//------------------------------// // Getting Sense Talked Into You // Story: Light in the Dusk // by AlphatheGriffin17 //------------------------------// Dusk arose from an uneasy sleep the next morning. It had taken him hours to eventually fall asleep, even then it hadn't exactly been peaceful. His mind still played over and over again the mistakes he'd made, the overwhelming shame he felt. He looked around at all of his belongings as he walked downstairs. At least it wouldn't take him long to pack up, and leave, without anypony noticing that he had left at all. He would just slip away. Until then, he thought he might as well go out for a last look around. Celestia was just starting to bring the sun up when he walked outside, locked his door and set off at a slow pace. He wasn't walking anywhere in particular, he just... walked. Lost in his thoughts. Almost nopony was up yet, not this early. That meant he had no chance of being disturbed in his thoughts. He could be alone, which was what he was used to. He would certainly miss this place when he left. Everypony had been so welcoming, so kind... But he knew it wouldn't have lasted long. They'd have grown bored of him soon enough, stopped paying attention to him. Being remembered as little more than a shade, that was what he was expecting. They wouldn't even notice when he left. That wouldn't stop him missing them though, especially from how friendly they'd been. He'd finally talked to Twilight, hear her wonderful voice for the first time And the others he'd met... honest Applejack, beautiful Rarity, acrobatic Rainbow Dash. He hadn't even met all of them yet and he was already leaving. Oh well, it's not like they'd be too concerned... He arrived at a lake, stopping to lie next to its bank. He liked the water, the way it shimmered in the light, the colours that were created from the rising sun, a blend of pinks and oranges. It was certainly a beautiful sight. He felt calm, relaxed a little... at least it helped to take his mind off things, seeing the beauty that nature had to offer... Something bubbled out in the middle of the lake. He ignored it. Probably just a fish or something. Then it showed up again, this time closer. And again, once again moving closer. Odd. He peered as best he could below the shimmering surface of the lake. There was something down there, it wasn't a fish. It looked like... no... it couldn't be her, could it? "What in the name of..." Suddenly, a bright pink shape burst out of the water, causing Dusk to leap back in shock. It was her. "Mr. Psychic Pony!" Pinkie Pie cried, hopping out of the water and shaking herself dry. "I thought I saw you!" "Um... hello, Miss Pie." A few questions stumbled in his mind. The one he asked was: "What were you... doing in the... lake?" "Having an early morning swim," she answered, as if it were obvious. "Helps to wake you up the morning, you know Dusk." "Oh, right oka- wait a minute!" He whirled in shock. "I never told you my name! How did you... I mean why... how...?" "I told you, I'm psychic like you! And also 'cause my friends told me your name yesterday when I saw them, but I still wanna think I figured out your name before then. Psychic!" She said all of this very fast. "Oh... right..." He sighed and resumed his silent contemplation. Maybe she would just leave... "Hey, what's with the frowny face?" She parked herself next to him, lying on her back. "What's on your mind?" "Nothing... besides, it's not like it would matter..." "Nuh-uh! It is something and it does matter." "Who would it matter to?" "To me!" "And why would it matter to you?" "Because I'm Pinkie Pie!" "Again, why would that matter to you?" "Because I'm your aunt Pinkie Pie, here to listen to all your woes. Now come on, tell me what's up? Apart from clouds. And birds. And pegasus ponies. Anyway, tell me what's up!" Dusk blinked. Had he really just had this argument with, probably, the craziest pony he had ever met? For that matter, was she genuinely interested in what was on his mind or was she just bored and having him on? Was it really worth getting his hopes up again, only to dash them again? He resigned himself mentally. He was leaving, so it wasn't like things could get much worse. He might as well tell her. If nothing else, to humor her until he had to leave. "You're probably younger than me too..." he murmured in defeat. "Hm? What was that?" "Nothing... Alright, you want to know what's on my mind? Here it is..." He proceeded to tell her all that happened the previous day, though he hated to relive it again. All the while, she listened. Whether or not she was taking it in, he couldn't tell. "... and so," he finished, "I'm going to be returning to Canterlot. I don't belong here, and I kidded myself to think I did..." She stared at him for a few minutes. All the while, her blue eyes sparkled. Then, without warning, she laughed. Just like that. She laughed like a small filly, giggling madly. Of course she hadn't been taking him seriously, he thought bitterly. "Hehehehe... Dusk... I'm so relieved," she said in-between giggles. "For a few minutes, hehehe... I thought it was something really bad!" "What?" He stared at her incredulously. "What's that supposed to mean?" "What do you mean, 'supposed to mean'? What do you think it means? It's obvious! Am I speaking Prance, or something?" "What does that even mean?" "Never mind," she said in a sing-song voice. "Why are you worried about all that stuff? They were just silly accidents, they weren't your fault. If you just go apologise for being such a silly-pants, you'll be fine. See, obvious." "It isn't obvious Pinkie Pie!" He shouted, losing his patience. "Don't you see? They all think I'm an idiot now, a clumsy fool! Why would they even begin to forgive me?" "Because they were just accidents. Besides, they already have," she said, with a bright smile. "Wait... what are you talking about?" Had he misheard her? They'd.. forgiven him? "Well, when I met them yesterday, they were looking for you. Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Ooh, you know so many of my friends. Anyway, they asked me if they'd seen you, they were really worried. I hadn't though and I wanted to help, but I was really busy, so I couldn't. Sorry." "They were... looking for... me?" Was that why Applejack had come to his house, she'd found out where he lived and come looking for him there? Had they really been worried about him? "Why?" "'Cause they're your friends, silly! Friends look out for each other." "They're not my friends..." he insisted. "They're just being nice to me because I'm new. They'd have gotten bored of me soon enough..." "Hey, Dusk?" He looked back up at her. "Let me ask you something: have you ever talked to any other ponies before?" "Um... no." Why had she asked that? "Have you ever tried to make friends with anypony before?" "No... not really..." "Then how do you know that they'll get bored of you if you've never tried?" "I... well... you see..." Dusk couldn't think of anything to say. He had nothing to say. "Mmhmm," she hummed in satisfaction. "Right, I gotta go. Lots to do and little time. See ya later Dusk, remember what I told you!" With that, she pranced off in that odd way that she did, once again leaving Dusk alone with his thoughts. Though now, they were a little less bleak... if a little more confused. Despite her apparent bordering insanity, somehow, Pinkie Pie was right. He had never tried making friends with other ponies, or helping in ways a friend might. So, how could he know that he would screw things up, or be a boring friend... if he had never tried? New thoughts and ideas whirled in his head, as he rose up and walked away from the lake, down a forest path, trees lined on either side, their leaves beginning to gain a slight autumn feel to them. Maybe yesterday were just mistakes, accidents... everypony made mistakes. Nopony was perfect, he was certainly far from it. Could he really let a few mistakes get him down? Come to think of it, those stupid mistakes he made didn't seem all that bad. The only reason he'd dropped all of those books in the first place was because he'd tripped over Spike's tail. Even so, he shouldn't have tried carrying so many of them. As for the Rainbow incident, everything had gone alright, up until that flare. He hadn't even stayed to see what she might have said about it. Running off, that was stupid. He should have just stayed... Then, there was something never considered. Maybe the reason that he had no friends, that he had put down to just being boring and uninteresting, was because he had never really tried. He'd been too scared, too afraid of rejection. But not here. Here, he had started on the right path. It might be too much to hope right now but maybe... just maybe... it could work. He was so wrapped up in his meanderings, that he didn't see where he was going and collided with somepony going in the opposite direction. He collided with whoever it was, causing both him and the unfortunate soul to fall to the ground. "Sorry, sorry, didn't see where I was going." He picked himself up, refraining from negative thoughts. "Here, let me help you up..." The pony in question scurried away from his outstretched hoof, getting up and looking away. She was a pegasus pony, with a pale yellow coat of fur. Her mane and tail were a bright pink, as long and flowing as the wind that blew through them. Her big, expressive blue eyes were currently hidden, as best she could, behind a lock of it. "Hey, are... you okay?" She just whimpered and hid further into her mane. Everything about her was timid, shy... He was at first about to walk away, to stop being a nuisance, but then... He remembered something that Rarity had said yesterday. A shy pony she knew. Then, he remembered seeing her with the others, on the stained glass window. "Hey... is your name... Fluttershy?" Dusk thought he might as well try. She nodded mutely. "It's okay... I don't bite," he assured, echoing Rainbow Dash. "I know your friends. Well, sort of, I mean... I know who they are, but... that's gotta count for something, right?" She looked up when he mentioned ponies that knew her. Slowly, she peeked out from behind her mane, but still didn't look up at Dusk. It was like he had the sun shining directly behind him. He actually checked to make sure he didn't. "You... know my friends?" she asked, in a voice so quiet and gentle, he only just heard her. "In a way, yes." Good, they were getting somewhere. "They mentioned you one time, about you being shy, so it was a lucky guess. "Oh... okay..." She took some glimpses looking. "I'm sorry that... I crashed into you..." "It's fine, it was more my fault anyway." Maybe he should try a joke, lighten the mood a little. "I had my head in the clouds, but... I think you'd know more about that than me." Well, that was the worst joke he could have thought of. To his surprise, however, she did smile a little. "Yeah, I guess..." She began to slowly turn around. "Well... I'll just... get out of your mane, you probably... have better things to do..." "Hey, don't say that. You're starting to sound like..." He trailed off, because he didn't want to finish the sentence. She was starting to sound a lot like him: shy, timid, nervous and thinking she wasn't really worth anypony's time. Yet, she had friends, the same ponies he knew and they weren't bored or frustrated with her. Rarity had called her an 'absolute dear', so they must think fondly of her. It seemed that there was still hope for him then... "Sound like who...?" she asked, looking up at him. "Oh, um... never mind..." He heard a quack behind her, and looked to see a small family of ducks following her, including a mother, father and three ducklings. "Awww, a little group of ducks. How old are the young ones?" "They just hatched a few days ago." This time, she looked at him with a kind of admiration. "Do you... like animals?" "I do, in most respects," he replied. "I don't know any great deal about them, but I have a passing interest. What about you?" "Oh, I love animals! It's my special talent and I love taking care of them!" she said excitedly. "This little family has only recently hatched, so I'm taking them for their first swim today. They're very excited, but I have to make sure they get there safely or..." She suddenly stopped talking. Her cheeks went red and she hid behind her mane again, her voice going quiet. "Sorry... that must have been... tedious to listen to..." "Oh no, not at all," he assured gently. "I think it's great that you care so much about little critters. It's really admirable, I think." "Y-You think so?" she asked, peeping out. "Yes, I really do," he promised, feeling a smile grow on his face. "So, where abouts are you taking this little family?" "Oh, I'm escorting them to a new swimming ground, by the lake. I wanted to do it early, so I wouldn't run into anypony whilst guiding them..." "Guess I messed up that plan then," Dusk remarked. Okay, time for the ultimate question: "Is there... anything I... can do to... help?" "W-w-what? You... you sure you want to... help me? You don't have to, if you don't want to..." "Well, I want to," Dusk told her confidently. "Is there anything at all I can help with?" "Um... if you like, you can walk behind them and make sure the babies don't wander off," she suggested. "Only... you don't have to..." "That sounds easy enough," he said, trotting behind the line. "Lead the way, whenever you're ready..." "Okay then... come on, little ones," she coaxed quietly. "Follow me, little duckies, come on..." The family resumed its waddling, with Fluttershy leading and Dusk bringing up the rear, following them closely. As Fluttershy was walking backwards to lead the ducks, Dusk had the additional task of warning her that she was about to hit something she couldn't see. Fortunately, there were no other ponies walking this way and the few things that were a hazard were the odd rock or tree. Occasionally, as Fluttershy had thought, one of the ducklings did try to wander away from the rest. Dusk, however, was able to gently herd them back into the family with no kind of difficulties. All it required was a gentle hoof and a little nudge, easy as pie. As he acted as uncle to the ducks, he pondered about the pony he had just met. He'd never really known anypony like Fluttershy. Then again, he'd never really met many ponies before. She was shy, timid, yet she still had a complete aura of kindness about her. She was almost like a loving mother, the way she treated these animals. It really was... well, wonderful. They soon arrived back at the lake where he had just left. From here, it was smooth sailing for the little family. They hopped into the water, quacking appreciatively to Fluttershy as they left. One of the ducklings looked up at Dusk and, to his surprise, gave a happy cheep before swimming off. "You're welcome," he murmured, watching as they swam off. "We did it," Fluttershy said proudly. "Thank you for your help, Dusk. You did a wonderful job." "He, it's alright..." He could feel his cheeks flush. "I just... did what I could... you did most of it..." "But you helped anyway. Thank you so much for taking the time to. You're a really nice pony." "Well... um er... thanks, Fluttershy. It... that means a lot to me," he said sincerely. "You're welcome," she said. Just seeing that grateful smile on her face made him glow inside. He still couldn't quite believe it. He'd helped. He'd actually helped. And it was appreciated. He hadn't done anything wrong and yet, even if he had, something deep down told him she wouldn't have minded. Neither would the others. They didn't blame him, of course they didn't. He still had a chance, to make things right, to make... friends. At that moment, a fire seemed to light in his heart. He could do something right, he could help those if he wanted to. He could, even thought it seemed inconceivable, make a friend and just offer... what he had to offer. He'd done it with Fluttershy and, though he hadn't realised it, he'd done it with the others and he'd never realised. It was time, he decided, to stop being sorry for himself, and start to try and be a good friend. That meant he had to stop them worrying about him. Looks like he wouldn't be returning to Canterlot after all. "Dusk? Excuse me, Dusk? Are you alright?" Fluttershy looked up at him with concern. He looked back at her, a smile growing on his face. "I am alright, Fluttershy. I feel better than I have done in a long time, thanks to you." "Me? What... what did I do?" "Oh, I wish I could describe, but I can't. Right now, I need to go and see somepony." "Um... okay. I guess I'll... see you later?" she asked nervously. "I hope so. Bye Fluttershy!" With one last smile, he dashed off in the direction of the library. It was a start. He still didn't think he was worth much, or very interesting, but if he could do this with one pony he'd never even know, he could do so much more for the ones he did know. And if they did get bored of him, at least he could say he'd tried. The sun was rising on this new day, raising on the start of what would, hopefully, be a new Dusk Noir. It was time to set things straight. And, as it had before, it would start with Twilight Sparkle.