Mending Light

by Kiromancer

93 - Wreckage

There was something surreal about it all, after the fact. I’d been either knocked unconscious or fled after each of the battles we'd fought. Never had I been able to just stick around and watch the battlefield get taken down, like it was some kind of local carnival event. The show was over, and everypony had to go home.

Crimson Haze was quick to surrender to the guards, having already been defeated by Ivory, it was at least partially what we’d hoped. There was no reason to fight without any bits to back him up, and knowing Prideful Policy was in no position to bail him or his mercenaries out, he told his crew to stand down. His word was enough for them, and seeing those ponies lay down their arms was enough to bring the rest of the militia in line.

At the same time, Ivory’s zombies didn’t really have any weapons to set down. In a way, they were weapons unto themselves. Ivory’s weapons, which she couldn’t exactly dismiss. Instead, she began to have them simply lay down in place, lowering their heads as the guards surrounded them.

The rest was a blur as, true to her word, Captain Banner ended any further sign of resistance swiftly, taking everypony present into custody with the full force of Solar Company. Roughly one hundred and fifty elite ponies brought their strength to bear to reestablish order in the name of Celestia. We were practically an armed rebellion, fighting a foreign mercenary corp and an untrained, if passionate militia.

They made it perfectly clear as they began to process through the combatants; resistance was not to be tolerated. Considering the scale of the conflict here, it was hard not to see their point of view. That’s what made it so hard when they reached Dusky and I. They patted us down for weapons, examining us each for injuries, and then they called for a stretcher.

I tried to push past the guard frisking me to reach her, but they had none of it. “Sir, are you resisting?”

I stopped, shaking my head, “No, but, she’s my fiance! I have to—”

The guard stopped me with a sympathetic look. “Then cooperate. She’s being taken to the medical tent. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner you can see her.”

I frowned, but didn’t have much choice but to comply, and do my best to reunite with Dusky at the first chance I got. That chance wouldn’t come for some time, though, as the guard quickly turned to call out. “Medic! This one’s all clear, get him off the battlefield!”

A stretcher came for me, just like for Dusky, as two ponies bearing a stretcher came for me, easing me down. One began checking me over as the other magically lifted the stretcher. “Hmm. Concussion, bruises along the side, deep cut on the rear leg, possibly a broken bone there too.”

The two continued to carry me away, and after a long night of worry, battle and pain. I wanted to push everything into staying up, wanting to cling to awareness so that I could follow after Dusky, but at last, my body refused to agree. I slowly faded into darkness.

---

Fire and death were all around me, my friends, my foes, all dead, dying, and somehow it was all my fault. Blood on my hooves that would never wash clean, so much blood, rising up and threatening to drown me. I flailed as it rose up over my head, and taking one last breath, I suddenly woke. I panted for a moment, gasping heavily as I tried to breath through all the blood, only to find myself perfectly capable of breathing, lying on a soft surface, under a flimsy blanket.

“Hey there, Nighty. You okay?” Mint’s voice came from my side, and I struggled at first to turn in the tiny cot to face her.

I rarely ever had dreams I could remember, and the memory of this one stuck to me. With a shudder, I nodded. “M-Mint? I’m fine… just a bad dream… where are we?”

“Pasture. City Hall, actually. Solar Company has temporarily converted it into a barrack for the wounded. That includes you.”

I lifted the blanket and glanced down across myself to take stock. My leg was bandaged again where the Banshee had cut it, and the fight against Prideful’s forces had reopened it. Further bandaging stretched across my barrel, under the wings. I reached a hoof up to find my head carefully wrapped too, but a sudden thought struck me as more important than any of that.

Rising from the bed, I glanced around to find her. “Where’s Dusky?”

Mint moved from her seat to press against me, settling me back down. “Shh, it’s alright. She’s perfectly fine. They put her in her own room at the local inn. She’s still resting.”

“I need to be there for her. I… I said I’d be there, and if she’s hurt…” I glanced around the room, taking in the rows of cots with various bandaged and sleeping ponies in them.

My sister nodded. “I know, I know. Sheesh, Flurry. Think a moment, okay? If she were in danger, do you think I’d be here?” She grinned. “She’s been sleeping since the battle, same as you, actually.”

“W-when can I see her?”

Mint shrugged. “You’re awake now. I can get you cleared to come into the inn with me now. You can see her tonight when I meet up with the doctor out of Iron Shoe.”

I slowly nodded, feeling anxious, but relieved to know Dusky, and Ivory, were both alright. “And the others?”

She hummed, setting a hoof to her chin. “Well, Blaze and Sergeant Reed both have duties, being assigned here and all. They’re in the inn with Captain Banner. Icicle agreed to help on errand duty, and he’s been flying messages back and forth to the camps. Merriweather and Starshadow were both pretty banged up, but they’ve insisted on helping the wounded too, though I think they’re both resting at the moment. I’ve just been keeping an eye on you, beyond reporting in to Captain Banner.”

Laying back on the cot, I sighed. “Thanks, Sis. Don’t know what we would have done without you.”

Mint shrugged. “Can’t say. I’m just happy that we didn’t have to find out.”

“I almost can’t believe it’s over.”

She grinned. “More than you know, Nighty.”

I smiled, “I hope so, for Ivory’s sake in addition to ours.”

She tapped my shoulder with her hoof and nodded. “Well, if you’re feeling up to it, why don’t we go for a walk?”

“I… yeah. I think so. Let’s go.”

---

A quick walk around Pasture showed a world of difference. The Guard presence was everywhere, and the town itself was in full disaster recovery mode. Half the citizens had enlisted in Prideful’s militia, as well as Moss’s Paladins and Crimson Haze’s mercenaries, and they’d all taken injuries in the battle, many serious injuries.

Despite it all, almost solely because of Ivory, in fact, the entire battle had ended with barely any loss of life.

“The only pony who died was… well, complicated.” Mint explained, “Sources at the battle witnessed Dusky killing Moss the Paladin, but the corpse recovered from the base of the observatory was a completely different pony.”

“Completely different?” I tilted my head. If Dusky had killed them, there was likely a reason, and the very idea of the deception spoke volumes.

“Smokey Mirror. One of the last wanted ponies from the Leaf Cartel, and the last of their leadership. Expert illusionist, wanted for a laundry list of charges. His presence here is pretty disturbing, and still being looked into, but with him out of the picture…”

I blinked, not daring to believe it. “The Leaf Cartel is… over?”

She grinned, “I can’t say for certain, since they flee like cockroaches, but… signs look pretty good.”

A pair of Guards stood at the entrance to the Sunny Skies Inn, saluting Mint as she led me in. Inside, the living room was filled with more Guards, most eating and drinking off duty. Mint motioned a wing towards the rooms in the back and then led on.

As we entered the hallway, a stallion in a bright white coat looked up at us and sighed. “You must be Sergeant Creme?”

Mint nodded with a smile. “I am. And you are Doctor Panacea, yes? Captain Banner said you wanted to speak with me.”

“I did, yes. I want you to understand that I appreciate what the Guard is doing to help us with all the wounded. The battle’s toll was high, and there’s only so many of us to go around.”

“I understand completely, Doctor. We have sent your requests for additional supplies and help to Canterlot, but the train only moves so quickly. Until it arrives, we’re doing the best we can to support you.”

He nodded, but the exhaustion was clear on his face. “And we’re doing our best, but there’s one problem that I just… don’t know what we can do about.”

She raised an eyebrow, “One problem? You said before that you’d be stretched thin, but so far you've got everything in hoof.”

Doctor Panacea sighed, looking at Mint desperately. “You must understand, when Golden Banner asked us for assistance with the wounded from some infighting, we were not prepared for... him.”

I frowned, knowing exactly who he meant. Having faced Crimson Haze face-to-face, I knew what that feeling was like. The smell of the camel was enough to give even the most valiant of fighters pause.

With a sigh, Mint tilted her head, leaning in closer to the doctor as if confiding in him. “Look, between you and me, I’m not too keen on him either, but he surrendered and came peacefully. We can’t just leave him to his wounds.”

“I’m not saying that. I’m saying my staff are doctors, not soldiers. They’re not trained to deal with… whatever it is he does to them.” He shook his head, then sighed, “I’ll see what I can do.”

Mint looked back at him and gave him the best smile she could manage. “Thank you, Doctor Panacea.”

“Yes, of course. I do have one other patient I have to attend to first.” He adjusted his glasses and started walking again, turning the corner to reach the last set of rooms in the inn. Suddenly, he stopped, almost back-stepping out of the hallway as he quickly regained his composure. “Oh, you’re up! You should not be moving around on your own like this.”

My ears perked up. Considering the one patient I had an interest in was the only one we hadn’t seen, that meant only one thing. “She’s up?” I pushed past the doctor to look around the corner.

Dusky stood not far around the corner, the guarded expression on her face melting into a smile as I rushed around the corner to gently hug her. Her bruises were still on show, but where I’d been worried she’d be asleep for days, seeing her up and awake this early was like a miracle.

“Careful! Calm down!” I could hear the Doctor behind us, but in the moment I didn’t care. “She is still in the late stages of recovery!”

Dusky hugged back, lowering her head to my side to nuzzle against me. Now, no fire, no battle, no imminent threats, we could take a moment just for ourselves at last.

“That is calm. “ Mint’s voice added, “At least, compared to before.”

Dusky laughed quietly at my side, “Oh?”

I didn’t have to look to see my sister’s smirk. “When he found out you were in separate rooms, he wanted to move right away. I had to talk him out of rushing out past the guards before they’d even sorted out who was who.”

Pulling back from my side, Dusky gave me a questioning glance. “Is that so?”

Heat crept into my cheeks, but I gave her a small smile, “I was worried.”

Her expression softened into a smirk, “While that’s sweet, you know I’m not helpless. Plus, we’re among friends now. There’s no need to do anything rash.”

My ears dropped back, and I stepped closer to nuzzle against her. “R-right, I just…”

She settled her head back against me and hummed quietly. “I know. I missed you too.”

Doctor Panacea cleared his throat politely. “Sorry to interrupt, but I do have another patient waiting. I’ll try to keep this brief.”

Our hug ended slowly, as Dusky turned her attention to the doctor, and I shifted to her side once again.

She looked from me, to Mint, then smiled. “Go ahead. They’re family.”

He watched Dusky a moment then cleared his throat again with a nod. “As I said, you are in the late stages of recovery, from life-threatening wounds that should have taken months to recover. You are very fortunate to have been the recipient of some of the most powerful healing magic I have ever seen. That said, you are not fully healed. If you must move about, you must be accompanied. And this goes without saying, but do not do anything strenuous. Do I make myself clear?”

Dusky nodded. “Of course.”

I raised an eyebrow at Dusky, knowing just how long she’d been pushing herself when she knew she needed to rest. From the banshee onward, Dusky was in dire need, but that would likely need to wait, even now. I wagered she wouldn’t be happy until she knew Ivory was okay.

“Good. If you need anything, the nurse’s station is around the corner, third door on the left.” With one last nod, he turned and headed back down the hall, no doubt to try and deal with the issue with the camel.

I turned my head to give Dusky another look.

She unfolded a wing to wrap around me, returning a sad smile. “Sorry about that. I know that gives you more reason to be worried, but I’m fine. Ivory and I kept each other alive.”

I leaned my head against hers, just taking the moment to feel her warmth against me. I sighed, just happy to be here with her again. “I’m glad.”

For a few moments, the rest of the world didn’t exist. Just her and I, and that was enough for me.

The illusion was shattered when I heard Mint snicker. “You two are adorable together.”

Dusky laughed, “Believe it or not, that’s a common opinion.”

I looked at Dusky and smirked, “Even if one of them is Terra’s.”

Mint grinned, giving a mock shrug, “Well, you have my totally unbiased opinion to make up for it.”

Dusky laughed, such a wonderful sound, “Right.”

“Anyway, I’m about to go talk to Golden Banner about the whole situation.” Mint waved a wing to motion us on. “You two are free to come along if you’d like. I’m sure Blaze would be happy to see you up and about.”

Dusky took a moment to glance back at herself, then nodded. “Sure. I’d like to check in on everyone else, anyway.”

---

A hall off the side of the inn led to three conference halls that Merri and I hadn’t even noticed in our initial ‘visit’. These were clearly new additions built onto the older inn, perhaps in anticipation of Prideful’s plans for the town’s future, a future lacking the necromancer. Instead, they were being used by the Royal Guard as a central command hub in Pasture as they set about cleaning up the mess Prideful had made of the whole situation.

Four Guards stood at attention outside the door, making no movement towards us as Mint led the way. They saluted my sister, but barely noticed us otherwise. Inside, Guards dashed about busily, cross checking crate contents and working on paperwork spread across a large oak table.

Golden Banner stood in the rear of the room, glancing up at a standing chalkboard with a crude looking map of Pasture sketched onto it. She was still in her armor, only her helmet removed as she spoke with our three companions. Blaze and Reed stood to either side, also in armor, and Ivory between them, definitely looking the odd mare out without any armor or even her usual cloak.

“Captain Banner.” Mint straightened up once she’d led us around the table, clopping her hooves together as she stood at attention.

“Sergeant.” Golden Banner turned away from the map to stare down my sister. “You’re late.”

Mint gave a single, precise nod. “Sorry. Crimson Haze’s arrangements took longer than expected. The medical staff isn’t too keen on him.”

She frowned in response, but gave a small sigh. “Of course. Truth be told, I’d heard stories, but never imagined it would be that bad.”

“As many things in the field go.” Feather added, raising a hoof to her chin as she turned to consider us.

“So it would seem.” The Captain turned her head, and her attention now settled squarely upon Dusky. “Dusky Down, yes. How are you feeling?”

Dusky stiffened, “I’m fine.”

Golden Banner raised an eyebrow, watching carefully, then shook her head. “Relax. This isn’t an interrogation. Several members of our force have already vouched for you, my protege included. What I would like to ask is a favor."

Already on edge, Dusky’s voice betrayed her suspicion in the Captain. “What kind of favor?”

I could already make an educated guess, and knowing Dusky's past, it made my hair stand on end. They wanted eye-witness testimony.

“Detailed third-party accounts of all that has gone on out here are in regrettably short supply,” Golden Banner responded almost mechanically, she’d likely asked this same ‘favor’ of many ponies. “I’d like you to tell me what you know, and commit to testimony, if necessary.”

I almost cringed. Dusky had done exactly that, twice, in her life, and both times it had backfired on her one way or another.

Dusky didn’t hesitate too long before she raised a hoof. “On the condition that I give my input in Canterlot, alongside Ivory’s.”

With a frown, Golden Banner stared at Dusky with an eerie sort of calm, like a gambler who was giving nothing away. “I’m afraid that is beyond my authority to grant. I can put in a request to add you to the interview, but the best I can promise is that a written copy of your testimony will be in that room at the same time.”

Staring back, Dusky frowned in turn, clearly not happy with the answer. I glanced around at the others, only to find both both Blaze and Reed glancing at me. I looked at Ivory, only to find the unicorn smiling.

She spoke up, her smile growing as she her quiet voice cut through the tension. “It is alright, Dusky. You’ve already given me the push I needed. These are steps that I need to take. I’ll be fine.”

Taking the cue, Feather nodded, “Besides, she won’t be entirely alone. My presence has also been requested.”

Dusky slowly smiled back, and as I watched, a great deal of tension left her shoulders, more than I’d have expected. I suppose she’d been worrying about Ivory for years, since long before we’d even met, and for the first time it felt like things were actually going to work out okay. “Okay, Ivory. I’ll be waiting in Ponyville. And when they decide that they can’t possible imprison such a good person, we’re going to find the best tea shop in Canterlot and get you the finest celebratory tea you’ve ever had.”

Ivory’s grin turned into a short giggle, the first time I’d ever heard the unicorn laugh, as she dipped her head to Dusky, “It’s a deal.”

Comments

[Yami Vizzini]

The illusion was shattered when I heard Mint snicker. “You two are adorable together.”
Dusky laughed, “Believe it or not, that’s a common opinion.”

True enough.