"Dusk Shine... is that you?" Applebuck asked, covering his eyes with his hoof. He, Rainbow Blitz, Bubble Berry, Butterscotch and Elusive all had their hooves covering their eyes, blinded by the ball of light that had just landed right in front of them.
The ball of light that had enveloped his friend, the magical aura that Dusk Shine had descended in faded slowly leaving behind only the purple unicorn. He stood, surrounded by his friends with his eyes closed.
Applebuck walked over to him. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like... whatever that was. Are you okay?" he asked his friend.
Dusk looked around. Something was... off. He checked his back, his hooves. Wasn't something else supposed to happen?
"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine," Dusk finally admitted. That was true, at least. He felt all right, in fact he felt great but somehow his mind couldn't help but feel that something was missing.
"What happened to you?" Dusk's Pegasus friend Rainbow Blitz asked. "First the Prosperity Components went all brzzzz and then you were gone and then you flew down in some purple-y ball of light," he explained.
Dusk put a hoof to his chin. "I was with Lord Solaris in... well, I don't know where we were. But I saw all sorts of memories. My memories, like scenes from my life in this flat windows. And there was music... and then-"
"It's not what happened that's the problem," a voice from behind them said. Lord Solaris, Dusk Shine's own mentor descended and landed next to him. "It's what didn't happen." The prince of the sun walked over to his student still stood from where he descended.
"There's nothing wrong with Dusk Shine is there?" Elusive asked, walking over.
Lord Solaris put a hoof to his bearded chin. He examined his student, looking for something. Dusk Shine didn't know what to say, he looked himself over again and then stared back at his teacher.
"What... what was supposed to happen?" Butterscotch asked in his traditional timid voice.
"He.... well," Solaris began. "He was supposed to become an alicorn. And a prince."
"What?!" the group asked in shocked unison.
"I was supposed to become... an alicorn? You mean with wings and everything?" Dusk gestured to his back.
"Yes, you were. I just don't know what went wrong but it seems that you didn't. You... you still might not be ready," Solaris said, lowering his hoof. His gaze drifted towards the ground, the old white stallion was deep in thought.
Dusk Shine didn't know what to say. Had he failed? "I... I've learned a lot about friendship. And magic. And the magic of friendship since coming to Ponyburg. I finished that spell you gave me, the one by Short-tailed Spiraling Space? I actually completed it today... it kind of saved all my friends."
"That's right!" Rainbow Blitz agreed. "All our cutie marks were swapped and we couldn't remember anything about what happened, our whole lives! Dusk finished Spiraling Space's spell and got everything set right again."
"He's right yer majesty," Applebuck commented. "Dusk here's done a great job. If he hadn't been so quick on the draw, I'd still be makin' dresses in Elusive's shop."
"And I'd still be bucking apple trees!" Bubble Berry added.
"I... think I'll leave the weather managing to Rainbow Blitz," Elusive said.
The rainbow Pegasus nodded. "And I'll leave the animal caretaking to Butterscotch."
"Dusk has helped all of us out through the magic of friendship and the Prosperity Components. If anypony in Ponyburg knows a thing about friendship, it's Dusk Shine," Butterscotch declared, his soft voice displaying a rare undertone of confidence.
"That's right," Dusk said, agreeing with all his friends. "I've come so far, we all have."
"I... I don't disagree with anything you have said," Solaris said, still sounding confused... or disappointed. "But I had certain expectations for Dusk Shine. In fact, this moment, this moment right here was supposed to be, well, a turning point. This... changes everything." The comment hung in the air for a good few seconds.
"Hmm," Bubble Berry said, thinking. The pink colt rubbed the top and bottom of his head, thinking hard on the predicament. "Maybe there's something else he can do?" the stallion finally suggested.
Lord Solaris pondered the statement for a moment. "I'm not sure. I know for a fact that Dusk Shine was supposed to become Prince Dusk Shine, an alicorn when he fully understood the magic of friendship."
"Well," Elusive began. "What's left to understand? What more can he learn?"
Dusk Shine almost chuckled at that question. "There's always more to learn, Elusive. I think that was lesson one."
"Well, that's what I'm asking. What more about the magic of friendship do you have to learn? Where do you go from here? What's the next step?"
"The next step was for you to become an alicorn prince," Solaris stated flatly.
Bubble held up a hoof. Everypony turned to him. "Maybe... skip it?
The purple unicorn laughed awkwardly. It was a tad inappropriate to ask that in regards to magic, especially in front of Lord Solaris. "Uh, it's uh, a little more complicated than that Bubble."
"I will... look into this matter. Dusk Shine," the taller white stallion knelt down to Dusk's level. "I want you to know that you are still my apprentice, nothing changes that. You haven't failed me."
Dusk's heart sunk. "Failed?"
Lord Solaris stood. "I will return to Gallopolis and conduct more extensive research into this matter. It's good to see you all again, I'm very happy that Dusk has mastered Spiraling Space's destiny spell. Your destinies as the Pieces of Prosperity are paramount to ensuring that all of Equestria prospers. We will understand the magic of friendship fully... eventually," the white stallion said, his voice still contained a slight sorrow as he departed. The alicorn prince then flew away into the night, leaving the other six ponies alone.
Dusk was left with uncertainty. What had Lord Solaris meant? Had he done something wrong? His mind raced with possibilities, the events of the day replayed over and over in his mind. Then the past week, followed by the past month and then the whole year. He felt like he was with Lord Solaris again watching his memories on display, every moment of his life leading up to now.
"It's okay Dusk Shine," Rainbow Blitz put a hoof on his friend's shoulder. "We'll get this figured out. You'll... earn your wings, I guess soon. Sooner or later."
"That's right! Now who wants to have a... um, not-alicorn party?!" Bubble asked, hugging the pair.
"I think I'm a bit tired Bubble. But thanks, I'll see you guys tomorrow," Dusk Shine said, starting to walk home.
"All right Dusk. We'll see y'all later," Applebuck said.
"Take care Dusk Shine!" Elusive said. He waved to his friends as he opened the door and entered his house though his mind was elsewhere.
Unbeknownst to Dusk Shine, his mentor Lord Solaris's thoughts were also far away as he flew back to Gallopolis. The thousand-year old stallion had seen a lot in his life but it turns out he could still be surprised. He found himself uncertain, something that was rare for him. But he resolved that he would continue, find out what had happened and how Dusk Shine would finally realize his destiny. He would take a page out of his student's book and continue undeterred. Perhaps what Bubble Berry had suggested wasn't that bad of an idea after all?
The next day...
"Well, I don't see anything wrong with you, Dusk," the informed him. "Truth be told though, magic's not my area of expertise. Neither is... transformation into an alicorn prince."
"I know... it's just, Lord Solaris told me I was supposed to become one," Dusk Shine explained to the doctor as he sat on the patient's table. He managed to sleep well last night, though he had stayed up late researching alicorns, magic and transformation after Bubble Berry's party. Completely out of options, he was too nervous to simply wait for an answer from Lord Solaris, so he checked himself in to see a doctor.
"He'd know more about that than I would," the doctor said, holding up Dusk's chart. "You're in good health though, from what I see."
That didn't console Dusk. "He said it was supposed to be my destiny," he said, his gaze dropping to the floor.
"Well, destiny's not really my field either but I know it's a little more complicated than just a routine check-up," the doctor stated. "Myself, I wasn't so sure about my own path a long time ago."
Dusk looked up to him. "You weren't?"
"Not at all. You see my cutie mark?" the doctor pulled up his coat and pointed to his flank. "You tell me this isn't hard to figure out. In all my time as a medical doctor, I'm still not completely sure what it means." The doctor's cutie mark was a stethoscope and he wore one around his neck.
"Well, it's a stethoscope isn't it? Doesn't it mean you're pretty much supposed to be good at using one? You are a doctor," Dusk said.
The doctor chuckled and held up the object around his neck. "Being able to use one of these doesn't make me a good doctor, Dusk Shine. A lot of different ponies use these in different medical fields. There are many different types of doctors, I'd be hard-pressed to try to fulfill every role."
Dusk glanced at his own cutie mark. He remembered back to the day he earned it during his entrance exam into Lord Solaris's School for Advanced Unicorns. That was the day he met Barbara, too. His cutie mark was some sort of purple star, it went along with his name. But thinking about it... he wasn't sure what it exactly meant, either. Considering how he'd earned it, obviously it had something to do with magic. But what?
He started thinking about his friends' cutie marks. Applebuck's was three apples... but what did that mean? Was he good at harvesting apples or selling them? He'd had difficulty with both prospects in the past, Dusk recalled. Elusive's was three gems but he was a fashion designer, not a jeweler. While he did bejewel outfits sometimes, he was a dressmaker. So shouldn't his cutie mark be clothes?
The floodgates opened on Dusk Shine. Butterscotch's cutie mark was butterflies and yet he bonded with so many animals. In fact, Dusk hardly ever saw Butterscotch do anything with butterflies. Bubble Berry had balloons and that did make sense with the parties. But Rainbow Blitz's cutie mark was a cloud with a rainbow bolt coming out of it. What did that even mean? Blitz was Ponyburg's weather manager but he couldn't make the clouds fire bolts of rainbow-colored lightning. The sonic rainboom did make sense and maybe he did resemble a bolt of rainbow lightning when he flew... but what did it mean?
"Cutie marks are just too vague," Dusk realized. "These things on our flanks decide our fates but we can't tell what those decisions are! Not for sure, anyway! So, why listen to what some mark on your backside says?" he asked, getting up.
"I wouldn't go that far, Dusk. I like to think of cutie marks as like a guide. You have your special talent already, when you discover it, you get your mark. But just knowing your talent isn't enough, you also have to find out how to apply it to your life. That way, we can all work to make Equestria a better place," the doctor said with a smile.
"Yesterday, all my friends' cutie marks were switched. Their destinies changed because of a magic spell I'd been working with. It took me the whole day just to get things sorted out. What if..." Dusk thought. "What if I'd failed?"
"There are a lot of what-ifs. But you succeeded, that's what matters."
Dusk didn't drop the line of thinking. "What if my mistake had been permanent? Our destinies could've been changed forever."
"Or maybe it was your destiny... to fix your friends' destinies," he said with a smile. "You took matters into your own hooves and did what you knew was right, Dusk. I think if you keep doing that, things will work out just fine for you and all your friends."
Dusk looked down again. "I guess so..."
The doctor could tell he was still upset. "Maybe you should take your destiny into your own hooves again, Dusk. Take a vacation, invite your friends. Get away from Ponyburg for a while and all this talk of fulfilling your duties."
Dusk Shine thought about that. A vacation... would that really solve his problems? It might be a good idea to let Lord Solaris continue to research whatever went wrong. There was nothing he could do to speed up time, he knew that from experience.
"Now, are there any other philosophical quandaries I can help you out with?"
He smiled nervously. "No, I... thank you, I'm gonna get going now."
"Take it easy, Dusk Shine," the doctor told him as the purple unicorn opened the door and left. Well, it hadn't been a complete waste of time. Dusk still pondered the implications of his fate, his obligation to Equestria as he walked to the reception area. He realized he was obsessing over this issue and there was little he could do about it. Maybe that was his destiny? To fixate on the tiny things that went wrong in his life to the point he drove himself insane!
He stopped himself. No, he had to have faith that Lord Solaris would find the answer. He had to have faith in his friends, faith in himself. But something to preoccupy his time might be nice.
Another unicorn walked out of the room adjacent to his and headed down the hallway towards Dusk.
"Hey there," the orange colt greeted him.
"Hi there," Dusk said back, still walking towards him.
The orange unicorn did a 180 and started walking with Dusk Shine. "Couldn't help but overhear you talking in the room next door. Name's Sundown, Sundown Gleam," he introduced himself as they walked.
Dusk started to do the same. "I'm-"
"Prince Dusk Shine," the unicorn finished. "Who hasn't heard about you and your friends?" The pony asked.
"Wait," Dusk Shine said, stopping. "I'm not a prince... what made you think I was?"
The orange pony stopped. "You mean you're not?"
Dusk shook his head. "No, I... hey, wait a minute." Something was too suspicious about this situation. "How did you know I was supposed to become an alicorn prince?"
The unicorn took a step back. "You were supposed to become an alicorn too? With the wings?"
"How do you know about all of this? I didn't even know about it until last night."
Sundown looked nervous. "I... umm... okay, you caught me," he said. "Lord Solaris sent me. I was a student of his a long time ago but I... turned down becoming a prince."
That was a shock to Dusk. "You turned down becoming a prince? How do you even do that?"
"I... just did," Sundown shrugged awkwardly. "But I still work for Lord Solaris and he told me to tell you that this all has to do with your Component of Magic."
"The Component of Magic? Is there something wrong with it?"
"Uh, yes!" the unicorn quickly answered. "And he sent me here to check it for you. I know how to fix it so that you can fulfill your duty to Equestria and take on your role as a prince!"
"And an alicorn?" Dusk added.
"Sure, whatever. So, where is the Components of Magic right now?" the orange colt asked.
"It's back at my house," Dusk said, still skeptical.
"Wonderful! We can go there now and get you all... princified!"
"Okay..." Dusk remarked. He was more than a little suspicious about the orange unicorn's story. How did he know about what happened last night? How did he know Dusk was supposed to become a prince? Ever since yesterday morning, it was like his world turned upside down. Nothing made sense any more. Still, he led Sundown through Ponyburg back to his house.
Sundown laughed as they approached. "You live in a tree?"
"Yeah, they don't tell you at first but you have to water it almost every day," Dusk explained. "This was originally the center of town, they planted this tree from the Everfree Forest," Dusk explained.
"Don't you worry about squirrels or something?" asked.
"Well, termites are a problem sometimes but Butterscotch takes care of those. It's just me, Barbs and Owlouisa."
"Right..." Sundance said. Dusk approached the door, still thinking about what the colt following him had said. As he opened the door and stepped inside, he reached a decision.
"You know, I don't think I need to be a prince. Or an alicorn," he told Sundown. "Not right now, anyway."
Sundown looked confused. "But... what about what Lord Solaris said?"
"That's just it, Sundance. I don't think there's anything wrong with the Components of Prosperity. I think it might be me," Dusk replied.
"What do you mean?" Sundown asked in disbelief.
"I... I don't think I'm ready to be an alicorn prince yet. I appreciate Lord Solaris sending you but I'm going to write to him myself and see what he says. Thank you for talking to me," Dusk said, stepping inside.
"Wait," Sundance blocked the door from closing with his hoof. "There... there still might be something wrong with the Component of Magic! I should at least take a look at it while I'm here!"
Dusk thought for a moment. "Well... I guess so." Reluctantly, he let the colt into his house.
"Wow," Sundance said, looking around. "That's a lot of books." Dusk walked over to the chest containing the Components of Prosperity and lifted the lid. The six magical artifacts gleamed before them.
"These are all of them. Lord Solaris left them here ever since we rehabilitated Disarray and-"
Sundance almost pushed Dusk out of his way as he walked over. His gaze was fixated on the Component of Magic in particular. It glowed and levitated out as Sundown lifted it with his magic.
"All this time... and to think, it would be this easy," Sundown said, examining it in midair. The orange pony seemed to be enamored by the object. Well, it was one of the legendary artifacts that protected Equestria.
"Do you see anything wrong with it?" Dusk asked.
"Yeah, yeah I do. Look here," Sundown held it over to Dusk.
The purple unicorn picked it up with his own magic. "What is it?"
"Turn it over, look at the band," Sundance said. "It's there, you'll see it."
Dusk did as instructed but still didn't see anything. "I don't see anything wrong. What should I be looking for?"
"Another destiny."
Dusk looked up a split-second too late. The bookcase fell down on him, crushing him to the ground and covering him in a pile of books.
"Later, Dumb Shine," Dusk heard Sundown say. He was disoriented; he fought against the weight of the bookshelf on top of him. Using his magic, he lifted it off of him. What the hay just happened?
The door to his house hung open. Sundown was nowhere to be seen. Frantically, Dusk looked amongst the books scattered at his hooves for his crown, the Component of Magic. It was gone.