Starting Off
Just as first light began to break over the horizon, Dusk awoke and rose from his bed. He immediately got up, had a quick shower, combed his hair as neatly as he could, though it still stuck up in places, had a quick breakfast of the remaining apples Applejack let him have and was soon ready to go, butterflies fluttering in his stomach.
He began to trot in the direction of the main town, as other ponies also began rising from their beds and leaving their homes, to start the new day. A new day, a new start, a new job, in his case. This was it. He was finally going to speak to Twilight Sparkle.
His thoughts were in a whirl: what would he say first? What would she think of him? Did his mane look neat enough? Was it too neat? First impression, Dusk, first impressions count.
He calmed himself as best he could, if only to control his breathing. The library of Ponyville was soon in sight. It had been built into the body of a large tree, showing the Earth pony talent to blend architecture with nature. With a little bit of Unicorn magic, of course. Three balconies emerged from different parts of the tree, one of which had a telescope set atop it, pointed skyward.
He approached the red door, which had a candle painted on it and, slowly, pushed the door open. It felt rather comforting, to step once more into the rows of books he had become familiar with. A whole new library to learn.
Nopony around, as far as he could see. He could smell cooking eggs, drifting from one of the doors. They must just be having breakfast, he thought. He started to have a look around.
All of the essential sections were here: science, magic, history, Little Ponies, fantasy, everything that a good library needed. His eyes swept over the many coloured volumes, large and small, thick and thin. Some he'd read before, some he'd never even heard of. He wondered what exactly he'd be doing, what job he might have...
Lost in thought, Dusk heard a door open and turned, to see a small dragon emerge through it. His scales were a light purple, spines were green and his underbelly was a sort of jadeish colour. He also had a white chef's hat on his head. Okay.
"I thought I heard somepony come in," he remarked brightly. "Can I help you?"
"Um... yes," Dusk replied, wondering why he didn't know who he was. "I'm... I'm starting work here today. Second assistant?"
"Oh right yeah, I remember now! Dusk Noir, right?" He nodded, relieved that he recalled correctly. "Sorry about that. I'm Spike, good to meet ya!"
"Likewise, Spike," said Dusk politely, shaking the dragon's claw.
"Yeah, you're here a little earlier than we expected." Was he? Darn it!
"Er... early bird, as they say," he chuckled nervously. "Sorry, I can come back later..."
"Don't worry, it's fine," he assured him, smiling brightly. "Way to make a good first impression, Twilight's gonna be impressed." he murmured appraisingly.
"R-really?" That worked out well then, he thought.
"Of course! Come on, I'll take you to meet her." He led the way, calling into what Dusk assumed was the kitchen. "Hey Twilight, the new guy's here!"
"This early?" His stomach jolted has he heard her voice. "Wow. Show him in then, maybe he'd like to join us."
"Already doing it!" He turned back to Dusk. "We were just about to have breakfast, you wanna have some?"
"Thank you, but... I wouldn't want to impose on you..." he muttered shyly.
"Don't worry about it. Come on!" Without waiting for an answer, he continued to lead him into the kitchen.
And there she was, sitting at a table by the window as the sun streamed in around her, making her fur sparkle as much as her name did. He had seen her from a distance plenty of times, but being this close to her now, was... quite overwhelming. He'd never even imagined being able to even be this near her, let alone talk to her. His memory of her hadn't done her justice. Nothing could have prepared him for the sheer disbelief and happiness that he felt from this moment. He knew he would never forget it as long as he lived.
She looked up, her eyes shining with an enthusiasm to learn, saw him and gave him a friendly smile. Dusk could only stand in the doorway, completely dumbstruck.
"Good morning," she greeted. "It's Dusk, isn't it?"
"Huh?" He slapped himself mentally. The first thing he says to her and it's the stupidest thing he could have said. "I mean, uh... yes. I'm... I'm Dusk."
"Well, it's nice to meet you Dusk. I'm Twilight Sparkle."
I know, was what he wanted to say. I've known who you are for years. I've always dreamed of just speaking to you, hoping you'd be the only pony who might find me interesting enough to call my friend. You have no idea how nervous I am right now, how happy that I'm finally talking to you. Instead, what he said was:
"It's... it's good to meet you too, Miss Sparkle."
"Come on in, have a seat." She gestured to the empty chair across from her. "Spike was just making an egg omelette."
"I guessed," Dusk laughed nervously again, taking the seat indicated. "I did have some breakfast but... well, it wasn't a big one... just a few apples."
"That's no good!" he heard Spike call out. "Don't worry, I'll make you some proper breakfast in just a few minutes."
"Thank you again, this is... this is very kind of you, letting me eat breakfast with you, Miss Sparkle."
"No problem at all," she told him, still smiling. "Gotta have plenty of energy for your first day of work, right?"
"I suppose so, Miss Sparkle." He sniffed the air again. "It... it certainly smells... good."
"Oh believe me," Spike said, standing proudly. "You haven't tasted anything until you've eaten some of my omlette."
"Spike," Twilight said sternly, "you do remember that it was Applejack that gave you the recipe for that omelette in the first place, right?"
"Of er... of course, but I'm the one cooking it, aren't I?" he reminded her.
"I suppose so," she conceded. She turned back to Dusk. "So, you've come here from Canterlot, isn't that right Dusk?"
"Yes, Miss Sparkle. I just arrived here yesterday."
"Dusk," she said, giggling a little. "You can drop the formalities. You don't have to keep calling me 'Miss Sparkle' all of the time. You can just call me Twilight."
"Oh! Um... er..." Now he felt like an idiot. "Sorry Miss Spark- Twilight!" He could feel his insides flutter as he spoke her first name. "I just er... well, seeing as... you're gonna be... you know, my boss... I didn't want to appear... presumptuous... or rude..."
"That's quite alright," she assured him. "It's good that you started off so politely, at any rate. And, while I am in charge technically, I don't want you to think of me as your boss, not fully. I was hoping that, in time, you'd come to think of us as friends."
Dusk felt his eyes grow wider. Twilight Sparkle, the pony he'd wanted to talk to almost all of his life and one of the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, was already considering him to be her... friend?
Him, the most dull, uninteresting and boring unicorn to have ever set foot across Equestria. He didn't want to get his hopes up yet but... this was turning out better than he'd expected.
"R-really? You'd... consider me a friend?" Of course not, don't be silly! I was just joking with you, now get to work and don't say a word. That was what he expected her to say. Instead...
"Of course." He had to try and control the wide grin that threatened to come onto his face. "I'm sure that you and I are going to get along just fine."
That grin won the battle and spread across his face. Twilight giggled at that, but he didn't feel embarrassed anymore. He didn't want to get his hopes up too high but... this was great!
Spike arrived with the omelette halves and set them down. He was right, it was good. And it had come from Applejack apparently. He felt another warm feeling of gratitude to the country pony and smiled as he ate.
They ate in a comfortable silence and, when they were finished, Twilight rose from her chair, Spike began to clear up and Dusk followed Twilight into the main part of the library.
"Right, we've got plenty of things to do today," Twilight said, turning to him. "While Spike is cleaning up, would you start sweeping the floor Dusk?"
"Certainly Miss Spark- Twilight!" He blushed a little as he giggled. "Sorry, gonna have to get used to that."
"It's fine. The brush is over there in the corner."
He nodded, picked up the brush with a spell and began to sweep it across the floor, gathering up the dust into a pile in the centre of the room. While that was going on, he noticed Twilight hover a book on magic down to her and opened it.
Still hard at work on her studies, he thought to himself. From what he had heard, even though she had been anti-social, Twilight was truly talented at magic. Most unicorns just used it for simple stuff, like moving things, helping with cooking or playing instruments. Her talents, however, were said to be truly remarkable.
"So Dusk," she began again, looking up from her reading, "you're from Canterlot too?"
"Yes, I am," he confirmed, sweeping in a corner. "I've lived there most of my life, earned my Cutie Mark there, attended Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns..." He held his breath. What would she say?
"Oh, of course! I thought I recognized you from somewhere." Recognize me, he thought bewildered. What? "I've seen you plenty of times, in the library at the school! You were always at the same table, reading a book or making notes."
"Y-y-you did?" He couldn't believe it. She remembered him! All of this time and she knew who he was!
"Yeah. I thought it was good to see a unicorn as dedicated to study as I was." Her expression changed to a sympathetic grimace. "I'm sorry that I never came over to talk, but I used to think that my studies were more important than making friends."
"It's okay, I understand." He dared to ask: "But... you feel differently about that now... right?"
"Certainly." She flicked through a few pages in her book. "Of course, I still need to keep up with my studies, but I've learned that making friends is just as, perhaps more, important as well."
"That's good," he said, giving her his best smile, which she returned.
"I hope that we'll be good friends Dusk," she said sincerely.
"Me too... Twilight." He then resumed his cleaning, his spirits soaring.
He heard the sound of the kitchen door opening, and he looked to see Spike emerge, drying his hands and his chef's hat absent.
"There we go Twilight, all clean in the kitchen," he reported.
"Good work Spike. You can take a little break now, until Dusk is done sweeping. Is that alright with you, Dusk?"
"Absolutely," he affirmed. "He deserves a little rest. I'll be fine sweeping up here."
"Great!" The dragon immediately leaned against a wall and rested himself against it, dozing off to sleep.
"That's Spike," she giggled, "if he's not working, he's sleeping. He is a baby after all."
Dusk watched for a bit, as he snoozed away peacefully. It certainly seemed like he would be useful to have, as well as being good company. A question formed in his mind from yesterday
"So... how do you two know each other?" he inquired. "I remember whenever you were at the school, Spike would always be following close behind. Was he a gift from the Princess?"
"No, not exactly." Twilight looked fondly at her assistant. "I had to hatch him from an egg to pass my entrance exam. Then, when Princess Celestia took me on as her protegee, she let me keep Spike as my assistant. He's sort of like an adopted brother, in that respect."
"I've read that a dragon's main source of food is gemstones," he bought up, piling up more dust. "How do you keep him fed?"
"He'll eat just about anything, but our friend Rarity always keeps some gemstones for him as snacks." Dusk gave an 'ah' of recognition. She looked up from her work again. "What was your entrance exam Dusk?"
"You'd... really like to know?" She nodded. "Well... mine was to regrow the leaves on a bare bush. I managed it, after a... well er... few minutes of trying. I um... even managed to grow some of it's flowers..."
"That's pretty impressive," she commended. "I bet your parents were really proud of you."
"Yeah," he said happily, remembering the smiles on their faces when he'd passed, "they were. Still, you're... way better than me. I mean, you got the attention of the Princess. Now that is impressive."
"I will admit yes, I am talented in magic, but you have your own talent. You should be proud of that, and not be discouraged to show it."
"I suppose you're right..." He returned to sweeping, dusting down a table.
He thought about his own unique talent, the one that no other unicorn could do. The one Princess Celestia said he should share with somepony. He glanced at Twilight. What would she think of it, if he showed it to her? Would she like it?
He sighed and shook away those thoughts. She probably wouldn't even be marginally impressed, considering the things she could do. It was best if he just keep it to himself, just as he always had done.
When Spike awoke, Dusk had completed his dusting and had disposed of the offending substance outside. The library certainly looked a lot cleaner. Twilight had then told Spike to show him around the place, and outline what he would be doing.
Spike's duties included cooking, cleaning, fetching books for Twilight, taking notes and writing letters. He told him that these would be split with Dusk, however Twilight saw fit. Dusk, however, would be focusing more on tasks in the library itself, rather than the rest of the household. That was his area.
It sounded simple enough, Dusk thought. He was a quick learner and had memorised where most of the books were kept in their respective sections. If Twilight, or anypony, needed his assistance, he would be glad to provide it.
It was about the same time that he was re-sorting the books in the biographies section, when Twilight came up to him while he was sorting the pile he had formed next to a ladder. He was so focused he didn't hear her the first time she spoke.
"No, that's for the science section... Star Swirl the Bearded: Momentous Magician... that goes here..." He looked up to see Twilight talking to him, and felt rude for ignoring her. "Oh um... sorry, Twilight, just getting... wrapped up in my work..."
"It's alright, I can be pretty much the same," she said with a smile. "Anyway, I'm just going upstairs with Spike to do some magic practice. Can you keep an eye on things down here?"
"I'll do my best," he promised, proud that he trusted her with this responsibility so quickly.
"Alright. We'll be just upstairs, if you need anything." She then turned tail and disappeared off upstairs, Spike waddling behind. Dusk then went back to his sorting, chuckling as he found The Pony and The Coney, just underneath Princess Luna: The Lost Ruler.
Once this task was done, he found himself with little to do. So he picked out a Daring Do book from the adventure section, the first one, and set about reading it. He was re-reading the whole series, they were just that good.
His chance to prove himself came soon. As he browsed the various sections of books, he heard the sound of the door opening. Twilight was still upstairs, doing studying with Spike. He would have to take this.
"Good morning," he said in his politest voice, turning to face the pony. "Is there anything that I can- Applejack!"
"Dusk!" The country pony's face lit up in a bright smile when she saw him. "Well, ain't this a small world? Whatcha doin' here?"
"I work here," he informed her proudly. "Twilight Sparkle's second assistant, at your service." He was so happy to see her again, he'd rather forgotten how much of a boring pony he was, how disinterested she would be in conversation with him
"Second assistant huh? How's that workin' out for ya?"
"Oh, it's just great. Both Twilight and Spike have been very kind with me, and welcoming. Plus, I'm working in one of my favourite places in the world!" He realised how pathetic that sounded, flushing a little. "That... that sounds pretty sad, doesn't it?"
"Not at all, Dusk. Ta each his, or her, own, as they say." She gave him that honest smile again. "Ah'm sure y'all be the finest second assistant that this library has ever seen."
"Applejack. I think I'm the only second assistant this library has ever seen."
"All the more reason that you'll be great!"
"Thank you." He felt warm inside from how honestly, how truthfully she said it. "Now, is there anything I can help you with?" he asked again.
"Ah was wonderin' if y'all had Collection of Lil' Pony Stories. It's for ma lil' sister, bedtime stories," she elaborated.
"I think I know where that is..." He trotted over to the Little Ponies section and browsed for C. He found the book in seconds, a short collection of stories for little fillies and colts. His favourite when he was younger.
"Here you go," he said proudly. "I recommend reading The Story of the Prancing Pony and her Hopping Hat. One of my favourites when I was a foal."
"Ah'll bear that in mind," she said. "Well, thank ya kindly Dusk, that was some quick and polite service ya gave." She looked past him to the stairs. "Oh, howdy Twah'light, Spike."
"Hey Applejack, I thought I heard your voice," Twilight greeted, as she descended the stairs to meet her. "Did you need anything?"
"Ah'm fine thanks." She looked to Dusk. "Yer new assistant here has jus' done himself a fine job, gettin' me this here book."
"It was just getting a book..." he mumbled modestly.
"That doesn't mean ya can't give yerself a pat on the back for a job well done," she said.
"I guess..." He returned her smile. "So... do you two know each other?"
"Of course. Applejack is one of my best friends," Twilight informed him fondly. "You'll never find a more honest, reliable pony anywhere."
"Well, that's mighty kind of you ta say so, Twah'light," she said gratefully.
"Wait a moment," Dusk said, before he could stop himself. "If you two are friends, that means that..."
It hit him in that instant. He'd seen Applejack before. On the stained-glass window, using an Element of Harmony. And he would bet money it was the Element of Honesty. He'd been talking to another of the wielders of the Elements and he'd never even known it.
"'Must mean'... what?" Both Applejack and Twilight were looking at him quizzically.
What should he say? What would they do if he knew what power they had, what they had done? Would they see him as some screaming fan-colt? Would they think he was no longer worthy to be their friend?
"Must mean..." He had to think, what could he say? "Must mean... we're gonna get along even better!" He said that a little louder than he'd intended. "I mean... the two ponies I've met are um... already good friends. So um... that's good..."
They looked at him oddly. Could he blame them? Would they buy it? For a minute, it looked like they weren't going to believe him. Then, Applejack spoke up.
"Yeah, ah guess it is. Didn't think about it like that."
"Me neither." Twilight then smiled. "I'll have to introduce you to the rest of our friends, I bet they'd love to meet you Dusk."
"Do you... do you really think they would?" Her friends, who no doubt wielded the other Elements. There was no way he'd be able to fit in with them but... there was always hope.
"Sure they would. Anyway, Dusk," she said, brusquely but still kindly, "I also came down to ask if you would get some more parchment from the stationary store? We've run out."
"Of course Twilight. But I uh... don't know where it is..." He should know his way better around town.
"Ah'm headin' off now, ah could show ya the way Dusk."
"You would? Thank you Applejack," he said sincerely. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he told Twilight.
"No problem." She then turned to leave. "Well, bes' be off. Lots ta get done taday. Have a nice day y'all!"
"Don't worry," Spike called as he left with Applejack, "we'll hold the fort until you get back!"
"Good to know," he replied, shutting the door and joining the cowpony at a gentle pace.
"Jus' follow me Dusk, ah know this town like the back-a ma hoof."
Dusk walked beside her, in a comfortable silence as she led the way. Some ponies still greeted him as he passed them by on the street, but he liked to think he'd gotten used to it.
As he walked, he looked at Applejack. He could still hardly believe that she was one of the ponies who wielded the Element of Honesty. That meant that the rest of Twilight's friends also had power over the others. This was something he'd never expected.
While he didn't want to seem too hopeful, he thought he'd hit it off quite well with both of them. They at least seemed to like him, or just tolerate him. Maybe after they realised he was nothing special, certainly not an Element of Harmony, they'd leave him on his own.
"You alright Dusk?" He looked up to see Applejack, gazing intently at him. "What's eatin' ya?"
"...Nothing..." he said resignedly.
"Sure don't look like nothin'," she insisted. "Ya look like a pony with somethin' on his mind. Wanna talk about it? That's what friends are for."
"I wouldn't know," he murmured, before he could stop himself. He slapped himself mentally when he realised that he had.
"Hey now, what do ya mean by... oh." She looked so sympathetic, so pitying. It made Dusk feel ashamed. "Ah guess... y'all have never had any friends, have ya?" He nodded. "Aww Dusk...How come?"
"If you don't mind I'd... I'd rather not discuss that..." he muttered, not looking her in the eye.
"Look at me." He did so. She had that honest smile again. "Ah dunno how it's been with other friends y'all might have had, but for what it's worth, ya have a friend now."
He knew he was just saying that to be nice, to make him feel better. But it still worked. He returned the smile. "Thank you."
"No problem." She continued to lead him, her smile still warming him inside.
She really was doing her best to make him feel better about being here, to make him feel like he was accepted. It would just be even worse when she eventually lost interest, left him alone...
Still, it would be fun while it lasted. To pretend that he had friends, even though he knew they'd get bored of him soon enough. After a few more minutes, Applejack spoke up.
"Well, here we are, jus' like ah promised." She gave him a tip of her hat. "Good seein' ya again Dusk. Have a great day."
"The feeling is mutual, bye." He was just about to enter when...
"Hey Dusk." He turned back around. Applejack had that sympathetic smile again. "Jus' remember, if ya ever need ta talk about anythin' jus' give me a heads up. Anythin' at all, okay? You are new around here, so ah understand how nervous ya mus' be feelin' Jus' remember, ah'll be here ta talk if ya need it."
"Um..." There wasn't much he could say in response to that. She certainly was perceptive. And kind. "Thank you. I'll remember."
"Good. See ya around, sugarcube." He felt the blush come to his face as she walked off. Never been called that before. He would be sad when she stopped talking to him. She'd been so nice to him. So had Twilight.
Still with a smile on his face, he stepped inside to buy the much needed parchment... for a much needed friend.
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At long last...
Dusk Noir is best Owlowiscious. :)
Oh first impressions...
Those are always fun. I love reading this again! So. much. nostalgia.
Love this story! Dusk and I are very similar and it's just a great read in general! Good work!
3085579
You are full of punny goodness
Yes, but that's like. 45% of your job.
this guy has self-esteem issues...
BIG TIME
Dawww! That was set of Applejack to say. Still, I hope Dusk will get some more confidence in himself.
4797733 I know right! yeesh! BIG TIME's almost an understatement
I'm really beginning to think he might have some kinda trauma or something
... Can you say...
Epic Foreshadowing?!
6884341 Probably...
So, Dusk has his first official meeting with Twilight! Things get off to a good start, we can only see how things pan out down the road...
And those oddly shaped rocks? Huh? HUH? He's SO going to be a 7th Element!!
...dude there's no reason to not say there element's of harmony when it was made a public announcement that most of if not all of Celestias school attended