It was another day at the Sugarcube Corner for Ponyville's most friendly, most well-known and most random citizen. She pulled out her latest batch of cupcakes from the oven, humming her song about baking them, as she set about delicately placing the icing on with an expert hoof.
Today's order of cupcakes was a custom made bunch. The main body of the sugary treats was a creamy colour, whereas the icing on top was pink. In short, it matched Fluttershy's fur and mane colour and had been requested to be made as such, by the dark-blue pony in his black trilby hat, who was waiting at the counter.
Pinkie liked everypony who was her friend; they were all just so likable. Dusk, however, was an exception: she liked him so much that the measure of which she liked him couldn't even measure up to the likability levels that she used to like everypony else that she liked. He was just so likable.
There was a reason for that too. Dusk had been such a lonely misery-pony before he'd met her and all of her friends. But now, he had just changed so much. It's like they had all helped to unlock something special deep down inside him, like he'd always wanted to the opportunity to show how much of a great pony he was.
Sometimes, despite how smart he was and how much more imaginative he was than Twilight, she got the feeling she still managed to make his head itch from just how Pinkie she could be. That was the same with everypony and, like everypony, he just accepted it and laughed along with it all. She liked it when he laughed. Well, she liked it when anypony laughed but still…
She gathered up the batch and bought out the cupcakes to him, putting on her brightest smile. "Here ya go Dusky! One batch of custom constructed creamy cupcakes. That'll be ten bits!"
"Thank you Pinkie, here you go." He hoofed over the money to her and took the cakes. "I'm sure Fluttershy will love these."
"I bet she will. It's nice that you're doing this for her on your day off."
"Well, Twilight and Spike are away in Canterlot, so I want to make the most of this." He smiled brightly. "I've got a busy day today."
"Ooh, what are ya up to?"
"Well, first I'm going to pay Fluttershy a visit and give her these cakes. Then, I'm going to help Rainbow with some flying practice, pick up Applebloom from school for Applejack and then go and see Rarity. So, quite busy."
"Wow, packed day. I'm surprised you fit it all in," she remarked. "Guess what I'm doing today!"
"Hmm…" He placed a hoof on his chin for a few minutes. "You're going to be working in Sugarcube Corner for most of the day, which will involve baking a birthday cake for a filly's birthday, as well as another batch of cupcakes and some éclairs for some visitors from Prance."
"Ooh, you're good Mr Psychic Pony!" She gave him a mock glare. "Too good, you might say."
"What can I say, it's my gift." He averted his eyes from the order form that rested on the counter and levitated the cupcakes up. "Have a good day, Pinkie."
"You too, have fun!" He gave her one last smile, and then departed through the door.
Pinkie smiled too. She obviously knew he wasn't actually psychic, but it was what she called him when she first met him. It stuck and he never actually corrected her. He just got that special kind of smile whenever she called him it. She loved seeing that smile.
Humming happily to herself, she went back into the kitchen and began to work on the éclair order, happy that she'd helped to make his day.
"There you go mama duck," said Fluttershy, dropping some worms beside the female mallard. "I hope your little babies like them." The duck quacked and picked up the worms in her beak. "You're very welcome."
She watched as the little family of ducks gathered around the mother to be fed. She had a particular fondness for this group of birds. It was the same group that Dusk had helped her to guide to the larger pond in Ponyville, on the day she'd first met him.
She'd been shy and timid when she'd first met him, as he had been with her. Maybe that had been why she'd been able to talk to him so much more easily later, because they were quite alike in that respect; both shy, a little awkward socially and not high in confidence.
He was a little different now though. She considered him to have far more confidence than she did and be way more clever, though he would modestly deny it, she knew. She liked how he did a lot to look out for her, to make her more involved and help her overcome her own low confidence, either by his presence or with encouraging words. They were more than friends she felt, but not in any romantic sense. He was more like… like…
Like the brother she never had. Yes, that seemed to fit. Of course, she wouldn't actually call him her brother. Unless he didn't mind, if he was of the same mind. Did he consider her like a sister? No, that was silly. They were just good friends.
A knock on her door bought her out of her reverie. She hurried back through her home to answer it, wondering who it could be. When she opened the door, she found it to be the exact pony she'd been thinking about.
"Hello Fluttershy, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he inquired politely. She would have been pretty much the same.
"Oh no, not at all. Please, come in." He inclined his head to her, levitating a small bag onto her table. "Can I make you some tea?"
"That would be lovely, thank you." He waited patiently, as she boiled the water and poured him a cup, with a little milk and two sugars. Just as he liked it.
No doubt from his Canterlot upbringing, he waited until she was seated first before sitting down himself, that pleasant smile never once faltering. "I hope you don't mind my dropping in like this."
"Not at all," she repeated happily. "I'm always happy to see one of my friends."
"That's nice to know." He levitated the bag over. "I just came to check up on you. I take it your popularity has gone down somewhat."
"Oh yes, thankfully." She couldn't keep how relieved she felt out of her voice. "I'm still going to wait a while longer, but nopony is staring at me anymore. I'm just glad I'm not a model anymore."
"Me too. For what it's worth though," he added, "you did a wonderful job." She blushed a little from that comment, as he opened up the bag. "Here, I bought you these."
"Thank you Dusk. Oh my, these look delicious," she remarked, pulling out one of the cupcakes. "They even match my fur and mane."
"I asked Pinkie to do that," he explained. "I thought it might be a nice thing to do for you. It was, wasn't it?"
"It was a very nice thing to do Dusk, thank you." He seemed rather relieved at her assurance.
"Sorry, I'm still kind of learning about friendship really. Put it down to my inexperience, but I'm never completely sure, now and again..." A little bit of his old self showed through there.
"It's okay, I understand. You do a wonderful job of being a good friend though; at least that's what I think."
"You really think so?"
"Mmmhmm," she nodded. "You're as kind as you are clever." Now it was his turn to blush.
"Thanks Fluttershy, that means a lot to me." He took a sip from his tea, his smile returning to his features. "So, what do you want to talk about? I've got some time on my hooves."
"Actually…" She stopped herself. "No, never mind…"
"It's okay, speak your mind," he prompted. Well, if he wanted her to…
"Well… it's just we always talk about what I want to, Dusk," she noted. "Why don't you talk about what you want… I mean, if you like… you don't have to."
"Oh." He was caught off-guard by that. "Sorry, I never noticed. I just don't want to bore you."
"You don't bore me Dusk," she said gently. "Talk about whatever you like."
"You promise that you'll say that I'm boring you or if you need me to explain?"
"I promise."
"Okay… let's see then…" He thought for a moment. "Well, I'm looking forward to this trip we're taking to Appleloosa soon."
"Oh yes, I'm excited about it too," she told him. "I'll bet you know lots about it already."
"Well… I guess…" he said modestly. "They founded themselves about a year ago, a group of settlers who wanted to find their own way, but they've made great progress in that time. They managed to find fertilizable ground for them to grow an apple orchard, which is their main source of income and food, along with visitors from out of town. It's close to a buffalo stampeding ground, which interests me quite a bit."
"Really? Are you interested in the buffalo?"
"Very much so. They're a fascinating people, generations old and spreading back centuries. Some say their ancestors stampeded across those grounds when Celestia and Luna first began to move the sun and the moon. I hope we get to meet them, I would rather like…"
Fluttershy let him speak; now and again asking questions or making comment, happy that he was comfortable about this subject. From the way he cared about her and treated her, it further cemented her belief of him.
He really was like her big brother…
Rainbow Dash felt the wind whip through her mane as she rocketed through the sky, making sharp turns past the coloured obstacles that were in her path. Occasionally, she'd be caught by surprise as one appeared in front of her, but she'd turn quickly to avoid it. This was a sort of random obstacle course that Dusk was generating for her, to see how her reactions and dodge moves were.
The stallion really was quite a find with this talent that he had. She'd managed just fine in practices without him, just flying around clouds and stuff, but now he was around, she was able to pull off maneuvers that she'd never have been able to do with non-moving clouds.
Not that his colour talent was the only thing she liked about him. She thought it was kind of cool to have a guy in their group, even though he was sensitive enough to be a girl. He'd already proven he could be brave, like she always was, she could always count on him if she needed help with something, plus he was pretty brainy, enough to help her plan out some of her moves, as he knew quite a bit about flying.
Looking down, she noticed that Dusk was starting to shake a bit, hitting the reserves of his strength. She did one last loop-the-loop before coming back to land on the ground, without crashing this time.
"Okay Dusk, you can take a break. I don't expect your stamina to be anywhere near mine, so I understand," she bragged confidently.
"Your compassion is touching," he replied with a smile. "That was some nice flying Rainbow."
"I know, but nice of you to say so," she said with a grin. "That was some awesome work you did too."
"I was merely the one providing the obstacles," he said in that modest way he did. "You were the one who flew around them."
"Yeah, but you still did it." She cocked her head sideways at him. "How come you always do that?"
"Do what?"
"Whenever somepony says 'well done' to you, you always say like 'it was nothing' or something like that. How come?"
"Well…" He was silent for a good few minutes. "I don't know… I suppose I've never really thought about it."
"I know it's not that big of a deal, but I figure, you know, what's the point of doing something cool if you don't brag about it a bit?"
"Well… I suppose that's just two different mental and philosophical views of two differing individuals, who have been affected, both by what they've inherited and how certain stimuli in their environments growing up have treated them."
"English, professor."
"Sorry…" he said quietly. "Well, look at it like this. You've grown up loving speed and doing tricks, to the point where you know how good you are and have utter confidence in your abilities."
"Okay. But you…"
"Me…" He seemed to be searching for the right words. "Well, I've never really had any friends, not many people encouraging me, apart from my parents. They were always supportive of me, but they were still busy, so it was usually just me."
"Oh, right." She suddenly felt guilty from how sad he looked. "Sorry, I forgot…"
She couldn't help but pity him in that moment. It must have really sucked, to have grown up without any friends like he had. Even she knew that. She knew it was different now and that stuff was in the past but, every now and then, there were those little reminders, like unexpected gusts of wind in the sky. She noted to do her best to never forget that again.
"It's fine," he said. He recovered himself and continued. "So… I'm just not used to accepting compliments, that's all. Besides, I like being modest. It's what makes who I am."
"That makes sense," she shrugged. "See, wasn't that easier to say?"
"Maybe, I like saying it the other way too." He gave her one of his rare grins. "I don't need to use big words to prove my intelligence, but it's always fun using them anyway."
"Can't argue with that," she chuckled. "Okay, you ready to go again or do you want longer?"
"I'm fine. Unless, you want longer to rest," he bantered.
"What? You think I need more rest? Me, Rainbow Dash?" she asked in a mock outrage voice.
"Oh, I don't know," he shrugged. "You might need longer to rest up, to prepare for my next bombardment of colour missiles…"
"Oh, you wish." She quickly leaped back into the sky. "Let's do this Dusky!"
"Right you are, Dashie!" he called, as he sent more colours at her while she soared through the sky. Now, this was flying!
Applejack tossed her horseshoe towards the peg, where it landed just a few short feet of it, but further than Big Macintosh's.
"Pretty close Big Mac," she said, "but looks like ah win again."
"Ai-yup," he agreed. "Ya always were better at horseshoes than me."
"What can ah say, it's ma gift." She glanced up the road. "Ya think Dusk'll be back with Applebloom soon?"
"Ah'm sure he will, that colt's jus' as reliable as you are. Well, ah gotta move some apples into the barn, see ya later."
"Sure thing, see ya in a bit." Thinking she might as well relax a bit, she headed to tree facing the road, set herself against it and slumped to the ground.
As she lay back, her hat over her eyes and a piece of straw in her mouth, her thoughts turned to the pony that she had just mentioned. She'd always been a good judge of character with ponies and she knew that, from the moment she first saw Dusk in the market place, that he had a good head on his shoulders and a good heart to boot.
It just struck her now as to how much he had changed since she had first met him. In those early days, he seemed so lost, looking for something but he just didn't know what. She remembered how much his eyes seemed to shine whenever anypony openly regarded him as their friend, how distant he'd acted from his own mysterious reasons. Now though…
She smiled, just glad that he was much more happy. He was able to share himself in ways he never could before, his knowledge and whatever else he could offer. He would joyfully display his shining colour puppets to them, do any favour that was asked of him and provide assistance in whatever way could, not just with Twilight but with all of them.
His eyes still got that twinkle whenever he was acknowledged as a friend of theirs. When he was with them, it seemed like he cherished every single moment, as if he feared it all might suddenly end. She supposed he was still getting used to having friends, or he just cherished their friendship a lot. Either one was good.
She looked up at the sound of voices and saw her little sister enter the farm with Dusk, excitedly chatting away.
"So with this one," she was saying, "we're sure ta get out cutie marks."
"Okay, just make sure you don't hurt yourself, unless you want to get a cutie mark in getting bruises."
"Good point." She suddenly brightened up. "Hey, it's almost lunchtime. Ya wanna stay fer some food?"
"I'm sorry, but I've got somewhere I need to be." He gave her smile to counter her disappointed look. "Thank you for asking me though, it was thoughtful of you."
"Aw, okay then. Heya sis!" she called as Applejack walked over.
"Howdy young'un. She didn't give ya any trouble sugarcube?" she asked Dusk.
"Not at all, she was as good as gold," he assured her, as the filly gave an innocent smile.
"Sure was. Can ah go an' play fer a bit sis?"
"Sure thing, jus' be careful."
"Ah will. See ya later Dusk!" She scampered off towards the apple orchards, Dusk tipping his hat in farewell to her.
"Thanks fer pickin' her up fer me."
"Not a problem." He too turned to leave. "Well, I should get going, I've got an appointment to keep."
"Do ya have ta go so soon?" She gestured to where she'd been playing. "Ya got time fer a game-a horseshoes?"
"Well… okay, just one game." She gave him his three shoes, as he let her take the first pitch. "I've never played, so I might not be very good…"
"Ya never know till ya try." She watched him take aim and pitch a toss, which landed just short of hers. "Nice one." Her next shot landed far ahead of his, but missed the peg. "Shoot."
"Tough luck." His next shot landed much closer to the peg than his last throw. Applejack's, however, landed right next to the peg.
"Wow, good throw."
"Ah do have quite a flair fer it, ya know. Probably shoulda warned ya firs'."
"Yeah, I don't really stand much of a chance…"
"Don't count yer chickens before they hatch," she told him wisely. "Ya still got one more throw."
He said nothing, but studied the playing field. She watched as he remained focused for a few seconds, eyeing his remaining shoe and the distance to the peg. She was sure that, if she stood close enough, she'd be able to hear his brain whirring as it worked. He pitched his toss, it soared through the air…
… and landed with a clink right on the peg, beating her shots in one go. She sent an admiring smile his way, while he seemed quite surprised he'd managed to land it.
"Beginners luck, I guess," he remarked with a shrug. "Right, I really need to go. Have a good day AJ."
"You too!" She shook her head as he watched him go, moving to clear up the horseshoes. "Beginners luck indeed. If that boy were any more humble…" She just trailed off and decided to get some lunch. It was just a shame he couldn't stay for pie, he really had a liking for it.
"That's it Dusk, just follow my lead, you're doing marvellously," Rarity encouraged, as the two of them danced around each other.
"If you say so," Dusk replied unsurely, almost tripping that time and making his cheeks go red. Rarity stifled a giggle and continued to lead him through the waltz.
He had come over to her home for a visit and a chat, which she always looked forward to. He was always so polite and considerate, pleasant to talk to and it helped that he was rather easy on the eyes. There was a certain dignity that he carried himself with, nothing proud or boastful, but enough to show that he had been brought up well and taught good manners. That was rather rare these days among stallions.
When they arrived at the subject of the Grand Galloping Gala and Rarity commented on the dancing that was part of the Gala, Dusk had made a passing remark that he didn't really do much dancing. At this, Rarity had insisted that she give him a basic lesson, pulling out a gramophone and providing him with instruction on the matter.
"Tell me again, why do I need to know this?" he asked her.
"Because Dusk, the dance in the main hall is a big part of the Gala. When you go there, you can ask Twilight to dance with you."
"Um… why?"
"Because dancing, especially a waltz, is really quite romantic," she explained patiently. "Once you and Twilight share a dance together, I guarantee her heart will melt like butter and the two of you will be one step closer to becoming a couple."
"But I… I…" As always on this subject, he became flustered and embarrassed. He collected himself and started again. "I don't know if I can ask her to… to dance with me. I mean… what if she doesn't want to?"
"Why wouldn't she? You're a perfectly fine young gentlecolt Dusk and the two of you would look stunning together on the dance floor."
"But… but what if she doesn't know how to dance. I can barely dance now. What if I end up leading and I make a mistake or do something stupid? She'll think I'm a fool…"
"Dusk, you are nopony's fool," she said firmly. "You are my friend and I'm going to see to it personally that you can move as smoothly and gracefully across the dance floor as you can. You can do it Dusk, I know you can. Trust me."
He stared at her for a few minutes, letting her words sink in. Then, he gave a small smile. "Okay, I trust you… Rarity?"
"Yes darling?" There was a pleading note when he said her name there. Despite all of his qualities, he still lacked confidence, a trait that made her pity him somewhat.
"Do you really think that… that Twilight and I could ever be… together?" His voice had barely risen above a whisper at this point.
To answer, Rarity levitated off the necklace that Twilight had made for him. "Dusk, let me ask you something. Twilight made this for you, yes?"
"Yes she did."
"And do not you wear it every day, as often as you can?"
"I do… yes…"
"Exactly." She slipped it back around his. "The fact that you cherish such a gift proves how strong your feelings are for her and, considering that she made it just for you, I know that means she feels something too. You two will end up together, I can feel it."
"Okay…" His smile brightened now. "Thanks Rarity, I needed that."
"It was my pleasure dear. You're going to make quite an impact at the Gala, I just know it."
"If you say so," he repeated. "We'll try not to hit you when you start dancing with the Prince."
"Ah yes… Blueblood," she sighed, her heart going aflutter at the mention of him. "Two bright eyed young couples, dancing together… how romantic."
"I'm sure it will," he nodded. "Just be sure to invite me to your wedding, okay?"
"Oh don't you worry, I will." She started up the music again. "Now, let's try it again. Just loosen up and relax, follow me…"
Dusk, happy but exhausted from the day's events, started off back home, taking the scenic route that would take him past the library.
Both Twilight and Spike were away in Canterlot on business. As such, they had given him the day off, so he had chosen to spend it by doing favours for or just spending time with his friends. He always liked spending time with them and he liked doing favours for them. It made him feel warm whenever they expressed their gratitude.
As he passed the library, Dusk paused to look up at the tree that was both the container of books and Twilight's home. It felt strange, not having been in the library today with his two good friends. Maybe they were back now… it wouldn't hurt to drop in.
He opened the door and walked in, as he had been given the key for the day. "Twilight? Spike? Are you here?" There was no reply.
The only thing he did see were books, either scattered on the floor or piled up in places. Used quills and parchment also littered the floor. Twilight must have been studying, but not had the time to clear up. He was about lock up and set off back home, but he paused as a thought came to him. They hadn't asked to him to come and work today but… he might as well, since he was here. It shouldn't take too long.
He walked in, shut the door, levitated the first book he saw and set to work.
"Ah, good to be back," sighed Spike, he and Twilight getting down from the carriage. It was evening by the time they got back, the stars already beginning to twinkle in the sky.
"It certainly is," agreed Twilight, "although it took a little longer than we thought it would."
"You can say that again. At least we can go to bed when we get in, I'm bushed…"
"Spike, don't you remember?" she asked, as they neared the red door of their home. "We still need to clear up all of those books from before. We never had time to when we had to leave."
"Aw, man, that'll take forever," groaned the dragon.
"Not if we work together. If we do it now, we don't have to do it tomorrow."
"Alright… let's get this over with." He unlocked the door and turned on a light. "Or maybe it won't."
"Spike, what are you…" When Twilight looked around, she saw what he meant.
All of the books from her study session, that had been scattered and taken down, had all been placed neatly back into their proper places. Rolls of parchment had also been cleared away, the quills reorganized and rubbish had been disposed of. There was only one pony that would have done all of this for them…
"Hey, look, a note." Spike handed it to her and she unfurled it, seeing the neat writing that was upon it:
I know today was my day off, but I couldn't resist. Just so you know, it was no trouble, I was happy to do it. I hope you appreciate this chance to get to bed earlier Spike.
See you both in the morning.
Dusk Noir.
Twilight felt a smile grow on her face as the words sank in. That pony was just… amazing. An amazing friend that is, not that she was thinking about him… like that. Why did this have to be so hard?
"Wow, that guy really is something huh?" Spike remarked, as he read the letter. "For the record, I do appreciate it by the way."
"I know…" Twilight gazed fondly at the letter for a few minutes, then shook herself out of her stupor. "Spike, what do you think of him?"
"Who? Dusk?" He appeared rather confused by the question. "Well… I think he's great. He's easy to get along with, good to talk to and… well, I like him. He's a good friend, especially if it means I get to sleep more." He looked curiously at Twilight. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason, just curious," she insisted, forcing a smile and trying to seem casual. That was exactly what she thought about him too… and more.
"Well, what do you think of him?"
"He's… he's…" She paused, searching for the right words. "He's one of a kind… a wonderful kind."
"Ah, I see." The dragon gave as sort of knowing smile, before stretching and yawning. "Well, I'm gonna get some sleep. G'night Twilight."
"Goodnight Spike, I'll be up in a minute…" Her cheeks turned red again as she looked back at the letter.
She had tried telling herself again and again that she didn't have romantic feelings for Dusk, that the two of them were just good friends. But there were just things that said otherwise… she sometimes felt jealous when she saw him hug one of her friends or do a favour for them. When she was with him, she hung on every word he spoke and when he had to leave… she didn't want him to…
"Why does this have to be so hard?" she asked herself out loud, gently putting the letter down and heading upstairs to bed. Maybe things would be clearer in the morning.
Hopefully.