From Dusk to Night

by KuroiTsubasaTenshi

7 - Faces

“Hi, there~.” Merriweather looked up at me as she stood, that stupid grin still plastered on her face.

“What in Tartarus is wrong with you!?” I narrowed my eyes as anger overtook my fear, burning it away. “Do you get some sort of sick kick out of messing with people!?”

Even in that state, I knew she meant us no harm; if she had, I doubt we would have seen it coming. And yet, that almost made it worse. That she would be so flippant and unthinking as to consider popping out like some back-alley mugger to be an appropriate prank was quite unsettling.

“Whoa, whoa, hold on! It’s not like that!” Her eyes widened, a twinkle of uncertainty escaping. “I’ve been helping!”

I stared. Such audacity went beyond question; the only appropriate reaction was a deadpan, “Helping.”

“Yeah! Helping! With games and… stuff! Like games.” Merriweather scratched the back of her head. “‘Cause I’m… y’know, sorry about the other night.”

A frown crept down my face as I processed just what Merriweather was admitting. “Let me get this straight: you thought you could make up for crippling Night Flurry by following him around a festival and secretly cheating for him?”

“Yep!” She grinned widely. I almost wanted to kick her.

“And you blew your cover to grab him because?” I tilted my head, dubious that whatever ‘logic’ she was using was actually logic.

“How else was he supposed to know who was helping him?” she answered, hastily continuing when a blink was my only response. “Oh, and hugs. Healing hugs~. Those always help~.”

I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Well, at least you’re honest.”

“W-wait, that means…” Night Flurry looked sadly at his Spitfire plush. “I d-didn’t earn this. I should t-take it back.”

“Oh, come on! It’s not like they don’t cheat too!” With a wave of her hoof, Merriweather slid up beside Night Flurry. “I was just evening the odds~.”

I watched Merriweather carefully. Like Pinkie Pie, her jovial, seemingly oblivious nature was just the surface. The million-bit question was ‘What’s underneath?’ Especially when this particular pony was a trained soldier.

Night Flurry frowned. “Y-you’re not just making excuses, are you, M-Merri?”

Two trains of thought grabbed my brain and pulled it in different directions. Does he really not know? And ‘Merri’? When did they get all buddy, buddy?

“Hey, I’m not lying, just ask Dusky. She knows what’s up.” Merriweather fluttered her eyes. “Right, Dusky~?”

With a sigh, I shook my head. “You’re both right. She may be making excuses, but she isn’t lying. These games are skewed to put more bits into the festival’s pockets.”

“O-oh. Um…” A conflicted look washed over Night Flurry’s face as he shuffled the Spitfire plush to and from his flight satchel with his wing.

“Also, when did you start calling her ‘Merri”? I tilted my head. It was easy enough to guess that she probably visited him and buttered him up, but why guess when the truth is right there? Assumptions are just too easy to get comfortable—and consequently, into trouble—with.

“Oh, um, s-she came to visit…” Night Flurry answered, rubbing one forehoof against the ankle of the other.

I watched him for a few moments. It was certainly a new habit, but I wondered if I wasn't just reading into it a bit too much.

“And you talked about the... incident?”

Night Flurry nodded. “Y-yeah, she, um, a-apologized.”

“Yep, sure did~!” Merriweather grinned. “I’ll even be sorry for the rest of the day. Let me show you around, I totally already scoped the place out!”

She meandered off, headed away from the restaurants.

Seizing the opportunity, I slipped over to Night Flurry and whispered in his ear, “That’s how it really went down? She didn't bully you into forgiving her, did she?”

“N-no, she's... I'm o-okay with Merri,” he hastily answered. I held his gaze for a bit longer and while he shrunk down, he didn't retract his statement.

“Well, okay, if you say so. If she's going to be like this, it's probably best that we keep her where we can see her, anyway.” I turned back toward Merriweather. “Hey! Merriweather! You're going away from the food!”

Merriweather trotted back much more quickly than than she'd departed. “Oh! You're hungry! Right. Okay, there's sandwiches and pasta.”

She pointed to each of the restaurants in the alley. “Oh, and there are totally other places to eat. They’re just, um... somewhere. Yeah! Somewhere. But you guys are totally up for sandwiches and pasta, right~?”

And there was that fluttering of her eyes again.

Resisting the urge to put my hoof to my forehead, I sighed. “You're such a good guide.”

“I am, aren't I~?”

---

The diner was much like the ones I favoured on my travels. That is, the ones that provided the perfect compromise of speed, cost and taste. Not that I can’t enjoy fine dining, but when it comes to food, I’m a simple mare whose taste buds don’t demand much.

I watched Merriweather as she scanned the dining area. Unless she had a thing for checkered red and white tablecloths, whatever was so interesting about a room full of unoccupied square tables and worn cushions escaped me.

“Huh. Nopony here.” She frowned.

“O-oh, is that bad?” Night Flurry glanced around about as fruitlessly as myself.

“Mmmmmaybe not~,” Merriweather replied as her eyes flitted over to an approaching waiter. She trotted up to him, meeting him well beyond the ‘Please wait to be seated.’ sign. “Hey, can we have that table?”

She pointed over to a table that had to be about the farthest point from the kitchen as possible. While it was near the windows, the drawn blinds made it kind of pointless and the angle to the door meant it wasn’t even the best place to see newcomers from. Although, I did have to admit that it would place the majority of the dining area on one side, allowing for easy monitoring.

“Sure thing, ma’am. Plenty of space to go ‘round.” The waiter smiled. “This way, please.”

As we sat down at our table, I raised an eyebrow. “Why this one?”

Merriweather simply grinned. “Oh, you’ll see~.”

“Here you are.” The waiter set a menu in front of each of us. “If you’re interested in the soup of the day, it’s cream of broccoli. While you’re deciding on that, care for a drink?”

“Water, please,” I answered.

“Wi—” Merriweather paused, her mouth still half-open. Her eyes darted over to Night Flurry. “—water. Water too.”

“U-um, tea, p-please.”

Well, there’s one surprise and one not surprise. Maybe she’s more serious about this than I thought.

“All right, two waters, one tea. Back in a jiffy!” With another smile, the waiter turned and made for the kitchen; a kitchen that just so happened to be a straight line away, giving us a good ten-second look at his butt.

Merriweather nudged me and nodded, her grin widening.

Shaking my head, I turned my attention to my menu. Everything, from the fettuccine alfredo to the rose penne, sounded delicious. It also sounded like something that would put me into a food coma for the rest of the day. I ended up settling for a small plate of spaghetti with a side salad.

Merriweather and Night Flurry didn’t hold back, each ordering a jumbo-sized pasta. I was a bit skeptical at first—I mean, neither are proportionally that much bigger than me—but then I remembered that I’d seen even smaller ponies shovel down twice as much in those food-eating contests.

The, thankfully, surprisingly brief wait, was filled with awkwardly commenting on how tasty each others’ dishes sounded; this was followed by me watching Merriweather, still uncertain what to think of her, and she, wearing that stupid grin again as she telekinetically twirled her fork in the air.

I was all too happy when the aroma of dueling pasta sauces reached my nostrils. With a half-bow, the waiter left us with our food, followed by another ten seconds of stallion butt. However, I soon learned the waiter’s rump wasn’t the only thing Merriweather had chosen this table for.

The door clunked shut and a pair of mares entered. The waiter guided them past right us, to one of the farther tables, giving us a triple whammy of butts.

Merriweather looked up, her muzzle caked in sauce as her eyes came to rest squarely on the mares’ flanks. She licked her lips and turned to me, grinning ear-to-ear.

“Didja get a good look at that~?”

With a sigh, I shook my head. “As good a look as I needed.”

“Mmmm~.” Her eyes continued to followed the mares, lingering long after they’d sat down. “Well, if you’re interested, I’m sure I can convince them to let you in on the action too~.”

For just a moment, as I wished so hard to have Terra’s more honest form of ‘subtlety’ back, I found myself sympathizing with Starshadow.

“I’ll pass.”

“Aw, you’re no fun~.”

“Just eat your food.”

Night Flurry was eating with growing gusto, keeping his eyes to the plate as though he hadn’t noticed a single thing. Too bad his ears were pointed right at us.

“Sooo… Merriweather, what else do you do in your spare time?” I gave her a meaningful look.

“Oh, the usual knightly things Sis’ and I do, like training, spellcraft and knitting.”

I blinked. “Knitting.”

“Yep! Soft and warm is good for traveling, among other things~. That’s why you wear that scarf, isn’t it?” Merriweather looked down at my scarf, pausing just long enough to make sure I saw.

I stared back, trying to decide if she was just being silly or if she could tell I had a wingblade tucked inside. Maybe both. After all, lazy as she seemed, combat was her profession; she probably osmosed enough experience that she could see it if she looked hard enough.

“This is sewn, but yes, I do agree that clothing can be quite helpful for travel.”

“Sewing is like knitting, right? Right?” Merriweather fluttered her eyes.

“You just want to go to the knitting expo, don’t you?” I sighed. Not that I had anything against knitting, but I was a bit annoyed that even after the whole butt-staring shenanigans, she was beating around the bush about something so innocuous.

“Maaaaybe~.”

I glanced at Night Flurry, who looked like he had something on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t squeeze it past his squirming lips. I decided to give him a little push. “What do you think? Knitting sound interesting to you?”

“O-oh, yes! Y-yes, everyone likes kn-knitting!” he blurted out.

I raised an eyebrow. “If you say so. I guess it’s decided, then.”

---

We were barely ten seconds away from the restaurant nook when Merriweather broke into a gallop.

“Hey, wait up!” I called after her.

But instead of turning down the road toward the town hall, she went straight for the nearest game booth. Every inch of the back wall was lined with inflated balloons with only nominal room set aside for the baskets of prizes and darts.

“What happened to knitting?” I raised an eyebrow.

“We can do both! We’ve got time!” Merriweather grinned. “Besides, who doesn’t like darts?”

“Those of us without claws or magic to throw them?” Not that I couldn’t throw things with my mouth. Ever since I was a filly, I’d found chucking rocks into the nearest body of water to be a surprisingly good way of relieving boredom. But darts are different. They require a specific kind of precision and motion that’s very awkward to do with the mouth.

“Pfff, c’mon! It’s not that hard! I’ll use my mouth too!”

As Merriweather bought her darts and lined up her first throw, it quickly became apparent just why she had insisted on playing. She threw all five in what was almost succession, not only popping every balloon, but doing so without so much as a twinkle from her horn. I tried to take note of her technique, but between her speed and my surprise, I caught very little.

She turned and bowed. “Next up!”

I shook my head. “After that?”

“Aw, but it’s fun! Please? I’ll pay for you!”

“Okay, okay, fine. Under one condition: no playing over our shoulder.” I gave her a hard stare.

“What? If that’s what you really want…”

I glanced at Night Flurry, who opened his mouth several times before he finally settled for a nod. “Yeah.”

I took up my first dart and as I struggled to position it between my teeth, I found myself wishing I was already finished. The motion was as awkward as I remembered and while every dart at least hit a balloon, I only got three to pop. By the end, I’d gotten into something of a groove, though I wasn’t willing to spend the bits for another go.

“Ooo, not bad!” Merriweather nodded at the mess I’d left behind. “Hey, Night! You’re next!”

“U-um, I don’t know…”

“But it’s free~.” She leaned in close enough that I thought he was going to back away.

I trotted up beside him. “It’s the fastest way to get her to stop pestering you.”

“O-okay.” He grabbed his first dart, but he was so shaky, he lobbed it right into the ground. He stared.

“Don’t worry about that one. It’s harder than it looks,” I said as reassuringly as I could.

The second somehow managed to miss all the balloons, pinning itself to the corkboard between four of them.

“Getting closer!” Merriweather called, directing a raised eyebrow at me.

I shook my head. No need to give him more victories he wasn’t comfortable with.

Night Flurry wound up and threw with all his might. I wasn’t sure where he was aiming, but his dart hit a balloon dead on; it imploded with a satisfying pop. His surprise quickly grew into a wide grin.

“Woo!” Merriweather pumped her forehoof.

I think the excitement got to him after that, as while his last two darts went where he was aiming, they just didn’t have the technique to do more than bounce off the surface of the balloons.

With all the games played out, Merriweather was the only one to receive a prize. It was a Daring Do plush, about the same size as Night Flurry’s Spitfire and one the manufacturers actually bothered to get the colours right on. The shirt and hat were a bit deformed, but asking for more from a festival prize would have been pushing things.

Merriweather held out it out in her magic. “Here. For being such good sports~.”

“I-I, um, never got into D-Daring Do,” Night Flurry said as he stared at the plush.

I blinked. Given the books’ popularity with the foals of my generation, it had barely crossed my mind that he wouldn’t have read them. “Really? You should check the books out sometime. It’s a good series.”

“O-oh, I’ll k-keep that in mind.”

“I guess I’ll take her, then.” On a whim, I tucked Daring into my scarf, such that she was peeking out. Now she was ready for a proper adventure—or at least as much of one as a quest for the knitting hall could be.

“Oooo, that was fun! We should do another! Like... that one!” Merriweather pointed a forehoof at the back flap of the closest tent, which would have been pretty much nondescript if not for the tall plank holding a bell high in the sky.

“Um… w-what is it?” Night Flurry tilted his head.

“Only one way to find out~!” With a grin, Merriweather took off, zipping around the front corner of the booth.

“Wait, Merriweather!” I began, but she was gone. Shaking my head, I sighed. “Just look up.”

Night Flurry stared after her. “She’s, um… I-it’s like w-watching a foal, i-isn’t it?”

I couldn’t help but giggle, especially when he’d done much the same earlier. “Maybe a little. I think there’s a bit of that inside all of us, though. Come on, let’s catch up.”

The Test Your Strength was, thankfully, not the unicorn hammer variation. Instead, it had a vertical target, set up at just the right height to make bucking it as awkward as possible without being particularly obvious. At least for the average pony, anyway; with her extra height, I doubted Merriweather would even notice.

Prizes, marked for different heights, included what looked like a flimsy plastic Daring Do pith helmet, a similarly cheap Mare-Do-Well hat and mask combination and a larger version of my Daring plush.

An intense flapping of wings, about the flight equivalent of a gallop, pulled my eyes skyward. Blizzard came barreling down, sending up a swirling, mini-storm of powder as she landed.

“Whew! Sorry I took so long. Weather went crazy for a bit there and my team was off bumming around,” she said, swatting away the lingering snow with a wing.

“Don’t worry about it. Not like we had a schedule to keep.” I shook my head and smiled, glancing from Blizzard to Merriweather. “Besides, we’ve been pretty… distracted, anyway.”

“Huh.” Blizzard followed my gaze to Merriweather, who had already begun flirting with the carny. “I didn’t know you were meeting up with somepony.”

“It wasn’t planned. It just kind of happened.”

Blizzard nodded. “A pleasant surprise, then.”

“Y-yeah, um, p-pleasant.” Night Flurry looked away.

“Good news, everypony.” Merriweather grinned. “He’s going to let us play three for the price of two!”

“Is he now?” Blizzard glanced at the carny.

The carny shrunk down a bit. “Uh, yes. They look like real fine ladies and gentlecolt with an appreciation for Test Your Strength.”

Blizzard nodded. “Good eye.”

“Before we do that... Blizzard, this is Merriweather, Merriweather, Blizzard Breeze.” I pointed a forehoof from one to the other and back. “Blizzard here is in charge of festival organization. Merriweather is a, uh, traveling knight.”

“Traveling knight?” Blizzard raised an eyebrow. “I hope you’re not planning on doing ‘knightly’ things over here.”

Merriweather casually waved a hoof. “Nah, not really my style~.”

“And what is your style?” Blizzard stared intently.

“You could say I do requests per pony~.” Merriweather shrugged, though her eyes hardened for just a moment. “What I don’t do is the whole crusade bit.”

“Hmmm, so long as you don’t cause trouble, we’ll get along just fine.” Blizzard nodded, tension escaping her muscles.

Night Flurry and I exchanged glances. I shook my head, mouthing 'later' at him.

Misguided as Merriweather was in her execution, she seemed to making a genuine effort to be a better pony. Bringing up the bar at this point would almost inevitably cause a confrontation, which risked turning all that effort on its head.

Still, Blizzard deserved to know. I figured I could pull her aside once Night Flurry and Merriweather were a bit more preoccupied.

“Gentlecolts first~?” Merriweather grinned.

Night Flurry shrank. “M-me? W-why?”

“Because we made you go last in the other game.” Merriweather nodded as though she’d just dispensed the sagest of knowledge.

“O-oh, um, th-thanks?” Night Flurry shuffled over to the target. “S-so, I, um, kick it?”

“Yep. Give it a good old-fashioned buck,” I said.

“Crush it beneath the power of your hooves! Work those thighs~!” Merriweather giggled.

“R-right… um, here goes!” Turning and closing his eyes, Night Flurry wound up his hind legs in the most exaggerated, less-than-ideal way I’d ever seen. His kick was completely off-target—at least had he been aiming in front of him. His awkward, almost-overextension struck the target right on, and with impressive power to boot. That he proceeded to nearly fall on his face was tempered by the fact that the ringer cleared the first prize line.

Merriweather whistled. “Not bad~.”

“R-really?” Night Flurry smiled shyly.

“You did get a prize,” Blizzard said. “Can’t argue with that.”

His face lit up. “Oh, w-wow.”

“Your turn, Dusky~.” Merriweather nudged at my neck.

“Heh, okay, just don’t expect anything spectacular,” I replied as I traded places with Night Flurry. With as much travel as I did, plus the lifting I used to do around the wagon, one might think I’d be pretty strong. However, I’m not a particularly big mare and unlike my mother, am decidedly not stronger than I look; so much so that she adapted my training to focus heavily on vital points.

I lined up the shot, the awkward, odd-angled motion just different enough from practice that I was almost sure that I was going to faceplant.

“Hiya!” I shouted as I struck, feeling the target buckle satisfyingly under my hooves. Glancing back, I caught the ringer falling just shy of the first prize line.

“U-um, that looked p-pretty g-good,” Night Flurry said, the pain in his eyes telling me he wasn’t sure whether he should be reassuring me or not. He quickly found the snow more interesting to look at.

“Yeah, it was.” I smiled. “I told you not to expect anything spectacular.”

“Pfff, you’re so modest~.” Merriweather grinned. “I bet if Sis’ were here, she’d be going off about how it’s not about how powerful your hips are, it’s about how you use them~.”

“In those exact words?” I stifled a giggle.

“Oh, she’d probably use stuffier language, but it’s all the same, right~?” She wiggled her butt.

Blizzard smiled slyly. “Sure, let’s go with that.”

“Well, looks like I’m up. Goodie!” Merriweather bounded over.

As we traded places, my eyes fell upon the booth opposite us and its patron. Between his large stature and navy blue train attendant uniform, the stallion gave me pause. His dark brown tail flicked back and forth along his red-brown coat as he casually kicked snowballs at an apple basket. Every so often, he’d glance behind himself, though he never looked our way for long, if at all. I wondered if I was becoming paranoid, jumping at shadows. Still, at least physically, he fit the mystery stallion’s profile.

Despite Merriweather’s extra height, I could already tell from the way she was winding up her hindquarters that her strike wasn’t going to do much better. Her hooves impacted with a crack, but they were off-target with the ringer coming up even lower than my attempt.

Merriweather shrugged as she trotted back to us. “Eh, never been much of a kicker. That’s more Sis’s thing.”

I nodded absently, keeping one eye on the train stallion. “I gathered.”

It was then that I felt something press down against my mane, gripping the top of my head. I reacted instantly, reflexively flaring my wings and spinning to wing-slap my assailant as I turned to face him. My follow-up hoof strike stopped an inch from Night Flurry’s face.

Merriweather whistled, though I hardly even heard her. "Nice moves~."

A stupid, sheepish grin, the kind that would make Merriweather proud, was plastered across Night Flurry’s face. He drifted backward, shrinking under my gaze, and averting his eyes to something above me.

I looked up. It was one of those cheap Daring Do pith helmets, his prize from the Test Your Strength. Warmth flooded my cheeks as I narrowed my eyes. "Did you really just do that after what happened with Merriweather?"

“I.. I, um... wanted to s-surprise you.” He fidgeted with his forehooves.

I shook my head, trying to keep my racing heart from sending me off into a rant. “Well, you surprised me, all right.”

A realization hit me and my eyes snapped back toward the basket toss booth. Perhaps if I could gauge the stallion’s reaction, I could make something of this mini-heart attack. The booth was, of course, empty now. I scanned the crowd, though the result was just as fruitless.

Night Flurry laughed. "W-well... um, mission accomplished?”

I forced a smirk. “Haha, yeah… real funny. Just don’t do it again.”

“O-oh…” He looked down before blurting out, “Um, s-so what next?”

“Have you been to the knitting expo yet?” Blizzard asked.

“That was the original plan,” I replied, still trying to keep an eye on the crowd as I motioned toward the Test Your Strength. “But like I said, we’ve been distracted.”

Blizzard laughed. “Then I’ll show you the short route. Maybe we can get you there before it closes.”

“One can only hope.” I smirked.

We followed Blizzard through the crowd at a brisk pace, the kind that gave Night Flurry and Merriweather less time to fixate on games that might pull them away.

I turned to Merriweather. “So, where is Starshadow, anyway?”

“Sis’? She, ah, wouldn’t have approved.” She shook her head. “I wouldn’t even be here myself if I hadn’t snuck away~.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Really? What’s so bad about it? Does your knight code forbid celebration?”

“No, it’s not that. She likes festivals, but she just gets so focused and…” Merriweather’s mirth wavered for just a split-second. “It’s complicated.”

I nodded, having not prepared for a serious response. My first instinct was to push harder, to find out more, but reason held me back. Whatever the issue was, I was certain it had to do with Merriweather’s honour—or lack thereof, if Starshadow as to be believed; such fine details were not fit for public discussion.

As we continued on in silence, a breeze swept through the square, heralding the night’s approach. In fact, the sun was already clinging to the roofs of the buildings, holding out for one last hour of light. I found myself wondering just when that had happened; somehow, despite all the unexpected shenanigans, I’d been having far too much fun.

I began to lament how comparatively little time we had left in the day, but all that dissolved as the ice sculptures, or at least the edge of the competition area, came into view. The sun hit them just right, illuminating the larger pieces and sending sparkles rippling over every surface. A Daring Do statue caught it particularly well, the light enveloping her in a heroic aura as she leapt toward the road.

Shame we were kept at hoof’s length by a gaudy red and white carnival fence.

“W-wow…” Night Flurry stopped dead.

“Ooo, snazzy~.” Merriweather strolled on by, a casualness that made me wonder just how grand the works of Ostfriesen must be. Of course, the thought had also crossed my mind that she just might not care, but the allure of a foreign country was much stronger.

“The sculptors have been working pretty hard all day, but most of them aren’t quite done. You going to be back tomorrow?” Blizzard asked.

Upon closer inspection, many of the statues had small, unfinished features. The largest, though not particularly obvious, was Daring’s platform: she was leaping from a smooth, nondescript block of ice. While it was something that could reasonably happen during her adventures, it would probably just come off as lazy in a competition.

“Wish I could, but I’ve only got one day off. Gonna have to sleep the afternoon if I want to be able-bodied for my shift.”

Night Flurry shrunk down, hoof digging a rut into the snow.

“Huh, that’s too bad. Wish that idiot hadn’t messed things up for you.” Blizzard narrowed her eyes at nopony in particular.

I glanced at Merriweather, who was busy staring up at a half-carved replica of Rainbow Dash in flight. Or rather, she was pretending to. She was a lot subtler than Night Flurry, but even a single, slightly-angled ear can be a tell.

“Yeah, well, I’ve still been enjoying myself, so no sense dwelling on it.”

“Sure, if you say so. Want pictures?”

“If it’s not too much trouble.”

Blizzard shrugged. “Nah, we’ll need some for the paper, anyway.”

We came to a crossroad. One turn led up to the closed gate of the ice sculpture area. Another stretched on for a couple dozen more feet, but I could readily make out the stoney, rectangular town hall in all its flag-flying glory.

Stepping to the side, Blizzard pointed down the road. “Well, there it is. Just head straight and you’ll be there in no time.”

“You’re not coming?” I asked.

Blizzard shook her head. “I need to make sure the sculptures are all set for the night. I’ll catch up with you later.”

And with that, she was gone again.

“What are we waiting for? There’s knitting to be had~!” Merriweather called as she charged down the road.

“Um…” Night Flurry looked to me yet again.

I shrugged. “We’re here; might as well.”

---

The inside of the hall was about as crammed with tables as the outside was with booths. I suspected that the only reason there wasn’t more was because they’d run out of town hall.

Scarves, hats and shawls of all shapes and sizes collaborated to form thick, wooly tablecloths over every surface. Fighting against their reign were colourful signs, boasting such deals as ‘Buy two, get one free!’ or claiming their wool to be high quality imports from one far-off country or another.

As Merriweather darted from table to table, it became increasingly clear that there weren’t enough of her to take in all the things she wanted to at once. Of course, if she started duplicating herself, I’d be headed for the hills; as much as I like Pinkie Pie, she’d once found a way to copy herself and Ponyville as a whole spent a month cleaning up all the damage the other ‘Pinkies’ caused.

“Mmmm, so soft~.” Merriweather nuzzled into a wide, red scarf. “I’ll take it!”

“W-wow, um… she really l-likes knitting.” Night Flurry stared, Merriweather having already made three more purchases by the time he finished his sentence.

I nodded, letting a smile creep up my lips. “We all have our interests. Some are just simpler than others.”

“I-I know, b-but I… I guess I can’t th-think of knitting as a very kn-knightly thing.”

Raising an eyebrow, I gave Night Flurry a sideways glance. “People are more than their job. For instance, I like Daring Do, which has nothing to do with weather. And surely you must have something else you like.”

“U-um, well, there’s t-tea…” He tapped his hooves together. “I, um, m-make my own.”

“There you go.”

We followed in Merriweather’s wake and although my enthusiasm paled by comparison, I still found myself admiring each work. While I had no experience with the actual act of knitting, I’d spent enough time sewing to have a general appreciation for just how much effort went into a single garment.

As the shopping spree continued, I found my attention fading. Not for lack of interest, mind, but because I was growing increasingly sluggish. A yawn escaped my lips.

“T-tired?” Night Flurry asked.

“Getting there. I think it might be time to head back.”

“Um, o-okay. S-sorry…”

I shook my head and trotted over to Merriweather, who was now surrounded by a floating ring of knitting. “Hey, Merriweather. We’re thinking about going home. You coming?”

“Huh?” The knitting parted just enough for me to see her eyes. “Oh, no, there’s still so much to see. You two go on ahead~.”

She waggled her eyebrows and winked.

I rolled my eyes. “See you later.”

---

The festival was still bustling as we left its icy gate behind, sounds fading into the background until all we could hear was the snow crunching beneath our hooves. The sun was completely gone now, the moon doing its best to assist the street lamps as it loomed over the empty streets.

While I found it a bit odd that there was no traffic at all, I figured it was just that weird time of night when it was too late for new arrivals, but too early for the night crowd to be departing. And besides, after the day’s excitement, a slower pace was a welcome change.

I smiled. “I'd almost forgotten what peace and quiet is like.”

Night Flurry nodded. “So many ponies a-and then um... Merri. She's f-fun and all, but, um, this is n-nice. Th-thanks again… for c-covering and c-coming with me. I d-don’t think I c-could have done this on my o-own.”

“Hey, it’s what us shift workers and friends do.”

“S-still... I appreciate it.” He worked his mouth as he stared ahead, chewing his thoughts. “Y-you know... I was really nervous about today.”

“Really? Why?”

“I-I didn't know if I'd be able to, um, r-relax with all th-those ponies around. A-and then my wing and I… I j-just really wanted it to be a good day.”

“Well, I’m glad—” I stopped mid-step, my attention drawn to the shadows as something moved in a nearby alleyway.

“What is it?” Night Flurry cocked his head.

A large stallion stumbled out into the street. He wore a tattered cloak, but it barely even reached his cutie mark, nevermind his head. Even under the pale light, I could tell that his coat was red-brown and his mane a dark brown. He lumbered about like a drunkard, but something didn’t feel right. As he reached the middle of the street and turned to face us, it all became clear.

I’d seen his face before, years ago. For just a moment, I was there again. Frantic shouting echoed down the halls. Silent Vigil trying to pull me away, toward the rear exit. Two others were holding their ground, watching our backs. The doors burst open and I saw him, saw his face, as he crashed into one of the guards’ sides.

He was no drunk. He was Cartel.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” he slurred around a grin, bobbing here and there on his muscles. “A pretty little mare."

“O-oh, excuse us sir, we're just o-on our way to the train s-station.” Night Flurry took a step forward.

Damnnit, Night Flurry.

“Shut up, boy! I ain't talkin ta you!” snapped the thug, barely glancing Night Flurry’s way.

Night Flurry’s jaw hung for a moment, as though he had been slapped, but he quickly drew himself up, eyes narrowing.”W-well, I'm afraid we're travelling t-together and we have to be on our way.”

The thug laughed. “Say, why don't you ditch this sorry excuse for a stallion and let me show you a good time?”

I eyed the thug up and down, worry creeping down my spine. The way he was posturing, he was either overconfident or had some buddies waiting in the shadows. With the latter more likely, I needed to buy some time to look, to find them. “And if I say no?”

Night Flurry drew himself even taller, edging toward the thug.

Damnnit, Night Flurry, stop letting him draw you in.

Barely audible steps pulled my ears back. I reined them in, letting them angle just enough for me to tell where the sounds were coming from. Two silhouettes played against the wall. Sloppy. And yet, we were the ones surrounded and outnumbered.

Up! Go up! my mind shouted. My eyes flicked up, where the skies were clear and the roofs too low to properly conceal anyone. Normally, it would have been sound advice; assuming the other two were pegasi, it would have at least evened up the odds. Except… my eyes fell on Night Flurry, on his bandaged wing.

And still it urged me to go, to fly away and save myself. But I couldn’t. Even if it was me they wanted, they knew he was with me. Best case scenario, they’d beat him within an inch of his life until he’d told them everything he knows. Worst case, well… I didn’t want to think about that. No one would be left behind tonight. Not because of me.

I fought against all instinct, standing my ground. What I was about to do was crazy, but there was no ‘safe’ in this scenario. I lowered my head, wrapping my lips around the Daring plush’s helmet.

The thug smirked. “Then maybe you just need a little... persuasion.”

Night Flurry widened his stance, pawing at the ground. “I don't think the lady is particularly interested. Why not just head on home?”

He wasn’t even shaking, like he’d been waiting for this moment. He hadn’t learned a damned thing. If we live through this, we are going to have words.

The thug laughed, pulling himself tall as his act melted into a sadistic smile. “You think you can take me, boy?”

“If… if you don’t back down, then yes, you leave me no choice.”

It was almost time. I just had to let them get a little closer.

The thug laughed again. “Lemme think... 'ow about no!”

Night Flurry lowered himself into a rough fighting stance. “Well, I don't intend to back down either.”

Now!

I whipped my head, launching Daring somewhere just behind Night Flurry. It was all guesswork, but better to try than do nothing. I didn’t have time to watch, barely dropping down in time to avoid my own attacker.

However, the “Agh!” that echoed down the street told me all I needed to know.

Two hind legs flew over my head, a fortunate error on my part. I’d predicted a lunge, where getting low would have sent my opponent sprawling. From my awkward position, I could only manage a half-buck, but with his lower parts exposed, that was all I needed. A pained squeak escaped his lips as my hooves found home.

As my attacker crumpled to the ground, I leapt forward, hoping I’d be fast enough to intercept Night Flurry’s. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Night Flurry already scuffling with the large thug. I didn’t like banking on whatever fighting ability he had, but there was no way I was winning this on my own.

I spotted the Daring plush first, which was just a few feet from the second, smaller stallion thug. He also wore a cloak, but it was a much better fit, even concealing his face. He stumbled forward, making something of a beeline for Night Flurry.

The smaller thug never saw me coming and I slammed clean into his side. He gasped as it collapsed, toppling under my full weight. I wasted no time bringing down my hindquarters, relentlessly planting them into his battered side. Flaring my wings, I laid them and my forehooves into his face. He could barely even get his own hooves up to shield himself.

I almost felt bad, but when it comes to a real fight, there’s no place for holding back; I didn’t let up until he lay bloodied and motionless.

With not a moment to lose, I looked up, expecting my first opponent to be getting up by now. I was just in time to see the brass horseshoe blazing toward my face. I ducked as best I could and I felt the Daring Do helmet press against my head. With a sickening crack, the helmet gave way as the strike continued through to my forehead.

I yelped as I half-fell, half-rolled away from my opponent. The shadowy blur pursued, once again sending a brass-covered forehoof my way. A quick backstep put me just out of reach, though the barehoof swipe that followed clipped my jaw.

Paying the taste of copper little mind, I seized the opportunity to swing round and make a semi-blind buck. My hooves glanced off of something unexpectedly soft. Even if I’d missed my mark, the thug’s gurgle told me I’d gotten what I wanted.

Righting myself, I hopped back a few feet, digging into my scarf and drawing my wingblade. I whispered the magic word and my wing tingled as the blade affixed itself.

I shook my head until my vision finally cleared, revealing my scowling, limping opponent.

He charged, which is exactly what I wanted.

I answered his charge, sidestepping just enough to put us out of forehoof range of each other. As we passed, I brought my wing down, carving an ‘X’ into his thigh. He screeched, buckling just a bit as his momentum nearly carried him to the ground.

We stared at each other for several moments. With his leg as crippled as it was, I knew the next charge would be his last.

But to my surprise, he turned tail and ran, hobbling into the closest alley.

Part of me wished I could have finished it, to keep him from reporting back to his boss and the trouble that would doubtlessly bring down the road.

“Hey!” Night Flurry called, galloping past.

“No! Stop!”

He screeched to a halt. To be frank, I was impressed that he could move with such energy when he was bleeding from a dozen various cuts. From where I was standing, it was a miracle he didn’t get completely clobbered by that larger thug.

“Don’t… don’t chase. There could be more.” I glanced around. “The other one, where did he go?”

“He’s right—” Night Flurry’s hoof fell on a deep, empty rut in the snow. “Huh? He’s… he’s gone!”

My eyes flitted back to where I’d downed my first opponent: he was gone too. “Damn, we need to move, before they bring back more of their friends. Did you drop anything? We can’t leave anything behind.”

I galloped over to the crushed Daring Do helmet and the fallen plush, scooping them up and shoving them into my flight satchel.

“No, I… I, D-Dusky, are you okay? You’re bleeding…” he said, as though noticing my wounds for the first time.

“Am I okay? I’m just a little bruised. You look like you just had a drawer full of knives dumped on you.”

He blinked, a slow, rolling look of realization lighting up in his eyes.

“D-Dusky, I…” He leaned in close. Just as I was about to pull away, he stopped and pulled back himself.

I narrowed my eyes. “Night Flurry.”

“I-I… S-sorry, I…” He shrunk down, face going beet red.

“I’m going to call that adrenaline and let it slide. Now, let’s get out of here.”

Comments

[mosshadow]

Nice update

[Tinskin]

4943834

To use on myself of course.

[KuroiTsubasaTenshi]

5063711
Ah, okay.

5096155
Hehe, in my experience, that's how it usually goes, especially with people who are overly earnest. I think it would be difficult to be adorkable on purpose (at least on a regular basis), because a conscious effort would remove some of the genuineness that the trope relies on.

[ChaosDX1]

There we go. Started to wonder if I was reading the same story with how slice-of-life this one was compared to the previous.

I'm worried about Night and his stuttering. Is he just that nervous or did that magical explosion hit his head too hard?

[KuroiTsubasaTenshi]

6445553
Hehe, well, it isn't exactly the same, perse. Without saying too much, this conflict is a bit more cat-and-mouse, since Dusky is at such a big disadvantage and the situation having less urgency means that it doesn't demand as much direct confrontation. The slice is her trying in vain to live a normal life, since adventure will invariably come knocking.

Night has extreme nerves when it comes to talking to or about Dusky. His speech tends to be smoother when addressing just about every other character.

[Shachza]

I can't help but think a couple of things with every new chapter I read.

1: I am a lot like Night Flurry.
2: Dusky is being amazingly tolerant of Night.

[KuroiTsubasaTenshi]

6939131
Let's just say that her other friends have done much to help her build up her patience and understanding thresholds. She may also have bigger problems on her mind at the moment.

[Arcanum -Phantasy]

So the stuttering idiot can hold is own in a fight. Guess that guard training was actually good for something after all.