From Dusk to Night

by KuroiTsubasaTenshi

95 - Reunions

I’d always known that castles weren’t what they presented themselves to be, and yet the revelation still hit me hard. Beneath the pretty gold, purple and white, my friend had been imprisoned. Even though the situation had been quite favourable to Ivory, waiting under the castle’s shadow felt irreconcilably tense. The watched gate between the guard house and the road probably didn’t help.

Thankfully, Night was by my side, the two of us spreading the odd ominousness thin. Still, I tried to push my unease aside—not because I didn’t want him to see me this way, but because there was no logical reason to be so on edge. I knew for a fact that Ivory was being released today. I guess at this point, there was no escaping my instincts: I would always be wary of complications.

I glanced over at Night. He smiled and I met it with my own.

Sudden movement pulled my eyes up the path, to the guard house. It was a squat, two-story structure fitted up against the towering castle, and following the same purple-gold-white colour scheme. Most people probably didn’t even notice it was there. But today, a very special white blot had emerged from the door. I could hardly contain myself, like some schoolyard filly who’d been separated from her friend over the summer break.

When Ivory noticed me, her gait became a trot, almost a canter. Left in the dust was Feather, who I could only imagine staring dumbfoundedly for the two seconds it took her to follow suit.

Ivory’s short, raven hair flopped up and down against her glistening white coat. She didn’t have her cloak, instead covering her flank with a purple, silver-trimmed mantle. There was a vague translucence to the airy fabric as it flapped alongside her mane.

The two guards at the gate turned, watching her carefully. While they didn’t unlock the gate, neither seemed particularly surprised. Their attention turned to Feather, who, now that she was closer, I noticed wasn’t wearing any of her Guard armour. Still, it didn’t take more than a couple words before both sisters were on the other side of the gate.

Ivory hurried forward, raising one forehoof, then hesitating. However, when I raised mine, she beat me to being the first to pull me into a hug. “Dusky! I am so glad to see you.”

“Likewise, Ivory. I hope they treated you well?” Half of me thought the question should be rhetorical, yet, the other wasn’t so sure.

As Ivory pulled away, she gave a short nod. “They didn’t keep me in the prison, if that’s what you were worried about. They took me to another room, in one of the far wings. While they made it clear that I wasn’t allowed to leave, it was almost like one of the rooms back home. It made me feel a little nostalgic.”

I glanced at Feather Reed, who smiled. “They knew she was no evil sorceress. The only reason we even needed to go there now was to settle the final paperwork.”

Nodding, I gave Ivory a onceover, noting that the trimming of her new mantle had tiny moons etched into it. “Nice outfit. I’m guessing that’s not standard issue.”

“No.” Ivory’s eye fell behind her, an odd mix of both satisfaction and uncertainty written on her face. “Even after they cleared my name, I… I wasn’t so sure about letting the whole world see my cutie mark. I don’t think they’re ready.”

“Sadly, it’s true.” Feather gave Ivory an apologetic look. “It is difficult to convince ponies to break their prejudices. Better to be cautious.”

“Which is why I wanted my cloak.” Ivory stared at the mantle again.

Feather sighed. “Sorry, Ivory, but there’s no way the smell of… you know… is coming out of that old thing. Besides, what better way to mark a new beginning than with new clothes?”

“I think it looks good,” Night said.

“Me too.” I nodded. “As far as modern fashion goes, it’s very you.”

Ivory stopped a moment. I could practically see the thought bubble around her head. “I guess I’m just not used to anything so fancy anymore. Thank you, Feather.”

A smile crept up Feather’s face. “It’s the least I could do after so many missed birthdays.”

Ivory met her smile, then turned back to me. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“Stardust Tea Temple,” I replied. “Just three blocks down the road.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that one. Isn’t it a bit gimmicky?” Feather asked.

I nodded. “Most of the high-end places are. Stardust does private rooms, though, so we have a bit more control over our environment.”

“They have high quality tea, too. For all the gimmicks, they actually care about the flavour of the tea.” Night added. I was quite grateful he’d helped me vet the options—and that he’d approved of this one in particular.

In truth, I’d also chosen the closer of the tea houses because I wasn’t sure how Ivory would react to the city. The short trek to Stardust provided me little in the way of an answer, as while I found Ivory nervously glancing about, that same gaze also lingered over every new thing.

Soon enough, the elongated shingle roof came into view, casting its gentle shade across the ample wooden porch. Leading up to said porch was a long walkway, its sturdy railings a lazy guide up the gradual slope. The “temple” itself, was more or less one long perimeter of solid, withers-high wooden wall, topped by panels of heavy paper windows.

Upon entry, my nostrils were greeted by the scent of candle wax and incense. In fact, the majority of the light came from a colourful crowd of candles. As the chimes above the door dingled, a robed earth pony stepped forward.

“Welcome to Stardust, where you can set your mind at ease,” she said with a smooth, silky tone. “How can I help you today?”

“Reservation for Dusky Down.”

The mare nodded, tucking a few menus into the side of her robe. “Right this way.”

Thinking back, I’d been in an awfully lot of dimly lit places over the last year, but always in extenuating circumstances. I supposed it was to Stardust’s credit that I could actually feel at ease here, even discounting the life-threatening situations of Ostfriesen and Pasture.

We were guided down one long corridor before being seated in an isolated room with a square, red table. Just enough sunlight filtered through the windows to highlight the table in a way that almost gave it the appearance of an altar. Aside from that, I was reasonably sure the pillows ringing the table were even plusher than the ones in my bed.

The door slid shut, leaving us with our complimentary chamomile and menus.

“So, now that you’re free, what are your plans?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” Ivory stared into her tea. “It’s strange. Now that Prideful is in jail and I no longer need to deal with his machinations, I just… don’t know. I know that’s supposed to be a good thing, but I guess it had been going on for so long that I never thought about what I’d do if this ever happened.”

“That is an odd thought, isn’t it?” I pondered. “He was the one pushing for change and yet, his inability to let go of one grudge left him as the pain point, the thing keeping things in stasis. But, now you and the townsfolk are free to choose your own fate.”

Ivory stared off into the distance. “I… suppose I’d like to rebuild my home. The manor has been in a sad state for far too long.”

“Is that wise?” Feather asked. “The Princesses may have cleared your name, but it could be some time before Pasture accepts that.”

“I know, and yet, it’s my home, Feather.” Ivory sighed. “I just can’t abandon it. I can’t.”

Placing a hoof on Ivory’s shoulder, I nodded. “I think I understand. No matter where I go or what I do, I always return to Ponyville. It’s my home and being there just feels right. I don’t know much about carpentry, but you can count on me to help you however I can.”

“We could make sure the skies stay clear while everypony works,” Night said.

“Good idea.” I grinned. “I could talk to Terra and see if Stalwart’s crew wants to take the job.”

“Not to be a wet blanket,” Feather said, “but I still think we should wait. I’ll definitely help when the time comes, it’s just we should make sure everything is settled with the villagers. It wouldn’t do to start work and then get into conflict with them.”

“Oh. Yes, that does make sense.” Ivory’s eye fell into her tea again.

“I have an idea: why don’t you come see Mom and Dad?” Feather said.

Ivory suddenly stiffened. “Mom and Dad… I, Feather, I don’t know. Would they even want to see me?”

“Of course! I know it looks like they might not, but trust me, they miss you.” Feather leaned forward, hope so plainly written on her face that for a second, I swore the two of them were decades younger.

“They left me alone in Pasture,” Ivory said flatly.

“I know. I can’t speak for them, but I can tell you what I know.” Feather frowned. “I was too young to understand the situation at the time, but I could tell they were terrified beyond imagining. There was lots of angry shouting outside. The help was running all over the place. Everypony inside was calling, ‘Where’s Ivory?! Where’s Ivory?!’ They didn’t want to leave. I could feel it. But they had to. There was no other choice. I guess that doesn’t really excuse anything, but if you can find it in your heart to forgive them, I can tell you right now that they’d be happy to see you.”

Night nodded. “I also can’t speak for them, but I know after being seperated from my parents for a long time…they missed me. I had made a lot of mistakes, but so had my parents. We all regretted where it had brought us... Might be worth the chance, just to hear them out, at least.”

Ivory continued to stare intently at her tea. This went on long enough that when the server returned, she offered to give us some extra time.

At last, Ivory sighed. “Alright, Feather. I… I’ll try it. On the condition that you’re there too.”

“Of course!” Feather nodded vigourously. “Just say when and I’ll make the time.”

“And… if I’m to say good-bye to Pasture for a while, I need to go back one last time.” Ivory’s gaze turned to the window.

Feather’s brow creased. “Well, if you lay low, I guess it would be okay. You’re not worried about mercenaries occupying the town again, are you? Because I can guarantee that won’t be a problem.”

“No, I just have a few things I’d like to clean up. Maybe a few I’d like to bring on our trip.” Ivory prodded at her cup.

“Speaking of mercenaries,” I said, “are they keeping true to their promise?”

“As far as I’ve heard, they haven’t even approached the border towns for resupply. In all honesty, when they said that work would be more plentiful in other countries, they were right. I suspect we won’t see them again, though if we do, we should know long before they can start causing trouble again. Why do you ask?” Feather tilted her head.

“It’s... complicated,” I said, pursing my lip. “I guess the long and short of it is that I’ve done things in the past that have made me long-standing enemies. It’s a relief to know that it’s very unlikely in this case.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Night giving me a sad look. I met him with a reassuring smile.

Feather nodded. “Understandable. I cannot guarantee that you will be safe outside of Equestria, but rest assured, within the borders, should the Crimson Hooves return, the Guard will take care of it.”

“Thanks, Feather.” I took a long sip, though the tea had unfortunately become rather lukewarm by this point. “Now that that’s settled, I have one more thing I’d like to ask Ivory.”

Ivory peered over at me. “Well, then, out with it.”

“Well, as you know, Night and I are engaged and hoping to tie the knot within the next year. Plans are still in the works, but—and no pressure or anything—I was wondering what you might think of being a bridesmaid.”

Silence lingered as Ivory stiffened again, though her posture felt a little less awkward and more surprised. It was also entirely possible that my own nerves were biasing my observations. “Ivory? No pressure, remember. I don’t need an answer now.”

Slowly, then more confidently, Ivory waved a hoof. “No, no, it’s fine, Dusky. Just… another one of those questions I’d never thought I’d ever have to answer. I think… I think I’d be honoured.”

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[Yami Vizzini]

Moving forward in life can be as scary as anything. Still a vast improvement, though.