A Dusk's New Dawn

by ThatWritingDragon


11- Is Thicker Than Water


11
Is Thicker Than Water


He was so done with this.

"Stupid stomach, suddenly in the mood to eat for no dang reason," Dusk grumbled, his eyes glaring into his surroundings as he leapt from branch to branch in search for a quick meal. His stomach just couldn't choose whether it wanted food every few hours like a normal stomach or not. The urge to feed just tended to come up randomly and he was expected to deal with it.

And for that matter, where was the wildlife when you needed them? A manticore or a parasprite would be good food for now but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find any prey. The stallion clicked his tongue as he combed through the forest, twice in his attempt to find food but he still couldn't find any! There were none on the trees, none in the bushes and none in the caves!

It was as if they all decided to go hibernating at exactly the same time as he searched for them which served the function of pissing him off!

Dusk knew that he was much more irritable than normal but it was easy to blame that on his stomach when in reality he just had nerves on his meeting. He perked up when he realized that he hadn't searched the waters yet, he couldn't help but face hoof at the realization and he quickly sped towards his new destination. Due to him hyper-focusing on his goal, he was wholly unable to notice the figure carefully observing him.

He flapped his wings to quicken his pace and a wide grin broke out across his face when he saw a stream filled to bursting with fish swimming about. He landed on the earthy ground of the bank and stared into the stream as he got ready to pounce on his prey. He knew better than to get too close. They would notice him and that wouldn't be good for him. Not if he wanted to eat. His four legs slightly shuffled around as he got into position and tensed.

One.

He stilled and willed himself to relax.

Two.

He exhaled silently and as he took in a breath, focused.

Three!

With all of his might, Dusk Shine pounced into the water and bit down on his food. The water splashed all over his surroundings and face but he paid it no mind as he chomped down on his prize. He couldn't stop the small feeling of pride that grew inside of him at finally catching his meal and he quickly began to make his way out of the water, a grin on his muzzle as he waddled onto land. He couldn't help but feel a bit ridiculous with how proud he felt just because he’d managed to catch his food but he was still a bit high on the achievement so he didn't care much. 

The stallion quickly shook himself in a weak attempt to dry himself, his lips tugging upward slightly when he felt his fur poof up a bit. Wasting no time, the pony began to search for some wood for the fire he’d need to cook his food. While eating his dinner raw was something he had done from time to time, the alicorn rather preferred when it was cooked. Fish in particular had a rather satisfying crunch. He didn’t even know why he liked the crunch in the first place. Maybe his mind saw it as a cheap replacement for the actual crunching of bones that  the stallion would always hear when he fought? That was kind of morbid now that he thought about it, his mind looking for a substitute for that particular experience.

Thoughts for another time. Right now he needed to go and ready whatever he needed for an impromptu camping trip out in the woods.

After finding all he needed for a quick campfire, Dusk lit it and began to start the process of scaling and gutting the fish with a magically conjured scalpel. The warmth of the fire on him as he worked was much more comforting than his bed back at that… castle.

He frowned. It was a nice enough castle and it wasn’t that bad. He just didn’t exactly like the resemblance it had to hers. The whole crystal thing the castle had going on as a whole was something he’d rather not see again but he had no choice. Orders were orders and like every normal pony, he had to follow his because he’d rather not be an illegal immigrant. He really didn’t want to deal with all the trouble that would come with that.

When he finally got his citizenship however… he was going to escape that castle and maybe try his hooves at living a normal life. I suppose that’s a little impossible. Nothing about him is ever normal. His whole life was proof of this, especially with what had happened recently. If being transported to a parallel universe was normal then he would be a bit worried.

His whole body immediately tensed at that thought when a possible idea popped into his head, causing his eyes to narrow onto the food carefully cooking above the fire and he gritted his teeth. 

If he was transported into this world… then what about her? Could she also be here as well? 

The stallion could already feel his exhaustion at the mere possibility but another part of him gradually grew a bit vindictive. He could feel a part of him smile at the possibility of fighting her once again. Maybe he could beat her into the ground just like she had once done to him? He rubbed a hoof against his chin and nodded slightly at that thought. It sure would be satisfying to do such a thing.

The way she had ended his world was too quick, too simple. It wasn't the most gratifying death and to know that there could be another version of her, that also seemed to have done the same deeds? It was too good to pass up! Who would let such an opportunity slip through their hooves? Not him, that's who!

But... the contract. His smile dropped into a grimace before it grew into a smirk when a thought hit him. What they didn't know wouldn’t hurt them. After all, he knew a lot about hiding information. It was a bit ironic considering that he loved teaching more than most things but, out of necessity, he was also skilled in hiding information at the same time.

Craa- ckle

The snapping of twigs within the fire caught his attention and he grabbed his food by the stick and began to eat. He swiped his past thoughts from his mind and focused on his food. He had a rule, to not stress or think of anything of importance whenever he was eating. It was a bit stupid to do so in the eyes of most, he didn’t exactly care because doing such actions allowed him a bit of a reprieve from whatever was happening.

Right now, he was going to focus on the crunching of his food. Not on the possibility of murdering her once again, not the contract and the huge possibility that he'd be seeing his family -even if they looked different- once more. He wasn’t going to focus on that right now. His focus was solely on eating because he was hungry.

The feeling of meat between his teeth allowed him to relax slightly and he leaned back on the grass below him. It was still dark out, showing just how early he woke up. He pondered if he should go back but he quickly shook his head. He would rather not go back to that place unless necessary and given how early it was, it wouldn't be necessary for a few more hours.

He yawned and continued to chew his food, his eyes drifting lazily to the night sky above him. Everything was wrong, from the way they were shaped to where they were placed. It was just wrong. Another piece of proof that what was happening wasn't just a simple illusion spell his mind had conjured up.

Dusk sighed as he thoroughly finished his food, with a flick of his hoof the stick was tossed into the fire and he watched as it began to burn. Despite him being somewhat night-themed, he actually enjoyed the sun and in turn, also enjoyed fire. His eye got a bit teary when he remembered a certain fiery mare, with her flame-themed mane and crystalline cyan eyes.

The alicorn wondered what she would think of him right now. She would probably scold him for going into the forest alone and not bringing her along. His lips tugged up slightly when he remembered the times where they were practically inseparable. It was especially prevalent on the battlefield. The smile turned a bit more wistful as he reminisced about their times together.
 
She wasn't a good mare, that much he knew, but it still didn't stop him from loving her and that itself had been the cause of his downfall. He chuckled lightly. The second time he was captured was because of her and he was turned into this… his eyes trailed to the wings laying on his back and he stared at them blankly. 

Umbra... She was a vicious queen with a love for power and she, for some reason, had decided to give him a pair of wings during his second time under her care The queen would soon regret it when he escaped with the very pair of wings she had given him. Sometimes, when he was so busy reminiscing, he would look closer at one of his wings and he'd be able to see the resemblance it had to its previous owners. 

His smile turned into a rueful smirk when he felt the wings pulse. He ruffled them slightly and then focused on the night sky once more. He could feel his eyes grow steadily heavier as each second passed and he begrudgingly allowed it to fall before yawning once more. 

A quick barrier spell later and he was ready for an impromptu nap in the forest. The grass wasn't exactly comfortable, but the burning fire right next to him was all the comfort he needed and within moments he was out like a light.

If he had stayed awake just a few minutes later, he would’ve been wide awake and ready for a fight at the sudden burst of magic that usually signified the teleportation of a magic-user but he wasn’t and so he didn’t, instead continuing to slumber, now with a rather curious foal watching him with wide and confused eyes.

The foal babbled quietly as she shuffled closer to the big stallion, not yet noticing the dome covering them. A hoof was lightly pushed against his muzzle and she frowned slightly when she didn’t get any reaction. Her eyes widened in wonder at the sight of the scars around his neck and she poked them lighty.

She wondered how he got them.

She started to circle the stallion and she couldn’t help but tilt her head, a bit confused when she realised that he looked rather similar to Aunty Twili’ and she wondered why. A few more moments passed as she looked around, now noticing the large dome made with purple magic. It looked like the one from home!

She smiled as she came closer and poked it with a hoof. She frowned when her hoof didn’t go through and she began to push it with two hooves instead. 

Still, nothing happened.

She shakily got on her back legs and began pushing with all her might, her eyes narrowing as she tried to move the barrier. All she got for her efforts was her slipping and falling on her flanks and she pouted at the mean dome. She huffed and began making her way back to the big stallion, her mouth opening for a quick yawn as she wondered just where she would nap.

Her eyes soon turned to the big and fluffy wings that were connected to the stallion and she couldn't help but babble excitedly at the very pretty looking feathers the big stallion had. As Dusk was sleeping on his back, she carefully waddled on top of the wing. She let out a sound of excitement when she saw the colours shift slightly every few seconds. She was mesmerised. 

She yawned and perked up when she saw a bunch of oddly placed feathers. She remembered Mama telling her that correctly placed feathers are good and so she set off to try and do so. She shuffled closer and bit into one clumsily before trying to push it into the correct position. She couldn't stop the triumphant grin that appeared on her small muzzle and she cheered quietly when she noticed that she had finally been able to correct it after some time. 

She blinked when she realised that she was suddenly curled in somepony's wing, she wriggled about and popped her head out of her cage, coming face to face with the sleeping pony. She tilted her head in confusion and booped him once again. She giggled softly when all he did was snort lightly and go back to sleep.

Papa reacted the same way, as did Aunty Twili', she noticed. A few more moments passed with her staring before she yawned and began to get comfy. The big stallion was warm, kinda like mama and papa and that was all she needed to know as she fell asleep.


"Cadence... Cadence wake up-"

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza woke up to the worried sounds of her husband. She was a bit confused, but she opened her eyes groggily nonetheless. She wondered what was the problem now.

"Yes Shiny?" She asked sleepily, her eyes meeting the blue ones of Shining Armor.

"Cadence..." He must've had a nightmare if he was this shaken up, Cadence realised as she got up from her lying posture, suddenly far more alert.

"Yes Shiny?" She repeated, a hoof rubbing her eyes to try and wake herself quicker. When she fully woke up, she turned and focused on her husband, her brow furrowing when she noticed that he was shaking.

"Flurry... Flurry is..." 

Cadence tilted her head slightly, confused. What about Flurry? A few more minutes passed as her husband continued to stutter out what he wanted to say and she simply waited patiently.

"Flurry's gone!!" Shining abruptly shouted as he pounced on her. Normally when this happened she would be excited but considering the context, her mind began running a hundred miles a minute as she stared at him in shock, mouth agape as she tried to comprehend just what her husband had just told her.

Her eyes widened as her mind finally registered that statement and the resulting reaction was obvious.

"What!?"