//------------------------------// // A Bird in the Hoof // Story: Brand New Dusk // by AlphatheGriffin17 //------------------------------// "Great work with the pies there Spike," Dusk said encouragingly, as he finished baking another batch with his flame breath. "Thanks Dusk. It's nice to be using it for something other than sending letters for a change." He handed the pies over to Mr Cake. "How's things out there?" "Unduly tense and uptight," he told him. "Everypony just seems to have a hard time relaxing." "Well, it's not every day the Princess herself visits for brunch," he pointed out. "Touché, my assistant brother. You seem all right though." "Well of course. I'm in here and they're out there, so I'm just fine," he said with a chuckle. "Hope this goes better than the last time the Princess came to visit." "Why, what happened?" "Well, it was a complete disaster. Mainly because the town was overrun with Parasprites and they started eating everything, so yeah…" "Yes, I can see how that would be a problem." Dusk turned to leave. "I'm off to mingle, keep up the good work." "Will do, have fun!" Dusk stepped back out into the brunch party at the Sugarcube Corner. As Spike had said, they were hosting it for Princess Celestia, who was visiting for the day. Dusk had been here on early hours, helping to set everything up and making sure Twilight kept calm. Her perfectionist attitude was making her jittery and irritable. Not so much with him, but he simply let it wash off him. He too had some nerves of his own about the visit. He had stood at the door to greet the guests as they arrived. All of his friends were here now, except for Fluttershy who seemed to be running late. Rarity was telling anypony who stood nearby not to ruin her dress in anyway, Rainbow was hovering bored in the air, Applejack was still unsure about how to eat her food, Pinkie was bouncing happily around the room and Twilight was fidgeting nervously by the door though obviously trying to calm herself like he'd advised her. "Oh Dusk, I hope this goes well," she'd said before the Princess had arrived. "I want everypony to make a good impression with the Princess, so she doesn't think badly of you." "But she's already met us Twilight and you've told her good things about us in your letters," he'd reminded her. "Trust me, everything will be fine and I'm sure they'll all be on their best behaviour." "Okay… but what if-" "Twilight," he'd said firmly, looking right into her eyes, "trust me, it'll be fine. I'm nervous too, in fact I'm shaking in my knees, but I'm not letting it get the better of me, no matter how much I'd like to." "Really?" She'd looked down to see his legs, which were shaking quite a bit. "Yes, because I know how much this means to you and I'm going to do my absolute best to make sure Celestia's good impression of me, or at least I hope she has one, stays that way. I even combed my fur and mane specially, see?" "I didn't notice." She'd smiled approvingly. "Thank you Dusk. You… you always go the extra mile for me, don't you?" "Heh… I guess…" He'd shuffled on his hooves, and then made an excuse that he should wait by the door to greet the guests and hurried away, hoping that she didn't see his cheeks go bright red at that. Deciding that there wasn't really much else he could do, other than be a good host to the guest of honor, Dusk turned away and made his way towards where Princess Celestia sat, sipping her tea. Ever since Dusk had discovered about the relation that his powers might have to her sister, Dusk had been hoping for a chance to speak with either of them, perhaps find out what Princess Luna might be up to now. Besides, it had been a long time since he'd spoken to Celestia and he owed her a great deal. It would be rude to ignore her now. She looked up from her drink and smiled as warmly ad the sun she raised at the sight of him. "Dusk Noir, how lovely to see you." "Likewise, your highness," he replied, bowing to her. "I hope you're enjoying your brunch and if there's anything else I can get you, you need only ask." "Thank you, but everything is fine." She gestured to the empty place to her right. "Please, sit with me. It's been a long time since we spoke." "Of course, Princess." He placed himself next to her, looking up into her caring face. "Well, you've certainly been busy since discovering friendship's magic. Fending off hydra, battling diamond dogs, participating in the Canterlot contest. You should be proud of what you've accomplished." "I am, for the most part," he said humbly. "I would prefer not to think much on events involving violence. I'm a thinker, not a fighter." "I would say that such things require a little of both." She smiled proudly at him. "It's good you don't take pride in violence though, when there are so many better ways to resolve problems." "In this, we are like minded, Princess. I prefer intellectual pursuits to physical… not that there's anything wrong with a little exercise, now and again." "Indeed," she laughed appreciatively. "From what she's written to me in her letters, Twilight seems to think you're quite clever. Would you say that you're clever?" "Um… I suppose that I am quite intelligent," he said modestly. "And that you have a wide and varied knowledge of different subjects, due to your reading?" "I suppose… yes, I do." "Interesting..." A cunning glint shone in her eye."Well, if you are as intelligent as Twilight Sparkle tells me you are, tell me if you can identify my pet here." Knowing the Princess was just having a little bit of fun, he looked into the cage that she gestured to. Inside it, fast asleep on the cage floor, was a curious-looking bird. At first glance, one might mistake it for a chicken or a turkey, but Dusk knew better. From the books he'd read, he recognised the shape of the beak, the colour shade of the feathers, established what stage of its life cycle it must be at and his jaw dropped. "Princess," he whispered, in complete awe of the creature before him, "is this really a… a phoenix?" "Indeed she is, well done." She cast a fond gaze at her pet. "Not many ponies would be able to recognise one, especially not in her current state. It's a pity you must see her on a burning day." "I know what you mean. They're meant to be quite majestic birds and one of them would certainly not look out of place in the halls of Canterlot." "I'm glad you think so. Do you know much else of phoenixes?" "Plenty," he said proudly. "Let me see… they now and again moult all of their feathers, burst into flame but are then reborn from the ashes. They can carry loads far heavier than themselves, their tears are said to have healing powers and they're quite intelligent animals, very faithful pets." "Right on all counts, well done again." She cast a rather amused look at him."You and Twilight are more alike than I first thought." "I like to think so too," he said in agreement. "You said that you had hoped you would be good friends because you're rather similar. Would you say that it's worked out like you hoped?" "Oh yes, Your Highness," he replied happily. "She's better than I ever hoped she would be. She's witty, caring, kind, clever, enjoys reading and learning, inquisitive and uh… beautiful…" He mumbled this last one, clearing his throat and levitating up his necklace. "She made me this, you know, a sort of good luck charm." "What a lovely gesture," she remarked, examining it. "Strange stones, I must say… it seems that you're closer than I thought as well." "Is uh… that a bad thing?" he asked nervously. "Not at all," she assured. "I think it's wonderful that you share so much in common. It makes your friendship so much more special and perhaps…" She remained silent for a few seconds, and then brushed her words aside. "Oh, never mind. Regardless, the two of you are good friends and I couldn't be happier for you." "Re-r-really?" "Of course. Compared to the day I first met you, in the gardens of Canterlot, you've changed so much since then. Friendship suits you, Dusk and I hope it only makes you happier throughout your life." "Thank you, Your Highness," he mumbled, seeing that glint return to her eye again. Trying to steer the conversation where he wanted to, he asked, "So… how's Princess Luna faring?" "My sister is quite well. She still prefers to seclude herself than come out in public, but… some scars take time to heal." She looked slightly mournful for a bit, a shadow of sadness crossing over her face. It vanished as quickly as it arrived. "Why do you ask?" "I'm just curious," he shrugged. "We don't really see much of her and I was just wondering as to why… making sure she's okay." "Well, that's very nice of you to-" "You gonna eat that?" Pinkie didn't wait for an answer, as she snapped up the Princess's cupcake in a single bite and was promptly dragged away before she could do it again. "Hey!" "A thousand pardons, Your Majesty," begged Mr Cake, setting down a replacement cake and backing away, in case she might strike him down. "That's quite all right, thank you." She glanced inquisitively at Dusk, who merely shrugged, trying to convey without words that she was always like that and he just went with it. The Princess chuckled as she caught his meaning and delicately bit into the cupcake and drained her cup of tea. A rather comedic scene ensued, where the Princess finished a cup of tea, only to have it immediately refilled by the Cakes. Just to mess around with them, she pretended to take a sip and let them pour the tea and overflow her cup. "Gotcha!" Then it was Dusk's turn to laugh, but he heard a groan next to him and saw Twilight beside him, along with Fluttershy at the head of the table. "It's okay," he whispered to her, "it'll be fine." "If you say so," she replied unsurely. "Take slow, deep breaths," he advised her. "Trust me, it helps." "Okay… slow deep breaths…" She began to comply, as Celestia turned her attention toFluttershy. "And what about you, dear? Fluttershy, is it?" she asked her gently. "Me?" She seemed quite surprised at being addressed."Oh yes, Your Highness." "I understand from Twilight Sparkle's letters that you enjoy tending to the needs of woodland creatures." "Yes, I love to take care of animals." "As do I. As Princess, I care deeply about all creatures, great and small." At this point, a hacking cough came from the cage with the phoenix in it. "Nothing means more to me than the well-being of all my subjects." The bird weakly flew up to its perch and stood atop it, wobbling alarmingly. Even though Dusk knew this was natural, he couldn't help but grimace at the state it was in. "Ah, Philomena, my pet. You're awake. Do say hello to our gracious hosts." The phoenix Philomena responded with another wheezing cough. "Oh... my," murmured Fluttershy in a concerned tone. "She is quite a sight, isn't she?" Celestia was apparently oblivious to Fluttershy's reaction Philomena's state. "I... I... I've never seen anything like it," she finally said. At this point, one of the guards from outside cleared his throat and whispered something in Celestia's ear. "Really?" He nodded to confirm whatever he said. "Well, if I must..." She rose gracefully from her seat. "I'm sorry, everypony. I'm afraid I have to cut the party short. The mayor has requested an audience with me. Royal duty calls. Thank you for a wonderful time. It's been a joy getting to know you all better." With dignity and poise, she departed with her guards, everypony bowing to her as she passed. Applejack breathed a sigh of relief, her mouth-watering with anticipation. "Now ah can eat someth'n!Ah'm starved!" To her dismay though, Mr Cake cleared the table by pulling on the cloth. Dusk hurriedly drained the rest of his tea, scalding his tongue in the process and watched everypony leave the cake store, Pinkie doing a cartwheel and knocking over anypony that got in her way. Before anypony else could leave, they were stopped by a fiercely driven Rarity, who was also making her way out. "Stay right where you are. All I want is a clear path to the exit. NOBODY MOVE and my dress won't get hurt! Stay back! Back, I say!" Last to leave was Applejack, expertly balancing several food items on her nose and back to wearing her Stetson, leaving Twilight, Spike and Dusk standing in the middle of the room. Twilight relaxed visibly, drooping her head and wearing a resigned expression. "Well, guys, I don't know for sure how things went with the princess, but at least no big disasters happened." "I'm sure it went fine," said Spike. "If it didn't… I'm sure we'll be the first to know about it." "Well said Spike," Dusk remarked. "Were you expecting any big disasters to happen?" "Well, you never know, anything could have happened to spoil the day. You already know about the Parasprites from last time and the time before that was when Nightmare Moon was freed from her imprisonment." "Oh. I can see where your concern came from then," he said. "But like I told you, it was nothing to worry about." "Yeah… you were…" She sighed and looked at Dusk. "Thanks for making a good impression on her Dusk." "No problem at all," he assured her. "I was happy to do it. Remember, it's thanks to her we're friends in the first place." "Indeed it is." It sounded like a simple agreement, but he got the feeling that she was saying more than she was, enough to make him smile affectionately at her, which she returned. After the moment had passed, they spent some time helping Mr and Mrs Cake tidying up everything that had been left over from the brunch. Once this was done, they decided to give themselves a little break. Spike went back to the library for a nap, whilst Dusk set off on one of his walks, accompanied by Twilight who requested to go with him, to which he had no objections. "I just go on these when I feel like it," he explained to her, as they made their way through the streets of Ponyville. "It lets me get some exercise and I get to explore the area." "That's as good reason for them, I guess. But if you wanted to know about the area, why not just read it in a book?" "Oh I have, it's just that this way is more engaging and healthier." "But if you've already read it in a book, what's the point of the exploration?" she asked him, a little confused. "Because, Miss Sparkle, there are some things that can't be learned from any book. Most things can be, but others have to be seen with your eyes, held with your own hooves, like Pinkie sense. Who knows, you may find something else one day a book can't explain." "I doubt it," she scoffed, though he noticed her cheeks went slightly red. "I may not have been able to explain Pinkie sense, but there's nothing else in this world that can't be explained by looking it up in a book. I'll stick to reading, thank you." "If you say so, Twi," he shrugged. "I suppose that's the studious mind-set that comes from being the protégée of Princess Celestia… not that that's a bad thing, it makes you who you are and I like who you are." "I noticed." The blush in her cheeks deepened at this point and she gazed warmly at him. "I heard what you said to the Princess… about me." "Did you?" Somehow, Dusk's voice became even quieter than normal. "Well… um… I…" "You did mean it, didn't you?" she asked. He didn't respond, just nodded mutely and her expression softened even further. "Nopony's ever said anything like that about me before…" "N-n-nopony… at all?" he dared to ask. "Nopony," she repeated. "It was very sweet of you, that you would say that… thank you." "No problem," he murmured, but he was glowing inside that she would acknowledge this of him. They held their warm gaze for a few seconds, when Twilight faltered, breaking eye contact and flicking her head around nervously. "I mean um… it's nice that, as a friend, you think of me like that um… not in any uh… you know…" She trailed off and fell into an awkward silence. "Twilight, are you-?" He was cut off when she suddenly asked, "You spend a lot of time with Rarity." "Um… excuse me?" he replied unsurely. "Rarity. You spend a lot of time with her, I've noticed. Not that it's a bad thing, it's great to spend time with your friends but… yeah, you just spend a lot of time with her, that's all." She said this all rather quickly and while trying to sound casual, but coming off as nervous. "Er… I hadn't really noticed," he said, not really sure of what else to say. "Really? Well, I noticed it, even if you didn't, you know because I notice things about my friends, especially you because you work with me. I mean, I notice what we all do, not just you and I just noticed that about you. You know?" She was getting rather mixed up in her words and not being too clear in her meaning. "Well… do you want me to spend less time with Rarity?" Dusk asked, hoping to clear it up and calm her down. If anything, that made it worse. "No, no of course not! I mean, you can if you want to; it's not up to me to tell you what you should do with your friends. I mean, if it was, I'd tell you that you should be spending equal time with all of your friends, especially if they're all girls and you're the only guy. If you do, they might start thinking that there's something else going on." "What exactly… would that be then?" It seemed like she wanted to talk about something important, but wasn't quite sure how to. "I just thought that maybe, if you and Rarity are spending so much time together, you two may feel… something else for each other. Again, not that that's a bad thing, I'm just saying… I mean, I'm not saying that you do but-" "Wait, hold on," Dusk interrupted, finally seeing what she was getting at. "Do you think that I and Rarity feel… like that for each other?" "Yes, yes that's exactly what I'm thinking!" she cried, sounding relieved. "Again, not that it's bad if you do, I'd be happy for both of you if you did. It's just that… well… what I'm trying to say is… do you?" A note of pleading made its way into this question. Dusk remembered how Rarity said that she seemed jealous when they separated at Canterlot at the school and he had noticed that a look of jealousy flashed across her face whenever he did something like hug one of the others, or even say that he was doing something with Rarity. Had she been thinking all of this time that he had romantic feelings for her? And if she did, what did that mean for the two of them? "No," he replied simply. "I don't have… you know… romantic feelings for Rarity. We're just good friends, like I am with the others and you." "Really? Oh." She looked quite abashed now, but at least that hysterical note had gone out of her voice. He always got concerned when she was like that. "Well… um… good." "Why is that good?" "Oh, no reason!" she said suddenly, with a forced smile. "I'm just er… glad that this had all been sorted out, that's all. We're all just good friends, right?" "Yeah… right…" He supposed it was too much to hope that she may harbor affection for him as he did for her, not yet anyway. He guessed she was still grappling with her emotions like Rarity said. Deciding it would be best to change the subject, he asked, "What do you think of Celestia's sister?" Apparently just as glad at the change of subject, she relaxed visibly and a natural smile came back. "Luna? Well she's… she's…" Twilight went silent, thinking for a few minutes, and then frowned. "Come to think of it, I don't really know." "Why not? You girls are the ones who freed her from her corrupting power." "I know, but we didn't really get the chance to talk to her," she explained. "They left pretty quickly once the celebration was over, but I swear I could see Luna crying when they did." "Oh… that's rather a shame," he remarked. "I suppose it was tough for her, returning to her normal self after so long wrapped in a shroud of evil and hate." "Well put," she agreed, raising an eyebrow at his eloquence. "Add to that, she was stuck in the moon for a thousand years and the fact everypony thought she was a monster and..." "I know what you mean… do you know much else about her?" "Only what most know: she's Celestia's sister, she's just as magical as her, maybe less because she's younger, she always speaks loudly… why does she do that anyway?" "It's the Royal Voice of Canterlot," he explained. "Both Celestia and Luna used it to address their subject centuries ago, but Celestia abandoned the tradition shortly after Luna was imprisoned in the moon." "Is there anything you don't know?" she remarked admirably. "Quite a few things, like the answers to complex equations… I never could stand maths that much. I don't know as much science as I'd like, among other things, like things I find boring." "Really? You don't like science?" "Only in that I don't find it as interesting as I do other things, it's personal preference. It's not that I don't understand it and I do know some basic information, I just don't find it as interesting as most other things. I'll leave that to you, if you don't mind." He decided to steer the conversation away from his personal views and back to the topic at hand. "And about Princess Luna, don't know much about her either." "You didn't see much of her back home then?" "Not really. She was secluded in the castle for quite a long time after that back in Canterlot and even now she seems… well… unsure of herself." "You thought so too? And we've never really asked about her… I feel kind of bad, now that I think about it." "Me too," he said. "But she'll show herself more when she's ready and it's best not to rush her until then. Still… it would be good if we did see more of her." "I know, she would be unique to talk to at any rate." She hesitated for a moment. "Do you really think that there's nothing we can do?" "I don't really know," he admitted. "Celestia knows her better than we do; she is her sister after all. If she wants our help, I'm sure she'll ask for it. Until then, we carry on." "I suppose that makes sense," she said, a little regrettably. "Anyway, I'm going to go over to Fluttershy's house to thank her for making a good impression. Do you wanna come?" "No thanks Twi, I'll wait for you two with the others near the centre of town." He made his way down an alleyway that would take him there. "See you later!" She waved goodbye and was soon out of sight, though Dusk did regret having to leave her. He followed the alley until he reached the fountain statue of a smiling pony, where the others were all gathered. Rainbow was hovering in the air, Pinkie was eating a cupcake from the brunch, Rarity was styling her mane and Applejack was balancing an apple on the end of her nose. They all greeted Dusk as he arrived. "Good afternoon ladies," he said politely. "Nice to see you all looking relaxed." "You said it, sugarcube," Applejack replied, not losing balance of the apple. "Don't have ta worry 'bout no manners among friends huh?" "Perhaps you don't, but the rest of us have some standards," remarked Rarity. Pinkie chose this point to take a huge bite out of her cupcake and swallow it almost whole. "Well, most of us anyway…" "Eh, I'm bored," Rainbow announced. "There's nothing to do and nothing's going on." "I wouldn't say that, there's always something going-" "Excuse me sir, are you Dusk Noir?" He turned to see the imposing forms of Celestia's guards standing behind him. "Wow, those psychic powers of yours are good." He ignored Pinkie's comment and faced the guards. "Yes, that's me," he confirmed, tipping his hat to them. "How may I help you?" "We are looking for Twilight Sparkle and we were wondering if you knew where she was. It is essential that she be informed of a dire emergency." "She went to the house of Fluttershy on the outskirts of town. It's the one surrounded by all of the animal homes, you can't miss it." They thanked him for his assistance and made to leave. "If I may ask, sirs, what is this emergency? Is there any way I can help?" "If you can, that would be much appreciated. The royal pet has gone missing and we would be grateful for any help you can provide. Have you seen her anywhere?" "Philomena?" That surprised Dusk greatly. "No, not since the brunch, sorry. I'll keep an eye open for her though and inform you immediately if I see her." "Very well, thank you." With that, the two guards left to find Twilight and Dusk was left thinking. "Well that's weird," noted Pinkie. "Why would that silly birdie go wandering off like that?" "It is rather peculiar," agreed Rarity. "Oh well, we'll keep an eye out for her, just as Dusk said and report if we do see her." "Meantime, back to it," Applejack said, returning to balancing the apple on her nose. Realising that they were all doing their own thing, Dusk figured he might as well do something to entertain himself. Allowing his magic to take effect and his mind to wander, Dusk began to deliberate all of the details, the minutes passing by. As he watched the swirling colours, a thought crossed his mind. Everypony knew the story of how Princess Luna had been corrupted by dark powers. If his power was in some way connected to hers, could that possibly mean that he too might become… corrupted. A fear began to creep up inside him at this idea. His swirling images of colour had always seemed harmless enough, but what if they had been slowly changing him, like a slow acting poison? Could it be that, one day, he might… stray down the path of evil? "Dusk? Dusk dear, are you all right?" Rarity's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "You seem to be rather… preoccupied." "Oh um… it's nothing, really," he lied, not feeling comfortable telling them yet. "It's just something rather… complex I'm thinking of." "Mus' be, ah swear ah could hear the cogs turnin' in yer head," Applejack remarked. "You thinking about the Princess's missing bird?" asked Rainbow. "That thing didn't look so good, did it?" "No, it didn't," he agreed absently. "Yes um… I was thinking about it." "Always thinking away, aren't ya?" said Pinkie brightly. "Come on, what's going on in that unicorn noggin?" "Give me a few minutes," he requested, glad to be pondering something else other than his possible corruption. Besides, this might be a nice mystery to unravel. Now, the bird had been safely in her cage when he'd last seen her and it seemed unlikely that the princess would have left the cage open or let her out since then. She was in no condition to do any flying. She could have been stolen, but why? Celestia had said that very few ponies would recognise a phoenix when it was about to burst into flame as part of the life cycle. Most would just see it as a sick bird and not bother with it. But what if somepony did take an interest in the phoenix while she was sick? Maybe they would recognise the bird and realise how valuable it was. Or maybe they would try and help it get better if they didn't know. That would be the kind of thing that Fluttershy would… wait, Fluttershy. That look of concern that she had when she saw Philomena… the fact that she'd left rather quickly after the party… he didn't even see her leave. "Oh she wouldn't… would she?" he said out-loud. "Who wouldn't do what?" asked Rainbow. "Hey, there's Twilight and Fluttershy! They look they're in a hurry." She bolted over to the two of them as they hurried over. Before Dusk could voice his suspicions, Fluttershy checked the floor beneath Pinkie. "Excuse me!" "Hi!" said Pinkie, completely unfazed. "Beg your pardon!" Twilight was doing the same with Rarity. "Put me down!" demanded Rarity. "What in tarnation?!" wondered Applejack, as Twilight lifted up Dusk's hat and checked underneath it. "Pardon my intrusion," Dusk put in as she placed it back on his head, "but might I inquire as to what's going on?" "Sorry, but we've gotta find-" "The princess's pet bird!" It was the two guards from before. They were looking up to the top of the fountain, where Philimena stood, her feathers almost gone and looking worse than ever. Well, at least that confirmed his suspicions. "Philomena, come down from there! You'll hurt yourself!" ordered Fluttershy. The phoenix chose, at this point, to violently convulse and cough excessively. With an acted death rattle, she collapsed on the fountain. Then, she stood up again, coughed once more and proceeded to fall straight off of the statue and hurtle towards the ground. "I'll catch you!" Fluttershy hurried forward, but Dusk knew it was futile. Any second now… Just as the Pegasus reached her, Philomena burst into flame and landed in Fluttershy's hooves as a pile of ash. Everypony gasped, except for Dusk and Fluttershy, the former raising his eyebrows at the sight and the latter whimpering and crying, tears streaking down her face. Dusk was about to try and tell her there was nothing to worry about and comfort her, but Princess Celestia chose that moment to arrive on the scene. "What is going on here?" she demanded, as everpony bowed. "Twilight?" "Yes, Your Majesty," she responded, proceeding to explain, "there's been a terrible accident." "It's all my fault," interjected Fluttershy. "No, Princess. Fluttershy didn't know any better. It was my fault." "I'm the one who did it." "But you were only trying to help." "Some help I was." "Will ya let me do this? She'll go easier on me." "But it's my fault!" "No, it's my fault!" "No, it's my fault!" piped up Pinkie unexpectedly. "Wait, what are we talking about?" "Thanks for trying to protect me, Twilight, but..." Nervously, she stepped forward and faced the princess. "Princess Celestia, I'm the one who took your pet bird. I really was only trying to help the poor little thing. Then I was gonna bring it back to you, honest. So, if you wanna banish me and then throw me in a dungeon in the place that you banish me to, then that's what I deserve." At this point, the princess had crossed over to the pile of ashes that had once been Philomena. Dusk was now bending over and examining it too, nudging it a bit with his hoof and glancing up at the Princess. "Shouldn't she have reformed by now?" he asked her. "Reformed? What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked desperately. "You'll have to excuse her," the Princess said, then addressing the ashes said: "Oh, stop fooling around, Philomena. You're scaring everypony." The ashes rose into the sky as a thin tendril, gathering at a single point in the sky. Once this was done, there was a blinding flash of light and a majestic, red-and-gold feathered bird hovered gracefully in the sky, soaring on the wind, with everypony gasping and staring. Even Dusk, who had been expecting this, laughed in sheer joy of watching her fly. "I don't understand!" Fluttershy stared at her, as she came to a rest on Celestia's leg. "What is that thing? What happened to Philomena?" "This is Philomena," she told her. "She's quite a sight, as I said. But nothing unusual for a phoenix. Isn't that right, Philomena?" The bird gave a musical call in reply. "A...A phoenix?" "Dusk, why don't you explain?" invited Celestia. Honored that she would let him, Dusk stood next to Fluttershy and pointed as Philomena took flight once more. "The phoenix, also known as the Flamed Bird and the Monarch of the Sky and well-deserved titles at that. Incredibly magical and rather rare, they can live for hundreds of years, usually looking like this until a day like today, when they need to renew themselves from the long years. When that happens, they gradually molt their feathers and spontaneously combust, burst into flame that is, at the end of it, essentially dying. But then, as you saw, it is reborn from the flames, just as majestic and glorious as before. A strange life-cycle it must be said, but a very unique animal." "Well put. It's rather melodramatic if you ask me," the princess said in an undertone to them both. "I'm afraid, mischievous little Philomena here took the occasion to have a little fun with you, Fluttershy. Say you're sorry, young lady." Philomena, looking ashamed, made an approximation of an apology to Fluttershy. "So... aren't you gonna banish me? Or throw me in a dungeon? Or banish me and then throw me in a dungeon in the place that you banish me to?" she asked nervously. "Of course not, my little pony. Where on Earth would you get such an idea?" Dusk noticed that Twilight's gaze shifted away from them at this point and smiled to himself. "I guess I have some imagination," covered Fluttershy, who also noticed and shared Dusk's smile. "Fluttershy really did do everything she could to try to take care of Philomena for you," added Twilight. "And I do appreciate that your heart was in the right place, child. But all you had to do was ask me and I could have told you Philomena was a phoenix and saved you all this trouble. Or you could have asked Dusk, as there seems to be no limit to his knowledge," she said in addition, smiling at him fondly, as he blushed and remained silent. "I know. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Next time I'll ask before taking matters into my own hooves." Twilight suddenly had a thought, as her eyes widened. "Should I write you a letter about that lesson, Princess?" "No, that's quite all right," assured Celestia. "I think I can remember." Philomena chose this point to fly above Fluttershy's head and bestow one of her feathers on her, which came to nestle between her ear, as bright as a gold coin and as fiery as molten lava. "It's beautiful." She gazed affectionately at the bird. "Thank you, Philomena. No hard feelings." The two guards came back, this time with Philomena's cage. Rainbow Dash, hatching an idea, flew up to the bird and whispered something indistinctly. Philomena then landed in between the two guards and tickled their noses with her wings. Unable to contain themselves, they burst into fits of laughter and soon they all were, at the sight of the well-disciplined guards losing control of their composure. Dusk couldn't help it. He laughed too. Later that evening, back at Canterlot Castle, Princess Luna was bringing out the stars and the moon, in preparation for her vigil as Princess of the Night. While the spell did need much magic, it wasn't as much a toll on her strength as it usually was, for which she was glad. Smiling as the stars began to twinkle above, she waited for the return of her sister. It was not just out of missing her, although that was part of it too. Before she'd left, she'd asked her to speak to the pony known as Dusk Noir. The abilities he'd shown at the Magic Contest were what had drawn her attention to the unicorn stallion. He had the power yes, but for his personality… she had to find out about that as well… to see if he matched completely. She came a few minutes later, joining her at the balcony where she stood. "Ah my sister, you've done it again." "Thanks Tia," she said, using the affectionate name for her sibling. "How was the visit to Ponyville?" "Just lovely," she told her fondly. "The ponies were all very hospitable, Twilight and her friends are just fine and even Philomena has finally renewed." "Ah, and about time too," she agreed. "She's been looking dreadful for days." "Yes, I'm rather glad for it myself," she agreed. "How have things been here?" "All quiet, nothing new," she reported proudly. "Excellent." She was silent for a few minutes. "I spoke to Dusk Noir while I was there too." "Oh… him?" She tried to remain casual on the subject. "So… what's he like?" "A perfectly pleasant and intelligent little pony, much like my student," she said simply, as if that would be enough. "Really? That's it?" "Well, what else would you need to know?" "Tia, you know what I need to know, I need to know if it all points to him," she said urgently. "Luna," she said in a firm voice, "while I do support you in whatever you do, as your sister, I feel that this time you may be mistaken. Fore Sight's later writings were not as sane and stable as they once were and the text that you've been referring to falls into that category." "But the rest of them were right, why would this one be?" she asked her. "He was so sure of what he saw, what he had foreseen…" "I can't be sure, but it might be best if you let this go. He's a good-hearted young pony, no more, no less." "But-" "Luna, please." Partially pleading, partially ordering, the younger sister knew it was pointless arguing. "Fine… if you say so," she sighed, admitting defeat. "Thank you. Now, I need to get some rest," she decided, ending their discussion on the subject. "Besides, if you want to know more about him, why not speak with him yourself?" With that question, Luna was left alone, staring out into the vastness of the night that she bought. She found it rather frustrating that her elder didn't support her in her belief of this particular pony, that it seemed like the ancient writing would highlight him. Although, this last question made her remark to herself: "Perhaps I will, my sister, perhaps I will…"