Amethyst Vein shook her head. “That, I do not know. Such questions are off limits to us.”

Star and I exchanged a look.

“Could it be?” Star asked.

“Broken Tooth.” I nodded.

This time, it was Night’s head that snapped toward us.

“Eh? He does have one of those, but what…” Amethyst Vein’s voice faded as she noticed Night.

“Bellerophon says that, um, Broken Tooth is responsible for his situation.” Night shrunk a little. “But, um, less nicely.”

“Situation?” Amethyst Vein’s eyes darted between each of us.

“Trapped between life and death. A formless soul, lost for centuries in darkness, with nothing but his anger and grief to sustain him, held within this cursed bracer… th-that’s what he says.” With a shudder, Night held the bracer out. What little light found its way in off the street cast an extra-ominous shadow across it.

Amethyst Vein stared at the relic. “No, there has to be some kind of mistake. All this time, he’s always extolled your virtues, Lord Bellerophon the Untainted Hero. Lord Bellerophon the Immortal Prince. The Justicar who would right all wrongs. Why would he say all that if he meant to do you harm?”

“Given that he is willing to proceed without the real Bellerophon present,” Star said, “it is safe to say he has ulterior motives.”

“A figurehead,” I suggested.

“No!” Amethyst Vein’s face hardened. “That is what Firetail has planned. He must be going behind the Oracle’s back to trick us all. If he has his own agent as an unquestionable figurehead, he could get all of us, the Oracle included, to do as he wishes! That must be what’s going on!”

I let out a bit of a sigh. “But if the Oracle is so old and wise, shouldn’t Firetail realize that he’d eventually, if not immediately, catch on?”

She shrugged. “No pony ever said Firetail was smart.”

“Well, regardless, we’ll both need to thwart him to meet our goals.” There was little point in arguing right that moment or, hopefully, not at all. I wasn’t too keen on getting into a fight with a dragon, so the plan would most definitely be to grab Merriweather and run. Perhaps Amethyst Vein could even end up distracting him for us. “Is there anything else you can tell us?”

Amethyst Vein’s face was just shy of a sneer. “Firetail is all about arrogance and pomp. He wants his presence to be known, to the point that he chooses his personal guard for their flair over their skills. If you can slip past his regulars, you shouldn’t have any problem getting your friend out.”

“And just how much is between us and that?” I asked.

“First you’d need to get into the inner city. You’re all so painfully Ostfriesen that you wouldn’t need my help with that one.”

The slightest of amusement passed between Night and I.

Star nodded. “Then what?”

“The inner city itself, there shouldn’t be any problems so long as the gate goes fine and you don’t linger. The palace is another matter. Everypony there is in Firetail’s inner circle. They’ll know if somepony strange is trying to get in. That’s also before his personal guard.”

“Great. I’m guessing you can’t get them to let us pass?” I asked, paying extra attention to her face.

“Maybe. They have full control of the palace and refuse to let anypony by without asking twenty questions—including me. But there might be another way.”

“Which is?” Night sounded anxious. I wondered just how much of that was him, and how much was Bellerophon.

“Wait until the earliest hours of the morning. Those outside are less supervised and as the patrols are consistently boring, many have started smuggling in flasks. They try to hide it, but they become sluggish and unfocused. That is when you can use the rear servant’s entrance. Normally it would be too far in the open, but that window widens greatly at that hour.” Amethyst Vein's eyes narrowed, though not at any of us. She continued to stare at the wall a few moments longer and I had to imagine each of the guards painted on it.

“So, what makes this a ‘might’ scenario?” This time the edge made me certain that Bellerophon was pushing Night to ask. I really hoped Bellerophon wasn’t planning anything crazy. This was not the time or place for revenge.

“Firetail has my master key. Somepony will have to let you in. Lucky for you, the only pony I trust enough to keep things quiet should have a spare.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And who might that be?”

“Old Ed.”

Night blinked. “The… gatekeeper?”

“Not just any gatekeeper,” Amethyst Vein grumbled. “He’s my friend and one of our best fighters.”

“Best?” Star frowned. “Then why have him tucked away at one of the rear gates?”

“Firetail.” Amethyst Vein almost spit his name. “He says it was the Oracle’s orders, but I know better. It’s because he doesn’t like Old Ed. The Oracle would never indulge such a petty thing.”

I was starting to get a picture of where this was going, though I’d have to continue humouring her. “Did you talk to your Oracle? I’d think he’d want to know if Firetail is making a power grab.”

“No. He is busy with more important things, like the return of…” Her gaze turned to Night again. “... of Bellerophon.”

“Did Firetail tell you that?” I tilted my head.

Amethyst Vein scowled. “Yes, but I don’t need that glory monger to tell me what I already know.”

“Hold on a second.” Star wore a look to match Amethyst Vein’s. “You expect us to double back? How do we know you are not leading us in circles?”

The thought had occurred to me, though her dislike of Firetail certainly felt genuine. Still, even assuming there were no tricks involved, we were taking one step back in the hopes that we’d take two steps forward. That, alone, never felt great, but for Star, it could only be doubly so.

“In case it wasn’t clear, I have no love of Firetail. I’m also a mare of my word, but if you really want, I’ll stop helping.” The look Amethyst Vein wore was that of a mare who’d just bid twenty-percent over asking.

“Um, Bellerophon thinks it’s a sound plan,” Night said.

I sighed. It was definitely better than what we’d had, but Bellerophon was setting off nearly as many alarm bells as Amethyst Vein. I could only hope Night could keep him under control.

What had taken us nearly an hour to traverse alone, was a mere twenty minutes with Amethyst Vein leading the way. Of course, some of that had to do with our newfound familiarity of the area, but still.

When we reached the gate, Old Ed was nowhere to be found. I had to wonder if he was really off napping. Without comment, Amethyst Vein approached one of the back corners, where the shadows were thickest. After a moment, she seemed to disappear.

As I trotted over, I quickly found the outcropping that had blocked my view, though it wasn’t quite apparent until I was practically on top of it. It concealed a sharp turn that led into a small, barely lit alcove. If nothing else, if Old Ed wanted to slack off, he’d have a very easy time of it.

Amethyst Vein was waiting as we rounded the corner, and as soon as she saw all of us, she called deeper into the alcove, “I’m here, Ed.”

“What took you so long?” he replied, stepping into view. Seeing that she wasn’t alone, he raised an eyebrow. “What is this?”

“I’ve made a discovery. I finally have a way to expose Firetail’s treachery.” As she talked, the shift in her demeanour was slight, but perceptible. While she’d previously spoken with the weathered forcefulness of a mare who was constantly on her hind hooves, she’d slipped into something a bit more casual. But it wasn’t quite that of two friends, either. There was this sort of reverence on her part, almost like a filly addressing her father.

“Is that so?” Old Ed cast a discerning eye over us, as though judging whether we were fit to be her friends—which only served to cement my impression. I supposed it was only fair; to him, we were still just a bunch of dirty Ostfriesens. Had they a private moment, I had little doubt that he’d scold her for speaking ill of Firetail in front of us.

“This is the Voice of Lord Bellerophon,” Amethyst Vein said, motioning to Night.

Old Ed’s brow furrowed as he turned a stare as intense as a drill upon Night. It took only a few seconds for Night to glance away. “He’s one of the fabled Voices? This rookie?”

“Yes. Lord Bellerophon has entrusted him with the First Name. It is through him that I learned Firetail is incapable of completing the ritual.” Amethyst Vein’s words held a mix of hope and bitterness. It almost made it hard for me to feel indignant.

Night raised a hoof. “I-it’s, um, more complicated than that.”

“But in the end, you can hear Lord Bellerophon. That’s the most important thing.”

I grit my teeth. There was no way I could hold back anymore, though I had to be careful not to burn any bridges. “Night is Night. He’s a person first and foremost, before this… thing that has happened to him.”

Inwardly, I cringed—I’d been a half-second away from saying ‘curse’.

Amethyst Vein glared. “That ‘thing’ is an honour. Any Olymponian would kill to host the will of Lord Bellerophon!”

“But we’re not Olymponians!” I shot back.

“You could be! With Lord Bellerophon’s blessing, being born an Ostfriesen wouldn’t matter! You could live as a king among us!” Amethyst’s desperation was almost pitiable. Were it someone else, perhaps such an offer would sound enticing. But for Night, I knew it was very nearly everything he didn’t want.

“Amethyst.” Old Ed tapped her shoulder. “Calm yourself. This is not a simple matter.”

“Indeed,” Star interjected. “He is able to channel Bellerophon’s power, but it is not without cost. We have reason to believe that what you ask would have severe, or even fatal, long-term consequences.”

“What? How… how is that possible?” Amethyst fell to her haunches.

“We don’t know. Neither does Bellerophon,” Night said, his voice almost apologetic.

Old Ed looked us over one more time. “Then, what do you intend to do?”

“Firetail is currently holding my sister captive, with plans to use her for some kind of ritual,” Star said. “We are going to rescue her.”

“The one that prepares a host for Lord Bellerophon?” Old Ed seemed unsure just who to look at, finally settling on Night. “Doesn’t he already have one?”

I cringed a little. “That about sums it up. It’s likely that he’s trying to create a fraudulent Bellerophon with which to exercise absolute rule. None of us want that.”

Old Ed was suddenly watching me very carefully. “What do you propose? For us to oppose him directly would only cement his position.”

“Then don’t. We only need help getting in. We can rescue Lunaris on our own.” I wished I felt anywhere near as confident about that as I sounded. “His prospects will vanish with her and his power will collapse on its own.”

“I offered them entry through the servant quarters,” Amethyst Vein added. “During ‘Happy Hour’, of course.”

“And so you need my key. Very well.”

Comments

[Shachza]

“Doesn’t he already have one?”

"That about sums it up."

I don't think the situation could have been summed up and laid out any more eloquently than that. And very in-character too, which makes the whole exchange even more entertaining! I was so glad to a little birdie looking over Dusky's shoulder into this chapter.

[Meta Four]

I can't help but wonder if that Oracle is also the same dragon whose blessing helped Tapioca's initial rise to power. Although I also have this nagging hunch that I'm forgetting some detail that would make this particular twist impossible. Hmm.

[Yami Vizzini]

Huh. I don't even remember that Broken Tooth was a dragon.