A million, billion stars twinkled overhead. For some, this was the first time they had seen the stars in quite a long time. For others, the stars were familiar friends that brought comfort after a trying day. Yet for some, the stars were terrifying things, as was the empty void of space. Such was the fate of the bushwoolies, who favoured living underground and were scared silly of open spaces.

There was a strange joyful melancholy about. Many were sad about the deaths, but there was an overwhelming feeling of hope and jubilation at being free. Tarnish had trouble taking it all in, it was difficult to understand how the feelings of grief and happiness could meld together and offer the atmosphere he was feeling.

He figured that was life in a nutshell. It didn’t have to make sense. It just had to happen.

A fire crackled in front of him and Maud sat beside him. On the other side of the fire sat Octavia and Vinyl. Much to Tarnish’s relief, Vinyl’s nose had stopped letting out little trickles of blood, but her eye was still red and spiderwebbed with engorged veins. Not too far away, Long Ears lay sprawled in the grass, sleeping, and his sister was using his back as a pillow, as she too, slept.

Hearing the crunch of gravel, he turned his head and saw Minori approaching. She looked exhausted, her face sagged with weariness. She walked with her front paws, holding her leg stubs up off of the ground as she barreled along using her front limbs. He watched as she eased herself down near the fire.

“Dig Dag would not let me treat many of the infected and the injured, not until they submitted and promised to behave. I have much catching up to do.” The older diamond dog settled in and made herself comfortable among the ponies. She pulled around her satchel, opened it up, and began to rummage around inside. “I will be glad to leave this place.”

“Kabuki and Long Ears are amazing pups,” Maud said in her usual deadpan.

An unmistakable look of pride appeared upon Minori’s face. Tarnish figured that with her being a wise old dog, she probably knew the dangers of pride more than any other member of her tribe, but it made him glad to see that she had it for the pups. There was something else upon her face, something Tarnish did not recognise, perhaps because he wasn’t familiar with diamond dog faces.

“They are my hope for the future. I had once placed so much hope in Dig Dag… but it was not to be. Long Ears will be a good leader. He has a better temperament and he has his sister to keep him level headed.” Sighing, Minori smiled and looked over where the two pups lay.

“She wants to be a warrior.” Tarnish’s voice was a soft whisper and the crackle of the fire almost made it difficult to hear. In the distance, he heard singing, which sounded a bit like howling. It was a mournful sound and he wondered if the clan was paying respects to their dead.

“She is gifted as a healer though. She’s already mastered everything I know about acupuncture. She has a knack for alchemy. And”—Minori pulled something out of her satchel and held it out to Tarnish—“she knows the stitch magic.”

Staring at what he was being offered, Tarnish realised that it was leather, rolled up like a scroll. It was another animal’s skin. He felt a passing moment of queasiness, his mouth went dry, then flooded with saliva as more nausea almost overcame him, and then his mouth went dry again. Minori was offering him a gift, a gift that he would feel wrong about refusing.

It took a colossal act of will to take the rolled up sheet of leather out of Minori’s paw. He felt his skin crawl as he held it in his magic, but holding it wasn’t enough. He saw that it was tied together with leather strips. He untied them and then unrolled it.

Written, or perhaps burned into the leather were diagrams showing how to tie various knots and create different types of stitches that would act as focal points for magic. Now entranced by what he saw, the leather was a lot less disgusting. There were words here too, words written in careful, flowing calligraphy. Or burnt into the leather. It was hard to tell in the firelight.

“I had Kabuki make that for you,” Minori said in a low voice. “She put a lot of effort into it. I told her it was a test. I’ve looked over it, she’s made no mistakes that I can see. Those knots will put useful enchantments into clothing, making it self mending or waterproof, while other knots will aid in healing.” Minori’s whole face puckered up. “Had Dig Dag lived, he probably would have made me sew his arms back on.”

“Thank you.” Tarnish’s voice was a breathy whisper and he looked up at Minori.

“I’m still not sure why a unicorn would be interested in such trivial magic.” Minori let out a sniff and her notched ears perked up. “Your kind once moved the sun and the moon. You made eclipses happen just to show off and keep the superstitious in awe of you. Some of your kind have acted as the gods of my kind. Entire nations have been burned down by your kind in the many wars throughout the ages.”

Rolling up the leather scroll, Tarnish tied it closed. “I’m a ranger… and the ability to stitch up a wound and have it heal is invaluable. With this”—Tarnish shook the scroll in front of his face—“I’ll be able to save lives.”

Minori’s eyes glittered in the firelight and something resembling cunning could be seen on her face as she studied Tarnish. “Eh, a wise one. Some lives are given, some lives are taken. Tell me, wise one, which do you think will benefit you more?”

Just as the words were ready to leave his mouth, Tarnish swallowed them, as he realised that this was a loaded question. He wanted to say, ‘giving lives,’ but he understood that there were going to be situations like what happened earlier in the day where conflict and killing were unavoidable.

“See how he thinks,” Minori whispered in a weary voice. “See how he thinks and how he contemplates his answer.” She looked over at Maud and her eyes narrowed. “Sōhei, how proud you must be of your mate.”

“That’s the second time you called me that.” Maud looked Minori in the eye. “What does that mean?”

“In Inujima, we have a sect of powerful warrior monks, the Sōhei. You would find yourself at home among their number. They are the calm storm, the quiet destruction, the gentle avalanche.” Minori smiled at Maud and then looked over at Tarnish, still waiting for an answer.

“There is no easy answer,” Tarnish said, not knowing what else to say. “I can try and do all of the good I can and still make mistakes. Bad things can still happen. The best that I can hope for is to play it by ear and then deal with the consequences, good or bad.” As he spoke, he saw Minori nod.

“You would be wise to remember that we all have one thing in common—”

“An asshole?” Tarnish asked, trying to finish her statement.

“Yes.” Minori grinned. “Even alicorns, for all of their might, have a built in turd slicer. They too, must have difficult moments with turds that refuse to be cut.” The old dog laughed, reached up, scratched her ear, and then shook her head. “I am tired, and I must be going. There is much to do on the morrow.”

Tarnish watched as the old dog closed up her satchel and made ready to leave. “Thanks again… I appreciate the scroll… I feel blessed for having met you.”

“And I, you.”

With a snort, Tarnish awoke. He was both chilly and warm. He was also wet, covered with the morning dew. He had vague memories of Octavia singing last night, and he must have fallen asleep. Maud was beside him, and there were two pups curled up against his side. He yawned and felt a powerful thirst that made his throat dry as well as scratchy.

He smelled fire and when he looked around, he saw several of them blazing. Cooking fires, by the smell of things. The scent made his stomach lurch in a most uncomfortable way, but he held himself together. He thought of the leather scroll and knew that this wasn’t too different. He was determined to be respectful, even if he was uncomfortable.

He heard Flamingo’s chirpy, chipper, cheerful voice. She was nearby, chatting with some diamond dogs. Yawning, Tarnish felt a pang of regret, knowing that he was going to wake up those sleeping against him when he stood up, but he had to go. On the ground nearby, there were some big wooden bowls and upon closer inspection, Tarnish saw they were filled with berries. Some kind soul had left them breakfast.

As he struggled to get to his hooves, several things happened. There was a soft yelp, a fearsome growl, and an annoyed grunt. The grunt came from Maud, but he wasn’t sure who yelped or who growled. The two pups fell into the warm spot on the grass where he had been lying and he did his best not to step on them. After a scramble, the three remaining sleepers piled together while Tarnish went off to take care of business.

Looking up, Tarnished Teapot was awestruck by what he saw. In the early hours of the dawn the golden armor of the guard glowed with a rosy hue, turned pink by the sun. There were several sky chariots and in the middle of the wing of guards, there was not one, but two princesses that could be seen, one lavender, one blue. All around him, the camp filled with the buzz of activity.

For Tarnish, it was one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring sights he had ever seen, and one that would stay with him for the rest of his life. Like many, he held a special sort of reverence for the guard, and seeing them renewed his sense of patriotism. When the first of the guard landed, Tarnish let out a gasp of relief.

When Twilight touched down, Tarnish saw that she had Spike with her, and Princess Luna landed not but a moment later. He dropped his head into a bow and was about to bend his knee when Twilight said a single word.

“Stop.”

He froze in place, his head still low, watching as more guard landed all around them. Chariots landed with less than graceful thumps. There were boxes and supplies with the guard, and Tarnish hoped that much needed medical supplies had been brought. He grinned as Twilight approached and Spike waddled beside her.

Twilight stopped in place and began to look around, taking note of the signs of catastrophe all around her. Broken trees, shattered rocks, places where the grass and root layers had been stripped away, she took it all in with wide, curious eyes. After looking around her, she focused a calm, commanding stare upon Tarnish.

“Much seems to have happened here,” Twilight said as she looked Tarnish in the eye. “I am positive there is a story to tell, but that shall have to come later. For now, we must settle in and offer what aid we can.”

Tarnish’s ears stood up. Twilight seemed a little stiff, starchy, and formal. He glanced at Princess Luna, who stood nearby and said nothing. Upon looking at her, Tarnish understood. This was Twilight’s dog and pony show. She was here to prove herself, and Princess Luna was here to watch as Twilight spread her wings.

He found himself wanting to see Twilight succeed. She had to prove herself, just as he had to prove himself. Twilight was a good pony, one of the very best, and she had a lot to offer the world. She had dealt with him fairly and had done right by him. He thought about everything that Twilight had done for him and felt a warm, happy feeling.

“Have you gone off and gotten taller?” Twilight asked in a low voice as she looked up at Tarnish. “You gotta stop that. At this rate, you’ll be seeing eye to eye with Princess Celestia.” She flashed him a grin that lasted only for a second, and then she resumed looking reserved and serious.

“Maybe.” Tarnish shrugged. He didn’t know. Try as he might, he could not stop grinning.

Behind him, he heard sleepy yawns and a whole lot of hustle and bustle. He heard voices, some excited, and some fearful. This was a momentous moment, pregnant with possibility. There was a great opportunity here, and it appeared as though Twilight was going to embrace it, even if she had some reservations.

He became aware that Princess Luna’s eyes were upon him. Her heavy gaze made him feel self-conscious and nervous. He looked into her eyes for a moment, got the feeling that she was staring into his very soul, and looked away, averting his gaze. Something about her stony, featureless expression unnerved him and he felt his knees wobble just a bit, as if compelled by the sudden need to grovel and scrape upon the ground.

There was also the peculiar feeling that he had met her before, but that was impossible and he knew it was just his mind playing tricks upon him. She had come to him while dreaming, that had to be it, that had to be the explanation for the sense of familiarity he felt. It was the only logical, reasonable explanation that he could come up with.

Author's Notes:

Next chapter involves some swearing.