Mending Light

by Kiromancer

30 - Powder Keg

Our flight to Fillydelphia was being done as fast as we could manage. Mahogany had 'procured' the wagon he used to carry packages out of town, a wooden wagon large enough to hold four ponies in the back. The yoke was adjustable, allowing it to be pulled by up to two ponies.

With four pegasi among our group, a rotation was arranged. Two of us would pull the wagon through the air, one rotating out to fly free, and then rotating to rest in the back with Merri, Star, and Blaze.

I took the first position pulling as we flew, needing to do something to keep my mind occupied. I didn't want to think about what fate Dusky was facing now, or about just how crazy this whole endeavor was. I especially didn't want to think about the voice in my head—silent now, waiting for when I needed him.

I knew I'd need to tell Starshadow eventually. Last time, we'd thought it was some kind of dormant magical memory, and she'd asked me to inform her immediately if there were other incidents.

Not yet. Bellerophon interrupted, making me shiver. I didn't like that he knew what I was thinking at all. It would be best if she were not distracted for now, yes?

It made sense, so for now, I let it pass.

What it meant, however, was that when it was the end of my time in the air, I was without anything to say. Starshadow was unsurprisingly stoic, watching the scenery go by below. Merri was surprisingly shaking, her eyes closed as she whispered something to herself.

I prodded Star, pointing at her sister. "Is she...?"

Star shushed quietly, leaning in to whisper. "She is uncomfortable with heights, and doing her best to convince herself otherwise. She will manage." She turned to look back out from the wagon as we flew over a forest, leaving me with only my thoughts again.

Then, there was our third passenger, Blaze. I turned to face her, only to find that she had been watching me.

She turned her head quickly, looking back out over the forest below us.

"So um... you, you're Blaze, right?"

She turned back to study me, her bright green eyes staring into mine. "And you're Night Flurry, eh?"

I nodded, trying to meet her gaze. "I uh... sorry. Mint said you're a friend of Dusky's. I'm afraid I don't know much about you."

She pursed her lips a moment. "I suppose Dusky didn't mention me? Or Ivory?"

"No, she never did. Sorry." I wanted to think that Dusky would have told me more about herself, but in all honesty, she hadn't had much reason to really trust me until recently. Not to mention that what I did know about her past gave her good reasons to keep secrets, even if only to protect her friends.

Blaze glanced away. "Well, makes some sense, I suppose. Still though, you don't really seem her type."

I started at the sudden shift in topic. "I... don't?"

"Well yeah, I mean, no offense. You're not really much of a fighter, are you? I figured Dusky would have to find somepony who could keep up with her, you know?" She leaned forward as she spoke, smiling like she was confiding in me.

It all felt a little strange for some reason. I'd seen Dusky fight back in Fetlock Falls, but I'd also seen the toll taken by the fight that had taken us to Myrtail Beach. "Well, I suppose. I, um, well, I'm trying to train. I might not be much of a fighter, but... but I'll do what I can to support her."

"Me too. It's why I joined the guard, in fact. Dusky might not have told you how we met, but basically, if it weren't for her, I'd be dead." She almost smiled as she said. "I'm not exaggerating either."

I raised an eyebrow. What Blaze was saying was probably true, but something about it didn't seem right. "I'm sure... I mean, Dusky is pretty amazing. Still though, she's not invincible." I glanced away. I'd seen more than enough to know that was the truth.

Her voice slipped slightly. "Well, yeah, no pony is invincible."

"No... no we're not." I sighed. "Blaze? Why are you here?"

She tilted her head with a quizzical look. "What do you mean? I was sleeping in the barracks, when Sergeant Creme showed up with Captain Light. They pulled me aside, and asked me if I'd be willing to risk my career, my future, and my life on a mission. When they said it was to save Dusky, of course I signed up."

She sounded almost too eager to throw it away. I shook my head. "Okay, sure, but... all that, for Dusky? Why?"

"I just said! To save Dusky! Aren't you here for the same thing?"

I wondered. I was certainly here to save Dusky, that much was certain. "That's not what I'm asking, Blaze. Why risk so much for her? She saved your life, right? Do you owe her something?"

"Of course I do. She saved my life, and..." She paused, stopping to think for a moment. "And she opened my eyes. Made me see that things in the world weren't always the way I thought they were. So, yeah, I owe her. She's my friend."

I smiled. That seemed more like Dusky than the amazing warrior out to save the world. "That sounds about right."

She tapped a hoof against the side of the wagon, scrunching her nose before she turned the question back on me. "What about you? Is all this because you're Dusky's coltfriend?"

That was certainly part of it, I knew that much. More than just a coltfriend, though, as weird as those words sounded coming out of somepony else's mouth.

A sigh escaped my lips. "I love her, Blaze. And I know that probably sounds ridiculous, we've not even been dating that long, but I know it. I want her to be happy, and I can't sit back while she's in danger. I'm not a guard like my dad, or my sister, but I've been training. I think I can hold my own, if we have to fight. I can do something to help her."

Her expression was stern. "We'll have to fight. I can tell you that much. I'm not expecting it to be easy."

"Neither am I. I... I don't know what I'm expecting, to be honest." A sudden thought came into mind, a memory of a train ride that seemed so long ago. "Blaze, we're doing this for Dusky... and... and she wouldn't like it if something happened to us on her account. Promise... promise me you won't take any unnecessary risks, alright? We're going to save her, we're... we're not going to be heroes."

Blaze stared at me, then chuckled. "I take it back. Maybe you are her type. Okay, You got it, Night. We get Dusky, and we all come back alive."

"Thanks, Blaze."

I turned to look out the wagon. The scenery passing by barely registered as I considered what was to come. Bellerophon did not intrude, perhaps for the best. I could trust Blaze, but Bellerophon was something I didn't understand, and that still terrified me.

---

We camped out before arriving in Fillydelphia, getting some rest just within sight of the city. From a distance, it looked nothing like Canterlot with its tall spires and gleaming domes. Instead, Fillydelphia was a a lot of large box-like buildings in grays and browns, all clumped up together in a way that felt inelegant, though perhaps I was biased against it by the grim deeds we were about to undertake.

When the next morning came, we ventured forward on hoof, my dad and myself leading the wagon in as everypony else sat in the back. Merri, most of all, seemed relieved to be travelling on the ground. Everypony else seemed wary, and I could feel it too. As if every pair of eyes on the street was focused on us.

Dad, back in the enchanted disguise he'd come into the Seapony wearing, negotiated the streets as if he'd lived here all his life, and I just did my best to follow his lead, trying to focus on him rather then on the dense street traffic. I turned when he motioned to turn, and stopped when he motioned to stop, and as near as I could tell, everything went smoothly for everypony in the back.

Soon, he steered the wagon into a small lot, and backed it into a space before he began unhitching himself from the yoke. "Alright, Night. It's time we got to work."

I fumbled with the buckles around my chest, unhooking myself as well. "Here?" The building we sat in front of was underwhelming for a criminal headquarters, or perhaps even for a paper mill. Instead, a sign in a simple hoof-written font read 'Wild Oats'. "A diner?"

Dad chuckled as the others began to gather in the lot. "We're not ready yet. First, we need our distractions handled." He turned to the group. "Mint, head over towards the Guard station and make the report like I told you. Take Starshadow with you, and get her some gear. Meet back in that alley in about three hours."

Mint bowed her head, grinning. "Right. Come on, Starshadow. I want to hear your opinion on Equestrian armor."

"I find it lacking, why?" Star deadpanned as she followed my sister away.

"Merri, Mahogany, Blaze, you three are going to go in the diner and order breakfast." Dad finished roping off the wagon.

Merri cheered, bee-lining towards the door. "Well, if we're not going to be flying again anytime soon, I say let's eat!"

Mahogany shrugged, and grimly quipped. "Could be our last meal, may as well have a good one."

Blaze just rolled her eyes. "Alright, but don't even think about leaving me out. I didn't come all this way to sit it out in a diner."

"Night and I are just going to go arrange for some fireworks." Dad smiled, patting a hoof against my back. "We'll be back, and then you'll have to be ready. We're going to need every one of you."

Blaze held his gaze before at last she nodded and headed in.

I turned to look up at the skyline, the city looked so intimidating from the street. "D-dad... which one is it?"

He hummed a moment, then put a hoof against me to turn me towards one of the buildings, sitting only a few blocks away. "That's New Leaf Paper Mill."

It wasn't even the tallest building here, and from outward appearance, no more or less ominous than any other. No spiked parapets or monstrous guards, nothing to make it stand out in any way. To the ponies here, it wasn't a place of dread, it was just another building making up the city.

"She's there?"

He nodded. "It's the only place they could take her."

I sighed. So close, but we still had much to do. "R-right. Let's go, then."

We walked through the city, moving away from the Diner and the Paper Mill both into the outskirts, an area much less crowded by tall buildings and traffic. Here, there were long warehouses with several smaller shops set among them.

Dad nodded his head towards one such warehouse, which to my eye was indistinguishable from the others. There, Dad walked up to the door and knocked his hoof against the door in a rehearsed pattern. He opened the door slowly and started to walk in, motioning for me to follow.

The warehouse was well lit, windows letting the early afternoon sun through. There were numerous crates scattered about haphazardly, and I started searching the corners for any pony who might be waiting.

A good place for an ambush. Ah, there. Up, and to the left.

Following Bellerophon's prompts, I tilted my head up, glancing to the left to spot the shadow of a pony standing on top of one of the stacks. I only hesitated a moment, slipping my hooves into a combat position. I called out the alias that Dad had said to use while he was in disguise. "Ash?"

He stopped, turning his head towards the figure in the shadows. "They say Luna protects the night."

The figure seemed to relax, and called back in response. "But we keep the shadows safe."

"And ensure no one fears the dark." Dad smiled. "Drift, that you? Stop lurking, we've got business."

The figure emerged from the shadows, swooping down to meet us on our level. A pegasus stallion, and big too, with a faded blue coat, and on his flank was a cutie mark of a rose frozen in a thin coat of ice. His hooves landed on the stone floor with a loud clack. "I wasn't expecting two of you. And you're not exactly recognizable like that."

Dad smirked. "Going by Ash right now, suits the disguise. Just a little something I appropriated from the enchanters."

"It's good." He glanced at me. "And him? He's got good instincts to spot me. New recruit?"

"Right. Drift, this is Snow Fall. Snow, this is Drift Rime, he's my stallion, an inside agent." Dad shifted in place, frowning at the other pegasus. "There's been no word back from White Riot since the incident, and I'm worried things might be moving faster than I like."

Drift nodded slowly. "Well, I got the message you sent ahead, and things are ready. But are you really sure you want to get the Family involved in this mess?"

"Not at all, no. But it's going to be the best of a set of bad solutions. The Mob is already posturing. I want to set them over the edge."

My eyes went wide. "Over the edge... y-you're going to use the Mob to attack the Cartel?" That Dad would resort to such means shook me.

He looked at me and sighed. "I'm going to clean house, and if I have to use the Mob to do it, then that's what I'll use."

Drift's wings rustled as he glanced at me. "Right, well, I've got your distractions ready." He pointed a hoof to one of the crates. "Once you play that card, it's going to be a big signal to the Family. They'll smell blood in the water, and I'll make sure they take the bait."

"Blood? Y-you mean for this to turn into a fight? What are you doing?" I couldn't hold back my distaste for how it felt like he was manipulating the whole event. "What if... what if innocent ponies get hurt?"

His face dropped, and he turned to place a hoof on my shoulder. "I've thought of that, Snow. A lot. If this spills over, it'll be something that can't be ignored. And no matter how many plants the Cartel has in the Guard, they'll be forced to act. Reinforcements from Canterlot are nearly ready, and can move in faster than either the Cartel or the Mob will be able to predict."

I shrugged off his hoof, staring him down. The disguise made his face that of a stranger's, and his actions felt just as foreign to me. "And what about Dusky? I thought she was our priority?"

"She is, Snow. Trust me." He started to raise his hoof up again, but hesitated and set it back upon the warehouse floor. "We're going to rescue her, and get her clear of the building, and then I'm going to ensure the Cartel is crippled so that it can never hurt her again, understand?"

Drift cleared his throat. "It seems I don't quite have all the information, Captain."

Dad sighed. "You don't. Things have gotten complicated, and I'll be personally overseeing a rescue operation. I don't know what's happening in that building right now, but I don't like that I can't get a message to White Riot. We'll gather up the distraction, and strike at Noon. Drift, have things ready on your end by then."

He nodded. "Just give us an entrance, and the Family will exploit it."

"Right." Dad took a long breath. "Drift, stay safe. I want to see you back in Canterlot after this is all over."

"I'll be careful, Captain." He raised a wing in salute. "You too. Save who you need to save."

Dad nodded, and returned the salute.

I should have, but I couldn't bring myself to. The whole thing felt wrong to me.

As Drift Rime slipped out of the warehouse, we turned to the crate which he had indicated for us. Dad knelt to let me lift it, settling it on his back. He stood and tested the weight, then used his wings to steady the box before heading to the door.

I trotted alongside him as we left the warehouse, silent for now. As the door closed behind us, I glared at my dad. "I hate this."

He didn't turn his head. "It's not ideal, no."

"No, I mean... I mean, what we're doing. It feels like... like we're doing all the wrong things to save her."

"We're doing the only things we can to save her." He stopped as we walked. "I know, son. I know it's dirty tactics, and in a perfect world, we'd not have to resort to it. But it's not fairy tales, Night, and we're not heroes. We just do what we can to save as many ponies as we can."

"Or just to save one." I looked back into the city proper, seeking out the building that held Dusky once again. "Am... am I just fooling myself? Am I the selfish one for wanting to save her? For... for making you do this?"

"I don't think anything you're doing for her is selfish, Night. Things were going to happen like this eventually. I tried to arrange things to dictate the when and the how. Anytime ponies like the Cartel, or the Mob, get their way, it means innocent ponies are going to get hurt."

"I... I know." I narrowed my eyes towards the Fillydelphia city center. "I... I hate it. I'm sorry, I just hate it all. The Cartel, the Mob, the pain they inflict. That... that ponies like Dusky have to fight."

Dad sighed, and I felt his wing stretch to brush across my back. "Me too, Night. Me too."

---

We gathered back behind the lot where we’d parked the wagon, moving towards the alley and out of sight of the street. Time was counting down now, as the sun rose towards noon.

As we approached, Mint perked up and gave Dad a salute, her voice not quite a whisper. "We're set. Couldn't find a proper helmet for a unicorn though, but the rest will fit her. Hopefully she can be convincing without a helmet."

"I can do without the helmet, I feel it might restrict my head movement too much in any case." Star spoke in the same hushed tone. She pulled a plate of barding out from the satchel she carried and studied it closely. "Though I still do not understand what this charade will gain."

Dad nodded. "It'll have to do, I suppose. Starshadow, you will be attracting eyes and gaining time for the rest of us. The more ponies watching you, the less will be focusing on the rest of us."

"I have never been the best at gathering attention. That has always been a specialty of Merriweather's."

"Somepony call for me~?" As if she'd been waiting, Merri turned into the alley and practically strutted towards us, Mahogany and Blaze followed close behind.

Dad smiled. "Merriweather will be doing just that. She is, after all, a wanted criminal, and a notorious thief."

She whistled lowly. "I am? Well, I can do that, what'm I stealing?"

"You already stole it." He settled the box down off his back. "Though, I suggest you be very careful with it."

Merri tilted her head, stepping over to the box and examining it for only a few seconds before curiosity got the better of her. Her horn lit up as she slid open the lid of the crate and peeked inside. "Whoa ho ho! You really know how to treat a mare~."

Coming alongside her sister, Starshadow lowered her head to look in as well. "That... is a very large amount of explosive material. Should we really be entrusting this to Merriweather?"

Dad laughed quietly. "I hope so. It's enough to cause a good deal of noise, though not nearly enough to cause any kind of structural damage." He stepped towards the wagon and lifted one of the pieces of Guard armor that Mint had 'procured'. "You two are going to put on a show. A very valuable item was stolen by the great thief Merriwe—"

"My thief name is Silvertongue~" Merri grinned a little too widely.

Dad didn't miss a beat. "Silvertongue, then. The point is, caught in the act, you're now being pursued by the Guard, Private Starshadow in particular. And I feel that the New Leaf Paper Mill is the perfect place for you to make a stand."

Merri looked at her sister and winked. "Just like playing knight and bandit when we were foals."

"For both of you, there's two objectives. To keep eyes on you both as long as possible." Dad motioned towards the crate. "And to plant the explosives. I recommend getting the crate as close to any of the machinery as possible. Once we're clear of the first floor, once you think you've pushed the act far enough, you can set it off. Destroying one of their paper presses will make a lot of noise, and bring a lot of attention to the building, both positive and negative. I intend to use that confusion to make our escape."

Merri leaned against Starshadow. "Just like playing knights and dragons as foals, eh, Sis? Lots of chasing, and probably an explosion. You're it~."

Blaze stepped forward, waving to hoof. "And us?"

"Blaze, you, Mint, Mahogany, Night, and myself will walk in one by one, walk to the desk like we belong there, and check in. Once the distraction starts, and the Cartel guards on the upper catwalks are watching Merri and Star, then we move to the elevator in the back as discretely as possible. It might get more than a little chaotic. Once we're there, we head to the fourth floor, and then down to find Dusky."

Dad glanced up at the sun, making some mark in his head. "Make your final checks. I'll go in first, and keep the ponies in the front occupied as the rest of you come in. No sense waiting any longer."

I checked the bracer sitting upon my hoof, looking at my friends as they each took a moment to adjust their own weapons. Mahogany pulled out a simple box cutter taken from the ESP store, while Blaze slid a sheath of long knives into a satchel. Star finally donned the Guard armor, sans helmet, and Merri slipped on dense scale mail. I turned to see Mint kicking out, her legs each clad in horseshoes, apparently weighted for combat. Dad was watching me, whatever preparation he had needed was finished, he was already ready.

These were my friends, and Dusky's. They were here, risking their lives for her. I'd already said it to Blaze, but... I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened. I needed to say something, and with a nod to my dad, I took a deep breath. "No... no fighting unless you have to. We're not here for revenge, or... or to prove ourselves... we're here to save her. We save Dusky, and we all get out alive, alright?"

Everyone voiced affirmation, but the mood felt grim. I think we all knew just how dangerous this was going to be. Deep down, part of me felt awful for the whole situation. This is what I'd wanted. The chance to prove myself, to save Dusky to prove I loved her. Now, the whole ordeal left a bitter taste in my mouth. Every time I'd gotten close to something I'd once believed was pure, I could only see how tainted it really was.

Dad gave the signal, and he started to walk out of the alley, towards the New Leaf building. I counted to sixty, then followed.

I didn't want this. I didn't want any of this. And I especially didn't want Dusky to suffer anymore. "We don't need anymore heroes. Don't try to be a hero." I mouthed the words to myself. "Because heroes, they..." Dusky hadn't finished the sentence, back on the train coming home from Fetlock, but the meaning was perfectly clear.

Heroes die.

I shook my head at Bellerophon's interjection. "That's why I promised not to be a hero."

Dusky was waiting.

Comments

[Yami Vizzini]

And the anticipation builds. Nothing else to say just yet.

[Meta Four]

White Riot, huh?

Does he want to riot? Does he want a riot of his own?

[Kiromancer]

6860963
Maybe he's a riot at parties?

[Meta Four]

6922028 When a pony shares his name with a song by The Clash, I can't pass up the chance to make a reference.