Dusk
Fire. There was lots of fire. Ponies were running around. What was happening? A building exploded. He looked down, his hoof prints trailing behind him haphazardly. There were even more ponies running through the streets, away from the flames, but to no avail. Screaming. That's what he was hearing. Wailing. Crying. Fear. He heard children crying, a mother crying.. even men were crying. Another explosion. Flowers of crimson and light were blossoming all around him. Fear. His breathing grew haggard, the cloak drawing tighter around him as he ran. He couldn't go back. Not there. Not anywhere. Not anymore. Not after what he did. Fear. All he could do was run. Rivers of red ran down his vision. Was it blood, was it fear? That word.. it was always there, floating amidst the flames. Fear. It kept repeating itself over and over and over and over and fear fear feAr fEAr FeaR FEaR FEAR ThEY aRE aLL G0nE.
Dusk Spinner woke up in a cold sweat, a scream lingering on his lips. It was that dream again. Always that dream...
Dusk sighed as he closed his locker, his eyes drifting off towards his left. It had been a week since his initial talk with Sunset Shimmer, but she hadn't made things any easier. She was constantly watching him, sizing him up, and it was actually starting to get on his nerves. Having this much attention on him was rather unusual; he hoped Sunset couldn't sense his discomfort from her vantage point. He sighed again, shouldering his bag and daring another glance to the side. Yep, she was still looking. Gods, that was getting old quickly. He raised his eyebrow quizzically at her and she turned away, so he turned the opposite direction, and headed off to his next class.
When lunch time eventually rolled around, he took his usual spot in the back corner of the room, opened up his journal to the usual pages, and took a bite of the usual sandwich he had packed earlier at home. Things were beginning to get rather stale in his everyday life. How can these humans live like this? he thought to himself, absently taking notes of the jocks at the next table over throwing a football around. Its like none of them even care what happens tomorrow, or if it ever comes. How can they be content with this boring kind of life? I know I've been banished, but jeez, Celestia could've at least sent me somewhere more interesting... Suddenly, his head slammed sideways, a football careening off of it. One of the jocks ran over, grabbing the football and running back to his table with a slight wave of a hand in apology, laughing as he sat back down. Bunch of idiots. Shaking it off, Dusk picked up his things, scooting down a few feet, and resuming his slow absorption of a turkey and cheese sandwich. His lunch was interrupted yet again when a hand abruptly came down on the table next to him, causing him to jump and look over. Great, speaking of interesting, here was Sunset Shimmer again, probably to harass him about not helping her cause. He was running out of sighs, so he looked over at her slowly.
"Can I help you?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm without betraying his annoyance at the constant disturbances.
"Just what the hell is your problem?" she said, her voice rising in pitch. It wasn't her issue to deal with, why was she here?
"Excuse me?"
"I said I wanna know what your deal is!" She was getting angry now, Dusk could see that much. He didn't want to cause a scene, so he gathered his things and began walking towards the door. "Follow me" were his only words to her.
Outside, behind the cafeteria where none could hear, he set his things down and turned around to face Sunset Shimmer.
"Well, are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to start spreading rumors?" She crossed her arms, glaring at his defiance of her.
"Im actually more interested in what your problem is." He looked her in the eyes, doing his best not to be angry. Putting up with complaints against him, at least that was something he was used to. "Every day you keep looking at me like I'm some kind of enemy, some mark on your record. I've done nothing wrong, and yet you still keep acting like I'm the goddamned plague!"
"Because no matter what I see, I just can't figure you out!" Her sneer could have sliced the building tension in half. "Even if you won't help me, I can't just stand by and watch you ignore everything that happens to you! I won't let the man who turned down my offer of power be some wuss. Show some backbone, hold a damn grudge, and stop being so weak! Just what are you afraid of?!"
Dusk's eyes narrowed, his voice taking on an icy calm. The steel in his eyes magnified the firmness of his words as he spoke, and he lowered his hands to his sides, "Do not call me weak.."
"I'll call you whatever the hell I want!" Sunset Shimmer was almost shouting now, and he could see she was letting that self-righteous sneer sneak back onto her face. "God, look at you, I don't think i've ever seen anyone more weak and fearful than whatever you think you are."
His hands were clenched into fists. That word...fear. All the memories that Dusk had been pushing down were starting to inch back into place. And now, with this girl screaming at him, he had had- "ENOUGH!" His word cut through the noise, the memories and emotions swimming through his head as he tried to control himself. "You want to know why I don't keep grudges?!" His voice was rising, and he could feel himself looming over her slightly, pressing her back against the wall. Fear. His eyes were piercing through that arrogant will of hers, the fire in them blazing brightly. "Maybe its because I choose not to, maybe its because I enjoy not hating people, or MAYBE its because a long time ago, a whole lot of good people DIED because I held a grudge!!" Your fault. "Because of my own pride and arrogance, I have to look at the faces of a hundred innocent souls every single time I close my eyes!! Maybe THAT'S why I choose not to hold a grudge! So don't you DARE call me weak, because I'm doing everything I can just to not go completely insane in this world!" Weak.
After a few moments, he finally began to calm down, his breathing growing heavy as he held his head, one hand running through his hair. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to blow up like that. Please excuse me, I'm not feeling well.." Stepping back, he grabbed his bag and was walking towards the school exit when her voice stopped him.
"Wait." He hadn't actually heard her use a gentle voice since he had first met her, but apparently there were firsts for everything. Dusk turned slowly and saw Sunset Shimmer standing there, her hands at her sides. Guess I am weak, huh? Still hurting people.. His thoughts were settling down from a boiling rage into a mild sorrow now. He could see fear in her eyes from his outburst, but he could see confusion too. "What do you mean, this world...?"
He could only chuckle slightly at that. If she only knew just what he was..where he came from..what he did. "We all have sins that we must atone for.. but some sins can't be erased, no matter what you do.."
"Whatever you did can't be that bad.. You could still be-"
"My sentence was banishment. Not forgiveness." He could still hear the fear in his own voice, but there was something else mixed in with it. Sadness? Regret? Dusk shook off the thoughts, nodded his head politely and continued his exit, raising his hand slightly in a wave as he hit the gate.
~~~~~The Next Day~~~~~
"Alright, that will be it then. We hope to see you here again soon." Principal Celestia smiled as Dusk let himself out of the principals office, slipping a folder into his bag.
"And just where do you think you're going in the middle of the day?" Sunset Shimmer said, interrupting his exit and stepping out in front of him.
He raised an eyebrow at her, zipping up his backpack. "Well, if you want me to be straightforward, I'm doing the rest of the year's work at home. There are some things that somepony needs to take care of that I can't do at school, at least not yet." A grin began creeping onto his face with his next words. "Besides.. You don't need my help with your plans. Trust me. So you can stop trying to...collect me, for lack of a better term. Good luck, though, Sunset Shimmer." He offered her a small smile, and, to her protests, a pat on the head.
Dusk walked out of the office, heading towards the front doors. It was too bad he couldn't hear the soft words spoken from inside after the doors had closed.
"But what if I do need you..?"
"Wait..'somepony'..?"