The Hoofy Decimal System
The Colours of Dusk
by Gallifrey
Chapter Three
The Hoofy Decimal System
Steam rose up in aetheral curls and danced their vaporous dance together. Dusk let out a blissful sigh as the hot water cascaded over him; this was was easily the most satisfying shower he'd ever had. Feeling himself finally be rid of the cake mix was a blessing in itself, but he also found plenty of to think while he scrubbed.
That was the funny thing with showers, they had strange properties that let the storm of thoughts that occupied every active mind settle down and let the owner see the world in perfect clarity for a change. His calmed mind began to wander through the thickets of imagination, from what blackberries and carrots might taste like together, and then on to what books he'd like to buy, and then drifting aimlessly to what kissing somepony might be like... or even making love...
Wait, rein it in there, boy he thought, turning down the temperature of the shower to dispel the thoughts. Of course, all that succeeded in doing was making him more uncomfortable. Dusk knew that it would be impractical to pursue a lover, as he had explained countless times to seemingly deaf ears, he didn't much care for romance or any of that. He hadn't the time, the money, nor the patience for such reckless frivolities. Some, such as timid old Butterscotch, could relate, whereas some, such as Elusive, called him mad for not taking an interest. Even so, it was nice to imagine sometimes.
His thoughts naturally turned to his friends, first to Elusive, who could turn any guy gay at the drop of a hat if he wished, he was certainly handsome enough. But that was it for Dusk, he was nice to look at, but he was lacking in substance. He was also straight, but it's all hypothetical so it didn't matter.
He reeled through the rest of his friends, who all fell into the same class as Elusive, except one...
Blitz?
The charismatic, prismatic, and often problematic pegasus stormed through Dusk's inner eye just like he would in reality. There was something more about him, Dusk couldn't put his hoof on it, but Blitz always acted very kindly towards him, and rarely poked fun at him anymore like he used to, not only that, but he was strong, athletic, everything he himself wasn't...
Meanwhile, back in the real world, time was whittling away as usual, and there was a hammering on the door.
"Hey! Unless you're planning on washing your fur off or something, you have a visitor down here!" shouted Dawn through the woodwork.
Snapping out of his intimate thoughts, Dusk jammed off the faucet and all but fell out of the shower, dripping wet and disgruntled, but at least squeaky clean. He shook off the thoughts of his friends, and even one or two about Dawn as he dried himself off.
Stupid ideas. I've never acted on them before, no need to start now.
With a ruffled purple coat and mane that made him look as if he'd been bedraggled in a rain shower and then dragged through a hedge backwards, Dusk came trotting down the stairs to meet: apparently no-one.
"Hello?" he called out to the empty entrance hall as he drew a brush through his hair. Dawn's head poked out from around a corner, her golden mane flowing over her face.
"Umm, he's in the living room," she said uncertainly. "Didn't seem too keen on talking, so I just left him to it..."
"Oh, it'll be Butterscotch then," said Dusk confidently. "He's just very shy of ponies he hasn't met before... uh, is all your luggage still down here?" he asked.
"Yes, but don't mind me, I'm not exactly short of entertainment," she said amiably, gesturing to the city of literature around her.
"Right, I'll go deal with 'Scotch, and I'll help you settle in, 'kay?"
"Take your time," said Dawn, climbing up a ladder to peruse the higher tiers.
Nodding to himself, Dusk ventured into the living room, to see a wavy pink tail sticking out from behind his sofa.
"Hey Butterscotch," said Dusk, rolling his eyes.
There was a frightened squeak that was unnaturally high for any stallion, and two bright blue eyes rose from behind the sofa, surveying the room fearfully.
"Hello, Dusk," he whispered. "I-Is she in here?"
"No, she's outside," said Dusk gently, gently coaxing the timid pony out from behind the sofa. "Come on, she's not gonna bite you, I even have a letter from Celestia proving it."
Slowly but surely, Butterscotch slunk out of the shadows like a cautious deer and into the entrance hall, albeit nervously. Dawn tactfully stayed up the ladders so as not to scare him away.
"Butterscotch, this is Dawn Star, she only got here about an hour ago."
"Two hours actually, you were in that shower for ages. And hello Butterscotch, it's always nice to meet a handsome pegasus."
Butterscotch, although still confused as to what this mare was doing in Dusk's house, blushed furiously at being called handsome. Most nopony ever called him handsome.
"Th-Thank you," he stammered, feeling a measure of confidence being injected into him. "Dusk, I'd like to borrow a book, please," he said with a tentative, yet firm smile.
"Of course," he said, pleased that his friend wasn't hiding behind him as he'd expected.
"I don't know if you have any books on feng shui?" asked Butterscotch. Up behind Dusk, he noticed Dawn push the ladders about down the room as she searched the shelves.
"Feng shui?" said Dusk with a hint of disdain. "'Scotch, you don't actually believe in that crap do you?"
"The way I see it, it's not about believing it," called Dawn from on high, "it's good to dabble in other cultures after all. Mind expanding. You don't have to believe in it."
Butterscotch nodded fervently.
"That's– actually reasonable," said Dusk, surprised. "Though I dunno if we have any books on it, I don't recall seeing any."
"Here," said Dawn, stepping off the ladder and presenting Butterscotch with eight books. "I'd personally recommend The Equestrian Guide to Balance in the Home, it has a very approachable format that's neatly presented."
"Oh my, thank you!" said Butterscotch gratefully, taking the book and looking at them with interest.
"How–" began Dusk staring at her in disbelief.
"Hoofy decimal system, memorised it when I was a filly. And close you mouth, it's not a good look."
"You'd make a better librarian than I!" he exclaimed, throwing a hoof into the air.
"Oh, I don't know about that," she said modestly, "I'm sure there's lots of things I don't know about taking care of all these books."
Dusk shrugged. He wondered just how many more surprises this mare had up her proverbial sleeves.
"Thank you, these look wonderful!" said Butterscotch. "Yes, I'll take these three please."
"Okie doke," said Dusk, "Spike! Could you stamp these out please?"
"On it!"
Dusk eyed Dawn critically. He'd only just met her, and she'd surprised him more than half the ponies he knew. He came to only one vague conclusion.
She is not a normal pony.
"Thanks, Dusk! A-And Miss Star!"
Dusk nodded with a smile while Dawn insisted he call her by her first name. The bell on the door tinkled as Butterscotch left with a noticeable spring in his step, leaving silence in his wake.
"So, handsome eh?" said Dusk with a wry smile.
"Well, he's not bad looking," said Dawn. "But it was mainly to give him some confidence, the poor guy."
"Whatever you say."
"I do say!" she said indignantly. "He looked so terrified of me, I didn't know what else to say!"
"Come on," said Dusk chuckling, "let's get you unpacked."
Bubble Berry set two cups of tea down on the polished wooden table. He took a seat opposite Blitz and immediately took the lid off the sugar bowl. The pink pony took a generous spoonful of sugar out of it, tipped the whole sugar bowl into his tea and put the spoonful back into it. Shrugging, Blitz took the remaining spoon of sugar and added it to his own.
Sugar Cube Corner was relatively quiet for an afternoon, which was good news considering Berry had been distracted from his job by Blitz.
"So Blitz," said Berry as he stirred his 'tea', "what fun plans do you have in mind? More pranking and/or drinking?"
"Not exactly," said Blitz, considering his words carefully, and wondering how he was supposed to word the proposal without sounding creepy. "Uh, you know how um... er... do you wanna sneak on Dusk with me?" he asked, deciding to get straight to the point.
"Huh?" asked Berry, puzzled. "You mean like spy on him?"
"Shhh!" hissed the pegasus, looking around to make sure no-one was listening in. "You make it sound so... dishonest. I just wanna see how he's getting on with this Dawn Star chick."
"Ohhh," said Berry, realisation dawning. Rainbow Blitz was worried about Dusk falling for this new mare! But if that was the case... "Why don't you just talk to her about it yourself? Or him?"
"In case I'm wrong and he does like her!"
"But what if you're right?" asked Berry tactlessly as he ate some of his sugar with tea in it.
"I don't wanna think about it," muttered the pegasus darkly. "But I have to know. So, will ya help a guy out?"
Berry considered. There didn't seem to be any harm in Blitz's plan, and it did sound fun, especially if he was allowed to wear his black latex ninja suit.
"I'll do it!" he said eagerly, bumping Blitz's hoof.
"Great! We'll leave it until tomorrow, then have a look at what they're up to! Or not up to, as the case may be."
This was the perfect plan! Nothing could possibly go wrong!
Sunlight streamed in through the windows of the spare bedroom, and Dusk Shine, champion of locked luggage everywhere, was pottering around opening up bags and trunks effortlessly with his magic. It's often said that you could comfortably fit everything you'd need to travel into one suitcase. Dawn had apparently never heard of this principle.
"You really like books, huh?" commented Dusk as he snapped open yet another suitcase and was greeted by the smell of paper and ink.
"Huh? Oh, yes. Despite this whole visiting business, I still have work to be getting on with. Although Luna seemed to neglect to mention that I'd be staying in a library." She sighed irritably. "I could've made space for more things... I dunno, clothes maybe."
"What would you need clothes for?" asked Dusk, puzzled.
"Dusk Shine, a mare always needs clothing when she's travelling."
"Uh, if you say so..." He opened another bag, but found this one full of sanitary items. "I-I'll let you sort that one out yourself," he said, cheeks tinting pink. He flipped open another case, and found this one containing a few steamy romance novels. In retrospect he was wishing he hadn't volunteered to unpack for her, this was riskier than being drunk in a minefield.
Dawn meanwhile tried out the guest bed, first pressing her hooves down on it to test the springs, and then sitting down on the edge as she sorted out another bag that contained her quills and inks.
"Nice bed," she complimented, "much better than that old, dusty one I had to put up with last night in the Aurora Tower."
Dusk, who was setting a few books onto the bedside table, fumbled and dropped them. He winced as one struck him on his hoof.
"Did you say the Aurora Tower?" he asked, rubbing his leg. Dawn nodded. "But that's where I used to live! You must have slept in my own old bed!"
"Oh really?" said Dawn, taking an interest to this coincidence. "Ahh, that does make sense," she said, looking at Dusk's mane. "I did see some horrible blue and purple hairs in an old hairbrush in the bathroom..."
Dusk couldn't help but feel a little affronted by this.
"My mane isn't horrible," he mumbled awkwardly.
"Oh no, I didn't mean your mane," said Dawn hurriedly, doubling back on her words, "I just meant the hairs in your old brush..." Dawn took a vase off the window sill and shuffled to the bathroom to fill it with water. She returned and put the flower Dusk had given her into it. "I didn't mean your mane," she repeated, eyeing him uncertainly.
"Don't worry about it," said Dusk waving a hoof carelessly. "Besides, if you see my mane in the morning you would think it was horrible!"
Dawn chuckled. She wouldn't have long to wait to see if that claim was true.
The sweet melodies of the twittering birds in the trees outside would have been pleasant to listen to, but the vernal symphonies were spoiled somewhat, partly by the windows, but mostly from Dusk's grunting as he busied himself around her. Dawn gazed out the window to assess the view she'd be living with for the next two weeks. Through the emerald dappled shadows of the young summer leaves, Dawn could see some of the small streets of Ponyville. Peering down curiously, she could see a chocolate brown earth pony and a blue-grey pegasus in cheerful conversation with one another as they walked. Dawn wondered what they were talking about. She also noticed that the pegasus' eyes were... well, a little wonky to say the least. An innocent intrigue burned within her, but she composed herself not to stare at the poor mare. Dragging her eyes up to the horizon, she could see–
"Canterlot," she whispered. Dusk, hearing some kind of faint hissing sound, trotted over to the radiator, and tapped it with a confused expression, before returning to work with a shrug.
The afternoon's light struck the mountains of Canterlot at an impressive angle, accentuating the rugged formations and casting them in sharp relief. As beautiful as they were in their own right, they regrettably paled in comparison to the glowing beacon that was Canterlot itself. The city shimmered proudly over the plains of Equestria, and Dawn was loving it. Due to it being invisible from Seaddle, she'd never seen Canterlot like this before, shining like a polished lighthouse made of diamonds. So all in all, Dawn concluded that it was rather a pleasant view.
She became aware that she could hear the bird song clearly now, it leapt merrily through the now open windows and settled down gently into Dawn's ears. The white mare turned to see Dusk's horn glowing as he opened the panes with his magic. He gave her a swift smile that she returned.
"You seem to be enjoying the view," remarked Dusk, as he snapped shut the mostly empty cases around him, again with magic.
"I- It's beautiful," she said, turning to look at the stunning horizon again. Dusk chuckled.
"I won't deny that it is, but I found it ever so distracting when I moved in. This used to be my study, but I had to swap the study and the guest bedroom around so I could focus on my work!"
"So are you of the easily distractable type?" asked Dawn casually as her eyes spun back to the designer skyline.
"Not particularly," said Dusk, frowning slightly. "I doubt anypony could do research on second era economic policies or mitochondrial biochemistry with that glittering like a waterfall. Heck, there are waterfalls!"
While he had been talking, he rose up the cases and bags and set them neatly in the corner of the room, not even taking his eyes off Dawn. She however, watched with interest and even a little envy at his skills.
I wonder just how adept his magic is, she wondered, staring at his horn. Of all the stories I've heard, are any of them true?
"Dawn, you alright?" asked Dusk, glancing self-consciously up at his horn.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, giving her head a little shake.
"Wonderful," he said, flashing her a smile as he headed for the door. "Seeing as all your stuff is now in place, I'll be down in the laboratory if you want anything. Or if you wanna come and join me or whatever." That had sounded a lot better in his head than it had vocalised.
"Thanks, Dusk."
"I'll just leave you to it," he said sheepishly, fumbling slightly with the doorknob on his way out.
Dawn grinned and turned back to take out a battered brown note book and quill. She sat at the edge of her bed and began to write:
Dear Journal,
I got to Ponyville today; it looks like a charming little town and I can't wait to explore it some more tomorrow. I'll ask Dusk if he can show me around or something. Speaking of Dusk Shine, I met him today, he's one of the most helpful unicorns I've ever met! He carried my bags to the library and even unpacked most of my stuff for me. He seems a little unsure of himself at times but I think that comes of him having just met me.
Anyway, it's nice here, I have a great room and I think I'm going to enjoy my visit.
Dawn put the quill to her mouth and she sucked on the end of it for a second before adding:
I met a few of Dusk's friends today too. Butterscotch, who seems very pleasant, if terrified of me. Bubble Berry, who is nuts, but in the good way. And Rainbow Blitz, who I don't know anything about yet, but was acting rather oddly when I met him. I'll keep an eye out on that.
Going to do some reading now, and have a look at Dusk's laboratory later. I've never even heard of a library with a lab in it before!
Nodding to herself, she closed her journal and took out a new book she was reading: Daring Do and the Jungle of Terror.
Yes, this was going to be a fun two weeks.
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JUst started reading this story and as soon as i finish chapter 2 another chapter!
and p.s: FIRST!
Oh, Blitz.
Famous last words, there. The one line that is the scourge of us all.
Would it be cruel of me to root for Dawn, dood?
2676629
Who said there was gonna be a love triangle?
2676639 the voice in my head, dood.
Looks like Blitz doesn't have any competition.
"Daring Do and the Jungle of Terror"
Oh ho ho ho~
2675816
Nope.
Hey wait I remember now, you wrote that one story about Blitz and Dusk where AJ was a royal asshole.
I actually like this so far, moar my dear sir!
i vote DuskBlitz
I vote Polygamy!
2676639
Yeah. If you ask me, it's polygamy or ShineBlitz. There aren't enough movies or books or stories in general where a man and woman have a meaningful or close platonic relationship.
2678410 Soraka banana's op
Great start I just read it all. Love it!
Wow, you're doing a great job! I was going into it expecting Dawn to be painfully generic and waiting for her to make place for Blitz, but damn, you're writing her extremely well! I'd go as far as saying that it's too bad this is, according to the cover, DuskBlitz because DuskDawn (which sounds kinda cheesy) would definitely be interesting.
It doesn't matter, though; You can go in every direction you want (well, most directions) and I'd still read it. Dawn would seem like a good friend as well.
I totally LOVE this fic
The group really needs more of this awesome and adictive stories!! Besides, if it has Dusk x Blitz in the story, it has my vote.
Keep up the good work!