Mending Light

by Kiromancer

3 - The Bar

"It'll be fine! Trust me Flurry!" Mahogany casually hung a wing around my neck, goading me forward despite my protests. "You've been a mess all winter. I've barely even seen you. You totally gotta get out more." We flew in just past the town market, the various vendor stalls were closing up and the streets emptying as ponies began to head home.

I had just woken up when Mahogany knocked on my door, eager to get me out of the house on my night off from work. "You need to loosen up! Knock back. Fall down! Make a night of it! Get out of your house and drink your troubles away!"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, digging my hooves into the grass as the other pegasus continued pushing me forward. "I um... you know I d-don't drink Mahogany."

He gave his usual wry laugh, then nudged me more forcefully. "Then it's time to start!"

I gave a sigh and stopped resisting. Mahogany was more or less my only friend. A delivery pony for the Equestrian Parcel Service branch, which, he assured me repeatedly, was different than the regular postal service. We’d met soon after I'd moved here, when I’d begun building a cloud house on the edge of town. I’d needed a few specially enchanted pieces of pegasus architecture, and most of them were special order from Cloudsdale.

Mahogany was the one who had delivered those pieces over the course of a couple days. Each day, he showed up at my house and we’d talk a little more. After that, there came a point when I just kept talking to him, and Luna bless him, he listened. Soon, I'd started taking the time to fly to the EPS store and we would hang out together. He had grown to become my best friend. There was something that just rang true between us, in a way I never felt with other ponies.

But there was one side of Mahogany I have never understood. Mahogany was a drinker; I think the term I’d use now would be a binge drinker, but at the time I had never actually seen one of the ‘all-nighters’ he bragged about. He said he liked to be the first pony in the bar, and the last to leave. My drinking preference was a simple cup of chamomile tea, but for some reason Mahogany thought it would be a good idea to take me to the bar with him. He'd never pushed me to go, not like he had tonight, and honestly, I was too worn down by everything else this winter to fight him.

Mahogany stopped nudging me forward as we apparently reached our destination. A sign hung over the door, an age-pitted old thing touched up in bright, almost overbearing colors. 'The Lusty Sea Pony.' The name alone should have scared me off, the letters boxed in a blushing pony with a fish tail in place of her rear legs. "So... is that... ‘the Sea Pony’?"

"That's her, in all her lusty glory!"

"S-should I be worried?"

He leaned in, waggling his eyebrows at me. "What… You secretly a sailor or somethin’, Flurry?"

"Um... No?"

"Then you'll be fine!"

I was already committed at this point. If I just stuck close to Mahogany, I thought, I could probably get through the night without panicking too much. "I guess... m-maybe they have... tea?"

Mahogany's smile vanished. He stuck out his tongue; "Tea sucks," then stepped past me and pushed open the door.

I stood at the threshold a moment, staring at the door. In the midst of winter, the warmth coming from inside tempted me, even as I wanted to run away. I took one long last breath of the crisp winter air, and then stepped through the portal after Mahogany.

When I thought of bars, my mind went to cramped, dingy places filled with smoke and darkness. It was with that image in my mind that I found the surprisingly spacious interior to be almost welcoming. It was utterly alien to my senses, the harsh smell of fried foods and bitter drinks. The sounds were overwhelming, too many ponies and too many conversations. My ears folded back to try and cut down the noise, but my eyes were drawn to an ample fireplace that filled the room with a friendly light.

Mahogany waved to the collected patrons and began to move toward the bar. The place was full of ponies, causing me to follow Mahogany closely, not wanting to be left alone here. Not with so many strangers around, watching me. None of it affected Mahogany as he strode up to the stallion behind the counter and ordered confidently. "Barkeep! Three buzzards!"

I followed his lead, raising a hoof slightly and managing to whimper out a quiet. "And um... tea for um... for me, please?"

Shaking his head, Mahogany lowered my hoof with his. "Heh, nuh-uh, Night. See, one of the buzzards is for you." The barkeep delivered the order and Mahogany slid the first glass to me. The strong odor hit me hard as I fumbled to take the glass and hold it steady under a wing. "I present ‘The Buzzard’! My own creation, whiskey and soda, nothing finer!" The second glass, Mahogany immediately brought to his mouth, taking a long drink to drain it.

I sniffed at the other drink, the smell burning at my nose. "If um… if you say so…"

He took the final glass from the Barkeep with a practiced ease, turning away from the bar and out towards the tables. "Now then, let’s go meet the regulars!"

That threw me. "R-Regulars?" Mahogany had made it sound like we would get our own place to sit and just hang out together. He’d said nothing about meeting with any other ponies. I hesitated before following after Mahogany through the maze of tables towards whatever fate he had planned for me.

He slid up to the table, slamming down his whiskey glass in an overly-dramatic fashion as he called out. "Ladies!"

There were three mares sitting there. The first on the left, a light green unicorn sitting quietly as if lost in her own thoughts. The second, a shockingly tall unicorn covered in scales. I boggled a moment at the dragon-like pony, but a second look revealed the scales to be intricate armor, carefully painted to almost look like it was part of her. I traced the patterns carefully as I tried to match it with any of the branches of the Equestrian Guard, but my mind came up blank. The third...

Dusky. My legs froze up, and I just stared at her. She was already talking to Mahogany, a silly smile on her face. He responded violently and his wing suddenly forced me up to the table. "I just got my best bud, Flurry here, to help me tonight!"

My knees shook as I was suddenly thrust into the spotlight. I tried to stammer out some kind of greeting, but instead just slid the other glass of alcohol onto the surface. I've heard some unicorns have a spell that lets them teleport wherever they want, or turn themselves invisible. In that instant I desperately wished for something to make me utterly disappear.

"Let me introduce you to my drinkin' pals! This here's Dusky," He gestured a hoof towards her, not knowing that her name was already emblazoned in my mind. He moved his hoof to the first unicorn. "that's Terrabona, an'... an'…" He paused at the large unicorn in the armor. "Terra Number Two!"

Terra Number Two made no response, but Dusky gave a short snicker that made me smile when I heard it. "That's Starshadow, a newcomer and definitely far too sober to be a clone of Terra."

Mahogany nodded, extending a hoof. "Huh. Well, nice to meet ya, Starshadow!"

"Hi." Starshadow's response was as short as her hoof shake before turning her attention back to her book.

"Not too talkative, eh?" Mahogany pulled his hoof back and grasped his glass once again. "How'dja even meet, anyway?"

Dusky shot a glance at the first unicorn, who was busy draining her own drink. "Terra was already getting all... friendly with her when I arrived."

Terra threw up her forehooves. "An' she wash jus' here, sho I deshided to shay 'hi!'"

I cringed at Terra’s behavior, the slurred words making it obvious just how drunk she was. I shot Mahogany a look, then turned looked at ‘my’ untouched glass. Is this what he meant when he said he closed out the bar? It hardly seemed like something I'd want to be involved with.

My thoughts were interrupted as Mahogany wrapped a foreleg around me, pulling me into a close hug. "Haha, 'kay! Well this here's Night Flurry, mah best bud! He's new too!" Everypony was looking, Mahogany being way too interested in getting them to pay attention to me, as if I'd have anything worthwhile to contribute. I shrank back when he let me go, desperately wishing I wasn't there.

My eyes kept wandering to Dusky, sitting across the table with a warm smile on her face, clearly enjoying the company of friends. I felt like I was intruding. She was watching Terra with a strange look, like she was trying to figure something out and couldn't quite piece it together. Dusky’s eyes moved about quickly, stopping on each pony in turn before focusing on her friend. I leaned forward in my seat just slightly. She was right there. A spark of courage began to burn in the pit of my stomach, and all I'd need to do would be to open my mouth and say something.

The sudden sound of somepony crashing into the bar floor quenched that spark. All eyes turned to Terra, but I instinctively flinched away from the clamor. Dusky was already at Terra’s side, hefting her friend upright as Terra protested with repeated cries of "I'm okay! I’m okay!"

Mahogany chuckled, belatedly getting up to help Dusky steady her. "You sure you can even handle one more, Terra?"

Terra wobbled, shifting her weight from Dusky’s shoulder to Mahogany’s. Her stance widened as she tried to stop herself from falling again. "Shut up! I can and you know it!"

"Okay, okay. Just one more. I got this, Dusky. S'my turn anyway." Dusky gave a short nod as Mahogany took the brunt of Terra's weight and slowly began to guide her to the bar.

Dusky shook her head, then called after. "Grab me a cider while you're at it!" She moved to return to her seat, glancing about the table until her eyes settled on me. I shrank involuntarily beneath her scrutiny. That spark of courage desperately tried to rekindle. She looked towards Starshadow, who remained sitting off to the side, undisturbed by the commotion and not bothering to assist.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I could do this. All I had to do was... was... "D-Dusky! Hi!" The words hung awkwardly in the air.

She turned her head slowly to peer at me. "Uh, hi."

"I-I'm N-Night L-" I winced at the slip, digging my hooves into the table, feeling it tremble slightly along with me "F-flurry!"

"So Mahogany said." Her voice was steady, and her gaze didn't waver, but I was just waiting for her to judge me. I was sure I'd come up inadequate.

I broke my eyes away from hers, voice dropping to a low whisper. "Haha, he did, didn't he? Ha…" The awkwardness in the air felt as thick and impenetrable as any blizzard. I was done. I had nowhere else to go, nothing else to say, my brain just locked up.

Dusky's voice filled the silence, but not with any question towards me, but to the armored pony sitting with us. "Sooo, Starshadow, you said you're a knight, right?" A sudden curiosity gripped me, as I wasn't sure if I had heard correctly. Equestria hadn't knighted anypony in... well, I still don't know how long. Over a thousand years, at least.

"Mmmhmmm." Starshadow answered lightly, as if it were the most mundane piece of information possible, but in my mind it was a revelation. Some kind of special Knight, that would explain the armor, certainly. Why she was in this bar must have been another story. I leaned in, ears swiveling forward to catch the conversation.

Dusky smiled eagerly, and I wondered if she was as enthralled by the idea of knights as I was. "Do you mind if I ask about Ostfriesen?"

Starshadow studied Dusky, as if questioning the sudden intrusion upon her thoughts. I wondered if she wasn't part of some secret quest, preparing for some far off adventure.

Dusky tilted her head, and I shrank back slightly in sympathy. The mood was shifting back into that awkward silence, only this time she was the target, not me. "What?"

"You are the first to ask further." The knight responded coldly.

"I am?"

"The ponies here always become silent and move on when I mention Ostfriesen."

Dusky blushed, just a touch, the color barely visible against her dark coat, but the sight of it raised a matching color on my own face. Her smiled had dropped in response to Starshadow's response. "Oh, um... sorry about that. That's not your fault. Towns this far in don't do well with foreigners."

"And yet you ask." Starshadow tilted her head, as if to study Dusky, and see what made her so special.

Starshadow's words just made me cringe, a pang of guilt hitting me as well. So that explained the armor entirely then. Not just a Knight, a foreign Knight. 'Ostfriesen', her homeland.

I watched Dusky, her smile returning in force, the excitement upon her face was contagious. "I'm a traveler. You might say visiting other places has left me more open-minded."

A... a traveler. I stared at Dusky anew. I'd looked at her schedules at work; it explained her long absences, periods lasting several months where she didn't take any shifts at all. She had been out doing amazing things. Things I'd only read about in storybooks. I glanced at Starshadow again. Knighthood. Adventure. ...Dusky. I felt my cheeks reddening further as my mind grasped at the possibilities.

She said something and I shook my head, trying to clear out the fantasies and return to the conversation as Starshadow responded to something else Dusky had said. "What would you like to know?"

Dusky's voice rose in a way that made my heart soar, her tone entirely different than it had been when I'd introduced myself. She was... almost giddy. "Anything. I've only ever heard the name in passing."

There was something there that made her shine, and I only wished I could say or do something that could make her that happy. Even if it wasn't directed at me.

Starshadow took a moment to consider, staring at her book before answering. "Our country is led by Queen Papaya and her council, which is comprised of our most experienced knights."

"Their chamber sits atop the Spire of Strength, a great stone tower in the centre of Castle Tapioca, our capital. The castle is named for Queen Tapioca, the first of the royal lineage. She is said to have taken on an Elder Wyrm in single combat and survived to tell the tale."

It was incredible... an entire country of knights, founded on the strength of its leader, and born of tales of dragons and heroism. It was almost unbelievable, but here was living proof. The story was certainly romantic, and even if it wasn't true, by the moon, I wanted to believe it.

Dusky sounded impressed, even if her expression remained far more passive than my own. "That's quite the feat. Although, given what I've heard of the monsters in your region, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."

"Are the creatures of the Everfree not comparable?"

"Maybe? I don't know. Few ponies go in willingly and even fewer choose to pick fights." Dusky pulled back slightly, her expression saying that there was more she wanted to say, but held back.

Starshadow's face grew grim as she now passed judgement. "I see. Then perhaps it is time that someponies did." She stared at Dusky, but it felt as if her words were aimed right at me. That wasn't just an idle statement. That was almost a mandate. A chance to make up for past failures.

Dusky didn't sound so sure, although I didn't know why. "That's... uh, very brave of you."

"Bravery is part of our duty." She was so confident, so sure of herself.

I envied Starshadow, and these ‘Knights of Ostfriesen’. It was another dream. Bravery and duty. The words echoed in my head, but like my attempt to join the Royal Guard, I could never do it. But still... I stared at Starshadow, thinking of the possibilities. The image of myself in thick scaled armor, wielding some mystical blade mounted upon my hoof, protecting Dusky, adventuring with her. Doing something glorious and heroic that would earn her respect. And earn her love.

I nearly jumped as Mahogany and Terra returned, throwing several glasses of alcohol up onto the table. "Whew! Long line! Shtotally worth it, though!" Terra settled in besides Dusky, and I looked about, finding myself suddenly overwhelmed again. Starshadow, Mahogany, Terra... Dusky...

The panic rose up in my chest and I stood quickly. "E-excuse me…" I stepped back, and as my face reddened I slipped away.

I moved up to the bar, glancing at the barkeep nervously. "T-tea. I just need... tea." I gave out a long sigh, and looked back towards the others. Starshadow had resumed her reading, once more becoming oblivious to the rest of the bar’s patrons. Mahogany and Terra, now fully resupplied, continued their drunken banter. And Dusky sat at the table, a cider in hoof, smiling at her friends.

I stared from across the bar, conflicted by my feelings. I was nervous, unsure, utterly terrified. But... I'd spoken with her. She knew my name. Thoughts of romanticism and heroism kept swirling about in my brain, all around an image of her.

The Barkeep returned at last, setting a hot kettle down upon the bar. As I gripped its handle in my mouth, I slowly began to work my way back. The evening passed, and I ended up carrying Mahogany home that night. I remember as I trotted down the Ponyville streets, something inside of me felt... right.

I had a revelation. Despite it all, or maybe because of it all, I actually felt better. Mahogany had been right, everything had been fine. And in ensuring Mahogany got home safe, I realized that I would do it again. That was the night I took my first steps toward becoming a ‘regular’ of the Lusty Sea Pony.

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[ramseymac]

Mahogany doors.
Mahogany doors.
Mahogany doors.