Mending Light

by Kiromancer

34 - Together

I was slow to wake that morning. The adrenaline and the emotion of the last few days caught up quickly, and my body and mind were both reluctant to return to consciousness. My ears twitched as an unfamiliar sound reached them. It was a quiet, rhythmic breathing, and as I started to stretch out, I found it strangely difficult. There was an odd weight pressed against my chest.

I should have been alarmed, but Instead I found the presence comforting. My eyes opened and there she was, safe and sound and still resting peacefully. Dusky Down. She was beautiful as she had ever been, though that beauty seemed different now, more real, maybe.

Once, I'd only seen her as a pony I could prove myself to, even if I did so by sacrificing myself to save her. At least I’d die having saved something that mattered. She was a means to an ends, and that made me feel awful about how I’d acted around her.

When we'd gone to Fetlock Falls, I found her to be more than just a face. There, I'd first seen her fight, and had my first glimpses into her past, and how it haunted her still. I don't know if she thought it'd scare me away or if it was only a warning not to get too involved, but I hadn't cared. Instead, I'd thrown myself into training for all the wrong reasons. I was unprepared, and naive, and chasing a dream, trying to be somepony I thought she wanted me to be.

That had always been my problem. I was always trying to be somepony else. Trying to be who I thought others wanted me to be to make them happy. Be it my sisters, my dad, or Dusky, it was hard for me to put myself and what I wanted first. Then, just the night before, Dusky had told me who she wanted me to be to make her happiest.

Myself.

So now, here we were.

Dusky had tried so hard to keep others from getting involved in her battles. She'd suffered for trying to do the right thing, for trying to keep others safe, and for trying so hard just to live her life. If I could do nothing else but ensure she slept peacefully, without worry, to keep away all the monsters while she slept, then I would be happy. It’s what a Night Light is for.

I would help her shoulder her burdens, and fight her battles, not to impress her or from some misguided vision of how I could protect her. But because she was worth fighting for. I wanted to be with her. I loved her, and the weight of that word and its meaning was growing stronger every day.

I felt her shifting, and as I turned my eyes back onto her, I found her looking back at me, her head still settled upon my chest.

She smiled lazily. "Good morning."

"Yeah... Good morning, Dusky." I knew my cheeks were red, but I didn't care at this point. She was the only one who could see it, and I was certain she knew how I felt. I reached my head down towards her.

She raised her head, nuzzling against my cheek, which likely only made the blush grow.

"Did... did you sleep well?" It all felt so awkward, but what else could I say?

Her smile widened. "Best in weeks. You?"

"I can't think of a time I've slept better..." That was the truth, and I wondered just how much of it had been exhaustion, and how much of it had been her.

"Glad to hear." She shifted further, taking her weight off of me, while keeping her head next to mine.

It was a reminder that all good things had to end. The sunlight was forcing its way into the room, our night together was already behind us. "The only bad part is knowing that eventually, I'll have to get out of bed..."

She giggled faintly. "Yeah. As comfy as this is, I need to think about visiting the clinic."

"I-is something wrong?" Had she been hiding some injury? I scanned her face for any sign of pain, but she shook her head.

"I hope not. I mean, I feel fine right now, but I was just in a serious fight and a captive of the Cartel. I should get a check-up to be safe."

I let out a sigh. "Oh, um... I sh-should probably do that too, shouldn't I?"

"Probably. That whole brawl was quite the ordeal for everyone." Her face darkened. "Plus, it might be good to check for side effects to the other thing."

Of course. Him. "R-right. The... other thing."

She edged in closer and set her nose under my chin. "We'll get it figured out."

---

As we set out from the Seapony, I started to grow worried. I'd come this far with her, and for now, I wouldn't leave her side. My concern was focused on Dusky's behavior, as the moment we'd stepped out of the bar, she'd starting sweating, despite the relatively cool day.

Our destination was the clinic, and we couldn't get there fast enough. Dusky's gait started to grow irregular. She must have noticed something off, for not much later she began to move faster. Her increased pace only became more erratic, though I’m not sure she noticed.

I steeled myself to ask her if she needed help, but my question was cut off before I could start. A loud cry drew my eyes to a single cloud that had been lazily drifting through the Ponyville sky, and an unmistakable rainbow mane poking out over the edge. "Dusky! Flurry!"

In a second, she had zipped down from her perch and landed in front of us, eyes darting back and forth. "Where have you two been?"

I tried to meet her gaze, but the words died in my throat. "U-um..."

"Things came up. Bad things." Dusky sighed, shaking her head. "Sorry, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow's critical expression shifted to a grin. "Right, bad things. Next time, let me know, so that I can cover for you. Or help kick some flank."

Dusky laughed. "Well, hopefully I won't need to, but I'll try." Her head dipped slightly, and her knees wobbled. "I can't really guarantee it if things get really... in case they get really..."

I moved to her side a moment too late. She tried to raise her hoof, but that only served to make her more unstable and she collapsed all at once. "Dusky!"

Rainbow Dash moved in one swift motion, wings thrown open as her forehooves caught Dusky. "Whoa!" She glanced at me. "To the clinic, Flurry! Let's go!"

I had only started to raise a hoof in protest when Rainbow rushed off, Dusky's limp form already clutched close. I swore under my breath, kicking up dust as I charged after her. Even with Dusky's weight, somehow Rainbow Dash was way faster than I was, but the sudden adrenaline drove me through town as fast as I could fly.

---

Rainbow Dash had already summoned the nurses when I finally caught up. I moved past her and followed Dusky as the nurses carefully placed her onto a gurney. From there, they moved her to one of the side rooms, where they began to run some tests. I paced quietly, watching. I just tried to stay out of the way, to let them do their work, and that was harder than anything.

At last, one nurse with a name tag reading 'Tenderheart' approached. "Mister...?"

"Oh uh, Night Flurry. Is... is she alright?"

Her face was stern, but she gave me a sympathetic nod. "She's going to be fine. But first, and this isn't going to be a fun question, but... Ms Dusky. Is she a drug user?"

I felt the blood drain from my face. "D-drugs? No, no never. She wouldn't."

Tenderheart sat down next to me. "Her condition is the result of Ghost Petal withdrawal. There's still traces of it in her blood, and as the last of the narcotic is leaving her system, she's experiencing increased heightened sensitivity and pain. Combine that with the fact that she's fairly bruised up, and it's no wonder she collapsed like she did."

The Cartel. It was such an obvious explanation, she'd been poisoned somehow, perhaps that was how they'd planned to kill her. The way they killed all their victims. My teeth clenched.

"Mister Flurry, please. I understand that this kind of thing can be a little shocking—"

"N-not shocking, no." I interrupted, realizing what she must have been thinking. "There was... an incident, recently. I... I think she was poisoned."

"Poisoned? That's a very different circumstance. The dose seemed quite large, it would have to be to have caused this severe a reaction. Anything you can tell us can only help her."

I cringed. "I... don't think I can. I... I'm not at liberty to discuss it, but... if you contact Guard Captain Noble Light, in Canterlot, he should be able to give you the details."

Tenderheart nodded, pulling out a notepad and quickly jotting something down. "Noble... Light. Alright, excellent. We almost didn't know what it was, had I not seen a case of Ghost Petal withdrawal back in Medical School. It kills pain, dulls your sense of touch, but in larger quantities, it clouds the mind, makes a pony irrational, and violent. With a massive enough dose, it's like setting a clock, it makes a pony faster, stronger, immune to pain, but when time runs out..."

White Riot. I wondered how big a dose they would find if they could sample his blood. Things were starting to become clearer.

"Suffice it to say, it's not worth meddling with."

I nodded. "I promise you, Nurse Tenderheart, Dusky would never willingly touch such a thing."

"I'll take your word, Mr Flurry." She stared at me, then nodded. "She's hooked up to an IV now, and we're wheeling her into a room to rest. With any luck, she'll sleep through the worst of it now."

"Can... I go sit with her?"

"I doubt she'll make good comp—" A change crossed over her face as she must have seen the pained expression wash over me. "Well, that is, of course. I'll show you to her room.

---

I sat at Dusky's bedside, one hoof resting atop hers as she slept. After the first hour, her breathing had become stable, whatever pain she'd been in had subsided, and it seemed she was finally getting some real rest once again.

There was a sharp knock at the door, and without waiting for a response Rainbow Dash let herself into the room. “Heya, Flurry. She doing alright?”

I gave her a tired smile. “She’s doing as well as she can be. All that um… bad stuff just caught up at the worst time. She’s strong, though.”

Rainbow nodded, then unfolded her wing to place a book upon the bed stand. "She probably already owns this one, but that one’s my favorite. You ever read Daring Do, Flurry?"

"Err, me? No, um, no, not really." As she narrowed her eyes, I quickly backpedaled. "N-Nothing against the series, of course. I just never got around to reading it."

Her expression softened, if only a little. "Well, you should give it a try. She's a pretty awesome mare, and it's got adventure, excitement, evil villains, you know, all that cool stuff."

I frowned. "I almost think I've had enough adventure and villains."

Rainbow laughed. "You sound like Rarity. The books are still good. Dusky's a fan, I bet she'd get a kick out of talking about the books with you."

"I... suppose." It was usually better to just agree with Rainbow Dash when she got pushy like this, but in this case she had a good point. If Dusky was a fan of the series, there had to be something worth looking at. "Can't hurt to take a look, right?"

"Exactly! It's my favorite series, so you know it's the best."

"Well, I'll give it a chance." I chuckled, but let the laugh die on my lips as I looked back to Dusky. "I suppose I have a little bit of time. Maybe I'll sneak in a few chapters while she's sleeping."

Rainbow watched me curiously. "You're really gonna sit with her all night?"

Dusky was sleeping pretty deeply, and the Nurse said she’d be fine, now that the Ghost Petal was completely out of her system. The steady IV drip was ensuring her body got what it needed to get back up to speed. Still, I wouldn't let her wake up alone in a strange place, not so soon after Fillydelphia. “Yeah. I am. Sorry, Rainbow.”

“Nah, it’s cool.” She sat opposite of me and looked at the bed. "I wonder if all this means she's gonna have to cut her big trip short."

I frowned. “Her big trip. She goes every year, right?”

“Yeah, it’s why we only schedule her part time. She tends to make a big tour out every summer. I guess that’s just how she lets her wings lead, ya know?”

Letting your wings lead. It was what some pegasi called it when they flew to get rid of restlessness. It didn't matter where, or how, but sometimes, a pegasus just needed to fly. It made sense, from the way I’d heard Dusky talk about her trips. It wasn't just a vacation, it was almost her calling. She and the road were inseparable.

I smiled softly at Rainbow. “I… I go altitude flying. Slow, but high. At night, usually.”

“Never woulda guessed, Flurry.” She grinned. “I go fast. Anywhere, as fast as I can get there. Duh.”

I laughed under my breath. “Never would have guessed.”

Inseparable. It was a curious thought. I’d considered her trips before, we’d talked about them while we were in Myrtail, and the topic had come up on a few dates. Dusky had even offered to be my tour guide. All things considered, perhaps now was a good time to start planning for the future.

“Hey, Rainbow… can I ask you to do me a favor?”

She perked up from a half doze. “Bwah? Oh, right. Yeah, whatever you need.”

“Can you go back to Town Hall and get me some paperwork to do?”

“Paperwork?” She treated the word like a poison. “If you’re really that bored.”

I laughed again. “I’m not bored. Just… I need to do something, right? Besides, less paperwork for you, right? I just need that, and the applications folder. And some of the work transfer forms, if you can? I can give you a list of what I want.”

“Sure. Just write it down or something. I’ll be there and back before you know it.”

I grinned, and started to think things through. Dusky would still plan on taking her trip, I just knew it. And if she was going on her trip, I would ensure things were in place so that I would go alongside her. That meant finding somepony I could rely on to cover my shifts while I was gone. Somepony who might be willing to train to take the position over when I moved into the promotion Bree had planned for me. And I think I had the perfect pony in mind.

Comments

[Yami Vizzini]

Nice to see Rainbow again.

Interesting bit of worldbuilding on pegasi.

[Kiromancer]

7163444
Thank you! Appreciate the comment! Anything in particular you like or maybe even dislike about the story?

7126977
That's something I've had in my head for a while. It's not exactly the wanderlust Dusky feels, which is more just an urge for the open road, but when one has wings, sometimes you just have to fly.