Chapter 32 - I don't want it
I don't want it
Rarity had spent a horrible night. It had already been two nights in a row, and she could barely sleep. As much as she was tried, every time she had gone to bed, the only thing that comes to mind was Dusk Shine and Fluttershy. Those two must’ve been enjoying their time together, laughing and flirting with each other, modeling for a famous and prestigious photographer while everyone told them what a beautiful couple they were, falling more and more in love with each other.
Those thoughts stalked her day and night, ever since she fled after seeing Fluttershy lovingly embracing Dusk Shine in the photo shoot. Rarity had spent almost two days in complete solitude confined in her own house. It didn’t help knowing that Sweetie Belle was out with their parents these days. The only company that the unicorn had those days was her cat, Opalescence, a small and plump cat with white fur that always accompanied her owner when she was feeling upset or ‘suffering’ for some reason, but those had mostly been sorrows of love.
"Meow!" shrieked Opalescence annoyingly loudly, running away from Rarity's embrace after her owner threw herself to hug her and squeeze her between her hooves just upon waking up, awakening the angry feline in the process.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Opal, it's just... I had a bad night again." Rarity said with a sad expression. "I guess I'm just a nuisance to you too..."
Opal just stared at her owner with a face of indifference, as if she was already tired of seeing her that depressed. Then the cat approached its owner slowly and bit one of its front legs.
"Ouch! That hurt." Rarity shouted, removing her the cat away from her hoof and began tending the small wound her pet had left her. Then both the owner and pet looked at each other for a few seconds.
"You're right! Enough of this self-pity, this is not me! I must leave my room and go on with my life!" Rarity said with conviction as if her cat had given her a tremendous psychic speech.
Determined to put aside the problems that plagued her, Rarity finally decided to fix herself and began to look as stunning as ever. She remembered that that day was the weekly breakfast with all her friends. It was the perfect opportunity to be able to get rid of all her problems with them, maybe even talk to Fluttershy herself about everything that had happened. After all, she had to have finished all that fuss over those photos long ago. Surely now the two of them could talk more privately about everything that happened.
With that in mind, Rarity arrived at the main hall, full of hope of having a great day. She looked at herself in one of the many mirrors in her room, smiled to give herself some confidence, and with a big smile, opened the door of her house after two days in solitude.
"It is time to stop thinking about things that may never have happened! I will not think about what happened with Fluttershy and Dusk Shine!" Rarity thought determinedly, taking the first step out of her house.
"Extra! Extra! Fluttershy and Dusk Shine, the couple of the year! Extra!" Suddenly a small foal shouted out Ponyville newspaper, throwing a copy to the legs of Rarity, whose cover featured Fluttershy and Dusk Shine next to Photo Finish, both posing in front of the cameras with their characteristic shy pose.
In just a second, Rarity's positive mood fell and crashed to the ground. She stared at the cover of the newspaper with a blank stare, as if she literally could not believe what she was seeing.
While Rarity was still perplexed by the newspaper, a shadow that passed through the sky distracted her. Then she looked up and saw Rainbow Dash flying over the village, with a large canvas of an image of Fluttershy drinking a well-known brand of Ponyville juice.
The white unicorn stared at the large canvas with her mouth open, and a stunned look as one of her eyes trembled.
"What in the world does all this mean!?" Rarity whispered as her feelings fought each other to see who was the strongest. And since her optimism and joy had vanished, the victor would’ve decided to bring out depression, but what filled her emotions the most at that moment were jealousy and anger.
With a look of deep annoyance, it was that finally Rarity continued her way towards the town. Annoyed after seeing that, contrary to what she expected, it seemed that the fame of Fluttershy had not disappeared in those days, and what’s worse, as Rarity went deeper into the town, she could see that the fame of Fluttershy not only was it ‘not over’, but the whole thing had shot to a whole new level.
On her way to the village market, Rarity had already been amazed to see several posters where Fluttershy appeared promoting different products, and even more to see that almost everyone in the town commented on the photo in the newspaper where the images of Fluttershy and Dusk appearing together, which seemed to have brought up a great rumor of the week in the town. However, nothing prepared Rarity for what she would see when she arrived at the market. Her mouth could not help but open in disbelief when she saw that each market business had an image of Fluttershy. It was as if she was the new emblem of the town. It even seemed that they were selling merchandise that only related to Fluttershy. They sold figurines of her, autographed photos, or fashion magazines where she appeared posing with Dusk Shine.
"It can't be..." Rarity said totally surprised as jealousy, added to the feelings of betrayal, began to boil inside her.
Rarity kept walking, distracting herself when she saw a small filly with a hairstyle like Fluttershy's saying 'I want to be like Fluttershy!' When suddenly she collided with someone.
"Ops, I'm sorry." Rarity said apologetically quickly.
"Hey, wait your turn!" Said the mare she had hit, annoyed with Rarity when she thought they wanted to take her place.
It was then that Rarity realized that she had collided with a row of ponies waiting in front of a small stand to buy what appeared to be a magazine. When not seeing well what it was, Rarity approached a little to the stand and saw that up there was a sign of what appeared to be the silhouettes of Dusk Shine and Fluttershy, and under this sign read: 'Flutter-Dusk, a story of forbidden love. '
"What..." Rarity whispered incredulously.
Then she quickly snatched a magazine from one of the mares that had just bought it and read it. To her total surprise, this was not a magazine, but a small comic where someone had drawn cartoons in the oriental style of Fluttershy and Dusk Shine.
'I ... love you, Dusk Senpai.' said the drawing of a shy Fluttershy.
'I love you too, Flutter-chan.' said Dusk's drawing with exceedingly large and bright eyes.
And then the drawing ended with both characters kissing each other romantically in front of a sunset...
"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS!" Rarity shouted after flipping through the comic she had just taken.
"I know, they sell like hotcakes!" Lyra said suddenly, appearing from behind the stand, who apparently was the creator of that comic. "Who would say that Flutter and Dusk's ship would sell so well! There are some rather fiery scenes, but it's a comic book for people over 18 after all."
Then Rarity looked in puzzlement as all the mares around her chatted about Lyra's comic, including Bon Bon, who after her conversion with the group 'We Hated Dusk', read enthusiastically the love story written by her friend, just like that all the mares there, who argued animatedly about how romantic Dusk could be and how good Dusk and Fluttershy looked in the story.
"Ugh...! Enough!" Finally, Rarity shouted furiously, turning around and walking quickly to get away from everything finally.
"This is crazy, why are you all so obsessed with Fluttershy and Dusk Shine!?" Rarity thought annoyed as she made her way through the ponies of the place. All while her anger gave way to jealousy. "Why!? Why couldn’t it be me! I should never have asked Fluttershy to help me!"
Finally, after much walking and evading all the places that had an image of Fluttershy as much as possible, Rarity managed to reach her destination, the Ponyville Café. There, who were already waiting were Applejack and Rainbow Dash; however, there was no sign of the others.
"I'm sorry for being late." Rarity said when she arrived, breathing a couple of times before speaking, because at that time of the day, with everything that happened, she was already in a terrible mood and didn’t want to meet up with her friends.
"We already thought you would not arrive, besides neither Dusk nor Fluttershy nor Pinkie Pie have come, so it doesn’t matter." Applejack said greeting her friend.
"Well, the only mystery is why Pinkie Pie didn’t come, because it’s pretty obvious why Dusk and Fluttershy haven’t come." Rainbow Dash added, scratching her head. "Those two have become very famous, they appear everywhere, even a merchant paid me to fly around, advertising the image of Fluttershy! Can you believe it! However, I can’t complain, he paid me very well. So, I could buy breakfast!" Rainbow Dash finished saying with a smile and showing a small bag with many bits.
"Oh yes, on the farm we are also taking the image of Fluttershy in our baskets. In fact, sales have increased." Applejack said also smiling.
"Doesn't it bother you? We're her friends! Doing that is like... you all are working for her!" Rarity said annoyed as her jealousy prevented her from understanding why her friends were not angry too. "And... and what about Dusk, doesn’t it bother you that everypony thinks they're a couple! She's taking advantage of Dusk!"
Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at each other and then began to laugh, at Rarity's perplexed gaze.
"What are you talking about? Surely they’re all just rumors, hahaha..." Rainbow Dash laughed. "You know, those fashion magazines love to make up rumors about others, and Fluttershy would never do anything like take advantage of Dusk."
"That's what they think, but they didn’t see what I saw." Rarity thought upset, remembering the bold embrace that Fluttershy gave Dusk. "The truth is that there is a great possibility that they really are a couple, and they don't even bother to keep it a secret! I'm not sure, or rather I don't want to believe it, but it seems more real to me every time!"
"Yeah, besides, the only thing we can do is be happy for her." Added Applejack with a friendly smile. "If she has become famous, we should support her, right?"
Rarity only bit her lip without answering. She wanted to think like her friends. In fact, she had been the first to support Fluttershy before all that happened, even though she was hurt because she was robbed of her dream, however, with everything she had seen and lived with, it was difficult for Rarity to put aside her jealousy and feelings of being betrayed.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Rarity saw a pony with a big hat approaching them, a hat that hid half her face and that was enough for any pony that saw her not to recognize her, however for her friends it was clear who it was when they saw the yellow hooves and the pink tail. It was the pony that caused all the commotion of those days.
"Fluttershy, why did she come with that hat? Is she hiding?" Rarity thought as she approached Fluttershy.
"Oh, look, it's Fluttershy, hello Fluttershy, we were just talking about you!" Rainbow Dash screamed at the top of her lungs as she realized who was coming.
Upon hearing the name ' Fluttershy,' everyone on the street turned and put their eyes on the famous yellow pegasus that was hidden under that enormous hat. Then a great commotion was heard in the distance, and a lot of photographers appeared running towards Fluttershy. Immediately the yellow pegasus ran to where her friends were while being chased by a mob of photographers, paparazzi, and fans who had joined the road to realize that the famous model Fluttershy was there.
Fluttershy reached to where her friends were in only a few seconds, arriving there completely exhausted while she had a face of total fear.
"Hel-!" Fluttershy said trying to ask for help when she saw Applejack and Rainbow Dash, but seeing that Rarity was also there, she immediately fell silent.
"No! Rarity is here! She cannot listen to me for help! She can't know I hate this!" Fluttershy thought terrified, remembering the promise she had made to Rarity and the promise she had made to herself to never disappoint a friend again.
Then finally the tumult of photographers and paparazzi came to where Fluttershy was, where camera flashes were fired at every second while the journalists flooded questions to Fluttershy.
"What do you think of the fashion show that Photo Finish will do? Do you think that after this you will be ready for the big leagues of Canterlot modeling?" One of the journalists asked.
"Are the rumors of a romance with Dusk Shine true?" Another mare journalist asked.
"What do you think of your new life? Do you like to be a model?" A third journalist asked.
"I... I..." Fluttershy started stuttering, not knowing what to do or how to respond to so many questions and under such pressure. Then she glanced at Rarity, who was watching her intently and immediately decided to answer at least that last question. "Y-Yes, being a model is the best thing that has ever happened to me... I've always wanted this... it's... it's my dream, hehe." Fluttershy added with a nervous smile, trying to appear cheerful before the cameras and mainly before Rarity, to show her that she would not disappoint her and that she would fulfill the dream of being famous for both.
"Why do you have to come here and say all of that in front of me? Does she want to rub it in my face?" She stole my dream!" Rarity thought, reaching her peak of anger at that situation. Then she looked down and saw the cup of coffee that had been served as soon as she arrived at the Café, which she took abruptly and held as she looked at Fluttershy next to her, still surrounded by all the photographers. "It would be so easy... to throw this coffee in her mane to ruin her image and thus end her career!"
Rarity continued holding the coffee cup in her hoof, glaring at Fluttershy as she continued to talk about how magnificent life was after becoming a famous model. But just when her anger was at its height as she looked at Fluttershy, something prevented her from doing that terrible act she had proposed, and no matter how much anger prompted her to do so, there was something stronger that stopped Rarity's hoof from moving. It was friendship, the friendship forged by years of good and bad times that made it impossible for her to do such a terrible thing to her friend, despite how betrayed Rarity felt for Fluttershy's actions.
"W-What am I doing..." Rarity whispered, scared with herself for what she was about to do, slowly and tremblingly lowering her coffee cup.
"She is my friend. She is and always will be!" I myself gave my support and now... Now jealousy had almost seized me!" Rarity thought with a face of pain as her generous and kind spirit finally returned to her. "I... I'm the worst friend in the world... A true friend would never do anything to humiliate a friend."
Finally, Fluttershy left the Café, although the journalists and paparazzi were the ones who were slowly pushing Fluttershy out of the Café while they kept asking her questions and the fans kept pushing to approach her.
"Wow... That was short. We couldn’t even talk to her... Well, I guess that's the way fame is." Rainbow Dash said after all the tumult that Fluttershy had brought along with her. "Well, I have to go back to work. See you!" Rainbow Dash finished saying before flying off without further ado.
"Yeah, I think I'm leaving too." Applejack said also getting up from her chair. "I hope that we can all have breakfast together again soon."
It was so that at the table remained Rarity, who stayed seated like a statue while in her mind she continued tormenting herself for what she was about to do.
"Psst!" a pony said suddenly, coming over to sit next to Rarity. The stranger was dressed in a dark cloak, and his face was covered by a thick black beard and mustache.
Rarity came out of her thoughts at the noise and was immediately startled to see that stranger sitting next to her. She immediately thought about getting out of there, thinking that maybe that colt could be some pervert hiding something behind that cloak, but stopped astonished to see the eyes of that colt, beautiful purple eyes.
"Hehe, I told you that the spell of the mustache would be useful at some point!" The unknown colt speaking with a familiar voice, winking at Rarity to confirm his identity.
"Dusk!?" Rarity shouted surprised, something that Dusk immediately prevented, putting a hoof on her mouth so she would not scream.
"Shh! not so loud, can't you see I'm incognito?" Dusk said a little nervous, looking everywhere. "It was the only way to be able to walk through the town without being harassed by the paparazzi."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Rarity said with a look of pity. "I guess it must be horrible to be harassed by all those photographers, although... it seems that Fluttershy enjoyed it." Rarity added sadly resting her head on the table, unable to avoid thinking that she would like to be in Dusk and Fluttershy’s place.
"Well, I don't know if Fluttershy actually enjoys it... The truth is that we haven’t had many opportunities to talk..." Dusk said also getting a little sad, remembering how in those days everything had been so crazy and that he only had to endure being a model to help Fluttershy, who still didn’t even look at him. Which made Dusk even sadder than he expected, so he shook his head and tried to think of something else. "By the way, where are the others? Did I arrive too late for breakfast?"
"Yes... They left a few moments ago, but don't worry, we all understand that you and Fluttershy were very busy to join us..." Rarity said, still with her head on the table, already so sad that she couldn’t even put a false smile. "Enjoying the fame and recognition of the whole world... It's a shame."
"Rarity... Did something happen to you?" Dusk said finally realizing that something bad was happening with his friend. "I'm not sure, but you seem sad." Dusk said, risking to say that since it was hard for someone as direct as himself to recognize the feelings of others, especially when they tried to hide them.
Rarity looked at Dusk for a long moment. She didn't want to say what she thought since she knew that Dusk might think she was a lousy friend, but she also realized that all those accumulated negative feelings were poisoning her inside, so she finally gave a big sigh and took a chance to tell Dusk the truth.
"Dusk... Can I tell you a secret?" Rarity said with a sad look. Then she remembered that there was still the possibility that Dusk and Fluttershy were a couple in secret. "Just... Just swear that you will not tell Fluttershy, a pinkie promise!"
"A pinkie what?" Dusk asked, thinking that he had heard wrong.
"A pinkie promise!" Pinkie Pie said appearing out of nowhere from under the table, causing Rarity and Dusk Shine to jump out of fright. "Or you can also call it The Pinkie Pie Oath. I invented it myself!"
"P-Pinkie, where did you come from?" Dusk asked totally surprised.
"Oh, I was just following you in secret." Pinkie Pie answered with a big smile. "When I was on my way to breakfast, I saw that you were coming in disguise, so I started following you, it's fun to play spies with the four of us together!"
"Four?" Rarity asked confused.
Then Pinkie Pie put her hoof in a bush that was there next and from there pulled an astonished Spike.
"I found you!" Pinkie Pie said, thinking that all this was a game.
"I-I wasn’t spying on anyone! Especially Rarity!" Spike said totally blushed after Pinkie Pie discovered him.
After Spike was left on the ground, and Dusk decided to again, ignore the follies of Pinkie Pie, the lavender unicorn returned to the central theme.
"So... What is a pinkie promise?" Dusk asked again.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Pinkie Pie said while with her right hoof she drew a cross on her chest and then with her left hoof touched one of her eyes. "It's a promise, a super promise! And you have to fulfill it foreeeever..." Pinkie Pie added bringing her face to Dusk's with a menacing look.
Dusk looked at Pinkie Pie confused, then looked at Rarity, who just nodded. Then, despite the absurdity that it seemed to be; Dusk decided to do it since it seemed like his friends really valued that strange gesture.
"Ufff... It's okay, cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, I swear I will not tell anypony anything you tell me." Dusk Shine said doing the same thing Pinkie Pie performed, all while behind him Pinkie Pie and Spike also did.
Rarity looked at Pinkie Pie and Spike with slight fear, since she had only wanted to tell her secret to Dusk, but finally decided that there wouldn’t be any problem in telling them as well.
"It's okay..." Rarity said breathing deeply and looking at her friends with a big worried face. "I... I'm jealous of Fluttershy! I hate that she's a famous model and that everypony loves her for that!"
"What!? B-But I thought you asked for it?" Dusk asked confused.
"I know, and that's the worst!" Rarity answered with a desperate look. "I know I should support her for being her friend, but I can't help feeling jealous of her fame and feeling betrayed at the same time, I know that she may have not ruined my chance to be famous on purpose, but I can’t shake the thought out of my head that she did! It hurts me to distrust her, and I hate myself for feeling all this bitterness!"
Dusk couldn't help feeling sorry for his friend to see her so confused and hurt. It seemed that she really was suffering from all that.
"Rarity, I-" Dusk said slowly before being interrupted.
"Isn’t that Dusk Shine?" Suddenly said a paparazzi who was passing by.
"Yes, it's him!" Another paparazzi shouted, as soon as he heard the name 'Dusk Shine,' he appeared next to another tumult of photographers. "Tell us, when is your next photo shoot with Fluttershy? Is it true about your romance? Is it true that you will soon get married?" the paparazzi began to ask as they ran towards Dusk.
"Oops, time to disappear." Dusk said scared to see the herd of paparazzi’s that he had been avoiding since he had become a celebrity. Then he shone his horn and with a strong 'Puff!' He disappeared using his teleportation.
"He ran away again!" Said one of the paparazzi. "Although I think it's cute to escape from the cameras, he's as shy as Fluttershy! They really make the perfect match!"
"Where did you hear that they will get married?" Another paparazzi asked his colleague.
"Oh, it's a very good source. It seems that the relationship of those two lovers is very serious." The paparazzi answered while he and the others left the place.
While the Café returned to its usual tranquility, only Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Spike remained, watching the photographers retreat from there.
"Pfft! Did you hear that? Hahaha, they think Dusk is going to marry Fluttershy! Isn’t that hilarious?" Pinkie Pie laughed, elbowing Rarity and Spike.
The baby dragon laughed with alongside his pink friend, but Rarity didn't, her confused and tormented mind already began to distrust everything and everyone, and those absurd rumors were earning a place in the mind of the unicorn, after everything, if everyone in town said that Dusk and Fluttershy were already a couple, maybe it was not entirely false after all...
The photo session that day was particularly chaotic, all the press of entertainment was just outside the provisional photo room of Photo Finish, all wanting to capture some photos of the proclaimed new sensation couple, which in the words of the very same Photo Finish , would be the most famous pair of models of all Equestria, and the press of course, just lacked the words of someone as famous as the photographer, so they all immediately pointed their camera’s to the cute but nervous model called Fluttershy, and her gallant but shy partner called Dusk Shine.
Fluttershy had arrived at the studio only a few minutes ago, after answering many questions from the journalists and repeating again and again how great it was to be a model, finally she managed to get the paparazzi to let her into the studio, which seemed to be the only place where she could now be calm, or as quiet as she could be without the harassment of photographers, but Photo Finish and her assistants were there.
"I can't do this anymore!" Fluttershy thought as she got rid of the paparazzi. "I haven't been able to get together with Rarity or the others for days, and when I finally managed to sneak away, they caught me before I could even say hello to my friends!"
"There’s my star! Where did you go? We have to keep taking pictures for all the newspapers and magazines in Equestria!" Photo Finish said approaching her star model with a big smile and pointing to the windows of the studio, where the paparazzi crowded to try and take pictures. "What do you think?" In just a few days all the journalists from this town and the nearby towns became interested in my photos and my new models, and now, this is just the beginning! Those ponies out there are journalists from the capital. When my photos reach the newspapers and magazines of Canterlot, you will become the most popular model in the whole kingdom!"
"I... I don't know if I want to be so... famous." Fluttershy said in a low voice, unable to avoid saying what she thought when she saw all the plans that Photo Finish had.
"Nonsense, who wouldn’t want to be famous and admired? You don't know how many mares would kill for being in your place, and the many colts that would do anything to be in Dusk Shine’s place." Photo Finish said, who reached out to listen to Fluttershy. "And by the way, speaking of Dusk Shine, there's something I want to ask you, taking advantage of the fact that he's not here."
Then Photo Finish ducked a little so that only Fluttershy could hear her.
"That hug you did a couple of days ago was incredible." Photo Finish said excitedly, speaking to Fluttershy in a low voice as she blushed when she remembered that. "I wish you could do something similar this time, maybe even kiss him, but he mustn’t know, he has to be as oblivious as he was that time! I want to capture the surprise and confusion on his face! I want to catch that innocent reaction with the lens of my camera!"
"WHAT!? I... I couldn’t!" Fluttershy said loudly, totally surprised and flushed by what Photo Finish was asking of her. She immediately began to remember the time she hugged Dusk in front of the cameras and how Dusk had not even dared to look at her after that. "I... The last thing I want is to do something like that hug again, if possible, I don’t even want to be near Dusk Shine, that... that would be the best thing."
"I already done enough to him to think that I’m a bad friend, but after a kiss and another hug, he will think I’m a daring cheeky mare!" Fluttershy thought terrified.
"Oh, Dusk, it's a good thing you came in. Hurry! Makeup!" shouted Photo Finish without being able to hear everything Fluttershy had said, as she immediately paid attention to her male model, who had literally appeared magically right in the room.
Who managed to hear everything that Fluttershy had said, was the same Dusk Shine, who appeared with his teleportation only a few steps behind Fluttershy, who was unaware of his presence.
Upon hearing the name ‘Dusk Shine’, Fluttershy, by inertia, turned to see him, but all she saw was him avoiding her gaze.
"I knew it, he still doesn't want to look at me... he still... hates me." Fluttershy thought to turn around again, with a sad look at her face, which had been endured for days, the pain of seeing her lover rejecting her, was almost ready to explode, not being able to support it more.
"I knew it, I knew it, I always knew it, but for the first time... I heard it right from her own mouth..." Dusk Shine thought at the same time as Photo Finish’s assistants ran to go get the make-up. "She’s only doing this for the photos, but she... She loves me as far as possible! I... I knew it, but still... it hurts so much to hear her say that..."
Finally, the photo session began, and both models went to the center of the set. Fluttershy had her usual melancholy look and shy posture, and Dusk Shine looked different from how he had been all those days.
Dusk Shine always had a confused, uncomfortable look, but it seemed that after listening to what Fluttershy had just said, he now had a more distant and muted look, as if he had suffered the loss of very valuable possession. Photo Finish immediately realized that the look of her model was different, they were definitely true feelings, but it was such a sad and muted look that the photographer didn’t like to take those images, so she made both Fluttershy and Dusk continually change their poses to see if Dusk's gaze regained his natural look.
"I can't stand it anymore..." Dusk Shine whispered involuntarily in a moment, while he and Fluttershy were still trying to maintain a new pose. While Dusk obeyed the indications of Photo Finish literally, in his mind, the only thing he thought about was that he couldn’t bear to be in that nefarious situation, in which Fluttershy was tired of standing next to him and that she only did it for her work.
Fluttershy's heart almost stopped when she heard Dusk, hearing him say that he could barely stand to be here with her.
"No... How did we get to this?" Fluttershy thought as her emotions grew stronger and finally surfaced. "We were friends. How did it all end so badly? Every day is worse! Every day we get farther away! I... I...!"
"Sniff! Hah... Sniff! Snif ...!" Fluttershy began to sigh quickly without being able to stand his repressed emotions, trying in vain to repress her lips from tightening while also shrinking slightly and sheding tears from her sad and innocent eyes.
"Recess! Ten minutes of recess! Everypony out!" Photo Finish screamed, becoming scared after immediately seeing her model in that mood, pushing her assistants into another room, so that they would not see Fluttershy, and so the model image she was trying to create wouldn’t be destroyed.
All who was left in the main room, on the photographic set, were only Fluttershy and Dusk: The yellow pegasus that couldn’t help but cry when finally overflowing all the feelings that had accumulated, and the lavender unicorn whose eyes came back to life and stayed stunned to see her friend crying like that.
"F-Fluttershy... What's wrong with you?" Dusk said with his heart hurt seeing the way Fluttershy was and believing to know the reason for that. "I know you don't want to be with me, but... Why do you hate me so much?"
"I... Sniff! I don't hate you... You hate me... Sniff! Ah..." Fluttershy said in vain trying not to cry. Then she looked Dusk in the eyes and decided that nothing mattered anymore and she threw herself towards Dusk and hugged him tightly while crying. "Please forgive me! I didn't want to be a bad friend! I didn't want to! Sniff! If I had known about the Ursa, I would’ve gone. I swear it's the truth! It doesn't matter if something had happened to me. I would’ve been with you! Please, don't stop being my friend! Don't leave me!"
Dusk heard the cry of Fluttershy totally surprised, first by the surprise explosion of emotions of the Pegasus, and second and most important, by the new and vital revelation.
"Forgive you why!?" Dusk asked confused as his quick mind worked to tie loose ends. "Wait a second... Do you think I'm angry because you weren’t there for the Ursa attack?
"It was so selfish of me! Ah... Sniff! You almost died, and I was just hiding in my house!" Fluttershy continued crying with her head stuck in Dusk Shine's chest.
"Fluttershy, I would never get mad at something like that!" Dusk said grabbing Fluttershy by the shoulders so that she would not bury her head in his chest and thus being able to look her in the eyes, not being able to avoid smiling when realizing that it seemed that she did not hate him at all. "I... I thought you were angry about the dragon and... about the kiss."
Upon hearing what Dusk said, Fluttershy looked at him in surprise and then lowered her head again as her face turned completely red.
"W-Why would you think I'm angry about that?" Fluttershy said in a weak voice, not being able to look at Dusk for shame.
"W-Well..." Dusk said nervously, this time being he who was blushing. "I-I thought you thought I... abused you..."
"Uh!?" Fluttershy answered surprised and confused. "B-But it was me who k-k-kissed you..." Finished saying Fluttershy, ceasing to embrace Dusk and looking at the floor totally ashamed.
"Y-Yeah, well, you know... I... I'm a colt, and... and I could have stopped you..." Dusk said as he looked down at the floor, very embarrassed.
So it was that both ponies stared at the floor for a few seconds, without anyone talking, then both looked at each other, and couldn’t help but laugh after finally feeling that great weight they had loaded on themselves during all those days had vanished .
"Haha, I can't believe it, then all this was just a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding!" Dusk laughed, enormously happy to realize that his friendship with Fluttershy was as strong or stronger than before.
"Hehe, it looks like that." Fluttershy laughed tenderly.
"This is a relief. If it were not for this modeling craze we can barely talk about, perhaps we would have solved this much sooner." Dusk said with a smile, then he immediately covered his frightened mouth, realizing what he had said. "Sorry, I didn't mean that modeling was crazy."
"Oh, it's okay. I think it's crazy too." Fluttershy said with a somewhat nervous smile.
"You too? But... I thought you liked it." Dusk asked confused.
At that moment Fluttershy put back a discomfort face and remained silent for a while, biting her lip and looking at the floor with a look of indecision.
"Dusk... Could you keep a secret?" Fluttershy said timidly.
"Sure, no problem." Dusk responded immediately.
"With a pinkie promise?" Fluttershy asked with fear.
"What? Oh, that again..." Dusk said recalling his conversation with Rarity. "Okay, cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Dusk said, mimicking the words Pinkie Pie had taught him.
"Okay..." Fluttershy said with a long sigh before finally venting what she felt and thought about her work. "The truth is that I... hate to model, I hate all this! Fame and photographers, I can't stand them anymore."
"What!?" Dusk said totally surprised. "T-Then why are you doing it?"
"Because I promised Rarity!" Answered Fluttershy desperately. "She trusts me, she wants me to succeed for the both of us, she supports me so much... I can't disappoint her!"
Upon hearing that, Dusk couldn't help but smile and hit his head with a hoof when he realized how absurd the whole situation was.
"And the misunderstandings continue... If only we had been more open to telling each other face to face the things we felt... Definitely, this wouldn’t have happened if Applejack was here!" Dusk Shine thought, still smiling.
"Fluttershy, this is all a misunderstanding!" Dusk said smiling at Fluttershy and approaching him. "You see, just a little while ago Rarity told me-"
"Flying kick!" Pinkie Pie yelled out of nowhere and hit Dusk in the back with a flying kick.
"Waaah! Ouch! What... What was that!" Dusk shouted after falling for the surprising kick of Pinkie Pie, knocking down in the process the lighting set beside where he was standing. "Pinkie Pie, where did you come from... and why did you kick me!?"
"The pinkie promises cannot break!" Pinkie Pie said with a stern look, then turned and looked at Fluttershy with a smile. "Hi Fluttershy, how are you?"
"Hey! Don’t go acting like nothing happened!" Dusk yelled annoyed.
"Oh Dusk, you must never break a pinkie promise, never, ever." Fluttershy said, drawing a cross on her chest while Pinkie Pie nodded.
"What is all this scandal!?" Photo Finish shouted going back to the main room when she heard all that noise. "And who are you?"
"Somepony who is already leaving!" Dusk said annoyed, pushing Pinkie Pie to the door, opening it and pushing his crazy friend towards the paparazzi who were still huddled at the door.
"I have enough problems with Rarity and Fluttershy, what I don’t need is Pinkie Pie kicking me out of nowhere!" Dusk thought totally annoyed with the sudden kick he had received.
"Well, it seems that everything is in order. Let's start!" Photo Finish shouted so her assistants would run and re-order the set of photographs before continuing.
"How is it that Pinkie Pie manages to appear out of nowhere?" Dusk said when he returned to Fluttershy. "Well, now that I've made sure it's not close, I need to tell you-"
"Dusk." Fluttershy said interrupting Dusk and putting a hoof over his mouth. "If you swore not to tell something and you made a pinkie promise, don't tell me, it's not right."
Dusk looked at Fluttershy confused as he debated what he should do. Finally Dusk chose to continue keeping the secret of Rarity.
"Okay..." Dusk Shine finally said, a little frustrated. "Although this could be solved much easier if I could say it all..." He added in a whisper to himself.
While the Photo Finish assistants finished preparing the set of photographs, Dusk and Fluttershy continued talking about what she had promised Rarity and how she really hated to pose as a model.
"How about you get fired, you know, doing the instructions that Photo Finish asks you wrong," Dusk said after thinking of some solution so that Fluttershy could escape all of this without her necessarily breaking the promise she made to Rarity. "So Rarity will not bother you for resigning."
"That would be like cheating, besides... I already tried." Fluttershy replied, blushing. "That day I hugged you, I did it because Photo Finish wanted to see my shy side. I decided to do the opposite and be daring. It didn’t work, in fact, it made it worse!"
"Hmm... maybe being daring is not what you need to show." Dusk said after thinking for a while. "Maybe you have to go further, be aggressive! If Photo Finish is looking for your tender side, get angry, scream and show your violent side!"
"My violent side?" Fluttershy repeated, lowering her gaze and then trying to glare. "That's OK?"
"It's a start... I guess." Dusk said after thinking that Fluttershy's gaze was still too sweet and innocent. "Now try to get mad more. Shout at me!"
Fluttershy looked at Dusk with a false look of anger, took all the air she could and prepared to scream. However, the only thing she ended up doing was letting go of the air and looking down in shame.
"I... I’m embarrassed... there are so many ponies present..." Fluttershy said returning to her classic attitude.
"It's not hard, just pretend that you got mad for everypony to hear, look... I don't want to see you anymore! I'm sick of you!" Dusk yelled, taking a more serious look and standing firmly in front of Fluttershy. "See? Now try it." Dusk added, returning to his kind voice.
"Umm... I... I don't want to see you any... more...?" Fluttershy repeated in vain trying to put the same firm tone of voice that Dusk, but only managed to whisper weakly what she wanted to say.
"Come on, stronger!" Dusk shouted for Fluttershy to imitate his tone of voice.
"Everything ready! Let's continue!" Photo Finish shouted, who didn’t seem to notice the small talk her models had and only got behind the camera as soon as her assistants finished fixing the photography set.
The next thing that happened was that the photo shoot continued, without Fluttershy getting any of her courage to scream in front of everyone. Dusk, after thinking about the situation a little longer, decided to desist from that idea.
"This reminds me of when Fluttershy tried to act like the other girls in the library..." Dusk thought remembering that occasion. "That was a disaster. It was very difficult for her to stop acting as she always does. Maybe acting aggressively is not the best option for her..."
Finally, the photo session ended when the sun went down, and finally Dusk and Fluttershy reached the agreement that it would be best to rest and think of some other solution the next day. Thus, both ponies returned to their homes, without the slightest idea that the next day would be even more chaotic than the last.
The morning came and Dusk quietly came from his room to the main hall of the library, ready to start a good day, determined to somehow solve the problem between Rarity and Fluttershy.
"Good morning Dusk." greeted Spike, who was already in the main room, with a broom in his hands. Then he turned to look at the door and gave a serious look as he picked up the broom, ready to attack. "It seems that they didn't come today."
"So it seems." Dusk responded, understanding immediately why his brother was in that position. "Maybe today there is no photo shoot."
For two days since dawn, the assistants of Photo Finish sneaked into his house and took Dusk out of bed, abruptly waking him up to take him as fast as possible to the photo sessions. However, today they didn’t.
"By the way, I'm leaving, I have some important issues to attend to." Dusk said approaching Spike and pointing to a lot of what appeared to be magazines. "Please order that in the library while I get ready."
"Okay." responded Spike, who approached what seemed to be magazines, only then the dragon realized that it was a comic, curiously titled 'Flutter-Dusk, a story of forbidden love.' Immediately Spike flipped through the comic, and his ears immediately went red when he saw a rather suggestive drawing of two ponies he knew well. "D-Dusk... H-Have you read this? D-Do you really want me to keep it in the library?" Spike asked totally blushed.
"Of course! Well, I haven't read it, you know I don't like comics." Dusk answered from the bathroom, without giving much importance to what he asked Spike. "Several mares asked to keep some copies in the library, it seems that it is from an artist of the town, and I thought it would be good to promote the local arts in the library."
While Dusk was talking, Spike continued to read the comic, already passing the initial shame and now being very interested in the story.
"Well, I'm leaving. See you later." Dusk Shine said goodbye, leaving the library while his brother was still immersed in that comic.
As soon as Dusk went through the door, he was instantly blinded by a dozen flashes.
"Is it true that you broke!? How does it feel to break the heart of the most famous model of the moment!? Does this mean you have a new lover!?" There were just some questions that the paparazzi shouted, surrounding Dusk just as soon as he left the library.
"Hey, wait a second. Uh? Wait. What are you saying?" Dusk said confused, with difficulty speaking as the paparazzi piled up, pushing him to try to get an answer.
Seeing that no one will answer and that they would just continue to ask question after question, Dusk used the same escape method he had used all those days and teleported away from there.
"Phew, finally some peace and quiet..." Dusk said, reappearing closer to the center of town. "What were all those questions that they were asking me...?"
Dusk immediately remembered something, and crouched in fright, looking in all directions, remembering that when he had done that method yesterday, fans appeared out of nowhere, swarming around him to ask for an autograph. However, to Dusk's surprise, this time nobody seemed to approach. Instead, Dusk could see how almost everyone in town read the newspaper of the day, while the few who had noticed the presence of Dusk, muttered among themselves as they pointed.
"What is happening?" Dusk thought fearfully, anticipating that all that sudden change in his situation could not have been better.
Surprisingly, a gust of wind caused a newspaper to fly and hit Dusk's face, which gave the unicorn the opportunity to know why everyone was reading it so intently:
"The break of the century!
The greatest love story ever told seems to have reached an early end.
Yesterday afternoon our sources indicate that the new top model Fluttershy started crying out of nowhere while with her boyfriend, Dusk Shine, who watched her with indifference. It was so that the star photographer Photo Finish decided to give them a moment alone. However, that small moment alone seems as though it wasn’t enough to repair the love between these two. The next thing that was known was that a strange mare appeared in the place, which made Dusk Shine very angry. Would they have surprised him? Was she her secret lover? Was that why the innocent Fluttershy cried? The only certain thing is that after the photo session continued, but not before the cruel Dusk Shine yelled again and again to his shy partner.
Is this the end of the fairy tale couple? It seems that the answer is yes, because if it were a fairy tale, Fluttershy would be beautiful and kind mare, and Dusk Shine, the cruel and terrible beast."
And under all that story, appeared a photo of the previous day, captured just as Dusk yelled at Fluttershy to teach her to be more aggressive...
"What the hay does this mean!?" Dusk screamed after reading that ridiculous article in which the tabloid press left him as an insensitive monster that had broken Fluttershy's heart.
With the scream he had just given, Dusk immediately felt the gazes of everyone around him on him. Without thinking twice, Dusk quickly teleported from there, not wanting to attract more attention, and he was determined to fix that new misunderstanding, after all, after his reputation in the town finally settled completely after the incident with Trixie. He could not let another silly invention of the celebrity press ruin his image again.
With a great flash, Dusk appeared on the outskirts of town, having remembered that Photo Finish had mentioned that on that day they would take some pictures of the outdoors. As soon as he appeared, Dusk immediately hid behind a tree to see what was there.
Sure enough, there was Fluttershy and Photo Finish with her assistants, but what impressed and scared Dusk immediately was seeing the huge amount of paparazzi there, many more than there had been the last number of days.
After briefly analyzing the situation, Dusk used his magic to put on the same costume with which he had managed to pass unnoticed before, making a cape, a hat, and a large mustache appear on him. That's how Dusk approached cautiously there, knowing he could complicate everything if the paparazzi saw him in person.
"Look how brave! Keep working even though you heart is broken. She's a professional!" One of the paparazzi said while taking photos away from Fluttershy's photoshoot.
"Yes, shout to a pony who’s so cute and shy... Who would’ve known that Dusk would be so cruel." Another paparazzi said taking notes of everything Fluttershy did. Comments that multiplied among the paparazzi and that Dusk couldn’t help but hear while approaching, like another pony, who smiled when she heard them.
"What a great tragedy! What a great tragedy! Our poor star model has her heart broken!" Photo Finish theatrically said looking at the paparazzi. "But this will only make her stronger, now more than ever, she will shine, she has the firm conviction of becoming the new star model superstar of Equestria! And she will show it this afternoon in the great fashion show that I have organized!"
After Photo Finish’s comment on the situation, the paparazzi applauded while others began to take even more photos and write new notes to send to their respective magazines and newspapers.
While that was happening and the paparazzi were distracted, Dusk watched as Fluttershy approached Photo Finish quickly with a worried look. Dusk immediately sharpened his ears and eyes to try to listen and understand what they were talking about.
"Don't worry, this is a great opportunity, a sweet mare with a broken heart, now you are even more famous; it's just what we needed!" is was what Dusk was able to hear from Photo Finish whispers. "Do you want to be the most famous model of all Equestria? Then pay attention and listen to me; let's take advantage of these rumors. Dusk Shine is a strong colt, he will most definitely be fine."
Upon hearing that Photo Finish mentioned being the most famous model of all Equestria, she stopped looking at Photo Finish and bit her lip with an uncertain look. Dusk immediately knew what must be going through his friend's mind.
"She must be thinking about the promise she made to Rarity... Ugh, if only she knew the truth, all this would be over!" Dusk thought worried and upset with everything that was happening. "Now I can't even get close to Fluttershy, I have to solve this now, and if I can't talk to Fluttershy, then I'll have to go talk to the other side of the problem."
Then Dusk again used his teleportation, this time appearing right in front of the door of Rarity's house.
"Who can that be-?" Rarity said when she heard a noise in front of the door of her boutique, without having time to finish her sentence, as the door opened unexpectedly and was passed by Dusk Shine, who quickly entered her home. "Dusk, is something happening?" Rarity asked worriedly noticing that Dusk must be upset by something since normally he always knocked on the door before entering.
"Rarity, we need to talk." Dusk said with a serious look. Then he looked around as if he were checking that there was no one else there. "You're alone, right?"
"Yes, but why do you ask-?" Rarity answered, again without finishing her sentence, since as soon as she said yes, Dusk quickly approached a window, looked out, and then closed the curtain, something he did repeatedly in each window of the boutique.
"What's wrong with him? He looks very nervous ... Wait! What if it's true! If what the newspapers say is true... What if he really was in a relationship with Fluttershy and now they broke? That would explain why he looks so nervous." Rarity thought with a nervous look, full of worry.
For a few days, Rarity's insecurities had only grown and grown, so much so that the doubts she had towards Dusk and Fluttershy were no longer worries, now her mind was making bad moves and she couldn’t stop thinking about how Fluttershy could have cheated on her and how she and Dusk must’ve been together in secret. All this added to the insidious articles that came out in fashion magazines, pink press articles that she had always read and believed sacredly, a bad habit rooted in her since she had read her first fashion magazine.
"It seems she's not here... It's now or never!" Dusk thought nervously, thinking of a particular pink pony while making an important decision. "I know I shouldn’t be doing this, but if I don't, my friends' friendship could be broken forever!"
After finally closing all the curtains, Dusk took Rarity from a hoof and took her to a table, where they both sat facing each other.
"Rarity, listen, there's something very important that you should know," Dusk said, whispering, then he pointed to Rarity to come closer, so much that Dusk's mouth was almost touching Rarity's ear. "The truth is that Fluttershy-"
"SHORYUKEN!" Pinkie Pie yelled surprisingly from under the table, wearing a red wrestling belt over her head, throwing a strong uppercut punch that hit Dusk Shine's mouth squarely. "PINKIE PROMISE!"
"OUCH...! Pinkie! Where did you…? How did you...! Why in the mouth!?" Dusk shouted annoyed, rubbing his sore mouth while he was trying to figure out if he was angry about being hit again, or surprised as to how Pinkie Pie appeared from under the table.
"I'm sorry for the blow. I'll compensate you in the future, but remember, the pinkie promises never break!" Pinkie Pie said annoyed, then looked at Rarity and smiled. "Hi Rarity! La~la-la~la-la~" Pinkie added, singing as she jumped and quietly left the boutique as if everything that happened was the most normal thing in the world.
"And now she's leaving as if nothing ever happened... Typical of her!" Dusk Shine said frustrated and annoyed by the blow that was received, not only to his mouth but to his pride, since only a few seconds ago he was sure that Pinkie Pie was not close and that he would finally be able to tell the secret and solve the whole misunderstanding.
"Dusk! You should never break a pinkie pro-" Rarity said, worried before being interrupted again.
"I know, I know..." Dusk said angrily, thinking that the solution to all problems was within reach of his hoof, and even then, he couldn’t reach it.
"And there it goes again, how many times have you interrupted me already? Is it because you don’t like having a talk with me!?" Rarity thought frustrated at being interrupted again. "I know he's angry, but being angry about the problems he has with Fluttershy is not an excuse to get mad at me."
"I know that a promise should never be broken, but if breaking a promise can save a friendship, would that not be right...? Ugh! I can't stand it anymore! I can't stand having one problem after another!" Dusk said hitting his head and looking angry at the floor, more talking to himself than to Rarity while having a mental debate about what was the right thing to do.
Rarity looked at Dusk from a distance, noticing how angry and nervous he was as he seemed to be losing his mind thinking about some problem.
"Dusk... Is this all about... the problem with Fluttershy?" Rarity asked nervously, thinking that all of Dusk's behavior seemed to affirm the rumors about the break-up in their relationship, otherwise, why would he be so upset?
Dusk looked at Rarity and again felt the urge to want to tell her everything, about the fact that it wasn’t just a problem with Fluttershy, but that she was a crucial part of it. However, he knew that he couldn’t tell her that.
"Yes, I have a big, huge problem with Fluttershy, and I need to think about how to fix it." Dusk replied still annoyed at not being able to tell the whole truth.
"Now think... Rarity doesn't want Fluttershy to be a model, and Fluttershy doesn't want to be, but both firmly believe otherwise, and there's no way for them to tell the truth or a third to do it for them..." Dusk thought as he rubbed his head with his hooves for ideas to flow. "Wait, letting them tell each other the truth could be an option, the problem is modeling, Fluttershy being a model, that's the real problem! Neither Fluttershy nor Rarity can end that, but in this case a one pony can do that, and that pony is me!"
"I must ruin Fluttershy's model career..." Dusk muttered after arriving at a solution to the problem. "I must ruin Fluttershy's career! That's it!"
"What!? Dusk... What did you just say!?" Rarity said in astonishment upon hearing what Dusk muttered.
Then Dusk, still immersed in his thoughts, without listening to Rarity, followed with a thoughtful look as he reviewed the steps to follow in his plan, everything to make it perfect. Then it was that Dusk began to smile slowly.
"Yes, it's perfect! How did I not think of it before! Fluttershy herself knew it, but she herself was not capable of doing it, but I can do it for her!" Dusk thought, laughing at the simple solution, not realizing that for Rarity, the fact that he laughed in that way out of nothing and hearing him mentioning about Fluttershy's career, made it somewhat disturbing.
"Dusk, listen to me!" Rarity said approaching Dusk and holding him by the shoulders. Thinking that Dusk was speaking irrationally, all because of his broken heart due to his break-up with Fluttershy. "I know you're hurt over this, and maybe you think that ruining Fluttershy's career will solve something, but it won’t solve anything! You must think clearly."
Rarity said that by heart, since she had repeated it to herself during the past day, because she had also let that thought cross her mind, the idea of ruining the Fluttershy’s modeling career, even with more and more anger against Fluttershy kept on growing, Rarity always came to the same conclusion, that it didn’t matter that Fluttershy betrayed her, she was still her friend and she could never do something as low as ruin her dream, even if it was her own stolen dream.
"Listen to me Dusk." Rarity said seriously. "You must promise me that-"
"No! No more promises, at least until I resolve all this." Dusk said annoyed, already tired of Pinkie Pie surprising him when he was about to break a promise and hitting him. Then Dusk smiled confidently and looked at Rarity. "Quiet, everything will be solved soon."
With that, Dusk's horn lit up and he disappeared from Rarity's house, leaving the unicorn with a look of surprise and concern.
"Maybe... he really will do that?" Rarity said with a look of total concern, then she was thoughtful for a moment and then shook her head quickly. "No, of course, he wouldn’t, he's a friend of Fluttershy's, he knows he can't do it, no matter how embarrassed he feels at the moment, he'll realize that it would be a horrible thing to do that, just like I did."
Then Rarity realized something else, something that made her angry again with Dusk.
"Ugh...! Now he even leaves without saying goodbye!" Rarity said annoyed, turning around to go back to her workshop, after all, she still had to finish some details for the dress she would wear in that afternoon's fashion show.
The hall of events of the mayoralty was full, almost as much as for the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, and all because it had been chosen as the venue for the dazzling fashion show sponsored by Photo Finish, where they invited the ponies of the equestrian fashion elite, as well as dozens of journalists and photographers from the capital, all for the great debut in the fashion catalogs of the new flagship model, the famous Fluttershy.
"Alright, everypony to their positions! Let's start!" Photo Finish shouted behind the stage, quickly hitting the floor with her hoof to rush her assistants.
The makeup artists finished putting the finishing touches on the face of the new supermodel, and they left quickly to go to the aid of the other assistants. Behind the curtains were only Photo Finish and Fluttershy, who were already combed and made up, wearing a beautiful but simple evening dress.
"Well dear, this is your moment!" Photo Finish said full of emotion and squeezing Fluttershy's cheeks. "In just a few minutes you will be the new superstar model of all Equestria!"
"Hmm... H-How nice..." Fluttershy answered with little energy, looking sadly at the floor.
Then Photo Finish came out from behind the scenes and went to the main stage, ready to present her brand new diamond in the rough, leaving behind Fluttershy, who now looked at the ground with a lost look as she began to hyperventilate at the thought of everything that was about to happen, something that would change her life forever, ready to accept a life she didn’t want, but a life that she was willing to accept in order to prove that she was a trusted friend.
"Psst!" Someone whistled from behind one of the curtains, which surprised Fluttershy.
The yellow pegasus came timidly towards the curtain. And when she got to the side of it, Dusk Shine appeared from one end of the curtain.
"Dusk, how did you get here!?" Fluttershy asked surprised and happy to see him there.
"Luckily, teleportation is my best spell, with so many guards and paparazzi around, it would’ve been impossible to get in here any other way." Dusk said pointing proudly to his horn, then looking more seriously at his friend. "Listen Fluttershy, there is not much time. I know how to get rid of all this; how to prevent you from becoming a famous model."
"Uh!? Really?" Fluttershy asked, as she couldn’t help but smile with relief when she heard that, but she quickly put back a sad look. "I can't do anything. I must do this for Rarity."
"Don't worry, I know a way out of this, and a way so Rarity won't be mad at you for breaking your promise." Dusk said seriously. "You just have to trust me."
Fluttershy was surprised by Dusk's comment and stared at him for a few seconds, noting the determination in his confident gaze.
"Trust in you? Always!" Fluttershy finally said smiling as she blushed slightly.
"And here it is! The new promise of equestrian modeling! The one and only Fluttershy!" shouted Photo Finish from the stage, giving the signal to Fluttershy to finally appear on stage.
"Go! Good luck!" Dusk said nodding to Fluttershy to come on stage.
Finally, the moment of truth had arrived. Fluttershy swallowed nervously, took a deep breath and leaned out onto the main stage. There, she stopped immediately to see the huge number of ponies, cameras, and flashes that jumped as soon as she appeared on stage. Fluttershy glanced sideways to see back, and there she saw Dusk Shine, who was still behind the curtains but was now at the side of the stage so that Fluttershy could see him. Then Dusk told her to move forward and continue with her walk, which gave the pegasus strength to continue despite the fear of being the center of attention.
"That's it... you’ve moved so that everypony can see you..." Dusk thought with a clever smile, knowing that this was the crucial moment. It wouldn’t have been useful to do what he planned to do at another time. He had to do it in the fashion show, at the moment when everyone was focusing on Fluttershy.
"Wow, it really looks like Fluttershy..." Applejack said a little surprised, noticing how good the makeup was for Fluttershy, and for a second thinking that maybe, just maybe, it would not be such a bad idea to use a little on her own face from time to time.
"Yes, it looks really cute. It was totally worth it to get these seats." Pinkie said with a smile.
"Yeah, but Rarity got better seats..." Rainbow Dash said a bit jealously.
The seats for the Photo Finish fashion show had been highly valued, and although most of the ponies had seats to attend, the first few rows had only been reserved for journalists, photographers and high-profile ponies invited for the occasion. However, Pinkie Pie had managed to bother one of the assistants of Photo Finish day and night to give her and her friends a seat closer to the stage. That's how the four friends went to the fashion show together, discounting Spike, who of course didn’t like those things. However when arriving at the place, it seemed that Rarities beautiful dress impressed so many ponies that were in the first rows, who finally decided to invite her to sit with them, which the elegant unicorn immediately accepted with great joy to see that all the work she had done in her beautiful dress was being recognized.
"These ponies know as much or more about fashion than Photo Finish herself, and they even liked my dress!" Rarity thought happily to tears after finally being recognized by ponies who were skilled in fashion and a fan of her work, just before Fluttershy appeared on the scene.
As soon as Fluttershy appeared on the stage and the dozens of cameras settled on her, Rarity could not stop the jealousy returning to her for a second, but as soon as she saw how beautiful her friend looked, she finally just sighed and smiled, already more calm with her feelings towards her.
"How did we get to this, I don’t even know, but that's how it happened." Rarity thought with a renewed and strengthened spirit, determined to leave the past behind as everyone admired Fluttershy and at the same time could admire her own dress. "Now I just have to support you, now I’ve finally decided! I will become a famous designer on my own so that one day a famous model like you will see my clothes!"
Suddenly, as Fluttershy walked down the catwalk, right in front of Rarity, the yellow pegasus crossed strangely on her legs and tripped, causing her to wobble on the stage, which scared everyone present until Fluttershy managed to regain her balance. Only then did the public breathe a sigh of general relief, the one who was instantly silent when she saw that Fluttershy out of nowhere raised a hoof and put the tip of it on his nose, which obviously displeased the audience for doing something so dirty. The only one who didn’t show displeasure was Rarity who only remained paralyzed by what she saw.
"That... That was lilac color magic?" Rarity whispered after being sure that she had seen a fleeting lilac glow just before Fluttershy stumbled.
In that instant Rarity thought of the worst, something so horrific that she didn’t want to believe. Then she looked scared backstage and thought she saw a shadow.
Immediately Rarity made her way through the crowd backstage while all the other ponies present looked surprised and confused as Fluttershy began to turn on herself without continuing with her model ride.
Arriving behind the stage, Rarity felt the world crumble as she confirmed what she had not wanted to believe. In front of her, Dusk Shine made his horn glow dimly as he pointed it towards Fluttershy.
"Dusk... What... What do you think you’re doing!?" Rarity shouted terrified by what she was seeing.
"Shh! Don't yell or they'll find me." Dusk said without taking his eyes off of Fluttershy, who was now jumping like a rabbit because of Dusk's magic.
"Dusk! Stop!" Rarity shouted again, with a look of anger that was only increasing. "How can you be doing this to Fluttershy !? You... Look into my eyes when I talk to you!" Rarity shouted angrily to see that Dusk again didn’t seemed to be listening to her and not even giving a quick glance at her.
"Shush, you’re distracting me." Dusk answered without taking his eyes off of Fluttershy, since a corporal control spell, like the one he was doing, required all his concentration and that his eyesight never left his target.
The audience present began to murmur among themselves as the glances with which they saw Fluttershy changed from confusion to displeasure.
"Dusk! Stop!" Rarity shouted again with all her strength, terrified by what was happening, seeing how her friend was being ridiculed in front of everyone.
Rarity moved in front of Dusk to try to stop him, but Dusk ran with his head to avoid losing eye contact with Fluttershy. In the process, the curtain that was in front of them and that hid them at the side of the stage was moved due to the movement, which was allowing the public to see them both arguing.
"You don't understand, I must do it, with this everything will be fixed!" Dusk said starting to get irritated, knowing that he should continue with his plan, but at the same time he couldn’t tell anyone about this. "I'll make sure everypony remembers this and that nopony ever wants her to be a model again; everything will go back to normal!"
At that moment Dusk increased his magic and Fluttershy began making pig noises and making strange gestures to the audience, which caused several of the fashion ponies sitting in the front row to look at Fluttershy with more displeasure, and even with disgust as if they were looking at an ugly bug. Then, while Fluttershy was still moving strangely, she stumbled again with her dress, only this time she fell face down, or at least that was what they all saw, since Dusk noticed that he couldn’t keep Fluttershy from falling, he put a magic cloak between the floor and Fluttershy's face so she wouldn’t hit her face.
Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack, who were in the front rows and had been looking stunned at what was happening, immediately leaping out to help their friend by believing that she had hit hard onto the ground.
"He's ruining Fluttershy's opportunity! I... I was jealous of her all this time, but I didn’t want this. I didn’t want this at all!" Rarity thought, looking helplessly towards Fluttershy, then she turned to look at Dusk, who still didn’t even look at her, and a huge rage like never before grew inside her. "She's he’s friend! How can he be so cruel! How can he be doing this to his friend!?"
Then Rarity lifted her hoof, and with the soft part of her hoof, slapped Dusk hard, a loud slap that echoed throughout the room. Instantly, Dusk stopped using his magic and was only stunned by the blow he had just received.
A pony was able to hit in two ways with their hoof, a strong blow with the hard and external part of the hoof, or a hit with the soft and inner part of the hoof. Obviously, if you wanted to generate damage, the first hit option was the best, however, hitting in a second way made it clear otherwise, this was an emotional blow, and Dusk had just felt it. In one slap, Dusk felt all the anger and disappointment that Rarity felt at that precise moment. Then Dusk looked up and saw his friend staring at him with a look of fury and tears in her eyes.
"How could you fall so low? What will all this even achieve? Did you do this so she would stop being famous and you could become a couple again? No matter what you thought, this is unforgivable! She's your friend! I don’t understand. I don't understand! How can somepony be so selfish!?" Rarity yelled still looking furious at Dusk while he was still paralyzed by what had just happened, touching his cheek where Rarity had hit him. "Now I understand... That's why I was the last... it's because we are totally opposed, I always try to give everything of me, but your pure egoism, you only think of yourself!" Rarity added while all her feelings of rejection and disappointment surfaced together.
After the slap, the room had become silent, and the focus of attention went to Dusk and Rarity, all listening word to word what Rarity said. And in that same instant, at the same time that Rarity was speaking, the pinkie sense of Pinkie Pie was activated.
"Two and a half turns from my tail to the right, a turn to the left, itching in my right upper body, and my left ear moves without stopping..." Pinkie Pie thought as she interpreted her body, the one that sent her one of the many signs of its pinkie sense. "This sign means... that something irreversible is about to happen."
"Something irreversible!?" Pinkie Pie whispered in fright, raising her head to look in terror at what Rarity was about to do. "Rarity! Don't do it!" Pinkie Pie yelled, but it was too late.
In that same moment...
"I told you to promise me you wouldn’t do this! And yet you did it! You never listened to me! I can't believe I've felt something for you!" Rarity shouted furiously, mixing all the feelings that had been overwhelming her during those last days. "You don't know how to make a promise!? I'll show you!" Rarity added furious without hearing the scream that Pinkie Pie made at that precise moment, doing a well-known mimicry that Dusk himself had done twice the day before. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye! I promise never to speak to you again in my life!"
Rarity made a pinkie promise full of fury, then she turned and saw how everyone there saw her, including her friends who were on stage, all looking at her with a face of horror, especially Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, the first looking at her with tears in her eyes while the second saw her with a face of absolute terror.
After the last scream to Dusk and to see her friends together with terrified looks, Rarity's fury finally vanished, leaving her heart full of absolute sadness and pain for what she had just done. Then Rarity fled the scene at full speed while her eyes kept crying for everything that had just happened and for the determination she had just made.
The next day, somewhere in Canterlot...
"Boss, I bring you the photos and the story about the Photo Finish fashion show." Said a young mare journalist, entering the central office of 'The Sun of Canterlot', the official newspaper of Canterlot and the most widely read in the whole kingdom; bursting into his boss's office with a bunch of photographs. "He will not believe what I found there. It turns out that one of the mysterious new models was neither more nor less than Dusk Shine, the pupil of the princess-"
"Forget it. We’re not publishing it." The editor chief said interrupting the journalist, an old unicorn with a white mane and who had a look at few of the friends.
"What!? But boss! You told me to go to Ponyville at the request of Photo Finish yourself, and now you don't want to publish the story!?" The young mare said totally surprised.
"Enough, I said no, and that's all." The boss replied, turning to look out his window, more moody than usual.
While the boss looked at the distance, the mare saw that there was a letter on the table of her boss, then, risking her job, she took the letter quickly without her boss noticing and took it with her before leaving.
"What's wrong? Did you argue with the boss again?" Said a young red-haired foal carrying a camera. "Didn't the boss like my photos?"
"Shut up and come with me." The young journalist said, taking her partner from a hoof and taking the foal to another unoccupied room.
Once the journalist made sure that only she and her companion were in that room, she closed the door and pointed to her partner with the letter she held on her hoof.
"The boss couldn’t have changed his mind so suddenly. I'm sure somepony made him change his mind." The mare said seriously while her partner looked at the letter with curiosity. Then the mare opened the letter carefully and began to read it.
"Someponey? Nopony could change the boss's mind." The mare replied with a look of disbelief. But while her partner was reading the letter, the foal realized what his companion was implying. "Wait... Are you saying that somepony ordered the boss not to publish the story? Who could... Wait! Does the letter have the royal seal!? If what you say is true, only somepony of royalty could do it. After all, the boss doesn't let himself be easily threatened. He has to appear at the end of the letter, does he have a seal from the sun, or perhaps from the moon!?"
"It's neither a sun nor a moon... but you're not wrong. It seems that somepony of royalty sent this letter asking not to publish the story..." The worried mare said once she finished reading the letter.
"But if it's royalty... and it doesn't have the seal of the sun or the moon... Then it must be-!" Said the colt, taking the letter between his hooves. He looked for the seal of the third princess of the kingdom but was only confused to see that at the end of the letter was the seal of the royal guard, not the seal of the heart, as he had believed that he would find. "I don't understand. You said it was somepony of royalty."
"That's right, or well, rather it will be, if the rumors are true." The mare answered as she put a hoof on her lips while she tried to work on figure it all out. "As I suspected... Not only is this story... What happened at the Summer Sun Celebration, the dragon that appeared in the mountains... In the village, I also learned that he saved that town from the attack of a ferocious Ursa... Has his brother been preventing all this news from coming to light?"
"His brother? Hiding the news? What are you talking about?" The colt asked, who didn't follow his companions thoughts.
"There were rumors that they didn't get along, but to get to this point?" The mare continued speaking, without listening to her companion while her mind kept working and deduced that mystery. "The name Dusk Shine is only known in Ponyville and the nearby towns, here in the capital and in the big cities nopony has heard of his exploits, Gosh! The mere fact of saving the princesses was reason enough to consider him a national hero! Why does HE want to hide it? Are they jealous? Does he hate him so much?" The journalist finished thinking, determined to unravel that mystery, and to do so she would have to visit the young promise of the royal guard, Captain Shining Armor, the brother of Dusk Shine.
# End of chapter 32
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Cartoon within cartoon? Now that's something new alright. If I remember correctly, many fanfics often depict Fluttershy as an elusive manga artist.
Dusk should have just grabbed pinkie in his magic the second time she attacked him and then he should have broken the promise and told Rarity what Fluttershy made him promise, also he could threaten Pinkie with suing her family if she ever attacks him again.
I hope the next chapter doesn't take too long, you really know how to keep your readers hooked.
Pinkie Promise? Fine. Just tell them to confess to the other party. It’s not that hard. Sure it’s a huge load on the shoulders, but if you keep these things bottled down, there will be regrets.
Whelp pinkie and rarity are out of the running. Still routing for harem but with a train wreck like that theirs gonna be alot of ass kissing upto dusk for forgiveness if he can forgive that. In my opinion pinkie promises only lead to stupidity and trouble. They both also hit dusk and pinkie did it twice and was willing to let raritys and fluttershys friendship crumble to uphold a promise that was detrimental to both and now lead to this disaster with dusk due to rarity not knowing fluttershy wanted to stop being a model. Fluttershy not correcting photofinish for her using the misunderstanding with dusk to sell the ... image ... was also disappointing. Hes most the time just above tolerated at best by a third of the town that story will make him a pariah again.
Bit out of line with dusk using the mind control spell
Plus will rarity overheard flutter shy admitting she hated the job and was only doing it to make rarity happy
Also pinkie is stupidly annoying with her enforcing of the promise but hopefully rarity gets some slapstick attacks from her in the next chapter
Man I hated this episode in the original and I hate it even more in fanfiction and this has only made that opinion reinforced by two 30 inch titanium blast doors that have been welded shut.
P.S. You now have to officially add drama to the tag list.
9586900
Eyup pinkie promises are flawed in nature contradict themselves almost always.
9586543
really? I did not know, I did not know it. In this case, I think Lyra will have that reputation haha
thanks for comment ;)
9586756
hahaha that would have been something extreme on the part of Dusk, remember that Twilight did not do anything about Pinkie Pie, although in this reality Pinkie is a little more aggressive to enforce the promises xD
9586819
thank you, I'm glad you like the story.
the next chapter is already quite advanced, I hope I can have it soon, I really want it too :)
9586871
Pinkie will definitely have to do something about the pinkie promises so that it doesn't happen again.
thanks for comment ;D
9586900
Yes, the race for Dusk's heart seems to have several mares with advantage and several mares out of the race, but there is still a race ahead =D
About what will happen to Dusk and his reputation, we'll have to wait to see.
And about the pinkie promises, yes, definitely Pinkie should do something so that it doesn't happen again.
thanks for comment ;D
9586929
Dusk didn't use a mind control spell, he just moved Fluttershy's body, like in the show.
about Rarity listening to Fluttershy, that didn't happen, that I remember xD
and about the pinkie promises, yes, it's definitely something that Pinkie must solve xD
thanks for comment :)
9588167
hahaha, yes, I guess I'll have to add the drama tag xD haha
thanks for comment ;)
9588365
Well Dusk is a Stallion so he should act differently from Twilight, also he should have just yelled in Pinkie Pie's face that he was going to break that promise since it was doing more harm then good, also he could have said he was going to get in touch with her PARENTS that she was enforcing these Pinkie Promises of hers and even harming ponies that tried to break them.
Oh no! Will Rarity be able to make things right with Dusk (even if it means breaking her Pinkie Promise)? Will Pinkie Pie make sure Dusk and Rarity are apart for ever? Will anybody be able to convince her that her Pinkie Promises are more harm than good?
Tune in next chapter; Same Pony Time, Same Pony Channel! (whoever guesses the reference to this sentence gets a Thumbs Up)
9588384
Will Rarity be able to make amends will Dusk? Or has she lost him forever?
Anymore things go wrong and everything will get derailed.
Поначалу я думал что эта глава самая скучная, но сюжет так закрутился что я теперь с нетерпением жду продолжения.
At first, I thought that this chapter was the most boring, but the plot was so twisted that I now look forward to continuing.
P.s.sorry for my English
9588432
xD you must remember the personality of Dusk. He is definitely not perfect, he is very smart, but he is very childish and socially clumsy, so often he doesn't know how to act with his friends. He tries to analyze everything logically, but many times he'll not see an obvious solution. Dusk will grow and mature little by little, but he still needs a lot, haha
9588993
we'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out xD
the next chapter will come out soon, I hope =D
9589320
soon we'll see if this has an arrangement or everything will only get worse.
9591068
I'm glad you liked the chapter =D
It also makes me happy that not only English speaking people read my story =D
ps: and about your English, I understand it perfectly, so don't worry, I don't have perfect English either xD
9591522
Its hard to coordinate national defense if one party refuses to speak. Course therse like 4 proxies that can be used at the minimum, but somepony is bound to break a pinkie promise somewhere in order to attain a resolution
9591519
Okie Dokie Lokie!
9593891
I'll simply keep my fingers crossed for five of the five mares. ;P
As it stands I'm currently on chapter 23, and I'm still thoroughly enjoying the story. I like how you change things around so it doesn't feel like reading a script of the actual episode, and I like that you're showing how the girls are growing closer than ever.
And you're welcome! Anytime I come across a story that grabs my interest I always try to take the time to make my thoughts known about it.
Can't ..... Breath!.... The intensity... The misunderstandings!!!..... So hard to inhale.... Oxygen!!!..... (Faints from the thickness of the atmosphere of the story)
Holy shit, that ending with Rarity..... I'm... I'm speechless & can't even think straight after that... I have no clue anypony can save Dusk & Rarity's relationship after that, but may they try...
9602119
we'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out =D
thanks for comment ;D
9604622
You're welcome!
Dang, this fic could rival drama shows I see on the Hallmark channel.
Or is it something else? I don't know.
Grrrr. Another cliffhanger
Is there a set time you release these or just when you finish and translate them?
9620474
I don't know that channel, but I hope it's a good thing xD
I hope you liked the chapter, soon more chapters
thanks for comment :)
9655410
xD sorry
I hope to publish the next chapter soon :)
Thanks for waiting and comment :)
9667958
Well, the process is as follows:
-first I write the chapter in Spanish, I draw the drawings and I publish it.
-then Firestorm808 translates it, but this translation has some errors, mainly with the pronouns, since in Spanish we omitted them sometimes; or errors with words that in Spanish have double meaning. Still this translation is fine I would say that by 85%.
-then I review it and I see that the translation has not omitted any paragraph (which sometimes happens). So far I would say that the translation is 90% correct
-and the last phase is that Ze207ro revises and corrects the last errors, mainly pronouns, grammar and paragraphs that sometimes do not make much sense. And that's where it ends and I publish the chapter.
Now chapter 33 was already translated by Firestorm808 and I already reviewed it, that was more than a month ago, but Ze207ro hasn't answer me, that's the problem :(
*does a pouty look* when awr you gowna updeyt thwis???
9704733
the chapter is ready, now it is in review.
I think the next chapter I'll ask for help with the revision, so that it'll be faster next time =)
thanks for asking =D
An oriental style of comics huh?
About equine beings?
In our land of horse puns?
I dub thee “umanga”
(Look up “horse” in Japanese and tell me it doesn’t fit)
10183528
haha, i didn't know that haha
yes i think it would be a good pun for this world xD
thanks for comment
In the comic I love how bon bon is reading the flutter-dusk story in the middle of the road even after what has happened in the main story between her and dusk or she is just reading it for the steamy bits
I LOVE IT PINKIE RANDOMNESS
10215521
yes, Bon Bon gradually became a fan of Lyra stories xD
thanks for comment ;)
10215554
it's just her being herself
haha
Bro i was listening to a song in the background and when i read the first part here the song went ahead and summarized Rarity
"My heart feels dead inside, cold, hard, and petrified"
10741356
and thanks for commenting 
It was the perfect timing haha I'm glad
Envy is a serious problem that is difficult to control, especially if it's towards a very dear friend
I hope you like the story so far
Here I go again, finishing another chapter of this story after such a long time.
God I need to get my life back together
10747624
haha I'm glad you continue to like it to read it again
new chapters very soon :D (today I'll publish the chapter in Spanish, and I hope to be able to publish it in English in a few more days)
lol that H Manga by Lyra tho
11015173
haha yeah, I think several would like to read it haha
thanks for comment