Prince Dusk Shine was weary in body but elated in heart. It only made sense considering where he had just come from and where he was going. The former was Sugar Cube Corner and a very over-energized Bubble Berry. The latter was a peaceful cottage and a timid Butterscotch. One was a fresh relief from the other and the prince could use about nine parts Butterscotch to every one part Bubble Berry.
It was the middle of the afternoon and the sun was so-so in temperature due to the declining season. It was the early part of autumn, which was evident by the beginnings of red, orange, and yellow that the trees began painting themselves with. The mellow offset to the vibrant green and blue of summer was a nice change of pace. Speaking of a change of pace...
Dusk Shine was dragging his hooves along the dirt path that wound lazily around to Butterscotch's cottage. Little puffs of dirt billowed out because of it, but he didn't care. He felt ready to drop onto the road because he was so tired. Bubble Berry wasn't a bad stallion. He was a great friend and nopony could throw a party quite like him. But being around the party pony for half a day was enough to suck the life out of anypony. None could match his pace or exuberance, after all.
A tiny breeze drifted through Dusk's accented mane just as he let out a sigh. His friends rarely met up as a group anymore, busy schedules requiring them to meet one-on-one whenever they could. Dusk had managed to keep up with them all even with his new royal responsibilities. It wasn't easy, but he considered his friendships to be irreplaceable.
His schedule included baking at Sugar Cube Corner with Bubble Berry. It had gone well, except for the end. The pink Earth pony decided to use the leftover cream to paint their faces. This was, of course, without Dusk ever agreeing to it. It took forever to get the messy stuff out of his mane, but the Cakes were gracious enough to let him use their shower. There was plenty enough reason to believe that such incidents were something they were used to.
Dusk Shine was clean now, but the shower only made him even more tired than he had been after baking with his friend. His checklist for the day was long from finished too. He had decided for some reason that it was a good idea to schedule a visit with Butterscotch the same day as Bubble Berry. Had he not remembered that he'd be drained after visiting the Element of Laughter?
Actually, Prince Dusk Shine remembered that quite clearly. He had counted on it and had even been planning visits with Butterscotch more frequently than any of his other friends. A small smile crept onto his muzzle while he walked by Butterscotch's mailbox. The shy yellow stallion was like an oasis in a desert compared to his other friends. Oh, he loved them all. There was no doubt there. They were all the best of friends. It was just that Butterscotch was the only one that understood Dusk's preference for quiet, peaceful, and predictable routines.
Some called the Element of Magic an egghead. He had no issue about staying indoors, though he had no particular grudge against the outdoors. A good day to him would typically include reading, research, and nothing unexpected happening. That was about it. Snacks and naps could be sprinkled about to “mix it up.”
Butterscotch understood that. The pegasus loved soothing non-eventful days while he took care of the wide variety of animals that lived around Ponyville. Nothing much happened when Dusk visited him, which wound up being the most important point. Elusive always had Dusk Shine do some kind of modeling and Rainbow Blitz always had rough flying training in store. Bubble Berry was a natural disaster from sunrise to sunset and Applejack was Applejack. That orange stallion was never content to sit around not doing physical labor.
That left just one. Butterscotch. Their visits had somehow wound up being a combination of book discussions, snacking, and napping. It was everything Dusk Shine loved and Butterscotch really did enjoy it. He wasn't just humoring the prince as the others did. In fact, the pink-maned male put his whole heart into making cookies and tea for each visit. Their book discussions had somehow drifted primarily to romance novels. Solaris knew how that happened, but Dusk Shine read all genres anyways and so it hardly mattered.
Knock!
A single tap on Butterscotch's unassuming door was all Dusk needed to do. For whatever reason, the pegasus was very attentive to when somepony was at his door. Except, of course, for that one time Bubble Berry had knocked on the door during one of Dusk's visits. The purple alicorn had to actually tell Butterscotch that somepony was knocking. It had been clearly audible, Butterscotch's eye twitched at every pound, and he seemed irritated at first that Dusk had brought it up. It had been odd because Butterscotch was usually so calm and timid.
There was also that one time, on another visit, when Applejack had knocked. Butterscotch suggested that they go upstairs where it would be quieter. It had been similarly strange that the pegasus hadn't recognized that the sound had been a pony knocking on the front door.
And then there was that time that Elusive...
“Dusk!” shouted the excited voice of Butterscotch, who had opened the door just as the alicorn's hoof raised back from the single knock. The yellow stallion had leaned forward so fast that his face was only a few hooves distance from Dusk's. Of course, the shout was a Butterscotch-volume shout. It was a few decibels below normal talking volume for most ponies.
“Hello, Scotch,” Dusk respond a tad more tired than he thought he would sound. “I hope you put the extra pillows on the sofa because...well...”
“Bubble Berry?” Butterscotch resumed his more typical shy demeanor. Half his face disappeared behind his pink bangs while he stepped back into his cottage to let his friend in.
“How'd you guess?” Dusk sighed again upon entering. He politely closed the door behind him. One look to the sofa was all he needed to feel his eyelids droop with longing.
“Peppermint shampoo,” the butter-yellow male giggled. He followed the prince and sat next to the spot that Dusk laid into.
A sniff confirmed the scent that Dusk honestly hadn't been thinking about before. The Cakes had shampoo in the shower he used to get the mess out of his mane. As one might have guessed, it was scented like peppermint. “Perfectly deduced,” Dusk concluded about his friend's logic.
Butterscotch leaned over to him so that he could grab the blanket near Dusk and pull it over him. “Only Bubble would make you so tired and require you to take a shower at the Cakes' bakery.”
“No,” the alicorn kept the blanket from sliding more than halfway up his body that had fully curled up on the sofa. “I already feel bad sleeping so much over here. I don't want to spend all our time with it.”
Butterscotch didn't seem concerned in the least. He shone a sunny-warm smile instead. “It's okay, Dusk,” he soothed in his gentle voice. “It makes me happy that you visit me all the time. None of the others ever just come over to hang out. If I can offer you some kind of sanctuary then I'd be honored.”
The prince yawned with eyes temporarily closed. They opened again slowly and lazily. “Why can't everypony be like you, Scotch?”
The stallion made that quiet little giggle again. “We're the boring rather-stay-at-home types, I guess.”
“No,” Dusk fought another yawn. “Not boring. Intellectual. And what's wrong with staying home? Outside is nice and all, but there aren't as many books.”
Butterscotch stifled his laugh this time. “Stay here. I forgot to bring the tea out of the kitchen.”
Dusk nodded while his eyelids drooped more. He remembered seeing Butterscotch step daintily to the floor. He always did everything daintily. It was just who he was and that was the image the prince had before his next conscious moment.
“Dusk!”
“What?!”
Dusk Shine's eyes bolted open as his body shot upright. It was too fast and his head suddenly hurt. He winced and a yellow forehoof reached out and touched the side of his face.
“I'm sorry. Are you okay?” Butterscotch's tone returned to its familiar softness and timidity. “I didn't mean to startle you like that.”
Dusk Shine had to take a half minute to collect his thoughts because they seemed a bit out of order. What had just happened? Gathering the logical facts and memory inconsistencies, he concluded he had fallen asleep shortly after Butterscotch had gone to get the tea. His closest friend must have found him asleep and awoken him out of worry.
“No,” the purple alicorn dismissed any apology. “It was my fault. I guess I'm even more tired than I thought I was.”
“You should go upstairs and use my bed if you're that exhausted. I can't have you catching a cold on the sofa,” Butterscotch smiled warmly again and even started to move forward to support Dusk in standing up off the furniture.
“It's not that chilly in here-”
The pink-maned stallion made some kind of parent-ish clicking noise with his tongue. He wouldn't let the prince fall back onto the sofa, instead guiding him to the stairs. “None of that, Dusk. Beds are the proper place for sleeping and you've mentioned on several occasions that even your own bed at the castle isn't as good as mine.”
It never crossed Dusk's mind that it might be possible to take a different meaning from those words. Butterscotch hadn't thought of alternate interpretations when he spoke. Only after they climbed the stairs did he realize that a suggestive insinuation was possible with the way he had put that last sentence. He blushed. Dusk thought nothing of it because Butterscotch was easy to embarrass and seemed to blush a lot – at least when he was around to observe such things.
Dusk Shine's eyelids began drooping once more to threaten sleep even while Butterscotch was shouldering him towards the bedroom. Perhaps last night's super late advanced magical research session had been a bad idea in light of the Bubble Berry visitation scheduled the following day. Then again, Butterscotch's coat was so soft that having the stallion shoulder him along like this was almost like leaning into the world's most plush and comfy pillow. His feathers were equally comfortable. Somehow, Dusk didn't think his own wings came close to that level of silkiness.
His host opened the door, crossed the room with him, and closed the door behind them. The bed arrived in front of their hooves. Maybe it was the other way around. They arrived at the bed. No matter. He was too tired to think anymore and just wanted to sleep under those heavenly cloud-like sheets. He more stretched than fell onto the top of the bed, closing his eyes and smiling like a cat that had found the perfect spot to occupy on a warm seat.
“I'll just let you rest then,” the pegasus soothed from beside the bed. “You should get under the covers, though.”
“Ah,” Dusk sighed and did not otherwise respond.
“Dusk,” Butterscotch insisted. “The covers.”
“Too tired,” the prince replied, smiling and falling asleep.
The Element of Kindness relented his smile a bit and exchanged it for serious determination. He half stepped up onto the bed and pulled back the top of the sheets. With expert practice he spun the alicorn across the top of the bed and straight beneath the covers, which he pulled up evenly below Dusk's face. Years and years of doing this with animals had made him an expert.
If Dusk had been more awake then he would have been in awe and questioned how the timid stallion had just managed what he did. The prince was not, however, awake enough to wonder. He was hardly conscious enough to smile at the extra warmth and comfort of being beneath the covers. The pillow beneath his head was heaven too.
The Element of Magic shared something in common with his yellow friend. He didn't snore. In fact, he was so quiet during sleep that it would make some ponies wonder if he was breathing at all. Butterscotch considered this simply one more reason that it was nice to have Dusk Shine over, though it was true that the prince slept a lot when he visited. Their other friends were a bit on the energetic side and all of Dusk's other work and meetings took the life out of him.
The bed with the butterfly pattern sheets tilted slightly as Butterscotch climbed onto it next to Dusk Shine. He didn't get beneath the covers but rather stayed atop where he could innocently watch over his friend. Perhaps some tidbit of social norms declared what he was doing as being wrong. He thought of it as ensuring the health of somepony he cared about. That's how he reasoned it out as being okay.
He laid there, brushed a few pink locks away from his eyes, and sat his chin on his forehooves he had rested on the mattress. His back hooves sprawled out sideways atop the sheets and his wings splayed outwards in a stretch. One of them he directed over the lump in the sheets that was Dusk's body. The feathers fell over the contours of the pony beneath the butterfly pattern.
A tap on his back made Butterscotch crane his neck to see a small squirrel on the sheets behind him. It was holding a saucer with a teacup on it. The stallion could always depend on his animal friends for showing him as much kindness as he showed to them.
“Thank you, Elise,” he whispered and sat up enough to take the cup and saucer. “Would you put the butter back in the fridge for me, please? I think I might have left it out earlier.”
The squirrel nodded and took off joyfully to do the task. It saluted when Butterscotch gave it one more parting thank you. The two stallions were swiftly alone again, though one was sound asleep.
He took a small sip of the tea. It was warm and fragrant of autumn flowers. Perfect even if he wanted to share it with the male next to him. At least he could enjoy it while watching Dusk slumber peacefully. The expression of contentment on Dusk's face appeared so natural, as if he were enjoying a pleasant dream.
Butterscotch reasoned that it wasn't at all rude to stare at his friend's face as he slept. He was just making sure he slept properly and it wasn't as if the prince would wake suddenly and catch him staring. Dusk never awoke from this level of tiredness any sooner than twenty-three minutes. He knew partly by all the times they had been to slumber parties, partly by all the times Dusk crashed at his house, and partly by Dusk's own words. Nothing escaped the alicorn's obsessive research – even himself.
A few sips later, Butterscotch carefully placed the cup and saucer onto the bedside table. He then settled back down so that he was laying alongside Dusk Shine, one wing stretched over the purple pony. Even his decidedly untired body was willing to get sleepy simply by the perfection of the moment. Most ponies wouldn't think this as being so great, but Butterscotch wasn't most ponies.
The shy yellow pegasus didn't want riches or fame. Spotlights and castles didn't make him happy. This quiet otherwise-completely-unimportant moment was what made him happy. It was what made his life feel complete. Dusk Shine was beside him. Nevermind that he was a prince alicorn now. Butterscotch had harbored feelings for him long before that.
A gentle breeze came in from the bedroom's open window. It was not chilling, however. Autumn was still fresh and the air hadn't begun to bite yet. The air flow was only one reason Butterscotch hadn't closed the window. The primary reason was that many of his bird friends would visit him via the window sill. The outside view of Ponyville's outskirt meadows was just a picturesque benefit.
With the guarantee that Dusk wouldn't awaken, the shy stallion prepared himself. His lips pressed together in determination and his outstretched wings tensed for just a second. He did this last time Dusk had slept at his house, though he knew nothing about it. Dusk had been asleep, after all. There was no telling what would happen if the prince found out what his friend was doing.
They had cuddled the first time. Dusk Shine hadn't truly been conscious of it, but he hadn't been upset about it either. That was another thing Butterscotch loved about him. Dusk had no problem with being a little physically touchy with his friends. Never in a romantic way, of course. Butterscotch was willing to pretend it was romantic even if Dusk had never meant it that way.
So the shy male shifted closer to his friend. They were separated by the sheets because Butterscotch was still too timid to try getting beneath them. That somehow seemed like stepping past an invisible line. He wanted to wait until...until whenever it was that his dreams came true and Dusk Shine returned his unspoken feelings. Nevermind that it was probably impossible. Butterscotch could pretend.
From his new position, the pegasus could half-hug his friend by laying his forehoof over him along with his wing. Their faces got closer and closer until Butterscotch's lips were just a micron away from Dusk's. It wouldn't be right for him to take advantage of his friend even if he had the courage to do something like that. Instead, he leaned his face at an angle that resulted in their cheeks touching. With his head rested against Dusk's and the pillow, Butterscotch let out a sigh. Of course, his sighs were hardly distinguishable from one of his regular soundless breaths.
He would move away from the hug before the prince awoke.
“Ugh,” Dusk Shine groaned and rolled his eyes.
It seemed he had excused his little dragon, Barb, too early. The reptilian assistant had begged to have half the day off because Elusive had offered her a ticket to go with him to some movie. What the dragon either didn't know or refused to accept was that the ticket had originally been for Butterscotch, who couldn't go for one reason or another. Elusive had a third ticket that was for Bubble Berry, who was going. So there was a snowball's chance in Tartarus that the ticket could have been meant as an invitation to a date. Barb was stubborn about it, though.
Now Dusk Shine was stuck finding stationary supplies for a letter he needed to write and send to Prince Solaris. He was so used to having the little female dragon handle the writing that he didn't even know where the parchment was kept. The notes he took for his own research were always written directly in one of his study journals.
Where were those confounded scrolls?
He searched the crystal library for them obsessively until one of his eyes started to twitch with insanity. Realizing that getting violent in his search would not help him, he decided to go to the window near his desk, open it, and take a long deep breath of fresh air. The day was sunny and bright in Ponyville, a condition that gave heart to the temperate earthy smell of the town.
If the unicorn-turned-alicorn had come to learn about something in Ponyville besides friendship then it would have to be a love for nature. Canterlot had seen him secluded to the indoors, all buildings of sterile stone. Now that he lived in a treehouse library, he had come to better appreciate the value of the outdoors. Given the tree was somewhat more of a crystal castle now, the concept still held. Outdoor reading was a pastime he had come to enjoy greatly, though most of his friends didn't comprehend how location mattered during the reading process.
Prince Dusk Shine realized he needed more of a break than simply looking out the window. The various items he had misplaced in his search for the scrolls were all magically shifted back into order. He would never suffer the thought of leaving the library portion of the castle in a mess. So with some simple organization, he clacked his hooves towards the front doors and strode out as they swung on the hinges.
His next breath was just as fresh as the last one at the window. Perhaps more so. The only question now, as he stood in front of his castle, was what he was going to do with this little break. Should he visit one of his friends? No, they were busy. Rainbow Blitz might ditch work for a moment to hang, but he would kill all of Dusk's energy and prevent him from finishing his own work. Nevermind Applejack. That one would never ditch work.
The purple stallion began trotting towards Ponyville Park. He would just take a short walk, enjoy the fresh air, and calm his nerves. Lost items had a way of revealing themselves when one was at peace. More so when one wasn't actually looking for them in the first place. When he got back, he was sure he'd find the scrolls sitting in plain sight.
The dusty trail barely billowed beneath his hooves. Out of a desire to stretch, he unfolded his wings and spread them fully to the sides while he walked. A gentle little nothing of a breeze went by and tickled his feathers. It felt nice and he instantly congratulated himself on his good decision for an outdoor venture. He slowly closed his wings to his sides as he entered the park.
Not too many ponies were out. It was the middle of a weekday, which meant only a few ponies were traveling to and fro according to their jobs. Casual strollers were mostly seen during the early morning or late evening. The park was entirely empty save for himself, so he took the prime real estate at the top of the park's tallest slope. It was covered in lush grass and shaded generously by large trees. Elms if he had to guess at their variety.
Now that he had laid down on the spot darkened slightly by shade, he reveled in his genius decision even more. This was what it was like in a small rural town. Tranquil. It simply wasn't something city ponies understood until they had spent a good amount of time away from the constant hustle and bustle of the city they lived in. Dusk Shine certainly hadn't seen the value of it until he had lived in Ponyville for a solid year. This was, of course, not taking into consideration all of the crazy events that tended to occur.
Just enough sun was making its way between the leaves of the shade tree. Not too much, not too little. The prince was no expert on nature like Butterscotch was, but he figured that the park was probably home to a variety of wildlife. Squirrels and birds accustomed to ponies were not shy with taking up residence in the park that was so well taken care of. In fact, didn't Butterscotch know some squirrel in specific that lived here?
Dusk took another deep breath and laid his head down on his two forehooves. He hated to admit that he had come to depend on social interaction. He felt a little lonely by himself, but the idea that he required somepony to talk to all the time seemed a bit bad-tasting. After all, he didn't want to turn into some social nut that had identity issues when alone.
“Howdy,” called a familiar voice. It sounded much louder at first than it actually had been. Probably had the park's quietness to blame for that. Besides the voice, the only thing was the chirps of the birds and the rustling of the leaves.
Dusk looked up to see Applejack approaching him from the park's pathway. The slope he was on was a couple dozen steps from the path, so it took a few seconds for the strong Earth pony stallion to get up to a comfortable conversational distance.
“Good afternoon, Applejack,” Dusk replied politely and with a faint tone of happiness that somepony showed up. “What are you doing here? Not selling apples today?”
“Nah,” the orange male answered in his strong accent. He laid down in front of Dusk and tipped his hat off so he could fan himself with it. “Macareina's got a big deal to sell for outta town. So I got all till sundown to shoot the breeze.”
“Feels weird not to be working?” Dusk guessed for his workaholic friend.
“Darn more honest than a barrel o' Grade A,” Applejack grinned. “I feel like a criminal.”
Dusk couldn't help but crack a smile. One day he would find out where the Apples got all of their funny little sayings, but that would probably coincide with AJ learning proper word choice and grammar. Only experience had taught Dusk how to translate the sayings into anything that made a lick of sense.
“So why the park?” the prince decided on asking.
The Earth pony stallion paused in fanning himself. The hat was promptly flipped on its top between his forehooves. “Don't got no reason...”
“You're a terrible liar,” Dusk smirked. His friend had gotten that evasive look in his eye that sold him out.
“Okay, okay,” Applejack relented easily. “So I was goin' to pick up my lil' brother when I get to the schoolhouse an' realize it ain't anywhere near time to let out. So I'm draggin' my hooves across town tryin' to figure what to do when I see Butterscotch mopin' about on the other side of the park. That's where I jus' came from. Had a lil' chat with him.”
“What about? Is he okay?” Dusk inquired with sincere concern.
“Oh, I dunno,” Applejack shrugged. “You know him. I jus' can't tell with that pony. It's never been too easy for us to connect, you know. Yeah, we're good friends an' all, but I jus' don't get all his...emotional stuff.”
“You mean his shyness?” the purple alicorn guessed.
“Nah, not that,” AJ objected. “I mean...I don't know what I mean. He's been real different lately. Not sure if he's depressed, nervous, or excited. He dances 'round it whenever I ask.”
“It's odd that I haven't noticed,” Dusk remarked almost to himself as his head rose and he tapped his chin with a forehoof, lost in thought. “I've visited him more in the last few months than I ever have before. I thought he'd like the company, but maybe I'm imposing.”
“Don't you go gettin' all tied up in knots too,” Applejack reached out and bopped the other stallion lightly on the head. “I don't need to go solvin' some complex friendship problem between you. That's your job, Mr. Fancy Alicorn.”
Dusk stuck out his tongue. “It's Mr. Fancy Alicorn Prince,” he joked in return.
The work stallion laughed and got himself up off the grass, taking his hat and placing it back onto his head. “Well, I'm hopin' to see you at Bubble's next party. Don't go killin' yourself till then, you hear?”
“Where are you going?”
Applejack answered while he walked down the slope and got to the park's primary cobblestone path again. “Grampy's gonna have my head if I don't help him with the apple pie before dinner rolls 'round. He didn't tell me he was makin' any, but I know when he's readyin' up some complaint about me runnin' off and ditchin'.”
“Good luck!” Dusk shouted after his friend.
The orange stallion nodded vaguely as he left out of sight, which allowed Dusk to resume his thoughts about Butterscotch. So the shy pegasus was acting a little off. There was nothing unusual about him being sensitive because that was exactly the way he was, but it bothered Dusk that he never acted that way when they were around each other. Was Butterscotch hiding something from him? Dusk was not a pony to pry, but he didn't want his friend to suffer over something left unspoken.
The prince assured himself that it wouldn't turn out to be anything too serious. He'd just ask casually the next time he visited. That conclusion allowed him to rest for a while on his spot on the hill. His thoughts wandered for a time until he realized that he could have been getting some valuable reading done if he had brought a book with him. There were literally over a hundred he had put on a list to read. It wasn't odd for him to make such a list. He loved lists. Book lists were the best.
One of the purple pony's joints popped when he stood up. Had he really been laying down for so long? There was just too much for him to think about these days, princely status notwithstanding. The current plan was to go back to the castle, pick up a book or two, and then return to the park. If he found the missing scrolls while he was getting his reading material then all the better.
The grass and dewy soil hardly made a sound as he tread over it. He had wings and could simply fly to his home, but he preferred walking. Maybe he always would. He was born as a unicorn, after all. The cobblestone path came back quickly and he was nearly out of the park when something most peculiar happened.
A butterfly fluttered past him and then did so again. Dusk had to stop in his tracks because the small creature suddenly decided to do its fluttering in front of his face. The butterfly seemed familiar somehow, even though most butterflies appeared indistinguishable from each other. This one was a bit on the large side and had massive orange-accented wings with thin pinkish highlights on the innermost parts.
“Would you happen to be that butterfly I've seen over at Butterscotch's?” Dusk asked. He talked more to himself than the creature since he knew butterflies couldn't speak.
To the stallion's mild surprise, the insect actually nodded its whole body in an exaggerated fashion. Of course, it probably had to make it exaggerated if it had any hope of conversing with a pony on a meaningful level. Or perhaps the motion had only been imagined.
Dusk Shine tilted his head in curiosity, his dark blue mane falling to one side along with its pink and purple accents. The two purple wings at his sides began to unfurl while he watched the flapping wings of the butterfly. It was instinctual now that he had been stuck with the appendages for as long as he had. It seemed like he got the wings yesterday at the same time as it felt he had been with them forever.
It was obvious now that the butterfly was trying to get some kind of message across. Unfortunately, Dusk was not particularly skilled at reading butterfly linguistic patterns displayed through wing movements. The creature had to come up with a different route.
“Sorry,” Dusk apologized. “If Butterscotch was here then I'd be able to talk to you...”
The butterfly made the best exasperated expression it could. It didn't look any different.
“Should I try to get him?” the stallion asked himself.
There was the sound of light scratching on the ground. Dusk broke from his internal debate about tracking down the Element of Kindness because the larger-than-normal butterfly had somehow managed to grasp a small twig in its arms. Or were they considered legs rather than arms? Dusk tried to remember the last book he read on insects before he realized that it was actually quite impressive for the butterfly to drag around the twig.
“You're really strong for a butterfly,” he smiled at the creature.
It continued its invisible expression of exasperation. The butterfly used the twig to scratch at some bare soil beside the walkway and the scratches quickly became recognizable as words. They were actually readable.
“And smart,” Dusk added.
It seemed to finish a full line. The first two parts were words. The last part was a picture of a crown. Or, at least, he assumed it was a crown.
“I am...royal?” the prince spoke the inscription. “Well, you certainly have my respect. It can't be easy carrying extra weight like that considering the relative wing to mass ratio necessary to maintain proper aerial control.”
The butterfly continued with other scratchings. The pony had to lean down really close to the ground to read the tiny print. He spoke it aloud again.
“Not...dense...like...you,” Dusk squinted and then went wide-eyed. “Hey,” he glared at the scribbling butterfly. “I'm not dense. I graduated with a 4.00 GPA. With honors!”
The insect wanted to slap its face with an arm/leg. Dense, indeed. It wrote more.
Dusk Shine frowned but read anyways. “He needs...you? Huh? Who? Why?”
The butterfly wanted to finish but was too tired. It may have been Ponyville's King of Butterflies, but even royals had their limit. It got back on the job after resting on the laid down twig. Dusk gave it a wondering look to show it that he wouldn't wait around forever on a slightly rude butterfly.
“A butterfly,” the pony prince said when he interpreted the creature's next doodle. “Yeah...?”
The twig was heavy in the butterfly's grasp and felt like it would snap soon. It finished another miniature image in the soil.
“Another butterfly,” Dusk became doubtful. “Maybe you should go back to words.”
The butterfly wanted to huff in irritated anger, but it was a butterfly and quite incapable of that. One more image would be necessary to break the pony's thick skull.
“A third butter-” Dusk began with the same disappointed tone and then caught himself. “Oooooh.”
This time, the butterfly really did slam its tiny head against the twig. Ponies were supposed to be sentient beings, right? This so-called prince was clueless enough for that point to be in question. At least that was how the butterfly reasoned it. Angel Bunny was far more rude and impatient, but the butterfly king was acclimated to the emotionally sensitive culture of its species and thus had little compassion for density.
“Butterscotch needs me?” the alicorn concluded and drew back from the patch of soil. He looked in worry down the park pathway he had come from. “Why didn't you just get me to follow you? Wenopa does that every time Applebuck falls in a well. It's much faster!”
Wonderful, thought the royal butterfly. Now the pony believed his friend was in some mortal danger. That was quite the wrong message, but the butterfly made no move to correct it since getting the two stallions to meet up was what it wanted to do anyways.
The larger-than-average insect fluttered upwards on its orange wings, landed on a nearby bush, and watched the purple alicorn flee down the path in a gallop. It was nice to take a break from the twig-scratching. The rest of the day was now free. Butterscotch's mood had been bothering the butterfly for a while and, as king, it knew it had to do something about the problem. That something was now done. It was time to get back to doing what most butterflies do.
It looked around for flowers.
After exhausting the park and the path between it and Butterscotch's cottage, Dusk Shine arrived at the last obvious place his friend might be. Applejack said he had recently talked to the pegasus, so Butterscotch must have gone back home afterwards. Dusk hoped that was the case because he didn't think too fondly of scouring all of Ponyville in a blind search.
Thank Solaris he heard the soft singing of a light tenor voice. Butterscotch had the tendency to sing when he thought he was alone. It was a shame because Dusk thought his voice was absolutely beautiful. Few stallions took to it the way he did and his naturally kind nature only made his singing that much more soothing.
Dusk Shine trotted up to the cottage door but didn't knock. Instead, he walked around the side opposite to where the chicken coop was. He thought the singing was coming from that direction and it certainly made sense considering that was where the big tree was with all of its birds. Some tweeting was mixed with Butterscotch's tenor.
When he turned the corner, he did indeed find the pony he was looking for. Butterscotch didn't seem to realize Dusk was approaching because he had his back turned and kept singing. The words made the alicorn prince waver a moment in his step. Something about them felt lonely.
“These days go by,” Butterscotch sang with a lowering mood, “and you don't see why...”
Dusk stepped closer.
“Why these tears won't dry...”
The prince frowned.
“Because every time I look to the sky, I see you...”
The birds shifted about on the branches and it became obvious that their tweeting was just as concerned about the pegasus as it was meant to add to his song. His last words he spoke sadly more than he sung them.
“...but you'll never know...”
“Butterscotch?” Dusk asked as quietly as he could. He was now practically right beside the stallion.
Having his name voiced so close by somepony he really didn't expect to be there was enough to cause Butterscotch to jump a full two hooves upwards with an “eep” of surprise. His wings shot out in reflex and poor Dusk Shine was sent toppling backwards when he reared back from them.
“Oof,” the prince dumbly groaned when he rolled back onto the grass. At least it wasn't bare soil or rock.
“Oh goodness!” Butterscotch collected himself as quickly as he could. He darted to the purple pony to help him up. “I'm so so sorry, Dusk!”
“No, I'm sorry,” Dusk replied and grabbed his friend's offered hoof. He got back onto his legs and shook himself from the loose blades of grass. “I didn't mean to scare you like that.”
Butterscotch bit his bottom lip and wrestled internally with what he was going to say. Dusk was absolutely the last pony that should have heard the words of his song.
“What were you singing about?” the prince inquired. He regained his smile in the hopes of cheering up the introverted male.
And that was the last question Butterscotch wanted to be asked. “Nothing,” he bit out more quickly and strictly than he intended.
Dusk wouldn't have any of it, however. “I talked to Applejack earlier and he said you've been a little off lately, like maybe there's something wrong?” he turned it into a question at the end. “No offense towards him, but Applejack is far from the most sensitive pony about these kinds of things. I figured if he thought something was going on then something really must be going on. We're friends, so I want to let you know that you can talk to me about anything you want.”
Butterscotch said nothing. He kept nibbling at his bottom lip and avoiding eye contact. One of his pink bangs obscured his face, which reminded Dusk of the first time they had met. This wouldn't do at all. The royal alicorn sighed because of it.
“Okay,” Dusk decided. “I was just going to talk to you for a minute to make sure you were alright, but now I see that's not the case. I'm not going away until I'm 100% positive you're okay. That's what good friends do and I know how to be a good friend! Come on, Scotch.”
A look of obsession had entered Dusk's eyes, as if he had just found the hiccup he was looking for in a difficult math problem. It wasn't too far from the truth. He had been worried lately that a decrease in his friendship reports was indicative of a wane in his personal friendship performance. This was the solution he needed or, rather, the problem he needed so that he could solve it and write another letter. Without pretense, he gripped the shy stallion in his magical aura and levitated the entire pony into his cottage. Butterscotch tried futilely to gallop out of the purple haze.
Dusk entered the home just after his floating friend and he politely closed the door behind them. First things first. Butterscotch was clamming up and needed to be assured that a good, faithful, and close friend was here for him. Thus he needed a nice, cozy, and supportive environment.
All at once, items began glowing purple and floating about in the living room. Tiny animals currently inside watched in awe as it transpired. Pillows and blankets came out from a storage closet and collected on the plush sofa. Cookies and glasses of milk came in from the kitchen and settled onto the coffee table. An old record player that Butterscotch owned started to play some relaxing instrumental music. It was just the kind of zen-like gentle orchestral stuff expected of the yellow stallion.
Dusk finally released his friend on the sofa and joined him. Before Butterscotch could so much as utter a word, Dusk hugged him tight. A fiery blush shot onto Butterscotch's face, but he didn't have much time for that either. The prince released him from the hug with a beaming white smile and leaned him back down onto the pile of collected pillows. A blanket floated up and tucked the stallion in at the same time that a cookie flew over and stuffed itself into his mouth.
“Calming environment, check!” Dusk's smile almost turned creepy with his words. “Just relax, Scotch. Everything is right with the world now. You enjoying the cookie?”
A very confused and slightly worried Butterscotch nodded and chewed at the item in his mouth.
“Good!” Dusk was pleased.
He shifted himself on the sofa and ignored the birds from earlier that had gathered at the window to watch. His body kept to a relaxed posture and he half laid down next to Butterscotch. There wasn't much space on the sofa, but he wanted to go for a close-up and personal chat anyhow.
“Now,” the prince restarted. “What's the trouble?”
Butterscotch's blush hadn't completely faded away due to the other's closeness. It felt far more intimate than Dusk likely intended it to be. Having Dusk this close, awake, and staring directly at him was nerve-wracking.
“Is it...uh...personal?” Dusk inquired tentatively.
Without thinking, Butterscotch gave a small slow nod, cookie still in mouth.
“That makes sense,” the alicorn concluded for himself. “I'd be a little hesitant too if it was me. But we're all alone now-”
Butterscotch reddened deeper at the words.
“-and we're best friends. Seriously. I'll be honest like good ol' Applejack. I enjoy being around you the most out of all our friends.”
The stallion's blush encompassed his entire face.
“Don't tell them I said that,” Dusk chuckled. “I wouldn't want to make them think I'm into favoritism or anything. You know what? I'm actually kind of glad I had an excuse to come over. I can't find my scrolls back home for the life of me. You're just the distraction I needed. I don't think breaking solo suits me all too well. So what's the...uh...issue?”
Perhaps it was the way that Dusk Shine looked up and down Butterscotch's body that made the pegasus want to melt out of sight. His face already felt like it was on fire and Dusk had done nothing but make it worse. A single gulp let him swallow the remains of the cookie that he had been nervously eating. Afterwards, his mouth wavered without words.
Dusk took a cue to start blushing too. “It...uh...it's okay if it's something really personal that you don't want to talk about...”
Not wanting to give Dusk that particularly wrong impression, Butterscotch tripped over his own voice. “N-no, no,” he raced. “It's just a crush!”
Dusk's eyebrows lifted and his own blush dissipated. He hadn't expected this, but he concluded once more that it was logical given the stallions mood. “Just a crush? You sure? If it's this serious, I think your feelings have at least an 87% probability of being more than crush-level. Not that I've read any books on relational psychology...heh...” he trailed off with a little bit of his own embarrassment.
Immediately Butterscotch regretted blurting out what he did. He couldn't let Dusk know the truth or what they already had might be lost forever. The Element of Kindness would rather die than lose those serene afternoons where Dusk would peacefully sleep on his bed, not a care in the world.
“I said it was nothing,” Butterscotch whispered in a tremble. “Just forget it.”
The alicorn's mouth shifted one way and another in a serious fashion as he determined how to proceed. Butterscotch was a delicate pony and required delicate attention. Dusk drew on what had become several years of experience with his friend.
“Hm?” the pegasus half-hummed in wonderment when Dusk shifted closer and fully embraced him. Even through the thick blanket, he could feel Dusk's warmth. The most notable thing to him, however, was Dusk's cheek. It was nuzzling his own in a manner that the alicorn doubtlessly didn't realize was beyond the line of friendliness.
“I'm sorry,” Dusk apologized without drawing back from the embrace. His voice was unexpectedly uncertain. “I know I'm a total klutz at this friendship thing. It's been you and the others that have taught me everything, and I still mess things up. I'm sorry that I've failed to be a friend you'd feel comfortable talking to...”
Butterscotch could bear the ache in his heart no longer. He wrapped his forelegs around Dusk to embrace him back and moved so that he could extend his wings out from beneath him. The blanket was discarded and his wings spread over to cover Dusk. In that moment, the purple alicorn was the only thing in his world.
“Stop apologizing, Dusk,” he ordered, though his tone couldn't lose its gentle nature. “No friend in the whole world is better than you. Even when you don't know what the problem is, you try to help. Even when I'm such a nopony, you care so much about me that you do all of this just for me.”
Dusk's grip loosened. “I'm selfish, Scotch. I want you to always be the way you are. I can't stand the thought of losing what we have.”
Butterscotch giggled, though it was weak and sad. He had made the sound because of the irony of Dusk's words. They were the same ones he had thought. “Neither can I...”
“Is that what this is about?” Dusk ventured a guess. “Are you worried that something will come between us?”
“Yes,” the shy stallion exhibited a rare display of bluntness.
“But what can come between us?” he tightened his embrace again, not wanting to let go. “We're Elements of Harmony together. Our relationship was practically destined from the beginning and we're both reasonable ponies. Is there some prejudice I have that's hurt you?”
“No. You're the kindest and most open-minded pony I know.”
“Kindness is your title,” Dusk tried for humor.
It worked. A second giggle came from the pegasus, this one a tad less bittersweet. “I wish I had another...” he trailed with the faint trace of his previous blush.
Dusk tried to pursue that line of thought to keep his friend talking. He had no idea that their close embrace had finally softened up Butterscotch's shell. Dusk felt content with the yellow wings covering him, though he didn't think of it in any romantic way.
“What title do you want?” Dusk asked. “I'm a prince now, so maybe I can give it to you.”
Butterscotch held back a laugh at the continued irony of the royal's words. “The last name of my beloved,” he answered while recalling the scenes from the romance novels they had read together.
Dusk remembered the novels as well, but the manner of Butterscotch's wording locked his mental gears. According to the many stories they had read, it was always the mare that took the last name of the stallion who courted her. Was Butterscotch...
Their embrace loosened up enough for their faces to withdraw and give them an eye-to-eye view. Dusk started to realize how intimate their position was. Being held in Butterscotch's wings was heavenly, but was he violating some critical social norm and thus causing his friend further stress? Perhaps he should have studied that before visiting.
“Please forgive me,” Butterscotch began in a shaking voice, “but nopony else would have gone as far as you have to let me know they care. You're my everything, Dusk.”
It was true that the purple alicorn had failed to observe many lines that others would never have crossed, but he hadn't done so with ulterior motives. He was just flailing about to find the lesson he needed to learn about supporting a good friend. Thus he wasn't prepared for what happened next.
Prince Dusk Shine had never given much thought to whether or not he liked stallions in a romantic sense. But, then again, he had never given much thought to whether or not he liked mares either. Romance was something he kept only in books and light-hearted discussions with Butterscotch. It was never a reality for him until this moment.
The taste of the oatmeal cookie was on his lips, hinted with the fainter taste of cinnamon. Dusk knew for a fact that he used it in the recipe, which was what raced through his mind during the kiss. Numbers and measurements flashed in front of his eyes as his mind blew a fuse and his heart went haywire. No friendship lesson had prepared him for the rush he now experienced.
Butterscotch had leaned his face forward and touched his lips to Dusk's. It wasn't anything fancy or complicated. It was just a simple kiss on the lips, though it lingered longer than most probably did. Dusk had no point of reference since he had never kissed anypony before. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to do. His body just laid there against Butterscotch's.
Eventually, the yellow stallion leaned back. The kiss broke with the most imperceptible sound that indicated their lips had parted. Both of them were blushing, though Butterscotch more than Dusk. It was obvious that his body was trembling. Dusk's was only as still as it was because his mind couldn't decide what to do.
“Please, Dusk,” Butterscotch nearly cried, “don't hate me. If you don't love me then I beg you to keep being my friend. I can't go on without you. I'm so lonely without you around that it hurts.”
Latching onto something more technically comfortable, Dusk's mind analyzed the stallion's words and their meaning in relation to intense emotional dependencies. His psychology books labeled it a crippling problem relating to codependency and loss of strong personal identity. And yet...
Dusk's heart halted the scientific breakdown and overpowered his cold mind. Emotion was what made him feel alive. It was what gave meaning to all of the monotony in life. Without love, there was only labor. Without emotion, there was only pointless tedium.
What he had just felt was the spark he had been missing all along and never known. Everything he had done before suddenly appeared dull and gray in his memories. It was as if every lesson had only been a shallow moment leading up to this point. He may have not yet decided whether he liked mares or stallions, but he did know one thing. He liked Butterscotch and that was all that mattered.
Dusk Shine saw tears in his friend's eyes, which he realized were beginning to form in his own. Butterscotch's were for the fear of what he might lose while Dusk's were for the joy of what he had just found. He moved quickly to reassure the stallion with a continuation of their tight embrace.
“I could never hate you, Butterscotch,” Dusk beamed and nuzzled the crook of the stallion's neck. He breathed deep and found the scent of some pleasant flower. Possibly lilac.
“Y-you...?” Butterscotch dared to hope.
“I've never given much thought to love. I guess I never thought I'd experience it,” the prince explained. “If you hadn't kissed me just now, I might have always tried to figure it out with science and formulas. I should have known from the start that it's like friendship. It's something you experience rather than something you think or say.”
Butterscotch sniffled and held onto Dusk with both his forelegs and wings. Luckily for the alicorn, the pegasus wasn't super strong. Otherwise, Butterscotch might have crushed the poor prince.
“The thing that made you so 'off' lately was your repressed feelings for me?” Dusk felt guilty about asking such a thing.
Butterscotch didn't say anything in reply, but Dusk felt the movement of a nod through their hug. He had to push hard to get them apart enough to lock eyes again.
“I have no idea what I'm doing or what I'm supposed to do afterwards, but here goes,” the purple pony forced his smile to keep up when he felt extremely unsure about himself. Was this something he really wanted? His mind wanted further analysis, but his heart told him to ignore such thoughts and just go with it. “Butterscotch...”
The shy stallion's eyes sparkled with disbelief.
“...would you be willing to tolerate my social shortcomings and general never-done-this-before to maybe...”
Butterscotch thought he heard the words before they were spoken because his heart had yearned so much for this moment. He had thought it to only be an impossible fantasy.
“...kind of...uh...”
It was as if the world had gone silent.
“...be my coltfriend?”
Butterscotch's eyes began pouring down streams of tears and he cried vocally.
“What?!” Dusk felt as if he had botched it. “What's wrong? Oh Solaris, I'm sorry. I-”
The prince's words were cut off when Butterscotch flipped them over on the sofa and began nuzzling him like some madpony. A few seconds later, Dusk began to realize that the crying was joy rather than sadness. The difference was hard to detect sometimes, which was why he hadn't initially interpreted it right. Butterscotch was overwhelmed in a good way with his offer. Dusk quickly began returning the nuzzles.
“I guess that's a yes,” the prince chuckled to himself.
“Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you,” Butterscotch repeated over and over in a faster pace than Dusk had ever heard from him before. “I've always dreamed you'd ask me that question and...and...and now you have! I'll do anything for you, Dusk!”
“Well, I'm going to need your help making a checklist for coltfriend-related things,” the prince thought it over carefully. “I don't have any references. I don't even know where to begin.”
A moment of silence passed while Butterscotch quietly blinked. Dusk was about to ask if he had said something wrong when a familiar and calming sound came from the gentle stallion.
“Oh, Dusk,” Butterscotch giggled cheerfully. “You just never stop being you.”
“What's that mean?”
“It means that I love you.”