Home: In the Dark

by JadeDusk

Chapter Two - Brighter Side of Things

I collapsed on my bed, fumes of dread coming from me, my bed being nothing but some bundled up hay on the ground. I pulled a frayed blanket over my head, closing my eyes, hoping that this day would just pass over like a nightmare.

Something poked me on the side, and fearing the worst, I tensed up, bracing to be hit by one of the Officials for running away before being properly excused. Only to see a faint appearance of Spirit peering down at me through the blanket, "Hey, what's this doing in Sagedust's room?" Another poke.

I can only hold back from laughing before the poking turned into tickling, "Hey! Hehehe, sto-o-p!" I laughed and playfully tried to get Spirit's hoof off of my stomach, only to roll off the bed and back on my stomach with a thump.

Two dark green eyes peered down at me and pulled the blanket away from my face, Spirit smiling at me, "You alright?"

I managed to shake the blanket off of me as I stood up, "A little..." I looked from the ground and back at him, my thinking coming back more clearly, "... maybe it was just because of what is going on. Everyone will calm down by tomorrow and maybe work together to solve the problem." I glanced towards the doorway in deep thought, "Maybe..." Maybe once the community could help the gardeners, earth ponies who are assigned with our race's age-old tradition of growing food, with unicorns supervising and making sure the food is edible for us to eat. Now, something must be wrong... this wouldn't be the first time Grandmaster has held back information from the public... although, with me now being a Messenger to him...

"Underground to Sage!" Spirit said, snapping me back to reality.

"Huh? Oh... sorry, just thinking how this place could be better... like it used to be." I said. Spirit's ear moved slightly, then looked outside, his voice lowering to a whisper.

"I think I hear something going on..." Uh oh. I carefully walked towards the doorway, curiosity rising of what exactly was happening. I heard Spirit follow me not that far behind. Suddenly two ponies zoomed past me, one carrying a bag with something squirming inside of it. Spirit pulled me back just as three guards chased after them. My heart beating against my chest as I tried to regain my breath from what just happened... for what seemed like the countless time so far.

"I saw that too, don't need super-good night-vision to see that." I looked at him with a 'huh?' expression, then remembered that his eyes are faded in the dark. They don't glow as bright like mine or anypony else's. I smiled slightly at him.

"It's fine..." I could hear the guards shouting, as well as two other ponies; one stallion, one mare. I lost track who was who as I saw at least someone familiar whoosh past. "Miss Hues! Over here!"

The mare turned around sharply and looked at me and Spirit as we poked our heads out the doorway, she sighed in relief and darted her eyes down the hallway. She ran towards me and into my room, hiding behind the wall as the ponies in a hot chase zoomed past again. I couldn't help but notice the bag was empty along with the thieving mare shouting "It was her fault that filly is tricking the Grandmaster into staying here!" I would be thinking why don't the guards use a spell to trap them... but Officials aren't always unicorns.

"Miss Hues?" Spirit went up to her and lightly pressed his hoof on her shivering dark-grey coat, "They're gone now, Miss Hues." I frowned slightly, walking over to her. Miss Hues is our school teacher, and the only one as me, Spirit, and only three others are the foals of the community. Her mane and tail were always braided, as the other girls like doing with her just for fun... me being one of them, I admit. I looked at her as she looks thankfully up at us. She sat up and hugged Spirit.

"Thank you... t-thank you both." Miss Hues said, tears forming in her eyes.

My eyes smiled, "You're welcome Miss Hues~!"

"Shhhh! They may hear you!" She said, letting a barely breathing Spirit go. I folded my ears back and mouthed 'Sorry' to her before walking over to Spirit. I patted him on the back as he gasped for air. Miss Hues smiled and laughed, "Ooops... sorry Spirit."

"It's alright... after all, I saved you!" He puffed his chest out and marched around the room, his head held high. I had to cover my mouth, hiding my smile, "Just wait! Those Officials will come back here and recruit me to go to training! By tomorrow, I get to guard the Grandmaster's door!" For the longest time, there has never been a lantern not lit that saw Spirit not saying that he will join the Officials. It used to be that everypony would laugh whenever he would pretend to be one, escorting me to and from places with me playing as the Grandmaster. On occasion, even an Official would break out of character just to play with us before he'd have to get back to work.

Miss Hues giggled and shook her head, "Oh Iron Spirit, you do live up to your name. And if you were just a little bit older, I'm sure you'd make a great Official and help control this community's... err... mishaps." Spirit stopped marching and nodded proudly.

"Miss Hues?" One question has been on my mind a lot, and it reappeared just now.

"Yes Sagedust?"

Here goes. "Do... do you think... everyone hates me for what I said?" I looked down at my hooves, then remembering what that one pony said about my parents and how I should be digging tunnels.

Miss Hues blinked in disbelief, "Oh Sagedust, don't think like that." She smiled reassuringly, "I'm sure things will settle down once the problem has been solved. For now, however..." Both me and Spirit perked up as soon as her voice lifted, "I think I have a little something to show you. I know how much you liked the spiders that appeared a couple days ago, and I couldn't help but make something for you from the way you were yesterday."

"Really?" I beamed at the thought of getting a surprise, bouncing in place. "Let's go let's go let's go~!" I ran out the doorway and I heard Spirit chase after me. We raced all the way to the classroom, and like every race before, Spirit got in front of me by a muzzle.

"I won~!" He said, putting his hooves hard against the dirt to stop himself, "Woaah-oof!" He tumbled and ended up on his back. Once I managed to stop, I looked down at him and poked his nose.

"Boop!"

He poked me back and I squeaked, batting his hoof away.

We laughed as Miss Hues came in, always smiling. She was going to her desk and opening one of the drawers when I took notice that her ribs were slightly showing through her already frail yet young body... "Miss Hues? Did you eat at all today?"

"Hm?" She didn't look at me, as she was looking for something, then saying "Ah, there you are!" as she pulled something out with her mouth and pushed the drawer closed. Spirit sat up as she walked over and dropped it on the ground. The parchment unrolled and revealed a picture.

It was me... she even got the birthmark on my face. It was no longer a black burn-like mark like I remember Mother telling me. "You were staring so intently at the millipedes yesterday that you looked like a statue!" Miss Hues said, "With the lack of mirrors around this place, I wondered how often you get to see yourself."

I ran up and hugged Miss Hues, "Thank you so much! It's beautiful." Miss Hues laughed and hugged me back. I felt her hoof shivering slightly... "Miss Hues? Are you alright?" I looked up at her face. She wasn't crying, so she wasn't sad. I heard a growling sound come from her stomach, I remembered my question from before. "Did you eat anything?" I pulled away from the hug, my eyes staring into hers.

She shakily smiled back, "I'm fine, don't worry about me my little ponies..." She said, looking at me and Spirit reassuringly. Spirit walked up beside me, looking at me with concern.

"Do you think we should-" He whispered, but I interrupted.

"No." I knew what he was going to say, "We are not doing that. The moment we get caught, the moment that Grandmaster may think you are the reason we are short of food, as well as everypony else." Even if it was for somepony in need, he would sneak off to the gardening branch and steal food. It was often left to me to catch him before the Officials did.

"You two may want to run off now and find the others. Don't forget to take your picture Sagedust." Miss Hues said. I rolled up the picture, and right when I was about to pick it up I saw it be surrounded by a green glow and move out of my hooves, "Hey!" I shot a look at Spirit. He smirked as he focused and placed the rolled parchment on my head, where I balanced it carefully. "Thanks."

He nodded back, his horn no longer glowing, and looked at our teacher. "But what if those ponies who tried to get you come back?"

Miss Hues shook her head, "Don't worry about me. I'm sure that the Officials have taken care of them by now. You two should be careful."

We waved goodbye to Miss Hues and walked off. Spirit being Spirit with darting his eyes around, keeping an eye out for any danger while being in front of me. Once we came back to my room, I placed the picture next to my bed. "You know stealing is bad Spirit... you even told me that a few times-"

He wasn't beside me... or behind me. "Spirit!" I called, and ran out to the hall. Oh no... he better not have.

Running down the hall as fast as I could go, I looked around for any sign of him. "One moment you bring me out of my room after Mother died, now I'm end up chasing you out of trouble..." I mutter to myself. The tunnels were clear of any pony... odd. Not even the Officials were patrolling around like they were. The only two I saw were the ones on the stage guarding Grandmaster's door... but going to them would not be a good idea.

I made my way to the gardening branch and poked my head in all the rooms. Each one was patterned with different food; berries, herbs, spices, you name it. It was most likely here, and non-poisoned. There was a pipe with a stone bucket on the spout, catching any water that was to come from the Overground.

All of the rooms were empty except for the greens that sprouted out of the soil. No sign of Spirit.

"Spirit!" I called out again, panicking. I heard something run towards me and I tensed up, looking at what was coming towards me.

"You were looking for me?" I opened my eyes to see Spirit standing in front of me. I sighed and looked down at the ground for a moment before looking at him.

"Spirit, please don't do that... with everypony seemingly wanting my head, running only means that."

"Sorry... but I was thinking of coming here anyway." He looked into one of the rooms, one that I knew held carrots... or, used to, as it lacked much green. "Wow... Grandmaster wasn't joking. There isn't that much here."

"What we don't want right now is for us to be standing here staring at food! We need to leave now!" I urged, headbutting his side to get him moving.

"Okay okay... I just hope Miss Hues will be alright." He said, and we quickly went to the branches and we both made it out before anypony saw us-

"Hey! What are you doing there?!"

"Run!" My mind screamed as I bolted towards my room again. I pressed my back against the wall the same way Miss Hues did, holding my breath.

Spirit wasn't coming. I heard fighting in the distance, with the familiar sound of guards. It was then when a figure ran through my doorway, causing my legs to buckle out of fear. "Sage?!" I covered my eyes, and I felt something brush through my mane. It was gentle... peeking through, I noticed who it was. Spirit's horn glowed with a white light, which got me to calm down. I lied down and rested my head on my hooves, Spirit doing the same next to me.

I kept my attention at his glowing horn, the sounds of the battle not that far away fading away. It was the same way he would calm me down during one of my "recluse episodes" after I was no longer able to see my family... and like now, even put me to sleep. He was the one who got me back on my hooves... the one who made me become the pony everyone seems to hate now, but I liked.

"Thank you, big brother." was the last I was able to say before I felt myself slipping away to sleep, a blanket being placed on me from above.

"You're welcome, little sister."

Author's Note:

The picture of Sagedust was created by the wonderful Midnight Strike! Thank you so much!

Corrections and critiques welcome.