Tales of the Element Gang, Book 1: Heroes of Equestria

by Power of Six

Chapter 1: Seeing Clearly

Once my break (which I had spent at the Boutique) was over, I swiftly returned to my post at the library. Unlike other times, I had my Fire Dragon tail out and the ponies passing me by and greeting me like usual. I have to say, having the Element Gang secret out has made things a lot easier. Now I didn’t have the discomfort from hiding my tail’s true form. I made sure, however, not to move too quickly and take extra care as to where I was putting my hooves and claws while walking through Ponyville. Since my eyesight had lost its former state, I had been tripping and stumbling quite a bit, even falling headlong into a bush on my way to work this morning and that was just from today. Even when I was thinking hard about each step, it was still easy to miss a pebble I hadn’t seen or perhaps a cobble that caught me unawares.

It’s also a reason why I was glad for the recent popularity my fellow elementals and I got from everyone in Equestria knowing who we were had gotten less immense with everypony getting used to having heroes without masks amongst them. After the Element Gang secret was revealed, me and the team practically got swarmed by fans. While Shield didn’t mind the attention he got from it, it was still causing a lot of problems for our daily lives. Lasting a few weeks, we had to deal with news hounds for daily newspapers. Just the next day after we came back to Ponyville, I ended up being followed by a swarm of journalists to work. Ever since then, Ponyville had gotten a newspaper route, which allowed me to see how the others were dealing with the new popularity. Rarity seemed to handle it very well as she received interviews to talk about her, Leon practically had to fight off journalists and photographers just so he and Fluttershy could get around, Dog and the Apple Family could barely work from being interviewed, and Pinkie… well, let’s just say she made interviews with her a little difficult. With them, I tried to avoid all the questions that involved my relationship status with Twilight because I did not want that to go public with all of Equestria.

While there would be ponies that would be happy for the two of us (mostly family and friends), I knew there would be a few ponies that would be upset by this, specifically the female variety. If mares found out that El Dragon wasn’t single anymore, they might become jealous and that could lead to some serious problems, especially with Twilight. That became obvious with problems coming with new visitors that would come and go from Ponyville. With mares that would flirt with me with the thought that I was single are only met with disappoint from me telling them I was off the market and fear from meeting with my girlfriend herself. When it comes to mares who try to romantically flirt with me, Twilight can present herself in a calm yet threatening presence. The same problems happened with my fellow stallions when it came to the female variety of their fan bases. When it came to them hanging out with the respective mares they were living with, one can feel the aura of jealous coming from the female fans of each male elemental. I mean, I’m not kidding when I say that Fluttershy got some threatening glares from visiting Posidacus fanmares.

The fans didn’t really make it easy for any of us, especially when it came to work. I practically had a swarm of fans following me around for weeks whenever I went to work. And that’s actually pretty hard to get away from and reach your intended destination when you’re nearsighted. And I swear that the amount of fans I have had increased since it was discovered I was an Element of Harmony. While I could manage to see with the use of my Fire Dragon eyes, they didn’t really do me any favors in a social stand point. Green dragon eyes aren’t exactly something that give an approachable presence. Honestly, I was just glad the popularity finally died down and I could finally walk out of my house without any troubles. I didn’t want to be treated as special due to my elemental status. When I would walk out without needing to hide my tail, I just want to be treated like any other pony. I’m just fine with the ponies of Ponyville treating and greeting me like they did before, much like they would do now. Though, even with all the kind smiles and friendly greetings, I do sometimes feel off remembering what had happened during Discord’s attack, especially the time when… he was around.

I felt a calm comfort wash over me once I could make out the library. Even with my blurry vision, it was unmistakable. Before I entered, I made sure that I still looked presentable by checking myself in a nearby window. Once I had straightened my hat and furiously placed down a bit of fur that had been sticking up, I drew in a deep breath and entered the haven of knowledge and books, my heart fluttering with anticipation.

Whereas before I had already felt comfortable in the library, I now felt as if I could be safe from anything in here. Even if a meteor fell down from the sky and hit the town directly, I was sure that the ancient tree would be the only protection I needed because I felt so safe, so at peace here. I had those feelings ever since I’d discovered friendship’s magic, but now they had tripled since last night I’d noticed, all because of what had changed between me and the studious mare I worked with.

I still had trouble believing that Twilight and I were actually in a romantic relationship. A year ago, just becoming her friend had seemed like some impossible goal that I only had the slimmest of chances achieving. Before coming to Ponyville, I even thought of romance between her and I would only be something Shield and the guys would use to tease me. This felt like some wonderful dream that I expected to awaken from at any moment and return to reality. But it was real, as I was reminded when she’d kissed my cheek when I’d walked into the library this morning and she brushed her side against mine, making her giggle from how much I blushed and how much my tail wagged in joy.

Even though I still felt the guilt from what I had put her through of which she had already forgiven me for, I still enjoyed every second of this fact.

There was no sign of her when I entered, but I could make out the small purple and green blob that I knew to be my fellow assistant, clearing up a pile of books that had been scattered onto the floor. Spike usually looked away or coughed loudly whenever I and Twilight showed any sign of affection (making us both blush and chuckle awkwardly), but we supposed he’d have to get used it, just as we would. I accidently tripped over one of the books because I didn’t see it while I made my way over, crashing to the floor as the baby dragon filled my vision.

“Have a nice trip, buddy?” he asked in a light tone.

“Really, Spike? I thought you’d be above puns.” I remarked, getting back up on my hooves and claws.

“Hey, at least I’m not the one hitting the books.”

“Spike, come on.”

“I mean, you were on the floor laughing from the look of it.”

“Please tell me there’s no more.”

“Looking like you were head over heels there.”

“Oh, Celestia! Let it end!”

“Eh, what can I say? I’m a comic genius.” he shrugged as we both laughed. “Well, stop wasting time with your jokes, we gotta get this cleaned up.”

“My jokes? What are you… oh, never mind.” I just moved to help Spike with the books, having to squint at the spines to see what they were.

Anypony else would see such a task as boring and tedious, but not me. I just hummed a merry tune while I worked, keeping my mind occupied away from… other thoughts, now and again sharing a quip with Spike. As mischievous and cocky he could be at times, I still liked working with the baby dragon, just as I always did. I was just settling into the task I had been assigned, even then I was still making the odd mistake with the sorting that was pointed out by either Spike or Owlowiscious when I received a pleasant surprise.

“Excuse me, Number One Pony Assistant.” Just hearing her voice was enough to set my heart pounding, turning to behold her. “Back on time and back to work as always, I see.”

“Well… it’s what I do.” I replied humbly. This was one of those times I cursed being blinded, not being able to see Twilight clearly. Even then, her presence close to me was still… intoxicating.

“Isn’t it just?” I blushed from the praise and even more so when Twilight bestowed a kiss on my cheek. “That’s for always being so reliable.”

“Wow… still getting used to that.” I admitted.

“Me too.” I could make out a blush on her cheeks now. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Not at all, that is if you don’t.”

“Of course not. It’s just that we’re still… you know…”

“I know.” I summed up my courage and did my best to sound appreciative. “That doesn’t mean I don’t like getting a kiss from my girlfriend.” Just saying that still made me tingle with pleasure.

“Good, because I like giving them to my boyfriend.” she replied, stepping closer to me.

“Glad that we agree on that then, Ms. Sparkle.”

“You know, I always like it when you call me that.”

“Well… that’s why I call you it, Ms. Sparkle.”

“Oh, now you’re just teasing me.” she giggled.

“You know, I’m standing right here.” Spike cut in, snapping us out of our zone. “Geez, I can’t stand office romances…”

“Heh… sorry, Spike…” I returned once more to my embarrassed state and Twilight diverted her gaze shyly. “So… back to work?”

“Yeah… actually, wait! There’s something I want to show you!” She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to another of the sections.

I felt another jolt when her hoof made contact with my claw and allowed myself to be pulled along. While it was true the two of us were still new to the concept of a romantic relationship and as such were still getting used to some public displays of affection, or even when it was just in private, but there was no denying we were both enjoying our newfound relationship. I knew that I certainly was, enjoying Twilight’s company more than ever and feeling even emptier when we parted.

Twilight too, despite her previous inhibitions regarding the idea of her engaging in romance, seemed to be happy being together with me too. Just today, her face had lit up when she saw me in a way that it never had before. Those shy glances we’d shared now turned into full blown, almost sensuous stares across the room. Sure, she always made sure she carried on with her studies and research, but she always found the time to throw me a look and remind me of just how lucky I really was.

I dwelled on those feelings happily before returning to reality and Twilight, who was now levitating a series of heavy-looking volumes down from one of the shelves and passing them to me eagerly, clearly excited about this. That meant that she could have only brought me over here for one possible reason and again I felt privileged from how much she wanted to help me in this particular venture.

“So, I was thinking last night about some books you might want to have a look at for your sessions with Luna.” she explained excitedly. “Finally, I settled on a few good ones and decided which to give you for a bit of light reading.” About ten heavy books slammed on the floor next to me.

“That’s light?” I heard Spike remark behind me. I had to agree. The pile was almost the same size as I was.

“Anyway,” Twilight continued, ignoring him, “so you’ll obviously want to look at a few magical tomes, works from Starswirl the Bearded, Marelin the Magnificent, that sort of thing, because I have no doubt she’ll be teaching you some advanced levels of magic. I don’t know what potential your magic has, but I’m sure there’ll be something in these. These cover everything from low-level enchantment to high-level conjuring, so you should be set here.”

“Good to know.” I said, eyeing the pile unsurely and realizing something. “Thanks for this, but I…”

“Oh, you’re welcome, but those are just the magical volumes.” She beamed and levitated down a few more. “Now, I know that science is your strong suit, but I still think it would be good to brush up on it a bit because science and magic can overlap quite a bit. So I also managed to find you some works from a few noteworthy ponies, like Professor Proton, Doctor Beaker, Doctor Test Tube…” She opened one of them and grimaced a little. “Actually, perhaps not that one. Most of his work is rather controversial. I’m shocked some of these were even published.”

“Right. But it’s just that I…”

“Hold on, hold on, just one last thing. I know you’re going to like this.” Adding to the steadily growing pile, she pulled down even more. “As you know, magic has left a pretty big impact on history and I know you’re pretty much covered where that's concerned, but I still think you should have another good look at some of this stuff. I got you some texts relating to the early days of the Unification, the Reign of Chaos, the Golden Age of Magic, some accounts of noteworthy magical researchers. In short, just about everything you’ll ever need for studying significant magical events and discoveries throughout Equestria’s history.”

“Yeah, all you need now is a book about kitchen sinks.” Spike remarked again.

“Make jokes all you like, Spike, but we’ll see who’s laughing when Dusk is fully prepared and ready for whatever Princess Luna might have in store for him.”

“Yeah, you’ll sure put me in my place. Why don’t you just give him the whole library while you’re at it? You pretty much did.” he added.

“Oh, don’t mind him, Dusk. You and I both know you’ll need to be as ready as you can be and, with my help, I’m sure you will be.” she said proudly.

“Um… sure…” I watched warily a pile that looked like it was going to fall.

“I knew you’d see things my way! So, what did you want to say?” she asked, her bright smile still on her face.

“Oh, right, yes… well, you see…” I didn’t want her to feel like she had wasted her time after doing all of this for me, but it still needed to be said. “I, uh… I’m still having trouble with, um… reading.”

“What?” Her smile faltered. “You mean your eyes still haven’t recovered?”

“No…”

“Oh.” Now her face fell, as did the piles of books, perfectly on cue and scattering all over the floor.

“Great, because I didn’t have enough to clean up.” Spike complained, slamming a book into its place.

“I’m sorry, Dusk,” she said, once again ignoring Spike. “I… I didn’t know that you were still… having trouble seeing.”

“How could you not know?” Spike cried. “He took three tries to get his bag and hat on the hook, he hit his head off the door frame—twice—sorted a book on ABCs into Classic Literature, and he stood on my tail—On, my tail!—and it hurt!”

“Thank you, Spike,” I said, finally responding to the dragon. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, but… I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Dusk, if anything, I’m sorry for not noticing.” She sighed. “And, to think, I got you all excited about studying when you can barely read.”

“Yeah…” I backed away from the toppled books a little. “It made me think… do you think I should get glasses?”

Twilight perked up once again. “Of course I would, like I mentioned yesterday. I’d say that it’s a definite. It might not be permanent damage, but it looks like it’s not going away any day soon, so it’s only sensible that you get yourself some glasses until your eyes get better.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” I shrugged, glad she wasn’t commenting on the possibility of what I might look like with them. “Though I doubt that my eyes will get any better.”

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“I mean, I’m afraid that I might be permanently near-sighted. I think my magic may have altered my eyes a bit.” I admitted. “So… I think it would make sense to get some glasses if that’s the case.”

“Of course. In fact—now you mention it—let’s go and get you some, get it over with.” She looked around to Spike. “You don’t mind if we head out for a bit, do you, Spike?”

“No… hey, wait a min…”

“Great! Come on, let’s go.” She pulled me along to the door quickly, letting me stop to get my hat.

Just before he left, I could make out my fellow assistant glaring after us amidst a multitude of books on the floor. Feeling a little guilty leaving him like this, but also eager to spend some time alone with Twilight without him interrupting, I gave him a sheepish smile and followed my marefriend out of the door.

---

“Yes, Mr. Noir. It’s definite that you need some lenses for the state your eyes are in.” the optician said from behind the desk after I had finished my tests. “Quite frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t come here earlier than this.”

“I know I should have.” I admitted, taking my prescription for glasses. “It’s just… I thought that…”

Though I trailed off, the stallion seemed to read my mind. “Mr. Noir, I assure you, having to wear glasses is nothing to be ashamed of.” He adjusted a pair of his own on the end of his nose. “If ponies do mock for it, just don’t pay them any mind. Besides, we have a wide range of choices for glasses that would suit you.”

Feeling a little more spirited than before, I returned the opticians smile and returned to Twilight, who was waiting nearby. She beamed proudly at me.

“There we go. Now all you need to do is pick out a pair that fits you best.” She looked around at all of the glinting lenses. “I wish we’d brought Rarity for this. She’s better at it.”

“Perhaps, but I’m sure we’ll be fine.” I said lightly. “Besides, I’d much rather hear what you think, since that’s something you are definitely the best at.”

“Aw, thank you, Dusk.” She shyly nuzzled my neck, but I could still feel the warmth from the gesture. “You can be quite… sweet at times.”

“Thanks.” I mumbled. Compliments like that were another thing we were still getting used to. “Right, let’s have a look at these then.”

I grabbed down the first pair I could see, a pair of typical round spectacles. When I put them on, they instantly made my eyesight so much more clear that I almost jumped in surprise. I looked at them in the mirror, but decided within seconds that these didn’t suit me at all. They made me look too geeky… wow, now I was thinking like both Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Possibly like Shield too.

I turned to look at Twilight, but ended up stopping and staring for a few minutes before she brought me out of my reverie.

“Sorry, it’s just… I’d forgotten how… well…”

“Forgotten what?” she asked gently.

“How… amazing you look.”

This comment obviously caught her off-guard, her eyes widening like saucers. But they soon sparkled with happiness, an expression reflected in her perfect smile.

“You really are sweet.” she echoed utter assurance, enough to make my face burn. “Thank you. So… not the right pair?”

“What? Oh, the glasses! No, I don’t think so.” I placed them back and put on the next set that looked rather like sunglasses.

“Oh, that works!” Twilight remarked. “You look cool with those ones.”

“Cool, yes.” I nodded, noting how much I looked like some kind of secret agent with them on. “But… cool isn’t really me, more like our mutual cyan friend. Along with our green bud.”

“I know what you mean.” she giggled. “I think they look good on you, but if you don’t like them, that’s fine.”

“Thanks.” I said warmly, putting them back and stopping to have a think.

I was rather reminded of the time I had picked out my now iconic trilby. I didn’t want to look too geeky wearing them, but that didn’t mean I was unashamed of my intelligence. I wanted to look okay in them, but not end up looking like a rock star. Something that still looked decent and allowed me to see clearly, a middle ground in a sense.

I browsed for a few more minutes, stopping and pausing on some, but eventually moving on to the next set. All the while, Twilight waited patiently, providing the occasional bit of insight on what she thought looked good for me. Most of the time, we found ourselves agreeing with one another in this sense and were gradually narrowing down the choices. It seemed like it was taking a while, but because I was with her, time seemed immaterial in that moment.

Finally, I found myself lingering a little longer than normal on a pair of black-rimmed, square-shaped reading glasses. They allowed me to see better than before, which was ultimately what I wanted, but they also helped to, as Rarity had put it, emphasize my intelligence. They didn’t make me look like a nerd, they just made me look… clever. And, if Rarity was correct, my cleverness is what made me cool like an Axel. Plus, the color worked well with my hat, so that was another bonus.

I turned to Twilight, feeling the smile grow on my face, which was matched by her. She nodded in satisfaction.

“Do we have a winner?” she asked.

“I think we do. What do you think?”

“I think so too.”

“Then it’s settled.” we both said in unison. Blushing and laughing, I paid for them and walked back out into Ponyville.

Already, I could see the much needed improvement. Like somepony had made some sort of adjustment to me, I could see clearly once again, making out every little detail from the clouds in the clear blue sky, to the stones upon the ground. Even better, I could once again make out the beautiful face of Twilight Sparkle and be dazzled again by her radiant smile.

Caught up in the moment, I leaned in and bestowed a kiss on her cheek. She blinked and gasped in surprise from the gesture.

“Whoa… what was that for?”

“Oh, um… well… just happy, that’s all.” I mumbled, feeling embarrassed again. “I didn’t think you’d mind…”

I felt her hoof touch my cheek, turn my face back around, and her lips briefly on mine for a bit, giving me that fleeting feeling that I was like a Pegasus in flight.

“I never said I did.” Nuzzling my cheek again, I grinning once more, we walked side-by-side through the streets. “For the record, I think you look cute in those glasses.”

“Really? You do?”

“Certainly. Now come on, let’s go back and give Spike a hoof.” she suggested, leading me off.

“Right you are, Ms. Sparkle.” Walking alongside her, my new glasses propped on my eyes, I decided that perhaps wearing these wouldn’t be so bad after all.

---

Dread’s view

Within my throne room, my Dark Gang brothers and sisters were discussing on the very nature of our situation, especially about the recent developments that had been discovered in Canterlot.

“Are you serious, boss?” our earth elemental Hubris Cobbleron asked, surprised by what I just told him. “The Element Squad have now become an Element Gang and now have the Elements of Harmony?”

“I’m afraid so, Hubris.” I told him. “As our spies in Canterlot have reported, the Element Gang have been revealed to wield the Elements, that Fire Dragon rat now this new seventh Element.”

“Well, this is just great.” Said Gloomilla Zaptak, our lightning elemental, with annoyed tone of voice of hers. “First, I find out that Pinkie Pie is an Element of Harmony—and the one I hate the most—and now I find out she gotten together with her Element Gang besties.” She emphasized those last three words in a mocking tone.

“Is this really a problem, Dread?” said Sly Glacerox, our ice elemental who would only save his skill of deception in his words for those outside of our brotherhood and help our cause. “I thought you weren’t worried about the Elements of Harmony. You said they weren’t a problem.”

“That was before Noir came in with that new one, Sly!” I told him. “The Element of Unity… it seems as though the Elements are more connected to the Element Gang than we thought if one of their virtues is embodied as one of them.”

“Eh, big whoop.” Shrugged our water elemental Dander Devabass. “So they got the Elements of Harmony. Doesn’t mean we can’t still crush them. They’re still a bunch of pansies, especially now that they got more girls around.”

“And what is that supposed to me?!” Gloomilla said, glaring at Dander.

“Settle down, Gloomilla.” I spoke out, preventing any conflict that might prove pointless. “And do not underestimate them, Dander. This is more dire than you think. We have also received news that Noir is not only responsible for the defeat of Discord, but Nightmare Moon as well.”

“Nightmare Moon?” Sly was surprised by this. “But I thought he was stuck in Canterlot and we all know it was the two elementals and those other mares that fought that alicorn.”

“Well, it seems as though the rat has received a little help.” I then explained. “I have reason to believe that Dialga had allowed Dusk to travel to the past to bring Nightmare Moon’s downfall.”

“Wait, a Legendary Pokémon helped them?” Hubris asked. “Why in Equus would they do that?”

“For that, I have no idea. But that doesn’t matter now.” I spoke out to them all. “In light of this, it is now more important than ever that we strike as soon as possible.”

“Well I can’t wait until we get to Canterlot and take all the treasure there is, especially those Elements.” Our air elemental Aviditonia Pilfeon put in. “I hear they have amazing gems which I think would just make the perfect accessories for me.”

“And you’ll get your chance to see those Elements, Avidity.” I told her. “As soon as we crush the Element Gang and their friends.” It was then that I heard the doors open and we all looked to see Whirlpool running up to us.

“Lord Dread,” He said as he bowed to me, “everything is ready, all soldiers awaiting your command.”

“Good.” I said with a smile of glee. “Then send the messengers to Ponyville at once!”

“Yes, my lord!” Whirlpool said before he got up and turned to leave, closing the doors behind him as he left and reentered the halls of our base.

I smiled at anticipation, thinking about how sweet our victory will be when we destroy the Element Gang once and for all. My brothers and sisters were the same, their smiles showing how eager they were to crushing them all.

No one’s view

Within a different part of the Dark Gang’s base, there stood two Earth pony soldiers in front of a large, metal crate with a metal bar door. Inside the crate laid what appears to be unicorn pony concealed in shadow, a depressed look on their face. There was a moment of silence until…

Clink-clink!

The pony then looked over to the door, glaring with hazel brown eyes.

“Here’s lunch.” Said the voice of stallion as a bowl of some sort of salad lettuce and bits of some sort of meat was placed in front of the pony, them looking towards the owner of the voice. “Hey, cheer up. Good news, you’re going to Ponyville. Heard you got some family there.” The pony in the cage gave a small, animal growl. “Yeah, when you get there and if you can, say hello to that cousin of yours for me!” With a burst of laughter, hoofsteps are heard, indicating the pony at the door had left.

Sighing in depression, the pony in the cage then looked at the bowl. It was then that a blue light formed on his head, revealing he was a unicorn. Surrounded in an aura of the same light, the bowl is then lifted and brought over to the pony. The light disappearing, the pony then took the bowl, revealing he had five-digit claws instead of front hooves as he sat up and held the bowl in one claw, and began eating the food out of it. After a moment, the pony then looked up at the ceiling with pleading look on his face, giving out a silent prayer.

“Looks like we’re gonna meet again, Dusk.” The pony said, his voice sounding much like the one belonging to the assistant librarian. “Just hope you make it out alive… brother.”

Author's Note:

After much consideration, Dusk has finally decided to obtain lenses to restore his sight which will come to help him with his daily life as he continues living in Ponyville and learn more of the magic that resides in his romantic relationship with Twilight. But, even with things turning out for the better, there is a looming threat that will soon come to Ponyville. Find out what will happen next time!

Hey, guys! What did you think of the chapter? Now Dusk has a new addition to his ensemble, now looking cool and smart with his tribly and new glasses. And here's a little thing: the round glasses do reference to something that Dusk talked about in the prelude. If you've seen the works of my bud Element Writer, you might already guess what that is. And do you like the foreshadowing? You might already have a good guess on what's about to happen next. In the next chapter, Dusk and his friends are going to dealing with the oldest enemies from the Element Squad's past. Well, that’s all I got for this chapter! Don’t forget to comment and rate the story to tell me what you think!