Mending Light

by Kiromancer

94 - Return

I was happy to leave Pasture behind. Maybe under any other circumstances, I’d find the town as charming as I’d found Crystalside, or as endearing as Lunar Lake. But for me, now, it was an ugly town, with a fair share of scars that would take a long time to heal, and probably never fully fade. The sooner we were home, the better.

It had taken nearly a week, but Solar Company had been nothing if not efficient. The gates around the town had been quickly dismantled. The mercenaries, including Crimson Haze, had been forced to surrender their weapons and armor, something the camel himself was clearly not happy about, but begrudgingly agreed to. In exchange for clemency for a number of his soldiers of Equestrian origin, he agreed to leave the country’s border, and not to work jobs inside Equestria. He gave a disdainful snort as he led his troop out the gates, a small pegasus escort flying overhead to ensure he left exactly as promised. Crimson Haze’s last words as he began to head out of town were flippant and filled with arrogance, “The money’s better down in Klugetown anyways.”

After that, the town tried to restore some kind of normalcy, even though the Guard proceeded to pull in pony after pony to give testimony on what, exactly, had all led up to this point. I gave my own testimony during this point, as did Merri, Star, and Icicle. Mint probably did too, but she wasn’t present when I had to speak to what I had seen and done.

Soon, Dusky had recovered once again, and she was eager to be up and about, her whole demeanor giving me flashbacks to our time at Myrtail beach. As soon as Doctor Panacea had given her a clean bill of health, Captain Banner had brought her in to make her own official testimony, a much longer inquiry then I’d gone through, but then Dusky had known Ivory for years longer than I had. To me, this battle had been the climax of nearly a year of worry and misadventure trying to keep up with Dusky. To Dusky, it was the end of a much longer battle, parts of which had started in one of the Guard’s safe rooms years and years ago. I couldn’t imagine what that must feel like, everything coming to a head here and hopefully being resolved at long last.

With all of us still injured or exhausted, Captain Banner offered us safe escort home with the Guard. It was too good an offer to refuse. This gave us the security of both a march back to Iron Shoe alongside the full company, and our own train car, attached to the armored cars that had transported the guards from Canterlot, and would be taking them home again.

I watched Dusky as the train clamored down the track. She looked so tired, but not in the same way I’d seen her before. It wasn’t a desperate kind of tired, the kind I’d seen during those days rushing back home to confront the banshee. She looked like she’d just worked an overly long shift, and was ready for a long, peaceful rest in her own bed. There was still an edge of caution in her, unwilling to let her guard down, but it made me happy to see her like this.

She leaned back in her seat, looking away from the window to give me a smile, leaning her head in to give me a gentle nuzzle. “Now that things are settling down, you want to let me know what happened on your side? Something about putting a hoof in Prideful Policy’s face?”

My smile slipped slightly. Sure, I’d helped capture him, but it felt a little wrong to take pleasure in hitting the stallion, no matter how much he seemed like he’d needed a good punch in the face. “W-well, we found him watching the battle like it was some kind of sick show, and, um, then he tried to run away, so I had to stop him.”

In front of us, Merri rose up over the back of the seat with a wide grin. She gripped the top of the seat, “Prideful’s bodyguard fought us with bitter resolve, locking us in battle long enough for their master to make his escape. As he stood upon that hill, laughing and twirling his mustache, he flipped his black cape, cackling, ‘Muhahah! You will never catch me!”

She raised a hoof from the cushion to make a dramatic gesture, waving it in front of her, “That’s when Night swooped down, standing tall and heroic! ‘Halt, fiend! In the name of justice, you shall turn yourself in and trouble this town no longer!’ With a gasp, Prideful tried to flee, but Night brought him low with the Hooves of Justice!”

I shrank in my seat. While not exactly untrue, Merri’s version definitely painted things a little more dramatically.

From the opposite aisle, Starshadow leaned across to give Merri a doubtful eye, “Sister, you were not even there for the decisive moment.”

“Shhhh! Neither were you!” Merri turned towards her sister to motion for silence, as if Dusky and I weren’t watching the whole thing. “For all we know, that’s how it could have gone down! Besides, you know it’s how the bards would sing it~.”

“Or we could ask the stallion who was right there.” Star sighed dramatically, “And last I checked, you are not a bard.”

Dusky laughed, smirking at Mary. “Perhaps it’s time for a career change?”

Besides Merri, Icicle lifted his head up over the seat as well, giving her a big dopey smile, “You know I’d be at every show.”

“Aw, shucks.” Merri lifted her hooves to her cheeks, milking the moment. “You know I couldn’t just leave poor Sis’ to do all the fighting by herself. Maybe I could take it up on the side, do it parttime, like those bards who embed in a platoon. Crossbow in one hoof, saxophone in the other.”

“Saxophone?” Dusky raised an eyebrow at Merri, clearly skeptical.

Merri’s smile increased tenfold. “Yeah! For smooth jazz~!”

I tilted my head, “Um, how will you sing?”

Dusky nodded, “Plus, correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think smooth jazz is typical bardic fare.”

Merri shrugged, waving a hoof, “Details, details.”

With a hum, Dusky suddenly leaned into my side and smiled. “How did it really happen?”

“Well, um, he did leave his guards behind and try to run away from us. But he didn’t stop to gloat and let me use any, um,” I glanced at Merri, blushing slightly as she winked. “'Hooves of Justice' on him. It was all a bit of a blur, but I remember flying after him and tackling him, then I hit him and he went down. There wasn’t anything glorious about it.”

Dusky leaned in closer, pressing her snout against my mane and nuzzling gently. “Regardless, thanks, Night. Things might have gone differently if we hadn’t had him at a disadvantage. Thankfully, we can rest easy now.”

---

The train pulled into Ponyville as the sun made its arc into the west, bathing the town in a golden orange light, with purple clouds hanging overhead. It almost felt like the town itself was welcoming us back. It had been such a long time since we’d been ‘home’ just to be home. It felt good.

We stepped out of our train car and found Golden Banner leaving the armored car ahead of ours, waving others out after her. Mint, alongside Blaze and Feather Reed, stepped out with Ivory. The pale white unicorn seemed to glow with the sunset, her coat shining in the light. She almost seemed to be a completely different pony then the sad, lonely mare I’d met in the little cabin in the woods. She smiled, walking towards Dusky, who met her halfway for a hug.

Ivory clung tight, reluctant to release her friend. “Dusky, I… thank you. Again.”

As Dusky backed away, still holding Ivory’s hoof, she smiled wide, “Any time. Don’t forget, I’ll be waiting.”

Ivory slowly smiled back in mirror, a look that suited her well. “Yes, of course. I will look forward to tea time.”

“I’ll be up to check in every so often,” Dusky turned to look over the three guards standing there, Mint, Blaze and Feather, each of them having proven themselves her friends or family. “If any of you are free when I’m in Canterlot, I’d be happy to meet up.”

“Hey, don’t think you’ll be the one putting in all the effort,” Blaze grinned, giving Dusky a wink, “Ponies think I have a knack for getting into trouble, but by Celestia, Dusky, I think you’re the one who needs ponies watching her back.”

“Fair point,” Dusky laughed, smiling at the ponies around her. “I assume that means you’ll be coming down every so often?”

Blaze straightened herself up with a grin, “You’d better believe it.”

“I’m sure I’ll see you often, too.” Mint grinned, tilting her head to look over at me with a wink. “You’ll need help planning a certain festivity soon enough.”

I matched her smile, nodding. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“And when tea happens, I’ll be there.” Feather stated, but a shred of doubt entered her voice at the end. She looked at Ivory and tilted her head. “That is, if you’ll have me.”

Ivory turned to her sister and smiled, “We do have a lot of catching up to do.”

“Ahem.” A hoof tapping the train car behind Ivory turned everyone’s attention back towards Golden Banner, who stepped forward from the edge. “Time’s up.”

Dusky smiled, dipping her head slightly to Ivory. My sister, Ivory’s sister, and Dusky’s friend all turned back, and Ivory gave us a nod in return, a smile on her face, and entered back into the train. There wasn’t a goodbye, because I knew Dusky wouldn’t let it end here, and Ivory knew it too. For Ivory, this was a new beginning, and we’d all meet again soon enough.

I stepped up besides Dusky and gave her my best smile. The train door closed, and slowly it began to pull away, sunlight flooding down on us as the final car pulled away.

“Soooo, party at the Seapony~?” Merri broke the silence, waving a hoof from the staircase off the train platform.

Starshadow turned with an exhausted stare. “Sister, we just finished a long journey.”

“All the more reason to kick back and relax~.”

“I’d be up for it,” Dusky spoke up, “After all this, having an ordinary evening sipping on a cider with my friends is all I could ask for. That said, we should give everyone some time to unpack and freshen up.”

“Oh, right, yeah.” Merri nodded. “Split up and meet there in an hour?”

“Sounds good to me.” She turned to Star, “That acceptable?”

Star shrugged back, “If you are all willing to put up with Merriweather’s antics, I shall get by.”

Merri, Icicle and Star all headed off ahead, heading straight for the Seapony. I glanced at Dusky, “Can I uh… can I walk you home?”

“That’s sweet, Night.” She leaned in to kiss me on the cheek, “But that danger is past. I’ll see you at the Seapony?”

“I’ll be there.” I hadn’t been worried about any lingering danger, more that, I just wanted to spend time with Dusky, just her and I. It felt like so long since we’d just gotten to be together, no one else around, no worries and no fears. Still, there’d be plenty of time for that to come.

Dusky headed for her home, and took the moment to turn to watch the sunset before I headed for the Seapony.

I walked through the town as twilight took over, the sun ending its journey and the moon beginning its ascent. I smiled up at the familiar orb and nodded. “Been a long journey, but here we are again... “

I found the Seapony much the same as the first time I’d entered, the smell of fried food and bitter drinks, ponies indulging in too many conversations, and the ample fireplace that filled the room with a friendly light.

“Barkeep! Another Buzzard!” My ears perked up as Mahogany’s voice came from the bar.

I grinned, taking a seat next to my best friend. “And a tea for me, please.”

“Tea sucks.” Mahogany tilted his head, then turned so fast he nearly fell out of his seat, “Holy crap, Flurry? Is that really you, or have I finally reached ‘so drunk I’m hallucinating’?”

“Nah, err, I mean, maybe? But it really is me.”

He grinned wide, raising a hoof to set on my shoulder, “I’ve been asking Terra where the heck you and Dusky were, but she’d just shoot me a dirty look and say ‘they’re away, stupid’. At least, that’s what her look said. Mostly she said you stopped by then kept going on your vacation with Dusky, but Merri and Star left too? See, now that’s suspicious.”

Taking the cup of hot water set down by Barkeep, I set about soaking a teabag, nodding, “Well, it is suspicious, I admit… and it’s a long story. Dusky and Merri and Star will all be here soon, and I’m sure you can get a full story then.”

“Nuh-uh, not good enough. You know Dusky will be all evasive and give that little mystery smirk she gives when she can’t say anything.” He waved his hoof towards me, holding his Buzzard. “So spill it before they get here.”

“I'm not going to spill anything… well, other than the stuff you probably already know, like Dusky and I getting engaged.”

He rolled his eyes, “I got your postcards, until I stopped getting your postcards, yeah. That’s when I started asking Terra what happened, and then she just got mad at me.”

“Right, sorry, I just… probably can’t talk about it all out here, even if it all ended fine.”

Mahogany tilted his head to examine me carefully, then nodded “Mph… I figured. So long as nopony got hurt I guess. Still shoulda’ come get me for help.”

I nodded slowly, thinking. “Well, I mean… I do need your help for one thing, at least.”

“Hmmm? Wass’that?”

“I, uh, do need a best stallion. And seeing as you’ve been my best friend ever since I came to Ponyville… well… what do you say?”

Mahogany raised an eyebrow at me, the slightest bit of smirk crossing his face. “Hey, marriage is your funeral, buddy. But… I’ll make sure you don’t panic and run off the altar if you want me to.”

I grinned, raising my mug of tea in salute. “Thanks, Mahogany. There’s no one else I’d rather have up there to tackle some sense into me if I tried.”

Comments

[Yami Vizzini]

Hopefully the whole gang will be able to unburden themselves before too long. At least they can kick back for a while.