Far Away

CHAPTER XX

“What happened?” asked Jack in a concerned voice.

“It’s Princess Luna, she got taken by the unicorn named Dark Flames, the one we were fighting.

The night seemed to grow darker. The silvery stars seemed to stop twinkling merrily and cast their constant light onto the lands. A rumble of hooves caught his attention. The entirety of the small country town seemed to be awake and surveying the situation. Twilight stood and moved sandbags swiftly to the left side of the hospital entrance.

“Hello,” she said awkwardly.

Before she could say another word, a white alicorn with a flowing mane landed beside Twilight. She raised a hoof to stop the residents from causing a commotion and pulled Twilight away from the crowd. Royal guards landed soon after as they stood guard stoically on the entrance. Jack tried to enter the small room Celestia had brought Twilight into but she shook her head firmly.

“Twilight,” Celestia said in a low tone, “tell me exactly what happened.”

“Uh… well… you see…” Twilight stuttered as she struggled to put the words out, “Dammit! Ask Jack or somepony else, I wasn’t too involved. I wasn’t the only one, you know?”

“I see,” said the Princess in a regal tone, “Well, let us speak about this at a later date. I have got some appointments to handle back at Canterlot this morning. I will write to you when I have some spare time. Luna’s quite a warrior, you know?”

With that, Celestia trotted elegantly out of the door and disappeared into the reddening horizon, wings open. The royal guards stayed however, maybe to fend off another attack? Unlikely. Twilight returned to the group and found a comfy spot to sit on, “Well, might was well go home guys?” She was replied with grunts of approval as the band moved out of the hospital entrance and into the crowd.

As per usual Daring tugged Jack through the crowd and headed for the inn. They forced their way through the crowd as the sun started to cast long shadows upon anything that blocks its light. Twilight and the ‘bolts were following them, because they knew that Jack wanted to talk. Talk about what happened the night before.

Twilight yelped as she and Dash crashed into something. No, that something was their friends who were probably worried sick about them. Twilight looked up as angry eyes stared upon her. “I can explain!” she yelped. She had never seen her friends wear angry glares at her before. How intimidating?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack sat with everypony around a table in the dimly lit bar in the shabby little inn. They waited patiently as Twilight rearranged her thoughts, so she was at least coherent in front of her friends. “All right,” she said, “So…” Twilight started to explain all that has happened the last few days of her life and it took a fair while. Some facts needed correcting occasionally and that was when the rest of the band got to interject her speech. “… so that was what happened and it all ended with Celestia meeting me and asking me to explain what had happened to her sister,” she ended confidently.

“Aaaaaaand?” asked Rarity.

“I needed some time to rearrange my thoughts. I didn’t answer,” replied Twilight flatly.

Everypony except for the six friends were either sleeping while drunk, sleeping, drinking or drinking while sleeping, an impressive feat performed by Blaze as a testimonial to her crazy habits and what alcohol can drive ponies to do. Daring was trying her hardest not to laugh at Blaze, her cheeks puffing out with every inhalation of air.

Jack sat in his chair, his thoughts drifting to dark faraway lands, indecisive. He dreamed of monsters that fed on darkness or shadows. Lands without sunlight. It was no surprise when asked a question, Jack stiffened and spluttered.

“So, what’s your story. How did you meet up with Daring Do?” asked Dash curiously over a mug of cider.

Daring wrapped a wing around Jack as he choked on his beer and said with a grin, “Look at him, is he in a condition to answer such a strenuous question?”

The merry band chuckled at Jack’s expense. A slight blush crept up into Jack’s cheeks as he grew more and more embarrassed by the second. Jack looked around at the ponies surrounding him, trying to control their laughter. It wasn’t even a funny statement. Maybe the tough situations made light heartedness much more appreciated?

“Uhh… Ok I will tell, just listen carefully, ok?” said Jack in the midst of their snickers.

The group of ponies nodded in approval. They wanted to know how Jack picked up such a famous pony when he was the average commoner and how this mess all started. It really was a mess. Luna is now missing and a mysterious entity in the Everfree probably retreated with their valuable asset.

“So, it all began when…” began Jack as he told the group of his adventures in the eastern lands. The group listened intently not missing a word. They leaned close to the table with their drinks clutched in their hooves. “…and BAM!” shouted Jack when he reached the part when he was attacked by the blue monster the temple in the Jungle attacked him unsuspectingly. Everypony jumped back into their chairs, not anticipating a fright. Jack chuckled as he observed the calamity that was presented to him.

Drinks were spilled onto table and floor; mugs were tipped while the liquid inside gushed out. Soarin spilt beer all over himself, along with Dash who was tucked under his wing. Blaze, who was asleep, but still drinking, got awoken suddenly and her mug was stuck on her muzzle. Damn! What a night.

“I think it is time to get back home now,” said Twilight as she observed the grandfather clock nestled in the corner of the bar. The group groaned as they lifted themselves out of their chairs and stumbled due to the preposterously large amounts of alcohol in their system. Twilight and friends offered a hoof to the Wonderbolts who accepted generously, hobbling out of the inn.

“What a night. I was waiting to do that!” said Jack triumphantly, “That Blaze truly is a great drinker!”

Daring chuckled, “Well at least you still have spirit after what had happened.”

“Believe me, I don’t,” said Jack seriously as he opened the door to their room in the inn.

Jack was about to toss himself onto the bed but Daring stopped him suddenly.

“What?” he asked.

“You’re going to have a bath first before you go anywhere,” she said sternly as she pulled Jack into the bathroom.

“You need to make me!” argued Jack.

“Fine!” Daring rebutted before pouting cutely.

“Stop that before you give me a heart attack Daring! You win, you win!” said Jack as he: 1. Just couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore, 2. Daring was an unstoppable force of nature when it came to persuasion. Jack obediently turned the hot water tap on. Cold water flowed through the pipes at first and took a while to warm up. Daring stepped out of the bathroom to give him privacy. How wonderful it felt to have a bath for the first time in months thought Jack. He simply forgot the feeling of having one after living rough for months on end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack covered himself in a towel before he stepped out of the bathroom to find Daring laying on the bed herself, dirty clothes and all. He grunted angrily as he approached. Daring looked up to him slowly, a look of absolute harrow in her eyes. Jack tugged her out of bed and into the bathroom as she tried to resist.

“What a hypocrite!” exclaimed Jack in a dramatic voice.

“Quit it,” said Daring sharply as she tried to resist with no result.

The water in the bath was still warm so all Jack had to do was to rip the clothes off Daring and dump her in the tub. Simple. How mistaken he truly was. Daring bucked around as Jack tried to force her into the bath after executing phase one of his plan. Jack snatched her out of the air after one final effort and dunked her roughly into the bath. She was not amused. Daring reached her dripping hooves at Jack, who was unsuspecting of the swift attack and launched him into the large bath tub with her.

“Revenge!” she cackled with glee.

Jack looked at Daring disapprovingly and tried to step out before she noticed.

“Where are you going, mister?” she questioned playfully as she tugged Jack back into the tub.

“For the love of god Daring,” he said exasperated.

“Nope.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He finally struggled out of the bathroom after spending ten minutes of fighting. ‘What a night!’ he thought as he dried himself in the room and lay on the bed, staring out the window at the un-twinkling stars. Luna was gone. What happens now? The night was a darker shade of deep violet than when Luna was around. It looked foreign, evil in fact.

Daring finally arrived out of the bathroom when Jack was contemplating going back in and pulling her out forcefully. “Come here, you old prune!” he joked. Daring roughly leapt onto the bed rolling onto Jack.

“Am I really?” she questioned light-heartedly.

“Totally,” answered Jack.

“Why you little…” Daring roared as she plunged into Jack.

Jack quickly got under the sheets and covered his head with his pillow. Daring did the same a few seconds after. She was waiting to get the pounce on Jack. Jack warily took his head out of the pillow, turning opposite to Daring to blow the candles. As he turned back, Daring pulled him into a tight embrace. He was not expecting that.

“Uhh…” he mumbled.

“Just shut up for once, ok?” said Daring rhetorically.

“Mmmhmm…”

“That was a rhetorical question, silly.”

“Dammit!”