Chapter 15: A Matter of Perspective
Chapter 15: A Matter of Perspective
Another day for me at the Sugarcube Corner, pulling out a batch of delicious cupcakes fresh from the oven, humming about baking them before I got the icing on no problem at all.
Today’s order of cupcakes was a special bunch, split up in half with two different kinds. One half of the treats were a creamy color with pink icing and the other was half white with yellow icing, matching my two besties, Leon and Fluttershy. These cupcakes were for my one of my blue besties, Psychic Pony Dusk, who was at the counter with his fancy, black hat.
I liked everypony who was my friend, they were all just so likable. But Dusk is different. I like him so much that… that… I can’t even come up with how much I like him like I used to like everypony else that I liked. He was just so likable.
There was a reason for that too. Before he got his boys, he had been such a lonely, misery pony. And he was also pretty shy too. But now, he had just changed so much, even more than what he changed to with Shield, Leon, and Dog tagging along. It’s like we had all helped to find what he already had inside him all along, like he had the chance to show everypony how great he was.
Sometimes, besides how smart he was and how much more whimsy he was than Twilight, I got the feeling I still managed to make give his brain an itch from just how Pinkie I could be. Much like with everypony and, like everypony, he just accepted it and laughed along with it all. I liked it when he laughed. Well, I liked it when anypony laughed, but still. With my work done, I gathered up the cupcakes and bought them to Dusk, giving him my brightest smile.
“Here ya go, Dusky! One batch of custom constructed creamy cupcakes. That’ll be ten bits!”
“Thank you, Pinkie. Here you go.” He hoofed over the money to me and took the cakes. “I’m sure Fluttershy and Leon will love these.”
“I bet they will. It’s nice that you’re doing this for her on your day off.”
“Well, Twilight and Spike are away in Canterlot, so I want to make the most of this.” I smiled brightly. “I’ve got a busy day today.”
“Ooh, what are ya up to?”
“Well, first I’m going to pay Fluttershy and Leon a visit and give them these cakes. Then I’m going to help Rainbow and Shield with some flying practice, pick up AppleBloom from school for Applejack, and then go and see Rarity. So, quite busy.”
“Wow! Packed day. I’m surprised you fit it all in.” I said before I got him to use guess what I was thinking. “Guess what I’m doing today!”
“Hmm…” He placed a claw on his chin for a few minutes before he answered. “You’re going to be working in Sugarcube Corner for most of the day, which will involve baking a birthday cake for a filly’s birthday, as well as another batch of cupcakes and some éclairs for some visitors from Prance.”
“Ooh, you’re good, Mr. Psychic Pony!” I then gave me a mock glare. “Too good, you might say.”
“What can I say? It’s my gift.” I looked from the order form on the counter and levitated the cupcakes up. “Have a good day, Pinkie.”
“You too, have fun!” He gave me one last smile before he then went out the door, where I smiled too.
Of course, I knew he wasn’t actually psychic, at least not that psychic, but it was what I’ve been calling him since we first met. It stuck and he never actually mind it. And, every time I call him that, he just gets that special kind of smile. I loved seeing that smile.
Humming happily to myself, I went back to the kitchen and got to work on the éclair order, happy that I could help to make Dusk’s day.
Leon’s view
“There you go, Mama Duck.” Fluttershy said, dropping some worms beside the female mallard. “I hope your little babies like them.” The duck quacked and picked up the worms in her beak. “You’re very welcome.”
Me and Flutters watched as the little family of ducks gathered around the mother to be fed. She had a particular fondness for this group of birds. It was the same group that Dusk had helped us to guide to the larger pond in Ponyville on the day she’d first met him and the guys. Much like many new ponies that say hi to her, she was shy and timid when she'd first met the guys. Kind of remind me of Dusk back in the day. Sort of reminded of myself back when I was a colt. Maybe that had been why she’d been able to talk to me and Dusk so much more easily later, because the three of us were quite alike. Dusk and Flutters did relate to each other more than I did with her. Though I changed a lot, both of them were still shy, a little awkward socially, and not high in confidence.
But Dusk was a little different now these days. She even considered him to have far more confidence that she did and way cleverer, though he would deny it as usual. I still remember the days before, when me and the guys moved to Ponyville. While trying to help Flutters with her animals (as well as trying to get her to love me), I was kind of a bit threatened when she and Dusk started getting along more than I did with her. To be honest, I was kind of jealous and was afraid that he might steal her from me. Grandpa did tell me that Fire Dragon stallions did have more luck with the ladies than us water elemental men, especially getting smoking hot babes. In fact, during one talk with her, I asked how she thought of Dusk. From there, she told me all the things she liked about him. She liked how Dusk did a lot to look out for her, to make her more involved, and help her overcome her own low confidence, either by having him around or with encouragement. She even felt that they were more than friends.
Though I asked if she liked him like she was in love, I was surprised when she told me that it wasn’t like that at all. In fact, she never thought of some kind of romance with him. Really, with the way he treated her, Dusk was more like…like… like the brother she never had. Of course, she already had a brother, but what she meant was that she always thought of Dusk as her big brother. Of course, she was too shy to call him that to his face and thought he wouldn’t want to be considered her brother, but I assured her that Dusk wouldn’t even mind it. Though I didn’t tell her, I knew that Dusk thought of her as the little sister he never had. Seeing how he grew up with two big sisters, it would be nice for him to have somepony look up to him like that. Right there and then, I saw that I worried over nothing. From where I was, I could see that it would be smooth sailing for me and Flutters and I still had my chance for my dream romance.
I even dreamed about how it would be until a knock on her door bought me out. Flutters hurried back through the cottage to answer it as I was wondering who it could be. Coming over when she opened the door, we saw it was the very stallion I was thinking about.
“Hello, Fluttershy.” He said to her, speaking politely “I hope I'm not interrupting anything.”
“Oh, no, not at all. Please, come in.” Dusk bowed his head to her as he levitated a small bag onto the table. “Can I make you some tea?”
“That would be lovely, thank you." As Flutters went to the kitchen, he and I decided to have a little chat. “Hey, Leon. How’s it going?”
“Fine. Just fine.” I told him. “You?”
“Quite the same.” He said to me. “I hope you don’t mind me dropping in like this.”
“I don’t mind. Neither of us do. Good to see one of our own friends.”
“That’s nice to know. I came to check up on Fluttershy. I take it her popularity from those photoshoots has gone down somewhat?”
“Well, yeah. She wants to wait a little longer to make sure it’s really gone, but nopony is looking in her direction like before. Just glad that whole mess is done.”
“You and me both.” He then gave a little chuckle. “It’s still a bit ironic. Here, I still thought you wanted to be a guy who knew a famous model.”
“Well, yeah, but not like that. Not when the model doesn’t like her job. If I had to choose, I’d prefer Fluttershy to have the life she loves living in, not the one Photo Finish was trying to make for her.”
“I see. So I’m guessing that photographer isn’t bothering her anymore?”
“Well, she did try to get Fluttershy to come back, putting out many offers to make her do modeling again. She even offered to have me model with her?”
Dusk had a good laugh at that. “You? A fashion model?”
“Yeah. But I turned her down. Like I said, I prefer Flutters the way she is, not the pony somepony tries to make her.”
“And, for that, I agree.” It was only a moment before he started giving me the stink eye. “Hey, you haven’t done anything to her I should know about, have you?”
“What? No!” Man, how does this Dusk get past Fluttershy? This haves “Big Brother protecting Little Sister” vibes all over it! “I swear, I have done nothing without her consent.”
“Uh-huh. You better not.” He raised a brow at me before Flutters came in with the tea, Dusk losing that look and going back to that friendly smile like nothing happened.
“Here you go.” She said as she poured Dusk a cup. “Made with a little milk and two sugars. Just like the way like it, right?”
“Yes. Thank you.” Dusk said to her. Much like the Canterlot stallion he is, Dusk waited until she was seated first before sitting down myself, that pleasant smile never once leaving his face. Much like him, when Fluttershy sat down, I took my own seat as well. “So I take it that you’re happy that your modeling career is over?”
“Oh, yes.” She couldn't keep how relieved she felt out of her voice. “Honestly, I’m just glad I’m not a model anymore.”
“Me too. Though, for what it's worth, I think you did a wonderful job.” Dusk added, making Flutters blush a bit before he opened the box. ‘Here, I bought you these.”
“Thank you, Dusk.” She said as we looked to see cupcakes in our own colors. “Oh, my, these look wonderful.”
“Yeah, they look great.” I said, taking out a cupcake with my colors on it. “They even match our fur and manes.”
“I’m glad you like them. I asked Pinkie to do that.” He explained. “I thought it might be a nice thing to do for you. It was, wasn’t it?”
“It was a very nice thing to do, Dusk. Thank you.”
“That’s good.” Dusk seemed rather relieved at her assurance. “Sorry, this is still kind of new to me. Just something I’m learning about friendship. Put it down to my inexperience, but I’m not exactly sure now.” A little bit of the old Dusk showed through there.
“Don’t worry, we get it.” I told him. “You do a great job of being a good friend.”
“You really think so?”
“Of course, we do. You’ve shown yourself as an amazing friend, right, Flutters?”
“Mmmhmm.” she nodded. “You’re as kind as you are clever.” Now it was his turn to blush.
“Thanks, you two. That means a lot to me.” Dusk took a sip from my tea as his smile returned. “So, anything you want to talk about? I’ve got some time to spare.”
“Actually…” Flutters started before she stopped herself. “No, never mind.”
“It’s okay, speak your mind.” Dusk prompted.
“Yeah, Flutters. If you want to talk about something, we can talk about it now.”
“Well… it’s just that we always talk about what I want.” she noted. “Dusk, why don’t you talk about what you want. I mean, if you like… you don’t have to.”
“Oh.” He was caught off-guard by that. “Sorry, I never noticed that. I didn’t want to bore you.”
“Well, you did tend to bore ponies before…” I chuckled as he glared at me. “Hey, I’m just messing with you. You can talk to us, Dusk.”
“He’s right. You don’t bore us, Dusk.” she said to him, gently. “Talk about whatever you like.”
“You promise that you’ll say that I’m boring you or if you need me to explain?”
“Cross our hearts and hope to fly.” I told him.
“Okay… let’s see then…” Dusk thought for a moment before he spoke. “Well, I’m looking forward to this trip we’re taking to Appleloosa soon.”
“Oh, yeah. We’re excited about that too.” I told him. “Bet you studied up on it, huh?”
“Well, yeah.” He modestly said. “There’s not much that can be told about the residents of Appleloosa. The town was founded about a year ago by a group of settlers who wanted to find their own way, but they’ve managed to make great progress in that time. They were able to find fertilizable ground for them to grow an apple orchard, which is their main source of income and food, along with visitors from out of town. I also read that it’s close to a buffalo stampeding ground, which interests me quite a bit.”
“Really?” Fluttershy said with interest. “Are you interested in the buffalo?”
“Very much so.” Dusk told us. “They’re a fascinating people, generation’s old and spreading back centuries. Some say their ancestors stampeded across those grounds when Celestia and Luna first began to move the sun and the moon. I hope we get to meet them, I would rather like…”
As we listened in, Fluttershy would now and again ask questions or make comments as she was happy that Dusk was comfortable about this subject. Dusk certainly has changed ever since we came to Ponyville. From the first day, he was just a stallion who was so nervous about messing things up that he was willing to give everything up so nopony would have to deal with him. Well, he still is at times, but now he knows that not everything he does is actually gonna be something to make up for or something he needs to run away from. As much as he annoys me, he’s a pretty great guy. I don’t even mind how close he and Flutters were. From the way he cared about and treated her (and how he treated me earlier), I could definitely see him being her big brother. And I had no doubt Flutters saw that too.
Shield’s view
Feeling the wind whip through my mane as I rocketed through the sky with Dash, making sharp turns past the colored obstacles that were in our path. Occasionally, Dash would be caught by surprise as one appeared in front of her, but she’d quickly dodged it. This was a sort of random obstacle course that Dusk made for us, to see how we react and dodge. Speaking of the color maker, even I have to admit he was quite a find with that talent of his. Dash told me she’d managed just fine in practices without him, just flying around clouds and stuff. But, now that he was around, she was able to pull off maneuvers that she’d never have been able to do non-moving clouds, unless she was doing it with another Pegasus. I was much the same. With how Dusk was back then, I wasn’t really sure if he would be much into something like this like he was now. Though I can say, speaking for me and Dash, that power of his isn’t the only thing we like about Dusk.
Dash thought it was kind of cool to have a guy in the group, even though he was sensitive enough to be a girl. Like he showed me, Dusk had already proven he could be brave like us, we could always count on him if we needed help with something, and plus he was pretty brainy, just enough to help us plan out some of our moves. Good thing he did know some things about flying. Looking down, I noticed that he was starting to shake a bit, hitting his limit. Me and Dash did one last loop-the-loop before coming back to land on the ground, without crashing this time.
“Okay, Dusk. Take a break.” Dash bragged confidently. “We don’t expect your stamina to be anywhere near mine.”
“Yeah, don’t have to push yourself so much.” I told him, hopping off my cloud. “We get you want to rest up a bit."
“Your compassion is touching, you two.” I replied with a smile. “That was some nice flying.”
“I know, but nice of you to say so.” Dash said with a grin. "That was some awesome work you did too."
“Yeah. You’re getting better at that magic of yours.” I told him.
“I was merely the one providing the obstacles.” He said in that modest way he did. “You were the ones who flew around them.”
“Yeah, but you still did it.” I said. “Great job, bub.”
“How come you always do that?” Dash asked.
“Do what?”
“Whenever somepony says 'well done' to you, you always say like ‘it was nothing’ or something like that. How come?”
“Well, I’m not exactly sure.” Dusk told her. “I guess I haven’t really thought about it. I mean, it’s really no big deal.”
“I know it’s not that big of a deal.” Dash said to him. “But I figure, you know, what’s the point of doing something cool if you don’t brag about it a bit?”
“Yeah, you got something nopony else has got.” I said to our unicorn pal. “Why not take some credit for it?”
“Well…I suppose that’s just two different mental and philosophical views of differing individuals, who have been affected by what they’ve inherited and how certain stimuli in their environments growing up have treated them.
“English, professor.” Dash said as I rolled my eyes.
“Sorry.” he quietly said. “Well, look at it like this: you two have grown up loving speed and doing tricks to the point where you know how good you are and have utter confidence in your abilities.”
“Yeah, okay. But you?” I said to him.
“Me…” Dusk seemed to be searching for the right words before he said something. “Well, before I got my first group of friends, I’ve never really had any, not many ponies to encourage me like, apart from my parents. They were always supportive of me, but with my father gone and my mother being busy, it was usually just me. My sisters tried to do so, but I still had doubts in myself.”
“Oh, right. Before the Element Squad, you were still dealing with not having your dad around.” Now I was feeling guilty by how sad Dusk was looking. “Sorry for bringing that up.”
Looking at Dash, I knew she was feeling sorry about him too. Even she knew how bad it was not to have many friends. I knew that too. I knew it was different now and that stuff was in the past, but, every now and then, I got some of those reminders, coming in like a random breeze. I keep reminding myself to never forget that as that makes me who I am.
“It’s fine, Shield.” He told me as he recovered and continued. “So…I’m just not used to accepting compliments, that’s all. Besides, I like being modest. It’s what makes who I am.”
“That makes sense.” Dash shrugged. “See? Wasn’t that easier to say?”
“Maybe. I like saying it the other way too.” Dusk gave her one of his rare grins. “I don’t need to use big words to prove my intelligence, but it's always fun using them anyway.”
“Can’t argue with that.” she chuckled.
“Yeah, whatever floats your boat.” I said. “Okay, you ready to go again or do you want longer?”
“I’m fine. Unless you two want longer to rest.” I bantered.
“What? You think I need more rest?” she asked in a fake outrage voice. “Me, Rainbow Dash?”
“Oh, I don't know.” I shrugged. “You might need longer to rest up to prepare for my next bombardment of color missiles.”
“Oh, you wish.” She quickly leapt back into the sky. “Let’s do this, Dusky!”
“Right you are, Dashie!” Dusk called out as he sent more colors at her while she soared through the sky.
Got really say it, Dusk has changed. Sure, he was already pretty confident and cool before, but now he’s gotten even more confident and cool. He’s using his color magic more
Dog’s view
As we were waiting for Dusk to come by with AppleBloom, me and AJ decided to have a little game of horseshoes. After I took my turn, AJ tossed her horseshoe towards the peg, where it landed just a few short feet of it, but further than mine.
“Pretty close, Dog.” she said with a smug look on her face. “But looks like I win again.”
“Eh-yup.” I said as I agreed. “Ya always were better at horseshoes than me."
“What can I say? It’s my gift.” She then glanced up the road. “Ya think Dusk’ll be back with AppleBloom soon?”
“I’m sure he will, that colt’s just as reliable as you are.” I told her as we then walked over to a tree facing the road. “I should know.”
“Yeah, you do know him better than me.” She said as she walked with me. “Glad you got to meet a stallion like him.”
“I’m glad I got to meet him too.” Getting to the tree, we both set ourselves against it slumped to the ground. “I’m also glad you like him.”
“Well, I’ve always been a good judge of character with ponies.” She said to me as we laid back. “And I knew that, from the moment we first met, he had a good head on his shoulders and a good heart to boot.”
“Well, that’s Dusk for ya. Always the stallion you want to be friends with.” I said, putting a piece of straw in my mouth and my hat over my eyes. “I still remember the first day we met. Back then, he seemed so lost. Course, he didn’t show it, but it seemed like he was looking for something and didn’t know what it was. He always acted so distant with such a mysterious way that he would end up being surprised by him acting so friendly.” I chuckled as I remember how his eyes shined when I called him my friend the first time. “Boy, you should’ve seen the look on his face when I first called him my friend.”
“Well, he’s seems much more happy now.” She said with a smile. “He’s been able to share himself in ways he never could before, like his knowledge and whatever else he could offer.”
“And he seems to enjoy showing his puppets to us.” I added, agreeing with her. “He does any favor asked of him and gives help in whatever way could. Not just with me and guys, but with you girls too.”
“Though, when he’s with any of us, he seems to cherish each moment. Almost like it might suddenly end.”
“Well, that’s just how he is. He’s still a little new to friendship, especially now that our group has grown. But I know that he just cherishes our friendship a lot. Him making every moment he haves with us special is just his way of showing it.” We both looked over to the sound of voices and saw AppleBloom going to the farm with Dusk, the little filly chatting away.
“…So with this one, we’re sure to get out cutie marks.”
“Okay, just make sure you don't hurt yourself, unless you want to get a cutie mark in getting bruises."
“Good point.” She suddenly brightened up. “Hey, it’s almost lunchtime. Ya wanna stay fer some food?”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve got somewhere I need to be.” He gave her a smile to counter her disappointed look. “Thank you for asking me though. It was thoughtful of you.”
“Aw, okay then.” AppleBloom said before she looked and saw me and AJ walking over. “Heya, Dog! Hey, sis!”
“Howdy, young'un.” AJ said to her sister before she talked to Dusk. “She didn’t give ya any trouble, did she, sugarcube?”
“Not at all.” Dusk assured her as the filly gave an innocent smile. “She was as good as gold.”
“Sure was. Can I go and play for a bit, sis?”
“Sure thing. Just be careful.”
“I will. See ya later, Dusk!” She scampered off towards the apple orchards, Dusk tipping his hat goodbye to her.
“Thanks for pickin’ her up fer me.”
“Not a problem.” Dusk then turned to leave. “Well, I should get going. I’ve got an appointment to keep.”
“Do ya have to go so soon?” I asked before I gestured to where we’d been playing. “Ya got time for a game of horseshoes?”
“Well… okay, just one game.” I gave him his three shoes as I let him take the first pitch. “I’ve never played, so I might not be very good.”
“Ya never know till ya try.” I watched him take aim and pitch a toss, which landed just short of AJ’s. “Nice one.” My next shot landed far ahead of his, but missed the peg. “Shoot.”
“Tough luck.” Dusk’s next shot landed much closer to the peg than his last throw. Applejack’s, however, landed right next to the peg.
“Wow, good throw.”
“I do have quite a flair fer it, ya know.” Applejack told him.
“Yeah, me and AJ used to play this when we were foals, though she always seems to win no matter who she face.” I told Dusk. “Probably should’ve warned ya about her first.”
“Yeah, I don’t really stand much of a chance.”
“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” AJ told him, talking like an elder. “Ya still got one more throw.”
Dusk said nothing, but studied the playing field. Me and AJ watched as he stayed focused for a few seconds, eyeing his remaining shoe and the distance to the peg. I swear that, if I stood close enough, I’d be able to hear Dusk’s brain whirring as it worked. He pitched his toss, it soared through the air… and landed with a clink right on the peg, beating both our shots in one go. AJ sent a praising smile my way while Dusk looked quite surprised he’d managed to land it.
“Well, I’ll be gosh darned.” I said to Dusk, impressed that he managed to do this. “That was an amazin’ throw, Dusk.”
“Beginners luck, I guess.” He said with a shrug. “Right, I really need to go. Have a good day, Dog. You too, AJ.”
“You too!” AJ shook her head as we watched Dusk go, the two of us moving to clear up the horseshoes. “Beginners luck, indeed. If that boy were any more humble…”
“Yeah, I know.” I said to her as we got all the horseshoes. “But Dusk bein’ humble is sort of what makes him a good guy.”
“I guess you’re right.” She said to me as we both headed to the barn to get some lunch. “Shame he couldn’t stay for pie. He really haves a liking for it.”
“Eeh-yup.” I said to her as I looked back on everything that’s happened.
I still couldn’t believe what I got to see since we got to Ponyville. Back in Canterlot, nothing big much happened like things have been recently, especially since the Dark Gang stopped attacking. Still have no idea why they decided to up and vanish like that, but I’m not much complaining now. Still, lots of things had happened after Equestria was saved from Nightmare Moon. Like me finding out that AJ was a wielder of the Elements of Harmony, what happened at the Running of the Leaves, me and the fellas saving the girls from a Paraserpent, getting our new Element Gang base. Most surprising of all was Dusk actually getting on stage and showing off his magic to everypony. Though some things about Dusk are still the same, he still has changed a lot since the girls got involved with us. And I’m glad that this change was for the better.
Rarity’s view
“That’s it, Dusk. Just follow my lead.” I encouraged my cousin as the two of us danced around each other. “You’re doing marvelously.”
“If you say so.” Dusk replied, sounding unsure as he almost tripped that time and made his cheeks go red. To ensure he wasn’t too distraught, I stifled a giggle and continued to lead him through the waltz.
Dusk had come over to my home for a visit and a chat, which I always looked forward to. He was always so polite and considerate, pleasant to talk to, and it helped that my cousin was rather easy on the eyes. There was a certain dignity that Dusk carried himself with, nothing proud or boastful, but enough to show that he had been brought up well and taught good manners. That was rather rare these days among stallions.
When we arrived at the subject of the Grand Galloping Gala and I commented on the dancing that was part of the Gala, Dusk had made a passing remark that he didn’t really do much dancing. At this, I had insisted that I give him a basic lesson, pulling out a gramophone and providing me with instruction on the matter.
“Tell me again, why do I need to know this?” he asked me.
“Because, Dusk, the dance in the main hall is a big part of the Gala. When you go there, you can ask Twilight to dance with you.”
“Um…why?”
“Because dancing, especially a waltz, is really quite romantic.” she explained with patience. “Once you and Twilight share a dance together, I guarantee her heart will melt like butter and the two of you will be one step closer to becoming a couple.”
“But I… I…” As always on this subject, Dusk became flustered and embarrassed. Luckily, he collected himself and started again. “I don’t know if I can ask her to…to dance with me. I mean…what if she doesn’t want to?”
“Why wouldn’t she? You’re a perfectly fine, young gentlecolt, Dusk, and the two of you would look stunning together on the dance floor.”
“But…but what if she doesn’t know how to dance? I can barely dance now. What if I end up leading and I make a mistake or do something stupid? She’ll think I’m a fool.”
“Dusk, you are nopony’s fool.” I firmly told him. “You are my friend and cousin and I’m going to see to it personally that you can move as smoothly and gracefully across the dance floor as you can. You can do it, Dusk. I know you can. Trust me.”
He stared at me for a few minutes, letting my words sink in before he then gave a small smile. “Okay, I trust you… Rarity?”
“Yes, darling?” There was a pleading note when he said my name there. Despite all of his qualities, Dusk still lacked confidence, a trait that made me pity him somewhat.
“Do you really think that…that Twilight and I could ever be…together?” His voice had barely risen above a whisper at this point.
To answer, I levitated off the necklace that Twilight had made for him. “Dusk, let me ask you something. Twilight made this for you, yes?”
“Yes, she did.”
“And do not you wear it every day as often as you can?”
“I do…yes…”
“Exactly.” I then slipped it back around him. “The fact that you cherish such a gift proves how strong your feelings are for her and, considering that she made it just for you, I know that means she feels something too. You two will end up together, I can feel it.”
“Okay…” His smile then brightened. “Thanks, Rarity. I needed that.”
“It was my pleasure, dear. You’re going to make quite an impact at the Gala, I just know it.”
“If you say so.” I repeated. “We’ll try not to hit you when you start dancing with the Prince.”
“Ah, yes. Blueblood…” I sighed with my heart going aflutter at the mention of him. “Two bright-eyed, young couples, dancing together… how romantic.”
“I’m sure it will.” Dusk nodded. “Just be sure to invite me to your wedding, okay?”
“Oh, don't you worry, I won’t.” I then started up the music again. “Now, let’s try it again. Just loosen up and relax, follow me.”
Dusk’s view
I (happy but exhausted from the day’s events) started off back home, taking the scenic route that would take me past the library.
Both Twilight and Spike were away in Canterlot on business. As such, they had given me the day off, so I had chosen to spend it by doing favors for my friends or just spending time with them. I always liked spending time with them and I liked doing favors for them. It made me feel warm whenever they expressed their gratitude.
As I passed the library, I paused to look up at the tree that was both the container of books and Twilight’s home. It felt strange not having been in the library today with my two good friends. Maybe they were back now…it wouldn’t hurt to drop in.
I opened the door and walked in as I had been given the key for the day. “Twilight? Spike? Are you here?” There was no reply.
The only thing I did see were books, either scattered on the floor or piled up in places. Used quills and parchment also littered the floor. Twilight must have been studying, but didn’t had the time to clear up. I was about lock up and set off back home, but I paused as a thought came to me. They hadn’t asked me to come and work today, but…I might as well, since I was here. It shouldn’t take too long.
I walked in, shut the door, levitated the first book I saw, and set to work.
Twilight’s view
“Ah, good to be back.” Spike sighed and he and I got down from the carriage. It was evening by the time they got back, the stars already beginning to twinkle in the sky.
“It certainly is.” I agreed. “Although it took a little longer than we thought it would.”
“You can say that again. At least we can go to bed when we get in. I’m bushed.”
“Spike, don’t you remember?” I said as we neared the red door of our home. “We still need to clear up all of those books from before. We never had time to when we had to leave.”
“Aw, man! That’ll take forever.” the dragon groaned.
“Not if we work together. If we do it now, we don’t have to do it tomorrow.”
“Alright…let’s get this over with.” He unlocked the door and turned on a light. “Or maybe it won’t.”
“Spike, what are you…” When I looked around, I saw what he meant.
All of the books from my study session that had been scattered and taken down had all been placed neatly back into their proper places. Rolls of parchment had also been cleared away, the quills reorganized, and rubbish had been disposed of. There was only one pony that would have done all of this for them…
“Hey, look, a note.” Spike handed it to me and I unfurled it, seeing the neat writing that was upon it:
I know today was my day off, but I couldn’t resist. Just so you know, it was no trouble. I was happy to do it. I hope you appreciate this chance to get to bed earlier, Spike.
See you both in the morning.
Dusk Noir.
I felt a smile grow on my face as the words sank in. That pony was just… amazing. An amazing friend that is, not that I was thinking about Dusk…like that. Why did this have to be so hard?
“Wow! that guy really is something, huh?” Spike remarked as he read the letter. “For the record, I do appreciate it by the way.”
“I know.” I gazed fondly at the letter for a few minutes before I shook myself out of my stupor. “Spike, what do you think of him?”
“Who? Dusk?” He appeared rather confused by the question. “Well…I think he’s great. He’s easy to get along with, good to talk to and…well, I like him. He’s a good friend, especially if it means I get to sleep more.” He then looked curiously at me. “Why?”
“Oh, no reason, just curious.” I insisted, forcing a smile and trying to seem casual. That was exactly what I thought about Dusk too…and more.
“Well, what do you think of him?”
“He’s… he’s…” I paused, searching for the right words. “He’s one of a kind… a wonderful kind.”
“Ah, I see.” The dragon gave me a sort of knowing smile before stretching and yawning. “Well, I’m gonna get some sleep. G’night, Twilight.”
“Goodnight, Spike. I’ll be up in a minute.” My cheeks turned red again as I looked back at the letter.
I had tried telling myself again and again that I didn’t have romantic feelings for Dusk, that the two of us were just good friends. But there were just things that said otherwise. I sometimes felt jealous when I saw him hug one of my friends or do a favor for them. When I was with him, I hung on to every word he spoke. And when he had to leave… I didn’t want him to.
“Why does this have to be so hard?” I asked myself out loud, gently putting the letter down and heading upstairs to bed. Maybe things would be clearer in the morning.
Hopefully.
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