Mending Light

by Kiromancer

77 - Hideaway Home

Mint took the lead, flying us fast and low over the plains as Dusky felt it best to get us to the safe house as quickly as possible. The sky was rapidly growing dark now, making the great wheat fields that surrounded Cloudcrest into an eerie gray ocean, its waves swaying beneath us with every gust of wind. Even if we had second thoughts at what might be lurking in that seemingly endless sea, we were committed to using the safe house the moment we set out.

We must have traveled nearly an hour from dusk, well into night, before we saw a light glowing in the field. Mint guided us onward, beginning a slow descent towards the light, and hopefully towards safety.

I had no idea what to expect from an actual Guard safe house. Myrtail Beach hadn’t exactly been an ‘official’ safe house, as Dad had thankfully had the foresight to keep it, and our presence there, off the books. I knew Dusky’s experiences had been horrible, and that had been a purely physical attack. Now, even if we were safe from that kind of ambush, there was still the banshee to contend with, and Ivory's protection was likely all gone now.

As we descended towards the light, the ocean of wheat-grass parted around a square of land, where a little farmhouse sat. Our guide had been the faint light of a lantern post, lit at the edge of the fields. Fireflies filled the clearing, blinking on and off peacefully, admittedly bringing a smile to my face despite the circumstances. Looping wide around the house, we passed over a small pumpkin patch, towards the barn and descending to the light.

Mint set down, reaching a wing out to take the lantern, then turned to wait for us to land behind her. Quietly, she nodded and headed toward the barn. Its doors were closed, but Mint passed them by to turn the corner. There, several rocks sat embedded in the ground, and with the lantern light leading us, Mint moved around them and past the second large stone, where a half-hidden pair of cellar doors led beneath the barn.

I glanced up at Mint as she flung open one of the thick doors and waved us in. I started to follow when I noticed Dusky had stopped in her tracks.

Her face was frozen, a look of horror and guilt upon her face that I’d seen before. My heart sank, knowing exactly where she was at that moment. It was no nightmare she was seeing now, but an event which had haunted her for ages, and had been all too real.

I came as close as I dared so as not to startle her any more than necessary and whispered. “You okay?”

She jumped regardless, eyes going wide before they focused on me and she came back to the moment. “I’ll be fine. I just need a few moments.”

I watched her carefully as she took a few deep, calming breaths, then nodded. I turned back to Mint and headed down into the cellar. I glanced back to make sure Dusky wasn’t far behind, and once we made it down into the darkness, Mint closed the door behind us and followed down with the light.

It wasn’t much, just a small stone cellar, filled with random, uneven shelves. Nothing was even being stored here. It didn't have any kind of amenities, not exactly what I’d been expecting from the Guard. It felt more like a panic room than a safe room.

Mint swung the lantern across the room and whispered to us with a soft smile. “Almost there.”

“Almost?” I glanced back over the room and let out a sigh of relief. Sleeping on the stone floor in this little cellar was not, in my opinion, an improvement over the camp we could have set up on Cloudcrest in much less time than it had taken to get here.

Mint nodded, walking past us towards the back of the room. There, she placed herself against the wall and pressed. She pushed twice more. On the third shove the solid wall gave way, sliding open to reveal a hidden second room not quite as large as the main cellar, but sporting a trio of cots and a stock of wooden crates around them.

She turned to let us inside, then set about setting the thick wall back into place. Once the large stone slab was restored, Mint pointed about the room. “Food’s on the left. Water in the middle. Other basics on the right. We need to get out of here fast, there’s another door in the back-left corner.”

“Okay.” Dusky nodded, then swiftly fell back onto her haunches, weariness flooding her face and drooping her posture.

I frowned, moving closer to her to wrap a wing around her. I couldn’t think of anything to say to reassure her, knowing where her mind was at, both from being in the safe room, and from the presence of the Banshee.

She looked up at me and smiled through the exhaustion. “Thanks, Night. I’ll be fine.”

---

Dusky fell asleep so fast I was almost afraid she’d miss the cot. Once I’d tucked her in, I watched for a moment for any signs of nightmares, knowing for certain that even without the banshee, she’d not sleep well tonight. Not here.

Mint set down the lantern on one of the crates and lowered its shutters, dimming the room. She sighed, keeping her voice quiet. “So... just what the hell is going on, Nighty?”

I glanced over at my sister. Her concern was obvious, and having rushed out this far to help us, I owed her an explanation. “I… don’t exactly understand it myself, but I can try to explain it.”

She nodded and motioned for me to continue.

I gave her the rundown of our trip, starting in Canterlot and learning what had happened to the Cartel, through our journey across Equestria, with Dusky’s growing nightmares, our run ins with the Cartel shipment outside of Las Pegasus, and then to Ivory, the revelation of just who was stalking us, and lastly our plan to stop it, insomuch as I understood it.

Mint took a minute to process it all before she finally closed her eyes. “That’s… crazy. All of it. But you’re hardly Spring, are you Night? This isn’t just a flight of fancy you’re making up. Summer Leaf survived, and is running the Cartel as a... ghost? And now she's driving her enemies insane through their dreams. I mean… it all fits in how things have been playing out too, that’s the scary part.”

“There’s a lot of scary parts… that somepony could even be so crazy as to go this far to hurt somepony else that she’d give up her… I don’t know. Her self? It’s terrifying to me.”

She nodded. “Not all monsters are born that way Night. A lot of the worst ones start off as ponies just like you and Dusky, and they trade away pieces of their soul to get more and more power, until they’re just so far gone that they’re unrecognizable. I don’t even mean they all end up as some kind of Banshee either.”

I lowered my head with a sigh. “No, I get it. I’ve seen it before. I’ve seen too much of it in the past year, honestly… ever since…” I glanced over at the cot where Dusky lay sleeping.

“She’s had a hard life, Night. She’s a good pony, but I worry about you.” Mint looked me in the eyes, as serious as I’ve ever seen here. “Are you sure you can handle this?”

I nodded without hesitation. “For her? Yes. You say she’s had a hard life… then, it’s up to me to ensure she gets the happy ending she deserves. Maybe I can’t do everything, but I can try, damn it. And I won’t stop trying. Her smile is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, and that anything conspires to take that from this world is just... wrong.”

Mint's serious expression broke, and she actually giggled, punching my side playfully. “Okay, calm it down now, lovercolt. She’s not even awake to hear that rousing speech.” She shook her head. “You’re not wrong. I hate bullies… have ever since I was a foal. It’s why I went into the Guard. Not because of Dad, or the family. But because… I just can’t stomach letting anypony do whatever they want when it hurts others.”

“I guess I’m not nearly as good as you. I… guess I’m too selfish.”

“You’re not selfish, Nighty.” She grinned wide. “Well, not too selfish. But you’re like, ‘normally’ selfish. You just want to be happy, and to keep your friends safe.”

I nodded, looking down at the cobblestone floor. “I… guess, yeah.”

Mint stepped closer to pull me into a hug. “You’ve grown up a lot, Nighty. I don’t care if you are a bit selfish, you do your sister proud. Now, go get some rest. I’ll keep watch. Then we can go do this plan to kick that banshee’s incorporeal ass, or whatever.”

I hugged back tight, managing a laugh. “You sound way too excited when you say it like that, Mint.”

“It’s another item off the list of things I’ve always wanted to say. Now go. Shoo. Get some rest.”

“Thanks, Sis.” I turned back to Dusky and frowned. The signs of her having a nightmare were already there. I stepped over and kissed her gently on the forehead. “Mint’s got this, Dusky. I’m here for you too, no matter what.”

A nudge against my flank turned my attention back to Mint, who pointed to the cot next to Dusky. “Bed. Now. That’s an order.”

I sighed, then climbed over to the cot and pulled the blanket up, and before I could even say good night, I fell into a deep, much needed sleep.

---

Dusky waved us down just as Ponyville crept into sight on the horizon. Our travel from the safe house all the way back to Ponyville had been quick and uneventful, thankfully. Now, I could almost make out the speck of cloud in the sky that was my house, but I could tell exactly what Dusky was thinking. If the Cartel been ready to ambush us outside of Pasture, they might be lying in wait here as well. They had to know this was our goal.

Instead of following the main road in, we hiked a path along one of the many forest trails that meandered through the Whitetail Woods. Unlike the Everfree Forest on the opposite side of town, the Whitetail Woods were relatively peaceful, even as twilight approached. With no need to worry about a roaming pack of Timberwolves or a patch of strange blue flowers with magical properties, we could focus on other potential threats.

Mint went into town first while we waited at the border of the forest, a stone’s throw away from town. She was least likely to be recognized at this point, and could gather intel easily. If anything was out of the ordinary, she’d be able to tell. If they were ready for her, she was confident she could get back out to alert us. It was risky, but a risk we had to take.

I peered through the trees from our makeshift hiding spot while we waited. A few familiar forms in the market went about their business just as they did every day of the week, and a bit of homesickness struck me, so close and yet still so far. Dusky was nearby, staying equally out of sight as she scanned for any sign of something wrong.

Feeling somewhat at odds with myself, I sighed. Homesickness from being at home, and something else was bothering me as well, something I expected, but still hadn’t been ready for.

Dusky shifted back from her vigil to nuzzle against me. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s… home.” I glanced back into the market. “I mean, we’re back… but it still feels like we’re so far away.”

She nodded. “I know. But even here we can’t be too careful. Once Mint gets back and the market closes, we should be able to move quickly and reach the library before the sun sets without anyone seeing us.”

I tilted my head, then chuckled. “And it’s not just that. I mean, as silly as it sounds in the face of everything… our trip. It’s sorta… over now, isn’t it?”

Dusky raised an eyebrow, but then a smile spread onto her face. “One of many more to come, I promise.”

“I just didn’t realize until now, how much I wanted to keep going.”

She wrapped a wing around me. “We will, in time.”

I leaned against her, doing my best to keep my voice low. There was one thing that I’d simply grown too accustomed to on the trip. Something I knew I could never go back from. “Dusky I… I want you to move in with me. Or, to move in with you. It doesn’t matter. I just… I can’t go back to sleeping alone.”

“I assumed we would move in together, what with getting married and all.” Dusky smirked. “There’s still a lot that needs to be done first.”

Suddenly feeling foolish, I couldn’t help but blush. Here I was asking her to move in after I’d already proposed. Next I’d be asking if it was okay to hold hooves. I shook my head. “R-right, right. Of course. Sorry.”

She slipped in closer and kissed my snout, causing my blush to only grow brighter. “Nothing to be sorry about. I know this hasn’t been easy for you, but I appreciate you seeing it through with me.”

“For better, or worse Dusky. I… I knew what I was getting into when I asked that question.” I’d thought about it a lot, in fact, but the worse had never seemed insurmountable in the face of how I felt for her. “This trip has been wonderful… and terrifying. It’s been beautiful, and breathtaking, and exhausting. But even now, I wouldn’t have traded it for anything, Dusky. Thank you.”

She grinned, then leaned against me, pressing her lips against mine to steal a short, yet passionate kiss. “Thank you, Night Light. I’m glad the rough patches didn’t put you off.”

I had nothing more I could say. Just as she’d stolen that kiss, she’d stolen my breath, and it had been a long time since she’d stolen my heart. I simply nodded, smiling.

She shifted back into position to keep watch on Ponyville. “Assuming nothing’s wrong, Mint should be back from scouting soon. Another hour or so and we can head in.”

With a nod, I fell silent as we monitored the town. It wasn’t exactly watching a sunset, but even sitting besides her like this, I found strength. We were going to survive this.

Comments

[Yami Vizzini]

Man, even the smallest steps are so fraught with tension it’s a relief to even see Ponyville again....

[Kiromancer]

9244883
Night is trying to walk the fine line between caution and paranoia that Dusky has lived with for years. He hates it, but he sees the reason for it at this point.