//------------------------------// // Cutie Mark Chronicles // Story: Brand New Dusk // by AlphatheGriffin17 //------------------------------// Dusk could barely contain his excitement, as he sat under a tree, idly creating swirls and shapes of colour before his eyes, now and again checking the time to see how much longer it was before he was to meet the girls at the Sugarcube Corner. It had been too late last night to tell them what he had learned after his visit to Canterlot, but in about an hour, he would be telling them about what he had learned from his ancestor, as well as apologizing again for worrying them all. That was going to become a habit if he wasn't careful. He'd quickly looked up a family tree in the library before he'd come out here and had soon discovered that what Princess Luna said had been true, that he was descended from the line of Fore Sight the Uncanny, which gave something of a definite explanation about his strange power. He'd also discovered, to his pleasant surprise, that Twilight was a distant descendant from Clover the Clever, as he was from Fore Sight. The two had both been apprenticed to Starswirl in the old days and it made him wonder if the two of them had been good friends as well. It meant another kind of special connection between him and Twilight, even if it was by a thousand year difference. He was still in his private musings when a loud crash brought him back to reality and something crashed out of the tree in front of him, he stood with a start when he realised it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders, wearing safety helmets and covered in leaves and tree sap. "See anything?" asked Apple Bloom. They craned their heads and checked their flanks, which were stained from their fall. "Tree sap and pine needles, but no cutie mark," noted Scootaloo sadly. Sweetie Belle turned to look at her friends. "Plan B?" "Yeah. You know where we can find a cannon at this hour?" Not sure if the Pegasus filly was joking or not, Dusk approached them, as they didn't seem to have noticed him yet. "Are you three okay?" "Oh, heya Dusk!" greeted Apple Bloom happily. "Yeah, we're fine don't worry." "How did you even…" He looked skyward to see a long wire passing overhead. "Oh, tell me you didn't try zip-lining like Spike suggested, did you?" "Kinda," shrugged Scootaloo, cleaning herself of tree debris. "We thought it might work to get our cutie marks, but no luck." "I didn't think it would." Dusk helped to clean them, removing the leaves with a quick spell. "You really should be more careful with what you try to get your marks." "That's what I said," Sweetie Belle piped up. "I'd never even heard of a pony zip-lining before." "Well it doesn't matter anyway," Scootaloo said dejectedly. "No matter what we try, we always end up without our cutie marks. And, surprisingly often, covered in tree sap." "Maybe we should do something less dangerous?" suggested Sweetie. "Like pillow testing. Or flower sniffing." "Dusk, whaddya think?" asked Apple Bloom. "Yer pretty smart, can ya tell us how we might earn our cutie marks?" "I'm not sure what to say, other than to keep trying," Dusk advised. "Sorry I can't be more help, but discovering your talents is something you have to find out for yourselves. After all, everypony else has." "Yeah, ah guess," she said sadly. Then, she perked up. "Hey, that gives me an idea." "What does?" Dusk asked, curious. Well like ya said Dusk, this town is full-a ponies who have their cutie marks. Why don't we ask them how they did it?" "That's a great safe idea... right?" she added to Dusk, glancing at him for his approval. He nodded. "That is a good idea. The more you learn how others discovered their talents, the more of a good idea you'd have of how to find your own. And it won't result in being covered in tree sap." "Yeah," giggled Sweetie Belle. "Thanks for cleaning us up Dusk." "Yeah, and thanks fer givin' me that idea," Apple Bloom added. "No problem girls." He tipped his hat to them. "Well, good luck Crusaders." He was about to leave them to it when: "Hey Dusk, how'd you get yers?" Apple Bloom's question caught him off guard. "You… you want to hear how I got mine?" "Well sure, we need all the help we can get with this an' you gave us the idea, so why not?" The other two seemed to agree, as they were now gazing up at Dusk eagerly. He considered this idea, then shrugged and smiled. "Why not indeed. It's not the most exciting or thrilling of stories, but if you want to hear it…" He placed himself on the grass and let them gather around and get comfortable. "It's okay, we don't mind." Sweetie Belle glanced at Scootaloo who seemed less enthusiastic now he'd said that. "Well, me and Apple Bloom don't." "Alright then," Dusk said, clearing his throat and casting his mind back. "Now, when I got my mark, I couldn't have been much older than you three. I was quite different back then… He sat alone under a tree in one of the Canterlot courtyards, with nopony else around for a long way. He'd already checked, as he didn't want to be seen doing this. Casting one last furtive glance around, he made a bunch of colours appear in the air in front of him, making them swirl around like the froth in a milkshake. Dusk Noir was scared, scared of what might happen in his future. It didn't help that his mane always looked so scruffy, that he was so shy, both with other ponies and at school, so he could barely speak, but there was this weird magic that he could do. The magic that he'd never shown to anypony, not even his mum and dad. How could he, when they'd obviously think that he was stupid. He already was. He'd heard his parents talking about how he wasn't doing well at school, how he didn't speak up or say anything in class and that he had trouble with his work. They talked about getting him a tutor. He didn't know what a tutor was, but it sounded like it hurt. He didn't like making his mum and dad sad like this. He wished there was something he could do… But what could he do? All he had was his untidy mane, his stupid weird magic and his shy feelings. He was a waste of space, a stupid pointless pony He had no friends, for he was sure nopony would want to waste their time on him. He could read and write and things, but what was so special about that? He didn't even have his cutie mark yet and already fillies and colts in his class were starting to get theirs. Why couldn't he? What was he talented in? "Please, somepony, help me…" he whispered, already feeling tears beginning to fall down his face. "Things seemed pretty bleak for me," he went on, as the girls looked at him pityingly. "I had no idea who I was or what I was supposed to do. I didn't have any friends to talk to and I didn't want to talk to my parents. It seemed like I was going to give up. Then, that's when I saw… BOOM! Dusk shot his head up and saw something wonderful. A wave of colours, red, blue, green, orange, yellow, all the colours of a rainbow, were flying over his head. He felt a powerful wind shoot through his mane and almost lift him off his hooves. But never took his eyes off it. It wasn't just any old rainbow. It was something far more beautiful and powerful. He followed it as it passed over his head, sparkling and shining as bright as the sun, until it faded away on the horizon, leaving him standing and staring at the spot where it had been Seeing it sparked something inside him. He didn't know what it was, but he knew how to find out. So, he stood up from the grass and galloped as fast as he could to the library. His dad had taken him there once, but he hadn't been for a long time. He found it pretty easy. Once there, he hurried to the section about weather and found a book called Strange Phenomena of Equestria. He grabbed the book, set it down on a desk and began to read through the pages. He soon found a mention of what he saw, something called a sonic rainboom. But that wasn't enough, he had to find out more. He started reading Legends of Cloudsdale and read more stories about the sonic rainboom. Then, he read a book on Cloudsdale and found out more about the Pegasus city. Then, he read about weather control, how they made clouds, famous pegasi, famous unicorns, unicorn legends, unicorn history accounts. Soon, he lost track of what he was reading and just enjoyed and absorbed the wealth of knowledge and information that he found. He had no idea how long he was there for, but he had a large pile of books that he had completed reading and many more that he still wanted to read. When it was time to close, he went to go and check them out at the desk. The librarian looked over them and raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure you want to read these books? These are more for grown-up ponies," she told him. "They're fine for me, thank you miss," Dusk replied in his high pitched voice. "If you insist, my little pony," she said, stamping them out and handing them to him, eagerly dashing off home to read them. The following day, they were given a surprise test in their class. The others were nervous, even Dusk. But when he looked down at his test paper, he realised that these questions were easy. He understood the knowledge that he had been reading in his books and could apply it to this test. Picking up his pencil, he effortlessly moved it across the paper, answering every question as best he could. When it was time to go home, his teacher had asked him to stay behind at the end of the day for a bit. Feeling scared, he approached the table to see that she had a proud smile on her face. "Dusk, well done, you got full marks!" She handed him his paper, where there was a big red A+ on the front. "I… I… I passed?" Dusk whispered. "Yes you did. You must have been studying hard to do that, well done. You should be proud of yourself." "I… I… I…" Dusk had no idea what to say. This was the first time he'd been good with anything before. It had just been so easy. "Oh, would you look at that. That just proves it." He looked up and followed his teachers gaze to his flank. But it was no longer blank. There, at the point where his leg connected by the bone with the rest of his body, was a rolled out scroll, with little minute writing set on it. His cutie mark. Seeing this made Dusk do something that he very rarely did, as he usually had no cause to. He smiled. "… and that was how I got my mark," he finished, glancing at its place on his rump. "I'd never been happier in all of my life." "What about yer parents?" asked Apple Bloom. "Oh, they were so proud of me," he said. "They didn't get me a tutor when it became obvious I wouldn't need one and made sure they got me a place at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns." "That's good," Sweetie Belle agreed. "What is a tutor anyway?" "It's a pony who can give extra help in a school subject if the filly or foal has difficulty with it," Dusk explained, chuckling at the memory that he used to think it was some kind of painful operation. The innocence of childhood, he mused to himself… "Well, not that this wasn't fun, but I think we need something with a little more… awesomeness to it," Scootaloo said. "Thanks anyway Dusk." "No problem girls," he assured, knowing that she would have said something like that. "So, who are you going to talk to next?" "Obviously, we're gonna ask the coolest pony in Ponyville," said Scootaloo in an awed tone. "Applejack!" suggested Apple Bloom. "Rarity!" put in Sweetie Belle. "Twilight Sparkle?" asked Dusk, merely joking with them and smirking at the bemused expressions they offered him. "What?" "Come on, guys, I said "cool"! You know who I'm talking about. She's fast. She's tough. She's not afraid of anything!" A moment of thought, then: "Pinkie Pie?" "No! The greatest flyer ever to come out of Cloudsdale." "Fluttershy?" "No! Rainbow Dash!" "Oh!" Apple Bloom remarked. "Yeah, that makes much more sense." "Of course!" "Let's do it. Let's find out how Rainbow Dash found her cutie mark!" She turned to Dusk. "You know where we can find her?" "Not currently, no, but she'll be around. Somepony's bound to have seen her." "Okay, thanks anyway. See ya Dusk!" She and the others sprinted off together. "Have fun girls and be careful!" "Will do Dusk an' thanks again!" called back Apple Bloom. That filly really seemed to have taken a liking to him, he'd noticed. Well, he liked to think that they all had. Dusk had a strange feeling that caused him to glance at his cutie mark. While he was proud of his intelligence, somehow this mark now felt kind of... wrong. Like it wasn't who he was meant to be, that he'd been hiding behind a facade for a long time and, only now, was his true self starting to show. But that didn't make sense. Once a pony got their cutie mark, that was that and instances of them changing were very rare. Maybe it was just him... Despite this, he couldn't help but smile at the memory of the day. He could still remember that day clearly in his mind, from the moment he had first witnessed a sonic rainboom, that only Rainbow Dash could pull off… wait… he and the girls were roughly the same age and Rainbow had said that she'd performed the sonic rainboom when she was a filly. Could it be, that on the same day, she had pulled it off for the first time? It was possible… wasn't it? He stayed in that glade for about fifteen minutes, then stood up once more and made his way towards Sugarcube Corner, still feeling eager about telling the girls his proud news. When he arrived, they were all there waiting for him and immediately spun to face him, concern on their features. "Oh my Dusk, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked, looking the most worried about him. "Fine, absolutely fine, magnificent, spectacular, all of those positive adjectives," he said happily. "Pinkie, my usual please." "Coming right up!" She threw a cupcake at him hard, but it was too fast and splatted on the wall. "Oops, sorry. Here…" She threw another one, which he caught with a spell and bit into. He noted, with amusement, Pinkie sneaking around him, her tongue snaking up the discarded sweet and chewing on it eagerly. "Thanks and, just so you know Rainbow, the Cutie Mark Crusaders are trying to find you so they can hear your cutie mark story." "Yeah, the others already said. I mean, it's only natural they'd start looking for me for how I got my cutie mark, I mean, I am pretty awesome…" She nodded in self-satisfaction, and then shook her head. "Anyway, what was it you wanted to tell us?" "Yes, you certainly seem to be in a good mood," noted Rarity with interest. "What's the occasion?" "Gather around ladies and all will be revealed," he promised them, taking another bite of his cupcake, swallowing it and proceeding to tell them. "Well hot dang," Applejack expressed when he had finished telling them. "That sure no wonder y'all were grinnin' so much when ya came in here." "Dusk, this is incredible," Twilight gasped. "The fact that you and I are both descended from the apprentices of Starswirl the Bearded himself, at the very foundation of Equestria itself, not to mention that you share a brand of magic with one of the royal pony sisters, that's… that's… amazing!" "I second that," Rarity remarked. "Though it would have been easier on yourself if you'd just told us this from the start, rather than keep it all secret." "Yeah, I'm sorry again for worrying you all again," he apologized. "I just didn't really know what to think of it myself and I wanted to be sure before I said anything." "Yes but friends shouldn't keep secrets Dusk," Fluttershy reminded him. "Remember what happened with me and Rarity?" "I know… you're right, I'm sorry," he admitted. "I guess I still have a lot to learn about friendship." "Sure right you do, ya numskull," Rainbow chastised, rubbing his mane with her hoof. "Looks like you were right when you called me Mr Psychic Pony Pinkie, right?" He glanced around only to see that Pinkie had vanished. "Where'd she go?" "I'm right here!" She came back in through the door, like she'd left and come back again. Dusk was about to ask her where she'd been, but then remembered who it was and shrugged. He'd probably just end up more confused. Behind her walked the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Scootaloo's face lighting up at the sight of her idol. "Rainbow Dash! You're here!" "I hear you're looking for my cutie mark story?" she asked, walking up to them in her confident swagger. "You have no idea what I've been through today to hear that story." With the act of looking like she'd just run a mile, Scootaloo parked herself on the floor as Rainbow began her tale. As she was telling it, a sneaking suspicion Dusk had had back in the glade was now confirmed and he allowed a smile to creep onto his face at the satisfaction. When she was done, the three fillies were in awe of this remarkable achievement, even Dusk giving an admiring whistle. Then Fluttershy spoke up. "Wait a second. I heard that explosion. And I saw the rainbow too. Rainbow Dash, if you hadn't scared the animals, I never would have learned I could communicate with them and gotten my cutie mark." That was quite a coincidence, Dusk thought with an even bigger smile. But it wasn't over… "I heard that boom! And right afterwards there was this amazing rainbow that taught me to smile," informed Pinkie, flashing her signature smile. "When ah got ma cutie mark, ah saw a rainbow that pointed me home. Ah bet it was yer sonic rainboom!" Applejack declared. "There was an explosion I could never explain when I got my cutie mark," Rarity put in. "This is uncanny!" Twilight exclaimed. "If that explosion didn't happen when it did, I would have blown my entrance exam. Rainbow Dash, I think you helped me earn my cutie mark too!" At this point, they all turned to look at Dusk, whose smile had turned into jaw-dropping disbelief at this news. He stammered for a bit, quite unable to take this all in. "This… this is amazing… the sonic rainboom was the first thing I ever read about, because seeing it sparked my enthusiasm for reading. Your sonic rainboom… the one we've all seen…" He was now shaking his head and laughing. "We all owe our cutie marks to you!" concluded Pinkie, tackling her tp the floor. Fluttershy leaned in close. "Do you realize what this means? All of us had a special connection before we even met." "We've been BFFs forever and we didn't even know it!" Rarity realised. "Even… even me?" Dusk whispered, still unable to believe it. "Even you, sugar cube," Applejack confirmed, holding out her forelegs. "Come here, y'all." Caught up in the moment and emotion, Dusk enveloped himself in the warm, loving embrace of the six mares who had the kindness and patience to call him their friend, when he thought that he had never been worth much of anything, these wonderful ponies who had given him so much in his life, even if he wasn't an element of harmony… or a girl for that matter. They didn't care; they just loved him for who he was. "I'm so glad we're friends!" Fluttershy said happily. Pinkie hugged them even tighter. "I love you, guys!" He heard Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle let out expressions of happiness, while Scootaloo's was one of disgust. "Ewwww... Gimme a break. Come on, Crusaders! Maybe we just need to try zip-lining again." Her suggestion, however, was ignored and she was pulled into a hug by her friends too, sighing exasperatedly. "Hey. How about a song?" suggested Fluttershy, still caught up in the moment. "NO!" cried Scootaloo, even as the others all agreed. "I think I have the perfect one... if I may," Dusk asked politely. Nopony objected to his suggestion. Hearing the music start up, being caught up in the rhythm of it, Dusk moved around his friends, smiling at them, wrapping his legs around them or just exchanging signs of affection: So no one told you life was gonna be this way Your jobs a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A. It's like you're always stuck in second gear Well it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year but.. I'll be there for you When the rain starts to pour I'll be there for you Like I've been there before I'll be there for you 'Cuz you're there for me too... You're still in bed at ten And work began at eight You've burned your breakfast So far... things are goin' great Your mother warned you there'd be days like these ("Did she?" Pinkie asked, confused, ensuing with general laughter.) Oh but she didn't tell you when the world would drop you down on your knees but... I'll be there for you When the rain starts to pour I'll be there for you Like I've been there before I'll be there for you 'Cuz you're there for me too... No one could ever know me No one could ever see me (He covered Rainbow's eyes from behind, as she laughed.) Seems you're the only one who knows What it's like to be me (He passed his gaze over Fluttershy.) Someone to face the day with (He glanced at Applejack.) Make it through all the rest with (He bowed to Rarity.) Someone I'll always laugh with (He shared a hoof bump with Pinkie.) Even at my worst I'm best with you, yeah (His gaze lingered on Twilight, then they both looked away blushing.) It's like you're always stuck in second gear And it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year... I'll be there for you When the rain starts to pour I'll be there for you Like I've been there before I'll be there for you 'Cuz you're there for me too... I'll be there for you I'll be there for you I'll be there for you 'Cuz you're there for me too... The cheers and the warmth of the second embrace they did were still in the forefront of Dusk's mind when he stood with Twilight in the library, as she made her report to the princess that day. "Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned something amazing. Everypony everywhere has a special magical connection with her friends, maybe even before she's met them. If you're feeling lonely and you're still searching for your true friends, just look up in the sky. Who knows? Maybe you and your future best friends are all looking at the same rainbow," she finished, gazing up out of the window. "Gross!" Spike voiced, making Dusk laugh. "When did you get so cheesy?" "Just write it, Spike," she told him, shaking her head. "How about that?" Dusk said, joining her at the window. "The Weilders of the Elements of Harmony, all connected before they even crossed paths... and the one guy who tags along with them." "That doesn't make you any less special," Twilight told him. "I thought you would say that." He turned to look at her. "I don't think I say this often enough but... you girls are the most wonderful ponies I've ever met, especially you Twilight." It took up all of his courage just to say that, so he hoped she would take it well. "Really?" Twilight asked, her voice bordering on a whisper. "Absolutely. I mean, you're just so... so..." He trailed off, averting his gaze from her. Then, he felt a warm hoof touch his for a fraction of a second and saw Twilight, her smile saying more than her words could. "Thank you, Dusk..." All too soon, she remembered herself and retracted it, blushing. "I'm sure everypony else would be glad to hear you say that..." "Yeah, I hope so..." "What's gotten into you two?" Spike asked disbelievingly. "Oh Celestia, save me..." They both blushed heavily and said nothing in response to this. Sharing a fond smile with her, but too embarrassed to say anything else that might be considered romantic, they returned gazed up into the sky together. As they did, Dusk recalled something that he once said when he first met the girls, when they threw that surprise party for him after he got out of hospital. He had sort of hinted at the sonic rainboom then, that it had inspired him in a way. He wondered if any of them remembered what he had said then... No, he decided, that was too unlikely. Then again, today just seemed to be a day for unlikely possibilities, so maybe... maybe... In her home, a certain blue pegasus pony also happened to be recalling what Dusk had said at that party, as those words just seemed to have stuck in her mind. She'd always wondered what he had meant, and now she knew... "I did always have the hope that, maybe, I would show it, that it would be as remarkable as... something I once saw, something special..." "What's that?" Rainbow asked, as he smiled fondly. "Nothing, never mind..." He'd never said, possibly out of accusation of being cheesy or just out of his own modesty. He was just like that, Rainbow thought, a little sadly. Speaking as the performer of the sonic rainboom, she could say, with confidence, that it was as 'remarkable' as her own rainboom. "Pretty awesome Dusk," she remarked, lying her head down to sleep.