When Dusk finally awoke, his vision was blurred, unfocused. He could make out enough to know that he was no longer in the Everfree Forest... it was brighter, and this wasn't grass he was lying on... but, why had he been there in the first place? Why could he remember that and nothing else? Where was he now and why did his leg and head hurt so much?
It began to come back... slowly. He had been with Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow... all of them. They had been in the Forest... they were in terrible danger from... something... then the Princess appeared... she had been fighting... fighting... the Paraserpent! It all flooded back to him in that instant, causing him to sit straighter, as his vision focused.
He was lying on a bed, with violet covers and a chart at the end. The sun was streaming in through an open window, through which he could see the white snow glistening on the ground. His leg, he noticed, was tied up in a cast and there was a bandage around his head. He was in hospital, being treated for his injuries. Everything seemed fine... how long had he been here?
Now that he remembered what was going on, his mind began to race. They had made it out of the cave and the Paraserpent had knocked him out. Celestia had just begun battle with it. Had she defeated it? Were the girls okay? He had to know, needed to see them safe... if they were...
A warm feeling spread from his chest. Against all odds, he had done it. Tiny, little, unimportant Dusk Noir had saved the six most important ponies in Equestria. If anypony had told him that a few days ago, he would have shook his head in disbelief and recommend a good therapist. But now... he checked around the ward. There were no other beds... he might as well celebrate.
He once again created his little puppets, actually feeling rather proud of them now. It depicted himself with the girls. The puppet bowed his head to them and they politely inclined their heads. As they left, the Dusk avatar walked off, his head held high and proud. Now, if they were going to leave him alone, he was going to be going out on a high note.
The door to his private ward opened and an earth pony walked in, dressed in a white coat with a stethoscope hanging around his neck. He smiled when he saw Dusk sitting up in his bed, who hurriedly cancelled his spell. He didn't seemed to have noticed.
"Ah excellent, you're awake. I had said you would recover some time today, though you did so much earlier," he noted with interest.
"Really?" Dusk didn't know what else to say to that. "How long... have I been here?"
"Since you were brought in last night," the doctor explained. "You've suffered bone fracture in your rear-left leg and mild concussion. You were asleep for the rest of the night, once we administered treatment and should make a full recovery in about three days. We'll release you then, provided there are no complications."
"Good, good..." Dusk said absently. "Was anypony else brought in with me?"
"No, just you. Princess Celestia delivered you personally, and she was accompanied by six other mares. They looked like they'd been through the mill, but there was nothing serious. They were quite worried about your condition, if I recall."
"They... were?" Dusk just felt relieved that none of the girls were hurt and that they were all okay. Though this bit of news was still a surprise.
"Indeed they were. Now, if you'll excuse me, I said I would inform Princess Celestia when you had awoken. Get some rest, Mr Noir..." He exited the room, leaving Dusk with his thoughts.
Dusk proceeded to take the doctor up on his word, relaxed in his own private ward. He kept himself nicely occupied, eating breakfast (Even if it wasn't exactly first class), performing random puppet shows when nopony was with him or reading from the hospital's surprisingly well stocked collection of books. They even had Daring Doo, which he immediately immersed himself in. His own adventure had turned out to be quite different...
Whilst reading, he began to wonder what would happen now. The girls had been angry at him for his behaviour, that much had been clear. But they themselves need not have bothered with him, had Celestia not ordered them to. What would happen after he explained himself? Would they try and give him another chance, or would they leave him? Either way, he would accept whatever decision they came to.
He had almost finished the book he was reading, it being now close to midday, when the doctor entered his ward again.
"Mr Noir, you have a visitor. Several visitors, in fact," he was informed.
"Visitors?"
"Yes, indeed..." He sounded almost disapporving. "I have informed the Princess that you have woken up today, and she, along with those mares are now waiting to see you. I believe she would like to see you alone first, if you feel you're up to it."
If the news that they had been so worried was a surprise, the fact they were all waiting to see him came as even more of a shock. He supposed they were here to make sure he kept his promise, but still...
"I'm fine... send her in, please," he said rather weakly. The doctor nodded and left the room.
Dusk couldn't help but feel apprehensive and nervous to Celestia's impending visit. If she wanted to see him alone, that would mean she would want to say something important. She would probably berate Dusk for doing something so foolish as wandering into the Everfree Forest by himself. He supposed that he would deserve it... and yet...
If she was prepared to do that, then Dusk, surprisingly, was prepared to justify his actions, to give his reasons as to why he had done it in the first place. Because he knew that he had done the right thing... for once.
He also felt his bitterness rise again. This would be the first time he would be seeing Celestia, after he'd heard what the girls had been saying. Princess or not, he was going to try and get some answers from her, as to why she had seen fit to effectively meddle in his life.
A few minutes later, the door opened again and the Bringer of the Day stepped gracefully in. The doctor bowed behind her and shut the door, which she stood in front of for a moment. She didn't look angry...
"Dusk Noir," she said gently, a smile gracing her lips. "I'm glad you're alright. I just wish we were meeting again under more healthy circumstances."
"As... do I, Your Highness," Dusk replied respectfully, as she crossed to the side of his bed. "The price I pay... for foolishness..."
"I would perhaps say the scars of a hero." Dusk flushed heavily at that and she chuckled. "Alright, perhaps not that far then. Regardless though, it was very brave, what you did for Twilight and her friends."
"I was just um... acting on impulse, almost stupidity," he replied quietly. "If anything, it was more out of luck that pulled it off in the first place..."
"Now, I definitely wouldn't call it that." He looked up at her when she said that, seeing she was still smiling. "You ventured out alone, with the goal of saving your friends. You didn't give up, you found them and it's thanks to your efforts that they made it home safely. You might not think of it as such, but that is quite heroic... and yes, a little foolish," she added.
"I suppose so..." Dusk gave out a laugh, and returned her smile. Then he remembered his bitter feelings and stopped. "How are they all?"
"Physically, unhurt, though they have been worried about how you are. Twilight especially." Her expression saddened at this. "She mostly blames herself for the state you're in, that she should have known that letter wasn't genuine."
"But... but it wasn't her fault," he said in an unbelieving tone.
"I know and I tried telling her that, but she is still rather distraught. You might want to try talking to her, she is your friend after all."
"Is she?" Dusk's voice sounded so bitter, that she was caught off guard by his tone.
"Of course, why wouldn't she be? Dusk, what's wrong?" she asked, making Dusk more angry at her feigned ignorance.
"What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong, Princess," he began, trying very hard to keep his voice level and not caring about her authority. "I heard what Twilight said, that you instructed her to become my friend. It's not exactly genuine friendship if she has been told to do it by royal command. It was all a lie, all of it, with you and her treating me like some project and the others too. It's bad not to have friends, it's even worse when they're just pretending to. I knew it was too good to be true... and I was right!"
An uncomfortable silence followed his rant.
As Dusk's anger abated, now he realised how he must have sounded... to the Princess! She was staring at him, looking confused and perhaps a little pityingly. Again, she didn't appear angry... had he gone too far? Then, she gasped in realisation and smiled again.
"I think I know what you mean Dusk... and you have the completely wrong idea," she pointed out.
"What? What... what do you mean?" Now he began to feel ashamed... stupid...
"I didn't instruct Twilight to become your friend, as you put it. I merely... suggested, that she should." She laughed again. "You should probably get your facts straight next time, young Dusk."
"You... suggested?"
"Yes." Her smile radiated warmth and understanding. "I didn't exactly order her to become your friend on threat of banishment. I knew you had no friends and that you wanted to be friends with Twilight. So, I set you up your job in Ponyville to give you both chances, suggesting to Twilight that she become friends with you. She could just as easily have not followed up on it, but I knew that she would. I knew that she would want to, without any kind of instruction. That's how she is now."
"So... what your saying is... she became my friend... because she wanted to?"
"Exactly. Apart from my suggestion, I had no other part in it."
Dusk felt rather conflicted at that moment. He didn't know whether to be joyous, that all this time Twilight Sparkle had been his friend, or mortified that he had got it so wrong. In the end, the latter won out better. He just wanted to bang his head against a wall, for being so stupid, just jumping to the worst case scenario like that. Wasn't that just like him?
He didn't know what to say now, what he could say. All he could think of was:
"I'm sorry, Your Highness. I shouldn't have lost my temper, I just... it just..." He sighed, giving up.
"It's quite alright Dusk," she assured. "I think I would feel the same, if I had the same thoughts you did. But, next time, make sure you know all of the facts."
"I will... thank you..." He said it with as much sincerity as he could muster, to say how much gratitude he felt. "I'll try and talk to Twilight... least I can do, really..."
She smiled warmly at him again. "You may not think so Dusk, but you are quite a remarkable pony." She stood up in a dignified sort of way. "I think I've kept them waiting long enough. If you'd like to see them..."
Celestia gave him one last smile as he nodded eagerly, feeling a lot better than he had before... and more happy. "Until we meet again, Dusk Noir." With that, she departed, the sunlight twinkling in her wake.
Now she had gone, Dusk felt both a little nervous and excited about seeing the girls again. They might still be angry at him, but now he didn't feel nervous about explaining himself to them. He just felt... confident. He didn't have to wait long.
"Dusk!"
Mere seconds after the Princess left, they all dashed through the door, livening up his ward even more than the sun streaming through the window. They all rushed to clamour around his bed, offering bright smiles, greetings and thanks. After they quietened down, Dusk couldn't really think of what to say, apart from:
"Hello everypony. I hope I... didn't worry you all too much," he said sheepishly.
"Eh, I knew you'd be okay," Rainbow said nonchalantly, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. "How are you feeling?"
"Not brilliant, I could definitely be better," he admitted, gesturing to his leg and head.
"Aw, it doesn't look that bad Dusky," Pinkie voiced confidently. "You look strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark!"
Her comment caught him off guard. "Um... Pinkie... what's a gundark?"
"I dunno," she shrugged, still grinning brightly as everypony laughed.
"Ah think what Pinkie means is," Applejack said, "is that we're glad ta see ya in one piece. Ya had us real scared for a bit there."
"Thanks Applejack," he said sincerely. "I'm sorry you had to fret so much..."
"Oh, Dusk... this is all my fault." Twilight was closest on his right and looked utterly ashamed of herself. "I should have known that letter from the Princess wasn't genuine. If I had known, this wouldn't have happened to you... and I call myself her student..." She hung her head.
"Twilight, it's okay." He leaned close, smiling as best he could. "The Paraserpents were creatures of deception, masters of it. Once it had the ability to do so, creating a perfect imitation would have been foal's play. They trick and back-stab, it's what they're good at. I don't blame you and you have nothing to be ashamed of. It's fine, trust me."
"But I-"
"Twilight, please. I don't want you blaming yourself for this... because I don't."
She dared to lift her head back up to look at him. "R-really? You don't blame me?" He nodded slowly, and she returned his smile. "Thank you Dusk. It was stupid of me, thinking like that..."
"Stupid, you? You're the cleverest unicorn I've ever met... you're not stupid." He'd never really payed compliments before, he hoped he'd done alright.
"Thank you," she said, a slight blush to her cheeks. "You're pretty clever too."
She actually thought he was smart? "Not as clever as you."
"But still very intelligent."
"If I'm intelligent, then you're a genius."
"I wouldn't go that far..."
"I would..."
"Are you two eggheads done?" Rainbow asked impatiently. They both blushed at this, but still managed a laugh.
"I think we are. Now then," he continued, feeing more confident, "I promised you all an explanation and seeing as how I'm... not going anywhere, I think now's as good a time as any."
"Ya sure? Ya don' have ta tell us right now," Applejack assured.
"No, but I want to. Besides, I made a Pinkie promise... as I understand, you can't go back on that..."
Pinkie returned his bright smile, as Dusk picked a point and began to tell them.
He told them everything, what he thought about himself, his views towards others and friendships, how he had spent most of his life friendless and alone. How he had been given the chance to make friends with Twilight Sparkle, the only pony he thought he could relate to, how he thought that he had succeeded. He even told them how he had heard them talking, realised the supposed truth only to be told he'd got it wrong.
As he spoke, voicing his views, they just sat and listened. If any of them had hard expressions, they slowly began to soften as he went on, beginning to understand, pity that Dusk felt he didn't deserve shining in their eyes. He made it clear that his behaviour to them wasn't rudeness, it was just so they didn't have to waste their time on him and they grew even more sympathetic.
Dusk found it surprisingly easy to say all of this. Maybe it was because he'd kept it inside himself for so long, that he wanted nothing more than to just tell somepony about how he felt. Now he had the chance, it came as easily to him as recalling a fact from a book.
"... so you see," he finished, "I didn't want to offend you all, I just didn't want you to have to go through the trouble of wasting your time on a little nopony like me. I've been a fool, an idiot and a coward. If you can at least forgive me my transgressions, before you all leave me... I'll be happy with that."
They all stood in silence, struck dumbfounded by what he had said. Fluttershy, he could see, was almost on the verge of tears. After a while, Twilight was the first to speak up.
"Dusk... of course we forgive you. We do, don't we?" She looked at the others for confirmation and they all nodded. "There, see? But we're not going to leave you alone."
"W-w-what?" Had he heard that right? "But... I offended you all. Why would you want to waste time with me. Like I said, I'm nothing special... what could I possibly bring to your friendship? I'm not one of the Elements of Harmony, talented in magic or anything like that..."
"Dusk, we were friends way before we discovered we were the fabled Elements," Rarity pointed out. "Even if we weren't, we'd all still be friends. It's not what you are that matters, it's who you are. You may not think you're special, but I'd say you are."
"Oh yes," Fluttershy said, finally speaking up. "You can be kind, helpful, good-natured... at least, I think so..." She returned to a shy silence.
"Exactly," Twilight took over. "You're also intelligent, well-read, a hard worker, dependable, reliable. You've also shown you can be brave, willing to put yourself in danger for your friends. Anypony would agree that makes you pretty special."
Dusk had never even considered that he had those kinds of qualities before. All of his life when he'd never thought positively about himself in any way and the girls had said all of those things about him in one afternoon. Even Rainbow gave him a knowing wink for his other... talent... the one that had saved them all, the one they thought was beautiful magic...
Had he been wrong all of this time?
"An' Dusk, ah think we should also say that, the Princess's suggestion ta Twah'light, didn't extend ta us." That made his eyes widen like dinner plates.
"E-e-excuse me?"
"Yeah. Twilight told us about that you were coming and the Princess's suggestion, but she didn't say it involved us," Pinkie informed. But we figured that it had to involve us. It's always bad being the new pony in town without any friends, so we thought we would be your friends too!"
"Indeed. It only seemed sensible that, if you were going to become friends with our best friend, we should try and integrate you into our little group as well. I, for one, thought it would be nice to have a little male diversity," Rarity explained, winking at him.
"So... so what you're saying is... you all wanted to be my friends... simply because... you wanted to?"
"Exactly." Applejack gave him that same smile she did when he first arrived. "We'd still be willin' ta let ya be a part-a our friendship... if ya'd like ta."
Dusk couldn't quite believe the information his ears were telling his brain. Despite all he thought, all he had done... they still wanted him to be their friend, they still wanted to give him another chance... because that was the kind of ponies they all were: kind, generous, honest, loyal, laughable... magical. As the tears began to form, there was only one thing he could say:
"Yes..." He sniffed, as a smile grew wider on his face. "Thank you... thank you all... so much..."
"Awwwww. Come on everypony, group hug for our new friend!" Pinkie threw her forelegs around him, as the others all clamored around, closing him in a warm embrace.
Dusk happily returned it, still quite unable to comprehend what was happening. Suddenly... it just didn't matter. His leg still twinged a bit, but the pain he felt there was nothing compared to the warmth in his heart.
"Welcome to friendship, Dusk Noir," Twilight Sparkle whispered in his ear. Dusk could honestly, proudly say:
"Glad to be here... Twilight Sparkle... my friends..."