Nightshade was doing pretty well at the bar. She wasn't exactly a trained bartender, but fortunately, nopony was asking for anything complicated. Winter approached the bar. "Hey... so... I'm moving back in with your father." "Interesting. You gonna stick around this time?" "I deserve that. And yes, at least until I finish my research on the ancient Arimaspi kingdoms. A year, maybe longer." "And why are you telling me?" "Because we'd like to toast or reconciliation. Merlot... 999 was a good year." Nightshade sighed and went to the wine rack to look for the bottle. Eventually, she found a bottle labeled '666 xolrew.' "The label's upside-down and the writing's a bit off," she thought, "but this is the stuff." She pulled out the bottle and a couple of wineglasses and looked around for a corkscrew.
"I'm a treasure hunter..." "A thief," Nightshade corrected. "Fine. And a damn good one, too. Anyway, I heard about a lost treasure that was supposedly in Griffonstone... the Idol of Boreas. Worth a fortune to the right buyer." She sighed. "I had an argument with Silver the night before I left. The buyer I had lined up... Blackheart... was under investigation by the Guard. Some kind of Unicorn supremacist group. He didn't want me dealing with a pony like that. I told him is was none of his business." "I remember that night," Nightshade said quietly. "He said that if you went... you might as well just not come back."
Mat's jaw dropped a bit at this, "Okay, never mind, but what about his position, he's technically a Prince. I mean, what if he starts forming an angry mob or something?"
"*squee!*..." Raven sighed, thinking more negative things about Silver. She tried to think of redeeming qualities. "Nopony who has ever met Blueblood respects Blueblood enough to march with him."
Mat stares at Dusty, "... So I'm panicking over nothing? Is that what you're saying? I don't know, I just feel... it's a slippery slope, Dusty."
Winter caught the look on Raven's face. "Don't think that of him. He's not a nice pony, but he's a good pony, at heart. When Shady was hurt, he never left her side. Didn't sleep, barely ate. I don't like what he turned her into, and I know that a lot of it is my fault, but I have no doubt that he did what he thought was right."
"It made me strong." Nightshade said. "Strong enough to face down the worst monsters in Equestria and beyond, and come out alive. That's the lesson he taught me, from the day I was old enough to understand. Only the strong survive."
Mat nods, extending a hoof to Dusty, "... There might be a time I might almost lose myself... Can you... promise to help me if that happens?"
