Bluebelle shook her head and looked around the room once more. There were the decorations, just like the night before, down to every small detail - even the silver and gold patterned streamers on the ceiling had been replicated. On the side of the room stood the ice sculptures, glistening just as they had before they had shattered into a million pieces. As soon as she and Dusk Shine had entered the room, the music had started up, and even the orchestra performers were back in their original seats. But that was the only part of the recreation that was amiss to Bluebelle. She couldn’t quite place a hoof on what it was until an alto voice broke through the sounds of the trumpets and coronets. The voice was the same, but the music this time was more upbeat.
I'm flying high but I've got a feeling I'm falling
Falling for nopony else but you
You caught my eye and I've got a feeling I'm falling
Show me the ring and I'll jump right through
“I don’t believe it,” she heard Dusk Shine say, who still stood next to her with his mouth agape. “How did this... I don’t…” he turned to Bluebelle, “what?”
It was at that moment that she saw the crowd of ponies in front of her part and begin to bow as her aunts strolled through the room, their muzzles plastered with knowing smiles. She saw them turn their heads to the right a few moments later, and when Bluebelle turned to see what they were looking at, she saw King Aeolus and the Anemoi trotting in from the side of the room.
“I… I don’t understand,” she looked at Luna, “Auntie, what is this?” she felt her aunt wrap a hoof around her and pull her into a hug, “is this a dream?”
“I assure you this is not a dream, Bluebelle.”
“But how-”
A hoof was held up to Bluebelle’s mouth. She immediately stopped talking and looked up to Luna, who simply looked on as she removed her hoof and then pointed it to the crowd. “Do not trouble yourself with such questions now, niece. It has been expressed that you are to enjoy your ball as it was intended.”
Bluebelle turned to Dusk Shine and laughed, because as she and Luna had been talking, a blue stallion had used that opportunity to sidle up next to him.
“So,” Boreas said as a smile crept onto his muzzle, “a little birdie told me that you wanted an opportunity to meet an Anemoi?”
Bluebelle and Luna’s muzzles quivered as they tried to contain their laughter after seeing Dusk Shine’s blush in reaction to the closeness of the energetic stallion. Finally, Celestia took command of the situation.
“Would everypony follow me, please.” she said as she turned towards the stage.
Bluebelle felt another hoof wrap around her withers, and she looked up to see Zephyrus holding her close, his stone black eyes staring directly at her. “Your Highness,” he said, “do not worry. I will make sure that this night goes well.”
“Thank you,” she replied as she looked around the room at the smiling ponies, noting the details once more, “but I think that everything’s going to be just fine.” Moments later, Bluebelle, joined by Dusk Shine, trotted towards the stage behind the princesses. Walking in tow strode the Anemoi, followed, at last, by King Aeolus. For Bluebelle, everything moved so quickly, but as she took her place, amongst her friends, she smiled. The conversations throughout the ballroom died down, and all eyes turned to her. She turned to Celestia, who nodded her head and took a step forward.
“Good evening, everypony. I wish to express my gratitude that you all could attend tonight’s festivities. May you all be merry. We are here tonight to properly celebrate Princess Bluebelle’s birthday.” She turned to Luna, who simply stood there with a smile on her muzzle. Both of them turned back to the crowd and scanned it with their magic, happy that they could no longer see any dark orbs over their heads.
It was at that moment that Bluebelle placed a hoof on Celestia and nodded to her. She smiled and let Bluebelle step forward to look around at the crowd. Bluebelle could see the hope in everypony’s eyes, the smiles on their muzzles, and the energy they were sending. She turned to Dusk Shine for a moment and then turned back.
“A birthday is a wondrous occasion,” Bluebelle said as she peered to Dusk Shine from the corner of her eye, “It is a day in our lives when we see what we have done in the past year. But it is also a time of looking forward. We look forward to see where we want to go. Birthdays can serve us well in that regard - it can help us to see where we wish to go in our lives. To everypony here, I invite you to see where you are now, not where you once were. In our lives, we often feel as though we are wanderers, made only to follow our paths alone. But we are not alone, so long as we have friends with whom to share the journey.”
As she wondered what to say next, the doors to the ballroom opened, and Bluebelle immediately saw a large cake being wheeled into the room. As Chef Dior pushed the cake through the room, she saw the frosting glimmer in the light, the silver and gold colors shifting back and forth so quickly that it appeared to spin in circles. As it got closer, she felt her heart race, and she took a step back until she felt the body of another pony press against hers. She turned to see Dusk Shine holding her tightly.
“Everything is going to be okay, Bluebelle,” he said. The cake finally reach the front of the stage and a knife was placed next to it. Dusk Shine held out his hoof. “We’ll do it together, all right?”
Their eyes met once more, and Bluebelle felt entranced by his stare. She felt his hoof wrap around hers, then she felt him gently place it onto the knife. She took a deep breath and noticed how warm his grasp felt against her fur. Bluebelle turned her gaze to Dusk Shine’s cutie mark, then the sun and moon cutie marks that adorned her aunts’ flanks. She smiled and turned back to the audience.
“I am going to break tradition and tell you all my birthday wish as I cut this cake. Just as the travellers of old use the heavenly bodies to guide them on their journeys, my wish is that everypony here sees friends not just as ponies, but also as heavenly bodies that they, too, can use to guide them through their lives. Pick a star that shines against the horizon of your future, and follow it. And just as your friends can serve as your guide, may you, too, serve as a guiding light for others. Let the light shine forth and lead us to the future we wish to see for ourselves.”
Bluebelle felt the knife in her hoof. Her breathing quickened as it came closer to the cake, but Dusk Shine’s body against her captured her attention. She felt his fur brush against hers once more, and she looked up to see that he was already looking at her. As she stared into his lavender eyes, the rest of the world turned into a blue. What is happening, she thought. She turned back to the cake, only to see that she had already cut through it.
She waited.
The ballroom was quiet. She continued to look at the cake, and when she realized that nothing had happened, she released a breath that she didn’t realize she had been holding. The cake was just a cake, nothing more. The knife simply rest at the bottom of the plate that held it, pieces of frosting fell onto the knife handle, but that was it. She heard Dusk Shine whisper into her ear.
“I knew you could do it, Bluebelle.”
The applause started with the Anemoi on the stage, and from there, it grew to the other ponies on the stage, and finally, the sound of hooves stomping the floor echoed through the entire ballroom. A small laugh escaped Bluebelle’s lips.
“Is it time?” a frenetic voice asked. Everypony turned to the source, only to see Bubble Berry shaking with anticipation so strongly that he was bouncing up and down. Dusk Shine laughed and held Bluebelle in a warm embrace. Bluebelle nodded to Bubble Berry, who simply shot into the air and shouted. “Then it is time… to… party!”
“You have fun, Bluebelle.” Dusk Shine said as he hugged her. “I’ll be back.”
“Where are you going?” she asked.
Dusk Shine looked around the room for a moment before replying. “I just have something that I need to take care of. I will be right back.”
"Is it... Elusive?"
"What makes you say that?"
"You don't find it coincidental that this party is a perfect recreation? Who else would be able to get so much of it right." Dusk Shine scoffed. "anypony besides you, of course."
"We'll see if my hunch is right. I'll be back."
“Okay. Come back soon.”
The music started once more, and the ponies onstage descended into the crowd once more. Above them all, however, Elusive watched the scene from behind a tapestry hanging on the wall of a balcony. His gaze moved from Bluebelle to Dusk Shine and he absorbed every detail that he could for the moment. He glanced back and forth to make sure that there were no guards nearby, then he turned away and galloped into the shadows.
As he turned through the corridors, he could see the doors leading to the library just ahead. Before he reached it, a dark blue light began to glow in front of him. A moment later, he saw Luna step out of the light, and immediately he froze.
“Is there a reason why you aren’t down there?” she asked, pointing her hoof back to the ballroom.
Elusive chuckled. “Because I promised that I would do what I could to make sure this party goes at is was supposed to go.” He looked down at the floor. “I said I would make sure that whatever it was that ruined the party last time would be gone.”
“But the cake was fixed.”
“The cake wasn’t what ruined the party, Your Highness,” he looked up, “it was only me.”
Elusive bowed and began to walk around Luna. He was stopped once more.
“Bluebelle forgives you, Elusive, as does Dusk Shine,” Luna said, “The other ponies do not know that this was your doing.”
“But I still do.” he replied flatly.
“But I understand. The forgiveness of others means nothing to one who can’t forgive themselves. Trust me, I know.” Elusive shook Luna’s hoof off of him and continued towards the library. “And where are you going?”
“I noticed a certain… detail, that I missed earlier. Think of it as one last thread to complete an outfit. I cannot simply leave it there. It has to be sewn in.”
Elusive disappeared behind the door, leaving Luna alone in the hall. She shook her head and turned back towards the ballroom. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the moon as it ascended into the sky. The stars that surrounded it glistened like diamonds. I pray that you find a light once more to guide you, Elusive. Nopony deserves to walk alone through the shadows.
On the other side of the door, Elusive waited for the sound of Luna’s hoofsteps fading away before he retreated into the library. He scanned the room and immediately made his way to the cushions that lined a nearby wall. There, he fell to his haunches and stared out the window towards the night sky. Come now, Elusive, he thought, you can do this. You can find a way. As hard as he tried to think, however, the thoughts of everything leading up to tonight filled his mind. He remembered the light that glistened in Bubble Berry’s eyes as he convinced him to assist him with the prank. The memories went back further to the night of the Grand Galloping Gala and the face Bluebelle made as he tried to con her into being his model. Generosity my left flank.
Laughter and music echoed through the halls outside, but only a hint of their sounds reached his ears. From this distance, Elusive couldn’t help but feel detached from everything that was going on outside. Find a way to get them together, he thought, you know what you saw. There was something there. His thoughts took him through all of his friends, until the ghostly image of a yellow pegasus began to stain his mind. Butterscotch’s light blue eyes remained in his thoughts until he felt his hoof grow warm. He shook his head and looked down to see that his hoof was wet and that his eyes burned.
“How could you have been so stupid?” he said aloud as he got to his hooves. Elusive looked around the room and saw a pedestal, upon which was an open book. He glanced at the top of the page and read the words beneath them. He sighed when he heard the sound of a bubble popping behind him. “Of course you would come to the library while a party was going on.” He said without turning his head. “You did the same thing your first night in Ponyville.” Elusive saw a purple hoof come to rest on the pedestal, but he still didn’t move.
“You put all of this together? In one day?” Dusk Shine asked. “I thought I was the organized one.”
“How did you know I was here?”
“I noticed that you were the only pony I couldn’t see in the ballroom. And you aren’t as adept at hiding as you think.”
Elusive stepped away from the pedestal. “When did you figure out Golden Dream’s Dilemma?” he asked in an attempt to change the subject.
“What?”
“Look for yourself.” he waited for Dusk Shine to scan the page, satisfied with the diversion. “Judging from the way you and Bluebelle were looking at one another, I would say that she had something to do with it?”
“All because of you,” he muttered the last words, “How we were looking at one another?”
“Oh come on, you can’t be that naive. Fleur De Lis is one thing, but to miss signals as obvious as the ones Bluebelle is giving?” Dusk Shine blushed and Elusive sighed. “Would it be too forward of me to give you advice?”
Dusk Shine raised an eyebrow.
“Think of it as a friendship report, like the ones you used to write to Her Highness.”
“Go on.”
“Dear Prince Dusk Shine,” Elusive waited for Dusk Shine's chuckling to subside, "Today I learned about how words have power. They have the power to bring us together, but they also have the power to tear us apart from one another. Words are meant to communicate, not to hide behind. For so long, I always assumed that in my line of work I always had to use words to get my own way. But I've learned that by being honest, your words can help you because they help others." Elusive refused to let his eyes meet Dusk Shine, and so he turned to the window again.
"You feel very deeply for her, don't you?"
Dusk Shine thought back on the past few days. As he thought more about Bluebelle, his lips slowly turned to a smile.
“I thought so." Elusive said, “Go to her. You know how you feel now. Just tell her. I saw it in her eyes just as much as I saw it in yours.”
Dusk Shine turned to run out the door. “Are you sure you won’t come to the party?” he asked.
“I do not belong there, My Liege. Maybe one day, but not today.”
Dusk Shine saw the darkness in Elusive’s eyes. Though he wanted to press further, he could see that Elusive had already made up his mind. He turned to the pedestal and focused his magic on the book. It levitated through the air until it was by his side, then he turned and left. Elusive slowly made his way back to the cushions, where he took his place in the space in the shadows between the windows.
*****
The time passed, and Bluebelle continued to mingle with the surrounding ponies. She smiled as she thought of all the new friendships she had made that evening. She couldn’t wait to find Dusk Shine to tell him how well she was doing. Still, as the night drew on, she found herself standing next to the punchbowl getting a glass of punch.
“Hey there.”
Bluebelle turned from the punchbowl and saw that Applejack stood next to her.
“Oh, good evening, Sir Applejack. Are you enjoying the festivities?”
“Ah’m pleased as punch to be here. You seen Dusk lately?”
“No, I haven’t. Why? Did you need to speak with him?”
“Oh no,” Applejack rubbed the back of his head, “I just coulda swore I saw Elusive upstairs earlier and I just wanted to see what Dusk thought, is all.”
Bluebelle’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry. Elusive is here?”
Now it was Applejack’s turn to look surprised. “Shoot, Ah know Ah shoulda said nothin’ about it.”
“You said he was upstairs, correct?” She waited for Applejack to nod his head. “Don’t tell anypony, understand?” She didn’t wait for a response before she turned away and headed for the doors. She kept a slow pace so as not to arouse suspicion, though the guards did raise their eyebrows as she left the room. As soon as she was out of eyesight, she teleported to the library. Anytime Dusk tries to do something, he’s always in the library, she thought as she opened the door.
The door squeaked as she pushed it open to reveal the darkened library. She poked her head inside and called out.
“Dusk Shine?” she called, “Dusk Shine are you in here?”
“You just missed him.”
Bluebelle jumped at the voice, but immediately knew to whom it belonged.
“Elusive.” she said as she turned to the source of the voice. There he was, sitting on a small cushion against the wall. She took a few steps towards him, but stopped when he emerged from the shadows. His eyes were bloodshot and the fur on his muzzle was matted. “Elusive?” she asked. She reached forward, but stopped when he pulled back.
“You were looking for Dusk Shine. My guess would be that he went to the garden. Probably to read in the moonlight, one would suppose.”
“And how would you know that?”
“Oh come now, nothing supernatural like that. I can see him from the window.” Bluebelle started to leave, but Elusive’s hoof shot out of the darkness and grabbed onto her. “Bluebelle, wait.”
She stopped and turned around. Standing this close to him, she couldn’t help but notice his features - the bags under his eyes made the area of fur appear grey, and the redness from him crying even affected the blue in his eyes. His hoof trembled, as though he couldn’t quite get a good grip on her. For a moment, a thought entered unbidden into her mind. This stallion was a threat, she thought, only to shake the thought out almost immediately. Looking closer at the stallion she saw before her, she couldn’t feel anger at him; she couldn’t feel anything besides pity at this moment.
“Bluebelle, I saw you looking at him… earlier. The look in your eyes. I know that look.” He shook his head and he grit his teeth together. “Just tell him how you feel. I do promise you he feels the same way.”
“How could you know that?” she asked.
“As easy as it is to believe that my special talent lies in being manipulative, I actually have an eye for detail,” his grip softened, “just tell him. Dusk Shine deserves somepony who looks at him the way you do for the rest of his life. I may have-” his words caught in his throat, “That doesn’t matter. What matters is that you just be honest. I wasn’t honest with you, and look where that got us.”
“He… he has feelings for me?” She heard Elusive gasp at how quickly she reached forward to hug him. “Elusive, I promised Dusk Shine that everypony deserves another chance.
“Please. don’t thank me for correcting something that I shouldn’t have done in the first place.”
“Won’t you come down from here?”
“Trust me when I say that I don’t belong there.” Elusive turned back to the window. “Just because you offer forgiveness doesn’t mean I feel as though I can take it.”
Bluebelle pulled Elusive’s muzzle from the window and stared into his eyes. “It will still be there, whenever you are willing to take it. you understand?” She wrapped her hooves around him for a hug. For a moment, she felt nothing, but then finally, she felt a foreleg wrap delicately around her back. She smiled and released him before teleporting away.
*****
Dusk Shine sat at the table of the Rose Garden and read through the newly created spell. All the time, he kept thinking back to what he had said to Princess Celestia a few days ago.
Bluebelle I want to say
I’ve never felt this way
I’m not sure what it is I feel
But I think that this might reveal
A way I can make true love real
He sung to himself without thinking, but as he did so, images of Bluebelle entered into his mind. He heard the sound of a telekinetic bubble popping behind him and he watched as Bluebelle emerged from the magic orb. They stood there for a moment, unsure of what to say to one another. Finally, Bluebelle broke the silence.
“I take it you spoke to Elusive?” she asked.
“I did.”
Bluebelle took a seat next to him at the table. She glanced down at the book and laughed. “So, we fixed the dilemma without even realizing it.”
“Ponies have called us oblivious before.” he laughed, “but it appears so. Bluebelle, there is something I’ve been wanting to tell you, but I… I just…”
Dusk Shine looked back down at the book, but then he felt a hoof on his chin pushing his gaze upwards. He saw Bluebelle looking into his eyes. She smiled.
Open your heart, hear what I say
We don’t have to remain alone here
Why can’t we let this be the day
That we can let somepony in there
She moved her hoof from his chin to his chest. “I don’t want to keep this a secret. I don’t want to deny how I feel anymore. You are an amazing stallion, Dusk. If it weren’t for you, I would still be hiding in a tower somewhere, avoiding everypony. You taught me so much in just these past few days. And for that, I am eternally grateful. I would not be where I am if it weren’t for you.” She spoke quickly to get all of the words out at once, and then she took a deep breath when she was finished.
Dusk Shine clutched Bluebelle’s hooves against his own. “I'm tired of trying to keep how I feel within. I want to tell you how I feel. You helped me learn about a whole new level of relationship, Bluebelle. When I was first assigned to help with your birthday, I only saw it as a test to help you see the value of friendship. But without you, I wouldn’t have learned the difference between falling in love and being used. Thank you.”
“Well then, it seems that we both taught one another about the good and bad things associated with it, haven’t we? As the spell goes, I suppose.”
They leaned in towards one another, but as they did, they heard the sound of the band from an open window. The notes of a slowly strummed guitar wafted through the air until it reached them, and as it did, they felt their heartbeats begin to race.
All my life, all I saw was darkness
And then you made a light for me
Although I now can see the shadows
I see colors, too
All my fears, I let them control me
All my fears, I thought they were true
Now it’s clear, they disappear
Now that I’m here with you
And the words are coming true
And they’re leaping off the pages
And the words are coming true
And they’re written in my heart
And they speak to me and you
And they’re true throughout the ages
Thanks to you, I can finally see that
These words can come true
Bluebelle glanced down and a lock of her mane fell, covering her eyes. Suddenly, she felt a hoof come to rest on her cheek for a moment before it pushed her mane back. She looked up and saw Dusk Shine leaning in.
“How could I have not seen this before?” she asked.
“The same reason that I couldn’t. But I see it, now, because now I see you.”
I have seen that without its brightness
There would be no colors to see
Everything around me I see now
All because of you
All my fears, I let them take over
All my fears, are gone, now I see
Now and for forever more
You’ll stay right here with me
And the words are coming true
And they’re leaping off the pages
And the words are coming true
And they’re written in my heart
And they speak to me and you
And they’re true throughout the ages
Thanks to you, I can finally see that
These words can come true
These words can come true
“I can’t believe it,” Dusk Shine said, “I can feel my dopamine levels rising as we speak, not to mention the heart rate increase. I would at least say my heart is pumping at one hundred twenty-five percent of normal. On top of that, I-”
Dusk Shine continued to mumble for a moment through the hoof that Bluebelle had placed over his muzzle. He saw her smiling at him once more.
“Sometimes, no words are even necessary.”
She leaned forward and moved her hooves to his cheeks. As he sat there motionless, he felt her lips press against his. He sighed, but then his hooves took over, moving upwards to cup her cheeks as well. He closed his eyes and let himself melt into her kiss.
*****
A small smile emerged from Elusive as he watched the scene from the window. The sound of hoofsteps once again interrupted him.
“You know you played a role in this, as well.” he heard Luna say from behind him.
“Ah yes,” he laughed darkly, “the misunderstood villain. I can’t imagine why everypony isn’t clamboring over one another to get that coveted role.”
Luna pulled him away from the window. “I promise, things will get better for you, as well.”
“Maybe you’re right, Your Highness.” Elusive replied, “Through their friendship, perhaps forgiveness will come. Newly in my dreams.”