Dreams ~Chapter 4, Part 5~

     Light spilled in from the newly opened doorway, momentarily blinding the pegasus to all but the silhouettes of Ebony and Tenebrous.
    "Blue!"  A new unicorn was rushing toward the now-released pegasus before the latter's eyes could readjust.  "Saffron didn't mean for this to happen.  She wanted me to say she's sorry."
    Bice?  No... Blue blinked the clouds from his eyes.  "Y-you...  Ocean?!"
    The horned stallion nodded.  "Come on.  I'll lead you out."
    "...Where's Bice?"
    "He's not allowed free roaming in here, and neither are you, so hurry up."
    Blue was too distraught to figure out what was happening.  All he could gather was that it didn't make sense for Ocean to be allowed and not Bice.  But the way the former had spoken made it seem like Blue should already know the answer to that...which puzzled him moreso, considering how Umber had confirmed that all of Blue's memories were accessible.
    The corridor seemed to stretch on forever.  The sky-colored pegasus could hear murmurs through doors identical to that which had confined Blue just moments ago.  He wasn't sure he wanted to know what they were saying, although he unintentionally identified one sentence clearly among the rest: "Tonight, that'll be us."
    Before Blue could guess what that meant, he and Ocean were already outside.  The winged horse nearly walked right over the edge of the same balcony his father had guarded earlier that day.  
    "Careful!"  His old friend lassoed the larger stallion's hind leg with magic to prevent that from happening.
    "Wait," Blue said, looking back.  Burgundy and Cinereal were guarding the entrance.  "Only patrollers and Higher-ups are allowed inside," Motley said in a serious tone.  "Are...  Are you a--?"  His eyes darted to Ocean's horn.  He almost fell again, this time from the shock of relief when he saw there was no ring--no mana-receiver?--around it.
    "A Higher-up?" Ocean guessed, continuing Blue's unfinished question as he half-guided, half-dragged the pegasus down the slope toward the ground.  "I'm not...yet."
    Blue almost fell a third time at that--from shock, but without the relief; at which point, Ocean took charge and lifted him completely off the ground.
    "I'm sure Umber told you," the black unicorn said, picking up the conversation from his first statements, "Saffron had suffered greatly during Titian's raid on the Outland.  I know it's been a couple years since then, but we have to be patient with her.  No charging at her like you're bloodthirsty, for starters."
    "B-bloodthirsty?" Is that how I look to everyone?
    "But, hey, you couldn't have known.  Mistakes are made to learn from, am I right?"  Ocean Shade gave him a friendly grin, obviously knowing that was what Motley had told Blue before.
    The levitating pegasus was at a loss for words as the two let the view of the Fortress be shrouded by the dead trees they were maneuvering through.  It was hard to tell which way they were going: to the enchanter's, or the non-so?  
    The bigger of the fields that Ocean proceeded to drop him in was the answer.  This time, Blue actually fell.  Bice and Motley rushed to him, talking over each other despite saying the same thing: "Are you alright?"
    Blue stood up, gently shooing them away with his wings.  "I'm fine."
    "They let you go...?" sounded an astonished whisper.  Iridescence stepped between them.
    Now it was Blue's turn to be astonished.  "You're with the enchanters?!"
    "T-Tenebrous let her in on your behalf," Bice explained.
    "I...  I can't believe it."  Tears welled in the mare's eyes, which she then closed until they dried.  Her words started again, this time much harsher.  "Emerald...  Did you see Emerald?!"
    "W-what?" Blue was struck by a feeling he couldn't quite recognize.  Somewhere between hurt and anger.
    "It's impossible to see through doors, you know," Ocean answered for her brother rather hotly.
    "Is it?"  Iridescence glowered at the dark stallion, her volume fading back to a whisper.
    The two unicorns stared each other down.  Ocean's friendly smile and Iridescence's timid frown both were replaced by threatening scowls.
    Motley intervened.  "That's enough, you two."
    The purple mare turned away from them in response, the tension de-escalating.  "Blue..."  A downpour of sorrow rained from her tone.  Her following words were individually emphasized:  "Leave the enchanters while you still can."
    Blue didn't get a chance to respond, even if he knew how to; she was already walking away.  His gaze followed her into the midst of the other unicorns, where he spotted Saffron and Apricot.