Friday was a rather busy day for Dark. He spent all day working on repairing the damage that he'd accidentally done to Rarity's boutique. While he did feel bad about it, he also saw it as a blessing in disguise. During that time, he was able to keep his mind clear of the day that was to follow, though brief as it was. By the end of the day, and with a bit of help from some other ponies who had volunteered to help, most of the damage had been repaired. At the rate they were going, Rarity and Sweetie Belle could go back to living in it by Sunday, much to Spike's and Sweetie Belle's disappointment.
While Dark was busy with fixing Rarity's home, Twilight could be found either directing the repair teams around Ponyville, or acting as Cheerilee's assistant with teaching the colts and fillies in their temporary school room. She was finding it to be a welcomed distraction from her fears that were still nagging at her. Before Luna and Iron Guard returned to Canterlot with The Beast Master's Amulet and the off duty guards that they'd brought, she had reassured her that whoever was behind the attack was long gone now. Knowing that, Twilight decided to try and sleep in her own bed tonight. After she got settled in, though, she was met with the same problem as before. Even after setting up a few wards around her room, her fears still got the better of her, making her feel as though he was watching her from the shadows. Unable to sleep, she went back to Dark's room. She'd been sharing his bed for the last two nights, so with it being her third night now, she didn't even bothering to wake him this time, and instead crawled into bed alongside him. However, despite her moving silently, the extra bed movement didn't go unnoticed as Dark rolled over to look at Twilight.
"Couldn't sleep again?" he asked.
"Yeah," she answered.
Giving an understanding nod, he brought his arms around Twilight and pulled her in close like he did before, an act that was welcomed by Twilight as she began cuddling up against him. After getting herself a little more comfortable, she let out a tired yawn.
"You do know that at this is starting to become a habit, right?" Dark clarified.
"I know. You aren't complaining about it, are you?" Twilight tiredly questioned.
"Not in the least, just merely an observation was all."
Letting out a small laugh, Twilight soon fell asleep. But while she was peacefully snoozing away, Dark's mind was still racing. He was actually still awake when Twilight had snuck in, thinking about tomorrow. For Dark, sleep wouldn't come easily for him tonight, not even with Twilight laying asleep there in his arms.
The next morning, Dark woke up, tired, alone, and glum. For today was both his birthday, and the day his brother and cousin had left on their suicide mission to get help for Stonewall Village. Looking around briefly, he noticed that nopony else was in the room besides himself. Knowing that he probably wouldn't have a chance to be alone like this for a while, Dark allowed himself to silently weep for his lost kin. While he did lose his parents and sister as well, his brother and cousin were those that were closest to him. It took him a good fifteen minutes before his mournful sobs had finally depleted him of his tears. With nothing left to shed, he began wiping his face clean of any tearstains before getting himself ready for the day.
Once Dark felt presentable enough, he made his way down to the kitchen where Spike would be cooking breakfast for them. He took his time getting there, trying to hide his sadness with a fake smile. Turning into the kitchen, he saw Spike working the stove while Twilight, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle were sitting at the table talking to one another. They greeted him as he walked in, though a little curious as to why he was late in getting himself up. It wasn't until Twilight got a good look at this eyes that she had an idea of why. Standing up, she went over to confront Dark before he could sit down.
"Dark?" she softly addressed. "What happened?"
"What do you mean?" he questioned.
Hearing his answer, Twilight began narrowing her eyes at him, knowing that something was up. After a few seconds of going without an answer, Twilight conjured a mirror for him to look into. As he took in his reflection, he noticed that his eyes were still bloodshot from earlier. Turning his gaze from the mirror back to Twilight, Dark sighed in defeat, knowing that he couldn't hide it any longer.
"You know what today is, right?"
"Yeah, it's Saturday, but I don't see how that's-" Twilight paused as her eyes widened, remembering the meaning of that day.
Seeing the expression on Dark's face, Twilight sat down in front of him before wrapping her forelegs around him, and pulling him into a tender hug. Allowing himself to let go, Dark too sat down before burying his face in her shoulder, trying to hold back the occasional snivel that would escape him. As the two remained like that, Rarity and Sweetie Belle looked at them, confused and a little worried, while Spike continued cooking, completely oblivious as to what was happening behind him. It was only a few seconds later before Sweetie Belle got off of her chair and went over to Dark, hugging his arm in hopes of helping him feel better. Feeling the little filly clinging to his arm, Dark looked down to see a worried look on her face. Lifting his arm up out of her hold, he began gently patting her head.
"Thanks, Sweetie Belle," Dark sadly smiled. "I'll be fine." He then turned to face Twilight before nuzzling her. "And thank you too, Twilight."
"Are you going to be alright?" Twilight asked.
"Eventually. I just need some time right now. You know, try and accept it as it is before continuing forward."
Giving a sad, yet understanding nod, Twilight nuzzled Dark back before they got up and made for their seats at the table. All the while, Rarity just looked back between the two, curious as to what was going on. She was about to ask them, but it was at that moment that Spike had finished their breakfast and began setting it out. They sat in silence as they ate, feeling that the mood wasn't one for conversation. It wasn't until Dark had finished his plate first that the silence was broken.
"Are you sure that you should be working today, Dark? Especially with the emotional state you're in right now?"
"Thanks for your concern, Twilight," he thanked, "but I think some work would actually do me good in keeping my mind busy."
"Alright. Just don't push yourself too hard, okay?"
Putting on a smile, Dark gave her a nod before thanking Spike for the meal, and heading out to continue his repairs. As everypony sat in silence again, it wasn't until she heard the castle doors close that Rarity finally spoke up.
"Alright, will somepony please tell me what is going on here?" she asked. "I mean, one moment he comes in here seemingly fine, and the next, he's sad and bury his face in your shoulder, Twilight. Just what happened, exactly?"
Twilight gave a sad sigh. "I don't now if I should say. It's rather personal for him."
"Oh, right, it's Dark's birthday today, isn't it?" Spike blurted out as realization hit him.
Immediately, Twilight looked down incredulously at Spike, surprised and upset that he would blatantly throw something personal like that out there. However, Spike didn't know the details behind Dark's birthday, so she would have to give him a pass on this one.
"But if today is his birthday, then why would he be sad about it?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"It's complicated," Twilight answered, rubbing the back of her head. "And it really isn't something for young fillies to hear." She then turned back to Spike. "Or young drakes for that matter."
Taking the hint, the two quickly finished up the last of their breakfast before running off to do their own thing. Once they were out of the kitchen, Twilight put up a soundproof barrier for her and Rarity, just incase Spike and Sweetie Belle were eavesdropping behind the corner. With their privacy assured, Rarity continued.
"Well, now that we have some privacy to ourselves, would you care to tell me why Dark would act like this on his own birthday?"
Twilight shook her head before answering. "Remember back when we first met Dark in the hospital and he told us about how his cousin and brother went off on a dangerous mission?"
"The one where they didn't return and were presumed to be deceased, right?" Rarity clarified.
"That's the one."
"Yes. What about it?"
"Well, as it turns out, the day they left was today."
Rarity brought a hoof to her mouth as she let out a small gasp. "You mean to tell me that the reason for him being so distraught is because today is the anniversary of their... their deaths?"
"Yes," Twilight sadly nodded. "And what's worse is that his younger brother had intentionally set today as their day for departure."
"But that's horrible! Why would anypony want to deliberately ruin their own sibling's birthday like that?"
"Remember how Dark was the only unicorn in his family?" Twilight asked, getting a confirming nod from Rarity. "Well, it turns out that his brother, despite him having been very popular in their village, had always been jealous of Dark being able to use unicorn magic. And it's because of that jealousy that he decided they should leave on this specific day."
Rarity shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe him. It would be like if Sweetie Belle did that to me."
"Didn't she try something to undermine you before though?"
"Yes, she did sabotage a headdress that I made for Sapphire Shores once. But she soon found out that the anger behind her reasoning was all a misunderstanding, and she came and fixed it right up."
"Well according to Dark, he did everything he could to diminish his brother's jealousy and resentment towards him. He even went as far as to completely stop using magic around him altogether. The only other thing that he could've done would've been to remove his own horn."
Rarity cringed. "Now that would be overdoing it. Still, it doesn't change the fact that this special day of his is forever ruined now."
"True." Twilight paused to look at the clock and lowered her soundproof barrier. "I better get go and help Cheerilee. She sorta got behind on her grading thanks to the last few days."
"Before you go, dear," Rarity began, "what do you propose we do with Dark?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well we can't just let today go bye for him like this. Should I get Pinkie Pie to bake something for him to help lift his spirits?"
"Pinkie accidentally stumbled onto the topic of Dark's birthday, so she already knows all of this. But I suppose if it's to help him feel better, then it wouldn't hurt to try."
"In that case, I'll go on ahead to Sugarcube Corner and speak with her about it."
"Thanks, Rarity," Twilight thanked before heading over to her library, leaving Rarity alone.
Sitting in her chair, she continued mulling over the information behind Dark's actions this morning. Finishing off the last of her morning tea, Rarity then got up out of her seat and headed out of the kitchen to find Pinkie.
The bell over the door rang as Rarity entered Sugarcube Corner, announcing her arrival. As she walked in, she looked around to see where Pinkie was. When she wasn't anywhere in sight, Rarity figured that she was either upstairs, or back in the kitchen. Not wanting to be rude and intrude, she decided to call out for her.
"Hello?" she called. "Is anypony here?"
"Yes, one moment please," answered a female voice.
A few seconds later, Mrs. Cake walked out from the back room with a fresh tray of muffins.
"Oh, hello, dearie," she warmly welcomed her. "What can I do for you today?"
"Hello, Mrs. Cake," Rarity returned. "I'm actually looking for Pinkie about a... birthday situation."
"Oh. Well she's in the back. Give me a moment to get these muffins placed and I'll go get her for you."
"Thank you."
After patiently waiting for Mrs. Cake to finish, Rarity quickly found her vision obscured with pink.
"Hiya, Rarity," Pinkie greeted. "Mrs. Cake said you were looking for me about a birthday?"
"Yes, Pinkie," She began, "although, I was told that you already knew about it."
"About what?"
Not in the mood for wanting to play games, Rarity decided to get straight to the point. "Dark."
Hearing his name along with a birthday being involved, Pinkie's cheerful demeanor vanished as her ears flattened against her head.
"Oh... right..."
"Are you alright, Pinkie?"
"I guess. It's just sad that he doesn't want a birthday party at all. I mean, I know that he's sad about what happened to his brother and cousin, but I was hoping that perhaps a party would help him to feel better."
"Actually, that's why I'm here," Rarity began explaining. "You see, Twilight and I were wondering if you could bake a birthday cake for him. It wouldn't be a full-blown party, though, just a simple cake with some friends."
Pinkie perked up at this. It may not be one of the birthday parties that she would normally throw, but some party was better than no party at all. With some of her happiness restored, she began smiling again.
"Sure I can. Just tell me where you want the cake. Oh, can we get the girls together too?"
"I don't see why not. And as for the where, it'll be at the castle. Just make sure that Dark doesn't know about it."
"Oohhhhhh. So this is like a surprise birthday party?"
"I suppose it would something like that, minus the decorations, presents, and all of that other stuff."
"Okie-dokie-lokie. I'll have the cake ready and delivered by dinner."
"That long?"
"Well of course, silly. I don't know if you've noticed, but ever since those guards came to Ponyville, business has been booming. Only reason why nopony is here yet is because they're all out working."
And with that, Pinkie bounced her way back into the kitchen with her new order. As she left her view, Rarity, happy with what she just did, turned around to go find Applejack and Rainbow. She remembered seeing Applejack working on a set of houses that got damaged, so she figured to start there first. And if that didn't work, then Sweet Apple Acres would be her next place to look. But first, she needed to pay Dark a quick visit.
Over at Carousel Boutique, Dark was busy lifting planks of wood to the second story of the building. Rainbow had found him, and since they had to cancel his flight training for Thursday, she told him that to make up for it. While he was helping with repairing Ponyville, he was to fly from place-to-place, and whenever he was carrying something. It went alright yesterday, but today his wings were starting to feel sore. Letting out a sigh, he picked up another few pieces of lumber in his claws before flying back up. At the rate they were going, Rarity's boutique might actually be finished by tonight, granted that there weren't any interruptions of complications. He just sat the bundle of wooden planks down when he heard somepony calling for him. Looking down, he saw that it was his 'boss' who had called. Gliding down, Dark landed in front of her to find out what she wanted.
"Hey, Rarity," he greeted.
"Hello," Rarity returned. "Now, Dark, I came to have a quick talk with you."
"You aren't going to scold me for accidentally breaking your house again, are you?"
"Oh no, it's nothing like that." She paused to think of how to best word it without giving anything away. "Listen, Twilight told me about what happened with your brother and cousin." She paused when she saw Dark wince at her words, now picking her words more carefully. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for your loss, and that you don't need to work today if you don't want to."
"It's alright. Like I said, the work helps me to keep my mind off of it."
"And that's completely understandable, but you can't just keep avoiding it like this. So, it is with that that I'll allow you to work until noon. After that, you're free to do as you please for the rest of the day, so long as it doesn't involve work. Also, be sure that you're back by dinner."
Dark wanted to argue about it, but his mind was weighing heavily on him again. While he wanted to continue working until dusk and simply forget about it all together, he knew that Rarity was right. Besides, there was one thing that he had wanted to do for today, but had been putting it off. And now, he has a chance to work on it.
"Alright," he sighed, "I'll do it."
"Good to hear. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find Applejack and Rainbow Dash."
"Alright, see you later then."
He continued waving goodbye to Rarity before she turned the street corner. Once she was gone, Dark continued with his work, eager to do what he could before his time was up. Not wanting to spend anymore time thinking about today before he actually had to think about it. And so, for the next few hours, Dark continued working feverishly, trying to get done what he could. He managed to help with the last remaining wall, and since he had wings, assisted with setting the roofing and some of the shingles. However, he stopped when he heard the bell from the clock tower ringing. With lunchtime now here, Dark began setting the tools and loose materials aside before flying back to the castle for something to eat.
Over at the castle library, Cheerilee and Twilight were sitting at the table with a few piles of papers in front of them. She hadn't realized just how behind she was with her grading, and was at this moment very happy to have Twilight there to help her.
"Thank you again for helping me with this, Twilight," Cheerilee thanked.
"It's really no problem," Twilight dismissed. "I'm just happy to have something to help with. I mean, I do like helping organize and stuff, but it's also sorta relaxing to just do something like this too."
"I suppose I can see where you're coming from, but I have to ask, though." Miss Cheerilee paused to look over to the strange contraption sitting in the corner of the library. "Just what is that thing, exactly? Besides the mirror, I don't think I've ever seen something like it before."
"Oh, right. That's a makeshift portal that I created. I have some friends who are... very far away, and I use this to get to them."
"Is it safe to have a portal in the same room with a bunch of children?"
"It wouldn't if I didn't place an invisible barrier around it so that they couldn't touch it. Especially when it comes to three certain fillies."
Cheerilee sighed. "Crusaders?"
"Yep. I actually had it set up when they came over to play with Dark the day after his 'Welcome To Ponyville' party."
"That was some clever thinking, but this place that the portal leads to, where is it like exactly? You did say that it was very far away, right?"
"Yes," Twilight slowly answered. "It is far away, but I wouldn't recommend anypony going in over there. It's easily the strangest thing that I've ever seen, and I don't know how other ponies would react to what they'd see if they went through it."
"Alright then, I suppose."
Leaving it at that, the two continued working on the stacks of papers. It wasn't until a few minutes later that a scent caught Twilight's attention. Raising her nose up to get a better idea of what it was, she could smell the mixture of flowers and apples. As she followed the direction of it's origin, she found herself looking back to Cheerilee, who was now looking at her curiously.
"Is something wrong, Twilight?" she asked.
"It's just that you smell like apples today," Twilight said. "But I don't get it, you've always had this sweet scent of flowers."
"Well," she began, her cheeks flushed, "it might have something to do with a big apple."
"Big apple? You don't mean Manehattan do you? Because there's no way you could be there and back in one day... unless..." Twilight looked back to see Cheerilee's face completely red now. It was then that she knew what she had meant. "When you said 'big apple', did you mean it as in Big Macintosh Apple?" Getting a shy nod in reply, Twilight got up and ran round the table to give her a big hug. "I'm so happy for you! How long have you two been dating?"
"About five months now," she answered. "You aren't going to tell anypony are you?"
"Not if you don't want me to."
"Thank you. It would be particularly bad if Apple Bloom found out."
Twilight giggled at that. "I suppose so. She'd probably try and get you to give her and her friends the answers to their test or something."
"Probably," Cheerilee giggled before a scent caught her nose as well.
Taking in a few sniffs, she caught the scent of lavender and burnt firewood. Looking back to Twilight, she allowed a knowing smirk to form.
"And it appears that I'm not the only one here who's hiding their relationship, am I?"
"What are you talking about?" Twilight unsteadily asked.
"You know what I mean, Twilight. Your normal lavender scent now has a blend of burnt firewood. And to be honest, it actually isn't that bad. So, who's the lucky stallion?"
"Well... nopony knows about it yet..."
"I understand," Cheerilee nodded. "Like you, I promise not to tell anypony."
"Alright then." Twilight paused to take in a deep breath. "It's Dark."
"You mean the kirin? The one who came to Ponyville a few weeks ago?"
"The same."
"That was rather fast."
"I know it is, but everything just sorta clicked. Well... mostly anyway."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, we aren't actually together yet. He did try asking me once before, but our moment was interrupted."
"So, are you two together then, or not?"
"Considering that we to the festival together, and that he tried asking me to be his fillyfriend Thursday morning, but didn't only because he was interrupted, I'd say that we unofficially are."
"Well then, I wish you both luck," Cheerilee smiled. "By the way, how's he been fitting into Ponyville?"
"Alright for the most part. He's been working at Sweet Apple Acres with Applejack and Big Mac. Other than that, he's been taking flying lessons from Rainbow, and some magic lessons from me."
"What kind of magic lessons?"
"Just some defensive spells. Turns out that almost all of his spells are offensive."
"That's smart of him." She paused for a moment. "By the way, when's he suppose to be back?"
Just like that, they heard the sound of the castle doors opening and closing.
"Right now from the sound of it," Twilight answered as she started getting up and looking at the clock. "And for good reason. It's already past noon, and we haven't had anything to eat yet. Care to join us?"
"If you wouldn't mind," Cheerilee answered, following Twilight out of the library.
As they continued making their way to the kitchen for some lunch, they could hear somepony already in there. Turning the corner into the room, they saw Dark standing bipedal while making himself two daffodil and daisy sandwiches. Seeing this for the first time, Cheerilee turned to Twilight.
"Why's he standing like that?" she asked.
"It's more out of habit than anything," Dark answered as he turned around to sit at the table. "This is how I would work the forge. I would stand on my back legs, while my front hooves worked the hammer and the tongs holding the metal."
"Alright, but why not use your magic?"
"Reasons," he simply answered, his gaze downcast.
"Still thinking about today?" Twilight softly asked as she walked up and sat down beside him.
"Yeah. Rarity came over and told me to take the rest of the day off after lunch." Dark paused for a moment. "You two want me to make you some daffodil and daisy sandwiches as well?"
Twilight placed a hoof on his shoulder before he could get up. "It's alright, I can get it."
"So, Dark," Cheerilee began. "How are you liking Ponyville so far?"
Dark allowed himself to truly smile for the first time today. "To be honest, I'm starting to consider this as my new home now. The ponies in this town are kind and welcoming, and I'm not being discriminated for simply being me." He paused for a moment and turned his head slightly to look at Twilight. "And there are even some ponies who I'm happy to have in my life now. Perhaps one in particular?"
Hearing that last part caused Twilight's body to stiffen while her magic sputtered for a brief second. Seeing her react as he had expected caused Dark to chuckle before turning back to his lunch in front of him. As he began munching away, he noticed a knowing smirk on Cheerilee's face.
Knowing this look, Dark swallowed before letting out a sigh. "I know that look. Go ahead, lay it on me."
"I probably would've, but it's not as much fun if you already know."
"You can thank Princess Celestia and Princess Luna for that then. I got plenty of those kinds of looks from them on Thursday."
"So they know about you too?"
"Who do you think were the ones who interrupted Dark?" Twilight commented as she sat down, setting out her and Cheerilee's lunches.
"You told her?" Dark questioned.
"It's alright, she can be trusted. Besides, she's already promised to not tell anypony."
"Wait, you mean that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were the ones?" Cheerilee clarified.
"Yep," he nodded. "It was definitely one of the most nerve-racking moments of my life."
"Same with me," Twilight agreed.
"Why? What happened?" Cheerilee wondered.
Dark and Twilight looked to each other with slight blushes crossing their faces. It wasn't until Twilight nodded that Dark finally answered.
"Twilight found out that the guy behind the attack Wednesday was after her, so her fears started getting the better of her. After a few hours of trying to fall asleep in her own bed, she then came to me. And before you start, no, there wasn't anything funny going on between us."
"Don't worry, I believe you."
"Well, that makes you the first who didn't tease us about it. But anyway, since then we've been sharing the same bed together. At least, until her fears calm down enough to where she can sleep on her own."
"Well I can't blame her for worrying. I'd probably be the same if that happened to me."
"Especially since he got away in the end," Twilight added. "Even Luna's tracking team lost his trail, and Fluttershy's new animal friends from the Everfree Forest don't know where he'd disappeared to."
"I understand," Cheerilee nodded.
Looking up at the clock, Dark saw that it was almost 1 P.M. Seeing this, he quickly finished off his second sandwich before rinsing off his plate.
"So, what are you going to do now, Dark?" Twilight asked.
"First, I need to get something from my room. After that, I'm heading off to Ghastly Gorge to work on a project. It'll probably take me a few hours to finish," he answered.
"Is it for... them?"
"... yeah."
"Okay, but if it's alright with you, could I see it when it's done?"
Dark thought about it for a moment. Although it was personal and he much rather be alone, perhaps some company would do him good.
"Alright. I'll come back to find you before I set it up."
With a nod from Twilight, Dark bid goodbye to her and Cheerilee before heading off to Ghastly Gorge. After he left, Cheerilee's curiosity got the better of her.
"What was that all about?" she asked.
"Today's the day that Dark's brother and cousin left to go get help from the dragons that had blockaded his village," Twilight answered with a sigh. "Since they didn't return, they were proclaimed to be deceased on the day of their departure."
"Oh..."
"That's not all, though. This also happens to be Dark's birthday."
Cheerilee didn't say anything, opting to instead just go with an understanding nod. They sat in silence as they ate before she finally found her voice.
"How is he taking it?" Cheerilee asked.
"It's been pretty rough on him. He's been using work as a way to busy his mind from thinking about it, but my friends and I have a plan to make him feel better."
"How so?"
"While Dark doesn't feel like having a party, we thought that perhaps a simple cake and some friends would help cheer him up."
"That could work, but does he know about it?"
Twilight smiled. "Nope. Not a clue."
Dark was now closing in on Ghastly Gorge with his cloak wrapped around his waist. As he continued flying, his mind began to wander towards this project of his. He already knew the shape and size he wanted, so he just needed to find a decent sized rock to carve it out of, and then give it a glassy look by treating it with his fire breath. He continued this train of though until he finally reached his destination. Scanning the area, he found a place to land and began his search.
He knew that it was deep from standing up on the cliff, but to actually be down there was different now that he saw just how high up those cliffs were. Turning away from the rocky wall, Dark began looking around fallen rocks and boulders to find the match he needed. But, this was far easier said than done. While there were plenty of rocks for him to choose from, most had a crack or some other form of damage to them. Either that, or they were too small to use, or the shape wouldn't allow for him to carve what he needed out of it. And so, he continued searching. It took him a good three hours before he finally found what he was looking for.
Laying before him was a granite boulder roughly four feet tall by three feet wide, and two feet thick. It was plenty big enough for what he had in mind, and he had some to spare should he screw up his first few attempts. Only question, though, was how would he cut and shape them without any tools. He could fire a small beam out from his horn and cut it with that, but he'd never used something like that before, and wasn't exactly in the mood to accidentally blast it to pieces instead. If he had some fire to Amplify him, he could use a flaming tendril to cut it. Key word being 'if'. Although, it was with that thought that he had an idea and casted his Fire Claws spell.
Looking down to his claws, he gave one of them an experimental poke at a nearby rock. As he thought, the intense flames cut through it, leaving only a small amount of rough patch that he could go over again to smooth out if he wanted. Walking over to the boulder, he poured more magic into the spell, causing the length of the claw to extend. Once it was long enough, Dark slowly dragged it across the rock, splitting a third of it off. With the thickness closer to what he wanted, he then began shaving it off inch-by-inch until it was only a few inches thick now. Then, with his Fire Claws shortened to their original length, he began carving out the shape, starting by taking off chunks from the top, and working his way down. Coming this far without making any mistakes, he took his time in carving the shape out so he wouldn't take too much and ruin the whole thing. This part took him forty-five minutes to complete.
With that done, he dispelled his Fire Claws and began to carve the face of it with his normal claws. Thankfully for him, his claws were strong enough to create small grooves in the stone without causing him any discomfort. After that was done, Dark began breathing fire on it. As he continued pouring fire onto it, he could see the hard rock face starting to change. Stopping for a moment, he could see that his flames had the desired effect as it gave the stone a shiny surface to it. He then proceeded to work on the other sides and top. After a few minutes spent on each side, his project was now treated. Looking over it one last time for anything that he might have missed, Dark nodded approvingly at it, content with the work that he did for having none of the tools for it.
With his project complete, Dark wrapped it in his cloak, grabbed it firmly in his claws, and flew back to Ponyville. What he didn't count on, though, was for how heavy it was. Granted it wasn't as heavy as a pony would be, but the twenty-five pound rock carving he was carrying was quite noticeable. It took him ten minutes longer to get back to the castle while lugging his project around, but was relieved once he finally landed. Sitting his project to rest on the side of the castle, Dark began opening the door to go inside, but was stopped short when Twilight poked her head out of the door.
"Well," Dark began, a bit surprised by her sudden appearance, "this at least saves me the time to try and find you."
"So you're done with your project then?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah. It's sitting right over there."
Twilight stepped out of the castle and closed the door behind her to look where Dark was pointing at, but all she saw was his cloak.
"Where is it?"
"It's underneath my cloak. I wrapped it up with it so that nopony would see it... at least, not yet anyway."
"Alright. So, you said something about setting it up?"
"Yeah. Do you know a place that's sorta out of the way where nopony would disturb it, but also in a spot where it has a nice view?"
Twilight brought a hoof up to her chin to think about it for a moment. It took her about a minute or two for her to think of a matching location.
"I think I might have a place in mind," she answered, beginning to walk towards the spot in question.
Listening to her, Dark levitated his project onto his back and followed after Twilight. As they left, though, Dark failed to notice a collection of heads peaking through the nearby window at them.
Inside the castle, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Spike, and Sweetie Belle, were all watching with bated breath as Dark and Twilight left. As the two turned the corner, they released the breath that they were all holding in, their plan almost uncovered.
"That was a close one," Pinkie said.
"No kiddin'," Applejack agreed. "Good thin' that Twilight was here."
"Where do you think they're going?" Sweetie Belle questioned.
"Don't know, but didn't Twilight say something about setting something up?" Spike wondered.
"If you all want, I can go follow them and find out?" Rainbow offered.
"No, Rainbow," Rarity objected. "Nopony, or dragon, is to follow them. Right, Pinkie?"
"Yeah," Pinkie agreed. "It would probably be better if we left them be. Besides, we still have some cake decorating to finish."
"But with Twilight gone, who'll stand watch incase they come back?" Fluttershy asked, all eyes simultaneously turning to Spike.
"Seriously? Why do I have to stand watch?" he complained.
"Because you ate the entire first two batches of cake frosting," Sweetie Belle answered.
"Hey, it's not my fault that Pinkie makes them so irresistible."
Everypony laughed at Spike's excuse, despite the fact that he was correct. Pinkie really was the best when it came to sweets, but there was still a cake that needed decorating. So with that, the six ponies began making their way back to the kitchen while Spike sat staring out the window.
During their walk, Twilight would glance over at the wrapped project that Dark carried on his back, curious as to what exactly it was. It's shape was distorted due to the cloth covering it, so she couldn't say for sure what it was, but already had somewhat of an idea. After a good ten minutes of quietly walking together, they made it to the spot where Twilight had suggested. They were now standing on top of a small hill on the southern outskirts of Ponyville. Turning his gaze towards the sun lowering in the sky, Dark figured that this place would work perfectly. They had a great view of the sunset, and the town was still nearby, so it wouldn't take long to get here.
"Thanks, Twilight," Dark thanked. "This'll do perfectly."
With that said, Dark laid the wrapped project down before digging a small trench into the ground for him to plant it. Curious, Twilight walked up alongside him, watching him dig until his claw was almost a foot deep before squaring out the bottom. Once it was nice and flat, Dark levitated the wrapped cloak up above the hole and unraveled it, revealing the tombstone. Slowly, Dark guided it down into the hole until it was sitting firmly at the bottom before pushing in the dirt he dug up around it back in. As he poured the dirt in, he could compact it down to firmly hold it in place.
While Dark was busy with that, Twilight took a few steps back and sat down, wishing that her guess had been wrong. After a few more rounds of pushing in dirt and compacting it, Dark wiped his claws clean before taking a seat beside Twilight. Neither knew what to say at that moment, and continued staring at it, reading the names and dates of his brother and cousin. They continued sitting in silence, the only sounds being heard were the light breeze of the wind, and the sound of the train coming into the station.
The Friendship Express rolled into the Ponyville Train Station, letting off the passengers it carried. With it, though, came six crystal guard ponies in silver armor, bearing a spear, shield, and sword on their belt, one pegasus with golden armor who bore the same weapons, and one unicorn wearing red, full plated armor, and a custom-made, red longsword. As they exited the train, they began scanning around the town for any signs of their target. With no sign of him, they began making their way into town. Their presence drew a few eyes from the villagers, but the guards still posted there knew who they were, causing them to salute as they passed by. It wasn't until a specific squad of guards approached them did they stop.
"Welcome to Ponyville, Prince Shining Armor," Steel Hoof saluted, along with Aura Lance and Kite Shield.
"Hey, Steel," Shining greeted. "Long time no see. Glad to see that you and your team made it safely through that attack."
"Is that why you've come, sir?" Kite asked.
"Hey, kid. That's part of the reason, but first, how's my favorite student been?"
"Surviving, sir."
"And keeping us alive in the process," Aura added.
"Good to hear. Now, about why I'm here. We've received word about the attack on Ponyville a few days ago..."
"Ah yes," Steel nodded. "Quite the surprise. I doubt that we would've survived if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna weren't there helping us."
"Don't forget about Dark, sir," Aura chimed. "After all, according to Captain Iron Guard and everypony there defending the stands with him, it was he who defeated the hydras and ursa major, which caused their main force to retreat."
"Which in turn allowed him to attack the manticore fleet that was assaulting the castle," Kite added.
"This 'Dark'," Shining slowly began, "he wouldn't by chance be a kirin now, would he?"
"Yes, sir," Steel replied.
"Do you know where he is right now?"
"I believe I saw him and Princess Twilight walking south of Ponyville," Aura answered.
Hearing this, Shining's horn immediately began glowing before he fired a flare into the skies above Ponyville.
"Sir, what's going on?" Steel wondered.
"How long has the kirin been in town?" Shining asked with a hint if urgency.
"From what we've heard, about fifteen days."
"Then you're lucky. I've meet kirins before, and they're deceitful and dangerous. The fact that he's been here that long without causing trouble for anypony is both relieving to hear, and a miracle."
"Are you saying that Dark's a danger to us, sir?" Kite questioned.
"Yes. Now, we are to wait here for the other guards to arrive before we all move out to engage him."
Giving a salute, the three stood in silence. After Shining stepped away to talk to Flash, Aura was the first to speak.
"Sir, is this a good idea?" she wondered. "Dark doesn't seem like a threat to anypony here."
"I don't know at this point, Aura," Steel answered, "but if it's coming from Shining Armor, then something must be up."
"I have to agree with Aura, though," Kite chimed in, "something about this doesn't feel quite right."
"I know, kid, but despite what we think, he's requested our assistance, and as guards, we are bound by honor to comply."
"Even if it means that we may have to fight a friend?"
Steel didn't need to speak, the expression on his face being answer enough. His gut was telling him that something was wrong here, that whatever was coming to Dark wasn't right. And the worse part? Unless they wanted to be court-martialed for insubordination, or possibly even treason, then they may very well have to fight their friend.
Twilight and Dark continued sitting in relative silence as they looked at the tombstone he made. It had been a few minutes since they sat like this, and still nothing was said. Twilight had tried multiple times to try and say something, but every time she would open her mouth to speak, her voice faltered. Looking over to Dark, she could see that while he appeared to be holding up, but his breathing was becoming noticeably ragged. Scooting up against him, she turned to face him, draped her forelegs and wings around him, and pulled him into a hug. Dark, in turn, didn't resist it as he allowed himself to fall into it before wrapping his arms around Twilight.
"What am I even suppose to say for something like this?" he quietly asked, trying to hold his back his choking.
"I'm sorry, Dark, I don't know how to answer that," Twilight apologized.
They remained like that for a few minutes, Dark leaning into Twilight while she continued holding and consoling him. While they remained like that, a thought came to Twilight.
"Hey," she softly began, "how about a story about them? One of when you guys were all happy together?"
Leaning back away from Twilight to look her in the eyes, Dark closed his before thinking of such a time. While it took some remembering, he eventually did think of a few times where they all had fun. Smiling at the memories, Dark opened his eyes and looked back to Twilight.
"It was about ten years ago," he began, "Big Beard and his sister, Fairy Dust, who was the same age as my sister, came over to our place to stay the weekend with us. During that time, we all played an assortment of games together. Tag, baseball, catch, and a few board games. It was fun and all, but it wasn't until nighttime came around that things started getting fun."
"Sounds like you all had a good time together," Twilight commented.
"We did. But I have to ask you first, though, have you ever heard of the game 'Ghost in the Graveyard'?"
"Sorry, I haven't."
"Well, the short version of it is that it's basically a combination of hide and seek, and tag. One pony is 'the ghost', and they have to find a place to hide within a specific area, while the others have to find him or her. And if you do, you shout out 'ghost in the graveyard!', and begin running around towards the designated 'safe zone', which in our case was the front porch. At least, that's how we played it. I'm sure there are other versions of it that other ponies play. And of course, there wasn't any magic or flying allowed. Anyway, Big Beard was the one who was 'the ghost', and while he was finding a place to hide, Fairy, Lilly, Light, and I, were on the porch with our eyes closed, counting down from thirty. Once we were done, we split up and began looking around our house for him. It took us a good ten minutes of searching, and guess what happened?"
"You found him?"
"Nope. Apparently, he hid himself so well that we gave up looking for him and meet up in front of the vines we had running up the side of the house at the time. Once we were all there, I asked, 'have you found Big Beard yet', and Lilly and Light each gave me a 'no'. It was then that Fairy said to us, 'guys, I'm scared', and then, right behind us in the vines, a voice said, 'I'm scared too'."
Dark took a moment from his storytelling to laugh at the memory, and was quickly joined in by Twilight.
"You have no idea how freaked-out we were from that. That whole time we were talking, and he was right there behind us."
"I can only imagine," Twilight giggled. "So, I take it that he got you?"
"Heh, he got all of us." Dark happily sighed. "That's easily one of the scariest, funnest, and most memorable moments of my life there."
"Kinda wishing I could have seen that now. So, do you have any other happy memories of them you want to share?"
"Off the top of my head, there's one other, but it's another Ghost in the Graveyard story."
"Go ahead, I'm here to listen."
"Alright then, where to start?" Dark muttered to himself. "Well, this time Light and I were over staying the night at Big Beard's house. The sun had just set, and he and Fairy wanted to play Ghost in the Graveyard again. So Light went off to hide while the rest of us stood at the front of the house, counting down from thirty again."
"Is there a rule for how long 'the ghost' has to hide?" Twilight wondered.
"Not really. We just agreed before we began playing that thirty seconds was enough time to hide." Getting an understanding nod from Twilight, Dark continued. "So anyway, after we finished counting down, we began looking for my little brother. Now with him, we gave him a black blanket to cover himself with, you know, since he has white wings to his blue coat. Anyway, it was a little harder to find him with the blanket that we gave him, so it took a bit more effort. But once we did, that's when things got fun. Even though he was younger than me by five years, he was already very fast on his hooves, enough to keep up with the rest of us. So, we began running around the back of the house where the moon's light was blocked by the house, and that's where it happened."
"What?"
"I was running at a full gallop when I ran into a wooden barrel that was hidden in the shadows."
Twilight cringed. "That sounds like it hurt a lot."
"It did, especially since I hit it shin-first while galloping at full speed. I'm actually kinda surprised that my leg didn't get scarred from it. After I hit it, Big Beard helped me back in into the house where my aunt tended to my leg. Turns out that I had scrapped my entire front shin pretty well, but it healed up after a few weeks. Although, sleeping that night was a bit of a challenge with how much it stung."
"Well, aside from the part of you getting hurt, it actually sounds like it would be fun to play."
"Yeah, it is pretty fun."
"You think we could play it with our friends someday?"
"If by 'day' you mean 'night', then I don't see why not."
"In that case, I'll be looking forward to it. Also, I'm glad to see you happy again."
"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm sorry for how I acted earlier, Twilight."
"You have no reason to be sorry. Besides, I would probably be the same way if I were in your horseshoes."
Happy with how things turned out, the two just sat there embracing each other. It wasn't until a few moments passed that Dark spoke up.
"You don't know how lucky I am to have you in my life now, Twilight" he softly said.
Pulling back from Dark from surprise, Twilight looked into his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Dark warmly smiled at her. "Whenever I seem to feel sad or down, you're always there to help make me feel better. It happened after you told me about the meeting with King Inferno, when you confronted me about how I was holding back my emotions, today when I came to the kitchen for breakfast and lunch, and now here." He paused to gently cup Twilight's cheek in his claw. "Every time, you're there for me. Even if I may feel like I want to be alone or want to try and hide it, when I'm around you, I don't feel like I need to hold any of it back. That after so many years of constant fighting and putting on a brave and tough face, that I no longer need to hide it. So thank you, Twilight, for simply being there for me."
With his little speech over, Twilight wiped her eyes dry with a hoof, happy and thankful for his kind words. Looking back up to Dark, she locked her gaze onto his eyes. As she looked into them, she could feel her heart beating faster as her cheeks heated up. She then felt something inside her that was urging her to be closer to him. Moving her forehooves, Twilight brought them back from around Dark's midsection and repositioned them around the back of his neck. Then, slowly, she found that she was pulling herself closer to his face, or more specifically, his lips.
Seeing Twilight's intent, Dark's heart began pounding away as he too began lowering himself to meet her halfway. As they neared each other, their eyes began to close. It was then, when their eyes were completely shut and that they could feel the warm breath from each other, that they-
"TWILIGHT!"
Hearing somepony shouting her name, Twilight snapped her eyes opened just in time to see a pink-colored blast of magic hitting Dark in the side of the head. It ripped him out from her hold and sent him flying head-first through the tombstone, breaking almost the whole thing apart. Seeing him sprawled on the ground amongst the crumbled pieces of stone, Twilight tried running over to his side, but found herself encased in a pink magical aura, and floating off the ground. It wasn't until she was set back down that she could turn to see who it was.
"Shining Armor?!" Twilight practically yelled. "What were you thinking?!"
"I'm keeping you safe from HIM!" he answered, pointing a hoof at Dark.
Getting his bearings together, Dark shook his head before noticing the black mist out of his right peripheral vision. Bringing a claw from the side of his head, he felt a trickle of blood that came from it. Standing up, Dark turned around to see who it was that attacked him. What he saw, though, he wasn't expecting.
Before Dark stood an orange pegasus pony in gold armor and six silver-armored crystal ponies who were holding Twilight back. And spread out alongside them were all of the guards that Princess Celestia had sent to defend Ponyville. But what got Dark's attention the most was the white unicorn standing at the front. His eyes immediately locking onto the red armor the stallion was wearing, and the red longsword that he was holding in his magic. While seeing Twilight being held back like this caused Dark's blood to start boiling, the sight of the red gear also made his eyes widen in fear. Although he'd never actually forged it before, he knew the look of that metal. So, it was with some difficulty that he whispered its name.
"Draconium."