Return to Society

by Silent Sir 224

A Time of Healing

"This is really good. What's it called?" Dusk sipped the mystery liquid again.

"That's lavender tea." Fluttershy clarified, drinking her own cup.

"So you used a lavender flower to make it?"

"Just a few leaves, I have a couple lavender plants in my garden behind the house."

"Animal caretaker, gardener, doctor and singer? Is there anything you don't do amazingly?"

"Oh, stop. Anyone can know how to do any of that stuff."

"Not all at once. Individually, sure, but at the same time? No way."

"I'm, I'm nothing special."

"Now that my dear, we will have to agree to disagree on." He took another sip of tea.

"If you say so, Dusk. So, uh, what are you doing today?" She retreated behind her mane again.

"Well, just going to my room at the inn and setting up there. Then write a letter to the Princess explaining that I got here and what happened last night. After that... incident with Twilight."

"Well, I have an idea."

"I would love to hear it."

"I could set up a little meeting for my friends for you to introduce yourself."

"That sounds perfect."

"Great! I will get it set up right away! I will come by the inn and get you when we're ready, okay?"

"Sounds good. Now, where's my pack?"

"I think I saw it in the kitchen. I'll go check, be right back." She stood up and left the room.

"What would it be doing in the kitchen? Did you move it?"

"No, I- oh no!"

"What!? Is everything okay?"

"Um, no..." She walked back in the room with his pack between her wings. Or rather, the shredded remains of it.

"Dear Mentor..."

"It's my fault Dusk!" The pegasus placed it on the ground in front of Dusk. "My animals must have thought there was food in there. I'm so sorry!" She turned away from him.

With a heavy sigh, the unicorn inspected the damage. The pack itself was pretty shredded, the tent and sleeping bag in a similar condition. Food was completely gone. The knife was bent, lacking any sign of fresh blood, thankfully. The bow, snapped in half. The books, surprisingly in good condition, that figures... wait. Where's the photo!? Dusk dumped the contents of the bag on the floor. He started to scramble through it, madly. When he was satisfied it wasn't there, he returned to the bag and proceeded to tear it apart. Desperate to find the most important thing he had.

After a few minutes of tearing, his treasure floated among the torn fabric. His photo, the one with his parents in it, was torn and on the verge of splitting down the middle.

"No..." He knelt down and picked it up, delicately. As if fate was toying with him, the photo ripped in half. The half he was still holding on to, held an image of himself. The half that fell, his parents. "No..." The tears made a return, this time in much greater number. He picked the missing half and placed both on the couch.

"Dusk, I'm- I'm so sorry! It must have been my animal friends! They just wanted the food! Please don't be mad at them! If anything, be mad at me!"

"Fluttershy, stop talking." His tone was surprisingly stoic. She listened and hung her head in shame. He stood up and walked in front of her. "Fluttershy, look at me." She hesitantly looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "I could never be mad at you. No matter what happens, I will never be mad at you."

"But, your things, their completely destroyed!"

"An unfortunate accident, nothing more."

"But..."

"Life tests us through such trials and tribulations. I'm a little upset, yes, but I will be okay." He gathered the books, placing the photo inside the cover of the top one. "I'm going to go to the inn. And you have a little meet and greet to plan, don't you?"

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"Those things aren't so important. I feel a little bad about the mess. I can clean it up."

"No, Dusk, I can take care of it. I will be over soon okay?"

"I'm looking forward to it." He gave her a small smile. She returned it weakly before he walked out the door.

Outside, he was greeted by the morning sun warming him almost as much as the tea had.

"Excuse me, sir?" A female voice called farther down the path, in a southern accent.

"Yes?" Dusk looked for the source of the voice and saw an earth pony. She had an orange coat, a blonde mane and a matching tail held in a red tie. Her head was covered by a brown stetson hat.

"If it ain't too much to ask, What were y'all doing here this early? Is Fluttershy okay?" She approached him with a raised eyebrow.

"Fluttershy's fine. I met her yesterday, we went to talk to Twilight. That didn't really go too well, so she brought me back here to talk. By the time we were done, it was pretty late. She asked me to stay for the night."

"Y'all expect me to believe that she just invited you to stay the night?"

"She's inside if you don't believe me. Ask her yourself, if you need to find me I will be at the inn, good day."

"Now hold up. It ain't that I don't believe ya, Ah just want to confirm what you're sayin'."

"We can ask her right now if you want."

"We'll do just that." Dusk followed the earth pony up to the door he just left through and watched her knock. "Fluttershy, ya in there?"

"Just a minute, AppleJack I'll be right there." She opened the door and was somewhat surprised. "Oh, I see you met Dusk."

"Wait, this guy is that Dusk fella we were told about? Well, why was he here so early?"

"We went over to the library, but Twilight went too far when she talked to him about his past. We came back here and talked about it. When we were done it was really late, so I asked him to stay here. Didn't he tell you that?"

"Ah just wanted to hear you say the same thing."

"Why would Dusk lie?"

"Ah was a little suspicious."

"What did you think that he...?"

"No, no, no." Fluttershy gave her a questioning look. "Maybe... okay yes!"

"AppleJack, I believe you owe Dusk an apology."

"You're right," she turned around to face Dusk. "Ah'm mighty sorry, Fluttershy is one of my best friends."

"I understand and I don't blame you for implicating that I did something. I just ask that you don't assume that I would do that to anyone." She nodded.

"Now, what brought you out my way so early in the morning?"

"Ah went to the library to see if Dusk came to town yet. Twilight's answer was 'Ask Fluttershy' and now I'm here. Ah know something happened at the library. But Ah also know it ain't none of my business, so Ah won't ask."

"I want to explain what happened when we get the girls together. Do you think you could talk to Pinkie Pie and get a little meeting set up at Sugar Cube Corner?"

"Uh, sure, when is it?"

"Um, noon?"

"Alright, I'll make sure it's on my lunch break."

"Thanks AppleJack, I'm going to get Rainbow Dash and Rarity."

"What about Twi?"

"I don't think she should be there."

"Alright, Fluttershy, Ah trust ya. See ya at noon." She walked back down the path, "Oh yeah, nice to meet ya, Dusk. I'm Applejack." She adjusted her hat and continued before he could reply.

"You just can't catch a break, can you Dusk?"

"Nope. So, noon, Sugar Cube Corner?"

"I'll come and get you, okay?"

"I look forward to that," he gave her a confident smile before walking into town.

Comments

[Starcat5]

"You just can't catch a break, can you Dusk?"

"A 'Break'? What is this 'Break' of which you speak?"

Starting off on the wrong hoof with 2/3rds of the Mane Six, his gear trashed (How the heck did his knife get bent like that? If the Timberwolf attack didn't damage it, I'd be surprise if Mr Bear could do it.), his family photo now symbolically representing his being torn away from his family, and he wakes up with a Nightmare that Luna didn't catch. If this keeps up, I'll start to wonder if there is something going on in the background deliberately trying to make Dusk's life a living Tartarus.

[Devildogg20]

3054003 there always is, we just never find out if it's targeting us or those around us. We never see what's going on behind the scenes until it's too late.

[DerpTape]

I truly hope there turns out to be a reason that Princess Celestia failed to provide mental health services, or at least counseling, to Dusk. Anyone, and anypony, would have to be morally blind and deaf to not realize he would be extensively tramatized by the Event five years earlier. If nothing else, once Princess Luna returned, she could have provided dream therapy.