Chapter 4: Starting Off
Just as first light began to break over the horizon, I awoke and rose from my bed. I immediately got up, had a quick shower, and combed my hair as neatly as I could, though it still stuck up in places, before I then went over to wake Shield, who was still fast asleep on the couch.
“Shield, wake up!” I said to him as I shook him to get him to wake up.
“Huh?” Shield said before he looked at me with a tired look. “What? What’s going on?”
“Time to get up, Shield!” I said to him. “I got my interview today!”
“Seriously? Celestia just rose the sun.” he complained before he slumped back down to back to sleep, tightening the blanket on himself. “Can’t I sleep for a few more minutes?”
“Get up!” I said as I pulled the blanket off him, pulling him to the floor in the process.
“Yah!” Shield said as he fell off the couch and hit the floor.
“Come on, Shield! With Dog no doubt helping Applejack with the orchard and Leon doing who knows what, you’re the only help I got left to make sure things go smoothly. Now get up and get ready to go.”
“Alright, alright.” Shield groaned as he got up on his hooves and went off to take a shower. “It’s not my fault I’m not an early bird like you.”
After he was done with the shower, we had a quick breakfast of the remaining apples Applejack let us have and were soon ready to go, butterflies fluttering in my stomach.
“Ready to go, Shield?” I asked my loyal friend.
“Ready!” Shield said as he joined me at the door, looking more refreshed.
We began to trot in the direction of the main town as other ponies also began rising from their beds and leaving their homes to start the new day. A new day, a new start, a new job, that last one in my case.
“This is it.” I said to Shield as we walked. “I’m finally going to speak to Twilight Sparkle.” Then my thoughts spiraled like wild and I ended up breathing in a panic. “What should I say first? What’s she gonna think of me? Does my mane look neat enough? Is it too neat?”
“Dusk, breathe!” Shield said to me, calming me down. “You’re just fine. There’s no reason to worry.”
“I know, but I just want to make sure I make a good impression.” I said to him. “First impressions count.”
“Take it easy, bud.” Shield said. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”
“Thanks, Shield.” I said to him before I looked forward and saw the library of Ponyville in sight. “There it is. The Golden Oak Library.”
The thing about this library was that it had been built into the body of a large tree, showing the Earth pony talent to blend architecture with nature. With a little bit of Unicorn magic, of course. Three balconies emerged from different parts of the tree, one of which had a telescope set atop it, pointed skyward. We stopped at the red door, which had a candle painted on it, so I could have a moment to prepare myself.
I took a deep breath and said “Here we go.”
From there, I then slowly pushed the door open and we walked right in. For me, it felt rather comforting, to step once more into the rows of books I had become familiar with. A whole new library to learn.
“Looks like nopony’s home.” Shield said as we looked around, the place looking like that as far as we could see.
“Yeah, seems like it.” I said before I smelled something cooking. “Hey, do you smell eggs?”
Shield sniffed the air before he said “Yeah. Smells pretty good.”
“They must just be having breakfast.” I said as we started to have a look around.
“Geez, and I thought you had lot of books.” Shield said as we looked at all the books on the shelves.
“Yeah, look at all of them.” I said, amazed by all the knowledge the library had. “This place haves everything. All the essentials are here. Science, magic, history, Little Ponies, fantasy, everything that a good library needs.”
“Yeah, it’s egghead central.” Shield said, not really interested in all of this.
My eyes swept over the many colored volumes, large and small, thick and thin. Some I’d read before, some I’d never even heard of. I wondered what exactly I’d be doing, what job I might have.
Lost in thought, I heard a door open and turned to see a small dragon emerge through it. His scales were a light purple, spines were green and his underbelly was a sort of jadish color. He also had a white chef’s hat on his head. Okay, that's a first.
“I thought I heard somepony come in.” he remarked brightly.
“You see the dragon with the hat too?” Shield asked me as we both looked at the dragon.
“Yep.” I said to him.
“Can I help you?” the little dragon said to us.
“Um…yes.” I replied, wondering why he didn't know who I was. “I’m…starting work here today. Second assistant?”
“Oh, right. Yeah, I remember now! Dusk Noir, right?” He said to me, making me I nodded as I was relieved that he recalled correctly. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I assured him before I motioned to Shield as I introduced him. “This is my friend, Shield Steedor.”
“Sup.” Shield said to him, casually.
“Hey, I'm Spike!” he said as he held out his claw. “Good to meet ya!"
“Likewise, Spike.” I politely said, shaking the dragon's claw.
“Yeah, you’re here a little earlier than we expected.” He said.
“We are?” I asked him.
“Told ya.” Shield said to me, reminding me about what he said when I woke him up this morning.
“Well…early bird, as they say.” I said with a nervous chuckle. “Sorry, we can come back later…”
“Don’t worry, it's fine.” Spike assured me, smiling brightly. “Way to make a good first impression. Twilight's gonna be impressed.”
“R-really?” I murmured, appraisingly.
“Of course! Come on, I'll take you to meet her.” He said as he led the way to what I assumed was the kitchen.
“This is working out better than I thought.” I said to Shield as we followed Spike.
“Hey, Twilight!” Spike called out. “The new guy’s here!”
“This early?” My stomach jolted has I heard her voice. “Wow. Show him in then. Maybe he’d like to join us.”
“Already doing it!” He turned back to me and Shield. “We were just about to have breakfast. You wanna have some?”
“Well, yeah!” Shield said to the dragon. “We had a light breakfast before we got here.”
“Thank you, Spike,” I muttered shyly, “but…we wouldn’t want to impose on you.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Spike said to me. “Come on!”
Without waiting for an answer, he continued to lead us into the kitchen.
And there she was, sitting at a table by the window as the sun streamed in around her. My memory of her hadn’t done her justice. She looked up, saw me, and gave me a friendly smile. I could only stand in the doorway, completely dumbstruck.
“Good morning.” she greeted me. “It’s Dusk, isn’t it?”
Shield nudged me when I was still in my dumbstruck state, snapping me out of it.
“Huh?” I said as I recomposed myself. The first thing I say to her and it’s the stupidest thing I could have said. “I mean, uh…yes. I'm…I’m Dusk Noir.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Dusk.” She said to me. “I’m Twilight Sparkle.”
I know what it was I wanted to say. I've known who you are for years. I've always dreamed of just speaking to you, hoping you'd be the only pony who might find me interesting enough to call my friend. You have no idea how nervous I am right now, how happy that I'm finally talking to you. Instead, Shield ended up speaking for me.
“He already knows who you are.” Shield said, causing me to freeze up in shock. “He’s been waiting to talk to you for years.”
“And who might you be?” she asked my loyal friend.
“Shield Steedor.” He said to her. “I’m Dusk’s bud.”
“Oh.” She said before she raised her eyebrow in confusion. “But, wait. I was told he had three friends with him. Where are the other two?”
“Busy out in town. I’m the only who stuck with our blue friend here.”
“Oh, I see.” She said before she spoke to me. “So what he said was true? Did you really want to talk to me?”
With that, I took my time to think of the right words and finally said “Yes… Yes, I have. It’s…it’s good to meet you again, Miss Sparkle.”
“Well, I’m glad to finally meet you. Come on in, have a seat.” She said as she gestured to the two empty chairs across from her. “Spike was just making an egg omelet.”
“Good, I’m starving.” Shield said as he went over and took a chair.
“Okay, I guess.” I said as I laughed nervously again, taking the seat next to Shield. “We did have some breakfast but…well, it wasn’t a big one.”
“Are you kidding me?” Shield said to me. “It was only a few apples!”
“That’s no good!” We heard Spike call out. “Don’t worry, I’ll make you guys some proper breakfast in just a few minutes.”
“Thanks, Spike!” Shield said to the dragon.
“Sorry about the extra chairs.” Twilight said to us, referring to the chairs to the side. “I was expecting there would be four of you.”
“It’s no problem, really.” I said to her. “Also thank you again. This is…this is very kind of you, letting me and Shield eat breakfast with you, Miss Sparkle.”
“No problem at all.” she told me, still smiling. “Gotta have plenty of energy for your first day of work, right?”
“I suppose so, Miss Sparkle.” I sniffed the air again. “It…it certainly smells…good.”
“Oh, believe me.” Spike said, standing proudly. “You haven’t tasted anything until you've eaten some of my omelet.”
”Spike,” Twilight said sternly, “you do remember that it was Applejack that gave you the recipe for that omelet in the first place, right?”
“Of er…of course, but I’m the one cooking it, aren’t I?” he reminded her.
“I suppose so.” she concededly said.
“Hold on? Applejack?” Shield asked as she looked back at us, his question making me realize that she actually knew Applejack.
“Yes, she’s one of my best friends.” She said to us, shocking us. “You'll never find a more honest, reliable pony anywhere.”
“You’re friends with Applejack?” I said as me and Shield still continued to look at her with shock.
“Of course.” Twilight said to us. “Why?”
With this, I decided to use my telepathy to talk to Shield so Twilight didn’t hear us.
Shield, can you hear me? I said to him through thought as we looked at each other.
Yeah. Shield said to me. Did you hear what she said? If Applejack is one of her friends, that means she’s one of those new wielders you were talking about.
I know. I said to him. I just remembered that I actually saw her on the window back in Canterlot using the Elements of Harmony with her. There’s no doubt in my mind that she’s the wielder of the Element of Honesty.
Well, if that’s the case, then that means Dog can actually make the catch of the day with her. Shield said. Now that we know, those two are the most honest ponies in Equestria. Should we tell Twilight here that we know about what happened at the Summer Sun Celebration?
No, not yet. I said to him. I don’t really think it would be good if it’s just two of them. It took six ponies to use the Elements. We still need to find the other four before we say anything like that to her.
Guess you’re right. Shield said to me. By the way, if Applejack’s honesty, then which Element is your girlfriend here?
I told you a bunch of times, Shield, she’s not my girlfriend! I said to him. Also I think she’s the Element of Magic. She was always the best at it back at Canterlot.
“Are you two okay?” Twilight said as she looked at us with a raised eyebrow. “You seem awful quiet.”
Just play it cool and don’t mention anything about her or Applejack being the wielders until we find all of them, okay? I said to Shield.
Got ya. Shield said to me as we end the private conversation.
“Yeah, we’re fine.” I said to her.
“O-kaaay.” Twilight said, unsurely. “So why exactly were you asking if Applejack’s my friend?”
“Oh, it’s because…” I said, trying to come up with an excuse. “We’re actually friends with her.”
“Really?” Twilight asked me with interest.
“Yeah, our bud Dog is a friend of hers.” Shield said to her. “He said they knew each other since they were foals.”
“That’s amazing!” Twilight said with a smile. “I might have to meet Dog sometime.”
“Well, he’s actually at Sweet Apple Acres.” I said to her. “We can take you there to meet him.”
“That would be great. Thank you.” She said to me. “So, Dusk, you’ve come here from Canterlot, isn't that right?”
“Yes, me and my friends came here from Canterlot.” I said to her.
“But Dusk is the only one who lived there.” Shield said to her.
“So where did you and the others come from?” she asked him.
“With Leon, we’re not really sure.” Shield said as he began explaining where he and the guys came from. “Guy doesn’t really say much about it. All we know is that he worked in the circus before he got to Canterlot. Dog is actually from this town.”
“Dog is from Ponyville?” Twilight asked, surprised by this.
“Yeah, his family moved from here a few years back.” I said to her.
“And what about you, Shield?” she asked my athlete friend.
“Oh, I’m from the sticks.” He told her. “Came to Canterlot all the way from Diggington.”
“Diggington?” she said to him. “That’s quite a distance.”
“Not when you’re the fastest stallion in Equestria.” Shield proudly said.
“Yes, he’s pretty fast.” I said to her. “Even pegasi have trouble keeping up with him.”
“Amazing.” She said to us. “But you’ve all traveled here together?”
“That’s correct.” I said to her. “We just arrived here yesterday, Miss Sparkle.”
After I said that, she began to giggle.
“What’s so funny?” I asked her, confused by this.
“Dusk,” she said to me, “you can drop the formalities. You don't have to keep calling me ‘Miss Sparkle’ all of the time. You can just call me Twilight.”
“Oh! Um…er…” I said, now I feeling like an idiot. “Sorry, Miss Spark—I mean, Twilight!” I could feel my insides flutter as I spoke her first name, Shield snickered in amusement a bit from it. “I just er…well, seeing as you’re gonna be, you know, my boss…I didn’t want to appear…presumptuous or rude.”
“That’s quite alright.” she assured me. “It’s good that you started off so politely at any rate. And, while I am in charge technically, I don’t want you to think of me as your boss, not fully. I was hoping that, in time, you'd come to think of us as friends.”
I felt my eyes grew wider. Twilight Sparkle, the pony I’d wanted to talk to almost all of my life and one of the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, was already considering me to be her…friend? Me, who was once the most dull, uninteresting, and boring unicorn to have ever set foot across Equestria. I didn't want to get my hopes up yet but…this was turning out better than I’d expected. I even looked and saw Shield smile at me, proving it was true.
“R-really? You’d…consider me a friend?” I said.
I expected her to say something like “Of course not, don't be silly! I was just joking with you, now get to work and don't say a word.” But instead…
“Of course.” I had to try and control the wide grin that threatened to come onto my face. “I’m sure that you and I are going to get along just fine.”
That grin won the battle and spread across my face. Twilight giggled at that, but I didn't feel embarrassed anymore. I didn't want to get my hopes up too high but…this was great! Shield even nudged me in congratulations for I have finally done it. I finally became Twilight’s friend!
Spike arrived with the omelet halves and set them down. He was right, it was good. It had come from Applejack, so it was expected. I felt another warm feeling of gratitude to the country pony and smiled as I ate.
We ate in a comfortable silence and, when we were finished, Twilight rose from her chair, Spike began to clear up and I followed Twilight into the main part of the library with Shield following behind us.
“Right, we've got plenty of things to do today.” Twilight said, turning to me. “While Spike is cleaning up, would you start sweeping the floor, Dusk?”
“Certainly, Miss Spark—Twilight!” I blushed a little as I chuckled. “Sorry, gonna have to get used to that.”
“It’s fine.” Twilight said to me. “The brush is over there in the corner.”
I nodded, picked up the brush with a spell, took it in my claws, and began to sweep it across the floor, gathering up the dust into a pile in the center of the room. Shield sat there and watched as I did. While that was going on, I noticed Twilight hover a book on magic down to her and opened it.
Still hard at work on her studies. I thought to myself.
From what I had heard, even though she had been anti-social, Twilight was truly talented at magic. Most unicorns just used it for simple stuff, like moving things, helping with cooking or playing instruments. Her talents, however, were said to be truly remarkable.
“So Dusk,” she began again, looking up from her reading, “you’re from Canterlot too?”
“Yes, I am.” I confirmed, sweeping in a corner. “I’ve lived there most of my life, earned my Cutie Mark there, attended Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns…” I held my breath and froze from realizing I told her I went to the same school as her. What would she say?
“Oh, of course! I thought I recognized you from somewhere.” Recognize me? I thought bewildered. What? “I’ve seen you plenty of times, in the library at the school! You were always at the same table, reading a book or making notes.”
“Y-y-you did?” I said as I couldn't believe it. She remembered me! All of this time and she knew who I was!
“Yeah. I thought it was good to see a unicorn as dedicated to study as I was.” Her expression changed to a sympathetic grimace. “I’m sorry that I never came over to talk, but I used to think that my studies were more important than making friends.”
“It’s okay, I understand.” I said to her. And that’s when I dared to ask: “But…you feel differently about that now…right?”
“Certainly.” She flicked through a few pages in her book. “Of course, I still need to keep up with my studies, but I’ve learned that making friends is just as important as well. Perhaps even more.”
“That's good.” I said, giving her my best smile. “I know the feeling. That’s how I was before Shield and the others came along.”
“I hope that we’ll be good friends, Dusk.” she said sincerely as she returned my smile.
“Me too…Twilight.” I said, proud that I finally got it right.
I then resumed my cleaning, my spirits soaring. I heard the sound of the kitchen door opening, and I looked to see Spike emerge, drying his hands and his chef's hat absent.
“There we go, Twilight, all clean in the kitchen.” he reported.
“Good work Spike. You can take a little break now, until Dusk is done sweeping. Is that alright with you, Dusk?”
“Absolutely.” I affirmed. “He deserves a little rest. I'll be fine sweeping up here.”
“Great!” The dragon immediately leaned against a wall and rested himself against it, dozing off to sleep.
“That’s Spike.” she giggled. “If he’s not working, he’s sleeping. He is a baby after all.”
I watched for a bit as he snoozed away peacefully. It certainly seemed like he would be useful to have, as well as being good company. That’s when I remembered a question formed in my mind from yesterday.
“So…how do you two know each other?” I enquired. “I remember whenever you were at the school, Spike would always be following close behind. Was he a gift from the Princess?”
“Yeah, since we’ve never seen a pony with a dragon before.” Shield finally said.
“I can see that. No, not exactly.” Twilight said as she looked fondly at her assistant. “I had to hatch him from an egg to pass my entrance exam. Then, when Princess Celestia took me on as her protégé, she let me keep Spike as my assistant. He’s sort of like an adopted brother, in that respect.”
“Huh. What do ya know?” Shield said, just as surprised as I was.
“I’ve read that a dragon’s main source of food is gemstones." I bought up, piling up more dust. “How do you keep him fed?”
“He’ll eat just about anything, but our friend Rarity always keeps some gemstones for him as snacks.” I gave an “ah” of recognition. She looked up from her work again. “What was your entrance exam, Dusk?”
“You’d…really like to know?” I said, surprised by this. She nodded. “Well…mine was to regrow the leaves on a bare bush. I managed it, after a…well, er…few minutes of trying. I um…even managed to grow some of its flowers.”
“That’s pretty impressive.” she commended. “I bet your parents were really proud of you.”
“Yeah.” I said happily, remembering the smiles on their faces when I’d passed. “They were. Still, you’re…way better than me. I mean, you got the attention of the Princess. Now that is impressive.”
“I will admit yes, I am talented in magic, but you have your own talent. You should be proud of that, and not be discouraged to show it.”
“I suppose you're right.” I said as I returned to sweeping, dusting down a table.
I thought about my own unique talent, the one that no other unicorn could do. The one that only Shield and the guys know about and Princess Celestia said I should share with somepony. I glanced at Twilight. What would she think of it if I showed it to her? Would she like it?
I sighed and shook away those thoughts. She probably wouldn't even be marginally impressed, considering the things she could do. It was best if I just keep it to myself, just as I always had done.
When Spike awoke, I had completed my dusting and had disposed of the offending substance outside. The library certainly looked a lot cleaner. Twilight had then told Spike to show me around the place, and outline what I would be doing. Shield then said he would join me to “check the place out” which meant he was gonna stick with me until we had a private to talk with me about how well this all went. Spike’s duties included cooking, cleaning, fetching books for Twilight, taking notes, and writing letters. He told me that these would be split with me however Twilight saw fit. I, however, would be focusing more on tasks in the library itself, rather than the rest of the household. That was my area.
It sounded simple enough. I thought.
I was a quick learner and had memorized where most of the books were kept in their respective sections. If Twilight, or anypony, needed my assistance, I would be glad to provide it. That’s basically what I did as El Dragon.
“Well, that’s basically it.” Spike said to me as we finished the tour. “Think you got it?”
“Yeah, I got it.” I said to him.
“Good, then better get to work then.” He said as he then left.
After he left, Shield laughed and said “Way to go, dude!” he then got me in a headlock and started noogying me. “I knew you could do it!”
“Thanks, Shield.” I said to him as he released me. “Thanks for the support.”
“Anytime.” Shield said to me. “Well, I’m off. You got the job so I’m gonna go and practices my moves. See ya later, Dusk!”
“Later, Shield!” I said as he left.
With that, I then got to work. It was about the same time that I was re-sorting the books in the biographies section, when Twilight came up to me while I was sorting the pile I had formed next to a ladder. I was so focused I didn’t hear her the first time she spoke.
“No, that's for the science section… Star Swirl the Bearded: Momentous Magician, that goes here…” I looked up to see Twilight talking to me, and felt rude for ignoring her. “Oh, um…sorry, Twilight. Just getting wrapped up in my work.”
“It’s alright, I can be pretty much the same.” she said with a smile. “Where’s Shield?”
“Oh, he went off to practice some tricks of his.” I said to her. “He’s an athlete after all.”
“I get that.” She said to me. “Anyway, I’m just going upstairs with Spike to do some magic practice. Can you keep an eye on things down here?”
“I’ll do my best.” I promised, proud that she trusted me with this responsibility so quickly.
“Alright.” She said to me. “We'll be just upstairs, if you need anything.”
She then turned tail and disappeared off upstairs, Spike waddling behind. I then went back to my sorting, chuckling as I found The Pony and The Coney, just underneath Princess Luna: The Lost Ruler.
Once this task was done, I found myself with little to do. So I picked out a Daring Doo book from the adventure section, the first one, and set about reading it. I was re-reading the whole series, they were just that good.
My chance to prove myself came soon. As I browsed the various sections of books, I heard the sound of the door opening. Twilight was still upstairs, doing studying with Spike. I would have to take this.
“Good morning.” I said, speaking as politely as possible and turning to face the pony. “Is there anything that I can—Applejack? Dog?”
“Dusk!” The country ponies’ faces lit up in bright smiles when they saw me.
“Did ya get the job?” Dog asked me.
“Yep. I now work here.” I informed him and Applejack proudly. “Dusk Noir, Twilight Sparkle’s second assistant, at your service.”
“Second assistant, huh?” Applejack asked me. “How’s that workin’ out for ya?”
“Oh, it’s just great.” I said to her. “Both Twilight and Spike have been very kind with me and welcoming. Plus, I’m working in one of my favorite places in the world!” I realized how pathetic that sounded, flushing a little. “That sounds pretty sad, doesn’t it?”
“Not at all, Dusk. To each his, or her, own, as they say.” She said as she gave me that honest smile again. “I’m sure y’all be the finest second assistant that this library has ever seen.”
“Applejack. I think I’m the only second assistant this library has ever seen.”
“All the more reason that you'll be great!”
“Thank you.” I felt warm inside from how honestly, how truthfully she said it.
“So did your plan work?” Dog asked me.
“Dog!” I said, angry with him.
“What plan?” Applejack asked.
“Oh, yeah, the big reason Dusk’s here is ʹcause he wanted to ask Twilight to be his friend.” Dog said, making me more crossed with him.
“Dog, you really need to figure out when to keep your mouth shut!” I said to him. “That’s not something you can just tell somepony!”
“Oops, my bad.” Dog said, ashamed of what he did.
I sighed as I calmed down and said “It’s fine.” I then looked to Applejack. “Yes, I was planning on making Twilight my friend. Wanted to for years.”
“Oh, well ain’t that nice?” she said with a gentle smile. “So did ya?”
“Yeah.” I said to her. “I’m her friend now.”
“Nice job, Dusk!” Dog said to me. “Knew it ya had it in ya!”
“Thanks, Dog.” I said to him before speaking to both of them. “Now, is there anything I can help you two with?”
“I was wonderin’ if y’all had Collection of Lil' Pony Stories. It’s for ma lil' sister, bedtime stories.” she elaborated.
“I think I know where that is.” I said as I trotted over to the Little Ponies section and browsed for C. I found the book in seconds, a short collection of stories for little fillies and colts. My favorite when I was younger.
“Here you go.” I said proudly as I gave her the book. “I recommend reading The Story of the Prancing Pony and her Hopping Hat. One of my favorites when I was a foal.”
“I’ll bear that in mind.” she said. “Well, thank ya kindly, Dusk, that was some quick and polite service ya gave.” She looked past me to the stairs. “Oh, howdy, Twilight, Spike.”
“Hey, Applejack, I thought I heard your voice.” Twilight greeted as she descended the stairs to meet her and seeing Dog. “Who’s this?”
“Oh, Twilight, this here is my old friend Dog Fries.” Applejack said. “He used to live at Sweet Apple Acres and we played together when we were foals.”
“Howdy.” Dog said, tipping his hat off to Twilight.
“It’s great to meet you.” Twilight said to him. “So you’re the Dog Dusk told me about.”
“Eh-yup!” Dog said to her. “And I must say, if ya need help, Dusk is sure to help any friend in need.”
“I have no doubt he will.” She said to him. “Did you two need anything?”
“We’re fine, thanks.” She looked to me. “Your new assistant here has just done himself a fine job, gettin’ me this here book.”
“It was just getting a book.” I mumbled modestly.
“That doesn't mean ya can't give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.” Dog said.
“I guess.” I said returned his smile.
“Hold on.” Dog said before pointing between Twilight and Applejack. “Ya two know each other?”
“Of course. Applejack is one of my best friends.” Twilight informed him fondly. “You’ll never find a more honest, reliable pony anywhere.”
“Well, that’s mighty kind of you to say so, Twilight." she said gratefully.
“Wait.” Dog said as I knew what he was gonna say. “If you two are friends, that means that…”
He didn’t get to finished what he was about to say as I covered his mouth with my claw.
“Shh! Be quiet!” I quietly said to Dog as he kept on talking with my claw muffling his voice.
“Must mean what?” Both Applejack and Twilight were looking at me and Dog quizzically.
I telepathically told him to follow my lead and not to speak a word about the Elements of Harmony.
“He was about to say that this must mean…we’re gonna get along even better!” I said that a little louder than I’d intended. “I mean, me and Dog are best friends, he’s childhood friends with Applejack, you two already good friends, and I’m now friends with Twilight. So um…that's good for everypony.”
“Uh… Y-yeah.” Dog said, going along with it. “That’s what I meant.”
They looked at us oddly. Can’t say that I blame them. That’s the weirdest excuse ever and Dog really isn’t a good liar. So would they buy it? For a minute, it looked like they weren’t going to believe us. Then, Applejack spoke up.
“Yeah, ah guess it is. Didn't think about it like that.”
“Me neither.” Twilight then smiled. “We’ll have to introduce you to the rest of our friends, I bet they’d love to meet you, Dusk.”
“Do you…do you really think they would?” Her friends, who no doubt wielded the other Elements. There was no way I’d be able to fit in with them but... there was always hope.
“Of course they’d like ya.” Dog said. “You’re a nice guy. Who wouldn’t?”
“Dog’s right.” Applejack said to me. “You’re the nicest stallion I’ve ever met besides Dog. I bet anypony would like ya.”
“Indeed. And that would be the perfect moment for everypony to meet each other. Anyway, Dusk,” she said, brusquely but still kindly. “I also came down to ask if you would get some more parchment from the stationary store. We’ve run out.”
“Of course, Twilight. But I uh…don't know where it is…” I should know my way better around town.
“We’re headin’ off now.” Dog said to me. “We could show ya the way, Dusk.”
“You would? Thanks." I said to him, sincerely. I then looked to Twilight. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“No problem.” Applejack said as she then turned to leave with Dog following her. “Well, best be off. Lots to get done taday. Have a nice day, y’all!”
“Don't worry.” Spike called as I left with Applejack and Dog. “We’ll hold the fort until you get back!”
“Good to know.” I replied, shutting the door and joining the cowponies at a gentle pace.
“Just follow us, Dusk.” Dog said to me. “We know this town like the back of our hoof and claw.”
I walked beside the two cowponies in a comfortable silence as they led the way. Someponies still greeted me as I passed them by on the street, but I liked to think I’d gotten used to it.
As I walked, I looked at Dog, who I found was looking at Applejack. I bet he was having a hard time believing that she was one of the ponies who wielded the Elements of Harmony, her Element being Honesty which coincidentally was his virtue. Though this gave us the identities of two wielders of two of the Elements: Twilight with Magic and Applejack with Honesty. We knew that the other five wielders with Twilight were her friends, but didn’t expect this. Though if those Elements were with those two, then who were the wielders for Loyalty, Laughter, Kindness, and Generosity?
While I didn’t want to seem too hopeful, I thought I’d hit it off quite well with both of them. They at least seemed to like me, or just tolerate me. Maybe after they realized I was nothing special, certainly not an Element of Harmony, they'd leave me on my own.
“Ya alright, Dog?” I looked up to see Applejack, gazing intently at Dog. “What’s eatin’ ya?”
Dog looked at me and saw me glaring him, which was my way of using it to say “Don’t you tell her a thing.”
“Nothin’.” He said to her, resignedly.
“Sure don’t look like nothin’.” she insisted. “Ya look like a pony with somethin’ on his mind. Wanna talk about it? That’s what friends are for.”
“I told ya, it’s nothin'. Anyway,” Dog said, changing the subject, “ya know, if Dusk hadn’t met me or the others, he wouldn’t have known that.”
That got me to hang my head in depression as I was ashamed that I didn’t have friends back then.
“Hey, now, Dog. What do ya mean by…oh.” She said as she realized it. She looked at me so sympathetic, so pitying. It made me feel even more ashamed. “Ah guess…y’all have never had any friends before Dog, have ya?” I nodded. “Aww, Dusk… How come?”
“If you don’t mind I’d…rather not discuss that…” I muttered, not looking her in the eye.
“Look at me.” She said and I did so and saw she had that honest smile again. “I dunno how it’s been with other friends y’all might have had, but for what it’s worth, ya have us as friends now.”
“Yeah, you managed to get me and the fellas as friends and now you got two more to your group.” Dog said, giving the same smile.
I knew I was just saying that to be nice, to make me feel better. But it still worked. I returned the smile. “Thank you. Both of you.”
“No problem.” She continued to lead me, her smile still warming me inside.
Applejack really was doing her best to make me feel better about being here, to make me feel like I was accepted. Just like Dog did with me the first day we met. This made me more grateful that I met them both, from then to now. After a few more minutes, Dog spoke up.
“Well, here we are, just like we promised.” he gave me a tip of his hat.
“Thanks for the help, you two.” I said to him and Applejack.
“No problem.” Applejack said to me. “Good seein’ ya again, Dusk. Have a great day.”
“The feeling is mutual, bye.” I was just about to enter when I just remembered I still had a question for Dog. “Wait, Dog!” I said to him. “Are you coming back to house? You already spent the night at Sweet Apple Acres already.”
“Yeah, about that,” Dog said to me with a nervous look, “ya see, after that one mornin’ over there, I saw how much I really missed bein' at the farm, helpin’ out in the orchard. I also miss bein' with AJ and the rest of her family. From my days here in Ponyville, they were like another family to me. With ya now stayin’ here, I decided…that I want to go back to Sweet Apples and stay there for as long as we’re here. That okay with ya?”
I was actually surprised by this. For as long as I’ve been with him and the guys, we’ve always been sharing the same house. That was our way of making sure we stuck together as a team. On one hoof, having Dog at that distance from me and the others could complicate the dynamic. On the other hoof, I couldn’t deprive Dog with a moment to be who he considered his family. I know how it feels to miss your family. I mean, I spent years without my father and the only brother I have. Dog knew this too and, besides me being the leader of the team, he wanted my approval on his decision to make sure he didn’t make a mistake. After going through those thoughts, I then decided to do thr right thing for Dog.
“Yeah, that’s fine.” I told him with a gentle smile, surprising the cowpony. “You can stay with the Apple family.”
“Ya mean it?” Dog said with eyes wide with wonder.
“Yeah.” I said. “I know what it’s like to be away from family. I would do anything to be together with my family. I know that you’re trying to do the same. I can’t stop you from doing that. So you can stay at Sweet Apple Acres.”
After that, Dog teared up a bit before he ran over to me and surprised me by grabbing me into a hug.
“Thank ya, Dusk!” Dog said to me, happily. “Ya really are the best friend a guy could have!”
I smiled as I returned the hug and said “What are friends for, bud. What are friends for.”
“Hey, Dusk.” Applejack said after me and Dog broke the hug, he went to stand beside her, and I looked to see she had that sympathetic smile again. “Just remember, if ya ever need to talk about anythin’, just give us a heads up. Anythin’ at all, okay? You are new around here, so ah understand how nervous ya must be feelin’. Just remember, me and Dog will be here to talk if ya need it.”
“Thank you. I’ll remember.” I said as I smiled for how perceptive and kind she was.
“Good.” She said to me. “See ya around, sugarcube.”
I felt the blush come to my face as she walked away. Never been called that before.
“Don’t get too embarrassed by it.” Dog said to me, making my blush fade away. “That’s what she calls ponies she thinks as her friends.”
“Come on, sugarcube!” Applejack said to Dog as we looked to her. “We got to get back to Sweet Apple Acres!”
“Right. Comin’!” Dog said to her before speaking to me. “See? Later, Dusk!”
“Later, Dog!” I said as I watched him catch up to her and the two walk right back to Sweet Apple Acres.
Though I was sad that Dog got some distance from the team, I was happy I was able to give him the chance to be with his family. Applejack been so nice to me. So had Twilight. Still with a smile on my face, I stepped inside to buy the much needed parchment…for a much needed friend.