Chapter 1
“Knock Knock “
Three hard knocks hit the library door, making it jump off its hinges and fall on the ground. A pink pony entered screaming out of the top of her lungs. “No time to explain! Come with me!” Pinkie Pie said, grabbing Twilight Sparkle from her table and charging with her through the door leading outside.
Twilight wasn’t even aware of what the hay was going on. The pony was rambling on as if the poor unicorn knew what she was talking about. “You are never going to believe it, she will do it again! I hope we’ll get there in time, it would be such an amazing performance, even for her!”
The unicorn finally managed to pull away from Pinkie’s arms, feeling a bit woozy from all the dizzyness her friend caused her. “Pinkie, where are we going? What’s going on?” Twilight asked as the pink mare noticed something in the sky.
Pinkie gasped and pointed at the cause of her excitement. “She’s doing it again, look!” Turning to were her friend was pointing, Twilight was surprised to see Rainbow Dash flying at an amazing speed.
A Sonic Rainboom filled the sky with a light that over shined even the sun. Everypony gasped in amazement as a breeze of air gushed over them. The pegasus landed on the ground looking tired but prouder than ever. Twilight and Pinkie were cheering along with the crowd, clapping their hooves in admiration when all of the sudden a voice was heard from behind the public, shouting louder than the rest.
“Perfect! It’s done.”
The strong voice came from a tall pegasus colt with dark brown fuzzy mane, a maroon coat, reddish eyes and a cutie mark which represented a delicate paint brush with dark waves behind it. He had a painting instrument in his hoof and a light blue satchel which was propped against the canvas in front of him. To his left there were several jars filled with sand, water and what could’ve simply be described as dirt.
Rainbow Dash, upon hearing his remark, trotted to the pony behind the crowd, looking delighted. Pinkie and Twilight watched from the distance.
“Finally!” she said, running a hoof through her mane. “Thanks, but was it really necessary for me to do two Sonic Rainbooms?” asked the tired pegasus, interrupted only by her own panting. The pony-painter replied “Oh, but it was! I just wanted to make sure I would use the right tint of blue.”
Turning the canvas around, the painter revealed the fantastic finished project. It was a perfect representation of Rainbow Dash performing the Sonic Rainboom. The colors were vibrant and the textures made everything look as if the painting was almost alive.
“So… awesome!” exclaimed the excited, but still very tired, pegasus. In an uncharacteristic burst, she hugged the painter, who looked confused and embarrassed, and then took off with her painting, grinning all the way.
“That’s it, everypony,” said the red pegasus, looking at the remaining group of spectators and randomly choosing a pony. “Next week, it will be Miss Lyra who gets a new painting. See you all soon!”
As the fun was over and the show drew to a close, the pony crowd started to disperse.
Twilight was a bit confused, yet wanting to see what all the fuss was about she walked over to the pony that Pinkie eagerly wanted her to meet.
“Hello,” she said, giving her best polite smile. The painter turned to the stranger and, as his usual artistic impulse kicked in, he started painting Twilight’s contour in mid air with his paint brush. For an artist like himself, he always looked forward to his next creation and never missed a chance to take mental notes.
“Hello, do I know you?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.
“No. My name is Twilight Sparkle and… I couldn’t help but notice that you are pointing your brush at me.”
“He does that with everypony,” Pinkie suddenly interrupted, “he is a fantastic painter aaaand he usually paints one or two ponies every week, on this day!” She skipped to a halt, taking a breath of air before bombarding Twilight with another set of explanations. “He gives the finished portrait for free and it’s really awesome because he is so fast and very talented! He gave me two paintings so far, you know, since he moved to Ponyville about a year ago, and that’s also cool because I rarely sit too much in one spot and—“
Twilight shoved a hoof in her friend’s mouth before things got out of, well, hoof. “Thank you, Pinkie. I think that’s more than I actually wanted to know.” She turned her attention back to the pegasus, who was subtly smiling, finding the pink pony’s compliments endearing. It was also then when the unicorn noticed that the pony-painter was using weird plants and colored dust instead of normal paint.
“But I have yet to introduce myself,” he said, taking a small bow. “Dusty Brush, at your service.”
Twilights face brightened suddenly, realizing she heard that name before. “THE Dusty Brush? But why would the fantastic painter from Canterlot be living in Ponyville? And how come I haven’t seen you before?”
“I was nothing special, really.” Dusty remarked with a slight modesty, but a sadness in his voice “I had some good paintings but I never asked for critique. I just wanted to paint in peace.” He turned to his blue satchel and started to put his jars in order inside, getting really to go. “You haven’t seen me before because, well, I usually enjoy my solitude and I don’t make a habbit out of painting outside my home.”
“I see. Well, it was nice meeting you! Heh, perhaps I might find some time for you to make me a painting as well,” she suggested, in her unique, socially-awkward way.
“It would be my pleasure,” he replied as he finished packing all the jars and pots with ingredients in his satchel. The three ponies each went their separate ways, not without Twilight giving Pinkie a stern look which basically meant ‘Next time, don’t’.
Dusty trotted through Ponyville’s marketplace, on his way home. He was able to fly and it would’ve made the trip easier, but he just felt like trotting that day. Plus, he was carrying a lot of fragile things so it would’ve been risky to fly, and asking for help was out of the question. He didn’t like asking for help unless he needed it. His residence was close to the edge of town, just as he liked it and, before he knew it, he was already facing the mahogany door.
Dusty stepped inside the main room which was very large and orange in color, with a lot of shelves, painting materials, brush-holders, canvas holders and a big, sort of alchemical table covered with dust, leaves, rocks and plants. Everything looked like it had been there forever, with a stillness hanging in the air that not even time could touch. This was how Dusty wanted it to be, nothing could interfere with his work.
The painter organized his pots on several shelves, keeping everything in order, afterwards he stretched his wings and finally got the chance to relax. He sat on his light orange couch, which was custom made, and looked around the room for relaxing things to do. He saw his stacks of unfinished paintings just lying on the floor; next to that was his canvas holder which he ordered to have six pots attached for his more colorful paintings. He turned his head and looked at the stairs which were cleverly hiding the door to the basement underneath them. At the second floor there was a small hallway, a bathroom and a simple bedroom. The room had a bed, a cabinet, a mirror and a large window which was always closed, with the curtains drawn as well.
His house looked a bit empty, except for the normal necessities such as an improvised kitchen. The only things that had priority in the house was his painting equipment, but otherwise he preferred large and empty spaces. My work is all I need, as he usually put it.
Dusty felt a bit taken in by the silence around him. It had been a busy day and everything was as it should be. He closed his eyes and laid his head on the couche’s handle, his thoughts flickering in his mind. A well made painting was enough for today. I might take a nap…
The gentle, almost quiet sound of wind ruffling the trees by his window, somewhere in the distance, along with a subtle lullaby he had stuck in his mind for quite some time now made him lose grip on reality, step by step, as he slowly slipped away into daydreaming.
Suddenly, a powerful knock on a door startled the sleepy painter.
What is going on? he thought to himself, jumping off the couch and walking to the middle of the room. A few seconds later there was another knock, just like the one before, only this time Dusty was able to locate the source of the obnoxious sound.
“Oh, of course,” he mumbled, walking to the hidden door under the stairs, which was leading to his cellar. There, he stored all his experiments and not-yet-finished projects.
Opening the creaky door, Dusty felt a strong and hot wind making him avert his eyes and cough. Breathing deeply, he went down in the dark and arid space where an echo of a hiss was circulating around the room. He never installed a lighting system, so he had to walk slowly for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. As Dusty passed the door and small steps, he felt a smell of earth and sand mixture which made it difficult to breathe and the only light source came from the entrance.
“Can’t I get five minutes of rest without you getting bored and knocking on my door?” said Dusty sarcastically while looking around the room, adjusting his eyesight to the darkness and searching for the one responsible for the noise. A serpent like shadow coiled itself around him, maintaining a small distance as it materialized. A slight giggle was heard behind the loud hiss as a monstrous creature formed itself around the pony.
A dragon headed snake who shared its body skin with the one of a lion, with an eagle’s claw at the tip of the rattlesnake tail and four wings sprouting from its back, shook rapidly as if awoken from a deep slumber. Its wings flapped, revealing themselves to be one of a Dragon, one of a legendary seahorse, one of a Changeling and the fourth of a Phoenix.
Dusty calmly blinked once or twice at the sight of the draconequus. “Hazard, I had a long day, what do you want?”
The long serpent evaded the pony and coiled around itself to seem a bit smaller and to be at the same level as the painter. The draconequus turned its head so that one side of his face was towards the pony. Dusty never could figure out why this creature never looked directly at him, or at anypony for that matter.
Opening his eye, it sparkled like a citrine crystal as the pupil shone like bright sapphire. His mouth slightly opened revealing its spiral-looking smile which would unnerve even the bravest soul.
As words started to come out of Hazard’s mouth, the hiss became merged with his voice as the corner of his mouth moved in a very unsettling way. “Dusty… We haven’t seen each other in a long time, have we? Why not tell this old soul what have you been up to, hm?”
Dusty shrugged and sat down, accepting his invitation to talk. The pony never felt fully relaxed when Hazard dropped by, fearing that if they were caught, Dusty would be banished from Equestria forever. Draconequusses are usually considered evil and troublesome, therefore conversing with one is not well seen by ponies in general. However, the two knew each other for several years and have formed a sort of friendship, meeting once every couple of months. Hazard’s appearance and origin made him unwelcomed in Ponyville centuries ago, fact amplified by Discord’s most recent return. Even Hazard’s own kind disliked him because of his nice behavior towards nature and ponies. He was, more or less, an outcast and perhaps the pony felt they had something in common.
The conversation was formal. Dusty told him what has happened lately with Hazard occasionally interrupting with a question or two. Catching up to the present, mentioning Twilight and her friends and describing the painting for Rainbow Dash, the discussion started getting more and more disrupted by long pauses.
The painter looked at Hazard with a blank stare and a question weighing heavily on his mind. Hazard knew that look on Dusty’s face and he disliked it. The pony tilted his head forward, insisting for a reply. Suddenly, the serpent came closer to him, making him back off.
“If there is something you want to ask, go right ahead. I’m not a mind reader.” Hazard stated while rolling his eyes.
“Have you seen her? Is she all right?” the painter asked, almost whispering. He felt that the draconequus was just mocking him by not saying what he wanted to know right away. Hazard’s eye was fixed on the floor, thinking on what to say, or rather whether or not to say it.
“I can’t be your spy in my spare time, you know? It’s a long way to travel just to tell you what she is up to,” he replied. Dusty stepped back and turned his gaze away, feeling ashamed. “Yes,” Hazard continued “I went there again and it was the same as ever. Nothing new, nothing interesting.”
Dusty got up and started walking around the room, nervously. “I just can’t stop thinking about her …” the pony said, slowly lowering his voice, “talk about love at first sight.” For the pony-painter, it was hard to admit he felt something special for somepony, especially if that somepony might not even consider him worthy of her time. Being of completely different social statuses, Dusty thought he would never have a chance for her hoof. Not only that, but if the mare would decline his feelings face to face, it would be unbearable to him. He spoke only to Hazard about his feelings, thinking that he might come up with an advice to cure his agitation, but was always answered with silence.
Hazard felt compassion for the pony’s situation even if he had no interest in the lives of pony-folk in general. However, he never knew what to say.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration ran across the serpent’s mind as he lifted his head and smiled, making what he was about to say sound like a good thing. “Maybe you should look for somepony else. There might be somepony just like her, or even better!”
“How dare you?” Dusty said, turning to the draconequus with a killing gaze, raising his voice. “It’s impossible to even imagine myself living with some other pony. No one can match her beauty or elegance. Her eyes which sparkle more than any diamond and her voice that sounds like the most refined dark marble flute... I know I saw her for a short time and not in a very good moment but I know what I feel, and this won’t go away. I know I love her and this is the kind of love, genuine love, that will last all my life. We are from two separate worlds and, to her, I am just a painter from a far away land.”
“Well, somepony seems more infatuated than last time…”
Dusty ignored his comment as the silence that followed remained for a while. Dusty stared at Hazard waiting for something that not even he knew what would be. The serpent only nodded his head and closed his eye, thinking of something to say or a solution for his friend’s predicament. The pony slowly calmed down, closing his eyes and bowed his head.
“Sorry. I didn’t -” Before Dusty could finish his apology, Hazard jumped with an idea. His eye opened in a flash, his smile came back, revealing his teeth which were sparkling like blades. The serpent had a history of weird and bad ideas whenever the painter asked him for an advice regarding usual situations, however this one might just surpass them all. “Why not go to her?”
Dusty shook his head in confusion. “What did you say!?”
Hazard replied, with a more elaborated response. “Go to her and tell her what you feel. What’s the worst that could happen?”
Dusty, of course, had a moment of horror thinking of the worst possible thing that could happen to him: incarceration, isolation or even death. Hazard continued to elaborate his plan and, in the process, to calm his friend down.
“If you spend some time with her, I am sure that she will see something special in you. Or, maybe, you might even see her with lesser eyes if you got to know her better, who knows?” he asked, waving his tail. “Look, go to her and propose to make her portrait on a huge canvas, this would surely impress her. With luck, and if you put your so-called-love for her into the painting, I think she might fall for you. Or not. Either way, if you don’t risk, you don’t have a chance to win.”
Dusty opened his mouth, then closed it again. Then opened it again, not sure of what to say after hearing such a plan. “Hazard, this is impossible. Anypony would agree with me, this is illogical.”
The draconequus giggled and inhaled deeply, continuing his idea. “A three day journey to arrive in her presence, assuming she will allow you to talk to her. Then, two days to finish a painting of such proportion. Not to mention resting time every night. And, another tree days to get back to Ponyville if everything was in vain which, if I could predict, might result in your heart breaking.”
“Just that?” Dusty asked sarcastically, raising his eyebrow and adding “You forgot all this risky roads, gathering ingredients, buying the canvas, camping, formulating a convincing offer to impress her… it’s insane.”
“It’s better than the alternative,” said Hazard.
The pony looked surprised, as if the alternative would be less beneficial. The serpent continued with a monotone voice “Sitting here and never knowing ‘what if’…”
Dusty was slowly realizing what his friend just said. The weight of those words were slowly sinking in his mind. To live a life with only work, to never share the joy with a special somepony, to never know you gave it your all, to love and be loved, all those thing were spinning inside the pony’s mind. Burying his feelings would not make them go away.
“This is not about fulfilling a dream, Hazard, it’s about answering a question… and I may be insane just by considering this plan. It’s almost impossible!”
Hazard looked at the pony with a surprised gaze. “Almost?” he asked.
The artist took a few moments to think it through, all the ingredients he might need, the canvas size, what to say, what to do, if he should bring a secondary gift to persuade her, if he should bring some helpers, all the little details that might improve his chance. His eyes were moving from one side to the other as if reading the list, but it was all in his mind.
At last came the final moment, the question that would change his life and how he would live the rest of his days: Should he risk it all and accept the consequences that might follow?
“So? What will you do?” Hazard asked, grinning.
“Why the smile? Do you think I’m not brave enough to go?” the pony asked. The draconequus, still grinning, made a gesture that resembled a shrug.
Dusty cracked a smile, which slowly turned into a laugh. “It’s an insane idea and I might not even live to talk about it, right?”
The serpent figured out what his friend decided. They both started laughing as if it was the most incredible and hilarious thing they ever heard. Hazard and Dusty shared two important things: they never backed down from an impossible challenge and never let anyone change who they were.
Hazard’s laughter shook the foundation of the house, which scared Dusty who stopped and said “All right, calm down, I still want a home to live in.”
The draconequus took a deep breath and, with a bit of effort, stopped. “Well, I can’t say if it’s a good choice. As long as it makes you happy, I am content.”
“You will take care of yourself, right? Don’t get into trouble or start following me around,” Dusty remarked as Hazard stretched his wings to fly away.
“Why shouldn’t I?” the serpent replied.
“I will ask some ponies to help me and I don’t want them to know about you.”
The slow beating of his wings were lifting the serpent off the ground. ”You? Asking for help? Dusty, old friend, I don’t even recognize you. It seems love has changed you already,” he smiled.
The hiss filled the room again, only this time it was accompanied by the sound of wings flapping disharmonically. With a short wave of his tail, Hazard dissolved into the darkness, through a wall, leaving the painter and the house behind.
Dusty waved back, his smile slowly fading away. In a flash, he climbed up the stairs and started pulling pots and jars off shelves, gathering bits, his heart racing with excitement.
Knowing nopony would hear him, he stopped for a second to yell in joy.
“QUEEN CHRYSALIS, HERE I COME!”