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Calm Before the Storm

The Colours of Dusk
by Gallifrey

Chapter Eleven
Calm Before the Storm

Shaking, Blitz stole away through the undergrowth, muttered curses flying out of his mouth, turning the air as blue as his fur.

"Couldn't keep your fucking temper could you? Now look what you've done, you fucking idiot."

He didn't know where his hooves were taking him, but neither did he care as long as it took him away. He plodded on in a half daze, time slipped on, and his hooves kept trotting. If anyone had stumbled across him, they would be surprised at his lack of lucidity to his surroundings. His eyes were as glazed as one of Berry's doughnuts, and his face as blank as Butterscotch's sex life, yet still he navigated himself efficiently through the forest.
Blitz blinked, and he found himself at the edge of the trees. The transition was so sudden, he wondered if he'd teleported there. Before him lay more trees, but these trees were spaced out and well tended too. They were also bearing succulent red fruits. Wasting no time, Blitz fluttered up and plucked one from its tender stem, eliciting a soft rustle from the branch. No sooner had he raised the juicy fruit to his eager lips than it was snatched from his hooves by a lasso.

"Hey!"

Blitz twisted his head around to see an Applejack standing stoutly before him; he didn't look impressed.

"Hey indeed! I thought you were nothing more than some miscreant, scrumping for my apples, and ya know what, I was right!"

"Aw c'mon, AJ! It's not like I don't buy enough off you anyway!"

"I s'pose," he said grudgingly, throwing the apple back at him. Blitz caught it in his mouth and champed it down. "Why you out here anyhow? Ain't nothing out here except the Everfree... and mah trees."

Blitz deliberated carefully for a moment; trust and secrecy battling together.

"Can I have a drink?" he asked, throat dry, despite the apple.

"Sure, ah guess," said Applejack, noticing Blitz's troubled expression. "You like my hard cider don't'cha?"

Blitz nodded and followed Applejack's lead through the groves back to his home.

Honesty is said to be the best policy. This worked especially well when conversing with Applejack.

"It looks like you're in a bit of a pickle," said Applejack, as Big Macintosh walked silently past them. The two stallions were sat in Applejack's homely dining room, sitting at his table. Copper pots and pans hung from the low ceiling; Big Macintosh bumped his head on a particularly low hanging colander on his way out.

"A bit?!" blurted Blitz as Applejack took a swig of his own cider. "AJ, you did hear me, right?"

"I sure did, bro," he said, setting his mug down on the smoothed wooden table. "You said you had a crush on old Dusk and now everything's more than a bit fucked up, right?"

"Right." He took a draught of his drink. "I didn't mean to puncture the balloon."

"I believe ya," said Applejack patiently, this was the seventh time Blitz had told him so.

Blitz looked down at his mug and saw a tired faced stallion in his reflection. He sighed.

"What the hell do I do now?" he asked miserably, slumping forward.

Applejack rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He judged the best course of action was to be honest. Surprisingly.

"You can do two things," he began slowly. "You can either pretend you had nothing to do with it, and risk being found out... or you can tell Dusk the truth yourself, and hope he's reasonable; he's the most reasonable pony I know so that might be a better option."

"But I don't like the sound of either of them!" complained Blitz.

"Sorry bro, but that's what you've gotta deal with. No-one said it was gonna be easy."

"Urgh! Hey, you won't tell anyone about this will you?" asked Blitz, suddenly fearful.

"Ha, this mess seems way too complicated, hell if I'm getting mixed up in it!"

"Oh good," said Blitz, feeling several tense muscles relax slightly. "This sucks enough for me as it is."

"I hear ya," said Applejack, draining his mug. "Righ', I gotta get back to work. You're welcome to hang out and stay fer dinner if you want," he said kindly. "You sure look like you use some company right now." Blitz's eyes shined with gratitude, that was all the confirmation Applejack needed.
"C'mon then ya big lump. I need a bit o' help pumping the fertiliser anyhow."

Blitz couldn't help but snicker like a school colt.

"Oh, shut up."

Over a slow moving and somewhat muddy river lived an old pine tree. It had lived a long and simple life, which can be the best type of life, especially for a tree. In its old age, it was bent over at a slight angle, hanging over the river and the ancient rickety bridge next to it.
It was a very patient tree, even for tree standards, and right now it was patiently busy with a particular pair of pine cones that were growing patiently on one of its branches. For trees know things. They are often overlooked and underestimated, but trees are surprisingly observant, and this one had observed enough to know what was going to happen. It remembered the fleeting blurs of pink, purple, white and bright blue from the other day. They had been fast, but the tree had watched them closely and had seen the signs. With wooden eagerness, it went back to preparing its pine cones.

"I can patch up that canvas for you no trouble if you like."

"Oh no no, you're doing enough for me as it is, what with the suit and dress."

Dusk and Elusive were standing at the edge of the Everfree, while the sorry looking mess that had once been a beautiful hot air balloon was dragged across the grass, led by Spike.

"Besides, I think it's a bit beyond repair," Dusk added sadly, casting wan eyes over what was perhaps his most cherished possession.

"You may be right," admitted the white stallion. Still, at least you're okay– well, except for those unsightly cuts you have..."

"Thanks, 'Lucy," said Dusk dryly. "My chest is pretty bruised up too, I'm just glad I'm purple." He started to chuckle, but it hurt, so he stopped.

"Yes, sometimes I envy you," said Elusive absently as a white figure separated from the team of ponies that were pulling the wreckage free and came towards them.

On reflection, Dusk counted himself very lucky that no-one had been badly hurt, and that no fire had broke out. His nerves twanged when he reminded himself that he still didn't know how it could even have happened at all.

"I'm glad that's over," said Dawn, panting slightly, her mane straying over her eyes. She swished it out of the way impatiently.

"You didn't have to help," said Dusk hopelessly. He'd spent ten minutes trying to persuade her to rest, but she insisted.

"Oh, it's fine, don't fuss! The only reason you're here is because I made you."

Dusk had to concede this, and sat down. Elusive took a step forward.

"Dawn, my dear, you're not busy tomorrow at all, are you?" asked Elusive smoothly, gently leading her away from Dusk.

Dawn glanced at Dusk, who was sat stiffly, looking at a dandelion lion clock with such intensity she was worried it would combust.

"No, I'm not," she returned, smiling. She was horribly concious of how her mane must look right now.

"I'm sure Dusk mentioned something about my offer of making you a dress for the Midsummer Night's Dance?"

Dawn nodded profusely.

"Ah, good. Would you be so kind and willing to visit me tomorrow afternoon? I'll need to get you– measured up."

"Th-That sounds fine," said Dawn quietly.

"I look forward to it," he said softly. Taking his leave, he turned and surreptitiously flicked his tail, catching Dawn's chin, causing her cheeks to erupt with colour. "No need to bring Dusk or anything you understand," he said with a wink. "Ta ta!"

Dawn realised that her breathing had become somewhat ragged. Taking a moment, she composed herself and returned to Dusk.

"Dusk?" she said apprehensively.

"Hmm?" He shook his head and snapped out of his self-induced trance. "Sorry." He stood up and they started walking back to Ponyville. "You and Elusive are getting on rather well," he observed wryly.

Dawn's blush returned with full force.

"Well, can you blame me?" she queried. "He's quite dashing, to say the least."

"I-I wouldn't know about that..." Dusk stammered, a blush of his own threatening to make an appearance.

"Well I do," said Dawn dreamily. She coughed awkwardly and they walked in silence for a little while.

Dawn wondered how to go about asking about a certain miniature horse of the blue, flying variety.

"Did you ever find out why Blitz disappeared yesterday?" she asked apprehensively.

"Huh? Oh, no. I haven't heard from him to tell the truth..."

Dusk looked a little troubled. Dawn opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it.

"I'm sure you'll see him soon enough," she said, not entirely sure she wanted that to happen, they weren't exactly on the best of terms after all.

"Yes... he's been acting rather more oddly than usual..." mumbled Dusk, more to himself than to Dawn.

Walking fretfully and jumping at small noises, Rainbow Blitz walked through cool and shaded avenues towards the Library. His heart hammered in his chest as he approached the door, not noticing the 'Closed' sign hanging upon it in his nerves.
Raising a trembling hoof, he considered running. Just running. Running to the horizon and never looking back, because he dare not, out of shame. If only things were so simple...

You don't have to do this, said a small voice in his mind.

Taking a swift breath, he closed his eyes and knocked on the door. Okay, step one, done. He waited in trepidation, the sounds of his hoof on wood echoing around his head, feeling more and more ill with every passing second. After about a minute of tortuous waiting, he repeated the process all over again.
Blitz snorted in impatience.
He stamped on the ground to bring back some feeling to his legs and shimmied over to a window, peering in, and inadvertently treading on one of Dusk's blooming flowerbeds. The Library looked completely still from what he could tell.

"Oh, are you fucking kidding me," he cursed to himself.

Dusk wasn't in.
Unawares to the irate blue stallion, he was no longer alone. The new arrival looked at him curiously, and with a little difficulty focussing, approached him.

"But I don't wanna have to wait ages..." mumbled Blitz coarsely, moving his head from side to side to see more of the Library's interior.

"Good evening, Rainbow," said a gentle voice from behind him.

Once Blitz's body had finished reacting to the voice as though it was a live electrical wire, he spun around to find himself face to face with a amber-eyed pegasus.

"H-Hey, Derpy," he said weakly.

"What are you doing?" she asked inquisitively, sitting down. "And why are you trampling poor Dusk Shine's flowers?"

"Oh crap," said Blitz, jumping off the flowerbed, although the damage had been done. "I- uh, this is a long shot, but you don't know where Dusk is do you?"

"Dusk? Last I heard he was, um, still out in the Everfree, clearing that balloon up." Derpy shuddered, her eyes rolling slightly. "I hate to think what could have happened to them. I'm surprised you're not out there with them."

"I must have missed the memo," said Blitz evasively. "I wish he'd come back soon."

"The library's been closed all day," said Derpy reassuringly, noticing his agitation. "So I imagine he'll be back soon enough."

"I hope so," said Bliz absently, looking inside again. He sniffed and looked at Derpy, as if for the first time.

Derpy was a mother, he knew that much. So that must mean she had at least some experience with a stallion before... maybe she could help him.

"Um, Derpy, you know stallions?" he began stupidly.

"Yes, I know stallions," she said, smiling wryly.

"Well, um, how does one go about... um asking them out?"

Derpy blinked. She hadn't expected that. But, being the motherly mare she was, she felt compelled to try as best she could.

"Usually," she began, one eye staring fixedly at him, "a stallion asks you out and you make a decision... at least, that's in the case of stallions and mares. I imagine it's different for two stallions..." Blitz nodded fervently. "Hmm, I guess, at least for me, I was swept off my hooves, rather literally in fact. Perhaps that would be a good approach?"

"Swept off your hooves?" asked Blitz.

"Mmhmm, and taken to see wonders beyond imagination," her eyes glazed over for a second. "But anyway, you could do something like that if you like. Be bold! Show him a good time! Impress him!"

Blitz nodded thoughtfully and drank in all she had to say. He knew he was impressive already, he was Rainbow Blitz after all... Derpy Hooves may suffer from a lazy eye, but she was a highly observant mare, which probably comes from being able to focus on more than one thing at once. She gave him a wan smile.

"I wish you luck Rainbow. I hope you fare better than I did."

"What hap–"

"Travelling," she said shortly, an uncharacteristic tone of bitterness in her voice. "He- He likes to travel."

"Sorry," said Blitz quickly, feeling as though he'd struck a nerve.

"It's fine," she said, her voice coloured with sadness. "He comes to visit every so often. Not as often as I'd like of course, and it hurts, but..." she sighed, it carried much more heartache than she was letting on in her voice. "If you ever want to come and talk, you know where I live," she said kindly, standing up. "And I always have a few muffins to spare for a visitor."

"Thanks Derpy," said Blitz gratefully, his heart panging in sympathy for the poor mare's situation. You couldn't look into those yellow eyes and not care about her. "I'll see ya around."

"Goodnight!" said Derpy, flapping a wing in farewell as she rounded a corner.

In her absence, Blitz suddenly found himself lost. He couldn't just stand and wait for Dusk's return, that'd be just weird, and neither did he really have anywhere to go. In the end, he decided to go for a walk; he didn't have any destination in mind, he just walked under the warm, evening sky.

I just wish he'd leave me alone sometimes, you know?

I know exactly what you mean.

Dusk was on top of her...

He's going to the Dance with her.

Blitz shook his head violently, dispelling the memories.

Blitz felt oddly visceral of his surroundings. The smell of freshly cut grass blended with fragrant flowers caressed his nose, the symphonies of birds, and melodies of running water, the feeling of cool grass under his hooves, now dry dust, now wood... wait, wood?
He found himself on a bridge in the park, a particular bridge that looked too haggered and bent to even be stood up.

"Huh," said Blitz. He paused for a moment to enjoy the tranquillity, standing on his hind legs, his front legs resting crossed on the bridge.

An old pine tree's branches shifted slightly, despite there being a lack of wind. It looked down at Blitz closely and observed him as only a tree can. It was not time yet.
The shadows crept across the landscape in unison as the day lengthened, the water flowed lazily under the bridge, the world ticked over as it had for countless millennia, and yet, Blitz didn't move a move a muscle for over an hour.
Blitz turned his head, he had a feeling of being watched. Frowning, he slowly made his way back to the Library, preparing to do something both extremely brave, and extremely stupid.

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