//------------------------------// // Humble Beginnings // Story: Light in the Dusk // by AlphatheGriffin17 //------------------------------// "Hey look, there he goes again," a unicorn mare said to her friend. "He looks so lonely," she replied pityingly. "Think we should go and talk to him?" "He's always lonely, and I wouldn't bother. He never talks to anyone. Compared to him, Twilight Sparkle is more sociable." "If you say so," she replied unsurely, as they passed on, resuming their previous conversation. The colt in question couldn't help but be rather both disappointed and annoyed. The former because they hadn't come over and said 'hello' and the latter because that was what he almost always heard around the school. He was Mr. Solitary, quiet, reserved and always on his own, as far as everypony was concerned. Putting aside these thoughts for now, he continued on towards the school library, one of his regular haunts at the place where he learned. In fact, it was the only regular haunt of his. How sad was that. Oh well, that just meant he was out of everyone's way and he wouldn't bother anypony. Nopony would be wanting to waste their time on him. Those two mares had just proven that. He passed a window, looking at his image reflected in the glass. His blue fur and pointed horn were as dark as the night, like he could blend into the shadows without anyone noticing. His mane and tail were a chestnut brown, neatly combed and styled to his liking, with odd little bit sticking out, creating a blend of scruffy and tidy. His Cutie Mark was a rolled-out scroll, showing his enjoyment of learning whatever took his fancy. He had most describe him as 'dark' and 'mysterious.' One time, somepony compared him to Nightmare Moon, due to his fur colour. To his own eyes, which were an emerald green, he was completely unremarkable and not worth bothering with. Just your average, run-of-the-mill unicorn. His name was Dusk Noir, and he had some work to do. As well as his own personal mission. Approaching the doors to the library, he pushed them open and stepped in to the haven of books and silence. He liked the quiet, sometimes. It helped him to think clearly and focus his mind. Right now, he really needed to focus his mind and be calm. As that mare had said, he never really spoke to anyone. He kept himself to himself. He never thought he'd have anything interesting to share or do with anypony. There was possibly one exception, but due to his nerves and lack of confidence, he never really showed that particular aspect of himself. Hence, he had virtually no friends. Scratch that, he didn't have any friends. He just never really thought about speaking to anypony, especially when it was obvious they wouldn't be interested in what he said anyway. He never even considered it. Except for one pony. She, like him, frequented the library. She, like him, usually had her nose buried in a book. She, like him, didn't talk to or make friends with any other ponies. That was why he was going to talk to her. Today. Right here, right now. He sighed, pulling a favourite fantasy book of his down from one of the shelves, as well as a book on magical study. That was what he always thought to himself when he entered the library. And then, he always lost his nerve to do it and left, vowing the next day he would do it. No, he told himself mentally. Today was going to be different. Today, he was going to talk to her. And maybe, just maybe, she would be his friend. Slim chances, he knew, but it was worth a shot. Taking the books he collected, he walked over to his regular table by the window, sat on a chair, set his books out in front of him, opened one of them up and began to read. As his eyes traveled over the words, he began to picture her clearly in his mind. A unicorn, with a lilac, shining coat of fur and horn that matched it. Her mane and tail were a deeper shade of purple, with streaks of purple and pink along it. Her eyes, also a deep purple, always seemed to shine with an enthusiasm and dedication for learning, twinkling like her star-shaped Cutie Mark. His head shot up when he realised he was accidentally doing it again. A purple shimmer had appeared in the air before him, his horn aglow with magic. It formed a rough shape of her head, shining and twinkling. Hurriedly, he canceled the magic and looked around, hoping against hope nopony had seen. But he was alone in this little area. Nopony else around. He gave a sigh of relief and resumed reading. Waiting. Soon, she would be here. He knew her name, of course. Twilight Sparkle, the personal protegee of the Princess herself. Skilled in magic, incredibly studious and a hard worker. So hard, that she never really had anytime for friends and socialising. She always had her nose buried in a book, her dragon assistant always close by. He seemed to be her only friend. He only knew this because of what he had heard from conversations around the school about her. Ponies tried to be friendly with her, or ask her to parties, but she always turned them down. Always reading, always working. Like Dusk. Maybe that was why he felt drawn to her, because they seemed so much alike. Maybe he was aiming too high, since she was the Princess's personal student. What would she care about anything he, an unnoticeable nopony, had to say? Still, there was always hope... But she never came. He waited for hours, his pile of read books growing steadily higher. She always came, he thought to himself, why wouldn't she be here today? Why wasn't she coming? It was only when Princess Celestia began to lower the sun in the sky, to make room for the moon and stars, that he gave up, placed the books back on their shelves and, dejectedly, trudged out of the doors and back to his dorm. She wasn't coming. As he walked back across the grounds, his heart still heavy with disappointment, he happened the glance up at the moon. He expected to see it, shining in the night sky as always, the shape of the 'Mare in the Moon' against it. Except that it wasn't. The Mare in the Moon had vanished. Completely gone. Like she was never there. He wasn't the only one to notice this phenomenon. Other ponies, either in the grounds or looking out of windows, all began gazing up at the sky. They all wondered what was going on? Why had the Mare in the Moon vanished? Dusk shrugged and continued on. Perhaps it was just due a rotation that they couldn't see the Mare anymore on their side. Maybe it was just facing away from them. Not worth bothering with. Wasn't it? He arrived back at his room, placing his bag neatly in its usual spot. He then climbed into bed, nestled under his blankets and waited for sleep. His thoughts never even strayed to anything outside his own plane of existence. Except for wondering where Twilight Sparkle had gone. Little did he know that, as he slept, events were already in motion. Events that would ultimately affect him and change the way he thought of the world, ponies and himself. Forever. And it would all start with the unicorn that his thoughts strayed to. The one who's head, roughly shaped by a shining lilac light coming from his horn, formed again above him.