Dusk Dawns

by AlphatheGriffin17


Brotherly Love

"Great performances last night everypony!" Ray expressed the following day. "I think that was definitely the best Hearth's Warming pageant I've ever seen."

"Thank ya kindly, Ray," Applejack said. "Ah think it helped that we had a good audience too."

"I was glad to be part of that than." His grin widened. "You were all great and I mean that."

"Well, I knew that I personally was great, but I didn't know that we were great as a group," Rainbow shrugged.

"It's true." His eyes turned to Fluttershy and he smiled gently. "See, didn't I say that you'd be fine, if not better?"

She blushed, but she kept a smile of her own. "You did, yes… thank you, Ray. What you said to me it… it really helped."

"Yeah, well, now that I have friends, I aim to make that my intention," he replied, with a slight blush of his own. "Some a little more than others, right Dusk? Dusk?"

Up until this point, Dusk had once again been content to just zone out of the conversation they were having in the room they were staying at, giving him time to think about a problem of his own. One that was troubling and worrying him more than he had anticipated. It was only when he heard his name being called that he remembered where he was.

"Hm?" The blue unicorn realised he was being addressed and snapped out of his reverie. "I'm sorry… what did you say?"

"Don't worry about it." Ray frowned at him. "You look like a pony who's got a lot on his mind, more so than usual."

Twilight placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder. "He's fine, just feeling a little apprehensive."

"That's a severe understatement," he murmured.

"Dusk, like I've told before, it'll be fine," she assured him gently. "They're not going to hate you, I promise…"

"I… I um… I don't know…" He sighed and diverted his eyes to the floor.

"Care to share what's troubling you?" asked Rarity. "I think I have a good idea already, but I want to be sure."

Twilight placed a hoof on his and turned to look at them all. "I'm taking him to meet my parents in a few minutes. We're going to be having Hearth's Warming dinner together."

"Ah ha, I knew it!" exclaimed Rarity. "I can certainly understand your feelings, Dusk. This is definitely one of the most nerve-wracking parts of being in a relationship. But you will only exacerbate the situation more by worrying about it."

"Exactly, there ain't much point in frettin' 'bout it. Just be yerself n' you'll be fine," comforted Applejack.

"But… what if they don't like who I am? What if I… I'm not what they're expecting or… or I disappoint them somehow or… or I… what if I-?"

Ray silenced him by levitating three snowballs from outside and hitting him in his face. "Just when I think you're getting better, you just take three steps back. I don't want to do this, but you leave me no choice."

Rainbow just laughed. "Don't lie, Ray, you love doing that."

"I do not! Okay, maybe a little… more than a little… the point is that they're right. You are just making this worse for yourself. Stop thinking about the bad stuff and focus on the good stuff. You know, the kind that doesn't make you vomit with worry?"

Rarity made a disgusted noise, earning a glare from Ray, but it didn't go any further than that before Pinkie placed her hoof into the discussion.

"What they said. Instead of focusing on how badly you burnt the cupcakes, try thinking about how you can make them better," she advised. "Like, do you plan to jump around their house, knocking everything over while singing Happy Days Are Here Again?"

"…No…"

"Good, cause let me tell you, that doesn't usually end well." Before anypony could question her, she carried on. "And if you're worried if they don't like who you are, just look around you here."

Dusk did, but he didn't quite see her point. "Um… I don't quite understand."

"Come on! Just tell me what you see here?"

"Um… you girls, Spike and Ray." Though the dragon in question was having a lie-in in the next room.

"Right and we're your friends, aren't we?"

"Unless… you're going to tell me otherwise."

"Don't be silly, of course not. So, that's eight friends here. Then there's those four you told us about and Princess Luna. What about back in Ponyville?" she went on. "You've got friends there too. There's Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Zecora, Big Mac, Granny Smith, Gentle, Nightfall-"

"Pinkie, please, what's your point?"

"My point is, if all those ponies like who you are, then what are the chances that Twilight's parents won't like who you are either?"

Suddenly, Dusk could see her point. While he wasn't entirely certain that they all liked who he was, it was true that they were his friends or rather he considered them to be. A year ago, he had no friends and he never thought he would make any, except for one and even then that was a slim chance. Now… now he had all of them.

"I… I suppose that makes sense." He smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Pinkie. I… I needed that."

"I know, that's what I'm here for," she sang brightly.

Ray was staring at her now. "Wow… I… I honestly didn't expect that."

"Ah think that's jest about what everypony who's met her as ever said," remarked Applejack. "Still, that's Pinkie fer ya."

"She's random, but she has her moments," agreed Twilight.

"Indeed…" Dusk smiled fondly at her before changing the subject. "So, what are you all doing today?"

"As I have said, I intend to join the elite's soiree, if anypony would care to join me?" asked Rarity. "I'm sure they won't mind guests."

Ray made a dismissive noise. "Yeah, spending Hearth's Warming with those shallow, two-faced excuses for ponies? I'd rather have my head ripped off."

"I could arrange that," growled Rarity under her breath. A second later, she shrieked as Spike appeared.

"I'll go with you! Sounds like it could be fun!"

"Spike?! Where did… how did you…?" She recovered herself and smiled pleasantly at him. "Very well then. Thank you, Spike, I'd be delighted to have you along with me."

"Great!" He yawned again and stretched. "Right, back to bed, lemme know when we're going…"

"Hold on now." She caught him in a levitation aura. "If we're going to the party, I need you looking presentable. We'll need to wash your scales, shine your spines, I've got an absolutely darling tux for you to wear…" Her words drifted away when she shut the door, while Spike shifted between looking delighted and exasperated.

"Right, while they're doing that, we're just gonna see what Canterlot has for a good time," Rainbow announced, placing her forelegs around Pinkie and Ray.

"And if they don't…" started Ray.

"We show them a good time!" finished Pinkie. "Hearth's Warming party! WOOOOO!"

Applejack shrugged. "Guess ah'll go along with y'all then. Better choice'n sittin' here twiddlin' ma hooves or tryin' ta act all fancy in front-a Rarity's lil' group."

"I'll come along too… if none of you would mind, that is," added Fluttershy timidly.

"We'd love to have you along, Fluttershy," Ray confirmed, grinning at her.

"You... you would? Yay!" She returned the smile, then looked away again with a blush to her cheeks.

Once again, Dusk felt what he now identified as concern at the idea of Fluttershy going off somewhere with Ray, even though he liked and trusted both of them and they weren't going to be alone. He didn't even really know why he felt concern about the situation. They were just going to go off together and have some fun with the others. It wasn't like anything was going to happen… but what if it did? What exactly might happen with them?

Before he could attempt to voice his concern, Twilight gasped loudly. "Oh my goodness, it's almost time!" She hurried him to stand up and leave. "Sorry everypony, but we've really got to get going. Have a good Hearth's Warming!"

"The same to you and remember, you'll be fine!" called Ray.

He exchanged one last encouraging smile with Dusk before the door was shut and he was left with Twilight, who was now looking him over.

"Let me see… you look fine, I think…" She lifted up his hat so she could see his mane. "Hmm… I'd best give it a comb, just in case."

Dusk didn't object, but let her do a spell that made his mane look neater. "I suppose it'll help me make a good impression."

"More on my mother, she likes things to be neat and organised," she explained. "My dad is a little more relaxed, he probably won't mind too much, but we'd best not take any chances."

"You're worried too then?"

"Of course I am!" she almost yelled. "I want this to go just as well as you do. But we both need to remain calm, right? We can't be worrying about the possibility of my parents disapproving of you in some way, possibly even thinking you're not right for and forcing us to break up, if not forbid us from seeing each other completely. I mean, what are the chances of that happening, even if we might-!"

"Twilight, please," he said calmly. "You're getting stressed again."

She stopped, took a deep breath and sighed. "You're right, I'm sorry. Still, you weren't doing much better before."

"Fair enough. Let's both agree to be calm about this and control the other if it gets out of hoof, agreed?"

"That sounds like an ideal solution. Unless the sitatuon arises in which we're both panicking, then who's going to calm the other down? What if-?" She stopped when Dusk cleared his throat. "Right, sorry."

"It's okay. To make you feel better, just tell me what you think I should do. Honestly, I think I need all the help I can get," he added.

"If you're talking like that, perhaps we should have brought Ray along," she joked. "Well, my mother appreciates manners and things like that, but don't let that worry you, you'll do just fine where that's concerned. She can be a little critical, but if she's not pointing out the single hair sticking up from your fur that means you're on her good side."

"Noted and your father?"

A smile came to her face now. "He's less concerned about that. In fact, the kind of thing he's more concerned with is trying to find is writing quill when it's stuck behind his ear."

"An absent minded sort of fellow?" he asked.

"Pretty much," she said with a giggle. "As long as you're friendly, he can be easy to get along with, he's rather good judge of character. If he tries to talk to you alone, just be honest with him, because he can tell."

With this information in mind, Dusk's anxieties were lessened somewhat, even though they didn't completely go away. He was still worried if her mother didn't like his taste in headwear, or if her father possibly thought that he might be a bad influence due to a possibility of his low views of himself passing on to his daughter. At least he had a better idea of what to look out for.

They continued in a partly comfortable, partly worried silence through the streets. If they started to worry, they kept to their agreement. If Dusk started fiddling with his glasses from nervous habit, Twilight would be sure to point it out and if she started worrying and fretting excessively, a word from Dusk would calm her down. They complimented each other well, something he hoped that her parents would pick up on.

All too soon, Twilight had told him they'd arrived. Even with all the comforting, assurance and advice, Dusk couldn't help but feel a sense of dread again, as the door into the house loomed above him.

"This is it," said Twilight.

"The day of reckoning," agreed Dusk.

"You ready?"

"Not really. Are you?"

"No, but we don't have many other options." She took in another deep breath. "Let's get this over with."

Dusk gathered up as much courage as he could and stood back while Twilight rung the doorbell, just to let them know they were here and opened the door to her home. She gave him one last encouraging smile, then led him inside. He felt a little weak at the legs again and followed her.

Compared to most Canterlot housing, her parent's home was modestly sized. It was big enough for the space they needed without being excessive. So, at least they weren't struggling. How could they when their daughter was student to a Princess? Decorations were mostly themed around the stars and planets, with blue wallpaper decorated with stars, some framed pictures of star movements and formations and a book shelf in the entrance hall with mostly astrological volumes.

A set of stairs led off to their right, while a door on the left led to a living, the door ahead to the kitchen. There of course some decorations for a typical home, such as vases of flowers, a tasteful time piece here and there and photos of their family. He saw her parents, Twilight when she was younger and a stallion with white fur and a blue mane, his leg around Twilight and laughing. For some reason, he struck a familiar chord in Dusk's memory… where had he seen him before?

"Mom, dad, it's me and I've brought my guest!" she called out.

Dusk heard excited whispers coming from the living room. "We're just in here, sweetie!"

"Come on then," she urged.

Dusk felt his nerves root him to the spot. "I'll um… check myself over here first…"

She giggled a little. "Come on. You can stand up to a Paraserpent but you're terrified of my parents?"

"Who's to say I wasn't terrified of the Paraserpent?" he returned. "I hope your parents have less fangs and scales at least."

"You wait here, I'll get the lay of the land first," she whispered.

"Right you are," he affirmed, glad to have a little longer to prepare himself.

While he checked his reflection one last time in the mirror, he could hear Twilight in the next room with her mother and father, who sounded very glad to see her.

"Mom! Dad! It's so good to see you guys!" He heard her embrace them. "Happy Hearth's Warming!"

"Happy Hearth's Warming indeed, honey," came the voice of her dad. "At least it should be now you're here and when your brother gets back."

"He's not here?"

"Not yet, he's just making some last minute personal arrangements," he said with a knowing chuckle. "But don't worry, he said he shouldn't be too long. Didn't want to miss spending the holiday with his LSBFF."

"Neither would I," she giggled. "It feels like so long since I've seen him and you. I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine, dear," assured her mother. "It's good that you're spending time with all of your friends. We're happy that you've found such a good group of ponies. Just so long as you're keeping a good balance between your friends and your studies."

She laughed again. "Believe me, mom, I do."

"That's your mother for you, I always said you got your brains from her. And from me too, but I think you already knew that, as well as my looks."

"Good thing that she got my sense of modesty too," noted her mother.

"As I recall, that was part of what got me married to you. There's no shame in what your good at, that's what I always say. Or was it something else…?" Her father lapsed into a silence. "Can you have more than one thing to say?"

Her mother sounded exasperated, but he could hear the smile in her voice. "A good thing she didn't get your memory either."

"I have a good memory," he insisted. "It works… when I need it to."

Dusk found himself smiling just from hearing them. They sounded like good ponies at any rate. Not that he expected anything otherwise, but still… maybe there was some hope.

"Speaking of your friends, we got your last letter." Her mother's voice sounded a little more tentative now. "Where is he then?"

"He's just out in the hall, he's a little nervous," she told her in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Well, tell him to come out here then!" her father said loudly. "Hallway's no place for a house guest."

Dusk took in one last calming breath, took off his hat to appear more polite, hoped his mane looked neat enough for Twilight's mother and stepped into the living room.

It was just as welcoming as the hallway he'd left, though that may have been helped somewhat by the two ponies that waited for him along with Twilight. The stallion had his fur deep blue, his mane and tail an even deeper blend of this colour. A pleasant, welcoming smile was on his face and Dusk already felt a little more relaxed. The mare had a coat of white, her neatly arranged mane being pink with a white streak running through it. Apparently something else Twilight had inherited from her mother.

His marefriend went to join him at his side, standing close and keeping her expression gentle and friendly.

"Mom, dad, I'd like you to meet my coltfriend. This is Dusk Noir," she introduced. "Dusk, as you've no doubt guessed, these are my parents."

Her mother stepped forward first, looking quite impressed, though she looked him over with a critical eye. "Well, I can certainly see why you picked this young colt, dear. You're clearly a pony that takes pride in looking presentable, to say the least."

"I um… I try my best, miss." Remembering his manners, he bowed his head and offered his hoof. "It's um… a pleasure to meet you."

"And polite too," she said, shaking his hoof in return. "Believe me, it's a pleasure to meet you Dusk. I'm Twilight Velvet."

"Thank you, Mrs Velvet." Dusk raised his eyebrow a little. "So… she got your brains, memory and name?" he asked, with a small chuckle.

To his relief, she laughed too if a little reluctantly, as did her father in a more jovial fashion, who now stepped forward.

"Yes, I'm sure she got something from me too," he chuckled. "I'm not exactly sure what, I'll get back to you on that. Maybe part of my name, I suppose, which is Night Light, in case you were wondering."

"Good to meet you, Mr Light." As he shook his hoof, Dusk tried his best to see how he was judging him. If there was some mistrust or doubt, he was keeping it hidden under his charming smile.

Maybe this really wouldn't be as bad as he thought…

"Mister?" He gave a surprised laugh. "Nopony calls me 'mister' except our mailmare. Or some of my students, though they call me 'professor' more. I suppose I can be both. Which sounds better? Mister or professor? I think one might be too formal but…"

"Dear, you're rambling," Velvet pointed out patiently.

"Am I? Sorry, comes with the job, I guess," he shrugged. "That's how you be a good lecturer, Dusk. Just ramble enough about the stars and planets until the bell rings, just enough to make it look like you know what you're talking about."

"You ramble even when you don't know what you're talking about," she said.

"Yes, but when I ramble about what I do know, it's actually informative. How do you think they pass their exams?"

"Plenty of studying, reading and hard work?" asked Twilight, though she looked like she already knew the answer.

He sighed in mock disappointment. "You really take too much from your mother, sweetie. You read because you want to, not because you have to. That just sucks all fun out of it."

"Even if we do have to read as part of our occupations."

"Yes, but I like reading as part of my job," he pointed out. "So does our little girl and, if I remember rightly which is rare for me, so does your colt here, am I right?"

"It is, sir," he replied. "I do like to read a good book."

"See, he agrees with me," he noted. "You've got good taste in stallions, sweetie."

"That is an admirable quality. Although… is that a trilby?" He detected a hint of disapproval when she looked at his favoured headwear.

"Is um… there a problem?"

"No, no… it's just…" She appeared to be in two minds about the hat. "Do you wear that? Forgive me for saying so, but it seems rather… tacky."

"Oh… um…" He wasn't sure what to say in response to that.

"I rather like it," saved Twilight, placing it on his head for him. "I think it suits him. We all do."

"Hmm…" She looked at him a little while longer. "I suppose… I can see that, perhaps…"

"Don't worry," her father said, with an encouraging look at Dusk, "she doesn't care much for what she calls 'pointless accessories.' She called me out because I had flat cap on once."

"Because you looked ridiculous in it," she replied.

"So? The elite all wear top hats and monocles and such."

"Yes, but do they need to? Just seems a little pointless, as I say. They already have wealth, they don't need to show it off so much."

"Some ponies are just like that. Now, what are we all doing standing around for?" he asked brightly. "Sit down, that's what the chairs are for."

"That sounds like a good idea," agreed Twilight, sitting down next to Dusk. "I think we could do with some tea as well."

"I was just going to make some," Velvet said. "What will you have, Dusk?"

"Two sugars and a little milk, thank you." She nodded, lingered on his hat again and headed off.

"My other half. She keeps me in order, stops me from forgetting the important things, but she can overdo it a little and I swear she's recruited you against me," he added to Twilight.

"Like you said, somepony needs to keep you in order," she countered.

"But I already have my wife doing that, I don't need my daughter telling me as well!" he said, smiling a little. "You just wait, Dusk, she'll be having you breathing at regular intervals soon enough."

"Well… nothing wrong with a little organisation," he shrugged.

"Oh no, not you too. And I here I thought you were of a decent sort." He leaned forward a little and changed the subject. "So, how long have you two known each other? Yes, I'm talking to you, Dusk."

He got over his slight surprise at being spoken directly to. "We've been friends for about a year, but only started… well, dating three months ago," informed Dusk.

Night whistled impressively. "Only three months? That's quite an impressive amount of time, if I'm honest."

"We just get along well," said Twilight. "We have a lot in common, we talk to each other easily, we even work together. It only seemed to make sense to… take the next step."

"It's quite an impressive amount of time, quite a commitment really."

"I uh… I don't know if it's that far yet, but… so far, I think we're doing just fine. Right, dear?" she asked.

"I'd so say so, if you do."

"I do say so."

"Then, so do I."

He chuckled and smiled. "I can certainly see why. First, you become a student to a princess, then you make new friends and now you're dating…" He shook his head, almost forlornly. "You're growing up so fast sweetie."

"It's all part of the natural process."

"I can see that brain of yours is still growing too," he said. "I bet you think quite a bit of this fellow then. We used to have a hard enough time getting you to talk to fillies your age, let alone colts."

"I just decided to keep an open mind, something that you taught me… and him," she added, smiling warmly at Dusk and moving in closer.

"Good to see you took our advice to heart then." His eyes turned to Dusk. "It seems my little girl thinks highly of you, Mr Noir."

"I'm rather… surprised at it myself," admitted Dusk.

"You look it," he agreed. "Still, you have my daughter's trust, as well as her respect, two things that aren't easy to earn. I hope you realise that?"

He didn't know why, but Dusk felt a little uneasy with the intensity Night Light was looking at him with, quite unlike anything he'd shown up to this point. Twilight seemed to sense this and stepped in.

"Dad, he's not going to squander my trust," assured Twilight.

"I know and I don't doubt that, sweetie. I just want to hear him say it."

His light tone had dropped somewhat, becoming a little more serious. That was when Dusk realised that, in his own way, he was trying to see how committed Dusk was to Twilight. His daughter. Up until now, Night had been the stallion who had looked after her and now he was seeing if he could trust him with that same responsibility.

At first, Dusk was worried that he wouldn't think that he was up to the task or that he would somehow look inside him and see the monster that threatened both him and his daughter. But he was also determined enough to show that he could control that monster, that he wouldn't let him hurt Twilight again and that he would try to protect her always. No matter what.

"I realise that, sir," he answered firmly. "There's nothing that I value more than the mare sitting beside me. I would do anything if it meant making sure that her trust in me isn't misplaced, no matter how much I might doubt myself."

Night Light's expression didn't change, but something in his eyes did. "You mean that?"

"Every word."

He stared at him for a long while before smiling again. "That's all I needed to hear. You're all right by me, Dusk."

"I'm… relieved to hear that, sir," he said sincerely.

"Good and stop calling me sir, I'm not a teacher right now," he insisted. "Call me Night, at least when my wife isn't around."

"I'll… bear that in mind… Night." Dusk now felt a sense of achievement from this small victory.

"There we go. Now, Twilight, how's Spike been? Where is that scaly little rascal anyway?" he asked.

"He's been fine and he's currently at party with Rarity, couldn't make it I'm afraid."

"Too bad, I miss the little guy. Ooh, but he's a cheeky one, isn't he?" he chuckled. "I always like having him around."

"He can be quite helpful in the kitchen, even if he does occasionally sort a spoon with a fork," added Velvet, who came back in the room with their teas. "That's if you can tolerate his occasional… remarks."

"All part of the Spike package," Twilight said, with a small laugh.

"I suppose you're right," she agreed. "So, Dusk, Twilight tells us that you are also a student to a princess. Celestia's sister, if I'm not mistaken."

"That's right, miss." He sipped his tea a little, keeping eye contact with her. "Luna has been a great help to me on developing my own magic."

"You call her by her name? Well, alright," she said unsurely. "I trust that means that you keep yourself busy with the study and work she gives you?"

This conversation with her mother kept up for a while, a wide array of questions ranging from how much he studied, to his personal interests and social life and his attitude towards the rest of Twilight's friends, the latter she questioned with at length. Dusk couldn't really blame her, as they were all mares, but he still answered them as honestly as he could. Occasionally, she would appear to disapprove of an answer or think little of it, but it varied a bit.

Twilight and her father were a great help to him in order to keep his head. Now that he'd got her dad on his side, in a manner of speaking, he did his best to make sure that his wife had a good opinion of him too. He still defended him regarding his hat, said that there was nothing wrong reading a little fantasy fiction when she called that out and pulled him out of the fire when she asked him about his parents. He only gave a few basic details, but kept the rest to himself, something that Night was quick to recognise and change the subject from.

For the most part though, Dusk felt he was doing well with them. It probably helped that he was of the same sort of status, background and mind as their daughter, but he felt certain that wouldn't have really mattered even if he wasn't an Element of Harmony or student to Luna. What mattered was that, just like his friends had said, they seemed to like him for who he was. Night may have his doubts and Velvet might have kept passing glances at his hat, but they at least approved of him which, in the end, was all he really asked for. Twilight recognised this too and made sure to let him know that.

Just when he was starting to wonder where her mysterious brother might be, for he was anxious to make a good impression on him too, the door opened announcing his arrival, as did a cheerful voice a few seconds later.

"Sorry, everypony! Traffic was murder," he said lightly. "But don't worry, we're here now!"

He couldn't really get a good view of him while he was surrounded by his family, so he stood back and waited to be introduced.

"BBBFF! It's so good to see you, I've missed you so much!" an ecstatic Twilight greeted, hugging him tightly.

"Good to see you too, kiddo," he said, ruffling her mane. "Still got a grip like a basilisk."

"Shining, please don't mess up your sister's mane," whispered Velvet. "I'm sure she works hard to keep it neat…"

Shining caught her meaning. "Hey, don't blame me, it's the helmet that messes it up. Good to see you two, mom."

"She's missed you, son, don't worry," his father said lightly, hugging him. "Ooh, I swear those muscles get bigger every time I see you."

"Either that or you're shrinking," he joked.

Night laughed good naturedly. "See, this is the one that took from me most!"

"Well, like father like son. So, where's this new stallion in your life, huh?" he asked, a slight edge to his voice he noted.

"Right here." Twilight beckoned him forward. "Shining, this is my coltfriend, Dusk Noir. Dusk, I'd like you to meet my brother, Shining Armour."

"Nice to me… hey, it's you!" he said, when he came into view.

"Who? Oh…" Realisation hit Dusk like a hammer the instant he saw him. "It's you!"

Twilight was astounded. "Wait, have you two met before?"

"Yeah, at last year's Gala. He was asking after Princess Luna and I pointed him the right way."

"And you never said?"

"Well, you never said." He laughed, holding out a hoof. "Good to see you weren't an assassin then."

"I'm glad you were able to point me the right way. Nice to meet you properly, Shining." He had a tight grip, the kind of stallion who liked to establish who the dominant one was.

"All calmed down in here, are we?" came a female voice.

Dusk turned and couldn't help but bow as an alicorn mare walked in. Her fur was bright pink, her mane and tail long and flowing, streaks of purple, violet and cream running through it. A small golden crown, shoes and necklace glinted in the sunlight, radiating an aura of kindness and love, as did the smile she bestowed on them. She wasn't as well known as her aunts, but enough was written about her that Dusk knew who she was.

"Oh my gosh… Cadence!" Twilight ran forward to meet her, as did the alicorn. Then the two of them proceeded to perform an odd display and chant.

"Sunshine, sunshine

Ladybugs awake,

Clap your hooves

And do a little shake!"

"It is you!" Twilight hugged her now, laughing with joy. "Oh my gosh, it's been so long!"

"I know! Look at you, you've grown so much!" She giggled and beamed. "Still don't need me to keep an eye on you, do you?"

"These days, not really, but if you ever want to look after Spike for a bit, I'll let you know," she said lightly.

"I'll bear that in mind." Her eyes turned to Dusk, who was still low on the floor. "So, this is the stallion I've heard so much about. You can get up now, by the way or you won't do your back any favours."

"Um… right…" Dusk rose, noting how quite unlike a princess she was. Luna and Celestia could be kind and gentle, but she was something altogether different. "It's… an honour to meet you, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza."

"Just Cadence will be fine," she assured. "At least we don't have the awkwardness of an introduction, Dusk Noir."

"You um... you know about me?"

"Well, considering that one of my aunts is also your teacher, that you're dating the student of my other aunt and that you're the once unknown Seventh Element, it would be rather strange if I didn't know you, wouldn't you think?" She laughed at his expression. "Relax, I'm just kidding. Not what you expected, am I right?"

"Um… not really," he muttered. "I hope you don't mind my saying but you… you seem rather…"

"Informal?" she finished. "I know, I don't exactly act like our mighty rulers I've been told, but is that such a bad thing?"

"No… no I suppose not…" he admitted, relaxing a little now. "So… you know Twilight then?"

"She used to be my foalsitter," explained Twilight. "Whenever my parents were at work and if Princess Celestia was busy, she'd assign her to look after me. An arrangement I was always happy about."

"So was I. I'm glad you still remember me, after all this time."

"Of course, I could never forget you!" she insisted. "But how come you're here?"

"Can't you guess?" her brother asked, standing next to her and placing his right leg around her.

Dusk figured it out in seconds, as did Twilight, who positively beamed and started her giggling anew.

"Oh my… my foalsitter and my brother… dating?!" She practically fell about laughing. "You're dating Cadence, you're dating Cadence!"

"Yeah, you got us," he chuckled. "We've been going steady for a good few months, but you've always been so busy in Ponyville I haven't had the chance to tell you. Thought this would be a nice surprise for you on Hearth's Warming."

"I'd say you definitely surprised her," supplied Dusk, as his marefriend was too busy giggling. "I know we've only just met but I'm happy for you both."

"Thank you, Dusk, that's very sweet of you to say so," said Cadence kindly.

"Yeah, thanks. You're gonna have to tell me about how things have been going between you and my little sis. You'd better have been good to her, or you'll be sorry," he added.

"Believe me I… I've tried my best," he stammered.

He chuckled and waved his hoof dismissively. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. Come on, let's have a sit down and you can tell me about it."

"We'll be there in a moment." He waited until the rest of her family were talking before moving to check on her. "Have you finished?"

"Yeah, hold on… there, I'm finished." She looked up still grinning. "I just… I can't believe this. Cadence and my brother, I mean… how great is that?"

"Rather great, from your reaction. I'm sorry to ask about this, but… that little routine before?" he murmured discreetly. "What exactly was that about?"

"It was just something we used to do when I was a filly." She blushed a little under his smile. "Come on, I was six years old!"

"I know, but still… it was rather… adorable," he said. "Especially the um… the little shake at the end."

"Dusk!" She playfully hit his leg, blushing and giggling madly. "Come on, let's go before they start wondering what we're talking about."

The rest of Dusk's time there passed pleasantly enough. The arrival of Cadence and Shining had given Twilight's mother something different to focus on, though she always made sure to bring attention to him again whenever she felt she needed to. However, the looks that Twilight gave him and the lighter tone that came across in her voice led Dusk to believe that he had managed to get on her good side. He still made sure to keep polite and respectful, but he felt that he could relax a little more now that the worst was over.

Cadence was very pleasant company and he could see why Twilight liked her so much. He didn't know much about her, other than apparently she used to be a Pegasus before becoming an alicorn, but he needn't have read about her anyway, for she was only happy to talk about herself, telling stories about her duties as a princess, the things she used to do with Twilight when she was younger, though this was more for Dusk's benefit and she seemed to enjoy embarrassing her a little.

She also clearly approved of Dusk and Twilight's relationship. When she asked questions about how they got together, what drew them to each other and the things they shared in and did, she asked out of genuine interest. Her eyes seemed to shine when Dusk told her how he called her 'Miss Sparkle' as an affectionate term or when Twilight told her about quiet sessions they'd just spend reading together. She appeared to take a kind of joy in it and Dusk was in no mind to dispute that.

The one thing he couldn't quite figure out was Shining. While he was pleasant most of the time, telling jokes and a few stories of his own, mostly in his exploits as captain of the guard, there were times Dusk felt a little… uneasy. Out of the corner of his eye, Dusk would catch him looking in a distrustful sort of way at him. Like Dusk was a cobra and he was judging at what time he might strike. He hid it well when Dusk turned to look at him fully, but he definitely saw it.

He considered asking him, but he might just be seeing things and end up insulting him by mistake. If Shining did have some kind of problem with him, he wasn't going to bring it up in conversation, at least not in front of his parents or sister, if indeed there was something. What he needed was an opportunity to speak to him privately and find out why.

As luck would have it, that opportunity came.

"Well, we should start getting the dinner ready," suggested Velvet. "I'm sure we're all getting hungry."

"You know, I'd completely forgotten about that," chuckled Night, following his wife into the kitchen. "I'll give you a hoof, dear. I might as well make myself useful."

"Did you make sure you bought the right amount of potatoes this time?" she asked him pointedly.

"Yes… possibly… I might have done… you know, let's just check, in case I didn't."

Velvet sighed and murmured something they couldn't hear, leaving the four of them alone in the living room.

"Looks like we have some time before we eat," noted Cadence. "Hey, I have an idea. You wanna go to our old play spot Twilight?"

"You mean that little spot in the park? I haven't been there in ages!" she said excitedly.

"I thought you might like the idea of that. Might give us a chance to get away from the boys," she added with a whisper. "Unless you have something to say, my Shining?"

"No, you two go ahead," he encouraged. "Dusk and I can have a little guy time, get to know each other a little better."

"That sounds good to me," he agreed.

They told Twilight's parents where they were going and headed back out into the street. While Cadence talked to Shining, Twilight and Dusk confided together before they left.

"You sure you don't mind?" asked Twilight.

"Not at all. Besides," he said, leaning in to whisper, "I think this'll give me a chance to try and get on your brother's good side."

"That's not such a bad idea, although I hoped you would have already." She placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Remember, just do like you did with my parents and be yourself. He might be a little tough at first, but he'll warm to you. I'm sure of it."

"I hope so…" He gave an unsure glance back at the stallion, hoping his suspicions were unfounded.

"You'll be fine." She gave him a look telling him not worry and a kiss on the cheek before they left. "Have fun, no fighting you two!"

"You know that's the last thing on my mind!" he called back, walking off with Shining back into the house. Time to try and clear another obstacle… if there was one.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Don't be too harsh on him, I'm sure he's under enough pressure as it is."

That was what Cadence said to him before she left with Twilight, having guessed his intentions.

She was always good at doing that. In a sense, her worries were rather unfounded. From what he'd seen from Dusk so far, he seemed like a decent enough stallion. He was polite, good natured and it looked like he had real respect and care for his little sister. Despite this, he still felt some kind of negativity towards him, like he might not be everything he seemed. He knew he probably shouldn't, but he just couldn't help it.

In the end, there was only one thing he was really concerned about and now was his chance to find out.

"So, is there anything you'd like to do now?" asked Dusk.

It made it a little easier that he acted pleasant to be nice to him. It was obviously one of the reasons Twilight liked him and he wasn't going to call him out on faking it in front of him.

"Well, how are you at chess? We've got a board and pieces in the study, if you think you're good enough," he proposed.

"I'm fairly competent at it, but it's been a while since I've played a game," he admitted, following him into the study.

Shining chuckled while he set up the pieces. "Oh, don't think you can fool me with that old trick."

"Trick? What trick?"

"You say that you're no good, so I'll be overconfident, thinking that I'll beat you easily and then you pull the rug out from under my hooves."

"Oh… well, I'm not tricking you, I'm just being honest," he insisted.

"Relax, I was only kidding." There really didn't seem to be much of a violent bone his body. Whether or not that was a good thing or not, he was going to find out.

They played in silence for the first few minutes. Shining could clearly see that he was no novice when it came to this game. He thought carefully about every move before he made it, mentally analysing any possible way that Shining might get the better of him and avoiding or countering it in some way. The captain could still hold his own, but the little guy was good, he'd give him that much.

Just how good though was what was on his mind.

"I gotta say, I'm impressed, Dusk," he remarked. "Only Twilight was ever this good against me, when we played as kids."

"I would imagine so, though I think it might be going too far, comparing me to her… I'm not that good." He advanced his rook to capture one of Shining's knight's, leaving the king open for check on the next move.

"You don't take compliments well, do you?" he asked.

He smiled faintly. "You sound like your sister."

"She has a point then, surely you've noticed that."

"It's just how I am," he shrugged. "I've been told I'm getting better at it, but I still have some… improvements."

"I'll be sure to put her on that then," he remarked, moving the king out of danger.

"I thought you might." He looked up from the board. "You two seem rather close, if you don't mind my saying."

"No, it's fine," he said, waving a hoof dismissively. "We were always close, ever since we were younger. She didn't socialise much and I was the closest thing to a best friend she had, apart from Cadence. I always looked after her, played with her, protected her if she was bullied…"

He smiled approvingly. "Sounds like a lot of responsibility."

"All part of being a big brother and a friend," he said.

Dusk nodded in agreement. "I know how that feels…"

Might as well bring this up now. "But do you though?"

"I… I'm afraid I don't quite understand," he replied, caught off-guard by the question.

"Do you understand the responsibility that comes with the relationship you're in with Twilight?" he asked directly.

"Well… admittedly, neither of us have been in this kind of relationship before, but we're still learning, really…" he explained, though not with as much surety as before.

That just made him more worried. "So, you're saying that you don't understand?"

"I… I feel I might… understand better if… if you'd explain exactly what you mean, if you would," he offered.

Shining thought for a moment before answering. "What's the most important piece in a game of chess, Dusk?"

"Um… the king."

"Why though? Why's he so important?" he went on. "The pawns, the rooks, the knights, they all play a role in the game, but why is the king placed so high above the others?"

"Because… because the whole game revolves around protecting him."

"Right, because if the king ends up in checkmate, the whole game is finished." He gestured at the board. "It won't matter how many pieces you've captured or how many of your own are left in play. If you leave your king with nowhere to go, surrounded by danger, it's all over."

"I see… are you saying then… Twilight is your king, in a sense?"

"In my eyes, that's exactly how I see it," confirmed Shining. "I've always been the pieces that protect her, that keep her out of danger and I've always been sure that I can, but now…" He moved his other knight closer to Dusk's end. "Now, I'm just not so sure."

"Shining… are you saying that… I'm not capable of protecting Twilight?" he asked a little timidly.

"I'll say that, looking at you right now, I'm not sure what to think," he confessed, no longer smiling.

Dusk looked more unsure than ever now. "But… but what danger could she be in?"

"I may not have seen her much over the past few months, but I know what kind of things happen around her and her friends, some of it dangerous," he added. "You're in the mix as well now, so I'm sure you can tell me the same."

"Um… I will admit that there are some… less desirable situations we find ourselves in, but… I assure you, there's no need to worry," he attempted to placate.

Shining was having none of it. "Why do you say that? Is there something that you're trying to hide from me about all of this?"

"No, no! Not at all," he said quickly. "I'm simply saying that… you needn't concern yourself so much, about Twilight, I mean. She's safe with us."

"How can you be so sure?" he demanded. "She's put her life on the line twice, has been attacked by hyrda, cockatrices, giant snakes and who knows what else, most of the time probably only barely making it out! How can you honestly tell me that she's safe?"

"Shining, please, most of the situations we're sometimes in are dangerous, yes, but she can look after herself. I've seen it, she's very adept with her magic."

"Now you're dodging responsibility?" he asked incredulously. "Are you just trying to make excuses because you don't wanna get your hooves dirty?"

"Nothing of the sort!" he cried. "Please, I do care about her, I wouldn't want to see her hurt for any reason!"

"So you would be willing to fight to protect her then?"

"Preferably not, I don't really approve of violence but-"

"Don't approve of violence?" He snorted a little. "I should have thought as much when I saw you. I think a punch thrown by you wouldn't even dent a pillow."

"What… what has warranted this?" he asked, looking a little offended. "What makes you say something like that about me?"

"I think you pretty much just answered your own question before," he growled. "This is what I was worried about when I found out about you and it looks like I was right!"

"And I was concerned that you felt something negative about me, but I… I didn't expect this!" Dusk was shaking his head now, but looked more pleading than angry. "Shining, please believe me when I say that I would never let anything happen to your sister."

"Oh yeah?" He slammed his knight forward, shaking the board and putting his king in checkmate. "I very much doubt that."

Silence fell between them, staring at each other across the board, Shining almost daring at him to try something. Dusk broke his gaze, looked down at the chessboard and shook a little. He sighed, hung his head and stood up. Shining stood ready, but all he did was walk over to the exit.

"I see…" he murmured quietly. "Thank you, Shining… you've given me a lot to think about." Without another word, he left the room and a few seconds later, the house.

Shining only realised that he was still standing with his muscles tensed when they started to ache. From there, he didn't know how long he'd been standing there, but he relaxed and sank back onto the floor. He expected some feeling of satisfaction from that, from how he had now established his place to Dusk and what he wanted from him. He thought he could finally stop worrying about the problem that had been nagging at his mind, ever since he was actually told about him.

But it didn't come. He didn't feel happy with what he had accomplished. On the contrary, he felt a little guilty from his actions. But why should he feel guilty? Dusk was the one treating Twilight's life with so little regard or thought. He'd pretty much just said so himself. He was the one who had just barged into his life, taking the only thing that mattered to him so much without his authority. Dusk should be the one feeling guilty, not him.

So why couldn't he shake that feeling? Why was it no matter how much he tried justify what he had just done or to paint Dusk as the bad guy, no matter how much he wanted to, a small part of him knew that he just couldn't see it. It didn't fit.

When he heard the front door open again, he at first thought it was Dusk and felt an urge to go out and apologise, until the voices told him that it was Twilight and Cadence having returned.

"We're back, BBBFF!" greeted Twilight. "You miss me?"

"I always do, Twily," he replied, though not with as much enthusiasm as he normally would. "You two have fun?"

"We certainly did," agreed Cadence. "It was rather fun, remembering all the good times we had in that place. Makes me realised how much I've missed favourite filly."

"I missed you too. How'd you and Dusk get along?" She motioned to the board. "I thought I said no fighting before I left."

"Don't worry, it was pretty even sided. He's a good player…" Shining felt a twinge of guilt again.

"Just one of his many qualities. Where is he, anyway?" she asked, looking around for any sign of him.

Another twinge in his chest, though he was a little angry at why. "He um… he left for a bit."

"Left to go where?" Cadence looked at him for a while and the more she did, the more her smile faded, a glare moving in its place. "Oh no… tell me you didn't."

"I don't know what you're talking about…"

"You know full well what I'm talking about," snapped Cadence. "What did you say to him?"

"Only what I thought I had to," he said firmly.

"I knew it…" She slapped her hoof to her forehead and sighed exasperatedly. "What was the one thing I told you before I left, the one thing?"

"I had to find out somehow!" he insisted. "I had to know!"

"You should have already known! We both know that your concerns aren't the real problem here!"

"What problem?" asked Twilight, looking from one to the other. "What's happened? What's going on?"

"Nothing, Twilight, it doesn't concern you," he tried to say, but Cadence cut him off.

"I think it concerns her greatly, considering it was her coltfriend!" She whipped around to the front door again. "I'm going to try and find him."

"I'll go with you."

"No, Twi, you stay here. I think your dear brother owes you an explanation." He earned one last death glare from Cadence before she left. "When I get back, I think we're all going to have something to talk about."

Now it was just him and his little sister. "What is she talking about? What did you do?"

"Just what I thought I had to," he answered, his guilt and anger growing.

"What does that even mean?" she pressed on. "What are you trying to hide from me? Tell me you two didn't fight."

"No, although that was part of what we were… discussing."

"But what were you discussing?"

"Twily, really, it's nothing to-"

"Don't you 'Twily' me!" she snapped. "Tell me what happened here and don't try and avoid the question. I'll find the answer, one way or another."

He couldn't help but smile fondly. "You always do, don't you?"

"I do." Her expression softened a little. "Just tell me. You're my big brother, we shouldn't keep secrets from each other."

You mean like you did, like Celestia did, he wanted to say. But Twilight wasn't going to drop this, so he told her in the best way he could about the 'discussion' he and Dusk had, concerning her safety and whether or not he could maintain it. He hoped that she would understand his reasoning behind it for needing to know.

Twilight, far from understanding, just became even more frustrated. "I always wondered if it was just Dusk, or if all stallions are this stupid at times?"

He was taken aback at this. "What does that mean?"

"It means what right did you have to ask that of him?" she asked angrily. "What right did you have to demand that of him?"

"I'm your brother, I had every right." He tried to calm her down. "Twilight, I just wanted to know if he'd be able to keep you safe."

"I can keep myself safe!" she shouted. "I've been trained by Princess Celestia herself, in case you've forgotten and my magic has been more than enough to get me out of any danger. It's not all just growing moustaches, you know! And Dusk keeps telling me I need to have faith."

"And what if it isn't enough? What if you encounter something your magic can't handle?" he challenged.

"That's highly unlikely and even if I did, my friends will always be there to help me. That's what they do and so does he! Dusk is being trained by Princess Luna, he knows what he's doing and he can protect himself and me if he needs to."

He waved his hoof dismissively. "I haven't seen any evidence of that."

"He beat one of your guards and he's faced up to so much more, coming out every time despite his doubts and fear," she insisted. "He's scared and doesn't want to do it, but he will fight if he needs to."

His anger spiked at the constant mention of him. "This isn't about him! This is about you and the danger you seem to regularly encounter, which he may or not be leading you into!"

"Are you listening to yourself? Do you think he's a bad influence, that he's getting me into this trouble?"

"As far as I know, yes!"

"Then you really don't know him." She stepped closer, looking him right in the eye. "You know what happened, in the month we first met?"

"What?"

"We were tricked into investigating the Everfree Forest, myself and my friends, by one of Discord's minions. We were all trapped and it looked pretty hopeless. It fed off me first, so it could use my magic for its own ends and it almost succeeded."

"See? That's exactly what I'm-!"

"And he saved me. He was scared, he barely knew what he was doing, but Dusk ventured into the forest, by himself and he rescued all of us from it. If it weren't for him… I don't even want to think about what might have happened…" She traced her hoof around the necklace she wore, a thoughtful look on her face. "He was there for us then, he has been since and he always will be."

Shining tried to think of a response, anything that might prove his own point. But he couldn't. He had no reason it disbelieve his little sister, other than his own objections. Like it nor not, it was obvious how much Dusk meant to her… that thought made him feel worse still.

"I… see where you're coming from, Twily," he finally said. "I can see how important he is to you, but… that's not the only reason."

"Then what is it?" She gazed intently at him. "Why are you really angry?"

"Because she knew. Celestia knew, about him and she didn't tell me, said that it wasn't her place to tell me about your personal life." He sighed and looked back at her. "When I heard that he was in your life now, that he would be the one looking after you now I just… I felt…"

"You thought I'd replaced you?" Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder, smiling comfortingly. "Shining, nopony could ever hope to replace you. You're my big brother and you always will be, but Dusk is different. He doesn't look after me, we look after each other."

"But… that should be my job…"

"It still is and you still do, but things have changed now, whether we want them to or not," she stated, though not without emotion, but with all the caring and love she could. "I'm not a little filly anymore, even dad can see that. You have to realise that too and the fact that Dusk is part of my life now, just as much as you are. You're both important to me, but in your own ways. Your way is that you need to recognise what he is to me and accept it. Don't… make me choose between the two of you."

Once again, Shining was struck dumb. She was right, like she usually was. Deep down, he'd known this from the beginning, but he'd hidden it, trying to paint Dusk as the bad guy when he was just making himself look worse, by trying to find monsters where none existed.

He knew he'd still need some time to get used to it, but he wasn't going to be the one to make Twilight's life difficult because he felt jealous. That wasn't his job, in any sense.

"You won't have to choose." The two siblings hugged each other. "I'm sorry for the way I acted, kiddo."

"It's okay, but I don't think I'm the only one who's owed an apology," she reminded him.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess you're right, I am a bit of an idiot," he shrugged.

"All you stallions are, but that's just part of your charm."

Shining chuckled, glad that this issue might finally be behind them. "You could have just told me about him in the first place."

"I could say the same for you and Cadence!"

"That was meant to be a surprise though, a nice one. What's your excuse for Dusk?"

"Because I knew this is how you'd react, you moron." She rapped his head. "I didn't want you coming down to Ponyville and knocking his head off."

"Don't tempt me." He moved to leave. "Come on, let's go see if Cadence has…"

He stopped when he heard a loud noise outside, signs of commotion in the street.

"What is going on out there…?"

Suddenly, Cadence burst back through the door, looking frantic. "Shining! You need to come quick, something's happened. Dusk is being attacked!"


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Dusk had been thinking for a long while after he'd left Shining in the study, wandering through the streets of Canterlot, his words still echoing in his mind and making him feel so much worse.

This is exactly the kind of thing that he'd been worried about when it came to meeting Twilight's family, but even he'd never expected anything as bad as what had happened. Not only did Shining Armour, captain of the royal guard and Twilight's brother, think that he wasn't good enough for her, but he was now worried about how that might influence Twilight. Considering how close they were, she might agree with him and decide that maybe they should end it…

In a way, it was true. He'd never liked fighting, neither the action nor the idea behind it. Having to resort to methods of inflicting pain and injury to resolve a problem, a problem that could have just as been easily solved by just talking about it, just seemed so… pointless. In the end, what would be achieved, other than even more feelings of anger and resentment from those involved? Perhaps even worse, if things got out of hoof.

But Twilight's brother was part of the royal guard. A unit that existed for the times that even he recognised, when talking about a problem wasn't enough. If the other meant to harm or even kill somepony as important as Princess Celestia or Luna or even just an ordinary bystander, then fighting would become the only option, because something better would come of it: the protection of their rulers and also the citizens they ruled. A noble cause, by any standard.

Even Dusk had to admit that, even in cases when it was necessary, he was reluctant to fight. Even if he knew his enemy would cause him or his friends pain, he too would cause them pain in efforts to defend himself. He could still remember the screeches of Paraserpents in pain, the wails of diamond dogs, the roar of that buffalo, because he had been the one to cause them pain and he hated it so much.

He was scared to cause them pain. In Shining's eyes, that made him a coward, one that wouldn't be capable of defending his sister, if the need arose… and he was right.

But then again… Twilight could protect herself. Like he'd said, he had seen it. Her magical prowess was incredible to behold and when she used it if she was in danger, she was a force to be reckoned with. With her training, he was sure that Shining must have seen that too and had enough confidence that his sister, even if she was in dangerous situations with her friends, would be able to look after herself. If that had never bothered him in the past, why did it bother him now, with Dusk on the scene?

That was when he realised it, when he'd glimpsed some of the others outside a café. He hadn't gone over to see them, for he had seen Fluttershy and Ray moving closer to each other, without either of them realising it. When they'd finally noticed and jumped apart, the way Ray looked at her again made him want to stride over and shove him away, hence why he'd kept himself hidden.

He understood in that moment. The way that Shining was feeling towards him and Twilight was exactly how he felt towards Ray and Fluttershy. Even if he knew that he might be virtuous enough for his sister, he still had that worry, that feeling that he needed to protect her, because that was what he always had done. As her big brother, as he'd said, that was his job. Just like how Dusk realised he now felt with Fluttershy. He wanted to protect the closest thing he'd had to a sister, even if she might not need it…

He'd started to make his way back to the house at that point. Now that he understood better, perhaps he could try to put Ray at ease. He'd just arrived on the street and glimpsed Princess Cadence at the other end of the street, her face brightening when she saw him. He returned her smile and made his way over to meet her, wondering if she was out looking for him-

WHACK!

Something slammed into the side of his head, with enough force to send him flying towards a wall. The attack caught him off-guard, but he just managed to create a shield to break his fall, though his head was now ringing from the previous impact. He picked himself up, worried noises from onlookers reaching his ears.

"What was…?" He'd looked up, his vision clearing, to see a gunmetal grey figure, clad in golden armour. "No… you?"

"What's the matter, shrimp?" shouted the guard. "Having trouble placing my face?"

He had no trouble placing his face, or his voice. "Hard Edge?"

"So you do remember me, do you runt?" He raised his hoof again. "Well, this'll make sure you never forget!"

His charge fell up short when Dusk recovered enough of his wits to get out of the way, shock-absorbing to a safe distance.

"What are you doing?" he asked, trying to keep the distance between them. "Why are you attacking me?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten that too!" He snorted loudly, his face livid. "You Canterlot scum, you're all the same."

"Hard Edge, if this is about when I fought you, that was just training," he placated. "I didn't mean anything against you, I was just-"

"That's what you would say! But it won't fly with me, I know how you all think!" he shouted. "You make it look like you're sorry, but then you're laughing about it with your friends about how great you are, how much of a pushover I was."

"I assure you, I did nothing of the sort."

"Don't lie to me! I've heard enough of the lies, the orders, the lack of appreciation! That's what you're all like!" he added to the crowd. "You can all go to your garden parties and your balls, all the time forgetting who it is that makes sure you can prance around in those places. All our work, all our effort and what do we get? Nothing!"

Just when he thought Rainbow had an ego. "Hard, please listen, I have nothing but respect for-"

"Shut up!" He pointed at Dusk. "You, you're the worst! I've been playing toy soldier around this stinking city all my life and I barely gotten so much as a thanks. But you, you think because you stopped that freak Discord and his pets, that gives you the right to be a hero and lord it over the rest of us?!"

"No, I-"

"You weren't the only one! I fought them too, you know! I went out there, I near killed myself to keep them back, to stop them getting to my home and here, but what do I get? What do I get? NOTHING!" He slammed his hoof into the ground. "Well, I'm through with it, you hear? I'm done!"

"Not while you wear that armour, you're not!" He turned to see that Shining had arrived and he wasn't happy.

"Hey there, Armour," he sneered. "Just performing my duty, nothing to worry about."

"Like hay you are! You just attacked a civilian without provocation!"

"I didn't mean your duty."

"You're still one of my soldiers, Edge. Even if you are insubordinate." There was no softness in his voice or expression. This was the captain of the guard in his element. "Stand down, soldier, or I'll swear you'll regret it."

"I'll regret it if I don't stand down!" he shouted back. "I'm through taking dirt, from you, from them, from all of you! I'm my own pony now! I'm gonna make my own way and I'll start with this pathetic excuse of a pony, right here."

Dusk tensed to make himself ready, realising the possibility of a conflict that he'd have to resolve. He'd beaten him once, he would do it again.

"No!" In a flash, Twilight teleported herself between them. "You are a royal guard of Canterlot! How dare you even-!"

SMACK!

Twilight never finished her sentence before Edge raised his hoof and smacked her aside. She cried out, skidded across the ground and lay still.

"TWILIGHT!" Both he and Shining yelled at the same time, but Shining was there first, knelling down with Cadence and starting to help her back to her hooves.

Dusk's attention, however, was on the pony who had hit her. The instant his hoof struck her, something stirred inside of him, something he'd endeavoured to keep inside, but was now demanding to be let out. Anger took him. Pure, righteous anger, the kind he'd never felt before, the sheer rage that Twilight Sparkle had been hurt.

In his mind, there was only one thing he knew he could do.

"As pathetic as you. Now, let's- ACK!" His words were cut off as a magical aura tightened around his throat, lifting him into the air.

"You want to fight me? You ASKED FOR IT!" At the same time he yelled, Dusk flung him into an alleyway, hearing the sound of him smacking against the wall.

Dusk strode on after him, remembering the pain Twilight must now be in. Caused by him. All his anger, all his rage, now focused on him. His inhibitions didn't matter, he no longer cared. The only thing he cared about was repaying them in kind.

Edge was getting to his hooves and tried to charge him again, but Dusk caught the hoof and slammed it against his face before flinging it to the ground. He tried to throw something at him to stop him, but he just caught it and flung it back, along with a few more.

When he finally reached him, he held his limbs in place and punched him hard across the face. Edge's head was thrown back, but he pulled it forward and hit him again. And again. And again. And again.

"You!" SMACK! "Will!" SMACK! "Never!" SMACK! "Touch!" SMACK! "Her!" SMASH! "AGAIN!" CRACK!

Edge coughed and tried to look at him. "Stop… what are you…?!"

"You know what!" He raised his hoof again. "Now, you'll know how it feels!"

"Dusk, stop!" He whipped his head around. Twilight was standing there, her face bruised and her lip cut, but otherwise she was unharmed. "You can stop now!"

Like her voice had broken some kind of spell, Dusk awoke to what was happening. He was in a dark alleyway, his hoof was throbbing from the multiple strikes and his mind was clearing. Hard Edge lay before him, his face bruised and beaten, a trickle of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. He was still held in place by his magic. His magic…

Horror replaced anger and he dropped him, collapsing against the wall the same time he did. He looked down at his hoof, seeing the traces of red on there. Mouth hanging open, his eyes wide, he tried to comprehend it all. Had he just done that? In those brief moments, where something else had taken hold of him, had he just… did he almost…?

"I… I don't…" His words died in his throat and he turned his head away, unwilling to look at it anymore.

A warm hoof touched his shoulder and he allowed Twilight to pick him up and embrace him, while he felt tears begin to roll down his cheeks.

Faintly, he heard Shining come into the alley, ordering two other guards to take Hard Edge into custody. But the rest of the world was almost completely drowned out, replaced only by the low growls he now heard in his mind and the mare he now held.

"It's okay, you got him, it's okay," she whispered.

"Are… are you…?"

"It's just a bruise and a cut, I'm fine." She tried to look at him, but he wouldn't make eye contact. "What was that? What happened?"

"I just… I don't… I don't know…" That was part of the truth, but not all of it.

"I've never seen you act like that before." He couldn't make out the tone in her voice. "What made you do that?"

"… You… he hurt you and I… I wanted to… I didn't want him to… to do it again…" He bowed his head and shut his eyes. "Not again… not to you…"

"And he won't. He 's gone now." She turned his head to look at her. Her eyes were shimmering too. "Don't do that to me, not again… I was scared."

"Of him… or me?"

"Dusk… I…"

"Twily." Shining was still there, a serious look on his face. "Can I speak to Dusk for a bit?"

She looked like she was about to protest, but she nodded and stood back, giving Dusk one last look before she left them there. Shining waited until he was gone before laughed a little.

"Well, you kinda scared me a bit there. I wouldn't have known you had that in you," he said.

Dusk looked away from him. "Believe me, I wish I didn't…"

"I can see why." Concern came to his features. "You're still solved on the no fighting thing then?"

"That's just… how I see it… I understand if that means that you think Twilight won't be safe with me… if I acted like that…"

"You did seem to flip your lid there a bit, but for a different reason," he reasoned. "You did it to protect her."

"But… but I…"

"Besides, she gave me a little talking to before and… I think I may have been wrong about some things," he admitted. "I'm sorry about what I said to you before. I may have been concerned but that doesn't warrant what I tried to push on you."

He was surprised by this response, but he was willing to take it. "It's okay… I understand why now and… I know why you acted like that."

"Yeah, I can see that now. So… are we good?" He offered his hoof to Dusk.

He didn't understand yet, why he'd acted like that, what had driven him, but Dusk hadn't expected him to. He was tempted to try and explain, but… he still didn't want to. He still wanted to try and keep it hidden, to try and stay happy and not add another concern to Shining's list. It might be selfish, it might be cowardly, but he just didn't want to face it… at least, not yet.

"We're good. Apology accepted." He shook his hoof. "I did try and tell you before."

"I know, but what can I say? I'm her big brother, it's my job to disapprove of my sister's choice in coltfriends. Come on, let's get you two patched up, then I've got some duties to deal with," he added in a dangerous tone.

"I'm sorry… about him."

"Don't be, he's been like that for a while. I knew something changed since Discord came back, but I didn't expect this," he sighed. "I'd better make up for that now…"

If he can, Dusk thought.

Twilight met them as they came out. "Good, both of you came out."

"Peace has been declared," chuckled Shining. "The guy's alright by me."

"Glad to hear it, not that you would have been able to stop me if you hadn't approved," she joked.

"I'd be scared to try, to be honest. Let's get you both fixed up, then I think we deserve some food after all of this."

Dusk leaned in while they walked. "Twilight… about that-"

"We'll talk about it later, okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"I am. The worst is over now and I just want to enjoy Hearth's Warming with my family and my coltfriend. Let the bad stuff wait until tomorrow."

Dusk would have opposed, but he felt the same. Even though he had lost control there and he knew that would be something he still needed to be addressed, he didn't want to talk about it now. Everything was fine now, everything would be okay.

Even if he could still hear that growling echoing in his mind…


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hard Edge was angry. That wasn't really saying much, for it didn't take much to make him angry. Whenever he thought any of the other guards might be talking about him, that made him angry. Whenever one of the elite treated him like something on the bottom of their hoof, that made him angry. But this Dusk… this stupid, little Dusk and his friends… they really, really made him angry.

It was their fault he was like this. Because of them, he had lost his reputation, his job, everything! All because of him and what he had done. All he had to do was lay down and take it, but instead, he pulled some kind of weird magic out that had made him act super nuts and his eyes change colour. He would have wondered why exactly that was, but at the minute, all he could think of was pounding him into a bloody mess for what he had done.

He would do anything to get back at him, to show him that he and his little friends couldn't handle anything. He was just as much a hero at the time of chaos as they were, but where was his medal? His recommendation?! Where?! Ooh, they were going to pay…

"How unfortunate for you, Mr Edge." The voice was so pathetic sounding, he at first thought it was Dusk, but lowered his hoof when he saw that this stallion was smaller than that runt. "Please, I am not here to cause you any harm."

"Yeah, well the same can't be said for you if you don't clear off," he threatened. He couldn't even see him properly, he kept to the shadows.

The pony, however, didn't leave. "Now, now, Mr Edge, surely you are… intelligent enough to recognise an opportunity when you see one?"

"You calling me stupid?" he growled. "The only opportunity I see her is one to knock your freakin' block off, if you don't get lost!"

"Mr Edge, you misunderstand me," he replied. "I know why it is that you have been rejected from your current vocation and that you have certain negative feelings towards it."

Edge didn't even look up at him. "What's it to you?"

"Because I also know who it is you blame for your predicament and that you may have information concerning him that would assist me immensely. You see, I have my own plans, concerning him and to fulfil them, I need that information," he explained, in way that suggested these plans weren't exactly friendly.

That got his interest. "What's in it for me?"

"Why, a chance at retribution, Mr Edge. To repay this stallion in kind for what he has done to you." He leaned forward a little, sounding excited about the idea. "To get back, if you will, at Dusk Noir."

Hard Edge's anger had now abated somewhat. He was still going to make him pay, but now it looked as if fate had given him a chance to do that anyway.

"Go on," he replied, his own smile growing, "I'm listening."