Birds sang cheerful melodies as sunlight danced through the trees. The stallion awoke with a satisfying stretch. Turning to his right, LD grinned at the stallion that had huddled beside him for warmth in the night. Unceremoniously, LD threw a hoof out and struck his twin to wake him. Seven grunted at the assault and returned a single blow in kind.
LD took the hit to his side and laughed, “You hit like a mare.”
“What time is it?” the identical twin asked.
“Daytime, the sun is up.”
Seven grunted and spoke more deliberately, “What time is it?”
“Do I look like I have a clock?”
The other stallion sighed, finally opening his eyes. LD stood and stretched his wings. Digging in his saddle bags, he found his toothbrush and a bottle of water and set about to freshen himself even before he felt nature's call.
They had stayed the night in a wooded area where the foliage was a little thinner than the surrounding area. LD returned to find Seven sitting up, but otherwise having not moved.
"I can't believe I let you talk me into walking to Ponyville instead of flying," Seven groused.
LD snorted, "Grow up, you baby. It's good for you to try something different now and then."
"Whatever. We'd have been there with time to spare yesterday. We could have slept on a nice soft mattress in a hotel instead of on hard packed dirt with tree roots digging into my back."
"Seriously? Are you going to whine all day?"
Seven shrugged, "I might not if I knew what time it was."
The pair chuckled at nothing in particular and were soon continuing their journey. LD had come to enjoy taking long walks on the ground at times, a character trait that Seven did not share, which was odd when considering their common ancestry.
The grasslands had given way to a soft forest the previous day. It was by no means impassable, but it did seem to slow them down. The terrain made for a beautiful hike, if not a laborious one. Still, the nature that surrounded the pair filled LD with delight, even if his twin did not find it as refreshing. LD had not forgotten the hours of music recitals that Seven had made him sit through the previous year.
As they continued forward, it wasn’t long before the scrubby foliage became much more manicured, and the trees seemed to, somewhat suddenly, be arranged in neat rows. LD started laughing when he realized where they were.
"What's funny?" Seven asked.
"Those are apple trees."
"So?"
"This is the orchard."
Seven looked left and right, seeming flummoxed, "This is Sweet Apple Acres?"
"It sure is," LD giggled again.
"You mean I could have slept in a real bed last night?" the stallion fumed.
LD shrugged, "Yeah, I guess so. Sorry about that."
Seven frowned and let out a sigh. For a moment, it looked as though he might reply, but he just shook his head and continued walking. LD felt a mischievous grin form on his muzzle as he wondered whether he should tell Seven that he'd known how close to Ponyville they’d been the previous night.
Deciding that the reaction would not be worth the fallout, the stallion kept his own council as they trudged through the apple trees. Half of them already seemed far more mature than should have been possible in the time that they had been growing, no doubt due to some clever potions to accelerate their growth.
LD smiled wistfully at the thought of Apple Bloom. He had yet to have any luck on that front, but that certainly would not stop him, or Seven, from trying again if either of them got the chance.
It wasn’t long before they spotted a lone farmhouse from atop a hill they had crested. The pair changed course. There wasn’t a barn nearby. LD concluded that it was Duster’s house.
Filthy from exposure to the elements overnight, LD wanted to get cleaned up before the meeting, which probably wouldn’t get started for a few hours. The pegasus knocked on the door. A light breeze tickled his mane, and the fresh scent of the orchard made him shiver. Seven sneezed.
The door opened, and a mare stood behind it.
“Oh, there are two of you!” Her face contorted in thought as she looked at the scarred stallion, “LB, right?”
“LD, and this is Seven.”
“That’s right! I’m sorry,” Twinklestar seemed to gently scold herself. “Come in.”
“Thank you ma’am.”
They entered the quaint little house, and LD spotted Duster sitting at the table. He turned to speak to him, but caught a look from Twinklestar. She seemed to have caution in her expression and motioned the pair to follow her. They walked away from the kitchen, into a craft-room filled with sewing materials.
Twinklestar spoke in a low voice, “My son is not well.”
“How do you mean?” LD asked, memories of his own troubles coming to mind.
“The war… it… he’s not been himself. He seemed as okay as anypony could be initially, but after the peace was declared and he went to study art… that’s when he really started to change. He failed out of his classes, and we went to pick him up to bring him back. We’ve been to doctors and psychiatrists, even the princesses with all their power… they couldn’t help him.”
Seven frowned.
“And now… Sometimes he just sits all day, wherever I leave him. He won’t even eat if I don’t make him.”
LD’s heart became heavy at the news. He remembered all too well what that was like. He also had not forgotten how difficult it had been to overcome. Some days, he still wasn’t certain that he would be okay. Seven had only recently gone through a similar difficulty. The distraught mare continued.
“I had hoped to get Scootaloo and her friends to try… maybe to make him part of their group and give him something to do, but she’s got that changeling to take care of… I just don’t know what to do for him.”
Seven remained quiet.
LD took a breath and spoke softly, “I’m not sure you can directly do anything more than you have.”
Twinklestar’s head lowered.
“But don’t think for one second that you’re not helping. Yeah?”
She looked back up, the faintest spark of hope barely alive in her eyes.
“We’re going to see Scootaloo and the others later. I’ll talk to her… maybe we can figure something out.”
“Thank you,” the mare seemed relieved. “Would you like to try to talk to him for a bit?”
“Sure, but I think it’d be better if it was just me. Seven, if you want to go ahead and get cleaned up…”
“Sure.”
“I’ll show you where the towels are.”
As the mare left the room, Seven turned to LD and whispered at him.
“I don’t know what you’re planning, but I am not babysitting Ash Eater.”
LD felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end at the mention of the name.
“I don’t consider either of us spending time alone with that changeling an option.”
Seven nodded and hurried after Twinklestar. There was no doubt in LD’s mind that his twin was remembering their time at the mirror pond when Ash Eater had beaten them and Sparklefly. Neither of them could understand how Scootaloo could have agreed to try to befriend that monster. He pushed the thoughts from his mind.
Now alone, LD slowly walked through the living room until he was within sight of Duster. The pegasus sat across the table and was staring in the general direction of the newcomer, but he didn’t seem aware of his presence.
LD strode up, loudly pulled out a chair and sat down in it. There was no reaction initially. The kitchen was mostly clean, a bit of messiness from the preparation of breakfast aside. A few dirty dishes were on the table, as well as a newspaper. It was open to the agriculture section and a headline stood out.
‘Apple Rationing: Daily Limit to Increase’
LD cleared his throat as he looked again across the table. Seemingly unnoticed, he finally decided to speak.
“Hey, Duster.”
The other pegasus blinked, and then refocused his eyes on the stallion who now sat across from him.
“LD?” his rough voice replied; it had apparently never completely recovered from the wound Ash Eater had inflicted.
“It’s been a while.”
“One year.”
LD was bothered by the hollow tone in Duster’s voice. Certainly nothing was wrong with his memory or ability to think in general. It had indeed been a year since they had last seen each other. LD hadn’t been back to Ponyville since Scootaloo’s last gathering. LD decided to stick with small talk and see how things progressed.
“How have you been?
“Okay.”
“Did you ever go back to art school?”
“No.”
“So, what have you been up to?”
Duster stared directly into LD’s eyes, but his reactions seemed slower than one might expect.
“Stuff.”
The short answers were annoying, but LD had little choice but to continue trying for the moment. He decided to attempt teasing.
“Okay… what about mares? Anypony in particular catch your eye? You know if you make a move on Apple Bloom without telling me, there’s going to be trouble.”
“Nopony.”
LD was a little frustrated, but he could only think of one more thing to try.
“Not that it would have mattered. You know I haven’t had any success at all with that farm-pony. Say, come to think of it, your younger sister is just about old enough to start thinking about stallions, isn’t she?”
Duster blinked, otherwise not responding.
“What was her name again?”
LD knew her name.
“Glitterdust.”
“That’s right! Glitterdust. Now that I think about it, she is kind of cute. Would you mind if I asked her out?”
Duster’s expression was still blank as he answered, “Okay.”
LD was uncertain how to continue. He didn’t want to intentionally attempt to anger Duster, but at the same time, he couldn’t think of anywhere else to lead the conversation unless that were his intent. Caution won out in the end, as the pegasus wanted to talk with Scootaloo before he went further. She'd had more recent contact and might have some insight.
The stallion stood and walked away, keeping an eye on Duster to gauge his reaction. There was none. He found Twinklestar standing in the living room, her expression filled with worry.
LD asked, “Is he always like that?”
“He has good days, sometimes,” the mare admitted, “this is as bad as I’ve seen him. He’s like this maybe once or twice a week.”
“I see,” the stallion nodded and thought for a moment. “I’m going to get with Scootaloo today and see if… maybe…”
Twinklestar forced a smile and nodded at LD, wiping a tear from her eye. The stallion was then shown to the restroom where he got cleaned up before he and Seven departed.
Ponyville was just as quaint as he’d remembered, though perhaps even more so. It was no longer teaming with solders and fortifications. There were some remnants of the struggle still visible, but it felt much more peaceful and quiet.
Seven broke the relative silence between the pair, “That was me almost a year ago.”
LD looked over at his twin who had deep lines of concern etched into his face.
“I can’t tell you how upsetting it is to see others still…” Seven shook his head. “If you hadn’t come home and found me, I don’t know what… I…”
“We’re related, what else could I do? But don’t worry. We’re going to help Duster.”
“Our vacation will be used up long before we have time to do much. You know that.”
LD shrugged, “I hate that job anyway. I’ll move here if I have to.”
Seven stopped, looking at LD with unbridled surprise on his face. Then he smiled.
“What?” LD asked.
“It’s just funny to me. I’d have never thought to do that. How did we get to be so...”
“Different?”
Seven snorted a laugh.
“Listen... we are unique. I believe that. I have to believe that. You are Seven. I am LD. Lightning Dasher... that’s who we were, once.”
“I just wish our family had reacted... better.”
LD felt himself scowl at the memory. Both of his parents had accepted Seven. It was made clear when LD went to visit that he was not welcome. That was before Seven had experienced his troubles. They asked; LD helped. His recovery did not solve the tension that had grown amongst them all. In the end, neither of them wanted to go back home.
LD shook his head, “Come on; we’re going to be late.”
Already close, the twins continued toward the coffee house. As it came into view, another party was just arriving, but stopped short when the coming pair was spotted. LD and Seven both locked eyes with the changeling first, giving him amenacing look. Ash Eater recognized them and seemed to shrink back behind Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and… LD’s heart skipped when he saw Apple Bloom. It was obvious that she did not return the sentiment.
“Hey, guys!” Scootaloo greeted them.
“How’s it going, Scoot?” Seven asked.
The mare frowned, punching him on the shoulder when they got close.
“Gah! What was that for?” Seven pouted as he nursed the injury.
“Only crusaders call me ‘Scoot’,” she smirked.
“Fine, lesson learned. You don’t have to hit me so hard though.”
“Aww, did y’all get a boo-boo?” Apple Bloom teased.
LD jumped at the chance to interact, “Are you kidding? She hit Seven so hard that I felt it.”
“Seven?” Sweetie Belle asked.
LD turned to his counterpart as if offering the chance to explain himself.
Seven sighed, “I picked a new name. It’s a long story, but… I felt like I needed to, you know?”
The group seemed uncertain how to respond and grew quiet until Seven spoke again.
“This one kept me up late and early, so I need some coffee in me, now.”
“That we can help you with,” Scootaloo smiled as she started toward the door.
“Scootaloo,” LD stopped her.
She faced him inquisitively.
“There’s something I need to ask you, before we go inside.”
She seemed to catch the unspoken desire for discretion and motioned for the others to continue ahead of her. Seven cast a final glance at LD, hope in his eyes was mixed with sadness. Once the door was shut, the two were alone.
Scootaloo made a fiendish grin, “If this is about Apple Bloom, she’s definitely still not interested in either of you. And if you’re about to get weird on me, forget it or I’ll give you a bruise to match Seven’s.”
A half-hearted laugh escaped the stallion, “No, nothing like that.”
“What’s up?” Scootaloo asked.
She seemed to understand that whatever LD was needing would not be a joking matter.
“Duster.”
Scootaloo’s ears folded back, but she didn’t say anything.
“Seven and I saw him earlier. He is not himself. I had last seen him a year ago… and… it’s much worse.”
The mare sighed, “I know a little. I’ve been away a lot, but even when I’m here, his family keeps me at distance because of Ash Eater.”
“I can’t say I blame them for that,” LD seethed.
Scootaloo took a step back, but then planted her hooves in a somewhat defensive posture.
“Easy,” she warned, “You can have whatever opinion you like. But Ash Eater is my friend. I saw the way you two postured at him a minute ago, and that needs to stop. The war is over. He’s not my enemy, and he’s not yours either.”
LD felt his fur bristle at the statement.
“I’m not asking you to like him,” she continued. “Just be civil.”
The stallion gritted his teeth, “Only because you are the one that’s asking… I think I can manage that much.”
“As for Duster… I don’t know how to help him.”
“His mom is doing a good job keeping him going, but he hasn’t moved on. He’s still back there, you know? For him…”
“It’s like he doesn’t want to go forward because it takes him farther from his sister,” Scootaloo finished the thought.
Their eyes met. LD nodded. Scootaloo sighed and looked down.
“You’re right… I had promised…” The mare looked back up, “I hate that I’ve let this go as long as I have, but… before now… I don’t know if I could have trusted Ash Eater.”
LD tried to contain the anger that formed at the mention of the changeling in any positive context.
“I can now. So, I don’t have to watch him constantly anymore. I’m going to shift gears, as long as it’s okay with Twilight, and see if I can focus on helping Duster.”
“If you need anything from me, I’m willing to quit my job and move here. He needs us.”
Scootaloo smiled at him, “I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
LD snorted, “I wouldn’t do that for you. You’re friends with that changeling.”
The mare raised an eyebrow at the stallion. He sighed.
“Sorry, old habits and all that.”
“Fine, but that was your last free dig at Ash Eater. You have to pay for the next one.”
He knew that she wouldn’t hesitate to strike him and smiled nervously.
“Come on,” she tapped him gently, “Let’s go inside before everypony start’s wondering where we are.”
LD felt only slightly better about Duster’s plight as he followed Scootaloo as she opened the door and entered Java’s.