Dusk awoke to a sweet, gentle voice pulling him out of his slumber, "Dusk, Duuuusk, it's morning now and I decided to make us some breakfast." It was the perfect way to wake up, he wished he could wake up like that everyday, he pulled himself off the couch recalling the events of the previous night.
"Good morning my sweet," he gave Fluttershy a peck on the cheek, "what has my favorite mare prepared for us on this beautiful morning?"
Her cheeks grew a little red as she walked into her kitchen, "just some pancakes, nothing too fancy."
"If you made them they must be fit for Princess Celestia herself," Dusk stated with utmost confidence in her abilities. She had returned with a generous stack on one plate, and a single pancake on another, she placed the two on the dining room table. The larger of the two sat opposite of her as she began to eat her single pancake, he looked at the stack in front of him, I can't eat this, he thought, not even after fasting for days, I can't do it!
He wasn't referring to the pancakes themselves, in fact, they looked perfectly golden and fluffy, he was referring to the fact that his stomach was a little small to take on such a large quantity. "Do you want some of mine?" he asked, fearing that it might offend her in some capacity, "I just don't have the ferocity to take on such a large amount of food."
She smiled, cheeks maintaining a red glow, possibly because she had figured him to have an appetite of the typical stallions she knew in town. A few pancakes had been taken of the top of his mighty stack, Dusk was still going to have plenty left over but he felt good seeing she was eating some food. Her small figure gave him small concern that she wasn't eating quite as much as she should, but that was probably him just worrying too much.
After an hour of eating, half of the plate had been cleared and Dusk wasn't going to attempt another bite, he was nearly stuffed. "These would definitely be fit for Princess Celestia," he complimented, "certainly the best thing I've eaten in years."
His flattery was definitely appreciated, Fluttershy kissed him on the cheek as thanks, their feelings toward each other had grown stronger since their meeting outside of town. But, they had responsibilities to take care of, Fluttershy was first to point that out, "I need to go to the market today after feeding the animals."
"And I have to go to Rarity's about my new job and prepare for this trip," he gulped, "to Canterlot."
"Are you sure about that," she replied, feeling concern toward the idea, "to go back to your hometown, can you handle going back there again?"
Dusk took a moment to think about it, "I don't know, but I have to try, things are different now there and no pony might even remember what happened. Besides, Rarity will be there to help me through it, she knows the city well and can help me blend right in."
Fluttershy placed her hoof on his shoulder, "I don't think Rarity will be enough to get you through it, maybe I should see if I can join you."
"I couldn't ask you to do that," Dusk answered, "you have many animals to take care of here, you shouldn't leave them here for such a long time unless it's an emergency."
She couldn't find a flaw in his logic, he was right about her animal friends and that they needed her to feed them, "okay, just be careful okay?" she laughed softly. "I don't need to see you in a hospital bed again anytime soon, and I want you to take it slow, baby steps alright, no need to move fast."
"So long as Rainbow Dash doesn't follow me and attempt any stunts in Canterlot I should be okay," Dusk laughed, "and I promise to keep it brief, no sticking around if I don't have to."
Fluttershy gave him a smile, "Good, I can't wait to hear about it when you come back, now get moving, Rarity likes her employees to be punctual."
Dusk gave her a nod before giving her a kiss goodbye and heading out the door, then the weight of the situation hit him like a wave. Oh Celestia, he thought, I hadn't even considered that I was going back to the place I was abandoned in, I can do it though, I just need to look at it as another step.
Before he went to Rarity's Dusk decided to drop off his suit at the inn before continuing forward, his thoughts kept him occupied until he had reached the Carousel Boutique, which seemed to be back in order again after yesterday's field day. The bell rang as the door swung open, the store was silent and there was no sign of Rarity, so he decided to look around.
He poked his head in the door way of her workshop, Rarity was laying in the middle of the room curled up and shivering. It was obvious she had collapsed from all of the work she had done before she could get to bed, the room was also in a state of disarray.
Dusk took a blanket off a nearby chair and placed it on Rarity, she stopped shivering soon after, he then turned his attention to the workshop. What a mess, he thought, I might as well start working now and get this place cleaned up for her.
Little by little, the room appeared in order, he had to carefully tiptoe around the sleeping shopkeeper and not make any loud noises. Two hours of labor left the room looking perfect, Dusk decided to go outside for a moment, Rarity had regained consciousness at that time and saw the state of her workshop.
Dusk walked back in to find her in awe at the state of her shop, she saw him and had asked in shock, "did you do this?"
"Well, it was a little chaotic and you had passed out on the floor, I came in about two hours ago and found you there," he explained. "I threw a blanket on you to keep you warm and cleaned everything up and put it back the way it should be, did I do well?"
A tear formed in the corner of her eye, a smile grew across her face, "yes, yes you did, I can't begin to explain how happy I am, the fact you did all of this without having been asked. Not that I would asked you to take on such a task, and the fact that you did all of this while letting me sleep in the middle of the room without making a sound."
She threw her arms around him, Dusk was afraid she would start kissing him, "this is such a nice thing for you to do, how can I possibly repay your for this?"
"Just give me an honest wage and honest work and we'll call it even," he replied, he didn't like the idea of having her owe him anything.
"Of course, so I'm guessing you didn't come all the way over here to simply clean up my mess, what can I do for you?"
"Well, I came to find out about my work and to confirm your invitation to accompany you in Canterlot,"he gulped, no going back on this now.
"Oh, that's splendid news, I already asked Twilight to inform the Princess that I would be bringing a guest. The last time I was there I was given a suite at the castle and I think she might do the same thing this time. As for your employment, how does eight in the morning to four in the afternoon sound for five days a week sound?"
"Well the job schedule sounds nice, but did you say the Princess knows I'm accompanying you?"
"Not exactly, I didn't want Twilight thinking anything about you coming with me so I told her that it was plus one guest."
"She's going to chew me out for not sending her any letters, I haven't been able to remember to do that in a few days."
"Oh, but Twilight said she's been sending them for you, I thought you knew she was doing that for you."
Of all the ponies the Princess could have thrown me to, he thought, I am most thankful she picked these six! "Good to hear, when are we departing?"
"Tonight would be best we will leave at about nine, we can sleep in the train overnight and be rested and ready by the time we get there in the morning."
"Splendid, I will meet you at the train station, I must get packed for this trip but I might need some outfits to look like a pony of Canterlot class."
"I will throw a few outfits together for you don't worry about it."
With that Dusk gave a bow before returning outside to mull over the information he had just been given and take it all in as he went back to the inn. So, I get to see the Princess on this trip, splendid, I haven't seen in her in about a month so this will be a nice little visit.
He didn't exactly have a lot to pack, even if most of his possessions hadn't been destroyed during the first night it's not like he would need any of it in Canterlot. The most he had was torn picture he had picked up from Fluttershy when his bag was ransacked, the picture was futile to try to piece it back together. But he could still see his parents and recognize them and he wouldn't leave without it, he folded it and placed it in his pack.
The saddle bag he had gotten from the hospital after his... incident was sufficient to get his items from point A to point B but it was a sterile white. Dusk knew Rarity would have a new one for him by the first day, he didn't mind using the bag available to him, but she would insist.
He threw his toothbrush, toothpaste and other grooming supplies into the saddlebag, the suit he had placed in the room earlier that day was folded neatly and tucked inside. With his remaining time, Dusk decided to visit Twilight and thank her for all of her help since the library was close to the inn where he was staying.
With everything packed he headed out to see his friend before leaving, the stroll was peaceful and quick, which was good because it kept those negative thoughts at bay. He reached the door to the library and knocked, a moment later Spike opened the door partially, "Oh hey Dusk what's new?"
"Going to Canterlot with Rarity tonight," he replied, "you?"
"Wait you're leaving town with Rarity?"
"Yes, she asked me to go with her."
"But you're already going out with Fluttershy, why would she want you to go instead of me?"
That's when it hit Dusk, oh, he has a little crush on Rarity, yeah that explains it. "Well I met a pony named Fancy Pants when he was at Rarity's shop and we became friends, that's really the only reason why."
"I guess that makes sense, but don't try anything with Rarity she's my girl."
Well there goes the subtlety, he thought, is he being serious though, I know he's young but still. "First, I have a wonderful relationship with Fluttershy, I'm not going to throw that away. Second, mares are not possessions, one does not claim them as their own, that is just an ignorant view of them and won't get you far with them."
"THAT IS A VERY GOOD POINT!" Twilight shouted, it was apparent she could hear the majority of the conversation and seemed to agree with Dusk strongly.
Spike opened the door fully and slipped away before she could scold him further, Twilight was standing there a few feet from the door and was not happy with her assistant. "So what brings you to our humble library?" she asked.
"I came to talk to you about what you have been doing for me this week," Dusk answered.
"The letters?"
"Should I just assume you know everything about what I'm coming to talk to you about before I say anything?"
"No, I can't quite read minds, yet, I assume Rarity or Fluttershy told you. Speaking of which, how did your date go last night?"
"It was absolutely amazing! You, Rarity and AppleJack really made the night perfect for us I can't thank you all enough for helping me get it all set up in time."
"Well I didn't really do anything, I just told you where to start, but you're very welcome regardless, so what's the next thing you're going to do?"
"Well Rarity asked me to with her to Canterlot for a fashion shoot and I thought I should tell you before I leave, and I wanted to thank you for keeping the Princess in the loop."
"WAIT, WHAT? You're Rarity's mystery guest? Why didn't she tell me? Are your sure that's a good idea?" The questions were coming too quickly for Dusk to try to answer even half of them.
"Whoa, Twilight calm down this was my decision, I know what I'm doing, I'm going to have to go there eventually. As for Rarity's decision to keep it a secret is more so a question for her than myself, I promise I won't do anything rash up there, you have my word."
"Okay I trust your word, but I still don't like this, does Fluttershy know you're doing this?"
"Yes, I asked her if it was okay to go, she gave me full support but wanted to come with, she has to many animals relying on her for me to have her do that."
"Okay, at least she gave you support, I will do the same, just don't do anything stupid out there."
"I pinkie promise," Dusk did the motions to make it official.
"Good," she looked at the clock, "it's almost time for you to go, I can't wait to here how it goes, I'm going to Rarity to have a discussion with her."
Dusk nodded as Twilight's horn started to glow, and in a moment she was gone, teleportation spells, he thought. Note to self, pick up a book on teleportation when you get the chance it just might come in handy.
The sun was beginning to descend down to the horizon and Dusk knew that he would need to head straight home and go directly toward the train station to be on time. The thought of Twilight going off on Rarity sent a chill down his spine as he walked through the street, she will be fine, he thought. Twilight just needs to blow off some steam, that's all.
He made his way up the stairs and unlocked his door before pushing it open, and nearly suffered a heart attack, some pony was sitting on his bed! It took him a moment to see who the pony was, "Fluttershy?! What are you doing here!?"
"Oh, um, I thought I would stop by and see you off," she realized she nearly scared him out of his coat. "Oh, sorry I didn't realize I would scare you, I can leave if you want me to."
Dusk's response was a kiss upon her lips, the two enjoyed that moment together, but he knew that he was on a schedule right now. "Please, I would never want you to leave, but how did you get in?"
"The balcony doors were unlocked and I thought that it would be a nice surprise for you," her cheeks were a little red from embarrassment.
"It was a nice surprise, but next time could you put something on my front door to tell me you're here," he chuckled softly, "I'm not a big fan of heart attacks."
Fluttershy nodded, glancing at the clock. "Oh you better get going, you don't want to miss your train."
"Right," Dusk threw his bag on his back and started out the door, "I will come see you the minute I am back in town okay?"
"Okay, good luck," she waved goodbye, he waved back and closed the door and locked it. He had a thought as he passed the front desk, the receptionist was sitting there with her usual cup of tea.
"Excuse me madam," he addressed her, she looked at him, a little annoyed as she always does. "Can I get a copy of my key made?"
"Sure, it will take a day or two to make but for you sir yes," she smiled as she answered, it was a little odd considering she hadn't smiled at any pony while he was living there.
"Excellent, I will be out of town for a few days, can you hold on to it until then?" Dusk asked.
"Well, is it not for that young pegasus that stopped by earlier?" she asked, his face grew a little red.
"Indeed it is," he wasn't embarrassed of his marefriend but it was odd that ponies saw them as such.
"I will give it to her then, no doubt she will return before you," the receptionist paused, "take good care of her, she's such a nice mare."
Dusk gave a nod, "of course, thank you but I must be off, I have a train to catch," with that he hurried to the train station. Upon coming into view he saw a large pile of luggage being loaded into one of the cars, well, she beat me here, he thought.
He approached the conductor standing outside the engine car he was a little older and wore a monocle, "good evening sir, lovely evening for a ride is it not?"
"Oh it would be," the conductor paused. "If it weren't for the fact that Miss Rarity is joining us. that mare goes someplace for no more than two days and packs her entire shop to take with her!"
"It certainly looks that way," Dusk paused. "The name is Dusk I am accompanying Miss Rarity in Canterlot."
"Oh well my name is Steel Runner," he replied. "You didn't bring a lot of luggage did you?"
"No sir, just the bag on my back," Dusk answered.
"Then we will have no problems," Steel said in confidence. "The luggage will take another ten minutes to load, you should find some place comfortable to sit while you wait."
"Can I help get it loaded on quicker?" Dusk offered.
"Well, it's official, you're not from around here good sir," Steel replied. "But yes if you want to help, then by all means."
"How do you know I'm not from around here?" Dusk was curious to hear the answer.
"I've been running trains through this town for ten years now," he paused. "And not a single pony has offered to assist me crew in getting luggage in or out."
Dusk smiled and went to help the crew, he didn't think that offering to lend a hoof would be that out of place here, but it felt good to help. With his help the crew got the luggage loaded in a little over five minutes and was able to prepare for the actual departure.
Dusk entered the car third from the caboose, Rarity was sitting toward the front of the car, he sat across from her and watched the world outside through the window. "What took you so long?" she inquired.
"The crew was having some trouble getting some of the luggage in the car so I offered to help," he answered.
"Oh, that was a very nice thing to do," her cheeks turned a little red, she knew he was talking about her luggage, "do you always help every pony you see?"
"Only the ones who appear to need it or ask for it."
She smiled, "You really are the definition of a gentlecolt," she got up and moved next to him using his shoulder as a pillow. He didn't mind, the loud whistle of the train had pierced the air and with a jolt the train lurched forward and had begun it's journey. Dusk drifted into sleep with Rarity lying next to him, he still felt nervous about the whole ordeal in Canterlot, but took solace in the fact he wouldn't have to deal with it alone.