From Dusk to Night

by KuroiTsubasaTenshi

80 - Splinters

Each minute left sitting in my apartment was like a vice grip slowly tightening around my head. It was only an hour until my meeting with Lockbox. But then again, it was a whole damn hour. Trying to imagine what he, personally, would have come here for unleashed the deepest recesses of my mind. It almost certainly had to do with the Cartel and it had to be big. Perhaps some kind of huge stealth raid, in which case I’d want to start warning my friends right away. Or perhaps, even worse, the Cartel had some way of always bringing Summer Leaf back and the battle was about to begin anew. Or maybe they’d somehow managed to find someone whose ruthlessness extended beyond even the worst of Summer Leaf and they want to come wipe me out to erase the mark left upon their name by my continued existence.

When pacing failed to do anything other than fill the room with sounds that were far too close to ‘tick tock’ for my liking, my eyes turned toward the pile of junk mail. All I needed was a distraction.

After very carefully separating out any bills, I started going through each other envelope, just in case there was anything that fell into a third category. The first was from Varga Tech, a medical company in Canterlot, who brazenly asked me, ‘Is your stallion having trouble satisfying you?’

‘Thunk!’ replied the waste basket.

The next was a small, perforated booklet, of which the front side proudly showed off a broad shot of Sugarcube Corner. Inside were a number of coupons for the rather standard deal of buying two and getting one free, followed by a couple sizable discounts for buying sugar cookies by the multiple dozen. I tossed that one onto the table, even though Pinkie had a reputation for providing the deals to anyone who asked, coupon or no.

Several envelopes later and I’d discarded an ad for bulk flowers, a half-dozen grocery fliers and no fewer than three offers for lines of credit. With a shake of my head, I moved on to the final envelope and blinked.

‘Spooks? Spectres? Ghosts? No problem!’ followed someone’s attempt at making the stereotypical white, bedsheet cartoon ghost look grotesque. The result mostly looked like someone had spilled lemonade on it while attempting to wrinkle the sheet. It hovered over a rather posh-looking two-story house. Above all that hung a bright red ‘Ghosttoasters’ logo. ‘Just send a telegram to or come visit our office at 666 Fountain Lane! Our courteous staff is there twenty-four hours a day to serve all your supernatural elimination needs! We’re ready to believe you!’

I chuckled darkly, wondering just how legit they really were. Even if they were, though, I somehow doubted they would have been prepared for how insane things got.

As the trash can got its tenth meal or so, I glanced up at the clock. Seven-forty. Close enough.

Packing up my bags, I headed out. I’d reach the Seapony before eight, but I’d rather wait a little after getting some air and moving my hooves than sit at home another ten minutes.

As I strode into the Seapony, I glanced around. No Lockbox and none of my friends. Both were easily explained, so I trotted up to the bar. Without a word, Barkeep slid me a cider, a card pinned between it and the coaster. I took a sip, noting the room number before slipping the card into my bag.

I wandered over to the back rooms, of which Lockbox had chosen one of the two at the very end. The door was slightly ajar, an invitation to slip in. Pushing the door shut, I moved toward the back, where Lockbox sat, red muzzle poking out from under those hazel locks.

“You’re early,” he said.

“Seems like a day for unusualness,” I replied.

“That it does.” He waited until I was seated. “This is something you need to hear ASAP, but I couldn’t send just anyone.”

“That sensitive, huh?” My stomach sank like it was filled with an Ursa Major. “How much?”

“Something like that.” He shook his head. “Consider this one a favour. There have been reports of a catastrophic forest fire out near Pasture.”

The words hit me like a buck to the face. “What?”

“There have been no reported deaths thus far.”

“That’s... good, I guess.” My heart calmed just the slightest, barely perceptible bit. If there was one good thing about Prideful Policy’s hatred of Ivory, if something had really happened, then he would have announced the news the moment he thought she was dead. “But how? Who?”

“The mayor has a new champion. Moss the Paladin, he calls himself, framing himself as a ‘born again’ ex-lieutenant of the Cartel. He and those who split from the Cartel proper have declared a crusade against the dark arts.”

Moss?! No, no, no, that can’t be right! Maybe… maybe it’s not the same person...

Lockbox let out a bit of a scoff. “Don’t believe it for a second, of course. Cartel don’t just change overnight. This guy’s just another warlord aiming to make himself look good for as long as it lasts—nothing more.”

My head spun. This was beyond bad. I shouldn’t have left Ivory alone. And this Moss guy, even if he wasn’t the one from her past, the moment word reached her, I knew she’d hesitate. I had to leave. Now.

Drawing in as deep a breath as I could muster, I said, “Thanks. You’re right, I did need to hear this. This is very dire news.”

“I know. I hope you catch a break some day.” Lockbox’s tone carried just the barest of sadness. “Before you go, there’s something else you should know. Something that adds more of a time limit.”

“Oh… now what happened?” I braced myself.

“The Guard has dispatched a unit to assess the situation. I couldn’t get any names. Seems someone is trying to keep a lid on things, which is never a good sign. Chances are, while whoever they send won’t be working for the mayor, you can also bet they won’t be nearly as discerning as you, should they happen upon your friend.”

It took all my willpower not to just turn and bolt out of there, take to the sky and head straight for Pasture. Squeezing out something of a nod, I said, “Thanks again, Lockbox. I… I have to go.”

“I know. Be careful.”

---

Spare wing blade, spare rations and the normal set of camping gear later, I was ready and heading out my door. I needed to hurry, as visiting hours were nearly over. Impulsively, I’d thought about just leaving a note and going straight to Pasture, but I couldn’t afford to be so reckless. Night deserved to know, to hear it from my mouth, for sure. But, I could also feel in my gut that this was it, the final moments of the powder keg that was Pasture before everything invariably exploded into confrontation. This was not something I could do without backup or a plan.

I held my composure as best I could, but I think even Nurse Redheart could see some level of distress. She assured me that Night was just fine and nothing major had happened to him. Rather than clarify, I simply gave her a grateful smile before proceeding to his room.

I knocked with what bordered on impatience before slipping in and shutting the door behind me. As he met my eyes, Night’s broad smile fell away—guilt struck my heart like a catapulted boulder.

“Dusky? What’s happening? What do we need to do?” He was ready to help. To put his all in. I didn’t quite know how to let him down. Regardless, he’d deserved to know what was going on.

“It’s Ivory. They burned the forest, and I’m certain they’re hunting her. I have to get back there.”

He sat up, clearly a little slower than he’d have liked. “They?”

I sighed as I trotted closer, lowering my voice, “The remnants of the Cartel. The ones allied to the mayor, who has held a grudge against her since before we even met.”

“Then we have to go.” Night stood quickly—too quickly. His foreleg buckled and while I didn’t think he was going to fall over, it was quite clear he wasn’t ready. Bracing a hoof against his withers, I helped him back into bed.

“No, Night. I need to go. You’re still injured.” Squeezing those words out was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. I could feel how much they hurt him even before it became visible on his face.

“Dusky… that’s… that’s not what I signed up for, and you know it. I owe Ivory for helping you, and even if I didn’t… I won’t just sit back and let you run off into danger. We’re in this together.”

I shook my head. “We are in this together, but we also have to be practical. I need to go now and get Ivory as quickly as I can. Once you’re better, I want to you follow, bringing whoever you can gather, and be ready.”

“Be ready? You’re... not just going to get Ivory, are you?”

I sighed. “Ideally, I would and that would be the end of it. But it’s not that simple. Pasture has been a powder keg for years. These ex-Cartel might just be the fire that sets it off.”

“Y-you’re not making me feel better about you going on without me.” His frown deepened.

I wrapped my forelegs around him, pulling him close. “I know. I wish things weren’t so dire, that I could wait. But, I can’t. And I know I can’t do it alone. That’s why I need you to bring backup so we stand a chance if the worst comes to pass.”

“How will we find you?” He asked, a waver to his voice, like he was afraid if he let me go, he wouldn’t see me again. To be fair, no matter my caution, there was certainly a non-zero possibility.

I’d already mulled over what I was going to say, the main problem being without a handle on the situation, I couldn’t know if any of the landmarks I knew were especially dangerous. “There’s an old, abandoned estate about a mile out of town, near the edge of the forest. One of the buildings there is an observatory. Once I’ve had a chance to look around and determine the safest place to meet, I’ll leave a message there.”

“Old observatory… okay.” Night let his head rest against mine as he digested things. “Then what?”

“If things are somehow simple, then Ivory and I will meet you in Iron Shoe. If not… we’ll need to improvise. I’ll try to gather as much information as I can while I’m searching for her.” I really wished I could have given him more. But, the fact of the matter was Pasture was practically a newly formed warzone. That Lockbox had gotten anything accurate out of it so quickly bordered on a miracle.

Night sighed. “I… I don’t like it. In fact, I hate it. Promise me you’ll be careful.”

Mustering as much of a smile as I could, I said, “I promise. I didn’t get this far by being reckless, after all.”

He planted a hoof into the foot of his bed. I understood his helplessness all too well. “D-damnit Dusky… you shouldn’t have to face things like this… not alone. … I… I promise you, when we’re back, when we finally have the time to breathe and be together… I—”

There were really no words, no amount of apologizing that could be adequate enough. Instead, I leaned in and kissed him, saying everything I wanted to all at once. I could tell he didn’t want it to end—neither did I. But, every moment I delayed brought things closer to catastrophe.

When I pulled away, he gave me the saddest look I’d ever seen. “I love you, Dusky. Stay safe.”

“You too, Night Light. Love you too.” I trotted over to the door, turning back just to give him one last glance. At that moment, it hit me again: this was the kind of pain I’d wanted to avoid pushing onto my friends. I stood there, held by the dread realization.

“I’ll… I’ll see you soon enough.” Night’s words freed me from my own thoughts, his brave face reminding me that he could take the pain. Tell Ivory… tell her that her friends are coming to help.”

Meeting every inch of his sad smile, I replied, “I will.”

Comments

[AppleTank]

Oh boy, here's hoping Lockbox's info was accurate. Because if not, then I fear she's running into a trap.

[KuroiTsubasaTenshi]

9335231
Trap? Why would you be worried about that? Dusky never encounters those.

[AppleTank]

9338131
media.npr.org/assets/img/2016/04/05/ackbar_wide-f0a673c875361830e84eaa3b98f7f886a750b0e5-s1100-c15.jpg

[Yami Vizzini]

One way or another, hopefully a long overdue reckoning is coming.