• Published 23rd May 2014
  • 3,631 Views, 401 Comments

From Dusk to Night - KuroiTsubasaTenshi



Trouble. It follows me around like an unwanted pet. The kind of pet liable to maul my friends' faces. So I tried to face the demon alone. But no one can face life alone and my friends... They're less fragile than I gave them credit for.

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55 - Special Contact

Sugar late at night—the perfect way to not be able to sleep. Knowing this, I took the scenic route after seeing Aster home. This took me through the nicer section of town, which came with the added perks of making me feel less wary about wandering around at night, as well as an opportunity to check the safe house.

I almost tripped over myself when I saw the light was on. My eyes drifted to the corner of the left-side window. There, the shadow of a toy bear stood vigil. I let out of a sigh of relief. Burglars were extremely unlikely, but still worth consideration.

With care disguised as a slow, casual walk, I slipped around back, knocking on the door before unlocking it. As I trotted in, I found my dad at the kitchen table, watching the door. Spread out before him were the kind of invoices and inventory lists I’d known since I was a filly.

“Dad? What’s going on? Are you and Mom okay?” I glanced around, looking for my mom.

“Are we okay?” He gave me a stern look. “Dusky, we’re not the ones who ventured out into the Badlands.”

My ears drooped. “Sorry, Dad. It was for a good reason.”

“Of course. You’re the last person I expect to recklessly bumble out into a place like that.” Dad stood and trotted over. “But, just as you have your reasons, we have our worry. Perhaps you could elaborate?”

I nodded. “It’s a… long story.”

Placing a wing on my withers, he looked me in the eye. “Take as long as you need.”

With a deep breath I began, like with Terra and Mahogany, though my dad pressed me for details more readily than they. Embarrassment built in my chest with each near-death experience described, culminating in the carnage that was the final confrontation. I think there was just a part of me that thought I’d never have to tell my parents about something more traumatizing than being kidnapped by a drug cartel. And yet, here I was.

“I still don’t entirely know what happened.” I sighed. “Just… the room was death. Nothing but death. We barely scraped by on luck and at great cost. I wonder, had I been stronger…”

My dad pulled me close, pressing his chin into my mane. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to one-up your mother.”

I blinked. “Dad?”

He smiled fondly. “You really do take after her. She always wishes she could do more.”

“Mom does? But she’s nearly unstoppable.”

“And that’s not enough.” He shook his head. “Had she the power of the Princesses, it still wouldn’t be enough—not for one person to change everything, anyway. Were that the case, I’m sure the Princesses themselves would have already fixed every problem.”

“I know, Dad. I’m not a filly dreaming of an ideal world anymore, but…” I stared out the window, though the view was little more than the back shed. “Well, I guess I find it hard to imagine Mom not being able to handle anything that could be reasonably expected.”

“Reasonable?” My dad smirked. “So, does that include the dragon? Or the civil war?”

My mind stopped short, Terra’s voice echoing through it. Even the idea of fighting somepony to the death terrifies me. The way I see it, this is all complete madness.

After a moment, I shook my head, halfway meeting my dad’s smile. “Point taken.”

“I must apologize,” he said. “You appear to have inherited our weirdness magnetism.”

“Guess so. Fortunately, I have two great parents who prepared me for it.”

He placed a wing on my withers again. “Haha, glad you think so.”

“You certainly go above and beyond other parents, anyway,” I grinned, hugging my dad. “Speaking of Mom, where is she, anyway?”

“Off checking in with contacts as usual.”

“Really?” I raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you two usually more synced than this?”

My dad nodded. “She said she was going to be late because she had a special stop to make.”

“That’s... awfully cryptic. Maybe ominous? I’d be worried if it were anyone else.” I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. Did it have to do with me? Or was there some other looming threat I didn’t know about? A frown crept up my lips.

“Trouble does often regret finding your mother.” He smiled reassuringly. “Besides, she promised me it was nothing dangerous.”

I nodded. By now I was growing tired of worry, doom and gloom—it was time for a change of subject. My eyes fell on the kitchen table. “So, how’s the shop doing?”

Dad grinned. “Well, for starters, I offloaded my entire book stock.”

With a giggle, I met his smirk. “Never would have guessed.”

---

The next night brought a half-planned date with Night. With both of us playing catch-up on so many things, we hadn’t had a chance to make any decisions beyond the fact that it was happening. Night drifted down slowly, his coat tinting a faint purple as the sun’s orange light washed over him.

But something wasn’t quite right. He seemed to be favouring his left wing. My eyes fell on his right side, where it was clear that his jerky motions were meant to avoid full extension of that side’s muscles.

“Night, your side. What happened?” I had a sneaking suspicion I knew the answer and wasn’t sure if it was more or less preferable than any alternatives.

He hesitated before blurting everything out at once. “Well... it was a bit unexpected. I, um, was given a little test by, well... your mom. But it wasn't a bad meeting!”

“By my—” It was just as I thought: the only ‘special contact’ Mom had had was her hoof to Night’s ribs. Anger and relief fought for dominance. “She tested you?”

Night smiled unconvincingly. “Err, yes. It went... alright. I mean, I'm still standing here. I think if it had gone poorly, there'd be a lot less of me left to go out on a date with you.”

“Unbelievable. She actually attacked you? And she hit you that hard?” I shook my head. It was one thing for Mom to surprise me, which was already iffy in public, but Night? There were more than a few things wrong with that. I hoped no one had seen them. The kind of fallout from that getting reported could last for months. I circled Night, taking an assessment of his injuries. Some of the anger fell away as I realized she’d shown more restraint than usual.

“I mean, it's not as bad as it looks. A bit tender, but I guess she saw whatever she needed to see.” Night protested. “I mean, in the end she gave me some advice and a hug and told me to take care of myself.”

Even more of the anger washed away as the words hit me. Hug. Mom didn’t just hug anyone. I let out a deep sigh. I still wasn’t happy that she couldn’t have approached what she wanted to do like a normal pony, but I could at least take some comfort in her intent. “Well, I guess that's something. Consider it a ‘Welcome to the family.’”

Night went beet red as he almost tripped over himself. “I, er, what? Welcome to…”

I looked him straight in the eye. “Not a word of this to my mom, but she wouldn't have bothered testing if you didn't already have her approval. Sorry, seems some of the weirdness of my life is rubbing off on you.”

“I don't think I've ever been so happy to be challenged to a fight. I, um... well, I'm happy she thinks that way.” His smile was much less forced this time, almost like he wanted to laugh.

“I'm glad to hear it too.” I sighed, relieved that he was taking it so well. I had to imagine the vast majority of people would be driven off by my mom’s antics. It was almost funny to think about, really. That is, one of the shyest people I know taking such insanity in stride. Then again, if the evil dragon warlord hadn’t sent him screaming for the hills, I suppose a little sparring with my mom wouldn’t have seemed so bad. With my fears settled, I started walking, Night quickly joining me on my right.

“Though, she said I needed more training, recommended I ask my dad.” He leaned in and nuzzled, as though he needed to reassure me. In truth, my mom tells everyone they need more training. Still, I appreciated the intent and nuzzled back. “Which, uh, brings me to something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh? What's that?”

Oddly, Night looked a little sheepish. “Well, Mahogany swung by the house, and we had a talk about the whole situation with his dad. And that was after your mom had talked to me. Well, between dealing with those two issues, I just... figured I should talk to my dad again.”

I nodded, mind filled with dozens of ideas of how Mahogany might be able to finally move past Birch’s shenanigans. “I'm glad Mahogany is asking for help. As far as your dad goes, I think that’s the fastest way to get our answers—perhaps the only way if my mom thinks you could use his specific training.”

“I agree. I thought it was, uh, a good reason to, maybe... visit home,” he said, revealing the source of his nerves.

“Oh? Going to go see your family, then?” I gave him a reassuring smile.

“Yeah. After everything up ‘til now, it just... it feels like it's time. Probably past time, honestly.”

“You've been through a lot. The important question is if you're ready to go back now.” I wrapped a wing around him. To me, the question had an obvious answer. My words were more a matter of getting Night to feel the same.

“Yes, I think I am. Dusky, when I go home, would it be too much to ask if you'd come with me? I can do this, but, I'd feel better if you were there with me. If that's okay with you.”

Meeting the rest of his family. To think how far we’d come. I don’t think there was a way I could say ‘no’, but even if I did feel I could consider it, I sort of owed him after what my mom did. “I'd love to, Night.”

He grinned widely, suddenly standing a little taller. “Thanks.”

With that settled, there was one last thing to address. As I turned into the park, I said, “Speaking of travel, that reminds me. I'm planning out my summer trip. You were going to tell me that you were coming along, right?”

Night’s face brightened. “Oh, you're making your plans?”

“Pretty much done, actually.” I smirked. “Just need to make sure I was alright booking rooms for two.”

Colour filled his cheeks again. “Two! Um, two is good. I meant to tell you... once I was sure everything was alright with work, that is. Everything's pretty much in order for me to come, if you still want me to.”

I giggled. Even with his explanation, it was a tad later than I’d have liked, but everything was still manageable. I’d just have to talk to him about being more on top of things in the future. “In order, eh? Sounds like your plans are pretty much done too, then? Because of course I'd love to have you along.”

“Then you'll have me. I... I know how important your trips are to you.” Most of his embarrassment left his grin.

“They are, but they're not the only important thing.” I smiled, taking a moment to sneak a nuzzle.

“It's the least I can do. After all, I love you.”

“And I love you too.” By now, we’d reached the top of one of the hills. The view wasn’t the best, but it was good enough that I didn’t see any use in being finicky. I settled onto my haunches.

Night chuckled. “I thought we were getting dinner.”

“We are.” I stole a peck on his cheek. “After the sunset.”

“That does sounds wonderful.” As he settled down, he leaned in for a longer kiss. When he pulled away, he had that dreamy look in his eye. “I... I still don't know what I did to deserve this.”

“You survived my mother.” I smirked. “And most of all, you are just your sweet self.”

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