Chapter 1: New Look
Twilight’s view
“Spike, are you ready?” I asked the baby dragon.
“Ready and waiting.” he replied, holding some parchment and a quill.
“Dusk, ready to go?” I asked my second assistant and new best friend, who stood in the center of the room.
The pony in question was standing by the lights to turn them off. His dark-blue fur could probably ensure that, if it was dark, he would be almost impossible to see. His mane and hair were a chestnut brown, parted to the right a little bit and just a tiny bit scruffy. His brown eyes seem to shine with a newfound happiness, his sharp horn glowing as he switched off the lights, plunging them into near darkness.
“What he said.” he replied with a smile before he shut them off.
“Excellent. The machine is ready, the lights are off…whenever you’re ready.” I told him brightly.
We were currently in the library basement, about to try out a new experiment. As I had said, I had resolved to learn more about Dusk’s special ability, starting with brightness levels in conjunction to the size of the shapes he made, getting precise readings from the light-sensitive machine I was using. I had prepared a table of different sizes for his shapes to take, so we were ready.
I looked up from my console to see the shape of my friend in the darkness. He had certainly changed from the pony he had been when I first met him. He could still be a little unconfident and unsure of himself, but he was now a lot more open than he had been, more relaxed and friendly. It was like all he had needed was the chance to be a good friend, to show his true worth…me and my friends had given him that chance.
I thought of how happy he’d been, since we’d thrown him that party a week ago. Something had changed inside him, making him more open and good. He was always willing to help, to spend time with me and the others. His wonderful smile, the occasional joke he made, his pleasant attitude…it just brightened my day to see that.
“Twilight? Twilight, do you want me to start?”
I was snapped out of my thoughts by his voice. Why did I keep doing that, my thoughts drifting whenever he was around? I always found myself stealing glances at him, really enjoying his company. He was my friend, that was to be expected…and yet…
I brushed away those thoughts, returning to my instruments. Focus on the facts, Twilight. I thought to myself. Focus on the facts.
“Just a sec.” A flick of my hoof brought the machine online. “Whenever you’re ready, bring your first shape to fifteen centimeters in diameter.”
A few seconds later, a small orb of white light shone against the dark as his magic began to work. The machine began to pick up readings from it.
“At fifteen centimeters, low-level brightness.” I waited until Spike took that down. “Alright, increase to thirty.”
At this there was a minor improvement, but not much. They got gradually brighter, with medium level brightness by the time they reached seventy-five in width. At average pony size, it was bordering on the fringes of medium and high level brightness. He wasn't wrong about them, that was for sure, but I wanted to see how big he could make them, how bright they could be.
Despite all of my years of study under Princess Celestia, never once in all of my research had I ever come across magic like this before. It seemed so simple, but I just couldn't find any record of it whatsoever. As such, I didn't have much to go on for these experiments, so I had to learn from scratch when it came to them. It was okay though, I liked to learn new things.
I, of course, didn't want to push him too much. He seemed to be coping just fine so far, but I did remember that he had said that it was more strenuous for him the brighter and bigger his shapes became. If he showed any signs of difficulty coping, I would stop it at once.
I was having to look away from how bright they were. Onto the next phase. I thought.
“Eye protection on.” We all placed dark-tinted sunglasses over our eyes. “Increase to one-hundred and thirty-five.”
Now, they were really getting bright, like floodlights at a hoofball game. At two-hundred and ten centimeters, even the sunglasses were having trouble shielding our eyes from the brightness. Dusk too was beginning to show strains from the effort, his features in a grimace, his knees beginning to buckle.
“Dusk, you can stop now!” I called out in worry.
“No…it’s okay…I can…I…” It sounded like he was making an effort to get the words out.
“No, it’s not okay. Stop now, I’m shutting down the machine.”
“But…”
“Dusk, please!” At first, it didn’t seem like he was going to stop.
But then, rather reluctantly, he cancelled his spell, breathing a sigh of relief. Exhaling as well, I turned off the device, whilst Spike turned the lights back on. I hurried up to him, as he was having difficulty standing.
Helping him back up the stairs, we walked back into the main part of the library, setting him down on a chair. By this time, however, Dusk had recovered most of his energy and could walk on his own again, though I still insisted he sit down.
“You rest for a bit.” I instructed gently. “How did we do, Spike?”
“We managed to make it to two-hundred and twenty-five centimeters, at high levels of brightness.” he reported from the results. “Not bad for a first trial, I’d say.”
“I agree.” I turned back to Dusk, who looked rather forlorn. “See, Dusk? You did great.”
“I could have done better though if I’d just held out a little longer.” he said despairingly.
“Dusk, don’t be like that. Everypony has their limits, so do you. There’s no shame in that.” I comforted. “I don’t want you to push your limits, I don't want you getting hurt.”
He looked up at me, smiling. “You know…I never thought I’d hear anypony talking about me like that. Well, anypony besides the guys.”
It always made me a little sad to hear what he used to think about himself, what he still thought about himself…I was just glad that he had found Shield and the others along with me and my friends.
“Well, you are my best friend. Besides, how would I cope in the library without you helping out with Spike?” I joked.
“Indeed, how?” he chuckled. “Spike wouldn’t be able to make his napping quota, if I wasn’t doing most of his work for him.”
“Hey! We both do our fair share.” he yelled indignantly.
“It’s fine, Spike, we’re just kidding.” I giggled at his bemused expression, before turning to Dusk again. “We might as well have a rest now. It’s still your winter holiday, so you don’t have to stay, if you don't want.”
“I know, but I think I’ll stick around for a bit anyway.” He gazed around at all the shelves. “There’s nowhere I feel more at peace than in the presence of literature.”
“I know just what you mean.” I agreed, surprised at how glad I was that he would be staying for a bit. “I’m going to do some note-making, you can just read if you like.”
He was already pulling a book down from one of the shelves, as I approached my work desk, pulled down a book on magic, got a piece of parchment and my quill, and opened it to the first page.
There were in silence for a few minutes after that. Spike had proceeded to drift off to sleep, as was his custom. I was busily making notes on spells I either intended to test out sometime, or spells that I already knew and to see if I could improve upon my skills in using them. Every now and again, I glanced up at my work to look at Dusk, who seemed to be grimacing at the book he was reading.
I had found myself doing that with increasing frequency. On occasion, I would look up at him to see how he was doing, I told myself. Then, I found my gaze lingering on him for a few minutes, before remembering where I was and returning to my work, my cheeks feeling a little hot.
Unable to stomach my curiosity, I wandered back over to Dusk to see what was making him grimace so much.
“Hey, Dusk, what are you reading?” I checked the cover and felt my eyes widen. “Really? You’re reading that?”
“I thought about, well…trying something new.” he explained.
“But you said you’d never go near those books with a ten-foot stick.” I reminded him. “You don’t seem like you’re enjoying it exactly.”
“Oh, Twilight, this is only the first few pages. I’m sure it’ll get better as I…” He flicked ahead a little, then some more. Finally, he looked up. “You know what? You’re right. I can’t read this drivel.”
Slamming it shut, he levitated it back up to its place in the Romance section, dusting off his claws like they were contaminated.
“I’ve never wasted my time with those books.” I said at once. “What’s the point in staring googly-eyed at somepony who may not even return your feelings?”
“I don’t know. Some of them are okay, I guess. Anyway, I thought a book with your name in it might have something decent about it.”
“Ugh, don’t even get me started.” I replied, rolling my eyes. “On another subject though, I have heard from several others that you’ve been trying new stuff quite a bit recently. Why is that?”
“Well…” He paused, searching for the right words. “Ever since me and the guys moved here to Ponyville and I became friends with you girls, I just feel…different. Like I want to try something different in order to express those feelings. As you say, I have tried some other things to no avail. I thought that, today, I would do it a little more simply, indulge in a new book for example…but I don’t think that’s going to cut it.”
“I think I understand.” I nodded. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Thanks for the offer, but…I think I need to go elsewhere to figure this out.” With that, he stood up and crossed the room to the door. “See you later, Twi.”
“Okay, Dusk, good luck. Thanks for coming over. I’m really eager to try and understand this power of yours.”
“No problem, anything to help.” He gave one last smile, as he exited the library, leaving me feeling a little disappointed that he had to leave so soon.
Dusk’s view
I felt a little guilty, leaving Twilight like that. She understood of course, but that didn’t stop me from feeling just a little regretful that I didn’t ask for further assistance. The likelihood, however, would be that she would advise me to consult a book and, for once in my life, I didn’t think reading would be the solution to this predicament I was in.
Once I was outside, my sharp mind began to go to work, the urge to do something differently with myself still very much present. I needed simplicity, but reading a new book wasn't going to do it, not quite.
I had gotten this feeling after the girls had thrown me that surprise party. For the first time in my life, I felt loved, cared for by ponies that weren't my parents…I had friends. I just felt different and I needed to do something to express that feeling. I still hadn't quite narrowed down what exactly, but I knew that I was close…but what was it?
I was just meandering in any direction, lost in my thoughts. Perhaps recalling what I had done so far would help to specify what I needed to change about myself. I had decided to try something big first, something…daring. First, I had gone to Rainbow Dash and Shield.
As ponies who always put themselves on the edge of danger, they seemed the logical choice to assume for a new aspect for me to try. Indeed, when I went to them, they did have an idea as to what to try, but I hadn’t exactly taken to it well…
“Rainbow, Shield, are you sure about this?” I asked my Pegasus and Earth pony friends from the wooden panel.
“Come on, Dusk, have a little faith in us.” Shield replied from the platform he was on. “You need something new, something extreme, and nopony knows extreme like us.”
I looked down at the contraption I was on. It was a wooden catapult, one that they claimed to have used before in one of Rainbow’s flying practices. I stood on one end, to be launched into the sky by Shield, who would leap from the platform to provide the force needed to propel me skyward. From there, he had just asked me to trust him.
I did trust him and Rainbow and the physics of the device seemed in order but…I had a crash helmet and knee pads on, just in case.
“Okay then…ready and waiting then.” I shut my eyes in anticipation, my stomach doing leaps and legs shaking a little.
“CANNONBALL!” That was all I heard from Shield before I felt my claws and hooves leave the floor.
I snapped open my eyes, seeing clouds whizzing past me, a blue blur and an orange blur as I soared through sky, my mouth open in a scream. It felt like my stomach had just relocated to some-where in my throat, the wind rushing in my ears. I dared to look down, see the ground approaching. The two told me not to use my wings as they would make sure I was safe. I was hoping that they had it covered. Come on, guys…
Something grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me back into the sky. I looked around and saw that Shield had caught me as he and Rainbow flew side by side, the two mimicking each other in perfect symmetry. The world suddenly started going round and round and round, Rainbow and Shield performing loop-the-loops as Shield held me in his hoof. I barely had time to register I was dizzy before he dropped me again.
I screamed impossibly louder as I simply dropped like a stone. What did Shield done that for? Where was Rainbow Dash? Were they trying to kill me? I felt the hooves grab me again, this time by Rainbow, as I proceeded to be spun in a corkscrew maneuver, being launched skyward once more.
As I smacked through clouds, my mane and fur becoming wet, I only knew that I was never doing this again. How did I agreed to this? This was completely and utterly insane! I had time to register that Rainbow grabbed me again as I began to fall, zooming towards the ground.
We made it in seconds as she released me, allowing me to skid across the dirt and come to a halt. My eyes were wide, my mouth still open in a silent scream, my organs still feeling like they were in several different places.
“Oh, yeah! Was that extreme or was that extreme?” Rainbow said as Shield came over beside her.
“You got that right, Dash! That was totally awesome!” Shield said as the two of them hoofbumped. “That enough new for ya, Dusk?” They no doubt spun to look at me and saw my look of absolute fright as Shield then said “Dusk? Hey, Dusk, you okay? Dusk?”
I still got shivers in my lower belly whenever I thought of that. I did know the appeal of flying with the wind hitting your face and the freedom, but that was too much action for me.
After I had regained use of my higher functions, I came to the definitive conclusion that I wasn’t exactly going to be a daredevil overnight just because I’d found some new friends. Daring tricks like that weren’t going to take to me, so I decided to tone it down a little more.
I came out of my thoughts to see where I was only to see the gingerbread form of the Sugarcube Corner, a haven for all things sweet and sugary. That bought back another memory of my attempts to be different.
Deciding that Rainbow and Shield’s ideas of new experiences were too death-defying for my tastes, I had gone to somepony who would perhaps have a more safe idea. Pinkie Pie had, of course, been very enthusiastic to help me out and had an idea in a second, one that I was certainly more comfortable with. Before I knew it, I had an apron on and was with her in the kitchen of the bakery…
“Thanks for helping out with this, Pinkie.” I said as the pink pony pulled out the necessary ingredients.
“No problemo, Dusk.” she replied brightly. “You wanna try something new, I bet you’ll be a natural at making cupcakes.”
“Maybe…it seems simple enough.” I agreed.
“Are you kidding? It’s easy peasy, icing squeezy!” With that, without warning, she burst into song.
All you have to do is take a cup of flour,
Add it to the mix!
Now just take a little something sweet,
Not sour,
A bit of salt, just a pinch,
Baking these treats is such a cinch!
Add a teaspoon of vanilla,
Add a little more,
And you count to four,
And you never get your fila!
Cupcakes!
So sweet and tasty!
Cupcakes!
Don’t be too hasty!
Cupcakes!
Cupcakes, cupcakes, CUPCAKES!
She still had a bright grin on her face she finished, me staring at her. In the end, I just laughed it off, turning to get started. She could be so random, but that was just part of what made her so great and was in her nature. Besides, she was right. How hard could it be?
I regretted those thoughts about half-an-hour later. It seemed to be that cooking wasn’t exactly my forte, even with food apparently as simple to make as cupcakes. I might have added too much flour in my own batch, too little salt, not enough icing or decorations. Pinkie tried to help, but I wanted to try this myself…even though I thought it might be wise to accept some assistance.
By the time my botched attempt was brought out of the oven, it wasn’t exactly a batch of cupcakes. Somehow, they had morphed together into a single, pastries mass of sugar and sweet. How had that even happened?
“Well…that was a complete fiasco.” I announced dejectedly.
“I dunno, Dusk. Let me see.” She sampled some on her hoof. “Mmmm, that’s good! A single big cupcake. Hm…maybe a little too much salt though.”
“Yes…the salt.” I agreed unsurely, looking at the formless mass that was meant to be my cup-cakes.
Hurriedly moving away from the bakery, I lost myself once more in my thoughts. So, I was getting there, simplicity was definitely the route to go with to solve this problem…just nothing to do with a kitchen.
I had considered going to Fluttershy and Leon to see if there was anything to do with animals that I could help with. But then I got the feeling that animals weren’t really part of this solution either, plus most of them were either hibernating in winter or had flown south. So, I discounted that.
As such today, when Twilight had called me to the library, I had decided to see if reading a new book was the solution, a series I’d never tried before. But, of course, that hadn’t exactly gone down well either. Nothing extreme, nothing cooking, and nothing to do with reading. If none of them, what? What did I need to do to get rid of this niggling feeling in my head?
I was so caught up in my frantic thoughts that I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going. As such, I crashed headlong into somepony going in the opposite direction, sending us both falling into the snow.
“I say! Do watch where you’re going, why don’t you?” a well-spoken voice said irritably, before softening. “Oh, Dusk, hello there.”
“Hello, Rarity.” I greeted the fashion pony as we picked ourselves up. “Sorry, I was miles away.”
“Oh, don't worry about it, dear.” she assured, dusting herself off. “Enjoying your winter holiday then?”
“I’m…keeping myself busy.” I replied simply.
“Wonderful. Are you still okay to be hosting this little Hearth’s Warming party at your home for us?”
“Of course!” I answered eagerly. “Like I told you, I want to repay you all for that party you threw for me. Besides, me and the guys always celebrated Hearth’s Warming at our old place back at Canterlot and this is the first that the guys will have to be coming over for the party. It will be the first Hearth’s Warming in Ponyville for the four of us, and with new friends at that. So I feel it’s an additional cause to celebrate.”
“Well said. I am certainly looking forward to it.” That made me feel warm inside, despite the cold. “So, where are you off to now?”
“Nowhere really…I’m just thinking.”
“I can certainly see that. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on in your head? Perhaps I can assist in some way?”
“Well…” I stopped to think for a moment.
I considered keeping it to myself but…I had her and the girls as friends now, so I could tell her what was on my mind. After all, I already had with the some of the others. Plus, she was my cousin. Who knows? Perhaps she might present the ideal solution to my problem. So I did with her listening intently, her brow furrowing in thought all the while. When I had finished, her face lit up in a bright smile.
“So…what do you think?” I asked her.
“Dusk,” she said, still smiling, “you should have come to me straight away. I think I know just what you need to feel like a brand new pony: a brand new outfit! Come, to the Carousel Boutique!”
Before I could say anything, she grabbed my claw and led me off to her domain. I didn’t resist against her, mainly because I knew that, once Rarity had her mind set on fashion, there was no stopping her. I just hurried after her, arriving at the Boutique in mere seconds.
Ushering me in quickly, she hurried went behind her counter and brought out a large collection of clothes for stallions of different styles and varieties. Well…I’d tried everything else I could think of.
“Right, let me see…” She rifled through the colored fabrics, then settled on one. “Try this one on first.”
I sighed and climbed into the outfit, a dark suit with a white undershirt and red tie.
“Hm, too smart.” Next was a cowpony’s outfit. “Too western.” Some clothes from Prance. “Too frilly.” One that looked like a castle courtier. “Too medieval.” Some kind of red tunic with a triangle symbol on it. “Too geeky.”
I tried on what felt like a dozen suits and clothes, though it was probably even more than that. While I did feel we were on the right track, both me and Rarity felt that none of these clothes suited me.
“Oh, it’s no use.” Rarity exclaimed. “I’ve tried every suit for a stallion that I have, but none of them really do much for you, Dusk.”
“I think we’re getting there. Maybe…” I thought for a few seconds. “Maybe…I don’t need a whole new wardrobe or set of clothes?”
“Yes, yes… Perhaps just something simple. A new accessory, maybe…let’s see… You can’t wear jewelry, I don’t think shoes will do… I know! Perhaps a new hat! Wait here, I have quite a collection.”
She arrived back in five minutes with what looked like hundreds of hat boxes. I just hoped her intuition wasn’t incorrect, but I had no reason to doubt Rarity when it came to fashion. After all, she was my cousin and she did own the shop.
“Now, let’s try this again.” She began opening hat boxes one by one.
Letting her levitate them to my head, I checked my reflection. Me and Rarity decided that I didn’t suit a tri-corner hat, a Stetson (Applejack already had one, after all), a flat cap, top hat, a straw boater…none of them seemed to fit, until…
“Wait!” Rarity had stopped on one in particular. It was a black trilby hat with a velvet black ribbon around the brim. “Hm… Sharp, pronounced, not too flashy, relatively modest and looks quite dashing on you…why, this is perfect! Dusk, what do you think?”
I checked my reflection with the hat. It blended well with my dark fur color, mane, and tail, both with and without the camouflage. It did look rather good on me as best I could judge. I’d seen pictures of these hats and I’d always kind of liked them. The only downside was that it covered my horn, but I could still use magic even with it on, so it wasn’t a problem.
As I looked myself over, that niggling feeling was beginning to fade. This hat still showed it was me, but also expressed how different I was now. Nothing big or fancy, but it was there regardless. I gave my cousin a satisfied smile.
“I think we have a winner.” she sang happily. She raised her hoof when I reached for some money. “Don’t even think about it, it’s yours for free. It’s only a hat and this was a favor for a friend.”
“You’re sure?”
“Quite sure, darling. I’m glad that I could be of help.”
I gave another grateful smile. Well, she wasn’t the Element of Generosity for nothing and living to her family legacy then. Giving her a farewell and a tip of my new hat, I exited the Boutique as she waved me off, getting used to the feeling of it on my head.
I did like how the hat looked on me, simple yet it stood out. I wondered what other ponies would think of it, what my other friends might think of how it looked on me. I was just deciding who to go and find to show it to, when somepony found me first…
“Howdy there, Dusk.” I heard a familiar southern voice call.
“Hey, Dog. Hey, AJ.” I greeted him as I approached him and Applejack.
“Howdy, Dusk.” Applejack said to me. “Say, that's a ma'ghty fine piece-a headwear ya got there.”
“You er…you like it?” I asked them.
“Sure do. It really suits ya. Really becomin’ as Rarity might say.” she said, tipping her own Stetson to me.
“Yep.” Dog said doing the same.
“Thank you.” I replied, returning the gesture. “I just felt that I…needed to try something new. So Rarity picked this out for me. I’m glad you like it. I just hope you don’t think I’m competing with you, as you two are the only other hat-wearers in our group.”
“Don’t worry. We ain’t exactly threatened.” Dog said as he and Applejack laughed. “Well, gotta get goin’. See ya around, Dusk.”
I tipped my hat again and trotted in the opposite direction, checking my reflection in a nearby window, glad that the feeling inside me was gone at last. Yep, I could probably get used to this.