Interlude: A Short Flight
Interlude: A Short Flight
Ponyville.
It was a quaint little town and only a short ride from Canterlot would take you to it. Even a short flight would see you arrive in short order.
All in all, it was a nice town. Adding to that, it was filled with wonder and an abundance of history. After all, it had lived next to one of the most unstable and unnatural forests in Equestria, The Everfree Forest, for countless years and on top of that, the forest held the Castle of The Two Siblings.
Dusk had learned a lot in Ponyville. He had experienced so many things in his short time in the quaint little town and he had come to cherish it. Cherish its friendly occupants, from the little fillies to the joyous adults. Such a large contrast to when he had once lived in Canterlot, where nobles raised their nose and foals had to hold face.
It was home.
When the place was burned to a crisp by Umbra, the alicorn felt something die a little inside and he’d been at an absolute loss as to what to do when he was taken away from the burning, crumbling town of his.
(“NO!- LET ME GO-” A ring slipped onto his horn, stopping it from powering up the teleportation spell he was planning to make.
It sputtered and magic sparked, dying off like his faith as he was dragged away.
“Take him to the queen…” Spoke a stallion, voice airy and empty as the mask he wore. “She has personally ordered for his presence.”
Dusk tried to scream.
He didn’t know why. Was it to call for help? To beg for them to let him go? He wasn’t able to make a choice, not when something was thrown over mouth and a large amount of force slammed onto the back of his neck.
The last thing he saw was that welcoming sign crumbling to ashes before his very eyes.
With it, was his consciousness.)
From there on, Dusk had realized that he loved that town. He had before the incident of course, but he never truly noticed the depth of his love for it until it was taken away.
It had been a lesson hard-learned and from that day onwards Dusk had cherished his precious with a fervent zeal. It was much more than any normal pony should, but the recently turned alicorn’s situation had been particularly stressful and taken place so quickly that he didn’t fault himself for his new nature.
He’d already long accepted that the quaint little town was gone. When he managed to escape his capture and return to the little town with only ashes to show that this was indeed the place he’d called home for so long… But now?
To hear that there was another Ponyville in this place nearly crushed stallion’s heart all over again.
He wouldn't dare hope.
He couldn’t hope. Hope that maybe he was in the past, before the towns untimely end, because if he simply hyped himself up and then saw there was nothing…
Dusk knew that it would break him in ways even time wouldn’t mend...
The stallion gritted his teeth and his eyes narrowed on the mare who dared use the name of his long-gone home.
He growled, knowing that he needed to see if she was telling the truth.
To see if it was actually there.
He needed to know.
Need to know if what he thought was real. To see if this new world was actually just the past. Because if it was-
He could change so much.
...if it wasn’t…
And it was instead in the future, where the war was over and the world has flourished-
What’s so wrong with a little visit? To see this new Ponyville?
At the very least, he owed them that much.
And if she lied...
Then she'll pay with her life.
Daring Do knew that there was something off about this... Dusk Shine. Not just from the way he moved but it was like everything was an enemy to him. Adding to that was his rather uncanny resemblance to Twilight Sparkle and his rather odd way of using magic.
Dusk Shine, as she came to learn he was named, was clearly a pegasus.
She knew this at a glance, but somehow he had managed to cast spells? He’d been in the process of one when she flew him to safety, now that she thought about it.
Just who are you? Daring wondered, glancing back at the stallion who was flying behind her.
Was he just some abused colt who grew up in a harsh herd? Had he learned those techniques as a way to escape and survive such a herd or was there something else? Something more?
The mare would keep her questions to herself for right now. She’d have the chance to ask the necessary questions when they reached the safety of Princess Twilight and Ponyville.
If he was an enemy, then she would have a princess to help subdue him. It was far easier to subdue a pony when they didn’t know what was happening and you held them aloft high in the hair.
Her eyes flicked back to the pegasus who had since taken to flying next to her. Daring sighed as she found herself genuinely hoping that he wasn't some supervillain.
He was certainly a little… rough in the edges - okay, a lot of rough everywhere complete with spikes - but she knew that he couldn’t have become that way of his own accord. He’d had to survive in a mare's world and assuming the mares had been abusive would readily explain why he was so cautious at being saved by her.
The scars on the other hoof, those were a huge problem all their own. The scars running alongside his neck and face were glaringly obvious.
Everypony knew that when a pony got a scar, the fur on that particular place would always grow a lick shorter and the pigment would become ever-so-slighty lighter - or darker, depending on the colour of a ponies fur - when it came back.
But Dusk? Dusk's fur wasn't regrowing and that only happened when the scar was made with anti-magic properties. Few ponies knew this on account of those kinds of magics being made illegal thousands of years ago, the laws dating back to when Princess Celestia had just taken the throne.
When her eyes once again flicked back to the stallion, she nearly lost balance in flying and yelped. The stallion had taken to flying behind her once again and it only now dawned on her that when he did so, he was staring right at her!
Her eyes turned back to the front, a blush of embarrassment appearing on her face. Well, that was embarrassing, She concluded as she made an active effort to avoid looking in Dusk's direction.
"What a weirdo," She’d heard him mutter the line underneath his breath as they flew closer to Ponyville. Such a comment made her cheeks burn so much more.
How is that even possible? She shook the thought from her head. She was not going to be embarrassed! She was just staring at a strange stallion... that doesn't make her a weirdo!
Dusk couldn’t help but stare at his companion before rolling his eyes. If this was really in the future, he wondered why even years later, ponies would still be rude and stare.
Smack!
"Ow! I'm flying here! I can't deal with you right now!" Dusk snarled under his breath as he turned his concentration to flying once more. That concentration did him little good as the familiar owl yet again smacked him in the back of the head.
Smack!
Dusk's brow twitched as he tried to decipher the reason why the overgrown bag of food was doing this. Up to this point, he hadn't done anything like this for no reason.
Or was it because he was insulting the pegasi infront of him in his mind?
No way...
Unless Dusk had done something wrong, he was traditionally placid. Was it because of the bright light from one of his earlier spells? It wasn't his fault that the spell was designed that way!
Ignoring the fact that he was the one who designed it but that isn’t the point.
"Who!" the owl pecked his already messy mane, somehow making it even messier. To say it annoyed the alicorn would’ve been an understatement.
That aside, He fell back into his thoughts as the bird stopped assaulting him. He was going to this world's version of Ponyville.
What if his friends were there? He would need to give a good first impression but… he frowned, remembering how he looked. That would be easier said than done.
I look like I’ve been through Tartarus… I mean I have, but not the point here.
Another peck snapped him from his mind and drew his gaze to the owl once more.
"Listen... Stop screwing with me.” The firm tone made it clear that it wasn’t a request. “I'm sorry about the bright light if that’s what you’re up in feathers about. That was my fault, but that doesn't excuse the fact that you nearly could’ve bit my other ear off!" He growled out, though his annoyance was quickly sidelined so it could give way to mounting excitement, the emotional shift courtesy of him spotting a bunch of buildings in the distance.
He let out a breath, ruffling his feathers in an attempt to stop himself from zooming into the oh so familiar town.
The bird gave a low trill, his way of saying sorry and Dusk sighed. He slowed down slightly and brought the owl to his chest before he continued his flight. It was all he could do to ignore the fact that the bag of feathers immediately cuddled closer to his shaggy fur.
The stallion did everything in his power to ignore the growing bundle of warmth and he definitely ignored the small smile that steadily grew on his muzzle as they slowed their flight to a halt and landed at the southern edge of Ponyville.
As they landed, Dusk felt like someone had just slugged him in the gut as his eyes were drawn to stare at the slightly worn down sign near the entrance of Ponyville.
(He remembered once, long ago. Of a similar sign, burning and broken.)
His throat hitched as his eyes carefully burned and traced those familiar words.
“Welcome to Ponyville.”
It stated and he wondered just how welcoming it was.
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You can really feel the pain and anguish when Dusk thinks back to his ponyville. This guy really needs a damn break. Here's hoping he can heal at some point.
i do so hope you are aiming at a Happy ending here, For dusk seems To really deserve it.
Nice
10214318
Randa-moustache here we come!
Dusk seems like he will need a peaceful place to heal.
Owlowiscious is the best companion one can have. Loyal, firm, but loving and caring all the same.
Interesting premise I’m excited to see where this story goes!
If the mares swarm him, it's just going to harm his first impressions of the townsfolk, or even Equestria as a whole. Hopefully Pinkie has enough common sense.
Seriously, what the hell iscthe owl's problem? He shows up and acts like an asshole, smacking and viting someone who has done nothing.
And Daring Do just seems like an asshole, attacking and dragging someone off without bothering to talk to them. I really hope this doesn't turn out to be Dusk just rolling over and letting ponies use him however.
10256649
Dusk got transported to a RGRE (Reverse Gender Role Equestria) and stallions there are raised to think their weak and need protection. Mares do all the work and care for Stallions like there children. Not the most accurate description but there are groups that can describe it better than me.